#and far from making me unable to connect with them I just got super protective

[awsydawnarts]

I miss Camp Cretaceous :(

[belladonazeppole]

What if?... Husk knew his harem when alive.

(Using the Harem!Husk idea of @dealwithadeer also I propose that the harem could be called "Strong Suit")

It would make sense with Husk be one who live the longest.

The thing is that they meet Husk in a high point of his life so they only saw the good side and nobody make the connection that they're the same person.

Problem? Husk does remember them.

Lucifer? One doesn't forget that summoned the devil and survive no matter how much you drink.

Alastor? It was quite clear and more since Alastor doesn't hide who he was when alive.

Angel? He tells him a story when they're alone in the bar and Angel is a bit drunk so he gave a lot of details and Husk make the connection pretty easily later.

Vox? He told him in one of their "dates" that he make him remember the one who got away (in a way to look more sincere and Husk gave him info)

How they meet?

First one Lucifer, they meet in the 20's and Husk was in his early twenties, maybe he was fucking around with a book and end up summoning by accident Lucifer and instead of be scare he ask him for money (a gambler to the the end) Lucifer was amuse by this odd and pretty (I headcanon that Husk was super pretty in his youth, sue me!)

So the deal was that Husk show him a night of entertainment and he would gave him the money, he actually hope to Husk to fail but was surprise for the magic shows of Husk, the glamour of Vegas, having somebody in his arms again (he and Lilith were divorce at that point since I refuse to write Luci as a cheater) it was the most fun he ever had in a long time.

Husk got the money and a King.

Next is Alastor, in the early 30's so Husk was in his early to mid thirties, Husk was the new bartender/sax player in his town at first he was suppose to be his newest victim, and I think that Alastor has a thing in having a "interview" with his victims. He expect to Husk to be like the other men he interview crude, boring and stupid.

He was surprise in how Husk break his expectentions, they actually got along so Alastor decide it would be a waste in killing him so soon, so he spare him, even deciding that if Husk end ups boring him that he could be a nice dessert.

Husk got to live longer and a Ace.

Now Angel Dust, this was in the 40's and Husk was in his mid forties, Angel was recently kick out of his family for be gay and was dealing with a lot of self-hate and drugs, it was his lowest point (so far) and he pass out one night in the snow.

He was shock of waking up in a warm bed while somebody was taking care of him. It was Husk with his boyfriend (Husk was dating a rich dude at the time) even if neither of them say out loud they were boyfriends they also never hide it.

This make Angel feel safe and Husk took care of Angel, in return Angel told him that he make sure that nobody will bother them, Husk didn't know that Angel was a mafioso just kind words of somebody he help.

Husk got protection and a Heart.

Finally is Vox, they meet a lot actually from the 20's to the 50's they had a lot of quick enconters. I headcanon that Husk did drag when he was alive and that is how they meet, Vox wanted to ask Husk for a date but he was already gone for traveling.

Each time they meet again Vox felt a sense of peace since times where changing, he was changing but the only person that maintain all his life was Husk that in the big picture he was still a total stranger but for Vox the only person who saw him since day one.

Vox was either was a cult leader or a CEO (almost the same) so he wanted Husk a his side since he was somebody that see pass his charm. Husk was like the wind pass his fingers and was unable to control him just go to wherever he desire.

Husk got to maintain his freedom and a Diamond.

[lutawolf]

Never Let Me Go D/s breakdowns Ep 8

Is threw him his shirt and is helping him button it. And fixing his hair. Palm is loving this. Eating up the attention because he so rarely gets it. If your nose got that close to my food, I wouldn't be able to eat it. Just no. Ew. Him dusting right behind his back is so cute. Palm is really enjoying this relationship.

Aw, we're having super cute moments. Making drinks and shopping. Buttering us up before they gut us. Normally the gut doesn't come till episode 11. Palm wiping Nueng's eyes and then hugging him from behind in the water. I'm getting all the feels! "Mr. Nueng, what are you reading?" The fact that he still calls him Mr. Nueng is very subby. I personally don't do titles, though some of my subs give them to me. That's kind of what this feels like. Palm wanting to give him that show of respect.

"Why do humans do everything for love? Humans have been madly in love since ancient days." "Tell me more. What you learned from the book." "There’s a story. It explains the origin of love. When gods created the world, Human beings were created to have two bodies connected. They had four arms and four legs. The male and female kind, They were the offspring of the moon. The female and female kind, They were the offspring of the earth. The male and male kind, They were the offspring of the sun. One day, human beings made gods angry. So a god punished them. He struck lightning on them. Bang!" "That hurts." "So the humans were split into two halves. He also created a storm. To separate their other halves so that they could not find each other. This is the myth explaining why people are trying to find their other halves." "Mr. Nueng, do you believe that your other half is searching for you?" "Not really. It’s just a myth, but it’s kind of romantic." Then he goes on to tease Palm. To distract from the fact that he does indeed believe because why else did he start reading the book?

This actually seems to foreshadow a lot. That there will be a separation and that it will hurt Palm badly. That though Nueng is romantic, he tells himself it isn't real because it can't hurt if you don't believe, but then Palm is the type to go in search of what he wants.

It's kind of interesting, isn't it. Nueng is romantic, the type to read and watch a romance but denounces it as not real. Because he is also the type that doesn't feel he can have it. Palm is far more pragmatic, he lives the romance, makes it happen. Palm is used to having to achieve his own happiness, so to him, love is the same way.

Yes! Merch! This is the best product placement ever! Fuck Palm has gotten braver. "Thank you, Mr. Nueng." See, it's become an endearment. Then we get to a trashed hotel and Palm's first instinct is to protect Nueng. Thank you. I don't wish harm to your mom, but she shouldn't come before Nueng. Just saying.

See, people never think of the consequences of their actions. I sold him the video, but I wasn't the one that spread it. I'm so fucking sick of the lack of responsibility in so many people. Are parents and adults unable to teach. You don't have to be the one to pull the trigger to have played your part in the destruction and harm of another human. Example: You see a boy getting beat and you do nothing. Then that boy is later found dead, and you were found to have not done your civic duty, guess what, you are just as responsible as the one who killed him. Sorry not sorry. Stop, pause, and ask yourself about the consequences of what you are about to do. Be it be good or bad, but the real question is, will what I'm about to do harm another human being. Are you in danger or someone else in danger, what justification or right do you to have to harm someone who isn't endangering you or a loved one?

Well that was a rant… My bad. Well damn. At least she's honest and take responsibility for being a jackass. "One day, you will understand. When life forces you to choose between your duty and your heart." Ahh... but his duty and his heart are the same thing. So what are they trying to tell us? Hmm.

Are you fucking for real. We are supposed to believe that Maggie just happened to find them on accident? Are we coconuts? Don't answer that. Did he really say okay to taking Maggie around the Island. Nueng is like, you coconut. Meanwhile, Maggie is side eyeing Nueng with a smile. Is she purposely trying to stir some shit up? It's interesting. Palm is pretty secure in this relationship. The one he doesn't trust is Maggie. Not that Maggie is helping with that.

"How long do you need to be his bodyguard?" "Until Mr. Nueng is safe and the problem back in Bangkok is solved." So you have other plans, Palm?

Oh! Nueng to the rescue! "After spending a lot of time with Palm, I realized I need to learn these things. It’s good that he had a chance to protect someone else other than me." Oh yeah, he isn't happy. "You can lie to yourself, but you cannot lie to me." 🤣🤣🤣 So she always saw it. She just decided to be a brat.

Palm comes back to mommy getting beat up. Ugh! I only vomited a little at that scene. Okay, so I don't necessarily agree with her life choices, but yeah, I'm with Nueng. Don't leave her to get assaulted. He trusts you, but he's worried about you. Awwwww. Bless Palm's heart. He is torn between his mom and the threat to her and protecting the love of his life.

Look at him walking in like a Boss. That was hot. Tell me that wasn't hot, cause you'd be a damn liar. And the way Palm is freaking out is hot too. Cute family moment. They are adorable. She called him on calling her mom and Palm just smiles! I love it!!! Good cover Nueng, good cover.

The shrimp!! But let's also talk about Palm using a very good sub tactic. I mentioned earlier in an Ask. Doms don't take commands well, and some don't take suggestions well. But really good subs know the way around this. Iffy is the queen of this. It's about explaining in such a way that the Dom sees it your way. "Peeling a prawn is a thing that lovers do for each other." Palm know his lover is romantic and he played into that. Palm is love this! I find the way they are eating hilarious. You always know the people who live on the water vs the people who don't. Wash hands with lemon water and peel with your hands. If this were crawfish, get ready for some really messy hands. Nueng over here with a fork and spoon, which I've seen people do because they hate the smell of shrimp on their hands.

"I need to apologize to you." "Apologize for what? You did many wrong things to me." I'm adoring the communication. "What else did I do wrong to you? You can tell me." "I’ll give you more time to think about it." Hahaha! Bless Palm, he is really thinking and can't figure it out. "Did Maggie leave for Bangkok?" That beautiful smile comes out. He loves it. "Oh I see. You are jealous because of Maggie. Should I apologize to you for that?" "Why? Can’t I feel jealous? I’m your boyfriend. I have a right to feel that way. It’s okay. I get it. For you, our dating is just a casual relationship while we are on the island. I can’t stop you from viewing it that way. I can’t force you to feel things that you don’t. You do not belong to me."

That back hug!!! So cute! "What do I need to do to show that you belong to me?" Now normally it would be a Dom that says belong to me, but this sentence feels more like. What must I do to prove that we aren't pretend. "I love you, Mr. Nueng." "I think I love you." "If that’s so, Can I express my ownership of you?" Yeah, I feel like this isn't actually ownership as they are using the word but more like, we aren't faking this. We are real and I want to express it. Oh, buddy, are they showing it!

Notice that Nueng does have the lead. He takes the shirt off and pushed Palm back. Palm is watching him with adoration, you can do anything to me. Damn, that was hot!

I don't want off the island! You can't make me, okay wait, you can make me but why are you!!! Noooo!!! I want to stay in the love fest. *Pouts* The foreshadowing is killing me, guys. It's killing me. Why? Because it simultaneously gives you hope and takes it away. Guess we'll have to wait and see. Hope you guys enjoyed this. 💜💜💜

[messymindofmine]

I understand having feelings about the marriage bombshell but people saying that "it's finally Carlos’s time for growth" kind of rubs me the wrong way. Don't get me wrong, I'm super interested in delving more into Carlos’s background but to say that it's his time for growth as though he hasn't been showing growth since s1 makes me wonder if people have even been paying attention so far.

Remember how Carlos struggled with making himself vulnerable in the beginning? And now he let's his walls come down around TK.

He didn't tell his parents about his relationship with TK but he went to TK and told him about the marriage himself. This alone shows a lot of growth. He didn't wait for TK to find out in some awful, hurtful way like with his parents. He told him himself.

S3 had Carlos buying a whole-ass home for him and TK without even consulting TK on it. This is something I find some people tend to overlook when they talk about the breakup. 3x13 alone showed so much growth in just one episode. He went from feeling so insecure about TK spending so much time with his sponsor that he started doubting their relationship. But in the end, he realized that just bc TK isn't sharing everything about his recovery with him, it doesn't mean that TK doesn't love him and so he actually calls Cooper himself.

From the start, we have been flat out told that Carlos’s feelings of inadequacy stem from his relationship with his parents and the way he feels he's let them down. Notice how anytime we see Carlos feeling insecure about something, it's relationship related or something beyond his control. We never really have him talking badly about himself unless it's connected to his parents or if it's something he can't control. Like in 3x13, he saw he was unable to help TK with his sobriety and he started floundering bc he thought it meant he wasn't enough for TK. Of course, this is on top of the fact that he was unable to protect TK from Sadie who attacked them in their own home and was responsible for stealing TK's sobriety to begin with. But as I said, he got better with that.

He had no problem making the call in 2x08. It was after Gabriel came in that he started to really doubt himself. Even with the fire in 2x11, he felt he had let TK down even though he had no control over the fire. But he was unable to get them out and didn't have a fire extinguisher in the bedroom which prompted further guilt. Even with the marriage, it stemmed from Carlos’s need to fit in with what he believed he needed to be. But even though he feels terrible about it, he makes it a point to tell TK himself and to let him know that it doesn't mean anything. That's a lot of growth right there.

Tbh the comments about Carlos finally getting growth make me feel like it's the same people who think that the relationship focuses on TK too much or that TK doesn't bring anything to the relationship. Neither of these things are true and the idea that Carlos hasn't had growth over the past 3 seasons isn't true either. But as I've said on here before, healing isn't linear. Just like TK has (and realistically will continue to have) setbacks, Carlos’s growth has setbacks too. This is also why I want Carlos confronting his parents. Carlos may have kept the marriage secret from TK but his parents are part of the reason he even felt the need to do so. They made him feel inadequate and they still don't acknowledge that. As far as Carlos as a character and his and TK's relationship, we already know that there's nothing to worry about there and that's what matters the most to me.

All of that said, TK has every right to be upset about all this. And while we're at it, fans have a right to be upset too. I'm really not here for people comparing this to TK not telling Carlos about the drugs in 3x08. Ultimately, TK wanting to take the drugs had no bearing on their relationship especially since TK didn't even take the drugs in the end. Meanwhile, Carlos’s actions do have bearing on their relationship even if it's only bc it makes the road to getting married so much more complicated. TK's actions were a result of his grief mixed with his illness. Carlos’s actions were most definitely were a result of his insecurities mixed with his fear of letting people down but he did keep a massive secret from TK during their entire relationship and people are allowed to be mad especially since we have not yet had a resolution to it. It's so obvious to me that the crowd trying to make it seem like TK or fans have no right to be upset are the same fans that call TK self-centered and think he gets all the attention.

The most important thing to remember here, is that we have no idea how things are gonna play out. It's natural to be upset but remember we don't know everything yet and so to immediately condemn the writers and say they are doing a disservice to the characters isn't entirely fair IMHO

[cjsinkythoughts]

Suits, Dresses, and Heels

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Word Count: 4000

Warnings: !FATWS SPOILERS!, Cursing, More Mentions of PTSD, Gun Violence, Slight Mentions of Drinking, Club Dancing (You’re all gonna hate me for that part, but I’m not sorry)

A/N: Here’s Part 4.2 - The Second Part to Episode 3 - as requested. This is a little more scene-by-scene, but there are some off-screen moments. I’ll be posting Part 4.3 (which will have the rest of the episode) later tonight.

There’s a bit more information on Reader, but not as much as the last chapter. Sharon comes in during this part, so you get to see her and Reader’s relationship.

Also, I have mixed feelings about Zemo at this point. Not in the story, the Reader’s not a fan as you learned previously, but for me personally, he’s surprised me a couple times by coming back and helping.

Anyways! Thank you so much for reading! This isn’t beta’d so excuse any mistakes! Check out my other parts before you read! Thank you again! Stay tuned, loves!

FATWS MASTERLIST

cjsinkythoughts MASTERLIST

!SPOILERS UNDER CUT!

The dress was far too tight for your liking, and showed way too much skin. Not that you didn’t like being a tease every once in a while, but for this mission, you’d rather have more cover and movement.

You had to admit though; Zemo had nice taste. The dress fit deliciously - which made you wonder how he got your size. The color and cut was devastatingly flattering. Plus, he let you do your own makeup.

Being the only female, you were in a separate area of the jet getting ready. Once you were done, you made sure to knock, even though you’d walked in on Sam changing too many times to count while on the run and had seen Bucky answer the door in nothing but a towel. It was mainly for Zemo’s sake, just a warning that you were walking in whether or not they were ready.

“Damn, girl! You clean up nice!”

You rolled your eyes at Sam, painted lips quirking up as you studied him, shooting him a wink. “You should try a mirror, Sammy.” You turned to Bucky to find him staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed at you. “What do you think, Buck?”

His mouth snapped shut and he cleared his throat, eyes exploring the dips and curves your body. “You…” He blinked once. Twice. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, his intense eyes making you heat up, before he shook his head. “You look good.” He rushed out, before spinning on his heel shoving past Sam who was snickering.

“Where’s Zemo?” You noticed he wasn’t in the main area of the plane when you walked in.

“Rearranging our ride once we get there.”

You huffed, fixing your hair. “Oh God. We’re really doing this.”

“Yup.”

“Okay.” You looked down at yourself before looking up at the boys. “Something’s gonna go wrong, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely.”

“No doubt.”

Giving a slight groan at their simultaneous answers, you nodded. “Let’s try not to screw up too badly, boys, alright? I at least want to live long enough to see Peter graduate.”

Sam rolled his eyes with a scoff. “That kid’s a punk.”

“You’re a punk.” You shot back.

Bucky raised his hand. “I second that punk thing.”

“For which one?”

“Both of them.”

You chuckled as Sam gaped at Bucky, who shrugged innocently. The former assassin tilted his head in your direction to shoot you a grin and a wink, making you laugh more. Shaking your head, you go to make a joke when Zemo walked in.

“It’s time. We’re landing now.”

And just like that, the teasing atmosphere dissipated, leaving you anxious and regretful.

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

You walked by Bucky, arm linked with his metal one, listening as Zemo told Sam about his “character” he was to play.

“He’s a known womanizer - always has a gorgeous lady on his arm.” Zemo gestured towards you. “It’s the only way they’d let in a woman.”

“Aren’t we going to see a woman?” You questioned, gently patting Bucky’s metallic bicep when his hold on you tightened.

“Which makes it more imperative that you don’t act threatening. Women don’t make the same mistake men do; they don’t underestimate other women.”

You nodded. He had a point there. Bucky faced you, a frown on those pretty lips. “I don’t like this.” He mumbled.

“You think I do?” You whispered back. “With you being him again? Even if it’s just pretend? And need I remind you whose idea this was?”

“I know, I know. Just…” He sighed. “Promise me you won’t get hurt on purpose.”

Your forehead creased. “Why would I-?”

“To protect people. You always do. And I get it, I do. It’s why you started this in the first place, but…save yourself first, this time, okay?”

“Buck-”

“Promise me.”

It wasn’t often you could see the fear in his eyes, hear it in his voice, but you could then. Unable to do anything else you nodded, a soft, “okay” falling from your lips. He nodded back, pressing a kiss to your head, before letting you go as a car approached.

Bucky helped you in - the heels you were wearing were no joke - before sliding in himself, Sam getting in on the other side of you. “And you two can’t be…” Zemo gestured to the two of you as the car started moving, eyeing your still connected hands. “Doing that.”

“This isn’t my first theater production.” You snapped at him. “We’ll be fine.”

He raised his hands in surrender, turning back to look out the windshield. Once you arrived, you gave Bucky’s hand one last squeeze, before accepting Sam’s hand to get out on his side, linking your arm with his like you were doing with Bucky earlier.

“I finally get to see one of your performances, baby.” Sam grinned at you.

You smirked back. “Best seats in the house, too, Smiling Tiger.” He groaned at your jest, nudging you playfully with his elbow as you giggled.

“This way.” Zemo cut in, jerking his head in the direction you’d be going. You took a breath, steeling yourself, before the three of you nodded at each other and followed his lead.

You found the fellas reactions amusing, their heads turning to study and scan everything they could see. You were more subtle in the way you analyzed your surroundings, feeling a bit more at home in this situation than, say, fighting super soldiers on top of semi trucks.

Your jaw tightened, as did your grip on Sam’s arm, when Zemo started speaking Russian, the four of you pushing through a crowded bar. Sam ran his fingers over your arms, giving your hand a little squeeze, silently reassuring you.

It was a bit obvious Sam hadn’t done much undercover work, put he stayed in character and you were impressed. Especially when the bartender started cutting up the snake, which you had to look away for because if there was one thing you couldn’t do…it was snakes. You nearly gagged when Sam reluctantly downed the drink. 

Bucky eyed you, lips pursed in a way you recognized as him trying to hold in a smile. That made you feel a little better, hiding your own smile by turning into the crook of Sam’s neck. “Not. Funny.” He growled through clenched teeth, lips not moving.

“Kinda is.”

He grumbled under his breath, before the two of you tuned into the conversation between Zemo and a thug that came up, learning about the apparent power broker of Madripoor, which you a bit of from your time undercover there.

Sam held you tightly when Zemo turned to Bucky, knowing what was about to happen.

You didn’t like it. You didn’t like how easily aggressive he became. You didn’t like the little smirk Zemo gave as Bucky attacked. You didn’t like the cellphones being pointed in his direction. You didn’t like it.

“Didn’t take much for him to fall back into form.” You gave Zemo a warning glare, a shaky breath leaving you.

He’d been doing so well. At least, for someone who had been through what he had. Especially considering it’d only been a few months since he’d been pardoned - half a year since everyone came back. You knew bringing Zemo on board had been a bad idea, but-

A squeeze to your hand pulled you out of your thoughts. You let out an inaudible sigh of relief as Zemo allowed Bucky to let the man he was choking go.

“Selby will see you now.”

One step down. You hoped that would be the hardest part, but you knew it most definitely wouldn’t be.

“You good?”

Bucky sniffed, giving you two a curt nod, before following Zemo. You bit your lip. “That wasn’t really an answer, was it?”

Sam shook his head. “No. No it wasn’t.”

Selby wasn’t exactly what you were expecting, but you’d come to expect that. You stayed on Sam’s arm, giving the guards coy smiles and playing with the fake nails you had on in faux-boredom.

When she purred at the man besides you, you and Bucky glanced at each other, with you resisting the urge to scrunch up your nose. “And who is this gorgeous creature?”

Your eyes snapped back to Selby, giving her a slightly bashful smile. “Celeste Addams. Pleasure.”

“Trust me, dear. The pleasure is all mine.” Alright, you thought as she scanned you with a smirk. She was swinging for both teams. You could work with that. “What’s the offer?” She looked back to Zemo.

Zemo gave her the offer - information about the super soldier serum for the Winter Soldier and the code words to control him. Your blood boiled as Zemo touched Bucky, fingers grabbing his chin. You swore, once this whole thing was over, you would kick Zemo’s ass. You should make a list, just to keep track of all the things he’d done, and no doubt would do, to piss you off. That way he’d know why exactly you were beating his ass.

A name came up, Dr. Wilfred Nagel, along with the knowledge that the super soldier serum was, in fact, in Madripoor. You and Sam met eyes. Second step down.

But before they could get anything else, Sam’s phone buzzed. You ducked your head, closing your eyes, mumbling “fuck” when you saw it was Sarah. Sam’s responses just made you inwardly cringe even more.

“The bank, yeah. We laundered so much mo-” He chuckled nervously. “Yeah. They’ll come around.”

Is he fucking serious? For the love of God, Sammy…

And then she called him Sam. Next thing you knew, Selby was shot and you, Bucky, and Sam were taking out a guard each, you growling at the fact that you couldn’t use your legs because the dress was too damn tight.

You had no choice but to trust Zemo’s lead, but word traveled very quickly here, and less than a minute after walking outside, you were getting shot at.

“C’mon!” Bucky grabbed your arm, pulling you besides him.

“Can you not right now?!”

“I can’t run in these heels!”

You glared at Sam, the killer six inchers on your feet feeling like hell. “Hell no! You did not just say that in front of me!”

“You started it!” You scowled at him, following Bucky into an alley, only to duck as shots rang out. Chest heaving, you looked around for the source of the bullets that killed the men chasing you.  Your “guardian angel” as Zemo put it.

She soon appeared in all her stunning, blonde badass glory. “Sharon?”

