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literallys-illiteracy · 7 months ago

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A Pedantic Overview of Burn in Limbus Company

This is the start of a series I'm going to be doing where I go over each major status effect, the ID and EGO that use it, and any other things I thought I might want to mention, Burn is first because it's Wrath. Affinity and because its the first listed in MD.

Burn: overview:

Burn is, in terms of regular gameplay (non mirror dungeon), bad. Im saying this as someone who really likes burn even without EGO Gifts;

Burn is the only status which only lowers count at the end of round, with Tremor having so many “trigger tremor burst; then reduce count by one” that it’s standard by this point; Burn is also the only status effect which is wholly incapable of dealing damage multiple times per turn, excluding the usage of two specific ID’s.

Burn struggles somewhat with the sustain of Count and Potency, as a majority of ID’s (burn doesnt have EGO) only apply one or the other, meaning that unless it is a focused encounter or an encounter against a single target (which is the kind of battle where burn deals the least damage due to being capped at 99 once per turn) it is difficult to maintain/stack burn between rounds.

Other statuses have the same struggle of maintaining count, especially due to other statuses triggering multiple times per turn, however it is less important on these other statuses as, because of its hard limit on damage, its ideal to maintain burn potency at max otherwise you get little value.

The other method which different statuses are able to remedy their issues with count is through EGO skills, notably AEDD Gregor for rupture, Cavernous Wailing Hong lu and Everlasting Faust for Tremor, and Rime Shank Rodion for Sinking: the problem lies in the fact that there are no good burn EGO, and that no Burn EGO are able to apply count with the exception of Soup Don, who does not have a burn ID.

Burn EGO Worth Using:

Ishmael’s Ardor Blossom Star

virtually the only decent Burn EGO in my opinion,

ABS rolls a 41 on a Wrath-Pierce affinity coin. This EGO has one of the highest awakening roll of any ego, a positive offence level (+3) and raises stagger threshold by % of damage done (counting for all damage done, whilst also being multi target meaning it raises a fucktonne)

Ishmael’s other Burn EGO, Capote, applies wrath fragility and provides Wrath damage up.

Rodion’s Burn ID applies Wrath damage up to different allies.

Rodion’s Burn EGO also applies wrath Fragility to enemies.

Due to all of the different buffs which Wrath Affinity receives when running a burn team, this EGO becomes a force of destruction when used in a Burn team.

Second off is Rodion’s Aforementioned Burn EGO, Fourth Match Flame.

This is one of the only negative coin awakening EGO skills in the game. It rolls a 38 at highest, and a 20 on heads. There isnt much of note about this EGO other than what was already said of it applying Wrath Fragility. Just make sure to overclock the EGO when using it because the on-hit effects are the same but it consumes 1.5x sanity meaning you get a higher roll on average.

Capote Meursault:

I actually had to go edit a prior section because i forgot about this EGO; Capote Sault rolls for 45 at highest, applies tremor by the burn potency (which is notably very easy to stack), triggers tremor burst, and applies burn count if the enemy is staggered.

This EGO, rather than applying Group buffs, applies wrath/Blunt buffs to meursault himself next turn. As his burn ID does not have a wrath+blunt skill other than EGO this is slightly less useful than it could be.

The usage of this EGO is debatable for one main reason. It occupies the He slot, the other EGO MSault has in this slot is Persuence, which is the most consistent healing EGO that the Burn team has access to.

Pursuance requires sloth and gloom, which are slightly uncommon in burn teams, however there is not particularly high demand for those resources in a Burn team as well, meaning you can fairly consistently fuel this EGO skill for usage. If you enjoy your ID’s living, it is typically advised to use Persuence over Capote.

This concludes the list of good burn EGO.

Bad burn EGO:

All of the rest of them.

Yi Sang 4th Match Flame:

This EGO rolls a 20 at highest, only applies 10 burn at highest, and belongs to a sinner who does not have a burn ID.

9:2 Faust:

This EGO has medium-high rolls, however it consumes up to 20 of the target’s burn for same turn Defense level down, belongs to a Burn-less sinner (sort of) and consumes Gluttony, which is the least common affinity within a burn team, as there is only 1 ID who can produce it.

Lifetime Stew Don Qi:

Sinner without Burn ID, Mediocre rolls. The only redeeming quality of this EGO is the fact that lust resources are abundant in a Burn team meaning you can source it easily, the downside is that the passive is actively detrimental for the same reason; The passive converts resources of random sin affinities into the most common skill affinity of the Status.

Fourth Match Flame Ryoshu:

While not bad like the other’s mentioned, this EGO isn’t explicitly good either.

At UT4 it deals 100% more damage at 20 burn potency, and the corrosion variant applies the buffs regardless of wether the EGO kill’s.

Note that the passive of this EGO is non existent for 3 rounds at a time in most battles, however most EGO passives in the game are either extremely good or extremely bad.

Forest for the flames is technically a burn EGO i guess.

Ryoshu base EGO is decent amongst Zayin EGO, rolls for 28, and applies 2 fragile next turn on heads hit, alongside having one of the coolest animations in the game (among the base ego at least)

Lifetime Stew Sinclair:

No.

WHY ARE YOU BUYING EGO AT THE SOUP STORE?

9:2 Sinclair:

This EGO is the most recently released Negative coin on awakening EGO in the game. It is also not good.

The EGO applies 4 burn unless enemies have zero burn, in which case it applies 8.

On a tails hit (rolling 26), if the enemies have 10 burn apply mediocre debuffs for next turn.

On corrosion, which is also a negative coin, meaning that it’s better by default, it instead applies lust fragility, which is decent however not particularly useful as the highest damage effect’s and skills of burn are Wrath Affinity.

Honorary mentions/generally good EGO;

There are two (2) different EGO for this section, they aren't strictly burn based EGO however they compliment the team well.

Both of these EGO are however the same type, resonance based EGO: Holiday outis and Garden of Thorns Gregor.

Both of these are the same functional idea so they wont get a separate section for each of them, the main idea is that they are able to buff lust and wrath specifically efficiently which are the two most common burn affinities; as both apply damage and/or power up for the highest resonance, with holiday being a wrath affinity skill and Garden of Thorns being Lust (and requiring a full lust lineup of skills for max value (6+ A resonance))

Burn ID’s: a history, and also me whining a little bit:

Burn is among the status effects with the least amount of units in the game, note that im not saying anything definitively because im not fucking counting each status effects units.

Also this history section is not going to be super specific, mostly going off anything notable that i can remember because nobody keeps a timeline of everything limbus, note to self, make Cogitopedia page of Limbus release timeline.

On launch burn was starved in the same manner that literally every status effect was back then; 2 Ein Sof ID’s (00 ids)and ~5 EGO skills, excluding 4mf Yi Sang because I am biassed.

The IDs being Liu (6) Meursault and Gregor, and the EGO being Ardor Blossom Star, Forest for The Flames, and the three 4MF that i am willing to acknowledge.

Like all status effects on launch, burn was utterly terrible; With the above listed ID’s/EGO, there was a grand total of 1 way to apply burn count, being 6 Meursault skill 3; None of the other mentioned apply count, meaning that it was nigh impossible to stack for any significant damage.

Once again i want to note that none of the status effects were good on launch for a decent while, with the exception of charge which had a grand total of 2 good units, which was honestly 2 more than any other status.

The first significant release was 6 Hong Lu, also known as 0606 and Hong Liu, who added two more ways of applying burn count, however his Potency application was non existent, he was also the first, and for a long time to follow, the only way of gaining Gloom on a burn team.

Back during this time, mirror dungeons worked a lot differently, but i'm not going onto that tangent today, the main reason i'm bringing this up is as a transition to the Krooming Faust herself, who was uncontested as the best non launch ID at least until the next paragraph;

Because there was not feasible way to run a full burn team, and because of mechanics i'm not explaining, she was extremely good for mirror dungeon if you for some godforsaken reason planned on running a team that wasn't just brute force, as an additional note, the only good Burn EGO at the time was Fiery Down, which meant that Kraust was able to apply burn potency for 9 damage. woohoo

No. I refuse.

Following [Redacted], came the Chimken evemnt.

From this event came Sinclair's second worst sin, and Don’s Lifetime Stew, which actually (at the time) wasn't half bad.

Though neither of these are actually notable there are 2 reasons I'm bringing up the chimken event. The first is the EGO gift received in the dungeon, which is now accessible from the floor pack of the same name, which works as Fiery Down except for burn count, which made burn downright usable for that event; the second point is linked to this EGO gift as well, with the funniest interaction of any EGO gift: Lifetime stew sinclair, when applying burn to allies, will apply EGO gifts the same as it would enemies, so every time you used the EGO, you risked dealing 50 damage to your IDs rather than healing them.

Season 2 - Reminiscence:

Upon the launch of season 2, we got 2 more burn EGO, (i know we didn't technically get them “On launch” for the season, nobody likes a pedant, i would know); the Capote EGO, bringing our grand total up to 10, which was, if memory serves correct, the highest amount of EGO for any status effect at the time, in order to balance this out, we would only get 1 more burn ID this season.

As for the Capote EGO themselves, Ishmael’s wasnt the greatest, but anything is better than a negative coin awakening meaning that it was still better than its competition; the main objective of burn isnt to deal damage through skills, meaning that the wrath synergy didnt matter as much as it does today, with all of the value that Philip and 6 Rodion bring from resonance.

Capote Meursault is not used and i already talked about it in the EGO section, Pursuance is better, as well as easier to fuel because we were able to fill slots with resources we needed.

Later that season, in order to match her having 2 Burn EGO, ishmael gained a burn ID, as 6 ishmael.

She was the first decent burn ID, and the first ayin (000) id. She was able to apply burn and burn count, and she did this without having a functional passive until this season…

That's the entirety of season 2… this is why I chose burn to start with, because there's hardly anything to talk about.

Season 3 - Bon Voyage:

This season's battle pass brought us two EGO, 12 now total, and there is no reason to talk about 9:2 because they aren't good.

Next up is Walpurgisnacht, with the introduction of Bullet Outis, the first time that burn was usable outside of mirror dungeon, as Glimpse of flame was available (although much rarer than today), as she was, and still is, the only way to make burn deal its potency as damage multiple times in a turn, although with the caveat that she needs to accumulate Bullets.

There was a blank period for a bit and just so that the timeline isn't that jarring i'm adding this line here.

The next release was the two 6 ID’s, 6 Rodion and Ryoshu: Ryoshu was the first source of Gluttony resources, and the first source of slashing damage outside of EGO skills.

Rodion is good, she buffs wrath, applies decent count and decent potency, and is able to act as a very good dps. For a very short period of time, and i mean like a week, when the Ring ID's were released they counted as ID's which apply all status effects; Due to the addition of the Ring ID's, it was possible to activate both Soothe the Dead, and Bloody Mist at the same time with the use of Ring ID's, Captain Ishmael, [No], a burn ID of choice, and a bleed ID of choice. in the week following the Ring ID's were changed as to only count for Bleed, and to not count as any other status effects.

Philip Sinclair rolls a 40.

Burn Team concepts:

Generally, if you plan on running a burn team, the first thing you should consider other than a psych evaluation, is saving Lunacy and free pulls for Walpurgis event periods, as the two most valuable units for burn teams are both 000’s from said banner; Of course the two ID’s being Philip Sinclair, and Magic Bullet Outis.

Ideally you are able to first and second slot these two ID’s into your team: Philip Sinclair is able to apply +6 burn count on skill 2, whilst having the highest rolls of any other Burn ID. He is also incredibly useful to have skill slots on as his skill 3 heals bonus sanity on clash win, meaning he becomes more useful in a fight faster than other ID’s are able to.

Other Than 06 Ryoshu, Philip Sinclair is the only source of slashing damage in a full burn team outside of EGO*, meaning that slotting him first will gain additional value compared to other ID’s in many situations.

Additionally, in terms of EGO resources, Philip Sinclair was the first Burn ID since Hong Liu to have Gloom affinity skills, and the first ID since Liu Ishmael to have envy skills.

As for EGO you can use on Sinclair, Impending day gives more value than Lifetime Stew, as it allows for easier wrath resonance, more damage type coverage as Philip has no Blunt in his kit, and does not immolate your teammates.

Branch of knowledge is incredibly hard to fuel in a burn team, as only 3/36 of the teams skills are Gluttony affinity, and said skills belonging to one specific ID.

With that being said, due to the nature of Philip Sinclair being on neutral-positive sanity regularly, the Branch of Knowledge passive is more useful than it would be on other ID’s who plan on remaining at 45 SP;

The other option is Blubberbuble, who is slightly easier to fuel, and gives survivability to your team; due to Faust lacking a Burn ID, and the fact that there are the same amount of sloth skills as gluttony, Burn as a team lacks a large amount of sustain, as pursuance requires sloth resources, Fluid sack is unavailable, and Lantern (sinclair) requires Gluttony.

See note above about what HE to take. The answer is still Lantern, never take 9:2.

Magic Bullet Outis is the second cornerstone ID of the Status effect, enabling Burn to deal damage multiple times per turn. With her being the only method of dealing multiple times your burn in a turn, its highly recommended that you have this ID for a burn team.

There aren't many notes of what EGO to take on this ID, the main notes are that half of her skills, + defence being pride allows for the fueling of Suffering Becomes Existence, as long as you have enough Sloth resources, and that Holiday allows for easier Wrath resonance.

The Final highly important ID is Liu Rodion, who, alongside her 4th match flame EGO, allows for wrath resonance to become highly potent, applying Wrath damage up and Wrath fragility across the team and enemies.

Bringing Rodion is your highest reliable source of Pierce damage, as 1/6 of Outis skills are pierce, with the same ratio for Philip, however his skill 3 becomes skill 4 during passive, which is a Slash skill.

Rodion is the closest thing that we can get to Glimpse of flames outside of mirror dungeon, with dealing wrath damage based on potency…. With a max of 30. She additionally is the only source of Pride affinity if you lack Magic Bullet.

The Suggested Team is as follows:

Dawn Office Fixer Sinclair.

Lobotomy E.G.O::Magic Bullet Outis

Liu Rodion

And the secondary ID’s// less vital ID’s being:

Liu Ishmael (EGO skills, extra damage, burn and count)

Liu Meursault (regret allows for decent rolls. Pursuance is one of three available healing EGO, able to apply count on skill 3)

Liu Ryoshu (Gluttony affinity resources; 4MF; Contempt, Awe. red eyes (normal) & Forest for the Flames for Lust Resonance)

Liu Gregor (Sloth Resources. Garden of Thorns EGO useful for Wrath or Lust Resonance)

Support Passives//Non-Burn ID's:

The most notable ID which can be used in lieu of a burn ID is The One Who Grips Faust; Due to almost all burn ID's possessing a lust affinity skill, it is incredibly easy to activate her whistles passive, allowing your units to gain SP much faster. this brings us onto the next main idea which you can use for support passives: Sanity Maxxing: due to how Philip Sinclair works, if you get as many sanity passives as possible stacked on top of each other, you can keep him in EGO state for an absurd amount of time; Other than Grip Faust, the best SP passives are: Ring Yi Sang, Base Yi Sang, and Base Hong Lu. You can also technically use Captain Ishmael who is, on a technicality, a burn ID. This is here just to cover all my bases. Ring ID's have wrath and lust affinities, and benefit from the burn on target, making them viable substitute ID's

#project moon #limbus #limbus company #essays i wrote primarily while half asleep #essay writing #burn #liu association #sinclair lcb #sinclair is tagged because im pretty sure that most of this is talking about him #lcb #literally's literal illiteracy #Pedants overview

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mizugucci · 3 years ago

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yeah no no it's fine that my svt sets that usually hit 200 are averaging 50 I swear it's fine --

#no it's NOT fine wtf this is so discouraging #like okay I shouldn't whine about notes #but come on???#the only reason the the8 one got even close to 100 is cuz I'm 20 of those notes #i don't mind flopping because I usually gif groups that don't get a lot of notes #but what does it say when the gifs for a group that usually get way more #are struggling to hit a fourth of the regular notes?#mtxt #anyway it was very sad to come online this morning g #and dk only have 38 notes #it's not the flopping that's upsetting me it's the pure discrepancies...#why all of a sudden am I doing so badly in general...#omg it's not even 38 #i read wrong it's only 32 #oof this is awful #funny how yesterday I was all gung-ho about learning VS and bettering myself #but like now do I even want to bother #this happens every couple months where I feel like I want to quit being a cc #but I don't have any other helpful creative hobbies #maybe that's what I should work on is finding something else I like

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alixdelcourt · 4 years ago

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Maybe other ones opinions matter more to you than ours

Pairing Katsuki Bakugou x female reader x Eijirou Kirishima

Genre : angst to fluff and comfort at the end.

WC and warnings : 1.5 k / Polyrelationship, Angst, feeling down, abandon, injury, mention of hospital and sedative. Please be careful reading this, and skip it if you're insecure or sensitive, you'll just get hurt. Please be careful.

Note : Hey everyone, I am back ! I am sorry, I wasn't on hiatus so I didn't warned you, I was just sick and trying to recover. And now that I am totally healed, I promise that I'll catch all your requests up quickly ! Today's work is @d3nk1x's request. I am sorry it took my like forever to achieve it, really sorry. I hope that you’ll like it, please let me know, and feel free to ask anything else. I kinda like your requests :)

Requests are still open, and since my college year is over, I am totally free to write whenever I want. And I am bored a bit, so please send many requests if you want, I will be happy to oblige !

The heart has its reasons which Reason knows nothing of… What was sure is that you loved them, from the bottom of your heart. But it wasn’t enough for you to be completely at ease with the relationship that you, Eijirou and Katsuki are entertaining. Well, such relations aren’t usual and you prefer to keep it for you. What would it be if people, even your friends, discover this part of your intimacy and feel free to criticize, or worse to judge you and to deprecate it�� Would your ‘couple’ survive all of this ? You prefer not to take the risk. A happy life is a discreet one.

But, your significant others are not on the same page. Like, for the boys, you’re all adults and old enough to make your own choices. You chose them, you brought them together, so why couldn’t you assume this decision ? Why three people in love would be so odd ? This subject was the only point of contention for you, that comes up more and more often. Like tonight.

The three of you were in Katsuki’s room, for the usual nightly cuddles. To have some affection before going to sleep, each one in his own dorm room. For the other students not to notice, Eijirou is the first to leave, and after a couple of minutes, you follow him. But tonight, the guys made a big deal out of it. You argue, explaining again for like the thousandth time your position.

“I just… I just don’t feel comfortable with people knowing that I am in love with two guys. Maybe it’s okay for you to share the same girlfriend, but this isn’t was girls do.”

“And who cares about other girls ? They just don't know what they are missing !”

Eijirou winked at you, trying to make you laugh and give it all up as a joke, but you weren’t laughing. He sighed, and let your mutual boyfriend try. And he did. Like Katsuki really tried. He took your hand, and made you look at his crimson stare.

“Please, Y/n. Let us love you in full view of everyone. I am tired, we’re both tired of paying attention to our reactions around you. We just want to give you all the attention you deserve and the love you generate at any time, not bottling it up or botch it between two training sessions. I don’t want to hide anymore, because this means we’re doing something wrong. And we’re not. So please.”

He’s meaning what he’s saying, and you know it. Katsuki Bakugou ain’t one to beg, for anything. But even if this was the sweetest and the most romantic thing he has ever told you, you can’t overcome your fear. Which deeply hurt the boys in front of you. The ash blond haired released your hand.

“Maybe other ones opinions matter more to you than ours”

Usually, when he’s this rude, Eijirou stands up for you, but today he’s way too hurt and he agrees with Katsuki. Too many words jostle on your tongue, but none were sufficient for you to express how you’re feeling. With obvious teary eyes, you stand up and leave quickly before bursting in cries. You try to convince yourself that you’re feeling this way because they’ve been harsh on you, pressuring you like this, but you can’t fool yourself. Nothing hurts like the truth.

But you made it. You managed to sleep, and in the morning, you decide that you’re moving forward and as usual, leave the situation as it is. But you quickly notice that it’s not the case for Eijirou and Katsuki. When you went for breakfast, they were already done and heading to their own classes. Usually, you have your have your meals together and they accompany you before going about their business. Usually, Katsuki cooks in the morning, and you make the boys tea. Usually, Eijirou takes all of the bags on his shoulders because it’s manlier and ‘every little training helps’. But today was nothing like usual. You tried to avoid your paranoia during the whole morning, but you couldn’t anymore at lunch. They literally rejected you. In front of everyone. Maybe you finally ruined everything by yourself.

When you arrived to the cafeteria, you decided to wait for them before realizing that they weren’t late, but they didn’t wait for you. They were already eating with some classmates. Sero noticed you, lining up alone for your lunch and staring, with a troubled expression on your face.

“Why isn’t Y/n with you today ? The three of you are always together… Something happened ?”

“She decided that our company is no satisfying enough for her. We would not want to force her.”

You weren’t that far from them, and Eijirou’s hard words were sharp and loud enough to reach your ears. He said it that loud on purpose.

“I thought that you and her had a thing… Aren’t the two dating or something like this ?”

Katsuki growled at Denki’s curiosity.

“None of your business, you dumbass”

“I was asking Eijirou ! Of course, no one would date your rude ass”

“He’s right, Denki. Our love life is none of your business”.

No one could possibly ask anything after this, even if they took each other’s hand. They ain’t persons to take criticism. They just proved you that you can’t cut off people’s curiosity. You’re just not strong enough. So you ate alone, and reached the afternoon training late, sorrowed and unmotivated.

Since your two regular partners for training were sulking you, you paired up with Midoriya, who needed help for his frontal attacks. You were strong enough to repulse him sometimes, by putting all your frustration into your fight, and you were agile enough to avoid him when he was too strong. It wasn’t like your usual trainings, but it was instructive in that you were learning new things. And suddenly, just when your sadness has eased a little thanks to work, everything went so fast that you couldn’t understand. First, your eyes caught a familiar vision. Second, your turned your head to see that Katsuki was proudly and fiercely kissing a blushing Eijirou, that wasn’t ashamed to kiss him back. Third, your eyes went wide open, and your mouth in awe.

“… - SMASH !”

