#genuinely this is probably so ooc I just snorted thinking about it

[last-of-the-jaded]

Who in NCT Dream is your best bet at surviving a horror movie scenario?

Jisung: Unless it’s something to do with running that man is dead. The second that you reach a puzzle it’s goodnight Sweet Prince.

Chenle: I feel like our horror movie fanatic would be so into it, and turn into an amused critic, that he’d end up getting everyone around him killed.

Jaemin: Roll of a coin with this one. Depending on his mood he will either get you out of there no issue or sit back and let death take him like angel’s wings.

Mark: Beautiful emotional rock of a man would make you hard carry the gore and heights and jump scares and psycho killers. It’s not fair, but if you’ve got the will…

Renjun: He would leap to assist the group with anything, even as he overthinks the same puzzle for over an hour, and jumps at the slightest noise. It’s teamwork, even if the chances of survival are slim.

Haechan: Mind like a saw-trap going a thousand miles a minute. If you don’t get in his way or slow him down I feel like it’s a good bet.

Jeno: A physically-force-it type of problem solver, who would live a long time, but most likely get caught due to following a shoddy order or idea because he’s too loyal to question motives.

[luludeluluramblings]

Conner Kent's Obsession with Smalltown!Reader

A/N: I saw a few people liking the Superfam stuff and finally went nuts attempting this Conner bit. I tried. I tried so hard. I added dialogue. I'm used to the YJ Conner, but this is my attempt at Comic Conner. If he's OOC, oops. Yeet. (I attempted to research, I swear.) Might edit this some later.

A/N: I write Reader with an accent. One, cause that's how I talk. Two, cause I like it like 'dat.

A/N: I'm also almost done with Part Seven, but I'm adding dialogue to that too to make the breaking point a tad bit more impactful. I've never really written dialogue before.

Warnings: Slight Yandere themes. Romantic Yandere. (Very subtle.)

Conner’s run-ins with Reader always seemed to piss Tim off. Especially after Tim started researching into Reader. He would occasionally always beg Tim to invite Reader to hang out. And, he would find himself rejected every single time. Before it was probably due to Tim being dramatic. Now, he certain of this, it's because Tim dramatic and jealous overprotective.

On other occasions, he'd just by pass Tim, leaving him to his cases (and creeping) so hecould sneak and bother reader. They’re kinda cute, in his opinion. Of course they call him a big city boy and said he clearly lived off of his daddy’s money. Which was only kind of wrong. But, they way they said it made his a trail of heat crawl down his spine.

After some time had passed, he knew that Tim and the other members of the family were suspicious about him coming to the manor so much. He never tried to hide his reasons There was no point in hiding behind weak excuses. He respected the Bats too much to even think he could fool them. Plus, lying to the Bats was a good way to get stabbed with a kryptonite knife. Even though they had made it pretty clear that they disapproved of him coming around so often, He was still going to keep visiting. Could they really blame him? It wasn’t his fault he was enamored so easily. 

He kept his distance just a bit. Like he was silently (commanded) requested. He could tell he made the newest addition to the family a bit uncomfortable. And, he understood. The clone thing was kinda freaky after all.

Well, at first he had assumed it was because he was a clone. That would make any normal person feel a bit weird. But, then he heard them keep call him that nickname. City boy. The way it rolled off their tongue and how often it was said was clearly a sign. They weren’t bothered by the clone thing. They just didn’t like his personality. He could fix that. That wasn’t that hard. He was adaptable.

So when he approached them again, for the million time, he tried to play up the cool and collected act. Going as far as to emulate the Batman. Which, surprising made the ice break. When they laughed at him.

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

"No, seriously why are you acting like that?" You're still giggling at how hard he was trying to play up the serious act. Cause that's all it was. You don't doubt he could genuinely be serious for a moment, but this wasn't one of those moments.

"I'm just letting you see a different side of me, is all." Conner replies, trying to keep it up even though he had been quickly caught.

"You mean the imaginary side, city boy? I didn't realize you liked to play pretend." Another teasing snort. God, how you needed that laugh.

"I'm not pretending."

"Yeah, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yeah."

"No."

"Yes, you are. Don't be lyin' to me now. Or, Imma start gettin' upset."

"Okay, okay... How could you tell?" He conceded after a moment. The way he scratched the back of his head suited him much more than that little Oscar performance he was putting on a few seconds prior.

"I'm observant." Comes the mock arrogant reply. It was hard to give him a cold shoulder when he just made you laugh so genuinely in the last few weeks.

"Oh, look who's playing pretend now." The snark on his tongue doesn't have any heat, but it does bring you some relief. A bit of much needed normalcy.

Maybe it's the fact that the loneliness has slowly crawled into your chest and burrowed it's self deep in that hollow part of you, but it's easy to let your guard down around him for once. You had noticed his efforts to get to know you before, and maybe you let those preconceived notions cloud your little head. But, there was no need for them anymore. The twinge of glee he sparked was enough to burn them away and make you pause before you would rebuild those walls of yours.

"Are you saying I'm not observant?"

"Yep."

"The audacity!" The outrage nothing more than a sham. A simple way to fill the air between them. Cause even if the talk was small, just the hint of it filled something in you. That didn't make your curiosity fade, however. "But, seriously, why are you impersonating Bruce? And in his own house, no less."

The brief silence that washes over you both has you already regretting this. Had it really so long since you've had a proper conversation that you were this out of practice?

When he finally speaks again, it is gives you relief and more regret.

"I just wanted to finally get your attention."

Well, doesn't that make you finally fit in with the rest of your family?

Your tongue brushes over your teeth in an attempt to get the lead coating that made your words weigh heavy in your mouth off of it.

"I'm sorry, Conner. I- I've been smallminded haven’t I?"

"No, I get it. The whole clone thing is freaky." He starts, a light flush on his cheeks. He wasn't expecting an apology, and especially one so soon and so heartfelt.

"Oh, yeah, that... Really it didn't have anything to do with it. I kinda just thought you were a typical concrete jungle flirt. Momma warned me about men like you." You try to hide your sheepishness by adding humor to your voice, praying he catches your sincerity under all the different layers.

He catches something, judging by the beaming smile Conner gives you.

"Really? I had hoped it wasn't, ya know, that."

"Nah, nah. It wasn't. Still, I am sorry." You assume silence is about to befall the pair of you again, but he doesn't let it happen.

"My family owns a farm out in Kansas, you know?" The cheeky grin on his face screams that he's going to be getting his revenge in the form of mild bullying.

"No!" The resounding smack of your palm hitting your forehead nearly echoes in the halls. "I feel even worse now."

"So much for being observant, little detective."

"I never claimed to be no detective. But, I might be more... oblivious then I initially implied..."

Now, it's Conner's turn to guffaw at you.

"The audacity."

"Don't you throw my words back at my. I can't handle it." You can't help by click your tongue. There's hardly any annoyance from your words. "I really misjudged you."

"It's fine! I figured you might still be adjusting to Gotham and the whole Wayne lifestyle. Tim mentioned you're from a pretty small town when I started bugging him about you." He's clearly playing up the charm, but you let it work on you.

"More like I'm still suffering from culture shock." Slowly, you can feel this conversation starting to shift to something deeper than surface level. Things that haven't been allowed into the open air start to ripple underneath.

And, he takes that chance to draw it out.

"Still?" Empathy mixing into his tone. Those icy blue eyes looking incredibly warm. You'd never really taken the time to look at him. Sure, you knew he was attractive. Hell, everyone that seemed to show up at the manor was attractive. But, now you were finally looking at him. Too focused were you in taking in his appearance for the first time, that you completely missed the way those eyes shined with opportunity and desperate want.

"Yeah, still. It's... different."

"Different as in the food's a little weird or different as in the people are a little weird?"

"It's all a little weird, and it's... kinda... lonely?" You can't help the wince. You really don't wanna trauma dump on someone who you had initially misjudged. He didn't deserve that.

But, as he moves closer you can't help it. That desolate part of you longing for comfort when you haven't had it in such a long time and the way he's giving you all this undivided attention when you can barely catch Alfred in the halls these days fills that acute craving in your gut.

"Lonely?" God, the concern in his voice doesn't make you want to cry, but it does make you want to choke

"I... I think it's not here that's different. I think it's me that's too different." The way he sucks a breath in after the words leave your mouth makes you want to backtrack immediately. "I'm so sorry. God damn, am I mess right now."

"No. No. No. You are fine." The reassuring words oddly sound more like a purr, but they capture your attention all the same. "I get it. I really really do."

Why does he have to give you such a disarming smile. He's practically beaming at you now. There's a festering tension blooming around them like spores.

"You are really not helping me fell less like a jerk to you now." The click of your tongue attempting to defuse the budding blooms.

"Hey, if you're feeling guilt... you could, maybe... let me take you out for dinner sometime? Just to make it up to me."

After a stunned moment of thought, you finally find the words to reply.

" Honestly, I'd-"

"CONNER!" Tim's sudden interruption sends the words crawling back down your throat.

"Tim." He calls back in a cool greeting, but he strangely doesn't step back from you. Which is nice. You haven't had anyone close to you other than Dick and a few of your remaining friends at Gotham Academy. And Damian, Cassandra, and Duke get a bit huffy, or in Damian's case murdery, when they are within an arms reach of you.

"Sorry, am I interrupting anything? Conner and I had plans for the day." Tim's pleasant voice sends a wave of unease over you. He's not staring at you when he speaks. Just Conner. It's annoying how he's ignoring you despite you being right. In. Front. Of. Him.

But, then he does finally look at you and his dark grey eyes soften ever so slightly. You're not too mad. Clearly he's exhausted, judging by the bruises under his eyes. There's still a slight reflection in them as he's gaze meets yours, despite how dry the appear. Probably from looking at a computer too much.

"You really shouldn't bother with this guy. He's not worth it." The words are clearly meant to be joking. Casual banter between two close friends. But, you can't help thinking they come off a bit strong.

Conner seems to bristle at them, but he does brush them off.

"That's right, we are hanging out today. Can you blame me for getting distracted, though?" That cocky smirk of his is back, and he actually touches your shoulder. It makes you feels warm, but like a prize at the same time.

All Tim seems to do in response is twitch, but giving nothing away. His grey eyes going steely as they drift to Conner's hand.

When the moment finally passes, Conner lets his hand fall. You can feel it grazing down your back as he pulls away. Slow, like he's trying to strike a match and light something inside you.

"I'll see you later, sweetheart. Just think about my offer and get back to me on it!" Conner calls out as Tim storms behind him. Both heading in the direction of the library.

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

As soon as their in the Batcave, Conner can tell he probably pushed it too far. Not that he has any regrets. He finally got somewhere and confirmed all of his previous theories about Reader. They were so adorable apologizing to him, and so deliciously sweet about it too.

He should've realized Tim was watching them, though. Dude was a creep. He maybe his best friend, but he's still a damn creep.

As expected, the rest of the family is also giving him the patented Bat-glare when he sees them. But, as he stated, he has no regrets. He's not stupid enough to stick around, though. He saw Jason loading a suspicious looking green bullet into the chamber of his gun. And, while he knows Tim wouldn't kill him, he's not so sure about the rest of them.

He's confirmed what he's wanted, what he's already suspected. They're absolutely perfect for him and ripe and raw.

[quitesins]

Boxer!Bakugou x Sports Journalist!Reader

Masterlist

Tags: Sfw, Drabble, Female!reader, Aged up!character, Boxer!Bkg, Sports journalist!Reader, ooc bakugou? Maybe? Dialogue heavy, I’ve had this in my drafts since feb, idk anything about boxing btw

“They say you’re a prodigy, Mr. Bakugou but do you think you can keep up with those who’ve been fighting for years?”

Bakugou Katsuki, The Dynamight.

It’s testy to ask a question like that. You’ve watched his other interviews- he’s volatile, quick to anger. So you’re surprised when he looks you over, and smirks.

“You doubtin’ me?” There’s amusement in his voice. He thinks you’re nervous, he’s already disregarded you as a threat.

“No.” You sit up a little straighter. “But you have been uncharacteristically quiet about your training recently. One can only assume why.”

Bakugou lets out a bark of laughter, it’s not one you haven’t heard before but it’s still rare, feeling almost exclusive to the journalists he really doesn’t respect.

“And you’re suspecting it’s because I have nothing to show? Hah!”

You have to force your eyebrows back up, your lips to still curve.

“If not, what else? Aren’t you a little too confident” You pause. “Izuku Midoriya is also force to beat, but even he isn’t so cocksure.”

The crowd around you hushes. No one dares mentions that name. Bakugou grits his teeth, while you smile with yours prettily. It’s a low blow, bringing up his rival, but you’re not here to play nice either.

Bakugou takes a second, then replies. “That nerd would tremble over a baby.” His arm comes out to rest on the seat beside him, and he leans back casually. “His progress has nothing to do with me. I know my skill. I don’t need to be worried.”

It ticks you off how quick he is at regaining the upper hand, like confidence runs through his veins.

Though he looks unperturbed, his team ushers another journalist to the mic, and you have to step back at last. But even as you sink back into the crowd, head lowered, scribbling away at your notes, a pair of red eyes follow you, with intensity you’d be glad not to notice.

You’re waiting in the cold, under a darkening sky, just outside the hall, when a warmth emerges on your left side. It’s him. The Dynamight. And you jump back startled.

He stands there, clearly entertained by the fact you hadn’t noticed him and then by little gasp when you do.

“Mr Bakugou.” You’re curt, not particularly interested in getting into an argument, expecting that was what he was here for.

“Bakugou’s fine.” His shoulder nudges yours, for a second you think it’s a threat, but the foreign softness of his voice makes you realise otherwise. He’s trying to be… friendly? For what reason, it’s beyond you.

“Bakugou.” You don’t open up, but you don’t shy away either. He seems to take that as a win. “Shouldn’t you be inside, I’m sure everyone is clamouring for your attention.”

He snorts, it’s similar to his laugh during the interviews, but this time you can tell it isn’t taunting. You feel a bit guilty for assuming it had come with malice earlier.

“You’re not one bit scared of me are ya?”

“Should I be?”

Maybe he genuinely enjoys the back and fourth, because he really laughs at that. “Nah, you’d probably write a hit piece on me.”

“I- What?” When his words sink in you fluster at his claim. “No I wouldn’t? What?!”

“I read that article you did on Dabi.” Bakugou raises- without accusation. “The fucker deserved it.”

“It wasn’t like that!” It wasnt. It’s not your fault the famous boxer Dabi— Touya Todoroki had turned out to be former world champion, Endeavour’s son. You weren’t trying to expose any nepotism. It just happened to be. “It’s my job!!”

For a moment, Bakugou thinks you look like a scolded child, trying to defend yourself from the heinous allegation of stealing from the cookie jar.

“Relax. I know.” Bakugou nudges your shoulder again. “It’s why I want you to come interview my gym.”

“What?”

“My gym, Jeanist, Red, the whole lot.” He lists. “I don’t trust any other extra to do it. Either suck ups or fuckin’ liars.”

“And you think I’d be the inbetween?” You eye him warily, you don’t trust his trust.

“Yeah.” He ignores your skepticism. “Plus, it’d be nice to have a pretty girl around for a change.”

Now that’s what gets you speechless. Despite the increasing attempts of gossip mags trying to speculate about the annoyingly handsome Dynamight’s love life, he’d never actually been caught in a dating scandal. Honestly it seemed like the man was far too focussed on himself to have interest in anyone at all.

“That shut you up, huh?”

You’re actually glad he teases, because it reminds you not to fall for whatever charm he’d conjured up. You give him a frown but somewhere in your chest, it feels oddly warm.

“Think about it.” He steps back. “I’ll tell you now, best fuckin’ article you’ll ever write.” He nods over to a car you hadn’t noticed pull up.

It’s your cab, and it’s mildly embarrassing to realise how concentrated you’d been on him. He goes to take his leave and you turn to enter the car. Neither of you say goodbye, you just look away with faint smiles on your faces.

I had the beginning of dis just floating about in ma drafts since feb, finally added to it so why not post, also yes this is a call to watch Ippo. Miyata my beloved…

[rozcdust]

I don’t speak to whores

Pairing: Bonten x AroAce!GN!Reader

Genre: Crack, SMAU

Word count: 500ish

Warnings: Canon divergent, profanity, ooc, whore behaviour, NO ROMANCE, just reader bullying Bonten

masterlist

The breakfast passed with Kazutora stubbornly trying to get to know Kakucho better - no matter the man’s valiant attempts of evading Kazutora’s curiosity - the latter was a relentless chatterbox in hours even Sanzu would find ungodly early to try and speak.

By ungodly early, Kakucho means before 1 p.m.

He picked up on the fact that Kazutora was apparently an early bird, the habit of waking up at 6 a.m. sharp still heavily instilled in him, even if it has been nearly a decade since he got out of prison - today was an exception, considering the events of last night exhausted everyone present, but still.

Kazutora clearly perfected the art of being both a talker and an excellent listener, with a soothing smile and perfectly placed nods whenever the conversation demanded it, bright, amber eyes shining with more life than Kakucho has personally seen in years.

It probably said something depressing about his joyless excuse of a life.

Kazutora’s optimism and genuine desire to get to know him made Kakucho feel exceedingly small. Kazutora, even while knowing his background, seemed kind, gentle, lithe shoulders perfectly relaxed even in the company of a wanted criminal, silky smooth hair cascading down his back, back slightly slouched so his collar bones were revealed, showing off the end of his tattoo.

You seemed to ignore the conversation between the two men entirely, only offering brief, sarcastic commentary upon request, busy braiding and unbraiding a small section of Kazutora’s hair as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

The coffee was better than anything Kakucho has tasted before.

“So yeah, y/n loves to trash Fight Club, but they rewatch that damn fucking movie at least once every other month.” Kazutora smiled at your scowling face, only a roll of your eyes indicating your true annoyance as you proclaimed Kazutora a traitorous bastard, letting go of his hair only to take hold of it again.

“It is a homoerotic, satirical movie mocking toxic masculinity, and then dudebros salivate over Tyler Durden and call him an alpha male. That man is a peacock*. I’m not admitting I like that shit publicly.”

“I think Ran likes that movie, actually.” Kakucho remarks, tilting his head - he’s pretty sure Ran told him about it before.

You snort, shaking your head.

“Of course he does.” You clicked your tongue, “He doesn’t get it. Next you're gonna tell me he loves Clockwork Orange too."

“Y/n is a bit of a movie snob.” Kazutora took your hand into his - he glances up at you, silently asking your permission - upon a slight nod of your head, he smiled, planting a soft kiss on your wrist.

Such an innocent little gesture.

It has Kakucho's chest aching.

"I don't think he does." Kakucho tilts his head, scratching his cheek, "He mentioned how he hated the main character."

Your quirk an eyebrow, sipping your coffee.

"Well. Maybe he isn't a hopeless dumb bitch."

"He truly isn't that bad."

You choked on your drink, glaring at the scarred man - he shrunk under your gaze.

"Get out of my house."

a/n: i'm alive. shockingly.

Taglist (i need to start a new one so please do say if you wish to be tagged):

@rinsie @r-xochitl @7rkx @sunahyejin @yamaguccitadashi @minoozi @trashmemebitch @sup-zfam @xashiui @hana-patata @erza-uzumaki @sh4nn @sisnot @kneeapartman @anahryal @reiners-milkbiddies @satsuri3su @aretheea @bluerskiees @winterv-black @astropheia @requiem-of-a-fool @kunikya

(rest of taglist in the comments, so sorry if i tagged anyone twice!)

[wandixx]

Ghost of fries and hero of cookies part 6

All work words count: 14 643

Words in this part: 2 686

Summary of whole work: Duke wasn't expecting to wake up from his quick rooftop nap to some meta kid with fries. He also wasn't expecting kid to stay

Or

Danny asked Dani to stay safe while she was in Gotham. Where would she be safer than under the wing of local hero? And he looked like he needed bad day combo anyway

This part summary: Batman wants an explanation. His kids however, wouldn't be themselves if they did add some chaos

Beta read by @audhumla-sailor though English is second language for both of us, so proceed with this in mind. I also know all of the charaters through fics alone, so probably ooc. Stay catious if it's something you don't like

First part, Previous part

“Signal.”

Duke bit back a sigh as his last hope to leave Cave undiscovered disappeared. He shot Steph message of:

Having The Talk. Come as moral support

and turned around to face Bruce.

“Yes?”

B grunted in disapproving and ‘Signal report’ way but Duke decided to buy some time and answer only questions that were actually asked. He slowly sat at the briefing table and looked at the man expectantly.

Lift chimed and moments later Tim and Cass went to Batcomputer and training mats respectively. Duke was, like, 80% sure they were there to eavesdrop. He knew them well enough. He knew them well enough.

“The girl”

“Izzy?” Was Duke annoying on purpose? Yes. He really didn’t want to have this talk. Like, at all. Psychological warfare it was “I mean, I know she is civilian and you don’t approve but at least she isn’t doing anything illegal, right? Like, you know, robbing museums or killing people?”

Bruce looked repulsed and Tim snorted.

“Low blow Narrows, low blow” Jason announced through speakers. He was slightly winded as if he just finished a fight “Good job kid”

“So you’re listening too, great” Duke muttered under his breath before louder he added “Is everyone who wants in on a show, here already?”

“Give me a sec- here Dick you’re going live now”

“Thanks Babs, you’re the best”

“I know. Donuts, you know which one”

“Of course. Glad we’re finally going to talk about Duke’s kid”

“Shut up, she is not my kid!”

“Steph ETA 2 minutes” Cass interrupted.

At least Damian didn’t show up- as if summoned by this thought Damian stomped down the stares, Alfred the Cat curled in his arms. Maybe others had a point, calling him Demon kid and stuff.

“What is an emergency?” he demanded and Duke decided to take what little relief he could from the fact that Bruce seemed equally defeated by sheer number of people around for this talk. 

“It seems like… oh, literally everyone lost an adoption bet” Babs explained. Huh, so Steph didn’t change her stance.

Damian looked genuinely terrified as he muttered “No” eyes darting between everyone present in silent calculation.

“Oh, shut up” Duke whined knowing all too well his stalling had to come to the end. Maybe it was wishful thinking but he almost heard roar of engine of Steph’s motorcycle. Her presence would be double edged sword but she would help him advocate for Dani and that was more important.

“Thomas, what have you done?!” if it was anyone other than Damian, Duke would call sound he made a whine. As it was, he preferred his entrails to stay inside and since the boy showed up, called by thought, the older boy preferred not to take risks.

“Nothing, Babs is overreacting”

“Don’t deny it. She went about it kinda Tim Lite style but it worked”

“I don’t even know her surname, where she stays or really, anything about her life outside of our patrols, how do you expect me to go about adoption?!”

“B knew even less about me when he decided, yes this tire thief is my new son!” Jason chimed in and Duke knew he was grinning despite voice modulator.

“What from my origin story was lost to make Lite version?”

“Identities weren't breached as far as we're aware. Just ‘came one day and refuses to leave’ part and some light stalking. She was smart about it, invisible, keeping out of sight and to the hot spots. Wouldn't find her if I didn't know she was there”

“She could still just not tell, I mean I knew for years before telling anyone…”

“There is no way. Believe me, she has no brain-mouth filter, I swear”

“But-”

“She introduced herself by her first name,” Duke deadpanned ”She told me civilian names of heroes from her hometown, in context that didn't require me to do any actual research to clue me. I did anyway. I don't think she even realized she did it. If she knew our identities we would know already”

There was a moment of silence as everyone digested the thought of just how gigantic breach Dani accidentally caused.

“Well, it's as good of a proof as we can get for now,” Babs bristled. 

“Who let her in on such secrets then?!” Damian sounded genuinely appalled and Duke wasn't too surprised.

Like on a cue, Steph stormed inside on her Spoiler in civies. Bruce looked about ready to get aneurysm. Duke was a bit glad that everyone was doing such good job in distraction department.

“IT’S OKAY, WHY? BECAUSE I AM HERE!” Steph yelled, jumping from before her vehicle fully stopped. She threw something small in general direction of Batcomputer “Timmy plug it in, I made a PowerPoint!”

Duke felt blood leave his face. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what Steph put together but he probably didn't. Tim opened it anyways.

WHY HOOPOE IS ADORABLE&CHAOTIC BEAN AND SHOULD BE PART OF THE TEAM

The title slide said, one of the clearest photos of Dani from before she started wearing mask in the background. It was close-up of girl smiling, bits of brownie on her cheeks.

“Was this photo taken with a goddamn calculator?” Tim asked with disgust so clear Duke could taste it. Metaphorically of course.

