#i initially made this with X wearing his helmet but it just looked weird so I went without

[crowrrupt]

It's like I'm drowning, as if I've lost the way

[221bshrlocked]

taste you on my tongue

Pairing: The Mandalorian (Din Djarin) x Reader

Words: 9441 (I can’t fucking write anything shorter I’m sorry)

Warnings: Angst and Smut. Helmet is on and then it’s off. Oral (male receiving). Soft then rough sex. Breeding kink. Touch kink. Hand kink? Dirty/Sweet Talk. Mando feels primal when he sees you wearing his shirt and flirting with someone that isn’t him.

Summary: The Revenant was a fairly spacious gunship compared to others and you prided yourself in keeping it running for this long, especially after you were told it would soon lose its “life force.” But when a certain Mandalorian and his foundling join your ship following a disastrous mission, you find that the Revenant isn’t as big as you initially thought. In fact, it is much less private than you wish to admit and you find yourself escaping to a cantina one night to avoid the bounty hunter who isn’t aware of the effect he has on you. The problem is, the Mandalorian doesn’t like to share anything with anyone, and that rule applies to you. Unfortunately (or perhaps luckily) for you, you learn about this rule the hard way.

A/N: I hope yall like these because I’m currently spiraling down a Din Djarin hole and I’m not remotely apologetic. Let me know how it is in the comments and how I can make the smut better or the characterization better. Please, I can’t improve unless yall tell me what I’m doing wrong. Also, I promise to write more smut than angst next time. Enjoy :) And @purple-mango​ sorry it wasn’t as rough as you probably hoped, I was feeling soft Din but mark my words, the next one will be rough.

The obnoxious laughter coming from one of the corners of the cantina made you shake your head as the tavern-keeper approached you and motioned towards your glass. He smiled when you enthusiastically nodded and held out the finished drink, silently asking him to pour some more of the Tevraki whiskey because there was nothing you wanted more than to forget the past few months.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. There was something, or rather someone, that you wanted more than your need to set aside what’s been going on since that shitshow of a showdown on Tatooine. Coincidentally, or perhaps ironically, that someone had to do with what happened on the desert planet. You smiled at the man in front of you who knew better than to argue about how many drinks you’ve downed thus far. 

As the thoughts slithered back to the source of your frustration, you couldn’t help but let your eyes take in your surroundings, shamelessly hoping to find someone who could fill that deep-seated need seeping through your chest and into your heart. No one would compare to him of course, and you knew that very well. But you couldn’t stand another hour on that ship without scratching that itch that’s been bothering you ever since he joined your ship with that annoyingly cute green goblin. You took a sip and returned your attention to the man wiping down the counter in front of you, already thinking of just skipping all the pleasantries and going back to his place.

“If you point him out to me, I can pay him a visit later and roughen him up a bit.” He leaned over and pointed behind you, pouring himself a shot of some weird blue drink before moving in closer to you again.

“Sorry?” You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion, not understanding what he was referring to or if you had even begun a conversation with him.

“The sleemo that rejected you sweetheart. Why else would you be drowning in my best stuff?” He winked at you and you barely managed to not visibly gag at the ways his eyes raked over your form. Did he think this was the way to flirt?

“Maybe I just love drinking liquid fire, sweetheart. Have you thought of that?” You hoped you weren’t being too sarcastic with him because if there was the slightest chance of getting laid tonight, then you were going to do everything in your power to take it and run considering how there was no chance of you asking your now-permanent “roommate” for those kinds of services. 

“Maybe. Either way, I’d love to help you forget about that sucker.” You took a deep breath and willed yourself to not punch him in the eye because the thought of being able to forget about the beskar-clad bounty hunter, even for a few hours only, sounded incredibly pleasant.

“Oh aren’t you sweet? So selfless and confident too.” You forced a smile before downing the rest of the whiskey and tapping on the glass again. If you were going to get fucked by someone like him, you needed at least three more drinks or else you wouldn’t be able to imagine the Mandalorian in his place. You chuckled at the depressing thought because here you were trying to forget about the man himself and yet went out of your way to make sure you were sort of able to pretend he was the one showing you the stars. 

“Believe me darling, my intentions are strictly...honorable.” He poured you another drink and took a shot with you, his eyes widening in shock when you didn’t bother to wait another second before downing the whole glass in one go. 

“Damn baby, he hurt you that bad?” You raised an eyebrow at his inquiry and didn’t know why the question bothered you so much. As much as you hated to admit it, the answer was a hard yes. 

“Hah, hurt doesn’t even begin to cover it. And you know what the worst part is? He doesn’t even know he’s doing it.” You didn’t bother to ask him for another drink, jumping on top of the counter before leaning down and grabbing the whiskey bottle from the shelf right in front of his knees. 

“You mean he’s still here?” He didn’t question your behavior, letting you take a long sip from the bottle before smiling down at your dazed expression. 

“Here. There. Everywhere. He’s fucking everywhere all the damn time. I...he’s- maker...I can’t get him out of my kriffing mind. And the funny thing is, he probably doesn’t waste a second of thought on me. I’m just...someone with a fucking ride that can get him from one planet to the next.” You traced random patterns on the cold tile of the counter and didn’t realize that someone had occupied the seat just opposite of you and trying his hardest to ignore the way the patrons across the room continued to stare at you like you were a piece of meat. 

“Darling, he isn’t worth your time. You need someone that...appreciates you. Tells you how good you’ve been.” You knew the man in front of you was just saying those lovely things to get in your pants but you couldn’t help the next few words from stopping even if you tried.

“Yes...gods, yes. Yes I do. But I wanted him to appreciate me. I wanted him to tell me how good I’ve been. I can’t blame him for not bothering to thank me though because it’s hard for him to hold a conversation longer than five minutes. I get that, he’s not used to it, he hasn’t needed to for so long. But it wouldn't hurt to acknowledge me every once in a while you know. I mean, do you know anyone else who’d willingly put their entire life on hold just to help some random introvert and his child find their way through this kriffing shithole of a system?” You knew you shouldn’t be saying any of those things out loud, let alone to a complete stranger. But he struck a nerve and you couldn’t take not another minute of not telling anyone how you truly felt. You needed to get some things off your chest and you sure as hell weren’t about to complain to the man waiting for you back on the ship.  

“And- and do you know anyone that would readily give up their most valuable position in this world to a stranger they just met? I don’t.” You violently shook your head at him and felt your eyes fill with tears when you saw the way the man was looking at you. His eyes shot down to the bottle in your hand and you unceremoniously raised it to your lips before taking a long swig of the burning liquid, hoping by some miracle that this was enough to make you forget all about his stupid strut and his annoyingly low and gruff voice and the way he was so effortlessly kind to the kid.

“That ship. It’s- oh gah, it’s been with me through the worst fucking jobs. I fought for it, almost sold my kriffing bo-...almost sold something priceless to ensure it isn’t taken from me again. And it only takes some damn beskar-wearing, quiet, fucking who-knows-what-species nerfherder to save me once for me to voluntarily hand it over to him. Like it wasn’t a piece of me...like it wasn’t my home.” You were over sharing at this point and you noticed the way the man was beginning to lose interest in you  so you made sure to grab his shirt and pull him closer to you before grabbing his forearm and digging your nails into it to keep his attention.

“Have you heard of the Revenant? You must have heard of the Revenant. There is no way you haven’t-”

“Yes, yes. I’ve heard of it.” He was exasperated but continued to attend to you, shamelessly letting his eyes follow a drop of whiskey roll down your shirt in between the valley of your breasts. You fixed your posture, pushing your tits together and giving him an eyeful of skin before ranting to him again.

“That’s my baby. My pride and joy. I always made sure everyone at the dock knew who it belonged to. Know why?” You grabbed his hand and pulled on it to make sure he was listening to you, laughing when he tiredly leaned down and forced himself to look away from your sweaty chest to your eyes. 

“Enlighten me sweetheart.”

“Because it’s one of the biggest gunships out there. So much space that I don’t actually use. It’s a fucking beauty...but you know what? It’s all a lie. A sad, unfortunate lie. Because it took me spending the better half of the year with that kid and his tincan of a guardian to realize just how small it is. It’s like he put his mark on every corner of my home on purpose...just to drive me insane. Every time I sit somewhere where I’m sure he wouldn’t bother to come to, I’d still smell that- that...that fucking scent of his that I can’t, for the life of me, figure out what it is.” You had thankfully placed the whiskey bottle away from you and didn’t try to fight the tavern-keeper when he took it and put it back on the shelf, instantly returning to you to make sure you weren’t about to break anything.

“I even gave him my room. My room! Because ‘no one can see my face’ so he needs some privacy away from me but then there’s the whole ‘the child stays with me all the time’ and that womp rat can sleep in the little cot in my room with him while also giving him some privacy. Which leaves me, you guessed it, in the shitty lower deck where there is no door, not even a curtain, to give me some semblance of solitude.” You didn’t realize how harshly you were breathing until you stopped speaking and noticed the way the stranger continued to look at you. 

“It has been a literal hell not being able to get myself off because he can walk in on me at any given moment. Picture that, not getting off for almost a year while being forced to remain in the same vicinity as him.” You didn’t care when you saw the man almost choke on his drink at your bold admission and looked around to make sure no one heard you. “Ughh, you’ve been such a good boy listening to me whining all night long and I think you deserve a treat.” You knew you had him as soon as he shivered at the way your fingers moved beneath his shirt and scratched his neck. “You look like the kind of guy that could fuck me within an inch of my life. Right?”

“Ah huh. Y-yeah.” He licked his lips before setting down the towel in his hands and inching closer towards you. And you silently swore at how absolutely pathetic he was because not a minute ago, he was trying to find a way out of this conversation and here he was thinking with his probably-disappointing dick. 

“Good. And I promise to make it worth your while if you manage to make me forget his name.” You leaned across the counter and were about to kiss him when you saw something move across your peripheral vision, something that looked oddly familiar to your completely hazed mind. 

“And what’s his name, baby? So I make sure you can’t rememb-” Before he could finish whatever he was about to say, you felt a large hand wrap around your upper arm and pull you back from the bartender and off of the stool. You almost tripped as you struggled to stand and huffed in anger before raising your voice to the distinguished individual who thought this was the time to fuck with you. 

“Hey what are y-” You were about to take a swing at whoever it was currently bruising your arm when you followed the glint of the familiar metal and were met with your reflection staring right back at you. Swallowing the lump in your throat, you blinked in confusion a few times at the visor currently tilted in an almost judgemental manner at you before attempting to wipe your hair with your other hand.

The Mandalorian slowly changed his focus to the man behind the bar and threw a few credits at him, hands immediately lowering to the blaster in his side holster when he saw where the tavern-keeper’s eyes moved towards. The stranger could only hold up his hand in defeat before walking towards the other side of the bar to lick his invisible wounds. The Mandalorian’s helmet turned to the rest of the cantina, daring anyone to approach the two of you before you left. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to follow the two of you as you returned to the Revenant. He could feel his patience withering away with every passing moment you decided to share what’s on your mind with the rest of the universe but him. 

“Let me go.” You whispered to him, eyes maintained to the ground and cringing when you felt his hold on your arm tighten at the request. Before you could ask him again, Mando was turning around and walking out of the busy cantina, pulling you along with him aggressively and not leaving any room for negotiation. You winced as he pulled you like a child through the streets, avoiding the concerned and intrigued looks you were receiving. He was much taller than you and you laughed when you realized it must have been a sight to see some random woman getting dragged along by an angry bounty hunter. Mando couldn’t help but turn towards you when he heard your giggles break the silence, his annoyance spiking because there was absolutely nothing humorous about this situation. 

You noticed the way he was staring at you and decided to quiet down, swallowing the lump in your throat as the cold air hit your sweaty skin and made you shiver. 

As you moved closer to the ship, you realized there was a chance he heard what you had to say about him and your ship. Hurt and anxiety rose up your throat and before you could attempt and control the all too familiar feeling, you were tripping over your feet and falling to the ground, instantly vomiting everything you’d managed to eat and drink in the last couple of hours. 

The Mandalorian hoped his obviously misplaced outrage wasn’t what led you to such a violent reaction, and he kneeled down immediately to hold your hair away from your face. When he saw tears falling down your cheeks and how hard you were breathing beneath him, something snapped in his chest and he knew he was definitely the reason behind this severe response. 

“Don’t- oh gah….kriffing look at me.” You spat in between words and turned away from him, holding onto your stomach and to the grass beneath you as you continued to empty your stomach in the middle of the forest. At least you weren’t in the city anymore. 

“We’re close to the ship,” he didn’t know what else to say and chose to state the obvious instead, afraid of using a harsher tone with you. Actually, he did know what to say, he just didn’t trust himself to speak the words out loud yet.

“Wopty fucking doo for-” once again, you opened your mouth and dry heaved until you were sure there wasn’t a single drop of whiskey in your system, “you and your stupid kriffing-” 

“Please Ad'ika, let me-” You visibly shook at the familiar endearment you’ve heard him whisper to the child so often when he thought you weren’t around. It hurt to know he was throwing it around as if he wasn’t twisting the knife inside your heart with every breath he took near you. 

“Let m-me go, p-please.” Mando’s sudden intake of breath was as loud as the silence engulfing the two of you and you swallowed your pride before looking into his visor, well aware of how awful you must have looked without the reflection staring back at you. He, on the other hand, grasped in that moment just how deep your words in the cantina were and instead of listening to you and allowing you a moment alone, he took a deep breath before softly pushing back your hair and wrapping one arm around your waist. You didn’t have any time to question him as the other went beneath your thighs and before you knew it, you were holding onto his cowl for dear life as he quietly walked up the ramp of the Revenant with you in his arms. 

Mando pushed in the code to shut the hatch before making his way through the quiet halls of the ship, reaching hi- your room and going straight to the bed he has occupied in the last few months. As he put you down, he took notice of your body language and knew instantly how self-conscious you must have felt laying on the bed he’s been using since he joined you. The same bed which you sort of commented about not an hour ago. He watched as you forced a smile as soon as you saw the familiar green little womp rat peeking its head right before descending from the safety of his crib and wobbling towards you. 

You tried to leave the bed but Mando was ahead of you, gently pushing your shoulder until you realized there was no room for arguing with him. Leaning down, he took the kid and put him back in the crib before telling him he couldn’t cuddle with you tonight. 

You kept your hands clasped together and refused to look at him, eyes taking in the room no longer familiar to you. He’d moved things around, even put things away that he didn’t need. Your gaze shifted towards him unintentionally as you saw him approach you with a cup of water and wet towel. Pushing the covers towards you, he sat near your thighs as he handed you the water and began to softly wipe at your cheeks and forehead. 

You shut your eyes out of fear of giving more away just by staring at his visor and Mando thanked the stars you had because he wasn’t sure he could truly look at you if they were still open. It was a ridiculous thought because he was wearing a mask and you’d never know how much he loved committing all those little muscle twitches to memory. But it felt strangely intimate to return your gaze and he didn’t want to make you any more uncomfortable tonight. 

You sighed heavily at his touch and felt pathetic at how starved you were for anything that had to do with him. The man was wearing gloves and wasn’t technically trailing his fingers over your skin but it still felt difficult to contain yourself.

When he was done, he stood up and moved to the refresher, giving you a few moments alone before he imposed on you again. You gulped down the water and placed the cup on the floor near you, looking out of the large window to your right and noticing the dark blue skies moving slowly above you. It took you a few minutes to recognize that what you were feeling was no longer hurt but confusion. He’s acted so differently tonight and you hated to think it was because he was pitying you. It didn’t matter anymore whether he’d heard what you said about him or not. He would have found out sooner or later, and if you were being honest, you felt like he probably had some inclination for a while before but chose to not bring any attention to the topic to save you from embarrassment and rejection.

“Get some rest.” You turned towards him again, not realizing he’d come back into the room and was standing right beside you. Mando tried his hardest not to give away any of his thoughts but you knew what he was thinking as soon as you saw his helmet tilt down just below your neck. 

When you followed his line of sight, you felt ill again but for a completely different reason. Of course this would get worse. You weren’t planning on seeing him tonight and you told yourself you’d have plenty of time to change out of his shirt but it seemed that the universe was not making this any easier on you. Mando couldn’t stop staring at the shirt wrapped so loosely around your smooth skin and how large it looked on you. If he was a decent man, he would have turned away when he saw you shifting uncomfortably under his gaze but he couldn’t help taking in the way your body seemed to react to his presence and before he could think about it, he was stepping closer to the bed and reaching out to touch the material of his shirt falling down your shoulder.

“I- I’m sorry about your s-” The words died in your throat when you felt his gloved fingers trailing down your exposed clavicle and you were torn between asking him what he was doing and letting him carry on without interrupting his curiosity. Mando barely held himself back from pushing you down into the covers and taking what he now knew was his but he noticed the sudden goosebumps erupt on your skin and finally managed to meet your eyes through the visor. The way you were returning his gaze was perhaps too much for him and he flinched away from you, clearing his throat and willing himself to think of anything else but the way you were practically begging him to take you. You parted your lips to say something but couldn’t find your voice, afraid you’d push him more than he could take and drive him away all together. 

“It’s fine. It’s...I don’t mi- forget about it. You need to rest.” He spoke softly before walking towards the cot nearby and pushing the crib out of the door. 

“Wh-where will you sleep?” You sat up and knew he noticed how much you were holding onto every single interaction with him.

“Good night,” he didn’t bother to respond to the question, turning off the lights and shutting the door behind him before making his way to the cockpit. You sat in silence for a few moments before slithering under the covers, sighing in annoyance when you noticed just how much this entire room smelled like him. Pushing your face into the pillow, you took a deep breath and felt shaken to the core when you were hit with Mando’s distinctive scent: sweat, beskar, and that damn featherfern wash he somehow found every time you flew by Nevarro. 

As you looked out the metal blinds, you tried to brace yourself for the conversation you were most definitely going to have with the Mandalorian the next day. You knew for a fact that whatever decision he’d take will ultimately hurt you because there were really only two options available, one of which involved him and the child leaving and the other would lead to them staying but making things awkward since there was not a single chance he would reciprocate your feelings. 

And the worst part was, you weren’t sure which was more painful.

The Mandalorian sat quietly in the cockpit for a while, making sure you were asleep so as to not wake you up as he moved through the Revenant. Seeing that the kid was fast asleep, he found himself leaving the small space and navigating to the lower deck. He passed by your room and noticed the lights were off, sighing in relief at knowing that you were finally resting comfortably. Arriving at the lower deck, he stood at the entrance of the large room and felt his chest tighten once he took in the state of the space. Turning on the lights, he immediately noticed your makeshift cot in the far right corner, unable to stop himself from moving towards it to inspect it. He shook his head in anger but this time it was aimed at himself and not you or the random tavern keeper who couldn’t keep his eyes off of you. 

How did he not know of this arrangement? And why did he not ask about your sleeping situation the day he joined your ship? Was he truly that unconcerned with anyone else but the kid or was it because he was reluctant to listen to Peli when she recommended you?

He’d only been in the lower deck for a few moments yet he felt his skin crawl with goosebumps. It was awfully cool down here and it took him another ten seconds to acknowledge that you’ve been living and sleeping here for this long without complaining once to him. 

Everything you said about him earlier tonight crashed into him like a wave of guilt and he couldn’t stay in the room any longer, making his way back to the upper deck to try and figure out what he would say to you come tomorrow. As he slowly moved through the dark hallways of the Revenant, he heard a faint voice coming from the upper deck, muscles tensing instantly when he walked past your room and noticed you weren’t on the bed.

Not wanting to disturb you, he waited right outside the cockpit and listened to you humming to the child. He must have woken up and found his way back to you. As he crossed his arms and stood behind the door, he couldn’t help but notice how soft your voice was as you continued to sing a lullaby to the little womp rat. 

How could he have not noticed…

“There you go, you little green goblin. If only I could sleep as quickly as you.” You whispered to him before tucking him into the crib while continuing to rub his abnormally large ears. “Your dad is really funny...thinking I’d be able to sleep in that room with his scent all over it.” 

Maker, how were you so forthright with everyone but him? It hurt to know that he wasn’t someone you could whisper your little secrets to. Then again, it made sense since all of your secrets seemed to involve him.

“I pray he doesn’t tell me he has to leave now that he knows I...ughh, for both of our sakes little one.” Mando noticed the way you seemed incapable of finishing your sentences whenever you spoke about him and a deep part of him wished you would, if only to hear the adoration in your words. Rarely anyone spoke of him so softly and he had a feeling he’d only ever accept such words from you. It was quiet for a few minutes before he heard you whisper to the kid again. 

“It just hurts to know that he’ll never see me as...as a-” He wasn’t sure if it was the heartbreaking tone of your voice or if it was the way you were reluctant to say your heart’s desire out loud but Mando couldn’t stand another second of you thinking you weren’t important to him.

“As a what?” His voice came out harsher through the vocoder and he winced at himself when he vaguely heard you jumping from the chair. A soft hiss came from the cockpit and he took a deep breath when he realized you’d just shut the crib and moved to leave the room. As you stepped out, Mando forced his eyes to remain on your face, refusing to look at your exposed legs or the way his shirt seemed to end right beneath your upper thighs.

Softly shutting the door, you walked to the opposite side of the room and knew the Mandalorian must have noticed your need to put as much space between the two of you as possible. 

“We need to stop running into each other like this,” you laughed awkwardly and anxiously ringed your fingers, glancing at his visor before turning away and looking everywhere else but him. Okay, so humor wasn’t going to get you out of this situation. 

“How’s your head?” You could feel how on edge he was and decided to answer with short and straightforward responses just to avoid any more awkwardness. 

“M-much clearer.” You stood in silence until you heard the Mandalorian pushing off of the opposite wall and heading towards you. You didn’t have anywhere to go, eyes snapping to the door right behind him and knowing there was no way you could try to walk around him.

He stopped a couple of feet away from you and you ceased to breathe when you noticed how awfully close he was to you. 

“Answer my question.” His voice was dangerously low and you found it difficult to try and think of anything to say when he was giving you no room to breathe. 

“I- I did?” Your voice was far from confident and you watched as he gently took off both of his gloves before shoving them into his pockets. Even though he willingly removed them in front of you, you didn’t allow yourself to look at his skin, afraid you’d somehow offend him and his Creed. But then you saw his hand move towards your face, and gasped when you felt his fingers tilting your chin so you were looking into his visor. There was not an inclination of an emotion available to you but you forced yourself to keep your eyes open nonetheless. 

“How do you want me to see you Mesh'la?” Mando whispered down to you and you swore his voice was hoarse as he spoke to you but you didn’t allow this moment to get to your head. It would hurt more than anything if…

“It d-doesn’t matter.” You blinked away the tears, wanting to wipe your face before anymore were shed but not finding it in yourself to move away from him. But then you felt his thumb softly rubbing at your wet skin, making you almost lose your composure as soon as he stepped closer in your space until your back hit the wall. 

“I’m sorry Cyar'ika,” his chest was inches from your face, cornering you beneath his other arm before leaning down and resting his forehead against yours. You couldn’t breath, not when he was suddenly filling all of your senses as if it was the most natural thing to do. He felt your tears roll around his thumb and couldn’t bear the thought of you crying because of him.

“I’m sorry for making you think you don’t matter...you do, not just to the kid but- but to me as well.” Your knees gave out on you as soon as you heard Mando’s confession, barely managing to grab onto his forearms right before buckling against him. The Mandalorian wasn’t sure if that was the kind of reaction he was looking for but he immediately wrapped his arms around your back and legs before pulling you against his chest. You nuzzled into his chest and kept a tight hold on him as he walked through the dimly lit hallways back to your room. He could feel goosebumps take over the skin of your thighs where he was touching you and tried to distract himself from pushing you down into the middle of the Revenant and taking you right then and there. You deserved more than that. 

As he reached the room and laid you on the bed, he felt your fingers clasp onto him harder and when his eyes trailed over your face, he knew you were silently begging him not to leave. 

“I’m not going anywhere Ad'ika.” His reassuring tone tugged at your heart and you swallowed the lump in your throat as you watched him walk to the door and shut it behind him before moving to the refresher. You heard him shuffle around and allowed your mind to calm down, knowing very well that Mando wasn’t unkind and wouldn’t lead you on just to leave you. But then he walked out without his beskar armor and you swore you died and joined the stars. His helmet looked odd without his normal clothing and you knew he could probably see you shamelessly ogling him from across the room. 

He walked to you and stood to the side, and you realized he was probably nervous. You pushed yourself against the wall and threw back the covers, hoping he’d understand what you wanted of him.

“Can I-”

“Please.” You cut him off before he could finish his question and he took a deep breath before laying on the bed and moving as close to you as possible. Before he could throw the covers over the two of you, you were already laying your head on his chest and wrapping an arm around him, fingers fisting into the soft material of his shirt unintentionally as you felt him relax beneath you.

You weren’t sure how long it’s been but you felt his heart rate finally come back to normal. Hoping you weren’t being too forward with him, you took his hand into yours and brought it to your lips, softly kissing his knuckles before turning his palm over to lay a kiss on his wrist. Mando was losing every ounce of control left in his body and his arm tightened around your back as soon as he felt the tip of your tongue against his hand. 

“Pfassk,” you flinched at the rough expletive and raised your head to look at him, finding his visor already tilted down towards you. “I- I’m sorry I’ll stop if-”

“No..n-no, don’t stop. It just- you took me by surprise.” His chest was rising and falling more rapidly and if you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was as affected by this new level of ‘intimacy’ as you were, if not more.

You felt bold at his request, kicking the covers away before sitting up and moving to straddle his thighs. Mando was breathing harshly and mirrored your actions, sitting up against the cool metal of the wall before laying his hands on top of your exposed thighs. He let himself take in the way your skin flushed under his touch and smiled to himself when he continued to inch his smooth hands over your upper thighs until his shirt rid up your legs and revealed the pastel color of your undergarment. 

“Cyar'ika…” He sighed when he finally forced himself to meet your eyes and found them dilated until there was barely any color left in them. You wanted to ask him what that word meant but chose to file it for later. Placing your hands on top of his, you smiled down at him before pulling them towards your lips and kissing his palms. Almost instantly, you felt him twitch against you, unable to control himself from bucking his hips against your heated core. You let go of his hands and laid your own on his chest, throwing your head back when you felt his tight grip on your thighs. You could tell he wanted to apologize but gave him no chance to do so, sliding against him until you were sure he was painfully hard beneath you.

“Maker...I- I could almost taste you on my tongue Mando. When you- you left me in here all by myself. I couldn’t sleep, n-not when I could smell you on these covers, not when I could feel you on my skin. I..gods, wanted to kiss you then, and- and I wanted to taste your- you...Please, c-can I? P-please-” You dug your nails into his chest and heard him throw his head back against the wall with every confession you moaned to him. He was never this unhinged and you wished to see him come absolutely undone at your touch.

“A-are you sure?” It pained him to ask but he needed to be sure that you wouldn’t regret this. Regret him. 

“Mando, have you not listened to anything I’ve said tonight?” As much as you hated to remind him of the earlier and rather embarrassing events, you wanted him to know just how much he meant to you. You knew he was reluctant to let this relationship move forward and you couldn’t really blame him. This was all new to him. But you also didn’t want to stall, not when the two of you have become so aware of the other’s feelings.

You continued to rub yourself on him, shaking with anticipation when you heard him moan through the vocoder as you pressed yourself more confidently down on him. 

“Mesh'la I-” Without warning, you took one of his hands and pushed it to your lips, slowly taking two of his fingers into your mouth and swirling your tongue around them until his moans grew louder. And when he pushed his fingers deeper into your mouth, you gripped his wrist tightly and groaned, making sure he could feel how much you wanted him. 

“Y-you’re killing me sweet girl.” He wanted to loosen his hold on you, to take things slow, to not let himself get carried away with you, but he didn’t find it in himself to be gentle because he could feel how wet and needy you were above him and there was no way he was going to waste another second not being close to you.

“Please Mando, I want you, n-need to have you. I can make you feel so good. Please, can I?” You reached down and cupped him through his pants, finding him as hard as the beskar of his armor. He thrust up into your hand and swore violently before taking his hand away from your mouth and fisting it into your hair. You smiled when you felt him push you off of him, whispering something in Mando’a when he saw you pulling his pants down his thighs and throwing them behind you. 

You bit your lower lip before moving off of the bed and pushing his legs along with you as well. Mando sat up and forced his hands to remain by his side, afraid his enthusiasm would make him get too rough with you and scare you away. When you laid your hands on his knees and pushed them wide open so you could get comfortable between his legs, Mando’s hands tightened around the covers and he hissed when he saw the way you were eyeing his cock. You were staring at him like he was a piece of meat and he wasn’t sure if he loved it or was embarrassed by it. 

“Maker,” you whispered before dragging your nails up and down his thighs, watching as his cock twitched against his stomach every time you got a little aggressive with your touches. Looking up into his visor, you slowly leaned down and took the tip of his cock in your mouth, humming around him as you tasted precum leaking into your taste buds. That seemed to do it for him because one of his hands shot to the back of your head and fisted into your hair while the other moved down until it landed on your hand. He intertwined his fingers with yours and watched as you pulled back and licked the underside of his dick before spitting into your hand and wrapping it around him.

“M-mando, the taste of you,” you took as much of him in your mouth as possible while maintaining eye contact with his helmet, squeezing the base of his cock before reaching down and cupping his balls. Mando swore, involuntarily thrusting into your mouth and watching in awe as he saw a dangerous glint in your eyes right before you clasped his hand harder and somehow managed to take him in deeper. It was such a sight, holding affectionately onto your hand as you brought him to pleasure. Letting go of him with a pop, you laid wet kisses down the length of his cock, licking the protruding veins and smiling when you felt his hold tighten on your hair. “Is absolutely addicting.” 

You could tell the exact second he lost all semblance of control because one minute you were kneeling at his feet, and the next thing you knew, Mando was pulling you up by your hair and throwing you beneath him on the bed. You wiped your lips with the back of your hand, watching his muscles flex as he removed his shirt expertly over his helmet. The soft starlight coming through the metal blinds of the window shone onto his skin and you trailed your gaze down his chest, finding the golden brown tone of his scarred body absolutely breathtaking. 

“Mando, you’re beautiful.” You saw his hands begin to shake at your compliment, and you knew you’d take every chance you get from now on to tell him how much you adored him. You could hear him breathing through the mask and licked your lips when he looked down and saw the way you were playing with the hem of his shirt. Slowly, you began to pull on the soft material, about to take it off when he held onto your wrists. Your smile faltered for a second and hoped you didn’t somehow misunderstand his intentions.

The last thing Mando wished to see was your body giving away to shyness before him. Pushing your thighs open, he didn’t give you a chance to say anything else as he slid his fingers below the thin undergarment, violently ripping it off of you and discarding it onto the floor. You gasped when you felt him hard and heavy against your slit, taking both of his hands and pulling him towards you until he was only a hairbreadth away. He watched closely as you placed one hand around your throat while the other descended to your breast. You could tell Mando was reluctant to move so much an inch and when you pushed yourself against him, eyes daring him to do as he wishes, he found himself completely overtaken with the thought of you belonging to him and him only. You smiled when you felt the grip on your throat tighten, shutting your eyes and arching your back against him as the other cupped and pinched at your nipples through his shirt. 

“If you want me to fuck you tonight, Mesh'la, then you’re going to keep my shirt on.” He could feel you shaking in his arms and smiled to himself at the knowledge of how much he affected you. 

“Mando, please…” You would have continued begging him if he asked you to, but then he was moving away from you and leaning towards the window. Keeping your hands clasped to your chest, you watched as he shut the blinds until there wasn’t a single light shining into the room. You could barely see your own hands in the dark and wondered why he was shuffling above you. A soft hissing sound had you tensing in an instant and you ceased to breathe when you heard the faint sound of beskar hitting the ground. 

“M-mando?” The question was more reluctant than inquisitive and you didn’t have time to react as you felt him lean against you until you were touching every inch of his skin. You blinked a few times in vain, knowing there was no way you would be able to see anything. But then you felt something soft brush against your cheek and as you turned your head towards him, Mando was molding his lips with yours, swallowing your gasps and sucking on your tongue as soon as you melted into him. He pulled away against his own will, but not before pushing your jaw with his nose until your neck was available to him.

“And my name is Din sweet girl, Din Djarin. It better be the only word you scream tonight as I fuck this pretty little cunt. Understood?” You weren’t sure if it was his deep voice that made you speechless or the fact that he not only took off his helmet for you but willingly told you his name as well. You committed it to memory, hoping this wouldn’t be the only time he took off his helmet around you. You’d always wondered what he sounded like without it, not comprehending that it could be so much sweeter than what you’ve dreamed of. And by the gods, his lips. How were they so soft and gentle? Maker, he had a stubble too, not a rough one but just long enough to tickle your neck as he kissed and nipped at your clavicle.

“Answer me Ad'ika.” He bit your shoulder to grab your attention once more, chuckling above you when you nodded frantically against him. 

“You’re so soft Cyar'ika, I- I want to kiss every inch of your skin.” As much as you loved making him lose his mind at your touch, you had to admit you enjoyed him much more when he was in control. You smiled when he kissed along your shoulder before pushing down his shirt far enough to expose your breasts. Din bit down on his lower lip to contain himself, but then you were arching your back and pushing yourself into him and he couldn’t hold back. He kissed down your sternum, waiting until you relaxed in his arms before assaulting your nipples. You screamed his name as you felt his teeth tug on your nipple, hands shooting to his hair when you felt him grope and pull on the other. 

“Din, oh ma-maker- your mouth is...f-fuck.” You could tell he was smiling as he aggressively licked the hardened bud before sucking on it again. Din pushed his cock against your wet slit, growling when you pulled on his hair and cried his name like a sweet prayer. 

“I could smell your cunt sweet girl, so fucking wet and hot and ready for me.” Din pulled back and cornered you between his arms, bucking his hips into you until you were a needy and moaning mess beneath him. “Woke up countless times in this bed...hard and aching at the mere thought of you...d-dreaming of having you in my arms, wanting to sink into you, f-fuck you on every inch of this ship.” 

“Din, please...I need you.” 

The way you clawed at his back broke him and before he knew what he was doing, he was flipping you on your stomach and raising your hips against him.

“I need to have you Mesh'la.” Din leaned down and swiped your hair to the side, whispering the filthiest things in your ears as he took hold of his cock and rubbed it against your heat. 

“I’m yours Din, do what you want. Fuck me, ruin me...cum in me if you wish. Just p-please-”

You made it sound so simple, trusting him. It was an odd feeling to know how easily you were giving yourself to him. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, not after what you said tonight. But something about the way you offered yourself to him, especially with that last request, had him seeing stars.

Leaning down until his chest was sliding against your back, the Mandalorian held you against him with one arm across your front while he slowly slipped into your wet cunt. You sighed in unison, and Din felt a sense of pride fill his chest when you dug your nails into his arm while your legs began to shake beneath him.

“You’re a dream Cyar'ika, the best f-fucking dream I could ever have. And you’re all mine.”

“Y-yes, yours. I’ve always been yours, oh gods Din please, move. M-move.” You were babbling at this point but couldn’t find it in yourself to care, turning your head to the side just to feel him breathe against your cheek. His stubble rubbed deliciously at your heated and sensitive skin, and you would tell him later that you hoped he’d mirror those actions but elsewhere.

“So tight darling, I- you’re everything. The things I- uhhh, the thing I want to do to you.” Din achingly pulled out before snapping into you again, biting down on your shoulder when you clenched violently around him. 

“Din, oh Din-” You wished you could tell him how good he felt, how much he filled you, how often you craved having him inside you and how much you were losing it now that he was. But you couldn’t find a single word, not when he was fucking you like you were it for him.

The normally quiet man was groaning and hissing above you, pulling you along with him as he sat up and continued to fuck you relentlessly. You reached back and held his head against your neck, crying in pain and pleasure when he picked up the pace and his hold on your hip tightened. You were sure there would be bruise marks the next day but you couldn’t tell him to slow down or be a little less aggressive, not when you finally had him where you’ve wanted for so long. 

