#conclusion of the calm before the storm

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Magnus has a Big Storm Coming

Collab. drabble with @ro-valerius [Tofu, Tio, Daen Lad, Peach], @sorrel-haven [Kore, Mina, Nerida, Berry], @punkiestmonk [Punk], and Ser Sorrel (author not on Tumblr).

[image shot by @ro-valerius and edited by @sorrel-haven !]

The storm rages towards Magnus' end.

The ship, the Hound’s Revenge, sailed steadily, fair skies and winds overhead, but the storm looming in the distance was their destination. Mina at the helm glared at the foreboding clouds, her jaw set. It had been some time since she sailed with such purpose, and with others aboard. She noticed a shift in the wind and looked to the sail.

“Trim that sail!” she shouted, forgetting these were not sailors on her ship for a moment. Tio moved without thinking, grabbing the line to the outside of the sail, increasing the tension to catch the wind. Satisfied on how tight the sheet was now, he tied off the line before turning his attention back to Mina.

She smiled at Tio. “Good lad Rory!” 

Tio noticed that Mina was smiling at him, and therefore was talking to him… Oh right, he was Rory. He blinked.

“R-right.”

Mina took in a breath as she realized what she had called Tio. She shook her head, she couldn’t focus on that now. She looked down at the deck below, looking over the rest of her temporary crew.

Punk was firmly grasping the port rail, trying to keep her lunch in her, with great difficulty. She had her helmet by her feet, slowly getting soggy with the sea water. Tofu gave Punk a pitying look, patting her on the back. Strawberry walked up to Punk’s side and gently placed a hand on her head, applying some light healing magics to help. She turned to Strawberry, giving her a shaky thumbs up.

“You can do this, I believe in you,” Strawberry said, attempting to soothe her. Tofu gave Berry a quick pat on the head as well.

“Keep your heads high, there's no point in stressin’ failure,” Ser added. For him, this was just like any other day.

“There will be no failure, I assure you,” Tofu said with a steady gaze. He gave a more assuring smile. "Besides, we have a Ser and a Punk, what could go wrong?" 

Miyu could only think of all the ways they could achieve failure. They were silent, tuned out from the conversation nearby – oblivious of their friend’s fight with sea sickness – and tuned into the storm of their thoughts.

Ser directed his attention towards Miyu, almost sensing their struggle. Despite the sea upsetting him, he could only imagine how they were feeling. He swore to do whatever it took to ensure the success of the mission, and in the end, Miyu’s happiness with it. He knew everyone did, and they could all count on each other.

Tofu noted the expressions on his friends, and with a sigh, he walked over to Ser, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder before making his way over to Miyu. He brushed their hair gently out of their face before pulling them in for a one armed hug, leaning his head comfortingly against theirs. 

Miyu blinked, startled out of their trance. They looked perplexed for a moment at his initiation to hug them, but gave a little smile and eased into the embrace for as long as it lasted. 

He pulled back and placed both hands on either side of their face, giving them a reassuring smile. With one last trace of his thumb across their cheek, he made his way over to Kore. He reached out and took her hand in his, brushing a thumb over her knuckles. Kore brought the back of his hand to her cheek and closed her eyes as she let out a breath she had been holding in.

Tofu gave Kore and Miyu one last reassuring pat on the head before he made his way towards where Peach was sitting, watching him with curious eyes. He sat down on the deck beside her, giving her a look like “what?” 

“You’re antsy,” she stated.

“No I’m not,” he replied quickly, narrowing his eyes at her.

“You’ve been pacing the whole time, no wonder poor Punk is sea sick, she’s got the sea and you making her dizzy!” She smiled at him to show jest. Tofu groaned and leaned back. 

“So that’s why the boat is moving more than it looks…” Punk said as her stomach moved with every wave.

“I just… It’s fine. I’m just ready to get this over with. Have been for weeks,” he murmured. Peach reached out and patted the top of his head, like he’d done for Berry a bit ago.

“Soon, Boss. Soon,” she said, resisting every temptation to ruffle his oh-so-soft hair. She gave in and ruffled his hair anyway. With a grumble, he smoothed his hair back down. Berry slid in next to her sister and fiddled with her necklace as her knuckles became white gripping her staff as her nerves started to show. Tofu affixed both of them with a stern look.

“Remember, you promised to stay on Mina’s ship. Please, be safe,” he murmured. Peach huffed and shrugged.

“Yeah yeah…” 

---

Two ships came into view as the blue skies were left behind and the storm enveloped the Hound’s Revenge. Kore stared at the ships - They were still undetected. It was now a race against the clock, though they didn’t know how long they had. The quicker her and Punk could do their job the better. She gave Miyu’s hand one last squeeze before joining Punk and Daen Lad at the prow. 

Miyu’s hand remained hanging at their side after Kore had let go, quivering ever so slightly in their anxiety. Their eyes flickered over to Kore, watching as she walked away, before they turned their eyes back to the sea once more. 

Punk handed Kore several wrapped tubes with a sparkler in the middle, taking care to not let the dust wrapped inside to spill out. “Light the sparkler and then drop it down the barrel of the gun, should melt the guns so it's safer for the others to board, the other ship’s cannons however will require us to deal with their shooters though.”

“Got it. We should have no trouble taking out the second ship’s people quietly.” Kore smiled. 

“Oh we were doing that quietly?” Punk then hid the remainder of the equipment she had brought. It was very much not quiet. 

“You can make as much noise as you want after we get everyone else on board, don’t you worry. But the more time we can buy unnoticed the better,” Kore said as she bumped Punk’s shoulder with the back of her fist. “We have one shot at stealth so we should make the most of it.” 

Daen Lad flitted down and sat on Punk’s shoulder “Are we ready to cause mayhem then?” The pixie grinned, a flash of malicious intent sparkled in their eyes. Thankfully such energies were directed to the Basilisks.

“Ready as I’ll ever be with the way this thing is rolling.” Stuffing the rest of the… party favors in her armor, she grabbed her club and put on her helmet, giving a final thumbs up to the pixie as she closed her eyes and prayed to Hydaelyn. 

Kore grabbed hold of Punk’s arm as a portal opened up and enveloped them. On the other side, they found themselves in a mostly darkened interior, the swaying suggesting they were still at sea. It was quiet. Nobody was around. Perfect.

Kore gave Punk a quick reassuring tap on her shoulder before heading over to the furthest canon from the pair. She moved quietly, wary of any loose looking floorboards, trying to time her steps with the natural creak of the ship. Daen Lad flitted towards the door to the room to keep an ear out for anyone approaching.

Pulling out her own stash of wrapped tubing, lit the sparkler poking out at the end, and reached past the hull of the ship to slip the sparkler down the barrel of the gun. Moving to the next one, she heard the sound of the sparkler increase in volume, as the gun behind had its chamber turn to slag. She brought her finger up to her helm while looking at Kore, pointing to the next one down the line, and tossed her one of Punk’s many spare lighters. Kore caught it and set to work on disabling the canons on the other side.

It wasn’t silent, but it also didn’t sound worse than a firework, and she had hoped that the pirates had never heard it before, giving them time to melt the rest of the guns on this ship before Daen Lad whisked them away. As they finished off the last of the canons Daen Lad caught the sound of muffled voices and approaching footsteps. 

Daen Lad flew over to Kore and grabbed a lock of her hair to get her attention. The pixie pointed at the door and then to Punk. They signed “Time to go! Now!” as the door swung open. Kore grabbed Daen Lad and hopped over the crates in the center. 

She rushed over to Punk and grabbed onto her armor as Daen Lad opened a portal to the other ship below them. Punk left behind some party favors for the sailors as they jumped through the portal. A series of concussive BOOMs could be heard from the other ship as Kore landed on the floor gently. She was still holding onto Punk to help keep her steady on her feet. They could hear the alarm bell from the ship they were just on.

“Fuck.” Kore looked at Punk. “Guess we’re done being quiet.” 

All Kore could hear was a chuckle coming from Punk. But underneath her helmet Punk was grinning ear to ear. She dropped the remaining wrapped tubes she had, and pulled out some “proper” explosives. If her friends knew what she would be reading, they might not have taught her. 

“We need these guns and ship right?” Saying this she gave Kore a single iron grenade. “When I open the door, I need you to light this and throw it as far as you can up the stairs. I’m going to slam the door so we don't get hit with it, then I’m charging.” Punk readied herself at the door and gave a small nod to Kore. “Ready?”

Kore gripped the grenade tightly and held it to her chest. She looked at Daen Lad and nodded to the pixie. Daen Lad returned the nod and teleported back to the others. Everyone back on Mina’s ship could hear more explosions going off from the second ship.

The pixie popped up next to Tofu, “Alright~ time to go! Are we ready? Okay good!” Not waiting for an answer, they snapped their fingers and portals opened up at the feet of Ser, Miyu, Tio and Tofu. They all fell through and were shuffled onto the two ships.

Tofu landed heavily, pressing his hand to his chest with a brief muttered “Thanks I hate it,” before straightening for the task at hand. 

Mina steered the Hound’s Revenge to close in on the two close together. The battle opened with a bang.

Or three.

Ser landed amidst the fray of the pirates on a crouched knee, with the wood beneath his feet ruptured. His left hand placed on the ground, and his right drawing the monstrous blade off his back, the purple aura igniting. He slowly stood up, watching the pirates charge at him. With a crack of the neck, he was ready. 

He nodded to Tofu and Miyu to get going as he lowered his stance to his left hip and zipped forward 15 yalms. He caught a head in his left hand, and cut through a dozen men in a blink of an eye. After planting his feet, he crushed a woman's skull with his hand, her blood spraying his arm and helmet. His head shifted rapidly to a hesitant opponent, using his sword to flip himself into the air and cleave the fearful foe. With the force of the blade, he crushed the ground beneath him, and fell a floor lower. 

Some opportune enemies formed up around the hole with their weapons primed while the elezen was getting back to his feet. They all fired in unison, but he unleashed a barbaric roar, his scream throwing the projectiles off course, and leapt up. With a swing of his blade, he separated their torsos from their legs, and stuck his foot out to plant it on a pirate's head, crushing it as he landed.

Miyu just barely could steady their feet when they landed on the ship before they were thrown into the full storm of the fight. Or more so, they were getting the splashback as Ser burst forward and tore through the crowd of Basilisks like a tidal wave. Miyu looked around with a wide eyed gaze. 

Where was Kore? Punk? The twins? Was this even the ship they were supposed to attack first? It looked like Daen Lad threw the battle plans right out the door.

But they will have to make do. Miyu’s eye’s met Tofu’s. Their feet steadied and they straightened up. Miyu gave him a nod, and then they set off with Tofu to take the path that Ser had begun to clear off. It was time to carry out what they had come here to do.

Still, even when launched into the flurry of the fighting and the storm, their gaze continued to linger across to the other ship. They could only pray that Kore was okay. 

—-----

Kore looked back at the door barely left on its hinges after the grenade went off. She nodded to Punk, who drew her club from her back. Kore grabbed her chakrams from her hips as she prepared to follow after Punk. Punk charged up the stairs with her club ready and slammed into the first pirate that had the luck to be unharmed by the grenade. Despite the pirate being taller and heavier than punk, he went flying with the force of Punk's charge. 

While the big pirate was knocked flat on his back, Punk swung her club in a wide arching strike and brought it down on the man’s head. She spun quickly on her heels and realized she was slowly getting surrounded by the remaining crew not being engaged by her friends. She let out a boisterous laughter, for the ship was her mosh pit, and she was here to thrash.

“So this is how many of y’all you think it takes, you’re gonna need more bodies.” The pirates chuckled at Punk’s overconfidence, they outnumbered the woman ten to one, or rather, had outnumbered her nearly 20 to one. Despite Punk’s quick execution of the burly pirate, his fellow crew members at least pretended to not be intimidated by the armored woman's speed and ferocity. 

One of the furthest pirates opened up with a salvo of their flintlock pistols, getting a glancing blow to Punk's helmet, making Punk’s head ring with the force of the blow. Darkness overtook Punk’s vision, making it flood with a dark fog that was only cut through by her fury and pain. She jumped and flipped towards the Pirate, landing with a blow with enough force to splinter the deck underneath the poor man that dared to fire at her. Seeing a second comrade die to the strangely armored woman, one of the pirates let into her fury, eyes glowing with rage as she threw her axe at punk. 

Punk was only just barely able to get her club up to block the axe. The pirate gave Punk a staggering right hook, making the already dazed woman see stars as well as the darkness. Seeing the armored woman stagger with the force of their comrades' blows, the pirates regained their lost confidence, one circling the woman, looking for an opportunity to sheath the blade he carried into the Dark Knight's body, shortly before getting sent flying from a swift blow to the face.

A masked hyur woman emerged from below deck, a hand on her rapier as she assessed the situation. She tried to pick out how many there were assaulting the ship, noticing one heavily armored individual taking on a bulk of the crew themself. She drew her rapier and spell focus to join the fray when the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She dodged a flash of steel coming towards her.

Tio had been winding through, taking on pirate after pirate until his eyes landed on one with a spell focus; in short, a mage. His only thought was ‘I can’t let them get to Tofu’ before hse dashed towards them, blade drawn up to strike. A low growl escaped him as they dodged out of the way; a woman, he discovered. The woman swung with a half blind slash as she turned to face her attacker. Her goggles were partially obscured from the rain, which was not helping. She took a more defensive stance, if this was her chance to turn on the Basilisks then she didn’t want to injure him. 

“Wait a second! I’m not-” A violent jerk of the ship knocked her off balance.

Tio swung as she stumbled, though his blade only took her goggles. His brain caught up with his body as her words set in. He stood above her, sword pointed at her, but he was willing to allow her to say her piece.

“Go on, then, out with it,” he said. 

That voice…

The woman looked up past the sword in her face. There was no mistaking his dusty orange hair, or the scar under his eye. This was the ghost that’s been haunting her dreams in the flesh. She stammered as her original train of thought completely derailed. 

“R-Rory?” she managed to get out. 

Tio blinked, taken aback. That name… That bloody name again! How did he keep managing to run into people that knew him better than he knew himself?! He felt the rage bubble up inside of him at the unfairness of it all. 

“Who are you? How do you know that name!?” he demanded. 

“Wh-“ The woman noticed the lack of recognition in his eyes. She stood and ripped off her face mask and tossed it to the side. “Rory, luv, it’s me Neri!” 

The rage within filled to burst. “That doesn’t tell me how you know me!” he yelled. And then, softer, with eyes awash with distress, he murmured, “I don’t even know me.”

“Who are you…?”

“I… I’m yours... And you’re mine…” The rain didn’t hide the pain in her voice. “We… were… Look out!”

Neri pulled Tio out of the way of an axe swinging for his head, putting herself in between Tio and the Basilisk engaging them. With a flourish of her rapier, she fended off the attacker. Neri glanced over her shoulder to Tio.

“We should talk about this after these bastards are dealt with. Just know… I’m not with them.” 

With a growl, Tio parried another attacker. “For your sake, you’d better be telling the truth.”

At that moment, back on the other ship, a relentless Roegadyn jumped on Ser’s back, trying to restrain him. Ser raised his left arm, grabbing the rear collar of the pirate, and yanked them ferociously, biting off their head with his helmet. The present pirates gasped in terror, and the dark knight hurled the headless corpse at a crowd of them, knocking them over. He switched to half-sword, and charged at a line of opponents, impaling each one and catapulting the pirate-kebab off the ship.

Quickly, he dashed forward at another group of bunched pirates, using his shoulder to launch them. They smashed together, with the cracks of their bones audible, dying on impact. Ser raised his blade again, slicing horizontally below the shoulders of another half dozen pirates. The Elezen is now plagued by the smell of their fear, realizing he must act quickly before the cowards flee. A pirate stepped over the rail, and jumped off ship, but was caught by Ser. He placed his sword against the rail, ripped their heart out, and threw them to the ground, crushing their head with his foot. Afterwards, the dark knight galloped around the ship at superhuman speeds, each swing of his massive sword effortlessly cleaving multiple opponents, as if it were a toy. He then stopped, with his blade over his shoulder and a body stuck on it from being impaled. 

Menacingly turning his twitching head, he noticed two remaining pirates pinned together, shaking in horror. He put one foot in front of the other, moving at a snail's pace as he approached them, shaking their comrades body off at the halfway point. He shifted the blade into his left hand, and planted it into the ground. Ser reached his other hand out, grabbing one pirate and forcing their face into the blade, sliding it down to the pointed end as he kept eye contact with the other. The vicious Elezen then poked the tip into the other's throat, and stuck his hand inside, extending his arm with them raised as he paraded around the ship of corpses. Finally, he tossed them aside, relishing the moment as he was drenched in the blood and innards of his foes.

Ser stood there for a moment, contemplating what he could do next. The thought of completing the mission on his own crossed his mind, but chose to trust his comrades, believing in them. The tall man took a knee, and looked over the carnage around him. He had done enough to give the rest a leg up. He could afford a moment to catch his breath.

Numbers on the ship were rapidly dropping, either by deserters or the addition of lifeless bodies. What is a bastard Captain without his crew? A vile man waiting to set sail to his doom. 

–

Magnus stood tall and firm as the ship rocked beneath his feet, hand clasped tight around his gun. He could hear footsteps fast approaching — none of which he recognized. The hyur took in a deep breath, rolling his neck as he prepared himself for what had long been coming. Magnus turned and took a shot. Tofu reached out, pushing Miyu just enough for the bullet to whiz between the two of them, his eyes fixed on Magnus.

Miyu steadied their stance, teeth clenched together at the zing of the bullet that flew by their head. They turned their body in the direction of where the bullet came from, raising their staff in preparation to react. But nothing could have prepared them to who they would see standing only but a few feet away. Their face paled, and they instinctively staggered back. Tofu noted their hesitation and rested his hand firmly on their shoulder, not once taking his eyes off Mangus. Miyu could take their time, but he wasn’t going to let Magnus act in the meantime. With a quick motion, one of his throwing knives made its way to Magnus’s shooting hand.

A grunt of pain sounded from Magnus as the knife embedded into his palm. The man narrowed his eyes at Tofu. 

“Ah.. it’s you. You’ll be a fun piece’a work, wont ya?” he growled, ripping the knife out of his own palm. He kicked his gun back up, catching it in his other hand before he lurched towards Tofu. He aimed again for Tofu’s torso. 

Tofu dodged out of the way, but only barely as the bullet grazed his ribs; it mostly caught the fabric of his shirt, but a stinging pain across his flesh gave the indication of a small cut. His eyes narrowed as his muscles tensed, before he launched himself towards Magnus, if only to keep him occupied until Miyu could snap out of it.

The next shot spun Miyu back into action. Just as Magnus aimed his gun towards Tofu to take another shot, they cast a wind spell, knocking the man back. The gun sounded off before it launched from his hand.

A yell sounded from Miyu, and they held their hand to their shoulder as warmth spread through the material. Tofu’s eyes darkened as he came up on Magnus, reaching down and grabbing him roughly by the collar of his shirt, hoisting him up as his knife found its way deep into the pirate’s shoulder. 

Magnus attempted to writhe out of Tofu’s grasp. Having presumed that the other didn’t have much strength to him, his eyes widened a fraction at the grip. He hissed in pain at the knife sheathed in his shoulder. 

“For everything you inflict upon them, you will receive tenfold,” he growled as he shoved the man back, wiping his knife off on his pants before kicking the gun away from Magnus’s hand. 

Magnus shot Tofu a heated stare, silent a moment as he caught his breath. Slowly, a smile made its way to his face. A low, bubbling chuckle grew into a whistling cackle. 

“All this for my used up trash, huh boy? Yer a pathetic one, ya know. Ya wanna keep on talking big, or will ya do it already?” Magnus spat. 