“Nah, just body-cam. Her powers mess with technology a bit”

Tim still looked displeased at the craftsmanship.

“Don't worry, it's not  a bad photo. Baby Bird is just being perfectionist,” Dick placated.

Duke didn't realize that Damian froze until he unfroze and made his way to the screen, stopping less than one foot away from it. His movements were rigid, his face scrunched with distress. Alfred the Cat escaped its master probably due to hoe tense he was. Everyone in Cave quietened as soon as boy took first step and expecting mood had to run through microphones because nobody from the on-line crowd quipped in.

“This is the green of Lazarus” he whispered finally, sounding actually scared. Jason swore. Bruce and Cass visibly stiffened. Tim choked and he wasn't even drinking. Dick did his whinny breezy name saying thing when he wanted explanation and felt lightly betrayed. 

It was Duke's turn to freeze because… it wasn't. Of course he wasn't all that well versed in the Pit, less alone its color but he did bust quite a few trafficking rings with Jason and he saw his eyes afterwards all raging, toxic, neon green glory and it wasn't the same as Dani’s. As much as he liked English and how good he was at it, it failed him at simple task of describing the obvious difference between each other. He'd have more luck describing tastes with set of color samples from IKEA or something. And really, even if he tried he would lose the fight of competence with Damian. Who wouldn't.  But-

“There is no way she has any connection with LOA”

“Why is that?” Damian seemed to misinterpret it as challenge like he always did when emotions were running high. Duke took a deep breath. Well, it was a moment to use all of his diplomatic skills and speak in the language of the demons.

“I've seen her fight. She would be utter disgrace”

“It does not prove-”

“It does” Duke interrupted with the tone and mimic of person who saw too much because he did ”None of you have any say until you watch a tiny and I mean tiny ten year old tackle five Joker goons like it's a joke, by sheer virtue of super strength and intangibility-means-I-can-ignore-bullets-Signal-don’t-be-such-worrywart. She should get shot, like, three times at least. And she kept laughing!” he was low key wheezing at the end because even after all this time (a week) it was fucking horrifying. Bruce made a huff that meant he was laughing and put a hand on his shoulder as a sign of support. Dick's lighthearted laugh sang from the speakers.

“Don't worry Duke, it never gets better” B said with mirth.

He refused to elaborate whether he meant ‘kids keep jumping into danger like there is no tomorrow‘ or ‘it's equally terrifying every time’ and Duke decided to reflect on that sentiment later. It put some things into perspective. A lot of things if he was being honest.

Also, he was not ready for stuff like that to become even semi-normal occurrence. He was ready to give her all of his Alfred cookies if it could change anything. He knew it wouldn't. 

“Do you have any other evidence that your new acquaintance does not just fake being less experienced to make you lower your guard?” Damian asked warily.

“I had to teach her out of putting her thumb in her fist,” he deadpanned. Several people hissed in empathetic pain. Steph coughed to bring attention to where she stood in front of Batcomputer, other slide of her Power Point open. Duke recognised video from his body-cam.

“Exhibit A” she announced. She played a video with Dani’s first mugging attempt he witnessed. Let it be said, it was a disaster.

“Exhibit B '' One of Dani’s most epic fails at side-kick that ended with her falling face first to the ground.

“Exhibit C” Dani fumbled with zip-ties, looking at him utterly at loss.

“Exhibit D” the talk about her prior training.

“What’s was that sound?” Dick obviously on the verge of cooing when girl on video growled. Steph stopped video.

“Very angry kitten” Tim stated with soft smile.

“Honestly, furious girl” Cass corrected “She was really mad at you”

“Yeah, I know but promise of Alfred’s cookies was enough to placate her”

“You gave her Alfred’s cookies?!”

“She started by giving me a lot of food on a really shitty patrol, had to repay somehow”

“Was it from your share or-” Dick asked like it was most important thing in the world.

“Miss Hoopoe was added to my plans after she picked her new name” Alfred explained and shit, Duke really should get used to how man just appeared sometimes. Jumpscare the original.

“Alfred, you knew?” Bruce sounded so utterly betrayed.

“I have yet to meet her but I was informed about her presence about two weeks ago”

“He caught me printing mask for her”

“About that” Steph clapped and skipped her slide show “Look at thi clueless child with such horrible disguises and codename ideas” There was whole list of every name Dani wanted to try out and photo of her bare face.  Duke kinda repressed his memories of it. It was worse than he remembered.

“Did she really tried kenting that?”

“Got it after her cousin. He used his first name as part of his alias for almost half a year” Duke admitted in carefree tone, knowing it would cause a mess.

“Cousin?!” several people yelled in surprise.

“Caped cousin?!”

“Yup. Small time hero from Illinois. As far as I’m aware she’s alone in Gotham but they’re in regular contact and she has strong believe that he can and will help her if she used her panic button”

“Who in their right mind let’s kid alone in Gotham?!” Jason sounded about ready to strangle Phantom.

“He seems to be fifteen himself. And has anti-meta parents if I’m picking things up correctly. She didn’t mention them much. I highly doubt she has present parents at all, so…”

“What the hell Narrows.”

“I don’t know, it’s just a wild guess”

“Does it call for the rescue?” Steph asked eagerly.

“We’re not going to Illinois to rescue Phantom if he doesn’t ask for it. He has means to it” Bruce interrupted with bone deep sigh.

“How do you know I meant Phantom?” Duke perked up because he never mentioned this name.

“He is from Illinois, looks almost the same as far as I can tell from the photos and they share a lot of powers”

“I didn’t know you knew about random kid hero from other state?”

“He dropped by on few Justice League’s mission. There is still dispute whether we should approach him in his city or not. He was very clear on his opinion that we should stay away. I think we really shouldn’t”

“How you haven’t gone or sent anyone there yet?” Tim teased.

Bruce just stared at him then gestured at mountain of cases they were currently working on. Yes, they were printed. Apparently for man it made it easier to work on them like that.

“Can we focus back on untrained child you let join you on patrol, Duke?”

“You act like I could stop her from doing her own thing if I didn’t  let her. Plus, even though she doesn’t have combat training, she can handle herself well enough. And has this damn intangibility that makes her really hard to punch”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t tell anyone other than Alfred and Steph and I wanted to wait a bit before leaving her to the wolfs”

“The bet”

“Shut up Steph”

“When did you plan on letting us know?” Bruce ignored what blonde insinuated. Duke was utterly grateful for that, he knew he would get lecture for that later but he was more than happy to leave it be for now.

“Somewhen next week. I hoped to introduce her gradually but apparently everyone knew already?”

“Kids tell me things. Hoopoe made a good impression on them” Jason explained.

“Hero sightings on Twitter” Dick admitted without a shadow of shame.

“What he said” Tim agreed “This person from crochet dolls made one for your kid too, so in public eyes she’s our already”

“For the last time, she isn’t my kid!” Duke groaned but as always went ignored.

“Nobody expected old man’s tendencies to rub on you so fast, Narrows”

“Shut up and this is half a reason I didn’t let you meet her. All of you”

“With all due respect Duke” Babs started teasingly “You gave us ammo yourself. You improved her diet, you brought her to The Food Track Of Mental Breakdowns, you teach her stuff, you check in on her almost as often as her cousin and their friends do…”

“How did you hack her pho- No, wrong question, why?!”

“We’re all paranoid bastards, I needed to check out the newest bird. She legally doesn’t exist btw so I suspect some shady stuff with her birth but otherwise nothing sus about her. Comms and trackers for her are waiting in drawer C19. You will give it to her tomorrow”

“Aye, aye captain Oracle ma’am” he joked.

“Wait, you showed her The Food Track?”

“She deserved it” he gritted out.

Before this could turn into a fight or something, Alfred demanded:

“Since we are all on the same page now, I would like to extend an invitation for family dinner to miss Hoopoe”

“We’ll eat it down here in full costumes”

“As you wish master Bruce. Master Duke make sure to let her know”

“Of course Alfred”

And he planned to do that but Dani didn’t show up. He hadn’t thought much of it because she was unpredictable like that. She tended to disappear from the face of the Earth for a day or two and return with tales of her “autograph hunting trips”

But then she didn’t show up on the next patrol too. It was unprecedented. And she hadn’t responded to the check in. Three times in the row. He was getting kinda sick from the stress.

He knew Dani well enough, she wouldn’t ghost him like that and in Gotham disappearing meant three things: getting kidnapped, trafficked or six feet under. To their knowledge, Dani didn’t have anyone who would pay ransom for her other than Signal and no demands were made so the first option was out.

Bats launched full fledged search.

Duke himself found and busted two trafficking rings in three weeks which was around how much he did in two months on a daily basis.

Thanks to Oracle, they found Dani’s utterly crashed phone in the dead end in the Narrows. It didn’t look any better.

Duke really hoped they wouldn’t be too late.

With each day it seemed more likely.

********

Bruce: *wants to have private conversation with his son about unknown child he's been working with*

All of the Batfam: Hello there

Duke: I managed to keep Dani secret my family of detectives!

Everyone other than Bruce: I knew for past two weeks, but goood job kid

Random o Twitter: I'm sooo disappointed with Signal for letting Hoopoe fight crime. She is just a little child, she shouldn't have to witness Gotham's worst

Other Random: Have you heard about Robin????? Have you seen teories that Signal is teenager???? With proofs????? Are you mad at child for not taking proper care of the other child????? That's messed up my dude/gal

Yell at Batman

Signal: You act like she isn't personification of feral cat I try to coax home so I can prevent her from getting in trouble. I dare you to try and stop her

Phantom: I do too, 100$ if you manage. It would save me from so much stress

Random: Now, who the f*ck are you?!

(Guess who never touched Twitter with 20 meters stick in her life)

Next part

Tag list: @pickleking8 @mynameisnotlaura

[b0mblover]

Snowflakes and drugs dont mix (that) well

By: J

(im not even kidding while writing this i got such bad eye pain, i stg lopt is just tormenting me anytime i do anything related to jirou without him in it)

(also this is prob extremely ooc bc im basically describing/romantasiing my own life :,) yes my life sucks dont remind me)

(again, im very muchly not a writer, i was bored and decied to make the probably first jirocrown fic of life 🙂 im genuinely sorry to anyone who reads this shit)

(anon on twt, gfys, and no this isnt supposed to be taken that damn seriously, ik theres an asston of mistakes, but its almost 3 am and i need to sleep!! alr alr u can read it now chill)

-5° (c 23°f) -5° it was cold out, extremely cold. Jirou was walking on a backroad, he didnt know what it was called, even though he had been down it hundreds of times. Around 1 (am) Crown said hed pay him for a drug run, which was rather normal, go on a drug run, hang out with crown, sleep, go home. The only issue was that it took around 30 minutes or so to get there, also normally okay, in the summer. Where he lived, got extremely cold in the winter months, in a “im going to call off of work today because ill get frostbite if i try to go outside” way. This wouldnt be an issue if there was public transport, but of course, the world apparently hated jirou. Jirou was half way there, hands almost shaking because of the temperature, he dealt with the cold ironically well, the reason it didnt bother him as much as normal people was unimportant to him. (reason is because he used to sit on the porch to not hear his parents fight, though it never really worked that well) Maybe it was a fragile ego, maybe he was just broke, but hed never wear gloves, even with the possibility of frostbite taking his hands. He knocked on Crowns door, though he had a key, he felt like he could barely move any joints in his hand to grab them. After a 3 rough minutes, Crown answered the door letting him in. “Ah th thanks, ‘preciate ya getting the shit” Crown handed him  about ¥14000 “This is too much crown” “nah its freezing out plus ive been meaning to pay ya back anyways” “I, if you say so” he was hesitant to take it, but ultimately decided that, crown, a literal serial killer, wouldnt decide to screw him over, at least not like that. 

As normal, they both walked over to the (admittedly dirty) couch, crown, in a pose that was slightly… provocative, jirou sitting normally (as normal as a gay man can). Crown sat a powder on to the table, “uh you gotta card or somethin dude?” jirou handed him a razor blade, “uh vaguely concerned as to why you carry that but thanks either way, uh youre not gonna like use that now though right?” “nnah, dumbass i know what youre doing im staring right at you, why would i hand you something that i was gonna use” “i mean look, you made paintings out of your own blood, for no real reason either! youre not as predictable as you think” “whatever ya say just hurry up” “damn why you say impatient huh?” crown brought his face down to the table after making the powder into a mostly straight line. “Cause i want my share already and you take too long” Crown tossed him the razor blade, jirou aligned the powder into a straighter line than crowns, and snorted it as well. “Yeayea whatever man, the hell should we do any ways, too cold to go out, any ideas?” “sure i have several but the last time we did any of my ideas someone had to be killed cause they were a witness” “ah right, well uh, wanna play uno?” “gonna be real with ya c, the joints in my fingers feel like the are fucking screwed shut at the moment so I’m gonna have to pass” “your joints where what” “*sighs* (bc how do u write a sigh phonetically) fingers too cold, fingers barely move because cold” “oh, what nah lemme feel bro” “fine fine whatever” crown moved his hands onto Jirous, and, of course, they were extremely cold. “Damn dude what the hell, how long where you outside for?” “uh i mean i was smoking when you texted so at least like i dunno 15 minutes more than normal?” “man the hell, cmere” crown had gotten closer and brought Jirou into a hug, granted it didn’t do much, the heating and cooling had been busted for months, crown was surviving on 15 blankets, but it felt nice. Jirou was aware that hugging someone, at least in the position they were in, wouldn’t do much, but he let crown anyways, for a drug addicted serial killer, he always felt at home with Crown, wanted. “Ugh alright alright c i get it okay? i love you too chill” “if i were to chill at the moment id freeze to death jirou” “yea yea i get it kay? I’m gonna go lay down” “right behind ya” Crown followed Jirou into the one bedroom that was there, it was noticeably colder than other rooms such as the living room, but it was much more “lively” or “lived in” plus the mattress on the ground that they insisted on calling a bed with 15 blankets kinda made up for it too. Jirou fell onto the mattress, groaning out a tiny bit before going quite again. Crown sat himself down on the opposite side, pulling two of the blankets off where they were stacked before getting under the one that was already on the bed. Jirou did the same after taking his socks off, he recalled how when this first started, how crown and him would fight about if he should take his jacket off before laying down. back then he’d say it was because he was cold, maybe it was slightly true, or the fact he didn’t want him to see his cuts and scars. After a particularly awful trip Jirou experienced after taking way too much of god knows what and almost having to go to the er, crown was, for lack of a better term in his eyes, well aware, of Jirous life, he broke down to him. After that he was careful with what he said before Jirou called him out for walking on eggshells around him, annoyed that crown was essentially “babying him”, granted unknown if it was on purpose or not. Jirou after laying down, staring at the ceiling, got closer to crown, almost suffocating him with his (fucking gigantic) oversized jacket. Crown moved what he assumed was the hood of the jacket so he could breath and brought Jirou into a tight hug. Jirou accepted, pushing into it instead of pulling away like usual. Crown could feel how cold his skin was, and how warm he felt inwardly.

[chaotic-noceur]

so what's the deal with cake?

characters: Echo, Kix, Cody, Wolffe

summary: coming out as ace to cw boys

warnings: asexual reader, probably ooc characters (im out of practice sowwy!)

a/n: yes this is late but we're ignoring that. Happy international asexuality day fwens! @ezrasarm and I decided to drag ourselves out of our own graves to put together a little something so here's part 2 of some ace hcs! [ part 1 here ]

Echo

Knows more about asexuality than you do

You stare at him unblinking as he rambles on about the history of sexuality

“Echo… is there something you want to tell me?”

He fumbles then because he’s not about to tell you that he did some digging when Rex came out to him, it's not his information to share after all

But he also doesn’t see any other reason why he’d know this much information

“Oh, I was just doing some light reading about… sexuality” is what he settles for

Honestly gets so caught up at being able to use the information he learnt that he kinda forgets what he’s supposed to do when someone comes out to him

(he looked it up after Rex told him and he had stood awkwardly, wondering what he was supposed to do)

Eventually the ‘significant other’ part of his brain kicks in and he stutters through an apology

“That’s okay! It’s refreshing to find someone who doesn’t need me to explain it all actually.”

He smiles sheepishly at you before going through the step by step comfort guide in his head

step 1: accept and do not invalidate

“So, you don’t mind?” “Of course not!”

step 2: establish boundaries

Echo does the only logical thing he can think of and makes a list of things you’re comfortable with and things you’re uncomfortable with

“I’m still figuring a lot of that out,” you mumble when you’re a few bullet points in

"Ah, perfect interlude for step 3," he thinks

step 3: reaffirm love

“That’s alright. You don’t have to have all the answers. We can figure it out together.” He turns his head and kisses your forehead gently

step 4: ask for cuddles cuz poor bby is touch starved

“We can still cuddle right?” He says it so quietly you wouldn’t have heard it if you weren’t right next to him

Instead of answering, you pull his onto the bed beside you and wrap your arms around him as you let his head come to rest above your heart

Kix

gave up on having a sex life a long time ago

Is surprised when you tell him but isn’t all that bothered by it

He’s half asleep when he stumbles out of his office, only to walk straight into you

He grips your arm to steady you as you catch yourself

Seeing the state he’s in, you have half a mind to turn around and put it off for another day

Kix being Kix though, senses something's off and furrows his eyebrows before tugging you into his office

He seats you in his chair while he perches on the edge of his desk facing you

You fidget with the edge of your shirt as you gather your thoughts

Kix waits patiently, pulling your hands into his to save your shirt play with your fingers

When you finally tell him, he smiles gently at you before pulling you into his chest

“I love you,” he says as he runs his fingers along the length of your spine. “Nothing’s going to change that. I spent years telling myself that I could never have the happy future that the nat-borns dream of, but then I met you. You made me believe that I deserved love, made me remember that there is still good in the world. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

He plants a kiss to your forehead as he finishes and you tighten your hold around him

“Thank you,” you mumble into his shoulder, relieved at his acceptance. “And I love you too,” you add as you lift your head to press a kiss to his jaw

As long as you keep coming home to each other, you’d be okay

Cody

He’s slugging through paperwork when you let yourself in

Thinks someone broke something when he sees you nervously fidgeting

(it's not the first time the idiots he called family have sent you to report a broken item. He doubts he’s seen the last of it)

Sighs and moves to find the paperwork to file for a replacement of whatever-is-apparently-broken

Starts getting concerned when you stop him, even more so when you tell him to sit down

Doesn’t even bat an eye when you tell him

“You’re… fine with it?”

Shrugs as if you just told him Obi Wan had lost his lightsaber again

He’s never valued sex as much as society deems he should so he doesn’t feel the loss

Sighs when he realises how worked up you got yourself

Takes your hands in his and kisses the inside of your wrist before he speaks

“Cyare, our relationship is more than just sex. If that’s not something you’re comfortable with, then we don’t have to do anything. I fell in love with the person inside, not the appeal of the outside.”

“Commander Cody, are you saying I’m unattractive?”

Has to immediately back pedal and starts sputtering in an attempt to string words together

You laugh and pull him up for a hug, having teased him enough and honestly relieved he isn’t bothered

You stay wrapped in each others arms, enjoying the temporary peace

“So, just to be sure, the di’kuts didn’t break anything right?”

You snort and slap him across the chest

Wolffe

Stays quiet until you finish talking, squeezing your hand reassuringly every once in a while

Is genuinely confused when you ask if he still wants to be with you

“Cyare, you stayed by my side when I lost my eye. I’m not leaving you now because of this. I meant it before when I said I love everything about you, I still mean it now.”

Asks if it’s okay to hug you and envelops you when you nod, tucking your head under his chin

Gets a little insecure because so much of his affection comes in physical forms rather than words

But once you guys have a serious chat about boundaries, he finds ways to express his love without making you uncomfortable

Nose boop and forehead kisses are his personal favourite

Reassures you that it’s okay if you don’t know all your boundaries

Eventually asks you why you were so nervous to tell him

You tell him that not everyone’s accepting of it

“Some people think that we’re broken,” you say in what he can only coin as nonchalance

Your passive tone makes Wolffe grind his teeth together

He instantly wants a list of names of ‘the people who deserve to die’

Is only half kidding about committing murder

Plo doesn’t even try to stop him

Wolffe: roping the pack into his 5 step murder plan

Plo (& Fox): i do not see

You stop them before it goes too far but its endearing to see the lengths they’ll go to for you

You reward all of them with cake when they’re next on shore leave

[fanficsforheartandsoul]

The Dragonborn | M!Reader x Geralt of Rivia | Part II

Note: I split the oneshot because damn 12k does nobody want to read in one go xD

Fandoms: The Witcher (TV Series), The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Warnings: Non-Canon Story, Swearing, Gore, Slight OOC

Summary: Geralt and Jaskier meet a stranger in the woods while on the hunt for a special monster. They decide to team up but neither does Geralt realize that his prey is close to him nor does the stranger notice he's the one being hunted...

Word Count: 6938

If you want to be tagged in my stories send me a pm with the fandom/character name!

Please note that The Witcher is supposed to be around the Middle-Age. Homophobia existed. 

Part I

_______

A few hours later, after they had eaten the rabbit, they began to look for tracks of the monster. There were a lot of them. For example, the scorched moss where Geralt almost turned into roasted meat, the dark footprints in the dirt, and the fallen trees. 

The witcher was impressed by how good the warrior from Keizaal could search for tracks. 

“You see that, Jaskier? The way the claws dig in the ground? It means the claws of the dovah are really big. That’s pretty unusual for female dragons, so it’s obvious we’re dealing with a male. But we uh... know that because Odahviing is male.”

While Jaskier and Y/N genuinely searched for any signs he just stared at the foreigner. He somehow felt like he had found a kindred spirit in the man standing in front with his back facing him. 

A weird association, but there were only a few things that could really impress Geralt. 

Magic, Fighting Skills, and usually breasts. 

Which made him sound like a skirt chaser, but that wasn't it. It just meant what it meant. Dicks definitely didn't attract hi-

"What the hell?"

He lifted his eyes from the lower body of Y/N, and his breath hitched when those e/c eyes pierced his. Did he see...?

"The footprints are gone!"

Oh. That.

"That does make sense... Or not? It's a dragon, after all? They can fly. Or not? Can they?"

 Jaskier stepped in front of him and obstructed his view on the other. Geralt turned and touched his face. His cheeks were burning. What's gotten into him? He remembered something Yennefer had told him once as a half-joke. 

I sometimes think that if I haven't met you, you would have chosen someone who fights like you, thinks like you, who lives like you. And from what I believe that someone would have been a man. Because it needs a brute to move a brute's heart. 

While his head was filled with thousand thoughts, Y/N and the bard inspected the tracks closer.

"It can't be that he took off. Do you see how the footprints are as deep as the others? If he wanted to fly away, they would be deeper because he had needed to shift his weight."

"Is that something you learned while hunting for the other dragons with the Dragonborn?"

The man from Keizaal nodded. Some locks fell into his face, and his expression was thoughtful while he searched for a plausible explanation. Geralt could see every feature of his sharp e/c eyes. 

They were different from Yennefer's violet ones, their spark was different, but for other people, they must be as enthralling as the eyes of the sorceress to him. That's at least what he believed. They had a particular pull. He didn't feel it, but it was there. Puzzling, but powerful. 

A cough pulled him away from Y/N's eyes, and Jaskier stared at him with a grin. 

"What?" he asked, his voice almost defensive.

"Nothing," responded his friend with a knowing undertone. What the hell was going on?

"Well, I can't think of anything that happened. Witcher, what about you?" 

The mesmerizing eyes turned to him, and he blinked. What was the question?

Thankfully, I always have a good answer ready. 

"Hmm." 

He shifted and knelt to see the footprints up close. They had a certain distance to each other as if the dragon was walking slowly. Y/N was right; he couldn't have flown away, the marks were too shallow. Either he disappeared into thin air, or the monster had an amazing control when it came to his weight.

 "Strange..." was all he said.

He focused on the sounds around them, but there was nothing extraordinary. Just the whistle of the wind, a few birds singing, and the steady heartbeats of the other two men. It was a dead end. 

"Fuck."

He looked up, surprised that he and the warrior of Keizaal said the same thing at the same time. Y/N shot him a grin, and Geralt snorted. 

"Maybe we should try to set up a trap"

He turned and watched Jaskier's expression. It was a good idea, and they didn't have any other options, besides he wasn't really in the mood to search the whole forest for the dragon. The h/c haired man agreed and pulled a bow out of his satchel. The bard's eyes once again widened.

"I want a bag like this too."

"If you don't want to carry your things anymore, you can give them to me. I'll store them."