“Fuck, fuck��.sweet girl, did- did you mean it?” He was asking you something and you didn’t really pay attention to him, focusing on the way he deliciously dragged against your tight walls over and over again. Din knew it wasn’t fair to ask you anything right now but he had to know. Needed to.

He stopped his movement all together, sinking as deep into you as possible and tightening his grip on your throat. 

“Pfassk...answer me darling.” Din whispered into your ears and reached down to where you were joined, softly slapping your clit until you twitched and begged him to repeat his words again.

“I said, did you fucking mean it when- kriffing hell, when you said I could...c-cum in you?” He was reluctant to ask but there was no point in denying either of you. 

“Yes, gods yes. I told you Din, d-do what you want with me.” You forcibly loosened the fingers around your throat and brought them to your lips, biting the palm of his hand as he resumed thrusting into you. 

“Mesh'la...you’re such a sweet girl, letting me b-breed you...taking my cock so well, letting me fill you up. You were made for me darling. This cunt, this sweetest and tightest kriffing pussy was made for my cock.” He pronounced each word with a harsh push of his hips and you smiled when you heard how low his voice suddenly became. The sounds of skin slapping on skin filled the room and you hoped the child wouldn’t wake up from how loud the two of you were being. 

“You’re mine darling. Won’t let anyone else touch you...fucking look at you even. Maker I- I almost lost it tonight in the cantina.” There was a hint of self-consciousness in his words and you hoped he didn’t think you could ever replace him.

“D-din..” You wanted to tell him no one else would compare but he didn’t give you a chance. 

“Talking about me like I- fuck, like I didn’t care about you, like I don’t picture you coming on my cock every waking moment of my day. And flirting with him in my shirt...my kriffing shirt. I almost lost it when he put his hands on you sweet girl.” You weren’t sure if he had somehow become harder inside you or if it was his words that made you attuned to the feeling of him pushing into your cunt but you turned your head and kissed his cheeks, hoping he’d understand what you were trying to tell him with your touches. 

“You’re the only one f-for me.” Din let go of your neck and held onto your hips, no longer caring about how rough he was being with you. Your heavy sighs were the only warning he had right before your tight walls convulsed around his dick and he continued to fuck you through your orgasm, falling on top of you and bucking his hips slowly into your cunt until you begged him to slow down.

“Cyare, ah pfassk, that’s it. Keep squeezing me darling. I’m so close, so close. Ah fuck, you’re mine. Mine, not letting you go. N-never letting you go. Oh maker...ner runi...ner. Ner. Riduur. My sweet girl...riduur.” Din didn’t realize what he’d said until the words were left hanging in the air and he felt a rush of relief wash over him as he finally admitted how he felt about you. 

“Din, I lo- ahh gods please.” He silenced your screams with his hand, losing his rhythm as he came in hot spurts of cum inside you. Din bit down onto your shoulder just as you bit on the palm of his hand, continuing to push his seed deep inside you until he felt you a mixture of your juices seeping out of you. Neither of you moved for a few moments, relishing the way you fit so perfectly with each other. You could feel him breathing heavily against your back and smiled with pride when you realized you were the only one that got to see him like this. 

Din didn’t want to stop touching you, falling to the side and grabbing your flush to him only to hiss when you unintentionally clenched around his softening cock. You kissed his wrist as he pulled the covers over the two of you, not bothering to move a muscle mostly because you knew he didn’t wish for you to leave him.

He kissed along the bruised ridges of your shoulders, drawing circles on your navel and smiling when you giggled beneath him.

“I wasn’t too rough with you was I?” He asked embarrassingly, not knowing what he’d do if you said yes. 

“You were perfect Din...you- you are perfect.” You turned your head far enough in hopes of catching his attention, letting out a deep breath when he leaned over and captured your lips in a chaste kiss. He was so soft and you didn’t know which side of him you enjoyed more but you were sure you wanted to get to know him, all of him. His likes and dislikes.

“Far from it Mesh'la. I...I went to the lower deck and saw where you’ve been sleeping.”

“Oh…”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Din rose on his elbow, seeking your hands in the dark and holding onto your fingers as he raised your hand to his mouth and kissed along your hand. 

“I- I didn’t want to make you think you weren’t welcome. Peli told me about the Creed and well, there isn’t any sort of privacy down there really. And the kid would’ve been cold. I know how much he likes to cuddle next to you when he sleeps.” 

“But you’ve been-”

“I’ve slept in worse conditions, believe me.” He didn’t say anything else in response but you knew he was very much thinking about it. 

“Din, I wouldn’t change a single moment. Not one. Because each one led me here, to this bed, in your arms. I would relive every mission and every cold night and every awkward conversation again if I knew I’d end up here with you. You’re the closest thing I have to a..a-”

“Family.” He broke the silence before lying back down and pulling you as close to him as possible.

“Promise me you won’t get drunk by yourself in a cantina again.” You wished you didn’t laugh out loud at the random request because Din swore behind you before his grip loosened a bit.

“I’m sorry I...I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s just, here I am pouring my heart out and the only thing you could follow up with was that.” When he didn’t say anything in return, you grabbed his arm and pulled him back to you. “And yes, I promise not to get drunk in a cantina by myself ever again.”

“Good.”

“But I can’t really make any promises about not flirting with anyone because if it means I get to have you all hot and bothered then-”

“Sweet girl, you’re going to regret ever thinking of that…” 

Translations: 

Sleemo - This Huttese insult was pronounced slay-mo and translated as "slimeball," a rude insult.

Ad'ika - Little one

Mesh'la - Beautiful

Cyar'ika - Darling/Sweetheart

Pfassk - An adaptable expletive

Cyare - Beloved

Ner - Mine.

Runi - soul; only used poetically

Riduur - partner, spouse, husband/wife

[deadontheinsidebut]

hi there idk if you accept teams x reader but if you do may i request hcs where the nekoma, fukurodani and shiratorizawa (separate) guys see their manager all decked out in protective gear bc she has one (1) fear and it's getting hit by the volleyball? it could either be before/after volleyball practice or an actual match! thanks! i rly enjoy your writing! this ask was inspired by the nekoma vs fukurodani match lolll

HI ANON I loved this request, thank you for sending it it! I really hope you like it💗💗💗✨ and also ty for saying you like me writing because you made my heart go doki doki🥺✨💗✨💗✨

—Haikyuu Team x Manager!Reader

The Nekoma, Fukurodani, and Shiratorizawa team reacting to their manager decked out in protective gear

—Fukurodani

being their manager, you became their ultimate hypeman and derive their energy from your paranoia because it’s just so cute

They like to enter the stadiums for matches whooping and cheering but not for them, but for you

they’ll each give you a hug or pat on the head before heading onto the court because you’re like their good luck charm

But there’s a bonus to your protective gear

Bokuto goes into his emo state during the second set of this match so Akaashi looks at you and nods his head to which you nod back in confirmation

With all your might, you scream “BOKUTO-SAN! SHOW ME WHAT THE BEST ACE OF JAPAN CAN DO WITH HIS SPIKES”

You say different variations of that every few matches to hype him up and his thought process is basically ‘wow my manager who cannot stand intense spikes because of her fear wants me to go all out? I must be special’

He makes every single spike after that because he wants nothing more than to make you proud 

When your team does win, he’s rushing over to you and spinning you around 

Yamato and Komi are winking at you and you give them a thumbs up because you’re their trump card

Bokuto holds your shoulders at arm’s length and asks you how he did

“You’re the only ace I would risk it all for!” you giggle

Bokuto was moving in to give you another hug when Konoha knees him in the butt 

“Ok ok that’s enough, idiot ace,” Konoha nagged... but that’s only because he wanted to hug you himself

—Nekoma

The boys knows how scared you get over volleyballs flying through the air, but they never really got used to your collection of protective wear that you never failed to show up in

You were especially excited for today’s match since it was against Nekoma’s greatest rivals, Nohebi

You stepped into the stadium with knee pads, helmet, and mouth guard being the most prominent things on your body

First of all, Nohebi was shook to the core, like their jaws dropped

Kuroo is snickering because that’s one way to catch you rivals off guard and if they’re off their game, that’s a plus for us

Yaku makes his way over to you and clicks his tongue while tightening your helmet

“You’re too paranoid, y/n,” he starts, “it’s not like our opponent is that strong anyway.” 

you try to laugh though the mouth guard but choke on your saliva and that initiates another lecture from Yaku

Lev bounces up to you, eager to see what protective gear you’ve put on this time

“You look like a knight in shining armour, y/n-chan!” Lev exclaims 

Kuroo is just 100% amused and puts his forearm on your head like an armrest

“Wish us luck at least, chibi-chan” (yes he calls you that as well)

You wiggled out from under Kuroo’s arm to jut out a thumbs up to the team

“Will do,” you muffle 

Yamamoto is fangirling “Goddess y/n! You look beautiful as always!” 

it was the usual and Kenma hits him over the head to make sure he keeps his head in the game 

—Shiratorizawa

Showing up to practice in full out protective gear was a regular occurrence for you 

your coach, Washijo, is always berating you for your “weakness’

Tendou steps in every time because he understands what it feels like to be different and to accept your many quirks

But Shiratorizawa overall? Oh ya they are extremely protective of you

They respect your need to ✨accessorize✨ and see it as the norm

They glare down anybody that shoots you a weird look because that’s their cute manager

Goshiki actually bought you the helmet you wear now and plastered a bunch of stickers on for you so you would “never lose it”

Shirabu, never wanting to be outdone by his kouhai bought you a chest guard with ‘SHIRATORIZAWA’ written over it (which you wore to every match because that’s adorable)

They sometimes call you their team mascot because you just look so puffy and wholesome in the gear that literally has the school name branded on it

Once, Ushijima spiked a ball during practice and it ricocheted off the wall onto your head 

They got so soft because of your little tears

Like, they were so soft that if you told the story to anyone, nobody would believe you and the team would deny it

But oh my, Ushijima was apologizing profusely in that stern and grumbly tone of his

Semi was just running his hands through his hair over and over and sighing heavily as he stressed over the situation

Goshiki was full out panicking and his voice went three octaves higher

The swarm of huge men around your tiny marshmallow form was quite a sight and your coach was completely annoyed by the team’s reaction

But you didn’t mind (even though you were teary-eyed and red as hell)

You pulled them into a group hug resulting in everyone toppling over and forming a giant pile

Yes, you were a scaredy-cat, but it’s okay because you have your boys

Taglist 🏷:

@janellion @darkdinosaurpeanut @anianimol @fangirlwithlissa @flavoredmilktea @sstardusty @spicyness @personality-still-downloading @sugacookiies @millie-mint @kuroos-babie

[the-fiction-witch]

Lovely Tag Thomas Brodie Sangster

A - Affection [How affectionate are they with you?]

He's very affectionate, when at home but never in public. He likes to be affectionate and a little weird with you he'll poke you and then just lick your nose for no reason but its so cute and adorable, he'll just walk behind you and cuddle you tightly while your looking in the fridge, and he'll spank your butt as you bend over just generally cute fun affection

B - Butter [How much do they coddle you, and how?]

He does like to coddle you a little, he keeps you away from the press, the internet and all the sorts of things that would upset you, and really anything that you could get hurt in anyway he will not allow it full stop not going to happen, he wasn't even that thrilled about you being on his bike for the first time but he bought you so much gear that if you where to have an accident you would be as okay as he could possibly make you, he very much stands as your night from all the bad things that could hurt you even if you whine about being allowed to do more then you are

"god damn it! I am not going to electrocute myself Thomas! I'm just changing the light bulb"

"I wasn't worried about you electrocuting yourself I'm worried about you falling off the chair.... and shocking yourself"

C - Confide [How easily do they confide to you?]

He was open to confiding with you, however it was sort of an unspoken thing that it was sort of tit for tat as it were, if you confided something in him he would confide something in you almost like a trade, he would never keep a secret from you or anything just didn't feel the need to tell you unless you asked really or if you had said something,

D - Defensive [How protective are they over you?]

He can get very defensive especially with the internet he knows the sorts of things they say about you and he tried so hard to protect you, he tries to make sure the press stay out of your business and away from you, hides you behind him a little when there is camera's around because he knows the sorts of things they will say about you so he tries very hard to protect you.

E - Exhausted [How do they take care of you when you're tired or feeling low?]

It takes him a little while to notice but once he's realized he'll make you something nice to eat that won't make you feel any worse, let you sit across his lap and tell him all about it or just fall asleep on him whichever you need at the time, he'll cuddle you as tight as you want make run his hands across anywhere that hurts, petting your hair and soothing you with kisses and reassuring lovely words

F - Fluffy [How sappily sweet can they get?]

He can get pretty sappy if he wants to. but its a rare thing its saved for date nights and celebrations, but you can tell he's in a sappy mode because he'll be leaning his head on his hand and looking at you with that stupid dorky smile and he'll tell you out of the blue how much he loves you.

G - Game [How much do they play around, and are they a tease?]

He loves to play around, licking your cheek, poking your nose, eating your hair, doing all the stilly childish things that make you laugh even if its just an awkward laugh of weirdness, picking you up and carrying you around on his shoulder like his personal damsel in distress,

H - Happy [What's their favourite thing to do with you, that makes them happy?]

He loves having you on the back of his bike, He likes wrapping you up in all the gear and in his spare helmet he loves feeling your arms around him as you hold him close as he speeds his motorbike though London, going a little fast as you go around round about's going super fast on the duel carriage ways, taking you off to little unknown beauty spots for you to lean on the bike and cuddle.

I - Initiate [Do they make the first move?]

He will always make the first move, unless your in public then he always waits for you. He'll wrap his arm around you and give you a little kiss as you watch tv or cuddle up and have some kisses as you make dinner.

J - Jealousy [How jealous can they get and how do they show it?]

He'll glare. If he starts to get jealous He'll get very quiet and just glare at whoever it is talking with you, One day you where out to dinner with Dylan while he was visiting London for press and the two of you where just having a nice chat getting along really well and you could have sworn Dylan was about to burst into flames the way Thomas was glaring at him.

L - Love [How do they react to you giving them affection?]

He blushes and giggles a little when you give him affection and he'll always give you some back ,if you give his cheek a sweet kiss then he'll give you one back, if you give him a cuddle he'll cuddle you even tighter, he loves giving you affection and it always makes him smile and go all giggly

M - Married [What's it like to be married to them?]

its lovely, he's very kind and sweet as well as playful so it never gets dull or boring. Luckily he likes to ticker so he's a very handy husband doing household tasks like fixing the sink or building furniture, he's a perfect husband and you wouldn't change it for the world.

N - Newborn [How are they with having kids, and how would they be as a parent?]

he got so happy, he wanted to show the whole world your baby bump, he told every human being he possible could that you where pregnant and that he did it! he treats you like a princess anyway and when you where pregnant he treated you as if you where his queen, he held your hand every moment from the second you knew to the moment your baby was born. you where worried due to his work that he would end up being a bit absent from your children's lives but he always makes time for them, taking you all with him or even turning things down when he can't have the time with you, you and his children became the priority above everything on earth, and he spoils them a lot, but not enough that they become spoilt little rich kids they still learn to work and a good ethics, and still have to earn there pocket money even if Thomas spoils them around Christmas and there birthdays. And your children respect him, as the man of the house and as there father likely because of this odd wise father sat in an old chair with a facial hair and a cigarette look that he sort of developed when you had children, they love him and he loves them all very much too.

O - Outdoors [How are they with you in public?]

He likes to hold your hand, keep you close but not so much with kissing and such like probably because London is a very busy place and he doesn't like people seeing you kissing and cuddling,

P - Propose [How would they propose, and where would that be?]

He did it quiet classic, with the beautiful ring in a little red velvet box, getting down on his knee telling you how much he loves you, he made sure to make sure you did your make up and your hair and wear a nice dress even if it was hard to make you do so without letting out something was happening. He took you to your date spot in hyde park and tricked you into looking for an ice cream cart so he had time to get the ring and get down on one knee before you turned back.

Q - Quarrel [How are they after a fight, and will they try to make amends right after?]

if there is a fight between you even if it is very rare he goes and sits in his shed for a while on his little stool pondering with his tools until he knows he was a dick or he did wrong and he goes out on his bike and returns with a bottle of wine, the biggest box of your favourite chocolates and a nice bunch of flowers or perhaps a little cute potted plant and he'll apologize a thousand times until you smile again

R - Romantic [How much of a hopeless romantic are they, and how do they show it?]

He's romantic with gestures, buying you plants and plushies, making you a nice dinner, helping you with your favourite crafting, putting on your shows and such, he likes spoiling you with whatever you ask for even stuff you don't ask for.

S - Snuggles [Do they like to cuddle, and how do they do it?]

He is okay with a cuddle its just never completely cuddly as he doesn't like trapping you or making you feel claustrophobic, and he likes to be the little spoon a lot just rests his head on your shoulder or your chest an arm around your waist while he nuzzles up and tells you he loves you before bed time.  

T - Touchy [How touch starved are they, and would they show it?]

He doesn't show it as its kinda his default state being away from you for work so much and often when he is home being off with jack on the bikes or at auditions and such being touch starved is actually pretty normal for Thomas, but you can always tell when he's got it bad because he'll just hold you for... well until you move yourself.

U - Urchin [What's one negative trait about them that hurts you?]

He at times gets lost in what he's doing he tends to focus on one thing like if he's in his shed working on his bike he won't respond to messages, he won't do anything else unless you literally go to the shed and poke him, which can be great when you get him focused on something you want him to do, like cleaning the house, he won't stop of change focus until it's spotless but if he gets stuck on something like playing his video game he will not move until you force him or he gets bored.

V - Vibe [What energy do they give off when you're with them?]

Just pure joy. Whenever he's with you he feels like a child in love, giddy, excited and full of joy.

W- Wedding [What are they like at their wedding?]

teary, He could barely get thought seeing you before he completely  bursting into tears, Barely though the vows before getting teary. but its okay it was all tears of joy and you kissed away all his tears after the ceremony.

X - Xtreme [What lengths would they go to for you?]

he would do anything you asked, and he would often offer if you wanted something off him. He'll do his best to do what you ask even if at times he can't help it, like if your sad and you miss him when he's away working. He'll do his best to call you up or skype you for a while maybe flight you out to visit him if possible, but even if he can't due to time zones or anything he'll make it all up to you buy taking you out and spoiling you when he's home.

Y - Yogurt [What's their ideal place for a date?]

Thomas loves taking you on a nice motorbike ride to the seaside or the beautiful grounds and gardens of a nice house or Park, a little dinner in a small not to busy restaurant and an ice cream before heading home for a cuddle and a glass of wine.  

Z - Zipper [What clothes do they like seeing you in?] His, he can't help but go bright red and almost verbally awww at you when he sees you in his clothes. But he also loves when you dress up as he says himself its fun to dress up so you always have a day once a month or so where you get fully dressed up in heels a dress, and he gets on a full suit and you have your own little red carpet trip in his vintage car, to go and get pizza.

[plasticnightmaredoll]

How about that WandaVision finale?

I have been MCU trash pretty much since 2008's "Iron Man," and it's currently a great time to be MCU trash. "WandaVision" is one of the few series that not only kept me coming back week after week, but actually amounted to much more than just a gimmicky twist (I'm looking at you, "Behind Her Eyes." Seriously, that show is soap opera drivel with a shocking double twist as its only captivating trait...and the double twist wasn't handled very well anyway)

In the end "WandaVision" was about overcoming grief and accepting reality.

Spoilers ahead!

The "WandaVision" finale was quite good overall, but there were a few disappointments. I'll address the latter first:

We never found out who was in witness protection. At the beginning of the series, Jimmy Woo stated there was someone trapped in West View who was in the witness protection program, and it seemed like it would be a key subplot but ultimately, it didn't lead anywhere. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be seen as anything more than some...random bit of information, but it is odd that they put such a specific detail into the story in the first place if it wasn't going to lead anywhere. Then again, supposedly we may get more questions answered in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," so this subplot may not have been wasted after all.

There were so many theories floating around hinting at who the true villain was behind the scenes, including Mephisto, Nightmare, Grim Reaper, and Chthon. All seemed like valid enemy choices, especially Mephisto as many clues appeared to lead to him, and Grim Reaper due to his helmet making an appearance in the opening credits of episode two. However, there wasn't a big baddie hiding in the shadows, and Agatha Harkness and Tyler Hayward were the only villains. Then again, that doesn't mean there isn't an ultimate villain lurking out there who could appear in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," but it kind of sucks we have to wait until 2022 to find out.

I wanted White Vision to go to Wanda and get together with her since Hex Vision restored his memories. But White Vision just flew off and wasn't seen again for the rest of the episode. I guess he needed time to process all the memories that had just flooded his high advanced robot mind, which is understandable because it was a lot to take in. I would have liked to see him make another appearance in the episode, though, even if it was at the very end with Wanda in her secluded cabin. I just want them to be happy together, ok?

Evan Peters wasn't actually Quicksilver/Peter Maximoff from the "X-Men" movies but someone named Ralph Bohner. This must be the Ralph Agatha referred to numerous times throughout the series but was never shown (not until the later episodes, that is). It does seem a bit weird -- off-putting, really -- that Evan wasn't Quicksilver from an alternate timeline. It would have made sense, and would have been a nice sampling of the "Multiverse of Madness," but in the end, he was just...Ralph. I honestly, don't get it, though: Why choose Evan Peters for such a random role when he was Quicksilver in the "X-Men" movies, and we are getting into the Multiverse part of the MCU storyline? Also, what happened to him in the end? After Monica freed him from Agatha's magic, we never saw him again. So....? What gives?

Although this is more of a personal gripe than anything, I was seriously hoping Doctor Strange would appear in the finale, even if it was in a post-credits scene. It would have been an excellent lead in for "Multiverse of Madness," and I just really love Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of the character. But again, this isn't really a flaw with the "WandaVision" series and is more of a pet peeve.

Also another peeve: What happened to Señor Scratchy?

I can't even say that there was a lot to be disappointed in with the finale, though. The lack of an "ultimate big bad meanie" isn't so bad. The series was more focused on Wanda running from her grief, having it smother her, and then earning her acceptance. Agatha and Hayward were sufficient as "true villains" of the series.

The only big issues are Evan Peters being a random dude named Ralph, and the weird subplot of a missing witness that ended up leading nowhere (for now?)

There was plenty of good in the "WandaVision" finale!

Wanda finally donning a scarlet outfit and crow reminiscent of what she wears in the comics was totally bad ass. It looked fantastic, and it shows she's now understanding herself and her powers much more. She isn't naïve about any of it, and is ready to learn how to control and enhance her abilities. Initially, she didn't want to be seen as a witch but ultimately, it is her destiny, and she chose to accept it without fear.

The second and final post-credits scene with Wanda making tea in her secret cabin in the mountains was interesting to say the least. Physical(?) Wanda was doing daily task while her astral projection -- which featured her in her costume -- was studying the book of dark spells (or "Book of the Damned," as Agatha called it). This is a funny nod to 2016's "Doctor Strange" considering Doctor Strange's physical form would sleep while his astral form would study magic. The difference, though, is Wanda is reading from the Book of the Damned, which can't be a good thing. Also, it almost indicates she has two personalities: Wanda Maximoff and Scarlet Witch, and I like that idea. She may have to wrestle with herself internally in the near future.

I was so glad that White Vision was able to regain his memories of his past -- and true? -- self thanks to Hex Vision. I hope White Vision will go to Wanda and reunite with her, but I'm not sure when that will happen. Paul Bettany isn't listed in the cast for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" so...I'm really confused. White Vision still exists and is somewhere but...where? When? How? The cast list for "Multiverse of Madness" is very short, though, and Paul's upcoming films and series list ends in 2020 so...maybe it's meant to be a secret? The movie isn't due out until next year so it COULD be the case. Otherwise, it seems like a huge oversight on the MCU's part to just forget about White Vision. It would be a pleasant surprise if he shows up in "Multiverse of Madness" to help Wanda from doing bad things, losing control, or whatever?

Scarlet Witch is supposedly stronger than the Sorcerer Supreme, which is kind of awesome but kind of troubling because Doctor Strange may not have the best time in "Multiverse of Madness" is he is to confront her. This is why I hold on to the theory that White Vision may appear in the movie to aid Doctor Strange by calming Wanda down. Either way, knowing she is so powerful and at the same time, a very emotional person, hints at an epic fight in the near future.

I really liked how Wanda tricked Agatha into stealing her chaos magic. I was wondering why Wanda was missing with some of her chaos magic spheres, but assumed she was just growing tired and weak and was losing focus. Then it's revealed that she wasn't missing her shots -- she was placing large runes on the Hex's walls to prevent Agatha from using her magic. Then this allowed Wanda to take back her powers and steal some of Agatha's, which, in turn, made her accept her role as the Scarlet Witch. Agatha is punished by being trapped as nosy neighbor Agnes in West View, but I don't think it's the last we'll see of her.

I'm glad Wanda was able to finally accept Vision's death as that was what had caused all this mess in the first place. Despite what she did, she was a sympathetic "villain," if you can even consider her one. She was overwhelmed by grief and found a way to cope...she just happened to drag a small town into her world. Oops.

Monica's powers continuing to evolve was amazing, like how she managed to stop the bullets Hayward attempted to fire at Billy and Tommy. I really like Monica's character and the actress, Teyonah Parris, is very talented, so I'm excited to see more of her in Phase Four.

While it was expected, it was ultimately the right decision to let the people of West View go free. Even if they still resent Wanda for trapping them previously, they are given the chance to return to their normal lives without any harm done to them (well, maybe some mental and emotional trauma but, hey, who doesn't deal with these things in life, right?)

Some things I want to make note of:

Paul Bettany is a fucking troll and I love it! He had hinted at a surprise cameo later in the "WandaVision" series, which would involve working with an actor he's always wanted to work with. This caused a lot of speculation as to who it would be, although, Benedict Cumberbatch was the top choice since Doctor Strange and Vision never had screen time together, and Benedict is a great actor (then again, so is Paul, although, he's underrated, I think). Then there were rumors of Al Pacino being the surprise cameo since he was a major influence on Paul, and there were theories Al would show up as a secret villain like Nightmare. Turns out the secret surprise cameo was Paul Bettany himself since he played both Hex Vision and White Vision, and the two did fight for a bit before having a philosophical chat which led to White Vision regaining his memories. So, yeah, Paul Bettany is Troll of the Year. I guess I was initially disappointed that the big reveal wasn't really a big reveal, but I quickly realized how hilarious it was that Paul played us all so well. He's probably laughing his ass off right now at everyone's "WTFFF?" reactions.

I know Elizabeth Olsen was criticized for her poor Russian accent, but I think she's a very good actress and love her portrayal of Wanda. I mean, accents can be a bitch to master, I get it, and sometimes, I think if the performance is still impressive, we can learn to be unbothered if the accent is off.

I noticed that Chiwetel Ejiofor is returning as Karl Mordo in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," so perhaps he will be the main villain or a secondary villain? He has to be a villain since he is hunting down sorcerers to take their powers. Maybe he wants to take Wanda's powers, too? I mean, she's a sorcerer of sorts, so...maybe that is going to be a plot point? Although, Mordo is probably way out of his depth against her but we shall see.

I kind of still want Mephisto or Nightmare to appear in Phase Four since they have been hyped so much due to clues in "WandaVision." I don't think Wanda will be the big baddie for Phase Four, I just don't see it. Also, I don't see Mordo as being the big baddie, either. Both are very single-minded in their goals, and yeah, Thanos was, too, but he dragged the entire universe into his insane and devastating goal. I don't think Wanda or Mordo have such grand and deadly intentions. Wanda just wants her kids back and Mordo wants to get rid of sorcerers as...revenge against the Ancient One's "betrayal?" I don't know...but I don't think he wants to take over the universe. I never read the comics, though, so I could be wrong.

In the second post-credits scene of the "WandaVision" finale," we see Wanda's astral self studying dark magic from the Book of the Damned, and Billy and Tommy suddenly call out to her. I am guessing she could have been studying spells to see if there was anything that could bring them back since, unlike Vision, they were a creation unique to her from the start. Vision was initially a new, more powerful, more durable body for Ultron, then he was given Jarvis' AI and became, uh, the Vision, so, he never "belonged" to her. Getting her kids back, however, may prove to be a problem for the universe because it could lead to multiverse madness. I'm so funny, I know.

As disappointing as it was for Evan Peters to presumably be some dude named Ralph Bohner and not the "X-Men" movieverse Quicksilver/Peter Maximoff, maybe it makes sense when you really think about it. Marvel owns the rights to the X-Men now because Disney owns Marvel and Disney purchased the rights through their merger with 21st Century Fox. Marvel plans to reboot the X-Men with "The Mutants" movie sometime soon, and that means characters will be recast. They kind of have to because the current cast's movie series has hit a dead end with "Apocalypse" and "Dark Phoenix" proving to be underwhelming. I do wonder how Marvel will breathe fresh life into the X-Men in the movieverse because I feel like there is X-Men fatigue right now? Or maybe it's just me. I've grown disappointed with the franchise and am sort of annoyed at a reboot because it may be too soon. But, hey, hopefully I'm proven wrong!

Marvel also has rights to the Fantastic Four, which means we may actually finally get a good Fantastic Four movie! Three attempts have been made so far (yes, three), and they all failed to impress with the last attempt being an embarrassment. I mean, it was a disaster as nearly everyone hated how boring and bland and choppy it was, and that is reflected in its pitiful earnings. On a budge of $120-155 million, the 2015 "Fantastic Four" movie only grossed $167.9 million globally. OOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFF.

Phew, that was a huge post, but got all my thoughts out. Considering how shitty things have been since the abomination of 2020 was born, and with little hope for things to improve anytime soon (I have my own problems as well, which aren't going away anytime soon, either, hahaha T__T), it's refreshing to have some stuff to be happy about. Some people hate the MCU, some people have lost interest, and some people may just be indifferent, but I'm definitely and MCU fan and it makes me feel excited and giddy, two things I don't experience often anymore :\

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments or in a reblog, but no hate and no "cancel culture" talk. I want to keep this post positive.

[dameronology]

the one with the intergalactic babysitter (mando x reader)

summary: you’re a little lost in life - you moved to coruscant to become a writer, but working two jobs to make ends meet has made you dismayed. one babysitting gig with a mandalorian and his weird green kid might change everything.

this is my first mando piece!! it might be the first part of a series or it might be a stand alone - if you want to see more, i’m definitely down to see what else my brain spews up 

enjoy, 

- val xx 

Coruscant was a very fucking expensive place to live. 

It was understandable, seeing as it was the political and cultural hub of the galaxy - the kind of place that Frank Sinatra might write songs about titled Coruscant, Coruscant - but maker, it felt like they were charging you simply to exist in the city. Perhaps if you’d had a career, or a solid job that didn’t require chasing around after rude patrons and yelling at middle-aged women for severely under tipping. Being a waitress simply wasn’t enough to make ends meet. You’d originally moved to the capital to make it as a writer - a statement you would come to learn would age like milk on a hot July day. 

So, you turned to babysitting too; you already spent your day dealing with sticky-handed children and tuning out their incessant screaming. The extra credits wouldn’t hurt and it was something to do that didn’t involve sitting within the four walls of your tiny, concrete apartment. 

The first few weeks were a bit sow, usually tending to the spoilt of children of rich, inner city politicians. They were easy jobs; the kids were easily entertained by a holomovie and their parents usually left enough money to order take away food for them. You simply had to sit and watch them; making sure they didn’t choke and that they were in bed on time. Simple. 

One slow Monday - the kind were the hours dragged and there was a sort of grey cloud of gloom hanging over the skyscrapers - you got a call. Initially, it was supposed to be your night off to work on your debut novel. The first thing on your to-do list was to come up with an idea for said novel but as it usually went with writers, you found it easier to find excuses than to get on with the thing you claimed was your livelihood. 

‘Hello?’ You were halfway through the door of your apartment, your commslink in one hand as you tossed your apron onto the kitchen counter. 

‘Is this...Y/N?’

‘Maybe.’ You thinned your eyes. ‘Who’s asking?’

‘A potential client.’ It sounded as though the caller was covering their mouth. ‘Are your services exclusive to human children?’

‘Not at all. I had a Twi’lek kid last week.’ You replied. ‘What kinda kid are we talking?’

‘I’m not entirely sure.’

‘You don’t know what species your own kid is?’

‘He’s adopted?’ The voice came back, a little unsure. ‘Look, it’s a long story but I’ve had an emergency at work and I need someone to keep an eye on him for a few hours. I’ll pay double.’

That was how you ended up rushing out again, plans for the night completely disregarded in lieu of money . Admittedly, you were a little unsure because a) the address he had given you was in an air hangar and b) you were half-expecting to turn up and find that the child was a demon. But the guy was paying double and you needed to make rent - and you were like eighty percent sure he probably wasn’t going to kill you. 

When you got to Air Hangar 64 - a jet parking spot right in the middle of downtown Coruscant - you almost turned around, thinking you’d got the wrong address. A man in Mandalorian armour (one hell of a man, it should be added) was standing outside of a jet, a bundle of robes in his arms. He was tapping his foot on the ground, the bright lights of the city around you illuminating against the beskar of his suit. 

‘Y/N?’ You hadn’t even noticed that he’d spotted you, given the whole face apparatus situation. The voice, however, matched the one from the phone. 

‘Right. Hi.’ You cautiously approached him. ‘I didn’t catch your name on the phone.’

‘Mando.’ He replied. 

‘Mando the Mandalorian?’ You quirked a brow at him. ‘Or is it short for Mandalorian?’

‘Up to you.’ His words were blunt.

 It was then that you noticed the bundle in his arms was actually moving, a tiny and clawed green hand reaching up. It wriggled slightly and you tried - you really tried - to hide the look of horror on your face. 

‘That's the thing I’m babysitting?’

‘He’s the thing you're babysitting.’ Mando replied. ‘His face is much better than his hands.’

He handed you the bundle - and you noted that the shiny guy had been right. The little face staring back at you, with its wide eyes, brown eyes and hilariously oversized ears, was certainly much cuter than a human baby. He wrapped his tiny hand around your finger, letting out a tiny giggle. 

‘Is that why you wear the helmet?’ You asked. ‘Cos you’re green and wrinkly too?’

You couldn’t see the Mandalorian’s face, but you could tell from the way that he tilted his head to the side that he wasn’t amused by your statement. Tough crowd. 

‘I’ll only be gone a few hours.’ He said. ‘I appreciate you doing this.’

‘And I appreciate you paying double.’ You shot back. 

‘There’s food for him on the ship - some freeze dried frogs and some bantha milk.’

‘I’m sorry, did you just say freeze dried frogs and-’

‘- I’d appreciate it if you stayed out the hull of the ship.’ Mando continued, ignoring your question. ‘Just stick to the cockpit.’

‘Right.’ You forced a smile, inwardly reminding yourself of the double payment. ‘And do you have a rough ETA?’

‘Sometime between now and tomorrow morning.’

‘No need to be precise, I suppose.’ You muttered under your breath. ‘Well, have fun doing whatever is that you do...Mando.’

He didn’t mean to come across as icy and rude. It was just that he rarely ever interacted with anybody else - the Child was hardly chatty and he usually knocked his cargo out before they could get a word in. Still, the Mandalorian smiled slightly to himself at the use of his name. He wouldn’t usually trust a single soul in the galaxy to be alone with his kid on his ship, but he didn’t have much choice. You didn’t seem like the sort of person who would steal it - in fact, he got the impression you probably couldn’t fly it at all. 

Just like that, you were alone with the weird, Kermit-looking child. The first hour was slow; painfully so, in fact. All you could do was sit in the pilot’s chair, spinning around aimlessly in circles as the kid napped. The pile of dead, freeze-dried frogs stacked atop the dashboard was a little unnerving, but not any less unnerving than the six-foot-tall, armour-clad man to whom they belonged. 

By the third hour, you were beginning to wish the kid was still asleep. You quickly learnt that he enjoyed waddling about and pressing random buttons; he was particularly drawn to the bright red one next to your seat. You were no expert, but you’d seen enough holocartoons growing up to know what an ejector seat was. 