Sam quickly explained the situation, trying to get her not to shoot Zemo who she had a gun pointed at.

“I stole Steve’s shield, remember? I also took the wings for your ass,” she pointed the gun at Sam, then Bucky, “so that you could save his ass, from his ass.” And the gun was back on Zemo. She shot you a smile. “And your ass is looking beautiful as always.”

You grinned back. “Thanks. You’re not looking too bad yourself.”

As she spoke, your lips turned down. You had tried calling her after Germany, but it always went to voicemail. First thing you did when you got back was try to get everyone pardoned, but it was a process. And then you found out about Wanda and ever since…

Sharon was your first real friend. She was only a couple years younger than you and had been one of your first partners during your time with SHIELD. And the fact that she’d been on the run for years now, even with the Blip, her family not having seen or talked to her since…that was exactly why you couldn’t take a break. She was family and you found there was nothing more important than family. But when she needed you, you were out searching for someone who didn’t want to be found.

How were you supposed to choose between two sisters? How could you cope with the fact that you chose the wrong one?

“Sharon, we need your help.” She laughed at Bucky’s statement. “Please,”

She glanced at you and you nodded. “I’d appreciate it, Share.”

She gave a sigh before nodding. “This isn’t over. I have a place in High Town. You should be safe there for a while.”

She turned and started walking, and you were about to follow, when you remembered something.

Spinning around, your fist connected with Zemo’s cheek, Sam and Bucky shouting in surprise while the man stumbled back. “Don’t you fucking dare touch him like that ever again, or I will break every bone in your body.” You threatened, your expression twisting into a scowl as you grab his hand and bend it awkwardly. He grunted but didn’t move, knowing one wrong turn would break his wrist. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.” He ground out.

You pushed a little more, making him wince, before letting go and rounding back to Sharon, who was smirking at you. “Let’s get moving.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She jerked her head back over her shoulder to where a car was waiting, leading them over.

You quickly followed after her with Bucky on your heels and Sam dragging Zemo along. Speaking of heels, as soon as you got in the car - getting shotgun for the first time ever at Sharon’s insistence - you prodded the stupid shoes off your feet.

“Nice kicks.”

“Yeah.” You scoffed. “Unless you’re trying to kick.”

“Did you rip the dress?”

“I was tempted to.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you in something more comfortable. And you’ll look just as good. Not that you wouldn’t look good in literally anything.”

You chuckled, giving her a look. “Let’s not test that theory.”

She smiled back, nodding. “Fine. I’ll let you pick something out.”

Sam huffed, crossing his arms best he could, being squished with the two other fully grown men in the back seat. “Women.”

The two of you exchanged looks, rolling your eyes at the three pouting guys. “Men.”

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

“I’m gonna go check on the boys. But I’ll be right back.”

You nodded, looking through her closet. No dresses. And absolutely no heels. Flats, if you had to, but you’d definitely prefer sneakers right now. You decided on shorts and an off-the-shoulder blouse, grateful for the looser clothing.

“They’re idiots.”

You laughed and looked over at the door as Sharon entered. “Yeah. I know.”

“Cute.” She commented on your outfit, sitting on her bed. “They explained the situation. Sam said if I help, he’d clear my name-”

“Sharon.” You sighed, biting your lip. “I tried. I really did. I-”

She shook her head, smiling at you reassuringly. “No, I know. It’s why I’m not mad at you. Sorry I didn’t call back. How’ve you been?”

You shrugged. “Fine, I guess.”

“Even with the whole ‘Cap is back’ thing.”

“Walker’s the government’s pet. He’s not Captain America. He’s not…”

“Steve?”

Looking up at her from the ground, you nodded. “Yeah.”

“Do you miss him?”

You smirked, wagging your eyebrows at her. “Do you?”

She rolled her eyes, tossing a pillow at you. “It’s kinda weird now, isn’t it?”

“Maybe a little. But I can’t blame you. Have you seen him shirtless? Good God.”

Sharon laughed, shaking her head as you joined her on the bed. “How come it’s always you getting wrapped up in these things?”

“I have no clue.” You chuckled, crossing your legs underneath you. “First I’m answering a phone call from Bucky at five in the morning and next thing I know, I’m being kicked off of semi trucks, breaking criminals out of prisons and running in six inch heels.”

“You answer Bucky’s calls at five in the morning?”

You gave her a look. “Sharon-”

“No, no. Hey. That’s cool. Some girls like bad boys, some like jocks, others like nerds. You like super soldiers from the 40’s. Everyone’s got a thing.”

A playful shove turned into a pillow fight, which turned into a sparring session, during which you pin her on her back. “You’re getting better.” You complimented, getting up.

She glared at you, taking your outstretched hand and letting you pull her up. “I guess that’s why you’re an Avenger.”

“That’s still weird to say.”

“Why? You’ve been an Avenger since, what? Ultron?”

You nodded, straightening your clothes. “Officially, anyways.”

“Right. Because you were there for the Battle of Manhattan as the secret seventh superhero.”

“Yeah…I miss it. The anonymity. I’m pretty sure I’m one half the Senators’ speed dials.”

Sharon frowned, brows pinching together. “What about the other half of the OG? Where are they?”

“Thor’s in space, Bruce is MIA - which I can’t really blame him for - and Clint’s retired with his family.”

“You think he’s gonna stay retired?”

You shrugged. “I hope he does. He’s been trying to retire for years. He deserves it. Knowing him, though…probably not.”

Sharon crossed her arms, nodding at you. “So that leaves you.”

“Yes it does.”

“Do you ever think of taking a break?”

You gave a half-sigh, half-groan, making her smirk in amusement. “It’s…come up a lot recently. I dunno. I think I’m burning out, anyways.”

“What makes you say that? I was watching you guys with Selby. You’re still one of the best I’ve ever seen.”

“I-I’ve been having…problems.”

Her eyes narrowed, her hands setting on her hips like a mother about to scold her child. “What kind of problems?”

“Just flashbacks. Of different things. It happens at random times. Certain triggers; something someone says or does, or something I smell or hear.”

“PTSD?”

“Something like that.”

“Has it affected you in the field?” Hesitating to answer was answer enough and she nodded. “Then…maybe it’s time you do start considering retiring.”

You snorted, shaking your head. “At 36? There’s no way.”

“C’mon. It’s not too late for you to settle down. Go one a few dates. Meet someone. Maybe have a couple kids-”

“Woah, woah. Slow your roll.” Your features scrunched up in incredulity. “Pump your breaks. No one said anything about marriage or kids.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying…think about it. I heard even Bucky’s been on a few dates.”

It was your turn to narrow your eyes at her, hearing the suggestive tone in her voice and seeing the eyebrow raise. “Yeah. He has. A few. I told him to. Told him it might be good for him to, I dunno, get back out there.

“Or, you could just…go out there with him.”

“Not you too! Have you been talking to Sam?”

“Is it Steve? Is that what’s stopping you? Because you know he’d just want you to be hap-” She stopped as he phone vibrated, grabbing it and reading the text. “Company’s arriving.” She pointed a finger at you. “You got very very lucky. This conversation isn’t over. I’m not dropping this.”

You bit your cheek and nodded. “Alright, mom. Can we go party now?”

She breathed out a laugh and nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go party.”

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

“Hey, gorgeous! There you are!”

You smirked at the boys as they met you near the top of the stairs, eyeing Sam and Bucky appreciatively. Damn, could Sam pull off a turtleneck. And Bucky in black and skinny jeans? Sharon sure had good taste. “Today’s the day for attractive outfits, huh, gentlemen?”

“I’ll say.” Bucky hummed, glancing at your own outfit. “You look beautiful, doll.”

“You look very dashing yourself, Barnes.” You grin, pulling at the lapels of his black blazer and fixing the collar. You smoothed your hand down the front of his shirt, looking up at him with an eyebrow raised when he caught your wrist, keeping your palm over his heart.

He clenched his jaw, taking a breath, before letting it out, almost dejectedly, and letting your hand go. “Um,” He cleared his throat, hand falling down by his side. “Did, uh, did Sharon say anything more about these friends of hers to you?”

“Nope.” You shook your head. “Just told me to enjoy the party.”

“I guess we should go enjoy the party, then.” Sam nodded towards the stairs, where the music was floating up, her guests already pouring in.

You made your way downstairs, looking around the room. Sharon sure did know how to throw one, that’s for sure.

People were pushed together, dancing to the beat of the music, drinking, with colored lights flashing every which way. Bucky’s hand found yours almost instantly, and you smiled at him. “C’mon.”

“What?” His eyes were wide as you dragged him towards the groups of people dancing. 

“Dance with me.”

He shook his head violently. “I-I can’t.”

“I thought you used to be a dancer?”

“Used to. And I was a swing-dancer. Not…” He gestured around to the people bobbing up and down, moving their bodies with each other.

You waved dismissively, pulling him closer. “All you need to do is feel the beat. I’m sure you can do that, can’t you, Mr. Tough and Scary Assassin?”

He licked his lips, looking around nervously. You brought his hands to your hips, making his eyes snap back to yours, your own arms winding around his neck. You started moving rhythmically, nodding your head to the music, smiling up at him and giggling at the adorable concentration on his face.

“You, uh, you go to parties like this a lot?”

“I specialized in undercover operations, remember? I practically lived at these places for some of them.” He licked his lips, his grasp on your hips tightening. “Loosen up a little.” You laughed, catching his jaw between your fingers and making him look at you instead of the crowd surrounding him. You scratched at the scruff, speaking softly, but loud enough for him to hear. “It’s just me.”

He nodded and, slowly, a bit hesitant, started moving his body with yours, relaxing his tense muscles the longer you two danced.

“Nice hit, by the way. With Zemo earlier.”

You shrugged, turning in his arms, biting your lip when he pulled you closer, your back to his chest. “I didn’t like the way he grabbed you. It was unnecessary. I was thinking of making a list, actually.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” Your arms wound around his neck again, your head falling back to his shoulder. “Of things he’s done so far that warrant’s me beating his ass once this is done.”

He chuckled, warm breath tickling your cheek, thumbs tracing circles on the bare skin just above the waistline of your shorts. Your own fingers had found home in his hair holding his head where it was, his lips centimeters away from your ear. “Share it with Sam. I’m sure he has a few things to add.”

Your breath hitched as his metal fingers danced along your bare navel, arm tightening around your waist. “I’m sure he does…I thought you said you can’t dance.”

“I guess I just needed to warm up. I’m a bit rusty after eighty years.”

“Don’t seem that rusty to me.” You breathed out, turning your head to look at him. His tongue ran across his lips again, his eyes glancing to your own.

“Hey, guys!” The world and your situation came crashing down on you, the music you didn’t realize you’d been tuning out, along with the crowd’s boisterous laughter and cheers, rushed back to yours ears. The little bubble with just you and Bucky shattered. You both stepped away from each other; you cleared your throat and pushed down the heat that had nothing to do with the hundred bodies in the one room, while Bucky rubbed the back of his neck, the tips of his ears red with no help from the colored lights. Both of you were panting lightly, avoiding eye contact with the other three staring knowingly at you. Sharon nodded her head, gesturing behind her. “I found him.”

Sam nudged Bucky - who was staring at you, his jaw ticking and his throat tightening as he swallowed thickly - before jabbing his thumb in Sharon’s direction. “Here we go.”

You nodded, eyeing Bucky with a small smile. “Here we go, Buckaroo.”

[witchy-jadda]

rott spoilers ahead

so i’ve given myself some time to think about everything and try to process it all and here are some of my thoughts on trollhunters: rise of the titans...

- straight off the bat, i loved the intro. opening with blinky telling the story of what happened up until this point was incredible. i would have loved if they had circled back to this though (i saw someone else say it should have been him telling the story to jim and claire’s kids and i loved that idea!)

- i also liked that they didn’t waste time at the start, instead they just jumped right into the action which was fun.

- honestly, i thought jim’s plotline throughout the movie where he basically thought he was useless without the amulet was just really not fun to watch. i understand why it was there and it played into the climax but i really did not find it one bit necessary seeing as i felt that we have grown beyond that. i felt it was overused. we’ve been there before and jim is aware that he’s the trollhunter, amulet or not.

- douxie being so soft with nari was genuinely one of the most heartwarming parts of the movie. i feel that we were really robbed of so much potential with douxie in this movie though. we didn’t see nearly enough of him. it seemed that the writers were picking and choosing when to remember how powerful he is. switching with nari and connecting to her are two examples of when they actually used his power, but aside from that they just disregarded it a lot.

- and speaking of forgetting how powerful people are... i’m genuinely so hurt and let down over what they did to claire. do they not realise how powerful she is? did they just forget about her character arc? it sure felt like it. she got to use her powers a few times (connecting to nari, portalling the titan, etc) but mostly it felt like she was saying she was spent and therefore unable to do anything. she is so strong and so powerful, and that’s just so empowering - especially for young girls. and then it kinda felt to me that rott was reducing her to basically nothing more than jim’s love interest.

- okay another quick note, it kinda felt to me that krel’s potential was also pretty wasted? he barely did anything and i just think he deserved more too.

- ew okay i don’t even want to think about it but i know i can’t discuss rott without talking about the mpreg thing. seriously, what the fuck was that? at first, i thought it was going to be a joke. i thought aja and krel were gonna wind steve up and see how far they could go with making him think he was pregnant just for a little bit of comic relief. but then he was actually pregnant. and so i laughed, because even though it was dumb it was kind of funny. weird and unexpected, but kind of funny. but by the time the movie was over it just didn’t sit right with me. looking past the fact that it was just more of them making steve’s character into a joke, i couldn’t see the logic in giving so much time to that subplot when other characters (claire, douxie) and other relationships (claire and douxie’s friendship) were sidelined. maybe if he had gotten a whole season the mpreg thing could have been included as comic relief or whatever, but with such limited time i really don’t see the point of wasting so much time on something so pointless. 

- speaking of steve, i need to talk about creepslayerz... they really deserved more :( like i get that eli literally helped steve through child birth and then named one after him which was lowkey adorable but i loved their friendship so much and i was really hoping to see more of them. i was kind of hoping they’d get to do more as well. look i gave up on hopes of a romance long ago (even though i still really wished it would happen) but i hoped that at least we’d see some more of their friendship.

* by this point my brain has decided to forget absolutely every point i wanted to make... cue the brain fog (we don’t like her) and allow me to take a moment to read back and try to find my point again *

- i don’t think i can stress enough how much i loved the visuals in this movie. holy fucking shit it was just phenomenal. like wow. the art was absolutely fantastic and i’m really hoping for another the art of... book because i love the art of trollhunters and i feel that they could do with updating it to include the newer stuff. but yep, the animation quality was incredible and i don’t have a bad thing to say about it because just wow.

- speaking of art... a moment of appreciation for character designs. just wow wow wow. we love to see such intricately designed villains. we love to see growth in our other much loved characters. and the locations too? fantastic. beautiful. amazing. loved it.

- another moment of appreciation for jim. the hair. the scars. the injuries. the winter jacket. the fact that he looked a little older.... loved it. loved it, loved it, loved it. i cannot wait to spend hours pouring over reference pictures to draw them all.

- and claire... her armor being weathered and worn. her eyes!! her hair looked great as always. i just love her...

- nari nari nari... my goodness, her magic is so beautiful. i wish we got to see more.

- also, the jlaire moments were very cute. their kisses? so soft. they literally love each other so much. i adore them.

- what happened to the babies from the darklands btw? is not enrique just chilling in the lake’s house with a ton of babies? 

- barbara deserved better. i would have liked to see her and strickler happy.

- on that note, why the actual fuck did they think a few explosives would win against magic?? literal ancient magic and these dumbasses were like huh i guess we should blow it up. i’m sorry, what?? y’all are stupid.

* currently trying to think of every possible point that isn’t to do with the ending because i really don’t want to think about that yet *

- the whole thing with archie and charlemagne felt super unnecessary. like usually characters sacrifice themselves and it’s like sad and you can see the reasoning and stuff. but they literally could have gotten out. i really did not vibe with that. it felt like they just did that to leave douxie with no one.

- that trollmarket was beautiful though.

- speaking of trollmarket... they really restored the heartstone just like that? are you joking? i was not impressed at all. the heartstone was dead and gone, could not be destroyed. did they just forget that? half the shit in wizards wouldn’t have happened if the heartstone could have been restored. very pissed off by that. it was dead, that was it.

- okay back to jim... love that he pulled the sword from the stone. it was cute that it was a group effort, kinda would have preferred if it was just him but that’s just a me thing. and maybe me and my daylight tattoo are biased here, but excalibur is not half as pretty as daylight.

- not gonna lie, jim yelling come on trollhunters! kinda got me. i was very emotional watching this.

- i think the most in character jim moment of the whole movie was when he dropped excalibur, he didn’t have his armor, he was all alone and he decided to make a fist and fight the wizard/god with literally no weapon or means of defence. i don’t think y’all understand how much i love this dumb self sacrificing selfless boy. i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, he is literally one of my most favourite characters of all time. i love him with all my heart.

- the armor!! wow wow wow. that was a fucking cool scene. beautiful.

- jim getting stabbed or whatever with that fucking spear thing nearly killed me.

- okay here goes... toby. my sweet toby. jim and toby’s friendship is one of my absolute favourites ever. my goodness. and toby getting in the van and going to save jim was incredible and such a toby thing to do. of course he would think of doing that.

- but like seriously... claire and douxie are so fucking powerful and they were both just like lol i guess we can’t do anything to help jim? i’m sorry what?? don’t tell me that claire wouldn’t go full on black and purple eyes and get herself up their to him. i just... i’m so bothered by the fact that they were sidelined y’all :|

- also, do not seriously try to tell me that aaarrrgghh!!! would let toby go on his own. he would have went with him. he would have followed him.

- literally as jim was falling the first thing that went through my mind was oh aaarrrgghh!!! is gonna run up and catch him.

- and while we’re on the topic of aaarrrgghh!!! why tf did they have such a build up that something was going to happen to either him or blinky for literally no reason? wtf

- aaarrrgghh!!! would not have let toby go alone!!! if he had been there, he would have protected toby, he would have saved him and none of that mess of an ending would have happened.

* ugh here’s the bit i was dreading... the ending *

- first off, i am choosing to ignore it.

- time stone? really? we’re... we’re gonna do this? literally one of the most original things i have ever watched is now - at the literal last possible minute - rip off another movie?? really?? whyyyy???

- i literally cannot express how much i hated it. it was so fucking unnecessary.

- he didn’t need to go back that far!!!

- i’m actually trying to block this out but i suppose i have to at least touch on it. jim would never ever put that burden on to toby. he just wouldn’t. before even looking at all of the other issues with toby getting the amulet, i need to say that. it just wouldn’t happen. he struggled so much with being the trollhunter, he wouldn’t put that on toby. 

- also toby literally never wanted to be the trollhunter?? he never wanted the amulet? he wanted to be a duke and have his war hammer and go on adventures with his best friend and his wingman and eat mexican food.

- okay so um i guess they all just forgot about unbecoming? cool cool cool.

- seriously though, was it not established many times that jim literally had to be trollhunter? and if he wasn’t it would be draal and everything would go to shit? did they just forget about that??

- having jim just decide to give toby the amulet literally takes away from the entire meaning behind jim getting the amulet and becoming the trollhunter. the amulet chose jim. merlin chose him. out of all of the creatures in the world, it had to be jim. he can’t just give that to toby!!

- and as much as i love toby, he would not last a day as trollhunter.

- and that’s not even beginning to mention all that jim erased by not becoming trollhunter. no father son relationship between him and blinky. they didn’t stop steve from picking on eli so no steve redemption and no creepslayerz. is he just going to allow enrique to be taken? toby will not have the same incentive to go into the darklands to save him if that’s the case. strickler will not show any sort of sentiment towards toby either. and then the big one...

- IS THAT FUCKER REALLY GOING TO ALLOW CLAIRE TO NOT GET HER POWERS??? WHAT???

- if jim isn’t trollhunter and the whole thing with enrique doesn’t happen then claire will never get her shadowstaff. let’s be real, strickler probably wouldn’t even need angor rot with toby as trollhunter. somehow i can’t see him making it that far...

- if claire doesn’t have her shadow staff then the whole thing with morgana won’t happen. she won’t destroy the shadow staff and then she will never develop her powers. would jim really rob her of that?

- okay i can’t do anymore, it’s too much for me now...

- i touched on this already in a separate post but i gotta say it again... i did not enjoy the destiny is a gift bit at the end. first of all, jim having toby find the amulet literally takes the meaning of that speech and his destiny away instanty. and second, i just could not stand hearing emile hirsch say the words that belonged to anton yelchin. it was just uncomfortable.

aaand i think i’m done. maybe i’ll have more later but i have a headache now from all of this.

[glowingbadger]

Hey, strange ask, but that ask that compared Dimitri to a retriever inspired me to request either headcannons or a drabble of Dima magically being turned into a dog but his S/O doesn’t realize it’s him but he still follows them around and is super protective of them and hijinks ensues.

Y'know what, Friend Anon? This is fucking adorable.

This really ended up as more 'fluff' than 'hijinks' lol but I had fun with it, so there you are~

SFW - Gender Neutral Reader

What to make of this situation. Not only are you completely unable to track down Dimitri, but when you go to check his quarters, one of the monastery dogs has gotten into his room and is making an absolute scene. He's a lovely golden color, with blue eyes the likes of which you've never seen on a dog, and the moment you enter the room, he bounds up to you and circles around your feet until you're practically dizzy.

"Woah, hey there! How in the world did you get in here I wonder..." you mutter as you lower a hand to pat his head, "Have you seen Dimitri around, buddy? I can't seem to find him anywhere..."

Having only taken a moment to nudge his head into your touch, he rapidly becomes alert once more and begins an absolute fit of barking. At this rate, he'll disrupt the whole monastery.

"Hey, hey! No need for that, sshhhh, come on, everything's okay-" you try to soothe him, speaking softly as you kneel down to pat his head. He whines softly, but his tail is twitching back and forth just a little, so he must be at least a little comfortable with you. "Listen," you say, standing upright and straightening your clothes, "If you can behave, you can come with me while I look for Dimitri, okay?"

He barks once, and comes to stand directly beside you, almost throwing you off balance. You smile and scratch his ear for a moment, glad to have a companion on your quest.

And it quickly becomes evident that your companion took this quest very seriously indeed. On your way out of the dorms, you see a shock of red hair ahead, and wave down Sylvain to ask for any leads.

"Hey- I haven't been able to find Dimitri all day, have you seen him?"

"Hm? Not recently, sorry to say. Who's your friend?" he says with a smile at the dog beside you, "What a cutie! No comparison to you though, of course."

You slide past that last bit and say,

"Yeah, he was in Dimitri's room when I went to check for him, and he's just kind of... fond of me, I guess?"

"And who could blame him?" Sylvain says, smirking as he leans against the wall beside you, "Say, if you're still looking for Dimitri, why don't we go look for him together in town-"

He doesn't get to finish his suggestion- your canine ally is on him in a second. Up on his hind legs, he jumps against Sylvain, nearly winding him and sending him stumbling back a couple steps. The dog barks and snarls relentlessly, even as you do your best to calm him.

"Sorry, Sylvain! I- I think I should just keep going for now- thanks anyway!"

"Yup- yeah, no problem," he replies, doing his best to regain his easy smile, "Man, your new friend is a protective guy, huh. Take care of Y/N for me, alright?" he tells the dog as you two part.

