#get him a metal for being a tough midget

[bbq-ishere]

these suck but imma update them in the next year or so anyway

[sinisterlyhan]

02. bang chan / 3883 words

dom!chan who is both hard and soft, a tinge of fluff, daddy kink, a little size kink + corruption kink, oral (m receiving), the smallest amount of cumplay at the end, female reader

a/n: i am probably going to write a part two for this.

chan stopped seeing you as a younger sibling sometime ago.

you used to just be minho's little sister. the girl who occasionally appeared in the living room when he had sleepovers at the house, the girl he only talked to when it was under minho's presence, the girl he never felt any form of sexual attraction towards.

but then times changed. he grew older, taller, and bigger while you... well, you definitely did grow older. not so much taller, though. it felt as if only him and minho managed to sprout some height after puberty while yours went completely neglected in your genes. and definitely not bigger—actually, yes. some part of you grew bigger, in a very arousing and distracting way if chan could admit. but you were still quite small compared to his much broader shoulders.

chan never thought too much of it. he had made too many petty jokes about you staying as small and weak as a midget for years, his mindset was stuck at that childish thought. it was only until christmas gathering last year when he joined your family for the holiday did he finally realize how much more attractive you have grown.

you have always been pretty. chan would not expect anything less as you are lee minho's little sister, and minho was one hell of a good-looking man. the big doe eyes with the perfect nose bridge, and of course pretty pink lips that makes a pretty smile—you were always pretty. chan never verbally acknowledged it but he never verbally denied it either.

over time, your beauty has matured. you innocent eyes learned how to act tough in front of strangers and your pretty smile knew to come to the rescue in awkward situation. you have grown to learn how to benefit yourself in a society that, unfortunately, ran on a system that relied heavily on appearances.

but chan hasn't seen your tactics be used on him before. when he arrived at your house last year, you looked at him the same way you had always looked at him—a little distant but still with faint fondness, a gaze that screamed friendly and comfortable.

in terms of expressions and attitude, you were small when it came to him. and something about that special treatment (which wasn't exactly special) made his insides churn.

what made it even worse was the night of christmas dinner, when you three decided to sit down in his room to hang out while the adults gathered in the living room to chat the night away.

you had stolen minho's hoodie, that chan knew because it was one size too big on minho and therefore two sizes too big on you. you wore a pair of polyester shorts that only faintly peeked out the hem of the cuddly hoodie, and your tiny feet was covered by a pair of ugly, green fuzzy socks.

but what stung him the most was how careless you acted around him, as if he was your brother as well.

you had been eating chips at that time, happily smacking your lips away as you ate up the family portioned chip bag on your own. and chan could not care less about you never sharing the snacks at that time. he just knew you were sucking on your fingers a little too hard and moaning at the taste a little too loudly for him to concentrate on his phone.

and the way your legs flaunted around on minho's bed as you munched on the food, spreading them in a comfortable position but not spreading enough for him to catch a glimpse into the gaps of your shorts. and you looked so small with your legs thrown over the pile of dirty laundry on the edge of your brother's bed, your back against the mattress and your breasts perking up at the cursed angle.

chan was going insane, he had to snap his head away when minho threw a random pillow at you, scolding you to sit up properly.

he was told—threatened—later by minho to stop having perverted ideas about you. but chan didn't listen, obviously. for the rest of that night, all he had thought about was shoving his fingers down your throat and fucking you in your brother's hoodie. he could imagine all the ways you would whimper and moan under his weight when he's got your legs thrown over his shoulder, and the thought alone made his chest burn.

chan was unable to see you the same, platonic way ever again since that christmas.

"bang chan!"

your irritated voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he quickly looked away from the dark corner he was staring at. you were frowning at him by the television set, your hands rested in a box of movie cds.

chan's eyes casually scanned your figure, as if it wasn't all he thought about after you walked downstairs, drowned that oversized shirt and pajama shorts he took a generous peek at as your shirt rode up your ass upon you reaching upward.

"yeah, what's wrong?" he asked, sitting up from the couch and leaning his elbows on his knees to look at you with an arched brow.

you felt slightly intimidated by his change of stance; he was just sulking at the corner of the sofa looking exhausted and small, how did he manage to change his aura with just a change of position?

and his duality was always so damn hot to you for some reason! the way he could smile at you one second and glare at an uncomfortable stranger the next was none other than seducing.

"are you kidding me–do you want to watch a movie or not, chan?" you asked as you pulled your hands out of the box, preparing to put it back into the shelf and let it gather dust there until the next holiday when minho didn't get called up to spend the night with his girlfriend instead. "i am actually okay with just being on our phones, we don't have to watch a movie."

chan blinked at you, surprised by your fed-up tone even though he had done nothing but sit on the couch after dinner. perhaps you were mad at minho for ditching you both? but why would you be mad about that unless you didn't want to spend alone time with him? maybe you just had an argument with your parents, that was why you felt extra grumpy.

as chan drowned in his thoughts and assumptions, he had not realized you plopping down on the couch across from him. you breathed out a heavy sigh as you unlocked your phone, sliding against the cushion and throwing your extended legs on top of his lap.

oh, there you were with the carelessness again. twisting your legs and only barely brushing across his groin each time you swung your feet his way. and if he saw clearly, you weren't wearing a bra as well, you little brat.

chan glanced down at your bare feet then, and something about your slim ankles in comparison to his much bigger hand fueled the hotness in his abdomen. he could just grab them and pull you to him, spreading your legs wide for him. and what could you do? he was so much stronger than you.

manhandling you would be both an effortless and pleasurable experience.

you huffed out a sigh, distracting him once again. he turned to find you frowning at the ceiling, your arm dangling to the side with your phone gripped tightly in your hand.

chan gulped down his lustful mind and asked, hoping to start a normal conversation. "you've been acting grumpy all day. what happened to you, hmm?"

you peered down at him, your chest heaving and, unbeknownst to you, nipples protruding through the thin fabric of your shirt. "i met this guy on campus last month. he was helping out with some fraternity shit and i was walking past, and then he stopped me to get my number," you said. "we have been texting a lot, and recently he asked me out. we planned to hang out sometime this week, actually, since it is the holiday and all."

chan furrowed his brows. the word fraternity definitely did not stick well with him and he had not taken you for someone who would be obsessed over attractive and irresponsible frat boys. turning to you, he asked, "is it not working out?"

you groaned under your breath. "no, it is for now," you muttered, glancing to the side shyly when you realized what you were about to say. "it's just... i'm not sure if it will be fine after the date."

"why?" he pressed on, finding the reddening of your cheeks very amusing.

"it's just... he said he is going to make a move on me and he told me to prepare for it..." you replied quietly, finding the once arousing words to be sappy and cringey once you repeated them. "but i have never had... i've–i haven't done anything before, like i don't even know the first thing about sucking someone off."

chan clenched his jaw. he was just slightly angered at the idea that some stupid boy would have the privilege of having your mouth wrapped around his useless dick when all he has ever gotten were temptations and imaginations. your big, innocent eyes looking up at him in confirmation and waiting for him to guide you through it all—fuck, he could cum just thinking about it.

"i can teach you," he suddenly suggested, shooting his shot and taking his chances. he looked over at you, eyes burning holes at your head. "if you want to, i can teach you. right here, right now."

his voice went an octave lower, the metallic hotness of it sending shivers down your spine. how would you fend if he whispered next to your ear, just inches apart with his hot breath blowing against your skin? you squeezed your thighs together at the thought, knowing very well he noticed how squirmish you were becoming because his was smirking with a devil laced on his lips.

