#but he knows nothing about what medkit's whole deal is

[charting-phighting]

more canon-focused one this time

chart of how sympathetic the phighters are to medkit’s whole plight and whether theyd act in medkits best interest or their own best interest (<-- i had to shorten that for the chart because that’s a mouthful)

[robinsarm]

So, what if the killer realms offered more than just a home for killers and trial space?? What would they hold? Some DBD headcanons that I haven’t really seen before. Do tag me if this has been done but I just wanted to make my own list. 

(For reference, I’m not replacing the canon bloodweb, I just thought, “what if the survivors/killers weren’t getting enough from their bloodwebs?”)

Macmillan Estates: Bog Laurels and Sweet Williams (Objective and Boldness offerings) At first, Trapper was very protective of the plants. He didn’t want the survivors to get more bloodpoints for being annoying. It used to be a whole separate trial endeavor to get even one sachet before Trapper noticed they were there. However, as time has gone on and more killers have gotten on Trapper’s bad side, he’s been more open to handing over the boldness offerings. The survivors know that if he offers them up personally, he wants them to act as shitty as possible to a specific killer (It’s usually aimed at Legion or Freddy)

Autohaven Wreckers: Toolboxes and add-ons galore Much like Trapper, Wraith didn’t really like his stuff stolen at first. Generators were hard enough to counter as it was, he didn’t need to give them a boost. For a long time, Wraith would stay cloaked amongst a decent pile of toolboxes and wait for the survivors to show up, then run them off. It was only when Jake showed up one time, with a burlap bag of bloodpoints, and offered it for a few items did Wraith finally begin to loosen up. Now, it’s a tradition to show new survivors Autohaven first so they can meet Wraith and learn that they can buy toolbox stuff from him.

Coldwind Farms: Primrose Blossoms (Altruism offerings) The fact that Hillbilly, the killer having endured the worst abuse of the killers, guards the empathy offering is a sick, cruel irony from the Entity itself. Hillbilly doesn’t notice the flowers very often, but when he does it’s usually because a survivor is in the process of taking them. Hillbilly is Wraith’s feelings about stealing x1000. There is no convincing him. The only way to get the offerings from the killer is to take them when he’s in a trial. The survivors have tried the bloodpoint trick with Hillbilly too, but he’s never gone for the offer. 

Crotus Prenn Asylum: Shrouds Each shroud offering has its own distinct color that doesn’t blend with the gray land of the burnt asylum or decrepit chapel at all. They take some searching to find, but always manage to be in places that none of the survivors expect. One such shroud, Vigo’s, was in a burning barrel, completely unharmed. David can’t say the same for his hand since he was the one who retrieved it. Nurse doesn’t care if survivors show up to collect a few of the fabric pieces. She doesn’t believe it makes a difference in the long run. Clown would probably care if he wasn’t constantly passed out, drunk or otherwise, in between each trial.

Haddonfield: Crispleaf Amaranth (Survival offerings) Good luck getting one of these past Michael. Good luck living long enough to find one. Another bit of irony from the Entity, trying to survive long enough to get this offering is near impossible. In order to have a chance, the survivors need to bring 4+ of their teammates to distract Michael long enough to look. Michael’s not dumb though. The killer will usually find all the offerings first and defends them like a silent snake.

Léry’s Memorial Institute: Batteries That’s not a joke. The survivors haven’t been able to find anything other than batteries. In hindsight, it makes a bit of sense being how electricity-dependent the realm is. But, that doesn’t mean the survivors don’t hope for a medkit or anything else like they’d expect. Feng is really the only one that goes to get more of the flashlight addon. Not once has she come back with anything less than an armful of batteries.

Backwater Swamp: The Wards (Black/White/Sacrificial) Backwater was the first realm to have both survivors and killers actively trying to retrieve the offerings. There’s a catch though. Unlike other realms, where multiple of the add-on or offering appear at a time, only one of the three wards appear per Entity day. If it’s a black ward, the killers are actively fighting to get it before the survivors can. If the survivors get the black ward, they’ll just destroy it later. It’s vice versa when dealing with white wards. If it’s a sacrificial ward, one of two things happens: either both parties are too disappointed to even go for it, or it’s a complete bloodbath - neither side is safe if that’s the case.

Red Forest: Medkits and their add-ons Another bit of Entity’s humorous irony, medkits are surprisingly abundant on these maps. However, the Huntress and Plague both guard them like hawks. Huntress will actually plant medkits and alluring add-ons in high enough spots to make the survivors struggle reaching for them. It gives her ample time to ready a hatchet and practice throwing. Plague doesn’t like the styptic bottles, so those are the things that don’t usually leave her realm. Survivors can get away with a bandage here and there, but usually end up using it on the way back to the fire.

Springwood: Reagents No one really cares enough to go to Badham to retrieve reagents. No one wants to deal with Freddy; survivor and killer alike. The only memorable time that someone went of their own free will was when Julie and Susie wanted to. They actually approached the survivor camp asking for help because they didn’t want to go up against the burnt pedo being just the two of them. Some agreements were shared and David, Jeff, and Quentin ended up helping the girls. Julie and Susie got enough clear reagents to last them for months and the boys got a few good punches in; Quentin actually managing to break the killer’s jaw in the process.

Gideon Meat Plant: Blueprints The Game used to offer nothing, so nobody went. It was only when the blueprint offerings were introduced, and Pig seemed to be offering them quite a bit, did the survivors begin to get suspicious. Felix was the one to recognize the offering first when he was searching with a group. Much like the wards, only one blueprint appears per Entity day; it’s not as much of a fight for them, however.

Yamaoka Estate: The Oaks (Putrid/Rotten/Moldy/Petrified) This offering is prevalent and has to be snapped off the surrounding trees. Killers frequent this realm more than the survivors do. There was one time when Adam and Yui both went to retrieve some Petrified Oak for the group and found not 3, not 4, but 5 killers on Family Residence, not including the Spirit and Oni. Those two have never run faster in their life and refuse to this day to go back without at least a full group.

Ormond: ??? There’s no specific item that can be found on Ormond. Spin a wheel of anything that can be used in a trial and the survivors will probably find it. Steve and Nancy both came back with event items that they hadn’t been around in ages. Everyone believes that the Legion just steals from other realms and hoards their prize around their resort, but no one’s been able to prove it. 

Hawkins National Laboratory: Mori’s The first Killer offering exclusive realm, and again, like the wards and blueprints, only one spawns per Entity day. The Demogorgon doesn’t care about the offerings usually; it’s always having too much fun chasing after the killers who trespass. In order to find the offerings, the killers have to search around the dead bodies strewn across the realm. Once, multiple days had gone by and there were no mori’s to be found. Some thought Demo had taken them, but the Nurse had a different idea and checked the room only she could access. She left that realm with eight Ebony Memento Mori’s that day and checks back frequently.

Grave of Glenvale: Alcohol The first realm to not offer a trial item. Each Entity day, Deathslinger’s bar refills every bottle present. If there are no bottles, the Entity will take one day to replace the bottles and then the next to refill them. Deathslinger doesn’t like company, so, get a drink depends on his mood. If you show up he’ll either hand you a bottle and make you leave, or shoot you dead on the spot. Zarina is the only one allowed to stay regardless of his mood. Zarina has shown up to trials plastered many many times. 

Silent Hill: Other realm offerings Hung on many of the walls or tucked away on the shelves, both survivors and killers can find any other realm’s offerings. Mary’s Letter has never been found but the rest of the realm's offerings are free game. Some can be found in the same spot each time. Ormond’s damaged photo is usually hung on a second story bulletin board while Glenvale’s dusty noose is usually found hanging from a tree in the courtyard. Pyramid Head patrols his realm constantly, so if the survivors are wanting a realm offering that doesn’t have a specific spot, they better be quick and lucky. Ace is convinced he’d be the best one for the job, but Cheryl’s proven herself to be the one to grab the most and leave unharmed. 

[tooweirdforyou]

Yay requests r open!!! (Darling i really hope you don't overwork yourself so take as much time as u need to answer!) So,, can i request hc's for law n corazon (separately) with a really clumsy s/o? Like corazon's level of clumsy, they trip over nothing and absolutely forbidden from the kitchen after a few incidents,,,(cora and his s/o would be a disaster couple lolol also ab law,, ig it would be a lil angsty cuz his s/o n cora r really similar but i know that u can make a good ending out of it! Hehe)

Fem!s/o pls and i hope it's not to bothersome 👉👈

Thanks for blessing us with ur awesome content!!!💞💖💕

Law + Corazon With A Clumsy! Fem! S/O

a/n : no troubles at all, this isn’t bothersome. Thank you so much for requesting, im sorry they were closed for so long ;-; but I’m glad to see you came in :)) I hope you like it!! ;D

note : I made these small scenarios instead—

Summary : How Law and Cora would react to their extremely clumsy, female significant others.

-

Trafalgar Law

Wow.

That is all Law can say when he sees you coming in to his office to get a re-wrap on your bandages and some new wraps for fresh cuts you somehow managed to get yourself.

He’d deadpan at the trail of blood your body is leaving as you enter the door, somehow having cut your whole forearm from just reading a book.

“I.. I gave myself a papercut...”

He sweatdrops at your answers, irritation slowly building at your answer when asked what had happened in the first place.

“..you got a papercut... on your forearm.. from reading?..” he repeats slowly, almost as if he’s trying to process and confirm it with both himself and you.

You nod sheepishly, bringing your free hand up to your neck and rub it shyly. “I don’t know how.” You respond before he could question you further.

Exhaling from his nose, you could sense the stress and annoyance it brought him, but you couldn’t see the small hint of pain hidden behind his eyes.

You and your kind personality already reminded him so much of a special someone, but added with your clumsiness, most might have thought you were a practical reincarnation of Corazon.

Law pinches the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and tried to clear his thoughts of any passed loved ones he had and clears his throat.

“Alright.. just go sit on the bed and I’ll get you fixed up..” he mutters, just deciding to deal with the situation instead of trying to process the fact how clumsy you were.

Seeing how stressed and distraught he was with you, you frown softly before forcing a small smile onto your lips.

“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble, Law.. I really don’t mean to..” You trail off quietly, feeling bad for making him so overworked already, having to deal with you and your clumsiness.

Law can sense your tone and softens his expression in the slightest, pursing his lips.

Grabbing his medic kit with his supplies, he made his way over and sat on a chair, getting out what he needed and poured rubbing alcohol onto a wipe before cleaning your arm.

He didn’t mean to make you feel so upset, you just reminded him of someone special and it was bringing bad memories.

“...it’s fine, don’t worry about it..” he mutters, beginning to wrap up your arm with the bandage, after making sure your cut was disinfected.

“I’m not mad.” He says, just to assure you, which works, seeing you smile a bit more.

“Even if you get hurt every second of the day, at least I’ll be here to take care of you.”

Cheeks warming, you smile softly at him and hum. “Thank you. But still.. If I can make it up to you, let me know.” You say, watching him secure the bandage tightly before taping it down.

Law thinks silently before a small smirk dances on his lips. “Anything to make it up to me?” He questions, keeping his head down as he examines your cut further.

You quickly nod, eager and a bright smile forming on your face. “Anything.”

Law’s smirk only widens, him cocking his head to the side, almost amused before he looks up at you, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“I’d be more careful with your words, [Name]-ya... but if you really mean that, I might take you up on your offer.”

-

Corazón

“Ouch..”

Tripping over nothing once more, made Cora sweat drop at you as he went over and knelt by your side. “[Name], are you alright?!”

Wincing, you slowly sat up and looked around blankly, before feeling a slow warm liquid running down your face.

Cora widens his eyes and jumped, startled at the sight of your blood while he panics for a brief moment.

“Y-You’re bleeding! Hold on, I’ll get the first aid kit!”

However, unfortunately, as soon as Cora stood up to run, he immediately face-planted onto the ground next to you, and this time, it was your turn to panic.

“Rosi!”

You crawled over quickly and reach to pull him up, but he got up just fine, albeit it was slow.

“I’m fine, [Name]. Let’s go get you fixed up..” He gives a sheepish smile, despite there being scratches and red marks on his face and you smile lightly.

“Alright.”

And so you helped him up and let him head off to get the medkit, but however...

There were a few mishaps.

First off, Cora ended up tripping over his two feet, much like you, and just barely avoided a concussion but did cause quite the ruckus when he fell.

So you, panicking and worrying over the blonde male, you ran over towards him..

Just to bump into a random inconveniently placed chair and tripped, right onto Cora, causing him to grunt out.

All the commotion brought the attention of passing marines outside the room you two were in, and seconds later, Sengoku made an appearance.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

Both you and Cora could only bow and lower your heads as Sengoku strictly lectured you both whilst tending to your injuries, constant yelling and scoldings heard from the room.

“NOW BE MORE CAREFUL!”

Cora gave a swift apology to Sengoku while you stood to the side with an awkward smile, quickly closing the door once Cora finished his apology.

Sighing, you went over to the window and leaned against the pane, rubbing your head where Sengoku had tightly bandaged it.

“He’s so angry..”

“He has every reason to be..” Cora points out softly as he walks over by you. “But he cares.”

You simply pout and turn to Cora. “Rosi, can you re-do this? He made it too tight and now it’s giving me a headache..”

Cora blinks before smiling and nodding, reaching over and undid the bandage. Leaning into him, you frown slightly.

“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble. You’re already clumsy enough and with me around, it’s just double the havoc mess.”

Feeling an imaginary arrow pierce his heart at your words, he only chuckles lightly.

Carefully, he loosened the tightness before securing it back with the tape. Then, leaning close and giving a gentle kiss on your temple, he smiles softly and held your hand.

“It’s okay, [Name]. You make me happy, and at least this way, we can both work to take care of each other.” He says gently, bringing your hand to his lips and kissed lightly.

You smile softly at him, feeling your cheeks warm at his words.

You moved so you could snuggle yourself into his arms, him wrapping them around you and pulled you closer to him.

“I love you, [Name]. And I’ll always be here, being clumsy with you.”

-

a/n ; not my best work either :( I’m sorry it’s short and Cora’s is much shorter too, but I wanted to get one request out quickly after posting my own fic.

Cora’s a little rushed, because I had so many ideas but I kept doing little by little each day and eventually forgot where I was going with it ;-; so it’s all over the place.

I hope you enjoyed this regardless, and if you’d like a re-do, please send me a message!

not edited.

[lovingtheway]

Don’t Leave Me

Note: So my lovely querida @murdermewithbooks​ convinced me that this isn’t completely horrible because she doesn’t have a single mean bone in her whole body. And now she’s created a monster. I love you Alyssa! 🥰😘💜💜

This is the first writing anything that I’ve ever posted but I had fun writing it, so i’d appreciate any feedback. I’d love to work up to full fics and stuff. So.... yeah... I think i wrote this back in March and I meant for it to be based on this post? also I did a part 2 and it's here

Warnings: Angst?, CPR, probably OOC, (I don’t know what you warn against so if anyone would like to help me out that would be lovely)

Word count: 849

Pairing: Din Djarin x Reader

“Don’t you dare die on me (y/n),” the Mandalorian grunted as he pulled the your limp body onto the med cot. You weren’t breathing and he couldn’t find a pulse as he pressed a hand to your neck.

He shouldn’t have left you alone. The mercenary had managed to corner you just outside the ship on your way back. Din had showed up just as he fired at you, the blaster you’d reached for falling to the ground uselessly. His heart stopped as you hit the ground, unmoving.

The mercenary lay dead at your feet but it meant nothing to Din if he was taking you with him. He fumbled for the medkit but there wasn’t enough time. Your brain was already losing oxygen from the lack of blood circulating. You needed to breathe or you were going to die.

You needed CPR and soon, at least to keep your blood pumping and your organs from dying and taking you with them, but the medkit was nowhere to be found. He cursed every god in the sky. The one time he needed it….

He yanked the helmet off, not bothering to think of the consequences as he tilted your head back and pinched your nose, breathing deeply into your mouth before he started compressions. You could open your eyes at any moment and see his face, break his code, but at the moment all he cared about was you opening your eyes.

He needed you alive, even if it meant leaving his life as a Mandalorian behind. For some reason, he thought you might be more upset over that than he felt at that moment. You’d reprimand him for choosing you over his religion but he needed you. The Way would have to understand. It would have to understand that this was the way he’d chosen. The one where you remained in his life.

He leaned down and breathed two more breaths into you, hoping it would make a difference, praying he could get your heart to start again. Anyone could tell he didn’t deserve any favors or sympathy but you did. You deserved to live. But your brain was going to kill you if he didn’t get your heart pumping again.

He’d deal with the consequences of taking off his helmet when they arrived. You had too much life left in you for him to just let you die. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he let that happen. The only reason you were with him was because you had seen the softness that he kept hidden under the Mandalorian armor and gravitated towards it, promising to keep his secret safe.  

“You’re not dying on me,” he grunted as he continued doing compressions. He breathed into you again. “Not after all you’ve done to me.” Two more breaths. “Coming into my life. Ripping me open.” Two more breaths. “Making me fall in with love you.” Two more. “You can’t leave me alone.” Two more breaths “Please don’t leave me alone.”

He didn’t know when he had to stop. When he had to give up. He didn’t care if there was a point where he had to let go, when he had to let you go. He’d give you every breath he had if he could. If it meant you’d open your eyes and smile at him again.

He couldn’t remember what the last thing he said to you that morning was. Probably something meaningless, he’d been trying to hide how he felt for so long that everything out of his mouth to you was flippant. A pathetic attempt to act less dependent on you than he was.

It didn’t matter what he had said, what mattered was what he hadn’t said. Had he known that was the last time he’d see you, he would have spoken everything he’d kept from you. Every single little thing that he loved of you. Stars, what if you died without knowing?

He didn’t recognize the tears that slipped off his face and onto your cheeks as he gave you two more of his breaths. You needed to know how much he cared for you. How much he loved you. He needed you to take him into your arms and promise never to leave him again. Promise that he couldn’t get rid of you that easy, smiling and breathing.

He couldn’t live with someone else he loved dying for him. Because of him.

He’d lost too much to lose you too. A strange sound emerged from his mouth and it took a moment to recognize the pitiful sob. The sound pulling from his gut as he forced himself to keep his pace steady, pumping your chest and breathing into you, was followed by more pleas.

