#i gave her a suit under the armour

[shinigami--apples]

The only way she'd ever have been a warrior in the Tal'darim system is if she had really souped up psionics

She'll blow you up with her mind

[pavo-dence]

i got bored and decided to make pokemon teams for them, i'll explain my reasoning under the cut since it's gonna get lengthy lmao

i did this either off of vibes, motifs, story arcs or whatever i thought would suit them well if anyone has any other ideas about them i'd love to read them in the replies or tags!

RYUNOSUKE NARUHODO

Galarian Darumaka - His daruma is one of the few possessions of his that isn't inherited from Kazuma, and I like the Galarian form symbolising his entry to the UK

Shinx - The most Chuunosuke Pokemon ever, it's literally blue and has the flower pattern on its ears

Kingdra - A dragon like in his name, I also liked the idea of 221B family each having a Pokemon that represented an animal in the UK coat of arms, the counterpart to this would be the Welsh dragon, it's also blue which is his colour and matches his aquarium hobby

Clawitzer - His shrimp-keeping hobby is an endearing detail about him so I think he would get a Clauncher and just take care of it really well

Hisuian Decidueye - I liked the Japanese characters having distinctly Hisuian Pokemon, and his archery hobby suits Decidueye

Donphan - This is one of the few I kind of picked based on typing, I liked the idea of him having a Phanpy and it evolving when he steels his resolve, gaining armour when it becomes a Donphan, it's also Ground-type which is strong against Sneasler which I consider Kazuma's signature Pokemon

SUSATO MIKOTOBA

Cherrim - Matches the Mikotoba family crest, I like to think this was Yujin's Cherrim and he gave it to her upon his return from Britain

Lopunny - Matches Usato, this would initially be a Buneary and evolve when she returns to the UK to show her growth after having gone through a trial as a lawyer herself, it's also got fighting spirit like her

Gardevoir - A graceful Pokemon, I thought it suited the yamato nadeshiko archetype her character is based off, parallels Kazuma's Gallade showing their familial connection

Sinistcha - I like the idea of regional variants allowing her and Iris to bond quickly, she also mentions preparing Japanese tea when her and Ryunosuke start feeling a bit homesick if I remember correctly

Sawsbuck - It's spring and summer forms suit her well (cherry blossoms and tea leaves), it's counterpart in the coat of arms would be the Irish elk

Throh - Shows her prowess for Judo

Honorable mention: Froslass (same reason as Gardevoir)

KAZUMA ASOGI

Galarian Yamask - Represents his vengeful spirit, the face it carries thought to be it's previous life kind of suits Kazuma's story of resurrection and matches his time as the masked disciple quite well

Aegislash - Sword

Talonflame - Fiery passion, suits his colour scheme and kind of embodies his hachimaki flying behind him lmao

Gallade - Parallels Susato's Gardevoir, showing their familial bond, a warrior Pokemon

Sneasler - Type weakness to Ryunosuke's Donphan which embodies his resolve triumphing over Kazuma's need for vengeance/justice, a Hisuian Pokemon showing his roots (reflected in his leitmotif) and it's a cat like Nyasogi

Serperior - The Asogi crest and it's more Asian design compared to other snake Pokemon suits him well I think

Honorable mention: Seviper (matches his colour scheme, snake motif), Shedinja (resurrection)

HERLOCK SHOLMES

Klinklang - Represents his cog imagery, shows his passion for invention and machinery

Lucario - Boxing background, it's ability to sense auras make it quite the handy partner when conducting investigations

Rotom - Represents his modernity, it's also cheeky and mischievous which suits him

Litleo - Counterpart to the English lion in the coat of arms, it's not Pyroar because I think Pyroar is kinda ugly, but also a baby Pokemon makes him appear more father-like, it's also emblematic of his allegiance to the Queen

Sudowoodo - Bonsly received as a trade with Yujin, symbolises their cultural exchange and his penchant for disguises

Azumarill - Deceptively silly, kind of OP, representative of Hareley (a blue bunny hehe)

IRIS WILSON

Galarian Rapidash - Counterpart to the Scottish Unicorn, it also suits her colours

Polteageist - Showcases her love of tea and a regional variant that allows her to bond with Susato quickly

Sylveon - I wanted a Wagahai proxy but none of the cat Pokemon really suited her so I thought an Eevee that evolved to Sylveon would be the next best thing, it also suits her colour scheme

Stufful - Bearis representation, a Bewear would suit her older self quite well I think, it's cute but deadly like her inventions

Roselia - Her love for gardening, it's not Roserade because she's still young, also represents her flower motif courtesy of her name

Chansey - A healer Pokemon, represents her medical background due to idolising her "father"

BAROK VAN ZIEKS

Dusknoir - Said to guide spirits, matches the moniker of the Reaper, it also just suits his scary image

Noivern - Shows his love for bats and the vampire motifs incorporated into his design, I thought this suited him best because it's the most imposing of all the bat Pokemon imo

Escavalier - I like to think him and Klint traded Karrablast and Shelmet, the resulting Escavalier kind of symbolises the legacy he inherits after Klint's passing, a reminder of his duty from his brother and shows his allegiance to the Queen with the knight elements

Chandelure - Gothic, and suits his aristocratic background

Sirfetch'd - A swordsman/knight figure, shows his loyalty to his country

Umbreon - Hints at his familial connection to Iris, matches her Sylveon, Nyanzieks representative since none of the cat Pokemon seemed to suit him either to me

Honorable mentions: Gliscor and Crobat

YUJIN MIKOTOBA

Mr. Rime - A tap-dancing Pokemon, it also looks like him, matches his colour scheme and represents his journey to Britain, it's quite perfect for him lmao

Eldegoss - A flower Pokemon to mirror Susato/their family crest, it has healing properties which match his medical background

Stoutland - Received as a Lillipup from a trade with Sholmes, it has elements of a Yorkshire and Scottish Terrier which kind of represents the cultural exchange, it's also said to be a trustworthy partner and a rescuing Pokemon which suits him well, "My good man, you resemble each other so closely now! HA HA HA!"

Audino - A healer Pokemon, it has good hearing which is extra useful whether in his investigative work or as a doctor

Hisuian Samurott - suits his colour scheme, showcases his Japanese roots, moustache

Chimecho - A musical Pokemon, distinctly Japanese in origin, resembles a "miko" (shrine maiden) which is phonetically similar to his last name haha

I know this looks like I just gave him every Pokemon with a moustache but aside from Stoutland this was not intentional lmao, it just happened

GINA LESTRADE

Whimsicott - A prankster Pokemon that likes mischief, it suits her colour scheme really well lmao

Thievul - Quite obvious, matches her penchant for pickpocketing

Pancham - A scrappy Pokemon, I think her and the Pancham would do the same haughty pose and it also represents her rough upbringing

Obstagoon - Another scrappy Pokemon, I like to think she sends it out to stall when she's getting chased for pickpocketing, and later when she joins Scotland Yard she uses it for stopping criminals

Togedemaru - Representative of Hedgina, it's quite cute and kind of shows her innocence despite her prickly first impression

Maschiff - A stand-in for Toby, I can see it jumping Ryunosuke and scaring him like in the story, and I like to think Gregson is fond of it in the same way a dad who was against a pet starts being endeared towards it lmao

[v33n4-c4rn1s]

"Shards of a broken mind."

PART TWO OF PROMISE !!!

Remy LeBeau x fem!reader

A/n: you just know I had to write a second part of this!! I'm thinking of making it into a series!! I hope you all enjoy the second part and there's one thing i can promise!! (haha get it, it's the main title) It's a third part!!! once again the themes are still Angst/Comfort and fluff! one warning I will give is a bit of blood and guts talk here and there!! please enjoy!!

Summary: When wade wilson dragged you into the mess you were miserable, mourning and utterly heartbroken but now, after following Wilson and Howlett around for hours, watching them fight you finally get your end of the deal. Seeing a man you thought you'd never see again.

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God, he was annoying. Seriously, did this guy ever shut his damn mouth? Oh what kind of question are we asking here..of course it's no.

Alright, let's take a pause. A quick recap if you will.

So, You’ve lost the love of your life, you’ve been dragged through universes alongside God’s favourite joke, Wade wilson. You’ve ended up stuck between the world’s grumpiest bar hopper, Logan howlett. You watched Wade break some guy's nose and in return the dude tossed you and the other two fools into the universe's personal garbage bin where you’ve ended up meeting with your lost loves..other version? Oh and he also had his own void, other universe version of you. Now you’ve been dragged into fighting this “Cassandra Nova” lady. 

Right, you all caught up? Great.

- - - - - - -

God, he was annoying. Seriously, did this guy ever shut his damn mouth? Oh what kind of question are we asking here..of course it's no.

Wade wilson did not know when to shut the fuck up. Ever. Even when he’s seated next to a woman with some very sharp knives on her hips. He just blabbered on about how much of an “honour” this was to him, how sorry he is about..what did he say? Her “blind prince in shining armour”? Yeah..that.

Tensions were a little high between you and a certain Cajun man. The very Cajun who had his hand resting on your knee. Remy didn’t want to overstep the imaginary boundaries but he just couldn’t help it. It all felt so natural. Like nothing bad had ever happened at all. His hold was gentle, not too firm. It was like he was afraid of hurting you. His thumb ran back and forth in a soothing pattern. He stole glances. Desperate eyes watching your dull expression. He was looking for a sign. A sparkle.

He was met with nothing.

You on the other hand, you were having a crisis. The palms of your hands felt sweaty, the usual comfortable leather of your suit felt a little too tight. He had basically cradled you last night. You still remember the way his hands carefully rubbed soothing circles on your back. He was trying to heal a heart that wasn’t his to fix. Something to help him sleep at night, knowing you were safe. I guess the only way to do that was to lay under the covers with him, to let him stroke your hair, to let you inhale his all familiar scent of leather and whiskey. You both indulged in something you shouldn’t have..but it wasn’t like you were looking for a replacement for the other person. No..more like, a fresh start.

“You feeling alright chère?”

His voice was smooth, honeyish and soothing. It was a low murmur. The question was meant for your ears and yours alone.

You nodded. Not trusting your voice enough to give him a verbal answer..instead, you slid your hand on top of his. The rougher fabric of his glove was comfortable. It eased you better than you thought it would. The rush of cool air compared to the warmth of his coat was a nice contrast. You couldn’t help but lean against him, a gentle hum leaving your lips.

“Well, ain’t no point sleepin’ now chère, we’re practically knocking on hell's door. Y’gotta be ready for all o’ dis.”

When you gave no response to his joke, he simply chuckled lightly, shaking his head. God did he have to be so warm? Even in such a life threatening situation, a situation that usually would have alarm bells hollering in your head..you felt so safe.

“Ah- Alright, I see. Repose tes yeux. Gambit’ll wake ya up when y’ready, ma chérie.”

You had a half idea on what he was saying. It probably wasn’t wise to shut your eyes in a speeding car just seconds away from danger but Remy's smooth tone made it seem like such an innocent action. So without a second thought, you shut your eyes. That's when you felt it. A delicate kiss to the crown of your head. How could it be anyone other than Remy?

- - - - - - -

Unfortunately, peace does not last forever. Remy woke you up way more carefully then Wade would. His gentle hands shaking your shoulders. Blade stood behind the seats, wielding punishers AT4.

Thank god Remy woke you up when he did or else the sudden swerve of the car and the blast that followed would have surely given you one hell of a whiplash. 

Oh and Wade was eating all of this up, he was grinning like a fool under that damn mask, you could sense it the minute Logan hauled himself out of the trunk. A simple roll of your shoulders and a gentle sigh you were more than ready to get this over and done with. Not that you didn’t care..of course you cared but it just seemed easier to brush things off until they were staring you in the face.

Blades gravely voice broke you from your thoughts. He was more than prepared for this.

“Ooh..this is gonna be good.”

You turned to look out, eyes taking in every little obstacle, each enemy.

“You know how long I've been waiting for dis? Whoo! I’m bout to make a name for myself ‘ere.”

Well, at least someone’s optimistic. That someone being Remy, of course. He turned his head, giving you what possibly could have been the giddiest grin you’ve ever seen. Logan seemed to scowl at the crowd of what might have been to him, punching bags.

“I don’t think you guy’s walk away from this.”

Remy let out a huff of laughter shaking his head before taking a few steps forward. He was so cool and casual about this, like this was such a familiar sight.

“You just make sure people know what happened ‘ere today..and when you get out of ere’ you have a drink for me, oui?”

It was tense. Quiet..only for just a moment. You had one job really, that was it. Kick ass and follow red and yellow as quickly as you could. 

You couldn’t make out who started first but all you knew is that your back was pressed to Elektra’s. She seemed to be shielding you for a brief moment before you broke away. Everything seems to move fast. Too fast for your liking. You can see Remy for a split second before Blade overtakes your vision. Remy’s charged staff. It's glowing purple just like his cards do. You return your attention back to the task at hand. This one guy just won’t let up. He’s heavy too. Harder to hit. He tries to sandwich you against the wall before a sudden flash of purple dazes him and Remy slams into him knocking him down.

“Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas chez toi, mon ami? Make some room for my lady, aye!?”

He spares you a glance, making sure you’re unharmed before immediately returning to tossing cards and causing as much damage as he can. You see the way he so effortlessly sticks his cards to his rivals before blowing them up into pieces. Oh..his laugh might just be everything to you and that “my lady”? Oh lord have mercy.

You spot Wade and Logan making a dash for it into the lair. You stay back for just a few moments, you weren't ready to chase after them just yet. You glanced around and set your eyes on Laura. She’s cornered. Completely. It sends a rush of panic through you and your first thought is to go help her. Logan stops you, practically tossing you over his shoulder. Even after you yelled for him to put you down. He did not let go.