"h–how?" you stuttered out.

chan poked his tongue to the corner of his lips. what a desperate bitch, you were willing to suck another man's dick to make sure the real deal would be mind-blowing. something about that was thrilling to him, the fact that he was the first one to take it from you instead of that ill-promising boy in your phone.

"on the floor, kneel," he beckoned you to him by pointing at the space before him.

you quickly dropped onto the ground and scurried over to kneel between his legs, your heart pounding in your chest as you watched him move his sweats down by a little. his cock sprung out upon release, standing long and thick against his tummy due to how hard he was. you bit back a gasp but your widened eyes told him everything, and your fascination only fueled his dominance impeccably.

fuck, you looked so breakable like this.

"i'm sure you have seen a dick before so i am going to spare you the details," he said as he gave his dick a few pumps. then, he leaned forward slightly and grabbed you by your chin, tilting your head up to look at him.

his eyes grew soft for a moment and he rubbed his fingers at your skin comfortingly. "you can stop this anytime you want, okay, (name)?" he said, smiling faintly at you.

you sent him a timid nod, your lips pursed adorably and your eyes sparkling up at him. frankly, you were too occupied with lusting over thing massive thing in front of your face for you to really process your thoughts, but what does it matter?

if you were thinking about it so much then you knew you wanted it.

upon your agreement, chan's eyes switched to something different. they were cold now, hooded with a sea storm of lust, overwhelmingly icy yet he seemed to be melting at the sight of you succumbing to hits authority. it was a gaze that made you feel both inferior but anticipated somehow.

"you're gonna suck me off well, baby girl?" he asked, but it sounded more like a demand. it sounded as if he expects nothing less than worshipping his cock from you, that you will suck him off good because that was all you're here for.

"i... i don't know how..." you muttered.

chan exhaled through his nose, his lips still quirked up. he gripped your chin just a tad bit tighter, causing you to look at him with wide eyes.

"don't worry, you will get to hang of it," he mused before lowering his voice. "but daddy's gonna need you to speak a little louder than that next time, got it?"

a blush crept up your cheeks, the heat in your core magnifying when chan just manifested a guilty pleasure of yours in real life. you have only heard it in porn and read it in fanfiction, perhaps you also did imagine yourself saying it once or twice in a sexual context, but imagination could never be associated with the truth. what if you sounded awkward saying it? that would be horrible.

"baby girl?" chan tugged at your chin, faint impatience laced in his voice as he peered down at your. "were you daydreaming?"

"no, daddy–" you clamped your mouth shut at how easy the word flew out of your lips.

chan held back a groan. how perfect you were, calling him such an endearment that has been tainted with filth. he would not wait to hear you gag around his cock, your voice unable to punch out any words because your mouth was stuffed.

"well? do you want to start now or do i have to tell you to lick?" he gave you a welcoming gesture, leaning back against the couch and waiting.

you gulped down a nervous breath and reached out tentatively to grab his dick in your hands. it was hard, with a surprisingly soft but veiny surface. bringing it over to your lips whilst leaning in, you let the tip stop at the entrance of your mouth and you looked up at chan, as if asking for permission.

"go on," he urged you. "try and make daddy feel good."

he said that like it would be a challenge for you, but he had lost from the start when you agreed to do this. a hiss left his lips when you experimented with licking his tip. and when you realize it was not as rough as you thought it would feel, you continued with it, your tongue pressing flat against the surface as you dragged it down and around the sensitive bub.

this was a different kind of sexy. chan has been used to sloppy and fast blowjobs all his life because the few people he had had sex with were all much more experienced than you were. they were good, he had to admit, they had been good.

but you—oh, you. you were just especially and irresistibly hot. there was something about the way you kneeled in front of him, your careful hands wrapped around the base of his cock like a bottle too big for your hands to hold as your tongue flicked along his tip and his shaft with calculations, aiming to do nothing but pleasure him.

you were slow and sensual with it due to how uncertain you were with what to do. and god, was that painfully seductive. the way you were taking your sweet time giving his cock your undivided attention, forcing him to feel everything and ink down all of your movements in his head—the hotness of your tongue as you curved around his shape, the infuriating fire he felt when your tongue traced up his veins and leave once you were close to his tip, the egoistic dominance you were making him feel when you looked up at him with those big, obedient eyes.

it was like you couldn't live without his validation. and you were willing to sit in front of him for hours with his dick in your mouth, pleasuring him just to get a hint of approval. and it kept reminding him that he was in charge here, that you have to wait for him to tell you what to do and when to do it.

when you were finally getting a bit braver, watching the way chan bit his lips and how his chest heaved, you decided to hollow your cheeks to suck at him for the first time.

and chan groaned—a borderline growl—when you took more of him in your mouth to pull at his dick, your tongue stuck over your bottom lip and flapping against his shaft. as you released him from your mouth, you pressed a tight kiss to his tip and spit your saliva down to make it look like cum, then you lathered his length with the filthy wetness, still sucking on him like you would a popsicle or a lollipop.

and god, he was trying too hard. he was trying so damn hard not to grab you by your hair and just fuck your throat like a fleslight. he still wanted to give you the chance to do whatever felt comes to mind, and so far you have really been doing phenomenal things to him.

"fuck, baby girl," he grumbled through clenched teeth, feeling pleasure override his senses. "that was good, keep doing that."

your eyes lit up at the compliment, a mini giggle falling out your lips and sending vibration down his skin. chan moaned at the feeling as you went just a tad bit faster in your repetition, mixing the rough sucks with baby licks and creating a symphonic contrast that soon pushed him close to the edge.

the knot at his swollen tip was building and chan could not resist anymore. he needed you to go at his pace, something faster and rougher. with a groan, he let his hands move the back of your head before he pushed you down on his cock, a breathy moan leaving him when you squealed in surprise.

you could not breathe, his length was too big for your little mouth. the feeling of his tip touching your throat was overwhelmingly unsatisfactory, but somewhere deep within you, you knew you wanted it. because chan's voice has never sounded better all breathy and feral like this, and it was all because you put your stupid mouth to good use for once.

your hands gripped his flexed thighs in support while chan, for a second, forgot you were a breathing human being and just snapped his hips up at you like you could take it all with no trouble. he was going fast, pushing your head down and thrusting up to meet your throat while he threw his head back at the heavenly vibration you sent him through letting out struggling noises.

fuck, your mouth felt so good. the feeling stuck at the tip of his cock released when a certain suck pushed him over the edge and burst his control. he shot his heavy load down your throat and coating up your inner cheeks before pushing your head away with a pop and slumping against the couch.

his chest was panting, you could see. and when he peered down at you, he arched a brow and smirked at you.

you waited from him to regain his energy. when he did, he leaned forward to your face and hummed in thoughts, as if accessing what other ways he could possibly wreck you up. you widened your eyes when he reached out to touch his thumb to your lips, his fingers tilting your chin up to face him.

