#falling in love with someone unexpected while on a life threatening mission

[florallylly]

at the request of absolutely nobody, i present my vaguely fleshed out steddie mummy au 

sources: i still own the mummy on vhs 

there’s a possibility that the whole story of hamunaptra could be tweaked a bit to fit the story of henry creel/vecna/one into imhotep’s story, but the actual nitty gritty doesn’t matter as much as the actual dynamics and relationships between stobin and eddie. the important part is that a man is cursed to be buried alive, immortal but destined to awaken only to take vengeance. 

fast forward and eddie munson ends up drafted into the military. (rick is apart of the french foreign legion stationed in egypt, and i’m not entirely sure how he manages it but eddie munson is apparently a colonel). things happen and eddie finds himself running away from the battlefield, only to stumble upon the ruins of hamunaptra. except they aren’t really ruins and hamunaptra is a myth. so he runs, but when he gets back to the city, alone and half dead, eddie finds that in his rush to leave, he’s grabbed some sort of puzzle box. 

at the same time, one robin buckley has dedicated her life to learning more about ancient egypt. her passion for languages led her down a rabbit hole, and she drags her brother steve to egypt with her for further study. 

robin is set up with a job at a small museum, working as an archivist. unfortunately, it’s a lot more tedious than she anticipated. it would be a lot better if she could work with steve, but forgetting his glasses at home nearly everyday isn’t super helpful when it comes to trying to sort books. 

so what is steve doing in egypt, you may ask? evie’s brother jonathan in the movie literally schlepped around egypt fucking around with his sister and figuring out his next get rich scheme. steve isn’t really the type to open up his own nightclub in shanghai (a la the mummy: tomb of the dragon emperor), but just like jonathan, steve happens to stumble across a cryptex containing a map of the lost city of hamunaptra. 

as an aside: i see steve doing the same minimum wage jobs he did in hawkins, just in egypt. i think it would be funny and makes so much more sense to me than him kind of skulking around for news of possible treasure. (bonus: the party in egypt, and dustin coming up to steve with a “brand new discovery” and it’s eddie’s puzzle box that he’s swiped. (THOUGH NOTE: evie and jonathan’s family is Rich. Rich Loaded. Rich Loaded British. So honestly, he doesn’t even have to work)

either way, when robin opens the cryptex and finds the map, she’s astonished. this is what she’s dreamed of her whole life—being an explorer and discovering lost civilizations. so she gets steve to find out where the puzzle box came from. his search leads them to the prison, where eddie munson is destined for execution. 

the two of them talk to eddie, and eddie tells robin he’s seen hamunaptra in person. he’s been there. he’s walked the same sand that pharaohs had and seen the ruins that no other have laid their hands on. but eddie refuses to tell them the location, but steve convinces (bribes) the warden to let him go. 

so the three of them set off to the city of the dead. 

the details of the trip would make this post way too long, but i’m thinking about dynamics rn… 

eddie is a little standoffish at first, sure that these rich kids won’t be able to handle themselves, and he’ll be stuck carting around two spoiled brats. and robin and steve don’t necessarily trust him. robin is wide eyed and blinded by eddie’s knowledge of hamunaptra, but steve keeps trying to keep her in check. 

at first, eddie thinks steve is cold to him because of some upstairs/downstairs prejudice or big brother protectiveness. and eddie flirts even harder with robin, delighted every time he sees a scowl on steve’s face. even if robin keeps rolling her eyes and ignoring him, he isn’t looking at her anyways. he’s too busy searching steve’s eyes for some spark of disapproval. he doesn’t see that though. he sees worry and concern and fear. and that’s when eddie starts warming up to them. 

[phanfictioncatalogue]

(TW) Near Death Experience Masterlist

Breathless (ao3) - Phandiction

Summary: This is an alternative, chaptered ending to my fic Powerless

Bury Your Flame (ao3) - worriedpeach (skeletonflowers)

Summary: After receiving a dragon egg when his grandfather passed away, Phil is forced to ask for help from the local dragon tamer. As he soon finds out, Dan Howell is nothing he’s been expecting. Infuriating, ludicrous, and completely lacking respect, Dan is everything Phil hates. But Phil will do anything to make his grandfather proud, even if that means getting help from the local cluck.

Collision (ao3) - TortiTabby

Summary: A day full of arguing and disagreements on tour gets turned on it's head when an incident puts things in perspective.

Don’t Leave Me (ao3) - ohhowellno

Summary: When you love someone so much they can never do anything wrong. Right? But when they do something wrong it seems like everything goes to pieces. And sometimes it's hard to put the pieces back together.

from the sky to the center (ao3) - 87lester

Summary: Being a Guardian angel has never been simple, and up until now Phil has handled it as well as he can. But a close call with death threatens both Phil and his human's existence, and Phil very quickly learns what sacrificing yourself for another truly entails.

home with you (ao3) - CapriciousCrab

Summary: An accident on a lonely road leads to the unthinkable. Now Dan has to face his fears and look for help before it's too late.

Let’s Get Through Today (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: It's unexpected when it happens, and they're not sure how to cope, but they learn. There's an accident; that's what it was. An accident. And it changes their lives completely, possibly forever. A wrench is thrown into all their plans for the year, but time goes on, and all you can do is move along with it, and Phil will always be there for Dan when he needs it most, and along the way learns just how much he needs Dan right back.

Losing Everything and Falling In Love (ao3) - ironicallyrad (snakedolls)

Summary: After arguing between who should go buy milk, Dan finally gives in and heads out. It's not until after 40 minutes that he's out, that Phil receives a call from the hospital saying his best friend is in a coma. Phil has to go through the struggle of possibly losing his best friend and then helping him recover as he falls desperately in love.

One Step At A Time (ao3) - TwistedRocketPower

Summary: It’s amazing, the things we take for granted. When Dan is seriously injured while out running errands, both he and Phil must learn to adjust to a new life. One night changed their lives forever, and they have to learn how to handle it one step at a time.

Oswald (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: Dan is an asshole, Phil goes through a tragic accident, and this somehow brings them together.

Also Phil owns a pancake restaurant.

Plenty of Fish in the Sea (ao3) - MarriedPhan1234

Summary: When Dan and his family move into a new house on the beach, he has high hopes that he will be able to finally make some friends. He doesn't have much luck at school, but things start looking up for him when he starts spending more time in the water. He can't help but wonder if he and Phil will ever be able to have a good old fashioned Mario Kart tournament, though.

Or, Phil is a mermaid and they become bff's!

Phil Lester, The Spy Who Shagged Me (ao3) - CactiPhan

Summary: Phil Lester, AKA 009, is an international spy working with MI6 When an unbearably cute boy compromises one of his missions, but they end up becoming secret partners in crime to save the world- till one of them gets hurt...

Piecing Together My Mind (ao3) - Yiffandquiff (paradisobound)

Summary: When Dan is the victim of a terrible car accident, he suffers unbelievable trauma to his brain. As a result, only a few doctors in the world can perform the operation that is needed for him to recover: one the doctors being Phil Lester from America. Through the surgery and his recovery, Phil is there for him every step of the way, leading them into a spiral of love no one can predict, which eventually gains attention and popularity through a book written by Dan.

Sea of Love (ao3) - troyiesivanie

Summary: Dan and Phil grew up together in Australia and took frequent late night outings, now that Dan has his licence a trip to the beach ends in a way they never could have imagined.

See Me (ao3) - Misha_with_wings

Summary: Dan gets in an accident, leaving him in critical condition. He ends up stuck in between life and death, watching his own body fight to stay alive- and watching Phil fall apart, but he can’t do anything about it in his ghostly form.

He was confused and didn’t know what to do but he was sure of one thing, he wasn’t going to let himself die.

(TW) Seized (ao3) - rainbowchristy

Summary: It started out as a fun day at the park but it ended in terror. Phil takes his little Dan to the park and while Phil is not looking, Dan suddenly gets kidnapped. What will happen to Dan? Will Phil ever see his boyfriend again? Did Phil have something to do with it?

Siren Call (ao3) - natigail

Summary: Beware of the siren's call, they tell you.

Dan had heard enough horror stories about sirens to be thoroughly terrified. He never wanted to go near the water, but as fate would have it, Dan's father had to sign him up for on a merchant's ship bound for the siren's passage. Dan had a sinking feeling that he was not going to survive an encounter with one of the deadly predators. Those touched by the siren's kiss were bound to drown. Except... it doesn't go quite like that.

the lucky ones (ao3) - sohmaskyos

Summary: AU in which everything is in black and white until you meet your soulmate. Or, the one where Dan and Phil meet and are thrown into a world of colour.

Weather With You (ao3) - Evening42

Summary: "The man’s arms dropped slowly to his side and he didn’t speak, just looking at Phil, the glare fading from his eyes. Phil opened his mouth to speak again but was stopped by the sudden realisation that firstly this man was gorgeous, and secondly that his eyes, despite the depth of colour, were the most dead and cold that he had ever seen, the previous glare the only speck of emotion present. His mouth remained open as he struggled to regain his thoughts and calm his now wildly beating heart, a sudden large breaking wave the only thing that brought him back to his senses."

Phil moves to an isolated cottage to start his dream of writing a novel. He meets a mysterious silent stranger on the beach who has a tragic history.

[bippot]

Ooo can I please request an Adrian Chase/Vigilante x fem!innocent!reader where she is Peacemaker’s younger sister who’s in her early twenties. She hasn’t seen her brother since she was around 5 years old because her Mom took her far away from the horribleness that is Peacemaker’s Father, not wanting her to grow up around that awful environment that Peacemaker was forced to grow up in. Peacemaker wanted to find his baby sister after he was released, but he got wrapped up in Project Butterfly. The butterflies find out about Peacemaker’s sister and threaten to go after her, but Amanda Waller won’t let him leave to go make sure she’s safe, so he sends Vigilante to go get her before the butterflies can get to her and bring her back to the team so that she’ll be protected from the Butterflies. Vig showing up at her apartment, not even explaining who he is or why he’s there before just picking her up in his arms and throwing her in his car lmao (leave it to Vig not to explain why he’s basically abducting her), she’d be crying and hitting him, trying to get away and he’s just like, “Hey hey hey, I’m just saving your life!!”and attempting to calm her down, she eventually calms down and he (finally lmao) explains that her big brother sent him to keep her safe, because bad people are after her. They have to hide out for a while, so it takes them a few months to even get back to the 11th Street Kids HQ. In that time, the two of them get really close and start a romantic relationship (starting to fall in love), him protecting her along the way any time danger happens. When they get back to where the team is, Peacemaker and Y/n have a sweet reunion, and also he’s pretty angry at Vig when he catches the two of them kissing lol

On The Road

Story Summary -> Peacemaker's mother fled with her unborn child when Chris was a teenager. He'd always wanted to find his family again, but he was too slow. After annoying Waller, he must send his friends out to help save his family, and Adrian finds out that he is more than willing to throw himself into danger to ensure that Peace's sister is unharmed.

Tags -> Canon-Typical Violence, Post-Canon, Rescue Missions, On the Run, Enemies to Lovers, Fights, Car Chases, Car Accidents, Unexpected Visitors, Mild Sexual Content, Alien Invasion, Bad Parenting, Happy Ending, One Big Happy Family, Idiots in Love

Would you prefer to read this on AO3? Click here!

August Smith had pretended to be a nice guy for the first couple of years that Annabelle had been married to him. He'd seemed like a gentleman when they first met. Yes, he held some old fashioned views but so did her father and he was a nice enough man, so Annabelle didn't have any worries about their relationship in the beginning.

It was when Keith was born when his rhetoric began to amp up. Back then Annabelle had chalked her husband's actions up to feeling misplaced because he'd been fired from his job and replaced by someone who was far better suited in that position - who happened to be born with black skin - and needed time to sort out his feelings. But, Chris was born a few years later and he was still spewing vitriol so she came to the realisation that this was who Auggie truly was.

The White Dragon appeared in Evergreen and anyone with a functioning brain cell knew who was behind the mask. There was one guy in town who was gathering a white evangelical cult and going to every protest or social issues discussion to act as abhorrent as they could. And Annabelle was married to that guy. At that point, she had her boys to think about. She wanted to leave her god awful husband in the dust, but didn't want her boys to take up his views and had to go along with what Auggie said or she'd be punished for it.

Keith and Chris were homeschooled for as long as Annabelle could convince Auggie to let her, which didn't take much arguing when she pretended that she was concerned with their boys coming into contact with 'unsavoury folk'. In all honesty, she knew that they deserved to be taught about right and wrong from their parents - Auggie taught them about wrong, so she would teach them about right - but eventually the cult got big enough that there were enough children to create a classroom.

Then, the curriculum was set by Auggie and Annabelle was replaced as the sole teacher by a racist radical. She still tried to guide her sons when they were at home - Keith, maybe due to his age, seemed more receptive to her preaching of kindness than Chris was - and had to make it very clear to her sons they should never repeat her lessons in front of their dad.

As the cult grew, so did the number of Auggie's wives. Annabelle no longer had to deal with whatever he wanted because he'd moved into a separate trailer where he'd be free to do whatever debauchery he pleased without being interrupted by his annoying sons.

When the boys were old enough, both of them preteens, Annabelle had decided to pack all their stuff and drive away with her children. Auggie must've caught wind of this or maybe it was just chance, but the date she'd set for their departure was the day Keith died. After that, all of her hope disappeared and she allowed herself to be trapped in the hellhole her husband had created.

Years passed. Chris became more violent. Auggie was building an army. Annabelle had given up on anything resembling a happy life outside their trailer. It was then that a glimmer of something appeared in her life - saying it was hope that appeared seemed too hopeful at the time - so Annabelle just referred to it as 'something'.

To give her one last shot at making him his heir, Auggie paid attention to Annabelle after ignoring her for so long - he'd been preoccupied with the other women of the cult who were younger and more radical for some time - but now, he was pretending to be the nice gentleman he'd been when they first met. She knew it wasn't true. He was manipulating her to get her pregnant. Yet, Annabelle was so tired and it was nice to live in that fantasy for a few months more, so there was a brief but blissful part of the late 90's in which August Smith didn't abuse his son or wife.

Obviously, once the White Dragon found out that the baby was a girl, he went back to being a piece of shit. Annabelle knew she was on thin ice. And she also knew that Auggie had killed people - so many people - before. She never would've guessed that he'd demand that their baby girl was to be 'discarded' as soon as she was born because he didn't want his followers to think his seed was weak enough to produce a girl and abortions were a sin (any good evangelical can tell you that). The second that came out of his mouth, she knew that this fire under her ass would cause her to flee.

And despite all of her pleading, Chris decided to stay with his father. He was almost 18 at that point, almost a man, and she knew there was no way he was going to be swayed at this point in time. Maybe when he grew up a bit would he finally realise that his father was an abusive, controlling bastard who needed to go to jail for the rest of his days.

14 weeks pregnant and completely alone, Annabelle took what little belongings she had, stole a bag of cash that she knew Auggie left under his bed, and hit the road, never to come back to Evergreen ever again. She changed her name, made her situation known to the police and witness protection services, kept off the Internet, stayed as low profile as possible and tried to give her daughter the life her son's deserved to get too.

Y/N knew all of that. Her mother had been very honest and up front about what the horror she'd escaped when Y/N was old enough, and the entire time, Y/N couldn't help but feel for her brother. He had to deal with that monster all alone and was turned into a weapon because of it. She had vowed that one day she'd meet him and offer a helping hand if he wanted one.

During the whole Butterfly thing, Peacemaker demanded that Economos needed to do him one small, tinsy winsy favour to get back in his good books. Because John had framed Auggie, John now had to discover where Annabelle Smith was as payment. Economos didn't find any paper trail on Annabelle's location, but he did find Y/N. She had school reports, college admission, job applications that all had been saved in a witness protection file that John certainly should not have had access to - obviously witness protection needed to up their security system - under the umbrella name of 'Dragon'.

The file had led him to another that had lots of information about Auggie and Chris that accompanied the two women. It was a simple deduction, but one that John felt really proud about. And just like Economos, the butterflies had people who were collecting data about Peacemaker. Since he'd become their downfall, they'd purposefully taken over a hacker that could get into witness protection just as quickly as John did. They had the same information to make deductions on.

There was a few Glan Tai like institution's around and as The 11th Street Kids made their way through another, Adebayo locked herself in a control room to escape from a horde and - later down the line - a bomb that Vigilante had stole from Peacemaker's belt because he wanted to see the huge jar the aliens kept their nectar in go boom. Whilst killing time, Leota had searched the room and found a file cabinet just under the computer desk that contained information about every member of their team and secrets the Butterflies had found out about them.

Weirdly - or not so weirdly because he rarely takes off his mask - Adrian's file was the shortest. It was a list of his crimes and, though it was a fairly long list, there wasn't a through line that could point to his identity.

Leota's was useless. The big secret they'd attributed to her was who her mother was and, yeah, she'd admitted that on national TV.

Economos had two restraining orders against him. He wasn't allowed to come 100 yards from both Joan Jett and Dolly Parton until they were lifted in 2012 and 2015 respectively.

Inside Harcourts were pictures of a very pretty, dainty young ballet dancer. It took Leota a few minutes to realise that the girl was Harcourt. These weren't damning on their own, but when they were paired with the paper clipping that said, 'The Sun. Ballet Bash - Young Immigrant Taken In For Questioning Over A String of 'Accidental' Deaths' and an article about many suspicious murders that had happened when Emila had been a student at The Royal Ballet School in Covent Gardens, London.

Peacemaker's file was a hefty one. There was so much documentation. About his prison time. About Corto Maltese. About the White Dragon. And the situation around the White Dragon's death. About the cult. About Keith. About what little they could find about Annabelle. About Y/N.

In the depths of her search, Adebayo didn't hear when the remaining butterflies were shot and Vigilante yelled on the other side of the door for her to come out. She had noticed that whoever had been on the computer last hadn't logged out and was getting video updates about where the girl from Peacemaker's file was. As clear as day, whoever this girl was, she was walking around a grocery store without a single clue that she was being watched by a bunch of aliens.

Another one of Peacemaker's bombs was detonated to blast through the control room door. Peace and Vigilante entered, guns drawn, and were prepared to save Adebayo from an alien weirdo. "Dude! You're not dying?" Vigilante called out after taking in the scene in front of him.

She ignored him and chose to ask, "Chris, who is this?" as she gestured to grocery shop girl. Both heroes rushed to catch a glimpse of what the hell Adebayo was pointing to.

"That's my sister." Chris held his finger up to his ear and clicked on the comms to declare, "Harcourt, tell Waller that I need a team to put my remaining family back in witness protection."

Waller wasn't one to be ordered around so was it any surprise that she declined the request for Y/N and Annabelle L/N to be found and placed in a safe house until further notice? And she forbade Peacemaker from making contact with his family to warn them in any way. The 11th Street Kids were ordered to do another sweep of the facility and head back to HQ as quickly as they could.

"Why are you freaking out?" Adrian questioned, bewildered that Peacemaker hadn't come to the same conclusion he had.

"I swear your head is filled with dogshit rather than actual functioning brain goo sometimes, asshole," Chris sighed, slumping against the van seats.

He'd always intended to make contact with his mother again. Chris had no idea whether she'd want that but it was worth a shot, right? Once Economos dug up the fact that he had a sister, Chris had promised himself that as soon as the butterflies were dealt with, he'd reintroduce himself to them. It seems that life has a way of messing with your plans.

"That's rude but I know you're going through some mental shit right now so I'm going pretend that you said something really complimentary to me, and for that, I thank you."

"Can you shut up for five fucking minutes? I need to think and your annoying bitchass voice is interrupting that!" Peacemaker stressed and let his head fall to his hands, his thumbs rubbing far too aggressive circles on his temples.

"Woah, all I was going to say was that Waller said you weren't allowed to go."

"Yeah, no shit, dumbass."

Adrian pulled off his visor and nudged his elbow into the meat of Chris' bicep, suggesting that, "She didn't say I couldn't go. Or Harcourt couldn't. Adebayo will probably get loads of shit from her mom if she did so she's out too. Economos is a pussy."

For once, the idiot had a good idea. "I get your sister. Harcourt gets your mummy. Badda bing, badda boom. You get what you want without disobeying Waller," he explained as if it should've been the first thing on everyone's minds. He looked at Chris expectantly with a smug expression plastered across his face.

Everyone was astonished. They were speechless until Harcourt confirmed from the passenger's seat, "That actually works."

"I'm a genius, yeah," Adrian preened, leaning back against the cool metal side of the van, only to jump away and complain, "Wow, that's really cold against the back of your head! It's not comfy at all!"

It was settled. Vigilante had come up with a plan and they were going to execute it. They'd get to HQ. Adebayo and Peacemaker would stay back and feed other Vigilante and Harcourt updates on the L/N's position so they could have plausible deniability if Waller looked into it as Economos set up the safe houses.

Darkness had arrived by the time everything was ready to go. Harcourt was very polite when she knocked on Peacemaker's mother's door at an ungodly hour and she explained the situation to Annabelle so swiftly that left her house without much fuss. Vigilante went down another route.

In the dead of night, he decided that the best course of action was to smash one of her windows in and climb through there. He stalked through her house in silence but took a misstep and caused the floorboard under his foot to squeak and reveal his position.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

A baseball bat came swinging around a corner and, if he didn't have such good reflexes, would've hit him in the head. He dodged it expertly and dropped his shoulder closer to the ground so he could rugby tackle her into the next room, which happened to be a bedroom. His shoulder connected with her collarbone, the momentum of the push sending them both plummeting onto her mattress with a bouncy thump.

"Sh...Shh...Don't yell at me!" He whined quietly as he tried to calm her down. It didn't work. She tried to wiggle her arm free from under him and take another swing, but he caught her by the wrist and disarmed her. "You're being so no cool right now."

"Get off me, you rapey motherfucker!"

He eased off her because, duh, he was a random man in a mask who'd broken into her house and tackled her onto a bed. He didn't think of the implications of that when he'd done it. "Oh shit, my bad."

"What are you doing in my house?" she demanded, pushing him off her and sitting herself up. Obviously, she didn't trust him one bit and had clocked where he'd thrown her bat and four other things in her room that could be used as impromptu weapons if need be.

"Hi, my name is Vigilante - no, that's not my real name."

"Yeah, no shit."

"Sorry about the, y'know, breaking and entering thing. I know a guy who can fix that window for you in no time. I'll give you his number when we're done with this whole thingamajig," he said so casually it made her even more suspicious.

She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a look that screamed, 'what the fuck are you talking about?' so he felt the need to do more explaining. "You're being watched, by the way. Just so you know. I saw on the cameras that you bought a bunch of pads and tampons at the store today so I know what's going on down there, don't you worry. I'll be gentle," he admitted and even winked at her in an attempt to assure her that everything would be okay. It didn't. Y/N was fully convinced that he was a creep about to kidnap her for nefarious purposes.

Just as she lunged for her alarm clock to smash over his head, he caught her by the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. No matter how much she punched and kicked him, he continued to march straight out the door and towards the Vigilante-mobile parked outside the house. None of her neighbours made any indication that they were aware something was going on, despite the fact a woman in pj's and fluffy socks was possibly being abducted right outside their windows.

"Put me down! Put me the fuck down!"

"Please stop making a scene! I'm trying to save your life and you're making that super difficult right now!"

Completely unfazed, he walked past the vehicle like nothing was happening, opened the back seat door and tossed Y/N inside before getting in the driver's seat. He turned to face her to warn, "You really should put your seatbelt on," and drove off to the coordinates John sent.

"Who is Economos?" she asked when John's caller ID popped up on Vigilante's phone in the car stand thingamabob. Vigilante pressed to answer the call and soon found out that it was a video call, the faces of Chris and Leota appearing on the screen.

"Is Y/N secure?" Chris greeted, his voice racked with worry.

"Yeah, she almost bludgeoned me with a baseball and kicked the shit out of me, but yeah. She's safe, I guess," Vigilante said, trying to sound nonchalant but failing. In the moment, he'd done a great job at pretending that her attacks hadn't hurt. They had. He'd definitely be littered in bruises tomorrow.

"Chris?" Y/N leant forward and got in between the gap in the front seats, her head emerging into view. "Hi, um, why did this masked guy just kidnap me?"

There was a brief moment where Chris just stared at the video call, his brain unable to process the fact his sister had just spoken to him for the first time in his entire life. Leota nudged him with her elbow, mouthing at him with wide eyes, obviously asking him if he was okay. "Hi?" Y/N repeated, waving at him and looking confused. "Can you guys hear me? Hello?"

"Hi sis," he managed to reply after a moment.

The smile tugging at the corners of his mouth made it apparent that despite everything, her brother must trust Vigilante enough that he knew she wasn't in any danger. Then, he realised that she was under the impression that she was being kidnapped and that smile faltered. Vig did say she tried to get away from him.

"Adrian, what the fuck did you do?"

"Dude, you know not to use my real name!"

"How did you approach Y/N's retrieval?" Adebayo cut in, preparing herself to calm Peacemaker down when he heard what Vigilante had done. She didn't know exactly - well, she had a guess - but she knew they hadn't had a quiet and peaceful introduction.

Y/N answered for Vigilante. "He smashed one of my windows in and I thought he was an intruder ready to assault me."

"Vij! I'm going to punch you in the dick when I see you next!"

"Hey, hey," Adrian interjected, "What did I do wrong?!"

"Speaking as a woman, that sounds really scary. I'm sorry he put you through that, Y/N," Leota apologised. "He means well but tends to not think things through. I doubt he intended it to happen in the way that it did. Still, Vig, you should really apologise."

Sheepishly, Vigilante rubbed the back of his neck. "Erm, yeah, sure, sorry. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to... That was an accident. Not intentional, I swear to God. I thought you'd be asleep and I'd carry you to my car without any fuss and, yeah, saying it loud makes me realise how fucked up it sounds," he thought out loud, his focus flitting between the road and what her reaction was.

When all she did was stare at him, unimpressed, he felt the need to continue speaking. He began to ramble, "I imagined it like falling asleep on the couch when you were a kid and then waking up in your bed because your dad carried you there, and like, you're not mad because there's this brief window of time where you thought you had teleportation powers. Who doesn't want superpowers? I know I do, man, but..."

His rant trailed off and a small silence fell between them as he struggled to find the words to express himself adequately. The only thing he could think of doing was repeating, "I really am sorry" again. This seemed to ease some of her worries. She crawled into the passenger's seat and crossed her legs underneath her in an attempt to get somewhat comfortable.

"Why is this happening?" she wondered aloud, grabbing the phone so she was in frame. Vigilante looked across at her as she reached across the console, his gaze lingering slightly longer than strictly necessary on the expanse of bare thighs that were visible thanks to her sleep shorts riding up. He coughed and averted his eyes, focusing instead on the street signs as the city lights flashed in front of them.

"Some alien assholes are trying to get revenge on me but they can't get to me, so the next best thing is to get to you and mom," Peacemaker responded bluntly, yet as the subject of Annabelle came up, his voice got quieter and a little smaller as he added, "How is mom? Well, I got Harcourt to bring her to a safe house so I know she's physically okay, but how is she, like, doing doing? Generally? I haven't had the chance to speak to her yet."

Not having the chance wasn't exactly right. He did have a window of opportunity to video call with Harcourt and his mother but had been nervously freaking out at the time. It had been years since he'd talked to his mom, and he was scared she'd be disappointed with who he'd become. Y/N had never known him when he was a nice, naive kid so she had no idea how unsatisfactory he'd grown to be.

"Mama's doing great actually. She got her doctorate in child psychology last month and she's been working on some new programs for the kids she helps out at the community centre and stuff. Our mommy is a doctor," Y/N told him, pride evident in her voice as she spoke about her mother.

Times had changed, it seemed, and Chris felt a pang in his chest that he hadn't witnessed Annabelle in all her doctoral glory. He didn't know her while she was the best version of herself, but he would eventually.

"Yeah, that's cool."

Their signal got all wobbly as they got further away from the city, the trees thickening as their surroundings grew increasingly wilder and more remote. "We're breaking up, Peace. I'll message you when we get to the house," Vigilante announced before hanging up abruptly, not bothering to ask for permission. He glanced at Y/N. "Me and Peacemaker are BFF's, by the way. I mean, yeah, sure if you ask him he'd definitely say that Eagly is his ultimate best friend - twin flame kinda shit - but I'm his human BFF who saved his ass a bunch of times."

Letting out a sigh, Y/N let out a hum as a response - because, honestly, that's all she had to give - and shifted in her seat to try and get comfortable. She tested out a few positions and found that taking off her cardigan to roll up as a pillow, demanding that Vigilante turn up the heating so she'd be toasty (he was absolutely sweating in his suit and mask but thought he better get on her good side), and resting against the door window with her legs bent at the knee resting on the cushion was the best option. Her foot occasionally dangled near enough the gearstick that Adrian had to swat at them every once in a while so he could change gear.

"Stop touching my feet, creep."

"Stop getting in the way then, weirdo."

A smile crept onto Adrian's face as she stretched to kick him in the thigh. He caught her ankle in his hand and held it there, unconsciously caressing her skin in slow back and forth motions with his thumb, causing her lips to quirk up ever so slightly. When he was sure she was comfortable with him touching her, he pulled her foot into his lap then reached to the same with the other.

"We've still an hour and a half to drive, get some shut eye. I promise I won't shatter any windows and wake you if you promise that you wont try to batter me with the headrest as I drive. Deal?"

Y/N nodded her agreement and settled down to sleep. In her head, Y/N thought over exactly what had happened to her in the past few hours as she drifted off. It was a lot to make sense of and even if she somehow figured out how to wrap her brain around the fact she'd been kidnapped by her brother's BFF on his orders because aliens that look like little beautiful bugs were trying to hunt her down, she would've been more vigilant, but strangely, she felt comfortable enough in her kidnapper's presence to kick her feet up and turn her consciousness off.

There might be a lot more to understand in the future but for now she was too tired to care.