- - - - - - -

Once you're placed safely on the ground. Despite the huffing and eyerolls, You get to see her again. Cassandra Nova.

“You two escaping I could live with..but coming back? Willingly? Boys are so silly, aren’t they just, darling?”

She turns on you, giving you some kind of..sickeningly kind grin. Wade cuts in, bringing her attention back to him.

“I just need to get home..”

Cassandra sits upright, placing her cup down with a heavy sigh. She shakes her head.

“Well, that's not on the menu I'm afraid. Its death or enslavement. À la carte, of course. Upsy daisy!”

She tossed wade into the air and forced you to take a seat. Wade got the more..harsher treatment. He was tossed through the ceiling and back down..and then into a wall. Ouch.

She turned to Logan and of course..you.

“Finally, it’s nice to give someone else a turn to talk..”

“Not my strong suit.”

He’s quick but she’s quicker. She forced his drawn claws into his thighs before forcing them into the ground. She then turned on you, as if waiting for you to bite her bait. You didn’t.

She leaned down to Logan. Her gaze was soft..

“You are an interesting one..aren’t you? I do feel like you get lost behind all his..”

She imitates Wade’s yapping. Glancing over at you and then back at Logan. A tenderness in her gaze that you couldn’t quite place.

“Deadpool’s are a dime a dozen here in the void..but you, what’s going on in here?”

She places her finger on Logan's forehead. Her tone was one of a sing-song.

She then pushed her finger through his head and..ew. Gross. You could only watch for a few moments before she let him go. She turned to you, making her way over ever so slowly to kneel in front of you.

“And you..You’re brand new..never even heard of you before. Forgive me, I’m curious..”

Oh god now she’s putting her fingers in your head. Gross..does she know what personal space even-

You saw him. All of him. A haunting display of imagery you tried so deeply to bury into your mind. To forget.

You’re back where it started..or well, where it ended. Genosha. Except it's just you. You’re sitting in that damn crater. Your dress is torn. You can feel the heated, sticky liquid streaming down the side of your head. You can hear screams but there’s no one around. It’s just a faint background noise. Something’s missing in this scene besides the people. Him. A hero. The corpse of a man who sacrificed his own life for thousands of others. Remy Lebeau, Your Remy, Your Gambit.

“Oh..what have you seen? What did you fight for?..”

Her voice is a soothing whisper. There’s a hand on your back and you know it’s cassandra.

“You lost him..you search for him in every person but a replacement won’t do, you just want him..”

Her voice is a soft coo in your ear, you can feel the hot breath against your cheek as she wipes away the blood. She know’s shes got you the minute your eyes well up with tears. She was right, you missed him so much. You missed the way he’d kiss you. You missed the way he handled you so gently. You missed his voice. You missed him.

But there’s one thing, one flicker that remained in your brain that travelled down to your heart. Increasing its pace.

The Remy you had only briefly met before you both indulged in..what seemed to be a healing romance. You knew he had lost the only thing he had in the void and that was you. Oh you had no idea the level of devotion he had towards you. You were a flicker of hope in a vast waste of nothing.

You knew one thing. Neither of you wanted to replace and force the past to flourish. No. You wanted a future, a fresh start. Love at first sight was bullshit fairytales to you but..hey, it had to be something, right? To him, you were no past time, no bandage to press against the gaping wound of heartbreak, only to tear it off when he felt better. No, you were real, fresh and just as lost as he was. As sick as it was, maybe fate had brought you that way. Tangling you up in heartbreak and loss only to set you free from its grasps once you found home. 

“My darling, I can fix you, this mess..let me fix you. Just let go, you can be anything you want in the void..you can have anything you want..just let me give it to you..”

No.

Hell no. 

And let her force you into a miserable pit of angst? Haunted by the past? Knowing you’re never fully complete?

“No.”

You stared up at her, gaze hard. You knew what you wanted, you knew what you needed and it wasn’t any of her shit tricks and sticky fingers.

A sudden gasp tore you from the hateful thought train. She looked like she was in pain. Cassandra gasped out and before you could think you were forcefully pulled out of your mind.

Of course. They’d only gone and done it. Juggernaut’s helmet.

You took a moment to gain your train of thought, feeling a little dazed..and emotional.

“There’s an enya box set?”

..Okay, thanks Wade. Cool. Well atleast your alive.

The two men begin to bicker over who gets to kill Cassandra before a set of bullets tear through the air and strike Cassandra.

“You have no idea what it's like! Day after day, shovel the shit, fetch the meats!! I have spent my entire exis-”

Logan knocks him out before he can even finish. A scoff leaving his lips.

“Not everyone gets a speech.”

Logan and Wade bicker about taking the helmet off before Logan finally gets him to crack and let her go. Allowing her to heal the bullet holes. Wade immediately cowers when she turns on him.

“Don’t you dare do me like Johnny!”

You rise to your feet, using Wade's arms to help you stand. You can’t hear Logan, your brain feels a little too blurry right now..

“..An amateur magician rolled through here a while back..I killed him, of course. Wore his skin around for four days. But, I found this little trinket on his lovely fingers!”

You watch as she proceeds to open a gateway..all the way back to Wade's universe.

“..I’d say you have about four seconds before your Alioths food.”

Wade nudges you before nodding to Logan.

“Race ya.”

Wade has you by the arm. He’s pulling you along and only then, is that when you see him. Remy. He’s barged into and you can’t help him. Is he in pain? You can’t tell. He spares a glance up at the three of you. At you. His expression is unreadable at first but he looks devastated the moment it settles. He just got you back and you're leaving again. It breaks his heart but he’s proud. You survived. His little firecracker. The one who always pulls through in the end. 

You didn’t want this. If anything, you wanted to stay with him, in the void. You just want him to hold you the way he did last night. You can’t bear the thought of never experiencing that again.

There’s a flicker of something in his expression. A grin.

He knows he’ll see you again.

After all..

The odds have always been in his favour.

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@kaidan-z

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[thechildofmythal]

Library Books

Short fic of Cullen x Inquisitor Lavellan slow burn.

The Inquisitor literally bumps into Cullen in the library of Skyhold. Cue some of the oldest tricks in the book, pun intended. There's attraction, there's tension, there's two bookish nerds trying to flirt. Awful and cute.

It's canon that Cullen reads a lot, so it would be easy to find him at the library, I think.

Read here in AO3 if you're a registered user, or find it in its entirety below the cut.

Words: 1 790

*

Ellana Lavellan climbed the stairs to the Skyhold library with her arms full of books. Reaching the top, she looked around to see if Dorian was around, but saw no sign of him. He would have been a great help in getting the books back in their right places, and made it fun, too.

Sighing, Ellana faced returning the books on her own. She took a look at the book on top of the pile in her arms, “A Study of the Fifth Blight,” and began to wander a meandering route between the bookshelves to find its place. Luckily, it did not take too long for her to find it. She tilted her head to read the cover of the next book on her lap while she walked between the shelves - and promptly walked into something tall, furry and immovable. 

“Oh!” she exhaled as a few books fell from her arms to the ground, but felt a stabilising, firm hand on her arm. It was Commander Cullen. She had bumped into his back - face first into the fur mantle on his shoulders. 

“Inquisitor!” Cullen exclaimed in surprise as he turned to face her, holding on to her arm with his hand, a book in the other hand. Ellana noticed he did not have his gloves on for once. “What were you– are you alright?”

Ellana blinked up at the man, trying to reorient herself, but his widened amber eyes on her and the man’s sudden proximity made her all the dizzier. Creators, he smells nice. Why did she always think about his scent? She never thought of what Varric or Blackwall or anyone else smelled like. Did Cullen simply have a stronger smell? Did he use more of some scent? No, it wasn’t that. The smell was very subtle, and it didn’t seem like he actually added any perfume. Perhaps a spicy, vanilla aroma in the hair product he used, then there was the leather of his armour, and most importantly, his own masculine musk that made her feel positively drunk of his presence. 

“Ellana?” Cullen repeated in a softer tone, squeezing her arm with a concerned look.

Ellana realised that the reason why she always noticed his scent was because, well, she noticed everything about him. Except apparently him being there in the library, having just walked straight into him.

“Sorry, I’m fine! I just, uh, wasn’t looking where I was going!” she hurried to explain and get a grip of herself. 

“So engrossed in,” Cullen turned his head to read the title of the book still remaining in her hand, “ A Dissertation on the Fade as a Physical Manifestation? Riveting reading, I’m sure.”

He gave her a lopsided smile, and Ellana swallowed. Her eyes were locked on the scar on his lip, and the tease in his voice made her get all kinds of ideas. She only needed to lean forward a bit, go up on tiptoe, and she could kiss him. It would be so easy. Would he still hold on to her arm? Would he answer her kiss and wrap the other arm around her, too? The thought gave her a thousand butterflies in her stomach.

“Dorian gave me this to read,” Ellana said and ripped her eyes off him to see where the other books had fallen.

Cullen’s hand let go of her. He tucked the book he was holding under his arm, and promptly knelt down on the floor to pick up the fallen books for her. Ellana quickly crouched down as well to clean up her mess, with a flustered face.

“That’s a book for mage students at Circles, ” he said, handing her a book from the floor. “Not the best suited for the likes of you and me.”

“You can say that again. Don’t tell Dorian, but I couldn’t finish it. Awful stuff. He’ll have to explain it to me.”

Ellana reached for the book farthest away at the same moment as Cullen did. Their hands brushed together, they looked at each other, then away, and they both chuckled a little. Cullen then picked up the book easily, having longer reach, and they both stood up together.

“Were you bringing all of these back?” Cullen asked, and with curiosity looked at the titles of the books he had picked up.

“Yes. Reading helps me get to know the world in other than Dalish terms,” she said and shifted, looking down at the books. “You must think me a bore, but I do enjoy reading.”

“If you are a bore, then there’s two of us,” Cullen said softly. Ellana looked up at him, and saw him smiling down at her. The butterflies and the terrible urge to kiss him returned in an instant. 

“Let me help you return these, or you’ll be here all evening,” Cullen offered. He took a book called Beyond the Frostbacks from her hands, and looked around. “This one belongs to this shelf, I think.”

“Thank you,” she said, and took a step aside to look for the right place for the next book called Ferelden: Folklore and History. 

“Rather heavy reading, all of these. Not a fan of Varric’s works, then?” Cullen asked conversationally as they walked between the bookshelves slowly, looking at the shelves and slipping the books in their places. 

“I’ve already read a couple of them, actually, and they’re really good,” Ellana admitted. “But I constantly feel like I’m out of my depth. I try to catch up on knowledge everyone seems to assume the Inquisitor should be well versed in.”

Cullen paused to look at Ellana as she reached to put a book on an upper shelf. With her back to him, he let his eyes wander along her stretched body, taking in her athletic, toned form and, Maker, her round buttocks perking up as she got up on tiptoe. Those were some form fitting trousers she was wearing, he thought appreciatively. She was not particularly short or small, but she had trouble reaching the top shelf. Cullen took a couple of seconds to gather courage to step closer - and to enjoy the view. Then he took a step forward, right next to her, and reached up easily being considerably taller than her. His larger hand covered hers holding the book, and he gently guided the book to its shelf. The book slotted into its place, and her hand ended up in his for a brief moment.

There she was. So close. Looking up at him with those big earnest blue eyes. She smelled fresh - like the moment just before rain, or perhaps freshly washed bed clothes that had been hanging outside to dry, and like a summery meadow in the middle of the night. No one else in Thedas smelled as enticing as she did. Or was as captivating as she was. Or as beautiful, he caught himself thinking. Cullen’s eyes were drawn to her parted lips - she then bit her lower lip, looking up at him, and he felt a sudden urge to bow his head and kiss her. The way she looked at him - he had to misjudge it, right? It would be madness to kiss her. It would be madness if she wanted him to, but she looked like that… This is mad, he decided. Get a grip of yourself. 

Cullen cleared his throat audibly - she blinked her eyes and looked down immediately. He let go of her hand and took a step back. The moment was over. He looked at the last book in his hands and started walking to the next library aisle. 

“You sound like you’re putting too much pressure on yourself,” Cullen said, picking up the conversation. “You should remember to let yourself relax, as well.”

“You’re one to talk. When’s the last time you’ve had a day off?” Ellana asked pointedly, walking after him. She gripped on the book she had left with both hands to stop them from shaking. 

“That, my lady, is beside the point,” Cullen quipped over his shoulder, and placed the last book in the shelf. “May I suggest a book? Some light reading to get your mind off of Grey Wardens and the Fade and Orlesian emperors of old.”

“If Dorian recommended a book on the intricacies of the Fade, are you going to suggest a book on trebuchets?” Ellana teased him, making him stop and look at her with a raised eyebrow.

“As a matter of fact I do know an excellent book on siege equipment, thank you very much,” Cullen said and Ellana couldn’t help but laugh. Making her smile and laugh made his heart swell in his chest. “But I thought of a fictional adventure story, actually. You might think it childish, but I enjoyed it as a younger man. I haven’t read it in years, but it’s harmless fun with a good plot twist.”

Cullen’s eyes scanned the shelves for a moment. “A-ha!” he found it, picked it off the shelf, and presented it to Ellana. 

“Empire’s End,” she read the title and thumbed through the book. She looked up at him, finding herself biting her lower lip again. “It doesn’t seem childish at all. Any romance?”

“There’s a subplot, if you must know,” Cullen admitted.

“Does the couple get a happy ending?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow at him. 

“That would be spoiling it,” he remarked. “And this is actually only the first book of a trilogy.”

“Oh come on, I won’t be reading it if they don’t get a happy ending,” Ellana complained playfully. 

“I didn’t realise you were so starved for romance, my lady,” he noted with a teasing smirk. “Perhaps you should ask Cassandra for book recommendations, instead.”