Fourth, everything faded away.

Before you open your eyes, you can tell that you’re in a hospital. The smell of disinfectant and the beeping of machines weren’t misleading. And when you opened your eyes, The memories came along with the severe pain. You remember… Izuku, Eijirou, Katsuki… Recovery girl… The hero trainer… The ambulance… The injury, the pain and the cries… The sedative… And then nothing. You got injured during the training, you weren’t paying attention and you received Izuku’s attack you were supposed to block or avoid with full force. If you were a villain, he would have neutralized you, which was the purpose of the training. He isn’t the one to blame, nor are the two who caught your attention. From the very beginning, you were the only culprit. And just when you were thinking of them, you heard Katsuki’s voice grunt behind the curtain that was surrounding your convalescence bed.

“We have to see her ! Oi listen you-”

“We’re in a hospital, quieter !”

“Please, doctor, let us see her. We are so worry, and we need to be by her side when she’ll wake up”

Eijirou’s pleading voice was trying to convince the relentless doctor.

“You’re not her family, I can’t allow you to do so. I am sorry, rules are rules.”

Someone, maybe Sero, intervened.

“C’mon, boys, there’s nothing to do but wait…”

However, they didn’t give up. Kirishima begging and Bakugou threatening almost made you cry. You struggled a bit, but managed to talk with a husky voice.

“Please let them in. They are my boyfriends. Please…”

The curtain was withdrawn in a hurry, and in a split second, the blond and the redhead were by your side.

“Y/N ! How are you feeling ! Is everything okay or are you-

“Don’t ever scare me like this again ! I might lose my mind if you ever-

They won’t let you get a word in edgeways, checking on you and their concerned eyes scanning you. You started crying.

“I am so sorry… I am so sorry that I was stupid enough to hurt you instead of overcoming my fear ! I don’t deserve you, I-”

Eijirou hushed to you, while carefully wrapping his arms around you.

“Shhhh… It’s okay now, sweetheart. We won’t talk about this now, and not anymore. Nothing is more important than seeing you happy and smiling…”

“Besides, all those who were waiting heard you… I am sorry…”

“What a plot twist ! Seriously, don’t be… I am not afraid anymore. Today was horrible, and I got more hurt by the truth then Izuku’s hit. I am not letting anything between us again. I love you, and nothing will stop me from doing so”

Katsuki took your hand in his, squeezing it against his heart and peppering it with kisses. Words aren’t for him, so he lets you know his gratitude in other ways. With a kiss on your forehead, Eijirou concludes.

“If it took you approaching death to realize it, you're more of a dumbass that he calls you so”

__________________________________________

Here is ! Please let me know if you liked it or not, and if you did like it, feel free to share so other people could enjoy it as well :)

@d3nk1x @i-heart-fictional-boys @skywalkerstyles (from which I drew inspiration for the polyrelationship, I totally love your work) @katsukichu @kirislilrock

Maybe I’ll try a real taglist… I just need to figure out how does it work…

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the-scandalorian · 4 years ago

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Tempered Glass: Chapter 4

Pairing: Din Djarin x Female Reader Rating: M (will become explicit) Word Count: 6.6k Warnings: slow burn, canon-typical violence, non-graphic description of blood and injury, cursing, alcohol consumption Summary: You and Mando choose Sorgan as your place to lay low, only to get wrangled into a risky job. Notes: I didn’t post last week, so have two chapters! Taglist: @bbdoyouloveme @beskarhearts @dincrypt @honey-hi @just-me-and-my-obsessions00 @red-leaders @zoemariefit

Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter

Image from The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian

The next few days passed in a haze of planning and training. You helped instruct the villagers in hand-to-hand combat alongside Cara and firearms training with Mando. When Cara asked why you happened to be proficient in both skills, you told her that working with the clientele you did occasionally necessitated self-defense. That was true enough.

After a day or two, however, you decided it was best to leave the blaster training up to Mando. You focused on assisting Cara, who was good company, and joined the crew that was constructing barricades and digging trenches.

It was irritating to feel a tinge of jealousy at the comfortable way Mando interacted with Omera so soon after meeting her. She was beautiful and clever, welcoming and kind. You understood her appeal. Still, despite yourself, you were annoyed by their borderline flirtatious interactions.

You could practically feel Mando’s heart drop when Omera was the only villager to raise her hand when he asked the group who knew how to shoot. He looked like he might actually be in physical pain as he watched her hit the pan she was aiming for over and over in quick succession during target practice. He was visibly tense, holding his shoulders back uncomfortably far as he regarded her, deeply impressed.

You were honestly even a little nettled by easy relationship that had developed organically between Cara and Mando. Their connection was strictly platonic, but they acted like they’d been friends for years.

Why is it so different with me?

Both of these developments were irritating, but what really drove you to avoid Mando was your frustration at yourself. This wasn’t the plan. You weren’t supposed to get invested or attached—both because you’d part ways soon enough and because you were witnessing Mando get attached to someone else.

It was easy enough to limit your interactions with him during the day. You spent what little spare time you had playing with the kid and the gaggle of children that followed him around to squeal at every adorable flap of his ears, or wandering through the forest. You always stayed closed to village, but it was relief to get some time alone. As nice as it was to have regular company—something you’d wanted for so long—you also missed some aspects of your solitary existence. It was simple and comfortable. It was what you knew best.

***

At night, you made sure to stay away from the barn as long as possible so Mando could have plenty of time to eat and do whatever else he did with his helmet off.

Each night, you would approach the barn after dark had fallen, making sure to stomp loudly up the steps. You’d stand off to the side of the doorway and knock, waiting to hear the telltale sound of beskar dragging across the wooden windowsill and the subsequent hiss as he fit the helmet back over his head.

The fourth night, however, when Mando arrived back at the barn in the early evening, he stopped at the doorway.

You had stacked every box, crate, and stray item in a line down the center of the back half of the room to make a barrier that was as high as your shoulder. You’d hung a sheet across both sides, so you each had an enclosed space.

“I know it doesn’t fix it, but I thought it might make you feel better? I promise not to get up with out warning you... I know you’ll probably keep your helmet on anyways, but I have to imagine sleeping in it is killing your neck, and since you won’t let me figure out somewhere else to sleep, this is the best I could come up with,” you stopped rambling, punctuating the end of your sentence with a decisive nod.

“Thank you,” he said.

You were relieved—and slightly surprised—when later that night, after darkness had fallen and you were tucked under your blankets, hovering on the edges of sleep, you heard a hiss and a thunk, which you registered as him removing his helmet and setting it on the floor. It was slightly harder to fall sleep knowing that Mando was only feet away from you, helmetless.

The warmth that blossomed in your chest at this display of trust stayed with you well into the next day.

***

The next night, after a long day of training, you were back in the barn, getting cleaned up before bed. Mando, having just entered, was untying the knot in his cape. The kid was standing in his crib, tiny hands gripping the bars, watching you and Mando with eager curiosity.

Seated on a crate, you pulled the necklace that was tucked under your shirt over your head, preparing to wash the sweat and grime of the day off you. You leaned over to stow it in a tiny zip pocket on the outside of your bag, when you felt a tug on the thin gold chain. You looked down at your hand, thinking the child must have tottered over when you weren’t looking. But, looking up, you saw that he wasn’t near you. He was still standing in his crib, and he whined at you, his tiny hand outstretched. He seemed concerned, his eyes squinted and forehead wrinkled in concentration.

You looked from the necklace in your hand to the kid and back.

“What the—?”

You glanced at Mando. He was watching you, the cape he was folding frozen in his hands. He dropped the cape and strode over to the crib to grab the child, hugging him tight to his chest. He turned to leave the barn, walking to the doorway. The child struggled against him, until his big ears and eyes appeared over Mando’s shoulder, a tiny hand stretched toward you again.

Curious, you opened your hand and straightened your arm, offering the necklace on your palm.

The baby’s face wrinkled in concentration once again. Mando was almost out the door when the necklace jerked out of your hand and flew across the room. The chain hooked on one of the kid’s tiny fingers. He grasped it, and the purple crystal at the end of it clinked distinctively when it collided with Mando’s pauldron. Mando stopped dead in his tracks.

Your jaw dropped. Mando whirled around, adjusting his grip on the child so he could see the necklace clutched in his tiny hand, the pendant swinging back and forth like a pendulum. The baby was cooing and wiggling his ears in triumph. His other hand grabbed at the crystal.

Mando’s entire demeanor shifted in the space of a second. He stopped breathing and crossed the space between you in a few long strides, raising a hand to point a threatening finger at your chest.

“You can’t tell anyone.” The anger in his voice failed to conceal the fear underneath it, even through the modulator.

“I won’t.” You were absolutely bewildered by this development, but you’d never do anything that would endanger the child.

Mando stayed frozen like that, his hand outstretched. In his arms, the child tittered and cooed, examining the object clasped in his tiny hands.

“Mando, I promise. I won’t.”

He nodded, dropping his accusing hand, and looked down to gently extricate the necklace from the three-fingered hand it was wrapped around. You could see the reflection of the baby’s huge, imploring brown eyes in Mando’s visor. The baby let out a frustrated huff in protest and began to whine in earnest when Mando successfully disentangled the necklace.

He thrust it back into your hand, turned on his heel, and left.

The Mandalorian has a baby... Jedi? And he does not want to talk about it.

***

After two weeks of preparation, the day finally arrived. Tension was high among the villagers as the final arrangements were made. The plan was reviewed, and finally, the sun began to set. You and Mando headed back to the barn to gear up.

It only took a few minutes for Mando to grab all he needed. Slinging his rifle across his back, he walked toward the doorway and paused. He turned around to face you.

“We’re headed out. You’ll make sure the kid is safe with the others?” he asked.

“Of course. Be careful out there.”

“You too.” He gave you a curt nod and swept out the door.

You gathered what you needed, delivered the child to the building that was designated for children and a couple caretakers, and took your place with the villagers behind one of the barricades. You shared words of reassurance with those around you.

The night passed in a blur of adrenaline. You had been put in charge of one of two groups of the villagers who were capable of fighting. Omera led the other. Mando and Cara attacked the raider’s camp, drawing them out of the forest. The Klatooinians rushed the village, purposefully funneled to the open space between your group and Omera’s by the barricades, and the AT-ST stuttered into view shortly after.

The villagers were roughly trained soldiers, but in the end, it was enough to scare off the Klatooinians—especially once Mando and Cara managed to lure the reluctant walker into the trap, incapacitating their largest weapon.

Halfway through the fight, your blaster jammed, so you traded it for one you took off a dead Klatooinian. It was large and awkward in your hands, but it did the job well enough.

When the walker fell and the remaining Klatooinians turned tail, the villagers began to cheer, letting their guard down immediately. Mando and Cara disappeared into the woods after the retreating raiders to clear out any stragglers.

You scanned the dark scene from where you stood behind the krill ponds to ensure that every Klatooinian had left. When you turned back toward the village, you noticed an injured raider, who had been lying on the ground, lurched to his feet. He started towards Omera, who was kneeling beside an injured villager, tending their wounds, with her back to him. As he stood, he pulled a long knife from is belt.

“Omera!” you yelled. She looked around at the sound of her name and exclaimed when she saw the man charging her, only a few feet away. Her hands scrabbled along the ground around her, trying to locate her blaster. The other villagers in the vicinity, caught off guard, froze and watched in horror.

You fumbled with the safety on the unfamiliar blaster in your hands, feeling slow and awkward. Fuck.

You sprinted forward to position yourself between Omera and the Klatooinian, catching him off guard and meeting his face with the butt of the heavy blaster. He growled in pain, closing his eyes for a moment as he reeled back, slashing the air blindly with his blade. You took the chance to kick him in the stomach, putting all your weight behind it. He doubled over, but managed to throw out his arm as he stumbled backwards, just as you were drawing your leg back. You cried out in pain as his blade bit through the meat of your calf.

Omera, who had recovered behind you, shot the raider before he hit the ground.

You staggered back, breathing hard, and sat on the ground abruptly, gritting your teeth at the sharp pain. He’d cut deep into your muscle, leaving a laceration as long as your hand. Bacta would fix you well enough, but it hurt like a bitch. It was bleeding freely, thick droplets of blood running down your shin into your boot. Without thinking, you ripped your shirt off over your head, leaving you in just your breast band, and wrapped it tight around your calf to staunch the bleeding. Several villagers rushed over to help you, but you waved them off, reassuring them that you had it under control.

Omera knelt beside you, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. “Thank you for having my back,” she said genuinely.

You smiled at her and covered her hand with yours: “Anytime. Thanks for having mine.”

You heard the familiar clank of Mando’s armor behind you. He must have finished flushing out the nearby trees. He crouched next to you.

“What happened?”

“Knife wound. Not bad. I’ll be fine.”

Blood was rapidly soaking through the thick fabric of your shirt. Okay, I might need stitches.

“You need stitches,” Mando said, verbalizing your thought.

“Yeah.”

“I can do those for you,” Omera offered. “Let’s get you somewhere more comfortable.”

“Thank you,” you nodded.

She threaded a hand under your arm to help you to your feet. You started to get up.

“I got her,” said Mando, waving Omera away. She moved back.

You were too focused on the stinging pain of your leg to process what he meant. Mando got to his knees and leaned forward to slip an arm under the crook of your knees and one around your back. You flinched at the feeling of the cold beskar on your side.

“Mando, I can walk,” you protested, surprised, as he lifted you. You instinctively wrapped an arm behind his neck, while your other hand held tight to the shirt around your calf.

“You’re losing too much blood.”

His chest plate was cold against your exposed skin, sending a shiver down your spine.

You were surprised when he turned in the direction of the barn where the two of you slept, instead of toward the structure that had been designated for medical care. On the way there, he poked his head into the room where the kids were hidden. The child chirped happily up at the two of you from where he was seated in Winta’s lap. Satisfied, Mando turned to carry you the rest of the way to the barn.

If you weren’t exhausted and in pain, you’d probably be more acutely aware of how exposed you were in just your breast band in his arms. You would probably be enjoying the easy way he was carrying you.

He stepped onto the porch in one stride and strode inside, setting you down gently on your blankets. You lay back immediately, bending your injured leg to keep the pressure steady with a tight grip on your shirt. You closed your eyes, trying to not focus on the pain. You heard Mando rummaging around.

“My med pack is in my backpack,” you said. “Will you hand it to me?”

But when you opened your eyes, you saw that he already had his own med pack open on the floor next to you.

“I have anesthetic bacta spray. I’ll use that first so you don’t feel the stitches.” He held up an aerosol can to show you.

Knowing how expensive that was, you protested: “No, no, save that for something more serious. I’ll be okay. I’ve had stitches before.”

“It’ll be easier for me if I know I’m not hurting you,” he insisted, a note of genuine concern in his voice.

“I can handle it.”

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’? Yes, I can. I’ve done it before.”

“Will you just let me do it?” he asked, exasperated.

“Are you okay though? Don’t you have any injuries?”

“No. Beskar,” he replied, tapping his chest plate. “Just let me do it,” he pressed with an imploring head tilt.

“Okay,” you agreed reluctantly. “Thank you.”

He moved down to your calf, taking the shirt gently from your hands. When his fingers brushed yours, you registered that it wasn’t a glove you felt—his hand was bare.

You closed your eyes again, trying not to fixate on the feeling of his bare skin on yours. Plus, you still weren’t sure if seeing his bare skin would somehow violate his Creed.

He peeled back the fabric slowly. You winced.

“The worst of the bleeding has stopped,” he said, using the shirt to wipe away the drying blood on your skin. “I’m applying the spray.”

You nodded vaguely, then hissed through your teeth at the sting of cold spray on your leg, but the effects were immediate—the pain disappeared instantly, completely.

“Ah, fuck, I forgot how good that stuff is. I got so used to getting patched up without it.”

He let out a grunt of agreement. “Stay still.”

“I will.”

You glanced down at Mando, appreciating how out of place he looked, his large metal form crouched over your leg, administering precise medical care with careful movements.

Feeling like you were in good hands, with the pain gone, you let the fatigue overtake you. Your eyes drifted closed.

Sometime later—you weren’t sure how long in your hazy state—you felt Mando move beside you. You opened your eyes, and he was on his knees by your shoulder, his gloveless hand hovering a couple inches above your arm like he wasn’t sure whether or not he was going to touch you. You gave him a sleepy smile, and in a sudden movement, he lowered his hand the rest of the way down to your bare shoulder.

I guess it isn’t against the Creed to reveal your skin to someone else.

“I’m done.”

“Thank you,” you replied, reaching up to pat the hand on your shoulder. You kept the gesture brief, concerned that your touch might prompt him to pull his hand away.

He didn’t.

His hands were softer than you were expecting.

“Rest,” he instructed. “I put water next to you.”

He stood to leave, the weight of his warm hand retreating with him.

You tried not to overthink how tender Mando had been with you. You didn’t want to process what it meant or the fact that it sort of left you swooning. Though, maybe that was the blood loss.

As you drifted to sleep, you thought about what the future might hold. It was a relief that the fight was over and the village was safe, but it also meant your job here was done and it would soon be time to leave Sorgan. You weren’t sure what this meant for your partnership—if you could really even call it a partnership—with Mando. Would you go your separate ways now?

It wasn’t until the next morning—when you were examining the precise row of stiches on your calf—that you realized, with great dismay, you’d exposed the scar on your chest to Mando, Omera, and a handful of other villagers.

***

The following evening was a celebration. The entire village stayed up late into the night eating, talking, and drinking in the long hall.

After dinner, you were five shots into a drinking game with Cara when Mando rejoined the two of you. You were drinking a clear liquor, something stronger than spotchka that you didn’t know the name of.

Mando sat down stiffly across from you, watching the two of you howl with laughter over a joke he’d missed.

“I was just here half an hour ago. How are you both already drunk?”

“We’re efficient,” said Cara in a mock-serious tone.

“You want to play, Mando? I could get you a straw,” you offered.

He tilted his head, and the sassiness of the gesture made you cackle.

Cara laughed heartily, slapping her hand on her thigh: “I guess that’s his way of saying he can’t handle his booze.”

“What exactly are the rules of this game?” he asked.

“We stopped worrying about the rules awhile ago,” you admitted.

“So who’s winning?”

“Me!” you declared, reaching for the half-empty bottle once again.

“I don’t know about that,” said Cara, skeptically, snatching the bottle and unsteadily pouring two more shots. She handed one to you.

“Maybe you guys have had enough,” Mando said, reaching out to take the glasses from Cara.

“Maybe you’re not the boss of us,” you sassed, knocking his hand out of the way and tipping the proffered shot down your throat. You were drunk enough that it didn’t burn anymore.

“We’re celebrating, Mando!” Cara proclaimed before she downed hers too, and you both laughed at the long-suffering sigh that Mando let out.

A woman that Cara had been spending most of her free time with sauntered over to your table and leaned down to whisper something in her ear. Cara smirked.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to,” she said, standing and taking the woman’s hand.

“Have fun,” you said, winking.

“You too,” she shot back.

You turned to Mando: “Welp, looks like you’re my new drinking buddy.”

He sat silent, helmet following Cara and the other woman as they left the hall.

“Oookay, then. I’m going to bed.” You slapped your palms onto the table and pushed yourself up.

Mando followed you as you stepped out into the cool night.

“Where’s the kid?” you asked.

“Asleep already.”

“That’s good. Babies need sleep.”

“He’s fifty.”

You turned to Mando, spluttering, “Fifty?!”

“Different species age differently,” he shrugged.

“Yeah, no shit... Still, that’s crazy. You have a fifty-year-old toddler. Your baby is older than you...I mean, I assume so. I don’t know how old you are. If I had to guess, I would say... Is that rude? I probably shouldn’t guess...”

Not paying attention, you started wandering in the wrong direction, and Mando laid a guiding hand on your lower back.

“Come on,” he sighed, directing you toward the barn.

You pushed out the loudest, most dramatic sigh you could muster, and he looked down at you.

“That’s you. That’s what you sound like. You looooove sighing, you know that? It’s your favorite thing, second only to the kid. You might like it even more than the kid, actually,” you mused, making yourself chuckle.

“You’re a chatty drunk,” he observed.

“Everyone is chatty compared to you, Mando.”

He grunted.

“What are you like when you’re drunk? I want to see that. Do you even drink?” You stopped walking, and he did too, visor trained on you.

“Sometimes.”

“I bet you’re a nice drunk.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, no, I know so. Because secretly you’re a nice not drunk person so I bet you’re an extra nice drunk person.” Somewhere in the back of your mind, you registered that your usual verbal filter was completely gone. Oh well.

“Is that right?”

“Yep, you pretend to be all scary with your sexy voice and your blasters and your bounty hunting and your fire bracelet and your shiny outfit, but really you are soft, and you love babies and helping people and carrying injured friends.”

“My sexy voice?” He titled his head suggestively.

“Really? That’s what you took from that?” You hiccupped. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what your voice sounds like. This is the way.” You hit him with your best Mando impression.

He chuckled.

Your mouth fell open, and you pointed up at him, incredulous. “You laughed.”

“I did.”

“Well, don’t do it too much or I might start to think that you’re a real human being under all that.” You gestured at his beskar.

“We wouldn’t want that,” he said, and you both started walking toward the barn again.

“Look at you, making jokes.” You tripped slightly, and Mando steadied you.

“My boot is untied,” you announced, flopping onto the ground unceremoniously to tie it.

Mando set his hands on his hips and leaned down to watch you.

You held a palm up to him. “Before you do it, I’ll sigh for you,” you said, letting out another exaggerated exhale.

He crouched down in front of you and batted your hand away, pulling your laces tight to knot them.

“You’re trying my shoe,” you said stupidly.

“Yeah, because you’re taking too long.”

“You don’t have to wait for me, you know. I am perfectly capable of getting back by myself. You can go to bed.” You waved dismissively in the direction of the barn.

“I’m not going to leave you out here drunk and alone.”

“See.” You tapped a finger against his chest plate. “Soft.”

“I guess so.”

“Andddd, I think you still feel the need to babysit me because you don’t trust me.”

He looked up at you. “That’s not true.”

“Convincing.”

He shook his head and stood up. You reached out both hands, and he gripped them, pulling you to your feet.

