#at the risk of being put in front of a firing squad

[anotherferalrat]

KAEYA?

TF U DOING HERE????

[specialagentlokitty]

Giles x reader - what I should have done

Omg can you do Giles angst with prompt #42 and #36? - Anon💜

36: “Will you ever forgive me?”

42: “All my heartache is because of you!”

Soulmates weren’t real, you knew that, one person who was a perfect match for you, one person who if you found would be the only person for you was a lie.

You were never one to believe in things like that, you didn’t believe in love at first sight, or anything like that.

But you did believe that love hurt, it hurt more than anything you could ever possibly feel. The feeling of knowing you had someone, then you didn’t.

That feeling of knowing you would look at, hear, smell something and it would also bring you back round to that person you didn’t want to remember, it would bring back all those happy memories you just wanted to take from your brain and burn.

Love was amazing, but heartbreak was so much worse, it hurt, it tore your heart and soul into shreds.

And yours never fully recovered, ever since that day there was also an empty spot inside of you, something that nothing could fix no matter how hard you tried.

You spent years learning to cover it up so nobody else could see it. But it was there, you knew it was there.

Maybe you were young and stupid at the time, but it didn’t mean it never hurt any less.

Maybe that’s why you changed so much, why you turned so cold and took a drastic change in jobs from being just a regular person to something very different.

Looking through the scope of your sniper, you narrowed your eyes a little bit, slowly going from window to window.

“Do you see anything?” The man next to you asked.

“Nothing yet Rhodes, have they spotted him.”

“No, they’re still sweeping the area.”

You gave a small nod of your head, adjusting how you were laid.

You could see the four teams on the ground, and you carried on looking around, trying to find something that could help.

“To the left, there’s a building, no clear view of the window, that’s our hideout.”

You jumped up, pointing the barrel of the gun towards the sky and Rhodes pushing himself up, looking at you.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

He nodded, grabbing the communications device from his belt and he followed you back down the stairwell to the street.

You jogged a few streets, gun raised and ready to shoot anything that tried to attack you.

“They’ve got the place surrounded.”

You gave a curt nod, making your way an across the building to one of the teams hiding nearby.

“We’ve confirmed the pair of them are inside, what do you want to do?” The woman asked you.

You glanced back to the shop.

“Is there anybody else inside the building?”

“Yes, a handful of civilians.”

“KOS, we can’t risk the targets getting away or hurting the rest.”

“You got it, we’ll breech from the back and the front, they’ll have no escape.”

They began to move and you gestured for Rhodes to come over, holding up four fingers.

He grabbed a few other guys, and they crouched down, placing their arms on each others shoulders and you laid down on their arms, waiting until they stood up.

Once they were stable you raised the sniper once more, looking through the window.

“Do you have a clear shot?” Someone asked.

You looked at one target, then at the other who was hiding behind the first.

“Two birds, one stone.”

You waited, and the moment your team breached, you fired a single shot, shattering the glass, watching as both the targets fell to the ground.

You stayed there watching over the teams, a young girl coming into view trying to fight them.

When she attempted to sneak up on on of the squad leaders, you fired a second shot right at her feet making her jump back and stop.

“Let’s move.”

They dropped you to the ground and you walked to the window, jumping through the now empty frame.

Handing your gun to one of the waiting men, you took the pistol from his hip, and pointed it at the girl, gesturing with your head for her to go back.

“Who the hell are you?!” She yelled.

“I suggest you get back before I put a third bullet right between your eyes.”

“Buffy, do as she says.” A British man spoke.

You recognised the voice slightly, but paid it no mind, having more important things to focus on.

She slowly backed up.

“You.. you can’t just shoot us!” A girl mumbled.

You shrugged slightly.

“I have a gun, a badge, and 30 men and woman that say I can shoot you if I think I have a need to. So, shut your mouths, sit down, and wait.” You snapped.

Walking over to the bodies you pulled them apart, then you began to dig through their pockets.

You pulled out whatever you could find, handing it over to be displayed on the table.

You found a disk, and looked at it carefully before standing up, walking to the table to sit down.

You started to go through everything else that was there, mostly money, fake ID’s, a few photos of some people which you held out.

“Rhodes, take these, either they’re dead or alive, pass it along to Holt back at HQ.”

“You got it boss.”

He took them, walking away, and you kicked your feet up on the table.

“So, what are you all doing at a closed shop so late at night I wonder.”

“You.. you can’t just go through everything! There’s laws!”

You turned to the man on the balcony, and you stared at him before slowly standing up, placing your foot on the chair, leaning forward slightly with your arm on it.

You hummed a little, clicking your fingers and holding your hand out.

Your guns were swapped, and you pointed the barrel at him.

With your other hand, you pulled the bandanna around your face down to your neck, and your eyes bore into his.

“Like I said Rupert, I have a gun, a badge, that say I can. And a very strong hatred towards you so I’m just itching for a reason to pull this trigger, please give me one.”

He looked down at you in pure shock, and you raised your brows at him.

“Come on, just one, that’s all I need.”

He made now movement and you sighed.

“Toss your ID’s down.”

They complied, and someone rounded them up for you, showing you them so you could match a name to the face.

You saw a slight movement out the corner of your eye, and you adjusted the sniper to follow Giles.

The group of young adults stood in front of him.

“Don’t hurt him.” Buffy sneered.

“What did you do to piss off the anger woman with a gun Giles?” Xander whispered.

“(Y/N), I’m sure we can talk about this, but you need to stop aiming the gun at them, they’re college students, that’s all.”

Glancing next to you, you gestured to the woman to take the gun.

“If they so much as fall down those stops, shoot.”

She nodded, taking it and you began to pulled some books from the shelves.

“Demonology, occult, blood sacrifices? Interesting reading materials I suppose.”

“(Y/N) please.” Giles said softly.

Walking over to the door, you stood next to Rhodes who was putting the photos in his pocket.

“What do you think?”

“Quick background check, fired watcher, slayer, two witches, an ex demon, and a human.”

You nodded your head.

“What does he want done about it?”

“He’s deciding, right now they’re to be detained, held until it’s decided what to do, we’re going to contact the watchers council, these are their people not ours.”

“Deal with them.”

You carried on wondering the shop, making your way into the back, looking at all the training gear and weapons.

Picking up a knife you twirled it between your fingers, throwing it at the training dummy.

“The one called Giles keeps insisting on talking to you.” A woman said.

“Send him through.”

The door was opened again then closed, and you crossed your arms over your chest while the British man stood awkwardly near it.

“Don’t think about running, I’ll have you dead within the first shot Rupert, I’ve never missed a mark.”

“You’ve.. you changed…”

You shrugged a little, walking over to a walk to lean against it.

“It’s been nearly 5 years Rupert, people change. I also happened to get a rather good paying job, great bonuses too. I didn’t even know jobs would give you money for just pretending to be on vacation.”

“Who do you work for? You keep mentioned badge, but you have yet to show us one.”

Digging into the pocket of your jacket you pulled out your badge, tossing it over to him so he could pick it up and look at it.

He furrowed his brows slightly.

“Shield? How on earth did you hear about them?”

He went to walk over to hand your badge back, but stopped when he saw the look you were giving him.

Tossing your badge back, you caught it with your hand, putting it away in your pocket.

“That’s none of your concern.”

“This is not who you are… you.. you would never hurt somebody else..”

You scoffed.

“Yeah right, I wouldn’t hurt anybody else. That was my downfall right?”

Giles sighed softly, shaking his head.

“No.. no of course not. It’s what made you so wonderful… and I know I hurt you.. and for that I’m so terribly sorry… Will you ever forgive me?”

You tucked the gun into the back of your jeans, clenching your jaw as you stared at him.

“Sorry? You’re sorry?!”

Grabbed the knife from the training dummy next to you, you threw it at him, and it lodged itself right next to his head.

He didn’t even flinch, but you could see the fear written on his face for a split second before it faded.

“All my heartache is because of you!” You yelled.

Storming over, you grabbed him by the jacket, slamming him into the wall behind him, and he let out a grunt of pain.

“We were supposed to get married! Have a whole life! Then you leave a note saying it was over and you were leaving the country! For what?! For fun?! Was I supposed to get on my knees and beg for you to stay?!” You snarled.

“No.. no of course not…”

He sighed, and he brought his hands up to place them on yours, his thumbs rubbing small circles on the inside of your wrist.

“I.. there is no excuse for the way that I left… I.. I .. never should have left it the way I did.. I.. I.. I.. never wanted to leave you like that… or at all…”

“But you did!”

“I know! I know I did and I.. I’m so sorry darling… I’m so, so sorry…”

He leant down, placing a small kiss to the inside of your wrist and he rested his forehead there.

“I should have been there… or brought you with me… I.. I should have called… I should’ve kissed you and told you I loved you…”

“But you didn’t, you up and walked out. You left me in a house I couldn’t even bare to stay in! And you want to know what the kicker was?”

He took a shaky breath, sniffling a little as he lifted his head to look at you.

“(Y/N)…”

“You have kids. Two, twins. A beautiful little boy and girl, so bright and happy.”

His eyes shot open, and he stared at you.

“I… I have… we have…?”

“Yeah, if you had called you would’ve known. But I guess I wasn’t even a second thought to you, right?”

You slammed his back into the wall again, and you pulled yourself from his grip.

“I thought you loved me, but shame on me for thinking that. I hope it was worth, I really hope you walking out on your family, breaking every promise was fucking worth it.”

You walked to the door, ignoring him shouting your name and made your way to the front of the shop.

He grabbed your wrist and you spun around, punching him, knocking him to the floor.

“If it makes you feel better then hit me, scream, shout, shoot me if you want to, if it’ll make you feel any better about the wrongs I’ve done, then do it.”

You look at him, and then turned to Rhodes.

“They’re free to go.”

“Then let’s clear out.”

The large group began to move out, and you stood watching them leave.

You looked down at Giles as he sat there with tears running down his face, a pleasing look written all over his face.

“Please…” he whispered, “stay…”

“You never did, so why should I?”

With that, you reached into your pocket, pulling something out and you set it in his lap, turning your back to him as you began going towards the door.

“I hope this destroys you from the inside out.”

With that you were gone and Rupert picked up what you had given him.

It was a photo of you, a small girl and boy in your lap beaming from ear to ear, and he covered his mouth to try hide the sob the came out.

He had given up everything just to come here, and he gave up things he didn’t even know he had, all because he wanted to keep you safe

[dustoftheancients]

I did indeed say there would be more. Does it have a wider story than “Anya is about to leave for Paris and is going to miss Gleb?” Not really. Hope you enjoy, it’s from this prompt list.

—

33. Tearful kisses.

—

It would be soon.

She didn’t know when, exactly, because neither Dmitry nor Vlad would tell her. But it would be soon.

They would leave for Paris.

There was anticipation. Finally, finally she would have a chance at finding her family. Maybe it was the Dowager Empress. And even if it wasn’t, she would be in Paris. There was still hope as long as she could get there.

And yet — it wasn’t only the anticipation. There was also fear. Fear that they wouldn’t make it, or that they would be caught and put in front of a firing squad.

Fear that she would never see her only friend again.

Gleb.

Why had she let herself be pulled into friendship with him? The Deputy Commissioner. He could have had her killed in an instant. And more than that, he believed in what he did. Essential work, he had called it. Important work.

And, even knowing that, she had smiled at him. Talked to him about the weather, or her day, or — anything, really. Almost anything.

He was her one and only friend.

He was her enemy.

She was about to leave him either way.

The nod he gave her each morning did nothing to hide the smile growing on his lips. She always smiled in return, maybe a little smaller than his, but no less fond.

Fond. It didn’t seem strong enough a word. Something twisted in her gut when she saw him pass by her on the street with a deep frown. It was the same as all other mornings, except that he seemed deep in thought. He hadn’t seen her. It was a good opportunity, maybe she could start pulling away, get him used to not seeing her every day.

No one else was out and about yet, but if she stood still she knew that he would not notice her.

“Good morning, Gleb.” The words came out before she could stop herself. It was that weight in her chest; what if it was the last time they would see each other?

His face snapped up at the sound of her voice. A grin instantly broke out across his face, wrinkling his eyes in a way that made him seem so much more warm than an officer had any right to be.

“Good morning, Anya.”

“Is something wrong?” She asked slowly, unsure if she wanted to ask, or wanted the answer. She couldn’t run the risk of asking too much, of being too curious — especially after that warning in his office — but he had seemed so lost in thought. So burdened.

His smile lessened a little, but it was still there. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with. It’ll just ruin your morning.”

“You couldn’t ruin my morning,” she almost-lied. She found herself being sweeter than usual, with the knowledge that she would leave him pressing so heavily on her heart.

Her words seemed to please him. He stepped closer, and so did she. This was the one connection she had made on her own, with no shadows to darken it.

No shadows other than the uniform he wore.

“Are you alright?” He asked after a moment, a line forming between his brows. “You’re shaking again.” Gleb lifted his gloved hand as if to offer her comfort, but seemed to think better of it.

His face was kind. He was kind. Despite being the Deputy Commissioner, Gleb Vaganov had proven himself to be a gentle and sincere friend. And she—

Anya would miss him terribly.

“I’m fine,” she muttered, shaking her head a little and forcing a smile. Hot tears sprung in her eyes but she tried to blink them away. And she couldn’t look him in the eye without running the risk of making it worse.

Gleb only grew more worried. Her heart clenched to see it. He didn’t hesitate a second time to lay his hand on her shoulder. The warmth of his skin seeped through his glove and her jacket to touch her skin, like a ray of sun poking through the clouds.

“Anya, what’s wrong?” He asked, leaning down a bit to get a better look at her face.

She shook her head silently, keeping her eyes on the broom clutched in her hand. Why had she let herself become attached? She might have to leave any day, and there could never be any closure between them.

A frown pulled at his lips. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.” Something hardened in his gaze and he straightened. “Has someone hurt you?”

“No,” she breathed.

He deflated a little. “Then what is it?”

She didn’t know why she did it. Or, rather — she did know. She just wasn’t ready to examine it. That would have only led to more pain later.

What she did do would cause her enough pain. She reached over and pressed her free hand to his hand on her shoulder, as if that would keep him there with her on that exact moment. And she she leaned up and kissed him.

His lips were cool, a little chapped. She could smell his aftershave. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she gave in. Just the once.

She held his hand to her shoulder, but he could have pulled away. She wouldn’t have done anything to stop him. But he didn’t pull away. He didn’t move at all, really. She seemed to have shocked him into silence.

Anya broke the kiss.

Perhaps she had misread his affection. Perhaps she should not have done that. And the tears were obvious, it was too late to hide that. Too late to hide her feelings.

She stared up at him with bated breath. Her heart pounded in her ears, a different kind of fear than before.

He stared down at her with wide eyes.

That kiss had been very stupid of her.

“I’m—”

He cut her off with his lips. His hands moved to her red cheeks and cradled her face as he pressed her to him. It was passionate but chaste; he was an officer and they were outside in the open, even if it was still too early for most people. Her arms wrapped around his torso in turn, pulling him as close as she dared. She didn’t even hear her broom clatter to the ground.

He pulled away for a breath, then pressed a second kiss to her lips. Then a soft third.

She exhaled against him, relief coursing through her. He rubbed his thumbs gently over her damp cheeks. The intimacy in the gesture made even more tears form.

Gleb studied her face, his eyes darting around her features like they held the answer to a question he hadn’t asked. His expression was torn between worry and something far too gentle for her to think about. A flush spread across his face that would’ve made her smile, if it had been any other time.

“What’s wrong?” His tone was firm but caring. She had to answer.

“I’m afraid,” she admitted quietly. It wasn’t a lie; not when it came to him.

Paris. Gleb. She didn’t want to leave him.

He watched her, waiting for more. He would never leave Russia, and yet, she wished—

She wished that he was not so good a Russian.

She swallowed, then covered his hands with her own. Told him what she would want to tell him once it was all over and she had left Russia forever. Left him forever.

“I’m sorry.”

He smiled and did not understand. “It’s alright. There’s no one here at this hour.”

Anya let out a weak, wet laugh. “Just us.”

[phant0msworld]

Again with you

Notes: Englisch is not my first language please keep that in mind

Waiting for the squad to come back from mount Tantiss felt like waiting for a bad message to come .Not having heard from them since their departure only made it worse, being afraid something happend to them you could not be alone.So you spend most days with Phee or Shep and his daughter Lyana.

But their company can only do so much to help you.

It was midnight when,you again couldn’t sleep when you suddenly got tcommed.

“(Reader), we’re on our way back and we got Crosshair,we will be back in approximately two to three days.”

Hearing hunters voice brought immediate relief, and hearing that they finally got Crosshair back after all this time made you happier than ever for them.

Before everything went downhill you were their squad medic, you were brought to them because they would often be on mission after mission without being able to go to Kamino to get proper medical treatment.

At first it was rough,having a complete stranger in their space and it also being a nat-born wasn’t something they were comfortable with.

The easiest of the four to warm up to you was Wrecker,after a mission on which he was hurt you treated him and to ease the awkwardness you asked how many droids he blew up.After That he started rambling about his love for blowing things up, and on how many he once was able to get with just one explosion.