“I prefer your recommendations, thank you,” Ellana said and surprised her for being forward, “so I get more excuses to talk to you.”

Cullen’s mouth opened, then he breathed out and laughed a little. Boldened by her rather obvious flirt, he attempted one of his own. “In that case, perhaps I should take the two other parts of the trilogy, just to give you the excuse to come and see me when you need them.”

They both chuckled nervously, looking at each other, then away, then theirs eyes finding each other again.

“Sounds great,” she said.

“Good,” he said.

“Um."

“Yes, well…”

“Thank you for the help.”

“Any time, Inquisitor.”

Cullen bowed his head to her, and Ellana took a step back, smiling like an idiot. Then she turned before she would bump into someone else, and walked away. 

Before she left, she looked back over her shoulder - and caught him looking after her. They both looked guilty, then grinned at each other, Cullen shook his head smiling, and she escaped to the staircase.

[arc-misadventures]

The Cats Armoured Coat

Blake: Okay, how are your guy’s plans going?

Pyrrha: Not good. Jaune just complimented my armour on how nice it looked, and how it will provide me additional protection the next time we have to fight.

Blake: Well, he did compliment you on how nice you looked.

Pyrrha: I know~! But, I thought my armour would help seduce him with its subtle curves, and metal plating. You think his eyes would have been mesmerized by the sight of the skirt as I shook my hips at him.

Blake: Well, he did compliment you, he never did it before so he is aware of your new armour. Unlike before where he wasn’t aware of… anything.

Pyrrha: That’s true… I guess I’ll take the wins when I get them then.

Blake: That’s the spirit! So how goes things with, Yang’s new armour?

Pyrrha: Well… she’s having some… issues…

Blake: Like… what…?

Blake looked over, Pyrrha’s shoulder to see, Ruby struggling in vain to shove, Yang’s massive breasts into the armour breast plate, then to try, and connect the armour to the rest of the suit.

Ruby: Grrrr! They. Won’t. Fit!

Yang: Yes they will!

Ruby: No they won’t!

Yang: YES THEY WILL!!!

Ruby: Ahh! This breast plate should have at least been made into a, B Cup, why did you want it to be an, A Cup?!

Yang: Because watching my massive tits pop out would be so hot!

Ruby: There are more effective ways to may a, Double G Cup look like a, A Cup. This isn’t one of them?!

Yang: It will work!

Ruby: Rahhhhhhhh!

Yang: Ahhhhhhhh!

(Click)

And with that final scream the armour plate fit into its slot locking itself in place.

Yang: Ah! See, told you it would work~!

Ruby: Not for long. That things like a coiled spring; one good bump, and that thing will come flying out like a sling shot.

Yang: Pssh! That won’t happen. Good gods… It’s been years since I could look at my feet like this. Is this how you, and Weiss feel?

Ruby: Hey!

Yang: Haha! With this I can finally seduce, Jaune! He’ll no longer be going after that washboard, Weiss as soon as he sees my amazing mommy milkers~!

Ruby: Okay…? Just, stop bouncing like that; you might dislodge the chest piece if you keep doing that.

Yang: I can’t help it; They were always jiggling now they’re doing nothing at…?!

Like a ballista releasing its crossbow bolt, Yang’s breast plate came out flying at an insane speed slamming into, Ruby’s face knocking her off her feet, and knocking her out cold in seconds. Leaving no time to marvel as, Yang’s bounced free from their confinement.

Ruby: Gahh?!!

Yang: Oh shit, Ruby?!

BP: …

Blake: Well, that was inevitably going to happen…

Pyrrha: The jiggle they gave as they broke free was pretty nice.

Blake: Oh it was salivating to the senses. Anyway, want to come with me while I seduce, Jaune~?

Pyrrha: Oh~? And, what exactly are you planning on doing?

