#i kid but also i am SO close to caving and trying to find a high-paying nightmare contract

[sidewalk-scrawls]

Shout out to our landlord for outing us to random maintenance workers. I love living here. It's great!

[fluentmoviequoter]

Doggitude

Requested Here!

Pairing: Tim Bradford x teacher!fem!reader (+ Kojo!)

Summary: After Tim takes his bad day out on you, you leave. Kojo misses you and does everything he can to see you again.

Warnings: angst, argument, Tim insults/belittles reader and her job, fluffy ending! KOJO!!

Word Count: 2.8k+ words

Masterlist Directory | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List

Tim loves you, and loves his job, but sometimes those sides of him are at odds. You are happy, bubbly, a ray of sunshine in a dark world, whereas his job shows him only the dark. Each side of Tim impacts the others; a good day with you leads into a good day at work, and a bad day at work is occasionally taken out on you.

Tim knows he isn’t a great boyfriend, and he can be abrasive and use you as an emotional outlet when things aren’t going well. He tries, he really does, but some bad days make being a good person seem impossible.

This week, Tim has worked several shifts back-to-back and is in a terrible mood when his shift finally ends. He’s ready to get home, but he just wants to enjoy some quiet and go to sleep, so he decides not to call you. Even as he sees your picture on his phone screen, he finds your smile a bit too bright. You’re different than him, and Tim usually loves that, but at the end of three consecutive bad days, Tim wants to stew in his anger rather than see something bright, like looking into the sun after extended time in a cave.

✯✯✯✯✯

You’ve been spending time at Tim’s house while he’s been at work. Every minute with Kojo in the otherwise empty house has made you miss Tim even more. Your kindergarten class has been rowdy all week, but you refuse to let them dampen your mood. Excited at the idea of Tim finally coming home tonight, you sit with Kojo and wait, reviewing lesson plans and report cards in your spare time.

✯✯✯✯✯

Kojo looks up from your lap when the front door opens, and you smile brightly when Tim enters. He doesn’t notice you as he drops his bag and sighs.

“Hey,” you greet. “We missed you this week.”

Tim clenches his jaw as he turns to face you. “Have you been here every night this week?”

Nodding, you explain, “I wanted to see you, but I also needed to take care of Kojo.” 

He remains silent, his eyes focused on something behind you.

“Are you okay? I know it’s been a long week, but-“

“You don’t know,” Tim says, cutting you off. “You will never understand what a long week really is.”

“Tim, I-“

“No,” Tim snaps, stepping back as he shrugs sarcastically. “You do not understand what it is like for me. Your job is nothing; your long week is because a kid wets his pants, mine is because one of my own gets shot or I lose a suspect, and someone gets hurt because of it. In the grand scheme of things, your job doesn’t matter because people still become criminals and ruin lives like mine!”

Tim’s chest is heaving with anger, every little thing he had to deal with this week weighing on him while he takes it out on you. You bite down on your bottom lip as he continues hurting you, attacking you and the thing you love to make himself feel better.

“You’re angry and tired,” you begin, your smile long gone. “So, I’m going to go-“

“Don’t talk to me like I am one of students. You can barely control them, so don’t try to placate me. I have dealt with criminals who do more work than you.”

A tear rolls over your cheek, and you wipe it away harshly.

“Then go yell at them, since that seems to be what you do to the people you claim to care about,” you reply, grabbing your things.

“Don’t leave.” Tim rolls his eyes as he says it, like you’re overreacting.

“I didn’t want to, but you clearly do. I hope you feel better in the morning, Tim.”

The door slams behind you, and Tim runs his hand over his hair, pinching the tight muscle at the back of his neck. Kojo jumps from the chair where he was sitting beside you, rushing to the closed door and whimpering. He looks back at Tim, whining as he raises his paw toward the door. 

“I messed up, didn’t I, Kojo?” Tim asks.

Kojo whines again, a clear ‘yes.’ Kojo has loved you since the moment he met you, and Tim even refers to you as 'Kojo’s mom.' Tim pulls his phone from his pocket, dialing your number. He gets no answer, and Tim can’t blame you, but he also knows better than to chase you. He texts you and puts his phone away, calling Kojo to follow him to bed. Kojo stays at the door, lying down and watching the doorknob. 

“Sorry, buddy,” Tim says, leaving his bedroom door open in case Kojo forgives him in the night.

✯✯✯✯✯

Once you are safely in your apartment, you let yourself cry, Tim’s words on a loop in your mind. Your phone rings again, and you see Tim’s name with yet another message. Turning the ringer off, you push your phone away from you and curl up in the middle of your bed, crying rather than sleeping.

Tim has been emotional coming home from work before, saying something you didn’t deserve. He’s never taken it this far or made it about you personally before tonight. His comments about your job had to have come from somewhere, maybe something he’s been hiding. You don’t believe him; you know what you do is important, but Tim hurt you, and you’re not sure it will ever stop hurting.

When the sun appears on the horizon, you call in sick from work, prepared for a long weekend alone. Part of you wants to know if Tim is feeling better today, but then you remember what he did, giving you a bad day in his attempt to minimize his own.

“I miss Kojo,” you whisper, crying again as you remember that it’s not only Tim you’re losing.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Kojo?” Tim calls, growing more worried with each empty room.

Behind the kitchen island, Kojo is sitting and shaking with his head down. Tim kneels before him and lays a gentle hand on his back. Kojo begins whining, a different sound than his reaction to you leaving last night.

“What’s the matter, Kojo?” Tim whispers.

Kojo shakes harder, sliding his front paws out so he’s lying flat on the floor. Tim searches for a nearby vet hospital before picking Kojo up and carrying him outside. Once Kojo is in his truck, Tim drives to the vet hospital. Kojo’s whining turns to short barks as he carries him inside. The vet takes one look at Kojo shaking and leads Tim into an examination room. After checking Kojo's vitals quickly, the vet sets her equipment down and chuckles.

“Mr.?” she begins.

“Bradford. And that’s Kojo.”

“Mr. Bradford, Kojo is faking. There’s nothing wrong with him.”

“He’s- he’s fine?”

“Yes, he is. Dogs sometimes do this when they want attention or after something changes, in an attempt to get it back. Has something like that happened recently?”

Tim looks at Kojo and nods. 

“Someone will be in shortly with the paperwork. I’m glad Kojo is healthy. Have a nice day, Bradfords.”

As the door closes, Tim asks, “Wasn’t that a bit dramatic? Did you think I’d call her, and she’d answer for you?”

Kojo looks up and grunts at Tim. Someone knocks before handing Tim the bill and telling him he’s free to go. Tim looks down at the bill and releases a deep exhale. He should be upset with Kojo, but he probably deserves a lot worse for what he did to you.

“She really won’t come back now, Kojo. You spent all my money,” Tim mutters.

Kojo grunts again as Tim clips a leash to his collar. He refuses to look at Tim, upset that he was taken to the vet rather than your side.

✯✯✯✯✯

Tim hasn’t texted in a few hours. He either realized you weren’t going to answer or decided he didn’t want to talk. You haven’t read the messages or played the voicemails, too hurt to communicate with Tim in any way. Reading his words or hearing his voice will make you cry harder, and you’re already nearly cried out.

Looking at a framed picture of Kojo, you wish things had been different, wondering if one little choice would have made things end differently. You didn’t sleep last night, and you’re sure you won’t sleep again tonight, too busy crying and mourning the loss of the most important boys in your life. As the sun sets, you begin sobbing, holding the picture of Kojo to your chest as you hear Tim’s angry words in your mind again.

✯✯✯✯✯

Kojo won’t come near Tim, content to sit by the door. When Tim moves, Kojo grunts, turning away. The doorbell rings, and Kojo steps back, watching Tim as he answers it. Signing for a package, Tim ignores Kojo’s growling.

“I can’t make her forgive me, pal,” Tim tells Kojo after he closes the door.

Kojo trots away, turning into the guest room to sleep. Tim sits on the couch, pinching the bridge of his nose as he realizes he has two problems that must be solved. He hurt you, and worse, he hurt you intentionally, and now he has a dog that misses you and blames him. Tim understands why you are ignoring him and why Kojo is upset, too. Reaching for his phone, he texts you again, but the dozens of unanswered texts above the newest make him refrain from calling you.

✯✯✯✯✯

After managing to get an hour and a half of sleep, you hope the third night without Tim will be easier. When you hear a dog barking outside your window and a man talking kindly to the dog as if it will respond, you realize that tonight will likely be the worst. Tim and Kojo do that, have their own language, and you were part of their world for a brief, brilliant moment. And then it was snatched away from you, breaking your heart and hurting your mind in the process.

✯✯✯✯✯

“You have to go outside eventually, Kojo,” Tim says with his arms crossed over his chest and Kojo’s leash hanging from his hand.

Kojo grunts, looks toward the door, and slowly approaches Tim. On the walk, Kojo pulls harder than usual, not listening to Tim when he gives him commands.

“When is this dog-gitude going to pass, Kojo?” Tim asks. “Because there’s nothing we can do.”

Tim doesn’t realize how close he is to your apartment when he enters the dog park. Kojo runs back and forth across the park a few times, glad to stretch his legs after avoiding Tim in the house for a few days. When he stops suddenly, looking at Tim as his back legs drop, preparing to run, Tim knows he can’t stop him.

“Kojo, no!” Tim yells.

Kojo, of course, doesn’t listen. He runs past Tim, out of the dog park, and down the sidewalk as fast as possible. Tim follows behind, pushing himself past his limit to catch Kojo. When he sees the lights of a familiar apartment complex, he realizes that Kojo is finding you.

“Kojo!” Tim calls again, slowing as he begins up the stairs.

✯✯✯✯✯

A dog barks at your door, and for a moment, you think you are imagining Kojo’s presence. When claws scratch against the wood, you open the door slowly. Kojo pushes past you, circling your legs happily. You sink to the floor, wrapping your arms around Kojo. Unaware that you are still crying, you’re surprised when Kojo begins licking your chin, attempting to dry your tears.

Footsteps echo in the stairwell, and when Tim appears in your doorway, panting and pressing one hand to the doorjamb to stay upright, you turn toward him instinctually. Kojo grunts, moving in front of you, blocking Tim.

Tim sees your tears and bloodshot eyes and can’t stop himself from stepping inside. He closes the door and squats, keeping his eyes on you as he lowers to look in your eyes over Kojo’s head.

“Did you read my messages?” he asks softly.

You shake your head, and he nods before leaning back as he sits against the door.

“Do you want me to leave?”

Shaking your head again, you pull Kojo back into your arms and cling to him.

“I’m going to tell you want my messages said, but if you want me to stop I will,” Tim begins. “I never should have said those things about your job, because they were wrong. Teaching is important, and the kind of teaching you do is far more important than what I do. You give kids a chance to be the best they can be, and I have to find the bad people and make them pay for it. You already know that I had a long week, a bad one, too, and I took that out on you. I can’t say much more than I am sorry; I’m so sorry that I talked to you like that. You are the only good part of a life surrounded by grief. I- I wouldn’t forgive me.”

“Why?” you ask against Kojo. “Why did you say those things?”

“You- you’re bright, sunny, happy… all the time.”

“I thought you liked that about me.”

“I love that about you. But, after the week I had, it was just hard to turn away from the hard parts of the job and see pure light.”

“So, you don’t want to come back to-“

“Don’t finish that. This has nothing to do with you. This was all me, trying to deal with a bad week and making it far worse. Hurting you in the process was not my intention, and I can never make up for that.”

You hug Kojo tightly, thinking about what Tim said. Having two completely different life elements like that can’t be easy. If it’s not about him not wanting to come home to you, you’re not sure how to avoid the same thing in the future.

“I’m sorry,” Tim repeats. “And, if you give me a second chance, I will show you that I can separate the two. Bringing a bad day home to you, hurting you, is not an option and I never should have lost sight of that… I’ve missed you.”

“I missed Kojo.”

“Yeah, Kojo missed you too,” Tim replies with a dramatic raise of his brows. “Cost me nearly $1,000 trying to see you again.”

“How?” you ask, looking up at Tim again.

He softens when your eyes meet his. “He pretended to be sick trying to get you to come back, but I just took him to the vet. Emergency visits are expensive, even if there is no reason for it.”

“Did- did you follow him here?”

“Yeah. He ran from the dog park and came straight here.”

“Would you have come here if he hadn’t led you, or would you have just moved on after I stopped answering the phone?”

Tim slides closer until Kojo is the only thing separating him from you. “I would have come. I would have gotten on my knees and begged to apologize.”

“Just to apologize?”

“I can’t force you to forgive me or give me another chance, just tell you that I’m sorry and I miss you like crazy.”

“Well, I missed you like Kojo missed me,” you say quietly.

“That much?”

“I haven’t slept in three nights, so, yeah,” you answer with a chuckle.

Tim raises his hand to your face, placing his fingers under your jaw as his thumb moves gently across your cheek.

“I forgive you,” you whisper, leaning into his touch. “Just promise to talk to me, rather than take it out at me next time you have a bad day?”

“I promise,” Tim replies. “Kojo, move.”

Kojo grunts, moving closer to you.

“Kojo,” you say, smiling when he moves to your side, watching you closely for any sign of hurt.

“He likes you more than me. His mom left and nothing could make it better.”

“Has he been eating? Because I have some of his food here-“

Tim cuts you off, kissing you softly as his hand moves to the back of your neck. He moves slowly, communicating his love and his apology in his movements.

“Can we get off the floor?” you ask.

“Only if Kojo and I can stay for a while.”

“You can stay forever.”

Tim pulls you into his lap, smiling when you grab his shoulders in surprise. He kisses your jaw as he stands, pulling you up and moving to your couch.

“I’m sorry you had a bad week,” you say, patting for Kojo to join you.

“Why are you like this?” Tim replies.

“Because I’m sunny, and bright, and all things happy.”

“Lucky me,” Tim hums.

[ikkosu]

psst. if you want, do you think you can write some headcanons about Skylynx from the TFP: Predacon's Rising movie? if not him, predaking would be fine too. need more love for the predacon bois

a/n : ahhh! Predacons! I love them 😭 but I haven’t watched Tfp in a while and predaking is the only one I’m familiar with. I think I went a little haywire on this,,,,

PREDAKING HEADCANNONS

you’re working with robots now, huh. er, autonomous sentient, lifeforms—say it right or shockwave will have your head— and, simply, you’re going to lose your itty bitty mind

the fact is this: you’re an archaeologist, stationed in the raging hot deserts of Nevada, as per your own request, for a find many people in your career would die for. that is, excavating a site that would definitely hit a Jack pot load of bones. can you believe that? prehistoric bones! imagine the things you could do with it. new species to discover, new ecosystems, new—

for unfortunate reasons you’re not disclosed with , it appears you wouldn’t be the only one dying for a find like that

in a desert, remote region in Nevada night had plunged the horizon. the crew had clocked out in their respective tents, and the flaps billowed as a cool breeze pass

”c’mon, kid, we can continue tommorow.” one of the guys said.

but you, the ever so persistent little idiot, were too preoccupied dusting this strange rock you’re certain is a bone,,,it’s a bone! to hell with whoever says it’s not. you’re a hundred percent certain it is,,,,you’re also guts deep below ground, dusty, sweaty ,,,and christ, who’s flaring this red light into your site, it’s hurting your eyes—

with a scowl, you swivel up — then , stoned up and cold like the bone you’re holding

oh, those are someones’s eyes

not very,,,mhn,,, not very friendly eyes, you see, eye? light bulb?

either ways, there’s too much purple, and the darkness had elevated it’s glaring stare and— you’re greeted with the sight of something swirling, yellow, as bright as the sun — is that a gun?!

you try to scream.

yeah, not very effective since claws had already sprung out to latch onto your body, yanking you out with its thumb against your lips, preventing you any ability to shout. hence, with the tried.

the creature, really you’re going to settle for robot, but you know it’s scientifically inaccurate given that it’s intelligence and emotional—

“it appears you have excavated the very piece I am looking for.” it hummed and you stilled, blinking, wide eyes and frantic. oh, god help me it can talk. its claws plucked the bone you were clutching close, ignoring your protesting hands trying to grab it back.

“most certainly logical, how did you find this?”

you’re going to die. you’re going to die. You’re going to die, but hey you replied anyways

"W-we take pictures above ground t-then scan the photos. S-sometimes we use remote sensing techniques when—“

“us that so? perhaps you can have some use with your hands then.”

— that’s how you find yourself in a laboratory, tinkering away on projects by his behest.

you’re not even sure if you’d call it one, given how many ethical protocols shockwave, he said his name was, had already breached. hell, the list can go on and on until it stacked up ‘till the height of the himalayas. you’re sure he doesn’t care. Why would he? He’s not even giving you proper safety gear.

at least, when you told him to he acted like it wasn’t a priority in the first place. and imagine this! there’s others like him too! others that are way too annoying to be considered a decepticon second in command

‘he’s a walking problem, purposely pestering you, disrupting your projects, calling you fleshie and how you’d look perfect as a red stain on the cave floor…

and then there’s this other problem,,,

“your fear for such a creature is illogical.” shockwave had brisked away without much of a glance when you tried to latch onto his pedes. “even your desperation to get away from it so. are you sure you wish to be left alone?”

“don’t be a prick! you can’t keep me with that thing forever!” you pointed at the glowering beast stalking you from behind the beams

“innacurate terminology.’’ He simply said. “a ‘thing’ would assume he’s an inanimate object.”

“ he’s a dragon!”

“innacurate, he’s a predacon.”

“I— what the hell even is that?!”

‘before you could plough a rock to his face you feel something hard, almost like tendrils, wrapping around your body

warm, misty air hissed at your face and you quivered, limp in their hold.

“do not make me repeat myself as I have always done so before." he said stiffly, "be gentle, predaking. I wouldn’t want my assistant to be damaged — a quest to find another is not an easy task.”

then turning on his heel, he left.

bastard had left you alone with this abomination.

Oh, joy.

You can’t get a sense of peace

everywhere you walk it follows. Why? You don’t know why. is it because you pat its head once and called it a good boy? Or that other time you tickled it's jaw and it purred? Though, in restropect you were a bit drunk off your ass ingesting Cybertronian booze by accident — as per Starscream request and amusement.

And now it won’t stop pestering you

You really wish it did.

He does this thing where, oh look it's waldo! And tackle you to ground, even thought you've told the dragon many times not to do that lest you're churned into a splatter of red on the surface

He'd also do this thing where he'd dangle you off the edge pretending to drop you,,,and when he does you're soaring towards the ground at god knows what mph before getting swooped to safety by the same dragon that tried to kill you

For a Predacon he's incredibly...sentient in a way it's aware of what he's doing most of the time

Feral cat behavior

A blurred line between black cat plotting to kill you and golden retriever,,,plotting to kill you with affection

And incredibly possessive at that

Talking to a vehicon? Oh, dear there you go again, hanging by his maw, shirt clamped between his teeth as he drags you away to that horrible, horrible cave

It's damp and it stinks! And he's nestling you like you're some egg desperately in need of protecting

And everytime you'd wrangle out of its— his— you're not even sure anymore — chest , the Predacon simply, with a pinch of his claws on your shirt, tugs you back into his embrace

Sometimes, if he's feeling mirthful he'll fall asleep with his fangdclamping down on a bit of your shirt to prevent you moving

"Let me go god damn it!"

And you know shockwave knows. He doesn't say a horse cobbler about it because it has it's uses

when Predaking decides havoc is what he needs on his agenda today shockwave will simply pluck you up from the ground and hold you to him like a candle

Most often than not the dragon will stare at you like dogs do when presented with a chew toy

and, technically, you are in some aspects

forget transportation, what better vehicle do you need when you can just hang from a dragon's maw as he brings you to the decepticon leader?

Starscream, hell even airachnid, would've exterminated you if not for your darling dragon by your side

and, to be honest, you did kind of grew fond of him. he'd take you on rides up in the air, and he'd nuzzled you close on stormy, cold days. Sometimes, you clean away the rust on his plating when you're free from Shockwave's obviously illegal work conditions

That's until he became a fucking robot

you didn't realize it was him at first, hearing a new rhythm of footfalls echoing across the cave, until the familiar paint scheme slapped you with the answers

What do you mean you're not a dragon this whole time?!?!?!?

you back away from him against the cave wall. you're not sure what to feel as he saunters towards you.

It ties between disappointment and embarrassment because did you really say good boy in a baby voice to a fucking man this whole time?;?-?-??&?

"Do not fear." His voice was far from sweet, god was it rough and deep,

It made your stomach do a 180 backflip and cracked it's head wide open

"Do not try to run."

when his talons curl around your waist, lifting you up to his eye level and the imperceptible smirk on his face is present, you knew you were fucked

"How obedient you are, my little pet."

[ghost-proofbaby]

I would love a Getting to Know Eddie with your coffee shop blues Eddie. (I’ll let Abi ask for Maroon). 😘

(oh i don’t think i could tell abi much more about maroon eddie than i already have. the space under my desk when im writing maroon literally has her name on it <3)

alright. so. COFFEE SHOP BLUES EDDIE. first and foremost, that eddie is from my purely self indulgent barista!au for those of you who don’t know. for legal reasons, it’s totally not based on true experiences or a very real company. totally not. for legal reasons. but, the entire premise is this eddie entirely untouched from the upside down — non-canon compliance so we can be happy for once baby ! — and just playing around with who he is without all that. he gets the job as a barista, he’s a damn pessimist, and- well, i liked to play around with what would happen if he was the grumpiest barista to ever exist and got reality checked by a sunshine-incarnate barista. and, spoiler alert, the boy would probably melt. he does melt.

my inspiration is drawn entirely from uh… well… can i have a lawyer if i admit this? nah im just kidding he’s based on my own experiences! and contrary to what plenty of people have said to me (if i had a nickel every time said they imagine me as reader i’d be far richer than i am which makes me so 😭), eddie is the character based around me. i think he’d react very similarly to how i do most of the time at work. being grumpy, being so easily inconvenienced by every small thing, always huffing and puffing and wanting to be better. and i think reader is what i’d like to be. at the end of the day, it’s just a nice way to romanticize life, i guess. <3

my favorite headcanon that i’ve never shared in the story is that everyone actually finds that he’s very good at his job. it’s emphasized he isn’t necessarily friends with the other baristas, and there’s a whole lot of him internally comparing himself to the people he thinks do the job better (*cough* reader *cough*), but that whole “i can do better. i have to do better” mentality has led him to being quite good at the job actually. he puts himself down, says he isn’t that good, etc. but he is. customers like that feline grumpiness (the girls that come in regularly for frappucinos in the afternoon are always secretly hoping he’s there, definitely living their ‘i can fix him’ fantasy despite reader already having set sail on that boat), his coworkers admire him albeit they get a lil scared of him due to resting bitch face, and all that. he makes a mean fucking cappuccino. his drinks always just taste better. he’s just good. he’ll never admit it, but damn is he good at his job.

on a casual day, this man is living in comfy clothes. big band tees, plaid pajama pants or sweats. the only time he puts on jeans these days is when he works. which, i mean, listen — he works often. he lives his days by what shift he has, not by days of the week. weekends are nonexistent to him. he’s earned some damn comfort when he’s just at home, ya know? (also, most of his clothes that aren’t graphic tees or comfy pants just stink of coffee these days. ugh.)

his favorite food is probably the cake pops at work. he’s a sweet tooth fiend with them. someone accidentally breaks one when opening the packages? oh no !! he’ll take that off their hands. all of his free food mark outs? 50% cake pops. he’s on food? he’s definitely accidentally bagging and slipping one or two off to the side for himself. sometimes coworkers will try to convince him when he’s on the food position to slip them a free cake pop as well, and every time, he’s flipping them the bird and a quick “steal on your own time, bud”. (unless it’s reader. unless it’s sunshine. then, he’s caving, handing over the birthday cake pop he just marked out for himself without second thought. even if he rolls his eyes as he does it — he’d give her the world if she just asked).

his family situation is pretty close to canon — wayne. and obviously he has hellfire, he has corroded coffin, but all of those are just… small things. he’s finally graduated in this universe, so hellfire doesn’t meet as often. corroded coffin’s members are still in their senior year, so sometimes studying for a calculus test is overriding band practice for them. which i mean, was a bummer and led to him needing a distraction like a part time job (also — money) but it’s all good now, cause he gets to bug Sunshine on his days off when he’s bored. they’ve definitely exchanged numbers, and they’re definitely sending each other an obligatory dumb meme a day. sorry, i don’t make the rules.

he likes pop music. don’t ever ask him about it, he denies it, but Sunshine got him into all those radio hits. he’ll find himself humming along to the radio at work constantly too. and, the one time he and Sunshine worked a very rare, LITERALLY only happened once close together, they definitely were belting out britney spears’ “hit me baby one more time”, dancing around the closed stores and eddie using the mop as a mic while Sunshine tried to stock up all the cups. the shift on duty was unamused, to say the least.

he’s pretty pessimistic in all avenues, but there’s something deep inside of him that’s just a bit hopeless romantic. especially after meeting Sunshine. he listens to her prattle about her romance books all day, and he hates the fact that he finds himself smiling at some of those different scenarios she’s gushing about. but it’s cute, okay? besides, it’s only giving him more ideas about how to wow his favorite barista. sex, on the other hand, he’s still pretty bland on. he’s had one or two one night stands, names he’s forgotten at the Hideout after shows, and he’s not really got the energy to be some sex-crazed fuckboy. listening to his coworkers’ hookup stories and relationship problems work pretty well to remind him he could be doing far worse (but if anyone were to ask him what he thought of Sunshine in that context? oh. oh the poor boy. the scary dog facade fades, and his ears have never been pinker as he’s stuttering about having to grab something from the back that he just stocked. he’s just grateful she never seems to have her own escapades to talk about — he probably wouldn’t survive the world-ending jealousy that would cloud his vision.)

pessimistic. so so pessimistic.

a couple months ago, he would have said his room. alone. or practicing with cc, on his guitar. or behind his dm screens, watching as his little sheep panicked over the latest twist he’s revealed for his current campaign.

but now? maybe he’s just gone soft, but the first place he thinks of is a rainy afternoon in the back of his van, his head in Sunshine’s lap as they listen to the slight drizzle bounce off the roof. he swears if he closes his eyes, he can still feel her fingers against his scalp.

