#and trying out a hack i saw to see if it works on an extra stubborn post

[chenziee]

Ash

Attempt #idk-how-many to see if this finally shows up in the goddamned tags because I care about this verse and this fic okay

Once again, I bring you an offering of some extremely soft Lawlu with a dash of Law being embarrassingly in love (which really isn't any different from canon), feat. Law taking some romantic phrases and little bit too literally.

This is part 3 of the vivre card/Ashes of Life series but as usual, you absolutely don't need to have read the other two for this to make sense!

! Manga spoilers for chapters 1030 onward, mostly 1043 and 1044 ! Light angst with a happy ending and a lot of comfort :)

[ Read on AO3 | Full Series | Ko-Fi ]

—————

The Skull Dome of Onigashima was shaking, pieces of rubble and wood falling off the ceiling and walls. It was no wonder with all the fierce battles that were going on—really, in Law’s opinion it was more of a shock that the building was still standing after their fight with Kaido on the roof, the All Stars and Tobi Roppo going wild all over the place, not to mention the Straw Hats. They were probably doing more damage than all their enemies combined. Hell, Straw Hat himself came crashing through the goddamned floor only minutes earlier riding a pink fucking dragon.

How very Straw Hat-ya, Law thought to himself with some undeniable, if questionable, amusement.

“The fuck are you smiling about, Trafalgar?” Eustass asked with disgust.

Law scowled, quickly wiping the smile off his face as he looked at his tentative ally. “Speak for yourself,” Law shot back, eyeing the manic grin on Eustass’ lips. 

Seriously. 

He was surrounded by idiots.

First Straw Hat and Roronoa, now Eustass—all of them a bit too happy to pick fights with people for no reason for Law taste.

Although, Law didn’t have much room to talk.

Huffing to himself, Law stood up to his full height, leaning Kikoku’s long blade against his shoulder as he took in Big Mom’s large, threatening presence. She was staring down at them, hair aflame, sword in one hand, thunder cloud in the other. Random things brought to life were dancing at her feet, all of them laughing and taunting him and Eustass. A wide smile was plastered on her face, a smile that couldn’t be more different from the one Straw Hat always wore whenever facing a strong enemy. It was icy cold, born not of the thrill of battle but of pure bloodthirst, lacking any care for anything or anyone.

Law much preferred Straw Hat’s idiotic, excited grins even though they always gave him a headache in the end.

“You have that disgusting expression on your face again,” Eustass said with a click of his tongue.

“Fuck off, Eustass-ya. Focus on the enemy,” Law retorted but he schooled his expression back to neutral.

What was he even doing, thinking about Straw Hat while he had Big Mom raging and ready to kill right in front of him? How stupid. But somehow, he couldn’t help but feel lighter because of it. Because that’s what Luffy did, wasn’t it? Making people stop doubting themselves, giving them hope when there was none, pushing them forward when they saw no path ahead.

Even now, he was on the roof fighting Kaido after he was already defeated twice, stubbornly charging forward to show the way to all the warriors fighting inside the Skull Dome. He would beat Kaido no matter what it took, no matter how many times he got beat down—he would always bounce back like the rubbery idiot he was and finally bring dawn to Wano. And Law had no doubt that he would succeed.

Shaking his head to clear it, Law chased all these useless thoughts away. No matter how confident in their—and Luffy’s—victory he was, they were still facing two Emperors.

Really, having fought them both, he could describe them as nothing but monsters. And honestly… It was fun. And even if it meant he had to work with Eustass, he would make sure to drag Big Mom down from her perch, from the comfortable, untouchable seat of an Emperor of the Sea.

The Rocks’ era was over two years ago.

Now, it was their era to claim.

Flexing his hand, a smirk pulled on Law’s lips. How much would it take to dethrone two relics of a time long gone? How much to claim their seats?

He was sure they were going to find out soon.

“K-Room.”

He was going to bring Big Mom down right here, right now. And then he was going to watch Luffy as he tore the rest of the old world down.

—————

Gasping for breath, Law finally let himself drop to the floor, completely spent. For a moment, he wondered if he could just pass out and sleep for a week now—he deserved at least that after overusing his awakened powers and sending Big Mom who knows how far underground, right?

“Captain!!” 

He heard his crew cheer from somewhere but he didn’t bother looking in that direction; he only closed his eyes, leaning his back against the rubble as he relaxed. Now the only things that remained was cleaning out the fodder, the All Stars, and Kaido.

Law took a deep breath, focusing his Observation Haki to gauge the situation. Honestly, it was near impossible to tell what was even going on inside the Dome but he couldn’t say he cared. It was enough that he couldn’t find either King’s, Queen’s or Jack’s presence. Beside that… the only thing that mattered to him was the roof.

“Straw Hat-ya,” Law muttered, finally opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling where he could sense Luffy’s and Kaido’s Voices.

They were both much weaker than they were at the start of this night but they were still raging to go… although Law could tell Straw Hat was about as exhausted as Law himself. It wouldn’t be long for that fight to be over as well.

“Captain! Are you okay?!” Bepo asked with urgency as he fell to his knees next to Law to check him over.

Law only hummed noncommittally, barely paying attention while he focused on the Voices above. Why were there three now?

And then… there were only two again.

And a split second later… only one.

A single Voice.

And it wasn’t Luffy.

Law’s eyes widened as he shot up, ignoring his protesting body that refused to move. He needed to make sure. 

Law paid no attention to Bepo’s cry, the mink probably shocked from the speed and suddenness of his best friend’s movement, but Law just didn’t care. Not now.

“Room,” he growled, a tiny sphere appearing around his hand for a second before it flickered out of existence again. Law clicked his tongue impatiently, before trying again, "Fucking—Room.”

Finally, his power listened to him and a Room came to life, holding stable, and Law continued, turning his hand up to his chest. “Scalpel.”

“Captain, what are you doing?!” Bepo cried in alarm.

“Not now, Bepo,” Law snapped.

“Have you finally lost it, Trafalgar?” Eustass asked then, voice mocking.

“Shut up!” Law really didn’t have the patience for any of them right now. He could feel his heart being a mile per second as he took it out of his ribcage, his breathing shallow while his mind went completely blank, his vision narrowing until he could barely see anything. “Hold this,” he told Bepo absent-mindedly before he dropped his heart into Bepo’s lap.

He could hear Bepo fumbling to grab it, probably terrified something would happen to the organ with it being treated so carelessly by its owner.

Law, however, simply reached into the hole that was left in his chest, searching—searching for something that should be so easy to grab but that he simply couldn’t find. It couldn’t be gone, it simply couldn’t… Where is it? Please no no no—

Finally, his fingers touched something that didn’t belong in the crevice and Law quickly took it out, clenching it in his fist for a moment. He was scared to look at it. He could already feel it—he could feel the burn, feel the size, feel it falling apart. He didn’t want to look but there was nothing else for him, nothing to do, no way to avoid it. Fuck, he could hear it from his Voice anyway.

He was just so scared.

Taking a shaky breath, Law opened his hand to look at the piece of paper on his palm—or what was left of it.

“Did you seriously just pull a vivre card out of your fucking chest? Are you actually insane?” Eustass asked with his voice completely blank and Law could just imagine the weirded out expression he was probably wearing right then. But then, Eustass continued, “Wait. Don’t tell me that’s—”

“Straw Hat…” Bepo breathed quietly, carefully.

Law didn’t react to either of them. He only gulped heavily, watching as the tiny, oh so tiny piece of paper moved weakly across his palm, getting smaller with every second as the edges burned more and more. There was barely anything left. Barely enough to hang onto any hope.

“What are you doing?” Law growled, but he could barely hear himself. There was a hum in his ears, a white noise that didn’t mean anything, didn’t serve any purpose but to drive him even more mad.

He refused to believe this.

The paper had to be lying.

There was simply no way, no way that Luffy lost.

No way that his life was about to disappear, leaving behind nothing but a few specks of ash.

He had to do something. He blindly reached his free hand, searching for Kikoku, getting ready to get up but his legs weren’t listening to him. He didn’t have any strength left to even move, much less fight.

And then… it was too late anyway.

“No—” Law could barely let out before the last bits of paper scattered into the air, leaving behind nothing more than the ghost of the feeling of burning embers on his palm.

For a moment, it was like time had stopped. Law couldn’t breathe, couldn’t hear, couldn’t feel anything. He only sat there motionlessly while Bepo panicked beside him, Eustass cursing somewhere so very far away. And still, the only thing running through his mind was no, this can’t be happening.

What kind of sick joke was this?

They had come so far; they brought all these people together, they pulled off this raid, they beat all the strongest enemies… The only one left was Kaido and up until this very moment, Law had no doubt he would witness yet another miracle of Straw Hat’s own making.

He never even considered this possibility. If he had known, he would have never—

He shouldn’t have left the roof.

He should have helped.

He should have been there.

But he didn’t and he wasn’t and now he was here; alone. Left with nothing but a hole in his chest and a few pieces of dust on his skin that were just a reminder of what used to be a solid chunk of paper—one full of life which was stronger than any other, with determination to pull through anything and still burn brightly like the sun.

So why? Why did this happen?

Law barely flinched when the ceiling came crashing down and Kaido’s booming voice demanded Momonosuke’s head, declaring Luffy’s death in the same breath.

It wasn’t a surprise to him, after all. It didn’t fucking matter what Kaido said at this point.

“It was a short-lived dream…” Eustass muttered.

“Suppose it’s the cold, hard reality. We have nothing left,” Law replied, voice completely void of emotion. He still couldn’t tear his eyes away from charred, black remains of Luffy’s life-force still clinging to his skin.

“Fuck this. I’m going to fight, Trafalgar. I’m not surrendering just like that,” Eustass announced, slowly getting to his feet even though his movements were sluggish and wobbly.

And Law knew—he knew that was the right thing to do. He, too, was going to fight. This was no time to sit here and be completely useless…

But before he could so much as look up, something stopped him. “What the—”

Completely frozen, Law could only watch with wide eyes as specks of dust and ash gathered in his palm, swirling in place as if guided by a non-existent gust of wind. It took Law a long moment to realise what was happening; and how could he? It was ridiculous, completely unheard of, and if Law didn’t see it happening in real time, he would never have believed it.

But there it was, the very same vivre card that had burned down to nothing a mere minute ago, back in one piece as if nothing happened and only growing bigger each second.

The wave of powerful haki that followed seemed almost redundant then. And when the deafening beat of a drum started echoing in his mind, Law had no doubt what was happening anymore. Or well, he still had absolutely no idea what was even going on but he did know the most important thing.

“Fucking idiot,” Law sighed as his fingers curled into a fist around the full-sized, alive vivre card, clutching it close.

“What’s going on? What’s this sound?!” Bepo asked, paws on his ears as he looked around with confusion.

“Just Straw Hat-ya doing something ridiculous. Again. Don’t worry about it, he’s really going to finish it now.” Law let go of a tired breath, finally allowing himself to relax again. He felt so exhausted… As if the fight with Big Mom wasn’t enough, Straw Hat just had to go and make it worse.

He was going to have a word with this idiot when this was all over.

“Uhm, captain?”

Cracking one eye open, Law glanced at Bepo, humming questioningly.

Bepo fumbled for a moment, looking like he was trying to pick something up while absolutely terrified to touch it. Only when he managed to raise his paws up, did Law realise why. “Sorry. What—what about your heart?”

“Shit I completely forgot,” Law groaned, forcing himself to sit up again before he reached over to grab the organ from Bepo’s awkward hold to put it back in place. “Thanks.”

“Freak,” someone noted.

“Fuck off, Eustass-ya.”

—————

Whatever Law had expected to happen when Straw Hat had come back, it sure as hell wasn’t that. He still wasn’t sure what did actually happen but watching Luffy, with his hair and clothes pure white, jump and run around, change sizes however he wished, bend the very laws of nature to his own will, and laugh like a maniac the whole time… It was both completely surreal and perfectly Straw Hat at the same time.

And watching him now, having fun during the celebratory festival as if nothing happened…

Law just felt so tired.

“Captain? Are you okay?” Penguin asked when Law got up from the ground where he and his crew had been drinking at the sidelines of the heart of the festival.

No, Law's mind immediately supplied but he bit his tongue, refusing to let the word slip out.

“I need a break,” Law said without elaborating.

Penguin looked like he was about to press him but when their eyes met, he deflated and nodded, making Law sigh in relief. He really didn’t feel like explaining the frustration he felt right then—not to his crew, not to his friends, not to anyone. He was sure Penguin, Shachi and Bepo could understand what was on his mind either way, after all the time they’ve known each other. 

Without another word, Law turned around and left, leaving the noise and energy of the festival behind. He didn’t even know where he was heading, he simply knew he needed to get away; get somewhere where he could breathe, where he didn’t have to put up a facade of being alright.

Because he wasn’t alright. Not after Onigashima; the fight with Kaido, Big Mom, and everything after… It was too much. And with everyone celebrating and all the stress falling away, it was getting impossible to hide.

He really didn’t want to see anyone but of course, it couldn’t be that easy.

“Torao!! Finally found you!”

Heaving a deep sigh, Law stopped in his tracks, rubbing at his forehead. He already felt a headache coming; he wasn’t ready for this conversation but he knew there would be no point in trying to run away from this stubborn idiot. He always had a way to find Law wherever he would try to hide.

“Straw Hat-ya. What is it?” he asked when the other captain stopped next to him, out breath but with a wide smile plastered on his face and Law hated how his heart skipped a beat at the sight.

“I just wanted to see you! Your friends said you went on a walk so I thought I’d join you!” he announced proudly.

Law didn’t respond, he only turned away and started walking again. 

“Oi, Torao. Wait for me,” Straw Hat said, obviously taken aback by Law’s lack of communication.

“Then keep up,” Law shot back. He wasn’t even sure why he was being so short with him but he was just so annoyed.

They walked in silence for a moment and Law could feel Straw Hat’s gaze on the side of his head the entire time. He wanted to snap at him to stop staring, to just go away but somehow… he didn’t even care anymore.

He wasn’t surprised when Straw Hat finally spoke up, probably unable to bear the silence anymore, “Torao. What’s wrong?”

Law closed his eyes momentarily, praying for patience. He couldn’t say anyone was listening to him, however, and he felt his blood-pressure raising as he gritted his teeth. “Take a fucking guess,” he hissed.

Straw Hat tilted his head to the side, his eyebrows scrunching up into an adorable frown—one that only made Law even more annoyed. “I won’t know unless you talk to me, Torao…”

“Fine! You want to know what’s wrong? You’re what’s wrong!” Law finally snapped, running his hands through his hair in frustration, knocking his hat off in the process but he didn’t even care. “What the fuck were you thinking? You just let Kaido push you to that point without asking for help and without anyone even fucking knowing! And then what happened?!”

“Tora—” Straw Hat started before stopping himself. He quietly watched Law as he started pacing back and forth and continued ranting.

“Actually, I don’t even want to know what was running through that empty goddamned head of yours. Probably fucking nothing because you never think. You never stop to plan anything, never even wonder what might happen! Did the fact you already lost once and ended up in a fucking labour camp mean nothing? Why are you always so fucking reckless—”

“Law!” Straw Hat finally called before he grabbed Law’s arm, forcing him to stop in his tracks. “Law, look at me.”

“Fuck off, Straw Hat-ya. Let me go!” Law growled, trying to pry his arm out of Luffy’s vice grip without much success.

“No! Law, please. Look at me. We won. We’re both fine, all of us are fine. Nothing—”

“Don’t you dare say nothing happened!” Law interrupted as he finally yanked his arm free to instead point at Luffy’s chest, poking him hard just above his heart with every word that followed, “You. Fucking. Died.”

Silence followed his final statement. Luffy simply looked at him in silence, those large, honest eyes seemingly peering right into Law’s soul and taking him apart to the last atom while Law only stood there, glaring back at him as he panted lightly, out of breath after his tirade. He didn’t even care if he sounded pathetic and childish; he was just so angry. Angry and frustrated and tired and so scared.

It took a full minute before either of them moved but finally, Straw Hat opened his mouth, speaking quietly, “But I didn’t die, Law. I’m here now.”

Law clicked his tongue. “Luffy, you fucking died. Your vivre card burned to nothing in my fucking hand and I could do fuck all about it.”

And that was the entire heart of the matter, wasn’t it? That Law didn’t know until it was too late, that he couldn’t do anything about it, that he was completely and utterly helpless. Helpless in supporting him, helpless in protecting him, helpless in bringing him back.