Next in line was Tech, he once came to you about a question he had on the topic of medicine.Since he and his brothers don’t really get sick, and he once stumbled upon an article about vaccination and their risks and benefits, he wanted to know more and came to you.Being surprised that he would come to you and also happy, you taught him everything you knew about the benefits for nat-borns.Since then he often discusses medical topics with you and asks for your opinion on them.

Hunter and Crosshair were a different story, and you could tell it wouldn’t be easy to earn their respect and trust.

Hunter welcomed you in the squad and was nice to you but you could tell he kept his distance from you.At first thinking nothing of it and believing he just needed his time you gave him space and only interacted when necessary.The two of you got closer over time but you’re big breakthrough was while being on a mission.The five of you were separated and Hunter and you were together,Hunter hat gotten shot in the process of protecting you.As he wasn’t really abel to walke alone and you couldn’t carry him for a longe time,the two of you found shelter in a cave while waiting to get picked up.As you were waiting you were trying your best at treating hunters wound , when suddenly a Wilde animal appeared.You tried to shield Hunter from the animal since he couldn’t move,after taking a few scratches you were able to slice its carotid artery, you didn’t wanna fiere your blaster since enemy forces where stille around,and you didn’t wanna provoke them to look for the sound of a blaster firing.

After That he not only respected you more but was more open to you in general wich made you really happy.

The hardest one was for sure Crosshair, not only was he distant the whole time but every single attempted approach was in vain.You tried starting a conversation he would not answer , make fun of you or leave the room entirely.Finding yourself wanting to impress him you made some dumm choices, not only on the ship but also on missions, you wanted to do anything just so that he would at least tolerate you.But after a few weeks you gave up, and besides Echo joined you and he was a much better conversationalist than Crosshair would ever be.But Crosshair got only meaner,you tried to ignore,it but after a really rough mission where you where nearly put into slavery you lost it. How dare he make fun of you after you almost were sold to some old man and laugh as if it isn’t that bad,you screamed at him in front of everyone, you didn’t care if you embarrassed yourself or him.He doesn’t have to be friends with you, but at least being nice was an option.

After that you went out of the cockpit and in to the bunks,they only saw you again when exiting the marauder and going in to base.

Hunter must have convinced him to talk to you and apologize other than that you can’t explain why he was suddenly beside you and looking ashamed while saying sorry.He looked surprised when you asked him why he hates you.

You can still hear his answers as clear as daylight in your head.

“I don’t hate you.I just don’t know how to talk with you.”he finally answered after a long time.

Looking up to him with glassy eyes you say “ What do you mean with you don’t know how to talk with me,you talk with me now don’t you.”

He looked a bit stunned at your confused voice and sighs.

“Look (reader) I know it seems like I don’t care what others think about me and it first I didn’t care what you thought of me.But after seeing how you care for all of us and seeing your witty comments I must admit I was afraid a bit.Afraid of letting you get to me, afraid of getting attached to you, afraid of catching feelings.I know it was not right of me to be this mean but, i didn’t want you to be nice to me so that those feelings you brought up would disappear.”

Now you were the one to look surprised, “ Oh, I didn’t know”

“How could you know when was an asshole the whole time,all I can say is that I am sorry for making you feel this way I hope you can give me another chance.And just so you know me admitting this is really not easy for me and I will not say it again.” While saying this he is looking away to the other side so you can’t see his face.

But what you can see is the tip of his ears being slightly red.

The following weeks Crosshair and you were able to get closer to one another it took its time but what blossomed out of it was an understanding between the both of you.That he loves you and you love him and Thant nothing in the galaxy could change that, but not having said it to each other made thing when he decided to be with the empire hard for you.You wish you said it to him eat least once maybe then he would not have left, maybe then he would not have suffered.

Looking back on the memories and wondering if one I love you would have change the course of everything made you sad.Knowing nothing will be the same as it was before you feel scared of seeing Crosshair again.

Does se he still love you?

You know you still love him, infact you nerver once stopped loving him.Not being able to stopp the tears from coming over the uncertain future you quietly cry yourself to sleep.

The next two days seem to just pas you as you wait patiently for your found family.Omega commed you a few minutes ago and said Thant they will be shortly there, after your conversation you immediately sprinted to the the landing zone.

As you looked towards the sky you saw the marauder, they land and you feel as if your world is being turned over.Seeing them come out of the ship made you feel relieved.Your feet carried you as fast as they could almost falling in the process you run in to the arms of the people you love.

Sobbing like a child who just woke up from a nightmare mare and clinging at your family like a child would do with its mother.

“I was so afraid I would lose you all.” You say in between sobs.

“You could never lose us we.” Says Hunter while looking at you with a smile wich has so much warm in it that he could probably melt even the icebergs on Hoth.

Hearing all to familiar footsteps you look past Hunter and look directly into Crosshairs eyes.It feels like the galaxy stops for a moment,a tear slides down your face bevor you smile and pull him into a hug.

You can feel him tens at first but then he melts in to the hug, it seems he also missed you.

“(Reader), I am-“ you cut him off before he can say anything else.

“Not now please, later but not now. I’m just glad you’re safe and with us again.”

You whisper in his ear.

The days after the squads return were complicated,Crosshair and you didn’t talk about really.its not because he didn’t wanna talk it was because you were avoiding him cause you don’t know if your ready for what was to come, to hear Thant to much happened between the two of you to start were you left of.

Instead you were spending time with Hunter and omega more and more.

Until one evening where you are at the beach watching the sunset and enjoying the breeze. Not knowing someone is approaching you.

“(Reader),please let us talk. I can’t go on like this with you avoiding me.I know you probably hate me but please don’t be a stranger.I know you don’t love me anymore and all that but I love you and I will love you till the end of my life and I can’t live with you not talking with me.”

You hear his desperation, as you turn he can see the tears forming in your eyes.

“Oh Crosshair, I could never hate you, I thought you didn’t love me after everything that happened and you know we never said Thant we love each other.I regret never saying those three words to you.”

Saying this while looking at him with tears of happiness in your eyes, as you finished talking he bursts to you and pulls you into a kiss where you both pour your whole hearts into.

After the kiss finishes you both sit in the sand and just hug, none of you say anything, but you don’t have to you both understand what is happening.

Watching as the sun disappear you can only imagine what the future will bring, cause he’s again with you.

Notes: I hope you like this one shot I would appreciate a small feedback :)

[winterpinetrees]

The Ambush (The Gap Years part 20)

July 2nd 2019

Coconino National Forest, AZ

After three weeks on the road, Marin's luck runs out. They're on the run from an entire empire, remember?

..............

The car lurches to a halt, and if Marin hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt, he might have died right there. Well, not really, but his chest is going to be bruised. He’s about to ask if there is a deer or something in the road when Sierra calls out a magical glow. Only humans can sense magic on instinct. He looks behind his seat to see a cord of light clinging to their rear bumper. It’s about 9am on State Route 87, a narrow road with scattered pine trees on either side. There isn’t a single other car in sight. In a human story, the lack of other cars would mean safety. Here, the isolation means that there’s no reason for elves to hold back. They’ve planned for this, but they haven’t practiced. It’s time for their first real ambush. 

Unable to escape, Brian spins the car right to put a human and automobile shield between Marin and their enemies. The cord of light ties back to absolutely nothing, but the nothingness shimmers a slightly tan white. Colored light combines to white. That’s basic magical theory. He calls to the humans that they’re fighting multiple opponents of equal power. Sierra jokes that they’re all nothing compared to the power of gun. The fact that she’s kind of right is part of how they got into this situation in the first place. Seven billion wild, fanatic, humans armed to the teeth is a threat to anyone with a brain. Marin casts a spell over the car. It’s mostly an illusion to hide their actions, but should protect the car as well. Then they move.  

Clay’s job is cover fire. He sweeps the hair away from his eyes and balances the concussion rifle on the windowsill. It’s difficult to keep up an illusion when you’re being shot at. Honestly, few elves outside of his family have the skill and the raw power to pull it off.  As magical weapons, concussion rifles are especially dangerous, because the only thing that can reliably stop them is a magical defense. The soldiers will have to choose invisibility, or risking broken bones at the hand of the human boy who already killed a noble. The invisibility spell flickers for a moment and then breaks completely once the soldiers realize it has started to crack. There are five of them in dark gray armor and featureless helmets on the side of the road. 

Brian kicks his door open and crouches behind the front of the car. It’s electric, and there isn’t really an engine there, but it’s something to hide behind while he shoots with a magical pistol. The weapon is Zerada’s orange now instead of his green. He can tell from the sparks that it’s set to stun. Clay’s gun isn’t. However, Brian is drawing more of the fire. Probably because he looks more dangerous. Brian is a stereotypical wild human. He’s big and muscular and the scar on his jaw makes him look like a soldier, even if Marin’s learned that he got it tripping down the stairs as a toddler. Marin slips out of the car as well, and Sierra passes behind him to take the driver’s seat. The Audacity is her creation. She’s better behind the wheel than swinging a baseball bat. 

Are there more soldiers behind them? Probably, elves traditionally fight in teams of nine, but maybe the soldiers looking for them are spread so thin that there isn’t a full squad. Marin looks over his shoulder at the other curb while he climbs onto the roof. When he was little, he wondered why Lazarus Sondaica, the first Apex and the founder of his genus, chose to master illusions while on campaign. He fought with a staff and a greatsword, so wouldn’t strength or speed or a ranged ability be a better skill? There may not be soldiers on the left side of the road, but if there are, they don't see him judge the distance, plant his quarterstaff into the ground, and vault across the pavement. Now he knows that Lazarus chose the signature of his line because illusions are real magic. The Mercurali and the Eight-Points who follow them have their tricks, but the only thing that can truly stop an illusionist is a more powerful one. With the rest of his family in custody and Arjuna probably retired, he’s about as powerful as there is. 

Marin lands as quietly as he can and swings his staff in a wide arc.  He’s testing to see where his opponents are, and holds a dagger in his left hand. A soldier appears, then a second, and Marin moves quickly to get behind his target. On the other side of the street, Zerada flies through the air and pounces like the fox that is the symbol of her family. The humans probably need more help than he does, but it still stings. She’s fast, and her skill with charms means that she’s hard to keep down. Marin remembers a thousand- really, they’ve been doing this for decades- sparring matches against her, and the way he would always lose focus at the end. She jokes that he just can’t bring himself to hurt his betrothed, but Marin knows there's magic at play.

It’s not too challenging to stay alive though. Marin just keeps hidden and stays moving. The faceless gray armor has weak points, and these are commoners he’s fighting. They may be more physically capable of fighting with a few flesh wounds than he or Zerada are, but they heal slower, and they aren’t afraid to run. His mother would talk about commoners some nights, when he was quiet and she’d had a long week with the High Council. She told him how they didn’t care so much about legacy, and that even the Voyagers, who built their culture around hurricanes and rocket ships, didn’t worship danger like they did. Marin was struck by her wording. He’s been training since he could walk, but did he revere it? Marin weaves between three skilled soldiers without even being scratched. He certainly isn’t this good at anything else. 

Marin manages the final soldier with a strike below an arm. His dagger is short and he angles the strike to be less damaging, but they’ll have to get medical attention quickly. He’d have loved to capture a soldier instead, but his tutors were always clear that mind control only delays problems instead of fixing them. They can get intel from Zerada’s allies to the northeast without holding someone captive. Besides, a gun set to stun would be more helpful than a dagger for taking prisoners. A conscious elf can always switch worlds, unless they’re within range of one of the Betrayed. After a final check of his surroundings, Marin lets his spell end and walks back to the car. He leans against the now-dented front and smiles at Zerada. Her twin daggers are soaked red. There’s a splash of blood on her chest as well. It’s not hers. He can recognize the consequences of a messy strike. 

“Is anyone hurt?” Marin asks, looking at Brian, who has a history of injuries. The human can take it though.

He runs a hand through his blond hair. “I could feel a few shots, but I’m alright”.

“You messed up the car though…” Sierra replies. 

“I needed something to hide behind! There isn’t an engine in the front anyway,”

She rests her head against the steering wheel and sighs.

“And one of you needs to charge this rifle once we get on the road,” Clay adds.

The gun’s emerald detailing is duller than it should be. He hates charging gadgets. It burns him out and takes hours, but it’s the only way for Clay to make himself useful in a fight. Marin opens the back left door, which swings upwards instead of out like most car doors, and moves to step inside. Then there is light behind him, and he turns to face it, and something shatters. It isn’t glass. The bone in his upper right arm bends and snaps. He roars like one of his family’s sabertooths before he even registers the pain.

“GET IN THE CAR!” Clay yells, lifting the rifle to aim behind Marin.. They’re all yelling, but he’s the only one saying words. 

Marin has always been the son of the Apex. He was never expected to wield the scepter, but his quarterstaff feels like part of him, and Lazarus knows he can fight. That’s why the prince is able to keep his footing, even as a shot from a concussion rifle strikes right below his shoulder with the force of a cannonball. The shock is white-hot and familiar. Marin throws himself into the car and lifts his head to see the ninth soldier backing away. Brian fires a shot, but the enemy has gone to the other world before it can connect. In eighty-six years, Marin has broken several bones. High nobility are fragile like that. He knows how the next few hours are going to go. 

The shock will last a few minutes. He’s filled with adrenaline (so much more than from that easy fight), and the world is tinted green from his glowing eyes. That’s part of how Marin knows it’s bad. Usually the mind filters that out. He’s in the middle back seat with Clay to his right and Zerada to his left. The boy pulls supplies out of his messenger bag. There’s fear in his brown eyes, but his hands are steady. Brian may look more like a warrior, but Clay is a far more dangerous human. 

“I’m going to splint this and then we’ll figure out our next steps,” he says, holding a roll of bandages. His dying gun is forgotten beside him.

Marin closes his eyes and tries to focus. His arm burns and he can feel something shift when he breathes, but he’s a nobleman. He controls his body, not the other way around. Marin focuses on the break in his arm. Clay’s hands are cool, and he distantly realizes that he has begun to cry, but he needs to look deeper. The bone has broken into three pieces. One has shifted to nearly block an artery. He lets his magic coil around the break.

“Zerada better still have allies where we're going. You need more than my first-aid. An x-ray, at least”.

“The bone is in three pieces. I can hold them together, but it will take some of my magic,” Marin explains calmly. 

“Three pieces… that’s a segmental break. You need surgery,”

Zerada shuts him down. “He has magic. High nobility heal quickly. And I will have allies. Genus Adust is huge. They can’t have killed or captured everyone. It would look bad”. 

No one talks for a long time. 

“Normally people are in a lot more distress about a break this bad,” Clay says.

“I’m a prince, Clay. Pain is just your body giving a warning”. He remembers training with his mother. The scepter of his genus isn’t gold or bronze or any metal that existed outside of Lazarus’s void-cursed dreams, but it is dense and heavy. He flexes his left hand and thinks of proper form, and how long it took to learn. 

“How did you learn this anyway? I’d thought that the powerful human families were…” the first word that comes to mind is unfit. Unfit to rule, and maybe even unfit to live. Survival of the fittest. A proper plague will decrease the human population, but unless Ishtar has some tricks up her sleeve, the richest humans will fare better than the subjects they want. He finds a better word. “Soft”. 

“Some of the other kids I climb with taught me. Sometimes someone falls”. Clay narrows his eyes. “Calling an ambulance is a great way to get caught somewhere you shouldn’t be. They’re expensive too. That’s not an issue for me, obviously, but it is for them. And I can only throw so much of my father’s money at issues that are a whole lot bigger than us”. 

“You want to be a doctor?” 

“Whatever helps people when and where they need it.” 

“Well then you’re off to a great start,” Sierra adds.

“I was thinking more about general medicine at a lower cost, and less being a field medic for an elf prince with hollow bones”. 

His bones are not hollow. 

Brian scoffs. “Oh please. We’re off on an adventure. Try to enjoy it!” 

The humans don’t have all the details, but they certainly have found themselves on an adventure. Shooting soldiers, defending the last free heir to the throne, driving across their country just before it changes forever… they’re in a legend, really. 

But his injury is worse than he’s letting on. It’s going to take a lot of focus and magic to hold his humerus together, and his illusions have been their strongest asset this whole time. Still, Marin lets himself imagine a world where they win. One where they rescue Zerada’s brother and all of his cousins, and prove his grandparents’s lineage wasn’t a waste after all. He’d retake the throne with Zerada by his side and create a new age, and he wouldn’t even have to go mad within the void to do it. With the elven world revealed, Sierra would have all the elven tech she wanted. Brian would love the thrill of noble courts, (seriously, Zerada is a lot)  and Clay could finally fix the systems he hates instead of just kicking at the edges. 

Zerada told him a few nights ago that the humans all took a gap year because there was something they couldn’t face about the rest of their lives. It wasn’t just a joyride like what she planned. Well, win or lose, if they unite the realms or die trying, the humans will never have to face the world they grew up in. They get to matter, and they have hope. It’s not a gift equal to saving his life back in San Fransisco, but it’s the best he can offer from this deep in the woods. 

..................

long ago I imagined this fight taking place in a Denny's parking lot. That wouldn't make sense with new lore though.

[nysocboy]

Gemstones Episode 2.6: Yep, they have sex. Plus Judy develops a heart, Torsten a brain, and Amber "the noive."