It's not long before you run into Ingrid on her way out of the dining hall, an admittedly delicious looking meat skewer in hand. The dog trots ahead of you and barks to her- though not aggressively, so you figure she must have made a good impression on him somehow. Once again, you ask about Dimitri, and once again, you have no luck. Ingrid does slide a piece of beef off of the skewer in her hand and hold it out to the dog. He glances back at you. You nod, as if to tell him it's okay, and yet he looks hesitant. With some goading from both you and Ingrid, he very carefully takes the meat from her hand between his front teeth, then chews at it slowly.

"What a strange dog," Ingrid says with a furrowed brow, "I've never seen one so... reticent about food."

"Yeah, he's an odd one," you muse as he finishes his treat, "He's a good boy though, so it's nice having him along."

Maybe all he understood were the words "good boy," but regardless, his tail is now wagging so fast it seems to blur before your eyes.

You bid Ingrid farewell, and continue on your search.

By the time you think to check with Dedue, you've spent an embarrassingly large portion of your day aimlessly wandering and questioning guards and knights. Frankly, he should have been your first guess. Meanwhile, your canine friend has become a comfortable fixture in your day. You find yourself mindlessly chatting with him, and maybe it's just because he recognizes that you're speaking, but he tends to bark back in reply. But when you finally muse aloud that you ought to check in with Dedue, the dog circles you, letting out excited little yelps and barks.

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" you say with a laugh, and head towards the greenhouse side by side with your companion.

And yet, you're not expecting the darkened expression that crosses Dedue's face when you explain that you've lost Dimitri. Sure, you could understand a bit of concern- you're plenty concerned, and the longer this goes on, the more you worry that this could be a serious matter beyond a mere missed connection. But Dedue's voice and bearing are grave as he sets down a watering can and says,

"His highness had offered to help some of the magic students this morning. If anything has befallen him as a result of this..." he trails off, but the malice in his eyes is plain to see. Only the dog whimpering beside you breaks the uncomfortable silence that follows. He pads forward and nudges Dedue's hand with his snout. This small gesture seems to lighten his expression just the slightest bit- but it's something. Dedue sighs and looks to you again,

"I will help you search for him. You continue to look throughout the monastery grounds, and I will check likely classrooms and inquire among the mages. We will cover more ground this way."

You nod, but your canine friend seems agitated. Perhaps it's only Dedue's sullen mood- this does seem like a uniquely empathetic dog, after all. You pat his head gently and say,

"Well, let's try to think of anywhere we might've missed."

You say that, but reflecting on it, it's hard to imagine anywhere you haven't checked and re-checked. You'd done well to bolster your mood thus far, but the more time goes on, the more insidious anxiety starts to take root in your heart. Absently scratching at the dog's furry ears, you let out a sigh, which he seems to respond to by whining softly and nuzzling his face against you.

"I know, I'm sorry, I just... what if something's happened to him?" You say softly, barely more than a whisper.

You're merely wandering at this point, letting your feet aimlessly take you where they will. Eventually, you've found yourself at the training ground, and figure you may as well check here again. Unsurprisingly, Felix is here, among a small handful of other knights and soldiers. Careful to skirt around the edge of the grounds and not get in anyone's way, you approach him, and do your best to greet him cheerfully. Felix huffs and sheathes his sword, wiping sweat from his brow as he scrutinizes your expression.

"You look like a mess." he says, blunt as ever, though you know this is his way of expressing concern.

"Yeah, I- I can't find Dimitri anywhere- I feel like I've looked everywhere twice by now, and no one's seen him since morning, and-" you can't help rambling a bit, a hint of a crack in the back of your throat, "I just couldn't forgive myself if something happened to him- so..."

"I haven't seen him, if that's what you're getting at," Felix says with a hand on his hip. Then, he sighs at your crestfallen expression, "Cut it out, will you? You look ridiculous when you sulk like that. And if the Boar sees you like this, I'll have to watch him sulking too."

You manage an awkward half-smile,

"You're right- thanks, Felix."

You hear your name from across the plaza and turn to see Dedue with Annette in tow. As you turn to meet them, you could swear you hear Felix say something to the dog that trails a few feet behind you. While you're none the wiser, he mutters,

"If you're planning to hang around Y/N all day, you'd better look out for them, got it? They look more like a lost puppy than you do. That stupid Boar had better show up soon."

The dog gives a soft little whine, and gently nuzzles Felix's hand. With an exasperated sigh and a roll of his eyes, Felix in turn scratches at his neck, his expression softening just slightly.

Then, those golden ears perk up at your voice,

"Dimitri?!"

He turns and immediately bounds towards you, jumping up and licking at your face with his tail wagging at full speed. You laugh and ruffle his fuzzy head, then turn back to Annette and say,

"Well, he responds to it, so maybe you're right! But... you're sure the only thing we can do is wait for it to wear off?"

"I'm afraid so..." she replies, coming to stand beside you, "Say, Dimitri- if this is really you, could you please walk in a circle around me and then Dedue, then come back and stand in front of Y/N?"

He follows her request without question. Her instructions are far too complex to follow without extensive training, and with no gestures or encouragement to guide him, it seems almost certain that this dog is in fact your lovely Dimitri. You're eyes burn with the threat of tears, and it only now occurs to you how worried you'd been all day.

"Well, Dimitri, it seems we've had quite a day together," you say fondly, kneeling down to wrap your arms around him, "You make a really cute dog, but I think you'll be cuter when that magic wears off- so come back soon, okay?"

[sourwolphs]

Like an Animal - Bucky x Reader (3/8)

Read on Ao3 (for better interface + formatting)

Summary: Reader is an enhanced Omega kidnapped by Hydra and trapped in a cell with Alpha Bucky Barnes. Tags: A/B/O, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Steve Rogers, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending Warnings: Rated M, Kidnapping, Mentions of non-con (nothing actually happens), self-hatred  A/N: The rest of the team makes an appearance! Whoo!

Steve burst through the door first, using the force of his shield to break through the external locks Bucky had been unable to reach. As soon as the scent of their combined heat and rut hit him, Steve threw his best friend a wide-eyed look. From where he knelt on the floor next to the Omega, Bucky shook his head, feeling a fresh wave of shame wash over him. His release minutes ago had taken the edge off of his rut enough that he was thinking semi-clearly again, realizing what he had done.

He had violated her. He didn’t stop. He was the most worthless kind of Alpha— not a protecter, like Steve, but a taker, like Hydra had trained him to be.

“Who is she?” Steve asked, taking slow, careful steps towards them. Bucky had to grip hard into his thigh with his metal hand to stop himself from grabbing her protectively, shielding her from the nonexistent threat of the other Alpha, the way his instincts were screaming at him to.

Y/N was still shaking and crying, curled up on top of his clothes and holding her legs tightly to her chest to protect herself.

“Dunno. She’s enhanced. Sympathy heat. Get her to safety. Please,” he said lowly. Steve nodded, giving Bucky another searching look. “They gave me something. Rut. I— I don’t know. I’ll be fine.” He shook his head as he stood up, trying to clear it again of the rising fog of arousal.

“Are we fighting our way out?” At least that way, he’d be an asset. Even a normal Alpha in rut possessed enhanced strength and endurance, not to mention a super-soldier.

Steve shook his head. “Tony and Nat practically cleared this place out already. You know we’re in Paraguay, right?”

Bucky shook his head in disbelief.

“I know. Took us way too long to find you. Scared everyone,” Steve said. “Once we touched down, a few Hydra squads fled the base right away. Probably whoever was in charge of…” —he motioned at Bucky’s body to indicate his artificial rut— “….this. Sam’s tailing them now.”

Bucky watched as Steve gently kneeled down next to Y/N. Her eyes were glassy and out of focus. She strained her neck to bare her throat submissively to the new Alpha looming over her, turning her face into Bucky’s ruined clothes. He swallowed hard, feeling sick to his stomach at her display of fearful vulnerability.

The reminder of the spend he’d eked out against her will was still wet against his body. He was a fucking monster.

Steve gently scooped Y/N up into his arms. She protested weakly, still crying as she pushed on his arms with her bound wrists, murmuring unintelligibly and whimpering in either fear or pain. Bucky grimaced as Steve tucked her face into his neck, offering his scent gland to comfort her in the intimate way Bucky had just a few hours ago. He watched as she snuffled into his neck and the rigid lines of her body began to relax minutely. “Alpha,” she whined. He had to stop himself from tearing her from Steve’s arms— though he knew if anyone deserved the trust of a defenseless Omega, it was his best friend. Bucky had proven himself unworthy ten times over here in this cell. His self-hatred rose like bile in his throat, competing with the heat of rut still burning through his veins.

“Bucky okay in here?” Nat slipped soundlessly through the cell door, brushing her hair out of her dirt-smudged face. She was a little breathless, but looked otherwise unharmed. “Upstairs is clear, but we need to get moving before—“ She cut off when she saw Y/N curled in Steve’s arms. “Holy shit,” she breathed.

Steve had already started moving out of the cell, stopping when he realized that Nat recognized Hydra’s other prisoner. “So she’s not a Jane Doe?”

“Her name is Y/N,” Bucky interjected. My Omega.

“Not a Jane Doe,” Nat said. “I’ll explain on the quinjet.”

Nat navigated them quickly and expertly through the evacuated base. There were some limp bodies strewn around as they made their way up nearly a dozen flights of stairs, Nat’s swift and nearly bloodless execution style apparent in the pattern of dead. The closer they got to the exit, the antsier Bucky felt, his skin starting to crawl again with rut. He knew he was moments away from dipping back into mindless lust— especially without his, no, the Omega in his arms— but he couldn’t speed up ahead for risk of leaving her behind. The urge to stay protectively by her side was too strong, though he knew she was more than safe in Steve’s arms. She had quietly dozed off in Steve’s arms.

“Almost there,” Nat murmured, nodding her head at a set of busted steel doors at the end of a long hallway. Bucky knew she could smell his desperation, clamping a hand down on his flesh arm to ground him. “I have emergency suppressants,” she told him reassuringly.

As they burst through the doors and out into the humid air, Bucky let out a sigh of relief he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Sam was standing, wings folded, on the quinjet’s loading hatch as they approached at a quick jog. “Couldn’t stay on their tail,” he updated Steve, who shook his head. “Glad you didn’t die,” Sam said teasingly to Bucky, but Bucky didn’t have the stomach for their usual banter. He gave a grim nod, to which the Beta male raised his eyebrows.

Once they were all on board, Tony raised the loading hatch and lifted the quinjet off the ground with a lurch, activating the cloaking panels so their jet disappeared into the sky. Bucky slipped into a gear room in the back to quickly shuck out of his ruined clothes, forcing himself to toss them in the incinerator even though he ached to press his face into his shirt and breathe in Y/N’s lingering scent. She hadn’t consented. She couldn’t have. He slammed his right fist into the wall, forcing himself to feel the pain in his knuckles.

Nat knocked on the door before opening it a crack, offering four white tablets in her palm.

“Thanks,” Bucky murmured, swallowing the emergency blockers dry.

“Give yourself ten minutes for them to kick in, then we should debrief,” she murmured. Bucky nodded. Once he was dosed up with blockers and finished the debrief, he could lock himself back in here, as far away from Y/N as possible— even though his Alpha was screaming at him to break down the door and pull her back into his arms. The last thing she needed was to see his face if she woke up mid-flight. The sound of her terrified sobs still rang in his ears.

It took more than ten minutes for the blockers to work and for Bucky to start feeling normal again. His temperature had gone down, but he kept his outer layers off, quietly emerging from the gear room in a short sleeve shirt. Tony was manning the controls with bags under his eyes. Nat was sitting with her legs thrown over Sam’s lap, the both of them peering intently at her tablet as she scrolled through files. Steve had buckled himself into one of the co-pilot seats with Y/N on his lap, his hand cupping the back of her neck to keep her face pressed near his neck. She still looked feverish and weak, sweat forming a sheen across her exposed skin, but she was out cold. Bucky’s eyes traced the curves of her face, drinking in the sight of her and her sweet, minty scent.

Steve’s earnest blue eyes connected with Bucky’s as soon as he registered his best friend entering the main room. He must have caught the scent of Bucky’s dueling protective and guilty emotions because Steve gave him a reassuring nod. “She’s doing fine, Buck. Hasn’t made a peep. But she’s… cold,” he said.

“She has some kind of ability. Said she could freeze things,” Bucky explained.

“What the hell happened back there?” Sam interrupted. “No offense, Buck, but you still reek— even more than usual.”

“They dosed me with something,” he growled. “I didn’t even realize until they brought her in. I—“ he cut himself off. He wasn’t going to tell the whole team how he’d forced himself on her. They’d probably throw him off the quinjet, like he wanted to do to himself. He was just grateful Steve had arrived when he did, or there’s no telling what he could have been capable of. And to think she had trusted him enough to offer him her gland to scent….

Bucky squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back the voice in his head reminding him of all the reasons he didn’t deserve that trust. “I think they wanted us— me— to…” he trailed off. Tony turned around to face the group with a grim expression, and Sam’s eyes widened as he realized Bucky’s meaning.

“Wait,” Steve interjected. “Nat— you recognized her.”

“I know her, yes,” Nat sighed, pursing her lips, before setting her tablet down in Sam’s lap and swinging her legs over the edge of the seat to face the group. “A year or so ago— after the Blip— Wanda, Fury and I started looking for more… enhanced individuals. The last thing we need are more people out there like Pietro and Wanda being… experimented on, when we could so easily bring them to safety and a… purpose.”

“Well, who is she?” Sam pressed. Bucky could tell Sam had been fighting his overprotective Beta instincts back ever since Steve had carried her on board. His normally neutral scent— like citrus and saltwater— had flared up in his agitation.

“Y/N Y/L/N,” Nat answered. “Fury discovered her after we found a whole gang of street criminals frozen solid in Brooklyn. Her parents were scientists working for S.H.I.E.L.D., pre-Hydra. She likely got her abilities when she was a teenager when one of their lab experiments went wrong. Both her and her parents were assumed D.O.A., but she was actually underground for the past 10 years. I found her not too long ago and warned her of the risks, told her we could protect her. She seemed very… disillusioned by the Avengers. Gave me the slip, too— Not many people can do that. I haven’t seen her since.”

“Sounds like she’s been through a lot,” Steve said softly. Y/N snuffled softly in her sleep, and Steve rubbed her back soothingly. Bucky clenched his jaw so hard it felt like his teeth were going to crack. “Probably figured if S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn’t protect her and her parents, how could we? Tony, any idea how to get these restraints off her?”

“Looks like some kind of Terrigen Crystal manipulator, common scrambling device for enhanced individuals,” Tony replied. “We can deactivate them back home, but I’d keep them on until she wakes up. We don’t know how powerful she is.”

Rage rose hot and sharp in Bucky’s chest, surprising him. “She’s not dangerous,” he growled. “She’s just—“

Tony cleared his throat. “Just an Omega?” he scoffed. “Yeah. So is Wanda. And Banner.”

“I was going to say she’s just been kidnapped,” Bucky growled, hackles raised. “If I woke up surrounded by a strange pack, I’d use my strengths too.” Steve and Tony both quirked an eyebrow, their Alpha instincts completely under control. Bucky knew he was acting like a deranged knothead, but he couldn’t help it. Never in his life had he felt a pull to an Omega this strongly. All he wanted was to curl her into his arms, where she belonged, return his face to the scent gland on her neck and use his heat to warm her cool skin. But he wouldn’t. And he shouldn’t. He didn’t deserve it. He spun on his heel, returning to the gear room, which he bolted shut behind him, sliding down with his back to the floor to ride out the rest of the journey home— as far away from her scent as he could get.

——————-

The first thing I felt when I woke up this time wasn’t the pain in my wrists— though that was still there, burning hot and freezing cold at the same time. No, the first thing I felt was a comfortable bed beneath my back, and the scratchy soft material of a hospital gown across my chest.

My fractured memories came back in a rush. Heat, burning heat. My Alpha’s soothing cedar scent above me, his gentle kisses against my gland, the mind-numbing euphoria of his purrs filling my chest. The scent of his spend driving me wild with need. The ache in my core, growing unbearable as he inexplicably drew away from me. The desperation racking my body with sobs, my scent sharp with the anxiety of heat abandonment. The sound of steel shattering, the smell of another Alpha warm, strong and safe like sunshine and old books. The comfort of being held against a broad chest warring with the fear and wrongness of my Alpha getting left behind. Fighting against the mindless Omega space that threatened to pull me under. Leaving the cell, my body jostling as I was carried up stairs, the humid outdoor air hitting my flushed skin. The sound of jet turbines, the leather edge of a seat buckle. Beta scents: Citrus and saltwater; Roses and rainwater. A bonded Alpha— Motor oil and whiskey. Fear for my Alpha. Where was my Alpha? A soothing hand dragging up and down my back. Darkness.

I jolted back to the present all at once, opening my eyes to take in the plain white hospital room and hear the sound of the heart monitor next to me pick up as I began to panic again. Who had brought me here? Where was Bucky? Was he alive? Were we safe? I couldn’t scent anything over the powerful antiseptic smell of the hospital, sending my thoughts spiraling further.

Who had changed my clothes? The dirt underneath my fingernails had been scrubbed clean. The symptoms of my sympathy heat were gone, though the heat itself had jumbled my memories. Someone had plaited my hair in a french braid behind my head.

I sat up, groaning as the familiar post-heat aches and pains protested throughout my muscles. Before I could swing my legs over the side of the bed, the handle to the only door out of the room turned and a red-haired woman stepped in. She had large, soulful eyes and beautiful features, and as her cinnamon-sweet bonded Omega scent drifted towards me, I immediately felt myself relax. “Y/N?” the woman said gently. Her voice carried an Eastern European lilt to it. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place where I knew her.

“Where am I?” My voice was surprisingly raspy, and I coughed to clear my throat. How long had I been out? I swung my legs over the side of the bed, hissing as my feet hit the cold tile floor. Wanda joined me on the edge of the bed, putting a few feet of distance between us.

“You’re in a safe place— the Avengers compound in New York. My name is Wanda,” she said soothingly, leaning into her dulcet Omega voice. Holy shit, the Scarlet Witch.

“I know you,” I gasped. Her lips quirked up on the sides in an amused smirk. “I mean— From TV,” I corrected, shaking my head. “Where’s Bucky?”

She looked surprised I asked, quirking her head to the side. “Nowhere near us. You’re safe here,”  she answered slowly.

What a weird response. Why wouldn’t I be safe?

“I mean, I figured it was safe… I’m in one of the most heavily fortified buildings in the world. But can I… see him?” I felt shy, suddenly, for asking. I barely knew him. But we’d made it through something terrible together, and I felt… connected to him. Maybe he didn’t want to see me at all. Maybe he has another Omega.

“Maybe… later,” she said, then reached out to place a hand on the wrist restraints. “Sorry to leave these on you. I know the pain they cause. We didn’t know how you’d react when you woke up in a strange place, especially post-heat. Do you feel comfortable having an Alpha come in here to remove them? I will stay here with you. And he’s bonded.”

I nodded mutely. She was treating me like I was a delicate flower, like any minute I would wilt and snap. It’s not like I hadn’t been alone in a room with an Alpha before. But then again, the last time I had been, we’d almost bonded in a frenzied, drug-induced haze. Alpha, my Omega sighed, suddenly reminded of the heat, the arousal, his scent, what we’d almost done. Find Alpha.

I’d never felt a pull to an Alpha like this before. Ever. Usually, they smelled too strong, filled up too much space, made me feel small and weak despite my inner certainty that I was anything but. Away from him, now, I felt… adrift.

Wanda crossed the room to rummage through a clinical looking chest of drawers, pulling out a sweatshirt and soft pants. “Once Tony gets you out of these restraints, you can have a shower and get into something cozy,” she offered.

“Stark?” I choked.  They were really gearing up to introduce me to all of the freaking Avengers.

“That would be me, Y/N,” said the Alpha, easing the door to the room open with a quick rap of his knuckles on the frame. It was jarring to see Iron Man clad in jeans and a baseball tee. I’d only ever seen him buttoned up in a suit and tie on TV press conferences, or hidden behind black shades in tabloid images. His scent was strangely familiar, too— harsh and spicy, like motor oil, mixed with what I could only assume was his Omega’s gentle strawberry smell. “But you can call me Tony.”

“Tony,” I said, starstruck. My father, and by extension— me— had idolized him growing up. Now, he was carrying a sleek black and gold device that he waved in front of me.

“We’re using a little handheld vita ray action here to deactivate your restraints,” Tony explained. “Just hold tight for a second.”

I held out my wrists to him, away from my lap, and he activated the vita rays, sending what looked like a blue laser beam to cut straight through the middle of the metal. The restraints creaked and groaned as they released, cracking in half. Before they could hit the floor, a swirling orb of red energy appeared beneath them, lifting them gently into the air to rest on the bed next to me. I looked up to see Wanda’s eyes and hands glowing softly in the same color. Sick.

“Thanks,” I breathed, rubbing my wrists, the relief imminent. The pain no longer seared through my forearms, and I could feel the familiar burst of energy from my chest down to the tips of my fingers. Just to test, I held my hand out in front of me, seeking out a few molecules of water in the dry, filtered hospital air and freezing them instantaneously, falling like bits of hail into my palm.

“That’s a cool party trick,” Tony said. I closed my palm, feeling the ice melt against my skin. How embarrassing. “We’ve always needed someone to help make sure our groceries stay at the right temperature.”

I scoffed. Knothead. “I was just kidnapped by Hydra, endured a sympathy heat unprepared and had my abilities stunted by a magical pair of handcuffs. You can scrutinize me again after I get nine hours and a decent cup of coffee.”

Tony barked out a surprised laugh, turning around to leave the room. “I like this one,” he said to Wanda, before disappearing out the door, what remained of my restraints clutched in his hand.

Wanda rolled her eyes at his back, then turned to face me with her hands on her hips. “Well Y/N, if you’re up for it— let me show you to your room.”

[novantinuum]

Hi, I was just wondering if you had ever thought about what would have happened in your story "Hollowed Moon" if you had continued it. I always thought it was such an interesting setup that could have gone in so many different directions. And there really aren't other stories focusing on Stevonnie and Spinel, so it was unique!

Hiya!

So, I do have some half-written, half-plotted out material to share. I gave this story some consideration the other day, and came to the decision that I don't have the desire to finish it out, alas- I have far too many other active WIPs to add it to the list. There's a few good reasons why I discontinued it, anyways... intimidation over the huge surge of attention it was getting back in 2019, some rude comments from overzealous Spinel fans, (I know everyone isn't like this, but a certain segment of the Spinel side of the SU fandom kinda burned me over time, hhh), and a future chapter containing a sensitive topic that I wasn't in a good headspace to write about at the time.

But! Anyways! Below the cut is all the existing material I have for Hollowed Moon past chapter 14, consisting of a mixture of descriptions, sketchy dialogue, and prose. It honestly feels nice to finally be able to put this story to an official rest.

__

Chapter 15

“I... I saw her.”

“Who-?”

“I saw Pink Diamond. I saw you, in this exact garden, in a dream. I- it was like I was experiencing everything through her. She explained your game, tapped your nose and told you to smile, then warped away—“

“That’s it, that’s what happened, almost exactly! But how could you even know that, I never—“

“I don’t know,” they blurt out. “I have empathic abilities, and sometimes that makes dreaming a little weird, but I have no idea how or why I saw any of this.”

[Pause for Stevonnie to think]

“Spinel, I’m so, so sorry,” they whisper brokenly. “But I think... she left you here.”

“What...?”