“Come on, cyar’ika. Please,” he pleaded. He leaned down and listened for a heartbeat, it was feeble, but back, stuttering abnormally. He kept breathing into you, pumping your heart for you. He had to keep you with him, keep you from running out of breath. Keep you alive. “Don’t you dare leave me here alone.”

~~~

I’m just gonna tag a few amazing writers and lovely moots that i love and look up to and really hope you guys will give this a read and tell me what you think? The good, bad, terrible and all that? Because I really don’t know what i’m doing. Thanks you 💜💜

@nolivingthingdroid @hiscyarika​ @halefirewarrior​ @themandjalorian​ @aerynwrites​ @takemepedropascal​ @keeper0fthestars​ @pedropascalito​ @waywardodysseys​ @allpowerfuloracle​ @bonkybaaarnes​ @charlotte-sloane-writes​ @spacegayofficial​ @ohwaitimthewriter​ @brittritz @ezraslittlebirdie

[pedrobois-fanfic-collections]

MandoxReader: The Escapee Pt4

I don’t really know what I wrote

You watched the door to the Razor Crest close, Grogu in your arms. The child cooed sadly as his dad disappeared from sight.

“I know, little guy, he’ll be back though.” You muttered unconvincingly, taking Grogu’s hand and squeezing it gently.

The Crest had landed a short while ago on the planet Voss. Voss was home to a cunning alien race known for its trickery and deception, its complete neutrality always between the Republic and the Empire, and unusual affinity with the force. One of Mando’s bounties had chosen to hide out here. Or perhaps, one of Mando’s bounties was a Voss. He didn’t say.

You felt uneasy as you set Grogu down so you could make him a snack.

Sighing, you shook your head. You had no business fretting over the Mandalorian, he could handle himself. Besides, you had only known the fearsome warrior a few days at this point. What reason could you possibly have beyond a business relationship for caring about him?

You bit your lip as your cheeks heated up from the steam coming off the water heating on the stove. The water sure had heated up fast, your marveled, idly.

Eventually the stew properly heated and you set it before Grogu. He looked at it uninterested.

“C’mon, you’re going to have to eat at some point, I know you miss your dad.”

Grogu’s ears drooped, and his normally bright black eyes looked dull.

You pondered for a moment before holding up your index finger.

Turning around, you climbed up the ladder to the cockpit and found the lever with the ball that always caught Grogu’s eye. Quickly you twisted it free and returned back to the lower level.

“Grogu.” You started softly, holding it out, “I have something for you.”

Grogu looked up excitedly, noticing the ball. Holding out his hands and squinting his eyes, you watched as he focused for a moment. His whole body seemed to shake and then suddenly… the ball shot out of your hand.

Your mouth dropped open and you gasped.

“How did you do that?” You blinked at him. “That was incredible!”

Grogu cooed softly, gripping the ball tightly and rolling it back and forth in his hands.

“Ok, well now you have it, you have to eat some soup, that was the deal.” You put your hands on your hips.

Grogu looked up at you and opened his mouth with a cross between a smile and a giggle.

You bent down and handed the soup bowl to him, “drink up, you have to be big and strong like your dad. Got it, mister?”

Carefully setting the ball down next to him, Grogu took the bowl from you and began to drink. All the while, he watched you curiously from over the bowl, seeming to wonder what you would do. You sat down opposite him, and drank your own soup, watching him just as closely.

Eventually the two of you finished your meals and you Grogu’s eyes began to droop. You carefully scooped him into your arms, climbed the short distance into the cockpit and placed him gently in his pram. With a soft his, the pram slid shut and the world disappeared around him.

You smiled, pleased at your first day of babysitting.

Looking around, you wondered what you were supposed to do now. Mando’s captain chair stared invitingly back at you. You pictured him sitting in it, spinning around to face you; how he would stare imperiously down at you from the black visor of his helmet.

Feeling dangerous, you twisted the chair around and sank into it.

The chair was surprisingly comfortable. No wonder Mando often slept in it. You shifted around, finding a position you liked and leaning your head to the side. Yea. This wasn’t too bad, you figured, you could sleep here if you needed. You glanced at the copilot’s chair, that one hadn’t been that uncomfortable either, now that you considered it.

You started upright.

There was a noise down below.

Listening intently, you held your breath, straining to hear.

The Crest’s outer door closed.

You looked to Grogu and shoved his pram into a corner hoping it wouldn’t be noticed. Cursing yourself softly, you remembered you left the blaster Mando had given you in the event of an intruder down below.

But then, no one could get on the Crest without armed entry.

So it had to be…

“Mando?” You mumbled uncertainly, slowly rising from the seat and walking over to the ladder. He couldn’t have been gone for more than three hours. Mando had assured you this would be an overnight bounty.

You heard the ‘fresher door open and close and nothing else.

Silently you waited for the water to turn on, but nothing came.

Growing uneasy, you climbed down the ladder and looked around, blinking.

Mando’s pauldrons were discarded in a haphazard pile outside the door to the ‘fresher. You recoiled in confusion. Looking around as you saw a trail of discarded weapons and a poor attempt at removal of armor.

Concern rising, you moved to knock on the ‘fresher door.

There was silence for a moment before a strained, “Yes?” From a modulated helmet. That was good, he was still wearing his helmet.

You exhaled slowly, “Um, are you alright? There’s a bunch of weapons out here and some armor…” You trailed off, bending down and picking up the pauldrons. It was your first real opportunity to examine the crest so closely, some sort of horned creature.

There was heavy thudding and shifting from within the ‘fresher and the door opened.

Your eyes widened in shock at the sight before you.

Mando, still wearing his helmet, his boots, and his trousers. Though with his shirt half tangled over his head, one glove still on, his cloak seeming to be half attached and otherwise the rest of his armor lying behind him in a pile on the floor.

It took all your willpower to keep your mouth from dropping open and gawking the deeply tanned skin of his torso, marred with a myriad of scars but deeply toned. Fighting to keep your words you blinked and forced yourself to look back up at the visor that was slightly obscured by his tattered shirt.

“What happened, why are you-?” You looked back down at his torso and noticed a bloodied wound in his side. It seemed relatively small, but Mando was cringing in pain and nearly doubled over from its location. You looked closer and saw from the wound, it seemed to radiate black lightning on the skin. Angry jagged bolts arching across his skin far away from the initial wound and spreading fast. “Poison.” You breathed.

Mando gripped the doorway with both hands, sliding down to his knees, hitting the ground hard and shook his head. “They expected me.” He groaned, moaning softly in pain. A thin sheen of sweat began to build up on his skin.

You bit your lip, looking around. “You’re going to want that helmet off, I can see the fever coming.”

“No.” Mando shuddered.

“Maker help me.” You shook your head. “Where’s your medkit, please tell me you have kolto, bacta at least? Something?”

Mando nodded, “Just keep Grogu safe.”

“I’ll keep you alive too, damn fool.” You grumbled, stalking off to look for the kit. “It’s a stupid creed!” You called over your shoulder.

When you returned, kit in hand, Mando was slumped against the ‘fresher wall, the wound inky black in a solid circle. The jagged lightning strikes had spread further through his body, across his veins.

You grabbed a vibroknife from his boot and slashed the last of his shirt apart, pulling it from his head, careful not to remove his helmet.

The movement jolted Mando back to life.

With viselike strength his hand shot out and grabbed your wrist. You yelped, crying out. “Hey! I was just getting your shirt off!”

Immediately he released your hand and pulled back. “I’m sorry.”

Choosing to forgo rubbing your wrist, you grabbed the bacta shot and stabbed it into the worst of the poison. “That should stop the spread. And ease the pain.” Biting your lip, you reached around his head and slipped your hand under his helmet.

“What are you doing?”

“I can’t take your helmet off to check for a fever, so this is the best I can do.” You pressed your hand to the back of his neck, hand brushing against soft locks of hair. It was hard not to wonder what color they were, though given the bits of hair poking up on his stomach, you had a vague idea. You swallowed hard.

The visor stayed fixedly on you.

“We’ve gotta get you cooled down.” You mumbled, glancing at the shower.

“I am cold.” Mando muttered, leaning his head back.

You reached into the medpac for more things, “This should help with fever.” You smeared it on the wound. “But into the shower you go.”

Mando rested his hand on top of yours as you smeared the medicine. The black of the visor staring down at your combined hands.

You felt your cheeks heat up again as you laughed nervously, “Heh, heh, oh great, the delirium is setting in… oh goody, this is just what I need.” You pulled your hand away, but he held fast. “Look, why don’t you get cleaned up in the shower, while I go look on the holonet what type of poison this is and we can look up an antidote and then get this taken care of, hmm, what do you think?”

“I’m cold.” Mando mumbled.

“And the shower is very warm. See, let me show you.” You moved to stand up but with surprising strength given his feverish state, he tugged you back into his arms and held you against his chest. How Mando could possibly be cold was beyond you, the guy was a radiator of heat. You imagined if he was on Hoth he would be the perfect person to be stuck up against. With his bare chest pressed up against your light shirt you could feel the fevered heat seeping into your skin, another heat of your own you were trying to ignore in your own body along your face, neck and chest.

“Mesh’la.” Mando hummed.

“Uh, listen. I don’t know what that means but I don’t think you’re in your right mind to be saying it.”

Mando pressed his helmet to your forehead and held it there for a moment, before pulling away and slumping against the wall. He seemed satisfied but still gripped you tight in his arms.

“Mando.” You whined, “You’ve been poisoned, I don’t know if it’s lethal. Get in the damn shower and let me go look for an antidote.” It was becoming more and more difficult to think as your cheek was rubbed more against his chest. Why were you complaining so much really? If you wanted, you could just pepper his smooth skin with kisses, and he would let you.

You pushed on his chest abruptly.

“Get in the shower right now.”

“Anything for you, mesh’la.” Mando still seemed dazed as he extricated himself from you, slowly stumbling towards the shower.

You walked over and turned on the water as cold as you could make it. “Take your helmet off too.” Turning around, you listened for a difference in the sound of the water. Satisfied by the change you abruptly heard a Mando speak.

“What the hell?” It was weird hearing his voice without the modulator, and you knew you would miss it.

“You’ve been poisoned and delirious. I need to get on the holonet to see what the antidote is too it, but the fever has been the worst part from what I can tell.”

“Is that why you’re in the ‘fresher with me?” Did Mando sound shy?

“I made you keep your helmet on. Trust me, your delirious self was all too happy to take it off.”

The water turned off. There was a soft hissing noise and Mando’s voice was modulated once again, “Thank you for respecting,” he trailed off, stumbling forward.

You caught him, “Don’t worry about it. It’s basic respect.”

“You’d be surprised.” Mando’s voice sounded weak, “Just about everyone else is eager to see us without our helmets.”

You shrugged, “Yea, well I guess I’m not everyone else.”

“You’re not curious?”

“Oh I’m completely curious, but if you’re going to show me, I’ll know it when you’re ready.”

Mando nodded.

“Now you sit down, I’ll go get you a blanket so you don’t get too cold, and I’ll be right back.”

During the time that you were downstairs, Grogu had woken up. After looking through the holonet in the cabin and finding the ingredients that would be necessary – a solution of bacta and some berries rare to Voss but common to most other planets – you brought Grogu with you back down to where you left Mando.

Grogu rushed over to Mando’s side and cooed excitedly to see his father back so soon.

“I didn’t get the bounty.” Mando grunted.

Grogu tilted his head.

“I don’t think this one is worth it.” You interjected.

Mando looked at you but didn’t say anything.

“I think tonight we should sleep in the hull.”

Mando tilted his head and Grogu’s ears perked up.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to sleep alone in case the poison acts up again and the hull is the biggest area for everyone to bunk out. I don’t want your fever to come back. That delirium was,” you bit your lip, “scary.”

Mando was once in a shirt, though his armor was still removed, the wound now wrapped. It was a small wound after all, but the poison had its lingering effects.

“I have the larger room. You could just stay in my room if it’s about making sure I don’t become delirious again.” Mando offered.

You swallowed hard, “Uh, sure, that works.”

-

Bedtime quickly arrived and you found yourself staring at Mando’s bed.

There was room for two. Loosely speaking.

If those two people were rather close together.

Maker help you.

Mando walked up behind you completely devoid of armor and now only wearing the clothing he wore under his armor. And of course his helmet.

“You sure you want to sleep in that helmet?” You asked.

Mand stared back at you, silent for a bit.

You were just about to assume he wasn’t going to answer when he broke his silence.

“I suppose there’s one way.”

You swallowed hard, turning to look at him fully.

Mando bent down and rummaged in one of the boxes and pulled out a particularly tattered cloak of his. With impressive strength, he ripped it further and held it up to you. You looked at it and he motioned for you to turn around. Carefully, he slid the piece of material over your eyes, tying it behind your head until the world was completely black.

“Can you see?” Came the modulated voice from behind you.

You shook your head.

There was a soft his, a light clunk and then, in that same soft deep voice you had heard before, “Good.”

You smiled, turning back around and blindly reaching around, trying to pat his shoulder. Mando grabbed your hand as you waved your hand through the air. With his hand as a point of reference, you reached out and managed to almost pat him on the shoulder. “There, now you can be comfortable.”

Mando chuckled and you found it sounded much softer than it did beneath the modulated tone.

“Alright you, time for bed.”

Din stared at you in awe, a smile stuck on his face as he watched you blindly climb into the bed. Grogu was already locked into his pram for the night. But you, to volunteer to let Din sleep comfortably and keep his creed… and to do this to make sure the poison didn’t flare up again in the middle of the night.

Din watched you collapse on the bed rolling over onto your back and giggling as you accidentally took up the whole cot. He didn’t remember any of the delirium episode, but he did long to crawl over you, straddle your hips and kiss you until you couldn’t think straight, if you let him. Another time.

Crawling in after you, Din slid you over and pressed his back to yours so as to give you the most privacy and space. He stiffened in pleasant surprise as you subconsciously wriggled your back into him. The two of you soon fast asleep.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Ran off the road.

[The next day]

Ok everyone! We’ve got a whole day ahead of ourselves to make this club as top quality as possible! Is everyone with me!?

Hey, I have a question. Where’s Iroha, Kibin and Kana?

I sent the three of them out to get some last minute groceries for the entertainment. They should be back soon.

But Asayoru plans to meet us here at 11pm tomorrow. We need everything in tip top condition before that point!

I hope Iroha and Kana come back soon. This looks like a pretty big workload.

Hey! Are you sure this is a good place to put the disco ball!?

It’s perfect! Let ‘er drop Kuripa!

Yes sir!

*From the scaffolding on the side, Kuripa drops a disco ball and lets it swing in the air. It stops swinging right on the exact point.

Got it!

*He makes his way down from the scaffolding.

By the by...Iroha, Kibin and Kana haven’t come back yet, have they?

I’m beginning to get worried. Should we go out and find them?

Relax, they’re probably just having some disagreements on what to get. They’ll be back eventually, I know it.

*As Kokichi says this, the door to the main building opens.

Ah, hey, you’re-

Wh-What the hell...?

!?

!?

!?

!?

...!

*Kibin staggers through the door, limping uncomfortably. There is a bullet wound in her left leg.

KIBIN! Holy shit! Wh-What happened!?!?

*Kuripa wastes no time in rushing over and lifting her onto his back. He carries her over to a seat.

Hatsudoki! Wh-What happened!? Where’s Iroha?

A-And Kana!? Where are they!?

We were...*cough* attacked...We tried to get a...a taxi and they ran it off the road!

Who!?

I-I don’t know...they had masks on...But...They-!

Kibin, cool it...try and compose yourself...

Someone get a damn first aid kit already!

O-On it!

*Hifumi rushes to the staff room to grab the medical kit.

Cupboard! Bottom Shelf! Far Right!

Yes! Thanks!

They...they ran our taxi off the road and our driver suffered a head injury...An ambulance arrived for him but...I didn’t stay long enough for them to pick me up...I had to...get back here...

What the hell happened!?

When we got out of the wreckage, the men in masks...they...they grabbed Iroha and Kana and shoved them into a car.

I-I tried to stop them but-! They shot me...I-I’m pathetic.

What the hell...!?

I-I’m sorry...I couldn’t...protect her...

It was a hit and run Kibin. A planned attack. It wasn’t your fault.

Agreed. But...Where the hell did they take her!?

*As Hifumi arrives back with the medkit, Kokichi’s phone starts ringing.

Who-Who is that?

...

*He checks.

Unknown number...Whoever it is is trying to facetime me...

Answer it...

Huh?

Answer it!

...

*Kuripa begins to patch up Kibin’s wound as Kokichi answers the phone.

Greetings, Kokichi Ouma of the High Roller.

Who the hell are you?

Why don’t I answer your question with another question...

...

What do you care about more? The lives of your employees...or the life of your club.

Is this some kind of joke!?

I would say more of a drama than a comedy. Why not get that through your head?

Where...are they?

...

*The facetime video showing nothing but the pixelated kanji suddenly shows a video feed.

...

...

*It very briefly shows Kana and Iroha bound and gagged at a table, before switching back to the scene it was before.

Shit...!

What do you want from me?

I want you to make a choice...And I want to make a deal. It’s up to you whether or not you accept.

Go on?

11pm to midnight, tomorrow night...I want you to show up in person to a marked location that I give you. If you do, then I’ll hand Iroha-chan and Kana-chan back to you without any resistance.

And if I don’t?

If you arrive any earlier or later than the hour, or if you send someone other than yourself to get them...I’ll kill them without a second thought.

...fuck...! fuck, fuck, fuck!

Syobai...

*Kuripa grabs his sleeve to calm him down.

Those are my terms, and I will abide by them. Do we have a deal?

...

Yes.

Good. Remember, they’re lives are forfeit if you disobey any of my terms.

*The call ends.

FFFFFUUUUUUCCCKKK!!!

*Syobai kicks a table and sends it flying across the room.

Dammit, Dammit, Dammit, DAMMIT!

Hashimoto, calm down!

*Ryota grabs Syobai to stop him throwing a fit.

I see...Asayoru’s being very clever about all this...

So you think it was Asayoru?

Who the fuck else could it be!?

Think about the circumstances Hifumi. This seems way too convenient for Asayoru not to have had a hand in it.

That guy gave us a specific timeframe to get Iroha and Kana back without conflict, 11 to 12.

And Asayoru also gave us a very specific time to show up for the gambling match. 11pm. He also said he’d count it a loss if Kokichi didn’t show up or left at any point after that.

Which means-!

If Kokichi attends the gambling match against Asayoru, Iroha and Kana die!

But if he goes after the kidnappers and gets Kana and Iroha back, then he loses the High Roller to Asayoru!

It’s a lose/lose situation, no matter how you look at it! In each scenario, the positives are outweighed by the negatives!

GOD DAMN IT!

*Syobai falls to his knees and clutches his head. He shuffles over to Kokichi and grabs him by the hem of his coat.

Mr Ouma...please...! Y-You have to get Iroha back! I-I’m begging you!

...Syobai...

...Nihihi!

...

*Kokichi suddenly laughs.

Don’t you worry guys. This will all work out in the end, I can promise you. I kind of expected Asayoru would pull something like this...He’s using this tournament as a perfect opportunity to destroy me...

So that’s why I already have a backup plan.

Seriously!?

Yeah, seriously. But I can promise you one thing...

*Kokichi puts his hand on Syobai’s shoulder.

...

We have a rule at the High Roller. You can talk to the girls...

but there are BIG consequences from touching them...!

[biiohazards]

Shaky Hands

Pairing: Felix x Ace

Prompt: Stolen from Whumptober

Notes:  I'm pretty new at this pairing but damn it I'm going to try! This includes upset but with a fluffy sort of end

“Deep breaths, just deep breaths and that's all that's needed to get yourself through the rest of this trial, c'mon now you can do it. Don't worry about anyone else but yourself right now.” Ace's hands shake as he poorly attempts to mend the bleeding that was happening faster than normal from a harpoon shot from that damned cowboy. 

He continued to curse under his breath, glad that he was probably the quietest survivor of the whole group or he'd be caught by now. Especially hearing the leery 'music' that seemed to follow after that killer, who even thought that was a good idea?? Did the Entity really want them to suffer and be terrified most of the time?

Y'know what... he didn't need an answer to that, he knew that his question was instantly answered with a simple ' yes ' but he truly didn't need anyone else to say it right now. The place was getting darker where he'd ended up and it was throwing him into a mind numbing situation, but he finishes the mending just in time to cower behind some large barrels as the cowboy in turn seems to walk right past. – How did he not HEAR him? 

Keeping an arm around his middle, he's standing up taller once he knows the coast is clear and begins to turn only to walk straight into another body – one that seemed keen on making sure he was alright.

There's a curse word in … German? And Ace instantly knows who it is without even looking it up, there was only one German in their group of oddball survivors “Ace!” Felix was still pretty new to the fog but he seemed to have become the one to learn what to do the fastest out of all of them, aside from himself. 

He knew what had to be done when he'd ended up here and yet he was the one that would run the killers for so long. It makes him reach out to grab a hold of Felix's shirt with his free hand while his other remained firmly around his stomach. – He coughs, blood falling from his lips as he does so, but it seems the cowboy was definitely dealing with someone else because he hadn't come back just yet.

“I'm on death hook – and things aren't looking great for me.” He bites back another groan of pain at the next shift of his body as he just kneels down once more, having never moved from the spot he'd ended up to mend in. “Help me...” Felix is quick to lower down and sets down a medkit that he'd been carrying around with him earlier.

“That's your's, you shoul--”

“I will do what I must to keep you alive this trial Ace, don't doubt me.” Interrupted by that, it leaves Ace just watching him quietly as Felix gets everything gathered before he's reaching out to begin the healing process for him. Ace would have fought him on this but he was tired, it was because he'd nearly gotten taken by the Entity before Feng had finally gotten close enough to pull him down off the hook.

Felix wraps enough bandages around Ace's wound from the harpoon gun and once he pulls back, Ace can feel the energy come back to him that had been draining from him seconds earlier. Reaching up to that patchwork, he's blinking a few times before actually grabbing onto Felix's shirt again and pulling him into quite a tight hug despite his hands still shaking and proving he wasn't going to be okay till after the trial was done.

“Thank-- Thank you....”

It takes a few good seconds before Felix actually wraps his own arms around Ace in a protective manner. It's then that the last generator pops (Thank you Nea!) and the both of them feel energized from the adrenaline kicking in. 

“Let's get out of here?” Ace offers, “Yeah let's get to safety before he gets that mori he brought. I think it's last survivor.” It gets a huff out of the italian man, “You better not be the last one then!” Ace tears off after saying such as he's making sure that Felix follows. 

They were going to be okay for just another trial and their energy would come back like nothing happened at all.

[stardust-and-snickerdoodles]

Spitfire

fandom: Star Trek

pairing: Leonard McCoy x Reader

summary: Leonard McCoy comes to check on you when you’re stuck with a killer migraine.

warnings: migraines

word count: 1445

“Dammit Jim, I can’t just go gallivanting off into the blue to save damsels in distress at all times!”

Jim Kirk looks into the eyes of his best friend and tries to ignore the annoyance there. “Listen, Bones. First off, you’re not 'gallivanting into the blue.’ It’s just a couple floors down the ship. Second, she’s no damsel in distress, trust me.” Jim chuckled. “She’s got enough fight in her for a whole army. Except for when she’s down with a migraine. Seriously Bones,” Jim pleads, “just take a look. I’d really appreciate it.”

Leonard McCoy looks into the eyes of his best friend and tries to ignore the pitifulness there. But to no avail. “Fine. But you owe me.”

The resulting smile is like a sunbeam struck Leonard straight in his face. He rolls his eyes and turns to go gather his supplies.

…

Your head is exploding.

Or at least, it feels like it is.

The last hour of your life has been plagued by numerous hot and cold flashes, overwhelming nausea every time you move more than an inch, this killer headache, and an unwelcome call from your concerned cousin who also happens to be the Captain of the Enterprise.

This is not normal for you. You can expect at least two migraines a month. But this one is different. Yes, you’d had all the warning signs in the days leading up to the attack, but it’s like the intensity of your symptoms has been kicked up forty notches.

You try to stay as still as you can as you call out for the lights to lower completely. Up until then, they’d been set to 15% and you hadn’t had the energy nor the willpower to turn them off all the way (even if it felt like your eyelids were burning).

The quiet knock on your door feels like thunder crashing through your skull. “Dr. McCoy here,” a gruff voice calls out. “Lieutenant Y/L/N?”

You let out a soft moan. The last thing you want right now is to be poked and prodded to find out what’s wrong. This is Jim’s doing, you know.

The doctor’s voice comes again, quieter this time. “I’m going to use my medical override to come in.”

You groan silently. You know you probably looks like you’ve been hit by a truck. You haven’t brushed her hair, you’re lying in bed with only a pair of short shorts and a sports bra, and your makeup from last night is probably smeared all over your face. But you can’t do anything about it now, as you can hear McCoy punching in the code and it hurts too much to move.

The door opens with a click and the doctor steps inside. You open your eyes to narrow slits and are just able to make out his silhouette against the light of the hallway. You snap your eyes shut again as his quiet footsteps pad over.

“Hey,” McCoy’s voice is gentle. The bed dips to one side as he sits on the edge. “Jim wanted me to come check up on you. Said you’re down with a pretty bad migraine.”