---

JO. JO. I DON'T HAVE THE ORIGINAL POST FOR THIS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT PARAGRAPH IS ANSWERING WHAT PROMPTS. but honestly, even now that i'm free of the siren, i wanna post this. i love prattling on about our little grumpy barista. i luv him.

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x16 - Dark Evolution! SkullGreymon / The Arrival of SkullGreymon

Previously on Digimon Adventure: The wicked servants of Elvis gave our kids food and baths. Fleeing into a nearby cave, Taichi found the Warp Whistle and got them out of there before they could be exposed to Elvis's music any longer.

Now we join them an ambiguous length of time later, in a place that is certainly not the forested mountains we left them in.

We're back in the desert. Why are we back in the desert? Why did we go back there? IDK but Mimi's is bothered as I am.

Mimi: Ugh, how much farther do we have to talk? Jou: Until we find a place where Etemon can't reach us. Mimi: Does a place like that even exist!?!? Yamato: I hope so. We have nowhere to run if Etemon attacks us right now. Sora: This is bad. Everyone's starting to get depressed.

Wandering through the vast deserts of Server under threat that Etemon could appear at any moment naturally has a negative impact on the group's mental health. Sora's concerned for them. But Taichi's annoyed.

Taichi: What's going on here!? Get a hold of yourselves! We have a Crest with us now! Yamato: Sure, but can they really evolve with just the Crest? Taichi: Of course. Right, Agumon? Agumon: Mmm-- Taichi: Be more assertive! You're the only one right now who can evolve to the next level! You have to stand for all of us on the battlefield! Tentomon: We're counting on you! Taichi: By the way, how do we reach the next evolution? Koushiro: Well, from what we know about evolution, they need a lot of energy to evolve. They couldn't do it when they were hungry. Also, it happens when their partner is in danger. Taichi: I see.... So, about, that energy thing: To evolve to a higher level, I guess you'd need more energy than ever, right?

Taichi ties off that question with a wink at Agumon, who flinches from Taichi's exuberance. He's plotting.

As he brought up at the end of the last episode (but not in the dub), In stark contrast to the rest of the group, who are still in survival mode, Taichi feels invincible now that he has this Crest. He's confident that he has the key to Etemon's demise right there around his neck. He just needs to figure out how it works.

Over in the dub, Tai's going even harder.

Tai: Hey, come on, you guys! Why'd we stop? Why's everyone so scared? After all, we do have the Crest, you know! Matt: That's true! But do we really know the Crest will help Agumon to Digivolve? Tai: Of course! Right, Agumon? Agumon: Hmm? Tai: Listen, buddy: This is your big chance! Don't let me down! You're the only one that can Digivolve further so either you try to get to the next level and save us from Etemon or I'll go and get myself a new Digimon! Tentomon: Not much of a choice! Tai: ARGH! By the way, how are we supposed to use the Crest to Digivolve again? Izzy: Well, from what we've seen so far with the other Digivolutions, it takes a lot of energy. For example, they can't Digivolve if they're hungry. In addition, the Partner of the Digimon must be in some sort of danger. You know, like being under attack or something. Tai: But since it's a higher level of Digivolving, my theory is even more energy is needed. So we'll provide the food; Etemon will provide the danger!

Love that closing line, "We'll provide the food; Etemon will provide the danger!" That's a great way to set up the bad decision-making that's about to take place.

The biggest difference between the two versions is that Tai threatens to fire Agumon in this one. Holy shit! He's being a twat either way but that's brutal.

We cut briefly to Etemon's trailer being carted through the desert. He's rambling.

Etemon: You kids just wait! When I find you, I'll knock you flat and stuff you like turkeys!

Over in the dub, he says:

Etemon: You better watch out, you DigiDestined kids! I'll find you and, when I do, you'll wish you never crossed Etemon! I'll get ya!

This may seem like a lateral move, but the "stuff you like turkeys" line is setup for a gag. We cut immediately from that line to:

The dub destroys this joke, not only changing Etemon's line but introducing a commercial break between Etemon's setup and Agumon's payoff.

Over here at a small oasis, Taichi is force-feeding Agumon as much as possible.

Agumon: I can't eat anymore! Taichi: When I say eat, you eat! No complaining! Agumon: But-- Taichi: Listen! Everyone gave you their share of food because they're looking forward to your evolution! Right, guys? Yamato: Sure. Mimi: Gave it to him? More like he took it from us. Gabumon: But we can't evolve to a higher level. Jou: (bitterly) So it's "Whoever doesn't work doesn't eat"? Tentomon: Oh no.... Taichi: Eh? What was that? I can't hear you! Isn't that right, guys? Group: (unenthusiastically) Uh-huh! Taichi: See? That's why you and I have to work hard together! We have to protect everyone!

Taichi is now preventing the rest of the group from eating so that he can force-feed Agumon far beyond his limits. Based entirely on his own speculation that Agumon will need a supreme amount of energy for a Perfect-stage evolution.

Palmon: I guess that means we're dragging everyone down. Piyomon: Even so, I feel sorry for Agumon. Sora: Yeah. Agumon looks like he's being forced into a corner. Koushiro: During club activities, Taichi-san was always nice to us younger members. Sora: Now that you mention it, back in soccer club....

While the first part of this scene is played totally straight in the dub, this bit's a little different.

Palmon: I guess there's not much else we can do to help. Biyomon: I don't know if Agumon can take much more! Sora: Yeah, Tai is really pushing him. Agumon's stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey. Izzy: Tai's personality has taken a turn for the worse lately. I remember him being friendlier even to us younger kids. Sora: Actually, now that you mention it, he was cool during soccer camp.

"Soccer camp" is an interesting choice here. Extracurricular "soccer club" isn't really a thing in the U.S. but schools do have sports teams. Not usually for elementary schools, though. Sora and Taichi are in fifth grade. In order to play soccer together, they'd have to be part of a recreational youth program like at the YMCA or, as noted, a soccer camp.

Meanwhile, Koushiro's reference to sharing "club activities" with Taichi, though the sentiment of his line remains. I guess they couldn't imagine why Izzy would play soccer.

From here, Sora flashes back on a school soccer game. Taichi's playing in the front of his team as a striker, a position notorious for arrogant and selfish play, and he has the ball. Sora is the other striker, running down the field parallel to Taichi.

We see the gears turn in Taichi's head.

Sora: Taichi, pass! Taichi: This is my chance to shoot! Here I go!

But then another player slides in front of him on an intercept course. Without missing a beat, Taichi passes the ball sideways a moment before the slide trips him up. Sora receives his pass, striking the ball with a headbutt and sending it sailing into goal.

Helping Taichi to his feet, Sora appreciates his sportsmanship.

Sora: Nice pass! I thought you'd try to take the shot yourself. Taichi: I'd never do something that crazy! Ahahahaha!

Back in the present, Sora reflects:

Sora: Taichi seems like the type to rush off on his own, but he's always taken his surroundings into consideration. Koushiro: Right. Sora: But now.... Taichi: We're the only ones who can do this! So keep going! Eat up! Agumon: No more! Sora: Ever since Taichi got that Crest, he's become a completely different person.

Again, the dub here is a bit altered.

Sora: Tai might look like he's trying to run things all by himself, but whatever crazy action he takes, he does it for the good of the team. Izzy: Mmhmm. Sora: But now all this.... Tai: We're the only ones who can help now! So you've gotta keep eating, okay, Agumon!? Agumon: I can't! Sora: Tai's personality seems to have changed ever since he got a hold of that Crest of Courage.

Sora's point is about Taichi typically having situational awareness to temper his enthusiasm. He was going to take the shot himself, but when he realized he was about to be intercepted, he quickly switched gears and passed the ball rather than stubbornly forging ahead.

"Tai makes ridiculous choices but always for good reasons!" is a bizarre takeaway for her to have from that anecdote.

Also, she name-drops Crest of Courage before any of the kids know that the Crests mean things. That's a straight-up continuity error right there.

Suddenly, the conversation's broken up a ringing pulse shining inside Jou's shirt.

Jou: I'm starving... Hmm? What the...? (Jou pulls his Tag out of his shirt and sees it pulsing blue) Jou: (standing up suddenly) Hey, look! My Tag! Yamato: It's reacting to something. Koushiro: Your Crest must be nearby! Taichi: Really!?

Taichi whips out his mini-telescope, scanning the nearby surroundings until he spots a set of ruins in the distance. Ecstatic, Jou races down the dune they're resting on, tripping over something buried in the sand.

Gomamon: What's a cable doing here?

His question doesn't get answered, but we know these cables. Far off, Etemon orders the Monochromon dragging his trailer to halt.

Etemon: STOP!!! Gazimon: What's wrong, Etemon-sama? Etemon: Ehehehehehe!!! Something's stuck in my network! L-7 Area... Let's see... Where was that? L over, 7 down, and... There it is! Gazimon: Where is it? Etemon: YIIIIIII!!! It's near the Coliseum! Remember? The place I hold my yearly concert! (angrily) They fled to such a place.... Gazimon: Geh. It's pretty far. Etemon: Yep. However, I have an interesting show set up there. Ahaha!

In the dub:

Etemon: WHOA!!! Gazimon: What is it, Lord Etemon? Etemon: Ahaha! Something's caught in my network, uh-huh-huh! The intruder's in the L-7 sector. Let's see, L-7, L-7... How's this thing work? Oh, here it is! Gazimon: Where is it? Etemon: Hahaha, it's near the Coliseum! That's where I hold my annual Tribute to Me show; I wonder what they're doing all the way over there? You got any idea? Gazimon: Well, maybe they want to get good seats, boss. Etemon: Oh, they'll have a perfect view for the surprise show I planted for 'em! Hahahaha!

Small change: Etemon seems miffed that the kids are at the Coliseum in the original. It's a subtle moment, but it almost seems like he's offended that they're hiding out in a place that has sentimental value to him personally.

"Maybe they want to get good seats" is a great quip. We lose Gazimon expositing that it's far off, but Etemon covered that with "all the way over there" so the information is still conveyed.

The big shift here is the "show" waiting for the kids. Etemon in the original suggests that what's about to happen is part of his annual concert setup. He's repurposing resources already in place for another reason. Dub Etemon seems to have set this all up as a trap on purpose? Though given the events to follow, that's still a believable interpretation.

Etemon calls another Gazimon over in L-7 to arrange his plan.

Gazimon: Yeah? This is the L-7 area. Etemon: It's me. Gazimon: (leaps to his feet) Y-Yes!? Etemon: Some guests will be arriving soon. Prepare a welcome party. Gazimon: W-Welcome party!? You don't mean that thing? Etemon: I mean that thing. Gazimon: U-UNDERSTOOD!!!

This Gazimon races off into the Coliseum to prepare for the children's arrival.

Inside, the Coliseum is a bit different from what one might expect of ancient Roman architecture.

Koushiro: It looks like the Roman Coliseum! Tentomon: What is that? Taichi: An ancient stadium. Mimi: Look! A widescreen TV! Sora: And a goal post! This is a soccer field! Taichi: Well, let's split up and look for the Crest!

Neat. You know those ancient Romans and their love for giant stadium monitors and soccer.

We've been in Digimon World/Digital World for so long that no one even cares about out-of-place modern shit anymore. That's just life.

Unfortunately, all that overfeeding is taking a toll on Agumon, who falls to the ground abruptly.

Agumon: I can't move... Let me sleep.... Taichi: What's wrong with you!? Get up! Agumon: Sorry.... Jou: Let him rest. The only clue we have is this Tag. Gomamon and I will go look, so the rest of you take a break. Taichi: I'll go with you!

Jou-senpai stepping up to be the responsible one again, but as usual, Taichi can't be still for five seconds.

While Taichi and Jou race off to search for Jou's Crest, something interesting rolls out onto the soccer field.

Sora: (excited gasp) Soccer ball! Hey, want to play soccer!? Takeru: That sounds like fun! Yamato: Let's make it Human Team vs. Digimon Team. Tentomon: What's soccer? Sora: It's where you use your legs to kick this ball into a goal. You can also use your head or chest.

She demonstrates by popping the ball up and passing it with her head to Gabumon. He delivers a powerful kick, sending it up in an arc. Piyomon tries to catch it with her wings, but the ball hits her in the face and knocks her flat. It then bounces into Palmon's hands behind her.

Sora: You can't use your hands. Palmon: Don't you think that's really unfair to me? Takeru: The goalkeeper can use their hands, right? Yamato: Yeah. You'd be perfect for goalkeeper, Palmon.

In the dub, Palmon's objection is removed. After Biyomon gets clonked, Palmon's line and Sora's are switched.

Palmon: Oh! That's really using your head! Sora: Oh, and I forgot to tell you: You can't use your hands. T.K.: Unless you're the goalkeeper; Then you can touch the ball with your hands! Matt: Yeah! You should be the goalie for your team, Palmon!

It's a minor difference, but the bit doesn't flow quite as well without the point being raised that Palmon, more than anyone here, is a very grabby Digimon. She has a much higher hands-to-other-stuff ratio than the rest of the group.

With Palmon's role sorted out, she gives the ball a toss to put it back in play. Suddenly, noticing the others having fun, Tai races in and gives the ball a heavy kick, sending it hurtling to the upper audience stands.

By comical coincidence, he scores a direct hit on Gazimon way up there. Even when he's being a shit, Taichi has amazing soccer instincts. The shot sends Gazimon tumbling down the stairs into the Coliseum's inner chambers.

Taichi: How the hell can you guys be playing soccer at a time like this!?!? Stop and think about what we're dealing with! We're leaving as soon as Jou finds his Crest!

(This is Taichi's "How you season your eggs is causing the decline of Japanese culture" moment. Like Jou way back when, Taichi is cracking under the pressure of being at war with an invulnerable foe.)

Before anyone can say anything to Taichi, the stadium's filled with sports music and the screen turns on.

Etemon: WAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I am the greatest!

Screaming in terror, the kids flee for their lives, inexplicably choosing to take cover inside a soccer net. (Why?) This bizarre choice proves to be part of the trap; The net closes around them, sealing them in. Everyone but Agumon; He tripped and didn't make it to the net because his belly's still too full to move.

Etemon: GOOOOOOOOOAL!!! Now I've got you! Taichi: It was a trap! Tentomon: You think you can keep us in here with just this!?

Tentomon tries to break through the net, but it's electrified. It gives him a discouraging shock the moment he touches it.

Etemon: You're going to injure yourself if you do that. The net's wires are electrified! I've love to be there and do this face-to-face but unfortunately I'm too far away for that. Stars have busy schedules, y'know. But don't worry! A special guest is going to take my place! Who do you think it will be? Taichi: Who cares!? Etemon: I bet he's going to surprise you! YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!

Etemon's guest star arrives: A Greymon with a black "collar" made up of what seems to be a Dark Network cable wrapped around their neck. They stomp into the Coliseum, wrecking everything in their path.

Taichi: G-Greymon!? Etemon: See? You're so surprised! I'm such a fabulous show producer. Now, let's get started! (English) IT'S SHOWTIME!!!

In the dub, we get:

Tai: It's a different Greymon! Etemon: See? I knew you'd be surprised! I'm so evil! ~Let's get started / It's time to go / Okay! / Here's the show!

That might be the funniest change in the series. I wonder which show producer objected to having Etemon proclaim, "I'm such a fabulous show producer"? XD

Agumon evolves to fight the other Greymon. As they're fighting, Takeru drops this banger.

Gabumon: You can do this, Greymon! Takeru: Don't lose to a fake!

Those are some bold words when that one over there is a natural Greymon and our guy can only hit that stage temporarily thanks to Digivice magic.

Sadly, natural Greymon proves to be superior in brawling with a temp. They land a horn bash to our Greymon's chin, sending him backwards into the electrified net.

Conceding that our Greymon can't beat Etemon's, Taichi sees only one avenue left.

Taichi: Evolve, Greymon! Koushiro: He can't keep this up. Tentomon: He can't win if he doesn't evolve!

Greymon gets back up and keeps fighting, but the other Greymon tosses him to the ground and stomps on his head. Taichi screams at him to evolve.

Taichi: Evolve! Evolve, Greymon! Koushiro: It's useless, Taichi-san. Your Crest isn't reacting at all. Yamato: Evolution is impossible. Taichi: I don't accept that. Greymon, I know you can do it! Believe in your ability to evolve!

Greymon does not evolve. He bashes the other Greymon off with a tail whip, then attempts to fire off a Mega Flame.

However, all that comes out is a belch. This is what tips off the group as to why he's having so much trouble.

Mimi: How can you burp at a time like this? Yamato: Do his movements look slower than usual? Koushiro: I get it. His body is heavy from overeating! Tentomon: You're right!

Tentomon's so excited by this revelation, he takes to the air and electrocutes himself on the net again. Smooth.

Meanwhile, Gazimon takes another call from Etemon.

Etemon: Don't just stand around! Start the ending celebration! Prepare the fireworks and step on it!

Gazimon takes up a position up on top of a set of three statue heads, raising sparklers for the ceremony.

While our Greymon continues to get worked over, Gomamon desperately calls his Marching Fishes to lend a fin.

Water pours out of the statues' mouths, with Gomamon's fish flying from the water. They mug Gazimon for his sparklers and make their way over to the enemy Greymon, baiting them away from our Greymon.

Meanwhile, the kids discuss the massive WTF of this occurrence.

Jou: How were fishes able to come out of there!? Gomamon: Don't look at me. I don't understand complex stuff. Koushiro: There's probably a rift to another dimension over there. Gomamon: What he said. Jou: I see....

It's as good an explanation as any.

The dub dialogue is similar, but Izzy's more condescending about it.

Joe: Where did those fish come from!? How could they just come out of there like that!? Gomamon: I dunno, but if it's not broken, don't fix it! Izzy: It's really elementary, Joe. There's probably just a dimensional vortex rift in the water. Gomamon: Ditto! Joe: Oh.

Imagine not knowing about aquatic dimensional vortex rifts. That's baby stuff. You're kinda dim, Joe.

Once the conversation's finished, the Marching Fishes drop their sparklers at Greymon's feet and then fly off into the sky, visibly fading out of existence. (I guess they Dimensional Vortex Rifted away.)

Koushiro comes up with the idea of tunneling to safety. The kids peel back the tiles to find another black cable, but also a large stone bearing a symbol like the one that formed Taichi's Crest. The stone begins to pulse, as does Jou's Tag.

Assuming it works the same, Jou rests his Tag on the stone.

Crest received!

Just in time for the ground beneath them, no longer braced by the Crest stone, to give way and dump the kids. into a deep hole. But it's a deep hole with an exit, so they're free. We briefly cut to Etemon furiously watching them make their escape.

Etemon: Those damn children! Not only did they escape, but they have another Crest! UNFORGIVABLE!!!

It's here that Taichi makes terrible choices.

Taichi: He'd win if he evolved. If he could only evolve! GREYMON!!! Sora: Stop! Taichi: Don't stop me! This is my chance to get Greymon to evolve! Please just stay out of the way! Sora: But your Crest isn't reacting at all! It's impossible for him to evolve! Taichi: He will evolve. No, I'll make him!

Taichi hops down into the stadium and races out onto the field, towards where the two Greymon are fighting.

(This is where Sora's anecdote from earlier comes into play. Taichi isn't being situationally aware. He's not paying attention to the factors on the field; Specifically, his Crest. He's stubbornly, arrogantly trying to take the shot himself and not paying attention to the very real fact that his angle is too well-guarded.)

Yamato: What is he trying to do!? Koushiro: The other condition needed for evolution is for the Partner to be in danger. Sora: Taichi-san wouldn't....

He would. He does.

Etemon calls for a Mega Flame to finish Taichi's Greymon, but Taichi interrupts the shot by pelting Etemon's Greymon with a rock expertly flung straight into their eye.

Taichi: STOP!!! I'm not scared of you! Come and get me! Etemon: Trying to act tough, are we? Very well. We'll deal with you first, just like you wanted!

Sora and Yamato send Birdramon and Garurumon in there to keep Taichi from getting himself stupidly killed. But Taichi keeps screaming at Greymon to evolve until finally, his Crest reacts. In an eerie way.

An unpleasant green light emanates from Taichi's Digivice, unlike the typical white of evolution. And his Crest turns black as pitch before it releases its energy. Greymon ankoku shinka.

The evolution for ankoku shinka or "Dark Evolution" is completely unlike the typical evolution. The transformation sequence is corrupted with unpleasant colors and a dark cloud appearing in the sky. Black energy with orange spirals pour into Greymon, causing him to take this new shape without the usual spinny stock footage and cry of "SHINKAAAAAAA!!!"

Even Tai seems to realize he's screwed up here, as his initial excitement quickly fades into an expression of horror.

Sora: T-That's.... Yamato: What's going on here? Tentomon: It can't be. That's SkullGreymon! Sora: SkullGreymon!?

The narrator chimes in here to give the rundown. SkullGreymon is a Perfect-stage Virus-type Skeleton Digimon.

Narrator: SkullGreymon. His menacing appearance reduces many Digimon to a quaking heap. Naturally, he has immense destructive power. He is a Perfect-stage Digimon who attacks persistently in battle.

Here, the dub has everything it needs for a seamless diegetic rundown. Tentomon is present on-hand, recognizes this Digimon, and has people to talk to when delivering the rundown.

Sora: What in the world!? Matt: What do you think that is? Tentomon: Oh my, is that what I think it is? Sora: What do you call that thing!? Tentomon: SkullGreymon. The sight of him makes other Digimon tremble! He is a fully Digivolved Digimon whose explosive power causes him to constantly search for battle!

"Fully". It's cute that you think that, Tentomon. To be fair to him, Perfect was the final stage until Ultimate was added later down the line. But it was already there by the time the anime was made and dubbed.

But yeah, this is basically a perfect diegetic rundown. Good work.

Koushiro's immediately convinced that this is wrong.

Koushiro: Th-This is bad! It looks like something went wrong and he evolved into something unbelievable!

But it's too late now. SkullGreymon begins to act, swatting the enemy Greymon into the air and launching them into Etemon's monitor. Then he fires the missile from his back.

SkullGreymon's signature move Ground Zero flies from his back, slamming into the monitor and exploding. The blast erases both the monitor and the opposing Greymon.

(RIP Other Greymon. Etemon said they were part of his annual show so I sure hope that means they were like a bandmate of his and not some sort of gladiator slave or something. Because they're stone dead now.)

Taichi, meanwhile, stares up at his "Partner" in disbelief.

Taichi: SkullGreymon! Did you really evolve from Greymon!?

In the dub, Tai more bluntly yells:

Tai: Listen to me, SkullGreymon! If you're really the Digivolved form of Greymon then you can't hurt me!

SkullGreymon responds by trying to smash him, provoking Garurumon and Birdramon to leap to his defense. Tentomon evolves as well to join the defense.

Three Adult-stage Digimon against a battle-hungry Perfect. While their battle tears up the landscape and shreds the black cables littered around.

Etemon: WAUGH!!! The Network! My network is ruined!

Over in the dub, Etemon hilariously tries to play this for sympathy.

Etemon: Oh no, my poor network! They're destroyin' everything that I worked so hard to create!

XD Sure, my dude. You're the victim here.

Back at the fight, SkullGreymon's as savage as we were promised. Birdramon, Kabuterimon, and Garurumon converge attacks on him, but he doesn't even flinch. Swatting them away as easily as the giant Devimon did before, SkullGreymon flees the Coliseum and races out into the desert beyond.

There, the dark evolution energy from Taichi's mistake finally runs out. He finally regresses, not just to Agumon but all the way down to Koromon.

As the group reaches Koromon, Taichi scoops him up in his arms.

Taichi: Are you okay!? Koromon: Yeah... But it looks like I did something terrible to you guys... I couldn't stop myself! Piyomon: Don't worry about it. Gabumon: That's right. Tentomon: We completely understand. Koromon: I'm sorry I couldn't rise to your expectations. Yamato: No! It's not your fault, it's.... Taichi: I know. It's mine. Yamato: That's not what I meant. Taichi: That's okay. It's true. Isn't it, Sora? Sora: Yes-- I-I mean-- Taichi: I was rushing ahead without even realizing it. Because I had the Crest, I felt like I had to fight the battles on my own. I'm sorry, everyone. (to Koromon) I'm sorry. Narrator: Although the next evolution stage was reached, it proved to be a mistake. Will they ever learn to evolve the right way?

We close on this somber moment, reflecting on Taichi's mistake. Neither forgiveness nor condemnation offered to him. Only a lesson learned and a hope to do better in the future.

The dub plays this all straight, including the narrator's closing dialogue. Of course, per usual, that's done diegetically.

Tai: You were finally able to Digivolve but it was a huge mistake. I wonder if our Digimon will ever be able to Digivolve the right way? One thing's for sure, I learned my lesson.

However what blows my mind in this final scene is that Koromon's voice is wrong. They have Mimi's actress playing Koromon and it's extremely noticeable. A huge departure from the usual performer who's been playing Koromon as recently as one episode ago. I have no idea why that happened.

Assessment: Here, at last, we're introduced to branching evolution paths and very specifically the concept of dark evolution, a rare occurrence in Digimon media but always a big deal when it comes up. Try to avoid putting your Digimon through that, yeah?

The dub for this episode has a couple of flaws in it, but I'd describe it as almost perfect. Like 95% of the dub for this episode was seamless adaptation, with some of the dub particulars like the diegetic rundowns fitting in perfectly. My biggest complaint here is that they messed up Sora's soccer anecdote, but that's small potatoes compared to some of the other episodes out there.

[belltrigger]

Submastober Day 13!

Inspiration: There's an older OC-tober prompt-list here that I am using.

Title: A New Home Prompt: Fear Word count: 1448 Synopsis: Ingo and Emmet never got to meet their uncle. That is, until their parents passed away.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Ingo and Emmet were just about the age for their first Pokemon journey when their parents passed away. At that age, they were capable of coming and going mostly as they liked, and were even allowed to travel along the many routes to visit other cities. They had never gone that far, content to explore the various caves and fields close to their home, but they knew they could. Emmet was particularly fond of a small stream they had found, spending lots of time watching the various pokemon that called it home.