“How’s your leg?” he asked, replacing his hand on your back.

“Oh, it’s good. You make very tiny, very neat stitches. I was impressed. I assume you’ve had lots of practice.”

He hummed.

You hiccupped again.

“You okay?”

“Yes,” you scowled up at him. “I’m not even that drunk.”

He pushed your shoulder lightly, and you stumbled.

“Hey! That’s cheating!”

“Proved my point though.”

Putting all your weight behind it, you shoved his arm as hard as you could in retaliation. He didn’t falter. Taking a different tack, you snaked a hand under his arm and tickled his unarmored side. He leaped away from you.

“WHY!?” he grunted.

“You’re ticklish!” you announced triumphantly.

“No. I’m not.” But he was careful to stay more than an arm’s distance away from you.

“Yes, you are! But don’t worry, I will take your secret to my grave,” you promised solemnly, placing a hand over your heart. “It wouldn’t be good for business if everyone knew the greatest bounty hunter in the parsec could be bested via tickling.” Your voice cracked, and you dissolved into giggles.

Mando halted and turned to you, putting his hands on his hips again.

“Oh, Mando, lighten up. I’m just teasing you.”

In two decisive steps, Mando closed the distance between you, crowding you backward. You looked up at him, surprised, unable to get a read on him. “I didn’t mean—.”

In one swift movement, he hauled you over his shoulder.

“Hey!!”

He chuckled and tightened his hold around the back of your thighs. You surrendered quickly, going limp. His pauldron dug uncomfortably in your stomach, but otherwise, it wasn’t so bad.

“That is the second time you’ve laughed in the last five minutes. Are you feeling okay? Are you sure you didn’t sustain some sort of head injury yesterday?” you asked.

“Pretty sure, but I’m starting to think you might have.”

“Hilarious. You know, I could still tickle you like this,” you threatened, trailing a hand down his side.

“Not if you don’t want me to drop you,” he warned, jolting you slightly to demonstrate.

You huffed. “You can’t just cuff me or pick me up any time I’m inconvenient. That’s not how friendship works.”

“I think it works well for us,” he said as he climbed the steps to the barn.

***

The following two weeks were a period of peaceful recovery and restoration. You, Mando, and Cara helped the village return their home to normal—disposing of the dead raiders, breaking down the AT-ST, taking down the barricades, filling in the trenches. Every day, as there was less and less to do, you wondered when Mando would broach the topic of leaving. You had a feeling he, like you, was also putting it off for as long as possible. You were enjoying the easy routine you’d fallen into, spending time with the kid, Mando, Cara, and Omera; you’d happened into a community and were loath to leave it.

You were seated on the porch of the barn, watching the clouds roll slowly across the sky, when you noticed Mando making his way over.

As he walked toward you, you admired (not for the first time) the way the soft, green light of Sorgan danced across the surface of his beskar. You looked him up and down surreptitiously, wondering if he’d always worn such an elaborate outfit or if it had evolved over time. You knew the armor at least had been replaced. But had he always worn a cape? And like three layers of clothes? And the sash-like bandolier? You weren’t familiar enough with Mandalorian culture to know if they strapped all of that on as kids or if they donned the armor at a certain age...or how any of it worked.

Your eyes paused at his middle. Weren’t utility belts usually worn lower, on the hips? Not cinched closer to the trimmest part of the waist? It did seem to secure the softer part of his armor that covered his stomach, so maybe it had to be positioned there. The idea that Mando had thought about his silhouette when donning his armor was absurd... but something told you that it was not impossible. Honestly, you hoped the belt was just as much for fashion as it was for function because that was too funny. The man wears a cape... it is definitely possible that more than one part of his outfit is both aesthetic and practical.

You definitely weren’t complaining. You enjoyed the view.

You wondered if he fully understood the nature of his effect on people. He was acutely aware of how intimidating he could be; he wielded that advantage liberally and expertly, but you were unsure if he was aware of his appeal. It wasn’t just you who was drawn to him in that way—Omera, for one, was immediately taken with him. And you saw how others in the cantina that first day, or in the Sorgan public house, or even here in the village trailed their eyes down his body when he wasn’t looking.

Your face burned slightly at the memory of telling him he had a sexy voice. You were grateful you hadn’t admitted anything more embarrassing, and that he hadn’t brought it up again. To your relief, that night of joking with him had shifted things slightly—he’d been a little more relaxed around you since.

Mando walked up the steps and leaned on the wall of the barn, joining you on the porch. He glanced down at you.

“How was your patrol?” you asked.

“Good, no sign of any raiders.”

You nodded and let silence hang between you for a long moment.

“That fight was too much action for a backwater town like this though—word travels fast and it’s been a couple weeks. We should cycle the charts and move on.”

Your eyes found the child, who was seated amidst a group of children in the middle of the village. He looked so happy, giggling and playing outside in the sun. Krill flopped on the ground around him.

“I know you’re right, but the idea of taking him away from this place is... hard to think about. He’s so happy here.” You nodded your head toward the baby.

Mando heaved a sigh. He stared forward as he said, “I’m leaving him here. Traveling with me—that’s no life for a kid. I did my job, he’s safe—”

You were shocked.

“Your job, Mando? Your job was to turn in an innocent child for a bounty, and you knew that was wrong, so you didn’t. After that, he became your responsibility, not just a job.” The words fell out of your mouth before you could stop them.

You looked away from him, suddenly cold. He said nothing.

“I don’t understand you. You flip flop between being heartless and being caring. How do you go from saving him to leaving him in some random village? He’s attached to you. Please, explain it to me because I don’t understand.” You made no effort to hide the venom that was seeping into your voice, as every frustration you’d felt toward Mando over the last couple weeks bubbled to the surface at once.

You looked up at him. His helmet was trained on your face.

“He’ll get over it. We all do.”

You glared up at him.

“Why don’t you stay here with him? You could settle down with Omera. You know she wants you to stay.”

“She asked me to stay, but I don’t belong here.”

“You could if you wanted to. Don’t pretend like you don’t have a choice.”

You stood and walked away, leaving him on the porch. You couldn’t stand to look at his infuriatingly blank mask for one more second.

You stomped all the way to the forest’s edge and passed under the cover of the trees. You walked until you reached a clearing surrounded by chest-high berry bushes and began to pace back and forth.

What is he thinking?

How could he do that to the child?

How could he just leave him like that?

You knew it didn’t make sense that you would have a say in what happened to the kid, but you couldn’t help the fact that you’d grown attached to them both over the past several weeks. You wanted Mando to be the man you suspected he was—soft and kind-hearted. You didn’t want him to confirm that the moments of selflessness had been outliers, and he was really the ruthless bounty hunter that he looked like on the outside.

But...he was right that his life was not the best life for a child. You thought about your own lonely, unsettled, nomadic existence—not unlike Mando’s. Except, his life also included regular violence in a way that yours hadn’t in a long time. His life would be even worse for a child than yours.

And it made sense that he wasn’t willing to abandon his entire way of life, everything he knew to stay on Sorgan. That was a lot of ask of anyone. He didn’t ask for this.

You’d come out here to calm down but had only made yourself more irritated now that you’d come to the annoying conclusion that Mando was probably right. You huffed.

The threatening crunch of twigs off to your left brought you back to the present moment. You crouched amidst the bramble of berry bushes.

You watched through the tangle of branches as a figure made their way carefully through the forest. They were carrying a long rifle, their face concealed in a mask.

A bounty hunter. A tracking fob blinked in their hand.

Who is their target? The kid? Me? No, it can’t be me. The fob isn’t beeping fast enough. Mando? Cara? Probably the kid. The thought made your heart squeeze.

You stood silently to follow, keeping a safe distance behind them.

The hunter stopped at the edge of the forest, where the view of the village was clear, and set up the sniper rifle on a boulder. You waited to see where the sight was trained before making your move.

Sure enough, the scope was aimed at the baby, who was sitting on the ground beside a krill pond with Winta. Omera was standing in the water, submerging a basket, beside them.

You rushed forward, raising your blaster to the back of the hunter’s head, and pulled the trigger. Birds screeched and took off into the sky in response to the sound.

You smashed the tracker fob under the heel of your boot before rushing back to the village, knowing the ringing shot would have incited panic.

As you sprinted back to the village center, you spotted Mando. He was standing close to Omera, one hand placed reassuringly on her shoulder. The child was held tight in his other arm. Winta was hugged against her mother’s stomach. They looked like a family, the way they were huddled together.

When Mando saw you, he dropped his hand from Omera’s shoulder.

“What happened?” He looked you up and down, inspecting you for any signs of injury.

“There was a hunter in the woods. I took them out. They had a fob for the kid, Mando. They know he’s here,” you panted.

Neither of you spoke, sharing a moment of mutual understanding. You reached over to lightly stroke the kid’s ear. He cooed up at you.

“What does this mean?” asked Omera.

“It means that he isn’t safe here,” responded Mando. The pain in his voice was clear, even through the modulator.

Omera reached out for Mando’s hand, and he took hers for a moment, squeezing it gently before letting it drop.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

He nodded stiffly. “Me too.”

You and Mando both turned to head to the barn at the same time. As you walked beside him, you looked over to find his helmet trained on you.

“I—uh, I owe you an apology. This would be a great place for any child to grow up—safe, loving. I get why you wanted to leave him here. I’m sorry that he won’t be able to stay now.”

Mando reached his hand out, as if to touch your arm, then thought better of it and let it fall to his side.

“You know, I actually did turn him in for the reward,” he admitted. “That’s how I got enough beskar for the new armor.” He gestured at his chest plate, hanging his head slightly, ashamed.

You looked at him, eyes wide in surprise.

“I regretted it right away and went back for him. That’s when I ran into you. Or, I guess, you ran into me. ” He let out a small huff of a laugh.

You grimaced, remembering the pain of slamming into his back.

“I understand why you were mad,” he continued. “But, I didn’t want to leave him here. I’m still trying to work out what’s best for him, but I know it’s not staying with me forever.” The thread of grief in his voice was pronounced.

You nodded in understanding, wishing you could somehow help him carry this profound responsibility. You weren’t sure how to express that, or if he wanted to hear it, or if it was your place to say it, so you settled on something else: “He’s easy to get attached to.”

Mando scoffed, “You’re telling me.”

You smiled at him, and you couldn’t be sure, of course, but you felt like he was smiling back at you.

***

You said your goodbyes and readied yourselves for departure. While you hugged the kids and packed your things, you thought about your next move.

A stubborn, cold part of you wanted to tell Mando to drop you off at the closest planet with a major port. You didn’t like that after just a few weeks, you were getting emotionally attached to the pair. It would be easier, safer, less complicated to return to your solitary existence. Plus, your continued presence added to the risk they already faced. That wasn’t fair to either of them.

The quieter, more truthful part of you wanted to stay with him and the child. It was a relief to not be alone all the time, but this was supposed to be a loose, short-lived alliance, not something that made your heart squeeze slightly when you thought about eventually going your separate ways.

You told yourself you’d wait until he brought it up, see what he wanted, and go from there.

You, Mando, and Cara stood at the speeder, ready to leave. Everyone in the village was there to see you off. After a few final goodbyes, Mando and Cara jumped into the speeder. You handed the baby to Mando.

You were about to grab the edge of the speeder to haul yourself up when he reached down to offer you a gloved hand. You accepted. The gesture didn’t surprise you—he was generally polite by nature. What did surprise you was the steadying hand that moved to your waist as you stepped carefully over crates and supplies to find a seat. He squeezed your side gently before letting you go.

***

You had prepared yourself for a conversation that never came.

As you were leaving the atmosphere of Sorgan in the Razor Crest, Mando turned to you to ask, “What are you thinking for our next move?”

He flicked some switches and pressed a few buttons on the console, and a holo-map of the area flickered into view in front of him. A constellation of planets hovered before your eyes.

***

Chapter 5

#Tempered Glass #my writing #the mandalorian #the mandalorian fanfic #the mandalorian x you #din djarin x you #the mandalorian x female reader #din djarin x female reader #the mandalorian x f!reader #din djarin x f!reader #the mandalorian reader insert #din djarin reader insert

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joonie-beanie · 5 years ago

Text

Game Night

Pairing: Leviathan x Reader

Word Count: 5,826

Preview: You and Levi have a game night once a week, in which the two of you get a...little too competitive.

So, when you decide block Levi's line of sight in a desperate bid to win the game, well. You get what's coming to you.

** Please note that this is a cross-posting **

This chapter was originally posted on 5/29/20 as a part of my “Devil Doms” series on AO3.

It’s kind of become tradition—that once a week, you and Levi have a game night.

At first, it’d simply been you helping him with dungeons or runs for supplies in a game you really had no idea how to play. When you’d complained to him about it, saying you wanted to challenge him in some way—to show him that you were actually good at some games—he’d dug out the Devildom’s equivalent to games like Super Smash Bros, and Mario Kart.

He hadn’t really considered the idea of you being able to best him before then. Leviathan was used to you struggling with the controls—being a good distraction for enemies as he snuck past to get whatever rare item was held in that level.

Now, when your kart zooms over the finish line just seconds before him time and time again…he starts to go a little crazy.

Your game nights quickly go from semi-calm dungeon runs, to Leviathan jumping to his feet—cursing at you, the game, and himself as he attempts to get his anger under control before his demon form claws its way to the surface.

Before, you may have been scared to see the otaku so full of frustration, with his horns and tail threatening to sprout from his body, but now? Now, you feel giddy at the sight—full of pride each time you manage to beat him.

You know that you have a bit of a…sadistic, bratty side to you. It’s fun to watch Levi get so frustrated over losing to a “normie human” at a video game that shouldn’t be hard for him to win.

To be fair, you had warned him before playing that you had lots of experience in games like this, but he hadn’t believed you. So, it’s his own fault for getting beat by you, and you’re sure to tell him that—laughing at the way he angrily pouts when hearing so.

It’s been a few weeks since your switch in games, and tonight—like every other night—Leviathan is determined to win. He’s already got the title screen of the game loaded by the time you knock on his door and step into his room.

His eyes immediately flit to you—gaze raking you from head to toe. Beneath the pile of snacks and drinks in your arms, he can see that you’ve once again decided to arrive in your pj’s, and deep within his brain, a part of him feels like screaming.

It’s not like your pajamas are unseemly—an oversized t-shirt and a pair of black shorts is hardly an outfit to feel scandalized over. And yet, Levi finds himself inexplicably attracted to the outfit—relishing each peek of the tight, ass-hugging shorts when your shirt rides up ever so slightly.

Seriously, game nights are both his favorite, and most frustrating part of the week.

“Ready to get your ass kicked?” you ask, dumping the snacks in your arms onto the side of his desk. Rather than look at you, he busies himself with picking a snack and drink to start the night off right.

“I wouldn’t sound so cocky, if I were you,” he finally mumbles when he hears you dragging his old gaming chair over (he’d pulled it out for you a while ago, and tends to shove it in the corner until game night rolls around again). “I’ve been practicing.”

“Is…that something you should really be admitting?” you ask with a laugh, your eyes shining with amusement as you lean forward to peek at his face. “You basically just acknowledged that I’ve been kicking your ass so bad that you need to practice in your spare time.”

“T-That’s--!” he’s immediately flushing red, wishing oh-so-badly that he could shut you up as you openly laugh at him. Despite your teasing, however, your bright smile is genuinely happy. You enjoy spending this time with him, and the realization makes him feel warm, but in a different way.

“Just…s-shut up, normie…”

He reaches forward and grabs your controller, shoving it into your lap, and you giggle quietly—flashing him another smile that has his heart doing a tiny flip.

“Sooo~,” you speak, relaxing back into your chair as Leviathan grabs his own controller. He clicks out of the title screen and onto the main menu. “Best of five, like usual?”

He nods, and you watch the screen as he picks which courses he wants to race. (You’d told him before that you’d let him choose the tracks, since you’d beat him either way. He hates the advantage, but nonetheless uses it.)

After picking the tracks, the character selection screen pops up. You go to your regular—a black and purple character named “Shroom” (the first time you’d see the off-brand Mario characters, you’d gotten a good laugh), and decide to stick with the basic kart (which secretly drives Levi insane, because how the hell do you manage to beat him without picking a kart with the best functions?!)

Levi, unsurprisingly, goes for the princess, “Cherry”. He takes time building his kart—choosing only the superior parts—and finally, once he’s ready, the race begins.

He hunches forward in his chair—his forearms resting against his knees as he dials in on the computer screen. You glance at the demon, lips tugging at the corners fondly at the sight of him.

It’s cute how much he wants to win.

On screen, you hear the countdown begin, and quickly turn your attention away from him. As much as you want to watch his every reaction as he desperately tries to best you, you can’t. Right now, you have to win.

Tightly gripping your controller, you turn your eyes to the computer screen. The race starts.

Slowly, with each passing level, the game begins to descend into chaos. When Levi wins the first level, it’s impossible to keep a smug grin from coming to his face. However, at the sight, you’re quick to reassure him not to get too cocky, and—sure enough—you kick his ass on the following track. He ends up coming in 6th after you hit him with two consecutive red shells, and when the race ends, you can see the veins in his hands beginning to bulge from how hard he’s gripping the controller.

“Want to take a break?” you ask, half serious, half teasing. His response is to start the next level, so you take that as a “no”.

The conclusion of the third race is much closer—only a .8 second difference in your finishing time, but you still come out on top. The near tie has Levi quietly cursing up a storm—remarks about “stupid normies” and their “stupid games” filling the space around him.

You decide to keep your mouth shut this time—figuring it’d be best to not push him for once—and simply smile to yourself as the next race begins. The fourth track is perhaps one of the most difficult, but you manage to traverse it well. At least, until Levi trips you up on a borderless curve with a banana.

As you go tumbling off the course, Levi jumps happily in his seat—grin breaking out on his face. A little too competitive for your own good, you kick your leg out and hit him on the side of his calf. He yelps, but it’s already too late. His kart rolls over the finish line, and he’s immediately turning to glare at you.

“Hey! No kicking!”

“I mean~,” you hum innocently, finally finishing the race. “We never exactly established a rule that says we’re not allowed to physically interfere with each other.”

“It’s basic gaming courtesy!” he argues, squeaking in surprise when he hears the countdown on screen. You’d started the final race without warning him!

“Y/N!”

“Whoops~,” you feign innocence, tongue poking out of your lips determinedly as your kart revs to life. The two of you fall into silence, eyes locked on the computer as you desperately attempt to best each other.

When you finish the first lap, you’re ahead. The second lap, however, Leviathan finishes two places ahead of you. Frowning unhappily, your leg begins to bounce nervously beneath you.

You hate that Leviathan actually manages to make you so damn competitive. You’re never like this with anyone else, and usually you wouldn’t be feeling so frantic to win, but tonight is different. A burning desire to come out on top takes over your brain, and as the final stretch of the last lap appears on screen, you find yourself pressing to your feet.

Levi, immersed in his own desperation to win, doesn’t realize you’ve moved until your body appears in front of him. It’s a seriously petty move—standing in front of someone to block their view—and almost immediately Levi’s anger gets the best of him.

The frustration that had been building beneath the surface lurches forward, and within a split second, his demon form materializes.

You squeal in surprise as his tail wraps tightly around your waist—dragging you back into his lap. Your controller clatters to the floor, and your kart rolls to a stop just short of the finish line. Levi—who had already been in the lead—finishes in first.

The room goes quiet save the sound of NPC’s overtaking you and finishing the race, and your heartbeat drumming loudly in your ears. Levi is scarily still beneath you—the edge of his controller pressed against the center of your back. You can feel him puff out a heavy breath—the hot air fanning against your neck and shoulder.

“L…Levi?” you question when you manage to find your voice. He doesn’t speak, but instead you feel him shift. His hands move, the sound of his controller being carefully set on the edge of his desk reaching your ears. Then, his tail loosens around your waist, and for a brief second, you think he has finally calmed down. That notion, however, is quickly thrown out the window.

Rather than releasing you, the appendage snakes upward—curling around your neck. Your breath hitches—both nervous, and somewhat aroused—as his tail grips tightly at your throat. The pressure is enough to let you know he’s pissed, but not enough to choke you.

“Do you have any idea,” he starts quietly, his voice carefully measured as he speaks for the first time in what feels like minutes. “How hard this is for me?”

One of his hands falls against your lap, his fingers curling into the soft flesh of your inner thigh and giving it a squeeze. His touch is rough, yet holds a hint of nervousness. He’s always been flustered by physical contact, and has never gone out of his way to touch you.

Yet, now you’re sitting in his lap, with one of his hands one your inner thigh, and the other lifting to hover over your clothed breast. His fingers twitch—as if he’s holding himself back from touching you in all the ways he wants—and you swallow the lump in your throat, your tongue peeking out to wet your dry lips.

“How hard what is?” you question, biting your lower lip as you watch his hand slowly lower onto your chest. His fingers splay across the mound of flesh, giving it an experimental squeeze, and you inhale shakily.

“This,” he says, his tone almost a whine. His nose presses into your hair, getting a good whiff of your sweet scent, and for the first time you notice something stiff pressing at your ass.

Levi is getting hard.

The realization has you turning all sorts of shades of red.

“You come to my room, wearing your stupid little shorts, and looking at me with your stupid little smiles that make my heart feel like it may burst right out of my chest.”

The hand on your thigh begins stroking softly over the skin there—inching closer and closer towards your womanhood, and your breath catches.

“I…,” his breathing stutters, his voice becoming softer with embarrassment. “It makes me want you. Makes me…c-crave those cute little blushes, and makes me want to taste your pink lips and…c-claim them as my own.”

His tail marginally loosens around your neck, and you take a deep breath, completely aware of the way your heart is racing within your chest. You’ve always felt something beyond the line of friendship for the Avatar of Envy, but you’d never known he’d been struggling with those same feelings.

“Levi--,” you open your mouth to speak, but he silences you as his tail tightens around your throat—even tighter than before. You gasp, a whine building in your chest as his touches suddenly turn rough again—his nails digging into the sensitive flesh of your breast and thigh.