Somehow McCoy’s voice is just quiet enough that you can listen to it without feeling like your skull is being beaten to death. You make a noncommittal noise and open your eyes again. The doctor’s features are barely visible in the dark, but you easily recognize the face of your cousin’s best friend.

McCoy reaches out to place the back of his hand against your forehead. It’s warm, but not alarmingly so. He does, however, notice the thin layer of perspiration there. “Do you think you could answer some questions?”

You murmur a quiet “yes” and close your eyes again.

“Scale of one to ten, what’s your headache at right now?”

“Eleven.”

McCoy feels his lips quirk up into what might be considered a pitying smile. “Light sensitivity, too, I’m guessing.”

“Yup.”

“Nausea?”

“Yup.”

“Vomiting?”

“Not yet,” you grumble. You expect it soon though.

“Anything else right now?”

“Hot and cold flashes every couple minutes.”

McCoy frowns. While hot flashes are a less than common migraine symptom, having both at the same time (and so close together) is concerning. “When did they start?”

You shrug and instantly regret the movement. Your neck and the base of your skull pulse with pain. You grit your teeth and answer slowly, “About an hour ago.” The pulsing diminishes to a dull throbbing and you sigh audibly. “Got any painkillers, doc? My head feels like the bass drum in a marching band.”

McCoy lets out a low grumble of laughter, but it is laced with regret. “Sorry kid, I want to find out what’s going on first. Any medication would dull your symptoms and make diagnosing you harder.” He eyes your form curled up in the bed, just barely able to make out the shape of your body in the darkness. He notices how your start shivering, first slowly, and then gradually increasing in intensity. “Cold flash, I’m guessing?”

“Y-yeah,” You say through chattering teeth. You can feel the goosebumps forming on your arms and torso. A soft blanket is suddenly draped over you, and you clutch it tightly. “Thanks,” you murmur, trying to control the trembling. The steady whirring of a tricorder helps you drift off into a feverish haze.

McCoy reads the results of his scan with a furrowed brow. The screen is bright and clear in the dark of the room. “When was the last time you ate?” he questions.

You startle out of your dream-like state, the movement sending your pain skyrocketing again. “I don’t remember,” she says, exhaling heavily. “What day is it?”

“Tuesday. Time eighteen hundred.”

“Hm,” You think as best you can through the haze in your mind, “Sunday, I think? Breakfast or lunch. I’ve been laid up here since then.”

“Your blood sugar is dangerously low, only 35 mg/dL. I’m honestly surprised you’re not on the brink of a coma yet.” McCoy looks again at your curled-up form. “Then again, maybe you are… Either way, we need to get your blood sugar back up.” McCoy takes out his penlight from his pocket and uses it to rummage around his medkit. “You’re going to have to eat something for me. Here,” he holds out a wrapped bar, “see if you can get that down.”

You reach out from under the covers and take the bar. Now that the doctor has mentioned it, your stomach is feeling extremely empty. You unwrap the bar as quietly as you can, flinching at each crinkle of the paper. Your first bite is hesitant, McCoy’s scrutinizing face still illuminated by the penlight. The bar is sweet and chocolatey, with a subtle medicinal taste.

“Slowly,” McCoy warns as you continue to take small bites. “Don’t want you puking all over the bed now.”

You grin slightly and finish off the bar.

McCoy scanned you with his tricorder again and reads the results with approval. Your blood sugar is already rising, the medical bar working quickly as he had hoped. He packs the tricorder back into his medkit. “Feeling better?”

You sigh contentedly and murmur, “Much. Thank you.” Your head is still being split with occasional lightning strikes of pain, but the shivering has mostly subsided.

“How often do you have migraines?” McCoy asks.

“At least twice a month,” You respond. “They’re not usually this bad, but I still have to take a day or two off most times.”

McCoy frowns. Migraines are hell to deal with and there is only so much he can do. But he doesn’t want to have you completely indisposed during an attack. “You should have come to see me if they were that bad,” he grumbles as he pokes around in his medkit again. He pulls out a hypo already preloaded with painkillers.

“Well I would have,” you say with as much ferocity as you can muster, “but I couldn’t exactly get out of bed when my head was exploding.”

McCoy smirks. You really are a spitfire. “I still want to run a complete scan when you feel up to it. Just to make sure there’s nothing serious going on.” He warns you of the incoming hypo and administers the medication.

“Ouch,” you say halfheartedly, already feeling drowsy. “Now I can see why Jim runs away from you.”

The doctor chuckles and packs up all of his things. “Go to sleep. I’ll be back in a few hours to check up on you.”

“Sure thing, doc,” comes your tired reply. You allow your eyes to drift closed and fall asleep before McCoy has even left the room.

[atelier-dayz]

⭐star⭐

The Patching Up Scene! 8D

After they hand off an excited Skywalker to the pilots in the cockpit, Jango isn’t completely sure why he follows Kenobi, though part of it is curiosity and another part practicality. Kenobi shoots him a questioning look when they reach his quarters. 

“Do you need help with some of those wounds?” he offers. There’s one he can see, wrapping around Kenobi’s right side to his back. Jetii powers or not, he doubts Kenobi can treat it properly on his own. 

“Oh…” Kenobi hesitates for a moment, but ultimately nods. “Yes, please, if you don’t mind.”

Okay, I honestly did not plan for this scene to happen! It just naturally happened, the next logical thing. Obvs Jango likes Obi, but also after a battle, you patch up your fighters. Nothing to question about it. *nods*

Between the two of them, they gather up the ship’s medkit, a small basin for the antiseptic wash, and a few scraps of clean cloth, before returning to the jetiise’s room. 

The moment Kenobi unties his belt and starts unwrapping his tabard and tunics, sand begins skittering to the floor. Jango eyes the growing pile, thankful it isn’t his problem to clean up. 

“Shouldn’t have laid down in the sand. You’ll be getting rid of it for days,” he says, and Kenobi shoots him a weak glare.

“I was tired,” Kenobi grumbles. “Besides, sand gets everywhere anyways.”

Kenobi strips down to his smalls with all the modesty -- or rather, lack thereof -- of a warrior who has been in front of too many medics. The myriad of scars of different ages on his body is certainly evidence of that. Jango is still baffled, because he’s fairly sure jetiise were less...careless with their padawans than that, but he saves those questions for later.

Obi’s childhood, man...and the scars you see are only the ones on the outside.

The wounds from the darjetii, now fully visible, makes Jango want to hiss in sympathy. Kenobi has two shallow burns on his left arm and one on his right forearm to join the old jetii’kad scars. But the Zabrak had cut deep into Kenobi’s right upper arm. Jango couldn’t quite see bone, but Kenobi is kriffing lucky to not have any nerve damage - at least, not that he could tell. Other than the wound that wraps around Kenobi’s side that he’d noted earlier, the last is a slash across the side of his left thigh, not as deep as the ugly one on his arm but deep enough. 

I imagine some of the old lightsaber sabers came from too many tussles with Bruck.

You’ve got some pretty important nerves and arteries in your upper arm ie the radial nerve LOL The outer side of your thigh, not as much, hence the instructions for epipen injections to be given against the side of your thigh. 8D /random trivia

He’s honestly impressed that Kenobi could walk or move his arms so freely, much less continue fighting the way he had.

“Well, at least you’re not bleeding,” is all Jango can say. 

Hurraaay instant cauterization (oof the burned tissue though)

Kenobi grimaces and sits himself down on the bunk they’d set the supplies on. 

“Painkillers?” Jango asks, opening the medkit. 

Kenobi shakes his head. “I’m alright for now. Perhaps before I sleep,” Kenobi says. “The Force helps me dull the pain.” 

Jango huffs. More jetii sorcery, though that explains a lot. 

He finds the antiseptic wash and pours it into the basin over the cloth they’d collected. They clean their hands, and Kenobi starts wiping clean his left arm, careful over the burns. 

I almost glossed over this stuff, but it pained me to not mention CLEAN HANDS. Clean hands during wound care, folks. I restrained myself from having them dig out gloves or something LOL

“I’ve got your side,” Jango warns Kenobi, before pressing a dampened cloth to his right side. He starts cleaning the wound from Kenobi’s front before moving to his back. 

Jango should have expected it, but somehow he hadn’t. Up close, he sees barely-there Lichtenberg scars that he’s seen before on others, from electro-jabbers held too long against skin. He also sees whip scars across Kenobi’s upper back, faded enough for Jango to tell he had gotten them far too young. 

The slave guards on Bandomeer, to quote, “beat them savagely with an electro-jabber.” I imagine prolonged contact with an electro-jabber would lead to injury and scarring like you’d see in a lighting strike but smaller/more localized. (Note: Some caution if you  google what it looks like!)

“How old were you?” he can’t help himself from asking, but managing at least to keep the words less sharp than he had wanted.

“What?” Kenobi starts to twist to look at him but thinks better of it. 

Jango brushes a hand along one of the whip scars instead of explaining, and Kenobi stiffens for a moment, before relaxing. He moves on to cleaning his leg wound, and Jango thinks he might not answer, which is fair. Jango resumes cleaning the side wound. 

“I was just shy of thirteen," Kenobi suddenly says. "Deepsea mining on Bandomeer."

Jango curses under his breath and has to keep himself from inadvertently pressing too hard on Kenobi’s wound.

Thirteen, as a mining slave. A deepsea mining slave. 

Every slave knows that deepsea mining is the one of the worst positions to be in. The life expectancy is five to ten years maximum. Kriffing hell, some slavers use deepsea mining as a threat to make their slaves behave.

This I unfortunately based on what I learned about slavery on sugar cane plantations in the (American) South. Being sent South, to a sugar cane plantation, was a threat (Northern) slave owners would use to make their slaves behave. Life expectancy decreased dramatically if you were working on a sugar cane plantation. (If you’re in New Orleans for tourist purposes, many people recommend Oak Alley Plantation. But that’s because it’s very pretty. It glosses over its history of slavery though, and its tour focuses on the owners. Please go visit Whitney Plantation too. They do not gloss over the history and all the awful things that happened there. The tour guides are phenomenal, and you learn a lot from them.)

"It was only for a week, but it was long enough to...understand," Kenobi murmurs.

Long enough for him to have scars to this day. To say nothing about however it must have kriffed him up at thirteen. 

"One day would have been too long," Jango growls. "Where was your jetii master in all this?" 

He gestures roughly at Kenobi’s right arm, and Kenobi holds out his arm for Jango. Jango begins carefully cleaning around the deep wound. 

“He wasn’t my master then,” Kenobi says. “To make a long and rather complicated story short, I had been sent away to AgriCrops on Bandomeer as a--failed initiate, and got myself involved in Master Qui-gon’s mission on Bandomeer. I discovered Offworld Mining tampering with AgriCorps and was captured...I woke up as a slave on one of their deepsea mining platforms.”

Even that sparse a recounting is too much to unpack. But foremost on his mind, the jetiise had sent Kenobi away to be a farmer? With everything Kenobi has said and especially considering the duel Jango had just witnessed...had they been blind? If there is such a thing as a good jetii, Kenobi is likely it. 

👀👀👀 @ Jango

“How’d you get out?” Jango asks.

“Master Qui-gon found me. He disabled my collar, and we escaped the guards. We managed to disable the other slaves’ collars once we were on the mainland as well. They revolted and freed themselves,” Kenobi says with a small quirk of his lips.

Jango grunts in approval. “Good on them.” He drops his cloth into the basin. “Let’s get patches on your burns and your side. Your arm definitely needs stitches. It’s up to you on the leg.”

Kenobi looks at his leg wound thoughtfully. “Are there any of those deep incision BactaBonds?” he asks. “If not, then stitches will do.”

Mentioned it on AO3, but I based BactaBond off of Dermabond. it’s Dermabond but more magical because bacta.

Jango pulls out all the bacta patches they’ll need for Kenobi’s burns and side wound before digging around the kit. Sure enough, he finds a tube of BactaBond and the roll of mesh tape that came with it. 

“You’re in luck.”

He hands the BactaBond and the mesh tape to Kenobi. Kenobi nods in thanks and begins fixing up his leg wound. Jango starts placing patches over the wound wrapping around his side. 

Okay, so I want to note that when you have burnt up tissue, you’re supposed to remove the dead tissue when cleaning up burns because that dead tissue isn’t gonna do you much, but I didn’t want to get more detailed than I already was, and I decided to just...handwave it as part of the magical bacta healing effect LOL

They work in silence. Jango knows from experience the BactaBond and mesh tape can be an absolute kriffing pain to apply properly, so he tries not to disturb Kenobi as he finishes patching up his side. 

He waits for Kenobi to finish with the mesh tape before handing him some dressing to cover the whole thing. They quickly cover up the burns on Kenobi’s arms with bacta patches before finally addressing the deep cut on his right arm. 

“Are you sure you don’t want pain killers?” Jango asks, assessing the wound. It really is a nasty injury. With the BactaBond, he could probably get away with one layer of stitches instead of two or three.

“I will be alright,” Kenobi says again and hands Jango the BactaBond. 

Jango grunts. “Suit yourself.” 

He applies the BactaBond into the wound before pressing the wound edges firmly together. Kenobi doesn’t even flinch, sitting there quietly with his eyes closed while Jango picks up the suture needle and begins stitching close the wound. 

I would like to draw this scene one day. Or someone can draw it for me. LOL 

After some consideration, Jango says, “I was sold to a spice transport.” He keeps his focus on closing the wound as tidily as he can, but he can feel Kenobi’s gaze on his face. “I was there for two years.”

"...How did you end up escaping?" he asked.

"Pirates attacked the ship. I freed myself in the confusion and ended up making a deal with the pirates.”

“Quite a few pirates would take the spice and the slaves…” Kenobi remarks.

“I had the upper hand on them. Besides, ‘Hondo Ohnaka would never deal with slavery’,” he quotes, “or so he claims.”

"Ah," Kenobi says in the tone of everyone who has ever met Hondo Ohnaka. Jango pauses in his suturing to look at Kenobi.

"You’ve met." 

Kenobi sighs, sounding as exasperated as anyone who has dealt with Ohnaka. “It was a very...trying mission.” He smiles wryly. 

HONDO OHNAKA IS A DELIGHT. Also I love the idea that the pirates who attacked that spice transport and gave Jango the opportunity to escape were Hondo’s crew. Idea thanks to blue_sunshine’s Desert Storm.

Also the ways in which Jango and Obi can connect with their experiences. Just aaaaaaah *flailing Kermit*

“I am not surprised.” Jango finishes up the sutures and assesses his handiwork. It’ll do. “Patch or plain dressing on top?” he asks. He thinks plain dressing would do just fine, but the patch might not hurt considering the extent of the wound.

Kenobi gestures to the patch, so Jango applies the patch. 

“Done. Listen to Jinn and get some rest. I was tired just watching that fight,” Jango says.

Kenobi gives him a half-hearted glare, but doesn’t make a word in protest as Jango stands and starts collecting all their first aid detritus. Despite his protests, Jango suspects Kenobi’s ready to pass out. 

An hour long high speed lightsaber duel in the sand. Can’t believe Obi wasn’t asleep on his feet. LOL

[savage-rhi]

Can you do one where Higgs protects you from his Uncle. And the reader patches him up afterwards? Thanks 💕

Some fucked up childhood trauma fresh off the grill coming your way hon! 

“You little fucking rat!” The piercing yell of the older man echoed throughout the woods as Y/N ran for their life, trying to head for the thickest part of the terrain as possible. There were hardly any trees save for dead ones, but there were plenty of huge boulders to hide behind. Y/N took shelter behind a large one with moss growing all around the sides, tucking themselves in between two smaller rocks. 

Shuddering from adrenaline shutting down, they could feel the soles of their feet radiate with pain. Y/N brought their legs close to their body, seeing that the rocky surface of the ground had sliced up a good part of their shoes. The old things were wearing thin for a while, it was only a matter of time. Y/N could see they were bleeding, but they had the medkit on them that they raided from the bunker. Patching themselves up wouldn’t be an issue, but they worried about the boy back there. The one who was maybe a few years older than them. The one that distracted ‘Daddy’ long enough for them to escape. 

Hours later, and it was nearly the afternoon. The sun would be setting, and Y/N knew they needed to get to a Timefall shelter before MULEs would come out for their nightly raids. Before Y/N could start packing, they heard a sound and froze. Terror went down their spine, thinking the old man found them until Y/N saw it was the boy, Higgs. He came around the corner, a black eye greeting them. His nose was bloody, face pummeled in, and his arms looked scuffed. Like he had rolled himself in glass. 

“Oh my god,” Y/N whispered as Higgs offered a smile, his trembling hands held out a few ration packs, offering them to Y/N. 

“T-these are what you came for, r-right?” He managed to choke out. Even his vocals were strained. Y/N could only imagine the screams and yells that escaped from his small lungs. 

“Higgs, what about--I can’t believe you got these--” Y/N said, feeling guilt wash over themselves as they gently took the ration packs from him. Higgs collapsed, bringing his body to the boulder to prop his back up. He stared out to the sky, admiring the shades of pinks and purples. The awe in his eyes was telling to Y/N, this was his first time seeing the world above ground. 

“So this is what it’s like...” Higgs murmured, his voice hoarse and dry. Y/N snapped out of their thoughts, opening the medkit up and started taking out the necessary bandages and such to patch him up. 

Y/N spent a great deal cleaning the blood off of Higgs, the entire time he kept looking at the sky. His eyes glazed, ignoring the stinging pain and Y/N moving his broken body about. The young boy felt like he could die right then and there, seeing that heaven was so close. Even the fresh hair that gently hit his face made Higgs feel like he was being born again. 

“Higgs, Higgs--” Y/N gently shook him by the shoulders, getting him to look at them. 

“Don’t stay back there, run away with me.” Y/N pleaded, then went back to stop the bleeding on his head. They glanced down at his right arm, seeing purple blotches and blue knuckles. No doubt the whole thing was more than likely broken. 

“Don’t go back to that man. I don’t care if he’s your daddy. No dad should be like that to their son.” Y/N said, wishing they could have done something to help Higgs back there considering all that he had done. 

Y/N had a brief flashback to earlier in the week, how they got separated from their community by MULEs and found the bunker. How they went inside after hacking the entrance and made themselves a small place to hide in the large pantry. There was so much food, Y/N knew they’d be able to last for a while until they could safely leave or if the community went looking for them. 

“Y/N,” Higgs choked out, eyes blinking. 

Higgs discovering Y/N was scary. All his life, Higgs was told no one else but he and Daddy existed. That everyone got taken away by the Dead Things. Seeing Y/N was like seeing an unknown creature, something he had only read in books yet here they were. Alive and well, just like him. Higgs knew Daddy’s temper was awful, and he knew Daddy would kill Y/N so he swore he’d protect them. He made sure they were safe, comfortable, and asked so many questions about the outside world that Higgs’s mind was filled with imagination and wonder for the first time in years. There was something to behold outside the bunker. There was a world waiting for him.

Higgs should have known Daddy was bound to catch onto Y/N’s presence. All it took was one little crumb they accidentally left behind from a piece of bread Higgs gave to them. It was amazing despite how crazy the old man was, how he was like a bloodhound. As soon as Daddy saw Y/N in the pantry, he started beating them horribly until Higgs showed up and jumped the old man. They struggled as Y/N rushed for the exit, with Daddy following behind as he stomped and punched Higgs back even though the boy kept on coming for more. 

When Daddy realized he couldn’t catch Y/N, Higgs experienced ferocity like no other. His body memorized each jab, replaying it like a record. Higgs was used to the pain though. The beating he took was nothing compared to others that had come before. Daddy never beat him enough to kill, no. But he made sure to set an example. Higgs was sure that he would be up for another round once he’d sneak back to the bunker after helping Y/N. 

“I-I can’t just leave him. He’ll be--all alone,” Higgs said sadly as Y/N shook their head, patching his broken arm up the best they could. 

“He’ll kill you Higgs, like he tried to kill me.” Y/N could still feel that man’s grip around their neck, and one of their hands instinctively went to their throat, swearing for a moment they could feel Daddy’s fingertips yet again. 

“Where will I go? Who is gonna take care of me? I don’t--I don’t know this world.” Higgs said, feeling anxiety build in his gut. He yearned so much to be free, but now that he was out, Daddy’s words and mantras warning him about the outside world was beginning to eat away at his mind and heart. 

Y/N shook their head, offering a smile as they tried to keep their composure. Tears wanted to fall from their eyes, sorry to see the poor state Higgs was in. How he had to live in hell all this time and no one knew until now. 

“Y-you can come with me! My mama and papa will take care of you. You can be my brother or we can find you a new family. The community I come from will love you. I know they’re searching for me. Higgs, we can take care of each other. I know how to survive out here. Just stick with me, you’ll never have to be hurt again.” 

Higgs, despite how tough the boy was, felt himself break down hearing such words. He whimpered, sniffling before he fell forward onto Y/N, his face in their chest as he sobbed. Y/N was in shock but slowly wrapped their arms around him, patting Higgs’s head. 

“I’ll take care of you like you took care of me.” Y/N said, making a promise to him as Higgs shuddered in their arms. 

[blackmist111]

Present

Warnings: swearing, self-degrading, injured, a bit blood, cheating, angst and shitty fic.

Word Count:  4565

A/N: This is my first fic. It’s shitty and bad. So….be kind! or be mean lol idk. Let me know what you think. So, this is bad because a) I’m not a writer, b) I’m not the type of a person that is good at describing feelings. I can feel things but not good at telling or describing them lol. Btw, I do not take requests. This is just an idea that has been in my head for like…forever I think. Forgive me if there’s any grammar error. Also! I was listening to The Christmas Song (Amazon Original) by JoJo while writing this (pretty fucked up of me writing angst fic while listening to a happy song lol). And Merry Christmas!

Notes: Reader is Jensen’s sister from The Losers. And the conversation between Natasha and Bucky is from American Horror Story : Hotel.

Summary: You got an early Christmas gift this year.

They are all blindly coming towards ‘you’ right now. Stupid. Smiling as you check all their cameras and leader’s coms in this cozy small café. Everything is going smoothly as you planned. Going on a mission like this really annoyed you because it takes patients, lots of plans and doing undercover. It’s not like you can’t do it, come on, you were trained by SHIELD and some of your fellow Avengers.

Watching them all went to one of the bunkers, hallways full of guarded armies ready to shoot. And with one click, all of that place explodes. Now their army’s busy dealing with that, all you gotta do is go to their leader and take the most dangerous microchip that can make the whole world chaos.

You pack your laptop and stuff, and pay your coffee. Your specialty is hacking, like your brother, Jensen. Only he’s more into military and you used to work at a tech company. The reason you being an Avenger was you hacked into SHIELD system after Loki’s tragedy in New York, trying to know who are these super heroes. Read all their information that you’re not supposed to know. And also stole three millions from Tony Stark. What? That man’s loaded anyway. One day before you’re going to work, suddenly all the electricity at your apartment were cut out. You open your bedroom door, and saw 15 SHIELD agents pointing guns at you. Turns out that nobody, NOBODY has ever hacked into SHIELD and Tony Stark system. Took 30 people to make the system unbreakable.

Turning off your car’s engine. Now you are currently at the leader’s mansion. Sneaking in from the back door to his office. Going undercover for ten months and got the access in this mansion, you memorised it like the back of your hands. Just as you thought, he is in there. knocking out the leader after taking that microchip and suddenly one of the maids saw you. Turns out she’s also a trained guard too. She picked up a knife and throws it towards you. Almost hit at your hand but you quickly turned to her and about to shoot her, but at the same time she already picked up another knife and running towards you. She threw herself at you but it’s too late for her because you already shot her. Actually it’s too late for the both of you because when you shot her, the knife is already when through your left side.

Pushing her body to the side, look down at place that you’ve been stabbed. Guess you got lucky because the cut didn’t deep enough to cause you to lose consciousness…yet. You try to stand up slowly while pressing the wound. Once you’re sure you can stand up properly, you making your way out of there.

“I got the chip and get Carlos ready with his medkit” you inform while driving. “Copy that. We’re almost there” after that, tossing the phone aside and place your hand on the wound. “Great. Just….great. Now how am I supposed to go to that party” talking to yourself.

When you arrive at the meeting point, the Quinjet is already there waiting for you. After you safely got in the Quinjet, Agent Carlos immediately by your side helping you to the chair that’s already look like a small bed. You don’t know how he did that but it is a bed now.

“Where is it?” Carlos asked, while his eyes searching you body.

“On my left side. Just a small stab” you chuckled “but you better hurry up ‘cause I’m starting to feel kinda dizzy”

Carlos help you laying down and getting started to treat your wound.

“Can you believe Stefani did this?”

“No way. I thought you were cool with her?” Carlos shocked.

“Uh uh. Swear to god, I think she was a ninja or something”

“A hot ninja” Carlos smirk at you. “Come on, man. She stabbed me” you whine. “Now, be gentle! It’s starting to hurt” you told him.

“I am! Now quiet”

After feeling like forever, you can’t stand the dead silent around you. So, you raise your head a little bit so that you can see Agent Kevin that’s flying the Quinjet. “Hey Kevin, would you please turn on some Christmas jazz or Christmas song or anything? I don’t wanna pass out in this dead silent” without wasting time, Kevin did what you asked him.

“You think we can make it to the party?” You asked to both of them.

“Hell yeah we can” Kevin said “When I’m flying, you bet your ass you’re gonna make it either early or on time” Kevin smiling at both of you and Carlos.

You don’t know how long you have been passed out but you wake up when Quinjet’s landing. Slowly you get up, you winced when you feel the pain on your side.