Jaskier smiled brightly, and Y/N returned it. Something flared up in Geralt's chest, but he ignored it. Damn bruises make my chest hurt. 

The bard gave the foreigner their things, and he put them in his satchel. 

"Let's think about the trap," the warrior tested the string of his bow and then focused his eyes on Geralt and Jaskier. 

"Dragons are usually very picky about their food, but I belie- know that Odahviing is fine with deer meat. We should hunt some." 

.

And they did. With the help of Geralt's tracking skills and crossbow and the Y/N's bow, they easily got two does. Although it took a while to find them since most animals steered free of the area where the dragon rampaged. 

Geralt and Jaskier only watched, while Y/N slashed the throats of the already dead animals. 

"Dovahs have a keen sense of smell; we have to cover our own scent."

He continued to drench his hands with the blood and even smeared some on his neck and armor. When he couldn't hear the other two approaching, Y/N turned around and tilted his head questioningly. 

"U-Uh, what did you say?" asked the bard and avoided his gaze. 

“What? Did I say something wrong? Can you... Is it a sacrilege to use doe bloo-"

 Geralt interrupted him. 

"We couldn't understand what you said because you spoke in a different language." 

Y/N widened his eyes, and an apologetic look crossed his face. 

"I'm sorry...”

Jaskier’s slightly odd expression concerned him and he examined the witcher. Geralt was more intrigued than scared by the fact the atmosphere in the woods seemed to have changed as soon as the other spoke in his probably native language. 

The fact that Y/N’s voice got a lot deeper while he spoke, caused a shiver to run down his spine. The foreigner apologized again and then added:

“I said the dragon could smell us. We should cover our scent with the blood."

Jaskier didn't seem to like the idea, but the witcher nodded and followed his advice. 

Soon the bard's and his hands were stained with doe blood. Geralt was unaffected by it since he already got used to it by hunting monsters for years, but the other man looked a little pale. 

The warrior watched their actions and then approached the white-haired man. His yellow eyes followed all of his movements. 

"You should also put some on your throat... It’s a place where a lot of sweat gathers." 

As soon as Y/N touched his collarbone and neck, Geralt stiffened. Actually, he froze. Something about another man touching his carotid artery was really intimate. His nose caught the smell of iron, moss, and smoke. 

Someone who lives like you. 

Yennefer's words replayed in his mind, and he couldn't stop himself from unconsciously moving his head closer to the other man. 

The warrior was only a few centimeters smaller than him, his head reached up to his eyebrows. The hands on his throat were rough and slippery, but they touched him with such gentleness, Geralt had to shiver. 

He gulped, and his adam's apple pressed against Y/N's palm. The afternoon sun danced on the other man’s scars, and eyelashes and Geralt wondered if every man had such long ones. He breathed in and closed his eyes. 

Is this the essence of a kindred spirit?

Suddenly Y/N's hands disappeared from his throat, and he could no longer feel the warrior's presence so close to him. 

“Put some on your cheeks too.”

A little disappointed, he opened his eyes and noticed that the other man had already turned and now approached Jaskier just to do the same thing to the bard that he did to him. 

Y/N's bare hands touched his friend's throat, and neck and Geralt suddenly had a very, very dark thought. 

Abruptly he turned around and covered his lower face with his hand. 

Did I... About this man...? 

He could feel how heat crept up his neck, and he questioned the emotionlessness that every witcher was supposed to have. 

What the fuck was he thinking? He has Yennefer! 

Or at least had. Their relationship was somewhat in the stars at the moment. After their rather big fight last time... 

Geralt didn't know why that mattered though.

He buried the fluttery feeling that had sprouted in his chest when the other man had touched him. 

What he didn't realize, Y/N's heartbeat was pounding faster after the physical contact they had just shared.

-

After they had covered their scent with deer blood, they also smeared some dirt on their armor and clothes, much to the dismay of Jaskier. Then they decided to set up their stakeout one hundred meters away from the carcasses. 

It was close enough to quickly attack, but also far away enough for them to be safe in case the dragon wanted to grill them. They sat on the mossy ground and leaned on the trees surrounding them.

"Now, all we have to do is wait."

Patience was something every hunter was supposed to have, and both Geralt and Y/N obviously had it. The bard, on the other hand... 

The witcher's left eyebrow twitched in annoyance. After his friend had whistled, he began to eye the two men. Jaskier's stare felt like a cockroach was crawling over his body. He had a bad premonition about the weird behavior of the brown-haired man. He glared at him, but he just grinned. 

Stop staring! 

Geralt turned his head away and noticed how the warrior from Keizaal seemed to concentrate on something around his neck. He clenched and unclenched his fist with an absent expression. 

He watched for a while and then realized that Y/N was holding a ring that he wore on a necklace. 

A sinking feeling appeared in his gut, and he suddenly felt like a mountain weighed his shoulders down. 

"You have a wife?" 

His mouth was faster than his thoughts. 

The man startled and then shared eye contact with him. 

"Something like that..." 

Geralt frowned a little. What kind of answer was that? He stared at Y/N with a hard look, but the other added nothing else, just sighed and hid the ring under his heavy armor. 

The witcher only grunted and turned to face the direction of their trap. 

Shit, why was he so annoyed? 

The idea of the warrior having a doting wife waiting for him in Keizaal made his heart clench, and his chest felt tight. 

This time he couldn't blame the bruises on his rips. 

He finally acknowledged that the h/c haired man intrigued him and caused some rather odd feelings to rise. 

But this... Why... Why the fuck was he feeling jealous? 

And it wasn't even that the man had a wife, no; he was jealous because some woman had Y/N. 

That dragon must have indeed killed some of his brain cells. 

His yellow eyes traveled back to the other man's figure. His broad shoulders were hidden under his armor, but Geralt had seen them. 

Just after he had woken up, he had seen the man in regular clothes. Although he had worn a shirt, the witcher had been able to see how muscular Y/N was. 

His body seemed to be covered with scars. Tiny cuts on his hands, big slashes on his collarbone, and even some nasty ones close to his throat. Geralt was sure there were many more, but he wasn't able to see them. They were proof of fierce fights and the experiences the man had had to go through. 

Was it weird that they attracted him? 

Like the hands in his dreams that had traveled over his, the Butcher of Blaviken wanted to trace Y/N's scars with his fingers. He wanted to feel how his body had healed him, wanted to know the story of every scratch and bruise, wanted to touch the energetic muscles bursting with strength. 

A flame of desire began to burn in his body, and he lowered his head to hide the dark expression he wore on his face. 

These thoughts needed to stop; they would only become problematic in the future. 

Geralt scratched his neck and then examined the brown-red flakes under his fingernails. 

He felt a stare on his body again, and he sighed. 

God damn Jaskier...

When he lifted his head, he was surprised to see that it wasn't the bard who looked at him but the warrior from Keizaal. Y/N's e/c eyes were unfathomable, but he showed a somber expression. He paused for a second, and the world seemed to turn slower. 

The witcher could see every blemish on the other man's skin, every mole, every freckle. Geralt breathed in slowly, and the warrior's hair swayed in the wind. 

He's so handso... The wind?

Geralt abruptly stood up. 

"The-the wind turned!" he muttered and gulped. His cheeks felt hot, and he bit his lip. Jaskier frowned.

"Doesn't this mean that our smell would be...?" 

Y/N sighed and nodded. 

"Is a lake close by?" 

The bard shook his head. 

"But, we're only a few miles away from the sea."

The witcher watched the other man closely while he questioned the other's exhausted expression. 

"The wind has turned due to the late afternoon. We should move."

Geralt and Jaskier only watched when the other stood up and grabbed his bow. 

"Why not wait until the wind turns again?" asked the bard, and he followed after the h/c haired man. 

"That won't be the case until tomorrow. The sea has saved the warmth from the sun while the land cooled down. We have to wait until the land is warmer again." 

Jaskier eyed Y/N carefully. Geralt could already guess what he was thinking. He understood what the warrior from Keizaal meant. He learned about it when he was training to become a witcher. 

"So, what are we going to do now?"

They both contemplated for a while and then Geralt spoke:

"Maybe we should indeed wait for tomorrow. I think it would be best if you tell us some more things about your dragon before we storm into this unprepared." 

He tried to suppress a triumphant smile when the other two agreed. Of course, he wouldn't admit that he actually just wanted to spend some more time with Y/N. 

He had a thought that they wouldn't meet again after this whole thing was over. 

"Then what do we do about the deer corpses?" asked Jaskier, and it was a reasonable question. If they left them, they could attract other animals... 

Both the witcher and the warrior looked at each other and then huffed. The bard just stared between them, and his face gradually darkened.

"You're not... thinking about eating them are-are you?"

-

Two hours later, they had put up a camp close to a clear pond and already roasted some rabbit meat. 

They had buried the does, and although the physical labor was annoying, Jaskier was relieved that the two brutes didn't decide to eat them. The dead animals had been lying in the sun for a long time after all. 

Y/N was peeling his armor off and thinking about the situation he was in right now. 

The fact that they were on the hunt for a dragon excited him. Not the actual part of the chase but the fact that he would meet another specimen of his current best friends. 

After he had killed Alduin, he had lost himself in a killing spree. Paarthurnax had warned him to get a hold of himself, but he wasn’t able to. His dragon soul caused him to lose all rational thoughts.

When he finally realized that he could learn so much more about Akatosh and the dovahs, he had already committed mass slaughter, and Odahviing and the wise dragon from The Throat of the World were the last ones of their species. 

Or that's at least what the three of them had thought. But they were wrong, and now he had the chance to meet another dragon! And probably also the chance to go home. If he wanted to.

But first, they had to get a hold of him. 

"Jaskier?"

He faced the bard who currently played on his lute while also watching the fire. He hummed in response and looked up.

"We should wash off the blood in the pond. Do you want to go first?"

The man seemingly wanted to say yes but then shook his head and responded with a slight grin:

"No, you can go first. I'll watch the rabbit."

Y/N furrowed his brows but then smiled and thanked him. He left the pile of his armor and Jaskier behind and wandered to the pond, which was located behind some trees and big boulders. 

The view from the camp was obscured, which meant he had some privacy. Not that he cared much, but he would rather not show his back to the two other men. Since it showed one more change he had gone through in the last year.

Although Geralt wasn't currently in the camp anyway, he left to get some more branches for the fire.

The man carefully opened his shirt and took it off. His boots, pants, and underwear soon followed suit, and he stepped to the shore where some reed grew. 

The water was cold when he stepped in, but he endured it. His muscles just tensed a little. 

Y/N walked in further until the water reached his abdomen. He wasn’t even halfway in the pond, it was fairly big. 

He sucked in some air when he lowered himself into the water until it reached his chin. He had to rub his skin a little, but then the water around him turned slightly red. 

The man watched how the deer blood twirled, and he stared at his reflection. The red blood on his cheeks conjured a cursed memory in his head, and he heaved. 

Hii los dur, Dovahkiin. Hi aal krii zu'u nu nuz zu'u ahrk pah dii Zeymah fen koraav hi mah wah hin daan. You are cursed, Dragonborn. You may kill me now, but all my brethren and I will see how you fall to your doom. 

The ominous words of the last dovah he had killed echoed in his mind. He hugged himself, and his fingers touched his shoulder blades. 

The skin was still shedding. Y/N sighed. What was going on with his body? The shedding had started a few months ago but he had no idea why. 

And since it only started after he had arrived here he couldn’t ask Odahviing or Paarthurnax.

He breathed out slowly and then dived underwater. 

The coldness cleared his head a little, and he relaxed slightly. His feet left the muddy ground, and for a moment, he floated. 

If I could just stay like this... 

His hand clenched to a fist, and he released some Magicka. The small pressure on his nose disappeared, and he automatically breathed in. 

Air filled his lungs, and the Dragonborn smiled. Peace washed over him, and he spread his arms. 

He slowly floated to the surface, and his face broke through it. Water droplets pearled from his cheeks and eyelashes, and he stared into the sky. The tree crowns whistled, and he watched how some clouds traveled across the darkening sky. The sun was already setting. 

This was the ending of the first day together with the bard and the witcher. Geralt's face came to his mind, and he bit his lip. 

The white-haired man reminded him of Farkas, but he was also completely different. His attitude for example. Farkas was openly benevolent and also voiced his concerns. The witcher seemed to be reluctant. Although Y/N was able to feel that he cared deeply for his friend. 

They shared the same keen instincts, but Geralt's came from the harsh trials witchers had to go through while his love had them because he had been a werewolf. 

I can't believe that you chose Farkas over Vilkas. Do you like strength more than brains? 

Aela's voice sounded in his head, and Y/N huffed. 

The huntress had probably been right. He was attracted to the Butcher of Blaviken. These yellow eyes... They had something animalistic and penetrating that stirred an urge deep inside of him. 

He sighed and put his hands on his face. Then he scrubbed and splashed his face with water. 

Suddenly, he caught sight of a person standing behind a tree at the other side of the pond after he had wiped droplets from his eyes and opened them again.

Y/N breath stopped, and a wail got caught in his throat. He abruptly stood up again, although it felt like he had still no ground under his feet. What...? 

Light blue eyes framed by black war paint stared at him with a resentful look.

"Fa-Far..." 

His voice failed, but he agitatedly began to move across the pond, trying to reach his lost lover and husband.

Breath erratic and tears were pricking in the corners of his eyes, but at that moment, he only felt happiness and relief. Farkas was alive!

"D-Dii Shul!" My Sunshine!

The ground suddenly declined, he lost his footing and dived involuntarily underwater. 

Nevertheless, he was still able to hear the words that had left the lips he had kissed so often. 

"So, you've abandoned me."

An ice-cold feeling washed over him, and his heart broke.

No, that's not true! I would never! You were gone! You left me! You died!

A disturbing scream erupted from his throat, and the skin around his mouth tore. The scream turned into a roar, and he clawed at his face. The e/c eyes shook, and the black pupils turned to slits. 

Shreds of flesh got caught by growing claws, and gigantic fangs emerged from the man's jaws. 

H/C hair parted, shrunk, and gave way for two enormous horns. His whole body shook, and his limbs twisted and cracked. His spine grew longer, broke through his lower back, and two bony wings arose from his back. 

The murky water of the pond turned red and swirled around the tremoring creature who rapidly grew until it was able to stand on the pond bed. Flesh turned hard and into black scales. New tissue engulfed its wings and tail and also got covered by rockhard scales.

Burning heat crawled up its throat, and furious flames burst from its maw. It broke through the pond's surface, and the splashed water evaporated immediately. 

The dragon spread its wings, and they created waterfalls when they left the water. The wingspan was as big as half of the pond, and when it pulled them closer to its body ready for takeoff, the leaves and needles of the surrounding trees shook. 

A thunderous boom announced the beast's presence, and it tensed its huge muscles. 

When it thrust off the pond bed, the water turned into waves and flooded over the shore and soaked shoes and clothes. Branches broke like grass when the dragon's wings grazed them, and trees lost all their leaves from the harsh wind which got created.

A scent caught the dragon’s attention and it whipped its head around. A triumphant roar shook the earth when it dashed towards the direction the smell came from.

The beast ignored the scared brown-haired human that stared at it from a small campsite.

-

Geralt was grabbing some more branches when he saw some Celandine, and he swiftly decided to take them with him. They were always helpful, after all. 

Putting the branches on the ground, he knelt and carefully tore the flowers and the not yet bloomed buds from their stems. 

While he stored them, his thoughts trailed off to the mysterious man who accompanied him and Jaskier.

Y/N had sparked something inside of him, and now he was questioning his heart, which confused him even more since the person he found interesting was a man. 

On the other hand, he couldn't quite tell if the feeling in his chest was something along the lines of romantic attraction or just common interest. 

Deep down in Geralt's heart, he knew that him eyeing the other man's ass was definitely not something one would call a platonic interest, but he just couldn't admit that he, who never thought about other men like that, suddenly liked one. 

He didn't feel disgusted, but the thought alarmed him.

He had seen a lot of things during his time as a witcher, and relationships between two men were never something that ended well. Various churches took care of that. 

An image in his head made his fists clench unconsciously.

And there was still Yennefer. They never openly ended their relationship so... Was he still involved with her? He couldn't tell. 

The Butcher of Blaviken sighed and then noticed a pebble in the moss. It had white streaks over its grey shape, and they reminded him of the scars in the foreigner's face. 

Was he seriously associating weird things to Y/N now?

Maybe the other cursed him. 

While he pondered some more about the other man, it took a while for him to notice that the forest had turned unnaturally silent. 

Birds stopped singing as if they held their breaths in fear, and suddenly a roar disrupted the silence. It came from far away, but Geralt was able to hear it loud and clear because of his mutated hearing.

He abruptly stood up and turned towards the direction. It came from the camp, and Geralt's heart sank. 

Please no.

He disregarded the branches he had meticulously collected and started to rush back the way he came from. Thankfully he had taken his swords with him, and he unsheathed the silver one. 

The image of the bard and the foreigner being killed carried his feet forward and pushed him to almost inhumane speed.

He wasn't even halfway back when a shadow cast on the moss stopped him in his tracks. A gigantic black dragon soared through the sky, and his wings caused the surrounding trees to shake. Geralt could feel the wind pressure, and the aura that the beast released caused a shiver to run down his spine.

The witcher grinned darkly. That bastard had an impressive bloodthirst. Geralt's hunter instincts wanted to fight that monster, but his heart worried for his best friend and his potential love interest.

He cursed himself for not taking his small bag with the various vials with potions and bombs, but he had no time to get annoyed because the dragon suddenly dived down, and he had to roll out of the way or else he would have been crushed. 

When he stood up again and turned, he came face to face with the beast's massive head, and his heart skipped a beat. 

Y/N fought against such big monsters? Repeatedly?

His respect for the other man increased significantly. 

Geralt couldn't avoid his legs to tense, but the dragon didn't attack. Instead, its e/c eyes examined him, and the witcher wondered if the monster's pupils acted like a human's because they widened considerably. 

This is a dovah... 

The beast was at least as big as a typical villager house, and Geralt was sure that the spikes on its body would cause massive damage to any attacker. The black scales seemed impenetrable, and the monster slayer seriously questioned his chances of survival. 

He had already felt it before when he had run from the dragon. It wasn't an enemy who he could overpower. If he had to fight, it would be either an overpriced victory or death. But escaping wasn't an option anymore, the dragon's tail had trapped him before the beast.

His grip around his sword tightened, and he was ready to use Quen on himself when the beast shifted and held its head up high. A growl escaped from its throat, and Geralt tensed even more. Unexpectedly, the dragon spoke:

"Dii rii lovaas fah hi. Wo los hi? Hi los ni rok."

The witcher obviously didn't understand, but the voice of the dragon shook him to the core. It was as if someone was screaming in his ear, and he had to press his hands on them. For that, he carelessly let go of his sword, but he felt like his eardrums would explode at any time. 

His chest tingled, and the echo of the dragon's word resounded through his whole body. Geralt's legs gave out, and he fell to his knees. 

The beast lowered its head until its throat almost touched the ground, and then it snorted. 

Hot air blew his hair back, and the Butcher of Blaviken came to his senses again. He needed to get his sword back! Right when he stretched out his hand to take his silver sword, the dragon crept forward until its snout was dangerously close. 

Geralt froze. If the monster decided to eat him now, he would have no time to react. This was the end. 

The realization hit him, and regret washed over him like a seastorm. There were many things in his life that he hadn't resolved yet—many things he wanted to achieve and also many things he wanted to try.

E/c eyes showed up in his mind, and his heart burned. If the dragon ate him now, would they meet in death? 

His eyes flickered to the dragon, and that's when he realized something. 

Although he had no time to elaborate the thought because the dragon moved its head forward until there was merely the distance of a hand between him and the beast. 

He breathed out slowly, and his witcher heart beat faster. He wanted to face his enemy to the last second, but after so many fights, he thought that closing his eyes and embracing death that way seemed more peaceful and freeing. So he closed them and took one last breath. 

I'm sorry, Ciri.

Seconds passed, where he only heard his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Until wind brushed his hair in his face, and he heard a sniff. A rumble shook the earth, and he slowly opened his eyes again. 

The dragon breathed in and sniffed, its eyes closed, and Geralt couldn't believe it when the beast closed the distance, and the scaly snout touched his chest. Black shiny scales only a few centimeters from his face. 

He searched the dragon's eyes, but they were closed. The rumble sounded again, and if he didn't know any better, the witcher would have guessed that the monster was humming.

When it opened its eyes again, and yellow and e/c met, Geralt had an unbelievable thought, and he whispered:

"Y-Y/N?"

The look in the dragon's eyes changed, and it pulled its head back abruptly. 

A growl erupted from the beast's throat, and it only took a matter of seconds for it to tense its muscles and take off the ground. 

Geralt was left in a daze, panic, and realization the only thing he believed to have seen in the dragon's expression. 

Leaves fluttered to the ground, and the deep claw marks in the dirt before him were the only proof for the monster's presence. 

What... What just happened?

The dragon had touched him. He slowly lifted his hand and put it on his chest. It's warm. The dovah had an unexpectedly high body temperature. 

Why did it...? Y/N... Was it really him? H-How...

He remembered something the foreigner had told them. 

His dragon soul was too much for his human body, and he slowly turned into a dovah.

"The dovahkiin..."

Geralt lifted himself off the ground and took off running to the direction the dragon left for.

-

The dragon didn't make it far. 

Geralt saw him soaring through the sky and circling above a clearing in the forest. The witcher could see a small hut standing at the clearing border, and he remembered another thing that Y/N had told him and Jaskier. 

I've been staying here in the forest for a few weeks in a hut half a mile from here.

Geralt slowly realized that his intuition was probably correct.

When he arrived at the clearing, the black dragon had already landed. 

Although it was more like a crash. Long furrows plowed the forest ground. But the Butcher of Blaviken couldn't see the dragon lying there because a strange fog obstructed his view. He was hesitant about approaching the steam, but he really wanted to know if his theory was correct. A voice interrupted his twisting thoughts:

"Bormah, Bormah... Aak dovah!"

It was deep and raspy, and he didn't understand what it said, but Geralt could recognize it instantly. It was him.

Y/N was the dragon.

-

His whole body hurt. 

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" 

Blue eyes watched him with a worried expression. He didn't reply. What was there to say? The dovah needed to die. He was the only one capable of killing them. 

Why couldn't he understand? 

"Think about it, Y/N. You're one of them, so you shouldn-"

"Don't you dare compare me to them! I AM THE DRAGONBORN! Dii Zahkrii kriin Dovah ni aak niin!" 

He knew he went too far as soon as he saw the other's expression. 

Farkas stared at him with slightly widened eyes. 

"Control yourself, Dovahkiin. Or else disaster will fall upon you and the ones you love." 

Arngeir stepped forward and put a shoulder on his lover's shoulder. He could feel how his pupils flickered. Anger welled in his stomach. 

"Don't touch him..." 

His voice was low and threatening. Farkas scoffed, but his face only showed hurt. 

"Don't worry about me, Dragonborn." 

The distance in his words was like a thorn in his heart. The idea that Farkas couldn't understand his thoughts tore his heart in two. Y/N only watched when his significant other walked out of the room, Arngeir following him. 

"Wa-Wait, Farkas, no!"

He reached out his hand to stop him, but the other man was already so far away. 

"Akatosh, Akatosh, help me!"

Tears welled up in his eyes, and a wail escaped his lips. 

Arngeir was right. Disaster fell upon him. 

The skin shedding on his back, his pupils turning to slits, the increased usage of Dovahzul, all were signs for his slow transformation. 

He couldn't believe that the stories Odahviing had told him jokingly were real. His dragon soul was changing his body and personality. 

And now it had happened. He turned into a dragon. 

How many times had he already done that? The witcher mentioned that the monster they were hunting tormented the villagers. 

What had he done?!

The pain he felt after transforming was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. Y/N became the monster he had thought he was slaying when he had eradicated all the dragons from Skyrim.

The scars he had received from all the dovah burned, and shame clung to his heart. 

Why didn't he listen to Arngeir? 

The greybeard was wise and only wanted his best after the dragonborn distanced himself from the Blades. His loved one died because he didn't listen! 

And now he... He turned into an inhumane beast. 

Suddenly he remembered the bard. Did he attack him?! A sinking feeling struck his gut. 

Please, no, no, NO!

What about Geralt? 

Oh Talos... I have to return to the camp!

He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were heavy. He groaned. 

What if the two others were bleeding out while he laid here? If the witcher died... Y/N was sure he could never forgive himself. 

Farkas's death was something that he could slowly overcome, although it took him years, and he still hadn't let him go but... If the witcher's death joined, he was sure his shoulders would give in under all the regret.

