#i would like to write more but im posting NOW!

[wbellab]

Busy Woman | J. Bucky Barnes

summary: You’ve always had a soft spot for Bucky Barnes. Shamelessly flirted just to see that annoyed look that made him look so good. He never gave you more than those quiet stares, jaw tight like he was holding something back. Fine by you. You had better things to do than wait around for a man stuck in the 40s. At least, that’s what you told yourself.

pairing: tfatws!bucky x fem!reader

cw: angst (i love writing that lol), post endgame, mentally unstable reader, grumpy bucky, flirting, cocky reader, reader has no filter, sexual jokes, implied canon deaths, implied canon violence, several times

3k words

inspo: busy woman by sabrina carpenter

It started of with occasional flirting. You’ve been told that James—Bucky as people called him—Barnes was an ex assassin, a super soldier with a body count larger than you would’ve suspected, a guy that had the power to literally crush you if you annoyed him too much. But you didn’t care.

You’ve always been too bold and shameless for your own being. Life is too short to worry about details as insignificant as his body count (his death toll—you didn’t care about his past experience with women, or men ?—the more the better…).

This being said, you did not ignore who he was. You obviously acknowledge what he had done before. But hey, you could still appreciate beauty for what it was. Because James Buchanan Barnes was truly a sight for sore eyes. You didn’t know where all this playful flirting started getting more real.

"You look good in black." You mentioned one day gesturing to his gear. You both were paired in a small check up mission, much to your delight and Bucky’s annoyance.

"I always wear black clothes." He huffed.

"Yeah, my point." You smiled.

Men look hot in black, that’s a universal law, so you didn’t think much when you gave that comment. You’ve always been like that, subtly flirting with anyone, giving genuine compliments, sometimes out of the blue. It came naturally, especially with Bucky. What you truly did not expect was seeing his face flushing. It was subtle, but your eyes noticed. And that’s how your one sided flirting with him truly began.

"Something’s off." Bucky muttered, looking at the tracking device in his hands.

"Probably my clothes." It took him a moment to grasp it. But when he did his eyes just widened, and he sighed, used to it already. "You have no sense of humour whatsoever it is alarming." You continued after observing his reaction.

"No because that is straight off the worst pick up line you could come up with. Is this what you call flirting ?"

"You’re so confident that Im flirting with you. That is also alarming."

You were in fact flirting with him, though subtly. But you still kept the upper hand, folding your arms across your chest in a way that was almost childish.

He matched your gesture, folding his arms against his chest, a playful smirk on his face. "Well I hope you’re not because rejecting you now would probably mess with our assignment discharge." It was subtle too. But it was his way of rejecting you, kind of. You didn’t flinch. You wouldn’t take it seriously until he said the words straight to your face.

"Oh…" you pouted, mock-hurt. "I didn’t want your old cranky ass anyway." The lie rolled off your tongue effortlessly. It wasn’t awkward—your smile stayed sharp, teasing, and his matched it. He probably thought you were joking. Maybe you were. "But hey although i’m busy, clothes are always optional if you ever need a favor."

He groaned. Yep, you absolutely loved teasing him.

Something resonated through him one day. It was right after Thanos erased half of the world population. To him the blip felt like just a second but to you, you aged five years. You were apart of the Time Heist mission. You saw your sister sacrifice herself, to save you and the world. And you felt awfully guilty.

Things had drastically changed, when people reappeared. Bucky found himself in a world that was once again moving on while he was freezing with time. But still he got pardoned for his former actions, he started seeing a therapist and right when he thought he would be able to get his life together, Steve left. But you, you were the same old person. Talking to him as if nothing changed, as if you didn’t age five years older while he still looked the same.

You were in his apartment on a random evening—the very same night he returned from a "date" with the girl from the sushi place. Not that he knew you’d stalked him. When Bucky noticed his door was unlocked, a sinking feeling settled in his chest. He was sure he’d locked it. The key turned too easily. Then he saw you. A sigh left his lips, probably exasperation or relief. Maybe a bit of both. Still he didn’t have the energy to make you leave at that moment. Great mistake.

"I mean a win is a win, it shrunk our age gap with five years." You shrugged to him when the subject of the blip came into the conversation. It was more you talking and him huffing and listening. Barely listening. "You know I missed you. It was kind of boring without you."

"I bet it was." He huffed. "Look why don’t you just–" he gestured to your figure laying on his couch a bag of crisps, that you stole from his pantry, in your hands. "Stop putting crumbs all around the apartment and just get out now."

"Woah, I see you’re still rude." You mumbled. "I just missed you during those five years you know ? And since all of my friends are either gone or dead I just feel… super, super lonely." You sighed, dramatically. Although it sounded like a joke, you meant everything you said.

Your life truly fell apart when half of the population disappeared, it was already crumbling before but now, it was much more worse. Things were different. If it wasn’t for Nat being with you before, you would’ve probably not made it past your twenties. But now that she died, sacrificing herself, you just felt like you were dying all over again.

"Don’t you feel lonely ?" You asked cutting the silence. He turned to you, a bit surprised by what you asked him. You were staring straight ahead without blinking and that’s when he noticed the flask in your hand.

"You’ve got to be kidding me…" He muttered under his breath, taking the flask away from you. "Have you seriously brought alcohol here ?"

"I told you I felt lonely." You tried to defend yourself, as if it was enough to justify your need to drink alcohol. "But you did not answer me."

He sighed slumping in the couch next to you. He stared at the bottle that he stole from you just seconds ago, and he brought it to his mouth before wincing.

"This thing is disgusting."

"Its just some cheap vodka. I don’t have money." You answered sadly, your eyes not leaving the point you were fixing on the ceiling. You were absolutely wasted, after just one sip. To be fair it was your first time drinking, your system was definitely not used to it, even with all the serum injected in your veins.

"Once you’re sober, you’re getting out of here."

"Why do you badly want me to go mmh ?" You asked turning your head towards him, a frown on your face. You were not about to cry. Yes definitely not in front of him. "I would’ve rather gone to Sam." You say bluntly, the alcohol loosening your thoughts. "But he’s visiting his family and I thought you would maybe appreciate some company."

"Well I clearly don’t so you have your answer now." He said more firmly. "I don’t want your company."

"You don’t want me ?" You pouted, although your face showed a hint of amusement. Your fingers lightly grazed his flesh arm, and Bucky flinched at the contact—until he noticed your gaze shift toward the flask in his left hand. With a reluctant sigh, he offered it to you. But you did not take it. Instead you reached for his metal wrist,guiding him until the rim of the flask touched your lips, forcing him to pour de drink in your mouth. He was too stunned to resist, his eyes widening as he let you. "What ?" You hiccuped, probably from the drinking. "It’s technically you making me drunk now so it gives me a reason to stay longer." You giggled. You genuinely though at that moment that it was the smartest thing you’ve ever done. And that’s something to say because you were an ex spy.

"Fine." He said standing up and pouring the rest of the alcohol in the sink. You quickly got up, trying to follow him. Your walk was wobbly.

"Do you even know how much this cost me ?" You rolled your eyes, trying your hardest to not completely crumble on the ground.

"Have you seen yourself right now ?"

"Do you care for me ?"

"Not even close."

"Okay fine if you don’t want me…" You feigned walking towards the door but before you reached the handle you turned toward him. "I’ll just deem you gay." You giggled so hard you lost your balance.

The sexual undertones were not unnoticed by Bucky and he simply decided to blame the alcohol for your behaviour– although you always acted this way, sober or not. He was empathetic enough to help you off the ground and lead you back to the couch. You arms were around his shoulders as he grabbed you from your waist. When he tried to pull away, you were still gripping him hard.

"I am so lonely James." you murmured, your voice barely audible against his chest. You felt the rapid thrum of his heart beneath your cheek. He must have great stamina, you thought unaware it was racing for an entirely different reason.

"I know me too." He admitted too. Knowing that you wouldn’t remember it the next day.

He left you sleeping on his couch, you were definitely not going back to your house in this state and he should do with it.

Bucky woke up the next morning to an unexpected sound: silence. No burning kitchen, no flooded bathroom. Everything was exactly as he’d left it. For a moment, he wondered if he’d imagined you being there at all—some kind of strange dream brought on by exhaustion and memory.

But then he saw the neatly folded plaid blanket on the couch. You’d been there. You just left before he woke up. No note, no text—just gone. And it was barely 7 a.m.

It’s fine, he told himself. Nothing happened. I asked her to leave.

Still, a faint, unwelcome flicker of disappointment crept in. You could’ve at least thanked him, right?

He did not have time to dwell on it anyway. He had a more important business to attend to.

…

Sam was glaring at Bucky from across the jet. The hum of the engines was the only sound between them, heavy silence stretching thin like thread ready to snap. After deciding to confront Sam about the shield this morning, Bucky found him heading to Munich for an operation and he decided to tag along. That is pretty much how they found themselves in this situation.

"So…who are we fighting ?" Your voice cut through the quinjet, and you appeared from the steering cabin. You wore a headset and a black gear, the one you usually wore when you went on missions.

Bucky’s head snapped toward you, his expression tightening the second his eyes landed on your face. He grumbled something under his breath—he was definitely cursing you. The corner of your mouth tugged upward despite yourself. You always did have that effect on him.

"Did you plan this ?" His question was raised towards Sam.

"Why would I plan this ? You were the one who forced yourself into this plane" Sam retorted, he then turned to you a bit surprised. "What are you doing here ?"

"I happen to be training to become a pilot here and well it also happens to be the exact plane you guys are in so…" you lingered a bit. "I guess we’re working together." You flashed a wide smile.

"We’re absolutely not." Bucky said.

"I did not ask." You shrugged going to sit right next to Sam, which gave you a great sight of Bucky in front of you. This man looks so good when he’s annoyed. "I think Sam would rather work with me than with your little bitch ass anyway."

"Couldn’t have said it better." Sam muttered, and you extended your hand high-fiving him.

"Do you have something with my ass ? ‘Cause you’ve been talking a lot about it lately ."

"Wouldn’t you want to know." You winked at him. You hunched forward, elbows on your knees and hands supporting your face. Without breaking the eye contact. You stayed like this for a full minute.

Bucky felt… off. Unsettled. You were talking to him like nothing had happened—as if just the night before, you hadn’t shown up at his apartment, drunk and messy and vulnerable. As if you hadn’t buried your face in his chest and confessed that you were lonely. As if you hadn’t fallen asleep right there against him.

And now? You were smirking, teasing him like it meant nothing. Like he meant nothing.

Maybe you didn’t remember. Maybe it had been one of those hazy, half-lost nights for you. Or maybe—maybe that kind of moment was just something you could toss aside without blinking.

But for Bucky, it lingered. It was etched into the quiet corners of his mind.

And now you were laughing at him. Flirting like the night hadn’t happened.

He clenched his jaw and broke the eye contact, not trusting himself to speak. Because the truth—the one he hadn’t said out loud—was that it hadn’t been nothing for him.

"Haha you lost !" You cheered, turning to Sam. "See that, I just fixed his staring problem."

Sam caught the brief exchange and couldn’t help the amused grin that spread across his face. This mission wouldn’t be that bad now with you joining them.

"I don’t think you fixed anything. You just made freeky magoo over there very flustered."

Bucky rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Before he could answer anything, Torres appeared from the cockpit.

"One minute till drop off, Sam."

"Y’all did not answer me." You huffed standing up and grabbing an earpiece of you own.

"Flag smashers." Sam briefly answered. "You probably heard of them."

"Thirty seconds !" You heard Torres yell.

"Enjoy your ride Buck." Sam

"Oh no you can’t call me that."

"Why not ? That’s what Steve called you."

"Steve knew me longer and Steve had a plan."

"I have a plan." Sam turned to you. "You coming ?"

"Yep." You got up and Sam extended his hand for you to take. The plane was extremely low so you couldn’t use a chute.

"Fifteen seconds."

Sam gripped your waist.

"Oh yeah, what’s your plan ? Her ?" Bucky called, but Sam ignored him and jumped out of the plane with you in his arms.

"How’s he coming down ?" You asked Sam once you both were in the air flying towards the the outbuilding where your targets were located.

"He’ll manage."

"I had all of that on camera you know that." Sam said from beside you. You were watching Bucky from Redwing’s camera. He was lying on the ground where he fell a few seconds earlier from the plane.

"The whining looks good on you Barnes."

"Get out of my face or you’ll experience what real whining sounds like."

"Kinky." You muttered

"That’s a fucking threat."

The mission had gone sideways—again.

Smoke still lingered in the air, the convoy you were meant to intercept now far gone in the horizon. The intel had been wrong. Again. Too many hostiles, too many surprises, and no backup. Well except for Captain American wannabe and his acolyte.

And somewhere in the brutal fight, Bucky had done what he thought was best.

He had tossed you out of the moving truck.

Literally.

You were still brushing gravel off your jacket as you stormed down the dirt path beside him, your hair wild, your boots stomping with each step. You were limping, pretty sure you had twisted your ankle.

"You threw me off of a fucking truck, Barnes!"

"I saved your life." Bucky snapped, not even looking at you.

Sam trailed just a few steps behind, looking like he was trying not to laugh. Or interfere. Or get involved in the very obvious mess brewing between you two.

You turned on Bucky, not even acknowledging your hobbling stride, walking backward just to glare at him properly. "You couldn’t have just said ‘jump’? But no? You had to manhandle me and yeet me into a ditch like a rag doll?"

"You weren’t listening!" Bucky growled. "You were about to get blown up, and I didn’t have time to argue!"

"So your solution was throwing me out of a moving vehicle?!"

"You’re fine, aren’t you?" he snapped back, finally meeting your glare. "Little bruised ego, that’s all."

Sam finally sighed, raising his hands. "Alright, alright. Can we not kill each other while we’re in the middle of nowhere? I don’t feel like dying because you two decided now was the time to have a full-blown breakup fight—without even dating."

You both turned to glare at him in perfect unison.

Sam just shrugged. "I’m just saying what we’re all thinking."

"She shouldn’t have come." He deadpanned, he wasn’t even addressing to you and this made your blood boil.

Your eyes narrowed dangerously. "You don’t get to decide what I can handle. I’m not some helpless bitch."

"Oh really ?" He let out a dry laugh. "Could’ve fooled me." he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

When Bucky stared at your eyes, there was no longer that usual warmth that you always had when you talked to him. Gone was the usual glint of mischief, that effortless warmth you always carried when you tossed a smirk his way or teased him like he didn’t terrify most people. Your gaze now was colder—steeled, unreadable. You weren’t joking anymore.