“Careful there. Y/n, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go to the party” Carlos said concerning, followed with Kevin said 'yeah’ behind, agreeing with him. “You need to get check that up in medbay” Kevin continue.

“No no no. It’s Christmas eve’s party guys. Pretty sure it’s gonna be awesome and I miss my girl” you smile at them, already making your way out of the Quinjet “plus, I think you patched me up quite good. Look!” With that, you do a lousy 'heel click’ jump they ever see.

Groaning, you immediately regret doing that. Both of them just sighs and follow you into the building.

-

After you cleaned yourself up, you making your way to the party wearing a simple cream thin turtleneck tuck in a navy pantsuit and white sneakers. When you got there the party is on full swing, some of them dancing, chatting and at the bar. You’re trying to look for your friends and your girlfriend, finally you found Steve, Bruce and Maria at the bar.

“Hey guys!”

“Y/n! You’re back!” Maria hugging you. “good to see you, y/n” Steve raising his glass at you. The four of you ended up chatting for awhile until Steve and Maria excuse themselves and left you with Bruce.

“So y/n, are you…okay?” Bruce asked you while sipping his drink.

“Of course. Why are you asking?” You asked back confusedly.

“Because since you got here, I saw that you’re always kept placing your right hand to your side” Bruce placing his drink on the counter. His attention is fully on you now.

You sigh. There’s nothing to hide you guess, and told him about your wound. Bruce almost drag you out of the party but you made sure that you are indeed okay. Sure, you still feel the pain and kinda dizzy but you’re missed too much of being home and not to forget, your girlfriend. Speaking of girlfriend, you ask Bruce about Natasha “do you happen to see Natasha, Bruce?”

“No…but before you came here I thought I saw her talking with some agents” Bruce looking around trying to find her.

“Oh okay. Well, I think I’m gonna look for her. See ya, green guy”

“A-are you SURE you’re okay?”

“100%! Don’t worry about me. Let’s just enjoy the party, pleaseee? It’s been like, what? 10 months?” you smiling at him “but-”

“Come on! It’s Christmas, Bruce. Enjoy a little bit” you cutting him and then leave to look for your girlfriend.

After 15 minutes asking your friends where is Natasha, you took a seat at the bar. “Can I have an ice water, please?” You asked, the bartender nodded and give you your order. All these walking and talking making you feel exhausted and thirsty “You look like you’re lost. Looking for someone?” The bartender asked.

You drink half of your water with a one gulp. “Actually, yeah. I’m looking for Natasha Romanoff, have you seen her?”

“I think I saw her, like 10 minutes ago. She left and went to that way and up” he’s pointing at the stairs behind you.

“Oh thanks! And the water too” with that information, you went up to the stairs. Looks like it’s gonna be a long night you think. 10 minutes looking for her in these meeting rooms and debriefing rooms, you stop for awhile and went to your office. Where is she? Is she playing hide and seek with me? You thought. Sitting at your office desk, sighing but winced at the pain, you look down at your sweater and found that there’s blood on it. You pull it up and see that the cut starts to bleed a little and blood soaks through the bandage and your sweater. Guess I really need to go to medbay. You thought. Pulling it down, you log on to your computer. Still not giving up, you went into a security cameras and looking 20 minutes before you arrived at you office.

Finally, you see her in the footage. It’s true she went to the stairs but she took the elevator to her room. With that, not wasting any time you get up and going to her room. You and Natasha has been together for almost two years and the mission you just got back took you 10 months without contact anyone except your backup, Carlos and Kevin. Forget this wound 'cause you’re missing your girlfriend like crazy. Your relationship is still not on the 'share a room’ level but when you were on that last mission, you actually thought maybe you could ask her.

Natasha is the first person that actually care about you. Not like your exes. They used you either for their ego boost or sex and most of them are narsissists. But Natasha, she cares about you, she listens and remember the little things about you that even you, don’t even realize that you always do. And it makes you for the first time feel appreciated by someone that actually loves you back. Not just one sided.

-

It usually took you at least three minutes to her room from your office. But this time seems like three hours. Maybe it’s just a dizzy thinking. You thought. Arrived at her room, you heard loud music coming from her room. Knocking on her door twice still no answer. Maybe she’s taking a shower. You thought.

You open the door slowly, you hear heavy breathing. What is this song Nat’s been listening to? You thought. And then, moans….you hear moans. You went in two feet from the door, and saw Natasha straddling and grinding on a guy in her bed. Both of them naked. You don’t know what to say or even do anything. That guy. That guy has a metal arm. You don’t know much guys that has a metal arm.

“Nat….” You whispered. You immediately get out from that room. Went to the elevator and pressing the first floor button. The dizzy have became a headache and you’re sweating but at the same time you feel cold. Besides that, you’re supposed to, you know, crying? Because you just saw your girlfriend cheating on you with your friend.

You’re not the angry or emotional type of person. But this is the time you’re supposed to cry or angry or FEEL something. You feel numb. Making your way out from the elevator to the front door. You need to get out from here. Now.

“Y/n?” Ugh not now. You thought. You keep walking to the door.

“Hey, are you okay?” It’s Bruce that found you here. “I’m okay, Bruce” He walks and stand in front of you, blocking your way. “Y/n, you look so pale” he’s putting his hands on your shoulders trying to get a better look at you “oh my god. You’re burning up, y/n” he said that after putting the back of his hand on your forehead.

“Let’s get you to the medbay” he’s about to guide you back to the elevator. But you immediately protest by squeezing his arm. “Please. Not here, Bruce. Please. Not in this buildin-” without finishing the sentence, you pass out in Bruce’s arms.

-

Opening your eyes, you realized that you’re not in medbay or in your room. This is someone else’s room. You began to panic and started to get up in a sitting position but winced at the pain on your side.

“You shouldn’t do that” Bruce walking in the room with a glass and a water bottle in his hands. Putting them on the bedside table, he’s sitting on the bed beside you.

“Where am I?” You asked him with a hoarse voice. Hearing that, he turned to the bedside table took the water bottle, pour it into the glass and hand it to you. “You’re at my place right now” watching you drink “you’ve been passed out for almost two days. And I already treat your cut and changed the bandage” Bruce explained to you.

Hearing this makes you feel a little relieved until “did you tell anyone?”

Bruce sighs.

“Bruce”

“No, y/n. I don’t because before you passed out, you looked so pale and you’re kinda begging me not to go to that building” you exhale loudly, closing your eyes feeling fully relieved.

“Y/n. Do you want to tell me why you’re avoiding that place?”

You close your eyes for a moment. Besides Natasha, Bruce is the closest friend to you. And that is why he did exactly what you told him before you passed out.

“Its okay if you’re not ready. I underst-”

“She cheated on me” the tears started to gather in your eyes. Trying to hold it by clenching your jaw, while looking at the wall in front of you. Your vision was blurry and it was difficult for you to see clearly

Silence.

Bruce looking you at shocked. There’s a million questions that he wants to ask but refuse to do so because looks like you’re not finish. A minute after a silence, finally you look at him “she cheated on me, Bruce” your voice crack. Tears slowly spilled over the sides of your eyes. Bruce holding your hands.

“With who?”

You sniffled, still trying to look strong. “Bucky” you whispered, looking at him. Bruce slowly pulling you hands and hugging you. “I’m so sorry, y/n��� he comforts you. Pulling away from him, wiping your tears.

“You know, a small part of me already knew that this is gonna happen. It’s because I always have this bad luck when it comes to love. I don’t know what have I done wrong but when I think of it maybe it’s me. I’m the problem. I didn’t pay attention to her, hell I can’t even give what Bucky’s can, to make her full. I-I’m still not ready to do that stage in this relationship. After all these years, all my exes used me. I even told her about that and she said she’s completely understand and willing to wait. I loved her, Bruce. So much. Seeing her with him on her bed, I….I-I don’t know. When we were making it official, I know its too good to be true. Look at her. And look at me. She’s way WAY out of my league. And Bucky…they have so much in common. Make sense now. I was too stupid too realize it. To think that I have a chance with her. Stupid, useless, hopeless piece of shi-”

“Stop. Stop right there” Bruce cutting you off your rambling. Listening to what you’ve just said making his blood boiled “You are not stupid or anything that you said. You’re not the one to blame here, y/n. They are. And they’re gonna pay for what they did to you” Bruce told you angrily and his voice crack almost turning to Hulk’s voice.

Hearing this, you saw his veins starting to turn green too. And immediately holding his hands to keep him calm. “No no. Breathe, Bruce. Breathe” you tried to calm him down. He took a couple of deep breaths and rubbing his temples. “It’s okay. I don’t want to hurt anybody”

“But you’re hurting, y/n”

“I know…but it’s alright. I’ve dealt with this many times before. I can do it one more” you smile at him but all he sees is a broken smile with tears in your eyes. “So,” sniffing and wiping the remaining tears on your cheeks “how was you Christmas?”

“It was uh…it was good I guess” he said, sighing “and thanks to you because if you’re not here I guess I’ll be spending Christmas here alone” giving you a small smile.

“I’m sorry I’ve ruined your Christmas”

“No, you’re not. You never ruin anything. Come here” Bruce pulling you for a hug.

-

“It’s been three weeks, y/n. I think she’s getting suspicious and worry” Bruce said while both of you having breakfast.

“She even interrogating two agents that went to the same mission with you” hearing this, you only chuckled. Poor those two bastards. “Did she ask you anything?”

“Yeah, asked me if I saw you. I only said that I talked to you during that party. Steve also were there too to confirm that” he inform you, while cutting his pancakes to pieces.

Both of you talk about anything else after that. By the time you both finished breakfast, Bruce getting ready to go to Avengers Facility. And you hopping on the couch with your laptop, ready to watch your favorite show. “Alright. I’ll see you in…I’ll see you when I see you” smiling at you.

“Okay. Don’t forget to eat, Bruce” with that Bruce making his way to the door and off to work.

-

It’s 1 pm and you’re feeling bored. You got out from the couch and searching for some snacks and return back to your laptop. Staring at your laptop, you’ve thought about this since last week but can’t seem to do it. Hacking the Avengers building’s security cameras.

Feeling hesitant for a moment but when you think of it, there’s nothing harm doing it. It’s just a normal day for you, for them. Nothing’s weird gonna happen. You began your work hacking into the system. Took you five minutes to made into the system without they tracking you.

First, you see Steve training with Wanda. And then you move to another camera and saw Maria having a meeting with agents in the meeting room. Seems pretty normal. You’re about to move to the kitchen’s camera but accidentally move to another meeting room’s camera. That’s when you saw Natasha and Bucky debriefing agents in a bigger meeting room.

You feel like your heart stops beating. Seeing her for the first time after that incident with him makes you stop breathing and the world suddenly becomes five times slower. Turning up the sound a little bit so you can hear what they’re talking about. And hearing her voice makes it even worse. That voice used to be the most favorite sound of your entire life. For three weeks you’ve been avoiding this feeling, avoid all the tears, trying to be strong. Even Bruce worry about you not crying or screaming or something. You’re just sitting here, alone, staring and not talking. Bruce find it really disturbing that you’re acting so calm.

But you’re not calm. There’s so many emotions that are fighting in you and begging you to let it all out after all these years of being used. No, that’s a weak person would do. Emotions.

After 30 minutes watching them with tears on your cheeks, all agents finally done with the meeting and making their way out from there except Natasha and Bucky.

She followed the last agent to the door, closed it and locked. Wiping the tears on your eyes for you to see clearly. She turned around and walking back to Bucky. “How’s everything with y/n? Any sign of her?”

“Still nothing. Couldn’t find her anywhere. Seems like she’s disappeared” Natasha sighed, Bucky turning to her “Hey, it’s going be okay, Nat. Probably she’s on another mission?”

“No, she’s not. Agent Carlos and Agent Kevin’s reports said that she were injured during that mission. Even Steve and Bruce talked to her at the party” she said, frustrated.

“It’s going to be alright. She’ll turn up anytime soon, hm?” Bucky looking at her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I-I’m just….worry” she hugging Bucky.

Bucky hug her back but after that his hand move down to squeeze her ass. “Mmm I love it when you do that” she said. They began kissing passionately until Natasha slowly pulling away “and love that too” pecking his lips “everything” she smiling at him.

“But I thought you love y/n”

“I do love her. But at the same time you make me feel woman enough when I’m with you” Natasha explained.

“Natalia…you are woman enough for me. When I look at you, I see something of my vanished world”

“We can have that world again. Right now” with that they’re both started to kiss each other and you slam your laptop screen closed. Crying your eyes out like there is no tomorrow.

You wake up and your surrounding is dark. You fell asleep, exhausted after crying. Looking at the clock, it’s 12 am. Getting up and go to the kitchen drinking some water. Looking for something to eat but guess this morning’s breakfast was the last supply that Bruce have. You have to eat something because when your stomach’s empty, you’re going to get a headache and that’s the last thing you want. So, moving to bathroom washing your face. Remove tears stains. Looking at your pathetic self in the mirror that can’t make Natasha woman enough. Worthless. You sighed and take your phone dialing Bruce’s number.

“Hello?”

“Hey, when you’re gonna get home?”

“Uh probably late or just gonna crash here. Whats up?”

“Oh cool. Just letting you know that, there’s no food here!”

“Shit. I forgot”

“The hell you are!” You heard Bruce chuckled.

“Okay okay. Listen, there’s a 24 hours convenience store around the block. Buy anything you want, there’s some cash in the bowl beside the tv. Or order a pizza if you want”

Looking at the tv, you saw there is a bowl. Walking there, you took out the cash and count it. There’s four hundred bucks. More than enough. “Found it! Alright I’m going out”

“Be careful, okay” after that both of you said goodbye. Picking up you jacket and walking out the door to the convenience store.

Walking outside really make you head feels a little bit clear. Even though, your heart still hurts. She’s happy now, y/n. You’re just in her way. You thought. In the store, picking out some snacks, sodas and a couple packs of ramen. Wow, what are you? A college student? You’re at the candy isle still couldn’t decide what chocolate brand you’re gonna buy, there’s a boy not too far from you. Looks like he’s 10 years old, looking at all the candies in front of him.

He picked one of them and immediately putting it in his jacket. When he’s about to do the same, you walked to him “Stop” putting your hand on his shoulder. He turned around, eyes wide from shocked that he got caught shoplifting. You asked him why he did it, and he told you that he’s so hungry and there’s no food at home and he lives with his grandpa. His grandpa only can afford a meal for a day. Hearing this, makes your heart broken even more and told him to empty his pockets. And take anything he needs, and you’re gonna pay for him.

He hugged you and says 'thank you’ to you like 20 times, non-stop. You chuckled. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Lucas”

Both of you picking out things that you both needed together. When you’re about to walk to the cashier with Lucas, you see a man holding out a gun at the cashier. “Now and make it quick!”

The robber probably thinks that the store was empty because he didn’t see both of you not too far behind him. You’re about to take a step towards the robber but Lucas pulling back your hand. You look back at him, he’s shaking his head trying to tell you that its a bad idea what you are about to do. Seeing this, you handing him your cash “here, take this. Once I got his attention, you get some help” he quickly nodding his head. “Now go hide” Lucas turned away but you pull him back “and please. No more stealing”

“I promise” with that, he went back to hiding from the robber’s sight.

Slowly you making your way behind the robber, kicking the back of his knee and smacking your elbow to his head making him fall to the ground. But the gun is still in his hand. Stepping on his hand to make him let go of the gun. “Now, Lucas!”

The boy immediately ran out of the store, looking for help. Kicking away the gun from him and making sure the cashier is alright but once the cashier about to answer, the robber got up and body-slamming you to the ground. Unfortunately, your head hit the ground first, made you feel kinda dizzy and a bit disoriented. But you shake it off and got up. You tried to punch him but he dodged it and punch you in your stomach so hard that you fell on your back. The cashier turn on the alarm and hearing this, the robber panicked and hit the cashier until his unconscious. And he picked up his gun, pointing at you “stay down! Or imma shoot you!”

You slowly get up, holding up your hands out in front of you “you don’t have to do this”

“Shut up!”

“Don’t do it-”

Bang.

The robber ran away after he shot you. You feel slight stinging and look down at your stomach there’s a blood pouring out through your shirt. You started to slowly stumbling backwards and fell while holding your stomach. So here you are sitting down, putting a pressure down to your stomach. Suddenly you remembered what your brother told you what it feels like when he got shot “just a little pinch. Nothing’s hurt” his voice echoing in your head.

The thing is, this is nothing like a pinch at all. You feel burning radiating through your core. As you sitting there waiting for help to come, you began fading in and out of consciousness. Finally you saw Lucas coming in rushing beside you.

“Hold on, okay. The help is coming”

“Thanks, kid” you smiled at him “but I don’t think I’m gonna make it” you groan, the burning in your stomach started to feel worse.

“No no. H-hold on a little bit. They’re gonna be here any second”

You’re trying to hold on but his voice is getting further and further. And your eyes started to feel so heavy. This is it. You thought. There’s nothing you regret if you let go. Your brother’s taking a good care of your niece. Your friends are happy, Natasha is happy now. Lucas have the money that he can survive without having to steal again. Everyone around you is in good hand. With that one last thought, you took one last deep breath and follow into the darkness.

[jedicollins]

Journal Entry #1

Based on the RP with @itsxlucifer

it’s a beast, hence the read more.

Sunday, July 26th. 

Hey Mom and Dad. 

I met the Devil. 

The real one. This isn’t a metaphor. Not some kind of flowery exposition. 

I met the Devil. 

Satan. 

Beelzebub,

The Prince of Darkness,

The Morningstar, 

The Lightbringer….

Whatever you want to call him. 

And honestly?

He’s not that bad. 

He’s not the evil guy I thought he would be. 

Sure, he’s into all the sinful stuff, and fuck if I can’t hear him say “naughty” in his accent… 

But he isn’t evil. 

At least, I don’t get the sense he is. I don’t know for sure. For all I know, he is manipulating the shit out of me and the entire club is demon invested. But right now? I don’t think the Devil is bad. 

No, not the Devil, I shouldn’t say that.

Lucifer, his name is Lucifer Morningstar. 

He owns the nightclub, LUX, and I can’t think of a better place of work. Bullshit isn’t tolerated. The security is top-notch. No-one gets the chance to fuck with the staff. The slightest hint of it, the slightest signal, and they’re on it. 

I’ve honestly never felt saver working for a club, and hell, I’ve already made a friend there, too. His name is Reese. He’s Latino, fucking gorgeous, and sadly, really fucking gay. Just my luck, right?

One of the other bartenders, Maze, is apparently a demon who works for Lucifer, handling his finances. Never thought the Devil would need a banker or whatever they’re called.

Things are fucking weird in my life right now. 

And I don’t know how to make heads or tails of it. how am I meant to process I’m dealing with the man who is meant to be the Devil? And on top of that, finding out I care about him, and he isn’t the bad guy everyone claims him to be?

What is my life right now? Seriously. How the hell do I unpack all of this?

I guess the best way to start is at the beginning, right?

This guy literally hired me straight out of my old job. Like, he took one look at me and decided I should work for him. Just like that. Saying he knows a good, hard working person when he sees one. That’s all he needed. Like, what? I didn’t believe him, at first. I thought it was some kind of scam or something.

But it turned out it wasn’t. LUX is a real club. Which, by the way. Fucking on the nose. LUX? Light in Latin? The lightbringer is a different name for Lucifer? 

He’s so fucking extra. 

Still, he hired me after a trial run and here I am. Working in Lux as one of the bartenders, listening to terrible, thumpy music all the livelong night and sometimes, if he’s in the mood for it, listening to Lucifer’s beautiful piano playing. And his voice… holy mother of fuck, his voice… his singing. I don’t even know what to call it. it’s like this rich- I don’t know what to call it. His singing voice is probably best compared to what Velvet feels like. Rich and soft and you just want to stroke it all the damn time. And even that likely doesn’t come close. His voice makes my spine tingle. And not just his singing voice, his normal speaking voice, too.

And best thing yet? Him singing “perfect the way you are”. I love that song so much, and hearing him sing it? Holy crap. For real, I would pay to have an MP3 of him singing it. I think it’s the accent that does it. there’s something sexy about it. I think what made it even more special was the fact it was just the two of us when it happened. Fuck, I shouldn’t be swooning the way I am thinking about it, but shit. For real, it was something special. Especially as in the few days working there, I haven't seen anyone else approaching the piano while he plays. Let alone singing with him. He invited me to sit with him while he played, seeing his fingers moving across the keys? his voice? And that song. Just wow. What else was I meant to do then sing along with him? 

The first night I met him at LUX, he was playing already, so he asked me what tune I wanted to hear. I told him that song. I admit, it was me being a little shit. Because I know there’s not a lot of people who know of it, or the band, Dead by April. So for him to know it, and to be able to play it perfectly? it was- something else. 

So sitting with him, singing the song together, watching him play? Man, it was special. It was something- I don’t know. It felt like there was some kind of connection there in that moment. 

If only I realized back then what the connection was, you guys.

So the whole point of me gushing on the piano playing? It was all caused by him asking one question I never thought I would have to answer. ‘What do you desire?” and the answer still hurts. And I don’t know, being made to answer it? It was like Lucifer’s hand was reaching down deep into my soul and dragged the answer out, kicking and screaming. 

I don’t want to repeat the answer, but it led to me avoiding him for a few days. Which spawned the singing moment at his piano. I eventually laid down everything. What happened to you, what had done it. and he just believed me. He said he would help me. I didn’t believe it, but he did. He kept his word. I fully expected to be fired for being crazy. But, he didn’t. 

We went back home. Back to Independence. 11 years passed since that night. 

And God… it confronted me with so many things I thought I’d pushed away deep down in the back of my mind. It all came rushing back. Things I never want to think about again. The worst part of it all was the fact Margaret still had some kind of hold over me. She still was able to manipulate me the way she did when I was little. She still had the power to make me pass out. Though, I admit, it might just be because shortly before? We had a conversation with a little girl and her mother… both of which reminded me of myself and you, mom, when I was little. 

Margaret, however? She’s not the person I thought she was. It turns out she was a demon. Something I never realized. To me, she felt real. She felt like a real person when I hugged her or held her hand late at night. And that’s because she apparently was? Apparently, she was a demon inhabiting the body of a little girl. How the hell she’s been able to hide all this time, I don't know. I can only assume there’s some kind of vent or crawlspace in the bottom of my closet she was able to get in or out through. 

There was a fight. Of course, there was. I want to say I was badass and kicked her ass, but that’s not what happened. She got in my head. She brought back all the memories of that night.  It hurt so bad, I thought my head was gonna explode. I thought I was going to die of the pain. I don’t know exactly what happened in between, but somewhere along the line, Lucifer got hurt. I remember seeing a hole in the drywall connecting my room to yours. When the pain subsided, Margaret came at me with a knife. She put it to my neck and I fought, as hard as I could, to hold her off. If it hadn’t been for Lucifer, I would’ve had my throat sliced. Fortunately, the only thing I’ve got left from is a little cut on my collar bone, when the bitch dropped the knife. It’s more annoying right now than really painful. The scab is itchy. 

In that moment, however? I found out who Lucifer really is. He commanded her to go back to hell, made her leave the little girl’s body.

That’s when I realized Lucifer had been telling the truth all along. He never lied about being the Devil, hell, if anything, he’ll flaunt it for all he’s worth. I was the issue. I was the one who didn’t believe him. I legitimately thought he was playing up some kind of bad boy, playboy persona he’d crafted for himself to be able to sound interesting and appealing to people. I was so fucking wrong. 

I want to tell you I was brave and took this in my stride, I didn’t feel anything about him being the Devil. But, the truth is? Well, I passed out. I’m not ashamed to admit it. I mean, it’s a culture shock, right? And combine this with the whole thing with Margaret? Can you blame me? The last thing I really remember is staring at him, then waking up staring at the ceiling of a hotel room, lying on the bed. 

Lucifer was kneeling on the ground, obviously hurt. 

I thought about running. I thought about running away as fast and far as I could while he was down. I thought about running away forever, leaving L.A. behind and pretend nothing like this had ever happened. pretend I didn’t meet the Devil and he had been kind to me. Hell, I was afraid. I was scared I’d somehow made a deal and sold my soul. All those damn clichés about him. 

Most of all though, I was scared because I had thought about having sex with him. Yes, I thought this about my boss, I know it's not professional, but come on… Mom, if you’d seen the guy? You would agree with me. Sorry, Dad, but that’s just the facts. Seriously though, his face and body, not to mention his fucking sexy accent? There is no way anyone is capable of resisting him. I can just barely resist jumping his bones. I really, really would like to meet the person capable of completely resisting this hot as hell man child. 