‘Oh no, let’s leave the blaster alone.’ You jumped out your chair, quickly picking up the Child. You held him up in the air, eyes meeting for a moment - then he burst into tears. ‘Hey, it’s okay! It’s better to play with safe things, like this mildly disturbing freeze dried-’

- The kid ripped his food from your hand before you could finish the sentence, shoving the creature into his slobbery mouth with an ostentatiousness that was impressive and disturbing in equal measures. 

Watching him guzzle down the bantha milk was a similar experience; half of it ended up down his robes, the other half splattering to the floor. It could have been worse.  He could have spilled it all over the controls or down the seat. Heck, he could have poured it over your head. 

By the time the Mandalorian came back, both you and the Child were passed out. So much so, in fact, that you didn’t hear him enter the ship. You were snoring quietly in the pilot’s seat, leg stretched out to the other chair. The little green rat was snoozing on your chest, one of your hands resting over his back. There was blue milk all down your shirt and a frog’s leg stuck to the windscreen. 

He gently leant forward to pick his kid up, placing him back in his floating crib. You began to stir when you felt the warmth move from your chest, your brain mentally registering the sudden absence of the creature. 

‘Hey, Mando the Mandalorian.’ You sat up, rubbing your eyes. As you did, the frog that had been plastered to the windscreen fell, bouncing off of his helmet. Your hand flew to your mouth, trying to stifle the laugh that was about to come out. ‘I am so sorry about the mess-’

‘- don’t be.’ He cut you off, sticking out his gloved hand to help you up. ‘He’s a messy kid.’

You weren’t sure how you could tell, but something about him seemed much more docile than your previous, brief encounter. His tone was a little warmer - or was it more tired? It was hard to tell with the helmet. 

Your best guess was that whatever work-related task he’d run out to had really taken it out of him. His shoulders were a little slumped, words tinged with exasperation. Coming home to find his ship covered in frogs and blue milk was probably only salt in the wound. 

‘I’ll clean it up.’ You offered. 

‘No, it’s fine.’ Mando shook his head, releasing his grip on your hand. 

‘You’re tired.’ You said. ‘I mean...I think you’re tired. It’s hard to tell with that metal thing covering your face but I’m getting some exhausted dad vibes from you and I did make the mess after all.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Certain.’ You rubbed your eyes. ‘We spent most of the time you were out napping so I’m well-rested anyways.’

After pointing you in the direction of a tiny closet towards the back of the cock-pit, you gathered what appeared to be an ages-old mop and a bottle of unidentified cleaning liquid. Cleaning up spilled and splattered food was simply part of your day job and it didn’t take you long to reassemble the place. You mopped the floor, prying the occasional frog leg or arm from the ship’s windscreen and controls. 

Mando watched as you did, eyes following you as you darted around. You couldn’t see him staring at you but you could certainly feel it. Glancing up from the floor, you paused your cleaning to hold his gaze, letting the mop fall against the wall. 

‘So, what do you do?’ You asked. 

Helmet tilt.

‘I mean, for like a job.’ You continued. ‘You live on a ship and you have a weird kid - he’s lovely, don’t get me wrong - but he’s fucking weird. Doesn’t he have a mum or something? Or another dad?’ 

‘I’m a bounty hunter.’ Mando replied. ‘And no.’

Did you always talk this much? Or was it just his wordless responses that made it feel like you were having a conversation with yourself? You could have sworn that most conversations didn’t take this much effort. 

‘Bounty hunter, huh?’ You raised your eyebrow. ‘I don’t suppose that finding an individual in these Coruscanti crowds is very easy - sorry. I also don’t suppose that you want my running commentary-’

‘- no, I like it.’ His words took you by surprise. ‘I don’t come across many chatty people.’

There was something about you that he liked - you were bright, sparky. The complete opposite of every antisocial criminal and cantina-dweller that he’d ever come across. He was tired beyond words but your voice was soothing. 

‘Yeah, the kid isn’t much of a conversationalist.’ You replied. ‘Where did you find him?’

‘He had a bounty on his head.’ Mando replied. ‘The people that wanted him were bad.’

‘So you ran away with him?’ You dropped the mop, taking a seat in the chair beside him. ‘And just called him your own?’

‘Not at first, but there are a lot of people after him.’

‘Oh yeah. I’m sure that tiny green thing is the galaxy’s most wanted criminal.’ You scoffed. 

‘What do you do?’ His helmet tilted again, this time out of curiosity. He got the vibe that you probably weren’t a full-time babysitter. You’d looked after his kid well enough but you didn’t seem like the sort of person who would voluntarily spend all their time with children. You swore too much for that. 

‘I’m trying to be a writer.’ You explained. 

That made sense, Mando thought, you certainly had plenty to say. 

‘Trying?’

‘Let’s just say that there isn’t a whole lot of writing happening.’ You replied. ‘You know, life gets in the way. I babysit and waitress to make ends meet but that leaves little time for getting shit done. I’m hopeful, though.’

Mando was almost bewildered by you at that point: you were the opposite of him in every way. You spoke about anything & everything, you’d anchored yourself to this city and you were trying to achieve a dream - an uncertain dream. He was the one that travelled the galaxy but somehow, you seemed to be more free. You had the sort of energy and optimism that felt like a stranger to him. Your presence alone against the cold, metal walls of his ship felt like a warm hug. 

‘Is it lack of inspiration?’ He asked. 

‘Maybe.’ You replied. ‘I thought Coruscant would help with that but it’s actually pretty fucking sad here. I can’t travel though, not when I’m working two jobs just so I can afford to live, let alone go on kriffing vacation.’

‘Right.’ He nodded. ‘I’m heading out tomorrow morning.’

You furrowed your brow. ‘Yeah. Where to?’

‘I have no idea.’ He replied. ‘But I need someone to watch the kid and you need to travel.’

‘Sure.’ You snorted. ‘I’ll just...I’ll just up and leave my whole life here behind to drop everything and travel the galaxy with a random man and his weird frog baby whilst I search for inspiration and - oh.’

‘What?’

‘That sounds like one hell of a story.’

[itsreigns]

Blurred Lines

Henry Cavill x Reader

Henry especifically told (Y/N) that he didn’t do relationships. But lines get blurred. And crossed.

Warnings: Slight AU. Angst. Mentions of sex.

Words: 1,955

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As soon as I laid my eyes on him for the first time, I was hooked. Henry’s intense blue eyes captivated me as no others ever did. His tall and thick stature, the way he carried himself, it oozed confidence and charm. I was immediately and irredeemably drawn to him.

And apparently it was mutual. 

He warned me when we first started this arrangement. He warned me that he was no good in relationships, that he didn’t do them and he made it abundantly clear that I shouldn’t expect one. Because it would not happen.

At the beginning, we would just meet up and fuck. Fuck each other mercilessly. Fuck each other like we never fucked before. That’s how he always was… intense. He’d ravage my body every single time. Worshipping every inch of it. After sex, he was always sweet and caring, but he never stayed longer. So, I didn’t either. I knew my place. 

It went on for months and months.

Then, out of nowhere, he asked me out. Not on date. Just out. It looked like a date, but he never labeled it, and I, knowing him the way I did, just knew that it wasn’t meant like that.

I had to believe that. I couldn’t let my mind even acknowledge the smallest possibility of being something more there. It’d ruin me. 

That day, he took me to the beach. We talked and ate some snacks as we sat on a blanket, the waves crashing down on the sand a few feet ahead of us. We came back to his house, and we fucked. 

A few days later, he invited me out again. This time, we went hiking. Once we reached the highest spot in the hill, I stood there taking in the beautiful view. Unexpectedly, he stepped in front of me and cradled my face in his hands gently. He quietly stared down at me for a minute, and it seemed like he was lost in thought, having an internal struggle. Suddenly, he snapped out of it and kissed me. 

Yes. He kissed me. As in only a gentle, loving kiss. Not a desperate kiss trying to initiate sex. It was just a kiss. 

When he pulled back, he stared at me, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. I was mad blushing, I couldn’t control it. I felt so weird, I didn’t know what to do or say, or even think. My mind was all over the place. 

Apparently he didn’t have anything to say either. He pressed a light kiss to my forehead before he took my hand in his and stepped to my side, turning to face the landscape just as I was doing before. Then, we came back to his house, and we fucked. Again.

Yesterday, he asked me out again, and weirdly told me to wear a leather jacket, “maybe some jeans” - his own words - and comfy shoes. When I got to his home, he was waiting outside for me. Leaning against his red motorcycle, he was holding two helmets: his, and another one, that I assumed was mine. I shot him a confused smile as I took the helmet from him, and he limited to inform me that we were going for a drive. 

The sun was about to start setting down, when he pulled over and turned the engine off. He offered me his hand for support as I got off the motorcycle, getting off after me and taking off his helmet. Meanwhile, I was struggling with mine, so he sighed and got closer, gently helping me take it out. 

Once again, we found ourselves staring at each other intensely. And I was, yet again, a blushing mess. I had a feeling he loved having that effect on me, but he hid his emotions so well. It was almost impossible to figure him out.

Without warning, he captured my lips in between his. He pecked my lips softly, but when I responded to his kiss, he lost it. He pulled me closer, hooking an arm around my waist, and cupped my cheek with his rough hand. The kiss grew hotter, needier. He pushed his tongue inside my mouth, making me gasp in both surprise and excitement. 

He was kissing me again. For the second time since we met. Really kissing me. As if I truly meant something to him… As if I was his girl. His girlfriend. Someone he loved.

But I knew I wasn’t any of the above. I couldn’t be. He closed that door before it had a slight chance of being opened. 

“You’re a breath of fresh air, (Y/N).” He mumbled against my lips, still trying to control his breathing. I bit my lip, nervously, as I tried to contain the smile that was crossing my face. “You opened up my heart in ways I never thought were possible. I just… I like having you around.”

I couldn’t stop the smile at that moment. I hated myself from letting me start to grow expectations, but fuck… I was so in love with him. And here he was, letting his walls down a bit. For the first time. 

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked curiously. He smiled and took my hand, pulling me a few feet away from the motorcycle, to the edge of the hill. He sat down on this rock and then, motioned me over to sit in between his legs. 

I did as told. So there I was, sitting against his rock hard chest, with his strong arms circling my waist, as we watched the beautiful sunset. 

“This place… It means a lot to me.” He broke the silence, catching me off guard. “You’re actually the first person I ever brought here.” 

Fuck. That made me feel special. That made me think he cared. 

“Is that so?” I asked shyly, turning slightly to face him. He had the sweetest smile I had ever seen on his face. 

“Yes. I come here a lot. It helps me relax and think. I love it here.” He explained, always smiling. 

“It’s beautiful here. I can see why you chose it.” I agreed with him, turning my attention to the beautiful view in front of us again. 

“It really is beautiful.” He sighed contently, pressing a kiss against my hair. “I didn’t choose it. It chose me.” I looked back again, confused by his latest statement. “I… One day, I wasn’t… Well, some things happened, and I got out for a drive and I ended up here. Been coming here ever since.”

I nodded in understanding. I thought of asking him what had happened, but decided against it. I’d wait for when he was ready to tell me. 

Sadly, it was night quicker than I wanted it too, which meant we’d be about to leave. As if reading my own thoughts, Henry informed that we should head back with a slight frown on his face, that I’m sure matched my own. 

Once we got back to his house, we ended up fucking. As usual. 

But this time… it felt different. It felt gentler. More heartfelt. It was odd. But a very good odd.

It all led to today.

After we had sex, he gently pulled me into him, wrapping his arm around my waist, so I laid my head in his chest, as my hand traced invisible patterns on it. 

Honestly, I don’t even remember falling asleep. 

I woke up some time later, I wasn’t sure how much, but it seemed like a few hours. He was lying on his side, with his heavy right arm draped over me, completely trapping me against his body and pulling me closer to him. There was no way I could get up and leave. I was stuck with him, literally. Not that I cared, to be honest. It was the best feeling ever. But that wasn’t how we did things… how he did things. And I had agreed with it. 

My mind is running with all the these thoughts, all that happened between us ever since we met, in a full overthinking mode, when suddenly, he jolts awake, getting off the bed in one motion, scaring the hell out of me. I turn to look back and he’s in the bathroom, apparently throwing up. ‘Maybe he had a nightmare’, I think as I get up as well, putting his previously discarded shirt on as I head his way. 

“Are you okay?” I ask, as I lean against the doorframe. 

“Go away!” He yells at me, fully facing me for the first time since he woke up. His eyes were swollen, and his cheeks were wet. He looks like a mess, and I’m so worried, I’ve never seen him in this state. 

“No.” I reply gently yet firmly, standing my ground. 

“I said, go the fuck away!” He snaps as he walks closer to me. “I don’t want you here!” He shouts in my face. 

“You don’t mean that.” I manage to get out, my voice wavering as I did so. I felt like fucking crying. 

“I told you that fucking was the only thing I did well. I gave you that.” He’s being so harsh, so fucking cold. At this point, I’m walking backwards in disbelief, with tears streaming down my face. “So now, leave me the fuck alone. I’m done with you.” 

He grabs my leather jacket from the floor and tosses it in my arms harshly. “Leave.” 

I frantically crouch down and grab all my stuff, or at least try to, because I couldn’t see anything, my vision is blurred from the tears. Holding them tightly against my chest, I run away from his bedroom.

Once I get downstairs, I fully break down. Falling to my knees, I sob uncontrollably. I could I be so stupid and trust him? I was pulled out of my thoughts by his sweet dog, Kal. It’s like he could feel I wasn’t good. Kal gets closer to me and licks my face a couple of times, making me smile through my tears. I caress his furry head gently and Kal sweetly leans into my touch. Kal’s small action meant so much to me. It kind of eased my pain, in a way…  Sadly, it didn’t last long. 

I give Kal a kiss goodbye, I need to get out of here. I can’t stand being here anymore. I dress my jeans quickly, and then I head to my car the fastest I could. 

I can’t barely remember most of the way back to my apartment. Once I got home, I laid on my bed and cried.

What happened to him? He wasn’t himself. He was hurt, distressed. How could he treat me that way? He talked to me like I was some whore, a nobody. Maybe that’s all I was, afterall. 

I cried, and I cried… until I eventually fell asleep, drained from all the crying.

Now, it’s been a full week since that catastrophe happened. He didn’t reach out to me ever since. It’s as if he never even knew me. It hurt so badly, but I was doing good in convincing myself that he wasn’t good for me, that he didn’t deserve me or any of my tears. 

I’m cleaning out my apartment, jamming some of my favourite songs. It’s one of my favorite things to do when I want to get my mind off things and relax. It really does wonders. 

Suddenly, I faintly hear the bell ringing. Twice. I furrow my brows, confused, because I wasn’t expecting anyone. 

I head to the door and open it. And I sure as hell regret it the second I do so.

“(Y/N).”

It’s him.

Give me feedback??? 

Part 2???

[screamxqueenx94]

Caught In Your Web// Initation

A/N: This picks up right where part 1 left off. I had a lot of fun writing this part so I hope you guys enjoy it! (Not my GIF)

Pairings: Stiles Stilinski x OC Raven Connors (Hood)

Warnings: mild violence

Italics= thoughts

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Raven stirs into consciousness. She wakes up and finds herself in what looks like a cell. But it's no ordinary cell. It has a plexiglass window with drill holes across the center. All white walls and floor with an all white metal frame bed and a small, white table and chair. She looks around, trying to figure out where she is. Instead of calling out for anyone, she tries to teleport, but can't seem to make it work and gets a zap of electricity. She then tries phasing through it and not only gets zapped again, but is actually thrown against the wall, knocking over the table and chair. As she gets up again, she sees handcuffs on her wrists, but they weren't like any she had seen before. These were new age, tech handcuffs. 

She goes from confused to angry. She grabs the chair and smashes it against the window, thinking the glass would break, but all that happens is the chair breaks into bits. She looks around, still furious and props the corner of the table leg under the glass and uses all her weight to force it up so she can push the window out of place, but that doesn't work either.  

She looks around, yet again, but this time to see if she can find a way to get her cuffs unlocked. She finds a nail from the chair and tries to use it to unlock the cuffs, but gets shocked again. She throws the nail and screams in frustration and irritation of being stuck. 

She hears a mischievous laugh come from across the room. She looks ahead and sees a dark haired boy wearing a long, green jacket and a sadistic smirk in the cell across from her. 

"What are you laughing at?" She asks annoyed as she sits on her knees.

"Oh nothing," he laughs again. "Just truly entertained by your stupidity really. I haven't seen anything this entertaining in a long time." He continues. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" She gets increasingly annoyed. 

"Those cuffs you have on? They're the brainchild of Whittmore Industries. They prevent any powers from being used and are completely impenetrable… you're not goin' anywhere, Sweetheart." He answered slyly, picking up his head so she can look into his deep brown eyes. 

Just as she is about to ask him how he knew all this, the metal door in the room rises open automatically, and in steps, two tall men. One has stubble and thick dark eyebrows wearing a leather jacket and jeans. The other is significantly taller and younger looking and has curly, light brown hair and is wearing a scarf. They come up to Raven's cell and eyebrows guy punches in some numbers on a number pad. The plexiglass window slides to the side automatically. Eyebrows signals to her with two fingers to step forward. Raven, though weary, complies. 

"Out that door." Scarf boy points to the door they just came in from. 

She walks forward down a dark corridor, being guided by the two men who let her out of the cell. How am I gonna get outta this one? She thinks as she has a second nail from the chair hidden in her sleeve.

They suddenly make a turn. Scarf boy places his hand on a digital palm reader and another automatic metal door opens. Leading to what looks like a meeting room. It has a long, sleek, glass table with 12 sleek, black chairs aligning it and a small area with burgundy counters and a see through fridge with some black couches around a glass coffee table. Eyebrows grabs a chair and places it behind Raven as Scarf makes her sit down. An elevator dings and in comes nine other people. All superheroes by the looks of it. One she immediately recognizes. Spider-Man.

One of them walks up to her. Captain America. She knew who he was. She'd seen him on the news, along with his friends. He takes off his helmet and sets the helmet and shield on the table next to him. 

"Derek, Isaac, I got it from here." He motions them to back off, which they comply to as he speaks. He looks really young. Maybe 16 or 17. He smiles at her. His jaw is crooked, but his smile is bright. He quickly looks down at her hands then looks back at her with a friendly smile.

"It's a safety precaution." He reassures. 

"You think I'm that dangerous?" She scoffs

"Not our safety… Your safety." Answers some guy in a power suit. She recognizes him too… Jackson. Fucking. Whittmore…  Richest douchebag Beacon Hills had to offer.

"Right," she scoffs again, adjusting her position to a more comfortable, laid back one with a smirk on her face. "Like you all could really stop me from leaving." She continues.

"If it's so easy for you to leave, then break out of the cuffs." Jackson snapped back. Her smirk gets wiped away instantly."Go on, do it. Right now, show us all how big and bad you are." He continues, crossing his arms and leaning up against the wall. 

"Enough, Whittmore!" Captain America called out with a tone of authority. 

Jackson stopped talking, but Raven stayed in her relaxed position. He turned back to her.

"I apologize for… him. He doesn't do well with guests." He puts his hand out for a handshake.

"I'm Scott McCall. You might know me as Captain America. Pleased to meet you Miss…" he trails off questionably, waiting for her to introduce herself.

"Hood. Just call me Hood, okay?" She answers back almost sharp. "I don't like people knowing my real name." She continues. She doesn't shake back.

"Okay, Hood it is." He replies cheerfully, forgetting about the handshake. 

"Would you mind explaining to me what the hell I'm doing here? And who was that guy in the cell across from me? Am I under arrest or something?" She asks in rapid fire. 

A girl with a bow and arrows on her back walks up next to Scott, arms crossed. "We will answer all your questions later, but you're here, because we've been watching you. We think you could be beneficial to our team."

"Yeah? And could I be beneficial?" Raven asks, using air quotes on the last word. 

"You have abilities that can help us on stealth missions. When we need to spy. When we need to be somewhere in seconds." The girl answers. 

Raven nods her head. Her mouth turned down, she looks down then back up to the girl. "Mhm… so you want me to be your mole?" 

The girl and Scott look at each other. Before any of them can say anything, Raven speaks up. "Look, I don't know what any of you thought I'd say, but after what I just went through, I absolutely, will not, be helping you, or anyone for that matter." She stands up and clears her throat. "So, good day, Avengers." She turns and walks away to the door, but stops right in front of it, turning her head slightly to the side so she can see through her peripheral vision.

"By the way, who was it that hit me in the alley?" She asks calmly. 

"That would be Allison, here." Scott answers, pointing to the girl next to him with his thumb. 

Raven nods. Then turns and throws the handcuffs and hits Allison directly in the forehead, zapping her and knocking her to the ground so quickly, nobody knows what just happened. Derek lunges at her with a fearsome roar and metal claws out, but she's not phased. She, in fact, phases through him, making him fall face first. Isaac runs towards her in a blur, but she blends with the shadow of the room, throwing him off. As he looks around for her, suddenly, she grabs the back of his cardigan and pulls it over his head, making him flip and fall flat on his back while she snatches his scarf. 

Scott comes at her, shield in hand. He charges at her, but she jumps and bounces off of it with a backflip and kicks Allison in the face before she can get back up and uses the scarf to wrap it around Scott's hand when he throws a punch. She takes it and flips him over her shoulder. Jackson runs towards her, armoring up, but she throws the chair she was once sitting in at him and takes his feet out from under him, falling on his face, then she charges at the rest of the group. 

She stops in front of the last five. A tall man with dark brown hair who looks slightly older than the rest, cracks his neck and yells "Flame on!" He bursts into flames as a tall, thin girl with short brown hair hits her fists together and they flame as well. A shorter boy with brown hair and piercing blue eyes starts to grow bigger and greener and roars loudly as his shirt starts to rip off his body. A girl with long, strawberry blonde hair moves her hands in some weird motions and things start glowing red and floating around her. Raven looks at them and raises an eyebrow with a smirk on her face. 

"This is gonna be fun." She remarks as she cracks her knuckles and smirks. Hulk came charging first. He goes to grab her, but she grabs his wrist and swings herself on it and jumps on his back, making it difficult for him to grab her. As she's climbing his back, Human Torch blasted flames at her, she made Hulk turn and get hit in the face with the flames. Hulk falls to his knees as he holds his face. Captain Marvel comes at Raven, but Raven kicks her in the face so hard, she goes flying back, hitting Scarlet Witch and knocking her down, making her lose her concentration. She flips off of Hulk's back, knocking him to the ground, spins in the air and lands on one knee.

She looks up and sees a familiar face. Spider-Man. He's ready to throw down, but she's ready to let him down easy. Something about him made her not want to fight him. He shoots a web at her, but she teleports behind him, but not before getting a good grip of the web. She had the web in her hand and wraps it around him, making him fall onto his butt. She teleports in front of him. 

"Sorry Spidey boy, but this initiation was never gonna work out. I like to fly solo." she remarks with a smirk. 

Before he can say anything, a fog of smoke flashes before him, and she's gone. He uses all his strength to break from his own webs as everyone else gets up, rubbing their heads or nursing an aching joint. 

"Impenetrable cuffs, huh?" Spider-Man asks sarcastically as he looks at Jackson, who shoots him a dirty look as he rubs his head.

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@mrs-mitch-rapp93 @teenwolfmarvel-obsessor @mummybear @bisexual-magnus-bane @fullangelimagines @stiles-o-dylan24 @nicole-lynne @daisyxbuckley @azgeina @iilexi13 @lavenderrosegoddess

[angelofhell-666]

“That’s my granddaughter Bucky....” part 4

This is a long one guys i apologize. i really hope yall like how this turns out. there will be a few more parts. then the series will really begin.

Bucky x reader, Steve x granddaughter!reader

words- 2,111

Almost a month has gone by since everyone came back from the snap. It took a while for everything to go back to normal. Well as close to normal as possible.

I decided to not take up a job at the moment to just stay at home with gramps and help him since he was now 5 years older and looked frail.

I tossed and turned all night. When I looked at the time it was about 5:20 am so I decided to get up and make a pot of coffee.

I poured in into my favorite mug, which of course was a captain America one, and sat out on the back deck.

Gramps lived in a quiet neighborhood in Brooklyn and it had a backyard but was small. When my parents would come home they only had a small apartment and would only be home for a short time. Gramps didn’t want me to grow up in a small place like he did when he was a kid so he took me in. And also because I was an accident baby so my parents pretty much gave me up to him and grandma when I was an infant.

I was watching as the sky turned from the dark blue color as I saw strikes of orange come in showing that the sun was rising.

My thoughts kept going back to Bucky. After I came back from fighting with them, the following weeks I asked about everyone. I had a lot of questions about Bucky. He told me his story and how he pretty much just starting living his life after Wakanda. They helped him get the Winter Soldier out of his head so now he can finally be a normal person.

Gramps always thought the best of people and if they deserved to be saved, then they must have a great heart. I sure hope to see him one day.

My thoughts were pulled from me when I heard Gramps, “I thought I was the only one to wake up this early.”

I looked up at him as he came with a cup of coffee and sat down on the steps next to me.

“I couldn’t sleep.” I looked back out at the sun coming up.

“I can tell by the dark circles under your eyes that you haven’t been able to sleep for a while.” He spoke in between sips. “What’s on your mind Sparky?”

I sighed and finished my coffee and put the mug down, “I’m not actually sure anymore.”

“Want to come for a ride with me today? I have some friends to visit.”

I looked over at him, “Are you only asking me because you want me to drive you?” I smiled up at him.

He smiled back, “Well that to. But I want you to see something. Someone’s going to need you today.”

“Everytime you say that, something bad happens or I have to fight a bunch of aliens.” I laughed.

“No this time it’s good. For you at least.” He grabbed my hand.

8 o clock rolled around and after I made us breakfast I went and changed into a pair of dark jeans and a white t shirt.

We jumped in the car and took off out of the city. He put the GPS on and just told me to follow it.

A few hours later and we arrived at our destination. I didn’t remember the place being this trashed the last time I was here. It was what was left of the fight.

“Remember, they don’t know who you really are. Well, someone might figure it out.” He spoke before he opened the door.

We got out and in the distance I see a few people standing around some platform.

“Im going to sit at the lake. I want you to go by them.” He let go of my hand.

“Are you sure gramps?”

“Yes. Now go. And go with your gut instinct.” he came down and kissed my cheek.

“uh…okay.” He smiled softly and started to walk towards the lake.

I took a deep breath and walked towards the group.

They must have heard me coming because they all stopped and looked towards me. I saw gramps standing next to the hulk wearing a weird white suit of sorts with a briefcase by his feet and some kind of spear.

“I thought we’d never see ya again Sparky!” Sam yelled out.

“How’d you know where we were?” Young gramps spoke up.

I had to come up with something. Gramps voice echoed in my head. Go with your gut instinct.

“I had a feeling you guys were up to no good.” I spoke up.

“We have to return the infinity stones back to where they came from at the exact point in time.” Young gramps answered.

“Ah I see. So you guys figured out time travel huh?” I asked.

“Yes. I’m sorry he haven’t met. I’m Bruce Banner.” I walked over to him as he stuck out his huge hand.

“Sparky. Nice to meet you.” I took his hand and smiled up at him.

“I hope that isn’t your real name.” he said as he laughed.

“No thank god” I laughed back.

Standing so close to younger gramps he got a real close look at me. I see him looking at me with that same confused look he had a few weeks back at the fight. Only this time my face wasn’t so dirty I really hope he doesn’t suspect anything.

“So what are ya doin out here doll?” I heard Bucky speak up and step closer. I could feel my face turn hot from the nickname he just called me.

I looked down at my feet and laughed softly before looking at him. “Just coming to see how you all were holding up is all.”

“We’re holding. Steves about to return the stones so you get to witness time travel in action.” Sam spoke up.

I locked eye’s with gramps. This is it. This is when he goes back in time to stay with my grandma. I’ll never see gramps this young again. But then again he looks so much happier as my real gramps then he does younger. There’s so much hurt and tiredness in his eyes as I look into them right now.

I feel tears coming to my eyes when he speaks up.

“Are you okay Sparky?” he grabs both my arms.

I sniffle and wipe my tears, “Yea. I’ll be better in a few minutes.” I spoke in a low enough voice only for him to hear. “Do they know?”

He smiled softly, “Can you excuse us guys?”

Sam, Bucky, and Bruce nodded and gramps pulled me away from the group.

He turned to me when we were far enough away. “How did you find out?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “Because I know things. Did you tell them?”

He put his hands on his hips and looked down quick before meeting my eyes again, “No. I’m not sure if it’s the right call to make. I’m just so tired and…I eh…missed a dance.”

“With Peggy?” I asked.

“Yea….how do you…are you another niece of hers I didn’t know about?”

I scoffed, “Yea you can say that. What’s the one reason you don’t want to stay?”

“eh I don’t know. The only reason would be because I got Buck back ya know? He’s my best friend and after all these years we are finally back. But…”

“But what?”

“I don’t know why im opening up to you.” He laughed, “maybe I’m just tired. And not thinking straight. I’m going to come back.”

Oh no. if he doesn’t stay in time then I wouldn’t exist. Would I disappear?

“Listen gramps, you can’t stay here just because you feel like you have to ya know? You need to finally do something for yourself. After all these years of fighting don’t you think you deserve a break? Or a life of your own? Bucky’s a grown man. I’m sure he would understand why.”

He looked up at me, “Ya know you really sound like her.”

“Who?” I laughed.

“Peggy.”

“Yea well she told you enough growing up.” I laughed. Not knowing what I just said aloud.

He looked at me confused, “Growing up?” then his eyes went wide.

“Wait your not…don’t tell me…my… daughter?” he asked in a hushed voice.

My eye’s went wide, “No not daughter…I’m your…eh…granddaughter.” I looked down.

Gramps is going to kill me. He told me not to tell him.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t suppose to-“ then I was cut off by young gramps crushing me in a hug.

Then I found myself hugging him back as tight as possible.

“thank you.” He said into my hair. he pulled away and grabbed the side of my face with both of his hands.

“for what?” I asked.

“For making realize that being selfish once in a while is a good thing.”

I chuckled, “And trust me. Those two bozos will be fine without you.” He let go of my face and we both looked over to Bucky and Sam.

They were standing next to each other and it looked like they were laughing and joking about something.

“Yea I sure hope so.” He let out a sigh and looks back at me. “As long as I have you in the future, I think I’ll be fine.”

“You will. Who do you think I take care of right now? My old man.” I elbowed him in his side.

“That’s not nice…” he laughed as he both started to walk back towards the group.

“It gets worse…” we both laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Sam asked as we got closer.

“Nothing but you birdman.” I spoke up.

Bruce started laughing, “Birdman! That’s a good one!”

“God dammit…” Sam mumbled.

Sam and Bucky came over and started to talk to Steve, “Have a safe trip man.” Sam told him.

“I will.” He turned to Bucky and brought him in for a short hug, “Don’t do anything stupid till I get back.”

As they ended the hug Bucky said, “How can I? your takin all the stupid with ya.”

I laughed at their childish bicker.

Gramps grabbed the spear and briefcase and walked up onto the platform.

Bruce yelled, “Initiating time travel in…”

I went over and stood next to Bucky.

“3…” Steve locked eyes with me and nodded. “2…” then his helmet went over his face. I smiled up at him. His eyes then flickered to Buck and he nodded to him. “1!”

Then there was a weird noise and he shrunk down and disappeared.

I locked eye’s with Bucky as we both walked away from the platform.

I heard Sam and Bruce making a commotion in the back ground but knew what was going on. It seemed like Bucky did to.

“You know he was leaving?” Bucky asked me as we both stopped.

“Mhmm. Call it an instinct.”

He turned to look at me, “So you here to join Sam and I?”

“I’m not sure.” I look over to the lake and see MY gramps sitting on a bench. “But I think you guys have a visitor.”

Bucky watched my eyes and follows them to where I’m looking off at. I turned to him and see he has a genuine smile on his mouth. He understands why gramps stayed back.

“Hey Sam….Sam!” Bucky yelled. Sam comes walking over and see’s what we are looking at. He looks at both of us and Bucky nods his head in the direction of gramps. Sam looks at us with his mouth dropped and slowly walks over the gramps. Buck and I stay back.

“I should get going…” I say as I turn to walk away.

He grabbed my arm softly before I can step away. I look back and meet his eyes.

“Am I actually ever going to see you again? And not for such a short time?” he has a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“I honestly hope so.” I smile at him.

Buck lets go of a breath he seems to be holding, “Because I sure hope Steve isn’t the only man who gets to be happy…”

My heart starts to beat a bit faster. Did he get the same feeling I do when we get so close to one another?

My breath gets caught in my throat, “I hope not…we will cross paths again. When the time is right ill find you guys.” And with that he let go of my arm and I patted his arm as I turned and walked back towards the car to wait for gramps.

[adorkabletodd]

Blue as Sapphire (Jason Todd x Reader)

This is the third and final part of my Green as Emerald fanfic. I’m overjoyed that a lot of people enjoyed my writing, even though I’m not really confident in my writing skills yet. Anyway, hope you’ll enjoy this one!

Part 1 / Part 2

Tagged request: @carolinawindsay Here you are, love! Warnings: curse words Word count: 2237

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This moment can go down in two ways. Either Red Hood calmly takes whatever he is looking for and leaves or all of this is just a misunderstanding and that whatever he thinks I have is not even here we'll both end up in an awkward situation.

But then again, he could end up killing me instead because people keep on saying he's the most unpredictable hero Gotham ever had.

"W-What are you looking for? Did you forget something here?" I stuttered.

He seemed so calm, not as tense as he was the first time he's here. Red Hood was silent for a moment before slightly narrowing his head down, as if to avoid my eye contact.

"See, that's the funny part." He started "I forgot that I had that thing until I saw it again."

He forgot? Then how can he be so sure I have what he's looking for? I flinched when Red Hood took a step forward. His right hand made its way to the side of his helmet and I heard a tiny click sound coming from the back of his head. With his other hand, he lifts up the collar of his shirt and digs in to grab something.

He pulled out something small but was visible enough from my range that I can still clearly see what it is. My eyes widen at the sight of a familiar green. "This must be yours then." He held out a green necklace. A really, really ugly necklace. One that you can tell a little child made. My legs walked closer as if that necklace had a strong pull against me.

Red Hood still held the necklace in front of me as I gently move my fingers across the stone. It was webbed with steel wire, one that was already old and rusted. The black string looked like it has roots spreading everywhere, but it was still nicely tucked. Turning over the stone so that I can finally identify it. It was there, at the top of the stone where the wires are connected to the string, there's a mark with my initials on it.

The memory suddenly came back to me. I was 15 at that time and I wanted to mark this stone as my own. I wrote it down with a sharpie and instantly regretted it because it looked bad. Throughout the time I learned to love the imperfection.

"(Y/N) (L/N). Am I right?"

For the first time, I finally looked at him, my hands retreat and I placed it above my chest trying to calm my racing heart. How did he get this? Why out of all the people it made its way to him? Who is he and why am I fated to be with him? So many questions and yet I'm afraid to find the answer.

"I can see you have a lot of questions, why don't I start with answering who I am."

Before I could even protest, Red Hood lift up his helmet. A mop of black raven hair flows out with a striking white single streak peeking out. I stood there staring into those clear blue eyes once again.

"…Jason?"

He gave me a sheepish smile. "Is it too late to accept that offer for tea?"

---

I carefully pour hot water into the mugs, setting the kettle down as I let the tea bags melt in hot water. Turning my head to that balcony, I see Red Hood— Jason. Standing there looking out to the night sky. I still couldn't believe it.

Seeing him outside suddenly made me realized, he had my necklace but what of his possession that I hold? Looking over at my bag I saw the pocket knife peeking out.

Of course. When Jason picked it up, he seemed hesitant. I didn’t think of it as much but now that I remember by the way he gave it back to me. I picked up the pocket knife and place it in my pocket pants so that I can use both of my hands to carry the mugs. I made my way to the balcony and stood beside Jason, silently handing him his mug.

“Thanks.” He carefully took his tea. Thank god he immediately grabs on to it or else my shaken hands would’ve just let it go and fell down a 5 story building.