It was only thanks to luck, the absolute ridiculousness of the Gum Gum Fruit, and Straw Hat’s endless willpower that he was even standing in front of Law right now. Law couldn’t do anything to support the love of his miserable fucking life when he most needed it.

He knew Luffy wouldn’t have wanted his help in the first place. He knew the best thing he could have done in that situation was to take care of Big Mom. He knew.

And yet…

���I’m sorry,” Luffy said finally, voice serious.

Law sighed heavily. “No, you’re not.”

“Well, I mean—” Straw Hat folded his hands behind his head, a small pout appearing on his lips— “I’m not sorry about picking a fight with Kaido, he deserved it!”

“See?” Law groaned while rubbing the bridge of his nose. Why was this idiot so—

“But I am sorry I scared you. Really.”

As soon as Law heard those words, it was like all energy drained from him and his shoulders sagged. He didn’t even care anymore; he just wanted to sleep and not have to think about any of this. Why was he even so angry in the first place? It was all done and over already. No what-ifs or alternatives could change what really happened and Luffy was right—they were okay now and everything worked out.

So what did it matter?

Clicking his tongue, Law turned away. He wanted to pick up his forgotten hat and just leave but before he could so much as lean down, Luffy’s fingers closed around his wrist, stopping him. He looked at him questioningly but before he could so much as say anything, Luffy shook his head, tugged at Law’s hand gently… and smiled.

“Come here,” he said quietly, opening his arms in invitation.

Law scowled, not moving a muscle but he didn’t protest when Luffy took a step closer, his arms snaking behind Law’s back and pulling him into a hug. It still took him a moment but soon, it became impossible to fight the warmth and security of Luffy’s embrace and he let himself relax, sinking into the feeling.

Letting go of a shaky breath, Law buried his face into the crook of Luffy’s neck, his arms coming to wrap around Luffy’s waist, pulling him closer. Suddenly, Law realised this was the first time he had touched Luffy since before the battle of Onigashima—really, when was the last time? Probably in the Amigasa village the morning before the raid, when they had exchanged a quick kiss before they each went their own way, to their own crews and their own ships.

After the battle, Luffy was unconscious for days and being cared for by Tony; there was no reason for Law to hang around. He really only got to see him earlier today once the festival started but Luffy being Luffy, he barely said hi to Law before he ran off to raid every stall he could get to.

Maybe… all Law needed was to feel his warmth, touch his skin, smell his hair—make sure he was real, solid, breathing.

That he was alive.

“I’m not going anywhere, Torao,” Luffy mumbled quietly as he slowly ran his fingers through Law’s hair.

“Back to stupid nicknames, are we?” Law asked instead of acknowledging his words.

Straw Hat snickered. “You love it!”

“Fuck off, Straw Hat-ya,” Law sighed.

At that, Luffy only laughed harder. “I love you, Torao.”

Law clicked his tongue, his fingers curling into the fabric of Luffy’s yukata. “Shut up.”

“No. I love you!” he sang, his voice shaking in amusement.

“Fine!” Law snapped. “I love you too. Happy?”

“Yep!” Straw Hat announced proudly and Law could just picture the impossibly bright, blinding smile that was undoubtedly plastered on his face. “Now I just need some of the meat Sanji was cooking before I left to chase you…”

Law groaned. And here he thought they were having a moment… “I take it back. I fucking hate you.”

“What?! But I was going to share with you!”

“I don’t want any,” Law said and despite himself, a smile pulled on his lips.

“But it looked so tasty,” Straw Hat whined.

With an amused huff, Law finally pulled away from Luffy, taking in the adorable pout that was adorning his lips. He didn’t resist the temptation to kiss it away.

But, even after they separated, the unhappy expression stayed in Luffy’s face and Law chuckled, shaking his head at the sight. “You can have the meat, I don’t care.”

Immediately, Luffy’s face split into that blinding grin that made Law fall in love in the first place and he cheered, grabbing Law’s hand to drag him back towards the festival. Law barely had the time to grab his hat off the ground before Luffy’s rubbery pull gave him no choice but to follow.

It was hours later—hours during which he was forced to literally wrestle a laughing Luffy away from the food stalls and their desperately crying owners, only to instead end up goaded into playing many of the available games with Luffy, the Straw Hats, his own crew, Kaido’s son, and Eustass of all people—that Law realised the weight he had been carrying around for days had lifted.

And he wasn’t tired anymore.

[hearts4werka]

The Devil Herself

Summary: You’re the famous Ghostface killer in the town of Boston while your ex-bodyguard Christopher is also an FBI agent investigating your murders, you overhear his conversation with his mother about a set up date with another woman so you decide to pay the woman a little visit after the date… Genre: Horror, slasher, age gap (it’s not a big one), female killer, obsessive stalker, crime investigation, The FBI, arranged date Warnings: This fic contains darker themes that may trigger some readers like gore, kidnapping, acts of torture, illegal possession of various of dangerous weapons ( don’t do this irl ) obsessive female!character, cursing, murder, detaching-limbs. Read At Your Own Risk! authors note: this turned out wayyy longer than I expected it to. I started to write this last night still kinda shocked how I finished it in one day. I’m already writing pt.2 to Missing and need to finish that but here’s a long Chris fic for while you guys wait for it. There might be a pt.2 to this too but I have to see if y’all will want one. Hope you enjoy!

— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —

The Halloween season is right around the corner and I’ll have to do some work to set the atmosphere for the lovely town I’ve been slashing for couple of good years.

I am called ‘The Ghostface killer’ around this town, known mostly for the gruesome crime scenes I create which I’m proud to said in know for that, how I always manage to cover up any evidence that could lead to discovering my identity.

There’s been many before me, some were better some worse. Dating back almost centuries, I can say I’ve been through some stuff in the past. I don’t want to get into detail with it but let’s just say I’m on a revenge mission, murdering and torturing the people who’ve hurt me in the past.

But there’s a little problem flowing in my mind… my ex-bodyguard, Christopher.

He’s an FBI Agent, often a bodyguard or guarding something. The FBI are currently investigating ‘The Ghostface Killer Crimes’ how do I know? Oh it’s obviously because I stalked him, unfortunately I also found out some unpleasant things too.

His mother has set up him with another women for a date. And it’s fucking tonight.

I may have hacked into his chat logs as well and overheard him and his mother talking over the phone when I was just watching him on the cameras with sound recorders I’ve installed along with the cameras.

As much as I try to let go of him, when I manage get him out of my mind and focus on other things at hand he just latched onto my brain and messes with it, just coming back each time like a boomerang.

— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —

I’m getting ready to discretely stalk Christopher’s date, dressing up normally but keeping my mask on me since I’ll be doing some dirty work today and I can’t get blood on my beautiful face, can I? But mostly to hide my real identity from her.

I walk into my closet, picking out a black corset along with some matching black jeans that make my body look amazing together with the corset, I want her to see something pleasant to look at before she will go out.

Adding the finishing touches such as jewelry, a black leather jacket draping it over my shoulders and black boots I glance over at the mirror of my bathroom and fix my hair. I almost feel like I’m getting ready for a date to which I chuckle internally at the fact I’m going out for a completely different reason. ( outfit here )

I grab my bag off the bathroom counter it was sitting on, walking over to a big black duffel bag dropped on my bed I pick out what weapons I would like to use today.

Picking the classic and iconic knife along with a small electric saw but also a gun for extra fun, I shove the gun into a hidden pocket in the leather jacket and drop the knife and saw in the bag of today’s choice.

Inside of the bag already resides my phone, a digital camera I take pictures of my beautifully gruesome crime scenes and of my victims for little pieces of memories.

After I’m done preparing, I make sure everything is in place and locked as I finally walk out of the house.

Time to start this little shitshow

— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —

Im in my car, sitting in front of a fancy restaurant the date was planned at with my laptop sitting my lap, watching them through the restaurants cameras I’ve managed to hack into. People really need to make their security devises have a stronger protection because this was easier than I thought it would be.

My blood boils with jealousy as she reaches out with a napkin in her hand to wipe off a piece of the food they’re eating that got left on his upper lip. If she puts her hands on him again, I’ll cut the motherfuckers off and give them to him if he continues to allow it.

He’s very aware of having a person stalking him but he doesn’t know who it is even being an FBI agent he couldn’t simply figure out who it is, I grab my phone out of my bag and open the messages app. Typing out a simple text I send it over to him and watch him on the cameras for his reaction.

Me : Is someone running off with other women? Keep having her hands all over you and you’ll see what happens next.

Seeing him excuse himself to check the message on his phone I’ve sent, a look of horror and caution creeps into his features as he looks around nervously but he hides them with a tight smile from the woman that’s completely oblivious of what the message contained nor why he suddenly changed in demeanor.

For the rest of the night, he avoided her touch as much as he could but slip ups did occur. At the end of the date he cautiously walked her back to her car, I was parked not far away from her so I saw everything with my eyes. When they say their goodbyes she leans in and places a gentle kiss on his cheek before getting into her car and proceed to drive away.

He returns to his own car and just sits there lost in thought, the look on his face etched into his features, more evident now that he’s alone. After a few minutes he starts the car and drives away.

Now it’s time for the fun part to start.

I tracked the woman’s home address before they went on the date and found out all of the basic knowledge about her without unnecessarily digging too deep, putting her home address into the gps now it’s finally my time to drive off.

— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —

After a while of driving I finally reach my destination and park in front of an old-money house thats a pretty good size for someone who lives alone. Looks like mommy and daddy’s wealth payed off for her.

I have a feeling she’ll be fun to torture.

I grab my bag with all of the supplies I need and get out of the car in one swift open of a door, walking around the car I face the trunk. Opening it I take out a cloth along with a small bottle of sedative.

Popping the cap off the bottle I pour some of it onto the cloth, glancing around the containments of my trunk if I won’t need anything else, grabbing my signature mask as the last item I need and slide it over my head now concealing my face.

With one efficient and swift move I close the trunk and finally head towards her house, time to do some breaking in now, put the bitch to sleep and drive her to my house. After I’m done with that I’ll have some good old fun with her.

Going through the back door that thankfully was left open behind I quietly enter the building, checking if anything besides me is lurking in the dark shadows covering her house and find nothing, no sign of any animals too to which I sigh in relief. I really hate killing peoples animals. ( don’t actually kill animals irl )

I slyly maneuver my way through the darkness and up the stairs, them creaking as if I’m in a horror movie. Getting up the creaky ass stairs I see light coming out of one of the rooms, assuming that’s where she’s currently located I decide to put more of the sedative on the cloth in my hand to make sure she doesn’t wake up during the ride back to my house.

Scanning the surrounding area I can’t help but wonder if she left the door unlocked, she does live alone so no one could technically get into her house and into the bathroom while she’s in there, right?

As I come closer to the bathroom my ears suddenly get assaulted by music coming out from the slightly opened bathroom door, she has shit taste in music.

Creeping up to the bathroom door I widen the open hole with my hand as quietly as possible to not draw any sudden unwanted attention to it.

I take a small peak inside and see the shadow of her figure through the shower curtains she’s concealed behind, thinking this is gonna be easier than I thought I slowly enter the room and make my way towards the shower.

Pulling open the curtain my eyes are met with my target being completely nude while water rains onto her naked body from the shower head secured to the wall in front of her.

Without giving her anytime for further reaction than the horror slowly spreading across her features I slap the cloth over her mouth to muffle her screams pouring out of her mouth.

When she falls asleep I get her out of the shower and put the clothes she left in the bathroom onto her body, tossing her over my shoulder again I carry her back to my car and drop her into the backseat.

I drive off from under her house and on the path back to my house.

— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —

We arrive at my house and I check into the backseat to see if she’s woken up.

“Still knocked out.”

I exit the car and take her out of the backseat, tossing her over my shoulder again and carry her into my basement or how I like to call it ‘The secret layer of crime’

Walking down the stairs and underground I drop her from my shoulder and into a bloody wooden chair in the middle of my basement or torture chamber, tying her down to it with a thick rope that was sitting next to it on a small wooden stool so she doesn’t get away when she finally wakes up.

Next to the chair is a white plastic table with various torture weapons I usually can’t carry around with me, opening my bag I dump out the weapons I took with me earlier.

I wait for her to wake up because I need her to be fully conscious during the whole process, I’m gonna make this painful for her. Mentally and physically.

After a few minutes of waiting she finally regains her consciousness and looks at me with the same horror on her face as when I took her, she tried to scream but realizes her mouth is ceiled shut with a cloth taped to her mouth.

A sinister laugh rumbles in my throat at her desperate tries to pry her way free or scream for help, this basement is sound proof so no one will hear her even in the slightest mumble.

“Oh are you trying to escape? You poor little thing, how sad.” I say with mockery lacing my tone, my eyes settle down on the table full of weapons and her eyes follow right behind, her horror spreading further and becoming more evident.

She violently shakes to try and loosen the thick rope she’s secured with tightly to the chair, grabbing a knife off the table I walk over to her. My shoes creating echoing foot step sounds that bounce around the walls of the basement.

Leaning down and getting up close to her face I raise the knife to her jawline and slowly trace it, the cold blade leaving goosebumps behind its path.

Her eyes become glassy and tears roll down her cheeks, a smirk spreads across my face at the beautiful sight of her being scared.

“You know why you’re here?” I ask, knowing I won’t get a clear answer out of her, the cause of it being the cloth taped to her mouth.

Shaking her head negatively, meaning she’s saying no and I become amused by not having a lack of an answer from her as I expected. She’s really desperate to stay alive, how pathetic.

“Well you don’t have to know but let’s just say you might be loosing some limbs today, hm?”

Her eyes widen at my sudden statement as her horrified state intensifies along with her desperate tries to escape, the sight is complete gold or a rare find that can only be dug up deep in the cold mines.

I slide a small stool with some blood covering the surface of it and place it under one of her hands, extending my hand behind me onto the weapon table I grab the mini electric saw.

Without hesitation I flip it on and it starts up with a roar, bringing the circling saw blade to her wrist and saw right down which detaches her hand from her arm. Blood sprays out from her arm and onto my clothes and everything around it as I take the severed hand and place it onto the weapon table.

Grabbing the stool and putting it where her other hand is and copy the same procedure of detaching the hand as on the other.

When that’s done I put the new severed hand next to its sister on the weapon table along with the now blood-covered saw. She’ll die a slow, painful and torturous death after I’m done with her.

I hover my hand over the weapon table and select a weapon at random, I grab onto something long and sharp, knowing what it is already I grasp the leather handle of it and bring the blade to her neck, slicing it open but not enough to kill her yet.

Putting the weapon down back onto the weapon table I walk over to a chest and open it, taking out a small carboard box among different body bags, trash bags and gloves I’ve left in here because I was too lazy to throw it out.

I close the chest and place the box on top of it, walking back to the weapon table I grab the severed hands and then go back to the box and neatly place them inside.

Thinking of what to add to it I decide or grab my camera from my bag I dropped onto the ground after taking out the weapons I took with me earlier I take a picture of the tortured and slowly dying woman on the chair. Just a little memory for him to remember.

I take the Polaroid out of the camera and grab the knife off the table, stabbing into what’s left of her hand to draw some blood onto the blade of it and I write a small letter with it on the back of the Polaroid.

After I’m done with my little letter I return back to the box, closing it and ceiling it shut with some tape I had in my grasp.

Grabbing the box and the Polaroid I exit the basement and go into my car to give Chris a little surprise. By the time I exit the basement the sun is already coming up and starting to illuminate the world.

I drop the box next to me in the passenger seat along with the polaroid and drive off to his house. He should be awake by now since he usually wakes up when the sun comes up.

— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —

Arriving at my destiny under his house I take the box with the Polaroid and get out of my car, walking over to the front door of his house I place the box down onto the doormat that has ‘Welcome!’ written across it in black bold letters on a white background.

I neatly place the Polaroid on top of the the box that’s slowly leaking blood from one of the bottom corners and onto the white and black doormat, I ring his doorbell and walk back to my car to drive off from under his house before he saw me.

The note on the back of the Polaroid says is bloody letters.

‘Like running off with other women so much? Here’s a little surprise for you but I’ll say one thing. You are mine and no other woman is allowed to lay your hands on you. Ever again.’

- Your lovely Stalker

Guestlist!

@slutforsturnioloss @sturnioloblues @sturnsxplr-25

Comment under this post to be added!

[nikoruistyping]

Better Hold Your Breathe || Spencer Reid

Spencer Reid x Fem!reader​

Summary: You had hoped to have a nice normal morning but its nothing but normal at the BAU and next thing you know you end up locked in the Evidence Room with none other than Spencer Reid, your coworker and crush. As time passes Spencer starts to have a panic attack and there was only one thing you could think of to help stop it...