"open up," he ordered, and you did with your tongue sticking out slightly for show. he almost laughed; you learned that from watching porn, didn't you?

his cum was still on your tongue, he wondered if you were reluctant to swallow them. he could deal with you not doing that, you have already given him such a mind-blowing blowjob despite it being your first time. however, even then, he still wanted to see something he had always wanted to try.

reaching his thumb into your mouth, he gathered up some of his cum and slowly, plastered them over your lips like he was applying your lipstick. when he was done, he let his thumb stay in your mouth and he gestured to you.

knowing what he was asking for, you first grazed your teeth over his skin before you sucked on it like a binky. his cum smacked together and left trails all over his hand and your lips, messy but so fucking hot at the same time.

and then he pulled out of you, removing his hand and going back to himself. he stared at you for a moment, once again contemplating. and when he reached over for you again, instead of another round of shoving and pulling, his hand moved to the back of your head and he rubbed the spot he just yanked at. then he gave your head a gentle pat.

he smiled at you softly. "you did so great, baby girl."

you wanted to smile at his compliment, but something about him speaking as if this was the end of it made disappointment settle in your chest. chan could sense your dismay through the pout, and his heart jumped slightly at the knowledge that you might want more than just sucking him off.

"why are you pouting, hmm?" he asked then, squeezing your cheek and looking directly at you. "do you want daddy to do something?"

his finger was trailing an alluring line down your cheek and your neck now. he knew what he was doing, and you knew you had to be the one to say it in order for him to keep going down to where you wanted him the most, the heated pool right between your legs.

"yes, please," you said, still shy about doing a minimal amount of dirty talk.

"hmm?" he raised his brows in amusement. "what is it that you want me to do, baby girl?"

oh, there were so many things you wanted him to do to you. but one of which took up the most space in your desires was to have him fuck you raw and open on whatever surface he so pleases. you would give anything to feel him inside of you.

"i..." you sucked in a breath, your cheeks reddening uncontrollably at the thought of having to verbalize your filthy fantasies. "i–i want daddy to make me feel good."

chan smirked, his finger that is was once trailing down your neck finally made its way to the center. his hand palmed over the area of your collarbones before he raised the position of his hand a little. he squeezed the base of your neck, loving the bobbing of the breathy throat.

oh, you pretty, little thing.

he's gonna fuck you so hard you won't even remember the boy who made you do this in the first place.

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Pieces of the People We Love, Part 6. (The Borderlands Series)

Description: Not many people had the chance to see a vault or to mean anything in the world of Pandora. Will a hardly built relationship in the loneliness of the desert have the potential to change anything in the world of anarchy and chaos - or will the friends try to murder each other?

Chapter description: The journey is destined to be - or at least, so it seems. Alongside Scooter and your two favorite bandits, you had to leave the Hells Cauldron behind your back.

Warnings: A lot of guns, violence, reader is a tough badass - not a vault hunter tho. They’re badass and don’t give a fuck. And Scooter is a dumb bitch, as always. All Psychos and Fanatics are various Vine references - oh, what luck that reader can understand them since she is friends with Bandits.

Word count: 2.1 K

Tagging: @notaliteraltoad​, @nemodoren​

Series master list:  H E R E

Shortly after what Walrus had told you, the Bandits lead you to their monstrous truck. At least he made Blindy and Rayray go with you and not some random idiots.

As Peter promised, they even packed you some food, money, and munition to go with. But there was something weirdly odd about Peter being so nice - if you would come alone, he would never help you. You were one hundred percent sure of that.

"What you're after, Walrus?" - You asked him quietly, aside from the boys, just before you were set to go on your journey. - "You don't do any of this just to warm your heart, do you? You're not such a good person. I know you, my man."

"Vaults are rumored to hold treasures with enormous value. Be a dear and grab me some while you'll be at it, will you?" - Walrus patted your shoulder with a fatherly smile. Of course. That motherfucker. He was a sly one - not caring that much about Scooter, his well being and meeting with his friends. All he cared about was the vault. And its treasures.

"I am not a VH, how many times I'm going to tell you? Scooter isn't one either, he's just... A local mechanic. That's what he truly is." - You tried to talk him down to let you just take your hands off the whole deal. But you knew how much could Peter be persistent.

"But you were aspiring to be one when you listened to all the podcasts on your ECHO from that guy named Tyron or what... Or am I wrong? Correct me." - The midget looked you right in the eyes. You could just murder him, take the car and then leave Scooter alone to continue his journey.

"I was ten, Peter. Vault Hunters aren't nothing but a bunch of posers. And you know that. How anyone like me ever got the chance to at least get closer to a thing like a vault?" - You mumbled, moving your metal arm uncomfortably. Vault hunters were a great part of the reason why did you had your metal arm in the first place. Damn monster hunting.

"Come on. It's an adventure, it's fun and you have a hell of debt in my bank. You have to do this. And if you'll be a naughty girl, Cowboy, my boys will drag you back to me." - He smiled and with his guards, four extra-armed psychos turned back to The Throne Room. You wanted to yell, shout, shot and kill something. Or somebody.

But you kept it all in and turned to crawl into their truck, to sit on one of the benches. You looked at Rayray who seemed to be extremely happy. Was there a reason for that?

"What? You reached the fourth quarter or what's your problem?" - You mumbled while Blindy and Scooter were settling down in the front of the car. Scooter seemed to be overly fascinated by their car type, so you just rolled your eyes and let him be.

"Back at it at Krispy Kreme." - He answered simply and you closed your eyes, laid down on the bench and prepared yourself for some sleep. It was only proper since it was already around midnight.

"Oh yeah, this is going to be a hell of a road trip, I tell you that." - You answered ironically and closed your eyes.

The next four days were a hell of a time to think. You were changing on the steering wheel pretty periodically - you were driving from the morning to midday, Scooter took the wheel after lunch to evening, Rayray was driving until midnight and Blindy himself was driving until you woke up.

You had... Fun. That was as unnatural as it seemed, but you had some fun. Sometimes, they randomly stopped from the quest to find Janey Springs, the most famous rocket engineer on Pandora, when they saw an interesting lookout. One night, you even took a short break in a local pub to have some beer and small talk. Rayray wasn't too happy about that since he had to stay sober.

To your surprise, these guys were fun. They were telling you stories and answered every question you had - you played poker with them one night. And Scooter himself wasn't too bad. He even snatched your playlist from the car you drove into Ham's Creek, so you could jam around to Rapture while driving.

You drove through deserts, forests, mountains which were snowy and even through the miles and miles of Eridium-cracked lands, where Eridium was in huge rocks around the way. And then you drove through even more deserts. It got repetitive over the week, yeah, but as you checked, the COV was still preparing to set to Athenas. Wherever Scooter's vault hunters were, they still didn't have the chance to kill them. Which was good.

After a whole week in their car, you finally reached the destination. It was a town in a cave, very far away from where you started your journey. Its name was Hollow Point and your rocket engineer was supposed to be there.

"Okay man, I will take ya to ma old workshop which I owned with Janey before I, you know, died. Be nice to them, okay?" - Scooter looked especially at you and you rolled your eyes. You weren't about to chew their heads away or anything. You just wanted that damn rocket.

"Fine. I won't try to kill her if she looks at me. Happy?" - You rolled your eyes like a professional and Scooter sighed at your behavior. You were now allies - you weren't friends, but wouldn't get him killed either. It was a thin ice situation, but at least it was something.

"Ya can try, but her girlfriend won't approve that and maybe cuts ya skull opened up with her shield. She's like scary-scary shit. Be aware. Ya shotgun won't help ya against Athena." - He warned you and your small party slowly went down the hill to Hollow Point. It was a silent town - there was a human being here and there, but overall, nothing was happening.

It was almost a ghost town. There was a small pub which you walked as far away from as you possibly could because of its stink and exterior. There was a doctor's office and a gun shop - but it was people you never heard of. Some sister Nina and Mrs. Gunslinger.

