#i'm held together by a frayed thread most days

[rocknrollsalad]

a little disclaimer i didn't know needed to be a disclaimer: writing my fics the way I do, ignoring a lot of historical context and trying to give the characters a bit of a better life, is intentional. i very much understand the atmosphere of the 80s. I want to say I lived through it but my hometown (and where I currently live) is stuck somewhere in the 60s still. i don't need to dive into the homophobia that characters are experiencing. I experience it daily.

writing is an escape for me. i will absolutely write stuff that isn't compliant with history. this isn't me ignoring the aids crisis or reagan. this is me surviving life.

[divine-misfortune]

Mushy May, day 4. Wound tending/first aid.

Rating: T

Pairing: Alpha/Omega

Words: 1,399

Summary: Omega gets hurt and simply shatters under the weight of his guilt. Alpha puts the pieces back together.

Contains: Vague descriptions of injuries, talk of feral water ghouls (ie: Delta), lot of hurt before the comfort. Mushy May? More like misery may- (i'm sorry)

Once again many thank you's to @forlorn-crows for all of this <333

He was shaking. 

Alpha swallowed thickly as he registered that Omega, who moved with a surgeon's precision in every aspect of life, Omega the sturdiest most reliable thing the unholy father ever crafted, was undeniably shaking. 

His hands trembled as he stumbled for the edge of the sink, knocking a few sterilized tools from the counter beside it onto the red splattered tile as he caught himself. Alpha's ears pinned back. Without all the hissing and growling, with the chaos forcefully subdued by the younger quintessence ghoul’s quick thinking, all Alpha could hear was his mate's unsteady breathing. 

The sound of the faucet being turned on broke him from his stupor, driving Alpha from where he'd been rooted with ice creeping into his veins. Lead settled in his belly, a weighted sort of dread as he flocked to Omega's side. He choked on the scent of copper and gunsmoke as he grabbed for Omega's wrists, a desperate attempt to ground him. Try to bring recognition to his eyes. Omega almost jerked away from him and he instinctively held tighter. Never wanting to let him slip away in this blind panic, he'd get lost in it. Alpha did his best to hush him, he was never one for comforting or soothing. People don't often seek out fire to ease the pain, but it was good for cauterizing the wound. 

“Hey, hey, Megs it's me-” Alpha softened his voice to the best of his ability, “look at me.” 

It took a moment but those pinprick pupils found him after bouncing to a few nonspecific points, and Omega let out a shuddered breath. 

“Did you-?” he began, voice grim. Alpha felt his stomach sink like it might retreat back to the very pits he crawled out of. 

“No. No, your kid just put him out for a bit till we figure out a better solution.” Relief and worry fought for a place in his expression. Omega tried to look over Alpha’s shoulder but he abandoned the idea the second he saw the tattered curtain. 

“This wasn't supposed to happen, the transition was supposed to stop it” his eyes dropped, staring at the multitude of gouges raked down his forearms. The reality of failure dawning on him. “We put him through hell, and we still lost Delta.” 

“I….” Alpha followed his gaze down to the cuts on his arms and grimaced, only now registering the blood seeping through his fingers and down his own wrists. “Fuck…C'mon, I don't need you bleeding out,” he gently tugged him away from the sink and towards the office at the back of the infirmary. 

Omega dropped heavily into the chair behind the desk the second he got close to it, fully sagging into his seat. He looked tired, like this had taken everything he had left. Maybe it had. 

The last few months had seemed somewhat hopeful. Short lived relief as Delta seemed to settle into himself, into his new element. There had been a shared anxiety over the transition to begin with, it had never been done before - the idea of an element like water, entirely untamed, being reshaped to fit the ever changing mold of something as elusive as quintessence seemed so outside the realm of possibility. The solution really had been too good to be true, there was no saving a water ghoul from their element or the fate that they were doomed to. Perhaps Omega should have seen it coming, should have sensed the fraying threads in Delta's very being, and judging by the resignation creating harsh lines on his face Omega accepted his part in Delta’s rapidly deteriorating humanity. 

Alpha watched his chin sink to his chest, eyes fixing somewhere far away, seemingly unbothered by his injuries or just too numb to care. He wanted to grab him by those broad, capable shoulders and shake him. Shake the sense back into him. Rattle the guilt out of him like spare change from a piggy bank. 

But he clenched his fists at his sides and went to collect the things he needed. Alpha was no medic by any means but he could certainly clean and dress a wound, Omega had taught him well through the years and various injuries he'd collected - for a time Omega must have thought he was getting hurt like that on purpose to have an excuse to visit the infirmary. His time in the medical wing was informative at least, he knew the various cabinets and drawers a bit too well. 

Rags, hot water, gauze pads, and bandages in hand Alpha returned to Omega to find the quintessence ghoul had not moved an inch. Even the few strands of hair falling over his face hadn't shifted. 

The position felt backwards. Alpha knelt before him while Omega sat silently, avoiding eye contact out of shame. He did not move with confidence like the quintessence ghoul would have. Hesitant and cautious as he moved to dab a wet rag at the fine imprint of teeth. Omega nearly jerked from his grip but Alpha's tail swatted at him lightly, pulling his hand back towards him. Delta had a nasty bite, two rows of jagged needle like teeth, flinching was certainly understandable. 

“He really got you good, huh…” Alpha mumbled, feeling a tendon in Omega's hand twitch in a sort of agreement. No change in his face. “Omega,” he sighed, barely looking up. “You can't tear yourself apart over him, he knew the risk when he pursued the transition.” 

Not a word. 

“This isn't your fault. You couldn't have predicted this.” He offered with an alarming sincerity, a voice too gentle to belong to someone like him. “You did everything you could, but you can't save everyone.” 

His fingers curled, a fist in his lap suddenly. Alpha feared those claws would dislodge the blood clot and he'd start bleeding everywhere again but Omega didn't seem bothered by the thought. 

“Why can't i?!” The words spilled out of him soaked in desperation, face screwing up, eyes shut. “What good am I as a healer if I can't save them?” His voice broke, silently pleading for an answer to ease his guilt. 