Looking at her, you wouldn't be able to figure out that Y/N and Peacemaker were siblings just by their faces. They didn't look anything alike. Adrian thought that his buddy was a good looking dude, but he wasn't on Y/N's level of beauty. As she slept, Adrian had to refrain from staring at her so he'd focus on driving to, y'know, not make them into roadkill but it was like tearing your eyes away from a Van Gogh painting or a Greek statue made out of the most perfect marble ever created.

Although, she snored so loudly that he had to turn the radio up just a smidge so he would actually be able to hear the songs that were playing in the background.

They were almost at the safe house when whoever was behind them drove straight into the back of the Vigilante-mobile, which perked Y/N up in an instant and made Adrian yell so many profanities. "What the fuck is going on?!" Y/N snapped awake, any grogginess that she might have felt directly after waking was pushed aside by her sheer panic.

"They found us!" Vigilante said, his voice tight and tense as he fought to hold the car steady, "There's a gun in the glove compartment, do you know how to shoot?"

The car sped up to come up right beside the side of the Vigilante-mobile and veered to smash right into it, breaking the window in one bang. "My mother escaped a redneck cult headed by a super villain, so yeah, I know how to shoot," she quipped, opening the glove box to retrieve the gun. She clicked the safety off, aimed the gun towards the vehicle's tyres when squeezed the trigger with no trouble.

"Shoot the people! Shoot the fucking people, not the car! Shoot the fucking people!" screamed Vigilante frantically, his voice growing louder and higher with each word.

"I don't want to kill anyone!" she yelled, shooting another bullet into the back tyre. "Oh my god! Oh my god, I'm gonna die. We're gonna die. Holy sh-"

"Give me the gun, Y/N!"

Vigilante snatched the gun out of her hands roughly and fired at the driver without hesitation or mercy. The driver was killed instantly, causing its head to slump against the wheel and press his forehead against the horn. The butterfly in the passenger's seat made a move to grab the steering wheel, but Vigilante took another shot and put them down quickly.

With the car now unmanned, it continued on its path to collide with the Vigilante-mobile, swerved it off the road entirely and pushed it onto its side. The moment it came to a halt, Adrian was urging her out of the broken windscreen - yeah, he accidentally put his whole palm on her ass to push her in the right direction - and scrambled after her to escape the crash zone.

"Oh shit, my car!" Vigilante whined as he saw his precious Sebring destroyed beyond recognition in a matter of seconds, his heart racing and feeling extremely uneasy. "Fuck! RIP the Vigilante-mobile, you were the fucking best. I fingered Tracey from the Starbucks opposite the cinema twice in there!"

"Do cars blow up? Or is that just a movie thing?"

"Fuck, I don't know. We better run just in case. Shit shit shit!"

He picked Y/N up like he'd done previously that night, but unlike last time, she went willingly and didn't kick him at all this time. He started running as fast as they possibly could away from the scene of the ambush. Once he was a distance he believed was adequate away, he gently set Y/N down.

"You okay?" Vigilante asked worriedly.

She sighed and glanced down at herself. Some of the broken glass had cut parts of her skin that was showing, so anything under the sleeve of her t-shirt and below the hem of her shorts was littered with nicks of varying severities and sizes.

"I think this looks worse than it actually is," she suggested, holding her arms up to show the cuts on her forearms and making Adrian wince sympathetically. He tenderly placed his fingers on her elbow and turned her arm so he could examine them further.

"They hurt."

"Yeah."

"Okay, shit... lemme think for a minute."

Adrian rubbed his temple as he pondered over his options. He knew there was a first aid kit in the safe house, but where was it? He'd never been great with orienteering and getting places without Google maps, and he'd left his phone in the Vigilante-mobile. So, he could either lead Y/N through a forest even though he had literally no idea what direction to go in, or risk climbing back into the possible exploding car to have a guide.

"I'll be right back," he warned Y/N before he started heading back in the direction from which they came.

"What the fuck are you doing?" She followed after him, her gaze shifting nervously around the area as if she expected to be ambushed again any second.

"Gonna find my phone. It shouldn't take more than two minutes."

Like an idiot, he climbed back into the car to retrieve his phone, the gun, and the packet of Jolly Ranchers he usually kept in the cup holder but had flown to the dash when the car turned onto its side. He also wrestled with the boot in an effort to get it open because there was extra clothes and snacks stashed inside a gym bag in there, and eventually yanked it open out of pure brute force.

Once he got the goods, he was hurrying back to Y/N. "Do you want a Jolly Rancher?" he offered casually, brandishing the packet in front of him. The packet was squished in between them as she trapped him in a hug.

"What's going on here?" Adrian wondered as he peered down at her curiously. "Are you at the cryie, emotional stage of your period?"

"I'm not on my period. Women tend to buy sanitary products before their periods start. That is, unless they've still got some or forgot and left it too late so that's the instance when they buy them during."

"Ah," Adrian said, nodding in understanding although he didn't really understand. She hadn't explained why she was hugging him, but it still was nice of her to do so and gave him some kind of comfort after he'd risked his life for a mobile phone.

Oh! She thought the car was going to explode and that he was going to die in a big fiery bang while she stood helplessly by as her mind raced in circles, wondering if she was going to have to fend for herself.

"I'm okay," he reassured, patting her hair softly and a little awkwardly. This kind of concern was new to him, giving and receiving. His hand lingered near the back of her head as he stroked her locks in what he hoped was a soothing manner since he certainly noticed that she leaned forward until her head laid against his chest piece and was taking deep breaths to calm her nerves and relax herself in his embrace.

He didn't know whether to feel happy or scared that someone cared enough about him to worry about his well-being, so he settled for a mixture of both. "We should start walking to the cabin," he suggested quietly and cleared his throat as he pulled away to get enough space to rifle through the bag to pull out some warmer clothes for her to wear.

"It's getting cold and your clothes have shards of glass and blood on them and your shirt is a little ripped, so yeah, you should put these on. I'll, uh, I'll give you some space to do that." He walked backwards, putting a few steps between them as he turned away shyly. "Just tell me when you're all done."

If somebody had told her that she would be changing out of her bloodstained pj's and practically getting naked on the side of a remote road in the early hours of the morning, she would've laughed at them and gone on her merry way to buy tampons in preparation for next week when Aunty Flow arrived with an achy fury.

"Does that bag have any shoes in there?" she questioned once she was dressed and tapped him on the shoulder, signalling him to turn around.

"Uh, no. I guess not." They both diverted their gaze to her dirty fluffy socks and realised they'd be less than adequate when trekking through a patch of thorny forest and mud. "I could give you a piggyback?"

"You really jump at any opportunity you're given to carry me, huh?" she teased playfully. "I'll take it, thank you."

So, with Y/N on his back like Yoda on Luke, the pair delved deeper into the forest and followed the inconsistent Google maps directions until they finally reached the safe house. They made it to the front door to find it open and a police officer already standing outside, inspecting the scene.

"Is everything alright?" the man inquired, looking up at Adrian from underneath his brows.

Vigilante let Y/N's feet drop to the floor and pointed his gun at the officer. Why was he here? Why was he the only one here? This was supposed to be a top secret location, so why somebody here? Economos was the only other person who knew. Was this officer at the wrong place at the wrong time? Or had they been compromised? Shit, they'd been compromised. How else would the butterflies have known on what road their car was on?

The cop was dead before he reached for his gun. Adrian pulled the trigger, and he heard the satisfying click as it hit its mark, killing the butterfly instantly. The sound seemed to echo in the forest for a brief moment before stopping, leaving nothing behind but the dead body of the officer - which wasn't a great look, but hey, the pig had an alien in his head - lying lifeless on the ground.

Kicking the body out the way, he pulled her through the threshold. "We don't have much time. There should be a landline in here, I'll call. You find the first aid kit," he ordered. Y/N nodded and ran off towards the bathroom as she assumed that was where it would be while Adrian found the landline to make the call.

"Economos? Hello... hello! Are you there? Hello?!" Adrian squawked into the receiver, panicking when the call wasn't picked up. "Come on, dye beard! Come on, man, pick up the fucking phone!"

"I thought I told you guys to stop calling me that," John complained on the other line. "What's taken you guys so long?"

"We were hit off the road and our cabin had a butterfly waiting outside it."

John swore under his breath and could be heard calling for Harcourt to figure out what to do next but she wasn't there. She was at Annabelle's safe house - which actually was safe and there hadn't been any problems on their end at all - and would have to be called to get her opinion.

Peacemaker, who'd been asleep because he fully believed his family had been safe when he lay down on the couch, was startled awake at the sudden yelling and rushed to his feet to investigate the commotion. "What's going on?" he asked, rubbing at his eye with the back of his hand.

"Dude, Economos's safe house wasn't fucking safe at all!" Vigilante whined to his best buddy.

"Is my sister okay?"

"She's got some minor cuts and scrapes, but she's fine," Vigilante assured him before glancing over to see that Y/N had come out of the bathroom with a bright red suitcase that had a cross stitched in the corner in her hand. "We've got a bandages and stuff but our main problem right now is that the butterflies know where we are, so we need to get the fuck out of here. Any ideas, gang?"

Adebayo spoke up, "What about your car?"

"Totalled."

Some rustling outside caught their attention and Adrian was handing the receiver over to Y/N so he could go to check that out, taking his sword from his sheath as he walked. "Hi, Vigilante has gone to - I don't know - do something incredibly reckless, so hi, it's me talking to you now," Y/N greeted the others on the other line, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot whilst keeping one eye on the window as she listened carefully.

"Yeah, he does that often," a male voice said. She knew it wasn't her brother's cause she knew what he and Adebayo sounded like thanks to their previous call, so this must be the one Vigilante named Economos. "You two have limited options, okay? We can't ask for backup or any additional means of transportation, but there should be a wad of cash in the jewellery box in the bedroom."

Y/N went to find that immediately and opened the top drawer of the jewellery box, finding the money neatly tucked inside it. It was only at that point she noticed that this safe house only had one bedroom - which kinda made sense as it's supposed to be small and inconspicuous - but she was a little conflicted about the fact she wouldn't get a 'there's only one bed, we'll have to share' romance cliche was the masked idiot.

"Okay, got it. What now?"

"There's a gas station about four miles down the road. Gather what you need. Pay in cash. Steal a car if it's possible. If it's not, there's a junkyard another two miles east of there that will probably have a working rust bucket or -"

Two shots rang out and thudded into the front door, interrupting Economos and causing Y/N to flinch involuntarily. Five seconds after that the phone line cut off and Vigilante was running in, yelling, "We've got to go now!" He grabbed her hand and began yanking her away from the cabin.

One more body was sprawled by the door - though this one had obviously been decapitated rather than shot that time - and another would hit the deck as the pair went to go around the side of the cabin and come across another butterfly. Once again, Vigilante was quick to draw his gun and shot at it, shooting the damn thing dead and sending it tumbling into the bushes nearby while Y/N watched, dumbfounded.

"You're really good at this!" she exclaimed when the last of the visible bugs were killed. He shrugged (his brain was going fucking wild and he was trying not to show it) and held his free hand out to help her step over part of a fallen tree.

It took them the rest of the morning to find the petrol station and, despite the fact he kept offering, Y/N declined when he offered to carry her. They had a lot of walking to do. It would slow him down, and therefore them down, if she was lazy and continued to be carried around like some damsel in distress - which, yeah, she technically was. She would have to deal with soggy socks that had so many rips and holes in them that she may as well have taken them off to venture into the forest barefoot.

As soon as they reached the gas station, they were both beelining for the bathroom, but since he hadn't surveyed the place yet, when Y/N went to close the door behind her, Adrian was barging his way in. "Hey!" she said far too loudly, so Vigilante pushed her further into the loo with his hand over her mouth.

"Quiet!" he whispered harshly. "There are other people here that can hear you."

"I'm not the one being suspicious! You just shoved a woman into a bathroom dressed in hockey pads and a ski mask, dumbass!" she hissed, yanking his wrist away from her face so she could speak properly.

His eyes widened comically for a second. "Yeah, it would probably make it harder for the butterflies to spot us if I wasn't in uniform," he mumbled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck as he looked up at the ceiling. There was another set of clothes in the bag that he could use. "I'll clean your wounds and then I'll get changed, sound good?"

She made a face. What he said did sound good, but Y/N had some other things to take care of first. "I came in here because I need to pee."

"Okay, then pee." He turned away as he started to unzip the bag to pretend he was really thinking through his clothes choice - there was only one set of joggers and a black shirt, exactly the same as she'd gotten - and not watch her as she peed. He laughed to himself, "Go piss, girl."

Sat on the loo, Y/N reached out to swipe her hand under the automatic drier so the room wouldn't be filled with the sound of her pissing. Hey, everyone's gotta do it, but it's still awkward if that's the only sound bouncing off a gas station bathroom when you're stuck in there with a guy you met earlier that night. It wasn't her fault that his male anatomy meant that he was more than happy to take a break whilst they were in the woods to piss against a tree.

If she knew that hiking was on her agenda that night, she may have invested in a She-Wee.

"I'm, uh, I'm done," she squeaked once her bladder was dealt with. Her face scrunched slightly, but the embarrassment faded when she looked up to see the back of his head. The actual back of his head, showing off the hair that he'd been meaning to get cut because it was getting long enough that it was starting to curl again, and then he turned around slowly and she felt her heart rate spike.

They were staring straight into each other's eyes without any red pane in the way, neither backing down nor looking away, and Y/N couldn't help the smile that spread onto her lips as his lips parted and let out an involuntary breathy laugh.

"Um, hey."

"Hi." His voice seemed to crack, just a bit, and he cleared his throat before he tried again. "Hello."

"Hi," Y/N repeated quietly.

She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and for a second she wondered if maybe she was dreaming - a really weird and violent dream - because this guy was so fucking cute. And hot. Like, super hot. Not just hot, but dorky hot too, with his adorable messy hair, and big, green eyes, the kind of jawline that could cut glass, and those lips.

"What's your name?"

"Adrian."

"Nice to finally meet you, Adrian."

In an instant, his face lit up as he heard his name come out of her mouth and he grinned from ear to ear, looking so relieved that his shoulders dropped down a bit, and the tenseness he'd been feeling about her seeing his face had been building up dissipated.

"I should, uh, y'know, start on your..." He trailed off but gestured to her wounds so she knew what he was trying to say.

"I think the ones on my arms are okay. There's a few on - on my - on my thighs that are, yeah, they're painful," she started, biting her lip before smiling softly, almost shyly.

"Can I see them?" She nodded but stayed perfectly still. "You'll have to... and I don't want you to get the wrong idea here; you're really pretty and, yes, if we were in a totally normal situation and I told you to take your sweatpants off, it would definitely be because I want to eat your pussy, but we're not in a sexy situation so it's for a complete different reason... and that reason is that you'll have to pull your sweatpants down so I can give you medical aid."

Without his mask on, Adrian lost whatever filter he may have had as he stared at her, his eyes wide, his breathing shallow, and it was obvious he couldn't believe that he was saying the words that were coming out of his mouth. He didn't want to offend her - god knows he doesn't want to offend anyone really - but the way she was looking at him like he was some kind of prince that had saved her from distress really made him nervous. He wasn't a prince, he knew that. He was a trigger happy imbecile with no immediate family and no prospects in life.

"Is... is that... is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's okay."

Y/N pulled down her sweatpants slowly, her face growing warmer with every inch of exposed skin exposed to the light, and as she sat herself down on the toilet lid, she braced herself for the moment the hot superhero dude put his hands all over her. He knelt between her knees and ran his fingers gently across the worst injuries first, his face screwing up in concentration. He paused momentarily to look at her thighs before moving on, making sure that her cuts hadn't got infected during their journey out here. Luckily, they hadn't.

Adrian was so gentle with her. It took her all her will not to cry because, fuck, it hurt like hell when he pressed a little too hard or moved a certain way, but she couldn't help it as tears pricked at her eyes, blurring her vision as he worked. When it became apparent to him that she was crying silently, he stopped altogether.

"Hey... hey, I know it feels so bad but you're fucking killing it. You're doing so good." He brushed the back of his hand along her cheek to wipe away some stray tears, leaning towards her and brushing a strand of hair out of her face that had fallen forward to cover one eye. "Just a few more for me, yeah? It'll be over so soon now."

Sniffing, Y/N nodded, hastily wiped at her eye and dealt with it. It was difficult not to squirm underneath his touch, but she managed it. When he was satisfied and gave her a thumbs up that everything was bandaged and cared for, Y/N thanked Adrian by giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek, which earned her an even bigger grin.

Then, it was her turn to look away as he got changed and she resisted the temptation to take a quick glance. That would be rude. He didn't take a peek when she got changed... Did he? She spent her time transferring the first aid kit into the gym bag so they wouldn't have to 1) have two bags, and 2) answer unnecessary questions about why they were carrying a bulletproof suitcase filled with bandages.

Obviously, it's not immediately suspicious to carry around a first aid kit, but it comes with the assumption that they had medical knowledge - neither of them had did - and that ensured that people could ask them questions that they'd have no idea how to answer.

They managed to leave the bathroom at the exact right time to see a drunk driver barrel into the gas station, park up and leave the ignition on as he went inside to buy a four pack of beer, slamming the door shut and giving them a perfect opportunity to steal his pick up.

"We're actually doing a good thing," Adrian reasoned as he drove away. "That asshole was drunk as a fucking skunk and it's, what, 8 am. He could've got in a serious accident and killed an innocent family of Mexicans on their school run."

"Is the fact that they're Mexican relevant in any way?"

"No, I don't know why I added that detail," he shrugged.

He kept checking the rear view mirror every now and again to make sure they weren't being followed as they got back on the road and headed towards the nearest populated area, where they could hopefully find a cheap motel to rent a night or two.

"Do you wanna switch? You've been awake all night. I can drive if you want a rest," Y/N offered, knowing full well how tired he must be after a long, strenuous night of car crashes, gun fights, fireman carrying her, and hiking through nature. Y/N had only done two of those and was feeling the exhaustion.

"Nah. I'm good." He flashed her another bright smile and patted her leg in reassurance. "Thank you, though."

Eventually, they came across a grimy and Bates Motel looking place and, although Y/N wanted nothing more than to sleep, she decided it was best that they check if there's a peephole in the shower. They'd find out that there wasn't one, thankfully.

It was just as dingy inside as it had been outside with its faded yellow paintwork, stained carpet and cheap looking furniture that were probably older than their entire lives combined. The whole motel had a creepy vibe but it was cheap and the receptionist didn't bat an eye when they didn't sign the motel ledger when they checked in. It seemed that they had to swap out comfort for their anonymity.

"One bed," he pointed out as they opened the door and stepped inside.

Ah, her 'there's only one bed, we'll have to share' romance cliche was back in full swing! Y/N smiled, shook her head, and placed a do not disturb sign on the handle before heading in behind him and setting the bag down next to the mini fridge. They stood idly at the foot of the bed for a while, not exactly sure where to go from there. They'd managed to survive long enough to earn a rest and, now it had arrived, neither of them knew what to do with themselves.

"Do you want to use the shower first?" Y/N suggested after about three minutes of silence.

"Sure."

"Shall I order takeout? I saw some menus downstairs that I could grab to see if they do lunch deliveries. Or something."

"On your own?"

It wasn't supposed to sound so patronising but it did, which made him cringe. He meant it as a 'remember aliens that look like ordinary people are after you so going out in public probably isn't the best' but his tone was far too condescending. He looked away, ashamed, and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Shit, he didn't mean to sound that shitty.

"Fine! I'll sit down and - I dunno - read the fucking bible while you show off how competent you are! Wow, Adrian, do you want me to put in a good word for you with my brother? Maybe then he'll actually like you over his weird ass bird!" She stormed towards him and grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking him towards her until they were eye to eye, staring each other straight in the eye. "Don't treat me like I'm a fucking child."

The look in her eyes was terrifying - he could tell exactly who her father was at that moment - and he couldn't help but feel intimidated. Adrian had a gun in the back of his trousers and she was completely unarmed, why did he feel so threatened? She was smaller, weaker, more defenceless than he was, and yet there she stood, staring him dead in the eye without blinking, with a look in her eyes that told him he better apologise.

But, he didn't. Words wouldn't form. His brain was running wild and somehow devoid of any coherent thoughts, his tongue felt heavy in his mouth, then his focus flitted down to her lips, just for a moment, and then back up again.

"Look, do whatever you want. Shower/don't shower, I don't give a shit. I'm hungry so I'm going to find some way to acquire food and if I get murdered by a bunch of bugs, well, at least you don't have to play babysitter anymore," she said before turning on her heel and attempting to storm out. She didn't get far however; Adrian reached out and grabbed her arm to pull her against him roughly, grabbing hold of her waist, holding her firmly against his body.

For a split second, she froze up, surprised by his sudden display of strength, then attacked him with a kiss that sent both of them tumbling backwards onto the wall. Adrian's back hit an awful picture of Elvis onto the floor as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, lifted her, and pinned her to the exact spot where Mr Presley had been hanging.

"You're so annoying," she snarled as his mouth moved along her neck and sucked on a particularly sensitive part of skin, causing her to gasp sharply and arch her back. Her hand automatically curled up against the back of his head, gripping onto his hair.

"You're a spoiled brat," he countered with a growl as he threw his glasses off and dragged his nose down her collarbone until it was firmly in her cleavage, inhaling deeply as he let a soft sigh escape him. It was intoxicating; she had gotten under his skin, taken control of his heart and made it pound erratically in his chest. If she asked, he would do anything she asked of him without hesitation. Anything.

It took a lot out of him to fight the desire, to keep his emotions in check because he knew it wasn't going to go down well with his BFF, but Adrian couldn't help himself. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to lose himself in the warmth of her body. All he wanted was for the both of them to forget everything else, for them to live in this moment forever, with her clinging on to him desperately like her life depended on it and his hands travelling everywhere they wanted to.

There was no time for restraint anymore. There was only lust. A primal urge to taste and touch her, taste her and touch her in ways that left her breathless, touched her like it was forbidden, like it would destroy his sanity if it wasn't allowed to.

In 3 big steps, he carried her to the bed and laid her down. Their lips reconnected, their tongues tangling together hungrily, desperate sounds escaping as Y/N yanked Adrian down on top of her and pulled at his clothes to get rid of them as fast as possible. She mumbled, "Take everything off," into his mouth and he did just that.

Adrian stripped down to his boxers as quickly as he could, then did the same for her - although his touch was a lot less frantic and heavy-handed so he didn't press down into her injuries - and just stared at her chest, drinking in the sight of her naked body underneath him.

His attention was so consuming that it caught her off guard. The intensity of his stare was overwhelming and she had no idea how to react to such intense scrutiny. "Stop acting like such a virgin," she complained (half-heartedly) as she propped herself up on her elbows. Despite her words, he could tell she was enjoying his gaze immensely.

"Geez, you really need me that bad, huh? We only met yesterday and you're already so impatient," Adrian teased against the shell of her ear. He nibbled on her ear lobe gently before moving his lips behind her ear directly on her mastoid bone and perching his butt down on her thighs. She rolled her eyes, her cheeks burning, and she averted her gaze bashfully.

And when he added a cocky, "Either you really like me or you're desperate. Maybe it's both," she was tempted to smack the grin off his face, but she refrained from doing so because it was hot. So damn hot. Y/N bit down on her lip to stop herself from insulting him further.

Any and all of her sharp tonguedness vanished as the tips of fingers mapped the contours of her chest, caressing and teasing and leaving goosebumps wherever they went. "What's got you all quiet? Don't tell me you've turned shy, Y/N."

"You're so hot, oh my god," she breathed, saying exactly what was on her mind.

All of his life, Adrian never considered himself to be hot. He'd been a butt baby for most of his existence and had only noticed an increase of romantic interest in him in the past couple of years. Thanks to Vigilante, he knew he was more muscular and well built than he had been but he was still the same big ol' nerd who'd spent his formative years getting picked on and berated for being weak and small and lacking confidence.

One of the hottest people he'd ever seen considered him to be hot? Well, that surely meant that he was hot. It was a fact. And did he need an ego boost l? To those who didn't really know him, absolutely not. To anyone that made the decision to see past the bumbling asshole facade, they knew he needed it desperately.

"Why don't you show me how much you like me? Huh, babe?"

Peacemaker wouldn't be happy that Vigilante banged his sister but, hey, Peacemaker wasn't there. And he certainly didn't need to know that halfway through, the hotel cleaner clearly missed the do not disturb sign and walked right in to find a guy she didn't know with a girl she didn't know on his lap. Judging by her face and the monotone way she said, "I'll come back later," she'd definitely been through that situation so many times before.

They let out a bunch of giggles as the door shut behind the maid, both laughing away the awkward tension of the unexpected voyeuristic incident. Y/N let her sweaty forehead fall to his temple and let out a snort that sent them tumbling into another batch of giggles. It took a few minutes of catching their breaths until Adrian spoke up, his voice laced with amusement.

"I like your laugh. It's very cute."

"Shut up," she retorted a little shyly and hid her coy smile by kissing him. It wasn't an effective concealment, though, because Adrian could feel the way her mouth was upturned against his.

"You wanna start moving again, baby, or do you want me to take over? Cause I think you should cum again," Adrian taunted, gripping onto hips to begin rocking them both back and forth gently.

There wasn't any other interruption this time. They enjoyed each other slowly, unhurriedly, languidly, and it was wonderful to let themselves be held and worshipped and savoured like that, without any expectations or restrictions. And once they were done and satisfied, they simply lay there together.

Y/N glanced to the side, her breath starting to calm, and asked, "Are you a hugger?"

"Not usually." He mimicked her and turned his head to make eye contact. "Are you?"

"Sometimes."

He gripped onto her biceps and tugged her into a hug. She responded instantly, wrapping her arms tightly around him as her cheek pressed itself flush against his shoulder.

"Sorry that I was mean earlier. The stress finally got to me, I guess," Y/N apologised, her words coming out a little muffled because her face was squished against his skin.

"Don't worry about it," Adrian said. "It was super hot."

Another batch of giggles ensued and then, at some point, they just stopped and fell into a daze. It wasn't quite a nap but they weren't fully aware either. They were just quietly existing in the space that they'd created for themselves, content and comfortable.

Sure, actually getting some sleep would've been better. Or showering. Or finding something to eat. But they'd been moving and thinking and planning every single single moment for the past 15 hours and needed a moment to just be.

That was until Adrian's phone buzzed. It was at 7% and they were surprised it was still going strong. "Can you read this for me? I don't know where my glasses are," Adrian requested, handing Y/N his phone which had been resting on the nightstand beside him. He scooted slightly closer and watched as she took over reading it, a frown settling deep between her brows as she read the words aloud.

Unknown: HQ compromised. Stay on the road until further notice. JE will contact you with updates when we have them.

- LA

It took Adrian a while to remember who the initials related to - to make it easy, couldn't Leota have just said her and Economos' names? - and he could see Y/N working out what her life was going to be like for the next however long. She had a job, friends, and obligations she'd made time for that were being pushed to the side because of her brother that she'd never met before. She had no idea what was waiting ahead of her.

Hell, Y/N had no clue if Chris was still alive. What about her mother? How long would it be until they were reunited? Adrian could see the gears turning in her head as she tried to figure out all of the possible outcomes and he wished he could give her something to ease her pain. Even briefly.

"Hey, looks like you'll have to find a way to deal with me for a bit longer," he announced, looking at her mischievously as he started stroking his hand along her bare hip in slow circles.

"Oh no, how will I ever do that?" she replied sarcastically and gave him a fake frown.

"Looks like I'm just gonna have to find a way to keep you entertained," he continued, leaning down and brushing his lips against hers tenderly. Her eyes fluttered closed and she leaned into his touch, allowing him to deepen the kiss and deepen it even further until it became feverish and passionate yet sweet and caring all at once.

From that point, they were inseparable - partly for survival, partly for their need to constantly be touching each other - and spent the next couple of months bouncing from state to state, city to city, gas station to gas station.

Their first move was to get as much possible of their bank account in physical cash so they took the maximum allowed from ATM's whenever they could. Obviously they were leaving a trail of where they'd been but the wad Economos had left in the safe house wasn't enough to sustain them.

They'd used half of it to buy a banged up minivan that someone had turned into a camper, but they still needed food and clothes and fuel and a charging cable for Adrian's phone.

Neither of them had been particularly well off before this - Y/N was still living with her mother, who at the time of her kidnap had been away on a job interview in the neighbouring state, and Adrian was a busboy that spent a lot of money on weapons - so that money was running out too.

Life in the camper wasn't so bad. It was cramped and tiny, sure, but it was warm and comfy, and it was far easier to flee from suspected butterflies in a house on wheels than have to decide whether to leave all their stuff in some random hotel or take the risk to attempt to retrieve it.

Still, when another update came in, they were more than ready to read it and get back to 'normal' life.

"Darling, your phone just went off," Y/N called out from inside their van, heating up their food from the night before on a tabletop skillet. Adrian was by the creek they'd parked next to, washing blood and dirt from their clothes after their most recent run in with the butterflies, and the moment he heard her, he let a pair of his underwear accidentally drift downstream as he walked away.

On his way to read it, he mumbled, "Smells good, babe. I'm so hungry," and pressed a kiss to her forehead as he passed Y/N, who smiled up at him in a way that made him feel like the most loved man in the world, and was a little confused at first before he realised Economos had sent him coordinates.

He was pushing his hand in her field of vision as soon as he googled where the location was, interrupting her as she was about to give their noodles a mix. Y/N made a surprised face and grabbed the phone to make sure she was reading the screen correctly. "Evergreen? Do you think that means that this is all over?" she asked, a hint of excitement and nervousness in her voice.

Adrian smiled and wrapped his arms around her from behind, his nose poking into her cheek as he confirmed, "I think it means we should start the long drive home."

Y/N smiled and leaned her head back against his chest as she took a deep breath. "Let's eat then get moving," she concluded, laughing when he attacked her cheek with so many excited kisses.

They ate, they got ready, and then they drove. It took them a few days to get back to Washington and Economos' coordinates led them straight to Adrian's house. It seemed that Chris, Leota and Keeya, John, and Emilia had been using his home - without permission but he honestly didn't care - as a base for the past month or so because they'd run out of weapons and thought, 'Where would there be a bunch of unattended weapons that they could use without repercussions for stealing' and Chris remembered the time his buddy showed him his gun collection.

