#i love having to ration out what device i charge at a time and using a car starter to power a desk fan and using a hotspot 24/7

[bonestrouslingbones]

emerges from the dark and cavernous hyperfocus mines at 2am with 29% battery on my laptop after discovering that low battery makes my tablet glitch like hell. where did this fucking furry come from

[niallerspayno]

Temporary Fix - Chapter Nine

Masterlist

The atmosphere in the rehearsal space is tense, charged with an unspoken understanding between the band members. The air is thick with anticipation, the calm before the storm, and for once, the usual banter is quiet. You’ve been avoiding Niall for the last few days, trying to figure out how to handle the mess you’ve found yourself in. But deep down, you know you can’t keep running from it.

It’s not until after rehearsal one night, when you’re wiping sweat from your brow and catching your breath, that you overhear a conversation among the guys—Harry, Liam, Louis, and Zayn. They’re huddled together, speaking in low voices. At first, you think nothing of it, too caught up in your own tangled emotions. But as you catch snippets of their words, you realize they’ve been talking about you and Niall. And more specifically, how to force the two of you to face your feelings.

“They’ve been avoiding each other for too long,” you hear Louis grumble, his voice louder than the rest. “They need to talk, or they’re just going to keep hurting each other.”

Liam, always the rational one, nods. “Exactly. But if we just leave them to their own devices, we know what’ll happen. They’ll keep running from the conversation, and they’ll just keep using each other as an escape.”

Harry, with his usual calm demeanor, adds in, “We can’t just let it keep going like this. They both deserve to have this figured out. We’ve got to make them face it. They need to talk. No distractions.”

Zayn, who’s been silent until now, chimes in with a sly smile. “I think I’ve got an idea. If they’re too scared to talk, we just… lock them in a room together. We stay in there with them, of course, so they can’t run or avoid the conversation.”

Louis laughs, shaking his head. “I love it. We trap them, no escape.”

Liam gives a slight nod. “It’s the only way they’ll have no choice but to face it. We’ll make sure they can’t get away with avoiding it again.”

You stand frozen in place, your heart sinking as you realize what they’re planning. It’s almost comical how obvious it is that you and Niall have been dancing around the truth for so long, and now, your bandmates are going to take matters into their own hands.

They don’t know you’re listening yet, so you lean against the wall, hoping they won’t catch on to you eavesdropping. Your mind races as they continue discussing the details, seemingly more invested in your relationship than you are right now.

“We’ll just make sure they’re stuck in there until they talk,” Zayn adds. “No sneaking away this time. It’ll be good for them.”

A chuckle escapes from Harry. “It’s either that or we risk them both staying miserable forever. We can’t keep watching them do this to themselves.”

You swallow hard. There’s no escaping this now. They’ve seen right through the façade that you and Niall have built, and they’ve decided it’s time to take control. You can’t help but feel a bit exposed, but at the same time, part of you knows it’s for the best. You can’t keep pretending this isn’t a problem.

As they wrap up their conversation, you slip away quietly, pretending you weren’t listening, but the weight of their plan settles on your shoulders. You can’t hide from this any longer, and honestly, part of you wonders if maybe, just maybe, you’ve needed this push.

...

Later that evening, the plan is set into motion. The band gathers, casually inviting you and Niall to one of the band’s rooms after a long day of rehearsals, suggesting it’s just to hang out and relax. You and Niall exchange a glance, both of you still grappling with the tension between you, but neither of you ready to call out what’s clearly about to happen.

When you enter the room, you’re taken aback to find all the band members there, waiting in what feels like a secretive circle.

“What’s going on?” you ask, glancing from face to face, your pulse quickening.

Niall looks just as confused, his brow furrowing. “Yeah, what’s all this?”

Louis grins mischievously, his eyes gleaming with a mix of humor and mischief. “Oh, don’t worry. Just a little… intervention. You two are going to talk.”

Niall, still oblivious, chuckles. “We’ve got nothing to talk about.”

Liam steps forward, his expression serious. “You do now. We’re done letting this drag on. You two need to figure this out. Now.”

Before you can respond, Zayn steps behind you, closing the door with a soft click. You turn around, heart skipping a beat, realizing that there’s no going back now. The room is locked, the four of them standing as a barrier between the door and you and Niall.

Harry sits down on a nearby chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “No distractions, no avoiding this. We’re not leaving until you two sit down and have the conversation you’ve been avoiding for the past month.”

Your stomach tightens, a mixture of nerves and guilt settling in. You glance at Niall, his face a mask of hesitation, but there’s something in his eyes that tells you he’s just as tired of the back-and-forth as you are. The unspoken tension between you both is overwhelming, but now, with no escape, you know it’s time to face it.

You open your mouth to speak, but before you can, Louis grins wickedly, clearly unable to keep the joke to himself.

“Don’t worry, you two,” he says, slinging an arm around Zayn’s shoulders. “We can’t leave you alone for five minutes or you’ll start tearing each other’s clothes off like a couple of wild animals.”

Zayn rolls his eyes but can’t suppress a smile, shaking his head. “Honestly, you two are like a walking, talking disaster. If we don’t intervene, who knows how many more ‘no-talking, only shagging’ nights you’ll have.”

Niall lets out a nervous chuckle, but you can see the tension in his shoulders. You both know they’re right, and you can’t help but feel a little embarrassed by their teasing. Harry, who’s been unusually quiet until now, leans back in his chair and adds, his voice full of dry humor, “Yeah, well, we thought we’d step in before you two get carried away and end up in a full-on ‘we’re just friends, really’ situation, which is clearly bullshit.”

Liam, ever the calm one, looks between you and Niall, his expression softer but still serious. “Alright, no more distractions. We know what’s going on, and we’re not leaving this room until you’ve talked it out. Don’t make us lock the door.” His tone is firm but there's a hint of a smile, like he’s been waiting for this moment for ages.

You open your mouth to protest, to say that you can handle it, but the overwhelming pressure of their intentions hits you, and you realize this isn’t just for your benefit—it’s for Niall’s too. You need to talk. You need to face it.

But Niall, ever the jokester even when his world is falling apart, manages a wry smile. “What, you think we’ll just start making out if you leave the room? You really know how to kill the mood, don’t you?”

Harry, now clearly enjoying himself, chuckles, but his tone is still teasing. “Well, if you two can’t keep your hands off each other when we leave, we’ll know it’s time to lock you in a separate room altogether.”

Louis and Zayn burst out laughing, but you can see that their playful banter is a way to cut the tension, to make you both feel a little less cornered.

Still, as the jokes settle, you feel the weight of the situation pressing down on you. They’re right—you can’t keep dancing around it. You can’t keep using each other as a distraction from the mess of feelings that have been building between you and Niall.

You take a deep breath, then glance at Niall. He meets your gaze, his blue eyes filled with hesitation, but there’s something else there too. Maybe it’s understanding. Maybe it’s the beginning of something else.

As the teasing finally dies down, Louis adds with a grin, “You two don’t have to like each other after this, but you damn well better talk. Otherwise, we’ll just keep locking you up in here until you do.”

Liam nods, crossing his arms with a smirk. “We’re not the ones keeping you two together. You’ve done that all on your own.”

A small, nervous laugh escapes you, breaking the final layer of tension, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is it. You and Niall can’t avoid it any longer. You exchange another glance, and this time, there’s a soft understanding between you both.

The band members settle down a little, creating space for you and Niall to finally, finally have the conversation that has been long overdue.

And as they stand back, arms folded, still hovering nearby but not quite intervening, you realise they’ve set the stage for you and Niall to either break the cycle or finally face what’s been lingering in the air between you both.

Niall’s voice breaks the silence first, but it’s quieter than you’ve ever heard him, his usual cocky demeanor nowhere to be found.

“I… I’m sorry. For everything. For making you feel like you weren’t important. Like we were just… a game, a distraction. I never wanted to hurt you,” he says, his words tumbling out like he's been holding them back for too long. He meets your eyes, his gaze full of regret. “I was scared. Scared of what it meant, scared of what I was feeling. I didn’t know how to… deal with it. But that’s no excuse.”

You feel a lump form in your throat as you watch him, the vulnerability in his voice hitting you harder than you expected. You swallow, trying to find the right words, but they’re stuck somewhere deep inside.

“I should have talked to you. I should have told you I—” He hesitates, and for a second, you think he might pull back again, but then he shakes his head, his shoulders tense. “I’m in love with you,” he admits, his words soft but steady. “And I have been for a long time. I was just too scared to say it. I kept pretending it was just… whatever this was, just fun. But it wasn’t. It’s never been just that.”

The room is still, the tension thick. You’re not sure if you can breathe, if your heart is still beating or if it’s been stuck in your throat. You can hear the slight rustle of movement from the band members—Liam shifts uncomfortably, Zayn gives a quiet nod of approval, and Louis is grinning as though he’s been waiting for this moment. Harry, though, just watches the two of you, his calm demeanor reassuring in its quiet understanding.

You take a deep breath, finally finding your voice. “I… I was scared too, Niall. Scared of what we were doing, scared of what would happen if we stopped. But I also… I thought I was just going to end up being some… some mistake to you. I didn’t want to admit to myself that I was falling for you.”

Your gaze drops to your hands, your fingers fidgeting with the hem of your sleeve. "But I'm in love with you too. I always have been."

The words feel foreign coming out of your mouth, but also completely right. It’s like a weight has been lifted from your chest, and in its place is a flood of relief.

“I just wanted us to be more than this. More than… whatever this mess was,” you say, your voice breaking slightly. “I’m tired of pretending it’s nothing when it’s everything to me.”

Niall steps closer to you, his breath shaky, as if he’s not sure if this is real yet. “Then why didn’t you tell me?” he asks softly, his voice full of confusion and need. “Why did we keep letting it go this far without talking about it?”

“I don’t know,” you admit. “I didn’t want to lose you. I didn’t think I could handle the truth.”

Niall reaches out then, his hand gently cupping your cheek, his thumb brushing across your skin. It’s a tender touch, not rushed, not desperate. Just… honest. “You won’t lose me,” he whispers. “I’m sorry I made you think that. You never had to hide from me.”

The room is still, but this time, it’s not uncomfortable. The band members are quieter now, watching the two of you with a mix of amusement and tenderness, as if they can finally breathe too.

Louis grins, breaking the silence. “Well, about time you two figured it out. Took you long enough. I thought we were going to be stuck in this damn room forever.”

Zayn chuckles, his voice smooth. “I thought for a minute there, you two were going to end up just making out instead of talking. That’s how it usually goes, huh?”

Harry, with a soft smile, gives a quiet laugh and adds, “You guys just needed a little nudge. Good to know we can count on you to keep it together, though. Now that you've sorted yourselves out, I hope the ‘no more sleeping together’ rule is back in place, yeah?”

Liam, always the one to keep things grounded, steps forward with a grin. “Well, looks like our little intervention worked. But seriously, you two have some talking to do. No more running away from it.”

You laugh softly, wiping away the stray tear that’s escaped, before turning back to Niall. There’s something light in the air now, a soft kind of relief. You’ve said the words that needed to be said, and now, you know for certain that this is more than just the physical connection you’ve been relying on for so long.

“I’m in love with you too,” Niall whispers again, his forehead resting gently against yours. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

For the first time in a long while, you feel like everything’s right. The fear, the uncertainty, the confusion—it’s all behind you now.

And as you look over at the boys, their teasing smiles and knowing glances only make this moment feel more real. They’ve given you the space to figure this out, and now, it’s time for the two of you to finally move forward together.

Final chapter

[fanficstartrekouat]

The newest threat

The crew of the fairytale continued their mission to explore and meet new civilizations in the newly discovered Zeta quadrant, after their confrontation with the Frost demons and their adventure in Krypton space.

Commander Cinderella: "Captain Snow White, we have a distress call coming from an unidentified planet."

Snow White: "On our way. Let's set course for the source of that transmission and see what's going on."

The crew of the USS Fairytale quickly headed for the unidentified planet. What could have happened to cause a distress call to go out?

Captain Snow White: "On screen."

Lieutenant Aurora: "I'm trying but the language is strange."

Lieutenant Commander Ariel: "Have we tried using translator devices?"

Commander Cinderella: "We haven't."

Commander Cinderella: "Let's turn on the translator devices and see if they can pick up the alien language."

The crew of the USS Fairytale quickly activated their universal translator devices, hoping that it would be able to understand the language they were hearing on the communication. What did they hear?

The crew of the USS Fairytale listened closely to the communication. All they heard were screams of pain and agony, and nothing more. The translator suddenly went quiet.

Captain Snow White: "Commander David, take Lieutenant Philip, Lieutenant Commander Eric, and keep the Comms on at all times. Let me know what you see."

Commander David: "Aye aye, Captain."

Lieutenant Aurora turned to Philip: "Come back, my love."

Philip replied, "I will return to you."

Ariel turned to Eric: "That goes double for you, mister."

David: "Okay, boys, we stick together and check out what we see. Once we finish our mission, we can return to our girls."

Eric: "Yes, commander."

Philip: "Understood, Sir."

As the trio explore the planet, they see a strange creature that resembles a robot. It looks like a humanoid-shaped machine, with a round domed body on top of a single tentacle-like leg. It seems to have no eyes or facial features and its surfaces are covered in silver armor plating with black details. It wields a laser.

Commander David: "What's that? It's species is not in our database."

Lieutenant Philip: "Well, this is a new sector and a new planet. We can't expect to have everything in our database."

Eric: "Logically, we wouldn't have it in our database."

Dalek: "I am a Dalek and we will kill your entire race."

Commander David: "We will not allow that to happen."

The trio of officers aimed their phasers at the Dalek. Commander David took charge.

Commander David: "You are threatening a Federation vessel and we are authorized to use force if necessary. We demand an explanation for your actions. Tell us who you are and what you are doing on this planet."

Dalek: "I am a Dalek and nothing affects me. We Daleks are the superior race. All your species are inferior to ours. We shall definitely destroy everything you cherish. We never heard of the Federation before today. Your words have no meaning to me."

Commander David: "Well, let me introduce you to the Federation. It is a confederation of several species who work together in peace and harmony. We value life and diversity and strive to improve the lives of all sentient beings. Perhaps we can convince you that your words have no place in our galaxy. What do you think?"

Dalek: "This is not your galaxy. This is my galaxy, as we are in the Zeta sector. You have no authority here and even if you did, we Daleks wouldn't care very much. Prepare to be exterminated."

Commander David: "So you are going to destroy us, regardless of what we say to you? That is not very rational. Your behavior towards us seems to only be motivated by a desire for destruction. Is there anything to you besides aggression and violence? And is there any way we can negotiate with you?"

Dalek: "This is not your galaxy. This is my galaxy, as we are in the Zeta sector. You have no authority here and even if you did, we Daleks wouldn't care very much. Prepare to be exterminated."

Commander David: "So you are going to destroy us, regardless of what we say to you? That is not very rational. Your behavior towards us seems to only be motivated by a desire for destruction. Is there anything to you besides aggression and violence? And is there any way we can negotiate with you?"

Dalek: "I do not answer to you. I serve the Dalek supreme. He is the Dalek in charge of us. As for your other question, no; we will never stop exterminating lesser Life forms. You cannot defeat us for we Daleks are in charge and stronger than you puny humans."

Commander David: "Then I am afraid that we will have to fight you. And we shall do so as long as it takes. We won't let you harm a single innocent species in this sector. We are the Federation and we stand for peace and understanding, not for violence and destruction."

Dalek: "Prepare to be exterminated."

The Dalek began firing his laser at the officers. They quickly took cover and began returning fire, trying to hit the Dalek and disable it. It was a close battle, but in the end, the trio of officers were able to defeat the Dalek and protect the planet. They then transmitted a distress call, hoping that other ships in the Federation could come to their assistance.

Commander David: "We have defeated the Dalek. We are transmitting a distress call, requesting assistance from any other ships in the area. We are standing by and awaiting a response."

Dalek: "THE DAA-LEK SUPREME HAS ISSUED NEW COMMANDS. I MUST RETREAT. THE DAA-LEK REIGN SUPREME."

With that, the Dalek left, leaving the three officers baffled and unaware of the Daleks' true intentions. David and the other two officers beamed back to the Fairytale.

Commander David: "Well, that was certainly strange. We have no idea why the Dalek retreated or what its true intentions might be. We should stay vigilant in the future."

Captain Snow White: "Agreed, Commander David Nolan. Dear husband."

Emma: "Wait, Dad, did you say Dalek?"

Commander David: "Yes, Emma, I did. We encountered a Dalek, which attacked us and claimed to be in charge of this sector. We defeated it, but its behavior was quite strange and we have no idea what its true intentions are. This is something we should keep an eye on in the future."

Emma: "It's just that I've heard rumors about the Dalek. I thought it was a rumor, but Karra insisted that the Daleks were real. She told me what she heard."

David: "That's interesting and Kara would obviously know what goes on in this sector considering she originally comes from the Zeta sector."

Snow White: "That's very true. I might talk with Rapunzel and Kara tomorrow and I'll report the discovery of the Dalek to Starfleet Command."

Snow White went to her ready room to contact her mother, Admiral Regina Mills. Captain Snow White started to contact her.

Snow White: "Hello, mom. It's me, Snow White."

Admiral Regina Mills: "Hello, dear. How are you?"

Snow White: "I'm doing well. We've just discovered something interesting. We encountered a Dalek and they claimed to be in charge of the sector."

Admiral Regina Mills: "What? A Dalek? Are you certain that it was a Dalek and not just something that resembled one?"

Snow White: "It called itself a Dalek, but the strange thing is that it retreated without being defeated. Mother, I don't know why, but I feel like this Dalek may have bigger plans for us. I always thought that the Daleks were a myth."

Admiral Regina Mills: "Snow, are you telling me that you encountered a Dalek and it retreated without being defeated? And what do you mean by 'bigger plans'? Are you saying that this Dalek left of its own accord and that this is not a coincidence?"

Snow White: "Yes, Mother. I know it. The Dalek was testing us; it probably scanned us for its own diabolical plans. We might want to prepare for a war with the Daleks. "

Admiral Regina Mills: "Snow, a war with the Daleks? That's a frightening prospect. But we can't be too careful considering the power of a Dalek. I want you to gather information on this Dalek and its intentions. If it is planning a war, we need to know when and where it plans to strike. I'm counting on you, Snow. Now get to work."

Snow White: Yes ma am." with that the transmission ended and now Snow was going to give her crew the bad news. She just wondered how things would go. "Attention to all personnel please listen this is your Captain speaking." Snow White used the speaker to communicate with the entire ship.

Captain Snow White spoke to the crew, trying to reassure them in the face of the news about the potentially hostile Dalek.

Captain Snow White: "I have very, very bad news. The news is that the Dalek may wage war on us, but don't fret, my friends. We are the Fairytale crew, and we can beat anyone and anything. We took on Kryptonians and Saiyans, as well as Frost Demons and came out victorious. We can do it again. I won't lie, this will be our toughest mission yet."

[gyuphorias]

Can I just request soft sex in the backseat of Yeonjuns car after getting caught in a storm and having to pull off the road and wait for it to pass ??

There's currently a huge storm and I'm in the mood for some soft yeonjun

It's fine if you can't though! I totally understand

back roads | c. yeonjun

warnings | afab!reader, use of female nicknames, explicit sexual content (car sex, unprotected sex, fingering - f. receiving, dirty talk, soft dom!yeonjun, riding, spanking, light dumbification, dacryphilia, creampie), light aftercare

word count | 4k

notes | hey nonnie love i'm so sorry this is like weeks late!! hope you like it all the same <3 enjoy my work? consider tipping me on ko-fi!

once you think you've got the strength, you start to move, using his shoulders as leverage to lift yourself up. sse yeonjun was being so pushy and so whiny. i just wanna leave already and i'm too excited and can't we just go now? plagued your morning as you tried to finish packing your bags for the weekend getaway you'd planned together. it wasn't anything fancy, just a few days out of town together after a long, grueling few months.

eventually, you'd given into yeonjun's whining, easily won over by the way he widened his eyes and pouted at you. he's always known how to push your buttons the right way, how to get you to give in and listen to him. you'd finished packing in record time and loaded the car even faster, eager to get on the road with your boyfriend; every second together was precious.

but in your hurry, you hadn't stopped to check the weather. it completely slipped your mind as you and yeonjun raced to throw suitcases and bags into the trunk. even as you'd mellowed out and took a leisurely time to make sure your apartment was secure, you'd forgotten about it. your mind, so preoccupied with the idea of spending a weekend with yeonjun without the risk of being interrupted by something, had tossed away any rational thinking.

so you'd started your journey, blissfully unaware of the massive thunderstorm working its way through the area. and now, you're left wishing you hadn't.

it started as just a couple of raindrops, nothing too serious, as most storms do. but then sprinkling turned into a drizzle turned into a shower turned into a full-blown torrential downpour. with rain coming down in sheets, obscuring the road even just a foot ahead of you, and wind shaking the car, you've had to pull off on the side of the road, some isolated little thing. yeonjun's hands stay on the steering wheel, his elbows locked, and his eyes trained on some invisible spot on what you can only assume is the horizon.

you pull your phone from the console, where it's been charging for the last hour or so, and open the weather app, anxiously waiting for it to load. the weather radar takes even longer to render fully, which is enough to make you think the worst. and boy, is it the worst.