“But then,” he continues, his voice darkening with anger, as if he’s just remembered why exactly you’re in his lap in the first place. “You tease me to no end. Rile me up just because you can…”

His tail winds tighter around your neck, his other hand falling to grip your thigh as he grinds you against his crotch, and you struggle to breathe. He’s rock hard—his cock pressed flush against your ass.

“You try to sabotage my win,” there��s a growl in his voice, and suddenly you’re reminded of the time he nearly killed you over TSL.

“L-Levi,” you gasp, voice pitched high as your brain begins to fog over from lack of blood flow “I…I’m sorry. B-But you still won.”

“I did, didn’t I?” You can hear the sudden smile in his voice, like he’s just realized that despite your interference, he still won the game. “Then what do I win?”

Emboldened by the victory, he grinds you back against his cock one more time—letting you know what he wants as his prize.

“You…you can have me,” you tell him, voice quiet. He breathes a shuddering breath against your hair, as if he doesn’t believe what you’ve said.

His fingers dig into your thighs, like he’s trying to ground himself.

“Are you sure?” his voice is no more than a whisper, and yet you can hear his internal struggle. On one hand, he wants to tear your clothes off your body, bend you over, and stick his dick into your hot, wet pussy without any type of warning. But…on the other hand, he knows he’s not totally himself right now. He’s riled up thanks to the competition, and your efforts to make him lose, and he doesn’t want you agreeing to let him have you just because you feel you have to.

Luckily, you don’t leave him worrying for long. Your hands drop into your lap—fingers slotting atop Levi’s where his hands rest on your inner legs. You give his digits a gentle squeeze, freely rocking your hips back against his hard-on—and a needy moan bubbles in his throat.

“You won, Levi. Claim your prize. I want you to.”

“Fuck.”

His breath hitches, and suddenly his tail has unfurled from around your throat. You’re quick to suck in a mouthful of air, your hands instinctively rooting in the fabric of Levi’s shirt as he scoops you into his arms.

Within seconds, your back is dropped onto the pillows lining the inside of his bathtub-turned-bed, and Leviathan cages you in—his hands resting on either side of your head as he kneels above you. For a moment, he can only stare—still a little disbelieving that you’re allowing him to have his way with you.

Your cheeks flush under his intense gaze, and you lift your palm to cup his cheek.

“You don’t have to hold back, you know…,” you mumble, eyes shying away from him. “As the winner, you can have whatever you want.”

“Please stop trying to kill me,” he retorts with a tiny whine, capturing your lips in a kiss. He’s a little sloppy, and a little forceful, but you don’t mind at all. You’re quick to wrap your arms around him—angling your head so your mouths slot together.

Levi moans against you, his hips unconsciously beginning to grind against your own in a desperate bid for friction. As you nip at his bottom lip, one of your hands moves downward and sneaks between your bodies. You cup Levi’s bulge with your palm, his body instinctively rocking into your hand, and another pained sound leaves his lips.

“F-Fuck, Y/N--,” his voice is breathless, and needy. As he grinds into your hand—your palm sternly pressing his cock against his own hip—you feel something slick and heavy begin to curl up your leg.

Immediately you shiver, your gasp lost against Levi’s tongue as he steals your breath away. Before tonight, you had never considered all the things the Avatar of Envy’s tail could be used for, but apparently, its versatility is not lost on Levi.

Within seconds, the appendage has scaled your legs, and managed to hook beneath the waistband of your sleeping shorts. Levi groans against your lips as you squeak in embarrassment—your pelvises bumping together as you gingerly lift your hips in order to help the demon out.

Soon, you’re naked from the waist down—only covered by your oversized sleeping shirt, which Levi seems desperate to get out of the way.

With a red face, you watch him as he softly slides a hand beneath your shirt—his hot palm resting against your stomach. His pupils—which you note are now narrowed like the eyes of a snake—shake as he slowly hikes his hand higher—his fingers coasting against your skin. Your breathing hitches as he does so, but you find your gaze trained on his face—monitoring his reactions.

You’ve never seen someone so embarrassed, yet distressed by his own arousal. To you, it seems like Levi is constantly torn between running away, and giving into the deep, dark, perverted feelings he’s always kept to himself.

You bite your lip as his fingers finally skim up the valley of your chest. The cotton fabric of your shirt pools above your breasts as the sensitive mounds are finally revealed to Levi’s hungry gaze. His amber eyes start at the top, and drag their way down.

He reaches his hands out as he surveys you with his full attention—his fingers curling around your ribs, and his thumbs just barely brushing up against the underside of your breasts. Licking his lips, he slowly begins trailing his fingers down your sides. Levi takes note of every dip and curve, relishing the feel of you. And when his hands finally find your hips—his eyes falling to space between your legs—he visibly swallows.

His movement is hesitant, but he lowers his hands between your bodies and presses his thumbs at the folds of your pussy. You turn bright red beneath him—because even though Levi is obviously embarrassed as well—you’ve never had any person just spread you open before, and yet Levi does.

He peels you open, and you know you’re already wet. You don’t want to admit it, but him choking you had been a huge turn on, along with pretty much everything else.

Face burning, you lift your arm and partially shield your face. Levi is slow to notice. It seems like he’s in a trance.

Still keeping you spread with one hand, he shifts the other and curves two fingers between your walls—making you gasp.

Finally, his eyes flit up to you—taking in your cute blush, and the quick rise and fall of your chest. The swell of your tits, and your nipples that are hardened from arousal…

And here he is, knelt between your legs with two of his fingers in your pussy.

Which is wet.

For him.

In that moment, any of Levi’s reserves are stripped away.

You can sense the shift in him—see it as he jolts into action. He moves quickly—perhaps a little overly excited about what is happening.

Finally, he seems to have realized that yes, this is all real—and yes, he has consent to fuck you.

“L-Levi--!” you squeal as his tail suddenly curls around your ankle, tugging you closer to him as he hurriedly shoves his pants any underwear down his thighs. His cock springs free—longer than he is thick, but the veins along his shaft are prominent, and his length visibly twitches as Levi settles himself between your legs.

The head of his cock is already wet with his pre-cum, and you get the feeling he’s not far from coming. His breathing is shaky as he presses himself against your entrance—the first few inches of his length sinking in without much protest—and you groan happily.

“F-Fuck,” he bites, his voice pitched high as he pulls his hips back and then grinds in again—this time fully sheathing himself within your heat. His entire body visibly shudders—his face red, and eyes clouded with lust.

You suddenly feel somewhat shy beneath him—your thighs spread, and his cock stretching you out so deliciously.

“Kiss me,” you tell him, voice quiet, and Levi blinks. The next moment his lips are on yours. You quietly moan into him—accidentally breaking the kiss when he thrusts inside of you.

“O-Oh my god,” he groans, his hands finding your waist as he sits back and begins fucking into you with vigor. You raise an arm to shyly cover your face once more—your breasts bouncing at each intense thrust of his length inside of you—but Levi won’t have it.

His tail snakes up your body, wrapping around your wrist and tugging it away from your face. You startle, unable to do anything as the appendage searches out your other wrist and successfully drags it above your head. Within seconds, your wrists are pinned away from your face—and you can no longer hide your reactions from the demon above you.

“Make more sounds,” Levi speaks—somewhere between a beg and a command. You open your mouth to retort, and he purposefully fucks into you hard, effectively ripping a cry from your throat. Immediately your face flushes red in embarrassment, but the sight has a smile tugging at the corner of Levi’s lips

His dick throbs inside of you.

“Nnn--!” The Avatar of Envy continues thrusting into you. His motions are quick, and damning. Each thrust as you gasping and whining—pleasure thrumming in your gut. However, as your impending orgasm begins to build, Levi’s hips stutter, and his cock suddenly leaves you. Your gaze flits to him in surprise, watching as his dick visibly jumps. Then, he’s spurting his cum against your lower stomach—painting the soft skin streak after streak.

His breathing is harsh as he begins to come down from his high—his cock starting to soften, and honestly, you’re not mad. Sure, it would have been nice to cum along with him, but more than anything you’re happy that Levi had gotten what he needed. After all, he had won the ga—

You’re knocked out of your thoughts as the tail around your wrists suddenly tugs you upwards. It lifts you higher and higher—until you’re left on your knees, with your hands held high above your head.

“Levi?” you question, gaze falling on the male as his eyes shine.

“Huhuhu~ I’ve always wanted to do this,” he says, sounding far too giddy as he sinks into the tub and settles on his back. You’re about to ask him again what the hell he’s planning when his tail yanks you forward. Within seconds, you’ve been repositioned atop Levi, with your thighs caging either side of his head.

You feel your entire body heat up as you realize his intention—his hands lifting to grip your hips.

“Le-vi!” your voice hitches as he drags you down onto his face—his tongue lapping heartily between your soaking folds. He groans at the taste of you, his nails sinking into your skin as he keeps your womanhood thoroughly trapped against his mouth.

You feel him lick against your clit—the demon flicking the head of his tongue against the sensitive bud, and you take a sharp inhale. Your wrists strain against his tail, but you find yourself completely at Levi’s mercy as he begins eating you out like you’re his favorite food.

“Mmm~,” he moans happily, enjoying the way your body wriggles in his hold—wanton little cries falling from your lips. Applying a bit of pressure, begins rocking your hips back and forth against his face.

“Fuck,” you pant, feeling hot all over. Despite being embarrassed at your current position, the pleasure in your gut is rapidly building thanks to the demon’s bafflingly good oral. He spends most of his time on your clit—lapping, kissing, and sucking the bundle of nerves. But every so often he presses his tongue into your pussy, making you groan, and causing you to buck against him.

Quicker than expected, you find yourself on the brink of an orgasm—your pussy writhing against Levi’s mouth.

“I—I’m gonna--,” you attempt to warn him, and he hears the hidden plea within your breathy words. Don’t stop. And he doesn’t—his tongue flicking quickly against your clit. You cry out, pussy throbbing and muscles tightening. Your body momentarily stills, a stifled moan caught in your throat as your orgasm finally arrives—a brief moment of peace before you find yourself tumbling into your pleasure. And Levi draws out your bliss as long as he can—his lips wrapping around clit and sucking. You gasp, floundering in his hold as the pleasure borders on oversensitivity, but Levi refuses to release you—not yet.

It’s another minute before he lets up—convinced by your tiny, desperate pleas that you can cum no more—your clit twitching with aftershocks against his tongue.

His hands release your hips, and you suck in a deep breath of air—your chest heaving as you struggle to regain your coherency. Your mind is hazy—body slumping forward tiredly (because god, that was one hell of an orgasm).

You whine quietly when Levi’s tail pulls at your arms—lifting you up so that Levi has just enough room to scoot out from beneath you. You can hear the cushions and blankets of the tub shifting behind you as the demon moves around.

“Mm,” you make a small sound as his tail finally loosens a bit—allowing your arms to drop forward. Your fingers grip against the edge of the tub—thighs shaky as you support your own weight for the first time in minutes. However, when a few seconds pass and his tail is still wrapped around your wrists, you pause.

“Levi?”

His response is to saddle up behind you—his now-hard cock settling against your ass. You freeze in surprise.

You…hadn’t expected him to get so aroused just from eating you out. He’s back at full mast.

“Levi,” you whine as his hands find your ass cheeks—squeezing them together around his cock.

“Y-You said I could have—ah—whatever I want,” he reminds you breathlessly.

“But—”

“Just…o-one more time,” he begs, and you gasp when he moves his hips—his cock finding its way between your wet folds. When the head of his length brushes up against your clit, your entire body shakes. You’re still extremely sensitive from your orgasm, and your body feels like a bag of bones, but nonetheless you find yourself nodding your head.

He did win, and you want to fulfill his desires best you can.

At your submission, Levi is quick to act. He shoves his cock inside of you without warning, and you gasp—your fingers tightening around the edge of the tub. The demon moans—hands firm on your hips as he begins thrusting into you. In the same beat, he drags your body back onto his cock.

Lewd, wet sounds fill the space between your bodies—your arousal slicking Levi’s cock as he fucks you—and he groans.

His pace is less frantic than before. His motions are smoother—his hips rolling against your ass. The motions manage to draw a moan from your lips, and you start to become lost in the feeling of his cock stretching your walls open.

In fact, you’re so focused on how good it feels to be full again—the head of his length finding that sweet spot within you and pressing against it with each thrust—that you don’t notice when his tail unfurls from around your wrists.

You do realize it, however, when the tip of his tail presses at your lips. Your previously closed eyes shoot open—a gasp of surprise muffled by the scaled appendage as it snakes its way into your mouth.

“Mmph--!” your whine of protest is lost. His tail fills your mouth—moving out of sync with his thrusts—and your eyes roll back when he ventures too deep and causes you to gag. The gag, however, also causes your pussy to clamp around his dick, and Levi moans.

“Oh my god.”

His tail begins to fuck into your mouth with a bit more fervor—pressing into your throat and causing you to gag every few seconds. Each time, you hear Levi’s breathing stutter, and you know he’s drawing closer and closer to his orgasm.

Despite how fucked out you feel already—spit sloppy against your chin, with your body slumping tiredly against the edge of the tub—you begin to feel your arousal building as well. As tired as you are, your body is somehow ramping up to another orgasm.

Honestly, you wouldn’t mind not cumming, though, you think to yourself as tears threaten to spill over your bottom lashes. You can sense that your clit is still overly sensitive, and you feel like you may actually fade out of existence if another orgasm rips through you.

So, you quietly decide that if you don’t cum, it will be fine. Levi, however, has different ideas.

The base of his tail curves—resting against your clit as the appendage continues to fuck into your mouth. You immediately cry out—body writhing—because with each thrust of his tail between your lips, he’s now also rubbing against your clit.

“Nnn!” your arms give out beneath you, broken sobs wracking your chest. Levi grunts, and you feel him shift forward—his chest pressing flush against your back as he readjusts his position.

“So good. You f-feel so good,” he pants. His breath is warm against your neck, and his arms wrap around your chest. He holds you tightly against him—his arm circled just beneath your breasts—and you gasp as he begins fucking into you once more.

His tail, which had also stilled, resumes its motions. The brief moment of rest is over, and you’re once again left crying around the scaled appendage. You reach your breaking point within a few seconds—tears finally streaking down your cheeks as the demon forces you to choke around his tail once more. Your pussy clenches around Levi’s dick—and with a few more rubs of his tail against your clit, you’re cumming.

Any remaining strength in your body disappears, your body going limp in Levi’s hold as you shudder—your orgasm tearing through you.

Knowing that you need to breathe, Levi removes his tail from your mouth, but doesn’t let you go. He keeps you trapped against him, his cock working inside of you with a few desperate thrusts, and then, finally, he cums as well.

The Avatar of Envy empties inside of you with a spent, but satisfied groan—listening to your quick, shuddering breaths as you attempt to recover from a lack of oxygen.

“Thank you. Mmm, t-thank you so much. That…I…that…mmm,” he’s left mumbling against the skin of your neck, his hips still pressed to your ass. You feel him going soft inside of you—his cum beginning to leak down your thighs—but you can’t find it in yourself to care.

The only thing keeping you from passing out right then and there is the purple haired demon, and his quiet, thankful praises.

“I’m glad you got what you wanted,” you eventually whisper, your hand lifting to pet against his head. He nods against your neck, shuddering when he finally slips from inside of you.

With a grunt of effort, he sits back onto his knees, and then grabs your waist. Soon, you’re both laying tiredly beside one another in the basin of the tub, and you glance over at the Avatar of Envy. At some point, he had removed his hot clothing, so now he lays completely bare beside you—his pale skin flushed, and sweaty.

You can’t help but smile at the sight of him, and when he notices you’re staring, he blushes.

“What?” he mumbles, rolling onto his side to face you. You giggle tiredly, your palm reaching out to cup his cheek, and your tender gaze makes him melt.

“Nothing. I’m just…happy. You’re cute.”

“…you can’t just say that,” he whines, but nonetheless presses into your touch. You laugh again, but choose not to comment. You don’t want to suddenly have him feeling all self-conscious after all of…that.

“We should do that more often,” you comment, hoping to reassure him that you enjoyed yourself. You roll onto your side, spent, and snuggle into the pillow beneath your head. You know you’re filthy and in need of a shower, but right now, you seriously can’t move.

After a few seconds, an arm hesitantly wraps around your waist, and you feel Levi’s chest press against your back.

“D…do you really want to?”

His voice is quiet, but full of hope. You nod, snuggling back against him.

“Yeah. It would certainly make game night more exciting for the both of us.”

At that, he finally giggles. Levi’s arms wrap tightly around you, giving you a squeeze, and he makes a sound of contentment.

Within a minute, you’re asleep in his arms, and the Avatar of Envy is quick to follow you into dreamland, but not before pressing a kiss to your hair.

“You’re cuter,” he mumbles, barely audible, and then he’s gone as well.

The week following your ecstasy filled game night is…amusing. Well, at least for you.

Anytime Levi sees you, he turns bright red, and—more times than not—pops a boner.

He’s left running around, trying to preserve his modesty, while his brothers wonder if he’s okay. You tell them that he’s just…disgruntled…when thinking about your last game night, and—knowing how competitive Leviathan can be—they buy it.

Each time it happens, however, you’re left giggling to yourself—wondering exactly how a boy who fucked you silly can be so damn embarrassed by his own dirty thoughts.

It’s honestly adorable.

And you can’t wait for next time.

#levi x reader #levi x mc #leviathan x mc #leviathan x reader #obey me #om!#obey me fic #obey me smut #levi smut #leviathan smut

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gingermintpepper · 4 years ago

Text

After thinking it over for a bit, I've decided that I might as well do a proper underrated 3DS game rec list. I'm a bit of an ATLUS junkie and that's gonna be pretty disgustingly apparent in this list, but it's not my fault that they released hit after hit and all of them were duly ignored.

Due to tumblr's 10 image limit (and my struggle to keep motivated to do one thing for more than three hours) I'm definitely gonna have to break this up into parts and I'm fairly certain one of these lists is just gonna be MegaTen games lmao but I'd like to let people know about these excellent titles and see if I can't at least get people interested in them so they can get more traction.

So, without further ado:

Some 3DS Games that were criminally slept on (part 1)

Monster Hunter Stories

God, where do I begin with this game. Well, the basics: It's a JRPG spinoff title of the now widely successful and popular Monster Hunter series featuring a different take on interacting with the varied and intricate monsters populating the world: Riders.

Yep, instead of hunting the beasties, you play as a young rider who's completed their intiation ritual and can now bond with 'Monsties' as they've cutely labelled the usually ferocious monsters of the wilds. The great thing is that you still fight Monsters--tons of them in fact but this isn't a paid review and in my humble opinion, the most impressive thing about this game is the visual style. The landscapes, the armour, the way they redesigned and 3DS-ified the classically hyper realistic and monstrous beasts to not only be absolutely adorable but still capable of being intimidating when the time calls for it, the stellar animation of special moves and combination attacks--it's delicious, nutritious, stupendous, I can and will consume it like it's part of my recommended caloric intake.

It's very akin to Pokemon in the way its basic gameplay premise is set up, however, instead of catching--or even indeed befriending--the Monsties in the game, you rummage through their nests and steal their eggs, later hatching them and getting yourself a brand new lightly kidnapped monster pal!

Other general things about the game:

Pros:

The armour and weapon sets for both male and female characters slap along with the general character customisation options. They're incredibly diverse (though limited in body type) and you can switch around traits and features whenever you want from your house.

The POGS--these porkers are everywhere and they serve as tiny little achievements for exploring every odd and end of the world. Also they have little outfits. They're so cute. 🥺🥺

You can actually ride the Monsties. All of em. Or, at least the ones that you have available to be your buddies. They all have exploration skills and traits that not only make exploring much more interesting but encourage you to swap out your active Monstie and play around with your options a bit.

Y'all breeding Monsties is complicated and I live for just how intense and ridiculous you can get with optimal builds for these things.

The story is really competently put together! The characters, character designs and even the internal conflict with your starting trio of characters is really compelling along with the mystery of the blight that's infecting Monsters across the world. It's not anything worth awards but it's compelling and it makes you care about the characters if that's what you're in the market for.

Amazing sound design, expansive world, everything about the presentation of this game oozes that Monster Hunter charm even if the art is cutesier than usual. You'll never get bored of its stellar visual presentation!

Available for around twenty quid on the Google Play store, so if you want, you could actually get the full game on your smartphone or tablet. Note though that it would be a battery nuker.

Cons:

If you're on a regular 3DS, frame rate drops are a given. This game kinda pushes the visual capabilities of the 3DS to its absolute limit--a lot like Okamiden did back on the DS.

One save file :( It's pretty much for the same reason as above but still.

If you're playing as the girl, you can't get male armour and vice versa. Since there's only one save file, you'll never be able to have all of the armour sets in a single playthrough and that's criminal because both of the sets for the genders are absolutely breath-taking, thank you.

I 👏can't 👏make👏my👏 own 👏Palico👏

Multi-player for this game is pretty dead seeing as it's almost five years old by now and never got much press or traction. Usually this wouldn't be an issue - this game is 99% singleplayer and you don't really need to fuss about with multi-player to have fun, but if you want to collect all the Monsties, you'll need it since the only way to get Glavenus is through pvp achievements. :/

Final thoughts: Play it if you find yourself getting tired or disappointed with 3DS Pokemon games but still want something that feels as fantastical as Pokemon. It outshines the 3DS Pokemon games at every turn and I will never be over just how thoughtfully put together and fully realised these games are. Of course, if you've ever played Monster Hunter, then you know just how intensive these games are with the lore, biology, cultures and world of their Monsters but seeing that translated into JRPG format was just very sobering and it's a game that, to this day, continues to awe me with just how much love and attention went into it.

Last note: If you're still unsure about it, there's a demo available on the e-shop of the 3DS that allows you to play through the entire initial area of the game. Your data does carry through to the full release and to give you an idea of how much I've been able to squeeze out of it - my playtime for that demo is currently sitting at 22 hours. Make sure to get a hold of that Cyan-Kut-Ku!

7th Dragon III Code: VFD

The title may sound intimidating but the premise is not! A mysterious disease called Dragon Sickness spread by the Dragonsbane flowers that have cropped up all around the world. You and your team are recruited by the Nodens game company after you display extraordinary prowess in their hit virtual reality game 7th Encount. As you go through the adventure, you are tasked with finding out the truth behind the Dragon Sickness and asked to stop both it and the Dragons that are destroying the world.