Harcourt and Annabelle had a relatively easy time. Their safe house hadn't been discovered at all in the mess and they only found out something was wrong when John called Emilia for advice about what to do. With the assurance that Annabelle would be fine on her own, Emilia joined her squad to come up with a plan that would wipe out the rest of the butterflies.

And then they managed to find out about a meeting of all of the remaining butterflies and planted a bomb. Completely wiping out an entire race didn't feel great, but they'd been a thorn in the 11th Street Kids side for long enough that that feeling was replaced by a sigh of relief. A 'thank fuck that's over' kind of deal.

Before Y/N had even gotten out of the car, her mother was running out of the Chase home. Annabelle pulled open the passenger's side door and yanked Y/N into a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay, sweetpea! You are okay, aren't you?" she gushed, tears in her eyes as she examined Y/N's face.

"I'm okay, mama," Y/N said, laughing a little. "I've been so worried about you."

"I know, and I've been worried about you too. I whooped your brother and his friend's asses for taking so long to deal with those bug things!"

Peacemaker emerged from the house and Vigilante yelled out a very excited, "Peace! How are you, man?"

"Surprised that a dumbass like you survived!" Peacemaker responded, grinning from ear to ear as he looked at Vigilante. It was obviously still Adrian, but he'd grown his hair out a bit, had a five o'clock shadow, and looked the exact amount of tired you'd assume someone would be if they'd spent months sleeping in their car. "You look like shit, dude."

"Chris!" Both women complained. Annabelle reprimanded, "That is not a very nice thing to say to someone!" while Y/N chose to go with, "I think you look very handsome, babe!"

Then, both mother and son turned to face Y/N and exclaimed, "Babe?!" in shock. Chris was horrified. Annabelle, the opposite - she didn't know the guy but he was her good books for protecting Y/N as well as he had. This hadn't gone exactly the way Y/N thought it would. Honestly, she hadn't really planned anything about how she was going to casually bring up the fact that she'd started a relationship with Adrian, but it definitely wasn't going to be like this.

"Hi," Adrian said, awkwardly, as his BFF and his girlfriend's mother stared at him like he was an alien life form. "Uh... hello."

"Dude! Did I say you could date my sister?"

"No! But you didn't say I couldn't! There were no rules like that!" Adrian turned to Y/N so she'd know that he hadn't accidentally duped her into a 'forbidden' relationship and he repeated, "There were no rules!"

Closing the gap, Y/N comforted her boyfriend with a side hug, a soft "Yeah, I know," and a gentle pat on the chest. "Why don't you show me inside your home, Ade? We've been in the van for so long, I think I'd like to have one night in a normal bed." She then playfully added, "You've got that, don't you?"

Adrian grinned. "Yeah, I've got that."

The pair walked inside to find that his living room had been turned into a technology den of screens and drones and weapons - although those had been there before - and Adrian almost didn't recognise his childhood home. And he definitely didn't recognise the dogs that were running all over the place.

"You have chihuahuas?" Y/N asked, in some surprise.

"No, I'm more of a cat person."

"They're mine!" Adebayo announced as she came in from the kitchen, another dog under her arm. "Sorry! Sorry, I thought Keeya would've picked them up by now. We were all staying here together, me and my wife, John, Chris and Emilia, and -"

"You guys had a sleepover at my house without me being here? That's SO not cool!" Adrian whined.

1) His only friends hung out without him. That sucks. And 2) They did their group slumber party in the very place he owned and lived. That majorly sucks.

"You were literally on the run!" Economos retorted. "And we often thought you were dead!"

"So you decided to steal my house from me?!"

Harcourt gave Vigilante one look, just one, and he stopped whatever he was about to say next. Y/N saw how terrified he was of his boss and part of her was prepared to stand up for her man (despite the fact he was slightly overreacting), but yeah, Y/N had to admit that Harcourt was a little scary and she had mad respect for that.

Everything else that night was smooth sailing. As a big group, they let Annabelle make her signature baked Sausage and cheese rigatoni, and every member of the team ate until they were stuffed and only had enough movement in them to make it to the couch, where they crowded around the TV to watch a bad movie.

There weren't enough seats. Keeya sat on Leota. Y/N on Adrian. Annabelle and Economos a safe distance away from each other on the couch. Chris was sitting on a lazy boy off to the right with Emilia on the floor between his legs. And Peacemaker thought he was being so subtle and slick about playing with the ends of Harcourt's hair, running his fingers through the strands before glancing around every now and then to see if anyone had noticed.

As the movie played on, Y/N dozed off with her temple against Adrian's. She only began to stir when she felt the sensation of being lifted from the couch, and her eyes slowly opened to see that Adrian was making his way up the stairs.

"Are you carrying me to bed?"

"Uh-huh, like my pop used to do for me."

"You're so cute," she slurred, her voice so groggy she wondered how coherent it was to his ears. "You're so cute and so strong."

"Anything else about me that you like?" He urged, hoping that she'd reveal everything because of how sleepy she was.

"I like your smile. It's big."

"Yeah, anything else?"

"I like how you go out of your way to make me laugh."

"I do love your laugh."

"Yeah, well, I love you."

He froze mid-step, an overwhelming giddiness sweeping over him. He'd never expected to even be in this position. He had a girlfriend. And she just professed her love for him! This was better than winning the lottery. Better than finding a huge mob of criminals to shoot in the dick! He loved her too. He was so happy!

"I'll say it back when you're fully awake tomorrow," he whispered before letting Y/N slip onto the bed. She was tugging him down with her, trying to force his body on top of hers.

"Say it," she insisted, pouting like she did whenever she wanted him to give in to her. "Darling, I'd love to hear you say it. Pretty please. Don't tease - " She yawned again. "Don't tease me with this, baby."

"I love you," he said, rolling over and pinning her under him. Adrian grinned down at her, unable to stop the glee from pouring through every pore in his body.

Her forefinger came up to trace his mouth. "Big smile," Y/N yawned out, before moving to get under the covers. "Big bed too."

Adrian laughed as he stretched out beside her, propping himself up on one elbow to watch her as she fell back to sleep. "How'd I get so lucky, huh?" he mumbled to himself.

"When did you get so sappy, asshole?" Chris suddenly said from the bedroom door.

"Shh....she's sleeping."

"Oh my god, you're totally pussy whipped!"

"What are you even doing up here? You saw me coming up here?"

"Economos stunk up the first floor bathroom so I came up here to, y'know, not smell his shit."

"Jesus Christ."

In her sleep, Y/N shifted closer to Adrian, pressing against his chest. He stroked her hair, feeling her strands between his fingers, and he continued to watch her, his eyes tracing every line and curve of her face.

"This is so fucking gross to see," Chris muttered.

"Leave then!" At his raised voice, Y/N stirred. "Sorry. It's okay. It's okay, just go back to sleep," he said, stroking her hair some more.

Vigilante just asked Peacemaker to leave? In what crazy world had they jumped to? Before all this, Vig would do whatever he could to be around Peace for as long as he could. Now? Adrian's idolisation had dampened a little. He'd come to realise that there were other people out there, other people who were willing to be nice and kind and apologise to him, and that he didn't have to put up with all the insults Chris threw his way.

That wasn't a way to have any relationship, friendship or something more, and having Y/N in his life had given him a sense of 'yeah, I'm better than that' that he wasn't going to drop just because his BFF was back in the picture. Plus, he always had the 'I'm banging your sister' card in his back pocket to use whenever Chris got too vulgar.

"You two are really serious then?" Chris asked, his voice a little quieter so he didn't wake his sibling.

"I'd buy a ring if I had the money."

Chris' eyes widened. "You serious?"

"Yeah."

"Ew, I don't want you as my brother in law."

Coming up behind him, Annabelle placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Hey pumpkin, let your sister sleep in peace, yeah?" She cooed and guided Chris away from the doorway.

Despite his muscles and big stature, Chris seemed to shrink back into a little kid when his mother interacted with him. It always amazed Adrian how much of a pushover he could be. In a small voice, Chris said, "Okay, mama. I will," and went back downstairs without arguing.

"Goodnight, Adrian. Watch over her for me?"

"Always will, Mrs L/N."

"I know you will."

Annabelle left the couple to snooze in peace. And they snoozed for longer than they had done in ages. There was no danger. No need to get up quick and flee. No knocking on the van windows to say 'you can't park here'. Nothing but peace and quiet and the quiet sounds of a house full of sleeping friends and family.

*Click here for my Adrian Chase masterlist, or here for the entire masterlist*

Wanna be added to a taglist? Either comment on this post or send me a message!

[sukirichi]

sweet lies (m.)

His lies were way too sweet – and you were too addicted to make him stop.

cw. oral (f receiving), fingering, slight body worship, public sex, multiple orgasm, orgasm denial, dirty talk, praising, titty sucking, nsfw, toxic megumi, fwb, slight angst, the traditional unedited fic

note. choose your fighter, megumi or sukuna 😈 and thank you to besties nie and ellie for editing this STOP SHOWING YOUR ANKLES CHIRREN

series masterlist | 01 | 02 | 03

Megumi slides your shirt down your shoulder to press kisses on the bare skin. Your head tilted to the side to give him easier access. You hate that you feel so weak around him, your hands gripping his thigh you’re currently straddling, already so breathless from his teasing ministrations. 

“You should move back closer to campus,” he mutters at the juncture of your neck, pulling another soft gasp from you the moment his fingers dip inside your damp underwear. You feel him smile at your skin, using his deft fingers to push two of them inside your sopping hole. He pumps them in slowly, teasingly slow, coaxing your arousal to coat his fingers while you grind against his palm, eyes shut tight from the pulling knot in your stomach.

“It’s hard to fuck you when you’re a half-hour drive away.”

You scoff against him and roll your eyes. “I wonder why I got kicked out from the dorms in the first place.” Exactly two weeks ago, Megumi snuck in drunk and horny into your dorms, shaking you awake to get rid of his boner. 

It was a sloppy quickie, mostly because he’s eaten brownies and got fuck drunk before stumbling beside your bed. The insensitive idiot left his rum bottle under your bed just as he wobbles back to his frat house, and as if things couldn’t get worse, there was a surprise dorm inspection the next day. Not only did they find cum stains all over your sheets, but your bed also reeked of weed and alcohol, resulting in a quick expulsion from the dorms.

If it weren’t for the help of one of your professors, Gojo-sensei, you wouldn’t have been able to find a decent, cheap apartment. It came with the price of rooming with one of his old acquaintances, a muscular, heavily tattooed guy who seemed to be a few years older than you.

He really wasn’t a bad roommate. Other than the fact he seemed really intimidating, the dude mostly kept to himself, either locked in his room or away for work that you don’t really get to see him that much. His place was decent too, your room bigger than the last, so it was a good deal, but as Megumi said, it’s really hard to fuck around when you’re so far away.

“Not my fault, you’re so weak for me, baby,” he taunts as you tighten around him, his pace increasing with his lips sucking love marks on your skin. You can’t help but snicker at his actions; if you didn’t know better, you’d say he was jealous. 

But this was Megumi you were talking about – everyone knew he never got jealous. 

“I don’t like you here.”

“Aw, sucks for you.”

“I’m serious,” he grips your waist tighter, drawing a drawled-out moan from you. Megumi rubs your clit with his thumb and swallows your moans through open-mouthed kisses, your fists balled into his hoodie. Fuck this, you’re completely aware he’ll never like you the way you like him, but it’s so hard to feel sad about that when he’s knuckle deep inside you and playing you like a violin. As much as you hated him and his pretty face, you have to admit his fingers were fucking magical.  

Megumi nips at your lower lip before thrusting his fingers in and out of you at a numbing pace, not taking long until you’re creaming all over his hands. You pant at the orgasm, head falling back into his shoulder. 

He brushes your hair away from your eyes and kisses the side of your head, the gesture way too sweet for someone who insisted on a ‘no-strings attached’ sexual relationship. But you don’t complain – this is like a dream come true for you – allowing him to leave a trail of kisses down your jaw instead, his wet hands squeezing your thighs in a possessive grip.

“You should just live with me. I’m not comfortable with the fact you live with a man.”

There’s a trace of jealousy behind his voice that you’d normally swoon at, but he’s pushing you to the edge and fucking around with your feelings so much that you can’t even enjoy the rare moment. You push yourself off him and reach for your discarded shorts on the floor, sliding the material over your legs while Megumi shamelessly stares at your ass behind you, his head resting on his hands.

“Megs, I barely even talk to the guy; he’s always away at work. You’ve really got nothing to worry about,” you tell him, making quick work of tidying your school packets just to ignore his heated gaze. “Besides, you and I aren’t even dating. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

“You never hold back with your words, huh?”

You shot him a look, an angry glare that should be threatening, but the glint in his eyes just tells you he’s enjoying every second of it. “You like it.”

“Hmm, maybe I do,” Megumi tugs you back to the bed, effortlessly, as he flips you under him. In this position, he’s situated right between your bodies, hands clasped against one another. He’s absolutely stunning, bathed in the sliver of the moonlight, in your bed, no less. You’re a flurry of emotions – stuck between wanting to fuck him and kissing him, and then scream at him to let him know he should stop playing with your heart. 

Megumi’s eyes darken as he traces over your silhouette, watching the way your chest falls heavily at his touches. He uses one hand to trace the tip of his finger from your breast down to your clothed core, a smirk painting his lips when you buck your hips up at the contact. 

Fuck him, fuck him, fuck him. 

“Just promise me you’re not letting others see your pretty pussy okay?” he tugs your shorts to the side, tongue darting out to lick at his lips at the sight of your glistening folds. You’ve lost count of the times he’s made you cum tonight with just his fingers; the raging hard-on hidden behind his sweatpants is proof that he’s quite different today by letting you get fuck-drunk on him first. Perhaps it’s his way of keeping you so helplessly wrapped around his finger, fucking you good enough that no one else comes second to him, and he knows this. He sees this from the desire pooled in your eyes. 

Megumi scoots down lower to stare at your pussy, which is already embarrassing since you’re so wet down there. He simply sighs at your bare cunt before him, using two fingers to pull the lips apart, followed by a groan at the apparent slick. “This is all mine.”

In your lust-filled haze, you scrunch your eyebrows and sneer, “How about you mind your own business?”

“The fuck did you just say?” he chuckled, his warm breath tickling your inner thighs. “You’re mine, babe. Haven’t I fucked you enough to drill in that in your pretty little head?” Megumi doesn’t waste his time diving straight to your eager, awaiting core. Your hands fly down to tug at his hair as you grind your hips to his face, legs weak from his lips wrapped tightly around your clit. “You know I’ll get mad if you touch anyone else.”

“Fuck off, Megumi,” you spat out, “We’ve been fooling around for a year, and you still refuse to date me every time I ask you out officially. Listen, I understand you’re not ready for that kind of relationship, so you could at least respect that you don’t get the exclusivity of keeping me all to yourself.” Truly, this rebellion is so uncalled for and unexpected. The moment you had your eyes on him and made it your life’s mission to win him over, not once had you complained that he never wanted to take things a step further. But it’s been too long, too fucking long, and too many no baby’s already – your pride was beyond crushed. It was about time you set the boundaries this time, and you quiver around his skillful tongue, strong and firm as you rasp, “I’ll fuck whoever I want.”

“You’re lying.”

“What?”

“You love me,” Megumi pulls away from your clit with an audible pop, his face glistening from the smeared juices all over his cheeks. However, his eyes are narrowed, almost as if he’s scrutinizing you. You can’t focus on the fact he denied you of your orgasm because he’s looking at you so seriously, only to tilt his head to the side, a smirk playing on his lips. “It’s written all over your face.”

“Maybe I do, but are you deserving of it?” you push his head away and ignore the aching in your chest. Megumi shuffles close to you, pulling you in for another cuddling session before you hide under the sheets, making it clear you were not to be touched anymore. “Go home, Megs. I’m tired.”

In all honesty, you want him to stay. You want him to fight harder to win your approval back. He’s not a big cuddler, more of the type to pass out beside you after he’s gotten his own orgasm, but you’ve been so sure that maybe he might be different today. Under the sheets, your lip trembles in anticipation, eyes blinking wide at the dark silhouette outside your metaphorical shield. But as Megumi playfully slaps your ass, his warmth leaving the bed, you’re not really surprised. 

He never stayed the night before – why would he do that now? 

Silly girl, you chastised yourself. 

“Fine. But I’ll be back tomorrow,” you hear him scuffle for his shoes outside, a smile evident in his voice as his words float around the silence of your apartment. “Wear my favourite set like a good girl for me?”

“Go away!”

Megumi’s laughter echoes all the way to where you curl yourself into a ball. You hate that his laughter alone makes your heart skip a beat, even if it doesn’t carry any affection behind then. “See you then, baby,” is all he says before the door slams shut, leaving you alone to your thoughts and insecurities all over again.

His lies were way too sweet – and you were too addicted to make him stop.

You’ve really hit rock bottom; that’s the only explanation for your actions. Megumi was coming over in a few hours, unsurprising that he chooses 3 AM of all times. Not only did it mean his frat brothers would be asleep, but it also meant that his other side bitches would assume he’s doing the same. You know, of course, you fucking know you’re not the only one, but it didn’t hurt any less.

The pain just keeps getting worse every time you think of him, said thoughts always comprised with your shirt trapped between your teeth and your hands down your pants. There’s no denying you’re addicted to him, though being addicted to a never-ending heartbreak was a different story. 

A story which you’re not ready to find out yet, so you dress up in your sexiest dress and take the nearest cab, heading to a place where you definitely shouldn’t be.

Two more hours before Megumi arrives. Two more hours before you fall into that endless cycle of fucking and him leaving you alone, promising he’ll be back tomorrow, before it all repeats and traces back to square one. He’s not going to stop, and neither are you, so where was any of this supposed to go now? He doesn’t want you, not in that way, that very much is clear – so why was it so hard to let go of him?

Deep down at the back of your mind, you know your answer. It’s because, like the lovesick fool you are, you’re still hoping that maybe someday he’ll look at you the way you look at him.

Fuck it, is all you think of as you flash the bouncer your ID, not missing the way his eyes fall down your tits that are so close to popping out of your dress a minute longer than welcomed. Snatching your card away from him, you push against the crowd, immediately regretting coming here as the loud thumping of music and stench of sex and alcohol washes over your senses. 

You make a beeline for the empty bar, save for the bartender who had his back turned to you as he wipes the glasses over.

You clear your throat to make your presence known. The first thing you see is a broad back, thick lines of dark tattoos outlined even in his white button-up shirt. He places the glasses down and moves expertly before you, sliding shot glasses next to others before procuring a drink out of nowhere, a greeting about to leave his lips when you both make eye contact.

The drink stays still on his hands, blinking for a moment at your equally stupefied face before he says, “It’s you.”

“S-Sukuna,” you greet back, smiling at your roommate. You’ve barely seen the guy the past few weeks other than sleepy good morning’s, and I’ll take the trash out tonight before both of you disappeared into your own worlds. 

Sukuna is...well, you don’t know, exactly. It’s not like he’s around much for you to make a proper judgment of, but he’s a pretty nice roommate, filling up the fridge whenever you guys run out of beer. There were times he nods at you as a greeting before leaving for work, too, leaving you alone at the house from midnight all the way to the morning. Other than thinking your roommate is pretty unique from his face tattoos and roguish handsomeness that contrasts his rather frequent sleepy mumbles, you’ve failed to realize he could actually be like a normal human. Seeing him stand before you, his forearms lined with veins and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, taut waist emphasized by a black vest, you swallow audibly.

He’s entirely different from the guy you often see passed out on the couch, but it’s a welcomed sight, nonetheless.

Sukuna’s actually...pretty hot.

Hiding the thumping of your heart – whether out of nervousness or it’s just trying to match the beat of the music – you beam up at him,  eyes glossed over with curiosity as he reciprocates with a more mischievous grin. 

If he’s easily read your mind that you are indeed attracted to him, he makes no comment about it, focusing on hearing your voice over the music instead. 

He leans over to you, not pulling away even as your lips faintly graze his ear. Fuck, he’s got piercings too. You greedily drink in his masculine scent, thankful that the music thumping is so loud he won’t hear the frenzy mess inside your ribcage. 

“I didn’t know you worked here. Heck, I didn’t know you were a bartender, but I guess the irregular sleep patterns make sense somehow.”

“What did you think I was, sweetheart?”

His deep voice reverberates all the way down to your toes, his throaty chuckle hoarse. “I-I don’t know,” you pull away nervously, blinking up at him way too innocently. “A gangster, to be honest,” you blurted out. Sukuna tilts his head to the side, and you immediately raise your hands beside your head as you mull over how offensive your words might’ve been. “I don’t mean anything offensive by it, I swear! It was just my first impression!”

“First impressions are usually false. Anyway. It’s fine,” he shrugs, resuming his task of wiping over the glasses. 

His hands were so big, his fingers long and slender...your attention is drawn to the adept manner of how he wipes the cloth using the tip of his finger, reaching behind him to get another glass, all without keeping his eyes off of yours. It leaves much room to muse about what else he could do with those hands, and you squirm at your seat, opting to look at his face instead since that would be more polite than eye-fucking his hands.

Sukuna smirks, that cunning twinkle in his eyes matching the dim lights of the bar. Somehow, you suddenly feel so lightheaded. 

“If it makes you feel better, I thought you were a shy girl at first, but your boy toy brings a different side of you every time he comes around.”

You squeak in embarrassment, “You’re home by then?!”

“Only sometimes,” he reassures with a laugh. “But I’ve heard enough,” Right. He’s older and definitely more experienced than your sexual escapades with Megumi – this must be nothing new to him by now, and yet, your skin flushes heated. “Don’t look too flustered, sweetheart. It’s not the first time I’ve heard of that,” he nods at you, “You don’t look very happy with him, though.”

“Tch, now you’re assessing my relationship status?”

“I don’t have to,” he shrugs, the gesture so damn reassured. Chuckling at your apparent frown, Sukuna shakes his head to himself. “It’s written all over your face you’re not satisfied with something. You wouldn’t be here if you were feeling good in the first place.”

“How much have you heard?”

“Oh, I don’t care about how you scream his name. That’s none of my business,” he grumbles under his breath rather bitterly – but that could just be the music messing with you. Sukuna holds your gaze as he sets the final glass down before you, his elbows languidly resting on the counter that separates you both. You’re left staring at him in wonder, watching the way he pours the drink right in front of you, the movement of his lips so intoxicating and even erotic you nearly didn’t hear him say, “But as your roommate, I wish you’d stop inviting him around and just kick him out already. He doesn’t like you, you know.”

He doesn’t like you. Megumi doesn’t like you – you know that already.

Glare deepening at your surprisingly nosy roommate, you take the glass from him and down it in one go. Sukuna’s brows shot up in awe, arms crossed against his puffed-out chest as you slam the glass down. 

You were fuming. 

“You don’t know a single fucking thing about me.”

“That’s right, I don’t,” he answers without skipping a beat, “But we men, we understand each other,” You open your mouth to retort, silenced by Sukuna’s finger pressing against your lips. You freeze at the contact, and Sukuna makes use of your state, continuing right where he left from. 

“Listen, take it from me as free advice. I’ll even put your drink on the house.”

Really, nothing is stopping you from biting off this guy’s finger, but he looks like he knows something you don’t that you just choose to keep your mouth shut.

Satisfied at your decision, Sukuna smiles sweetly, reaching over to tuck your hair behind your ear. The gesture puts you under his spell, and he lingers there a little longer, massaging the lobes of your ears before he pulls back just as fast, almost as if he never touched you in the first place.

You fight back the urge to huff. 

Why were men so complicated? One moment, they were hot, then cold the next. You would just never get it.

“That guy you’ve been mooning over for who knows how long? He doesn’t give a fuck about you. You’re just someone who warms his cock every now and then, but I guarantee he’s thinking about someone else in his head when he’s with you,” he announces straightforwardly, not giving you the time to recover before he shrugs like his words didn’t just slap you in the face. “Just call quits on him, sweetheart. There’s really no need to waste such a pretty face. Ever heard of the saying – there’s plenty of fish in the sea?” he pushes another drink to you, “Drink up and loosen a little. With a face and body like that, you’ll find someone better soon.”

“I highly doubt I can find someone better when all everyone sees is my appearance.”

“I don’t,” he hinted with dark eyes, “But I assure you it might be what people see first. You do have a face of an angel; men are into that shit.”

Taking the drink from him with a loud sigh, you feel yourself weaken. You bury your head in your hands, replaying all the memories you’ve had with Megumi. It’s foreseeable that almost all of them consisted of you two fucking, nothing but a faint memory of two where Megumi actually cared enough to perform aftercare. The thought makes you wince; he really is an ass, but you’re also so hopelessly infatuated with him that you refuse to acknowledge the truth.

“Megs and I...we’re just complicated, okay?”

“Sure.”

“I swear!” your defenses are hopelessSukuna’s knowing smirk, the man holding back a snigger from your silent rage. “Besides, maybe his disinterested nature is what made me attracted to him in the first place. I like the mystery. It’s not bad for a girl to enjoy searching for answers every now and then.”

“Except he’s already given you a concrete no, and you’re the only one still hanging onto him,” he reminds you. At your dropped jaw, Sukuna has the audacity to wink. That motherfucker –“Pressed a button, kitten?” he pats your head, leaving you to be even more riled up. “Don’t be sad. It’s not like he’s the only guy who can make you feel good.” As if a light bulb went up in his head, Sukuna hid his smile by turning his back to you, pretending to be engrossed in the drinks all laid out in front of him. But even with his face obscured from your view, his words rang thick and clear: “In fact, I bet you your cute ass someone else can change your former perspective on what pleasure really is.”

“Yeah, like who?” you snorted sarcastically, “You?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” he faces you, absolutely shameless as he eyes your cleavage. Sukuna clenches his jaw at the tempting view before him, sliding his gaze back to yours to look for the answers in your face. “If you want a demonstration, that is.”

Sukuna hasn’t really touched you or even spoke explicitly, but you’re breathing hard anyways, subconsciously clawing the countertop. 

You don’t know if it’s your voice or his that’s ringing your ears, the words what’s holding you back? the last thing you hear before grabbing him by the collar, leaning over the counter to taste his lips. Sukuna smiles at the kiss, his large hands cupping your face in them. His thumb traces circles over your jaw as you greedily suck on his lip, uncaring that you’re making out with your roommate in a public place.

As if remembering that he’s still at work, Sukuna pulls away for a moment, diving in for one last peck that has you giggling adorably. Sukuna’s grin grows wider at your flushed cheeks, snapping his fingers at someone from a distance. “Geto, break!” 

The guy who must be Geto popped his head out of the backroom, frowning at Sukuna’s words when his gaze lands on you and the not-so-subtle needy grip you have on Sukuna’s collar. His mouth forms into an ‘o’ shape before he gives a thumb up, disappearing afterward. 

That’s all Sukuna needs before he’s leaving the counter, breathing in your panicked squeals as he picks you up, your legs flailing to wrap around his.

You’re giggling and laughing all the way to the back of the club, your hands tugging at his undercut and his own squeezing at your ass. Sukuna kicks the door of the restroom open, which is thankfully clean (you made the right choice choosing a luxurious club), settles you down before him, and locking the stall.

His lips are on yours in an instant, his hands tugging off your dress and scowling at it as if it’s offensive. “Calm down,” you tease him, “They didn’t do anything wrong.”

“They were a fucking tease the whole night,” he glares at the lacy cups of your bra, his breathing laboured as he cups them. You throw your head back until it thumps at the door, teeth muffling the moans that threaten to erupt. Sukuna unclasps the material in one swift movement, surprising with just how many times he’s done this before. “Fucking gorgeous tits – why the fuck does your boy toy not want to keep you to himself?”

“He’s – oh fuck,” you scrape Sukuna’s scalp, his tongue wrapping around the swollen bud. He caresses the other one not to leave it unattended, and he’s grinding you against the door so hard, his dick poking at your dress leaving very little to the imagination. 

Sukuna chuckles at your broken response, rutting his hips in such a sensual manner you didn’t think he was capable of. “You were saying?”

You glare at him from under your chin, but he can’t take you seriously while he’s sucking at your tit like a child. This man is brave enough to nip it with his teeth, the sting making you hiss and buck against him. “He’s possessive,” you breathe through your mouth, a little in disbelief you’re casually thinking about him while Sukuna gets down on his knees. “He wants me to be exclusive with him, but he’s free to fuck who he pleases.”

Sukuna rubs both palms in front of his face as if preparing to devour a meal, which he’ll do so soon enough. He pushes your dress and bunches it at your waist, tugging your underwear to the side before he groans. The sound is so deep and masculine, so utterly frustrated for some reason you can’t understand.

“Now that’s unfair,” he mumbles absentmindedly, peppering your pelvis with kisses. The feverish touch of his warm lips on your already burning skin has you clutching at the door, feeling your legs weaken.

His eagerness and distrait acts of body worship drive you crazy. Megumi is good at making you feel desired and fuckable – that much you know from his habits of pushing his pants down at pretty much anywhere as long as you were around, claiming you’re a walking ‘boner trigger.’ Sukuna, on the other hand, was a lot more patient and attentive to his movements, taking the time to make you feel you were more than just a body and a hole. It’s odd, hella fucking odd, because this man is older than you and a friend of your professors, but did you care? No. Did you want him to fuck your brains out in a public restroom? Fuck yes.

A wanton moan paints the wall as Sukuna slides your thong off just above your knee, his eyes closed as he buries his cheek in it. You look down with wide eyes, hands grabbing at nothing and everything at the same time. From the looks of it, he’s sniffing your sex, the sight so outright erotic that you only moan louder.

How was it possible to be this much turned on?

By the time he’s opened his eyes, his entire demeanour’s shifted. Gone was the enthusiastic and sly bartender, now replaced with a much more animalistic entity residing beside it. 