Dropping the red stained rag to the floor with a wet slapping sound, Alpha reached for his face instead. Needed to touch him, skin to skin, he couldn't let Omega fall much further lest he lose him entirely. This was the only lifeline he knew how to provide. 

The tears escaped at the first touch, and Alpha wanted to engulf him entirely. Shroud him in a warm safety where the cold cruel reality couldn't tear into his mate any further, but all he could do was slip his arms around his middle and drag Omega's face into his shoulder. The position was awkward at best, what with Omega in the chair and him just kneeling on the floor, but they still found a way to fit together. They always did. 

Clutching the back of his shirt, Omega's shoulders shook. A muted sob that could have easily torn Alpha's hardened heart entirely in two. 

“You couldn't save him but you gave him more time,” Alpha held him tighter, like the truth might be squeezed into him. “You did more for him than any of us could.” 

“He'd have never forgiven me.” He mumbled, cheek pressing close to Alpha’s steady pulse. 

“He would have never thought you needed forgiveness.” He corrected and laid his palm flat to the nape of his neck, idly scratching at the overgrown whispy hairs. “Delta was nothing but grateful to you.” 

Against his neck he felt Omega open his mouth to argue but the words didn't come. He didn't have the energy to let them tumble out, wilting into the fire ghoul's embrace helplessly. Alpha knew his knees would ache, he'd probably walk with a faint limp for the next day or two from the unforgiving tile against his bone, but he didn't dare to move. The bruises were nothing compared to the proverbial beating Omega had given himself, he could endure it. Alpha could endure it all if only to bring Omega peace of mind. 

So he remained, a light in the dark, coaxing Omega back from the places none of them could follow. Warm and solid, something for his lover to latch onto. Alpha would have stayed perfectly in place for centuries if that was what Omega needed. 

[zartophski]

3, 20, 27, 29 :D

:D !!!!!!!

3. What work are you most proud of

Unspoken was hard. The idea was in my head since the beginning of summer when I was sick with COVID and feeling a certain type of way, and I'd slowly chipped away at it since. I have five more scenes that are partially or wholly finished for that one, but I ended up only posting one scene. That scene was something I wrote straight through, pretty late at night, with a ten hour loop of Temple of Time background music while it was storming outside. It was very much an everything aligning kind of moment, and while I wish I had been able to pull the rest of it together, I am very proud of how that one scene turned out.

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most

It's kind of random, but I go back to Woe a lot. It's pretty short, and doesn't have much plot besides "Time is sick and he will be resting for the day", but the solidarity of the group in really pronounced in that one. It's domestic but a couple steps to the right. Everyone gets along and works together so easily, but they're also definitely up for pranks and teasing.

27. What do you listen to while writing?

I've got a couple things! I've got a playlist on spotify that's some mixed lofi from Pokemon and Zelda. I also listen to, like, all of Rozen's Zelda covers. But sometimes I just put on the Hyrule Warriors OST, Pokemon Legends Arceus OST, or one of these Breath of the Wild Ambience videos. Whatever I'm feeling at the time, and whatever fits the vibe of what I'm writing.

29. Favorite line/passage written this year

hjfgshdgj it's a slightly longer passage so I'm putting it under the cut, but it's from Scraps & Thread, which is a Hyrule Warriors fic I wrote for my birthday this year <3

It was the ugliest scarf Link had ever seen.

At least, he assumed it was supposed to be a scarf. He slowly picked it up, confirming that it did in fact seem to be a scarf-shaped item. It was the only possible thing such an agglomeration of fabric could pass for, and even then it was stretching the definition. The thing barely held itself together. The scraps used to create it must have wanted to be blue, but the various shades were faded and dulled in comparison to the blue he wore around his neck. 

The needlework wasn’t much better. Each scrap was hand sewn together, and the quality of the stitching left Link praying whoever made it wouldn’t have to patch themselves up on the battlefield with a needle and thread. Despite being newly presented to him, the scarf was already fraying and unravelling in a few places. It was about as threadbare, pathetic, and ugly as a scarf could ever get.

Link laughed, the sheer absurdity of the gift requiring no other response. Luckily the others took it as a sign of approval and laughed along with him, offering each other high-fives and exchanged grins. Link tugged the blue silken scarf from around his neck, letting it pool in his lap as he attempted to maneuver the new scarf into a wearable state. It was much longer than the other one, and looping it around a few more times made him feel obnoxiously bundled up for sitting next to the fire, but he didn’t mind. 

One of the ends of the scarf felt different as he brushed his fingertips against it, and he glanced down. Embroidered on the last square were three letters. It was barely discernible, but LOZ was clearly the intention behind the extra stitching. His own initials, shakily declaring the scarf as his. 

The scarf was hideous. The workmanship was probably the worst Link had ever seen. The fabric scratched uncomfortably against his neck, and it was a downright tripping hazard to wear. It was a complete fashion disaster that no one would want to be caught dead wearing.

It was the most beautiful gift Link had ever received. 

[random-fangirl003]

Notice Me - Nathan Drake

Fandom: Uncharted

Character(s): Nathan Drake, OCs, Sam Drake, Elena Fisher, Sully

Pairing(s): Nathan Drake x OC

Type: Oneshot

Warning(s): Cussing, Arguments, Pregnancy Mention, Teasing

Summary: Tired of playing second fiddle to Elena, Nathan's best friend decides to prove a point.

A/N: NEW TO THIS FANDOM, MIGHT GET STUFF WRONG!

Anyone who looked close enough, could tell that Savannah Grant was in love with Nathan Drake, and they could also see how much Nathan Drake loved Savannah Grant, but the two of them were as oblivious to their affections towards one another. So, they constantly spent time together, whether treasure hunting or otherwise, as best friends do. On the latest treasure hunt, Savannah had dug up information on the location of a map for Alaric's treasure, which was being sold in a charity auction, meaning that they would have to break in and steal it, or honestly bid on it, which was causing a bit of a dispute between the two best friends currently.

"No! No way!" Nathan huffs from where he's sitting, leaning back on two legs of his chair. "You can't just go into that auction unarmed and alone!"

"What?! I'm not strong enough to do it? Is that what you mean?!" Savannah demands, placing her hands on her hips.