I couldn’t help but stare at him as he gently lifts the mug closer to his lips, blowing the tea softly as the steam evaporated away from his face. God, I sound like a creep, examining his every move seems so mesmerizing.

Using my free hand, I reach down to my pocket and grab the tool. Jason seemed to notice the moment I took it out.

“I remember you being so surprised when I had this, I thought what went through your head was a familiarity of owning the same pocket knife. I didn’t think this was actually yours.” I chuckled awkwardly.

Jason smiled as I try not to make things too weird between us. Fuck, I gotta calm down.

“You know, you seem so perceptive to your surroundings. It’s a shame you don’t fully acknowledge what’s actually being shown.” 

I raised an eyebrow, “Oh? So you get all that throughout the time we talked at Bat Burger?”

“Your face is easy to read, Doll.” I nudge him with my elbow playfully.

“So... When you came to me at Bat Burger. Were you really in trouble? Or did you just happen to find an opportunity to run into the civilian who saved Red Hood without blowing your cover?”

“Hey, I was serious about being in trouble” he protested. “Black Mask was smuggling drugs to kids. I had to find his resources and shut it down for good. A few nights ago I found his base, but I wasn’t so lucky to make it out quietly. That’s how I fell from the sky and met you, by the way.”

I rolled my eyes at his playfulness. “This morning I gain intel from my brother about Black Mask’s undercover agent. I happened to be off duty at that time, but I had to tail him or else I wouldn’t get the chance to find their headquarters. They noticed my presence so I had to get out of there quick. Across the street I recognize you sitting near the window. That was my opportunity to see you again.”

My mouth slightly gaps as I listen to every word. “You easily took off your helmet in front of me. You don’t even know me, aren’t you worried about your secret identity?”

“Doll, if you wanted to see my face you would’ve done it while I was unconscious that night on your couch.”

“Touche.”

“Besides,” He let out a breath “You trusted me enough to let me stay and chat with you. You even gave me your french fries in the end.”

“Yeah, well, don’t expect it to happen again because that will be the first and last time I’ll ever give you my food, Red.” we both laughed. Joyfulness aside, There’s the last question that’s been drilling at the back of my head. I needed to know the answer, or else I won’t be able to sleep a wink thinking about it.

“You say my face is easy to read,” I said, looking out to the city lights, I felt Jason’s face fully turning to me giving his full attention. “Then you should know that I refused to believe in this soulmate crap until I see it for myself.” With everything that I have, I opened my eyes and lock eyes with Jason.

“Tell me how you got my necklace.”

He examined me for a moment, “It’s gonna be a long story.”

“I’ve got time.”

Jason narrowed his eyes, now it’s his turn to avoid my eye contact. “Before I was Red Hood, I used to be Robin. And before I was Robin, I was a worthless street kid. Dad was a useless criminal, Mom was a drug addict and died from an overdose. Didn’t really have the perfect childhood.”

Though the story of his life just begun, I already felt an ache growing in the pit of my stomach. Jason continued, “then my life changed when I met Batman. He took me in and I felt like I had a home. Until I got the news my Mom was alive somewhere. My mistake was that I didn’t tell Batman my plans, I decided that was my mission alone. It didn’t turn out well when all of it was a setup by the Joker all along. He beat me up with a crowbar and left me to die. I had little hope that Batman would save me but, he came too late and in a blink of an eye. I took my last breath and... Gone.”

My free hand quickly covered my mouth to choke down a gasp. Jason’s thumb traces the circle of his mug, now half empty with the cold tea.

Jason was dead. He died. How is he here alive then?

“The first few moments were a blur, but I found myself alive and clinging on to my life when I drew my first breath. I was resurrected by the Lazarus Pit. A group called League of Assassins brought me back and one of the members only did it as a favor to get to Batman. I was never the same when I came back, even though I was never meant to come back and I was better off dead. One night in my chambers something caught my eye.”

Jason lifted up his shirt collar and took off my necklace. He places the mug in a nearby table so that he could use both his hands to hold the tiny stone. “This wasn’t something the Leauge would wear or find any use to it. When I saw the smudged initials written in sharpie, for once, I had hope. This belonged to someone. Someone out there who lost this necklace had to be my soulmate. I believed it because this necklace came to me when I needed it the most. Ever since then I vowed to find whoever owned this necklace and returned it to them, and to tell them how grateful I am to them.”

Jason turned to me, with a smile as soft as the stars. He brings his right hand to my face and wiped away the tears I didn’t know was flowing down my cheek. Without even realizing, I felt my heart ache with every word spoken out of Jason’s lips.

I couldn’t hold it in as more tears began to stream down my face. Jason took my forgotten cold tea and place it near his mug. He wiped more of my tears away as he held me close to his chest. I automatically wrapped my arms around him.

“Honestly, there’s no need to cry over that, sweetheart.”

“B-But...” I lifted my head now seeing his gorgeous face. God, I couldn’t imagine someone living through what Jason went through. He deserved love, and by god, if Batman and his family aren’t giving him enough love, then I will.

“Come on now, it’s your turn.” Jason pushed a strand of my hair away from my face. “Tell me how you stumble upon my pocket knife.”

I wipe my eyes dry and collected my breath “it’s not really all that interesting to tell. I had my parents and friends but deep down I knew something was just... missing. I couldn’t explain what it is. One day I wanted to do a little tinkering when I realized my Dad was using all of his tools. Then I found this pocket knife under my table. I didn’t recall my Dad owning it but its what I had at that time. before I know it I’ve been using it ever since. That thing helped me out whenever I’m in a tight spot and it just miraculously gotten me out of trouble in school.”

“Well, I’m glad my pocket knife also helped to get you out of trouble.”

“It did with you?”

“I did say I used to be a worthless street kid.” Jason chuckled. “I used that thing to fix, steal and pick any lock whenever I needed. Ever since Batman took me in I don’t see the need to use it anymore, in time I completely forgot about it.”

I eyed my necklace which was well rested above his collarbone. Fiddling it with my finger. “This necklace has been with me for a long time too. So many hard times and yet this stone gave me the strength to move on. I’m glad that strength helps you along the way.”

“It made me find you in the end. All that pain was worth it knowing I find the wonderful person who owned this emerald necklace.”

I giggled, finding myself snuggling closer to his chest. “If I knew I would be fated to be with someone who has a thing for a ruby colored theme, I would’ve used that color more often.”

I offered Jason to come back inside. Being in a place that’s more warmer rather than being in the cold breeze of Gotham city. I would never forget this night, the way I gaze into my soulmate under the stars that shines bright decorating the sapphire night sky.

---

honestly, I love Jason Todd with all my heart and I feel like I will continue to write more stories about him as much as I can

[helpinghanikan]

Not Yourself

Avengers (and Matt Murdock) x Reader

Sum: Mind control is a serious threat in the same world that aliens, Gods and helmet defying hair exist. No one is safe from it, not even you. 

Steve Rogers:  

           Entire situation starting some minutes ago and ending in slow motion half a lifetime later. Siren blares like a whale on helium and twenty times faster. Four sets of hands slapping to their pairing ears in the small all glass office room.

           Siren bleeds between your fingers and into your brain. Filling it like black water in a coffee mug until it spills all the way over. It drips from your ears and onto your hand, taking control. Becoming the tendons, bones and muscles that go to the service pistol on the small of your back.

           There are too many reasons to explain why you were taken compared to the other three in the room. Maybe because you were standing and therefore closer to the speakers, or you just didn’t cover your ears well enough and fell victim to it, or you could have been the original target all along. No matter the reason, your Glock 7m was in your grip and pointed before any security outside the office could react.

           Between your three coworkers two rounds left the clip. Metal destroyed seconds after shattering glass you didn’t blink at. Red, white and blue Vibranium ripping through whatever is between it’s path to the back wall.

           Gun ripped from your grip you can expect a few broken fingers. Owner of the savior shield is there after the first security.

           “Oh, oh no…” Shock was setting in, arms stuck in the slightly bent position.

           The noise escaped from the office. Hands hitting ears and shots hit the corner speakers. Black machines and wires joining in the broken glass and small splats of blood. Raining down on your coworkers still struggling for breath.

           Arms are around you from behind, over your forearms and towards your center. A half-hug, half- hold pulling you into the solid body behind you.

           You weren’t Steve’s first loved one that was the victim of mind control. Bucky forcing him to learn that, in the moment of hesitation, is when he’d have to take control. Practically carrying you out of the office, past medics running in and refusing to let go. Sending a look to anyone who dared give an indication of taking you away.

           “You’re okay, it’s not your fault.” Whispering your name like a mantra, just so you wouldn’t forget it.

         Tony Stark:

         You can count on your hand the amount of times you’ve been in a Stark suit. The first time you just wanted to see what it was like, being told immediately to get out when you asked why the heels were necessary. Second during a home invasion; one moment your looking around the corner and the next your covered in metal and padding.

           This time you weren’t aware of the suit until you were standing before it. Brief memories of your bare feet slapping through the workshop. Breaking the unspoken rule of wearing shoes in work shop, stepping right onto dead wires and pieces of junk that you were lucky didn’t cut through the bottom of your foot.

           That entire day would be remembered best as “blurry”. Bed, breakfast, Tony, and then you’re at the spa. Piper is there but you were too focused on some article about you to notice any of the details. It’s why you didn’t think much when your usual masseuse wasn’t the same as regular. And then there are the smallest of bells and suddenly…Bed.  

           Now you stood in front of a prototype from some years ago. Made without a reason in mind and just for something to distract Tony when sleep was impossible. Just slightly more upgraded then it’s predecessor; a wee bit faster and just a wee bit stronger. By this point in time it was practically obsolete. Unlikely your lover would notice it was gone.

           None of the other times you’ve been in a suit you had flown it outside. Just stood in it stationary, during the home invasion it returned to the work shop, but that was quick hovering. Without practice it was an extreme case of stomach dropping, vertigo and just a scream inducing roller coaster. Everything was calm from your angle, just a journey you weren’t prepared to go to on but, hey, there you were.

           “Ma’am, I don’t think Boss is gonna like this.” FRIDAY says next to your ear.

           “It’s fine,” Because it was fine. Everything was fine.

           “He’s calling now,” FRIDAY says. “Putting him on the line.”

           “That’s fine,”

           “Hey there, Sweetheart, what ya doing?” It’s not common that you were the one in trouble while Tony acted as the voice of reason. It never seemed to be a position he was comfortable with.

           “I don’t know,”

           “Looks like you’re out for-.” He’s cut off by the closest building.

           There was this general assumption that you already knew how to fly the suit. Not even mildly interesting enough to have the need of it and never bothered to really play with them. With your body going into auto pilot there was little chance you’d make it so far.

           Starting high in the sky and starting a slow descent over the course of a few minutes. By the time you got out of the city you two stories from the ground. Clipping the side of a two-story house, spinning like a slapped top past the road way and into some poor families backyard.

           The poor husband of the house was nudged (Shoved) awake by the wife. Both hands shoving his forearm, practically out of the bed. A storm of “Did you hear that?” “What was it?” “Go check” “Neil, go check.” She asks with each shove to emphasize her distress. She’s gone by the time he wakes fully, door to the kid’s room open and her standing post in case the danger gets past him.

           Bat in hand he stomps through the house. Hoping that the sound of a large, tired and annoyed father would scare off anything that might have gotten into the house. Instead there is nothing, completely dark and empty house with only the squeaking of upstairs floorboards from wife-y and child shifting their weight.

           Next stop, outside. Where there was a new crater that was absolutely not there before.

           A lot of weird stuff has been happening within the last few years. From aliens to gods that were no longer prayed to, that a suit of hard metal was embedded into his yard only made sense. From his position above the suit he could hear the muffled screaming from inside.

           Some point between the house, spinning and the back-yard crash you woke fully. Impact and alarm system working together. One of the many security measures includes a complete shut down of all systems when landed. Only when close enough to the ground so there weren’t too many injuries or death from the system. Instead just entrapping the thief in the shell, keeping their body trapped under the metal until each piece is removed by outside help.

           Between the dark blue and the stars there is a head. Designated husband making the (arguably stupid) decision to take hold of the face mask. Although shut down, the hiss was still present from the change of air. Both of you blinking to each other, just as equally confused.

           “Where am I?” The first of many questions you would bombard this guy with.

                       Thor:

         A hand is in your hair and it’s not his.  

           Asshole’s yell of “EVERYBODY OUT” was still rattling the windows. Whatever was in those claws pricking the back of your neck was effective at keeping you calm. Your work buddy being the last person to leave, concerned by your lack of effort to escape.

           Hopefully you were in a different head space. Staring towards one of the many windows like your favorite show was on. Arm around your shoulders, holding your face with a possessive thumb rubbing your jaw line. His free hand was in your mess of hair, distantly there was tugging but you couldn’t place it.

           The world you were dragged into was one of both magic and medicinal. Where the prettiest fucking thing in this world was suddenly a bird on the branch outside the window. Everything else in the world was your peripheral vision that didn’t matter. The equivalent of a bus passing by that’d you never see again.

           Thor had this way of being a room, as though the colors were all just drawn towards him. Even to those that didn’t initially believe in other realms, or were still in denial about it, would give at least a glance to him. It wasn’t because of the look but just his aura that was more mass then the rest of the humans. Other Asgardians had this same presence, Loki seemed to be too well aware of it.

           Although everything in the world was static you knew the feeling of Thor the moment he came into your space. Even those it wasn’t Thor’s fingers in your hair you still hummed just from the presence of your man. Unaware of how so much more pissed this made him.

           The static is so much louder than before. Volume raising and lowering at random, yet your little birdie still hung around on the branch. Poking at his little feathers and hoping side to side. His head twitches at your direction and hops a little, silent tweets. Going ‘Sup?’

           Through the static and the magic world, a whisper is said somewhere both above and behind you head. “Walk” it commands. A wonderful idea, one that has your legs moving without a single worry.

           Your little birdie has stopped messing with his feathers. Tilting his head left, right and tweeting loudly this time. Cute little chirps to full on screaming as you get closer. ‘What are you doing?’ he screams but you didn’t speak bird. When you don’t respond he hops from the branch. Flying upwards and leaving a shaking stretch of wood in its place.

           Finally, the static stopped when the floor did. Swimming in air through the world, air as the water in the deep end of a bottomless pool. Arms stretching out, trying to reach through the entirety of the “water” you were swimming through.

           Your relief is incredibly brief. Static coming back harder than before, like someone throwing a brick into the pool you were swimming in. This came in the form of a log of an arm slamming into your back and being hit chest first into, what can only be described as, a bag of bricks.

           It pulls you from the pool, staring into blue eyes and a glass building behind them.

           Although pulled from the pool you are still soaking wet. Static making the blue eyes into a nothing leading into the more nothing behind him. Draining and flooding at the same time until all you saw was white.

         Bucky Barnes:

           You’d never be able to take Bucky in a fight, even in play he’d always end up on top.

           This time, with his hands holding your wrists high, you were laughing under him, claiming he had an unfair advantage and pressing against him to roll him off. No, you were snarling at him. Even with the impossible metal grip around your wrist you refused to drop the offending knife.

           Before this dinner was lovely, a rooftop restaurant rented out as a favor from Stark. Appetizers were some small fishes deep fried served with sauces. Although delicious, and you were having a genuine good time, the sting of a headache was appearing at the base of your skull. Waving off Bucky’s concern, blaming it on a withdrawal symptom of caffeine.

           With the appetizers taken away and an expresso sat down you laughed and talked. Hand sometimes going to the back of your head. Pressure and your little bitter friend doing next to nothing to help with the pain.

           Main course is set, and your steak knife had become extremely fascinating.

           Your waiter dropped the pitcher of water in fear when your suddenly stood. Chair hitting the floor behind you, table flying next.

           Bucky caught on the downward thrust. Pulling your wrist high as your eyes were almost completely vacant. Not focusing on anything but eyes wide open. He knew that look too intimately.

           Your free hand curled into a fist. Pressing into his face which he also grabbed and held. With little experience fighting your legs tried to kick at his crotch and legs, looking for more damage then to escape his hands.

           Heels were such a good idea at the beginning of the night. Small enough you’d trip on a street grate but a wonderful excuse to have to lean against him in walking up the stairs. Now they were being dragged off your feet, slipping from the foot. Leaving attached by the strap around your ankle while Bucky pulls you towards the restaurant. A waltz neither of you wanted to dance to.

           With the tangled shoes and a misplaced step your legs give out. Bucky went with you, leg on either side of your hips, hands keeping yours pressed to your chest. This was how your wrestling matches would end. Pinned to the ground, Bucky demanding you beg for mercy before you get a kiss. This time you bite towards his face like a feral dog.

           It takes the waiter several seconds of gob smacked staring before calling the emergency line.

         Natasha Romanoff:

         A torture in the worst kind. It would take roughly eight regular steps to make it from the bedside to the kitchen counter. Your back was to her, moonlight from the window to stare to showing the colors of your pajamas and the black gun lifting against your head.

           Natasha cuts those eight steps down to six. A few seconds full of slapping bare feet and a silent plea to make it in time. At the end of those seconds an unholy bang rips from the barrel and into your ceiling. Two strong but slim hands hold your hand above your head and straight into the black dot in the ceiling.

           Upstairs neighbor have a beagle. A decently behaved dog that started howling at the top of his little lungs. Startled by the shot that thankfully missed anyone in the building and doing what he can to protect his family.

           Millions around the state collectively cry out with the beagle upstairs. Shots, stabs and jumps happening only seconds before you wake in fear. Blood covering miles of the state when you collapse into Nat’s arms. Unable to move, so confused from a nightmare you hadn’t woken from and couldn’t run away.

           Nat didn’t say anything, letting your weight take both of you down to the floor. Dragging you into her lap and shhh-shhh shushing you while you tried to understand.

         Bruce Banner:

           It wasn’t insulting to say that not a lot of people noticed you. Even before the big guy you were always a step behind and to the right of Bruce. In meetings, in pictures and in lab. Still you were the backbone for Bruce’s every day. There wasn’t an email, text, or phone call that didn’t go by you. The only time this wasn’t the case was during his self-imposed exile, the glare you gave when reunited…oh boy.

           This was why the assault was both confusing and made perfect sense. A seemingly simple mugging that ended with your purse gone and more than one cut covering neck and arms. It never occurred to anyone you’d need extra security. People would recognize Bruce before you.

           No cameras, wearing masks and average height, average build. It would take time to find them. Not that it’d be that hard to cancel some cards and your lipstick could be picked up on the way home. Eventually you just forgot about it, but started the habit leaving the compound with at least someone.

           The click-click-click of your fingers flying through the keyboard suddenly stopped. Bruce didn’t look up as the smaller click of your mouse would follow after. Your usual pattern was gone as you rifled through things without reason. Bruce watched from over his glasses, still poised at his microscope.

           Your desk was a second home. Not a drawer on it that you didn’t know the exact contents of.

           “Looking for something?” He asks, expecting you to retort with ‘I know my desk, Bruce.’ And more struggling.

           Instead you just struggled. Finding one of many flash drives stored in the back of the top right drawer. They were pretty cheap, you demanding a certain brand simply because you could.

           Your click-click-clicking continues for several more minutes.

           Bruce stands a few feet behind you. Watching your fingers go faster then they really should. Even when you were in the groove and could pop out reports without stopping of several hours you didn’t go this far. It wasn’t so much that you were typing fast, but that you weren’t touching the mouse. Like some action movie hacker, you didn’t touch the mouse yet everything on screen was moving documents and opening files.

           It takes a few seconds for a genius like Bruce to realize you were just pretending to type.

           “Honey?” He asks, hand going to your shoulder.

           You had minor self-defense training. Really you were little more than an over-glorified yellow belt in judo. One of the things taught was to get someone’s hand off of you. Grabbing his, fingers digging into his palm, and turning it in the wrong direction.

           He pulls it back and you continue with “typing”.

           There were two kind of emergency buttons in the lab. One for immediate and loud approach, storming guards and sirens and lots of yelling. And one for a subtler approach. For a situation when the threat is monologuing, or a raid would cause a worse reaction.

           He clicked the second one. You didn’t stop “typing”.

           The agent slides into the lab as your typing stopped and the flash drive was practically slammed into the computer. Going back to typing as though it would fool anyone.

           You knew the agent that shared the look with Bruce. She had a little sister she used to walk to school and volunteered to walk you home after the mugging. She steps up behind the chair, looking over your head to see the files being downloaded.

           “Hey, I’m about to go on brake, wanna get a cup of coffee?” She asks going into the protocol for ‘out of mind’ situations.

           Ever since the New York incident protocol was updated to cover mind control. Company policy was to just pretend like everything was normal and fine, try and get them to a secluded place where less damage can be done. From there they are to be neutralized and brought to medical for examination.

           Without a response Bruce hits the same subtle button.

           First agent says your name, placing both hands on your shoulders.

           The office chair wheels backwards into First agent. Right into her gut that she shoves to the side. Just as aggressive as you had put it in, you ripped out the flash drive. Spinning on low pumps to the lab door and right into Second agent’s chest.

           Second agent you didn’t really know. Used as a “intimidation agent” being over six feet and visibly armed. Their main job was to follow or stand in the corners of visitors the higher ups didn’t like.

           An agent you didn’t have a relationship with was also a part of the mind control policy. One agent can try and handle it but there would have to be two to ensure the rules are followed. Sense he didn’t see you as a life partner or even as a friend, there was no hesitation on his part to grab the wrist holding your flash drive. Or cussing at you when your teeth latched onto his arm.

           Like the professional she is the taser under your jaw unhinged your teeth. Falling backwards into her open arms, flash drive hitting the lab floor.  

           T’Challa:

           You’re pacing back forth in front of the two way. Everything about your movements were just wrong; your shoulders were square, feet hitting harder on the floor, eyes whipping back and forth for enemies that aren’t there. Your lips stay in a straight line, only opening to snarl when your fist slams against the two way.

           “She became incredible hostile on the plane over,” Mrs. TSA said in the corner of the room. “Flight attendant said she asked for the Princess and tried to get into the cockpit when she was told where they were headed. She was pinned by your security after getting violent.”

           The Dora Milaje in question stands at attention on the left of Okoye. She was charged to protect you both in Wakanda and on the plane over. There was a long conversation between you and Okoye about just how far their protection would last. Although decent at blending in at political functions or fancy-ass parties, they might stand out at your day job.

           There was still a bruise under your left shoulder blade where you were pinned. It took some awkward weeks, but you eventually had created a relationship with your guard. The plane rides becoming more than just awkward glances to each other. T’challa knew this; it just showed how mad you must have become to have your own guard have to take you down.

           “Did anyone talk to you before the flight?” He asks in their mother language.

           “Only the attendants, she received a drink from the one she had attacked.” None of the three were turning their heads to talk to each other.

           You had stopped screaming for Princess Shuri when you were left alone in a room. With nobody to hear you there was no point in asking questions. Instead your energy going into escape; bashing against the mirror, ripping the door handle and even throwing the chair against the wall as though it would break through.

           They didn’t have to ask why you’d be demanding for Shuri when the King was right there. Shuri was arguably more valuable than T’challa was. Although your relationship hadn’t reached that point yet, if he were to die there would be a replacement within a few years. Shuri on the other hand, a mind like that would be impossible to replace within this lifetime. Far more valuable than all the Vibranium in the world.

           Something was inside you, and you were screaming to be let out.

           Pietro Maximoff:

         Pietro sleeps like the dead at night. One of the few heroes who understood the importance of a good night’s sleep. He’d sleep like a starfish, laying diagonally across the bed, blanket half off and already snoring when you’d come in. Having to slide yourself into the small areas he wasn’t covering. You had to be careful where you slept, too close to a spooning position and he’d roll right on top of you. Nice with a bigger guy, one that’s raw muscle and bones? Not so much.

           That night you were sleeping in a curled ball towards the bathroom door. Pietro on his back, arms spread and leg open. Warmth from your belly button to sternum sat you up in bed. Hands crawling over the sheets to your hands and knees, touching your man’s chest to ensure he really is there.

           Like many nights when you couldn’t sleep you straddle his stomach. Backside above his crotch and pressing forward so when his eyes would eventually open he’d be staring at you.

           Although a hard snorer Pietro knew what the weight of his woman felt like. In his half-sleep daze, he moans at being awoken yet his hands still slide up your thighs. Starting at your knees and ending at your hips. Waiting for the next phase where you starting kissing him lightly until he starts to talk.

           Hands cup his face. Slight smile on his face at his scruff being toyed with. Expecting the first light kiss between his eyes.

           Instead your hands slide down just an inch and squeeze.

           Strangulation is so much harder than any movie have described. Taking more than several minutes to keep the air from getting in. And it’s best to be done on someone smaller than you, someone you can pin down and keep down to get your task done.

           You were singled out to send a message of fear instead of an assassination. To show that they can even reach the Avenger’s bed partners.

           Pietro, like most sensible people, grab your wrists.

           He tries to speak but all your weight is being leaned into his throat. Only noise to come out were gagged and barely there. Reaching your shoulders and shoving as hard as he could. Spit hitting your face while he begins to cough out in desperation.

           Faster than hell but not that strong he tries to pull your wrists away. A point of mockery that you were slightly stronger than him after starting a workout routine with Wanda. He really didn’t seem to care, joking that it was nice you could pin him down. But that was almost exclusively to the arms, his legs could still destroy you.

           Feet pressed against the bed he tries to buck you off. Hands gripping your shoulders and rolling you both off the bed. Pietro lands on top of you, fall and landing against the carpet knock whatever was holding you out. The machine’s signal was weak and extremely fragile, broken with a gun shot the next night after a mission.

           Because of this you wake up to Pietro pinning you to the carpet. He was panting but not a look of anger on his face. The same look you had when falling in the shower and hurt your shoulder.

           “Pet?” You asked, wrists held together in front of you.

           He wouldn’t talk until Wanda confirmed there was nothing in your head. Wearing a turtle neck and scarves for the next few days. Refusing to tell you why.

                     Peter Parker:

         You were one of hundreds hit by this aura blasted across the airwaves.

           Last thing you remember is being in your living room. Occasionally glancing up from your homework to whatever random reality TV was on. One moment a woman is screaming at another and the next you’re standing on the edge of your building.

           It was lucky the villain of the story didn’t consider launching their message over streaming serves. This dwindled the victims list down significantly, but every hero in the city was on overtime, catching and stopping those about to step off their buildings.

           Four others in your building stand alongside you. Staring over the buildings without a single thought in your mind. Foot out, weight forward and you come back to yourself.

           It was the same story with the other victims. Aside from the rushing wind, the world is silent for several beats. Like a nightmare of falling but this time you can scream. A hundred people screaming in unison louder than a jet engine through the city and into the next state.

           Screaming didn’t stop even when the falling did. It was like hitting a wall, breath knocked from you, grabbing around the man suddenly holding you.

           The same way you had the nightmare of falling and couldn’t scream, waking up and not being able to breathe. Watching the ground and buildings go past, arms gripping the hell out of whatever was carrying you.

           “Babe, babe, air.” You’re back where you started. Arms and legs still wrapped around your savior and refusing to let go.

           “Sorry, I’m sorry.” Your feet are flat and immediately your butt hits the roof falling back onto it.

           It’s the hardest part of being a hero. Every fiber of him screaming to hold you while the sense are screaming about those leaving the roofs and bridge. His hands are on your shoulders, squeezing harder than he should. “I’ll be back,” You’re nodding but still staring to the roof. “I promise.”

           He did come back, eventually. Not until after you found out the death toll.

         Stephen Strange:

         Wong had long since given up keeping you from the library. You playing with the books was really the equivalent of a toddler going through their father’s stack of work papers. The paper’s themselves wouldn’t do anything but you could rip or break them. So long as Strange was in there with you, he didn’t seem to care.

           With Stephen already inside Wong didn’t look up as you pass. He wouldn’t have caught the slight blue ring in your left eye, but he might have noticed your too straight back or the bike still running outside the sanctum.

           For a doctor Stephen has incredibly poor posture. Leaning forward over the table; practicing and memorizing a text he already knew by heart.

           “Accidentally tear another page and I’m locking you out.” He says with flipping of a page. Expecting your retort of what you’d lock him out of to come next. When the only thing he gets back is silence it’s a fair assumption that you had left out of boredom.

           It was like a hyper realistic dream. One where anything can happen to you and you’d feel nothing physically. Your bare feet walking over a stone floor without feeling the chill. Hands on either of Stephen shoulders, the stupid robe was thick and layered. Overly so, you had complained about it more than once while trying to strip it form him. Eventually giving up and moving the cloth that was needed to continue.

           His collar had enough give to pull from his neck, showing the junction between his neck and shoulder. His head tilts out of habit as it was one of the few places of skin you got quick and easy access to. Like those time before your lips kiss the space, a quick peck followed by a longer suck.

           He doesn’t look away from the book. His surgeon training keeping him focus on one thing even the distractions are physical. One hand still squeezing the shoulder, the other going to your hip. You had taken this as a challenge before, leaving hickeys before he would even acknowledge you. Mouth opening against his shoulder, teeth gently scrapping along the skin.

           That Cloak hasn’t liked you from the get-go. You still didn’t know how the thing worked; at first thinking it was like an AI or robot that saw you as a threat to it’s owner. But now It seemed to be actually sentient, the floating stopping for a second when you had asked where the circuits were, you likely offended him (her, it). Now you knew that thing was just jealous. Physically getting between you and Stephen when you’d embrace, you swore he had tripped you more than once.

           It had never tried to kill you before.

           Whiplash wasn’t that far off of a thought when you’re ripped backwards by the neck. Cloak covering your face and pressed behind your head like a Venus-fly trap. Grabbing and gripping the red that took over your entire vision, the fabric too strong for your nails to dig through.

           Most small fire-arms now a days have a firing pin lock or a drop-safety. Thankfully yours was one of them; landing on it’s side after you dropped it from being attacked.

           The black metal was a nasty scar compared to the stone floors and walls. A machine that might as well be painted “don’t belong here”, in the isles between books and tables. He didn’t even know you had one, never thinking about what really was in the safe under your bed.

         Matt Murdock:

         Purple, a concept Matt remembers from his childhood. Specifically, a balloon he had seen once, lasting only a few seconds but becoming a constant indicator. Later on, another kid at the orphanage proclaimed “the purple syrup is the worst” when they happened to be with the nurse at the same time. To this day he still associates any liquid medicine to be purple.

           It’s also the dress you were wearing at that restaurant.

           Over the shit head’s shoulder, you see a couple walking by. One of thousands that you’ve seen over the past four days walking through areas you’ve never considered going. This one, though, they backtrack to the window. The woman practically pressing her face against the glass, hands on either side of her eyes to combat the streetlight glare.

           The man was already inside the restaurant, woman following quickly behind.

           Karen was a slim woman, but on a mission, you wouldn’t be able to stop her. Walking past Matt, and side stepping the host before he could ask “Do you have a reservation?” Matt could only follow in her wake, knowing the art of walking with a goal and pretending not to hear the “Sir? Sir?”

           Karen says your name before reaching the table. “Where have you been? We’ve all been freaking out.”

           Matt is by her side closest to you. Everything was wrong about you right now; the shampoo you used was different, smell of your apartment wasn’t there and someone else, the man across from you, had had his hands on your arms and back. Enough that his cologne was now in your skin.

           “Is this lovely one your friend, Dear?” Shithead asks, looking up to Karen.

           Matt’s hand goes where it belongs; to your shoulder. A gentle slide from the shoulder blade to over your dress strap so the entire shoulder was in his palm. Your opposite hand covers his, it was what you did. Your way to tell him “You didn’t scare me”, after the first few times he had done this made you jump or tickled enough to let out a noise.

           “Dear,” That voice, Mr. Kilgrave’s voice. “You don’t know these people, you’re not his.”

           Who the fuck is touching you?

           “Sir, please let go of me.” Your childhood lessons of manners first, profanity next kicked in at this unknown man touching you. Your shoulder pulled back, chair scrapping against the carpet to make some distance between you and the wall.

           The blond woman steps closer to you, saying your name.

           How’d she know it?

           “I’m sorry, I really don’t you. Either of you.” You look to Mr. Kilgrave, eyes asking him what was going on.

           “I want them to go, you want them to leave, too.” He says.

           Wow, people can just be so rude. This guy touching you, girl getting way too close…

           “This is a private dinner; can you leave us alone?” You snap, manners starting to bleed out.

           “We’re not just going to leave you.” Blondie states.

           The guy just stared for a minute. Moving past your table and taking Blondie’s arm. “Karen, she’s telling the truth.”

           It’d be another few seconds before Blondie relented, turning and walking away with hard and quick strides. The guy didn’t look back at you. It was likely because he was blind, based on the cane.

           “Enjoy the date,” Mr. Kilgrave says. Lifting his wine glass in a cheers position. “It’s romantic.”

           You raise your glass to meet his.

           It was a very romantic date.

                                         ------------------------

Carol Danvers:

          It’s a wiggling whisper in your ear that takes you out of bed. A sudden, absolutely overwhelming urge to explore keeps your from caring about gently moving Carol’s arm. Sliding right out, walking barefoot across metal and out the door with no handle.

           Out of all the alien ships you’ve been on (count 1) this was easily the biggest. You had gotten a quick tour of the ship by the captain. A green woman who had introduced her as one of the Skrull, she was kind and answered whatever stupid question that came out of you. Mostly concerning what celebrity or politician her people could disguise themselves as. At no point did you ask about security or guard shifts or even if there were cameras in space.

           Even so you seemed to know exactly where and which corners to duck behind. Same goes for the Skrulls, never had you asked how durable they were, but it was almost hilarious how easily they were taken out with a punch in the right place.

           Trying to remember what exactly happened and all you can manage is typing furiously without ever looking at the keyboard or the screen. Instead your eyes are half-closed, head rocking back and forth worse then any boring class you had ever been in. A few times your head hits the back of the chair and you’d snap right up, getting a glance of information and pictures of pure light and color.

           The dream ends so much more violently then it had started. With grabbing and barely attempted fighting that might have been better placed in a very low brow bar. Ending completely with a too hot arm around your neck and quiet asking for you to “please, please stop.”

                                    --------------------------

Shang-Chi

It was revenge for his father’s crime that you were chosen.

It was days ago that a street performer had hypnotized you. In that time Katy had made a reservation for their friend group. Celebrating an anniversary that demanded a high-end place with a view of the city and prices that would add up to half your rent.

Breaking glass from the kitchen triggered the hypnotism. Shang didn’t notice when your hand slid from his leg. Standing from the table Katy mentioning that you all “just got here, and you already had to pee?”

You didn’t respond. Instead walking away from the table to the view over the city. Standing side by side with couples who had made their own way to the view.

Shang stood to follow. Assuming to understand your mind and ready to provide you company.

Instead of getting a romantic embrace and a smile Shang get’s a horror show. Watching his significant other push themselves up and over the railing. Screams from the couples around louder than his feet when he sprinted towards the railing.

It’s amazing the glass railing didn’t crack when Shang’s knees slammed into it. Doubled over to reach far as possible where you had fallen. Catching your forearm in a hold that would leave a bruise in the morning.

This was where you came to. Staring down the several stories with nothing beneath your feet. It’s understandable that you started to scream.

[suzanneshannon]

Drawing Realistic Clouds with SVG and CSS

Greek mythology tells the story of Zeus creating the cloud nymph, Nephele. Like other Greek myths, this tale gets pretty bizarre and X-rated. Here’s a very abridged, polite version.

Nephele, we are told, was created by Zeus in the image of his own beautiful wife. A mortal meets Nephele, falls in love with her and, together, they take an adult nap™. Finally, in a strange twist, the cloud gives birth to half-human half-horse Centaur babies.

Weird, right? Personally, I can’t make heads or tails of it. Thankfully, the process for creating clouds in the browser is much more straightforward and far less risqué.

Yuan Chuan’s clouds detail. (Demo)

Recently, I discovered that developer Yuan Chuan has realized code-generated, photorealistic clouds. For me, this notion in the browser had long been the stuff of myth.

With one glance at the code in this pen we can imagine that convincing individual clouds are achievable through the use of CSS box-shadow with a <filter> element containing two SVG filters as its complement.