“It’s not for him to do,” Miyu cut in, stepping forward. They stomped down on his shoulder, digging their heel in. In their hand, they held a blade. Their expression was steely and cold – but their hand noticeably quivered. Tofu wrapped his hand around Miyu’s gently to still the shaking.

“Seems you’re blind as well as stupid if you want to call them ‘trash’ so casually. They’re right, it’s not for me to do, as much as I would love to,” he said with a smirk.

“That so, hu-” Tofu kicked Magnus in the mouth harshly.

“Shut up.”

Magnus turned his head to look Miyu dead in the eyes. They froze. Miyu felt the initial instinct to step back, one foot moving behind them, but they made no efforts to step away. After taking a breath, they positioned themself over him and grabbed Magnus by the hair, leaning down as they held a blade to his neck. Again Miyu froze.

In the moment they paused, Magnus shoved a blade into their abdomen, just above the hip. Miyu cried out, moving back in a panic. With the knife they held, they closed back in and plunged it into his chest. 

Tofu’s eyes flickered to their injury, noting that the small blade was his own that he had thrown. His chest weighed heavy with guilt, but he could take a small measure of comfort that the blade couldn’t do much in terms of damage when used the way it had been- Magnus clearly had meant for it to be more of a shock to Miyu’s system than anything.

“Miyu, are you alright?” he murmured softly, his eyes trained on Magnus once more. Seeing that Miyu stayed in close, he didn’t know what he could do outside of assessing the situation. He kept his muscles tense, ready to react should Magnus still have any fight left in him.

Miyu gave no verbal response, eyes trained on Magnus. With a final attempt to raise his hand, Miyu twisted the knife. He gave a shout and fell back, breaths quick and shallow.

“I need to do this,” Miyu murmured quietly. As they pulled the knife back out, they kicked his head back. 

Perhaps they did it to ensure that he was dead. Or perhaps, on some level deep within them, they felt they didn’t deserve a clean conscience out of this. They couldn’t close their eyes as they carried through with what they came to do. 

They turned the severed head’s face away from them, and collapsed to their knees. 

Miyu let out a shuddering sigh, burying their hands away into their face. Tofu crouched beside them, resting a hand on their shoulder. With his other hand, he reached into his pocket, clasping his hand around a smooth, pale stone. He knew his limits, and didn’t go too far, but he applied a small amount of healing to Miyu’s abdomen; not enough to fully heal it, but enough to make it more bearable. 

“Proud of you,” he said softly.

They should’ve made an attempt to decline, or go on to heal themself, but they could only sit there in a daze. 

“I... I froze,” was all they murmured back, voice faint. 

—

Kore followed up the stairs in the wake of Punk’s destruction. Her plan was to find a way to get to Tofu and Miyu. She spotted Tio on deck preoccupied with helping out Punk. They must have landed on the other ship. Just as she was about to call for Daen Lad, she narrowly dodged a fire spell, turning to find a mage readying another spell. They’ll be dealt with first.

She attacked with a flourish of her chakrams, using her aether to guide and recall the circular blades, using the flow of her strikes to dodge their spells in the same fluid motion. The battle was her dancefloor and the mage did not stand a chance. She moved to deliver the final strike when suddenly she was struck from behind with a spell. Her chakrams slipped from her hands as she started to see stars. Collapsing to the ground, her eyelids grew heavy as the sleep spell took hold. 

There was a loud thunk as two boots landed on the ground nearby the spellbound Viera. M’ezzo stood over Kore with a venomous glare. She kneeled down on one knee to get a look at her, to ensure the spell was cast efficiently. 

“Just can’t keep your damn nose out of family business, huh?” M’ezzo hissed. She attempted to hoist her up over her shoulder, but was jostled by the unsteady surface as the ship went deeper into the eye of the storm. Carrying Kore off to the side rail would take too long. She’ll need to take care of this now. M’ezzo wrapped both hands around her neck and began to squeeze. 

“Tofu!” The cry from Peach carried across both ships, causing Tofu to whip around to find her. With panic in her eyes, she pointed to where Kore was being strangled. A burning rage boiled within Tofu as he caught sight of M’ezzo and one of his dear ones. 

“Daen Lad.” He didn’t have to call loud, they appeared by his side in an instant. “Get me over there. Now.”

Daen Lad, feeling his fury and seeing Kore in danger, did as commanded without hesitation, dropping Tofu directly on top of M’ezzo. He pushed aside the increasing pain in his chest from each teleport spell and his minor healing spell and pinned her to the ground, one hand on her throat to hold her down as he crouched above her.

“Do not touch her,” he growled, low in his throat, almost animalistic.

M’ezzo gave a grunt at the surprise attack, the back of her head smacking against the deck as she was pinned down. 

“You’ve taken away everyone I’ve loved. I’m only paying back a favor,” she sneered in a hoarse wheeze, “And you’ll just have to watch ‘em drown.”

With a quick move of her wrist, she cast a wind spell. The spell knocked him back, though he bit back the pain and shot her a glare.

“You killed Miyu’s family, and maybe it wasn’t directly, but you allowed it to happen. You don’t get to talk to me about revenge, bitch,” he spat. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, though he hadn’t realized it was there beforehand, and drew his knife with his other hand. Rage fueling him, he lunged at her.

M’ezzo knew that her best advantage would be to put distance between the two of them. A spell would take much too long, so the woman had to act fast. M’ezzo grabbed an empty bottle nearby, tossing it up in front of her. The quick-footed miqo’te swiveled back and kicked with the metal heel of her boot, a burst of sharp glass flinging towards the charging viera as M’ezzo jumped back. 

Tofu ducked out of the way of the glass, a shard catching him across the cheek as he dipped low to put on an extra boost of speed. Tofu’s movements to dodge the glass bought M’ezzo enough time to cast a full spell, but not enough time for her to dodge his blade. He brought his arm in and swiped at her, catching her across the ribs deeply. Stones materialized, rushing at Tofu’s head.

“Daen Lad, get Kore out of here!” he called, dodging the rocks and indicating Kore with a nod of his head and Miyu with another. With a flurry, Daen Lad opened a portal beneath Kore and sent her to land gently beside Miyu. Tofu turned his attention back to M’ezzo.

The moment Kore had been dropped off beside Miyu, they brought her close, and they had no intentions of parting from her. As her head rested in their lap, they kept one hand gently brushing through her hair as they cast a healing spell. Their eyes remained frozen on the severed head of their former captor, as if expecting him to stir at any moment. 

When Berry saw Kore being teleported to Miyu’s side, she didn’t hesitate running to the other ship. Promises be damned. She jumped, grabbing a rope to swing over to the Serpent. Peach, following suit, summoned her Garuda Egi to act as her wings to get her to the other ship. Berry hit the deck and sprinted towards Kore and Miyu, Peach close behind. She knelt beside the pair and began assessing Kore’s condition as Peach stood watch.

Miyu tensed upon hearing the sound of approaching footsteps. They started to reach for their dagger, only to grimace at the pain of moving their shoulder. Bullet embedded deep inside, they hadn’t yet made the effort to heal the wound. Or at least, that was part of why they didn’t make an attempt. Nevertheless, perhaps it was a good thing that it stopped them from reaching for their blade, as it wasn’t a foe which approached. 

Their expression softened upon seeing Berry. 

“You’re here. Good. She’s been out for a while… I don’t… I don’t know what happened. But it's not safe here,” they spoke tensely, voice wavering in their panic. 

Berry reached over and opened one of Kore’s eyes. It looked like it had a shimmery fog over the iris. She took her staff and began channeling to cleanse the malignant spell. 

“She got hit by a sleep spell. It'll be alright. We can wake her and she’ll be fighting fit!” she said, trying to be uplifting with her words.

Back on the other ship, M’ezzo was trying to fight off the blood gushing out of her body. She gritted her teeth, holding her hand over her ribs as she focused a cure spell. There was not a moment to breathe a sigh of relief afterwards, as she went straight into another cast of a wind spell in Tofu’s direction.

Tofu raised both arms in front of him to block the spell, sliding back a few paces before shaking off the mounting pain in his chest; he was starting to take too many spells, but he could still handle it for the time being. With his free hand, he sent a throwing knife at her to throw her off guard, immediately following after it with his knife at the ready in his other hand.

Punk was used to fighting multiple opponents without magic from her time spent fighting the empire, and knew that when people thought she was busy with another fighter, they tended to forget to block when she suddenly switched targets. This time did not disappoint, as she introduced a pirate’s helmet to their chest piece. 

Down to a small handful against one Punk, another pirate took aim with his bow, while his comrade finally got a blow to land with one of their swords. Trying to miss his comrades in melee distance with the terrifying woman, he loosed an arrow while Punk’s back was turned and preoccupied with the sudden pain of being sliced with a sword. He watched in dismay as the woman ducked and spun, knocking down multiple pirates to the deck. Not accounting for the sudden movement of the original target, the arrow found another target to lodge itself in. The poor woman was more focused on killing Punk than dodging friendly fire, and took the arrow directly to the chest, finally cutting through the berserker rage she was in. 

With sudden clarity, she realized it was her friend that was the source of the fatal arrow, a look of betrayal in her eyes as her eyes glassed over. Final insult to injury, Punk spun to swipe her legs out from under her.

Grabbing the smallest pirate, one with two knives that had already landed half a dozen small knicks and cuts, had suddenly found himself on the ground flat on his back. Punk flung the poor Lalafell at another of the gun wielding pirates. Dropping his pistol to catch his comrade, the gun wielder never noticed the freight train that slammed into him and his friends’ bodies. Getting caught between the club and the ship's rail, the lalafell breathed his last as he and his comrade were crushed by the force of the blow. 

Pushing both bodies overboard, now broken and beaten, Punk turned her attention to the final three pirates; two wielding dual swords and the last one with his bow. They finally decided that the briney deep was a far kinder fate than facing the mad woman that had already taken multiple wounds but moved and acted like she felt no pain. They dropped their weapons and dove over the rail to escape, leaving her with three fewer pirates to fight.

Her adrenaline finally fading, Punk succumbed to the darkness in her vision, and the multiple slash wounds weeping blood, falling to her knees on the deck. Using her club to keep herself upright, she saw Kore being tended to by Berry, with Tio and a new friend guarding the healers as they tended to her fallen friend. 

Neri saw the armored woman take a knee and turned her attention to her to throw her a few quick heals. While Neri wasn’t a dedicated healer, her quick casting ability would do to get a fighter back on their feet. Besides, the healer of the group was preoccupied.

Daen Lad caught sight of a bloodied Punk dropping to her knees, and while the mage that seemed to be working with Tio had closed her wounds, Punk herself was still in the middle of the ship alone, and that was dangerous. Daen Lad opened a portal beneath her, dropping her carefully next to Kore. As the feeling of falling and landing broke through the darkness, Punk opened her eyes slowly, a groggy moan escaping her throat. She sat up, pressing a hand to her head to steady the residual spinning, and looked around. 

The fighting seemed to be coming to a close. There were a small handful of pirates left, but Tio and��a hyuran woman Punk didn’t recognize were well capable of taking care of them, while it seemed like Tofu was going toe to toe with a woman that was familiar, but how.... Punk had landed amongst Miyu, Kore, Berry, Peach, and Daen Lad. With a realization, she fully turned her attention to Daen Lad.

“I need my bag, can you bring it here for me?” she asked. Daen Lad looked at Punk with a curious tilt of their head and nodded, swirling their hand in front of them to open up a small portal in the air in front of Punk, letting the bag drop through from its spot on the Hound’s Revenge into her awaiting arms. 

With a giddy smile, Punk rifled through the bag, pulling out and dispensing glass bottles that housed a viscous liquid, a bit of cloth sealing each one. She did so love fire. The others seemed less enthused at the objects, but she figured it was because they didn’t yet know what they were for. 

“Once we’re ready to torch this tub, light the cloth and throw the bottle. Make sure it’s hard enough to smash it. The liquid will catch fire and spread like crazy,” she said, grinning madly. 

The others, well the ones that were awake, solemnly took the bottles from her, but they nodded in understanding. No matter their current mood, they were alive, and she would ensure they stayed that way. She cast her eyes around once more, landing back on Tofu, locked in combat with that woman… Right, she had called herself Miyu’s sister. That battle raged on, and soon, a fire would begin its own rage…

--

M’ezzo cracked a little smile, seeing that the spell landed. Maybe she couldn’t land a blow on Tofu in hand to hand combat presently, but she knew of the damage done with Tofu’s weakness to magic. She would be unlikely to see the results, however. M’ezzo moved to dodge, but was unable to pivot out of the way as the throwing knife dug itself just beneath her collarbone. 

As Tofu rushed toward her with the knife, she leaned back and swung her leg to kick at his temple. Tofu brought up his arm, not for the first time glad for the metal bracers he wore as the metal of her boot collided with his arm. He was used to close combat, however, and took a small bit of the momentum from her kick before pushing back to knock her off balance.

As M’ezzo lost her footing, she used all the weight in her body to hop off one foot. Her hand gripped on tight to his wrist as she kicked against his chest in an attempt to pull his shoulder out of the socket. For once, Tofu’s Echo kicked in at a useful moment, and in the brief window before she grabbed his arm, he caught sight of her intentions, already working to release his arm before she brought her foot up to his chest. He barely budged as she flipped back and landed flat on her back.

He closed the distance between them and brought his knife down towards her, aiming for her chest. But before the knife could plunge into her chest, M’ezzo swiftly kicked the knife out of his hand. She promptly jumped up and went for the uppercut with her spiked knuckles, managing to firmly land a hit, but not as much as she intended it to be. 

Peach's eyes scanned the area as Geruda ripped through a man that had come too close. It was her intent to keep Berry and Miyu safe while they worked on getting Kore awake. She glanced at Miyu and their shoulder wound, tapping Berry on the shoulder and bringing her attention to it as well. Once she was sure Berry took note of it, she turned back towards the fighting, her anxious heart leading her to check on how things were going with Tofu-

She watched as his knife got kicked out of his hand. She saw where it landed, and how he didn't have time to retrieve it, it was too far away. She knew. She knew what those knives meant to him. And without a word, she darted towards the far flung knife.

Tofu’s head barely snapped back as he glared at M’ezzo, his other knife already in hand. He had to end it now, he wouldn’t be able to last much longer in a drawn out fight against a mage like this, and it had already lasted longer than he would have liked due to her melee prowess. He grabbed the arm she had just punched him with and pulled her towards him, embedding his knife firmly into her stomach. 

Time stood still as he remembered something very important.

“You mentioned you had a kid around Hana’s age. Are they somewhere safe?” he asked softly. 

M’ezzo’s breath caught in her throat. Reflexively, her hand went up to her stomach, and the steady warmth that rushed over her fingers conveyed the severity of the wound. She was quiet for a long moment, save for the faint wheezing beneath labored breaths.

“...Please. She’s just a kid,” M’ezzo spoke, voice strained as she tensed her jaw while waves of pain rushed through her. “She’s… she’s onboard still.”

Tofu rested his free hand on the top of her head gently. “We’ll find her somewhere safe, I will be sure of it,” he murmured. “I promise she will be safe.”

Geruda carried Peach over to the next ship easily. Peach sent her back to keep an eye on Berry and dashed to scoop up the knife. As she did, she held it gently to her chest as if she were cradling it. And when she looked back up to make her way back to Berry, she realized the danger she was in. 

Her cry of fear echoed across the sea. 

As M’ezzo faded in Tofu’s arms, a shrill scream echoed from the direction she had kicked his knife. He knew that voice, and as the dread settled in his stomach, he bolted towards where Peach was, his lost knife in her hand as a pirate bore down on her. Putting himself between them, he wrapped his arms around her. He didn’t react to the blade that slid across his back, leaning back slightly and smiling at her gently. 

“Get back to Berry,” he said softly, brushing a tear from her cheek that she hadn’t noticed had begun to fall. He closed his hand over hers as it gripped his knife tightly. “Use this if anyone gets too close for your summons.” And with that, he turned towards the man that had attacked her. 

Peach watched as he buried his other knife to the hilt into the eye socket of the pirate, her eyes widening at the sight of the injury he had taken for her sake- from shoulder to hip diagonally. As tears welled up in her eyes, she did as she was told and ran back to where Berry was working to get Kore awake; it was all she could do. She had only been in the way, but his knife… The only man he had known as a father had given them to him. She couldn’t just let it get lost in the fight. 

As the pirate fell before him, Tofu took a glance around. Berry was with Kore; that was good, she could help Miyu, too. Ser and Punk seemed to have gotten a large majority of the crew. Tio was working with a woman he didn’t recognize, but he didn’t have time to think about it. He had to move before the adrenaline wore off. He had to find the kid before someone else did, he had to make sure nothing bad happened to her. If it were Hana, he’d want someone to do the same, to protect her. He located the doors to the living quarters and made his way towards them.

--

Kore’s eyes fluttered open as she took in a deep breath, roused from her magically induced sleep. She took in her surroundings; she had been moved. She looked up and saw Miyu had her propped up in their lap, reaching up to touch their face.  Miyu gave a sigh of relief as they leaned their face into her hand.

“Hello lovely, do you feel okay?” they asked, voice barely above a whisper as they leaned down to kiss her forehead. 

“I’m a little confused…” she said before wincing, the Echo giving her a little clarity. She blinked the visions away. “Oh… I’m sorry I wasn’t there…”

Miyu shook their head. “There is nothing to apologize for. You are safe. That is all that matters to me.”

Berry turned her attention to Miyu now that Kore was awake. She examined Miyu’s shoulder, noting the lack of exit wound for the bullet. 

“I’m going to heal what I can… we need to close it up for now so you don’t bleed to death, but we will need to get you to a chirurgeon to get the bullet out later,” Berry explained as she began healing the wound.

Miyu’s jaw tightened at the thought of the bullet having to be removed later. Reluctantly, they gave a nod – though Berry wasn’t exactly asking them a question. A yelp sounded from Miyu as she began to heal the wound, a hand clasping over their mouth to silence it. They’ve only had a bone injury healed once before in their childhood, but that didn’t make them anymore prepared for the discomfort as bone fragments and sinews assembled back into place around a foreign object.

---

A lone child lay beneath a bed amidst the turmoil. She could hear the scattering of feet, shouts, and the spilling of blood that happened throughout the ship. It wasn’t the first attack on the ship that she had been witness to, and it wouldn’t be the last. Except, with how long it was going on now – there was a foreboding finality looming in the air. 

All Kora Moxxie could do was wait out the storm. 

Tofu leaned heavily on the wall as he made his way down the stairs. He couldn’t try to keep his footsteps quiet even if he wanted to, but he kept moving. He had to. He scanned the hallway ahead of him, noting that every door sat open, save for one. He approached it and knocked softly. Moxxie‘s limbs tensed at the sound of the knock. 

“H-hey, kiddo? I mean you no harm. M’ezzo said you’d be here, please be here…” he said as he opened the door gently.

Her hand clenched tightly around the knife. The girl held her breath, withholding as many sounds as possible to prevent being found. While the mention of her mother saying she was located here did make her second-guess her decision to stay undetected, she did not recognize the man’s voice. 

Besides, her mom knew lots of people. Lots of bad people. And she wasn’t exempt, which she’d come to understand by now.

She scooted back beneath her bed, shying away from the edge and closer to the wall. His sensitive ears heard the shuffling and he sighed. 

“I promise, I’m not here to hurt you. You can’t stay on this ship, and I promised her that you would be safe. I am a lot of things, but I do not break promises,” he said, a tired edge to his voice. His chest flared briefly and he barely bit back a cry of pain, pressing a hand to his chest as blood dripped heavily to the floor. He could feel the warmth as it traveled down his back from the injury there, but he pushed it all aside to ensure the kid was safe.