Before you could make yourself comfortable, Sukuna hooks one of your legs over his shoulder, the tip of your heel grazed against the tight walls of the stall. He licks a flat stripe from your hole that clenches around nothing, moving upwards in such a passionate, languid manner he’s making you forget you’re literally in a fucking restroom. Your breasts heave up and down from how you’re struggling to breathe, his tongue pushing past through the tight ring of resistance until he’s plunged through your core. You wobble above him, remaining upright only by his arm pushing your back flat on your under boob.

Sukuna slurps at your cunt yearningly, the hums he gives every now and then, making your core vibrate. You grind your pussy on his face, the black marks lined on his face glistening.

He moves to suck at your clit, transitioning after each beat to slurping the swollen bud and kissing your lips as if he was making out with it. You’re sure you’re making a mess on his face, but he doesn’t give you time to feel embarrassed about it. He spreads your legs further until your muscles ache from the stretch, the pain accompanied by your stomach tightening.

“S-Sukuna, oh, oh yeah,” you bang your fist on the door, his smug chuckles sending you over the edge. Your pupils blow wide as you feel the impending orgasm weigh down on you heavily, about to send you into overdrive by his tongue swiping at your lips, teasing you to give it to him more, give it to him harder. Turning your head down to warn him you’re coming, the words die on your throat because he’s already looking at you, his cheeks and nose smothered with your shining slick, and the brat is smirking. “Shit, you’re a little—” Sukuna cuts you off by generously sucking your clit one more time, pulling the muscle taut just to show you that it’s rolling between his lips. It looks fucking insane and filthy that you come right there and then. 

Your orgasm is so strong that you actually slip from your heels. A scream from you is knocked back into you just as fast, Sukuna moving quick and graceful in one fluid movement. He catches your leg and shoves you against the door, gripping at your hips until you’re bending forward, ass perked, and wiggling just for him.

For a split second, you’re sure you hear the unbuckling of a belt, but it all fades in your clouded mind.

Sukuna enters you in one thrust, the sensation of being filled up so soon rendering you speechless. Literally absolutely silent, palms flat on the door and tongue lolled out, all the burning in your body focused on your centre.

He releases a grunt at finally being inside your plush, warm walls. Sukuna allows you to get used to his length for a solid minute, both of you catching your breath in the meantime. Your tits are sprawled out, and you’re a shaky mess, feeling nothing less of dirty yet so aroused that you can’t do anything about it. Sukuna thrusts in slowly at first, and that’s when you feel the size difference between him and Megumi. Megs was definitely blessed in the dick department, and he’s always been so cocky about it, but goddamn, Sukuna was beyond huge.

You think you could cum again just from him filling you up. He was stretching you out so well that he leaves behind a faint burn, making you feel as if it’s your first time all over again – all for the good reasons.

He soon begins to set his pace, one of his hands tugging at your ponytail so he could see your glossy eyes and mouth hanging open. Sukuna scoffs at your fucked out state, too cock-hungry even to form coherent sentences. His length is slipping past your folds in such a tantalizing, delicious state, the prominent veins of his cock kissing the bumpy ridges of your walls. He was right – you’re definitely changing your perspective on pleasure because you don’t think you’ve felt this good in your life. 

With Megumi, it was mostly always about his own release. With Sukuna, he’s making sure you get to feel inch by luscious inch slipping out of you before he slides them back in, his deep moans the dirtiest thing you’ve ever heard.

“Aw, look at you,” he coos, kissing you sideways sloppily. Sukuna reaches the edges of your lips but licks at your skin anyway. His canines revealed to graze at your skin. It’s so animalistic, so carnal, and he’s fucking you with such primal need that you forget everything you once knew about sex. “Your pretty pussy is drooling for cock, sweetheart. Such a dirty little thing, taking me like this.”

Now, this was lust as its purest form, the rhythm of his hips so sinful you’ve lost faith in everything but how he’s making you feel. 

The walls are pounding with the bass boosting outside, but soon even the loud volume of the synthesized music is drowned by your whimpers. Sukuna lets go of your hair to place his hands on your hips. If he was dominant before, he only encourages you to scream his name louder, realizing that he was still being nice seconds ago, but now he’s the one controlling you. 

He pounds roughly into you until you’re crying, your drool dribbling from your lips and small patches dropping to the floor. It’s the same with your cunt. You’re so wet that you can feel squirts of cum staining his pants and your legs. Sukuna doesn’t stop praising you on how you’re so perfect, how your cunt is the tightest he’s ever fucked, and now he gets why your boy toy could never really let you go. In the middle of it all, he manages to slip in a comment that maybe Megumi’s dick isn’t big enough to stretch you out because you’re wrapped around him like a vice, to which you respond that he’s just massive.

“Fuck yeah, I am,” he agrees cockily, eyes narrowed at where his length kept being swallowed by your pussy. “I’m fucking destroying you, sweetheart. You’ll be broken by the end of this, fuck.”

His words are like ambrosia you’re getting drunk on, the filthiness of his mouth fuelling your desire. Your body heats up at the same time that familiar tingling tightens in your stomach, and you blindly stretch your arm out behind him. Sukuna easily reads your mind and takes your hand, looping his fingers with yours. His palm is right above your knuckle, and the angle hurts your arm so bad you cry harder.

“Please, please, please,” you beg him and snap your hips back to meet his dick thrust by thrust, “I’m so fucking close, please—”

“I got you, sweetheart,” he leans down for a quick peck at your hand, increasing his pace as he twitches inside you. Sukuna is thrown off rhythm by the way you grip down on his dick harder, his breath stuttering as a result. You wrap your fingers around him as your second orgasm that night crashes down onto you in waves, his cock on the brink of being spent from how you’re milking him. 

He pounds deep and slow into you, relishing in the warmth of your cunt that he’s losing his mind, basically in the same state as you are now. You’re panting and sweating, cursing at each thrust, and he stills for a moment, pulling out so fast that you wince at the emptiness. Sukuna pumps his dick with his free hand and shoots his load onto your back, his moans guttural and hoarse. You grimace at the warm cum now coating your back because there’s no way you’re using your dress to wipe that away. 

Sukuna chuckles at your silence, probably noting in the way you frown at him. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he runs a hand through his hair, his cock growing hard despite releasing a huge load. “Next time, I’ll cum in your mouth. I want to see you swallow me like a good girl.”

“Next time?” 

You think you’re so sly by scoffing at him, but Sukuna isn’t stupid. He sees the way you light up at his implications, and he walks closer to you, a hand wrapped around your throat before you pull you flush against his chest. You gasp at the lack of air, blindly patting behind you, but your hand only grazes at his cock, which twitches excitedly at the contact.

“Yeah, next time,” he affirms with a low growl, licking from your jaw down to your neck. It’s so hot, he’s so hot, and you’ve never felt this sexy in your life that you soon become on par with him, pussy clenching around nothing. “I’m not done with you yet. You’re not leaving unless I’ve changed your mind,” he teases the base of your throat to squeeze it tighter, the swift movement of him filling you once more escalating to a tenfold. Your struggle to breathe causes you to clamp down on him hard and Sukuna’s chuckles falter into a quick inhale that’s so satisfying to witness. “What do you think? Still need more demonstrations?”

“Yes,” you choke out. Sukuna’s victorious and award-winning smile is hidden at the sweaty column of your neck where he leaves little kisses in its wake, ones that soon turn into something of a harsh bite. “Yes, please, show me more. Need you, need you so bad, you fuck me better than he does.”

Sukuna does more than show you that night. He makes you feel a thousand more nerves set on fire until you’re nothing but a moaning mess. After all, what better way to change someone’s mind than to mess with it on the inside?

In the end, when it comes down to it, your lies were way too sweet – and he was too addicted to make you stop.

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E129 (March 16, 2021)

Tonight’s guests are Matt Mercer and Taliesin Jaffe!

Matt, on DMing Luc’s Revivify: “That was weird. It’s one thing when it happens because of player action and circumstances and the choices they make. When it’s entirely on me, unintentional, and just realizing different chess pieces you’ve set up, that’s rough.” It was especially rough since this was a child NPC related to a PC. “I was hoping somebody had a spell slot left.” He kept in mind that there are two clerics in the room and that they could resurrect the next day even if the Revivify went poorly. “A good chance, since it’s his first time. Okay, okay, okay, okay, I think we’ll be okay, we’ll see how this goes. It was really stressful in the moment! I did not set out to have that happen, but when I realized what was going to happen, I tried to see it through.” He wouldn’t have prevented a chance to bring him back. “There may have been an offshoot short-run series of games to find a way to bring him back. I would have found some way to correct the circumstance so the players could feel good about moving forward with the story and there was no undue punishment beyond their control.”

Taliesin on Cad’s response: “This is a big thing if you’re a cleric. It was very much coming in like an EMT. Everything should be fine... hopefully. Just focused in and got it done. The minute things started to go south it was like, okay, that’s the next problem.”

On Yeza’s feelings: “It is a very complicated situation. I think he, much like how Veth is trying to figure out what it is that she wants, I think he’s trying to help her find that while also figuring it out for himself. I think Yeza’s also noticing that because Veth’s the more active of the two of them she also takes the weight of the responsibility and the blame for things when they go wrong, unnecessarily. Especially when he himself acknowledges that he’s partially at fault for even dragging everyone in with the Conclave. As much as he’s appreciative for them coming back for him, there’s a lot of back and forth. He’s filled with a lot of regret, too, but he’s very much trying to convince Veth that it’s a burden that she doesn’t have to keep to herself, that they can share it and work through it together.” Matt mentions that, as an actor, he really loves exploring interactions between characters first and foremost. “Especially when you don’t know where it’s going to go.” He also praises Sam as a scene partner - “I really cherish that.”

How does Caduceus feel about Revivify and Speak with Dead? “Speak with Dead is an interesting middle ground, because he knows that it’s not actually speaking with the dead. It’s really just-- it’s almost medical, really. This is just reactivating a brain at a certain point. It’s practically just a muscle twitch at this point. That doesn’t really prod him in that direction. Revivify is interesting, because it had never really come up. At first I thought of it as bending the rules, but it’s not bending the rules. You knock over a plant, you replant it, you don’t stare at it and go ‘Well, that’s over.’ This is just doing the work. No, we can bring this thing back to health. This is all part of the circle of life, that sometimes we can save something. Especially given the stress that he’s put himself through over the past year of being with these people. He’s started to think of himself a bit as a battlefield medic, and triage is just part of the deal, and it’s completely acceptable.”

Did Trent really just want to talk? “Yeah, that circumstance, as it came together, Trent would never have arrived if there wasn’t an indication that there was some kind of infiltration or attack. Even beyond that, it was Jester breaking the concentration on her charm on that one guard when she created her duplicate.” The guards’ job is to inform a member of the Cerberus Assembly, and Trent lived the closest. “He didn’t know who it was, didn’t have any expectation necessarily. The minute he saw the illusion, he knew a powerful magic user was involved.” Seeing Caleb was an unexpected surprise. “I don’t think he wanted to throw down necessarily. He was more interested in figuring out exactly what the nature of this was.” Matt had multiple battlemaps that didn’t get used. “They managed to cleverly out-maneuver him in his surprise of seeing them.” The Nein rocketed up his priority list after that very quickly. Taliesin: “We’re so fucked.”

On Cad being “Uncle Caduceus” to Luc: “It’s the thing he misses most about home, is being a juvenile shit. It’s nice to be able to express that part of him again, as opposed to the serious, life-threatening, constant intensity. I’m very at home just being a little difficult.”

Cosplay of the Week: an amazing Beau! (_rumor_king, photography by kourtyardproductions on Instagram)

On Marion: “Like a lot of people in this whole narrative from the beginning, getting swept up in things larger than her and trying to adapt. This is a circumstance she’s avoided for a long time. She’s having a rough time in some ways, but simultaneously, she’s enduring. Like a mother would. She’s adapting, she’s making it work. Without much of a choice, you just kind of do the best you can and lean on the people around you to help you where they can. Luckily she has a daughter there. She’s probably surprising herself at how well she’s doing given the circumstances.” Matt talks about how weird it is to feel proud of character he’s created. “Of the many things Marion is incredible at, she’s a studier of the human condition. She’s seen and heard the stories of so many. That gives her a very special perspective. She can see elements of that fractured individual within Caleb, and knowing the good that he’s brought to his friends, and knowing he’s possibly saved her life from bad circumstances, she couldn’t not speak up. She very easily falls into that role of maternal comforter, because it’s one of the many things she’s really good at, she enjoys it, and she can see well when people need it.” He’s been enjoying having Marion along for this (despite the difficult circumstances) because he was always a little sad that they only got to see her for short periods of time.

On the Blooming Grove’s safety: “He’s afraid that it’s a premonition. He’s not pinned it down, but he’s happy to let his imagination wander. He at the very least feels like there’s a reason he’s having these thoughts, and that there’s a reason to go there. He’s a big believer that these things don’t just happen. He’s more likely to think that there’s a good reason to go versus a danger to go. He’s had a couple of ominous warnings lately, and he’s not used to them and not a fan. He’s more likely to read something like that as, there is something there waiting for you that you have to discover. There is something that is going to be helpful to you, even if it hurts.”

On Astrid: “While maybe not as readable in overall personality as Trent is, I still want to be careful to not discuss things that are still being discussed within the game and tossed around as possibilities. Astrid is another complicated character, as anyone would be who’s been through the life she has. I can’t say too much. I can say she’s definitely legitimately happy to see Bren/Caleb after all this time.” His reemergence definitely caught her off guard. “We’ll have to see where it goes from there.”

On Cad’s successful Divine Intervention: “He’s definitely hit the ‘on a mission from god’ stage. He’s been that way for the entire campaign of, this, this is what I’ve been waiting for. Even when it sucks a lot, it’s been nice that those things have popped up to remind him, no, no, you’re doing it right, everything’s good. Probably not going to survive the next week, but you’re doing good! Not quite 1 in a 100 chance, but I forget so often to make that roll, and it’s such a great roleplaying roll. I don’t know how at level 20 you could deal with the fact that you can do that every day.” 

On Zeenoth getting his comeuppance: the kidnapping was a concept Marisha brought up for Beau’s backstory, and Matt went with it even though it was opposed to the Cobalt Soul’s philosophy because he knew rooting it out would make for an interesting story. “I felt it was an important beat to bring to her, because it was something that she was wronged by. And to show that there are still some good people out there who are trying to make things right.” After the tentative peace, dealing with this became Dairon’s next focus. “I was glad we finally got to it. So many people don’t have the opportunity in their lives to get that sort of justice and vindication, so if I can bring elements of that justice into our world, even for our own hope, I’m going to do that. Especially for my wife’s character, especially for a character that deserves that.” Taliesin points out that if it had come too early, Beau wouldn’t have believed it.

Cad’s thoughts on the Tomb Taker betrayal? “He knew it was gonna come at some point. There was no way that was gonna last. He was hoping it was gonna last a little longer. He was really hoping they had a vested interest in getting them all the way to the end. Nope, this is apparently as far as we go, and he was not prepared for that.” He was expecting the potential for de-escalation. “Caduceus is the only character in there that doesn’t have a history with Lucien. I think he sees him a little more clearly than everybody else does. They’re all looking for this person that Clay, at least, is of the opinion that he’s just not there. This is a very manipulative, very dangerous infernal human. Just smarter than all of them. Really aware that there is no calculating what the hell is going to happen. Conversation is the only way you can deal with someone like that.”

Fan Art of the Week: An amazing Caleb closeup! (rynn_birb on Twitter)

Taliesin on Lucien: “I’m excited he’s the one that’s going to kill us all. Poetic that this is how the game ends.” Matt was delighted when Taliesin handed him carte blanche to do what he wanted with Molly’s past. “I was like ‘shit... oh, wait!’ The character of Lucien was always intended to be an antagonist so that it would have been Molly being chased by the person who wanted their body back. But then it happened that he got his body back.” Taliesin: “He’s so much worse than I ever hoped.”

Matt, on the Holy Avenger: “I hadn’t thought to initially even give that sword.” The good roll was the only reason Kima handed that over. “Well, sure, you get the sword. It was very reactionary, it wasn’t my intent originally. I was like, well, I mean, there’s two avenues she can take with this.” Multiclass into Paladin, or lean into the fact that her subclass is essentially a barbarian paladin. “This really works out in a uniquely beautiful way. Let me see if I can lay out a path for her to earn it.”

On Cad’s attempt at lying blowing up in his face: “He was like that kid that had a really bad day in high school and was like, you know what? I’m going to let loose. This is it. I’m gonna dye a streak in my hair. And then tries to give himself a haircut and ends up with half bangs. Well, okay, obviously I’m not that person. I was feeling a little distraught and I didn’t handle it well. Maybe I’m going dark... no, I’m not going dark. Nope.” Matt mentions how much he relates to Caduceus.

Matt, on the Eyes: “What can I tell you? I’m enjoying the hell out of it. The moment they began to really push to read that book, I was like, okay, this is on you. I’m excited for the point in the narrative where the march continues back to Eiselcross. I am almost impatient - not really - because we’re on the cusp of getting to more of the meat. There’s so much to learn, so much to see, so much to explore. I love instilling my players with absolute terror.”

Thoughts on Jester’s Tarot reading? Taliesin cackles. “Molly made the cards, so. Did it to himself, he did, he did.” Matt: “Once again, another example of things working out unexpectedly and too perfectly for an improvised moment. Fuck.” Taliesin: “Bless the wisdom of chaos.” Matt: “I love that even at this point in the campaign, Molly continues to fuck with people. I’m just so proud. That deeply shook Lucien, for reasons.” Taliesin: “It’s the everlasting gobstopper smoke bomb.”

[pentechnics]

Part 1 of A Strange Duet

Assassin!Din x Princess!Reader

Rating: M

Summary: You are a princess, next in line for Sorgan’s throne, and an assassin is sent to kill you. Not just any assassin, though: a Mandalorian. The best of the best. They never miss a mark.

Especially not Din Djarin.

The job? Do away with you before your coronation takes place. Child’s play to someone of his experience. He masquerades as a worker in the castle to try and get to you.

But then the most unexpected development occurs. One that threatens his mission, his nation, and his life.

The one thing that an assassin is never meant to do.

He starts to fall in love with his target.

Series Content: medieval-ish AU, assassin!Din, princess!reader, fluff, slow burn, sexual tension, falling in love, angst, mentions of injuries/scars, depictions of violence, usage of weapons, Din's POV and reader's POV, side character death (of OCs; no SW characters will die)

Notes: I don't think I've ever been so impatient with myself. I have been DYING to post this; I had the idea a while back and actually sat down to write it recently, and my GOODNESS. All the usual things that happen with a new fic happened all at once and I had no idea what to do with myself: the onslaught of ideas, thinking through the order of events/plot shit, playlist creation, skipping ahead to write the scenes I couldn't stop thinking about -- it was so much at once!

With that in mind, this is going to differ from my other multi-chapter fics. It's gonna be less structured. So I'm sorry if it ends up being a bit messy/chapters end up being shorter because of that lol but I hope you'll read along and enjoy anyway! And as always this chapter's kinda all over because I wanted to get all the setup out of the way here so we can just jump in going forward! Please let me know if you have questions!

Let me know what you think/if you'd like to be tagged for future parts! Thank you all so much! ❤️

Chapter content: stabbing

Part 2

~~~~

“She presents many challenges, Your Majesty. This must be taken care of before it causes the very downfall of Mandalore itself.”

The war room was dark, save for a single light above the large, oval table, its glow bouncing off the various figures surrounding it, each of them covered in armor from head to toe. The Queen’s best generals and admirals lined the seats leading to where she sat at the head.

“General Kryze,” she began, “I have no doubt that your intel is legitimate. What I need are answers. Solutions.”

Her tone was smooth and even, but urgent. The light bounced against her golden helmet as she moved her head. General Kryze turned to the war room’s door.

There stood two guardsmen to whom she nodded. One of them returned the gesture and left the room.

“Your Majesty, I present a plan that is sure to rid us of these concerns.”

A moment later the doors opened once more, the guardsman joined by another Mandalorian, fully clad in silver steel. Its brilliant sheen was blinding, almost an entire light source on its own.

The Queen sat up in her chair.

“Are you suggesting what I think, General?”

Kryze nodded.

“You did train him yourself, Your Majesty.”

The Queen looked back at the silver Mandalorian with a nod of her head.

“Have a seat, Din Djarin.”

~~~~

You sighed as you took a seat next to your mother, the Queen of Sorgan, after another long day.

Evening tea with her was your favorite time of day; it symbolized the end of social interaction and formalities, lengthy lectures from the Queen’s council, and other such preparations for the succession. You were no doubt ready to be Queen, more than happy to step up to the plate, but the work it took to get there was thorough and exhaustive.

Especially since the latest attempts on your life.

There had been several since you made your plans for the nation public. You had support from the majority of Sorgan’s citizens, yet many still were turned off by your ideas. Your approaches included increased rights for lower-class citizens, more equal wealth distribution, and more peaceful relations with other nations. Rich landlords were much too happy with how their lives currently proceeded, and you posed a threat to their privilege. And other nations feared an uprising among their own citizens to demand similar treatment.

“You would hope people were more considerate of each other,” you said as you stirred a couple sugar cubes into the amber liquid. Your mother sighed.

“Yes, my dear. While we have more courteous subjects than most, not everyone is open to such drastic change.”

The two of you carried on, discussing what the first steps of your new implementations might look like. But your mind wandered away from the topic.

“Ma,” you started, “you raised me to do this, and I’m honored and willing, but it upsets me to think of your reign ending.”

You looked into her eyes, a weight settling itself on your heart. Your mother was in perfect health, not an ounce of frailness to her regal figure. But even then she decided to pass the throne onto you early in order to help you through your first years, rather than waiting until she could no longer provide her support.

She had always seemed so untouchable, so invincible to you. She was the only Queen you’d known, and the people of Sorgan loved her. You had been ignoring every warning siren of changing times, each one falling on deaf senses until now. She put her warm hand over yours on the table.

“Sweetheart, don't you worry. It’s nothing more than a title change. I’ll still be here to help you. And I will always be on your side.”

“Just as you’ve always been,” you said with a smile.

“What concerns me is all these attacks,” she said, her tone becoming more serious. You nodded.

“There have already been three in the last two weeks! Even Sir Fett doesn’t know what to make of it.”

“It’s okay, Ma,” you said while squeezing her hand. “We expected this type of backlash from other nations.”

“Still,” she stared deep into your eyes. “It’s only a matter of time before Mandalore itself sends someone. We’ll need to be extra vigilant.”

You stayed silent. She had a point.

As of yet no one had sent a Mandalorian to try killing you. They were expensive, and in high demand all over the world. But with the growing animosity between yourself and some other world leaders, including the Queen of Mandalore, you would not be surprised if one of them worked up the nerve.

“You’re not still sneaking off at night, are you? It’s much too dangerous now.”

You hated lying to her. But you also hated that you had to sneak out in order to feel like a regular person. You never went far, just to an archery range set up for training in the nearby forest. And you never went alone: a trusted group, hand-picked by you, never left your side. And your personal guard, Dame Fennec Shand, was among them. Your mother and this group were the only ones that knew about your little habit.

Your mother had been on board when you began doing it as a teen, seeing as it was the only thing keeping you sane under your father’s domestic tyranny. But that was some time ago now. Since then the excursions slowly morphed into a reprieve from everyday stressors.

“Don’t worry, Ma. I am perfectly safe and well-protected. I don’t leave unless it’s necessary.”

Not a complete lie. Sometimes feeling free was necessary. She sighed, the worry lines on her forehead disappearing.

“It’s not even about the crown, dear, I just can’t bear the thought of losing you.”

“You won’t,” you said quickly. “I promise Ma, I’m going to be just fine. No one’s taking me down without a fight.”

She smiled.

“I’m glad we sent for more staff,” she said, “it’ll be nice to have some more friendly faces around.”

You nodded. Along with more guards, the Queen had recently hired more stable hands, artisans, and other essential staff that would help ensure the palace’s entourage was fully equipped for any major attacks. The idea was exciting given that your normal visits to the citizens of Sorgan were cut down in the name of your safety. You hadn’t spoken to anyone outside the palace in months.

Yet at the same time, the idea that this type of fortification was necessary to protect you and your mother was terrifying.

Your mother must’ve seen the shift in your energy. She cupped your cheek in her hand and tilted your face up to look at her.

“It’ll be alright, my flower. Don’t you worry.”

You smiled and pulled her into an embrace.

“I love you, Ma.”

~~~~

The familiar sensation of steel squelching around flesh flew through Din’s arm, the sound now an insignificant buzz in his ears.

“It’s nothing personal,” he breathed, voice low and neutral. “It’s just a job.”

He cradled the man’s body as he sputtered and struggled for breath, until he fell limp and slumped to the ground below. Din straightened up and cleaned the blood off his dagger before re-sheathing it, looking down at the victim below: a lowly blacksmith from the outskirts of Sorgan who’d accepted a job working with the Queen. A job Din had to take from him to achieve his goal.

He strode over to his horse and retrieved a thick fabric, taking care when wrapping the body up before concealing it underneath a nearby brush.

Din continued down the country road on his trusted steed, details of the job assigned to him days prior fresh in his mind.

Get in, kill the princess, get out.

His life had always been filled with similar vagueness and urgency. He’d been raised by other assassins much more skilled than himself, yet as he grew, his skills had bested them all. All except the Queen herself.

That’s what Mandalore was famous for, after all. Greatest, cleanest, quietest assassins of any nation. They were hired all across the world to deal with the unsavory desires of the wealthy and greedy.

Not that they always resorted to such methods to keep their own power; their military was a formidable force all its own that has won its share of fair fights.

But this was no fight. This was damage prevention.

This had to be discreet. Quiet. Unseen. Professional. Impersonal.

Just like Din.

The target was not an easy one. But according to General Kryze and the Queen herself, even at the behest of Commander Vizla, Din was the best of the best. If anyone could fulfill this task, it was him.

The coronation was set to take place in one year; because of past failures by other assassins, this would need to be a longer process. Din would use this time to settle in and lay low until he could do the deed, stick around just long enough to avoid suspicion, then disappear while everyone was distracted with the aftermath.

And so he rode on through the twilight, scheduled to arrive at the capital city by daybreak, and make quick work of the progressive princess.

~~~~

The following morning, the palace was bristling with kinetic energy. The arrival of new faces stirred up every working person under that roof, including you and your mother.

After every new arrival met you both as a group in the Queen’s chamber that morning, they were divided into their respectful designations and started getting familiar with the rest of the staff. Over the course of the week, you were to visit each area of the palace that they worked in and have a more personal introduction, ensuring you knew every single new face that would be in proximity to you and have a hand in your protection.

Not only was this a precaution to ensure that outsiders could not gain entry to the palace, but it also served as a show of gratitude and respect for the work each staff member did. Too long had they gone without recognition, you always thought. When your father was still around, he never believed in giving such dignity to the people who worked firsthand to uplift his nation.

That attitude disgusted you. With your mother’s support you wasted no time changing that dynamic when your father passed.

Between meetings with the council and other succession procedures, you made time to visit the stables, the kitchen, and the armed guard. Later on in the week, on a cloudy afternoon, you made your way to the structure that housed the artisans’ work area.

Only one new artisan joined the staff: a blacksmith, specializing in forging weapons out of steel. Such a skill was hard to come by outside of Coruscant or Mandalore; you were eager to meet them. Fennec accompanied you as you stepped into the building, where everyone halted their work and stood at attention.

“Good afternoon, Your Highness,” the head artisan, Kuiil, greeted.

“Please, as you were,” you said with a smile.

Kuiil was among your favorite people in the whole palace: always a joy to speak with, and always mindful of others’ well-being. And despite his small stature, he was capable of more than most hoped to be; he could weld, sew, and sculpt, among many other things. Much of Sorgan's more recent industrial success was owed to him.

After a brief catch-up with him, he brought you to the back of the main work room, where your new addition was already working on a project.

His back was turned to you as he shoveled coal into the fiery kiln, the tips of his brown hair damp with sweat, muscles straining against his efforts.

“Mr. Vaun,” Kuiil called, “Her Royal Highness has arrived.”

The man stilled and put down the shovel before turning to face you, his forearm coming up to wipe the sweat from his face.

Your brow rose as you took him in: pointed jaw and nose, silky brown skin, dark brown scruff that matched the short, curly mop on his head. Bushy eyebrows were slightly scrunched together. His breaths came in slow and deep, his chest puffing up with each one and stretching out the thin tunic he wore.

But what really caught your attention were his eyes. They were dark, hooded, yet shimmering with life. Like a stained-glass window that gave way for light, but partially shielded whatever lay on the other side.

They were beautiful. You cleared your throat as heat began to collect in your cheeks.

His gaze darted about before coming to rest on you, his expression tight.

“Your Highness,” he mumbled with a small bow of the head.

Making eye contact with him lit a fire in you. The hair on the back of your head stood, your heartbeat quickening. Something sparked in his eyes as well, something you couldn’t identify. You took a deep breath and gave him a small nod in return.

“This is Din Vaun,” Kuiil said, “he’ll be helping us create more steel weapons. And he’ll also be helping me with the construction of a new wagon I’ve designed.”

“That’s wonderful,” you said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vaun. Thank you so much for joining us.”

Mr. Vaun’s brow scrunched together for a moment before he nodded again.

“Thank you for-” he cleared his throat, “for the opportunity, Your Highness.”

~~~~

Din didn’t dare move a muscle until you and your guard had left the building. It was strange enough having anyone see his face after all these years, but to look directly into the eyes of his target…

That was new.

But there was no other way. In order to blend in, he couldn’t wear his Mandalorian uniform. While there were some citizens of Sorgan who came from Mandalore, the Queen knew them all and was known for screening them before granting them permission to stay.

It never would’ve worked for Din. He’d become a suspect right away once you were dead. He had to take every precaution to keep that from happening.

When Kuiil assured him that he was free to keep working, Din picked up his shovel and went back to tossing coal into the raging flame. Memories of the day before — killing off the unfortunate soul that was supposed to be here, then strategically hiding his Mandalorian gear before arriving — flashed in his mind.

Taking it off irritated every first instinct he held.

No one in Mandalore removed their helmets in front of people outside their families. Since Din did not have one, he did not remove it unless he was alone. That was the way. Only the Queen and some of his peers knew his face, and even they hadn’t seen it in decades. She had granted him a pardon for this job, but that did not erase Din’s guilt.

Even when he got here, he didn’t dare make eye contact with anyone.

But then you walked in. And for some reason he couldn’t help himself.

Din had never felt more naked, more vulnerable, than he did under your gaze. It was as if your bright eyes peered into his very soul. Goosebumps rose all over his skin. Some kind of spark was lit in the very pit of his stomach.

Was that normal?

Din sighed as he shoved one last pile of coal into the fire, staring into the flames to distract his mind. His jobs had never before required him to outfit an opposing army with some of the best craftsmanship in the world, but there was little he could do about that now. If success meant sacrificing a few swords and spears, so be it.

Plus, it gave him a small piece of familiarity to cling to.