"Nothing," Bucky gritted out, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "I’m just done cleaning up after someone who treats everything like a joke and never thinks about anyone but herself."

The words hung in the air like a slap. You froze mid-step.

He wasn’t just talking about the mission anymore. You knew it.

You stared at him, stunned for a second, before your voice dropped, sharp and cold. “Say what you really want to say, Barnes. Stop dancing around it.”

He didn’t respond. He didn’t even look at you.

That silence? It cut deeper than his words.

You shook your head with a bitter smile. “Right. That’s what I thought.” You turned and kept walking.

And maybe for the first time, he realized you were genuinely hurt.

part 2 (coming soon…)

a/n: this has been sitting in my drafts for sooo long. There will be a part 2 I just need to edit it, although i’m highly contemplating turning this into a fanfic

[navydoves]

Mine soon enough

✎ᝰ cw. professor zayne, tense atmosphere, teacher/student, suggestive, somewhat yearning, very conversational writing, TENSE!

✎ᝰ a/n. i’m inconsistent in everything i post lol. this is written in a very specific way, hopefully it comes across in the tone i want it to.

࣪𖤐

“am i really allowed to be here after office hours like this?”

zayne glances back at you from where he was standing by the tea kettle on his desk and smiles just slightly. “why not? this is my office after all.”

“yeah, but,” you hesitate, “most other professors are really strict on their schedules. i didn’t expect you to be so um… lenient about this.”

a small, almost imperceptible chuckle escapes zayne. “you do know i’m only this lenient on you, right? god i the headache i’d have if i had any other pesky students showing up and bothering me after hours.”

you glance to the side awkwardly and nod. “yeah… i know… it’s just a little strange… being your ‘favorite’ and all…”

“does it make you feel uncomfortable?” zayne’s voice cuts in quickly. he was clicking off the tea kettle now and preparing the two mugs with their respective tea bags.

“n-no… no it doesn’t,” you respond just as fast, “it’s just… not familiar to me. don’t take it personally professor, i only—“

“zayne,” he corrects while pouring the boiling water into the mugs. “zayne is better. you should get over all your formal habits when you’re alone with me. we’re friends, right?”

there’s a beat between you two before you nod.

“yes, friends.”

“well then as long as you’re not uncomfortable and we’re in equal footing here, there should be no problem. you would tell me if there was a problem right?”

another beat.

“yes… i would.”

zayne smiles slightly again. he places the kettle back down and starts properly dipping the teabags into the mugs before throwing them into the small can on the side.

“good. here, come get your tea.”

you move from where you were sat on the leather couch to zayne’s desk. the room was quiet apart from your gentle footsteps and zayne’s spoon swirling. you take your mug, identical to his, and scoop up a few spoonfuls of sugar. your gaze remains on the task below you rather than the man in front of you. he notices this.

“y’know i prefer tea over coffee too. i’ve always hated the bitter taste of coffee beans… even with all the sugar and cream added to it,” zayne hums.

you glance up at him and almost cringe at his attempt at conversation. “yeah, same. i’m not a coffee person…”

zayne looks you up and down with brows furrowed from scrutiny. he picks up his mug and takes a sip, eyes darting to the side in slight annoyance.

“lighten up a bit,” he murmurs. “i invited you to spend time with you. you know how much i enjoy your presence. i'd rather you not feel… weirded out.”

you finally stop stirring and meet zayne’s eyes for the first time. “i’m not… i don’t feel weirded out…”

“you do though,” he rebuttals, “you’re all tense and avoidant. am i doing something? we can take our leave, truly. just tell me.”

a small exhale escapes you after a moment of thought. you shake your head. “no, i’m… like i said im just not used to this. this type of treatment. the… personal hangouts we have in your office. the gifts. the grades. i think… i think we both know things are…”

zayne puts his mug down and mimics your earlier exhale. he moves around the desk and your eyes follow him. right behind you is where he stands, taller and towering, with his chin hovered just over your shoulder.

“i don’t want that to be a problem,” he whispers by your ear. “the hangouts, gifts, grades. i don’t want those to be a problem. i want to give you more, y’know? more… more of everything. are we overstepping lines? sure… but—“

“you are over stepping lines,” you murmur with a slightly shaky voice. the lingering warmth of him behind you was almost trapping you against the desk. “i… i haven’t done anything, you’ve done… you’ve made all the…”

“have you… not liked the attention?” zayne asks almost vulnerably.

“i never said that…”

“then is there an issue? you’re right, i’m overstepping lines, not you. if we got into some heat, i’d take the responsibility. does that mean something to you?” in the moments you hesitate to answer, zayne’s arm wraps around your waist and gently pulls you closer to an embrace. “i want it to mean something to you. what do i have to do?” he continues.

you wet your lips and search the desk below you for answers your mouth couldn’t form. you weren’t sure how long had passed before zayne backed off, but once he did, you quickly turn around to face him. he steps away with his arms up innocently, a look of shame on him.

“i’m sorry, im making you uncomfortable. im not sure what im doing.”

with your eyes avoiding each other, a long silence ensues between the both of you—charged with emotion and uncertainty.

“your tea is going to get cold, professor.”

zayne knits his brows together and trails his gaze slowly across the room, and then on you, and then on the tea.

“right.”

he steps back to his side of the desk and takes his still warm tea and avoids your presence while drinking. whether he wanted you here anymore or not, it was unclear. he notices your rogue, discarded mug of tea on the desk. barely touched and getting colder by the second. maybe it looked like regret.

your back was turned to him and facing the rest of the room, but you were still so close to the desk. unmoving. what was going through your mind, that was also unclear.

slowly, you put down your arms that were crossed in a defensive position, and glance down at the desk. zayne was no longer sipping his tea. you could only assume he was standing as silently and awkwardly as you were.

without much thought, you step back and sit on the desk, back still to zayne.

“my face is turned away, if it makes you feel any less guilty,” you whisper.

zayne’s eyes widen slightly. he looks over your body that was perched up on his desk. what a sight. “don’t say that like i’m some sort of… some sort of…”

“i’m not… insinuating anything, professor… or i guess ‘zayne’. i’m simply saying that, in the situation we’re in right now, guilt is normal to feel. but that… curiosity is too. so… i’m looking away.”

more tense silence.

“are you curious too?” zayne asks with a voice that’s barely there.

you don’t answer for a few moments.

“i’m a woman, zayne,” you murmur. “i can make my own decisions. we’re not too far off in age, yknow. we think similarly… i hope.”

amidst the quiet of the room, zayne walks closer to the desk. he stares right into your back and all of the crumpled fabric lines from your shirt.

“you’re a woman,” zayne whispers while reaching out and ghostly tracing a simple line over your shoulder blade. “and i’m a man. it works like that, doesn’t it? this is natural… isn’t it?”

you swallow. the very faint sensation of zayne’s fingertip makes you tense.

“y-yeah…”

zayne’s finger goes down to your mid back. here he feels you arch away instinctively, but still not rejecting him. he grows bolder with his touch, insisting a bit more with his finger tip until he’s tracing letters.

letters Z through E of his name. ZAYNE was on you.

“my attraction to you is natural, isn’t it?” he whispers. he reaches for the top hem of your shirt and then parts your hair from your neck, exposing your nape. with the pad of his thumb, he rubs there gently. the sensations on your skin were hair-raising.

“i… it is.”

“then does it come naturally to you too?”

you shudder softly as you feel more of zayne’s fingers rake over your skin. he abandons your neck, moving downward again until he was touching the small of your back.

“please, answer me.”

there’s more silence from you, but you break it with a whisper. “my face gives all the answers, but i already told you i’m not letting you look at me.”

“then how will i know how you feel about me too?”

no answer.

zayne looks down at where his hand is on your back and moves it lower to the bottom hem of your shirt. gently, he lifts it—so slow that a million thoughts came and passed in those long seconds.

at the top of your back, he scrunches up your shirt and admires the lines and curves of your skin.

“are you okay?”

“i’m fine.”

zayne rests his head against your back and closes his eyes. he felt stressed but also relieved. this far… he’s gotten this far…

“are you sure you’re okay?” he asks a little bit more desperately this time. his voice and breath tickled your skin a bit. “how am i supposed to know when i can’t even face you?”

you tilt your head back to stare up at the ceiling. the lights should be dimmer, you thought.

“i’m okay,” you whisper. “i don’t feel fear, i don’t feel nervous, i don’t feel anything. can you… will you make me feel something?”

zayne’s eyes fluttered open slightly. he turns his head back to the expanse of your smooth back and rubs his lips together. oh your words…

“i’ll become a man that’ll be capable of making you feel anything you want.”

the hands that were rested by your side went up to your upper mid back and touched the rough feel of your bra clip. with slight hesitation, zayne’s delicate fingers undo the clip and let it pull away to reveal your fully bare back. his eyes flutter even more now.

the moles and freckles of your usually hidden skin was an experience to his eyes.

“i’ll become a man so good that you won’t have to hide your face away in shame. after all, it’s natural, isn’t it?”

cool lips make contact to your back making you perk up instantly. the kisses were spread out, small in sound and in touch, and soon warm. zayne’s free hands not only steady you by the hips but also anchor himself through each press of his lips.

“i want you,” his voice rumbles against your skin

“i know,” you respond.

“after graduation?”

“it’ll still be scandalous.”

“it’ll be scandalous regardless. who has to know?”

you bite your lip. “is it just a lustful thing, professor?”

your words make zayne stop his affections and stand straight.

“never,” he whispers. “have i… made you feel that way?”

swallow.

“no… no you haven’t, i’m not lying either. but… i mean dates and stuff, it’s all so public. we’d get noticed immediately, it’d be risky. but… everything else, that’s done privately. so i’m just wondering… how… or where… or what…”

zayne lets out a small humorless laugh. “you’ll be mine soon enough, without all those worries meaning. i get scared too, yknow? but i’m scared enough for the both of us, so don’t… doubt me.”

you smile a little, unsure of what exactly is humorous. “don’t doubt your ability to keep me a secret, you mean.”

“don’t put it like that, you have such a harsh way of saying things,” zayne exhales.

“right, right, i’m sorry.”

you reach back for his hands and gently pull him forward so that his arms crossed over your stomach.

“but that’s what i am, a secret. you’re a secret too. just… become a man capable of taking care of me, secret or not.”

zayne tightens his grip around you just slightly.

“i’m your professor,” he whispers with his forehead against the back of your cranium, “and if nothing else, my job is to you guide you. you’ll be mine soon enough.”

he presses one kiss to your hair.

“you will.”

࣪𖤐

[saltcxrcle]

hold me, console me ── . ✶ s. winchester

summary: sam's not answering your texts, so you panic and track him down to a hospital OR where dean finds out that you and sam are dating

pairings: established sam winchester x witch!reader, sam winchester x gn afab!reader, sam x jinx!ノ wc: 3.3k warnings: no use of 'y/n', reader is a witch and referred to as jinx, based on my headcanons for this verse, angst, some hurt/comfort, fluff, dean being dean, slightly suggestive but not really, title is a lyric from no one noticed by the marias, kinda edited; all mistakes are my own a/n: happy birthday to sam winchester the loml!! lol ik im still technically on a hiatus but i had to post this in honor of his birthday and i've been meaning to write this since like march and ive been wanting to write for this universe again and so i finally finished it!! i still have shit ton of school work to do but trust ill be coming back soon (and hopefully with a mini series to post for you guys!) but in the meantime enjoy the fic <33 sam winchester masterlist | season of the witch masterlist

IF SAM WASN’T DEAD YET, YOU’D KILL HIM YOURSELF. 

It wasn’t like Sam for him to leave your messages unread for more than a day or two, but he had been MIA for almost three days at this point. You didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, knowing how rough some hunts got for the brothers—but there was this pit in your stomach that wouldn’t go away no matter how much tea you drank or how much you tried to distract yourself, the feeling persisted. 

You were distracted in class. You knew it, and your students knew it. You glanced down at your phone a couple of times while your students were doing group work that you had assigned after your short lecture. You looked at the digital clock that was mounted on the wall on the other side of the lecture hall. 

You quickly got the attention of the class—noting that you had about fifteen minutes before class ended and brought them back from their conversations. You guys had a quick class discussion before dismissing them. Some of your students lingered to ask you a few questions about the assignment you had assigned. You quickly answered them, trying not to be rude to them—eager to leave for the day and head back home, hoping that Sam would have texted you back by now. 

You had to resist the urge to check your phone at each stop light as you drove home from the university. You all but shot out of your car with your work bag, your phone clutched tightly in your grip as you made your way inside your house. Your bag fell onto the wooden table with a small ‘thump’ and ignored the way your cat was brushing up against your legs, and you stared blankly at your screen. 

Your message still hasn't been seen by Sam. You swallowed the lump of dread that was stuck in your throat as the little white letters reading ‘Delivered’ on your phone taunted you. You let out a harsh breath through your nose as your mind conjured up the worst scenarios that Sam could be in right now. 

Seeing Sam’s lifeless eyes flash through your mind and snap you out of your stupor, not wanting to entertain the idea that he was dead. You turned off your phone, tossing it on your kitchen table, right next to your bag as you walked down the hallway and opened the door to your office that doubled as your witchy workspace (Sam came up with the name and always called it that on the rare occasion he stayed over). 

You gathered the ingredients for tracking spells, some enchanted fire, and a spare map of the country. You took a deep breath before murmuring some Latin before lighting the map on fire. The spell took no longer than forty-five seconds to perform, and you were left with Sam’s location. You swiftly figured out that he was in a hospital in Hyde Park, Utah. After making a few phone calls and canceling class—you were on a redeye flight to the closest airport to that city. 

It was safe to say that your anxiety was at an all-time high at this point as you gripped the armrest of the chair. You couldn’t stay still, your knee bouncing up and down rapidly as you stared hard outside of the airplane window. You were grateful that there was practically no one on this flight—it wasn’t a commercial flight, the plane being a tad bit smaller than your average one, but you thought that no one was heading to Utah this time of year. 

You thought the next time you’d see Sam, you would be excited to see him and his infuriatingly gorgeous face, but you were uneasy and tense as you impatiently waited for the flight to be over. 

“Would you like something to eat or drink?” A kind voice pulled you from your spiraling thoughts. 