A promise. Nothing good ever led up to a promise. She swallowed hard as she brought herself to face the acceptance that something very wrong had gone on outside. Her eyes flickered to the droplets of blood that hit the floor. 

Slowly, she crawled out from under the bed. Her chin tilted up as she steadily met the very tall stranger’s gaze.

“She’s dead, isn’t she? Everyone is. Or at least, that’s the plan, huh?” She spoke coldly, though the waver in her voice remained clear and present. Tofu averted his gaze. 

“I’m sorry. I had to make a choice, and this was it. It was either your family, or mine, and I did what I had to. As did yours,” he said, keeping his tone even. There wasn’t a hint of pride or gloating, just solemn acceptance.

The young au ra’s stare did not once falter. Still, her limbs shook with overwhelming fear and despair. 

“Are you satisfied with your choice? This is what you wanted?”

“Magnus backed us into a corner. They would just keep coming for the ones I hold dear, it wasn’t a choice made for satisfaction, it was the only choice I could make,” he said, his hand clenched at his side; not out of aggression, but out of remorse. 

And Moxxie made her choice, too. She rushed at Tofu with a knife. Given her inexperience, it wasn’t hard to grab her hand, though he wasn’t harsh with it. He gave her a patient look, even as she glared at him. 

“Like I said, I promised to get you somewhere safe. I have to be alive for that, kiddo,” he said, his voice a neutral mask once more. Moxxie’s burning stare filled with tears. 

“I’d rather die on this ship than live alone without them,” she hissed through her teeth, squirming to try and get out of his grasp. No use. His eyes took on a sad edge, though he tried to keep his expression neutral.

“M’ezzo would rather you live, and I promised. I’m sorry. If you must blame someone, and you can’t bring yourself to blame Magnus or your mother, blame me. No one else.” 

His words were soft, not a hint of anger or hatred towards this child who did not choose to be in this situation. He knew what he had done. And he knew it would not be fair to expect her not to take the same steps Miyu did; better she came for him than for her to go for anyone else.

A clamoring could be heard from the hallway as a set of boots that Tofu didn’t recognise raced down the hallway. Neri used the doorframe to stop her momentum and catch herself. She quickly scanned the room, settling on Tofu and Moxxie. 

“Kid!” she exclaimed, rushing to the pair. Neri pulled her from Tofu’s grasp, holding both of her shoulders. “Hey, I’m here. I’m here. I’m gonna take care of you okay?”

There was a breath of relief that escaped Moxxie upon the arrival of someone familiar to her. At least there was someone. It was in that moment that Moxxie allowed the tears to flow. She grabbed onto Neri in a tight embrace and buried her face away as she sobbed. Neri returned the embrace as she smoothed Moxxie’s hair. She looked over Moxxie’s head at Tofu and looked him over; he looked like hell. 

“I take it you have a ship to get us outta here?” Neri asked in an even tone.

Tofu's eyes barely focused on the woman as she addressed him; the hyur that had been fighting alongside Tio. He looked back to the kid.

"...Mina's, should be pulled up beside the other ship. I…I gotta get the kid to safety, I said I would, I-" He wavered slightly, but pushed it aside. "We should get going, what's it look like topside?" 

“Seemed like they were wrapping up…” She looked at Moxxie. “Kid, I need you to listen to me.”

Moxxie drew back and wiped her eyes. She stared at the ground a moment longer as she composed herself. When she looked up to meet Nerida’s gaze again, she gave a nod. 

“I’m going to blindfold you.” Neri held up a finger to silence Moxxie before she could say anything in protest. “You do not need to see this. I mean it.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Tofu mumbled, but didn’t interject further. 

Moxxie stared back vacantly, her lips pressed together tight as she held back from speaking right away. Faintly, she sighed through her nose.

“If that is what makes you feel better, go ahead. You wouldn’t be shielding me from anything I haven’t seen before.” 

“It’s different when it’s your own… Trust me.” Neri tore some fabric from her sash and carefully tied it around Moxxie’s eyes. 

“I know. I saw my brother murdered,” Moxxie responded coldly, but nevertheless kept still as Neri tied the blindfold around her eyes. Tofu stiffened; he really hoped it wasn’t any of the guys in Horizon.

“If you’re both ready, we should go,” Tofu said, though his voice sounded tired as he turned slightly towards the door. His eyes flickered to the last four or so steps he had taken before he got to Moxxie, noting the blood in the shape of his shoe. He glanced at the hyuran woman and hoped she hadn’t noticed.

Neri nodded to Tofu, her eyes flickered to the blood but said nothing. She gently guided Moxxie out of the room. For a pirate, she had a delicate touch.

Tofu kept his eyes on them as they passed and followed close behind. There was something he needed to be sure of, though so far he didn't have reason to believe otherwise.

"I don't know who you are, but you helped Tio. Thank you for keeping my brother safe," he said. After a beat, he remembered that Tio wasn't his name before. "Oh, uh…what did Mina call him… Rory. You helped Rory." 

“Yeah... Of course I helped him, he’s my world.” Neri looked at Tofu and knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. “Wait… Rory was surprised I knew that name… Who’s this Mina you keep mentioning?”

Tofu shook his head to clear the spinning, not that it did much good, but he looked ahead as the entry to the deck came into view. He struggled to get his brain to formulate words through the fog that had started to fall upon his head. 

"She's…she was his captain? So your captain too? I-I don't know…" He was speaking to keep himself from passing out, but the act was still increasingly laborious. 

“His- my Capt- Gods you’re about ready to pass out. I can heal you,” Neri offered as she caught him from falling back on the stairs with one hand.

Tofu shook his head once more with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Nono. Can't," he murmured, trying to flash a reassuring smile at her. "I'll be alright at least for a bit longer." 

“I’m inclined to agree,” Moxxie flatly interjected. Tofu ignored her words as he held up a hand to catch her as she missed the edge of the step in front of her. 

Moxxie steadied, tensing upon feeling an extra hand guide her. She turned her head in Tofu’s direction, as if to silently give him a look, despite being blindfolded. Tofu muttered a quick apology, but made sure she was stable. 

“Why be stubborn about it? Can’t rightly keep your word on getting the kid out if you’re dead.” Neri looked at Tofu as she lifted Moxxie under her arm to carry her the last few steps up. A huff and squeak of complaint sounded from Moxxie at the shock of being lifted up. But given the fact she couldn’t see, she didn’t put up much of a fight.

"I assure you, I'm stubborn about a great many things, but I have an actual reason for this one. I won't be dying any time soon, don't worry," Tofu said, trying to flash a reassuring smile at the woman as they reached the deck. Tofu tensed as the sound of running footsteps towards them, but breathed a sigh of relief that it was just Tio. 

"Tofu! Gods you look like shit, are you alright? What happened? Who's the kid?" the miqo'te said, glancing at Moxxie but otherwise unable to turn his gaze away from the blood that dripped heavily from his brother's mouth. Tofu waved a hand dismissively at Tio.

“Yeah yeah, so I’ve heard,” he muttered. 

“The kid’s with me, don’t worry about her. Worry about your… Brother? He’s about ready to keel over if you ask me,” Neri said as she squeezed past the two with Moxxie. “I hope you retained your first aid skills…”

“My what now?” Tio said blankly. First aid was not something he could just…muscle memory through.

“Then we best get him to the getaway ship,” she said while shifting Moxxie from under her arm to an over the shoulder carry. 

“Surely there’s not nearly as many steps needed for me to be carried the whole time – I can walk just fine,” Moxxie remarked. 

“I’m not guidin’ you through all the rigging and debris on the ground, quit your complainin’,” Neri huffed.

“I said I’m fine,” Tofu hissed through gritted teeth as he glared at Tio, ignoring the kid for the time being, even as his chest flared up. Tio shot him a look and stubbornly took his arm, pulling it around his shoulders to help the stumbling.

“Now is not the time for stubbornness, the refusal for magic I can understand, but let me help you,” he growled. Tofu rolled his eyes and looked away, but didn’t fight the help offered.

Neri looked for boarding planks to cross but noticed a distinct lack of them. “How didja even get on the ship? Did you swim?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at Tio.

As if on cue, Daen Lad appeared, though their usual fanfare appeared to be missing; no sparks or lights to be seen. Tio looked at Neri, then pointed at the pixie. 

"Uh. Them. Though perhaps a different approach for Tofu, considering his condition…?" Tio said, directing the back half of the comment to Daen Lad with a raised brow.

"Don't bother, I can handle one more, it's fine…" Tofu grumbled.

“Right then,” Neri blinked at the sudden appearance of the pixie. 

Daen Lad shot Tofu a worried look, but sighed heavily and held out their hand to open up a portal in front of them that led to Mina’s ship. They were being merciful of Tofu’s condition, which was rare, but even they were concerned at the lengths he had gone to. 

“Keep your arm around him, cat…” they murmured. 

“Already planned to,” Tio said with a half shrug as he helped Tofu through.

After everyone stepped through, the portal closed behind them and Neri took Moxxie to the side, sitting her down on a barrel. Berry walked over to the new pair to check them for injuries.

“Picked up another pair of people in need of our aid, have we?” Ser questioned in slight annoyance. He observed in silence until he noticed Tofu’s condition. “Halone’s tits, you’ve got to do better.”

The dull haze in Miyu’s daze dashed away upon seeing Tofu step through the portal alive. The relief came and went the moment they saw the condition he was in. Still holding onto Kore’s hand, they quickly walked over to support Tofu’s other side with Kore following their lead.

“Thank the Gods you’re here. Are you…” They trailed off, giving a tense swallow as they looked Tofu over up close. He looked to be in bad shape. 

Kore cupped Tofu’s cheek with her free hand and looked him over, guilt setting in. Tofu smiled in relief, shaking off Tio and bringing both hands to cup her face. He pressed his forehead to hers.

“You’re alright…” he murmured gently, taking a moment to appreciate the moment before leaning in. His lips brushed hers carefully. Kore gasped in surprise both at the kiss and the flashes of visions of her on the ground with M’ezzo over her. She blinked them away as fast as she could. She returned the kiss, taking back the moment.

He leaned back, smiling at her once more. “I was so scared…”

“I was too when I heard you had fought M’ezzo because of me…” she said at almost a whisper. Tofu brushed her hair out of her face.

“I’m alright, I’ll be fine,” he said. 

He turned towards Miyu, closing the distance between them and kissing them as well. One hand lowered towards where they had been stabbed, the pad of his thumb brushing gently against the mostly-healed scar.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… I wasn’t fast enough,” he whispered. 

Miyu gave a faint squeak of surprise, their tense expression softening at the kiss as they leaned in. As much as they wanted to enjoy a first kiss, the taste of iron left lingering on their lips sent alarms off in their head as they recalled the last time Tofu had coughed up blood. There was a sick feeling in their stomach when they realized Tofu had fought M’ezzo.

“You… let’s… let’s sit down, yeah? No apologiz-” 

The sigil in Tofu’s chest burned white hot as he staggered away from Miyu with a barely subdued ‘fuck’ and dropped to his knees. Blood erupted violently from his mouth as his hands hit the deck roughly. A low moan escaped him as his vision faded to black before he toppled to his side.

Kore quickly knelt beside Tofu, slipping from Miyu’s grasp. She turned him onto his back, taking his knife and ripping his shirt open with it. The sigil was lit up brighter than she expected it to be. His wounds were still bleeding as well, They needed to be dealt with so he wouldn’t bleed out. She looked up at Miyu.

“I need you to trust me. You are going to have to heal him-” 

“You can’t!” Daen Lad interrupted loudly. There was panic in their eyes as they realized her intention to use more magic on him. “The talismans, they don’t stop the damage, they just subdue the pain for a brief time. If you use more magic, it will just hurt him more later, when the effects have worn off.” 

“If we don’t he’ll bleed out on the ship.”

“You can stop the bleeding without magic! Please, please, his body can’t…”

“Talking about it isn’t going to help either! I don’t know, bandages, stitches, anything! Please, he’s my brother,” Tio snapped. He had almost lost Tofu once, he didn’t want to lose him this time. He ignored the tears that brimmed in his eyes, ignored the panicked breaths, looking around for someone, anyone, with traditional medical knowledge.

Miyu could only stay kneeled beside Tofu, one hand clutched around their white mage stone, but they couldn’t bring themself to act as they listened to the warnings. In the foggy haze of their panic, they heard of yelling to stop the bleeding. They tore off their jacket, ripping off the cotton lining on the inside. While they heard others still talking, they temporarily held it to his back to try and slow the bleeding. 

Mina, hearing the panic in Tio’s voice, rushed over from the helm. She looked at Daen Lad. “In my quarters there’s supplies, in the cabinet.” 

The pixie nodded and snapped their fingers. All of the medical supplies in the cabinet appeared next to Tofu. Mina quickly sorted through the pile, grabbing what she needed. Berry moved to come help but Mina interrupted her.

“No, give us room to work. You and you. Go check the other ships for survivors and civilians. Gives you something to do instead of fretting,” she said pointing at Berry and Peach. She looked at Tio. “Go hold the helm steady.”

“Ser, Punk, go protect the small ones as they check the other ships,” Mina said as she turned back to Tofu. Ser sighed as he hoisted himself off the railing he had leaned against. He gave Punk a pat on the shoulder as they both followed after the sisters.

Tio stared a moment, but nodded, knowing there wasn’t anything more he could do where he was. He set off towards the helm, pausing halfway there and gripping his head with both hands, barely holding back a scream of anguish. There had been so much blood… That’s his brother! That’shisbrotherthat’shisbrother. He had to snap himself out of it, shaking his head and focusing on the task he had been given.

Neri reached out a hand as Tio passed, but she couldn’t bring herself to make contact. She closed her hand and brought it to her chest. Was it still her place to comfort him as she had done so many times in the past? She didn’t know. 

Seeing as they had arrived, Moxxie reached up and tore the blindfold off to look at her captors. Her hands tightened into fists as she watched the mess around her. The young girl’s eyes settled on the bloodied viera passed out on the deck. Being in such a sorry state he was in now, she could hardly believe that he had walked all the way to the cabins to find her and bring her to the next ship. It would have been admirable, if not for the fact that he was responsible for her mother’s death – as he had insisted himself.

“I hope he bleeds out and dies here,” Moxxie spoke coldly, her voice steady.

Neri smacked her upside the back of her head. Not hard, but enough to get her attention. She gave the child a stern look. “Don’t say such things. You know what Basilisks did. You knew they were not in the business of making friends. This is what happens when shit catches up to you. Learn from their mistakes, don’t go making enemies when you can stand to have a few friends.”

Moxxie flinched, her body remaining tense despite feeling it had only been a light tap. She shot Neri a heated glare from the corner of her eyes.

“I know. But do you really expect me to be grateful right now? It’s not that I don’t care, but that I… I don’t know. I don’t know how to feel about any of this. I don’t know anything,” she started off with a snarl, but her voice softened as she approached the end of her statement. “My whole family is gone. Maybe they were bad people, but they were my family. So if he… if he dies… maybe I wouldn’t celebrate, but I won’t be feeling sorry, either.” 

“Not sayin’ you should feel anything.” Neri put a hand on Moxxie’s head and continued, “Thing about family is… You actually do have a choice on who it is. I hope you can grow past where you came from, kid. I’m here for you now.”

Moxxie remained silent, only tightening her jaw and staring off across the sea. 

All that was left was to attach the ship they would be taking for Mina’s use to the Hound’s Revenge, throw the molotovs, and set sail. This chapter was finally over…

The wind and waves had begun to settle. On the horizon, the setting sun peeked from between the clouds. This day had marked an ending, and a beginning. But for the moment, the storm that had been brewing, the storm that had raged, was finally beginning to pass

[twilightcitysky]

Hypothesis: Aziraphale HATES that Crowley is living in his car.

Supporting evidence:

The very first thing we see him do in the present is stop Maggie from moving out and making sure she feels welcome to stay as long as she likes.

He clearly knows Crowley’s unhappy before anything happens in the plot: “Does it calm you down?”. And also clearly feels helpless about it. Enter the conspicuous Eccles cakes: Aziraphale’s offer, which is rejected.

Crowley’s obviously, for all his hedging, spending a lot of time at the bookshop— so much that he has his own glasses perch and feels immediately comfortable removing them. See also: “Technically my bookshop but we both get plenty of use out of it”, “Why don’t you wait inside? You like waiting inside”.

It’s Crowley who immediately shoves the box of plants into Aziraphale’s arms after Aziraphale returns from Scotland.

Speaking of Scotland, why wouldn’t Aziraphale take the train? Why insist on driving the Bentley? Is it perhaps because he wants to get Crowley and his plants into the shop, and thinks if he creates a situation where Crowley has to stay there, maybe he won’t immediately leave again?

He’s got an empty bedroom and an apparently pathological need to make the person staying there very comfortable, creating cute little customized souvenirs like he’s an Air B&B host (displacement!).

He immediately jumps to having Gabriel stay with him— he didn’t have to. Arguably, both Gabriel and Aziraphale would be safer if Gabe stayed elsewhere.

That’s what I’ve got for now but I’m sure there’s more. Throughout the show, watch what Aziraphale gives to others and does for others, and it’ll tell you what he wants to do for Crowley. He’s living so deeply in displacement in makes him come across as manic and brittle.

(What probably happened is Aziraphale offered the spare bedroom and Crowley, who unconsciously didn’t want to be his roommate or sleep in a single bed with Aziraphale right downstairs because how could the poor lovesick boy cope with that, told him he wasn’t a “good deed” for Aziraphale to do and stormed off.)

Conclusion: Aziraphale asked Crowley to stay at his place, immediately and probably repeatedly. They had a row about it, and Crowley refused, and to this day Aziraphale doesn’t understand why.

And it hurts him.

[ssentimentals]

Hiii! Would like to request for mingyu + 45 pleaseee. Thank you!

hi, love!💜 thanks for the request, hopefully you will like it!

45. kiss out of anger (kim mingyu)

'you're being insufferable.'

'me? who's the one with all the dramatics here?' mingyu throws both of his hands in the air, twirling around like some kind of ballerina to make his point.

you sceptically raise your eyebrow. 'yep. i'm the one with dramatics here.'

mingyu huffs and rolls his eyes, but settles against the couch comfortable, staring you down. honestly, you two've been going over this whole thing for the past two hours and you are very close to simply storming out of this room. the only reason of you staying put is because you know that mingyu won't let you go very far - he'll catch you and bring you back and will make you stay here until we both come to some kind of a conclusion. right now it looks impossible but mingyu is an optimist, so he tries again: 'listen, i'm asking for one thing. can't you just give in once?'

'mingyu, don't make it sound like i'm the tyran who never gives in to you. i said no, can't you just let it be? i'm tired of explaining the same thing over and over again.'

'well then explain once again, because i didn't get anything.' he crosses his arms over the chest and glares, making a whole show of 'i am staying here and not moving'. 'and while you're at it, maybe think that if i'm not getting it because you're not making any sense.'

deep breath. you take a deep breath and close your eyes, because staring at mingyu right now makes your desire to punch him in the face skyrocket. mingyu is such a 'let's solve it right now' guy, while you are 'i need time to think' girl and it's a miracle how you both stay together for such a long time despite this difference. and maybe this is what you need to focus on right now? that you both stayed together despite it and how this is not your first ever fight. there were many fights but you still stayed together and logically you know that this fight will dissolve too, but it's hard to stay calm at this exact moment. 'kim mingyu,' you call out in a tired voice, 'i think it's time we both take a break in this fight. you go to the kitchen, i'll stay here and how about we meet in an hour and come back to this topic again?'

mingyu pouts. 'thirty minutes.'

'one hour, mingyu.' you push strictly, glaring at him. 'is that too much to ask?'

