#i'll stab you it'll fix ya“

[levi-lev]

hi again

[fxckin-blackbeard]

ᒥ🫀ᒧ—         Ed smiles and shakes his head at Stede's excitement, even in these uncertain times he was still sunshine. Edward reaches over and runs his hand through Stede's hair, then cups the side of his head to pull him close to lay a soft kiss to his temple. "Never change, love." He whispers against porcelain skin. Even with all the fear and anger simmering inside him, Stede always managed to bring him joy. The light in the darkness, like a star shining bright in the sky.

"When the time comes, be careful. We won't know if they're armed or not, you really gotta sell the weakened man bit. Will keep ya from getting shot or stabbed." He believed Stede could, his theatrics could be a touch over dramatic, but Edward planned to move fast. "Everythin' will happen fast, keep yer head on straight and surely it'll all fall into place. If somethin' starts going awry, shout my name and I'll be there to help ya. Awright?" He runs his hand through the blonde's hair once again, staying close to him up until he heard hoofbeats.

He angles his head, peering through the bushes. He's quick to judge the distance, and he waits a few short moments for the opening. When it comes, Edward taps Stede on the shoulder, whispering a "Now," As a cue for the other to do his part. Edward would move to a crouch, his eyes fixed on the carriage driver, watching the man's movements carefully. He needed to size him up, and he determined that there may be a struggle, but he could definitely overpower the man with a little determination. With Stede performing the distraction, the man's guard wouldn't be on his surroundings. It was their chance, and he knew Stede would be successful in act of keeping the man's attention.

Stede appreciated Ed's reassurance and it certainly helped. Especially with the reminder of Izzy being in charge. Nothing stopped that man. Not even death could. Something that nearly claimed him more than once, but he fought against death and won every time. Aside from Edward, Israel Hands was the most powerful pirate there was. The other half of Blackbeard and Stede felt comforted knowing he was in charge, that he was taking care of the crew. He'd protect them with his life, as he's done so before, while training and preparing them for the dangers they could possibly face. Just as he did with Stede. "You're right." Stede says, looking visibly relieved, then mildly concerned. "Probably best we don't bring this up to Izzy the next time we see him. He'll be insulted by my concern." He chuckles, but the thought of seeing Izzy again, of seeing the whole crew, has Stede smiling wide. Now he was all the more eager to get to Nassau.

They just needed a carriage and their first chance at one passed by right them due to Stede's insistence that they wait for the next one. He was thankful Edward allowed it, squeezing his hand as a silent thank you while waiting for the next one. The longer it took, the closer the soldiers would get, but this was their best chance at getting to Nassau quickly and without being seen. All the better if the next carriage had something they could disguise themselves with. Oh, he was becoming excited now. Stede certainly loved a good thrill and this was turning out to be just that. Perhaps not something to be too happy with considering the events that lead them to this moment, but still... admittedly, he missed this.

His eyes light up when Edward lays out the plan. "Oh, I can do that! I'm quite the actor, if I do say so myself. Well, you know. You've seen it for yourself, Ed." He can't help but brag a little. "I could really sell my being shot in the arm. Take this off, make it bleed a little, collapse from blood loss." He grins, then snaps his fingers. "Perhaps the heat. Heat exhaustion is a serious thing... been walking for days, little water, no food, poor energy.." Oh, the ideas were flowing now. He was practically shaking with excitement. It had been far too long since he's committed a fuckery and he was going to surely make the most of this one. "Captain's voice, got it. I'm good at that, too. Not as good as you, of course, but I've watched you. Learned a bit from it." He clears his throat as though readying himself for it. Sure he's used the Captain's voice in bed with Ed before, but this was for far different reasons and he needed to prepare.

Then he hears it. Voices. Horses trotting. This is it. It was time.

"Let's have ourselves a fuckery."

[itsadamcole]

fix you

fem!reader x finn balor

(requested) reader loses someone really close to her and Finn is the only one who can "fix her" ...

word count: 2.3k+

warnings: mentions of someone dying, the grieving process, crying, upset!reader

— this is based on “fix you” by coldplay. thank you to anonymous for requesting this. it’s one of my favorite things i’ve ever written —

masterlist || request an imagine here

***

The first feeling you felt was numbness. It didn't seem real when your brother called you to tell you the news. You couldn't believe what your brother was telling you. It was shocking and very unexpected.

"Y/N, Mom and Dad were hit by a drunk driver," your brother said to you over the phone. "They went to the hospital but they didn't make it. They're gone."

