#i'm wheezing this is so accurate

[solaestial]

i made an end roll fan video 🙈 the song is tenohira wonderland by sasanomaly

watch on youtube!!

[cyberneticnightmares]

i don't think i get to name this collection if it does get chosen but i'm stuck between something serious like "all it touches" or something incredibly stupid like "wet and wild"

[kittenninja14]

oh my goshh this is so funny XDD

https://www.tumblr.com/kittenninja14/731916269075480576/hey-yall-i-just-found-this-incredible-video-and

[crystalflygeo]

Kinktober Day 3 - Oviposition ft Dan Heng (Honkai Star Rail)

Soooooooo.... this got out of hand WHEEZE as it always does when it involves dragon eggs. I'm-.... I'm just hopeless atp. Buckle up I'm about to ignore canon and pull a lot of made up shit from thin air for the sake of horny, lmaoooo. Lovingly dedicated to @moraxsthrone

This is how Tang Tang was made//HIT

At first, you aren’t sure if you heard correctly. 

Dan Heng says nothing but pointedly avoids your gaze with a healthy blush on his cheeks.

“Did you say, uh… maybe I misheard but-” You start.

“Eggs.” Dan Heng repeats. “Dragon eggs, much smaller, of course, but they… could be viable…”

“... Eggs.” You say with a blink. 

Dan Heng sighs. “Yes.” And turns around to stare and interact with a few screens. “According to some ancient records it seems, those who have fully realized their potential as draconic Vidhyadara and manifest the dragon-like characteristics and behaviors, could, in theory, be able to pass on genes and reproduce like our reptile counterparts.” 

He is still not looking at you. Scrolling mindlessly through windows of text and opening and closing tabs. He’s nervous, you know it. 

“Children.” You blurt.

“Yes, I… it’s understandable if you have reservations. There is time to consider, I don’t want you to feel obligated to anything or…”

There’s a bit of hope in his voice, your heart warms up and flutters. Children. It’s been such an accepted impossibility in your relationship. You’ve entertained the idea of adoption someday. Now there could be a chance?

You just never imagined it would involve getting railed and apparently pumped full of-

You inhale, close your eyes, and decide to speak before you think too much about it. “Alright, but you have a lot to explain.” 

------------------

And so, he explains. In excruciating detail. 

Dan Heng seems to be pondering aloud just as much as he is trying to explain the whole process. All an educated guess, though, as he puts it. You’re working with estimations and are not sure how to feel about that but he’s put an incredible amount of research into it all and that, at least, soothes you.

Over the years you’ve seen Dan Hang in many different ways and dealt with your fair share of… interesting Vidyadhara traits. Mates? Good. Funky dragon anatomy? Very good. Being protective and territorial over you? Yes. But eggs… will definitely be new. 

Your back hits the mattress and you shiver nervously, only in your underwear. Dan Heng kisses you softly, his hand cupping your cheek. Like this his eyes have an almost ethereal glow and his long dark hair is unbound falling down his back. Teal horns crown his head, and though they aren’t new you can’t help but be amazed by them every time.

“How do you feel? Are you sure about this?” He asks tenderly. 

You’re trying hard not to think too much about your previous discussions, sneaking a glance at his underwear out of the corner of your eye, or more accurately, at the large bulge in it. 

You lick your lips nervously and nod “Yeah… yeah, sure.” 

He sighs and smooths a hand along your shoulder. “If you have changed your mind-”

“No, no! I haven’t I promise I just… I’m nervous, there’s a lot to consider and…” You stare at him for a moment and remember, he is walking this path with you, just as lost and nervous. “I love you.” You smile reassuringly. “I love you so much. I want this.”

His breath comes out in a woosh and he leans forward again to kiss you. 

It’s passionate, demanding, his tongue tangles with yours and explores your mouth and you groan, your body melting under him, hands roaming each other’s bodies. You see his teal dragon tail manifesting, swaying about excitedly before curling around your ankle possessively.     

He massages your breast, pinching a nipple between his fingers to bring it to a stiff peak, you whine and arch your back, he takes the chance to make short work of your bra and toss it somewhere along the dark room before your arms curl around his neck once more to pull him down into another kiss.

His hips buck into yours and he moans. Even through the fabric you can already tell this time something is different. 

And honestly you can’t wait. 

Your fingers hook at the edge of his underwear, teasing, and start to pull down, Dan Heng groans and helps you discard his last piece of clothing, your panties quickly joining after and this is it. You stare.

Not just his gorgeous, thick cock you’ve come to love so much but two. Two.

One is relatively normal, his shape and girth familiar despite the clear draconic hue from his dark uncut tip and soft ridges. The other slightly larger, with a pointier tip, not as strange as Dan Heng had made it out to be. The Vidyadhara had been all shy and hesitant about it, both out of embarrassment and perhaps because he was afraid it might scare you off. 

Instead, desire pools between your legs. Oh, how you want.

“A-Alright, so first I should-!!” Any other words are lost in a strangled moan as you reach out and wrap your hand around the unfamiliar length. It’s hot in your palm, thick and firm. Dan Heng hisses as you tentatively jerk it a bit, squeezing around the tip, it’s spade-shaped and neatly tapered, perfect for reaching deep and pressing on just the right spots. 

Or so you assume, won’t know until you try.

He bucks into your hand with a grunt and you stare fascinated at the leaking tip, before either of you can process it, you dark forward and lap at it. “Hng!” He tosses his head back and his hand flies to grip at your hair. 

It tastes salty, slightly more viscous and you can’t get enough of it, you gingerly kiss at the tip and mouth at it before closing your lips around the crown, it’s thick in your mouth, your hand teasing the rest of it. 

You stare up at Dan Heng, his eyes shut tight, brow furrowed and face flushed all the way to the tips of his pointy ears, he’s tense and shivering, clearly holding back from rutting into the wet warmth of your throat. 

So, you attempt to take him deeper, moaning for good measure so the vibrations drive him insane, and you’re rewarded with more pleasured noises that make your pussy clench.

“My love… w-wait-” He gasps, you run your tongue along the underside of his length. “Fuck-!” Ohhh he’s losing his composure, his grip on your hair tightening. When your other hand curls around his unattended cock, thumb swirling at the tip, he snaps. “Enough.”

You pull off with a wet pop, licking your lips and catching your breath. 

Dan Heng pushes you back with a hand and you follow easily, back hitting the mattress and spreading your legs eagerly for him to slot in. He reaches for a pillow and places it under your hips, raising the slightly, his tail now curls around your thigh. 

Your stares cross, love and lust mixing. 

“Are you ready?” He asks, his thumb rubbing over your entrance, finding you dripping wet. 

“Yes, Aeons, yes…”

He leans down to kiss you again, tender this time, there’s a sense of intimacy that warms you. How you love this man, this dragon. The way he dotes over you, the way he breathes in your scent and kisses you and holds you close, tender. 

He sinks two fingers inside you and you whimper into the kiss. He works you open slowly, reverent, pulling in and out, stretching them a bit and adding a third. You’re squirming, desperate and worked up. Nails dragging on his back and shoulders. “Dan Heng please…” 

He kisses at your neck, nips the skin there with his fangs. “Be patient, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. Please, just put it in. Breed me.” 