The photorealism we want is achieved with a delicate mix of feTurbulence and feDisplacementMap. These SVG filters are powerful, complex and offer very exciting features (including an Oscar winning algorithm)! However, under the hood, their complexity can be a bit intimidating.

While the physics of SVG filters is beyond the scope of this article, there is ample documentation available on MDN and w3.org. A very informative page on feTurbulence and feDisplacement is freely available (and offered as a chapter of this amazing book).

For this article, we will focus on learning to use these SVG filters to get spectacular results. We don’t need to delve too deeply into what is happening behind the scenes algorithmically, much in the way an artist isn’t required know the molecular structure of paint to render a stunning landscape.

Instead, let's pay close attention to small handful of SVG attributes that are essential for drawing convincing clouds in the browser. Their use will enable us to bend these powerful filters to our will and learn how to customize them with precision in our own projects.

Let’s start with some basics

The CSS box-shadow property has five values that deserve close attention:

box-shadow: <offsetX> <offsetY> <blurRadius> <spreadRadius> <color>;

Let’s crank these values up (probably higher than what any sane developer would so that this shadow becomes a player on the stage in its own right.

(Demo)

#cloud-square { background: turquoise; box-shadow: 200px 200px 50px 0px #000; width: 180px; height: 180px; } #cloud-circle { background: coral; border-radius: 50%; box-shadow: 200px 200px 50px 0px #000; width: 180px; height: 180px; }

You’ve either made or seen shadow puppets, right?

Credit: Double-M

In the same way that a hand changes shape to alter the shadow, a "source shape" in the our HTML can move and morph to move and alter the shape of a shadow rendered in the browser. box-shadow duplicates the "morphing" features on the original size and border-radius. SVG filters get applied to both the element and its shadow.

<svg width="0" height="0"> <filter id="filter"> <feTurbulence type="fractalNoise" baseFrequency=".01" numOctaves="10" /> <feDisplacementMap in="SourceGraphic" scale="10" /> </filter> </svg>

This is the markup for our SVG so far. It won’t render because we haven’t defined anything visual (not to mention the zero width and height). It’s sole purpose is to hold a filter that we feed our SourceGraphic (aka our <div>). Our source <div> and its shadow are both being distorted independently by the filter.

We’ll add the essential CSS rule linking the HTML element (`#cloud-circle`) to the SVG filter using its ID:

#cloud-circle { filter: url(#filter); box-shadow: 200px 200px 50px 0px #fff; }

Et Voilà!

OK, so admittedly, adding the SVG filter is pretty underwhelming.

(Demo)

No worries! We have only just scratched the surface and have a lot more good stuff to look at.

Experimenting with the feDisplacementMap scale attribute

A few un-scientific experiments with this one attribute can yield dramatic results. For the moment, let’s keep the all values in feTurbulence constant and simply adjust the scale attribute of DisplacementMap.

As scale increases (by increments of 30) our source <div> becomes distorted and casts a shadow to mirror the stochastic form in which clouds appear in the sky.

<feDisplacementMap in="SourceGraphic" scale="180"/>

The scale attribute incremented by values of 30. (Demo)

OK, we’re getting somewhere! Let’s change the colors a bit to produce a more convincing cloud and to "sell" the effect.

body { background: linear-gradient(165deg, #527785 0%, #7FB4C7 100%); } #cloud-circle { width: 180px; height: 180px; background: #000; border-radius: 50%; filter: url(#filter); box-shadow: 200px 200px 50px 0px #fff; }

Now we’re getting closer to a realistic cloud effect!

Modifying the box-shadow blur value

The following suite of images shows the influence that the blur value has on box-shadow. Here, blur is increased by 10 pixels incrementally.

The cloud becomes "softer" as the blur value increases.

To give our cloud a bit of a cumulus-like effect, we can widen our source <div> a bit.

#cloud-circle { width: 500px; height: 275px; background: #000; border-radius: 50%; filter: url(#filter); box-shadow: 200px 200px 60px 0px #fff; }

Great, now the source element is getting in the way. 😫

Wait! We’ve widened the source element and now it’s in the way of our of the white shadow we’re calling a cloud. Let’s "re-cast" the shadow at a greater distance so that our cloud is no longer obscured by the source image. (Think of this as moving your hand away further from the wall so it doesn’t block the view of your shadow puppet.)

This is nicely achieved with a bit of CSS positioning. The <body> is the parent element for our cloud, which is statically positioned by default. Let’s "tuck" our source <div> up and out of the way with some absolute positioning. Initially, that will reposition our shadow as well, so we’ll also need to increase the distance of the shadow from the element and nudge the element a bit more.

#cloud-circle { width: 500px; height: 275px; background: #000; border-radius: 50%; filter: url(#filter); box-shadow: 400px 400px 60px 0px #fff; /* Increase shadow offset */ position: absolute; /* Take the parent out of the document flow */ top: -320px; /* Move a little down */ left: -320px; /* Move a little right */ }

Yes! We've arrived at a pretty persuasive cloud.

See the Pen by Beau Haus (@beauhaus) on CodePen.

What is painted to the browser is a pretty decent depiction of a cloud–But, I’m not sure…does this cloud really do justice the cloud nymph, Nephele? I'm sure we can do better!

Conveying depth with layers

Here’s what we want:

Credit: pcdazero

From the look of the depth, texture and richness of the clouds in this photograph, one thing is clear: Zeus went to art school. At the very least, he must have read the The Universal Principles of Design which illustrates a powerful–yet, deceptively ordinary–concept:

[...] lighting bias plays a significant role in the interpretation of depth and naturalness, and can be manipulated in a variety of ways by designers...Use the level of contrast between light and dark areas to vary the appearance of depth.

This passage provides for us a hint as to how to we can vastly improve our own code-generated cloud. We can render our cloud with a good deal of fidelity to the clouds in our reference image by stacking layers of differing form, size and color on top of each other. All that takes is calling our filter as many times as we want layers.

<svg width="0" height="0"> <!-- Back Layer --> <filter id="filter-back"> <feTurbulence type="fractalNoise" baseFrequency="0.012" numOctaves="4" /> <feDisplacementMap in="SourceGraphic" scale="170" /> </filter> <!-- Middle Layer --> <filter id="filter-mid"> <feTurbulence type="fractalNoise" baseFrequency="0.012" numOctaves="2" /> <feDisplacementMap in="SourceGraphic" scale="150" /> </filter> <!-- Front Layer --> <filter id="filter-front"> <feTurbulence type="fractalNoise" baseFrequency="0.012" numOctaves="2" /> <feDisplacementMap in="SourceGraphic" scale="100" /> </filter> </svg>

Applying our layers will afford us an opportunity to explore feTurbulence and realize its versatility. We’ll choose the smoother type available to us: fractalNoise with numOctaves cranked up to 6.

<feTurbulence type="fractalNoise" baseFrequency="n" numOctaves="6"/>

What does all that mean? For now, let’s focus specifically on the baseFrequency attribute. Here’s what we get as we increase the value of n:

The lower the value, the rounder and fuzzier we get. The higher the value, the rounder and more rigid we get.

Words like turbulence, noise, frequency, and octave may seem odd and even confusing. But fear not! It’s actually perfectly accurate to analogize this filter’s effects to sound waves. We may equate a low frequency (baseFrequency=0.001) with a low, muffled noise and a rising frequency (baseFrequency=0.1) with a higher, crisper pitch.

We can see that our sweet spot for a cumulus-like effect may lie comfortably around the ~0.005 and ~0.01 range for the baseFrequency.

Adding detail with numOctaves

Incrementing numOctaves allows us to render our image in extremely granular detail. This requires a great deal of calculation, so be warned: high values are a significant performance hit. Try to resist the temptation to pump up this value unless your browser is wearing a helmet and knee-pads.

The higher the value we put into numOctaves the more granular detail give to our cloud.

The good news is that we don’t have to crank this value too high in order to produce detail and delicacy. As the array of images above shows, we can satisfy ourselves with a numOctavesvalue of 4 or 5.

Here’s the result

See the Pen by Beau Haus (@beauhaus) on CodePen.

Infinite variety with the seed attribute

There is much to say about the seed attribute as it offers a hint into the magic happening behind the scenes. But, for our purposes, the utility of seed can be reduced to four words: "different value, different shape."

The Perlin Noise function (mentioned earlier) uses this value as the starting point for its random number generator. Choosing not to include this attribute will default seed to zero. When included, however, whatever value we give seed, we don’t need to worry about a performance hit.

Different seed values produce different shapes.

The GIF above represents some of what seed has to offer. Keep in mind that each of those clouds is a layered, composite cloud. (While I have tweaked attributes for each layer, I have kept their respective seed values uniform.)

Credit: Brockenhexe

Here, with a close look at the reference image, I've layered 3 cloud-<div>s (of differing in opacity) onto a single base div. Through trial and error and punching in arbitrary seed values, I eventually arrived at a shape resembling the shape of the cloud in the photograph.

See the Pen Nephele Reference Image study by BEAU.HAUS (@beauhaus) on CodePen.

Sky’s the limit

Of course, it would be hubris to think that the <div>s that we paint to the browser could be superior to Zeus’s, Nephele.

However, the more mystery we are able to tease out of CSS and SVG filters, the more we are empowered create something visually stunning with a high degree of fidelity to the Thunder God’s original creation. We can, then, can go on experiment further!

Reflecting Mist

Animated Reflecting mist

Alto-Cirrus Clouds

Alto-Cirrus clouds

In this article, we have just dipped our toe in an ocean of power and complexity. SVG filters can often seem overwhelming and unapproachable.

However, much like the examples found in the A Single Div project project or Diana Smith's painting techniques, a playful and experimental approach will always rewarded with spectacular results!

I hope this gets you excited about creating a bit of photorealism on the web. I developed a little tool to help put them all to use and experiment a bit. Any questions, suggestions or advice? Ping me in the twitterverse drop a comment here.

Many thanks to Amelia Bellamy-Royds for her kind advice on this article.

The post Drawing Realistic Clouds with SVG and CSS appeared first on CSS-Tricks.

Drawing Realistic Clouds with SVG and CSS published first on https://deskbysnafu.tumblr.com/

[byunlucid]

Hawaii You?

Baekhyun x You 

Romance / Fluff

Two shot 

Part 1 - Part 2 

Description: Working as a pizza deliverer had its perks - especially if one of them was delivering to the handsome guy ordering a Hawaiian with extra pepperoni almost every day. 

You jumped off your scooter for the fifth time this evening. Weekends were always the busiest days for the local pizza shop you worked for. Being a full time student, you didn’t have much income to live by. Luckily, you managed to work part time at Keso’s Pizza as a deliverer. It was a charming pizza parlor with very few workers, but it was sufficient.

You blew away the strands of hair that fell in front of your face as you took off your helmet, inwardly cringing at the sight of the pinkness in it. Your friends were assholes for daring you to dye your hair pink, but you were a dumbass for even doing it. Your colleague, Jongin, never seemed to miss an opportunity to make fun of your hair, but you never backed down from a dare - no matter how crazy it was.

“Yeonghee, a Hawaiian with extra pepperoni at the usual,” Gukjin, your daily manager, told you as he handed over the large sized pizza box. Gukjin was a middle-aged man with a strict face, but he had a heart of gold. You would be living off of ramen for the whole year if it wasn’t for him. Working at a pizza parlor did have its perks when you could take home some left overs after your shift.

Your mouth curved into an unconscious smile at the order, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the manager as he gave you a knowing look.  

There was only one house that ordered the same pizza almost every day, and it had become a routine for you to deliver it on Sundays through Wednesdays – which, coincidentally, were your only working days. It had almost been a month since they started to make daily orders to Keso’s and it had become the only highlight of your shift.

The sole reason being that the ones ordering were huge eye-candies. You remember how you had to restrain yourself from drooling at the beautiful sight in front you. The customers revealed to be two extremely good looking guys with hungry looks for pizza. Although the moment was short, it was the best three seconds of eye contact you’ve ever had with a stranger.

You sped down the familiar neighborhood road on your red Vespa as the wind whipped through your pink hair that stuck underneath the helmet. The weather was getting colder now that the fall season was getting closer. You slowed down once the green door you’d seen countless of times came into sight. Parking the scooter by the curb, you hastily took off your helmet and fervently tried to calm down your wild hair. It was a subconscious action to at least look presentable in front of two attractive guys.

Grabbing the pizza box from the back of your scooter, you made your way to the front door with tentative steps. You had no idea why you were all jittery when all you did was literally give the pizza, receive money and then leave.

You took in a deep breath before mustering the courage to knock firmly on the door.

You eyed the name plaque on the door, their names already memorized from all the times you had been delivering pizza.

Oh Sehun and Byun Baekhyun.

You waited a few seconds in silence before hearing a shuffle from inside the house.

The door opened slightly, revealing a black-haired male in casual attire. The latter wore a supreme white t-shirt matched with grey sweatpants. His hair was unstyled and a bit damp, indicating that he probably just came out of a shower. It looked so fluffy and you had to fight the urge of running your fingers through his soft locks. How he still managed to look this good was beyond your belief.

They way his hair fell over his droopy eyes made him out to look really young. You didn’t know how old he was, but you would have probably guessed a few years older than you. Out of the two of them, Baekhyun was definitely the one that caught your eye first. You had to admit, you were weak against his infectious smile. “A Hawaiian with extra pepperoni?”

You wanted to applaud yourself for not stuttering.

Registering who you were, Baekhyun opened the door wider, giving you the chance to peer inside. Though it wasn’t the first time you had snuck a peek in, you restrained yourself from making it too obvious. Although your view was limited, it looked surprisingly neat to be a house consisting of only two guys.  

“Sehun, it’s the pizza!” Baekhyun shouted over his shoulder as he raked his gaze over you. You suddenly felt insecure standing there in your uniform, your hair probably looking like a bird nest.

You locked eyes with him and he gave you a smile that almost sent your knees buckle over. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he reached out for the pizza, “Hawaii you?”

You weren’t sure if you had heard him correctly, seeing as he never seemed to be initiating a longer conversation. All you did was deliver the pizza, receive money and then leave. That was the routine!

The unpreparedness that came along with his sudden question resulted in you looking like a mute fool as you stood in front of him in silence, not responding to his somewhat joke.

You opened your mouth in order to reply but his housemate suddenly popped out from behind him, waving a few bills at you.

“You can just keep the change,” Sehun said as he gave you a polite smile.

You returned his smile with a tight one and bowed before you fled the scene. You were already feeling red in the face for embarrassing yourself in front of Baekhyun. Gosh, he probably thinks you’re an anti-social robot.

To think it was only Sunday, which meant that you were bound to face them again the day after.

                                                        ❖  ❖  ❖

“Can’t you send Jongin?” You whined to your daily manager as he handed you the Hawaiian.

“No, he has another deliver to cater to.” Gukjin sent Jongin a look, successfully making the tall male usher out the door in haste, but not before sending you a not-so-apologetic smile accompanied with a shrug.

“Sorry, shortcake,” Jongin hollered.

You gave him a playful glare at his insult to both your hair and your height.

After your tiny embarrassing incident from the day before, you weren’t sure if you were looking forward to your next delivery. Apparently, Gukjin was very adamant on sending you away.

You sighed as you yet again stood in front of the familiar green door with a freshly baked pizza in hand. You knocked on the wood, hearing a ruckus from behind it. A questioning frown settled over your forehead as seconds passed and no one had come to open the door. You jumped back in surprise when the door finally opened and Baekhyun’s head peeked out from the lower side. His hair looked disheveled and he was breathing heavily in order to catch his breath.

He gave you a sheepish smile as his eyes trailed down to your hands.

“Oh, it’s the pizza,” the male noted, his voice sounding strained. It looked like he had run a marathon, or wrestled, just before opening the door.

You unknowingly gave him a weirded out look at his crouching position, but held out the pizza nonetheless, “A Hawaiian with extra pepperoni?”

“Yeah.” He scrambled up and dusted away some invisible dirt on his knees before taking a hold on the box.

You were a bit taken aback at how nicely he had dressed. He was wearing a navy dark shirt matched with a pair of dark jeans. His hair was styled up, showing his handsome face in its wholesome. You were wondering if he was going anywhere or if this was actually how he usually dressed up.

Rummaging in his pocket, he took out some bills and gave it to you. He waved his hand at you, telling you to keep the change. Giving him a polite smile, you bowed and took off.

This was the routine you were familiar with. Delivering the pizza, receive money and then leave. This time, however, you couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed at the short time you spent in front of Baekhyun’s door.

Still in deep thoughts, you neared the familiar pizza parlor and parked the scooter in the back, expecting to make another delivery shortly.  

“Hawaiian with extra pepperoni,” Gukjin called out as soon as you entered the venue. You raised a brow at your manager, “Another one?”

The man only shrugged and handed you the box, “Maybe one wasn’t enough,” he voiced out.

You tilted your head and walked out to your scooter once again. You had never experienced a customer ordering twice during one evening, but it wasn’t uncommon. You couldn’t help but question it.

Leaving your red Vespa by the curb, you hurriedly took off your helmet and walked towards the green door.

Your fist hung in the air as Baekhyun immediately opened the door after your first knock. You awkwardly lowered your arm and presented the box with a smile, “Still hungry?”

The male gave you a flustered gaze, his shifty smile showing both his top and bottom teeth, “I guess we have an appetite.”

He stretched his hand out to give you the money and receive the pizza. You berated yourself for being such a middle-schooler when your hand came in contact with his. His hands were obviously bigger than yours but they were still beautiful and slim.

“What’s your name, by the way?” 

His sudden question brought you out from your daydreaming about his hands.  

Your lips pulled into another beaming smile at his blinking eyes. He’s so cute.

“Yeonghee.”

The latter nodded thoughtfully before breaking into a heart-fluttering smile, “That’s a pretty name.”

Your body stiffened at his response. You didn’t know if he was flirting with you or if he was simply being polite. The thought of him actually flirting with you was unimaginable though.

“For a pretty girl like me?” You joked in hopes of washing away your awkwardness.

The male let out a breath that sounded much like a laugh, “I’m Baekhyun.”

I know, you wanted to answer.

“That’s a pretty name.”

The corner of Baekhyun’s lips curved up at your comment, “For a pretty boy like me?” He batted his eyelashes at you in a joking manner.

You chuckled at the exchange, feeling much more comfortable with him.

Remembering the numerous orders you still had to deliver, you unwillingly excused yourself for having to leave.

Baekhyun gave you a cute smile, oddly resembling a puppy at that moment.

“I’ll see you, Yeonghee.”

You felt a warm, tingling sensation creep up your neck and into your face as you heard him say your name. You scurried to the scooter while discreetly fanning your face.

“Bye Yeonghee!” Sehun appeared behind Baekhyun and gave you an eager wave.

“I can’t wait to eat this pizza for the fou-“ His voice drowned out into a muffle as Baekhyun firmly shut the door.

You narrowed your eyes at the door, wondering why Baekhyun didn’t let him finish his sentence. Shrugging the matter away, you hurriedly put on your helmet and patted your warm cheeks as you realized that this was the longest conversation you have had with Baekhyun.

Groaning out loud, you mentally cursed yourself for making that stupid joke, ‘For a pretty girl like me?’

You disliked how flirty you sounded, but in your defense, you were pretty sure Baekhyun was being flirtatious too.

                                                        ❖  ❖  ❖

“A Hawaiian with extra pepperoni at the usual,” Gukjin called out as soon as you arrived back from your last deliver. “Give them this extra pizza too. It’s on the house since they’re such frequent customers.”

“I can take it.” Jongin was about to reach out for the pizza until you slapped his hands away.

He gave you a bewildered stare as you grabbed the boxes, “No, it’s fine. I’ll deliver it.”

Jongin raised a brow at your sudden change in behavior, “I thought you didn’t want to?”

“I changed my mind.” You gave him a peace sign just before you left the parlor in hurry.

Being on somewhat talking terms with Baekhyun made the delivery a bit more fun and you definitely didn’t want to miss any chances of talking to him.

You were about to knock on the green door until it suddenly opened up, revealing a wide grinned Baekhyun behind it. His eyes turned into crescents as he laid his eyes on you, making you almost forget the reason why you were even there.

“I was just about to get the mail,” he explained as if understanding the questioning gaze you gave him at his sudden appearance.

You nodded and brought attention to the two boxes you had in your hands, “Here you go.”

This time, it was him mirroring your earlier expression. His brows dipped low in question, “We didn’t order two pizzas.”

You started to fiddle with your fingers, suddenly feeling a bit shy. “It’s on the house since you’re such loyal customers. I guess you guys really like pizza, huh?”

Baekhyun lowered his head and rubbed the back of his neck almost embarrassingly, “Yeah, Sehun is crazy about.”

Although you liked pizza, you couldn’t imagine eating it almost every day. “And you’re okay with it too?”

He vigorously nodded, making his fluffy looking hair bounce slightly. “I guess I started to like it.” Shrugging, he then leaned in with lopsided smile, “But only if it’s from Keso’s.” He added the last comment with a playful wink, making you feel hot all over. You were silently praying for him to not take notice of the redness in your cheeks. You didn’t even understand why your body was reacting so sensitively to his actions. 

“Well, now you have two pizzas to enjoy yourself with,” you hastily said and bowed before speed-walking towards your scooter, wanting nothing else than to get away from the male before your face exploded from overheating.

“Wait!”

You clenched your eyes shut and cursed just before opening them and turned around with a feigned smile plastered across your face, “Yeah?”

“You forgot to charge me.” Baekhyun gave you an amused smile as he fished for some bills in his pocket. Quickly taking the money, you again started to take your leave.

You weren’t sure if you were imagining things, but you swore you heard a small “Cute” under Baekhyun’s breath.

                                                       ❖  ❖  ❖

“I’m so tired.” Jongin slumped down in the chair and draped his tall frame over the table in front of him. You robotically patted his back, “You still have few hours left.”

The male groaned wearily, not moving an inch from his position.

“Hawaiian with ext-“

Gukjin didn’t even get the chance to say the full order before you swooped in and grabbed the pizza box with grace. “At the usual, right?”

The older man gave you a nod as a hidden smile placed over his lips.

Jongin gave you a narrowing stare from the table, “How hot is he?”

“What do you mean?” You stopped in your tracks to give him your full attention.

Jongin sat upright and ran his hand through his hair in attempt to fix it, which actually did the opposite – but he still managed to look good. “How hot is ‘Hawaiian with extra pepperoni’ for you to be still chirpy after a six-hour shift?”

Gukjin chipped in, “She’s probably happy since it’s Wednesday. She won’t be coming for work until Sunday.”

You sighed loudly in bliss, as if Gukjin was right. It was nice to finally have some days off. You stopped halfway through the door before giving Jongin an amused look, “Really hot,” you answered pointedly, giving him a smirk just before you left.

Bits of last night’s encounter flashed through your mind as you sped your way on the road.

“Cute.” Did he actually call you cute? Was he really flirting with you? Something that never really crossed your mind was his relationship status. With that face of his, you weren’t surprised if he was already taken by someone else.

But on the other hand, if he really was flirting with you, then that would mean he was single, right?

You shook your head at your ridiculous thoughts. Why were you already contemplating this when the only conversation you’ve had with him was about pizza?

It was typical of you to get ahead of yourself.

Walking up to the green door, you knocked on the wood like you usually did. You waited for a few seconds until the door opened, the sight rendering you speechless.

Baekhyun stood in front you, clad in a fitting tank top that showed off his built biceps as his chest was heaving visibly up and down. Beads of sweat were glistening on his forehead and began to trickle down the side of neck. He patted himself dry with a small white towel hanging from his shoulder.

It took all of your strength to not gape at the hot sight in front of you.

“A Hawaiian with extra pepperoni?”

You snapped your eyes to his as he voiced out your line. He raised his brow at you in question, probably wondering why the hell you weren’t able to form any sentences. But you were pretty sure he had caught you staring as you saw the faintest sign of a smirk on his lips.  

“I didn’t know you worked out.” You wanted to slap yourself when you saw the look of dismay taking over the male’s features.

The expression only lasted a millisecond until his usual playful smile settled over his face, “I need to compensate for all the pizza somehow,” he said as he patted his stomach. Your eyes darted down to his abdomen. You could already see the outline of his abs underneath the shirt and you had no idea how much this boy was hiding under all his outer cuteness.

Not wanting to be caught shamelessly staring at his body – again -  you abruptly chucked the box in his direction, “I don’t think that’s a problem.”

Baekhyun balanced the pizza box on his left hand as he flexed his right arm, “A guy gotta stay fit, don’t you think?”

You chuckled, but inwardly gushed over the gorgeous veins in his arms, “As long as you’re happy with your own self.”

The male stopped flexing his arms – much to your disappointment – and gave you a smug smile, “Describing your boyfriend, are we?”

You shrugged and gave him a crooked smile, “If I had one.”

He nodded thoughtfully at your words before walking inside the house with the pizza. He came back again with money in his hands. The latter handed you some folded bills, “It’s the tip,” he said as his eyes lingered on your hands before pulling away. Thanking him, you put the notes into the pocket of your jacket and gave him a wave.

He must’ve probably been really worn out from the work out, you thought to yourself as you saw a faint color heating up his cheeks.

                                                      ❖  ❖  ❖

You were supposed to be taking advantage of the few free days you had. Catching up with your studies wasn’t really a priority to you as much as it was binging episodes of your favorite shows. However, all that occupied your mind was going back to work and deliver that special Hawaiian. You never thought you would ever actually look forward to be going back to work.

When Sunday rolled around, you waited patiently for your daily manager to yell out your awaited order. It was already getting late and your shift was soon ending.  

You couldn’t help but wonder if they finally got tired of pizza. A small frown etched itself on your lips at the thought of not having any excuse to go see Baekhyun.

Your shift eventually came to an end without Gukjin sending you to the usual. Thinking nothing of it, you went home and expected to receive an order for the next day.

However, as the week rolled by, you never heard Gukjin call out about the Hawaiian.   

It was already Wednesday and you sat down by the table at Keso’s, your hand tucked under you chin as you stared into the air. A waving hand in front of your face brought your attention back as you sat upright. The owner of the hand sat himself in front of you and mimicked your earlier posture by tucking his chin on his hand and stared at you with a scrutinizing gaze.

You curved a brow at Jongin, “What?”

“Something is off with you,” the male replied, his eyes boring into yours as if analyzing your emotions. “And I’m not talking about your hair, Strawberry.”

You rolled your eyes at him as Jongin smiled, “’Hawaiian’ hasn’t ordered in a while, huh?”

You sighed audibly, “No.”

“Why don’t you ask him out?” Jongin leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms, “We can probably track his number in the phone log.”

“No, he would think I’m creepy!” You shuddered at the thought of actually calling him, “I can’t just suddenly call him out of no where and ask him out.”

A wave of realization washed over you, “And who said I was interested?”

Jongin burst out in laughter at your shifty façade. You were obviously see-through enough for Jongin to notice how you had kept an eye for the special ‘Hawaiian’ guy.

Your shooting glare sent Jongin into another round of laughter. You exhaled languidly as your shoulders sagged in defeat.

Finally calming down from his laughing fit, he cleared his throat and gave you an amused smile, “I’ll help you.”

You narrowed your eyes, “With what?”

“With ‘Hawaiian’. I dare you to ask him out.” Jongin looked pretty pleased with himself as he plastered on a shit-eating grin.

Your eyes widened as you gave him an incredulous look. “You can’t use that against me!”

He knew you could never say no to a dare – no matter how crazy it was.

“But I am.” He smirked, his eyes glinting in mischief.

You pursed your lips, wanting to release the curses coiled on your tongue. You were definitely not the type of person who would ask people out. Your awkward nature wouldn’t allow you to. However, your competitive nature wouldn’t allow you to back down either.

“Only if he calls again.” You raised your finger as if to give emphasis on your condition.

Jongin nodded childishly, “Only if.”

                                                      ❖  ❖  ❖

You felt a mix of disappointment and relief wash over you when your shift ended on Sunday. You became extra sensitive every time the phone would ring and Gukjin would call you over to deliver another pizza. You lost hope of delivering a Hawaiian as soon as the clock struck eleven and you were off duty.

Jongin gave you a reassuring pat on the back before he left. Somehow, you couldn’t quite fathom the disappointed feeling creeping in your chest.

The fact that Baekhyun hadn’t called for any pizza hadn’t been anything personal. Maybe they were tired of eating it? There could be numerous of reasons why he had stopped ordering.

You gasped silently at the thought of him ordering from another pizza joint. No, he probably didn’t. He said liked Keso’s the best…right? You shook your head, erasing all foolish thoughts from your mind.

Whatever, you shouldn’t be caring too much anyway. It’s not like you were going out or anything.

                                                      ❖  ❖  ❖

You frowned at the low rumble from the sky as dark clouds emerged from over the horizon. You tucked your newly dyed hair behind your ears. You hated making deliveries in the rain. It was a nightmare.

Jongin almost ran you over when you entered the parlor.

“Ah, I’m gonna miss your strawberry head.” The male ruffled your hair, much to your dismay, and shifted the huge pile of pizza boxes in his arms. Since he already had his car license, he was able to deliver more pizza than you were able to with your scooter.

“Black suits you, though.” He gave you a thumbs up and was about to leave before he backtracked, “You don’t have any changes on you, by the way? I ran out of extra bills and we have only coins here.”

You rummaged in your pockets, feeling nothing but useless receipts. Checking your jacket, you fished out some folded bills. You only used this jacket for working purposes and usually never checked the insides of the pockets. You noticed something white sticking out in between the bills and took a closer look at it. Realizing that it had something written on it, you unfolded the note with a curious gaze.

Jongin gave you an impatient look and grabbed the bills from your hand before shouting that he owes you one, and left for his delivery.

Standing unfazed at your colleague’s behavior, you tried to decipher the crumbled note in your hand.

You saw some random numbers scribbled on the note and you soon registered it to be a phone number. You thought back to how the note had ended up in your pocket. Realization struck you as the memory of Baekhyun’s ‘tip’ flashed in your mind.  

You looked at the note in horror. Was that how he smoothly planned to give you his number? It had already almost been two weeks and you had just noticed the note.

You felt like such an idiot for not realizing earlier.

“Hawaiian with extra pepperoni,” Gukjin called out. You snapped your head towards the daily manager, making sure that you heard him right. “A Hawaiian?”

Gukjin raised a wrinkly brow at you, “At the usual,” he confirmed.  

You gulped, feeling suddenly nervous as Jongin’s dare echoed through your mind. Grabbing the pizza box, you made your way to your scooter.

You felt confused. Did he give you his number on purpose? Well, of course he did. That wasn’t really something people did on accident.

But did that mean he actually waited for you to call him? Shit, now you felt bad.

As if you weren’t feeling shitty enough, the clouds decided to make you feel even worse as the rain started to pour down the sky. Speeding down the road on your scooter felt like being attacked by thousands of needles hitting your body.

You couldn’t feel happier once you saw the familiar green door come into sight.

A gust of wind blew a shower of rain directly onto your frame, drenching you from head to toe just as you threw your helmet off and parked your Vespa by the curb.

Making a run for it, you wasted no time in knocking on the door to deliver the goddamn pizza.

The door opened and in a matter of a few seconds, you were suddenly shoved inside the house, the warmness immediately enveloping you.  

“You’re soaked,” Baekhyun said, his hands on your shoulders and his voice laced with concern.

You brushed a few wet hair strands from your face, “I noticed.”

“I’ll go get some towels,” another voice noted from behind Baekhyun. You didn’t even register Sehun as your eyes only strained on the other male in front of you.

Baekhyun grabbed the pizza box from your hands, the warmness from his touch leaving you when he put the box on the table next to him.

You couldn’t help but let your eyes wander on the homey interior in the living room. Since you always stood in front of the main door, you never had the chance to see the inside of the house. It didn’t have the stereotypical bachelor pad look of what you would think a house would look like if two guys were living together – except for the huge pile of pizza boxes in the corner.

The silence settled in as Baekhyun gave you blank stare while leaning against the wall. You felt kind of awkward and misplaced as you stood right in the middle of his living room.

“You dyed your hair,” the male finally pointed out as he stared at your wet, dark locks.

You nodded, “Figured it was time to get rid of the bubble gum hair.”

“I like it,” Baekhyun blurted out. “I mean, I liked the pink too, but this color suits you really grell.“ He grimaced after he finished his rambling.  

A smile grew naturally on your lips, “Grell?”

His ears started to turn red, “I was going to say great, but I ended up also saying well, and it just came out like that,” he stuttered out, his hand rubbing the back of his neck in a flustered manner.

You wanted to laugh at his nervous state, but didn’t find it in you to do so since you too, were a nervous wreck. But seeing Baekhyun act like this was an unusual sight.

“So,” you trailed off before your eyebrows rose up in a teasing manner, “Hawaii you?”

Your joke managed to crack a smile on Baekhyun’s face. He then pushed himself off the wall and walker closer to you.

He sighed, “Kind of miserable to be honest.”

Your mouth rounded at his blunt answer. You didn’t expect him to give you that kind of response. You could only guess he gave you such an answer in order for you to follow up with a question.  

“Why?”

He held your gaze for a few seconds and then dropped his gaze towards the floor and let out a wistful laugh.

“I was waiting for a call.”

His faltered expression made you want to cradle his face into your hands and never let go. You knew he was talking about you – you weren’t that oblivious. Not wanting to beat around the bush, you decided to just go for it.

“Wanna go out some time?”

Baekhyun snapped his head towards you, a mix of horror and surprise crossing his face, “A-are you asking me out?”

A bit taken aback at his reaction, you nodded, trying really hard to look nonchalant about it, “Yeah.”

Baekhyun’s eyebrows furrowed as he seemed to be dwelling over your question.

Finally, he shook his head, “No.” 

[whyamihereagain23]

Visiting Asgard

Pairing: Thor x Reader Warning(s): None Summary: You are a princes of Muspelheim and you have come to visit your mother in Asgard. It is a drastic difference from what you are used to, but it’s amazing. However, you weren’t ready for what would greet you later that night. Words: 2728 A/N: This isn’t all I wanted it to be. {pt. 1} {pt. 2} {pt. 3}

Your eyes were darting around in amazement as you looked around Asgard. This was your first time ever visiting, and it was everything you expected and more. Everything was so shiny and golden. That was a drastic change from all of the dark stone that your father's realm had been.  

Originally, you were Asgardian, but your father had taken you back to his home realm for you to grow up. After spending nearly a millennium there it was time for you to spread your wings and see what the other realms had to offer. What better place to start than at Asgard; the most glorious of them all? Besides, your mother would probably be thrilled to be able to see you in her own home realm.

As you were walking along the rainbow bridge (it was so weird to stand on) a man passed you. You couldn't help but stop to stare at him. His muscles were on show outside of his armor, and some of his hair was out of place beneath the helmet. Putting it in layman's terms, he was attractive. Before you could even think of opening your mouth to speak to him, one of your guards urged you forward with a hand on your lower back.  

A small sigh of exasperation left your throat, but you allowed them to lead you towards the palace. That was a drawback of being a princess. Your father felt that you had to have protection everywhere you went, even though you could protect yourself on your own. He should have known, considering he was the one who had put you in the sparring lessons. You were a capable young woman able to handle your own battles... and conquests.

You rolled your eyes to yourself before plastering a bright smile on your face. This place was beautiful, as were the people, but this wasn't a trip just to have a little male company. You were here to visit the realm and your mother. You repeated this to yourself as you passed more of the men of Asgard. They really were everything that you had hoped for and more. You took deep breaths and continued the pleasant walk to the palace.

Once you got to the doors, you were stopped by multiple sets of guards guarding the door. "State your business here." One of the guards ordered while looking at you and your guards.  

They didn't allow you to speak; instead, your biggest guard took a step forward, intending to intimidate the slightly smaller man. "Let us pass immediately." He growled with an aggressive look on his face. While you were used to the men of your realm acting that way, the guards of Asgard weren't. The guard puffed up and moved his weapon into a more ready position. Obviously, you were going to have to intervene.