.Episode 2.6 has that controversial scene that fans are still arguing about, three seconds that have been analyzed backward and forward, frame by frame. Are they having sex or getting dressed?  But really, it's so obvious that it could become porn with only a few minor changes in the actors' dirctions. It's so obvious that I can't even put a screen shot at the top photo without getting a "sensitive" tag.   But first we have some unfinished business to attend to.

The Cycle Ninjas:  We begin immediately after the Cycle Ninja attack in Episode 2.4.  Jesse and Amber grab guns and fire on them as they zoom off, grazing one.  He falls off  his motorcycle, but jumps onto his colleague's and gives them the finger.

The family, except for Kelvin, gather in Eli's drawing room to discuss the incident with the sheriff.  Judy thinks that it was a case of road rage.  Sheriff Brenda thinks that it was a botched robbery by some teenagers: professional assassins would have finished the job.  Eli is sure that Junior sent the Cycle Ninjas to kill him.  Other family members are at risk too, so he puts the compound on lockdown.

Judy complains about being stuck at home, with Tiffany living there after Baby Billy abandoned her. "She cleans everything with vinegar."  Not the time, girl.  Eli agrees: "Are you incapable of thinking of anyone but yourself?"

Out on the porch, Eli asks if Jesse has been to see Kelvin: "No. we ain't friends.  He grew up to be a nerd." 

The Second Dressing Room Scene

We cut to a full body front-and-rear shot of Kelvin, as he stands naked in front of the mirror in his dressing room. "Look at me," he tells Keefe, "A grotesque reflection of what I once was." Dude, you're not going to get any sympathy with that incredible body on display.

 He is distraught over the fight with his father and the loss of the God Squad; he has been de-manned by the symbolic castration. Why should he get dressed?  "I shall remain hidden, like the beast I've become."

 Keefe advises that dressing for the day "soothes the soul," and drops to his knees.  Kelvin pushes his head forward and down to begin oral sex.  We see and (and hear) his climax, orgasm, and post-orgasm release.  Keefe swallows and says "nice." The scene lasts only a few seconds, and thus is easy to miss (I missed it the first time).  And it is immersed in the act of getting dressed.  Viewers are expected to be unsure whether they had sex or not, thus continuing the "are they or aren't they?" speculation. 

But the non-sexual explanation makes no sense: 

While stepping into his Tommy Johns, Kelvin steadies himself by pushing on Keefe's head. You steady yourself on your friend's shoulders, not on his head.

Using his hands to push is painful.  Elsewhere he is shown using the palms and base of his hands without pain.  

Keefe says "nice" because...um... Go on? 

Structurally, it is a logical conclusion of the first dressing room scene.  The guys move from quasi-sexual erotic activity to an overt sexual act.

It makes sense for Kelvin's character. He that his injury has rendered him impotent in a society dedicated to the phallus, grotesque in a society that prizes male beauty.   What better way to demonstrate that he is still potent, still beautiful? 

It makes sense for Keefe's character.  You've just gotten a good look at the amazingly hot backside of the Man of Your Dreams, and now you are kneeling with your face three inches from his amazingly hot cock --aroused by your proximity.  What guy could resist going down?

Afterwards, Keefe helps Kelvin get dressed, boops his nose, and puckers up for a kiss.  Kelvin moves in, then changes his mind and abruptly turns aside.  He still resists the idea of romantic love, but he is gradually coming around.

Down in the yard, the God Squad is running a motorcycle over the tennis court and otherwise wilding.  They've even moved into the house.  Kelvin is horrified: "Our empire is crumbling."  Notice that it's now "our" empire; they are equal partners.  Keefe encourages him to prove that he is still strong, physically and mentally: "Your will is not broken, even though your thumbs are."

More after the break

Judy Grows a Heart:  Judy is signing fan photos with an erect penis and "stay horny,"  while Tiffany calls the area hospitals to see if Baby Billy was  admitted.  Judy scoffs: "He abandoned you."  But Tiffany can't believe it.  Maybe he's still looking for Funyons, and will return with the car loaded-down with them. Maybe he had a stroke, and doesn't remember who he is.  What if he's dead?  

Tiffany starts to cry,  and Judy starts to feel compassion, "thinking of someone other than herself" for maybe the first time in her life. This reminds me of the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz: "If I only had a heart."

Amber Grows Courageous.  Next the Cowardly Lion: "If I only had the noive." At the marital support group, Amber brags about how she chased off the Cycle Ninjas and shot one from 50 yards away.  The women cheer.  Jesse, feeling threatened, argues that they were both shooting, and it's unclear who actually "grazed " the Ninja,  The women aren't having it.  Amber luxuriates in the cheers, feeling for the first time that she's her own person, not just an extension of her partner. 

 Later, Jesse's crew tries to console him for being de-manned by his wife. They suggest some buddy-bonding over craft beers, but he refuses.  He's too upset about "the whole church sucking my wife's dick." Another call-back to Kelvin's blow job.

Holding hands in front of the God Squad: In the gym, Kelvin addresses the God Squad's concerns that his broken thumbs make him an inappropriate leader.  He proves his strength by offering them  "Strawberry Shortcake Bahama Bro Smoothies."  and suggests that they join hands to pray about it. 

Keefe reaches over to take Kelvin's hand, but look at his procedure.  He moves in to position near Kelvin's elbow, brings both of their arms together, and moves down.  He is, in effect, caressing Kelvin's arm, a more romantic gesture than a platonic hand-holding. Kelvin pushes him away: "I didn't mean me."  Because touching his broken thumb is painful, or because holding hands is painful?

The God Squad wonders how he can lead them on missions when he can't even lift a smoothie.  He tries, but spills it all over!  The guys laugh and make rude gestures. Keefe tries to comfort him with a hug, but Kelvin brushes him away.

Finally, Torsten -- the scarecrow, "if I only had a brain" -- figures out that he, and other God Squad members, are twice the size of Kelvin.  He should be leader: "Kelvin, I challenge you!"

"But Torsten, you're my gentle giant," Kelvin protests.  Another favorite?  Have they been in the steam showers together? 

They all rush out for the cross-bearing challenge. 

The full review, with NSFW illustrations, is on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Thranduil and Josie Part 102- Monsters and Mayhem

Summary: An info and action packed chapter of twists and turns as the battle against Jareth and Raven commences and Chateau de Lioncourt comes to an end...Buckle up.....

Warning! Dark fic, angst, torture, gore, violence, language

All Hallows' Eve 3 am

A battle like no other you had witnessed was about to take place. Wendigos and orcs with their wargs were at Jareth's command. You figured since he was a goblin King, he would have had them here as well, but did not. The Lothlorien elven guard, including Haldir and Legolas, were at Aragorn's lead. Afterall, he was the husband of Arwen, the granddaughter of Celeborn and Galadriel. The warlocks Julian, Narcisse and his squad were ready, willing and able. Lestat's vampire clan, backed by Maharet, Armand, Selene and his own dealers included, were thirsty for blood. Michael and some random werewolves that arrived per his telepathic invitation, were all chomping at the bit for a piece of the dhampir witch Raven and her warlock mastermind Jareth. And then there was you, a white witch that completed the army of seven devils with Garrett at your side.

Jareth's words rendered you speechless. "Julian is not your father. I am." As if your life hadn't already been ripped from it's foundation with the loss of your husband in every sense, now the only man you've ever known as your father that you had lost once was trying to be taken from you again. Thank god Garrett was holding you up because you felt you could just drop and shatter into a million pieces. Thranduil should be here, you thought as your heart cried in pain. He could take out every single evil entity here effortlessly with his magnificent sword wielding skills.

You caught Raven's eyes and she was just as flabbergasted as you were. She whipped around to Jareth. "So, if what you are saying is true, then that means you slept with my mother?"

"There is no truth to this, right daddy?" Your tone pleaded with him to agree that this was all a farce of Jareth's.

Julian was enraged as he moved closer to this brother in an attack stance. "Jareth!" he growled. "I've waited to bring you to your knees!"

Julian swept off the ground so fast and swiped Raven off her feet like a hawk snatching up it's prey, then circled back to where he stood.

He threw her to the ground and held her down by her neck with his bare foot, then grabbed her foot, removed her boot and shoved an iron nail into her heel more than once.

"How do you like that witch?" Julian reveled. Raven's screams were blood curling. Your father was right. You did not want to see his dark side.

"Easy there brother. How would you like to deal with this little slice?" Jareth stood in front of the catacomb entrance that he slithered out of and conjured up one of his crystal balls, then whirled it into the tunnel.

A tightening formed around your waist and you felt yourself being lifted from the ground. You gasped and screamed as you clawed at the air, desperately trying to clutch Garrett's hands as he did yours, but it was so fast that not even Garrett's speed could stop you from being slung through the air and held firm in the arms of Jareth. Garrett flew after you, only to to be smacked into a tree by one sway of Jareth's head, knocking the vampire out cold.

"Garrett!!!!" you screamed and squirmed. You glanced up at Aragorn as Legolas and Haldir each took a step forward in panic. They couldn't do anything with you in the line of fire and it was clearly written all over their faces. Neither could the vampires, wolves or Narcisse's guard. If they tried, Jareth's evil empire would attack and they would have to reciprocate with you and Leann put at risk. They had to protect you at all costs in honor of Thranduil. It was now all up to Julian.

"What you hold for what I hold. A straight swap of goods." Julian raged as he continued to hold the wriggling witchvamp down. The iron nail had weakened her powers which had been Julian's intentions.

"Your offer seems light. For what I hold is far too dear to both of us. You don't want your...I mean my daughter to be harmed now do you Julian?"

"You are not my father!" you shouted up at Jareth as you rustled about, trying to free yourself. Your powers seemed to be rendered useless in his grasp.

"Oh but I am dear one. Have you heard my brother deny it? All it took was one little roll in the hay with Caroline one night...biggest mistake of my life mind you. You see....it was all out of vengeance on her part against Julian...."

"Stop!" Julian commanded. His eyes were ridden of guilt. "I will tell her...not you!"

"Please...be my guest." Jareth snarked with a grin. Your thoughts were reeling because you could tell it was in fact true.

"My Jo...Do you remember Maharet telling you how Caroline killed two of her own sisters?" Julian asked with a soft voice.

You nodded and whimpered. "Y...yes?"

"One of those sisters, Carrie, was your mother's identical twin, the 6th born. The witch tricked me one night by impersonating your mother and I am sure you can figure out what occurred. Caroline found out and was furious that I did not realize the difference. That is why she killed her sister...and she never forgave me for it which was the beginning of our downfall. In turn, Caroline slept with my brother out of spite....which resulted in...you. It was not her intentions though to become with child by him, so she kept it to herself. I did not learn of the affair until a few years after you were born so I had no reason to think you were not my child. I loved you so much and when I found out, that never changed. You were mine in every way that mattered, and we both vowed to keep it that way because as you can see, Jareth is bad news. The reason you saw him when you were 15 is because your mother told him the truth out of her hatred for me after I placed that spell on her to keep her from touching you, and of course because I hid ashmole and it's 3 most powerful pages from her. Don't you see? That is why Jareth wants any involvement with you now. He knows you finally have the power to locate the book. Back then you did not."

Your head was spinning. As important as all of this was, you just wanted your husband. This all had to be a fucking nightmare that you couldn't wake up from. "It has to be another trick athair!! Otherwise, how did your touch ignite my powers?? I am of light, they are both of darkness?? I got my light from you!! You said so! How do you know that this is even true?? Just by his and Caroline's word??"

"Josephine, you are of light because you choose to be. It is not inherited like most believe. My touch brought your powers to life because I am still your blood. Why do you think I placed that spell on Caroline so she could not touch you? It was of great risk that her darkness would spread through your blood and take ahold of your heart, turning it black like hers. I could not let that happen. Caroline, she didn't want Jareth to know because she feared he would take off with you and use you for his own evil purposes which is all he wants to do now..... A simple spell told me the truth about you when I became suspicious after I learned of her infidelity, and it was also verified by the faerie you saw, for she cannot lie. It must be why she is here. You were so pure and innocent, so full of light. I could not let you be tainted. I loved you too much. You were...are my daughter and always will be. I hope you can understand and forgive me."

You became so angry. "Thranduil ignited my power, not you! His light and magic is what is in me!! How could you harbor such a lie!! You had to have known I would find out considering Jareth knew! You should have told me instead of letting my find out in such a way! My entire life has been a lie. Both of my parents are monsters...."

"Now Sarah, that is very hurtful to speak of me in such regards." Jareth smirked. "I'm no more a monster than my brother, for I am not the one torturing a young girl."

"My name is Josie! Why are you calling me Sarah??? and..you do not consider what you're doing to me torture??? You're demented!"

"You should mind your tone with me girl, for I can do far worse than this if you make me angry. Just ask your sister. Your name is Sarah. You told me so when I saw you all those years ago. Do you not remember?"

Just like that, the memory hit you. He had asked you your name and you lied as he was a stranger that creeped you out because of how he was dressed. Sarah was the name of your friend who lived next door which is where you were headed that Halloween night. She and her mother went missing a week later and was never found.

"I can see you now recall that night. Quite the little liar just like your mother. As you can see, bad things happen to those who are untruthful." You felt so sick. He was implying that he was the reason that Sarah vanished, and it was all because of you. "Would you like to see what became of your nosy friend? All you have to do is look into the crystal." Jareth magically held up another of his clear glass orbs and held it just inches from your face.

"No! Josephine! Do not look into it." Julian pleaded.

You tried so hard to keep your eyes closed but you just had to know. You reluctantly watched as a very familiar man sat talking with her about her amulet while you were chatting with her mother and then later he appeared in Sarah's bedroom and turned her into glass.

(Turn on the volume)

You threw your hands over your eyes and screamed so loud when you saw him shatter her into pieces. Sarah tried so hard too use magic on him. She had been into all the witchy stuff and knew who he was right away. The both of you played around with it here and there but you only did it for fun and certainly never believed it would work...but she did. Now you knew...your friend died all because of you.

"You...you killed her!!" you sobbed.

"Oh no my child. As you can see, that is untrue. That man was not me. You saw it for yourself. He is our brother, the 6th born. Jonathan is his name although he goes by Harker. He lied like you did and called himself Phillip Covington."

That name...you knew it. Suddenly, you remembered that night. You went over to Sarah's for dinner with her and her mom. That man was there...invited by Sarah's mother, maybe a date, you weren't sure. After dinner, you and Sarah went up to her room and that's when she immediately told you the man gave her bad vibes. She also told you that the prior week, she had watched from her window and saw you with Jareth and that she felt they were connected somehow. She told you not to give him anything and asked if either of them had taken anything from you in which you replied that you did not and that they hadn't as far as you knew. She felt strongly that Phillip was bad because of the way he watched you both, the things he knew and what he asked about, especially you and how close she and her mother were to you. She adamantly expressed that he was not what he seemed.

That's when you reminded her that she said she herself was a witch. Sarah then said she was but that it was different, that true followers of the craft practice their powers for the good, for the earth, for the occasional love potion, she said with a grin. You had then asked her what you both should do then. She began to read out of a book. "Witches, warlocks and other demons that commune with the devil work their spells with the aid of a personal item from their victim. If the item is given willingly, the spell has that much more power." You then told her that you wouldn't give him anything and began teasing her that she actually thought he was a demon wanting to cast spells on you both in which you then laughed and asked why....she said she didn't know but that she was going to find out and made you promise again that you wouldn't give him anything. You had soon went home as you didn't like to leave your dad alone for too long and that's obviously when this Harker went into her room.

"My god...if only I had stayed. This is all my fault! Did he kill her mother too??" you cried.

Julian had enough and interrupted. "Give me my daughter back now...or Raven's death will make all others seem like a painting party. You shall hear every whimper, every cry, every gasping gushing breath from her slow dying body."

Julian then held Raven up by the back of her jacket letting her dangle and kick in the air. "See her Jareth...the mouth, the legs, the breasts, much like those of someone you knew...someone both we knew. Well Jareth, shall she live or shall she join sweet Caroline in the hereafter?"

You couldn't believe your ears or eyes. Julian had went off the deep end, swimming in the full blown abyss and seemed no better than Jareth or this Harker guy.

"Take her." Jareth held you firm as he extended you out from his body. "But take her by hand."

Julian tossed Raven aside like a rag doll and stepped forward. "How's this?" he snarled.

"No spells, no flying, no magic. Take her if you're able." Jareth taunted.

"Now who makes the hollow offer? You give up nothing."

"I do not need to for you think you are more powerful than I, so prove it. Take her...if you're...able!!" Jareth repeated impatiently.

Julian then displayed his power as he shut it off.

"So you fear me?" Jareth enthusiastically said.

"Tis I others fear." Julian confidently replied. In this moment, you could see why.

"Not you. The magic." Jareth snarked.

"Having waited so long, it could prove wonderfully good to linger."

Jareth set you aside in an invisible hold and advanced towards Julian. What you saw next was an all out fist fighting brawl between brothers. Garrett sped over to you but could not move you from the ground, so he hovered over you like a shield because Aragorn finally called it now that the two of them were away from you. "Leith thul!!"

It all turned into a war zone in seconds as elves, werewolves, vampires and warlocks were all charging against the orcs, wargs and wendigos.

Jareth had Julian's face shoved into the dirt while chanting some magic words. The ground began smoking and burning Julian's face.

"Daddy!!!!" you screamed in horror.