"they're saying this storm's gonna last for an hour," you say, locking the device and pressing the top edge of it against your forehead. you close your eyes and take a breath, trying to will the sadness out of your posture.

"is it gonna let up?" yeonjun questions. you can hear him shifting around in his seat, already getting antsy with inaction.

you shake your head, pulling yourself up to turn and look at him. "no. it's going to be this bad for a while. could even get worse, they think."

you're trying to look on the bright side of things; sure, your trip is delayed for an hour, but you still get to spend time with yeonjun, which is what you wanted in the first place. the storm certainly is a little much, but you'd never complain about being with yeonjun.

it's a blur, though, from how you go from chatting with your boyfriend to making out with him in the back seat of the car. you don't remember any of the small bits, just that one moment, you were talking about work and the next, he was helping you climb over the console to get into the back. you're sure there has to be a makeout session somewhere in the timeline because where your memory picks up again, you're settling into yeonjun's lap and his lips are already distinctly swollen.

"got me feeling like i'm in high school again," he says, his fingers dipping under your sweater.

"yeah?" you ask, pulling the hem of his shirt up over his abs, letting your chilly fingers press against the skin there. "how many times did you take a girl out just to fuck her in the back seat of your car on some back road in the middle of nowhere?"

yeonjun laughs a little, breathy and hot, leaning in to kiss you and then down across your jaw and neck. his hands start working at pulling your sweater and shirt over your head. "never, baby. you're the only one."

when his hands find their way back to your hips and grind you down against him, you can't hold back the moan that leaves you, lost in the rhythmic sound of rain beating at all sides of the vehicle.

"good to know."

yeonjun keeps working his hands and mouth across you in all the right ways, so heavenly and beautiful. you tangle your fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck, tensing and untensing with the rolls of the pleasure he's bringing you. everything about it feels so right, so even though the storm has effectively ruined any immediate plan, you find comfort in thinking that this was meant to happen in some capacity.

"gonna let me make a mess of you?" he asks, his breath hot against the skin where your shoulder and neck meet. he pulls back to look at you and you feel flushed at the way his pupils are blown out, his cheeks burning red with it all.

you can't help but nod down at him, wanting nothing more but to let him do as he pleases. you've got him to yourself for a long while, so you might as well make the most of this storm delaying your plans.

yeonjun's fingers find no resistance as they slide under the elastic band of your sweatpants, pressing hotly into the skin of your hips briefly while he goes back to marking you however he wants. eventually, they find the band of your panties and they dip into those too, wasting no time in finding your core, already slick with the unbridled need that yeonjun instills in you without even trying to.

"so wet," he says against the column of your throat. "this all for me?"

as he asks it, he presses his fingers up into you, putting a delicious pressure on your clit. you're glad to be straddling him because your knees go weak at the sudden pressure.

"always for you," you manage to get out, fingers curling so tightly into his hair that your nails scratch gently at his scalp.

you can feel him smile against your neck, the rumble of his chuckle as it reverberates through his chest. his fingers work without haste, moving all experimentally and slowly. you want him so bad, but he's got the pace under his control and you're scared to contradict him. yeonjun is notorious for leaving you all high and dry, and with the end of this storm nowhere close, you can't stand the idea of it.

eventually, his fingers finally move to your slit, dragging your slick around before he slides two of them into you. the ridges of his knuckles feel absolutely heavenly, the way they drag against the most intimate part of you as the pads of his fingertips search for that one little spot that'll have you keening for him. it takes him no time at all to find it and he grins up at you as he practically abuses it, using the length of his fingers to his advantage.

"feel good?" he questions, almost mockingly.

his eyes are big and wide with something akin to wonder, like he hasn't had you like this so many times before. it's nice, though, to have him absolutely entranced by the way you wear your pleasure on your face; he always looks so mesmerized by you, as if he isn't the reason you look like this. he smiles when you nod, biting at your lip and whimpering out an mhm.

you drop your hands from his head to his shoulders, your fingers curling into his sweater instead. he's working you up so well, higher and higher without stumbling over himself. in turn, your moans, whimpers, and every little sound in between are growing higher and tighter with every easy thrust of his fingers, every graze against your clit. he must be able to sense that you're getting ever closer to that precipice because he coaxes your mouth into his and lets his fingers work their magic.

"y'wanna come?" he asks you, muttering the words into your mouth, which is open in a silent, broken gasp.

you nod, almost too eagerly, and your fingers twist up his sweater into your fists. "please, please, junnie."

yeonjun smiles, bright and beautiful and breathtaking, as if you had much breath to lend him to begin with. in a rare moment of mercy, he gives it to you without asking for anything in return. during most encounters, he makes you beg, makes you grovel until he's decided you've done well enough to warrant getting to paint his fingers or cock or face with your cum. tonight, though, with you being so clearly distraught about the whole situation, he can't help but treat you like his precious little thing, not wanting to deny you your pleasure.

so he doesn't. instead, he lands a particular pleasurable grind of the heel of his hand against your clit and wraps his free arm tightly around your waist, letting you melt into his embrace. "come on, baby. whenever you want."

it doesn't take much after for you to moan openly, trembling and practically collapsing against yeonjun as your orgasm rushes through you. it's a rapturous feeling, having yeonjun's fingers working you up to and through your high, a primal kind of devastating that only he's ever been able to bring you.

even then, he coaxes you into him, whispers the sweetest things into your ear, convinces you to give him everything you have. and when you have nothing left, he still manages to find a little bit more of everything — more energy, fresh tears, a small expanse of skin that hasn't been marked up, a vocal cord that hasn't been moaned raw yet — and he convinces you to give those to him too.

"gonna be a good girl and ride my cock now?" yeonjun asks when his fingers have finally ceased their pursuit of sending you into a tearful bout of overstimulation. his other hand caresses the back of your neck, a soft curl of fingers around your throat from behind.

you look up at him from your position on his shoulder, your body entirely slumped into his and now searching for ways to truly melt into him. your chest is still heaving with the effort of trying to catch your breath and you're still shaking a little from your orgasm and the overstimulation yeonjun was working you towards just moments ago. still, some part of you finds the ability to nod.

yeonjun, with that grin on his face, helps you out of your now ruined sweatpants and panties. in turn, when he bridges his hips, you shuffle his own sweats and boxers down his legs, except you leave them on, stopping at his knees. you straddle his thighs, now bare, again and shiver at the anticipation of him filling you up. his cock is resting against his stomach, pretty and red and aching, and your mouth waters.

"my eyes are up here," yeonjun quips and your gaze shoots up to lock with his.

he's clearly just joking around with you because sex really isn't ever that serious with him, and when he starts laughing a little, you find yourself joining him. you scoot a little closer and card one of your hands through his hair, pushing it back from his forehead so you have a clear view of his eyes.

"sorry," you say, leaning into him again. "you're just so pretty, junnie. pretty boy with a pretty dick."

yeonjun goes red, but he's fighting hard to keep his cool, dominant exterior. he scoffs and wraps his arms around you, pulling you to sit as far forward on his lap as he can get you. his cock brushes against your clit and you bite back a whine at the feeling. it's been a little too long since you've had him like this, the two of you too busy to have each other, and you're desperate to have him.

"you think so?" he asks, not letting you back away from his playful expression. "you know what i think? i think this pretty cock was made for your pretty pussy. hm? you agree?"

you nod fervently, watching as he stares you down. you can tell it's all going straight to his ego because he grins all wide and wild. you both know he's got you right where he wants you, that he's got you all cock drunk before he's even really done anything, but you absolutely cannot find it in you to care at all because when he lets his big ego take over, you know you're in for a treat.

"yeah? and now you're gonna let me inside, right? take all of it inside you?"

you nod again, lifting yourself enough to give him space. the second he's got himself lined up, you start sinking down on him without a word. you hiss and whimper in tandem, the stretch absolutely divine for the both of you.

"fuck," he whispers, mostly to himself. "fuck, you feel so good."

his nails dig into the meat of your hips, no doubt leaving deep indents. there's not even a little piece of yourself that minds though because you invite every little reminder of him when you share moments like this. plus, you're too busy focusing on taking his cock anyways.

you work hard to bottom out on him, reveling in the tight fit and the warmth of him. everything comes together in one mindbreaking sensation and when you finally get there, it all just multiplies tenfold. you let out the most debauched moan of your entire life, your stomach tightening up already.

"take your time, baby," yeonjun says, his head pressed back against the headrest of the seat, his eyes closed. he worries his bottom lip between his teeth at some points as you squeeze and clench around him.

whatever you're feeling, he's feeling it just as much. and you want to make him feel better.

once you think you've got the strength, you start to move, using his shoulders as leverage to lift yourself up. as you start slowly bouncing on his cock, yeonjun gets vocal and his hands start moving with you. they palm at your sides, curl into your hair to pull you down to kiss him. at some points, he even brings one down on your ass to spank you before kneading the sting away.

but as much fun as you're having riding him as the storm outside beats away at the car, the only shield between you and someone seeing what you're doing with yeonjun, this position isn't doing much to help you out. your legs are starting to burn with the effort of it all and you're having a hard time keeping up.

"need help, jun," you whine, pressing your fingers into the taut muscles of his shoulders. "please?"

"okay, baby," he manages between staggered breaths. "i got you."

his arms wrap around you and pull you into him, doing their best to keep you upright. he helps you bounce on him and he tries to meet you halfway with every movement. they're shallow thrusts, not as fulfilling as either of you want them to be, but they're still getting the job done perfectly fine.

"doing so well for me," yeonjun mutters into your shoulder, his teeth grazing your skin as he speaks. "always do so well for me. my good fuckin' girl, yeah? gonna make me come so hard."

you're obsessed with each other, but the difference between you and yeonjun is that he never gets as fucked out as you do, especially not when he's got all of the control of the situation. so while you're fucking yourself stupid on his cock, he's muttering the most corrupt shit that he can think of into your ear.

his hand comes down on your ass again and you jolt into him, your clit pressing against his pelvic bone for a precious little moment. just that sets off a domino effect of everything else: you moan, clench around him, and he hisses through his teeth before nipping at your shoulder.

"gonna make me fuckin' come, squeezing me like that. that what you want? you want me to fill up your cute little pussy?"

you whine directly into his ear, albeit unintentionally, but it gets the reaction you wanted out of him anyways. he trails bites up your shoulder and neck, leaving little marks in his wake until he's pulling back to look at you in your eyes.

"yeah? should i make you beg for it like i always do? i was kind enough to let you come without it earlier, wasn't i?"

you nod your head, looking at him pleadingly. somewhere in there, you're able to respond with a yes, so nice, but you're not sure how you manage it, not with yeonjun's cock pressing incessantly against that spot inside you. regardless, you're proud of it.

"i think so too, but... you didn't thank me for it, baby."

you can hear the frown in his voice before you even register the expression on his face. he's playing at sympathy because he always does when you've done something wrong, and you're immediately on damage control.

"m'sorry, junnie," you whine, your eyes beginning to water. "you were making me feel so good. i forgot."

your orgasm is just within reach and you're really feeling the effects of straddling yeonjun for so long; you can't afford to beg him for minutes on end just because you forgot to thank him for letting you come earlier. you start pulling out every stop you can possibly think of to get him on your side.

"you saying i fingered you stupid?" he questions, his voice a little condescending. you nod. "you're so cute, baby, but how're you gonna make it up to me? should i make you beg this time?"

you immediately shake your head, dragging your fingernails across his shoulders, across the back of his neck. you let your bottom lip wobble with tears that are begging to be shed. "no, please. i'll be good, i promise. i'll do whatever you want me to when we get to the hotel, jun. please. just wanna come and make you feel good."

"whatever i want, hm?" yeonjun's voice is dangerously even, but you can tell he's working back his moans; you nod your head in response. "you're playing a dangerous game, sweetheart... but how can i say no?"

you breath out a sigh of relief, glad you've staved off his playful anger - for now, at least. you collapse into him for the nth time and let him do all the work. at this point, he's rutting up into you, letting out grunts next to your ear and moaning when you clench around him. when you murmur that you're close, you can feel him chuckle a little breathily.

"yeah? come on then, kid," he says, putting his last little bit of strength into fucking you down onto his cock.

and that's really all it takes to get you to fall apart, a debauched, broken moan escaping you as yeonjun bottoms out in you for the last time. you're sure to let a few words of gratitude go, both for making you come so hard and for letting you do so without begging (all that much), in an attempt to quell some of his fire from earlier.

it's a sweet kind of warmth, that specific feeling of being completely full, that overtakes you as you melt into yeonjun's chest, your cheek squishing against his shoulder as you catch your breath. where yeonjun would usually work you into overstimulation again is the weight of his arms around you, holding you against him as you both draw much-needed air into your bodies.

for a while, it's just you, him, and the sound of rain still pounding against the windows and doors of the car. it's probably the most tranquil you've ever been after having yeonjun fuck you so stupid that you almost forget how to breath. there's just something about being so vulnerable, but somehow still so shielded from the outside world like this that just makes you... wistful.

eventually, yeonjun comes back to life, his hand brushing hair and sweat away from your cheek and temple. he draws in a deep breath and wraps his arm a little tighter around you for just a moment. "sounds like the rain's letting up a little bit."

you tune back into it and realize that he's right. it's still coming down pretty hard, but it's nowhere near as bad as it had been when it started. you nod and pull back a little, your body still feeling a little weak, but yeonjun wastes no time in pulling you back into him, a childish whine leaving him.

"my pretty baby," he coos loudly, pillowing his cheek against the top of your head. "did so well for me."

you playfully groan in disgust and try to push away from him, cringing at his affection. "yeonjun, we have to get cleaned up. who knows when someone's gonna drive by and see us."

he lets you go and turns to pouting, but you can tell that he's just joking around too. "fine! be like that then! thought i was gonna be all sweet and offer to clean you up and get you some new clothes, but you can take care of it yourself!"

"you're such a crybaby," you whine, pulling yourself off of his lap and leaning over to get some napkins.

you offer him a few to clean himself up, which he graciously takes. as you're wiping yourself up the best you can, he leans over the seat to search through your duffle bag, eventually emerging with a new pair of underwear and some shorts. he hands them to you with a kiss to the top of your head.

"you really gonna let me do whatever i want with you when we get to the hotel?" he asks as he's trying to climb his way back into the driver's seat.

the rain has let up significantly now and it's about time for you to get back on the road. you shrug in response before bracing your shoulders against the seat so you can lift your hips and shimmy your underwear and shorts up your legs.

"maybe," you respond coyly, smiling innocently at him when he whips around to look at you. "i'll think about it."

"oh, so you were only saying all that to get me to let you come?"

you roll your eyes and slide back into the passenger's seat, leaning over to kiss him on his pretty pouted lips.

"of course i wasn't! i would never do that to you!"

it's yeonjun's turn to roll his eyes as he captures your lips again before you can lean back in your seat. when you separate and he turns to start driving again, he scoffs.

"you promised though, baby. and i thought good girls don't break promises."

you groan, throwing your head back against the headrest. "oh, you're the worst."

yeonjun laughs and looks over at you, his eyes shining brightly in a newly emerged sun, the pale golden light giving him a halo. you feel a serene warmth fill you and you can't help but smile back at him. he's an angel, after all, and who are you to not share a smile with him?

© gyuphorias 2022, do not copy, translate, or repost/reuse my work

[itsagrimm]

Imperial Tech 5

CN: soldier life in a fascist state, getting observed and recorded, violence, drug abuse, getting drugged without explicit consent, memory loss, forbidden relationship, getting carried + lifted up, tech & ONCE doing a lot of selfreflecting

Summary: The scenario plays out with Techs and not Crosshairs inhibitor chip working. Y/N is part of the elite squad working under commander Tech. Y/N gets called ES-01 or ONCE by their team somethimes. Previously, they killed senator Tarr, took the Syndullas into custody and are now on the hunt for Hera. (Basically everything just like in the show except for Tech in charge instead of Crosshair)

Imperial Tech X They Them Reader

Part 4

XXXXXX

Ryloth was starting to become Techs least favourite planet to been on. The planet had a challenging terrain, Admiral Rampart was continuously holding him back, but most importantly the dust forced Tech to clean his glasses several times per rotation.

But even with the dirt gone from the lenses the screens showing surveillance data from all Ryloth gave no clue to Hera Syndullas whereabouts.

Tech leaned back. He just needed to be patient. Hera would turn up sooner or later. Children had a high dependency and emotional connection to their caretakers and were unlikely to leave them behind even it was the most rational decision to ensure their own survival.

A part of his mind kept observing and evaluating the data. Another part wandered off. This morning Y/N had cried. Tech had wanted to keep Y/N close so that he could keep the one person calming him down safe, but he had failed. His miscalculation and lack of information about Y/N inner workings had come with the cost of Y/N breaking down into his arms. The regret of carrying out a killing order was too much for Y/N. His command was the direct cause for their pain. And yet Y/N only had whispered about the Empire and service to it itself as root for their misery. A grand and dangerous claim, still Tech could see some causality between the Empire existing and Y/N’s suffering.

But he still hated himself.

Tech had scrambled the recording in Y/N’s helmet to keep this treasonous confession off the records. And he had sedated Y/N to buy them some time to collect themselves. Extrapolating from the way the former clone force 99 had been treated the Empire would never allow a soldier like Y/N to feel regret or be critical and would punish every kind of perceived treason or weakness. And so, his report noted a minor concussion. As a trained medic and commander no one had questioned his claims. For now, he had at least in some way kept his ONCE safe even it was just picking up the pieces of his previous mistake. Another wave of self-loathing washed over Tech.

But at the same time, he felt pride swelling up his chest. The feeling of him carrying Y/N into the security of the LAAT. Their head resting on his shoulder. Half-closed eyes searching for answers from him and lips whispering Tech.

He grinned.

Oh yes, he could get used to that.

The memory was intoxicating. His overclocked mind stuttered at the thought of Y/N’s body in his arms. Like always Y/N calmed and slowed his thought process like nothing ever before.

Tech breathed in and took another look at the data before him. Still no sign of Hera Syndulla. The comm was silent as well. Surprisingly pleased he took a sip of caf before devoting his main attention to Y/N again.

Tech had arrived at the conclusion that he cared for ES-01. He wanted to know everything about them. A part of his brain spiralled around with a constant loop of thoughts about them and their well-being. And just the thought of Y/N’s physical presence near him gave him a calm he had never known before even with his brothers.

He knew that his attachment to his subordinate was forbidden. And he knew that whatever his feelings and basically needfor Y/N in his life were likely not reciprocated. He was just a clone even with his desirable mutations. And he was their commander. Any kind of romantic interaction - not even including physical interaction - was unlikely, overreaching and a danger for them both.

All he had for himself was a little mental box of lovely little memories and even lovelier fantasies of Y/N that kept him occupied in the refresher. That had to be enough.

Another sip from the caf and glance at the monitors. No Hera Syndulla to be found. Nothing of particular interest to note. He checked the comm chatter for news about the Empire or his brothers but there was nothing as well.

But it was fine to ask if Y/N was fine, right? He was their commander and he had given the order to give them some rest, so he was his duty to require report, right?

Tech thought about his brothers. They would know what to do now. Wrecker would support and reassure him no matter what he did. Echo would keep his opinion to himself until asked or in severe disagreement. Hunter would sit down next to Tech, pat him on the shoulder and tilt his head for 12,4 degrees right before giving advice. And Crosshair would just grumble about Tech overthinking again and then just pointing out the most straight forward action.

Crosshair decision making was the easiest to replicate for Tech now.

So that is what he did.

“ES-01?”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The bunk room on Ryloth was dark. Someone must have pulled down the blinds. The other members of the elite squad and commander Tech were gone. Y/N checked their comm. Apparently the team was on the hunt for the little Twi’lek girl, that had escaped. Y/N was expected to rest.

What happened?

Their memory was still foggy. The last thing Y/N remembered was being at the canyon, the overwhelming feeling of regret, of breaking down and of commander Tech.

He had…

Y/N checked their arm. A little puncture was visible there.

Yes, a part of their memory slowly returned.

Tech had sedated Y/N. He had drugged them. He had carried them and-

Y/N pulled back the thin blanket. He had removed their armour. Y/N blushed. The memory of his long fingers with little scars carefully peeling Y/N out of the plastoid was rising from the depth of their mind like a lazy fish breaking surface of a deep dark pond.

The door to the bunk room opened. Y/N looked up expecting to see one of the returning elite squad members. Instead, Captain Howzer, clone commander of all the regular troopers on Ryloth, entered. Y/N rose and saluted. He was not in charge of the elite squad, but he outranked Y/N immensely. Howzer just waved them to stand comfortably.

“ES-01, there is no need for such formalities. I hope I am not disturbing you?”