~~~~

“Where is he from again?” you asked Fennec on your way back to the main palace.

“I’m afraid I don’t know, Your Highness. I’ll be sure to find out for you.”

“I’ve never seen eyes like his before,” you muttered to yourself.

And you really hadn’t. They had a certain fire to them, something alive and bursting with energy, unlike anything you could’ve imagined. The sight of them was eternally pinned to your mind’s eye, the moment you spent staring into them replaying any time you so much as blinked.

Your next activity for the day was a combat lesson. At your request, and despite the former King’s disapproval, you were being trained to fight. With any and all weapons, and with your own hands as well. After years of practice you were now a master archer and sword fighter, along with some other choice weapons. Your current lessons were in hand-to-hand combat as well as jousting lances.

But what you truly wanted to learn was something no one in the vicinity was able to teach you: spear fighting.

You weren’t sure why you were drawn to spears. Perhaps it was the wise tales your mother used to tell you as a child. Or the histories you used to read about that described how your ancestors used to use them. Regardless, every spear master in the Queen’s army was currently at Sorgan’s borders to screen any and all entries and exits, serving as the nation’s first line of defense.

You changed and spent an hour practicing hand-to-hand combat with Fennec in the palace’s sweatroom: an area your mother had converted solely for you. The former ballroom gained much more use with its revamp, now sporting various equipment and weapons in the corners and along the walls, cushioned mats all around, and a view of the courtyard below from the grand windows.

Guards were stationed outside the door and on the balcony that lined the room anytime you were inside. This way you were given privacy to train, but should you need them, every guard would be able to hear you from their post.

You were getting better at blocking Fennec’s hits and returning them with your own. As she swept in with her leg you jumped up to dodge and tackled her to the ground, pinning her arms on either side of her head.

“Well done, Princess. Nice dodge.”

You chuckled and caught your breath as you helped her up. Your favorite part about these lessons was having your instructors be less formal with you. You made it clear they could address you however they pleased in this room, that rank was no factor. It established their agency and built a sense of trust you otherwise wouldn’t have.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Your Highness, it’s time for the council meeting.”

You groaned.

“Why so glum?” Fennec asked.

“As interesting as these meetings are,” you started, wiping down your sweaty face with a cloth, “they are also incredibly long. My mind can only absorb so much at once.”

“Well, perhaps we can arrange something more relaxing for you this weekend. A treat for getting through them.”

She winked at you, and you grinned.

“Gather the gang, set a time.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

~~~~

At the end of that week, on Saturday morning, Din made his way into the palace with the rest of the artisans for breakfast. Apparently you let all the staff members eat in the palace’s dining hall and feast on food made by the royal chefs. This wasn’t the type of treatment Din expected. Given Mandalore’s customs, it was confusing.

He eyed the large dining area as he walked through. Up until then he just sat with Kuiil while he ate, but it was about time he started gathering information.

His intel told him that the golden pauldrons worn on the right shoulders of the armed guard soldiers meant they were Commanders. Two golden pauldrons signified Generals, and golden helmets signified Admirals. There were not many Generals or Admirals to be seen around the dining area, but Din spotted a couple Commanders.

In the far corner one sat alone. Perfect, Din thought. Surely this guard wouldn’t remember talking with a random staff member, and he may be able to learn a helpful thing or two.

Once Din received a tray of food, he pretended to search for a seat before making his way towards the guard.

“Pardon me, may I join you? I’m afraid the other tables are full.”

The guard nodded and waved him over. Din sat across from him.

“I don’t recognize you, are you new here?” he asked.

“Yes,” Din started, “just arrived a few days ago.”

The guard nodded and held out his hand.

“Cobb Vanth.”

“Din Vaun.”

It felt strange to use an alias. Another thing no past job required of him. Though it did provide a sense of security, like he was still able to hide a piece of himself from the world.

“Pleasure to meet you, Din,” Cobb said with a crooked grin. “Tell me, what do you do ‘round here?”

“I’m a blacksmith,” Din said in between bites of food. “I specialize in steel weapons.”

Cobb’s brow raised.

“That’s a pretty rare skill. Where you from where you could learn to weld like that?”

Din gulped and mentally began to scan a world map. There was only one other nation as well-known for its steelwork.

“Coruscant.”

“Ah, makes sense.”

“How about you?” Din asked, trying to steer the conversation away from himself.

“I’m from Tatooine. Tiny little district called Mos Pelgo that got taken over back in the Bandit days.”

Din nodded. The Bandit Days referred to the purging of most of Tatooine by foreign invaders. They’d since been run out, but the nation was left in ruins.

“Luckily I made it out before it got real bad. Found my way here, and the rest is history.”

“It’s interesting how this place operates,” Din said, “I didn’t expect to be treated this way by royalty.”

“They are made different here,” Cobb said with a nod. “Unlike most, the Princess and the Queen see us all as humans. And they treat us as such. Though the King wasn’t like that, the old bastard.”

“What do you mean?”

“The King was basically like any ol’ tyrant you could imagine. Always scowlin’, had to get his message across by yellin’. Made Her Majesty and Her Highness miserable.”

Cobb shook his head and bit into his food. Din scrunched his brow. This guy was talking about the royals as if they were his family.

“The Princess pushed for better treatment of palace staff while he was around, but he always ignored her. Didn’t stop her from sneakin’ around and doin’ it anyway.”

Din ate a mouthful of bread, unsure of what to do with this information.

“Now that the old creaton is gone she really stepped up and made sure we were taken care of. And so we do that in return when we can.”

Now that was interesting.

“How’s that?”

Cobb eyed Din with a brow raised.

“However she may need.”

He left it at that and revisited his meal. Din gave a small nod and did the same. These dynamics were going to make it difficult to learn anything useful.

“Room for one more?”

Din looked up to see a familiar woman in black armor settling into a seat at the small table.

“Ah, Miss Shand,” Cobb started, tone playful, “there will always be room for you.”

She waved him off and turned to Din.

“You're the new blacksmith, correct? Mr. Vaun?”

Din nodded as he finished chewing on his food. He cleared his throat and held out a tentative hand to her, hoping that mimicking Cobb's gesture would come off the right way.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Fennec Shand,” she said as she shook it with a grin.

“Can’t believe we got someone from Coruscant,” Cobb said, “Queen must be thrilled.”

“It is pretty lucky,” Fennec responded, “was there a reason you left Coruscant?”

She eyed Din with a certain level of skepticism, her eyes seemingly searching for some kind of clue. Din took a breath, trying to come up with an answer.

“I, um,” he started, “I left Coruscant not too long ago. Wanted to travel, explore new places.”

Even to Din it was a dumb answer. He inwardly cringed as he waited for Fennec and Cobb to react. They were silent, as if waiting for him to continue.

“My life there wasn’t much, I…” he paused and thought for a moment, thinking of how to expand. “I wanted to do something more with the skills I have. And the chance just wasn’t there in Coruscant.”

Fennec nodded.

“That’s very noble.”

The three of them made idle chit chat after that, talking about other new arrivals and telling anecdotes from various little moments around the palace. Din mostly listened, searching through their words for any information that may help with the job, and berating himself for how he handled what few questions he was asked.

No prior job had required this much talking.

Din finished up his meal and excused himself from the table, ears still listening in as he walked away.

“Oh, and Cobb-” Fennec said, “meet us for a session at the stables.”

Din's brows shot up; that was obvious code for something.

And he was going to find out what it was.

~~~~

That night, you were finishing the laces on your riding boots just as a soft knock sounded at your door.

“Come in,” you said.

Fennec came through with a grin.

“You ready, Princess?”

You returned her smile and nodded.

“Let’s do it.”

The two of you snuck through the dark and silent corridors of the palace, making your way down the grand staircase and through the foyer to reach the stables. Yellow candlelight bounced off the walls and along the surrounding surfaces. The faces of your ancestors that were immortalized in portraits partially came to life under their glow.

Awaiting you among the rows of horses were Cobb, Sir Fett, your seamstress, Omera, and Koska, another member of the guard. You and Fennec stepped through the hay-strewn cobblestone to reach them.

“Are we all set?” you asked Sir Fett.

“Ready when you are, my dear.” he said with a grin.

With that you led them out towards the exit, but stopped short when you spotted a new horse at the end of the row.

She was gorgeous; a grey coat with dark spots in some areas that seemed to shine against the dim yellow light, a mane blacker than the void itself. She was a decent specimen, nothing overly fancy. Yet something about her entranced you. Her head drooped as she slumbered. You resisted the urge to reach over the gate and pet her.

“Whose horse is this?”

“I believe it belongs to one of the new arrivals,” Sir Fett responded.

“She’s beautiful,” you whispered.

After another moment of admiring the steed, you pushed on. The group’s horses were already saddled and ready to ride just outside. You mounted yours and gently coaxed him forward down the dirt path that lined the outskirts of the palace. The cool air of the night ignited every goosebump in your arms with its bite; you shivered against it.

The world around you was almost pitch black, save for the soft moonlight that outlined each stone in the palace walls and each tree that protruded out of the ground. Fennec, Sir Fett, Cobb, and Omera were carrying lanterns that mixed their ochre hue into the night as well. The group soon headed off palace grounds and into the dark forest ahead. The smell of pine overwhelmed your senses.

Despite the increased danger that accompanied the night, you couldn’t help smiling as you took in its beauty.

Throughout every era of your life, you lived for the night. It was your friend, your confidante, your savior. It kept your stressors away, whisking you into its fantastical bliss whenever you so much as glanced into the starry sky above, or gazed at the ever-present moon. The night gave you freedom, gave you purchase to pursue the types of happiness that you didn’t have the time for otherwise.

A sudden rustling pulled you from your thoughts and had you halting your horse. Everyone else followed suit, slowly surrounding you.

“Which direction did it come from?” you whispered to Fennec.

“Behind us.”

Sir Fett turned his horse around.

“Stay put, Your Highness. Koska, with me.”

The two of them guided their horses down the way you all had come. You held your breath and waited, your hand gripping the handle on your sword.

“Show yourself,” Sir Fett called, “There’s no use running.”

Silence.

Then a sudden thud.

Every head turned in the direction of the noise.

In the path before you, a tree branch had fallen right where you would’ve passed through.

“Forgive me,”

You turned towards the voice to see Mr. Vaun standing before you all, hands raised in the air.

“I heard noises and wanted to investigate. When I noticed the weakening branch I wanted to distract you without frightening you. My apologies, Your Highness.”

His story sounded off in a way. You dismounted your horse and made your way towards him.

“Your Highness-”

You cut Sir Fett off with a hand in the air, your eyes not leaving Mr. Vaun’s.

“How did you notice the branch, Mr. Vaun?”

“I could hear it crackling,” he said, “It’s a very quiet sound but a trained ear can perceive it.”

“A trained ear?” you pressed.

“Yes.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. Why would a blacksmith have such training?

“Why did you investigate on your own?” you asked.

His eyes bore into yours. Even in the dark of night, their fiery brown irises inspired a flame of your own under your skin.

“I used to be a guard back home. It’s an instinct of mine.”

“You were a blacksmith and a guard?” you raised a brow.

“Yes,” he said, “that’s not uncommon in Coruscant.”

You raised your chin as you took in his words. Fennec had mentioned learning he was from Coruscant; it only increased the mystery around him.

Coruscant was very unlike Sorgan, but not in ways that were negative. Their customs and traditions were as unique to them as those of any nation, but things like this were a stark contrast to Sorgan, where guards and blacksmiths didn't have enough common training for one to easily become both.

That would at least explain how he heard the tree branch, you thought. You squeezed the handle on your sword.

“Tell me, Mr. Vaun, how good are you with a weapon?”

His lip twitched upward in what looked like amusement.

“Good enough, Your Highness.”

You narrowed your eyes. The air between you both was suddenly thicker. Even though there was a distance between you, it seemed as though his very eyes were feeling their way around your skin, dissecting your every move. You stepped closer to him until he was just a couple feet in front of you.

You had to look up to maintain eye contact as he towered over you. You tilted your head as you took in his features under the moonlight teasing through the trees; sharp contrasts outlined the bridge of his nose and the apples of his cheeks, along with his chin and forehead. His eyes seemed to glow in the night, their warmth thawing out the darkness around them. His lips were in a firm line across his face, a slight plumpness visible among their shadows.

You smirked. Time to test his confidence.

In the blink of an eye you drew your sword and swung. He reacted with unexpected practice and ease, dodging your blow and moving behind you, grabbing your arm and positioning the sword at your neck, the other pinned behind your back.

Adrenaline surged through your veins. His breath tickled your ear, the warmth from his hands burning into your skin. You were amazed at how big they were; your own dwarfed in comparison. His heart thumped against your back. Even, but fast.

You turned your head to look at him. His face was just inches from your own. He returned your gaze, eyes darting down to your lips for a brief second.

You heard horses shuffling about behind you.

“It’s alright,” you called, unable to look away from him. “I’m fine.”

You stayed in his grip for a prolonged moment before stepping away and sheathing your sword, his grip on you slipping and his warmth leaving with it. The air felt twice as cold as it did before.

“Had to see for myself, after all,” you said with a breathy laugh, despite your shaking nerves. “Talk is cheap around here when it comes to skill.”

Fennec shook her head with a chuckle.

Mr. Vaun looked between you and the group behind him, confusion etched all over his expression.

“Come with us,” you said with a smile. “You can ride with me.”

He seemed even more confused. You didn’t give him room to ask questions before ushering him towards your horse.

“I don’t know about this, Princess,” Sir Fett said, genuine concern coating his words. You smiled at him.

“I have some of the best warriors in Sorgan right here,” you started, turning around to face the group. “If he somehow fucks up, I trust he’ll be dead before any of you could take a breath.”

You looked back at Mr. Vaun.

“But I have a feeling he’s not going to…”

He gulped under your gaze. You smirked and raised a brow at him.

“Are you now, Mr. Vaun?”

His eyes betrayed a sense of foreboding that you couldn’t fathom. But there was a hint of admiration among them as well. He shook his head.

“Good.”

You walked ahead and mounted your horse, holding your hand out to him. He stared at it, then looked around to the rest of the group before taking it.

Electricity bloomed between your skin and his. It took everything you had not to flinch away. He hoisted himself up behind you, his chest pressed flush against your back, his thighs hugging yours. You took a deep breath and embraced the warmth he provided as you turned your horse and nudged him forward.

The ride to the archery range seemed longer than usual. Having Mr. Vaun pressed against you was doing something to your senses; you could only seem to focus on his presence. He was warm, still, heartbeat steady against your back once more. Part of you wanted to lean into his chest. Another part of you feared for your life as you replayed him disarming you with a scary type of precision. He had the blade of your sword pressed just above the skin of your neck before you could even register that he moved.

You had no reason to believe he would, but what was to stop him from dropping you where you stood?

And why was that so thrilling?

The group halted once the forest parted and gave way to the archery range: a vast rectangular clearing fenced by the trees of the surrounding forest, more than open enough for a team of archers to practice in peace. It was almost like its own field of reality, independent of the earth around it. Posts designed to hold arrows stood in a line close to you while targets were placed on the far end. You let Mr. Vaun dismount first before hopping off your horse and tying him to a nearby tree. The rest of the group followed suit and you all gathered in a circle in the grass.

“What’ll it be tonight, Princess?” Fennec asked. You stroked your chin in thought, taking in the group surrounding you.

Including yourself there were seven of you: one more than usual. You eyed Mr. Vaun as he looked down at the grass; he was broad, muscles smooth yet thick underneath his tunic. Tall, but not wonky. He should be able to keep up with our usual activities, you thought to yourself.

You channeled the events of the week through your mind, searching through them for the release you’d been lacking. Endless meetings, sitting down and listening to swarm after swarm of new information about other nations, other nobility, and changing political climates. You had been surrounded by conversations concerning potential battle, peace talk strategies, and overall fear and rigidity.

You smiled as you thought of the perfect activity.

“Let’s start with some good old-fashioned sparring,” you said, “then we’ll shoot some arrows.”

“I call Boba,” Koska called with a grin. “I’ve been waiting for an excuse to punch you in the lip, old man.”

Boba laughed and shoved her shoulder.

“Easy there, little one.”

They ran off to begin sparring while you eyed the rest of the group.

“I’ll take watch, Princess.” Cobb said as he raised his hand.

“You sure?”

He nodded.

“Better than getting my ass kicked by any of you lovely ladies.”

With a chuckle he ran off to remount his horse.

“Fennec, why don’t you spar with Omera tonight?”

“Sure,” Fennec gave Omera a nod. Her cheeks turned a rosy pink as she nodded in return and headed off.

You smiled at them before looking towards your remaining partner. He was still staring down at the ground.

“You seem uncomfortable, Mr. Vaun.”

He quirked his head before sighing.

“This is just a very different environment than I’m used to, Your Highness.”

“I understand,” you said with a nod. “I don’t expect that the royal family of Coruscant would do things like this.”

He nodded.

“But if you’re going to be part of this little group of mine, you'll need to be okay with being a little less formal. That’s the best part of these outings.”

He dragged his eyes up to meet yours.

“You only just got here, I understand that it’ll take time. For now let’s just spar.”

You stepped up to him, but he didn’t move from his position.

“Simple stuff,” you said with a shrug. “The goal is just to pin the other person down first. Don’t be fooled by Koska and Sir Fett, no brawl needs to be had.”

His lips twitched upward. You gave him a smile.

“What do you say?”

His eyes searched yours, curiosity dancing about in their brown glow. Your smile grew a bit as you waited for his response.

After a moment he nodded and stepped forward. You began to circle each other, gaze unbroken.

Neither of you said a word. You continued staring each other down for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually his eye darted behind you to the other two pairs going at it.

That’s when you charged.

You came at him with lightning-fast speed, aiming to tackle him down. He swerved around your arms and tripped you. You stumbled forward but found your footing just in time to pull the same trick on him. With a huff he fell to the ground; you pressed your heel to his neck.

“Nice try,” you said.

He looked dazed. Confused. It was your favorite look to get from an opponent who didn’t know your strength.

“Wait,” he breathed, “is the rule to get your opponent on the ground, or to pin them down?”

Your brow shot up. You tried to jerk your foot away, but it was too late.

He grabbed onto it and dragged you down with him, arms pressing onto your shoulders. You let out a laugh and rolled him over.

The two of you traveled through the grass, desperate to keep the other still. His touch was so warm and firm against your chill. Finally you were able to press your knees to his sides and your legs over his hips to keep him below you, your arms firmly planting his shoulders on the ground.

He looked even more confused than before, eyes wide and lips slightly parted as he caught his breath. You were catching yours as well; his arms were sprawled out on either side of his head, yet their firm grip was stained to your skin.

His chest heaved beneath yours. You couldn’t help matching his pattern. His eyes summoned that same flame deep within you from the day you met him, the one you didn't understand. What was it about him, you wondered. You tried to push the thought aside and regain your playful demeanor. You leaned in closer to him with a grin.

“Pin ‘em down,” you whispered, “Thanks for the reminder.”

~~~~

When the group returned to the stables, Fennec took your horse and returned him to his slumber. You stood outside with Mr. Vaun, the rest of the group loitering nearby.

“You know, I enjoyed having you along tonight.”

“Thank you.”

“You put up quite a fight,” you said with a chuckle. “It was refreshing.”

“How so?” he asked. You shrugged.

“I guess I just get the feeling that the others go easy on me. It might just be subconscious, but it’s there.” You gave him a smile. “It was nice to get a fairer fight.”

He gulped and gave you a nod, his energy becoming timid once more.

“I’d love for you to join us next time, if you’d like. As long as I can count on your discretion.”

“My discretion?”

You nodded, your tone becoming more serious.

“Very few know that I do this. And I technically shouldn’t be now, given recent events.” You stepped closer to him.

“If you’re to join us, this must be kept silent. Is that understood?”

He looked you up and down before nodding.

“Good,” you said with a smirk. You patted his chest with the back of your hand and turned to head in the stables.

“Welcome aboard, Mr. Vaun.”

Fennec met up with you next to the stable that held your horse.

“Are you sure about this, Princess? We don’t know him yet.”

You shrugged and looked back the way you came.

“I’ve got a feeling about him. Like he might be hiding something, or that there’s just something more to him. I want to find out what it is.”

“Should you really be running towards unknowns right now?”

“I know,” you turned back to her. “I really shouldn’t. But I have you all to protect me. It’ll all be fine.”

You stopped there, but there were a million more thoughts in your head. You didn’t mention the mysterious heat that erupted in your gut whenever you looked at him, the tingling sensation left over from his touch, or the way his peculiarly strong fighting skills had you feeling a new type of thrill that you so desperately wanted to chase.

Or the amount of fascinating falsehoods that lurked within his words.

~~~~

As you and Fennec weaved your way through the palace, you replayed the look on Omera’s face when you paired them up.

“How was sparring with Omera?” you asked.

“Fine,” she said with a shrug. “She’s very capable.”

You smirked. Omera’s crush on Fennec was more obvious than the sun in the sky, yet somehow Fennec was clueless to it. You wondered how long Omera would wait before saying something.

When you got back to your room, Fennec bid you goodnight before taking her post outside your door.

You had multiple guards on most nights, but when you snuck out it was necessary for Fennec to take an extra shift. You felt guilty each time for depriving her of a couple hours of sleep that she definitely needed. But she never complained.

You were lucky to have her. Every day you were thankful for her, and for every other person that worked so hard to uphold the palace you called home.

As you got ready and settled into bed, you replayed the night’s events in your mind. The memory of Mr. Vaun’s body tangled with yours while you were rolling around, his large, calloused hands pressing your shoulders down, felt like a phantom floating above you. As if he were still right there, staring at you with those mysterious brown eyes.

You turned onto your side and nuzzled into your pillow.