Just imagining how these beautiful yellow eyes lost their light, he couldn't take it.

He didn't realize it immediately, but his heart was already in the hands of Geralt. He had already lost. 

Y/N finally regained some strength, and he used it to open his eyes. His vision was blurry, but he could see that the sky had already turned dark blue. 

He knew what lurked in the forest at night. 

The thought reminded him again of the witcher. What an irony that it took the white-haired man less than a day to sweep him off his feet. It was the complete opposite with Farkas. Maybe they weren't that similar at all.

He turned on his side and soon realized that his back felt different. The cold wind gave his arms goosebumps, but his back felt perfectly warm. He lifted his arm and cricked it to reach his shoulderblade. When his fingers grazed his back, he sucked in some air. 

That definitely wasn't flesh. That smooth texture... Y/N would recognize it everywhere. He had felt it so many times after all. 

His back was full of scales.

Panic and adrenaline gave him strength, and he sat up, ignoring the pain that bolted through his torso. Only now did he realize that he was completely naked. 

That shocked him less than the fact that only a few meters away stood the Butcher of Blaviken with wide eyes, his sword in his hand ready to attack. 

"Y-You..." Geralt didn’t continue. 

Y/N opened his mouth but didn't say anything as soon as he saw how the other man flinched.

His heart pounded loud in his ears, and he felt light-headed. He breathed in, it sounded strained.

A smile crept on his lips, and he grinned exhausted.

"Thank Talos, you're alive..."

.

The witcher didn't know what to respond. 

He was frozen although he couldn't tell if it was because the person before him was a fire-spitting dragon or because the man was butt naked. Something that usually wouldn't impress him but after realizing that Y/N attracted him... He was conflicted. 

"You... you turned into a dragon," he finally said with a neutral tone. 

The man sitting in the crater nodded slowly. He looked as lost as Geralt felt. 

Did he not know?

"Are you... Are you the dovahkiin?"

Y/N nodded again, and he lowered his head. 

The witcher could see the shame on his face. After receiving this information, he didn't know what to do with it. It should probably agitate him, all the villagers that had their cattle stolen and all the lost prey on hunts, but Geralt felt nothing. The shock was perhaps too deep. 

One is a sorceress, one a dragon. It seems like I fall in love with extraordinary people. Wait...

His eyes found the e/c ones. Did he really...? Y/n watched him with a conflicted expression. 

"Do you want to kill me?"

The question surprised him; he hadn't thought about it. But he opposed it. 

"Should I?" 

His voice had a challenging undertone, but it sounded light, and his heart fluttered a little when the other man smiled weakly. 

Geralt lowered his sword. Y/N didn't feel like a threat; in fact, he looked defeated. 

The h/c haired man leaned back and exposed his torso. The witcher was right. Even his chest was full of scars, and most of them looked like claw marks.  

A strong warrior. 

"I caused you a lot of trouble. If I have to pay for it, I'll gladly do it with my life. It's not worth much anymore." 

These words caused him to frown. The man sounded like he had already given up. Where was his will to fight? 

The imposing aura Geralt had felt when he stood tall as a dragon was gone without a trace. This man was broken. He couldn't imagine what Y/N had gone through, but he wouldn't let a warrior like him die a fool's death.

"It's true. You caused me a lot of trouble..."

The Dragonborn watched him with an apologetic expression. Geralt eyed him from head to toe, his stare burning.

"But instead of paying with your life, why not pay me with something else?" 

Y/N blinked and stared blankly, then he blushed furiously. The witcher’s heart skipped a beat. 

Did Y/N also...?

It excited Geralt that he apparently knew what he was hinting at and reacted this strongly. It meant he had a chance. Then he remembered the ring. Geralt examined the naked man and realized the necklace was gone.

"Your ring..."

Y/N touched his throat. Nothing was there. Geralt expected his face to turn panicked, but only a melancholic expression showed up. 

"It's fine. It's time to move on."

The witcher didn't pry further, but he knew he didn't have to. The smile on Y/N's lips said enough.

"So, how am I supposed to repay you?" 

The man lifted an eyebrow and grinned. He gulped, he didn't expect the man to be this willing. Suddenly he felt bad about his desires. 

"Toss me a coin."

The warrior from Keizaal tilted his head and puckered his lips. Then he smiled, and his e/c eyes turned into crescents. They looked happy. But most importantly, human.

Warmth spread in his chest. 

He had a thought that his future would be a lot more interesting with the dovahkiin by his side and Jaskier.

Wait...

Both of them opened their mouth and shouted: 

“Jaskier!”

_______

Endnote: Congrats! You made it! Like I said at the beginning, this fic is based on a headcanon of mine. Where the dragonborn slowly turns into a dragon because of his dragon soul. The dovahkiin is able to live a lot longer than any other human due to his dragon nature and it’s taking a toll on him. The scales are something I had imagined from the start. This is a drawing of my dragonborn which I used as inspiration for this fic:

I wanted the story to end in a rather light tone which some might not find appropriate but I honestly got a little exhausted. I wrote this as a oneshot of 12k words, which was definitely too much xD Writing so much is new to me. But I’m proud that I made it this far :)

I wanted Yennefer to play a part here but more like the one of a former lover. She was also a tool to give Geralt a reason why he likes Y/N since he’s officially straight in canon.

I already decided to create a fic where Geralt gets taken to Skyrim but I haven’t decided if it’s going to be a sequel to this yet. We’ll see I guess.

Some sentences that were spoken in Dovahzul were purposely not translated because it was either from Geralt’s sight or it was to show that the dragonborn was slowly changing. But they meant the following:

Dii rii lovaas fah hi. Wo los hi? Hi los ni rok = My soul sings for you. Who are you? You are not him (as in Farkas).

Dii Zahkrii kriin Dovah ni aak niin = My Sword slays dragons not help them

Thank you for reading and being patient with me :D 

[melancholydreadfuldream]

Going Under Part Two

Fandom: Doctor Who

Pairing: 13th Doctor x Reader

Summary: An accident during a routine adventure made your life spiraled out of control with only the Doctor as the anchor. Will you ever find your way back to your Doctor again?

Trigger Warning: ooc, angst, plot holes as usual, attempted suicide, dark!doctor, death, insanity, etc. You have been warned.

More warning: English is not my first language so beware of the headache you will receive upon reading this.

A/N: Yup, still a very disastrous story and I still have no idea how to wrap it up in a pretty bow. Hopefully, this story will be interesting enough to get a positive feedback? I guess I'm just going to be evil person and post it anyway regardless how cringe-worthy this is. But if you find this story interesting, kindly leave comment etc please.

 Part Three

"It's you..."

  I blinked at the young man before me.

  "It's Rory." He supplied when he realized I don't remember his name.

  "Right, you and your wife are with the Doctor."

  "You remembered me?"

  "Yeah."

  "Where did you go before?"

  "Honestly I have no control of where I'm going on. So, where is the Doctor?" I asked.

  If I'm going to be thrown away to every version of the Doctors, I might as well make them investigate the damn scientists so wherever I go next, maybe one of them could give me the answer or the cure.

  "Everyone teased me. They said you are my imaginary friend." Rory complained.

  "Well, now you can introduce your imaginary friend to them." I said with a small smile.

  He snorted at that. "I guess Amy is no longer the only one whose imaginary friend become real. What is your name again?"

  "(name)." I said.

  "Ook, (name), if you don't mind me asking, what happened to you?" He asked, gesturing to his own neck and mine.

  I realized I look like shit with the mark in my neck like I was some victim of a crime. I sighed and wonder if I could borrow some new clothing that can cover the mark.

  The mark serves well to gain their sympathy I suppose, makes them nicer to the victim in me but I'm not sure I want to play that card.

  "Had an accident." I replied.

  Rory stared at me in disbelief.

  I didn't expect to see Eleventh Doctor again. It seemed he was a different one from the one I met at Christmas because he didn't recognize me.

  There was two women with him. A red-haired young woman and an older curly-haired one. Amy and River, Rory said.

  "Everyone, meet (name)." Rory announced loudly.

  The Doctor, Amy and River stared in shock at me.

  "I told you she is real." Rory said a bit smug.

  I waved at them with a small smile as I braced myself for interrogation.

  "What? What? Who are you? How did you get into my Tardis?" The Doctor demanded.

  "Chill, bow tie, I came in peace...sort of." I said. "And I don't have much time before the next splinter...so listen up."

 I told them everything. Once I finished telling them, I sighed. "I really should start writing the explanation on a book to save more time for the next new Doctors I met." I said. "Could I borrow some notebook?" I asked and stopped to take a look at myself. "And some new clothes from the Tardis wardrobe?"

  The Doctor and River look intriqued with my predicament. He sonicked me and asked for blood sample which I gave.

  River pulled me and took me to the Tardis telepathic circuit for coordinates for the planet the scientists are. Hopefully, they did exist here. I need answers and I pray to God that someone give answers and the cure soon.

  Rory fetch me a blank notebook while Amy took me to change clothing. She is curious about the mark on my neck but I didn't say anything.

"So your doctor is a woman?" Amy asked as she waited outside the bathroom while I took a quick shower. 

  I was grateful that I wasn't ripped away from this reality during my quick shower, that would be embarrasing. I pick up a new set of comfortable clothing. I wore a hoodie jacket so I could hide the mark on my neck beneath it.

I grinned at Amy as I got out of the bathroom. "What do you want to know?"

  Amy grinned back at me. "What was she like? And what weird outfit she choose to wear this time?"

  I pulled out of my smartphone. "I can show you pictures."

  "Give me." She look so excited and it put a smile on my face.

  I showed her our group selfie. I told her about the Doctor and the fam. She led me to the kitchen for some snack.

  "Oh, I wish River is here to see this." Amy said with a laugh when she saw the pictures.

  I was surprised to learn that River is the Doctor's wife. If it was any normal day, I would be upset but after everything that happened to me, it just seemed beneath me to be upset about it. And it's not like the Doctor, my Doctor, is in relationship with me. So I have no right to be upset with her.

  Rory entered the room and gave me a blank notebook and a pen and a small bag to carry it. So very thoughtful of him.

  I smiled gratefully at him.

  "Are you really going to write it all in that book?" Amy asked.

  I stared at the notebook. If only the words I have in mind could magically appear on the pages that would be great.

"Err, do you mind if I take a look at your neck?" Rory asked. "I'm a nurse, you see, I might be able to help."

 I glanced at him and seeing the genuine concern in his eyes, I agreed. He gave me some balm for my neck. He also gave me some aspirin when I complained about having a headache from time to time. I was grateful as I kept the items on my pocket.

  "Thank you, Rory, Amy." I said as I grabbed the notebook and pen and put it inside the bag. "Tell everyone the same." I pulled the bag strap over my body as I stood up and smiled at them.

  Rory and Amy exchanged a confused look.

  7777

I blinked at the sudden change in my surrounding. I was not on board of the Tardis. I was in some kind of...meeting room?

"(name)..." A small hoarse voice greeted me out of nowhere.

I turned around and at first I didn't saw anyone and then I saw...it? There was a some kind of bird cage and inside there is some small creature in a suit? What?

"(name)..." The wide-eyed creature glanced up at me. "Run..." It said. "It's not safe...."

My jaw dropped. "What?" I took a step hesitantly toward it. "W-who are you? H-how do you know my name?"

"It's me..." It said. "Doc-tor."

"What?!" I yelled. "Did you...? W-what? Doctor?"

The Doctor nodded weakly.

"B-but what h-happened to you? Did you get cursed by a witch or something?"

The Doctor look annoyed. "Something like that. It isn't safe here, (name). You have to go."

"But what about you?"

"Leave before he come back."

"W-who? Who did this to you?"  I asked.

  "That would be me." Another voice said from behind me.

  I turned around and saw a man in a suit, staring at me curiously. 

  "Who are you? How did you get on board of the Valiant?" He asked.

  "Leave her alone, Master." The Doctor stood up weakly inside the cage.

  The Master smirked. "And why would I do that?"

  "You are the Master?!" I asked dumbly.

  "You know of me then?" The Master stared at me. "A companion of yours, Doctor?" He turned to glance at the Doctor. "A secret one, it seemed since I have no note about you at all from the investigation." He said as he smirked evilly at me.

  I gulped. I did met the Master before back when I was with my Doctor and the fam. I know he is evil. To think he would be so cruel to turn the Doctor into whatever creature he now is and put him on a cage for display? Despite my fear, I felt a surge of protectiveness. I wish I have a weapon of some kind now. I probably should have it from the beginning. I am really foolish, am I not? To keep leaving myself defenseless, how stupid I can be?

  "What have you done to the Doctor?" I demanded.

  The Master laughed at me. "Oh, him? That's just his age catching up on him. Isn't he look adorable though?" He asked with a mocking tone.

  I wanted to punch this bastard so much.

  "(name), don't." The Doctor reprimanded me. "Leave now."

  "Oh she's not going anywhere, Doctor." The Master said as he walked circling me like a predator. "I am getting bored and now we can have some more new fun with her."

  I shuddered at the chilling smile of the Master. I really do want to leave but where can I go? I have to wait for the splinter to happen. It was out of my control. 

  The Master suddenly grabbed one of my wrist firmly. "Now who are you then?"

  "Let go of me!" I screamed as I tried to get his hand off my wrist.

  "Leave her be, Master!" The Doctor demanded helplessly.

  The Master laughed at our demands. "Idiots the both of you!!" 

  "I'm nobody!" I yelled immediately.

  "You know the Doctor so you can't be just a nobody." The Master said. When he realized I would not tell him anything, he rolled his eyes. "Fine, the hard way it is." He suddenly grabbed both side of my head and smirked cruelly before he put his forehead over mine. 

  I could hear the Doctor yelled at the Master but all I could felt is pain, so much pain inside my head. I screamed as I struggled against his tight grip.

  "Interesting. Alternate universe, huh? Oh, you did have met me before...." The Master grinned as he pushed his way inside my mind.

  "Please, stop, it hurts..." I pleaded. My nose started bleeding.

  The Master ignored me and pushes some more. "Ooh, Doctor, it seemed your alternate future-self has gone insane. My kind of Doctor..."

  "Stop it!" The Doctor pleaded. "You are killing her, Master!"

  "Hmm, that is one interesting weapon. I think you just made my day, girlie, you will be my next project." He said.

  I could feel the tingling as I realized I was about to be ripped away from this reality so I kneed him in the groin in retaliation. 

  The Master definitely didn't expecting that as he release me and fell to the ground, clutching his groin. "Bitch..." he whispered in pain.

  7777

  I fell to the floor.

  "Doctor!! It's her! She's back!" I heard Yaz called out to the Doctor.

  I groaned as I clutched my bleeding nose.

  The Doctor bend her knees and sat beside me, clutching my chin in her hand. "It's nice to see you again, (name)." She said with a small smile. "What happened to you?" She is checking me for injuries.

  "The Master." I replied weakly. "I was in...Valiant?"

  The Doctor frowned. "The year that never was... So, you are still crossing all over the alternate universe then?"

  I gave her an annoyed look.

  "Right, silly question." The Doctor said. "The Master forced his way inside your mind then? Do you mind if I go inside your mind too? I need to fix the damage inside you."

  I groaned. "Will it be painful?"

  "I promise you won't feel a thing." She said with a small smile.

  I nodded my consent.

  The Doctor gently caress my messy hair before putting her forehead over mine. And I fell into a bliss full darkness.

  7777

  I woke up in the Tardis med-bay. I remembered meeting the Doctor and Yaz but I knew they weren't my Doctor and my Yaz. I could feel the loneliness come back with vengeance. I wanted to cry.

  "You are awake."

  I snapped out of my trance and glanced up as I saw the Doctor. My heart yearned for her. I bit my lips as I tried not to cry in front of this Doctor. After all, this Doctor never know me. She is not my friend. She is just a stranger who happened to share the same face as the one that I love. 

  I tried to smile but failed. I shook my head to try to get myself to focus. But the tears keep falling on my cheeks against my wish. 

  The Doctor glanced at me with pity. She tried to comfort me but she is being very awkward about it which make me laugh.

  After I get my bearing, she asked me to tell her what happened to me since last we met.

  "Have you get a warning about the cyberman from Jack?" I asked suddenly.

  The Doctor frowned but nodded. "What do you know about the cyberman?"

  "Nothing. But I need to warn you about the fam. Be careful. When the time come for you to meet the cyberman, do take care to make sure nothing bad happened to them."

  "Of course." The Doctor nodded. "I wouldn't want to put them in danger."

  I sighed. "You don't get it, Doctor, of course, they will put themselves in danger, for you. All I asked is for you to watch each other back."

  "You know something?"

  I was silent, debating whether to tell her and I decided to tell her about the future I saw of my Doctor. About my dying in her arms and her losing the fam to her being somewhat insane.

  The Doctor look troubled. She glanced at me. "I'm so sorry."

  "Not your fault." I said.

  We descended into uncomfortable silence before the Doctor finally revealed that she had gotten her hands on the prototype weapon from her version of the scientist. She has been studying it and found a disturbing information. In order for the weapon to work as it is, it need a target DNA. The fact that I got shot instead of the Doctor and ended up splintering all over the alternate universe with the Doctor as my anchor meant the weapon works but not quite as intended and also the weapon must have been infused with the Doctor DNA in the first place which is way the Doctor ended up as my anchor. The target must be my Doctor all along.

  I was worried for my Doctor now. What if she is still in danger? How am I meant to warn her? And I have to also warn her about the danger to my version of the fam. I do not want my Doctor to change into a darker version of the Doctor I saw before. Maybe If I could warn her and save the fam, then the Doctor will be fine even if she loses me in the end. I'm not trying to be a martyr. I just want the Doctor to be safe and sane.

  "Did you...find a cure?" I asked the Doctor.

  She shook her head sadly. "I'm still working on it."

 "Thank you." I said numbly.

  "Hey." She shook me out of my trance. "Get a grip. You will be okay." She said as she put her hands over my cheeks.

  I smiled weakly at her but nodded. "See you around, Doctor..." I said softly.

  The Doctor, realizing I was about to disappear again, smiled encouragingly. "Hang in there, (name) (last name)."

  7777

  I landed inside the Tardis but there is no one inside. Then I heard a very loud electric guitar sound from the outside. Curiously, I walked out of the Tardis and regretted it as my eardrum is hurting. 

  I looked around, found myself in some posh office. Then I saw him. The Twelfth Doctor. I recognized him despite the change in appearance.

  He turned and almost drop his guitar when he saw me. "Well it's about time. I thought you already keel over in one of the alternate universe since you never show your face again."

  I sighed in relief. "I guess you know me then." I said as I stepped toward him. "Where are we?"

  I was surprised to learn that he is teaching in some university now. 

  A young woman and a bald man came into the room and the Doctor introduced them as Bill and Nardole. 

  I wonder what happened to Clara but I know better than to ask about it. She must have left or he lost her. Seemed like a theme for the Doctor from what I've seen so far.

  The Doctor told me to follow her into the Tardis and he started rummaging on his stuff in one of the room. He pulled a vial containing many red pill. He gave it to me.

  "Is this...?"

  "It's just temporary cure...for your internal bleeding."

  "My what?"

  "You have been couching blood, have you not?"

  I nodded. "How did you...?"

  "I did tell you that you are dying, right?"

  "Right, something about splintering tearing my atoms..." I said before I realized it wasn't him who said that. It was my Doctor, the somewhat insane one.

  The Doctor glanced at me.

  "Sorry, I'm trying to keep up with which version said what." I pulled a note from my bag. "I have been writing every encounters. There is no pattern. I just keep randomly jumping all over the alternate timeline."

  He grabbed the book from me. I glared at him in annoyance.

  "What? You are dying?" Bill asked.

  Ah, I forgot his companion are here too. We talked for a bit.

  The Doctor snapped his fingers to gain my attention. "Drink your medicine."

  I obeyed and pulled a pill from the vial and swallowed it. Nardole, helpfully, giving me a bottle of water. The medicine did do wonder, I felt a bit refreshed.

  I smiled at the Doctor. Out of all the Doctors I met so far, he is the one that has been make himself useful to me. I was very grateful and I told him that.

  "It was nothing. Like I said, it was just temporary cure. It will not stop you from splintering but it will delay it for a few hours, enough for you to get some rest and get some answers. Just be sure not to take it if you find yourself stranded in a dangerous place with one of the alternate doctors." He replied. "You are still dying, unfortunately, so you need to take a better care of yourself."

  I sighed in resignation and asked if I could borrow a room to rest.

  The Doctor nodded as he glanced at me with a bit of fondness. I think I grew on him and I must say I feel the same. He asked Bill to show me a room.

  Bill and I started to get to know each other on the way of the room.  She left me so I could get some rest.

  I laid on the bed tiredly. I didn't discard my bag for fear of splintering while I sleep. The notebook is still with the Doctor, though. Oh, well. I closed my eyes and feel into a blissful sleep immediately.

  7777

  I woke up after enough sleeping, feeling refreshed. I realized with delight that I'm still in the same place as before I went to sleep. I got out of the room to seek the Doctor. I walked out of the Tardis and saw the same office from earlier.

  The Doctor sat behind his desk, writing something on my notebook?

  "What are you doing?" I asked.

  "Ah, you're still here. It worked then." He said without looking at me. "I'm writing the formula of the medicine I gave you. In case you won't find your way back to me again, you can ask the other Doctors for when your medicine run out."

  I hummed in pleasant. "That's very thoughtful of you."

  "Just doing my part." He said as he finished writing and gave the notebook to me.

  I opened the page on his writing. I didn't understand a thing of what he wrote though. "What language is this?"

  "The other Doctors will know it, don't worry your pudding brain about it."

  I glared at him, annoyed. "You're still rude." I said as I put the notebook back on my back.

  "Really? I didn't notice."

  I stick out my tongue at him petulantly.

  "Anyway, I would like to ask about your assumption that the future Doctor you met is your Doctor."

  "How do you mean?"

  "What makes you think that version is directly your future instead of alternate one?"

  I hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose because she recognized me. The other version of...Thirteenth, was it? The other one didn't know me. I guess I jump into conclusion? It's just that I didn't meet any other version of my Doctor. Just those two."

  He started ranting about alternate universe being vast and so the alternate timeline with it. He also talk about alternate version of the Doctor and myself.

  I admitted I couldn't follow on his explanation which he noticed and being rude about it. It did give me a slight hope that it means my Doctor will be fine and won't lose her marble. I smiled in relief at the thought. My smile dropped immediately when I felt the tingling again. 

  I glanced up at the Doctor and quickly give him a hug much to his dismay. "Thank you and see you around."

  He look worried for me. "Good luck, (name)."

  7777

  I dropped unceremoniously on the floor. I was annoyed to keep finding myself on the floor every time.

  I glanced up at my surrounding and my jaw dropped when I saw the sight before me.

  The Doctors and companion from 9th-12th are there. They were trapped inside glass prisons, each doctor and their companion respectively had their own personal prison it seemed. And I was outside the glass prisons staring at them all.

  "About time." One of the Doctors said suddenly. "What do you want?"

  "W-what? Hold on, did you think I did this to you? I just arrived." I said, feeling a bit insulted.

  "So, you are not the one who imprison us?" One of the companion, I recognized as Rose asked.

  "I have no part in what happening to you guys. Where are we anyway?" I asked as I look around. "Where is your jailer?"

  "No idea. We just woke up a while ago." That was Jack.

  "Right, okay, how do I get you out then?" I asked them.

  "Who are you?" One of the Doctors asked again.

  "Not the bad guy, that's for sure." I replied. "Don't you think to save the question until after you got out of there?" I asked. "Don't know about you, but the prison is giving me a bad vibe." I said. "Oh shit is there a camera here watching us?"

  "Yeah, there is." One of the companion, Rory, pointed the camera on the wall behind me. 

  "Whoever watching know you're here. If you are not one the bad guys, you should really should do something soon." Jack said.

  "Oh hell, we have no time for interrogation then." I said sarcastically. "Now, which one of you boys gonna help me figure out the way out here?" I asked all the Doctors.

  All the Doctor spoke at the same time which giving me headache which reminded me I have to take my med. But I was hesitating remembering the Twelfth Doctor telling me not to take it if I ever find myself stuck in dangerous place with the alternate Doctors. I glanced at the Doctors, all alternate version of the Doctors, but no alternate Thirteenth Doctor in sight. I sighed. I know I can't just abandon them, can I? I pulled the vial and pop one pill. I guess I resigned myself to get stuck here for a few hours. Let's hope I didn't get killed or get them killed.