He stops, you hear a little growl, ragged breath on your collarbone, and suddenly the fingers are gone. You barely have time to miss them when that thick pointy cockhead is pressing against you. 

Then it sinks in, the glide slow and gentle with Dan Heng’s careful movements.  

And oh, oh- you feel him stretch you. Thick and long and so, so hot. It spears you open in the most delicious way, rubbing at your insides as he pulls out ever so slightly before fucking in deeper with slow rolls of his hips.

You toss your head back and moan. You feel so full, deliciously complete. The draconic cock settling deep inside as Dan Heng bottoms out, his balls flush against your taint and the second cock dribbling precum everywhere on your thigh and navel.  

You take a moment or two to settle, both of you, and then he starts moving. Dan Heng pulls back and rolls into you languidly, slow and deep, testing the waters. 

“So good for me… so warm and… thigh-!” He murmurs against your skin, pressing kisses anywhere he can reach. You keen, arching off the mattress and meeting his every thrust.

The air is thick and heavy, he presses as close as he can against you, your legs lock behind his back as he gradually speeds up. Your thoughts are fuzzy, blissed-out. The room is a cacophony of moans and whimpers and the sound of skin on skin. 

“I need- please- Dan Heng-!!”

The drag of his cock sets you alight, every nerve stimulated, pleasure building and building…

“I’m close” He rasps out. You’re about to tell him to come deep inside as he always does and then you remember.

“Oh.”

Dan Heng’s grip tightens in the sheets, his thrusts slow to a crawl and you suddenly feel a subtle bulge pressing against your hole. “T-that’s-” You say breathlessly. 

An egg.

He presses his forehead against yours and rolls his hips a little more insistent, trying to ease it in “Careful now…relax for me.” 

You’re trying but the pressure is intense and you’re already so full of thick cock. How can you take more? You whimper.

“I’m-”

“You can do it.”

A dragon egg, a little dragon baby. A tiny piece of you and him joining to create something wonderful. This is why you’re doing this. 

“Almost there” His voice is a soothing balm, con contradictory to the way he ruts into you, pushing your limits. But the way his teal eyes almost glow, pupils pulled to slits, flushed and panting but so determined, staring at you with so much love. You bite your lip and cant your hips, muffling your cries as his cock slips deeper with every thrust. 

It feels like an eternity when the ovipositor slips back all the way inside, and you cry out.

Dan Heng’s thumb traces your clit and while he can’t really pull out, he fucks into you with a nice deep grind.

“Dan Heng-!” You whisper, nothing more than a debauched breathless mess. “Dan Heng, Dan Heng, Dan Heng…”

The coil in your gut snaps and you come with a scream, tears springing to your eyes and your walls fluttering around his length, easing the egg deep inside you. He fucks a few more thrusts into you and then makes a noise you never heard from him before, a sort of choked growl.

Then, he stills.

You spend a few moments catching your breath and Dan Heng nuzzles into you, kissing away your tears as you lie a full, overstimulated, flushed mess. 

“Bear with me just a little longer.” He pants, pulling back a a little to hover over you. You groan, having almost forgotten about this particular step and the promise of his other cock, the one more familiar to you. 

He eases the ovipositor out of you slowly. The egg vaguely feeling heavy and round in your womb. You can’t think straight as Dan Heng shifts against you, his other cock resting against your entrance before easily sinking in, smaller than the first, bottoming out immediately. 

You sigh.

“I… I won’t last long.” He admits.

“Breed me.” You repeat. “Our egg will take.”

It seems like the right incentive as he starts fucking into you in a frenzied pace, pressing and pulling at your insides. You sob and squirm, uselessly trying to match his rhythm. He growls, groans and tips over surprisingly quickly, filling you up with sticky cum. 

Your body sags, spent, aching, full, and so utterly satisfied. He stays lodged in deep and doesn’t move. You both take a moment to come down from the intense high. 

Dan Heng slides a hand along your tummy, smoothing the skin there and feeling the very small subtle bulge there. “Mine. All mine… both of you.” He claims.  

You place your hand on his and smile weakly.

He finally pulls out, making you groan at the emptiness, and maneuvers you both onto your sides, spooning you. He brushes at your hair and kisses the back of your neck, whispering sweet nothings “You did so well. I love you.” His hand rests on the soft curve of your stomach. The barest signs of a bump that could be easily missed. “Rest.” 

You sigh deeply, content. “Love you too…” Comes out slightly slurred. And so, you rest.

[freewillacquired]

What comes included with you?

Tagged by: I stole it! =P Tagging: Anyone who wants to do this! ^_^

[thewritetofreespeech]

Steak & Blowjob Day

Mark Grayson x gn!reader

plot: I'm a devote feminist, but this boy needs a break. [smutty nonsense]

-------------------------------------

Mark tipped his head with a loud moan as [Y/N] took all of him down their throat again. Thank God they were at their place tonight.

When [Y/N] asked him to come over for a date night earlier in the week, Mark was of course excited. They tried to see each other as much as they could, but with their schedules and threats to the universe not really keeping an accurate time piece, they’d had more cancels than successes recently. Tonight, Mark made sure everything was covered and that he could spend time alone with his partner.

He even showed up super early. Which he knew was lame but he was just so excited to see them. When they opened the door for him Mark immediately stepped in and wrapped them in his arms. Breathing the first sigh of relief he felt like taking in weeks along with the scent of their shampoo.

“Happy Steak & Blowjob Day.” They told him as they hugged. To which Mark pulled back with a laugh as he asked them ‘what?’, and they responded with an eye roll, “Rex told me about it.”

They both knew not to take everything Rex said at face value, but [Y/N] told him that, just for today, they’d stick with tradition.

Mark insisted that they didn’t have to do anything for him. He didn’t want them to feel pressured into giving him anything, unless they wanted to. But, [Y/N] insisted that they wanted to and, “you’ve been working so hard and had so much to deal with.” It was honestly just nice to be acknowledged for that. “Let me pamper you for a change.”

Which brought them to where they were now. Mark seated at the table, his shirt pulled up towards his pits with his belt and fly open, and [Y/N] on their knees in front of him. The suction around his cock felt amazing! They were pretty active now at this point in their relationship, but still every time [Y/N] sucked him off he saw stars. And he had seen actual stars now.

“Fuuuck baby…” Mark groaned as he reached out to touch their hair.

They moan and take him in faster. Bobbing their head up & down over his cock. “Oh fuck!” He wheezed. “I’m gonna--!” He tried to warn them but the change in friction caught him too late and he came in their mouth. Luckily [Y/N] didn’t seem to mind.

They pulled off his cock, still hard and wet, and looked up at him from the floor. “You want your steak rare or medium?”

“Uh…mid rare?” Mark was embarrassed to admit that his cock jumped a little when they asked that. He liked to consider himself a modern, evolved man but god that was hot.

[Y/N] smiled and kissed his knee before standing up and heading to the kitchen. Maybe they should listen to Rex more often, Mark thought briefly. No. No. That was probably a bad idea. This time was good though.