"I never said that!" Nathan replies. "It's just too dangerous to go it alone!"

"Yet you had no problem sending Sully in alone, last time."

"That's different."

"How? How is it different, Nathaniel?! How is my going to an auction, while you do the exact see thing as last time, any different? In case you forgot, this is my treasure! I found it!" She growls, narrowing her eyes at him.

"It just is!" He replies as he stands up, pressing his hands on the table.

"If it were Elena, you'd have no problems with it!"

"That's different too! She's-"

"What?" She demands, cutting the treasure hunter off. "She's what? Stronger? Smarter? Prettier?"

"I never said any of those things!" Nathan yells, anger flushing his cheeks as she slams a hand on the table herself.

"You didn't need to." She growls as she presses off the table, her anger turning her vision red as she turns away. "I'm going! And if you're so fucking worried, I'll ask Michael to accompany me as my date!" She stalks off, leaving Nathan fuming behind her, Sully and Sam are off to the side of the room, completely forgotten.

"Michael?! How could she just invite that pompous, arrogant-?!"

"She is in charge, Nate. She's been doing most of the work this time." Sam points out, causing his brother to turn on him with wild eyes, raking a hand through his hair.

"But, he's played her so many times!" Nathan shouts as Sully holds up his hands.

"She's a big girl, she knows what she's doing." Her annoyance had bit at Nathan, and he knew she threw Michael's name into the fray, just to anger him, but he also knew that she would keep her word, and that jackass would be escorting her to the auction tomorrow evening.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." Nathan retorts sharply, leaving the room. Elena and Savannah are sitting on the roof top patio in the hot evening sun of Southern Italy, where the blonde journalist is trying to calm the ginger treasure hunter down.

"Look, he didn't mean it like that, Vannah." Elena grasps her friend's hand. "You just have a tendency to go head first into things, without thinking them through."

"Seriously?! You just don't understand why I'm doing this, do you?!" Savannah exclaims, rage still burning in her words. "Nathan sees me as a burden! All I ever do is screw up, some way or another. I want to show that I'm worth being in this, being by his- I mean your guys' side."

"You don't always screw up," Elena shakes her head, patting Savannah's hand. "I mean, remember the time Nate didn't remember to write down the pattern to a puzzle in his journal, and you remembered it all, in order? Or how about the time none of us could speak that one language, uh-"

"Taushiro. I wouldn't have learned if I hadn't wanted to show up Nate." Savannah sighs, leaning into her fist.

"Exactly! You and Nate may fight, but you bring our the best in each other. You just have to understand where you both are coming from, ya know?" Elena's words make Savannah sigh again as she runs her other hand through her wild curls, pulling away her hand as she grimaces at the muck that always seems to find it's way there, due to the constant running, fighting, and everything else that is entailed with treasure hunting.

"I guess you're right." Savannah stands with a hesitant smile, heading towards the stairs, only to pause. "Elena, you don't happen to... like Nate, right?" She asks, looking at the blonde from over her shoulder.

"I, uh-" Elena pauses, and let's out a shocked laugh. "No, it's not like that. Nathan is like a brother, I mean once, yeah, I did. But, you know how it is, I mean-"

"Is it Sam?" She turns bright red at that, causing Savannah to giggle, shaking her head. "You might want to talk to him about that."

"Like you can talk?" The journalist teases, causing Savannah to scoff, entering their hotel room.

"Savannah, I-" Nathan starts as he walks over to her from the other room, but Savannah pushes past him.

"I need a shower, Nathan. Then to make a call." She slams the door to the room that she and Elena share, grabbing her toiletries, clothes, and a towel, before exiting her room to enter the bathroom, leaving Nathan standing in the hallway, stunned at her behavior.

The silent treatment continues through the night, and into the next day, where Elena and Sully go over the layouts of the mansion where the auction is being held, and the plan for the others, while Savannah spends the day getting ready. At half past eight, she finally leaves her room, entering the living room in a shimmering blue dress with a slit up her thigh, and silver high heels on. "God, my stomach is in knots." Savannah says as she walks over to the kitchenette, Nathan's mouth dropping open at the sight of her, Sam's and Sully's mouths aren't far along.

"Don't you look nice!" Elena says brightly as she pulls out supplies for a sandwich. "You are probably hungry."

"No, I'm in heels and a dumbass dress, that feels like I had to be slathered in Crisco to get into. I hate being unable to wear my boots, and clothes I can fight or defend in. You ever see someone ungraceful, who could dodge a bullet in a dress?" Elena shakes her head with a laugh, and starts to spread mayo over her bread.

"Well, eat before you go. You'll feel better." Elena says.

"No way, if I eat one bite, every seem in this thing will split open." Savannah says as she glances back at the dumbstruck men, who are watching her, instead of preparing for the night. "Are they alright?"

"You look like a girl!" Sam says, causing her to snort.

"I am a girl." She points out, causing Nathan to snap his mouth shut, slugging Sam in the arm.

"Yeah, but you don't look it!" Sam replies, causing Savannah to sigh, threading her fingers through the one long sleeve of her dress, feeling rather sheepish now.

"Well, you look lovely, Sav." Sully says, pressing out of his chair, before crossing to her with a cigar clenched between his teeth.

"Thanks Sully, I'd give you a hug, but Elena lent me her expensive perfume, I don't want to smell like cigarettes too, I'll smell like a hooker." She giggles at Sully's affronted expression, there's a knock on the door that silences them all. "That'd be Michael." She says, grabbing her clutch from the table by the door, and opening it to show a suave man in a tux, his black hair is slicked back, and he has a cocky smirk on his clean shaven face.

"V-V." Michael sweeps her up in a hug, causing her to let out a surprised laugh, hugging him back as Nathan grits his teeth, clenching a fist behind her. "How have you been, luv?" He asks as he pulls back to set her to the floor.

"Living one day to the next." She answers honestly, before walking over to grabbing her shawl from the chair beside Nathan, not even sparing him a glance as she walks back towards Michael. "Well, are we going?"