Suddenly, everyone stopped in front of a closed mechanic's garage. There was Scooter's name on it, but the light wasn't shining. The shop looked to be closed for a long time now, full of boxes and webs. You didn't like that feeling that anyone's home.

"Is Janey totally supposed to be here?" - You looked inside and made sure that the hat won't fall off your head. There was no one. - "Scooter, did you just dragged us through the whole Pandora to look at your old, abandoned workshop?"

"No, no, no, I swear to God! She's here, man. I'm super duper sure." - Scooter looked scared at you because he knew that you're furious at that moment.

"You think I'm gonna believe you such bullshit? Oh, you're so in trouble now. I thought we're allies!" - You rose your eyebrows and demanded the explanation with the way you stood.

"We are! Janey is here, we just need to find her. Be patient, Cowboy." - He was still walking backward, and now, you for him in a tight corner. An ideal place to kill him. And you were about to.

"Imma about to kill you, Scooterboy, Imma about to kill you so hard." - You rose your hand to pick up the shotgun on your back, clenching your jaws together. Just as you loaded the gun, something flew next to your head, you were barely able to somehow jump to the side.

"What are you two doing here? We don't kill people here since three years ago." - A robotic voice spoke to you from the darkness. You tried to search for the source, but that someone was hidden in the shadows. - "The mayor doesn't have enough money to rent the Hyperion machines. What are you doing in front of my garage?" - The person put their hand high and a red light started to shine on her forearm. The thing flew directly back and clicked silently at that moment.

"See? I told ya that Janey and Athena would still be here, man." - Scooter got up from the corner and ran away from you as possible. - "Thanks for savin' ma life, Athena. Nice to see ya, ya still kissin' a lot with Janey?" - He disappeared to the darkness to greet someone. When he came back to your small group again, a woman was standing next to him.

She looked dangerous in some way. Let's face it - she was terrifying. But staying in your character, you just pressed your lips together and furrowed at her.

The woman, whom Scooterboy was calling Athena, had violet hair and a cute face. But the cute face and big eyes weren't making her any less not dangerous looking. She may be thin, but those thighs were enough to snap your neck instantly. You took a few steps back and fused the shotgun again.

"Is it you, Scooter?" - She snapped the next moment and wondered. Then Athena put a hand on his shoulder and carefully scanned his face with her eyes. - "We thought you're dead, oh my lord?" - She mumbled unbelievably and hugged him. She truly knew him, but no way she had something with Scooter. Athena was out of his league.

"And no way I'm going to answer your question. And don't ever touch me again, please." - She mumbled and turned at you, Blindy and Rayray standing in the background. You were pretty taken away by the way Athena embraced Scooter. - "Who that?"

"Ma new friends, Athena, say hi. That's Cowboy and she has a few temper issues and a hothead. Those men, they are Bandits, but like... Cool ones, ya get it? One name's Rayray and the other one's Blindy. They saved me and help me to find you two." - Scooter pointed all of you proudly and you nodded to Athena, clipping the shotgun back on your back. Boys were clearly too scared of her, so they just acknowledged her person.

"Nice to meet y'all. I suppose you're searching for Janey?" - Athena walked to one of the building's door and opened up the door. There was some music playing inside while Scooter and Athena were chatting. Athena seemed to be in a good mood just because Scooter showed up.

Your deal with Walrus suddenly came upon your mind - maybe Scooter was a truly close friend of the vault hunters and could get you close, after all? That would be nice. Janey and Athena could ride back home just like that. That would be incredible.

Janey was in the back dancing in a rhythm of some rock song, not paying attention that someone entered the building. She had a messy garage, you needed to say that - oil was everywhere, just as her stuff tossed around like wrenches and shit. Janey was a genius at her worst - genius, but messy as fuck.

"I bring you a surprise, dear." - Athena sighed and trailed off to the next door, leaving you there with Janey.

From under the car, a blonde woman rolled on a small skateboard or whatever it was. You noticed the scars on her uncovered belly, neck and arm; she was probably set on fire or some other shit. That was freaking you out a bit. Janey was apparently a strong woman.

But when she stood up to look at you, she looked like a little loving pure ball of smile and energy.

"Hey, what can I do for ya?" - Janey cleaned up her fingers with a cloth thrown over her shoulder. Her stare almost ended up on you, but then she noticed Scooter standing there. She was amazed and wonderstruck since she stopped and looked only at him. - "Have I fell asleep again?"

Then they also went into a tight hug so Janey would definitely know that he's real-real. It was a nice, friendly moment. The last thing you needed to do was to convince Janey - to build you a rocket.

[jemej3m]

What Now? p5

Or more correctly titled: twice that andrew asked neil out and it failed miserably, and the one time they managed to get it right.

note: these are just drafts and i will be uploading a proper, easier read onto ao3. enjoy none the less!

Andrew thought it was going smoothly. They were eating across from one another in one of Palmetto’s few elegant restaurants. Neil had managed to wear something other than a tank top and sweats: His jeans were not threadbare, and he wore a sweater over a button-down shirt. His curls cascaded neatly from his head, and Andrew fucking hated everything about the man.

Both had found suitable care for their children for the rest of the evening. Perhaps, if things went truly well, they could return to Andrew’s empty apartment. Kevin was visiting his father for the night.

It seemed a little too ambitious. For all of Neil’s reclusive mannerisms, he was oddly relaxed. It made Andrew somewhat suspicious.

The meal was good. The conversation was comfortable: They shared early memories of Robin and Kevin, tales of snobbish parents, explaining further details of their work.

“Wymack’s child?” Neil had said, startled. “I...hadn’t realised.”

“What of it?” Andrew asked, leaning a little closer and sipping on his gin.

“I’ve had two kids granted scholarships with Palmetto State.” He admitted. “If it weren’t for Wymack’s initiative to take in disadvantaged youth, they’d never be considered. I’m hoping - well, Robin wants to go there.”

“Tell the old fuck to say hi to his kid more often.” Andrew grumbled.

Neil laughed softly, a quick curl of the lips. It was a sound Andrew was becoming incredibly fond of. Fuck, he was turning into a sappy shit, wasn’t he?

Outside, they smoked together, leaning against the hood of Andrew’s Maserati. Andrew’s suspicion had grown when Neil insisted to help pay, but perhaps that was just him defying traditionalism, like the rest of his existence did. 

There was only one way to figure it out.  

His hair shone in the moonlight whilst the golden hues leaking from the windows of the restaurant curved over his cheekbones and lips. His scars distorted his skin, warped by age and further growth.  

Regardless of scars, Neil was, in short: Stunning. The most attractive man Andrew could remember stumbling across. He was the perfect height, the appropriate age, a single, working father who understood trauma and trust issues. And he was here, on a date with Andrew.

What were the chances?

“Can I kiss you?”

Neil looked at him, shock spasming across his face. “Huh?”

Apparently, the chances were zero. 

“A kiss, Josten.” Andrew said, flatly. He ignored the disappointment that lurched in his throat. “Must I spell it out for you?”

“I -” He stammered. “I didn’t realise you like me.”

“I hate you.” Andrew: Contradictory as always. He kept his gaze upon the restaurant, refusing to allow Neil to see the tumultuous storm of unwarranted emotion in his eyes. “What did you think this was?”

“Not a date.” He said, weakly. “Didn’t occur to me that someone was willing to look past this.” Andrew saw the gestures out of the corner of his eyes. Neil was talking about his scars. 

“Fuck off, and take your pity party with you.” He said, decidedly. 