'one hour is way too long,' he comments and god, he's still pouting. why your boyfriend is an overgrown child? why you are so hopelessly in love with him? 'okay, forty minutes. but we both stay here, i'm not going to the kitchen. what if you start crying? i need to be here.'

how mingyu manages to be both heart-wrenchingly endearing and annoying as fuck is beyond you. 'you're either going to the kitchen or i'm leaving this apartment, mingyu.'

'fine!' he stands up from the couch, obviously angry. 'fine! have it your way! i'm going to the kitchen!'

he stomps for dramatic effect and your can't help but smile a little at that. god, what a child. you love him so much. before moving to turn away, mingyu suddenly rushes towards you and kisses you soundly on the mouth, not letting you even take a breath.

'wha-'

'i love you,' he says angrily, frowning. 'you're pissing me off right now, but i love you. don't forget it. got it?' you nod dazedly. 'good. now i'm off to the kitchen. call me if you start crying.'

you weakly push on his shoulders, suddenly feeling like you're about to cry. 'i'm not gonna cry.'

'mhm.' mingyu rolls his eyes and walks away. 'tissues are on your left.'

[maxtermind]

SCENE 3 :: WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS ↳ you were never not mine — carlos sainz ༉‧₊˚✧

★ : pairing :: carlos sainz x reader ★ : genre :: angst; fluff separated by a hidden emotional turmoil, carlos and y/n navigate the complexities of co-parenting their twins amidst the high-stakes f1 world. amidst paddock visits and personal healing, will they go further apart or find their wayback to each other? ★ : a/n :: woah things slowing down? more fluff than angst? 👀

( series masterlist \ main masterlist \ drop a request )

f1.wag 10 mins ago

f1.wag Breaking: F1 wag Lily, girlfriend of Alex Albon, spotted rushing to Y/N's house following explosive Instagram drama involving Y/N's ex, Carlos. 🚨

username y/n acting like a child, as usual. no wonder carlos didn't put a ring on it ⤷ username that's so rude, you're a horrible person username sending positive vibes to y/n! idk what i would've done in her place username didn’t y/n have a boyfriend before carlos? why is she always so dramatic? ⤷ username doesn't like the taste of her own medicine lmao username everyone handles heartbreak differently. sending love and strength to y/n :( username this isn’t high school? it’s embarrassing how y/n can’t handle a breakup on her own ⤷ username y/n needs to stop acting like a kid and face her problems head-on username lily must be tired of playing babysitter for y/n. time to grow up!

carlos is typing... (y/n's pov)

twitter

yn.user 10 mins ago

yn.user my best buddies✨

username cute post! but where's their daddy? username did she just call the man she was kissing a week ago,, her buddy? ⤷ username guess carlos isn't the only one who left, huh? ⤷ username she is the one calling him a friend?? maybe she dumped him??? ⤷ username wouldn't be the first time she left lol ⤷ username the way you guys jump to conclusions while knowing NOTHING username this is just sad. have some respect for yourself! ⤷ yn.user maybe try walking a mile in my shoes before you judge username well... it didn't take that long, right? username please don't send the kids to races alone :( ⤷ username still not over alisa or wtv stealing the spotlight from the boys😭 username this is the hardest friendzone ever lmao

boo is typing... (y/n's pov)

f1.wag 5 mins ago

f1.wag Breaking: Meet Alisa: Carlos Sainz's new flame and model from Y/N’s old friend group

comments are restricted

instagram story

carlossainz 5 mins ago

carlossainz ❤️

username i'm glad carlos is no more hung up on HER yn.user nice to see you focusing on the positives❤️ ⤷ username damage control? username oh no, y/n's in the comments. poor baby ⤷ username pretty sure this is his first personal post without y/n or the kids ⤷ username here comes the waterworks username proud of carlos for stepping up and taking a stand ⤷ username y/n was bullied a little too much :( username happy to see you getting a hold on everything ⤷ username we love a man in control👀

carlos is typing… (y/n's pov)

twitter news

©maxtermind // do not copy, rewrite or translate any of my work on any platforms.

[moonastrogirl]

💘 Some important tips for each Nakshatra : Never to Do Tips 💘

DISCLAIMER The author name is at the end. I do not remember where I found it unfortunately (it was in my notes app for months fr 😭) tho I know I am supposed to share my knowledge as much as I can and not be a gatekeeper so here it is . I hope it will help you (if you know the author let me know too with the name down below) 💜

Ashwini : Never loose an opportunity to help people in your life, you will meet and learn some very important techniques from a reputed and respected person.

Bharani : Do not share your secrets with anyone. Self control is must.

Krittika : Stand by Truth. Do not entertain, liars, fakers or cheaters or not even try to possess those traits.

Rohini : Don't get too much attached with anything, attachment will cause havoc.

Mrigashira : Do not get disconnected with your parents or family.

Ardra : Learn to work under distractions and pressure. Stay calm in chaos.

Punarvasu : Never disobey Dharma (purpose), always stick to your commitments, you get divine support of universe.

Pushya : Do not ignore your family or your dear one needs while handling bigger responsibilities or social cause. Take out time for them.

Ashlesha : Never misuse your power & Never Curse anyone.

Magha : Never ignore your Pitris (your ancestors). Always do charity in their names.

Purva Phalguni : Avoid getting too much indulgent in pleasures, do your duty faithfully.

Uttara Phalguni : Never break your relationship & Be Kartavya Prayan (loyal).

Hasta : Never get carried away with failure, that's ladder of success for you.

Chitra : Never doubt your potential & don't act impulsive, else you will end up hurting with self.

Swati : Do not poke powerful authorities. Try to stay away from leg pulling.

Vishaka : Never leave the Marg of Bhakti (total faith and devotion) & Keep remembering Bhagwan (the Most High/God).

Anuradha: Never get distracted with too much darkness, sooner or later it's worth experiencing.

Jyeshta : Never misuse your authorities & power, one single mistake can ruin everything.

Mula : Don't get panic, when burdened with lots of negativity, that's the process of bringing clarity, like storm before calm.

Purva Ashadha : Not every war is to win, some are supposed to lift you up. In both victory or defeat you gonna be the same.

Uttara Ashadha : Following Dharma (career/purpose) is right but having a superiority complex can harm you in longer run.

Shravana : Tied up with lots of responsibilities & helplessness, we are born to live or die for a divine purpose, just give your best.

Dhanishta : Never boast or avoid beating the drum of success before its completion.

Shatabhisha : Never sell your soul for gains and profit. Things will turn negative for you.

Purva Bhadrapada : Never rush into conclusion cause what looks on the surface might not be real, try to see deep within. There lies solution.

Uttara Bhadrapada : Simplicity beautifies you, wear it and own it.

Revati : You are the Messenger of God & Bhakt (faith/worship/love). Showing path to directionless people is your real gem. Never sell superstition or blind faiths.

Author :

Mann ki Baat Trishna

Note from the author : Above points are just an observation with my best of understanding.

[yanderecrazysie]

Galeophobia (Kirishima)

Please don’t request any phobias. I just felt like making this for fun.

Be kind to me, I'm still not good at writing NSFW

Title: Galeophobia

Pairings: Kirishima Eijirou x Reader

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, mershark Kirishima, pirate reader, marking, NSFW, NON-CON, belly bulge, excessive cum

Phobia: The fear of sharks

Normally, the setting sun is something that makes you smile, its beautiful pink-and-orange hues are a feast for the eyes. Here and now? It feels as though it is taunting you as your water sloshes over the deck of your sinking ship.

How can nature be so beautiful, yet so cruel?

The storm is completely gone- there’s no sign that it ever happened. No sign, save for one wooden ship taking on water. The jolly rogers above you wave feebly in the light wind before crumbling in on themselves as even the air falls silent. You sigh wearily.

After all the danger you’d put yourself in to get rich, sinking serenely in the middle of calm waters, all of your comrades having fled on lifeboats. Leaving the captain to go down with the ship.

It’s a dumb tradition that the pirates of your country take part in, you thought dully, so why did I bother following it? You wished you weren’t quite so honorable. 

The water ripples below your lazy perch on the ship’s front railings, now reaching past the deck and slowly inching towards you. Somewhere off in the distance, you see something shimmer in the sunset’s pink-tinged water.

You squint, confused, as something bright red begins rising in the clear water right below you, on the end of your ship and the open ocean. Water breaks at the surface as the crimson object reveals itself to be spiky hair on the head of a handsome tan-skinned man with equally-red, intense eyes.

At first, you think he must be dead. After all, how else could there be someone out here in the middle of the ocean, unless they were from a ship already sunken below? But no, the man gazes at you with a lively expression, smiling brightly at you as though he’s never been so happy to see someone else. 

The next conclusion fills you with hope: there must be land nearby! Surely he had swum from an island to your ship. But how far away was it? You look in every direction and see nothing but water.

“Where do you come from?” You ask urgently, “It’s not too far is it? I’m not a strong swimmer.”

The man laughs loudly, “Don’t worry, I got you, babe.”

You wrinkle your nose at the pet name but hold your tongue. After all, this redhead was the only thing between you and the bottom of the ocean.

He holds out his arms as though he’s ready to catch you, “Come on down, babe. I don’t bite. Much.”

He flashes you a smile and you gasp. His teeth are unnaturally sharp and triangular, nothing like a human’s. For the first time, you feel a sense of foreboding and your heart pounds in your chest. 

Your gaze falls below his bare abs under the water and you’re shocked to see that instead of bare legs, there’s gray and white smooth skin that ends in a sharp fish tail. From the shape and the earlier glance at his teeth, you surmise he’s some sort of shark merman. Not human, in any case.

“What are you?” You shriek, wrapping your arms around your legs protectively, all too aware of how close the water was to you now.

The shark-man grins, flashing those sharp teeth at you once more, “My name’s Kirishima. What’s yours, babe?”

“Stay away from me, you fish freak!” You seethe, pulling your compass from your pocket and heaving it at him as hard as you can. It bounces off his chest with a thunk but he doesn’t so much as flinch. “Wait until after I’ve drowned to eat me!”

Kirishima sighs, a soft pout to his features as he tells you, “List babe: you’re either coming down on your own or you’re going to sink.”

The reality of the situation dawns on you just as you feel water licking at your toes. You were going to be eaten by this half-shark, half-man creature. All that would be left of you would be your bones on the bottom of the ocean, alongside your trusty ship. 

Hot tears prick your eyes as you let yourself slide off the railing into the water. If my death is coming, then let it be quick, you thought sadly.

Kirishima blinks in surprise before a smile spreads across his face. This time, his lips are pulled over those vicious teeth, and you can’t help but think it’s a little cute. He reaches his hand out to brush away a few stray tears, but that just causes more to spill.

Strong arms wrap around you and you close your eyes, ready for death. It doesn’t come. Instead, Kirishima nuzzles into your neck, cooing softly into your ear as he holds you close.

He pulls you away from the sinking ship, most of which is already underwater. Your first and only ship- you feel more tears slip down your cheeks. It’s gone now, there’s no getting it back.

“Shh, it’s alright, babe.” Kirishima shushes you softly as he swims farther away, tugging you along through the water. You shiver in his grasp and he takes notice, stopping immediately to run his hands over your body, “Oh man, you’re cold all over.”

The grin that cracks across his face is mischievous and predatory at the same time, “I know how to fix that.”

Something cold and hard brushes against your butt and your heart stops all together before it starts up tenfold again. Don’t tell me he means…

Incredibly sharp teeth pierce through the skin on your neck and you let out a scream. Warm blood pools on the surface as he sucks gently before releasing with a pop. He takes a look at his handiwork- at the wound swelling on your neck- and has the audacity to look proud. 

Kirishima presses against you as he begins peeling your clothes from your skin. Something very large and very hard pokes against your thighs and, although you cannot see it, you already have an idea of what it is. Curiosity has you briefly wondering if it looks like a human’s or not.

You don’t have a chance to look down at it from the angle he’s holding you but, once he tears your pants from your body in a violent, eager motion, you quickly get to know what it feels like. It seems to be shaped the same as any human male’s dick, but it’s much larger than what you thought was possible. 

The bulbous head pushes against your unguarded pussy, pressing and pressing until pop- it forces its way inside. You expected unimaginable pain, but you’re instead overrun with pleasure.

The cock fills you out with each inch shoved deeper. It stretched your insides out and, when you look down, you see a visible bulge in your stomach. He’s crammed into you so much your little human body can barely take it.

Kirishima holds you still while he forces his shark cock deeper and deeper. The bulge in your belly is bigger than ever when he comes to a stop. Unconsciously, your hand moves and puts a hand over the bump in your stomach and you hear the man behind you moan with pleasure as you accidentally massage his cockhead.

The thrusts begin, more brutal than you could ever anticipate. Kirishima uses his arms to keep you in place while he fucks into you, tearing apart your vagina and womb easily with his monster cock. 

You writhe with pleasure, barely able to move from your positioning but trying all the same. It’s all too much- his dick is pressed up against every nerve and pleasure spot you have, each thrust hits all the right places.

Kirishima grabs your hips and bend your body a little, moving you into a position where he can fuck you even deeper and harder. It isn’t long before you come undone on his cock, twitching and spasming from the intense pleasure he’s giving you.

Your pulsating walls prove to be too much for the redhead, and he follows you shortly after. His cum floods your insides, inflating your belly a little around the bulge and filling you so completely that some escapes around his cock and into the water around you, making the water turn more milky than clear.

Your eyes roll back in your head as he rolls his hips, getting out those last few drops of cum. His giant cock finally softens and slips out, dirtying the water even more with the cum that escapes your stuffed-full womb.

“Yeah, I’m keeping you.” Kirishima says, grinning widely as he pulls you close. You don’t bother fighting it as he gives a kick of his tail and takes off swimming with you snug in his arms. 

You can feel cum still rushing out of you as he whisks you away to wherever it is he plans to keep you.

[malusmagpie]

Perfume

Pairing: Anakin x Fem!Reader

Description: You come home and smell a perfume you’ve never smelt before in your bedroom.

A/N: Hello! this was supposed to be a quick drabble but it ended up a bit longer. It was inspired by a thought process I had about Anakin and smelling good. I’m still gonna classify it as a drabble, though. Enjoy!

Word Count: 2.1K

The sound of the front door to your apartment unlocking was always annoying but today, as you pressed the right set of numbers on the keypad, the long beeping sound of the door unlocking made you feel like cutting your ears of.

Working for the Senate wasn’t easy. Being an assistant wasn’t easy. You got paid little to nothing, relying only on tips and small gratuitous payouts. You were worked to the bone and you saw nothing for it except a vague promise of opportunity to one day join the Senate as a Senator.

You dropped your bag on the counter instead of throwing it against a wall like you so dearly wanted to. It wasn’t often you came home feeling so upset, it was usually coming home that made you happy. You’d leave the building you worked in and immediately feel okay. Not today. You might as well have been stuck at work for the entirety of your life because it wouldn’t feel any different than you felt right now. You looked around and didn’t see any sign that Anakin was home. He often wasn’t. You’d gotten used to it but today, his presence was all you wanted. He must have left shortly after you had in the morning, he mentioned something to you about a mission the night before but you hadn’t paid much mind.

With a huff you pulled your jewelry off your body, feeling freed from the handcuffs that were your bangles, from the circulation disrupters that were your rings, and the noose that was your necklace. You tossed the jewelry from one hand to the other as you stomped over to your bedroom. A nice warm shower would was worth a try if it might even remotely calm the storm brewing within you.

As you opened the door to your room you were bombarded with the scent of amber and vanilla. Your nose scrunched as you tried to figure out where it was coming from. You couldn’t find a single viable answer. Your perfume didn’t smell like this and Anakin only ever used a cologne he’d had for years. Your ears started to burn when you came to the only conclusion that made sense, the one conclusion you dreaded most.

Maybe it was the effect of having a horrible day, or maybe it was just the fact that you knew another woman had been in your bedroom. The bedroom you laid your head to rest in. The bedroom you shared countless beautiful memories with Anakin in.

Your fists balled up at your sides and you tried your best to think things through in a level headed manner, an act that didn’t seem to be attainable right now. You closed the door behind you and looked around.

“Who the hell cheats with a woman you can smell from a mile away?” You said to yourself, giving your head a shake. A small laugh emitted through your lips as you stared at the bed. Perfectly made, not a crease to be found. It was rare that Anakin made the bed before leaving as he was always called in on such short notice. You reeled as you thought about how he did it to cover up any trace of anybody else being there.

You’d never felt anger this intense before. Your ears were burning, your hands were shaking, and you felt like there was a hundred pound weight on your throat and chest. You looked over at your nightstand, where the first picture you ever took with Anakin sat in a beautiful frame. Anakin had made the frame for your first anniversary. The picture was of you, placing a medal around his neck during a ceremony on the night you met.

The Senator you were assisting had fallen ill an hour before the ceremony and he’d asked you to step in for him. Your hands had been shaking just as much as they were now, ears the same level of hot, and you felt as though your stomach was to jump out of your throat any minute. You’d felt the same now as you did that night but this time, the reason was different. You weren’t nervous and mildly star struck. You were angry. So angry that you picked up the photo and tossed it across the room, causing it to crash against the wall and fall. The only thing that broke was the glass, the frame stayed in tact and you screamed in frustration.

“He can build a frame that won’t break but not a fucking relationship!” You yelled into the air. You sat on the ground where you stood, letting your knees rise against your chest and wrapping your arms around them. You stared at the wall where the frame had left a small dent, thinking of everything and nothing all at once.

You had no idea how long you’d been sitting there, motionless, without a coherent thought. You didn’t care until you heard that same beeping from earlier, signalling somebody was coming in. He was coming in. You didn’t move. You had no idea how to at this point. Your room had become dark after the sun had set some hours ago and you sat in the corner of it, coddling yourself.

The lights outside flicked on and you heard his footsteps just outside the door, they stopped at the kitchen where your bag was.

“Babe? You home?” Anakin called out and you heard him come closer to the door. The shadow of him standing in front of the door made your spine tingle. Your body still didn’t move, only your eyes, as he slowly opened the door. He didn’t see you at first. The bed was made and the room was nearly pitch black apart from the small crack of light he had let in by opening the door.

“Why are you on the ground baby?” He spoke slowly as he walked toward you. Your head shook and your voice came out hoarse.

“Don’t.” You muttered and he stopped, freezing in his place. You couldn’t help the tears that began to well up in your eyes when you finally looked up from his feet to his face. He looked so tired, you were so tired. You just wanted to hug him. “Is there something you’d like to tell me?” You asked, choking back tears that didn’t seem to stop streaming down your face.

“Uhm, I love you?” He said, clearly nervous. As any cheater would be. You scoffed and he bent down so he was on his knees, almost level with you. “Y/N, please tell me-“

“Fuck you!” You yelled. He cowered, his shoulders slumped and he sat back on his heels. His hands folded in his lap as he stared at you, bewildered.

“What?” His voice cracked and it took everything in you not to open your arms and ask him to hold you. The sound of his sadness broke your heart and you diverted your gaze to your feet.

“Who was in here?” You asked, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer.

“Nobody?” Anakin’s voice was soft and almost sounded wounded.

“Don’t bullshit me. It smelt like some bitch dumped her entire bottle of perfume in here when I walked in.” You sounded stern, like a disappointed parent. His hands raised as if he was being arrested. You watched him from your peripherals.

“Can I ask you to do something?” He said, his words shaky. You nodded your head even though him asking anything of you was not your concern, you might as well entertain his idiocy for a moment. “Smell me.” He finished.

You furrowed your eyebrows together, finally looking at him. He had his wrist turned out toward you and you leaned forward. You sniffed it and smelt the exact perfume you’d smelt earlier. With wide eyes you looked at him. Did he think he didn’t smell like her anymore?