You took a step forward and in front of your guard to try and get rid of some of the tension. "I apologize good sir, for the behavior of my companion. I forget that not all of Asgard are used to the nature of my people. I am (f/n) of Muspelheim." Immediately, all of the men stood taller at their posts and gave you looks of respect.  

"M-my apologies for my lack of manners princess. Right this way." The other guards moved aside and opened the doors of the palace. The guard who had spoken moved to guide you through the entrance. You gave him a smile in thanks before following along with your guards not too far behind.  

The inside of the palace was even more beautiful than the outside. All of the tall pillars and decor was magnificent. It was such a difference from all of the black and red that you were used to seeing in Muspelheim. You couldn't help but look around in complete awe.  

The walk through the palace was much too short for your liking, but a blinding smile came to your face when you were greeted with the sight of your mother standing and waiting for you in a room they had taken you to. She returned the smile and moved to greet you halfway. You grabbed her in a tight embrace that she returned tenfold. "Oh, my daughter! I am so glad that you have come to visit me! The all father only just explained that you were coming a short time ago." The smile didn’t leave her face as she pushed you away to get a good look at you.  

You laughed joyously while looking her over. You hadn't seen her in person for quite some time. Seeing her through messages was nothing like having a chance to have her with you. "I intended for it to be a surprise. Father allowed me a visit and I just couldn't pass up a chance to come and see you. I have missed you mother."  

"And I you. Come, come! I must show you to your room to prepare you for the feast." She cried in excitement while pulling you along the hall. She was surprisingly strong for her calm looking exterior. Being a hybrid of Asgardian and Fire Giant should have made you much stronger than her, but apparently not. It shocked you, but also made your smile widen.  

Hours later, you were dressed in the proper gown for the feast that was prepared in your honor. The material of the robes was like nothing you had ever felt before. They were so fine that it didn't feel as if you were wearing them at all. If being in Asgard meant that you would continue to wear gowns like this, you'd be happy to stay.

Once your mother had finished fixing your hair into something more appealing, she put your crown on top of it, causing you to roll your eyes in slight annoyance. Wearing a crown or gowns wasn't something that you liked to often, but you knew it was custom for a guest. You had to show your status, especially since the feast was for you specifically.  

Your mother noticed your annoyance and giggled softly. "Something is the matter, I can see it in your eyes." She commented while stepping back to make changes as you saw fit. There was no need, however. She had done a superb job.

"It's nothing mother." Her eyes narrowed and her eyebrows rose to her hairline. There was no way you could lie to her. "Well, I just think the crown is a bit much, as well as the robe. I'd much rather prefer my trousers and armor. I've grown quite fond of the feeling of them in Muspelheim." Your father had wanted you to look like the princess you were, but he also knew that you were who you were. Your mother, however... that was a different story entirely.

Her eyebrows went down in a frown as she looked at you. "You are a princess (f/n). Is it such a bad thing that you wish to show off the beauty that you inherited from your mother?" A smirk was on her face as she said it. You laughed and your mood brightened.

"Not at all mother."

She continued. "Well then I see no reason for you to hide your beauty under such manly attire. Wearing this, you will undoubtedly be the highlight of the feast."  

You shook your head. "I have to disagree. I get all of my from you, therefore I fear you'll be getting more attention than I. It's about time you found someone to settle down with; give me a sibling before you swear off children for good." Her cheeks flushed lightly as she laughed along with you.

"I should be telling you the same thing! You have yet to find someone to bind yourself with for the rest of your days. I am millennia old and you are my only child. Perhaps you will find a nice young man to settle with at this feast." She waggled her eyebrows, causing you to shake your head and laugh again.

"You know as well as I that father wouldn’t allow me to marry someone without a substantially high title. He is probably searching for a prince to wed me off to as we speak!" You were completely against being wed off just for the gain it would bring your kingdom. All you wanted to do was marry for love, but your father wasn't able to see that properly. The differences between your mother and father were what brought them together, initially, but it was also what tore them apart. You hoped to never have to go through that situation, hence why you were still all alone.

"Well there happens to be a prince here. I'm sure you know of him." Ah, yes. Prince Thor of Asgard. You hadn't ever gotten the pleasure of seeing him in person, but you had heard of his greatness. You couldn't say that you hadn't been impressed with him.

You nodded. "Yes, I am aware of Thor."

"Well then you must know that he will be attending your feast?" She said with a suggestive look on her face. While you had known that it was custom for the host's family to be at the feasts, you hadn't really thought that Thor would be there as well. Now you weren't all that upset about wearing the gowns your mother had forced you in. It wouldn't hurt to try and impress the prince while you were here.

"Well... let us not waste any time then." You said while standing and smoothing down the nonexistent wrinkles in your gown. You avoided eye contact with your mother as you heard her laughing at you.  

She mumbled something to herself as she took your arm and le you outside the room. Your guards were immediately leading you to the ballroom where the feast was being held. You were determined to have fun on your visit. Maybe you'd be able to speak with Thor and make your mother happy as well.

As soon as you stepped into the ballroom, the all father commanded silence. You had a pleasant smile on your face as you walked your seat near the head. Of course, Odin was at the front with Frigga next to him, and on the other side was a gorgeous man. He was so good looking that you sucked in a sharp breath in shock. You had not been expecting this god that was seated at the table and watching your entrance. If you had thought the common people of Asgard were good looking, they were nothing compared to what was waiting to greet you at the table.  

"You're staring." You mother whispered lowly in your ear, yet she somehow managed to still sound smug. Immediately, you looked to the ground and away from his mesmerizing face. Well, this should have been expected. He was the best warrior of Asgard, of course he would be all muscle and devastating good looks. You were sure that he went through his fair share of women.

Once you got close, you and your mother curtsied politely. He nodded in approval. "Greetings princess (f/n). We are delighted to have you as a guest in our palace. Please, accept this feast in your honor." When he finished speaking, both your mother and yourself stood to look at him.

"I am most gracious for this feast that has been prepared for me, and I thank you for your show of hospitality." Both the king and queen nodded their heads at your thanks.

"Please sit, and let the feast begin." He said while gesturing to the seat that was close to queen Frigga. It was the closest to the head of the table, but not so that it still showed who the one in power was. You were used to this and smiled politely as you sat down with your mother right next to you.

As soon as Odin took a bite of his food, everyone started to eat. Your eyes were nearly sparkling with all of the choices that were in front of you. They had spared no expense. There was so much food that you were frozen and couldn’t decide what to eat. Your mother, noticing this, leaned in close to you and gave her opinions on what would be the best to eat. You piled them onto your plate and began to eat with as much grace as you could, which wasn’t very much considering how amazing it all was. You couldn’t help but pack serving after serving on your place.

After some time, you noticed your mother was watching you with an amused smile on her face. "I forgot how large of an appetite your father's kind have." She teased with a light nudge to your side. You giggled and washed down your last bite with some of the wine they had given you.

"It is nowhere near as great as father's. I am half Asgardian, after all. I know how to dial back on the eating." You said with a mock offended tone.

You could suddenly feel eyes burning into the side of your face, and you just had a feeling you knew who it was. You glanced up and caught eyes with the prince of Asgard. He was looking at you with a small smile on his face as he took a gulp of the strong alcohol in his glass.  

Heat flooded to your cheeks as you quickly looked away and down at your plate of food. It was no use of hoping that he wasn't able to see your blush, considering that he was sitting directly across from you. The blush didn’t go only unnoticed by him either. All three of the parents at the table were watching the exchange with knowing eyes.

Frigga was the one to break the silence that had descended on your small end of the table. "(f/n)." You looked up at her and hoped that your blush was completely gone.

"Yes?"

"I don’t believe you've been formerly introduced to my son, Thor." She said with a smile on her face. A part of you could feel the plotting that was behind it.  

You gulped as you shot a quick glance to the man in question. "No, I don't believe we have."  

"Well that just will not do! You two must get to know each other. Go, go!" She urged, not one for subtlety.  

There was no way that you would be saying no to the queen's order, so you took a deep breath and prepared yourself to handle this conversation with the most handsome man you had ever laid eyes on.

As you were about to stand yourself, you could already feel a presence behind you. When you looked back, you noticed it was Thor and he was holding a hand out to help you stand. You must have been so distracted that you hadn't seen him move. He had a kind smile on his face that had you nearly swooning. This man would definitely be the death of you.

Despite your nerves on the inside, you returned the smile and put your hand in his. The feeling of the rough calluses on your skin was enough to make you shiver pleasantly. You'd always been attracted to strong men who didn’t shy away from work. Asgard seemed to be full of men like that, but you somehow found the best one; you didn’t have to tour through the entirety of the realm to know that.

Once you were standing, you slipped your arm through his and followed him as he led you outside of the palace and to the garden. His company was actually quite pleasant. Perhaps you'd be able to get through this impending conversation with ease.

{MASTERLIST}

@misshyen @quicksilverbells @snowybenoit-blog @nikitaburyatia-blog @lindayuutsu

[psychicdan]

A Cyber Trooper, Corporal Blair Rayner, reflects on his time in Magnus's military and his comradery with his friends in Squad Zeta. But, Blair and his friends find themselves in peril as they have been ordered by the Magnus Protectorate to stop their greatest foe: Samurai Jack.

Samurai Jack: Renegade Samurai

Rating M for graphic depictions, language, violence and suggestive themes.

Warning:

The following is a work of fanfiction and is not intentionally connected to real world places, events, or people, nor intended to copy others’ work. Samurai Jack is the work of Genndy Tartakovsky, his team and affiliated studios and companies. This is solely fanfiction for fun and not profit.

Note: I was going to do the first chapter of the Arc 1 finale, but then this idea came to mind, and I had to this before then for maximum effect. Enjoy!

Chapter X: A Soldier’s Cause

           Corporal Blair Rayner woke up to the sounds of the early morning wake-up call. “Come on, move it you wimps! Unless you want to triple morning routine, get your asses out of bed!” shouted the sergeant. Groans could be heard all around. “Ugh, el cabrón… can’t he find something else to be pissed about?” said Conrado.

           “Aw, come on Conrad. You know it’s just the Sarge’s way of saying he loves us, right?” Gil joked nearby. “Well, each to their own, but if this is how he reciprocates, the sergeant can kindly kiss my arse.” Sam remarked. “Careful, if he heard that, he’d flail you alive.” Gil warned. “You brought it up.” Sam retorted.

           Blair chuckled a bit at his team’s chagrin. “Come on, let’s get ready and in uniform before he pops another vein or circuit.” brought up the Corporal. They all hit the showers. Though Blair was of a slightly higher rank, he got on well with the privates in his squad. The only mood killer was the sergeant.

           “So, how do those new muscle weave implants feel, Conrad?” Sam asked. “Mm, felt a bit numb for a while, but I’m used to them. Still think a little workout wouldn’t hurt the llorón (crybaby). Ah well, better give up on a lost cause.” Conrad said about a certain private. “Hey, I don’t need to be jacked up to kick ass, okay?” Gil retorted. “Maybe not, but at least we’ll survive the sergeant’s tirade. It was nice knowing you Gil.” Sam sarcastically lamented.

           “Yeah whatever Sam. Speaking of which, are the new optic enhancements alright?” Gil asked. “Oh yes, my sight is practically 20-20 now, and includes all the visual interface tech. If these weren’t exclusively military issue, glasses would be a thing of the past.” Sam remarked. “Oh Dios Mio, Sam with specs. Would have killed to see him like that.”. The two white and one Hispanic Latino men laughed to themselves.

           The corporal gave a wry smile before looking down at his own black skin. Interlaced into it, no, interlaced into his flesh were circuit linings with several plugins and nodes. If he saw his face in the mirror, he would see the same linings on his face and ocular artificial lenses in his eyes, the same ones Sam was boasting about.

           The most concentrated area of technology was in his back, and in his neck was a particular node and plug. Gil kept joking for a week that they should have taken the blue pill. That movie joke got old fast. It was where all the processing and sensory information for his cybernetic implants were done, and allows for link ups to Cyber Armor and other military interface technology.

           Corporal Blair Rayner was a Cyber Trooper serving in the Magnus Protectorate’s army. He and the three privates were part of Zeta Squad in the 3rd platoon of a company in the army. Right now, it was just morning routine before they geared up for patrol. The platoon was just spread out to keep the area safe.

They finished drying and began putting on their uniforms and Cyber Armor. Blair felt his senses stimulated as usual when he connected the armor to his interface. It was complete when he put the helmet on. Magnus Protectorate Cybernetic Infantry Interface Online. Servite Magnus et Pax(Serve Magnus and the Peace), Trooper.

           At this point, Blair found the heads up notice as noteworthy as the sky being blue. He just unconsciously accepted it, easy that way. He liked seeing the new recruits freak out every time they put on the armor though. Reminded him of how unfamiliar with being a cyborg soldier he used to be.

           “About time you finished getting your soft asses in uniform. Look alive people, especially you Gil.” remarked Sergeant Calisle. “(Yawns) Yeah yeah, whatever Sarge.” Gil dismissed. The yawn sounded weird considering the mechanized effect his helmet’s voice filter had.

           The Sergeant looked down at Gil. Somehow, his anger beamed through the eye lenses. “Gil, I think we had this conversation before. If I like you, you can call me Sarge, but guess what? I DON’T LIKE YOU, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!”. “Y-yes sir!” Gil said, standing at attention. “Sorry, what did you say, clown? I thought I told you not to whimper, and you’re whimpering!” the sergeant screamed. “SIR YES SIR!” Gil screamed out in the expected affirmation.            “Alright then, Corporal, take the two APCs and the privates on patrol, and report by 1200. Understood?” the sergeant said to Blair. “Understood sir.”.

…

A few years back.

           Blair was a private back then, working law enforcement detail in one of the commercial cities. Though there was some action in the cities, it was typical crime such as robbery. Sometimes maintaining the military police felt like a waste. It was even more dull as this city was not only deep in Protectorate territory, but was one of the cities near Nova Sanctum, so safety was kind of perpetual.

           As a new private, Blair caught on that he was just a body with a gun and some armor to make people feel safe, a decoration. Well, it pays, he thought. He had been born to intellectuals, his mother a writer and his father a doctor. His mother had suffered a terminal illness when Blair was in the middle of college studies, and no matter what Blairs father did, even conceding the case to doctors better than him, his mother still died.

           His mother was actually a talented best-selling writer, and so took to paying Blair’s tuition while his father tended to other financial needs. Without her, Blair’s father had his hands tied, and Blair now needed to fund his academic ventures by himself.

           That’s when he noticed that the Magnus Protectorate was offering tuition payments, and he accepted. He understood there were risks, so he took the training seriously. He imagined doing dangerous assignments, like putting down Abominable breakouts and other mutants, putting a stop to mercenaries and terrorists, or even joining the space fleet to secure the interplanetary borders.

           Instead, the daily action he saw was giving directions and helping those in need cross the street. Though he wouldn’t normally demean kind gestures, he was worried the hazard here was utter boredom. Well, aside from that, no death and dismemberment at least.

           “Hello, officer? Are you still alive in there?” said a voice. Blair stuttered awake, embarrassed he was caught half-asleep on the job. “Sorry, sergeant! I’ll get back to it and…oh, uh, sorry about that. What can I do for you, civilian?” Blair inquired.

           As his senses focused from his earlier stupor, Blair looked at the person who woke him. She was a young woman with bright skin, long amber hair, and tender complexion. For a second, her appearance made Blair look flustered. Good thing he was wearing the helmet.

           The young woman put her hands to her sides in frustration. “Hmph, good to know the military police have the right initiative. Sleeping soldiers are a great deterrent for crime rates.” she said in critical sarcasm. Great, first the sergeant, then the other privates, and now civilians. I’m not cut out for the military.

           “Ahem, sorry you had to see that ma’am. Rest assured, the Magnus Protectorate stands ready to defend you.” Blair said in prompt. The woman just laughed at that. “What was that? Is that what they tell you to tell us?”. Blair sighed. “Yes ma’am.”. They even put the strict guidelines manual into his armor’s computer system. What he just said was a direct quote for how to respond to citizens, as he was still memorizing everything.

           “Hey, enough with the “ma’am” crap. We’re both people, aren’t we? My name’s Elena, what’s yours?” she asked. “Private Blair Rayner, ma’…Miss, uh, Elena.”.

           She smiled at that. “Well, it’s a start. Alright, “Mister Blair”, let me know when your off duty so we can sit down and eat.”.

…

           Why did I agree to this?! Blair was sitting down with the woman from earlier, Elena Harking. Right now, his face was cramped, as he had not much experience dealing with the opposite sex, or even other people in general, because he had involved himself in either academics or, more recently, military work.

           “You gonna take that bucket off your head or what?” she said. “It’s not a…! Oh, fine.” he agreed reluctantly. He hated being called a “bucket head”, and hated the armor designers even more.

           “Don’t sound so upset, I actually want to see your face when we talk. Besides, can you actually eat through that?” she inquired. “No, but one of the other privates tried. Sergeant was yelling at him for messing up military property.” Blair responded.

           Elena chuckled. “Seriously? Oh God, how nuts was he to…whoa.”. By now, Blair finished disengaging the link up and removed his helmet. His face, altered by the circuitry and implants left from the standard surgery, was now exposed. Elena stared inquisitively for a bit.

           Blair sighed. Back at the campus, his college peers gave him similar looks. He could hear the nasty comments behind his back. “Cyborg bastard”, “techno freak”, “damn bucket head”, and several other derogatory terms. For all the respect garnered by the Magnus Protectorate, the people would rather have the faces of its soldiers confined in helmets.

           “Alright, go ahead, say it.” Blair said, prepared to hear the worst. Elena blinked in surprise. “Say what? Am I supposed to be astounded or something?”. she said bewildered. Blair was caught off guard by that comment, usually expecting some form of aversion. “Huh?” he asked.

           “Oh, come on, I’m not gonna praise you just for showing me your face.” she said. “Praise…wait, you don’t think I’m a hideous freak?” he asked. She was caught off guard by how unusual that was. “Where did that come from?! I’d say your face is pretty solid, I just thought it looked interesting. Don’t get to see the face of a Cyber Trooper often, I mean.”.

           “Most people who do call us freaks and want to spit at us.” Blair said in dejection. “Yikes, that’s, uh, kind of extreme. Well, you look like a good person to me. Maybe a few extra fancy pieces, but a good person. So, what’s your story?”.

           They talked over for the next two hours. Blair explained that he was using the tuition he was earning in the military to help get through his academics, and had taken to engineering. Coincidentally, they both went to the same college, but Elena was a legal major.

She envied Blair, as her father served in the army and she wanted to follow. Problem was, most women weren’t compatible with the cyber implants, and no one made custom versions that could be standard issue like what the men use. Some were compatible, but the success ratio was practically 1 to 10. Women who enlisted were accepted, but most who weren’t compatible for a cyber format were sent to a secret military project. They never come back.

Unfortunately, Elena was not compatible for the operation. She thought to enlist anyway, but her father got desperate and stopped her. He never explained why, but she said he seemed…afraid. Disappointed, she decided to serve and protect law and order by taking legal classes to be an attorney or prosecutor. She was still undecided on the specifics, but she was liking things so far.

“So…want to meet up gain at campus?” she asked. “Um, sure, that sounds great.” then private Blair Rayner said. “Cool, see ya.” she said as she waved goodbye.

…

           Blair was a bit tense. He would feel much better if he was in Cyber Armor, or at least regular military fatigues. Instead, he was in casual clothing, no different from civilians aside from his apparent implants, holding hands with a young woman his age.

           A date. 20th one, to be exact, but this one was more public than the rest. Blair enjoyed each one, but his training did not prepare him for the unknowns of romantic relationships. It just happened, as he and Elena became less formal, mostly on her part. If left on his own, Blair would have likely still talked in procedure.

           It was always hardest in the beginning, but Blair could later loosen up somehow and enjoy it for what it was. But there was a problem. 20th date. 20th date and Blair didn’t know what to do. Was he meant to advance? Was he meant to do something special? Is there some hidden context? Damn it, he thought, picking up encoded messages was easier than this.

           There was also how he was so casual in public, which exposed his “modifications”. The people looked either uncomfortable or disgusted. “Hey.” said a voice next to him. Elena grabbed his face and directed his sight at her. “Forget them. This is just us, okay? Besides, they don’t have a damn clue what’s going on, so anything they say is crap. So, don’t let it ruin our date, that’s an order. Understood?”.

           “Understood, ma’am.” he joked. “Hey.” she said back. They chuckled as they were heading to a local fair in an amusement park. They began enjoying the various festivities. Minigames, food stands, amusement rides. Blair didn’t like the roller coaster, but he felt just a bit braver with Elena. The hardened soldier encouraged by the civilian, he would kick himself if it wasn’t for the fact that he knew Elena was special.

           They continued meandering through the crowd. “Um, Elena, listen, I’ve been thinking.” Blair said. “Yeah?” she turned back. “I was wondering…if, after this, well…” he stuttered. He thought, but it wasn’t so much a plan so much as a runaway train of flustered thoughts. Unfortunately, the train came to a crash due to bad circumstance.

           “Alright, Magnus lovers, get down on your knees or die!”. Shots rang though the fair as civilians scattered here and there brought out weapons. They shot down innocents to make a point, and already began herding others. “Quick, get down and follow me!” Blair said to Elena. They began making their way to one of the exit corners before one of the terrorist tried stopping him.

           “Hey, back off bastard, or you lady friend gets, what the hel-GAHH!”. Blair rushed up to the terrorist, grabbed his firing arm before he could react, slugged him in the face, then shot him down as he grabbed the rifle. Even without Cyber Armor, Cyber Troopers had cybernetic implants and inner weaves that made them stronger, faster, and could even process faster than regular humans. It was only slightly better, and would do little against more experienced opponents, but it was enough.

           Guy’s reaction time was sloppy. He should have been prepared to fire on sight, not that I’m complaining. “Alright, Elena, I need you to listen carefully. I want you to stay here and call the city’s Civil Enforcement emergency line. Get a person immediately and tell them we have a D-22. That’s for terrorists assaulting civilians in a public area and holding them hostage. 10 targets, dozens of hostages. Tell them where we are and they’ll send a strike team. Just stay low until then.”.

           “Okay, but what are you going to do?” she asked, fearing the worst. Blair looked back at her with reassurance. “My job, and my job doesn’t tolerate terrorism.”. Blair finished grabbing ammunition and a knife off the fallen terrorist and went off.

           He looked around. Seemed the terrorists were still herding the civilians. He spotted their handiwork, several civilians gunned down for effect, including a father and his son and daughter. This fair was a civilian function, purely recreational, unguarded and held no strategic value. These were definitely terrorists, just looking to make a fanatical showing and make hell for hell’s sake.

           He spotted the herded citizens ahead. “You damn Magnus worshippers. You parade in this city of filth, of glorified vanity to a false god, a sinful man you have deified. You will all be our message to the Damned Protector, that his protection is all lies, that he can safeguard no one! Through your deaths, we will be free from his grasp!” shouted the ringleader.

           While the ringleader was spouting his fanaticism, Rayner had stabbed two of the terrorists overlooking the crowd without drawing attention. He made his way to a third, then a fourth. Good, six left. Now where the hell is that strike force?!

           The ringleader pointed to a small girl. One of the terrorists went and grabbed her, bringing her to center as she screamed. Her parents tried to rescue her, but the terrorists sent warning shots and the other civilians stopped them.

           “What about you, little girl? Why don’t we make you the first of many bloodied lives on Magnus’s hands? A message for all that he can’t even save one little girl.” the ringleader said as he smiled sickeningly, the girl crying for her life.

           “Don’t shoot her! If you’re going to kill anyone, then kill me damn it!”. Blair didn’t even think it through. He just knew he couldn’t stand that. His blood was boiling now, wanting to gun down the terrorist. But if he did that, the girl and several other civilians would be shot. He was at a disadvantage, his only hope to distract them long enough for the strike team to arrive and make a move.

           The ringleader stopped and eyed Blair. “Ah, what have we here? One of Magnus’s cyborg monsters, a soulless tool that only knows to kill for its master. And without armor, showing all how disgusting it is. Come over here, abomination, and toss that aside.”.

           Blair held a look of contempt, but did as he was told, throwing the weapon to the ringleader as he walked. He made it to the ringleader. “On your knees, filth.”. Blair gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, wanting to kill the man with one punch. He felt like he could do that now, with all his anger. But knowing the civilians were still at gunpoint, his body buckled down in resistance and knelt down.

           POW! Blair was punched right across the face, followed by three more punches of the same variety. Despite the blood that came, Blair looked at the ringleader defiantly. He didn’t like that, and punched down to the head and sending Blair face first into the ground.

Blair was repeatedly kicked again and again, trying to stifle his pained cries to limit the civilians’ panic and to not give the ringleader the satisfaction. The ringleader placed his foot on the side of Blair’s face.

“Do you see this?! These are Magnus’s swords and guns, sworn to protect you! But what good are they?! Look at it, beaten and bloody, though I am surprised there’s any blood at all. It’s pathetic. It cannot save you, it cannot even save itself.” the ringleader proclaimed as he held the gun to Blair’s head ready to pull the trigger.

“Gugh…” gurgled one of the terrorists as they fell dead. No, not one, five terrorists fell dead, bullet wounds in their heads. About damn time. “Wh-what the hell is going on?!” shouted the ringleader as he looked on. Big mistake.

Blair got up and wrestled the gun away from the ringleader. The ringleader resisted, Blair headbutted his as the terrorist got knocked. BANG! Blair shot the terrorist right through the heart…if he had one, anyway. The terrorist gave one last look of wicked contempt before falling dead.

“Secure area, move, move!”. Cyber Troopers stormed in, setting up perimeter and tending to the civilians. “It’s okay, you’re all safe now.” a soldier said to the girl and family from earlier.

“Blair!” Elena screamed. “Elena…” he said in relief. He was glad she was safe. He wasn’t out of harm’s way though, as he got slapped in the face. “Ugh, easy Elena, I…mm.” Blair was interrupted by a tearful kiss from Elena.

Their lips parted as Elena looked at Blair with tears and anger. “Damn it, Blair, do you know how scarred I was?! I was about to charge in myself to save you, you dumbass!”. Blair felt all the fear and pain he must have put Elena through, and now felt remorse.

“Sorry, Elena. I’m glad you didn’t do that though, so I won’t do that again, I promise.”.

…

The Present.

           Blair looked up from the photo of him and Elena as Sam was driving the APC. It had been a few years since that day, when he was given commendations and a medal for his service. He had completed a round of service and his academic career, but continued to serve for various reasons, mainly because that day made him realize how important his job was.

           But there was another reason. “Ooh, Corporal, you thinking of your special someone?” teased Gil. “Hey, cut it out payaso(clown). Unlike you, the guy is serious.” Conrado retaliated. “Not to pry, but how are things between you and her? It can be tough for people to carry a relationship in this line of work is all.” Sam inquired.

           Blair gave a wry smile. “Well, I’m still trying to think of the delivery but…” with that Blair pulled out of his pocket a small container. He flipped it open, revealing a modest yet delicate ring.

           “No way!”, “¡Felicidades(Congratulations)!”, “Good man!” they all cheered. “Okay, okay, easy now. Still have to give it to her, alright? I’m thinking when I get next leave, I’ll take her on a trip to Nova Sanctum, and give it to her when we’re either touring the Citadel or the Grand Gardens. Lots of venues and opportunities, so it’s hard to decide. Besides, I need to make money for the wedding and stuff.” said Blair.

           “Oh, so that’s why you’re still here playing soldier? Easier ways to pay the bills man. Seriously though, I thought we all had a tight bond.” Gil lamented sarcastically. “Eh, I could have just gone and done engineering, but I would have felt bad. Someone has to stop you yahoos from getting your asses killed. I’m looking at you, Gil.” Blair joked.

           “Yes, the sergeant alone would chew up and spit out Gil, wouldn’t he?” Sam joined in, with Conrado nodding. Gil sulked at that. “Well, it may be a bit soon, but why don’t we get drinks to celebrate?” Conrado suggested. “Sure, I could go for that. Gotta wait until these patrols are done though.” Blair agreed.

           “Why are they even having us do patrol here though? I mean, this is like nowhere.” said Gil. He wasn’t the only one to complain about that. Normally, the platoon patrolled near Outlands areas, putting down mutants and bandits. But this was just wilderness and roads deep in Protectorate territory. The only buildings around was their encampment and a few old war ruins. At best, the most lethal thing they would run into was a bear.

           Despite that, the first lieutenant had been ordered to station the platoon here. It would be easy to think it was punishment, but nothing had been done to deserve it, and they had been scattered and doing patrols for the past week. It was like they were on lookout, but for what?

           Suddenly, static came through on their internal comms. “Heads up everyone. This is Zeta Squad, can you repeat?” Blair asked. The signal clarified, and they recognized it was Sergeant Calisle. “Zeta Squad, return to base immediately. This goes for all other squads, the lieutenant has called an emergency meeting. I repeat, return to base for meeting. Over.” said the sergeant. “Copy that, over.” Blair affirmed.

           “Guess we’ll have to save the drinks for later.” Blair said as he signaled Sam to turn the APCs around, the other team of privates following behind them.

…

           “So, what do think all the fuss is about?” Gil asked. “Stuff it Gil, Lieutenant Gregor is about to speak.” Sam told him. Indeed, the Lieutenant came out unmasked. Everyone in the platoon wasn’t wearing their helmets currently, as they were only worn really for active duty like patrol.

           “Troopers, listen up. You’ve all been wondering why we’ve been stationed in an area of little note. It’s been necessary to simply call this a routine patrol, but in actuality, this has been a lookout assignment, and scouts have determined our target is heading through this area. The target is Samurai Jack.”.

           That got a few murmurs going. “Whoa, the Renegade Samurai, huh?” Conrado spoke. “I heard he took down three Inquisitors and a platoon. Scary stuff.” Gil joined in. “Well, for our sakes, let’s hope the rumors are exaggerated. We’re a platoon, you know.” remarked Sam.

           “Focus men!” commanded the first lieutenant. The Cyber Troopers quieted down and assumed attention. “Disregard all exaggerated rumors about the target, but do not underestimate him either. He is a dangerous insurgent, but still only one man, and can and will be terminated with lethal force.”.

           “The target is accompanied by three other accomplices, all armed and dangerous. You are to shoot on sight. I won’t lie, this will be dangerous. The Samurai’s list of confirmed kills is now in the hundreds. However, combat data from these fallen troops have suggested he may be disadvantaged by tactic and superior numbers. Review such data after the meeting. Now, here is the plan.”.

           “The road the Samurai is travelling will be rigged with explosives. He will likely survive through. Gamma squad will make the first move, attempting to assassinate the target through long range. Should that fail, then Gamma, Epsilon, and Delta will team up to form a joint strike force and overwhelm the enemy.”.

           “Should target be able to resist, we will drive him towards this area.” The area displayed on the holographic area map was a decaying military training base, defunct after the war. “Once we have him there, Theta and Zeta will take positions with the rest of the squads and we will flush him out. If necessary, we will bring down the whole structure. By bullet or rubble, this renegade dies tonight.”.

           “The target arrives at this area in approximately three hours. Move out and head to position. Review data until we confirm target presence and begin operation. Understood?” asked the first lieutenant.

           “Sir yes sir!” announced the whole platoon.

…

           Blair was observing the data, watching the recordings of fallen Cyber Troopers. Common to them all was the vain shooting at a white robed Samurai before the recording ended with a slash from a katana.

           “GAHH! Seriously, what’s with this guy? It’s like guns are useless against a sword, what messed up reality is that?” Gil asked. “I’m more perplexed as to how that sword deflects fire. Even if it’s a well-toned steel alloy, we’re using BX-90 riffles. At this point, the charged bullets should have shattered it by now.” Sam remarked.

           Somewhere between regular ballistic ammo and energy-based weaponry, the Cyber Trooper standard issue BX-90 riffle charged bullets as they accelerated with a destructive energy to increase their damage. With all safety parameters off, it could well punch through regular armor, so a katana really should be in pieces from that.

           “It’s more his martial arts that concern me. That sword’s just an application for his combat style. Otherwise, all the other soldiers would have shot him dead by now. He moves with tenacity and no hesitation, and all his movements seem professional. Could this guy have been special forces?” Blair asked.

           “Nah, this one fight with the platoon shows no cybernetics on him. He’s a regular human, but he is a badass.” Conrado remarked.

           This was getting a bit tense. Everyone heard of all the crime reports, but common to them all was that no Cyber Trooper that faced Samurai Jack lived to tell the tale. It seemed like an abstract thing before, just an urban rumor. But now that they were about to face him themselves, everyone in the squad felt grim.

           “Hey, common, the lieutenant has a plan, remember. Hell, we don’t have to do a thing, since the other squads are throwing explosives and snipers at the guy. So chill, okay?” Gil reassured. “That’s a nice attitude to have, before fighting a mass murderer.” Sam remarked.

           “Enough. We don’t know exactly what will happen. What we do know is that this renegade is dangerous, he is not alone, and he likely won’t go down quietly. Just follow the plan seriously, and hopefully we make it out alive. Got it guys?” asked Blair.

           “Got it.” they all affirmed.

           “Well, glad you know how to get those jackasses in order, corporal. I’ll stick to the new bloods here and- wait, what? Eyes front, enemy sighted!” Sergeant Calisle ordered, receiving note from the other squads.

           Squatting down from a hillside, all the troopers in Squad Zeta looked from their vantage point to the road. The could see a rough four-wheeled car running though the road bellow. Just a few dozen meters more and…

           BOOM! For a minute, the soldiers just sat and stared at the flaming desolation. They weren’t about to celebrate, no, they were waiting, prepared for a sign from the enemy.

           The enemy vehicle drove though the smoke and fire, hardly scratched. Somehow, the drivers seemed to detect the explosive and drove skillfully enough to stay out of the force of the blast.

           But the plan didn’t seem dashed yet. People came out, four of them, looking to inspect the explosion. Seemed they wanted to see who was behind the attack. Wait, is that…? Blair thought. Yes, it was. Gamma Squad confirmed it through their sniper scopes. Standing in their sights, out in the open in white garb, was Samurai Jack.

           The snipers kept cool, not wanting to mess up the shot. One had a clear shot, a bullseye right on the Samurai’s forehead. “Firing!” the snipers said as they let loose. The bullets raced towards their targets, meters away.

But, somehow, one of the secondary targets, the traitor designated “Ashi”, became alarmed and screamed something. All the targets ducked and covered at the last minute, evading the precise strike. The assassination attempt failed.

Worse, the main target looked in their direction, and Blair somehow felt he was looking directly at them. “Main target is still alive, our positions are compromised! Switch to next phase! Gamma, Epsilon, and Delta, move in before target escapes!” commanded the First Lieutenant.

The other squads affirmed, moving into positions and preparing to charge. Blair knew what would happen. Epsilon and Delta would block the vehicle’s approach and Gamma would reconnect to attack from the other side. Fire would be focused on the main target, the secondary targets eliminated once he was. A simple but effective plan, yet…

“This is Lieutanant Gregor, myself and Theta are standing by with Zeta, all other squads engage.” said the lieutenant on the comm radio. “Copy that Lieutenant, Delta is moving in from other side and engaging target now, over.” said the Delta sergeant. “Copy, Gamma. Epsilon is arriving to assist, over.” said the Epsilon sergeant. “Gamma arriving from previous position, ready to cut off target, over.” said the Gamma sergeant.

Shortly after that, gunfire and explosions could be heard from no too far away. That was expected, but then they could hear all kinds of comm chatter, most of it distressed. “GAHH!”, “Bastards, take this!”, “They know how to put up a fight!”, “Oh God!”, “AHHH!”.

Lieutenant Gregor got concerned, and tried rising the sergeants. “Epsilon, Delta, Gamma, give me updates, do you copy?!”. After a few tense seconds of static, an answer came in. “L-lieutenant, this is Private Bryson from Gamma, we’re taking serious losses by the enemy and need support now!”.

“Private, where is your lieutenant, over?” asked First Lieutenant Gregor. “He-He’s dead, sir! The target left the vehicle that took on Epsilon and Delta and engaged my squad! All squads are at less than 50% now! We’re not gonna make it, we need…oh shit, he’s coming right at me, please send…!” ZZZT.