“I still had a nice evening.” Neil offered. “I hope me being a dumbass didn’t ruin it entirely.” He had slid off the hood, grinding the cigarette under his boot. “Uh. I’ll go?” 

“Do.” Andrew said flatly. He’d known it was too good to be true. 

And then - against all expectations - 

(Seriously, why did Andrew bother with expectations surrounding Neil? He had defied every single one of them thus far.) 

-  Neil leaned in for a quick kiss on the cheek. Andrew whipped his head to look at him as his own face grew warm, unable to stop his body’s reaction. 

Neil was even more hopelessly awkward, clutching his car-keys to his chest. “I hope that was okay. Uh. I had a really good time. Sorry I didn’t realise it was a date. Um. Call me?” He grimaced at himself, cheeks as red as his hair. “I’m going to walk away now.”

“Take your time.” Andrew offered, ignoring his own hypocrisy as his heart slammed against his ribcage. “I’m finding this rather amusing.”

Neil scowled. “Oh, fuck off.” With that, he swivelled on his heel and stormed away. 

Now, that was a more typical ending to Andrew’s usual dates. He took a drag of his cigarette and let himself smile - just a little - as he remembered the brush of Neil’s lips over his cheek. 

“Come out with me again.” Andrew was leant against the plexiglass wall with his arms crossed, sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he watched Neil pack up from practise. Most kids had already vacated: Late, Thursday practises always cleared out quickly. Robin and Kevin were running drills together at the other end of the court.

“What?” Neil was awfully distracted by Andrew’s popped collar, unable to forget Allison’s critical analysis of Neil’s newfound distraction. Not to mention they’d already been on a date - not that Neil had realised. “What do you mean?”

“You’re hopeless.” Andrew shook his head. “I should have known better than to do this.”

“No, wait-” He dragged the stack of cones over, dropping them onto the wooden floorboards when he was stood in front of Andrew. He was much taller than the man when Andrew was slouched against the wall like this. “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.”

“You’re an idiot and a liar.” Andrew offered. “I’d like to run you over.”

“Right.” Neil said, trying not to smile. “Of course.”

“I’m asking you out to dinner.”

“Why?” Neil asked.

Andrew narrowed his eyes. “Are you that thick?”

“I didn’t think you were interested, after how much of a mess last time was.” Oh, fucking fuck, what the fuck was he doing?

“Surprise, surprise.” Andrew muttered, shouldering his way out from between Neil and the wall. “I’ll be at yours at 7. Don’t make me wait. Kevin!” He snapped. “We’re going, hurry up!”

“Come help me pack up, Robin.” Neil urged.

The two kids dragged their feet as they were forced in opposite directions. Neil saluted Andrew in farewell, and was flipped off in response. He laughed, but it hiccupped in his throat. Andrew Minyard had asked him out to dinner - a date. A real date, that he knew was a date. And he’d said yes.

Robin rubbed her eyes as she yawned when they’d finally packed up. “Are we going home now?”

“Yes, honey.” He ruffled her hair. “Do you want to go over to Allison’s tomorrow night?”

“But there isn’t an away game on Saturday?” She yawned again.

“I’ve got a lot of paperwork to do in the office tomorrow night.” Neil lied. It didn’t sit well in his stomach, but he didn’t really want to explain to his daughter why he wanted the house free. He didn’t want to admit to himself why he wanted the house free. “And there will be games played on court, so you can’t practise. I’m sure Laila and Jeremy would love to have you over.”

“Okay.” She hiccuped, skipping ahead. 

Neil frantically pulled out his phone.

N: you have to look after robin tomorrow night sorry not sorry 

Allie: uh huh. 

N: and you need to help me figure out what to wear.

Allie: knew it! i believe in u, u sexy midget

N: um thanks? 

The whole arrangement between him and Allison worked swell: Her kids came over for a snack as Allison shuffled him into his bedroom. 

“Ass jeans.” She threw a plastic bag at him. “Trust me on this one.”

“How’d you know my size?” He demanded, mystified. When he pulled out the new boxers, he threw them at her with an indignant squawk. “The children are next door to us, Allison.”

“But they won’t be tonight.” She winked, clapping her hands delightedly. “Fuck, I love being a wing-woman.”

“I haven’t seen you in such a good mood - ever.” Neil accused. “How’s Renee.”

“Fuck off and get dressed, Neil.” 

Then she’d taken Robin off Neil’s hands ( “Dad, why are you dressed fancy to go to work?” “I’m just testing out some new clothes, honey. Enjoy yourself! Go to sleep early!” ) and Neil was left alone, waiting for Andrew on his front doorstep. The gun-metal grey of the car - a Maserati, as Andrew had previously insisted - was impossible to miss as it turned into Neil’s street. 

Andrew had his hand hanging limp out of his window as Neil clambered in. 

“Hey.” He said. 

“Hey yourself.” Andrew replied, shooting off. 

Second date basis, Neil thought to himself. Did the first one even count? Oh, fuck. He was so out of his depth.

“Called it.” Andrew said quietly, as the car pulled to a stop. Neil glanced over at him and Andrew slanted a bored look. “You were too relaxed last time, which made me suspect you hadn’t gotten the clue.”

Neil stuttered out an apology, to which Andrew lifted his chin with his finger. 

“Quiet.” He instructed. “Breathe.”

Neil did as he was told. When they got out of the car, he followed Andrew through a parking lot: It was crowded. When Neil saw the orange and white donned fans, he couldn’t stifle his smile. 

He was completely overdressed for an Exy game, but Andrew was also dressed to the nines, so it didn’t feel strange. From the boot of his car, Andrew gathered two Palmetto Fox-themed scarves for the both of them. 

“Tell anyone I willingles went to an Exy match, and I’ll kill you.” Andrew warned. 

Neil just couldn’t stop grinning. “Would anyone believe me?”

The stadium itself was huge: Neil wondered how different his life would have been, should he had participated in collegiate exy. Maybe he would have been able to make a name for himself. Maybe his father would have killed him. They had good seats, in the third row back from the sub benches of the Catamounts. It was an exceptionally tough game: Neil would have been upon the edge of his seat, but watching Andrew was equally as thrilling. He sat back, allowing himself to gaze upon the icy-blonde hair and hazels eyes that shone with each flash of a red goal light. 

“Staring.” Andrew commented. 

Neil hummed. It was lost under the cacophony of noise as the Foxes scored another point. Robin would have loved to go to a Foxes game, as would Kevin. It was both a shame and a relief that they weren’t here. It meant the flush across Neil’s cheeks wasn’t questioned, nor the way that Andrew risked a hand on Neil’s knee. 

After the game - Foxes, winning 7:6 - they ate food  stall dinner and walked lazily back to the car beside one another. The drive was just as relaxed, Andrew humming along with Neil’s technical analysis of the game. There were a lot of whole in which he had no idea what happened, too distracted by the man next to him. 

“I wonder if our kids think we still hate each other.”  Neil mused.

“I do hate you.” 

He rolled his eyes. “My mistake.”

The corner of Andrew’s mouth quirked. 

They arrived at Neil’s place, Andrew parking to escort Neil to his front door. Neio felt his fingers involuntarily clench into fists as they approached the entrance, knowing it was a crucial moment. 

His hand hesitated over the door handle. He turned to Andrew. “Would you like something to drink?”

Andrew rose a single eyebrow.  

“Tea, coffee, whisky,” Neil was blushing, but he stood his ground, stepping through the door and propping it open. “Come on. It’s getting cold outside.” 