Blake: Follow me~!

~~~

Jaune: Lotters~! Looters~! Looters~! Loot… ers?

Blake: Oh! Hi, Jaune~! What do you think of my new… Body armour~?

Jaune: Looks incredibly uncomfortable, and highly impractical.

Blake: Eh?

Jaune: Actually it would be good if you wore an undershirt, and a cap. But, I doubt all that heavy chainmail is comfortable on your cat ears now is it?

Blake: It is a little heavy on my ears.

Jaune: and, you really should have worn an undershirt under all that chainmail. How they link the chains together may inadvertently scratch up your back, and you should probably have a shower too since they use oil to maintain the quality of the chainmail. Don’t want to ruin your lovely skin now do we~!

Blake: Oh… T-Thank you… I’ll go do that later…

Jaune: And, as for that… skirt…

Blake: What about it…?

Jaune: …

Blake: …?

Jaune: …

Blake: Jaune?

Jaune: It really compliments your amazing a…?! I-It’s highly impractical! Take it off!

Blake: I’ll go do that…

Jaune: Good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I was going to meet, Nora, and Ren at, Looters. Till later then.

Blake: B-Bye, Jaune!

Blake: Well… That failed…

Pyrrha: I’ll say… He took one look at you, and critiqued everything wrong with your outfit.

Blake: I know… Dammit… I thought this would rock his blocks off…

Pyrrha: Well, yeah, but look at the bright side.

Blake: And, that is?

Pyrrha: Jaune thinks you have an amazing ass~!

Blake: …

Blake: Hell yeah! Bellabooty for the win!

“Smack!”

Blake: AHH?! It scratch my butt! The chainmail scratched up my ass! Oh gods that stings!

Pyrrha: Well, he did warn you. So…?

Blake: Not helping!

Pyrrha: Sorry.

[hugmekenobi]

Wardrobe Change

A Bad Batch Series interlude oneshot

Image from the Popverse courtesy of Lucasfilm (my gif searches were being very uncooperative)

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Summary: Times change, uniforms change and this new design has its fair share of admirations.

Warnings: No use of y/n, pet names (sweetheart), Cid being Cid, I make up a timeline, affectionate possessiveness, fluff and feelings, Force communication working how I say it does, PDA in the form of making out and affectionate biting, spicy/suggestive dialogue, getting caught/interrupted, awkwardness

Masterlist for Season 1 chapters

Word Count: 4.7K

Rating: 18+

Author’s notes: It’s the last of the oneshots before we get into S2! This was purely because I wanted to start S2 off with the armour changes being understood and so I didn’t have to describe them lol but I hope there’s more substance for y’all to enjoy! Big shout out to @hugmedin who helped me when I got hit with a bad bit of writer’s block and wrote a section of this, including my favourite line in this fic that had me freaking out when I read it, love you my guy!! 

“Okay! I have them! Ugh this is so heavy!”

You all turned your attention over to the loud thud and you smiled as you saw Lyra collapsed over the container she had previously been carrying. She’d only just managed to get it through the doorway. “You should’ve told us. We’d have helped you bring it over.” You said as you stood up and walked over to her.

“It’s part of the service.” Lyra panted as she stood up and smoothed down her top. “I think you guys will like what I’ve done.”

“Can you get that out the way? It’s blocking the entrance! We don’t have all day for this. I have my own business to run!” Cid said by way of greeting.

“You weren’t exaggerating.” Lyra muttered.

“Give it 6 months and you’ll be on mildly better terms.” You uttered back with grin.

“Oi! Either help her or get out of her way. It’s bad enough you’re using my place as your fitting rooms!” Cid barked over at you.

“Better terms?” Lyra said with a small laugh.

“I did say mildly.” You replied, grabbing the other side of the box, and lifting it over to where the rest of your squad had congregated in the corner.

“Are they finally ready?” Omega asked excitedly as she gave Tech the datapad back.

“Omega, we haven’t finished-”

“Come on, Tech! I can do it later!” Omega griped.

Tech sighed in defeat.

“A quick break won’t hurt Tech.” You appeased.

“Let me see!” Omega said.

“Okay kid, hang on.” Lyra said with a smile. She opened the box and began the process of handing the updated armour out. “I played around a bit with them.”

“How much?” Hunter and Echo asked warily as they took theirs from her.

“Don’t stress. It’ll all look perfect. I changed the colours and symbols as requested but I got rid of a couple things that weren’t really necessary. You guys have more civilian type clothing to wear underneath now, rather than just those blacks you’d handed over. And that means you don’t have to always change into these clothes you’re wearing now if you want to take your armour off. Oh, and your codpieces are gone.”

“You took away a whole section of our armour?” Tech asked sceptically as he took his.

“They were annoying me.” She replied simply. “And I don’t think you’re in a position to act like it’s a super crucial piece you’re missing. You don’t have any thigh armour. That wasn’t a change I made, that was all you.” She added pointedly.

Tech opened his mouth to protest but he couldn’t think of a rebuttal fast enough.

You chuckled as you watched Tech walk away, mumbling something under his breath about how it suits his needs just fine.

“Where’s mine?” Omega asked eagerly.

“Alright kid. Here you go.” Lyra passed the pile of clothes over to Omega who grabbed them keenly and dashed off to change.

“Did I see a hat?” You asked as you watched her turn the corner.

“It makes the outfit.” Lyra replied with a smile.

You laughed. “I won’t question your style.”

“Good. Cause now it’s your turn.”

“You only changed the colour, right?”

“In a way…”

“Lyra…”

“Calm down. It’s nothing crazy. I still kept the hood and mask element you like. I just started from scratch. The top you bought from me before isn’t really suitable for what you do. I didn’t realise you operated with no armour at all. If I gave you the original one back, it would only be a matter of time before you had rips in it. I’m surprised it was in one piece for so long.”

“Okay… so?”

“So, I got my hands on this new material that is generally just sturdier so that’ll help, and you have some armour of your own.”

“Armour?” You said sceptically as you watched her reach down.

“Not a lot.” She reassured you. “I figured you liked the freedom of movement, it’s just a couple of things. Here’s the top.”

You took it from her, and you could already tell that it was better quality. The black fabric was thick but when you put it over your head, it fit snugly but still allowed for flexible movement. The mask and hood were indeed still there and where your previous top had red lining on the outside, this one now had a turquoise. Your eyes also noted the small white half skull that seemed to have been another element that was carried over. “And this was an essential thing you needed to keep?” You said, pointing to the sign.

Lyra grinned. “You both like it and don’t try to deny it.”

You rolled your eyes but smiled with her. “This is perfect though, thanks!”

“I’m not done.” She handed over the additional pieces to your ensemble.

You took the small parts of armour she’d give you. They were black and decorated with a mix of white and turquoise stripes. You also realised they were like the ones Hunter wore on his forearms. She’d also added a pair of black gloves.

“This means you’re also getting rid of that horrendous thing keeping that vibroblade on your thigh.” Lyra ordered.

“There’s nothing wrong with it!” You said defensively, glancing down to your thigh where your vibroblade was encased. Sure, the strap was fraying, and it was no longer the same colour as it was when you had first got it and some of the leather was showing cracks, but it served its purpose just fine. Plus, it had been with you through a lot of highs and lows and although a mantra throughout your life had been ‘no attachments,’ you had found that both Hunter and this strap were exceptions to the rule and you were rather fond of it.

Lyra just gave you a sad look. “Look at it. It’s disgusting. Throw it in here and never think about it again.” She insisted, turning the box towards you.

You sighed and chucked your vibroblade on the table before you threw your old strap into the empty container. You attached the new pieces to your forearms before you sheathed your vibroblade into the one on your left arm. You then put the next pieces that ran from your shoulders to the end of your upper arm. You were annoyed to find that Lyra was right, and you didn’t feel restricted by having them there.

“And you told me yourself your blaster holster is a hand-me-down from Tech. Put that one away too.”

“You were just waiting for a chance to upgrade my stuff weren’t you?” You grumbled as you took your blaster out and removed your holster. It joined your old vibroblade strap.

“Oh yeah.” Lyra said with a smug smile.

You attached the new holster to your thigh and put your blaster in it. “Happy now?” You asked, gesturing up and down your body.  

“You look hot!” Lyra said as she circled you, studying how you looked with the new parts on.

“Shut up.” You laughed, slightly flustered.

“Your sergeant is a lucky guy. How’d your secret project got by the way?”

Before you could reply, a shout got both of your attention.

“We’re ready! I love it!”

You turned to the sound of Omega’s voice, and you grinned as you saw her delighted expression. It had been a while since Kamino and Omega had definitely grown so it was about time she had something that fit with that, and she did now. She had grey bottoms and a red top which was worn underneath a light blue layer, and she had red fabric wrapped around her right wrist. The hat was a cute touch as well. The rest of your squad also looked pretty good. It was odd though, seeing them in colours that weren’t the signature ones they used wear and any insignia illustrating them being Clone Force 99 being gone.

Lyra clapped her hands together. “I truly outdid myself! You guys look fabulous!”

“Yeah, you guys look great!” You added.

Wrecker and Omega beamed, whilst Tech and Echo merely gave small nods.

“You look great too!” Omega said as she walked over to you.

“Yeah, Hunter’s got colours like that too. You guys’ll look good!” Wrecker added.

You smiled and rolled your eyes. “Speaking of that, where is our fearless leader?” You asked.

“He wanted to rearrange the scarf.” Echo replied.

“Scarf?” You repeated, your throat going dry. You looked over to Lyra.

She shrugged. “I like accessories. Sue me.”

You turned your head over to the sound of Hunter coming back into the main area and it took everything in you not to stare at him for an abnormal amount of time. His armour, like the rest of theirs had maintained most of its original structure-minus the codpiece- and his colours were indeed similar to the ones you had. He had the more civilian looking clothes underneath with the rest of his armour donning a mix of black, white, and turquoise. He had the same bit of orange running down the centre of his chest plate like his brothers had and his helmet still had half of it painted white to match the skull tattoo on his face. The red wrappings around his wrists mirrored the one Omega had and the red scarf… well the scarf was definitely a nice added feature.

Hunter nearly did a double take as he saw you. You looked… well you looked powerful, capable. Not that you didn’t look like that already but there was something about seeing you with actual armour that accentuated that part of you. Plus, the fact he was wearing colours that matched with yours was an added bonus.

“Well, my work here is done!” Lyra said cheerily as she bent down to grab the now empty case.

Hunter tore his eyes away from you and nodded his thanks to her before he saw that you were still looking at him. “What?” He asked as he joined the others and grabbed a drink. He brought his cup to his lips.

“Nothing. Looks good.” You said casually, turning away to follow Lyra out. Just thinking of all the things a scarf can do that a bandana can’t.

The choked splutter that followed had you smirking to yourself as you walked out the door.

--

“You sure we don’t owe you anything for this?” You double checked as you both stood outside the entrance to Cid’s.

Lyra shook her head. “You guys helped me out when I was being harassed by Marco and his goons. We’re even now.”

“Yeah, but getting to beat up Marco and Co is fun.” You said lightly. “You don’t need to repay us for that.”

“I wanted to. Besides, it was actually kinda fun. I haven’t had a project like that to work on in a while. Just point people in my direction if they ask who did this fabulous work and we’re all good.”

You huffed out a laugh. “You got it. I’ll see you around, Lyra. Thank you.”

“Yeah, see you around!” She grabbed her stuff and walked away.

You fished the necklace out your pocket and studied the small symbol on the end of the black leather cord.  It wouldn’t be noticeable under his clothes and armour. You just hoped he would like it.

--

You and Hunter seemed to find any excuse to gravitate towards one another and touch each other, even if it was nothing more than a simple touch that lasted a matter of seconds. Yes, you’d started it with your comment about the scarf, but he really wasn’t helping with things. The air between the two of you had been charged ever since you’d walked back down those steps and now every touch sent warmth flooding through you, and you were sure it was the same for him. To the others, the hand wrapped around your shoulder seemed completely innocent since you were all engaged in casual conversations, but it sent a thrumming through your veins you couldn’t control. And, judging by the way he’d tensed up when you’d laid your hand on his thigh, you weren’t the only one. You all had shed your armour since Cid didn’t have a mission so that definitely wasn’t making things any easier for you.

It felt like a test. Who was going to be the one to give in first? You really didn’t want it to be you and you think you had a way to do that. As Wrecker and Omega got up to go play a game of Dejarik, with Tech and Echo going to watch, you turned to face him. “Can I talk to you outside?”

Hunter looked at you quizzically but nodded and followed you as you stood up.

You made your way to the exit.

“Where are you going?” Omega asked as she waited for Wrecker to make his move.

“We’ll be back.” You replied.

--

“Everything okay?” Hunter asked as you began to pace in front of him.

“Yes. I just- Look I’m- What I’m trying-.” You stopped with an aggravated huff. You’d rehearsed this countless times in your head, and it wasn’t a big deal, worst he could say was no.

“Sweetheart.” Hunter grabbed your wrist to get you to stop walking. “Take a breath, look at me.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Don’t call me that.”

Hunter tilted his head. “Why not? You usually don’t mind it. In fact, you tend to quite enjoy it.” He added with a smirk.

You shot him a playful glare and removed his hand which had worked its way to your waist. “Yes, exactly. You’re distracting me and I have a plan here. You’re not going to ruin it with your-” You didn’t finish your sentence, you just gestured to him.

Hunter held his hands up in mock surrender and leaned against the edge of the entry way.

You inhaled deeply and started pacing again. “I consider myself a pretty independent person, you know? Not one to be dependent on much, certainly not a man in my life. But then you come along, and suddenly I’m finding particular things I thought I would hate, quite, well, quite attractive. Take this for example.” You pointed to the half skull on your top. “I was convinced I would hate it, but I don’t. I don’t mind the message it sends.” You stopped and faced him. “However, I can’t just be what this suggests. You’re a part of me, the whole squad is, but I don’t want to be seen as someone whose only purpose is to belong to you.”

Hunter straightened up as he addressed you. “I know that. If I’ve given you reason to believe otherwise, I’m sorry. I’m sure Lyra could change it. I didn’t mean-”

“Hunter, I know.” You reassured him. “That’s not what I’m saying. I only mean I thought it would be nice if you maybe had something that- uh.” You broke off with an awkward cough before you continued, “Represented me.”  You brought the necklace out and handed it to him.

“Where’d you make that?” Hunter asked quietly as he studied the necklace which had attached to it a tiny metallic symbol. A symbol he’d seen many times during the Clone Wars. It was the symbol for the Jedi Order.

“Lyra gave me access to her stuff. Don’t worry, she didn’t know exactly what I was doing.” You added quickly as you saw the concern that flashed across his face. You looked down at the ground and scuffed the toe of your boot through the dirt. “Do you like it? I know it’s a bit risky but figured you could conceal it easily enough and I-” The strong hands on your waist that guided you backwards to the wall cut you off. You glanced up but before you could take your next breath, Hunter’s lips met yours and what little resistance you had left crumbled, but hey, technically he kissed you first, so you counted it as a win. You let him press his body tight to yours and you kissed him eagerly. You like it then?

Hunter didn’t answer directly. He just kissed along your jaw and nipped the skin by the spot behind your ear that he knew would elicit a moan from you and you didn’t disappoint. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?” He said, still out of breath and his voice even lower than what it usually was.

You released a sigh and your head fell back against the wall as he continued to leave marks on the skin of your neck. I have a pretty good idea.

“I’m serious.” He slid his hand on your cheek, so you were forced to look at him and he very nearly lost it. Your eyes were wide, and your breathing was still uneven, and he wanted nothing more than to continue but he needed to say this first. “From the minute you showed up on Devaron to help, I was enthralled by you. You took out a line of droids with nothing more than a slightly longer vibroblade on your back and acted like it was a regular day. Sure, later on we discovered there was a bit more reason behind that.”

You smiled slightly but your eyes dipped down as a wave of guilt washed over you at the memory of your dishonesty.