“Not at all. I was left to recover from the last mission. But I am well enough now. How can I help you, sir?”

Howzer smiled. It was a friendly smile, honest and a bit sad.

“They call you ONCE, right? And your squat uses they/them for you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Mind if I do that too? Numbers and assignments are a bit impractical sometimes so us clones use monikers, but I don’t know too much about naturally born’s and their naming traditions.”

Howzers smile turned a bit shy.

“Not at all, captain. It’s alright.”

Howzer sat down on one of the bunks in front of ONCE. ONCE followed his lead and fell back on their bunk. Now they sat in the small room, their knees nearly touching and smiling like young cadets in polite anticipation.

An awkward second none of them spoke.

“I appreciate you checking on me. But I am sure you are not only here to ask about my health, sir.”

Howzer looked away like he got caught pranking.

“Well… I do think it is my job to make sure everyone on my base is fine. Even if you are not under my command and it isn’t technically my base anymore.” He cleared his throat. “But I do actually need something else from you as well.”

ONCE studies his face. He was a high-ranking officer, an experienced soldier and - like all clones - a warrior. And despite the harsh realities of war that shaped all the clone trooper’s life’s, Howzer had maintained youthfulness in his demeanour. Even now, he looked at ONCE with an open and careful expression.

“What can I do for you, captain?” ONCE finally answered and hinted at the helmet and the build-in listening device as a careful reminder that their conversation wasn’t confidential.

“ONCE, I need to know what happened up there in the canyon.”

“Sir, I am sure I can’t add to what you already know from the reports.” ONCE replied defensively. Whatever Y/N might feel about their life as a soldier, talking openly about their work was a luxury they could not afford. Especially when Y/N was still working through the fragmented memories of being carried and stripped out of their armour by commander Tech.

“The reports do not mention anyone up the canyon.” Howzer continued. “And yet I know that commander Tech had carried you nearly unconscious and a sniper rifle with you both to an LAAT ship that picked you up. And I know that the Twi’lek senator Tarr got hit by a precise blast coming from somewhere of the top of the canyon. I was there. I know what I saw. And I can add all these information together. You need to tell me why it happened.”

Howzers voice had become demanding and intimidating.

And yet he still had the expression of a young man in disbelieve of the atrocities happening in plain sight. ONCE felt hopelessness and regret rising again. Howzer just wanted to understand but it was impossible to explain the banalities of evil at work. The Empire was power hungry. The Twi’leks were resistant. And Tarr had died because he outlived his usefulness as a pawn in this power struggle, killed by ONCE. They remembered that much. But with the listening device in their helmet close by ONCE was in no position to confess without getting court martialled afterwards - if they were lucky.

There was nothing ONCE could say.

“I am sorry, captain. I can only recall very little. But it seems you already know what happened. I am sure you will understand why it happened and that I had no pleasure in following command. But I am a soldier -maybe a bit like you. We are expected to follow orders whatever the costs and then continue on like nothing happened.”

ONCE smiled, hoping he would understand.

Howzer nodded, his expression now nothing but hopeless and lost like a little boy without his family.

ONCE took his gloved hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

It was a familiar gesture between two equally helpless hostages not in control of their life’s.

A desperate look crossed Howzer before he silently formed a word with his lips, carefully hiding his message from the listening device.

Hera

It was the Twi���lek kids name that got away. The kid, that the elite squat was hunting down.

ONCE shook their head.

No, they don’t have her. Yet.

Y/N’s comm lighted up – the Commander calling in.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Commander Tech was in the observation room. Various monitors displayed a never-ending racing flow of surveillance data in aurebesh, numbers and holo transmissions.

Most of it was in in Basic, some wasn’t.

Staring at it with a cup of caf in his hands was the commander.

“How are you feeling?” He asked without looking away from the screens.

“Better.”

In the blue tinted electronic light coming from the holo screens Y/N could see Tech raising an eyebrow.

“I am not only your commander but also your medic. Are you sure you are fine and therefore fit for duty?”

Y/N considered the underlying question. Do you want to return to being a soldier?

“Sir, as long as I am well enough to perform, I am expected to serve.” I don’t have a choice but to return. I can walk steady on both my feet and hold a gun therefore I am good enough to be cannon fodder again. That’s what I signed up for.

Tech tilted his head and took a sip from his cup.

“That is valid point you’re making. As you can see, I am a bit busy with searching the run-away Hera Syndulla. Officially, I can’t examine and clear you fit for duty right now. But I will take your word under the condition you stay close to me in case something happens. Is that alright with you?”

ONCE considered. The commander was asking for a favour. He wasn’t ordering. And he had not only covered for them once but was concerned about their safety. In the oddest way possible and considering the circumstances ONCE was tempted to call this romantic.

“Yes, sir. It is.”

Y/N sat down next to Tech.

“Do you remember everything from this morning, ONCE?”

His tone was casual. But there was more to it.

“I…yes, I think I remember everything.” ONCE paused looking at Tech. His face was unmoved and impression-less. His eyes hidden behind the lenses, blue by the mirroring screens. “Sir, I am very thankful for your… actions.”

Still, nothing. Maybe all his kindness and patience with ONCE was imagined. Maybe he was just their commander and his reasons from saving ONCE from military questioning and punishment was purely practical.

ONCE felt like an utter fool.

“Fascinating.”

“I am sorry, sir?” Confused they looked at the commander.

“Comm the squad and get your full gear. We are getting attacked.”

An alarm went off.

ONCE saw several alarms popping up on the screens.

A feeling of dread and terror rose in ONCE. Returning to duty was one thing. Entering a fight was another.

Tech grabbed them at the arm, pulling them closer and forcing them to look up to his towering dark height. “Remember, stay close to me.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Y/N left Tech with a look of anxiety and confusion in their eyes.

*crack*

He grimaced painfully. He had broken the cup in his hands, caf dripping down on his armoured leg now. Maybe hiding everything about himself from Y/N would be harder than he thought it would be.

He sighted and allowed himself to linger a bit more on the thought of Y/N and before devoting himself to the tasks ahead.

Someone had attacked the refinery.

What an odd choice. Was it a coincidence with the Syndullas in custody here on the base? Or was there a plan and connection between those facts?

His eyes squinted to see better. Damn Ryloth and its dust. His googles were dirty again.

The Surveillance data showed the leaving troopers going to the refinery. Quiet a lot of them.

If all those troopers left, who would guard the prisoners?

Tech leant back. Caf dripping down his leg, glasses dirty and surrounded by idiots. What was he doing here?

Movement on the screens made Tech face the wall of monitors again.

The surveillance camera transmitted a stream from the refinery with two clones running over the fortified walls.

Echo.

Hunter.

His brothers were here. Tech felt his body respond with a rush of endorphins he quickly tried to ignore.

Think Tech! Don’t let these traitors distract you! What does their presence mean?

He was sure now. Directly attacking the refinery was too simple. Even without him the strategies of his brothers always were absurdly chaotic and erratic. The straight attack just had to be a distraction.

He opened a comm channel to his elite squat.

“Commander speaking. Come to the base shipyard as soon as possible.”

“Sir, isn’t the attack on the refinery?”

“I know, ES-04. Just follow your orders.”

“But sir-“

Tech ended his connection and rolled his eyes. His brothers never had reacted like that. They always knew he had reasons behind his actions.

Frustrated he threw away the broken cup and put on his helmet.

The shipyard was nearly empty. Most LAAT’s and smaller ship were off to the refinery. The attack had drawn nearly all forces away.

ONCE and the Elite squat waited for commander Tech. A couple of regs were with them.

“Who are those?” Tech required.

“Sir, the regular troopers were off duty. I called them in for back up.”, ONCE replied. As always, they were the only one thinking and getting what he had already figured out.

“Good. Get into position before the main gate. Facing inward.”

“The enemy is inside already?”

“Likely. And this is their way out.”

“They? Who is our enemy?”

“Clone force 99.”

The door opened.

Both troopers and elite squad raised arms. But instead of prisoners or the bad batch, Howzer stepped outside.

“Oh.” Tech stated flatly. He hadn’t considered the inner emotional workings at play. Again.

“Brothers!” Howzer call out to the troopers. “What are we doing? We came her to free Ryloth from separatist control. And we succeeded. But look around you. Now we are being ordered to target the very people we sworn to protect! And I will not be a part of it any longer.”

The captain threw down his weapon.

“Who is with me?”

For a short second no one moved. Tech felt his head running at high speed, calculating every option for further action. ONCE, standing next to him, started shaking.

He went cold.

If ONCE threw down their weapons now, they were dead. Tech could do nothing to save them from the empire. Admiral Rampart or whoever imperial was in charge would court martial them. Y/N would be dead. He didn’t need to calculate the chances for that, to know their survival rate were slim.

Please don’t leave me. Tech, suddenly ready to pray to whoever gods were willing to listen to his pleas, leant towards Y/N, unable to stop himself.

They stopped shaking the moment his armour touched theirs.

Some of the regs laid down their weapons. ONCE kept their rifle, unmovable. Relief washed over Tech.

“Arrest those traitors.” He ordered, thinking of anything else but the one person he truly wanted to be saved right now. Even if he had to sacrifice a battalion of regs for that to draw attention away from Y/N.

The elite squad and the loyal troopers moved in. Tech felt detached from what was happening. Nothing mattered. Not even the shuttle with his brothers lifting off somewhere.

He wanted Y/N, wanted to hold them and whisper sweet words and promises he damn well intended on keeping just to make sure that they would be fine and safe. He looked up to see his Y/N putting hand cuffs on Howzer, sneaking a small blade into his boot. His brain registered it but did not care. As far as he was concerned ONCE could commit every act of treason and he would still be ready to commit mass murder just to cover their tracks. Whatever Tech had thought he could keep to himself was brought bare before him the moment Y/N had been in mortal danger, his need for Y/N unable to be hidden.

>>>>>

Do you want to be tagged in the next part or like my writing in general? Write me a message.

<<<<<<<

Part 6

[obeiii-mee]

I am not sure if the request is open- fanfic or headcanon an angst of mc sacrificing her life to return Lilith to them and lilth come back so she told she's only here becuz the mc bought her back how would the demon brother cope with it- it is okay if you don’t want to write it :)

I haven’t written any angst yet on this blog so I don’t really know how this is going to turn out. I don’t know how MC would be able to bring Lilith back so I’ll just figure something out as I write along. It’s hard for me to write the brothers suffering help me-

I want to make it clear that I don’t know if it’s possible for a human to do something like this but for the sake of this request let’s roll with it. Lilith is back and MC sacrificed their life for that to happen. I really don’t think any of the brothers would react well because Lilith and MC aren’t the same person. They love both of them very much but they wouldn’t be able to make one suffer just to bring the other back. All the HCs are related, happening on the same day, in the same way. Lilith reuniting with her brothers one by one starting with Lucifer. Hopefully this makes sense but I don’t really have my way around words so——

This is obviously too long so I won’t be able to write for all the brothers in one post. Instead I’ll write about Lucifer, Mammon and Levi in this one and then continue this on another post. So this is part one. Thanks for the request!

Pt. 2

————————————-

The Brothers Reacting to MC sacrificing themselves to bring Lilith back, Part 1:

Lucifer:

-OK, realistically speaking, it should have been impossible for Lilith to be brought back. She lived as a human and died, that’s it, you can’t reverse something like that. But you really didn’t want to give up, seeing the way the brothers acted whenever the topic of their sister was brought up was too much for you to handle. So you kept looking and searching for spells, magical objects, anything you could get your hands on that could help. You even spoke to Solomon about it in secret, away from Lucifer’s prying ears. You were too determined to be swayed away from the task.

-Of course, after a long time of searching, you found exactly what you were looking for. And of course in order for Lilith to be brought back to life once again, you would have to give something in return; your life. It was a hard pillow to swallow but after hours of arguing back and forth with yourself, you decided to do it. For the sake of all the brothers and their happiness. It wasn’t the quickest of deaths but it definitely didn’t hurt nearly as much as it should have. And once your soul had officially been diminished, Lilith was given a tangible body and teleported to DevilDom. That also meant that she was completely aware as to why or how and she wasn’t exactly happy. It was an indescribable moment full of misery and despair for her. She was back and her descendant payed the price for it.

-Lucifer didn’t really believe his eyes when he first saw his long dead sister on their couch, supposedly staring at nothing. He first assumed that he was daydreaming which seemed like the most rational option at that point. Due to all the paperwork he had to finish by the end of the week, he had been rather sleep deprived and it made sense that he started hallucinating. After all, Lilith was on his mind quite a lot. But then she noticed him and she sprung into his arms before he could even get a word out. It always used to be like this. Her running straight into him just to show her affection back when they were both angels and happy.

-She was real, not a dream or a fiction of his mind and he didn’t know how to feel about it. He was torn, as if all of his emotions were threatening to come out at once and he didn’t know how to handle that. Lucifer uses logic for every situation he finds himself in, but this time, it was thrown out the window. It didn’t matter why or how or when. All that mattered was that she was here and he got to see her again after all these millenniums of dealing with the slow torture of having to carry the burden of her death by himself. He was ready to go get his brothers, the rest of his dysfunctional family and obviously MC had to come along too, them being just as important to him as everyone else. But Lilith grabbed his sleeve.

-His sister told him everything. Ranging from MC’s sacrifice to her waking up in DevilDom and to her wandering around until she found the House of Lamentation. His brain stopped working the moment the words registered with him as Lilith rambled on with her story. He almost wanted to ask her if she was joking but he knew her better than that; his little sister was never one to joke about something so grave.

-Lucifer always knew that their exchange student was a bit of a nutcase and definitely special in their own way. Considering how often they went to the extremes and overdid every little thing that had to be done. But this...this was something entirely different. They gave up their own life for them, for Lilith to come back and they did this because of him and his siblings. The second time MC had been ripped away from him, without even the satisfaction of saying goodbye because they were way too good for his family and for DevilDom in general. He wanted to scream and cry and curse his father even more so than usual for this cruel turn of events. Any more of this emotional suffering, and his heart may as well stop pulsating. MC died and he couldn’t help them in any way, he couldn’t stop them from making this mistake because he had just gotten over Lilith’s death and had begun to heal from the trauma. And now you left him as well.

-Lilith forced him to sit down and let him deal with his internal breakdown while she thought this out. At this rate her brother was either going to wind up in a blind rage and pop out another Satan or drown himself in depression and anguish. But Lucifer, despite the range of emotions conflicting him on the inside, tried remaining as calm on the outside as possible. Lilith was right there. He shouldn’t cry in front of his sister, he never did. He was always supposed to be the role model, be the strong protector that she could lean on if she needed help. With a single tear running down his cheek, which he quickly wiped away, he got up, abruptly much to the protest of Lilith and began walking toward the door.

-He had to tell his brothers. The news would break every single one of them and he couldn’t do anything about it. He had the responsibility of going to every single one of them and privately discuss this because god knows what chaos would ensue if they were all in a room together with Lilith. He would have to talk to Lord Diavolo, get another exchange student down there but...not yet. Not yet. He had to tell his siblings first. His younger brothers that he swore he would protect with all of his being since he couldn’t do so with Lilith. And now he had to go and break their hearts while his own lay shattered on the floor.

-But first, he was going to go and cry by himself, locked away in his room, so he can regain the power of speaking with everyone properly. And he would just have to accept the fact that MC will forever be stuck in his heart, with no means of getting them out.

-Who would have thought a human like you would stir up these feelings within me?

Mammon:

-It was his fault. It was always his fucking fault. Whenever something bad happened to you, the first person Mammon blamed was himself. How could he not? He was in charge of you after all, he was supposed to be your protector and guardian during your stay in DevilDom. Honestly, at first, he didn’t really care about you. Your whole existence and the fact he had to babysit you was irritating more than anything. But it didn’t take long for him to get attached to you, he fell and he fell fast. Soon enough, he was about ready to just dedicate his entire being to you (and money, we don’t forget about money). You were his human. So how did he fuck it all up?

-That day, he was supposed to be with you. At least one of the brothers had to be with you at all times, per Lucifer’s orders, to make sure you could circulate DevilDom without getting killed. He had one job to do. Follow you around until you got bored and wanted to go home. Then, since you were left with the rest of his brothers, he could go do his thing. But a modelling gig had come up rather abruptly and he had to go get ready for a few shots. Mammon, being a simp great companion and actually a lot smarter than people give him credit for, was really hesitant at first. He didn’t really want to leave you alone and offered to turn the job down. He would never admit it, but his human was way more important.

-However, you insisted it was fine, encouraging him to go and implying you would be alright for an hour by yourself. Besides, you had something to check and would probably be home in no time. He couldn’t really argue back so he reluctantly agreed and left you to your own devices.

-And that was the last time he saw you.

-After his shoot, he couldn’t find you anywhere. Not at home, not in Majolish, not at any of your favourite places. He wasn’t worried at first because he thought you were with one of his siblings. But half an hour later, he was getting panicky and pushing himself over the edge. Sitting alone in his room, pondering on where the fuck you could have been while also debating as to where he should look for you first. He really didn’t want to bring the subject up with Lucifer because he feared his reaction and the possibility he would forbid Mammon from helping him search for you.

-And just as he had conjured up a master plan, Lucifer walked in. With Lilith behind him like it was regular Tuesday night. Her presence wasn’t acknowledged for a few moments, he was too concentrated on Lucifer’s face, scared out of his wits that he found out you were missing and now he was about to face punishment. His older brother didn’t look angry though. Grave and sad, but mostly solemn, like he was holding back. Then it clicked that his loving sister, the one that was supposed to be dead, was standing next to him. Mammon jumped. Physically jumped backwards and fell off the bed in surprise. If there was one thing he disliked more than giving his money away, it would be thinking about Lilith. His memories with her brought him nothing but tears.

-Lilith smiled, in an honest and slightly upset way, seeing her brother’s antics after such a long time made her feel a sort of nolstagia she didn’t think she would miss. Mammon was still staring at her like he’s just been told he had to give all of his money to the witches. He kept switching his gaze between her and Lucifer, as if confirming with him that she wasn’t a ghost while he kept his eyes wide in horror.

-“Stop that Mammon. Your gawking is giving me a headache.” Lucifer snapped, more ferociously than usual which was odd. Mammon thought he looked more tense, rigid but he didn’t push the subject. He wanted to get up, walk up to Lilith and touch her, see if she was real. And then he wanted to hug the living daylights out of her. But he froze on the spot until Lucifer finally managed to spit out that Lilith was, indeed, back. And then Mammon sprinted straight into her arms like a fired bullet, not planning on letting go for a long time. His sister just smiled again, happy to see her needier brother again and to know that despite being a demon now, he hadn’t changed all that much. That moment was sort of euphoric and he grasped onto it for as long as he could.

-Then came the devastating news that would hit Mammon in the gut harder than a moving truck.

-MC was gone. Forever. Forever, forever. Never to be seen again. Gave her entire being up for Lilith to come back to life. Lucifer told him but his eyes and voice seemed to be elsewhere, as if he struggled to show emotion in his voice during his monologue because he was directing those emotions somewhere else. Lilith tightened her grip on him, preparing for a meltdown, or even an angry fit, anything could be expected from this brother of hers in particular.

-Oh there was a meltdown alright. His reaction was immediate. He started shaking, uncontrollable trembling that he couldn’t stop no matter how hard he tried to and his vision blurred and swayed as if he was drunk and his nails were digging into his palms hard enough to draw blood. Everything felt unstable and he couldn’t take MC’s face out of his mind, like their face was printed onto his brain for keeping purposes. His throat dried up and besides the stream of tears rolling down his face, Mammon started sweating. In the span of a minute, he’s gotten too immeasurably hot and now he was sweating even though he lives in hell and should already be used to this kind of warmth.

-He became unresponsive after that. Not even Lucifer could get through to him. He just sat there, like a broken shell. His brother was speaking to him about things, replacements and a bunch of shit he wasn’t interested in. He didn’t want to hear any of it. He just wanted his human back, even if it meant he had to serve the witches for the rest of eternity. After a while, both of them left. Lucifer giving his shoulder a squeeze, something he hasn’t done in forever but the gesture was somehow comforting. It showed that his older brother was suffering too and he could tell from his voice alone. Lilith hugged him one more time and pecked his cheek and he wanted to grab her hand and keep her there because even though she literally just came back, he needed his sister to stay with him as he went through this. Mammon let them leave.

-He’s more closed off than before. He still steals shit all the time but it’s out of pity for himself more than anything else. He also took a bunch of your belongings too, something to remind him that you existed once. That you had a presence and changed his life and his brothers for the better. Mammon breaks down at the most random of times whenever he’s reminded of you and these sometimes take hours before he finally calms down. Somehow Lilith is the only one who happens to have an effect on him. Her presence at least helps. But not by a lot.

-Stupid human, letting him be an idiot and allowing him to leave you all by yourself. Stupid Mammon for being such a moron and letting the one person that understood him beyond the surface of the Avatar of Greed and actually associated him with being more than just scum, die. Stupid MC, leaving him all alone...