The funeral was the same day that you had an opportunity for the NXT Women's Championship so you couldn't go, but you won the title. Nothing felt any different. You didn't feel happy or in a celebratory mood. Yeah, maybe you felt borderline content with winning the title, but it didn't help you feel better like you thought you would. You put on a fake smile but cried real tears that day. The confetti fell, everyone was celebrating, and all you wanted was to see your parents' faces in the crowd. They weren't there.

It's been a week since you won the title, and you're still in denial about your brother's call. You've tried calling your parents' phones, hoping they'd answer. You only spoke to their voicemails. You just wanted to hear their voices. It had been a few weeks since you last talked to them, and you wish you talked to them more recently.

You've pushed all your friends away since you've tried to cope with your parent's deaths. You've been so tired, but you haven't been able to sleep at night. Non-stop tears streaming down your face for days, maybe even weeks. You don't even know.

What am I supposed to do when I lose something I can't replace? you think to yourself every night when you lay in bed. The thoughts constantly ring through your mind when you're trying to sleep. Does it get worse than this? Can you handle it if it does get worse than this?

One of your friends, well your boyfriend, asked you if he could come to your apartment today. You told him he can come over. You saw him the day you won your title but you haven't seen anyone in days

You've been hiding out in your apartment, barely eating and not showering. You haven't had any motivation to do anything. Your little one-bedroom apartment is a disaster. Clothes are thrown everywhere in your room, the living room is covered in trash and glasses, and the dishes are piling up in the sink. The title lays on the arm of one of the chairs in the living room.

At almost one in the afternoon, there's a light knock on your apartment door. You get up, brushing your hair out of your face and wiping the tears away that have stained your cheeks. You unlock the door and open it.

Finn Balor stands at your front door in his signature black leather jacket, a black t-shirt, and jeans. He's holding a bouquet of flowers, a bag with snacks, and an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts. The tears start again at the kind gesture. "Finn," you cry, walking toward him and hugging him.

"Don't cry," Finn coos. "Come on, let's go dig into these snacks, yeah?"

Nodding, you let Finn walk into the dark apartment. The curtains are all closed, making it darker in the apartment than it is outside. Finn looks around the apartment, setting the bag of snacks down on the kitchen island counter. You stand behind him and look at his view.

"I, um," you say, clearing your throat. "I haven't had the chance to clean it up." Finn turns and looks back at you. Tears well in your eyes. "Actually, that's a lie. I haven't had the motivation to clean it up in weeks."

Your boyfriend sees the tears in your eyes and says, "Hey, that's okay. Ya are going through a lot, Y/N. We can clean it up together and I can help ya in any way ya need me to help."

Nodding, you say, "That sounds nice, Finn. Thank you."

Finn nods and says, "Anything for ya, my love." He walks over to the silverware drawer and grabs spoons. "So, I brought over your favorite ice cream and we can watch some Netflix or Disney Plus. Whatever ya wanna do."

He hands you a spoon and a tub of your favorite ice cream flavor, chocolate chip cookie dough. You take the tub and walk to the couch. You throw the empty boxes of tissues off the couch so Finn can sit. He joins you and grabs the remote, putting on Netflix. You open the tub of ice cream.

"You've been starting a lot of things but ya don't finish watching them," Finn observes. "Ya started so many shows."

You stab at the ice cream and say, "Yeah, I watch it then I get sidetracked with crying." You stab harder at the ice cream and get frustrated. "Why won't this stupid spoon go into the ice cream?"

Finn looks over at you and says, "It's a frozen food, Y/N. It'll defrost a bit if ya give it time."

Getting irritable, you mumble, "Time's not something a lot of us have." His facial expression softens when he hears what you say.

These comments and thoughts aren't uncommon, especially recently. You've been thinking about this a lot while you've spent hours upon hours crying.

You're still stabbing at the frozen ice cream when Finn reaches over. You snap, "I can do it myself."

"I was just trying to help," Finn says, pulling his hands back from you. He's looking at you while you finally get a spoonful of ice cream onto the metal spoon. You take the bite.

"I don't need you to help me with getting ice cream onto a spoon," you say.

Finn looks at you and asks, "Why am I here then? All you're doing is snapping at me and making these comments that you didn't make before."

You say, "You're the one that asked to come over, Finn."

He blinks at you and says, "Because I missed my girlfriend, Y/N. I still do. I don't know who ya are anymore. I don't know this person. Ya disappeared after ya won the title and I didn't hear from ya until I reached out to ask to come over. I probably wouldn't have ever heard from ya if I didn't ask to come over."