They had been out exploring as usual when they were found by someone wearing hiking gear that bore a symbol for Search and Rescue. Even at that age, they knew who that organization was, being told often to seek them out should they get hurt or separated in the wild. Even when older, Ingo remembered how kind they had been, even when telling the twins that trouble had occurred and they needed to come with them. Their demeanor had grounded him despite the tightening in his chest at the word 'trouble' and Ingo often thought back on how they'd handled it when he helped young passengers who got scared in the Subway now.

Emmet had started quietly crying as they left the area; the hike down must have given him the chance to process what 'trouble' could have meant. Ingo didn't remember if he had cried then or later, his entire attention focused on both the words the rescuer told them, and Emmet's status. Emmet held one fist up to his eyes, the other hand lightly holding the rescuer's hand. All Ingo recalled of the hike was that he wished he had been holding Emmet's hand instead, the grip from the person between them not as comforting as each other.

Perhaps the shock got to him then, or maybe it happened when they returned home to find it gone underneath a landslide. Search and Rescue had tried valiantly to keep them at their HQ, but while they were processing paperwork in another room, Ingo and Emmet slipped out. How could they be blamed for wanting to go home and find their parents, ask them what the trouble was, sit at home while the paperwork was being completed? It had not once even crossed their minds during their younger years that there was a danger to their house. At the sight of their house surrounded by an excavation crew, what actually happened had become apparent and all they could do was hold each other in their despair.

After a short time, someone realized they were there and brought them back to the S&R headquarters. They didn't try to escape again, simply sitting together quietly. Emmet had not stopped crying the whole time they sat together, but he gripped Ingo's hand tightly as a lifeline. Ingo might have been crying then too, but more important was doing his best to be a strong tether to Emmet.

Ingo's memory was hazy regarding how long they stayed in the S&R. There had been a few times where they were offered snacks and were even given a full meal. Ingo expected to not be hungry, and sat his snacks aside, but when the meal came (a hearty and simple one to be sure, possibly because they were kids and expected to be picky), both he and Emmet ate ravenously. With a full stomach, Emmet had finally stopped crying, but it could also have come from just being exhausted.

Once they were finished eating, a woman with short black hair. Ingo remembered very clearly how impressive he thought her outfit: a long black coat with a long red skirt underneath. The white scarf around her neck looked so fashionable with the rest of her outfit that he found himself staring at it more than her face. She introduced herself as Kim, and said that she had come to pick them up. Emmet found his voice before Ingo, asking who she was.

“I'm here on behalf of your uncle.”

Up until that point, they had never met their uncle. Cards came in the mail from him on occasion, and there was always a present sent for each of them for their birthdays. He knew exactly what they had wanted, too, so at least Ingo's opinion had been a positive one. Emmet frequently asked why he couldn't just come to visit instead, and their parents had always said he wanted to, but was incredibly busy. Ingo thought it was okay, and encouraged Emmet to add the fact that he wanted their uncle to visit. Of course, Emmet told their uncle that they were going to visit instead, and Ingo supposed that was basically the same thing.

Kim told them that they were going to live with their uncle for now, and that he had sent her to pick them up. Emmet huffed, showing energy for the first time since the tragic news, and crossed his arms. Although Emmet hadn't said anything about it at the time, he confided in Ingo during their travels that he thought their uncle should have come to pick them up himself. Kim seemed very nice to Ingo, so while he agreed with Emmet that it would have been good to pick them up himself, sending Kim was also a good choice.

The trip had interesting sights to see, as they had never been this far from home. Emmet watched out the windows, distracted temporarily from his sorrow with the myriad of new pokemon they passed. Frequently, he would tug Ingo's sleeve and point out a pokemon that he thought was particularly cool. By the time they arrived in Opelucid City, there were easily fifty pokemon that Emmet wanted to catch and put in their team. Ingo thought that maybe one or two would be good partners for them. Emmet countered with how they could just catch all of them, and sort it out later.

Emmet continued to be in high spirits as they exited the vehicle in the city. It was vastly more technological than where they were from, an eye-catching mixture of gray and electric blues. They were guided to a large building in the center of the city, keeping a hold of each other's hands. Emmet tugged at Ingo's grip a few times, excitedly pointing out different things he wanted to visit. Thankfully, Kim kept them on track, and they made it to their destination with minimal exploration.

Looking up at the large building that towered over them, Emmet showed his first sign of hesitance. It was vastly larger than the home they were used to, several tiers high in fact. Emmet's grip tightened and he hummed in concern. At that moment, Kim put a hand on both of their shoulders and said that she had to get back to the Gym now. But, she continued, they could head right in as Drayden was expecting them. Ingo nodded to her, and thanked her in the most polite way he was able to verbalize. Emmet shrunk at the idea of going inside, despite his earlier eagerness, but was finally convinced with a smile and assurance that they would be okay from his twin.

The door opened upon their approach, completely new to them, but they stepped through after taking a deep breath to straighten their nerves. Inside, it was black with yet more of that electric blue which was so frequent in the city. Standing towards the back of the room, hands clenched into fists, was an exceptionally tall, imposing looking man with wide shoulders.

Emmet hummed again, more concern in his tone this time, and he shifted a step to be partially behind Ingo. Of course, if Kim brought them here, this was definitely their uncle, but Ingo couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated as well. Before either of them could gather their words, he strode towards them, kneeled down on one knee, and put a large, strong hand on each of their shoulders.

“I know it's not the ideal circumstance we were all hoping for, but I'm glad to finally meet you boys. Welcome to my home. I hope you can feel comfortable here.” Ingo might not have remembered crying at any other point, but he definitely felt the warm tears on his face then. Emmet must have been equally moved, despite his earlier nerves, and they both leaned in to hug their uncle. His strong arms were solid, holding them tightly as they let out their grief in his hold. Truly, it was not the visit they had wanted to make, but finally, they had gotten to meet their uncle.

[chaniiverse]

any good chanhee fics that you recommend? there isnt a lot of new biased peopel

Oh my. I love this ask so much! As a channie girlie there really is so less fics of my man 😭. It physically hurts but I re-read so manyyyy of the ones which are out there.

Simple gifts: by @sungbeam

This is like the first ever fluff (?) I read of Chanhee which stuck to me. I literally went to Beam’s DMs crying to her about this fic because I just love this so much 😭. I did not stop thinking about this fic for WEEKS especially the line “I am lonely but not when you’re here” it’s just so Chanhee coded!

That’s him, that’s just who he is: by @from-izzy

The first ever fic Izz wrote and that also for ME! Yes people, it’s for me 🥺🫶🏻. When I was reading this I literally started balling my eyes out because of how sad it was. I even sent a pic of me crying too Izz 😭💀. It’s not everyday you’d find a fic about the struggles my man went through and Izz literally depicted it all so well :)

The warmest winter: by @from-izzy

The roller coasters of ride izz went through when riding this fic was so 😭🥲. She really gave it her all when writing this sweet thing and she did not disappoint us Chanhee lovers because she ate AND served 💪. Tbh this fic is just so pure 🥺 the way chani gets jealous of Juyo (I love jealous men and I kid you not I am a possessive chani believer) made me want to bang my head against the wall SHSHSHSHSHS

Redemption of love: by @winterchimez

You guys don’t know how much I love this series 😔. I have never watched any musicals (NOT MY FAULT NOTHING LIKE THAT IS IN MUMBAI OKAY??) but I genuinely saw this one clip (it was in the first chapter of this fic) of the chandelier falling and oh my the way I was like “I NEED TO WATCH THIS MUSICAL!?” But not only do I love this fic because it’s Chanhee but also because ik how much this means to Als 🥺🫶🏻.

Even if the world caves,: by @kimsohn

Yall shru wrote this fic for me and me only and I will die while holding this fic close to my heart because it means a lot to me and I love this very much just the way I love my shru. The way I went through so many different emotions while reading this fic 😭. Like omg I get enemies2lovers AND a cameo of Vernon?? It’s a good day to die yeah? You guys have to read this fic written by shru ASAP!

# ur such an emo!: by @cloverdaisies

I will never shut up about the fic written by clo because they’re just so magical and makes me want Chanhee more than ever. Tbh this was such a surprise for me when clo said she wrote a fic for me 🥺. I already knew that she was busy with her work and all and then she just goes “Sana I wrote a Chanhee fic for your birthday.” Out of nowhere and me just sitting there balling my eyes out because 🥺🫶🏻. And then again we love enemies2lovers in this household especially when it comes to Chanhee so yes. We love this fic dearly.

Black hearts: by @cloverdaisies

The way clo depicted all the prompts given by me and @winterchimez in this fic has me on chokehold ngl 😭. I went to sleep after talking with ally and clo and then when I woke up BOOM BAM POW Clo had posted it already. I lowkey screamed when I saw this and the way it literally has all of our biases in this fic 🥺😭. Side note: I miss our lil trio yall 😭🥺. Late night chats again when 😭.

Valentines win: by @strayed-quokka

Omg my lenlen 🥺🫶🏻. She dedicated this one for me. Ha! *flips hair* be jealous 😍🫵. I was smiling like crazy when reading this fic of hers tho, the way Chanhee was like “no I am going to win this for you. I am not gonna back out” made my heart melt 🥺. Because we all know Chanhee is not a sporty type of person so him trying to win this just made me want to bash my head against the wall 😭🤧. And the fact that it was a POKÉMON SOFT TOY MADE IT MORE BETTER SISJDJDJ.

Chanhee with a girly gf: by @astrae4

If I don’t mention this one it’d be a serious crime and I do not want to go in jail 😭😢. This is the first ever work i read of Gill (that’s a lie. The first one was the channie smau) and this literally made me giggle so much 😭🥺. It has been a while since I read this again but we love this fic a lot 💪

Lipstick stains: by @slytherinshua

This very fic of Chanhee made me fall in love with him even more. Like you don’t get this fic the way I do. It literally took me out of my writers slump 😭🤧. It literally made me want to read other fics again because it reminded me that there are still good writers out there who write for my man 😭🥺. And u get husband channie. What else do you want? Be fr 😭

Something blue: by @deobienthusiast

I was beta reading this fic for K and I divorced Sangyeon and married Chanhee instead. End of the story. I was literally balling my eyes out because no way in hell would I treat my best friend (why be a best friend when you can be my best boyfriend tho?) Chanhee the way the reader did 🙄. Like?? But I love how Chanhee still showed up to her wedding (wanna make it our wedding instead?) despite everything the reader said to him 😭.

I think if you guys want a part two of this plz let me know 🥺🫶🏻. I would have added some smuts but idk if you’re a minor or an adult so 😭. In the part two (if you guys ever want it) imma add the ones I read on Wattpad too! (There’s only two but whatever)

Here’s some Chanhee for a good day ahead!

[bwoahtastic]

https://www.tumblr.com/bwoahtastic/764681125636472832/httpswwwtumblrcombwoahtastic7599029023996641

Okay but what about this

Mark had to go to war or something and Seb is to stay at the kingdom to play his role as the pretty wife.

He gets bored easily to be honest Mark is his only source of comfort and he doesn't trust that everyone will be kind to him if he is ever caught in his lie.

It's plausible as his rut is approaching and he is feeling extremely territorial.

Turns out it's not the right timing for him to have a rut as a delegation of a foreign nation lead by their princess *Nico* is set to come visit.

So Seb does the logical thing and flee in town to try and find a place where to have his rut without being found.

It would have been an amazing idea if he hadn't seen a young pup getting abused by what seems to be his family.

Seb doesn't think before killing the men and get face to face with such a small boy that it breaks his heart.

The boy has a blank expression on his face either from shock or just because he's like that.

When Seb gets close to the kid the little boy looks up and has tears in his eyes. His gaze is one of a kid who is used to be hurt and is expecting to get it.

Seb picks up the boy, and hug him saying that everything is gonna be ok. He hears the kids crying and feels him clutching into his dress.

Seb end up finding a shelter remote enough from the town to be hidden but still warm enough to be welcoming. He does make a nest and then have the little baby cuddle up into his chest. Rumbling to soothe him and even tho he knows he's rut is close his protective side is so strong now that he just want to protect the little boy.

The little boy the morning after whispering his name as Osca' and Seb is feeling so much love for that kid. It's his pup now.

Oh pls!

Mark having to leave and Seb is not happy about being left behind alone. Mark is the only person who knows sebs secret and Seb trusts him because he owes Mark his life!

Seb being quite antsy and tense when Mark leaves and Mark scenting him real good? It's hard for Omega pheromones to completely cover sebs scent when he is upset but with the scenting people will think it's marks scent on him.

And kfcourse Seb ends up going into rut when Mark is gone, and it coincides with a unannounced visit of princess Nico who is a good friend of Mark. Seb cannot be around the Omega in this state and flees to avoid worse! He plans to find a cave and stay there but in the outskirts of town, he sees a young pup being pushed around and kicked and ridiculed and with his heightened instincts he cannot let it happen!

Seb easily winning the fight in his rut induced rage, and when he turns around the pup is standing and looking so stoic, clearly ao used to being hurt! Seb gathering the little one in his arms and hugging him close snd the pup just cries because it has been so long since he was hugged!

Seb still wanting to find the cave foe his rut but he is afraid about the pup? Maybe he goes to the cave still and makes sure the pup is warm and safe, but what if he returns to the castle?

Imagine nico being so confused when both Mark and his new bride were not there to greet him, and then this of rut smelling Alpha in a pretty dress covered in mud comes stumbling in carrying a little toddler. Nico just staring dumbfounded until Seb rasps out "I am Sebastian. If you are really friends with Mark, please help me" and that spurs Nico into action.

Nico managing to get Seb in some hidden chambers before anyone else sees him and giving him herbal tea from his kingdom that lessens rut symptoms (and also makes the Alphas a littl3 loopy lol). Seb just rambling away about where he is from and why he did what he did and it's in a mix of languages but Nico understands most. He doesn't really have an explanation for the litlte pup clinging to him, who growled when Nico tried to lift him out of Seb's arms to wash him up a bit. The pup mumbling his name is Osca' and Seb just keeps mumbling Oscar is his son now!

Mark coming home and finding this mess lol! But Nico is understanding and will not tell anyone about Seb, and pls Mark getting to meet tiny Oscar who is a little sus bur if Seb likes Mark than Osc will too!

[obislittleone]

The Winner Takes It All

Episode 8

Pairing: Finnick Odair x Tribute(OC)!Reader

Chapter Warnings: Anxiety, canon typical violence... like, a lot of it. Death, mentions of gore and vivid scenes of blood. Drowning, mentions of water consumption (not in a good way)

Chapter Summary: The hours after the bloodbath are a bit easier, but still nerve wracking for not only the tributes within the arena, but also their mentors who are watching from the winner's circle on a big screen.

Word Count: 3.8k

this is going to get so much worse and I am so not sorry

“First year I’ve actually gotten lucky.” “And the fact that they aren’t even careers is astound-” She cut herself off, looking past him to the screen he’d been watching all day. Her eyes narrowed and she looked confused. “What the hell?” 

Finnick hasn’t left the couch for hours. He knows without question that you’re alive, and that your allies have your back… but he can’t move his eyes from the screen. Every time they cut away from the career pack to focus on other tributes, he holds his breath. He only lets it out again when you and Lukas are on screen. As much as he hopes Lukas won’t win it all, he is relying on him to stay alive until the last possible second. He knows it’s selfish, and it’s cruel. He knows that Lukas is a great tribute and deserves to win as much as anyone else, but he also knows that he won’t be the same if you don’t win. Deep down he knows that this feeling he has is nonsense, and your life will probably end with the boom of cannon-fire and your picture in the sky. 

Johanna circled the couch and sat down, having already lost a tribute, she’s trying her best not to scream in the face of the first person she sees. She hates everyone and everything in the Capitol, and rightfully so. All she wants is to go home and stop watching these games. She knows her tribute will die, she just knows it. Still, she finds interest in the way Finnick keeps his eyes glued to the TV. This man before her is not the one she’s heard so many stories about. The one who pushes kids into the arena with basic knowledge of the games, refusing to get close to them and instead just reaping the glory of his own games with every visit he makes to the Capitol. This can’t be the wondrous and mighty Finnick Odair, youngest winner of the hunger games there has ever been. 

“They’re fine, you know,” she said nonchalantly, looking at how they traveled across the rainforest grounds, cutting at trees and branches to get through the muggy place. It had already rained twice since the games began, and you looked soaked to the brim. Water had been an easy find for the reason of the rain, but now viable shelter was the most important. The career pack was searching for a cave to hunker down inside, just for the night. They would pursue the other tributes in the morning. 

Truth be told, even though the careers had the highest kill count, the other tributes had gained some ground as well. The boy from eleven killed both the kids from ten, and the girl from seven had been attacked by but then defeated the girl from five. 

In total there were thirteen tributes remaining. 

“I know,” he said, unwilling to elaborate further, but also unwilling to look away for even a moment. It’s getting late, and he knows that he has to leave for his room soon, but he wants to stay here as long as he can, keep his eyes on the bigger screen until he’s certain nothing is going to happen. 

“You’re nothing like what I’ve heard about you.”

His interest was piqued, but not enough to turn away, he simply furrowed his brow and asked her. 

“How so?” 

She scoffed, as if it weren’t obvious. He knows he’s different this year than last, but he refuses to acknowledge it to another person. She’s new, the latest victor, she doesn’t know anything about him except for second hand accounts. 

“To put it plainly, you’re not as arrogant, selfish or entertaining as people say,” the slanted smile she wore was the first thing Finnick saw in hours after finally looking away from the screen. He didn’t think those words were quite right, but he understood why they were the choice words of anyone who had known him. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t live up to your expectation,” he replied, his tone sarcastic but still voiced his intrigue. He’d never seen himself from the point of view of an onlooker, probably because he didn’t care to be one until now. He was the center of every social circle in the victor’s lineup. Ever since he won. When he was young, people were just amazed by his skill to win at the age he was, as he grew older, they became enraptured with the way he grew into his divine beauty… but now, he’s the loner in a large room, sitting on the smallest couch in the dimmest corner and watching the hunger games on the screen. 

“I was even intimidated to talk to you last night, I thought you might be an ass or something.”

At this he laughed. He may have been a bit full of himself, but an ass? He felt that went just a bit too far. 

“I don’t think I was ever an ass,” he defended. She couldn’t help but give him a surprised look. Maybe he hasn’t heard everything they say about him. To her, he definitely sounded like an ass. “I know I’ve earned myself a… particular reputation.”

“What changed? Why is the mysterious and handsome center of attention over here all by himself, and so suddenly?”

He shrugged loosely, looking down at the empty glass he’d not had refilled in several hours. He’d been too glued to his spot since the bloodbath to care what kind of service he was getting. Not like he needed it, anyway. 

“Just hoping for a different outcome this year,” he let out, his tone monotonous and solemn. He wants his victor, but it has to be his prized tribute. 

“Well, the odds are in your favor... Both of your tributes are spectacular,” she scoffed after very clearly enunciating her last word, her sarcasm and envy dripping from every other one. She’d already lost a tribute. She’s new here, that was her first loss, but it would not be her last. She was certain that her other tribute would not win these games… especially not with Finnick’s dazzling pair standing in the way.

“First year I’ve actually gotten lucky.”

“And the fact that they aren’t even careers is astound-” She cut herself off, looking past him to the screen he’d been watching all day. Her eyes narrowed and she looked confused. “What the hell?” 

Finnick turned back immediately, his heart dropping into the pit of his stomach as soon as he viewed the scene. His tributes and the rest of the career pack had finally found a cavern… but within the depths was a freshwater spring, probably deep enough to drown in. This wouldn’t be so frightening if you hadn’t been ‘playfully’ shoved by a certain district one tribute, now splashing frantically in the water to keep your head above it. 

“Grab her, damnit,” he whispered to Lukas as if he were here, standing off of the couch to put himself closer to the action happening on screen. 

“What is she doing?” Johanna asked with great suspicion. Why was a district four kid like yourself struggling so badly to paddle back to the place you were pushed from? It didn’t make any sense. District four kids are practically swimming before they can even walk. 

Finnick was breathing harshly, his hands balling into fists at his sides and his jaw clenching. He completely disregarded Johanna at this moment, because she wasn’t the one drowning. 

Seeing Lukas take the time to take off all the gear he was carrying before jumping in after her was nerve wracking, but in the end, he pulled her out, and she was okay. Lukas had technically done the right thing, as now the rations and supplies are still intact and will last them far longer than if he’d jumped in with everything.

“Finnick?” 

He turned to see not just Johanna, but several other victors standing behind him. They all looked just as confused and a bit angry at the situation. How did someone like you, from district four, no less, get a perfect score… and you couldn’t even do the most basic thing that those from your district thrive on?

“Your tribute, she-”

“Can’t swim.” He filled them in. It was pretty obvious, but he didn’t want to wait for anyone else to say it, along with their foolish remarks about how ridiculous it was, or how crazy you'd be for not trying to learn. He’d already had those thoughts, and they were destructive. He didn’t need to hear them again from those who didn’t know anything else about you. “Tried to work with her, but it didn’t seem to stick. 

He lifted up his glass in the air, claiming everyone’s attention to the small object, before leaving it on the counter across from him as he stepped past everyone and left the room. There was a screen at the mentor’s center, he could watch from there. No need to be bothered with all of this nonsense and possible backlash.

-

“It’s nice and spacious here, we could set up our own community,” Freeda joked, her laughter of herself filling the cave with echoes as the rest of the group followed in. 

“Hey guys look here,” Copeline looked up at a hole in the cavern ceiling, the light pouring into the stone walls to reveal a pool underneath it. The depths looked tauntingly large, but you wanted to see about it anyway. 

You took your turn glancing at it, the color was quite pretty in contrast to the muddy puddles outside from the constant rain. Water seemed to follow you, now. No use in hiding from it, even in a cavern. 

“District four loves to swim right?” Estelle asked Lukas, nodding her head towards the pool. Lukas was told to play along. Even if your allies were to ask you, you were to lie and say you could swim. Lukas didn’t know any better of her plans, so he smiled confidently and nodded. 

“That we do.” was his response. 

She hummed to herself, cocking her head to the side, and lunging forward to tap the back of her elbow to you, not hard enough to cause harmful suspicion, but enough to look playful. You fell in for how much you were leaning, and the water instantly took you over.

You clawed at the surface, wishing it was solid enough that you could grab it and hoist yourself up. The struggle became worse when you realized your backpack full of ropes and supplies was weighing you down. You’d have to lose it in order to paddle high enough. It slipped from your shoulders, sinking into the abyss, but you still couldn’t get up. It was like this water worked as gravity, trying it’s best to hold you in place. 

The panic set in when you got deep enough to not see the sunlight as clearly. Maybe the sun was behind a cloud, but you weren’t thinking that rationally right now. You were almost sure that this is how it would end. A tragic death that you deserved for the lie you told, and that fact that it was the very thing that got you here. A watery grave, and a regret of something but you didn’t know what. A feeling, a someone, a particular hole in your chest that something was missing, but under the water you couldn’t put your finger on it.

You succumbed to the way the water seemed to pull you under, feeling that it wasn’t as bad as being murdered by another person. Death by natural causes was at least decently justifiable. Your mother would have an easier time hearing that you’d drowned than if you were stabbed or shot or strangled or whatever else they thought to do. 

Your eyes closed and you let go of your breath, about to inhale the water before Lukas’ arms wrapped around you under your arms, pulling you quickly to the top of the pool and out of it. 

You coughed up the water from your mouth, breathing harshly to intake oxygen as quickly as you could. Lukas stayed knelt beside you, hand on your shoulder to help you calm down a bit. You were instantly met with the sound of echoing whispers, but no one had the courage to actually speak up yet about what they just saw. 

“Are you okay?” Lukas leaned down into your eyeline, watching you still struggle to sit back from your hands and knees. 

“I’ll be f-fine.”

He helped you to stand, feeling the shaking sensation within your muscles. It was wild how only a two minute time span could make you feel so scared. So anxious and so helpless. 

“You good, Mercy?” 

You looked up and saw that out of the other four tributes, Rodey was the most concerned. His voice reverberating off the cavern walls nearly startled you if not for the kind gaze his eyes settled you with. 

You nodded to him, tucking in on yourself for how cold it was in here, especially having just taken an unforeseen swim in a rather chilled spring of water. 

He immediately dug into his pack and pulled out one of the thermal blankets, stepping forward to wrap it around your shoulders. It was a sweet gesture, but the feeling of the warm blanket sticking to your wet skin made it all the more uncomfortable. The other three tributes looked peeved. Not angry per se, but not at all pleased.

“Is someone gonna explain, or do we just pretend it didn’t happen?” Copelin looked to Lukas for the answers. It seemed he had them, it seemed he knew everything. They had wordlessly appointed him as the leader of the pack, and it felt like he should be able to tell them the truth. 

“I think it’s pretty obvious, guys,” Estelle chuckled, her taunt deviously infiltrating the air as she prepared to make her claim. “The mermaid, here, can't swim.”

“Look, I know what you guys are thinking but it’s not what it looks like.” 

Lukas was prepared to make a defense, about how there was a tragic backstory and you were traumatized by water and how all these years you never wanted to set foot in it… but the truth had already been told. You didn’t care for a defense. 

“It’s exactly w-what it looks l-like,” you turned to Lukas, sighing out your words in a scrambled manner. The look in your eye told him not to beat around the bush or keep the act up. They all knew, and lying would make them even harder to reason with. They already had lost partial trust in you. 

“But it’s not,” he kept on, his look to you pleading, and as he turned to the other tributes, he had a stoic expression when he continued. “We were going to tell you, but our mentor made us keep it a secret.”

At that, the tributes looked at each other, and you looked at Lukas. That didn’t really make any sense. 

“Your mentor is Finnick Odair, right?” Freeda finally peeped up, the confusion in her tone almost completely overshadowed by her curiosity. You nodded your head. Mags was your mentor, too. Her being of older age and not winning her games by brute or skill, people didn’t really see her as much of a mentoring type. She scoffed at your visual response. “Figures.”

“He must really be tired of losing,” Copelin added. 

Estelle couldn’t believe what she was hearing. 

“So what? Do we just let this go? They lied to us, and we’re not going to say anything else?” Her sass was attention drawing, and though there was lesser light in the corner of the cave she stood in, you saw it. The glint of jealousy and anger in her eye. She’d known. She had to have. That's why she pushed you. 