“I can still smell her on you.” You weren’t sure why he would even do that. Is he taunting you? Your eyes welled up with every fatter tears than before, your nose began to leak and you sniffled.

“No. No, baby. I’m trying to tell you, you’re just smelling me. There was no her.” He stood up and you watched him retreat to the bathroom before coming back out with a gold plated, square-shaped bottle. “I bought this the other day. I like how you smell. I like how perfumes smell. I didn’t want to use up yours.” He handed you the small bottle and you opened it, smelling the same scent you’ve smelled twice before now. You sat silently for a moment.

You were calm. Immediately, the bad feelings from before had gone away. You almost felt stupid as you stared at him. You saw how genuine he seemed and your heart cracked for being so harsh with him.

“Why didn’t you use mine?” You asked softly. Anakin sat down in front of you and you didn’t stop him this time.

“You paid a lot for it.” He shrugged as you eyed the beautiful, expensive looking bottle.

“Like this was any cheaper?” You raised an eyebrow at him.

“No, but I spent my credits on it. So I feel less bad using it.” His eyes fought yours to be seen. You let him. The two of you sat silently for a moment before you began to cry.

“What-“ He began and you launched forward towards him, engulfing him in a hug before hitting his chest a few times. He laughed and grabbed your hand gently to make you stop.

“I thought you were cheating on me you fucking idiot!” You cried into his chest and he rubbed your back as your hand fell back onto his shoulder. “I sat here for hours thinking of how you cheated on me.” He shushed you and rocked side to side while you cried into his clothing.

“I’m sorry…” He whispered and you shook your head, squeezing him tighter.

“Gods, no I’m sorry. I had an awful day… I jumped to a shitty conclusion..” You spoke through your calming sobs but another wave of tears hit you when you remembered the picture you’d broken. “And I broke the picture frame you made!” You yelled as you shook in his arms. He looked around until his eyes landed on the frame.

“Seems fine to me. Glass is replaceable you know?” Anakin spoke kindly into your hair, between small kisses. You could hear the smile in his voice, causing you to smack him one more time and he laughed gently. “Baby it’s okay. Everything’s okay.” He mused as he rubbed your back.

When you finally calmed down he gently removed you by your shoulders and looked at you. A small smile graced his features as he wiped your tears from your reddened cheeks and swollen lips with the pads of his thumbs.

“Bad day?” He asked and you nodded silently, sniffling back anything that threatened to fall from your nose.

“I don’t even wanna talk about it.” You whispered and he pulled you in for another hug.

“We don’t have to. I can run us a warm bath instead.” He whispered as he picked you up and placed you on the bed. You nodded, another small wave of tears came as he handed you a box of tissues and placed a kiss on your forehead. “Please calm down. I can’t have snot in my bath.” You threw the box at him and he caught it against his chest before placing it next to you.

“Shut up.” You mumbled before blowing your nose. He smiled before leaving you to run the water for the bath before coming back and helping you undress.

“You really thought I’d cheat on you? I pined after you for at least three months after we met.” He mumbled as he threw your clothes into a laundry hamper and you rolled your eyes.

“You’re never here. I don’t know who and what you’re doing.” You said quietly as you watched him undress.

“Only thing I ever want to do is you, my love.” His words came out with a small strain as he leaned down to pick you up. A small laugh escaped your lips as he squeezed your bum while walking to the bathroom.

“Good. ‘Cause it’s all you’ll ever get. I’ll have to kill you if you leave me.” You smiled.

“I’ll allow it. If I ever leave you, I’ve truly lost my mind and somebody’s gonna have to put me down anyways.” He placed a small kiss on your cheek as he shut the door behind him with his foot.

[antimonyandthyme]

carcar, carlandoscar, 3k, explicit content, set after the hungary gp (so, rancid)

The muteness wore away when the ceremony started. First place, no matter how convoluted, suited Oscar just fine. Carlos watched him hoist the trophy high, while wondering if Oscar had an extortionate sense of payback. The last time Carlos had won, in Melbourne, he hadn’t let Oscar come until Suzuka. Not even on Thursday before media duties. But on Saturday, after Qualifying, because no matter how mean he’d tried to be he couldn’t be the one to affect Oscar’s actual race.

His appendix surgery had been a good excuse. Carlos said, “You’re going to have to work for it yourself, if you want to come,” and intentionally kept the circle of his hand around Oscar’s cock loose and easy. Oscar had whined his frustrations, rutting fervently into Carlos’ palm for any sort of friction. It wouldn’t have needed much anyway; Oscar had been so weak for it.

“Asshole,” Oscar said as he came, but the viciousness of it was taken away by the way he’d almost sighed it, and then slumped into Carlos’s arms after. Soft and almost sweet.  

And then Carlos had podiumed. And Oscar had gotten eighth. Great feelings all around.

He’d seen it in the way Oscar had looked at him after though, the heat in his eyes burning its way up Carlos’s back in a slow crawl. Carlos knew. The next time. He’d be made to return the favour.

There wasn’t much of a wait. Not even a couple of hours after the champagne had been drunk, and the confetti peeled of sticky skin.

Carlos stared at the text with a room number. There was no other instruction, nor a time. Already, the itch under Carlos’s skin was becoming a near physical presence. If it were Carlos, he’d push, tell Oscar not to keep him waiting. Oscar would let Carlos draw his own conclusions. Let him wonder if he’d show up too early to an unoccupied room, and have to storm away and make the same trip twice. Or overthink and show up late, and be punished worse for it.

The AC was turned up high, but Carlos imagined he was sweating. Blood pooling in places he could not hide just from the anticipation.

He wasn’t sure of the time when he finally knocked. Two neat taps. He forced himself not to rock on the balls of his feet. When Oscar opened the door, Carlos could pretend he looked calm, in control.

“You took your time,” Oscar said. He didn’t sound annoyed or impatient. There was probably little room for it; winning tended to take up too much space. That didn’t mean Carlos could let his guard down.

“I assumed you’d be out with the team.”

“Two drinks.” Oscar shrugged, stepping aside so Carlos could come in. “That was about all I could stomach.”

Asking why was redundant. It was a one-two for McLaren. Lando would’ve been there, surely.

For such a straightforward guy, Oscar was surprisingly hard to read. He’d give Carlos these little clues, nothing else. The deal was that the winner could take all. Melbourne had been such a lesson. But Oscar seemed to be waiting for permission, paused at the narrow hallway less than a foot away from Carlos.

“So what you’re saying is,” Carlos said, “you haven’t celebrated.”

“No,” Oscar agreed. The wry twist of his lips was encouraging. “I have not.”

“Well,” Carlos said slowly. “What are you waiting for?”

Oscar’s spine stacked itself up, straight as can be. Impressive how quickly his demeanour changed. Imperturbable, unaffected Oscar, who was actually so perturbable and affected. Carlos was secretly delighted.

When Oscar planted himself at the edge of the bed, knees thrown apart with all the self-confidence of a race winner, Carlos went without a second thought. Knelt between Oscar’s legs obediently, and opened his mouth.

--

Oscar seemed to like Carlos’s hair. He kept his fingers knotted through, at times tugging hard enough for Carlos’s scalp to ache. It was a nice distraction, because Carlos wasn’t as much sucking as he was trying not to choke. Oscar hadn’t given him much time to adjust. His cock felt thick and inescapable in Carlos’s throat. Occasionally, Oscar would pull Carlos off by the hair, give him a shaky moment to breathe, before impaling Carlos back on his cock.

“Too much?” Oscar asked casually, when Carlos couldn’t stop the weak whimper forced out of his throat. “Ah, no. You like it.”

Of course Oscar would notice, Carlos growing harder by the second, while his hands fluttered uselessly under his thighs. His entire body jolted when Oscar nudged his foot against Carlos’s cock. Only enough to be the worst of teases. 

“Don’t whine,” Oscar said, when Carlos whined. “You made me wait two weeks.”

Carlos shivered. All he could comprehend was the weight of Oscar in his mouth. Solid, unforgiving. Drool slipped out, trailed down his chin. He didn’t want to think about the kind of picture he was making, looking up at Oscar like that. Pathetic enough for Oscar to soften.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be nice.” Oscar continued to stroke Carlos with the tip of his big toe. Carlos couldn’t stop himself from curving into a half-moon shape, in an attempt to chase the paltriest of touches. “I’ll let you come today, if you’re good.”

Too easy, too easy. Carlos wasn’t stupid. Oscar wasn’t looking to be nice today, not after what his team had done to him. There wasn’t any of the usual triumph available to dampen the blow.

Carlos squeezed his eyes shut, braced himself, when Oscar began to thrust in his mouth. He gagged, fighting for a wet gasp of air. His throat was a stinging mess of sensation. The dull ache in his lower belly was worse. Above him, Oscar groaned, and the curl of fingers in his hair became an iron-clench.

“That’s what you’re good for,” Oscar said. He sounded miles away from Carlos, disembodied. “Your mouth, fuck, taking me so well. Your ass.” Carlos trembled, his hole clenched. A premonition of what was to come. “That’s all you were made for, for—”

Oscar came suddenly, violently, hips twitching. Like that was enough for him, the idea of Carlos just being his for the taking.

That was fine. Oscar was a race winner, and Carlos had come in sixth, behind Charles. He didn’t yet have a seat. In the moment, Oscar’s come pooling on his tongue, it didn’t make him feel that bad.

--

Oscar had him strip down to just his briefs, the fabric wet and constricting around him. Air felt like pins against his overheated skin. He was face down, hips up, knees kicked wide. Vulnerable in a way he could never get used to.

Unsurprisingly, Oscar hadn’t touched Carlos after he came. It was a good thing Carlos’s throat was all used up; he wasn’t above begging.

Oscar ran a hand down the inside of Carlos’s thigh, and he seized up like he’d been tazed.

“Sensitive,” Oscar said. “You waxed for me?”

No, Carlos thought sourly, but all he could manage was a garbled sound. Oscar rubbed his hole roughly through the cloth of his briefs, and the sound tapered into a high-pitched whine.

“You want it,” Oscar said.

Yes. “Yes!” he yelped, when Oscar laid a flat palm across his ass. More shock than pain. He tilted his head such that his cheek was squashed into the sheets, the eye contact somehow making everything better and worse. “I want. Oscar.”

Oscar dragged his briefs down, only so much that it exposed his hole, and left it uncomfortably taut around his upper thighs. His cock was still clothed, still begging for a touch that didn’t feel like a scratch. Protest was a helpless shake of his head, and Oscar pinched the flesh of his ass, a little meanly.

“Always complaining,” Oscar said. “Always wanting more than you can have.” 

A quality that could have been used to describe any of them. And so what? So what if he wanted? Pride slammed Carlos’s throat shut again. All he could do was push his hips back, begging for it in a way he could deny later.

It seemed an eternity, by the time Oscar deigned to slip a lubed-up finger into him. Carlos felt as if he’d been waiting so long, his abdomen tightened, his toes curled. Oscar was content to pump one finger in and out of Carlos, giving him nothing else. He’d smack Carlos’s thigh, tug his hips up whenever he got too close to the bedspread, leaving him rutting mindlessly against air.

Couldn’t even voice his complains, for fear of opening his throat and letting any of that neediness escape. His cock was so hard he was afraid he’d start sobbing.

“Hey.” Oscar’s finger stilled in him. He sounded funny. Carlos rocked back, pleading for more, and got a stinging slap against his ass for his troubles. “Do you want to try something new?”

Carlos had to count, take stock. The patch of sheet under his mouth was damp with saliva. His shoulders were starting to ache, taking the brunt of his weight. His thighs would start to shake soon, even with all the biking he’d been doing. Anticipation always wore him down quick. His right big toe was cramping up. This was a trap.

“What,” he croaked. Curiosity was going to kill him, as surely as a carelessly taken corner. “What are you thinking?”

“I said I’d let you come today, but I don’t really—”

Oscar paused. Carlos swore he could hear a buzzing in the room. His pulse sounded like thunder in his ears. Every one of his senses tuned toward Oscar.

“Don’t really deserve it, do I? Don’t really deserve to fuck you.”

No. No.

“Hey, Carlos.”

“Please,” he whispered into the bed, but he didn’t think Oscar could hear.

“Let’s get Lando in here.”

Carlos knew the second his body gave himself up. He clenched wildly around Oscar’s finger, his cock jumped in the confines of his briefs, and his knees gave out.

“Ah,” Oscar said. His finger in Carlos crooked down, viciously enough for Carlos to see stars. Barely anything had been done, and Carlos was already a gasping, trembling pile. “You want it.”

Carlos let himself imagine it. Lando. Lando. Draped over him, covering every inch of his skin. Fucking him while Oscar watched. All that talk about not being deserving, but it was Oscar who got to peel back Carlos’s skin while he sat and did nothing. Oscar. Oscar. Oscar.

His mind was patchwork of burnt synapses. Distantly, he was aware his hips were twitching, rubbing pathetically against the sheets. It wasn’t enough. Wouldn’t be enough until Oscar gave him what he wanted.

And he wanted, God, he wanted.

“I, I.” He couldn’t form the right words, throat working uselessly. “Fuck, Oscar.”

“Shh,” Oscar said. “I’m calling him.”

--

“Oi. Osco.”

Carlos blinked muzzily. Hell. That was—Lando, stepping through the door. Carlos hadn’t even noticed the automatic lock click, so focussed he was on the three fingers spearing him open. But now all Carlos could hear were Lando’s footsteps, each one taking him closer to the bed.

“Lando,” Oscar said, deathly calm. “Glad you could make it.”

“You win one race and you think you can order me around—fuck.”

Carlos swallowed, his throat clicking. He couldn’t turn around to see what expression Lando was wearing. Couldn’t close his legs either. The surface of his skin felt as if it were on fire, all his shame on display. Oscar reached down, and tugged sharply on Carlos’s balls, and the whimper that slid out of him would haunt him for a long time.

“Oscar, what the fuck.” Said bewilderedly, but not uninterestedly.

The suggestive wonder in Lando’s voice had Carlos’s hole clamping down on Oscar’s fingers reflexively.

“Look at him,” Oscar said. “You just got here and he’s already gagging for it.”

“Oscar, again,” Lando said. “What the fuck?”

“Carlos needs someone to fuck him today,” Oscar said, as if they were discussing the weather. Or some produce at the supermarket. Look at this peach. Ripe and ready to eat. “Can’t be me though, right?”

A second ago Carlos couldn’t put together the jigsaw puzzle comprising of Lando’s face, while he looked at Carlos all spread out and leaking like a tap. But now, it slotted together, piece by perfect piece. Carlos sensed the moment Lando understood. The moment he accepted Oscar’s handshake over a chessboard.

“Right,” Lando said. “Can’t be you. Not after today.”

The silence that followed tore at Carlos, produced another whimper. Very different games from the ones he and Charles played. Maybe he’d just been driving in circles blind, this whole time, while everyone else made chess moves that far eclipsed the mid-field.

“Go on,” Oscar said. “He’s all ready and waiting for you.”

“Carlos?”

Almost sweet, the slight hesitation. Lando thinking to check, even while Oscar dangled Carlos in front of him, three fingers still thrusting in and out of Carlos as if he were a toy.

“Carlos,” Oscar cut in. The way they said his name was so unlike, wrapped in their own version of favour. “Tell Lando what you told me, just now. Tell him how much you want it.”

The order shot straight down his brainstem through his spine and into his dick. Carlos moaned, shifting desperately on his knees, thrusting his ass up higher. “Lando, please,” he said. “Please, fuck me.”

“Fucking Christ,” Lando said.

There was a muffled sound, skin on skin, with weight behind it. Lando shoving Oscar out of the way, tearing Oscar’s fingers unceremoniously out of Carlos. There came Oscar’s very bothered, unbothered scoff. Carlos wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry. 

At least Lando was willing to tug his briefs down all the way, release Carlos’s cock which slapped against his stomach. He was so embarrassingly hard.

“He’s kept you waiting, huh, Carlos?”  The thin veneer of gentleness made the hair on Carlos’s forearms stand. Had Lando ever crooned so softly at him? Carlos couldn’t remember. Back in his McLaren days, maybe. The orange stained them all differently.

“And you’re making him wait even more,” Oscar said.

Carlos would grumble, if he knew he could get away with it. So now Oscar’s impatient? Now that there’s someone else in the room to witness Carlos falling apart?

“Fuck off, Oscar,” Lando said, media-trained pleasantness turned on full blast. The click of the lube, the slow, slick sounds of Lando stroking himself. By the time Lando pressed into Carlos, Carlos would have remade himself waiting, he was sure of it. “I’m doing your work for you, in case you forgot.”

“You’re both,” Carlos rasped, unable to bear their catfight any longer, “children—”

The stretch was almost bearable, after how brutally Oscar had played with his hole. All the breath punched out of Carlos’s lungs. He moaned piteously, even as he did his best to shove himself back on Lando’s cock. Carlos could choke on them both; he had the appetite for it.

“Baby,” Lando cooed, “you feel so, so—”

“He feels good,” Oscar said. Can’t let Lando get one over him. “He’s always, always, so fucking tight.”

Oscar was never careless with his words. Never. Not even when he complained about Carlos in front of god and country. Always. He knew what Lando would think. Three chess moves ahead.

The prickle of indignation fell to the wayside when Lando started fucking him, harder than Carlos thought Lando would ever touch him. No gentleness or finesse. His cock was an uncompromising stab in Carlos. He felt it all the way up his belly, even to his throat. Aftershocks of when he had Oscar in him. Lando was trying to redo it all. Carlos didn’t know how to break it to him that used was used.

Lando slipped out, in haste or contemplation, Carlos couldn’t tell. Were they both looking at his abused hole? Or were they looking at each other? Carlos’s mind was coming up blank.

Lando fucked back into him, finding his prostate, and Carlos cried out. Scratched at the bed thoughtlessly. He wasn’t holding himself up; he was barely holding on. Lando’s hands were wrapped around his hips, digging in bruises that Carlos would feel all the way to the next race. His cock dribbled pre, a mess on his stomach and the sheets.

“Oscar,” Carlos said.

He flinched when Lando smacked him on the thigh, hard. At a better time, Carlos would tell them they were two sides of the same coin. “I’m the one fucking you,” he said.

“He can’t come unless I say so,” Oscar said, voice dipped in satisfaction. “You want to, Carlos?”

“Yes,” Carlos gasped. “Yes, fuck, I want.”

“Ask for it,” Oscar said. “Go on, baby.”

Never a mistake. Carlos tossed his head, whined his displeasure. Lando was splitting him open and it still seemed as if Oscar had Carlos fit into the palm of his hand. Lando was going to see Carlos begging for it. That had been the plan from the very start.

Lando was silent. Carlos couldn’t be. No self-preservation left, worn down to the quick.

“Please,” Carlos sobbed. “Please, please, please, Oscar, please—”

Oscar’s hand found his wet, desperate cock, stroked him to the time of Lando’s increasingly irregular thrusts. “Good,” he said. “You can come, Carlos. You’ve worked for it.”

Carlos shook, every muscle tensing up, before thawing like melted butter. He came, mind wiped clean from the pleasure and the shame. Sparks rewiring him from the inside out. He fell forward, and there was Oscar’s arm, supporting him against the dull weight of Lando on his back. He twitched, moaned, mouth rising and falling in pleading shapes.

“Good,” Oscar said again.

--

“You can leave now,” Oscar was saying to Lando.

Carlos’s eyes were barely open. There was an arm around him, stroking his shoulder with a gentleness completely lacking before. Whose arm was it? Carlos couldn’t give a damn.

“Or shower, if you want, whatever. I don’t care.”

Don’t let him play you like that, Carlos wanted to say, but his tongue was too thick in his mouth. And anyway, he should probably take his own advice, before giving it. Carlos leaned into the doting hand with a sigh. He was sore everywhere a body could be sore.