"Indeed," He grabs her hand, bringing it up to press a kiss to her gloved knuckle, before tucking it into his arm. "far well all, enjoy your evening." He bids, telling them all that Michael has no clue what is really going on as Savannah waves, closing the door behind them after, a sweep of her shawl over her shoulders. During the drive to the mansion, Savannah and Michael make polite conversation with one another, while back at the hotel the others are getting dressed, and preparing for the sting, while Nathan seethes in his anger.

Pulling up to the mansion, Savannah removes the invitations from her pouch as Michael rounds to the other side of the car, opening her door, before offering a hand to help her out of the car. Taking it, the ginger treasure hunter stares up at the manor, her green eyes wide as Michael chuckles, tucking her hand through his arm. "Are you sure you'd rather be here, than somewhere else for our date? I'm only in Italy for the weekend."

"Michael, you're my escort, this isn't a date." He fakes a wounded look as he walks her towards the door, where the guards study their invitations, and scan her purse, before allowing them in. The main foyer is full of people in fancy dress, the artifacts are spread out on the tables for examining, there is music, dancing, a grand chandelier, and a champagne fountain with flutes next to it for drinking. "Will you get me a drink? I want to look at the artifacts." Michael nods, giving her a teasing bow as she starts towards a table, pretending to be examining a golden plate as she pulls out a lipstick container from her purse. Pretending to put the lipstick on, she pulls the ear piece out of the bottom, sticking it in her ear, before smacking her lips together as she puts the lipstick away.

"Check check, Sav can you hear me?" Sully asks as she let's out a hum of acknowledge, though to others it might seem like she's humming along to the music.

"We're outside right now," Nate says, his voice a welcome distraction from the pit in her stomach. "I'm working on getting the passage under the mansion open for the others."

"V-V, luv?" She turns to the British ambassador as he walks over with two champagne flutes, offering her one as she bites her lip.

"Actually, I haven't ate yet. I really shouldn't drink on an empty stomach." She says, causing Michael to deflate as Nathan chuckles in her ear, causing her to struggle not to roll her eyes.

"No matter," Michael sets the flute on a passing waiter's tray, tucking her hand into his arm again. "I do wish you had mentioned something, I would have made sure you ate before we had come."

"I'm alright." She says as they both start to wander around, her looking for the artifact that hides the map, and Michael watching Savannah's expressions and mannerisms.

"Savannah, I need you to open the servant's door leading to the kitchen." Nate's voice is in her ear, making her swallow thickly as she glances at the clock.

"Michael, I'm going to go to the bathroom and fix my make-up-"

"Ah, luv, no need, you are beautiful, as always." Michael reaches up to brush a wild curl from her face, and she blushes.

"Oh please." Nathan says in the ear piece, making Savannah's face to crumple, and Michael frowns.

"What's wrong?" She shakes her head, forcing herself to smile convincingly.

"My stomach is eating itself. I'm going to pop into the kitchen and grab something."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Michael asks, grasping her hand as she pulls away, and she looks back at him.

"I'll ask permission if anyone spots me." She gives a teasing grin. "Besides, mister ambassador, I remember the two of us having quite a bit of fun sneaking around, while we were younger." Michael chuckles, rubbing his neck as Nathan makes a gagging sound in the mic as Savannah struts away, her path towards the kitchen dead ahead. Slipping into the kitchen is fine, the servants merely sent questioning looks, though seeing her attire they left her alone, most guests were allowed to do as they wished, as long as they caused no trouble. The area around servant's door to the kitchen was abandoned, but she was careful when resting upon the wood, her back flat against it as she looked around, watching the servants carefully as she unlocked and opened the door.

"Finally!" Nathan groans as he enters, dressed to the nines as she glares at him, holding out her hand for her pistol- with Nate, shooting was never far behind. He hands the weapon to her, making her throw back the skirt of her dress from the slit, and slide the gun into the holster on her leg, Nate's eyes trailing up and down her legs as she tugs the gown back into place.

"Have you found the artifact?" Elena asks, entering the kitchen in a waitressing outfit.

"The map is in the vase, like I thought. Lot number 31." Savannah says, holding out a stolen apron from a kitchen cart. Elena pulls on the apron, tying up her hair as Sam ties the apron behind her back, he's in his own waiter outfit, and Sully is obviously waiting in the car for their getaway.

"Do we need the vase?" Sam inquires, causing her to roll her eyes.

"The map is in the vase." She replies, making him frown. "It's also from the year Alaric died, we might need it- it could contain a clue, or be part of a puzzle, so yes. It's not a very big vase, and it's more than likely full of dirt, considering it looks like an urn, but the marking indicate that it isn't."

"So, we're stealing the map, vase and all." Nathan replies, and Savannah looks at him, before frowning.

"You're supposed to be a waiter."

"I couldn't find a uniform in my size, so I knocked out a guest, and stole his clothes." She wrinkles her nose, attempting to hold back a giggle as Nathan smiles. "I'm a guest now."

"Well, Michael knows who you are, so if he asks why I didn't come with you, tell him the truth. We're fighting." She states.

"Are we really?" Nathan asks, causing her to glare at him. "You are beautiful tonight... so beautiful." He says softly, causing her to blush as she looks away, shuffling a bit until Sam clears his throat, looking up as Elena elbows the older of the Drake brothers in the stomach, she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, and starts towards the party.

"Show time." Elena says into the ear piece, making Savannah paste a smile on her face, exiting the kitchen alone. She heads over to Michael, an apology on her lips as he smiles at her.

"Sorry, I had to meet Nate at the door. We're fighting, but he insisted on coming." Michael frowns as he glances around, probably for Nathan, as Savannah smiles up at him. "I'll take that champagne now." He nods his head, grabbing her hand to tuck it into his arm, before escorting her towards the champagne fountain.

"I hope he doesn't interrupt our time again, tonight. I have missed you V-V." She forces herself to continue to smile.

"Gross. Watch, next he'll say he wants to get back together." Nathan hisses in her ear as she takes the flute of champagne from Michael, sipping on it the bubbling drink.