“It’s not their fault, they were just doing what they were told.” 

The flames in her eyes were far too much to handle, and you tried to avoid them, but they sucked you in, telling you a story. 

She’d been watching the first night in the pool, on the first floor across from the wing in which the tribute apartments for her district were. She’d been curious, but what she found was far more than anything she expected. How personal the time was, spent swimming late at night, for hours with a mentor. It was not prohibited, but it walked a fine line, she would say.

“They might be lying to us about something else, too. I’m not going to stick around and find out what that is,” she waved them all off, grabbing her pack from where she set it on the ground, and went to the opening of the cave. 

“Estelle, wait. There's still three dangerous tributes alive, do you really want to go out on your own?” Rodey tried to stop her, but her mind had been made up. Every time she looked at you it was cemented in her thoughts over and again. 

“I’ll take my chances,” she threw a nasty look in his direction before stomping off into the rainforest, the leaves still damp from the previous rain. With the sun getting lower, it was going to be easier to sneak across the arena without being caught. The remaining tributes likely were settling in if they were able to find shelter. 

Everyone went back inside the cave after she’d left, and it was then time to eat. 

-

Lukas and Copelin have stepped outside of the cave to watch the fallen tributes ceremony that night. Eleven fallen in the first day, the boy from three, both tributes from five, both tributes from six, the boy from seven, the girl from eight, the boy from nine, the boy from ten, and the girl from eleven. 

They had less to worry about, but it didn’t exactly ease their minds. The boy from eleven was still alive, and probably responsible for the kills not committed by the career pack. The girl from seven wasn’t exactly something to pass by, either. 

They went inside and gave the news, but by the time that they had, You and Freeda were passed out asleep, Rodey sitting against the wall by the makeshift fire they had started. It wasn’t anything big, as the smoke only had a little room to escape through the hole in the cavern ceiling… but it would keep you all warm, and it would help to dry your clothes. 

“She didn’t exactly rest well last night,” Copelin explained, leaning against the stone wall and sliding down to sit against it. “I don’t imagine she did, either.”

Lukas nodded, sweeping the hair away from your face to see that you were indeed sleeping peacefully. He didn’t think you’d be able to in a place like this, but he was happy to be proven wrong. Maybe it was because, at least for the time being… you were safe.

“She had these… dark circles, under her eyes. She doesn’t usually have those,” Lukas explained, looking back to the other boys. They seemed to be amused with his treatment of you. 

“You got a thing for her?” Copelin asked, because lately he noticed his protective side of the girl from his district. Lukas had volunteered, but she had been reaped. They weren’t careers, but they seemed to know each other well before this ever happened. 

“No, I uh…” he struggled, the thought having to be shaken from his head at just the premise. He didn’t feel that way about you, but he did love you another way. “She’s my best friend, I’ve known her a long time.”

“You think she’s pretty though,” Rodey piped up, a bit of laughter under her words. It was all light and airy and made to be comical with him. He would never allow a dull moment, it seemed. 

“Yeah, I mean-” Lukas stumbled to find his words, not able to get them out at first because of how poor the last ones sounded. “I think she’s gorgeous, y’know? But I just don’t really think that we would ever…”

His trail of words was purposeful, but the others liked teasing him, and pushed for more. 

“That you would ever…?” 

Lukas didn’t like where this conversation was heading, so he shut it down the only way he knew how. 

“Look, even if we did feel that way about each other, there’s really no point in thinking about it, is there?” 

It was the first grim thing he’d said since entering the arena, and it sent a shiver down the spines of both boys. It didn’t matter if he had a thing for you. It didn’t matter if any of them did. It didn’t matter if they all wanted to remain friends, and it didn’t matter that they were all chummy together, even now. They would all be dead by the end of the week, all but one. 

“Well, I don’t know about you, but if I have to die, I’m gonna do it on my own terms, having said the things I want to say,” Rodey replied. It seemed strange to phrase things the way he just did, especially since he’s already in the arena, practically having signed his own death warrant by volunteering. “Maybe you don’t like her, but I do.”

Lukas furrowed his brows at this. The kid had known you for maybe four days, but somehow this was his grand revelation. He’d begun to like the female tribute from district four, knowing that they both couldn’t possibly survive. Quite logical.

“You can’t tell her that,” he said sorrowfully. 

“What? Why not? You just said it yourself, you’re not into her.”

“Because then she might like you back,” Lukas didn’t know how to phrase it, so it came out all wrong, but Rodey didn’t take offense, he just waited for the sentence to be rectified. “It’s cruel to tell her that. She’s had a hard time, alright? She never had guys interested in her for a lot of reasons. If you tell her now, she’ll cling to you until she realizes you both aren’t getting out of here.”

“Should the fact that I like her tell you that I’m willing to protect her?” Rodey proposed, but Lukas came back quickly with a counter response. 

“Are you willing to die for her?” And at that, Rodey turned silent, dropping his head to the ground. Everyone here has to come to terms with the fact that they might not be the victor, and that they might succumb to their doom… but careers are different. They are raised to be champions. They don’t want to have to think that they won’t be the survivors. “That’s what I thought.”

Rodey shook off the conversation, laying down and turning away from the other two that were still awake. They could take the first watch, he’d be fine to sleep while he was tired. They had good cover, it was unlikely that they would need to be ready for an ambush, anyways. Unless, of course, Estelle had a mind to betray them. They would definitely have to leave in the morning, there was less chance of her selling out their hideout that way. 

Lukas woke you up several hours later, and yourself and Freeda took the next watch until morning. 

-

tags(open): @thepassionatereader @i-voluntears @secretsicanthideanymore @mystargirl-interlude @c4ttheart @lilibrn

[gingerlurk]

Binding | Part II

Din Djarin x f!Reader

A Lovers' Crest one-shot (in three parts). Complete on A03.

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Summary: Lost and alone in a dark cave, you need to figure out what happened to the Mandalorian.

Word count: 6.5k

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, established relationship, characters in peril, mind control, evil droid, being restrained, canon-typical violence. Also, lots of action, characters in peril, lots of peril, sorry. Please let me know if there's more to add I am rusty.

A/N: This story won't make much sense if you haven't read Lovers' Crest. Or even if you have, it may still be nonsense. I'm not sure. I really put all the characters through it here. The next chapter is well cosy though, I promise.

--

With a pained gasp and a flailing of limbs, you break the surface of putrid water. 

Breathless and sputtering, you struggle to keep your head above the stinky pool you’d plummeted backwards into right after Din’s helmet had disappeared from view. You twist and thrash around for a bit before realising you’re unhurt, just treading water in total darkness. 

It still takes several deep breaths before there’s enough air in your lungs to call out.

‘Din?’ You shout, craning to look back up. Back to where you had fallen from. ‘Din? Grogu?’

No answer. You jab at the light strapped to your arm, it buzzes a few times before fizzling out to nothing. But it had flashed just enough for you to spot a bit of rock poking out of the water. Strike out in that direction, kicking until you can smack a hand onto it.

Feeling about, you find the rock is quite large. Haul yourself out of the wretched water and sit, elbows on knees and panting. You look up again.

‘Din?’ you call, pushing down panic. Nothing. ‘Grogu?’

At that, a beam of light appears up above. The faint nervous trills and grunts of the child echo down to where you’re perched. You’d estimate it to be a ten metre drop.

‘Grogu? Hey, kiddo? Are you okay? Where’s Din?’

The pod drifts out into the open air and descends to you. The kid is now chittering with insistence as he comes level with where you sit, blinding you with his lamp. You shield your eyes to see him and take in the wide-eyed worry.

‘Hey baby,’ you gesture him closer and dig into the side of his pod for your little field tool kit. ‘It’ll be okay. Sit tight.’ 

Tugging the device off your arm, you motion for him to direct the light so you can see your work. You’re focusing hard on practical steps. Rather than the primal dread crawling up your spine. Steps like ‘need light fixed’. And not, Where’s Din? Where is he? Where did he go? Where– No, need light fixed.

Step one. Fix light.

A bit of fiddling and it blinks back at full force. You huff an exhale and point it around you and the child, who’s still murmuring and anxious.

This rock is indeed a small island in the middle of a vast underground lake. It must be one of the spots where the aquifer breaches the rock layer. You direct the beam up the sheer cliff. Next practical step is ‘need back up there’.

‘Okay Grogu, bud,’ you lay what you hope is a reassuring hand on the child. ‘Think you can manage a miracle?’ He’s squeezing his eyes shut and focusing before you finish the sentence. You manage a half smile, ‘Nice.’

Closing your eyes too, you try to channel energy toward his efforts, feeling, as always, that vast and intimidating power that lives on your periphery. It stirs, begins to move. Within yourself it is a fuzzy and flickering thing. When you see it in Grogu, it’s like looking into a sun.

Next thing you know, you are weightless. The sharp rocks that were digging into your legs drop away as you begin to float. You fight vertigo and fear, trying not to grip Grogu too tight. He raises you and the pod, depositing your feet right back on the spot where that creature had smacked into you.

Shining a light around the carnage, you will yourself to contemplate the next task. Find out what happened to Din.

‘Alright bud,’ you say, still with a hand on Grogu, ‘can you show me?’

He ‘wahs’ a little before raising a claw to clasp one of your fingers. 

The vision sweeps across your mind’s eye. Din, on his knees, leaning over the edge to look down at you, raising a forearm to engage his whipcord. Behind him, a long, segmented mechanical... thing snakes across the ground. Toward him. It snaps a clamp over his ankles and drags him backwards. Back... that way... you turn and walk in the direction the vision showed.

Come to a dead end.

With shaking hands, you reach out to feel about the rocky wall. Nothing. It’s just a rocky wall.

‘Fuck.’

But Grogu saw him pulled this way, so there must be something. You decide to give this a go yourself, unwilling to ask more of the child. He’s already looking drained after the ambush of monster bugs and saving your ass. He needs his strength. And all of you are a long way yet from being out of danger.

Turning your inner eye to the energy dwelling within, you bid it to approach. It’s already uncoiled and slides into your senses. Changes the shape of the universe as you funnel the power of the Force down into understanding this cave wall.

And it becomes crystal clear. Not a wall. A hard light shield masking a weapons-grade bunker. A heavy door sealed shut via an… an access panel right… over there…

Trailing a hand along the illusion, gritty rock becomes smooth and glossy under your fingers. Opening your eyes to look, your lamplight shows you’re still just touching a natural feature. But the modular beeping and responsive hum under your palm indicates it’s a piece of tech.

Okay, now… How do I… On instinct, you press your whole hand flat to the panel – jump in surprise as it activates.

Well, that was easy.  

It cycles loud. You push Grogu’s pod and back away with it to take cover behind a large granite pillar – watch a surreal process of the barrier grinding open to reveal a dim light just beyond its threshold.

Those hideous bugs would have drowned out the noise of the door opening. And you were a touch too distracted by being hurled off a cliff in any case.

But whatever that snaking thing was, it dragged Din in there.

You force yourself to wait a good thirty seconds and, when nothing appears and no movement can be seen, edge out to approach with cautious steps. The child follows close behind, quiet – just the hum of his pod echoing behind you.

A narrow corridor opens into a true nightmare and you have to work to beat back a rising hysteria. A cavernous space made difficult to comprehend by the chaotic array of items, paraphernalia, and junk scattered around and piled high. You spy everything from broken pieces of armour through to what looks to be a speeder’s engine mount.

Bones too. A lot of them.

With an arm up to keep Grogu back a ways, you continue to cast around, searching the place for any sign of--

Your sweep halts and blood freezes in your veins. A sight that is familiar and frightening all at once.

The angular chrome catches the beam of your torch. High arches you would know by touch glimmer in the low light. The dark T-visor stares, reflecting your wide-eyed horror. 

But there’s no reaction to your gasp of shock. None at all. The Mandalorian’s helmet doesn’t move an inch. 

Because it’s not Din.

It sits alone, still and silent, on a small mountain of discarded tech. 

No life in there.

You take a trembling step toward it.

‘Now, now—'

A reverberating drone peels across the silence. 

‘You wouldn’t be thinking of stealing from me, would you?’ 

Nothing about the voice makes sense save for the language you recognise. It’s ungodly. The sound of it grates on your ears like a corrosion – words being pushed through mechanical parts. It’s coming from all around you, disembodied and loud. 

‘Because that wouldn’t make you a very worthy guest, now would it?’

Unable to place its source, you take another step – fingers desperate to make contact with the beskar piece.

‘Ah, ah, ah!’ clicks the noise in a mocking admonishment. 

Another step, just a few more before you can lay hands on--

‘Wow,’ comes the staccato. ‘So rude. I think I need to have my new toy deal with you.’

From a darkened passage on the other side of the space, a new sound emerges. This one you know. Know it as well as you know the helmet just beyond arm’s reach. It sends a cascade of gooseflesh over you.

The clinking, steady footfalls of Din Djarin grow louder until he emerges from the darkness. There’s not even a shred of relief felt on seeing him. Something is badly wrong. 

He’s not in there. Not at home. A blank, glassy-eyed expression tracks the room and peels over you and Grogu like you’re just features of the bunker wall.

And, somehow even worse, he walks right by the pile of junk on which his helm rests, no inkling there at all that it’s his sacred property. He comes to a stop in front of you. In the dim light, you can make out a blinking chip-like array at his left temple. Angry red lines radiate out from the attachment. The eye there is bloodshot and weeping.

It’s horrifying.

‘Grogu,’ you whisper, sights fixed on your vacant partner. ‘Go.’

The baby whines at the instruction and you wave toward the way out. 

‘Go, go! Get Gaius. Get--’

He hasn’t moved yet when the grisly robotic voice clicks an indifferent, ‘Kill them, if you please.’ Din moves into motion so swift you shout in alarm. 

His arm is up and bringing a savage swing down toward Grogu’s head that you only just manage to intercept, twisting into his elbow and throwing your whole weight into diverting the blow. It’s what it takes, his raw strength such that you have to body his entire limb just to counter.

It happens twice more, him swinging with vambraced arms as you lurch and throw yourself between him and the child. Grogu seems to be frozen in fear, staring up at his father with a trembling disbelief. 

‘Grogu!’ you try again, caging Din’s wrist with both forearms to direct it into open air, rather than the hovering pod. ‘Go! ’

He still doesn’t move, paralysed. 

Just as you drive a desperate shoulder into the possessed man’s fist, you twist flush to Din’s chest, lean into his cuirass and use the purchase to lift a foot and kick the baby’s pod away.

It does the job – Grogu whirrs out of reach and flops back with a grunt. But before you can move, a huge arm locks across your throat. It compresses your airway with a discompassionate ease.

Blind terror rips a strangled scream from you before losing breath. Gods it hurts. An instant burning. You claw and wheeze. Drown in the horror that this is how it ends, so sudden and so random. It crawls in your heart and you sob. Not Din... please not by him... It’s sapping strength as oxygen becomes an unknown to you. Arms drop and flail at the armour-clad tower behind you.

Futile. This is it.

But the muscles holding you firm ease. Just a little. Just enough so can you gasp air and drop weight to your knees to get free of the chokehold. You make a half-roll and leap to your feet to look back at him, hands to your throbbing – but open – throat.

He’s frozen, stock still. And you see it. You see him. His eyes are alight with horror, with fear and panic. Dark irises track over you, stare at where you grip your neck. He starts to spasm and shudder, like something is fighting to burst out of him. He whimpers your name and then—

‘Run,’ he gasps. A plea through shredded vocal chords, ‘Run!’ 

His eyes go blank again as you pivot on the spot, set your sights on Grogu’s pod that is now – mercifully – racing away, and bolt. Through ringing ears, you hear the voice crackle in delight, ‘Oh she’s fun! Secure the female alive. Kill the small thing.’

You can’t handle this alone. You don’t know what to do. Din groans and snarls behind you, in a war with himself and the alien tech trying to hold him in thrall. He fights it long enough for you to get a decent lead, then he’s chasing you down. Thundering boots send hammers of black dread to beat against your spine.

As you run, you manage to make three observations. One, he hasn’t used any of his own equipped weapons yet. Two, his attacks were clumsy – nothing like his usual precise and practiced brutality. Three, he’s gaining on you.

This last observation comes as you breach the cave opening into the white hot light of the surface. Your feet kick up dust that cakes on the soaked fabric of your pants. It swirls in the billowing tempest wrought by the Mandalorian closing the distance between you.

Time slows.

The first thing that happens is a hand landing hard on your shoulder. The other reaches to hug your ribs firm. You’re pulled into him and forced forward at the same time, held in an embrace of violent control. The ground rushes up to meet you. Like a ragdoll, you’re twisted side-on to slam into it, so hard the momentum of your legs carry on in a disorienting cartwheel over yourself. 

You’re winded so full-bodily you can only go limp, try to brace your arms but it’s no use. 

Shoved over, face and torso into the dirt, you’re helpless as he throws his full weight on top of you. Just trying to catch your breath – everything burning, throat, lungs, limbs. There’s nothing you can do against being straddled by him as his grip shifts on your body.

He takes your upper arms and – with a vicious yank – the ground tips away as you’re hauled up into a vicelike hold, pulled flush to hard beskar chest yet again. 

Sagging in his merciless restraint, there’s just enough mental will left to observe that Grogu is nowhere to be seen. The barren terrain around you is quiet.

He got away… at least he got away…

Your captor comes to the same conclusion with a grunt of frustration.

He turns in a full circle, evidently unclear where to go in the hunt for his assigned target.

Huh, you think. He doesn’t know which way his ship is? That’s interesting.

After twisting and turning about, jerking you to and fro, he stops – seems locked by indecision, unable to fulfil one of the directives issued by that voice back in the cave.

‘You may as well just take me back,’ you say, sounding raspy – feeling the effort burn your throat. ‘You won’t find him.’

Wind and dust float around the two of you as he remains still, incapable of choosing a path forward. You’re craning your neck, pressing it into his shoulder to look up at him, when you see the chip at his temple blink a harsh blue light. 

Orders coming in?

Your guess is confirmed when – with another frustrated snarl – he begins to move.

Back toward the opening of the cave.

You let yourself feel some kind of relief that Grogu has escaped – mostly so you don’t slip into hysterical terror.

He drags you into the dark and, as you struggle and plead to no avail, back into the hoard of horrors. 

‘Chain her,’ the alien speech greets you, and you’re pulled to a wall dripping with cables and restraints. Arms are tugged behind your back for loops to be coiled around and around, secured – tight – until you’re bound against the solid surface.

The whole time Din does this – winding chains with clumsy hands – you’re murmuring to him, trying to get through. Din? Din – you’re in there, I know you’re in there. C’mon, Din. It’s me, it’s me. Din!

But you get nothing, and your arms are locked behind you so tightly, you begin to worry about circulation. Then he steps back. Goes still.

You have no idea what to do. Bide for time?

It’s all you have.

‘So,’ you start, speaking into the void. Have to clear your throat a few times, wincing. ‘What are you? One of those kid-enslaving droids?’

A long pause like it's considering whether or not to engage. 

‘Technically…’ it grates. ‘I’m supposed to be. Up there.’

Another pause. Then talkativeness seems to win out.

‘But it’s just been so boring since the change,’ it reverberates and grinds. ‘I’m not even needed, really. Here is much more fun. Do you know how many like you I’ve rustled out of these caves?’

You could take a guess, looking at the huge amount of pillaged equipment and torn clothing piled and scattered about.

‘They just. Keep. Coming!’ it crumbles on. ‘And they. Never. Leave!’

Nauseated, weary, you let slip a morose conclusion, ‘You’re a monster,’ you say.

‘Hah! Yep.’

‘Why do you do this?’ you ask. Not really wanting to know, but trying to keep it talking – afraid of what comes next.

‘It’s fun. Watch this,’ it says. ‘Go stand over there.’

That blue light emits from Din’s temple again and he responds in an instant, turning away from you and walking to a random point in the room. It blinks off again when he stops moving.

Huh, you think again. Interesting.

‘But it wears off, yeah?’ you say. ‘He’ll be able to break out eventually, has done it once already – right Din?’ You look over to him. Get nothing in response. Direct your attention back to empty air. ‘So what then?’

‘Oh, no no no,’ it belches. ‘Nooo this is a modified device of my making. Once that pesky little breakdown starts it’ll ffzzzzz,’ it makes a horrible sound like a wet blender on turbo, ‘Scramble ‘em up real good.’

You swallow acid, feel the horror swell hot within you. Wrench on the bindings so hard your muscles scream. 

‘Fuck you,’ you spit. It bursts out – you’re trying to convert fear into anger. Trying to muster something to get you and Din out of this. ‘Fucking, fuck, I am going to fuck. You. Up--’

‘Hah!’ it cranks. ‘My, my, I’ve had some feisty ones in my time but you – you take the crown.’

You brace a foot on the wall and try to—ugh, it’s too tight—try to twist side-on to get some slack in the chains. Fuck, owww, it has more effect on your shoulder joints than anything else. Pins and needles fizz in your hands.

‘And now,’ says the droid, projecting a low menace that vibrates the air. ‘Now it’s your turn.’

You freeze. No.

No, no, no no no no!

Your renewed struggles echo loud, bouncing around the place along with your cries of distress.

‘Go over there, pick it up,’ it intones. 

Din’s movement summons your attention, pausing your desperate efforts. He strides to a wide bench littered with debris and tools, with weapons and circuitry – ignores it all to pick up a singular object. 

A twin to the one clamped to his temple. 

‘Put it on her,’ comes the command from all around.

Din turns with the thing in hand. He takes steps toward you.

‘No,’ shaking your head. ‘Don’t, don’t.’

As he gets closer, you can see little tendril-like appendages unfurl from a blinking body pinched between his fingers – they sway in the air, seeking flesh to latch onto. 

Recoiling, you shrink against the wall. Try with all your might to get away from it.

‘Din, Din!’ you’re shouting, on the verge of screaming. ‘Fight it! Fight it, please.’

Muscles shriek in protest and your hands feel like they are going to explode, but you just thrash harder, mind blank with terror. He holds the thing out in front of him as he walks. Your head jerks back, smacks into the hard wall and your vision swims. 

Groggy, disoriented, you sag in defeat and muster everything left into one final plea. A final beseeching of his name.

‘Din!’ It’s a cry of pure fear.

His steps halt. Almost within arm’s reach of you, he stops like an invisible wall has blocked his path. He lurches like half of him wants to carry forward but the other keeps him locked in place. The device in his hand continues to sway and seek, but it’s not getting any closer.

Working to calm yourself. Not sure what to do or say, lost and fretting over the thing blinking by his eye, you just ramble, ‘It’s me, it’s me. Please. It’s me, and I need you.’

Maybe- maybe if you can get him to free you, you can get that thing off before it kills him.

‘Please, I need you t—'

Din convulses. He shudders all over. 

Hot dread washes over you as he takes another small step forward. No, gods, please!

But a grunt of pure grit coming from deep down bursts forth and he staggers back.

He twists from you in a clumsy pivot, almost falls to his knees but stays upright to lunge away. With an arcing arm, he hurls the device to the other side of the space. It hits a wall and clatters into a pile of litter.

A half a second to feel relief when--

‘Ugh,’ the droid hacks. Oh no, fuck, in the last few moments of panic – you’d actually forgotten about it. You stare at Din in desperation. Tears spring in your eyes. ‘Never had one go so quick,’ it goes on. ‘How annoying. Oh well, say goodbye to your--'

‘Now Grogu!’ Gaius’ voice. 

From the shadows, the kid is a blur through the air. He leaps a massive distance across the bunker to land on Din’s twitching shoulder. Clamps a clawed little hand to the atrocity latched to his father’s head. With a pained ‘hhhhheh’, he channels his Force energy. You feel it flutter and writhe in your consciousness – a duel unfolding between it and the horror tech. 

Din lets loose a torn scream – face a rictus of agony. But Grogu doesn’t let up. His energy growing and expanding, radiating in waves around the room. You watch, transfixed, beset with fear and hope.

The binding gives a violent whir and, at a final shout of pain from the towering figure, it detaches – the tendril-like appendages lifting from the skin of the temple. It wriggles in Grogu’s grasp like a caught insect.

The Mandalorian jolts and stumbles back a few steps. The child tumbles off his shoulder and into his arms, dropping the device. It clatters to the ground, where a huge boot is rising to slam down onto it. Din cradles his son as he grinds his heel before kicking the crushed object away and falling to his knees with a pained heave of breath. He takes a moment to tilt his head back in surrender, and relief.

Over the speaker, the voice that had been commanding this entire horrorshow clacks a sudden string of static.

‘Wait!’ it shrieks. ‘Wait, wait, wait, what are you—Who? No, no you, you can’t, you can’t. S-stop. Stop!’ It devolves into a kind of nonsense circuitry as the sound of metal crunching and mechanical joints being ripped apart echoes off the cave walls. With a final, khirrrrr… the place is quiet again.

From the direction that a possessed Din had first marched out of the dark, Gaius shuffles. Eyes glassy, expression blank. For a fearful second, you worry they’ve been put into binding too, but there’s nothing at their temple. Face clear, but in shock.

They’re holding the head of a droid in one hand and a phase driver in the other – look between the two items for a moment before jamming the tool into one of its eye sockets and giving it an angry twist. They drop the lot and slump against the wall. 

‘My whole life,’ they gasp. ‘Been wanting to do that to one of those things.’

You’re taking that in when hands are on you. You jump with fright. But it’s Din. He’s put Grogu down and is by your side, releasing the chains on your arms. That dexterous precision is back, you can feel seeking fingers moving over your limbs, checking and testing for injury at the same time as he releases the locks. You try to make eye contact, but he won’t look at you.

The second your arms are free, while rubbing blood back into them, you dash to the junk pile to retrieve the helmet, stride back to him.

‘Din?’ you ask, searching his face, needing to confirm he’s still in there. ‘Hey, please look at me.’

His eyes shift to yours. 

Seeing what you need to see, you give a sigh of relief and lift the helmet to gently lower it over his head. A desolate expression settles on his features, gaze dropping to stare into nothing as the helm goes back in place. You run each hand along the sharp arches on either side, look straight into the visor.

‘It’s alright,’ you say. ‘We’re alright.’

No response.

But you can’t linger in front on him. Have to trust that he is gathering himself behind the safety of the beskar. 