[katerinaaqu]

Oh lord hahahahaha 🤣 😂 that sounds so accurate hahahaha 😆 😂 🤣 others send flowers Achilles sends human sacrifices hahahaha 😆 😂

Patroclus: Dude...what the fuck?!

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I love it how everyone is so hyping over how sweet and romantic Achilles is or even his anger issues and rage but...can we all like talk more on how obsessed that kid was with human sacrifice?

I mean...he sacrifices 12 Trojans to the funeral pyre of Patroclus (and two of his dogs) and then demands Polyxena as his human sacrifice...

I feel no one remembers these 12 Trojans! Poor guys!

Patroclus from the afterlife be like: Dude...no!

[moonstruckme]

since it's currently flooding where i live, i'm gonna request firefighter!marauders or emt!marauders (whatever works) saving reader who is trapped in her house with the flood being past the chest or something

andddddd reader has asthma, if ur okay with that? (i have terrible asthma and it's so so annoying honestly)

anyway, thank you for writing all of these fics of yours! they are all so amazing!!!

(also, can i be 🌼 anon?)

Hi lovely, thanks for letting me do just James for this! And ofc you can be that anon <3

cw: water rescue, asthma attack, I did do research but I feel like this can’t be accurate so sorry about that

firefighter!James x fem!reader ♡ 589 words

You wait until you hear the boat motors getting close again before you start to crawl out the window. 

“There!” you hear someone shout, and you nearly collapse with the relief of not having to use your air to call out. The boat rumbles closer, and then a fireman with sweetheart eyes and a mop of curly hair crushing out from beneath his helmet is reaching for you with both hands. 

“Hi, there,” he says, grabbing you around the waist and lifting you the rest of the way out. You brace yourself by putting your hands on his shoulders (his very impressive shoulders, you can’t help but notice, which make you remember how your own clothes are stuck damply to your skin from the chest down). Your lungs burn beneath his hands, no better or worse for his touch. “Is it just you in there?” 

“Yeah,” you wheeze. Another firefighter settles one of those aluminum blankets you’re always seeing on TV around your shoulders. “Just me.” 

“Alright,” he says, dark eyes growing troubled as he processes your onerous breaths. “Are you okay?” 

The pain in your chest worsens as you forcibly expel another breath, dragging in a hasty inhale. “My inhaler got ruined.” 

The man’s expression clears just before his brow creases. “You’re having an asthma attack?”

You nod urgently. 

“Alright, okay. Come here, let’s sit down.” 

He pulls you to the back of the boat, guiding you down onto the rubbery floor while someone else passes him a medical bag. Your knees fold towards your chest automatically, some useless instinct to protect the part of you that’s hurting. It does nothing. 

“Have you had asthma attacks before?” he asks you, digging through the bag. Someone starts driving the boat forward. You start to relax when you see him pull out a mask attached to an air compressor, your salvation.

“Yes.” 

“Compared to the other attacks you’ve had before, how badly would you rate this one on a scale of one to ten?” 

“Six.” You answer without hesitating, familiar with this line of questioning. 

“Alright, lovely.” He finishes affixing the hose to the nebulizer, setting the mask to your face and turning on the air compressor. “Just breathe in for me.” 

You do. The relief isn’t instant, but it may as well be. You feel heaps better just knowing the medicine is working. 

You must look visibly calmer, because the man across from you smiles. It looks at home on his face, and the little crinkles which appear at the corners of his eyes suggest he does it often. 

“There we go,” he encourages. You hope your expression conveys the appropriate gratitude as you take the mask from him, holding it to your own face. “I’m James. You were trapped in there for a while, huh?” 

You nod, and he laughs at your weary look. 

“I’m sorry.” James gives your shoulder a friendly squeeze. His face is remarkably cheery for someone who’s been tasked with boating around and rescuing people all day; then again, as a rescuee, you can see the value of a bright spot in the murk left behind by the floor. As soon as you get this mask off, you think you owe him about a million thanks. “I’m sure it’s been really difficult, but we’ve got food here you can have in a bit, and that thermal blanket should help warm you up quickly enough. Just keep breathing into that thing for another few minutes, love, and then we’ll get you all fixed up.”

[vcnillafairy]

my corpse friend

pairing: rafe cameron x humanexperiment!reader

summary: after the death of his father, rose taking wheeze with her and sarah not even acknowledging his existence, a sad and lonely but prideful rafe decides to use his money to finance the project of a young and ambitious scientist who assures he can built him the perfect life partner.

warnings: +18 mdni! mention of death, and human corpses used for experimentation. justified physical description of reader (reader not feeling comfortable in her own body is an important part of the story). past trauma. reader hating everything about herself. suicidal thoughts. taking the people pleasing too far. emotional dependency. mention of blood and several other body fluids. not scientifically accurate as the heart and brain are used as a metaphor of human behavior. some could consider this includes necrophiliac tendencies (her body is synthetic but her vital organs and other internal systems are from death people). sexual content. p in v. dubcon. creampie. corruption kink. soft dom rafe. emotional violence. cheating. not happy ending.

dead dove🕊️ the insanely long paragraph of tws is there for a reason, prioritize yourself.

𝜗𝜚 poppy talks₊ ˚ ･ so this was supposed to be a silly creepy self indulgent one shot but i got carried away. now this became my way to deal with my stuff in a multiple part fic. i'm so getting locked up for this one.

coming soon... let me know if you want to be added to the taglist

ᥫ᭡ content

my corpse friend

my corpse girlfriend

my corpse burden

my real girlfriend

my corpse

[gallusrostromegalus]

In honor of the season, what are holidays like in the spirit world? Have they been infected by Christmas yet? I imagine they inherit some popular ones from the world of the living, but also the unique holidays of the afterlife must be wild.

You come to me, on the eve of the High Holiday of Halloween, and ask me about Christmas??

I'm kidding, you're asking about holidays in general but my unsuspecting Agnostic Ass just got jumpscared by Mariah Carey, and I'm sensitive. It's not the season. Not for another 48 hours at least. Do Not Violate The Sacred Treaty.

.

..

...

Anyway, this ended up in my drafts for a few days, so: Christianity has not really gotten a foothold in soul society, but via cultural osmosis "Xmas" has. Nobody in a Shinto afterlife believes in monotheism, but they love a holiday and a Saint is practically a Kami anyway, but.... It's "Xmas" because the holiday in no way remotely resembles Christmas as practiced in the living world.

---

Scene: 4th Division hospital, a few days after Rukia is rescued and Aizen departed for Las Noches:

"-CHAD!!" Ichigo bellows, almost falling in through the doorway of the hospital room, wheezing.

"I am very sure you are not supposed to be out of bed." Chad frowned, looking up from the copy of the history of soul society Captain Komamura had lent him to read while he recovered.

It was strange, to be in the care of the very people he had thought to be senseless killers not two weeks ago, but he was finding the Shinigami a generally agreeable lot. Even if the captain that controlled the hospital reminded him unpleasantly of a nun with her chaste dress, soft voice and understated but constant threat of violence.

"YOU NEED YO HEAR THIS-! He- hee-" Ichigo stumbled over to his bed and curled up on his side overcome with giggles.

"... I'm beginning to think I am incorrect." Sighed the pale-haired man at the door, frowning down at Ichigo.