Having new people in the castle was a good change of pace, but this was a much more drastic shift.

~~~~

This was the polar opposite of laying low.

The events of the night before replayed in Din’s head while he poured the liquid steel into its mold.

He only meant to follow you to see if he could learn your routine, to see if he could sneak up on you when the time came.

He hadn’t expected a brigade of Sorgan’s best to be taking you for a joyride.

And he certainly hadn’t expected to join in.

Damn that tree branch. He could’ve let it crush you, but then he wouldn’t get paid. The only way to prevent that was to reveal himself to you. But the resulting outcome complicated everything.

His job required that his presence be quiet, that he keep his head down and blend in. But he failed, and now you had a new expectation for him. And if his interactions up to now said anything about you, this meant all of Sorgan’s highest ranking personnel would notice if he were to suddenly vanish after your death. He had to rethink his timing.

Yet on the other hand, that excursion taught him things about you he would not have otherwise known. He may have held back during your wrestling match, but not by much. Your strength was impeccable; it impressed him. You were much more than the frail royal he assumed you were. Watching you shoot bullseye after bullseye was also eye-opening; who knew a Princess would be a master archer as well?

His mind continued to wander, moving back to the moment you tested him. He had to hold himself back from accidentally cutting you down with your own sword, and the look in your eyes was still stuck in his mind. You looked frightful, yes, but something else was flirting with it. Something he couldn’t identify.

Something he wanted to see more of.

Seeing your eyes so filled with light and life, something he could never see through his helmet, sent a shiver down his spine.

You were something else. It wouldn’t be as easy to kill you as he initially thought. His whole plan needed rethinking.

The skin of his shoulders began to tingle, right where you'd touched him. Every inch of him was burning when he got back to bed that night, and he laid awake with the phantoms of your arms and legs pinning him down; when was the last time anyone had laid their hands so close to his skin? He couldn't recall.

He took a deep breath. It was too much.

First your eyes, now your touch.

All too quickly you were exposing him to aspects of life that never occurred in Mandalore. And he wasn't sure what to do about it. Every alarm began screaming in his head.

This was not the way.

So why was he so intrigued by it?

****

ASD taglist: @fisforfulcrum

perm taglist: @booksarekindaneat @bluemacaron @c-a-v-a-l-r-y @whataenginerd @christina-loves @literallydontlook @the-little-ewok @salome-c

[coalitiongirl]

Fic Recs (under 300 edition)

So I wanted to get back to reading Swan Queen fic regularly, and I asked people to rec longfic that they'd read (not written) and loved that had fewer than 300 kudos! I haven’t read most of these, but I’ve collected them here so y’all can go through the list and discover some new fics with me! Please try to kudos and review every fic that you read! It means the world to the writers and will keep em writing, and then we all win. 😁

Atonement by SgtMac (M): With Regina's magical heart failing thanks to years of previous evil, Emma and Regina and Henry (and Granny!) set out to save her life by traveling to the Enchanted Forest and requesting help from ancient magical beings known as the Guardians. Given a mission as simple as it is impossible - to achieve atonement by creating peace - the ladies find themselves joining a rebellion and fighting for the very soul of the Enchanted Forest all while trying to help Regina to understand that the self-loathing and guilt which have driven most of her actions don't have to doom her chance for a new beginning or even, a chance to live and love again. A S4(ish) SQ love story set against the turmoil of war and the chaotic savagery of the old world.

Blood and Sand by cheshire6845 (E): A/U The Savior is a slave forced into the role of fighting as a gladiator for the House of Hearts. The odds are against her survival as she will have to win in the arena, navigate Cora's schemes, outlast a general's vengeance, and not be killed out of spite by the current House of Hearts Champion - Regina the Undefeated. This story follows the major plot points of Starz Spartacus with some twists along the way.

But what if there was no time by KizuRai (M): When she wakes up, it's dark. She can't move, she can't see, she can't feel and she can't hear. Where am I? She feels a forceful oppression, pressing her down, draining her of her energy and she's powerless to stop it. How did I get here? The question of here is relative, she's not even sure where here is. What happened? There must be some reason for being stuck here but her memory is fuzzy, like all her thoughts are being sifted through a filter. Who am I? She's not sure if she actually exists or she suddenly became sentient in the darkness.She hears a voice reverberating in the distance, it's distorted and quiet but she hears it all the same. It breaks the monotony of the silence. Someone's coming for her, they will get her out. She's just not sure she wants them to as the price might be too great.

Finding Home by evl_rgl (T): “I wanted to remember you so badly that I pulled back your cursed town just so that the memories would make sense. I needed you so badly that even when I had no memory of you, I still tried to find you.” Regina gave Emma and Henry memories of a happy life together before they fled Pan’s curse, leaving them with no memories of their lives in Storybrooke. However, when the memory spell shows signs of failing, threatening to rip apart the minds of both Emma and Henry, Regina makes a drastic choice to go back and fix it, understanding that it will mean living alone in a world where her son doesn’t know her. Was the spell really faulty, though? (swanqueen)

Five Flames by MariaComet (U): In the past, Emma Nolan disconnected from her peers in high school, preferring to keep to herself. In her sophomore year of high school, she decided to try and join the boy’s wrestling team because she was bored. She didn’t expect herself to become the champion of the most bullied kid in school or the secret best friend of the school queen. She also didn’t expect to join a club that would change her life. In the present, Emma is trying to cope with a humiliating loss in her martial arts career. She claims to be “training” but is stuck in limbo between wanting to retire and try again. She is isolated from her former best friend, Regina Mills, a local celebrity chef and the rest of her old friends. When one of them calls her with an idea to honor their deceased teacher, she is confronted with unresolved feelings and questions about how powerful love truly is.

A Glamour of Truth by PrincessCharming (T): After 2x10, Regina uses magic to show Emma the obvious truth. A tentative trust forms between them amid hilarious bickering. With Emma's help, Regina struggles to regain a place in her son's life... until Cora arrives, wanting her daughter back. Pieces of Regina's past emerge showing that the board was set long before the game started. The final battle begins soon.

His Dark Materials 'verse by MoonlitMidnight (M): A modern Alternate Universe in which Dæmons (the external physical manifestation of a person's 'inner self' that takes the form of an animal) are present. In which Emma and Regina have led slightly different lives and they make slightly different choices.

How Many Miles to Avalon? (WIP) by RavenOutlander (E): Regina would do anything to save Emma from the darkness and bring her back home safe and sound. Even put up with the two idiots, Captain Guyliner and a bunch of dwarves she decidedly wanted to drop off at the nearest exit. But in their search for Emma, they find that she might not need that much saving after all. Caught up in a search for the infamous Philosopher Stone, an all out war between DunBroch and Camelot, and ghosts from the past to haunt her every waking moment, Regina finds herself scrambling to keep her and her family's happy endings from falling apart.

The Hyperion by FrankenSpine (M): After wishing upon what she believes is a shooting star, Emma Swan finds herself aboard the Hyperion, the royal starship of an alien Queen from a faraway galaxy. She quickly learns of the tensions between the Queen's people and her own, but the Queen takes an interest in her and agrees to take her away from Earth forever. Adventure awaits. *(Loosely based on Guardians of the Galaxy with just a hint of Farscape)*

If Wishes Came True (It Would've Been You) by Angeii_K (M): After Regina films a guest appearance on her friend Neal’s popular show, he invites her to spend the weekend with him and his girlfriend. What she never expected was to actually like the woman. Sparks fly between the two, which results in them questioning everything and making choices they will later regret. 4 years later, they meet again in the most unexpected of ways. Now co-stars on the same show, they are forced to work through the emotions from their last encounter. What will happen next? Only time will tell.

The King Doesn’t Have To Know (WIP) by highheelsandchocolate (M): The White Knight had never seen anyone like her before: the Queen was nothing short of mesmerizing. Her possessive yet neglectful husband, however, was another thing entirely.

The Lich by Dangereaux (M): Gay disaster Emma, exasperated Regina, and a monster. A Halloween special.

Maybe if We Close Our Eyes we Can Reach the Stars by wellthizizdeprezzing (T): Emma is a lonely astronaut. Regina is an adventuring alien. Their paths cross leading them onto a journey of new discovery. Between galaxies and many miles of cold black space, despite not speaking the same language, they manage to fall for each other. An out of this world love story.

A prisoner long forgotten by sugarsweet_19 (M): ‘I wish I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood and as black as the wood of the window-frame. Soon after she had a little girl, who was as white as snow, with lips as red as blood and with her hair as black as the ebony of the window-frame. She was therefore called Snow-white.” This is how our story starts but how will it end?The evil queen as been locked up in a tower and forgotten that is until princess Emma looks for a place to hid from her parents after they tell her she has to marry Neal the son of the dark one.

Revenge of the Three Little Pigs by mskyo (M): Regina and Emma find themselves alone and looking for the rest of their party. The Evil Queen must face the consequences of her past actions. Will Emma come to her aid, or understand that justice must be served... *Some chapters have fairly graphic sex, and violence*

Things I Almost Remember by cheshire6845 (T): A/U Despite an oncoming war between the Dark and the Light, Emma and Regina are best friends growing up in the Enchanted Forest. When war does come, they find themselves on opposite sides. Regina will have to defy her mother to save Emma. Will Emma be able to save Regina when Cora curses her daughter to live in the Land without Magic?

What We Make (WIP) by DiazTuna (M): “My mother.” He says calmly. He’d known all along, she’s aware. But he’d known that today would be the day that would get this going. She wants to ask what it was like, to have woken up this morning, laced up his boots and walked into hell just knowing. “It’s programmed the cyborg to kill her. Before I have a chance to be born.” -In which the leader of the future sends his best soldier back to the past to save his mother from a killer cyborg. Terminator AU.

The Wrong Way by pcworth (M): Takes place right after Zelena steals Regina's heart. Zelena offers Regina a chance to go back in time with her and change both of their lives for the better. But what will be the price of that decision. Slow-burn to SwanQueen

zombie trash by 13pens (T): Zelena could have her brain and eat it, too. Fic operates on three premises 1. this takes place in any universe where zelena is a reformed asshole 2. zombies are a thing and exist iZombie style 3. i have NO chill

[caught-in-a-seesaw-stigma]

Caught Recommendations

Author’s Note: I’m trying to keep track of the amazing BTS-themed series and fics that I’m reading on Tumblr, so I decided to create this post with some short reviews (so I can have them all in one place). These writers are amazing and they keep me coming back for more. They are all smutty as hell and full of amazing characters and conflicts.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, and I will be adding them as more catch my eye. Check them out if you get a chance!

Mafia AUs

The Birdcage  & the sequel The Lion’s Den by @untaemedqueen

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, Mafia AU; Jimin x Reader

What You Need to Know: Jimin-heavy series (and sequel) that dives into Seoul and Busan mafia underground, violence, guns, knives, bombs, pregnancies, and OH so much drama - the writer creates some fascinating characters that we root for and fall in love with over and over again.   

Thou Shall Not Steal by @xherxx

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, Mafia AU, OT7

What You Need to Know:  The richest mafia lord in the industry throws a huge yet twisted deal before he retires and every gang out there wants to get their hands on his riches. - The drama is real in this one and there is plenty of hot, steamy scenes that will make you tingle. 

Don’t Care If It Hurts by @hollyhomburg

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, Mafia AU, Jimin x Reader

What You Need to Know: After a rival gang makes an attempt on your life, Your older brother, the infamous leader of Seoul’s largest gang; Kim Namjoon, gets you a guard hybrid; Park Jimin, The reigning champion of Seoul’s underground hybrid fighting ring. - Yeah, this is also a hybrid series, but the mafia background is much more prominent. The OC is also smart as a whip and Namjoon as the angry leader and older brother is something to behold. The other members feature as well skilled companions and are very good at their jobs.

Omertà by @lamourche

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, Mafia AU, Namjoon x Reader

What You Need to Know: A story about an unlikely mob boss and his mafia princess wife. This is a love story set in a brutal world. - Namjoon and his crew are tight knit and set to take over the mafia underground. In a true Romeo and Juliet twist, you are from an opposing family and are desperate to get away from their oppressive clutches. As an added bonus, you and Namjoon fall in love and build up his empire together. 

Blackjack by @kpopfanfictrash

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, Mafia AU, Jungkook x Reader

What You Need to Know: Bangtan is one of the most vicious mafias on the west coast. Only six members are known by name though, with a mysterious seventh member dubbed only as 'the shadow.' When you become indebted to the worst of the worst - how, exactly can you find a way out? - Jungkook is such a gem in this fic and the action is amped up to 11 throughout the series. 

College/Business AUs

Thesis-It (and the sequel) Prove It by @xherxx

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, College/Career AU, OT7

What You Need to Know:  “When life gives you lemons, make cocktails! It doesn’t solve any problems, but then again neither do lemonades. Besides, it has the word cock in it, just like what the Bangtan boys have on them. So, why don’t you just suit yourself?” - This series was a ROLLERCOASTER of emotion, even when it hurts, you keep going back for more. The sequel takes place AFTER college, but the characters still act like college idiots. LOVE THEM!

Fear & Dumplings by @softyoongiionly

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, College AU, Yoongi x reader

What You Need to Know: You’re in your final semester at University when your Abnormal Psychology professor assigns you a partnered project surrounding your greatest fears. Lucky for you, your partner just so happens to be a cute boy named Min Yoongi. - The build up to this relationship is just wonderful and you will be completely enamored by Yoongi in this fic. He’s such a soft precious bean and I want to ruin him. 

The Gentlemen by @honeymoonjin

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, Reality Show AU, OT7

What You Need to Know:  Sick of unsatisfying hookups, boring relationships or the company of your own hand? Apply today for the chance to be on bangasm.com’s very first reality show! Seven attractive young gentlemen will be vying for your choice of who is best in bed. All from different backgrounds, these men claim they’ll be able to rock your world, so don’t hesitate! Apply now! - BEST REALITY SHOW EVER! The characters are vivid and entertaining and the smut scenes are on point. I dare you not to fall in love with every single one of these eligible bachelors. 

Tease by @adonis-koo

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, Stripper AU, Jungkook x reader

What You Need to Know:  You came with the intentions of your best friend landing a job as a stripper. You never meant to catch the eyes of the king stripper of the establishment- Jeon Jungkook, yourself. With what was supposed to be a harmless way of paying off college debt faster you find yourself falling into a very odd and passionate relationship with your new mentor. Between infidelity, passion and jealousy there’s never a dull moment at Cherry Bomb. - Jungkook starts off arrogant and difficult, but as the relationship progresses, he starts embracing his softness for his new trainee. There is also some hot Big-Little action going on here. 

No Strings by @kpopfanfictrash

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, College AU, Jimin x reader

What You Need to Know:  You voice your concern that you are bad in bed and Jimin offers to test that theory. What ensues is an angsty friends with benefits situation that threatens to tear your friend group apart. You may want to smack Jimin around a bit, but I promise you will not be disappointed in the end. 

The Holi-Date by @kpopfanfictrash

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, Career AU, Taehyung x reader

What You Need to Know:  When your ex-boyfriend becomes engaged to his new girlfriend at your annual Holiday party, you admittedly are not in the best place. Which explains why you down six shots of alcohol, enthusiastically drop it low on the dance floor and - oh, yeah - tell everyone you are also dating someone. The only problem? You are obviously not. Good thing your neighbor happens to be cute and in need of a ride to work every morning. - I absolutely LOVE Taehyung in this fic; he’s playful, sweet, passionate, and funny. 

Hybrid AUs

The Mark of Yun-Ki by @ladyartemesia

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Historical Hybrid AU; Yoongi x Reader

What You Need to Know: This story was wonderfully crafted and if a Tiger-hybrid Yoongi full of ferocity and passion and admiration doesn’t do it for you, I don’t know what will. 

Reasons Wretched & Divine by @hollyhomburg

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Hybrid AU; Namjoon x Reader x Jimin x Yoongi

What You Need to Know: You live on an isolated but sprawling farm with your abusive husband, but things start to change for the better when your husband adopts a retired police dog hybrid named Namjoon. - There are definitely some trigger warnings you should read at the top, but the series is full of mental and physical healing that endears the characters to the reader. The other members are also present as side characters and are hella sweet. 

Abundance by @angelicyoongie

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Hybrid AU; OT7

What You Need to Know:  You never expected that you would end up adopting a hybrid, and if someone had told you that you would end up with seven? Well, you would have thought they were crazy. But here you are, with three different packs of hybrids that don’t get along – but all want to stay with you. Yeah, turns out crazy is an understatement. - This is a sweet complicated hybrid situation where three different groups have to find a way to live together. It takes some time, but they all eventual pull together as a family. 

Jackrabbit by @jamaisjoons

Genre: Pure Smut; Hybrid AU; Jungkook x reader

What You Need to Know: On a university-wide Easter egg hunt, Jungkook decides to educate you on just how wrong you are about him. - this one shot will have your thighs rubbing together vigorously wishing that you could get a few minutes alone with this domineering bun (just don’t call him that unless you want to get punished).

Strawberry Cream & BBQ by @thatmultifandomhoe

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Smut; Hybrid AU; Hoseok x reader

What You Need to Know: Your best friend knows she can count on you for anything, so when she asks you to watch her hybrid while she’s gone for a study abroad trip for four months, you can’t say no. But when these four months are over, things have changed in a way no one expected. - The relationship between Hoseok and the OC is so sweet and the drama that erupts after they get together pulls on the heartstrings. 

Sci-Fi AUs

Void by @btssavedmylifeblr

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, Space AU, OT7

What You Need to Know:  You are the only female crew member on a 12 year space mission with seven handsome men. - The sexual tension is real, y’all. The OC is sassy and hilarious, the other crew members provide colorful commentary and conflicts that keep the reading salivating for more. 

The Turing Test by @fortunexkookie

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, Android AU, Jungkook x reader

What You Need to Know: You are an engineer who created an advanced form of Artificial Intelligence named Jungkook, but with every technological advance, there are always some bugs to work out (and not all of them deal with the creator or the creation). 

Parenting AUs

Gingerbread Man by @btsracket

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Jungkook x Reader

What You Need to Know: Jungkook (a recent widower) is a fantastic baker who owns his own shop. The reader bounces in to place an emergency order and fate takes over from there. Jungkook’s son, Jude, is absolutely adorable and all of the angst and drama derived from moving on from an unexpected spousal death makes for one incredible recipe for success. 

The Stand-In by @yoonia

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Namjoon x Reader

What You Need to Know:  Gaining the courage to leave a loveless marriage was hard enough, but is it really a good idea to run to your best friend for help? And would you refuse him when he offers you another kind of ‘help’? - The themes revolving around infertility and then a sudden pregnancy catapult these characters into a wonderful relationship full of love and possibilities. Plus, Daddy Joon is always a yes on my list. 

Intro: Her by @jamaisjoons

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Namjoon x Reader

What You Need to Know: You enter Namjoon’s life in the most unexpected of ways, but will you be able to stay, especially when he comes with three adorable but chaotic children, even more chaotic best friends and a bitch of an ex-wife? not to mention your own emotional baggage. - Namjoon is raising his three boys Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook as you enter his life as a marine biologist. The kids are sweet and sassy, Namjoon is a total mess, but a sweetheart. I never wanted to be a mother to children more than these tots, and the bonus would be snuggling into Daddy Joon’s arms. 

Idol AUs

Let Me Hold Them by @jjungkookislife

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; OT7

What You Need to Know: An OT7 series that includes mxm, threesomes, open relationships, polyamory, and angst.  Please read at your own discretion & the warnings on each chapter. - It starts off small, and then it escalates quickly. I promise, you will not be disappointed. Read on!

Slight Changes by @jiminimoon

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Taehyung x reader; Jimin x reader

What You Need to Know: Your relationship with Taehyung takes a nose dive when his infidelity is exposed. Luckily, the other members (especially Jimin) step in to make sure you don’t suffer alone. Prepare for angsty chapters and a lot of soul searching in this fic. 

The Studio Sessions by @getitinbusan

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Yoongi x reader; OT7 x reader

What You Need to Know: It’s Min Yoongi’s birthday and you’re ready to give him whatever he wants. When he makes a sarcastic wish while blowing out the candles he didn’t think you’d take it seriously. But he’s glad you did. When word spreads about these special “Studio Sessions” everyone wants to collaborate. - You start with one and work your way through the rest without blinking an eye. It’s a smutty paradise. 

Love Well Done by @oraclemarie

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Yoongi x reader

What You Need to Know: You are the executive chef of your very own fine dining restaurant. A big company makes you the offer of a lifetime, setting you on a path straight to Min Yoongi-your drunken hook up. - once these two start admitting their love for one another, it ups the drama; people can let jealousy turn them into monsters. 

Soulmate AUs

A Thousand Springs by @whitesparrows97

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, OT7

What You Need to Know: Life is short. Eternity is long. Why you in particular are approached by a super attractive man in a club, you did not understand. You understood even less why he wanted to kill you. Fortunately, seven young, also incredibly handsome men show up to help you with this little problem. Purely by coincidence, of course. Or do you really believe in fate? - This fic is action packed with crazy conflicts, special powers, and spicy smut scenes. 

The Immortals by @bang-tan-bitches

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff, OT7

What You Need to Know: Sometimes, you find your destiny. And sometimes, your destiny does whatever it takes to keep you. - There are some amazing things happening in this fic and I just want to crawl onto that giant bed with all of them and their mysterious golden powers.

Fantasy AUs

Blood Moon Rising by @yoonia

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Vampire/Werewolf AU; Jimin x Reader

What You Need to Know: As beings from ancient times, the Vampire Clan has undergone numerous changes to thrive in the Modern Age after surviving the Ancient Blood War. As a part of the traveller family in his clan, Jimin has parted ways from the coven until the day his Lords warned him of the lurking danger from inside the clan. And all so suddenly, he was pulled out of his solitary, only to have given the responsibility he had never wished to have, along with the threats that come as a part of the deal. 

Born as youngest yet having lost so much, you have given your family your loyalty, your protection, and had been given their love and support that had become the only thing that keeps you going. But what happens when the only people you have put your trust in only repay you with betrayal?

This series expands beyond this world and into a whole universe of shifter characters. This storyline also includes characters from her other Shifter Series. The storylines are rich and beautifully crafted, and you will love the way the characters stick together on this magnificent adventure.

Of Fire and Love by @hollyhomburg

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Dragon-Hybrid AU; Yoongi x Reader

What You Need to Know:  When Dragon Yoongi finds baby Jungkook in the wreckage of a house he burned down, he can’t bring himself to kill the child. Months after someone drops off a baby at your door, you start to notice something- or someone, lurking at the edge of the woods. - This fantasy world just keeps growing in each chapter and you also get to enjoy a baby Jungkook and a baby dragon Hobi. Beware of fairy Jimin - they’re a sneaky one. 

Faerie Realm by @ddaengyoonmin

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Fairy Video Game AU; Jungkook x Reader

What You Need to Know: Your mother gifts you a video game set that allows you to fully enter the brand new virtual world of Faerie Realm on the first day of its launch. You lack any of the skills or knowledge of playing video games, but you end up having fun thanks to skilled player you meet named Kookie! You are lucky to have met him, because this deadly game is not what it seems.- Based on Sword Art Online, but I think it’s better. The other members become a part of the group and drama ensues. 

Sweeter than Sweet by @gimmesumsuga

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Vampire AU; Jimin x reader; OT7, eventually

What You Need to Know: You never would have expected someone like Park Jimin to notice you. As handsome and beguiling as he is deadly, you’re enthralled from the very moment you meet. Addicted to his kiss and his bite, Jimin opens up your eyes to a whole new world of love, lust and seduction. - this is a LONG series, but it is TOTALLY WORTH IT. Once you dive into the story, there is no resurfacing until you finish. 

A Court of Curses & A Court of Moonlight by @readyplayerhobi

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff; Vampire/Witch/Werewolf AU; Hoseok x reader; Yoongi x reader

What You Need to Know: (ACOC) For millennia, the vampires and witches have hated one another and war has raged between the two. When tensions flare up once more and spill into neutral land, peace is forced upon the two by the faeries. The price of peace sees the Witch Queen married to the Vampire Prince. One hundred years later, how have things changed? (ACOM)  As Prince Hoseok’s personal attendant, you travel with him on a diplomatic visit to Lunatis, home of the werewolves. There, you meet the enigmatic and intriguing werewolf prince, Min Yoongi, and discover more than you expected as a mere attendant. - this world is so full of magical wonder and I am so invested in seeing how everything comes together. It also makes me soft when I see how loving Prince Hoseok is toward his family. 

Caught-in-a-seesaw-stigma’s MASTERLIST

[the-last-kenobi]

Bro I’m sorry but I just love your stuff 💀 “why didn’t you run when I told you?” Qui Gon and obi wan? And like angst x50 :>

I’m so flattered that you enjoy my writing this much!

Angst x50...?

Oh, I think I can do that. At least I hope so.

(Sorry this is so late work has been absolute hell)

From this various prompts list. (Requests are currently closed)

_

There’s a mission to Naboo.

The mission turns into a trap, turns into a Republic-altering conflict.

The conflict leads them to a boy, and the boy is the Chosen One.

The Chosen One saves them, and in return they save him.

Along the way they encounter a long-dead foe from eons past, a nightmarish predator snarling in their wake as they flee towards the hope of safety.

There is a battle that threatens to turn into war, and the Chosen One clings to a Jedi Master’s side, his only hope in this world of terror and upheaval.

It is a long chain of winding and unexpected events all linked so closely together, and Qui-Gon is determinedly trying to keep them in order, to keep his serenity as the galaxy teeters on the edge, and he focuses on what he must. He centers on Naboo and on Anakin.

The Sith may come; he will deal with that if it does.

The Council may try to prevent him taking Anakin, and this too can be dealt with later.

All else is detail.

The Sith does arrive, and he and Obi-Wan rise up together to meet him, determined to prevent whatever chaos he intends to sow.

A kick that misses its mark, an uppercut violently parried — Qui-Gon worries, bombarded by his concerns like they are hail swirling around him in a fierce storm and he alone remains still at the center, trying not to lose his footing — a flurry of blows, and then Obi-Wan receives a brutal kick that sends him falling over the edge.

Qui-Gon’s heart leaps into his throat, but Obi-Wan catches himself on the ledge and hauls himself back up, rejoining the fight in seconds. And still, still, what will the Council say about the Sith, what will they say about Anakin, why is the Sith here on Naboo, why is there a Sith at all?

Serenity.

He clings to it.

He is the elü-tree, bending in the winds but not broken by them, a lonesome green thing in a world of rain.

He and his Padawan pursue the Sith all the way into a corridor filled with red ray shields that snap open and shut on a too-quick cycle, and somehow, Qui-Gon finds himself just a little too slow, not quite quick enough, and there is a barrier between himself and the other two.

It is just one barrier. It will fall in time.

They must finish this quickly, save proof for the Order, return to the battle above, protect young Anakin—

And then Obi-Wan falls.

Qui-Gon blinks and misses it; one moment he is staring through the last ray shield and meditating on what he must do, and the next moment his Padawan is curled facedown against a wall, motionless, his lightsaber extinguishing and rolling away from his limp fingers.

The Sith chuckles, stooping to retrieve the weapon, and he looks up at Qui-Gon, still trapped behind the next barrier.

Qui-Gon is rooted to the spot, unable to move, to breathe, to think.

He can’t tear his eyes away from Obi-Wan, and a surge of terror so strong it obliterates all other thoughts surges through him, and he needs to see Obi-Wan’s face, needs to reach him—

The barrier falls.

Qui-Gon surges towards his Padawan, his chest tight with fear, only to be blocked by the swing of a very familiar blue blade.

The Sith has ignited Obi-Wan’s lightsaber and he stands mere feet away, swinging his own staff in one hand and Obi-Wan’s in the other, laughing at him.

Qui-Gon tries again to reach his Padawan and again he is prevented by a slash of the blue saber, and this time it gouges a burning scar in the pristine flooring, a visible mark between himself and his apprentice. Qui-Gon leaps to his full height and lunges at the Sith, rage blossoming inside his fear.

Obi-Wan remains crumpled against the wall as his Master flings himself into battle, and Qui-Gon is constantly, painfully aware of him, frightened by his own desperation.

For a moment, though he tries, he cannot even remember the name of the boy from Tatooine.

The Zabrak swings upwards unexpectedly with his saber staff collides with the very top of the hilt of Qui-Gon’s despite his attempt to dodge, and there is a flash of brilliant green light and flickers of flame, and Qui-Gon collides with the wall. His head strikes metal and he sees stars - and through them, the Sith stalking towards him, both sabers raised.

He bares his teeth in a feral grin and considers both lightsabers with exaggerated care, and finally lowers his red double-bladed weapon and raises the blue one he stole from Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon is about to die at his Padawan’s blade, and he has failed so utterly he cannot comprehend it.

And inside his head, his thoughts are singular but frantic, darting about in a panic like a bird caught in a net, beating its wings in futility- Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan—

It’s as if he’s summoned him.

Obi-Wan appears out of nowhere, white to the lips, his blue eyes blazing to rival the glow of his stolen lightsaber. He has no weapon, but he flings out his hand and clenches it into a fist, and the Sith is yanked backwards violently as if an invisible hand has taken hold of his collar, and the blue lightsaber misses Qui-Gon by inches.

Howling, the Zabrak rounds on the defenseless Obi-Wan, who steadies himself, a slight grimace crossing his pale features and his eyes narrowed against the bright lights of the room.

“Obi-Wan—run—” Qui-Gon gasps out.

Neither of the other two seem to hear him.

Qui-Gon struggles to get to his feet, but there’s a scattered, blistering pain across his stomach and chest, and his head is throbbing at the point where it struck the wall, and his heart is still going much too fast —

— and still, still, all he can think now is Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan ducks and weaves, playing light on his feet, facing an opponent that has already bested his Master and who wields two weapons, and he looks so damned calm, while Qui-Gon feels drunk on fear, fear as he hasn’t felt since Tahl, or perhaps he’s never felt it quite like this, watching his student risk his life like this with no way to help—

“No, Obi-Wan!” he barks out, forcing the fear from his tone, inflicting all the stern command he can muster. “Go find the others! Run!”

And for the first time since Melida/Daan, Obi-Wan Kenobi ignores a direct order.

He spares a moment to look at his Master, and the strangest thing happens.

He smiles.

It’s all kindness and understanding and the flash of dimples, hand in hand with a deep affection in his blue eyes, and there is so much joy and so much sadness in this one fleeting expression that Qui-Gon is left baffled.

“Padawan!” he cries, forcing himself to his knees as the room spins and as he does so Obi-Wan stumbles. A blood-red saber severs his left arm just above the elbow.

Obi-Wan screams, and Qui-Gon screams too, or thinks he does, trying in vain to make his vision settle.

Qui-Gon staggers to his feet and falls again, to his knees, and the Sith turns his head. The Zabrak keeps the tip of his red saber staff an inch from Obi-Wan’s chest as the boy pants for air, clinging to the stump of his arm. But the Sith smiles again, and raises Obi-Wan’s saber once again to point at Qui-Gon’s throat.

He’s kneeling like a prisoner presented for the execution, and he has nothing to offer, no plea for life, nothing with which to protect himself or his apprentice.

Silence falls.

It drags on for several seconds that feel like an age, and Qui-Gon stares up at the blurred image of the Zabrak’s face with vague confusion, waiting for the death blow.

Instead he watches as the Sith crumples to the floor.

And when he falls facedown, Qui-Gon can see the broken, sharp-tipped remains of his broken lightsaber hilt buried between the Sith’s shoulder blades, still spitting sparks.

And behind that, Obi-Wan, his remaining hand raised and trembling, staring at what he had wrought.

The world tilts.

Then tilts again.

Qui-Gon cannot find room for pride at the boy’s ingenuity, because the Sith did not fall without lashing out one last time — and there is a burning hole in Obi-Wan’s tunic, and Obi-Wan has been run through.

For another few moments everything is suspended, and they might as well be frozen in carbonite for all they are able to move.

Obi-Wan does not fall this time.

This time he sighs, too deep and too long, as if all the air is leaving his lungs at once, and he walks forward on shaky legs to kneel before his Master. His right hand - his only hand - comes up slowly to grip Qui-Gon’s shoulder.

