#big brother instinct

[goldenavenger02]

Big Brother Instinct Lloyd and Kai? Pls and thank you.

In one moment, the sky was a myriad of chaos, openings in the pink and purple sky revealing horrifying creatures desperately trying to share the space with Ninjago and in the next, he was flat on his back on the deck of The Bounty; if it wasn't for the throbbing from the back of his head and the ache in his back, he'd think it was just a nightmare.

But when he blinked a few times to focus his vision and saw two moons in the night sky, he knew that it was all too real.

Kai wasn't aware that he had passed out.

In one moment, the sky was a myriad of chaos, openings in the pink and purple sky revealing horrifying creatures desperately trying to share the space with Ninjago and in the next, he was flat on his back on the deck of The Bounty; if it wasn't for the throbbing from the back of his head and the ache in his back, he'd think it was just a nightmare.

But when he blinked a few times to focus his vision and saw two moons in the night sky, he knew that it was all too real.

So, despite the ache in his joints, he managed to push himself to his feet; the trees surrounding him were lush and full of leaves and the late-night breeze was cool and sharp against the cuts on his cheeks.

"Nya?! Master Wu?!" He called out as he made his way below deck, only letting his hand become alight once he was out of the wind that could easily pull the embers onto the wooden deck, "Lloyd?! Is anyone here?!"

But all he was met with was the darkness of night and the quiet that meant no one was there.

Well, except for himself.

'We just got separated in that nasty storm,' he assured himself as he came back up to the cold wind and climbed down to the ground, not surprised to see a good chunk of the hull was damaged, 'Jay was in his mech, and this thing breaks if you look at it wrong.'

"Don't worry, I'll get this patched up in no time," he said aloud, only to realize just how insane it sounded for him to be speaking to himself in the late hours of the night and rubbed his eyes, "but first, I'm gonna get some sleep."

It had been a long time since he had slept on The Bounty, but as he brushed his teeth, he allowed himself to sink into the familiarity of home, only to look up after he spit out the toothpaste to see the beginnings of stubble on his chin and the abundances of small scratches and bruising on his face.

He wasn't that young, naive ninja anymore, the one who let his fire go before he could think things through; he was a grown man, and as much as it made his stomach sink to think about the very real possibility, he was also the only hope Ninjago had right now.

So as he pulled the blanket over his body and allowed himself to drift off into sleep, he began to form his plan in his head. It wasn't a plan with steps, but the end goal in his mind was very clear.

'Get back home and find out what happened to the others.'

…

When the sun shone through the trees, Kai was relieved to see that the damage to the hull was much more superficial than what he had seen the night before.

Not only did it assure him that the bag of Nya's tools and the spare wood would be enough to patch it even with his rudimentary knowledge on repairs, but it also allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief that he'd be able to start making his way back to the monastery sooner rather than later.

That being said, it still took a good chunk of the day to repair the non-superficial damage to the hull as well as reviving the generator and by the time the sun started to set, Kai was nothing but exhausted and hungry.

On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to start flying home, to see if any of the others had made their way there but on the other hand, he had to be responsible and he knew that piloting the newly repaired Bounty meant nothing but trouble.

So he reluctantly made his way down to the kitchen with a sigh and opened the cabinets, thankful that Cole had developed an interest in canning food after the defeat of the Crystal King as he pulled out a jar that was tightly sealed full of Zane's beef stew.

After opening the jar, heating up his portion and setting the jar into the now working fridge, he let the taste of familiarity and home melt on his tongue as he ate his dinner in silence.

'They have to be okay. We've gone through too much, I can't lose them because of a stupid storm.'

He rubbed his face on his sleeve to wipe away any of the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes before washing the now empty dishes and making his way back to the bedroom.

But as he laid there in the dark and the silence with exhaustion filling his bones, he couldn't lure himself to sleep, not when something horrible could be happening to the others and he was stranded.

Kai sat up and reached up to the shelf above his bed, pulling down the worn moleskin journal and opening it; the first entries were mostly lists, "how to get the fang blades" and "reasons why I am naturally the Green Ninja".

He couldn't help but cringe at his naivety. It wasn't until he reached an early December that he had found a real entry, one that made his heart sink with remembrance.

It should have been me.

He moved on quickly through the years, until he finally found a full page.

Mom and dad helped Krux and Acronix. I always wanted to be just like dad and as long as I can remember, they were my heroes. Now I don't know what to think except that the others are counting on me.

Nya doesn't remember like I do and that's for the better now that we know that they were traitors. Not to mention Lloyd has already lost so much, and no one wants to tell him, but Sensei is dying. Acronix hit him with a time blade and now he's aging rapidly. Misako doesn't think he has much time left.