"Jushiro Ukitake, I don't think I've had the pleasure of your acquaintance yet, Mr.-?" The man introduced himself and offered Chad a hand.

"Uh. Yasutora. Sado Yasutora. But everyone calls me Chad." He mumbled, cautiously shaking hands with the stranger. "You're um. You're Miss Rukia 's boss, right?"

"Yes! I believe you are her friend with the pet parakeet and good throwing arm, yes?" Ukitake beamed at him and Chad was suddenly struck by the idea that he'd seen Ukitake at a family reunion before - Impossible, obviously, but the man had the intense aura of a distant uncle. "Good show that, she loves being hurled at an opponent!"

"Oh. Thank you." Chad mumbled, Ichigo finally catching his breath. "...What are you incorrect about?"

"Christmas, apparently." Ukitake frowned, and Ichigo dissolved into snickering again. "He says you're something of an expert on the actual mythology, I only have third-hand accounts, you see-"

"No!" Gasped Ichigo, reaching over to tug at Mr. Ukitake's sleeve. "You gotta tell him!"

"I am Catholic, yes." Chad nodded. "-go on. It can't be less accurate than the version Dr. Kurosaki- Uh, Ichigo's dad- gave me last year."

"Yeah it can-" Ichigo wheezed.

"Well, ah- Christmas is a birthday celebration for an important religious figure, right?" Ukitake tried.

"Yep!" Chad nodded, giving Ukitake a thumbs up.

"The birth of Rudolph, the Star-nosed reindeer?" Ukitake tried.

Chad stared at him blankly for a moment, before his thumbs-up slowly wilted into a thumbs down and Ichigo vibrated silently with hysterics. Chad opened and closed his mouth a few times, hand waving, then covered his mouth, searching for words. Eventually he reached out and gently put his hand on the captain's shoulder to explain as delicately as possible-

"...No." Said Chad.

Ichigo rolled off the bed with a dull thud.

"-I am, however, fascinated." Chad elaborated. "Please continue."

"...I'm really sorry that I am this ignorant of your religious dogma." Ukitake winced.

"It's- don't worry about it. Tell me what you think happens on Rudolph's birthday." Chad said, sitting back and pressing his hands together.

"Well- oh, how does it start? Right- there's the Monks- Saints? that give out presents to well-behaved children during the winter holidays- Saint Claus, Saint Nicolas and Saint Kringle. And they're all very old men, and with good judgement about who does and does not deserve presents, so they're called the three wise men!"

Ichigo made a noise like a teakettle from the floor.

"Oh. Oh no." Chad giggled.

"And they travel the entire world giving out presents, but that's A Lot of houses and it was taking them longer and longer so they prayed to... I forget the name Catholics have for Amaterasu. Guadalupe?"

Chad made a noise not unlike a violently squeezing a rubber duck, and started to shake.

"-So they pray for some help getting all the presents to the children, and Whoever She Is says they're doing good deeds, but she wants to see if they're REALLY worthy of that kind of miracle, so she sends them on a journey to recover some lost holy treasures, and on the way each of the holy men wrestles with and tames a demon representing some vice or another-"

"-I. I think you've gotten the Star of Bethlehem mixed up with The Journey West." Chad realized, hands pressed together in front of his face.

"Yes that's right! She marks the direction they're supposed to be going with a bright star! So they go West, following the star! "-Ok the three wise men traveling from the east following a star part is, in fact, accurate. What's this about demons?"

"It's some sort of allegory about how all the Saints are virtues so the demons represent the vices people fall into around the holiday- Being punitive or penurious and ruining good things for others. They all had weird names-" Ukitake frowned.

"What's going on?" Captain Kyorauku asked, sticking his head in the door.

"You'll know!" Ukitake chirped with excitement. "-What are the three demons the saints conquer in the Christmas myth?"

"Krampus the Child-beater, Scrooge the Miser, and... Ah fuck I always mispronounce the last one. He's green and he sucks? The Goonch?" Shunsui frowned.

"THE GOONCH?" Ichigo shrieked from the floor.

"I. I think you mean The Grinch." Chad said, experiencing a brand new combination of horror, delight and fascination that felt like the emotional equivalent of a shrimp color.

"That's him! Oscar The Grinch!" Shunsui nodded. "Why, its only August? Also, what's Kurosaki doing on the floor?

"We are apparently very misninformed about the mythlogical origins of Christmas. This amuses Kurosaki to the point of hysterics." Ukitake explained, lightly nudging Ichigo aside with his foot and sitting on the foot of Chad's bed.

"Your version is so much better." Chad said, vibrating with excitement. "What are these treasures they're supposed to get?"

"Oh you had to ask- Shunsui love, you were the one that heard it all from Captain Kuchiki when he did his tour in the living world."

"Oh for fuckssake of course it's Byakuya-" Ichigo groaned from the floor, and Ukitake gently kicked him in the ribs to shush him.

"Uhhhh... Let's see-" Shunsui scratched at his beard."There's Eight Lost Treasures, they're all magical bells that give anyone who rings them supernatural abilities- there's the Bell of Speed, Bell of Grace, Bell of Balance, Bell of Cunning, Bell of... ah fuck. I always forget the two in the middle... -Oh! Bell of destination- not like fate, like, always being able to find your way to where you're going. Bell of Affection, Bell that gives power over wind and Bell that gives power over lighting!"

Chad blinked at him, then slowly crumpled into a ball.

"...Mr. Yasutora?" Ukitake asked, gently touching his shoulder.

"This is amazing. I love it. I'm going to die." he whimpered, voice high and tight as he struggled to breathe from laughing.

"We may have already lost Mr. Kurosaki." Shunsui muttered, poking Ichigo's shoulder with his toe. "Anyway, they conquer the demons, get all the magical bells and make it to the distant city, aand Amaterasu says 'Great job!" Ukitake continued, enthusiastic as they approached his favorite part. "-But she says 'Here's your final test: I'm going to give a special gift to one of these creatures, you tell me which is the most deserving of my favor.' and then she turns them loose in some kind of farm with talking animals. They're all good and noble animals that have done many brave deeds- dogs saved children from drowning, horse that ran across a battlefield to deliver a message that stopped a war and so on- eventually the saints find a brand new baby fawn with a bright red nose. Since it was born just that morning, it's never done anything of note, and the other animals don't really like it because it's red nose means its kind of sickly and it cant see well so they don't want to play with it."

"YES!" Chad cheered, making the connection.

"Oh, that part is right?" Ukitake perked up.

"Not even remotely, but it's amazing. They pick the fawn right?

"That's right! The saints tell Amaterasu that the Baby deer Rudolph is the one that deserves her blessing, because while all the animals here are noble and good, no good deed is better than another, and of all the animals, the sickly little deer is the one that really needs her help."

"Oh no." Ichigo whimpered from the floor. "That's actually like. genuinely heartwarming."

"Amaterasu applauds them, because they've made the right choice, and she gives the power of the star to the baby deer so it very literally glows like a headlight, and She turns the eight magical bells into a herd of deer that all have the powers the bells they were made from had, so Rudolph has a family and the three wise men have a team of nine magical deer to pull the flying sleigh she gives them, and then they are able to deliver all the presents to all the children of the world in one night, and they do it every year on Rudolph's birthday, because he was the first one to receive a proper Christmas present!" Ukitake finished, giving Chad an excitable two thumbs up.