TW: Fluff, Coworkers to Lovers Relationship, Kissing, Playful Banter, Jealous Spencer, Derek calling you Babygirl as a joke, Depictions of a Panic Attack due to Claustrophobia

Word Count: 2.5K?

A/N: This fic is my annual bday present for my best friend so happy bday my queen and I hope you enjoy this fic as much as I did making it for you. I hope your MGG thirst is quenched with this one even though its not really a smutty piece since I ended up changing my plot/idea last minute because I wasnt happy with my writing at all and I’m rusty so I’m sorry if its not as good as my other pieces. THIS IS ALSO MY FIRST CRIMINAL MINDS/SPENCER FIC SO SORRY IF HE SOUNDS A BIT OUT OF CHARACTER I TRIED YALL. BEFORE ANY ONE COMMENTS AND COMES FOR ME YES THIS WAS INSPIRED BY THE STILES & LYDIA KISS FROM TEEN WOLF 3x11 SO SHUT UP I KNOW!

Coffee holder in hand you used your hip to push the glass double doors to the BAU open. You had purposely gone to the coffee shop early that morning so that you could order not only yourself a cup but to also get one for Spencer, who also happened to be the one guy in the BAU that you had the biggest crush on ever since the first day you joined. By some miracle you had remembered his order by heart and it was stupid that you were remembering such little things about him but that's what you do when you really like someone that much right? You tried to convince yourself that watching him make his coffee step by step every morning in the kitchen wasn't creepy at all but next thing you knew you were taking notes about what milk he used and how many sugars he would put inside his cup.

You shook your head at the silly thought and happily you walked over to your desk with the biggest smile on your face ready to take on the rest of the day. Penelope took notice from across the room as she walked in at the same time as you and she lightly nudged your shoulder.

"Well someone looks extra chipper this morning." She commented pushing up her pink colored glasses.

"Aren't I always happy every time I walk into work?" You question raising your eyebrow at her.

"Usually you are but I'm guessing that it has to do with the fact that you bought two coffees...I'm pretty sure that's not all for you." She says with a sly smirk on her lips since she is clearly the best hacker in the BAU there is, but your crush on Spencer was blatantly obvious that she didn't need to hack into brain to know that information.

"Bold of you to assume that Penelope." You say trying to look away but you weren't always the best at hiding your feelings.

"Oh come on, you know I'm right and I'm pretty sure that coffee is for a special someone that we all know you have the biggest crush on." She says with a small roll of her eyes at how it was pointless for you to deny it at this point.

"Fine! Fine...I did get him a coffee but it's just a coffee and that's it, nothing more I promise." You say as you lie to not only yourself but to Penelope who wasn't believing a word that you were saying at all but she just gave you a look of disbelief as she saw Derek across the room and waved hello to him.

"Whatever you say Y/N. Just promise me that eventually you will make a move or else I'll do it for you." She said with a nudge to your shoulder again which just made you chuckle at her declaration.

"I pinky promise, you happy now Penelope?" You say a bit reluctantly.

"Much better. I'll see you in ten minutes in the meeting room, Hotch gave us a new case so I have to prepare." She says as she parts ways with you and heads to her office as you make your way to your desk which of course happened to be right across from Spencer's and it was extremely hard to focus all day looking at his pretty face twenty four seven.

You were surprised to see another coffee cup on your desk with a little sticky note attached to the lid and it instantly made you smile. The closer you got you set down the holder and looked across to Spencer’s desk but he was nowhere in sight. You carefully took the sticky note off the lid and started to read it to yourself.

Y/N,

Hope I got the order right and enjoy.

- Spencer Reid aka Your Favorite Desk Neighbor

His little note made you smile from ear to ear and you could help but pick up the cup and take a small sip. To your surprise he really did get your order right, you hadn't expected him to be so observant but then again he would have a job if that was the case right?

As you look up you see Spencer walking in your direction and when your eyes met his you tried your best to keep your composure and waved to him, his footsteps getting closer until he seemed to park himself right in front of your desk.

"Morning Spence. I-Um...thanks for the coffee that's really thoughtful of you." You admit taking another sip as you glanced over his beautiful facial features.

"Morning Y/N," His reply a controlled stutter, barely keeping it together while you inched closer to where he was leaning against the desk.

He accepted the pipping hot cup you bought him with a whispered thank you. You were excited to see his reaction and you had your fingers crossed that you remembered every detail of his order.

"Did I get it right?" You asked with an eager attitude and smile on your face while you tried to hide behind your coffee cup.

"Surprisingly enough you-" His words were interrupted by Derek coming up from behind and shaking his shoulders playfully.

"Good Morning you two," He said greeting us as he looked at all the coffee cups on your desk and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Looks like you two decided to throw a coffee party and not invite anyone. I'm taking this as compensation." He says with a laugh and grabbing the cup of coffee you had bought for yourself.

"I-I'll allow that but you owe me next time Derek." You say taking a sip and gritting your teeth a bit in anger but not letting it get the best of you.

"Fine I'll get you one next time babygirl," He said with a smirk and a little playful wink which made you flustered for a quick moment since it was out of character for him to ever call you that, that was always his thing with Penelope. You glanced at Spencer and his gaze seemed frustrated and angry, his knuckles almost turning white as he gripped the coffee cup harder. You couldn't quite read what was on his mind since he never was the best at showing or expressing his emotions. It was clear he was upset maybe jealous even.

"Oh come on now, I'm just playing no need to get all flustered. I'll see you both in the meeting room in ten." He said patting Spencer on the shoulder seeing as he made no comments at all about the interaction.

Before you could try and bounce back from the awkwardness Derek had instilled into your conversation with Spencer this morning felt like it couldn't get any worse until you got a call on your desk phone and you picked up.

"Hey Y/N, I need you to go into the evidence room and bring me a few boxes of evidence. Looks like its so old and outdated that its not in the computer system yet," Penelope explained over the phone.

"Penelope really?! Is it that urgent that it needs to be right now?" You question in a bit of an annoyed tone in your voice being as nothing seemed to be going as planned this morning.

"Yes Y/N it is! Pretty pretty please I won't ask you for any other favors for the whole day I promise," She pleaded and well you couldn't say no to your best friend in the whole department.

"Fine I'll go. Just text me the record box numbers and I'll go get them." You said letting out a breath as you nervously played with phone cord.

"Make sure to bring Spencer or Derek with you. The boxes are pretty heavy and good luck!" She hung up quickly before you could even say another word in protest but you accepted that this was basically defeat at this point.

You put the phone down hanging up and you give Spencer a look that makes him immediately curious. After with whatever just happened with Derek there was no way you were bringing him as a helping hand. You hated to admit it but the evidence room was extremely dark and scary looking to go into by yourself so it put you at ease that maybe Spencer would tag along.

"So...Spencer I need your help to go get some boxes from the evidence room. Are you in?" You ask taking one last sip of the delicious coffee and putting it down.

"Yeah, yeah of course I'll help." He quickly responds without hesitation as he followed your lead around the office and towards the direction of the room.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence between the two of you, he finally broke it the moment you reached your destination.

"I didn't know you and Derek had a 'thing' going on. I just always assumed him and Penelope were more into each other because of that ridiculous petname he calls her which honestly I think is a violation against having a healthy and safe work place environment-" He was fumbling his words as he rambled on about how he just couldn't imagine you and Derek being together.

"If it makes you feel any better Derek and I aren't a 'thing'. We never were. I don't know why he called me babygirl...it felt wrong but I know he was just probably joking with me to get on my nerves or something." You admit as you turn the rusty old doorknob after fussing with the keylock and open the door slowly.

"Wait...really so you aren't into him?" He questions while following your lead into the very lowly lit room that was filled with hundreds of boxes on dusty shelves.

"Make sure to hold the door open or else it will-" You spoke a bit too late because before you knew it you heard the door close and lock behind the both of you.

"-lock us in." You finish your sentence and Spencer looks behind him seeing as the door had really locked you two in there for who knows how long now.

"You should have warned me beforehand."

"How was I suppose to warn you beforehand if you had me distracted with something else?!"

"Jesus now we are stuck in here and Y/N you know how much I hate small dark enclosed spaces! This is literally my worst nightmare right now!" He exclaimed as his breathing seemed to get faster and he put his hand to his chest that was heaving up and down quickly. Spencer was having a panic attack and you weren't sure what to do.

"Hold on Spence, let me just call Penelope I'm sure she can help us." You say quickly fumbling with your phone, trying to put on the flashlight and finding her contact to call her as soon as possible.

"PENELOPE!" You scream into the phone in a panic.

"AH! Y/N why are you screaming into my headpiece right now?!"

"Spencer and I are stuck in the evidence room and he is having a panic attack right now so what do I do?! Can you get us out of here please!" You begged.

"Oh god…ok so this wasn't how this was suppose to go!" She replies back quickly.

"Penelope what are you talking about?! Did you plan this?"

"Well I wasn't planning on the door locking but I wanted to give you the right moment to make your move on Spencer but not like this!"

"Penelope I'm going to seriously unfriend you after this."

"I'm sorry! I'm gonna try and fix this right now just give me a few minutes, I will call you back right away."

"Is everything ok?" Spencer asks in-between quick and heavy breaths now that he has resorted to sitting on the floor while he tries to control his breathing but sadly all the dust and darkness isn't really helping at all and he seemed to be clutching his chest.

"We will get out of here soon, don't worry about that right now, just focus on me Spence." You say sitting in front of him and trying to do something but you didn't know what to do that could help in this situation.

His breathing only got quicker the more he seemed to panic and at that point you got an idea but maybe it was worth the risk of whatever would come afterwards but you decided to just do it anyways.

"Hey! Spencer look at me...just look at me..." Your voice trailed off as you seemed to lean in closer to him, your hands cupping his face, being pricked by his stubble as you made eye contact with him despite the lighting situation.

Without even having to think twice you quickly closed the gap between the both of you and your lips met his. At first he was completely stunned you could tell by his reaction since his teeth seemed to clash with yours but as you both eased into it a wave of relief hit his body and he was completely relaxed. You didn't let go of him only bringing him as close as humanly possible while your lips moved gently against his. Before the both of you almost ran out of breathe you slowly pulled away, his forehead leaning against yours as you were surprised with yourself that you even did something like that to begin with.

Spencer's eyes seemed to be darting everywhere looking at you but then looking all over your entire face, still in shock that you flat out kissed him.

"How...How did you do that?" He whispered out into the small space between you both.

"I-Uh...I read once that holding your breathe can stop a panic attack," You paused for a small moment almost getting lost in his brown eyes as you tried to focus on trying to shamelessly explain yourself.

"So when I kissed you...you held your breathe."

"I-I did?" He asked almost in disbelief that he even had the chance to kiss you.

"Yeah...you did."

"Thanks...you know that's really smart..." His voice trailed off almost echoing but you could help but blush and feeling absolutely flustered by the whole situation.

"Well I just-I read it somewhere and I felt a bit helpless not being able to help you so I thought this must be the only way." You twiddled your thumbs in your lap looking down as you bit your lip, it still tasting of coffee except it seemed more bitter tasting.

"Must be the only way, hmm," He hummed a bit in disbelief at your explanation but he reached his hand out to hold yours and gently squeezed.

"Do you believe now that I definitely don't have a 'thing' with Derek?" You question squeezing his hand right back as you couldn't help but smile at him despite not being able to see him too well in the darkness.

"I don't know I might need you to verify one more time just to make sure." He says with a chuckle coming off his lips.

"Wow you're much cheekier than I thought Spence." You say giggling a bit to yourself.

"You know when we finally get out of here do you maybe want to go to dinner with me sometime? I mean only if you want to-" He was still nervous and somehow stuttered out his sentence but you just pulled him in for a hug and kissed his cheek in the process.

"Yes, I would love that Spence." You say with a smile on your face as you squeeze him tightly in your arms.

Eventually Penelope came to the rescue with a giant crowbar in hand as she pried the door open, breaking the lock in the process. You had never seen Spencer happier to go into the meeting room and go straight to work in his entire life. Now that you both were finally out of the evidence room the next hurdle to jump over was to finally go on your first date with him knowing that it was confirmed that you two both had feelings for each other and it was a plus that he was a really good kisser too.

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

Hello! I loved "A Second Chance" and would like to give you some ideas for a third part:

- Helion attending the birth of his daughter

-Lucien spoiling his little sister

-IC's reaction to seeing Lucien with his little sister

-Helion taking care of his daughter

-Helion's daughter calls Lucien a funny name like Lu or Luci or another funny name

I hope at least one of my ideas inspires you and thank you for writing such beautiful stories.

I'm down to write all of these so if any of them tickle your fancy let me know. Also, we need to come up with a name for the little lady if we will keep this world going. 😌

warning: hard birth, pain, blood.

Second chance III (part IV)

You were nearing your due date and it was starting to show. You were extremely uncomfortable. No matter what you did - stood, sat, laid - it was all uncomfortable so you were constantly turning and moving. And that only made you more tired.

Lucien had taken over most of Helion's work. He had offered one evening when he found you crying in the kitchen quietly because you were missing your husband who had once again been held up in a meeting. Stress wasn't good at this stage of pregnancy and so Lucien was determined to take all the negative triggers away.

So the two of them had mastered the art of taking care of you. There was no one they trusted more than one another when it came to you. So if not Helion, then Lucien was with you and visa-versa.

You had woken up extremely uneasy this morning. You couldn't put a finger as to what felt off but it was unsettling. You brushed it off to the fact that Helion wasn't in bed. That man barely slept lately. You had scolded him about it but even if he agreed you knew that not much was going to change. Rubbing your hands over your now big bump you made your way downstairs. Multiple servants greeted you but you brushed them off. The last thing you needed was to feel cornered by them now.

Lucien was sitting in the living room. A cup in his hand as he read some document. You let out a sigh of discomfort as you wobbled down the stairs. Hating the change of gravity in your body. Within a blink of an eye, Lucian was out of his chair, walking your way.

"How are we feeling this morning?", he had given up on trying to convince you to take it easy by now. "Like there's a head between my legs", Lucien's eyes widened as he looked at you and you couldn't help but chuckle slightly, "There's no head there... yet. Just feeling tight all over". The relief washed over Lucien as he walked you closer to the sofa but you stopped midway.

"Come on a walk with me. I need to move my body", you held onto his hand but you can see the disapproval on his face. "Let me at least warm up your back for a bit, it'll soothe the ache", oh that you could have moaned in delight at. Lucien's fire fingers had been a true blessing. Your back had given up on you mid-pregnancy. You couldn't move because it was too much strain for your body but not moving was not healthy too. So Lucien had turned into your massage expert, his warm fingers digging into the sore muscles in your hack. Oh, that fanthom heat lingering even with him not being present.

"After the walk. I just feel disgusting", you muttered, you moved one of your hands beneath your bump to give it that extra support. Lucien nodded, wrapping a supportive arm around your lower back and taking your hand with his free one. You flashed him a smile as you felt the warmth from him seeping into your body.

You two had grown closer through the months. You already saw him as your son and the fact that he had turned to you multiple times when he needed help with dates and things regarding Elain made your heart fluster. He had called you mother once. It was the heat of the moment because he had found you nearly climbing the linen closet for a baby blanket. But there was such pure concern there. You had cupped his face softly after, promising him that you weren't mad and that in his own time, he was more than welcome to call you his mom.

The gardens were in full bloom. Helion was constantly saying that his daughter was going to be the most beautiful little flower girl if she chose to enter the world in the mid-bloom season. That itself made you lean more towards the names that associated with different flowers. It felt fitting. But you two hadn't fully decided. Wanted to see her first before granting her a name she would have to carry for the rest of her life.

The fresh air instantly made you feel better. The warm sun helped too, even if it didn't stand a chance against Lucien's warmth. His steps were slow as he walked with you. The tightness in your stomach made you still as you huffed slightly. Lucien instantly held onto you firmer. "I'm fine just... your sister is scheming something", you rubbed at the painfully tight skin, waiting for the muscles to ease. "I pray she won't be as stubborn as Eris at least", Lucien muttered making you smile. The oldest Vanserra had become rather frequent visitor as well. Sure the family line there was thin but he was happy for Lucien and well also just as desperate for a girl to enter that bloodline. Now you had two rather abandoned foxes roaming your house.

"As if you aren't stubborn yourself, fireheart", you teased him. Lucien rolled his eyes, "If you're comparing me to yourself, I'm dead last", you playfully slapped his arm. Until another wave of pain shoots through you making you hold onto Lucien stronger. Just this tightness was accompanied by a light pop and then a warm liquid trickling down your legs. It damped the deep green sleeping gown that you were wearing indicating to Lucien just what was happening.