The last thing he knew before falling, was the soft, apologetic press of lips against his. Slightly chapped, smelling of that godawful Papaw lip balm. In the far, faraway background, the sounds of the shower started. Someone murmured his name. But Carlos was too tired. They could continue this in the morning.

[suzukiblu]

Ko-fi thank-you sentences for Jan behind the cut; Clark wakes up alive. ( chrono || non-chrono )

Clark doesn’t look towards the wall. 

“No,” he agrees slow and careful as he makes himself keep his eyes on Dubbilex. “I don’t want to compromise either of the projects.” 

Guardian–hesitates, and Desmond bristles. 

“Of course not,” Dubbilex replies, perfectly calm and easy. His expression is just as perfectly neutral as before, and his hands are linked behind his back. He’s all alien blankness, as if he weren’t miles closer to being genetically human than Clark could ever claim to be. Someone who could never walk out of this lab with his real face visible and ask for the public to accept him the way they’ve accepted Superman. 

The way they’ve accepted Superman’s face. 

Faces. 

Dubbilex set the fire, Clark remembers. The first time . . . Dubbilex set the fire that got Conner out, the first time. 

And Dubbilex is the one who said all genomorphs were brothers, according to Conner.

“Of course not,” Clark agrees again just as slow and careful, because their brother is so, so small in his arms and has never seen the sun or the moon or even the damn sky before. Because he’s never seen Kansas, never seen Metropolis; never seen the entire Earth from the atmosphere, all together and all at once. All singular and perfect and the same, no matter who or what was on it. 

All that this Conner has ever seen is whatever sorry excuse for a biased education and cold indoctrination Desmond and Luthor and the Light saw fit to shove into his head, none of which they intended to let him draw his own conclusions about or experiences from or actually think about. None of which they made real for him. 

None of which they let him live for himself. 

And behind the wall he isn’t looking at, there’s another boy with Conner’s face who they tried to do the exact same thing to, and then shoved into storage like a thing when they couldn’t. 

Clark thinks of Conner’s long-ago report, and of all the frustrated grief in-between the clinical words and flat, neutral phrasing. He thinks of every single hurt or lost thing Conner ever tried to keep, and how he couldn’t keep anything in the end. He thinks . . . 

Dubbilex is perfectly calm. Perfectly easy. Perfectly neutral. 

Or at least as neutral as that long-ago report where Conner had tried his best and done all he could, but couldn’t do a single thing for Project Match. 

Couldn't do anything for him. Ever. 

“If you wouldn't mind showing me the way into his room,” Clark says. “I don't want to cause any unnecessary property damage.”

“You’re not causing any damage, and you’re not going anywhere else in this lab! Put down the project and leave now!” Desmond snarls, storming up to him and jabbing a finger in his direction again. Clark turns just enough to keep himself between the man and Conner–and the G-gnome, too. Which–do they have a name, actually? He’s not sure when the G-gnomes and G-trolls started naming themselves. Not sure if they always did, or started later, or . . . 

Dubbilex is watching him very, very closely, he notices. 

“Dr. Desmond,” Clark says as evenly as he can as Conner shrinks down smaller inside his cape, keeping his face hidden against his chest. “You’re clearly misunderstanding this situation. You aren’t in charge here. If it’s up to me, you won’t be in charge of so much as a book club by the end of the day. So it’s up to you if you want to cooperate or if you want to explain yourself to the legal system as a hostile witness.” 

“You’re the one who’s going to need to explain himself, you arrogant bastard!” Desmond says furiously. 

“Sir–” Guardian attempts to interject, still sounding unsure, and Desmond whips around and glares at Dubbilex. 

“Do your fucking JOB!” he roars at him. 

Dubbilex doesn’t so much as tilt his head. 

“Of course, Dr. Desmond,” he says, and then reaches out to the nearest console and taps a single key without taking his eyes off Desmond, and nothing else. Something whirs in the walls, the sound audible to even baseline human hearing. “Project Match may be accessed through here, Superman.” 

Desmond turns absolutely white with fury and immediately throws himself at him with a furious, barely-coherent volley of curses. 

Technically, Clark is perfectly aware that Dubbilex has telepathic powers and can handle that situation himself, if he chooses to. Desmond’s just a baseline human without the Blockbuster formula in his veins, and not a particularly fit or well-trained one. He’s an unarmed scientist who works a desk job in a dark underground lab, lives a largely sedentary lifestyle, and makes other people do his dirty work. 

But also, if Clark can’t put goddamn fear into the bastard, taking the opportunity to embarrass him a little is a fair compromise, he thinks, and sticks a foot into Desmond’s path. Desmond trips right over it with another curse and hits the floor face-first, all the air audibly getting knocked out of him. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Doctor,” Clark lies. “Are you alright?” 

He is not sorry. 

“Ba–bastard,” Desmond wheezes, trying to shove himself back up. 

“Oh, bless your heart,” Clark replies with both perfectly polite sweetness and more frost in his voice than the ice breath could even dream to match. Then he steps over Desmond and walks over to Dubbilex’s side to glance towards the door that’s opened in the wall, not quite certain how to proceed. Conner is one thing, but Match . . . 

Match was never . . . 

Clark never knew Match, before. Never met him; never even saw him in person. He doesn’t know if he can be trusted, or if he’s even enough of a person to really be a person. He didn’t know him, and as far as he knows Match wasn't even in any place to know himself. Assuming, again, that there’s even a real “himself” in there to be known either way. 

But Dubbilex set the fire, last time. 

And this time he’s opened a door. 

So Clark adjusts his grip on Conner, and goes through it. 

He reacted badly to Conner once too, he reminds himself. Because of his own doubts and fears and things he didn’t know. Because of what he didn’t understand and wasn’t prepared to handle. Because he’d been violated and taken it out on the wrong person. 

Because he was just afraid. 

He knows better than to do that again. 

Match’s room is his pod and the systems keeping him locked in unchanging stasis inside it and nothing else. Dubbilex steps in behind him, and Clark can hear Guardian attempting to reason with Desmond, still sounding disoriented but doing an impressive job of holding firm and resolute despite that. 

Clark looks into the pod. Match looks exactly like the original version of Conner always did, both the first and second-to-last time Clark ever saw him. 

(he doesn’t like to think about how he looked the LAST time.)

“Project Match should not be awakened,” Dubbilex says, but doesn’t elaborate past that. Clark wonders how much the man knows about what he knows. Wonders if he should be concerned about that. 

But Dubbilex set the fire, before, so maybe he doesn’t need to be. 

Maybe. 

Clark is very good at trusting people because he has the room to be good at trusting people, but sometimes it’s harder than others. With Conner in his arms small and vulnerable and alive, it’s even harder than “sometimes”. 

He keeps his eyes on Match, and doesn’t think about how Conner looked the last time. 

His face was just the same, though. 

Conner’s fist tightens in Clark’s cape, and Clark glances down at him again. Conner’s staring up at Match, his eyes very, very wide. Clark wonders what he’s thinking, but isn’t sure what to actually tell him about this. 

Maybe bringing him in here was a mistake. 

He couldn’t have left him out there with Desmond, though, so there wasn’t much else he could’ve done. 

. . . ‘El’? appears in Clark’s head as a guarded little question. Conner looks just barely uncertain, and is still staring at Match’s–no. Not his face. 

He’s looking at the stark red El crest on Match’s solar suit. 

And–well. Clark did tell him that, didn’t he. 

“Yes,” he agrees carefully. “That’s the El crest too.” 

Conner stares at Match’s crest for another long moment, then looks up at Clark. 

hope, appears in his head, not quite a question this time but still something resembling one. 

“Yes,” Clark agrees again, and keeps his tone just as careful. 

we all . . . wear it, comes into his head, slow and hesitant, and Conner touches his own chest with a much, much smaller hand than he ever had before. Than he ever remembered having before. 

Clark thinks of all the worst-case scenarios, and a few even worse ones, and–

Clark–exhales, and then smiles down at Conner. 

“Yes,” he says. “We do.”

[softpascalito]

Peluda - Javier Peña x Reader

Summary: A snowstorm hits Bogotá and you bring back a surprise visitor. Javi is not amused. But, it leads to a realization about himself- and about you.

Relationships: Javier Peña x F!Reader WC: 1700 Tags/Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Emotional, Nicknames, Soft Javier Peña (Narcos), Sweet Javier Peña (Narcos), Healthy Relationships, Fights (blink and youll miss it), Snow, Blizzards & Snowstorms, This kitten is DEA Read on AO3 full advent calendar (updated daily)

notes: okay listen i am AWARE that bogotá does not get snow like this but this is my fanfiction and what i say is law so there is snow now.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Thick snowflakes swirl around you, the ice crunching under your feet as your gaze flies over the windows of the building down the street. As you get closer, you can see it clearly, light spilling out from the right window on the ground floor. He's home.

You slip twice before you reach the house, hurrying past the parked cars and up the small flight of stairs that is also glazed over with ice, keeping your head down and your coat wrapped tightly around your body. When you reach the front door, you fumble with your keys for a moment, your hands shaking from both the cold and the adrenaline.

A curse escapes your lips as the bundle of keys falls down and you lean forward to grab it before settling for the doorbell instead of giving it another try. It's mere seconds until the door buzzes open and you push yourself into the dimly lit hallway of the apartment building. The wind howls around you, even after the large door has fallen shut, seemingly finding a way through the cracks around it.

“Hermosa?”

His door is slightly ajar, brown hair and a pink shirt poking out at the side of it. You practically storm towards him and you can tell by the way he flexes his arm that he's holding his gun, carefully checking who is showing up on his doorstep this late at night.

“It's me, calm down,” you brush him off as you reach the door and all but push yourself inside. Javier steps back, staring at you for a moment. His voice is a little lower than usual, which in your experience means one of two things. He's horny or he's mad. Occasionally a bit of both.

“Are you crazy, going out in this weather? I was worried sick.”

Mad it is.

You barely look at him as you shake your head, “I just wanted to get some more bread, we were out again and I didn’t know if the stores might close-” His gaze is on your face for a moment, resting on your slightly reddened cheeks, the slowly melting snowflakes that decorate both your hair and your coat. 

But that is what he stumbles over- the coat. Your arms are wrapped around yourself and the thick fabric is drawn over a lump that definitely does not belong to your body.

“What did you get?” Javier tucks the front of the coat down just as you turn away, sending a glare into his direction, “Don't scare it.”

“It?” Javi asks and you can practically see his brain going haywire as he tries to figure out what you’re talking about. The agent is so goddamn smart when it comes to tracking down informants and exposing cartel members but the most normal conclusions sometimes seem like a mystery to him.

His furrowed brows relax slightly when you peel the coat off yourself carefully and he is left staring at a trembling ball of fur in your arms. Very dirty, brown fur.

“Oh hermosa-” He starts but you shake your head before he even has the chance to complain. Bogotá has more than a few stray cats and dogs but so far, he has managed to keep you from taking any of them home.

“She was all alone, Javi, in the snow. She would’ve frozen to death,” you mumble. As if to confirm your story, the kitten gives a small, strangled noise and you hum quietly. Javier follows you into the bathroom, watching with crossed arms as you place the animal in the bathtub and begin to run the water, adjusting the temperature with one hand. The cat trashes around slightly, clearly uncomfortable with the cold porcelain below her and the attention of not one but two humans. Her claws strike your hand, making you curse as a thin trail of blood runs down your fingers.

“What are you doing?” Javier asks in a low voice, clearly exasperated. But you're not exactly calm either, your own hands still cold from the snow and now stinging slightly from where the cat has struck you. 

“I’m taking a bath,” you say with a roll of your eyes, voice dripping with irony. “I’m cleaning the fucking cat, Javi, what does it look like?!”

You don't need to see his face to know you're not the only one in the bathroom who looks like they've been struck. There's a small shuffle next to you as Javi closes the door behind himself and then kneels down beside you with a low groan, “Okay, how do we do this?”

A weak smile spreads over your face as you bring both hands back to the cat that has by now joined in on the conversation, audibly meowing up at both of you as you gently stroke its back, “I'll hold her, you run the water and get some soap.”

He does as told, filling the tub up just a bit so that the small animal can still stand. To your surprise, she doesn't seem to mind the water as much as a cat should. In fact, she almost seems to enjoy the warmth of it around her small paws. 

Javier seems to pick up on it too, “I thought cats don't like baths.”

“I guess not all of them?” You offer as he hands you the bar of soap and you begin to gently run it over the matted fur below your hands.

“Are we sure it's a cat?”

His voice is so serious that you can't help but laugh as you elbow his side, “Javi-”

“I'm just saying, hermosa. It could be a- an oddly shaped, brown raccoon.”

It does not turn out to be an oddly shaped raccoon. As the dirt comes off, layer after layer, staining the once white tub a gentle brown, it doesn't even turn out to be a brown cat.

The orange fur is dripping wet, making the small thing look even more pitiful than it had when you had spotted it hiding from the snow below a bench. At least the attempts to further scratch you have died down, the cat seemingly content to be warmed up and cared for.

“Hold on, I'll get a bigger towel,” you mumble and head to the small cabinet in the hallway. As you grab a well-worn one and pull it out, you hear a low voice coming from the bathroom, one that makes your head turn and hold still as you peek past the door frame.

“You're still shaking, peluda,” Javi whispers, crouched over the tub to gently brush his fingers through the dripping fur, no doubt not realizing you can hear him, “We’ll get you nice and warm, don't you worry.” A tiny meow comes as reply and he tuts softly, “Todavía no estoy seguro si eres un gato. You may fool her but not me. I'm an agent, you know? I can see right-” He punctuates his words with a soft, gentle pat on the cat's head, “- through - you.”

Your heart feels like it's about to jump out of your chest. You've never heard Javi talk to anyone so gently, anyone except yourself. And even then, it's usually reserved for when you're alone, tucked away in bed in the dark, tracing the skin of the person beside you.

A few minutes later you're seated in the living room, the tiny cat wrapped in a big towel on your lap as Javier hands you a baby bottle filled with some milk - both borrowed from the Murphy’s upstairs, who had both been equally confused when Javi had shown up on their doorstep to ask for both.

“Come on, peluda,” you reassure the kitten gently, repeating the nickname Javi used for her earlier, and very carefully, she begins to drink. The taste of the lukewarm milk seems to agree with her because after a few moments, the small sucks on the bottle becomes more eager and silence falls over the apartment, only interrupted by the small noises of the furball on your lap.

Javier is still standing in the open kitchen, watching as you feed the animal, occasionally reassuring her with a gentle pat or a different angle of the bottle.

He swallows, trying to get the realization that his head is producing back down into his stomach, the scenarios running in front of his eyes away from the surface. But there is no un-knowing the things he knows, no way to get rid of them.

He wants children.

It's not a possibility, not in Colombia, not with the cartel so close. Maybe it won't be one for a few years to come, until things are more quiet, until he has fixed everything he needs to fix. Including himself.

But as he watches you, the ever-growing wish settles in his throat, placing itself dangerously close to his mouth. Javi swallows again. He doesn't want it to slip out. Not yet, anyway.

He stands there, content to just watch as the cat eagerly takes one sip after another until the bottle is empty and the ball of orange fur purrs gently as it settles onto your knees, eyes already drooping.

Your voice is quiet as you urge him to come closer and with a small sigh, Javi settles down next to you, his arm automatically wrapping around your shoulder. He doesn't realize how close the picture of the three of you is to what he might have in a few years, minus a round stomach or a non-furry little companion on your lap. It's okay. He can wait.

“Can she stay?” You almost beg, your eyes finally leaving the kitten in front of you to wander to Javi instead. He sighs softly, both of you looking at each other. Then, his gaze leaves your face.

Brown puppy eyes meet green kitten eyes. They look at each other for a moment. Then Javi nods, “Yeah. She can stay.”

notes: shoutout to the person on my discord who said "funny, normally javi is happy to see a pussy" (i love you) also: do not give kittens cow milk (unless theyre starving and theres a snowstorm i guess?) idk this is no vetinary advice, google that shit if you ever bring home a kitten to your dea agent husband.

[zylasweetbean]

All Might is a First Year Teacher

All Might gets a LOT of flack for being a bad teacher.

Ignoring the fact that the whole school is a lawsuit waiting to happen, and ALL the teachers (yes, including Aizawa) do things that range from illegal to highly questionable, I'd argue that All Might isn't a bad teacher.

He's a first-year teacher.

And honestly, a good first-year teacher at that.

If you look at his very first lesson, the "Battle Trials," you will see several things he does that first-year teachers struggle with but works to overcome them.

When he gives instructions, the class gets a little out of hand, and he has to try to calm them down.

This happens ALL THE TIME! And not even to just new teachers. Learning how to manage a class is a process even veteran teachers can struggle with. Students are easily distracted and will yell out answers or talk to friends, and you see the same happen with All Might. However, he actually manages to get the class back under control, which isn't easy.

2. He needs to use flashcards to remember the scenario.

It's really tricky to always remember everything that needs to be said for an activity or lesson to work. And if you haven't taught the lesson before, it's even trickier. It's common for first-year teachers to use things like sticky notes to keep track of key information. Sometimes you can even use PowerPoint. All Might didn't have that, so he used flashcards. Now, while it might not look great, it's arguably more important that he remembers everything that needs to be said for the battle trial to work rather than forgetting and trying to explain it later. (Which happens and is messy).

3. He gets a little flustered when Yaoyorozu answers a question really well.

Students constantly surprise their teachers. Sometimes, you ask a question, and they know nothing. And sometimes, they give you a perfect, insightful answer. All Might gets a bit tongue-tied when Yaoyorozu gives a great answer, but what I love about him is that he recognizes she did a great job! He doesn't try to add something to prove that he knows best, but he recognizes and acknowledges her input.

4. He recognizes the needs of his students (even if he doesn't address it perfectly)

During the battle trial, All Might recognizes that Midoriya desperately needed to continue the fight with Bakugou in order to work through some things. Should he have? Probably not, but new teachers regularly try and struggle to know how to best support their students. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Then after the battle trial, he notices that Bakugou is upset over how it went and tries to offer words of encouragement. In this instance it doesn't work, and Bakugou storms off angry. However, the point remains that he saw the need and tried to address it.

5. He let the fight between Midoriya and Bakugou last too long and get dangerous.

First off, UA let a bunch of teenagers try to attack massive robots as their entrance exams! The battle trial was far from the most dangerous thing UA had already thrown at them, so All Might deserves some slack.

Also, as a first-year teacher, it's difficult to know when to step into a situation and when to back off. All Might tried to give multiple warnings, which Bakugou ignored. Usually, that's enough, but in this case, it wasn't. However, he was still aware of the situation and tried to mediate it, even if, in retrospect, it should have been handled differently.

AND ALL OF THIS WAS HIS FIRST LESSON!

In conclusion, All Might isn't a bad teacher. He is a first-year teacher who is clearly learning but who cares deeply. You can tell by how he supports and interacts with his students; he wants to be there for them and help them become heroes, even if he struggles along the way.

As someone who recently finished their first year of teaching, All Might remind me how challenging teaching can be, but that you don't have to be perfect at it. You just have to keep trying to improve every day, plus ultra style.

[devine-fem]

I didn’t go into detail as to why I believe Jon Kent is the reason Damian has abandon issues and I also didn’t go into detail to depth on why I think Damian canonically should had reacted viscerally at Jon and had been angry with him or at least upset to some extent more than he’s ever revealed to be in canon.

Let’s start with Damian’s past. Do any of ya’ll remember City of Bane? Gotham War? Right, Bruce has repeatedly left Damian Wayne high and dry repeatedly in the past without disregard. Abandonedment issues is a learnt problem, they don’t come from no where, there is a point in time in which Bruce consistently made the decision to disregard Damian entirely and at times flat out neglect him.