Garrett couldn't stand seeing you cry and so scared. While Jareth was distracted, Garrett paid him back for slugging him into that tree. The vampire acted as if he had a sling shot in his hand. "How about a shot of rock salt witch!" He pulled back the unseen chord and released, hitting Jareth right in the head, whirling him out into the mosh pit with great force and speed.

Julian got up and looked down at Garrett who had you cradled in his arms. "This does not forgive your past." He grinned and then huffed off after Jareth. Julian was clearly never going to accept Garrett, no matter what he did. Thranduil never had either for that matter. Narcisse on the other hand, seemed to be alright with him now that he knew he was not responsible for the Laketown slaughter.

You were now able to move as Garrett's speeding invisible rock broke Jareth's power hold on you. The heroic vamp scooped you up and whisked you out of the line of fire.

Julian began spewing bolts of fiery beams, one at Jareth and then another at Raven, but unfortunately missed them both as the goblin king vanished into thin air and Raven ran through all the chaos.

All of a sudden, the night sky morphed into an ominous expansive swirling funnel cloud dancing with lightning.

Julian stood below it reciting some incantation. Controlling the weather was a power of yours as well when you became angry or distressed and you had to wonder if you received it from Julian through the bloodline, but he was calm and collected as he commanded the storm.

The wind briskly picked up as you stood beside Garrett on the sidelines. Julian continued his chant but now with boundless energy. The wind was so loud that you could hardly hear what he was saying from where you stood, but you caught the end of it as he shouted with ample force. "Go back to hell where you came from. I command thee!!"

One by one, Jareth's unholy army were being sucked up into the vortex. It seemed to only be singling them out but you still feared for Legolas, Haldir and the others which you did not see anywhere in the mass chaos.

"What's happening!!?" you frantically shouted. You could barely stand in the cyclonic winds as you clutched Garrett's hands.

And then unexpectedly, Raven's malefic presence appeared behind Julian, jabbing him in the neck with syringes. "How about some salt water witch!" She reeled in revenge for Garrett's hit on Jareth with salt and for what Julian did to her.

Salt was a witch's worst nightmare and and would kill them if ingested, burning them from the inside out. It was deja vu as you remembered one of your first dreams of Julian burning inside and just like your dreams notorious predictions, it was coming true as Julian screeched in pain.

"Daddyyyyyyyyy!!!!!" you howled and began running to him as Garrett chased after you. The emerald pendant on your chest began to glow with beams of white light bursting out of it which it had never done before. It was your light and it shot right into Julian as you stood panting in fear.

He slowly lowered his hands from his face in shock of his instantaneous healing. Your eyes then jolted to Raven who stood in panic, all alone. The rage that soared through you was incredulous. You wanted her dead but you couldn't do it because she knew more about Thranduil and you were bound and determined to torture it out of her.

Raven was now backed into the center of a triangle as you, Garrett and Julian became 3. Her eyes burned yellow as fire blazed all around her.

You weren't about to let her strike so you swiftly brought up your spinning disc of flames and slammed it right at her, knocking her on her ass.

"Tell me what you did with my husband's body you fucking bitch!!!"

Raven shook off the impact and got back up, now even more furious as an inferno of fire erupted behind her in the form of wings.

"Burn in hell Jo!!!" she shrieked.

"You first...." An uncontrollable explosion of light, wind and electricity swarmed out of you, engulfing all four of you as you stood paralyzed screaming Thranduil's name.

The magic ceased and you dropped to the ground as did Raven who had already been weakened by your prior fireball hit. Julian and Garrett withstood the destructive force and both came running to you. You sat up in confusion and then panicked when you saw Raven on the ground. "Nooooooo!" You sprinted over to her. "Wake up!! You are going to tell me where Thranduil is!! Wake....UP!!" you shouted hysterically as you shook her. Just as her eyes began to flutter open, the most unbelievable, frightening and menacing sight arose. A behemoth demon engulfed in fire that must have stood at least 50 feet tall.....and it was coming right for all of you with the most deafening and demonic scream.

"It's Jareth!" Julian roused. Apparently, hurting Raven was not taken lightly by him. "Garrett, get her out of here now!!"

You gasped as the force of Garrett swooping you into the air took your breath away. He took you into the castle for cover. As you watched from a darkened doorway in fear for your father's and everyone else's lives, fire beams shot out of his mouth like dragonfire as he targeted the elves, vampires and werewolves.

"Haldir!!!!! Legolas!!!!!!!!!!" You kicked, screamed and cried while trying to break free of Garrett's death grip around your arms. As skilled as they all were, elves, vampires, and werewolves weren't fireproof and neither were the warlocks Narcisse and Julian. The fire breathing Jareth could char all of them in one sweep. You had no idea if the pendant could save something of that nature and you didn't want to have to find out as there were too many of them to save all at once, although Haldir and Legolas would always come first with you. Fire was a vampire's worst enemy and one thing you did know, they lit up fast. One would have to be wearing the pendant to be shielded from the flames and as far as the vampires, Garrett would be your priority as he never left your side since this all started only 6 hours ago. He and you had been through a lot of shit together, even if wasn't all good shit.

They all quickly spread out and were still dealing with orcs and wendigos that didn't get sucked into hell. You saw Aragorn slicing them with his sword in one hand and lighting them up with a torch in the other.

Jareth knew just how to draw them all back. The flamethrowing beast stomped towards the castle you were in and began torching it.

The tremors could be heard and felt. Jareth knew Garrett would get you to safety. His plan was not to hurt you but to kill the others, Julian first for harming his precious Raven.....and the plan worked to lure them out into the open as Julian, Haldir, Aragorn and even Legolas came running to help you after all the hurtful things he said to you earlier. As much as Selene adored you, her devotion was to Michael, so she stayed by his side....and you understood every bit of that as you would do the same for Thranduil. Just as you did when he faced down Smaug. He would always come first to you. Always.... and that time was right then and there as you saw Raven rushing off into the forest.

"Garrett! Let me go, now! I cannot let her get away!! Help me please!!" you begged as you peered up into his eyes.

He couldn't say no to you. Not now. Not this time. "Come with me." he swiftly said and began to pull you through the castle to the dungeon entrance when Aragorn, Legolas, Haldir and Julian came rushing inside from the back entry way. You and Legolas locked eyes for a split second and then he looked away.

"Where are you taking my daughter!" Julian snapped.

"Raven ran into the forest. I am taking her to find her because she asked me to. The safest path to get there is underground, through the catacombs and we will come out at the other entrance where Jareth had been, only feet away from where she entered the woods."

Garrett, we need to go now before we lose her!" you pleaded and yanked at his arm.

He smiled at Julian. "Gotta go." Off you both descended down the stairwell.

You could hear the shuffling feet of Aragorn, the elves and warlock behind you. You turned and grabbed Haldir's hand, pulling him beside you to quickly walk with you. "I am sorry. I did not mean to make you feel like you didn't do enough in stopping Raven or that you screwed up. You helped more than you know. If not for you, we may have never found Thranduil. I know I hurt you. Can you please forgive me?"

"You know that I can and will although there is nothing to forgive. I understand your pain and grief. You were looking for someone to blame and I just happened to be standing in front of you."

You slightly turned to eye Legolas after that statement. The Prince knew you were looking at him and he knew why. Because he did the same thing to you. He felt guilty and wouldn't bring his eyes to yours. Legolas then rushed passed you both in eagerness to get to the forest.

Haldir put his arm around your waist and squeezed you with a smile, kissed the top of your head, then took your hand. "Come on, let's go!"

All of you began running to catch up to Legolas. Once at the exit, Legolas motioned for you all to stay back while he inspected the outside surroundings. He then looked back. "Clear." Off he went as you all quietly followed.

Suddenly...screeches from the great eagles could be heard in the distance. You gasped as one flew closely overhead of the blazing beast, taunting Jareth.

Legolas then scoured the area with wide confident eyes as Aragorn stood behind him in wonder of what the Prince knew.

"A white wizard approaches."

@redeemer46

Updated Masterlist

[minnierevercez]

Hello good people of Tumblr, here is a Bad Batch fanfiction I'm writing ! Hope you like it, Chapter 4 (of 10) is up today, yay !

Patch me up

Hunter x OFC

Current word count : 16,531

Summary : A mission gone wrong gets the Bad Batch in the middle of the Empire's new cloning plot. Hunter has to balance leading his squad through this dangerous quest to save their fellow clones, and dealing with their sarcastic new recruit, whom he isn't quite sure how to interact with.

The Bad Batch had entered a war zone.

Cid's intel, as always, had been faulty, if not outright wrong, and the mission wasn't going according to plan ; to any plan. The facility she'd sent them to was allegedly abandoned ; harsh weather and unfriendly fauna was supposed to have driven the Imperials away soon after their initial arrival. The mission was to scavenge what they might have left behind in their haste to leave and be gone before the local creatures could get a taste.

Hunter's eyes scanned the ground of the planet. Given Cid's track record, he should have expected that the rumors would be wrong ; most likely made up to try and keep prying eyes away from the new military outpost, now that he thought about it. The Empire was still here – and kicking ; facing civilians that were not supposed to be part of the equation either. This wasn't what he signed up for, he decided, contemplating the battle raging below.

“This is not what I signed up for”, Tech calmly remarked as he deftly ducked the fires of a single TIE fighter, making a sharp turn at the last second in the hopes their assailant would hit the rocks he'd just avoided. The scraping sound told them all they needed to know ; the explosion sounded soon after. Fragile little things.

“None of us did”, Echo put in, his gaze following the blazing debris. “We're definitely having a conversation with Cid this time ; I've had enough of her blasted missions.”

The Marauder shook as they flew over the battlefield and Stormtroopers fired their blasters at the shield from the ground. Hunter grabbed the back of Echo's seat to steady himself. He shared the sentiment, but there were more pressing matters.

“We are, but first we need to get out of here in one piece. Tech, pull us up before they can get another TIE in the air, or call in reinforcements. We're going back to hyperspace”, he commanded.

Tech complied, and the ship slowly gained altitude. Omega flew from her seat.

“Hunter, no ! There are people being attacked down there. Innocent people. They'll die if we don't help ! We can't just leave. We have to do something !”

That, he really should have expected. He knelt down in front of her to better look in her eyes, and seized her shoulders, schooling his features in what he hoped conveyed both regret and determination.

“Omega, we weren't prepared for this. If we don't get out now, we'll likely die ourselves. Look out ; they're everywhere. I must think of our safety first ; of your safety. I can't risk it.”

Tears filled her eyes as she did look out the viewport and at the battlfield. “But they don't deserve this...” She murmured, voice trembling.

Hunter looked appealingly at his brothers for support ; he still had a hard time dealing with a distraught Omega. However, no help came ; the team seemed to be pondering her words.

Tech was the first to speak.

“Actually, I don't have a read on any incoming ships. And this facility doesn't seem that heavily guarded, according to my scans.”

Hunter looked at him sharply, his jaw set in anger ; but Echo cut him off before he could speak.

“I don't see any walker, either ; it's only a bunch of Troopers down there. I'd bet the Imps didn't expect a confrontation. It wouldn't take much to overtake them. Maybe even get some intel on what they're doing way out here.”

Omega's eyes were trained on Hunter with growing hope. He closed his, defeated. Trust his brothers to make things difficult.

“Wrecker ? You okay with this ?” he asked resignedly, already knowing his brother's answer.

“Anything for the kid !” the giant roared, raising a fist to the air. “Let's blow the suckers up !”

Well. If that didn't settle it.

Opening his eyes with new determination, Hunter nodded at Omega.

“Alright. But you have to promise to obey any and all order I give. If I tell you not to move, you stay. And if I tell you to leave us and get the hell out of here, you comply. Do you understand ?”

The blond kid's brow furrowed ; as expected, she was not at all thrilled by this idea.

“Omega, do you understand ?” Hunter pressed. She set her jaw, nodded forcefully.

“Let's save them”, she agreed.

So that was the beginning of Chapter 1, feel free to check it out on Ao3 !

[storyunrelated]

Shuriken catapults

Could have been worse. He was a guardsman, after all.The man in front of private Mault was, without warning, chopped to bits, most of him from the sternum up sliced to ribbons in a heartbeat by something that blurred and whistled and whipped past faster than the eye could see. Mault, swearing, threw all his effort into stopping moving forward and flung himself backwards, landing hard as his legs flicked out from under him, crashing into the trooper immediately behind him. The trooper immediately behind him also swore.

“Man down!” Mault screamed, somewhat unnecessarily given the mist of them still hanging in the air. He was scrabbling to get a firm grip on the lasgun that had slipped from his hands when he’d fallen back. He couldn’t tear his eyes off the man just ahead, or what was left of him. 

Mault hadn’t even known the man’s name. He’d only joined the squad this morning to shore up numbers, and there hadn’t been much time for conversation after that. And now there he was, three-quarters of the person he’d been moments before, just lying at the intersection of some corridors in a building that likely wouldn’t even be standing by the time the week was out.

And still Mault stared, fascinated, appalled.

There really wasn’t much of the man left north of the waist, or at least nothing whole, nothing especially recognisable. Some of him was still attached - his arms, part of his neck, what might have been his skull - but it had all been shredded to ribbons, even through his flak. All so neatly though. No tears, all cuts, all perfect lines. 

This was why Mault couldn’t look away. It didn’t look right, didn’t look like it could have happened, didn’t look real, even though he’d seen his share of wounds like this ever since the aliens had arrived, albeit never so fresh and never so immediate to himself.

Those weapons of theirs. The long-arms. The ‘shuriken’ ones, he’d heard them called by some of the more senior members of the company. Fired storms of razorblades, he’d heard. Bursts of hundreds of discs made of something-or-other, all at the single pull of a trigger. Could do awful things to a man. Could do, well, what he’d just seen. Turn a human being into a hasselback human being in the blink of an eye.

Damn aliens.

“Grenade out!” The trooper behind Mault - the one he’d bumped into - shouted, stepping over Mault to toss a grenade around the corner and bounce it off the wall opposite. It bopped and rattled out of sight and, further out of sight, there came a semi-distant, clipped burst of plainly alien cursing and a rapid shuffle of (what Mault assumed was) alien feet.

Then the grenade went off. Shrapnel zinged past and bits of corridor rattled off Mault’s helmet as half the squad took the opportunity to dash across to the other side, hopping the body on their way.

Mault hauled himself to his feet and stumbled to the corner, hunkering there with his lasgun and risking a glance. Through the drifting smoke of the grenade he saw, other than shredded corridor, one distant, prone figure in white armour, lying where it had fallen. One of the aliens. Presumably caught a fragment while running, presumably. The white armour Mault had seen a lot. Meant it was one of the regulars - Guardians. Citizen levy or something like that. As close as you could get for aliens, anyway.

This was a relief, as if it had been one of the proper soldiers - one of the ones in blue with the big helmets with the tufts - Mault wouldn’t have fancied his chances. He already didn’t fancy his chances, admittedly, but if it had been those aliens then he would have fancied his chances even less. Those ones were professional, lethal, and merciless. Not for nothing had the squad needed replacements. Apparently there were even worse ones, too. Ones Mault hadn’t seen yet. The Guardians were about Mault’s speed. He felt comfortable 

At this rate, he put his odds of seeing dinnertime at maybe an even fifty-fifty. 

[sortyourlifeoutmate]

Shuriken catapults

The man in front of private Mault was, without warning, chopped to bits, most of him from the sternum up sliced to ribbons in a heartbeat by something that blurred and whistled and whipped past faster than the eye could see. Mault, swearing, threw all his effort into stopping moving forward and flung himself backwards, landing hard as his legs flicked out from under him, crashing into the trooper immediately behind him. The trooper immediately behind him also swore.

“Man down!” Mault screamed, somewhat unnecessarily given the mist of them still hanging in the air. He was scrabbling to get a firm grip on the lasgun that had slipped from his hands when he’d fallen back. He couldn’t tear his eyes off the man just ahead, or what was left of him. 

Mault hadn’t even known the man’s name. He’d only joined the squad this morning to shore up numbers, and there hadn’t been much time for conversation after that. And now there he was, three-quarters of the person he’d been moments before, just lying at the intersection of some corridors in a building that likely wouldn’t even be standing by the time the week was out.

And still Mault stared, fascinated, appalled.

There really wasn’t much of the man left north of the waist, or at least nothing whole, nothing especially recognisable. Some of him was still attached - his arms, part of his neck, what might have been his skull - but it had all been shredded to ribbons, even through his flak. All so neatly though. No tears, all cuts, all perfect lines. 

This was why Mault couldn’t look away. It didn’t look right, didn’t look like it could have happened, didn’t look real, even though he’d seen his share of wounds like this ever since the aliens had arrived, albeit never so fresh and never so immediate to himself.

Those weapons of theirs. The long-arms. The ‘shuriken’ ones, he’d heard them called by some of the more senior members of the company. Fired storms of razorblades, he’d heard. Bursts of hundreds of discs made of something-or-other, all at the single pull of a trigger. Could do awful things to a man. Could do, well, what he’d just seen. Turn a human being into a hasselback human being in the blink of an eye.

Damn aliens.

“Grenade out!” The trooper behind Mault - the one he’d bumped into - shouted, stepping over Mault to toss a grenade around the corner and bounce it off the wall opposite. It bopped and rattled out of sight and, further out of sight, there came a semi-distant, clipped burst of plainly alien cursing and a rapid shuffle of (what Mault assumed was) alien feet.