You cross the cavern to where the droid’s head had rolled to a clanking stop. Pick it up and tug the driver out to peer inside it. Tilting it to and fro for a minute, you close one eye, hold it close – spot just what you were looking for. Sticking the tool in a pocket, you keep hold of the head and pace to where Din had hurled the grotesque little device. The one that had been intended for you. Shove down fear to lift it with ginger fingers, observing the thing’s chip for a moment.

‘Thought so,’ you say. 

‘What’re you—’ Gaius starts, straightening up and getting closer. But you just move past them, on a warpath of your own now. 

Heading into the dark, it’s only a few steps before a circular control room opens up. Banks of panels and stacks of camera screens line the space. You scan them. See footage of the tunnels you’d come through, the cliff edge where you’d fought the bugs, and the cavern – where you are pained to see that Din hasn’t moved an inch, though Grogu is at his feet, looking up.

The headless part of your tormenter remains in place, sitting in the middle of the surveillance set-up, plugged into multiple ports with various coupling appendages branching out from its chassis. 

You move toward it, intent on your plan. Gaius has followed and gives a cry of alarm as you plant the thing’s head back onto its body, yank the phase driver out and start to affix the neck with angry little twists.

‘Wh-!’ they exclaim in horror. ‘What’re you d—’

‘Don’t worry,’ you say, not looking up. ‘You’ve fried its mobility array. It can’t move. But…’ with a violent stab of the hand tool into the top of the unit, you drag the whole back half of the cranium down.

‘It’s still networked this way,’ you go on. ‘With the system, and these things.’ You lift the binding monstrosity. Gaius recoils at it, watches with naked disgust as you hold it in the light of the monitor screens. 

There’s a little port on the wide desk that houses the device perfectly. When you drop it onto the glowing surface and slap a button, an exploded diagram of the chip is projected in a holo floating in front of you. You point. The component is clear as day.

‘What am I looking at?’ they ask.

‘Data stream,’ you say, shift your direction to a similar looking shape inside the droid. ‘Connected to this. That’s how it could make commands by just saying shit.’

Technically, it didn’t need to say anything at all – could just transmit orders in an instant – but this fucker liked to showboat apparently.

‘Incredible,’ Gaius stares at you with awe. You turn away, land eyes back on the screen that is recording the cavern. See that Din is no longer where you left him. It’s a brief spark of panic when you can’t locate him on the monitor, but it drops when you hear footsteps approaching. He emerges into the room a moment later, the child on his heels.

He looks around, but doesn’t speak. 

‘Just in time,’ you say. ‘I’m gonna fry all the droids. Shut ‘em down.’

‘You- you can do that?’ Gaius asks. ‘You’re going to do that?’

You just shrug.

It’s a few more steps. Jamming the phase driver into the droid’s screw plate, you wedge it tight so it destabilises the override.  

Then you step to a keyboard and begin punching in a program you’d created during the trip to this cursed planet.

‘Will it hurt it?’ they ask.

‘Uh, yeah,’ you say, finishing up the last few lines of code. ‘In a manner of speaking.’

‘Good.’ Gaius and Din are a chorus, spitting the word out in unison.

With a final adjustment, you set the program running. The droid’s coupler arms begin to twirl and tool in the inputs. It’s an awful sound, like it's protesting with all its will against carrying out the commands you’d dumped into it. But it’s helpless and – as you all watch – red alerts begin to blink on, a few, then a few more, then more, then the whole bank is alight.

The room pulses a deep bloody colour and you fiddle with dials under the monitors. They cut to various feeds inside the factory and you get to view in glorious fuzzy resolution droids all over the place begin to spasm and drop. 

‘Look,’ you say, pointing to a stream showing a set up similar to the one you stand in. Another insect-like droid – your original target, up on the factory’s command floor – whirrs in confusion. All of its alarms are chiming as well and, after a moment, the screen whites out as sparks and flames consume it.

You flick a few levers and the red alarms wink out, the room fades back into a mute grey. It’s silent for a long beat, until Gaius speaks up.

‘Now what?’ they ask, sounding a bit dazed.

In answer, you spin the dials again, find a feed of some kind of production line – where kids are stumbling backwards, dropping tools, leaning into each other. Touching disbelieving fingers to the sides of their heads. Looking all around.

‘Gaius,’ you say, stepping close. ‘The binding won’t work without the droids. The kids are free. Your sister’s free. We just need to find her.’

They stare at you, eyes filling with tears, before pulling you into a tight hug. You let them, looking over a shoulder at the Mandalorian, who’s still and watchful.

‘I can’t believe you did all this.’ Gentle sobs into your ear.

You lift shoulders and drop them again, ease out of the embrace after a moment.

It had always been the plan.

From the very moment you’d learned this tech existed, you’d been hellbent on destroying it. Rescue the sister, but end all this as well.

You’d needed to improvise, sure. But it had always been the plan. It’s why you took the job.

At what cost though, you’ll need to figure out later.

You move in front of Din, take his hands in yours and look into the centre of his T visor again.

‘C’mon,’ you say. The dark visage is on you, and you imagine a pained expression behind it – teeth clenched and eyes swimming with remorse and anxiety. ‘Let’s finish this.’

He squeezes your hands tight. 

‘We’ll finish this,’ you continue, letting go and readying a weapon. ‘And then we can go home.’

He nods, draws a blaster, and follows you without hesitation.

There were no contingencies. No back-ups. No failsafes. The hubris of this tyrannical regime was such that all you needed to do was walk to the front gates and open them up.

So you get to stand and watch as crowds of children, youth, young ones, stagger out of the gaping maw of the facility, rubbing at their eyes and peering around. Get to watch a similar cohort of adults gathering at the threshold, moving into a kind of organised thrum to corral the children in and start to sort out who’s who. 

Blankets appear, trays of food and hydration, little field med stations are whipped up in short order.

It’s so organised, it seems premeditated. Like something had been planned this whole time. Like they’d never really given up and, taking this boon, were ready to move and bring these kids into a safe haven.

You watch from a distance, and feel warm.

They also seem ready – as you observe a rank of the adults quietly emerge from the crowd, armed and in formation – to take the fight to the faceless cohort responsible for all the suffering they’d endured. 

You see Din move toward the group, making motions to the gigantic building at your back and activating his vambrace to show the holo map of the facility. Pointing and gesturing to indicate the best approach.

Taking action, it’s where he finds comfort.

Cracking knuckles and adjusting each wrist bracer, you wait until it’s time to fall in and aid their endeavour. Because yes, you are going to finish this. Fully. The scramble you’d left running in the system to wipe all data related to binding was the penultimate step.

This last thing, taking down those who created it, is the least you could do.

Then you can leave this place and never look back.

Gaius appears at your side, a girl on their hip with arms wrapped all together. Her temple’s already been patched up and she chews away on a sweetbar. You try to make eye contact with her, give a wave. But she’s shy, and turns away, burying her face against her older sibling’s neck.

‘Gods,’ Gaius mutters. ‘You’ve gotten heavy.’

They give you a lopsided smile, which you force yourself to return. 

‘Still can’t believe you did all this,’ they say. ‘You… are a miracle. And I’m sorry that-- I got there as fast as I could…’

You kick a stone to skitter along the dust. ‘We even now?’ you say, give up a sardonic brow.

‘Hah,’ with a long exhale and a disbelieving shake of the head. ‘I will never not be in your debt. But, we probably won’t be crossing paths again, will we?’

You nod, look out across the landscape.

‘Hell,’ they continue. ‘Running into you at that hub probably used up all the luck in the galaxy.’

A beat more of contemplation. The squad is moving toward you, Mandalorian in the lead. You shift your stance.

‘Tell you what,’ Gaius says. ‘My ship is still at that hub. Bay lease is good for another couple months. You can have it. Sell it. I um, don’t think I’ll be needin’ it anymore.’

You’re speechless, raise a hand on reflex to accept the keycode they tug from a pocket and drop into your palm.

‘Okay…’ you say, too stunned to argue. The irony of it almost making you laugh. Or scream. But you give yourself and shake and ask, ‘You gonna stay here for good?’

‘Think so. Lot needs doin’, but,’ they smile. ‘I’m ready to work.’

Din has come flush to you now, and you turn with him. Ready to follow. But you look back for a moment, a thought occurring.

‘You know,’ you say. ‘That droid down in the caves and the one up on the command floor are toast; but the hardware’d still be good on the rest. You folks could reprogram them? Get their help?’

‘Mm,’ they respond, ‘maybe.’

‘Okay,’ you say, satisfied to have planted the seed, letting it go. ‘Take care, Gaius.’

With a final nod, they hoist the kid up a little higher and move off, toward the bustling reunion efforts.

Later, back on the Razor Crest with streaks of hyperspace flying past, you tilt the controls to standby, flick off all the diagnostic dials, and stand from the pilot chair. Din has already unbuckled and ducked out of the cockpit, the waves of brooding energy flowing off the beskar telling you to give him space. 

So you sit down on the floor and engage Grogu in a game of Force catch, the little silver ball whizzing back and forth between you. 

Though you’re both quiet, pensive. Shared thoughts drift on the air, united in a preoccupation with the third member of the crew, somewhere deeper in the hull. More than once, Grogu glances to the door with a little ‘ doo’, but there’s no movement beyond.

You chew on thoughts of how you’ll help Din process what happened. How you’ll apologise for putting him through all that. Try to frame it in your mind for when you are back home on Navarro.  

Praying he’ll be okay.

The kid gives a diminutive little yawn. Fatigue pricks at the sides of your mind too. Raising Grogu back up into his pod, he starts to nod off. You leave him there to doze and curl up in the flight chair the Mandalorian had vacated. Let your eyes drift shut and hope there’s no nightmares awaiting you.  

Prev | Next

--

Planet scale says what? No sorry, yes. It’s just one gigantic factory. What’s your point? And did I spiral on the morality of killing droids? Also yes.

Thank youuuuu for reading x

[blametheeditor]

Day 22 | Lost

Gt July Prompt List

First | Previous | Next

When stranded on an uncharted underwater planet, alone and surrounded by hostile lifeforms, there are only two possible outcomes: adapt and survive, or die trying.

Spoilers: For the game Subnautica

Content Warnings: Mentions of death and violence. Mentions of drowning and suffocation.

________________________

“I think we’re lost.” 

Scott isn’t afraid to admit he might’ve gotten them turned around, and he’s not too proud to say it’s definitely his own fault. 

In his defense, he’s never been to this island before. Hadn’t thought the cave system they entered winded all throughout it. Was more focused on keeping an eye on the ground than up to see where they were going and where they came from. 

That being said, he takes full responsibility. Turns to face Fritz with an apologetic expression. 

The kid tries his hardest to hide his panic.  “We’re lost?”

“Technically,” Scott begins as he looks at the multiple paths available for them to take. “I don’t know exactly where David and Vincent are, but the good news about an island is that we’ll eventually find them.” 

The bad news is they’re guaranteed going to break the promise made to the purple leviathan. They wouldn’t be doing it intentionally but it’s almost impossible to tell which tunnel will go where. There’s no telling where each one will lead, and if a certain glowing structure is at the end of it. Not to mention the cliff-like terrain leaves very few options for possible exits even if they do find the ‘right’ one. 

God, Vincent’s going to kill him. And then David’s going to kill him for keeping Fritz for so long. 

“How are you doing?” 

“I’m okay,” Fritz says with a sad attempt of an encouraging smile. If that didn’t tell him how bad the kid’s doing, being so pale it looks like his freckles will jump off him at any moment does. “Don’t worry about me, I-I can do whatever you need us to do.” 

Scott doesn’t have the heart to say they most likely will have to jump off a cliff. Prays they’ll somehow find the same entrance they used before. Or there’s a beach they can use to at least get their bearings. 

Actually, he’s half blaming this on Vincent and the insistence they use a very specific path to climb onto the island. The same path that made him realize Fritz has a thing for heights. Hadn’t let him get a full picture of what the island looks like before sending them on their way. 

Scott beckons Fritz forward, offering his hand to be taken. It immediately is, the tight grip telling him the heights really are getting to the poor kid. 

He gives a comforting squeeze. “How did you ever survive climbing through the Aurora?” 

“The, um, drops weren’t this tall,” Fritz murmurs as he follows Scott through the caves. “I-I also knew it’d be bad if I didn’t stop the radiation.” 

“Fair enough.” 

“Sorry for slowing you down.” 

Scott snorts. “You’re not slowing me down, Fritz. This is my usual pace when going through an unknown cave system on an unknown island that I am completely lost on.” 

That earns him a quiet laugh.  “Right, sorry. I just thought you’d be an expert at this since you were at a different island before.” 

“That island was nothing like this one,” the man scowls. “And just because I’ve been on one doesn’t make me an expert of all.” 

“An island connoisseur, then?” 

“Don’t make me tell David.” 

Fritz closes his mouth with an audible click with a grin. Suddenly tugs on Scott’s hand for attention as he points toward a tunnel. “I think I see daylight.” 

When the kid doesn’t take point, Scott carefully maneuvers until he’s able to lead them toward what’s hopefully some sort of exit. Maybe not one they want, but anything’s better than nothing. 

The closer they get, the more it seems like pure daylight instead of the faint glow the caves possesses. As soon as he sees an opening, he lets Fritz’s hand go with a motion to wait. 

Scott carefully moves closer toward the sound of waves crashing. Curses when the sight of just how high they are makes his own stomach twist with vertigo. 

God damn it. “I won’t lie, you’re not going to like it, Fritz.” 

“Is there a way down?” 

There is. An extremely narrow path down the side of the cliff that leads directly toward a tall structure that fits the description of what Vincent told them not to go near. 

God damn it. “I think we should go back and try to find another way.” 

Fritz stays silent, trying not to let his expression show preference toward either option. Scott won’t make him do something that even makes him shake, though. They’re not that desperate yet. 

He takes the kid’s hand again to slowly go back the way they came. Tries to find some kind of marker to remember what the tunnel leads, but it just looks exactly like everything else. 

“Let’s see if we can’t back track.” 

There’s no protests from Fritz as Scott attempts to guide them through the caves. Stays quiet until he spots something, pointing out a tunnel for them to investigate. The next one wasn’t any better than the last. But their third try leads them to a beach. 

“Not too high,” Scott smiles. “Not where we last saw the two, but we can at least get out of these caves.” 

Fritz obediently follows him down the sandy trail. “I-It was weird, not being able to touch the ceiling for once.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I’m really used to the underwater caves,” Fritz explains, pausing as he slows down in order to carefully walk over the uneven rock. Scott doesn’t comment on the unsure footing. He just patiently waits, arm outstretched in case the kid tumbles. “So it was weird I couldn’t just swim up and grab all the materials sitting up there.” 

He hadn’t even noticed anything that could be grabbed. Hadn’t once thought about looking up, either. 

“Are you secretly a fish, Fritz?” 

“Apparently David thought I was one for a while.” 

Scott smiles at that. Starts to ask how that discovery went. 

“H-H-Hello?” 

They both freeze. Share a look in the silent question if either of them had spoken. When Fritz shakes his head, Scott turns toward the trees in front of them. “Hello, hello?” 

He hears a gasp. And that’s when he finally sees movement toward their left. Stares at the sight of someone standing by a tree watching them in complete shock. 

Someone else survived.

What if they’re not from the Aurora.

Maybe it’s because of Vincent’s warnings that has him doubting if this stranger could be trusted. Maybe it’s the shock of finding someone else alive that leaves him too stunned to speak. 

Whatever it is, his hesitation is broken when the stranger suddenly waves. One glance behind him confirms it was to return Fritz’s. Something that makes the teenager grin. 

“Sorry for starling you,” Scott begins with a smile. “My name’s Scott, this is Fritz. We’re part of the Aurora crew.” 

“Y-You are?” they ask with a few hopeful steps forward. From this distance and without the trees in the way, he can see brown curls and hands nervously being wrung. “I a-a-am too! My name’s Jeremy.” 

“Nice to meet you, Jeremy!” Fritz chirps. 

Scott watches as relief and joy blossoms across Jeremy’s face. Can’t help but notice the kid’s incredibly young as well, maybe older than Fritz. And he’s been alone longer, taking refuge on this island. 

Which lifepod was his? Has he gone anywhere near the water? Has he explored the foreboding structure, or left it alone? 

How are they going to explain the two leviathans who follow them everywhere won’t eat him? 

[soulmatebracket]

Soulmate Bracket: Round 1 [Side A — Part V]

Provided reasoning under cut:

Wei Wuxian & Lan Wangji

They are canonically called soulmates!! In the live action this is platonic due to censorship and in the book it is romantic but the term actually used is zhiji (知己) of which soulmate is the closest english translation but is more literally like. the mirror to your soul. your own self in another person. i am not good with translations only wei wuxian dies but lan wangji mourns him for thirteen years (despite wwx being hated and despised by the world) because he can never love another. when wwx is brought back he recognises him instantly despite being in someone else’s body. they literally would find each other in any time or place

Oh boy. Ok. They're not explicitly called "soulmates" in the show/book but Netflix does use that categorization in its description of "The Untamed". Nor are either of them technically reincarnated BUT Wei Wuxian does get resurrected in another man's body through some shady necromancy, which is pretty darn close. They've got a fascinating relationship journey (basically enemies/rivals to lovers) Mr. Follow-All-Rules-To-The-Letter Lan Wangji meets Mr. Break-All-The-Rules-In-The-Name-Of-Fun-And-Showing-Off Wei Wuxian at teenage exorcist summer camp, they go through some sh*t, Wei Wuxian dies, Lan Wangji spends over a decade trying to find any sign of his lost soulmate while raising his adopted kid, then the shady necromancy happens and Lan Wangji IMMEDIATELY clocks that this guy simultaneously solving exorcist issues using slightly questionable means and causing shenanigans is Wei Wuxian. He might be in a different body pretending to be another crazy man, but HE KNOWS it's his guy because he acts the same and he knows the secret love song Wangji wrote for Wuxian that he shared one time in a cave during one of their near-death bonding experiences. Then history starts kind of repeating itself, only this time they stick together and make sure EVERYONE knows that they've got each others' backs, and they are absolutely legendary. Also Wei Wuxian is INCREDIBLY dense and it takes him just about until the end of the story to realize they're both gay and in love. They're complex and fascinating and tied to each other by the red string of fate so tightly that they are incomplete without each other. That's destiny, baby. They're soulmates, always and forever. (Possibly literally as the proper practice of exorcism (called "cultivation" in this world) can lead to immortality, and you know Mr. Follow-All-Rules-To-The-Letter Lan Wangji has the potential, and he will drag his guy along with him so they are never separated again.)

Okay so I feel like it could be argued if they count but the Netflix description of the show calls them soulmates and WWX *did* get reincarnated and then almost immediately run into LWJ who had been mourning him for 16 years. LWJ composed a little musical theme for them that ties them together and WWX playing it on a super out of tune flute is what let LWJ fully recognize him. Their magic which comes from their souls is very compatible and neither of them have ever been normal about each other in their life even though WWX spent a long time being extremely dumb and repressed about his very gay feelings (they are romantic soulmates, just takes them a bit to get there). Big "you and me against the world" vibes once WWX becomes the number 1 wanted guy in the entire universe due to dabbling in dark magic even though WWX was like "lan zhan if someone has to kill me i want it to be you" (LWJ did *not* want it to be him and did his very best to keep WWX alive even though it meant betraying his clan and the world as a whole). They got fake married as teens back when LWJ didn't even like WWX. There are multiple moments where they parallel other soulmates/soulmate-coded characters (song lan and xiao xingchen, baoshen sanren and lan an). They're the only two characters who get to be happy at the immediate end of the story and that's because both of them being alive and together and getting to wander around fighting monsters and playing music and being grossly in love is all that they both need.

Utena Tenjou & Anthy Himemiya

[SPOILERS] at the end of the series, it is revealed that they weren’t living in the real world this entire time. Utena was sent somewhere else. Anthy goes to find her in the movie, and Utena has lost all of her memories of Anthy in that world. At the end of the movie, they end up escaping to the real world

Utena falls in love with Anthy on first sight and makes sure she becomes her prince without even remembering who she is. They're stuck in a timeloop and eventually find themselves together near the end escaping from the horrors theyre trapped in. (Spoilers kinda) Anthy is hinted to have came back to life after being burned st the stake for being seen as a witch so the reincarnation exists,,,(they're in love your honor vote for my silly sapphics)

Every version of RGU is the narrative repeating itself. Devouring itself again. The serpent eating its own tail. Utena fights for Anthy again and again. Anthy betrays Utena, or lies to Utena, or cannot save the both of them quick enough. Anthy escapes, or they both escape, or they both get trapped again, and the story repeats, and Utena is winning the hand of the rose bride, and Utena cannot escape the narrative. Each time the story is told again Utena cannot quite remember how she got here, but it gets more familiar each time. RGU is a time loop that the characters can hardly escape. In every version, Anthy and Utena find each other. Betray each other. Find each other, again.

[spidercookie18]

Which of the Lost Boys do you think is the most likely to…

Be mistaken for a celebrity?

Have visited the most states or even countries?

Have a collection of books that they may or may not have read entirely?

Speak a foreign language fluently?

Identify types of flowers?

Have the most body count?

Be a sadist?

Be the best at math?

Give someone the wrong directions (intentionally)?

Be an extra in a zombie movie?

Have read a Harlequin book?

Win at trivia?

Give the best hugs?

Fall from the tree?

Enjoy pineapple on their pizza?

My babies!

ALSO: I mention 'adult topics'. So kids, fuck off okay?

Aightttt let's get this shit staaarteeddd

Which of the Lost Boys do you think is the most likely to…

Be mistaken for a celebrity?

I actually know fuck all about celebrities. But I’d think that Paul and Dwayne would get mistaken for celebrities, or rock stars, just because they look so rocker. Mostly Paul, but when he’s flustered he doesn’t know what to do, so the others have to come and save him like, “yeahhh we’re in a band. A rock band. Wanna come rock out with us?” Of course they’re gonna eat the groupies, but why not have fun with it?

Have visited the most states or even countries?

David- he is old as balls, he's been in at least the US and Canada, and he's gone through most of the contiguous states with Max. Least is Paul, he’s kinda like Charlie from IASIP when they try to leave Philly and he does everything in his power to stay there, lol. Gripping the cave walls while all the boys pull on his legs trying to get him to leave, sweet baby loves his new home and doesn’t wanna go anywhere, “you can’t make me!” type stuff when they’re just going down the road.

Have a collection of books that they may or may not have read entirely?

Collection of books? Dwayne, but he reads them for Laddie; they’re a combination of children’s books, philosophy and romantic nationalism. Books for themselves, David. He's a hoarder, and secretly looooves romance books, especially the dirty kind of dramatic ones. Paul probably has some comics or manga’s, just cause he likes looking at the pictures. And Marko has a few books on different species of birds and flowers.

Speak a foreign language fluently?

All the boys do! Marko and Dwayne’s mother tongue is not English. David and Paul were bilingual from childhood. David speaks French, Marko Italian, Dwayne Russian and Spanish, and Paul speaks German. But of course, they’re all teaching each other how to speak their language. Kinda like duolingo, except if you don’t practice it’s not an owl coming for you, it’s a big scary ass vampire.

Identify types of flowers?

Marko, David and Dwayne because of their mothers, and Paul because boyscouts.

Have the most body count?

Before death? Close call between David and Marko, but I'd say Marko. AD? Between Marko and Paul, or maybe Paul and Dwayne? They all b fuckin, and honestly when you get old enough you stop counting. Buuuuut David is the least promiscuous, just cause it's hard for him to find a compatible partner. He likes to flirt, but he usually turns them into a capris sun before he even gets his pants off.

Be a sadist?

Sadist??? In a vampire??? Naaaaaah. Lol. From most sadistic to least is Marko, David, Dwayne, and Paul. Sweet baby Paul is more sub than dom, Marko is dom/sub but you have to drag it out of him. ALSO, depending on how someone fucks with the boys (like pisses em off) they can be 0 to 100. They all have the capacity for it, just mostly Marko and Dwayne stay ready to fuck someone up for their family.

Be the best at math?

Best at math?...... Paul, but only because he thinks it's a "party trick."

Give someone the wrong directions (intentionally)?

All of them?? lmao. They're assholes, love. Depending on their mood it can be not as bad, but also who would ask these specific boys for directions???? Not me, and I am obsessed with them.

Be an extra in a zombie movie?

Marko and Paul would love the attention, but they might get too into character so David and Dwayne would have to tag along to make sure they didn't actually eat someone alive on film. They'd have sooooo much fun with it, and the boys would steal soooooooooo much shit from set lmao.

Have read a Harlequin book?

*Googling what this means* ooh, you mean smut? Yeah, no all of them have. Dwayne started it. He’s got a solid stash hidden somewhere, then Paul found it, blushed and Marko saw him. Paul, sweet thing was giggling and then got embarrassed, so Marko went to investigate. Marko got bricked up, then started keeping a stash. Then he became a problem with it, David had to confiscate it and then HE got bricked up. Anyways, the boys share books now 😂😂 it's a group effort to maintain and add to the collection.

Win at trivia?

(Technically they all could bc telepathy, and you KNOW they would cheat) but id still have to go with David. But only when he is belligerent levels of drunk. This fucker is so gd old he knows everything. Yes, even the nerd stuff. Then the boys have to leave early because he'll start saying some, "back in my day it was actually..." shit, talking about the 1800s.

Scaring the hoes type behavior, smh.

Give the best hugs?

I gotta skip this one, thinking of the kinds of hugs they would give made me giggle like a bitxh in heat. I'll come back to it later. Probably Marko, because he secretly loves giving hugs. He will pretend he doesn’t but if you ask him for a hug when you’re crying or something he will never let you go. Then Dwayne, just cause hes so big, like it would be a bear hug. Then David, because he is so warm with those damn jackets. Last is Paul because he'd accidently stab you with his safety pins.

Fall from the tree?