Point is though, I didn’t run. I couldn’t. How could I just leave him while he was hurt? Not after the things he’d done for me? The fact he’d gone so far to help me with something that’s been haunting me for a decade? I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know how to deal with this. From my understanding, he had broken ribs, and there was something wrong with his leg. But he refused to let me call for an ambulance, so he could get checked out. So I did the only thing I could think of. I ran to find someone to bribe for a medkit. 

When I came back like 15 minutes later?

He was fine. 

It was like he had never been hurt in the first place. 

That’s the moment he told me what was going on. He explained he can’t be hurt or damaged. If he gets hurt, it’s more like a tap. And if he does get hurt, those things heal in like seconds. that’s the way it works for a celestial, apparently. But this time? It was different.

And that difference was me. 

I was there when he got hurt. 

I make the Devil vulnerable. Fuck, for all I know, with me around? He can be killed. 

But why me? Why did I get picked for this curse? I don’t mean anything to anyone. Well, I mean, outside maybe the few friends I’ve made at the club, but beyond that? I don’t have anything or anyone, no-one gives a shit about someone like me? I’m a nobody, I’m just a bartender. I’m not special. You both weren't. I’m sorry, but, our family doesn’t have some kind of ancient special bloodline or like connections to famous historical figures or whatever. Not that I have found, anyway. You both didn’t pass anything special to me? 

So why the fuck did it get decided I’m the one to have this curse? Why me? I don’t want to cause anyone pain. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t want Lucifer to get hurt because of me. And yes, I’m more than aware this is a fucking, crazy thought. He is Lucifer, he’s meant to be evil incarnate, and I’m sitting here upset about the fact him being close to me means he can be hurt. 

I’m really fucking scared. What does this all mean? Why did it get decided it’s me who has this? Why not someone else? Does this mean something’s going to happen? Am I meant to be involved into some kind of grand scheme God’s concocted? Am I meant to kill Lucifer to prevent the apocalypse or something? I don’t want this kind of responsibility. I’m not Buffy the Vampire Slayer? I barely know ow to make a proper Mojito, let alone how to fight? I’m not strong enough for something like that.

I don’t want this responsibility, I don't want this curse. I don’t want to be involved in some kind of major plot going on behind the galactic scenes. 

I don’t know what to do. 

Do I run away? Do I just keep going and see what happens? Maybe get the fuck away from Lucifer and find another job?

Thing is though, there’s something inside me telling me I shouldn’t run away. That I should stick with Lucifer. I don’t know what the feeling is or where it comes from, but I think it’s the same feeling that’s allowing me to accept Lucifer is actually meant to be the Devil, but at the same time making me believe he’s a decent person. 

Because he is. He’s a decent person. He’s not evil? Seriously, all the ‘sinning’ that goes on in LUX? That’s not him. He doesn’t have any hand in it in the slightest. It’s the humans walking around themselves who do it. They’re the ones cheating on their partners, they’re the ones getting drunk or snorting drugs or whatever the hell they can get away with inside the club. Lucifer doesn’t cause anything like that. He just mingles, he plays his piano, he doesn’t seek out people to make a deal for their soul. Sure, sometimes people ask him for a favor, but that’s it. There’s no scroll coming out of his pocket to dramatically unroll so people can sign on the dotted line to sell their soul? He’s just… well, vibing is the best way to put it, I guess. 

I know this because I’ve been watching him for the past week, watching the way he is around people, watching the way he acts. Lucifer is being blamed for so much stuff he doesn’t even do? “The Devil made me do it”. Yeah, how about no, pal? You just don’t wanna admit you’re a shitty person. 

Fuck, I’m rambling. 

The fact is, Lucifer isn’t a bad person. He can’t be with the way he is. How can anyone think this considering the fact he went this far for me? One of his employees, someone who shouldn’t really matter to him? Hell, if he wanted to, he could replace me just like that and not even bat an eye at it. I need to ask Reese if he did something similar for him. Whether he had some kind of problem Lucifer helped him with. 

Is it strange of me I hope that’s the case? It probably sounds horrible, putting it like that. I don’t want to wish ill on my friend, but I guess I’m just struggling with the idea he’s singled me out to help. I still don’t really understand why he did. I mean, he’s the Devil, isn’t that kind of his gig? Punish the wicked and all that crap? But still… why does he care about someone like me?

I’m struggling with the idea of this “curse”. I don’t know what else to call it. I don’t want to hurt people. I don’t want people to get hurt because of me. and yet? There’s something inside of me that allows one person to be hurt. This is so fucking fucked up. This is even more fucked up than someone sneaking into our room at night and leaving ominous messages about Lucifer being the Devil. 

Fuck. 

I don’t want this power. There’s gotta be some way to suppress it, or get rid of it, right? There just has to be. that’s how these things go, right? 

Maybe I can ask Maze? She’s a demon, she knows about this kind of stuff, right? Well, most likely. Maybe she knows where I can start finding answers to all this. I know I could and likely should talk to Lucifer about this, but what if it requires something big? Like a sacrifice or dying or something like that? Maybe I’m just being ridiculous now. But I don't want this curse. I want it gone. Whatever fucked up plan God or whoever the fuck decided I should have this power has for me? Fuck them. I don't want any fucking part of it. 

They can go straight to hell and fuck themselves. I won’t play a part in their game. I refuse. 

What am I gonna do? 

Can this curse even be beaten?

I’m really fucking scared.

I wish you are here. 

I miss you.

[findswoman]

Sparks

Chapter 2

Some time later, after a good bit of searching, Foreman Novalos found the little long-braided kit lying unconscious, bruised, and shivering in the mine cart somewhere deep in shaft 38. With a sigh and a few grumbled oaths he felt for her pulse and breath, then checked her over for bruises and fractures following the usual first-aid protocol. Nothing was broken, but there were a few bruises on her arms, feet, and face, which he treated with bacta salve from his portable medkit. This done, Novalos hoisted Shulma onto one shoulder and carried her back up to his office in the main ore processing plant. Then he put in a call to his colleague Over-Foreman Ormgar Trilasha of the Southern Ridge Shafts, who was already off for the day, and told him all that had happened. Since he and his family lived not too far from the mining complex, Ormgar agreed to come collect his daughter. He laid her across the back seat of the Trilasha family’s old X-29 speeder and drove her home. Shulma came to with a jolt during the speeder ride, trembling and aching from her recent ordeal. “You all right?” her father grunted as soon as he heard her moving around. “Yeah...” “Good. You went a long way down. I keep tellin’ the admin they need to check the brakes on those things more often.” “Er… I guess...” Shulma was too tired and achy to argue the point beyond that, and neither father nor daughter said anything more the rest of the ride. Dusk was well advanced when they arrived home. The family had already finished its evening meal, and some remnants of it had been left out on the table in case Shulma wanted anything, but she was still cold and achy and not at all hungry. As soon as they saw she had arrived, her older twin brothers—some four dust seasons her senior and already doing some work underground—ran up to her, teasing and jostling her. “Heard you got in trouble today, little sis.” “Yeah, had to scrub off the belts on your first day, did ya?” Shulma turned her head away, feeling too weak to reply. “You two leave her alone,” scolded Ormgar, as he shooed his sons away and took his daughter upstairs to her small attic room, straight to bed.  Shulma pulled her covers around her. She tried to sleep, but her head still ached, her body still shook, and the world around her still seemed to swim and toss and turn. Images—perhaps snatches of dreams, she wasn’t sure—kept flitting at random across her consciousness. Every time she closed her eyes and tried to relax, something would burst in on her mind’s eye: the ore processing workroom, Foreman Novalos, the mine cart—but also her parents and brothers and other Lasats she knew, other places she had been, from the quiet streets of Flowstone Vale to the majestic purplestone cliffs and caves of the Gosrral. And those three strange figures running and colliding… the leaf-green eyes… the fiery tunnel of gold-orange light…  And everywhere, through all of it, those golden sparks. Sparks, everywhere sparks... Shulma shifted and reached for the doll that lay in its own little doll bed on her bedside table. It was her favorite doll, dressed in the gown and cloak of an ancient sage-maiden, with long hair and jewel-like golden-green eyes that really opened and closed. She hugged it close and sighed. Just then she heard a gentle knock at the door, and a familiar voice: “May I come in?” “Yes, of course.”  Shulma shifted to sitting upright as her mother entered the room. Yokheva Barzellati Trilasha, chief of operations at the Royal Lasat Mining Ministry, wore eyeglasses and a necklace of large, rough, variegated quartz beads; her black-purple hair was done up in a high bun, and a few strands of dark silver-gray wisped near her ears. She sat down on the bed beside her daughter and learned over to give her a kiss on the brow ridge. “How are you feeling, little gem?” she asked. “I don’t know… still kind of… funny. And tired.” Her mother stroked her cheek affectionately. “I don’t blame you,” she said. “You’ve had a long day. But please tell me: what happened, exactly?” Shulma shuddered, but Yokheva reassured her with a hand to her shoulder. “No, please don’t worry, love. You’re not in trouble.” “Er, all right, but—” “And yes, I know what the foreman said. But I don’t believe him. I’ve never known you to be lazy. So won’t you please tell me what happened? As best as you remember?” Shulma took a deep breath in and told her mother everything that had happened from the start. She told her of the way the sparks flew up when she first handled the copper ore, the vision of the merging figures that overtook her when she picked up the strontium, everything she saw and felt during her wild ride in the mine cart, and the pains and sparks and images that even now kept popping into her consciousness to keep her from relaxing. Yokheva listened closely to every detail, occasionally nodding. When at the end of the tale she sat silent in thought for several moments, her daughter asked: “Do you believe me, Mama?” “Yes, of course I do.” “Even about all the… weird stuff I saw?” “Even that,” Yokheva chuckled slightly. “Do you know… what happened? What it’s all about?” “Well… I have a guess. Give me a moment and I’ll be right back.” Yokheva kissed her daughter’s brow ridge again, then got up and left the room. She returned several moments later with a small, worn, leather-bound book in her hands, through which she paged intently as she seated herself once again on the bed. Shulma craned her head to get a better look at it, but the title embossed on its cover was in an old-fashioned script she couldn’t read. “What is that, Mama?” she asked. “Oh, it belonged to your great-great grandmother Shatha Dzenkachi, on my mother’s mother’s side,” Yokheva replied, still paging through. Shulma perked up, recognizing the name of a forebear her mother had spoken of many times before—one who had had the gift of the Ashla and been a shaman of Lasan. But she was puzzled, too: why look in some great-great-grandmother’s musty old books for advice on how to help a regular twelve-dust-season-old girl-kit? Weren’t there other books in the house about remedies and the like? Like, for instance, that herb guide her parents had consulted that time she had eaten a whole basket of unripe maznaberries... “Mama, what exactly is this book? What are you looking for?” Her mother looked up and leaned a little closer. “Well, Lasats who have the Ashla are sometimes prone to something called vision shock, and—” “Ashla?!” Shulma’s eyes and mouth gaped in alarm. “But Mama, I’m not—I’m just—how can I—” “Hush, little gem, don’t be upset! That will only make it worse!” “But vision shock?! That sounds terrible! Am I going to be all right?!” “Of course you’ll be all right!” Her mother moved closer and put an arm around her. “All it really means is that you’ve had some visions that have disturbed you and thrown your Ashla currents out of balance. That’s why you’re feeling so strange right now. Once we calm your currents back down, according to this, it should go away.” “But I mean, all that stuff in the ore room, and in the cart... was all that really the Ashla? As in, real visions? Like the kind the ancient prophetesses used to have?” Yokheva shrugged. “Why on Lasan shouldn’t it be? Great-Gran Shatha always used to say her talent was bound to come back into the family sometime. Look, let’s get you back to sleep so you can be well and energetic when you go in tomorrow.” Shulma’s face fell at this. “I know, I know it’s no fun. But for now just do your best. It’ll take some time for us to figure out what to do next, and in the meantime all we can do is carry on.” “All right, Mama,” her daughter sighed. “It says here that it can help to hear familiar sounds or voices… how about I read to you a bit? Maybe some stories from Tales of the Ancients?” “Sure, sounds good.” So Shulma lay back on her pillow, snuggling down under her covers and hugging her doll close, while her mother read her tale after tale from the beloved storybook: the origin of the heavenly bodies, the birth of the gems in the mountains, the founding of Lira Zel and the contest of its four warrior-rulers, the romance of Rolmvar the Rugged and Radiant Lalma, and of course her old favorite, the story of Bright Valthya. As her mother’s warm voice and familiar words washed over her, Shulma felt herself calming, her aches and dizziness melting away. But questions and worries still crept into her mind. Did she really have Ashla powers like her great-great-grandmother did? What did that really mean? Was it dangerous? What if others found out? And would any of it even matter when she went back to work at the mine tomorrow? But the warmth and calm soon won out, and she fell into a peaceful sleep. * The next morning found Shulma back at the counter in Ore Processing Unit Aurek-Two, clad in the regulation apron and foot covers. This time she was not in the corner of the plant, apart from the others; Novalos had placed her toward the middle of the central counter, among several other kits (“to keep an eye on ya,” he had muttered). She had pulled her collection bin close to her and was looking over its contents as closely as she could without touching them. This time there was a good deal of tin ore mixed in with the copper ore; she hadn’t had any tin ore the day before and didn’t know how it would react to her touch. Gingerly she picked up a piece. A few small sparks went up, and she felt a tiny, momentary shock, but nothing more. So far so good—she could work with that. She even wondered if things were getting easier for her already, after recovering from last night’s vision shock... To be sure, she also picked up a piece of rock streaked with veins of copper ore. Just as before, violent yellow sparks erupted, and she dropped the rock in pain back into the bin. That answered her question, of course. At least she didn’t see any strontium—or not yet. The bin was very full, and anything could be in it. An idea formed in Shulma’s mind. She leaned over to the kit at the neighboring station, a girl with pigtails and medium-dark purple-blue fur, who was busy cutting a large, shiny piece of copper ore from its host rock. “Hey, Ninqua, can I ask you something?” The pigtailed girl looked up from her work. “Yeah, what is it?” Shulma pushed her collection bin closer to her neighbor. “Would you, er, like to take my copper pieces?” “Um, okay, why?” “Er… well… they’ve been hurting my hands.” “Weird, are you allergic?” “Well, um—” “Back to work, you two,” barked Trothidd, who had just come alongside them in his regular rounds. “Y-yes, Foreman Trothidd,” said both girls almost simultaneously. Shulma breathed a sigh of relief as she picked up a rock piece and began to work on it, but no sooner was Trothidd out of earshot than Ninqua spoke again. “I guess it’s a lilac-fur thing. My auntie’s a lilac-fur, too.” “Oh...?” “Yeah. And she can’t wear any jewelry without breaking out in blotches.” “Er, sure…” replied Shulma, then, rapidly changing the subject: “And can I take your tin pieces? Because they, er, don’t hurt as much.” “Yeah, sure, I guess.” Ninqua moved her collection bin closer to Shulma’s. “Here, take whatever you want.” “Thanks, Ninqua.” “No problem.” This arrangement served them well the rest of the day. Both girls took pieces of rock from both collection bins. Shulma worked on the tin ore pieces, which gave her nothing worse than tiny sparks and mild static twinges; she always made sure to work facing partly away from Ninqua, so that the other girl wouldn’t see her hands. Ninqua, in turn, happily took all the pieces that looked like they contained copper ore. Novalos came by to inspect them as usual, side-eying Shulma hard, but ultimately passed on with a grunt when he noticed her calmly and unobtrusively at work.  They did the same the day after and the day after, and the day after that, and all was well. This way Shulma had no more of the troublesome flare-ups or visions, and definitely no vision shock—only a few of the tiny sparks and tingles that were at least easy to hide. The foremen still came by on their regular rounds, but they didn’t seem to notice or care that the two girls were sharing bins, as long as the job was getting done. Even Novalos seemed to grudgingly acknowledge that the troublemaker of the first day might actually be turning into a productive little worker. At the end of each day Ormgar Trilasha would come by the ore plant after his own shift to pick up his daughter and take her home. He would ask her desultory questions about her workday and she would answer them in an equally desultory manner, never mentioning the sparks. But her mother always checked in with her later, at bedtime, when they were alone. Shulma told her everything, and she would always listen closely and take note. Yokheva further confided to her daughter that she was trying to arrange for a meeting with one of the master-shamans who governed the academy on Mount Straga, who might better be able to assess her situation. It was difficult because of their very full schedule teaching the younger shamans and being called on for spiritual purposes, but she resolved to keep trying, for Shulma’s sake. Shulma looked forward every day to that meeting, though neither she nor her mother knew when it would be. One day later that week, toward quitting time, when the western sky was just starting to glow a brighter, lazier purple-gold, Shulma and Ninqua were working at their stations as usual. Their collection bins were close to empty and their sorting baskets nearly full, and as usual they had pooled their supply: Shulma took everything that would be less volatile for her, and Ninqua took the rest. At the bottom of Ninqua’s bin were several chunks of a bright silver-gray crystal that looked like the tin ore Shulma had been extracting most of the day. But when she reached over to scoop them up, such a huge shock of golden lightning erupted from her hands that she shrieked and nearly fell over backward. Surprised, Ninqua dropped her vibrochisel, her eyes and mouth gaping.  “Oh ’bast! Shulma!” “N-ninqua…” Shulma felt herself shaking as she realized what had happened. Those rocks were actually one of the rarer, less conspicuous forms of strontium ore—which had broken into even smaller pieces at her touch—and there was no way her neighbor could not have seen the sparks that had flown up as a result. “You’ve got the gift, don’t you!” “Shhh! N-not so loud!” But it was too late. Foreman Novalos was already looming over them, scowling, arms tightly crossed. “Oi! What’s all this din?!” “Er… um… well…” Shulma felt herself shaking more violently now. She looked down at her hands; even though she had dropped the strontium crystals, tiny sparks were still dancing at her fingertips. She clapped one hand over the other in a desperate attempt to quell or hide them, but to no effect.  Before she could say anything coherent, Ninqua piped up. “Shulma’s got the gift, Foreman Novalos!” “Gift?! What are you talkin’ about?!” “Look what she can do to the ore crystals!” “N-ninqua, p-please—” More trembling and harder, more sparks and brighter—and the other kits and foremen were now gathered around, watching. “And you been doin’ what to the crystals?!” The foreman noticed the broken rock pieces in Ninqua’s bin and spun to face Shulma with a ferocious glare. “Playin’ instead of doin’ your work, eh? An’ not even in your own—” He stopped short as his gaze fell on the yellow sparks that now crackled almost uncontrollably around her hands. “What. The Bogan. Is this?!”  He grabbed her hand to look closer—then let out a bloodcurdling screamed oath as the shock of the sparks threw him backward to stagger against the counter in a daze. Shulma shrieked and drew back, tears springing up in her eyes as she saw what had happened. Around her, the other kits were gasping and murmuring among themselves. The two assistant foremen ran up. Gondrav helped Novalos to a stool at the far end of the room, while Trothidd grabbed Shulma by the shoulder and hustled her away, trembling and weeping. “Please—I’m really sorry—” she sobbed. “I didn’t mean—really—” Trothidd snorted as he pulled her into the vestibule of Unit Aurek-Two. “You can tell that to your pa when he gets here,” he snarled. Just then the sound of a throat clearing made the foreman spin around. Before him, staring him unflappably down through bespectacled emerald eyes, was a distinguished-looking Lasat woman. She had lilac fur like that of the kit whose shoulder he was still gripping, and her long, brightly colored suit-dress was adorned not only with a necklace of large quartz beads but also the insignia of the Royal Lasat Mining Ministry.  “Is there a problem?” to be continued

[siincore]

five times kissed ( from Leon to Ares >:3 )

sharing every sunrise with you -- accepting

Once, upon the hand. Much like that of a mother comforting her child, Ares had pressed a gentle kiss on the bandaged hand Leon had been groaning over. The cut wasn't too deep, but hurt like hell, for which the mechanic apologized. She knew the only thing she could do was clean and wrap the wound, but joked anyways that it was "the slash of a sword", earned by a warrior who was "defending his princess." It made Leon laugh, a momentary distraction from the burning in his palm. She got lost in the rythm of the motions, the blue of his eyes, for a moment too long and maternal instinct moved her. Once she realized what she had done, embarrassment flushed her face and ears, her hands casting the remaining pieces of the medkit back into place. Leon's laughter reached her ears, a comment of how that kiss was a "good luck charm", and she couldn't help but grin.

Twice, rested on the head. Coping with the apocalypse was hard. Raising a child was harder. Doing both was hardest. And raising a child scarred by what you both had experienced was nearly impossible. Ares, who had been through the life of a mother, even if the child is biologically not your own, saw the struggles Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy were suffering. She offered her help in the beginning, and did as much as she could, but the little girl wouldn't really look Ares in the eyes for more than a second. She was afraid of the mechanic, whose face was still red from gashes healing over. They all had nightmares, but Leon had some of the worst. And with the Southern out of commission for sleep, she was there to aid those who were startled awake, often screaming and in tears. Leon was the most frequent, and she felt bad for him. So, when he slumped next to her on the couch, whole body tilting as he was verging on finally drifting off, she asked if he was alright. He asked her to sing to him, just like she did with Eden. She obliged, and took mere moments to feel his head rest against her shoulder. She kissed the top of his head, running her fingers through his hair, hoping the gestures would keep his sleep peaceful and easy.

Trice, on the cheek. Time off. Something this group hadn't seen in years. A week of doing nothing. Claire and Chris hosted, with their home holding everyone comfortably, as the agents retreated from the world. A fun idea, brought up by a drunken Claire, was spin the bottle. A game Ares hadn't thought about since high school, and felt dumb for agreeing to. She was tipsy, having laid off the alcohol, while her friends seemed to be drunk and enjoying it. Claire and Eden had made it clear they were together when Claire's spin landed on the younger Grimm sister, while Chris just avoided kissing everyone if he could. Eden had given Leon a peck on the forehead, calling him her "big bro", slurring on about how he and Ares had to get married. Everyone laughed while the mechanic took her spin. Much to her misfortune, it landed on Leon, who was buzzed and not really aware of what had just happened. She felt her body go up in flames, nervousness and booze flooding her veins. She braved up, though, and gave Leon a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting back coolly, like nothing had happened.

Fourfold, grazing the shoulder. Another day of work, another batch of injuries. Ares had become sort of the local medic, patching up minor wounds and helping prep major ones that would require surgery. People were in and out of her makeshift medbay all day, leaving her occupied. Once Leon stumbled in, she prepped the cot and sanitized her station again, making sure everything was completely clean before she decided to work on him. When he gave her the rundown of his injuries, she prompted him to lift his shirt so she could look at the cuts across his back. They weren't pretty, but nothing she couldn't handle. She got him sterilized and began her work, idly chatting with him. They had been talking about everything under the sun long enough that 3 hours had passed without either realizing it. She was long since done with her handiwork, but they were mutually distracted. She had made a flirty comment about how he got hurt just to come and see her, to which he laughed, but didn't provide a rebuttal. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder, a small show of her love for him. He sighed in content, and sat with her until it was time to close up shop.

And on the fifth, the lips. It was a time when things were bad. Through work and Leon's heartbreak over the fact that Claire couldn't love him, he had been out more often and drunk when he was home. He had been miserable, spending his time ranting to Ares about the unfairness in the world. She had been falling apart at the seams, not seeing him and dealing with his angry rambles about the woman he had fallen for. He didn't seem to see her at all, using her as a punching bag. And she had taken it. But, at some point, that string will snap. And she did. He was getting ready to leave for another assignment, said he'd see her when he came back. Normally, she would've stayed put, cooling off after an argument about his leaving, but today was different. She decided to step over the line in the sand and follow him. He told her to stay back, that the mission was far too dangerous for her to tag along. She stayed close. They went back and forth, what started as warnings devolving into a full on screaming match. He didn't wanna see her die. She didn't wanna live if he wasn't around. She needed to stay alive for her sister. Her sister had found a new family. He didn't wanna come home to not find her there. She was sick and tired of him always coming back to just complain to her, to bitch and moan over how hard life was knowing Claire is gay and how she can't love him, how much she loved him and how hard it was to say anything knowing he doesn't love her back, that even after all of these years, he's still hung up over the girl who isn't hardwired to like men, how much she hates him and loves him and hates herself for loving him. How she was cursed to love him, and her mistakes. On and on, to the stars, everything she had held back. Sobbing. And he can't take anymore of it. He silences her with a brutal, passionate kiss, one that takes her breath away. Something she had dreamed of, wanted so desperately, now hers. When he pulled back, it was gingerly, almost afraid. Like if he opened his eyes, he'd find himself in his bed, waking from a dream. But, her shuddering breath, her grip on his arms; he cracks, he sees her standing before him, face red and eyes wide. He realizes what he's done, and tells her he loves her. That he didn't wanna say anything because he didn't wanna ruin their friendship. But he realized that he loved her the night she had kissed his cheek during that game of spin the bottle. He had hoped she would kiss him then and there, not going for a peck on the cheek. But she didn't, and he felt like he had lost the fight for her. Ares is shaken by shock and relief, and falls into his arms. Leon, grateful for the truth being in the open, laughed. Music to Ares' ears.