Then the grenade went off. Shrapnel zinged past and bits of corridor rattled off Mault’s helmet as half the squad took the opportunity to dash across to the other side, hopping the body on their way.

Mault hauled himself to his feet and stumbled to the corner, hunkering there with his lasgun and risking a glance. Through the drifting smoke of the grenade he saw, other than shredded corridor, one distant, prone figure in white armour, lying where it had fallen. One of the aliens. Presumably caught a fragment while running, presumably. The white armour Mault had seen a lot. Meant it was one of the regulars - Guardians. Citizen levy or something like that. As close as you could get for aliens, anyway.

This was a relief, as if it had been one of the proper soldiers - one of the ones in blue with the big helmets with the tufts - Mault wouldn’t have fancied his chances. He already didn’t fancy his chances, admittedly, but if it had been those aliens then he would have fancied his chances even less. Those ones were professional, lethal, and merciless. Not for nothing had the squad needed replacements. Apparently there were even worse ones, too. Ones Mault hadn’t seen yet. The Guardians were about Mault’s speed. He felt comfortable 

At this rate, he put his odds of seeing dinnertime at maybe an even fifty-fifty. 

Could have been worse. He was a guardsman, after all.

(I’m not the best at zip-zap-kapow but I’m trying to practise)

[cipheress-to-k-pop]

Hi hi! I was wondering if you could do a dick Grayson x Avatar like fem reader with either a jealous Babs or Zatanna I hope that made sense🥲

True Love’s Kiss

Pairing: Dick Grayson as Nightwing x Reader

Warnings: I don’t think so

Word Count: 4.1K

@writing2sirvive : Hi love, me again but with a request this time. If you have time of course. I was thinking true love’s kiss with Dick Grayson. You can go crazy with it because I know you love Dick Grayson as much as I do. Btw I love your writing so much.

A/N: I think I did it wrong...cuz even though this is a Dick Grayson x reader fic, it’s mostly centred around reader and Zatanna???? Sorry about that???

You were fine with knowing that Dick was still friends with most of his exes. You completely accepted that he was able to keep functional relationships with most of them. In fact, it showed you how amicable and neutral Dick was and how he never held any grudges against people.

Of course, you were surprised by the sheer number. And the fact that he seems to interact with them practically every day. But eventually you managed not to let yourself get too bothered by it.

I mean, how could you? Barbara was the smartest, funniest, most approachable person you had ever met. She always made sure not to overstep her boundaries and was unusually open with you, given that Dick was her ex-boyfriend.

Raquel was adventurous and fun and you always had a good time when you were around her. She was another one who was respectful of your relationship. She never brought up her past flings with Dick, nor did she ever try and put you down. In fact, she was one of the people who really shipped the two of you.

You liked most of his exes. To the point where it made Dick kind of uncomfortable.

You liked most of his exes.

Ever since you had joined the team, being introduced as Nightwing’s significant other, Zatanna had been a constant thorn in your side. She was nice and sweet but there was something about her that rubbed you the wrong way. You could tell almost immediately that she wasn’t quite over her relationship with Dick. Short as it was.

Or maybe she was just the type of person who didn’t want someone, but didn’t want others to have the same person either.

Nonetheless, being around her put you constantly on edge. You lost count of how many times she redirected a conversation to be about her previous relationship with your boyfriend. ‘Oh, Dick took you to a fancy restaurant for your birthday? Well, I remember back when we were dating, he threw a huge party for me on mine.’

‘Oh, you celebrated your one-year anniversary with Dick in Paris? Well during our 3-month-aversary he bought me an expensive necklace.’

It didn’t bother you in the slightest. At least, not in the way that she hoped. It didn’t make you insecure or doubt or feel intimidated by her. It was just an annoyance that you couldn’t shake off, like the teacher you didn’t like or your annoying neighbour.

Unfortunately, Zatanna couldn’t take a hint that it made you and your friends (Barbara and Raquel included) uncomfortable and slightly irritated. Yet, everyone was just waiting for you to express the slightest distaste, not wanting to step on your toes. However, they were quick to change the topic in case they thought she was going too far.

Dick had been blissfully unaware of everything and you wanted to keep it that way. The last thing you needed was this turning into some sort of issue, especially since Zatanna was still his teammate.

However today you had enough.

You could look past Zatanna’s petty jealousy but allowing the jealousy to come to the forefront during a mission was where you drew the line.

Dick, M’Gann and Conner had been on a covert mission for Batman and out of the country and under team vote decided that you should be made in charge until he returned, since you were the only other older member (other than Zatanna but you were voted leader unanimously. Something you were extremely proud about). That was well and good, until you had been given a mission.

Regardless of how much you did not want to work with Zatanna without the others there to wrangle her, you had to put your personal feelings aside when you had a mission to complete.

You thought you could both be professionals about it and act like mature adults.

You were dead wrong.

If it wasn’t disagreements, it was insubordination. If it wasn’t insubordination, it was blatant arrogance. She questioned your judgment in front of the other members and even had the nerve to argue with you about mission strategies. You were trying to look out for everyone and put yourself in the line of fire since the squad members were better at stealth.

Zatanna seemed to think you were trying to steal the show and insisted that she be partnered with you even though you wanted someone with the younger members to keep them safe.

When you relented and agreed to go stealth, she accused you of ducking out and intentionally trying to put her in danger. The others had to watch as steam practically came out of your ears when you relented once again and decided you’d be with her because you honestly couldn’t argue with her much longer.

As if that wasn’t infuriating enough.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was when she refused to work as a team, putting the mission at risk and nearly getting the both of you hurt. She was fighting on her own, not bothering to have your back and going into it alone. Obviously, the two of you were overpowered quickly once they realized that you were pretty much behaving solo.

Luckily, the others pulled through and got you both out of there before anything horrible happened.

You sat in the ship, jaw clenched so tightly that they swore they could hear your teeth cracking, fists nearly white as you tried to control your anger and keep yourself from screaming at her while you were still in the air.

Once the ship landed in the docking bay and Zatanna was the first one to leave without saying another word, you snapped.

“What the hell did you think you were doing today!” You growled out, fisting her collar and stopping her in her tracks.

“What are you talking about?” She feigned innocence and you felt your skin burning. Everything around you faded out and all you could feel was fury. In hindsight, you would have liked to handle this issue in a more refined manner, but you honestly couldn’t care.

So, you didn’t notice the rest of the team, along with the a few members of the Justice League watching you chew Zatanna out.

Whatever would keep you from lighting her on fire was enough.

“I’m talking about putting the mission, not to mention ourselves in jeopardy, all because you can’t stop acting like a spoilt brat!” You hissed.

She rolled her eyes and you and the thought of strangling her briefly crossed your mind before she shoved your hands off her, dusting herself off like your fingerprints were dirt, “You need to stop blaming others for your inadequacy.”

She turned on her heel sharply and walked away. Blood pounded through your ears and your fingers twitched by their sides before you formed a whip of water from the bay and lashed it against her feet.

Zatanna, caught off guard, was thrown across the room before she caught herself with a muttered spell and turned around, glaring at you furiously.

“We’re going to settle things, right here, right now!”

“If you would stop being so insecure, then we could sort out our differences like mature adults!” She screamed back at you and before you could control it, flames erupted from beneath your feet and raced towards her, scorching the ground beneath it.

Each puff of breath you took released sparks. Zatanna immediately got into an offensive stance, levitating one of the weapons crates and chucking at you. You blocked it effortlessly using a wall of earth before throwing an inferno at her.

You kept fighting, flames and splashes of water going into the air every time you collided. The others watched in fear as you both raced towards each other, it looked like neither of you were holding back.

Before you could strike her again, you were being pulled away by Superman and as Zatanna was by Batman, they both pulled you yards apart. Even with his strong, authoritative grip on you, you couldn’t stop thrashing in his arms, throwing gusts of air at her.

“(Y/N). Enough.” Superman spoke in your ear and you calmed down, relaxing in his grip. He let you go after and you winced, feeling your skin bruise where he grabbed you. He gave you an apologetic glance at that.

“You both have to put your differences aside and work as a team or you won’t be allowed to go on any more missions.” Batman told you, voice firm but it didn’t shake you.

“No, Zatanna is going to have to put her issues with me aside and learn that when I have been elected as leader of the squad then you are supposed to put your petty jealousy aside and know your place.” You spat.

“You weren’t right for the position!”

“I did everything right! And if it hadn’t been for you, we wouldn’t have been under open fire tonight!”

“You’re not the boss of me!”

“When I am the leader of the squadron then I am! And you’re meant to listen and not question my judgement because you’re being blinded by your pathetic jealously!”

“I’m not jealous of you!”

“Oh, please! That’s the biggest load of crap I’ve heard from you and it was all proved today! Admit it! You were immature and fucking stupid because you can’t get over that fact that you dated Dick for what? 3 months?”

“That’s because he’s supposed to be with me!” 

“LIKE HELL HE IS!” You roared.

Batman felt a little helpless watching the two of you scream at each other. All this fighting? Over a boy? His son, no less? He had other sons and you were free to have your pick. But at this point, he wasn’t even sure what to say.

“You just can’t seem to accept the fact that he doesn’t love you anymore! Get over it! Because he certainly has!” You shouted, spinning on your heel and stomping away from her, determined to have the last word. Superman sighed in relief. He thought another fight would break out.

“You’re just insecure because you know that if he had the chance, he would come crawling back to me!”

A chill went done your spine and you felt cold fury run through your veins, turning around to glare at her murderously and clenching your hands tightly. You were so angry your feet were rooted to the floor, body seizing up slightly.

The others looked anxiously between the two of you as you glared at each other for a minute before you spoke with the calmest, yet most terrifying voice they’ve ever heard from you.

“Zatanna, you can try your damn hardest to win him back. But I promise you, you’re never going to get what you want.” You told her darkly, before walking away.

As Zatanna glared at your receding figure she decided she was going to prove you wrong.

***

To keep you from fighting with Zatanna again, when Batman came to you with a solo mission you couldn’t agree fast enough. Even though you knew you’d miss Dick’s homecoming, you still wanted to get the hell away from here. Not like you’d be missing anything important, other than Zatanna fawning over him.

You’d get to tell him how much you missed him in private anyway.

As soon as you were out of the cave, you couldn’t help the relief that filled your bones. You had been so on edge the past few days, still furious with her so the distance between the two of you was appreciated.

When Dick got home, he was ecstatic to see you again. It had been nearly 3 weeks since he had last held you and his skin was practically buzzing with excitement when he reached a cave, desperate to hug you, kiss you, touch you.

He got to the mess hall quickly, running all the way there and when he opened the door, he was instantly disappointed. You weren’t there.

“Where’s (Y/N)?” He asked Beast Boy, hoping he would tell him that you were just back at your apartment or that you had gone out for a while and would be back soon but he felt his heart sink when Gar gave him a sympathetic smile.

“She’s on a mission for a week.”

“A mission? Who’s with her?”

“No one. It’s a solo mission.”

Now he was worried. You usually didn’t take solo missions, liking to work in a team, knowing that there would be people who would be watching your back was reassuring. He knew you were more than skilled to handle a solo mission but not being by your side made him nervous and slightly antsy.

He was also upset that you weren’t here. So, he decided to do the most adult thing. Go home and sulk in bed while holding your sweatshirt that smelt like you.

But apparently the world had something against him because when he was about to go through the Zeta tube he was intercepted. By non other than Zatanna.

Now, poor clueless Dick had no idea that you had thrown hands with Zatanna just a day ago and was the reason why you weren’t there to welcome him when he got back. If he had he would’ve sulked at her and whined loudly for her to hear while he dragged his feet.

But, poor clueless Dick had absolutely no idea Zatanna was the reason he was being deprived of your kisses. So, he just smiled brightly at her and asked her if she needed anything.

“As a matter of fact, I found an old spell and I need someone to test it out on!”

“I don’t know how I feel about being your non-scientific experiment, Z.”

“Come on, it’s totally harmless, I promise.”

“I don’t know...”

“Don’t you trust me?”

He did. But there was just something about this situation that made him uncomfortable. Maybe it was because he missed you like crazy and just wanted to go home and sulk until you came back. Maybe it was because he felt uncomfortable to go somewhere private with his ex-girlfriend without telling you first. Or maybe it was because of the way Zatanna felt the need to guilt him into it.

Nevertheless, he agreed, albeit reluctantly and went to her room. Inside Zatanna had a bunch of ruins written on a paper and some weird poultices beside it.

“Now this isn’t going to work unless you give me your consent.” She informed, bustling about the room and Dick suddenly felt the air was a little stuffy.

“What do you mean by consent? Consent for what?”

“It’s a love spell.” She told him, smiling slyly but he couldn’t quite understand why. His hands got a little clammy at the announcement. What did she mean by love spell? Was she trying to get him to fall in love with her? Why would she be so open about it then? Especially when she knew he was in love with someone else?

“What do you mean?”

“Oh relax, stop being so tense. It’s just a love spell that proves who you truly love.” She said, immediately noticing how stiff his body was. Though she chalked it up to confusion. Dick was simply confused about who he loved, he was clouded by his attraction to you and he felt guilty about being unfaithful. But deep down, he really loved her. And this spell would prove it.

“In the olden ages, people would use it on their wedding to prove that their significant other truly loved them.”

He nodded, mouth falling open with realization. He already knew what the answer would be so why even bother? He assumed it was because Zatanna was curious to whether it actually worked.

“Too bad (Y/N) isn’t here, I mean I know who I love but I’d like to try it out on her. I mean, who takes a mission the day before their boyfriend comes back to town.” He complained, more to himself but Zatanna still heard it.

“Anyway, can I cast it on you?”

“Sure, couldn’t hurt.”

Oh, how he’d come to know just how wrong he was.

***

You raced through the halls, panicked, hearing your heart beat out of your chest as you sprinted to the Med Bay. Even though you were running as quick as possible you still pumped your legs to run faster, needing to get there quickly.

As soon as you saw Zatanna outside the Med Bay, you skidded to a stop in front of her and grabbing her collar, pinning her against the wall. She hit it with a thud and she saw white for a second when her head collided with the hard surface.

It was then you got a good look at her face. Her eyes were red and face wet. Her lips were bitten until they bled. You gritted your teeth, grip tightening around the collar as tears pricked your eyes.

“What the hell did you do!”

She whimpered, eyes getting glossy again before she started crying, incomprehensible words leaving her lips and you snarled before shaking her again, “You don’t get to cry! What the hell did you do to him!”

“It was a love spell!” She cried out, “It was supposed to reveal who he truly loves.”

“AND?!”

“It’s activated by a kiss.” She sniffled, “And I did.”

“Is it done?” Dick asked just as she finished casting the spell. His body was enveloped by a slight glow that was only visible to her and Zatanna’s lips curled when she realized it had worked. Now there was only one thing left to do.

“Yep.” She said, slinking over to his side and he pouted curiously.

“Are you sure? I don’t feel any different. You said it was supposed to reveal who I love. What happened?”

“We’re gonna find that out. Hold still.” She said, smiling and wrapping her arms around his neck to press a kiss to his lips. Dick froze, feeling her lips move against his and his mind went blank for a second before his chest contracted painfully.

He gasped against her mouth, before his legs buckled and he tumbled to the ground. Zatanna’s eyes widened when she saw the way his body twitched, pained gasps leaving his mouth and tears began falling from his eyes.

“Are you okay?!” She panicked, wrapping her arms around his thrashing figure but he couldn’t choke out an answer.

“Someone help! Anyone! Please!”

“A kiss doesn’t put people through cardiac arrest!” You screamed, feeling your chest tighten as you heard it out loud for the first time. Your eyes began burning and your throat contracted, feeling tears build. It was the first time you had admitted it to yourself.

You were scared. Emotions that you could barely process or understand swirled around you in a dark cloud and you were scared that Dick wouldn’t make it out of his critical state. If he was taken away from you because you hadn’t been there to stop it, you would never forgive yourself.

“I’m sorry.” She whimpered, sobbing and her body went limp in your fists. The urge to rip her head off her shoulders resurfaced. She didn’t get to be upset, not when this was all her fault.

“I don’t give a shit.” You hissed, “How do we save him?”

“A true love’s kiss should stop all the side effects.” She whispered, looking up at you with wide eyes, “If Dick truly loves you, then when you kiss him, it’ll reverse the spell.”

You needed to get in there.

You released your hold and Zatanna and she slid to the floor pathetically, holding her body as she cried. But even with her heartbroken sobs, you couldn’t feel any sort of remorse to her, glaring at her instead, “You better hope this works. Or I’ll kill you myself.”

And then you rushed in.

When you got to Dick’s side your breath stuttered when you noticed just how many things he was connected to and you felt your body shake. Batman was carefully watching him from his bedside.

You carefully walked to his side, gently brushing your fingers against his cheekbone. He looked like he was in so much pain. He looked so weak. You wanted to help him but a part of you was scared. For the first time in your life, you doubted Dick’s feelings for you.

The time you needed his love and devotion to be true the most, you were doubtful. A million thoughts rushed through your head and for a second you were tempted to just avoid doing this at all. But you knew that you had to at least try.