  I followed the Doctors' instruction to check the box on the wall and cut some wire. I pulled my hair pin and tried to use it as the Doctors instructed. One of the prison cracked open. Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory got out. Rory and Amy helped me with the other boxes while 11th Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver and point it at the door to stop the jailers from coming in just as the alarm sounded very loudly.

  After all the Doctors got out, they introduced themselves to me. I already knew some of them technically from my meeting with their alternate version before but I didn't tell them that. Rose, Jack, Donna, Martha, Amy, Rory and Clara. The only one I haven't met is Donna. She is very interesting loud person. It was funny seeing her treating the 10th Doctor like she is the boss.

  "Are you ill?" Rory asked suddenly. "You look a bit pale."

  Martha also come to check on me. I remembered that she is a doctor or learning to be a doctor.

  "I'm fine." I said as I wiped the cold sweat that covered my forehead. What's happening to me now? Shouldn't the med make me feel better? Why now I felt like I'm about to keel over?

  I heard the sound of sonic screwdriver. "You're dying." Eleventh Doctor said as he read the result of his scan. 

  The companion showed some concern for me while the Doctors are wary of me but they also staring at me with pity now that they knew I am dying.

  "Don't worry I will get out of your hairs soon enough maybe in a few hours." I said. "Rather than focusing on me, we should deal with whoever took you lot here in the first place."

  I followed them, more like the Doctors allowed me to tag along but I could feel their distrusts toward me, feel like they are chocking me...or maybe that was the effect of illness.

  When they finally confronted their jailers, I fainted. I tried to stay awake but I lost the fight.

  7777

  I woke up in the Tardis med-bay. I sighed. I jumped when I saw the shadow across the room. The room lightened up and I saw it was Twelfth Doctor. He has my notebook in his hand. "Hello, (name)."

  I stared at him. "You have read it then. So you know I'm not a threat."

  "It seemed so." He said. "It has my handwriting inside."

  I nodded. "You, I mean, alternate version of you just wrote it actually...just before I landed here." I said.

  He nodded.

  "Where are the other Doctors?" I asked.

  "Gone back to their rightful timeline."

  "I guess you won the lottery to deal with me then?" I joked.

  The Doctor glanced at me with a look I can't decipher. "More like because i'm the oldest incarnation so you become my responsibility especially after I saw my handwriting." he said. "But according to this book, you are travelling with the one after me."

  I nodded. "Thirteenth Doctor." At his look, I shrugged. "Your alternate-self told me of the numbers."

  He didn't say anything.

  "So, what now?"

  "There is a coordinate written here." He said.

  I nodded. "Right, that's probably coordinate of the planet where we stumble upon the scientists and the weapon."

  He hummed. "I suppose I will have to help you to find some answer for your predicament then."

  "That would be great." I said.

  "The other me seemed to be fond of you. He wrote here to trust you and help you."

  "He did?" I asked, surprised. I smiled fondly. "I knew I grew on him." I said. Suddenly I wish to come back and see him again and give him more hugs. I blinked suddenly when I felt the tingling. "Oh no... has it been a few hours since we met?" I asked.

  He frowned at me. "What's...?" he trailed and glanced at me. "You have to go, don't you?" He quickly throw me the notebook. "I will get you answers or the cure when next you returned." he said.

 I barely able to catch the notebook and grabbed my bag before I vanished. I didn't even get to say thanks.

  7777

  "ow." I landed on my butt on the ground. I took a glance around my surrounding. I was inside the Tardis but the Tardis is poorly lit. And then I saw her. The Doctor.

  "Doctor? Doctor!!" I called out as I scrambled on my feet to get to her.

  It was her. Thirteenth Doctor. But something is wrong. She looked weak and dare I say, dying.

  "Doctor!! Doctor, are you okay? What happened to you?" I tried to shook her awake.

  She weakly opened her eyes and she smiled upon seeing me. "(name)...Am I dead already? How are you here...?" she asked as her hand weakly reaches out to me.

  I grabbed her hands. "Doctor, what's wrong with you?"

  "Dying...got shot..."

  "No. But you can't be..."

  She smiled at me. "...is good to see you again, (name)...been so long..."

  "Doctor, what do I do? What can I do?"

  She shook her head weakly and coughed blood. "Nothing you can do. Weapon disable regeneration. They got me...finally."

  Tears started falling on my cheeks. "Who? Who did this to you? Doctor!"

  She smiled weakly at me. "I'm sorry, (name)..." she said as she caresses my cheek, wiping my tears.

  "Doctor...please...don't leave me..." I begged her. "Please just tell me, who did this? I can change it! I will change it!"

   "My (name)...always so..." She closed her eyes and never open them again.

  "Doctor?" I called out. "Doctor, no, please, open your eyes. Don't do this to me." I begged her. "Doctor!!" I screamed as I tried to shake her awake but it was futile. I cried as I hugged her body close. I started coughing blood too. I wonder if I'm going to die here. It wouldn't be so bad, would it? I hold her hand and cried again. I laid beside her body, still holding her hand, wishing I could just die already.

  I don't know how long it has been before I finally feel the tingling. It was then I wonder if this Doctor is my future or some alternate one. I selfishly prayed it was an alternate one because I don't think I could accept the universe without my Doctor. I let myself being ripped away once more and hope to God the next destination won't tear my heart like this.

  "Please let me see her again..." I pleaded as I closed my eyes.

  7777

  I found myself on the ground, curled on myself like a wounded animal. I didn't bother to look where I ended up this time. My heart still in so much pain from witnessing the Doctor's death. 

  "(name)? (name)!! Are you alright?" That was Rory.

  "Doctor! River! It's (name)!! She has returned!!" Amy yelled.

  I could hear the Doctor and River moved toward me in concern.

  Someone pulled me from the floor. But I have no energy to stand up on my own. They let me sat on the floor then.

  "(name), what's wrong, dear? Are you injured anywhere?" That was River.

  I turned to look at her. "The Doctor is dead." I said as burst into tears again.

  River looked like she was being slapped. I remembered she is the Doctor's wife, of course, that news would trouble her. She exchanged a look with Eleventh Doctor.

  I started coughing blood much to their horror. I fainted.

  7777

  I woke up from a nightmare of the memory when she died. I cried again. Rory and River rushed toward the bed where I am laid when I nearly fell from the bed in my rush to reach out to nothing.

  "Hey, easy there." Rory said.

  River stroke my hair almost lovingly. "Take it easy, my dear."

  I grabbed her and I started rambling. "It was the weapon! It disable regeneration!" I yelled. I didn't even know if the Doctor spoke of the same weapon that shot me. I didn't get to ask. But I have a feeling it might be. I don't remember what I said next but River is hushing me, trying to calm me down. But there is no consoling me. I kept telling her over and over that the Doctor is in danger.

  From the corner of my eyes, I saw Eleventh Doctor and Amy standing on the doorway. He looked like someone shot his puppy. He seemed almost afraid to approach me. 

  "Promise me you will find it." I pleaded.

  "I promise." River said.

  But that won't solve anything, will it? The one I wanted to warn and save is my Doctor. But I never get to see her. I know I still have to warn the other Doctors of a potential dangerous weapon a threat to their well-being. But what I wanted is my Doctor and my friends. I want them to be safe. 

  I could feel the sign I was about to splinter again. I screamed in frustration.

  7777

  "(name)? (name)!!"

  I was still screaming.

  Someone is holding on my faces as they tried to snap me out of my hysterical. "Look at me, (name) (last name)." Those words suddenly sounded loudly inside my mind.

  I opened my eyes and I saw the Doctor. Thirteenth Doctor.

  Without thinking, I hugged her tight. She loses her balance and we both fell on the floor. I cried in her arms. I called her name over and over again. She was surprised but she stroke my back, trying to comfort me and pulled me to a seating position.

  "It's okay, (name). It's okay." She whispered. "I'm here."

  That made me cry more. I hugged her more, not willing to let go.

  I could hear the fam approaching us in confusion.

  "Doctor? (name)? What's wrong?" Yaz asked as she sat beside us.

  I turned toward Yaz before whispering, "Am I home? Do you...know me?"

  "Not this again." She replied. "Of course we all know you, (name)." She turned toward the Doctor. "Doctor, what happened?"

  The Doctor hummed as she continue to stroke my back. "We were talking and then she just suddenly scream."

  I am home! They know me! I was too busy feeling relieved of being back at home with my Doctor and my friends. And then I realized what she said. I released her. "We were talking...?"

  She nodded. "And then you just suddenly scream..."

  "But I wasn't here, was I?" I asked.

  "What do you mean?" She asked.

  "I was back in the other alternate universes. I met alternate version of your past incarnations, you know, bow tie, sandshoes, big ear and sandshoes."

  She looked alarmed at that. "I don't understand what you are talking about, you have been here with me all this time. But...how do you know about my past regeneration?"

  "I told you!" I was frustrated. I grabbed around for my bag only to realize I didn't have them. "W-what? Where is my bag?"

  "(name), calm down." Yaz pleaded.

  "NO!" I shouted as I pushes her away. I stood up and nearly fell but the Doctor caught me. I pushes her away too.

  Ryan and Graham stared at me with concern.

  "What's happening to me? I want it to stop!!" I shouted as I burst into tears.

  "(name), tell me what you think happened." The Doctor requested. She tried to placate me, approaching me like I was some sort of wounded animal, which in a way, I guess I am.

  "You think I'm going insane." I said accusingly.

  She shook her head. "I think you are confused."

  "Confused enough to suddenly have information on your past regeneration?!!" I shouted angrily.

  The fam exchanged a look with each other.

  "Let me help you, (name)." The Doctor said. "Please. Trust me."

  "Just trust the Doctor?" I asked. "That's what you said before."

  "I did say that." She said. She raised her hand toward me. "Trust me, (name)."

  "Then tell me what do you think is happening to me? I know you know something. You said not to worry. But I'm so tired, Doctor. I just watched you die. Are you telling me I've been dreaming all of that?"

  "(name)...."

  "Tell me! Was it the weapon? It did something to me, right? What? It drive me insane? Making me conjuring some form of nightmare and of my fear? Tell me!!"

  7777

  I blinked and I realized the Doctor and the fam is gone. "Nooo..." I broke down in tears. "What is happening to me?" I fell on my knees and that's when I noticed my bag is back strapped on my body again. I pulled out my notebook and opened to the last page of my writing. "No. No. No." I screamed and I tore the pages off the book in my rage. And then I cried.

  I finally glanced around my surrounding. I was in the Tardis but no one seemed to be around. I went to the kitchen and pulled a knife from the drawer and a wine from the Doctor's stash. I drank the wine, regardless of the taste, working up on the courage to do what I have to do. 

  "I have to wake up." I whispered. Then I slit my wrist, putting a cut so deep. I hissed in pain as more tears falling from my cheeks. I watched numbly at the blood flowing from the cut. I felt weak and passed out.

  7777

  I woke up in a med-bay. Someone has bandaged my wrist. I sighed in disappointment. "Why can't I wake up?" I whispered in desperation.

  "I must admit this is not the first time we have a stowaway but you are actually the first that tried to kill yourself on my Tardis." Someone said, jolting you out of your trance.

  I glanced up to see...Ruth clayton? My jaw dropped in shock. I remembered my Doctor telling me and the fam that Ruth actually is the Doctor but that she didn't remember being her.

  She raised my torn notebook at me. "Just read it all. Quite the days you've had it seemed."

   "You read it...? You believe it...?" I asked. I discreetly take a look at my bandaged wrist. She must have been the one who did it.  She saved my life. Don't know exactly what she did but I felt fine for someone who just survive attempted suicide. I wonder what she thought of me when she found me before. She looked so chill for someone who just find some random stranger. I guess the notebook did help. Can't believe she actually fix the notebook. But then again I should not be surprised that the Doctor did that. And as I look at her, I can almost believe that she is the Doctor but a slightly more mature one?

  She hummed. "I scanned you. The result is that you did indeed come from alternate universe."

   I snorted at that. "Well, we are all got it wrong it seemed. I am dreaming this. I am dreaming of you! Nothing here is real! I'm just having some elaborate hallucination!" Even as I said that, I knew I was wrong because I only knew Ruth Clayton, I never saw the appearance of Ruth!Doctor before. My mind should not be able to conjure any version of the Doctors but the one that I knew. But when I remembered what happened last, I just don't know anymore. I admitted it was stupid of me to try and off myself. But well, i guess I’m well on my way of being insane. Can you blame me?

"Dreaming of me? My, have we met before for you to dream of me like this?  Also I have been hallucination before, wasn't fun. I can tell you I am not a hallucination, dear."

"Of course you are! We've met! You told my Doctor that you are the Doctor but she said she didn't remember being you!" I said.

"A-ah, I know I have met you before, you are with that other Doctor then? Her companion, is it?"

 "You don't understand." I said petulantly.

  "You are right, I don't."

  I was annoyed with this Ruth!Doctor. She is being dismissive of me, like i'm some child throwing tantrum, which in a way I suppose I do. I coughed harsh and I covered my mouth, knowing full well I'm coughing up blood again.

  "Would you like your medicine?" She asked, showing me the vial the alternate Twelfth Doctor gave me.

  I shook my head. "No thanks. I don't want to intrude you any longer."

  She sighed. "You seemed to have give up on staying alive..."

  I snorted. "I'm not dying. I'm just going insane, it seemed." I said sarcastically. 

  Suddenly I heard the wheezing sound of a Tardis. I glanced up at her in confusion.

  "I called the other Doctor here." She said.

  I frowned. "You...you called her here?" I asked.

  "Well, you are an alternate version of her companion." She said.

  I stared at her blankly before I registered what she said. "There is another me here? With...the other Doctor?"

  "Would you like to see her?" She asked.

  I nodded. I was a bit curious of the other me.

  7777

  It was really weird seeing an alternate version of yourself, I have got to say. The Doctor and the other me stared at me in shock. I felt suddenly self-conscious. I did just tried to off myself. I tried to hide my bandaged wrist behind me.

  They invited me to their Tardis. Ruth!Doctor clearly wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible. I can't blame her. Who would want a damage good like me anyway? And I did dirtying her Tardis by trying to kill myself over there. She gave my torn notebook and medicine to the other Doctor. They talked for a bit.

  The other me is staring at me curiously. I was at first curious but now I just want the other me to go away. She made me felt like a strange alien.

  The Doctor smiled at me. "Hello, (name), it's good to meet you."

  I didn't smile back. 

  Her smile faltered. "I'm so sorry to hear what has been happening to you. I promise I will help you get home." She said as she grabbed one of my hands and it happened to be the bandaged one. She looked like someone kicked her puppy as she noticed the bandaged wrist. "Please don't give up, (name), your Doctor wouldn't want you to."

  I pulled my hand off her. I wanted to hurt her with words but I can't think of anything despite my sudden anger at her. "You don't know me." I finally lashes out. "I'm not her. And you are not the Doctor." 

  She looked hurt. I saw the other me bristled and about to shout at me but her Doctor stopped her. She whispered something to her and the other me left us behind.

  I scoffed. "Don't worry, I won't be here for long anyway."

  "Let me help you, (name)."

  I could felt myself about to cry again and I hated myself. "No one can help me. Not anymore. I just want to wake up from this nightmare." I whispered to myself.

  The Doctor looked so sad, I almost wanted to comfort her, but I didn't. She wasn't mine. 

  I was surprised when she suddenly hugged me close. "I know it's hard, (name), but you have to have some faith. Just trust the Doctor."

  I cried when she said that. I hugged her back. And then I could feel myself being ripped away again. But I already resigned to my fate so I let her go.

   tags : @thatsonezesty13 , @0castergirl0

(ok, first time someone ask to be tagged but i’m kinda worried that you will be disappointed with how this turn out.)

  A/N: Alright, so this is the end of part two. I still have no idea how to end this story. As you can probably tell, the plotline is messy and probably ended up repetitive. At the rate this is going, this story might not get a part three at all. Maybe the Reader truly lost in time after all. I tried to write a dark!doctor but I think I failed. I really wanted to write for dark!doctor. Maybe I would have better luck next time, whenever next time is and if there ever be another next time.

I would like to take this chance to say thank you for those who follow my blog and leaving likes/comment/reblog on my past stories. Thank you all and I hope you didn't finally come to your sense and realize how bad I truly am at writing. Stay cool, everyone!

[fanbynature]

Obikin x AU /part 1/

Here are some additional things to know before you read the fic.

The ages of some of the characters are: Obi - 28, Rex - 26, Anakin - 23, Ahsoka - 19 going on 20, Plo/Shmi - late 40s, Qui-Gon - early 50s

The thing about the setting is this: It’s still in the SW universe, so aliens, planets and the like still exist and I am mixing it up with our reality while using some slang from SW. It’s set in a peaceful time period, so it’s just a normal living situation for them at the moment. The Jedi are going to have a place in the story but nothing too major. I hope this is not too weird.

I was hoping this to be just a one shot but I had to go and write something that is deeper than just some shag scene. I do love readin just plain NC-17 stuff but this ain’t it one. 

There are some warnings /non-healthy life choices, mention of non-con/rape, foul language, ooc - it’s an au what do you expect/

Obi-Wan is in a punk-rock band by the name of "Space Maniacs" that has been active for a few years but has not been very popular until recently. They had started to search for a better studio to record their songs because the home soundproofed garage of Ahsoka's dad, as nice as he is, does not scream "professionalism". Or at least that is what Ahsoka and Rex had been trying to sell to Obi-Wan. Honestly, he does feel apologetic towards Plo, Ahsoka's dad, for all the inconvenience they have caused even though the man had said time and time again that he feels proud of their tenacity and doesn't mind as long as they keep out of trouble.

And when Obi-Wan meets Anakin, the musician tells himself that he may start believing in God, because it's a whole ass miracle that the man comes across the band. 'Cuz if a guy that cute knows the band, is offering his very real and professionally equipped studio plus has the total hots for a certain lead singer it must be some type of miracle created by the almighty Her or that's what Ahsoka had been going on about for the past 20 minutes in the backstage area of one of Coruscant's' better known night cantinas they had just performed at. The cantina is called "Dirty Habit" and tonight they may have met somebody that will be beneficial for the future of the band. At least that is what they are all hoping for.

Obi-Wan had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the comment that the guy has the hots for him so he settles for a snort. Even if it was true the decision of having sex with someone that could be professionally engaged with the band, won't be a wise one to make. Even if Obi-Wan found the idea of kissing those plush pink lips and to have his hands go through those dirty blond curls, tugging them enormously enchanting. The younger man would make such pretty noises for him. Fuck, no. That is a dangerous zone to enter. He won't jeopardize this chance for the band just because of a shag. Even if it's the best shag he could have in his life.

The guy, Anakin Skywalker as he introduced himself 30-40 minutes ago to the band after they had finished their set made a very tempting offer that they can hardly refuse. He offered them a fully equiped studio to use for as long as they want for 30 cred each month. The band wasn't sure whether they can trust him because that seemed like a total scam, that in the end they would be the one that have to pay an enourmous amount of money. However he explained that he and his mother have a non-profit organisation that helps rising artists who struggle to find their footing. Anakin gave them their cards and assured the band that they can check them out first on their Infocache and confirm that everuthing is legitimate. He doesn't blame them as he understands the dangers of being a rising artist and the people who try and take advantage of that. The blond also explained that he has followed the band for quite sometime now, since they were still experimenting with their sound actually and choose to first observe them and later decided to introduce them to his mother and if everything with their donors went smoothly they would help them. And here he was, speaking with them, offering them a generous amount of help.

They thanked him, understood everything but came to an agreement that they need just a little bit of time and they will contact him back with their answer.

"Honestly, Nobi, I don't understand why we just didn't agree on it on the spot. Anakin seemed genuine and proper with his cards and polite talking. And not so polite ogling."

Obi-Wan glared towards Rex and flipped him off.

"What did I tell you about that nickname? Stop using it. It's annoying. Also, we should not appear desperate. Weren't you the ones that were yapping about how we should "behave more professional-like". I was trying to not appear like I was going to suck this guy off. And I am the one who is in the wrong?"

"He didn't seem to mind. Bet he would suck you off before you get the chance to do it. Haha" the young togruta tried to whisper talk but it was loud enough for the fuming ginger to hear.

"Seriously you too? Can I get a break from the two of you?"

"Whaaaat? Come on, Obi. I know you are irked because Satine decided to end up things but you seriously can't blame her or take it out on us." Obi-Wan was contemplating the ways he could make a murder look like an accident or suicide. "Honestly, you can't look me in the eyes and tell me that you didn't know that this was coming. Like seriously, it was not going well."

Rex was watching his bandmates from the side and was sensing that things were going to either explode soon enough or their lead singer was going to storm out of the room to go get shit faced, sleep in some alleyway and get him and Ahsoka in trouble.

"Ahsoka." Both the man and the girl turned towards Rex. "I think it's time to stop with the jokes and get you home." The lead singer's eyes filled with gratitude towards the bass player and he gave Rex a little smile.

"Oh, Rex, you too. Let's have a little drink to celebrate. We deserve it. You two should stop behaving like old men. You are in your freaking 20s. Live a little."

"Rex is right. I have to go to work tomorrow morning. Get off me and prepare to go."

"That's not true. I know your schedule, it's your day off." Ahsoka scowled at Obi-Wan with disbelieve and crossed her arms in front of her. The man was trying not to snort at the display off childness of their youngest bandmate.

"Well, I decided to take a shift. The extra cash won't hurt us. Especially now that we have to pay for a studio." He smiled a little and gave Rex a knowing looking.

"So we are going to accept the help?!"

"Sure" Obi-Wan turned his gaze towards Ahsoka, gave her a bigger smile and then transformed his facial feautures into a more irritated emotion “Now let’s go because your father it’s going to kill me.” 

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

Of course, Obi-Wan didn’t have an extra shift and Ahsoka doesn’t have to know that. It’s not like he doesn’t want to get an extra shift, the thing is he can’t get one because he has the maximum available shifts his manager can give him. Other people have to work too, you kriffin menace, you know that right. Also I am going to tie you up to your bed and not allow you to do anything for a week straight if you don’t stop bugging me. Obi-Wan is slightly afraid of Cody now. He was even thinking of asking him to help in another position but he decided against it. Maybe Cody is right but that doesn’t mean that the Obi-Wan is going to listen to him. He has responsibilities and he can’t allow himself to rely on other people. Even if that was the reason him and his father have become estranged. It doesn’t matter, not anymore. He is a capable adult who does not expect other people to do his work. 

He may start to search for another job.

The ringing of the phone by the bedside brought up the troubled man back to reality. Shit, Ahsoka. Maybe he can ignore that. If he waits long enough it’s going to stop ringing. Ah, yes. Silence. Then a massage sound.

DONT IGNORE ME, KENOBI! I know.... 

Oh, for kriffing....She went to his job. Ringing again.

“Shouldn’t you be at Uni?”

“Shouldn’t you be at work? You liar. You know better than to lie to me, Obi-Wan. You should have just told me that your old bones were tired yesterday and Rex and I could have stayed and you could have gone home without lying. Also I have 1 hour brake and decided to visit your sorry ass. Know can you... ”

The older male was trying to remane calm as he knew that getting mad at the girl won’t be a sensible decision. She was right. He lied to her but she didn’t know earlier and was probably just worried that he was exhausting himself and wanted to check on him.

“Ahsoka, can you please slow down. Look, I am sorry. It was a stupid thing to do. Sorry for making you worried.”

Silence.

“If you want to...” Obi-wan started with a sigh but couldn’t finish.

“Next time just tell me the truth. I may be young and have to experience things but I am not daft....I am sorry too. For annoying you about Satine and the Skywalker guy. I was just trying to have some fun. But it was that peachy for you. I should have known better. It hasn’t been that easy for you this past year and I chose the wrong way of cheering you up.”

“When did you mature so much?” the older man was getting filled with a warm sensation in his chest. Proudness. The proudness of a big brother. Even if they weren’t related Ahsoka was close to him as any real sister he could have had.

“Tell anything to Rex and you are dead to me.” the girl warned him with an exaggarated threat in her voice.

“Hahah. I think Rex will truly appreciate the way you are starting to carry yourself, the way you think and sense the emotions in other people. He will love this side of you as much as he adores the careless, fun and cheerful side of you. Rex hasn’t been around as much as I have but his brotherly protectivness over you seems to be stronger than mine.”

“Stop it, you are making me blush.”