Everyone fell silent as the private’s dying plea turned to static. “Damn it! Theta, you’re coming with me. We’re going to jump that son of a bitch before he gets the rest. Zeta, follow behind at a distance. If we can’t put him down or force him into the trap point, you be the ones to catch him off guard.” commanded the First Lieutenant.

“Yes sir!” affirmed both squads. Theta and the First Lieutenant down in an APC. Blair and the rest of Zeta made preparations to follow. Despite how quickly the Lieutenant adapted though, Blair couldn’t help the ominous feelings dredging up within him. Only a few minutes, and it already sounded like the joint attack failed. Resistance was expected, but such casualties so soon? Just who, or rather what, was this Samurai Jack?

He decided to not dwell on the matter as Sergeant Calisle drove them down from the lookout point and on to the road where the action was. It was then they heard more comm static. “This is Zeta, come in, over.” inquired the sergeant. “Zeta, get over here quick! Situation’s gone to shit! Gamma got shredded by that bastard and it looks like we lost Epsilon too! Delta got in the APC and drove off the enemy’s vehicle support, and we managed make that Samurai bastard run for it. Pursuing target to trap point, but I don’t think we can take him ourselves. Move in to provide support, over!” said Lieutenant Gregor.

“Copy that, over.” replied Sergeant Calisle. “Alright boys, let’s get over there and…”, “Whoa, stop the APC for a sec, sarge!” replied Gil. “Only because I’m gonna kick your ass for…” the sergeant stopped reprimanding as he saw what Gil was talking about.

Everyone got out to see the devastation. It was a real fight, one that ended badly for the Cyber Troopers. From one end was the remains of Epsilon and Delta. Epsilon’s APC was just flaming scrap, blown to pieces by a missile or rocket. They didn’t even know the enemy had that. They could see that the bodies lying there either had gunshot wounds or cuts, lethal from a glance.

Even if they thought some lived, a quick link up to their Cyber Armor and scanners had shown the results. “Vital scans show…no survivors.” Blair responded after his helmet’s optics did their work. They turned to the other side, which was somehow worse.

Sure, a Cyber Trooper’s most common cause of death in battle was by gunshot or explosive, except when fighting things like Abominables. But it would take fighting those monsters to make it worse than this. Cyber Troopers, cut, slashed, butchered, all with such clear and lethal wounds, as though a single stroke was sufficient to do the damage.

The human cyborgs all had such open and ghastly wounds, exposing their internal circuitry in their flesh as blood began to pool. One of the young privates from the other half of the squad, all rookies, took as helmet in a hurry to vomit on the spot. “S-sorry…” he said exasperated.

“H-help me…” cried a weak voice. “Over there!” cried out Blair as he ran to the voice. He saw it was a private down on the ground, clutching desperately at his shoulder. No, he was clutching where his arm used to be. But it was no good, his Cyber Armor’s gray and black was stained with streaks of his red blood, lying in a puddle of it. It was amazing he was still alive now.

“What’s your name, Private?” asked the Corporal. “St…Stan Bryson, sir.” replied the Private who warned the Lieutenant earlier. Blair nodded, needing the Private to collect himself so he could relay what occurred. “What happened here, Bryson?” Blair asked.

“We…we thought we had him. At first that car was pinned, couldn’t fight back. But then it fired a damn missile and took out most of Epsilon! Then that bastard jumped out.  I swear I though he was flying, didn’t even fire till it was too late. The Samurai got in close and cut us like butter.”.

“I tried contacting the Lieutenant, but then the renegade butchered my arm, and left me to die! He just tried walking away, then the Lieutenant and Theta Squad got the drop on him. I…I think the other renegades got chased by Delta, and the Samurai was being pushed by Theta towards the trap point, but…” the Private trailed off.

“But…I think it was a trap. That Samurai bastard ran away too soon, same for that car. I think he wants to turn the ambush against us, I, ugh…” Bryson groaned as his strength bled on the ground. “P-please, you gotta help the Lieutenant, just tell him to-to, get the hell away. That Samurai, he’ll kill him, he’ll…”.

With that, Bryson fully collapsed on the ground, unmoving. Blair’s scanner read “Deceased”. It was then they all heard an explosion in the direction of the other APC. “Delta Squad, do you copy? Come in Delta, over!” Blair asked over the comm, only to get static. Seems as though they lost Delta Squad too.

“Sh-shit, we gotta get out of here!” cried out one of the young privates. He looked like he was going to make a run for it, before being backhanded by Sergeant Calisle. “Listen to me, you goddamn son of a bitch. We are not running and we are not hiding. We’re gonna find Lieutenant Gregor and help him out of this shitstorm, understand?!”.

“Screw that! Look around, Theta is as good as dead! I thought this would be basic Protectorate patrol, just marginal danger! I never signed up to take on… whatever the hell this is!” retorted another young private. That earned him a punch right to the side of his head. Even though he wore a helmet, the private was dazed by that.

“Listen up, you pansy-assed school boys! This kind of shit is why we are here, why the whole Magnus Protectorate exists in the first place! What do you think keeps people, like you, your family and friends, your whole damn community safe from this?” the sergeant asked. He then pointed to the fallen Bryson.

“Soldiers like him. Bryson risked his life for a cause, the cause. He could have run away, abandoned his whole squad to save his own ass. Instead, he stayed here and radioed for help. It cost him his life, damn it.”.

“You think our Lord Protector stopped the war by crying in the corner? No, he had enough of that shit and got it done! Better yet, he led a whole damn army! Every single one of them risked their lives like Bryson, dying for the cause. Do you know what the hell that bloody cause is?”.

“To serve Magnus and the Peace, sir.” Blair spoke up. “I’m glad you understand, Corporal. These crybabies should follow you for a day.” the sergeant said proudly.

“That’s more than a popup or a salute. It’s a principle, a virtue. Magnus stands for the preservation of this world, it’s first and last line of defense. By definition, so do we. What kind of defender of peace are you if you leave behind your own comrades when you can do something? Soldiers like Bryson die so that the peace so many died for continues.”.

“If we let bastards like that Samurai Jack loose, nobody’s safe. You know what’s worse? Bryson will have died for nothing. Gamma, Epsilon, and Delta will have died for nothing. Every soldier who was killed by that Samurai will have died for nothing. Your job, your duty, is to make it all worth something.”.

“So then, what is our cause?” asked the sergeant. “To serve Magnus and the Peace, sir!” shouted the whole squad, not just the young privates. “And how are we going to do that tonight?” asked the sergeant. “By stopping the Samurai and saving the Lieutenant, sir!” shouted the squad. “God damn right. Now get back in the APC and let’s double time it!”.

…

           Zeta Squad finally arrived at the old military base. Whatever Near End War faction owned this place in the past, they had been long gone, the base stripped and demilitarized long ago. It was a skeleton of whatever powerhouse it once was.

           “No sign of Theta or the Samurai. We split in two. Corporal, take your crew and head that way. I’ll stick with these guys so they don’t wet themselves. If you spot the Lieutenant or the enemy, contact us immediately.” Sergeant Calisle ordered.

           “Got it. Stay safe, Sergeant.” Blair warned. “Watch you own ass too, Corporal.” the sergeant said back. Blair’s team engaged their night vision as well as turning on their rifle’s search lights. They even had thermal imaging, so if anything sizeable came into range, they would see it. It was not seeing any sign of the Lieutenant’s team or the Samurai that was making them all tense though.

           “Hold it, I’m picking up some signals. About half a dozen.” Blair said. It didn’t look good though. They were all huddled together, but they were collapsed, and some of the signals’ temperatures were dropping. “Let’s move!” shouted the Corporal.

           They rushed towards the area of thermal imaging, and when they got their and turned it off, their fears were realized. “Damn, Theta didn’t make it.” lamented the Corporal. All around were the bodies of the Cyber Troopers of Theta Squad. Some had taken gunshot wounds, but most had been cut apart.

           Lying at the center was First Lieutenant Gregor, cause of death was a clear slash through the chest. “I’m sorry, Lieutenant Gregor. We weren’t fast enough.” Blair mourned. “Sergeant, this is Corporal Rayner. I’m sorry sir, but we didn’t arrive in time, all of Theta Squad, including the Lieutenant, is dead, over.”.

           “What?! I…I see. Then try to get back to the entrance, we’ll, huh?!”. The communication turned to static, causing Blair and the others alarm. “Quick, we have to get to his direction and find his location!” Blair ordered. They all began running while searching for their sergeant’s location signal, Blair trying to raise up comms again.

“Sergeant, what is your status, answer!” Blair shouted. “The Samurai just appeared, just stood there till we fired! Just like that, he went at us! I’m trying to keep him off the boys but, UGH! Damn it, just die you mother-”. With that, the comm went static. “Sergeant, sergeant?! Sergeant Calisle?!” shouted Blair.

Blair couldn’t get an answer, only try to maintain course as they zeroed in on the battle. They could only hear the sound of gunfire and a sword slashing before it all went silent.

Blair and his team arrived at a terrible scene. Gripping a smoking BX-90 rifle was the slumped corpse of Sergeant Calisle. Surrounding him were the bodies of the young privates. They were all barely of age to enlist, had hardly seen action. Even so, it seemed they made a valiant attempt to defend the sergeant when he was defending them, as their forms indicated brave resistance to the end. Seems the sergeant got the principle through to them.

“D-damn it. He was the meanest hardass I knew. Sometimes I really thought someone pissed in his orange juice to make him so mad. But you know, he always got this squad going and looked out for everyone, you know? Thanks, Sergeant.” said Gil.

Their moment of solace was interrupted by a rustle from behind. Blair was the only one who picked it up. He fired behind, catching the startled silhouette of a robed figure who dodged the fire and into the dark.

“Damn it! Everyone, cover all corners!” Blair ordered. The four of them formed a tight square, covering all directions as they watched for the Samurai. Having to trn off thermal imaging because of all the bodies, Blair noticed movement from the corner in his enhance vion.

He fired, the dark being lit as the energized bullets turned to sparks against the movements of a sword. The figure got in close, and Blair barely pulled out his combat blade in time to prevent the sword from reaching his neck. Conrado screamed as he punched right at the figure, not wanting to fire and hit Blair by accident.

But the shadow cloaked figure managed to block it with a single hand, before jabbing Conrado multiple times in the gut, bringing the Cyber Trooper to his knees. Before the figure went any farther, Sam went in with a side arm and combat blade, blocking the shadowy Samurai’s sword before trying to shoot him down.

But the enemy anticipated this, twisting Gil’s arm to make him drop his pistol. He was kicked down as their assailant tried to run from the scene, but Gil wasn’t having that. Gil fired his rifle at the figure, who jumped back to avoid the fire. The assailant had enough of this. He took out his own sidearm, a pistol, firing multiple shots at the Cyber Troopers.

“MOVE! Blair shouted. He barely dodged the energy laced bullets, but Gil wasn’t so fortunate. A bullet came right to his head, one the helmet couldn’t block. But it wasn’t him who would die from that.

“SAM!” Gil shouted. Sam noticed the bullet’s trajectory and pushed Gil out of the way, but by sheer misfortune, it hit him in the throat. “(Coughs violently), y-you damn bloke. Always figure you’d have been the death of me. (Coughs violently) Don’t…take it so personally though. But… if you happen to see the Samurai, get in a few shots for me before you leave, alright? Wake me up when we’re all at Blair’s…”.

With that, Sam went limp, and his helmet’s optics went dark. Gil just knelt there, wordless, no bad jokes or anything, like the humor died with Sam. The figure in the corridor had stopped, as though troubled.

Gil looked up at it, and beneath his helmet, his eyes held desperation and bloodlust. “Gil, amigo, don’t.”. But before Conrado could even restrain him, Gil picked up both his own and Sam’s BX-90 rifles and charges. No plan, no coordination, just rage and poorly controlled bullets.

The figure became on guard as Gil screamed while firing the hail of bullets. He wasn’t thinking at all really, he just wanted the renegade dead. The figure did as he had to, running and dodging the chaotic bullets with ease before slicing through Gil’s throat. Gil stopped there, vengeance unfulfilled, before coming to his knees and then collapsing.

The shadowed, robed figure stared at them, as though waiting for a move. Neither Blair nor Conrado knew what it meant, but they had to assume the worst: they would die when they made their move.

Conrado sighed. “Sorry, hombre(man), but I don’t think I’m making it to your boda(wedding). Make it there for the rest of us, okay?” requested Conrado. “Wait, what are you…?” Blair asked, before Conrado sent a volley of gunfire at the enemy. For extra assurance, Conrado took out a grenade and pressed a button.

“Move it, now!” Conrado shouted as he charged at the robed figure. Blair didn’t have time to argue, just ran the opposite way, towards the exit. But he realized that Conrado was not going to make it. Conrado even made sure of that, as when Blair made it out, an explosion went off behind him, collapsing the building and sending Blair helmet first into the ground.

Blair got up and looked behind. He knew that wasn’t just an attempt to take out the Samurai with him. Conrado knew that Blair could never choose to abandon his friends, to leave what they died for. That’s why he made that choice for him. Conrado died so Blair could live up to what Conrado asked, what they all wanted for Blair.

He knew what Sam was going to say, and he knew what Conrado asked, but this was too much. He collapsed to his knees, his hands gripping the ground in emotional pain. In that old base for a war long over, all his friends, his whole squad, just died.

“What the hell do you want?” Blair asked in venomous anger. Behind him, he somehow felt that presence. It wasn’t cybernetic sensors or regular hearing, he just somehow knew, in that moment of anguish. He turned, facing the being he hated most, the one responsible for killing his whole platoon in one night. There stood Samurai Jack.

Blair was only mildly surprised as he got a closer look. He didn’t get such good details from the record data, the vantage point, or the dark corridor, but this current meeting contrasted with today’s impression.

After a night of seeing all his friends slaughtered, Blair thought he might as well have been fighting a demon, a being of pure malice. Instead, he saw a man. He was indeed a Samurai, traditional gi, katana, some light armor, and fair skinned eastern features.

The man somehow exerted both an aura that was stern yet gentle at the same time, as well as simple yet refined. He could tell the man could be extremely dangerous if needed, but was not exerting any hostility. That did not help Blair’s though. After tonight and that experience with the terrorist, Blair knew humans could be real demons, the worst kind.

“I would just like to take a moment to talk.” said Jack. “Hmph, a little late for that. Or is it easy to make your point when everyone else is dead?” Blair retorted. Jack kept calm in the face of that hostility and proceeded.

“Your forces have been relentless. Your people take hostility as their first path without warning, never giving me a chance. What you saw was the actions that followed their decisions.” Jack stated.

“Oh, so suddenly we’re in the wrong? It’s my fault everyone died? Everyone deserved to die because they wanted to stop a renegade from committing more violence?” Blair voiced.

“That’s not what I-” Jack said, “So you think we should have just given up? What we’ve sworn to do, give up something bigger than ourselves.” Blair questioned.

“You do not understand, Magnus has blinded-” said Jack . “Oh, so Magnus is to blame, and I don’t know what I’m doing? Unbelievable.” Blair said. He decided he needed to prove a point to this ignorant enemy.

Blair undid his helmet’s hookup and took it off. Jack became surprised at what he saw. Right now, he wasn’t really shocked by the circuitry in Blair’s face, but rather by how human his face was. Jack had known all this time the Cyber Troopers were humans turned into cyborgs, but their armor and helmets seemed to limit their perceivable humanity.

But now that he looked into the face of the enemy, Jack saw past the militarized regime and could perceive full humanity in Blair. The anger in Blair’s modified eyes was not malicious, but rather a desire for justice, the same Jack experienced numerous times. He could tell from Blair’s face and expression that he not a mindless drone, a fooled follower, or a villain.

No, Blair was a good person, fighting for his own beliefs and doing what he saw was right. In many ways, he was the same as Jack. When Jack realized that, it shocked and pained him.

“What, you think I’m some abomination? Or are you surprised to see a person under all this armor?” Blair asked, sensing Jack’s turmoil. “I…” Jack tried to speak, but couldn’t find the words.

“Just so you know, they were all people, people you killed. They had names too. Private Stan Bryson, Lieutenant Gregor, Sergeant Calisle. The last three you killed were Sam, Gil, and Conrado. They were…they were my friends.” Blair said with sorrow.

Jack realized the awful thing he had done to this man, making him witness his friends being slaughtered. He wanted badly to apologize, but the words got stuck in his throat. He knew that just saying “sorry” would be a terrible insult.

“You want to know what they all died for, Samurai? Blind devotion to the Lord Protector? Hatred for his enemies?  It’s nothing like that.” Blair made clear.

“Before you killed him, my sergeant made our salute clear, “Serve Magnus and the Peace”. You probably think that’s doctrine. It’s not, it’s a cause. Magnus led and sacrificed a lot to end the war for a principle, one we fight for now. When we fight to protect, we do it to safeguard and serve those around us.”.

“It’s different for everyone, but we all fight to protect what we all hold dear, including each other. When you kill one of us, that hurts the rest of us, but doesn’t stop us. Do you know why? Because we have to make those deaths mean something. Why did we keep chasing you? Because we couldn’t let everyone else’s sacrifices go to waste, that’s why!” Blair shouted.

Jack had always assumed that when the Cyber Troopers came after him again and again, they were misled, or had malice moving them. Instead, this man was showing him the Cyber Troopers did have honor. If that was so though, what about him?

“You know why I’m speaking to you know instead of trying to shoot you? It’s not because I’m abandoning the cause. Before this whole thing, I…I told my friends I was going to propose… to the person I love most. They all wanted to come, but that changed when you showed up.”.

“They all died in there, but they gave me a chance. I took it, not for myself, not even for her. It was for them. I want to make their deaths mean something, I want to tell them that I did it. If it wasn’t for that…”.

“I’d try to kill you right now. So then, are you here to kill me?” Blair asked.

Jack felt shocked by that, wondering why Blair would think he was here for that. But as he was the man to kill almost everyone Blair came to care about, he realized how easy it was to seem the monster.

“No. There has been…more, far more than enough bloodshed tonight.” Jack concluded. “Knowing you, there will be a lot more before you’re done.” Blair said with condescension. Jack couldn’t deny the reality of that statement.

“One more thing. You spoke of the names of your comrades, and you know mine, but I do not know yours. What is your name, warrior?” Jack asked.

“Corporal Blair Rayner.” Blair responded. “Very well then, Corporal. When you have made you friends’ sacrifice meant something, I will face you again, if you wish..” Jack stated as he began walking away. “Yeah, we’ll see.”.

Author Notes: Ha! You all thought I gave up or died, didn’t you, admit it! No, it’s just that with summer ending and work piling up again, I got a bit busy and had less time for writing. You were expecting the beginning of that Arc finale, huh? You know, seeing a certain Scot again? Funny thing, I was halfway through writing that chapter when this one came to mind. And for the tone of this arc, this chapter had to go here, so I just had to write it.

           References were Fallout 2 and The Matrix, if you spotted them.

           The main thing I wanted to clarify is that even though they’re cybernetic, Jack’s enemies in this story are human, they’re people. I remember from one of Genndy’s interviews about Season 5 that the Daughters of Aku were supposed to represent how people could be programmed like robots. Hell, Jack even comments on it in Episode 4.

           The Cyber Troopers are a more literal take on that, cyborg soldiers that, for aesthetic, have that futuristic feel from Jack fighting robots while making them more lifelike. In deeper context, they show how a person can be literally transformed into part of a machine, all the Troopers formatted and mechanized for the autocracy they serve.

           But, in this part anyway, the Cyber Troopers are still mostly human, and the metaphorical “programming” is not as strong as for the Daughters of Aku. They’re each a person, just doing their duty and following what they believe. To them, the Magnus Protectorate is their society and affects their social and personal lives like any society.

           They all have friends, family, and loved ones. When I wrote Jack killing off the platoon in this chapter, I had to write it in a way where it was self-defense, but the soldiers are not exactly in the wrong either, something that was not easy and a bit vague.

           Why I did this was to convey all the difficult emotions Blair and his friends go through when they see Jack doing this. They can’t just mindlessly charge in like beetle drones, of course they don’t want to die. But it’s Jack’s choice to resist and strike down the Cyber Troopers that moves them to keep trying to stop him. Comradery is a real and powerful thing.

           I’m glad I came up with that dialogue about “the cause”, because this whole chapter is basically saying “Hey, we’re not exactly the bad guys”, and this really gives justification and humanity to the Cyber Troopers. They’re still the enemy, but it kind of gives purpose to both the soldiers and the Magnus Protectorate, something I’ve been struggling to establish. I think this laid some real groundwork for that.

           Now then, Blair. This chapter drew inspiration from SJ favorite “ The Tale of X9”. So yeah, this story was going to have a sad ending. All of Blair’s friends were personalized only to die in the end. Cold, I know, but then it wouldn’t have such impact.

Explaining his background and love interest was to help really give Blair ground as this chapter’s protagonist and give him something worth fighting for. I was rather uncomfortable with the whole “domestic terrorist” situation, we do live in tumultuous times. So, I’m sorry if that bit was a bit too personal for some of you, just want to get that out there.

Blair was designed to be an understood and willing protagonist in this chapter. He’s not Samurai Jack, but that’s what helped make him worthwhile. He knows the Samurai is more dangerous than him, of course he’s scared. But he’s willing to fight for his friends and beliefs, even if that means facing bad situations. I didn’t intend him to be similar to Jack in this way, but I’m glad it turned out that way. He’s not exactly the same as Jack, but he’s definitely his own person.

If you were suspecting after the wedding ring thing that Blair would die, then I have to confess. In the end, Blair was going to be the last person to die. In my head, I kept seeing Blair engage in a fight with Jack, firing off bullets and taking cover to keep Jack at bay. It was going to be similar to X-9’s fight.

It would end with Blair collapsing from a stab wound, his helmet broken and Jack looking down to see his enemy was a person. Blair would hold his picture of Elena and himself and apologize to her, before he collapsed dead. And Jack would know what that meant.

But, I couldn’t do it. Not because I “chickened out”, exactly. I changed it not for Blair or Elena, but for Blair’s friends. These chapters take their own direction after they get going, and I’m cool with that. Where this one went was Blair’s friends trying to hold off Jack so Blair could escape and make it back to Elena.

After all that talk of making sacrifices worth something, anything, this chapter wasn’t going to let me kill off Blair. He had to live, he had to make it. Not for himself, or Elena, but to make their deaths mean something. In a way, keeping that promise and being the sole survivor is more of an emotional gut punch than the original ending, huh?

I know, I like to ramble. Just saying Chapter XI, the beginning of the Arc finale, is on the way, look forward to it!

[psychicdan]

Samurai Jack: Renegade Samurai

Rating M for graphic depictions, language, violence and suggestive themes.

Warning:

The following is a work of fanfiction and is not intentionally connected to real world places, events, or people, nor intended to copy others’ work. Samurai Jack is the work of Genndy Tartakovsky, his team and affiliated studios and companies. This is solely fanfiction for fun and not profit.

Note: I was going to do the first chapter of the Arc 1 finale, but then this idea came to mind, and I had to this before then for maximum effect. Enjoy!

Chapter X: A Soldier’s Cause

           Corporal Blair Rayner woke up to the sounds of the early morning wake-up call. “Come on, move it you wimps! Unless you want to triple morning routine, get your asses out of bed!” shouted the sergeant. Groans could be heard all around. “Ugh, el cabrón… can’t he find something else to be pissed about?” said Conrado.

           “Aw, come on Conrad. You know it’s just the Sarge’s way of saying he loves us, right?” Gil joked nearby. “Well, each to their own, but if this is how he reciprocates, the sergeant can kindly kiss my arse.” Sam remarked. “Careful, if he heard that, he’d flail you alive.” Gil warned. “You brought it up.” Sam retorted.

           Blair chuckled a bit at his team’s chagrin. “Come on, let’s get ready and in uniform before he pops another vein or circuit.” brought up the Corporal. They all hit the showers. Though Blair was of a slightly higher rank, he got on well with the privates in his squad. The only mood killer was the sergeant.

           “So, how do those new muscle weave implants feel, Conrad?” Sam asked. “Mm, felt a bit numb for a while, but I’m used to them. Still think a little workout wouldn’t hurt the llorón (crybaby). Ah well, better give up on a lost cause.” Conrad said about a certain private. “Hey, I don’t need to be jacked up to kick ass, okay?” Gil retorted. “Maybe not, but at least we’ll survive the sergeant’s tirade. It was nice knowing you Gil.” Sam sarcastically lamented.

           “Yeah whatever Sam. Speaking of which, are the new optic enhancements alright?” Gil asked. “Oh yes, my sight is practically 20-20 now, and includes all the visual interface tech. If these weren’t exclusively military issue, glasses would be a thing of the past.” Sam remarked. “Oh Dios Mio, Sam with specs. Would have killed to see him like that.”. The two white and one Hispanic Latino men laughed to themselves.

           The corporal gave a wry smile before looking down at his own black skin. Interlaced into it, no, interlaced into his flesh were circuit linings with several plugins and nodes. If he saw his face in the mirror, he would see the same linings on his face and ocular artificial lenses in his eyes, the same ones Sam was boasting about.

           The most concentrated area of technology was in his back, and in his neck was a particular node and plug. Gil kept joking for a week that they should have taken the blue pill. That movie joke got old fast. It was where all the processing and sensory information for his cybernetic implants were done, and allows for link ups to Cyber Armor and other military interface technology.

           Corporal Blair Rayner was a Cyber Trooper serving in the Magnus Protectorate’s army. He and the three privates were part of Zeta Squad in the 3rd platoon of a company in the army. Right now, it was just morning routine before they geared up for patrol. The platoon was just spread out to keep the area safe.

They finished drying and began putting on their uniforms and Cyber Armor. Blair felt his senses stimulated as usual when he connected the armor to his interface. It was complete when he put the helmet on. Magnus Protectorate Cybernetic Infantry Interface Online. Servite Magnus et Pax(Serve Magnus and the Peace), Trooper.

           At this point, Blair found the heads up notice as noteworthy as the sky being blue. He just unconsciously accepted it, easy that way. He liked seeing the new recruits freak out every time they put on the armor though. Reminded him of how unfamiliar with being a cyborg soldier he used to be.

           “About time you finished getting your soft asses in uniform. Look alive people, especially you Gil.” remarked Sergeant Calisle. “(Yawns) Yeah yeah, whatever Sarge.” Gil dismissed. The yawn sounded weird considering the mechanized effect his helmet’s voice filter had.

           The Sergeant looked down at Gil. Somehow, his anger beamed through the eye lenses. “Gil, I think we had this conversation before. If I like you, you can call me Sarge, but guess what? I DON’T LIKE YOU, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!”. “Y-yes sir!” Gil said, standing at attention. “Sorry, what did you say, clown? I thought I told you not to whimper, and you’re whimpering!” the sergeant screamed. “SIR YES SIR!” Gil screamed out in the expected affirmation.            “Alright then, Corporal, take the two APCs and the privates on patrol, and report by 1200. Understood?” the sergeant said to Blair. “Understood sir.”.

…

A few years back.

           Blair was a private back then, working law enforcement detail in one of the commercial cities. Though there was some action in the cities, it was typical crime such as robbery. Sometimes maintaining the military police felt like a waste. It was even more dull as this city was not only deep in Protectorate territory, but was one of the cities near Nova Sanctum, so safety was kind of perpetual.

           As a new private, Blair caught on that he was just a body with a gun and some armor to make people feel safe, a decoration. Well, it pays, he thought. He had been born to intellectuals, his mother a writer and his father a doctor. His mother had suffered a terminal illness when Blair was in the middle of college studies, and no matter what Blairs father did, even conceding the case to doctors better than him, his mother still died.

           His mother was actually a talented best-selling writer, and so took to paying Blair’s tuition while his father tended to other financial needs. Without her, Blair’s father had his hands tied, and Blair now needed to fund his academic ventures by himself.

           That’s when he noticed that the Magnus Protectorate was offering tuition payments, and he accepted. He understood there were risks, so he took the training seriously. He imagined doing dangerous assignments, like putting down Abominable breakouts and other mutants, putting a stop to mercenaries and terrorists, or even joining the space fleet to secure the interplanetary borders.

           Instead, the daily action he saw was giving directions and helping those in need cross the street. Though he wouldn’t normally demean kind gestures, he was worried the hazard here was utter boredom. Well, aside from that, no death and dismemberment at least.

           “Hello, officer? Are you still alive in there?” said a voice. Blair stuttered awake, embarrassed he was caught half-asleep on the job. “Sorry, sergeant! I’ll get back to it and…oh, uh, sorry about that. What can I do for you, civilian?” Blair inquired.

           As his senses focused from his earlier stupor, Blair looked at the person who woke him. She was a young woman with bright skin, long amber hair, and tender complexion. For a second, her appearance made Blair look flustered. Good thing he was wearing the helmet.

           The young woman put her hands to her sides in frustration. “Hmph, good to know the military police have the right initiative. Sleeping soldiers are a great deterrent for crime rates.” she said in critical sarcasm. Great, first the sergeant, then the other privates, and now civilians. I’m not cut out for the military.

           “Ahem, sorry you had to see that ma’am. Rest assured, the Magnus Protectorate stands ready to defend you.” Blair said in prompt. The woman just laughed at that. “What was that? Is that what they tell you to tell us?”. Blair sighed. “Yes ma’am.”. They even put the strict guidelines manual into his armor’s computer system. What he just said was a direct quote for how to respond to citizens, as he was still memorizing everything.

           “Hey, enough with the “ma’am” crap. We’re both people, aren’t we? My name’s Elena, what’s yours?” she asked. “Private Blair Rayner, ma’…Miss, uh, Elena.”.

           She smiled at that. “Well, it’s a start. Alright, “Mister Blair”, let me know when your off duty so we can sit down and eat.”.

…

           Why did I agree to this?! Blair was sitting down with the woman from earlier, Elena Harking. Right now, his face was cramped, as he had not much experience dealing with the opposite sex, or even other people in general, because he had involved himself in either academics or, more recently, military work.

           “You gonna take that bucket off your head or what?” she said. “It’s not a…! Oh, fine.” he agreed reluctantly. He hated being called a “bucket head”, and hated the armor designers even more.

           “Don’t sound so upset, I actually want to see your face when we talk. Besides, can you actually eat through that?” she inquired. “No, but one of the other privates tried. Sergeant was yelling at him for messing up military property.” Blair responded.

           Elena chuckled. “Seriously? Oh God, how nuts was he to…whoa.”. By now, Blair finished disengaging the link up and removed his helmet. His face, altered by the circuitry and implants left from the standard surgery, was now exposed. Elena stared inquisitively for a bit.

           Blair sighed. Back at the campus, his college peers gave him similar looks. He could hear the nasty comments behind his back. “Cyborg bastard”, “techno freak”, “damn bucket head”, and several other derogatory terms. For all the respect garnered by the Magnus Protectorate, the people would rather have the faces of its soldiers confined in helmets.

           “Alright, go ahead, say it.” Blair said, prepared to hear the worst. Elena blinked in surprise. “Say what? Am I supposed to be astounded or something?”. she said bewildered. Blair was caught off guard by that comment, usually expecting some form of aversion. “Huh?” he asked.

           “Oh, come on, I’m not gonna praise you just for showing me your face.” she said. “Praise…wait, you don’t think I’m a hideous freak?” he asked. She was caught off guard by how unusual that was. “Where did that come from?! I’d say your face is pretty solid, I just thought it looked interesting. Don’t get to see the face of a Cyber Trooper often, I mean.”.

           “Most people who do call us freaks and want to spit at us.” Blair said in dejection. “Yikes, that’s, uh, kind of extreme. Well, you look like a good person to me. Maybe a few extra fancy pieces, but a good person. So, what’s your story?”.

           They talked over for the next two hours. Blair explained that he was using the tuition he was earning in the military to help get through his academics, and had taken to engineering. Coincidentally, they both went to the same college, but Elena was a legal major.

She envied Blair, as her father served in the army and she wanted to follow. Problem was, most women weren’t compatible with the cyber implants, and no one made custom versions that could be standard issue like what the men use. Some were compatible, but the success ratio was practically 1 to 10. Women who enlisted were accepted, but most who weren’t compatible for a cyber format were sent to a secret military project. They never come back.

Unfortunately, Elena was not compatible for the operation. She thought to enlist anyway, but her father got desperate and stopped her. He never explained why, but she said he seemed…afraid. Disappointed, she decided to serve and protect law and order by taking legal classes to be an attorney or prosecutor. She was still undecided on the specifics, but she was liking things so far.

“So…want to meet up gain at campus?” she asked. “Um, sure, that sounds great.” then private Blair Rayner said. “Cool, see ya.” she said as she waved goodbye.

…

           Blair was a bit tense. He would feel much better if he was in Cyber Armor, or at least regular military fatigues. Instead, he was in casual clothing, no different from civilians aside from his apparent implants, holding hands with a young woman his age.

           A date. 20th one, to be exact, but this one was more public than the rest. Blair enjoyed each one, but his training did not prepare him for the unknowns of romantic relationships. It just happened, as he and Elena became less formal, mostly on her part. If left on his own, Blair would have likely still talked in procedure.

           It was always hardest in the beginning, but Blair could later loosen up somehow and enjoy it for what it was. But there was a problem. 20th date. 20th date and Blair didn’t know what to do. Was he meant to advance? Was he meant to do something special? Is there some hidden context? Damn it, he thought, picking up encoded messages was easier than this.

           There was also how he was so casual in public, which exposed his “modifications”. The people looked either uncomfortable or disgusted. “Hey.” said a voice next to him. Elena grabbed his face and directed his sight at her. “Forget them. This is just us, okay? Besides, they don’t have a damn clue what’s going on, so anything they say is crap. So, don’t let it ruin our date, that’s an order. Understood?”.

           “Understood, ma’am.” he joked. “Hey.” she said back. They chuckled as they were heading to a local fair in an amusement park. They began enjoying the various festivities. Minigames, food stands, amusement rides. Blair didn’t like the roller coaster, but he felt just a bit braver with Elena. The hardened soldier encouraged by the civilian, he would kick himself if it wasn’t for the fact that he knew Elena was special.

           They continued meandering through the crowd. “Um, Elena, listen, I’ve been thinking.” Blair said. “Yeah?” she turned back. “I was wondering…if, after this, well…” he stuttered. He thought, but it wasn’t so much a plan so much as a runaway train of flustered thoughts. Unfortunately, the train came to a crash due to bad circumstance.

           “Alright, Magnus lovers, get down on your knees or die!”. Shots rang though the fair as civilians scattered here and there brought out weapons. They shot down innocents to make a point, and already began herding others. “Quick, get down and follow me!” Blair said to Elena. They began making their way to one of the exit corners before one of the terrorist tried stopping him.

           “Hey, back off bastard, or you lady friend gets, what the hel-GAHH!”. Blair rushed up to the terrorist, grabbed his firing arm before he could react, slugged him in the face, then shot him down as he grabbed the rifle. Even without Cyber Armor, Cyber Troopers had cybernetic implants and inner weaves that made them stronger, faster, and could even process faster than regular humans. It was only slightly better, and would do little against more experienced opponents, but it was enough.

           Guy’s reaction time was sloppy. He should have been prepared to fire on sight, not that I’m complaining. “Alright, Elena, I need you to listen carefully. I want you to stay here and call the city’s Civil Enforcement emergency line. Get a person immediately and tell them we have a D-22. That’s for terrorists assaulting civilians in a public area and holding them hostage. 10 targets, dozens of hostages. Tell them where we are and they’ll send a strike team. Just stay low until then.”.

           “Okay, but what are you going to do?” she asked, fearing the worst. Blair looked back at her with reassurance. “My job, and my job doesn’t tolerate terrorism.”. Blair finished grabbing ammunition and a knife off the fallen terrorist and went off.

           He looked around. Seemed the terrorists were still herding the civilians. He spotted their handiwork, several civilians gunned down for effect, including a father and his son and daughter. This fair was a civilian function, purely recreational, unguarded and held no strategic value. These were definitely terrorists, just looking to make a fanatical showing and make hell for hell’s sake.