-He just hopes you’ve made it to the Celestial Realm...but seeing as you died in DevilDom, he doubts it.

Levi:

-Levi was sort of used to you showing up late to his gaming sessions. He didn’t blame you really, his brothers were sure to try and grab as much of your attention as possible so it makes sense you forgot about little old him. Except you never did. Sure you came by later than planned, but you always came no matter what so maybe he wasn’t giving you enough credit.

-Maybe he should have tried calling you, or even just texting you to see what you were up to. That’s why he had a D.D.D to begin with after all. But he didn’t. He assumed you were with Mammon or reading with Satan somewhere. Maybe sleeping with the twins. Levi reasoned with himself that you were probably fine and just got caught up on something on the way home. Yet the pit in his stomach kept growing with every minute that passed and before he knew it, he was pacing around the room.

-He heard Mammon having a breakdown from somewhere, and at first, he really had an overwhelming urge to check in with him and see what the problem was. Maybe something happened to MC. Maybe something happened to his older brother. Levi has a dislike for him sure, but he still wouldn’t want Mammon to suffer, no matter how much money he owes him. He didn’t leave his room. He assumed he was crying because the witches were at it again or maybe because he lost all of his money at the casino or even because Lucifer was punishing him for something.

-Then, a knock came on his door and he jumped to his feet faster than he had ever done so before. Password and all long forgotten, he opened the door to his room expecting to see you. Instead, he came face to face with his oldest brother, which disappointed him beyond measure. He was about to mumble something about MC and whether he had seen them at all that day but something stopped him. Behind Lucifer, just barely visible since she is slightly shorter than him, was Lilith. His reaction was definitely interesting.

-“Oh-I....holy crap, this is just like that anime where the protagonist’s dead sister comes back as ghost and starts talking to him. Oh shit, am I going insane or are ghosts are actually real? And not Lilith, Lilith doesn’t deserve to live the rest of eternity as a ghost-“

-“Shut up Levi.”

-“Sorry.”

-Lilith slowly walked out him and hugged him, which debunked Levi’s theory. She wasn’t a ghost! She was real and she was hugging him! He missed her so much, he was actually still doubting the fact that she was back. Levi tried pushing her out of his mind so many times because it hurt too much to think of her and now she was right here in front of him.

-The moment didn’t last though. Lucifer had to interrupt. He himself was shaky, still processing a bunch of things and on top of all that, he had to break his brothers’ spirits. The words came out eventually and Levi’s reaction was a lot slower than Mammon’s. He couldn’t process it as well and it felt like his life was put on pause, like in one of his video games. Lilith was holding him, as a sort of support system but Levi just kind of drifted in another world.

-Sure, he missed his sister dearly. But that didn’t mean he wanted MC’s life to be exchanged with hers. It was such an unfair choice really, making him choose between two people he absolutely adores. Except he didn’t make that choice. You did. And it changed everything.

-Ever since you left, he hasn’t had as much energy in playing games or even watching anime. He can’t find himself sitting for too long, he always has be to pacing and chewing on his fingernails. Everything seemed pointless without you here. Nothing was right. Watching anime by himself wasn’t as enjoyable even though he used to do it for a long time before you even came to DevilDom. He doesn’t have the energy to participate in Ruri chan contests either, though sometimes he makes an effort to. In a way to satisfy himself knowing that you didn’t die for him to mope around all depressed.

-He just sort of lays in his room all day, speaking with Henry 2.0 occasionally or just trying to relax in his bathtub. But it never works. Your voice keeps ringing in his ears. He misses you terribly and his sleeping schedule probably worsened since he can’t sleep now at all, thanks to all the nightmares he gets every night, featuring you of course.

-Out of all the things the world could have taken away from him, it just had to be his Henry didn’t it? Maybe he was just cursed from ever finding a true friend like you....

Hey, yeah I’m not dead. Just been working on this for a while now. This is obviously too long already so I can’t write for all the brothers at once. I’ll do a second post continuing this ask soon but for now I’ve written and edited this for the eldest three. Sorry it took so long and that I only managed three of the brothers. I’m still working on the following four. Thanks for reading! Part 2 should done soon!

[funkymbtifiction]

Thanks a lot for answering! I wonder could you please give examples of everyday deeds/types of behavior of different primaries and secondaries? Like what are they like when there's a school test or when they need to visit a doctor? The more the better. Something more down-to-earth than the situations from the fantasy movies listed on the website that may never take place in the real world, something found in everyday life that will help someone identify themselves and mb others around them

I’m not sure I can do that, because frankly, your Primary House is a state of mind. It’s what you want and how you feel about things (or do not feel, in the case of Ravenclaws, ahem). But I can talk about a few things, particularly in response to Harry Potter, that can shed light on the state of mind of the Primary.

What I have most noticed about people in general is that we all have a built-in bias, and in order to find our true type—whether that is our MBTI type, our Enneagram core and tritype, or our Hogwarts House combination—we must abandon our ego defenses. What does that mean? We have to overcome our biases and want to know our true self, and own it, more than we want to fight against an answer that might not please us. In the Enneagram, I’ve noticed particular biases against being a 2 or a 6. Everyone wants to be the more “glamorous” 4 or the elusive, bookworm 5.

Harry Potter, for better or worse, introduced us to the concept of Hogwarts Houses, but also introduced us to a bias, because it made Gryffindor the most glamorous House, due to all the main characters (however unrealistically) hailing from that House. Or, at least, all the main characters we like. Ravenclaw is full of wise weirdos like Luna Lovegood, who irrationally believes in things no one can prove. Slytherin is host to mostly back-stabbing, snobbish cheaters. And Hufflepuff is an “afterthought” where all “the boring, nice people are.”

What I like about Sorting Hat Chats is… they made the entire system more interesting and a lot fairer. Now, Slytherin isn’t the only House with villains automatically placed in it: their villains have to be specific in their love (and not betray their family, because it is the house of My Family is My Life). This also means people, fictional or real, who prioritize their loved ones, are Slytherins. Such as Mr. Darcy, or Katniss Everdeen. Suddenly, being a Slytherin doesn’t seem so bad, right? Not if you are loyal to the ones you love! That alone will appeal to the mindset of a Slytherin, because they will think, “Of COURSE I am. Of COURSE my loved ones come first! They SHOULD!”

I have friends in all four Primary Houses, but I will use myself as an example of the Ravenclaw. When I was reading the books, having all the main characters in Gryffindor bothered me, because not only did it show a bias, but I felt some of the main characters ‘belonged’ in other Houses—such as Remus Lupin being a Hufflepuff rather than a Gryffindor. I also felt like Hermione belonged in Ravenclaw. But that is neither here nor there… my objections to the system came from the logical flaws in how she arranged it. It wasn’t realistic to have everyone ‘important’ or ‘admirable’ within the story come from Gryffindor. It was easier to have them share Common Rooms, but people don’t isolate like that and only befriend someone from their House. They look for like-minded friends who share interests, and would make them all over the place. It was my little Ravenclaw brain, pulling away at her system and finding flaws in its logic, but reacting from a place of logical reasoning rather than moral indignation.

When I took the SHC test, it placed me in Slytherin. And I was not opposed to that. In fact, I explored it for a long time, as I thought about how I respond in various situations. Slytherin appealed to me, because… I wish I could stand up for my family automatically. I wish I could prioritize my loved ones all the time. But I kept hitting upon the fact that – I like to think about things in a detached manner, and come to what I feel is a rational consensus. It’s more clinical and less emotional than Slytherins are—and it helped at the time that I knew a Slytherin, and could easily see both how possessive she was of people (they are “mine to protect” – she always reminded me of Slytherin Sam Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings, with his “MY MR. FRODO”) and how, without fail, her sister came before even me, her best friend. Through comparison, I knew I had to be something else. So in typical Ravenclaw fashion, I went through and considered them all. Because, as a Ravenclaw, I want to be RIGHT more than protect my ego. I am always looking for the truth, even when it hurts. And I am always measuring the world against an ideal in my head, built up of my belief system. I do not go against my beliefs; I mold myself to them. And it shocks me to find others who do not, but who claim to be the same as I am. I take, for example, my Christian faith seriously—so what do you mean you are ignoring what your faith says, and doing whatever you want??? YOU MOLD TO YOUR BELIEFS, DON’T YOU? Well, yes, if you are a Ravenclaw, you do. If you are any other House, you do not.

The Hufflepuff Primary I know has a far more ‘felt’ opinion of the books and their sorting system. She got livid reading them, and thinking about how constantly unfair it all was, how biased Rowling was, and how Dumbledore was clearly playing favorites constantly with Gryffindor House. She developed a bad attitude about him as a result… which, of course, is coming from her being a Hufflepuff. To a Hufflepuff, people come first. They are all treated fairly and seen as equals. You do not discriminate, you do not alienate, you do not give unfair favors to Harry and his friends, just so Gryffindor can win the House Cup over and over again. She was actually so angry about this, from a Hufflepuff perspective, that she was willing to be a Slytherin in defiance of ‘The System’ until she realized that kind of mindset is… pure Hufflepuff. “You are not being fair about this, I will oppose you.” It’s all instinctual, it’s all emotional, and it’s all loyalty to the human race, which includes Slytherins. (This caused us some friction for awhile, until I realized it was “just a Hufflepuff” objection, because... how can you be mad at Dumbledore for that? It’s just a convenient plot device in the book! ... says the Ravenclaw who isn’t getting too emotionally involved. ;)

The Slytherin I know, by the way, denied being a Slytherin at first, because she felt ashamed of it. She has been taught to act like a Hufflepuff, that she SHOULD care about everyone all the time, but… she does not. She cares about her loved ones the most, and she would protect them above other people, every time. I pointed out to her that Hufflepuff fits her less than Slytherin, because “You ARE Katniss. You told me that once. That you identified so heavily with her, because you would go into the arena for your Prim.” And then she admitted it, and saw the gloriousness that is being a loyal Slytherin.

The Gryffindor I know is always looking for a Cause, and… as a Ravenclaw, I find that exhausting. She wants to be mad about things, because that anger gives her the fire she needs to do something about it. She has taken on big Causes by financially supporting the Causes she cares about, and done physical things about smaller Causes. For example, as a teenager, she came upon three guys tormenting a dog. It made her so livid, she charged straight at them, swearing and screaming at them to leave the animal alone, and it scared them all so much, they turned tail and ran. She just knew it was the right thing to do, and she and I often butt heads a lot, because she expects everyone else (meaning me) to be as passionate as she is about doing the ‘right thing.’ My more detached “well, let’s look at both sides of this issue” has no place in her black and white Gryffindor mind (no, that is WRONG).

Secondary Houses are… something that may take a little more time to figure out, as you think about how you handle the ‘unexpected.’

Gryffindors… have to speak up if they see an injustice, or hear something they disagree with. They are they person who cannot keep their mouth shut, they need to voice their opinion. They don’t care if you don’t like it or don’t agree, to not state their views would be antagonistic to their central self. My Hufflepuff friend is a Gryffindor Secondary. Not only did she get mad about the biases in Harry Potter, she complained loudly about it, to me, and to other people, and even in a blog post, because the injustice of it needed drawn-attention to, and dealt with, and she doesn’t really care if you disagree. That’s just how she rolls, about EVERYTHING. Because Gryffindor Secondaries state their views. They see an injustice, and they rush toward it. (My Gryffindor friend is also a Gryffindor Secondary: see dog being abused, rush in to do something about it!)

Ravenclaws… want to prepare for everything, and then rely on their own skill set to handle problems as they arise. They are the person who, when their bike breaks down halfway home, consider what they know about bikes (can they fix this easily?), and what they know about public transportation (am I going to be able to catch a bus home?), and make decisions from there. Or who study for a test in advance and show up, only to panic because they found out they read the wrong chapter in the book and know nothing about it. My father is a Gryffindor with a Ravenclaw Secondary, and he over-prepares himself with any useful knowledge he thinks he might need to combat a wide variety of situations—and then is stumped if confronted by something he did not prepare for, and knows nothing about. He is always trying to think ahead and prepare so that he doesn’t have to improvise anything at the last second—because he sucks at it.

It was a comparison with him that actually shifted me away from assuming I had a Ravenclaw Secondary, because… I don’t suck at improvising. I’m actually quite good at it. And I don’t over-prepare, because in true Hufflepuff Secondary position, I figure I can ask someone for help. And they always give it to me. But what really cemented the deal for me, in terms of recognizing my Puff Secondary House, were two—no, make that three, truths from my life. 1) Ravenpuffs distill complex information and put it back out into the world for others to enjoy (hello, Funky!). 2) Puff Secondaries show up and do the tireless work, clock the hours, and are highly reliable, which is… me. I have run this site day in and day out for years. I am punctual, fastidious, I put my responsibilities ahead of all else (even turning down fun occasions because I need to work), and I will painstakingly work on perfecting something, finishing something, improving something, or polishing something (even when I’m bored). In short, I show up and do the work. And 3) the truth that Puff Secondaries have friends to stand up for them, because they have proven themselves reliable and trustworthy, is no joke. A few years ago, I had trouble with someone online and, without being asked, three of our mutual friends came to my defense. Proof of the Puff.

Lastly, Slytherin Secondaries are highly adaptable. It’s no problem for them to shift their approach given the needs of the situation. It’s the equivalent of a friend you admire, but who puzzles you (if you don’t share their Slytherin Secondary trait) because… it seems like they are a different person everywhere you go, because whatever is needed, they can become it. They are the person who has no trouble with change and no need to plan, because they just trust that it’s all going to work out fine, based on their ability to adapt. It’s the person who shows up at a friend’s birthday party expecting it to be formal, finds out it’s casual, sneaks into the bathroom to rearrange their attire, and emerges ready to play Twister. Or who will be serious with you, joke constantly with your brother, and behave like a saint around your mom, according to whatever works and appeals to you the best.

Hope some of that helps, though it wasn’t explicitly what you asked for. Best this ENFP can do, since in-depth sensory specific examples require a heck of a lot more Si than I’ve got. :P

[nice-kill-tanaka]

May I have a my hero and ohshc matchup plz

I'm a short girl around 5'2 with long brown hair and eyes and a leo. I like anime,dragons,reptiles,drawing but I'm not good,tarantulas,sweets,video games, memes,dark humor. I am very kind but I care more about others than I do myself. I have bad anxiety. I tend to overthink about everything. I love to sing especially country music but I am tone deaf. I have trouble standing up for myself because I was bullied alot. I can be very blunt. I also love to swear. I can be very loud. I love a good mystery and cop shows. I love dad jokes and puns.I am terrified of bees and heights. I am very lazy but I can be good at doing stuff if motivated. I have a very kind heart and sad stories or ones with very happy endings make my heart happy or hurt like crazy. But even though I'm kind that doesn't mean i am nice all the time. I am extremely grumpy and have a short temper especially on no sleep or if I just woke up. I also do have adhd and some anxiety I dont like being touched randomly unless I know it will happen or if I touch someone. As for dreams I'm not sure I wanna be a voice actor but not too sure if its right for me as I don't know how to edit or even have the equipment. I want someone who can just listen to me as I ramble on about things I love. I want someone to understand that I think differently then normal people. I also want someone to be able to understand im not the most affectionate person but I can be if given time but I will help someone if they are touch starved like I am.

[🌄 @cutelittleriot requested one (1) regular My Hero Academia matchup. I have just the ingredients for that! Sit tight while I get to work.🌌]

YAYYY!! First bnha matchup!! I gotchu bud 👍 I’m thinking about trying something new for the bnha fandom in particular. So, I’ll try it out and see what you think! Also, I got a little carried away with this one, so if it doesn’t seem characteristically accurate to you, please tell me!! 😖

And, the lucky person is:

⛰Eijiro Kirishima⛰

Quirk: Dragon

Dragon is a mutation quirk. It manifests slowly over time, until the user becomes about 60% dragon-esque at around 15/16 years old.

Scales and tough skin appear on the arms, legs, and face. Sharp teeth and claws grow in. Horns protrude from the forehead. A tail grows from the spine. Finally, wings grow from the back.

Flesh becomes twice as tough in places where scales are.

Depending on the user’s body type, wing usage is limited. (Since you’re generally shorter than average, “flying” and gliding comes easier to you.)

When the user consumes pressurized carbon dioxide, their stomach converts it into flammable gasses. Which allows the user to breathe- er...burp...fire.

Fire must be carefully used however. The smoke produced can accidentally be breathed in, causing lung damage.

🌱Humble Beginnings🌱

I’ll start by saying this: Being bullied is never fun. Being bullied over something you can’t easily control or change? Rub salt in it, why don’tcha?

You weren’t sure what the select few kids in your grade thought was so hilarious about your quirk. But, they managed to find enough wrong with it to do their damage for most of your time in school

First, the patches of scales that showed up on your skin were “too weak”. Then, your awkward transition stage with growing horns, wings, and tail was suddenly “ugly”

By the time your quirk fully manifested, the jeers finally devolved to “freak-ish”

Like a river carving out the Grand Canyon, the work was slow and wore you down over time. But, the impact was a lot bigger than even you’d initially thought

While you managed to somewhat heal and learned to guard your emotions against such hurtful things, that’s all you learned to do: Guard yourself. You were a shield with no spear, since you never fought back

With the help of supportive parents and teachers, your self-esteem wasn’t so low, but you did often downplay or underestimate your abilities

Like, Bitch??? You can burp fire??? Know your power???

The people you were on good terms with seemed to see a potential that you either disregarded, or didn't know about all together

They saw the way you treated others with consideration and forethought. How, despite (or because of) your anxiety, you remained hyper-aware of the problems of others and how to accommodate. And while your anger did have its vices, people knew how hot your righteous rage could burn

It actually took a lot of convincing for you to even apply to U.A. 

Outside of your other aspirations for the future, you didn’t particularly feel worthy for the job. Of anything you could be, you weren’t a fearless, upstanding, unshakable individual, not even giving a second thought to throwing yourself into danger for the good of others. You weren’t your alleged definition of a hero, and that was enough to deter you

But, whenever you recited your polite (well-rehearsed) decline, most gave you the same weirdly optimistic retort:

“Just try, maybe you’ll do better than you’re giving yourself credit for.”

So, here you were at an entrance exam full of people you hardly knew, wondering how you even rationalized to yourself that this would go just fine

The written exam went okay. As well as you could for literally guessing what to study to pass

All you had to do was do your best on the physical exam, and you’d be done for the day

But, your issue was in the people around you, not the exam itself

You were aware of the high amount of attention the moment you walked onto campus. The way other kids measured you up from a distance, studying everything about your not-so-human body. Watching your every move, especially the way your movements were strained from soreness (A short period of intense training tends to do that to you). You assumed they also wanted to see if your disposition was as powerful as your quirk suggested

((You specifically noticed a coltish, green-haired kid muttering to himself, questioning if your wings could actually support your body weight))

Even now, as the prospective heroes-in-training warmed up, you felt the stares burning into you

Half of you wanted to lift your eyes and rhetorically ask what the hell they were looking at, only feeling more annoyed as you snorted and returned to what you were doing. The other half wanted to fold into yourself until you disappeared (If only it were that easy)

But, you had enough (Roughly, one billion) worries on your mind to put confrontation on the list. Shaking off your anxious shivers as you lowered your head and continued with your “stretches” seemed so much easier

(A.k.a. Staring off into space as you held your limbs in awkward positions)

The time to begin the physical test was drawing near, and your self-doubt hadn’t eased up. Maybe this was a mistake. You didn’t belong here. Not when so many other students could fill the space you’re wasting so much better. Maybe if you slipped through the back now, you’d save yourself the disappointment of not living up to your own standards

“Hey, brown-haired girl! With the horns!”

You heard a gruff whisper from not to far behind you, from the left. You tensed for a moment, wondering what the voice could possibly want from you. But, the sight you saw was rather unexpected

The voice definitely matched the body, bulky and slightly rough looking, a little taller than you. Matched with a sweet face, sharp teeth, and bright, spiky, red hair. The smile he showed you instantly calmed your thoughts

“…Hm?”

You gave a short response, not wanting to jump to conclusions yet

“I saw you looking kinda psyched out over here, so I thought talking to you would make you less nervous!”

You felt a warm and fuzzy sensation in the pit of your stomach. As much encouragement as you got to achieve things, you didn’t see much of it to consider how you felt. How you could feel better. You liked it, which was surprising, considering the encouragement came from a perfect stranger

“Oh, uhh…thanks then. But, I’m fine, I promise! I’m no more nervous than you are.”

“Well, that’s also why I came to talk…I’m kinda freaking out too…”

This boy’s transparency was almost scary, but on the other hand, very comforting. You didn’t catch him trying to stare at your mutated parts once as you talked. Your eyes were the thing he seemed the most focused on, and while it made you embarrassed, it was the good kind (if that makes sense)

But, soon enough, the announcement for the beginning of the exam came over the loudspeaker, and you and your acquaintance had to look out for yourselves. But, before you parted ways, the redhead turned to you

“I’m Eijiro Kirishima, by the way! See you when I see you, Shortie!”