I know how much Lloyd wants to follow in Wu and Garmadon's footsteps, but I can't let him do that right now, not while he's still a kid. I feel awful for treating him the way I am, but he's being a major prick. Maybe it's just me being selfish, but I have this small hope that if we continue to undermine him, he'll back off till he's eighteen at least.

This probably makes me a horrible person, especially the one who promised to watch out for him after we lost Garmadon, but in a way, maybe this is watching out for him and keeping him from growing up any faster than he already has.

I just know that I can't lose him too, especially not like how we'll lose Sensei any day now.

Kai turned the page, unable to stop himself from letting out a chuckle at the next two entries and the complete turnaround from the last one.

HARUMI IS A LYING ASS BITCH!

HARUMI IS A BITCH ASS LIAR!

"What is this, a burn book?" He couldn't stop himself from asking aloud before turning to a blank page and starting to write until his eyes finally fluttered shut.

…

Date: 3(?) days post storm.

I've flown over some really cool realms. When I stopped for food at the edge of the forest, I was told by a Merlopian that all 16 realms merged together in that storm. They're calling it "The Merge" now which really sounds like some edgy shit Jay would have loved.

I'm getting closer to Ninjago, or where Ninjago used to be at least, now that I've gotten a map from a Serpentine. The monastery is still there, at least.

I just have this gut feeling that the others are alive. I've lost them before but this…this feels different.

…

Date: 1 week post Merge.

THAT SERPENTINE GAVE ME A FAKE MAP!

I ended up in this weird desert after days of flying and after everything with the First Realm and that massive bug that ate Zane, I never want to be in a desert full of mirages EVER again!

I'm turning around now, but it's going to take me even longer to get back to get back since none of my maps are reliable. I'm gonna try and figure out how to update the Bounty's GPS system tonight but there's a good chance that it explodes in my face.

Nya and Jay were always better at this than I was.

…

Date; 2 weeks post Merge.

The GPS finally updated and I'm getting to some kind of familiar places, Shintaro being one of them. No one has seen any of Cole's friends since The Merge though, except Vania, obviously. She and her dragon are still there, but the rest of them are missing.

It's just more people we WILL find.

Apparently everyone got scrambled during The Merge, not just us. Parents, kids, friends, all missing. The current theory is displacement and I really hope that's true.

After all, it's better than everyone you have ever loved being departed.

…

Date: 3 weeks post Merge.

The Crossroads are so, so cool. It's like every single species from Ninjago, or otherwise, have ended up here and have combined the best parts of themselves.

I stopped to grab a few more supplies before I get to the Monastery tonight, and the amount of people who have come up to me and thanked me for everything we've done is huge.

I just wish the others were here to see this.

…

It was dark by the time Kai finally anchored The Bounty to the side of the mountain.

And yet, despite the anchor settling into its familiar groove, Kai found himself stalling at the small door as his gut twinged with the well known instinct that he wasn't alone.

On one hand, he knew someone had to be there. Someone had to have pruned Zane's cherry blossom tree and rearranged the pile of stones that Cole often used for training.

But on the other hand, it could have easily been a tribute from Ninjago to commemorate the loss-

'You didn't come all this way to quit, Kai,' he told himself as his fingernails dug harshly against his palms, 'even if they aren't there, you have to find out.'

So he managed to push himself forward out the door and towards the deck so he could lower himself down the secured anchor, trying to block out any and all thoughts as he did despite the twinge in his gut.

That was probably why he didn't hear anything before he was swept up in a green tornado.

'Green!'

Despite his excitement and his realization when he saw the green tornado, he still screamed before curling up into a ball when he saw the green ball of energy getting ready to make contact with his body.

However, it never did and as soon as Kai realized that he was in the clear, he flipped his hood over his head and shouted, "what the heck, Lloyd?!"

"Kai, sorry," Lloyd apologized while holding out his hand so Kai could pull himself to his feet, his spirits only dampening the tiniest bit as Lloyd added, "I haven't seen anyone in weeks."

But Kai couldn't stop himself from throwing his arms around Lloyd, lifting him in the air a little as he finally allowed himself to breathe, "so good to see you, buddy."

"You too." Lloyd agreed before burrowing his head against Kai's collarbone, "do you know where you ended up?"

"No idea, but I went through a lot of realms on the way here, so maybe it was one I had never seen before," he explained, despite the twinge in his gut still sitting there and leaving him in discomfort, "have you been okay?"

"Have any of us?"

"Well, no, but Lloyd, you're just…" Kai swallowed as it hit him that the twinge was that instinct that he had felt after Nya had been taken by Garmadon, after he had saved Lloyd in that volcano and the many, many times after when he had gotten either of them back.

And with the way he had been able to lift Lloyd so effortlessly on the deck despite the fact that he had jumped forward and slumped against his hold didn't do anything to ease the worries building inside of him

"I'm just paranoid, that's all," he brushed off his concern and pulled Lloyd closer with an arm around his shoulder, "why don't you show me around the monastery?"