Chad, slowly tipped forward, faintly hissing with silent laughter, then rolled off the bed to join Ichigo on the floor. Ukitake peered after him with concern, until chad slowly raised a weak, shaking hand up to give Ukitake a thumbs up back.

"-What I can't figure is how the bucket of fried chicken fits into all that?" Shunsui pondered, and the boys shrieked with laughter.

[zroronoas]

"young and he fine and he tall and he handsome." thank u sza.

a/n: i might write another ver of this w zoro tbh bc that description is also sooooooo zoro. inspired by BMF by sza!!

fluff. no smut but it gets a little bit suggestive! also does not necessarily follow the accurate storyline for the sake of the story 🤭

-

you weren't one to give men much attention, quite the opposite actually. you decided that they just weren't worth your time, especially since most of the ones you met while out on the sea were disgusting perverts. and unfortunately, you already had to deal with sanji everyday.

but there was one man who had you speechless, heart palpitating, palms sweating. and that wasn't the only thing that got wet.

you thought he was the most gorgeous man to walk the earth. in your head, no man, dead or alive, could ever compete with his looks.

you thank whatever god there is everyday that the man decided to save you and the rest of the crew from smoker. honestly, you could have died happy then.

naturally, you could not help but gush to nami and robin about how hot you found him.

"he's literally the most beautiful man i've ever laid my eyes on," you sigh. "he's tall and he's handsome!"

you rest your head in your hands, hearts practically coming out of your eyes. you were starting to feel a little bit like sanji.

"too bad he isn't part of our crew," robin smiles. the girls giggle at the way you look, hopelessly daydreaming about the man.

he wasn't part of your crew, but the things you would to do have him on your ship 24/7 were unimaginable.

"there's also the issue of him being luffy's brother," nami interrupts. "wouldn't it be kind of weird?"

"normally it would, but i would do anything to have ace," you snort. "even if it's just for a night."

"wow, anything?"

you feel your body go limp.

that did not sound like nami or robin. and the voice came from behind you.

all you could do was pray that it was one of the men from your crew, but from the looks on nami and robin's faces, you were absolutely wrong.

"no!" you laugh nervously. "no we weren't talking about you, there's a different ace we know!"

he smirks, leaning in closer to your face. you feel the heat rush to your face and your stomach start to knot up.

"well," he says loudly as he moves away from your face. "ace is a lucky guy then."

"y-yeah!" you stammer. "he is lucky! him, not you!"

a boyish grin appears on his face before he readjusts his hat and makes his way to the door. you have no time to respond before he's gone, and you're left standing wide-eyed and speechless in the middle of the kitchen.

you hear nami squeal as she repeatedly smacks robin's arm out of excitement, but you're feeling the exact opposite. it was humiliating, the way you were yapping so loudly about how you would do anything for the man.

robin covers her mouth with her hand, giggling quietly. nami on the other hand, is doubled over and cackling as loud as she can. you don't even have the energy to fight with her, you just sink to your knees with a blank look on your face.

"hey," nami wheezes. "at least you know he's interested!"

you glare at her before covering your face with your hands and letting out a loud groan. "why is he even here?"

little did you know, ace was still on the other side of the door, a blush creeping up on his cheeks. normally, he wouldn't be the slightest bit phased by the compliments but he had been head over heels since the moment he first saw you.

"ace!" luffy shrieks. "move out of the way! i'm hungry!" ace slips away from the door before luffy slams it open with all his might.

you look up at luffy frantically shaking his head around as he looks for any food he can stuff his face with. he pauses for a moment, setting his eyes on you.

"why are you red?" he questions. "you and ace both are!"

you're about to respond before ace knocks luffy's head with his fist, causing the boy to yell and furiously rub his forehead.

"don't bother them!" ace grunts. "they're a little...hot and bothered."

"well," luffy says. "take your sweater off then! that's why it's hot!"

ace smirks, ruffling his little brother's hair.

"don't worry luffy, i'll help them with that later."

[rebornofstars]

MY FAVOURITE PARTS OF THE UPDATE

BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN MY FAVOURITE UPDATE EVER

all comic panels from crescent flame by @linkeduniverse. readmore bc its LONG

can we start with the gorgeous lighting please . like this has to be one of the absolute prettiest palettes i dont know how the colour wheel works but PLEASE im dying over this peach coloured light. and the camera angles??? absolute fire

and we already knew he had it but as far as i can remember this is the first time we've actually seen legend using his lantern????

somoene will have to help me (SOS 😭🙏) because ive lost the spreadsheet matching each item in the december art with its name & game of origin so FORGIVE ME IF IM WRONG BUT ISNT THIS THE SAME LAMP FROM LINK'S HOUSE AT THE BEGINNING OF ALTTP??? legend you sentimental freak (deeply affectionate). hes everything.

and!!!! rulie with the candle. i dont know why im going crazy about a candle but i AM. the fact that rulie uses a light method less modern than legend's old lamp is speaking to me and the inevitable conversation about legend's legacy and the gulf between their eras. this is canon and we've been talking about it for years but seeing them together in direct comparison like this is really hammering it into my skull. and of course jojo's attention to detail is once again UNPARALLELED

also the architecture in this dungeon is just gorgeous. jojo can u design my house pls??? 🥺🥺 i'm in love with all these zoomed out shots as well like holy shit. so effective in creating an atmosphere

PLEASE the fact that hyrule holds his candle right over it to look but then backs off a bit when legend comes over so he can light it with the lamp?????? WORDLESSLY??? i dont know if its just because he knew the lamp would do a better job but the TEAMWORK??? THE COOPERATION??? I LOVE THEM???? i used to think that downfall duo was mostly a fanon invention cause legend and hyrule didnt spend much one-on-one time in the comic but FUCK THAT I BELIEVE!!!! I SEE THE LGIHT!!!!! legend's little grin is telling me everything i need to know

his face im wheezing 😂😂😂😂 rule please how did u survive this long 😭😭😭

and then it doesnt even attack them it just runs away!!!!! accurate!!!! dfd (downfall duo? is this an acceptable acronym?) are TOO OP

im actually fucking dying over this panel u dont understand. strong contender for one of the panels of all time. four has STRUCK UP A POSE. nobody walks down stairs with their hands behind their head that boy is RECLINING DRAMATICALLY.

and WIND DOING HIS LITTLE LEAP. ITS TOTALLY UNECCESSARY. IM SO GLAD IT EXISTS. and time descending in the middle of the stairs staring straight ahead 😭😭😭 equally theatric in his own stupid way im wheezing this is too much. the drama kids. old man & the Youngsters