           He spotted the herded citizens ahead. “You damn Magnus worshippers. You parade in this city of filth, of glorified vanity to a false god, a sinful man you have deified. You will all be our message to the Damned Protector, that his protection is all lies, that he can safeguard no one! Through your deaths, we will be free from his grasp!” shouted the ringleader.

           While the ringleader was spouting his fanaticism, Rayner had stabbed two of the terrorists overlooking the crowd without drawing attention. He made his way to a third, then a fourth. Good, six left. Now where the hell is that strike force?!

           The ringleader pointed to a small girl. One of the terrorists went and grabbed her, bringing her to center as she screamed. Her parents tried to rescue her, but the terrorists sent warning shots and the other civilians stopped them.

           “What about you, little girl? Why don’t we make you the first of many bloodied lives on Magnus’s hands? A message for all that he can’t even save one little girl.” the ringleader said as he smiled sickeningly, the girl crying for her life.

           “Don’t shoot her! If you’re going to kill anyone, then kill me damn it!”. Blair didn’t even think it through. He just knew he couldn’t stand that. His blood was boiling now, wanting to gun down the terrorist. But if he did that, the girl and several other civilians would be shot. He was at a disadvantage, his only hope to distract them long enough for the strike team to arrive and make a move.

           The ringleader stopped and eyed Blair. “Ah, what have we here? One of Magnus’s cyborg monsters, a soulless tool that only knows to kill for its master. And without armor, showing all how disgusting it is. Come over here, abomination, and toss that aside.”.

           Blair held a look of contempt, but did as he was told, throwing the weapon to the ringleader as he walked. He made it to the ringleader. “On your knees, filth.”. Blair gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, wanting to kill the man with one punch. He felt like he could do that now, with all his anger. But knowing the civilians were still at gunpoint, his body buckled down in resistance and knelt down.

           POW! Blair was punched right across the face, followed by three more punches of the same variety. Despite the blood that came, Blair looked at the ringleader defiantly. He didn’t like that, and punched down to the head and sending Blair face first into the ground.

Blair was repeatedly kicked again and again, trying to stifle his pained cries to limit the civilians’ panic and to not give the ringleader the satisfaction. The ringleader placed his foot on the side of Blair’s face.

“Do you see this?! These are Magnus’s swords and guns, sworn to protect you! But what good are they?! Look at it, beaten and bloody, though I am surprised there’s any blood at all. It’s pathetic. It cannot save you, it cannot even save itself.” the ringleader proclaimed as he held the gun to Blair’s head ready to pull the trigger.

“Gugh…” gurgled one of the terrorists as they fell dead. No, not one, five terrorists fell dead, bullet wounds in their heads. About damn time. “Wh-what the hell is going on?!” shouted the ringleader as he looked on. Big mistake.

Blair got up and wrestled the gun away from the ringleader. The ringleader resisted, Blair headbutted his as the terrorist got knocked. BANG! Blair shot the terrorist right through the heart…if he had one, anyway. The terrorist gave one last look of wicked contempt before falling dead.

“Secure area, move, move!”. Cyber Troopers stormed in, setting up perimeter and tending to the civilians. “It’s okay, you’re all safe now.” a soldier said to the girl and family from earlier.

“Blair!” Elena screamed. “Elena…” he said in relief. He was glad she was safe. He wasn’t out of harm’s way though, as he got slapped in the face. “Ugh, easy Elena, I…mm.” Blair was interrupted by a tearful kiss from Elena.

Their lips parted as Elena looked at Blair with tears and anger. “Damn it, Blair, do you know how scarred I was?! I was about to charge in myself to save you, you dumbass!”. Blair felt all the fear and pain he must have put Elena through, and now felt remorse.

“Sorry, Elena. I’m glad you didn’t do that though, so I won’t do that again, I promise.”.

…

The Present.

           Blair looked up from the photo of him and Elena as Sam was driving the APC. It had been a few years since that day, when he was given commendations and a medal for his service. He had completed a round of service and his academic career, but continued to serve for various reasons, mainly because that day made him realize how important his job was.

           But there was another reason. “Ooh, Corporal, you thinking of your special someone?” teased Gil. “Hey, cut it out payaso(clown). Unlike you, the guy is serious.” Conrado retaliated. “Not to pry, but how are things between you and her? It can be tough for people to carry a relationship in this line of work is all.” Sam inquired.

           Blair gave a wry smile. “Well, I’m still trying to think of the delivery but…” with that Blair pulled out of his pocket a small container. He flipped it open, revealing a modest yet delicate ring.

           “No way!”, “¡Felicidades(Congratulations)!”, “Good man!” they all cheered. “Okay, okay, easy now. Still have to give it to her, alright? I’m thinking when I get next leave, I’ll take her on a trip to Nova Sanctum, and give it to her when we’re either touring the Citadel or the Grand Gardens. Lots of venues and opportunities, so it’s hard to decide. Besides, I need to make money for the wedding and stuff.” said Blair.

           “Oh, so that’s why you’re still here playing soldier? Easier ways to pay the bills man. Seriously though, I thought we all had a tight bond.” Gil lamented sarcastically. “Eh, I could have just gone and done engineering, but I would have felt bad. Someone has to stop you yahoos from getting your asses killed. I’m looking at you, Gil.” Blair joked.

           “Yes, the sergeant alone would chew up and spit out Gil, wouldn’t he?” Sam joined in, with Conrado nodding. Gil sulked at that. “Well, it may be a bit soon, but why don’t we get drinks to celebrate?” Conrado suggested. “Sure, I could go for that. Gotta wait until these patrols are done though.” Blair agreed.

           “Why are they even having us do patrol here though? I mean, this is like nowhere.” said Gil. He wasn’t the only one to complain about that. Normally, the platoon patrolled near Outlands areas, putting down mutants and bandits. But this was just wilderness and roads deep in Protectorate territory. The only buildings around was their encampment and a few old war ruins. At best, the most lethal thing they would run into was a bear.

           Despite that, the first lieutenant had been ordered to station the platoon here. It would be easy to think it was punishment, but nothing had been done to deserve it, and they had been scattered and doing patrols for the past week. It was like they were on lookout, but for what?

           Suddenly, static came through on their internal comms. “Heads up everyone. This is Zeta Squad, can you repeat?” Blair asked. The signal clarified, and they recognized it was Sergeant Calisle. “Zeta Squad, return to base immediately. This goes for all other squads, the lieutenant has called an emergency meeting. I repeat, return to base for meeting. Over.” said the sergeant. “Copy that, over.” Blair affirmed.

           “Guess we’ll have to save the drinks for later.” Blair said as he signaled Sam to turn the APCs around, the other team of privates following behind them.

…

           “So, what do think all the fuss is about?” Gil asked. “Stuff it Gil, Lieutenant Gregor is about to speak.” Sam told him. Indeed, the Lieutenant came out unmasked. Everyone in the platoon wasn’t wearing their helmets currently, as they were only worn really for active duty like patrol.

           “Troopers, listen up. You’ve all been wondering why we’ve been stationed in an area of little note. It’s been necessary to simply call this a routine patrol, but in actuality, this has been a lookout assignment, and scouts have determined our target is heading through this area. The target is Samurai Jack.”.

           That got a few murmurs going. “Whoa, the Renegade Samurai, huh?” Conrado spoke. “I heard he took down three Inquisitors and a platoon. Scary stuff.” Gil joined in. “Well, for our sakes, let’s hope the rumors are exaggerated. We’re a platoon, you know.” remarked Sam.

           “Focus men!” commanded the first lieutenant. The Cyber Troopers quieted down and assumed attention. “Disregard all exaggerated rumors about the target, but do not underestimate him either. He is a dangerous insurgent, but still only one man, and can and will be terminated with lethal force.”.

           “The target is accompanied by three other accomplices, all armed and dangerous. You are to shoot on sight. I won’t lie, this will be dangerous. The Samurai’s list of confirmed kills is now in the hundreds. However, combat data from these fallen troops have suggested he may be disadvantaged by tactic and superior numbers. Review such data after the meeting. Now, here is the plan.”.

           “The road the Samurai is travelling will be rigged with explosives. He will likely survive through. Gamma squad will make the first move, attempting to assassinate the target through long range. Should that fail, then Gamma, Epsilon, and Delta will team up to form a joint strike force and overwhelm the enemy.”.

           “Should target be able to resist, we will drive him towards this area.” The area displayed on the holographic area map was a decaying military training base, defunct after the war. “Once we have him there, Theta and Zeta will take positions with the rest of the squads and we will flush him out. If necessary, we will bring down the whole structure. By bullet or rubble, this renegade dies tonight.”.

           “The target arrives at this area in approximately three hours. Move out and head to position. Review data until we confirm target presence and begin operation. Understood?” asked the first lieutenant.

           “Sir yes sir!” announced the whole platoon.

…

           Blair was observing the data, watching the recordings of fallen Cyber Troopers. Common to them all was the vain shooting at a white robed Samurai before the recording ended with a slash from a katana.

           “GAHH! Seriously, what’s with this guy? It’s like guns are useless against a sword, what messed up reality is that?” Gil asked. “I’m more perplexed as to how that sword deflects fire. Even if it’s a well-toned steel alloy, we’re using BX-90 riffles. At this point, the charged bullets should have shattered it by now.” Sam remarked.

           Somewhere between regular ballistic ammo and energy-based weaponry, the Cyber Trooper standard issue BX-90 riffle charged bullets as they accelerated with a destructive energy to increase their damage. With all safety parameters off, it could well punch through regular armor, so a katana really should be in pieces from that.

           “It’s more his martial arts that concern me. That sword’s just an application for his combat style. Otherwise, all the other soldiers would have shot him dead by now. He moves with tenacity and no hesitation, and all his movements seem professional. Could this guy have been special forces?” Blair asked.

           “Nah, this one fight with the platoon shows no cybernetics on him. He’s a regular human, but he is a badass.” Conrado remarked.

           This was getting a bit tense. Everyone heard of all the crime reports, but common to them all was that no Cyber Trooper that faced Samurai Jack lived to tell the tale. It seemed like an abstract thing before, just an urban rumor. But now that they were about to face him themselves, everyone in the squad felt grim.

           “Hey, common, the lieutenant has a plan, remember. Hell, we don’t have to do a thing, since the other squads are throwing explosives and snipers at the guy. So chill, okay?” Gil reassured. “That’s a nice attitude to have, before fighting a mass murderer.” Sam remarked.

           “Enough. We don’t know exactly what will happen. What we do know is that this renegade is dangerous, he is not alone, and he likely won’t go down quietly. Just follow the plan seriously, and hopefully we make it out alive. Got it guys?” asked Blair.

           “Got it.” they all affirmed.

           “Well, glad you know how to get those jackasses in order, corporal. I’ll stick to the new bloods here and- wait, what? Eyes front, enemy sighted!” Sergeant Calisle ordered, receiving note from the other squads.

           Squatting down from a hillside, all the troopers in Squad Zeta looked from their vantage point to the road. The could see a rough four-wheeled car running though the road bellow. Just a few dozen meters more and…

           BOOM! For a minute, the soldiers just sat and stared at the flaming desolation. They weren’t about to celebrate, no, they were waiting, prepared for a sign from the enemy.

           The enemy vehicle drove though the smoke and fire, hardly scratched. Somehow, the drivers seemed to detect the explosive and drove skillfully enough to stay out of the force of the blast.

           But the plan didn’t seem dashed yet. People came out, four of them, looking to inspect the explosion. Seemed they wanted to see who was behind the attack. Wait, is that…? Blair thought. Yes, it was. Gamma Squad confirmed it through their sniper scopes. Standing in their sights, out in the open in white garb, was Samurai Jack.

           The snipers kept cool, not wanting to mess up the shot. One had a clear shot, a bullseye right on the Samurai’s forehead. “Firing!” the snipers said as they let loose. The bullets raced towards their targets, meters away.

But, somehow, one of the secondary targets, the traitor designated “Ashi”, became alarmed and screamed something. All the targets ducked and covered at the last minute, evading the precise strike. The assassination attempt failed.

Worse, the main target looked in their direction, and Blair somehow felt he was looking directly at them. “Main target is still alive, our positions are compromised! Switch to next phase! Gamma, Epsilon, and Delta, move in before target escapes!” commanded the First Lieutenant.

The other squads affirmed, moving into positions and preparing to charge. Blair knew what would happen. Epsilon and Delta would block the vehicle’s approach and Gamma would reconnect to attack from the other side. Fire would be focused on the main target, the secondary targets eliminated once he was. A simple but effective plan, yet…

“This is Lieutanant Gregor, myself and Theta are standing by with Zeta, all other squads engage.” said the lieutenant on the comm radio. “Copy that Lieutenant, Delta is moving in from other side and engaging target now, over.” said the Delta sergeant. “Copy, Gamma. Epsilon is arriving to assist, over.” said the Epsilon sergeant. “Gamma arriving from previous position, ready to cut off target, over.” said the Gamma sergeant.

Shortly after that, gunfire and explosions could be heard from no too far away. That was expected, but then they could hear all kinds of comm chatter, most of it distressed. “GAHH!”, “Bastards, take this!”, “They know how to put up a fight!”, “Oh God!”, “AHHH!”.

Lieutenant Gregor got concerned, and tried rising the sergeants. “Epsilon, Delta, Gamma, give me updates, do you copy?!”. After a few tense seconds of static, an answer came in. “L-lieutenant, this is Private Bryson from Gamma, we’re taking serious losses by the enemy and need support now!”.

“Private, where is your lieutenant, over?” asked First Lieutenant Gregor. “He-He’s dead, sir! The target left the vehicle that took on Epsilon and Delta and engaged my squad! All squads are at less than 50% now! We’re not gonna make it, we need…oh shit, he’s coming right at me, please send…!” ZZZT.

Everyone fell silent as the private’s dying plea turned to static. “Damn it! Theta, you’re coming with me. We’re going to jump that son of a bitch before he gets the rest. Zeta, follow behind at a distance. If we can’t put him down or force him into the trap point, you be the ones to catch him off guard.” commanded the First Lieutenant.

“Yes sir!” affirmed both squads. Theta and the First Lieutenant down in an APC. Blair and the rest of Zeta made preparations to follow. Despite how quickly the Lieutenant adapted though, Blair couldn’t help the ominous feelings dredging up within him. Only a few minutes, and it already sounded like the joint attack failed. Resistance was expected, but such casualties so soon? Just who, or rather what, was this Samurai Jack?

He decided to not dwell on the matter as Sergeant Calisle drove them down from the lookout point and on to the road where the action was. It was then they heard more comm static. “This is Zeta, come in, over.” inquired the sergeant. “Zeta, get over here quick! Situation’s gone to shit! Gamma got shredded by that bastard and it looks like we lost Epsilon too! Delta got in the APC and drove off the enemy’s vehicle support, and we managed make that Samurai bastard run for it. Pursuing target to trap point, but I don’t think we can take him ourselves. Move in to provide support, over!” said Lieutenant Gregor.

“Copy that, over.” replied Sergeant Calisle. “Alright boys, let’s get over there and…”, “Whoa, stop the APC for a sec, sarge!” replied Gil. “Only because I’m gonna kick your ass for…” the sergeant stopped reprimanding as he saw what Gil was talking about.

Everyone got out to see the devastation. It was a real fight, one that ended badly for the Cyber Troopers. From one end was the remains of Epsilon and Delta. Epsilon’s APC was just flaming scrap, blown to pieces by a missile or rocket. They didn’t even know the enemy had that. They could see that the bodies lying there either had gunshot wounds or cuts, lethal from a glance.

Even if they thought some lived, a quick link up to their Cyber Armor and scanners had shown the results. “Vital scans show…no survivors.” Blair responded after his helmet’s optics did their work. They turned to the other side, which was somehow worse.

Sure, a Cyber Trooper’s most common cause of death in battle was by gunshot or explosive, except when fighting things like Abominables. But it would take fighting those monsters to make it worse than this. Cyber Troopers, cut, slashed, butchered, all with such clear and lethal wounds, as though a single stroke was sufficient to do the damage.

The human cyborgs all had such open and ghastly wounds, exposing their internal circuitry in their flesh as blood began to pool. One of the young privates from the other half of the squad, all rookies, took as helmet in a hurry to vomit on the spot. “S-sorry…” he said exasperated.

“H-help me…” cried a weak voice. “Over there!” cried out Blair as he ran to the voice. He saw it was a private down on the ground, clutching desperately at his shoulder. No, he was clutching where his arm used to be. But it was no good, his Cyber Armor’s gray and black was stained with streaks of his red blood, lying in a puddle of it. It was amazing he was still alive now.

“What’s your name, Private?” asked the Corporal. “St…Stan Bryson, sir.” replied the Private who warned the Lieutenant earlier. Blair nodded, needing the Private to collect himself so he could relay what occurred. “What happened here, Bryson?” Blair asked.

“We…we thought we had him. At first that car was pinned, couldn’t fight back. But then it fired a damn missile and took out most of Epsilon! Then that bastard jumped out.  I swear I though he was flying, didn’t even fire till it was too late. The Samurai got in close and cut us like butter.”.

“I tried contacting the Lieutenant, but then the renegade butchered my arm, and left me to die! He just tried walking away, then the Lieutenant and Theta Squad got the drop on him. I…I think the other renegades got chased by Delta, and the Samurai was being pushed by Theta towards the trap point, but…” the Private trailed off.

“But…I think it was a trap. That Samurai bastard ran away too soon, same for that car. I think he wants to turn the ambush against us, I, ugh…” Bryson groaned as his strength bled on the ground. “P-please, you gotta help the Lieutenant, just tell him to-to, get the hell away. That Samurai, he’ll kill him, he’ll…”.

With that, Bryson fully collapsed on the ground, unmoving. Blair’s scanner read “Deceased”. It was then they all heard an explosion in the direction of the other APC. “Delta Squad, do you copy? Come in Delta, over!” Blair asked over the comm, only to get static. Seems as though they lost Delta Squad too.

“Sh-shit, we gotta get out of here!” cried out one of the young privates. He looked like he was going to make a run for it, before being backhanded by Sergeant Calisle. “Listen to me, you goddamn son of a bitch. We are not running and we are not hiding. We’re gonna find Lieutenant Gregor and help him out of this shitstorm, understand?!”.

“Screw that! Look around, Theta is as good as dead! I thought this would be basic Protectorate patrol, just marginal danger! I never signed up to take on… whatever the hell this is!” retorted another young private. That earned him a punch right to the side of his head. Even though he wore a helmet, the private was dazed by that.

“Listen up, you pansy-assed school boys! This kind of shit is why we are here, why the whole Magnus Protectorate exists in the first place! What do you think keeps people, like you, your family and friends, your whole damn community safe from this?” the sergeant asked. He then pointed to the fallen Bryson.

“Soldiers like him. Bryson risked his life for a cause, the cause. He could have run away, abandoned his whole squad to save his own ass. Instead, he stayed here and radioed for help. It cost him his life, damn it.”.

“You think our Lord Protector stopped the war by crying in the corner? No, he had enough of that shit and got it done! Better yet, he led a whole damn army! Every single one of them risked their lives like Bryson, dying for the cause. Do you know what the hell that bloody cause is?”.

“To serve Magnus and the Peace, sir.” Blair spoke up. “I’m glad you understand, Corporal. These crybabies should follow you for a day.” the sergeant said proudly.

“That’s more than a popup or a salute. It’s a principle, a virtue. Magnus stands for the preservation of this world, it’s first and last line of defense. By definition, so do we. What kind of defender of peace are you if you leave behind your own comrades when you can do something? Soldiers like Bryson die so that the peace so many died for continues.”.

“If we let bastards like that Samurai Jack loose, nobody’s safe. You know what’s worse? Bryson will have died for nothing. Gamma, Epsilon, and Delta will have died for nothing. Every soldier who was killed by that Samurai will have died for nothing. Your job, your duty, is to make it all worth something.”.

“So then, what is our cause?” asked the sergeant. “To serve Magnus and the Peace, sir!” shouted the whole squad, not just the young privates. “And how are we going to do that tonight?” asked the sergeant. “By stopping the Samurai and saving the Lieutenant, sir!” shouted the squad. “God damn right. Now get back in the APC and let’s double time it!”.

…

           Zeta Squad finally arrived at the old military base. Whatever Near End War faction owned this place in the past, they had been long gone, the base stripped and demilitarized long ago. It was a skeleton of whatever powerhouse it once was.

           “No sign of Theta or the Samurai. We split in two. Corporal, take your crew and head that way. I’ll stick with these guys so they don’t wet themselves. If you spot the Lieutenant or the enemy, contact us immediately.” Sergeant Calisle ordered.

           “Got it. Stay safe, Sergeant.” Blair warned. “Watch you own ass too, Corporal.” the sergeant said back. Blair’s team engaged their night vision as well as turning on their rifle’s search lights. They even had thermal imaging, so if anything sizeable came into range, they would see it. It was not seeing any sign of the Lieutenant’s team or the Samurai that was making them all tense though.

           “Hold it, I’m picking up some signals. About half a dozen.” Blair said. It didn’t look good though. They were all huddled together, but they were collapsed, and some of the signals’ temperatures were dropping. “Let’s move!” shouted the Corporal.

           They rushed towards the area of thermal imaging, and when they got their and turned it off, their fears were realized. “Damn, Theta didn’t make it.” lamented the Corporal. All around were the bodies of the Cyber Troopers of Theta Squad. Some had taken gunshot wounds, but most had been cut apart.

           Lying at the center was First Lieutenant Gregor, cause of death was a clear slash through the chest. “I’m sorry, Lieutenant Gregor. We weren’t fast enough.” Blair mourned. “Sergeant, this is Corporal Rayner. I’m sorry sir, but we didn’t arrive in time, all of Theta Squad, including the Lieutenant, is dead, over.”.

           “What?! I…I see. Then try to get back to the entrance, we’ll, huh?!”. The communication turned to static, causing Blair and the others alarm. “Quick, we have to get to his direction and find his location!” Blair ordered. They all began running while searching for their sergeant’s location signal, Blair trying to raise up comms again.

“Sergeant, what is your status, answer!” Blair shouted. “The Samurai just appeared, just stood there till we fired! Just like that, he went at us! I’m trying to keep him off the boys but, UGH! Damn it, just die you mother-”. With that, the comm went static. “Sergeant, sergeant?! Sergeant Calisle?!” shouted Blair.

Blair couldn’t get an answer, only try to maintain course as they zeroed in on the battle. They could only hear the sound of gunfire and a sword slashing before it all went silent.

Blair and his team arrived at a terrible scene. Gripping a smoking BX-90 rifle was the slumped corpse of Sergeant Calisle. Surrounding him were the bodies of the young privates. They were all barely of age to enlist, had hardly seen action. Even so, it seemed they made a valiant attempt to defend the sergeant when he was defending them, as their forms indicated brave resistance to the end. Seems the sergeant got the principle through to them.

“D-damn it. He was the meanest hardass I knew. Sometimes I really thought someone pissed in his orange juice to make him so mad. But you know, he always got this squad going and looked out for everyone, you know? Thanks, Sergeant.” said Gil.

Their moment of solace was interrupted by a rustle from behind. Blair was the only one who picked it up. He fired behind, catching the startled silhouette of a robed figure who dodged the fire and into the dark.

“Damn it! Everyone, cover all corners!” Blair ordered. The four of them formed a tight square, covering all directions as they watched for the Samurai. Having to trn off thermal imaging because of all the bodies, Blair noticed movement from the corner in his enhance vion.

He fired, the dark being lit as the energized bullets turned to sparks against the movements of a sword. The figure got in close, and Blair barely pulled out his combat blade in time to prevent the sword from reaching his neck. Conrado screamed as he punched right at the figure, not wanting to fire and hit Blair by accident.

But the shadow cloaked figure managed to block it with a single hand, before jabbing Conrado multiple times in the gut, bringing the Cyber Trooper to his knees. Before the figure went any farther, Sam went in with a side arm and combat blade, blocking the shadowy Samurai’s sword before trying to shoot him down.

But the enemy anticipated this, twisting Gil’s arm to make him drop his pistol. He was kicked down as their assailant tried to run from the scene, but Gil wasn’t having that. Gil fired his rifle at the figure, who jumped back to avoid the fire. The assailant had enough of this. He took out his own sidearm, a pistol, firing multiple shots at the Cyber Troopers.

“MOVE! Blair shouted. He barely dodged the energy laced bullets, but Gil wasn’t so fortunate. A bullet came right to his head, one the helmet couldn’t block. But it wasn’t him who would die from that.

“SAM!” Gil shouted. Sam noticed the bullet’s trajectory and pushed Gil out of the way, but by sheer misfortune, it hit him in the throat. “(Coughs violently), y-you damn bloke. Always figure you’d have been the death of me. (Coughs violently) Don’t…take it so personally though. But… if you happen to see the Samurai, get in a few shots for me before you leave, alright? Wake me up when we’re all at Blair’s…”.

With that, Sam went limp, and his helmet’s optics went dark. Gil just knelt there, wordless, no bad jokes or anything, like the humor died with Sam. The figure in the corridor had stopped, as though troubled.

Gil looked up at it, and beneath his helmet, his eyes held desperation and bloodlust. “Gil, amigo, don’t.”. But before Conrado could even restrain him, Gil picked up both his own and Sam’s BX-90 rifles and charges. No plan, no coordination, just rage and poorly controlled bullets.

The figure became on guard as Gil screamed while firing the hail of bullets. He wasn’t thinking at all really, he just wanted the renegade dead. The figure did as he had to, running and dodging the chaotic bullets with ease before slicing through Gil’s throat. Gil stopped there, vengeance unfulfilled, before coming to his knees and then collapsing.

The shadowed, robed figure stared at them, as though waiting for a move. Neither Blair nor Conrado knew what it meant, but they had to assume the worst: they would die when they made their move.

Conrado sighed. “Sorry, hombre(man), but I don’t think I’m making it to your boda(wedding). Make it there for the rest of us, okay?” requested Conrado. “Wait, what are you…?” Blair asked, before Conrado sent a volley of gunfire at the enemy. For extra assurance, Conrado took out a grenade and pressed a button.

“Move it, now!” Conrado shouted as he charged at the robed figure. Blair didn’t have time to argue, just ran the opposite way, towards the exit. But he realized that Conrado was not going to make it. Conrado even made sure of that, as when Blair made it out, an explosion went off behind him, collapsing the building and sending Blair helmet first into the ground.

Blair got up and looked behind. He knew that wasn’t just an attempt to take out the Samurai with him. Conrado knew that Blair could never choose to abandon his friends, to leave what they died for. That’s why he made that choice for him. Conrado died so Blair could live up to what Conrado asked, what they all wanted for Blair.

He knew what Sam was going to say, and he knew what Conrado asked, but this was too much. He collapsed to his knees, his hands gripping the ground in emotional pain. In that old base for a war long over, all his friends, his whole squad, just died.

“What the hell do you want?” Blair asked in venomous anger. Behind him, he somehow felt that presence. It wasn’t cybernetic sensors or regular hearing, he just somehow knew, in that moment of anguish. He turned, facing the being he hated most, the one responsible for killing his whole platoon in one night. There stood Samurai Jack.

Blair was only mildly surprised as he got a closer look. He didn’t get such good details from the record data, the vantage point, or the dark corridor, but this current meeting contrasted with today’s impression.

After a night of seeing all his friends slaughtered, Blair thought he might as well have been fighting a demon, a being of pure malice. Instead, he saw a man. He was indeed a Samurai, traditional gi, katana, some light armor, and fair skinned eastern features.

The man somehow exerted both an aura that was stern yet gentle at the same time, as well as simple yet refined. He could tell the man could be extremely dangerous if needed, but was not exerting any hostility. That did not help Blair’s though. After tonight and that experience with the terrorist, Blair knew humans could be real demons, the worst kind.

“I would just like to take a moment to talk.” said Jack. “Hmph, a little late for that. Or is it easy to make your point when everyone else is dead?” Blair retorted. Jack kept calm in the face of that hostility and proceeded.

“Your forces have been relentless. Your people take hostility as their first path without warning, never giving me a chance. What you saw was the actions that followed their decisions.” Jack stated.

“Oh, so suddenly we’re in the wrong? It’s my fault everyone died? Everyone deserved to die because they wanted to stop a renegade from committing more violence?” Blair voiced.

“That’s not what I-” Jack said, “So you think we should have just given up? What we’ve sworn to do, give up something bigger than ourselves.” Blair questioned.

“You do not understand, Magnus has blinded-” said Jack . “Oh, so Magnus is to blame, and I don’t know what I’m doing? Unbelievable.” Blair said. He decided he needed to prove a point to this ignorant enemy.

Blair undid his helmet’s hookup and took it off. Jack became surprised at what he saw. Right now, he wasn’t really shocked by the circuitry in Blair’s face, but rather by how human his face was. Jack had known all this time the Cyber Troopers were humans turned into cyborgs, but their armor and helmets seemed to limit their perceivable humanity.

But now that he looked into the face of the enemy, Jack saw past the militarized regime and could perceive full humanity in Blair. The anger in Blair’s modified eyes was not malicious, but rather a desire for justice, the same Jack experienced numerous times. He could tell from Blair’s face and expression that he not a mindless drone, a fooled follower, or a villain.

No, Blair was a good person, fighting for his own beliefs and doing what he saw was right. In many ways, he was the same as Jack. When Jack realized that, it shocked and pained him.

“What, you think I’m some abomination? Or are you surprised to see a person under all this armor?” Blair asked, sensing Jack’s turmoil. “I…” Jack tried to speak, but couldn’t find the words.

“Just so you know, they were all people, people you killed. They had names too. Private Stan Bryson, Lieutenant Gregor, Sergeant Calisle. The last three you killed were Sam, Gil, and Conrado. They were…they were my friends.” Blair said with sorrow.

Jack realized the awful thing he had done to this man, making him witness his friends being slaughtered. He wanted badly to apologize, but the words got stuck in his throat. He knew that just saying “sorry” would be a terrible insult.

“You want to know what they all died for, Samurai? Blind devotion to the Lord Protector? Hatred for his enemies?  It’s nothing like that.” Blair made clear.

“Before you killed him, my sergeant made our salute clear, “Serve Magnus and the Peace”. You probably think that’s doctrine. It’s not, it’s a cause. Magnus led and sacrificed a lot to end the war for a principle, one we fight for now. When we fight to protect, we do it to safeguard and serve those around us.”.

“It’s different for everyone, but we all fight to protect what we all hold dear, including each other. When you kill one of us, that hurts the rest of us, but doesn’t stop us. Do you know why? Because we have to make those deaths mean something. Why did we keep chasing you? Because we couldn’t let everyone else’s sacrifices go to waste, that’s why!” Blair shouted.

Jack had always assumed that when the Cyber Troopers came after him again and again, they were misled, or had malice moving them. Instead, this man was showing him the Cyber Troopers did have honor. If that was so though, what about him?

“You know why I’m speaking to you know instead of trying to shoot you? It’s not because I’m abandoning the cause. Before this whole thing, I…I told my friends I was going to propose… to the person I love most. They all wanted to come, but that changed when you showed up.”.

“They all died in there, but they gave me a chance. I took it, not for myself, not even for her. It was for them. I want to make their deaths mean something, I want to tell them that I did it. If it wasn’t for that…”.

“I’d try to kill you right now. So then, are you here to kill me?” Blair asked.

Jack felt shocked by that, wondering why Blair would think he was here for that. But as he was the man to kill almost everyone Blair came to care about, he realized how easy it was to seem the monster.

“No. There has been…more, far more than enough bloodshed tonight.” Jack concluded. “Knowing you, there will be a lot more before you’re done.” Blair said with condescension. Jack couldn’t deny the reality of that statement.

“One more thing. You spoke of the names of your comrades, and you know mine, but I do not know yours. What is your name, warrior?” Jack asked.

“Corporal Blair Rayner.” Blair responded. “Very well then, Corporal. When you have made you friends’ sacrifice meant something, I will face you again, if you wish..” Jack stated as he began walking away. “Yeah, we’ll see.”.

Author Notes: Ha! You all thought I gave up or died, didn’t you, admit it! No, it’s just that with summer ending and work piling up again, I got a bit busy and had less time for writing. You were expecting the beginning of that Arc finale, huh? You know, seeing a certain Scot again? Funny thing, I was halfway through writing that chapter when this one came to mind. And for the tone of this arc, this chapter had to go here, so I just had to write it.

           References were Fallout 2 and The Matrix, if you spotted them.

           The main thing I wanted to clarify is that even though they’re cybernetic, Jack’s enemies in this story are human, they’re people. I remember from one of Genndy’s interviews about Season 5 that the Daughters of Aku were supposed to represent how people could be programmed like robots. Hell, Jack even comments on it in Episode 4.

           The Cyber Troopers are a more literal take on that, cyborg soldiers that, for aesthetic, have that futuristic feel from Jack fighting robots while making them more lifelike. In deeper context, they show how a person can be literally transformed into part of a machine, all the Troopers formatted and mechanized for the autocracy they serve.

           But, in this part anyway, the Cyber Troopers are still mostly human, and the metaphorical “programming” is not as strong as for the Daughters of Aku. They’re each a person, just doing their duty and following what they believe. To them, the Magnus Protectorate is their society and affects their social and personal lives like any society.

           They all have friends, family, and loved ones. When I wrote Jack killing off the platoon in this chapter, I had to write it in a way where it was self-defense, but the soldiers are not exactly in the wrong either, something that was not easy and a bit vague.

           Why I did this was to convey all the difficult emotions Blair and his friends go through when they see Jack doing this. They can’t just mindlessly charge in like beetle drones, of course they don’t want to die. But it’s Jack’s choice to resist and strike down the Cyber Troopers that moves them to keep trying to stop him. Comradery is a real and powerful thing.

           I’m glad I came up with that dialogue about “the cause”, because this whole chapter is basically saying “Hey, we’re not exactly the bad guys”, and this really gives justification and humanity to the Cyber Troopers. They’re still the enemy, but it kind of gives purpose to both the soldiers and the Magnus Protectorate, something I’ve been struggling to establish. I think this laid some real groundwork for that.

           Now then, Blair. This chapter drew inspiration from SJ favorite “ The Tale of X9”. So yeah, this story was going to have a sad ending. All of Blair’s friends were personalized only to die in the end. Cold, I know, but then it wouldn’t have such impact.

Explaining his background and love interest was to help really give Blair ground as this chapter’s protagonist and give him something worth fighting for. I was rather uncomfortable with the whole “domestic terrorist” situation, we do live in tumultuous times. So, I’m sorry if that bit was a bit too personal for some of you, just want to get that out there.

Blair was designed to be an understood and willing protagonist in this chapter. He’s not Samurai Jack, but that’s what helped make him worthwhile. He knows the Samurai is more dangerous than him, of course he’s scared. But he’s willing to fight for his friends and beliefs, even if that means facing bad situations. I didn’t intend him to be similar to Jack in this way, but I’m glad it turned out that way. He’s not exactly the same as Jack, but he’s definitely his own person.

If you were suspecting after the wedding ring thing that Blair would die, then I have to confess. In the end, Blair was going to be the last person to die. In my head, I kept seeing Blair engage in a fight with Jack, firing off bullets and taking cover to keep Jack at bay. It was going to be similar to X-9’s fight.

It would end with Blair collapsing from a stab wound, his helmet broken and Jack looking down to see his enemy was a person. Blair would hold his picture of Elena and himself and apologize to her, before he collapsed dead. And Jack would know what that meant.

But, I couldn’t do it. Not because I “chickened out”, exactly. I changed it not for Blair or Elena, but for Blair’s friends. These chapters take their own direction after they get going, and I’m cool with that. Where this one went was Blair’s friends trying to hold off Jack so Blair could escape and make it back to Elena.

After all that talk of making sacrifices worth something, anything, this chapter wasn’t going to let me kill off Blair. He had to live, he had to make it. Not for himself, or Elena, but to make their deaths mean something. In a way, keeping that promise and being the sole survivor is more of an emotional gut punch than the original ending, huh?

I know, I like to ramble. Just saying Chapter XI, the beginning of the Arc finale, is on the way, look forward to it!