"It's a mess, and you live here-"

"Did you do all this landscaping? Besides, I shared a room with Jay, I don't care about the mess."

The reluctance in Lloyd beckoning him to follow didn't ease his worries and the state of the monastery only amplified them; he wasn't lying about the mess with the laundry, ripped papers and trash on the floor.

But it looked that aside from the movement of existing, no one had lived there since the merge; he was aware of all of the various struggles that the others had been through, including Lloyd's depression that would take over for weeks or even months at a time.

When Kai finally dragged Lloyd to a psych evaluation after the mess with Harumi and it came back with a diagnosis of dysthymia, a referral to a therapist and a prescription for Prozac, he would be lying if he said that he was surprised.

"She said it probably stemmed from "abandonment issues" and "having to take care of myself as a kid" but that she wasn't a therapist. The serpentine treated me like a king! They even built me a treehouse!"

"And you remember what happened right after?"

Lloyd stayed quiet for a couple of beats before pointing a finger at Kai, "you, shush."

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Kai tried to speak as casually as possible as he started picking up torn scroll pieces off of the floor of what was once Master Wu's study, "when was the last time you took your Prozac?"

Despite the casual tone as Lloyd asked, "what makes you ask that?" He could clearly see the way that his spine tensed as soon as the question was asked even as he added, "because this mess is just from the merge and the monastery being huge and even if I could go get my meds, the entirety of Ninjago has been fucked over because of this-"

"Lloyd, take a breath, you're rambling," Kai insisted as he pressed the pieces of the scroll into his clammy palm, "I just want you to be as okay as possible, that's all. Call it a big brother instinct or something like that."

"It's so fucked up."

Kai pulled him into as tight of a hug as possible as he tried his best to try not to let himself collapse into the ever growing pit of despair and settled on saying, "I've got you, Greenie. I'm staying right here this time."

Just as Kai's luck would have it, that would be when the sky rebelled once again and started to split the seams of the fabric of reality.

…

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Kai raised an eyebrow as Lloyd finished throwing the backpack aboard the deck of The Bounty.

"We need help stopping those Mergequakes and someone has to have answers. Uncle Wu entrusted me with the monastery, I need to get it back into shape before he gets back and one of us needs to keep Ninjago safe. What's left of it, at least."

"Okay," Kai agreed before pulling Lloyd into a tight hug, unable to stop himself from wondering when the next time would be, "but you take care of yourself too. Take your meds, actually leave the house instead of using DeliveryDragon, please eat more than straight ramen-"

"First Master, stop babying me. I'll be fine, Kai."

"I'm holding you to that," Kai insisted as he finally let go and climbed aboard the deck, "I'll write, I promise."

It didn't matter how much he waved as The Bounty creaked while it lifted off of the ground, he still had to fight back his worry even before Lloyd turned into a small green dot before disappearing behind the clouds filling the sky.

With nothing better to do, Kai found himself making his way to the dining room and pulling a fresh, empty roll of parchment in order to make the map of the new, fascinating land he now found himself living in.

[starfall-spirit]

The Princess' Arrival

SJMNGW Prompt: Pick a Trope | Big Brother Instinct

Word Count: 665

Summary: After months of waiting, Nyx finally gets to meet his little sister. He knows the second he sees her no one is going to hurt her. He'll always be there to protect her.

AN: I write about kids, but not through kid povs, so excuse the awkwardness. You might all find this terrible, but at least the moodboard is cute.

Nyx was frightened.

Everything had happened so quickly.

Just a few hours ago he had been sat beside his mother, talking about going for a walk down the Sidra after dinner. But then she had frozen, his father and Aunt Elain winnowing into the Riverhouse a moment later. Aunt Elain took him to his room, telling him that his mother would be fine in that soothing way she had. In a few hours he would have a sibling.

“Do you think you’ll have a brother or sister?” his aunt asked.

“I don’t know. I just want everyone to be okay.”

They didn’t think he knew what happened. And they were right in him not knowing much, but the healers talked. So did his aunts and uncles at times. And Nyx had always been quiet and clever. Something dangerous happened when he was born. Aunt Nesta had helped fix it. But it haunted his family. Especially after Madja had announced that his brother or sister would have wings too.

“Can you see if she’s going to be okay?”

His aunt stiffened slightly. She had come to accept her gifts, he knew, but she didn’t love it. “It doesn’t quite work that way, Nyx. But we have no reason to believe the birth will cause any trouble for your mother.”

He nodded, feeling somewhere between wanting to press his aunt to check on his mother and wanting to discuss a different subject entirely. And he knew he shouldn’t be a bother right now. So he’d sit. He’d wait. ~~~~~ “Nyx.”