"Lu...", you muttered in fear, suddenly it was all too real. This baby was coming and you, you would have to push her out. There was no backing down now. "Breath through it", he said calmly, sensing the panic within you, "Just focus on breathing now", his strong arms quickly reached to pick you up, carefully rushing back inside where the chaos quickly spiked.

You had no clue how long you had been moaning in pain, hair damp with sweat, sheets ripped from all the pulling you had been doing. Helio hadn't returned yet meaning that you were more than worried especially because you couldn't reach him through the bond. But Lucien was there, snarling at any healer who tried to usher him out of the room, "You focus on your part, I'll focus on mine", he barked at them.

"What if he's dead?", you cried out as another contraction ripped through your body, "Mom...", Lucien pleaded, "Father is not dead. He got held up by some stupid fuck", he placed a cold damp cloth onto your forehead softly, "He's going to be here. He won't miss this for life". You looked up into his soft eyes, which had been monitoring you ever since he carried you to your chambers.

Your screams filled Helion's ears and he had never run up the stairs faster in his life. Shoving past the guards as he yanked the door open. The meeting he got urgently swept into was a trap. He and Rhys took care of it. There was no threat now just the fact that he had missed the start of this was already eating at him.

Healers were urging you to push but he could tell from the cries leaving your lips that you were losing your strength. Helion quickly rounded the corner. Lucien was holding onto you. One arm wrapped around your back as he tried to save you from the struggle of pulling yourself up for every push. His fingers were nearly purple from how tight you were gripping them but the boy said nothing, only watching you with concerned eyes. His gaze met Helion's and the male could see a wave of relief washing over him.

Quickly coming to your side, Helion too draped his arm over your shoulder, before reaching for your free hand that was aimlessly wrapped around the pillow. "Helion", you cried out, "I'm here my light, I'm with you now. I'm sorry I wasn't there to start with", his lips left a couple of warm kisses at the side of your head. He didn't care about all of the sweat. None of that mattered. All he cared about was for you two to be safe.

Just life had other plans. You were growing weaker with every push but the baby just didn't want to come. Helion had fully taken the place behind your back now, but Lucien still held your hand, now focusing on changing the cold cloth. Your head lulled back after yet another push. Helion's praises filled your ears but they barely reached you now. The healer looked among themselves quickly, worry so evident on their faces.

The two males caught onto that quickly. "What is it?", Helion asked, chest growling tight as the worst fear slowly unfolded in front of him. They said nothing for some time until Lucien practically roared, "Speak! This involves my mother and my sister, speak!", the females flinched.

"The baby... baby might be breached", one of them muttered, "Lady, is also losing a lot of blood we need to speed this up". Helion's face drained of color. If he was going to lose you... If you were going to... Lucien noticed the change of mood in the room. Your sobs were threatening too, "I can't do this", you moaned. But Lucien refused to let that settle in. He had already lost so much. Been robbed of so much.

He clasped the back of Helion's neck tightly, bringing his father closer to him so their eyes met, "Scrap whatever that's going in your head now. She needs you alert and strong", Helion's eyes took flame at those words. With a quick nod, he turned back at you. The two of them pulled you up. The healer wanted you on your knees at least. The help of gravity was just one more factor they wanted to use to their advantage.

Helion was now firmly supporting your weight as you squatted between his legs, screaming at the top of your lungs as you pushed. Lucien more than even wished that he could do more than just soothe some of the pain with his fire. With so many healers all around you now he couldn't ever hold your hand.

"It's working, I feel the baby", one of the healers said. "Come on, dearest, I know you can do this", Helion muttered into your ear, "You'll get to hold her soon. She'll be right here". You gritted your teeth as you pulled the last bits of strength from your body. Pushing and pushing, till everything around you turned into an unrecognizable blur.

All until a cry pierced the room. A strong cry of someone who had just been robbed of a never-ending warmth and brought into this way cooler room. "What a set of strong lungs", the healer quickly wrapped the babe into the blanket. Helion moved to kiss the side of your head, and shoulders, bringing your palm to his lips as happy tears ran down his cheeks, "I'm so proud of you, thank you, thank you", he muttered. Just you said nothing, he didn't feel a breath of relief leaving your lips. Pulling you slightly to the side in hopes of catching your eyes, Helion felt your head slip off his shoulder. Bile rose in his throat and the chaos erupted once more.

Healers were all around you, no one was answering Helion's questions. Lucien pushed closer to the bed that you were once again dragged onto. The sight of blood all over the bed made him feel sick. He wondered if any of this by any chance could be normal. He tried to pull all the stories Feyre had shared about her births. Nothing matched up except the time she almost died.

Someone quickly shoved a bundle of material into his arms. Lucien could hear Helion shouting your name. More females rushed through the door, he caught a glimpse of Madja among them. Then a light sniff caught his attention. Lucien carefully moved the side of the material. And here in his arms laid the most beautiful baby he had ever laid eyes on. Her big eyes scarcely looked at him with cheeks still bright pink from all the crying. So Lucien pressed her closer to his chest, slipping out of the room and taking her away from all of the chaos.

[literary-motif]

Hiiiii love your work I was wondering if you could write an Isaac sicfic where pickle is under the weather it’s okay if that bit up your alley still love your work ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Take Care

Isaac Rhoades x Reader

You sneezed again, holding on to the bookcase as you nearly fell down the ladder. Isaac was not joking when he said your first week would be the hardest. There was dust everywhere, being a while since he had bothered cleaning the less eye-catching places, such as the top shelves. 

“You’re not sick already, are you?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe to watch you work. He took another sip of his coffee — his third today at least — and narrowed his eyes at you. 

“It’s the dust,” you lied. 

Truthfully, you had been fine when you woke up this morning. You shot up in bed well before sunrise, drenched in sweat from your nightmare, and decided to make the most of the extra time as you felt it impossible to fall back asleep. 

The eerie peacefulness before dawn, when you knew the world was still asleep and time seemed to tick by very slowly, immediately put you at ease, allowing you to wake up properly as you sipped on your tea with honey and tried to get rid of the itch in your throat. Thinking up a list of tasks for today, you decided that you had put off dusting long enough. 

As noon passed and the sun took its course in the sky, the tell-tale signs of a cold had hit you like a bus. It started with a headache, which was more annoying than anything else as you worked. Then, the pain in your throat had worsened, causing you to cough and disrupt the dust you were trying to wipe away. The house had grown cold, and your energy had steadily depleted until you felt utterly terrible.

Asking Isaac for a day off was out of the question. 

You had just started working for him and the embarrassment of telling him you were sick and needed time off already, when he had told you before that you should look after yourself to ensure that would not happen, was simply too much for you. 

No, you were stubborn. You would tough this out, hiding your feverish shivers and hacking coughs from him to make sure he was not disappointed already — to make sure he didn’t reevaluate the idea of taking you in and giving you the most stable life you had ever had because he saw you as an inconvenience after all. Most of all, you did not want to be a burden to him, and if working through a fever and the spinning in your head as you dusted the bookshelf was what it took, then so be it. 

“Are you sick?” Isaac asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He set his cup down on the coffee table, plucking the cloth from your hands a moment later and resting his cold hand against your forehead. You suppressed a sigh at the feeling, the coldness soothing you immediately. “You’re burning up,” he sighed. 

“I’m fine,” you said, reaching for the cloth. He held it out of reach for you. “I can work. I’m fine. This is nothing, I’ve had worse.”

He shook his head. “I don’t care. There is no reason for you to clean when you are not well. I want you to be healthy when you work for me, so go to bed and rest. The dust won’t go anywhere.”

“But—” you tried to argue, only to be cut off by a coughing fit. Your eyes watered at the dryness of your throat. You turned away from him, wiping away the tears escaping your eyes without permission.

Isaac put a hand on your arm, fighting against his instinct to draw back as he felt you tense. “Here,” he said instead, handing you a glass of water. 

You could only nod in thanks, downing it in the hopes that it would soothe the scratching feeling in your throat. “Thanks,” you croaked after the coughing had subsided, silently cursing fate for having him here to witness it. “I’m—”

“I said I don’t care,” he interrupted you, taking the glass and looking at you sternly, leaving no room for disobedience. “I don’t care if you think you’re fine. I will not have you working if you’re sick, so go to bed and rest. I don’t want to see you running around again today.”

You hung your head. “Alright,” you said defeated, reaching for the cleaning supplies only for Isaac to take hold of your wrist.

“I will take care of it,” he said, “go.”

His tone sounded so harsh and dismissive. You tried to shake the feeling of being a complete failure as you walked up the stairs, convinced that this was it and you would be fired in the morning. Why he had taken a chance on you was beyond the reasonable anyway. It must have been a lapse of judgment, and Isaac would surely realize this now. 

You got into bed, throwing on one of the comfortable sweaters he had bought you and resting against the soft pillows. Nothing distracted you from your feverish thoughts now, so you stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to wash over you. 

This would be the last time you got to sleep in this bed, the last time you could curl up under the comforter as you nuzzled your face into the pillows. You sighed, closing your eyes. You could pretend the silent tears running down your face were from the fever. 

“Pickle?” You sat up with a start, shaking off the hand on your shoulder immediately as you looked at the figure leaning over you with wide eyes. “Sorry,” Isaac said, raising his hands placatingly, showing you he was not a threat. “How are you feeling?”

You laid back, exhaling deeply as your heartbeat calmed. “Fine,” you said, grimacing at his disapproving look. “Better, I mean. A little better.”

“Can you sit up?” he asked, tucking an extra pillow behind your back, assuring you were comfortable as you leaned against the headboard. “Here,” he said, placing a tray on your lap, “I made you Okayu.”

Your gaze flickered between him and the rice porridge. “You didn’t have to,” you said confused, taking the cup of green tea he pressed into your hand and sipping on it as he looked at you expectantly. “Did you add ginger?”

“I did,” Isaac said, giving you a small smile as he placed his hand on your forehead to check your temperature. “She— This is what my mother used to make when I got sick.”

You handed the cup back to him, and Isaac placed it on your bedside table, waiting for you to eat. “I’m sorry,” you said, looking down at the rice, “I didn’t mean to inconvenience you.”

Isaac scoffed. “It’s not your fault you’re sick,” he said, cocking his head to the side as he sighed. “It just happens sometimes. It’s natural.”

“Yeah, still,” you said, slowly digging into the rice, “I wanted to get the broad cleaning done this week and now I can’t. I mean, I could if you’d let me. It’s just a cold, after all.”

He rolled his eyes at your insistence. “You have a fever. You’re not doing anything, “he said, narrowing his eyes at the downturn of your lips. “We’ll see how you feel tomorrow.” You hummed in agreement. “Regardless, you’ll have plenty of time to clean. There’s no need to rush. I’ll be needing you for a long while still, I suppose.”

“Promise?” you said, only half teasing as you finished your rice. You could not tell how he figured out what bothered you, but you were grateful for his perceptiveness. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but his reassurance was sweet nonetheless.

Isaac chuckled, taking away the tray and placing a wet cloth over your forehead as you lay down again. “I promise. Rest now, Pickle.”

“Pickle, huh?”

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Yuri posting time. These are ships I personally vibe with from what I post about on here.

Higuchi and Gin (BSD): Okay, I'm not sure I can really explain this properly because it's so entwined with the plot of a particular fic I've been wanting to write about them, and I don't really want to spoil where it goes too much? Basically, I love the potential of two characters who (it's implied) got involved with dangerous work for the sake of their siblings. Higuchi's idealized view of romance contrasts with Gin's survival mentality (which is similar to Akutagawa's). At the same time, Higuchi gives Gin opportunities to express different sides of herself. They both work for the sake of others. Okay, so canonically, there isn't a lot there, because there is little exploration of the themes of BSD through these two characters, unfortunately. But, with a combination of "what if I explored the themes through these characters", some influence from O-Gin and Higuchi-sensei's works, and a touch of my own personal brand of "fuck it, we ball, and see where it rolls", I think there's a lot of fun things you can pull at.

Higuchi and Tsujimura (BSD): Not a long-term relationship. They're best friends who had a brief fling and then decided to remain friends. To me.

Wells and Sasaki (BSD): Absolute crack ship that I have not stopped thinking about since you suggested it @lucythejudge. It's so funny.

Meryl and Milly (Trigun): !!! THEM!!! AUGH! They spent!!! Eight months navigating the apocalypse together!!! Milly's smile and presence is enough to help Meryl out of her dark thoughts! Milly is unable to sleep when Meryl is in danger! Milly challenges Vash and Wolfwood when they try to stop her from rescuing Meryl! Meryl has complete faith in Milly to intervene when she has a literal contract killer pointing a gun at her head!!! They're always at each other's sides! THEY!

Coco and Agott (WHA): They give me slight killugon vibes (also maybe lumity - but I've never actually watched owl house unfortunately). Cute and pure. I hope they continue to inspire each other. :)

Theta and Morena (HxH): Saw art for this once. They haven't even interacted. But still, my brain thinks about it and goes ohohohoho

Ann and Shiho (P5R): Ahhh... they want to be strong for each other... avenging Shiho was Ann's reason for awakening... ahhhhhh

Ann and Mika (P5R): I just think Ann's canonical admiration for women who are mean is incredibly funny and so real. Get her a mean girlfriend.

Makoto and Hifumi (P5R): Okay, they hit it off immediately and also I want to see how intense they get over a game of shogi. Everyone quietly backing away from them... lmao. Also I think it's nice because Makoto could understand Hifumi's struggles with expectation and wanting to help her family, and Hifumi offers a familiar setting (intellectual, strategic) with opportunities for Makoto to expand her understanding as well as form a solid connection. They should be best friends at least!

Bonus:

This idea I had for a fucked up polycule that never actually becomes a polycule and is literally just Yosano, Wells, and Mary all being needed for some kind of research, with a stressed Tsujimura as their supervisor. There is... some kind of tension happening amidst the often inadvisable scientific decisions being made. No sex or romance actually ever occurs but there are conversations that sound suspiciously like flirting that usually end in Yosano gleefully hacking at something or someone in her temporary office, Mary nearly downing the entire grid because she diverted all the power to her latest project that then promptly exploded, or Wells vanishing then abruptly and calmly reappearing minutes later with no explanation except "the world will survive another day". Tsujimura is about ready to tear her hair out. The cat thief drops in sporadically to cause extra chaos. This too, is yuri.

[x-neurodivergent-reader]

Adoration Equation (Loki x Autistic!Reader w/ Dyscalculia)

Anon’s request: “Could you possibly do 'Loki with a S/O who has dyscalculia?' (And also autism, if you're comfortable with including more than one?) Perhaps they're on a mission and split up from the others, only for the reader to find themselves in a situation where math is involved (Idk, maybe a keypad equation to open something?), and Loki had no idea about their dyscalculia until right then?”

Summary: You and Loki started dating recently, but as seeing you struggle with a seemingly simple part of a mission will show him, there are still some things about you that he doesn’t know.

A/N: I don't have dyscalculia myself (I did research it, but that's not the same as experiencing it), so please let me know if any of my descriptions of it aren’t accurate, so I can revise them. Apart from that, enjoy!

The reader here is gender-neutral.

Content warnings: Slight insecurity from the reader.

The hallways of the facility you were infiltrating were silent, save for the distant sounds of gunfire and crashing as your teammates fought through anyone who attacked them, to allow you and Loki the chance to get to the main office. The USB stick that would be used to hack into one of the computers and download classified information about the organisation’s plans, along with the ID card you swiped from a higher-up earlier, felt heavy in your pocket, as you stayed alert to avoid anything that could compromise your mission.

You and Loki found that you worked together quite well in the field. Your respective skills matched up nicely, he made sure to communicate clearly with you, and you were often on the same wavelength. It was no wonder that the two of you would be grouped together for this mission – nor, perhaps, that you had become a couple about a month previously.

Just as you were about to turn down the next corridor, Loki stopped you, gently guiding you behind him as he checked around the corner for any guards. His eyebrows creased after a moment, as he slowly walked further down the hall, tentatively giving you the gesture you had both agreed on to follow him.

Surprisingly, despite the door to your destination being in sight, there were no soldiers near it.

“The coast looks clear.” You murmured, just audible enough for your partner to hear you.

“But why…?” He inquired, seemingly listening out for anyone trying to sneak up on you both. “Why would they not guard somewhere so important?”

You looked around for any hidden cameras, and sure enough, you saw a few – one at each end of the hall, and another that seemed to be embedded in the office door. You lightly tapped Loki’s arm, and silently pointed them out to him.