Andrew walked across the premises and the door clicked shut behind him with a dulled sense of finality. Neil guided Andrew through to the kitchen, putting the kettle on for himself. 

As Andrew gestured towards the coffee machine, Neil’s phone began to ring in his back pocket. He grimaced apologetically as he put it to his ear, Andrew simply raising a single eyebrow, switching the coffee machine on. “Hello?”

“Neil, thank god.” Allison said, breathless. 

“Allison?” His hand stilled. “What is it?”

“Robin’s okay, but she’s been seriously sick. I’ve tried to keep her calm, but she’s super distressed. She needs you. It’s probably just some bug she’s caught, but it’s pretty bad.”

“Shit. Shit. I’m on my way.” He hung up and buried his head in his hands. “Christ alive.” He spins around with a derisive laugh. “I get you into my place, and for what?” 

Andrew rose up the other eyebrow. Neil flushed. 

“Robin’s sick. I need to go grab her.” 

Andrew took his keys from the kitchen bench. “I’ll drive you.”

“What? That’s -” He coughed. “You don’t have to.”

“I wouldn’t trust your car not to spontaneously combust if a fly landed on it.” Andrew said, truthfully. “Come on.”

“The life of single parenting.” Neil grumbled, the anticipation of the evening vanishing with the first words from Allison’s call. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Andrew was at his wits end with this case. It was not heart-warming, nor simplistic. And while he appreciated a challenge, his client had repeatedly created many issues that he would have to divert in order to succeed, and his client still treated him like an asshole, no matter the effort. Justice was a complicated, bitch of a thing. 

He got out of the shower, donning sweatpants and a t-shirt. It was evening: Kevin had gone out with Wymack again: This time, Wymack was well enough to fly over to LA to see the Trojans, and Kevin had been practically hopping all morning with excitement. His son’s over-enthusiasm hadn’t helped the headache of a case, either. 

He threw himself back onto the couch and pulled out his phone. 

Nei(diot)l: date #3, yes or no?? 

A: yes. when. 

N: uh. now? i kinda have chinese food and am at ur door. 

Andrew yanked the door open. Neil’s sweatpants hung deliciously low on his hips, the long sleeve covering his scarred torso and arms. In his arms were bags of food. Andrew stepped out of his way, but didn’t miss the way the hair on the back of Neil’s neck rose as Andrew brushed his fingertips across Neil’s lower back. 

They ate in comfortable silence on the couch, amongst papers and books.  Respectfully, Neil didn’t look. Instead, he asked. “Kev’s upstairs?”

“Away for the weekend.” 

Neil hummed. 

“Why are you here, Neil?”

He shrugged, stabbing into his chao mien. “I have a six-senth.” 

Andrew put his carton down onto the coffee table, uncaring if it ruined transcripts. He, realistically, shouldn’t want to want Neil. Not when work was stressful, and often hitting too close to home. But he wanted Neil. In every way that Neil would give him. He stood in front of the young man and took the chinese food from his grasp, chucking it alongside his own. 

“Robin?” Andrew checked. 

“Sleeping over with Allison’s children.” Neil murmured, gazing up at Andrew with undeserved awe. 

Andrew clambered onto the couch, a knee on either side of Neil’s hips. He grabbed Neil’s hands and pinned them to the couch cushions. 

“Can I kiss you: Yes or no?” 

“Yes.” Neil said. “Obviously.”

“Shut the fuck up.” He took Neil’s jaw into his hands. Even this close, Andrew was fearful to take the leap. Being a single parent had defined him for so long, it was almost incomprehensible to think of himself as anything else. Kevin and Robin ought to get used to each other. “You’re so fucking annoying.” 

“Should I take the food and go?” He suggested. 

Andrew kissed him quiet.

ta-daaa!

its sooooo messy but idgaf *shoves it at you* good luck lmao

[zetalial]

BH rewatch episode 23

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Episode 23 Girl on the Battlefield

Wow. What was this episode? So much happened. I’m not sure if I can even have an opinion on anything as something else happens before I can digest what was happening. I’m exaggerating slightly – I have lots of opinions

So Alphonse is chasing after Scar. Edward is still in the alley with Winry, comforting her, and he gives her his red jacket. He doesn’t stick around long though as he needs to go and help his brother. Winry sits there feeling useless, that all she can do is wait (yeah we hear Winry’s thoughts all the time. It’s almost strange because we rarely hear the inner thoughts of other characters except when they’re expressed aloud.). Edward orders some of the soldiers to take care of her as he runs off.

Meanwhile, Ling is running away from Wrath with Lan Fan still over one shoulder. (Is Ling supernaturally strong and fit?) Yeah, he got out of the room somehow. I swear last episode he was practically cornered but whatever. Wrath gives chase.

As Wrath is chasing them, he hears that Scar is still out and about and orders Gluttony to deal with him. Why does he even think Gluttony can deal with Scar? Scar can just blow him up every time he gets close, which Gluttony has to given his only weapon is his face and he’s not very smart.

I am also wondering where Envy is. Last time we saw him, he was still just hanging around Central. He should really be helping out too. With his powers, he’d theoretically be able to be quite discreet in watching over the Elrics. He’d be far better than Gluttony.

Anyway, Lan Fan tells Ling not to be noble, that a leader needs to be there for his people and they need him alive. He doesn’t want to abandon her though. Lan Fan is looking at her severely injured arm and realising she’s useless to him while injured like this and she’s only weighing him down. We see her lifting her good arm to make a strike but we don’t see what she does before the scene shifts.

Al is still fighting Scar, saying he’ll make him pay for Nina and the Rockbells, Ed soon joins him. Oh, Scar notes Al is in a metal body and wonders at how he can use Alchemy when it put him in that form. Al points out that the alchemy also saved his life and he’s thankful to Edward for it. Now the fight is in a much more open space.

Then Gluttony appears and Ed and Al identify him as a homunculus and so the three of them all start working to fight Gluttony. It seems its Scar’s first time hearing that term though he has fought Gluttony before. Honestly that Gluttony even manages to bash his face into Scar is impressive. The homunculus is hopelessly outmatched.

Then, Ling appears from the Sewers and he’s taken his yellow shirt off to show off his muscles and cuts Gluttony in half with his sword. He asks Edward to make some restraints and Ed creates some metal coils. Ling quickly ties Gluttony’s regenerating body with them. He does it so tightly that Gluttony’s body is stuck constantly trying to expand but can’t because of the coils and so he’s completely trapped.

Riza appears in a car then, and shoots Scar in the leg. She’s in a paper-thin disguise of glasses and her hair down. It’s to trick the watching soldiers as she takes Ling and the trapped Gluttony away.

So Ed and Al have cornered the wounded Scar and intend to… capture him I assume? But then Mei appears, kicking Alphonse back. She calls Edward short – apparently unaware that she is a complete midget herself. She’s meant to be like 13 or something, right? Anyway, she makes three Alkahestry circles, causing a reaction from a distance to cause some explosions covering the area in smoke. Ed is very interested by this as he recognises it’s not normal alchemy. Mei then escapes with Scar.

Mei doesn’t seem to be aware that Scar is a killer. She has no idea why a group of Amestrian soldiers and Ed and Al were attacking him and she never asks! She just heals his injury. I hate that she’s just ignorant here. It’s so much more interesting if she knows and decides to help him anyway. Or at least have her be curious but show Scar trying to hide the truth or something. But, no, it’s just never addressed. (Also how many daggers does she have? She just used 15 of the things and 10 of them are definitely lost to her. Where does she keep them? Mei’s ridiculously powerful (throwing those 10 daggers perfectly) which I’m fine with but her being so out of the loop and how little information we get about how her power works is a little more annoying.)