He straightened with a snort. Uncle Cassian and Aunt Nesta had come to replace Aunt Elain hours ago, as as his uncle opened the wing curled around Nyx’s small frame, he spotted his father in the doorway. “Are they okay?!”

His father smiled. “Everyone is just fine. Your mother is exhausted and sleeping now, but she’s perfectly safe.” He held out his hand.

“Are you ready to meet your sister?”

Nyx grinned. “I have a sister?” He hadn’t realized that would make him so happy. His family still told him girls were gross. But they meant girls you kiss. His little sister wouldn’t be gross. She’d be an angel. “I want to meet her! Now, now, now!”

“Alright, slow down.” Ignoring his fathers offered hand, he bolted towards the Riverhouse’s master bedroom, knowing that was where he’d find his mother and sister. “Quiet now. Remember, your mother needs to rest."

Practically bouncing on his feet, he waited for his father to unlock the door, pouting when he took him by the arm to slow his pace. “Dad,” he whined.

“Walking feet now.”

“Yes sir.”

He made his way to the side of the bed, kissing his mother’s cheek before skipping towards the small bassinet where a bundle of pink and white slept all swaddled in a blanket—just as his parents had taught him to swaddle his doll. Practice for when the baby came. Now he could help take care of her.

“I want to hold her!” he whispered loudly.

“Sit on the foot of the bed, and cradle your arms like we taught you with your doll. That’s it.”

He kept his arms as steady as he could as his father gently set his sister in the cradle he’d made. “She’s so tiny.”

“So were you. She’ll grow, though.”

“Babies grow slow. She’ll need protection.” He stroked the dark fuzz that just peeked out from under her pink hat. “I’ll keep her safe.”

“I know we can count on you for that.” He turned at his mother’s voice, accidentally jostling the infant he held. She began to cry. “Oh dear. Rhys.”

Nyx frowned as his father took her from his arms. Still, he scrambled to the head of the bed, sitting cross-legged to face his mother as she soothed his sister. “What’s her name, Mama?”

“Roxanna. Our little star.”