“Hey.” Hunter said softly as he saw your mind leave the current moment. He tucked his finger under your chin and angled your face back up. “That’s not why I brought it up. Don’t go back there. Stick with me here cause there’s a point to all this, I promise.”

You sighed and nodded.

Hunter breathed deeply. “You were incredible and there was no hesitation from me, or the others quite frankly, when it came to offering a place with us. I just underestimated the impact you were going to have on my life. It didn’t take long for my brothers to start giving me a hard time, but I was too stubborn to listen.”

Join the club.

He smiled at you before he continued. “Remember, when there was that stampede of Reeks and I got hurt. It was about two months after you’d joined us?” When he saw you nod, he carried on, “You remember how I got injured?”

“The last dregs of the Separatist droids sent a final charge our way. The blast meant I slipped and fell into the cavern where they were running. You came after me and pushed me out the way.” You said softly.

“Yeah, I did. I- I was in love with you then.”

“Well, then we were on very similar timelines.” You revealed with a smile.

Hunter huffed out a laugh. “So, fast forward to now. You’re wearing something that ties you to me and I don’t think you realise exactly the effect that has on me. And then I come out to see I’m wearing the same the colours you are. And to top it off, you’re asking me to wear something that ties me to you? I can say with no hesitation that you’re a part of me too.” With that, he looped it over his neck.

You took a shaky breath as you watched him put it on and you understood why the half skull on your top had meant so much to him. “You think the colours thing only mattered to you? Why do you think I had to give it to you now?” You murmured. “You were killing me in there.”

Hunter nuzzled into your neck. “That why you dragged me out here? Couldn’t wait?” He muttered into your skin and began to place light kisses on your neck, altering what side had his attention.   

“That why you followed me out here?” You countered as you struggled to keep your composure. 

“I thought you wanted to talk.” Hunter replied, his eyes lifting to yours, an unspoken challenge behind them. 

“I-I did talk.” You maintained. 

“And now?”

“And now I’m done.” You grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him with fervour. And I’m counting this as a win. You broke first.  

Hunter chuckled and moved so his lips brushed against your jawline again as his hand trailed from your cheek down to your neck where it stopped for a moment before he continued, and his palm came to rest on the left side of your chest. Your heartbeat pounded beneath his fingertips.

You didn’t let him linger there too long. Wrapping your hands around the back of his neck, you pulled him in even closer and bucked your hips forward into him in an attempt to banish the remaining space between the two of you. As you did so Hunter let out a moan into the crook of your neck and the resulting vibrations sent your mind to mush. Your hands frantically grabbed at his shirt, the fabric bunching in between your fingers as you tried to bring him even closer. You let out a frustrated moan, you felt like he was holding back, and you were losing patience. 

Hunter let out a soft chuckle and you could feel his smile against your skin, genuine and unfiltered. “Relax.”  he whispered into your ear. “I’m right here.” 

Your hands slid from his waist up the length of his back, his muscles rigid but warm against your palm. You nipped at his ear, your hips still bucking into him, and you’d never been more thankful that Lyra had gotten rid of the cod pieces, but it also meant you became more and more desperate.  

“I need you closer.” Your voice came out strained as you looked up at him and you made no attempt to disguise your desire as you continued to press yourself against him.   

“That can be arranged.” 

The lights in the alleyway were dim but you could have sworn you saw a glimmer form in his eyes, the kind that only appeared when the two of you were alone. Upon seeing that, all sensible thoughts about the risks of doing this in public left your head completely. 

Bending down ever so slightly he brought both his hands to the back of your thighs lifting you up against the wall in one swift movement. Instinctively, you wrapped your legs around his waist as he held you in position against the wall. Your fingers found themselves wrapped up in Hunter’s hair which you used to gently tug his face away from where he was placing deep kisses along your collarbone. He let out a deep sigh which caught in his throat and resembled something close to a growl. As you held his head there you allowed yourself a moment to admire the way his eyes had grown darker, and his chest and shoulders heaved as he caught his breath. His lips remained parted as he patiently waited for instructions from you. Removing your hand from his hair you brought it back to caress his tattooed cheek, this time allowing your thumb to softly trail his lower lip.

He drew you into a deep kiss, the kind that left your lips raw and your lungs begging for oxygen that you swore you could definitely live without - but eventually you had to give into your reflex and come up for air. 

Hunter broke away first, bringing his forehead to rest tenderly against yours. His hands reached under your top; his gloved hands caressed your skin. “You sure about doing this here? I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop once-”  

Yes. You nodded eagerly but before you were able to continue, a horrified shout got both of your attention. 

“Ugh are you kidding me! You two really couldn’t wait?! Ugh my eyes!” Wrecker complained as he instantly turned away from the scene in front of him.

Hunter quickly let you down and he was sure your mortified expression matched his and you both turned to face the backs of Wrecker and Echo. 

“Oh, uh, hey boys. What, eh, what brings you out here?” You winced out as you adjusted your top.

At the sound of your feet hitting the ground, Echo turned to face you both and gave a disapproving stare. “Omega is about to play Tech and wanted to see if any of you wanted the next round so, we came out to ask. She nearly left to ask herself, but I figured based on past experience-”

“Okay.” Hunter interrupted him before he went any further.

You can turn around, Wrecker.

Wrecker took you at your word. “What happened to talking?”

“I mean… we did talk. Just got a bit carried away.” Your eyes focused on fiddling with the end of your sleeve.

“I’ll say.” Wrecker griped. 

“That’s the third time this month. We’ve talked about this. It was bad enough when Tech interrupted you guys in the cockpit.” Echo chastised you both.

Hunter couldn’t find any words. He just kept his eyes on the ground. 

“Hey, you didn’t have to listen to the lecture he gave afterwards on the importance of hygiene and sanitation.” You grumbled. 

“You’ve been lucky it hasn’t been Omega yet.” Echo continued, paying little attention to your words.

You knew he was right. The two of you had been pretty reckless lately and the very fact Omega hadn’t been one of the unfortunates to witness said reckless moments is something you thanked the Force for. “I’m sorry, we’ll be better.”

“Yeah, sorry boys. It won’t happen again.” Hunter said firmly.

A few beats of uncomfortable silence passed.

“You guys aren’t coming back down any time soon, are you?” Echo asked reluctantly as he nodded to where both of your hands were.

The two of you hadn’t noticed the new places your hands had found themselves in. Your fingers were lightly tracing up and down Hunter’s arm whilst his had found itself around your waist again and his thumb rubbed up and down your side. Upon hearing Echo’s words, you both glanced at each other. Tell Omega I owe her a game. We’ll be back later tonight. You said in a way of reply, your brain slowly starting to block the presence of the other two out.

Echo sighed tiredly. “Just get out of here. Come on, Wrecker. We probably don’t want to linger here much longer.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Wrecker hastily turned on his heels and walked back down the steps to Cid’s, with Echo following close behind.

“Well… that could’ve been worse.” You mumbled into his shoulder after they left before you trailed a line of kisses along his neck, your teeth lightly grazed his skin.

“I can’t say I can see how. That was- that was pretty awkward.” Hunter managed to stammer out.

“I could’ve been in a more compromising position.” You purred as your hand trailed down his chest and you made to kneel in front of him. You knew he was feeling more sensible, and you definitely knew it was better to head back to the Marauder but that didn’t mean you couldn’t have your fun.

He swiftly tugged you back up and shook his head at you as he saw the cat-like grin on your face. “Careful, or I’ll have to continue this here anyway.” Hunter groaned as you slowly ground your hips against him.

“Promises, promises.” You whispered back, tugging his lip between your teeth and you took pleasure in the low moan that left him. Your hands kept a tangled grip in the scarf as you kissed him and tugged him to you.

Before he really did get too carried away, Hunter pulled away, but he still kept you tight to him. “I believe you had some thoughts for the use of this scarf? I got some ideas.” Hunter rasped.

“Hmm, I’m much more of a practical learner.” You hummed against his lips.

Stifling a groan, Hunter kissed you once more before he wrapped an arm around your waist and the two of you hustled away to the Marauder.

Masterlist

Tagging@ @noeasyisnoisy, @tpwkcalli, @fuckoffthanos, @arctrooper69, @graciexmarvel, @flyingkangaroo, @nightmonkeysstuff, @a-streakofazure​, @ladytano420​, @dragonrider9905​, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf​, @yyourmotherr​, @xxeiraxx​ 

[nyxunderwood]

Friday snips

Thanks to @snarky-magpie the tag! It is well and truly Sunday here in Australia but I'm a sucker for a snippet so here we go. A little glimpse of the next chapter of Object Permanence after a pretty brutal cliffhanger. This is a flashback to the early years of Sirius and James from the perspective of my beloved Euphemia Potter.

Snip snip

Potter Manor, Scotland – 1972

That Christmas during their Second Year at Hogwarts, Sirius came to stay for the first time. His family was in France and had left him behind at school. He seemed delighted by this turn of events.

She pretended to believe Sirius when he told her Walburga and Orion had agreed to let him visit, uncomfortable with the idea of abandoning him to that draughty castle when he so clearly wanted to be at Potter Manor. 

Turning a blind eye was the greatest gift she gave James that year. James insisted that Sirius sleep in his room and she heard them laughing and plotting late into the night. She could tell that Sirius was on his best behaviour; he was unfailingly well-mannered at the dining table – a product of years of training under the hawkish eye of Walburga. The problem was he was incapable of maintaining this good behaviour outside of mealtimes. 

The first night Sirius stayed, Effie asked him over dinner whether his family had any Christmas traditions that he would like them to include in their celebration.

Sirius winkled his nose in distaste. “You have met my family, right?”

Effie glared at Monty when he snorted into his soup.

“Yeah, Mum,” James added. “I don’t think a mounted House Elf head would look good above the stockings.”

Sirius grinned at him. “Maybe we could put antlers on it.”

“Or a Santa hat,” Monty added, earning himself another glare. 

Effie turned her attention to Sirius again. “Well, when do you usually do presents?” 

Sirius blinked at her uncomprehendingly. He glanced at James, as if requiring a translation. When James noticed his confusion, his face fell. 

Sirius immediately turned back to Effie, eager to smooth over the situation. “Uh,” he said quickly. “In the morning.”

“Good,” she said softly, her heart twisting at the transparent lie. “We do that too.”

Sirius looked relieved that he had gotten the answer right. Something within her thawed slightly - at least until the following morning he and James managed to unearth a cursed suit of armour from the East Wing that trampled her winter vegetable patch.

[wannaeatramyeon]

need more writing of taehoon asap!!!!

how about reader and taehoon go a simple date together, going to a cute cafe, and then them hanging out around his room?? 🩷

(add some teasing and suggestive things 🫥🫥)

-ps, can i be 🍫 anon?

Hi Anon! Thank you for requesting! Spoiler alert - you don't make it back to his room. Oof!! Edited to add of course you can be 🍫anon!!

Seong Taehoon x Reader: Two menaces walk into an arcade...

'cute' date with your boyfriend

Taehoon bites his tongue, and it's no easy feat.

He cannot cause a scene before you've even arrived.

Still. The girls seated at the next table must have a deathwish if they point their finger and giggle in his direction one more time.

In his periphery, he sees more staring... and a finger wagging at him yet again. He snaps.

"Fuck you looking at?"

Frustratingly, their giggles get louder and Taehoon wants to tear his hair out.

The braver one of the group, or stupidest - depending on how you look at it, approaches him. Sashaying over, confident and cocky, she holds out her phone. "Can I have your number?"

Taehoon scowls, leg twitching at her audacity. Just as he's about to tell her to piss off and maybe throw a kick her way to emphasise his point, he feels an arm around his shoulder.

"This one's taken. Fuck off." Tone saccharine and syrupy with a smile to match, even as you flip her off with your other hand.

"Excuse me?" she reels, aghast with your language and attitude.

"You're excused," You pull the chair out from under her, taking a seat as she stumbles out the way. "Now go."

As a last ditch attempt, the girl looks at Taehoon. Like he's the knight in shining armour that would save her.

Taehoon pulls out an expression that is usually reserved for you but he knows not many can resist. The one that walks the line between seductive and arrogance.

He arches a brow and lazily peers at her from beneath his long lashes, he smirks when he sees her gulp as his bad boy charm takes hold.

A last little bit of false hope before he lands the finishing blow.

"You heard my girlfriend. Now fuck off."

.

.

Really, he only had himself to blame when you plastered yourself to his back, finding the milky white skin of his neck far more fascinating. He doesn't move at all feeling your body pressed against him, distracted with unleashing a combo of moves.

"Quit it." Taehoon snaps as you nip at his neck, eyes still fixed firmly on the screen.

Afterwards, Taehoon had grabbed your wrist and dragged you to the arcade. A quick detour he had said, before you continue on your evening with him.

You were the one that suggested the cafe, both finding out once the food arrived that it was more suited for pretty social media pictures, the meal itself being tasteless and overpriced.

Reluctantly, you gave in. A truce for your shitty choice and his shitty encounter.

...There was nothing quick about it.

The detour turned into an hour of you hovering around, having circled the entire place five times, trying and failing to win yourself a plushie on the claw machine (which totally should be Taehoon's job, by the way), and now attempting to entertain yourself by watching your boyfriend knock out his opponent.

Yawn. You are very much not entertained.

Until now.

You go in for another bite.

"Seriously!" He shoves your head away with far less force than you deserve, then hand returning to its position on the joystick, not missing a beat.

You huff as he resumes his button mashing, but your patience and penchant for terrorising your boyfriend is almost on par with how much of a terror Taehoon is to everyone else.

Third time's the charm when you latch on, sucking away at a particularly tender spot. Taehoon's eyes flutter shut, the sound of his groan is drowned out by the game announcing 'K.O!", ruining his chain of victories.

Oops.

The computerised voice registers and suddenly you find yourself looking into the eyes of your very pissed off boyfriend.

"Do you want to die?"

You give him the smile of yours that you know he finds adorable but he continues to glare daggers. The vein throbbing on his temple does not subside. He will not be manipulated.

"Taehoon~" you try, your sugary sweet tone from earlier returning.

"No."

"No?"

He scans the arcade and your eyes follow.

Ah, you should have noticed that it had emptied out, not a body in sight.

The general public - usually your last wall of defence. Taehoon normally at least toning it down and somewhat behaving himself for your sake, caring about your propriety.

If no one is around though, that's a whole other story.

Taehoon fiddles with the hem of your skirt. You had thought it was particularly cute when you put it on this morning, and now you regret your hubris.

He looks at you, fangs bared and you gulp.

Shit.

A resounding SMACK lands on your asscheek, the sting causing you to yelp and your eyes to water.

Your hand immediately moves to cover your ass from any further assault, but Taehoon captures them both and holds them steady.

The bastard smiles. "Here's the attention you deserve."

Even through the pain, you feel a thrill of excitement as your mind wanders, thinking about what he would do to you in this empty arcade.

Taehoon all but abandons the game, focusing now entirely on you.

[lisbeth-kk]

Sherlock fandom.

Was it all for nothing?

Mycroft had warned him. Countless times. But Sherlock was stubborn. Besides, John was different he’d thought. John would never lose his faith in him. Or would he? He’d sounded quite convincing when he talked to John from the roof of Barts two years ago. But at Sherlock’s grave John had asked him for a miracle.

Don’t be dead. For me.

So, Sherlock was at a loss, and the blood froze in its veins when Mycroft told him that John had moved out of 221B. Moved on with his life.

“What life? I’ve been away,” Sherlock had spat at his brother.

The look Mycroft gave him then, brought Sherlock back to his childhood. When he’d misunderstood the simplest things regarding social behaviour. The look of pity.

“Well, at least you can count on your family to have your back,” Mycroft told him.

John used to be all the family I needed, Sherlock thought.

“Spare me the-blood-is-thicker-than-water speech,” Sherlock scoffed.