"I mean it, V-V, my love. I made a mistake, I wish to be with you once more." Savannah chokes, spitting her drink right in Michael's face, coughing out an apology as Elena, as a waitress, hands him a napkin from her apron. Savannah takes the other napkin, dabbing at her chin as Elena shoots her a sympathetic grin, walking behind Michael to hover.

"I-I am so sorry." She coughs, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to-" He wipes his face with the napkin.

"No no, you didn't do anything wrong, luv." Elena pretends to stick a finger down her throat behind him. "I merely chose the wrong moment to speak my mind." He continues to wipe his face as she sets the drink down.

"I-Look, Michael, you really hurt me last time, you took advantage of my heart and my feelings, and I just- I just felt that I could never love again. You know how difficult it was for me to trust you, the only other person I could ever trust like that, was Nate." Michael clears his throat, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"So, you have turned me down. My heart is now the one to have been played."

"Michael, I never said this was a date, and I never implied that we'd be in a relationship. I needed an escort, that is all. And, as a friend, I thought we could-"

"You've still rejected me!" Michael says, anger in his voice.

"Shh, please, don't make a scene." She begs softly.

"Can I at least be told why? Am I not man enough? Did I hurt you too much?"

"No, that's not it. Well, it's sort of it, but I just-" She bites her lip, looking around. "I just-"

"She's with me." She jumps at the feeling of a familiar arm falling around her waist, pulling her tightly against the person's side, and she looks up to see Nate. "We've been fighting, so I asked her to at least, if she didn't want me to come, invite someone she knew could be trusted, to escort her tonight. What can I say? We fight, but I love her." Savannah's heart pounds and sputters at those words, making her blush as Michael looks at her for confirmation, and she freezes, then slowly nods.

"I see. As far as I can tell, you've made up quite well, and I shall be on my way." Michael bows, walking away with arrogance in his stride as she glances back up at Nate, before she pushes him away a bit.

"I had that!" She snaps, causing Nate to roll his eyes.

"Not from what I saw. Elena was about ready to pour champagne on the guy, to get him to leave." Rubbing her arm, she swallows thickly, glancing at Elena, who is handing out drinks to guests, and she sets her own down.

"So, you decided to play the noble hero and sacrifice yourself for the greater good of the mission?" She scoffs, roll her eyes as she walks away. Nathan grabs her by the wrist, turning her back to him.

"Hey, I never said that! What the hell is with you lately?" Her face falls as she jerks her wrist from his grasp.

"Let's just finish this mission, and I will be out of your hair for good!" She snaps, stalking off towards the artifact, waiting until everything goes dark, and her night-vision contacts come flooding to life, allowing her to slink silently to the table. She quick in grabbing the vase from the table, before hurrying towards the kitchen door. Just as she slips inside, Nathan, and Elena right on her tail, the foyer floods with light again. Tossing the vase to Nathan, who hides it in his pocket, Sam meets them at the servant's door, the four of them exiting without anyone noticing. Or so they thought.

"So, hey," Nathan whispers as they slink through the mansion. "what did you mean by out of my hair "for good"? Are you leaving after this hunt?" She glares at him as she takes measured steps, ignoring his question.

"Who goes there?!" A guard shouts, causing her to flinch at the sound of her heels hitting the floor, and Nate turns his flashlight on them. "The wind?" The guard asks, causing her to glance at the guard from behind the pillar, watching him walk away. Her breath stutters in her relief as she stands flush against the stone pillar, the others are just as quiet around her.

"Take them off, Sav!" Elena whispers in a rush, causing Savannah to nod.

"I'm on it." She shuffles nearly silent as she struggles to get the heels off, then she tosses them to Sam, who hurriedly catches them, before padding up to the guard as he turns back towards them, his flashlight barely hits her toes, before she swings her arm up. Driving her elbow into the guard's head, she knocks him out as he drops to the floor like a sack of rocks, his flashlight rolling across the floor. Nathan whistles softly, impressed as he drags the unconscious guard behind a flower box to hide him, and the four of them continue on their route.

"Are you going to answer me?" Nate asks after a few minutes of silence, then as they round another corner, she just shoots him a glare.

"Now is not the time, Nathan." She retorts as the whistling of a bullet goes past her head, skimming across her cheek as it blows her hair past her eyes, and they all turn, Nathan pushing Elena behind the nearest cover as Savannah dodges another bullet, dropping behind cover. The darkness provides ample cover as she pulls out her gun, and she nods to Nathan, who in turn nods to her, the two of them taking turns to pop out of cover to shoot, not a single word said between them, while Sam scouts ahead.

"How about now?!" Nathan asks as he presses against the pillar, reloading as Savannah pops out of cover, shooting one of the guards in the shoulder, making the guard scream as he falls.

"No, Nathan!" She replies, shooting down another guard. "Why does it always end in a firefight with you?"

"Brilliant question! Let's ask them next time." Elena says as Nathan pops out of cover, firing as Savannah drops back into cover, reloading her gun.

"Are you leaving?!" Nathan asks as he fires one last round, and the final guard falls, the three of them standing as Sam pops up from the route ahead, beckoning them silently. "Hey," Nathan grabs her hand, tugging her to a stop as Elena and Sam continue on ahead. "are you?"

"Nate-"

"Don't Nate me! Are you leaving? Are you done after this?" Nathan asks, his face is sad.

"I-I don't know." She answers truthfully, looking at the ground. "I just don't know." She pulls away, starting towards the exit, followed by Nathan. Sully is as quick a get away as always, the four of them are in the car with the door barely closed, before Sully is peeling out of the mansion gates, the guards start to pile out of the mansion, guns firing. "Heads down!" She shouts, pushing Nate's head down as she drops her head into his lap, a bullet piercing the back window, and out the front. Sully drives like a mad man, swerving and stopping and driving in and out of alleyways and places where a car can barely fit, Nate's arms are around Elena, making Savannah feel bad as she struggles to stay in her seat from the jostling, unable to latch her seatbelt, unlike the others. The bridge on the way to the hotel starts to lift up before them, and Sully clenches the wheel, gunning the engine.