🌳Flourishing Love🌳

The beginning of Kirishima seeing you as a romantic option happened not too long after parting ways at the physical exam

He was almost completely cornered by one of the machines students could disarm for points. And just as that was happening, you had just turned the corner after shaking off another one

You saw Kirishima, but he definitely didn’t see you, trying hard to look tough, but struggling to stand his ground

It quickly dawned on you that Kirishima didn’t have a quirk that could easily deal with the hostile device. And if he did, he was too scared to use it

You vetoed the idea of charging in head on first. You didn’t feel like getting yourself or Kirishima hurt. Especially without a plan. You needed to be smart about getting your only acquaintance out of this situation

Your heart raced and your execution was all but clean, but you ended up using your fire breath to weld the robot’s wheels to the concrete

Before you let your inhibitions get the better of you, you climbed the machine and punched out the camera on the front. From atop the beast, you hung your tail over the edge low enough for Kirishima to grab. You didn’t dare look down at the ground

“Dammit Eijiro, grab on!!”

Once you felt a weight on your tail, you used your wings to propel you both forward. Obviously, away from the robot

You were too high on adrenaline and fear to notice, but Kirishima stared at you like you were the embodiment of Heaven on Earth. The stars in his eyes almost seemed inappropriate for the situation 😅

You looked just as—if not more—afraid than he was. But, you seemed so okay with the fact that you weren’t fearless, and acted like a true hero anyway. He admired, dare I say loved that about you

And he didn’t even know your name

As soon as you found out that you and Kirishima were in the same class, you felt instant relief. At least you were familiar with someone at U.A.

You guys’ friendship developed rather fast, like and extrovert adopting an introvert

Kirishima quickly noticed how fast you opened up once you got comfortable around him, and loved you all the more for how bright and vibrant the unfiltered you was

He found himself picking up on your sense of humor, telling dad jokes you whisper under your breath to the Bakusquad (Much to Bakugou’s dismay 😅)

Don’t worry, he always gives you the credit 😉

As time went on, Kirishima learned to appreciate how blunt you were. He realized that he needed someone to tell it like it is (“It isn’t manly to sugarcoat things! 😤” he says)

And while Kirishima prefers physical activities over video games, he loves to hype you up while you play before classes

It was only natural a mutual crush would form :D

Kirishima finally worked up the guts to ask you out after the U.S.J. Incident

You and him had gotten separated (You had gotten trapped with the cold son of Endeavor. And you both took out the villains with an awe-inspiring display of fire and ice)

Kirishima was faced with the reality that either of you could lose each other at any moment. And while both of you came out alright, he realized he couldn’t be wishy-washy about his feelings for you

He told you on your way to school the next morning:

“Look. What happened yesterday really scared me. Normally, I wouldn’t say that, but I think you deserve to know. Because…you mean a lot to me!! More than I can put into words. I love when we have fun together, and I don’t know what I’d do with myself if I never got to tell you how I felt…”

“Basically…I like you!! Like…in the romantic way…”

Your early morning grumpiness dissipated almost instantly, replaced by momentary confusion and disbelief, then embarrassment and joy. Was this really happening…? The boy that took a chance on you since the beginning, confessed that he had feelings for you…? Even though you didn’t question your relationship, you always assumed the nice things Kirishima said, the way he looked at you, was all part of the pleasantries. You questioned if you were even worth all of that

‘But you are.’ The little voice Kirishima helped you develop said. ‘And he would say more if he didn’t look so embarrassed.’

And so, you accepted Kirishima’s confession. And he saw the sweetest smile you had ever given him since the first time he complimented your puns 😊❤️

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

[🌌 There you go bud! That’s one matchup for the road. Hopefully it lasts for a while, but if it doesn’t, feel free to come back! I’d be thrilled to see you again.🌄] —Reagan

[ofstarsandfireflies]

One of my faves, got half way through before I realised I had to take notes lol

She was a hero to the people.

She was the Ancient One, hooded and cloaked to hide her identity.

And, she was a mother.

It was thanks to two young boys helping her while she’d been preoccupied that she got to go home to her son and tell him the story of the Ancient One’s victory over Howard Stark.

Even if he couldn’t understand it, he seemed entertained by the magic swirling around him and by her voice.

She and her wife, Maria, are happy, and with Stark defeated, she plans to never use magic again.

That they and their son, Anthony, can live happily from now on.

It’s then Howard Stark drops by with an army behind him, looking for one last fight.

And in this one she loses everything.

Maria is killed protecting her, little Tony is taken to be raised by her enemy, and the house she had wanted to build her family in is burnt to the ground as she is taken to a prison where all magic abusers go.

One day.

One day she will have her revenge.

Twenty years pass before her day finally arrives.

The only thing that has been keeping her going is her revenge.

Killing Howard like she should have done all those years and getting her son back.

So, seeing her opportunity to escape, she takes it, fleeing into the night only to find the country she tried so hard to protect from Stark now ruled by him.

He’s a much larger target than he ever was twenty years ago, but that didn’t matter.

All she could feel was the anger pulsing in her veins at all that had been denied her.

All she could hear was his voice echoing around her as she got closer to the stage he was standing on, the people she’d fought for and given her life to shouting and cheering for him.

She’d make him pay.

Even if she couldn’t wield magic as well as she used to, even if she died doing so, she would rid the world of him once and for all.

And just when she saw her opening, just when she’d pulled the blade from her belt, she heard a voice calling Howard ‘Father.’

A young man, with brown hair and brown eyes the same as the woman she had loved and lost so long ago, stepped onto the stage as Howard intoroduced him the crowd as his son, Tony Stark.

Tony had grown up into a fine young man.

A man who should be told the truth, who deserved that much from her.

So, she would back away for now.

She would need someone younger to take up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme and do all she could no longer.

As fate would have it, one such student wasn’t too far away.

Stephen Strange was drunk.

His brother had just been killed by a highly skilled Sorcerer, one he was in no shape to fight with his hands being what they were.

He’d relied on his brother for everything, and now he was alone with nothing but revenge in his heart and alcohol clouding his mind.

And the amulet his brother had been given by the Sorcerer Supreme twenty years ago.

He tries bartering it off for more alcohol, but is stopped by a woman, who tries to talk him out of giving it away.

It’s then Stephen sees a the man who killed his brother.

He stands up from his chair, intent on killing him, and almost falls over in the process.

She helps him steady himself as she tries to get his mind to think rationally.

But Stephen isn’t listening.

He would kill him.

Even if he couldn’t wield magic, even if he died doing so, he would rid the world of him once and for alll

And she knows exactly how he feels, but she won’t let him rush in there to die when she can train him to fight this man and live to see another day.

Stephen only scoffs at her, showing her his hands.

He’d never be able to use magic with how badly his hands shake, every master he’d ever gone to had said the same thing to him.

But she knows different.

Knows better.

And points to the amulet Stephen had almost traded for alcohol, telling him who she used to be.

Stephen follows her to what remains of the underground Sanctum, unable to believe the actual Sorcerer Supreme is still alive.

And begins his training.

It takes time, time which they have little of, but with her instruction Stephen picks things up rather quickly.

She focuses on the basics, knowing there will be plenty of time for him to increase his skill once her son is safe from Stark.

And soon, even with his hands, he’s easily using the same techniques that had once come so naturally to her.

His first test comes in the form of a sentient cloak that looks exactly like the one she used to wear, being taken to the Stark residence.

But when he goes to rescue it, covering his face with a mask so he’s not recognised, he runs into his second test.

That being Tony, who had accidentally stumbled upon Stephen’s hiding place.

They share a short moment, one that is continued after Stephen manages to get the cloak free and is hiding once again, listening to Tony talk about his interaction with him.

And to hear that this gorgeous man had impure thoughts about him, is nothing short of spectacular.

He just wishes he could tell him that in that moment, he wasn’t alone.

When he gets back to the Sanctum, she is there waiting for him.

They need to find out what Howard is planning, what he was talking about that day on stage.

And to do that, Stephen will need to attend the gala Stark is hosting.

He’ll need to charm his way into it because every dirty scumbag Stark has ties to will be there and she knows Howard has always favoured them with his plans.

And it’s at the gala that Stephen not only meets Howard Stark, but Tony again, officially this time.

And even displays a little magic.

Not the kind that he uses in his training, only a mere sleight of hand to present to Tony a single rose, but its impressive enough to make Tony smile and his charm is enough that he’s given entry into the high class party.

And even to the Stark’s table, where Tony shows his support for the Sorcerer Supreme and what they stand for, much to his father’s displeasure, and Stephen finally learns the name of the man who killed his brother.

Baron Mordo.

He’d give anything to kill the man he’s being forced to smile and laugh in front of, and Tony doesn’t take too kindly to having his opinions joked about, making sure to hold Stephen’s gaze when he accepts Mordo’s invition to dance.

So, Stephen excuses himself from the table he worked so hard to get a seat at to interrupt their dance and take over as Tony’s dancing partner.

And as she watches them, she can’t help but smile at how well her student and son look together.

But hands are wandering from simple dancing positions to exploration, eyes glued to one another as Howard Stark charges over to them when they begin to lean in a little too close for his liking.

Talking his way back into Howard’s favour, making Tony storm off, Howard decides to let Stephen in on his plans.

The very plans that will cement the Stark name in the history books.

Howard Stark was going to create a world where magic would have no comparison to the energy and weapons fused by that energy of his own engineering, with the construction of a huge device called the Arc Reactor.

And it was going to make the nuclear reactorlook like a triple A battery.

Stephen is shocked by the news, only managing a nod when he, along with the other guests, are told to come back the next day to see its progress.

And when he does, what he sees, makes him even angrier.

Howard isn’t even building this thing himself, he has people working to the brink of death to build it for him.

And as those invited watch some of the workers die right before them, Stephen offers a friendly face of a man who was once a doctor to one of them, and they pass, knowing they’re not alone.

And when Stephen stands once again, all he can see is Mordo smiling, almost knowingly.

It’s while Stephen and Howard are out, Tony tries to strike a conversation up with the woman Stephen brought with him, wondering if they ever met before.

He can’t place it, but he could swear her voice sounds familiar.

And to hear her speak of his mother, almost in a way she knew her, it’s curious, but he can almost believe that she did know her.

And when Tony leaves their conversation, She can’t help but feel hollow inside.

Twenty years without her son, allowing him to be raised by her enemy, and she was closer to her revenge back when she attempted to kill Howard on that stage than the many months she spent training Stephen.

She has to take matters into her own hands, and leave whatever Howard has planned to the new Sorcerer Supreme.

Tasking Stephen with obtaining a map to where the reactor is located would have been a rather simple task if Tony hadn’t spotted the robed and masked Sorcerer, wielding his own magic and besting Stephen at every turn until the cocky wizard starts stealing kisses whenever he can and ripping Tony’s shirt to shreds.

And it’s only when Stephen leans in for a genuine kiss that Tony kisses him back, forgetting all about whatever Stephen may have stolen from his father.

And only remembering when Stephen has to leave and Howard walks in to find his son half dressed and out of breath.

With the location now known, Stephen is finally told the truth about Tony and how he fits into all of this and his relation to his teacher.

His anger boils over.

How dare she be making her own plans for revenge when he still hasn’t gotten his, when there are people in need of the Sorcerer Supreme once again.

But she simply tells him she’s passing on the mantle of it to him, and will not speak any more of it to him.

Stephen has no choice but to go along with this plan, heading to the Arc Reactor’s location alone while his master heads to the Stark residence and catches Howard unawares, demanding he call for Tony.

When Tony arrives, confused about what is happening, Howard is given specific instructions of what to tell Tony, but Howard refuses, trying to play it off like this deranged woman lost a son and wants Tony for herself.

But Tony is much smarter than Howard gives him credit for, and knows she isn’t lying.

When he steps closer to her, he knows she’s his mother.

And almost meets the same fate as the one his father said he loved and had died in child birth when Mordo tries to kill the intruder, Howard just managing to push his aim off at the last second to save his son.

Tony is more than willing to fight off the guards who have been called to take his mother away, he’ll stand in front of her and he won’t move, but a gentle hand on his arm has him doing so.

She won’t let him get hurt on her behalf.

She got to see him one last time, she got to tell him the truth, and now he knows everything.

What Tony does with that information is up to him.

Breaking her out of the prison she’d been locked in is the first thing to come to his mind, aiding in her escape and following her to where his father is.

And the inhumane sight of all the workers locked in their very place of work to be destroyed along with any evidence is what they find as the Arc Reactor is being readied to be transported elsewhere.

His mother runs to stop Howard as Tony focuses his attention on getting everyone out before they’re all killed, unknowing that Stephen isn’t too far away, locked in a battle of his own against Mordo.

It’s a short battle, Stephen taking his mask off so Mordo can see his face just as a portal encases him and the entire place is levelled from the explosion.

Tony is rushing around, checking on the survivors and trying to find his mother and father, when he recognises the robes of the Sorcerer Supreme.

And then they turn to look at him.

And he sees its Stephen.

Tony is staring at him, finally seeing him without the mask on and realising who he is, who he was, and Stephen can’t help but smile at him.

It turns sad when he sees the questions in his eyes, knowing neither the Sorcerer Supreme nor her mortal enemy made it out alive, and he holds Tony close.

Stephen will make sure to protect Tony with the magic she taught him, and tell her stories to keep her memory alive.

Quotes -

“I want you to live with the knowledge that you have lost everything that you hold dear. I want you to suffer, as I have suffered, knowing that your child should have been mine.”

Howard taking Tony from his mother.

“It was my brother’s. He’s dead.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? Why should you be sorry?”

“You should not trade that for a mere glass of whiskey.”

“Why not? You think I could get two?”

Stephen meeting the woman who would turn him into the next Sorcerer Supreme

“Well, I try to behave properly, the way my father would like me to, but I’m afraid my heart is too wild.”

“Too wild?”

“Yes.”

“Could you be a little more specific about that?”

“I had impure thoughts about a man. I did. I think he was a bandit or something. He wore a black mask.”

“He has a deep voice?”

“Yes.”

“Ruggedly handsom?”

“I don’t know his face was half covered. But something in his eyes captured me.”

“Captured you.”

“I felt warm and feverish...”

“Lustful?”

“Yes. Lustful. Forgive me.”

“I forgive you.”

Tony talking about meeting Stephen to Stephen without realising it.

“What about the prisoners?”

“There’s nothing more I can do for them.”

“You mean, nothing you will do.”

“I gave my life to them! In return I lost everything. My wife was murdered before my eyes, my child was stolen to be raised by my mortal enemy.”

“Montero....Elena. She’s your daughter?”

“She was.”

“So, you will simply take your revenge.”

“No, I will take my daughter. And don’t pretend she means nothing to you.”

Stephen learning the truth.

To Rise Again.

There must always be a Sorcerer Supreme.

The title is meant to help the people, but the previous decides to train her new student to extract her revenge on the man who took everything from her.

January, February

Missed a Day? Catch up here!

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Day 6

[reeny-chan]

Hi all! I’m still working hard on the latest chapter of my SPOP novel “The Last Hero of Eternia”, and while I’ve still got a lot of work to do, I wanted to share a sneak peek of the upcoming chapter, “Purpose”:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once the ship jumped to hyperwarp, Adora laid her hands in her lap. She sat there, silently, apparently staring at the telemetry being projected before her.

“Adora.”

She did not turn to Catra when she spoke. “Adora…what happened to you down there?”

Adora did not answer. Did not stir.

“Adora they…they used Shadow Weaver against me. Down there. What did they do to you?”

Adora finally turned to her. Catra could see her eyes were still deep red. It was incredibly unsettling. “A lot happened to me. Down there.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Catra said. “Adora, you said - after we landed, before we went in that place - if something…happened to you, you wanted us to… Well, you never got to finish it, but-“

“I’m fine,” Adora interrupted. She stood and turned toward Catra. Her She-Ra form vanished, leaving her standing there in her usual red jacket and gray leggings. Her irises were still red, not their normal blue. The sight made Catra shudder. “Some - things happened, but I dealt with them.”

“I can see that,” Catra said. There was a moment of silence between them, and then Catra stepped forward and took Adora’s hand. “Adora…”

Adora pulled her hand from Catra’s. “I said I’m fine,” she said flatly.

The two of them stared at each other for a long moment, before the rear hatch opened. They both turned to see Scorpia starting to enter.

“Guys, there’s…” Scorpia stopped. She looked at Catra, and then Adora. Then back to Catra. “Umm…” she started. After another pregnant silence, she said, “Never mind.” She turned and left the command deck.

The command deck door closed behind Scorpia, and the sound of it made her feel as if something had slammed shut within her. She was starting to feel really claustrophobic now. She’d been thrown out of the med bay, where Glimmer and Entrapta were. And she guessed Bow was still there, too, since she didn’t see him in the corridor.

She apparently wasn’t welcome in the command deck with whatever was going on between Catra and Adora.

Were they mad at her? She’d been separated from them on the planet, and she knew that wasn’t her fault. But so much had apparently happened to them while she was stuck trying to break through all those rooms to find them. And Hordak…maybe they were mad at her because Hordak wouldn’t have gotten hurt if she’d gotten to them sooner.

It was a small ship, with not many places for her to go. After weighing her options, she decided to retire to her room. Upon entering she realized how small it felt. It shouldn’t have felt that small; Entrapta promised her it was the same size as everyone else’s. Then again, she was twice the size of everyone else.

It felt tiny, and lonely.

She opened the stand by her bed and pulled out her large-handled communicator. There were two messages waiting.

She selected the first one, by a tiny photo of Perfuma.

Hey sweetie! How is the pursuit going?

Just wanted to let you know I’m feeling lots better. Your special tea and a little bit of mugwort really makes a nice healing elixir. Plus it helped me a lot because it made me think of you.

Please call or message any time you want to talk. No pressure, I know it’s got to be a really exciting and busy trip, but I’m always here if you want to talk.

And I like to see you and hear your voice.

I love you

Perfuma

Scorpia sighed and hugged the communicator to her chest. She needed that right now. No matter what was going on here, she knew she had Perfuma to return to. And with any luck, they’d be together again in just a few days.

She looked at the communicator again and selected the second unread message, indicated by the letter “C”.

Chancellor Cobalt reporting.

Please contact me at earliest availability. Non-emergency, but given your sudden departure, some in our command chain need reassurance you are still in command.

Cobalt out.

Scorpia sighed. She wasn’t surprised, to be honest. With nearly all the people in charge of her new kingdom being former Horde, they were used to power struggles and quick, frequent changes in the command structure.

“Duty calls,” she muttered. She selected Cobalt’s icon and clicked the control stick.

The device beeped once, twice, three times…and then Cobalt’s face appeared. Always hard to read, she couldn’t tell if she was seeing relief or annoyance in his countenance.

“Cobalt here, Your Highness.”

“Hey Cobalt,” Scorpia said. “Tell them that I’m fine and I’m on my way back. Should just be a few more days.”

“Understood,” Cobalt replied. “Was your mission successful?”

“I…it was…” Scorpia glanced toward the door, and visualized the people beyond. It hadn’t been a smooth victory and…things weren’t so great right now, but… “Yes, it was successful.”

“Excellent. That will definitely help maintain your standing with the troops. They’ve been sharing stories of the battle in the Reach. It was good for morale for them to finally be able to participate in battle again. Even if it was alongside their former enemies.”

Scorpia nodded. “That’s, um…that’s great.” She took a deep breath. “Anything else to report?”

“The first shipments of food have arrived from Albara. It’s helping reduce the strain on the new farms, and we’ve reduced the drain on our ration stocks by 50%. And they…there was a - gift of some kind for you that came with the shipment.”

“Oooo, a gift?” Scorpia said. The idea of that helped raise her mood, if only a little.

“That’s what they called it. To be honest, we thought it was some kind of bioweapon, the way it smells. They said it was ‘cheese’.”

“Oh,” Scorpia said, the word drawn out in mild confusion. “Okay. Tell them…um, say I said thanks, I guess.”

Cobalt nodded. “We ended up having to seal it up to stop it from stinking up the entire compound. It’s in cold storage now. You can decide what to do with it whenever you get back.”

“Okay,” Scorpia said, not at all excited. “Great.”

“One more thing. I wasn’t going to bother you with this until you got back, but since communications are now open I think you should know. There’s a - delegation from one of the tribes that lived in the Fright Zone before the Horde. They arrived the morning after you left for the Reach, and asked to see you personally. I told them you were off-planet and they could return after you did, but they insisted on waiting here.”

“Really?” Scorpia said. “I didn’t think any of the old tribes were still around.”

“Apparently it was a well-kept secret,” Cobalt said. “I didn’t even know about it.”

“Well,” Scorpia said, sighing and taking another look around her, “I can talk to them now. I probably won’t have much else to do for a while.”

“I was actually going to suggest that,” Cobalt said. “Especially in this case.”

Scorpia’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean ‘in this case’?”

“They call themselves ‘Scorpioni’, and they, um…they look a lot like you.”