So, with trembling hands, you held the ventilator fastened to his mouth, taking a deep breath before tugging it off. Batman, already knowing what you were about to do, let you pull it off him before pressing a fluttering kiss to his lips. Tears gathered underneath your lashes when you didn’t feel anything happen.

Just when you were about to pull away, Dick took a deep breath through his nose and panted against your mouth, kissing you more firmly. You couldn’t help the sob that bubbled out of your throat and he swallowed it without any qualms.

Even through bleary vision, you were able to make out his blue eyes and the small smile on his face. 

His hands came up to weakly cup for cheeks, gently wiping away the tears with his thumbs, “I missed you.”

You sniffled, letting more tears fall because you knew he’d be here to wipe them away, “I missed you too.”

***

Bonus:

You walked into the mess hall quietly. Dick had just fallen asleep in the Med Bay where he would be kept for a couple days under observation. It was past 1 in the night and you wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed but you had some unfinished business left to handle.

It was dark and it was hard to make out your surroundings until your eyes adjusted to the darkness. As you walked to the kitchen island, your eyes landed on the sorceress that had her head in her arms and wondered if she was asleep. Batman had said you were free to deal with her anyway you liked and that had been exactly your plan.

“He’s okay now, if you’re curious.” You told her. Her head shot up and she looked at you out of the corner of her eye before bowing it away shamefully. But you caught a glance at her face. She looked like she had been crying for hours, eyes bloodshot and face red and blotchy.

“Thank god.” She croaked out.

There was a beat of silence.

“I’m so so sorry, (Y/N).” Zatanna whimpered out before crying again, “You were right. I was jealous. And I did a crazy, wrong thing. And I’m so sorry.”

You sighed, nodding at her apology even though you knew she couldn’t see you. You weren’t sure if you accepted it, and you didn’t have to. For now, it could remain in the air.

“He really doesn’t love me....” She whispered out and you sighed once again, stepping up beside her and setting something on the table.

Zatanna glanced at the bottle of tequila and the two shot glasses you left. You didn’t look at her, instead choosing to stare straight ahead. You opened the bottle, pouring yourself a shot before tilting your head back and downing it, hissing at the burn.

“Obligatory break-up drink.” You mumbled, pouring her a shot and passing the glass to her.

She sniffled, looking at the glass in her hands before gulping it down. You took a deep breath, refilling the glasses. You still didn’t look at her, didn’t speak to her, just poured a refill when either of you finished and downed it in one gulp. The excitement from today and the tense feeling from sitting beside Zatanna kept you from getting drunk too early.

You two ended up finishing half the bottle, drinking in the dark until she passed out first and you followed soon after.

The others found you the next morning, passed out at the kitchen island, clutching empty shot glasses.

***

Bonus bonus:

Batman sighed, smelling the overwhelming scent of tequila as he came closer. None of them were able to wake either of you up. You were out cold, face scrunched up and head against the table in a position that would no doubt have your neck in a crick.

Zatanna was no better. Her hair was a mess, tequila spilt on her clothes and she was drooling all over the table, snoring unattractively.

“All this over a boy?”

Forever Taglist:

@simonsbluee

DC Taglist:

@emmacata

@p--e--a--c--h--e--s

@sometimeseverythingsucks

@sokkas-honour

@unstable1902

@lostgirlheart

@missdisapear

@tadpole-san

[fandomwriterstuff]

Getaway Car

Another plot-filled Rick Flag fic from me! I might add another chapter if this goes over well so let me know your thoughts!

~2.2k words

Rated T

You're the Suicide Squad's getaway driver and you're got a serious crush on their commanding officer, Rick Flag.

You were what one might call a liability in the operation. You weren’t a soldier under Amanda Waller’s thumb, and you weren’t a prisoner that she could threaten. You were purely there for the thrill at first. But you kept coming back for him. Rick Flag. The commanding officer of your dreams, a real hero. You weren’t sure if you idolized him or wanted to fuck him. Maybe it was a bit of both.

But as you sat in the car and eyed up the team sprinting out of the building, you skipped to your getaway song - Brianstorm by Arctic Monkeys - and revved the engine.

“Punch it, Baby!” Harley cackled as the three prisoners (plus Rick) slammed themselves into your vehicle.

You didn’t need to be told twice.

You thought it over as you narrowly evaded enemy trucks and sped down a dirt road. You were technically working for the law, so they shouldn’t need a getaway car, but they always were getting themselves into tight spots so you supposed it made sense.

It was a few minutes of beating drums, wild guitar solos, and Harley’s cackles as the playlist continued (House of the Rising Sun by the Animals came on just as you dared to slow down). You finally looked over to your right, and raised an eyebrow.

“You doing alright, Colonel?” You took stock of the dark, wet blood covering the left side of his face and the way he was cradling his right fist.

“Never better, darlin,” he offered you a signature smirk and you gave a nod before turning back to the road. You were on a main stretch now, paved and full of other vehicles. You’d likely lost your pursuers but it was your job to get away from them, so you kept an eye on the horizon behind you.

“How you always seem to be in the right place at the right time blows my mind, kid,” Boomer huffed a relieved laugh from the backseat.

“That’s sort of my job,” you replied in kind, smirking into the rearview mirror as you pulled onto the highway that would take you straight back to Belle Reve.

“You don’t talk about your job much though, I noticed,” he pushed and you rolled your eyes. You didn’t talk about yourself, and you didn’t talk about how you got into the getaway business.

“I like to have an air of mystery,” you caught the amused smile Rick tried to hide and brushed your hair back out of your eyes.

“What I’m wonderin,” he continued as if you hadn’t spoken, his accent coming through as he leaned forward through the gap between you and Rick. “Is how a pretty young thing like you got involved with a cold hearted bitch like Amanda Waller.”

You tightened your grip on the wheel (hopefully imperceptibly), and offered a light smile over to him.

“We’ve all got a past, Boomerang Man. Mine didn’t land me in prison, but I’m still here working for you weirdos,” you laughed and signaled your exit towards the Louisiana based metahuman prison.

“I’ll get your story some day, sweet cheeks, you’ll see,” he leaned back as you showed your identification to the guard and pulled into the penitentiary.

After you let the three prisoners off at their dropoff location (like a bunch of kindergarteners going to school), you pulled up to the employee parking area.

“You sure you’re alright?” You were quieter this time, worriedly glancing over at Rick again now that you were alone.

“Don’t you go worrying about me, pretty girl,” he pulled out all the stops with the cute pet name and the thousand megawatt smile, eyes warm and inviting. You were a goner, and you immediately dropped the subject. “I’ll see you in the debrief room,” you sighed after he’d closed the door and pulled the vehicle into your spot.

Another day, another debrief with that fucking psychopath Waller.

You smoothed down your jeans and t-shirt, you might work for the (wo)man, but you weren’t about to dress like a stuck up business person, or like a prison guard. You were too young for that bullshit.

“Baby,” Amanda Waller greeted you as you passed her into the meeting room. You hid your smirk, as you always did, when you took your seat. You’d forged all of your documentation upon taking this job, knowing that you didn’t want this woman knowing anything about your personal life. She didn’t know your real name, hell, she might not even know that Baby was your pseudonym. You sort of felt bad that you hadn’t ever told Rick your name, but you couldn’t risk it.

The debrief was a mess. You’d gotten out with the information the team went in for, but two out of the four of them were injured. Including the Colonel.

“Seems like the only person doing their job here is the fucking chauffer,” Waller spat before turning her eyes on a still-bloodied Rick Flag. “You can do better than this,” she spoke quietly before walking out. The others emptied out, leaving you leaning back in your chair, cotton candy pink Barbie™ t-shirt nearly glowing in the fluorescent lighting.

“I think you’re going to give her an aneurysm. She doesn’t know your identity and you don’t follow the dress code,” Rick had his eyes closed at the end of the long table, but he somehow knew you were alone in there together. You bit your lip. So she knew ‘Baby’ was a pseudonym. Good to know.

“She can’t get rid of me, she needs me,” you shrugged, nonchalant, but this was the wrong answer and you knew it immediately. You’d been working with Rick long enough to see the telltale signs of stress. Tightened shoulders, biceps bulging in his uniform, that vein struggling at his throat.

“You should be out there living your life, Baby,” his eyes shot open, darker than you’d ever seen them. “You shouldn’t be working yourself to death for Amanda Waller. Not like me and these guys. You don’t have a reason to be here,” you looked down, picking at the skull ring on your middle finger. You did have a reason. You were addicted to the feeling of being near Rick. You were obsessed with the way he spoke to you, the way he leaned in close when he was joking around with you, the way his eyes lit up when you made him laugh.

“I’m not about to tell you my life story in an audio and visually recorded meeting room,” you finally spoke, tone harsher than you intended. You stood, turned away from him and towards the door, your voice carrying as you exited. “You’re gonna have to buy me a drink if you want to get anything out of me.”

You didn’t look back to see the slack-jawed look on his face as you sauntered out of the debrief room.

You were in the deep swamp lands of Central Florida this time. Not your favorite place to be. You were blasting the air conditioning in the car as Stick Up by grandson blasted through the car stereo, your favorite angry song to listen to. This wasn’t a job you wanted to be on, but you had a contract and you were making money, and you got to work with Rick again, so it was alright. But it was a new team. Harley was out of jail and Boomer was injured from a prison fight. They were the two people you normally worked with other than Rick.

You had a gut feeling that something was going to go down, but you didn’t know what.

“Start the car!” one of the new members shouted and you frowned. The car was on already. But whatever, you shifted into Drive and waited for Rick and Co. to make it to the car. Only it was just the one guy. He hopped into the backseat and stared at you with wide eyes.

“What are you doing, get us out of here!” He was shouting but you aggressively put the car into Park.

“Where’s Rick? Where’s the rest of the team?”

“Dude, get us out of here!” The man was clearly panicking, and you glanced over at the building the team were supposed to infiltrate, biting your lip.

“Baby, why aren’t you moving?” Waller asked in your ear.

“It’s just the circus freak dude, no Rick, and no team members,” you replied calmly. “What are my orders?”

“Get us out!” The circus freak dude in question (you didn’t bother to ask his name), was bemoaning your existence from the backseat and you snapped. You jerked the center console open and pulled out your gun, pointing it back at him.

“Shut your mouth, or I’ll shut you up myself,” you put all of your fear, rage, and contempt into your glare, staring down the psycho prisoner just enough to put the fear of a woman into him, and he backed down.

“Colonel Flag is alive in there, but he’s the last one. Get in there, pick him up, and get out,” you grinned, shark-like at Waller’s voice. You could do that. You revved the engine, put the car into Drive, and hauled ass towards the building. You tuned out the moaning and wailing from the backseat and flicked the switch that activated your enhanced shields. With that in place, you drove straight towards the brick building at full speed. You could do this. You could do this. You hyped yourself up and didn’t flinch when the car made impact with the wall, immediately breaking through and skidding into a large open room. You looked around, assessing the group of men with guns pointing towards a closed door. Rick must be in there. You flipped another switch, this one with a gun sticker above it, and pulled at the steering wheel to aim the guns that came out of the front of the car. When all of the men finally turned towards you, you opened fire on them.

You’d killed for Waller before, usually by hitting people with the car, and while this was thrilling, you’d never had to actually use a gun on someone before. When they were all down, you pulled the car up, trying to ignore the crunching of bodies under the tires and opened the passenger side window.

“Get in the fucking car, Flag,” you screeched, and the door creaked the tiniest bit open. Rick peeked his head out, looked around for a hot second before locking eyes with you, and walked over before putting his ass in the passenger seat.

“I didn’t know the car had a gun in it,” he muttered, scratching at the back of his neck.

“Oh she has several,” the circus dude piped up from the back, and Rick side eyed you before promptly yelling at the other for leaving him behind. You took that as your cue to get the fuck out of there.

“You haven’t said anything in two hours,” Rick finally said as you entered Louisiana. He’d been on the phone with Waller for a while and then writing his debrief up on his phone.

“I’ve never shot anyone before. It’s a tad stressful,” you didn’t let on how nerve-wracking it had been to think you’d lost him, but you especially didn’t let on how freaked out you were about opening fire on a group of over a dozen men. You shrugged and kept your eyes on the road. He nodded in understanding. You didn’t want to talk about it. You appreciated his silence. When you finally dropped the circus dude off you had about six minutes before making it back to Rick’s dropoff.

“Baby?” He asked as you slowed down for a stop sign. You hummed in question, but he put his hand over yours, and you kept your foot on the brake as he shifted the car into park. You looked over at him, a frown on your face until he reached out and cupped your jaw with one calloused palm. His thumb brushed over your bottom lip and it felt like time wasn’t passing anymore.

“Thank you for coming back for me,” he murmured, and damn you thought he might kiss you. He didn’t, though. He tucked a stray piece of hand behind your ear, the feel of his fingertips caressing your neck made you shiver, and he smirked at the sight. It suddenly dawned on you.

He knew exactly what he did to you. He knew exactly how he was making you feel. That turned you the fuck on. He was teasing you.

“I think I’d like to take you out for that drink tonight, darlin. Maybe you’ll give me a good story. Maybe I’ll finally get your name,” he was so close to you, and god but you wanted to kiss him. But as you leaned in, he leaned back with a growing grin.

“Who knows, maybe you’ll get what you want, too,” he whispered before sitting back in his seat. “I’ll grab you after the debrief,” and that was him dismissing your advances until a later time. So, you put the car into Drive and pulled up to his drop off location. Luckily it had taken all day to get back to Belle Reve, so you’d only have to wait for the debrief to be over and it would be around eight at night. You’d finally get a drink with Rick tonight. You smiled to yourself as you pulled the car into your spot. Things would be changing.

[starlessea]

I See Red (Daryl Dixon/Reader)

Prompt: “If you hurt my brother, I’ll kill you. I swear I’ll kill you all.” Requested by @alex-sulli​​​, numbers #25 and #29 from this post.

Summary: You’ll threaten anyone who dares mess with your little brother; and Daryl is left to pick up the pieces when you feel guilty for doing so.

Words: 2078

Warnings: Language.

Never before in your life had you found yourself at a loss for words. Whether it was rambling to Daryl during the early hours of the morning whilst he grumbled to let him sleep, or giving your father grief like it were an older sibling’s duty, you always had something to say. That was, however, until now.

Carl had his hands held up, directly in front of his face so that they were visible. He shot you a look, urging you to do the same. You didn’t. Instead, you glanced back and forth between your brother and Ron, like you couldn't quite comprehend what was happening.

"It's fine." Carl said, trying to reassure you. "I've got this."

He didn't. 

You'd been upstairs, watching over Judith whilst your father and Michonne were on their patrols, when suddenly you heard shouting coming from Carl's room. You sighed, thinking you'd have to scold your teenage brother and his friends for being too rowdy when your little sister was fast asleep in her crib. At first, you let them off the hook, but when glass shattered in the distance you decided enough was enough.

You'd bound down the stairs with the practiced heavy footsteps of an older sister, already preparing your best yelling voice. Except, rather than the row you were expecting to give, you were rendered speechless as you flung open the door.

Ron stood with his arm outstretched, pointing a pistol directly at your brother. Carl glanced back at the sound of you entering his room, and pleaded with you to follow his lead. The other boy remained silent, but shifted his weight on his feet as you glared at him. 

Ron was no killer; you watched as his hand trembled over the gun, and he chewed his lip between his teeth. He was no killer - but he was certainly an asshole.

"Put it down." You demanded, taking a few steps closer to him. "Now!"

The boy flinched as you yelled, and Carl glanced back at you nervously. You didn't care what he'd told you; there was no way you'd allow him to diffuse the situation alone. Your innocent baby sister lay asleep upstairs, and your younger brother was facing a loaded gun downstairs. You thought your father would actually kill you if anything happened to either of them on your watch.

Ron fumbled with the gun, narrowing his eyes at you like he was debating your words. You'd expected him to surrender it immediately, and let you march him home to his mother by the ear. Except, he didn't. He trained his aim on you instead, and his shoulders shook even more as he did so. You let out a bitter laugh in disbelief, and raised an eyebrow at him. He didn't back down, but neither did you. 

Carl watched the exchange as you walked even closer to Ron, until the barrel of the pistol lay flush against your chest. He didn't pull the trigger; you knew he wouldn't. You could feel the cold metal quivering against your skin, and you took it from him without hesitation. 

He let you, and took a few steps back in response to you getting even nearer to his face - so close that you could see his skin prickle from your breath on his cheek.

"If you hurt my brother, I'll kill you." You whispered, letting him feel the gun against his own torso this time. "I swear I'll kill you all." 

The boy looked down at his shoes, as your foreheads pressed together.

"You think you can pull a gun on my family?" You questioned, forcing his chin up with your knuckle. "Then wait until you see what I can do to yours."

You unloaded the gun, letting the magazine fall to the floor as you watched the bullets scatter out from it. You took a step back, and watched as Ron seemed to take his first breath. He immediately glanced over at Carl for some support, and you laughed in his face as he did so. You couldn’t believe he dared have the audacity to look to your brother for help not even minutes after threatening to kill him.

"Get out." You spat, and the boy did just that.

Your jacket caught on the handle as you snapped open the door a little too forcefully, and you growled below your breath. You'd been looking forward to returning home all day, and having some time to yourself to relax - but now all you saw was red. You kicked the door shut behind you with your boot, and grimaced at the sound of it slamming, and the glass shaking in the pane.