"I love you, you fuckin' idiot."

"I love you too."

[proxylynn]

Lynchtale: File Name Game of Death #5

Chapter 5: All power, little control, some hope, but no care. WARNING: THIS IS A MATURE STORY THAT WILL HAVE BLOOD, GORE, PSYCHOLOGICAL SURVIVAL HORROR, HEAVY CURSING, AND LIKELY SEXUAL THEMES/BONING. I DO NOT OWN UNDERTALE, THAT BELONGS TO LORD TOBY FOX. I DO NOT OWN DEAD BY DAYLIGHT, THAT BELONGS TO BEHAVIOUR DIGITAL INC.. I DON'T OWN THE AU'S THAT SOME OF THE CHARACTERS COME FROM, THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS. I DON'T OWN THE IDEA FOR LYNCHTALE, THAT BELONGS TO PUNNYSIDEUP (AKA. SANSFULPUNS). WHAT I DO OWN IS MY SELF-INSERT OC ANOMALY LYNSIE AND THE LOVE OF FAN PARODY. IF YOU'RE STILL READING THIS, THEN CONGRATULATIONS ON EITHER BEING ONE WITH STRONG DETERMINATION OR AN ENDLESS WILL TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGE OF STOMACHING WHAT I HAVE IN MIND. EITHER WAY, IF YOU LIKE THIS AND/OR MY OTHER CONTENT, SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE ETERNAL PUNISHMENT. HAVE FUN SINNERS. ^_^ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you ever have that odd sensation of floating? Like, there's nothing else, it's just space and you're simply drifting with nothing but this warm fuzzy feeling. Feels good. A nice feeling compared to the one I last felt. ...Crap. I've acknowledged this as a dream. That means I'll wake up soon and have to go back to all that other shit again. I hate that flaw of sleep. ...Oh well. Least this time I know I've died and ended up at camp. Worst comes to worst, David is sneaking a feel or Nea will hit me once I'm up. Either way, as long as I'm away from Legion then I'm fine. The last thing I want to see is that skeleton any time soon. Suddenly I feel something. A shift. Hands. God damn it, David, I will beat your ass black and blue! I faintly growl as my eyes struggle to open. "oh, look! she's waking up." I freeze. I don't know this voice. {big fucking deal. ya want a medal?} Another one? {just keep her quite. bones dose not want to be disturbed.} A third voice? Bones? Oh...Oh, fuck my life! I'm not at camp. I crack one eye open and find an overly chipper face grinning at me. And those eyes...light blue orbs with yellow stars for pupils. So full of energy and something else...something forced. His clothing, it's very similar to Bones but different enough to not be confused for him. This one has a pale blue hooded jacket that's fully zipped, the hood covering his head has no white fur around the collar. His shorts are the same color as the jacket, though the sleeves are dark grey, and he has dull grey knee-high socks. He has fingerless gloves too but are super pale blue and only the first two fingers are free from coverage. He spots light blue and pale blue sneakers. He doesn't have tape like Bones did, though he does have what looks like a long light blue scarf that's wrapped around his waist and tied into a bow on his back. Yet, of course, you can't forget the random splotches of blood that seem to make it look even better. "hello, human. did you sleep well?" Fully awake and trying not to freak out, I merely nod. It makes that grin of his stretch even wider. "good. i tried to make sure you were comfortable." Letting my senses come back, I find myself being cradled in this skeleton's lap and we are nestled by a fire pit. The fire that sits in the center of the chalet of their territory. Mount Ormond Resort. Ormond was once a small, remote ski town with idyllic slopes, but its resort turned obsolete when a deluxe ski village was built on Mount Richards less than two hours away. Mount Richards offered fresh slopes with luxurious stores and hotels, which crushed Mount Ormond's isolated, decrepit facilities. The fate of the mountain worsened when a mining project took interest in the coal present at its summit. The mountaintop was lined by explosives to extract coal seams from under it. The project caused public outrage and was stopped midway. Mount Ormond is now a soulful, deforested graveyard where gangs and teenagers go looking for trouble. Some people say that the mountain hides a darkness, a bottomless hole from where no one can return. And they aren't wrong. Legion lives here. "can you heal yourself?" Realization kicks in. I'm still injured. Of course, killers can't heal. So how have I not died this whole time? "well?" "Um...May I ask you something?" "sure." "Why am I not dead?" "oh, that's easy. you humans stop bleeding when held. so i figured i'd keep you in my arms till you woke up and do that yourself." "Oh...Makes sense." "also, you seemed cold. so i moved us over to the fire." "...Thank you." "but again, you can heal yourself...right?" "Yeah. Just...give me a moment to process this." "process what?" "The overly nice behavior. The general kindness. The attention to care and consideration. In short, and I mean no disrespect, but either you're so sweet it's unbelievable or you are trying way too hard to make me like you." {if ya call being a little bitch boy sweet, then it's the first one.} The second voice pulls my attention. Looking over my shoulder, there's another skeleton lounging sideways on a recliner and playing with his blade. But he's slightly transparent like a specter. This one, this is the killer you expect to find in Hot Topic. There is no blue on this one. Black, red, and yellow are his colors. Like a deadly snake. His eyes are wicked. Golden orbs surrounded by red filled sockets. And those teeth, it's like looking at the mouth of a shark but both bottom canine teeth are longer, protruding, and covered in gold. A red collar highlights his neck and the metal spikes add toughness. At first glance, he doesn't seem to have gloves, but he does, he's made finger-less gloves out of bandages. The jacket is black, a single red stripe runs down the length of each sleeve, the zipper teeth are like the golden fangs in his mouth, and the bottom hem has this red band with what looks like a silver bullet pattern. The jacket is also unzipped completely but form-hugging, so while you can see his rib cage he'd need to move around more to really expose it. He has matching black pants that, like Bones, he's rolled up the legs to his knees, showing off some of his tibia and fibula. The rest of his leg is covered by long scrunched black socks that can't go further than the top of the calf-high red combat boots, sporting yellow laces. Blood really shows on this guy but it matches him so well you could easily mistake it for design. As for the weapon he's playing with, it's a chained blade. One end locks it as a ring around his middle right finger in the shape of bone top, the gold chain coils around his arm to cross his back and coils down his left arm to where the bone-shaped metal knife is spinning in his left hand. "i am not! you're just a jerk!" {oooh, such strong language. ya sure showed me who's boss. *scoff* dumbass.} The blue skele-boy holding me pouts. "you're so mean." I am having a hard time understanding what is going on. Am I being punk'd? I feel like they're punking me. {your confusion is natural, human.} Oh right, there was a third voice. This one is a bit harder to find, I can't see him till he stands up behind what looks like a snack bar, apparently rummaging around for something. This one...He gives me chills. He looks like Bones yet...is off. He wears a blue jacket with a single white strip going down the sleeves, the hood is super fluffy with its furry rim, it's not zipped fully so his ribs are showing a bit, black shorts with two white stripes going down the sides, and short white socks in blue tennis shoes. His clothing is like the others, stained with blood. But that's not the scary part. It's his face. His physical appearance is what truly makes him stand out from the other. His bones appear weak as if he hadn't eaten anything for many years. His left eye glows blood-red while his right eye socket is completely black. He's got a big cracked hole on the top-left spot of his head and his smiley grin is wide and psychotic looking. The bone-shaped handle of a meat cleaver sticks out of a pocket on his left side. {we are not what your kind would see as normal.} He inspects a bottle but finds it empty and tosses it behind him into a wall, somehow not breaking it. "Not sure about that. You seem okay so far." Blue boy pokes into my wound and I yelp at his intruding digit. "please, if you would heal yourself now, it would be appreciated." "*wince* Alright, alright, sorry." He stops and I start the weird process of healing. At least with a medkit it makes sense. But somehow rubbing my hands across the injury for long enough undoes the damage. The Entity doesn't seem to understand how medicine and anatomy work. Occasionally I notice my "capture" watching this with interest. No clue if they can be taught how to heal but if possible I don't see anything bad about it. "wowzers. the hole is closing up. and all you're doing is rubbing it?" "Yeah. Makes no sense but if it works I can't knock it." Once the hole closes I do feel a bit stronger. Though the blood might take a bit longer to come to me. "all better now?" "For the most part. Sorry for the inconvenience...um..." I totally spaced on how I don't know these guys' names. I gently get off of him and rub my head like an idiot. "Sorry, I don't know your names. Just Bones. And he didn't mention you guys by name when we first met." "no harm done, human." The blue boy leaps to his feet and strikes an "I'm so cool" pose. "you may me boo." Why do I suddenly have the urge to call him boo-berry? "the potty mouth over there is chops." He points to the edge lord on the chair and said edge lord snarls while flipping us off. {piss off.} Such a charmer. "and mister doom over there is dead eye." The hungry one makes eye contact with me and after a moment of no emotion being expressed, he smiles but in an "I watch you sleep" kind of way with a slow wave hello. I force a nervous smile and wave back. His grin widens and I make a mental note to never be on that one's bad-side. "and together with bones, we make up the legion." "Nice to meet you all. Though, if it's okay to ask, where is Bones?" {that's none of your business, bitch.} {he is resting upstairs.} {mother fucker, don't undermine me in front of the meat!} Dead Eye pays Chops no mind. "after we got you here, he said and i quote...i'm so tired." {he said he was fucking tired.} "you know i don't swear." {pussy.} "jerk. you understood what i meant, right human?" I nod. "see? you don't have to curse all the time to explain things." {whatever, bitch boy.} Boo pouts and stomps his foot in annoyance. I can't help the small giggle that sneaks out at the childish act. "anyway, i bet you're wondering why you're here." Oh yeah, that is a thing. "It was a thought in the back of my head, yeah. But I figured Bones wanted to kick my butt in the privacy of his home turf." {no dice, meat. that was my idea.} Why is that not surprising even though I just met this guy? "actually, you were brought here so we could talk." "Talk?" "yes. see...we need your help." I fold my arms. "Forgive me if I find that a bit hard to believe." {you have trust issues.} Dead Eye suddenly speaks into my ear and I nearly jump into the fire from shock. This reaction has Chops laughing his bony ass off and Dead Eye smiling in amusement. Damn specter moved silently and fast for that. Boo comes to me and puts an arm around my back in comfort. "are you okay?" "Yeah. *shaky breath* D-Dude got me good. Nearly jumped out of my skin." Dead Eye's smile never falters. Yet his eye holds a stronger intent. I don't like it. {good one, creep show. maybe next time you can actually skin this kitten and we get some lady bone action.} That remark makes Dead Eye sneer. {do not call me that name. and there would be no point...} He turns away moving to examine a messy bookshelf. {it is not like you would know what to do even if you managed to get a female.} That stung Chops, he gets out of his seat and flings his blade into the shelf to make his point. {don't talk shit, freak. if you're gonna dis me, then have the balls to do it to my face!} The death glare shot to Chops is heart-stopping. {do not call me that word. you will not like what will happen if you do. this is your last warning.} Chops exchanges glares with Dead Eye before scoffing and yanking the weapon back effortlessly. {ya ain't worth the trouble.} They go about their previous activities as if nothing happened. I just look at Boo confused. "don't worry. this is normal." "If you say so." "here, let's go over there." Boo leads me away from the fire and we sit over by the stairs. Giving the other two their space. "so, like i was saying, we need your help." "Not sure how, but I'll bite. How?" "see...the thing is, when bones made that deal in the trial with you and carved our tag into you, he broke a rule set up by the others." "Go on." "um...from what i understand, he enacted claim of obsession when he cut you." "You'll have to forgive me. I know not the laws made by you guys." He rubs his jaw in thought. "if memory serves me right, the right of obsession was giving three main steps for a killer to have claim on a certain human. the first being the expression of intent to the group." "And he didn't do that, right?" "right. if anything, he did step three first then step one." "What was step three?" "leaving your mark on the target of obsession. be it mentally, physically, or emotionally." Memory has me look down the collar of my shirt. It's faint. Like stretchmarks. I can still see the lettering. "Yep. That step was achieved." "now we need to do step two. that one requires doing certain challenges when in trials with the target of obsession. that being you." I rock a bit. "So you boys need me to be in the loop and go along with this to make it easier. Correct?" He nods. "pretty much. there are no set challenges to do. the others come up with them at random. so there's no time to get ready once told what they are." "And how many are there?" "i believe there will be anywhere from three to five. the difficulty will be random as well." I ponder over this. "i must say, human, you're taking this better than we guessed." I stop rocking. "I like to think I am more excepting than most. But don't think my calm means I'm agreeing right off the bat." He puts his hands up. "fair enough. this is a bit crazy." "That and you haven't told me what I get out of this." He tilts his head. "i'm sorry?" "What benefits me in helping you? Granted, I think I know the answer, yet you've been straight forward so far and I'm hoping your nice-guy act is more real than fake." This has him lean back on his hands. He's quiet now. So my suspicion was right. This is less of a "this helps us both" type deal and more of a "this helps only one of us" thing. I guess some things never change even in this place. "honestly...i'm not sure." Okay, that's more than expected. "it's not that i'm saying nothing. it's more because i don't know. no one else that's tried claiming obsession rights has ever gotten past step two. plus, no other human has been willing to cooperate with monsters before." "No other human can communicate with monsters either, so that helps too." "true. so...are you willing to help?" I take a deep breath through my nose followed by a long exhale. "...Okay." His sockets widen. "really?" I nod. "But...I want some reassurance." "such as?" I offer my hand. "You probably have to talk this over with the others, but if we're doing this, I'd like it if we weren't just killer and target. But partners." He looks at me funny. "partners?" "I cover your back and you cover mine. Seems fair if you ask me." He looks at me and then my hand. "i want to...but..." I pull my hand back. "I get it. Baby steps. No rush here, buddy." He springs to his feet. "i'm not high up in the chain of command. i'm bottom tier." He looks over at his companions. "if they agree with you, it won't mean anything. bones is the leader. and they only listen to him." "If you're valued so low, then why give you this important job of talking with me?" He looks down at me. "because i'm the nice guy. the other two wouldn't deal with a human like this." He starts to step away. "you can stay if you want. my part is done." Well...that's a load of crap. "You shouldn't do that." He turns back. "do what?" "Putting yourself down. Because clearly, what you just said is shit." That gets his attention as I stand up. "You're more important than you give credit. You even said it yourself, the other two wouldn't have done this right. Bones trusted this to you. Remember that whenever you feel like you don't matter. You can do something they can't." His blank expression only adds to the dumb feeling washing over me for the shit that I just vomited out. I'm not sure if I've ever felt more embarrassed. Is this dumber than attempting to kiss that boy that liked me in taekwondo? Or that time I cried in sixth grade because my Digimon cards were stolen? Or during that same school year, I took choirs and sang "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic even though I didn't like the movie? Fuck my childhood was weird. Just when my brain begins to flip the "apologize you idiot" switch I hear...chuckling? "heheh...that was really sappy. like...really really sappy." Yep. I'm a massive dork. A massive blushing dork. "Yeah. Sorry about that. It just...happens sometimes." He comes back over to me and I think he'll do something in a chummy way. Instead...he bashes his forehead into mine and I fall back into some debris. "it's a shame you're human." Trying to shove off this stuff is a pain but manageable. "*grunt* Why's that?" He smirks. "you're cute. that's why." I...I have nothing to say. I'm just utterly flabbergasted. "like i said...you can stay if you like." He walks off and I can't move. Every synapse in my brain died...and I can't figure out why. Why did he say that? Why did it affect me? Is he just messing with me? Is he for real? Why is this bugging me?! {you seem lost.} Dead Eye once more pops up beside me and I slam back into the debris. "Jesus fuck! How the hell do you do that?" He grins. {it is not my fault that you do not pay attention.} Once more I claw off this broken crap. "I take it you heard our talk then?" {i heard enough. hehe...partnership with a human? you are a gutsy creature.} I wipe some moisture off my face to find blood. Damn Boo hits hard. "I take it you don't like the idea." {on the contrary. i like the thought of having someone like you around.} And suddenly my creepy senses are tingling. "Dare I ask...why?" He comes closer. I move back. {i have been so bored...} He moves fast, pinning me back with his hands on either side of my face. {so very bored.} That eye. The hidden intent it holds, so strong and intimidating. Its gaze is paralyzing. And he knows it. {you are afraid of me. i see it in your eyes.} He leans in more. {it is my appearance. my face frightens you.} Suddenly...clear thought returns. "Actually...You look fine to me." This gets him. {wh...what?} "The thing about you that scares me is not your looks. Though it does add to it." That intensity of his dies down a bit. {then what is it?} "I can't tell what you'll do." His face is flat. Seemingly lost in his thoughts. I know not what part clicks on. But some moronic place in my head has the nerve to reach up for his face. Of course, I hesitate. Especially when his sight darts to my hand. Yet he doesn't move or say a word. Slowly, I try to touch his skull but my hand goes through him, giving off a cold sensation. An act that gets his grin to come back. {a brave move from a gutsy creature like yourself. but you should know that only one of us can have control of the body at a time.} The gears turn in my head. A sight that makes him snicker. {that is right. i am not physically present. neither is chops or bones. not as long as boo has the body. this place. outside of trial. this is the only time we can be seen outside of having the body.} Something foreboding comes to me. I should keep my mouth shut. But when have I ever done that? "Why are you telling me this?" The look of psychotic delight. Something I haven't seen outside of fiction. It's utterly terrifying. {because i want you to know there will come a time when i have control of the body. and unlike the others...} He leans into my ear. {i will not be gentle.} He backs away and loves the view of me visibly shivering. {oh yes. my boredom ends now. you are just what i need.} He leaves me and frankly, I'm not sure whether I've fucked myself up royal by agreeing to this. The saying goes that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But with friends like these who's to say who my enemy really is? Yet what choice do I have? Either the humans that treat me like dirt or the monsters that do that too but are honest about it. Oh, what a messed up life I live. [AT THE SURVIVOR'S CAMPSITE] Tension is mounting among the humans. One antsy guy is not handling the current lack of his gal pal well and his pacing from one edge of camp to punch a tree to then do the same thing on the other side is starting to work on some people's nerves. "David, we know you're in a mood, but I don't think that's helping." David glares at Dwight. "And just what do you think I should do? Go out there with no clue where to bloody go? Did you really think I 'adn't thought of that when she fuckin' ran off?!" "Ease off him, man." Meg stands up for a trembling Dwight. "We get it. You're pissed. But you don't have to unload on Dwight..." Dwight feels respect. "He's got enough issues as it is." Well, that lasted all of four seconds. A new daily best. "Lil' grrl, don't tell me 'ow to vent. If I wanna rip that shrimp a new arsehole, then I'm gonna get loud and tear into him like fat fucker at an all you can eat joint." "Please don't." Dwight utters with the confidence of a man strapped into the electric chair with less than a minute left on the clock. "Yeah, please don't." Claudette mutters now broken from her thoughts. "Can we not turn on each other? It's only playing into the Entity's favor." Jeff adds while poking a stick into the everlasting bonfire. "The way I see it..." "No one asked you, Nea." Bill cuts Nea off. "All I'm saying..." "Shut it, cunt!" "Fuck you, cockney bastard!" "You wanna go, bitch? Come on then, let's 'ave it! I don't give a shit if yer a grrl. I'll kick yer arse just as hard!" "Whoa! Whoa! Slow down there. There is nothing that makes hitting a woman okay...Unless she's possessed by a demon and trying to devour your soul." Ash attempts using reason. "Wait...What if a woman has killed one of her children and is about to kill the second? Are you telling me it's still wrong to hit her to save the child?" Jane questions things, as is her talk show nature. "Uh..." "Stand down, Ash. There is no right answer." Adam pats Ash's shoulder. "It's a vicious cycle. Women want to be treated the same as men yet still want to be treated differently when it comes to certain things." Ace states with a shrug and earning glares from every female around him. "Oh don't even try to shame me. You can't tell me you want the same crap guys don't get away with but you do." "Name one thing we women get away with but guys don't." Kate demands and Ace tips his shades. "Flirting to get free stuff." "...Name two things." "*sigh* I hate my gender." Min groans into her palm. As dumb as this exchange was, and continued to be as some keep it going, it did do one thing well. It's made David not want to fight Nea. Though...It's made David leave camp to fight something else. Something that will last longer than annoying bitch and get some pent up emotions out. [AT MOUNT ORMOND RESORT] Since Boo gave me the option and I figure it looks better for me to do so, I have remained at the lodge with the four of them...well...three due to Bones still resting upstairs. I pretty much stay around Boo because he seems the most stable. Chops I'm unsure of. He's got attitude and a smart mouth, but he doesn't seem to want to bother with me. I'm cool with this. Dead Eye, however, I wish he'd stop eyeing me and making me uncomfortable even while he's across the room. Right now at least I can do something rare...relax. Even if it's short-lived. Being able to lounge by the fire and chat with Boo is refreshing. With David, he'd be hitting me with yet another flirt or one-liner or random story that makes him seem so cool. But Boo? Other than calling me cute one time he's been normal. Sure Boo's stories kind of involve the murder of the others at camp, sometimes getting the other two to add their own comments, yet it just comes off as common as someone talking about a pleasant day they had. I guess a bonus to this would be learning how they tend to attack in a trial. Who knows? It could pay off later. "so what do you think? was i unfair?" "Heck no. All four had flashlights and were blinding you every second while pallet bashing your skull. The ones you caught deserved being hooked." "so i wasn't being too harsh?" "Not at all." Chops scoffs. {bet ya wouldn't be saying that if you were on the hook.} I shrug. "If I'm being a turd, by all means, call me out and hook me. I won't complain about how karma works." {not even if you're right outside the gate and then get whacked?} "Hmmm...Maybe I'd be a little salty over it. But if you caught me than I wasn't giving it my all in the first place. So it's my fault." {...i can't tell if you're fucking with me or not.} {she is not.} Dead Eye interjects. {and how the hell would ya know?} {simple...what reason would she have to lie?} Chops opens his mouth but then rolls over in his seat. {yeah, whatever.} I look at Boo. "Is he always so cheerful or is this an off day?" Boo covers his mouth as he snickers. "no...heh...that's just how he is. you get used to it." "If that's the case, how do you know when he's really mad if this is his norm?" "easy...he doesn't talk when that mad." Note to self, if Chops isn't willing to talk than get the ever-loving fuck away from him. "but don't worry about it. only one human has ever made him that mad before." I bet it was Nea. "Do you know who it was?" {it was that jackass with the rose tattoo behind his ear. mother fucker thought it was funny to shove firecrackers in my pants when i got pallet stunned. heh...i sure showed him a thing or two.} Wait...David? For real? "What happened?" The tone in Chops's voice carries the ring on smug satisfaction hidden on his likely grinning face. {when i got him on the hook...i spilled his guts. the bastard learned to not pulled anything stupid like that shit again.} And now this feels weird. Thank god they have no clue about me being close to David. Otherwise, I think they'd be a lot less cool with me. {ya wouldn't pull any stunt like that...} He turns enough to give me a look. {would ya, meat?} I throw my hands in the air. "Dude, I get wrecked just doing basic junk. I ain't no masochist." I hardly see the faint smirk he gets before ignoring all life again. {smart meat. that's new.} "i think he likes you." "Better that than hating me." "and dead eye really likes you." I really wish he didn't. "How can you tell?" "i've never seen him smile so much. see?" Boo points and I crane my neck to see the monster in question looking at me like I'm a happy meal. Why? Why do I pull in such things? There's a sound not made by any of us. The sound of a doorknob being turned and squeakily opened. It's gotta be Bones but this confuses me as, if he's not physically solid, how can there be inaction with physical matter? Astral projection of the soul maybe? More Entity bullshit? Such thought leaves me once he leaves the room and peers out over the railing. The dark blue glow of his eyes in the shadow of his hood is spooky in a cool way. {boo...} "y-yes?" Poor guy is rattled. I guess Bones really does hold a lot of power. {did you do what i asked?} "yes, i did. and she said she'd go along with us." Pause for thought. {...then why is she still here?