While Finn talked, you put the tub of ice cream on the table. When he's done, you say, "My parents died, I didn't get to say goodbye, and you expect me to just be the same Y/N I was before they died. I didn't even get to go to their funeral, Finn. I was too busy winning a title I'll eventually lose anyway. I was winning a title that I don't even deserve." You begin crying again for the millionth time in weeks.

Finn turns so he's facing you as he says, "I never expected ya to be the same Y/N ya were before. I one hundred percent never expected ya to be the same Y/N. I've never lost a parent let alone two so I can't understand the pain and the anger you're feeling right now." He takes your hands in his and holds them while you cry. "Especially because they died so unexpectedly and you didn't get to say goodbye to them."

"Fix me, Finn," you cry to your boyfriend. "I can't keep doing this. I can't keep crying when the smallest thing sets me off like this. I can't have my apartment looking like this." You motion to the messy room around you. "For the first time in weeks, I felt genuinely happy because you were here. I feel like you're the only one who can fix me."

He pulls you into a tight hug and your bury your face into Finn's neck. You cry silently as Finn says, "I'll try to fix ya, Y/N. I can't promise that I can but I'll try. I can't be the only one putting in effort though, baby. I need ya to work with me on this too."

You look up at Finn and you nod, saying, "I can do that." He gives you a soft smile and wipes away your tears before cupping your face. You meet his eyes before he rests his forehead on yours.

Your boyfriend says, "Ya know I'm always here for ya, Y/N. Ya don't have to push me away like I know ya probably want to. I'm in this with ya. Tell me what ya need and we can get started."

"Can we clean my apartment so it looks halfway decent again?" you ask.

Finn laughs a little bit and says, "Of course. I'll get some trash bags and we can start."

Nodding, you pull yourself away from Finn and he gets up. He grabs trash bags from the kitchen and you gather the empty tissue boxes that litter the floor. You grab the used tissues too that missed the tiny trash can you have in the room. Finn returns with an open trash bag and you throw them out.

Then you walk into the kitchen to do the pile of dirty dishes. Finn brings you any glasses, plates, or silverware he finds throughout the living room and dining room areas. He does the same in your bedroom. You do them as he brings them to you.

Your boyfriend being here has given you a little extra motivation you failed to find over the past few weeks. He's helping you clean, and he promised to help try and fix what's going on with you.

You know it won't be easy learning to cope with your parents' deaths, but maybe Finn being around can help you begin to cope. Sometimes having someone to be there for you isn't a terrible idea. So, you make a mental note to see your other friends when you go to NXT tonight.

Step one is to cope with the fact that your parents are gone. Learn to deal with all the emotions you're feeling without keeping them bottled up or snapping on someone because you're feeling emotional. Finn can help you with that, and you're grateful.

It's one step at a time from now on while you learn to cope. You'll figure out step two when you eventually get past step one.

It's close to four when the apartment is cleaned, dusted, swept, vaccummed, and washed. You've even showered and shaved by this time, and dressed in clean clothes that aren't stained with tears or snot. Your hair doesn't look like a bird's nest and you were actually able to put on some makeup so now it looks like you've slept.

You walk into the living room after your shower and find Finn on the couch watching Netflix. You walk up behind him and cover his eyes. "Guess who?" you say by his ear.

"Hm, I don't know," he tease. "Whoever it is actually smells clean."

After gently tapping the back of his head, you uncover his eyes and say, "Jerk."

Finn turns his head and looks at you. He smiles and says, "Look at ya. Ya look good in actual clothes instead of a t-shirt and sweatpants. Not that ya don't look good in a t-shirt and sweatpants but ya have probably been wearing them for days."

You say, "You're the reason I'm actually dressed. You give me a little extra motivation and kick just by being here. Thank you."

He gets on his knees and faces you. "I'm just here to help ya get through this," he says. "Start to finish."

You wrap your arms around his neck and say, "You're the best. I don't deserve this."

Finn says, "Ya don't deserve what happened to ya. We can fly to your hometown so ya can see your family if ya want."

"When I'm a little stronger and I can handle my emotions better we can," you say. Your face falls. "My parents never were able to meet you."

He says, "I don't have to meet them to know that they gave birth and raised one of the most intelligent, athletic, strong, and most beautiful women on this planet. I know they would have went off and started telling me how smart ya are, how strong ya are, how well ya wrestle, and how beautiful ya are. I already know all of that."

Your face gets all flustered as you listen to what Finn has to say. You let him finish before you say, "I wanted them to know how amazing you are, Finn. I wanted them to know that you're taking care of me while I'm thousands of miles away from them."

Your boyfriend climbs over the couch and stands in front of you. "I'm sure they know," Finn says. "If not, I'm sure they do now."