Dick’s also done a form of this at some point.

Neither Bruce or Dick have made the decision to leave Damian for an extended period of time. So to me, this is calm before the storm, this is where Damian’s brain started chipping away at the idea of being left.

Now we know how Damian is, he doesn’t actually think of himself as important, he pretends to be so because of his upbringing. He’s actually extremely insecure. If someone was to actively walk out on him then it’d shatter an entire wall he’s built up to keep himself away from being vulnerable.

Now, Jon. Jon Kent, the only person who has decided to walk out on Damian without considering his feelings then continuing to not make a big deal out of it.

To Damian, yes, it WAS a couple weeks but in those weeks, he was suffering in so many arcs and he had to do this entirely without his best friend there to comfort him.

Jon comes back, yes, it was two weeks but Jon was gone for five years on his end. He was gone for five years. He spent years of his life without Damian, this being someone that Damian knew upon meeting was supposed to be a person he was supposed to grow up with and learn the world beside.

This fits perfectly because Jon made the active to decision to go and explore his life without considering how Damian felt and it makes the person who was left question if they were the reason that person wasn’t happy as they are and if they’re a burden and not worthy of high status but worthy of being left.

Dude, just walks out and from that point on Damian acrively questions rather the people he cares about want to stay with him or not and he does to us so much with characters like Flatline.

Anyway, in conclusion, if canon won’t awknowledge the actual fall out that Jon AND HIS FAMILY AS WELL AS THE PEOPLE HE KNOWS, should be experiencing from his age up then I choose to interpret it deeper if Tom Taylor will continue to sit in that writers chair.

[watchyourbuck]

Eddie is on the phone with Buck. He doesn’t know Christopher is listening. Eddie says ‘I love you Evan’ (they’re already in a relationship) and Christopher’s heart is broken. How could his dad cheat on Buck (he knows Buck and Eddie are dating). So Christopher keeps his dad’s ‘secret’. He doesn’t want to Buck because he’s afraid Buck will leave forever and he doesn’t want to lose Buck. Eventually Christopher can’t keep it in any longer. So, while there having dinner, Christopher keeps giving his dad the death glare (before this he was giving Eddie the silent treatment). Son Eddie finally asked Christopher what’s wrong. Then Christopher snaps and starts accusing Eddie of cheating on Buck with some guy named ‘Evan’. Eddie just looks at him dumbfound while Buck (being the very oblivious person he is) looks a little heart broken. Christopher then storms to his room. Buck and Eddie have a small fight but then come to a conclusion. They realize that they never told Christopher that Buck’s name was also Evan. They go to Christopher’s room and find him crying. They go to comfort him and they have a small family moment. Finally once Christopher calms down they tell him Buck’s name is Evan and that Eddie was talking to Buck and not some other guy. Christopher then sighs a sigh of relief (he’s still shocked but now he can still have his two dads). Then they become a happy family again.

this ask is literally from so long ago ADSFGHD i am so sorry i never saw it. BUT imagine chris just blurting out in the middle of dinner like 'you're cheating on buck! you're cheating on him even though you said you loved him!' and bucks heart breaks into a million pieces and eddies bluescreening bc he barely has the time to be a firefighter and be with his family so when would he even cheat??? where did chris get this idea anyway??? and bucks on the brink of tears and chris is running away to his room and eddies hands are on buck almost immediately trying to reassure him that he would NEVER do that but bucks insecure and hes been discarded as a used toy too many times so he shakes him off. 'tell me the truth' he says and eddie doesnt have the words. how does he prove that he isnt cheating? how does he prove that all he wants is buck? his buck?

and then a lightbulb kinda appears on top of eddies head and hes like 'evan' and buck frowns and recoils bc 'dont call me that right now' and eddie reaches out to him to hold him by the arms and hes like 'no, baby, i called you evan a few weeks ago. on the phone. i thought chris was asleep but im guessing he wasnt' and buck blinks and hes like 'he doesnt know my name is evan?????'

OH THE ANGST !!!!!

[callsign-dexter]

Race Against Time

Summary: A fight erupts in the Strand-Reyes household that has Carlos taking Mini TK's side. Not wanting to be around her father, TK, she runs off not knowing that a freak snowstorm was going to hit Texas. Now it's a race against time to find her before it's too late.

Pairings: TK Strand x Daughter!Reader, Carlos Reyes x Daughter!Reader, TK Strand x Carlos Reyes

Warnings: angst, fluff, almost freezing to death, fighting

Mini TK

Masterlist

In all honesty, Y/N never liked fighting with her parents, especially TK. TK was her lifeline and even though he hadn't been there when she was born or with her in her early years, he was certainly making up for it. So when they fight it breaks them and Carlos. Carlos may have never wanted kids, or at least not yet, but when he met TK's little girl everything changed. Y/N is both of their's whole world even if she doesn't know it.

Y/N didn't like keeping things from her parents but for some reason, she thought this had to be kept from them, what a mistake that was. She wanted to go to a party that her boyfriend, Max, was throwing and attending. Her dads never really liked this boyfriend of hers and thought he was a bad influence. After some persuasion from her and she promised not to fall for his traps they let her date him. The party was on a Saturday and it was a Friday night so now she had to persuade them to let her go and if they said no then she was going to sneak out.

They had just sat down for dinner when she thought it was a good time to bring it out. "Hey, a friend of mine is having a party this Saturday. Can I go?" She asked as she took a bite of her food. TK and Carlos looked at each other.

"Which friend?" Carlos asked after we swallowed and before he took a drink of his drink.

"Kathleen." Y/N said liking the way this was going. Even though that was a lie and Max was throwing the party.

"Are her parents going to be there?" TK asked and when Y/N didn't answer they knew the answer.

"If no parents are going to be there, then it's a hard no." Carlos said

"You guys never let me have fun. It's just one unsupervised party. Max is going to be there." She said getting angry.

"The answer is no especially since Max is going to be there." TK said and she huffed.

"Oh come on! You guys are never going to like him if you don't trust him." She exclaimed

"He doesn't give off very good vibes Cariño." Carlos said trying to stay calm.

"You said you were going to give him a chance." She said and they both sighed.

"We will but not when he's going to be at an unsupervised party with our daughter." TK said and she huffed. They finished their supper in silence, once she was done she stormed off upstairs.

It was a Friday night which meant that both of her parents had to work well into the night, well TK would be working a full 24 hours and Carlos an 12-hour shift. She smiled when she remembered that. They were both going in at 10 PM and it was just now 9:50 PM. Carlos and TK were getting ready and discussing if they really wanted to leave her alone, but they both came to the conclusion that she was a smart girl and that she would make wise decisions. They liked to think that they raised her right. As both the parents were done they walked to the bottom of the stairs. "Y/N, we're about to leave!" TK yelled out and she came downstairs even though she was mad at them she still loved them. When she got down they hugged each other and said their goodbyes and love yous to each other and they were off. Now she just had to wait until they were completely gone. The party started at midnight and would last well into the night and morning. She watched them leave and smiled to herself and waved when they waved at her.

Alright! They're gone! Wanna come over and get ready with me?

Kathleen: I'll be over soon!

Y/N smiled and threw her phone onto the bed and they began to get ready. The two girls talked and giggled. "How did you convince them to go?" Kathleen asked and Y/N shook her head.

"I didn't. They said no but Papa is working until 10 AM and Dad is working a full 24 hrs. I'm planning on staying with Max for the night." She said with a smirk.

"You sneaky little shit." Kathleen said and slightly slapped her on the arm as they both giggled. As 11:59 PM rolled around both of the girls were out the door and heading to Max's house, she noticed that it was colder than usual and wished that she would’ve worn warmer clothing. They got there right at midnight they walked into the house and Y/N greeted Max with a kiss and then a couple of minutes later the party was in full swing.

Around the 30-minute mark, Y/N lost track of Kathleen but she didn't care she was with Max and she had a couple of drinks in her. Her parents would be so upset with her but what they didn't know won't kill them. She was having a great time and nothing could stop it.

3 AM is when the party died down and officially ended at 4 AM. Max was there to make sure everyone was out and then it was just him, Y/N, and Kathleen. They all three looked at each other and then headed into the living room where they sat and talked. "This was probably the best party you've thrown." Kathleen said looking at Max and he smiled.

"I have to agree with that. I'm so glad you guys could come." Max said as he threw an arm over Y/N and she snuggled into him. Kathleen yawned and then they all laughed.

"Well, I better get home. Y/N you staying?" She asked and the other girl nodded.

"Let me know when you get home." Y/N said and Kathleen nodded and made her way out. Max and Y/N both decided that it was time to head to bed and Max would deal with the aftermath later. 10 minutes later she got a text from Kathleen that she was home and now she could sleep in peace.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Max and Y/N slept until their alarm went off at 9:30 AM. It was hard for them to get up neither wanting to leave each other's arms but she had to get home. She got up and put her shoes on and they both headed downstairs the house was trashed but neither of them cared and Max said he would take care of it later. She kissed him and then he was watching her be on her way. He hated that she had to leave but knew that she took a risk and came to the party.

When she stepped outside she shivered. When did it get so cold? She thought to herself as she made her trek back home. When she got to her driveway she saw Carlos' car in the driveway and froze, she would've stayed there much longer but the wind blew and sent a shiver up her spine. Maybe he was in bed and she could go through the front door but then he just got home so her bedroom window it was.

It was really starting to turn cold as she began climbing up the short distance to her second-story room. "Holy shit it's cold." She said to herself as she put one leg through her window that was thankfully unlocked and as she ducked to bring the rest of her body in she thought she was in the clear but she was in fact not.

"What do you think you are doing?" Carlos said and she froze she pulled her body into the room and looked at him.

"Just getting a fresh of breath air." She said and he frowned and crossed his arms.

"Did you go to the party that we said that you couldn't go to?" Carlos said and she didn't say anything "You know I'm going to have to tell your father about this." He said as he pulled out his phone and her mouth dropped.

"What? No. It was just one party and everyone was safe despite the alcohol being there." She said and they both froze.

"What did you just say?" He asked and she shook her head as her eyes widened. Just as one of them was about to speak the door opened.

"Guys! I'm home!" TK said and both of them were still silent. "Guys?" TK said as he walked up the stairs still in his uniform.

"What are you doing home?" Y/N asked TK as he took in the scene before him.

"Dad let me have some time off. Weather is coming in. What is going here?" He asked and she bent her head as Carlos answered.

"I just caught our daughter sneaking into her room after she snuck out to go to the party we told her not to go." Carlos said and TK's expression turned into one of rage and disappointment. "There was alcohol involved as well." He added and Y/N looked up.

"I didn't drink of it. After the party I stayed with Max and Kathleen went home. I wasn't going to walk back home in the dark." She said

"So not only did you lie to us about Kathleen throwing the party it was actually Max." TK said and she knew that she was defeated and when neither of them said anything they walked out and headed downstairs and she followed. When they got to the living room they turned to her.

"We are disappointed in you. We raised you better than this. We're grounding you." Carlos said and her jaw dropped.

"What? That is not fair! It was just one party and I learned from my mistakes." She said almost pleading.

"Not going to happen. You're grounded. End of story." TK said and she huffed and she stormed out of the living room and into the kitchen and they followed her. "Where are you going?" He added and she turned to them.

"I'm going to Max's house. I don't know when I'll be back." She said and stormed out of the house before her fathers could stop her. They looked at each other not knowing what to do but hopes she gets somewhere before the storm hit.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Y/N was in fact heading to Max's house but then it turned colder and it started to snow. This was not good. She had been walking clearing her head before she headed there that had been 6 hrs ago. She didn't even grab a jacket or anything to keep warm. Max lived several blocks away more into the country side of Texas. As she was walking to passed by another person that was walking trying to get out of the storm.

"Hey! I think we need to find shelter!" The male said and she nodded her head "I'm Nate Adams!" He shouted as the wind started to pick up.

"I'm Y/N Strand!" She shouted back the snow was falling faster and getting thicker. "Hey there is a cabin further up! It should be a good place to take shelter!" She said and they fought their way through the blizzard to the cabin. As they were climbing a steep bank of snow Y/N tripped and fell and into a puddle that hadn't quite frozen yet.

"Woah! Are you ok?" Nate asked as he helped her up.

"No, I'm freezing." She said a the wind died down but not for long. They made it to the cabin where they were luckily able to get in due to it being unlocked. By they time she got in her teeth were chattering. She sat down on the old couch as Nate looked around as she tried to warm up.

"There isn't any firewood and this place looks abandoned. I could go out but it would be a risk." He said and she shook her head as she shivered.

"Not worth the risk." She said as her teeth chattered.

"We need to find a way to get you warmed up." He said looking around once again. She really got a good look at him. He was tall about 6'0" and fit with some muscles. He had perfectly styled blonde hair that was cut short, but in a cute way, and some brunette was showing. He was handsome. Much cuter than Max if she had to be honest.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

TK and Carlos were at home it had been 6 hrs since she had slipped out of the house and had ran off. They were getting nervous so what do they do? They call their fathers and let them know what is going and to keep a look out for the teenager. First they called Owen then they called Gabriel both letting them know that they would keep and eye out for her. Then they reluctantly called Max but he said that he hadn't seen her since this morning. Carlos came up behind TK and hugged him. "It's all my fault." He said and Carlos shook his head.

"No it's not. She has every right to be upset. We'll find her and she'll be just fine. She's a fighter after all. Look at who her dad is. She gets it from you." Carlos said and TK turned around kissed him. They both decided that they would go back to work that way they could help look for her and it would keep them from spiraling. They just hoped that she was ok not somewhere warm and safe.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

It was now into the 14th hr and Y/N was doing worse. She didn't feel cold anymore and that scared her. Nate had given her his jacket hoping that would warm her up and it did but she was still in wet clothing which was defiantly not helping. She wanted to close her eyes but fought against it. She shakily grabbed her phone and found that it was nearly dead, she forgot to charge it last night. Everything felt numb and her phone didn't stay in her hands for long before it fumbled out of her hands. "I think I should go look for help." Nate said and she shook her head.

"No it's too dangerous." She said though it was coming out slurred.

"I promise I will be back." He got his phone "What is your number?" He asked and she gave it to him he saved it and sent a text and her phone dinged. "Now you have my number and can call me if I'm not back in 30 minutes." He said and she nodded and was going to give him his jacket but he shook his head. "Keep it. I'll be ok." He said and she got comfortable and he headed out. She hoped he would be back.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Carlos spent most of his time at the 126 that way he could be close to TK. Everyone was sitting around waiting for a call hoping they wouldn't get one and hoping they would at the same time. When they bells went off they took off and Carlos was right behind them. They had gotten a call about an unconscious teenager but they didn't get any other specifics. TK and Carlos along with everyone else hoped it was Y/N that way she would be safe with them but at the same time not because they didn't want her to be freezing. When they got to the destination they got to work. Everyone deflated when they saw it was a male and not a female. "What do we got?" Tommy asked as they got to work on him.

"16 year old male. Hypothermia. Unconscious." Nancy said as they began to move him and he started to wake up. "Sir, do you know where you are?" She asked.

"Y/N. Cabin." He said shivering TK and Carlos looked at each other.

"What about her? What's your name?" Carlos asked

"She's in the cabin about 20 minutes from here. Name is Nate." He said and then fell unconscious. Everyone looked at each other and seemed in agreement Nancy and Tommy would take him and the rest would head up to the cabin.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

When 30 minutes came up she called Nate but before it could even ring her phone died and she groaned and put it in her pocket. She had gotten up from the couch and in the center of the living room. Why? She didn't know why, it just made sense in her head. The wind was howling and she could see the snow falling and had probably blocked the door. She was fighting so hard not to close her eyes but the darkness was inviting and it felt warm. She wanted to be warm. Before she could even begin to close her eyes there was shouting and banging on the door but she didn't have the strength to get up and open or make a sound. "Y/N if you can hear me, we're coming to get you." Carlos said but she didn't register it has being him everything was underwater and fuzzy. There was banging on the door and the windows and there was a crash and cold consumed her.

"Y/N!" TK hollered out and ran to her with Carlos right behind him. "Princess, you're ok." He said and when he laid hands on her he winced she was freezing cold and her clothing was like ice.

"Dad? Papa?" She said in a quiet voice and he pained them.

"We're here Cariño." Carlos said and bent down as both parents cradled her.

"So cold." She said and then fell into the more than welcomed darkness. This panicked them and everyone else in the room.

"Ok, everyone start making a clear path and Carlos you're going to drive her to the hospital." Owen said and everyone nodded and got to work. Carlos picked his and TK's daughter up and started to walk out of the cabin and straight to his car that had the heat blasting. He sat her down in the backseat and TK got in the back with her and hugged her trying to get heat to her and wake her but neither was working and that was scaring him. Carlos sped out of the country road and onto the main road with Owen and the rest of the crew behind them.

"How is she doing?" Carlos asked looking back in the review mirror and then back to the road.

"Not good. How close are we?" TK asked working on his daughter, something he never hoped he had to do.

"Here." Carlos said and threw the car in park and opened the back door for them both as TK grabbed her and they ran into the hospital. Owen had called ahead and warned the hospital and they were waiting for them. TK rattled off what was happening and they took off to begin the warming up process and hopefully the waking up process and hoping that they weren't too late.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

3 hrs is how long the 126 had to wait for any news on Mini TK and they were a nervous wreck. If she was anything like her dad then tragedy and hospitals are going to be in her future.... a lot. They let Kathleen know what was going on and they let Max know too but only one responded. When her doctor came out they called out her name and the fathers and Owen walked up to her. "She very hypothermic and currently in ICU. Her body temperature was 89°F and we are getting it back up slowly. With her body temperature being low her body went into shock and sent her into a coma. We're currently monitoring her. We're only allowing two people to be with her at this time. Although people can stop in to see her only two people can stay the entire time." She said and they nodded.

"We're her fathers. We'll be staying with her." TK said and she nodded and lead them the way to her. When they got to her they felt their hearts dropped. She had been intubated and serval IV lines running to her. They took a seat beside her and waited. Everyone had left to finish out their shifts but they were right back at the hospital waiting on news.

Andrea, Gabriel, and Owen were the ones that stayed the most since they were Mini TK's grandparents. It was going into a week and nothing had changed. They did get information on Nate and he was awake and recovering. When he heard that she was in the hospital too he decided to pay her a visit. He asked the nurses where she was and they led him to her. Carlos and TK looked up when they heard a knock and they smiled and he returned it and walked into the room when they motioned him to come in. "Hey, you don't know me. I'm Nate Adams. You're daughter and I took shelter together." He said and both fathers agreed that they liked him better than they did Max.

"Thank you for getting our daughter to safety." Carlos said and Nate nodded. "How are you doing?" He asked.

"Better. I'm being released in a day or two." He said and they nodded and he sat down when they offered him a seat. They talked and got to know him and they really liked him. He eventually had to go back to his room but he promised to come and visit when he was able to and that made them smile.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

It was during the night when she started showing signs of waking up. Both parents were asleep but woke up when they heard rustling and alarms blaring. Nurses rushed in and pushed them out of the way just as soon as Mini TK's eyes shot up and she began coughing. Orders were thrown out and they got her extubated and then once her doctor was happy with everything she left. Carlos and TK walked up to her and she smiled at them "I knew you guys would find me. I'm sorry for walking out and then getting caught in a snow storm." She said then her expression turned to one of seriousness "How's Nate?" She asked and they smiled.

"Hey, it's ok. We forgive you and we're both sorry." Carlos said.

"As for Nate. He's doing good. He came down to visit you earlier today. We really like him." TK said and she smiled and blushed. They talked for awhile and everyone came by to see her and bring her presents. They kept her in ICU for a few more hours when they were satisfied with her improvement they brought her to a regular room and wanted to keep her for at least two more days.