Scorpia gasped. She practically jumped off the bunk. “Scorpioni? Really?”

Cobalt nodded in his unflappable manner. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“Can I talk to them now?”

“They’re roaming the compound. I’ll have them brought here immediately.”

“Oh, I’ve gotta tell Perfuma!” Scorpia said, practically squealing. Then, when she saw Cobalt’s raised eyebrow, she cleared her throat and said. “Call me back when you find them, please.”

“Understood. Cobalt out.”

Cobalt’s image was replaced with the text message that had prompted her to call him.

Scorpia was shaking. It made it difficult for her to manipulate the communicator’s controls to select Perfuma’s icon.

When she finally initiated the call, she was practically bouncing on the bunk, her prior worries all but forgotten.

Perfuma’s face appeared on screen. “Hi Scorpia! How’s the mission going?”

Scorpia felt the pit in her stomach grow. The worries came flooding back. For a blissful moment, she’d forgotten all that had happened. She knew she needed to tell Perfuma about it all. She wanted to tell her. But for now…

“It’s...okay,” she finally said. “We caught Adam.”

“That’s wonderful!” Perfuma said. “And fast, too! You’ve only been gone a few days!”

“Well, apparently he came from a planet not too far away from ours.”

“Eternia?” Perfuma said.

“No, it was…’Cruller’, or something like that. Kind of a messed up place. But listen, I have even better news! I found out who my people are! People who look like me! And know what else? They’re still around, and they’re waiting to meet me! At Horror Hall!”

Perfuma gasped. “Really? That’s incredible, sweetie! I’m so happy for you!”

The communicator beeped twice, and an icon appeared in the upper left corner. “Oh, oh, that’s them! That’s them! Bye, I love you, see you soon!”

“O-okay! Love you too! Good luck!”

Scorpia clicked the call over. “Cobalt?”

“The delegate is here,” Cobalt said. “One moment.” The image shifted.

Scorpia stared at the screen with excitement, and then when she saw the delegate, her eyes went as wide as they possibly could.

“Princess Scorpia. I’m so glad to finally meet you.”

Scorpia brought a pincer to her mouth, and tears started welling in her eyes. She then touched her pincer to the screen.

“Mom?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Want to read the rest? Start from the beginning to make sure you’re ready when the next chapter is! Thanks, and I love you all!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28398465/chapters/69585771

P.S.: Be on the lookout for more announcements for “She-Ra Uncut” the web series, coming soon to a social media platform near you!

[armysantiny]

The Death of Me - YS

-vampire!reader, vampire!au, angst(?), fem reader

He had always known what you were - a vampire, a creature of the night - but it never fazed Yeosang all that much, you were one of their closest managers after all. Yeosang was the one who helped you reveal your vampirism to the boys and your co-workers, his humour breaking the news better than anything you could have thought. Out of everyone in KQ, you were the only one he trusted to call at 2 am when the morning's news of another vampire staking plagued his thoughts again. He knew it couldn't have been you, but still, what if it was? Seonghwa was who comforted him, holding the younger male and whispering nothings of 'Y/N Noona's going to be fine, don't worry~'

"Up late again Sangie?" You asked him in the morning, sipping on your flask of AB - like it was coffee- as the group stretched. He nodded as he stood up straight, Hongjoong beating him to the punch by pulling you over to the side. As the leader of the 8-member boy group, he was concerned for Yeosang's well being.

"What's the matter, Hongjoong-ah? You look concerned - is it because of Yeosang?" The sigh and nod from the male told you all you needed to know. He had pleaded with his manager a while ago to let you stay with them at the dorm for a few days, to which his manager agreed; it would probably do both parties some good. If the 'experiment' of sorts did work, you'd most likely start moving in with the boys after a while.

You scrolled through your phone as you popped out for some air, walking towards a convenience store. Putting your phone away after you stepped foot inside the brightly-lit store, you trailed the drink isles until your regular drink was nowhere to be found. Sighing, you decided to leave, only stopping where you were when something in the corner of your eye caught your attention. The store clerk was wearing a badge. A blood drop badge at that. Relief coated your face as you made your way over.

"How can I help?" They asked first, seeming particularly cheerful,

"Do you receive any AB donations? I'm on a work break right now and I kinda forgot to bring some with me" You asked - and admitted as the youthful-looking male in front of you blinked in confusion first before nodding in realisation. Nodding and sweetly asking you to stay put by the counter, he ran into the back to see where his manager had placed the box labelled 'AB'. In the meantime, you fiddled with a mirror you kept in your pocket, fixing a few stray hairs that fell in front of your face.

It had two hours since you left and Yeosang - and the other members - hadn't seen you since. You'd gone home for the rest of the day on your manager's advice, nursing a red moon craving and forgotten to inform your boys of the changes. Jongho had been keeping an eye on his hyung and had also been watching his phone throughout the day, just in case. While the other members had extra practise and things to do, Yeosang and Jongho were Scot-free for the rest of the evening.

"Hyung, let's just call Noona instead. Worrying like this can't be good for you at all." Jongho insisted, bringing his phone out of his jacket.

"Ok - you do have a point. She could've just been at home." The older agreed, looking for his phone which had been on charge. Unlocking the device, his eyes enlarged in horror as he read the breaking news headline that popped in his notifications. A group of vampires had been surrounded and brutally murdered, stakes driven through the heart as a 'calling card' of sorts. His hands were shaking as his feet remained plastered to the floor. It didn't help that one of the victims looked like you - almost too much like you.

"Hyung! What's wrong?!" The maknae's voice snapped Yeosang back to reality, as Jongho pulled the phone away and took a read of the article himself. Exhaling sharply, he exited the page in a heartbeat and wasted no time in searching for your number.

Red moon cravings weren't fun. Not at all - the uncontrollable red eyes, overwhelming senses, animalistic instincts; you had all the symptoms. But they had started to settle down and you were more than glad, especially when the phone started to ring. You answered it immediately, already knowing who was on the other line.

"Yes, hello?"

"Oh my God - Noona, you're okay?!" You heard Yeosang cry out in relief, a faint 'told you hyung!' and laughter emanating in the background.

"I'm fine Sangie - is Jongho with you as well?"

"Uh - yeah, yeah he is. Do you want me to put him on?" He asked, waiting for your reply at the other end of the line. There was nothing for a while, and he was starting to worry again - what was happening to you on your end?

"No, no, it's perfectly alright. Hold on - it should be the end of everyone's schedule, right? I'll pick all of you up, then we can go to the dorm. Sound good?" Yeosang hummed contently in agreement with your offer, hanging up the call with a weight lifted from his chest. You were alright, thankfully.

Driving through the streets of Seoul to pick up the boys in your mini-van, you switched off the radio and tried to take your mind off current events. Eyes sinking from brown into a deep red hue, you ignored it and continued to drive towards the entertainment building. It wasn't as if you'd had any personal connections to the victims, but as of quite recently, just hearing about the death of your kind had a tendency to set you off - intentionally or not. As KQ came into view, you parked up in the parking lot and stepped out, leaning against the door as you called your colleague, letting him know that you were ready to pick the members up.

"Hey, boys - ack!" You were cut off when the boys jumped you and engulfed you in a group hug, "I love you guys too~, now come on - we've got a dorm to be going to." They let you go after a while, bright smiles on all their faces. All piled into the vehicle, chatting amongst themselves the second you shut the door. Walking to the driver's side, your hand stopped at the handle when a searing cough ripped through your throat and chest - a blood craving taking hold. Although it had mostly gone unnoticed, Hongjoong, Yeosang and Jongho had spotted what happened and watched your behaviour with caution from their seats on the mini-van.

On the drive back to the dorm, you'd reached for your blood replacement tablets repeatedly - they were almost finished by the time you all collectively reached the dorm. As the Ateez boys left the mini-van, Hongjoong and his two younger group-mates, helping take your suitcase-worth of clothes inside and upstairs to the apartment.

"Alright. I'll be sleeping in the living room - my clothes can stay here." You announced as soon as you kicked your shoes off and set them aside, moving your suitcase to a corner of the room. It was late at night, so there wasn't much in the way of chatter as the boys dragged themselves to their rooms. Making yourself comfortable as you laid on the couch, you closed your eyes in a futile attempt to get any sort of sleep. Which, of course, didn't work - a desire to satiate that burning thirst stopping any rational actions. Getting back up, you found and opened your suitcase in the dark of the Ateez dorm, taking out what was considered the wine-bottle equivalent of blood.

"Noona? What's going on?" Yeosang's tired and raspy voice came from the entrance of the hallway, ruffling his hair while he squinted as he tried to make out your silhouette in the dark. His question pulled your attention away from the bottle and now the glass that was in your hands, setting it down on the table in the current dim lighting of the living room. In a wordless exchange, you patted the empty space beside you - inviting the awoken male to sit with you. Yeosang took the invitation and sat down, a comfortable five minutes of silence passing between you both.

"...Yeosang, you do know it's three am in the morning, right? What's keeping you awake?" You asked, after watching how his eyes would start to close every so often, only for Yeosang to open them sharply.

"I think it's all the news going around - my mind won't let my rest at all." He admitted, looking at his hands. Sighing as his thoughts ran freely, Yeosang picked up the AB bottle and observed it, a simple question popping in his mind that just had to be answered.

"Is there a difference?"

"Difference in what, Yeosangie?" He held out the bottle, indicating to clearly labelled blood type before placing it back on the table. Didn't blood just taste the same?

"Blood types Noona. Is there actually a difference?"

A few hours after you'd explained how blood types were different and how they affected personal taste, you'd found Yeosang fast asleep, head resting on the couch. With no real use for your blanket anymore,  you covered the younger male with it and placed the pillow behind his head, moving his dyed-blond hair out of his face. But you stilled when the scent hit you - rich vanilla and caramel. Maybe it was because of the red moon, but self-control stopped being a thing you had once your gaze travelled to his porcelain perfect neck.

Yeosang's eyes awoke to your fangs grazing against his skin ever-so-slightly, just enough to startle him. That self-control which had gone out of the window made a sudden return and the realisation of the current situation had you spiralling back in fear of yourself. Eyes quivering in terror as you scrambled away, your breathing was heavy and uneven as you held your head in your hands. Were you really about to bite down into the male who you were the manager of?

'I'm a monster...I almost bit him. Why couldn't I stop myself? How could he ever trust me agai-'

"Noona! Calm down, you're shaking!" Yeosang had rushed over to your side, his hand rubbing your shoulder as he tried his hardest to get you to look at him. Breath hitching in your throat as his scent hit you once again, you shook your head at his pleas to look at him, looking away with your head hung, ashamed at your actions. During this exchange, the other members had started entering the living room as they awoke, only to be shushed by Yeosang before they ended up asking any questions that would make you feel worse than you already were.

Could you really control yourself around the members?

Everyone was lively and chatty during breakfast in the dorm - you'd offered to make scrambled eggs and pancakes to try and forget earlier's mortifying experience. Plating everything as you hummed, the boys thanked you gratefully and immediately got stuck in with their breakfast. As much as your vampirism meant food didn't taste as flavourful as it would, watching people enjoy your food made you feel just that little bit more normal. Just that little bit more, human.

A week had passed since then, and Yeosang could tell something was wrong - they all could. As their manager, you were perfect, but once work had ended, it was more than clear that you weren't in good shape. But you already knew this; you were doing this to yourself after all. You hadn't been feeding on purpose - not since you almost bit down on Yeosang. All your senses were dulled, mellowed and nothing felt the same. Zoning out for long periods had quickly become a regular occurrence.

It then became two weeks without a single drop of blood and Yeosang had seen you suffer for long enough. Conveniently, it was his off-day and he was determined to get you to have something. Finding you in the dorm kitchen with a book in hand, reading while a cough ripped through your throat every so often, the 20-year-old sat down and rested his head in his hands, watching you with concern in his eyes. You looked so...weak and fragile - and it broke his heart.

"...Yeosang? What - what do you want?" Your voice was hoarse, throat was dry and it made speaking all that much harder.

"Noona, when was the last time you fed? At all?"

"Uh - two weeks ago, I think. Why do you ask-" Yeosang cut you off by pulling you into a hug, moving his head to the side and bringing your face into the crook of his neck - where you could smell the scent of his blood as it flowed - more intensely than you ever had. You couldn't do it...you wouldn't do it. Not to him.

"I know you're hesitating. Please, please just do it. I trust you Y/N, and you can't be doing this to yourself anymore. It's not healthy." He wrapped his arms around you tighter, his pleas making you sigh in defeat. He was right, you knew he was; you'd most likely collapse without blood if you kept this up any longer.

"Thank you Yeosang - and I'm sorry." Sinking your fangs into his neck as softly as you could, you lapped at his blood feverishly, drinking your fill. His grip tightened and his breath shallowed as the blood left his body, but it was worth it. Stopping before you took any more, you cleaned the fresh wound and helped the younger male to the couch. With an airy giggle, Yeosang held onto you and tugged on your arm, pouting as he asked you to sit with him with his eyes. Complying, you sat with him as he laid his head on your shoulder.

"That hurt less than I thought it would - do you feel better Noona?" Even after having his blood taken from him, he was still thinking about your well being - how is he so lovely? Simply smiling, you nodded as you wrapped an arm around him.

"Much better Sangie. Thank you."

"Then you can feed on me more often!" He offered - well, more so stated, "Or I'll have to make you - depriving yourself isn't a good choice." Yeosang promised, dozing off as he spoke, a pleased a smile donned on his face.

"My God - you're going to be the death of me Kang Yeosang."

[mememanufactorum]

Halo 2 quote starters

* FEEL FREE TO SHARE AS YOU PLEASE, NO CREDIT NEEDED. CHANGE PRONOUNS OR ANYTHING ELSE AS DESIRED.

-The Heretic-

“This has gone on long enough. Make an example of this bungler.”

“The weight of your heresy will stay your feet, and you shall be left behind.”

“You know how expensive this gear is?”

-The Armory-

“Hey, take it easy!”

“Careful, you’ll pull a tendon doing that!”

“Fine, but don’t come cryin’ to me when you rip your leg out of its socket.”

“This is important. You should at least look at me when I’m explaining it.”

“Look, just ‘cause the brass kisses your ass don’t mean I will.”

“Look at me when I talk to you.”

“Are you listenin’ to me?”

“Would it help if I said please?”

“When are you gonna tell me how you made it back home in one piece?”

“Well, he’s in a particularly fine mood.”

“Nobody’s sayin’ much, but I think something big’s about to happen.”

-Cairo Station-

“You told me there wouldn’t be any cameras.”

“You told me you were gonna wear something nice.”

“Folks need heroes, to give ‘em hope. So, smile, would ya? While we still got something to smile about.”

“You’ve drawn quite a crowd.”

“If they came to hear me beg, they will be disappointed.”

“We’re lucky to have you back.”

“I’m sorry, but we’re gonna have to make this quick.”

“You look nice.”

“I need a weapon.”

“Check your targets and watch the crossfire.”

“They’re in standard formation: Little bastards up front, big ones in back.”

“As soon as that door opens, let ‘em have it!”

“I don’t believe it! They’re retreating! We won!”

“This is bad! Real bad!”

“Just a friendly reminder: Bomb.”

“If this thing goes off, I am NEVER talking to you again.”

“Tell your friends I got enough ammo for all of ya!”

“Come on, is that a weapon or a flashlight?”

“How much time was left?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“I know what you’re thinking, and it’s crazy.”

“So, stay here.”

“Unfortunately for us both, I like crazy.”

“Just one question… What if you miss?”

“For a brick, he flew pretty good!”

-Outskirts-

“Any idea what it means?”

“Hey. Wake up.”

“Talk to me. Should I start CPR? What’s going on?”

“Blink if you can hear me.”

“If they didn’t know we’re here before, they do now!”

“Oh man, I love the beach.”

“I hope you packed a suit.”

“I don’t think they expected us to be here.”

-Metropolis-

“It blew right through us!”

“You had your chance to be afraid before you joined my beloved Corps. But to guide you back to the true path, I have brought this motivational device.”

“When I joined the Corps, we didn’t have any fancy-schmancy tanks! We had sticks! Two sticks and a rock! And we had to share the rock!”

“Usually the good Lord works in mysterious ways. But not today!”

“If God is Love, then you can call me Cupid!”

“They’re tough, but they ain’t invincible.”

“He never gets me anything.”

“Oh, I know what the ladies like.”

“That’s quite a welcome party.”

“Who’s in charge now?”

“See this look?! It’s terror!”

“Did I give you permission to bitch?!”

“I don’t think it’s stopping, get your heads down!”

“That thing is really starting to PISS ME OFF!”

“It can’t go any further this way. We have it trapped.”

“That’s right, you mothers! Run!”

-The Arbiter-

“How much further must we heft this baggage? Any cell will do.”

“Why not toss him in with this lot? They could use the meat.”

“Ultimately, the terms of your execution are up to me.”

“I am already dead.”

“Do you know where we are?”

“Even on my knees, I do not belong in their presence.”

“They would use the faith of our forefathers to bring ruin to us all!”

“What use am I?”

“That armor suits you, but it cannot hide that mark.”

“Their lives matter to me. Yours does not.”

“Warriors, prepare for combat!”

“Be silent and swift, and we shall quell this heresy without incident.”

“We have the element of surprise… For now.”

“That was the last of them – but there are more ahead.”

-The Oracle-

“That stench… I’ve smelled it before.”

“Close your jaw or I shall bind it shut!”

“Come out so we may kill you.”

“We should have brought weapons to burn these bodies.”

“We’ll never break through this!”

“May our Lords guide you.”

“We shall not forget your sacrifice.”

“Keep your blade handy.”

“Take my blade.”

“Turn, heretic.”

“Who has taught you these lies?”

“More questions? Splendid! I would be happy to assist you.”

“Unfortunate. His edification was most enjoyable.”

“Why do you meddlers insist on using such inaccurate verbiage?”

-Delta Halo-

“I don’t care if I have the clearance or not.”

“Where’s our target?”

“Until I can move and fight, I’m going to keep a low profile.”

“Hang onto your helmet!”

“Mind the bump.”

“Could we possibly make any more noise?! ...I guess so.”

“If I were a megalomaniac – and I’m not – that’s where I’d be.”

“I heard that, jackass!”

“Transcendence, huh? More like mass suicide.”

“You always bring me to such nice places.”

“They don’t seem to consider us a very serious threat. Boy, are they in for a big surprise.”

-Regret-

“Wait, go back!”

“I’d need to make a thorough survey to be sure.”

“I wish I had more time to decipher these inscriptions.”

“Well, they were nice enough to bring us a ride.”

“Sorry, were you trying to kill something?”

“And people say I’ve got a big head.”

“Oh man, he’s SO dead.”

“Oh, great! We’re gonna ride another one of these death traps!”

“Man, look at the size of that thing!”

“Guards! Remove this vermin from my sight!”

“You dare to interrupt my sermon?!”

“Surely you can do better than that?”

“Perhaps you underestimated me, no?”

“This is not your grave… But you are welcome in it.”

-Sacred Icon-

“This is unprecedented… Unacceptable!”

“Are you questioning my decision?”

“Politics… How tiresome.”

“We have always been your protectors.”

“These are trying times for all of us.”

“Why? Looking for a little payback?”

“Let’s see if you fare better.”

“Stay in the shadows, wait until it loses interest, then strike the beast when its back is turned.”

“We must hold this camp until reinforcements arrive.”

-Quarantine Zone-

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Forward, warriors, and fear not pain nor death!”

“No matter, they will die all the same.”

“Steel your nerves, we’re not turning back.”

“I grow restless without a target.”

“Ignore the braggart. Ready yourselves.”

“That fool! He’ll alert them to our presence!”

“Look on the bright side, if we’re lucky, they’ll shoot him down.”

“You know, your father never asked me for help either.”

“We got trouble.”

“How you doin’?”

“A bloody fate awaits you and the rest of your incompetent race.”

-Gravemind-

“What… Is that?”

“I am a monument to all your sins.”

“Relax. I’d rather not piss this thing off.”

“Kill me or release me. But do not waste my time with talk!”

“There is much talk, and I have listened through rock and metal and time. Now I shall talk, and you shall listen.”

“We have much to do!”

“You know nothing about containment! You have demonstrated a complete disregard for even the most basic of protocols!”

“If you will not hear the truth, then I shall show it to you.”

“They’re beefing up their patrols. Stay sharp.”

“The path is broad, and we shall walk it side by side.”

“Be glad! A reward for all your toil and all your sacrifices in the year at hand.”

“There are those who said this day would never come. What have they to say now?”

“Look on the bright side: For now, they seem much more interested in killing each other.”

-Uprising-

“Let’s just throw them over the edge.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“So, you’ve come to save your friends!”

“They have shed our brothers’ blood… And for that, they must die.”

“So much for a stealthy advance.”

“Bah! Over so soon?”

“Long have I waited for this!”

“...And yet I live.”

“What vulgar taste. Even as trophies, these weapons are useless.”

-High Charity-

“Your pal. Where’s he going?”