“She said she’d return, but before she warped away she whispered goodbye, like she didn’t actually intend to make good on that promise. She was lying to you,” they choke out, voice thick.

“No. No,” she says in clear denial, “no she’s not. She can’t be! She told me she’d come back! I can wait! I just have to wait—“

“But she’s not! She... she can’t, because Pink Diamond is gone. She- she was shattered, Spinel. Five thousand years ago, on the Earth. I- I should’ve told you this from the beginning, and I didn’t, and I- I’m so, so sorry—! But she left you behind, and now she’s never coming back.”

[Silence. Tears brim in Spinel’s eyes. Her eyes grow dark, pained, and then she glares at Stevonnie with such venom it almost knocks them backwards in alarm. ]

“NO!” she screams, tears streaming down her faded pink cheeks.

[She tears her feet up from the roots and runs away, using her arms like an orangutan to vault herself forward super fast so Stevonnie can’t catch her.]

___

Chapter 16

AN: Content warning for self-shattering attempt. Part of the reason why I had to stop writing this story at the time. I considered pushing the plot another way, but it didn't feel authentic to how I believed this scenario would play out for Spinel when she didn't have a direct target for her anger. Without someone to actively be jealous and upset AT, I could only imagine her breaking inwards instead of outwards, feeling that she's utterly failed in her life's purpose. Nothing more than a description for this chapter... and it'd be a short one.

[When Stevonnie finds her, she’s smashing her fists against her gem in her sheer anguish. She’s already cracked it. She’s glitching. It looks terribly painful. She’s about to strike her gem again when Stevonnie intervenes.]

___

Chapter 17

[Post timely intervention. Spinel is still cracked at this moment, though... her form glitching as she cries.]

“I was... her best friend,” she cries, fat, glistening tears streaming down her cheeks. “I was supposed to make her happy! Why wasn’t she happy? Why didn’t she come back?“

[Spinel reasoning that maybe if Pink came back for her, she wouldn’t have been shattered in the first place]

“What did I do wrong?” she whispers hoarsely, gazing pleadingly into Stevonnie’s eyes. “Wha- what am I doing? Why do I wanna hurt myself so badly?”

“Shh, now,” they reply, tears of their own brimming at the crease of their eyes, and pull Spinel’s head to their chest. “I’ve got you...”

___

Chapter 18

They know their throat is tight, and their voice scratchy. They know they’ve never sung this song in front of another living being, since it’s something personal they composed alone on one of their late nights back on Earth, thinking about all the difficult days Steven and Connie have had to face over the months. Pair this with their active crying, and there’s no way their singing will be anything pretty.

But pretty doesn’t matter right now.

Stevonnie opens their lips, and— clutching the broken hearted Gem close, rhythmically rocking with her back and forth— lets the wandering melody emerge from within.

“I guess I have to face That in this awful place I shouldn’t show a trace Of doubt...”

“But pulled against the grain I feel a little pain That I would rather do Without...”

“I’d rather be Free, free Free...”

[Hoarse, Spinel starts singing with them.]

“I’d rather be Free, free Free...”

“Free, free Free...”

“From here...”

[Stevonnie holds her tight while crying, their tears healing it back up.]

___

Chapter 19

AN: Don't have anything but a single bit of dialogue in this chapter note- I'm assuming I intended it as being a good few hours after the events of chapters 16-18... when Spinel has calmed down a little and has a moment to reflect on the upsetting news she's just received.

“I think... I always knew,” she says, voice hoarse. “In a way. It was so obvious how she felt about me.

___

Chapter ?

AN: From here on out, the plot hasn't been split into individual chapters.

[At some point shortly after chapter 19, Lars and his crew locate Stevonnie in the garden, and pick them and Spinel up. The next few bits of dialogue and description takes place on the ship.]

Rutile twins: “I haven’t heard of Spinels being produced in over five millennia.” “Me neither!”

Rhodonite: “Yeah, I heard they stopped making them entirely after the rebellion on Pink’s colony.”

[A bit of overwhelming conversation later, no one really noticing Spinel's conflicted emotional response to so many Gems hovering around her at once.]

Padparadscha: “I predict that you’re both going to make Spinel feel very uncomfortable aboard this ship.”

Rhodonite: “I’m sorry, we don’t exactly meet new Gems every century.”

Rutile twins: “Yes!” “It’s just been us until we met our captain!”

Fluorite: “Our new huuuuman friend helped us escape the tunnels on Homeworld. Now... we’re slooowly making our way back... to Earth.”

Spinel: “Earth?? You’re going to Pink’s world? But why? I heard she... was shattered.”

___

[Spinel feeling a sense of kinship with the idea that there’s other Gems who didn’t serve their rightful purpose and are now escaping their life on Homeworld to be free of that. Because now, without her Diamond, since she was unable to keep her happy, she’s an Off Color too. She failed her given purpose same as them.]

[Discussion of Earth, and the rebellion, and how there’s Gems living free there. And how Pink’s colony was siphoning life away, and that’s what these Gems were fighting to protect. Stevonnie points out all the plants and wildlife that used to live in the garden, and asks her if she felt happier when it was around. Spinel says yes. Stevonnie says that this is what the Diamonds are destroying, with each lifeless colony they forge. Everywhere they go, dead wildlife lies in their wake.]

Spinel: “I... guess I never thought of it that way.”

[(Stevonnie adds...) And while they’re very sorry for the personal connection there, and can’t imagine how painful that must be, that’s why Pink Diamond was shattered.]

[Spinel is given an open choice... Lars gives the invitation to stay with him and the Off Colors, and Stevonnie offers for her to come with them back to Earth. It's not a hard decision for her in the end, though. She's always dreamed of seeing what was once Pink’s planet, ever since she heard the Diamonds bequeath it to her.]

___

Stevonnie: “Okay, so… before we go, I need to be honest with you about something." [deep breath] "I’m actually a fusion of two separate people who are close friends. You... know what fusion is, right?”

Spinel: “Duh, o’course! What, d’ya think I was made yesterday?”

[...]

Stevonnie: “But even with that, I can’t be together as me all the time. Steven and Connie, the two who come together to form me... they love hanging out with each other so much, but they also have their own lives! Other friends, other hobbies, their own families. They still talk when they’re apart, but they know it’s okay to do things alone, too. Do you know why I’m telling you this?”

Spinel: [shakes head no] “No...?”

Stevonnie: [sighs] “I understand you’ve been left behind. Believe me, I know how bad that feels. So the last thing I wanna do is make you think I’m doing that too.”

Spinel: “Y-you— you’re going away?” Stevonnie: “Unfusing, yes.” Spinel: “But Stevonnie, you—“ Stevonnie: “Spinel. No matter what, you are my friend. Steven and Connie consider you a friend, too. And my hope is that you’ll keep making a whole bunch more on Earth, so you’ll always have people around who know and love you. But that can’t always be me, okay?“

___

[At home... on Earth. There's a bit of a close call for Pearl when Spinel arrives, and recognizes her as Pink's second pearl. This is news for Garnet and Amethyst and Steven, the first of which had somewhat suspected that Pearl used to be in the diamonds' service, but never knew for sure. Pearl, of course... can't say much on this due to her gag order... not that anyone else knows about that yet... but does manage a very concise and PD=RQ free explanation about her past in Pink's court, and her transition towards being a Crystal Gem:]

Pearl: “Rose Quartz set me free, and I’ve been a part of the rebellion ever since.”

___

[At some point between the last scene and the next, mention how Spinel had a bit of a relapse... she ended up poofing herself, and reformed differently. A little bit closer to the smudged mascara and frayed pigtails look of canon, but no rotated heart. Unlike in canon, she has a solid support system amongst the Crystal Gems, and she's working hard to recover from the heartbreak of Pink's abandonment.]

___

[Final scene is set post A Single Pale Rose. Steven and Connie fuse, and Stevonnie goes to find Spinel to check in on how she's taking the news. The final line of the fic is as follows:]

Spinel: “I know you’re not her, not really. And I know you’ll always be a better person than she ever was. But in some silly cyclical way... back in that garden... it’s almost like Pink came back for me after all.”

[rainbowbutterfrosting]

The Revived - Chapter 18: Exceeding

This is chapter 18 of the Dream SMP multichapter fic @dramaticsnakes​ and I wrote together! I hope you’ll enjoy!

AO3

Read in order (on Tumblr)

Characters in this chapter: Wilbur, Ghostbur, Sapnap, George

Word count: 3,121

Cw:  Violence, getting shot, spiraling, pain, crying, tension between characters, brief discussions of lying

Fic summary: Wilbur was alive, and it was such a magnificent feeling, that made his mind spark with anticipation. It didn’t take long, however, for Wilbur to realize that this new breath of life, was not just his own. An echo-y voice hides in the back of his mind, and before he knows it, the transparent version of him he saw at the endless train station, is a lot more ingrained than he’d expected him to be.

And Wilbur really shouldn’t care. Because he’d be damned, if he spent the life he’d awaited for so long, babysitting a lost cause of a ghost, stuck in the very same limbo Wilbur spent so long in. It was an even exchange, and one Wilbur wasn’t going to mess with. Why exactly he ends up setting out to get the ghost out of his mind, in order to save the both of them, however, is beyond him. And perhaps Wilbur’s past isn’t as easy to leave behind, as he’d hoped it would be.

Sapnap stood in the entryway of Tommy’s house, expecting an answer.

Wilbur smiled in a way that didn’t reach his eyes. His voice remained passively cheery with something reserved behind it, “We were just having a talk. A private one.”

Sapnap took another step into the home, “I’m not leaving you here with him. You're looking super… off right now." Something was held back in Sapnap’s words. 

Wilbur took a second to reflect on the moment. The moment wasn’t that abnormal by itself. He pulled a fun harmless prank with George and the two were simply chatting inside a vacant home. It wasn’t necessarily his fault George had too many attachments to his Dream and refused to tell him anything as a result. Wilbur growled out, "It's nothing that concerns you. Leave." 

Sapnap kept his eyes centered on Wilbur. "George, come over here." Wilbur flickered his eyes back for a moment, seeing George try to side-step out of his way. His mind momentarily switched him with Tubbo as their actions mirrored each other. He wasn’t letting another person leave him. He wasn’t letting more information slip through his hands. He couldn’t afford it.

Wilbur harshly exhaled, “We just need to finish this up, then both of you can go do whatever." He really despised how difficult people could be. Simply blinded by a lack of understanding- one Wilbur shared- that was destructive if not properly taken care of.

And how Sapnap was a destructive fool. So easily swayed by his emotions. He pulled out a loaded crossbow, aiming it at Wilbur. His finger rested gently over the trigger, twitching occasionally. “Step the fuck away from him. Hands where I can see them.”

Annoyance filled Wilbur’s eyes. “Sapnap, don’t do anything rash. We can talk this out.” Wilbur gestured to the man in front of him, “I haven’t done a single thing wrong, isn’t that right, George?”

He looked back towards George, who immediately refused to meet Wilbur’s gaze. George was painting him as a villain. The one that cornered him until the heroic Sapnap came to save the day. The one that needed to be taken care of. The one that died to his own flaws. Heroes never died to their flaws. Heroes loaded a crossbow to protect the ‘innocent.’ 

Wasn’t Wilbur just as innocent himself? All he needed was answers to fix the mind of his. The one that insisted to be nicer and embrace the little parts of life. The child in his brain who could be removed if he simply knew a little more. Just a few more minutes of conversation and he would have all he ever needed. But with Sapnap present? He had to turn those minutes into quick moments that would pass before the man holding the crossbow even blinked. 

He placed his hand firmly on George’s shoulder, slightly pushing him back into the wall. He didn’t even intend to. He didn’t apply much pressure. “George-” He was sharply cut off by the stabbing pain in his leg. He jumped onto the other leg to avoid the painful pressure as he was tackled down by someone he couldn’t see.

A punch hit him square in the jaw, landing on top of a bruise he received from Niki not too long ago. He hissed out in pain and tried to throw the person off of him. When he caught a second to look, it was Sapnap on him, but the moment it took to realize that, he whipped his head to the side after getting punched again. 

He wiggled his arms from underneath him and weakly punched him back, unable to move his body into the motion. After more hits that made Wilbur almost dizzy, he knew he couldn’t play fair. He took his fingers and poked them into Sapnap’s eyes, making the man on top of him stop for a moment. Wilbur took the opportunity and punched him as hard as he could, flipping their position and making him on top. 

He prepared to hit Sapnap again, not even thinking about why. All he knew was he was getting attacked, and he wasn’t going to be on the losing side of history. Just as he was going to hit the man under him, a blue blur pushed him off, Wilbur’s curled up fist connecting with George’s arm with half the force he aimed for Sapnap. 

Still, he made a grunt from the impact and muttered something Wilbur couldn’t hear. George seemed to take a small, hesitant step away, but Sapnap didn’t follow suit as he rolled over and grabbed the collar of Wilbur's shirt. Sapnap must’ve pushed on the pulsing pain in his leg as he groaned from the dizzying sensation. Sapnap took it as his chance to hit Wilbur again. It didn’t just happen once, but Wilbur lost track. He just felt his head jerk back and forth and he closed his eyes from the pain. 

When the punches stopped, he opened his eyes slightly. He saw George telling Sapnap something, holding his shoulders firmly. He felt like he could see Sapnap pulling against George’s pull with an anger in his eyes. 

“He’s not worth it,” He heard George mumble. 

Despite being on the floor and writhing in pain, he hissed out at George, “Fuck you.” He felt pain connect with his face once more. He laughed bitterly. The day was saved. The hero put the villain in his spot. He wouldn't do anything bad now. The innocent people could finally live in peace.

The peace that thrived off of the villain being put to a permanent retirement. The stories he heard from a young age painted it so simply. If only he could have a permanent rest. A permanent rest from this routine he lived in. Besides, everyone else needed a break from him anyway. Just a couple of days alive, and they already needed a break.

Sapnap got off of him. Kicking the place where the pain lay in his leg as Wilbur curled up. “Shit,” he whispered, barely able to acknowledge the people still in the room as the pain throbbed once more. He whimpered quietly to himself as he heard footsteps slowly grow fainter and fainter. There was a distinct sound of voices but he didn’t bother paying attention as he closed his eyes.

“-bur! Wilbur?! Please, please respond, Wil.” Panicked whispers filled his mind. “Oh no, oh no, he’s dead. What happens if he’s dead? Do I die and get put into limbo two: electric boogaloo? Does he get put in limbo? Oh no this is bad.” 

A moment of silence was followed by a slightly calmer tone, “No trains coming. That’s good.” Ghostbur cried out in pain, “Wilbur, what did you do this time?” The question wasn’t meant directly to Wilbur, despite him being the subject of it.

Wilbur only managed a groan in response as Ghostbur excitedly gasped, “Wilbur! Can you hear me?”

Wilbur pushed himself up to where he was sitting up. His head spinned as he mumbled, “Yeah, I can hear you.”

“That’s great, because I’d like an explanation of everything that just happened. I thought you said George was your friend! And George didn’t even try to stop all of that. While I don’t think I’ve personally met him, he sounds a little rude.” 

Wilbur tried to stand up but he cried out in pain along with Ghostbur at the sensation in his leg. He muttered, “Oh shit.”

“Language,” Ghostbur bitterly mentioned.

“I got shot with Sapnap’s crossbow.” He frankly should have connected the dots earlier, but he just assumed he got kicked really hard. The blood trickled down his leg, slightly staining his pants along the way.

“Oh! Okay… how- how do we fix this?”

“Prime, Ghostbur, I have no fucking clue.” Wilbur sighed quietly to himself, “I’m not cursing at you or anything. I’m just upset that all of it happened.”

“The feeling is mutual.” 

The comment took Wilbur off-guard, “What did you say?”

“I said the feeling is mutual. Do you not know what that means? It means when-”

Wilbur cut him off, “I know what it means. I just- I really didn’t expect that out of you.” A light astonishment slipped into Wilbur’s voice.

Ghostbur sighed, “That doesn’t really matter right now. We need to focus on your- well I suppose it would be our- leg.”

Wilbur nodded vaguely. “Right. Okay step one…” Wilbur’s voice died as he tried to think of a vague-ish rule that would apply to any injury. “Get out of immediate danger.”

Ghostbur asked, “Is anyone with you?”

Wilbur shook his head, “It’s just you and me. And me and you. We got the whole place to ourselves.” Wilbur chuckled at the familiar jingle. 

Ghostbur didn’t laugh though. His voice stayed firm in a way that frightened Wilbur more than Sapnap did. “What’s step two?”

Wilbur let out a shaky breath, “Um… assess the damage taken.” Wilbur thought for a moment, “There’s gonna be swelling in the face and eventual bruises. There’s also the arrow in my right calf. The injury is on the exterior, about the middle of the leg.” He slightly moved his leg closer, making him wince in pain in company to Ghostbur’s hiss. “It doesn’t seem too deep.”

“You’re doing good so far,” The praise sounded dull, as if it was just supposed to keep Wilbur busy as his mind ran. “Now step three.”

“I’m guessing that would be taking inventory on your medical aid and equipment. As far as medical aid, I-” It was quite pathetic to say that he didn’t have anyone, so he settled on an alternative, “I don’t think anyone is nearby to help.”

“We could go to someone and get help?”

Wilbur quickly feigned an excuse, “I don’t want Sapnap or George seeing me again.”

Ghostbur hummed in acknowledgement, “Good point.” He thought for a moment. “We can’t go to Tubbo or Ranboo either?”

“George or Sapnap might see me and I don’t want to risk going into the nether.”

Ghostbur frustratedly sighed, “So no one wants to help us.” It was stated so matter of factly that Wilbur almost agreed. Instead, he slid himself up one of Tommy’s walls, standing mostly on the leg that wasn’t injured.

Wilbur tried to sugar coat the situation the best he could, “I’m sure people want to. They’re just…” Only helping him out of pity. “Unavailable.” 

“Sure. Alright, what supplies do you have?”

“I doubt I’d find much, most of the useful stuff Tommy had was transferred to Pogtopia.” Before Ghostbur could speak again, he added on, “Ghostie, are you alright?”

“It’s-” Ghostbur took a shaky breath, “You need medical attention. Focus on that first.”

“You’re just as important as I am,” Wilbur reassured.

Wilbur hated the silent response more than the arrow in his leg.

He restated, “You are just as important as me.”

The quiet voice filled his mind once more. It was hesitant and small compared to the pain that persisted in Wilbur’s head. He could hardly focus on the words themselves. "I'm not. I'm really not.”

Wilbur furrowed his brow, "Woah, where is this coming from?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I just don't feel happy right now." The voice lingered in a dull disappointment that stabbed Wilbur in the heart.

Wilbur pulled a cheery voice, "Uh, you can think about Friend?"

He expected a happy rant about the shade of his wool, or the time of day the little sheep ate. He couldn’t expect anything else out of the happy little ghost. He couldn’t expect Ghostbur’s actual answer. "But then I think about things I shouldn't."

"Like what?"

"I…” Ghostbur took a shaky breath, “I feel like you lied again. No- I know you did. I just don't like to think about it too much."

“I didn’t li-” Wilbur cut himself off at the realization that he promised Ghostbur they were going to see Friend. The talk was still fresh in his mind, remembering the exact part of the cobblestone bridge he was on along with how he shifted in his clothes uncomfortably. “Oh shi- shoot. Ghostie, I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you that I didn't see Friend. I tried looking for him, but he wasn't at L'Manberg like last time."

Ghostbur bitterly laughed, "Do you really think that's all you've lied about?" Wilbur thought for a moment before Ghostbur continued, "I know I have memory problems from time to time. But I've been remembering things really clearly ever since you got revived. And nothing makes sense anymore. You said we would go to Tubbo, but now we can't. You- you said Tommy was coming back, but he never did. And- And you rarely tell me things anymore!" Ghostbur’s voice wavered with a saddened anger. It teetered in a way that made him sound like he was crying, "I thought you were my friend." Wilbur’s vision seemed to messily blur at the final words.

Somehow the ghost that loved everyone he met and named a sheep ‘Friend’ was against him. 

One could easily look at Wilbur and see him in those history books. Slightly tint the photos of him a dark gray color or a crimson red if it was recent. State so loudly that no one could stand him. Source all the lives he ruined, and explain how Ghostbur should be in the overworld instead. Let the innocent person run free as the villain rots, cold and alone. Stuck in a train station. That was where Wilbur belonged.

While part of him thought he wasn’t the villain, he was just on the wrong side of history, he knew he was lying to himself, because the two were much the same. It was a habit he developed years ago. He had to believe the best would happen and it would come. So he tried to believe the best, his tone coming off as sarcastic and uncaring, "Oh, we totally are friends! Best friends forever, y'know?" 

Ghostbur’s voice shook with such confidence and resentment, "A best friend would tell me things and stop the pain from constantly hurting." A melancholic gray filled his vision for a moment, before flickering away.

Wilbur shifted on his uninjured leg and hobbled towards the entrance of Tommy’s house. Ghostbur wanted to be told the perspective of the world. Simple. There was the wretched villain looking out of an abandoned home, squinting into sun, attempting to help a ghost trapped in his mind. Wilbur spoke in a hushed tone, “I can tell you things. There's an apple on the ground. It’s bright red-"

Ghostbur cut him off, his words rushed and eager to escape him, "Tell me the important things! The details about clouds and trees mean nothing if I'm in pain!"

Wilbur hummed in acknowledgement, “You’re right.” He hopped once more out of Tommy’s house, using the exterior of the wall to act as a support as he limped towards a familiar direction. The world was closing in on him, when he realized who he was once more. Wilbur Soot. Creator and destroyer of L’Manberg. The villain who had been slayed yet again. A repressed genius, who had been holding back for far too long. He let out a breath as he felt his entire being soaring towards the sky, out of the pain, and into the sky that belonged to him as much as his sunrise. “We’re- I’m going to Pogtopia.”

He heard sniffles echo through his mind accompanied by hisses of pains and quick apologies. It turned into white noise as he centered his mind on his throbbing leg, well- as he tried to center the pain there. His mind still ran, telling him about all the things he grinned at. 

It felt nice to be above it all. He was simply a mastermind, a work of art that no one else understood. The walk was moderately quick, but peaceful. The adrenaline must have been kicking in as his limp lessened. 

He coughed once, as he supported himself on the walls of Pogtopia. His hand ran over the buttons, and while he didn’t press them, he could hear them clicking faintly. They weren’t mocking him anymore, he thought. They were shaking underneath his grasp, and it sent a laugh through his body. “I’m here,” he said out loud.

“Great,” Ghostbur said sharply, though it was clear he had a hard time saying it.

He threw back his head a little, as if he was bored. “I’m not sure where they put the medical equipment.” He thought about his last trip to this place. “Ah, perhaps Tubbo brought it to that little bunker of his.” The name seemed to sting his tongue, but everything else stung him more, so it was hardly relevant.

“We…” Ghostbur tried with a shaky voice, “We’re not allowed to go in there without him. H- he said-”

“You were the one who said medical attention was the first priority,” Wilbur reminded the ghost, continuing to walk ahead. He received no response.

Whatever.

He remembered where the bunker was, fortunately. He soon found himself in there, and while it felt forbidden just before he walked inside, Wilbur never cared much about what he was supposed to do. The world wasn’t going to keep him down. He had been staying at the train station, with little to no light, and hours, days, years ticking ahead. He had let the comfort of tolerance, and connection that would be broken at the slightest misstep, overwhelm him. He had forgotten everything he had learned last time he was in Pogtopia. A silly little shell, who was far too easy to keep down. But Wilbur wasn’t anyone’s shell anymore.