"Hold on!" Sully shouts, driving off a bridge as she let's out a scream, Nathan's eyes go wide when he sees her flying from her seat, his arms reaching out to catch her, jerking her into his lap as Sully lands on the other side of the bridge, and the guards chasing them have no choice but to stop as Sully speeds away. She gasps, clinging to Nathan's arms that are secured firmly around her, heart pounding for two different reasons as Nathan murmurs calming words in her ear, stroking her arm. Nathan holds her shaking form all the way back to the hotel, where Sully swerves around the back, into the underground parking space, allowing Sam to help Elena out as Sully climbs out, Nate muttering that the older man is a "son of a bitch" as he unbuckles, pushing Savannah into a sitting position as he slides out of the car. She sits still as a stone, her heart pounding so hard that it aches, and her eyes wide from the terror flushing from her veins, she doesn't even notice Nathan opening her door, turning her around as he places a warm hand against her cheek.

"Sav? Hon? We're back." Nathan murmurs, causing her to blink, sucking in a sharp breath as she looks around, head jerking from one direction to the other, before she slowly climbs out of the car, her bare feet touching the ground for barely a moment, before Nathan sweeps her into his arms, Bridal style.

"N-Nate?" She asks in confusion.

"You're still a bit shocked, right?" He closes the car door with his shoe, following the others to where they disappeared into the hotel, and when they return to their hotel room, nobody says anything while Nathan whisks Savannah away to his bedroom. "You've got a bit of blood on you," Nathan says as he comes back from the bathroom with a damp rag, having set her on the foot of his bed. "I also grabbed some bandages for your feet. You didn't say anything, but you probably have blisters on your ankles from those heels, huh?" Savannah looks away, sheepishly as Nate scrubs at her elbow, where she can already feel a bruise under the blood, from knocking that one guard out, and then he moves to her cheek, where the first bullet had barely gazed her. He hadn't said anything, but his heart about stopped when he heard and saw that bullet coming at her, and while he pushed Elena down, he had wanted to tackle Savannah to the ground, and shield her with his entire body. "You were shot."

"I'm fine." She answers truthfully, he drops the rag, his hand coming up to cup her cheek, before she looks at him, eyes finally focusing. "I am, Nate." She covers his hand with her own, causing him to lighten up on the pressure, taking a deep shaking breath. "I'm fine." He leans up, pressing a kiss to her forehead, before he pulls back to kneel, taking her foot to clean it, before placing a bandage over one of her heels, where a blister is. He does the same with the other as she let's out a soft sigh, looking out the window beside the bed. "You were reckless tonight." She says, causing him to glance up at her, she realizes that he's shed the jacket of his pilfered suit, and he is now fiddling with the strap to the holster on her leg. "I understand that you're worried about Elena, but how many times has she been through this?"

"I don't know what you mean." Nate says defiantly as Savannah sighs.

"You were circling Elena like a guard dog, you wouldn't even give her a gun. It was an argument for her to even be allowed to join us on this mission!" Savannah pushes a stray curl from her face. "You know that she can take care of herself, she has more proved it, I just don't get why you suddenly have become so overprotective of-"

"Elena is pregnant." Nathan says as he sets her holster on the bed, looking up at her from where he squats, watching her press her lips together in a firm line, her eyes flicking across his face to determine if he's telling the truth.

"She's... and are you-?"

"No!" Nathan scoffs, rolling his eyes at her implication. "Sam is." She snaps her mouth shut, smiling a bit as she shakes her head.

"And they didn't want to distract from the treasure hunt, so they hid the pregnancy and kept their relationship a secret." She rolls her eyes.

"You've been after this treasure for a couple years now. It's understandable on why they'd want to keep quiet if you finally got a lead." She huffs a curl of hair from her face, but it just drops back down, making her sigh as she pushes it back behind her ear.

"So, you aren't with Elena?" Nathan blanches at that, as if the idea makes him sick. "God, if someone had just told me that!" She groans, pressing her palms to her eyes. "I mean, Elena said there was nothing going on, but with how protective you've been, and reluctant you've been about treasure hunting, I just thought- I guess I dunno, that you guys wanted out, so you could settle down in peace? I thought maybe Elena told me what she told me, because you guys were trying to cut me out!"

"Never, Sav. You are my best friend." Nathan says as he stands, and she slowly rocks to her feet.

"Now, don't even try to lie to me about your relationship with Chloe, after we all separated from each other a couple years back." Nathan groans as he presses his face into his hand, shaking his head.

"You're never going to leave that be, are you?" He asks as she waltzes to the bedroom door, tugging the fraying hairband out of her flaming mane, letting the curls fly free.

"She dumped you in the end, didn't she? What happened there, Nate? You were a good match, the double agent and the blind buffoon." She teases as Nathan glares playfully at her.

"None of your business, huh? The only thing she was right about, is missing her ass." Nate retorts as she throws back her head, laughing as the first rays of the sun catch in her mane from the window, lighting it on fire as she slips out, ready to finally look at the map to Alaric's treasure, and get some sleep after being up and on the run all night.

It takes weeks of searching, clue after clue, until eventually they find the treasure- Elena and Sam had taken off almost a week previous, for the safety of the baby, and Sully had ducked a week before with the same excuse as always, "I'm getting too old for this shit!" and that left Nate and Savannah, still slightly at odds, left to chase the treasure. Of course, like all of the hunts involving the Drake boys, this one was a race to the vault, in the middle of a Southern Italian countryside, and lots and lots of guns. "Duck!" Savannah shouts at Nathan as she tosses a grenade over their cover, dropping down as the little ball rolls into enemy cover, and Nathan throws his hands out, slapping them over her ears as the explosion goes off, leaving his ears ringing.

"Think before you throw, Sav!" He hisses as he rubs at one of his ears, and she gives a sheepish grin as she leans around the stone they're behind, firing quickly at any stragglers.

"Ah shit!" She shouts, swinging back around to press against the stone, her hand gripping her shoulder of her dominant arm, gun having been dropped in her panic.

"W-What?" Nathan asks as he continues to fire, and she shakes her head.

"No, it's nothing. Keep shooting." She says as she reaches into a pocket of her cargo pants, ripping a bandage from the pocket, and sliding her shirt sleeve up, her hand pressing the adhesive bandage to the bloody wound. "Are you ready to move ahead yet?" She asks, shouldering her shotgun after she grabs it, and Nate looks at her, spying the blood smeared down her arm.