“They might be planning an ambush.” You whispered.

Loki nodded in response, before summoning a small pellet of green magic, and throwing it at one of the cameras at the end of the hall. Before you could process it, he turned, shooting another at the camera in the door and, finally, at the side of the corridor you had arrived from.

A thick silence fell over you both, knowing that someone was bound to come for you now that the cameras had been destroyed. Sure enough, you both heard footsteps, soon followed by a small group of soldiers rounding the corner in front of you, weapons ready to attack.

Being the seasoned warrior he is, Loki immediately had a plan.

“I’ll take care of them,” he murmured to you, “you open the door.”

“Right.” You agreed, turning back to the direction you were heading in, while Loki dove into battle behind you.

Approaching the door, you took out the stolen card, and looked around for a machine on the wall with a slot to slide it through. Your eyes stopped when you saw what appeared to be exactly that, except it had something extra alongside the card slot.

It was a keypad. You hoped that, perhaps, there would be a code on the card that you could enter without too much trouble – but when you used the card as required, the screen on the device lit up with an equation, an extra security protocol that had to be solved to enter the room.

‘Shit…’ You thought, a sense of dread starting to rise within you, as your mind blocked out the sounds of the fight happening nearby. You realised that this was going to be much harder for you than you had expected, if not outright impossible.

Regardless, you read the calculation, hoping it would be simple enough that you could at least make an attempt at it, perhaps by counting on your fingers. You just hoped that you could get it done before Loki finished fighting…

"8 x 2 x 5 + 750 =”

…and, not knowing where to even start in comprehending this, your mind immediately drew a blank.

‘Shit!’ You thought again, your panic increasing with the knowledge that you were absolutely not going to be able to do this part of the mission.

You weren’t sure of what to do now, the pressure from not being able to act on the job making you feel on edge. Should you help Loki finish his fight? Would he be mad at you for not opening the door? Would he think less of you for not being able to? Why did nobody check to see that this was how it needed to be opened-?!

Your train of thought was interrupted when a hand reached in front of you, catching you off-guard and almost causing you to attack on instinct, until you realised that it was Loki, having already finished his fight. You chanced a brief glance at his face – he wasn’t looking at you, focused on reading the equation, but his brows were downturned, like he was either confused or annoyed by your lack of action. You deeply hoped it wasn’t the latter.

Loki entered the answer into the keypad almost immediately, and the door slid open, revealing the dimly-lit office. The one window in the back wall seemed to pour daylight over the desk with the computer you needed to use, immediately drawing your attention to it like a spotlight on a stage.

Your partner stepped aside, silently gesturing for you to enter the room first, so you could use the USB and finish the job. Avoiding his gaze, you practically speed walked into the room, still feeling self-conscious about what had just happened – you hoped the download wouldn’t take long enough for the subject to be brought up sooner, rather than later.

You pressed the button on the monitor that lit up the screen, and plugged the USB into the tower next to it, the device releasing a virus that automatically broke into the computer’s security details, and collected the necessary information for you.

“We’re in.” you told Loki, as he approached the desk. The adrenaline from the mission up to that point caught up to you, and you cautiously decided to slouch in the chair until the download was complete. “Tony said it should take about five minutes, if no one interrupts us.”

Loki nodded, giving a small hum of acknowledgement. You still didn’t have the courage to look at him yet, but were at least grateful that he wasn’t admonishing you. You were dealing with enough mixed feelings about the situation as is, particularly with regards to whether you should have told him about your dyscalculia before all of this. Especially since you were now in a relationship with him, you were starting to feel guilty about not bringing it up.

“Do you have trouble with maths, by any chance?” Loki’s voice broke through the silence. His tone of voice was neutral, giving little indication as to what he was feeling.

Your leg started to bounce as you stared at the screen, internally cursing the fact that this conversation was, indeed, happening already. You still couldn’t tell whether he was mad at you – you never were the best at telling how people were feeling, especially when they were this subtle – and that fact, combined with the previous issue with the keypad, made you start to feel slightly frustrated. You felt like you couldn’t figure anything out today.

“Yeah, I…” You spoke under your breath, leaning forward to further avoid Loki’s gaze. You rested your forearms on your legs, one of which still jiggled as a nervous stim. Given that there was no other explanation, and you could never successfully lie to your partner about this, you supposed you might as well tell the truth. “…my autism isn’t the only, uh… neurodivergence I have. I also have a learning disability called dyscalculia. It basically makes it a lot more difficult for me to understand maths and numbers than it would be for most people. It doesn't matter if it's equations, telling the time, reading maps... I’ve just never been able to really comprehend it.”

Loki stepped forward, and placed a hand on your shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. His voice was quiet as he spoke. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

You knew that he most likely felt guilty for unknowingly making you do something you weren’t able to, but the gentle tone in his voice made your stomach churn. You couldn’t help worrying that he was looking down on you, whether he meant to or not.

“I didn’t want you to think less of me for it.” You admitted. “I mean, look at how quickly you solved that keypad. It barely took you any effort! You’re one of the smartest people I know, and…” You finally looked up at your partner, seeing how his face softened at the implication, and you moved your hand to cover his, giving the same reassurance he offered you. “…I don’t necessarily think that I’m stupid for it, but I’m not always sure that other people will feel the same, especially since I joined a team full of people who can do maths so easily. I didn’t want you to think that I’m stupid, just because my brain works like this.”

You glanced back at the computer screen, seeing that the USB was close to finishing its download. You sat up against the chair, and let Loki’s hand move to hold yours.

“Darling,” he squeezed your hand, grounding you, “your dyscalculia doesn’t change how I feel about you. It would be preposterous for anyone to judge your intelligence based on a learning disability – you don’t need to be able to do everything to be worthy of respect.”

Loki looked at the computer screen, and with his gaze away from you, you took a moment to watch the way the monitor’s light emphasised the blue in his eyes. You wondered if he ever noticed that when there was no risk of eye contact, you couldn’t help admiring them, no matter how briefly.

“I love every part of you,” he continued, and your breath caught in your chest at what was his first explicit confession of love towards you, “and this is no exception. I simply wish I had known not to put you in that situation before. I’m sorry for causing you stress by doing so.”

“It’s okay.” You grinned up at him, your body relaxing at the knowledge that there was nothing to worry about. “We’ll know to have me be the one to kick their asses next time.”

Loki chuckled under his breath, looking back at you with that sweet, lovestruck smile, reserved only for you.

In front of you, the download window on the computer screen disappeared, signifying that it was complete. You stood up from the desk chair, pushing it backwards on its wheels while you disconnected the USB and stuffed it back into your pocket, and zipped it to ensure it wouldn't get lost.

You then turned to Loki, and gave him a quick yet heartful kiss on the lips. When you pulled away, he gave you that cheeky smirk that you adored so much.

“I love you, too.” You confessed sincerely, before you both made your way to the office doors, ready to face any threats that may wait on the other side together. “Now let’s finish this.”

[dangraccoon]

Foolish

Day 22 ~ bleeding through bandages ~ "oh, that's not good" ~

Cody

Word Count: 2418 Content: blood, mild gore, injury, blood loss, coughing up blood, ignoring medical advice, cody is oblivious to obi-wan's very obvious feelings, description of removing shrapnel from one's own wounds

A harsh cough clawed its way through his lungs and up his throat. He covered his mouth with his arm as he hacked. Pulling it away–once he felt as though he could actually breathe again–he saw the little red flecks.

Clone Marshal Commander Cody, Commander of the 7th Sky Corps and the renowned 212th Attack Battalion was not a fool. He wasn’t stupid enough not to notice when he was injured, nor was he unaware of the extent of his injuries. He was a big believer in getting help–especially of the medical variety–when needed.

But that did not stop Cody from having a to-do list that would span from Kamino to Mandalore to get through with relative speed. It did not stop his need to ensure that the medics had enough help and could save the brothers who were worse off. 

No, he would seek their medics out soon–the pain in his side would force him onto an exam table whether he liked it or not–but right now there were more pressing things for him to worry about.

“Patch, do you have enough hands for triage?” he asked, tapping away at his datapad.

“Yes, sir,” his chief medical officer nodded. “And we’ve got shinies earning their first aid stripes as we speak.”

“Good. Send the status list as soon as you’ve got it. How are our supplies?”

“They’re holding for now. Probably going to need a restock next run ashore.”

“Understood. Have those shinies keep a running inventory if they’ve got nothing else to do.”

“Are you injured, sir?” Patch said, eyeing the commander.

His CMO knew him a bit too well. “Nothing that can’t wait or I can’t wrap on my own, Patch,” he said with a well-practiced ease.

Patch’s eyes narrowed skeptically. “Your personal kit stocked, or did you need an extra roll of bandages?”

“I’ve got my own,” he waved him off, starting to head off to his next task. “You’d need them more anyway.”

After he’d checked in with a few other officers–hiding his grimace behind his helmet–he finally found himself in his office, blessedly alone.

He groaned as he went through the practiced motions of removing his armor, biting the inside of his cheek as he pulled away the soaked fabric of his undersuit. Trying to position himself in a good way to see how those few minuscule fragments worked their way into his skin punched the air out of his lungs. His hand pressed against his side as he fought until his breath returned.

“Kriff,” he hissed as he opened his desk drawer. He found the small jar he’d been looking for, scowling as he opened it. He was running shorter on bacta than he realized. 

He angled the lid of the canister to get a better look at his wounds. He would say that most of his good ideas were executed on the battlefield, but he was decently impressed with himself about affixing a small mirror to the bacta container. 

He pulled at his aching flesh near the wound. He could just see the sharp, twisted bits of metal that were making themselves at home in the scarred skin of his abdomen. 

Leaning back across the desk, he huffed out a quiet “damn it” as he strained to reach into the bottom drawer. His hand finally found purchase on the handle, sliding it open to reveal the contraband he sought.

Half a smirk pulled at his lips as he grabbed the neck of the bottle of ship-made moonshine. 

He’d known about the still some of Ghost Company had set up in their quarters and while it was obviously against regulations, Cody couldn’t care less about it. He’d told them as much once they found out he knew. As long as they didn’t report for duty drunk and the still itself didn’t explode, how much harm could it reasonably do?

Right now, however, Cody was grateful for it as he pulled his knife from his belt. Boil and Waxer might’ve given him a share in a fancy bottle they’d swiped from the garbage at 79s, but the stuff still could burn the hair off a loth cat. He twisted off the cap, pouring it over his knife. It was going to sting like a bitch, but he could rationalize not taking up the medics’ time for something he could easily do himself.

He leaned back into the awkward position he needed to access those damned pieces of shrapnel. He pressed his finger against one fragment’s edge, pinching it between his fingernail and the side of his knife.

He breathed in deeply, then out and pulled, hissing at the slight tearing he inflicted on himself.

He pulled the other three pieces out with relative ease, then slathered the open wounds with bacta and wrapped his abdomen with bandages tight.

He shook his head a little, trying to clear the residual adrenaline from his mind, then went about cleaning up. He dropped his torn undersuit shirt down the recycling chute, put his supplies back in their spots, and pulled open another drawer in his desk to retrieve one of the shirts from the extra sets of blacks he had stashed.

Once he put his armor on and his blacks covered the arching wound, he finally felt as though he could go about his business as usual.

He was only able to check two more tasks from his list before he wandered into the one person he knew he couldn’t fool.

“Ah, there you are, Commander,” General Kenobi smiled warmly. “I’ve traversed half the ship looking for you.”

“Apologies, sir,” he said simply. He may not have been a fool, but Cody knew he was a terrible liar. He couldn’t lie badly if he didn’t say anything about it at all.

Anyone else wouldn’t have noticed the slight shift in the way Kenobi eyed him, but Cody knew better; he saw the minuscule falter in that charming smile, the way the curiosity in his eyes deepened with suspicion.

Cody didn’t drop the polite smile he’d affixed to his face, even as he could feel the nearly imperceptible whisper of his general’s inspection of him through the Force.

“Yes, well,” Kenobi continued. “I believe we have a debrief to go over and a strategy meeting to attend. Shall we?”

“Yes, sir,” Cody nodded, walking side by side with his general.

“Have the medics finished their headcount?” the general asked. Cody knew where he was going with this, but he supposed playing dumb was the only reasonable course of action.

“Yes, sir. Got the report a few minutes ago,” he said, pulling the list up on his datapad, and handing it over to him. “Two men were lost, and most others had minimal injuries. The worst cases have already been taken care of, and that new batch of shinies have patched up practically everyone else.”

“The worst cases have been taken care of,” Kenobi repeated, his countenance was soft and friendly, but made of durasteel. Here came the hit. “I suppose that explains why only the top half of your undersuit is clean, why you reek of bacta and that still Boil and Waxer think I don’t know about, and why you’re so protective of your left side, to the point where you’re walking on my left.”

“Observant as always, General,” Cody hummed. 

“Yes, I seem to be getting better at reading your tells, haven’t I?” he deadpanned. “Why didn’t you see Patch?”

Cody almost sighed. “Patch isn’t hurting for patients, and as I said, it’s been taken care of.”

“And you think I’m concerned about our medic keeping busy in the middle of a war?” Kenobi nearly growled. The mask was slipping. “Cody–”

“There is nothing to be concerned about, sir.”

“Oh, I’d beg to differ,” Kenobi snarked with a glare.

“I’m a grown man, General Kenobi, I can take care of myse–”

Before he could finish the sentence, Kenobi grabbed his arm, dragging him behind the closing doors to his side. He pinned Cody between himself and the back wall of a storage closet.

Cody was not a fool, but he could admit where his statements may have been… ill-advised. And given the way Kenobi scowled at him, he was certain he was about to hear a list of all the ways he’d fucked up that conversation.

“I know you can take care of yourself, Cody,” Kenobi scolded. “But I am concerned about you, whether you feel I should be or not. I want to be concerned about you!”

Cody may have been a fool. He struggled to process what his general might actually be admitting to as he continued.

“It makes me crazy when you tend to your own wounds because it means that no one knows how hurt you actually are,” Kenobi huffed in a humorless laugh. “And then you pretend as though nothing even happened? I know you were too close to those grenades, I know you were hit, and I know you forgot to clean your vambrace.”

His vam–…oh. Oh, right. Damn.

“You preach to our men about accepting help when it is needed yet after every battle, the second you can hide away in that office of yours and ‘take care of it’ before anyone can call you on your hypocrisy! Maker, Cody, just– just let someone care about you.” 

Cody was definitely a fool. 

Kenobi’s shoulders rose and fell with the short huffs he breathed as he recovered from his outburst. He finally pushed himself upright and out of Cody’s space to turn away from him, and Cody missed the proximity immediately.

Kenobi’s eyes slid shut as he took a deep breath.

“Apologies, Commander,” he said after what felt like a small eternity, his voice still with the edges of his anger. “That was an… inappropriate outburst. Please, see the medics about your injuries before they get any worse. Don’t have me make it an order.”

The general was about to open the door when Cody stepped toward him. 

“General, I’m s–” he was interrupted by a harsh cough, worse than the one he’d forgotten to clean up after before, his arm coming up to break the expelled air once more.

“Cody?” Kenobi said, all the previous frustrated tone vanished.

Cody continued to fight his own lungs for the ability to breathe again. Something wasn’t right. His right arm wrapped around his side to put pressure on those jagged little cuts. Hints of the syllables he tried to pronounce came out in gasps. “Ca– can’t–” he stammered. The coughing subsided, but the breathlessness persisted.

As Kenobi began to come to his side to support him, Cody tried to grasp at one of the shelves, his right hand painting it with that rich red that he could feel leaking from his side.

“Oh, that’s not good,” Kenobi hissed, hauling Cody against his side. “You’re going to the medbay, now.”

As they moved, Cody’s feet stumbling below him, Kenobi barked orders into his comm. Patch and another medic met them partway with a gurney, Patch muttering some sarcastic remark about not needing a medic that Cody couldn’t quite parse out as the oxygen mask slipped over his face.

He should be focusing on the steady supply of that precious gas being pushed into his lungs, but all he could seem to notice was Kenobi.

His general moved with them of course, taking in all the information Patch rattled off, offering his own insights when Cody didn’t answer. 

“He’s losing a lot of blood,” the other medic called as they arrived in the medbay. Fluke, his brain supplied his name.

Patch had run off for specific supplies as Fluke pulled away the armor in his way, throwing it carelessly behind him. He didn’t hesitate to cut away the flexible midsection of his kit, nor the black undersuit beneath it.

“Kriff,” he hissed as Patch came back with a scanner. “Patch he used bacta, he’s already knitting back up.”