THE ARGUING ABOUT WHO GETS A TURN AT WHAT. SOOOO SIBLINGS CODED. IM DEAD ON THE FLOOR

wiat wait wait fuck. wait fuck HOW OLD IS FOUR. theyre thinking so furiously theyre gonna hurt their brains. recontextualising every single conversation theyve ever had with the smithy!! im actually sooo sooo happy abt this panel because cheekily mysterious four (especially about completely unecessary things like his AGE) is my kryptonite & i feel like this couldve come straight out of a crackfic. the chaos is unmatched. jojo is on our WAVELENGTH ‼️‼️‼️

they are soooo sooo comfortable with each other. hyrule sasses everyone its true BUT LEGEND IS TAKING HIS SASS AND RESPONDING TO IT. theyre having a debate. legend is expressing all his grumpy opinions and hyrule is like lmao ok i see ur point. ahgsjdbgsj

the way the games are baked into every panel and plot point of this comic.. im actually deceased. also legend's stance is cracking me up

ADORE the way this is framed. love love love

the MISCHIEF AND GLEE ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ WHAT IS A LINK IF NOT A DESTROYER OF POTS‼️‼️‼️ this whole page im obsessed with i read it like 3 times cause i couldnt believe my eyes. they ARE besties they ARE. theyre both being so playful & theyre both in their element & pairing them up was a gorgeous fantastic idea and i am SO here for it

in conclusion every update is getting better and better i am LIVING for this dungeon arc and i adore this comic to pieces. thank u for coming to my ted talk

[chronicbeans]

hi I saw your masterpost and was wondering if you could write Micah Yujin x reader who suffers from asthma?? I don’t know if requests are open and I’m so sorry if they aren’t, no pressure at all

Sure! I personally don't have asthma, so I'm sorry if these aren't necessarily the most accurate. Most of my research for these things comes from Mayo Clinic and the NIH. I also went to the ACAAI for this one. These will be headcanons because they weren't specified, but if you want a short fic you can ask!

TW: Asthma Attacks, Hacking, Invasion of Privacy/Stalking

Micah Yujin with a Reader who has Asthma:

• He's a smart man. I mean, he literally found your address by hacking into your personal information. So, the chances are, he probably knows that you have asthma. Not only that, but what type of asthma you have, any allergies you have, what medication you take... you get the gist. The only problem he may have is knowing what exactly your condition may cause.

• Yes, most everybody knows asthma can cause shortness of breath and asthma attacks, but not everybody really knows the less noticable symptoms, or what to do during an asthma attack. That's not going to stop him from trying his best to learn! He's pretty internet savvy, so he knows where to look. Though, those pesky research papers have a bunch of medical terms he doesn't understand... What the hell is an etiology, or a toxicokinetic? He's probably looking at papers that are high above his medical knowledge or reading level.

• When the two of you finally end up meeting face to face, he's absolutely ecstatic! He also tries his best to accommodate for you in certain scenarios. If the two of you decide to go on a hike or walk, he'll try to go slower for you so you don't overexert yourself. If your asthma is triggered by certain dusts or allergens, he'll be keeping a sharp eye out for them to steer you away from it. He may seem to be extremely overprotective and worried about it, and he really is! He wants to protect you, but he's also painfully aware that he can't really do so when it's a chronic illness...

• If you ever end up having an asthma attack with him nearby, his first step is to internally panic. Yes, he knows what to do, but he's also terrified that it might not work. However, he'll help you sit down, use your inhaler if you have one, and get you to a safe place. All while he's internally telling himself stupid jokes to keep himself calm, and telling you words of affirmation to keep you calm. As much as he'd love to tell you the jokes he thinks of, he doesn't want to make you laugh or frustrate you while you're having difficulties breathing. Humor tends to calm him down when upset, but he knows others might get angry and think he's not taking the situation seriously. He'll tell you them after your attack passes, and you've calmed down, if you want.

• Micah is going to let you cuddle one of his dinosaurs, afterwards. If you aren't allergic to cats, he'll also let you cuddle Skrunkly. If you are, though, he'll put her into a different room for you, and vacuum the room after she's out.

• He's the type to completely forget about your asthma until you actually have a problem. Not necessarily in the sense that he'd forget to avoid your triggers. No, he'll remember them, and help you avoid them. It's more like it is second nature to him, now, and he doesn't think of your asthma as being "asthma". It's almost like he's forgotten that not everyone has the "smaller" symptoms, like coughing or slight wheezing while laughing... And that may or may not be because you're one of the few people he actually talks to. So, any small symptoms are seen as just normal, then whenever you have bigger, more serious problems related to your asthma, he'll suddenly remember that "Oh, yeah, you have asthma- OH SHIT-!" and begin panicking, because said "more serious problems" that most likely will make him actively think about your asthma are probably asthma attacks or extreme coughing fits.

• He's probably going to have a miniature checklist written down on things to bring with him whenever he's going somewhere with you. He's already been bringing a mini first aid kit with him just because it's useful, but now he's bringing a separate kit with your emergency inhaler and any medications you might need to take in an emergency, as well as a thermos of a warm, caffeinated beverage to drink if you don't have or use an inhaler. He saw somewhere online that caffeinated, warm drinks can help open the airways a little bit, so it wouldn't hurt to try.

• He's going to obsessively check in on the latest news considering research regarding asthma. Any new, scientifically backed tips and tricks on how to help ease the symptoms will be relayed to you.

• Also, is your medication too expensive? How about he just pays for it! He'll find a way to get the money! He can hack into a few places to... "borrow" a few dollars for it. Or a few thousand... Or million... No price is too high for your comfort!

• If you couldn't tell, Micah probably will be a bit overly anxious, at first. However, once he calms down and actually gets used to living or being around someone who has asthma, he calms down. It's all second nature for him at some point, and he's no longer actively thinking about it. From then on, it's all just a regular relationship! Or, at least, as regular of a relationship as you can have with an obsessive hacker that is probably stalking you... It's to protect you, he promises.

[mysteryshoptls]

R Ace Trappola - P.E. Uniform Vignette

"All that effort for nothing!"

[Sports Field]

Ace: Oh, Housewarden, you on your way back now?

Riddle: Ah, Ace. That's right, we've finished our equestrian club activities for the day.

Ace: Same here for the basketball club. Guess all our clubs just end around the same time.

Riddle: No, not necessarily. Whenever a match draws near, some clubs' practice may end up running longer.

Riddle: Then there are the instances in which the coach is too fired up.

Vargas: Hey, you all get on your feet! You can't build muscle just by sitting around on the field!!

Leona: Tch... Spelldrive club, line up. Time to get back to practicin'.

Spelldrive Club Members: Yessir!

Ace: Woah, they're still going at it… Hm? Isn't that lion-lookin' guy Savanaclaw's Housewarden?

Riddle: That's right. Leona-senpai is also the captain of the Spelldrive club.

Riddle: It's been some time since I've seen him actually actively participating in club practice, though.

Ace: Huh. So, what, you're saying that club's perfect to take it easy in? Didn't expect it to be that lax.

Riddle: You must be joking. Look at their training more carefully.

Spelldrive Club Member A: Huff, puff… Urgh, I can't run anymore…

Spelldrive Club Member B: I g-got no more magic…

Ace: Woah, looks like they're going crazy hard… Glad I didn't join.

Riddle: That reminds me, what club did you join, Ace? Based on what you're wearing, am I right in assuming you joined an athletics club?

Ace: The basketball club! Unlike the Spelldrive club, it's way chiller and relaxed.

Riddle: I see, you chose a team sport… That's rather surprising.