“It’s very much true. You know that one time-”

“So when are we going to talk with the Skywalker guy?” Ahsoka seemed to be in a rush and cut off the sentimental notion that the conversation was headed to. Obi-wan rolled his eyes. There haven’t been any time to really think about it but it has been sitting at the back of his head, constantly reminding him. The sooner he calls the better for the band. However there was this constant feeling of anxiety that was washing over him. He doesn’t know what to do. He can’t tell his bandmates, they would think he is just not getting enough sleep or food. He can’t talk to Cody because he really had the chance to tell him anything about yesterday and Ahsoka was waiting for an answer now.

“How about tomorrow? If that’s alright with you Miss Ahsoka?”

“Of course, my leash. My very trustworthy Knight in armor or Jedi in robes. I don’t know. Choose one. That’s sounds fantastic. I’ll talk with Rex and come by your house after I am finished. You just go and sleep, you old man.”

“Stop calling me an old man.”

“You stop acting like one.” she said with a mocking tone and hanged up.

Oh, Force. Sometimes he wishes he has chosen a different path for his life. This one seems like it needs a restart. Hm, maybe he should have become a Jedi. What he knew from his father is that he is Force sensitive but when a young Jedi had come to speak with Qui-Gon about the future of his child he had declined the offer of giving Obi-Wan to them. They had a long conversation and had concluded that as an ex-Jedi Qui-Gon had the abilities to keep his son save and help him if there was any trouble. So in reaching an agreement of Obi-Wan’s future as a Force Sensitive kid he can say that he had a pretty normal and stable upbringing. Well, except maybe a few instances. Some of those were his own fault so he couldn’t really blame the people that came across him. He turned out quite decent in end. For the most parts.

However from the texts which he could find about the Jedi some things seemed more appealing than others but certainly they didn’t feel as they were too far way from him. He could have easily fit with the culture. But he loves music too much too give it up now. He loves Rex and Ahsoka as his own family and he doesn’t want to let them down. 

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

3 hours later

There was a banging from somewhere outside but the drowsiness from the sleep couldn’t quite allow him to register where it came from. After a few more moments of banging and the voice of Ahsoka, Obi-Wan finally came to his senses. The door. 

He rubbed his eyes and yelled a muted “I am coming. Stop doing that. The door is going to fall.” He was still sleepy and couldn’t find his slippers so he just headed barefooted with one open eye towards the door and opened it.

“Finally. We were going to- Can, you please put something on ?” Ahsoka looked her friend up and down, unimpressed and passed by him to go inside. 

What in the blazes... His sleeping habit of undressing himself had acquired for the first time when he was hitting puberty and he couldn’t exactly explain what is what connected to. It’s probably the most embarrassing habit he could have developed, especially when the first time it happened was during summer camp with the freshers being mixed and him trying to sleepwalk to there in the early morning with his blader not allowing him to sleep. He couldn’t have predicted that there would be somebody else. He also didn’t know about the lack of clothes on him. With the years it got less frequent, thank the Force.

“We brought food and a holofilm. It’s the crime-suspense one we have been wanting to watch.” Rex tried to hide his smile and not to comment that his friend hasn’t been able to outgrow his adolescent habit. It’s not like everyone can train their brains to do what you want them to do, damn it, Rex.

“Did you come here straight from Uni?” Obi-Wan was trying to speak to the younger girl while she was putting the popcorns in the nanowave and just not staying in one place. He had two rooms + fresher and a balcony. How much more she can move?

“Sure. Why?” she moved to the balcony taking a pack of cigarettes. Obi-wan took the whole pack out of her hands and threw them to Rex. “Hey, come on”

“Not good for you.”

“Look who’s talking. Blondie, pass them back.” 

“I ain’t getting into the middle of that. I am just minding my own business, thank you very much.” 

“Chicken” Ahsoka puffed her cheeks out, signed and put her hands on the balcony’s metal barrier. 

“You should spend more time at home. I thought you stopped being a bratty rebel who didn’t like her dad that much with no reason.” 

“I did. And I do. I do spend time at home I mean.” A few beats pass by them, looking to the Coruscant’s landscape, basking in the noises of the city and background noises of Rex doing something in the kitchen. Ahsoka straightens up and turns around towards her friend, looking at the ground, playing with something in her hand. “I love my dad, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes there comes a time when you just feel like you have to split from each other and live alone.” A few more beats pass by “You understand better than anybody I know.”

“Of course I won’t judge you if you want to live separately from your father if that’s what you mean. I do hope you talk to him first and not just run away.”

“Absolutely. I am not that irresponsible, not anymore. I am sure he will miss me and it would be much harder for him than it is for me. I just need this at this point in my life.”

“I am sure he will understand. He is going to absolutely throw you “a goodbye party”. Or more likely “get home sooner” one.”

“Oh, Siths. Please don’t make me imagine this. It just sounds embarrassing.”

“Rex is totally going to get everything filmed.”

“I already know that I am going to kill him.”

Both of them laughed at the ridiculous situation. Obi-Wan placed his hand on the younger girl’s should in a reassuring manner. 

“Whatever you decide to do I am here for you one hundred and ten percent of the way.”

The togruta smiled at him and pulled him into a hug.

“Thanks, big bro”

“Oi, the sappy bunch, are we going to watch a movie or what?”

The other two rolled their eyes and returned back inside. While the two were chatting outside Rex had set the snacks and drinks on the coffee table and prepared the film for just pressing the play button. 

“Hey, look what we’ve got here. Can you believe, Obi. Our bassist is good at more things than just looking good, playing the bass and getting us a free drink.”

“He is sometimes good at repairing stuff. You gotta give him that.”

“Oh, yeah for sure.” the other two snickered while the blonde was flipping them off.

“Haha, you guys. You are a golden comedy duo. Can we now just watch the damn film? “

“Absolutely”

Halfway into the movie, Ahsoka fell asleep and the guys let her sleep on the bed and called Plo so he won’t worry about his daughter being kidnapped or something else. He told them that he could come to pick her up so it won’t be trouble for Obi-Wan but the younger man reassured him that it was no problem at all.

“So we are calling the Skywalker guy?”

“That is what you want, guys, right? I am not making that decision just on my own and just presuming your opinions.”

“Yeah, it is.’

“Then it’s decided.”

The two men were sitting on the floor cross-legged, drinking whatever was left from the things Rex and Ahsoka brought. 

“Do you want something stronger? “

“What do you have in mind?”

 “Cheedon whiskey. You know that is not my usual preference but someone who I used to fuck from time to time gave it to me recently as a gift for our good times. Amusingly he was there when Satine and I, well Satine to be precise broke things off. “ The ginger was pouring the drinks while talking and his bandmate was watching him cautiously .”But this is a great drink. Let’s drink to our future success. Cheers.”

“Cheers.” Rex watched his friend enjoying the brown beverage going down his throat and then looked at his own and sipped a little. Making a face because of the burning sensation of the drink. It had good after taste but Rex is definitely not the biggest fan of this type of liquor. He prefers his beer.

“How are things with after Satine? I mean I know you don’t like sharing the hard stuff with us, especially me. You sometimes talk to Ahsoka but you haven’t said anything. What I am getting at is that I am worried. We are worried, with Ahsoka. And we want to know if everything is really fine.”

Obi-Wan knew that Rex didn’t like initiating conversations with serious topics. He was usually there when you needed him, he doesn’t ask you a question, just stays with you until he knows you are ready to tell him what’s wrong. And Obi-Wan could sense the uncomfortableness in Rex’s everything. The older male greatly appreciated what his friend was doing for him and he didn’t want to just blow him off. He knew that it took strength to do something you don’t enjoy doing.

“I can’t blame her. As much as I want to say it was both of our fault. It was mine. I just wish she could have done it sooner for her own good. I was too much of a coward to leave her. I stayed with her just because I was used to it, but I didn’t really feel the way I felt before and it wasn’t fair to her. And that not being the worst part. Now cheating is what an immoral person does.”

“You know that wasn’t the full story.”

“Wasn’t it? I remember it differently.” Obi-Wan was pouring his third drink now and Rex was thinking of hiding the bottle. Or plain pouring it out into the sink.

“You don’t remember half the night. That is the problem. You are trying to take the full blame for something you weren’t even half-conscious to do.”

“But I was conscious enough to kriffing get it up and stick it up into a guy’s ass. Wasn’t I, Rex?” The ginger was trying no to raise his voice so he won’t wake up Ahsoka but he was having a hard time. He stood up, cursing under his breath, took his cigarettes and went to the balcony. 

Rex was blaming himself for even raising the question. He knew better than that. Why did he even try to get something out of the older? He never wins with him. His brother is better than him with that. Dealing with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kriffing Siths. He begrudgingly went to the balcony’s door frame and stood there. Shifting his eyes between Coruscant’s view and his friend’s back. 

“Look, I know it doesn’t matter what I say, you are going to continue putting the full blame on yourself, but just know that. I am on your side. I will call you out when it needs to be done. But not when you don’t deserve it.”

“I wanted it, you know that Rex. I told you. You were there.”

“You were drunk. He wasn’t.”

Obi-Wan turned around with glistening eyes. Tears. 

“I said yes, Rex. I said it. I would-I would have said it even if I was sober, Rex. I know it. I do. I just-” the older male dropped to his knees. Putting out his cigarette and hanging his arms to the side.”I am just-just not sure anymore.” 

He looked up to Rex, with his cheeks already wet from the streaming tears. The blonde crouched down and hugged his friend. They stayed that like for a few minutes and Obi-wan spoke again, with a hushed voice.

“I think I am just trying to convince myself at this point. Not trying to fall apart. I can’t do it. If I fall apart I have to tell her. She can’t know, Rex. She’ll blame herself that she didn’t let me speak. It’s better that way.”

Rex pulled away from Obi-wan and sat on the floor across him, looking at his friend.

“You are kriffing idiot you know that. How is that better? Who is it better for exactly? Not you, that’s for sure.”

“Don’t say anything, Rex. Please. Not even to Ahsoka.”

Rex was wondering really hard how he could just prevent his friend from harming himself further than he already has. 

“I am not the person that is going to tell you how to live your life and what choices you have to make. That is your job. But I am the person who is going to be next to you until you want the help you need. Ahsoka and I are going to be here. Cody too. He cares for you too, even if he has “the though love makes you stronger logic”. Rex paused for a moment and continued “Your father will always be there for you too. Well, at least until you know. Nevermind.” He dies Rex thought.”Maybe things with Satine won’t be the same but they don’t have to be. The important thing is that you feel better.”

Obi-wan stopped crying and he was sniffling softly. Trying to get his composure back. He didn’t like showing his vulnerability. Even to his friends. He would start to think of himself as a burden but wanted to stop it.

“I don’t think I am ready yet Rex. I don’t think I am able to face it.”

“Look that is perfectly alright. As long as you don’t try and deal with it alone in an unhealthy way. We are here for you, okay.”

The only thing the ginger could manage as a response was a weak nod. He searched for his cigarettes and popped one his mouth. Rex picked up the conversation again.

“Truly the pot calling the kettle black.” he laughed a little to his friend’s earlier hypocrisy to Ahsoka. The older male looked at him confused.

“Huh? Oh, that. You know that I have tried to quit several times with no positive outcome.” He lit his cigarette and let out a blow of smoke.”It’s truly something I’ll never be able to fix.”

“Whatever you say, Nobi, whatever you say. Do you want me to stay more because the public transport will soon stop and the prices of the hovercabs are going up.”

“Nah, go. I am going to fine.”

“Call me when you get a word from Skywalker.”

‘Absolutely.”

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

The next day came faster than he expected with the bustling city noises waking him up. He forgot to close the door to the balcony last night. He remembered dragging himself from the outside, laying down his futon and just laying down. Now he had a duvet, which he didn’t remember getting. Ahsoka. She is still sleeping. He realised it’s still early as Ahsoka haven’t gotten up and she usually doesn’t have classes until late morning or early noon. He wasn’t sleepy, which meant his day will be longer and that annoyed him to no limit. He grunted and pulled the duvet over his head.

“Can you please just let me sleep for one more hour? Your grinding teeth are really kriffing annoying you know that. I think you should really go and let a doctor check you out. You have too much sleeping habits. It’s not healthy.”

“I just woke up and you are already annoying me.”

A small heart-shaped pillow flew over his head almost hit him in the face.

“You missed.”

A creak from his bed followed by footsteps on the wooden floor. His eyes were closed so he did not anticipate a soft yet hard hit on the face by a larger pillow.

“I think not. Ugh, now I am woken up. Make us some coffee. You are the host. Be one.”

“Half of my wardrobe is filled with your clothes plus a couple of your shoes. I think you can make your own coffee.”

“You are unbelievable.”

A small scratching noise was coming from the window outside followed by a meow. Ahsoka’s head snapped towards the noise and she went to check it out. There was a middle-sized loth-cat. The cat’s whole body was white except a patch of brown on top of each eye. Which was now meowing in Ahsoka’s feet, not knowing if it could do anything else

“Did you get a loth cat and not tell me?”

“She’s not mine. She just came one day and I started feeding her. She comes from time to time and I give her food when I am here. She seems like she’s domesticized. She had a collar when she first came but not anymore. Didn’t have a tag or anything like that.”

The togruta had already started making noises at the animal and petting her. Obi-Wan got up, when to the kitchen and took out a packet from the cupboard under the sink. He passed the girl with the cat in her lap, went on the balcony and poured the food into a green plastic bowl. The cat run next to him and started eating. He petted her for a bit and stoop up.

“Okay then. I think it’s time you get ready for Uni and I am going to make us breakfast and then I am going talk to Anakin.”

“Okay, boss. Oh, there is something else I want to talk to you about.’

“Sure. What is it?”

“Um, I have actually started to look into some places where I can move to live. As you know I received some loan and grants before I entered Uni so I have some money saved and can live for a while on those. But I was wondering if you could still help me with checking out when I pick a place if it’s legit or not. You have some experience so I think it would help me greatly.”

“Yeah, yeah. No problem.”

“Okay, I have more to tell you but I am going to shower first.”

The ginger laughed to himself and returned his attention to the breakfast. He hasn’t cooked for himself in a while. Running on coffee and cereal lately hasn’t been that great on his health but work kept him from making healthy choices. Okay, he kept himself from making healthy choices. A soft meow interrupted his inner monologue and his attention shifted towards the small creature which was halfway inside halfway out. 

“Oh, water. I forgot. What an idiot.” 

He filled an empty jar with water and went outside to put it into another plastic bowl but this one was blue. 

“Here, little one. Enjoy.”

The man smiled slightly and petted the cat softly again, trying not to disturb it, then he returned inside and went to finish making the food. While the man was occupied with his furry friend the shower noise had stopped and minutes after that the young togruta came out surrounded by fog.

“You should be thankful I don’t ask you for money for the electric bill. Half of it it’s yours. Doesn’t your skin melt off or something. “

“No, Mr Freeze who would probably shower in ice cube bath. I don’t have your endurance. “

“I could say the same to you.” Obi-Wan sent his most mature response - sticking his tongue out which was returned by Ahsoka with twice the emotion. 

“What else are you going to tell me.”

The togruta got closer to the kitchen counter and started making coffee for both of them

“Oh. I asked Cody if he can help me with a job in like a month or two. And he said that he won’t be needing any additional staff for the near future but he said he can speak with some friends of his that are in the business and will let me know if something comes up. ”

“That’s great. I am so glad for you.” Obi-Wan set everything on the table, while Ahsoka put some background music to enjoy while they were eating. 

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

[devildomz]

gamestop AU anon submitted:

GameStop Au

Ong if this doesn’t work I’m beating ass

Sorry it’s a little ooc but most of it was written at 12 am-3 am kdjfdjhgudbu

ALSO, this is only chapter one. I have plans, BIG PLANS. Also why it’s only 2.1k words. I don’t know if it’s accurate to source but eh, I’m taking creative liberty. Ily, and enjoy :)

i am FULLY cracking

________________

“Are you done yet?”

Abel grinned, eyes glinting mischievously. He looked up at the purple haired employee that’s been the bane of his existence for…two days. Ever since the first night he tried to get into the store. But two days is enough for Abel to know he wants him dead. Well, only after making his life a living hell.

“I’m just browsing through the store,” He said smugly, gesturing towards the games he purposely mixed around. “I haven’t found the right one yet. Do you recommend anything?” Abel knew damn well why he was here, but he couldn’t resist being the annoying customer just to mess with the employee. Levi stared at Abel for a few moments, arms crossed in annoyance. He blinked once, twice, before huffing.

“There’s a game called Ru-“

“Boring,” Abel interjected.

“Then maybe The Sev-“

“God no,” Abel leaned down to look at the games on the second shelf. “Your customer service here is horrible.” Levi’s jaw clenched, before he grinned with extreme agony.

“Then I’ll find someone else to help you inste-“

“No need, I want your help,” Abel said, staring Levi down. Their eyes met, one with ferocity and one with purely evil intent.

________________

Levi hated this guy.

No, hated is not strong enough, despised and…despised. He’ll have to look up synonyms for hated later, because he was fuming. FUMING. Who does this stupid normie think he is? Stupid, short, infuriating, little bastar-

“Hellooo,” And it was talking. Yes, it, because this… child, will NOT register in Levi’s mind as someone who can be recognized as anything more than an it. Was that disrespectful to that dumbass? GOOD. Levi will bask in that forev-

“Are you ignoring me now?” Abel tilted his head in false innocence, brows furrowed and a mocking smile on his face. And with this, Levi’s had enough. He was never polite before, so fuck it now.

“No, of course not kiddo,” he smiled, “I can always show you the games for kids, I’m sure they’re more age appropriate for a small boy like you.” He reached up to pat Abel’s hair like you would a cute, little puppy. Abel gaped, looking like a fish. And it almost made Levi pity him. Almost.

“I hope you choke,” Abel growled.

“Your feelings are reciprocated,” Levi sneered, “by a tenfold.”

________________

“Can you BELIEVE the audacity of that guy?” Abel laughed incredulously, hands waving around in the air to add to his rant. “I hate him! Every inch of me hates that asshole.” Solomon sipped his coffee calmly, humming in mild support of Abel’s anger.

“His name is Levi, and he’s always been nice to me,” He offered, shrugging. “We’re both fans of the same series and games, and he makes good theories.” Abel stared at Solomon, teeth clenched. He took a long, shaky inhale, squeezing his eyes shut.

“We,” Abel’s voice cracked in loathing, “do NOT like him anymore. You’re my friend, therefore if I don’t like someone, you don’t like them either.” Abel said with finality, and Solomon gave him a look. The kind a parent would give their 13 year old who’s raving about their crush that they deny liking. He takes a moment to go over all he’s done in life, wondering who decided to put him in the middle of an enemies to friends to lovers fanfiction.

“And guess what? He treated me like a child because he’s taller than me! I’m not even that short, I’m average! Average! How could a stupid idiot like that look down on me? Huh? His eye bags are darker than his heart!”

“Abel,”

“And Solomon, believe me when I tell you his heart is dark, it’s probably all dark, and twisty, and ruined. Because I’m sure he stomps out people’s dreams in his free time!”

“Abel,”

“I can’t believe he would have the audacity to even call me kiddo! Like I’m some dumb kid, sure I’m not the smartest person in the world but I do deserve some respect, y’know?”

“ABEL,” Solomon interrupted firmly before he sighed, setting his coffee down on the saucer. Abel shut his mouth quickly, looking a little guilty. “Didn’t you go there originally to buy a gift for Diavolo? If so, why are you still fighting him? Don’t you need his help?” This new, but not really new, just never thought of, information made Abel pause. Solomon…was kind of right. God, he HATED when Solomon was right, because he’s always right. Abel shoved his face into his arms with a long groan, he guessed he’d have to figure out how to get back into the employee’s…Levi’s, favor, even if his pride would suffer for it.

Solomon slid his coffee over to Abel with pity, and Abel peeked at him through his hands. His friend gestures toward the offering, and Abel sighed before taking it.

“I hate this idea,” Abel muttered.

“You’ll get over it,” Solomon smiled, and Abel gave him a blank stare.

“Shut up,”

________________

Levi glanced up from his phone, the kid was still there. He was still staring him down like before, looking frustrated and conflicted. He considered throwing him a bone, but thought about it again, and decided he didn’t feel like being nice to him. Just when he went back to reading the TSL forum, Abel spoke up.

“I…” he forced out, looking way too anxious to be healthy. Levi looked up at him, studying him as he struggled pathetically. It was almost comedic, if Levi’s being honest.

“You…?” Levi drew out the word, raising his eyebrows bitterly. Abel took a deep breath, fixing Levi with a determined look.

“I’m…sorry,” Abel choked, looking away. “Sorry for being an ass. I just really, really, need your help, because I need to impress this guy since I’m this,” Abel squinted as he held two of his fingers close together, “this close to flunking out of this very good college, and he’s related to the dean, and I just figured out he likes TSL so I’m trying to find-”

“Wait, stop,” Levi put his phone down, “TSL? As in the game I tried to recommend you the other day but you said, and I quote, ‘God no’,”

“Yeah, that. I don’t even know what it stands for because this,” Abel waved his hands in a vague form of a circle, “this is NOT my field of expertise, if it was maybe sports, or Disney movies, or-”

Levi held up a hand to stop him from his panicked rants, looking him dead in the eyes. “You, the person who nearly decked me out of anger yesterday AND directly shunned TSL, an amazing game and series, are asking for my help? Besides, why me, I’m just a stupid shut in,” he muttered the last part out of habit. Abel bit his lip, considering what he should say next.

“I wouldn’t say nearly decked you, man,” he laughed, the awkward kind where you know you’re in trouble, but don’t want to address the issue, so you make a bad joke and laugh at it because you’re nervous. His fingers kept twiddling, a nervous habit of his that he’s been trying to break.

Levi made a drawn out ‘ah’ noise, before clicking his tongue and shaking his head, squinting his eyes. “So tell me, why exactly should I help you? And what would I get out of it? We loathe each other, don’t we?” He smiled, the fake customer service kind, before it dropped and he went back to his phone.

Abel inhaled deeply through his nose, trying to psych himself out of the stunt he was about to pull, before saying fuck it and taking Levi’s phone from his hand. This earned a loud shout from Levi, which alarmed a patron inside of the store. Abel looked at them and smiled apologetically. “Alright, wannabe K-Pop star, you are going to listen to me, or else I will throw this phone into the wall,” Abel threatened menacingly, a bitter smile crossing his face with a crazed look in his eyes, “So, I need you to help me. Desperately. Enough to ignore my ego and ask you for help, because I’ve noticed all of your stupid merchandise with TSL logos all over it,” His hand reached up to snag Levi’s collar and pull him down to eye level, “So, if you help me with this, I will compensate with whatever you want. WHATEVER. Money, school work, drugs for God’s sake,” Abel exhaled sharply, “So, are you going to help me?”

Levi looked at Abel with wide eyes, face red out of some combination of shame and anger. His lips were pressed together in a tight line. He considered calling the police for a minute, but he’s been through desperation this strong before, Sucre Frenzy tickets wait for nobody.

“Well?” Abel growled.

Levi kissed his teeth, swallowing the terrified lump in his throat, “If I do help you,” he grimaced, as if the thought genuinely pained him, “you will be dedicated to this. You will come to scheduled meetings, you will take quizzes, and you will watch every episode of the show with and without me,” Levi looked to the side at a passerby watching their interaction curiously, he himself a tad embarrassed, “And…can you let go of me? I’m pretty sure I’ve got the idea.”

Abel’s eyes followed Levi’s and stared where Levi was looking, releasing him immediately, clearing his throat. “Sorry…again,” he muttered, before hesitantly raising a fist. “Let’s finalize this,” Abel offered. Levi looked at it and furrowed his brows. Abel looked at Levi, then his hand, then back at Levi. Then he laughed out loud, really loud. Loud enough that startled the other patrons. Again. “You don’t know what a fist bump is?” He tried to hold in his laughter, but it just escaped him again in a soundless wheeze.

“Stop laughing at me, normie!” Levi huffed, frowning angrily. “If you couldn’t tell, I don’t get much social interaction.” Abel stifled his laugh before sucking in a breath, changing his fist into an open palm.

“Alright, then let’s-“ Abel snorted, “let’s shake on it.” Levi sneered and looked down at the hand furiously, before huffing and shaking it.

“We start tomorrow, 4 pm,” Levi said, “Now go, unless you’re going to buy something.“ He waved Abel off before adding, “Don’t forget, we still hate each other. Don’t get all buddy buddy with me, normie.” Abel’s grin dropped as he scoffed. “Besides, I don’t even think your tiny brain can even retain any of the complex information from TSL, so don’t make this pointless.”

“And to think we were starting to find some common ground,” Abel shook his head, before realizing something. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I forgot this,” He laughed, ”My name is Abel,” He introduced.