Qui-Gon stares at him, hardly able to breathe himself.

“Obi-Wan,” he says softly. The name comes out broken and fragile as spun glass, already webbed over with cracks, and he can’t stop thinking of how in all the chaos and upheaval of the last few weeks he somehow forgot to factor in Obi-Wan, actually forgetting for a moment in the Council chambers that he owed the boy anything.

Expecting him to follow, as always.

Why hadn’t Obi-Wan fled? He had ordered him to run. Almost begged him.

But Obi-Wan had stayed.

Obi-Wan had lost an arm.

Obi-Wan was dying.

“…Padawan,” he says, and his voice strains to breaking point.

The boy’s eyes and lips flicker in the ghost of a smile, the shadow of that strange, desperately sad smile he had given him before, and then Obi-Wan’s hand slides off his shoulder and he slumps forward, his arm dangling down his Master’s back and his head coming to rest against the crook of his neck.

This is where all sense of reality leaves Qui-Gon.

An hour ago it felt like he had been dueling the fates themselves, holding somehow to the reins of destiny on a path only he could glimpse.

He knows that somehow, he cradles his grown apprentice in his arms like a child and somehow he carries him all the way back to the main level of the palace, and somehow he staves off his own collapse until after someone with kind eyes and a professional smile has settled the barely-breathing Padawan into a medical bed.

He wakes a day later with the shrapnel removed from his abdomen and the damage to his skull on the mend, and Obi-Wan is like a corpse kept alive by machines and by the desperate thrumming of the small, hopeful bird that still says Obi-Wan Obi-Wan Obi-Wan Obi-Wan.

~

There is a treaty and a celebration.

There is a meeting with the Council and grave discussions of the future and the peril of the Sith.

There is an exception made for Anakin Skywalker and the boy is moved to the Initiate’s wing under the comforting arm of Shaak Ti, who has volunteered as his mentor, another exception made for the maybe-Chosen-One.

There is silence hovering over Obi-Wan like a shroud.

The Healers talk and talk and talk and then they realize he is not listening and so they let him be, with small shakes of the head and tired sighs that he does not, will not see or hear.

He waits by Obi-Wan’s side whenever he is not busy elsewhere, which is always, because there is so little for the injured Jedi who was nearly slain by a Sith to do after everyone has heard his story ten times over.

He holds Obi-Wan’s hand, his only hand, sometimes.

Other times he finds himself counting each bead in the Padawan braid, trying to remember where they all came from and how he came to earn them. He is relieved when he finds he knows each story.

He knows so much about this boy.

This almost-Knight.

But he has so many questions, too, and so he waits and waits for Obi-Wan to wake so he can answer them.

There are many days of waiting.

And then there are many more.

They move Obi-Wan back to their shared quarters at Qui-Gon’s insistence. Obi-Wan is Knighted at the Council’s insistence. Qui-Gon requests that they leave the braid until it can be properly cut. The Council does not argue.

Anakin stops looking to him for a friendly greeting when they pass in the halls. There is something pitying in the way the small boy looks at him now, something strangely knowing, yet also judging.

Qui-Gon struggles to care.

He’s still waiting for Obi-Wan.

There are many things for them to discuss.

~

There comes a day when the russet haired slumberer takes a breath and then does not take another.

The dutiful Master stands at the pyre with his cowl drawn high and his face in shadow, barely more substantial than shadow himself, a phantom tethered to life by a singular purpose now gone.

An old friend catches him by the arm after the embers fade and the ashes are scattered, and Mace Windu says to him, “Whatever it was you wanted to ask him… you must let it go.”

The words are gentle. But urgent.

“I cannot,” replies the phantom. “I need to know.”

“Obi-Wan would not have wanted this for you,” says Windu fiercely. “This is not what he died for.”

There is care in those words. An affection for the long-gone boy that Windu felt and still feels, but it doesn’t matter because the bearer of that affection is ashes.

���I don’t know what he would have wanted,” answers the other. “I did not get to ask him.”

“Is that what you wanted to know?” A trace of pity. “What Obi-Wan wanted?”

Qui-Gon pauses to collect his thoughts.

There is by now a very long list of questions he has — had — for Obi-Wan.

But there is just one question that he wants the answer to, but is too afraid to ask, would never have asked even if Obi-Wan had opened his eyes and righted the galaxy with his simple presence.

Why didn’t you run when I asked you to?

“I wanted to ask him,” Qui-Gon says at last, “why he smiled.”

fin

[persephone-plasmids]

Deacon X Sole

The Deathclaw Incident

[AO3]

Sole stood in front of Deacon with her eyes narrowed. A large glob of green slime dripped from the ends of her hair onto the ground with a dull splat. Deacon’s mouth twitched in the corner but he didn’t let himself smile.

“Don’t. Say. Anything.” Sole warned, her already narrowed eyes getting even smaller.

Deacon raised both of his hands up in front of him, the perfect picture of innocence. “I didn’t, Charmer.”

“And don’t call me that,” Sole said with a groan of frustration.

“Why not? I thought you loved the code name?”

“You only call me that when you want me to smile. And I don’t feel like smiling right now,” Sole said, green slime still dripping from her.

“What’s not to smile about? You just killed a Deathclaw while I stood by with a busted gun,” Deacon said, the corner of his mouth now twitching up into a ghost of a smile. “That’s awesome.”

Sole allowed her eyes to lose some of their suspicion as she nodded slowly. “I guess that’s true. I am pretty amazing.”

“And who knows, maybe Deathclaw innard chic will become the new style,” Deacon said, now letting a full-blown grin spread over his face. “Maybe that Deathclaw exploding when you used the alien blaster was the best thing to ever happen to you.”

“There it is,” Sole said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “I knew you couldn’t actually be trying to cheer me up right now.”

Sole stomped away towards the nearby sinkhole, careful to avoid the torrential water that would try to pull her into the underground cave if she wasn’t careful.

“Wait, where are you going? I was totally trying to cheer you up!” Deacon said, trotting to catch up to Sole.

He thought it was cute the way she huffed under her breath when she was mad. And he couldn’t ignore the adorable little line that formed between her eyebrows when her face got all scrunched up in anger.

Deacon wanted to take Sole seriously, but these little characteristics that he’d grown used to over the past months were so distracting. He tried to ignore the way his chest tightened when he thought about this.

“Come on. A little slime actually looks kinda cute on you,” Deacon tried.

“I’m going to rinse off in this waterfall, and then we’re never going to talk about this again,” Sole said, pointing an accusing finger at Deacon.

“Scouts honor, boss,” Deacon said, holding up two fingers.

“You were never a scout,” Sole scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

“I totally was. I was the leader of my bear pack… or... whatever they call it,” Deacon said.

Sole shook her head, her face still a perfect mask of annoyance. But when Deacon watched her carefully, he could see the small ghost of a smile that threatened to give her away.

He was getting to her. He was cheering her up.

The thought made his heart leap in his chest and suddenly, the only thing that mattered to him was making that familiar smile appear on Sole’s face.

“We roasted radroach meat and sang songs to get badges on those little sash things. It was adorable,” Deacon said, his easy smile returning to his face.

“Deacon, boy scouts weren’t even a thing in your lifetime. The only reason you know about them is because you’re such a book nerd,” Sole said, her voice significantly softer now.

“You say ‘book nerd’ like it’s a bad thing.”

Sole let a soft small smile pass over her face, another emotion there that Deacon couldn’t quite decipher. Fondness? He hoped that was it.

“It’s definitely not a bad thing,” Sole said. She looked at the ground for a moment, not wanting to meet his eyes. “I actually really love that about you.”

Deacon worked hard to keep his face carefully neutral at her words.

He had never been so grateful for the sunglasses he constantly wore.

“So, are you going to wash that Deathclaw slime off you or what?” Deacon asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence. His tone was light and teasing. He’d mastered the art of appearing calm and collected when he felt anything but.

“Good point.”

“We don’t want you sending off some weird Deathclaw mating pheromones or something. A bunch of Deathclaws looking for a good time is the last thing we need.”

Sole pulled a face of disgust at this. “Yeah, let's avoid that.”

Without another word, Sole turned her back on Deacon and carefully picked her way across the slippery wet rocks to where the waterfall crashed into the sinkhole.

Deacon told himself that he watched Sole to make sure she didn’t lose her footing and get sucked into the underground cave, but he knew that was a lie. Of course, being the incredible liar he was, it only took a moment for him to actually believe that that was what he was doing.

His ability to lie to himself was unmatched.

Deacon watched as the water crashed around Sole, washing off the slime from the Deathclaw fight and the muck from their travel across the Commonwealth that day. Her skin was shiny under the waterfall and her clothes clung to her in a way that made Deacon think he should look away. But he didn’t.

When she finished, Deacon quickly turned away, hoping she wouldn’t be able to see the blush in his cheeks.

Blushing? Really? He was a highly trained Railroad agent who had worked hard to remove any attachments from his life. The fact that he was blushing over a fully-clothed woman was just embarrassing. This was hardly the most compromising position he’d ever been in with someone of the opposite sex.

“I feel so much better.”

Deacon jumped at the sound of Sole’s voice beside him. He had been so focused on appearing uninterested in her little impromptu shower that he’d actually lost track of her for a moment.

“You smell a lot better now too,” Deacon joked, trying to keep his voice light and disinterested.

“Maybe I should have just stayed disgusting. It would be some nice payback for all the showtunes,” Sole said, giving Deacon a sideways smile that made him feel warm all over.

“You should feel privileged that I give our missions their own soundtrack,” Deacon answered. “Besides, I have the voice of an angel and you know it.”

Sole’s sideways smile morphed into a full grin as she watched him. “You do have the voice of an angel.”

Again, the sunglasses were proving to be extremely helpful today in a way Deacon had never anticipated.

“Glad you think so, Charmer.” Deacon let his own smile grow in the quickly fading light. “Wait, am I allowed to call you that again or are you still anti-smiling?”

Sole took a step closer to Deacon with an amused look. “You’re allowed to make me smile again. Now that I’m all clean.”

“Glad to hear it. If I can’t make you smile, what am I even doing here?”

His question was rhetorical but he felt it to his core.

Deacon had been excited for a new person to joke around with when he and Sole had been assigned to start doing missions together, but he knew something had changed. He craved the satisfaction of her smile. Every time it ghosted across her face, he felt like he’d accomplished something incredible. And in those rare instances when he actually managed to make her laugh, it was like he finally knew why he was still wandering across this barren wasteland. Why he hadn’t given up all those years ago after losing Barbara.

Because now, for the first time in years, there was a glimmer of hope. A hint that he could actually be genuinely happy again.

Sole shivered in the dying light, her clothes still wet and clinging to her.

“You’re going to catch a cold if we don’t get you warm,” Deacon said, taking off his leather jacket and wrapping it around Sole’s shoulders.

“Well look at you, Deacon. Who knew you could be such a gentleman,” Sole said, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

Deacon was positive that Sole didn’t know what she was doing to him right now. She was being playfully flirtatious, the way they always were with each other. But for him, it felt like she had his heart in a vice. Every smile only tightened the grip she had on it.

Deacon swallowed hard, desperately trying to hold onto his lighthearted facade that was one smile away from shattering into a million pieces.

“You’re not the only one who can be a charmer,” Deacon said, but his voice sounded all wrong. He hoped Sole wouldn’t notice.

Without thinking, Deacon put his arm around Sole’s shoulders protectively. “Let’s head back to Goodneighbor and get you warmed up.”

Deacon tried to take a step forward, but Sole didn’t budge. When he looked down at her, Sole was watching him, her eyes serious. It was an expression he didn’t see her wear often.

“Something wrong?” Deacon asked, his voice still giving away just how keyed up he was.

Sole swallowed hard and Deacon couldn’t help but notice the rise and fall of her chest. Her breathing was shallow. “I just… thank you for always having my back.”

Deacon shrugged nonchalantly. “You’ve got my back too. It’s just what we do in the Railroad.”

“Just one big dysfunctional family with guns?” Sole asked, repeating Deacon’s words back to him. It had been one of the first things he’d said to her that had made her smile all those months ago.

“Exactly.” His words came out soft. Softer than he’d meant for them to. But their close proximity made him feel like he needed to whisper.

Sole’s eyes darted down to Deacon’s lips for only a split second, but it was enough time for him to suddenly feel self-conscious. Involuntarily, his eyes also trailed down to Sole’s full lips, but he had the added benefit of hiding behind his sunglasses.

“Deacon… all joking aside, I really appreciate you watching out for me.”

“There’s no such thing as ‘all joking aside’,” Deacon said, his eyes still transfixed on the way Sole took her bottom lip between her teeth when she was nervous.

“Maybe just for a second?” Sole asked, turning her body so that she was now facing Deacon head on. She shifted her weight, bringing them even closer together.

He could feel the heat coming off of her body in waves, even as she shivered.

Sole took Deacon’s hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. Deacon’s breath caught in his throat at the unexpected closeness, making him feel ridiculous all over again.

“I guess I can be serious for one second,” Deacon answered. “But it might actually kill me.”

Sole leaned into him, her body now touching his. “It’ll be worth it,” she said, her voice low in a way that gave Deacon chills of his own.

The fabric of Deacon’s white shirt instantly dampened from the water still dripping off of Sole, but he hardly noticed, instead focusing on just how close they now were.

Sole leaned up and touched her nose to Deacon’s lightly, closing her eyes. Deacon seldom saw Sole in such a vulnerable position and the amount of trust it showed shook Deacon to his core.

He tried to be professional; at least, as professional as he ever was. He tried to tell Sole this was a bad idea, that it would make things complicated going forward. But he didn’t do any of that. Instead, he closed the last few inches between them, pressing his lips gently against hers.

Even though Sole had been sending him some obvious signals, Deacon still worried he’d misread the situation and she’d pull away from him. He was surprised when, instead, he felt Sole’s hands press against his stomach, slowly running up his body to his chest and finally behind his neck to pull him firmly against her.

Deacon let his hands rest on Sole’s waist, drawing her to him in the now dark wasteland. With the sound of the rushing waterfall beside them and the occasional distant gunfire that was all-too-common in the Commonwealth, Deacon revelled in this rare stolen moment.

His lips moved over Sole’s slowly and deliberately, wanting to take his time with the kiss. She felt soft and perfect. The way her fingers tangled in his dark hair and her shirt soaked his own grounded him in the moment.

The kiss lasted only a moment, but when Sole pulled away, Deacon felt the inevitable shift in energy between them. He already missed the feeling of Sole’s lips on his own.

“So, did it kill you?” Sole asked, her eyes searching Deacon’s face.

“It did,” he confirmed, still breathless from the kiss. “But you were right. It was worth it.”

Sole placed her hand gently against Deacon’s face, her thumb running along his cheekbone. Every time she touched him, it sparked something inside of him that he hadn’t felt in years.

It was dangerous but thrilling at the same time. Part of him wanted to give into it, but the other part was far too scared to explore those feelings.

“Consider it payment for the jacket,” Sole said, her grin returning before stepping away from Deacon’s embrace.

He instantly missed the warmth from her body, instead left with a dampened shirt and empty arms.

“That jacket is only on loan, you know. I expect it back,” Deacon said, impressed by his own ability to sound nonchalant when, inside, he was dying to be close to Sole again.

“Fine. I’ll give it back one day,” Sole said. “But it looks much better on me.”

“That’s obvious,” Deacon answered. “And if this is the way you pay me back for loaning you a jacket, remind me to give you any article of clothing you ever ask for.”

Deacon raised his eyebrows suggestively at Sole, making her laugh. The sound was soft and musical.

“Now we’re even Sneakin Deacon,” sole called over her shoulder as she sauntered away into the darkness.

Her tone was joking, but before she turned away, he saw the look in her eyes. It was the same one that hid in his own behind his trademark shades.

The kiss had devastated her and much as it had him. It had meant more to her than she was letting on and he knew it.

They were so screwed.

(Part 2)

[earnestly-endlessly]

Hey! I hope I'm not bothering you, I just found your blog and I love it sm, and I saw you sometimes do cherik fic recs. Do you have any Canon divergence aus/fix it, preferably after Cuba, that are 30k or longer and have a happy ending? If not thats okay! You don't have to answer this. Have a wonderful day!

Hi anon, thank you so much. I’m happy you both like my blog and my recs. You are certainly not bothering me, and feel free to send me an ask any time. I have plenty of recommendations for you. Some of them diverge a bit from your request because I couldn’t help but recommend them as well. I will put a note on those who diverge from your request. As always, I only recommend fics I have personally read and enjoyed and I sincerely you love them too.

-Canon divergence aus/fix it, post Cuba, 30k or longer, with a happy ending cherik fic recs-

Not Half As Blinding- keire_ke

Summary: Cuban beach AU. Charles discovers that death does, in fact, solve everything.

Lay down beside me (so still and so soft) – C-Gracewood

Summary: A different take on the events of the film.

Rumor Has It – blueink3

Summary: "Did I hear the doorbell earlier?"

"Yeah, but I'd steer clear if I were you. It seemed a little tense. I don't know what's going on, but there's a kid out there who looks freakily like the prof."

Nearly six months after Cuba, Charles' life is turned upside down for the second time. Though he's slowly learning to adapt to the first, he's not sure he can handle the second. Luckily for him, there are a few people out there more than willing to help.

Forward Momentum – AsYouWish

Summary: Six months after Cuba, Charles and Erik find themselves thrown fifty years into the future, where they meet their older selves, the Avengers, and a world that's very different from their own. Faced with the pieces of their broken relationship, an unparalleled adversary, and dealing with Tony Stark on a daily basis, Charles and Erik do their best to adapt while trying to find a way back home -- and to each other.

When an Unstoppable Force Meets an Immovable Optimist – ToriTC198

Summary: "You are always trying to save me, Charles." Erik mused aloud. "Ever since you dove into the ocean and dragged me out. Did it ever occur to you that I might not be worth saving?"

A genuine smile broke out on Charles' face as he brightly answered, "No, my friend, not once. I have every confidence you are well worth saving. But, I never truly believed I could save you. You are not the sort of man who someone saves. The choice to be a better man has always been yours to make and I hold no illusions that I can make that decision for you. I simply have faith that one day you will save yourself. I only hope I am still at your side to witness it."

What if Erik and Charles had been able to find a middle ground in the end?

Take the First Option – ShowMeAHero

Summary: When Erik becomes unbalanced, Emma presents him with three options: go back to Charles for three months and learn to deal with whatever he has going have going on, lose his Brotherhood, or let Emma control his mind.

He really only has one choice.

Virtue to Which We Aspire – varlovian

Summary: Nine months after Cuba, Charles is found by Erik's Brotherhood in the smoldering ruins of an abandoned CIA base, exhausted but alive. As the only known survivor of the CIA's vendetta against mutants, recovering Charles' memory of the incident—which he admits to having forgotten—just became paramount.

But the harder they push, the closer Charles gets to breaking point. When he finally cracks, the X-Men and the Brotherhood will learn the truth, but it comes with a price...

Some doors, once opened, cannot be closed.

Some minds, once broken, will never be the same again.

The Waking of the Red King – rustingroses

Summary: When Charles' heavy injuries on the Cuban beach conspire to leave him in a coma and living in fantasy of his own making, Erik, the man who once threatened to divide the mutant cause, finds himself desperately trying to hold everything together. First of the Red King trilogy.

Wake Up and Smell the Pancakes –  Ayra Sei Ethari

Summary: In one universe, Erik left Charles. In another, he stayed. So what happens when the two Eriks get switched? "At first, Erik thinks he's dreaming. Then he realizes that this is Charles. Who is not paralyzed. And kissing him.

Rage and Serenity – MagickMaker, TheFangedGoblin

Summary: After Charles is shot on the beach, he is rushed to the hospital and paralysis is prevented. Ridden with guilt, Erik finds that he cannot leave him. He helps him heal, and eventually, Charles learns to trust him again. But when they set out to rescue Emma from the CIA and accept her onto their team, tensions rise. Will love keep Erik and Charles together despite their differences?

No Yesterdays on the Road – pocky_slash

Summary: It's been two months since Cuba and things are settling down for Charles, Erik, and the beginnings of their mutant school. Right up until Charles disappears, that is. Faced with the possibility that a bitter Emma Frost has kidnapped Charles, Erik is forced to team up with Moira to hunt down the remainder of the Hellfire Club. From there, they hope to locate Frost and retrieve Charles, without killing each other along the way.

(Or: Erik and Moira Drive Across the Country and Talk About Their Feelings.)

What Can We Do Without You? – SwoopSwoop

Summary: Charles and the boys were holding onto a secret more dear to them than their own lives when Charles disappears into the night; Erik is betrayed and finds himself returning to Westchester in the hopes that the government was just trying to trick him. All the while the boys are stuck in the middle, left guarding the secret from the man they are most afraid of finding out who is weaselling his way back into their lives alarmingly easily.

Note: Includes Mpreg, but don’t let that discourage you from reading it because it’s a really great fix-it.

Survival Instinct – Lindstorm

Summary: It’s been months since Charles pulled Erik out of the ocean, and Erik is beginning to wonder how many more times he can choose Charles, and still keep his vow to kill Shaw. Cooperating with the CIA is straining Erik’s patience. When a fact-gathering mission goes wrong and Charles is kidnapped, Erik is left trying to hold their mutant band together while Raven and the rest of them fall apart. No one can foresee how the mutant Charles meets in captivity will challenge all his assumptions about his own power, and twist Charles’ telepathy out of his control. In the race to stop Shaw's nuclear ambitions from coming to fruition, Charles makes a crucial misstep. Erik’s decision between Shaw and Charles takes on unexpected ramifications when [spoiler deleted].

Needles (Series) – Skull_Bearer

Summary: AU where everyone's born Dominant or Submissive

Once a Dominant and Submissive pair is born, they are linked to each other, no matter how far apart they are. This link doesn't actually tell the Dom or the Sub each other's thoughts, but it does allow them to know how the other's doing and serves as a reassurance that there's someone meant for them out there.

Another one of the reasons that Erik hates Shaw so badly is because Shaw managed to break Erik's link to his Sub. Now Erik doesn't even know if his Sub's alive because breaking a link like that can kill a Submissive.

Meanwhile, Charles hates himself for not yet having telepathy strong enough to contact and help his Dom, especially after feeling the pain his Dom was forced to go through. He truly believes that his Dominant is dead. Hopes it, some nights when he remembers how his Dom was forced to suffer. It's better than to think of his Dom still being forced to bear that pain.

And then Charles pulls Erik from the water

Time to Grow – zarah5

Summary: In which you'll find chess dates which aren't dates (or maybe Charles is wrong about that). -- Based on First Class, this turns (slightly) AU during the beach scene.

Note: This fic is less than 30k words but it’s such a fandom classic and just a great read if you love your fix-its.

Faults for Fixing – beren

Summary: Charles sees the events of the missile crisis and subsequent weeks when he uses Cerebro to touch the mind of a mutant with the power to see the near future. When he wakes up he is determined that he will not allow them to happen and he will not lose the people he loves.

Note: A bit less than 30k words long but another great read.

It’s like one of us woke up – kaydeefalls

Summary: "You came here for me," Charles said, meeting Shaw's gaze levelly. "So let's not waste any more time."

Canon!AU in which Charles and Erik do find Shaw in Russia.

Note: XMFC fix it, but the events in Cuba don’t happen. 

Afterlife – Anna (arctic_grey)

Summary: A year after Washington, Erik wakes up in excruciating pain as sudden awareness washes over him: Charles is dead. Erik has to adjust to yet another future: no extinction, just a world without Charles. But the death of his former friend leaves Erik weak and his powers drained. His quest for answers leads him back to Westchester, where Erik has to face his past with Charles and put together the puzzle pieces of what happened to the man he once cared for.

The Burdens We Long to Carry – arcapelago (arcanewinter)

Summary: When mutant-supporter and ally President Kennedy is assassinated and all pro-mutant progress is dismantled, Charles is no longer so confident that he's on the right side, and extends his hand to Erik after a year of animosity. They settle tentatively into their old partnership, but not everything is the same as it was--and not everything can be. When Hank develops a metal frame to move the lower half of Charles' body for him if he wants it, Erik offers the use of his mind and his ability in order to make it work. Both find out what they're willing to do for each other, and neither knows if it'll be enough to keep them together.

Other Futures Than These – midrashic

Summary: In which Cuba doesn't break them apart, but that doesn't mean that their futures are tied together. (Except that it does.)

A Days of Future Past AU where only one person can defeat the Sentinels and save the future: the man whose imprisonment and torture created them, and Charles Xavier's ex.

The Winter of Banked Fires – Yahtzee

Summary: Charles Xavier has returned from the dead -- but is lost within his own mind. Rogue has cast aside her own power and doesn't know where she fits in the world any longer. The production of synthetic Cure means mutantkind itself is newly at risk. And Magneto, turned human against his will, is in despair until the day he feels a familiar consciousness tugging at his own --

Set after X-3 (with much desperate fix-it applied), during XMFC, and every time in between.

[puppypeter]

These are all dark fics, READ THE TAGS before reading the fics. It is your responsibility to check whether what you are about to read is something that you can stomach. While most of these fics are based around trauma, recovery etc many feature triggering scenes or flashbacks as well as darker themes. Please be safe and don’t read them if they can be triggering for you! Proceed with caution! Most of them are Hydra Trash, but still not just the ugly bits as I like there to be a plot. Hiding them below the cut:

between scylla and charybdis | 21590 words

Sam Wilson has been witness to a lot of things he wishes he could unsee. Civilian families shot dead in their cars because of miscommunications at checkpoints. Riley’s body spiralling to the ground in a smoke-plumed plummet. His own face in his bathroom mirror after waking up hung-over as hell at two in the afternoon, the day after the anniversary of Riley’s death, year after year after year.

And now, in an abandoned bunker on the outskirts of Boston, a seemingly unremarkable manila folder at the bottom of a filing cabinet.

Berceuse | 10730 words

There are strange, new things Bucky needs from Steve.

Dreamers Often Lie | 11040 words

As far as Bucky remembers, sex is something that is painful and terrifying if you wake up while it's happening. As the Asset, sleeping through sex was a rare treat. When Steve lets Bucky know he's interested in a sexual relationship, what Steve doesn't know is that they have fundamentally different ideas of what that entails.

despite the threatening sky and the shuddering earth (they remained) | 71532 words

“They really didn’t want the mask to come off.” Hill thumbed through the scans, and pulled out a film that she then handed over to Sam, face mostly expressionless but for the flat line of her pursed lips.

Sam accepted the film and held it up to the light, angling so both he and Steve could see it, squinting at the outline of the Winter Soldier’s skull, and the blips of unnatural white that showed up, God, in his brain, not to mention about half his teeth, plus the mask, with its thin protrusions—

“Those are pins,” Steve realized. He looked over at Hill. “The mask—it’s nailed to his face.”

Hill’s face was as unmoved as ever. “Like I said. They really didn’t want it coming off.”

Fire And Water For Your Love | 77084 words

When the Avengers investigate an abandoned HYDRA base on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D., they unexpectedly encounter a dark-haired man with a torn metal arm, who leads them to an even more shocking discovery deeper inside the base. The Avengers must reconcile what they have found with the lies S.H.I.E.L.D. has been telling for decades.

Give An Inch | 5070 words

The Captain has a warm smile and clear, open eyes. The Soldier knows these are tricks. He's fallen for them before and he won't do it again.

Humans As Gods | 4818 words

"HYDRA's scientists had been delighted to find their serum-reversal procedure had worked. Their jubilation was dampened by the discovery that Steve's smaller self might no longer be Captain America-sized but was still 100% Steve Rogers, and Steve Rogers was now mad enough to spit nails. A minor oversight in the design of the containment area meant that smaller-Steve had simply wriggled out of the now ridiculously-oversized restraints like an angry ferret escaping a paper bag, and punched the nearest technician in the nuts.

Chaos ensued."

HYDRA scientists successfully de-serum Captain America, only to discover that they are utterly unprepared for Steve Rogers. Meanwhile, the Winter Soldier follows his instructions to the letter. This works out just great.

The Only One That Needs To Know | 6571 words

Bucky can't control his body. He can only control what secrets he keeps.

I Was Wearing My Blue Coat | 11503 words

Following exposure of his past as the Winter Soldier, anonymous postings of explicit video footage, 63 charges of murder and the wrath of the Internet, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes finally steps into the limelight and tells his story to Zenat Patel of the New York Times.

Compliance Will Be Rewarded | 4767 words

Someone told him once: "Compliance will be rewarded," and he remembers pressing his head against a man’s leg in open supplication. He remembers hands in his hair, and a gentle grip on the back of his neck. He remembers a man telling him "so good, so good for me aren't you?" And he remembers nodding his head in a desperate attempt to be exactly as good as he was supposed to be.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Bucky Barnes is physically free from Hydra, but the hold on his mind lingers still. All he wants is to go home, and he'll do anything he can to get there.

To Burn Your Kingdom Down | 12370 words

The Avengers go after a Hydra splinter cell with a nasty habit of brutalizing their prisoners. Steve has some ugly history with them, and when a rescue mission gone wrong leaves him and Sam in enemy hands, the situation gets uglier still.

Worth The Wound | 7709 words

The asset knows that maintenance is better than punishment. But with Steve, maintenance becomes more pleasant, soft and gentle and everything he could dream of. It was only natural that he decided to prolong that maintenance a little longer.

The Spaces In-Between | 6971 words | Part 1 of What We Tried So Hard To Hide Away

"Memories are like buckets of water: they weigh on the heart and the brain until the body fails. You're blessed to stay forgetful and young, Soldier."

Sometimes blessings feel like curses.

Illuminate The Scene | 7086 words | Part 2 of What We Tried So Hard To Hide Away

The doctors had wanted to keep the Soldier. Shock him and freeze him until he was fixed, or tear him to scrap if he couldn’t be repaired so that he wouldn’t be an entirely wasted investment. Steve is the only thing stopping them.

When the Soldier can't trust his own body, how can he trust anything?

All These Riots Of Broken Sound | 83790 words | Part 1 of Forever Is A Close And Honest Friend

When Steve and the team return to Avengers tower to find Bucky gone, they must venture into B.A.R.F. to figure out what triggered him to leave and hunt those who wronged him. Trapped in a simulation of Bucky's worst memories with rogue HYDRA agents waiting to strike, 100 years of secrets, lies, pain and love drive the team to their limit and push Steve towards a realisation that is a century in the making.

I Was Lost But Left A Trace | 3585 words | Part 2 of Forever Is A Close And Honest Friend

Disorientated, the Asset reached up to wipe at the moisture on its cheeks and was shocked to find it clear, instead of the crimson it has been expecting. It didn’t understand why this misidentification had caused uproarious laughter from the technicians.

“It is not blood,” the Asset told him, “but it is still a malfunction.”

This sobered the technician a little, and he nodded tightly.

“Yes. It is. But we will fix you.”

I’ll Always Be Blamed For The Sun Going Down | 9907 words | Part 3 of Forever Is A Close And Honest Friend

He knows he’s in the right place. He has heard the guys at the docks laugh and joke about the queers who come out after dark, looking to earn a little extra cash. He has seen the johns, when he’s been out late enough, skulking in the shadows like predators hunting for their next meal, looking for something in particular. Sometimes they look at him.

A small, rusty pen knife that his father had picked up in Europe during the Great War sits heavy in the breast pocket of his jacket. Just in case.

Book Of The Moon | 16019 words | Part 4 of Forever Is A Close And Honest Friend

In 1929, Bucky Barnes falls in love for the first time and resigns himself to never telling a soul, let alone Steve, the object of his affections. In 1943, half a world away from the man he can never have and fighting for his life and his sanity, something new begins to bloom.

Habeas Corpus | 18054 words

An unexpected incident in the field leaves Steve Rogers facing the infiltration of a Hydra base and retrieval of important intelligence, all while pretending to be the Winter Soldier. Unfortunately, there are important aspects of the Soldier's past that Bucky hasn't disclosed, and Steve has no idea what he's really walking into.

Bullies | 14979 words

Written for the MCU trash meme prompt:

I wanna see Steve being messed with by his secretly-HYDRA coworker buddies. I want them generally fucking with him, "accidentally" doing terrible things to him or getting Steve into awful situations, telling jokes that aren't really jokes, gaslighting, performing sexual-assault hazing under the guise that "that's what people do now," pressuring him into other sex shit, anything, just fuck Steve up.

Steve isn't failing to fully catch on because he's dumb or oblivious: it's just that he is Steve, so he wants to believe the best of everybody, and he doesn't want to believe that he could be working for/with bullies and that (as Natasha says) he essentially died for nothing.

Not Unwanted, Not Unloved | 50320 words

They'd resigned themselves to never becoming parents - until Bucky gets pregnant and drops off the grid without even a whisper to his mate about his condition. Steve will still raze the earth to find him, but that doesn't mean he likes what he finds.

The Tones That Tremble Down Your Spine | 13889 words

Tony tells him they’re planning a party for Steve’s birthday. He knows how parties are supposed to go.

Lacuna | 62875 words

The Winter Soldier doesn't remember Steve Rogers, but he needs Rogers' help.

OR: The one where Bucky doesn't remember Steve, but falls in love with him anyway.

Not A Perfect Soldier | 93354 words

In a world where HYDRA was wiped out in the '40s, Steve is found by the Army rather than SHIELD. General Thaddeus Ross wants a perfectly obedient super-soldier at his command, and to that end, he sets out to break Steve to his will. As Steve struggles to come to terms with all he has lost, his life in captivity is only made bearable by the presence of another prisoner-- another super-soldier known only as "Soldat". Then the Avengers strike a deal with Ross to "borrow" him for missions, and Steve is faced with a team who dislikes him, an organization he doesn't trust, and the question of what he's willing to do to escape Ross's clutches.