Daryl looked over at you curiously, raising an eyebrow where he stood in the kitchen. He was covered in grease, and you guessed he'd been working on his motorcycle whilst you were with the teenage firing squad. 

"How was yer day?" He drawled, pouring you a glass of water from the sink.

You sighed, and slumped into his chest when you reached him - letting your forehead drop against his shirt.

"I think I just threatened a sixteen year old." You mumbled there, and heard him chuckle as you did.

Daryl took a sip of the water, forgetting to offer you some first.

"Yeah, mine was good too." He replied, nonchalantly, and you hit him over the shoulder.

"Daryl-" you whined, not having the energy for playful banter.

He smiled at you sheepishly, and rubbed the back of your head, gently playing with some strands of hair between his fingers. There were oil-stains over his clothes, and he looked like he needed a shower. Though, at this moment, you didn't really care that the grease had rubbed off on you, or that your hair probably looked like coal dust.

"What did Carl do this time?" He asked sarcastically, but it made your blood run hot merely thinking about it.

"My brother didn't do anything." You snapped, and immediately regretted your tone. "It was Ron."

Daryl let out a low laugh, and you felt it rumble through his chest. He squeezed your shoulders, feeling the tension that had built up there.

"Does seem like kind of a lil' shit, don' he?"

You sighed; if only he knew the half of it. Daryl pressed his knuckles against your lower back, relieving the stress from your muscles. You closed your eyes, savouring the feeling.

"He pulled a gun on Carl." You admitted to the man, and instantly noticed as he stopped massaging your skin. "Then aimed it at me when I told him to drop it."

It was like you'd shown a red rag to a bull. Daryl went from completely loving to positively menacing in a matter of seconds, and stormed straight past you towards the door. 

"Daryl, stop-" you called out, panicked. "He's just a kid." 

You grabbed onto the man's shoulder, and he turned on his heels as you did so. His brow was furrowed, and you watched him narrow his eyes like he couldn't at all understand why you held him back.

"And kids should know their damn place." He growled, making your shiver.

You placed your hand over his chest, spreading your palm flat to feel his pounding heartbeat.

"He does. I made sure of it." You said quietly, trying to convince the man. "I'm just regretting the way I handled it."

Daryl immediately noticed the way your voice trailed off, and how your eyes dropped to the floor like you were ashamed. You weren't proud of what you did; but it needed to be done. You couldn't risk anything happening to your family - not when you'd all fought this hard just to stay together.

The man brought his hand to your cheek, coaxing you to look up and meet his eyes. You did, and he placed a soft, chaste kiss to your forehead - which you could feel him smile into ever so slightly.

"Is he still breathin'?" He mumbled against your skin, seeming to have calmed down enough to comfort you, instead.

"What-" you stuttered, before registering his words. "Yes, of course." You spoke, a little too loudly and a little too quickly.

Daryl chuckled, and wiped away some oil he'd gotten on your face with his thumb.

"Then ya handled it jus' fine."

There was a knock at your door not even an hour later. You'd told Daryl you would get it, but he bounded there before you had the chance - instructing you to stay on the couch and keep your feet up. He'd gotten a blanket and tucked you in so tightly that it felt like you were on an army base. You giggled to yourself, wondering if there was anything that man wouldn't do for you.

"Is she there?" Ron asked Daryl, mustering every ounce of confidence he had. "I want to apologise."

He scowled back, and practically snarled at the boy barely half his size but twice as stupid. Daryl was sure he could knock him on his ass as easy as the wind blowing a piece of paper through the breeze. He was scrawny, and fumbled with his hands like he couldn't dare to meet his eyes.

"Listen here, ya lil' prick." Daryl spoke, biting out the words. "Ya pull that shit again an' you'll have me to deal with."

You flipped the page of your magazine, re-reading the events from over a year ago and mumbling something about 'yesterday's news.' You tried your hardest to relax, but you had a nagging feeling that you couldn't escape from - making you feel antsy and on edge.

"Hi." Came the voice, wobbling through your living room like it was coated in a layer of shyness. "I just came to say I'm sorry." 

Whipping your head around, you caught sight of Ron, shifting uncomfortably in the doorway. Daryl stood behind him, like he was blocking any escape route he may have planned - but in reality, he looked like a grouchy guard dog having come to make sure you were okay.

For the second time today, you felt speechless, and slowly closed your magazine before tucking it underneath a pillow. Not even an hour ago had you staked your life on how intimidating you could seem, and now you were bundled up near the fire like a grandmother with arthritis. You blinked, and stood up quickly - letting the woven blanket fall to the floor and kicking it under the couch like a poorly kept secret.

"I guess I was jealous of Carl." Ron continued, feeling pressured by your lack of response. "I'll never do anything like that again. I promise."

You met his eyes but he looked away, staring at the photo frames littering your walls - and resting his gaze over the picture of you, Carl and Judith in the centre.

"Damn right you won't." You finally replied, and watched the boy flinch like your words had cut him open.

"Come here." You instructed, and he listened.

When he approached, you slumped back down onto the couch, not caring if he noticed your glossy magazine slipping out from under the pillows. You patted the space next to you, gesturing for him to sit. He did, and the two of you stared into the red flames of the fire, watching them jump and splutter in front of you.

"When we're scared, we do stupid things." You told Ron, your voice coming out a lot softer than it had done before.

You caught sight of Daryl in the corner of your eye, leaning against the doorframe like he was content to watch from afar - leaving you to finish what you'd started. He'd always have your back, but sometimes he just wanted to hang back to see where you decided to take him.

"In this new world, you only have two options." You explained, and gave Ron's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

The boy jumped a little at your touch, but soon settled into it when he realised how different it was from earlier that day.

"You can either fight it, or accept it." You said, listening to the crackle of firewood as it turned into red embers. "Fear it, or control it."

A/N For my sweet @alex-sulli who always leaves the most wonderful comments that never fail to make my day :)

Send me a message if you want to be added or removed from the taglist!

Tag List:

@xxboesefrauxx @youhavemyfantasticbeasts @teel-dinosaur @speakinglikeconstellations @bunnymother93 @alularae3 @death-becomes-her @royaleclown @alex-sulli @julesmalek @fuseburner @riverscyberwife @browneyes528 @julesclues @diaryofkali @solinarimoon @ssonia13 @phoenixblack89 @srhxpci @jocyc1997 @bvbwestfall @graniairish @bitchynicole

[sofijaeger]

hey, it's my first time doing any request so i'm little embarrassed but i'm excited too!! i love your writing so much<33 i had this in my mind for a while

Eren's s/o kissing his palms/hands or the spots where he usually bites his hand when he's about to transform

it can be anything(like drabble/headcanons etc. i hope you get me😭) once again I LOVE YOUR WRITING SM!!

that is so frickin adorable STOP I LOVE YOU AND YOUR BRAIN🥺 you can always request things to me, i’m not sure how soon i’ll get onto them but i will try my best and i love hearing from you!

okay i’m actually really proud of this one haha! the drabble will take place during the reclaim of shiganshina arc if that’s alright, and psa i scared myself writing a certain line because i had no clue how i was going to proceed after implying a major death LMAO. i think you’ll know what line i’m taking about but don’t worry nothing happens lol.

warnings: angst... IM SORRY🥲

words: 1.1k

kissing vow ~ eren x reader

Dawn quickly rose over the well-known territory. The part of land that was whispered upon for years ever since its fall, and a place strangely familiar to all your ears and hearts even if you hadn’t traveled there yourself. After the trip into the midnight wilderness you had arrived for a mission far greater than any other, and it was clear there were no visible signs of doubt from anyone.

Except for of course, the young boy with more pressure on his chest than anyone, one you cared for very dearly who’d call almost every shot with his actions. He was frightened beyond compare, so as the last few squads stood atop Wall Maria, urgently waiting for any signal, Eren was practically pissing himself right then and there. He had returned, devised a plan with all the leading commanders in just a few days, and was now preparing to risk his life for his homeland and people. There was no moment of rest for him or any of you. Besides the constant worry of succeeding the mission this very well may be the last time any of you see each other again.

You shout out his last name, once, twice, as he was too far in his own head to hear your first call and jog to him, gripping your delicate fingers over his shoulders. In the years you’ve spent together as scouts those small releases of tension-touching had become a clear sign you wanted each other’s attention, and you both caught onto the gesture quite quickly. Eren softened his eyes in your presence to notion just how focused he was on you. His subconscious would always allow his gaze to wander to you and what you had to say, he felt calmer that way.

“I already see you getting all inside your head, I thought talking about this on the journey here would be enough for you?” you whisper, leaning your head a little closer in attempt to understand what possibly was rumbling through his mind now.

“What if we lose”

“What?”

“I can’t bear to see us all lose! If we waited a little longer, a few more days, maybe we could have advised a plan that wouldn’t risk half the corps’ lives!” He tangled his hand in his hair, gripping the shaggy strands already coming loose from the stress he overdrove himself into. Your hands soften against the thick cloth of his cape, frowning at the few tears pricking his eyelids.

“Er, you’re more than welcome to cry to me later, just not now.” you chuckle.

“How are you so sure there’ll be a later y/n.”

You mouth opens before you can process your words, watching his cheek crane over to rest on the back of your hand that still lay against his collar. Here was humanity’s savior more worried than everyone minutes before call, but that you were perfectly fine with. This side to him was all the more proof that he was human, no matter what people labeled his being as.

“How am I sure? Bold of you to question my predictions Jaeger.” you exaggerate, placing your hands on your hips in a sneer. “I’m certain i’ll come back alive, and why? Because your protecting me with ever passionate fiber in your body, just as you will everyone else. You’re fighting for our justice against these monsters, the ones with no mind or cause. You have a cause to fight Eren and you have a heart too, a damn big one if I do say so myself. It’s the reason we support you with in the entireties of our own.”

With that, you intertwine your fingers around his right thumb, softly calloused to the touch he notes time and time again, and place it in front of your mouth to kiss. His body tenses at the feeling, but his eyes widen when he realizes where exactly you’ve placed it, your trust in him, where you’ve unknowingly hinted your years of growing affection for the boy in the heap of a split second.

Over the bitten scars littered down his radial.

He looks at you in confirmation of what he thinks it meant, and smiles into those fierce doe eyes of yours. A genuine emotion he hasn’t felt in months through grieving and loss, but could so easily melt into again with you.

So yes, he held a dangerous power, but it was all his. Something his true self was a part of that no one should ever neglect, and he found all the support he needed within the soldier right before him.

“Knock em dead Ren, do your best for everyone who’s lived and who will continue to. None of us would be standing here without you, so your presence alone is precious to us...

...We all believe in you, I believe in you.”

You guide his palm to your cheek, nuzzling into its claminess. As he engraves the plush feeling of his fingertips to your skin, a green smoke signal is fired.

And even when Eren was positive not everyone could be saved, he was reminded the ones following the biggest goals in the end would persevere and care for each other just as you had for him. He was confident you’d all succeed that way.

Like Armin now does over Commander Erwin,

Or little Gabi rather than Sasha, no matter what unjust brainwashing she believes.

But him or you, who would risk their own life caring for whom they loved most?

That was one thing he never wanted to find out.

Now he slouches in a rotten, stoned cell, contemplating what could’ve changed if only he had tried a little harder, or had this all been fate from the start?

His hand resting in his lap catches his glance, peering down at the bite marks still evident across his thumb. Surely if the marks he made as a teen persisted your kiss would too.

He slowly brings his hand up, cautious of any guards mistaking the move for another transformation, and presses his lips against the same spot you had. He closes his eyes at the warmth, sensing it was still emitting from your own lingering touch years ago. Unfortunately there had been no more little kisses, subtle clues of affection from either of you ever since. He liked those hints he really did, but now he was sure you stood a few floors above him, devising a plan to put an end to his scheme rather than caring over his emotions.

Weren’t you the one who told him to keep going though?

Perhaps if he had told you his motives beforehand rather than keeping them inside. How he appreciated every act of tenderness you gave him, more than anything he’s experienced before, how all this time he’s fought on this battlefield people called the world, for you and everyone else. Maybe then you’d stay out of his way and let him succeed, but his actions had no time for feelings or explanations. The freedom he desperately searched for in the future held no care for the past.

Yet he could never lie to himself and think you didn’t love him still, even after all this time. And Eren couldn’t deny anything about his own feelings for you, it’s what kept him going.

[candlestickbud]

Worthy of Betrayal Pt.1

Howzer x Jedi!GN:Reader [Ep.11 Spoilers]

Description: After the bad batch drop off the weapons to a client of Cid’s, she calls them in for a favor and asks them to help some royal Twi’leks on Ryloth.

Warnings/Notes: I'm predicting that this fic will have 5 parts. Possible smut in the future. Mentions of guns and child kidnapping, minor cussing. Sorry if the story is a little off, I was in a rush to finish. Hope you still like it though!

“What do you mean we have to go back!”

Hunter rose his voice at Cid from the comms on the ship. We were on our way back to Ord Mantel after dropping off weapons to some Twi’leks, a client of Cids. As they were already halfway to the destination, Cid called up the batch to inform us that we had to go back, but this time the location was on Ryloth.

“Hey, you still owe me, remember? Now tell goggles over there to get to Ryloth. I need you to rescue this kid named Hera Syndula, the twi’leks, her parents run Ryloth so we’ll be getting some big bucks, so I suggest you get moving, got that?”

Hunter sighed, “Mind telling us what we have to do to get out of dept?”

“Tell you what, let's say you don't mess this up, and you'll be out of debt. Just fell the big guy to ease up on the mantel mix, wouldya, ” Cid said before hanging up.

Hunter rubbed his face trying to shake off his tiredness.

“What's the word, Sargent, ” Wrecker asked.

“Tell Tech to relocate the route to Ryloth. We have another mission, but this is a mission we can't mess up. We need to save some senators kid.”

“Another senator? They aren't a separatist, are they? There's no way-”

“I didn't ask, and either way we have to take this job to get us out of that debt, ” Hunter cut off Echo, “and besides it's not a senator, just their kid.”

Echo glared at Hunter, “Well you should understand why I plan to not work with separatists, ” he said pointing his cybernetic socket arm at Hunter.

“Wait so who are we saving, ” Omega asked from her room.

Hunter pushed his way past Echo to talk to Omega, hearing Echo scoff as he walked away.

“That kid from earlier,” Hunter said softly.

“Hera? I knew she was in trouble! How can I help,” Onega exclaimed excitedly?

“I’ll let up know once we land. The empire will be there based on what that client said earlier. That's what they needed those weapons for.”

“That could mean that Crosshair would be there, ” Tech yelled from the piloting seat.

“Good! We need to talk some sense into him, get him home, ” Wrecker said.

“I don't think he wants to come home, ” Hunter said coldly.

“Doesn't matter, we need to get him back and remove his chip or whatever.”

Hunter opener his mouth to say something back, but instead walked away to the pilot's seat.

“We should at least try to save him, ” you said sternly.

“Cant save someone that doesn't want to be saved, ” Hunter barked back.

“In case to haven't noticed, we don't know what he wants. That chip is controlling him!”

“I agree with Y/N, ” Wrecker barged in.

“That's not the mission.”

•••

Howzer took off his helmet to ruffle his hair. It was a humid night on the planet of Ryloth, and he's been running around trying to capture a child named Hera with a squad of clone troopers.

“Hey boss, do we stun her or shoot.”

“Stun! She's a child, has some empathy. Besides, I'm sure they want her alive, otherwise, we have no leverage over Cham.”

“You got it, captain.”

There was silence as the squad walked through the place, flashlight in hands and visors on night vision mode as they searched for the child. This seemed very wrong to Howzer. What would the empire want with a child if they already have Cham? Leverage, but for what? They don't plan on hurting the kid, do they?

“What do you think they'll do with the kid, ” Howzer asked his squad.

“Who cared, she's a traitor to the empire. She's lucky she isn't dead yet. Speaking of traitors, don't we have orders to kill whoever betrays the empire?”

“What? That's ridiculous, we should just imprison them, and still, she's a child, soldier. We aren't killing her, ” Howzer scoffed.

The squad quietly whispered to each other. Suddenly a ship hovered over them, landing a few feet behind where they were.

“Stay cautious, that could be their backup.”

“Shoot to kill or stun, ” a trooper asked.

“Stun. I won't tell you again, ” Howser said through gritted teeth.

“Whatever you say, Captain, ” the trooper said with an annoyed tone.

Howzer placed his helmet back onto his head, getting his gun ready and placing it in stun mode.

“I have eyes on them!”

The troopers began shooting blindly at a group of troopers, a Jedi standing in front of then reflecting the shots with a child behind them.

“Hold your fire, ” Howzer exclaimed.

The troopers ignore him.

“I said, hold your fire!”

The troopers looked at each other in confusion and disgust.

“They're wanted by the empire! We need to kill them, they're traitors.”

The troopers began shooting live rounds at the squad.

“But they have a child with them! Stop!”

Howzer put his gun in the gun holder that held itself on his waist, pushing a trooper back. One by one, the trooper squad of 5 became the squad of 2.

“You're not fit enough to be Captain! You're a trait of to the empire! We have to kill them, now!”

“No! This is wrong and you know it! Snap out of it how can you not see that this is wrong, ” Howzer said before being pushed to the ground by Hunter.