***

After all those months abroad wearing various disguises, it was a relief to once again have his armour on. A bespoke shirt and suit, newly polished shoes, a cashmere scarf and his beloved Belstaff. Its weight comforted him. He had to get his befuddled mind under control, though.

John gone from Baker Street. Seeing a nurse from work. Mary Morstan. American. A too perfect CV. John was going to propose to her tonight. John, his best friend. The one he’d sacrificed everything for. Would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant he would be safe.

He had hoped that John would’ve waited for him. A stupid thought. John believed Sherlock was dead. There was nothing to wait for. How could he have expected John to wait for a dead man? Stupid!

Sherlock was tempted to leave it that way. To hop on the next plane to whichever part of the world. But he craved to see John again. One last time, if it came to that. John would probably be angry with him. Livid. Definitely livid. John was never pleased when Sherlock left him out of the loop.

He should make a plan but couldn’t come up with anything. Sherlock was tired of it, after almost two years of planning every second of the day. 

Do what feels right in the moment.

***

John had grown a moustache. He looked old with that caterpillar on his face. Sherlock preferred him clean shaven. He considered going over to him, asking if he was keeping it.

A bit not good, Sherlock.

John’s voice was loud and clear in his head. The left corner of his lip lifted slightly. He stood perfectly still for a moment drinking in the sight of the man he’d missed more than oxygen. A sudden jostle to his back made him cry out in pain. His wounds were still fresh. He could feel blood trickle down his spine.

“Sorry,” a man told him and hurried in the direction of the rest rooms.

Sherlock breathed hard through his nose, tried to get control over the intense pain. His eyes were closed and when he opened them, John stood in front of him.

“Sherlock,” he whispered.

“John.”

He closed his eyes again, gritted his teeth, and steadied himself on the column he’d been hiding behind.

“You’re hurt,” John stated, the doctor personae automatically surfacing.

Sherlock couldn’t speak. He was overwhelmed by the pain and John’s presence. The scent of him and his proximity calmed Sherlock considerably. John’s arm was on Sherlock’s wrist, checking his pulse while his eyes took in the rest of him.

 “Torture?” John inquired with a trembling voice, indicating the marks on Sherlock’s wrist and his back.

The blood had apparently soaked through his coat.

Sherlock nodded and prepared himself to leave when he saw Mary approaching. Just one look at her and the word radiating from her was “liar”.

“Always the doctor, John,” she cooed, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Sherlock that John almost cringed at the statement.

“Goodbye, John,” Sherlock said and walked out of the restaurant as quickly as he could manage.

***

John had seemed all professional and detached, and that was even worse than his fury would’ve been. Was it all for nothing? Did John want him in his life now when he had Mary? It didn’t seem like a match made in heaven to Sherlock, but then again what did he know about such matters.

He carefully removes his shirt in the bathroom. It’s stained with a red flower-like mark. The wound in question is the one just out of reach. He must call Mycroft to get someone to rinse it and change the bandages. Not tonight, though. Sherlock needs to gather himself and catalogue his thoughts before he meets his flesh and blood again. 

He hears footsteps on the stairs. Mrs. Hudson can’t be allowed to see him like this, but then he listens more intently. It’s not her. Her hip and age forbid her to take the steps two at a time. Besides, he knows those steps.

John.

Before Sherlock has the time to cover his torso, John is standing in the doorway with a grim look on his face. Murderous more like. Sherlock prepares for the blow he knows is coming. It never comes. Instead, warm and steady hands explore, careful not to inflict pain.

“The ones responsible for this?” he asks through gritted teeth.

“Dead,” Sherlock tells him.

John nods satisfied, manhandles Sherlock to sit and gets to work. Sherlock tries not to wince when the wound stings. When John’s finished, and Sherlock stands, John buries his face into Sherlock’s chest.

“Don’t you dare leave me again,” he murmurs.

“I promise,” Sherlock says. “Never again.”

@flashfictionfridayofficial @keirgreeneyes @totallysilvergirl @@calaisreno @a-victorian-girl @safedistancefrombeingsmart @phoenix27884 @topsyturvy-turtely @gregorovitchworld @peanitbear @helloliriels

[marveylovely]

SUITS | 2.02

He doesn't want to force Mike to do something he doesn't want to. Harvey is too in love with that. But it was the right decision. Mike won't be able to build a relationship with someone who doesn't know about his secret. He doesn't know how to lie to those he loves. Therefore, all that remains for Harvey is to pat the newcomer on the back, gently touching the edge of hair growth and invite him to drink.

Now is the time for this. And if Mike falls asleep upset and drunk on Harvey's couch, continuing to cuddle under someone else's hands, then who is Harvey to deny a puppy a roof over his head? He has no malicious intent. Of course not. It's just that Harvey was the first to light stars in cornflower blue eyes, and he's going to be the only one. All he needs is to remove a sweet and kind assistant from the field of view of his equally sweet and kind assistant.

And if Harvey looks happier than usual the next day, you can sue him. Be prepared that he will rip you off like a stick, even though all this is the pure truth.

"So", Donna enters without asking, as usual, and looks piercingly, as if she already has the answers … as usual.

Harvey just arches an expressive eyebrow. The first rule if you are brought in for questioning is to close your mouth, you are not obliged to say anything.

Donna repeats his gesture and folds her arms over her chest, looking at him with a slight condescension. The prosecution went on the attack!

"Okay", Donna snorts and unceremoniously sits down on the chair in front of him.

"Yesterday you gave Mike a lecture about relationships, then took him out for a drink, and today you look too pleased for a man who was tormented by guilt because his assistant is a golden retriever who suffers for a girl. There's something wrong here", Donna doesn't ask—she claims.

"I still don't hear the question," Harvey shrugs.

Donna stares intently into his eyes and suddenly gasps. Her face lights up with an epiphany, and her gaze becomes predatory and dangerous. The blood is already in the water, and the shark can smell the victim.

"There was no guilt', Donna leans back in her chair.

Only she manages to sit on these uncomfortable chairs as if she is a queen who has condescended to receive servants. This woman is gorgeous.

"You didn't want him to date her because you only wanted him for yourself".

She's not asking again.

"It was the right choice, and I want to remind you that you agreed with him," Harvey shrugs.

It's a trap.

"Yes, but you didn't deny it".

"What's the point if you've already decided everything?" — counteroffensive.

"Oh, Harvey, it won't work on me — expected failure".

" What do you want to hear?", Harvey looks at her wearily. "I said what I had to say. Did I know that this would lead to certain consequences when…"

"Will the puppy be vulnerable, and will you be able to pick him up? Donna chuckles".

Harvey rolls his eyes.

"Call it what you want".

"Harvey," Donna's tone suddenly becomes serious. "If you started this game, then don't hurt him. Mike doesn't deserve this".

"Who do you take me for?", Harvey winces because Donna is unconsciously voicing his fears.

"For a man who does not know how to show emotions, and who hides any affection behind a thick—skinned armour", her answer is honest and ruthless as always. "Mike is all emotions, Harvey".

"And because of that, we have so many problems," he says.

"And that's why you like working with him so much. Think about it".

"I'm trying, okay?"

Donna stands up and straightens the folds of her dress.

"Do it or leave Rachel's boyfriend".

She leaves, clicking her heels loudly on purpose, looking so much like a proud lioness. Mike flies in after him, carrying folders. Tired and sleepless, but collected. Harvey looks him in the eye and thinks trying would be an insult.

Harvey will just do it. As always.

[miapcain]

are the outfits in VDtWOF inspired by anything in particular or generic in a way?

Thank you for the ask! I love getting these :p

I had the opportunity to borrow a historian's rare book on 14th century bohemian clothing after he heavily criticized the last game I had a big hand in, Rhythm of Triverz, for period inaccuracies. That gave me a convenient ceiling for the most advanced gowns and armour you could expect in the region at the time. Resources on this are extant online but many don't cite their sources and most good ones are maintained on individual german historians' websites, so I need to do more research on this in general, but here are my basic rules for designing their clothes:

Everyone wears long gowns. Hose were pretty rare in this period. Women might have slightly longer dresses

Everyone wears a plain "shift," a garment that's worn under the main article of clothing. This is the one that gets washed

Garments, even rich ones, are unicolour. Mixed fabrics and colours appear later.

There's very little embroidery or detailwork on regular clothing

A garment will be worn with a belt, which might be longer the higher a person's status, and a pouch carrying an eating knife and other personal items

Most people will wear a head covering. Married women will always cover their hair outdoors, other women might do so too, and all women and girls cover their hair in church. Most common hats should be bundhauben or gugel.

A garment can be worn with a contrasting cloak (blue/red is a common one)

Jewellery is occasionally ok, but no piercings (?)

Shoes as we know them are more 14th/15 century; no big boots. Most shoes will be more like pointed leather socks or for ladies silk slippers. Poor people might wear wooden clogs.

No or very few fancy cuts. Later on you see tunics and gugel with with triangular or even fancier hems; This possibly exists very rarely in a limited capacity on things like a noblewoman's 'Kruseler' veil at this time, but that's probably it.

No black. No one depicted in this comic would be rich enough to waste money on black dye. Nuns and so on wear undyed or brown wool.

Military clothing is more "primitive" than might be expected. Not really any fancy visor helmets or big articulated suits of armour yet, most men-at-arms and even knights wear a mail shirt and a surcoat

As I understand, and I'm more than happy to be corrected on any of this, this applies almost universally. Peasants working in the field will wear dyed colourful garments, not plain rags. If it's hot, you don't take the outer garment off, you tuck the front hem of it in your belt to expose the shift. Masons will climb ladders and haul stone in this stuff. Some labourers or craftspeople will wear an apron and other specialized clothing like a toolbelt, too.

Note how Vesna wears a plain linen shift under her nicer yellow dress. I usually draw her with the sleeves all the way at the wrist, which would be the appropriate way to wear them, but she has it folded back here to make the composition nicer.

Bonus: Amusing pictures of King Václav IV slaying (150 years after when Vesna is set) and the "work uniform" of a bathhouse maid

[rubypasha1]

Click or Treat! 🦝

I suppose treat?

Here’s the first little bit I’ve written for the next chapter of my fic “Make Art, Not War”

“-As I said before, all your work must be submitted before you leave,” the light grey and yellow mech standing in front of you and the other two dozen others under his management, “You will all be shipped directly to your new workplaces and provided residency at Iaconian-workforce buildings. The new owners of your contracts pay for it and have the right to move you wherever is required.”

Several groans and silent curses were released among your colleagues, you yourself had your face in your hands. The rhythmic, fast tapping of your heel against the metal beneath it filled the little silence there was, leg bouncing uncontrollably as the room slowly descended into silence.

“Any questions?” Finelense places the datapad he was reading from down, the podium atop the small stage in the meeting area while all of you sat on flimsy benches below. They dipped beneath your weight, bending and grounding as everyone shifted uncomfortably. He looked down at you all with a board frown, eyes half open as if resisting falling into recharge.

6h-D was the one to speak up first, “Yeah, I knows the younger models are staying behind but why the change?” She was part of the last generation getting their contracts sold, you’d say you felt sorry for her if she wasn’t going to Velocitron.

The planet of speedsters, an endless dessert where the fastest racers entirely dedicated to their passion spent all day going up and down complicated obstacle courses or the flattest dessert they could find. She’d excitedly informed everyone that, because she was the fastest among her generation, she was being shipped off to record personal interviews of racers there and be in charge of taking photos throughout the more important races.

She’d gone completely silent after catching sight of you.

Finelense settles her with a stare that said he wasn’t paid enough for his job, this wasn't in his contract, and if he could he would quit.

“It is unfortunate,” he didn’t sound the slightest bit sad, “However outdated models haven’t been bringing in the quality of work that is desired. The newer generations will pick up their work and improve the name of our foundation.”

At that even more shouts of protest rise up. All the younger bots had been led to some sort of new orientation. They were getting an increase, apparently, further fueling the anger of the many sparks about to be paid even less. Back struts and joints strained as some stood up, vox’s cutting out in static. The three boxes resting between your legs gave no warmth or reassurance, they only aided in reminding you of how pointless your life felt.

You dared to shift your visor towards the side, a single bot standing by the only exit. Tall with sharp armour, all curved in ways only a speedster could be naturally forged with. An armour of primarily metallic white stood out against the dark frames of bare metal. The accents of red and blue were sharp and clean, small lines along certain pieces - completely symmetrical - with a matching gun held between two arms.

Blue optics scanned the crowd, face set in a stern line while the gun was shifted within her grasp. She was smaller than all of you - even the newer models who were desized in order for ‘optimum efficiency’. Her optics caught your gaze, narrowing as that frown dipped deeper into a scowl. Her back straightened, gun held high and tighter with those blazing blue optics daring you to step a foot out of line.

Your gaze fell to the floor.

“All of you have been kindly relocated,” several barks of laughter interrupted Finelense, “With jobs suited to you best. Now, everyone except 4St and 78h-D leave to depart for your transport.”

Complaints and mumbled curses passed by, shadows and metal passed by on the floor yet with every single one not a whisper was passed by you. Their gazes were heavy, their fields mixing with a sick combination of relief and sorrow. All too soon the silence returned, your bouncing leg grown slower but still moving.

The soft set of quick footsteps was the only reason you looked up, Finelense looked unchanged, “Sit, 78-D.” The soft creak of the bench beside you announced the younger bot, field vibrating with pure excitement.

Finelense looked directly into your visor, “You are the only ones going to Kaon. Shipment will take place on the cargo train we’re sending in the next groon. Both of you will be escorted there immediately and if I hear that one datapad is missing both of you are scrap.”

[mylifeisactuallyamess]

Chapter 12: Recovery

A/N: I finished sitting this so I decided to get it out, because in true ADHD fashion I can’t keep it to myself.

Warnings: Incorrect medical talk (probably.) lots of feels, so much touching in this chapter omg. Probably more ND behaviour (definitely). Erm…feelings *insert Crowley gif here.*

Word Count: 5.4k+

You lost track of the days. Hours shifted, blending into one long continuous run of you worrying about Tech. Tesama stepped right into the breach with Beetoo, the pair of them running the medcentre while you watched monitors and ever changing numbers.

Tech had contracted an infection. It was inevitable really, performing such a drastic surgery in the ship rather than back here where it was clean and sterile. He needed more blood which Hunter and Wrecker seemed more than willing to provide, but you put a stop to that when Hunter accidentally gave too much and nearly passed out in the chair.

They visited whenever they could, checking on you and Tech, usually Omega stayed behind when the others went on missions; her knowledge was invaluable when it came to the clones.

You were stretched. Pushing your own knowledge and experience to the absolute limit even when it came so naturally. You had taken to sleeping on a cot in Tech’s room, your senses attuned to any changes in his breathing or heart rate even without the machines you had him hooked up to.

Right now you were staring at him, wishing he would just open his eyes and look at you with those haloed irises you missed so much. It was late, the medcentre was quiet from the daily hustle and bustle that had become your background noise. The space was lit via the blue screens that showed you everything you needed to know about your patient and how he was doing.

Gently you took his limp hand, wrapping his large fingers around your own and imagining him giving it a squeeze. You could feel how hot he was, but he wasn’t as blazing with a fever as he was a few days ago, it was slowly retreating. Just not quick enough for your liking.

You had kept him in a coma, the life support machine a constant noise in his room and probably the only thing that kept you tethered to this reality. But the fever had dipped and he didn’t need to be in an induced coma anymore, so you could move him to the bacta tank.