You tore your eyes away from the window to the flight attendant, who had a polite smile on her face as she waited for you to respond. 

You cleared your throat. “Yeah, do you guys have any tea?” 

She nodded. “We have chamomile, jasmine, green, or hibiscus tea.” 

“I’ll take some chamomile.” You sent the flight attendant a smile, but it didn’t reach your eyes as your lingering thoughts of Sam started to become more prevalent. 

“Okay, I’ll be right back with your tea.” She sent you another smile before making her way down the aisle and to her station. 

You let out a long breath before looking back out the window. Once you had landed (the chamomile tea you had did nothing to calm your nerves), you immediately got into the rental car and made your way to the hospital he was in. Did you break a few traffic laws? Well, if no one caught you, did you really break them? But you made it to the hospital in record time as you quickly parked and made your way into the lobby of the sterile building. 

When you entered the lobby, Dean was sitting on one of the chairs waiting for Sam to be discharged and immediately spotted your frazzled condition with your slightly rumpled clothing and frizzy hair—a stark contrast to your usual put-together outfits and calm composure. His eyebrows furrowed at the sight of you, confused as to how you knew where they were and why you were even there.

Just before you were going to ask the receptionist about Sam, the elevator doors opened—your head instinctively jerked in the direction of them, and out came your boyfriend, looking worse for wear but alive. 

The pit in your stomach finally settled, and a wave of relief washed over you. You didn’t even notice Dean getting from his chair and heading towards you. Your eyes were strictly on a limping Sam heading down the hallway toward the lobby.

You didn’t think as your feet started to carry you to Sam, his eyes finally dragging up from the floor and meeting your teary gaze as you met him in the middle of the hallway. His eyes widened, filled with confusion as you approached him with determined steps. 

Uncaring of who was around you, you didn’t hesitate to gather Sam’s face in your hands and pressed your lips against his. You could feel Sam's surprise at the initial contact—but he sank into the familiar feeling of your soft lips moving against his. Sam’s hands came to rest on your waist as your hands cradled his face, feeling the warmth of his cheeks against your chilled palms. 

Dean looked at the scene in front of him with widened eyes, a myriad of emotions coursing through him. Saying that Dean was shocked was an understatement. Seeing Sam kiss the witch that he would consider an ally/reluctant friend was something he wouldn’t have imagined in a million years—but here was his brother kissing you back in front of him. 

Sam pulled back, registering that Dean was right behind you and the fact that you were standing in front of him. His eyes darted to Dean, trying to read the expression plastered on his face, but it was unreadable. 

Sam’s attention was drawn back to you. “What are you doing here?” He asked after clearing his throat, a knot of nerves tangling up in his stomach. 

“Really?! That’s the first thing you ask me? I should be asking you that question Winchester.” You thrust a finger at his chest, “You were the one who hasn’t responded to me in almost four days.” You huffed, “You never do that without a warning.” You added quietly.  

Sam winced at the use of his last name. You were definitely mad at him. He grabbed the hand you were pointing at him with, rubbing circles into the back of your hand to try and quell your rising anger. 

“I know, I’m sorry. We got caught up in the case and when we were tracking the nest, there were a lot more than we anticipated and they got one over on us. My phone broke and well,” Sam gestured to his slightly battered appearance, “You can guess what happened after.” 

The anger left your body as your eyes raked over Sam’s figure—there was a gash on his forehead and on the bridge of his nose, and you can only imagine what he looked like underneath his clothes—it must have been serious if Dean had taken Sam to the hospital. 

Your shoulders relaxed as you sighed. “Sorry, I just got caught up in my head and it jumped to the worst possible situation you could have been in.” 

Sam smiled down at you, his hands resting on your shoulders. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You were just worried.” He leaned down and kissed your forehead. “It’s cute that you were though.” Sam murmured into your forehead before pulling away. 

You lightly hit his stomach in retaliation, a playful scowl on your face before it morphed into a tender smile that mirrored Sam’s. 

“Not trying to break up this very heartwarming reunion, but when did this even happen?” You jumped at the sound of Dean’s drawling voice and whipped around to see him standing behind you with crossed arms and an impassive expression plastered on his face.

Sam moved past you, hiding you behind him, shielding you from the potential wrath of Dean. “Can we do this at the motel?” Sam said sharply, before sending his brother a look—a silent conversation passing through the two of them before Dean scowled slightly. 

Dean stalked off, grumbling under his breath. Sam let out a breath before turning to you.

“He’s gonna kill me isn’t he?” 

Sam shook his head. “He won’t, not if I have anything to say about it. Besides, Dean likes you more than Rowena.” 

“I think you mean he tolerates me more than her.” You pointed out. 

It wasn’t lost on you the fact that Dean hated, no loathed, witches with a passion. You knew he was reluctant to work with you from the minute that you told them that you were one yourself—always keeping you at arm's length and telling you the second that you stepped out of the proverbial line, you’d get a witch-killing bullet to the skull. 

“Trust me, he’d call you before calling Rowena for help.” 

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Because he knows I wouldn’t ask for anything in return other than the promise that you guys won't ask for my help again.” 

“And yet you still help us. Wonder why that is?” Sam asked with a cheeky smile on his face. 

You rolled your eyes. “Let’s get to the motel before your brother actually decides to kill me.” 

You followed behind the Impala in your rental car to the motel the boys were staying in and quickly parked. You were led to their room, and it felt like you were in trouble and got sent to the principal’s office.  

Dean stood across the room from where you and Sam were. You were standing by the entrance just in case things went south and you could make a quick escape.

“So,” Dean started, with his hands on his hips like a disappointed father ready to scold his kids. “How long has this been going on?” He gestured to you and Sam with a slight frown on his face. 

You and Sam glanced at each other before Sam cleared his throat. 

“Almost a year.” Sam scratched at the back of his neck, a sheepish expression on his face as he took in the look of surprise that passed through Dean. 

Dean’s brows furrowed, clearly connecting the dots in his mind. “So, when you said you were-” 

“Yeah, I was visiting Jinx.” Sam cut him off, confirming his suspicions. 

Dean let out a breath. “Okay.” 

You and Sam exchanged confused looks with one another. 

“What do you mean by ‘okay’?” You spoke for the first time since you entered the room.

“I mean, you guys can date or whatever you guys have been doing for the past year. It’s none of my business.” Dean shrugged before moving to the mini fridge in the room and grabbing a beer. 

You were sure you were living in an alternate universe right now. Dean Winchester giving you the seal of approval (or what you considered the seal of approval) to date his brother. 

“But if you hurt my brother or do anything to betray us, you know I won’t hesitate to plant a-” 

“I got it. Any bodily harm or emotional damage done to any of you and I don’t ever see the light of day again.” You interrupted quickly, “Heard you loud and clear.” You sent Dean a tight smile as he raised his beer in the air towards you, a silent confirmation and agreement of your words. 

Sam rolled his eyes at his brother, but he was relieved that Dean didn’t make it a bigger deal than it needed to be. 

You turned to Sam. “I’m going to grab another room.” You glanced between the two brothers, and there was lingering tension. You figured that they needed to settle before you headed back home. 

Sam nodded and kissed your cheek before you left the room. Once the door shut with a soft click, Sam stared at Dean, who was sitting at the edge of the bed he had claimed to be his own almost a week before. 

“So, you’re really okay with it? Me being with Jinx?” Sam questioned as he sat down on his bed. 

Dean took a sip of his drink before responding. “Yeah, I mean I would have preferred someone who wasn’t a witch.” Dean joked before looking at Sam. “You’ve been happier lately and I couldn’t figure out why, but now I do. As much as I hate to admit it, you’re good for each other.” 

Sam shook his head at his brother. Always count on Dean to give the both of you a backhanded compliment. “Thanks. I think?” A slightly puzzled smile on Sam’s lips. 

“No problem.” 

There was a knock on the door, and Sam got up and gingerly walked (limped) to the door and saw you with your bag slung on your shoulder, a tired smile on your face. 

“Got a room?” Sam asked as leaned on the doorway. 

You nodded in response before jostling your bag by your side. “I brought some things to help speed along the process.” You gestured to his injured face. “Walk with me to my room?” 

Sam nodded before turning back into the room and grabbing his bag from the floor. “I’m going with Jinx, don’t wait up.” He informed Dean. 

Dean’s lips pulled up into a sly grin. “Okay, make sure you wear protection! I don’t want to be an uncle right now.” 

Sam’s cheeks flushed red. “Fuck off Dean.” He quickly closed the door, cutting off the boisterous laugh that escaped Dean. 

An amused smirk was on your face at the scene and at Sam’s reddened cheeks. 

“I hate him.” Sam breathed out. 

You couldn’t help the small chuckle that left you, making Sam snap out of his embarrassment and smile down at you. You smiled back at him before you started to walk to your room, Sam following close behind. 

Once you made it into the room, you quickly ushered Sam to the nearest bed and set your bag down right next to him as he got settled on the edge of it. You pulled out the various healing salves and bandages that you hastily packed before leaving your house. 

“Take off your shirt.” You told him as you opened the lid to one of your salves. 

“At least take me to dinner first.” Sam teased as he unbuttoned the flannel he was wearing. 

“Haha. Very funny.” You shot him a deadpan look, but the corner of your lips was twitching, threatening to pull into a smile.

He pulled off his shirt, trying to hide the grimace of pain that passed through his face as his ribs were screaming in protest from the movements. His sides and ribs were bruised, and his torso was covered in minor nicks and gashes that were covered in gauze and that needed to be changed. 

You worked quickly, the room filled with silence but being broken once in a while with the harsh intake of breath that Sam would have if you pressed into a tender spot. As you worked, Sam took the time to let his eyes roam your face and figure. It had been almost a month and a half since he had seen you in person, and even though your appearance had barely changed, he could see the worry etched into your features. 

Sam instinctively raised his hand and used his thumb to smooth out the wrinkle between your brows. You looked up from bandaging the last gash in his tanned skin, meeting his hazel eyes. 

“Hey, I’m okay.” He murmured as Sam’s hand moved to cup your face. 

You let out a shuddering breath and leaned into the warmth of his palm. All of the stress and anxiety that you were trying to suppress for the past twenty-four hours seemed to unravel at the comfort Sam was trying to provide. You could feel your eyes start to sting with tears, and before you knew it, one fell from your eye unwillingly—then others began to follow it in its footsteps down your face. 

Sam was quick to pull you into his lap, and you went willingly. His arms wrapped around you as you tucked your face into his neck, tears streaming down your face as you silently cried in the comfort of Sam’s arms. Sam didn’t say anything, pressing the occasional kiss to your head as one of his hands rubbed your back and the other cradled your head. 

Eventually, your tears stopped, and Sam moved the two of you back onto the bed, heads resting on the pillows as you faced each other. Sam wiped your face, which was wet with tears, before pressing a soft kiss on your forehead, then one on either of your cheeks, another on the tip of your nose—making you smile, before pressing his lips against yours in a tender kiss. 

Sam poured all of the reassurances and unspoken promises into the kiss, sending warmth through your chest as you sank into his embrace. You eventually broke the kiss, Sam pressing one last lingering peck on your lips before resting his forehead against yours, breathing in the comforting scent of jasmine, honey, cinnamon, and something that he could only describe as distinctly you. 

Sam’s mouth moved before he could even think about what he was saying. “Move in with me.” 

Your eyes snapped open as you stared into the intense hazel hue of his eyes, trying to find any kind of teasing or amusement in his gaze. 

“You’re serious?” You whispered. 

Sam nodded, his hair shifting against the pillowcase as he kept his eyes trained on you. 

“What does Dean think about this?” 

“Dean can deal with it. We have plenty of room in the bunker, and it would be more convenient than driving out to meet you or ask for help.” Sam started to spout out reasons why you should move in with him. 

Before he could get ahead of himself, you shut Sam up by placing a hand on his mouth. “I’ll think about it. And I’d rather not move in if Dean isn’t okay with it, so please ask him.” 

Sam moved your hand from his mouth, a slight pout on his face, and looked at you with pleading eyes. 

You groaned slightly at the sight of Sam’s puppy eyes. “Don’t give me that look, I didn’t say no. Just let me sit on the idea before we jump the gun, okay?” You told him. You knew if you moved in with him, you’d say goodbye to the life that you built for yourself and take a plunge back into the hunting life.  

Sam sighed but nodded. “I love you.” He whispered in the little space that you shared with him.

“I love you too Sammy.”

[novas-corner]

Gang I saw someone make a post about being isekaid (???) into LaDS and I think it would be really funny to write my own version (heavy inspiration taken from them but I saw this months ago and cannot remember who they are, if it was you homie you cool asf.)

Um anyway, I think it’s funny so here is basically just… me??? But written as something anyone can read. Being isekai’d (?????) into LaDS (I’m only there to collect cards and stare at pretty men, I genuinely know little to nothing about their lore, this will be painful to read if you’re deep into their lore😍)

This has been read once over, just to make sure I didn’t add my own name in anywhere, but that’s about it

I DIDNT ASSIGN COLOURS TO THEM AND IM ON MY PHONE SO ITS LIMITED (oh yeah hi this is me weeks later writing more of this, you wouldn’t know that though, this all came out at once) ANYWAYS COLOURS ARE HERE.

Xavier. Zayne. Rafayel. Sylus. Caleb.

Ok anyways back to whatever this mess is 🤩

Oh fuck! An isekai!!

One day you’d be just playing your silly little gacha game, staring at the screen as you debate if you wanna swipe the card or not. You decide ‘the gods will give me a sign if I should or not’ knowing damn well you probably will anyways (This if for my gambling addicted freaks… you spend too much money on pixels, put the card dOWN)

You decide to sleep on it instead of spending the twelve dollars left in your account on a few pixels. The decision will be slept on and if you roll over in your sleep an accidentally send yourself into debt… oopsies!!! Y’know? God forbid someone have their hobbies!

What you did not expect however was waking up on solid ground in someone’s house… did you drink before going to bed and forget..? Whose house is this???? Why does it look so… familiar? You swear you’ve seen this place before, maybe you met an old friend and passed out on their floor? But you swear you didn’t go out last night, so how in the hell…

While you’re sitting on the floor pondering what in the hell is going on a knock at the door snaps you out of this trace of yours.

You pause.

More knocking.

Well fuck… someone should answer that… and you seem to be the only person home.

You reluctantly pull yourself off the floor and over to the door, the person knocks again as you open the door. He’s mid knock and you recognize this very familiar face.