During those two days she was fussed over by Carlos and TK and everyone else. Kathleen had came to visit and they gossiped about everything especially Nate. Max had yet to answer texts or calls or even show up. While TK and Carlos went to get something to eat after her telling them that she would be fine they reluctantly agreed and went down to the cafeteria. She was watching TV when she heard a knock on the door and her thinking it was one of them members of the 126 told them to come in and then she looked over and saw Nate. "Nate! How are you?" She asked.

"Better now that I know you're ok." He said sat down in the chair beside her. She blushed madly.

"I tried to call but my phone died when I hit call." She said and looked down and he smiled and took her hand.

"Hey, its ok." He said and she smiled.

"How did they find you and me?" She asked

"Apparently someone called 911 and when they found me I told them where you were." He said and she smiled "I lost consciousness soon after and woke up here." He said with a smile. They continued to talk and it was real easy to talk to him. They liked the same things and had the same hobbies. They had so many things in common more so than her and Max. She really liked Nate better than Max even after one day. After all they did survive a freak blizzard together.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Carlos and TK were walking back up from the cafeteria and when they reached her room they paused. Inside was Nate and Y/N talking and seeming like they were enjoying each others company. They decided to let the two teenagers talk and they would come back later. As they were walking they smiled for several reasons. 1. Their daughter was ok and would make a full recovery. 2. She found another friend and hopefully an even better boyfriend. They really liked the idea of him and her together despite them not wanting her to grow up but if its with someone they like and someone that would treat her right and save her from a blizzard.... then that is a win in their book.

Tag list:

@els-marvelvsp

@kmc1989

@atarmychick007

@nyx2021

@grandstrangerphantom

[binibininghermosa]

Giving him the love he deserves (Sanji x Reader) Part 2

Phew, wipes brows, I think it’ll be a good idea to continue until it comes to a conclusion.

Reader is still Mc (Main Character), but I made it sound like it's a name! I'm still too lazy to think of a real name. Forgive me!

The prompt for the story is: "The reader gets sucked into One Piece after wishing that someone would love Sanji like he is supposed to be loved, as nobody has given him a chance. She would love to give him that chance if only she could. One time, she was in her room, falling asleep while recording her voice for a cover request sent to her. When she woke up, she found herself in a boat floating, wearing pieces of jewelry fit for nobility. Her neck, ears, and bracelets were all glittering in the darkness."

Part 2 under the cut. Part 1 here

Under the soft, flickering glow of the ship's lanterns, Sanji found himself engulfed in a sea of emotions, his heart tumultuous and restless. Mc's melodic soft singing floated into the room, a gentle lullaby to his troubled thoughts. His worry for her, his anticipation for their future together, all clashed within him, a storm threatening to overwhelm his senses. Her decision to join the crew, made without their usual shared deliberation, left him touched by her independence yet troubled by the absence of their partnership in this significant choice.

As Mc entered the room, she seemed to sense his unease, her steps light and graceful. Her touch, like a caress of understanding, brushed against his cheek, her eyes filled with tenderness and compassion.

"What's wrong?" she inquired, her voice a soothing melody that wrapped around him like a comforting embrace.

"Darling, my love, I..." Sanji's voice wavered, his emotions a tangled mess. "I was worried. Worried that you made this decision without me."

"I'm here in your room, aren't I? I'm just about to talk to you..."

"But you already said yes."

Her eyes narrowed playfully at him and tapped his nose. "Unless you got ears around me, you wouldn't have heard the condition I placed before saying yes."

His heart sank. He doubted her, but she shook her head, her eyes softening with understanding. "I told him the condition I gave Luffy was that he takes you as our chef or I would have had to decline. He already asked for you, Ji."

Sanji's eyes widened in surprise, a mix of relief and gratitude flooding his senses. He cupped her face gently, his touch tender yet desperate to convey his emotions. "I... I'm sorry for doubting you, Darling. I love you. You know I do, so much-I was just-"

Her fingers traced a reassuring pattern on his cheek. "-I understand," she said, her voice filled with unwavering determination. "Zeff had already agreed to it a long time ago, and I would never leave you behind. I'll fight tooth and nail, even kill if I have to, to stay by your side."

Sanji felt a surge of emotion, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Her words, saturated with love and determination, washed over him, cleansing his worried soul. He realized he had been anxious for nothing; her commitment to their love was unyielding, dispelling his fears like dawn breaking through the night.

In that moment, Sanji's heart swelled with profound gratitude for the woman before him. His eyes, usually sharp and confident, softened with the intensity of his affection.

"I swear. From now on, I'll always believe in you, Darling," he whispered, his voice raw with emotion. "I adore you"

Mc smiled, her eyes shimmering with unwavering resolve. She placed her hand over his, pressing her lips against his palm. "And I, you, Ji," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "Just ask me, and I'll always be honest with you."

In that moment, the storm within Sanji's heart calmed, replaced by a profound sense of peace.

---

Under the twinkling night sky, the Baratie resonated with the lively sounds of a party in full swing. Sanji, momentarily taking a break from his culinary duties, made his way to the fish head, where an open space and a bustling bar awaited him. His keen eyes scanned the room, but they always found their way back to his darling. She glided about the ship with a purposeful grace that mesmerized him. The tray she carried was a culinary masterpiece, a feast fit for kings that elicited appreciative sighs from those lucky enough to catch a whiff of its fragrant aroma.

Whispers of gratitude followed Mc like a sweet melody, a chorus of appreciation that echoed her every step. Usopp and Zoro, their steadfast resolves easily swayed by the promise of a good meal, succumbed to Mc's delectable offerings. Sanji's brow furrowed, an unsettling pang of jealousy pricking at his normally composed demeanor. He scoffed disdainfully, dismissing their newfound friendship as mere bribery, drawn in by the irresistible allure of her food and drinks he made.

Nami, the ship's sharp-witted navigator, kept a watchful eye on Mc from a distance, her gaze as sharp as the swords Zoro carried at his side. Suspicion etched lines on her face as she observed Mc's interactions. Unperturbed by Nami's icy demeanor, Mc extended a warm invitation, her voice carrying a friendly undertone. "Why not join them, Nami? Our sous chef whipped up a delightful dessert tonight."

Nami’s response was a simple shake of her head, a refusal that hung in the air like an unspoken challenge. Sanji, known for his admiration of women, felt an unexpected surge of protectiveness for Mc. His irritation with Nami deepened, a storm swirling beneath his calm exterior. He was hot-headed when it came to someone being relatively mean and cold to his loving girlfriend.

"More for us, then!" Usopp chimed in, oblivious to the tension. His grin toward Mc was genuine, a testament to his genuine appreciation for her culinary talents. Zoro nodded in agreement, mischief glinting in his eyes.

With a final glance at Nami, Mc continued on her path, her spirit seemed undeterred by the navigator's indifference. Sanji watched her graceful retreat, his heart swelling with admiration for her unwavering kindness.

But he couldn't contain his frustration any longer. He walked to Nami, his voice tinged with annoyance yet laced with politeness. "Was the dessert not to your liking, madame?"

Nami met his gaze, her expression unwavering. "Your little girlfriend shouldn't keep bringing us food. She's drowning us in debt," she replied, her words sharp and precise.

Sanji's protective instincts flared, but he held back, maintaining the gentlemanly qualities instilled in him by Zeff. "That food is deducted from her pay. She's merely extending kindness to the crew, especially since you're the chore boy's friend.” He paused, letting that sink in. With a gallant bow, he added, “If something is not to your satisfaction, Madame, feel free to let us know.”

He turned away, but the unspoken tension still hung heavily in the air. Meanwhile, Luffy, blissfully ignorant of the brewing storm, bounded over, his usual enthusiasm cutting through the discomfort like a beacon of light.

"Hey, what's going on?" Luffy asked, his eyes darting between Sanji and Nami.

Sanji clenched his fists, his frustration evident. "Nothing, chore boy." He frowned. “How did you escape the dishes?”

“Escape? Mc sent me here to get you," Luffy scratched his head, confusion etched on his face. “She said I can just come back tomorrow?”

Sanji's gaze softened at Luffy's words. He took a deep breath, his anger dissipating like smoke in the wind. "No need, I'll be there."

Nami, too, seemed to relent, her shoulders relaxing slightly. With a nod, she acknowledged his politeness.

---

After the tense encounter with Nami, Sanji made his way to Mc's chambers. His knuckles rapped gently on the door, and it swung open to reveal her, bathed in the soft glow of the room's lanterns. She was halfway dressed in her night clothes, an enchanting sight that would have distracted any man, but he managed to keep his focus.

"You know, you can just come in, silly," she teased, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

Sanji smirked, refusing to let her playful remark derail his manners. "A gentleman never forgets his courtesy, my love," he retorted, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

The frustration from his encounter with Nami still lingered in his chest. Mc, ever perceptive, sensed his mood. She moved closer, her hand finding his, her touch like a calming breeze. "What happened, Ji?" she asked, concern etched in her eyes.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "It's Nami," he confessed, his voice tinged with annoyance. "She's been unnecessarily cold towards you. I can't stand it when someone treats you that way."

Mc's gentle fingers traced soothing circles on his palm. "My love, you know Nami has her own struggles. We all do. Maybe something's bothering her."

He grunted in frustration, feeling a mix of anger and helplessness. "I forgot for a moment how well you know all of us," he admitted, his voice heavy with exasperation. "But what will happen now? Will she continue to treat you like this?"

"Of course not," Mc's touch was grounding, her presence a balm for his frayed nerves. She guided him toward the bed, and he sat down heavily, his frustration dissipating slowly under her comforting touch. "Come here," she said softly, pulling him closer.

He allowed himself to be pulled into her embrace, his head resting against her chest. She hummed gently, the soothing sound reverberating through him. The scent of her hair, the warmth of her body against his, all of it calmed the storm inside him.

"Let's not worry about tomorrow, Ji," she murmured, her voice a melodic whisper. "Right now, in this moment, it's just us. You and me. That's all that matters."

He closed his eyes, allowing her presence to wash over him, grounding him in the here and now. His frustration melted away, replaced by a deep sense of contentment. In that moment, he realized that no matter what challenges they faced, as long as he had her by his side, he could weather any storm.

And so, in the quiet of her chambers, under the soft glow of the lanterns, he let go of his worries. He let himself be enveloped by her love, finding solace in the knowledge that they were in this together, bound by love as unyielding as the ocean that stretched out before them. With her singing softly, he drifted into a peaceful sleep, secure in the arms of the woman he loved.

======== In the midst of the soft, flickering glow of the ship's lanterns, the once tranquil atmosphere shattered with the arrival of Mihawk, the formidable warlord whose mere presence sent shivers down the spines of even the bravest souls. Zoro, their steadfast swordsman, never one to back down from a challenge, boldly stepped forward to confront Mihawk. The crew stood in stunned silence, their wide eyes fixed on the scene unfolding before them, panic rippling through them like wildfire.

======== Already drafting part 3! I have fluffs between Mc and Sanji though lined up though that could be a filler. I spent writing those more than preparing for Part 3. Part 3 here

P.S. I didn't know anyone would read it so thank you so much for reading!!

[tashiberrie]

THEOPHAGY a challengers fanfic.

chapter one

↳ table of contents • one • two • three •,…

— in which the relentless pursuit of victory entangles rivals and friends alike in a complex web of obsession, love and self discovery.

an: who knew i could make tennis this dramatic. anyway, rebloggs are very much appreciated <3 please let me know what you think and feel free to send asks about theophagy, eve, challengers, whatever you want 🤍 enjoy.

ps: i’m thinking about creating a tag list for theophagy, so let me know if you’d be interested in that.

2004

Tashi Duncan was a name that echoed through the world of tennis with a reverence that bordered on awe. A prodigy from a young age, she had an almost supernatural grace on the court, a fluidity of movement that left spectators spellbound and opponents in despair. Winning had become a second nature to her; it was not just an expectation but a foregone conclusion. Tashi's journey through the ranks was meteoric, and by the age of just fifteen, she had secured her place as a future legend of the sport.

Her confidence was as unshakable as her skill. She approached each match with a calm certainty, her powerful serves and precise volleys dismantling any challenge that came her way. Tashi Duncan was, simply put, the best.

But then came Eve Anh.

Eve was a name Tashi had not encountered before, a new entrant into the upper echelons of tennis who had taken the circuit by storm. There were whispers about her in the locker rooms, murmurs of an almost feral intensity, a predatory focus that left her opponents rattled. Tashi paid little attention to the rumours; she had faced countless challengers and emerged victorious every time. Eve, she thought, would be no different.

The day of their match arrived with an electric tension in the air. The stadium was packed, the audience eager to witness the clash of titans. Tashi stepped onto the court with her usual confidence, her eyes scanning the crowd before settling on her opponent. Eve stood at the other end, her expression inscrutable, her eyes locked onto Tashi with a piercing intensity that sent a shiver down her spine.

The match began and Tashi quickly realised that Eve was no ordinary opponent. She moved with a ferocity and precision that was terrifying, each stroke of her racket a slash of claws, each serve a piercing bite. Tashi struggled to keep up, her usual grace and power faltering under the relentless onslaught. It was as if Eve was not just playing to win, but to consume.

Point by point, Eve tore through Tashi’s defences, ripping apart her composure and confidence. Tashi felt as though she was being dismembered, piece by piece, her pride and skill devoured with every brutal volley. Each time she looked at Eve, she saw a hunger that went beyond the desire to win; it was a ravenous, insatiable need to dominate, to consume everything Tashi had ever been.

Eve's gaze was like a shark's, cold and unfeeling, and Tashi felt herself being drawn into those depths, drowning in her own fear and helplessness. She was no longer the lioness; she was the prey, caught in the jaws of a predator far more formidable than any she had faced before. Eve's dominance was total, her victory a feast, and Tashi felt every bite, every tear as her spirit was shredded.

When the final point was scored and the match ended, Tashi stood on the court, feeling eviscerated. Eve approached, her expression unreadable, but the gleam in her eyes spoke of a hunger momentarily sated. Tashi extended a trembling hand, feeling the cold grip of her conqueror, and in that moment, she knew she had been devoured.

Eve had not just defeated her; she had consumed her, leaving Tashi a hollow shell of the champion she once was. The court was her hunting ground, and Tashi had been her feast. As she walked away, Tashi could still feel the gnawing teeth, the relentless hunger of Eve, and she knew she would never be the same. She had been devoured, body and soul, by a predator unlike any she had ever faced.

Eve was a figure of mystery and intensity, her presence on the tennis court nothing short of mesmerising. Her journey in tennis had been one of relentless pursuit, a hunger that drove her to devour her competition with a ferocity that was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. For Eve, tennis was not just a sport; it was a lifeline, an essential part of her existence as crucial as the air she breathed.

From a young age, Eve had discovered that she possessed a talent for the game, a natural ability that set her apart from her peers. But it was not just her skill that defined her; it was the insatiable hunger that burned within her, a need to dominate and conquer that transcended mere competition. Tennis was her battleground, and every match was a hunt, every opponent a potential feast for her unrelenting appetite.

Eve's rise through the ranks of tennis was marked by a series of brutal, decisive victories. She had a keen eye for talent, seeking out the best players with a predatory instinct. She latched onto them, drawn to their strength and skill like a moth to a flame. These players became her prey, their prowess on the court the sustenance she craved. She thrived on the challenge they presented, their resistance fueling her drive to overpower them.

But this hunger came at a cost. Eve was acutely aware of the the merciless nature of her pursuit. She knew that her approach to the game was not just about winning; it was about consuming her opponents, drawing from their strength until there was nothing left. She fed on their fear, their desperation, their struggle to keep up with her relentless assault. And when they began to falter, when their strength waned and they could no longer provide the challenge she needed, she would leave them behind, moving on to her next target.

This cycle of predation left a trail of broken players in her wake, each one a testament to her ruthless efficiency. Eve felt a pang of guilt every time she moved on, a fleeting acknowledgment of the destruction she left behind. She knew it was terrible, this parasitic drive that defined her. But the hunger was too strong, too deeply embedded in her soul. It was who she was, and she couldn't change that, no matter how much she might want to.

Off the court, Eve was a solitary figure, her intense focus on the game leaving little room for personal connections. She kept to herself, her interactions with others marked by a certain detachment. It was as if she feared that letting anyone get too close would expose the voracious hunger that drove her, the dark need that she barely contained.

Despite her inner turmoil, there was a part of Eve that reveled in her power, in the fear and respect she commanded. She saw herself as a necessary force in the world of tennis, a crucible through which the strongest players must pass. Yet, there was also a part of her that longed for something more, a connection that went beyond the superficial ties of competition.

Her encounter with Tashi Duncan had been different. Tashi had been a formidable opponent, her strength and skill a tantalising challenge that Eve had relished. The match had been a feast, every point a morsel of satisfaction for her ravenous appetite. But in Tashi, Eve had also seen a reflection of her own struggles, a kindred spirit battling her own demons. The connection they shared on the court was electric, a blend of rivalry and respect that left a lasting impression on Eve.

After that fateful match, Tashi Duncan's world was irrevocably altered. The court, once her kingdom, now felt like a graveyard of her shattered pride. The days that followed were a haze of restless nights and distracted days. Tashi couldn't escape the haunting presence of Eve; she was everywhere and nowhere, a spectre that invaded her every thought.

Tashi's obsession with Eve grew, an insidious vine wrapping around her mind, squeezing tighter with each passing day. She replayed their match in her head endlessly, dissecting every movement, every stroke, every glance. She scrutinised Eve’s form, trying to uncover some secret, some flaw she had missed. But each analysis only deepened her sense of awe and dread. Eve was flawless, a predator who had revealed Tashi’s own vulnerabilities in the most visceral way possible.

She began by studying Eve's matches with an intensity bordering on obsession, dissecting every move, every habit, searching for some clue, some insight into the mind of her conqueror. And it didn't take long for Tashi to uncover the quirks and rituals that defined Eve's presence on the court.

The soft hum that Eve emitted between points became a haunting melody in Tashi's mind, a constant refrain that echoed through her thoughts even when she wasn't watching. She found herself humming along, trying to decipher the meaning behind the ever-changing tunes, wondering what secrets they held.

Eve's unique way of bouncing the tennis ball before serving became a mesmerising spectacle for Tashi, a hypnotic dance that seemed to defy the laws of physics. She watched in awe as Eve spun and twirled the ball with effortless grace, each variation a testament to her skill and creativity. Tashi found herself mimicking the motions in her own practice sessions, hoping to capture even a fraction of Eve's magic.

And then there were the water bottles, meticulously arranged in a precise pattern on the sidelines. Tashi watched as Eve lined them up with obsessive precision, marvelling at the dedication and focus it must take to perform such a seemingly mundane task. She wondered about the significance of the ritual, the hidden meaning behind the carefully arranged bottles.

Her own training took on a frantic, almost manic quality. She pushed herself harder than ever before, driven by a desperate need to reclaim what had been taken from her. She studied Eve’s techniques, mimicked her strategies, and adapted her own style in a bid to become stronger, faster, better. Yet, no matter how hard she trained, the image of Eve standing over her, victorious and unassailable, remained seared into her mind.

In Eve, Tashi saw more than just a formidable opponent; she saw a divine force, a manifestation of power and grace beyond mortal comprehension. Eve's dominance on the court was not just skill; it was a revelation, a glimpse into a higher plane of existence where victory and defeat were mere illusions.

Tashi's fixation consumed her personal life as well. She withdrew from friends and family, her world narrowing to a singular focus: Eve. Conversations were tinged with an undercurrent of Eve’s name, her presence a ghostly thread woven into the fabric of Tashi’s existence. Her relationships strained and faltered, unable to compete with the all-encompassing spectre of her infatuation.