“Roxanna,” he repeated. He leaned over to kiss her forehead. “I’ll always keep you safe, Roxanna. I promise.”

~~~~~

Tag List: Reach out to be added or removed.

@sjmnextgenweek // @jealousveronya // @shallyne // @reverie-tales // @goddess-aelin // @the-lonelybarricade // @s-uppertime //@faeriequeensuriel // @acourtofwips // @pandavelaris

[hiddendreamer67]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Batman - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tim Drake & Damian Wayne Characters: Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Bruce Wayne Additional Tags: big brother instinct, Age Swap, Robin Swap, Age Reversal, Damian is the oldest, Age Swap AU, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Big Brothers, Protective Siblings, except not siblings yet, Damian Wayne is Robin Summary:

“I… um…” His voice dropped to a whisper, so quiet that even face to face Damian could scarcely make out the words. “I know you’re Robin.”

For all his training, Damian’s mind whirred like a stalling computer trying to figure out what to possibly respond to the world’s weakest threat attempt. “What.” He said, if only to give himself more time.

----------------------

Or: An alternate universe where Damian is the first Robin and Tim found out his secret. First he must figure out if Tim is a spy, and what he learns makes him want to adopt Tim instead.

[notfivefives]

Fill #7 for my @badthingshappenbingo​ card! The initial ask for this story came from @ladylienda​. Also tagging @rain-on-kamino​.

Title: Have I Done No Hurt

Square Filled: Big Brother Instinct

Word Count: 2,601

Summary: Comfort and an execution

Chapter: 3/5

Read below the cut or on AO3

My BTHB Card

The image of a human male stared at Rex, and Rex stared back. There was no danger there, no malice. But the picture was not the thing itself. All he had was a face and a warning. Or perhaps it was a threat. Rex turned off the image. He would watch and he would wait. He sighed and closed his eyes and rubbed them; the man’s face was still there, even with his eyelids closed.

A muffled whine interrupted his thoughts. Fives shifted fitfully and his features crumpled. Rex crossed over to him. Fives muttered something unintelligible and let out a muffled sob. Fives’ head rolled to one side and then to the other, his eyes half open and vacant. When he let out a choked noise and Rex hushed him. He doubted Fives heard him, but maybe some part of him understood. He swallowed hard and Rex followed the uneasy movement of his Adam’s apple.

“Tup?”

No, Fives. I’m sorry, no, Rex thought as the cold weight in his chest grew heavier.

“Tup?”

“Shh, shh, shh,” Rex shushed. He searched his mind for anything to say, but there was no magical phrase or sentiment that would give Fives respite, and there was no platitude he hadn’t already exhausted.

Fives’ eyes moved beneath their lids as he fidgeted insensibly and made fretful little noises. Rex put his hand on Fives’ face. A struggle wouldn’t have surprised him, but Fives sighed and stilled and rolled his head to the side, resting it in Rex’s palm. His eyes closed. Despite the sickly warmth radiating from Fives, Rex smiled his first genuine smile in days.

Then he had an idea.

Che had said the best they could do for Fives was to keep him calm and comfortable, and Rex thought of a way to attempt to do that. Or at least make him less miserable. He made his way to the adjoining ‘fresher; his search for a basin and cloth was brief. As he turned the water on, he caught sight of his reflection. There was a more-than-officerly rigidity in his shoulders and he wasn’t above admitting, if only to himself, that he looked tired.

When the water was lukewarm, he began filling the basin. He folded several clothes over the side of it with the same ritualized care as when he cleaned his armor or his weapons. Rex had seen death and the aftermath across many cultures. Rites varied from race to race and planet to planet, but often - often enough that Rex took note - lifeless bodies were treated with such care and reverence. They would be bathed and perfumed, displayed, and mourned. Rex had no illusions. In all likelihood, the final testament to his existence would be a smoking crater. There one moment, and gone in the next instant. And that was if he was lucky. But for now, he was alive, and so was Fives.  

Rex walked back slowly, careful not to let water slosh over the side of the basin. Fives mumbled something. Another dead brother’s name. Or perhaps, even unconscious, he was still trying to deliver his message.

“S’okay,” Rex said.

Rex washed away the sweat that dappled the planes of Fives’ face, neck, and arms, avoiding any medical equipment. Rex’s brows were knit and his jaw was set firm, utterly focused on the simple undertaking. His mind ticked back to suffering through the Blue Shadow virus. Even after they’d been rescued, he'd still been weak, still dogged by fevers that set his mind ablaze. Someone - he’d never learned who - had done the same for him. He hoped it would afford Fives some relief.

Rex finished wringing out the cloth for a final time as Che returned.

“That will do him good,” she said, her smile softer than any Rex had seen.

Rex looked appraisingly at his work and nodded. Fives was sleeping deeply and was - for the moment - untroubled.

“Let’s hope so.”

Rex returned the basin and clothes to the ‘fresher as Che went about her work.

“Some rest might do you some good yourself, Captain,” she said without looking up from her datapad.

Rex nodded and made a noise in his throat that was a politely non-committal brushoff. Even if he was able to wind down, there were too many unanswered questions and too many threats that they knew nothing about.

—-

The Halls of Healing’s cool but comfortable atmosphere shouldn’t have been a problem, but it was. Rex found it difficult to keep his eyes open. The battlefield’s rigors made staying awake easy compared to sitting in the low-lit stillness with his uncertainty, sadness, and boredom. He walked around the room, pausing to stretch or knead a bunched muscle group, then continued.

Rex paced and Fives slept.