“XAVIER..?”

You can’t help the shocked call of his name that tumbles out of your mouth, you’re staring at him wide eyed and he’s just looking at you confused.

“…yes? We had a date for today, did you sleep in again?”

He’d say with a small chuckle, letting himself in and ruffling your hair.

“You look a mess, not in a bad way though!”

He says backtracking his words slightly. You’re still stood at the door slack-jawed when you notice a mirror and move over to it… damn you really do look a mess.

But not just that, you look eerily like your character from LaDS… oh dear.

“I WAS ISEKAID?????”

You’re freaking out a bit right now, you never play the game for the story, you don’t know their personalities, they’re going to act so much different than you’d expect and you won’t be able to stop it.

You pause, thinking for a moment. Ain’t they all in different timelines or something..? FUCK YOU GOT THE XAVIER ONE. Whatever he’s still cute as all hell and a FREAK so you could get used to it. (I’m a Caleb person, so sue me, this is me if I was isekaid not you)

He’s standing behind you now, confused.

“Did I do something wrong? Are you okay?”

You don’t know how to answer, lucky for you, you don’t need to due to another goddamn knock at your door.

“Oh did you plan something with Tara at the same time again..? We can go out later if you need”

He’s smiling as he opens the door, sweet as sugar he is. His smile however, fades pretty quickly seeing another man at your door.

Your face drops, you feel faint, why you??? Give the isekai to someone else!!

It’s Zayne!!! Yaaaaayyy…

Alright well you could maybe talk your way out of this… or well… you thought you could. One by one more of them show up until five men are surrounding you as you sit on the couch, head in your hands as you try and figure this mess out.

Rafayel and sylus are doing most of the talking, arguing with each other about who’s dating who and whatnot.

Eventually you get sick of the lot of them, standing up and shouting at them to shUT THE FUCKUP-

“Okay please for the love of gods just shut up! Gods!! Your bickering is driving me insane I’m just trying to think!!”

“Think about what, the fact you’ve been cheating on all of us?”

Your head snaps to Rafayel.

“Listen to me and listen good mister man. I ain’t the me you know, I hardly know all of y’all in general!! Is an isekai a thing here?? Do y’all know what that is?”

The five are clearly confused, you don’t let them speak.

“Well it’s what happened to me, I’ve been brought from a different reality into whatever the hell this one is, and somehow I wasn’t put in the main story but eACH OF THE DIFFERENT TIMELINES.”

You’re frustrated, flopping back down on the couch with your head in your hands.

“I don’t know how I got here I just know I’m not supposed to be here. None of this is right and I don’t know how to fix it.”

Sylus smacks Rafayel on the back of the head and tells him to apologize, which he walks over to your side and places a hand on your shoulder and looks at you with gentle eyes.

“Hey… I’m sorry…”

This does not however stop (man I gotta assign personalities to all these mfs hold on I’m googling it… okay I’m back five minutes later, I’ve got it kinda right for the OG three, luckily the only two I’ve paid any attention to are Sylus and Caleb 😭‼️) Xavier from looking at you confused.

“So we’re all… from a video game..?”

Euuuhhggh… maybe you shouldn’t have let that slip… gods now you’re gonna deal with a mid-life crisis from these idiots-

“So you would know… things about us we haven’t told you then… right?”

You’re confused but nod.

“I mean yeah kinda? My issue here is that I don’t… play the story that much, I’m bad at focusing on something for a while”

“Oh? Interesting sweetie… what are we like then?”

An excuse to yap about the game??? SAY LESS.

“Well… hmmm… Sylus you’re a mafia boss troupe I guess, mean, cold, scary, tough… I’m running out of words here… regardless, you’re like an angry kitten, which is ironic since that what you call ME. When we meet you’re so mean, you try and kill me kinda, whatever… and then in the alternate universe where we date you’re literally the sweetest ever??? It’s kinda confusing. ALSO. YOU HAVE SUCH A BACKSTORY WITH US??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOURE A DRAGON WHO SAVED US AND THEN WE KILLED YOU AND FATED YOU TO SEARCH FOR US FOREVER??? THATS SO DEPRESSING??? Ooooh sorry I ramble a bit sometimes.”

You add that last part in with a small laugh, he’s staring at you absolutely dumbfounded.

“Oh right I guess your version of me didn’t know that… oops??”

You look around the room, asking if anyone else wants to hear your opinions on their story, they all do (I just want to write it, I find it funny) so you turn to Caleb, who is your personal favorite (but you won’t say that out loud, it could end in a death.)

“You’re like my adopted brother, which is a bit weird when you think too hard about it but whatever you’re hot so I can look past it. You’re colonel of the fleet or something, you were only recently added to the game and unfortunately I didn’t get your extra story because I’m a broke bitch who will not pay for it. OH ALSO YOU TRICKED US INTO THINKING YOU DIED???? I WAS SO INVESTED IN THE STORY AT ONE POUNT AND WAS ENTIRELY SHOCKED THAT THE HOUSE BLEW UP WITH YOU INSIDE IT.”

He just chuckles and ruffles your hair. You push his hand away with a small glare and fix said hair (so sorry to anyone that’s not got hair reading this, just pretend for the sake of it being me and not you 🤩) now looking to Rafayel.

“You mister, you’re a pain in the butt. You’re annoying, you talk back, AND I THINK YOU KILLED ME IN A PAST LIFE??? I don’t know, mister mermaid boy and whatever else. You’re fun though I guess, and usually really funny, also impatient as all hell… which is ironic since I’m pretty sure we act the exact same. Or well- you act like how I act, not the MC, but ME.”

“Well that’s something”

“Yeah yeah whatever… Zayne you’re like… a cutie patootie who can do no wrong in my eyes. You’re my doctor but also my childhood friend, free healthcare for LIIIFE. You’ve probably managed to die like twice??? I’ll be so real I have not paid much attention to your lore, you’re just super sweet and rather quiet… which is probably why you have not spoken yet…”

He just nods, not really paying much attention… jackass…

“And Xavier!!! You’re mysterious as fuck, my guy I’ve played this game for months now and I still do not understand anything about you. You show up out of nowhere as my mysterious work partner and then in all of our alternate universe stuff you’re sleepy as heck and a FREAK. OH MY GODS YOURE SO FREAKY. I EXPECTED SYLUS TO BE THE SLUT BUT NO, SIR YOU’RE INSANE.”

He shrugs

“I know what I want”

“Right well anyways, now that introductions are out of the way… what’s uh… what’s the plan here?”

You’re looking around at the group, who are mostly still not over the things they have learned they’re video game characters.

“Well… we had a date planned… so I vote everyone else leaves and we go on said date”

Which okay fair enough, but here comes the loud ones again arguing against it. You groan, moving over to Zayne, who has literally been silent this whole time, he’s like the calm amidst the storm for you right now.

“I’m glad you’re at least chill about all this… pun not intended”

He laughs a bit at your words, patting you on the head.

“Well you don’t know what’s going on and if what you’re saying is to be believed, you had a life outside this. I’m sure us fighting like this is only adding to your stress.”

“Sir I could marry you right now, why are you such a sweetie??”

You blurt out like an idiot. He just chuckles again, wrapping an arm around you. He’s surprisingly warm for his evol being y’know… ICE??

You both just kinda watch the rest of them (mostly raf let’s be real) bicker, looking back up at him.

“Should I step in befor- SYLUS DO NOT KILL RAFAYEL-“

That mf got FED UP with that fish, and unfortunately fish are prey to birds. Sylus was about to use his evol on Rafayel and Rafayel was about to retaliate. The two look over to you as you shout at Sylus.

“As sweet as it is that you’re still willing to fight over me knowing I’m not the person you’ve grown to care for or whatever, I ain’t letting you kill each other. I’m very bad around blood, I will puke and never forgive you.”

You say with a glare, walking over to the two. Rafayel hold hind hands up in surrender. Sylus just shrugs, Xavier and Caleb didn’t attack but Caleb definitely seemed ready to.

“For now until we figure out how to get me back to my universe… can we all just… chill?”

You feel yourself being lifted off the ground, a noise of surprise (it can be as loud as Tom from Tom and Jerry, or a cute kawaii lil noise, idc make it up, have some whimsy) comes out of your mouth as you find dAMN CALEB WITH HIS FLOATY POWERS-

He just hugs you, fall in back onto the couch.

“Yeah we can make that work pipsqueak, let’s all just relax m’kay?”

He’s patting your head all sweet while giving the others a shit eating grin, they want to fight but remember you literally JUST told them not to, and so they reluctantly gather on the couch with the two of you.

“Well… not how I expected my night to go.”

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

HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA SO SORRY THIS WAS SO FUN TO WRITE FOR NO REASON. ITS SO SILLY??? Also this was almost purely just a me yapping to myself one day and then I went “lol what if I wrote this down?”

Anyways I might make separate one shots of like dates with each boy separate or together. We’ll see if I want to or if people want me to. Idk, I just got here man 🤩

[hummingbird24220]

your angst writing is 1000/1000 got me tearing up when i read the zoro x swordsman reader :’)

could i request an angst luffy? i’m sure we all know he HAS to have severe ptsd after saboady and losing ace but no one from the crew ever really directly spoke about it with him. but here comes reader and lets say that something similar happened where they are in grave danger maybe got hit exactly the way ace died or they are kidnapped and then he loses it the way he did after waking up post ace death? maybe he blacks out and the crew have to hold him down like hes mad crazy while chopper is trying his best to make sure the reader survives? and ofcourse after reader is saved/survived, the crew or just reader have a sit down with luffy where he lets everything off his chest tbh i just feel like sobbing this week

Ughhhauh my feeeeeelings. I havent seen ace die in the anime yet, but i know its looming. ill probs cry ;.;

Hope this itches your angst itch. im not sure how i feel about this one, not my best, but its aight.

Enjoy!

What If I Was Too Late

Luffy x Reader

The sky had split open over the island — black clouds gnashing like teeth, lightning carving fury into the heavens. The Straw Hats were scattered across the battlefield, bruised but pushing back hard against the Marine ambush they hadn’t seen coming. You were separated from the others, fighting side-by-side with Robin when it happened.

The enemy wasn’t strong — not really. Not like the Warlords or the Admirals. But they were cruel, and they were precise. One of them had seen it. The way Luffy always shielded you. The way he watched you when he thought no one was looking.

And they used it.

Robin’s scream echoed through the trees.

Luffy arrived too late.

You were already on the ground, curled on your side, a gaping, smoking wound in your chest — right where Ace had been hit.

He didn’t even feel his legs move. One second he was on the edge of the forest, the next he was kneeling beside you, staring down at your barely-conscious body as your Devil Fruit power desperately fought to stitch you back together — but too slow. Too slow.

“(Y/n)...?”

Your eyes blinked open, foggy and unfocused. Blood stained your lips. “Lu...ffy?”

He froze.

The sound of your voice — broken, raspy, faint — was exactly like Ace’s last words.

“Luffy, I’m... sorry.”

No. No. No.

His heartbeat crashed in his ears like waves against rock. The crew started to catch up behind him, but Luffy couldn’t move. His hands were shaking. His vision blurred.

The last time he’d heard that kind of apology, Ace had died in his arms.

And now you — you — were bleeding out in front of him. Just like his brother. Just like the worst day of his life.

“LUFFY!” Zoro’s voice cracked like thunder behind him, but Luffy didn’t flinch.

Then came the scream.

He didn’t even know it was coming from his own throat until his knees buckled, and he fell forward, clutching you. He screamed so loud it felt like his lungs would tear apart, like the sky would shatter under the weight of it.

“Get Chopper!” Sanji bellowed.

Chopper was already running, crying, his hooves trembling as he dropped beside you and tore open his medical pack. “It’s not enough, it’s not enough— I need more time—!”

Luffy didn’t hear him.

He wasn’t there anymore.

He was somewhere deep, somewhere dark, somewhere filled with fire and smoke and the weight of his brother’s body in his arms.

“No—no no no no—” He clutched your face, smearing blood across your cheek as he tried to hold your head up. “Don’t die. You’re not allowed to die.”

You tried to speak, but it came out a wet gurgle.

And Luffy broke.

He surged up with a scream, haki flaring around him like an explosion. Robin fell back. Chopper nearly dropped his tools. Zoro grabbed Luffy’s arm — only to get flung aside like a rag doll.

“HE’S LOSING IT!” Franky yelled. “HOLD HIM—!”

Brook and Franky moved to flank him.

Sanji kicked at his legs. Zoro was back up, bruised but determined. It took all of them to hold Luffy down — muscles straining, eyes wild, voice ragged as he thrashed like a demon born of grief.

“I CAN SAVE HER—LET ME GO! LET ME—!”

“She’s alive!” Nami shouted, tears spilling as she grabbed his face. “She’s alive, Luffy—Chopper’s helping her—!”

He didn’t hear her.

He didn’t hear anything.

He just saw your face.

Your blood.

Your wound.

Just like Ace.

Just like Ace.

-

The trees were gone.

The cliffs? Flattened. Shattered like glass under a god’s fist.

What had once been a dense battlefield was now nothing but a cracked, smoldering plain, littered with the ruins of what the Straw Hats had fought to protect. Fire danced in the craters. The air sizzled with haki that boiled and thrashed like a living beast.

And at the center of it all was Luffy.

Unleashed.

He wasn’t talking anymore. He wasn’t thinking.

He was rampaging.

Every punch shattered the earth. Every scream split the sky.

“LUFFY, STOP!” Sanji coughed through the smoke, shielding Chopper and your body with his jacket. “YOU’RE GONNA KILL US—!”

“He can’t hear you,” Zoro growled, blood running down his temple. “He’s gone.”

Robin and Franky

had fallen back. Brook was covering Nami, who was crying so hard she could barely stand. Usopp was screaming Luffy’s name, waving his arms, trying to reach through the haze — but it was like trying to grab smoke with bare hands.

Luffy turned.

Eyes wide. Unfocused. Ferocious.

And he charged.

Straight at them.

Zoro moved first, swords drawn, haki shimmering — but even he hesitated.

He didn’t want to cut their captain.

But their captain wasn’t their captain right now.

He was a storm. A monster born of grief and guilt and love too big for one heart to bear.

The crew braced—

Then a whisper floated through the smoke.

“...Luffy.”

He froze mid-step.

Eyes wide. Chest heaving.

That voice—

Your voice.