Paul. My hc for Paul is that he is a MAGNET for bad luck. Sweet baby would be dead if he was still alive. He’s fallen out of the sky while flying, like he thought it would be funny to freefall and then forgot to stop before he got to the bottom. He broke a SHIT TON of bones when he hit the ocean surface. David told him not too, and he didn't listen. Also fallen off his bike quite a few times, also Marko’s bike and Dwayne’s bike. Got thrown through a window and ate glass, like he just got it in his mouth and swallowed it. Got hit by a train, bus, multiple cars, David’s ran him over on the bike too lol, and almost sucked into a jet engine. Tried to do the Houdini escape thing and fucking drowned. David just sat back and told the guys not to free him, said he "had to learn to stop doing shit like that" and they just watched him drown. After a few minutes Paul just stared at them and pouted, David half contemplated leaving him there, but Paul started crying. Got Attacked by wolves, a flock of seagulls, one time a rat bit him, and he got bubonic plague. So yeah, he’s definitely fallen out of the damn tree. I can see him bouncing up and down in excitement before feeding time and slip and fall like 10 feet lmaoooo, the guys all got caught sitting in the tree because they busted out laughing. This poor baby has full-blown bad luck.

Enjoy pineapple on their pizza?

Dwayne lolllll. Marko would give him shit for it and Dwayne would be like "shut up and eat your pizza before I throw you in the ocean."

[ijwrff]

Hello would you be able to do a Yandere Dragon Antisepticeye thing where the reader gets too close to Antis territory and so he decides to snatch them up and make them his mate?

I love this idea so much, and I'm proud of how it turned out! I have never written for a dragon before XD but I sure am happy I did.

Thank you for the request!!! I appreciate it, and hope you have a good day ^^

@serenitydusk @viciouslyyearning @thattiredanimator1t0mblr

Word Count: 1,147

Your friends are stupid. Making some bet on if you’ll be able to make it out of the forest once going to the center. It’s not like you were kids anymore, but they said if you did make it out they’d treat you to dinner. Worth it, honestly…unless the legends were true. 

You see, your whole village was skeptical of the forest. Claiming a dragon resided there. However, you didn’t believe those rumors. No one had actually seen the dragon. They simply laid down offerings at the edge. None of them had even ever moved. Wind may have altered their looks some, as well as age. But dragons? No way. 

At least…you thought you were at the center. There’s a bigger tree there than any of the others, but you couldn’t help but feel you were being watched. Who knows, maybe there’s other people in here also trying to prove their friends wrong. It felt…creepy though. You didn’t like the thought of being watched. Especially if the village on the other side of the forest was hostile towards you. 

Time passed, and eventually it started to get dark. You wandered around, and simply decided ‘I’ll just go back the way I came.’ But everything…looks different. Warped. Definitely different trees than the ones you had seen coming in. 

You were completely and utterly lost. 

That bad feeling only intensified when it started to rain. You needed to find cover…and after a while you stumbled upon a cave. Good enough. Just somewhere you wouldn’t get soaked, until the rain passed. Maybe your jackass friends would come searching for you. Or not. Some of them were fully convinced you wouldn’t make it out of the forest, but they were still your friends…

You only stood just in the entrance, out of the rain. But the wind picked up, and you found yourself having to go deeper in the cave. Might as well explore while you’re here. You might find something valuable. Ores, or traces of other people from different villages in there. Hopefully…they were friendly if you approached one. 

Your thought seemed to have been confirmed, as when you went deeper in the cave, a light seemed to shine. It was almost enticing, and you found the will to go deeper. Something roared outside, which you summed up to the storm brewing. Though it was rather loud, you weren’t that concerned. You were more intent on going deeper though, to find the source of the light. 

As you got closer, it looked as if things were shining deeper in. Maybe you really would find ores! Your friends would certainly be surprised if you came back with ores expensive enough to pay for your own meal. Show them you’re more capable than them, and at the very least more mature. You cursed under your breath at the thought of your friends laughing it up while you were in this cave. 

The cave itself also seemed to grow wider, much bigger than at just the entrance. The entrance was still huge, but the location inside only increased in size. You continued to go deeper, and when you turned the corner, you saw a massive pile of shiny objects. Gold, weapons, chests, ores, mirrors. Anything you could think of. You were going to be rich! Revered as the person brave enough to go deep into the forest and bring back piles of gold. 

But all your hope faded away when you heard a loud bang from behind you. 

“Why…how funny.” A monstrous voice, loud and booming resounded from behind you. “A little lamb came to me, I didn’t even have to find them.” By now you felt a great wind from behind you. It reeked of iron and felt too hot to be the wind from outside. 

You turned ever so slowly, and were met with the sight of a massive…dragon. Your eyes filled with fear, and you took a step back, then another. Once you were further away, you could see just how large it was. One tooth was as big as your arm, if not bigger. Some were even larger than that, still. Crooked, and seemed to be coated with blood. You couldn’t find the courage to even utter a word. 

It crept closer to you until it was close enough to touch. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Unless…you try to run. Then, I can’t be held accountable for my actions.” It huffed, and you realized it was laughter. But you couldn’t focus. How could this be? A DRAGON?

With a gulp, you tried to plead for your life. “P-please…I won’t tell anyone you’re here, I won’t steal from you, I-” You began, but it cut you off with a snarl that terrified you to the core. You couldn’t comprehend the severity of your situation. You really were gonna die here…a dragon of all things would kill you. Not another village member, not a wild bear or boar, a dragon…a real dragon. 

“SHUT UP!” It growled, but its expression somehow turned back to amusement. “What I mean is…I don’t need to hear it. I’ve long decided, you will stay here. Your village will think you died, and not a soul will come looking for you. Because this is my forest.” It reached forward with a long and discolored claw. It was then you realized that it was also covered in blood, as it smeared across your face when he touched it. 

“S-stay here?” Your level of fear for your life grew, “I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was your forest, I’ll-” As he cut you off once again with a dangerous laugh. 

It laughed, for several moments, “You’re in my forest. Therefore you belong to me. You may leave when I allow you to. Then and only then.” It opened its jaw, and you could see what was left of a human arm in it. “I am the dragon that rules this forest…and you?” It waited for dramatic effect, and it scared you how it was right there in front of you. Something you never believed existed. 

What was it to do to you? Kill you? Keep you as a pet? Eat you as its next meal? It wasn’t looking good for you…at all. It had clearly killed many, and you had every reason to believe every person who went into this forest was killed by the dragon here in front of you. 

“You will be my mate.” It said, and laughed even more as you paled, hoping it was all a dream. “You are…the first to not cry when I have approached. Therefore, because you have invaded my territory and begged for your life, I will grant that wish.” And for a brief moment you hoped it would let you go. “I am Anti, and you…will stay with me. For the rest of your life. Because…” 

“You’re mine now.”

[wild-karrde]

One Step at a Time - Part 9

Master List | Previous Part | Next Part

A/N: IS THIS THING ON??? OK HI HELLO I HAVE RETURNED WITH THIS FIC AND I KNOW I ALWAYS PROMISE THIS, BUT I PINKY SWEAR THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL NOT TAKE AS LONG (in fact, I already have a good chunk of it written). I'm super excited to introduce some new characters (and also maybe make a reference to a certain mechanic that I haven't yet named in this series). But anyway, I AM VERY EXCITED FOR THIS CHAPTER AND I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE IT. THANK YOU as always to the wonderful @teletraan-meets-jarvis for beta-reading this for me and helping me hash out characters and plot and just generally screaming encouragement at me!

Chapter Rating: T

Warnings: language, copious amounts of new OCs (because I cannot help myself)

Word Count: 8.3k words

Lothal wasn’t nearly the paradise Sorgan had been, but it would have to do. Instead of lush green foliage and thick forests, the planet’s landscape was dotted with rock formations that broke up the dead, yellowing grass that covered its plains. Everything appeared to be a different shade of tan or grey.

Arni had told them that the planet had experienced famine and drought during the war, crippling its agricultural industry. But where the farmers had floundered, the mining industry had flourished. The planet was peppered with veins and cave networks that were rich with various metals and minerals that the Empire found useful, so of course it hadn’t wasted any time in swooping in and setting up shop.

Chuckles had been hesitant to travel to any planet that had an Imperial presence, but as Arni pointed out, it was almost impossible to find a world where the Empire didn’t exist in some capacity. Their best option was to find a planet with plenty of rural areas to disappear into, and Lothal provided that. There had been a moment where Chuckles considered returning to Sorgan, but he knew that Ry and Oks had likely had to come up with a story for the drunk that had stumbled out and never returned. Showing back up, especially if the Empire was still around, would only complicate things for them, and that was the last thing he wanted to do for the two women.

So Lothal it was.

Chuckles and Arni had selected a small, family-owned mining operation to target for their next place to settle. The Kern Brothers Mining Company was well away from any major cities, and as a result, a small sort of township had cropped up around the mine itself. It seemed to be a fairly new establishment based on the many job postings that Arni was able to find on various forums, and by all accounts, other than the occasional inspection and weekly supply drops, Imperials largely steered clear of the small community, instead relying on shipments delivered by droids or automated vehicles. 

It wasn’t perfect, but it was about as close as they could hope for. 

As Chuckles settled the freighter into one of the crude landing zones outside of the township, the two younglings pressed forward to get a look at their new home. Aside from the mine, there appeared to be one strip that served as a main part of town, and the area was peppered with buildings that had clearly gone up in a hurry to accommodate the workers. Many of the dwellings seemed to be built from whatever could be salvaged in a hurry, or like the Ayyshus, it appeared many families opted to live out of whatever vessel had carried them there. With opportunities coming and going everywhere across the planet, it made sense to remain mostly mobile should they need to pull up stakes and move on. 

Chuckles could see Nita was less than impressed, and Arni was chewing the inside of their cheek, eyes darting around and taking in every detail. Chuck grinned as the two kids turned to him, clearly trying to hide their disappointment.

Not much of an adventure compared to Sorgan. But, it’s quiet. And probably boring. And we could use boring.

“Not much to look at, is it?” he teased, and he could see both of the younglings relax, apparently considering themselves released from having to pretend.

“It’s very… dusty,” Nita concluded.

“And dry,” Arni added.

“But it’s ours,” Chuck countered. “And we’ll make it what we want. And if not, we’ll find somewhere else.”

Nita nodded, appearing to find this an acceptable compromise, but something had drawn Arni’s attention. They giggled, pointing out the front viewport of the freighter. “Nita! Look! A tooka!”

Nita leapt into the co-pilot seat, leaning forward on the control panel to peer outside. “WHERE?”

“RIGHT THERE BY THAT ROCK!”

The speckled creature scratched at an oversized ear, surveying the ship with disinterest.

“TOOKA!” Nita squealed. “Open the hatch Chuckles! I wanna go make him my friend!” She leapt down from the seat, sprinting towards the ramp and bouncing on her toes eagerly.

Chuck tried to stifle his laughter, releasing the hatch and lowering the ramp. He watched as the two younglings raced outside in the late afternoon sun, Nita at a full sprint with Arni calling for her to slow down so as not to frighten the creature. 

The tooka was most definitely not looking to make new friends, lowering its ears and hissing at the approaching younglings before bolting off of the rock it had been sunning itself on. The clone pilot couldn’t help but grin as he watched the two children chase the Loth cat through the grass, shrieking and squealing as they raced in circles after their furry quarry.

We’ll find a way to be happy here. Dust and dryness be damned.

The sun was beginning to approach the horizon already, casting everything in hues of orange and pink as the cool evening breeze kicked up, rustling through the grass. Chuckles strode down the ramp, leaning one shoulder against a landing strut as he watched the two younglings. 

Yeah. We can make this ours.

—

The following morning, Chuckles headed into the small settlement to look for work. From all of the notices Arni had looked through for job postings, it appeared that the mining company had plenty of positions to fill. Chuckles had opted to once again cover his face, deciding it was a risk not worth taking yet. 

Actually entering the settlement did little to improve his first impression of it. The town was far from a booming metropolis, and while he hadn’t expected to find anything close to the scale of Coruscant’s glittering skyscrapers, he also hadn’t anticipated the rusted out husks of buildings that lined the dirt road that appeared to serve as the main street of the settlement. Even though the sun was barely beginning to break over the horizon, the township was already bustling with activity. Groups of children scampered by, stopping to stare at the stranger with the covered face as he made his way towards the mine entrance. Chuckles had become accustomed to children staring at him during his time as a pilot. The ground troopers were fairly commonplace on Coruscant, but the pilots always seemed to garner special attention from any younglings in the area, wanting to know what it was like to soar among the stars and shoot down vulture droids. 

However, it was the stares of the adults that made a certain tension take root between his shoulder blades. It seemed that there was no shortage of variety in terms of species and homeworld, but they all knew one another, and they also were easily able to identify anyone who wasn’t part of the community. Wary eyes seemed to follow him, and after a few failed attempts at a friendly wave, Chuckles shoved his hands in his pockets, fixing his gaze on the large building in front of him. 

The mine’s main office was certainly one of the most well-maintained structures of the settlement, which he supposed made sense considering it was likely the first thing built, and also the structure that largely sustained the entirety of the small settlement. It was the only multiple-story building in the entire community, well-lit windows glowing in the early morning haze. It was easy to identify the employment office with its freshly painted signage. What did surprise him was the lack of activity inside. He’d anticipated a line out the door, or at least a few applicants waiting around to be met with. But the lobby was completely empty when he entered, a soft chime announcing his arrival, seemingly deafening in the silence. He had to fight the urge to flinch. 

The only other occupant of the employment office was a burly Latero at the far end, who glanced up when Chuckles entered. His eyes roved over Chuckles’s frame, clearly surveying his build and physical usefulness before he heaved himself to his feet with two of his four arms, unleashing a deep sigh and making his way over to a large desk that appeared to be the most central piece of furniture in the room. There, he plopped down heavily on a stool, glancing up at Chuckles again and clearing his throat impatiently. Chuckles took his cue, striding quickly up to the front of the desk, trying not to nervously rock back on his heels. 

“Well?” the Latero prompted.

His voice was gravelly, and he raised a bushy eyebrow at Chuckles, toying with the ends of his facial hair, which was streaked with grey. His forearms were thick and scarred from years of hard labor, and he wore a jumpsuit that was stained and torn in various places. A stitched on name tag on his breast identified him as Jerrno. 

“I’m uh… looking for a job,” Chuckles replied, internally cringing. 

Jerrno snorted. “I figured that much. What kind of work?”

“Whatever you’ve got.” 

The Latero paused, glancing up at Chuckles as though he was an idiot. 

Maybe I am. 

“If ya don’t have career aspirations, do ya at least have a chain code?” 

Chuckles hurriedly produced his chain code disk, handing it to the Latero, who scanned it, eyes glancing back and forth over the lines appearing on his datapad before he glared at Chuckles. 

“No employment history.”

“I worked at a common house. Off the books.”

“How long?”

“Five months.” 

Somehow, Jerrno’s expression became even more judgemental. 

“I’m guessing there’s no references available then. Since ya were ‘off the books.’” 

Chuckles flexed his hands nervously. “‘Fraid not.”

The Latero leaned heavily on the desk, steepling his fingers on his uppermost set of arms while his bottom two gestured at Chuckles. “Son, I know ya see there ain’t exactly a line out the door here. We are hurtin’ for people, but I can’t hire ya if I don’t even know who I’m hiring. ‘Specially with no relevant experience.”

“Listen, I’m strong, and I’m stubborn, and I’ll bust my ass however you need me to.”

Jerrno heaved a sigh. “I don’t even know what species ya are with that getup, and that makes me think you’re hiding from somethin’. I do need people, but not ones that are going to land me in hot water. Understand?” 

Chuckles’s palms were sweaty. 

“I’m human.”

“Can ya take off the mask and prove it?”

We don’t have enough supplies to get anywhere else. It has to be here. We have to make this work. 

Maybe enough time’s passed. The war didn’t really make it to Lothal anyway. Maybe he doesn’t know what a clone looks like.

He sighed, tossing caution to the wind as he pulled off the mask and goggles. 

The Latero’s eyes widened in recognition. Chuckles’s heart fell. 

“You’re a clone.”

Chuckles’s fingers itched for his blaster. He’d left it on the ship.

“I get that a lot,” he replied steadily, hoping a lie might get him at least to the door. 

Jerrno raised an eyebrow. “Son, I served the Republic. I’d know that face anywhere.” 

Chuckles’s mind was racing, but before he could come up with a solution, the Latero heaved another sigh. 

“Well, at least I get the lack of work history now. You’re right, you’re a hard worker. Never met a clone that was a slacker. We can find something for ya. Maker knows there’ll be more of ya with the decommissioning happening.” 

“Decommissioning?” The question was out of Chuck’s mouth before he could stop himself. Jerrno paused. 

“Yeah. Was just announced a handful of rotations ago. How come ya don’t know?” His beady eyes narrowed suspiciously.

The lie came easily this time, and Chuck delivered it as flawlessly as his nerves would allow. He tapped the scar on his cheek. “Bad accident towards the end of the war. They weren’t sure what to do with me, so when it ended, I was released from duty. Guess you could say I got decommissioned early. But being a clone hasn’t exactly made work easy to come by.” His mind was racing, trying to come up with a lie while simultaneously attempting to process what decommissioning would mean for his brothers. 

Some of them surely survived. What the kriff does that mean for them? 

“Accident, huh? It affect ya too much physically?” Jerrno asked, his eyes still slightly narrowed.

Chuckles forced a dry laugh. “Not exactly winning any beauty pageants, and sometimes have some aches and pains, but I promise you won’t find a harder worker than me.” 

Jerrno surveyed him one final time, eyes raking over the scar on Chuck’s face, how he was standing, his overall manner. His gaze felt like an inspection, and Chuckles straightened to attention out of habit. The Latero huffed a laugh. 

“Alright, I think we can find a place for ya. Opening up a new vein first thing tomorrow. Forewoman’s a Nautolan named Anjii. I’ll let her know you’re comin’.” He popped open a drawer, pulling a badge from it and scanning it with his datapad. “Mine entrance is just through the main gates and on the right. Be there tomorrow morning at 0815. Anj will be waiting for the crew, and you’ll get up to speed on the job. We’re expanding in a hurry to meet Imperial quotas, so it’ll be trial by fire. Got a name?” 

“Chuck. Chuck Ayyshu.” 

The Latero punched a few buttons on his datapad, his brow furrowing. “Chain code says Chuckles.” 

“I’d prefer to go by Chuck if that’s alright with you.” 

“No skin off my ass.”

Chuckles assumed his face would draw enough attention on its own. He didn’t feel the need to also have a name that made him stand out more. 

The Latero handed him back his chaincode, and Chuckles tucked it hurriedly away along with the badge he’d been given. 

“Make sure you pack a lunch and water. And don’t be late.” 

“When do I get paid?” 

Jerrno glared at him as if he’d asked an impertinent question. 

“Got two kids I’m feeding,” Chuckles explained.

The Latero’s expression softened. “I didn’t think clones had kids.” 

Chuckles couldn’t help but giggle at that. “I’m sure there’s plenty of kids out there that have my genetics. But these two are adopted. They lost their families in the war, and I lost mine when I left the GAR. So, we found each other.” 

Jerrno nodded. “A fairly common story nowadays,” he said quietly. “How old?”

“Ten and five.”

The Latero’s mouth crinkled into a smile. “I give ya your credits every two weeks. If ya can hold out to the end of this week, I’ll see if I can get ya a bit of an advance. To help ya get settled.” He extended a hand. “Name’s Jerrno by the way. Jerrno Kern.” 

Chuck clasped his hand in, giving it a firm squeeze. “I take it you’re one of the Kern brothers then?” he asked, jerking his head at the logo on the back wall with the Latero’s surname emblazoned in bright orange lettering. 

Jerrno nodded. “Yep. Me and Teef are makin’ a go of it here. Seems promisin’.” He gestured out the door towards the street. “There’s a school on the main drag for your kiddos. The second largest building here. Got a little red sign and some flowers out front. Not a fancy education by any means, but the teachers there care about the kids. Even have a few getting ready to apply to university in a few months.” 

Chuckles smiled. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to look into it. My oldest certainly would like that.” His chest tightened as the words fell from his lips. 

My oldest. Arni is my oldest kid. 

It came so naturally, but his eyes were suddenly a bit misty at the realization. 

“And your youngest?”

Chuckles giggled. “I’m sure she’ll hate it, but she’ll go. Might take some bribing with her favorite snack. But the older one keeps those well-stocked, so shouldn’t be too much of an issue.” 

Jerrno nodded. As he finished punching information into Chuckles’s newly-created employment file on his datapad, the clone noted a holo on the far desk he’d originally been sitting at. It was an old image, but it showed a much younger version of the Latero that sat before him, a female Latero he assumed was his partner, and two squealing younglings, their heads tipped back in uproarious laughter. The image seemed at least a decade old, and he wondered what had become of the children. There was a certain grief in Jerrno’s eyes that made him think the story didn’t have a happy ending. 

“School starts at 0800. I’d drop the kids off on your way to the job tomorrow.” 

“Got it. They need to bring anything?” 

“The teachers have managed to keep a small stockpile. They should be set unless there’s a shortage.” 

“If that’s the case, is there a store I can shop at?”

“The only store is Grinz’s place. He has a pretty good selection normally. Should be able to find what ya need there. But if ya ever can’t, talk to Grinz. He’s got a few good connections that are able to get just about anything ya might think of.” He paused. “But if it’s ever an emergency. Medicine or the like, ya come to me. I can get anything expedited.” 

“That’s kind of you.” 

The Latero huffed a laugh. “We take care of our own out here, Chuck. We have to. That’s the only way this all works.” He pushed himself to his feet, the stool he was perched on making a loud scraping noise as it skidded out from under him. “Don’t be late tomorrow,” he repeated. 

“Thanks. I won’t.” 

—

“Why can’t we just stay on the ship?” 

While he’d anticipated perhaps some resistance to the idea of school from Nita, Chuckles could honestly say that the fight she was putting up was far more than what he’d expected. She’d appeared to be somewhat receptive to the idea the night before when he’d brought it up over dinner. But now, she appeared to be completely changing her tune when confronted with actually having to go.

“Honey, we’ve been over this. School is a good thing. Right Arni?”

The young Twi’lek shrugged, their nose already buried in their sketchbook. When they looked up, Chuckles gave them a pleading expression, hoping they’d provide some sort of support.

“Sure. It’s great if you like to learn,” they mumbled. 

Not what I was hoping for, but sure. 

The little Pantoran was still digging her heels into the dust with every step, making the short walk to the schoolhouse take an eternity. Chuckles was already beginning to feel the margin of time ticking away that he’d allotted himself to get the kids settled into their classes before dashing off to his first shift. 

I promised I wouldn’t be late. I have to believe kriffing up before I even get started won’t give the best first impression. 

He attempted to lengthen his strides, but Nita tugged firmly, and he almost tripped over her, stumbling and biting his lip hard to keep himself from swearing in frustration. Mercifully, the building that served as the schoolhouse was within view, and he finally readjusted the small pack of food and water on his back and scooped Nita up, tossing her over his shoulder. Her protests grew louder, drawing some additional attention from the townsfolk that were beginning to emerge from their dwellings for the day. Chuckles gave them a tight smile and sheepish wave as Nita thrashed in his grip. 

“I DON’T WANNA GO.” 

She’s never done this before. WHAT is HAPPENING?

“She seems upset,” Arni mumbled.  

“Yes, thank you for that very astute observation, kid,” Chuckles muttered, finally setting Nita on her feet when they were within a few steps of the school’s front door. He could hear children squealing and laughing inside, and some round faces were pressed against the windows, their attention drawn either by Nita’s shouts or just the fact that there was someone new and exciting outside. 

Reaching down, he patted Nita’s head in between the buns that Arni had carefully styled that morning. “Honey, you’re gonna have a great time. I know not everyone can get as excited about school as Arni, but I still think this is gonna be good for you.” 

The little Pantoran was completely unswayed, her large golden eyes brimming with tears as she realized she wouldn’t be convincing her adopted parent to let her stay home. “Chuckles,” she whimpered. “Please don’t leave us.” 

He squatted down, holding out his palms towards her. “I’m never leaving you, honey. It’s just temporary. I gotta go to work, but I’ll be back to pick you up before you know it.” She took his hands, and he pulled her closer, speaking quietly enough so only she could hear. “This is just something we need to do in order to blend in here. School is supposed to be fun! Plus, don’t you want to learn some new stuff? Hang out with other kids?”

Nita’s golden eyes were still shining with tears, and she buried her face in his shoulder, muffling her voice as she whispered to him. “All of the other kids I used to hang out with are dead.” Arni stiffened next to her. 

Chuck’s heart stuttered in his chest as the realization sunk in. He pulled Nita into his arms, wrapping her in a tight hug. 

“Oh honey. I’m so sorry. I didn’t put it together.” 

“It’s not your fault,” she said quietly, some of her tears finally breaking loose. “I’m just scared.” 

“We’re about to start this morning’s lesson!” a voice called from the door. “Will your children be joining us today?” 

Chuckles peered around Nita’s shoulder, meeting the golden eyes of the tall, blue-skinned woman standing in the doorway. She was watching the three of them patiently, some of her dark hair blowing in front of her face in the early morning breeze. Chuckles gave her a helpless smile, and she nodded, seemingly understanding his current predicament.  

“I promise that won’t happen here. You won’t lose your friends again like that. You know that, right?”

Nita nodded into his shoulder. He knew that was little consolation. He’d held similar fears during his entire career, fears that his ship would come apart around him again, fears that he’d lose his entire squadron again. He’d known then he was playing a statistics game, and even though he thought Nita’s likelihood of living through a second once-in-a-millenium genocide that included children was almost zero, he knew that wouldn’t do anything to dissipate the fear she was feeling. His eyes drifted back to the teacher, who was still waiting patiently in the door for her new pupils. 

“Look, your teacher is just like you, honey,” Chuckles tried, nodding at the woman.

“Actually, she’s a Wroonian, not a Pantoran,” Arni corrected. Chuckles glared at them. They shrugged. “They’re different.” Turning, they called over their shoulder to the teacher. “Just a minute. My sister’s a little nervous.”

A sudden thought struck Chuckles. “Arni, are you alright doing this?” he asked, suddenly fearful he’d missed a cue from them too, something that would indicate they shared Nita’s fear. But they nodded, their lekku jiggling with the motion. 

“I’m fine. I want to go to school. But I’m worried about her.” 

The Wroonian woman approached them, squatting down next to Chuckles in front of Nita. “Hello, dear girl. What’s your name?” 