“See what you did! You're a traitor, ” the trooper said trying to shake out of Wrecker's grasp.

“You, be quiet, ” you yelled at the trooper.

You walked up to Howzer, cocking your head to the side slightly.

“Hunter, there's something wrong with his chip.”

Hunter looked up at you, scrunching his eyebrows together, “How can you be so sure?”

“He seems...different I can feel it.”

Hunter looked at you and then back ah Howzer, grabbed him by the shoulders, and pushed him up to his feet. You walked towards Howzer and removed his helmet, eyes widening, surprised with how attractive the clone was. You looked at him, placing your hands on his face, inspecting him. Howzer attempted to back off, but Hunter held him in place. He flinched as you placed a hand near the left side of his head, closing your eyes as you felt his chip through the force. You opened your eyes, staring into his eyes, only for him to nervously look away.

“He has his chip, but it's damaged, ” you looked at Hunter as if you were asked for permission.

“Fine. You deal with him. We cat have him running back to the empire to inform them of our arrival. We can't have any attention, this is a stealth mission. We need to focus on saving the kid, ” Hunter said, shoving Howzer towards you.

You caught Howzer and placed your lightsaber close to his face, only for him to flinch against it, his head laying on your shoulder, “Try anything stupid and I'll kill you on sight, got that?”

“I thought that wasn't the Jedi way, ” he said with caution.

You retracted your saber and placed it back on your holders, “There is no Jedi way, ” you scoffed, putting his helmet back on. You knew it would possibly be a distraction to you.

“What do I do with him, ” Wrecker asked, picking up the trooper he held captive.

“Woah, ” the trooper yelped.

Hunter looked at Howzer and then the trooper.

“His chip is active,” you said.

Hunter paused for a second in thought, “Stun him. Look, we’ll look over here, you and Omega look over there, that way we’ll have a better chance of finding the kid.”

“You got it. Cmon, Omega, let's get ahead of them. I think Hera will be pleased to see that you're the one rescuing her, ” you said as you pushed Howzer forward, grabbing Omega’s hand as you led her away, Hunter stunning the clone from behind.

You and Omega stared at Howzer as you walked through the gravel trail.

“Uhm...Why do you two keep starring at me,” he asked.

“To make sure you don't try anything funny, ” you lied.

“Your chip isn't working. That's pretty rare for a clone, ” Omega explained.

“What is this chip that you guys keep talking about?”

You sighed, ” Well, the clones, you included, have these chips that were implanted in you when you were, I think a stage 1 embryo?”

“Stage 2,” Omega corrected.

You chuckled, “A stage 2 embryo, and these chips were implanted in you by the Emperor to have you murder the Jedi. Nearly all of them were killed during order 66. I survived it by chance.”

“Oh…so that’s what that was. I’m sorry.”

You looked at Howzer in confusion, “W-What?”

“I’m sorry. That must’ve been hard to go through I had no idea. When I was out on a mission, we were working with a Jedi and just out of no where, everyone aimed their blasters at the General. They had told us they were traitors to the republic, betrayed the Chancellor.”

“Yeah, that’s because we found out he betrayed us. He was working with Count Dooku.”

Howzer shook his head in disappointment, “You must hate us then, clones.”

You looked at Howzer, sighing as you let go of his shoulder, “No, I don’t. The clones, it’s not their fault, what they did. They’re all being controlled by these chips, being controlled by the empire. I made my peace with the clones once I got informed of this by the batch.”

Howzer walked by your side, “So those troops back there, their chips are also defected?”

“They were, but we got help with removing them. Having the chips mean that’s you’re still a threat. They could activate at any time.”

“Why not stun me? Like him back there.”

You thought for a moment, “Just because your chip isn’t activated doesn’t mean your not with the empire. For all we know you could still be loyal to them. We didn’t wanna risk the possibility of activating your chip, and we couldn't have you go off to the empire.”

“Oh. What do you uh plan on doing with me once you find the kid?”

“If I’m being completely honest with you, I’m not sure.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” he chuckled nervously.

He scratched the back of his neck, looking at you as if hesitant to ask a question.

“I can feel you looking at me. What is it?”

Howzer looked away, “U-Uhm I was just uh…” he stuttered, “Uhm, where were you? During order 66.”

You smiled at his struggle, a smile still placed on your face when he asked the question.

“I uh I was actually in my ship. It was on a mission I was in with my droid to Ord Mantel, I was supposed to get intel on this bounty Hunter I’ve been hunting down. My droid saved me from the clones.”

“Lucky you weren’t assigned with a squad.”

You chuckled, “Yeah really.”

You and Howzer heard rustling from a bush that was up ahead. Howzer got in front of you, trying to take a closer look.

“Come out! We know you're there,” Howzer yelled.

You grabbed Howzer’s shoulder, “Maybe you should keep it down. If it’s Hera, she could be scared since you are supposed to be hunting her down,” you rolled your eyes in his idiocy.

“Oh, uh, right, ” he backed up.

Howzer removed his helmet. He's very well aware that citizens are often scared of the armor rather than what's underneath it. You glanced and him in admiration until you heard the bush rustle again.

“Hera? It's me and Omega, remember? We were selling those weapons to your uncle, ” you said calmly.

Slowly peaking out from the bush, you saw Hera’s head, “Omega?”

Omega waved at her, “Hello,” she smiled.

Hera got out from the bush, “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to rescue you.”

Hera looked at Howzer with wide eyes, “H-He’s”

“Not with the empire,” Howzer said confidently, “Not anymore that is.”

“They’ll kill you,” Hera said walking towards Howzer.

“Not unless they catch me,” He smiled, patting her head.

You smiled at his kind act, “Hunter, we found Hera. We’re on our way back,” you looked at Howzer, “What are we going to do with...,” you whispered into your commlink.

“Hey! I never got your name, ” you said nervously.

“Oh! Uh, the name’s Howzer, ” he smiled, “What about you?”

You chuckled, “In your dreams, pal.”

“What are we going to do with Howzer, the clone.”

You heard Hunter sigh into his commlink, “We’ll stun him when we leave. Take him back with you in case we get spotted.”

“Hunter, we can't just leave him here. Hera knows him, he could be useful to us.”

There was no reply.

“Hunter?”

“Yeah, ” he sighed, “I'm here. Look just get over here we’ll talk when you get back.”

You walked over to Howzer with a smirk on your face, “Lucky you, Hunter doesn't want to kill you, ” you swung your arm over his shoulders, “Now you're really fucked.”

Howzer looked at you like a confused dog, “What do you mean? What you think I can’t handle a couple of clones and a Jedi?”

You laughed, “We ain’t your typical squad,” you smirked.

He got in your face, “Try me. I’ve been with many squads. What’s so different about you guys?”

You inched closer to his face, “I guess you’ll have to find out.”

There was a pause until the both of you burst out laughing.

“Cmon, we gotta get back to them.”

“You got it, General.”

You stopped in your tracks, looking back at Howzer. You were going to say something but decided to let it go.

“Cmon girls. We have to get back to the ship.”

“Coming, ” they said laughing.

•••

“I never noticed how nice your hair is, ” you said ruffling Howzer’s hair.

He kindly swatted your hand away, “Thanks, ” he said while rolling his eyes.

You looked at his face, eyes scanning over his scars. You choose not to ask him about them. Not yet anyway. The girls whispered and giggles to each other throughout the walk to the marauder.

“What are you two talking about?”

“Nothing, ” they chuckled devilishly.

Both you and Howzer looked at them questionably, the at each other.

You shook your head, “Kids, huh?”

“Reminds me of my younger days, making fun of brothers for having a crush. Of course, that was before order 66. Good memories.”

The four of you continued to walk and began to see the ship, with Hunter sitting at the entrance of the ship.

“Took you long enough, ” he said as he got up, “We need to talk.”

You nodded, “Ladies, ” you smiled down at Omega and Hera, “into the ship. Omega show Hera our little secret since she’ll be with us for a bit.”

“Ooh! Good idea. Hera, follow me.”

The two children ran their way into the marauder, Howzer squatting down on the floor, patiently waiting for an invitation inside. Hunter grabbed you and pulled you off to the side, away from Howzer.

“Look I don't want to take him with us. He seems sketchy.”

You sighed and nodded in agreement, “Yes, I know but I'm sure he means well. I'll look after him but Hunter, something tells me that we can trust him. Howzer seems like a good guy. Hera seems to trust him and she knew him when he was working with her dad.”

Hunter looked at Howzer to see him awkwardly wave at him.

Hunter cursed, “Fine, but if anything and I mean anything, happens, he's off the ship.”

You nodded, giddily walking over to Howzer, then clapping your hand on his shoulder.

“What’re you doing just standing here like an idiot? C’mon,” you snickered.

“Well, excuse me for trying to be polite, ” he smiled, Hunter glaring him down as you all entered the ship.

[peralta-guaranteed]

Jake and Amy single parents AU.

Pretty please! :))

oh! Oh, I strangely love this one!

- Amy is a police-widow with little Mac (no, Teddy was not the father, it was a non-canon detective), while Jake is at the better end of a really messy divorce from Sofia, who very quickly handed over all alimony of Maya to him to focus on her career.

-Amy tries her best to juggle the newly single parent life with her full-time position running a bookshop, while Jake is not too happy about having to bring Maya in to the precinct all the time, but it can’t be helped (and Scully makes a surprisingly good babysitter). The squad’s had his back through the entire break-up, and they all love his little girl to bits, so at least she won’t be missing the family aspect in her life - and will always have an amazing female role model in her Auntie Rosa, who’s already planning to teach her Spanish just so she can trashtalk her dad with her without Jake knowing

- Mac + Maya meet at daycare and absolutely hit it off, despite the age difference of two years. Mac has apparently seen another curly headed toddler and immediately decided to brother the sh*t out of her. He takes her along to all his games and helps her pick colours for her pictures and shares his apple slices with her in exchange for a bit of sandwich (which is much nicer anyway).

- the daycare workers absolutely adore the little duo, and can’t help remarking how much they look like siblings anyway. So of course Jake has to meet the mom of the adorable little boy who always bring his daughter over to him for pickup by holding her hand.

- he’s a bit afraid of having to deal with the usual “Aw they’re little boyfriend and girlfriend” comments he’s expecting, but obviously Amy is having none of that. Instead, she tells him how glad she is that Mac has found a little friend to protect. “He’s always trying to protect everyone so much, ever since his dad... well...”

- (Jake knew, distantly, that she was the widow of one of his colleagues from another precinct, but apart from the usual condolences they’d all sent it had never really registered in his mind that there was a wife and a child left behind.)

- “Oh well Maya is so happy too. She’s a bit shy and scared at the moment, so having a big friend help her get out of her shell is great. Your little boy is a sweetheart, too.”

- Amy smiles at him, and he’s pretty sure his heart should not be doing what it’s doing, so he beats it down and tries his best to ignore it. Which is hard, because she smiles at him a lot in the coming months when they meet up for playdates, Mac over excited to show Maya all his favourite spots at the park or the coolest fish at the aquarium.

- Jake moans during one of their meet-ups about a case that has been dragging on forever and is going to need an allnighter to finally be solved, and his partner Boyle is really trying his best alone, but he’s the primary on it and- it feels great to talk about it with someone who understands, outside of his squad, even if Amy sometimes nods with the saddest look on her face when he mentions parts of his job. But she offers him last minute babysitting if he ever needs it, considering her job finishes promptly at 5pm each day, and he can’t help but take her offer when another case hits that needs him on a stake out at 10pm.

- so Maya gets a lovely sleepover with Mac, and Amy gets the biggest box of her favourite pralines as a thank you, because Jake has never, not once, given Maya to a babysitter to go to his job without feeling remorse and guilt, not even his own mom, but he had to deal with none of that when Maya gladly ran up the stairs to Amy’s place where Mac was already shouting her name.

- needless to say that Amy and Jake become the great friends they always are over time. He brings coffee and muffins to their park playdates, and she brings over frozen meals from Mac’s abuela for kid movie marathons at Jake’s place. They know each other’s schedules to help out with the kids, Jake has convinced everyone in his friend group and workplace to only buy books at her store from now on, and Amy is already planning the christmas gift she needs to pack for Maya and her daddy.

- it would be a nice, supportive friendship of equals, and a good help in their single parent life, if it wasn’t for the fact that Jake realised about three playdates in that he was falling for Amy faster than a shooting star. It took her a little longer, but realisation hit when she was packing Mac’s lunchbox, her own lunchbox, and Maya’s lunchbox too after a sleepover, and subconsciously already wanted to bag up a fourth set of sandwiches with some gummy bears and a soda thrown in for good measure.

- Rosa tells him to ‘grow a pair and ask her out, she sounds perfect for both you and Maya’ when Jake confides in her. And that is rare praise coming from Diaz, because no one is good enough for Maya in her eyes, sometimes not even Jake himself. But he can’t take advantage of Amy’s friendship like that, not when it risks losing both her and Mac for Maya... and there is always the underlying fear that Maya will bond with a new woman in her life and be left behind yet again if they don’t work out, just like with her mom, whose biggest contribution to her life since the divorce has been the alimony payments each month.

- Kylie, meanwhile, warns Amy not to risk too much when she confides in her. She sadly remembers the many days she had to spend at her friend-coworker’s side after the funeral, cleaning out half of a closet and half of a shared home, basically. She’d been hoping that Amy would find love again, maybe in a few years time, but when she heard the news about her ‘great new friend’ being a detective himself, her heart dropped because she knew what that might be heading towards, and Amy very much shares her fears. She’d vowed to an absolute ‘no cops’ rule for her planned restart of dating in two years, perfectly scheduled with Mac’s start of school.

- as it is, both of them dance around their emotions in a perfectly synchronised waltz while still getting closer and closer as friends and parents, to the point that the daycare workers don’t even bat an eye anymore when Amy brings both Mac and Maya in, or when Jake picks both of them up into his arms with an excited ‘ready for ice cream and games?!’ before they meet up with Amy for a Coney Island afternoon.

- until one day, when the daycare offers a ‘star gazing sleep over’ event after the story of the stars and night sky was the theme of the week, and it falls right on the day Amy and Jake were planning to take the kids to a movie. “We could still go.” Jake mumbles while Maya runs into the daycare center, not shy at all anymore, and Mac follows her. “You want to go see Paddington’s Big Adventure... without the kids?” Amy jokes, but he looks so serious. “No, of course not, but I mean - we - uh - we both got the evening off now, don’t we? I told my captain I won’t be in no matter what. Seems like a waste of time just going home. We could see that period drama you talked about, that will definitely get an Oscar?”

- Amy hesitates only for a second, but they do go. They watch the drama that Jake has to admit is pretty damn good for a movie where nothing explodes or is set on fire, and that praise does not only come from the fact that Amy grabbed his hand with a gasp during a particularly emotional scene, and then kind of forgot to let go afterwards.

- but then the movie ends and Jake still doesn’t want to go home. Neither does Amy, apparently, because she offers up an ‘amazing 24h diner’ around the corner for some late night snacks, during which they laugh and flick chocolate chips at each other and end up blushing like mad when the waitress comments on what a ‘cute couple’ they are.

- he walks her to her front door, and they both kinda don’t know what to do as they say goodbye, because this kind of date night should usually end on a kiss, but it wasn’t really a date, was it, they would’ve taken the kids along if it hadn’t been for the day care event, and-

- “Ames, I’m - this is terrifying, but I think I’ll hate myself even more for not ever saying anything - and, and, I kind of, maybe, I think you might also-” She takes his hand again, a lot softer than she did in the cinema. “I think this is the kind of talk that needs a coffee and a good couch.”

- That’s how they end up at her place that Jake already knows so well from bringing Maya over, from the perfectly styled bookcases down to the absolute mess of a playroom that is Mac’s kingdom. They both grip their coffee cups tightly as they talk it all out, about what they’re afraid of, what they would risk if they gave ‘them’ a try.

- “I wouldn’t ever want to put Mac through losing another cop-dad even if it wasn’t from work, and I won’t let Maya lose another mom.” “Me neither. And I promised Mac I’d never forget his papa, but... I can clearly see him love his new daddy, too. He already looks up to you so much. He wants a flannel shirt for christmas.” “Maya introduced you as Mama Amy to one of my aunties. Which was quite a thing to explain.” Amy laughs, and then smiles at him, and his heart does that thing again, like it has been doing for months now, but this time he doesn’t beat it down. This time he lets it lead him to lean in for the most careful kiss, a kiss that Amy gladly returns, just as carefully.

- they agree to take things slow, be mindful, not drop it on the kids immediately or rush into things from the pressure of friends or family.

- and then three months later Amy finds the perfect apartment for the four of them, and Jake aks Gina and Rosa for ring preferences and proposal tips, and ‘slow and mindful’ has flown out the window the second Maya brought home a picture she did with Mac at daycare showing their little ‘family’ before Amy or Jake had even talked to them about their possible dating.

- Maya grows up with her Mama teaching her Spanish along with Auntie Rosa, and an abuela and abuelo who love to spoil her with Cuban sweets just as much as her big brother. Mac gets to ride along in his Daddy’s police car sometimes, and hears stories about his brave Papa from his colleagues. His auntie Gina is so proud of him for taking care of his little sister the way she took care of her little brother too. And Jake gets to see Amy smile all the time now, and knows it’s him and their kids that is making her smile so much.