“Damnit,” Patch snarled. “How far’s it gone?”

“Maybe 60, 70 percent.”

“Kriff. Cody, we’ll need to open your chest if this scan shows you missed one of the frags.”

Cody had just enough presence of mind to roll his eyes.

“And I thought 16-year-old Anakin was stubborn,” Kenobi snarked, but his voice held just a slight shake that should have rattled Cody. “He looks like he’s going to pass o–”

“–at’s fine. – have to kno– –yway.”

—

Then Cody opened his eyes. He knew he was in the medbay. He must not have gotten all of that shrapnel like he thought he had. He knew he must’ve been in a tank after they got it out if the way he smelled was any indication. He knew that he’d be berated by Patch–he supposed it was a slight comfort that Fluke was new enough that he didn’t quite have the nerves to growl at stubborn COs, though he was sure he’d find his way soon–and by the General.

“Welcome back,” the General said from his side, nearly startling him.

“General,” he croaked in greeting. He moved to sit up but hissed as his side ached. “Guess I… missed a piece?”

“Two, actually.” Kenobi watched his struggle with a slightly bemused smile. “I don’t suppose you’ve learned any lessons, have you?”

Cody huffed out what could generously be called a chuckle. “Me? Never, sir.”

Despite his exasperation, Kenobi smiled as he shook his head in disbelief. “Before the war, for a decade, I was sure it was raising Anakin that would send me to an early grave.”

“Bit of a handful, sir?”

“Cody, stop trying to talk,” Kenobi smirked. “Your throat’s probably killing you right about now and we don’t need you to make it worse.”

Cody would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought of sticking his tongue out in protest.

“I know better now,” the general continued. “No, what’s going to kill me is you. And your crazy brothers.”

The haze of anesthesia and bacta still clouded his mind, so Cody, very smartly said “What?”

Kenobi chuckled. “It won’t be the war that kills me, my dear,” he hummed. “It’ll be the stress of worrying over you, you foolish man.”

Cody felt his face and neck heat.

“I care for you, Cody,” the general whispered, gently taking Cody’s hand in his. “Quite deeply.”

Cody blinked as he struggled to put the words together. “You… about me?”

Kenobi smiled, warming Cody’s face even more. “Perhaps we’ll reopen this discussion once you’re not on pain meds.”

« Previous Day Next Day »

Thanks for reading! - River

Whumptober 2024 Masterlist DangRaccoon Masterlist Taglist Form Read on AO3

Tags: @nekotaetae @lokigirlszendaya @get-wr3ckered @jediknightjana @idoubleswearimawriter @lucyysthings @unstable-kiwi @6oceansofmoons @l3xi3luv @savebytheodoresnonjosestuff @winter-phoenix1995 @nomercyforthewarrior @padawancat97 @flowered-bicycles @error6gendernotfound @techs-goggles9902

[dipstar1489]

Bad Batch Clone X Theory

Me: Okay, maybe we could narrow down who CX is by checking the voice actor-

Me: Well shit.

Props to Baker for his vocal skills, but DAMN IT!

Got a main person of interest for who CX is, so spoilers underneath the keep reading.

I suspect CX to be Tech. CX is shown to be quite skilled with weaponry, trajectory, and intelligence if the hacking into the vehicle was any indication.

Now, people forget that Tech is the weapon’s specialist on the team and that Crosshair isn’t the only one who knows how to work a gun, with Tech bearing two DD-17 hand blasters and a DD-15A blaster carbine. Tech was also the one who would place mirrors at specific angles for Crosshair to shoot more effectively, so it would make sense for Tech to be a great shooter.

Another major detail to consider is the fact that CX didn’t shoot Omega when its shown that CX seems to disobey orders when observing his interaction with Wollfe. Considering how Tech rebelled against the empire and his growing relationship in season 2, maybe Tech is able to recognize what he was going to do and the hostility towards Wollfe is him taking back his identity.

We also need to consider CX’s relationship with Crosshair, maintaining great hatred towards him and criticizing Crosshair for not conforming to the Empire. Tech seemed to hold little grudge against Crosshair, but he also seems to be willing to harm Crosshair if it comes to it. Going from the perspective of Tech being CX, he more than likely snapped when Crosshair, the guy who tried to kill him and his clone squad while claiming they betrayed the Empire, ended up killing Lt. Nolan and revealed the Empire was planning on replacing the Clones. No shit this major shift of perspective is going to confuse CX who’s been inducted by the Empire.

Also, not certain on how on the nose they’re trying to be, but CX falls QUITE A LOT in episode 7. Do I even need to bring up what happened to Tech in his supposed last moments?

“Tech died at the end of season 3,” I hear you say, and to that I say, did you forget how Echo’s “death” at the Citadel went? Echo was seen on screen seconds before the scene pans out to the impact of the explosion, with his helmet role towards the scene. This presentation of Tech’s death echoes, well, Echo’s “death,” with Tech looking up, we pan out to see how high he’s falling, and the proof of his death was shown through his cracked goggles. We also need to remember the fact that Star Wars was never afraid of showing dead bodies ON SCREEN, such as when we saw the aftermath of CX killing rebeling Clone Troopers in season 3, episodes 6 and 7, so why would Star Wars hide Tech’s body unless they had extra plans for the character? To be frank, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tech lived.

[smolwritingchick]

That Could've Been Me

I'm still working on the brainstorms but I found this in my documents and hoped it would hold you. A random idea I thought of. Maybe Jennie's private dance practice videos would leak when one of her dance friends gets hacked on Instagram and the hacker posts a few videos of Jen dancing sexy to expand her skill. This is just some randomness. Not sure when I'd put it in if I decide to :)

Maybe a part 2 down the line??

-------

Liked by real__pcy, jparkitrighthere, dprian, jacksonwang852g7, bambam1a, mark_tuan, yu_gyeom, lifeofdesiigner

"Ah, shit...here we go..." Jennie groaned, feeling her face flush with embarrassment as she scrolled through the comments of her latest Instagram photo regarding her dance videos.

The list went on with likes from fans, celeb friends, nonceleb friends and everyone else coming through to her page out of curiosity. So many people were liking the post on her friend's page with the various dance videos and it was NOT supposed to happen. Sure, it was just her dancing but she didn’t want them posted. Especially when she was still in practice mode and was not up to her standards for dancing this type of style. She wanted to post something about her progress but not yet. The leaks gave her whiplash as her notifications began to blow up.

Lifeofdesiigner- hey big head! 

Justrandomeveryday- OK JW! 

Jessicah_o- ummmmm yasssss! 

jacksonwang852g7- WOW!!

bensimmons- I could have been your dance partner Ms.Walker

bambam1a- MA'AM!! 

marktuan- Jennie!!!

She even saw her best friend, Angelina’s comment, 'Lmfaoooo hey big head!! You look like a snack in the videos! Don't sweat it!'

Even her sister Alani, ‘You are sooooo extra with that grinding, ahahahah, go tf off!’

And also her sister Vienna, ‘Someone PLEASE check on Jungkook!!'

Various other comments included:

'I love you!'

'Oh my!'

'And this is all Jungkook’s! Lucky man!'

'Anyone know if she still taken?'

'So are you SINGLE SINGLE? Can I shoot my shot?'

'Dayum look at my mom!'

'Can we learn that choreography and dance together?'

'Jungkook is lucky af.'

'Hey uh…can you open my DM?'

It amused her to see how they were all going on about it. She had planned to post some progress when she felt better about her technique with it. Now everybody knew she was learning a more sensual way of dancing. 

Buzz Buzz Buzz

Jennie checked her phone to read her friend's text, 'Jen omfg I'm so sorry about all this! Idk how I got hacked!'

She sighed. No point in getting angry about it. It wasn't her fault. People have no respect for privacy these days.

Jen: Gurl it's fine...it's pretty much out of our control now. PLEASE do that two step factor for your log in lol. 

Her mind wandered to the guys. Oh man, she hoped Jungkook didn't see them. Or the members. The last thing she needed was to hear their reactions to it all. 

Trying to ignore the chaos, she avoided social media and went about her day like normal. She managed to avoid the members who went about their day freely, out of the dorm while she stayed at the dorm, chilling in her room. The one person she wanted to avoid the most about it was Jungkook and it seemed like perhaps she had been spared by his reaction.

However, she would be very wrong.

Jungkook knew. 

Earlier that day, scrolling through Twitter he saw that Jen was trending. Shooked, wasn’t even the best word to describe his reaction as he leaned in close, tilting his head, focused on the screen when it showed her leaked sexy dance covers.

He couldn’t help but feel envy overcome him when he saw that a lot of male idols had seen it before him and posted some flirty comments on her Instagram page thanks to screenshots from ARMY on Twitter to document how people were reacting. 

How come she didn’t ask him to dance with her? All that grinding looked like it could use a partner and could lead to something much more physical than dancing if they wanted to go that far.

As Jennie walked into the kitchen, her stomach dropped when she saw Jungkook sitting on the couch, on his phone. It looked like he had been the only member to return from going out.

"H—Hey! You're back. What's up?" she blurted out, trying to hide her nervousness.

Jungkook looked up and smiled. "Hey, I just got back. You all right?"

"Yeah! Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

He nodded as he watched her closely. "Anything interesting happen today?"

"No, no, not at all. Things are fine. I'm just...playing the sims," she nervously laughed.

"I see. I'm going to make noodles. You want some?"

"Yes, please. Thanks," she smiled and went back to her room to continue playing her game.

'Ok...maybe I'm in the clear...' she thought to herself as she started to relax a bit more.

After eating with him, the two hung out in her room with him sitting in her chair by her desk while she sat on her bed, watching a Marvel movie with him. Distracted was an understatement as Jungkook's mind continued to wander back to her videos and he finally decided to speak up about it.

"So, film any dance covers as of late?" he asked out of nowhere, causing her to almost choke on her water.

'Shit.' she thought in alarm, stiffening at his question.

She placed her water down and turned to him. "I—I can explain!"

"I'm listening," he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"I was just messing around,"

"Yeah, that one video of you messing around with that chair was very interesting,"

"It wasn't anything, okay? It's not a big deal,"

"To everybody else on your Instagram, it seems that it is,"

She groaned. “It wasn’t even that great. I didn’t want them posted because it wasn’t up to my standards, yet. I still wanted to practice,"

“It wasn’t that great? Do you understand how crazy those videos were driving me? My girlfriend’s dance covers get leaked and it’s nothing but sexy dances and I have to see all these male idols commenting under her page.”

She watched him express himself. The jealousy radiated off him as he poked the inside of his cheek and shook his head.

“That could’ve been me on that chair, too," he went on. "And that could’ve been me you were grinding on. I want to see it. Right here. Right now,"

"Right now!?" she exclaimed as her eyes widened. "Are you for real?"

He bit his lower lip softly and leaned back against the chair with his gaze on her intensifying. 

"Yeah...lock the door," 

[gaybroons]

Talk Hockey To Me

( @ghostgeno's tag game)

The thing that got you hooked on hockey

Started reading “hey now, you're an all star (get your game on, go play)” by @buckyismybicycle while it was ongoing because even though I was 1) completely uninterested in hockey and 2) also uninterested in Stucky as a ship, this specific author’s works have always been phenomenal and with each new chapter email I started getting more and more intrigued until I eventually gave in and started reading it (literally so worth it everyone should read it). In the end notes of each chapter, HR (the author) would add some fun facts and extra context for the hockey related stuff (considering it’s a whole hockey AU) that made me go “huh that sounds fun” more than once but I was still not super into the hockey thing.

Until. 

I reached the chapter with a beautifully written match and I was like???? Is hockey like this irl?????????? This sounds so good?????????? Cue YouTube hacking into my brain and suggesting me hockey compilations which included the infamous Lick. I saw this random man just being a menace to everyone and decided he is now the love of my life.  (i usually omit the stucky fic part bc ppl have opinions about marvel that i do not want to hear lol. so if i told you abt this before without the full context i'm sorry!!)

Your first ever fandom friend

@hard4softthings !!!! Love is stored in the ao3 comment section uwu 

The jersey you would most like to own

I can’t pick one so I’m just gonna list in descending order: Marchand home jersey (with a C !!!!!!!!😤) ,  Pasternak (also home. Sorry it’s just nicer than the away version) , Quinn Hughes (the pride one because I’m obsessed with the design it’s so pretty) 

YOUR player (you only get ONE so choose wisely)

The rat king himself 🖤💛🖤💛🖤 can u tell I have a favorite 

A pairing that deserves more fic

Sid/Ovi ‼️ tuukks/pasta and Brady/Quinn too, there’s just so much potential for them. 

Your favourite on-ice moment

Picking is difficult so you’re just gonna get a bunch <3.

Bertuzzi stealing cousin’s stick and trying to break it

Marchy kidnapping The Child

pigeon

dancing with the stars

tuukks Exhibiting homicidal tendencies (rightfully so)

flower wanting to feel included

whole team under arrest

Brady Tkachuk: why is there a fucking animal loose on the ice he’s going to give me rabies

marchy waving to a booing crowd

marchy blowing kisses to a booing crowd

flower asserting his dominance tripping TWO first round picks

Quinn Hughes seeing a fight break out and says ✨no✨

Marner spinning like a ballerina

+ link someone else's art/fic/etc that you love & think everyone should check out

ART: 

this ADORABLE mcdrai art by @saviorified

MattMcDrai art by @adelphenium , obsessed with the blushing and the HAIR plz it’s so cute.  

Awfully pretty sid and geno art by @ceanspam

Captaincy transfer by @adelphenium I’m so weak for rat marchy, and ALSO bergy’s eyes <33333 i’m so <33333

the kiss of life by @stillfertile

FICS: 

The “All Caps” series by @makeit-takeit rewired my brain I’ve reread it countless times i think i can recite it by heart. 

“hard to be soft, tough to be tender” The Hanahaki fic by @hardforsoftthings I love love love the emotional progression AND denial in both of these fics (also, horny. Thank u) 

speaking of which, in less emotionally charged and more horny fics, the “spit cup” and “scratch that itch” non-traditional omegaverse doulogy by @ whitchbhitch (i do not know their tumblr)

+ link something you made & are proud of & want people to see

I’m honestly really proud of my flowertalbo fic, “Inevitably you will burn (as all living things do)” it’s really short (646 words) but I think I did a good job on it :>

Also, I find myself coming back to this one McDrai crack fic, “Oh Puck No!” idk what possessed me to write it but I had fun with it and i still find it silly and enjoyable lol

no pressure tags: @lindholmline @darkangel0410 @gilliebee @owchar1ie and anyone else who wanna do this!!!

[give-grian-rights]

I joined an frc team

-GRABS YOU-

hello and welcome to the first day of the rest of your life . first robotics competition CHANGES YOUR BRAIN CHEMICALS

you want to survive? LETS DO THIS

1: NO MATTER WHAT try and stick it out. Get the grades, get the hours, get the permission to travel to at least ONE competition- especially one that stays in a hotel, since I know some teams will skip out on hotels for events close to them. I don't think ANYONE, in any scenario, should say "this isn't for me" until they go and experience one full event.

2: if you don't use deodorant YOU WILL BE EXECUTED . no matter what your job is, there is going to be at least ONE point throughout the day where you are shoulder-to-shoulder with someone . if theres a time to be self conscious its then . use Convention rules as reference

3:you will be tempted to fucking come out of the closet at least at one point . you do NOT KNOW how much it hurt to skip out on a cool write-your-own-pronouns pin because i refused to use she/her and wasn't comfortable writing any. proceed with caution as you see fit.

4: are you surprised by number four? YOU SHOULDNT BE the women. ohh the women are so pretty. my entire high school (aka: less than a year ago) was me being OUTRAGOUSLY STUPID whenever i saw a fem presenting person . oh my god. oh my god they are all so hot. and then those hot students become hot volunteers and alumni and the gay never leaves. there was a trans woman mentor at one competition she rocked we talked with her for like an hour

5: if your team. goes to far competitions. TAKE A BLANKET AND PILLOW. new kids sometimes do NOT get this memo. do it. get silly with it, to what your team permits. our team, being older than me myself, gave up . . most rules. involving the bus. for better or worse.

6: bring a hoodie. i dont care where you go. bring not just a blanket, but a hoodie. so worse comes to worse you can put it on the floor and sleep. that was a fun 8 hour bus ride.

7: if you have a remotely decent team. you will be killed on site if you cuss at a competition. one kid's "bad" or immature behavior can lead to your entire team being disqualified to any award not related to robot performance.