} Reasonable question. Yet not reasonably answered. Why, brain? Why you make me do stupid things? "Gooooood morning, bonehead." The others look at me as if I'll be shot. Bones just looks indifferent before slowly descending to the ground floor. {again...why are you still here?} "Nice to see you too." He glares. "i told her she could stay if she wanted. it's not like there are more trials for this feed cycle." Feed cycle? Is that how they measure time? {go back to your camp.} Okay, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. "What's wrong, buddy? Did you have a bad dream?" I ask sincerely. But Bones growls at me. Boo is worried. Dead Eye and Chops are intrigued. {go away.} I turn to Boo. "Did I do something wrong?" Boo readies to speak but quickly hushes himself. His eyes darting away in submission to Bones' leer. {you've agreed to help already. you have no other business here. so get back to camp with the rest of the humans where you belong.} Where is this hostility coming from? "Bones, I..." {just go!} I feel it...That pain of being used only to be discarded. Well...No more. I refuse to feel that again. I take Boo by the hand and begin to take him with me as I head outside. This doesn't go without incident from a fast-moving Bones. {what the hell do you think you're doing?} "If you want to be cranky, fine. Boo has the body and if he leaves the realm then you can't intimidate him into being quiet." {the hell is wrong with you, woman?!} "Me? What's wrong with you? I haven't done anything wrong. Yet you're being a dick for no reason." I can only imagine what the faces of the others look like as I keep eye contact with Bones. {i'm being a dick? you're the one dragging him into this.} I freeze. Déjà vu smacking me hard. Flashbacks to my parents arguing leading to the divorce. I release Boo's hand in shock. "I'm so sorry." He doesn't say a word. He just slowly goes back inside. {now go. we'll contact you when needed.} He follows Boo but... "Bones..." He didn't have to. He could've kept going. But he looks back. "Don't do this. Tell me what's wrong" {we have nothing to talk about.} Time to feel awkward again. "I'm sorry." His attitude lessens slightly. {you're sorry?} "That stuff I said...you know...before you started kicking my ass. I didn't mean to say that shit." I rub my arm shyly. "I don't know you or what you've gone through. It was a bitch move made at the moment to just lump you among the other jerks that mess with me. Can you forgive me?" Now he's the shocked one. {...you're serious?} I nod. {...the hell is wrong with you?} Well, that went as fine as I figured. {i kicked you within inches of death over some dumb remark and you're apologizing to me?} I merely shrug. "That's the gist of it, yes." I can't tell if the odd look he's giving is made in confusion or disgust at my ineptitude. {you are by far the oddest human i have ever met.} I merely give a weak smile. "I prefer quirky." He sighs and shakes his head. I take it as my cue to leave. But I have one last bit to say. "You know...You could've just asked." {huh?} "This whole thing with bringing me here and having Boo tell me about helping you with the obsession rights. You could've just asked me and I would've listened." He looks elsewhere. {no you wouldn't. not after the crap i pulled.} I step a bit closer. "You don't know that." {*scoff* you're telling me you'd give two shits about helping me after being stabbed?} "Dude, I get why you did it. The others were pushing your buttons and you snapped. It happens. I don't hold it against you." He gets in my face. {do you think this makes us cool? that telling me this will do anything?} I shrug. "Just being real with you. It's the foundation of any real trust. And if we're to work together in these trials..." I offer my hand out to him. "I'd prefer being on the level with my partner." He just stares at it. I may have pushed this on him too soon. {i can't shake on it.} "I know. Dead Eye already freaked me out about the whole 'not really here' thing. It's more of a symbolic gesture." The mention of Dead Eye seems to bug him yet it's ignored. {no, i mean, i can't shake because how do i know i can truly believe you?} I give him a flat face. "Dude...I could've run away at any point and told you lot to piss off. After everything, I'm still here. Trying as no human has. I've helped you once before. Can you truly say you doubt me?" The longer he avoids eye contact the more it strangely hurts. "Bones..." He finally looks at me as my other hand is placed over where he cut me and say what he wants to hear. "I belong to Legion." We remain like this for some time. Just staring at each other as words sink in. Suddenly...I feel it. A slight cold sensation on my hand as he takes ghostly hold of it. {your life is mine...lynsie.} I smile. His use of my name, something easily forgotten by most and replaced with nicknames, feels so unnaturally amazing. Wow, I'm pathetic if that's all it takes to win me over. Acknowledgment. It's all anyone wants. "Now and forever." {gay!} Chops shouts from inside. "Look, I know it's girly and cliché as fuck. But I ain't taking it back, edgy boy." There's quiet. {the fuck did ya just call me?!} Bone's snickers. {ignore him. i swear he gets off on attention.} "So...Are we cool?" He rubs the back of his head. {for now. i guess.} "Then...I can stay? Just a bit longer?" {why do you even want to?} This has me looking at the ground in wariness. {you're not sure they'd take you back even if you're like this. right?} Bones is right. There is no guarantee. I'll probably be let back in the campsite but I won't be trusted. They know the danger I am and now...now they know I will act on it. There won't be trust. Only suspicion on when I'll turn. When I'll kill any of them for just agitating me the wrong way. There will be a few that might be willing to overlook this danger. Yet it'll never be the same. "Yeah." He looks at me and then heads inside. {do what you want. just don't be annoying.} It's a small step. But every adventure starts with one. [IN THE SURVIVOR'S FOREST] Things aren't going well for David. Wandering the woods in search of a killer to take his frustration out on has not given him the satisfaction he craved. In fact...he's gotten himself lost. Resulting in only more building annoyance. Any sound triggers him to go attack it. A lot of ridiculous assaults on shrubbery and attempts to catch crows. One miserable pointless action and failure after another. All of which culminates in him beating his fists into the ground till his knuckles bleed and threaten to leave the cover of flesh. "Arrrgh! This ain't fair! It ain't! You can't do me wrong like this! A more than decent bird shows up in this 'ellhole and what do you do?! You make 'er into a fuckin' monster!" lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub... "Piss! Piss on all of it! Do you hear me?! PISS!" lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub... "Give 'er back, damn it! Give 'er back to me!" lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub... "She's not a monster! She's not yers! She's mine!" lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub... *LOW-PITCH YELP* In his fit, David failed to keep his guard and alertness up. Forgetting that some monsters have the skill of Undetectable in their power, a skill that keeps the Terror Radius and Red Stain from being, well, detected. While surprised, David sees enough to size up this opponent. The odds aren't good. It's Shape. "*wince* Oi! Fuck off, you flamin' tosser!" Shape, of course, says nothing. He swings his knife with his large range and David has to Dead Hard to get out of the way while negating any hit that might have happened. The chase begins. One that won't last long in his current condition. There are many monsters David has no trouble taking on. But this one? Even the most hardcore fighters know there's no shot of victory in tussling with something that doesn't give in to pain. As his spine begins to chill David grits his teeth in hate. Not at the monster about to cut him down. Nor the Entity for tangling a good thing in his face. No, he hates himself for being unable to do anything. He couldn't hold on to her. He couldn't help her. He couldn't keep his head straight. He couldn't be stronger. And he couldn't outrun the inevitable. *LOW-PITCH YELL* Add being face down in the dirt to the list of things he hates. "Just get it over with. I was bleedin' lost anyway." Shape looks down at him and shrugs, picking David up by the throat before plunging the knife up into his chest. With every fiber of his being wanting to live David beats on Shape's shoulder and tries to pull the knife out by pushing on Shape's wrist. Sadly for David, Shape is far stronger than he'll ever be. Shape pulls the knife out to then thrust it back in with more force, enough for the blade to go through bone to pop out his back. Massive internal damage takes its toll instantaneously. David's eyes roll back into his head and Shape discards the limp body as if were a toy cast aside by a bored child. To camp he shall go and alone he shall remain. [AT MOUNT ORMOND RESORT] I've made up with Boo by letting him play with my hair. I'll regret it later due to knots, but it makes him happy. So far he's been trying to braid it while I sit on the floor in front of him and when his fingertips scrape my scalp I try hard not to purr at the pleasantness of it. Though he often has to remind me to lean forward as I subconsciously lean back into him. Bones and Dead Eye don't seem to care about this friendly display. But Chops? He has some words about it. {getting awfully cozy with us, aren't ya?} Bones told me to ignore him, so I do. He glares. {bitch, don't ignore me.} I keep my eyes to the ground until he storms over and kneels to be in my face. {ya don't want to piss me off, meat. ya won't like being on my bad side.} Don't say anything stupid! For the love of God don't be stupid! {well? say something!} "chops..." {stay out of this. this is between me and the meat.} "I have a name." {*scoff* like i give a shit.} "Is that what your reflection said when you looked in the mirror?" A chill not from the snow enters. Chops' sockets widen. And I know mistakes were made. {did ya just...} {hey, chops, why not go outside and ice that burn.} {heh...nice one.} Bones and Dead Eye adding in only makes it worse. Chops gets a little flustered but is super mad now. {think ya can start shit and get away with it? nuh-uh. ya don't want any of this.} He cracks his knuckles and I mentally kick myself. What did I get sucked into? {your family tree must be a cactus. because you're a massive prick.} Oh...Oh damn. {come on, meat. try me.} I really don't want to. But with eyes all on me I feel forced. I tap Boo's leg. "This might get nasty. Sorry for the words I'm about to say." Boo stops. "Alright then...*ahem* The only way you'd ever get laid is if you're rammed up a chicken's ass and wait." Chops is surprised. {hmmm...seems the meat is going to give you a bad time.} Chops snarls at Bones's comment. {the hell she is...they broke the mold when ya were born. one retarded defect is bad enough.} A bottle is thrown across the room. {dis off!} Bones is more into this than he should. I guess I should get my head in this game then. "You're the reason the gene pool needs a lifeguard." {your gene pool needs chlorine.} "That insult was about as dense as a black hole." {karma takes too long. i'd rather just beat the shit out of ya now.} {oh snap!} Bones is acting like a hypeman. It's hard to not laugh at his enthusiasm. "It's better to let someone think you're stupid than opening your mouth and proving it true. Case in point..." {of course i talk like an idiot. how else would ya understand me?} "I'd like to see things from your point of view, but I can't seem to get my head that far up my ass." {ooooh!} At this point, Boo and Dead Eye are now an audience to this wacky show. {i guess ya prove even god has a sense of humor in making mistakes.} "Stop trying to be a smart ass. You're just an ass." {if ya really spoke your mind, you'd be speechless.} "Shock me by saying something intelligent." {why don't ya slip into something more comfortable...like a coma.} Bones gets in close. "If I wanted to kill myself I'd climb up your ego and jump down to your IQ." He then jumps up like a firework. I motion for a timeout. "Dude, is he okay?" {*sigh* he gets this way sometimes. makes him look like a fucking psycho.} Bones stops and puts his hands in his pockets before whistling innocently. I shrug and we resume. {so how'd ya get here? is there a zoo missing their exhibit?} "Did a thought cross your mind? That must've been quite the arduous adventure." {it looks like your face caught fire and someone put it out with a hammer.} "I wasn't born with enough fucks to give to that weak insult." {i don't really think you're stupid. ya just have shitty luck when it comes to thinking.} "Roses are red, violets aren't blue. I've got five fingers, and the middle one is for you." {if you're gonna be two-faced at least make one of them pretty.} "If you're the pretty one. That means I'm the smart one." {calling ya an idiot would be an insult to stupid people.} "The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still an option." {i could explain why you're dumb, but i don't have the time or crayons.} "I thought this was a battle of wits. So why are you unarmed?" {the only thing that would ever fuck you is life.} "If life did fuck me, it would still do a better job than you." Chops growls at that line. I'm beginning to suspect he might have issues there. I feel bad about it. "Sorry. I didn't mean..." {i wouldn't fuck ya if ya were the last vagina in existence. in fact, i'd fuck myself before ever thinking of doing ya.} Okay...Don't push that button on him ever again. Best take this battle of words back into silly town. "You're about as useful as tits on a pigeon." {i'd call ya a cunt but you're not warm or deep.} That one stuns me for a second. Not that it hit hard but more like it made me think about it. "Huh...Never heard that one before. Bravo. Very creative." He smirks smugly, his mood getting better. {heh...had enough yet?} "Maybe. Honestly, this is kinda fun. But I think I still got something that might get you." {then bring it on, girly.} "Alright...You're so inbred that you're a sandwich." That one makes him pause. {what...the fuck?} "I know. That one's weird compared to pigeon tits." {it wasn't bad. it was just...} "Confusing?" {yeah.} "My bad." {screw it. i'm ending this now before ya say something else mood ending.} "That's what she said." My playful finger guns are met with his disinterested scowl. {don't ever bother playing hard to get. no one will ever want ya. period. and i ain't insulting ya either. i'm describing ya. ya miserable pile of unwanted trash.} Ouch. Like...OUCH. He saved one hell of a bomb for last, a dang nuke. There's no recovery for that. "Dude...That's not funny." {ah what's wrong, meat? did i hit a nerve?} He doesn't sound spiteful or sarcastic. Calmer than anything else. It's odd. {gotta say...ya got some good game. better luck next time.} He gets up and goes off somewhere. I'm still too devastated to pay attention. I turn to Boo who has a pitiful expression. "that was just uncalled for." "Did I upset him? I said sorry." "as mean as that was, i think he didn't mean it. he sounded...nice." "Still..." Chops' verbal lashing hit hard. Cutting deep at insecurities I don't like to acknowledge. "I should probably go. I've bothered you guys enough." Boo pouts. "do you have to?" {i thought you could not go back?} Dead Eye comments as he looks out at the snow blowing inside. {yeah, she's kind of screwed...} Bones plops down in a chair. {not accepted on either side. a killer to the humans and an oddity to the monsters. there's no middle ground for her to walk. in other words...she's boned.} I hate this. He's right. And the feeling I was hoping to forget comes back. Being stuck and unable to move. Like I'm a puppet on strings that are suddenly cut and I can no longer function. It scares me. "so...she's staying?" {if she's smart she'll stay. be a waste with those worms.} {dunno. that's on her.} {it begs the question...what are you going to do, human?} I feel my heart begin to speed up. I'm beginning to freak out. I've never had panic attacks. But this feels like it. Rapid, pounding heart rate. Trembling or shaking. Chills. Hot flashes. Chest pain. And a growing headache. Boo being behind me doesn't like this. "um...guys? she's not doing so well." Now they're all looking at me. This attention. It's adding pressure. I can feel it. That surge of power. That corrupting influence boring into my being. The Entity is getting to me! {she don't look so good. like a nut about the crack.} {boo, get ready to switch control when i say so.} They watch. They just watch while I grip my head and try to keep control over this demanding force. This feeling of being internally detached from everything that I am. I'm losing it. I'm losing this battle of control and it's terrifying. My throat is squeezing itself yet I'm hyperventilating noises like a frightened beast. I can't take it. This stress...I can't take it! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! {is she gonna change?} "guys, i'm freaking out!" {shush. just wait for it.} This time...It feels different. Probably because this was done out of trial. I feel the stretching of my bones. The extending of my nails. The contortion of certain parts. And the heightening of my senses. Yet the thing that doesn't have much feeling is my mind. It's numb. Uncomfortably numb. Like dizziness or faintness. Whatever you want to call this dull tingling in my brain. This transformation doesn't seem to phase Bones all that much. The others, however... {holy fucking ass crackers!} {so...this is what nurse got to see?} "*uncomfortable* d-do i move? am i safe?" I don't move from my spot. Being brain numb makes me slow. Simple. More prone to impulsive action than complex thought. But I'm not mindless. Just a little dull with no objective like in a trial. *SNAP-SNAP* Bones snaps his fingers and gets my attention. {come here.} I'm hesitant. Mostly because trying to move from a flat sitting position with altered limbs is like a baby deer crossing a frozen pond. I end up crawling and even then it's not graceful. {look at you...pathetic.} I'm taken back by his sudden tone. {you have no idea how to control this power.} "This is my second time." {in the same day and not by choice. you're letting your emotions get the better of you and that's what the entity preys on. you need to control this power and not let it control you.} My gaze is cast to the ground with a weak whimper. "don't do that." I look back at Boo. "he isn't trying to make you feel bad. if left alone and you do this a few more times, you probably end up being some simple animal. the entity doesn't want animals. it wants beasts. monsters. things that think as well as kill. and failed killers are cast into the void." "But...I don't want to kill. I don't want to hurt anyone." {then get your ass ready for the void. ya can't say no to the entity. bad shit happens when ya do.} Chops makes a point. {consider yourself blessed, human. the others would not be so willing to aid you like this.} Dead Eye says his thoughts. {true. if we were like the others, we'd turn you over to the doctor and have him figure your power out. he likes to be hands-on with all things he finds...interesting.} There's this melancholy tone in Bones' words. Did...did something happen to them? {but i already told you once...i'm not like the others. and you're not like them either. you're a misfit.} He mimics me from earlier, offering a hand out to me. {lucky for you, you're among fellow misfits. that and...well...} Bones' eyes shift awkwardly as if embarrassed to say what he wants. {you're...kind of okay...i guess.} I remember this side to him. That soft easily flustered side that came out when I made him blush. "Hey..." I get his attention. "Do you know the band most skeletons like?" The randomness of that puzzles him and the others. "Spinal Tap." I can see him putting that together in his head. Once he figures it out, the guffaw that leaves him is loud before he covers his mouth. The others are less quiet. Especially Dead Eye which surprises me. {*muffled* heheh...oh my god...that was so bad...} "Then why are you laughing?" It takes a moment for them to calm down. Though now that I think about it, Bones had a hard time keeping himself normal during some of the insult jokes. Maybe he has a thing for bad puns? "*coughs* okay...okay. *sigh* no more jokes. this is serious time now." I nod. {now...show me your soul.} I go blank. {don't give me that look. just do as i say.} "You've seen it already. Don't make this weird." He blushes and goes to slap me...but he's intangible and has no effect. {*huff* why do you always have to make things awkward?} Aside from thinking he has a weird thing for my soul, I still don't know how to make it come out. "i don't think she knows how." {geez. talk about a clueless woman.} I growl at Chops who flips me off. {damn it...this is more annoying than i thought.} That has me confused. How much of this did Bones plan? {i can help.} Like looming doom, Dead Eye stands ominously behind me and, even in this form, I tremble. My sudden shift in demeanor has Bones doing a double-take of looking at me, then the pleased looking Dead Eye, and then me again. {what did you do?} Dead Eye doesn't take his sight off me. {nothing.} {i thought i told you not to interfere.} {and i did as told. i did nothing.} Dead Eye's voice is unnervingly calm and the look on his face, his eye partly closed mixing with that sly Cheshire cat grin, doesn't exactly make him seem like he has good thoughts in that cracked skull of his. {i can get her to produce her soul. all i need...is the body.} My eyes widen along with his smile. His earlier words come hauntingly back to me. {because i want you to know there will come a time when i have control of the body. and unlike the others...i will not be gentle.} That primal part of my brain that handles the fight-or-flight response is spamming the "GET THE FUCK OUT!" button but my legs seem to be suffering from a connection error and not receiving the signal. Bones reads the room and smirks. {when i say stop, you better stop.} Connection error fixed...PANIC ENGAGED! "No! No! No! No! No! No!" Shoving off the floor, I bound for the closest way out. As luck tends to go for me...This is a fail. "*roar*" I'm stopped dead in my tracks by the sudden addition of a blade in my back. {i'm not the kind of guy to dole out advice. but here's something to remember...} I wearily cock my head to look back. Only to see a very solid Dead Eye directly behind me and still clutching the meat cleaver that's just inches shy of my trembling spine. How does he move so fast?! {never turn your back on dead eye.} I expect the cleaver to be yanked out and another strike to quickly follow. I should know by now not to expect things to go by normal logic. Dead Eye pushes onto the weapon and kicks the back of my knee, forcing me down on all fours. I'd reach back or kick like a mule but he's still pressing his might on that blade to the point it starts touching bone, so any move I'd make will result in losing balance then eating the floor. "gutsy creature, thinking you can run from me. i wonder..." A second sharp pain comes to my side as he thrusts his sharp phalanx tips into the soft flesh and digs them in deep. The howl of anguish as he claws into me is excruciating. "just what do those guts look like?" His intent is clear. I'll be disemboweled if I can't produce my soul. I'd think this was a bluff if he wasn't starting to pull on the chunk of me in his grasp. {you know how to make him stop.} "*seething* I don't know..." *CRACK* One of my ribs gives way to the cleaver's pushing and I lose my shit. Wailing like a banshee in sheer hell. {not so rough. she's no good to us broken.} Dead Eye lets the cleaver go, keeping it where it rests in me and grabs my neck to cease my writhing. The skin begins to tear as he pulls further on my side. I know not which will happen first, changing back to being human or passing out from the pain. I hope for the latter. "do keep this up. i have not had so much fun in ages." "*whimper* Please...stop..." "if you insist." And he does stop...by ripping that chunk in a single fast pull. The only good thing is that it's just flesh and muscle, any deeper would result in some spilled entrails. Two things happen at this moment. One, I feel so much pain that it overloads my system to the point it stops hurting. And two, due to the insane amount of adrenaline flooding me this causes some parts to be confused as to what to do. Case in point, I should be uttering some sound of hurt yet I'm silent but also crying...and my soul pops out thinking I'm dying which is entirely possible. The obvious shimmering heart doesn't go ignored. Dead Eye snatches it and just like that, I'm feeling awful once more, collapsing on my side. I feel paralyzed. Only my eyes work. "i told you i could get her to show it." {don't think ya can brag. any of us could've done that.} {you're lucky this even worked. you weren't supposed to interact with her at all.} "you are welcomed." Bones groans. {*huff* just show it to me.} {oooh...pretty.} {too many bright colors if ya ask me.} Boo and Chops get to see the odd mass of clashing colors. "i see why you wanted to look at it now." {yep. it's just as i thought. burning scars and blisters of light.} {*gasp* it's entity-touched.} {yeah...and by the looks of it, it's been touched a lot.} "what do we do with it?" {give a moment. maybe it'll heal on its own.} {that's retarded. you're retarded.} {you don't know that!} Chops and Boo quarrel as Bones and Dead Eye share annoyed looks. {we're surrounded by idiots.} "agreed." Dead Eye fades out and Bones becomes solid. "had enough fun already?" {...for now.} Dead Eye looks at me than the soul. {you will want to put her back together soon. that wound will not heal if she reverts to being human.} Was that...pity? Huh. Maybe he's not so bad. "got any ideas on lessening the entity's touch?" To that, he shakes his head. {you already know who might have the answers.} Bones sighs. "true. just...it's not going to end well." {neither would be letting the entity consume more of that soul than it already has. dealing with the doctor is a small price to pay compared to letting the entity have its way.} Bones rubs a hand across his skull as if moving it through invisible hair. "i hate it when you're right." Bones takes the soul before he comes over to me, kneeling and putting the torn chunk of flesh back where it came from. "you're not going to like what needs to be done to you." All I can do is blink a couple of times for a response. Putting the soul back is like putting a metal fork in an electrical socket. It jump-starts my body. The damage inflicted by Dead Eye begins repairing itself. Yet he hasn't let go of it. "*groan* What are you doing?" "if i let go now you'll change back. right?" I want to say nothing. But...that's not how trust works. "*wince* If I'm hurt enough while changed, it makes me shift back." "figured as much. you won't heal as a human. not with this much damage. as a monster, you can at least regenerate." This feels so uncomfortable. Sure he has a point and being this way is allowing my body to repair itself. But him holding my soul while I'm this weak feels about the same as being naked with four dudes are just staring at my goods. After some time, my rib reconnects as the shade of the cleaver is pushed out and my side is now one piece again. When he deems me healed he releases my soul and they watch these changes to my body reverse. Bit by bit. Bone crunch after loud pop. {stars...that has to hurt.} {if that shit happened each time we switched body control, yeah, i'd fight to prevent that crap too.} I force my upper half up but I'm wobbly. "talk to us, girl. what's wrong?" I try to shake this feeling off. I was mentally dumb as a monster. Now I'm lightheaded and tipsy. "Groggy. Like fog is filling the space in my skull." "need anything?" I shake my head slowly. "Nah. Don't trouble yourselves over this. I just need a moment." "good." Well, that was quick. Bones grabs me and carries me over to one of the sofas. Plopping me down a bit rougher than needed. "get some rest. you'll need it. once tomorrow's trials are done, we have to go pay the doctor a visit." I visibly cringe. "Must we?" "do you want to end up in the void?" "No." "then you're going." I roll over and do as told. Not much else I can do. I hear Bones leave me. Perhaps he'll find something else to do. {don't worry, human. the doctor won't kill you. at least, not intentionally. the dead can't be studied here.} {bitch boy, ya suck at pep talks.} {stop calling me that.} Chops snarls but is made silent. They both are. Suddenly there's a chill dancing on my neck. Like slowly moving fingertips. {you will behave for us tomorrow. right, human?} Damn it Dead Eye...Why are you so fucking creepy? "Y-Yes." {good girl. do not make us regret showing you mercy.} Fuck my life. I'm tired, cold, in pain, and just sick of it. I just want to shut my eyes and forget where I am. Even if it's only for a little while. To lose myself in unconsciousness. It's the only escape I have.