"Sav, are you okay?!" He asks worriedly, causing her to nod, wincing noticably, making him give her a look that says he's not buying it.

"I'm fine, let's just get to the treasure vault." She rolls out of cover, back flush against a barrier that one of the enemies had setup, before she glances around the corner, then clambers to her feet with her shotgun holstered, her dominant arm useless while injured. Picking up a fallen enemy's pistol, she checks the clip, before she slides it back in, cocking the gun, readying to shoot as they move through the countryside.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take a look at that?" Nate asks as he watches blood seep through the white bandage and the green of her shirt. "You might need stitches." She shakes off his hand when he reaches for her arm.

"I'm fine, Nate! Let's just get to the vault." She says again, making Nate groan, chasing after ambitious young woman as they duck around passages, shooting a couple more enemies, and solve a couple more riddles, before they both enter the vault, where the leader of their enemies- Michael himself (honestly, why is she not surprised?), is stalking back and forth, flaunting and rambling his victory to the rest of his men.

"-this wealth, nobody would dare to reject me again!" He booms as they press against nearby pillars, and Nate shoots her a look.

"You dated this guy? What does he have performance issues that he needs to compensate for?" Nathan hisses as she rolls her eyes.

"I wouldn't know, we never went that far." She reaches into a pocket of her pant, pulling out silencers for their pistols, one of which she tosses to Nate. They waste no time screwing the silencers onto their guns, before she lurches around a cover, and a muted shot leaves her gun, striking one of the men on the balcony above in the middle of the forehead, he drops dead as she leans back into cover.

"Nice shot." Nate whispers as she blushes, watching him do the same from his place, they are silent at picking off the men on the balconies above the vault as the other men start to carry out the treasure, the opposite direction of where the treasure hunters are.

"With this, I can make her pay, make them all pay!" Michael rambles, unaware of his men dropping dead around him, until they've all been picked off. Putting away her pistol, she shoulders her shotgun, training it on Michael as Nathan watches her back.

"Michael!" The British ambassador turns, eyes wide as he sees her. "What've you done? Why are you here?"

"Ah, V-V, my luv. I see you've brought... your friend." He grimaces at Nate, before looking back at her. "I figured that since you had an interest in this treasure, perhaps you might be willing to come back to me, if I had it first. I had planned on telling you back in England, but you were a saucy minx, and hot in my trail. I needed to move quickly."

"What happened to you?" She asks as Michael gives her a crazed grin.

"Love, my darling. It does things to a man, things he never thought possible." Michael trains his gun on Nathan, making her freeze as she looks back him, seeing Nathan freeze as two big guys come in, grabbing him by the arms after wrestling the gun away from him, one kicks it towards Michael, making her eye it as she throws down her shotgun, she knows the drill by now. "Now, I will give you a choice- it's not a hard one. Come with me, and live in the lap of luxury and be my wife. Or, choose Mr. Drake over there, and die with the man you love."

"What?!" She barks, looking at Nathan, who shakes his head, urging her to not sacrifice herself for him. "You can't be serious, Michael! You can't just kill him, f-for-"

"I can and I will!" Michael booms, his shout making her flinch as she glances at Nate, who watches her in fear. A plan forms in her head as she turns to Michael, and she starts to edge towards him a bit.

"Michael," Her voice falling into a more sultry tone as she sways over to him, making the Brit grin sickeningly sweet.

"Sav, what're you doing?!" Nathan exclaims as she turn to him, pinning him with a glare, before discreetly shooting Nathan a wink, before she wraps her arms around Michael's neck.

"Oh, Michael, can't you tell when a girl is playing hard to get?" She asks, running a finger up the ambassador's chest, causing the man to purr as he wraps his arms around her, and she rests her head against his chest. "I had Nathan fake being my boyfriend at the party, to make you jealous. You're so sexy when you're jealous." She swallows the rising bike in her throat as she leans up on her tip toes as Michael grins, leaning down with their lips hovering near each other, until he freezes as she buries the pistol into his stomach, making him freeze. "Call them off." She hisses as he glances up at her, before he looks at the man, then waves the men off, and they drop Nathan, who dives for his gun, turning to sink a bullet between both the men's eyes. "Now, we are leaving-" She let's out a choked noise as something sharp sinks into her side, pain lancing through her side.

"NO!" Nathan let's out a panicked shout as Michael pushes her away, and she stumbles back, her hand coming to her side to press against the soaked material of her shirt. She looks up, seeing a blade glistening with her blood, in Michael's hand as her knees become weak, she falls to the floor as he brings the blade up, licking the gleaming silver with a disgusting hum. Nathan let's out an enraged scream, unloading the remaining clip of his gun into Michael's body with a scream. "No no no no!" Nate murmurs quickly as he scrambles over to her, once Michael's body collapses, dropping to his knees to press his callus covered hands on her side, making sure to put pressure against her wound as he looks around. Eyeing the only other exit, he lifts her into his arms, following the trail that the looters took, leaving her behind a cover as he takes out the rest of the men on the only truck, which is loaded with gems and gold.

"N-Nate," She calls weakly as he rushes back to lift her into his arms, the world is blurry as she looks around, letting out a whimper when he starts to run, jostling her wounds. "Nathan-" She whimpers, and he shushes her as he lays her in the front of the truck, buckling her up.

"You're fine. You'll be fine!" He repeatedly says, turning the key in the ignition, gunning it through the trees, gravel spitting everywhere as she groans at the jerking movements of the truck. "I'm sorry, Sav. I know sweetheart, I know. I know it hurts, but it'll be okay, you'll be okay." He promises as he starts towards the small town they were staying in now, not far from the vault as he starts making calls while he pulls into town. He barely has the truck in park, key out of the ignition, before he rounds to her side, climbing into the giant truck to lift her, carefully, out of the truck, yelling at the townies for the doctor.