He looked at the books and the little farms for food. One could stay there for months or longer, and remain perfectly intact. “Huh, I could do some reading while I’m down here,” he said.

“Please- please take…” Ghostbur’s voice wavered, though the next part came out harshly, “Please take care of the wounds.”

Wilbur rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah, I will.”

Ghostbur responded to that with a hiss of pain, but Wilbur barely noticed as he walked to the nearest chest to pick up some bandages. There was thankfully a potion of regeneration, and something that would disinfect the wound. He wished it was an instant health instead, or even just having more potions in general. 

Regardless, he sat down on a chair, feeling the pain slightly more as his leg changed position. He looked at the arrow. “I’m going to remove the arrow now. Brace yourself I guess.”

Ghostbur held his breath, and Wilbur ripped it out with as much quick force as he could, knowing full well that it would be less painful to get it done quickly. “There we go.” His smile wavered for a moment, though he settled on the most confident expression he could muster. He’d done this countless times before. Ghostbur sobbed, and Wilbur huffed. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Ghostbur didn’t respond though. Instead, Wilbur heard the sound of muffled cries and whimpers echoing through his mind.

[avengerscompound]

Until the End of the World - 15

Until the End of the World: A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers x F!Reader

Word Count:  1767

Rating:  E

Warnings: pregnancy, canon typical violence, mentions of torture and human experimentation

Synopsis: Four years after Steve and Bucky got to the bottom of the HYDRA conspiracy that had led to you and your son being hunted for the first three years of his life, you, Bucky, and Steve have carved out a nice life together.  Things are calm and you feel like a family unit.  When Geo starts calling Bucky and Steve ‘dad’, a decision is made to try and add to your family.

Things aren’t as calm as they seem.  When your pregnancy hits the papers, HYDRA rears its head once again, and Steve and Bucky need to track you down to protect the family they had created.

Chapter 15

The line between unconscious and conscious was hazy.  You couldn’t quite hold on to reality but you knew you needed to wake up.  There were flashes.  Being bumped around in the back of a van.  You remembered the smell of antiseptic and cool steel and lights burning bright in your eyes.  There had been needles and people talking, sometimes not in English.

As you slowly pulled yourself back to consciousness, the only clear memory you had was being dragged out of your car kicking and screaming by men in green uniforms.

The morning hadn’t been so strange.  Chaotic sure, but that was all as expected for a family of four expecting another child.  You’d ridden in the back of the town car with Geo, on the way to drop him at school.  It hadn’t even felt strange when the car had been diverted down that alley.  It was New York, shit happening that required traffic to be diverted was hardly unusual.  When the van had blocked the road and those men had piled out, it had been a shock.  You’d reacted quickly, locking your doors and getting you and Geo on the floor.  It didn’t help.  Even with the bulletproof glass and casing on the car, they’d quickly ripped the doors off.  They had zero preservation skills and were willing to take the bullets from the driver so that the people behind them could take him out.

You’d had Geo ripped from your arms and a needle shoved into your neck.  That had been it.

You forced your eyes open, though everything was blurry and seemed to move in slow motion.  You couldn’t quite absorb what you were seeing.  The room was completely white and chrome.  You were on a bed that was bare except for a thin mattress, but thankfully lying on your side.  You tried very hard to focus, but the more aware you were of how bare everything was around you, the more panic started to set in.

You tried to push yourself up, but the mixture of drugs in your system and the shackles around your wrists and ankles made that impossible.

“Geo…”  You had meant the sound to be a scream, but instead, it came out as a faint croak.  You struggled and blinked your eyes, trying to break out of the drugged-up fog that was holding you down, but you couldn’t seem to be able to do it.

There was a series of sharp beeps and the hiss of an automatic door.  You turned your head to see a tall woman with long black hair and deep green eyes stepped into the room.  She seemed familiar but the drugs were stopping the connections in your mind from being made and you couldn’t seem to place her.  You knew it was bad but for some reason, you couldn’t think of why.

“Ahh good,” she said, in a thick Hungarian accent.  “You’re awake.”

“Where’s Geo?”  You croaked.

“Don’t worry, darling,” she said, standing back as a couple of what you could only assume were doctors came and looked you over.  “Your boy is safe.  After your lover destroyed all our stocks of IGH we need him to start from scratch again.  That little boy is the key to that.”

“No,” you choked, as everything clicked into place.  This was Ophelia Sarkissian - Viper.  The woman who had been running HYDRA.  The one who had been ordering people to hunt you and Geo down.  You had sat at her trial and given evidence to make sure she’d get put away for life.  You had no idea how she could be out now.  “No, you can’t.”

“You evaded us for a long time,” Viper said as she looked you over.  “I applaud you.  I must say that when your precious Captain America tore apart our warehouses and stripped me of my crown, it was a little bit of a setback.  But he made three rather large mistakes.  The first was, he made it very clear that you specifically were off the table.  We weren’t allowed to hurt you.  That made me believe that you were special in ways that weren’t just about the test IGH had run on you.  You were special to Steve Rogers.  That was confirmed while I was locked up and the tabloids started showing pictures of you together.  Don’t you just love tabloids?  Always invading people’s privacy and spreading all over the place for everyone to see?  You’d think that would be illegal?  But no… it’s encouraged even.”

She took a few steps closer to you and had a look at the chart one of the doctors handed her.  “The next was, he seemed to think that HYDRA was just the palace in Madripoor and a few warehouses.  That was the basis for all our IGH manufacturing and distribution, I’ll give him that, but HYDRA is so much bigger than that.  He was successfully able to scrub all references to you from our files, but there was his last mistake.”  She moved in close, so her face was right up in yours.  “He didn’t erase me.”

“He’s going to kill you,” you rasped.

She laughed and stood up straight.  “While I’ve been locked up I’ve been running things behind the scenes.  Getting a place prepared for you and your little technopath.  It is cut off from communications down this deep.  He won’t be able to send for help.  And they won’t be able to find you.  But don’t worry.  We have some of the friends from the experiment we ran on you.  You see, now we know that when two of you breed you get something special, we thought we’d run our own little breeding program with some of the others.  And won’t you believe our luck?  You’ve been running your own with a super-soldier no less.”  She tapped your baby belly and you started shaking your head.

“No, no, no, no no,” you groaned.  “You can’t have them.”

“We already have them.  You’re due any day now, correct?”  She taunted.  “You’ll be delivering here, and then we’ll see what happens if you mix IGH with Super-Serum.”

You shook your head, still feeling completely out of it and unable to process what was happening to you.  There was a loud and painful part of you that couldn’t see any way out of this.  If they had kidnapped other people and no one had noticed - if you were really cut off from any computers, then this was hopeless.  They’d never find you.  Yet a smaller part of you didn’t seem willing to give up hope that the men you had chosen to make a family with would ever stop looking for you.

“I want to see Geo,” you whispered.

“We’ll see.  If you’re very good for us and do exactly as we say we might let you see him,” she said.  “Thought we might reprogram him, much like we did with your friend the Winter Soldier.  Having Geo so young and with such a useful power, he could be quite the asset for us.”

“No,” you said and jerked feebly against your bonds.  “Don’t hurt him.”

“Now, now,” Viper taunted.  “That’s not behaving yourself.  You don’t want to get all worked up and hurt your baby, do you?  Where will that leave us?”

You started crying and Viper smirked and handed the files back to the doctors.  “You can unfasten her bonds and let her drugs wear off.  She was always the runner, never the fighter.  I think given we have her boy she’ll behave herself for us.”

She left the room and the doctors unfastened the bindings on your wrists and ankles.   They left you there alone in the bright white room.  As the drugs began to wear off more you sat up.  Your mouth was dry and tacky and you wanted a drink.  You slowly surveyed the room.  It was more of a cell than a room.  The wall that had the automatic door looked to be a thick one-way glass.  There was a shower head, toilet, and sink on the far side of the room.  You were worried about getting up yet, but you really needed a drink.

You carefully got up, leaning on the bed while you judged whether or not your legs could hold you.  When you felt confident that they would, you made your way over and drank as much as you could before using the toilet and washing up.  You took a moment to check how well-sealed the door was and when it wouldn’t budge at all, you made your way back to your bed.  It was hopeless.  After all these years they’d finally caught you and this was it.  All the things you’d done to protect your son had been for nothing.

Part of you wished you’d never met Steve or Bucky, but even thinking that made your heartbreak and you’d start crying again.  This wasn’t their fault and trying to pin it on them was putting the blame in the wrong place.  This was Viper’s doing and no one else's.  She’d hunted you and Geo.  And she used Steve’s fame to finally catch you when you were at your most vulnerable.

You lay down and curled up.  There were no blankets and no pillows, but you were able to doze lightly.  The lights dimmed, and just as you were on the brink of a really deep sleep, the doors hissed open again.

You sat up quickly expecting the worse.  Of all the people you had thought would walk through the door, your seven-year-old son was right at the bottom of the list.  “Mommy?  I’m scared,” he whispered.

You jumped down off the bed and rushed to him, crouching down as best you could in your heavily pregnant state and pulling him out of the doorway.  “Geo?  How did you get here?”

“Where are my dads?”  He whispered.  “I wanna go home, mommy.”

“G, I need you to listen, bud.  We’re in trouble.  I need to know how you got out?”  You asked.

“Mommy, the machines helped me,” he said.  “They always do.”

You nearly laughed at how stupid you’d been.  Of course, he’d be able to get out of the cell.  It was locked electronically.  They must have found out that Geo was a technopath and thought that meant computers only, when in fact, if there was any sort of processing system, even if it was just to open and close doors it would do what he’d say.

“G, listen to me very carefully,” you said.  “I need you to do something really important.”

// NEXT

[indianamoonshine]

siberu | reader x din djarin

summary: reader is not human, but a force-senstive humanoid, who is searching for a legendary sickle in the caverns of an arctic planet named siberus. she stumbles across a lonely, very lost, and very cold din djarin in the snow. they discuss the strange little creature in din’s bag.

mentions: cursing. mention of the youngling situation during order 66. gender is a construct. reader is absolutely fawning over how cute grogu is.

note: just two people repressing obvious feelings. this was a request so i hope @tolkienblackgirl​ approves! i’m sorry it was literally months before i got to it. it’s not a super happy ending and a little angsty which is very unlike me. i really wish i could’ve done more with this, but i have three other fics on my hands at the moment so i had to make it a one-shot.

rating: m just in case.

it was way too fucking cold here.

you didn’t care for siberus just by the briefing alone, but when your ship lands upon the frozen terrain, you teeth immediately clench. snow falls around you in flurries, the wind spiraling them into a weak tornado at your booted feet as soon as your ramp tumbles noisily upon the ground. the air was heavy with frost and it showed each time you drew breath, the vapor chilling immediately in the polar atmosphere.

you tug your shawl tighter around you - a piece of fabric that you realized very quickly wouldn’t do much against the bite of the tundra. you thought you were ready for the weather - thought you were prepared for the manner of dress required for siberus, but the reputation of the ice world had proceeded even the nastiest of rumors. no one dared tread upon siberus ground - not in years, anyway.

but that wasn’t just because of its climate.

siberus was one of the planets utterly destroyed by “the great purge”. a distressing lack of life forms shown on your radar as you scan the horizon, save for the exceptionally evolved animals that could withstand the tundra. as soon as you landed, they’d immediately scattered across the snow and fled to their holes in the ground. you didn’t blame them; for as long as they’d been isolated, the idea of an intruder must’ve been beyond terrifying.

the council told you it was here. somewhere, in these thousands of kilometers of snow and ice, is the last jedi sickle.

a powerful weapon...but you argued that it was hardly warranted a visit to hoth’s much crueler and unforgiving sibling. hells, the empire hadn’t even dared visit. maybe they might have had they known the sickle was secured in carbonite. maybe they’d gone out of their way if that piece of information managed to trickle through their grapevine, but even then, was it worth their time? you weren’t even convinced it was.

it was described as “the poor man’s dark saber”. while the sickle was nearly impossible to destroy, it wouldn’t peel through anything like the dark saber could. no. the dark saber was somewhat of a mythical thing. the sickle, however, felt more convincing.

and for whatever reason, they had entrusted you to retrieve it.

they were the council of augusten, your home planet, blackened by night at all times. a symbiotic relationship with a bio-luminescent plant was, essentially, your sun - your star. this resulted in a tolerable, but irritating, daytime blindness of its natives peoples and creatures. and while siberus wasn’t exactly bright this time of day (especially with such a raging storm concealing your view), it was enough to make the vessels thrum tensely behind your eyes.

you’re one of the last! they said triumphantly, as though to sweeten you up. a survivor of the order! it is your duty!

bullshit.

it wasn’t such a strange idea that the council wanted the sickle. it wasn’t, by any means, quite like the mandalore legend of the dark saber. but it wasn’t just the power wielding the weapon itself brought - it was the kyber crystal within it.

it could power thousands of machines and harness energy for millions of resources. honestly, you hadn’t even considered the worthiness of kyber crystals for anything other than constructing lightsabers, but it made sense. enough sense that you felt obligated to fetch it from this frozen wasteland.

you talked a big talk about being able to find it. hells! you almost convinced yourself it’d be a piece of cake by the way you spoke with such confidence and bullshit conviction at the briefing. but looking out upon the snow-laden horizon - mountains and all - you suddenly weren’t so sure of yourself.

pride, as always, comes before the fall. as usual.

you even considered going back. there wasn’t a handbook for finding ancient, priceless, jedi artifacts. there wasn’t a tracking beacon for it either and your abilities could only do so much. you prayed to the force that, if anything, your connection as a jedi might be enough to conjure it from hiding. and, of course, that proved fruitless within the first half-hour.

you’re about to collapse. it wasn’t the night that shrouded you that almost did it; the darkness was your home - your element. you vision (very literally) fared much better in the blackness. the cold, on the other hand, was licking at your bones and causing you to tremble beneath your own weight.

it’s when you’re on the verge of making camp that you spot a figure upon the horizon.

not just any figure.

a person.

there’s a surge of motivation to keep moving. (strange, how that works...) whoever it is isn’t very far away - not even four kilometers. and if they’re searching for transportation it clearly isn’t in reach. they move at a slow pace, forcing themselves to walk against the bite of siberus’s gale.

when you’re in reach of this mysterious being, you yell out in haste. “hey! you!”

the figure stops their fight with the current of snow. they’re knee-deep in the tundra - you’re waist deep, really. and when you squint through the particles of snow, blinking rapidly to melt it away, you notice the shine of...

beskar.

“a mandalorian?!” you shout.

you shuffle closer as they remain still as stone. if they truly were a mandalorian, they’d certainly be on their guard - certainly moving for a blaster at their hip. you’re able to see their helmet’s face pierced upon yours as you step closer. how they managed to hear you, you couldn’t be sure, but it was a welcome surprise all the same.

you wrap your shawl closer around you, protecting your cheeks against the sting of cold. you observe the mandalorian (or what you expected to be the mandalorian) in their steely armor as they consider you for what felt like minutes. (too long in this damn climate.) siberus’s two moons allow the beskar to glint when the shoulder pauldrons move just right, a beam of light reflecting into your sensitive eyes. you hiss as a result.

“what is it you want?” the mandalorian demands, body now angling towards you. they’ve obviously come to the conclusion you’re of no immediate danger.

you narrow your eyes as the wind picks up, flakes of snow blurring this person until they’re just a speck against a backdrop. you don’t even consider your next words - you’ve always been too trusting. but something in this mandalorian’s spirit told you that they were harmless. in fact, they could prove valuable to this mission.

anything to get you off this frozen rock as quickly as possible.

“come to my ship! it’s warm!” you toss your head in the direction of where you came.

the mandalorian is taken aback. they recoil, physically, on the balls of their feet. who in their right kriffin’ mind would invite a mandalorian to stay in the privacy of their own ship? especially on such a deserted planet?

still, the mandalorian shouts over the wind. “why should i trust you?!”

there’s really nothing to do but shrug. “because we’re both about to freeze to death!” you point to their beskar that is, while impenetrable, starting to collect icicles. no, nothing could break beskar, but the mandalorian inside it could freeze.

this is enough to convince the mandalorian.

⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

you’ve made two cups of java by the time the mandalorian finally un-clenches his fists.

it’s a him. he told you by the way he moved - how his shoulders barely fit through the limited width of your ship’s entrance or how his voice rung beneath his helmet. still, gender didn’t really fit in your culture. gender wasn’t worthy enough to be considered important so you were hesitant of calling them either or.

it was when you kept dancing around the pronouns that he finally uttered, “i’m a male.”

you raise a brow, pouring the steaming java into a ceramic mug that had chips and stains on the sides of it. (the handle on yours broke after an upsetting landing from last mission. handles were hard to come by in this galaxy. a luxury, even.)

“oh?” you ask.

the mandalorian grunts, barely slipping his helmet past his lips to drink. you knew all about their creed so it came as no surprise when he immediately pulled it back down his chin.

“i know you’re augustenian. i’m aware of how your people feel about identity.” he pauses, lifting his head to watch your reaction. “male is fine. he is fine.”

it was kind - not blunt - the way this came from his lips. you allow a gentle smile to tug at the corner of your lips. “you knew from the markings, right?” you ask, motioning to the upside down crescent upon your forehead; it glowed a faint green in the darkness.

he nods a little. it’s hard to speak to someone when you’re unable to look into their eyes. you depended on the expressions of beings and it felt impersonal to speak to him now because of it. still, you weren’t one to question creed or faith.

“it’s hard to miss,” he replies, bringing his cup to the side of his body, and shifting between his cloak.

you raise a brow. “what are you doing?”

the mandalorian stills, aware that it may look strange if not explained. “i, uh...” he takes a deep breath and pulls a woven strap from his shoulder; a large, lumpy thing, that moves when he situates it. it even makes a coo’ing noise.

“did you manage to catch some wildlife?” you ask, amazed. you tilt your head, reaching a hand out to pull back the flap of the bag.

but the mandalorian grabs your hand in a brisk movement, clenching hard around your wrist. “don’t. he’s...” he sighs. “he’s a little jumpy.”

you furrow your brows. he knew the mannerism of this creature personally? it must’ve been a traveling companion you’d failed to notice. you pull away and nod, waiting for him to reveal whatever this thing was.

when a pair of long, green, and fuzzy ears pop out from beneath the bag’s opening, you shriek in delight. the little creature stares back at you, large black eyes rounded in the moonlight, and a curious smile beaming upon his kind face when he understands you are of no danger.

“what a precious little thing!” you coo. you reach out for him, fingers twiddling in anticipation. “may i?”

the mandalorian fixates his stare more heavily upon you. with a protective gruff he says, “if you try anything with him...”

you shake your head, bouncing a little restlessly in your seat. “i wouldn’t ever hurt a child.”

for some reason he seems to believe you but still hands you the baby with caution. when the creature’s little hands wrap themselves around you, a jolt of bliss surges through your body. you’ve always adored children and this really was a youngling.

but...he was more than that.

your smile fades slowly from your mien as you stare into his eyes, watching something unfold that the mandalorian before you can’t see. he’s sensitive like you. force sensitive. you can feel the way that the energy beats around him - like a dance - but weakening with every moment.

and then there’s an image.

an image you wished you’d never see.

younglings sprawled upon the jedi temple floor, their bodies mangled and bloodied from vicious crime. you find yourself turning away from his penetrating stare, brows furrowed in pain, when a collective scream of terror ricochets from a place very far in the past.

you weren’t there to see it in person. just in stories. as a survivor, the guilt haunted you at night. this was certainly...overwhelming.

“where did you find this child?” you find yourself asking, words barely audible through chapped lips. you didn’t even realize you were saying it until after it was done.

the mandalorian is quick to reply. “there was a bounty on his life. the empire - well, whoever they are now - wanted him.”

you find yourself gripping the child to your chest in possessiveness. “no. you can’t,” you gasp. “they’ll kill him.”

the mandalorian raises a hand to you in a show of sympathy. “i know. i didn’t give him to them.” he pauses, watching as you cradle the child in your arms and petting his long ears with tears in your eyes. “are you...”

you raise your head to watch him, anxious as to your next move. but you sputter out the truth like it was poison - like you couldn’t hold it in anymore. “a jedi,” you confirm. “yes. or...i was.”

the mandalorian is taken aback but the news registers him into silence. he observes the way you press the little one to your cheek and give him a small kiss near his eye. he smiles - albiet, sadly - beneath his helmet when the kid nuzzles against you in a show of affection, little claws wrapping themselves around your forefinger as though his life depended on it.

”i...” he hesitates, and then sighs. “i was quested to bring him back to his own kind. your kind.”

you’re aware of what he wants...what he’s trying to say.

“no.” you answer. “i can’t train him. i won’t.”

the mandalorian goes silent. through clenched teeth he asks, “why not?”

you look into the child’s face. he hasn’t spoken to you - not in the way jedi are able - but he’s given you an insight to his relationship with this man. and his fear was palpable - thick.

he was closing himself off. he was unstable.

you rub the child’s ears once more, finger and thumb warming the skin. “he’s cut himself off from the force. i don’t have the influence on him that is necessary to change his heart.” you sigh, placing the child in the mando’s arms. “i’m sorry.”

the mandalorian looks down at the child in his embrace as he snuggles against his chilled beskar without protest. “what can i do?”

you sigh, rubbing circles into your temple. what could he do? you had barely passed the trials by the time order 66 was executed. and most jedi were killed during the great purge. you were one of the very last - one of those the empire had not successfully tracked down.

but you were no master.

“there is a jedi...” you whisper. you wring your hands together in apprehension. “i’ve never met her. she’s called ahsoka tano. there are rumors she lives.”

the mandalorian is quick to respond. “how do i find her?”

“i don’t know,” you tell him truthfully. “her survival isn’t confirmed.”

the mandalorian grumbles under his breath. “dank farrik.” he sets the child back into his sling and tucks him to his side again.

you watch as the two of them stare at one another, both desperate for answers you weren’t able to give them. they seem to have endured a long journey - long enough that they’ve formed a bond you’ve never seen between a mandalorian and another living creature.

you sigh. “i’m sorry i can’t do more,” you tell him. “but at least stay and rest. you look as though you need it.”

he watches you between the slits of his visor and it’s unsettling that you don’t know the color of his eyes. that feels important to know about a person. he wasn’t a machine - he was a man - and he should be regarded as such.

it takes a moment for him to process the invitation. surely he didn’t get very many of those. while that wasn’t surprising it was still very upsetting; more upsetting than you’d expected, anyway.

you offer him your bed but he denies and tells you he’ll sleep on the floor. if you’d like to share with the child i’d be more than grateful, he tells you. you knew it was an honor to be trusted with this child’s life, so you accept.

in the morning, the storm has passed, and the child still lay in your arms after a night of peaceful sleep. you feel the mandalorian - whose name you never got - strategically remove the child from your limbs.

and just when he’s about to leave - he hesitates. you can hear his footfalls stop short of the exit as you pretend to still sleep for whatever reason. maybe you were afraid to look upon him again - that you’d find yourself slipping into a feeling you weren’t allowed to humor.

so you remain still.

you remain still even as the mandalorian wipes a strand of hair from your eyes, takes a deep breath, and allows the child to snuggle his nose against yours. he coos just slightly - a little goodbye - and it causes your stomach to drop to your knees.

you consider waking; to tell them you’d help find ahsoka, to say fuck it to whatever jedi order didn’t exist anymore and entertain whatever butterflies had tickled your insides when the mandalorian’s caress embraced your skin.

but when you open your eyes, they’ve gone.

⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ 

NOTE: i’m so sorry this wasn’t what i originally envisioned but i still like it! also, i’d like to go ahead and say - in case i didn’t make it clear enough - that mando asked for the child to sleep with reader because it would’ve been super uncomfortable for him to sleep on the floor.

[happyandticklish]

No Matter What

Notes: For the request by @ticklish-sidekick who requested a fic with Simon and his dad. Hope you enjoy! :)

Summary: Jack Spier takes his son rock-climbing in an attempt to bond with him. When Simon’s own insecurities get in the way of that, the former decides to take measures into his own hands to show his son how much he loves him.

Simon didn’t want to be here.

He hadn’t gone rock-climbing since he was ten, back when his dad had, for some reason, held the notion that he was even remotely athletic. He remembered hating it back then as well. Watching all the other dads with their sons, all of whom were bravely climbing up the wall and laughing over inside jokes. Meanwhile little, petrified Simon stood staring up at the expansive slope of hand holds and ropes and ran crying to the bathroom halfway through. It took his dad half an hour to coax him out of there and he never even got on the equipment. 

When Simon’s dad suggested the idea again, seven years later, everything in Simon had inwardly rebelled at the idea. Still, he hadn’t wanted to seem like a pussy so he smiled and said yes. It wasn’t that he was scared of the prospect now that he was older, but the memories of that day couldn’t help but haunt him as they drove down to the Climbing Gym, his heart pounding in his chest.

“I think we’re gonna have a lot of fun,” his dad assured him. “Just like when you were little.”

His voice was a bit too cheery in that way it had been for the past couple months now. Simon hadn’t yet built up the confidence to tell his dad he was gay (see again, pussy), and even though he hadn’t said anything, he felt like his dad could sense his weakened masculinity. He’d been trying to get the two of them to “bond” for weeks now and this blast from the past was yet another flimsy attempt at connection.

“Sure, dad.” Simon flashed a fake smile of assurance at the other, wishing he could say what he really felt and not sound like the worst excuse for a man that ever was. “I’m sure it’s gonna be great.”

From the car ride there, every step of the process seemed to get worse and worse. As it turned out, that specific establishment didn’t take cards which meant an agonizing five minutes of his dad and him digging around in their collective wallets to sum up the measly thirty dollars for it. After that Simon had to use the bathroom, but there was a line of people leading up to it and they spent another ten minutes dealing with that mess. By the time they finally got around to hooking up the gear, they both came to the sad realization that Simon’s gear didn’t fit because they had ordered a size too small.

By this point, Simon was ready to give up and call it a day, but Jack Spier was determined to have a fun outing with his son.

“We’ll get a new one,” he promised him as the harness continued to not go around Simon’s waist. “Hello—” he waved one hand out, beckoning an employee over to assist them—“we need a new harness please!”

“Dad, it’s fine—” Simon protested, but the lady was already walking over, flashing them the same helpful grin that all the staff here seemed to wear. Simon sighed in exasperation, dropping his face in his hands.

“Can I help you with something?” she asked, her gaze flicking down to the discarded harness and back up to Simon. He flushed, knowing she was probably taking in his slightly pudgy frame, not muscular by any means. It wasn’t that he was super self-conscious about his body, but it was moments like these that made him worry about it.

He had confided, once, in Leah about it, and she had merely laid her head on his stomach affectionately and replied, “I like your body. It’s soft—like a pillow.”

Simon did not want to be a pillow.

“Yes you can,” his dad continued, oblivious to his inner turmoil. “My son here needs a bigger harness, and we were wondering if you had anything—”

“It’s really alright,” Simon mumbled, his cheeks burning. “I’ll manage with this one, there’s no need to bother you—”

“Oh it’s perfectly alright,” the lady assured him, waving her hand as if to magically push the problem aside. “We get mix-ups like this all the time. I’ll take this off your hands and grab you something from the back.”

She disappeared to the supposed “back” with his mess of tangled gear while Simon stewed in his embarrassment and disappointment over another failed attempt to end their trip early.

Fifteen minutes later, gear on and harnesses attached, Simon was once more faced with the daunting wall of multicolored handholds. He swallowed audibly.

“It’s fairly simple,” his dad explained, hands in his pocket as he surveyed the sight with a satisfied grin. “If you go slow and watch your step, you should be fine. I have the rope to levy you back down right here, so don’t focus on falling. No matter what happens, you’ll be fine.”

“I know that,” Simon snapped irritably. His dad was talking to him like he was still that scared ten-year-old that was too afraid to go trick-or-treating alone. He was older now, and even though the thought of going hundreds of feet up in the air with only a rope to protect him was making his knees weak, he was going to prove that to his dad.

He grabbed onto the first handhold, resting a foot on another. So far so good. Now to pull himself up. He grunted, pushing off with one leg and flailing for another hold. He repeated the steps again, and again, and again, until his nervous smile started to become one of genuine enjoyment. He was doing it. He was actually doing it!

“You’re doing great,” his dad called up to him, and despite himself Simon felt almost bolstered by the comment.

Why had he ever been so scared of this as a kid? Simon kicked off once more, his hand already reaching for the next hold—

“Shit!”

All the breath in Simon’s body left him as his foot slipped and he fell backwards, all his attempts to save himself rendered useless by the sweat collected on his palms. The fall backwards lasted a mere second, and yet Simon’s entire life managed to flash before his eyes in that time. His blood rushed to his head and he was jerked back by the force of the fall.

He hung suspended upside down by the ropes tied around his waist, flailing around like a fish out of water but unable to right himself.

His dad rushed forward, concern written over his features. “Si, are you okay?”

The panic that had been spiraling through Simon moments before was quickly transformed into hurt at those words, spoken with such tenderness that it made him want to punch something. “I’m fine, alright? I’m not that delicate.”

His dad’s brow wrinkled into a frown. “What are you talking about?”

“I know what you’ve been thinking,” Simon grumbled, crossing his arms with difficulty given his position. “ ‘Oh, take him rock-climbing, that’s sure to toughen him up’. But I can’t even do that right, can I? Can’t even climb a stupid wall with my dad. That’s Simon for you. Pathetic, weak, crybaby nonathletic Simon.” And gay, he filled in mentally though he didn’t say it out loud. 

“Simon.”

His dad’s voice was firm in a way it wasn’t usually, the consonants shortened at the end. Simon forced his gaze to meet the other’s. “I don’t think you’re any of those things. This—” he pointed to Simon’s swaying body—“doesn’t make you weak. It makes you strong. It means you were willing to try something and you failed.”

“Exactly—” Simon started, but the other interrupted him.

“You failed this time,” his dad corrected him. “You can only learn from your failures. And son, I don’t care if you climb some stupid wall. I don’t care if you never do anything athletic in your life. I don’t care if you sit around writing made-up stories about books you read with your friends.”

“You know about that?” Simon asked, flushing.

“Yes,” his dad confirmed. “And I don’t care. I didn’t ask you to come here with me today because I wanted you to prove yourself to me, or whatever other misconceptions you might have formed. I asked you to come with me because I wanted to spend time with you. Whether we’re climbing walls or writing about Harry Potter characters kissing. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Oh,” Simon said, softly, shame flushing through him at the way he had acted. All his fears, his insecurities, everything he had been building up in his head was crumbling around him as their structures proved to be shaky. Simon had never been so glad to be proven wrong in his life. “You really… you really don’t care?”

His dad shook his head.

“Even though I might still be a little scared of climbing up the wall?”

“Nope.”

“Even though my harness doesn’t fit because I’m not super buff and ripped like you?”

His dad chuckled in amusement, raising an eyebrow. “Not even then. Besides, if you were all ripped and buff, I wouldn’t be able to do this.”

He reached out and scribbled his fingers teasingly over the other’s stomach like he used to do when Simon was still a kid. Simon yelped, hands jumping down (up?) to protect himself, though it was difficult in his current position. “Dad!”

“What? I’m just trying to cheer you up.” His dad dug fingers gently into his sides, a spot that had always made Simon squeal, and giggles fell hopelessly from the other’s lips. “Is it working?”

“Noho, dahad, i-it’s ehembahaharrassing!” Simon protested, glancing around him, worried that someone might be looking. “Stahahap!”

“No can do,” his dad said, clucking his tongue. “I’m afraid I cannot. You see my body is no longer my own anymore.”

Simon’s eyes widened with realization as he realized where his dad was going with this. “Ohoho m-my gohod, dahahad, noho!”

“I’ve been possessed,” his dad continued, grinning as he squeezed rapidly up and down his sides. “By the spirit of the Tickle Monster. I can’t stop until I make my victim understand that I love him. No matter what,” he insisted, emphasizing each word with a poke to his stomach.

“Thihihis ihihis sohohoho stuhuhupid!” Simon shrieked, flailing around wildly as he attempted to somehow smack away the hands tormenting him. His shirt had ridden up due to the influence of gravity, and his dad took advantage of it to softly spider his nails over his bare stomach. “Ah! Wait, wait, wahahait, nohohoho, thahahahat’s nohohot fahahahair!”

“What’s not fair? That you’re still this ticklish after all these years?”

“I-I’m nahahahat—Ihihihi mehehean—ahaha—stahahap tihihickling mehehehe fohohor ahaha sehehecond! Ahahaha, fuhuhuhuck!”

“Simon Spier!” his dad exclaimed, pretending to be offended. “Language. That’s it—you’re gonna have to be punished for that.”

Catching both of his hands in his grasp, his dad moved the soft spider tickles down into his armpits. Simon squawked, writhing back away from him but ultimately unable to escape.

“Nohoho, nohoho, nohoho! Nahahahat thehehehere! Stahahahap!”

“Do you apologize for cursing?”

“B-Buhuhut yohohou cuhuhurse ahahall thehehe tihihime!” Simon pointed out, struggling to get his words out through the desperate laughter pouring out of him.

“Yes, but I’m your father,” his dad reminded him. “I’m allowed to.”

Simon knew his father didn’t truly care about the cursing, as he had done so a million times in front of his parents before. He used to do this when he was little too, chasing him around the house and making up fake crimes that he needed to be “punished for”. Simon would always protest, but he never truly minded. He knew it was just his dad’s way of making him happy.

Even now, choking over strangled giggles, Simon couldn’t help but feel nostalgia warm his chest, a grin forming on his features that had little to do with the tickling. Despite everything, this was helping.

His dad knew he had his limits however. After a couple more minutes he backed off, allowing the boy a moment to breathe, which Simon did, in grateful gulps. Leftover giggles spilled from his lips, and his nerves sang with phantom sensation.

“That was not nice,” he said, glaring up at him though there was no venom behind his gaze.

His dad smiled, and in that one gesture was the love collected over seventeen years of Simon’s life. “Do you wanna try again?”

Simon looked back at his dad, the man who loved him despite everything, despite his appearance, despite his habits, despite anything that the world could throw at him. Maybe he wouldn’t tell his dad he was gay now. But when he did, he knew he would be ready for it. And for the first time in a long time, Simon wasn’t scared. 

He smiled back.

“Yeah. I think that would be alright.”

[30somethingontumbler]

Here we have the result of me being physically unable to write anything other then angst but al least I am doing better at giving people happy endings. But yeah just another SarahxBucky one shot because I am absolute trash for this pairing!!!

Right after the events with the flag smashers Sarah cornered him one day in the kitchen.

“Hey Bucky”

“Hey Sarah”

“I have something important I would like to speak with you about” she said playing with the end of one of her braids.

Bucky sensed this was going to be a serious conversation so he simply nodded his head ready for whatever she had to say.

“As you know, I lost my husband right after AJ was born, right after loosing my parents and then only two years later I thought I lost my brother, if it hadn’t been for my boys I probably would have given up, and I never want to feel that pain again.”

“You don’t have to say anything else” Bucky said when she paused to breath, “for some unknown reason your brother has become my best friend, and I have always had a knack for pulling by best pals out of trouble they couldn’t get out of on their own, and I can tell you right now I would do anything to make sure your brother comes home, although don’t tell him that”

She smiled a little at the natural teasing that had become the staple of Sam and Buckys friendship. “That is all I needed to hear Bucky, thank you, I’m glade he has you covering his back.”

And they had left it at that, with an understanding that Bucky would watch Sam’s back, and Sam would always make it back home. After a Year of Bucky visiting the Wilson home regularly it stoped being just for his friend, he started to care for all of the Wilson’s and they started to care for him. He became uncle Buck to Cass and AJ, and built a friendship with Sarah and through that friendship he began to feel the deepest parts of his soul come back to life. Sam’s family began to feel like his own, he began to develop more then a simple admiration for Sarah. That first day he met her had been the first time since he fell from that train, that he had felt like Bucky, not the winter soldier not Captain Americans broken friend not the white wolf of Wakanda, just Bucky the man who could charm his way out of any trouble, the young man he hadn’t been since before he went to war. Sarah brought out a part of him he thought died and God did he lover her for it, even if she had no idea the effect she has on him, bit that wasn’t the only reason he loved her, it was also her kind heart, her willingness to give whatever she could to those who had less even when she didn’t have much herself, it was the way she taught her boys to be men by feeling their emotions instead of ignoring them, it was the way she excepted anyone from any walk of life without judgment just like she had excepted him, it had been easy to fall in love with Sarah, but he would never let her know that.

Bucky knew who he was now, and although Sarah brought out that dashing young man from the 40s he knew he wasn’t that man now he had seen to much and committed to many sins to ever allow himself to taint her with his darkness so he would flirt here and their and he would help out around the house when he wasn’t helping Sam on the boat and he would be her friend and he would do whatever it took to protect her brother, because that he decided was how he could love her from afar.

It was a year after the flag smashers and the mission was supposed to be an easy in and out but somehow a small group of terrorist in the Middle East had gotten ahold of some wakanden tech and they had not been ready for it, Bucky had almost missed the man aiming the viburnum bullets at Sam’s an he knew back he wouldn’t be able to stop the man from firing in time, but he would be able to stop the bullets from hitting Sam and without a thought he was throwing his body between the gun and Captain America. He felt three bullets enter his body, one hit his left shoulder about an inch away from where is arm attached, it would have hit Sam in the right shoulder blade one hit him in the thigh about three inches above his knee, it would have hit Sam in the spine, the last one hit him in his abdomen, it would have hit Sam in the heart. He managed to fire off a shot of his own hitting the shooter before he dropped to the ground. Bucky felt each impact and a man who had spent most of his life killing knew when the job had been done. As he collapsed to the ground he knew they where to far from a base, to far from a hospital to save him, he would bleed out before they could make it to help.

It seemed like taking down that last man was all that was needed to end the fight because everything calmed, immediately. Sam spun around and was at Buckys side in a moment.

“What the hell Buck, what were you thinking” Sam said putting his hand to the wound on Buckys abdomen trying to stop the bleeding.

“Promised Sarah, to keep you safe,” Bucky forced out through the pain of his body going into shock, “couldn’t let her, lo-loose you again”

“Not at the rusk of your life buck, you can heal from this right man”

“Not, not before I bleed out, Sam it was a pleasure, knowing you.” Bucky forced out he needed to tell Sam how important he had been to him, “thanks for not giving up on me, and Sam”

“Yea buck, tell me whatever you need man but I’m not letting you die here, no brother of mine is dying here” Sam replied then spoke into his ear piece “Sargent Barns is down we need emergency medical now”

“Sam, please, I need a favor, please,”

“Anything Buck.”

“I need you to tell Sarah, I need you to tell her she reminded me how to live, tell her she taught me how to love again, without knowing it,” he had to pause to get his breath

“No Buck you are going to tell her yourself then I am going to beat your ass for flirting”

“Sam, please just tell her that, I fell in love with her the moment I saw her and Just knowing her it was worth 100 years of torture just to meet her” Bucky could feel himself slipping he heard Sam screaming into his ear piece for medical while begging him to just hold on and tell Sarah himself, but he had finally run out of time so he closed his eyes and pictured Sarah’s face that fist time smiling down at him and then his world went dark.

Sarah was tired of the dancing around the obvious so she had made the decision that as soon as her brother and Bucky walked through the front door she would confront the super soldier. She was tired of his longing looks and flirting, she was ready for action and if he wasn’t going to give it to her then well she would be the one to do it. She heard the tell tail sound of the Quinn jet landing to drop her super heroes off and she ran out the back door to meet them the boys already outside waiting for their favorite two uncles, but she knew something was wrong when her brother walked off the plain and Bucky didn’t fallow. One look at her brothers face had her almost collapsing to the ground the only thing holding her up being the railing of the porch.

“Samuel, where is he” she said as soon as her brother was close enough to hear her.

“Sarah, there was an unexpected complication to the mission they had weapons we did not prepare for and A guy was about to shoot me in the back and Buck got in the way”

“Sam where is he!” She said with more force this time.

“He’s in DC at the shield medical center when I left he was stable, but Sarah he lost a lot of blood and one of the shots his some vital stuff.”

Sarah was in shock for a moment, she lost one man she loved and she was not going to loose another without him even knowing.

“Sam, take me to him”

In minutes her elderly neighbor was at the house to watch the boys and Sarah was boarding the Quinn jet to DC praying the man she loved would survive, refused to loose anyone else that she loved.

When they arrived Maria hill was waiting for them with an update on Buckys condition.

“The blood loss was major and one of the bullets had lodged in his abdomen keeping him from being able to rapid heal, but we got it out and the serum is taking over from here, we have him sedated for the moment but it won’t last much longer with his elevated metabolism he should be awake within the next couple hours” she explained as they weaved their way through the base.

“I need to see him” Sarah said “I need to see that he’s alive”

Same nodded his head beside her and agent hill led them to a window looking into his room. Bucky was laying on a hospital bed with wires connecting him to machines monitoring his vitals he look so pale to Sarah but the low beeping of the heat monitor and the steady rise and fall of his chest showed that he was alive and she would not be loosing him today. She turned to enter the room when Sam stopped her.

“He wanted me to tell you somethings if he didn’t make it and I’m sure he won’t tell you, himself so against my better judgment I’m telling you them now,” Sam looked at her intently and she nodded for him to continue. “He wanted me to tell you that he was in love with you and he also wanted me to say he kept his promise to you, I’m not sure what the promises was but he wanted you to know.”

For the second time that day Sarah felt like she might collapse, this had not been what she meant when she asked him to look after her brother, she had meant that he should keep Sam from running in without a plan and make sure he didn’t take any needless risks, she did Not mean for him to throw himself between Sam and an insane terrorist with super bullets. She was going to have to explain herself more clearly as soon as he woke up because she could not handle him almost dying because of a promise he made to her not when she now knew that he felt the same for her as she did for him.

Bucky woke up to the beeping of the heart monitor and for a moment he began to freak out, thinking he was back under hydras control and the last 8years had been just a dream but then he caught sight of Sarah hovering over him shushing him and telling him to breath.

“What happened?” he crooked sitting up

In the bed while Sarah took a seat on the edge beside him.

“What happened James Buchanan Barnes, is that evidently I am going to need to be far more clear when I ask you to do things for me,” said Sarah in her stern voice she normally only used on the boys. “When I asked you to keep an eye on Sam I did not mean to go get yourself almost killed, throwing yourself in front of some insane terrorist with super bullets! And definitely not before you were able to tell me yourself that you are in love with me and denying me the chance to tell you that I’m in love with you to-“

“Bucky didn’t give her the chance to finish before he was pulling her to him, crashing his lips to hers, the kiss was passionate and heated, they immediately fell into a rhythm moving together like they had been doing so for years. Only breaking apart when they could no longer go without air.

“Sorry I scared you doll,” he said touching his forehead to hers. And all of the anger Sarah had a moment ago melted out of her.

“Just promise me you won’t scare me like this again.” She said looking deep into the beautiful blue depths of his eyes.

“I can promise you I won’t throw myself in front of any more ‘terrorist with super bullets,’” he chuckled using her description. “but I’m not sure they will get a chance if Sam just saw me kiss you through that window.”

And as if Buckys words had summoned him Sam burst in the doors.

“Seriously man 8 hours ago you are dying in my arms and now you are locking lips with my sister in a hospital room!” Sam said with a disgusted look at his sister and friend “that’s just disrespectful!”

“Sorry, Sam but after a near death experience you just gotta kiss your girl” Bucky teased back

“Not when your Girl happens to be your only friends sister man, and Sarah really, the bionic staring man”

“I find his stating endearing, and you know you are just as happy as me to see him alive and flirting.” She said

“Hear that Samuel, she likes my staring, and she has made no complaints about my kissing, and if I have my way we are going to enjoy way more then kissing as soon as I’m out of this hospital” Bucky said with a mocking gleam in his eye.

“Come on man,” Sam wined, “this is my Baby sister, and. You are a 100 year old cyborg I do not want to hear about you two getting your freak on”

Sarah just looked between the two of them and laughed as they started to bicker, this had not been the plan for getting him to admit his feelings but nothing with Bucky seemed to be normal and she was perfectly happy with that, as long as he always came home to her. And she didn’t say anything in front of her brother it she was definitely looking forward to ‘more then kissing’ as soon as her man was healed and rested. Because if she was Buckys Girl the he was definitely going to be Sarah’s Man.

[thecagedsong]

Forgotten Light: Chapter 7: Preparations

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11

Chapter 7: Preparation

Agad came in over breakfast.

“Agad, welcome to my home,” Seth said, taking a long drink of milk. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, “Have a seat. What have you got on Kendra?”

Agad looked more tired than Seth had ever seen him, and let Seth’s joke go flat. He sat down and the six-armed woman that worked in the kitchen put a plate of oatmeal out for him. “Thank you, Simrin,” Agad said. “I have some news, not much of it good. I was able to track the goblins that stole the barrel, they were hiding in Goblin town.”

“Sounds like a fun place,” Seth said.

“You would probably enjoy it,” Agad said, bowing his head, “Just make sure not to lose your eye, or your tooth. It’s in Nevada, not a proper preserve, no caretaker. But they keep to themselves and have general distractor spells, so everyone leaves it alone. I found Slaggo there.”

“Long trip for a goblin on the run.”

“The Sphinx probably helped him, and a wizard named Vernaz. I thought she was an ally and gave Mendigo’s materials to her to be reconstructed. She was good at laying enchantments, much better than me. Her other talent is teleportation, and could have easily helped Slaggo leave Fablehaven with the barrel. I’m positive the barrel made it to the Sphinx.”

Seth finished his last bite of oatmeal, “Then we’re sure that the Sphinx and Ronodin are working together. That sucks, one of them is bad enough.”

Agad massaged his forehead, “I fear it was a mistake to make the Sphinx an Eternal. It will certainly keep the new demon prison closed from him, but I underestimated how cunning he is, even with his Shadow Charmer powers diminished.”

“What did you do to him?” Seth asked.

Agad shrugged, “Not enough apparently. He can’t hear the undead anymore, but we couldn’t dampen much else without killing him. He can put out fires, undo locks, shadow walk. That’s apparently enough to strike against us.”

“The Sphinx had this huge rant about refusing to be a captive,” Seth said, “We should have paid more attention to it. There was no way he was ever going to live by someone else’s say so. Remember, you gave all of us the call, we’re all to blame.”

“Yes, the long life seemed the greatest weakness to the mortal locks,” Agad replied, “It made sense at the time to have at least one person who would not feel that burden, but you are right. He firmly believed in his own rhetoric, and not acknowledging that was a mistake. Both the Sphinx and Vernaz have slipped away. Vanessa is going to be insufferable, and I am going to deserve every minute.”