The little Pantoran examined the woman in front of her, her large golden eyes raking over the newcomer from head to toe. A gentle waft of the woman’s perfume filled Chuckles’s nose, inundating him with the smell of vanilla and cinnamon, but he resisted the urge to look over at his new compatriot, instead focusing on Nita and her reaction. 

The wrinkle between Nita’s eyebrows appeared to soften as she observed the teacher for a few more moments before she finally replied, “Nita. My name is Nita Ayyshu.”

The woman smiled at her gently, extending a hand. “It’s lovely to meet you, Nita. I’m Endoline, but you can call me Teacher Endi. Does that sound alright?” 

Nita nodded, slowly taking the teacher’s hand. Chuckles saw Endi squeeze it lightly in greeting before turning to Arni. “And who might you be?”

“Arni,” they replied with a shy smile. 

“Excellent. Well, would you both care to come and join us? Today, we’re focusing on mathematics in the morning with sciences in the afternoon. Do you like either of those things?” 

“I like both of them,” Arni replied eagerly, their large brown eyes lighting up in a way Chuckles hadn’t seen from them before. 

Endi turned to Nita, clearly hoping to elicit a similar response. Chuckles was internally churning, praying to whatever deity was listening that she’d take another step closer. 

“I don’t know about math, but I suppose I like science,” the little Pantoran conceded. “I like the flowers that Arni draws and the notes they make about them.” 

Endi’s smile widened as she clapped her hands excitedly. “Well the two of you couldn’t have picked a better day to join us then. This afternoon, we’re walking out towards the rock formations to see what sort of native flowers are out there and document their life cycles. Does that sound fun?”

Arni appeared to understand that their enthusiasm was noted by default. The three of them all seemed to be holding their breath as Nita mulled it over. 

Finally, she smiled slightly, wiping at her eyes. “That does sound fun.” 

“Very good,” Endi said gently, pushing herself back to a standing position. “Would you like to come and meet the other students? They’re always excited to make new friends.” She reached out both hands towards them. The two children looked up at Chuckles, who gave them an encouraging nod. 

“Go with Teacher Endi. I’ll be back to pick you both up at the end of the day. Ok?”

“Pinky swear?” Nita asked. 

Chuckles huffed a laugh, extending both pinkies. “Pinky swear.” 

Both younglings locked their little fingers with his as Endi stood by patiently. Once their oath had been sealed, they both took her outstretched hands, and she began leading them towards the door. Chuckles stood, trying not to bounce nervously as his two children disappeared inside the school.

Never trusted them with anyone besides Oksann and Ry. And I knew them pretty well before I ever let this happen. I just met this woman. 

He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. 

And it’s going to have to be alright. 

Just before closing it, Endi cast one more look over her shoulder, giving him a soft smile. It was then that he noticed how strikingly beautiful she was, her golden eyes twinkling at him in the early morning sun as she tucked a dark curl back into place behind her ear. 

Dark curls. Just like… 

“I assume you’ll be at the mine if there are any pressing issues?” she asked. 

Chuckles dug his fingernails into the meat of his palm, chasing away the memory of someone he’d long kept buried. “Yep. I shouldn’t be too late picking them up.” 

An indignant shriek ripped through the air, and Endi’s head whipped around as her brow furrowed into an authoritative stare that even made Chuckles’s insides ripple. He couldn’t tell who she was looking at, but he certainly didn’t envy the kid. 

“Dez, what have we discussed about pulling Ooni’s montrals?” she asked firmly. A sheepish response that Chuckles couldn’t make out came from somewhere behind the windows. “Thank you for apologizing,” Endi replied. “Now let’s all take our seats.” She turned back towards the door, giving Chuckles another warm smile. 

He mouthed good luck at her. 

Her smile widened and she winked before she shut the door the rest of the way, and Chuckles couldn’t ignore the way his heart fluttered this time. 

Well. That’s new. 

His feet carried him towards the mine as he tried not to think too hard about the heat in his cheeks. Or the other individual with dark curls and sharp eyes. 

—

Whatever Chuckles had imagined Anjii might be like, he’d never have gotten close to reality. The Nautolan was about as rough and tumble as anyone he’d ever met. She swore more than even his most vulgar brothers, was covered in tattoos, and took no shit from anyone. He hadn’t met many Nautolans in his lifetime, having only bumped into Master Kit Fisto once or twice in between briefings during the war, but whatever impression Fisto had given him of Nautolans, Anjii quickly dispelled. 

0814. Cutting it close, he thought as he’d sprinted into the shaft, scanning his badge and almost tripping on his way through the entry point in his haste. As he hurriedly clipped his badge to his belt, he ran into something solid that knocked the wind out of him with a loud oof. He stumbled backwards, clutching his chest and wheezing as the obstruction in his path whipped around and stared at him with piercing black eyes. 

“You the new blood then?” the Nautolan asked, hardly seeming phased by the collision. 

“Yep. You Anjii?”

“You see any other water dwellers lining up to work on this dried up husk of a rock?” she grunted, glancing down at her datapad. “Go by Anj though. And you go by… Chuckles?”

“I prefer Chuck,” he muttered, mentally making a note to find out if Jerrno had given his real name as some sort of hazing exercise. 

“I would too with a name like that,” Anj cackled. “Doesn’t exactly make you sound like a serious person.” She circled him slowly, eying him up and down. “Clone then, eh? The name makes more sense, I suppose. But why not something cooler like ‘Zap’ or ‘Comet’?” 

Chuckles shrugged. “It’s a family name.” 

If Anj got the joke, she didn’t let on, only responding with a muted “hmph.” As she circled him, he felt his shoulders immediately draw up and back, his spine straightening to attention out of reflex. 

“At ease, soldier,” she guffawed. “We’re not like that here. I’m just sizing you up since you didn’t have a position listed.” 

“And?” he prodded. 

She stopped in front of him under one of the dim tunnel lights, and he finally got a good look at her. She was at least half a meter shorter than him, but he sensed that didn’t bother her. Her skin was a dark grey, and every visible piece of it that wasn’t dappled with light scarring was covered with ink, although he couldn’t discern any of the symbols from this distance. Several of her tendrils had woven bands wrapped around them, and each tendril shifted from grey to a bright green at the tips. He also noted one or two of her tendrils were missing, cut off at various lengths like a bad haircut and scarred at the ends. She didn’t appear concerned with his appraisal of her as she tapped a long finger against her lips. 

“We’ll put you in the clearing crew to start. I assume Jerrno told you we’re blasting into a new vein today.”

“He did.” 

“Good. Deploying droids is a pain if we’re not certain about a vein, especially since we don’t have enough in the fleet yet. So we’ll be clearing manually until we’re sure about the new prospect. Then we’ll redirect a few of them down there to help.”

“Jerrno and Teef planning on upping their droid fleet?” he asked. “Figure if they’re serious about expansion, might want to do that rather than relying on manual labor.” 

Anj scoffed. “Course they are. But you need to make money in order to do that. I don’t know how long you’ve been out of the tube, but in case you can’t tell, this is a fairly new setup.” 

Chuckles huffed in exasperation, trying to keep his temper in check at the reference to his creation. “I suppose it was too much to hope for to not have what I am get talked about, but if it’s alright with you, maybe we keep the tube jokes to a minimum.” 

“A sense of humor is necessary for the job,” Anj replied with a shrug. 

“Yeah, well when you’ve had the term ‘tube-bred freak’ screamed at you enough times by the people you’re supposed to be protecting, it somehow loses its charm,” he muttered through clenched teeth. 

Something shifted in Anj’s expression. She rocked her weight to one foot. “Fair enough. I didn’t know that’s how it was. I apologize. Won’t happen again.” 

“Sorry to be a buzzkill,” Chuckles mumbled. He wasn’t used to being apologized to, and as a result, wasn’t sure how to react. He felt his knuckles creak as he released the fists he didn’t even realize he’d clenched. 

Anj huffed a laugh, stepping forward and slapping him on the shoulder. He’d assumed she was strong, but her grip was still surprisingly firm. “Another thing you need to survive down there is a good sense of trust. I don’t know how many mines you’ve been in, but it’s dangerous work. We watch each other’s backs and make sure everyone goes home at the end of the day. You spend enough time down here with the same people day in and day out, you become a bit like family. And that means we don’t make each other feel shitty or othered. Unless they’re an asshole and deserve it. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied with a lopsided grin. 

“None of that shit, now. Not when I was just starting to like you.” She stepped past him, heading towards a set of lockers. “Now, let’s get you fitted for some gear and get down there. If you survive the first week, we’ll work on getting you some personal stuff more fitted to you.” She popped open a locker, and a pile of helmets spilled out with a clatter. “See if one of those will fit your dome.” 

Chuck squatted down, picking through the battered plastoid helmets. “Not everyone lasts the first week?’’

Anj barked out a laugh as she popped open a different locker that appeared to be her personal one. It was more well-organized, and she pulled out a bright green helmet that matched the tips of her tendrils. “Most don’t make it three days before they pack up and bug out. Jerrno’s assured me you’re made of sturdier stuff. We’ll see how you fare.” 

—

Anj hadn’t over exaggerated, not by a long shot. By the end of the day, standing felt like an overwhelming physical endeavour, and Chuckles leaned heavily against the interior of the lift as it carried them out of the mine’s depths. It had been slow going, but they’d managed to successfully open the vein, finding more doonium than they’d anticipated. When the dust from their blasting had finally cleared enough to see again, they’d cheered when they caught sight of the glittering metallic streaks in the walls around them. Even Chuckles had giggled like a maniac, his breathing filter making his laughter sound like mechanical hiccups. 

Now, every muscle in his body was screaming with exhaustion. When the hissing of the lift’s purge system finally ceased, the crew around him all removed their breathing gear and helmets. Chuckles followed suit, running his fingers through his sweat-soaked mohawk. His hands were blistered under his gloves, and every exposed bit of skin was covered in a thick layer of grime. As he hooked his breathing mask to his belt, he inhaled the sharp, fresh air, nearly choking on how cool it was compared to the filtered warm air he’d been breathing all day. His stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he hadn’t packed enough food or water for himself, something Anj had teased him about before offering him half of a protein bar she’d stuffed in her pocket. 

“The new ones always underpack on their first day. You’ll figure it out. Or you’ll quit,” she’d joked.

With heavy eyes, he observed the rest of his crew that were jammed into the lift with him. There were two other human men in the crew whose names he’d already forgotten. They’d eyed him warily when Anj introduced him, and for the most part, they’d kept their distance throughout the day, which was just fine with Chuckles. There was a tall Nikto that had identified himself as Lu, who also appeared to be Anj’s second in command. He was quiet with fiercely observant eyes and always seemed to be at Chuckles’s elbow any time he had a question, answering quickly and firmly before moving off down the line to help somewhere else. It was a bit unnerving, but Chuckles’s appreciation outweighed the nerves. The technical specialist was a young Rodian that had enthusiastically introduced herself as Helly before talking Chuckles’s ear off about the type of droids they’d need and how she calibrated them to precisely mine the doonium, ensuring that there was minimal environmental contamination from the surrounding rock which made purification efforts down the line less difficult. He was positive he couldn’t regurgitate any of the information she’d shared back at her with any sort of accuracy, but she honestly just seemed excited to have anyone listen to her for more than five minutes. She reminded him a bit of Arni. 

“You alright back there, rookie?” Anj called over her shoulder as she undid the wrap that was holding her tendrils in place under her helmet, shaking them loose. 

“Yeah,” Chuck managed to reply. “Easiest first day I could have asked for.”

Anj chuckled at that, and even Lu huffed a laugh. “Then we didn’t work you hard enough,” the Nautolan replied. 

“Make sure you take it easy tonight and consume plenty of water and electrolytes,” Helly chattered at him rapidly, offering him a flask of water. “It’ll help your muscles heal, and-”

“Hells, don’t overwhelm the guy just yet. We want him to come back tomorrow, remember?” Anj teased. “He’s been kind enough to endure your dumping all day. Let him have a moment of peace.” 

Helly seemed unbothered, but Chuckles still felt a twinge of guilt. “Thanks,” he rasped, returning the flask after taking a massive swig. “I’ll be sure to put down a few more liters before bed.”

Helly nodded silently, but her eyes sparkled. He wasn’t sure how she still had so much energy. 

Maybe I’ll get there eventually. 

Several minutes later, the lift doors slid open and Chuckles shuffled out along with the rest of the crew to the lockers, where he replaced the items Anj had outfitted him with at the beginning of the day. The helmet had been a little small, and he made a mental note to try and size up the following morning. 

Anj squatted down next to him, removing the air monitor she kept strapped to her ankle. She leaned over, speaking quietly to him. “I’d recommend at least two canteens of water tomorrow and plenty of protein bars. Dried fruit is good too for the sugar. Nothing greasy or you’ll be looking at your lunch again before the day is out. Got it?”

“Got it,” he mumbled. “It always like this?”

“What, sore to the point where you think you’re gonna die and ready to collapse on the first flat surface you see?” She laughed quietly. “Yeah. Seems about right.” She clapped him on the shoulder. “See you tomorrow, Chuck.” 

He managed to get his gear put away into the correct lockers before limping through the checkpoint. His legs seemed to get a little less sore as he walked, but he could feel the blisters on the bottom of his feet promising retribution at a later time. He rolled his shoulders and was greeted with the burn of muscle soreness. 

I think even my eyebrows are sore. Not sure how that happens. But Maker, everything hurts. 

His feet somehow carried him back to the schoolhouse’s front door, where he found a handful of children filtering out slowly. When he poked his head inside, he saw Arni sitting at a desk furiously drawing in their sketchbook, their tongue poking out of one side of their mouth. Nita was perched on a bench in the back of the room, weaving flowers into a chain with Endi. At the sound of his boots thudding on the hardwood flooring, Endi’s eyes snapped up, her warm smile lighting up her face again when their eyes met. Chuckles was suddenly very aware of how filthy and unkempt he looked. He ran his fingers through his mohawk again, trying to muss it into something presentable. 

Endi leaned down, saying something softly to Nita, whose head whipped around. Her eyes lit up when she saw Chuckles, and he almost melted with relief as she launched herself off the bench with a chain of flowers clutched in her hand and raced towards him. 

“CHUCKLES!” 

Despite his knees screaming at him in protest, Chuckles managed to squat down to the little Pantoran’s level as she eagerly danced in front of him.

“Teacher Endi helped me make this crown with the flowers we found today. Isn’t it pretty?”

“Fit for a princess,” he agreed, taking the delicate blossoms she held out to him. He grinned at her before leaning forward and putting the crown on her head, nestling it around her buns. “See? Perfect.” 

Nita giggled, bouncing on her feet. 

“What about you, kid? You have a good day?” Chuckles asked, glancing at Arni. 

They nodded quietly, but an irrepressible grin was spreading across their face. 

“Good stuff.”

“Do you have a moment?” Endi asked, coming to stand next to him. 

“Uh… yeah sure,” Chuck replied. “Nita, Arni, why don’t you two go wait outside while I speak with Teacher Endi?” 

The two younglings nodded before sprinting out the door, laughing loudly. 

Chuckles watched them go before trying to push himself to a standing position. He grunted as one leg cramped up, and he would have toppled over if Endi’s hands hadn’t caught his arm, helping him lean against one of the small desks. 

“Sorry about that,” he mumbled, trying to ignore the heat rushing to his cheeks. 

“It’s quite alright. You look like every other miner that’s just survived their first shift with Anjii.” 

“That bad, huh?” he joked, sitting heavily on the top of the desk. 

A silence hung between them for a moment before Chuckles cleared his throat. “So, everything alright with the kids? Did Nita settle in?” 

“She did,” Endi assured him. “And everything’s fine. I just like to meet with new parents to see if there’s anything I should know about their children. And…” she paused, searching for words. “I can tell by your family dynamic that it’s likely there’s a good amount I should know.” 

“Because I’m a clone?” he asked, bristling slightly. 

“Because you’re all different species, because they call you by your first name, and yes, because you’re a clone. It’s not for the reasons you think. I just know that you can’t have been a parent long yourself. You were a soldier, bred for fighting.”

“I can take care of my kids.”

She sighed, raising her hands in surrender. “I’m not saying you can’t. That you haven’t. They obviously love you, and I can see how much you care for them. All I’m saying is that it must have been a large adjustment. I can only assume that they’re orphans, and judging by Nita’s reaction this morning, they haven’t been separated from you very much. I just… I just want to see if there’s anything I can do to make this transition easier for them. And for you.” 

Chuckles nodded, some of his defensiveness melting away. “You’re right,” he conceded. “They lost their families at the end of the war. I was discharged early due to injury.” 

Mostly true. If I hadn’t of hit my head hard enough, I’d have been another cog in the Imperial machine. 

“We’d tried to make a home on a different world, but it’s been hard to find work because of what I am.” 

“But now that the decommissioning’s happening, you’ve had a little more luck?”

“Yeah. People don’t think I’m a deserter,” he joked. 

She laughed softly. “Well, I think what you’re doing for them is something special. I’d argue that you’ve done enough with your service during the war, but taking on two orphaned younglings is something else entirely.”

“It hasn’t been easy,” he agreed. “But never because of them. The two of them just fit with me immediately. There were growing pains of course. Still are at times. But… but I can’t think of them as anything other than my kin at this point. Weird as that may sound. They’re my kids. And I want them to be happy. And I want to give them a sense of normalcy. I think them going to school here will be good. Arni loves to learn.”

“They are a very special student,” Endi agreed. “Their journal is impressive. The way they document everything in such detail and then can recall it later. It’s astounding, frankly. They’re quite advanced for their age.” 

“And Nita is a bit of a firecracker.” 

“That she is,” Endi giggled. “She was shy at first, but I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t unionize the entire class come the winter. I may be facing a mutiny.” 

Chuckles tipped his head back and laughed loudly at that. “Well, be sure to comm me when that happens. I’ll stand with you against her uprising.” Leaning forward, he whispered conspiratorially. “I’m not saying bribery should be your first tactic, but a bag of fried crispy snacks will get you a long way.” 

“Noted. You’ll be my first consult should such an uprising occur.” Her eyes were sparkling, and there was a purple blush in her cheeks. She had darker blue freckles, Chuckles noticed. They dotted over her cheeks and nose, and one or two larger ones were visible on her neck. She cleared her throat, and his eyes snapped back to meet hers. The purple hue in her cheeks had deepened, and suddenly, his face felt like it was on fire. 

Way to leer at the teacher on the first day. Good job, you kriffing nerfherder. 

He pushed himself to his feet hurriedly. 

“Well, I suppose we should get going. I appreciate you helping them along on their first day.”

“Of course,” she replied, standing quickly as well. “There is one other thing.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, Nita did tear a hole in the knee of her leggings today while climbing on a rock. She skinned her knee slightly, but a little bacta should do the trick. We bandaged it the best we could here.” She stepped forward hesitantly, and it was then that he noticed a piece of flimsi in her hands. She held it out to him. “I know new clothes are expensive, and seeing as you’re just getting settled, I imagine credits may be a little tight. If you want, I know how to mend clothing. I’d be more than happy to patch up her knee.” She tapped the flimsi. “This is my comm frequency if… if you’d like that.” 

Chuckles was fairly certain his face was going to melt off of his skull. His stomach was churning and a tingle ran up his spine. When he looked from the scrap of flimsi to Endi, her cheeks were somehow even more purple, and he imagined his entire face had to be glowing with how hot it felt. 

“Th-thanks,” he stuttered. “I just might.” 

“Alright then.” 

They stood awkwardly for another moment before Chuckles carefully folded the flimsi and stuck it into his pocket. “See you tomorrow?”

“I’ll be here.” 

“Good.” It felt like a silly thing, but his brain felt completely scrambled, and it was the best response he could come up with before he turned sharply on his heel and stepped outside. 

That was not how I expected this day to end. 

Nita was twirling in circles, kicking up dust as her hair ribbons fluttered around her face. The flower crown was still firmly perched on her head. When she caught sight of Chuckles, she raced towards him. Arni was sitting on the steps, still sketching. 

“The princess of the Starlight would like a piggyback ride home,” Nita stated, her spine erect as she attempted to address him as regally as she could. 

“Nita, he’s sore. I don’t think-” Arni started, but Chuckles put a hand on their shoulder. 

“I can do it. If you carry this,” he said, handing off his lunch satchel. Arni took it, looking on nervously as Chuckles sat down on the steps, patting his shoulders. 

“Your chariot awaits, my lady.” 

Nita squealed with delight, racing up the steps and wrapping her arms around Chuck’s neck. He tucked his arms under her knees and stood, teetering for a second before regaining his balance. Arni looked on with concern, but Chuckles tossed them a reassuring wink. 

It was a good day. I may not be able to walk tomorrow, and they might not like school as much, but I’m counting today as a victory. 

“Faster, Chuckles!” Nita demanded. 

Huffing a laugh, Chuckles whinnied like a fathier as he broke into a gallop, the blisters on his feet forgotten. Nita shrieked with laughter, and Arni jogged patiently next to them. When Chuck looked over, they were laughing too, their deep guffaw that they seemed to reserve for only their most joyous moments. For the first time since they left Sorgan, it felt as though Chuck’s heart might burst out of his chest with happiness. 

We can make a home here. We can make it ours.

Tag List: @seriowan @partofttheeternalsoul @rosmariner @misogirl828 @ellichonkasaurusrex @zoeykallus @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @gjrain20-starwars @staycalmandhugaclone @redheadgirl @fordo-kixed-rex @wizardofrozz @ariadnes-red-thread @extrahotpixels @justanothersadperson93 @leftealeaf @meekaielmyerhs99 @kaminocasey @echos-girlfriend @lucyysthings @obihiddlenox @merkitty49 @littlemissmanga @clonecyaree @baba-fett @sleepingsun501 @rexxdjarin @samspenandsword @babygirlrex0504 @ladytano420 @fxlsealarm @runforrestr @rennyboo9 @djarrex @rain-on-kamino @ladykatakuri @arctrooper69 @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall

[z-iridest]

My Hero Academia- I Am Phoenix:

Chapter 24- The Strength of Friends:

The fight between the new villain and I felt like it went on even longer than the fight between me and Wendigo, and once again, I was fighting while losing blood. If I don’t do something about the wound soon, I’ll end up passing out again. I thought, and I knew that was something I couldn't afford to do, not with Kota still in harm’s way… I hated the idea I had to use, but since my healing tears didn't work on my own wounds and no first aid available to me, I had to cauterize my wound shut and hope it wouldn't result in an infection later. Everytime I knocked the villain back, I had my hands melting the skin of my wound closed, clenching my teeth to keep from screaming in pain. Only a couple seconds at a time, mind you, but it still hurt like a sucker punch to the gut to do… Okay, fine, maybe worse. But, hey, the alternative was bleeding out and passing out in front of Kota. After a few attempts, I was able to close the wound, though I felt like I was gonna pass out from how much pain I had put myself through to seal the wound. At some point, my luck with dodging ran out, because I hit the stone wall after a solid punch. The villain laughed as I coughed, struggling to stand up. “Lucky for you, you’re not on the kill list. But, since I still wanna kill, I’ll just knock you out and kill the kid.” He grinned. 

“Leave him alone!” I swung at him as I stood up, but a good strong punch knocked me right back into the stone wall, making my head start to bleed. 

“No!” Kota cried out.

“You fought well, but not good enough…” He raised his fist, the muscles wrapping around his arm. “Nighty night, little Birdy!” I could barely move as he brought his fist down, but at the last second…

A jolt pulled me away as a pair of arms grabbed me, both of us rolling out of the way barely a second before the villain's fist hit the ground, green lightning surrounding us. A cough left us both and I struggled to sit up as a pair of red sneakers caught my eye. Izuku… I thought, recognizing my friend as I looked up at him. “What’re you doing?” Kota asked him, running over to us.

“Now, you, I also recognize. You were on the list too.” The villain told him. I could see the gears turning in Izuku’s head. He was trying to think things through. He glanced over where his phone had ended up, and I grimaced when I noticed it had broken while he was saving me. I knew he couldn't call for help, and I had no reception at all, so I couldn't either. Mandalay knew I had gone to find Kota, but Izuku probably didn't tell her where the hideout was. We were on our own against this villain with no hope of back up except each other. I struggled, but I eventually stood up, stepping in front of Kota again. 

“Hino, you’re hurt, let me take care of this. You should grab Kota and get out of here.” Izuku told me. I shook my head.

“You’re not fighting this maniac on your own. You’ll need backup. I’ll be fine.” I replied. “We can fight him together, just like we did with Stain. We’ll protect Kota and keep this guy away from everyone else.” I turned to Kota. “Everything'll be okay.”

“We promise.” Izuku finished, glancing back at him for a second before we both turned our attention to the villain in front of us.

“We’re going to save you, Kota.” We said at the same time. The villain laughed. 

“You two really think you can save this little brat?” The villain taunted. He laughed again. “That does sound like something a couple of wannabe heroes would say. Your kind sure likes to mouth off about justice. The names are Midoriya and Yagi, right? Perfect… We were told we could take some initiative and kill you, Midoriya, so long as we kept you alive, Yagi. But first, a little torment. Show me your blood!” He charged us. Izuku jumped in front of me to take the first hit, but the second the villain’s punch connected with Izuku’s arm, I heard the cracking of Izuku’s arm before he was knocked into the wall of the cave to our left. “Whoopsie…” Izuku yelled in pain when he finally got breath. “Oh, yeah. Hey. Maybe you can help me out a little first. You know where a kid named Bakugo might be around here?” The color drained from my face at the mention of the angry blond. They’re after Bakugo and me… But why? “I still have a job to do, after all!” He charged Izuku, but I jumped in the way this time, grabbing his fist before he could hurt Izuku again.

“You bastard!” I let my entire body ignite, glaring as he got burned slightly before jumping back.

“You do know what I’m talking about, then? Good, then… Play time!” The villain charged me. I jumped as he punched the ground, flipping over him and landing behind him. It went back and forth like that for a while. When one of us got knocked down, the other would jump into the fight. After a few times of the back and forth and Izuku getting knocked down, the villain got a good kick into me, making me cough up a bit of blood while he laughed. “Yes! Blood is exactly what I wanted from you two! What did you two promise? That everything would be okay? How’s that workin’ out for ya, huh?” Through blurry vision, I could see Kota, looking terrified out of his mind. I pushed aside my own pain to stand up. “Don’t just lay there, stupid…”

“Shut up.” I snarled, my vision clearing to see him looking gleeful, almost like he was excited to see me pissed off. My whole body ignited again as I took off toward him, yelling in anger. I saw green lighting out of the corner of my eye and knew Izuku had gotten up too. We both hit him, but he didn’t even flinch, not even away from my flames. 