Riddle: From how I see you interact with others in the dorm, I had fully expected you to choose an individual sport.

Ace: You think? I'm actually doin' pretty good as an up-and-coming player on the team.

Ace: Like, for example, my shooting. I can pretty much sink a ball into the hoop without looking after a single glance.

Ace: And I'm pretty good at defense, too.

Ace: I look for where the other guy might try to cut in and steal the ball right from under his nose!

Riddle: I see. I suppose everyone has something they're capable of.

Riddle: You have high spatial awareness. I'll keep that in mind.

Ace: Why do I feel like I just got a backhanded compliment…?

Ace: Okay, but what do you mean by spatial awareness?

Riddle: Spatial awareness means you have the capability to accurately determine the relative condition and position of objects within the given area, and…

Ace: Uhhh～ …Somehow I'm getting more confused now…

Riddle: Sigh. To put it simply…

Riddle: You are able to instantly visualize a scene, including player positions and where the ball and basket are.

Riddle: Although, just because one has this ability doesn't necessarily mean that their body would be capable of keeping pace, so it most likely means that you have good reflexes, as well.

Ace: Huh, you praising me, Housewarden? …Did you eat something you shouldn't've?

Riddle: Don't be rude. Of course I would commend you for your talents.

Riddle: Of course, the main priority should be to behave as the rules dictate, however.

Riddle: As long as you participate well in your club activities, it will only serve to increase Heartslabyul's reputation as a whole. Continue your endeavors without cutting corners.

Ace: I'll do my best. Anyway, I'm kinda getting hungry, should we head back to the dorm?

Riddle: Is that the attitude you should be showing when your Housewarden is giving you advice? Well, no matter. Let us leave.

Ace: 'Kaaay.

Vargas: Alright, guys, you can call it quits after five more sets of passing the disc back and forth!

Spelldrive Club Member A: [gasp, wheeze] …W-We can finally be done… H-Hyah!

Spelldrive Club Member B: Ack! Hey, watch where you're throwing that―

Spelldrive Club Member B: AHH, LOOK OUT!!

Riddle: Hm…?

Ace: Housewarden, look out!

[SLAM!]

Ace: You okay, Housewarden?

Riddle: How were you able to catch the disk from behind you while trying to protect me like that…?

Riddle: I suppose you weren't fibbing when you said you were an up-and-coming player on the basketball team.

Ace: This ain't the time to analyze the situation all casually like that! Yowch, my hand hurts～～!!

Riddle: Of course it does, a Spelldrive disc is made of rather special ore.

Leona: Hey, where do you think you guys were throwing!? Fools!

Spelldrive Club Member A: Eek! S-Sorry, Captain!

Leona: Geez…

Leona: Oh, huh. If it isn't the red-haired brat.

Leona: Hey, you there, flunky number one. Hand over the disc.

Ace: Huuh? Is that really how you should ask for it back?

Ace: If I wasn't here, my Housewarden woulda gotten pummeled, y'know.

Leona: Yeah? Don't think Riddle woulda had any trouble using his magic to flick away a dumb little disk like that.

Leona: See ya. I ain't got time to chat around, unlike you two.

Ace: The hell was that? He pisses me off! He shoulda at least said sorry or something!

Riddle: Indeed. That was no way to speak, even if he were telling the truth.

Ace: Eh? You saying you woulda been able to avoid that?

Riddle: Well, yes, stopping something like that is well within my abilities.

Ace: Ehhh～ Then you shoulda said something. All that effort for nothing!

Riddle: You say that as if I had the time to say something so quickly… However, this did go to help prove how genuine your athletic ability is.

Riddle: Whether it is for a croquet game or an inter-dorm sports tournament… There may come a time in which you would be a great asset for our dormitory.

Riddle: When that time comes, I do hope you'll lend us your strength.

Ace: Ooh, really? I'm pretty good at ball sports, so you can count on me.

Ace: But man, I'd really rather not have any crazy hard training or anything… Heh.

Requested by Anonymous.

[callofdudes]

I know you have a temporary writers block at the moment but I wanted to leave this here.

I thought about could you do the alone mission form mw2 but add a y/n point of view as well

Platonic please

I'm slowly making my way through my inbox and trying to get everything out. But I have been working on this for a hot minute @itsscromp 🫡

A/N: This will replay the Alone mission from your perspective. I have included a majority of Soap and Ghost' s dialogue, some being repurposed and such. The mission won't be 100% accurate as some details I'm foggy on, but please enjoy regardless. And spoilers for the Alone mission I guess??

This is so long... Oh my gosh.

Just over 10K words, so buckle up.

CW: Blood, violence, heavy swearing, near death, still calling you Cobra 🐍

Everything was a blur. Your adrenaline spikes, and you remember your body being thrown from the moving truck. Graves curses angrily when you slam the door open and tumble out. Your body slams against the asphalt. Pain spreads through your limbs as you tumble and roll down into the ditch.

You roll over twigs and branches that scrape and drag across your skin. Your body crashes into a tree in the dirt, leaving you shaking.

You pant. You hear the truck stop along the road. You force your breath in and lay as still in the slick mud as possible.

You pray that you won't be found.

Graves starts yelling and cussing.

"Why weren't you watching them!?"

"Let them go! They won't make it out alive on their own anyway." He orders his men back in the car, and the tires pick up back across the road.

You wheeze. Alejandro. They still had Alejandro.

Your lungs compress and ignite like flames, each breath hard and forced.

You pick up your aching body and crawl out of the ditch. Your wrists ache, still zip tied together. You reach up and press your comm. "Soap?? Ghost?? Can either of you hear me??" You wheeze and coughed.

The commlink crackles and your spirits rise.

"Cobra! This is Soap, how copy?"

Relief floods your body. "Stable. Currently crawling in a ditch down the road-" You cough. "Where's your location?"

"A town just a couple miles from here. Meet me there."

You struggle with the your sore hands. "Copy that."

You stand yourself up on your knees and rise to your feet. The rain chills your body, the moonlight being your only guide. Your vision blurs momentarily, blood rushing through your ears. You shake your head quickly and stagger forward.

You walk back up the road to the shootout and look down into the brush. That must have been where Johnny went. You hop down and trek the sticky mud. All the while struggling with your knife. You needed to get this stupid zip tie off but it was proving a bit more difficult in your shaky form.

About halfway through the walk your commlink crackles again.

"Sergeant how copy?" The voice is deeper and makes your insides loosen with reassurance.

"Ghost! I'm headed for Soap."

"Alright sergeant. That town is crawling with shadows. Soap is hidden inside one of the first shops you'll see, to your left. go straight there."

"Copy that."

You slid down a slope and came upon the darkened town. Definitely abandoned and silent. Everyone must be in hiding.

You notice the first building had a faint light on and a sign above the door. You look both ways before making a break for it. You struggle with the wet door handle. It jiggles and pulls but you can't quite grab it.

"Soap- it's me!" You attempt to whisper yell through the door.

The door is pushed open and Soap rushes out, his gun knocking against your jugular. "Easy- easy-"

Johnny looks both ways before pulling you back inside. "Hells bells you scared me!" He scolds.