This game is fun. It's another turn-based JRPG however, in this game you create all of your characters yourself from the myriad of classes available to you from the jump. Different classes of course have very different specialisations - Samurai focus on high powered cutting damage with their swords, Duelists are summoners who can influence the element of the battlefield as well as summon monsters from each element, Agents can hack into your enemies and inflict a barrage of nasty ailments, just to name a few - and you are given three teams of three characters each to experiment with different team comps and find the balance that works for you. There's also a wide variety of Dragons to hunt and kill in the game, which directly affects how infected your world is with the Dragon Sickness causing Dragonsbane. Along the way you will also come into contact with many interesting characters, concepts and confrontations that will make the task of saving the world all the more imperative.

Pros

1. The character creator and differing classes give way for tons of experimenting and playing around with your own unique approach to combat and carrying out your missions. Granted, 'character creation' is generous, it's little more than palatte swaps but the classes are really where VFD shines. Eight main classes may not sound like a lot, but the expaniveness of the character skills, their synergy with their fellow classes and the uniqueness of some of the classes in and of itself allows for so much flexibility and creativity in approaches to even tougher bosses. It also encourages the switching about of your party members to really finagle with the options available to you.

2. God this game is pretty. The locations, the character art, the creature design - all of it is gorgeous and this game capitalises on every bit of the 3DS's presentation limitations as it can.

3. You can romance anything and everyone - yes, you can even be gay/lesbian/poly in this game. In fact, one of the main characters - Julietta - is gnc and he's a constant source of joy as well one of my personal favourite characters, right behind Yuma.

4. Exploration is very very forgiving as the game has healing spots and teleport nodes all over the world to allow for quick, seamless travel between quest points without feeling like anything is too much of a hassle. There are also special enemies that allow for quick grinding as well as quick farming of money. In general, the game does a really good job of making sure that the grind is never unbearable or inconsiderate of your time.

Cons:

1. This is the fourth game in a series the West has never seen any other title for, and from the looks of it, will probably never see any other titles for. Because of that, there are some elements that may seem confusing or revelations in the plot that may seem to come out of nowhere.

2. While the visuals are great, the OST of this one is pretty short making for a lot of reused soundtracks that can get really annoying if you're like me and need your audio to be interesting or consistent so it doesn't distract you too much.

3. This one isn't really a con but it is divisive: This game gets pretty difficult at times. A few of the main dragon enemies including and especially the final boss can give you a serious run for your money in the annoy-o-meter in terms of the kind of absolute JRPG fuckery they can pull out of their magic bag of bullshit movesets and while I generally enjoy that kind of thing, I know it's not for everyone. Most regular combat shouldn't be too tricky once you have a team comp that works well together but you also need to pay attention since the same team that carries you to victory one time might be worth beans against another dragon.

Final thoughts: This is... a really good game. Interesting story, really interesting characters, pretty world and a battle system that really makes you sit down and think. There's also a demo for this available in the e-shop and while your data doesn't carry over - you do receive multiple perks for carrying over your demo data including some exclusive items that, while not game breaking, do help a ton in the early stages of the game.

This isn't a final list by any stretch of the word; I only have the energy to do these two right now, but the next games up for coverage are Ever Oasis and Stella Glow! If you're interested in my full plan of games I want to cover here then my current lineup includes: Theatrhythm: Curtain Call, Project Mirai: Deluxe, Culdecept Revolt, Alliance Alive, Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, Etrian Odyssey V, Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker and Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse.

Finally, if anyone has played any of the games I mention, cover or plan to cover PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME, I AM SO LONELY IN MY FORTRESS OF SAND. On a serious note, I'd love to hear what other people who've played these games think!

Thanks for reading,

-Ginger

PS: @feralpeacock Because a million years ago, on my first underrated games post, you asked that I remember you. :D

#ginger rambles #ginger talks about video games #monster hunter stories #monster hunter #code dragon iii vfd #video games #3ds #underrated games #These take so much energy to make holy shit #There are so many more amazing 3ds games I could talk about #But I legit just don't have the braincells for #Also I know Apocalypse probably has the biggest audience that played it out of all the games listed #But it's criminally underrated because it was different #So it's probably going to get it's own little review thing #Yeehaw

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leossmoonn · 5 years ago

Text

Much Needed [Aaron Hotchner]

masterlist

pairing - aaron hotchner x fem!reader

type - fluff, smut

note - hey, guys! this was a request! hope you all enjoy! this is the first time ive ever written anything like this, so im sorry if this is awkward lol.

summary - after a long week without your husband, you decide to have some fun with him when he comes back.

warnings - smut (male and woman receiving oral. penetrative sex), language

————

*gif isnt mine* (pretend youre haley lol)

You posed in the mirror, looking to see if the lingere set you picked was good enough. You pulled up the sides of the underwear, setting them high on your hips.

Your set was a sapphire blue color, which was Aaron’s favorite color. Your bra was a push-up and it was all made of lace. Your panties were lace, too, and looked more like regular underwear, which was your favorite since they were so uncomfortable. Your hair was worn in a pony tail and you had pieces of your hair out to frame your face. You had put on Aaron’s favorite pink lipstick to make your lips more alluring.

Your husband, Aaron, had been gone for a little more than a week. He worked for the FBI. You loved him and you didn’t mind him being away. It was his job and he was saving lives, but sometimes you got lonely. You missed his hugs, kisses, smile, scent, and most of all his touch. He was coming back tonight and you were planning on suprising him. It’d been a while since you two had sex, so you wanted to make sure this was a fun night.

You heard the apartment door open and Aaron’s voice.

“Y/n! I’m home!” He called out.

You hurried to the bed. You positioned yourself so you sat on the end of the bed, arm holding yourself up, and legs crossed out in front of you.

“Are you here?” You heard him ask from outside your bedroom.

“In here!” You said.

You heard his footsteps come closer to the room, then the door opened.

“The case was crazy this week. I’m sorry I was gone for so long. I already have a date pl-” Aaron started speaking. He totally ignored you until you coughed loudly. His speech stopped once he looked over to you.

His mouth parted and his eyes went wide. He slowly took off his coat, setting it on the dresser.

“I have a date planned, too,” you smirked.

“Oh... wow,” he breathed in heavily.

“You like?” You asked nervously.

“Oh, I love it,” he smiled.

You stood up and came over to him.

“I missed you so I thought I’d surprise you,” you stood on your tip toes and whispered into his ear. You tongue started out and went over under his ear where his weak spot was.

His hands found your hips and pulled you closer in response.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“And I love you, too,” you winked. You then spun him around so his back was facing the bed. You pushed him onto the bed roughly, slowly climbing on top of him.

You put your lips on his, kissing him with hunger. You moaned at the taste of his lips after not having them on yours for a long time. You felt Aaron’s hands on your hips, pulling you close to his body. Your lower half made contact with his and you smirked into kiss as you felt a buldge growing.

Your lips left his and went down his jawline to his neck, leaving a hot trail of desire. You licked down lightly and went to his soft spot once more.

You kissed and sucked on the spot softly, hearing Aaron groan under you. While you were working on his neck, your hands found their way to his tie. You undid that and threw it on the floor. You then untucked his shirt hastily and unbuttoned it.

You lips left his skin to focus on taking his shirt off and Aaron took the opportunity to kiss your neck.

“Hm, Aaron,” you moaned softly. His teeth hit a soft spot for you and he started sucking, surely making hickies.

Your hands fumbled with the buttons, struggling more as he trailed down your neck to your collar bone. You pushed him away slightly, giggling.

“I’m trying to unbutton your shirt, silly,” you said.

“My bad,” he smirked.

You were able to get his shirt unbuttoned and he helped you take it off, throwing it on the floor. You pushed him back on the bed so you could get a full view.

“Now this... I’ve missed seeing this,” you smiled.

You dove your head down to his collar bone. You kissed around his skin, leaving a trail as you went down further. Your lips met his belt and you undid it and took off his pants. You smirked and palmed the bulge in his underwear. Aaron groaned your name softly.

You slipped off his underwear slowly, making him roll his eyes and bite his lip in anticipation. You ran your finger lightly up his dick, kissing the tip and flicking your tongue on his member. You then slid your mouth over him, taking him in until he hit the back of your throat.

“God, Y/n,” Aaron grained. His hand found your head, putting his fingers in your hair, tugging lightly.

You moved your head back and forth. You kept your tongue on the underside of his dick, swirling every once in a while. Your hands moved along with your head on the part that didn't fit in your mouth. You bobbed your head faster and faster until there was a sloshing sound. Aaron then tapped your head, singling you to stop. You slipped your mouth off of his dick, a string of saliva going with you.

“Great work, baby, but it's my turn now,” Aaron said.

Butterflies shot down from your stomach to your pussy. You nodded and sat up on your knees. Aaron put his hands on your hips and turned you around so your back hit the mattress.

His lips went on top of yours and his hand slipped around to your back. He expertly unhooked your bra and threw up haphazardly in the air. His lips immediately left yours and went to attack your breasts. His lips lached onto your left nipple while his other hand massaged your other breast.

Your hands went to his hair and pulled as he rolled your nipple in between his fingers.

“Oh, Aaron,” a whimper fell from your lips as he switched breasts.

After he finished with your breasts, his lips licked and kissed down your torso. He praised your body, whispering ‘you're so beautiful” and “missed your gorgeous body”. It made you blush and smile each time.

Aaron’s lips the got to your underwear line. His finger tips went along your clothed entrance, teasing you by lightly rubbing up and down.

“Aaron, please,” you whimpered.

“Begging for me?” He chuckled. You rolled your eyes but sighed in relief when he took off your underwear.

“So wet? I’ve barely done anything to you yet,” he smirked.

“Yeah, well, get to work then,” you said.

Aaron smiled and nodded. His middle finger traced along your slit and entered slowly. A gasp fell from your lips and your legs squirmed slightly. It had been so long since you felt his touch, it was almost overwhelming.

He then entered his fourth finger, pumping in and out of your pussy. His lips attached to your lip, flicking his tongue and applying pressure.

“I’m so close,” you gasped. It was a quick build up considering you haven't seen him in a week.

His fingers and tongue moved faster. You muttered curses as you felt the knot in your stomach come undone.

You came onto his fingers immediately. He slowed his arm and took his fingers out of you, sucking on them one by one.

“So sweet,” he groaned. The action and words itself could've made you come again.

You smiled softly and reached up to his face. You cupped his cheek and kissed him, tasting yourself on him.

“Ready,” he mumbled in between kisses.

“Mhm,” you hummed.

Aaron left your lips to put a condom on. You surprised him by switching positions, you being on top.

“Full of surprises tonight, are we?” Aaron teased you.

You smiled and nodded. You then positioned yourself and slid yourself down his dick. The action earned a moan from both of you. Aaron held your hips as you bounced up and down. You gradually got faster and soon it was only the sound in the room were your pants and skin slapping against skin.

“Fuck, Aaron,” you moaned.

His thumb found your clit. You found yourself leaning over and putting your hands on his shoulder to support yourself. Aaron felt your pussy tighten around his cock and you felt him twitch inside of you. You both rode out your highs, gasping to catch your breaths.

You stayed on top of him for a few minutes before sliding off and collapsing next to him. He took off the condom and tied it then threw it in the trashcan.

“That was...” you started, but struggled to find the words. “Much needed?” Aaron smirked.

You looked at him and giggled, kissing his cheek.

“Yes, much needed.”

————

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#aaron hotchner x y/n #aaron hotchner one shot #aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner imagine #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner imagines #aaron hotchner x reader smut #aaron hotchner smut #aaron hotcher imagine smut #hotch x reader #criminal minds #smut

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richrubies · 5 years ago

Text

Love Languages (Christian Yu x Reader)

➳ genre: angst

➳ masterlist

‘When did you stop?’

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The question was quiet, your tone so soft it was almost a whisper, though to Christian it was as if you’d howled, the loneliness undeniable.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

It was a simple question with a complicated answer.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

When did he stop?

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

He couldn’t quite decide—to him there were many reasons; maybe it began with something as simple as finding you were hoarding his hoods, knowing he favoured them most.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Or was it the way you always made too many portions of food that always went to waste, even when you knew how he felt about it.

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It could have even been the way you used to interrupt him at his desk, nagging him until he had no choice but to put everything on hold to entertain you.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

When did he stop?

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Was it after realising tha t your laugh had begun to grate his ears when it was once his favourite thing about you?

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

When did he stop loving you?

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Christian ran a hand over his face and shook his head, not wanting to pick apart the small reasons that had snowballed into this moment, ‘I don’t know.’

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He watched as you nodded, the spark in your eye long gone. He had expected you to cry, but you remained valiant despite your eyes not meeting his.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The cafe’s music was quiet though it filled the silence between you two as you gazed out to the street, your shoulders slumped and your arms crossing your chest as if it were what held you together.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Christian nervously bit at his nails as he waited for you to react, to scream, to throw water at him and curse his bloodline, but it never came.

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Instead, you reached across the table and pulled his hand from his lips, chastising him softly; ‘Don’t, you’ll damage your skin again.’

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Christian pulled away as you continued, ‘I guess this is it, huh?’

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

You didn’t say much as you stood and told him quietly, ‘I’ll go ahead and get my things from the apartment. It’ll take a few hours.’

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Christian’s chest tightened at your statement but he nodded in agreement. Before you walked away, you unexpectedly pressed your lips to his temple; it was swift and soft and oh so familiar—and then you were gone.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Christian didn’t return to the apartment until midnight, wanting to give you as much space as possible, and give him time to process his ending of a 2 year relationship.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The apartment was unusually cold when he walked in. Throwing his keys into the bowl, Christian headed for the bedroom, the strange feeling of sudden loneliness hitting him hard as he noted all of your bits and pieces that one laid around the house had disappeared.

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It’s for the best, Christian told himself, though he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmingly sad at the loss of his love. It was an unexpected emotion, having truly believed that he was happy with his decision.

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Searching the wardrobe, he noted that his hoodies that you’d claimed over the years were hanging among the rest of his clothes, hanging from one of the pockets was an envelope.

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It was so your style, never good with confrontation he had half assumed you would have left a letter instead; it was almost a relief to see he was right.

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Pulling on the hoodie, he noted it smelt of your perfume, familiar and homely. Opening the envelope, Christian took a seat on the edge of the bed and began to read;

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

My Love,

Thank you for the 2 years. I know it couldn’t have been easy doing this. To be honest, I’ve been expecting this for a while now, and I’m tired of having to laugh through the pain of knowing it was coming. Even if you no longer feel the same, my heart has always been yours.

I know you’ve probably already come to terms with our break-up, but I’m still getting there; I think I will be for a while. Even so, please make sure to take care of yourself now that I can’t. There’s food in the fridge, ready for you to eat. I made enough for the week because I know you’ll probably throw yourself into your work and forget. You always do. Make sure you take regular breaks too—I won’t be there to remind you to rest, but please try.

Forever yours,

P.S. I’ve kept one of your hoods. As weird as it sounds, it smells of you and helps me to sleep when you’re not by my side. I guess that’s something I’ll have to start getting used to…but until then...

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

He read the letter a third, fourth time, struggling to get past the blur of his forming tears. It was the first time Christian cried for you. Falling back on to the bed, he held the letter to his chest and mourned his loss, his heart aching for you who loved him despite it all.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

When did he stop loving you?

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Christian had begun to fear that perhaps he never did.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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thirstyforcharacters · 4 years ago

Text

2. The Blizzard Hits

Part 2 of 4 of the Winter Storm Warning Series

Summary: You and Poe have been captured by First Order forces. You both have to come to terms with what that means.

Notes: Hello! Here's the second chapter in this little series. I have officially decided that this is going to be four chapters long, so we're halfway done already! I’m not really expecting too many people to read this series until the smut in the fourth chapter lol, but I still think that the buildup is very important! There is an interrogation scene in this one, but I don't think it's overly graphic or anything, so hopefully it should be okay! Hope you enjoy! You can read the first chapter of this series here, the third here, and the fourth here. (use of she/her pronouns in future chapters, no y/n)

Warnings: angst, interrogation with a broken nose, a little blood

WC: 2k

There were three you realized when you came to.

The first was that it was almost completely dark.

The room these troopers chose to keep you in had no windows. The door blocked out most of the light, except for a small sliver at the very bottom. If you had to guess, this room was most likely a storage closet of some kind while the base was in use.

The second was that you were freezing.

This wasn’t too unbelievable given that you were on Hoth, but you would think that if you were inside, there would be some kind of heating system. Perhaps it was broken. Or maybe the troopers were just too dumb to figure it out.

The third is that you were chained to the wall.

The cold metal was clasped around your ankle, tethering you in place. You didn’t like that very much, of course. You wanted to at least be able to inspect the room that you were in. And since your wrists were chained together, it would be difficult for you to break free. You wouldn’t think that the rebels of old were cruel enough to chain their prisoners to the wall, so the troopers probably brought them in here just for you. How special.

Though you couldn’t see him, you assumed that you were being held in the same room as Poe. When you listened harder, you could barely make out the sounds of his breathing. Judging by how quiet it was, you guessed that he was still knocked out. Worry coursed through your veins. You didn’t know how long you were in here, but you knew it had to have been at least half an hour. That’s an awfully long time to be passed out. But your worry soon dissipated when you heard him groan.

“What the hell?” he muttered, and you heard his chains rattle, presumably to rub at his eyes, “where are we?”

“I don’t know. It’s too dark to see anything. But I assume that we’re in some sort of old storage closet,” you replied.

You heard him try to get up and curse when he realized that he couldn’t, “Well, this isn’t ideal.”

All at once, you remembered the chain of events that had landed you here. His recklessness and inability to listen had landed you both here. Despite that pitch blackness before your eyes, you were seeing red.

“Clearly,” you scoffed, “and this situation could’ve been avoided.”

“No, it couldn’t,” he argued, “no matter what, we would’ve been running into this many people.”

“Yes, it could’ve,” you growled, knowing that you were right, “if we had formulated a plan, we could’ve taken them out. The two of us together would’ve been more than skilled enough to pull it off. But of course, you just had to be reckless. You’re so fucking headstrong, even when it’s at your detriment. Maybe in the past, you’ve just made up your plans on the fly, but that doesn’t work in situations like this. You’d think as a commander, you’d know that. This was your fault, Dameron. You’re the reason that we’re stuck here with no way out. So stop trying to deflect responsibility. We both know this could’ve been prevented.”

He fell silent then, and you smirked to yourself. His lack of response meant he knew he was in the wrong. For once in your lives, he acknowledged that you were right. You figured that he’d never admit it out loud, so his silence was good enough for you.

“At any rate,” you began again, “we need to figure out how to get out of here and take these guys out before this base is operational.”

He nodded, “Yeah, we do. There’s no window, and I would assume that the door is guarded, so that’s our first problem.”

“Even if they have weapons, I think we’re both good enough to take them out. We just need to break these chains and somehow get the door open,” you replied.

“If this is just a storage closet, like you think, we’d just have to find something to pick the lock with. Shouldn’t be too difficult,” said Poe.

You agreed, and you were about to tell him so when the lock clicked and the door swung open. The light spilling in from the hallway was a shock to your senses, and your eyes fluttered shut from the intrusion. Once you opened them again, you saw that four figures had walked in. Three were just regular troopers, but one was wearing one of the black officer outfits. She looked you both over, and there was a smirk painted across her face.

“So,” she stated, “I didn’t know we had one of General Organa’s most prized admirals and the best pilot in the Resistance in our presence. I feel honored.”

“You should,” quipped Poe.

You had to physically restrain yourself from rolling your eyes. Now was not the time for this!

The officer chuckled darkly, “You’re lucky I’m not after you today. Bring the admiral to her feet. I have some questions for her.”

Your eyes widened slightly. Getting interrogated was not on your agenda today. One of the troopers stepped forward to unlock the chains around your ankles, and you both took a sharp intake of breath when you were roughly hauled to your feet and shoved out the door. The last thing you saw before leaving was the guilt in Poe’s eyes. Good. This was his fault, after all. Though, you supposed only the getting captured thing was his fault. Not everything that happened after. That could only be blamed on the First Order.

You were dragged through the halls until you were brought out to their main hub of operations, which was the large hangar near the front of the base. You counted about 20 stormtroopers total; two were guarding your door, four were the ones leading you through the halls, three walking through the halls, and the final eleven in the main hangar. You figured that that would be easy enough once you and Poe got ahold of weapons. There was only one other officer, which was good news for you two. You were taken out of your thoughts by being unceremoniously thrown to the ground. The officer and the three troopers who escorted you towered over your kneeling figure.

“So, Admiral,” the officer started, “there are a few things that I really need to know. And you’re going to tell them to me.”

“Like hell I am,” you spat back.

“We’ll see. The first thing that I’d like to know is how you knew we were here.”

You stayed silent.

“Come on now, Admiral, I asked nicely. I won’t do that too many more times,” she coaxed.

“I don’t know,” you told her, almost nonchalantly.

Technically, it wasn’t a total lie. Though you knew that Finn had gotten the information from a traitor, truth be told, you didn’t know exactly who it was. No one did, seeing as they went by a codename. And even if you did know, you wouldn’t throw Finn under the bus, or reveal your source of information.

“Liar!” she barked, raising the butt of her rifle and striking you in the face with it.

You cried out in pain as you felt blood pour from your nose. It was definitely broken. This is why you preferred being in the air; there was much less risk of breaking your bones. You attempted to raise your hands to your nose to help staunch the blood flow, but the cuffs around your wrists prevented you from doing so effectively.

“That’s not the worst you’ll get if you don’t tell me where you got your information from now,” the officer growled.

“Never,” you said through gritted teeth.

She flipped her rifle around so the front was facing you and pressed it against your forehead.

“I don’t have to kill you. But if you don’t tell me, I have no problem disposing of you and moving on to the pilot. So I think you should just let me know who gave you that intel,” she pressed.

“Neither of us will, so stop trying,” you snapped back, “you might as well just kill me now and stop wasting our time.”