[nitewrighter]

Dragonback Pt. 5

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

AO3

The Thrilling Conclusion! And by ‘Thrilling’ I mean I give Jack a hard time.

---

One of the things they never tell you when you become a father is that, for the sake of both you and your child’s growing sense of personal privacy, you have to become good at avoiding looking at things. You aren’t really aware of this until they’re a teenager, mind you. “No, I didn’t see that book fall out of your backpack.” “No, I didn’t see what screen you were on before you minimized it.” “No I didn’t see the 12 seconds of furious making out as I pulled the car up to pick you up from Amnesty Club.” Seeing Rei grow up, these were things Genji became very aware of. As soon as Aedan came coughing and muttering back into consciousness and Rei cupped her hands to his cheeks, Genji looked off with all the quickness ninja and cyborg reflexes could afford him as his daughter launched her face at the clone of his wife’s worst rival. Genji glanced back briefly, saw they weren’t finished, looked off again for another few seconds, then saw that they were holding each other tightly. His shoulders relaxed slightly for all of two seconds, before both he and Rei became acutely aware of the same thing.

“Hanzo--” Genji started, pivoting on his heel.

Rei perked up slightly from where she was kneeling over Aedan.

Almost on cue, there was a rustling in the bushes and Hanzo burst through a thicket, buckling over to catch his breath.

“They aren’t after us! They’re after the clone!” he blurted out before anyone could ask if he was alright. 

“Hanzo--” Genji stepped up to him, “It’s fine. We’re okay.”

His eyes flicked across the three of them, still panting from his sprint. “Talon attacked you as well?”

“Some kind of combat airship for me,” said Genji. He glanced at Rei and Aedan, “As for them...”

“There was a Reaper clone---Well not really a full clone of him since she was a girl....” said Rei.

“And her eyes were off,” said Genji.

“She collapsed my ribcage,” said Aedan.

Hanzo looked at Aedan.

“I... got better,” said Aedan.

“Are you okay?” said Rei, walking up to him.

“Some foot soldiers. Nothing I couldn’t handle. I only managed to interrogate one while the rest ran off but... clearly I should have been getting back to you,” said Hanzo.

“We’re okay,” said Rei, smiling a little as she hugged him tightly. Hanzo touched a hand to her still-damp hair and gave her head a pat. Rei pulled back and Hanzo’s brows raised slightly.

“You’ve got black on you,” said Hanzo.

“Hm?” Rei glanced down at the black splatters Aedan had coughed onto her shirt. “Oh--Yeah, that’s just..” she brushed at the front of her shirt, “It’s nothing.”

“No, I mean you’ve got black...” Hanzo trailed off and pointed at his own mouth.

Rei brushed the back of her hand against her lips and saw a dark smudge of nanite secretions. “Oh--Oh that’s just... that’s... um...” Rei furiously wiped at her mouth while Hanzo glanced past her shoulder and made eye-contact with Aedan, who was struggling to his feet while bracing a hand against the tree, his own chin still black from nanites.

“Rei got the dragon back! Isn’t that good news!?” Genji suddenly, and with no small amount of desperation, cut in. 

Hanzo broke his eyes away from Aedan. “What?” He looked at Rei, “When? How?”

“I was hurt, and I was in the water, like you were,” said Rei, “And then...” she trailed off, “There was... this light? And...” Rei looked back at the pond, then broke away from Hanzo, briskly walked over and started sloshing in to the water of the pond.

“Rei!” Genji called after her, but she was already waist-deep when she dipped under-water. “Just like her mother...” Genji muttered.

The surface of the pond was still for a few seconds when Rei suddenly broke the surface with a gasp.

“Dammit!” she smacked the surface of the water with a frustrated splash, “It was there! I swear it was there! And it was all glowy!” She swam back to the edge of the pond. and wrung out her hair and shirt. 

“The same happened to me when I received my storm arrows,” said Hanzo, “I probably searched up and down the rivers and ponds for days, but to no avail.”

“So we’re no closer to figuring out what the dragon actually is,” said Rei, shivering a little, “All we have to go on is a stupid weird glowy blue light and--” She cut herself off.

“...and?” Genji tilted his head at her.

“And we need to get back to the watchpoint,” said Rei, “I... I have an idea, and I’m not sure if I’m crazy or not.”

“I’m with her,” said Aedan, his voice woozy, “If we want to find out more about the Reaper clone, we should get back. If I can get to the lab fast enough, I might be able to isolate her DNA from any spare nanites she left in my body.”

“...so you smeared bits of yourself on Rei, and there’s bits of a reaper clone in you,” said Hanzo, flatly.

“I didn’t smear anythi--” Aedan started.

“You know what? I’m just going to get back to the campsite and activate the comm beacon. Rei is right, we should get back home,” said Genji.

----

They stayed close to camp and one of them kept watch for the next few hours until the evac arrived. Rei thankfully had a spare change of clothes so she didn’t have to spend all the time waiting sopping wet. Aedan was still clearly exhausted by the harrowing events, and he no doubt got the worst of the fight, but Rei stayed by his side as he slept and she kept watch. She saw the light of the sky tinge pink through the leaves of the trees as the Orca arrived. 

“Thought you lot were the outdoorsy ones!” Tracer called down cheerfully as she lowered a ladder from the dropship. Aedan was the first to climb up. “Most of you at least,” she said, as Aedan took his seat and the Shimadas climbed up after him. She grinned at Rei, “Good to see you again, Sunshine.”

“Good to... see you too...” Rei started as she pulled herself up into the dropship, but then her eyes trailed down to the chronal accelerator on Tracer’s chest.

A few seconds passed and Tracer cleared her throat. “You all right, love?”

Rei seemed to snap out of a trance. “What? Yeah--I just need to sit down.” She took her seat as Genji, and then Hanzo got up after her.

“Let me guess,” said Tracer, “You’re in for a horrifically long debriefing when you get back.”

“Oh I wouldn’t say horrifically,” said Genji, “...terribly, maybe. Harrowingly...Horrific if it’s Jack doing the debriefing.” 

It was another long flight back to Gibraltar. Aedan took advantage of the on-ship medkit to extract some blood and nanite samples from himself before, as he put it, his body eliminated all of Andrea’s presence. There was a certain unnerving efficiency with the way he stuck needles in his arm. Rei wondered what kind of tests Talon put him through before he defected. She wondered how many of those tests he had been taught to conduct himself.

Rei gave a glance back to her father and uncle sleeping off the fatigue from the fight before glancing back to Aedan, gingerly setting vials of his own blood down in their little case. 

Aedan’s eyes flicked up at her as she watched him. “You should be resting,” he said quietly.

“So should you,” said Rei.

“I will, eventually,” said Aedan, looking out the window of the dropship, “Just... a lot to think about.”

“When is that ever not the case with you?” said Rei, pushing out of her seat and stepping across the dropship to take a spare seat next to him.

“Look they cloned Reyes, and as far as I know, the woman who just collapsed my ribcage is the closest thing I’ll ever have to a sister. It’s... a lot to deal with.”

Rei huffed. “She is not your sister. Siblings don’t...” Rei gave a glance to her father and uncle slumped over sleeping in their seats and cleared her throat, “You don’t have to think of her as your sister,” she corrected herself.

“I know it’s just... amnio-tank. It’s isolating. I mean... it took my mum five tries to make me. I suppose it was egotistical to assume they wouldn’t keep trying after me...” Aedan pushed his hair back, “Then again, I suppose I was my mother’s project. This one... she... she’s pure Talon.” He glanced down at the small case of the two vials and set it aside. He huffed and then looked at her, “I shouldn’t be fixating on this--We should be happy for you. You got the dragon back.”

“Aedan--” Rei started, “With what we’ve just been through...” she reached up and touched a hand over the point where she had healed his ribcage.

Aedan just clasped his hand over hers, letting her feel his heart beat. “We’re safe now,” he said quietly.

“We’re safe for now,” said Rei.

“Then we’ll keep watching each other’s backs,” said Aedan, giving her hand a slight squeeze.

Rei’s brow crinkled a little, but she smiled. “Yeah... we’ll watch each other’s backs,” she said, softly. Aedan let her hand slip back to her and she leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes. Aedan closed his eyes as well for a few moments, but despite all the exhaustion in his system, his eyes flicked open and he glanced over at Rei, all thick eyelashes and feathery flicks of brownish-black hair. He glanced back at Genji and Hanzo, slumped asleep together, and then back at Rei.

“Rei?” he spoke her name softly.

“Mm?” she opened one eye at her.

“I want to ask you something, and I figure I should ask you it now before we get into the whole maelstrom of debriefing and lab work back on the watchpoint,” he nodded his head in Genji and Hanzo’s direction, “And while we have a moment to ourselves.”

“Always a lot to think about with you, huh?” said Rei.

“Always,” said Aedan.

“Okay, shoot,” said Rei.

“Right. So umm.. that kiss back there in the forest,” Aedan fidgeted a little, “Was that an ‘I love you’ kiss or was it a ‘Oh you nearly died and I’m very emotional because I got my weird mystical dragon back’ kiss?”

“Excuse me?” there was a laugh in Rei’s voice.

“I’m giving you an out,” Aedan smiled a little, “Because if you thought I followed you around like a lost puppy before, oh, believe me, Rei Shimada-Ziegler, I’m going to be insufferable now.”

Rei grinned and ruffled his hair. “It was an ‘I love you kiss,’ obviously. I mean... yeah I was freaking out because I thought I lost you for a few seconds there but...Yeah. I love you,” she huffed and played with his hair a little, smiling, “Aren’t you supposed to be the super-genius here?”

“Scientists are known to have trouble understanding the miraculous,” said Aedan.

Rei snickered and rolled her eyes hard.

“What, was that bad?” said Aedan.

“It was terrible, I think that’s why I loved it,” said Rei, weaving her fingers between his. He glanced down at their interlaced fingers, then brought up her hand and kissed her knuckles.

“Try to get some sleep,” she said, leaning over and kissing him on the eyebrow.

“I will,” he said quietly as they both settled back into their seats. He watched as she closed her eyes, her head slumping a little, and he smiled and leaned back as well, letting the exhaustion wash over him like a blanket.

He didn’t have any nightmares for the flight back to Gibraltar.

---

“You can’t keep doing this, Jack,” it was the early evening on the watchpoint and Mercy was frowning over several x-rays of Jack’s hips and remaining foot. 

“The second I stopped going on missions and stuck myself behind a desk was the second everything started going wrong,” muttered Jack.

“Another blow like on the last mission and you could be wheel-chair bound for the rest of your life,” said Mercy.

“We’ve been able to update Genji’s prosthetics over the years...” Jack started.

“Let me rephrase that--I can’t let you keep doing this. As a doctor. As a good person. Going on missions with the intensity you have is destroying your body. It’s a miracle the SEP serum is holding you together the way it is but--” she went over to her laptop and scrolled through several endocrine screening results with a furrowed brow, “You can’t keep straining it like this.”

“And what, let one of the kids handle it? This fight was supposed to be done before any of them came into the picture!” snapped Jack, “You saw what happened to your daughter when Talon---!” Jack caught himself as he looked up at Mercy’s face. 

Mercy pursed her lips for a few seconds before taking a calming breath. “Jack--you still have so much you can contribute to the team without going on missions,” she inhaled, “And...” her breath hitched slightly, “And Rei’s been able to build a life for herself without the dragon.” 

“Talon’s just going to keep--” Jack started.

“Don’t,” Mercy’s voice was stiff, she took a deep breath, “I know you have a lot at stake in this fight,” she said, pushing her hair back, “And I know we’re all emotionally compromised here--we’re here because of that---but you have to think about how much this is about your pain and your pride and how much of this is about getting the job done.”

Jack stared at her for a few seconds. “...It’s my mess,” he said, after a few beats.

“We’ve made it our mess, too,” said Mercy.

Jack folded his arms in thought then gave a glance to the x-rays. “As I am...” he said quietly, “How many more do you think I have left in me?”

“This isn’t a question of how man--” 

“Doctor Ziegler?” Athena’s voice chimed over the room’s speakers.

“Not now, Athena,” said Mercy, rubbing her forehead.

“But you told me to--”

“It can wait,” said Mercy, “I’m with a patient.”

“Understood,” said Athena and the speakers blipped off.

Mercy turned back to Jack. “Sorry--What was I--Right. It’s not a question of how many missions you have left, Jack, it’s a matter of doing what’s best for--”

A blue portal suddenly opened up and a tall, lean, medium brown-skinned boy stumbled through and Mercy just about jumped a foot in the air.

“Doctor Ziegler!” Samir blurted out as the portal closed behind him.

“Samir, what did I tell you about teleporting into the infirmary? There has to be some privacy for---”

“They’re back!” Samir blurted out.

“What?” said Mercy.

“You said to let you know as soon as their dropship entered Watchpoint airspace. Genji and the others, Rei, Aedan---They’re back.”

Mercy’s eyes widened. She looked back at Jack. “I--We--” she started.

“I’m too old. I shouldn’t go on missions anymore. I’m stubborn. I got the gist of your prognosis,” said Jack, “I’ll need their debrief, too. Let’s go.”

Mercy huffed a little but then Samir opened up a portal next to her with a flick of his hard-light projector-clad wrist. He gave a small salute and a “Sir,” to Jack before stepping through. Mercy stepped through after him and in a soft ‘vworp’ sound she was out on the watchpoint tarmac with Jack stepping through after her. She looked over her shoulder to see the other kids were there--Rajeev, Marti, and Jaime. Samir took his place next to his twin and they all turned their attention to the van-like contoured boxy shape of the dropship touching down to the tarmac. 

“Heckuva welcoming party,” Mercy glanced over her other shoulder to see McCree walking in off of the watchpoint shooting range. He looked at Mercy. “Think she’ll stay this time?”

Mercy pushed her hair back. “That’s not fair to ask her,” she said, quietly, only barely audible over the hum of the dropship.

The door slid open with a wheeze of depressurizing, and Rei was the first to emerge with Aedan right behind her. She made eye contact with Mercy and her eyes lit up. She stepped out of the dropship and both she and Aedan were both instantly hauled off their feet in a tight hug from Rajeev, then immediately swarmed by the other kids, including Marti, who was trying to break the whole thing up so that Rei could talk to her Mom but finding herself lost in a wash of questions for Rei. Mercy couldn’t blame them, really, it had been months since Rei was last on the Watchpoint. Mercy watched as Hanzo exited the dropship as well, managed to sidestep the swarm of Rei’s peers, gave her a nod and a gentle clap on the shoulder before Jesse took advantage of his jet-lag to catch him in an embrace and whirl him into a kiss. Mercy smiled before glancing back at Rei, still being swarmed by the other watchpoint kids.

She chuckled a little as Rei and Aedan were overwhelmed by questions about stunt work or the “Ninja camping trip.” Mercy watched Rei’s face as she talked, her own deep gray eyes flicking back to Mercy as she tried to break out of the crowd. The gray-white streak in her hair from Urdr Labs was still there, but she seemed to be carrying herself differently than the last time she saw her. There was a warmth about her. Mercy felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Genji.

“Oh--” was all that fell out of her and in an instant the were wrapped up in a tight embrace.

“What happened?” she asked, as Genji clicked at the catches on his faceplate and took it off, “Did it go well?”

He just kissed her in response and her arms tightened around him. Glad they were back. Glad they were safe. They broke away briefly, still holding each other.

“She was amazing,” said Genji, looking over at Rei.

“Then she----” Mercy looked over at Rei, and then back at Genji.

“She got the dragon back,”  said Genji. There was a slight shake to his voice of excitement and the fear that it might not be real. 

Tears brimmed in Mercy’s eyes and she put a hand over her mouth. “How?” she blurted out, “What happened?”

“Guys--! Guys!” Aedan’s voice cut over the din of the others, “I can’t really stay here, I need to get to the infirmary lab--”

“Infirmary lab?” Mercy repeated. Her eyes flicked over Genji’s armor, seeing several new scratches and dents in it.

“Oh no...” she said quietly.

“It’s fine, we’re fine,” Genji gave her shoulders a light squeeze.

Genji’s smile shrank slightly and he looked up from Mercy to Jack, “We’d better debrief.” he said, his hands still on Mercy’s shoulders. He broke away from her only for Rei to manage to nearly tackle her in a hug.

“Oof! Sunneschii, I’m not one of your stunt buddies,” said Mercy, stroking Rei’s hair before returning the embrace. 

“I got it back,” Rei said, her arms tight around Mercy, “It’s back.”

“I’ve heard,” Mercy kissed her forehead before cupping Rei’s face in her hands, “I’m so happy for you.”

Rei’s cheeks squished slightly against Mercy’s palms as she grinned, eyes bright. Mercy smiled right back.

“But I’m guessing the trip wasn’t all sunshine, roses, and dragons, was it?” said Mercy, looking over at Genji.

“Yeeahhh,” Rei rubbed the back of her neck, “Aedan’s right, we gotta get to the lab and... you should probably find somewhere comfortable to sit.”

----

“...A Reaper clone,” Mercy repeated, interlacing her fingers and bringing her elbows up on the conference table just outside the infirmary. The whir of centrifuges could be heard outside of the room, punctuated only by the scratch of Rei’s pencil on the yellow writing pad in front of her. Hanzo leaned against the wall next to the door, typing out his own written debriefing on a tablet.

“Well, not technically---” Aedan started.

“A clone is a 100% copy and this one is clearly edited, yes, I’m sure. If they directly cloned Gabriel as he is now, the embryo would likely never stabilize,” said Mercy, “But you’re sure?”

“We won’t really know until the gene sequencer isolates her nanites from mine in the samples I brought. Luckily she’s...” Aedan seemed to be searching for the right words, “ Her nanites are distinct from mine. Hardier. Even her wraith form was... denser.” 

“And she was strong too,” said Rei, continuing to sketch, “Crazy strong.”

“SEP serum?” Jack looked at Genji.

“Talon wouldn’t be able to get a stable sample of it off of Reaper alone,” said Mercy.

Jack glanced over at Rei, still furiously sketching, but now looking up between him and the yellow lined pad of paper in front of her as she worked.

“What?” said Jack.

“Sorry it’s just, you and her both had this thing with your nose...” said Rei, looking back down at the pad and sketching more.

“’Thing?’” Jack repeated, and then looked back at Genji’s whose eyes were unsettlingly fixed on him.

“...The eye color’s the same, too,” said Genji.

“Lot of people with blue eyes in the world, Genji,” said Jack.

“If Talon needed a stable source of the SEP serum...” Mercy started.

“Oh for--You can’t make one clone off of two people,” said Jack.

“Two X-Chromosomes,” said Mercy.

“If your remove the methylation of haplo DNA at the beginning of the process it’s not impossible at all,” said Aedan, “If Mum could slap a Y chromosome onto me, it’d probably be child’s play for her.” 

“But you said we still need to wait for the sequencer’s results,” said Jack, “She might not even be Gabe’s kid.”

“She might not be...” Aedan conceded, not breaking those bicolored eyes away from him.

An unsettling silence fell across all of them. Jack looked at Aedan and deep down, a part of him knew that if it was his mother in the room and not him, she’d be telling him to swallow his pride and accept that he knew full well what Talon was capable of, and how far they were willing to go.

Jack felt the eyes of everyone on the room on him. “Where would they even get my DNA?!” he snapped.

“Well... either Moira took samples of it when she left, or... they picked it up in the 30-odd years you’ve been fighting them,” said Mercy.

Another long silence passed among the group.

“We aren’t discussing this further until that sequencer gives us the results,” said Jack, walking toward the door, “I want a written debrief of the full Shirakami-Sanchi incident from all of you by 0800 hours tomorrow.”

“You’re storming off and giving us homework?” said Rei.

Jack looked over his shoulder sharply at her. 

Rei cleared her throat, “Right. Written debrief. Standard procedure,” she said a bit meekly.

Jack turned away from her and walked out the door. It shut behind him.

“...Reaperclone definitely has two daddies,” muttered Rei.

Genji looked over her shoulder and picked up the yellow pad she had been sketching on.

“That is a very good likeness,” he said quietly.

“...Maybe it’s better that he didn’t see it,” said Mercy, taking the pad from Genji, her brow knitting together with worry.

---

It was fairly late in the evening and Rei chewed on the end of her pen on the couch in the watchpoint living room, looking over a blank debriefing document and template. The Shimada-Ziegler family had had takeout for dinner that night, everyone already worn out either from the flight back from Japan, the exhaustion of relating what had happened there, and further discussion over lab results and She felt the arm of the couch sag behind her with another person’s weight.

“One of your few nights here and you’re stuck doing Overwatch paperwork,” Aedan said with a sigh.

“Oh, did you already finish yours, nerd?” said Rei, sitting up from the cushions slightly.

Aedan shrugged. “Lab intern,” he said with a slight smile, “You get good at the pencil-pushing.”

“You got a hole punched in your chest, how are you done first?” muttered Rei.

“It wasn’t punched, technically it was damage via displacement. And I get really nasty with the details,” said Aedan, “I want to ruin his breakfast.”

Rei snorted. “You shouldn’t joke about that,” she said quietly, “You almost...”

“It’s a coping mechanism,” Aedan said with a shrug, “Probably not a very good one but--woah!” 

Rei had reached up and grabbed him by his ‘Pipette, Cry, Repeat’ shirt and yanked him down onto the cushions next to her. Half his body weigh was bearing down on her legs, but she didn’t mind, really. His own legs were still loosely draped over the arm of the couch, and he was staring up at the ceiling next to her as she penned out a few more notes of her debriefing. 

“So... what next?” said Aedan.

“Mm?” Rei glanced up from her writing.

“I mean... you had a life for yourself back in Hollywood.... you were Midori Rider.”

“I was a stunt,” said Rei with an eye-roll as she continued writing.

“You had the helmet--I mean, that’s not my point. My point is, you had a life for yourself outside of this---”

“This is bigger than that---” said Rei.

“What you want in this is bigger than anything,” said Aedan, pushing himself up to an upright sitting position to look at her.

“Aedan--they cloned Reaper... If I’ve got the dragon back, then I can’t just stand aside and play dress-up while my friends are in danger.”

“Just because I got a hole punched in my chest doesn’t mean you have to protect me 24/7,” said Aedan.

“It wasn’t punched, it was displaced.” said Rei, arching an eyebrow.

“Touché,” said Aedan.

“Aedan...” Rei exhaled. “I did love the life I had outside of Overwatch... but it’s because I loved it that I know I have to fight for it,” she set the pen down on the clipboard and brushed her fingers along his forearm from where it was awkwardly jammed between them, “I think that’s part of what loving something means.”

“Guess ninjas are full of love then, aren’t they?” said Aedan with a grin.

“What do you think the Shimada dragon is made of?” said Rei, mysteriously.

A few seconds passed.

“What, seriously?” said Aedan.

Rei tried to push back a laugh but failed. “Pffft! No! I mean--I don’t know! Probably not...It’d be dumb if it was.” 

“You had me for a second,” said Aedan. 

Rei was snickering, “Nah, I’m hoping I’m going to figure that bit out... I don’t know when.. but soon. I’m going to ask Winston about it. But, well... in the meantime, I can help here. I can protect my family.”

Aedan stared at her for a few seconds. “So... you’re staying?”

“Yeah...” Rei said quietly, “Yeah, I think I am.” She smirked. “It’s what Midori Rider would do---fight alongside her friends! Save the world! The real Midori Rider, no stunt doubles here!” said Rei,  grinning and attempting to strike one of the sentai poses despite being half-reclined on the couch and holding a pen and clipboard in her hands. Her hands dropped back into her lap. She glanced down briefly, “And... I missed you. I missed all of you.” She pushed her hair back. “That clone...” she said quietly.

“Andrea,” said Aedan.

“Andrea?” repeated Rei.

“That’s what the voice in her earpiece addressed her as,” said Aedan.

“Well... Andrea said she was made to end this fight,” said Rei, “I want to end it too. But we’re going to end it our way.”

“Then I’ll see it through with you,” said Aedan, sitting up slightly.

“Aedan..” Rei smiled softly as he took her hand in his.

“Giorraíonn beirt bothar, Rei,” he said with a grin, “I told you. Lost puppy.” 

---

It was well past midnight and Jack was leaning against the counter in the infirmary lab. He could wait. He knew he could wait. Let Mercy or the clone deliver the news while all tight-lipped over a tablet. But he couldn’t sleep. His prosthetic leg ached at its joint and he glanced down at his glass.. Malt whiskey from one of McCree’s long-forgotten stashes. He had no idea how old it was, only that it was one of the many casualties of McCree severely cutting back on his drinking after Rei was born, so... old. Could probably strip paint with it.

 The whirring of the centrifuges had long since stopped, but the screen of the main monitor had been at 89.15% for the past 15 minutes.

“How much longer?” said Jack.

“I’m still calculating the results, Commander,” responded Athena.

“Not commander anymore. Fifteen minutes longer or two hours longer?” said Jack.

“I could temporarily divert all the energy my user interface function to speed up the process,” said Athena.

“Why don’t you do that?”

“Force of habit from Winston, I suppose,” Athena replied, “I don’t feel right leaving someone alone if I’m all they have to talk to.”

“Ouch,” said Jack with a slight chuckle before sipping his drink and letting it sear his tongue, “It’s all right, Athena. I’d rather find out sooner.”

“I’ll be right back,” said Athena. There was a slight ‘vwoom’ of her speakers powering down and Jack was left in the dimly lit room for another 10 or so minutes. Jack idly watched the alcohol chew away at the two large ice cubes in his glass in the dim light of the room. He idly tapped away at some of Hanzo’s debriefing on his tablet before Athena spoke up again.

“And we’re back,” said Athena.

“Okay...” Jack took a breath, “Do your worst.”

“Based on analysis of the incompatible nanites extracted from O’Deorain, I can confirm that the Talon agent that attacked him and the Shimadas has both your DNA, and that of Gabriel Reyes.” 

Jack exhaled, then picked up the small yellow writing pad Rei had been sketching on earlier and saw she had sketched the face of a young woman. He made out his jawline--or at least the jawline he had back in all the posters, his nose, Gabriel’s eye shape, all large and tired, but cold and light with his own eye tone. 

He looked up from the sketch to the large letters reading “DATABASE MATCH” on Athena’s screen with his and Gabe’s old overwatch ID photos displayed prominently.

“Well fuck,” he said, before knocking back his drink.