Seth gave a joyless laugh, “Plenty of mistakes to go around. If the Sphinx happens to die, will that open the new prison? Asking for a friend.”

“No, the prison will remain closed,” Agad said, finally a little amused, “I do not think you would be able to let him die, and that’s fine. But if he happens to die, there are enough already constructed locks in place that the demons of Zzyzx will remain sealed. If the Sphinx comes under your power, save him because you are good, or do not save him because he has harmed those you love and will continue to do so for his own benefit. Do not worry about Zzyzx.”

“Noted,” Seth said. Agad finished breakfast and Seth led him to the War Room.

“I also examined the barrel here,” Agad explained as they walked, “The other half appears to be deep underwater.”

“Why would they do that?” Seth asked. “Did anyone touch the letter we left?”

“Your letter remains in place. An interesting response, and I see only advantages in it. The letter remains physically here, my only recommendation is to make it waterproof so when they pull the barrel up and remove the letter, it doesn’t get ruined by surrounding water. Which answers your other question. They didn’t destroy the barrel, which means they likely intend to use it again.”

“Can you find it?” Seth hoped. “Even a general location would help narrow down the search.”

Agad was already shaking his head, “It’s too deep, and somewhere protected. I can’t get a read on it aside from the fact that it is deep enough that the pressure would kill a human.”

“Great,” Seth said, running a hand through his hair. They approached the War Room, and Seth sat down with Agad across from him. Grandma and Grandpa were already there, and rushed to greet Agad. They updated him on Tess running around the preserve with the Cloak of innocence. Agad gave them the same information about Kendra.

“Any other leads?” Seth asked when everyone was caught up.

“Not quite,” Agad said, “I was unable to gain contact with the Fairy Queen, so we are waiting to see if her connection to Kendra remains strong. No further leads on Bracken either. The only good news I have is that Warren and Vanessa managed to help the caretaker regain a foothold of the Crescent Lagoon sanctuary.”

“I have Bracken’s horn,” Seth said, blinking. He was glad that his friends had some success, but they were okay, Bracken was not. He pulled it out of his emergency kit, “Kendra gave it to me before she lost her memory, along with the medallion and a bunch of information she was keeping to herself.”

“Bracken did say that he had re-established full connection with his horn,” Agad said, “May I see it?”

Seth nodded and offered it to the wizard. Everyone was silent as Agad’s brow pinched in concentration.

“The connection is weak, it feels as though he is under water. No, underground and under water,” Agad said, snowy eyebrows rising, “I would not have been able to tell had I not recently examined the barrel, but working around the water, earth and darkness, I can sense that he is not currently in pain. He seems…bored. He can’t sense me on this side of the connection. But…I would venture to say, he’s at approximately the same depth as the barrel. Within a couple hundred feet of each other.”

“Good,” Grandma said, “Ronodin is handling everything from a master base. There is a good chance Kendra is near them as well. Can you tell Bracken anything about Kendra being near him?”

Agad concentrated, then shook his head, letting out a shaky breath and lowering the horn. “At most, I might be able to push his subconscious thoughts in a certain direction. But I’m positive thoughts about Kendra already haunt him. His last prison ended with her after all.”

Uggh, of all the times to be a lovesick dummy. “Ronodin wants the horn,” Seth said, “That’s what Kendra told me, and I think he tried to get her to give it to him at the Dragon feast.”

“I shudder to think of why he wants it,” Agad said, then offered it back to Seth. “If he wants it badly enough, he’ll find whoever has it. He will likely be more willing to deal with you, knowing how much you want Kendra back. He will also suspect that you have it if Kendra does not. If he contacts you, use your judgement, rely on your grandparents and allies, contact me, and do not endanger the world.”

Seth took it and nodded, placing it back in his adventure kit, silently thanking Agad for placing the lead back in his hands. He would have thanked him out loud, but didn’t want Agad to rethink the choice.

There was a knock on the door, and Knox opened it, letting Tess fall through. “Seth! Seth! I saw the nice dragon! It was so huge!”

Nice dragon? Oh, she left with Eve and they went to see Dromadus. That’s okay then.

“Tess made it back,” Knox said, following her. Patton Burgess’s stingbulb shut the door behind them.

“We took turns flying the winged mounts and walking along the road, over all a very short trip,” Patton said, taking a seat next to Seth. “We heard about Kendra losing her memory. I’m so sorry.”

Patton offered his arms for a hug, and Seth took it, squeezing tightly.

Patton smiled and patted Seth on the back, returning the hug. “Don’t get too attached, I only have a day left.”

Seth released him, “I know,” Seth said, “But I’m glad you’re here while you are. Kendra was kidnapped by Ronodin and the Sphinx working together, and we’ll take any help you can give.”

“Hey, I deserve a hug too,” Doren protested, and both he and Newel tackled Seth in hug, ruffling his hair, before settling back like nothing had happened.

They went through yet another round of catch-up, as Tess squeezed herself in between Knox and Seth, fairly bouncing while waiting to tell her story.

“Tess, this is serious,” Knox scolded, “Kendra’s in a lot of trouble.”

“I know,” Tess said, holding still, “But the fairies at Fablehaven told me all about Bracken and Kendra. Bracken is like, this super cool fairy prince who likes Kendra and totally saves her all the time. And Kendra has a bunch of wicked cool powers from the Fairy Queen, they’re going to be okay until you and Seth rescue them, if they don’t rescue themselves.”

Not how Seth would describe them, Kendra spent a lot more time saving Bracken than the other way around, far as he knew. He was surprised that the Fablehaven fairies were that nice about Kendra though. He wasn’t the only one.

“The fairies said that?” Grandpa asked.

“Well, they said Bracken pitied her, not that he liked her,” Tess admitted, “but that’s what girls always say when the cool boy likes someone else. And they said that the Fairy Queen gives Kendra powers to do stuff for her, and the Fairy Queen is the most powerful person ever. So everything is going to be okay. Really, we need to worry about us.”

Attention snapped to Tess like a guitar string.

“The Dragons are planning to attack us. Tonight! Dromadus doesn’t know how, but he heard them acting like they already won,” Tess explained. “I was supposed to tell Seth. Oh! And don’t tell anyone who told us about the dragons, that’s a secret.”

“Tess,” Knox said slowly, “That’s the kind of thing you say right away.”

“But it’s rude to interrupt people,” she said, confused.

Seth stood up, and he saw Grandpa raise his eyebrows in surprise. Why was he surprised? This was Seth’s job, after all, for a little while longer anyway.

“Okay Agad, welcome to the next round,” Seth said, “Did you check the magical defenses? How are they holding?”

Agad shared an amused look with Grandpa, who just nodded. “I did. The protections seem more secure than ever, even more than when I was caretaker here.”

“The Dragons are certain of victory, but will be unable to mount a frontal assault,” Grandma mused.

“Is Celebrant being hasty?” Patton asked, “From what I understand, dragons with losing streaks don’t stay king for long.”

“Perhaps Dromadus is toying with us,” Marat offered, “His help is rather unexpected.”

“I don’t think Dromadus would do that,” Seth said, “When Kendra and I met him, he seemed kind of like the Fair Folk. Didn’t want the sanctuary to fall, but not gonna do anything about it. And if he isn’t right, and the dragons don’t attack, there’s nothing to gain. If he lied, we wont trust him in the future.”

Marat tilted his head, acknowledging Seth’s statement.

“Anything is possible,” Agad said, “It could be that Dromadus is working with Celebrant, and they are hoping to find a weakness as we scramble to cover ourselves.”

“We have to treat it like a real threat,” Seth decided. “Whatever we show, it can’t be worse than them coming after us when we are unprepared. Possible weaknesses?”

“We should go over our magical defenses one more time,” Marat suggested, “Review the treaty and see if there is anything we missed. It is possible we have a traitor in our midst that will grant them access.”

Unfortunate, but true. He hoped they had been careful enough, though he hadn’t been around much to make a good guess himself.

“What about the barrel?” Knox asked. “We know where that is now, right? Could that be the weakness?”

Agad frowned, “It feels out of character for Celebrant to brag of a victory achieved by allies on the other side of the barrel, but we should not discount it. It is currently the greatest hole in our defense.”

Something about what Knox said bothered Seth. They know where it is now. They weren’t dealing with the Sphinx, but they kind of were. What had the Sphinx done in the past while they thought they were safe? And what was it about Knox’s statement that bothered him?

There wasn’t the textbook method: create a problem, send a friend to help, friend is a traitor. This was a different tactic. The Sphinx liked to stay one step ahead, control the board from both sides, and make threats to force you into action when you’d really just like to sit on your winning streak. Seth thought about the stories he had shared with Knox. Sometimes he planted a traitor, and sometimes the Sphinx sent invisible assassins after you because he already knew where you were going to be. Sometimes he let demon dragons out of their prisons when you weren’t looking.

“Guys,” Seth said, a sick feeling in his stomach, “Hey,” he stopped Marat and Agad in the middle of their discussion about magical defenses. “Bad thought. Someone was controlling Mendigo way before when the barrel was first stolen, right? Probably Ronodin, since he’s been hanging around the preserve and making deals with the Dragons. We thought the person left with the barrel, but it was in the basement the whole time.”

He waited for someone to deny what he was hinting at.

“Ah,” Grandpa Sorenson said, “I see. Between the time the barrel was lost and found, both sides of the barrel were out of our control, and Mendigo was available on our side to assist a sleeper agent.”

Grandma, Tanu, and Agad all looked like they were about to throw up.

“What are you saying?” Knox asked.

“Seth is suggesting the possibility that someone is already here, but remaining hidden,” Marat clarified, “An insightful observation and deduction.”

“Celebrant could claim credit for successfully distracting us,” Agad admitted, “Not as good as a frontal assault, but enough for him to claim the win. Especially if he can claim the kill. If the enemy is hiding near the Blackwell, it would be nearly impossible to sense them around the aura of the undead.”

“The question is,” Grandma said, “whether the source of the threat is already here, or will it come through the barrel yet. I am loathe to give up our only connection to Kendra.”

“Any way we can make sure we aren’t being listened to, Agad?” Grandpa asked.

“Not that I can create without knowing our spy and what he is using,” Agad said, shaking his head. “We will have to plan even though we may be spied upon.”

“There can’t be a bunch of them,” Seth decided, “I can see through most hiding spells, and I haven’t seen anyone. I can’t get around distractor spells, that was Kendra’s half…” he looked down at Tess, fairy struck, who was sitting still and paying attention like a good girl. Plans were starting to come together “Let’s not talk about everything here. I want everyone to split into groups. Agad, Marat, where’s the best place to examine the magical defenses?”

They shared a look, “The tower where the Roost used to be,” Agad said at last. “The protections still form a small dent there, where a dragon may come closer than other area.”

“Okay, head to Seth Tower, I’ll meet up with you after.” Seth said. It was energizing, being heard and listened to. And to actually be doing something! The brothers nodded.

“Tanu,” Seth said, “I want your potions ready by dinner, whatever happens, you’re going to need to be stocked and ready to go.” Several people caught his emphasis, but didn’t say anything, just like he wanted. Well Tess asked, but Knox shushed her.

“I would appreciate an assistant,” Tanu said.

“I’ll help,” Patton said, standing up, “Unless you have a job for me elsewhere.”

Seth shook his head, “Helping Tanu is perfect.”

He turned to Grandma and Grandpa, “I need you guys to work with the staff. Let them know we’ve been warned of a threat, organize extra lookouts and patrols, organize a watch over the barrel, that kind of stuff. We don’t know what direction the threat coming from, so we cover as many directions as possible.”

Now it was time for Grandma to look amused, and Grandpa to look proud.

“Understood Seth,” she said. “We will retreat to the Winter Study to plan. Henrick will be back soon, and his help will be invaluable with this. We should wait to inform the staff until after he joins us.”

“Great idea, go for it. Er, where’s the Winter Study?” Seth asked, trying to remember from their tour.

“Directly below Kendra’s bedroom,” Agad said. “On the first floor.”

Seth nodded, he’d knock on doors until he found the right one.

Seth turned to his remaining players, “And finally: Doren, Newel, Tess, and Knox. I have a very special job for you. Wait outside the door while I make sure of something with Agad.”

“That’s our cue to leave,” Grandma said, patting a hand on her husband’s leg.

“The abundance of caution while in command suits you,” Grandpa said, standing up. He put his hand on Seth’s shoulder as he passed, “I’m proud of how you’re handling this situation.”

Considering a little over a week ago, he’d gotten a stern lecture about endangering his cousin and the consequences to trying to trick magic, this was quite the change. Grandpa smiled, and walked past him. There was a small lump in his throat. This feeling was why Kendra always did her best to make people proud of her. It was rarely sent his way.

Tanu and Patton also left, then the satyrs and his cousins went just outside the door.

Seth walked close to Agad and lowered his voice, “Tess is Fairy struck, can she see through distractor spells?”

Agad nodded.

Seth smiled and nodded as well. He whispered. “Can you bring the treaty document to the tower?”

Agad shook his head, “It is locked in a box in the Winter Study. The medallion opens the box. I recommend against moving it.”

Seth looked at Marat.

“I agree, with my brother. We have the contents memorized, we should only consult them upon need.”

Seth nodded, then stepped back.

“See you at Seth Tower soon.”

The two of them left, and Seth took a moment to fling himself on the couch and groan. The energy had left when everyone else did. Leading was such hard work! For the millionth time, he wished Kendra had let him turn the key. Sure he’d be kidnapped and being trained into an evil Shadow Charmer right now, but Kendra was so much smarter than him, she would have figured out about the intruder way before.

Probably because she had better judgement than him and didn’t usually trust terrible people right off the bat. And like she said, people usually had enough confidence in her to just trust her with important stuff.

The door creaked open, “Uh, Seth, did you have a job for us?” Newel asked.

Seth got up and went to the door. Remembering from his first day, he used the medallion to unlock a desk drawer in the corner, and pulled out a key ring, slipping it into his adventure pouch.

“Yeah, follow me, I don’t know how much of the keep Tess and Knox got to see,” Seth said, “And it’s a good time to get an updated map of it, in case we come under siege. It’s possible the Dragons are just going to stare us down until we run out of food. Any of you got any talent at drawing maps?”

There was a pause as Seth led on.

“I’ve dealt with a fair amount of treasure maps in my day,” Doren admitted, “And I’m not a shabby hand with a pen. I can draw.”

“Awesome,” Seth said, “Start with the storerooms in the basement storerooms, where the barrel was before, then the dungeons, then the ground floor. If you can get through those floors by lunch, that’d be great, but make sure to do them all. I want you three to go with him, and look for anything that seems suspicious. Look through the dungeons, but if any of you touch the Blackwell, or the chain next to the Blackwell, I’m throwing all of you inside it,” Seth said.

Seth had led them into the library and started pulling out loose sheets of paper, “Doesn’t matter how small. If it seems out of place, make a note of it.”

“Are you sure this is the best use of our time Seth?” Newel asked dubiously.

Seth grinned, “It’s a very good use of your time.”

Seth started writing on various blank papers, while they all watched him. He turned to his younger cousin when he was finished.

“Right. Tess? I want you looking for pictures and weird things on the walls.”

On this sheet of paper, Seth had written:

Every single time you see a person or creature, point at them, say something nice about them, and ask if you can talk to them. Knox will either say that you’re busy, or that the person isn’t there. Nod and keep walking every single time. Don’t let anyone know what’s written here, keep it a secret. Put a clean sheet on top of this one.  

“Here’s a list of the things you should look for. This is an old castle, there might be secret passages that we need to find out about before someone sneaks in,” Seth said, handing her the paper. She immediately started reading.

“Knox, you’re looking up higher, pay attention to cold or warm drafts and the items in the rooms, make note of which ones have weapons, look for places where the intruder could be staying,” Seth said, handing him a piece of paper that read:

Tess is going to ask to speak to everyone she sees. She has magic eyes like Kendra. If you see who she’s pointing to, tell her that you’re too busy to bother them. If you don’t see who she is pointing to, tell her that there’s no one there and you don’t have time for games. Make notes, but don’t engage.

He turned to Newel, “Your job is to make sure no one runs into walls while writing stuff down, and make sure to explore everything. Bring the cool stuff back to me, so that our item troll doesn’t try to keep it for the shelves.” Seth said, spouting nonsense. “Write down where you find it though, in case Agad says we need to return it or unleash another apocalypse.”

“Better to ask forgiveness than permission,” Newel nodded with a salute. Seth handed him a paper that read:

If someone was listening to our meeting, they are going to be following you. Watch for them. Tess and Knox are going to be acting weird, just ignore them. You’re on protector duty.

And Seth handed fully blank sheets to Doren, “And, of course, you’re on the map. Here’s paper, pens, clipboard, and scotch tape. Everyone know their job?”

The four of them looked excited as they nodded. “Good,” Seth said, “Meet back in the War Room after lunch.”

Doren and Newel slung another salute. Tess tried to copy them and slapped herself in the face. Knox just rolled his eyes.

They left, and Seth debated between going to check up on Grandma and Grandpa, or heading straight to Seth Tower.

His grandparents couldn’t set anything in stone without Hendrick, so he’d head to the Tower. He’d be able to see Henrick coming back, and take him to Grandma and Grandpa when the Alcetaur arrived.

Up at the tower room, Marat and Agad were waiting for him.

“So, magic defenses in place?” Seth asked.

Agad nodded, “Perfect, just like I said twenty minutes ago. Mind explaining more of your plan?”

“Sure,” Seth said, “Grandma and Grandpa are doing exactly what I said they were. Running the past week from Blackwell made them the best people for that, until Hendrick gets back to help. Tanu is also doing exactly what I told him too.

“I sent Tess, Knox, and the satyrs looking for people hiding themselves with distractor spells, but they look like they’re creating a fresh map of the lower floors. Tess is pointing out everyone she sees to Knox, Knox is telling her that they’re too busy to talk to anyone and taking note of the people that Tess sees that he doesn’t. Because they’re the group doing the most suspicious work, I’m hoping any spies here are following them, letting the rest of us get things done. Newel is on the look out for someone following them, and thinks that’s what he thinks they’re doing. Doren is actually creating a map.”

Seth was rather proud of that plan, and feeling pretty ingenious for coming up with it in only ten minutes.

“Once again, not bad,” Agad said.

Seth gave a dry smile, “I learned from the best teacher. The Sphinx betraying me and my friends over and over. After this, I’m going to do my own sweep, trying to see through the shadows while shadow walking.”

“Might I recommend also holding your unsheathed sword at the same time?” Marat said. “That is the sword of Tregain, yes?”

Seth glanced down, “Oh that’s right! This sword helps make people look away from me, especially bigger creatures. I’ll definitely do that.”

“A very pro-active plan,” Agad said, “I will admit to not even considering the idea of someone hiding in the Blackwell. The barrel messes with the traditional rule of only allowing visitors a single night of stay, as that magic is activated upon crossing the boundary.”

“I do not believe that is all to our caretaker’s plan,” Marat said, amused, “I believe he feels he will do more for our mission elsewhere, and intends to return the mantle of caretaker to me.”

Agad gaped, then turned, “Is this true, Seth?”

Seth nodded, “Celebrant is no longer co-caretaker. The issue we came here to solve, the weakening barrier, is fixed. There’s no problem with Marat being caretaker, according to Dromadus, so long as he stays in human form. I’d be a lot more useful helping track down Kendra and Bracken.”

“Before you go any farther,” Agad said, holding up a hand, “There are things I wish to disclose to the caretaker of a dragon sanctuary. The remaining lines of defense after the sanctuaries fall. We can continue to discuss your possible resignation afterwards.”

Seth hopped onto a wide window ledge, “Okay, hit me. What else we got before the next apocalypse?”

“These secrets should not be repeated,” Agad warned, “Except to your most trusted ally at the time of greatest need.”

Seth glanced at Marat, who nodded, “I am already aware of the provisions my brother speaks of. Do not worry.”

“The first is why Dragons from fallen sanctuaries have yet to invade the mortal world,” Agad explained, “There is a magic item, perhaps the most magic item in existence —”

“More then the Wizenstone?” Seth asked, eyebrows raised. He was starting to suspect that there wasn’t an actual standard for how ‘magic’ an item is.

Agad paused, and Marat chuckled. Agad continued, “No, I suppose, not greater than the Wizenstone. Possibly it’s equal. I would not like to test either object against the other. The skull of the first dragon that ever lived, Abraxtus, is more heavily ensorcelled, than any other object I have ever come in contact with. It is called The Sovereign Skull. It takes all the disbelief in magic that all mortals generate, and creates a repulsive barrier against dragons. This is our absolute last line of defense, and must be protected at all costs. Only a few wizards know the location, and that information will never be divulged for its own protection.”

Seth nodded, “Can I have the name of a wizard that does know? Just in case.”

Agad looked him straight in the eye. “No.”

Seth nodded, “That’s fair. Sounds like we’re hoping it doesn’t get that far.” As though they had ever had any luck in that department.

“Another line of defense: the Dragon Slayers,” Agad said.

Seth grinned, “The Somber Knight was so cool. A bit of a downer, but a real life-saver. He’s still a bit…messy, after rescuing Kendra from being dinner. You’re talking about the ones at the other six sanctuaries, right?”

Agad nodded, “In addition to the other six at sanctuaries, there are five others that have been living in the world, waiting to be called upon again. It will take a while to wake them up, but Celebrant declaring war was the key.”

Seth nodded, “You did the same thing with the dragon preserves that you did with the demon prisons. How are these guys at handling immortality? We sure they didn’t try to off themselves?”

Agad said, “They all already had experiences with extended lifespans, so hopefully we are rousing them from a pleasurable retirement. And then there is a line of defense you are slightly more familiar with: the three treasures in the secret dragon temples.”

“Right, gauntlets that control dragons. Every dragon in a hundred miles comes by to kill you if you look at them funny,” Seth recited, remembering Thronis’s warning.

Agad nodded, “There are two other items, and two other sacred temples guarding these items at dragon sanctuaries. The harp that can send any dragon to sleep, and the shield that can defend against any dragon’s attack. These items were necessary to winning the war against the dragons the first time, and now that we’re facing war again, we need them back.”

Seth tilted his head, “Did they already get new guardians for the temple here at Wyrmroost? Cause we killed them, and its not like those were your ordinary, everyday dragons, and no one besides Gavin and Thronis knew we went there for the obsidian waste key.”

“It would be foolish to assume they aren’t guarded,” Agad said, considering carefully, “Though it is also strange that Celebrant has never ranted against your party for that affront. The answer is that I do not know.”

There was a moment of silence as everyone thought about the predicament.

“Well,” Seth said, “How buried is the translocator? Me and Kendra have been in the temple treasure room, we, er, I, for the moment, could grab the gloves and come back in a snap.”

Marat spoke up, “Bringing the translocator back into play at this time would be a dangerous move. That item is really too powerful. Dragons in human form could use it to escape the sanctuaries without a fight.”

Agad nodded, “All the artifacts are currently inaccessible. We used the Chronometer to hide the translocator, the sands of sanctity, and the occulous six more years in the future, waiting for us to finish designing the vaults. The Font needed to remain in the present, to support our first immortal, but that is the only artifact accessible. At least, until the Sphinx made off with it during his escape. Good thinking, but unfortunately untenable.”

A horn sounded from the parapet over the gate.

“That means a dragon is coming, right?” Seth asked, turning around in the window. “Raxtus maybe?”