“If you say so,” she said, cocking her rifle.

“Not if I can help it,” came a voice from one of the entrances in the hangar.

You all turned to the doorway and there was Poe, with a blaster in each hand. He swiftly shot the officer in front of you. She crumpled to the ground, and you grabbed the rifle from her body. While most of the troopers were distracted with Poe in the doorway, you took out the three troopers near you (which was certainly a struggle with cuffed hands, but you managed). You found a pin on the floor, and used it to pick the cuffs open. With you new blaster rifle, you joined Poe in the scuffle, working in tandem to take out the troopers holding you captive.

When the adrenaline from the fight wore off, the throbbing pain in your nose came back full force, and the blood loss was starting to make you woozy. You sank to the ground against the wall, pinching your nose to try and stop the blood flow. The front of your shirt was starting to stain with red. You’d definitely need to scrub that out later.

“Oh shit, you’re still bleeding! Let me find a med kit,” Poe exclaimed, rushing around the room until he located the medical supplies and sat in front of you.

Poe worked in silence. He did his best to fix the injury, and you think he did pretty well, given that he wasn’t a professional. You’d probably get a healer to look at it once you returned to base, but he stopped the blood flow, which was the most important part.

“Is that better?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, thanks,” you replied.

He shook his head, and the guilt that was in his expression earlier returned, “Don’t thank me. It’s my fault it happened in the first place.”

“That was the First Order’s fault, not yours,” you contested.

“Yes, it was,” he argued, “all of this was my fault. They wouldn’t have hurt you if we hadn’t gotten captured, and that was because of me. I’m sorry. I should’ve listened to you. I shouldn’t have rushed in. It was incredibly reckless, and you suffered because of it. I’m sorry, Admiral. Promise I won’t do that again.”

You were stunned. You didn’t even think he’d admit that this was his fault, let alone apologize for it. And he seemed upset that you were hurt. You honestly didn’t think he’d care. And you also didn’t expect yourself to forgive him so quickly. But you couldn’t help it. The guilt and regret in his eyes told you that he truly was sorry.

“It’s okay. We got out of it, and that’s what matters. One of us should probably contact the general and tell her that we finished the job and that we’re on our way.”

“I will,” he replied, “you rest. You lost a decent bit of blood.”

You nodded, laying your head back against the wall and closing your eyes. You heard him walk away and start talking to Leia, telling her the events that transpired. She congratulated both of you on a job well done, but still told Poe off a little bit for his actions.

You didn’t even realize that you had fallen asleep, but before you knew it, you were gently shaken awake by Poe.

“Sorry to wake you, but I’ve got bad news.”

“W-what is it?” you questioned, stifling a yawn.”

He winced, “The snow storm outside is in full force. The conditions are too bad for either of us to fly in, or even walk out to the ship in. We’ll have to stay here for the night.”

You sighed softly. Even though you wouldn’t say you hated Poe anymore (which was big for you), you still weren’t his biggest fan. So staying alone with him in the base wasn’t the most appealing to you. But going out in that blizzard was a death wish, so stay here you would. This was going to be a long night.

#poe dameron #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron x you #poe dameron angst #star wars #x reader #x reader angst #poe dameron fic #poe dameron fanfiction #x reader fic #x reader fanfiction #star wars sequel trilogy #sequel trilogy #fluff and smut in future chapters

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theculturedmarxist · 4 years ago

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Latin America

The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature

Chilean health care workers launch strike

Chilean health care workers went on strike Nov. 23 demanding more resources with which to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Federation of Health Workers demand that a meager increase of 8,000 pesos per capita be budgeted for basic health (US$10.40) have been rejected. “Following 8 months of negotiations, three national mobilizations, and two one-day strikes, we have decided to strike for an indefinite amount of time,” declared a union spokesperson.

Federation president Patricia Valderas declared that the strike would last until the union receives a “decent” response to their requests. “We will not compromise our demands; 80 percent of the population depends on the public health system; we need supplies and resources.” She also indicated that health workers are paid little and risk becoming infected with the coronavirus, victims of the lack of resources and low wages. Valderas also noted that 30,000 health workers have been infected with COVID-19 due to overcrowded hospitals and clinics alongside an increase in deaths.

Meanwhile, strikes and protests continue across Chile. At issue is the defense of basic rights. As a first step workers and youth are demanding that President Sebastian Piñera resign. Mobilizations are also taking place demanding freedom for political prisoners and for all those swept up by the police during months of protests.

Rally by Ecuadorean hospital cleaners

Ecuador public hospital cleaning workers rallied in Quito, demanding back pay. About 600 workers employed as cleaners at public hospitals rallied on Thursday demanding that the government pay them for 8 months of back salaries they are owed.

The demonstrators rallied at the Finance Ministry, carrying signs and chanting their demands for their back pay. The ministry, responsible for the payment of these back wages, has imposed bureaucratic administrative barriers to the payments of the arrears.

Paraguay farmers and farm workers demand land reform

About 7,000 small farmers and landless farm workers from across Paraguay protested last Tuesday in Asunción, Paraguay’s capital city, demanding that the government carry out a long stalled land reform.

The demonstrators are calling on the Supreme Court to redistribute land “in the hands of very few wealthy landowners.”

In addition, the demonstrators are demanding that the government carry out other promises, such as: the cancellation of debts, land for the landless, and subsidies for farmers affected by an ongoing drought.

Paraguayan president Mario Abdo Benitez opposes the requests, vaguely claiming that farmers and farm workers are being “manipulated.”

Demonstrations in Peru demand hike in education budget

Education workers in Peru demonstrated in Lima and other cities on Tuesday and Wednesday. The teachers are demanding that six percent of Peru’s gross domestic product be apportioned to education.

Joining them at the Lima protest were employees from several local colleges.

In the cities of Puno and Tacna they were joined by education administrative employees and by construction workers, who are also calling for a new constitution.

Strike by Nuevo León, Mexico teachers

A strike, of indefinite duration, began on Nov. 25 by teachers in the state of Nuevo León demanding back wages. The 5,000 strikers represent 144 regular high schools and 9 night high schools.

District 21 of SNTE union, which represents education workers in Nuevo León, indicated that the government has ignored teachers’ demands over several weeks.

State authorities have responded to the strike with threats and repressive measures against all those that publicly oppose their current working conditions, unemployment and pay delays. The response includes layoffs and denying contracts for teachers, secretaries and other education workers.

The SNTE also reported that, since online instruction began, many of the education workers have not been called back to their posts. This is not just an issue of lack of respect, said the SNTE: the non-payment of wages and lack of employment affects the well-being of teachers’ families, it also bars them and their families from the public health services amidst the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

San Salvador, Argentina transit workers on strike

On Friday, Nov. 27, over 500 striking public transit workers marched in San Salvador de Jujuy, capital of Jujuy Province in Northwestern Argentina, demanding the payment of back wages.

The protest took place on the fourth day of a transit strike. The transit workers walked out in defiance of a conciliatory arbitration ruling from the labor ministry. The public transit companies have resisted paying back wages. Instead they are lobbying for transit fare increases and government subsidies.

United StatesTacoma, Washington health care workers strike over PPE and staffing

Over 100 doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners who work at 20 clinics operated by the MultiCare health system in the Tacoma, Washington, area carried through a two-day strike starting Nov. 23, protesting a lack of essential protective equipment, excessive hours and patient overload. In particular, the workers have been demanding management provide secure and tight-fitting N95 masks, as opposed to the loose-fitting surgical masks that do not sufficiently protect against aerosolized coronavirus.

The company has forbidden doctors from bringing personal N95 masks in to work. And to add further insult, MultiCare announced as the strike unfolded that it would provide increased access to N95 masks to other workers in its system, but not to striking clinic workers.

The Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) called the “selective distribution discriminatory.” The UAPD charges, “MultiCare’s assembly-line approach and emphasis on profits poses a serious public health threat, especially as COVID-19 cases spike throughout the region.”

Matthew Carey, a striking physician assistant, came down with the virus after the first day of picketing. He says he sees between 15 and 30 COVID-suspected cases on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, MultiCare was hit by a coronavirus outbreak at its Auburn Medical Center that killed two patients. During the period Nov. 5–20, over a dozen patients contracted the infection while 12 workers tested positive.

MultiCare has sought to sidestep the strikers’ demands concerning masks by claiming its providers “have adequate PPE.” The Centers for Disease Control loophole calls N95 respirators a “preferred” PPE, but labels other lose-fitting face masks as an “acceptable alternative.”

ACLU files suit against Hasting, Nebraska meatpacker for failure to take measures to protect workers against COVID-19

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a federal lawsuit Nov. 23 against the meatpacking plant Noah’s Ark Processors in Hasting, Nebraska, charging the company with a “shocking indifference to its employees and the community by failing to take common-sense steps to protect them from the spread of COVID-19.” The suit represents a number of workers from the plant.

The ACLU said Noah’s Ark made no effort to socially distance the more than 300 workers in the plant or replace soiled facemasks. The company has not installed plexiglass dividers, checked employees’ temperatures upon arrival to the plant or established higher sanitation precautions in the plant. Workers who contracted COVID-19 were pressured to continue working, despite visible coronavirus symptoms.

CanadaLabour board forces end to Hydro-Quebec overtime ban

A provincial labour tribunal ruled last week that the refusal of workers at the Bersimis hydroelectric generating station and dam to perform evening and weekend overtime was illegal. The workers at the complex 300 kilometers northeast of Quebec City had refused overtime assignments since Nov. 4. Workers had complained of the grueling working conditions, but Hydro-Quebec management merely told the court that the overtime refusals would “affect production.” This was enough for the tribunal to outlaw the job action.

Hydro-Quebec is the fourth largest producer of hydroelectric power in the world. As a state-owned crown corporation it employs 20,000 workers across the province. It annually provides at least $2.3 billion in dividends to its sole shareholder—the Government of Quebec—which also sets and enforces the labour regulations that the Bersimis workers revolted against.

#aclu #worker's struggles #workers rights

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toosicktoocare · 5 years ago

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prompt: I love your witcher in need fic! For a prompt- maybe a monster or robber or something tries to use jaskier as leverage over geralt? Or as a hostage? And geralt realizes how scared that makes him?

/shrugs. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good hostage fic.

Mentions of this fic.

Geralt and Jaskier spend the next few days in town upon Geralt’s stern insistence, the latter wishing to allow Jaskier a chance to fully rest and recover from a nasty wound received after a rather terrifying encounter with a couple of Kikimora soldiers.

However, while Jaskier’s wound slowly heals, his health takes a turn in the opposite direction, leaving him with harsh, barking coughs and a near-constant fever that’s got him bedridden, more so with each passing day. Geralt’s initial fear was infection, but Jaskier’s wound isn’t an angry swollen red, but rather a faint pink around the edges, leaving Geralt to settle for Jaskier’s insistence that he merely caught a chill after being pulled under water by one of the Kikimora soldiers, though Geralt has his doubts with Jaskier’s rapidly deteriorating condition.

Geralt’s taken to the town each day Jaskier can’t find the energy to move from bed, asking around for a mage, a doctor, any single person who has even the slightest ounce of medical knowledge, yet the small town proves sparse in the medical field. Still, Geralt goes out each day, moving along a hint of desperation, and when he’s not asking each and every person he crosses paths with, he’s trying to make sense of Jaskier’s many medical books, finally pinpointing on a section detailing an infection of the lungs. His eyes dissect each symptom, and he applies each to Jaskier: the alarming coughing, the gripping fever, the inconsistent chills, the fatigue, and more recently, the rattle coated along each wheezing breath.

When he wakes on the fourth day to Jaskier’s harsh, labored breathing, face pinched in discomfort, Geralt doesn’t hesitate to slip into his clothes and seek help, medical book in hand. He moves about the town for hours, and those who do agree to stop and hear him out only offer non-descriptive medical help, instead detailing vague accounts of their own children who were stricken down with the same illness. When one woman tears up, claiming this apparent infection of the lungs claimed her seventeen-year-old son’s life a year ago, something pulls in Geralt’s stomach, a clear sense of uneasiness and fear that twist and mold together until he’s starting back to the inn to ensure his bard is still breathing.

When he steps into the inn, despite moving through familiar motions, the uneasiness in his stomach grows into a pit, his senses chasing an odd feeling that something feels terribly off. He takes to the stairs, taking the steps two at a time, before he’s throwing the suite door open, eyes zeroing in on the empty bed.

“Jaskier,” he growls, hand instinctively moving over his shoulder, fingers brushing against this hilt of his sword. He can still make out the lingering smell of Jaskier’s illness, of sweat and pain, but there’s a second smell mixing in the air that has Geralt creeping to the bed, light and quiet on his feet. The comforter is knotted on the floor, and the sheets have been pulled half-off, revealing the old, worn mattress underneath, the bed showing clear signs of a struggle.

Geralt rests his hand atop the sheets, taking note to the faint, damp warmth that coats his palm. Not long ago, he thinks, and he moves through a quick sweep of the rest of the suite, checking every inch and coming up empty with every narrow drag of his gaze. The pit in his stomach grows, fear swirling to the center, and his fingers curl tightly around the hilt of his sword as he bounds down the steps, stopping before the inn-keeper.

“My companion is missing,” he announces bluntly, pulling the inn-keepers attention toward him with a deep growl.

“A man stopped by, said he was a doctor here to help.” The inn-keeper’s voice is distracted, her attention already flicking back to her book, but Geralt presses, voice deep, threatening.

“There are no doctors in this town.”

“Maybe he’s from the next town over.”

“The next town is three days away even on the fastest horse--”

“--look, Witcher,” the inn-keeper spits out, voice colored in a clear tone of annoyance. “I don’t know where your lover went, but maybe it’s for the best.” She drags a slow gaze back to her book, and for the briefest of moments, anger sweeps across Geralt’s vision, but just as quickly, he blinks through it, sighing lowly as he moves away from the wooden counter and out the door.

He pulls a narrow gaze around his nearest surroundings, relying solely on his senses, and he starts toward the woods surrounding the small town, figuring he would have already heard a commotion if Jaskier’s been taken through the center of town.

His instincts prove accurate when he walks around a few trees and spots a series of faint footprints in the mud, one set unsteady and pulling in a different direction compared to the other even set. He moves with the footprints, often losing them at times, but he keeps in a single direction, taking note to leaves ripped from vines, to small tree branches looking as if they’ve been unwillingly broken, a second sign of a struggle.

The uneasiness shifts to a muted burn of desperation within his stomach, moving and mixing with the fear up to his chest, past his rib cage to fight against his slower heart beat. His hand brushes against the sharp edges of a broken tree limb, and then he hears an incredibly faint yet frighteningly clear sound of muffled coughing that’s got him moving quickly toward it.

The air around him, though fresh and clear, is beginning to take to a familiar scent that has hope trying to push to the front of Geralt’s thoughts, and he chases the sound and scent, through bushes and around towering trees until he’s stumbling into a small clearing where a lean man with a pointed nose has Jaskier pinned to his chest by a knife pressed to his throat, just hard enough to warrant a small trickle of blood.

Jaskier’s eyes go wide with relief, yet they’re still clouded in fear, glassy with fever, and he mutters Geralt’s name around the cloth tied against his mouth, a few, ragged coughs following. Geralt can hear the deep rattle with each, struggling breath, the shallow, choppy inhale and exhale through Jaskier’s nose, and he tries to will his mind and heart to steady so he can fully assess the situation.

Moving may prove fatal for Jaskier, so while he keeps his shoulders squared and he tightens his grip on the hilt of his sword, he doesn’t move, only offering a small tilt of the head in silent question.

“You are quite difficult to track down, Geralt of Rivia.”

Geralt recognizes the voice, and he casts his eyes down to the dirt below him as if searching for an answer along the mud, brief patches of grass, and footprints.

“You don’t remember me.”

Geralt pulls his gaze back up with a frown, and the man groans, pressing the knife a little harder to Jaskier’s neck.

“Three years ago? You killed my brother.”

For a brief moment, Geralt’s mind chases the new information back to a small town three years ago, a town he had been sorely unwelcome in the second he and Roach stepped foot into their territory, specifically to a small group of men known as the tavern regulars. Though small, the town was quite rowdy, and he remembers sleeping at the inn, only to be pulled awake by a knife piercing his shoulder. He remembers moving on instinct, reaching for his sword, and then he remembers pulling a knife from his shoulder, the scar still prominent to this day. He remembers stepping over lifeless bodies, and he remembers tipping the inn-keeper well.

“Your brother and his friends tried to kill me.” He finally says, blinking away the past.

“No, they only wanted to rough you up!”

“I think my sheer act of self-defense having been woken by a knife to the shoulder was severely warranted,” Geralt presses, voice low and eyes dangerously narrow.

“They were never planning on killing you!”

Geralt remembers now, those same words being yelled at him as he had pulled himself up to Roach’s back.

“They were just,” the man starts, voice abandoning the squeaking cry and turning to a darker, malicious tone, “roughing you up a bit, just as I’m doing.” He presses the knife deeper against Jaskier’s neck, eliciting a small whimper from Jaskier that Geralt clings to, fear now gripping at his heart.

“Rough me up, then. The bard’s done nothing to you.”

“No,” the man draws out, a devilish grin tugging at the corners of his lips, “but he’s my ticket to you.”

He moves to make the final press to Jaskier’s throat, to slice clean through the small, bleeding slit, and suddenly, Geralt’s potion is weighing a hole in his pocket, but he can’t reach for it, he can’t move against the pure, icy, terrifying clutch of fear that’s pushing against him, freezing his limbs in place, but then Jaskier’s swinging his head back away from the knife, bashing the back of his head to the man’s face, and Geralt takes the brief moment to snag his potion, ripping the lid off with his teeth and dumping the contents down his throat in one, long swig.

His eyes coat to a deep black, and his veins jut out underneath his skin, and then he’s moving, drawing his sword while pulling Jaskier away from the man while the man’s staggering a few feet away, cradling a bloody nose.

Jaskier hits the ground, coughing miserably and wincing at the pain that jolts up and down his arm, his sutures pulling against the sudden jerk and pressure. He drops to his side, and he can barely watch as Geralt moves effortlessly along the effects of the potion.

Geralt moves without thinking, swinging his sword until the man’s running off into the woods, sobbing and leaving a pooling trail of blood, and only when he’s sure the man’s gone, listening closely to the fading footfalls, does he turn to Jaskier, movements aggressive, desperate. He yanks the cloth from Jaskier’s mouth, and Jaskier struggles to suck in a ragged breath, lungs quaking, failing, and then he’s coughing over and over until blood trickles past his lips.

And true, unaltered fear hits Geralt like a crashing wave in an ocean, fear of Jaskier’s condition, fear of losing Jaskier, an endless push of fear that Jaskier’s death would be his fault. He scoops Jaskier into his arms, so quickly it’s almost dangerous, and he spins on his heel, stopping when black eyes lock onto sharp, purple ones.

“Yennefer?”

“Looks like your bard’s dying,” Yennefer starts, sighing, “again.”

Jaskier’s unconscious in Geralt’s arms, barely breathing, chest moving in quick, shallow motions, and Geralt brings a gaze from Yennefer, to Jaskier, then back, and his voice is shaking despite the potion bleeding strength to every crevice of his body.

“Can you--”

“--yes,” Yennefer interrupts, already turning sharply on her heel. “I’ll save your lover.”

Geralt doesn’t think of anything other than the shivering bard in his arms, and he follows Yennefer back to the inn. His potion begins to wear off when he sets Jaskier into the bed, and he backs away, Jaskier’s ragged coughs sounding far too loud to his ears, until his back hits the wall across the room. He slides down the rough wood, hitting the floor with a low thump as Yennefer works through touch and magic. He watches with bated breath, only exhaling when he hears Jaskier suck in a deep breath, no rattle clinging to his lungs. He can hear Jaskier’s heart beat slow to a steady, rhythmic thump, and he cranes his neck to see the pained, flushed expression fade to smooth lines and pale cheeks.

“He’ll sleep for a while, but he should be well when he wakes,” Yennefer announces, heels clicking against the wooden floor as she turns from the bed and starts to Geralt. “I even worked on the wound. Some of the sutures ripped out. It’ll scar, but,” she pulls her gaze over her shoulder to the sleeping bard before dragging it back to Geralt, “it will be healed when he wakes, as will his neck.”

“I can pay you,” Geralt starts, voice still shaking slightly. “I’ll do whatever you would like to repay you for this,” but when he moves to stand, to retrieve the money he’s earned from jobs, Yennefer stops him with a single sharp gaze, a single hand raised.

“I don’t want your money, Geralt,” she draws out, sighing, voice tinged with slight annoyance. “All I want is for you to realize that your kind doesn’t mix well with his kind.”

“What--”

“You’ll get him killed one of these days.” She walks out of the room, and Geralt listens as the faint sounds of her heels disappear, her words pushing around his mind as he slowly gets to his feet. He stumbles to the bed, crawling in beside Jaskier, desperate to drift off to the comforting sounds of Jaskier’s beating heart, but then Jaskier rolls over until he’s facing Geralt, and his eyes flick open.

“Jaskier--”

“She’s wrong,” Jaskier whispers, voice thick with sleep. “You won’t get me killed. I trust you completely.”

You shouldn’t, Geralt thinks, but he only pulls Jaskier to his chest, pressing his lips to the top of Jaskier’s head. “Rest, Jaskier.”

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newstfionline · 3 years ago

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Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Beating The Heat Is Out Of Reach (IPCC, AP News) The U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a shocker of a report Monday summarizing the latest authoritative scientific information about global warming. 234 scientists contributed to the 3,000-plus-page report. Global temperatures have already risen by 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) since the 19th century, the highest in over 100,000 years. Further warming is already “locked in,” meaning even if emissions are drastically cut, some changes will be “irreversible” for centuries. Ice melt and sea-level rise are already accelerating, and wild weather events like heatwaves and storms are expected to worsen and become more frequent. Earth is warming so fast that by the 2030s, temperatures will probably exceed the Paris climate accord’s ideal goal of no more than 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit and 1.5 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. The report called it a “code red for humanity.”