Your body still lay crumpled in Chopper’s arms, still torn open, still healing slowly — too slowly — but your lips were moving. Barely.

“Luffy... ‘m here...”

The haze broke.

His knees hit the dirt with a crack.

His hands gripped his hair as he let out a strangled sound, something between a sob and a gasp, and bent forward like the weight of the sky had finally caught up with him.

“(Y/n)...?” he croaked. “You’re...”

Alive.

You were alive.

His body shook. His fists clenched against the dirt. “I thought— I thought you were gonna leave me too.”

“I’m here,” you whispered again, voice weak and hoarse, eyes barely open. “I’m here, Luffy...”

The crew held still.

No one moved.

No one breathed.

Luffy crawled to you like he’d forgotten how to walk, every inch dragging across the wrecked battlefield like penance. When he finally reached you, his fingers barely dared to touch your arm.

You smiled — faint and broken.

And Luffy broke again.

But this time, it wasn’t rage.

It was relief. Terrible, overwhelming, soul-crushing relief. The kind that makes your chest hurt worse than grief.

He collapsed beside you, pressing his forehead to yours, his voice no louder than yours now.

“You’re alive. You’re alive. You’re alive.”

The others started moving in slowly, their breathing ragged, some limping, some crying, all of them watching with wide, hollow eyes asthe Captain they thought they might have to fight finally, finally came back to himself.

-

The battle had long since ended, but no one left.

They couldn’t.

The ground was still scarred, trembling with the aftershocks of Luffy’s rage. No one dared move you — not while your body was still healing itself one heartbeat at a time.

So they built a camp.

Not far from the flattened battlefield, nestled under the remaining trees that had somehow survived, Robin and Franky cleared space. Sanji laid out clean blankets, warm covers. Nami took Chopper’s instructions and sterilized water, cloth, anything that could help.

And Luffy stayed exactly where he was.

He hadn’t let go of your hand.

Not once.

He sat cross-legged beside you on the thickest blanket, head bent low, gripping your hand like it was the last rope keeping him tethered to reality. His thumb brushed over your knuckles again and again, watching your face with fevered intensity, flinching at every twitch.

“Breathe, (Y/n),” he muttered, voice hoarse. “Just breathe. That’s all. Just keep doing that.”

Chopper bustled around you like a tiny storm — checking your pulse, temperature, rate of regeneration. He looked more exhausted than you did, but he didn’t stop. He wouldn’t. Not until he was sure.

Luffy startled when your eyes closed for the first time.

“H-hey—hey, no, stay awake, please—!”

You stirred slightly, a soft hum escaping your lips, but your body sagged deeper into the warmth and comfort the crew had piled around you.

“Luffy,” Chopper said gently, “it’s okay. She’s just sleeping.”

“She—” He shook his head. “But—what if—what if she doesn’t wake up?”

“She will.” Chopper moved closer and tugged another blanket up to your shoulders. “Sleep is good. She needs it. The Healing Fruit’s working overtime — rest will help her regenerate faster.”

Luffy didn’t answer.

He just watched you. Watched you breathe. Watched the gentle rise and fall of your chest like it was the only thing keeping him alive now.

“She’ll be okay,” Chopper whispered, placing a hoof on his shoulder.

Luffy didn’t nod. Didn’t move.

But his eyes finally closed for a moment — just a moment — and when he opened them again, there were tears caught in his lashes.

“…I can’t lose her too.”

No one responded.

Because what could you say to that?

The captain who had lost his brother.

Who had failed to protect his nakama once before.

Who had been forced to get stronger not just for the dream, but for the fear.

He didn’t sleep that night. He didn’t eat. He didn’t speak.

He just sat there.

Holding your hand.

Watching your face.

Waiting for you to wake up again.

-

Morning came slow.

The night had been thick with tension and the soft, muffled sounds of worry. A few birds had returned, cautiously chirping from the trees that still stood. Smoke from the distant battlefield had thinned into haze.

The crew had made camp around you in a protective circle. Sanji and Brook took the first watch, murmuring quietly while Robin helped Chopper finally lie down, his tiny form buried under a blanket as he snored gently.

Then Zoro, then Franky, then Nami.

Each of them sat near enough to hear your breathing, to glance over and know you were still alive.

Luffy had finally — finally — fallen asleep just before dawn.

It wasn’t peaceful.

His head had slumped forward, his shoulders hunched like a soldier who had never put his armor down. One hand remained wrapped tightly around yours, the other cradling it in his lap as if he were afraid you might vanish if he let go.

And then the sun rose.

Soft pink spilled over the horizon, brushing the earth with warmth that the night had stolen. The light reached your face first, gentle and golden.

You stirred.

A small sound left your lips as your brows furrowed, and your fingers gave the tiniest twitch within his.

Luffy’s eyes snapped open.

He was awake in a heartbeat, jolting upright, his hand tightening around yours instinctively as he turned to you — eyes wide, full of something raw and ragged.

Your lashes fluttered. You blinked at the light.

And then your gaze met his.

“…hey,” you rasped, voice hoarse.

He made a sound like he was choking and immediately leaned over you, his free hand cupping your face with a reverence that hurt to see. His thumb brushed under your eye, down your jaw, thumb trembling slightly.

“(Y/n)… you’re awake… You’re— You’re okay—”

You smiled faintly, trying to lift your other hand but failing. “My hand is sweaty.”

He blinked.

Then laughed.

A real one.

It was broken, breathy, soaked in relief, but it cracked through the air like sunlight through clouds. He dropped his forehead to yours, shoulders shaking.

“Idiot,” he whispered. “You scared me so bad…”

You closed your eyes again, your breath evening out.

And his tears returned — quiet, steady, without shame.

“I thought I lost you,” he whispered against your brow. “I really thought… I was too late.”

You wanted to answer. To tell him he wasn’t. That you were here. That the worst had passed.

But your body was too tired.

So instead, you just tightened your fingers around his as best you could.

He felt it.

And he didn’t let go.

-

They moved you just after midday.

It took time — carefully coordinated effort, hushed voices, and hands that trembled more from fear than fatigue. Every step was calculated. Every shift of your weight met with winces and held breath. Chopper barked instructions, his doctor’s voice steady despite his red-rimmed eyes.

The hole in your chest was still there. A deep, awful wound that should’ve been fatal — would’ve been, if not for your Devil Fruit. It wasn’t just healing you. It was working — the edges of the injury knitting themselves closed, hour by hour. Tissues weaving back together with slow, glowing warmth.

But that didn’t make it hurt less.

You flinched when they lifted you onto the makeshift stretcher. Cried out softly when the blanket brushed too close. Your breath caught with every bump.

Luffy was there. Every second.

Helping carry you. Shielding you from sun and wind. When you whimpered, he was the first to react — flinching like he had been struck, whispering your name like a prayer he couldn’t finish.

They laid you in the softest bed the crew could manage — a nest of blankets and pillows set up inside a nearby forest clearing that Robin had chosen. It smelled like flowers and fresh grass, sunlight dappling through the leaves.

You didn’t have the strength to sit up yet, but your breathing was easier now. The pain was still there, sharp and hot, but less suffocating.

And Luffy hadn’t moved from your side.

Not once.

He sat next to the bed, his arms resting on the edge, your hand still held gently in his. He didn’t bounce. Didn’t fidget. Just watched.

Watched you.

He didn’t smile. Didn’t shout. His eyes weren’t filled with adventure or wonder or hunger.

They were red-rimmed, shadowed, and haunted.

Like he was still trapped in that moment — the second he saw your body lying in the dirt.

You stirred, watching him. “You... okay?”

He blinked. The question caught him off-guard. He looked down at your hand in his, and then back to your face.

You’d never seen him like this.

Not even after Marineford.

Not even after Sabaody.

This was quieter. Heavier. Like whatever he’d been carrying in his chest had finally cracked under its own weight.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly.

You stared at him — at the way he looked so much older in that moment. Not in his face, but in the silence between his words.

“…You can rest, Luffy. I’m not going anywhere.”

He shook his head, eyes burning again. “I thought that last time too.”

You didn’t know what to say to that. Not yet.

So you just let your hand rest in his, letting the warmth pass between you.

Letting him stay.

Letting him watch.

Because even if he didn’t say it — Even if he couldn’t say it yet — You knew:

He was more afraid than he had ever been.

And not of death. But of losing you.

-

It was late afternoon when the bleeding started again.

Slow at first — a shimmer of red seeping through the edge of your bandages. Nothing urgent, nothing panicked. But Chopper noticed.

He always noticed.

He didn’t say anything at first. Just pressed new gauze gently to your skin, replacing layers with practiced hands. But he wasn’t smiling anymore. His ears were flat. His hooves trembled as he worked.

You were still healing — slowly. Painfully. But the bleeding hadn’t stopped. Not completely.

And you were tired.

So tired.

Every breath took effort. Every blink dragged like the world was just a little too far away.

You whispered something to Luffy earlier. He’d leaned in, his forehead brushing yours. He’d smiled — not big, not the usual grin — but a real one. Soft.

Then Sanji called for dinner.

Luffy hesitated.

But you’d whispered, “Go eat. I’ll be here.”

So he’d gone.

Now he sat at the table with the others, plate mostly untouched. Fork in hand, barely lifting it. His foot tapped anxiously beneath the table. Every now and then, his head turned back toward the med bay.

Chopper stood near the fireplace, staring into it, silent.

Robin was the first to notice. “Chopper?”

The reindeer doctor didn’t look up.

“…She’s still bleeding.”

Everyone froze.

Luffy’s hand stilled mid-air.

“She’s healing,” Nami said quickly, her voice soft but shaky. “The fruit’s working, right?”

Chopper’s shoulders sagged. “It’s working. But it’s slow. Too slow.”

Zoro frowned. “She’s strong. She’s held on this long.”

“She shouldn’t have been able to.” Chopper’s voice cracked now — raw, low, quiet. “I didn’t say anything before because… because she was healing. But her blood loss hasn’t stopped. And she’s getting weaker.”

Luffy’s fork clattered onto the plate.

Usopp swallowed hard. “What… are you saying?”

Chopper turned.

Eyes wide. Voice tight. “I’m saying I don’t know how much longer she has.”

The silence that followed felt wrong. Like it didn’t belong on this ship, with this crew.

Luffy stared at Chopper.

Eyes unreadable. Mouth slightly open.

“She’s still breathing,” he said, as if that were enough. “She’s gonna be fine.”

Chopper took a slow step forward. “Captain… any other person would’ve died already. She’s still here because of that fruit — and because she’s strong. But I don’t know how long she can hold out like this. Her body’s not keeping up with the healing anymore. It’s—” He hesitated. “It’s like she’s… stuck. Between recovering and dying.”

Sanji ran a hand down his face, stepping back from the table. Brook stood like a statue. Robin closed her book without looking up.

And Luffy…

Luffy sat still.

His jaw was clenched. Knuckles white.

“…You said she’s still breathing.”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m going back.”

He stood. No hesitation. No argument.

And when no one stopped him, he walked.

Back to the med bay. Back to your side.

Like if he left again — even for a second — you might disappear.

--

The days passed like molasses.

Some mornings, you woke up clearer — the sky looked bluer, the wind softer. You could smile. You could speak.

Other days, you barely opened your eyes.

Your breath came ragged and slow, like your body was still trying to remember how to do something so simple.

But the wound was healing.

Chopper changed your bandages religiously, marking every millimeter of flesh that reknit itself. From a hole to a deep gouge. From a gouge to a slash. The bleeding slowed. The pain stayed.

But you were alive.

Luffy stayed as close as he could.

He came and went in brief windows — long enough to shower, to eat, to let the others make him leave when they noticed the bags under his eyes. But he always came back, slouching into the chair beside you like the world didn’t exist beyond this room.

He held your hand even when you were too out of it to notice. Talked to you when you didn’t answer. Sometimes he watched you in silence, eyes flicking to your chest every few seconds just to see it rise.

Today was a better day.

You were propped up slightly, a pillow behind your back. The wound still throbbed, but the worst of the agony had dulled to a hot, manageable ache. Sanji brought broth. Nami adjusted your blanket. Zoro sat nearby, silent but present. Chopper hovered like a satellite.

And Luffy was there.

Like always.

You looked around the room — tired, but aware. They were all here.

And so, you asked the question.

“…Luffy?”

He perked up instantly, eyes scanning your face. “Yeah?”

“…Are you okay?”

The silence that followed was heavier than any pain you'd felt.

Luffy blinked, once. Twice.

And then he let out a short, incredulous breath. “Me?”

You nodded slowly, head tilting. “You haven’t… looked okay.”

He stared at you.

Then at the others.

Zoro’s jaw tensed. Nami looked away. Sanji set the bowl down gently. Chopper shifted from hoof to hoof.

Then Luffy laughed.

A bitter, broken sound.

“You’re asking me if I’m okay?”

Your fingers tightened slightly on the blanket.

“I should be the one— I should be the one asking you that!” His voice cracked, his hands curling into fists. “You almost died, and I— I wasn’t even there—!”

“Luffy—” Nami started, but he shook his head.

He was standing now. Pacing a short, erratic line.

“I saw you lying there, and it was him all over again— Ace— Ace was right in front of me, and I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t do anything.” His voice was shaking now. “I held him while he died. And I had to wake up without him. You know what the first thing I did was?”

He turned to them, eyes glassy.

“I screamed. I ran. I begged someone — anyone — to bring him back. I broke down like some pathetic, useless kid, and Rayleigh had to drag me off the ground.”

None of them said a word.

He looked back at you, now seated again beside the bed. His voice dropped to a whisper.

“I thought I lost you. Just like him. I saw your blood, and I broke again. Just like before.”

Tears were falling now, silent but steady.

“I’ve been scared every day since Ace. Scared that someone else I care about will die and I won’t be fast enough, strong enough— enough. I try to smile, to laugh, but it’s still there. All the time.”

You reached out, fingers trembling, and he took your hand instantly — held it against his heart like he was afraid to let it go.

“…I’m so tired of being scared,” he whispered. “And when I saw you like that, I—I just—”

He didn’t finish.

He just buried his head against your hand, breathing like someone drowning in grief too deep for words.

The others stood still, quiet.

None of them had ever heard him talk like this. None of them had ever seen him let it out like this.

But maybe it was finally time.

Maybe he needed to break — so he could start healing, too.

The silence after Luffy’s confession hung thick in the air.

He still held your hand, forehead pressed against your fingers like he could anchor himself there — like you were the only thing keeping him from sinking again. His shoulders trembled faintly, his breath hitched and uneven.