He engulfs you in a hug and you rest your head against Finn's chest. "I know," you sigh. "I'm just glad you're here and trying to help me."

"Fix ya," he reminds you.

You look up at Finn and say, "Yes, fix me." You give a small smile.

Finn says, "Woah, was that a smile? Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen that pretty thing."

Your face gets hot again and you say, "Finn, if you don't stop making me get all flustered."

He chuckles and says, "I'm sorry, mo ghra. Anyway, ya ready to head to the arena? We do have a job to do tonight."

Nodding, you grab your bag and your title. You grab your keys and leave your apartment with Finn.

[machineryfield]

At the Start of the World Chapter 2

Heading Out

--

Fiora sits on the bench at Outlook Park, staring out at the Colony. Just a day ago it had been so peaceful, the threat of Mechon becoming more and more of a distant dream... But, like most good things, that had to come to an end.

She closes her eyes, remembering the scenes that had played out before her. People being eaten, Shulk being eaten. Stabbed cleanly through by that Mechon with a face before smaller ones descended on his body.

She remembers the cold rage that had seeped into her, the way she had finally found a weak point on the blaster armour of that thing and let the Monado cut deep...

The Monado feels so heavy on her back when Reyn approaches, and she forces herself to give him a smile when he sits next to her. "Hey."

"Hey," he doesn't even attempt to pretend to smile. "You doin' alright? I know you and Dunban went home last night... He say anythin'?"

"He tried to comfort me." She admits. "...It didn't really help, though. He just said what I expected him to say, really."

Words of moving forward, like Shulk would want. Firm looks and with an underlying insistence she returns the Monado to the Weapons Development Lab as soon as possible in his tone. She thinks of all he said and frowns. She decided then and there she wouldn't listen to him...

"I want to go out and find that Mechon," she says. "I want to make it pay for what it did to Shulk, and I want to understand why."

"Understand why?" Reyn frowns. "I don't get it..."

"I want to know why the Mechon attacked us, why they’re always attacking us, what made us their targets. I want to know why... why they eat us. Do they need to, or do they just take pleasure in it? Things like that..." She wrings her hands together. "But a piece of me just wants to make the Mechon pay. Not take the time to learn, as much as the questions eat at me."

"Sounds like that piece of you is me rubbin' off on ya,” Reyn rubs under his nose. "...If ya got that, I guess I should be the one to keep you on your path to learnin', right?"

"That piece of me is loud, just like you!" She giggles, before looking over at him. "Really? You're willing to let me try and find out why? Even though you just want to..."

"You're my friend, Fiora. You've got your reasons for wantin' to know, and 'sides, if we know, might be easier to take 'em down!" He nods with a grin. "So let's do this, yeah?"

She smiles and nods. "Yeah...!"

"So," he kicks his legs. "Guess we're not tellin' Dunban, yeah?"

"Yeah." She frowns. "He'd just try to stop me... We head out, just the two of us, tonight."

Reyn nods. "You got it, I'll meet ya at the entrance."

--

"Ready to go?" She asks, fixing the pack at her side.

She goes over all she has. Food for a few days, her knives in case she needs them, and the Monado. Not much, but enough to get them through Tephra Cave and the Bionis leg, at least. They could stock up at Colony 6.

"Yep." Reyn rolls his arm and smiles at her. "The Mechon won't know what hit 'em."

"Yeah," she nods. "First we go to Colony 6, then we head for Sword Valley. If we're gonna find that Mechon anywhere, it'll be there."

"Galahad Fortress," Reyn adds on. "If there's still Mechon, the fortress is probably still there. Buildin' up grunts for a year, I bet."

"Yeah, something like that." She cracks her neck and looks out towards the path towards Tephra Cave. This time, it'd just be the two of them. "Let's go, Reyn."

--

Fiora sees the door open towards Colony 6, once locked, and figures that's where the strange machines they fought earlier came from. She wonders, they showed up right before the Mechon.... Had they sensed the threat? Activated for that?

She shrugs off that thought, at least for now. Whatever those machines were, they were gone now. They could move forward without a problem, right? They just needed to get to Colony 6.

"You know," Reyn speaks, pulling Fiora out of her thoughts. "We haven't had any convoys from Colony 6 recently, have we? Y'think the Mechon got 'em, too...?"

Fiora frowns as they make it to the lit path. "I hope not. Maybe they just got delayed, or it was bad harvests this year."

She doesn't believe what she says, but she continues to hope, anyway. Maybe they did die, but maybe to natural wildlife. It was never fun to lose any of the few Homs they had left, but better to beings of the Bionis than the Mechon.