Infrastructure bill approved in Senate (AP) With a robust vote after weeks of fits and starts, the Senate approved a $1 trillion infrastructure plan for states coast to coast on Tuesday, as a rare coalition of Democrats and Republicans joined together to overcome skeptics and deliver a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s agenda. “Today, we proved that democracy can still work,” Biden declared at the White House, noting that the 69-30 vote included even Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. The overwhelming tally provided fresh momentum for the first phase of Biden’s “Build Back Better” priorities, now heading to the House. A sizable number of lawmakers showed they were willing to set aside partisan pressures, at least for a moment, eager to send billions to their states for rebuilding roads, broadband internet, water pipes and the public works systems that underpin much of American life. The measure proposes nearly $550 billion in new spending over five years in addition to current federal authorizations for public works that will reach virtually every corner of the country. There’s money to rebuild roads and bridges, and also to shore up coastlines against climate change, protect public utility systems from cyberattacks and modernize the electric grid. Public transit gets a boost, as do airports and freight rail. Most lead drinking water pipes in America could be replaced.

COVID vaccines to be required for military under new US plan (AP) Members of the U.S. military will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine beginning next month under a plan laid out by the Pentagon Monday and endorsed by President Joe Biden. In memos distributed to all troops, top Pentagon leaders said the vaccine is a necessary step to maintain military readiness. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the mid-September deadline could be accelerated if the vaccine receives final FDA approval or infection rates continue to rise. “I will seek the president’s approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon” licensure by the Food and Drug Administration “whichever comes first,” Austin said in his memo, warning them to prepare for the requirement.

For first time, average pay for supermarket and restaurant workers tops $15 an hour (Washington Post) The U.S. labor market hit a new milestone recently: For the first time, average pay in restaurants and supermarkets climbed above $15 an hour. Wages have been rising rapidly as the economy reopens and businesses struggle to hire enough workers. Some of the biggest gains have gone to workers in some of the lowest-paying industries. Overall, nearly 80 percent of U.S. workers now earn at least $15 an hour, up from 60 percent in 2014. Job sites and recruiting firms say many job seekers won’t even consider jobs that pay less than $15 anymore. For years, low-paid workers fought to make at least that much. Now it has effectively become the new baseline. Economists caution that a higher average wage is not the same as a $15 minimum wage. Half of workers in these industries are still making below $15 an hour. Nonetheless, rising pay is still a game-changer for millions of workers.

Dry California tourist town to guests: ‘Please conserve’ (AP) Tourists flock by the thousands to the coastal town of Mendocino for its Victorian homes and cliff trails, but visitors this summer are also finding public portable toilets and signs on picket fences pleading: “Severe Drought. Please conserve water.” Hotels have closed their lobby bathrooms and residents have stopped watering their gardens in the foggy outpost about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of San Francisco after two years of little rain sapped many of the wells Mendocino depends on for potable water. Mendocino’s water woes were compounded in recent weeks when the city of Fort Bragg a few miles to the north—its main backup water supplier—informed officials that it, too, had a significant drop in its drinking water reserves after the Noyo River recorded its lowest flows in decades. “This is a real emergency,” said Ryan Rhoades, superintendent of the Mendocino City Community Services District, which helps manage the water in the town’s aquifer.

Nicaragua recalls four LatAm ambassadors in tit-for-tat move (Reuters) Nicaragua has recalled its ambassadors to Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Costa Rica for “consultations,” the government said on Monday, deepening the Central American country’s international isolation over its crackdowns on the opposition. Mexico, Argentina and Colombia recently recalled their ambassadors to protest against moves to clamp down on the opposition in Nicaragua, while Costa Rica a few weeks ago suspended the appointment of its ambassador to the country. On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Ortega of taking new “undemocratic, authoritarian actions.” Blinken also singled out Ortega’s wife, Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo, and said the two were seeking to hold on to power “at all costs” with a strategy of disqualifying potential opposition candidates. Nicaragua is due to hold presidential elections in November in which Ortega is seeking a fourth consecutive term.

Twelve Days In Office, and Crisis Swamps Peru’s Leftist President (Bloomberg) Peru’s new president is off to a rocky start, selecting contentious ministers, alienating allies and setting the stage for a brutal face-off with congress, all within days of taking office. A rural teacher and union activist, Pedro Castillo won the election after reassurances that he’s his own man, not beholden to his party’s Marxist ideology or chief. But when he named his cabinet—including a prime minister who’s under investigation for being an alleged apologist for terrorists—analysts, opposition figures and even some who’d backed him expressed alarm, so much so that the word “impeachment” was heard more than once. “His political capital went up in smoke in 24 hours,” said Rodolfo Rojas, a partner of the Lima-based Sequoia political advisory group. “If he doesn’t change course, there’s no future for him.” Impeachment isn’t imminent, Rojas said, but a clash with congress looks likely. And while Peru has made a habit of ousting presidents, it’s rare for such a discussion to take place within days of inauguration.

French wine production set for a 30-percent drop (Washington Post) A confluence of weather woes is hurting France’s wine harvest. First, there was severe frost in the spring, which laid the foundation for disaster by damaging 30 percent of the production. Then, torrential summer rains hit western Europe in July, leaving parts of Germany and Belgium ravaged by floods, and leading to fungal attacks on grapes and their leaves in France. All of this has set France up for a wine supply drop of 24 to 30 percent this year—the lowest output since 1970, France’s farm ministry said Friday. For champagne, harvest potential has been slashed in half, some producers warned. In Italy, the world’s largest wine producer, high temperatures in the south caused an early harvest, while heavy rains in the north caused a late harvest, according to farmers association Coldiretti. Output is estimated to fall by 5 to 10 percent.

'We fought a great battle': Greece defends wildfire response (AP) As Greece’s massive wildfires were being largely tamed Tuesday, the country’s civil protection chief defended the firefighting efforts, saying every resource was thrown into the battle against what he described as the fire service’s biggest-ever challenge. Nikos Hardalias said authorities “truly did what was humanly possible” against blazes that destroyed tens of thousands of hectares (acres) of forest and hundreds of homes, killed a volunteer firefighter and forced more than 60,000 people to flee. Two other firefighters were in intensive care with severe burns. “We handled an operationally unique situation, with 586 fires in eight days during the worst weather conditions we’ve seen in 40 years,” Hardalias told a news conference. “Never was there such a combination of adverse factors in the history of the fire service.” Greece had just experienced its worst heat wave since 1987, which left its forests tinder-dry. Other nearby nations such as Turkey and Italy also faced the same searing temperatures and quickly spreading fires.

Smoke from Siberia wildfires reaches north pole in historic first (Guardian) Smoke from raging forest fires in Siberia has reached the north pole for the first time in recorded history, as a Russian monitoring institute warned the blazes were worsening. Devastating wildfires have ripped across Siberia with increasing regularity over the past few years, which Russia’s weather officials and environmentalists have linked to climate change and an underfunded forest service. One of Siberia’s hardest-hit regions this year has been Yakutia – Russia’s largest and coldest region that sits atop permafrost – which has had record high temperatures and drought. On Saturday, the US space agency Nasa said its satellite images showed wildfire smoke travelling “more than 3,000km (1,800 miles) from Yakutia to reach the north pole”, calling it “a first in recorded history”. It added that on 6 August most of Russia was covered in smoke. According to Russia’s forestry agency, this year’s fires have ravaged more than 14m hectares, making it the second-worst fire season since the turn of the century.

Lockdowns In Manila (Guardian) The more aggressive Delta variant of COVID-19 has led to record case numbers in countries across Southeast Asia. Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam have reported record cases in recent weeks. The variant was detected in the Philippines in mid-July and has spread to 13 of 17 regions. On Friday, the national capital region of Manila, with a population of almost 14 million, was placed under strict lockdown until August 20 in an attempt to slow the spread. Only authorized people, including those buying food, traveling for medical reasons, or frontline workers are allowed to go outside. The day before the lockdown went into effect, thousands rushed to vaccination centers and waited for hours hoping to get a shot. Rumors had spread that unvaccinated people wouldn’t be allowed to claim government aid or go outside.

Taliban Capture Sixth Provincial Capital (Foreign Policy) The Taliban’s advance across Afghanistan continued on Monday with the capture of Aibak, the capital of Samangan province, marking the sixth provincial capital to fall to the group in less than a week. Monday’s seizure was hastened by the defection of Asif Azimi—a prominent warlord with ties to the now defunct Northern Alliance—a worrying sign of shifting allegiances due to a rapidly changing situation on the ground. As the fighting drags on, pressure is building on President Ashraf Ghani to get a handle on the situation or get out of the way. Reports in Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal paint a picture of an isolated leader whose best hope lies in rallying support from anti-Taliban groups ahead of an all-out civil war.

#headlines #news

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ashiiewappa · 4 years ago

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Rio 2016 Table Tennis Men’s Singles

Sport:

Indoor Table Tennis

Court Dimensions:

For a full-size table tennis table, the upper surface is called the playing surface. It requests a certain elasticity and good bounce of a ping pong ball. The dimensions of a full table tennis table size are 2.74 meters long, 1.525 meters width, and 76 centimeters height measure from the ground. There are white sidelines along the length of both sides of the table. The width of the sideline is 2cm. There is also a white end line along the width of both sides of the table. The width of the sideline is 2cm. There is also a white center line across the table. The width of the centerline is 3mm. It is used to divide the table into equal halves when playing double games.

Equipment:

Table

Nets and Posts

Paddle Cases

Penhold Paddles

Rubber Covers

Pingpong ball

Table Tennis Paddle

Table Tennis Shirt

Table Tennis Short

Table Tennis Shoes

Basic Skills:

Forehand drive technique

Backhand topspin close to the table

Forehand push

Backhand push

Forehand flick

Backhand flick

Backhand loop the underpin ball

Forehand attack the semi-long ball

Forehand fast serve

Forehand pendulum serve

Backhand side-spin serve

Technical & Tactical Skills:

Ma Long:

Ma has a great type of serve however in first minutes it shows that his defense in quite down, thus he fell for the same trick Zhang used twice. Zhang also using a unique type of serve, however this didn’t stop Ma from setting up his defense and playing using his own tactic earning him a point. Ma getting hyped and trying to score through a strike, failed however Zhang kind of step on his trap making him swing with more force than needed thus over throwing the ball and earning Ma a point. Ma using the same tactic again but failed to score because of too much force as he got too excited. Ma earned a point when Zhang committed similar mistakes he did. Ma earned a point after Zhang was not able to make the ball cross the net. Another point for Ma after Zhang over threw the ball. Ma got consecutive points after Zhang committed yet again the same mistakes. Ma won the first set with a two point gap from Zhang just proving how determined both players are to win, however Ma just must have been more determined as he won the first set. Ma got the first point for the second set, however Zhang scored right after. Ma took the lead in terms of score having five points while Zhang has 2. Ma once again won the second set with a much higher gap than the first set. Ma lead the third set once again but Zhang also kept up his pace and stay to catch up with the score. Ma however just plays with a great offense that was able to win the third set. The fourth set was spiced up that both players were playing their best play, but Ma once again proved that he is a greater player by winning the four sets.

Zhang Jike:

A good start for Zhang despite a difficult to predict type of serve by Ma he was able to return it and got a point. Zhang used the same technique twice and scoring two times in a row because Ma can’t help but fall for the same trick twice. Zhang got a little bit too excited and he overthrows the ball earning Ma a point. Just as when Zhang seems to take a lead he also makes the same mistake twice by overthrowing the ball and earning Ma a point. Zhang Earning a point after Ma got too excited and also over throws the ball. Seems that both are just committing similar mistakes and alternately earn points, this time Ma got the point while Zhang was the one who committed the mistake. Zhang got short on force having the ball not cross the net. Seems that Zhang can’t help but repeat his mistakes overthrowing the ball, earning Ma a point. Zhang seem determine to catch up he was able to tie the score at eight points when he takes his offense up. Zhang and Ma were neck on neck at twelve points after both up their games. Zhang changed tactics for the second set and played with great offense against Ma. Zhang struggles to keep up with Ma leaving a four point gap in terms of score. Seems that Zhang’s new tactic didn’t work against Ma after he lost again during the second set. It was a clear neck on neck during the first minutes of set three as Zhang tries to catch up. Zhang keeps repeating hist mistakes, seems that he was not learning from it that lost him the third set too. Zhang was swept by Ma after he lost the fourth set with a huge gap with their points.

Rules of the Game:

1. GAMES ARE PLAYED TO 11 POINTS

A Game is played to 11 points. A Game must be won by two points. A Match is generally the best three of five Games.

2. ALTERNATE SERVES EVERY TWO POINTS

Each side of the table alternates serving two points at a time. EXCEPTION: After tied 10-10 (“deuce”), service alternates at every point. Can you lose on a serve in ping pong? Yes! There is no separate rule for serving on Game Point.

3. TOSS THE BALL STRAIGHT UP WHEN SERVING

How do you serve the ball in ping pong? Hold the ball in your open palm, behind your end of the table. Toss at least 6” straight up, and strike it on the way down. It must hit your side of the table and then the other side. NOTE: Once the ball leaves the server’s hand it is in play, and so counts as the receiver’s point if the ball is missed or mis-hit.

4. THE SERVE CAN LAND ANYWHERE IN SINGLES

There is no restriction on where the ball lands on your side or your opponent’s side of the table. It can bounce two or more times on your opponent’s side (if so, that’s your point), bounce over the side, or even hit the edge.

5. DOUBLES SERVES MUST GO RIGHT COURT TO RIGHT COURT

The serve must bounce in the server’s right court, and receiver’s right court (NOTE: landing on center line is fair). Doubles partners switch places after their team serves twice.

6. A SERVE THAT TOUCHES THE NET ON THE WAY OVER IS A “LET”

Can the ball hit the net in ping pong? Yes, during a RALLY, if it touches the top of the net and then otherwise lands as a legitimate hit. BUT not when serving. If a served ball hits the net on the way over and otherwise legally bounces in play, it’s a “let” serve and is done over. There is no limit on how many times this can happen.

7. ALTERNATE HITTING IN A DOUBLES RALLY

Doubles partners must alternate hitting balls in a rally, no matter where the ball lands on the table.

8. VOLLEYS ARE NOT ALLOWED

Can you hit the ball before it bounces in ping pong? No. In regular tennis you may “volley” the ball (hitting the ball before it bounces on your side of the net). But in table tennis, this results in a point for your opponent. NOTE: When your opponent hits a ball that sails over your end of the table without touching it and then hits you or your paddle, that is still your point.

9. IF YOUR HIT BOUNCES BACK OVER THE NET BY ITSELF IT IS YOUR POINT

If you hit the ball in a rally or on a serve and it bounces back over the net after hitting your opponent’s side of the table (due to extreme spin), without your opponent touching it, that is your point.

10. TOUCHING THE BALL WITH YOUR PADDLE HAND IS ALLOWED

What happens if the ball hits your finger or hand during a ping pong rally? If the ball touches your PADDLE hand and otherwise results in a legal hit, there is no rule violation and play shall continue as normal. Your paddle hand includes all fingers and hand area below the wrist. But what if the ball touches a player’s body anywhere else during a ping pong rally? You may not touch the table with your non-paddle hand for any reason. It will result in a point for your opponent. BUT if your opponent’s hit sails over your side of the table without touching it, and hits any part of you or your paddle, that is still your point.

11. YOU MAY NOT TOUCH THE TABLE WITH YOUR NON-PADDLE HAND

You may touch the ball or the table with your paddle hand (after reaching in to return a short serve, for example), or other parts of your body. NOTE: If the table moves at all from your touching it during a rally, that is your opponent’s point.

12. AN “EDGE” BALL BOUNCING OFF THE HORIZONTAL TABLE TOP SURFACE IS GOOD

An otherwise legal serve or hit may contact the top edge of the horizontal table top surface and be counted as valid, even if it bounces sidewise. The vertical sides of the table are NOT part of the legal playing surface.

13. HONOR SYSTEM APPLIES TO DISAGREEMENTS

If no referee is present during a match and the players disagree on a certain call, the “honor system” applies and the players should find a way to agree, or play the point over. Ping pong carries a tradition of fierce but fair play. Help us keep it that way!

How to Officiate the Sport:

Umpire - is required to exercise judgment in applying the table tennis laws and regulations during the match, such as deciding whether a rally should be a let or whether the players behaviour is acceptable. When the umpire is officiating alone, his decision is final on all questions raised during a match, including decisions on edge balls and service. The umpire is also responsible for the timing the duration of play. The local umpires are required to pass the umpire test and volunteer at a local level before proceeding to international tournaments.

Analysis:

A good start for Zhang despite a difficult to predict type of serve by Ma he was able to return it and got a point. Zhang used the same technique twice and scoring two times in a row because Ma can’t help but fall for the same trick twice. Ma has a great type of serve however in first minutes it shows that his defense in quite down, thus he fell for the same trick Zhang used twice. Zhang also using a unique type of serve, however this didn’t stop Ma from setting up his defense and playing using his own tactic earning him a point. Zhang got a little bit too excited and he overthrows the ball earning Ma a point. Just as when Zhang seems to take a lead he also makes the same mistake twice by overthrowing the ball and earning Ma a point. Zhang also using a unique type of serve, however this didn’t stop Ma from setting up his defense and playing using his own tactic earning him a point. Ma getting hyped and trying to score through a strike, failed however Zhang kind of step on his trap making him swing with more force than needed thus over throwing the ball and earning Ma a point. Just as when Zhang seems to take a lead he also makes the same mistake twice by overthrowing the ball and earning Ma a point. Zhang Earning a point after Ma got too excited and also over throws the ball. Ma using the same tactic again but failed to score because of too much force as he got too excited. Ma earned a point when Zhang committed similar mistakes he did. Ma earned a point after Zhang was not able to make the ball cross the net. Another point for Ma after Zhang over threw the ball. Ma got consecutive points after Zhang committed yet again the same mistakes. Zhang Earning a point after Ma got too excited and also over throws the ball. Seems that both are just committing similar mistakes and alternately earn points, this time Ma got the point while Zhang was the one who committed the mistake. Ma won the first set with a two point gap from Zhang just proving how determined both players are to win, however Ma just must have been more determined as he won the first set. Ma got the first point for the second set, however Zhang scored right after. Ma took the lead in terms of score having five points while Zhang has 2. Ma once again won the second set with a much higher gap than the first set. Ma lead the third set once again but Zhang also kept up his pace and stay to catch up with the score. Ma however just plays with a great offense that was able to win the third set. The fourth set was spiced up that both players were playing their best play, but Ma once again proved that he is a greater player by winning the four sets. Zhang got short on force having the ball not cross the net. Seems that Zhang can’t help but repeat his mistakes overthrowing the ball, earning Ma a point. Zhang seem determine to catch up he was able to tie the score at eight points when he takes his offense up. Zhang and Ma were neck on neck at twelve points after both up their games. Zhang changed tactics for the second set and played with great offense against Ma. Zhang struggles to keep up with Ma leaving a four point gap in terms of score. Seems that Zhang’s new tactic didn’t work against Ma after he lost again during the second set. It was a clear neck on neck during the first minutes of set three as Zhang tries to catch up. Zhang keeps repeating hist mistakes, seems that he was not learning from it that lost him the third set too. Zhang was swept by Ma after he lost the fourth set with a huge gap with their points.

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sundayswiththeilluminati · 5 years ago

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exotics make the noise, boys, but legendaries do the work.

After so many posts celebrating Destiny’s exotics I feel compelled to pay tribute to the other, far larger portion of the weapon pool: the legendary gear that pulls its weight all day every day. These are my top five all-arounders, the weapons I infuse up first, the ones I go to when I don’t know what I’m going up against. These are:

Blast Furnace / Hammerhead

Type: Pulse Rifle / Machine Gun

Slot: Kinetic / Heavy (Void)

Perks: Outlaw+Rampage / Dynamic Sway Reduction+Rampage

Kills: 16827 / 8697

Two of the Black Armory’s pieces, the Blast Furnace pulse rifle (shown here with the Verdigris shader) and Hammerhead machine gun (Amethyst Veil shader) still pull their weight a year after their introduction. Falling squarely on the scifi end of Destiny's scifi-fantasy spectrum, Black Armory weapons are easily recognized by their sleek-but-practical look, not flashy but new and designed and manufactured with great care. They have open straight-edged cowlings with visible internals and usually show traces of the Black Armory’s signature moiré-pattern animation.

Blast Furnace superseded Forsaken’s Go Figure pulse rifle (another of my go-to kinetics) with better stats in pretty much every column. The pulse rifle archetype is already one of Destiny’s best and Blast Furnace’s great stats, great perk pool, good chatter, and friendly sights - not to mention the ease of farming for the roll you want by completing Black Armory weapon frames instead of hoping for a random drop - plant it squarely in most Guardians’ top 10 if not 5. My chosen roll is Outlaw (reload much faster immediately after a precision kill) and Rampage (damage increases with each kill, stacks up to 3x), a classic top-tier perk set.

Hammerhead was one of the first non-exotic machine guns introduced and its decent range (here extended by Ricochet Rounds), 59-round clip, and fast-but-not-too-fast 450 RPM fire rate put it right at the sweet spot where it performs well against both large numbers of weaker enemies or a handful of powerful ones. It also fares well in PvP where heavy ammo is very rare and Hammerhead’s ability to put paid to a Guardian in 5 or 6 solid hits means you get more effective bang for your heavy ammo crate buck. My Hammerhead features Rampage and Dynamic Sway Reduction (holding down the trigger boosts accuracy over time) which doesn't come up much when firing short bursts but helps a lot when pouring an entire clip into a boss’ crit spot. Whenever I’m running an Energy-slot exotic or if I just don’t want to think too hard about my loadout, it’s a good bet I’ll throw on one or both of these weapons.

Subtle Calamity

Type: Bow

Slot: Energy (Void element)

Perk: Dragonfly/Archer’s Tempo

Kills: 11806

Subtle Calamity (Clouds At Sea shader) has no great lore or storied manufacturer behind it; it’s a general world loot drop added in Forsaken. And it’s great. I was already pumped for the addition of bows and Subtle Calamity ended up hitting the sweet spot for daily use. With bows the key stat is draw time; longer draw times equal more power but also, well, longer draw times. Hence why I went for the perk Archer's Tempo, which decreases draw time as you land precision hits. It also has the Dragonfly perk, a flashy ability I like probably more than it deserves, which causes enemies killed with precision hits to explode into AoE elemental damage. Bows are a lot of fun, occupying the middle ground between Auto Rifles and Sniper Rifles that Scout Rifles were supposed to fill, and given how lousy I am with snipers if I need to land precision hits I'll usually go for a bow instead.