You stared at him, throat tight, chest rising and falling with effort.

And then something in you cracked.

“…I was scared too.”

Your voice was small — smaller than it had ever been — and the words felt like glass in your throat. But they came anyway.

Luffy looked up.

Your eyes were glassy now, lips trembling, hands shaking. You forced yourself to keep speaking. You had to.

“I didn’t know if I was going to make it. I didn’t know if the fruit was going to… do anything. I’ve never been hurt like that before, and for a while, I didn’t feel it working. I just felt cold.”

Your voice broke.

“And I thought— I thought I was going to die alone in that field. I didn’t know if anyone was coming.”

A sob slipped out, sudden and raw, like a dam giving way.

“I didn’t want to die,” you cried. “I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to lose you, or anyone. I wanted to fight, but I couldn’t move. I was so scared—”

Luffy reached for you immediately, not hesitating for a second. His arms wrapped around you carefully, like you might still shatter, like he was terrified of hurting you — but you clung to him like a lifeline.

It was the first time you’d cried since you got hurt.

Not just from pain. Not from shock. But from everything else.

From fear.

From grief.

From survival.

“I didn’t want you to see me like that,” you whispered, voice muffled against his shoulder. “I didn’t want to be the reason you were hurting again.”

“You’re not,” Luffy murmured, tightening his hold. “You’re not, (Y/n). You’re here. You made it. That’s all that matters.”

“It’s a miracle,” you breathed. “I should’ve died.”

He pulled back just enough to meet your eyes, his own red-rimmed but clear.

“But you didn’t.”

The others stood in silence.

Chopper wiped his eyes. Nami looked away, her hand over her mouth. Sanji lit a cigarette with shaking fingers. Zoro’s head was bowed, expression unreadable.

“I thought I was ready,” you whispered. “To be a part of this crew. To fight. To bleed. But… I didn’t realize how much it would hurt. Not just my body — but the fear. Of losing everyone.”

Luffy’s hand found yours again.

“You don’t have to carry that alone,” he said softly. “Not anymore.”

You nodded, tears still falling — but slower now. Softer. No longer a flood.

Just a release.

You were still healing.

But now… so was he.

-

Eventually, the crew gave you space.

Chopper gave your shoulder a final, gentle pat. Sanji promised something hot and rich would be waiting when you could eat more than broth. Nami pressed your hand in hers and left with a shaky smile. Zoro gave a small nod. Robin touched your cheek briefly.

Then, it was just you and Luffy.

The tent was quiet now, the air warm and still. A breeze moved the canvas slightly, but it felt calm — like the world had exhaled.

Luffy sat beside you, finally calm himself. There were still shadows under his eyes, still remnants of something broken behind his smile, but the weight of panic had lifted. For now.

He brushed your hair gently from your face, eyes soft.

“Well,” he said after a moment, “at least you’ll have a really cool scar now.”

You blinked.

Then laughed — a small, surprised sound that turned into a wince halfway through. “Ow—ow—okay, okay, not ready to laugh yet.”

Luffy panicked instantly. “Wait—are you okay?! Did it open again?! I’ll go get Chopper—!”

“Luffy.” You reached out and caught his sleeve. “Luffy.”

He froze.

You gave him a gentler smile, a breathless huff escaping your lips. “I’m okay. Just sore. Still hurts when I laugh, that’s all.”

He sat back down quickly, still hovering, hands twitching like he was bracing to catch you if you so much as blinked wrong.

You looked at him — really looked — and then shifted your hand slightly against the bed.

“…Come here?”

He stared at you.

You patted the space beside you. “Carefully. Slow. But… I want you here.”

He hesitated only a second.

Then he moved.

Slowly, carefully, like he was afraid of breaking you all over again. He laid down beside you, propping himself up just enough to curl in around your side, one arm draped gently over your waist, forehead resting against your shoulder — his straw hat resting on the ground beside the bed.

You sighed.

Your fingers tangled into his hair without thinking.

He let out a breath.

And then… silence.

But not a painful one.

Not scared.

Just quiet. Soft. Safe.

His voice came low, barely a whisper. “You feel like home.”

You didn’t answer.

You didn’t have to.

Because in that moment — in his arms, in the quiet — You both finally believed it:

You were still here. And so was he.

[kais-testosterone-shot]

heres part 2 of my Golden Legend and Monstrosity color symbolism thoughts! prepare for another long read.

this post is about the color cyan

i have to admit, im not the most confident about my take on this color. i think part of that is because we dont know who the enemy really is in either animation. so let's write down what we do know:

in my post about the color gold, i mention how you could argue gold is the color of "good" in ninjago. well, if gold is the color of "good" then purple is the color of "evil". throughout the story of ninjago, purple has been the color of corruption, the color of destruction, the color of the oni. but purple doesnt appear in Golden Legend or Monstrosity.

so what does that make cyan? is cyan a neutral color? whats the motive of the people wielding this color? what are their intentions?

the color cyan is traditionally associated with calmness and tranquility. which is interesting to me because thats not the vibe that i get from this color in either animation. no, to me this color more closely relates to danger.

throughout the Golden Legend part of this analysis, keep in mind that this is being told from the dragon's perspective.

the first time we see cyan is through lightning in the fog. the flashes allow us to see into the fog, where a mass of shipwrecks lies hidden just beyond our view. this gives us the sense that something is very wrong here. this place is dangerous. as soon as it fades away, our samurai appears.

the only other time we see this lightning is at the very end, the result of a shockwave produced by the samurai falling in battle at the hands (tail) of the guardian dragon. our samurai dies, very violently, might i add, and their soul? spirit? essence? is expelled from their body as they turn to stone. the lightning flashes again, a parallel of the very first time we saw it, and three more samurai appear from the fog.

okay, so what does that mean? that shockwave did something, obviously, but what? did it summon the samurai? spawn them? revive them from the depths of the sea? were they part of the shipwrecked fleet? regardless, it's clear this cycle is repetitive. this dragon has been fighting this battle nonstop for who knows how long, if the hundreds, maybe even thousands of stone bodies surrounding his perch signify anything. the danger of his assailants is constant and neverending.

now let's talk about the samurai's sword. this is the only other time we see the color cyan. this only ever occurs when the samurai is acting with the intention to harm. this is shown whenever the samurai swings their sword at the dragon or when theyre bracing for an attack, emphasizing the danger of their weapon.

okay, so cyan can be associated with danger. what does this mean for Monstrosity?

we only see the color cyan ONCE in the entire Monstrosity trailer. ONE TIME. and thats in this frame at 0:46.

this is the ONLY instance of cyan in the entire trailer. with this dragon. this dragon who has been in black and white the entire time. this dragon whose flames are in black and white like kai's. now i dont know who shes attacking, but i think it may have something to do with the crystal in the following shot, which features what looks to be a centipede trapped inside.

now if my theory about cyan representing danger is true... why would we see cyan only when shes attacking the centipede? why didnt we see cyan when she was breathing fire on the landscape at the beginning? if its true that we only ever see cyan when our narrator, kai in this trailer being our narrator, is being attacked, then why would we only see this cyan color once? is this dragon trustworthy? was the mural right? is kai the centipede in the crystal?

i think the cyan color really plays into the perspective of the narrator. it only ever occurs in Golden Legend when our narrator is being attacked. however, as a scientist, im hesitant to claim this with 100% certainty. there's no control in this experiment. the samurai in Golden Legend only ever attacks the dragon, and kai isn't shown being directly attacked by anything in the Monstrosity trailer, so we have no variables to work with until either a new trailer drops or until the episodes themselves are released.

thanks for reading! my previous post about the color gold can be found here

[ajastu]

ive been replaying da2 right. and it made me think about why datv feels a bit different to the previous games in the franchise in regards to, like, how messy it gets (different but not in a bad way this is not a crit post)

This is also not like, a deep analysis tm or anything, im literally just writing this bcs i cant fall asleep but LONG STORY SHORT.

1. Your PC is not someone Important

2. Your involvement with the Politics Tm is not as extensive

In origins, you have to go around n convince people to help you fight the blight, while ALSO dealing with the whole Loghain situation. the warden is literally one of TWO people who can get the job done. kind of integral!

da2, of course, deals with the mess that is Kirkwall, with its rising tensions and inevitable tragedy, with Hawke becoming Important to the city, with all the bullshit that entails. (and also it unfolds over the course of, like, what, 10 years?)

Dai... youre literally made to be the head of a religious organization with a lot of power and influence. You aren't given a choice, u have to be the chosen one now.

Datv? Rook isnt really all that imporrant. They aren't even high up in the ranks of whatever faction you choose for them. They werent even supposed to be in charge in the first place.

They also dont have to convince most of their allies to help with fighting the gods (aside from the wardens, ofc), because everyone understands the stakes. Of course, you help them out and all that, but they are Already your allies, they would be fighting this battle anyway.

Rook isn't a chosen one. theyre not a champion, they're not the only person who can do the job. They just.. happened to land in the role of the leader. Solas connection is a bonus, as is the dagger, but again. Not exactly irreplaceable. (the treviso/minrathous choice comes to mind here. it took me two playthrus to understand Why exactly Rooks presence made a difference, because like... theyre just a Guy. what does it matter where they go? but it wasnt Rook who made the difference. it was the dagger)

So, the focus is less on politics and more on building a reliable team, a community. Theyre not choosing stuff like who will become the new archon, or who is supposed to be the first talon, or whatever else. That just simply isn't their role.

Theyre just here to try to kill two blighted gods and not die in the process, ideally.

Theyre not important. The team is. And they are an integral part of that, but again, not THE chosen one. Their role could be fulfilled by different people, which cant exactly be said about the warden, or Hawke, or inquisitor.

and idk, i think thats fun. very stressed-employee-trying-to-meet-deadlines kind of vibes. someone please make them go take a nap

edit: ok ive been informed u Can choose the next archon if u save minrathous but my point still stands. rooks involvement in stuff like this is Minimal compared to the previous three protags

[dreamsy990]

since wof arc 4 is coming out, heres some bullet point predictions and hopes

-a timeskip! after the mess that was arc 3 i kinda want to go a bit forward in time. not necessarily super far in the future, just a couple years would be fine. i want to see how the cultures of different tribes are mingling in the future and how pantalan tribes play into it yknow yknow?

-the hybrid prince is not peacemaker. i dont want it to be peacemaker. i dont care who it is, just not peacemaker. pretty please. i know tui could write it well i just dont want peacemaker

-speaking of, i really hope nightwings are more of a background thing in this arc. theyve had so much love and a lot of the other tribes are way less developed in comparison.

-while im on the topic of tribes i dont want to be a major focus, i think seawings and rainwings can take a backseat. i know we've only had one rainwing pov but they have a LOT of content and i think we're good on them for now

-i would loveeee a mudwing pov. specifically a mudwing who DID grow up with their siblings. i adore clay i just want more mudwings since theyre so underdeveloped

-silkwing democracy content. i want to know EXACTLY how they work. a silkwing pov would be nice but not even required

-some elaboration on the hivewings as ruled by jewel would be very fun too

-ALSO LEAFWINGS!! WHATS UP WITH THE LEAFWINGS I WANT TO WATCH THE LEAFWINGS. um so yeah i want more post arc 3 pantala content

-id also love to know a bit more about some of the other hive rulers if possible,,,, most of them never even appear onscreen and at best get a slight bit of personality through other people hating them so id like to see them. they dont have to be major at all but an appearance from like. idk cicada or tsetse or mantis or anything really would be fun.

-this is a bit random but id love a bit more on the sky kingdom if possible

no plot predictions over all these are mostly just worldbuilding points but yeah. wof thoughts

[rabbit-is-wise]

@ethan-elliott once again im responding in the rbs or else id put an essay in the replies

but yes! many people do genuinely think they’re different. ive talked at length about it in this post as well as touched on it in this one, (and probably others) but i think itd be helpful for anyone who keeps up with these ramblings of mine to properly explain the clancy =/= tyler argument (to my understanding), since my argument is a rebuttal to it.

like i talk about in the first linked post, the two major pieces of evidence are the journal entry written by clancy that describes the jumpsuit video from a third party perspective, and of course scaled and icy meaning “clancy is dead.”

now, im not going to break down those specifially (bc i already did in the first post lmao!), but that’s our starting point. and keep in mind, this is all just what i’ve gathered—other people may not believe the same details, and i generally do not engage with the people who push this theory, since it makes me a bit upset (for reasons i also touch on often), so i’m putting out the disclaimer that i’m not an expert on this side of the argument.

also, a guide for how i’ll be referring to the characters: “clancy” refers to the original clancy, the one who writes the journals, while “tyler” refers to the character who then takes on the name and is seen in the videos, and i will continue referring to him as such post name change to avoid confusion. tyclancy also refers to this same character.

from the jumpsuit journal entry, we then get clancy writing about staying another five days in trench, and then being taken back to dema by keons. it’s some time after this that clancy is killed by the bishops. i can’t offer you anything more on that because it doesnt happen, but see this tweet from the person i usually see pushing this theory (usernames scribbled i dont want to accidentally start anything)

ive heard the handwriting changes at this point—i don’t see it. you’ll just have to decide for yourself on that one i fear. but that’s the main evidence for this event placement.

following this, tyler writes about the events of natn, those videos happen, and then tyler is taken back to dema. while in captivity, he is approached by the bishops to write an album/show, and when they ask him to name it, he chooses to tell the people that clancy is dead. everything there is in his voldsøy letters, minus him saying the name scaled and icy or his intent behind it.

between his captivity and “i am clancy,” tyler chooses to take on the name to carry on the spirit of rebellion. the story then continues as we see it.

asides:

- this person specifically believes clancy gave into vialism, see here:

but i couldnt tell you how far that goes beyond them.