“It means official visitors,” Marat clarified, “It certainly has been seeing its use this week. It also announced the arrival of the carriage from Stormguard.”

“Got it,” Seth said, standing up, “Anything else you need to tell the current caretaker of wyrmroost about the grand scheme of defenses?”

“No, those are our three lines: talismans, dragon slayers, and The Sovereign Skull,” Agad counted.

“Okay, I’ll keep those in mind, and never tell anyone, unless I absolutely have to,” Seth said, drawing a cross over his heart for good measure. “My plan is simple. Celebrant is a great big ego, right? He hates Kendra for insulting him, and it’s embarrassing that he keeps losing to a couple of kids. He’s getting help, he’s getting desperate, no matter what his plan is, right?”

Agad nodded.

“So, I’m going to offer him one last insult as caretaker,” Seth said with a grin, “His little rebellion isn’t even worth my time. After we deal with our guests at the gate, I’m going to do my sweep of everywhere while walking through shadows. Then I’m going to give being caretaker over to Marat, and we’re going to leave, with the barrel. That’s Blackwell’s biggest weakness, and it doesn’t need to be here for us to use it. I’ll leave Marat with a parting note to read to Celebrant, letting him know that we have better things to do.”

Agad started chuckling, moving his hand to cover his mouth when it didn’t stop.

“Boom,” Seth said with relish, “Biggest weakness removed, whoever is in the castle has to figure out how to kill Marat, who’s going to be a lot harder to kill than me, I get to go after Kendra, and we throw one last insult over our shoulder.”

Agad continued to laugh, but the most Marat gave was an amused look.

“And how exactly do you intend to leave?” Marat asked, “The walkway between the typical entrance and the Keep will not be guarded for this trip.”

“We have some pretty cool rides,” Seth said, “Not sure you saw them when Patton came in, but Kendra met up with a fairy godmother and boom, the luvians we were riding all have wings. We’ll need to make it so they can leave the sanctuary with us, but if they can make it through the sky on a festival night, they can probably get us past the barrier. We’ll have to ask them of course, but I think we’ll be in pretty good shape. They strike me as adventurous.”

“I would like to make one suggestion,” Agad said, wiping a tear from his eye, “Leave in peace, no one attacks at all, and leave before night falls. I’m sure they intend to strike in the dark. You leave two hours before sunset, and Celebrant likely wont have time to demand to know what you’re doing. Use Tess’s cloak of innocence to see you safely past the barrier.”

“Oh, that is wicked,” Marat chuckled. “But we have dawdled enough. The horn summons the caretaker to official business.”

Seth took one last look out the window and down the road, and paused. He pulled out his eyeglass from his adventure pouch. “Is that…Henrick leading a bunch dryads?”

[a-singleboat]

I Need A Hero

Word Count: 4.5k

Request: i am formally requesting an emily fic 😌 i dont want to be needy but em being lowkey but then super protective of you 🥵 angst with a happy ending would be amazing - anon

A/N: Let me know what you think! This is my first emily x reader so :D

Content Warnings: Blood, Reader getting hurt, Reader getting assaulted, kidnapping, swearing, alcohol, drugs

You should have listened to Emily. You really should have listened to her. 

Emily was always just a tad bit overprotective of you, sometimes going as far as to asking you to wear a GPS device to clubs especially if she wasn’t going with you. You understood, of course. With her past and her current job, she had to make sure all her bases were covered. You were just one of them. 

Though you rarely agreed to the GPS deceive, it was still flattering that she thought of you as important enough to keep track of. Usually, you’d just stick to texting her to let her know where you were. That was good enough for her.

But when she told you to stay home today, you thought that was her just being overly cautious, overly protective, as usual. You should have known better. 

Turns out a serial killer with an affinity for women visibly similar to yourself was on the loose, details kept from the public due to the fact that the man was a flight risk. That being, it was painfully obvious why the “unsub,” to use Emily’s terminology, was a flight risk. 

He flinched at every sound. At first, you tried to call out for someone--anyone. Well, that gained you a bloody gash on the side of your head. You didn’t make that mistake twice. Instead, you tried to remain calm and complacent--two things that Emily once said would ensure that you’d survive in a situation like this.

“Annie,” the man, Stephen, crooned. He picked up a doll from the table of toys and brought it over to you. From what you could tell, the doll was dirty and half-rotted away, as if it had been buried for a good while. He pressed it up to your face, the side coated in blood, and cooed at you. “Annie, I have Mrs. Buttercup here. Don’t cry, she’ll make it all better.”

You tried not to wince away as he rubbed the doll against your face. If Stephen wasn’t going to kill you, infection just might. 

“Th-thank you, Mrs. Buttercup,” you whimpered, hands grasping the end of the armrests. The chair rocked backward as he put pressure on the doll, forcing you backward. You panicked as your feet left the ground, struggling to at least get a toe back on the solid concrete. 

God, you should have listened to Emily. If you were going to die, you’d spend the rest of your immortal life regretting the choice you made to leave the house today. 

Stephen looked into your eyes, searching for something. You knew all he’d find was fear so you tried your best to wrestle down your emotions. You held back the tears threatening to spill, holding your breath as he leaned in closer. 

“You know I’d never hurt you, right?” he pressed a kiss to your cheek, the one not wet with your blood. You grimaced at the feeling of his chapped lips against your skin. “I-I didn’t mean to earlier, Annie. You were just being so loud and… you understand, right?”

You nodded, lip quivering as he brought the doll to your chin, tilting your head upward. He forced you to look at him, smearing blood along your jawline as he did. 

After a few moments of deliberation, he let you go, the rocking chair swaying back and forth until it settled back into a resting position. “You must be hungry,” he decided, dropping Mrs. Buttercup back into the piles of toys. “I’ll go make you your favorite.”

He flinched as a loud sound came from outside--a car alarm going off. The sound made you relax, however. The sound of a car alarm meant you weren’t in an abandoned factory somewhere. You were most likely in this guy’s basement, or something similar. 

Stephen gripped the sides of his head as the alarm continued, only letting go when the alarm finally shut off. He collected himself, fists clenching before relaxing at his sides. His smile returned though you can only really see his teeth in the low light. 

“I’ll be back, Annie,” he said, waving at you. “Don’t move.”

The last two words were more threatening than anything he’d actually done, true menace seeping into his voice like a poison. You waited for him to disappear around the corner before allowing yourself to cry, a few tears rolling down your cheeks and mixing with the blood. 

You gasped for air, struggling to keep your breathing steady. It wouldn’t do you any good to hyperventilate now. You looked around for something--anything--that could possibly be used to alert someone that you were down here. 

God, how long had it been? You lost count after the first thirty minutes. There were no windows so you couldn’t even tell if it was still day. Emily was probably freaking out by now. No doubt she had somehow gotten the entire United States Military involved by now, your safety being the only thing on her mind. 

Another ten or so minutes passed without Stephen. You wondered how the other victims had died. Blood loss seemed to be the only thing on your mind, unsure if your head wound had clotted yet. All you could feel was the wet of your own bodily fluid on the side of your face, which didn’t help much. Everything else just seemed numb. 

Your head lolled to the side as you heard footsteps approach, unable to lift your head as flashlights combed the ground. You barely reacted as the door got kicked in, eyelids closing as two blurry figures approached you. One of the figures shouted something behind them while the other came to you, patting your face lightly in an attempt to get you to stay awake. 

Unable to remain conscious, you allowed sleep to claim you as the person above you shouted more words, all unintelligible as your consciousness faded from reality. 

_____

Emily never did like hospitals. 

Ever since her “death,” she tried to avoid them as much as possible but now, for you, she would make an exception. She waited in the waiting room alongside her teammates. None of them knew you personally, but they all knew about you. From the stories Emily would tell to the snippets of various phone conversations they accidentally overheard, they could tell that you were something good for their Unit Chief. 

She propped her elbows up on her legs, holding her head up as she struggled to stay away. You hadn’t needed surgery but had lost a lot of blood as well as suffered major trauma. The doctors weren’t allowing anyone in as they observed you for any possible signs of infection as well as any withdrawal symptoms from the drugs the unsub had used to knock you out. It was all very dramatic, the extent of your actual injuries being minimal compared to what could have happened. 

“Stop worrying.” Morgan reached over, putting a hand on her knee. She hadn’t even realized she’d been bouncing it up and down, too worried about how you were doing. It had been a few hours at that point, nurses going in and out of your room but none of them saying anything about your state of being. 

“She’s fine. You know this. Everything they’re doing is just precautionary,” Morgan continued. He patted her knee twice, lifting his hand to point at a white-coated doctor exiting your room. “Look, the doctor’s here now. He’ll tell you that everything’s okay.”

“Y/n Y/l/n?”

Emily stood, smoothing out her blazer. “That’s me. I’m Emily Prentiss, her fiancée.”

A little white lie wouldn’t hurt, especially not when it would get her the answers she needed. 

“Well, Ms. Prentiss, Y/n is expected to make a full recovery. The trauma to her head won’t have any lasting effects. She has some bruising on her side, we think from being dropped. We want to keep her overnight to watch for infection and, of course, the withdrawal effects from the xylazine. You may see her now but you won’t be able to stay overnight with her.” 

“Thank you, doctor,” Emily said, shaking the man’s hand before he departed. She turned around to face her friends. “You guys can go home, I’ll call a cab back home later. Thank you for being here for me.” 

Morgan gave her an incredulous look, standing from his seat. “Emily, if you think we’re just going to leave you then you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Yeah,” Garcia piped up. “We’ll be right here for you. None of us are leaving.” 

“You would do the same for any of us,” Reid backed her up.

Now Emily wasn’t one for tears but upon hearing the support she got from her friends, she could feel herself starting to tear up. She took a stabilizing breath, thanking them before turning to head into your hospital room. 

It was quiet. That was the first thing she noticed. Instead of your infectious laugh filling the void space, it was the steady beeping of the machine connected to your finger, ensuring that you still had a heartbeat. It broke Emily’s heart to see you like this, bloodied and bruised. 

She dragged one of the hospital chairs over to your bedside, hesitating before taking your hand up in hers. It was all her fault that you were here. If her job was less dangerous, you’d have still been in your hometown rather than following her all the way to Quantico, Virginia. You probably would have already been married with five adoptive children like you always wanted.

Instead, you're here. In a hospital in Washington DC recovering from being kidnapped by a psycho that Emily most likely unknowingly brought back to your home. If you didn’t hate her after this, she’d consider it a miracle. 

_____

The first thing you saw when you came to was Emily’s face full of worry, her eyebrows knitted together in concentration as she thought long and hard. Your hand was in hers, still limp as you slowly regained feeling in your extremities. 

Very gently, you squeezed her hand, letting her know you were awake. 

“Hi baby,” you whispered, your throat a bit scratchy from the lack of lubrication. As if reading your mind, she handed you a cup of water off the hospital bedside table. You took a few sips, keeping your eyes on your girlfriend as she looked deep in thought. 

You set the water aside, groaning as you realized your entire side was sore. You couldn’t remember if you hit it against something. From what you knew, the only injury you suffered was your head wound, which was newly wrapped. 

You looked her up and down, squeezing her hand slightly to gain her attention. “What’s on your mind, baby?”

Emily bit her lip, carefully picking her next words. “Y/n… I think we should take a break.”

This came out of nowhere. Her words slammed into you harder than a football quarterback would have, stealing all the breath from your lungs as you processed her words. 

“What?”

“We should take a break. It’s just--I put you in more danger than you asked for and you don’t deserve that. You don’t deserve not knowing when or if I’ll come home. You don’t deserve me dropping plans for a case or forgetting your birthday because I’m working. You deserve someone who can be there and I’m sorry, but I’m not that. I-I don’t deserve you.”

“What? Emily, no. First off, you don’t get to decide what I do and don’t deserve. Second, none of this was any of your fault. I knew what your job was from the very beginning and I chose to stay because I wanted to. So what if you forget my birthday, there’s always next year and so what if you cancel plans, we’ll just make new ones. Emily, please don’t--” Tears pearled in the corners of your eyes as your voice caught in your throat. “Baby, where did this come from?”

She shrugged, pressing a kiss to your knuckles. She let go of your hand, pulling away even as you tried to keep her there. “I’ll see you around, Y/n.”

You couldn’t do anything as she walked out. You called for her, hands shaking as you tried to think of something--anything to say to her as she left your life. The worst part wasn’t even her leaving, you later decided. The worst part was that Emily Prentiss didn’t even bother turning around for one last look. She just left you with your broken heart scattered about the room, leaving you to pick up your own pieces. 

_____

You wanted to hate Emily Prentiss. You really did. 

The way she just left you leaving you numb until you were forced to feel everything as you underwent twenty-four hours of withdrawal. Xylazine wasn’t something to mess with, you knew that even before you have been drugged with it. But now, two months after you and Emily split paths, you stayed in Virginia. 

Why would you move? You’d already built up a life in the state. All your friends were there and so was your job, which you had grown to love despite the overbearing mother that neighbored workspaces with you. 

You knew Nancy meant well, that she just wanted to make sure you were adjusting to work well after you’d been kidnapped, but sometimes you just wanted the woman to take a long walk away from you and never return. Right now was one of those times. 

“It’s been two months,” Nancy said, looking up from her computer screen. She had been finalizing her schedule for that week, boxing off the times she needed so she could go visit her son in college. “You need to move on with your life. Find yourself another girlfriend or at least go out with your friends. I hate seeing you all mopey like this.” 

Nancy had a point. You did need to make an effort to go out, to go back to “normalcy” or whatever. Even your therapist was pushing you to socialize, saying that it could help you get over the recurring nightmares. 

“I don’t want to go out tonight, Nancy,” you replied, trying to focus on the work in front of you. The numbers were starting to blur together but you persevered. You didn’t have much longer until the end of work. As soon as you finished the spreadsheet on the screen in front of you, you were home free. 

“At least try, Y/n,” Nancy insisted. “Call up some of your friends, hit the club. Even if you don’t drink, at least try to have fun again.”

“But I have fun talking to you. Why do I need to go have more fun.”

Nancy wasn’t taking any of your shit. She packed away her things, powering down her computer. She lowered her standing desk and pulled her purse over her shoulder. “Hopefully you’ll be telling me all about your night out when I see you tomorrow morning. Good night, Y/n.”

Grumpily, you replied, “Good night, Nancy.” 

You stayed at the office thirty minutes more and after a solid five-minute debate with yourself, you gave in and called up your friends. Lyndsey and Brenna both said they’d be down while Brent replied with utter regret, saying he had been roped into working the night shift. 

And so you drove to Lyndsey’s to get ready, agreeing to be the DD seeing as you didn’t exactly want to get pissed drunk--especially not with Emily still on your mind. 

You drove the three of you to the nearest club, showing your IDs to the bouncer and entering without a problem. 

“I’m gonna get us shots,” Brenna shouted over the music, disappearing a moment later. You and Lyndsey stumbled over to a table, claiming it for the three of you as the music seemed to grow louder. 

Brenna pushed through the crowd to get back to the two of you, two shots balanced in one hand with another in her other. “Y/n, I know you said you weren’t drinking but one drink can’t hurt.”

“Yeah, Y/n,” Lyndsey ganged up on you. She took the two shots from Brenna, holding the second one out to you. “Besides, Brenna already paid for it so you have to.” 

You rolled your eyes goodnaturedly, giving in to their peer pressure. You figured you were already out, what was one shot gonna do? You took up the little glass, counting down with your friends before knocking back the alcohol. You made a face at the taste, coughing a little as it burned a trail down past your lungs. 

“Let’s dance!” Brenna cheered, pulling both of you out onto the dance floor. Laughing, you allowed her to drag you along. She pulled you both on either side of her, jumping up and down as the music pounded into your eardrums, the rhythmic beat coursing through your body. 

I made a promise to you, to never let you go.

You swayed to the music, holding onto Lyndsey’s hands as she sang along. She twirled you around, causing you to giggle. Brenna serenaded you from behind, grabbing your hips and making you sway. 

But now I see you're moving on and I'm still all alone, oh oh.

From across the club, your eyes connected with a familiar pair. Emily Prentiss stared you down. Around her were her work friends, all drinking their cares away. None of them realized that you were there. 

Every time I say I'm happy for you I just lie, oh oh. I made a promise to you and I'm still holding on, oh oh.

You forced yourself to look away, suddenly not in the mood to be dancing. Still, you forced a smile, sticking it out for the rest of the song. As All Mine faded into the next song, you excused yourself for water. Not thinking much of it, they let you go, continuing to dance with each other. 

You stumbled off the floor, accidentally bumping into a guy who looked like a frat boy from one of the colleges in the area. 

“Sorry,” you apologized, stepping away. Instead of going back to clubbing on his own, he grabbed your arm and pulled you closer to him. 

“No need to be sorry, baby,” he drunkenly slurred, hands already moving down your body. “I’m Chad. What’s your name, princess?’ 

“None of your business,” you spat, trying to break free of his grip. Your attempts were futile, however, his grip tightening instead of loosening like you wanted it to. Memories of your abduction flashed through your mind as he placed a sloppy kiss on your cheek, the feeling of Stephen’s chapped lips pressed against the same cheek causing you to freeze up. 

“Please let go,” you whimpered, though your pleas were drowned out by the music. Tears started to fall as he kissed down your neck, your body frozen as he took advantage of you. 

It seemed you had an angel on your side that night because Chad was ripped off you not even a moment later, your savior having torn him off your body and thrown him back a good few inches. 

“Get the fuck away from her,” Emily said, placing herself between you and your assailant. 

Chad squared up to Emily, cocking his head sideways as if to intimidate her. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” 

Emily whipped out her badge, shoving it into the poor fool’s face. “FBI,” she said with authority. “Now scram.”

Chad paled at the badge, most likely never having had a run-in with law enforcement before. He scrambled backward, almost knocking over a dancing couple before disappearing back into the crowd. 

Emily turned back around to face you, tucking her ID back in her pocket. 

“Are you okay?” she asked you with a gentleness you could almost mistake with care. You scoffed. You weren’t going to fall for that again. 

“What the fuck, Emily?” you raged. “You think you can just swoop in and save the day. Newsflash, I don’t need you. I don’t need your help and I most certainly don’t need your pity. You can take your false care and shove it.”

You stormed off, not even letting her respond. You went to find your friends, who had both migrated to the bar. 

“We need to leave,” you said, your voice thick with tears. You probably looked like a mess, tears streaking down your face and your body still shaking. You didn’t know if it was anger or fear. 

Lyndsey must have sensed something happened because she jumped to your side the second the words came out of your mouth, urging Brenna to finish her drink so that the three of you could leave. You made your way out of the club, collapsing into the side of the building as the tears started to pour. 

“What happened?” Lyndsey demanded, yanking a pack of travel tissues from her clutch and handing you one. You dabbed under your eyes, trying to salvage whatever makeup you had put on that night. 

“I saw Emily,” you blubbered, accepting another tissue from your friend. “And I said something terrible. Oh, my God. She probably hates me now!”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Brenna comforted you, rubbing circles into your back. “But didn’t she break up with you? Baby girl, you don’t need her.” 

You were quiet. You didn’t need Emily, but God did you want her. Not a moment went by that you didn’t miss her. She was everywhere. In the dress that you kept in the back of the closet to the little clay tray that the two of you bought together that held your keys. She was everywhere. 

“I just miss her,” you muttered, sniffling a bit as you calmed down. You felt ridiculous crying over a woman who made it quite clear that she wanted nothing to do with you. 

“Well, you could always talk to her,” Brenna suggested, her hand leaving your back. She pointed to the side where Emily was exiting the club, looking around for something… or rather, someone. 

At that moment, she noticed the three of you crouched by the wall. She hurried over, Lyndsey and Brenna getting up to form a protective barrier in front of you. 

“Lyndsey, Brenna,” she greeted your friends. “Can I please talk to Y/n?”

“I don’t think that’s the best idea right now,” Lyndsey said, her voice stern. You almost laughed at the thought of Lyndsey using her teacher's voice on Emily. You crumbled the used napkins in your hand, shoving it into your pocket as you collected yourself off the ground.

 You put your hand on Lyndsey’s shoulder. “It’s okay,” you said quietly. “We can talk.”

“Are you sure?” Lyndsey’s brows knit together, concern showing quite obviously on her face. You nodded, handing her the car keys. “You guys can go wait in the car. I won’t be long, I promise.”

Lyndsey looked between you and Emily cautiously. 

“Don’t worry,” Emily said, “I’ll make sure she gets back to you safely.” 

With one last look, Lyndsey took the keys and disappeared off to the car with Brenna not too far behind. Brenna turned around last minute, doing the ‘I’m watching you’ movement in Emily’s direction. 

The two of you stood together in silence, unsure of what the first move should be. You bit your lower lip, rocking back onto your heels nervously as Emily didn’t meet your eye. 

“I’m sorry,” both of you said at the same time, awkwardly laughing as you realized what had just happened. You pulled at your fingers, a nervous tic you had developed after your abduction. 

“I’m sorry,” you repeated. You looked up at her. “I’m sorry I went off on you back there. You didn’t deserve any of that, you were just trying to help.”

Emily shook her head. “No, you don’t have to apologize for anything. If anyone owes an apology, it’s me. I shouldn’t have done anything. You don’t deserve that and you don’t deserve any of what I put you through.”

You swallowed harshly. “It’s okay.”

“It’s really not,” Emily said, chuckling as a way to diffuse some of the tension. “I’m a terrible person for what I did to you. I knew exactly what you had just gone through and I still went through with it. I made the choice for you without you even having a say and I regret that.”

“No,” you shook your head. “You’re not a terrible person. Emily, for the past two months I have done nothing but miss you. My goddamn therapist even suggested I reach out to you despite what you did. Breaking up with me while I was in the hospital was a shitty move, I’ll agree, but it doesn’t make you a terrible person. I promise.” 

“You miss me?” Emily asked, her voice small. It was a change from her normal confidence. Her vulnerability and insecurity showed through her normally strong front. You couldn’t help but smile at her, taking a step closer to her. 

You hesitated before taking her hand in your own. You brought a hand to her face, caressing her smooth features. 

“I did--do miss you,” you admitted. “And before you ask anything else, I forgave you a long time ago.”

Emily’s head dropped against your hand, her eyes closing in an attempt to block out the tears that threatened to fall. 

“I don’t deserve you,” she muttered.

You ran a thumb over her cheekbone, memorizing her features. “Bullshit,” you said, your voice low. You pulled her closer, standing on your toes so that your lips could meet. It was slow and passionate as you tried to convey all the emotions you felt for her through that simple action. Your arms looped around her neck as she reacted, pulling you in closer by the waist. 

The kiss turned desperate as Emily tried to make up for the last time, tears rolling down your face as you realized everything into the abyss. You felt yourself relax into Emily, pulling away as you sobbed. 

She put her hand under your chin gently, lifting your face so that your eyes met hers. 

“Why are you crying, baby?” she asked, her voice a whisper. She kissed underneath your eyes, most likely tasting the salt of your tears. You couldn’t help it, the tears weren’t stopping. 

“I just really missed you,” you admitted, wiping the tears away with the heel of your hand. Emily took your hand in hers, bringing them up to her mouth so she could place a kiss on your knuckles. It was the same gesture she had made two months ago before she broke up with you but this time, the message that came with them was different. 

“If you give me another chance, I promise I won’t screw it up,” she said, running her thumb over your knuckles.” I-I promise I’ll work harder on being the woman you deserve.”

You hummed, resting your head on her chest as she drew her arms around you, protecting you from the world and all the evils within it. 

“You already are.”

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