“Not a very original plan, but we know it’ll work.”

“No enemy has ever withstood our might.”

“Arrogant creature. Your death will be instantaneous, while we shall suffer the progress of infinitude!”

“We exist together now… Two corpses in one grave.”

“This crisis will not be the end of us.”

“If you will falter, know this… One final effort is all that remains.”

“I can’t go with you.”

“Don’t make a girl a promise… If you know you can’t keep it.”

-The Great Journey-

“I know a way to break those doors.”

“A day’s rations says I can do this in one cut.”

“You don’t like me, and I sure as hell don’t like you.”

“I just happen to have a key.”

“Hey, bastards! Knock knock!”

“Ha, ha, that’s real funny. I’m still shootin’.”

“What, do I have to spell it out for you? MOVE!”

“Are you trying to get killed? Gimmie some room!”

“Not another word!”

“If you want to keep your brain inside your head, I’ll tell your boys to chill.”

“Go ahead, do your thing.”

“You want revenge? Well, here I am. Come and take it.”

“Just like the rest of your race, cowardly and weak.”

“A lucky hit. You shall not land another.”

“Silence fills the empty grave now that I have gone.”

“My mind is not at rest, for questions linger on. I will ask, and you will answer.”

[songbirdsengines]

Thomas In Name Only

Okay, you know how I posted a thing yesterday talking about “Season 25″ of TTTE?

It got worse.

I have the Sodor Island Fansite article here. Please read through it as many times as you need for comprehension and take a short break to keep from destroying your electronic device before returning to this rant.

https://thesifblog.blogspot.com/2020/11/thomas-2021-what-to-expect.html

Is everyone cool now? Good. Let’s talk about this. Even if you don’t want to read the rant under the handy “Keep Reading,” please reblog this post and share this article with every fan of the show you are in contact with. With what was revealed, it is almost guaranteed that Thomas will not see 100 if something doesn’t change for the better and soon.

Apologies for the length of the following rant, but I think this all needs to be addressed. If you make it through, I encourage you to reblog and add anything I missed. From what I’ve seen, the man who spoke doesn’t know anything about Thomas or what makes it tick.

To set the stage, this was a conference call arranged to talk about the new series. This was in the form of an interview with a Mr. Campbell Bryer, who will be one of the show’s directors on Nelvana’s side. While we did not get any new visuals, we got a mountain of information. And, once I read through it, I was glad we didn’t get any visuals.

First off, let’s make the tone of the show clear. This is a reboot, plain and simple. The stories will be more about the engines playing than doing their jobs. There will be little to no railway realism whatsoever, even less than the recent seasons have been showing. From what I am understanding, the engines will have little to no responsibilities and will be free to do whatever they choose.

I also want to mention how much of the heritage they are intentionally stripping away. As we all know, Sodor is located off the coast of England, Barrow-in-Furness specifically. However, in this new iteration of the show, Sodor’s location will not be mentioned, and characters who speak will likely not have an English accent. This is a grave insult to the history of this series, which started in England. EVERYTHING about Sodor and its history has been incorporated into British history. Even the name “Sodor” comes from a British bishop!

Not only does this remove the history, but it also cuts off an essential aspect of the engines themselves. A lot of the original and most popular engines are BRITISH locomotives. As an example, Gordon is an A0, the prototype to the A 1/3. His only surviving sibling, Flying Scotsman, was the first engine recorded at 100 mph. To strip the island’s location is to deny the heritage of the characters we know and love.

While we’re on the subject of characters, the line up of characters is looking likely to change. The article mentions that we are likely to see more focus on the childlike characters, like Thomas and Percy, and even less focus than currently on older, more mature engines. Who does this rule out? I can think of three engines on the standard gauge lines right now.

Edward - Edward is the classic example of the mentor character. In most of the stories and episodes he is featured in, he approaches things with a level head and a fair bit of logic. He will likely completely disappear.

Duck - Duck typically thinks things through logically, like Edward, though he gets into more scrapes than the blue tender engine. It’s safe to say that Duck will be relegated to cameo appearances if he doesn’t disappear altogether.

Henry - Henry’s been on thin ice for a while now. While he’s not typically portrayed as wise, he could be considered the more level headed of the Tender Trio of Henry, Gordon, and James. With this, Henry has a real chance of never being seen again.

With this revelation, I have to wonder about the Skarloey Railway’s fate, where many of the engines are more on the mature side. I have a feeling that any railway that is not standard gauge will also disappear.

This brings us to another aspect of Sundrian life. What about the humans? The short answer is that they will become nonexistent. To start, the engines will be moving without any assistance of crews. This completely removes an aspect that has been seen throughout the show’s run, even if the existence of an engine’s crew was downplayed in certain eras. In general, humans will not have a forward role, meaning we also lose out on essential functions such as stationmaster, guard, and signalman.

The only exception is, of course, Sir Topham Hatt. As we currently know him, he is the leader of the railway and a father figure to the engines on Sodor, doling out praise and punishment as needed. However, in this new series, Sir Topham Hatt is relegated to the role of a joke, despite supposedly still being in charge. The article describes him as “really flustered and all over the place,” nothing like what we would expect.

With the mature engines leaving and Sir Topham Hatt reduced to an idiot, who will take charge of the engines and fill in a father figure’s role? Well, that would fall to Gordon, of course!

No, I’m serious. Stop laughing.

Gordon will be the father figure the other engines look up to. Gordon, the bully. Gordon, the snob. Gordon, the engine with one of the shortest fuses. Gordon, the engine that refuses to do work outside of what he prefers. Gordon, the engine who is known to harass engines (namely Henry) who are having problems. Gordon, an engine who is not known for being a role model, will be the father figure in this reboot.

One of the most significant causes of controversy in the latest few seasons of the show was the engines’ movement. While this was disorienting, the article promises that it will look tame compared to the reboot. We have been promised that not only will the engines twist and move similar to how they currently do, but those movements will be even more exaggerated than before. The engines will also be able to jump. Yes, you heard that right. Ant this is not described as small hops, no. The article mentions explicitly the engines turning while jumping. The only minuscule relief is the promise that the engines will not “use [their] wheels as hands.”

While those are the primary concerns, there’s more stake here. To start, this reboot will not have a narrator. Thomas’s stories began as bedtime stories to children and have had a storyteller in some shape or form throughout the show’s run. The series will also lean heavily on action and fun to convey stories, instead of the more action-and-consequence type of storytelling we see in the Railway Series and early seasons.

Probably the thing that is the most unforgivable to me is that they think this monstrosity will appeal to a “broader audience.” They say this as if older fans of the show haven’t been telling them for years what has or hasn’t been working well. We have posted and shared our concerns and they have either tossed them aside or did not take them into serious consideration. This is the worst I have ever seen Thomas, and this is saying something, considering the engines bouncing in the last couple of seasons made me feel PHYSICALLY ILL.

We can’t let this continue. If you have any method of contacting Mattel, utilize it. If you know someone who works at Mattel or Nelvana who might have any say in this, talk to them. Don’t directly attack, but bring up your concerns in a calm, rational manner and be willing to listen. If this new format does make it to air, don’t watch it, don’t buy any merchandise, and don’t go to Day Out With Thomas so Mattel can see just how much we are displeased with them. If this is the end for Thomas and the North Western Railway, we can at least say that we did just about everything we could.

And not only are we losing a beloved franchise, but we may also lose rail travel as we know it. I can’t speak for everyone, but I can easily look back and say that Thomas was my gateway into a lifelong love of rail transportation, especially steam engines. A lot of heritage railways rely on the Day Out With Thomas events to bring in visitors. If this franchise fails, they will eventually lose out on a significant amount of revenue. This will likely significantly hurt them and, while railways like Strasburg in Pennsylvania might be able to handle it, others may be forced to close down.

All I can say now is that it saddens me to see what has happened to the show that started a lifelong love of rail travel. I have to wonder what the Awdrys and Britt Alcroft have to say about this...

[vanderlindeandco]

Hey I was wondering if i could get a one shot of Marcus x reader, where the reader is super shy and really likes Marcus but is too scared too tell him and the guys (cole, Baird, and dom) end up telling Marcus how the reader feels and ends up getting mad at them but thanks them because magic feels the same.

HELL yeah brother

“All right, then you’re going to slide this piece right here.“ Marcus’s fingers, fast for their size, pressed the last piece of the transmitter into place. “Got it?”

You nodded, taking the device from his hands when he handed it to you. “Thank you.”

“Get to work, Private.” He walked away, and you felt the floor quake just a little under his steady steps.

You really liked your new squad. Dom was kind and welcoming and you already saw him as something of a big brother, even though it had only been a couple months since you’d been transferred to Delta. Cole was fearless and never failed to put a smile on your face, whether by words or conduct. Baird could be cantankerous, and it had taken you awhile to figure out his sense of humor, but once you had, you came to value his ingenuity and edginess, and even to tolerate his whining. Sam was brave and funny and snarky, and you admired her confidence and how she flourished and excelled even in such a testosterone-filled environment.

But Marcus, well… Marcus was distracting. And for being the least talkative of the lot, that made no sense, you knew. But it wasn’t intentional on his part. It was in the gravel of his voice, a sound that sent goosebumps down your spine when he whispered an order in your ear on a covert operation. It was in his confidence, how he took charge in whatever situation cropped up, and even in the way he barked orders. It was the way he looked out for his squad, protecting them and doing everything he could to ensure their well-being. It was his devotion to his cause, the idealism that you could see even through years of mistakes, loss, and wear and tear. His fierce blue eyes helped too, and you appreciated the way his armor hugged his tank-like body, and the strong arms that emerged from under the metal.

You had it bad, and you knew it would be best to forget it. Even if something were to come of it, it would essentially lock you in your current rank of private since any promotions you received would automatically be suspect - the gap between your ranks was just too big. And you hated the way you got awkward around him, how your fingers fumbled on simple tasks, and your words seemed to trip over themselves. You didn’t quite feel like yourself around him.

You were patrolling one night with Dom and Cole, making rounds of the borders of the remote base Delta had temporarily been stationed at, when Dom asked, “So. When are you going to tell him?”

“Tell who?” you said.

“You’re supposed to ask what too, if you really don’t know,” Cole said, tapping the side of his nose confidentially.

“It’s that obvious?” you said sheepishly.

“A little,” Dom said.

“Well, you go from a very competent soldier to a schoolgirl around him” Cole said.

“So this is where you tell me it’s not going to work and not to get my hopes up,” you said. “I know, believe me.”

“Actually,” Dom said, “I think we were going to tell you to go for it.” You looked at him incredulously. “Back me up, Cole.”

“Marcus knows what you’re all about,” Cole said. “You might not be the highest-ranking, but you got a rep. Trustworthy, adventurous, funny - and I know you’re a hell of a good shot.”

“So what are you saying?” you asked, not wanting to risk drawing conclusions they weren’t trying to make.

“You’re his type, genius,” Baird’s voice crackled through Cole’s radio.

“That’s on?!” you asked, your cheeks immediately growing hot.

“Oops,” Cole said.

“Hey, I’m good at girl talk too,” Baird said.

You shot a resentful glance at Cole, who shrugged apologetically. Baird was friend, but he would not have been your top pick of who to confide your feelings in. “What’s happening?” Baird asked. “Can you still hear me? Come in, Delta.” He began to sing, his voice painfully out of tune. “If you fell in love with Marcus, clap your hands,” clap clap, “If you-”

“Okay, I hear you!” you said. You had wanted to say something considerably different - something that involved quite a few more four-letter words, but you hadn’t known Baird long enough to justify cussing out someone who outranked you by that much.

“Look, I’m just saying, say he does feel the same way - that probably means it’ll be twice as hard for me to get a promotion because everyone will think it’s just because I’m involved with him,” you said.

“You think Marcus would let that stand?” Cole said. “Hell no. He’d bang heads together until it worked.”

“I guess.” His words raised your hopes, but you knew it was smartest not to get too optimistic.

“Just nut up and tell him!” Baird said. There came some muffled noise through the radio, and a faint but familiar voice, and then Baird saying “Oh, hey, Sarge. Been here long?”

“Shit,” you muttered, and the radio cut out.

“He’s, uh… not the best about keeping secrets,” Dom said.

“Yeah,” you said, a little bitterly.

“It’ll be fine,” Cole said.

“Yep.” You scanned the quiet desert.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dom said. “Baird puts his foot in his mouth all the time. He’ll take care of it.”

“Good,” you said.

It was nearly midnight, the end of the guard shift, and you took a last circuit with Dom and Cole around the base before entering again through the gates. The base was quiet at night, so you were surprised to see two soldiers crossing the open courtyard toward you, and your heart sunk when even in the dim moonlight you spotted the familiar bandana on the head of the taller of the two.

“Private,” he said, his voice resounding in the courtyard even though he wasn’t speaking loudly.

“Uh, yes sir?” your voice had come out weak. Fuck, why was it so hard to talk around him?

“Baird tells me you have something to say.”

There was no way he had told him… was there? Your tongue felt heavy and clumsy as you tried to shape words. “I, uh-” your panicked eyes darted to Baird, who had a confident smirk on his face. “I-I wanted to thank you for…” for what? You groped around your mind for something to say. “-for teaching me, uh, earlier.”

“No problem,” Marcus said. “That’s it?”

“Yes, sir.” You knew your cheeks were bright red and you were grateful for the cover of night.

Baird looked a little let down, and you scowled at him as soon as Marcus’s attention shifted to Dom. “Everything clear on the patrol?” Marcus asked.

“All good,” Dom said.

“Good,” Marcus said. “Get some rest, all of you. Good work.”

As soon as you were out of earshot of Marcus and Baird, the words you’d been holding back burst from your lips. “That son of a bitch! I sounded like a total idiot.” You mocked your own voice, “‘Thanks for teaching me.’ Fuck!”

“Yeah, he overstepped a little there,” Dom said. “But I think he just wanted to help you make a move.”

“Yeah well, that should be up to me,” you said.

“Do try and do it before you get old and die an old widow,” Cole teased.

You sighed. Maybe he had a point. “I’ll think about it.”

*****

The next morning when you came into the mess hall, you found the men of Delta huddled around the isolated end of one long table. Dom was saying something, an earnest expression on his face, but you couldn’t hear the words. You grabbed a tray, accepting the normal morning rations before approaching the squad. The conversation stopped as you neared, all four soldiers suddenly seeming a little too interested in the mostly flavorless powdered eggs that comprised the main part of the meal. “Morning,” you said as you sat down next to Dom.

“Morning!” Cole said with a sunny smile.

“Marcus?” Baird asked, but when Marcus didn’t speak, he shook his head, lamenting toward the ceiling, “Do I have to do every-fucking-thing for you two?” You didn’t have time to figure out the implication of his words before he turned to you, asking, “You got a dress or something here?”

“No, why?” you asked.

“Cause you got a date tonight.”

“A… date? What did you say?” This seemed like it was probably about to go terribly wrong. There was Baird, out of line, again, but it wasn’t just him this time. You’d give them all a talking-to later. Your eyes darted to Marcus, whose gaze was still trained on his breakfast. You couldn’t read his expression at first - it seemed closed, tense, before you realized with a shock of tenderness that he was in fact bashful.

“Damn, is it hard to breathe in here or is it just all the sexual tension?” Baird asked.

Marcus scowled at him but then he turned to you and his face softened.“You know there’s not much to do around here. I, uh, thought we could go for a drive and maybe eat off-base.”

“I don’t think the word ‘picnic’ is in his vocabulary, but that’s what he’s getting at,” Baird said. “My idea, of course. He thought you should go to the range together. Cause there’s nothing as romantic as shooting paper to shit on your first date.”

“I…” Marcus looked up at the start of your sentence, and the intensity of his gaze made you pause. “Yes.”

There was silence for a moment and then Cole cheered as Baird clapped Marcus on the back. “There we go,” Dom said.

“You can thank me later,” Baird said. “We’re out of here.” The other three members of the squad rose, leaving you alone sitting across from Marcus.

You cleared your throat. “I like your idea better.”

He chuckled, his weathered face relaxing. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He stuffed the last bite of toast in his mouth, chewing it thoroughly before rising, tray in hand. “I’ll meet you at the range at 1900 hours.”

You smiled, and for once that funny feeling you got in the pit of your stomach when you were around him wasn’t a bad one. “Yes, sir.”

***

You had martial arts training with Dom that afternoon, and when you walked into the training room with a smile on your face, he asked, “Still mad at us?”

“No,” you said, a little grudgingly.

“Anything else you want to say?” he asked, a playful smile in his eyes.

“Yeah... Thank you.”

He nodded. “He likes you. Have fun tonight. Use protection!”

You rolled your eyes, fastening the velcro on your gloves. “Get your guard up.”

[mzees-fate-ideas]

Daedalus

An idea for a five star caster servant that I’ve been toying with over the past couple days. Partially inspired by tumblr user erinye for the Icarus stuff.

Below the read-more is his appearance, personality, skills, and a few of the supposed my room interactions with other servants. Feel free to send an ask requesting an interaction with any other servants that I didn’t do (I’m also open to doing ones for fan servants).

History:

The greatest inventor of ancient Greece, and architect of the labyrinth that would contain the bull of King Minos. He is a man who might have completely changed the face of Greek history if not for the tragedies that befell him.

Upon completing the labyrinth, Minos imprisoned Daedalus and his son Icarus in a sealed tower. Putting his great mind to work: he created two sets of entirely functional wings using nothing but candle wax, and any birds he could lure down to the window, and using these wings the two of them made their escape.

History would record the death of Icarus as an act of fatal hubris, but in truth the tragedy was one born of foolish love. Icarus had fallen in love with the sun god Apollo, and despite Daedalus’ repeated warnings for him “not to get too close to the sun”, Icarus followed his heart as high as his wax wings could take him, before plummeting into the ocean below. It is highly unlikely that Apollo intended such an end for Icarus, but it was nonetheless his flames that were to blame for the boy’s fall.

(And just in general Apollo getting romantically involved with mortals is a bad move. I mean seriously the amount of attempted romances with him ending in the mortal getting turned into a plant alone is staggering. Don’t bang Apollo kids you might end up getting turned into a cactus.)

Daedalus, his life having been ruined by king and god alike, swore vengeance on both, and entered a mad frenzy of plotting and inventing of the means he would bring the downfall of authority. His plans were not to be however, as he died from overwork before they could come to fruition.

Appearance:

Daedalus is summoned in his sixties, this being the point at which he was constructing his most earth-shaking creations for his vendetta against the gods. His first ascension has him in a set of grubby clothes and a leather apron, much like you would expect a smith or sculptor to wear in their workshop. His second ascension has him don a set of sleek bronze armour, the design of which being something along the lines of where ancient Greece meets iron man. His third ascension has his armour take a more dented and patchwork look, as numerous modifications have been made to it without any care for consistency or aesthetics.

Personality:

Daedalus' moods can range from calm and methodical, as he carefully calibrates his newest device to microscopic perfection, to borderline hyperactive, as he starts haphazardly working on a dozen completely unrelated projects at once, seemingly at random times. When fresh inspiration strikes him he can’t help but throw himself full force into whatever new idea just struck him, often to the detriment of his countless unfinished projects. He has also been banned from setting foot inside Chaldea’s kitchen after disassembling the microwave without permission in order to see how it worked.

When not working on some device, he is a kind and grandfatherly individual who is always available should someone require assistance. He regularly holds classes on various subjects for the younger servants (or anyone who wishes to show up). These classes rarely stay on the intended topic for their whole duration, but are never boring.

He does however feel uneasy around divine servants and royalty. Despite knowing in his head that almost all of them had absolutely nothing to do with what befell him, emotions are sadly rarely rational.

Skills:

AAABQ deck Blueprint Consultation: Daedalus reviews his current plans, charging his NP gauge and buffing his noble phantasm for a turn.

Plotting Divine Downfall: A party-wide buff to arts, with a further self-buff against divine servants and servants with the “king” attribute. A skill born of his unceasing grudge.

Fortress Construction EX: A party-wide defensive buff.

Noble Phantasm: Promethean Spear (arts)

A weapon built specifically to strike down Apollo. While a flaming spear might seem like an ineffective weapon against a sun god, when activated this weapon reaches temperatures beyond that of the sun itself, and Daedalus created it out of the desire to inflict the same pain on Apollo that Icarus must have felt when his wings were set ablaze.

In-game it does massive damage to a single target and inflicts a burn debuff.

Interactions with other servants: Orion: “Is that.... Artemis??? She is extremely different from anything that I might have expected. Well... ignoring that issue for now, my grudges are less important than your mission so I will not cause any conflict with that goddess, despite her sibling. If possible however, I would like to avoid being partnered with her in battle.”

Asterios: “.............I was told I was constructing a prison for a monster. I never knew until now that the one being thrown into my labyrinth would be an innocent boy.... Minos! You’d better pray I never track down your place in Hades’ realm, for the horrors of Tartarus will pale in comparison to what I will do to you!”