- one of the recent fpe letters mentions what it likely the cave clancy hid in before keons found him and that there are drawings in it because i guess tyler cant have found the cave himself or the fifteen other reasons they would talk about it

there’s probably more, i couldn’t tell you. i scrolled twitter for a while and made myself upset so im not gonna do that anymore.

when i say this next part, i really don’t mean to be rude, i just don’t know how to phrase it gently.

from what i can tell, the appeal of this theory comes from two factors: not remembering the details in journals, and a lack of understanding for how stories work.

i’ve discussed why clancy’s arc is important, because from a writing standpoint, setting this character up and then dropping them for another wouldn’t make sense. a character who haunts the narrative would not be set up like that, especially with zero acknowledgement from tyler. we as the audience would be let in on tyler’s inner thoughts about taking on this name, even if he keeps it from everyone else in-universe. the fact that it hasn’t been revealed in 7 years is reason enough.

we have had many reveals in that time, including an explanation for the jumpsuit video journal entry. but not this? not what would be a pillar of the story? and furthermore, what would this represent within the allegory? what could it represent that the glorious gone do not already embody?

many details that supposedly support this theory are a stretch, or forget the fact that twenty one pilots is still a real band in the real world apart from the story they happen to be telling.

this fandom is a glutton for making things more convoluted than they are. no, the curtains aren’t just blue, but if the setting isn’t trying to tell you about the character’s sadness, maybe the blue means something else. you have to understand the story before you analyze it. there is no subtext without the original text.

your interpretation of “clancy is dead” is exactly how i see it. some people just ignore what’s in front of them. and dont let your newer status discredit you, in 2019 i was also a clancy =/= tyler truther, because we hadn’t had all the reveals yet. i think some people just won’t budge on their beliefs.

the story supports what it supports. i highly doubt we’ll ever get more information on this, since “i am clancy” was meant to get everyone on the same page, so this debate will never end. it probably wouldn’t even if we did get further confirmation, since people just straight up think he was lying in that video. it’s just one of those things.

the new tb letter is a brutal reminder that i am the only person on all of twitter who thinks tyler and clancy have always been the same person i literally feel like this

[ganondoodle]

botw2 (totk rewritten) ganondorf design (+some story) post

Mummy version what link and zelda discover beneath hyrule castle when investigating the failing shiekah tech and discover a cave system that leads to several abandoned shiekah research/security sites and ultimately lead to a cave in which ganondorf is still sealed away by the ancient queen of hyrule; after the initial sealing (or capture rather) her descendant and the shiekah, who were rapidly advancing their tech at the time, build around it, both to keep the seal secret and safe (as the actual sealing was a short but intense battle between him and the queen that wasnt intended to happen like that, in the middle of the throne room that got broken and both ended up in the underground, the only survivor being the young princess of hyrule from that time- since all involved parties except for her died little was known as to how and why but the stories were spun regardless and ultimately the final narrative was in hyrules favor) and to use ganondorfs immense spiritual power and magical skill- eventually becoming one of the main power sources for all shiekah technology (ouch)

the chamber is all shiekah built (post sealing) and similarly secured like the monks in shrines (though visibly decaying and failing)- once disturbed the remainder of the ancient queen fused into zeldas hand (with seemingly no effect but temporary pain, perhaps she will hear voices from the past telling her not to explore any further .. still working on that) ganondorfs body falls to the ground but then springs back to life, somewhat clumsily but fiercly attacking zelda and link, the shock from being in this horrendous condition between life and death for thousands and thousands of years and suddendly being thrust back into his decayed and used up body still fresh

the mastersword is broken and links arm destroyed, both link and zelda start to flee from the crumbling cave, zelda dragging link behind her in panic (and as he is hurt)- after which link gets his shiekah tech arm (and the arm stays gone) and the world changes

mid game fight- this game is not as free in progression as botw, you can do alot when you want but some things will remain locked, the mid game fight can only happen once the 4 main regions problems have been dealt with (very different to canon totk, but that is for a different post) and the castle, which fell into the underground shortly after the intro, is made accessible (specific way how still in work) the interior is both broken castle, rooms previously blocked, and shiekah tech- since beneath the castle was a whole, giant array of tech made to secure the castle, including reserves of ancient energy specifically for the royal family and the entire mechanism behind the rising pillars filled with guardians-

at the start of the dungeon link is grabbed by malice/miasma hands and dragged into the castle, seperated from zelda and the mechanics she introduced (crafting/reparing weapons and more), theres no way out, teleports are blocked; after getting further in alone, zelda finds you again, and nothing seems out of the ordinary (unless you have a keen eye, she only uses her left arm and would walk past things she usually wouldnt) after a certain amount of progression, without warning, as soon as zelda is out of the cameras view she will attack you relentlessly, not speaking a word and with changed eye color- after fighting with her/beign chased into the main throne room, the real zelda breaks through a wall, her friends in tow (yunobo, teba+tulin, riju, sidon, which she went to to ask for help, explaining the time gap), and ganondorf drops the disguise, a fight with him (mummy version) ensues, though he is very much back to his senses

at the end of the fight he shows (or forces her to see) zelda his last memory from when he lived, the confrontation with the ancient queen to his sealing (since she doesnt know/is in denial of her families role in both all this and the sonaus (zonais) extinction (as well as the betrayal and persecution of the shiekah later on), and his beef is with her specifically, link is just her guard dog after all) (i wasnt sure to include a direct scene from the past, but this one scene is very self contained and gives alot of context while still letting most of the past be a mystery- as i want to keep it as feeling ... removed and unknown as much as possible from the world you know)

(after which he leaves the scene as zelda tries to understand what she just saw)

post revival Ganondorf (beginning of end fight cutscene and phase 1.) only appears at the end (excluding the possible cutscene in the mid game fight, which shows him in his time, alive, which is a different design than this that i will make for a cutscene/story post)

the end of the game is in/on the forgotten plateau (it ends were botw began :) ) perhaps it rose higher and revealed an entrance after more game progression (at least one more dungeon, master kogas, and the restorations of the master sword via deku tree dungeon and sword quest involving the dragons; how much of the past you cared to explore within caves, which ARE the underground- its in several bigger and smaller, harder to access caves, each being somewhat to very unique and reveal more context, is largely irrelevant, it mostly serves to give YOU more context and make you think)

the dungeon is within the plateau, once to the end there is a longer cutscene of zelda trying to talk with ganondorf, now in his, largely, restored form (largely as in, not exactly as he was in past, clothing difference etc), her having come to understand what her legacy is and wanting to take responsibility for it; he listens calmly and talks to her for a bit (but the tension is very high, he knows what threat he poses and his goals, zelda is visibly trying to keep it together) and for a bit it might look like she can avoid this conflict

but he makes it very clear then, that she cannot undo anything, there is no possible price she could pay, he has suffered at hyrules hands for generations, having seen the world that was his home grow into myth, see his own people forget him, and how the history was remembered, not as it was, but as they wanted it to; he is forever changed, ripped from his time and all he ever held dear (there are clues and a mention of him having had two daughters, a little boar figurine, carved from wood of trees now extinct, hangs from his belt even now)- he wasnt a perfect king, but well liked and kept his country to stay strong against hyrules schemes .. until he fell- he is not truly alive, he is in a strangers world and this world hates him, it is anger and hatred, rage against all that happend, guilt for having failed his own, feeling betrayed by them yet, even if not truly their fault as no one knew what really happened except him, but he was imprisoned, with no breath to speak nor air to scream

he does not care for this world and his only goals now are to disrupt as much as possible, be the unstoppable force that hyrules always been, be the monster they wanted him to be, do as he wants until someone stops him ...and kill zelda to end her rotten family- but even if she gave up her life willingly he wouldnt take it, she will have to fight and make her own hands dirty and she does not want to die.

your friends arrive, and the battle begins.

(rough examples of his weapons are further below; he fights with one arm only in phase 1. then reforms his missing arm with malice, borrowed from the boar appearance, though it is not usable enough to truly replace it, it acts more like beasts claw and to copy some of links abilities, like the hookshot)

Beast Ganon(dorf), normal appearance (phase 3)

at the end of phase 2 he knocks out your friends, changes into beast form and attacks you, zelda using her magic to shield both her and link so he cannot bite through, instead smashes them both through stone and dirt all the way to the surface of the plateau on which the fight continues, this time only link and zelda

(his movement isnt a senseless rage, but a graceful being, he moves and jumps, floats and swims through the air as the ground in an almost dragon like way, he still wields magic, not all malice, but lightning and perhaps even more too, it is still him, just a different form)

Beast Ganon(dorf) while charging magic (phase 3)

Ganondorf phase 2 + Ganondorf phase 4 (slightly out of order but the boar wouldnt fit on one picture with other forms)

at the end of phase 3 (beast) it seems like you have beaten him, he is down and zelda takes charge, ready to do as she did to the dark beast she faced before (dark beast ganon in botw) but as she raises her hand a sword slash cuts off half her right hand- he is not done yet and refuses to be dealt with like that again, not by her hand again-

the final phase is a mix of all, including his appearance, this is the final struggle, to give every last drop of strength, the hole in his chest is open, malice eyes staring from within, it keeps him alive yet still-

zelda is disabled for this fight, she has been taken to safety by your friends, this fight is all on link to finish; while this is his most desperate and vengeful form, he is not senseless either, he summons his sword to attack you with as he did in phase 2, then throws it at you, quickly conducting lighting to it and while you are busy dodging lunges like in beast form (to paint the picture a little), this fight is supposed to be truly challenging.

(heres a rough example for his weapons)

(not fully sure of the ending scene, but there is supposed to be a short view into a timeskip in which zelda also has half a prosthetic hand made from shiekah tech)

[clinicalcuntetiquette]

hello! thank you for indulging in my thoughts and humor me just a little bit more cuz I have this urgency to make sense of the media I consume (it’s a disease). op I swear I’ll try my best to explain but im not good at this. and disclaimer I am not a writer nor do I qualify to analyze shit. just my observation.

none of the lions choose their paladins for no reason. I saw a post recently made by someone here -maybe I’ll tag you in it after this- where the blogger explained a writing rule that kind of eased my mind and I’m quoting her here cuz I can’t remember the exact wording of the rule “the writers have to pay forward what they set up in the beginning” something the writers of voltron fail to do not just when it comes to the lions and their paladins bond but also the characters dynamics, relationships and development.. they set them up so you as a viewer would have an idea where the story is going but then end up NOT delivering a satisfactory resolve.

it happened with lance, shiro, lotor etc. it even happened with allura (you say that she had no development but I couldn’t disagree more, her growth and development happens through out all 8 seasons. there isn’t a plot where she is not involved. beautifully well written until the fuck ass unnecessary ending and s8 in general)

for me, no matter how you slice and dice the show the reason it is hugely flawed is the lack of cohesive writing. there are many many fragments in there left unexplained, at my first and second watch those threw me off so badly I started to lose interest and take out my frustration on the characters I truly loved.

biggest example is shiro.. he had elements of a flawless natural leader, from the very beginning he worked hard to establish his bond w black. throughout season 1-2 he is in a constant fight with zarkon to take full control of black (it is shown that zarkon is still connected to black bc he uses what’s left of his bond w black to track voltron) AND JUST AS HE FINALLY TAKES FULL CONTROL IN THE FINAL BATTLE IN S2 NOT MINUTES AFTER HE FUCKING DIES. this whole escalation comes to an end. bc when he “comes back” it’s a clone not him. and somehow black let’s keith and the clone pilot so the whole idea that was set up in the beginning about the lion it’s special bond to the paladin is flushed down the toilet. from there on out nothing makes sense. it’s infuriating.

in season 7 allura infuses the clone’s dead body with shiro’s essence and boom.. he is back.. not as a leader, not as a paladin, no fiancé, he is now a background character that controls the atlas with a whole bunch of new people we as the viewers do not have attachments to. and the bond between the paladins and shiro that was established in season one disappears suddenly. SAME TIRED ASS DEVICE.

^^that is one example of MANY^^

about Lance, I can tell you love him so much and want what he initially wanted which is to be a leader..but.. just because he isn’t the leader it doesn’t mean he’s inadequate. that is what lance struggles with most, his confidence and worth compared to the other paladins and he voices those struggles out loud and NEVER settle those issues. each time he goes through a situation where you expect that his character would develop after..he comes out the same. again it’s a writing flaw not at all the character’s (I luv him too but definitely not on my top list due to his immaturity when dealing with other characters)

holy shit I don’t think about romelle at all I feel like she was there to expose lotor but after that her character is just bland and pointless idk she doesn’t sit right with me 😂

at the end of the day what I try to do is push down my biases and give each character the respect they deserve but never gotten by their own creators. after all, the reason that vld is still alive is because of the damage control that the fans apply in their art, fanfics, analysis..etc.

truly a wasted potential.

I like how the black lion is literally doesn't give a fuck about who is it's paladin. It took a battle to get zarkon out of it's system, it took no time for shiro to pilot it, and then like 5 seconds for it to accept keith. I bet that if lance was actually serious about being a leader and it wasn't just for show, black would let him in.

That brings me to the fact that the show was building up for lance to lead voltron, but then they decided that actually no, keith should be the leader (insane decision, actually unparalleled unhinged behavior, especially at that time)

Keith is a hothead, he's reckless and a loner. The fact that shiro wanted for him to lead voltron was pure nepotism. Lance has great spacial and emotional awareness, he always thinks about the team before he thinks about himself. Yeah he boasts and he's annoying, but he's the sanity of the team, he's the shoulder everyone can rely on in their time of need.

Don't get me wrong, this is not a keith slander post, i absolutely love that emo little shit. But at that point in the story, he was in no way fit to lead and he didn't want to. Lance was better suited for that role, but because of the writers' biases of "he's a comedic relief character" he didn't get to be a fully fledged out character.

[wandixx]

GIW made a lot of mistakes and the biggest one was going against Young Justice part 2

part one is here

@whimsicalchaosgarden you asked to be tagged, sorry it took so long

Trigger warnings: mentions of experimentation and dehumanization (tell me if there is more appropriate way of phrasing it)

“So,” Robin started, taking the voice recorder out of his utility belt. “It'll probably be best if we get an explanation while making an accident report. This way we get it all over sooner”

Everyone agreed with this idea, standing in the loose circle in the debriefing area to make it all feel more serious. They had limited time before the next batch of cookies needed to be taken out of the oven and there was no way they all wouldn't devolve into chaos when it happened. M’gann knew from experience. 

To make sure they wouldn't take too long and cookies wouldn't turn on the fire alarm (again) both she and Danny set a timer.

In the meantime they had to learn who actually attacked them earlier.

“Phantom do the honors”

Danny froze for a moment, looking like deer caught in the headlight before he asked in a bit squeaky voice:

“How do I make an accident report?”

“Just say what happened but make it sound fancy,” Artemis explained. 

“Make a mission report and we'll fix it along the way,” Kaldur proposed.

“Answer ‘When? Where? Who was involved? What happened? What have you done about it?’ without excessive use of puns to avoid Bat-lecture” Robin helped, already in handstand.