“Huh?” Levi looked up from his phone, confused for a moment, before realization dawned on him, “Oh, my name is Levi.” Of course Abel knew this, but it would be creepy if he told him that.

“Wish I never met you, Levi!” Abel called over his shoulder as he walked towards the door. He could see Levi flipping him off out of the corner of his eye, chuckling to himself.

He waited til Levi couldn’t see him anymore before letting his lips quirk up in a relieved smile, he wasn’t failing out of college today, and he sure as hell won’t keep being bitter enemies with Levi. Abel knew there’d be a challenge, considering they “hated” each other, but he also knew that he’d be going through a few days of “training”. And if you think Abel was just going to let Levi walk all over him, you’re wrong. Abel was stubborn, he preferred tenacious, but let’s call it like it is, stubbornness.

So at the end of the day, Abel thinks Levi might be his friend. If Solomon can do it, he can. Well, actually, that was kind of pushing things, so really at the end of the day if Solomon thinks Levi was nice, maybe all Abel needed to do was get past his hard shell exterior. And his incredibly thick skull.

And his horrible personality.

And his dumb face.

And HIM.

…

Fuck, this was going to be a long week.

[thesffcorner]

Get a Life Chloe Brown

Get a Life Chloe Brown is a romantic comedy, written by Talia Hibbert. It follows Chloe Brown, a freelance web designer from a wealthy family, who one day has a near death experience. This shakes her profoundly, not just for the obvious reasons, but also because she realizes that if she were to die, she would have nothing to show for herself; no friends, no boyfriend, no adventure and no interesting events. In an effort to change that she makes a list of things to do, and meets a person that just might help her do it: Redford, her new superintendent. I was interested in this book ever since I heard it was coming out, because the premise, for whatever reason reminded me of a mix of two things: the profoundly stupid, yet profoundly watchable film What’s Your Number, and Michelle Pfeiffer’s story-line in New Years Day. This book is neither stupid nor silly; it’s one of the funniest, well written rom-coms I’ve ever read, and not since Red White and Royal Blue, have I liked two characters this much. Let’s start with the writing. I didn’t know Hibbert was British, but one page in and this book was so British it hurt. From the jokes to the banter, I felt like I was watching an episode of Bad Education, and I laughed out loud more times than I can count. Both characters are very snarky, and Chloe especially has a rather dry sense of humor that comes off as rude to others, because it’s so stiff. I found it hilarious, though the real standout for me was Red, because his internal monologues had me in stitches. Let me give you a sample of the jokes, here are a few. “We definitely have bears” “We don’t. If we had bears, it’d be in the news all the time. You know. Fine upstanding British man attacked by a bear. EU to blame. Brexit now.” Gigi appeared helpfully on her shoulder and said “Don’t mumble, darling. Nice big words. Repeat after me: ‘I want to ride you like a stallion.’” “Red snorted: ‘Who are you, Dr. Phill?’ ‘Ah, don’t start that manly crap. We talk about our feelings in this house, boy.’ ‘Can I talk about my feelings for your wife?’ ‘This bowl would be a great hat on you’” This couldn’t be more up my alley. Outside of the humor, the writing on the characters was equally well done. Not only do we get a very good sense of both Red and Chloe as individuals, but Hibbert makes the chemistry between them palpable. I believed that these two people could barely hold off from ripping each other’s clothes off, and later, when they became more emotionally invested, I believed in their romance. All the characters are well written; from Chloe’s family, especially her sisters, to Red’s friend Vic and even his mother. Because we get POVs from both Chloe and Red, I was worried they might sound the same, because both are such snarky characters, but they didn’t; they have very different personalities and ways of approaching their problems, which I found was translated quite well. The plot wasn’t particularly complex; it mostly just follows Chloe making a deal with Red so he can help her tick off things on her list, and slowly getting an understanding of what is actually important to her and what isn’t. The book does also follow Red coming to some realizations of his own, notably what he wants to do with his life, now that he’s escaped an abusive relationship. Which leads me to two points of caution for this book. The first is that the cover and the synopsis might mislead you into thinking that this is straight up comedy, which it is, but more in the vein of How to Be Single or Trainwreck. There are some really heavy topics discussed in this book: there is the aftermath of an abusive relationship, disability, trauma from loss, PTSD even, and a very brutal verbal fight that doesn’t pull punches. It’s a funny book, but it has surprising depth, and Hibbert really touches on some heavy and complicated topics, while maintaining an overall light tone. There’s even a warning on the first page of the book about some of the triggers, so tread lightly. The other point are the sex scenes. Now, readers of romance, and those who are familiar with Hibbert’s other work, will probably know that this book has sex scenes. I’ve heard from other people that they either found them extremely hot or completely over the top. I fall in the former category; the sex is explicit, but I think the scenes are paced well, are genuinely engaging and steamy and actually explore the characters, and their growing attraction to each-other. The only critique I do have is that the characters, especially Red do sound a bit OOC in them, because there’s a lot of dirty talk that is a bit much even for him, but honestly, outside of laughing at it, it didn’t personally bother me. Let’s talk about characters. There aren’t many, but each gets a moment to shine. Out of the supporting cast, my favorite was Vic, though I can’t wait for Evelyn’s book, because she seemed like a hoot too. Out of the leads, let’s start with Red. Redford, who I imagine is named after the dog, being a ginger and all is a charming, attractive and confident man, who has been through a really abusive relationship that has made him spiral into bad decision making. He has quite a few flaws, the most notable being a chip on his shoulder about being treated as a spectacle, or a commodity, by people who are richer than him and can therefore buy him in many ways; buy him for his looks, his time, his talent or just simply observe him like some kind of circus animal. I found all of his quirks understandable and well written; he does make some stupid decisions, and he seems to be incapable of saying no. But he was the better adjusted lead out of the two, which was nice. He did veer off into being a little too perfect and considerate at time, which was just a tad unrealistic, but I really liked his personality a lot. Then we have Chloe who I adored, even though she falls definitely in the tradition of quirky, type A female protagonists. She is obsessed with lists, organization, planning out her days and her life, and there’s a good reason for that: she suffers from fibromyalgia. I will admit; while I do know two people in my life who have, fibromyalgia I knew very little about the disorder. I didn’t know that it seems to be caused by trauma for one, nor did I know that it leads to brain fog or short term memory loss. I think the way the illness was described in the book, and the way it impacted Chloe’s life was presented very well; I can definitely understand and sympathize with how she had developed her coping mechanisms, the healthy and unhealthy ones. Chloe is a very strong character; she is funny, she is smart, she is witty, and what I liked most was she knew her limits, knew when to push and when to take a break, and was actively fighting to live a life she would be proud of, in spite of fibromyalgia. I really liked how well Hibbert explored both what it’s like to live with an invisible illness, and the toll it takes both on the person and those around them, but also how having an illness or a disability doesn’t mean that the person can’t take care of them-self or live a perfectly good life. I’m not disabled, so I can’t speak to that representation, but as just a humble reader who wanted to learn a bit more, I was satisfied. One other thing to note is that Chloe is both plus size and black. In terms of race I appreciated the conversation she had with Red about privilege, and I think perhaps a bit more could have been explored on that front. In terms of weight, Chloe’s weight is mentioned at several points, but it’s not really a factor. I kind of liked that; Chloe gets to be a fat girl who is content with her life, and it’s not even a factor. It was nice. Overall, this book was great. It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s very sexy, and it tackles some deeper issues and topics like class and disability in a nuanced and lighthearted way. If you are looking for a good romance with some substance, I highly recommend it.

goodreads

[the-nagakenny-archives]

New to the Party Pt. 1

(OOC: Here’s the cuddle party story I’ve been meaning to write for a while XD It’s set in the Batman: TAS universe again. It’s turning out to be kind of long, so I decided to break it up in parts, hope no one minds waiting for the next one ;v;)

Samantha Shaw stepped out of the car and sighed as she surveyed her surroundings. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”

There was an amused chuckle as her friend Michael got out of the driver’s side door. “Come on, lighten up!” he said cheerfully. “I mean, how often are lowly interns like us going to get invited to a billionaire’s house for a party? Lobster, champagne, foie gras....should be a swinging time!”

“That’s kind of what I’m afraid of,” Samantha said with a frown, holding out her invitation and waving it at him. “Didn’t you read the whole thing? What’s this about a.....’cuddle party’? Sounds kind of suspect if you ask me.”

“Pfft!” Michael snorted and shook his head. “It’s not what you think, I’ve heard of them before. Everyone just lounges around, there’s no funny stuff going on.”

“Hmph.” Samantha put her invitation in her purse, tossing her blonde hair over one shoulder. “Well, nevertheless, I want to leave before it starts getting weird, okay?” 

Michael grinned and sighed with mock indignation. “Yeah, okay. We’ll call it a night when the weirdness starts. Come on, I’m starving.” He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and started walking toward the house.

Samantha hung back a moment, leaning against the car and looking up at the gigantic house belonging to her boss. She could hear people laughing and chatting in the distance---most likely out in back. Michael had already gone inside, probably hunting for the buffet table.

She sighed with resignation. She had never been much of a party person, but these kinds of parties were especially not her thing. She had to wonder why Mr. Huggins had even wanted to invite her; it was like Michael had said, they were both just interns at the office. Then again, Mr. Huggins was always very friendly with everyone, no matter where they were in the office hierarchy. She would often see him inviting people out to lunch, or bringing people coffee, even though he was supposed to be the head honcho. 

With another sigh, she started heading for the backyard where the bulk of conversation could be heard. As she came upon the huge yard, scattered with beautiful gardens of exotic-looking flowers (that she actually was a bit impressed by), she recognized a few people among the milling and mingling crowd, but otherwise they were mostly strangers to her. Fantastic. 

“Invitation, please! No one’s allowed without an invitation!”

She turned toward the lilting, mock-snooty voice and there was Mr. Huggins, dressed in a casual button-down white shirt and black pants, and flashing his brilliant smile at her. It was really weird to see him wearing something other than a business suit. “Just pulling your leg. Good to see you, Samantha,” he said in his normal tones. She felt a blush beginning to warm her cheeks and she smiled sheepishly; it was unreal just how handsome he was, especially up close, with his long beautiful red hair, perfect teeth, and jawline that could cut diamonds. She had once joked with Dorothy, one of the secretaries, that he must have been the result of a government experiment engineered to test the tensile strength of women’s panties; Dorothy had laughed so hard that coffee had shot out of her nose.

“Hello, Mr. Huggins,” she said politely. “Thank you for---”

“Kenny! Please call me Kenny, no need for formalities in these parts.” Kenny’s dark eyes twinkled; she rather liked that aspect about him in particular. She could dryly joke about his handsomeness, but the twinkle in his eyes was genuine, like a part of his soul was always there. She felt herself blushing again and she quickly composed herself. He’s your boss for Pete’s sake, she reminded herself. 

“Right, uh, Kenny. Thanks for inviting me. Michael and I were actually kind of surprised by it. We almost thought it had been some kind of, uh....mistake.” 

“You did?” Kenny had been hunting through an hors d’oeuvres plate for the biggest crab puff, and at this he looked up, blinking in surprise. “How come?”

“Oh, uh, well,” Samantha laughed sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders. “You know, we’re interns and all that, so---”

“Ah, but you work just as hard as everyone else does,” Kenny replied matter-of-factly. He found the crab puff he was looking for and snatched it with a satisfied grin. “Actually, you probably work harder than I do. But keep that between us, okay?” He winked at her slyly. 

She found herself trying to stammer something out in reply, but before she could get herself coherent Kenny had sidled over and greeted a group of people hanging around the water fountain near the center of his yard, and they all began chatting and chuckling with each other. Samantha watched them for a moment and allowed herself a half-smile. Then she decided to find some food herself; the various rich, exotic aromas were starting to make her stomach grumble. 

There was a seafood buffet piled high with crab legs, oysters, clams, shrimp and giant succulent lobster tails; there were filet mignons being grilled by the dozens; there were mountains of fresh vegetables and fruit salads. She was disappointed that the only thing available to drink was water---she had anticipated wine and champagne galore---but it was refreshingly cold and pure, and there were huge crystal bowls of it with slices of lemon and lime and pieces of mint. There was even the biggest watermelon she had ever seen in her life, cut into neat and juicy isosceles triangles. 

“Oh my gawd, Samantha?” Dorothy appeared just as Samantha was digging into her ambrosial piece of filet mignon. “Ya made it! How are ya?”

Samantha swallowed the mouth-watering bite she had taken and smiled. “Hey, Dorothy. I’m just dandy, thank you. Hard not to be with this kind of food, huh?”

“Oh my gawd, I know,” Dorothy said enthusiastically. “This is my second time being invited to one of these.”

Samantha raised a curious eyebrow. “Really?” Perhaps she could ask her what went on during the after-party festivities.

“Gawd, he’s so sexy, isn’t he?” Dorothy sighed. She hadn’t heard Samantha’s question; she was busy making goo-goo eyes at Kenny, who seemed to be just surveying the party by himself with a content look on his face, one hand in his pocket and a glass of water in the other. “Sometimes at my desk I just fantasize about what he looks like naked, ya know.”

Samantha spluttered; she had been in the middle of drinking from her glass. “Oh my god, Dorothy, you’re terrible!” she exclaimed in a fit of coughs and laughter. 

“Whaaaat?” Dorothy innocently batted her eyelashes. “Can ya really blame me?”

“Um, yes? He’s our boss. That’s just....wrong.” 

“If it’s wrong, then I don’t wanna be right, honey.” She grinned deviously and leaned closer, speaking in a conspiratorial whisper. “Ya know, sometimes I swear he goes commando under those suit pants of his. If ya look close enough, you can almost see the size of his---”

“Hey ladies! What’s the skinny?” Michael had seemingly materialized out of nowhere, holding a plate piled with lobster. Samantha was secretly relieved by his presence; Dorothy could be fun, but she was best in small doses. 

“What’s it to ya, bean pole?” Dorothy sneered at him playfully. 

“Uh, Dorothy was just saying,” Samantha chimed in, quickly taking the wheel to the conversation, “that she’s been to one of Mr. Huggins’ parties before! So you must know about the cuddling and all that weird stuff, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Dorothy looked uncharacteristically bewildered. “Ya know, it’s the weirdest thing, but it’s all kinda foggy? There was cuddling though, I do remember that.” She sighed heavily, and Samantha thought she detected a hint of longing in it. “It felt so nice---nothin’ like the half-hearted snuggles I get from my dates. Nah, this was....different. It was a special and safe and....all-over feeling, ya know? Like everything in the whole world was gonna be okay.” 

“Wow.” Michael looked intrigued, which made Samantha begin to worry. “You got all that from just a cuddle?”

“Uh-huh.” Dorothy smiled. “Well, anyway, I’ll catch you two later. Kinda want to grab some dessert before it’s all gone.” She gave them a saucy wink and sauntered on her way. 

“Don’t,” Samantha said as Michael barely opened his mouth to speak, “even think about it.” 

“Aw, come on, Sam, lighten up! You mean to tell me after what Dorothy said you’re not the least bit curious?”

“Yes,” Samantha said firmly. It wasn’t true by a longshot, but she didn’t want to discuss it anymore in case she changed her mind. 

Michael gave an exasperated sigh. “Fiiiiine. Hey look, they’re serving chocolate mousse over there, you want me to get you one?” Michael pointed to one of the tables on the large open back patio of the house, where people were grabbing big glass cups of the most delectable and rich chocolate dessert Samantha had ever seen. It even looked like there was candied bacon crumbled on top. 

“Yeah, okay. Just don’t go disappearing on me, it’s getting late.” 

“Roger roger!” Michael saluted her and playfully started marching toward the table. 

---End Part One---

[queenmorgawse]

transmigration for dummies

chapter three. mdzs scum villain au. read on ao3 + end notes.  credit to @lee-luca, esp as another bit of the comic is mentioned here.  previous | first | next 

One hour, thirty minutes and two hundred rules into his punishment, Jingyi is as bored as he’s ever been in this life. To top it all off, the System isn’t responding to any of his pleas for company, only responding with oops ): something went wrong when he tries to ping it. Back home, this is about when he would have given up on homework and started scrolling through his Twitter feed instead, but there’s not much he can do without his phone.

Ugh, he’d kill for one of these crappy McDonalds games. Even a Kinder toy would make him happy right now. Instead, he doodles on his torn-up first drafts, on which the ink made blots from his clumsy first attempts to imitate the original text’s elegant calligraphy.

He silently adds bic pens to the ever-increasing list of modern appliances he misses.

When badly-drawn stickmen get boring as well, he starts to think about the original Lan Jingyi in his life. Maybe that’s how it works, after all. Mom sure would love someone who’d actually go to bed early when she tells him to. On the other hand, once he got over the initial shock of modern Jingyi’s life, he’d probably find it pretty dull. High school isn’t about to compare to flying swords and cultivation, that’s for sure.  

Opposite him, Sizhui is bent over his own stack of scrolls, poring over rows and rows of tiny characters and absent-mindedly running his fingers along the lines. From the way he hums to himself when he thinks Jingyi is too busy copying to care, he guesses they’re music sheets of some kind. Unlike Jingyi, he looks like he’s actually engrossed in what he’s doing.

Too bad. Jingyi’s reached that point of boredom at which he needs to talk to someone or else he’ll implode. ( Still, he promises himself he’ll stop if Sizhui shows even a hint of genuine annoyance. )

“Hey, Lan Sizhui ⎯ can I call you just Sizhui? Um, sorry I got you stuck here.”

To his relief, the other doesn’t look irritated, just surprised. “Sizhui is fine,” he ventures after a few seconds. A smile breaks out on his face. “That’s good. I was afraid you were still mad me, you’ve been so awkward all day...”

Wait, what? Who’s angry at you? Someone who kicks kittens for fun, probably.

Oh right, me. Maybe he’s the one whose brain needs a reboot. How does he explain that it’s not him who’s mad? Hell, he doesn’t even know what the original is supposed to be mad about. For some reason, it feels weird to ask, just because it seems important enough that admitting he forgot would be insulting.

“Anyway,” Sizhui continues after coughing into his sleeve, “it’s alright, you don’t have to apologize to me. I’ve got to go over these before tomorrow’s lesson anyway, I might as well do it here.”

“Inquiry?” Jingyi ventures, maybe-maybe-not because it’s the only title he clearly remembers from the ones canon mentioned.

“Oh, no. Asking very specific questions is still a bit out of my reach, but Fa...Hanguang-jun wrote down a list of phrases for me, so we’re going to try them tomorrow.” His face softens at the mention of Lan Wangji. If this was a fic, this would be when Jingyi keels over and presses his face into a pillow for a little while.   

The chat devolves into musical cultivation. Jingyi muddles his way through it the best he can, feeling like he’s bullshitting an essay out loud, but Sizhui doesn’t seem to find his vague answers all that off-putting. He still pointedly glances down at the stack of unfinished notes on the table from time to time, but since Jingyi’s calligraphy has been getting worse and worse the less attention he pays to it, maybe it’s for the better.   

When dinner time rolls around, they eat their bowls sitting on the steps leading up to the Library Pavilion, after Sizhui rightfully points out Lan Qiren would have their skins if they spilled even a drop of sauce on the sect’s precious texts. Gradually, Jingyi feels himself relax.

“So, are we chill?” he asks between two mouthfuls of rice.

Sizhui just stares at him.

Right. No slang. “...I mean, we’re doing good, right? We’re friends?”

Something complicated passes over Sizhui’s expression. It’s too fleeting for him to catch more than a glimpse of it, especially as it’s overridden by his usual calm smile before Jingyi can shove another rice ball into his mouth, but he could swear the other winced.

Well, ouch. It must show on his face, because Sizhui suddenly looks alarmed and adds : “Yes, yes, we are!” Another smile. This time, Jingyi can definitely see the strain. “We’re friends. You don’t have to doubt that.”

“Oh. Great!” Jingyi resists the urge to reach out and gently punch his shoulder. Who knows how it’d be perceived. “We’re gonna spend a lot of time together, if I’ve got to keep copying rules, so...I wanted to make sure.”

【OOC behavior detected : contradiction of backstory despite hints : -20 points. Current balance : 65 points. 】

Shut up! I want him to like me!

“We’re friends,” Sizhui repeats one last time, like he’s trying to convince himself. Then he reaches for Jingyi’s shoulder and gives his robes a tug. “We should get back in there. Two more hours before curfew, you can still get a few lines in. I won’t distract you.”

“Ugh.”

Jingyi makes a face. Sizhui laughs, and the tension from earlier dissolves. “Come on. The more you get done, the faster it’ll be over.”

-

It turns out they’re both severely underestimating the number of rules Jingyi can break without realizing, and therefore the amount of time they’ll be spending here.

Despite these setbacks, over the course of the next handful of weeks, Jingyi adapts to his new life the best he can. He finds out, with much relief, that even though he can’t access the original’s knowledge and memories, training since childhood pays off even after a body swap. He doesn’t have to think too hard about sparring, just keep a firm grip on his sword, and his muscles can apparently do the rest with minimal effort on his part.

It only works with the actual fighting, though. After going to bed feeling sore all over for a week straight, Jingyi gives up and gives the cold springs a shot. It freezes his limbs off, but the ache gets better after that. It even gets him about a dozen points, which he adds to the rest, gained through menial tasks across the Cloud Recesses and some well-timed mischief.

He also likes to think he gets some progress done with step one of his grand plan to survive this novel. There’s no undoing years of being a pain in everyone’s ass in a matter of weeks, but Jingyi still gives it his best shot - peppered with tasteful cursing at the System when it deducts points for actually following the rules or, you know, not being a dick to everyone he talks to. As a result, he goes from mostly being avoided by the other disciples to tolerated, even if no one but Sizhui goes out of their way to talk to him or invite him to join in on...whatever fun they have.

Jingyi doubts he’s missing out on much, at least where the Lans are concerned. But rumor has it some of the guest disciples snuck out into Caiyi to try some of the local wine, and he’s jealous of that, which is kind of irrational. He doesn’t even like the taste of wine that much, and besides, that may be too much of an infraction for a raised Lan, however prone to rule-breaking said Lan is supposed to be.

( He really can’t afford to slip up again. When he dared chop a solid forty centimeters off his hair after struggling to run a comb through it for the fifth time that week, the System’s alarm blared so loud he almost had an out of body experience. He’d felt the hundred points shaved off his score, though, even if he’d managed to negotiate half of them back. That was the spiritual equivalent of having a car zoom past right as you were about to cross the street, and Jingyi’s in no hurry to do it again...but with that said, it feels great not to have to deal with a bird’s nest every time he wakes up. )

-

Of course, he can’t just get comfortable with his new daily routine. Something has to happen. This time, said something takes the shape of a summon from Teacher Lan. Jingyi drags his feet over from the Library Pavilion and away from his sixth copy of Gusu Lan rules. His wrist is still complaining every time he bends it a little too far. Fuck corpse powder, it’s carpal tunnel that’s going to do him in.

Speaking of copies, maybe he shouldn’t slump this much. He’s fairly sure there’s a rule for that somewhere in the two thousand and nineties.

Given the circumstances, Jingyi fully expects another lecture from Lan Qiren the moment he sets foot in the communal hall, but quickly readjusts his expectations when he spots the small crowd of disciples gathered around their teacher. Most of them are familiar faces by now, except for the girls, who for some reason live in a completely different part of the Cloud Recesses. Still, he recognizes Lan Fan, the shimei who looks like she could bite your head off but actually gave him some pretty helpful tips on sword stances the other day, Tao Ming, the boy who’d seemed vaguely suspicious of him that first day, and of course, Sizhui in the forefront.

Lan Qiren narrows his eyes at him as he hastily joins the rest of the group. “Late again, Lan Jingyi.”

“Sorry, Teacher. This disciple was busy copying rules when he heard.”

A few of his companions snort, the noise quickly disguised as a sudden and collective bout of coughing. Jingyi can’t blame them ; if he’d heard the same words everyday for weeks on end, he’d be laughing too. Lan Qiren gives a long-suffering sigh, but whatever he’s about to tell them must take precedence, because Jingyi gets away with what might otherwise have been considered cheek.

“Madam Mo of Mo Village has sent us a request for assistance.” Given their teacher’s expression, he might as well said that she’d beaten down their door in the middle of the night and let a donkey loose in the courtyard. “From the servants’ description, it shouldn’t be anything more than a few walking corpses. Nothing a group of juniors cannot handle.”

Yeah, right. Despite knowing he’s supposed to let canon run its course, Jingyi still feels a twinge of apprehension. Why, you ask? He can answer that in two points.

Things Jingyi knows : mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

Things Jingyi doesn’t know : how to kill zombies with swords.