In-universe, what's the explanation for Guardians suddenly getting into bows? It's because of the events of Forsaken and the Guardian push into the Tangled Shore and Dreaming City i.e. into more regular contact with the Awoken, for whom it's a culturally-significant weapon - something like a claymore to a Scot or a katana to the Japanese. More pragmatically when the Awoken first returned to our solar system and settled in the lashed-together space derelict habitats of the Reef they faced the problem of using weapons inside said space habitats as well as launching cables and small satellites. Their solution was bows: strong enough to fly far, carry payloads, and deal damage, but unlikely to pierce a hull and far easier to manufacture than firearms. Awoken Corsairs still use bows as near-silent precision weapons in actual combat, relying on technologically-advanced payloads to deal the real damage. Or not so advanced - Sjur Eido puts a broadhead arrow through an inch of Guardian plate armor with little more than determination, skill, and the properties of whatever magical material Wish-Ender is made from.

Tigerspite / Age-Old Bond

Type: Auto Rifle / Auto Rifle

Slot: Kinetic / Energy (Void)

Perks: Outlaw+Kill Clip / Rampage+Fourth Time's The Charm

Kills: 14623 / 11863

Though they come from different sources in-game, I’ve grouped these two together because they’re both Awoken weapons. Age-Old Bond (Circadian Chill shader) drops from the first encounter of the Last Wish raid while Tigerspite (Night’s Chill shader) comes from activities in the Dreaming City. I love both of these weapons and use them all the time even when they’re not ideal for the situation at hand. Tigerspite, like the rest of the Dreaming City weapon set, has an elven high-fantasy style featuring cloth wrappings (?) and long, sinuous curves. The Last Wish raid set has a similar aesthetic but goes for a combination of carved-bone paneling and animated celestial diagrams that recall Awoken tech displays.

Fun lore note: Tigerspite is one of the few non-exotics to be mentioned by name in the lore. Sjur Eido selects a Tigerspite for one round of her duel with Uldren Sov back in the Distributary. It gets referenced again as a standard Awoken weapon after their return to our solar system, so it’s had quite the service life. Tigerspite’s stats were superseded a while ago by newer auto rifles but I love its sights and feel and keep using it anyway. Outlaw (faster reload on precision kill) and Kill Clip (increased damage immediately after reloading after a kill) are a classic weapon perk combo that’s always in season. Also I’m pretty sure a cat gave me this gun. Not a cat-cat, a Dreaming Kitty, one of the nine adorable stone cat statues hidden in the Dreaming City. While doing Dreaming City activities you’ll sometimes pick up an item called “A Small Gift,” a dish of something that “smells faintly of mint.” Since catnip is a member of the mint family, that’s your hint to bring that gift to your nearest Dreaming Kitty. Doing so rewards a weapon and causes the chosen statue to disappear. I’m pretty sure the first or second kitty I ever found gave me this specific gun, which just seems appropriate given its name.

Age-Old Bond is a special weapon to me. It comes from the first fight of the Last Wish raid, an encounter with the Taken Techeun Kalli, the Corrupted, and was the first fight I ever completed with my informal raid crew named “World’s Worst Fireteam.” Last Wish released at 550-590 light at a time when most Guardians were still trying to crack 530 and thus could barely handle redbars on raid day one. We were like most Guardians. But we were unlike most Guardians in being stupid and stubborn, and so we went into the raid anyway, because if we couldn’t get World First, we could still get World’s Worst. We never had a chance at the full raid, but after great struggle and great teamwork we finally managed to bring down Kalli and net ourselves our first Last Wish raid drops. For me that drop was this specific auto rifle - which is not just sentimental, but actually special. Some legendary weapons in Destiny have “curated” rolls, perk and stat combinations chosen by Bungie to be top-tier if not the best possible. Anytime you get a weapon drop you have the chance to get a curated drop instead, which comes fully-masterworked with those chosen perks. Age-Old Bond’s curated roll was the only one at the time with the new Fourth Time’s The Charm perk; when you land four rapid precision hits (they don't have to be sequential) it refunds two rounds directly back to the magazine. This does more than you might think for the weapon’s versatility, since if you’re pouring fire into a single target’s crit spot (i.e. a boss) it effectively gives the weapon 50% more clip i.e. a solid 48 rounds before you have to reload. It won’t replace a Heavy or high-DPS weapon anytime soon, but it’s pretty handy in a tight spot. The other perks on the curated roll max out Age-Old Bond’s range stat compared to other auto rifles, one of the dump stats of that archetype, and with a Counterbalance Stock mod to reduce recoil it’s practically a trace rifle.

I do favor these five weapons, but I also try to mix it up - I picked these five based on my top kill counts, but that biases it towards Y2 guns that have been in service longer. Plenty of newer weapons routinely turn up in my loadout these days: the pleasant chatter and Demolitionist perks of Outlast, Full Court/Field Prep Love and Death, the delightful new kinetic bow Accrued Redemption, Shaxx's broke-ass Crucible pinnacle weapon The Recluse, last season's snappy Patron of Lost Causes, the 600 RPM bullet-hose Arc Logic, and of course the reliable, venerable Y1 IKELOS shotgun. But in the end the only wrong loadout is one you don't enjoy, and the best choice is whatever you find the most fun.

#Destiny 2 #weapon talk #legendaries #purples get some love #Blast Furnace #Hammerhead #Subtle Calamity #Tigerspite #Age-Old Bond #*slams hands on table* LET ME TELL YOU THE GOOD WORD OF AUTO RIFLES #so happy this season brought them some buffs #one time I was using the Love & Death grenade launcher during EP #and a Shrieker started shooting at me #and I leapt up to dodge away and managed to fire a grenade mid-jump that nailed the Shrieker and OHKO'd it #and then I was like that's it that's the coolest I'll ever be in this game #might as well pack it in #I DON'T EVEN GO HERE except now I do

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yesloverboy · 6 years ago

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Neighborly (mgk!Tommy Lee x Reader) Part 1 (?)

SUMMARY: Transfering to Los Angeles for university, you end up having to rent the cheapest place available the summer before your first semester. Lucky for you, it just so happens to be above Mötley Crüe’s apartment of debauchery and legendary parties. While moving in, you meet Tommy, who is more than eager to help you move your stuff in. The closer you become, you soon realize that Tommy is taking your welcome mat as more of an open invitation…

word count: 3,295

[Warnings: swearing, minor injuries with blood, drug and alcohol mention, lots of backstory because it’s chapter uno yadda, yadda, yadda.]

NOTE: Hey everyone! I was thirsty for more Tommy content and figured it was about time to write some myself. This is the first fic I’ve written in literal years, and I’m extremely nervous for y’all to read it, but something about this new wave of Crüe fans just really brought it out of me.

I’d really love to make this a series, so if you have any feedback or suggestions please hit me up!

The Los Angeles sunshine burns bright as you pulled your old pickup truck up to your new apartment. It isn’t the most glamorous place you’d ever seen but, for Los Angeles, the price certainly won you over. Starting over in a new city at a new university wasn’t going to be easy, but knowing you’d have all summer to adjust made you hopeful for the future. Who knows? Maybe you’d make a few friends along the way. With a heavy sigh, you turn off the truck and step out into the blistering heat.

You glance up at the building before you, trying to gauge where exactly your apartment would be situated. It was a brick, multi-level apartment complex with flights of metal stairs snaking all the way up to the top. Glancing at the bed of the truck, you take note of all the boxes and furniture you had to stuff and bungee cord down just to get across the country. Instinctively, you already feel yourself regretting that you had agreed to live on the fourth level.

Oh well, you think, might as well go up and see the place.

As you jog up the second flight of stairs and approach the third level, you can’t help but notice that the apartment directly below yours looks completely trashed from the outside. The balcony is littered with so many bottles and cigarette butts that whoever living there may as well have been collecting them.

Slowly, you realize that wasn’t the strangest thing. The window of the apartment hung wide open, while the front door was practically nailed shut. You hoped to God that the landlord was planning on doing renovations, otherwise passing that place on the regular is seriously going to give you the creeps.

Deciding your imagination is probably getting the best of you, you head up the next flight to see what you new home was going to look like. When you approach your doorstep, you are relieved to find that your new place seems to be in much more stable condition. You are even delighted to find that the previous tenant had left a mat outside the door that simply stated, Welcome. Turning your key in the lock, the door opens with a satisfying click.

Upon walking inside, you notice that it’s a bit smaller than you had hoped– but otherwise fairly clean and normal. There’s a small kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom connected to the balcony. However, you probably can’t access it unless you feel like climbing through the window, or maybe going out the front door and around.

Shrugging, you throw your keys on the kitchen counter. It’s not much, but it’s definitely good enough. Now it’s time to fetch those goddamn boxes.

After about an hour of lugging boxes up the stairs, you had decided that unpacking might just be your least favorite activity. As you start narrowing down your things to just the heavy stuff, you begin to notice some movement coming from the grimey apartment beneath yours. As you struggle to haul your small dresser past the third floor, you are shocked to see an average-sized guy with a mop of shaggy black hair emerging from the window.

What the fuck?

You try not to gawk as he attempts to shove some semblance of the balcony’s bottle collection into a trash bag, but you can’t help yourself. His eyes snap up and meet yours with an icy stare. Unable to say anything, you opt for continuing to drag your dresser hurriedly up the steps.

On your way back down, you try to ignore whatever was happening on the third floor, hoping the man had given up and gone back inside. Trotting hurriedly to your truck, you steal a glance back up at the third floor balcony and realize the intimidating guy collecting trash isn’t alone anymore. At his side is a tall, giraffey figure leaning against the railing and puffing on a cigarette. His hair is shaggy and dark like the other man’s, but it shines more of a chestnut brown in the sunshine. With an amused grin, the tall stranger waves at you.

Brushing the wild hairs away from your face, you try to wave back and appear calm and collected. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop the heat rising to your cheeks as you wonder how long they had been watching you move in for. Rubbing your dirty hands against your denim cutoffs, you decide you would have to get over it if you want to get moved in sometime today. To your chagrin, you realize all you have left is your couch and mattress. Getting them in by yourself was such a bitch that you knew getting them out could only be worse.

Having your neighbors watching you certainly doesn’t help either.

Oh fuck me, you groan internally as you start tugging the edge of the couch out of the truck bed. You are just starting to break a sweat when you hear a voice calling out to you from above.

“Wait–! Let me help you with that!”

You look up, surprised to see the gangly boy from the third floor balcony scrambling down the stairs. He approaches you, practically tripping over his own feet as his long legs strain against his tight jeans.

You take in the sight of him, noticing his orange tee is just a little too short for the length of his torso, while his jeans clung to his legs like a second skin. You find it unusual that he has a studded belt wrapped around his waist, considering the fact that his jeans clearly fit him a little too well. That is, until you notice a pair of drumsticks nestled in between the denim and the studs.

Weird.

“Uh…hey.” You greet him, stupidly. Being used to doing everything yourself, people offering their help always felt awkward. Especially when hot neighbors were involved.

“Hey,” despite your awkwardness, he still has a dumb grin plastered across his face, “I’m Tommy!”. Immediately your neighbor starts to grab for your couch, sliding it out of the bed and towards the ground with ease.

“I’m Y/N, thanks for offering to help, but you really don’t have to do that.”

Tommy laughs, “Oh please, as if a tiny thing like you can get this all by yourself. Why don’t you just grab an end?”

You raise an eyebrow, trying to hide the smile that was dancing on your lips. You certainly weren’t the tiniest person you knew, but you figure a guy as tall as him probably thought everyone was small.

“So, you live on the third floor?” You try to make small talk as you lift the opposite end, letting Tommy take the lead.

“Yeah, dude! That’s where me and my band live. Pretty sweet, huh?”

“Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure I’m your new upstairs neighbor,” you laugh, trying to control your breathing as you and Tommy heave the couch up the steps.

“That’s so sick!” You two had literally just met, and yet Tommy seemed genuinely excited by the news. “I really hope you like parties, Y/N, because we have the best ones.”

Mentally connecting the dots, you felt silly when you realized that Tommy’s seemingly ransacked apartment was all just the aftermath of some rager.

“Yeah, maybe I’ll come check it out sometime.”

Before you knew it, Tommy is already pushing open your front door and sliding the couch inside. Tommy looks over at you, not the least bit out of breath.

“So, what’s left?” he asks, eager as ever. This time you don’t hide your smile.

“Uh, I think it’s just the mattress.”

“Sweet, I’ll be right back, Y/N.” Tommy brushes past you, already galloping down the stairs. His energy was already a lot to keep up with, and you begin to wonder if he ever had an off switch.

He’s not really going to get the mattress by himself, is he? You run out toward the balcony, and, just as you suspected, your brand new neighbor is already on his way over, dragging your mattress in tow. You may have come all the way to L.A. from a small town, but you never imagined anyone in the city would be this nice to you.

There is a courtesy knock at the door as Tommy finally arrives with your mattress. He doesn’t even give you enough time to wipe the stupid smile off of your face before he’s already inside and dragging it towards your empty bedroom. You can’t help but let your gaze linger on Tommy as he drags the mattress past you, his shirt tightening around the muscle of his lean arms is enough to make your mouth run dry.

“Hey, Y/N is it okay if I set the mattress here?”

Tommy’s voice snaps you back into reality. Realizing he probably caught you staring, you wander over to the mattress and give it an absent-minded kick with the toe of your boot.. “Oh, um, yeah Tommy that’s perfect there.”

Tommy had shoved the mattress up against the window, and honestly you couldn’t see the point in moving it. Grinning triumphantly, Tommy points to you with a large hand.

“So I see you like to rock, too.”

It took you a moment to realize he was pointing at your raggedy t-shirt. You glance down, nearly forgetting what you were wearing, only to realize you had put on your old Black Sabbath shirt that morning.

You laugh, “Oh this thing? Yeah, I guess you could say that. I actually came to L.A. to study music.”

“Wait, you can study music?! That’s sick as fuck!”

“Yeah man, you totally can.” You don’t want to admit it, but having your major validated by some cute guy you just met felt pretty good. “Although, I reckon you don’t need to study music considering you play it and all. What is it that you said you played?”

With a swift flick of his wrist, Tommy pulls one of the drum sticks out from his belt loop and begins to twirl between his fingers at an impressive speed. “Drums, dude! Been playing since I was a kid.”

Your mouth fell open, “Where on earth did you learn to do that?”

“Honestly? High school marching band– but at this point I think it’s safe to say I’m just good with my hands.” He winks directly at you, slapping your shoulder playfully with his free hand.

You blush bright red immediately and giggle nervously in response. Less than an hour with this guy and you were already getting the sense that he was going to be major trouble for you if he didn’t stop being so…friendly. You stop your mind before it was able to get ahead of itself. Yeah that was it, he was obviously just being friendly.

“Well it was really great to meet you,” you attempt to draw the conversation to a friendly close, realizing you were becoming way too flustered and had way too much work left to do. “And seriously, Tommy, thanks so much for helping out. I definitely owe you one.”

To your relief, Tommy starts to head toward the front door. “It’s no problem, dude. Honest. I’ve been waiting to find someone to hang with besides those losers downstairs.” He’s just about to turn the doorknob to leave when, suddenly he spins around in a jolt of energy.

“Wait, me and the boys are actually having another party tonight if you’d wanna stop by?” Tommy’s eyes are wide and full of hope as he waits for your reply. You really wish you could, but with the amount of unpacking you had to do you, there was no way you could justify going to a party on your first night.

“Sorry, Tommy, I really wish I could, but I still have so much shit to do.” You gesture to the piles of boxes for emphasis. Sure, you hadn’t brought much, but you still had to run to the store if the apartment was ever going to look anywhere close to home by that night.

Tommy’s shoulders slump a little at your rejection, but he still keeps a soft smile on his lips. “Well, that’s okay. I guess I’ll just have to come up and bug you some other time. You know, be neighborly and all.”

You find the confidence to nudge his arm, “You do that, drummer boy.”

“Will do, see ya later, Y/N!” Just like that, Tommy practically bounces out of your front door and begins bounding down the stairs to his own apartment.

You shake your head, smiling to yourself and wondering just what in the hell you had gotten yourself into. Reluctantly, you turn around to face the small piles of your stuff scattered about the apartment. You decide that it’s probably better to go to the store and come back to unpack later.

It was going to be a long night, but there was nothing that a good old fashioned bottle of wine couldn’t fix.

Later that night, you busy yourself with sprucing up the kitchen. With a glass of wine in hand, and a half empty pizza box on your newly-assembled dining room table, you find that unpacking is actually going rather well for a change. For a moment, you think that maybe you have Tommy’s unexpected helping hands and adorable smile to thank for that, but you quickly dismiss the thought as just the wine talking.

As it turns out, Tommy wasn’t lying about the grandness of his band’s parties. All night you could hear people of nearly all ages hooping and hollering like there was no tomorrow. You could even feel the vibration of music beneath your feet, but it wasn’t anything you couldn’t put up with.

You are just about to go and pour another glass of wine, when a frantic knock pounds at your door. Confused, you opt to ignore it, thinking it’s probably just a drunk party-goer mistaking your apartment for Tommy’s. Still, something doesn’t feel right. You stand up, slowly setting down your glass and slowly making your way over to the door.

“Hey, Y/N!” Someone calls to you from the other side of the door, strangely the voice is familiar. They’re still knocking. but this time it sounds more frantic. “It’s me, Tommy! Open up, I need your help!”

You rush over to the door, swinging it open to find your neighbor looking nervous and pale. You look down and notice that he’s clutching his right hand protectively, keeping a crimson soaked towel wrapped tightly around it. Mouth hanging open, you realize quickly that he’s bleeding.

“Oh my god, Tommy, what did you do to your hand?”

You step aside, allowing Tommy to push past you and come inside. “Well, uh, it’s kind of a long story, but basically Nikki–that’s my bass player–he bet me that I wouldn’t be able to smash a bottle on my head, so obviously I had to prove him wrong…but, uh, something went wrong and when the bottle shattered, it cut my hand open…”

Tommy trailed off, looking at the floor like a child about to be scolded by their mother. His rambling made it very clear to you that he was pretty drunk, so you would have to choose your next words carefully.

“Um, Tommy, do you think you could come over to the sink and show me how bad it is?” You stepped into the kitchen and Tommy followed in suit, still refusing to let his eyes meet yours.

Gently, you place a hand on his forearm and guide it over the sink. With how red the towel is from Tommy’s blood, there was no telling what it was going to be like when you unwrapped it.

“Tommy, do you want to unwrap the towel or do I need to do it?” Your voice comes out calm and steady, but on the inside your stomach is tying itself into a million anxious knots.

“Could…um, could you?” Tommy’s voice is suddenly small and distant compared to how it was at the door. You can feel your heart soften at the sound.

Gingerly, and somewhat reluctantly, you take his injured hand and begin unravelling Tommy’s makeshift bandage. Although his hand remains steady under your touch, you could feel Tommy’s upper body pull away. It almost seems like Tommy is afraid to see the damage.

The towel falls to the bottom the sink with a wet thud, and you can’t help but take in a sharp breath at the sight of Tommy’s hand. In the center of his palm is a deep gash with blood pooling in the center.

“Oh god, Tommy. I think you may have to go to the hospital for this, look I could drive you–” You start to say, and immediately he pulls his hand away from yours. You look up, shocked as his eyes finally meet yours. He doesn’t look angry, but afraid, and you can feel your heart break just a little.

“Y/N, please, no–no doctors. I can’t go to the doctor I…” Tommy trails off, his face now paler than before and you worry he’s might be at risk of fainting.

Gripping both of his arms firmly, you hold his distressed gaze and speak as gently as possible. “Tommy, hey, listen to me, okay? I’ll do what I can. I won’t make you go to the doctor if you don’t want to.”

If you were to be honest with yourself, you know it would be so much better if he would just go to the doctor, but you doubt your ability to get Tommy to a hospital safely in his drunken stupor. With a weary sigh, you beckon for Tommy to follow you to the bathroom. Luckily, you had bought a roll of bandages at the store today, but you certainly hadn’t expected to use them so soon.

You grab the roll of bandages and a washcloth from under the sink and turn to face Tommy. “Now, listen. I’m going to rinse off your hand and then you’re going to sit down over there so I can bandage it up, okay?” You gesture over to the toilet seat, praying Tommy doesn’t notice the slight tremor of your hand.

He doesn’t, or maybe he doesn’t care. Instead, he gives you his leaking hand once more, head hanging low in embarrassment. You turn on the tap and slowly bring his hand underneath the cool water. Tommy lets out a hiss of pain as the blood runs pink down the drain, but otherwise remains perfectly still.

Once the water finally runs across the gash with minimal blood following with it, you decide it’s safe to wrap up again.

“Alright, drummer boy, I’m going to need you to take a seat.” As Tommy sits down on the toilet seat, you’re shocked to find that, even sitting down, he’s still nearly as tall you are. You take his injured hand once more and begin methodically wrapping it, hoping to god that it’s tight enough to last the night.

Just as you’re finishing up, you look up at Tommy to find him staring intently at you. You quickly avert your eyes, reminding yourself that he’s just drunk and confused right now. Clipping the bandage in place, you pat the top of it delicately for good measure.

“Well, Tommy, it looks like you’re all set.”

You expect him to get up and leave, but he’s still staring at you just as intently as before– like you’re the only person on the planet.

To your surprise, Tommy’s signature grin returns to his face as if it had never left.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re beautiful?”

Part Two

Masterlist

#i finally did it!!!#writing #motley crue #mötley crüe #the dirt #the dirt movie #the dirt nextflix #tommy lee #vince neil #nikki sixx #mick mars #machine gun kelly #mgk #tommy lee x reader #mgk!tommy lee #mgk!tommy lee x reader #neighborly series

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