For Want Of Him | 103174 words

It's the twenty-first century, and Steve Rogers has never been more alone. Everything he knew, everyone he loved, is now gone, and a dark, bitter loneliness claws at him, raking bleeding gashes into his heart. And then there's Brock Rumlow. Rumlow is like salt in his wounds; vicious, and cruel. But his dark brown hair and teasing smirk reminds Steve of someone long dead, and his New York accent sounds like home...He's a soldier like him...he understands. And Steve makes the fatal mistake of trusting him.

The Same Measure | 4943 words

The Winter Soldier was never allowed to stop unless an injury was too grievous.

To Be Unmade | 5114 words | Part 1 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower

For the asset, things only ever get worse. The external scars fade quickly enough. The internal ones dig deeper and deeper.

But the internal scars are called love, and doesn't that make them worth the hurt?

Do Not Put In The Icebox | 7143 words | Part 2 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower

When the asset malfunctions on a mission, Rumlow and Rollins learn more than they ever wanted to know about Pierce's hobbies.

And then everyone has pancakes.

The Knowing Makes It Worse | 4130 words | Part 3 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower

No is a bad word and invites punishment.

Or, Alexander Pierce is a very bad man who delights in manipulating and degrading the asset.

Love Is For Children | 5303 words | Part 4 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower

Bucky understands how the game works. He can't understand why it makes Steve cry.

But Natasha and the other Avengers are there to help.

I Just Wanted To Be Sure Of You | 4461 words | Part 5 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower

Bucky has Bucky Bear; it's only fair for Natasha to have something of her own.

Visiting a toy store wasn't strictly necessary, but if Tony wants to throw money around, no one's going to complain.

“Till The End Of The Line | 6069 words | Part 6 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower

It's hard to take a friendship right back up when so much has changed over seventy years.

Particularly when HYDRA's conditioning resurfaces.

*if you feel that any of these fics shouldn’t be in this list please just send me a message! :) I have read them all but over the past 1+ years so some of them I might not remember all the details of :)

[bcdwhcre]

“Sacrifice” Reader x Adult Trio

Prompt: simply something were to happen on a mission w/ adult trio and one of you has to be the sacrifice.

Warnings: none just sad bc I’m sad

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.

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• Hisoka:

You had begged Hisoka to let you come with him on this mission, it had been a while since the both of you worked together and he couldn’t deny that you two made a good team but the more time went on, the more he got over protective with you and letting you come with him was like him having to babysit and do the mission all at once and he couldn’t risk losing you, not under his supervision.

When you finally went on the mission, you realized how hard it actually was until it came down to one last option at the back of your head. You didn’t want to think about it, you couldn’t so you continued to get up and fight with everything you had in you. Hisoka was trying his hardest to keep his eyes on you while also battling the main boss behind the whole operation you two were trying to take down. Hisoka simply thought this would be a fun interesting battle that he could probably easily win but with you here, he had to make sure you were safe above all.

Minutes passed and you were on the ground heaving from how exshaunted and beaten down you were. Your body ached but your heart broke more when you took a glance at Hisoka and seen how hard he was trying- for you. You knew in that second you had to do what you were thinking about earlier. Sacrificing yourself for Hisoka’s safety. Your power that was held inside of you was a deadly weapon, he knew that but what he didn’t know was that the power you held all these years can easily kill you. You kept it locked away for as long as you could, your past with your powerful family was traumatizing and you refused to use the power your abusive father passed on to you but the look on Hisoka’s face, the look you’ve never seen before was fear.

In that moment, it clicked and you knew you had to use it for this and knew you had to keep him alive at all costs. You couldn’t care less about yourself or your own life but Hisoka, you cared for his more. You never knew you could love someone this much that it made your heart ache. You slowly stood up, wiping the blood mixed with tears off your face and had used everything in your power to grab onto the boss and held on as you took everything you had in you to absorb the both of you with the intense power, practically burning you both alive.

Hisoka got knocked down from the sudden explosion, his eyes wide and strands of hair rested over his bloody forehead. He ran over to where you were, his heart racing and panic filled his head. Once he had seen your body, he knew what you did for him. He kneeled down and scooped up your lifeless body, emotionless. He didn’t know what to feel or what to think, you were all he had left. He had pushed the small strands from your face, sighing as the tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

“Thank you, darling.” Was all he said, carrying you away from the scene and through the woods, bringing you back home.

.

.

Chrollo:

Chrollo had known you for quite some time and once you joined the spiders, the relationship between you two had blossomed rather quickly. It was unexpected, you had only joined to get revenge on the spiders for stealing precious items from the small town you came from but the more you had talked to Chrollo, the more you realized how much in common you two had and after that it went all downhill.

Your judgment was clouded, the only thoughts left in your brain was of Chrollo and you disappeared from your town years ago to stay with him and be wherever he was but the chain user had gotten to him in ways you didn’t want to believe and the chain wrapped around his heart had prevented him from speaking to the spiders and that had broken you down heavily.

It’s been months since you seen or heard from him and it had sent you in a spiral of sadness and rage to the point where you had gotten into a murderous rampage throughout the city, ripping apart people and burning places to the ground. Feitan had tried his best to look after you but it was no use considering how powerful you truly were and he noticed that there was no hope to tame a wild animal without their alpha, it was pointless.

Chrollo finally got light of what you were doing and it had made his heart ache more and more until finally he decided to do what was needed to be done. To see you. He didn’t bothering caring about the rest of the spiders nor the judgment chain that wrapped around his heart, preventing him from seeing you but as broken as you both were, he wanted to make this sacrifice just to see your face one last time.

He had made the arrangements and made sure he had written letters out to everyone in the troupe and one especially for you before he made his way to the city you were in causing chaos. Once he stepped foot in the city, he was having second thoughts. Did he want to kill himself just to see your face one more time or should he wait until he could get the chain off, would you handle waiting for that long? He wasn’t too sure but his love for you was huge and deep, it was endless and he knew he had to see you and make you stop this madness.

His feet made their way around, trying to find the exact location you were staying at before settling inside and waiting for you. His hair hung over his face and the clothes he wore were just a plain t-shirt and jeans. He was nervous, his hands were actually sweaty for the first time since he first met you. Suddenly, the door opened up and he saw a glimpse of your face and his heart began to race. You both made eye contact and you didn’t think twice before clinging yourself onto him. The hug was tight, your chests pressed against each other before your lips had met.

He knew he had to speed up this process, he knew it was coming in a matter of minutes so he quickly pulled back and made sure to cup your cheeks to keep you in place.

“Listen to me, I don’t have much time. I couldn’t handle not seeing your face or not being able to touch you and I finally realized that my last breath should be with you. You’ve made me open my eyes and see the world in a much better light, for that I’m forever grateful and I want you to live a long happy life, even if it’s without me. Got it?” He had rushed everything out, wiping the tears that had slipped and rolled down your cheeks.

“Chrollo- why,” Suddenly his eyes went wide for a second, the chain stabbing him clean in the heart and the whole time he kept his eyes on you, never letting go and you had to catch him as he fell, gasping for breath as his last seconds were kept focused on you.

“I love you, don’t forget that.” He barely managed to speak before his heart stopped beating and the life drained from his eyes.

You had sat there, holding his lifeless body close to yours as you tried to gather your thoughts and take in what had just happened. He risked his life to see you and for some reason you couldn’t handle that or process it. You knew you couldn’t manage without him and he wanted you to try. You had thought about years ago to when you two first met and had much he’s changed you, definitely made you crazy but in ways you didn’t mind.

Questions flew around your mind, are you going to be fine without him? Look around the city and look at what you did for him being gone for a few months and now he’s- gone forever. You felt stupid, it was your fault he came here and the pain thag swelled up your heart was so painful that it could kill you. It took you hours of holding onto his body to finally come up with a conclusion. As much as you loved him, you didn’t bring yourself to read the full letter he wrote to you, most of it consisting of living on for him and leading the Troupe but deep down Chrollo knew while writing it that the end of this story would be similar to Romeo and Juliet, the both of you dead inside the hotel room and he also accepted that fate.

As you got up from the floor, picking up a knife from your jacket pocket that was on the bed, you made your way back to lay beside him. The ache in your heart grew and grew more as you laid there before finally you made a sacrifice and that was to be with Chrollo. You pushed the knife in your chest, the sharp objecting instantly hitting your heart and your eyes rolled to the side to take one more look at him before the life drained out of you.

.

.

• Illumi:

Illumi was never the type to be openly affectionate or caring towards other people. It had actually taken him years to even begin to show you that side and openly admit to somewhat feeling a different way when he was around you.

He was a quiet but gentle soul, that’s what you thought anyway but on the outside he was very cold and mysterious and that’s what you liked about him and that’s what drew you in.

He was very good at his job to say the least, never messed up and never ruined anything, he always got the job done and went back home or went back to wherever you stayed at. This time it was different, he had pushed himself a little too far and put his trust into your hands and had let you come along with him to do a job, assassinate a big well known man.

Illumi had repeatedly told you to stay close and to not get into any trouble and he would do the job, you were basically just a puppy following behind him and kept yourself tight on his trail until you had turned your attention away from him for a second, just one and that’s all it took for you to get yourself caught up in a ugly situation.

The people had taken you in as hostage and tried to use you against Illumi but you knew better than to put your life into his hands, he would leave you if it had to come down to his life. As much as you never said it aloud or wanted to admit it, he was afraid of losing you and didn’t want to put you in any danger.

You had met eyes with his, the cold stare on his face was making it hard to tell if he had any real emotion and if he was actually upset at the situation you got caught in. Your brain had wondered endlessly and you knew that you would be dead and you’ll have to be dead for him to do his job right and get out of here without a scratch.

Your eyes glanced around, trying to pick up the courage to try to fight the guys that held you hostage and you ignored the endless screaming of them threatening to shoot you if you didn’t stop but, you didn’t stop. You kept going, pushing them more and more until the gunshot echoed throughout the building.

Illumi’s eyes stared at you, taking the chance to kill everyone in seconds while they were distracted with you but he was a little too late as he seen your body limp on the cold floor, the bullet killing you instantly.

Illumi was never the type to sacrifice his life for someone else or care for someone but when it came to you, the amount of warmth he felt when he was around you was something new. It was thrilling yet scary in his eyes but he couldn’t shake you off, even when he tried and tried- you always came back.

The emotionless stars upon his face had stayed still, a small frown forming as he stared at you not knowing what to do, what to say. He ruined this mission, maybe if he had trust his gut to not take you and leave you back then you would still be alive. Now he was back to being alone and cold. The feeling of warmth he never felt from anyone, not even his own parents, was swept away in an instant along with your life.

.

.

.

Send requests plssssss

• Masterlist

[80s4life]

Until We Meet Again”

Word Count: 1,353

Status: Not Requested!

A/N: This is completely off from the movie, like, it has nothing to do with the story line. It was just a little something when I got in my feels. I might make a part 2 depending on the hype and whether or not this was actually like lol.

Fandom: The Expendables 2010-2014

Relationship: Tool x Reader

Summary: When the reader has an unexpected turn of events, they realize all the things they’ve never done, and some of the things they should’ve done. Will they make it out or will they never get the chance?

Warnings: angst, regrets, blood, assumed death, Reader is shot, blood loss, violence mentioned, language, VERY SAD (I warned you)

Taglist: @snapessecretdiary ( @one-boring-person​ cuz u love expendables)

Masterlist Expendables Masterlist

{gif is not mine, credits to @hellofagirl​}

People say that, when death happens, your life flashes before your eyes, giving you a slideshow of all the good, the bad, and the downright dirty. Usually, when this happens, regrets and prideful moments occur, making you either want to keep time the way it is or change it in some way, making you burn inside. It is also common for you to die peacefully, surrounded by the ones you love, whether it be of old age or other natural causes. All the people you want, there and supporting you throughout your final hurrah.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case for you, you were not one of those people to die of natural causes or simply old age. You weren’t even surrounded by any of the people you loved. You were just a nobody, someone that was used at other people’s expense, used to kill and terminate any threats and rescue what’s stolen or held unlawfully. 

Hence your group’s name, The Expendables. Highly trained mercenaries, veterans, and weapons experts used to do as you do best.

You were on a mission with them when your worst nightmare occurred, it being thoughtfully planned and kinks worked out days prior, giving you preparation as multiple other missions had time and time again. Just like any of the jobs you took with the team.

The objective was to take down a newly popular mafia, not unusual to you, the mafia not being too strong or big of a family just yet. However, when finally on the battlefield, you, along with the rest of the team; Barney Ross, Lee Christmas, Hale Caesar, Gunnar Jensen, Toll Road, and Yin Yang, had noticed just how wrong the mission truly was.

It was a set-up, one put in place by your highly unidentified employers, sent to tear your one-of-a-kind, intelligent family apart from what it was. You weren’t very fond to your past enemies, taking them out, ruining their plans, and destroying what could’ve been years of work to put together. This had led to many menacing opponents.

Barney, your leader, had sprung to action quickly, splitting us off and protecting us, being the amazing leader he was. Something you never got to fully acknowledge at times, sometimes being so pissed, you didn’t care if you had threatened his superiority or level of expertise. Hurting his feelings immensely.

The mission had gone fairly well for a while, working hand-in-hand with one another, tag-teaming with your brothers at separate times, given your unexpected predicament and disadvantage.

This was until you had managed to unknowingly cut yourself far from the group of mercenaries, having to run from a silent assailant wielding knives. Running underneath an archway, scared and exhausted, you felt your legs, abdomen, and lungs burn as the only missions in mind now were to get to safety and come home to the one you love undeterred. 

Only time would tell if these were going to be successfully accomplished.

You duck and weave through crates and buildings, running through a small town, but quickly run out of options as you draw yourself into a massive clearing. You scream over the comms, turning your mic on, asking for help, anyone, anything.

But they were too far away, rushing as fast as they could, wanting none other than to be at your side, fighting off anything that were to threaten you. You were their sister, whether it be blood or in arms, you were family and connected as one.

You spin on your heels, looking for a way out, but find nothing. Nothing to protect you or hide away in.  Nothing to just get you out. Accepting your fate, you decide this is it, facing your pursuer now, hands above your head in an attempt of surrender. The surrender goes unanswered though, unaccepted, your attacker pulling a gun from his waist band, shooting you square in the chest, not giving you a chance. 

Walking now, the killer comes to your side, body encased in a pool of blood, seeping into your clothing. Deciding his job is done, he lowers his gun, looking you in the eyes before disappearing into the distance, concluding that a slow death was the best revenge. 

All you do is lay there, unmoving, your mic still on and blaring with the voices of your team, concern and anger lacing their tones. You do not answer however, motivating Yin Yang to track your location from his keypad, Caesar and Toll deciding that bullets weren’t enough anymore, throwing grenades and bombs instead, killing the multiples. Barney, Lee, and Gunnar finishing the last of the survivors off, the full team hurrying to get to you from all different directions.

Gunnar is the first to find you, pumping his long legs harder now as he fears the worst, knowing this situation is a close two-end street, your chances slimming by the minute. Lee and Barney file in a moment later, followed by Toll, Yin Yang, and soon, Caesar. 

All you can do is stare, lovingly, regrettably, and solemnly all at once, knowing there is so much to say but not enough time to do so. So you told them, as quickly as physically possible, the blood now rushing into your lungs and mouth. You told them what you loved most, what you had regretted saying or doing, knowing the full effect of the past now.

And, when the pain gets to its worst factor, you turn to face Barney, him knowing you the most. “The pink book,” you choke out, Barney knowing exactly what you were referring to, “Give it to Tool for me, will ya’? There’s so much I haven’t told him, and just about everything should be in there.”

“Yeah,” Barney answers, his voice fading now, tears in his eyes, “Yeah, I’ll give it to him. I know what ya’ want, and I’ll send the message. You’ve always had a better way of speakin’ than me, and I think he’d like if you came back home in one piece, Kid. Just focus on stayin’ awake for me for now though, okay?” The last of his sentence comes out choked, tears now pouring from his eyes. Tears pooling from all of the men now, knowing that your fate is nearing its end.

“I love you guys...Always know that okay? Keep it with ya’,” I say, my body now feeling immensely lighter than any high could’ve.

“Yer not dyin’ on us Y/N...Ya’ can’t!” Gunnar yells, his emotional defense kicking in as his way of coping. “Yer supposed to be here always-”

All you can do is watch, tears of your own flowing in waves down the corners of yours eyes, rounding my eye cheek bones, slipping down towards my ears, and falling in delicate puddles. They’re all falling apart, and there’s nothing anyone can do to help it. Instead, you weakly motion your hands, grabbing one of Barney’s and Gunnar’s, the rest motioning to either hold onto one another or a limb of your body, such as your knees or legs.

As your vision starts to fade, and the familiar faces of your family dim and disappear, the last face you see is one that wasn’t there. One who will never know what would’ve happened until the group returns home, your body being held within their own arms. Tool. The most talented, artistic, and loving man of my dreams, will never know the full extent of your passion for him. And now, as darkness overcomes you, your last final regret lies on him, your last tears shedding from your eyes. Closing them, seeing the darkness, and feeling the last bit of your being being lifted, no longer seeing or feeling anything. Just black.

Whoever said death was a pleasant goodbye never really understood all of what leaves with the hollow body of a once joyful, full of life person. The regrets, stories, love, and connections staying remnant within them and never truly leaving even when they are no longer visible. For even as they part, the people who knew them now are haunted and reminded of a person no one will ever see again. Never have the beauty of knowing just like they had.

That is, until they part ways as well. 

Until then, it is just a bittersweet goodbye.

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

Unexpected Places (Pt. 11 of 11)

Pairing: Ivar the Boneless X Reader/Bjorn X Reader

Word count: 2 K

Summary: As a princess, you've lived in a golden cage all your life, always a piece on someone else's game. But everything changed when the Norsemen came crushing down on Wessex, like waves in a violent storm. Their king spared your life and decided to take you with him to his kingdom, in what felt more like a rescue than a kidnapping. There, you were not only confronted with a completely different culture and lifestyle, but also with two of his sons. The oldest one has his eyes set on you, but it's the youngest one, Ivar, who gets who claimed your attention since the first sight. And he seems to have an unnamed interest in you. Of course you hoped whatever that was would pass, but when unexpected feelings start to flow a different way, things begin to change.

<- Previous part (10)

{Vikings Masterlist}

×

Home

Walking slow, you keep up the pace of a heavily pregnant Aslaug. The news of the child on its way came on the last day of the feast for your wedding and it was well-received by everyone. The snow falling gives Kattegat an amazing look, with everything painted white. The ocean is starting to freeze, but there are still boats coming and going, doing the last trades by sea before the ice keeps them away, having to endure the walk instead of sailing here.

Heading to the main hall, you stop when Aslaug stops, a hand on her swollen belly. “Everything alright?”

“Yes. I just need to lie down for a while.” She answers, setting in motion again. “Ragnar sons are always–” She's cut short once you enter the hall, the high number of people gathered around getting both your attentions. “Did something happen?” She asks, raising her voice. Ragnar comes to stand beside her, very protective ever since he found about the pregnancy.

You make your way to where Ivar is, seated on Ragnar's throne. “What's going on?” You ask him. “Bad news?”

“Boats were seen sailing this way.” He answers, gesturing, and dismissing the men. “With your brother's flag.”

“What the hell does Aethelwulf want?” Shrugging your shoulders, you stand beside Ivar, who takes your hand and places a kiss on it.

“Ask father.” He says, clearly annoyed.

Raising an eyebrow, you look at Ragnar. “Last raid I might have left implied that you were here on Kattegat, so... I think they came to take you back.”

“Why would you do that?” You inquire, hands on your hips.

“They were really pissing me off.” Ragnar justifies, and you roll your eyes.

“Are they coming for war?”

“No,” Bjorn says, entering the hall and dusting off his clothes from the snow. “I don't think they're planning on battle us, on our ground, with such few people.”

“Good. It means I can just tell them I don't wanna go and they'll leave.” Sighing, you look at Ivar. “And here I was planning on asking you to take me on the next raid.” You complain to Ivar, shooting Ragnar an angry glance. “England came to me.”

“Missing home?”

“Are you seriously asking me if I want to sail for weeks, stay on a camp in the woods for the entire summer for any other reason than to staying with you?” Faking an annoyed tone, you raise an eyebrow at Ivar.

Giggling, he bites his lip, nodding his head. “My mistake, princess.” Winking, he turns his attention back to his father. “Let's do what we have to do and get this tiny problem out of our lives so I can enjoy winter with my wife.”

“Speaking of enjoying the winter, I'll fix myself a warm bath and I hope you to join me.” With that, you turn around and head inside, ignoring the low chattering your words caused.

The word got out, you think, about Ivar being able to perform sexually. But since you were the first one to know, you don't mind the gossip.

The girls don't take much time to get everything ready, and you let them help you undress before you step into the tub. You always use Ivar's tub now, since you just moved into his bedroom after the wedding. As if you weren't sleeping here before. A few moments later you hear Ivar coming inside, taking off his clothes before joining you, making the hot water spill off when he moves inside, settling down next to you.

“You're so beautiful.” He whispers, immediately pulling you into a kiss, and you can't help but smile as you cave in, running a hand through his chest.

“Thank you, handsome.” You mutter when you pull away to breathe, biting your lip.

“Won't you even consider it?” You don't follow, so you pinch your eyebrows together, looking at your husband.

“Consider what?”

“Going back home.” There's fear in his voice, and that's a sentiment he only shows to you.

Ever since the announcement, Ivar has been listening to some rude things. People are mean, some of them at least. They say you'll leave him, trade him for a full man. That you'll get tired of him soon enough. You've been into awful arguments with some people about it, and Ivar have nearly killed a man a few weeks ago. With time, these comments are fading away, but it always gets to him. And when it happens, it's your mission to reassure him your love hasn't changed, it has only gotten bigger.

“I am home.” Caressing his cheek, you smile. “This is where I belong.” Your voice fades when you remember you have something to tell Ivar. It's been a while since you've been feeling odd, and your period is very late. “Actually, I need to talk to you about something.”

He furrows his eyebrows, a question on his face. “What is it?”

You know he wants kids, you've always knew. And you've been waiting until you're sure. And you're kinda sure at this point. “Ivar, I... I may be with child.” Speaking low, barely a whisper, you focus on his expression, trying to read it.

But you don't need too much. Ivar's lips break into a smile, and he kisses you deeply, until you're out of breath. “I'll be a father.” He says when you pull away.

“Yes, you will. And if it depends on me, you'll have a bunch of children, my love.” You can't wait to tell everyone, to let them know Ivar can do what they all doubted.

“I love you, (Y/N). More than everything.”

“We need to talk names now.” Giggling, you caress his face. “Everyone will have a suggestion.”

“We'll have to do it later.”

“Later? Why? Are you planning on doing anything now?” Smirking, you don't need any other answer than the kiss he gives you, and suddenly all the rest is put aside for a moment.

°°°

Hours later, when the sun is about to set, you're at the docks, watching as the two boats approach. A great number of people came too, of course, to see how it'll play out. There are soldiers, ready to fight if that's the case, but if it depends on you, it won't come to that. It doesn't look like they're here for war.

It gets your attention when one of the men, standing on the edge of the ship, recognizes you. He raises his eyebrows, but you don't show any expression. Slowly, he and a few men step out of the boat, eyes scanning through the Vikings, ready to defend themselves and their leader. That's when you recognize the man, Sir Wilfred, one of your father's man, now working for your older brother. He was kind to you, so you don't have your walls all the way up.

“Princess (Y/N).” He greets you with a small smile, taking your hand and placing a kiss on it. “It's a true blessing to find you alive and... Well.”

“It's good to see you too, Sir. Hope you made a safe trip here. But may I ask why did you and such a small army bothered to sail all the way to Kattegat?” Cutting straight to the point, you offer him a small smile. Ivar, who stands beside you, gets a worried stare from Wilfred, and you can feel his anger emanating.

“King Aethelwulf, your brother, sent us. After Ragnar Lothbrok told him you were here, brought by your own will, he decided to give you a chance to reconquer your old life, as a princess, by his side.” There's more than he's saying because you know your brother. It doesn't sound like something he would say. Aethelwulf wants you back because he can't even begin to imagine who would want to stay here. And he's ego demands him to try and get you back, so he can present you to his court, telling them how you came back to your senses and abandoned the barbarians.

“Tell my brother I have no intention of leaving Kattegat.” You begin, getting a weird expression from Wilfred, and some of his men start gossiping with each other. “I made myself a home here, among the Vikings. I even married one.” Gesturing at Ivar, you have to bite back the laugh that threatens to emerge at the surprise on Wilfred's face. “This is Ivar the Boneless, my husband and the father of the child I'm carrying. And I believe you know him very well Sir.”

“My princess, I don't understand–”

“I'm thankful for this... Rescue party you brought with you across the ocean, but I don't need to be rescued.” Cutting him off, you step back a little, gesturing at the people who stand behind you. “This is my place now, my people. My house, my King and Queen, my husband and friends. I'm not being held against my will. In fact, I didn't come against my will.” You raise your voice, so all of his men will listen, so the truth can find a way to your brother's ears. “With the same people you call soulless, barbarians, monsters, I found great happiness, something that I never had back in England. And I apologize if you had to endure such a journey for nothing, but I won't be going with you. And, just in case you were ordered to take me by force, I must advise you not to try it. Because you will lose.”

“My princess, those aren't the orders,” Winfred speaks again, clearly uncomfortable. “King Aethelwulf commands that, if you are indeed here by your own will, and refuses to return home, he will tell your people you died, and never again you'll find refuge in his kingdom.

Laughing a little, you shrug your shoulders. “So be it.” You simply say, looking at Ivar, who has a smile on his lips. “I'm not going anywhere.” You tell most to your husband than to anyone else. “It was good to see you one last time, Sir Wilfred.” But now I must ask you and your men to sail away from Kattegat. Your presence here isn't welcome.”

“I wouldn't stay even if you invited me, Prin... (Y/N).” He quickly corrects himself, and the change of humor makes you giggle.

“I wasn't planning on inviting you, Sir. Have a safe trip back to England.” Nodding at him, you turn around, walking away with Ivar next to you. Everyone steps out of your way, and you notice how some of Ragnar's men take a position to follow the Saxons back to their ship and until they're far enough from the town.

The commotion soon stays behind as you make your way back home, the wind, which gets colder by the day, messing with your hair.

“I love both of you,” Ivar says, out of nowhere, making you stop on your tracks by the main hall's entrance.

“What's that now?” Squinting your eyes, you stare at him, a chuckle caught in your throat.

“You make me happy. Like I never thought I'd be.” He comes closer, a hand on your belly. “This child is the very image of what we feel. And I never thought I'd ever love someone this much. Or that someone would love me even though–”

“Well, I love you. Just the way you are.” Your heart warms up at his smile, genuine and kind. “Now, let's get inside. It's getting cold.” Taking his hand, you pull him inside.

Many things are on the way now. The child, the raids, on which you do want to go every once in a while. The road is long and full of surprises, but you're willing to enjoy every step of the way. You never thought this would be how your life turned out, but as crazy as it is, it's good. It's the proof that love and happiness can be found in the most unexpected places, and you found both those things in a town across the world, with people who live in a completely different culture, in very different ways. But you would do it all over again, and now that you're here, you'll never take things for granted. You'll never trade this for anything else, not even for the throne of Wessex. This is far more valuable than all the crowns of the world.

×

@multific @revolution-starter @crackhead1-800 @youbloodymadgenius @clown-boyyy @kitten0394 @castielsangelx-blog @goldlion07 @midnightmystic @readsalot73 @xvxcarolinexvx @momowhoo @fangfoxy @msrawog @walkingonshunshine @alytavzla @anotherfan07 @heavenly1927 @msrawog @alexhandersen-marcoilsoe-fandom

[pentechnics]

✨Mari's Masterlist✨

💕 = fluff 😭 = hurt/comfort 🥺 = slow burn 🔥 = 18+/explicit/smut 😂 = humor 👀 = just a teeny sprinkle of spice

Series

Of Love and Time | 💕🥺😭 | 101k (complete)

Din Djarin x f!reader

Rating: T (mostly for language, tension, and conversations with deep topics; recommended for 15+) Summary: Although you didn’t know every child’s story, you knew the ones who’d seen the worst were sent to you. And for the many years you’ve worked as a teacher for the younglings at this sanctuary school, you’ve been more than willing to provide, ignoring the fact that it’s caused you to neglect your own pain. But what'll happen when a certain little green youngling and his protective father start to turn your life around? What'll happen when someone comes along and wants to help you?

Also available to read on AO3!

Latch | 💕🥺🔥(eventually) | ~27.4k (ongoing)

Modern AU Firefighter!Din Djarin x f!reader

Rating: M (will become explicit; I'll update and specify when it comes; recommended for 18+) Summary: When the famous Bookmark bookstore — your beloved place of employment, affectionately called the Mark — goes up in flames, you get trapped inside. When you're moments away from your last breath, a firefighter comes to your rescue, and something about you makes him want to hold on. Now you're working at a café and bakery right by the fire station while you and your former coworkers try to raise the funds to rebuild the beloved bookstore before the city takes over the plot in 2 months' time. And you start to get a regular customer. Something about those brown eyes draws you in. You want to know him more. And unbeknownst to you, he feels the same.

Also available to read on AO3!

A Strange Duet | 💕😭🥺👀 | ~13.1k (ongoing)

Assassin!Din x Princess!Reader Medieval-ish AU

Rating: M (graphic depictions of violence and detailed use of weapons; recommended for 16+) Summary: You are a princess, next in line for Sorgan’s throne, and an assassin is sent to kill you. Not just any assassin, though: a Mandalorian. The best of the best. They never miss a mark. Especially not Din Djarin. The job? Do away with you before your coronation takes place. Child’s play to someone of his experience. He masquerades as a worker in the castle to try and get to you. But then the most unexpected development occurs. One that threatens his mission, his nation, and his life. The one thing that an assassin is never meant to do. He starts to fall in love with his target.

Also available to read on AO3!

Corporal | 🔥🥺 | ~11k (ongoing)

Boss!Din x Secretary f!reader

Rating: E, 18+ only

Summary: Your new job is more or less a cinch; you’re the secretary to the COO of a big manufacturing company. Day in and day out you balance calendars, prepare morning coffee, and send a variety of emails.

But you also fantasize about your boss. In every which way. And it doesn’t take long to find out that his mind is just as filthy as yours.

Oneshots

The Mandalorian - Din Djarin x f!Reader (no use of y/n)

Can’t Get Enough | 🔥 | E (18+ only) | ~1.3k

Also available to read on AO3!

Bite | 🔥 | E (18+ only) | ~4.5k

Also available to read on AO3!

Never Alone Again (vampire!Din) | 🔥💕 | E (18+ only) | ~8.8k

Also available to read on AO3!

True Colors | 💕 | G | ~1.4k

Also available to read on AO3!

Shh… |🔥 | E (18+ only) | ~2k

Also available to read on AO3!

Din Djarin x gn!Reader (no use of y/n)

Along Came Tin Man | G | 💕😂 | ~4.6k

Also available to read on AO3!

Boba Fett x f!Reader (no use of y/n)

Kneel |🔥 | E (18+ only) | ~4.5k

Also available to read on AO3!

Drabbles

Din Djarin x f!Reader & Din Djarin x gn!Reader (no use of y/n; ratings specified in each post)

Love Prompt Drabbles 💕👀

Miscellaneous Requested Drabbles 🔥💕👀

Daddy!Din - Morning Promises | E (18+ only) 🔥

Din loves your dress | E (18+ only) 🔥

Daddy!Din thot | E (18+ only) 🔥

Pretty | E (18+ only) 🔥

Boba Fett x f!reader (no y/n; ratings specified in each post)

Boba’s tiddies | E (18+ only) 🔥

Please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from a series taglist or my permanent one! 💖