Oh, Al has her panda. There’s a brief comedy scene of him holding on to him in spite of Ed’s protests about stray animals. The panda has this gag of a pyramid of hierarchy of Al on the top. I’m not sure why Ed was on the bottom with Yoki – it barely met him - more jokes at Ed’s expense?

Okay, so Lan Fan cut off her arm and attached it to a dog as a decoy while she and Ling escaped into the sewers. Wrath is fooled by this. When he follows bleeding arm and discovers this, his response is basically. “well-played”. This is a nice trick but I really think we should have been shown a bit more of it. Wrath was following them reasonably closely. He’s very quick while Ling was carting around Lan Fan on his shoulder. I would have liked to see them attaching the arm to the dog and then hiding in the sewers. Otherwise too much is happening offscreen. Like, when Mustang was fighting Lust, he cauterised his wound, walked through the empty laboratory and drew his array in his own blood all off-screen. (And got Havoc’s broken lighter working.)

Honestly, I’m not sure this is really feasible. I’m not sure I can believe that Ling really got away from Wrath long enough to pull off this bluff.

Oh well. So Lan Fan is wrapped in Ling’s jacket in a pretty dire state. Ling is in a car with Riza and convinces her to go and get Lan Fan. They take her to Doctor Knox’s place – Mustang got him to reluctantly agree as per usual. Wrath notices Riza and recognises her despite her ‘disguise’ and decides its best he deal with Mustang.

So we cut to Winry, who is waiting in the military and she’s talking with Wrath – well Fuhrer Bradley anyway. Ed comes in to see her and Bradley gives him a subtle warning that he should take care of her.

Winry gets a phone call from Rush valley and all her customers are begging for her to come back. (She was only there from Episode 11-15 and there’s dozens of automail shops and she’s only 16. Why on Earth are they trying to make her skills so ridiculous? This is way too extreme.) Just as she was having tough feelings about being stuck always waiting.

So she heads out on a train and they say goodbye to her as she leaves for Rush Valley. Ed tells her that she’s not going to cry again until it’s tears of joy when they’ve got their bodies back. She agrees. As they leave, Winry realises she has feelings for Ed. (Yeah more of her inner thoughts are being stated to the audience.)

Ling gets introduced to Mustang who thanks him for all his help. Ling, Lan Fan, Ed, Al, Mustang and Riza are all in this safe house together as Lan Fan wakes up. Ed apologises for her getting hurt but Ling says that it was his plan and Lan Fan was willing to make the sacrifice, doing what he could not.

Oh and Ling informs them that Bradley was a homunculus. Huh, a few episodes ago they seemed close to deducing that themselves but yeah it makes sense that Ling can just tell them. They act with typical horror as you’d expect. (Ling foreshadows that Bradley is different from other Homunculi too.)

Lan Fan explicitly draws attention to how her distraction plan was based off her and Ed’s fight. Aww, I thought it would be cleverly not mentioned. But they had to say it. (I’m just disappointed because I was feeling clever for noticing the parallel.) Lan Fan notes again that she is useless to Ling and Ed recommends automail.

Mustang wants to use Gluttony’s Philosopher’s stone to cure Havoc’s injury. Ling protests, saying how Lan Fan just got injured for it and he deserves the stone. Ed cuts in, pointing out how he needs the stone to fix his brother’s body as they’ve been searching for it for so long. It an interesting dilemma. Ed should be pretty urgent to fix Al knowing that his soul is being rejected but on the other hand Ling’s got a duty to his people and he is chiefly responsible for this capture (though it was only possible with Ed and Al luring the homunculi out).

But the argument is quickly cut short as Gluttony reacts to the mention of Mustang, who killed Lust, and with extra determination breaks out of his bonds. Nice to see he cares so much about Lust. His stomach opens up to show the giant gateway inside with the eye inside. It’s eating power takes out what looks like an entire wall and a car.

—————-

And finally, finally the episode is over. Wow, they stuffed in a lot. Can you believe it’s only normal length? Course, everything was very brief as a result. Sometimes the pace is too much. I guess I like it but more time could certainly have been spent on some events. I’m mostly thinking about Ling and Lan Fan. Their storyline is way too rushed here.

You know I’d like a reason to like Ling but how can I if it’s going to rush through the part where he is horrified as he ties his best friend’s bloody arm (which she just cut off for him) to a dog while she is practically bleeding to death next to him and he’s in a hurry. That’d be just the sort of scene to make me sympathise with him. We’d get to feel his guilt, mixed with a sense of duty and the dark side of Lan Fan’s loyalty. Instead we get him telling her not to do it and then a cut to him jumping out of the sewers with his shirt off and cutting Gluttony in half. Yeah, I get it, he’s ‘badass’ and a loyal friend. But his most interesting scene was offscreen! Instead we’re messing around with setting up Ed/Winry.

I’d also have appreciated lengthening the Philosopher’s stone argument. It’s interesting to see Edward, Ling and Mustang all in an argument where they all have compelling reasons. They’ve all sacrificed a lot after all. It’d be great too as it’d make the moment where Ling offered the Stone to Edward at the end of the series more meaningful.

I’m going to keep a watch out for the use of inner thoughts being stated to the audience. Often thoughts are expressed out loud but I think inner thoughts being shared is actually pretty rare. I feel like Winry’s thoughts have been shared before (just the other episode she was thinking in her head about Ed’s broadening shoulders). I don’t recall any other characters having this happening but maybe I can’t remember. Either way, I’ll keep an eye out in the future. (I’m curious if this is unique to Winry. Which would be weird as she’s not the protagonist of the story and I don’t see why her inner thoughts would deserve special treatment.) 

But it’s not a bad episode or anything. A lot happened and it was good, I just wish more time was spent on some of these events not that any of them were bad. But they don’t have the full impact if there’s not a chance to dwell on them a bit. 

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Pieces of the People We Love, Part 5. (The Borderlands series)

Description: Not many people had the chance to see a vault or to mean anything in the world of Pandora. Will a hardly built relationship in the loneliness of the desert have the potential to change anything in the world of anarchy and chaos - or will the friends try to murder each other?

Chapter description: When you have friends, you have some stable things in your life. But when you owe them a hundred thousand bucks and a ton shit of Eridium, you should know that the meeting won’t go nice for you. 

Warnings: A lot of guns, violence, reader is a tough badass - not a vault hunter tho. They’re badass and don’t give a fuck. And Scooter is a dumb bitch, as always. All Psychos and Fanatics are various Vine references - oh, what luck that reader can understand them since she is friends with Bandits.

Word count: 1.6 K

Tagging: @notaliteraltoad​, @nemodoren​

Series master list:  H E R E

You saw something appearing on the horizon and dear Lord, you already knew what you've been looking at. The crooked top of Ham’s Creek was slowly revealing itself in the distance. If you'd have to describe the entirety of the bandit settlement, you would have kind of a hard time. Surely, it could be described as a very creepy stronghold standing in the middle of a desert. Well, maybe, at least to you, it looked like an extra-huge pile of trash, scrap, and slums just mashed together as it held together by the last scraps of the materials' will. No matter how bad did the exterior looked, the boys didn't seem to mind it. They, in fact, had everything they needed - loads of guns, a place where they could suntan, and a quite clean water source. This, you actually considered another reason because of which the guys never seemed to be crawling out of there. Sure, there still was the mystery about what these guys were eating so Bandits didn’t really have the motivation to crawl out of the hellhole expect when they wanted to raid something.