He needed to wake up though. Perching your hip on his bed your eyes travelled over all the things that belonged to Tech; his goggles, his tools, his belt hung off the chair, his pack and helmet sat in the corner with the rest of his armour. Hunter had got him a new body suit and armour padding which you’d folded up nicely and stacked next to his pack.

It wasn’t right. None of this was. You squeezed his slack hand and wiped some stray tears off your cheek. You had been walking a fine line before this had happened and now it felt like a tightrope; taught under your feet, cutting into your soles with each step. Your balance was slipping, dragging you one way and then the other, neither ending promising to be happy.

Absently you played with his fingers, putting them against your own and comparing sizes. You loved Tech’s hands, knowing how nimble and sure they were with everything he did; whether it be adjusting the fine circuits in a droid or tapping away on his datapad. You missed hearing his voice, the random facts he loved to share and the calming effect he had on you.

“You know,” your voice cracked from lack of use. “Omega said you need a shave.” She wasn’t wrong, his stubble was growing, casting a dark shadow over his face. “I’ll ask Hunter tomorrow because he needs one too. He’s so worried about you, they’re all worried about you.” You glanced up at him, watching the forced breath in his chest as the life support machine did its job, wishing the life you saw wasn’t artificial. “I wish you’d come back,” you whispered, sucking your lips into your mouth to stop them trembling and looking up at the wall. “I miss you, Tech. No one sees me like you do and I…I need you.”

You searched his expression for a sign, a flicker, anything but got nothing. You fixed your gaze on the screen, noticing his brain activity was still there, the EEG was reading a positive output.

Closing your eyes, you dipped into that well of yourself you’d been avoiding, the one that felt like infinity was at your fingertips. It stretched and flowed, taunting and calling you to fall into it once again. You wouldn’t ever forget the rush it gave you, the exhilaration that this power offered but it scared you senseless. You didn’t consciously know what you were doing with it. It was like someone handing you a fathier and telling you to ride it when you’d never seen one before.

And yet, you delved into it now. It had always been there, slipping into your instincts without you even knowing what was happening. Surging through your hands when you needed it to save someone…anyone but yourself.

Putting your hand over Tech’s you closed your eyes and breathed. You remembered that moment in the Marauder with the Purrgil, the lights that shimmered over you both, Tech’s closeness and his excitement at finally seeing something that fascinated him so much.

You got lost in the muted rhythm of his body, the flow of his blood, the knock of his heart and the billow of his lungs. It was calming, as though you were communicating with him in the only way you knew how.

You put his hand down, withdrawing completely and making your way over to your cot. A sigh was pushed from your body as you looked at the ceiling, drifting a hand over your tired eyes.

Maybe tomorrow would be the day he wakes up.

When you woke, the first thing you sensed was someone else was in the room. Slowly you opened your eyes to find Hunter slumped in the chair beside his brother, chin in the palm of his hand as he dozed. Quietly you got up but it wasn’t quiet enough, his eyes snapped open and you froze.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I wasn’t asleep.” You checked the monitors, seeing there was no change in Tech’s condition and disappointment filled your chest. So you did the only thing you could do and go through the motions.

“Hi Tech,” you said, forcing a cheery tone into the words. “Hunter is here to see you this morning…” you glanced at him for confirmation and he nodded. “Yes, morning.” You flicked the torch across his eyes, noting a consistent response from his pupils. “No doubt the others will be along later. Echo has been trying fix Beetoo’s charging problems but he can’t find anything in the diagnostic.” Turning the bottom of the cover you exposed Tech’s feet and ran a finger along the sole of his foot, pleased with the toe movement as you did. “Nerves are healing nicely,” you murmured.

“Stitch…” in one word Hunter had asked a thousand questions that had all been asked before.

“We could try today.”

“Yeah?” You caught the look of hope on his face, split between the light and dark of his tattoo and it tugged at your tired heart.

“He needs to wake up so we can get him in the tank. Don’t tell the others.” His gaze dipped, the fall of his mouth spoke disappointment, nonetheless he nodded in agreement.

“They’re taking Omega on a supply run today anyway.”

“If you want to join them I can let you know how it goes?” But Hunter shook his head, eyes on his brother’s prone body as he leaned back in the chair.

“I want to be here when he wakes up.” You couldn’t argue with that.

You let Tesama and Beetoo know you were going to be totally unavailable today and sealed yourself in the room with Hunter and Tech. You turned down the sedation drug and settled yourself in for a wait. These things took time and you were prepared for the wait. Still, you couldn’t just sit, so you walked slowly round the room with your datapad; catching up on the reports and payments from the last few days.

Hunter sat quietly in the chair, his eyes tracking your movement while his fingers toyed with his knife. You heard the movement, the quiet scrape when he unsheathed it and the slight sing in the air as he twirled it amongst his fingers, never dropping it. It was distracting and you could feel yourself getting annoyed, so the next time you walked past him you plucked it easily from his grip.

His hand was still held up in surprise at your swift movement, brown eyes falling on the blade that was now caught between two of your fingers. “Now where did you learn to do that?” His gravelly voice laced with curiosity.

“I can hear it…whistling. If you need to fidget I could find you something to do.” You held out the hilt for him to take and he slipped back into his vambrace with a well practised move.

“We haven’t started your training,” he mused. “That would keep us both entertained.”

“Nice try. Not in here.” He hummed and slumped back in the seat with his arms crossed.

“We could talk. Shouldn’t Tech hear us?” You nodded, your gaze once again on the datapad.

“Ok, how is Omega after the last mission?” You waited for a response but the silence continued on too long and you glanced up to see him frowning at his knees. “That bad, huh?”

“She won’t talk to us,” he admitted.

“She’s been through and seen a lot,” you told him as you carried on your slow walk round the room. “I can try if you’d like?”

“You can try.” The monitor beeped and you stepped up to the bed, pulling the screen to face you.

“He’s waking up! Move!” You’d never snapped at Hunter before and he rose up, dragging the chair at the same time to get out of your way.

You worked on pulling out Tech’s ventilation tube, easing it from his throat and setting it to the side. The alarms rang, such a high pitched whining noise and you felt Hunter approach. Tech choked, his throat had been held open all this time, his body had forgotten how to breathe on its own, he needed to relearn. And fast.

Hunter was behind you, his eyes trained on the screen over your shoulder. You could sense his apprehension, the tightening in his chest at the flatline that traveled across the screen but amidst all that, was trust. He was standing here, not saying a word while his brother seemingly died before his eyes because he trusted you.

At the first faint bleep you both let out a sigh of relief. His vitals began to rise and his chest expanded on its own. Your laugh was almost hysterical, you were on the verge of exploding into action to save this clones life and now you didn’t need to.

Your laughs quickly became sobs as you gripped Tech’s hand. The tension you’d felt since they came home had come to a head and you were letting it out in the only way you knew how.

“He’s going to be ok,” Hunter murmured, his fingers reaching for you in the vain hope you’d let him comfort you.

“I’m e-exhausted,” you managed to get out between the shuddering breaths, moving out of his reach. “I’m not done yet.” Pulling yourself together you coughed, wiping your face and blinking your eyes wide. “He needs to be monitored, he’s still on the painkillers but he’s—he’s breathing on his own. Good heartbeat, brain activity…” you bent over Tech and shone the torch in his eyes, pleased to see a reaction and some resistance to your touch. “Talk to him.” Your voice was still too watery, you didn’t want Tech to wake up seeing you a complete mess.

“Tech? It’s Hunter.” He seemed lost for something else to say and shrugged a little when you looked up at him.

“Talk about the weather, what the time is, where the others are.”

“Right. Well Echo is sick of maintaining the ship by himself. Omega is bored and has memorised everything you’ve given her so far, Wrecker dropped Gonky the other day when he was lifting him. Now the droid is more defective than ever.” Taking a deep breath you swiped at your face, tugging on the tunic you’d worn for, you don’t know how long, and stepped up beside the bed.

“Tech. It’s Stitch.” You saw some activity on his face, a little frown followed by the lightest groan. “Can you squeeze my hand?” You gripped him firmly and waited. Then it came, the flex of his fingers and you nearly cried again. “Good.”

“Yeah?”

“Means he can hear us and he has cognitive function,” you told Hunter. “Which is good, very good.”

“Tech, brother…” for the first time you heard the worry come through in Hunter’s words as he dipped his head. “You had us worried.” As he continued to talk in a low voice you backed against the wall. Using the corner to wedge in like you used to do with Gonky on the ship, squeezing yourself in there tightly and dropping so you could hug your knees close.

More tears fell, you managed to hold back the sobs, just letting the moisture cascade down your face as you listened to Hunter talk to his brother.

“Stitch, his eyes. He opened his eyes.” Thank the Maker.

“That’s good. That’s really good.” Hunter stood up and looked at you over the bed, understanding filling his gaze as soon as he saw you on the floor.

Your heart jumped when a sound came from the bed, a hard groan of someone waking up after a very long sleep. You clocked the movement of his foot, the sharp inhale when he stretched for the first time in days and the flick of his fingers.

“Hunter…” he recognised Hunter. Another thing checked off the list. “I can’t see.” If you weren’t so emotionally ripped up you probably would have laughed. Tech’s immediate reaction was he couldn’t see without his goggles was such a Tech thing, it made you hug yourself tighter.

You watched as Hunter put them on for him, carefully adjusting them so they were just right on his brothers face and sitting the bed up slightly.

“My leg…” Tech moaned.

“Easy now, Tech.” Now you had to move, hoping your face didn’t betray the fact you’d been crying as you wiped it clear of tears. You couldn’t look at him, even as you stood on his injured side with Hunter just behind your shoulder. You took your time updating his records, his eyes tracking your movement as you clicked on the screen and added the details to your datapad. Hinter have him some water and you noted his breathing was a little rushed, he felt apprehensive and you could feel his burning need to know how he was.

“Do you want to know what happened?” You asked quietly, watching his hand fidget with the blanket.

“Yes.” You hesitated, allowing yourself a moment to fall behind your medic mask before you flipped a section of the blanket back to reveal the leg you’d operated on.

“You sustained extensive damage to the break, it was a closed fracture on the femoral shaft that needed to be reduced and fixed in place with metal rods and bolts. When they finally got you to me I had cut open your leg and relieve the hematoma, Hunter and Wrecker both gave you blood at the time as the loss was…a lot.” Your fingers clenched, still the sticky residue tortured your senses. “I managed to reattach blood vessels and nerves and you should regain the full use of your leg. Recovery will be long.” Now you glanced up, to see a grim expression on his face, one that told you he understood everything you’d said and what it meant. “We need to strengthen your muscle, and we’re looking at you being here at minimum, 4 to 5 months.” Hunter puffed out breath, scratching at the stubble on his cheek as he let your words sink in.

“I’m not sure Tech can sit still for that long.”

“Only at first and then I don’t see why he can’t fly the ship for easy missions,” you stressed, pushing a finger into Hunters chestplate before moving away. “I’ll get the tank set up and bring it in.”

Tech had installed repulsors on the tank so you were able to move it on your own. Once you’d set the programme you left Hunter to help Tech get into the tank. You’d picked up on his nervous energy and the way he kept glancing at you out the corner of his eyes, so you suggested you take a break and Hunter agreed.

Your room felt alien. It had only been a few days but it no longer felt familiar and you tried not to dwell on it stepping straight into the refresher. Letting the hot water cascade over your body you tried to empty your mind but all you could think about was Tech’s rehabilitation plan.

You weren’t done yet.

Very quickly your private patient room became Tech’s bedroom. He was building himself a leg brace and you didn’t have it in you to tell him no. It did him good to still use his hands, exercise his mind and it kept him busy.

It was time for his submersion into the tank. He went in every morning for a couple of hours and then you did your obs and checked on his leg. Routine, you always did it in the same order so he didn’t have surprises. Even now you were stood outside his room, waiting for the time to tick over the last minute.

It concerned you how much his body reacted your presence, you put it down to nerves about going in the tank. You had to touch him, help him and you wouldn’t have found it comfortable if you were in his position.

The door opened and you breezed in finding him sat on the edge of the bed as he waited for you. Instantly you noticed the way his hand jerked away from his thigh, planting on the bed and fisting on the covers as he glared at the wall. He was stripped down, ready for immersion into the bacta.

“Good morning,” you said, eyeing the screen beside his bed. No temp, good heart rhythm, nothing worrying at all. “Are you ready?” You pressed the buttons on the tank, turning to glance at him over your shoulder.

“Yes,” he replied stiffly. As you approached the monitor beeped to alert you to a change in his heartbeat and he stared at it like it had betrayed him. “I am still not accustomed to being touched in such a way.”

“I am just your medic, Tech.”

“You are more to me than just a medic.” Oh.

“I can get Tesama…”

“No. I would rather it was you.” You weren’t sure what to do with what he’d just told you. Putting down the datapad you relied on all you had left, routine. Slipping your arm around his bare body, feeling his arm over your shoulder as you wrapped your fingers against the curve of his side and you felt his inhale; desperately trying not to flinch away from you.

He hopped on one leg, grimacing as he did, little grunts of pain falling from between his clenched teeth until he slipped into the warm bacta. His relief was palpable when you stopped touching him, going to retrieve his breathing mask.

“Two hours and I’ll be back.” He nodded, handing you his goggles, eyes going wide as his vision deteriorated instantly. You wanted to comfort him, seeing the way his hands were moving in the fluid as he tried to find something to fiddle with. “Oh!” He glanced at you watching as you fished around in the pocket of your tunic and pulled out a puzzle box. “Omega found this on a supply run and she asked me to give it to you but I kept forgetting. It should keep you busy in the tank.” You tapped the screen. “I see you don’t sleep.”

“I find it hard to make my brain relax in such an environment. My mental knowledge, regretfully, only stretches so far and I have recounted everything I know at least 10 times already.” His fingers flexed, grateful to have something to do.

“Let’s get this on,” you encouraged gently. His eyes went even wide as you leaned in, settling the mask in place and pressurising it to his face with a soft hiss. “Two hours.”

As you were closing his door Tesama peered round the corner. She looked slightly concerned and you tilted your head. “Out with it.”

“Well, there’s another one of those clones here. He won’t let me near him, demanding you.”

“Which one?” You asked checking the readings from Tech’s tank one final time before heading to the bays.

“He says his name is Echo.” Your steps hurried. Echo hardly ever came in here and he was the one who if anything went wrong, it could be catastrophic. “He’s in your office.” She dropped away as you entered, seeing Echo on the bench in your office. He seemed all in one piece, just a scowl adoring his brow, his sense of agitation was making your skin tingle and you gently put the datapad down.

“Echo.” He flinched at the sound of your voice. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s…” the scowl deepened and he looked away from you. The feeling from him changed subtly and that’s when you discovered, he was embarrassed.

“Take your time,” you said gently. “I know this must be difficult for you.” He huffed, his pale gold eyes finally shifting in your direction.

“I feel like a di’kut.” You sat in the chair, turning it round to face him as you waited for an explanation. You could sense he was in good health, the rhythm of his blood was steady, the sense of his aura was strong and not flickering. “I have sand,” he blurted out.

“Sand?” You queried, that was the last thing you’d excepted.

“Sand. In places I don’t want sand.” It took you a few moments to understand what he was saying and you looked down at his scomp. He tried to spin it only for it to get stuck after a couple of rotations.

“Anywhere else?” He gestured with his hand, encompassing his back and legs.

“I can feel it in all the—sockets. I didn’t know where else to go,” he confessed quietly, a blush rising on his pale cheeks.