“What? Is that all you two got?” He taunted, and to be honest, the nonchalance threw me off. Not even Izuku’s punch hurt him? “You’re both fast, but neither of you are strong enough to hurt me.” He swiped his arm, causing us both to hit the ground and slide a bit. “My Quirk increases my speed and strength so exponentially that my muscle fibers can’t even be contained by my skin. I know, I’m braggin’ a bit, but I mean, come on! I guess, what I’m trying to say is…You’re just inferior versions of me!”

“SHUT THE HELL UP!” I screamed in rage, punching him as hard as I could. Much to my surprise, though, the fire in my punch actually exploded on contact, making him slide back further than it did before. I looked at my hand.

“I didn’t know you could do that…” Izuku trailed off.

“That... makes two of us.” I mumbled, wondering where the hell it even came from. Before either of us could say more, my instincts told me to dodge, and Izuku and I moved out of the way just in time to dodge another punch from him. Izuku got hurt by one of the rocks that went flying, though. “Deku!” I yelled.

“I can’t help but laugh at you two kids… You two really think you’re heroes, don’t you?” The villain punched me down this time, causing me to land hard on the stone ground. Soon after, Izuku hit the ground hard too. To be honest, at that point, I was sure he’d been knocked out. “How’re you gonna save him, huh?! Don’t make promises you can’t keep! Live up to your words or they don’t mean anything!” I could hear his boots in front of us. “You’re no hero, neither of you are. You’re just frauds, and both of you’ll die that way!” The villain suddenly stopped, and I heard the sound of a pebble hitting the ground. Did Kota just… I thought and when I looked, sure as hell, I saw Kota. He’d turned the villain’s attention to him.

“Remember Water Hose? My mom… and my Dad. Did you torment the two of them too? Before you killed them?!” I knew from the way his voice shook that he was scared, but he’d still acted in an attempt to save us. The worry for him grew ten times worse, and I could hear from the gasp that left Izuku that he was awake again and worried too.

“Huh? Seriously? Those losers were your parents?” He asked before raising his arms slightly. “Well, then, this must be fate. The Water Hose heroes, they’re the reason I have an artificial eye in my left socket right now.” He showed Kota his left eye.

“This is all your fault. Nothing in the world is right anymore and it’s because of crazy people like you!” Kota sobbed.

“Little kids are always so quick to say it’s someone else’s fault.” The villain spoke as I struggled to get up, sensing the danger as Kota gasped. “Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not like I took them out ‘cause I was mad about the eye thing. I wanted to kill people, it’s as simple as that, and those two tried to stop me. What happened was the result of all of us doing our best. The real travesty is promising to do something you aren’t able to do. That’s why your dear old mommy and daddy died!” Both Izuku and I moved at the same time. “Nice try with the sneak attack, but I’m ready!”

“You ruined his life…”

“But you won’t take the blame?!” I finished for Izuku as we got in close. He got us both trapped with a tiny part of his muscle, but it now hardly mattered. “We’ve got you now…”

“It doesn’t matter how quick you are!” Izuku finished for me this time.

“But what’s your next move?! You gonna punch with those puny Quirks of yours?!” The villain taunted before I ignited myself again, causing him to cry out in pain and let me go. I immediately flew to Kota.

“It’s not a matter of whether or not either of us can do it.” Izuku yelled. Kota gasped, lunging forward as I reached him.

“A hero’s job is to risk their life, to turn their promises into reality!” Izuku and I both shouted as Izuku powered up.

“LET HIM HAVE IT, DEKU!” I wrapped my arms and wings around Kota, shielding him as Izuku's punch landed. The force from the blast was so strong, I had to unwrap my wings to keep Kota and I from falling off the cliff, the poor kid screaming in fear. With a flap of my wings, though, we were steady in the air. I could feel Kota clinging to me out of fear. “I gotcha, Kota. I told you it’d be okay.” I assured him as I landed with him in my arms.

“Sorry about that.” Izuku apologized as he approached. His shirt was ripped in half, and I noticed his arm was broken again. Recovery Girl’s gonna kill him. I thought.

“Thank you for-” Kota gasped mid sentence, noticing Izuku’s injuries as he turned. 

“Let’s get back to camp, it’s not far.” Izuku didn’t even address it. All of a sudden, the ground beneath us shook, and I set Kota down again.

“Kota, hide, right now.” I told him, making him run for a hiding place. We weren’t done… That guy had taken a full powered hit of One For All at point blank range and was still up. The villain groaned a bit before grinning at us.

“Heh. A bit too obvious, but hey. Not too bad, Midoriya.” He stalked toward us.

“No! Stay away!” Izuku shouted.

“Naw, attacking sounds more fun.” The villain replied.

“My turn!” I shouted, shooting off blast after blast. As we fought, I knew I had to buy time for Izuku to think of another plan. “Tell me, why did you come here? What does the League want from us?!”

“Doesn’t matter to me, I’m just glad they finally let me off the leash. As long as I get to use my Quirk all I want, I really don’t care. Remember what I told you two earlier? We’ve just been playing around, having fun until now...” The second he got a chance, he pulled something out of his pocket, and my eyes went wide when I realized what it was. “Now, I’m serious! Recess is over. I’m coming at you both for real! ‘Cause truth be told, you’re both pretty strong. I see that now!”

“Kota, quick, grab on! Hurry!” Izuku told him, bending down so the kid could get on his back. Right as he did, both Izuku and I had to dodge quickly as the villain powered up his Quirk and attacked, missing us by a hair. The hit this time caused a massive hole that went halfway down the cliff. His entire body was now nothing but muscle except his head, and I knew we were screwed. He turned to see us in the air and attacked again, the force of the blast making us fall in the other direction.

“Aw, damn! I got too excited!” The villain exclaimed. I tried to at least slow the boys’ fall down, but it didn’t do much as all three of us hit the ground, Izuku and I in front of Kota. As we got up again, I could see Izuku thinking about what to do. We were both exhausted from training and the previous fights, if we tried to make a break for it, both of us would be dead the second we turned our backs on this villain. We didn’t have much of a choice but to fight him right where we were. We both stood to full height.

“Stay back, Kota.” I warned the kid behind us.

“And then, when it’s time, run as fast as you can back to camp.” Izuku finished for me.

“You’re both gonna attack him again? You can’t do that! Let’s just go! Come on! His punch didn’t hurt that guy earlier, remember? Besides, both his arms are busted up.” Kota tried convincing us to run.

“It’s gonna be fine.” We reassured him at the same time, and I forced myself to push down my own worry about Izuku’s injuries in order to make sure Kota would feel safe. The villain cackled as he geared up for another attack. Izuku and I both activated our power at top power.

“I’M COMING FOR YOU!” The villain yelled as he charged.

“BRING IT ON!” I shouted back as Izuku and I both charged him. We both punched the mass of muscles coming right at us, holding back a strength that could rival my Dad’s own power. The force of it forced the ground under our feet to break, but the both of us held on.

“Aww, what’s wrong?! THAT WAS EVEN WEAKER THAN BEFORE!” The villain taunted.

“Fine then! Let’s turn up the heat, Deku!” I told my friend.

“IT’LL ALL BE OKAY! WE WON’T LET HIM GET PAST US! KOTA, RUN!” Izuku yelled to him.

“GO NOW!” I added.

“Still looking after him. Oh, man, you two are something else, aren’t you?!” The force pushing against us got stronger, pushing us onto our knees.

“SHUT UP, DAMN IT!” Izuku and I yelled as I put my back into a punch with my other arm too, burning him even more.

“But, why?!” Kota asked.

“SHOW ME…YOUR BLOOD!” Our backs hit the ground as we struggled to keep the force off of us, and I gave a yell of anger and exertion. It got even stronger though, both of us being forced to the ground as tears left my eyes. I’m so sorry, Dad… I couldn’t protect Izuku or fight anymore… I wasn’t strong enough… I thought as both of us quickly lost strength. “I’M GONNA CRUSH YOU BOTH!” As the force slammed into us, Izuku’s green lightning gave out, as did my flames. But, just as my world went black, a sudden splash came from above me. “What the… Is that water?” I heard the villain ask, confused. 

“Stop. Let them go!” Kota yelled.

“Kota…” I could barely talk. 

“Hold on there, ‘kay? I’ll kill you after I’m done with-” With a roar of rage, unlike anything that had come out of me until that point, my flames reignited all over again and I began to push back again, Izuku doing the same as his green lightning ignited again. The distraction from Kota was all we needed to get back up.

“I WON’T LET YOU HURT KOTA!” We both yelled.

“DAMN IT! HOW ARE YOU TWO GETTING STRONGER?!”

“YOU WON’T LAY A HAND ON HIM!” We both shouted again, now on our feet. Izuku fired up the power in his arm, and judging by the force, it was a helluva lot stronger than I’d ever felt.

“DELAWARE… DETROIT… SMASH!” The hit this time was hard enough to get through the muscle defense, and we both knocked him clean into the stone wall behind him. I felt like I was blistered all over, but seeing that kid without a scratch on him… It made me so relieved. I smiled as Izuku stood, unable to lift either of his arms, but tipped his head back and gave a yell of victory. 

“Why did… You risk your lives?” Kota asked. “Even though… You don’t know me, at all.” He was tearing up. “Why did you try to save me?” I went over to him and knelt to his height.

“Because that’s what true heroes do.” I smiled, wiping the tears from his face. That’s when we noticed Izuku stumbling forward. “Whoa, Izuku!”

“Hey!” Kota cried out as he rushed over to him.

“Everything’s okay.” He stumbled back again. “Gimme a second, and then there’s something I have to take care of.” Izuku weakly told him.

“But you’re all beat up, what more could either of you have to do now?” Kota asked. 

“We knew he’d be strong. That’s why we had to try to beat him here.” I explained.

“I thought I’d be able to inflict a lot more damage in the end, though. Turns out, I seriously underestimated how powerful his Quirk was. If every villain attacking tonight is on the same level, all our lives are at stake.” Izuku told him. “On top of that, it sounds like they’re after some of us students, Hino included. We have to let Mr Aizawa and the Pussycats know that’s one of the reasons they’re here.”

“We might be injured, kiddo, but we’re not defeated yet, there are more people we can save.” I finished. Kota gulped, but nodded all the same. I glanced at the villain we’d just beaten, and glanced over to see Wendigo still passed out cold too.

“We’ll leave them here for the time being. With my arms messed up and judging on how badly burnt Hino is, our combined power was probably weaker than it could have been, but I still think it’s at least taken him down for a while. He won’t wake up anytime soon, and even if he did, he’d be too weak to fight.” Izuku told him.

“For right now, we just need to make sure that you’re safe.” I told Kota. 

“We’re gonna need some help only you can give us.” He nodded toward the fire. “The forest has been set on fire. That means our friends could be trapped by the flames. But, we have hope.” We knelt to his height.

“Your water Quirk can put those fires out.” Kota gasped, turning around to face us.

“Kota, you hear us? We need you.” We both smiled softly at him before he nodded. I let my wings out again and turned my back to him.

“Climb on, Spunky. We need to get you to camp, fast.” I told him.

“You sure I won’t hurt you, you have blisters and burns everywhere.” Kota sounded unsure.

“I’ll be okay, kiddo, I promise.” I told him. “That’s why I made sure he couldn’t hurt my wings.” Once I felt Kota hanging on tight, I turned to my friend. “Izuku, let’s go.” We both took off, Izuku running and myself flying through the air.

“You were right!” Kota exclaimed after a minute.

“About what?” I questioned.

“It’s awesome having a bird’s eye view!” Kota answered, and I couldn’t help but smile. Hearing him excited was adorable, but it didn’t last long. I’ve got a bad feeling about this… My thoughts trailed off, knowing Izuku must have been thinking the same thing at that moment. After a while, Kota spotted something. “Hey, look down there!” When I glanced down, I saw Mr Aizawa running along the same path Izuku was taking.

“Nice eye, Kota!” I praised him. “Mr Aizawa!” I called out to our teacher, catching my friend’s attention at the same time as Kota and I landed. Our teacher stopped the minute he heard me.

“Yagi, and Midoriya?” Mr Aizawa looked shocked to see us before seeing our injuries and looking peeved.

“You’re here. Thank goodness… We need to catch you up on what we’ve learned about the villains, but we don’t have much time…” Izuku started rambling.

“Hey.” Mr Aizawa tried to stop him for a second.

“Plus, we need to find Mandalay. There’s something that we have to tell her…”

“Hold on!” Mr Aizawa tried once more to stop my friend, but he kept going.

“Please, take care of Kota while we’re gone.” Izuku asked of him, but kept word vomiting. “We’ll be back soon!” He then took off running again.

“Wait, Midoriya!” Mr Aizawa called out to him. I set Kota down after our teacher’s words made Izuku stop for a second. He sighed deeply. “Those injuries…” He turned toward me. “On both of you… Both of you went too far again, didn’t you? Have either of you forgotten about Hosu?”

“No.” I immediately responded.

“I haven’t either...” Midoriya trailed off.

“Go, but tell Mandalay something for me too.” Mr Aizawa told us, shocking us with what he said. I grabbed my friend as soon as our teacher reiterated what to tell her and flew off toward the clearing we’d been in just a while ago. I was worried sick, about Bakugo and Shoto both, but I couldn’t stop and worry about them now. We had to get to Mandalay… When we got back to the clearing, Mandalay was locked in a fight with Spinner.

“You’re persistent!” Mandalay was saying as she jumped into the air to dodge an attack.

“As are you! But it’s time to knock you off your false throne!” Spinner had jumped into the air with her, but just as he was about to attack her, I let Izuku drop, kicking through and breaking every last one of his blades with a strong kick. I landed next to Mandalay.

“Mandalay! Kota, he’s safe!” Izuku and I told her at the same time.

“You two found him?!” She asked. Izuku hit the ground, sliding a bit after landing.

“And I’ve got a message from Mr Aizawa. We need you to use Telepath!” Izuku told her before we told her what to tell them.

“Tell everyone from Class A and Class B that Eraser Head has granted them permission to engage in combat with the villains!” We both told her at the same time.

Everyone in Class A and Class B! In the name of the pro hero Eraserhead, you are granted permission to engage in combat! I repeat, use your training! You may fight these villains! Mandalay reiterated to everyone mentally. Once that was done, I took off again. I was going to find and protect Shoto and Bakugo, I didn’t care if it took every last ounce of my strength to do it… Not long after I’d taken off to find the boys, Mandalay spoke mentally again. Listen, we’ve discovered two of the villains’ targets. They’re students named Kacchan and Hino. Kacchan and Hino, both of you should try to avoid combat and stick to a group. I hope both of you can hear me! Great, now they knew I was one of the targets. Well, this was gonna be fun… Thanks a lot, Izuku! I thought, sarcasm filling my head. Izuku eventually caught up to me and I decided to run besides him, flipping in the air as I put my wings away. When I landed, I rolled to minimize damage and ran with him. “You realize Recovery Girl’s gonna kill you when we get back, right?” I asked him.

“We’ll deal with it later.” Izuku told me.

“The hell you mean we?! You’re the one with several broken bones again!” I snapped, my head turning to look at him. All of a sudden, he cried out in pain before a crash echoed around us. Where we had been just two seconds earlier, trees were snapped in half. I felt warm and when I got control of my sight, I saw that our tallest classmate had us in his grasp, bleeding from one of his limbs and panting.

“Shouji?!”

“What happened?” I asked worriedly, wriggling to get down so I could heal his injury, but Shouji kept me where I was.

“With those injuries, both of you should be laid up in bed recovering.” I grimaced at Shouji’s words. I knew I couldn't have done anything about the broken bones, but I had entirely forgotten about healing his injuries in our combined worry for Koda, Shoto and Bakugo. “But, both of you wanna save your friend, no matter what the cost.”

“That thing just now… Wait… Don’t tell me…” Izuku trailed off.

“Yeah… If we wanna get through here, we’ll have to face Dark Shadow first.” Shouji told us. The roar Dark Shadow let out made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. 

“That should be easy. I’ve been training with Tokoyami, he should be able to handle Dark Shadow with my help.” I managed to slide down, shaking off my own fear… Or at least trying to…

“Hino, this is worse than what you’ve been training against. Tokoyami lost control over Dark Shadow this time.” He told me.

“What?” I turned to him, even more worried about my friend now.

“Stay away from me! You’ll die!” I heard Tokoyami’s cry.

 

“Tokoyami, no!” Izuku exclaimed. "But, how did he even get this way?!” Izuku exclaimed in shock.

“Keep it down. After Mandalay told us what was happening, and that we shouldn't engage, we were both on high alert. Still… One of the villains got the drop on us. I hid in the bushes and tried to cover Tokoyami, even though one of my arms was cut off.”

“Really?” Izuku asked, looking worriedly at the wound. Finally having my chance, I took out the vial of healing tears and used it to heal what I could of Izuku’s injuries.

 

“It looks bad, but it’s not like it’s lost forever.” Shouji told him as I finished healing what I could of Izuku’s wounds and healed Shouji too, him giving me a look of appreciation. “My Dupli-Arms are capable of making duplicates up on duplicates. One of those was cut off… Thing is, he couldn't stand seeing me injured like that. The Quirk he’d been suppressing began to rage and take over.” Dark Shadow roared just then, interrupting Shouji. 

“The darker it is…”

“The less control Tokoyami has. He said it was dangerous, but I had no idea Dark Shadow could explode like this… I’d always wondered if there was an external factor other than darkness…” I trailed off.

“It’s probably fueled by his righteous indignation and regret. He’s tried to hold it back, but they made it wilder.” Shouji stepped back a bit, but his boot snapped a twig, making a small sound that caused Dark Shadow to attack where we were, but it missed us by a hair as we dodged. “It started lunging at any sound or movement, a beast lashing out with indiscriminate attacks.”

“Forget about me! Go! Find out classmates! Help them instead!” Tokoyami called to us, sounding on the verge of tears as he strained for control with Dark Shadow. “Stop this! Calm down, Dark Shadow!”

“His Quirk has a weakness to light. If we can lead them to a fire or back to camp, We could contain it…” Shouji trailed off before Izuku gasped, turning to me.

“Hino, do you think you could…” I shot down Izuku's question with a shake of my head.

“No, he was never this big during our training… I doubt I have enough strength to give off a fire bright enough to calm Dark Shadow down from this. Maybe if I had Todoroki or Bakugo… Maybe both, but alone? No way.” I answered. As much as I wanted to help him, I had a feeling that any attempt would be in vain.

“Midoriya, Yagi… I know these are strange circumstances, but I can’t just leave a suffering friend behind. You forced your broken body to get you here because you were worried about Bakugo. If both of you still wanna save him, I’ll distract Dark Shadow for you… And you can run.” Shouji told us.

“Hold on…” I tailed off.

“The fire and camp are pretty far away. You'll be in danger if he-” Once again, Dark Shadow heard Izuku and attacked where we were, with Shouji and I barely managing to dodge out of the way. 

“I know that. But, to save people, you have to take risks. That's what makes a hero a hero. Will you stay with me and help Tokoyami? Or will you rush to Bakugo’s side?” Shouji asked us. “You have to make a choice. Right now.”

“Maybe we don't have to.” I spoke after a minute, both of them looking at me. “I’m gonna need backup getting Dark Shadow to calm down anyway, and Bakugo and Todoroki both have abilities that Dark Shadow is weak to. We lead Dark Shadow to them and have them help us bring Dark Shadow down enough for Tokoyami to control.”

“We know at least the general direction they’re in, this could work.”

“Yagi, you might be the craziest of us all.” Shouji told me.

“Yeah, yeah, judge me later.” I waved him off. I whistled to get Dark Shadow's attention and started running, Shouji not far away from me. We had to dodge attacks pretty much left and right, but it was working. I did try blocking them, but like I thought, I wasn't able to calm Dark Shadow down enough on my own. Before long, we spotted it.

“There! I see ice, they’re fighting!” Izuku called out.

“Bakugo, Todoroki! One of you, give us some light!” Shouji yelled at them.

“Dark Shadow’s on a rampage and I can't calm him down alone!” I added, barely dodging as Dark Shadow attacked again.

“More flesh!” A dark figure yelled from above us, and I stupidly tried to use my wings to shield myself as I dodged, crying out in pain as a metal blade pierced a hole in my left wing and flung me against a tree. I got the wind knocked out of me pretty good and once I finally got breath, I coughed before groaning.

“Okay… That was stupid.” I scolded myself as I sat up, tucking my wings away so they could heal. Dark Shadow attacked my attacker though, Shouji barely managing to dodge out of the way.

“Kacchan!” Izuku called out to Bakugo, who only looked more pissed.

“Shouji, Midoriya, and Yagi… And is that… Tokoyami?” Shoto asked, and I heard Dark Shadow roaring again.

“We need light now, he’s out of control!” I yelled to those lovable idiots.

“He’s attacking blindly, I’ll use my fire.” Shoto set down the guy he was carrying, only to get stopped by Bakugo.

“Not so fast.” He told him.

“Flesh. Slabs of meat. No good. Can’t allow it. I’m the one that gets to slice them open! Don’t steal from me!” Geeze, this guy creeped me out even more than Major Musclehead. He tried to attack Dark Shadow, but of course, it didn't work.

“You don’t matter, insignificant bug!” Dark Shadow broke the blades he’d caught, having the villain in his grasp. Bakugo looked feral, grinning madly.

“Now finish him.” Bakugo muttered, Dark Shadow roaring and slamming the villain through several trees before throwing him against the one that knocked him out cold.

“Not enough! It's not enough!” Dark Shadow growled.

“BOYS, NOW!” I forced myself up, igniting my entire body as bright as my flames would go as I lunged for Dark Shadow from behind, the boys meeting me as they came at different sides, Bakugo using a bright explosion and Shoto using his fire. The light made Dark Shadow squeal and finally die down. We kept our light up until Dark Shadow was all the way down, Tokoyami left panting.

“And once again, I’m a terrible matchup for you, bird boy.” Bakugo told him as we let the light go out. 

“Thanks. You saved me.” Tokoyami was sweating from the excursion he’d just been through. 

“We could barely defend against that guy, but you beat him instantly.” Todoroki trailed off.

“My friend. Are you okay?” Shouji asked him. “You did what we needed you to.”

“Shouji, I apologize. You too, Midoriya, and Yagi. I’m still far too immature. Anger consumed me, and I let my Quirk take over. The influence of the darkness, combined with my fury, spurred Dark Shadow into a frenzy. Until it got so strong, I couldn't contain it and I ended up hurting Shouji.” Tokoyami apologized.

“We’ll deal with that later. That's what you would say if the roles were reversed.” Shouji told him, a sign of forgiveness that Tokoyami wasn't expecting judging by the look on his face. 

“Okay, I don’t know if you heard Mandalay, but I found out the villains are after Kacchan and Hino.” Izuku brought up. Oh great… I thought, trying to stand but collapsing. The adrenaline I’d been feeling since earlier had finally run out. Maybe I did go too far this time… Oops. 

“Bakugo and Yagi? Are they trying to kill them? Why?” Tokoyami asked. 

“I’m not sure, but I think we should get to camp. It’s the safest place now, so long as Vlad King and Mr Aizawa have regrouped there.” Izuku replied.

“I understand.” Tokoyami complied.

“Whoa, wait a minute, I am not putting everyone else in danger by leading the villains where everyone else is, you know how nuts that is?” I interjected.

“So our mission is to get Bakugo and Yagi back to safety by serving as their protectors.” Tokoyami kept going.

“Are you idiots even listening to me?!” I snapped, only to find myself ignored once again. 

“It’s possible the Pussycats are still fighting in the clearing. Going that way would draw the attention of the villains, plus it’s longer. We should cut straight across.” Izuku planned.

“We don’t know how many enemies there are. We might come across some by chance.” Tokoyami pointed out. I glanced at Bakugo, but he looked… To be honest, I didn't know if it was confusion or shock.

“We can use Shoji’s search ability and Todoroki’s freezing power… And if Tokoyami’s okay with it, we can always use Dark Shadow now that we can actually control him.” Izuku replied. “Honestly, with a group like this, we could probably even go up against All Might.” Bakugo seemed to snap out of it when I tried to stand up to object again and almost fell to the ground again.

“Careful, idiot.” He chided as he caught me, easily picking me up and holding me bridal style. “I’ll carry you.”

“I can walk by myself, idiot, I don’t need you to carry me.” I protested.

“Says the one who can barely stand for five seconds.” Bakugo’s voice had a teasing tone. I blinked in silence for a minute before mumbling a,

“Shut up…”

“Don’t drop her, Bakugo.” Shoto warned.

“I know that, idiot!” Bakugo snapped back at him. “Besides, I’d be fine by myself!” 

“We’ll surround the two of you as we walk.” Shoto told him.

“I don’t need any of your protection, dammit!” Bakugo fired back, and I flicked him in the forehead for yelling when I was right next to him.

“Let’s go.” Shouji told us as he started walking.

“Don’t ignore me!” Bakugo yelled again.

“Just make sure you keep up.” Shoto told him.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Bakugo growled. I rolled my eyes. But, something still felt off... After a while, a sudden movement caused me to hit the ground. I was no longer in Bakugo’s arms that much was certain.

“Blasty, what the he-” I went to scold him for dropping me, only to find Bakugo no longer there, and glancing behind me, I realized Tokoyami was gone too. Bakugo hadn't dropped me... He'd tossed me out of harm's way... “Shit! Guys-” I coughed just then, black stuff emerging from my lungs. No, no, no! I thought, panicking. “Shoto! Izuku!” I screamed to them, only to cough again as an onslaught of the crap came out, obscuring my vision. I couldn't call for help anymore, much less breathe… Shit, shit, shit! I thought, panicking more as my vision went black, my hand outstretched towards where my friends had gone….

I could only hope that they would be safe...

(Taglist: @qweenexplosionmurder13 @iheartbarbie )

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