Reyn nods, frowning. "Sorry, I didn't mean t'..."

"Don't worry about it," she gives him a small smile. "I get the worry, really. We just... have to try and look on the bright side."

"Yeah... you're right."

They continue on their way for a while, fighting off the wild life and picking up knick knacks from the ground. It's going well, she thinks. Maybe too well... She doesn't like thinking that, but dread sits in her stomach as they walk along. What was this feeling...?

She tries to shake it off, at least, until they see dead bodies ahead of them. She feels panic wrack her body as they move towards them. Reyn is there first, looking them over with a grimace.

"Was it the Mechon...?" She asks as she approaches, voice shaking."

Reyn shakes his head, "looks like Arachno wounds, if y'ask me. Probably got ambushed on their way to Colony 9..."

Fiora frowns, she knows how Reyn feels about spiders and their bigger monstrous cousins. She moves to his side and places a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, there's some water, let's return them to the Bionis, then rest. We should think about our next move first if there are Arachnos ahead."

Reyn nods, clearly thankful for the idea. "Yeah. Let's do it."

Fiora's thankful that she and Reyn are both pretty athletic, all things given. It makes moving the remnants of the Caravan easier. There's not enough for it to have been the full group, and as bad as it sounds, Fiora is glad. That's less death they have to see right after what happened.

The bodies start to dissolve the minute they touch the water, and Fiora offers a quick prayer to the Bionis. Born of the Bionis and returned to it, the way Shulk didn't get to be.

She swallows down the bitter thought and turns to Reyn. "Come on, let's get some rest. You first, I'll take point."

--

A giant Arachno, Reyn surrounded by smaller ones. There's no where for him to run and Fiora isn't with him. She watches as it strikes out, he moves to block it, and dread settles in as it gives out. She watches the Arachno stab right through his chest. Watches him die, just like Shulk did.

Fiora blinks back to reality and sees Reyn walking towards her. "Your turn to rest."

"Reyn," she stands, shaky on her feet as she moves to him. "Are you okay?"

"'Course I am." He frowns, scratching his cheek. "Well, couldn't sleep a wink, but I feel alright. You look like you just saw a ghost, though."

"I..." She bites her lip. "I had another vision. Promise me you'll stay safe if I sleep?"

Reyn pats her back. "'Course I will, Fiora. We just lost Shulk, I ain't lettin' you lose me, too."

"Reyn..." She sighs and rests her head against his chest for a minute, tears pricking at her eyes. "You better stay safe, you big dummy."

He squeezes her into a tight hug then, a smile on his face. "Don't you worry about me! I can take a few hits... and if I need ya, I'll wake ya up, okay?"

"You better," she looks up at him. "No running off to play hero. No doing what Shulk did."

"None of that, promise."

--

It's foggy in Fiora's dream, she can barely make out where she is. It's a platform of some sort, that much she can make out. Looking around, she comes to realize she's high above some sort of water source…

There's not much else she can see, save a man in the distance. She squints, trying to get a better look at him and takes a step forward. He seems to realize she's there, but doesn't turn to greet her. He keeps his back to her, simply tilts his head back a bit.

"Quite the divergence, wouldn't you say? I wouldn't think the Heir to the Monado would fall like that." He says, voice sounding quite sad. "But now you are here, to take on that heavy title."

"Heir to the Monado..." She furrows her brow and doesn't even understand why she asks what she does. "Do you mean Shulk?"

He was the miracle child, after all. Found alive when everyone else from his colony -- pushing forward on an expedition to find any way to stay alive -- perished to the cold of Valak Mountain. The little boy, sleeping next to the mythical sword that saved the day so many times.

The man chuckles, and does not answer her. "I look forward to seeing what you'll do, now thrust into his place. I'm sure you'll make him proud, Fiora."

"How do you know my name?" She asks, stepping forward once again. "Who are you? What do you know about the Monado?!"

"All will be revealed in due time." He assures, but Fiora still feels unsettled. "Do your best, now, I'll be watching."

She opens her mouth and sits up from where she fell asleep, panting as sweat rolls down her brow. She turns to see if Reyn noticed, see if he has commentary for her, and her blood runs cold.

Reyn isn't there.

[icedragonchilde]

#HE DIDN'T EVEN QUESTION THE HEART STABBING BUSINESS#HAN YOOJIN SAID#i'll stab you it'll fix ya“#AND SHJ WAS JUST LIKE ”mmh maybe i'm going to instinctively try to defend myself sorry for the inconvenience#ARGH#they're so disgustingly in love

I had to save the tags

hi again