8: LEARN HOW TO EAT AT LEAST ONE BASIC FOOD. this one might be silly but it could've killed me (dramatic). eat pizza. even if you have to take off the cheese just. figure out a way its worth it. FIND SOMETHING TO EAT FOR BREAKFAST. at least one breakfast food, for if you're at a hotel that serves you. experiment a little. find something that works for you.

9: exercise what free stuff you take with caution . i have probably ten-fifteen pounds of buttons and pins, and i do not. genuinely do not. think thats an exaggeration.

10: headphones . soft, subtle earbuds. battery packs. and a BACKPACK. my senior year, i composed myself of:

fanny pack, attached to it my wallet which had a buckle, so i could easily access my money. a change purse also attachable, so i have somewhere for coins obviously.

reusable, collapsing drinking cup

a folded up draw-string bag, for hoodies, or eccentric amount of free stuff

one to two battery packs with a charger. if you have friends (or want to make some), consider having other types of chargers too!

wall outlet plug, incase i need to charge at a venue

miniature hairbrush

hand sanitizer

gum. a great way to make friends

a folded up sandwich bag with various medicines, and a piece of paper that describe which each medicine is (ibuprofen, anxiety meds, etc).

i genuinely considered wearing two fannypacks at the same time. also, tying your hoodie around your waist for extra storage works too.

AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE HACK:

tampon box . your venue bans outside food or drink? tampon box with pads and tampons on top. contraband inside. almost NEVER looks. better to put it with team stuff like scouting equipment and spirit gear but a worthy inclusion. Same goes for if you have a backpack with pockets!

put food/drinks at the bottom, menstrual products on top. doesn't matter what you present as. lie. say your girlfriend needed it since she doesn't carry a bag with her to competitions. putting SOFT STUFF that mumbles wrappers crinkling also helps, like an extra hoodie. though I personally wouldn't matter to much about that, since competitions are LOUD especially when you're entering the venue when the doors first open.

a lot of the time though, security aren't too bothered. especially if you dont make it obvious.

this is my first robotics season as a college student. i don't like my team enough to go back, but god. god do i fucking love this program.

[elvenbeard]

OKAY SO.

As I'd mentioned back then in my Phantom Liberty Tour post, only a few of those who attended got to playtest the game themselves, while the rest got to see about an hour-long preview. And they didn't showcase much of the new abilities/skills beyond what they were gonna use in combat, and let's say... the V they showed was super flashy, his combat style looked super fun, but couldn't have been further from my playstyle xD Like... the finishers and stuff look amazing, but that's not something I'm gonna have much use for with my low-on-cyberware build that relies heavily on stealth and hacking really (but that I really really enjoy).

So I was a bit worried the whole time, low-key, how the fun would look like for a player like me. And now I finally got to play around in the build planner (https://www.cyberpunk.net/en/build-planner if you wanna have a go, but contains mild PL story spoilers - but again, you're reading this, so maybe you don't care as much for mild spoilers XD)

Looking at everything, especially the new stuff... MAN... :eyes emoji: x1000

I was worried Tech wouldn't be as useful for my low-on-cyberware build anymore, as it is very tied to that now BUT... it's also tied to the health item/ grenade cooldown, and, as before, enhances Tech-Weapons very nicely like... I think along with INT I'd like to make Tech my other 20 Ability. In combination with some of the new hacking abilities (overclocking your cyberdeck?? FUCK YEAH THAT IS... SO ÖAKHSFASDÖASJD that is *such* a thing Vince would do like öasjhdföasf when I saw that I screamed) it's so badass... I think it's gonna work really well together.

The only thing I haven't found that I'm a bit sad about was a Ninjutsu skill that let you pounce on enemies from above (I don't recall the name)... either I overlooked it or it's now integrated into some of the new movement stuff :O but even then, the new movement stuff?? Faster climbing?? Hello, where have you been all my life XDD

Also not to mention the abitlity to queue quickhacks that was teased in one of the trailers already like maaaaaan... Also a lot of counter-hacking abilities against enemy netrunners, CARHACKING... and I get the feeling, from some of the skill descriptions, how cyberware in general works (in the sense that, it reads as if you can upgrade it the way you could upgrade clothing and armour now? but not 100% sure, that would be awesome o.o) was really fundamentally changed.

Also, like... of all the arm cyberware the monowire was always the one where I said "this would be the one Vince *might* consider getting out of all of them, if he was forced to get one", and I don't really know how it was skilled previously... but now it's very closely tied to quickhacking and Intelligence, so one more reason why it would fit him the most XD Still don't think I'd get it cause... yeah, it would just not fit him as a character that much and the way he sees cyberware XD But I love that as a little sidenote.

I'm a little bit... hmm, not quite disappointed, but I would've expected something different from the Relic skilltree actually. I mean, it is very very cool, but also, again, the majority of the skills in there isn't really gonna be useful for my playstyle. And I wonder... if maybe you get advantages or disadvantages beyond extra abilities (read: story-related consequences) if you put a lot of points into it, with how these skills are unlocked >.> *suspicious noises*

But yeah... Usually I'm not looking forward to the updates as much cause... mods break xD But I really am looking forward to trying all of this in game now o.o But it's gonna be... such a difference like hhh...

I'm definitely not gonna start over a new save just to play PL, cause I simply don't have that time atm XD But I'm extremely looking forward to my 3rd fresh playthrough and seeing the skills grow over time instead of setting them all in one go xD

[fantasticbluebirdfan]

brain blurb for The Wight Baby for the Job

 @itshype @thegatorsgoose

i get lots done when sick.....

Connor knew it was a bad idea the second Tim said he needed a backup For tonight's Steakout Not only was he the least patient person to do a Stakeout he was also  looking forward to the pirate that mom made but then Tim said he was looking into a new Academy's research facility under a new name that wasn't weird Tim has been looking into a lot of things recently and he's just glad he stopped a little bit sure he's still staying up 3 days straight and I sleeping but at least He just wished it wasn't him

 but the second he knew it was Academy's related he was really interested cuz they're still a lot left and known about what made him into him sure he's a clone of Superman and likes loser but what else he also wanted to make sure that there is no other little clone kids or whatever it is being made in another secret facility and nobody else was cloned

 getting closer to the facility Connor started noticing some strange things they could see people walking around it we can only hear the heartbeats other people outside he can see people through the windows and such and he could hear them answering over the radios and there's still more people inside scientists guards and the like but he can only see the 12 pacing outside 

Tim hacked into the cameras in the facility and saw that they got a new subject and that they are now working with a sister program called the giw that specialize into the Paranormal a quick Research into it it shows that JW is it government-funded program that Is said to no longer to be in use in the next two months if they don't get any real hard evidence of whatever they're hunting

They can find evidence of ectoplasm and such all over the place but there's no concrete evidence of these  so-called ghosts so far I wouldn't seems to be their extra dimensional beings and they don't get no real evidence at these so called ghosts don't feel and pain their funding will be cut in the program will be disbanded

 but recently it is documented that they were getting close to that subject Phantom and lost him after having him get put captivity for about an undetermined amount of time since some of the data is corroded but they noted that they have found a phantom even though he is in the different condition they are 100% sure it's him they said they'll continue with experiments post-taste regardless of what tricks in mind games he tries to pull by trying to make them believe he looks like a human CHILD  and the next part is  screeched out while Tim finds a photo of phantom he doesn't look to be any bigger than three years old likes to be 10  months  at the youngest and while he's scrolling down the patient sees that the notes are being updated live  and are about to start experimenting on the child and sooner or later plants are vivisection neither caring about anything else they both decided to start extracting the child baby 

 meanwhile on the other side of the facility Danny is tired he's hungry he's asking for his dad and all these non-dead of people refuse to give him his dad in fact they look the opposite of his dad and they smell the opposite of him too his dad never wore White and always smelled something funny and coppery of books Gun Leather and smokes even though he doesn't know what those are that's what his father usually smells like the mean man in white start yelling at him and telling him to stop playing tricks on them and that they know what he Really is and he should just give up The Jig and transform back to the Abomination that he is those are big words Danny only knows half of them he just knows that the mean men are not going to get him his daddy and are being mean to him so he decides to be mean back they try to poke him with those bright shiny things you make sure the minute goes all the way in and it can't get it out They later try to strap him in onto a table but he decided to start floating they can't strap him down if he they can't catch him so little baby Danny decides to start floating like his little astronaut like the game him and his dad play fearing that the Abomination would fly out of the facility they put the active shield around the facility 

at this point Tim and Connor have Infiltrated the facility I started knocking out cards and Gathering evidence against them while they try to look for their baby Sarah and the monitor room trying to check out which room they have the baby in and all of a sudden he just see him on screen flirting above the heads of the scientist and seems to be dropping something on top of them and they're running away from him screaming yelling and start SHOOTING  at him why are they shooting at a baby 

Baby danny decides that this is less fun and decides to face through the floor when Tim and Connor lost  visuals on him they had a mini panic attack on how their going to find him, all the sudden they hurt a small little giggle footing above their heads and there's baby Danny suddenly the doors stretched open and a scientist or where is playing at scientist throws something and it actually latches on to the baby turns out that was a work in progress color to suppress ghost abilities obviously being modeled after the meta collars and  power dampeners Listen to say work in progress and only limited two Abilities at the moment  flight and what the team Heroes would call density shifting this cause the baby to fall onto the floor hard 

Now baby daddy is tired scared wants his papa and hungry and was just 10 ft onto the floor  where he a regular human child this would obviously cause some problems then just problems him being a helper with all these Powers containing to a small body shocked him in his state unless he began to cry he still had his ghostly will which had Connor immediately though his hands above his ears to a person damage thankfully Danny was screaming away from him so that did help a lot after the scientists wannabe was incapacitated the two teens just stared at the baby  seeing that his powered crying pit her off into a normal crying until he started yawning and falling like he needed a nap 

Well that was easy is a shirt suck between the two boys two picks up the baby and wraps his cape around him to keep him safe Connor goes to drag the butt into a closet when all the sudden the computer starts making noise and calls their attention back to it Tim shoves the baby into Connor and says “this is where we got to split up The facility is about to self-destruct and they destroying evidence as fast as they can meet each other back outside you get a small head start I'll finish collecting evidence if all else fails we'll see each other at the  at the JL headquarters in space and about an hour” 

“Tim don't leave me with the baby this was your idea your operation I didn't even want to come” 

“ come on Connor it's just for a little bit he's just a baby he can't be that hard to handle he's asleep and wrapped up in my Cape what could go wrong”

Not even 10 minutes later Connor wanted to punch  him to space straight to the JL headquarters forget an hour Connor will send him there in 5 minutes. Well could go wrong he  said he's taking a nap he said he's just a baby he said  damn it Timothy You jinxed it and the short time they've been apart Danny decided it was a great idea to wake up from his little  impromptu nap  that he'll start calling power nap cuz the second he woke up Danny bit him and  sure he's half human but he's also half Kryptonian meaning a child's bite shouldn't hurt that much but Danny isn't normal so they were both surprised Danny waking up in the arms of somebody that wasn't his father and Connor getting bitten that actually hurt  that made him throw the baby into the air accidentally in shock. not only is throwing a baby a very bad idea that's what I meant to be at the worst moment possible cuz a group of giw Agents decide to swarm him and start shooting at both Connor decided to start blocking off whatever and time meta rhetoric that they were spewing from the mouth saying something about not even being human and says to start Plowing through all of them,  thankfully Danny didn't cry out when he fell this time and started biting all the ankles he could reach

This sadly we came up pattern for the next 30 minutes until they escaped and I am throwing the baby well not just during the baby but the baby causing chaos wherever he went he couldn't keep on carrying the baby so he had to let him down a few times and Danny would bite and Claw and think he could reach whether that be humans or any wall panels in start  crawling through the walls  this is how Tim found them actually Connor surrounded by down to agents calling out for the baby and a weird laugh floating around them

“ Connor where's the baby”

“I lost the baby”

“ how can you lose a baby”

“ well Tim it's easy you see I was carrying him I had to put him down had to knock all these fuck**s out and I turn back around and I can't find him he's like he's in the.. W a l l s”

Thankfully at this time to stop the self destruction sequence got all evidence he needed and spent 30 minutes helping Connor get the baby at the walls promising to take him to his daddy after all this They check the baby over to make sure that he wasn't hurt anywhere and took the weird  collar that ended up being a belt for Danny

 And radioed the Watchtower saying that they needed an extraction at this location because they found a   Cadmus facility working  with a previously unknown organization that tried to experiment on a child that is calling for his dad  

 the JL member that picked up was Flash and started to explain that they were unable to extract them at the moment cuz  they're being blackmailed by someone named RedHood  Help find their child but they'll send someone out as soon as they can as soon as those words were  out of flash’s mouth he was pushed out of the way by someone  wearing a leather jacket and a crude red helmet  “damn right f*** you replacement ain't nobody moving until I find my son back and if I find him with a hair out of place so help me I'll burn this world into the ground  starting with-”

  at that moment Red Hood was cut off by a cheerful voice yelling “Daddy!”

 Red Hood did a complete 180 and started baby talking the child in Connor's arm, “ Hi Danny! Daddy's  been looking all over for you are you okay are you hurt did the Weirdos take you who took you  daddy will come get you as soon as he can okay?”

Back at the Watchtower the hero stood by and amazement seeing the 6'2 man that previously  threatened them in detail how he was going to hurt all of them if they didn't find his child which they would have done without any threats by the way start baby talking a child in the arms of Superboy who's standing next to Robin with a burning building in the back

[dumbbvnnyboy]

So this is my first yandere fic so allot of is inspired by the amazing @belovedyandere

Warnings:

Manipulation, dr*gging, smut, also kind of a self insert

Today I was finally gonna execute my plan to get y/n, or at least grow a little closer to him.

I'd been Watching him for a while now, taking notes on his new favorite bands and biases, the games he was talking about and playing, i even hacked into his internet history to see what he was doing lately.

Which gave me some great information.

I knew gaming club was today and I'd seen him go to meet up with a couple friends there while I was having practice back in the fall.

I walked in and saw y/n talking to his friend while they played some Xbox game from their phones.

Deciding to sit somewhat close to them and do the same, making sure to specifically pick his new favorite game.

I'd already beaten it, along with all of his other favorite games, and a few I'd thought he'd like so he wouldn't catch on to my copycat behavior.

That's why it took so long for me to talk to him, I had to plan and research throughly.

As soon as I got to a cut scene I'd noticed y/n lifted his head to look at me and my phone screen.

"You like (f/g)!?"

"Ya, it's really immersing."

"How do you feel about (other fave game)"

"It was great, pretty hard but I really loved the graphics"

"Wow, I didn't know a jock could have such good taste."

"Ya, I don't fall in with stereotypes."

"I was wondering why you haven't called anyone here a slur yet."

I laughed and smiled at him again.

"You know if you like (f/g) and (o/f/g) I'd be happy to show you my collection later today, if you wouldn't mind coming over."

He looked towards his friend as they gave him a glare.

"Oh don't be such a pessimist, of course, I can come over today."

I couldn't help the smirk that formed on my face, I knew he was pretty naive which was what grew my fondness of him, but I didn't actually think just asking him would work.

He was almost in the palm of my hand, and if I played my cards right he'd be mine.

"Well whenever you want to go we can."

"Oh ok, just let me get my stuff together here, I'll text you when I get there ok."

He said the last thing to his friend as he swung his bag over his back.

I smiled as we walked out of the school, feeling the cold stare of y/n's friend.

I'm sure they were just protective of him, but that won't be needed anymore, not when he has me.

"Do you want the aux?"

"Well, I don't know if you'll like my music taste."

"Ah I don't judge, all music is pretty good."

"A-alright, this is probably my fave song atm."

He started to play Polaroid love by enhypen as I pulled out of the school lot and drove to my house.

I could tell he had started to become a bit nervous.

"Is everything alright?"

"Ya I just.."

"Your worried I bite aren't you, well I promise I don't, not to hard at least."

I smirked and the rest of the ride was quiet.

We pulled into my driveway as sugar rush by txt played on the radio.

A fitting song for what would entail.

We headed up the stairs to my room as he followed me shyly.

Once he saw the shelf with all the games on it his eyes lit up.

"Woah! Do you mind if I look through these?"

"Not at all."

He started to flip through the cases, pulling some out to look at them as I sat on my bed watching him.

It was adorable how excited he was, making my mind linger on how amazing it would be for me to finally corrupt him the way I'd been planning too.

"Would you like anything to drink?"

"Um alright, what do you have?"

"I think we have coke and Sprite."

"Cokes fine."

I left the room to grab them, making sure to turn up the heat and add something extra to his drink.

I walked in and handed him the glass which he accepted and started to drink.