In theory, he did spend the last few weeks training, and he didn’t slack off either, thank you very much. Doesn’t mean he’s ever gone up against a corpse before. He’s a coward, okay? Horror movie night was hell, back in his own world. He’s in no hurry to experience it in real (?) life.

“Lan Sizhui will lead the group,” Lan Qiren continues. “I expect all of you to keep your behaviors appropriate and not bring shame onto our sect.” To no one’s surprise, Jingyi thinks, and throws the interested party a small smile. To his surprise, Sizhui blushes and looks down at his boots, looking both embarrassed and pleased. It’s an unfairly cute look on him, but again, most of his looks are.  

Right on cue, the System wheezes to life like it just crawled out of a computer from the nineties.【Beginning stage checkpoint mission assigned. Destination : Mo Village. Mission : ensure the protagonist, Wei Wuxian, makes it to Mount Dafan to meet love interest Lan Wangji. Please click to accept.】

Jingyi mentally slams the Accept button.

Ding!  【Mission successfully accepted. Please read the file carefully for mission details and make appropriate preparations. We wish you success. 】

OOC function, here he comes!

[the-energon-hole]

TFP Ultra Magnus, Ratchet and Wheeljack sharing a sweet moment with his human crush/charge, the moment he realises he’s in love basically

((A/N - I got stuck on what to write for Wheeljack honestly, it’s hard to write deep emotions for characters that are traditionally stoic, it happens a lot to me. Apologies for any OOC stuff.))

❗Long post, continued under “Read More” tag❗

Ratchet

-He wouldn’t describe himself as a romantic kind of Mech- he felt he never had time for trivial things like love, sometimes there wasn’t time in his schedule to show compassion either, but some kind of switch went off in his processor when he finally came to the conclusion about how he felt about you. He always felt this kind of twinge of warmth in his frame whenever he was around you, but he always just chalked it up tp you being a good companion to have- you were always interested in what he was doing, and you were always willing to learn from him and listen to what he had to say. The others instead wanted short and quick answers, you wanted to know about the finer mechanics of things just as he likes to have a deep understanding of the tasks that he was doing. It took him awhile, but as that twang of warmth began to grow and grow, and become less of a twang and more of a pulse, his spark finally let him know in no uncertain terms that you were truly the one to be his other half he didn’t even know it was missing. It was more than just comparable personalities, considering you two often argued and fought about silly things like how to fix something or how to handle a situation- you were your own person and weren’t afraid to speak your mind and tell it like it is. Maybe that was what he liked, the slightly crass and straight forward personality you held, maybe it was the way he can see the passion flare up in your eyes when you were determined to learn everything you would about something complicated, or maybe it was the way that behind a gruff exterior you were a compassionate and caring person that would do anything to protect their friends… kind of like how he would. You did it your own way though, and always challenged his way of thinking in a way that he actually appreciated- maybe that’s why his spark was clamoring for your attention.

-Or maybe it was when time seemed to suddenly stand still as you turned to look over your shoulder at him and let out a tantalizing little chuckle when you were ecstatic that you figured out how to rebuild an old car engine. He remembers how soft and flush your face looked as small little lines formed around your lips as you stretched them out far to give him that genuine smile that you gave whenever you were able to solve a complicated puzzle that had been nagging at the back of your mind for so long… he loved that special smile. It reminded him of your tenacity, your inability to give up on something complicated- at first he found it irritating, but now he can see the appeal in always being able to pick oneself up again after failing to complete a task the first time. “I told you I could do it, Old Man!” You laughed as your hair began to tousle around in a messy manner- he always wondered what it was like to touch it, was it as soft as it looked? Cybertronians didn’t have anything close to what human hair was, so there was always a curiosity about what it would feel like under his digits- and if it wasn’t soft, would it be a slick type of feeling? Not completely unpleasant but rather unexpected and alien, kind of like you are to him… not unpleasant in the slightest, in fact he would even dare to say endearing, but completely alien and foreign to him and his ways. Your smile began to pan down as you explained what it was that you were stuck on with your combustion engine project, but he wasn’t really listening, he was watching how your lips moved as you formed words and sounds that before he arrived here probably would have thought was an ugly language- nothing like the revs and subtle vibrations that it takes to speak Cybertronian. You made it sound good though… Everything you do is good in his optics it would seem. There is no more maybe, not even a matter of why anymore, but the enigma of what to do next.

Wheeljack

-Bulkhead might have been the reason he stayed on this planet, but honestly, you were the reason he hasn’t taken off to fight the Cons on his own again. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that he has a certain issue when it comes to authoritative figures, Primes included, so when he was “assigned” to you there was a rather natural deep feeling of resentment and anger- He knew in his processor that the Prime didn’t trust him, and was just planting a little human spy in his lap to watch him and make sure he doesn’t defect or whatever. He has run into this scenario before, and with the way the Autobots treat him he almost felt like a Decepticon- like he was an untrustworthy monster. He wasn’t shy about showing you disdain at first, treating you with disrespect and acting aloof and standoffish anytime he would have a conversation with you, but as time went forward, and the more you stood up to him… the more he realized that you weren’t some pawn of the Prime- you were an actual person who was just stuck in the same situation as he was. You had problems with authority as well, and you would make him laugh sometimes telling him about some of your old rebellious stories about how you stood up to coos who tried to bring you down because they wanted to be on a power trip. It reminded him of how often he would poke and prod at the elite guardsman back before the war began, he always hated those pompous and stuffy bots that thought they were superior because they had special training and held high positions. He appreciated how you can agree with him that some people and bots just need to be taken down a peg- especially when they use their power to put others down. Maybe that was when he noticed you more and more as the days passed into months, but when you asked him when he was going to take off again he genuinely did not have an answer- after you two had bonded he hadn’t really thought about it. His spark actually physically hurt whenever he thought about taking off again, and it took him awhile to realize that it was because of you that he found himself more grounded and becoming a part of this team in ways he never thought he would.

-He didn’t realize that strange tug and pulse in his spark anytime he was around you was it clamoring and begging for your attention until he began to grow a little bitter and jealous when he saw you laughing and joking with the former elite guard member by the name of Smokescreen. He never thought himself to be a jealous mech, but watching the way you laughed so hard you nearly snorted made his energon boil a little. It made toxic thoughts run through his processor as he began to accidentally size up the young mech, but as you laughter cut through his murky thoughts he couldn’t help but think about all the things he found incredibly quirky and attractive about you. It was the cute and endearing traits that he saw in you that ways gave him pause before he decided to fly off the handle- the way you would laugh so hard you would make a snorting noise that would cause your hands to fly up and cover your plush looking lips, the way you were so animated when you told epic stories that sometimes your hands would go flying in all kinds of directions and you would knock into things and get upset about it, and the way you were passionate about things you believed in so deeply that you would do even the extremely drastic to make a change were all things that always kept him listening to your ranting and raving- even if he didn’t understand what you meant half the time. He loved the way you were- rebellious nature and all. He kept his cool throughout his spark screaming at him to deck the little guardsman, though he ignored those feelings as he casually implanted himself into the conversation when you looked over and waved at him- you all but beamed at him as you continued to feverishly wave at him to come into the conversation. As you asked him to tell Smokescreen one of your favorite heroic stories of him about the time he had to protect a group of Neutrals from the wrath of angry Decepticons all by himself with nothing more than sheer will power and a metal rod for a weapon. He obliged to tell the tale as he felt the jealousy begin to quell- you were talking about him and for some reason that selfish desire he had began to be satisfied, and as you listened to his words with as much intensity as he listened to you he felt his spark swell with pride. He wasn’t sure this would work out, but so long as you will tolerate him, he isn’t going anywhere without you.

Ultra Magnus

-He tries so hard to be the perfect soldier, an absolute machine that lacks any kind of emotional attachment or any kind of life beyond his duties as the weapon that he was, but his whole persona was beginning to fall apart before his optics. He had mixed feelings about it, which only further infuriated him, because as a soldier he needs to be able to keep a stoic exterior so that anything he does that might be regrettable can be justified later in his processor as him just following orders. He found himself gravitating towards you in a way he never thought he ever could, it was rare for him to meet someone just as he was, someone whom has been hardened by years and years of physical abuse and trauma and had to deal with the fallout of pretending one was a heartless machine that wasn’t susceptible to the side effects of the bad things that happen to them. During a moment of weakness when the two of you just sat in the middle of the desert watching the sunset and the cold air begin to set in as the only warmth began to dip under the horizon, you told him of all the things that had happened to you- things that were mostly out of your control and things that made you a victim. He related to all of it, he had experienced similar things in his time as a new recruit, but you didnt let it affect you like it affected him. You were so much stronger than he was- you let yourself feel and you let yourself think, you didn’t let what everyone else do to you make you feel as if you weren’t allowed to be a normal person. Sure, you were hardened just as much as he was, but here you were showing kindness and compassion to the children that were thrown into this hectic situation. It was in that moment as the two of you sat in the dirt just talking about past experiences and how they shaped you as a person did he finally understand why it was that Optimus made him your guardian. He saw the similarities between the two of you, but it was deeper than that as the Prime was trying to teach Magnus a lesson, a lesson that has long since been overdue to be drilled into the thick processor he had inside his helm. You were teaching him that there was no point in fighting in a war unless you explicitly had something worth fighting for- before he met you he was just simply following orders and doing what needed to be done for the greater good of the Autobot command, but now, now he finds himself thinking of you every time he has to go face to face with a con that could potentially do harm to you and this world should he fail his mission to protect his new home.

-He kept most of these feelings to himself, but he was fairly sure that you and Optimus knew what he was already beginning to experience, after all you were the one that told him about the time you finally decided that living a life of a cold heartless machine was lonely and not worth the heartache it brought with it. You were the one that made him feel as if his spark was going to burst through its chambers in an attempt to try and become physically close to you. Primus, he hasn’t felt a pulse in his spark in years, and it was all because you shared one tender moment of weakness with him in the coarse and rough desert outside of your hometown in Nevada. He tried so hard not to cling, but you couldn’t help but poke fun at his new found fondness of you, but it was short lived as you placed your soft and tender hand on his leg as a way to let him know you were just teasing. You reassured him that this was a normal step in finally being able to find himself in all of the noise that was his past abuse at the hands of other bots in situations that was out of his control, you did the same thing when you clung to a friend who was helping you rediscover how to be a normal person and experience normal things. You knew he wouldn’t admit to wanting to having you around quit yet, but you reassured him that you weren’t going anywhere so long as he needed someone to lean on- he just grunted in response and crossed his arms over his chassis and turned around to walk away, but what you didn’t get to see was his servos shaking as he clutched his arms underneath his grip as he tried to stop himself from becoming overcome with raw emotions. He appreciated the sentiment more than you would ever know, and he swears with every piece of his being that he will protect you and your way of life no matter what, because even if you can’t be together romantically he knows for a fact that the universe would be a darker place without someone like you to light the way for bots like him.

(02/07/19)

[bevioletskies]

Starmora prompt: either Gamora or Peter finds out that the other never celebrates their birthday and decides to write them a letter as a gift. (This may be a bit OOC, but I love the idea and I think you would write it wonderfully!)

spoiler warning for avengers: infinity war.word count: 2.9k | ao3

The conversation had started off innocently enough; Gamora and Peter were sat by the vantage window of the Benatar, legs loosely tangled together, sharing a bottle of whatever awful booze Rocket claimed to have purchased at a bar on Contraxia (but they were certain he had actually stolen). It was a quiet night between jobs, their cash flow was astonishingly reasonable, and no one had fought or broken anything in about three days. It was nothing short of a miracle.

“Worst hangover ever?” Peter asked, taking a swig and wincing as he did.

“I can’t get hangovers, though I’m not sure that’s something to brag about,” Gamora admitted, tapping a finger against her temple, where the silver of her body modifications was most prominent. “You’ve already seen how much it takes to get me drunk.”

“You make me look like a damn lightweight, honey,” Peter said affectionately. He passed her the bottle with a knowing smirk. “Okay, your turn.”

“Well…” Gamora hummed, pressing the mouth of the bottle against her bottom lip. “Best sex you’ve ever had?”

Peter gaped at her. “Gamora.”

“Is that your answer?” She giggled softly, pausing to drink. “Maybe I am a little tipsy right now. Contraxians love dealing in banned Kathulosian alcohol, far stronger than our usual inventory from the fancy stores on Xandar.”

“Of course my answer is you.” He paused, then smiled winningly. “Do I get any points for that?”

“You’re in dangerous waters, Peter Quill, but we’ll see if I feel more generous later tonight,” Gamora teased. “Next.”

“Your least favorite job we’ve ever done,” Peter suggested, taking the bottle back.

“Going to Knowhere only to get taken and killed by my father is certainly up there,” Gamora said dryly. Peter winced, lifting the bottle for another drink. He was certainly going to need it after recalling the trauma of that very moment. “Best birthday? Whatever that means to you, I guess.”

His arm paused halfway up in the air. “I dunno. Birthdays…they’re not really my thing.”

Gamora quirked her brow. “Indulgent days that involve music, dancing, excessive drinking, and self-congratulatory praise? They sound like they were made for you.”

“I know we’ve had, like, special dinners on my birthdays these past few years, but…it feels weird sometimes.” He slowly drew his legs away from hers, pulling them into his chest as he set the bottle down between them.

“Why?”

“‘Cos the woman who brought me into this world is no longer in it.” Peter smiled ruefully. “It sounds dumb, I know.”

“No, not at all,” Gamora said, immediately leaning forward to rest a reassuring hand across his forearm. “I should have realized. I’m sorry, Peter.”

“Nah, it’s okay. You got a point. Birthdays are about celebratin’, having fun with loved ones. And I’m all about both.” His smile softened to something more affectionate, reaching to cup her face in his hand, gently running a thumb across her cheek. “You know me. I just miss her like crazy sometimes. Thinkin’ about how I used to spend my birthday when it was just me and her, and how I’m never gonna get those times back…makes it harder to capture that feeling again.”

Gamora leaned into his touch, shuffling closer until her elbows rested on top of his knees. “I know we’re no substitute for your mother’s affection. But I hope that someday, your memories of her won’t be nearly as bittersweet. There’s peace in fond remembrance, Peter. I feel the same way about my family, about how I used to spend birthdays in my parents’ company. Just don’t let her absence consume you.”

Exhaling slowly, Peter tilted his head slightly to bring their foreheads together, his stormy gaze meeting her warm, liquid eyes. “Well, easier said than done. But you’re right. Mom would want me to be happy. And I am, most of the time. We all have bad days, right? Some more than others, but I’m not one of ‘em.”

“No, you’re not,” Gamora agreed, smiling encouragingly. “You’re spirited, for lack of a better word. One of the many reasons that I love you.”

Peter laughed softly in awe. “Man, you are feelin’ generous tonight, aren’t you?”

Gamora got to her feet, holding her hand out for Peter to take. “Why don’t I take you to bed and show you exactly how I’m feeling?”______

As the months went by, the lingering hollow in Peter’s chest from that night’s conversation faded away. He still dwelled on the memory every now and then, whenever he was reminded of his mother, but it didn’t pain him nearly as much as it did at the moment. Gamora had good intentions when she’d asked, and for the most part, he knew she was right.

Then came his birthday - his thirty-ninth, to be exact - and the warm pit of dread settled in his stomach all over again. He knew the other Guardians already had presents for him, sitting in a pile by his co-pilot’s seat in the cockpit, and Drax and Mantis were charged with making him his favorite foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but part of him wanted to stay in bed and sulk.

“Happy birthday.” Gamora rolled over in bed to brush a kiss against his cheek. “I have something for you.”

“You didn’t put it with the rest?” Peter grouched, though at Gamora’s hurt expression, he immediately regretted it. “Crap - sorry, Gamora, I’m just…you know. Anyways, what is it?”

She pulled out something small from her bedside table and held it out for him to take - an envelope. A nondescript, plain envelope, only heavy enough to carry one sheet of paper, maybe two. He glanced at her curiously, but she merely smiled and slipped out of bed, ready to start the day like it was any other. “Read it when you’re alone,” she instructed as she got dressed. “I’ll remind the others to go easy on you.”

“Thanks, Gamora.” He stretched his arm out over the length of the mattress to clasp her hand before she could leave. “Love you.”

“Don’t be dramatic. I’ll see you at breakfast in a few minutes, once you finally decide to get out of bed,” Gamora said, shaking her head amusedly. “Love you too.”

Peter went about most of his day in a haze, accepting and opening presents and unusually genuine compliments with a sort of tightness in his smile, ambling about the ship aimlessly in absence of a job or task to do. He wasn’t sure what to do with the envelope, either - of course he wanted to read it, but there was something so unexpected about it, so extraordinarily intimate for Gamora, that he felt like it needed to be treated delicately.

He passed her every now and then throughout the day, always making sure to kiss her forehead and check to see if she needed anything. As always, she was doing her usual duties, sifting through correspondence and poring over their logs for any glaring inaccuracies. Gamora would look at him curiously, silently asking if he had opened it yet, only for him to shake his head and continue on elsewhere.

Finally, after he was pleasantly drowsy from the hearty dinner (and dessert) that Drax and Mantis had carefully prepared for him and a spontaneous dance party initiated by Rocket, of all people, he retreated to their bunk, knowing Gamora was likely having her daily evening chat with her sister elsewhere on the ship. He’d have at least an hour or so before she returned. Feeling oddly nervous, he ran a fingernail along the crease of the envelope and slid the letter out.

It was a single sheet of thick, white letter paper, the kind that they definitely didn’t keep on the ship, adorned with Gamora’s neat, tight cursive. He fixed his gaze upon the first word - his name - allowing the translator implant some time to adjust. Though he and Gamora had been teaching each other the basics of their own languages, they certainly weren’t skilled enough to write a whole letter or carry a conversation yet. Peter settled into the bed, his back against the pillows, and began to read.

“Peter,

You’re probably wondering why I’ve written you a letter, of all things, and where my actual present for you is. After our conversation from a few months ago, I thought this could be my present this year. Besides, I already let you bid far too much on those vintage Terran baseball cards you saw in a silent auction on Drez-Lar a month ago, mostly because I felt bad for accidentally breaking your nose during our Tiran drug bust. Consider that my present if the absence of one bothers you so much.” Peter snorted.

“I know you, Peter. Maybe too well sometimes. You’ve been sad lately. Not depressed, necessarily, just a little absent. I know the events of Thanos’s treachery still haunt you. You still mourn your mother. You can hardly bring yourself to say Yondu’s name. Recovery is not a single stop for you. It’s a long road.”

“It doesn’t have to be lonely, though. I’m here for you, always. I’m guessing you believe it would be selfish of you to complain to me, and that’s why you’ve been so quiet. After all, I was the one that actually died. You also think it’s your fault. You think you were the reason Thanos got me. You think you were the reason Thanos succeeded in completing the Infinity Gauntlet and taking out half the universe. I say, no one else would have done it differently, and I dare them to say otherwise.”

“The point of this letter, though, isn’t going over old grievances of yours, though I hope that someday, they’ll be just a bad memory instead of a recurring nightmare. The point is to tell you some of the things that I have trouble saying out loud sometimes, and may still have trouble putting to paper. You’ve always been so vocal about your affections, especially ever since we started dating, and I could never bring myself to return the favor because it felt so difficult to make them understood. But I’ll give it a try.”

“When we met on Xandar outside the Broker’s shop, I’ll admit, I found you physically attractive, but in the way that people see attractive individuals in passing, only to forget about them entirely a moment later. Then you began to speak, and I started to question how someone like you got a hold of the Orb, of all people. Korath spoke of your encounter with him like you were a particularly dangerous man, and all I saw was someone who probably stumbled into the situation by accident. It was only when I glimpsed your Ravager badge that I realized I had been too quick to judge, and when you very nearly outsmarted me that I understood you were a worthy opponent.”

“In all honesty, I thought very little about you once we were in the Kyln; I had more pressing issues to deal with. I remember you fumbling around, trailing after Rocket and Groot like a lost child, and griping about your Walkman like it was precious - as it turns out, it was. It was only when we talked on Knowhere that I really began to listen. There was an empathy in you, a passion, a kindness, that I found far more captivating than simply going by your looks and your obvious charms. You were willing to share your life story and your music right away, even though we barely knew each other. You sympathized for my plight even though I didn’t think I deserved pity at the time. Attempting to kiss me afterward, though, was a bit much. Boundaries are boundaries, Peter Quill.”

“The rest of what led to us becoming the Guardians feels a bit like a blur. The fight felt so enormous at the time, only to be triumphed by some of the biggest battles of all. You saving my life, though, is something I’ll never forget, even though you ruined the moment. You do that far too often, but I find it more charming than irritating - most of the time, at least. Actually, I think that summarizes you quite nicely, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“And now, here we are, five years later, having survived insurmountable pressure and unforeseeable circumstances. I can tell we’re both exhausted, but I could never tire of you, Peter. You are my family. You are my best friend. It may sound dramatic, but there’s no denying that you’ve changed my life. When I went after the Orb, I was almost certain it would be a suicide mission. In a way, it was - Thanos finally caught up to me four years later, and successfully killed me. But I had no delusions of what my life would be like after escaping his clutches, only a desperate hope that I would somehow survive. With you and the other Guardians, I have done so much more than survive. I found a new purpose, a reason to keep moving forward. I have renewed hope in humanity, and newfound faith in myself. The journey was my own, and the choices I made were of my own volition, but you have been there for me along the entire way, without fail.”

“You might be wondering why I decided to write this letter this year, of all years. It’s partially because of our conversation, but mostly because I found the box in your underwear drawer.” Peter’s breath hitched. “I don’t know why you thought that was a good hiding place, considering you almost never do your own laundry. Stop letting Mantis do your chores for you, Peter, she’s too kind to tell you otherwise. My answer, by the way, no matter when you ask, is yes.”

“If you’ve skipped over the entire letter and arrived at this last part, I wouldn’t blame you. I’m not sure why a simple paragraph or two about why I appreciate you turned into my scattered train of thought (your tendency to ramble on in lieu of meaningful conversation must be rubbing off on me). In short - happy birthday, Peter Quill. I love you. Thank you for everything you’ve done, not just for me, but for everyone. And please, be kind to yourself.”

Peter inhaled noisily, realizing a little too late that he was crying. With shaking hands, he set the letter down and reached for the tissue box. He dabbed hastily at his splotchy face, hoping to hide the evidence, though he was sure his eyes, cheeks, and nose were far too red to hide anything from Gamora. And speaking of her - his heart swelled with joy at every word she had put to paper, every sly tease and endearing sentiment she’d slipped into something he knew he was going to read over and over again until the end of time.

A minute passed before the door creaked open, and Gamora peeked in with a tentative smile. “I see you’ve finally read it.”

He slowly sat up, gesturing for her to join him. “You sure got a way with words for someone who doesn’t like ‘em all that much,” he said with a watery laugh, instantly enveloping her in his arms the moment she sat down. “Thank you, Gamora. So freaking much. This…it’s the best birthday present anyone’s ever gotten me.”

“I hope you’ll take my advice,” Gamora said, tugging gently on his shoulders so they were both lying down. Their heads came to rest on their flat pillows, their bodies along their lumpy mattress. The metal walls creaked precariously around them in their tiny bunk of a bedroom, and despite appearances, it was perfect. “In this life that we’ve chosen for ourselves, I think people have already been so incredibly harsh on us, passed judgment and spewed vitriol. It’s difficult enough without us being cruel to ourselves. I know I spent years resenting who I was and what I had done, and I’m tired of self-loathing and pity. Aren’t you?”

“My ego sure did get knocked down a few pegs since we first started,” Peter admitted, threading his fingers through her hair. “All that crap that people threw at us…sometimes literally…yeah, I guess you could say I’ve been feelin’ pretty bad about myself lately. But this…this was just what I needed to pick myself up.” He folded the letter carefully and tucked it back into the envelope, setting it down on his own bedside table, tucked right underneath the Zune, beside the last letter his mother had ever written him.

“Glad to hear it,” Gamora murmured, resting her forehead against his.

He closed the gap first, kissing her briefly, sweetly. When he pulled away, his signature smirk seemed to have returned, one corner of his mouth quirked upward in mirth. “So…do you want a letter for your birthday?”

Gamora laughed, patting his chest affectionately. “Oh, I’m okay. Besides, your handwriting might be too much for my translator to handle.”

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in closer. “Fair point. And y’know, I don’t think there’s enough paper in the universe for me to write everything down.” His smile grew at remembrance of the little box in his drawer, the one he’d failed to keep hidden from her. “So I guess I’ll use all the time in the world to tell you instead.”