When Rex decided to risk sitting, his thoughts looped around and around through his recent memories. Che said Fives was improving. Trench’s troops were on the run. Rex pulled Fives from the floor of the warehouse. Rex’s heart plummeted when Tup killed General Tiplar. The ray shield came down. Fox pulled the trigger. Che said Fives was improving.

Rex’s commlink bleeped and his memories fled back to the past. A message from General Windu asking about Fives. Rex’s fingers hovered over his vambrace. They wouldn’t tap out a reply on their own, Rex found, and before he could conjure the words he wanted to use, the curtain rings slid on the rail.

Rex looked up and froze.

It wasn’t Che or Idan. The man before him wasn’t cast in the phantom, jolting blue of a holo picture, but he was unmistakably the person whose image had come to him with a warning. Red-gold hair. Features that were too precise, but somehow still unremarkable. His skin was pale and blemishless aside from the stress lines around his mouth and eyes.

He paused, his hand still holding the curtain, as he glanced over Rex with what looked like disappointment in his eyes before turning his focus to Fives. He slipped a hand beneath the front of his white jacket - a doctor, then? - and produced a small, black, fabric case and walked toward Fives’ bedside.

“What are you doing?” Rex asked, his voice low and direct as he rose from his seat. A part of him recognized that the man was easily half a head taller than him. The man set the case on a stand and unzipped it. The sight of the hypos within had Rex wishing the Guard hadn’t taken his blasters as evidence.

“I’m here to administer his medication,” the man said. His voice was gratingly dismissive, even as his mouth tipped into something approximating a smile. But the annoyance in his eyes, however briefly it was there, was plain.

This is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong, Rex’s mind chanted at him as he lifted the datapad he’d frequently seen Che referring to from a stand and began to move with cautious footsteps. This can’t be a coincidence.

“Healer Che did, not fifteen minutes ago.” Rex offered the datapad to him.

No pause, no acknowledgment.

Please take it, Rex thought. Please read it. Please do something that makes this make sense!

The stranger selected a hypo and, with ungloved fingers pressed to Fives’ jawline, exposing his neck. Fives grimaced, and his hazy eyes opened partway. He leaned away half-heartedly but didn’t struggle, didn’t protest. His weary resignation tore at Rex.

Rex got close to the stranger - too close to be able to ignore - and grasped his wrist before he could get the hypo any closer to Fives.

“You should really confer with Healer Che,” Rex said, a warning in his voice and a promise in his eyes.

“Take your hand off of me, clone.” A command from the mouth of a nat born. The compliance so deeply ingrained in Rex very nearly compelled him to obey. But not quite. The man’s wrist in one hand, and datapad in the other, Rex stood firm and didn’t drop his gaze as he was further rebuked. “You’re dismissed.”

Rex tightened his grip. Hard. He imagined the grating together of the bones in his wrist but relented when the man stepped back. Rex was unsure what played across the man’s face. Anger, pain, surprise, and fear, certainly, but there was also something resolute beneath that told Rex not to turn his back. Rex positioned himself between the stranger and Fives. He didn’t look back when he heard Fives groan and shift, or when the fastenings of the restraints clanged against the bed railings when they went taut.

“Rex?” Fives mumbled.

“It’s okay, Fi-”

The man struck fast, but not fast enough.

Rex dropped the datapad and caught the man’s wrist with both hands before the hypo could reach him. The man’s left hand caught Rex’s right pauldron as he tried to leverage the hypo - probably a lethal dose of something - closer. Rex grunted and clenched his jaw as they struggled, but he felt his feet beneath him, felt his balance, and acted. He kicked the inside of the man’s left knee. There was a pop and a scream that, for its brevity, was sharp and desperate. The man tried to force the hypo toward Rex with an ugly grunt, but his weight buckled just enough that Rex could capitalize on it. Rex swept the man’s other leg from beneath him and twisted away so he wouldn’t follow him to the floor at a disadvantage.

Rex had him immobilized in seconds. His knee pinned the arm that wielded the hypo. With one hand, Rex pinned the man’s free hand to his chest, and with the other, drew his vibroblade from the sheath on his greaves. He pressed the honed edge to the man’s throat, directly beneath the chin; the force was enough to draw blood, enough to make a point.  

“Going to kill me, clone?” The man bared his teeth and lifted his chin. There was no defiance there, just chilly resignation in his clipped Coruscanti accent. “Just make it quick. I was at least going to do him that courtesy.”

It would take little force to do the job, but even if Rex were inclined toward slaughter, the act wouldn’t make Fives safe, and reducing the man to a useless, bleeding slab of meat wouldn’t get them answers.

“No,” Rex said. “No, I don’t reckon I will kill you.”

The man’s face twitched. Was it confusion? Doubt? Whatever it was was gone in a blink and replaced with something wry and unpleasant, like no matter what Rex did, he’d already lost.

Rex breathed in air that, on its exhalation, would carry a question. Who in kriffing hells sent you? seemed most pressing, but he didn’t get the chance to ask.

Che swept the curtain aside. Two temple guards crowded the space behind her, and they all paused at the sight before them. The only sound was Fives’ voice, still sludgy and slow in his drugged state.

“Rex?!”

—

“I’m a better doctor than an assassin,” Oren Dahz began. It might have been an attempt at levity, but there was no lilt of humor in his voice. It was as though he was trying to remind himself of something, perhaps the reason he was sitting in a cell meant for a Sith.