Days now move sluggishly as he paces constantly outside of the medical clinic, his eyes flicking from his phone to the door, to the truck to back again. The treasure they had loaded into the truck was a good amount, but nobody knew except for Nathan, but he couldn't even focus with Savannah incapacitated. Sully, Sam, and Elena eventually make it to the town, if you could even call the practical village, a town, but the doctors still do not give any updates on Savannah's status, despite Nate constantly prodding and camping outside of the clinic every night and day.

"If she dies-! I-If I lose her-" Nate groans, running his fingers through his short hair.

"Nate, kid, relax. You ain't gonna lose her." Sully says from his spot on a crate, flicking his cigar.

"No, Sully, she was distracting him for me! She sacrificed herself, made herself vulnerable for me! So, I could escape. It's all my fault." Elena huffs as Nate's stalking back and forth before the door increases, his fingers digging against the root of his hair.

"I always knew that Michael was an off bastard, but this is sickening." Sam says as Sully and Elena both nod in agreement. "He licked her blood off the blade?"

"Yes." Nate replies, he remembers the look on Michael's face as he licked Savannah's blood off the blade, the disgust rolls through Nathan again at the memory of ecstatic look that Michael had on his face, from Savannah's blood on his lips. "He looked like an addict getting his fix."

"Like an addict getting his fix?" Elena shutters as she looks at Sam, who clenches her hand in understanding of her concern. "God, and Savannah once thought she was in love with that creep."

"Let's not talk about that." Sully says as Nathan runs his fingers his hair, tugging his hair at the roots as he groans, stalking up to the door to the clinic, fist poised to pound on the door, when it flies open.

"D-Doc?" Nate's voice is worried as the doctor wipes his hands off on a rag, tossing it over his shoulder.

"Your friend will live. We did not want to give you news until we were sure." The Doctor says as he looks at everyone, before he looks up at Nate. "You may see her, but only one at a time." The Doctor enters the clinic, leaving the door open as Nathan looks back at the trio that are looking at him.

"We can wait, Nate. Go see her." Elena urges, causing him to nod, ducking into the clinic towards the back room, where the Doctor had motioned him to be, and he pauses outside the door, before opening it to the room. The bed occupies Savannah's weak form, with bandages wrapping her shoulder and her stomach, up over her chest, so she is left in only her pants, and a threadbare blanket over her legs. Her long ginger mane is pinned beneath her, tied back with a strip of leather, and caked with sweat, congealed blood, and muck. Walking around the bed, Nate kneels on the floor beside her, grasping her hand that was resting on her stomach, his eyes down-turned as he rests his forehead against her hand.

"Sav," He sighs weakly, his thumb rubbing back and forth across her soft knuckles. "I am so sorry. For everything." He murmurs as he looks up at her. "I don't expect you to forgive me, but if you could just... I know the doctor said you'd be fine, but I need to to pull through. I need you to open your eyes, and show me that you'll be fine. I-it's been almost a week, so please, let me know that you're okay. Just open your eyes, Vannah." He groans as he runs a grungy hand over his face, then looks up at her face again. "You said that you wanted to leave, that you were done... can you please wake up, and tell me that you are done. Call me an idiot again. Anything. If you want to be done, we'll be done together, I promise. If you want to start a normal life, we can start a normal life together." He reaches up to caress her freckled cheek. "I can't live without you, Sav. I-I love you." He rests his forehead on her hand again, feeling exhaustion washing over him. "Did you hear me, Sav? I'm in love with you! So, just... open your damn eyes! Let me kiss you, or you can yell at me, you can slap me for all I care! Just wake up!" Nate pleads, clutching her hand tighter as he grits his teeth.

"Nate?" His head snaps up, but Savannah is still unconscious, causing him to turn, seeing Elena standing in the doorway, her eyes are sad. "I-I couldn't wait, I was so worried."

"It's okay," He clears his throat as Elena looks at Savannah, then back at Nathan.

"She loves you too, you know?" He furrows his brow as Elena smiles to herself. "She'd kill me by now, if she were awake, but you deserve to know." He runs his fingers through Savannah's hair, before he presses off the ground beside the bed.

"I'll be outside if-"

"No no no, you deserve to stay in here. Be the first thing she sees when she wakes up." Elena waves him off, pressing a hand to her back to stretch, after the last couple weeks, she's starting to show a bit. "Besides, Sam and I are going to head to the hotel, your niece or nephew is killing me."

"Alright," He pulls her into a hug, letting go the minute that he hears an agonized cry, turning to see Savannah's eyes wide open as she holds her side, while trying to sit up. "Sav!" He crosses to her side once more, easing her up off her elbow as she let's out a tearful whine. "It's okay, easy hon." He props the flat pillows up, leaning her back against them as he sits on the side of the bed, tucking a wild curl behind her ear.

"N-Nate?" She swallows thickly, causing him to grab his canteen off the belt, twisting the cap off, and placing it to her lips. She takes long pulls of the water, before turning her head away, wiping her mouth on her arm as Nathan chuckles, putting the canteen away. "Where are we? How long have I been out?" She murmurs, causing him to smirk.

"We're in the village, not far from the vault. You've been out for a week..." She looks at him questioningly, but he shakes his head. "The longest week of my life. I've missed your voice." He cups her cheek as she frowns.

"I'm so-"

"No. You didn't know." He leans forward, pressing his forehead to her own. "You just wanted me to be safe, I just wish you hadn't had to get hurt by that freak, in order to keep me safe." She looks confused as he pulls her close, kissing her deeply. She makes a noise of surprise, but falls into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You don't know how long I've been dying for that to happen." She murmurs as she leans away, looking up into his blue eyes, seeing them spark with light after her words register with him.

"You have been?" He asks softly, causing her to blush, pressing her lips together in a firm line as she nods. "I'm in love with you, Sav. I have been for years."

"Really?" She asks softly, skeptical and hoping as he smiles, nodding. "You couldn't have told me, I dunno, before I almost died?" Nathan chuckles at her words, leaning in to kiss her again.

Hope I've done the characters justice, I'm seriously new to this fandom- like I just started watching a playthrough yesterday. But, Nathan is just so nnn. I couldn't not write a story. Anyways, I hope you enjoy, sorry if the characters are a little OOC.