Da Vinci: “The face of the renaissance! Both literally and metaphorically! Ah, what I wouldn’t have given to have lived during such an age. It is unfortunate that her schedule is so busy, but hopefully we can find time to collaborate on a work. Together we will make a wonder the likes of which the world has never seen!”

Babbage: “Incredible! To think that his body is powered by nothing by super-heated water! The wonders of the ages that came after mine never cease to impress! Do you think it would be a bit too forward if I asked if I could take him apart?”

Tesla: “HA! What I wouldn’t give to see Zeus’ reaction to this! Those great lightning bolts that he was so proud of being harnessed for use in common appliances. Bravo sir! Bravo!”

Moriarty: “This man seems about as untrustworthy as any individual can possibly get. I must admit however, that beyond that I do feel some level of kinship with him as an intellectual and as a father.... Huh? What do you mean he has no children? Then why was he calling himself “papa” when he thought no one else was listening?”

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Beneath an Aurora Sky ch. 12

Summary: The South Pole Station is equipped for research and Edge has always made sure things run smoothly for the inhabitants. His charges are meant to follow his rules and regulations, and in turn, he makes sure they survive in the arctic temperatures. It takes plenty of hard work and determination and Edge, along with his crew, can handle both.

He wasn’t counting on one of the newest researchers. He wasn’t expecting Rus.

Tags: Spicyhoney, First Time, Arctic AU, Hurt/Comfort

Notes: So, bourbon came up with an amazing AU and did some lovely art for it: please look at it and love it.

~~*~~

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four

Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven

~~*~~

Read Chapter 12 on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

Already the snow was falling heavily. Edge could barely see through his goggles into the thick wall of white showing in the headlights, but he wasn’t guiding the snowmobile by the road. The GPS was still connecting thanks to the updates Alphys had made on it and he was following where it led, speeding along as fast as he dared towards Checkpoint #3. The heavy wind threatened constantly to send him veering off his path and Edge was forced to fight it, guiding the machine as it skidded and slew through the loose drifts.

He didn’t want to think of Rus trying to navigate through it, his imperfect driving skills struggling to combat winds that blew ferocious gales against anything in its path.

Edge was almost on top of the lights by the time he saw them looming out of the darkness and white. The headlamps barely cut through the snow, even from only a few feet away and he veered off to the side even as the Cat slowed. If their paths had been any further apart, they likely never would have seen each other and that was not a thought worth considering.

The Cat shuddered to a lurching stop, the door forced open against the blowing wind and Rus scrambled out, a barely visible blotch of color against the white. He skidded and slipped as he ran towards Edge, outlined in the sodium-yellow glow of the headlights.

"edge!" Whatever else he said was torn away, carried off in the blowing snow as Rus almost fell into Edge's arms. His hood was up and his skull was completely covered, bundled up as it should be in his high coat collar and goggles, but this close Edge could feel the pulse of his fear coming from his soul, rabbity and quick. Rus was scared and they didn't have time for this, every moment they were in this storm grew more dangerous. But Edge still pulled him close in one quick, hard hug.

"We need to get to shelter! Come on, the snowmobile is faster than the Cat." Edge shouted, still barely heard through the roar of the storm. He helped Rus climb on clumsily behind him, arms wrapping around him and gripping tight even through the layers of their coats.

A quick touch on the GPS changed their course to the closest emergency shelter and they were off. It was more difficult going, the piling snow clogging their path and Rus’s grip around him tightened by the moment, stranglingly so. Edge only pressed on, following the glowing screen in front of him rather than the road. The GPS flashed as they came up to the shelter and he helped Rus off, grabbing out the snow cover and hastily yanking it over the snowmobile before they waded through the drifts to get inside.

The shelter smelled musty and unused. Between the two of them, they forced the door closed and the sudden cessation of the blowing wind echoing in Edge’s head. Next to the door was a cradle and Edge slotted the portable Core device into it. The lights came on immediately and soon heat was pouring into the small room.

He silently thanked Alphys for her power modifications. Human equipment would have taken far longer and it was imperative they both get warm quickly.

All the shelters were identical, prefabricated buildings designed for survival rather than comfort. Berths were built into the wall, two on the bottom, two on top, like bunk beds, and each bed was made up with military precision, with an extra blanket folded at the foot. On the other wall was a table with two chairs and stored beneath it was an insulated bucket that held survival rations. All the shelters were checked frequently, a clipboard hanging on the wall signed off in Undyne’s stark initials. It should hold them until the storm let up.

Rus stood next to him, dripping snow on the heavy mat by the door. He started to fumble off his gloves but Edge caught his hand, stilling him.

"Keep your gear on for now,” Edge told him, “At least until the temperature is above subzero. Once it’s warmer, we'll hang everything up to dry.”

Rus nodded, then immediately disobeyed to push up his goggles. His eye lights were paler than normal, shrunken. "you came after me.”

“I did.”

“thanks." He smiled then, a little wobbly but it was there. "my hero."

“Hardly, you were on the right course.”

“i was scared shitless,” Rus went on as if he hadn’t spoken, “tried to remember everything you taught us. i was following the GPS, but i couldn’t see anything out the front window.” Now that they were safe, the shock of it was settling in. Rus was starting to shiver in a way that had nothing to do with the cold, wrapping his arms around himself and blinking too hard.

“You were doing fine,” Edge soothed. The cold and the storm weren’t the only peril now. He stripped off his gloves and took Rus’s face in his hands, chilled bone against his warmer palms. “You weren’t far from the shelter. You would have made it whether or not I came.”

“maybe,” Rus didn’t sound convinced. “wouldn’t have been able to warm it as fast, though. neat trick.”

Edge nodded warily, offering no explanation. The temperature of the small room felt fine against his bare hands and Edge started stripping off his outdoor gear, hanging it from the hooks that lined the wall next to the door. Rus took the hint and stripped off his gloves, but rather than starting on the rest he only stood blinking owlishly.

Shock, and Edge decided to give him a few minutes more to gather himself, focusing instead on his boot laces. “Did you get everything packed up at the checkpoint?”

“barely. i noticed the storm blowing in because the stars were going out, so i started loading up my gear,” Rus swallowed hard, a quiver running through him despite his heavy coat. “i swear, it was only snowing a little when i left the checkpoint, it blew in so fast.”

"It can happen that way. It's good you left when you did and that you managed to stay on the road. Otherwise, I may have driven right past you without seeing you.”

Rus shivered. "do me a favor, and let's not think about that, yeah?" He groaned, slapping his forehead. “i didn’t grab any of my equipment from the cat, my laptop, my telescope, they’re all still in it!”

“I think it should be fine,” Edge said dryly. “the neighborhood is rough, but you locked the doors. Once the storm is over, Red will get the plow running. He’ll head our way as soon as it’s safe. The snowmobile has a tracker on it and so do I. So do you, for that matter, they know where we are.”

Rus blinked, successfully distracted. “i have a tracker? Where?”

“Of course,” Edge said, amused, as Rus looked down at himself as if expecting to find someone had secreted it into his rib cage one night. “As a safety precaution.” Or in the worst-case scenario to help locate a body, but that didn’t seem comforting to mention, to either of them. “It’s sewn into the lining of your coat.”

“oh.” He almost sounded disappointed. It seemed to remind Rus he was supposed to be removing his gear. He fumbled at said coat with fingers that seemed worryingly clumsy, shaking so hard that he had to try for the zipper twice. Edge took hold of Rus’s wrists, gently but firmly, stilling him, then unzipped it himself.

He shouldn’t, it was understood that every researcher needed to be able to take basic care of themselves and their gear and on any given day, he knew very well that Rus was more than capable. Today was an outlier, the storm raging outside, and Edge’s hands didn’t care what was supposed to be; they wanted to touch Rus, feel the solid warmth of his bones as he peeled away his coat and snow pants.

Beneath the layers of his outer gear, Rus was wearing his thermals, the sleek material tight to his slender bones and also Edge’s fleece jacket. The appeal of seeing Rus in his clothing had yet to fade and Edge left it, setting their boots by the door to dry and stepping over to the small table.

"There’s plenty of rations stored here. The meals will be frozen, but there's a stove, we won’t need to enjoy any savory popsicles today."

"yum," Rus grimaced.

Privately, Edge agreed. After Bonnie’s cooking, MRE’s were a spectacularly unappealing alternative. “You scoff, but in these temperatures it’s important to keep your energy up. I can guess you’ve burned a lot of extra magic in the past couple hours to stay warm even bundled up.”

“yeah, i read the safety briefing.” Rus gave him a lopsided smile and, to Edge’s relief, finally sat at the table, easing the unnerving rattle of his bones trembling. If he hadn’t sat down soon, Edge had been about to take a damn chair to him.

“Good to hear. Have a seat and I’ll get the stove going.”

“it’s all you, betty crocker.”

It was strange, the two of them alone together in the claustrophobic confines of the shelter. The stove lit easily, one of the small pans set on a burner. Edge wasn’t an expert on small talk, but he kept a stream of light chatter going, explaining what he was doing and enlisting Rus to open packages, if only to keep Rus awake until he’d eaten. Rest was good, but they couldn’t afford for him to get sick out here. He had to replenish his magic first.

According to the packets, the rations he chose were black bean soup, along with hot cocoa packets and granola bars for dessert. Hardly the worst things he’d ever eaten. The cocoa powder was mixed with tiny, awful marshmallows and Edge didn’t even try to conceal spooning them into Rus’s mug instead.

Rus ate his fair share, helping to clean up when they were finished before slouching back into the chair. The meal seemed to have energized him, his eye lights brighter and whatever lingering upset from earlier faded beneath an increasingly sly smirk.

"so. we've got food, shelter, now all we need is a way to pass the time."

It brought to mind Edge’s thoughts of earlier, his hopes on how he might spend his evening. His guilty imaginings had been in his own room back at the station, the two of them sharing his wide, comfortable bed. The shelter was hardly the height of romance, but Rus was undeniably lovely, and temptation rose again, amongst other things.

But there was no reason to be overly eager, was there. "There's a deck of cards in the gear."

That smirk widened. "strip poker?"

He’d never survive. Instead, Edge set a finger under Rus's chin, tipping his chin up. Despite his flirtations and smirks, his sockets went round, eye lights widening as Edge murmured, "That won't be necessary.” He leaned in, hesitating with their mouths a breath apart. “Are you sure?"

"pretty damn sure,” Rus scoffed. “i've been flirting with you since the first moment we met. come on, you knew this would happen if you came after me.”

He had, of course he had. Outside, the storm was howling, trapping them here. He’d already been tired of resisting and being out here alone with Rus was making Edge forget why he ever had to begin with.

But instead of leaning in for the kiss, Edge straightened. Rus’s brow creased in confusion, the dawning uncertainty in his eye lights shifting to confusion when Edge pulled him to his feet and took the chair himself. His confusion quickly became surprise as Edge pulled him down to straddle his lap, all his light weight settling on him.

He caught on quickly, Rus draped his arms around Edge’s shoulders with cheeky amusement, “happy now?”

“Almost,” Edge whispered, and finally pulled him in. His mouth was as sweet as every memory of before, eager, his tongue exploring. Not their first kiss or even their second, but it was the first time Edge could explore at his leisure, stroking Rus’s tongue with his own, curling them together. The sound he made, soft and yearning, broke the last of Edge’s reticence. He caught Rus beneath both femurs and stood, lifting him easily even as Rus squeaked, arms and legs tightening around him.

The closest bunk was hardly two steps away and Rus’s sockets were wide as Edge lay them both on it, settling on top of him.

“ohhh,” Rus groaned, his hips jerking up as Edge rocked against him experimentally. So responsive and they’d barely begun.

It was still too cold to be lounging around bare bones, and Edge mourned the chance to see all of Rus, all that tantalizingly smooth bone he knew lay beneath his clothes. Instead, he slipped a hand beneath Rus’s thermal shirt to feel them, that silky gloss. Watching his face was nearly as good, the way Rus’s teeth parted as he gasped, his sockets scrunching closed or going wide as Edge explored his ribs, his sternum. Trailed down his spine to his pelvis and caressing the curves of his iliac crests. He paused at the waistband of his pants, fingertips lingering at the zip until Rus pushed up impatiently. The he slowly undid the button, inching the zipper downward. Until Rus intercepted his hand, fumbling with it himself and tearing open his fly.

“tease,” Rus accused, and Edge only chuckled softly.

“That’s rich, coming from you,” Edge told him. “You’ve been teasing me from the moment you stepped off the ship.”

“only because you weren’t taking the hint…ah!” Rus cut off on a gasp as Edge slipped a hand down the front of his pants, exploring cautiously. He’d never been with another skeleton Monster, but he knew Rus could form whatever he liked. Edge’s preference was to use his cock, but he was willing to be versatile.

But his curious fingers found soft, damp folds, delicate and slick to his wondering touch. Very slick, and Edge pressed a gentle finger between them, easing it inside.

Rus whimpered, slapping his hands over his face to stifle it, but a bright flush was still visible through his fingers.

"Don't be embarrassed," Edge said softly. "you're beautiful."

"don't say that!" Rus gasped. His voice broke as Edge moved his finger again, then eased another inside, both gliding easily in that wetness.

"Perhaps I can prove it to you." Edge nuzzled against his jaw, trailing kisses down to his chin, but the urge to watch him was irresistible. With every thrust of his fingers, Rus squirmed and cried out, arching up into his touch. He found an easy rhythm, coaxing more whimpers free and soon Rus was scrabbling at his shoulders, hands gripping bruisingly hard.

Only to groan in disappointment as Edge carefully withdrew.

“Wait for me,” Edge whispered. He moved to quickly shed his trousers, then helped Rus with his own, leaving him bare from the waist down. He only caught a glimpse of damp honey-gold before Rus snatched the blanket from the foot of the bed and pulled it over them both. He hadn’t seen Rus completely, but he could feel him, settling between his femurs and his own impatience guided him.

Edge took himself in hand, groaning at the feel, but it turned into a gasp as he slid inside. So tight, the passage clutching and fluttering around his length. Too tight, and beneath him, Rus tensed, fingertips digging into Edge’s rib cage as he stuttered on a breath.

“Relax,” Edge murmured, scattering kisses over his face, “easy.”

Rus squirmed, and the tightness eased fractionally, but the inward press was still difficult. Rus was blinking too hard, his gaze fixed, focused on the bunk above them and Edge paused with a frown, "Am I hurting you?"

"n-no," Rus breathed out shakily, "no, it doesn't hurt, it's just…weird. i've never done this." Shock made automatically start to pull back, what the fuck, but Rus hastily slid his legs around him, holding him in. “don’t, i mean…i’m not a virgin, it’s just…i’ve never done this.” He shifted again, frowning, and again, as if he was trying to make more room inside himself. “i usually top, this is…it feels…

Then why the hell hadn’t he said something? “Is that what you want?”

“no,” Rus shook his head, “no, i…i want it like this. just.” He reached down, a hand slithering between them and he felt Rus’s fingers moving, slick sounds as he rubbed his clit.

“there, that’s…better,” Rus moaned. He lifted his hips entreatingly and Edge obliged, pressing in deeper and the hot clasp of Rus’s body made him hiss out a breath. Rus’s legs tightened around him, one foot clipping hard against Edge’s hip and he drove forward automatically like a horse nudged by its rider. Rus cried out, trying to clutch him even closer, to follow the push and pull as Edge moved inside him.

By the end, Edge was choking on cries of his own, trying desperately to get deeper, to move faster, each an impossibility. Rus was gorgeous beneath him, writhing against the blankets, his skull tossing on the pillow as he pleaded for more, for harder, his fingers working furiously between them. Until he came, strangling out a last whine even as his body tightened gloriously around Edge, dragging him over into an orgasm that sent his vision into a spiral of white.

It was all he could do to keep from collapsing down on Rus, holding his weight up on his elbows as they panted, their bones sweaty beneath the blankets even with the chill of the room.

“Beautiful,” Edge murmured, gazing down at Rus and he was. Cheek bones flushed warm golden orange, his eye lights still languidly foggy. He looked well fucked, indulgently satisfied and it was beautiful.

That blush heightened, closer to true orange, but Rus didn’t protest again. Instead, he shifted closer, settling to rest his skull on Edge’s rib cage. They should clean up; they might be sleeping in this bed for a couple of days and Edge wasn’t about to give Undyne the satisfaction of asking why they’d needed to use so many blankets.

But Edge’s resistance was low and it was easier to simply hold Rus close, trailing a hand down his spine to fondle the intricate, sensitive joints.

Rus shivered, but he didn’t seem particularly drowsy when he said, “can i ask something?”

“I suppose that’s how it’s done,” Edge told him, amused. If they could share the intimacies of their bodies, he shouldn’t shy from a few questions.

But he wasn’t prepared when Rus asked, “how did you all end up here, anyway?”

“I believe you were about to get caught in a storm and I came after you.”

That ploy only earned him a sleepy swat. “not us, you. undyne. your goblin bro. how did a bunch of monsters end up running a south pole station?”

Edge considered that question; it wasn’t unreasonable, but somehow discussing the past always made him uncomfortable. “It wasn’t a choice,” he said at last, “Back in the Underground, I was a member of the King’s guard. It was---” He hesitated, those were memories he preferred not to dredge up, long past being pushed aside and forgotten. “--not ideal. Then the Queen returned with the Human and usurped the throne.”

He allowed Rus to draw back, settling his skull on the pillow as he blinked at Edge, unspoken questions in his eye lights.

Edge only rolled over enough to face him and went on. “She wanted all Monsters to forswear Asgore, to repent for what we did in the service of the King. Most Monsters did it, took amnesty. Undyne and I did not and when we left, Red and Alphys came with us.”

At the time, it had made sense to him. Red had been badly injured in the coup, his skull close to shattered and not expected to survive, and that left Edge with little but his pride. He and Undyne refused to humiliate themselves and grovel before the icily stoic Queen, refused to beg forgiveness for doing their duty, supposedly for the King, but in truth for the Monsters he was trying to protect. He’d expected to be executed for it. But Queen Toriel was nothing like Asgore, whose volatile temper often ended in dust. Instead, it resulted in their banishment from the Monster community.

He didn’t know how to explain any of that to Rus, how to describe his bewilderment when the Queen pronounced their sentence, the numb shock as they were cast out into the Human world, Undyne at his side as Edge carried his brother along with him, waiting for him to dust. Red proved stubborn beyond any expectations and survived, but it was a terrible time for them all.

“It turns out it was a good thing those two came with us,” Edge said at last. “Undyne and I didn't have much in the way of marketable skills past security guards, but those two got jobs working at the Science Institute.

“Then this position came up. It was only supposed to be for one term but the Institute saw a lucrative opportunity with us. We could maintain the facility better than any human could hope to and we’re better equipped to handle the long periods of darkness or sunlight without the downsides that Humans can experience. I suppose we can thank our time Underground for that much.”

He didn’t mention that one of their main purposes for accepting the position was the location being perfect for Alphys’s research into power sources. This far from most Humans, she was free to experiment and her work flourished, expanding on the Core mechanics, bettering the machine protype that saved his brother. Things she’d been too wary to research at the Institute were at her fingertips here and it benefitted them all. Someday, it might benefit the world.

Tentative fingertips brushed his cheek bone, startling Edge from his thoughts. He took that hand in his own, pressing a soft kiss to Rus’s knuckles. “I don't regret anything. We do good work here. This is home now and compared to life in the Underground, it's paradise.”

"but…?" Rus prompted softly and Edge wondered what was in his expression that made Rus ask.

Edge sighed heavily. "But time has given me a little perspective on the Queen. Back then, I thought her goal was to humiliate us. I was too angry, too caught up in our losses to see that she was trying to give us an opportunity to remain in the community without her needing to pass judgement on anything that happened beneath Asgore’s rule. Accepting amnesty would have allowed that.” Edge rubbed a thumb over Rus’s fingers, noting absently that they were slimmer than his own and in much better condition, delicately unbroken lines of bone in comparison to his scarred, pitted ones. “It doesn’t matter. It’s water under the bridge now. But I’d suggest not bringing any of this up back at the station, I doubt that Undyne and my brother have gained the same perspective.”

"not a problem,” Rus said wryly. He twisted his hand in Edge’s grasp, cupping his face with those slender fingers. “getting on either of their bad sides is low on my list.”

“What about my bad side?”

His smile turned wolfish. “i’ve had a pretty good look at all your sides now and far as i can tell, they are just fine.”

“Brat.” But it was fondly said and made for a good opportunity to steal yet another kiss, “Speaking of brats, you should have said that you’d never—”

Suddenly, Rus let out a loud, deliberate yawn, “huh, wow, so sleepy, all that excitement today just about wore me out.”

Edge sighed, exasperate, but he relented. “We will be discussing that later,” he warned.

“mmmhmm,” Rus mumbled. He burrowed into the decadent warmth of the blankets until only the top curve of his skull was still visible. Soon his pretense of sleep was a reality, his breathing slow and even. Edge didn’t sleep, only held Rus close, focusing on the way he felt in his arms and not the memories of the past that were lingering, dredged up hauntingly close to the surface.

~~*~~

tbc