"Your room is really nice."

"Oh, thank you, I try to keep it as clean as I can."

"Ya.. me t-to."

"Is something wrong y/n?"

"Ya ya, it's just, is it h-hot in here or."

"I feel fine, maybe try taking off your hoodie."

"Maybe I should just go home."

"Oh no darling, I wouldn't want you to get any worse, I'll get you some medicine and you can stay here til it passes."

I grabbed the hem of his hoodie and helped him take it off.

He was like putty in my hands, the aphrodisiac was making him more and more trusting by the second.

I wrapped an arm around his waist and led him to the bed laying him down.

I leaned down to his ear

"Doesn't that feel much better?"

I could practically see the shiver it sent down his spine as he nodded.

"Just let me take care of you, alright?"

"A-alright."

I smirked into his neck starting to kiss and suck at the skin.

He placed his hands on my shoulders, squeezing them every now and then as he whimpered and mewled.

My hands slipped up his shirt, starting to feel around his chest, playing with his nipples.

I started to trail kisses and hickeys further down his body body before I got to the hem of his pants.

I looked up at him waiting for a nod to continue which he did before hiding his face behind his arm embarrassed.

I continued to unbutton his pants and pull them off of him.

I knew he was beautiful, but I never thought he'd look this amazing.

I pulled down his boxers and took him into my mouth making him grab the sheets and moan out.

His body shook, i could tell he'd never experienced this kind of pleasure before.

Sliding my hand back up his body I placed two fingers on his lip.

He opened his mouth quickly starting to suck on them.

After a few seconds I took them out and used my other hand to spread his legs.

I started to stretch him with one finger before adding the second.

He continued to shake and moan as I continued the sensations.

I took my fingers out of him and pulled my mouth off starting to position myself.

"This might hurt a bit, but I promise I'll be gentle."

He looked up at me with glazed eyes and drool spilling from his lips.

I grabbed his chin and rubbed my thumb over his lip.

"My my how pretty."

I leaned down to kiss him as I pushed in.

He moaned into my mouth and I grabbed his hip with my other hand starting with a slow pace.

Y/n grabbed my shoulders again, this time squeezing harder and digging his nails into me.

We disconnected as a Trail of saliva kept us together.

His entire body was flushed, and his face had contorted into one of absolute pleasure and bliss.

He could barely talk or think, all he could do at this point was moan and whimper.

I wrapped my hand around him starting to stroke him with a fast pace and a hard grip making him practically scream and cum all over himself.

"Oh darling, you've made a mess."

I laughed as he whined out, still not letting go or slowing my pace.

"Ah t-too much too-

I grabbed his chin and kissed him again.

He whined into the kiss and his body shook again as I overstimulated it.

Kissing down his chin and sucking more hickeys into his neck I couldn't help the grin on my face.

"You're being such a good boy darling."

I finally had y/n all to myself, and no one would ever get between me and him.

[cumbunnywitch]

Red Sun, Pink Moon - Chapter 2: Aftermath

Here's the tumblr post of chapter 2. Chapter Song: No Surprises by Radiohead (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5CVsCnxyXg)

Read it with better formatting here!

Also, like all the summary and notes for extra information will be on AO3, so give it a bookmark if you like it!

"What the fuck was that?"

Lilia nearly jumped out of her skin as Kara's shrill voice called out from right behind her. Before she could decide to run or turn around and confront her, Kara's fingers dug into her shoulder. In an instant she could feel the rough cut stone of the dormitory walls on her back as Kara pushed her shoulders back against the wall.

"Well hello to you too Ka-"

"Shut the fuck up no-name. I could forgive whatever mishap of a spell you crafted spilling my tea, I could even forget that it ruined my best set of robes." The anger in Kara's eyes did nothing to quell the anxiety Lilia was already struggling to bottle up, and she could feel it building to a full-blown panic attack.

"Then what the fuck is your problem Kara!?" Lilia finally pushed back. Her hands hit Kara's chest, nearly knocking the other girl over. She finally got a chance to look around; they were entirely alone. No groupies, no teachers, no one to stop this.

"Because little no-name assholes who come in with all that gifted student scholarship bullshit piss me off enough as it is, I don't need you trying to outshine me in front of the fucking school heads!" Kara shouted. Lilia could almost see a tear forming in the girl's eye, but it could just as easily have been a bug or some tea she failed to wipe away.

"I don't owe you anything Kara," Lilia continued. "I work hard to be here. If I don't, I don't get to be here. Talentless hacks with no creativity don't mean shit to me!"

Tears did start to well up behind Lilia's eyes. She could usually ignore the day to day bullying but that cut deep. Right now, when she was vulnerable, anxious, praying to just make it to the dormitory without falling to pieces, it was one more thing she didn't have the capacity to deal with.

Kara seemed to pause for a moment, perhaps to think of another insult or decide if one was even worth the effort. "Stay out of my fucking way, no-name. Next time I have to tell you, I'll give you a reason to cry."

As Kara walked away, Lilia watched, frozen. When she rounded the corner, Lilia ran the rest of the way to her dorm, through the door, and straight into her room. She let out all the emotions she'd let build up. All the anxiety and anger and misled hope poured from her eyes and lungs into her pillow. The months of hearing 'no-name' shouted across the courtyard or whispered in the halls. All the gossip and rumors she'd had to deal with just because her parents weren't mages or nobles. She let it out, not strong enough to contain it anymore. And as she did, she felt the quiet look of disapproval of Foiroux and half of her instructors. She saw the smirks and eye-rolls and.. and the anger in Kara's eyes. She relived that betrayal time and time again, until slowly, the panic faded. She gently slipped into a quiet cry, completely dissociated from reality. Consciousness faded, and Lilia drifted into sleep.

_________________________

It was the first day of her first year. Lilia was a little nervous, but more than anything she was excited. Most mages have heard of Bremerton Academy for the Arcane Arts, and only mages taught at other equally prestigious schools dared scoff at students attending Bremerton. She was one of the lucky few with enough potential to have qualified for the highly sought after Raising Excellence Scholarship.

Lilia was already aware that mages without a pedigree were viewed as a "lower class" sort of mage, but plenty of them had risen to the ranks of Archmage. That thought wasn't anywhere near her head today though, especially not as she looked up at the brightly lit granite in the midday sun. She could practically feel the magic in the air as she ignored the welcome speech by nearly every member of the faculty.

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and a sudden whisper. "Psst, hey!"

Lilia turned to the voice, startled. She saw a girl about her size, maybe a little taller. Her hair was probably the reddest orange she'd ever seen, bound up in an immaculate bun. "Hi, I'm Kara. This is super boring. Do you wanna sneak out after the next intermission and check out the grounds?"

Kara was smiling, and maybe her first friend away from her home. But still, despite her attention span, perhaps it would be smarter to stay and at least look like she's listening. "I don't know.. it's my first day, what if they catch us?"

Kara waved her hand. "Pfft, they don't care that much. My older sister graduated last year, plenty of people just flat out don't even come to these things. C'mon, it'll be fun!"

On the next change of speaker, the girls take off. It's the end of summertime, but the beginning of a friendship Lilia would never forget.

---

"Hey Kara, did you get notes from Kella for elementals?" Lilia asked, entering Kara's dorm. They didn't need to knock with each other at this point. They had hung out together, practiced together, read books in the lounge, even braided each other's hair while gossiping about their professors.

Today was different though, a man stood in Kara's room. He looked about in his forties, and didn't wear the usual faculty robes. She couldn't place the sigil on the man's cape, but he certainly wasn't an instructor.

"Ah, Karalin, is this your friend? Lilia, is it?"

"Um.." Kara rushed over towards Lilia. "Yes sir. This is Lilia, my friend from orientation. Lilia Quinn, it's my pleasure to introduce you to my father, Archmage Darius Denella."

Lilia could sense her friend's unease. "My apologies Archmage. I didn't mean to intrude. Please, excuse me." Lilia bowed. Her upbringing told her that Archmages were nearly Lords in their own right. The power they held in courts across the world might not have been inheritable, but it certainly wasn't something to insult, either.

"No, no. I'm glad to hear my daughter has such a good friend. Quinn, though, that's not a name I've heard in my years. Is your family foreign?" The man asked inquisitively. Lilia felt the creeping tendrils of panic. She knew this line of questioning by now, subjected to the taunts and jeers of her highborn peers and the dirty looks from legacy mages. She tried to look calm, but the dread was mounting in her stomach.

"Sir, my family was from the north of the kingdom. My parents both left to come here to try and give me the opportunity to study at Bremerton. " It wasn't a lie, but technically they had only moved in search of new land to farm.

"Hmm." The man's face turned to a scowl. "Well, I suppose Bremerton should be happy to have found such a.. polite commoner to award their scholarship to this year." He looked back at Kara. "Karalin, we'll speak later. I have an appointment with your headmaster at present."

Kara nodded. He turned and walked towards the door, looking down his nose at Lilia. She bowed again as he walked by. Once he left, Kara slowly moved to her desk, grabbing a small stack of papers and handed them to Lilia. "Please just leave me alone for a little bit. And... start knocking when you enter." She opened the door for Lilia, who stepped through. Lilia looked back as the door closed again, but Kara's eyes refused to meet hers.

---

Sunlight shone through Lilia's window as the morning rose. She woke slowly, clearing the dried tears from her eyes. Her pillowcase was still damp from last night. Even her dreams gave her no respite.

_________________________

"It could have been so much better than this." She whispered to no one, reburying all of the things she had let out. She was thankful there was nothing to do today . The final exam was over. Results would be posted in a few days' time, once the Headmaster and faculty heads had a chance to look over the results and class performance. For now, though, she could rest. Lilia flipped her pillow over, adjusted her blankets, and stared at the cream-colored wall of her private room.

_________________________

Kara was awake before the sun rose. She prepared for the day like every other - she brushed her hair, her teeth, cast a bit of water magic to moisturize, and powdered her face. She stretched, as a good mage should always be limber to cast. From her closet, she selected a robe for the day, perfectly pressed and clean, as a mage should always look presentable.

She opened her suite door and walked to the dorm lounge, where her friends waited. Kella and Luna were neither completely unskilled nor prodigies, but they had uses. Both had exceptional memories, and were horrifically adept gossips.

"Lanie said she heard that no-name idiot crying all night, you must have done a real number on her Kar."

"Nah, she's just a crybaby. 'Wah, wah! I've got no friends and the whole school hates me waaah!'" It was hardly possible to tell them apart. One, because they barely had a thought in their heads that someone hadn't put there for them. And two, because they were identical twins. It had taken a few weeks to work out just which one was which, but at some point Kara stopped caring about that difference.

"Shut up. I barely did anything. The little no-name dug her own hole this time. I just shoveled the dirt in. Hopefully she repeats so I don't have to see her stupid face in class anymore." Kara's words were hurtful, sure, but she felt a sort of guilt saying them. Maybe she.. No, no this was alright. One more year in the Academy and she could leave and go make her own life and not worry about twins or exams or headmasters or studying or schmoozing with that creepy Professor Delax. Gods what she would give to not have to fake such a polite personality just to get more of an answer out of him than "Practice your fundamentals, Kara!"

She snapped from her thoughts as she reached the dining room. Her friends helped themselves to the full buffet of breakfast items. A special treat for the end of the year and, of course, to recover from the likely excessive mana use during yesterday's exams. Despite her own extraordinary display of a flaming crystallized fountain, complete with waterspouts that poured an illusion of liquid silver, she didn't feel hungry. She grabbed a few pieces of fruit and sat at a table while Kella and Luna piled their plates high with eggs and bacon and cheeses. Kara watched as the girls dove into their meals, taking only a few bites of an apple.

"Oh my gods yeaa! I'm so happy they let us perform together! Honestly Luna you were great, the lights were perfect."

"Noo they only looked so good because your bubbles had just the right bounce!"

"Hey, it wasn't a 'performance.' It was our final exam. It was for a grade, not to look cute and fancy. Honestly, I'll be surprised if you two even passed. Your forms were both terrible." Kara barked before taking another bite.

"Whoa Kar-bear, are you okay? You're not usually this snappy in the morning." The look of care on Kella's face looked almost like pity. She couldn't stand it.

"I'm fine. Just mana crashed." Kara rolled her eyes. Maybe it was just mana crash. Maybe she didn't have to think about this anymore.

"Hey, it's okay Kara. It happens, that was a really impressive spell. You're going to be on the top of the rankings, we just know it! Plus, we heard that the headmaster is releasing the ratings tonight, so that-"

"Tonight?!" Kara cut Luna off, dropping her apple on the table. "They always take at least 3 days, what the fuck are you talking about?"

Luna shot back in her chair at the interruption. "I uhh.. I heard it from the lady proctor. She said they finished early because of something about a meeting. I didn't hear the rest."

"Are. You. Sure." Kara demanded, emphasizing each word.

"Y.. yea. Did I do something wrong?" Luna asked, scared.

Kella grabbed her sister's hand to comfort her. "Kara, this isn't that unusual, what's wrong?"

Kara dropped her head to the table, groaning. She knew she would score high, that wasn't the problem. "It's.. whatever, it doesn't actually matter. I'm sorry I yelled, it isn't your fault. Thank you for telling me."

She stood from the table, leaving her fruit. She needed to go, immediately. Her father was visiting today, as he did at the end of every year. If she wasn't in the top bracket, it would be another lecture, another summer of tutors and extra work and absolutely no freedom.

Kara left the dorm in a huff, nearly bowling over a group of girls just on their way in. If she wasn't at the top, she'd find a way to be. Last year it was easy, she had three days to talk with the proctors and faculty, to make sure they knew how good she was. It was part of the job, honestly, to manipulate those in power to do what you want them to. Usually for their own good, of course. Usually.

_________________________

Kara knocked at the door of the headmaster's office. The secretary hadn't wanted to say if he was in or not, but the constant looking back gave away the game.

"Come in," came the reply. Kara opened the door, seeing Foiroux alone. She had half expected some of the other proctors to be present, but she could work with this.

"Headmaster Foiroux! It's great to see you. I brought you some of the berries we had at our buffet, they're absolutely delightful." She placed the porcelain plate on his desk, adorned with a few blackberries, blueberries, and some assorted melon Kara didn't recognize by sight alone.

"Kara Denella. A pleasure, I'm sure." His voice was flat, giving away absolutely nothing. Clearly, he was tired.

"Sir, I heard that the testing scores were being released today, is that true?" Kara asked, her false smile glued in place.

"Yes, they are. We have some important dignitaries coming early this year to do their interviews with the fourth year class." Kara's mouth opened, but before she could speak, Foiroux raised a hand.

"And no, you cannot see them early. We post the rankings half an hour before the dinner bell, just like every year. It would be unfair to students if someone got special treatment."

Her smile almost cracked, but she pressed on anyway. "Sir, I know why we typically have to wait but.. Well, my father will be visiting today and I'm not sure he'll still be here by then! I wouldn't want to disappoint him, after all. I promise I'll keep my rank a secret, please?" She batted her eyes like she'd seen her mother do to her father, and tried her best not to lay it on too thick.

"I'm sorry Miss Denella, rules are rules, even if your father is an archmage. You will find out the same as everyone else, no special treatment."

Kara's eyes dropped, followed by her heart. Did this mean she wasn't in the top bracket? Or did she fail somehow? No, that would be impossible, Foiroux just has a stick up his ass.

"If you'll excuse me, Miss Denella, I have an event to prepare for." Foiroux stood, motioning to the door.

"Of course sir," Kara said, bowing. "Thank you for your time. Please enjoy the gift anyway."

As she left the administration building her mind raced. Someone else might be able to give her the scores, but who? The proctors were.. fucking somewhere, maybe? Department heads, they would know!

Kara ran through the courtyards, dashing from Elementals, Alchemists, Arcanists, even the General Education department. They all said the same thing, parroting Foiroux almost word for word. Only one remained: Professor Delax, department head of Fundamentals.

Kara walked through the Fundamentals building, focusing on her smile and poise as she made her way to the professor's office. She knocked in her same cheerful 'tap-taptap-tap' that she always used. Just as she did, the door opened.

"Ah, Karalin, I was wondering if you'd be by. The rest of the heads said you looked like a ghost." Delax smiled warmly as he spoke. It felt weird seeing any professor smile, but his felt.. off, somehow.

"Ah, yes Professor. I'm sure you've heard then, what I'm looking for?" Kara asked, her fake smile fading just a bit.

"I have. Why don't you come in and chat for a bit, make a case for why you should know your scores early?"

Kara was.. surprised, but not terribly. She wasn't, however, looking forward to this conversation.