They weren’t exactly the best neighbors, but they weren’t the worst either. Sometimes you heard a huge explosion coming out of that place, but most of the time, they were leaving you all alone.

But at that moment, encouraged with a few shots (it was almost a half of bottle you drank in Pintley’s pub) of vodka, you just walked into a hole which was the gate probably. You could hear those psychotic laughs and people running around you in circles. As a sign of warning, you shove a few rounds into your shotgun to show them that you can shot their ass at any minute. It wouldn’t help you anyway since they would reconstruct just a few feet away.

The place was a smelling, rotting mess. You could smell it instantly; it basically punched your face. Only God knew what boys were up to again.

“ADAM!” - One of the men with a mask and a buzz axe yelled at you. Scooter almost peed his pants at that moment. But you knew it was only Bobby greeting you.

“Yeah, it’s me.” - You told him coldly. - “How are you anyway? You’re still dating Joyce?” - Joyce was… A hole in the wall next to their toilettes. But Bobby claimed to date the hole for a few years now, but who were you to judge? He seemed happy and had daily sex. What was better than that? Plus, he was nuts crazy, you couldn’t protest against it basically.

“FUCK THIS SHIT, I’M OUT!” - He yelled angrily and threw his axe into the mud on the ground. You patted his shoulder.

“She cheated on you with Oliver? Oh man, that sucks.” - You rose your eyebrows. - “You need to find someone better. Maybe Madison can be the new love of your life?” - You referred to another hole next to the toilettes. These guys were like creatures from another fucking universe. Weird and totally nuts.

Bobby mouthed something quietly, but you took as if he was saying something like yeah, maybe.

“Anyway, is Walrus here? Need to speak with him about this boy.” - You pointed at Scooter, still walking to the main building of Ham’s Creek called The Throne Room.

“ZACH STOP, YOU’RE GONNA GET IN TROUBLE.” - Billy said annoyedly. So Walrus was there after all, which was great. But he wasn’t in a good mood, as it seemed.

Which you could say in the exact moment you entered his throne room. A buzz axe flew next to your head, almost hitting you and Scooter. You stood up, closed your eyes and exhaled slowly. Walrus really wasn’t too happy to see you there.

“Pete, I’m really sorry to interrupt you.” - You started off carefully, putting your metal arm in front of you as a sort of protection if he tried to hit you with a buzz axe again.

“What do you fucking want here, Cowboy? I thought you said that you’ll never visit this hellhole again.” - Walrus said in a mocking tone and from the darkness, you could hear as he stood up. Massive footsteps could be heard through the hall. You could feel as Scooter took hold on your coat, tugging it a bit, but you didn’t move s single bit.

Walrus liked to present himself as a huge man, he liked to make others scared. But when he came to the light… It was a small Midget not even reaching your waist, wearing only his briefs and a cloak neatly tied around his neck. But he was a bandit gang leader, so you still had to be careful around him.

“It was a sudden change of mind and mind, Pete, what should I say?” - You opened up your arms and to your surprise, Walrus was still not too annoyed to hug you back- there was still a chance that he will help you. - “Nice to see you. How’s your wife anyway?” - You asked to start a chit chat and looked around. This place was definitely the cleanest of all in Ham’s Creek. It was a nice place with the Marcus munitions’ and Dr. Zed’s machines, some of Moxxi’s machines. Don’t think too much about this - these men stole it definitely.

“You know, she’s dead…” - Peter answered and took the buzz axe from the wall where he threw it in the first place. Scooter was standing next to you without a single word to say.

“Oh shit. I’m sorry, I didn’t know that.” - You said quietly with a mourning voice, still looking at him. It was dangerous to let these ones out of your sight even for a second. A second was totally enough to have an axe stuck in your head.

“She’s dead for six years now and you ask about her every time you come here.” - Peter said quietly and climbed onto his throne to look at you from above. Like if that little son of a bitch something more than you were.

“Oh shit, no need to be so offensive, man. Jesus.” - You frowned at him, slowly putting your arms next to your waist, fixing the hat on your hand. - “But I’m not here to mourn. I’m here because of this dipshit.”

“What did he do to you? Can’t you be nice to someone for once? He’s Scooter, he owns Catch-a-Ride.” - Peter defended Scooter standing behind your back. You rolled your eyes and smiled a bit.

“Yeah. Yeah. I’ve heard that already, spare me of that bullshit. But I want him gone. ASAP, to be exact. And you, my small friend, can help me with that a big time.” - You winked at him and sat down on the stairs in front of his throne, dragging Scooter along.

“No. I can’t.” - Walrus laughed ironically. You shot a confused look at him. - “Come on, Peter, you can do anything when you really want to. Just one Fast Travel and I’ll be gone again.” - You pleaded at the bug lord Walrus of the Ham’s Creek Stronghold.

“I didn’t say that I don’t want to help you, idiot. I can’t.” - Peter repeated and leaned closer to you. - “Are you deaf or I don’t have to repeat myself?”

At that moment you stood up, being completely confused. You watched him, opening your mouth and closing it as you were about to say something, but there was nothing to say.

“But you guys had the fuse since… Ever. What happened to it?” - You whispered in shock. No fuse meant no Fast Travel. And no Fast Travel meant that Scooter will be a problem in your ass for another few days before you figure out a new plan.

“Fuse just died out. And we can’t find another one ever since. I would help you if I could. And if you didn’t owe me as much money as you do, Cowboy.” - Walrus got up and walked to Scooter. Your brain was frozen down - there was no fuse in Ham’s Creek. Just fucking great. - “Where are you even going, young man?”

“I an’ friends belong to the vault hunter, ya know what these are, man? And the Calypsonians or who are about to do somethin’ stupid an’ I need to stop them before they can hurt them.” - Scooted summarizer quickly for Walrus.

“You didn’t tell me that you’re with the VHs now, Cowboy.” - Walrus turned directly at you. You started to laugh hysterically as if Peter told you the best joke you’ve ever heard.

“I’m… I’m not… Bwahaha!” - You started again so much that you cried out of it. You leaned your palms into your knees and tried to stop. - “I’m not a fucking vault hunter, Walrus. No, no, no.”

“But this lovely boy is with them and he’s here with you… And connections make friends. You’re basically a vault hunter, my dear.” - Peter took your hand and patter the back of it before taking back to the throne.

“I can tell you only this. There’s a rocket engineer called…” - Walrus started, but Scooter interrupted him.

“An engineer called Janey Springs. I know her too, man, she cool.” - Scooter grinned at him wildly. That man was truly a piece of art, you thought.

“Do you know what that means?” - Walrus stood up on the throne to take the higher moral ground. He was acting like your very own mother. You rolled your eyes and shook your head. - “You’ll go with that boy and protect him at my orders. And I’ll give you my two best men with you. And a car. And some cash. Call me Jesus, baby.”

“At your orders?!” - You hissed with a frown. What was he even trying? Did he try to fool you or to make a dickhead of you?

“You owe me two piles of Eridium and one hundred thousand in cash, don’t you… Remember?” - Walrus rose his eyebrows at you. You couldn’t possibly give him a good answer. Your face was just reflecting how fucked you were at the moment. - “I choose this as my form of payment, Cowboy. I will tell Blindy and Rayray to pack their shit.”

Yes. You were fucked.