Windu asked questions and the answers came freely enough. If Dahz was lying, his words wouldn’t bear up beneath Jedi scrutiny.

Rex wasn’t surprised to learn that Dahz was a Separatist sympathizer, but he was surprised to find that those sympathies had cooled and that his reason for coming up through the tunnel between the med center and the Halls of Healing to dispatch Fives wasn’t one of malice. Someone - Dahz didn’t know who - insidiously and inescapably had their hooks in him, and Fives’ death was the price for Dahz’s family’s continued existence.

Eyes downcast, Dahz, who had seemed dispassionate up to that point, informed them that he didn’t know anything else, then asked Windu, the Jedi, for protection for his family. Negotiation tactics weren’t Dahz’s strong suit either, Rex realized. He recognized the look of someone who was about to start begging.

“We have an opportunity here,” Windu said, his brow creased as he ran a thumb along his jawline.

—

The walk from the Jedi’s lockup was long, but despite his weariness, Rex was glad of it. His head felt too light and too heavy, and his eyes were beginning to burn. He longed for his bunk, and while that was now an attainable goal, that was not where his feet were taking him. Until he reached his destination, the hallways would be his own private in-between.

The guards outside Fives’ room, impassive behind their white and gold masks, let Rex pass without a word or motion.

Fives was awake. He looked terrible, utterly wrung out, but when he saw Rex he sat up and waved, making a show of his now-unbound hands. He smiled a giddy, haggard smile that Rex was grateful to see.

“How are you?”

“Fantastic,’ Fives croaked as he loosely balled a fist and raised a thumb.

Rex chuckled, crossed his arms, and scratched his chin as something in his chest unwound itself. His nails scraped over his stubble. Shaving was one more thing that would have to be relegated to a nebulous later. For now, Fives was safe.

Fives reclined on his pillow and rubbed his eyes, his smile never fading.

“That’s good,” Rex said when Fives blinked blearily at him. “Because, officially, you’re dead.”

—

Fox kept pace behind Dahz down the empty corridor, not too close and not too far. He’d just come from two days in the Jedi’s lockup. Fox guessed those cells were friendlier than the ones the Guard presided over, but it didn’t matter. Dahz wouldn’t live to see his new accommodations.

It was always going to end this way for you, Fox thought. And for the ARC, too, I suppose.

By all accounts, Fives was a good soldier. And a good man. But Fox’s message to Rex had failed just the same. He’d failed.

Fox unsnapped his right holster.

By non-fatally wounding Fives, Fox had only managed to extend his life by hours. And then Dahz had put an end to whatever Fives knew, whatever had had the chancellor so on edge. Now Fox was sweeping away the remainder of that mess.

And the nameless, hidden game would go on.

“Stop,” Fox instructed. He must have truly lost his mind if he thought that he’d seen even a glimmer of hope “Turn and face me.”

Dahz complied slowly. His eyes were red-rimmed but vacant. It was no consolation to Fox that Dahz understood he was a dead man. Maybe he could even understand why he had to do what he had to do.

Fox looked Dahz in the eyes. It was the only goodbye he would get. It was the only one Fox could give.

Fox raised his blaster and fired.

Dahz’s body kicked and thudded down onto the polished floor.

There was little blood. The sanitation droids would make quick work of what was there. They’d do their job consistent with their programming and wash away the fact that he had done the same. Did droid programming prevent the manifestation of guilt? Did the weight of their duties calcify the circuitry within?

One killer to another, Fox made his wordless, worthless apologies to the corpse, as his finger found his commlink and he hailed assistance. His report would be clear and concise. The prisoner attempted to take his weapon and Fox had been forced to fire. He wouldn’t be questioned.

[bisexualmultifandommess]

The worst thing for me in a sad show is when two siblings lose a parent and the rest of their family, friends and the fandom show loads of attention, sympathy and love towards the older sibling and their actions towards others are excused while the younger sibling is just stood there like “I lost my parent too”

It’s perfect if it’s on purpose and gives us the angst scene where the younger sibling finally gets to yell at everyone who’s pushed them aside but when it’s not a plot point and just something we’re expected to accept as something okay I get so annoyed. It’s also good when the older sibling also doesn’t agree with how they treat their younger sibling and it gives us the big brother/sister instinct trope because that’s one of my favourites.

[kavehpilled]

everytime someone from middle school follows me I go through multiple rounds of electric shock and sit there in utter disbelief. how are u alive

[silmalope]

Thinking about the timeline where Maedhros is older than Finarfin always fries my brain, but it would be so cute.

[queenlucythevaliant]

clean your sword

i. Peter had thought many times about dying for his brother, killing for his sisters, as all oldest children do.

ii. He'd imagined it a hundred times: how if his mother and father were ever killed, he'd get some low-skill job and make sure Lucy's clothes still fit her as she grew. How he'd make fists and fight dirty if Susan was ever threatened. What he'd do if Edmund ever had to flee the country on a dark, windswept night.

iii. Yet when he heard Susan's horn that day, he still froze. Only for an instant, he thought, "this can't be my job, right?"

iv. The blood on his sword shone red when it was all over. When he wiped it on the grass, the stain it left was almost black.

v. They'd put Susan in his arms when he was two years old. Peter didn't remember it, but he knew he'd been waiting for her till then. He wasn't a real person until he was a brother.

vi. And when they walked back to the pavilion, Rhindon bumping Peter's hip, all he could say to his sisters was, "I'm sorry I didn't come faster."