“Stay here.”

“Oh don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” he grumpily mumbled, crossing his arms. You went outside and collared Beetoo.

“If you had sand in your joints would an oil bath get rid of it?” You asked her quietly.

“For a droid, an oil bath is the best form of ridding debris.”

“Thanks Bee.” You busied yourself in the storage room, trying to find a container that would hold enough oil for Echo to bathe his legs. Finally you found one, activating the portable repulsers so you could drift it back to your office once you filled it up. You also grabbed a load of brushes and other tools not really sure how you were going to get the rest of the sand out of him.

He eyed you suspiciously when you guided the small tank in, scowling so deeply you wondered if the lines were going to become permanent.

“What’s all this?”

“You asked for my help,” you stated. He leaned back on one leg as you moved the bench away from the wall and putting it in the middle of the room. The repulsers switched off and you adjusted it all to where you thought it should be. “Ok. Strip off.”

“Strip?!” He looked so shocked you nearly giggled.

“Echo. I need to access the ports so I can clean them out. You need to immerse your legs in the oil and your scomp. It’s going to be uncomfortable but there is no other way.” You understood his hesitation, he hated anything thing like this and you were demanding he bare all the things he hated about himself to you. To be touched, meddled with, to be explored in ways he never wanted to again.

“This is the only way?”

“I’m afraid so. If you don’t want me to do it I could ask Beetoo…”

“No!” His hand and scomp went up, his pulse throbbed and you stopped talking. “No droids.”

“Let me know when you’re ready and we can begin.” You picked up the datapad, turning your body away so weren’t watching him. You checked on Tech, happy to see his numbers were more relaxed this time, the puzzle box clearly helping him settle. You heard Echo remove his kama, the utility belt dropping and the griptions loosening as he shed his armour. He looked hopefully at you but you gave him a slow shake of your head, you needed his padding off and he knew it. The sigh was resigned, if you could have seen it you were sure it would have been like a durasteel weight leaving him but he began to take it off anyway.

“Now what?” His voice wavered slightly and you made your face expressionless. You’d never seen Echo so bare before and the true nature of his remaking became apparent. It was barbaric. If only you’d been there when he’d been freed…the devastation would have been less.

“Step into the tank, and sit down. I will warn you about any moves I make and if anything feels uncomfortable or wrong, please tell me.” He gave you a curt nod. His eyes were dull, trying to hide his discomfort but it was coming off of him in suffocating waves. As soon as he was settled you approached him some tools and you saw him recoil a little. “I’m going to work on your scomp first, then we can bathe that too. Ok?”

“Mmhmm.” You were gentle as you reached for him. Echo turned his face away, closing his eyes as tremors of apprehension rippled through his feelings, the worry that you would be repulsed from him followed by surprise when you didn’t flinch.

You ran a practised eye over his cybernetics, seeing where the problems were and you got to work on trying to dig out the grains. It was gruelling, and you stayed tapped into his feelings as you worked; making sure you weren’t hurting him. Sand worked free from some of the mechanism and you asked him to spin it, seeing the movement was much freer. You asked him to submerge the scomp in the oil before moving round behind him.

His entire back tensed as you looked at what had been done to him. Black sockets ran down his spine and you felt a wave of rage that someone thought they had the right to do this to another living thing.

“Are you ok with me touching you, Echo? I need to brush these out.”

“Got no choice,” he muttered gruffly. “Just do it.” He was hunched over, holding his head in his hands as you started. The brush did wonders for dislodging the looser grains, hearing it hiss free was so satisfactory.

“I’m going to blow, on it,” you warned him quietly.

“Mmm.” His entire body tensed, muscles bulging as you carefully blew across his skin and swept away any stray grains before moving onto the next socket. By the time you’d reached the back of his neck your arms were protesting but you needed to finish. In this time he had relaxed, arm lowered and his face not so tortured as he got used to the contact. Still you communicated with him, letting him know everything you were doing in a calming voice that he listened to. His feelings settled, they weren’t so volatile anymore and you raised an eyebrow when you blew across his pale skin, sensing a change in his demeanour.

“Was that ok?” You asked. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” He refused to elaborate with a jut of his chin, fixing his glare on the wall so you decided not to probe any further. Tenderly you dusted your fingers over the spread of his shoulders, noticing the hitch his breath as you did.

“I’ve done what I can, a quick shower should rid you of any stray bits. Let’s check your scomp.” He lifted it free of the oil and you wiped it clean. Echo gave it a spin, his face breaking out in a hopeful smile as it moved without hindrance. “Standup, legs next.” He leaned on you, his hand clutching at yours as you took some of his weight until he was free of the oil bath. You went to wipe down his legs but he grabbed the cloth, making you look up at him.

“I-I can do it.” He refused to look at your face, the telltale blush once again rising on his cheeks and you backed up. Turning round you grabbed the datapad.

“Echo, I need to get Tech out of the tank.”

“I’ll be ok,” he told you a sense of relief injecting into his words.

“Be back in a bit. Then you can visit him.” From one clone who didn’t like being touched to another who panicked when you entered the room. Tech had already opened the top of the tank and was sitting up as he waited for you. “I’m sorry! Echo came in with an issue.”

“Echo? What is the issue?” You grabbed a towel, letting Tech lean on you as the bacta dropped off his chiselled body. Quickly you wrapped him up, stopping him from shivering as you ran your hand up and down his arms. “Stitch?”

“Oh,” your thoughts dissipated and you looked up him, seeing the way his gaze dilated when your eyes locked for a second before he broke the connection. “Yeah, Echo is ok. He said he’ll come and visit you when you’re ready.” Tech hobbled over to the bed with your help, the pain much less this time. “Do you want me to towel dry your hair?”

“Yes.” You didn’t think much of it as you reached for a smaller towel, but when you started your senses heightened. He smelled like the bacta, fresh and healing; the heat of his body came through the material and you slowed your hands to really make sure his rich chestnut locks were dry. You tapped into his feelings, noticing the way his heart rate was accelerating once again. It made you sad that he was so anxious from your touch even though you understood. Most of the time you couldn’t bare the idea but here, now, with Tech; you wanted nothing more than to feel him.

It hurt. Withdrawing yourself you quickly finished, absently drawing your fingers through his hair. Even damp you appreciated the softness of it, catching the stray stands and nudging them back to how he liked it. The colour was glorious, almost fiery in some lights, a deep rich hue in others. In all lights he shone for you. The rush of emotion you felt for him almost caught you off guard, sweeping around you like a soft embrace and you worked quickly to untangle yourself from it.

So wrapped up in what you thought were your own emotions you missed the way Tech’s eyes widened dramatically at the feel of your fingers in his hair as he looked at his covered knees. “There. That’s the best I can do.” You announced, stepping back. You rolled the wet towel up and placed his clothes and goggles on the bed next to him. You were about open the door when he called your name.

“Hmm?” He looked a little flustered, his eyes darting about as he adjusted his goggles with his graceful fingers and you fixated on the motion.

“I appreciate…you. You are good at your job.” You hitched up a smile but it didn’t reach your eyes.

“It helps you’re such an easy patient. Get dressed and then you can catch up with Echo.” The door opened and then slid closed behind you.

Ducking into your room for a moment you closed your eyes and let out a shaky breath. You had no idea why Tech’s words had made your stomach twist back on itself; maybe because you hoped he was going to say something else? It was ridiculous really, no one could force someone to have feelings and his clearly didn’t reach the level that yours did.

[symphonic-scream]

I can't help it I'm giving y'all more of the heroes au

Makoto and Haru study at the same school! Makoto is a very studious law student, glasses, collared shirts and crew neck sweaters, the full nerdy look. Haru is a business major, appears to be all kindness and smiles, wearing bright colours and fluffy clothes

Queen is a total punk. Loud, follows her truth, doesn't back down. Her main suit is dark blue, based on her dad's old one from his time as a Prime Age hero (spandex, bleh). To modernize it and give it a spin more towards her tastes, she wears big, spiked combat boots, dark sliced up jeans, double studded belts, fingerless gloves, a choker, and of course, a leather jacket. Her mask is metal and the top is spiked upwards like a crown. Her jacket has a lesbian flag patch on the front, near the breast pocket! She's known for being a lady-killer during interviews

Noire is teasing smiles, flirty words laced with distraction, slipping past through the night. Her signature is the dark hat she wears with the indigo feather. At each scene she visited as a vigilante, a perfumed feather would be left behind. The light pink collared shirt, the tall purple gloves, her indigo slacks and maroon boots, they all scream musketeer. Her purple lipstick is another icon of her appearance, under the standard black domino mask she wears.

(Queen becomes accustomed to trying to wipe said lipstick off of herself before reuniting with her team)

Makoto and Sae have a stilted relationship. Sae blames the Iron Will power for their father's death, and resents Makoto for "choosing it over her, just like dad"

Haru has a hideout! It's an attic above the barely used arts building at the University. Since it's more of an academics based school, no one really spends too long there. The garden on the roof above the attic gave Haru the perfect excuse to visit, however

Okay some power notes for everyone

Joker has his Wildcard deck. It's a 52 card deck of 52 different powers! He received them from a higher spirit (Lavenza) who chose him to be her chosen hero, bestowing unto him her deck of powers and. A companion. [psst that's Morgana]. The deck resides in a pocket dimension unless he calls upon it, and with practice he's able to pull just one card rather than the deck, making it easier to just draw his random power

Ryuji was struck by lightning. Yup that's it. Now he's like a walking static charge! His hair stands on end from his natural charge, and now (with practice) he can hold back from shocking people randomly. He finds it best to use a metal bat to channel his power

Ann is rather hot (pun intended!), thanks to her flames. It's an inherited power, it skipped a generation. Her grandfather was a hero back in Europe! Her pigtails end in flames when her power is active, and she can form flames in her hands, though she's working on mastering control over the temperature and shit

Yusuke is from the 1800's, he was frozen and thawed in this age and he's. Still a bit odd. His body temperature is always lower, and the frost tends to crawl from his touch

Futaba can speak with machines, like when she touches them she "hears" what they're all about. That's all I have to say she's a nerd. Her mom had the same thing lmao

The Niijima Iron Will is, well, manifesting strong metal around themselves. Makoto tends to pull forth metal fisticuffs, aka brass knuckles, for punches and shit, though she can also bring up personal shields and minor bits of armour

And Haru!! She has the classic Psychic stuff. Telekinesis and all that. An unofficial power of hers is being really good at flustering miss Queen wink wink

TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS I WANT TO TALK ABOUT TJIS PLEASE

[brambleheartthestrange]

Cringetober Day 9: Childhood Video Game

My Animal Jam main looks over the years. I’ve been playing the game for 12 years, starting when I was only 7. I didn’t include Play Wild since I was a bit older when it released and wanted to focus on the version I have most nostalgia for.

Also yes I still have all these looks preserved!!

Animal names under the cut ^^

Rabbit: Twinkle Prettybunny (2012-2013) - She was my first animal on the game and wears some of my first favourite items. Outfit includes a golden legendary glove, an old hood, and an old blanket (the latter two were given to me by my best friend at the time who got me into the game!)

Fox: Fabulous Cleverfriend (2013-2017) - I was obsessed with foxes around the time I made her look. It certainly evolved over time until I decided to make a more consistent look when I was 13. Latest outfit includes a head flower, ferocious feline fur, and a holly bracelet. She also sometimes wears a ferocious feline tail.

Arctic Wolf: Snowflake Frozenspirit (2017-2019) - Heavily inspired by the arctic wolf-centric trends of the game, but I gave her my own flare. Gazelles and leg armour were recently put back in stores and I wanted to make a look of all easy items. So I did! I’m still really proud of her. Outfit includes gazelle horns, a tie, wings, leg armour, and a flower tail.

Raccoon: Awesome Cleverraccoon (2019-present) - My current look! Wanted to have a unique animal that suited me more than the traditional style. I made her look and loved it so much it became my main look for half a decade! Outfit includes icicle antlers, a rare sparkly boa, a mysterious cloak (one of my favourite items!), a feather tail, and either frost paws or ice paws (I like to vary them!)

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

"I love public art! Don't mind us, keep doing what you're doing."

CINDY THE SKULL - "Thanks. I'm sure the inspiration will come to me now that I have an official RCM stamp of approval."

EMPATHY [Medium: Success] - You've *lessened* her desire to deface the building.

3. "Do you know anything about the recent murder?"

CINDY THE SKULL - "I ain't no snitch, pigstein." She wrinkles her nose. "Go forth and forage in someone else's shit. No shortage of squealers in these parts."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Actually -- there is a shortage of people who talk to us in a normal, calm, informative manner."

CINDY THE SKULL - "We weren't put on this earth to make your life pleasant, fuck-o."

4. "So you won't talk about the murder -- but maybe you can tell me something about the murder victim's missing armour?"

CINDY THE SKULL - "What do I care about some fucking tin egg shells?"

"Isn't armour... art? Art for the, uhm, body?"

"C'mon, Cindy, just help me out here."

CINDY THE SKULL - "Ugh, alright, sad piggy. I'll give you this one -- I saw a little girl in the fishing village running around with military-grade hand-wear. Looked cute as hell."

"If you haven't been there, the village is a shithole down the coast from the main plaza." She waves her hand in a general westward direction. "Have a good time."

New task: Find the armoured gloves

"And there's a little girl wearing the gloves there?"

"Got it."

CINDY THE SKULL - "No-no. That's all the snitching Cindy the SKULL does for today. Actually, I don't even know why I told you what I just told you..."

"I have a weakness for animals. It's the animal-thing again. Damn it." She looks at you, a little sad suddenly.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Or a weakness for police officers, miss." He makes a note in his notebook. "Thank you either way."

4. "Catch you later, Cindy." [Leave.]

CINDY THE SKULL - "Watch your back, ungulate. You've got eyes on you."

By equipping the prybar, we can open this bin.

There's a coat inside.

SIGNAL-BLUE NAVAL COAT

+1 Suggestion: Aye, Captain! -1 Half-Light: Officerial poise

This classic double-breasted coat suits everyone - including you. And if you ever find yourself battling winds at the helmof a ship then the coat's heavy fabric has got your back... even if moths have left a few holes in it.

I decide not to equip it right now.

Inside, the frame of a motorcycle-in-repair and the tools used to disassemble it.

We walk past the entrance to the apartment building...

Looks like there was more construction here -- once, decades ago.

The belly of this boat shines like it was recently painted.

Docking reserved for residents of: Rue de Saint-Ghislaine 33A.

Your room in the Whirling isn't much bigger than this sloop.

This is worth more than you'll ever earn in all your life.

Shadows on the water... green plants under the calm surface.

JOYCE MESSIER - A striking woman leans against the cabin top of her sailing boat, smiling as you approach. Her green raincoat glistens with droplets, a silk scarf is tied around her throat.

"Good evening, officers, I'm Joyce." She extends her hand in greeting.

"Joyce L. Messier. I represent the board of Wild Pines -- the owners of the harbour. You gentlemen must be from the RCM..." She steps closer and holds out her hand over the railing.

"Joyce L? What does the 'L' stand for?"

"What exactly is the RCM? I remember hearing it from somewhere."

"What gave us away?"

Shake her hand.

Don't shake her hand.

JOYCE MESSIER - "Leyton, my maiden name." Her bony hand dangles from the sleeve of her oversized raincoat.

2. "What exactly is the RCM? I remember hearing it from somewhere."

JOYCE MESSIER - "Uhm..." She seems confused. "I meant *you* -- the Revachol Citizens Militia. The police."

3. "What gave us away?"

JOYCE MESSIER - "Nothing, honestly. I've said it to every drunk in town and you're the first one who's responded."

AUTHORITY [Medium: Success] - What is implied here?! That you're a *drunk*?!

4. "I'm not a drunk. I'm a police officer."

JOYCE MESSIER - "Of course you're not. It was only a joke."