“Bat-lecture? Really Rob?”

“So it's like lab report lite” Danny said before Robin did anything more than squawk indignantly “Alright, I can do it. Do you have any set phrase to start? And which accident report is it, in the database?"

“44th… How about ‘[Hero name], report’? Sounds serious enough.”

Everyone agreed, so after a moment of silence Kaldur did the honors.

“Phantom, report”

Danny straightened, rolling his shoulders back and locked his eyes in the middle distance. It was a bit eerie how fast he went from relaxed and goofy to almost emotionless statue. M’gann wished to never encounter it again, thank you very much.

“Incident report no. 45 made by Young Justice member Phantom, regarding an attack from earlier today, 26th April 20XX. The Young Justice Team, later referred to as the Team, went on a trip to an amusement park staying currently in the city of Happy Harbour. It was an activity meant to strengthen interpersonal relationships within the Team, previously green-lit by Red Tornado. Every member was in civilian attire as per protocol. Around 3:15 PM, after two and a half hours, the Team were disturbed by a group of ten armed people, recognized by member Phantom as belonging to Ghost Investigation Ward, colloquially known as GIW or Guys In White because of their uniforms. Later in the report the organization will be referred to as the GIW. Two shots were fired by the assailants, targeting but not reaching member Phantom. Members of the GIW were hostile but with use of humor and threat of legal actions, the Team managed to diffuse the situation before it endangered passerbys. Despite direct attack, none of the Team members’ identities were compromised. Assailants left the confrontation with belief that Phantom left his ectoplasmic signature on an unrelated civilian. Agents refused to admit they were working for the GIW since its operations break a couple of laws of the state Rhode Island. Because of that, their appearance was reported to local law enforcement and taken care of. No injuries or damage to the city infrastructure were sustained other than two burns in the asphalt in the place of confrontation. Required follow-up with local law enforcement in civilian attire as victims of assault. End of report” Danny sighed, easing back into a more natural position. “This good?” he asked, with a sheepish smile.

“Perfect”

“How are you so good at reporting? You didn’t even know what to do a second ago? That’s just unfair”

“I used to write my parent’s lab reports. It’s pretty similar in form”

“Lab-”

“Follow-up to the report only, Kid-Flash,” Robin interrupted “Phantom. elaborate on who were the assailants”

Danny stepped back from himself again.

“GIW is a ghost hunting organization supported and accredited by the state government in Illinois, legally operating also in states Wisconsin and Ohio. Their goal is to catch and examine ecto-entities to learn more about their biology and ways to obliterate them. Obviously their plans for experimentation don’t include consideration of ghosts’ well-being”

“Damn, that’s messed up”

“They wouldn't catch a blob ghost if they tried,” Danny shrugged, though something was wrong with the gesture. She wasn't sure though, so she moved on.

“Then why were you scared?” M’gann pressed on instead.

“My parents… are, you know, prominent ghost hunters so when GIW opened we all got a tour around the whole building. The lab was… it made me imagine things I wished I had never thought about”

“They have labs? Like evil labs?” Robin perked up like a kid who just heard that Christmas came early. “How could you hide it from us?!” he added, falling to hang on Danny's shoulder. He twirled a bit to catch the left one even though before he stood on halfa’s right side. Dramatic as always “Conner, we have a birthday gift for you!”

“What does GIW’s lab have to do with my birthday?”

“The potential!” Robin yelled, straightening for a better effect.

Everyone started laughing. Well, everyone other than Conner who just looked at them confused.

“He probably wants to storm another lab, bring up nostalgia of our first meeting,” Kaldur calmed down just enough to explain.

“Tell me you wouldn't like to punch an evil scientist,” Wally added, almost dropping to the floor. 

“This does sound nice”

“And THIS is exactly the reason why I haven't told you all. Thanks for spoiling my surprise Rob,” Danny lied, though he did his best to sound truthful. He even projected some false mirth.

It would take much more to trick M’gann though. She abruptly stopped laughing.

“You're lying. Why actually haven't you told us?” she demanded maybe a little too harshly, but she was worried. Everyone froze for a moment, before turning to look at Danny.

“They're all bark no bite, and aim worse than Stormtroopers’, so I haven't considered them important enough to report”

Other's didn’t know, of course, but M’gann knew just how terrified Danny was during the confrontation and how echoes of that fear soured air around him even hours later.

Everyone did realize this explanation was a tone of bullshit though. 

Apparently incredulous stares were enough of the response.

“You and the Justice League have more important things to deal with than some shitty local laws”

“Bullshit again,” Artemis burst her lips “This is exactly what Justice League is for”

“I already found people to help me lobby against them”

“And why aren't we on the list?” 

Danny fell silent, not looking anyone in the eyes, which was quite a feat considering they had him in a half circle. M’gann considered moving to his side to show her support. Stare down like that had to be quite stressful.

Why not actually. She stepped closer, and drew him in the loose side hug. Danny tensed, which wasn't abnormal for him. He usually relaxed in about thirty seconds, if he didn't, she'd let go.

“I didn't expect them to breach the containment…”

“Each of these lies is worse, you know? Like, insulting our intelligence level of worse,” Artemis interrupted once more, pinning him with her eyes alone “Give us truth or stop talking”

Danny raised his head to look back at Artemis and mimed zipping his mouth shut and throwing the key away. 

“Really?”

Boy just shrugged, not breaking eye contact.

“Alright, let's move on to the next question, how did it get approved in the first place?” Wally interrupted, waving his hand between them. They both shook off like dogs fresh out of water.

“Couldn't you wait five more seconds until I won?” 

“Ha! You wish Artemis. Though you could give us a moment”

“I gave you literal ages”

Danny snorted “Sorry, I keep forgetting how impatient you are”

“Oh shut up, my brain is just faster than yours, you slowpokes”

“Sure, sure”

“He made a good point,” Kaldur said “This shouldn’t even pass. And even if, you’re legally a Meta”

“Normal ghosts aren’t and halfas being a thing is not exactly common knowledge among the living”

“I’ll never get used to this distinction”

“I believe in you, Rob”

“What about ‘Extraterrestrial, extradimensional and otherwise previously unincluded’ Optional Protocol to the ‘International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights’?”

“Oh my god Conner, you’re the only person to say the whole name ever”

“Hey!”

“It all comes down to the definition of the ghost and the fact that Alien addition uses sentience and sapience as a ground to give anyone said rights. And also, US signed it but didn’t ratify it so…”

“Isn’t it same thing?”

“Nope. I thought so too, but apparently signing anything means nothing unless it’s also ratified, so I’m kinda fucked. Can’t even get the UN to frown at them disapprovingly, because officially, nothing was agreed to. And you know, even if they ratified it, ecto-scientists conducted enough research to prove we aren’t sapient enough to have these rights anyway. Just most of the states didn’t need to make a law out of it”

“That’s rough buddy”

“Are you really quoting Avatar at me right now? Really Artemis?”

“Yes”

“Wasn’t Avatar this movie with blue people? I don’t think they said that there”

M’gann wasn’t quite sure why human members seemed to be appalled by the question.

“We’re going to fix that later-”

“What exactly is there to be fixed, because I feel like we’re talking about to different things”

“- but for now can we go back to the whole ‘ghosts have no rights in Illinois’ thing” Robin continued, completely ignoring Conner’s questions.

“Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio. There are portals to the Zone in two of these states. GIW already tried to send nuke through one of them”

“How Americana of them,” Kaldur muttered.

“If you have another insane tidbit about them, please share it all now. My mind can’t utilize any more revelations like that”

“I handled it, don’t worry”

“Someone tried to nuke literal Afterlife…”

“Yup, get on the schedule Kid Flash. You’re supposed to be fast”

M’gann knocked her arm into his, kinda as a ‘don’t be mean’ message. Danny kinda tensed, but soon relaxed back and moved his head as if he wanted to lay it on her shoulder. Excitement of the day was clearly catching up to him.

M’gann wouldn’t be mad if he did laid his head there.

“Why do we learn about it just now?”

“I wrote the report, not my fault you haven’t read it”

“Can’t fault us for assuming we’d know every important thing from your endless bitching!”

Danny straightened and laughed, in this horrible humorless way that made M’gann want to claw at her brain until she couldn’t hear or sense any of it.

Instead, she brought her other hand up and just held him tighter.

Thankfully the whole spectacle didn’t last long.

“It’s cute that you think I bitch about anything important”

“Phantom…”

“Don’t Phantom me right now. Even if by some miracle they managed to send the missile to the Zone, it most likely wouldn’t have worked. They’re mostly just a joke.”

“They managed to shot you. Right upper arm or shoulder”

“Don’t deny it, we’ve seen you wince when I leaned on you and when M’gann hugged you”

Martian tried to let go hearing that, but Danny held her in place. She stayed where she was but carefully moved her hand away from the slightly damp area on his shirt. She suddenly caught on everything that was wrong with him, now that she knew to look for it.

“I got worse from the hand of my house’s security system”

“You… understand that it’s… like… way worse, right?”

“You don’t know life until you hear threats of dissection against your alter ego after stopping death ray with bowl of cereal,” he said, relaxing more into her side again. He sounded absolutely exhausted.

“Do you want to move in here? Until we deal with this whole GIW and assorted mess?” she said instead. Conner nodded, surprisingly eager to share the space that he considered somewhat sacred.

“Nope, I’m good, I’m needed there”

“You could Zeta- yeah, no, nevermind, it wasn’t good idea. But we could make it work”

“You still should-”

“It’s fine. I mean, I have it handled and it doesn’t affect that many people. And we’re working on it. It’s fine”

“It really is not,” Conner growled.

“You need your arm patched up” M’gann demanded, ignoring previous conversation, with eyes still fixed on the blood that stained her forearm. She should’ve destroyed at least Operative K.

“I bandaged it up”

“It soaked through then. Let’s go to med–”

Loud shrill interrupted her, because of course it did.

“Oh, look, convenient distraction! Let’s take the cookies out before they get burned!”

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” M’gann stated in a way that allowed no argument “You’re getting away for now only because I’m holding most of your weight right now”

“Sure we will. And I can stand on my own, thank you very much”

“I’ve heard many lies today and this might be the worst of them. We’re going to Medbay as soon as the cookies are out”

“You’ve got it boss”

[sidethatyoudontknow]

In the middle of all this 457 chaos there's me that lowkey ships junho and the salesman/ the recruiter/ddakji guy or whatever you're calling him

I mean have you look at them, imagine the banter we could've got

Like there's junho, a detective who's been trying to find his brother only to be led up to a brutal kids game competition in some sketchy island and also finds out the person who controls the said game is his very own brother that he's been searching for a long time that is also a previous winner in the game

And then there's the salesman (some people call him ddakji or dak ho) who's been trained to kill, to see people that played the games is lower than him like a trash since he was a teenager probably, who doesn't even know the purpose of life anymore, a literal mess, a maniac. That's also probably the one that recruit junho's brother into playing the games(a theory not sure if that would makes sense)

Just imagine that, I could write a few headcanons if anyone interested

And yes yes I know they didn't even interacted once for SHIT(and the only time they ever see one another was when one of them already died and the one died never also see him or does he?)

[jasperthejester]

me: finally accepting theres a good chance im autistic and starting to work up the courage to ask my parents to see if i could get a diagnoses but being scared to

my mom: do you ever think you have adhd? if you want to do a screening for add next time your at the doctors you can

me:

[saltynsassy31]

*drags myself through the floor and slams this down*

I present to you

FULLMETAL BARTENDERS AVIAN AU

Divine Nugget Au

(Rant as to why I chose the White-throated Needletail as Blurr's bird and some minor AU lore under the cut)

And that's not all! It comes with a FULL FLEDGED COMIC!!!!!

I spent a whole fucking week on this

I haven't done a comic in 4 years now, I can't believe this is my come-back XD. Though, on that note, know that I probably won't be pumping out any more comics - not any time soon, at least. But I do got more stuff planned for this au! If you ask about it, I'll 100% rant about it LOL

Tw// ⚠️mild gore in the 3rd panel⚠️

While exploring the woods with his team, Swerve had an unfortunate encounter with a crazed hunter. In an attempt to escape, he got injured, but it seems he wasn't the only one caught in the crossfire...

.

.

Okay

So when you look up what the fastest bird in the world is, Google with show the Peregrin Falcom

But there's a catch

The Peregrine is only fast when diving

When it dives to catch its prey, it can go up to 389km/h

Which yeah, pretty fast

But when casually flying, it only goes up to 120 iirc

The Needle Tail?

It can go up to 170km/h

Some have even recorded going over 300! (Close to the Falcon's dive, I believe)

Additionally, these birds only fly. Their habitat is literally listed as "the air," and some even believe they sleep while flying! They only ever land to brood and mate, and then they're off again. Their legs are so short that, if they ground, they can't fly again because it doesn't give enough room to flap their wings.

It fits Blurr perfectly!

It also has a blue-ish colour pattern I can work with lol (it's green, but it looks blue, lol)

Though, also, he isn't 100% like the Needle Tail, just based off of it. I still want avians to be sorta their own species and doesn't have to be exactly like their bird counterparts cuz they aren't them, they're their own thing.

That said, Blurr is one of the shortest from Avians population, still.

They're pretty big.

Another trivial detail of the design!

I was stuck between having his arms be his wings or have them be separate

Until I saw a drawing where they had both, and I realised, "Wait, why isn't that done more often! That's so cool!"

So that's sorta what I did

It's mainly to catch small prey when grounded and to stay better perched up on trees since they're much bigger and having extra fingers helps a lot. Or when they're climbing against a tree to pick up fruits, it gives them an extra boost and can better hang from it

But they're pretty much useless besides that lol

Just neat lil design choice

Other lore stuff. The time in which the au takes place is vaguely modern? But with fantasy aspects? I still haven't decided lol

Technology exists, but not in the way we have it sort of deal, idk, this au is pretty bare bones right now, so go wild with it XD I don't mind it, I love brainstorming it with people. I know this au isn't as big or complex as some others out there, but it's fun, and I hope yall like it too fjsjajaj

[turtleblogatlast]

Things I make for myself when insomnia kicks in

Just a chart about what I wanna change up and keep consistent in my art - I mainly wanna draw Raph with a tail because he deserves one, it fits too well. Donnie gets a long tail too because I didn’t realize how dino-like he looks until I gave him one, and now it’s a must for me haha.