vii. The High King was almost obsessive in the way he cared for Rhindon. When he grew older and required weapons larger than those made for a child, he obsessed over them too.

viii. He told the others, in no uncertain terms, that if it ever came to it in battle, they were to leave him and live. As their brother and high king, he commanded it.

ix. The first time Edmund risked himself for Peter's sake, Peter didn't speak to him for a week.

x. He was oiling his sword when Edmund found him. "See, the thing is, Peter, being brothers goes both ways. If you can love me enough to die for me, than I get to love you just the same."

xi. Peter agreed with him then, to avoid the argument. He was sick of not talking to his brother. Yet privately, he knew that Edmund was wrong. That sacrifice was Peter's special prerogative, as the first-born.

xii. Back in England, his mother noticed that Peter had become more fastidious. She didn't notice that his protective streak has grown - and maybe it hadn't, really.

xiii. It was uncanny, how Peter would always show up just when his siblings needed him. He'd round a corner, and there was Lucy stamping her feet and scowling at a bully. There was Susan, crying, and now his knuckles were bloody.

xiv. He cleaned the blood off in the sink so carefully. The water ran red for a second, and it almost seemed black.

xv. When Caspian asked for the High King's advice, looking so very young, Peter jerked his chin towards the sword a Caspian's hip. "Be ready to use that," he said. "Keep it clean, and close."

xvi. Susan forgot Narnia and she forgot Aslan. Yet selfishly, Peter still hoped that she would never forget how quickly he came when she called.

[feralforbeanix]

Phoenix and Franziska's relationship is honestly so underrated because people forget that Phoenix is just as petty as Franziska. If not more.

Like it's such a missed opportunity when (mostly wrightworth) fanfics act like Franziska completely hates Phoenix or that Phoenix fears Franziska when their canon relationship is way funnier than that.

Like when he beats her for the first time, he really thought gloating and taunting her was a good idea. Nevermind that she has a whip and has already used it on him several times before.

Phoenix gets on her level when it comes to pettiness and immaturity. In fact he's arguably worse.

And people forget that their antagonism towards each other in JFA mostly stems from their grief of Miles. Once Edgeworth returns and they can't resent each other for that anymore, their relationship in T&T is a lot more lighthearted.

Franziska whips him now more as a defense mechanism or to wipe that smug grin off his face and teases him for "Your American methods" and Phoenix thinks Pearl telling her off is hilarious and even finds Franziska almost cute at times.

Like, I know Miles is Franziska's brother and I don't want to take away from that, but you know the big brother who throws his young sibling across the room? That's what Phoenix and Franziska's relationship feels like to me.

[donelywell]

If you're still taking requests, I'll take any excuse for sibling cuddles!

April 22 2024

Doodle Request #28!

Sometimes Tails has to find Sonic while he's napping. It could be for any reason: Eggman's attacking, he made a new invention, their friends came over to hang out, or a new adventure is opening up for them to embark.

But if it isn't time sensitive or important enough at the moment, Tails will sometimes catch some zzz's with his brother too. That or tackle him into a surprise sibling fight.

[0vergrowngraveyard]

more baby tails variants this wednesday: nine edition

(new yoke sonic belongs to @myymi)

[penstrokes]

Crosshair, for months: There is no escape. Go away Omega.

Crosshair, the second Omega asks him to distract the guard: yup, on it

[hitwiththetmnt]

☆*:.｡.Fancy Party.｡.:*☆

(rottmnt Raph x OC) based off @dancingdonatello ‘s writing

BACK | P2

Sometimes you just need a hug to find out you got a crush :}

[biteytiefling]

So I had an idea and it won’t leave me alone so I’m going to post about it if anyone wants to continue this prompt please do

so starting this off with the fact of ghost hunger exist, they feed off of emotions and ectoplasm. This is for regular ghosts though for halfas though they require emotions, ectoplasm, and living meat/ fresh blood because of this all halfas have the air of an apex predator and all halfas are the children of life and death and they all become morally gray because of it also halfas are capable of Shapeshifting

Finally having enough of the GIW Danny and a de aged Dan(10) and elly(5) decide to lay low in Gotham for a while, while plotting how to take down the GIW and run across someone that they instinctually know is their older brother they’re very sickly older brother who calls himself killer croc they decided to stay with him and teach him how to live as a halfa and he teaches them how to live in Gotham they all try to avoid the bats while wreaking havoc

Gotham City and the bats are in alarm as killer croc has found his shapeshifter siblings and they are all causing havoc as they help out rogues and disappearing talons ( taking them to the ghost zone ) and making sure to cause extra destruction in government buildings ( because petty) and even stealing things from museums and private collections ( ghost artifacts ) and the bats are in confusion as they try to catch them ( all the Shapeshifting forms that the bats have seen are dinos, gator person, and Merfolk, I think that Danny Dan and elly would stick to more scaly forms ) 

[daily-hanamura]

[milkywayco]

dabi doing toga's hair because he used to do fuyumi's dabi helping tomura and spinner when they get stuck on game levels like he used to do with natsuo compress and kurogiri parenting the league and both dabi and toga don't know what to do with the attention and unconditional love twice being like a big brother to all of them, most of whom have never had an older sibling before the league being family to each other because most of them either don't have family or don't have family that wants them (or that they think want them)