"Apologies. I couldn't get the door open." You raise your hands to show him your predicament. "That's alright." Johnny pulls out his knife and slices it down between your wrists and snaps the zip tie.

"I thought Graves got you? I was worried."

"I jumped from the truck."

Johnny opens his arms and pulls you in tightly. "You crazy bastard."

You chuckle. And then you notice his arm. "Soap, are you ok?"

Johnny hums. "Oh! That, yeah, just a bullet wound. I'm fine. I'm more worried about you. Just look at yer self."

Johnny grabs a lamp and points it across your body. In the darkness you could feel the damage but were unsure of what damage that was. Your pants are tearing at the knees and blood is starting to stain deep through your pant leg. Your arms are clearly going to bruise and you are starting to shake more violently.

"If you need a stim I'm sure we can find one."

You shudder and shake your head. "No, I'll be fine. I just want to get us in and out."

"Luckily Ghost will help. Not like he didn't leave us- I still don't know how he got to the church in the half the time I did."

You shrug. "He IS the Ghost."

Johnny nods. "Speaking of..." *He presses down his comm. "Ghost. Cobra has reached my position. Awaiting further instructions."

You wring out your wrists anxiously.

"Shadows are swarming the grounds. Our best option is to split up."

"Split us up!? What-" Johnny claps his hand over your mouth. You grab his forearm and quickly shut up. Johnny releases you after a moment and consults his comms. "Lt, is splitting us up the best idea?"

"Two soldiers together are more noticable than one."

"Are you injured?" Ghost asks again, referring to you. You huff, "I'm not a medic."

"Tell me something I don't know."

You look at Johnny who chews on Ghost's words for a moment. "You ok to go on your own?"

"Anything to get out alive." You reply.

Johnny clicks his comm again. "Alright Lt. What do we do?"

"Keep your blood in, you'll need every drop."

"Thanks for the tip. Where are you?" Johnny asks.

"There's a church. I'm heading to it. Let's RV there. You'll need to improvise to survive."

"Get Cobra suited up. No doubt Graves confiscated your weapons?" Ghost questions.

You search your person, only finding your Glock at the front of your armor. "Stripped."

"I ain't got much to work with here either Lt."

"Just get out there and worry about not getting killed then. You know protocol."

Johnny looks up at you and nods. "See you on the other side?"

"You'd be stupid to think I'm going anywhere."

You two shake on it. Johnny checks the windows and gives you the go-ahead. You slip out the front door into the night. Watery lights drift through the rain. Old buildings cast black shadows and remains of life.

You slip around a corner, still trying to shake the impending exhaustion of your fall. You turn on your comm. and listen to the sound of Soap and Ghost's voices. Ghost was focusing on Johnny, leaving you to assume the coast was clear and keep moving. Thank goodness it was.

Usually, soldiers were mindless enough to talk to each other loud enough to hear, but risking your chances wasn't an option.

You slip into another house and sweep through the interior. The upstairs bedrooms, the kitchen, and the living room. No signs of any better gun or any ammunition.

You walk back down the stairs, your knee buckling on the last step, sending you tumbling into the wall. Your hand moves out and you manage to catch yourself before your face had a nice meeting with said wall.

You pant, your leg spasming before settling down again.

"Cobra how copy?" Ghost questions.

"Solid. Just tripped."

"Don't give away your position."

"Affirmative sir."

You pull yourself back up and step out of the house and back into the rain.

You walk up to the edge of the building, your blood freezing at the sound of a vehicle's tires against the wet pavement. You fall back, slamming against the wall in a panic to hide.

"There's a truck." Johnny says over the comm.

"Two men." He whispers moments later. You slide around the corner just enough to faintly see the men. Their voices clear as day.

"Any sign of 'em?" One of them asked, looking around.

You hide again, trying to calm your racing heartbeat and force your breathing down.

"Not yet. Check everywhere, assume they're alive and dangerous..." A second soldier replies.

"Let's hope not. That's a shitstorm we don't need." Comes the voice of the first.

"They were ordered to stand down and they didn't."

"I don't like where this is goin', man... It's not right. These are 141 guys..."

"They don't write their own rules..."

"Do we...? Who the fuck is in charge here?"

"Whoever signs our fuckin' checks, that's who." The first soldier replies again before going quiet.

You shudder out a breath, feeling your knee start to ache again. You move across the street and hide in the shadow of one of the buildings. The rain conceals your sublet movements.

"Graves is here." Johnny's voice comes. "Looks pissed. He's on my side but keep it low."

You slip into another house, stomach flipping at the sight of a woman pushed off her chair with a bullet in her head.

"Copy that." You mutter as you continue.

You searche the cupboards and stairs. More ammunition but no sign of a gun. With any luck you could take out a Shadow and steal his.

You look up at the sound of a far gunshot, sidearm at the ready.

"Graves and Shadow are on a killing spree."

You shudder. You could only imagine. You hear footsteps outside the home and voices. You duck under one of the windows and flick the blinds up just enough with your finger to see the same two Shadow soldiers passing by.

"Looking for Hassan." Ghost replies to Johnny.

"Hassan and us." You mutter. You reach for the door handle and gently open the front door. The two soldiers were still talking even as you approached their backsides.

Your heart pounds, fear drawing up through your chest and locking in your movements. You grab one man, your hand clasping over his mouth. The second soldier turning just as you shoot his partner through the back.

Before he could shoot you throw his dead partner's weight his way and shoot him in the face.

You get down in the rain, bare knees stinging on the tarmac. You rip open their vests, happy to find a much better gun at his hip and a stim in his vest.

"Fucking hell..."

"Keep in there Johnny. Just keep moving." You say, hands shaky as you use the stim.

"Advise both of you move interior if you're not already. It's good cover." Ghost says.

You stand from the shadows and work your way back over to their abandoned vehicle for cover. Over the hood of the car you can see Johnny slipping inside an open garage.

"Any luck?" You ask.

"No joy... Door's locked."

"Shit. New plan?" You slip over the hood of the car and give Johnny a thumbs up.

"Look for supplies- things you can make tools with. Welcome to guerrilla warfare..."

"I'm not liking it so far."

"You aren't supposed to."

"Thanks, lieutenant." You grumble. You turn to go around the opposite way Johnny went when you hear him shudder.

"Creepin'..."

"What are you seein'?" You ask, wondering if it was safe to move.

"A bloodbath." Johnny replies.

"Watch your arse.. You got exactly zero allies down there..."

"Cobra, get a move on. I have a feeling those Shadows around to come around again. Stick with Soap for the time being."

You slip around the hood of the truck. You run to where you'd seen Johnny and your eyes land on the sight before you, stomach churning again. Johnny is untangling a rope away from a man's feet who is already long deceased.

Johnny looks up when he sees you at six. "We're friends, no..?" You nod and come around to his side to inspect his work.

You start to look around the laundry room, looking for anything you were missing.

"Teammates Johnny. Friendships not in the field manual."

"Neither is mask making." You grin, finding an old ceiling fan and breaking off one of the blades.

Johnny couldn't help a small chuckle at your reply. He comes over to you with the rope and nods.

"Rope and a fan blade. Could work as a weapon??"

"I don't think so. Might gash someone's throat but in no way could do any other kind of damage."

You shrug. He was right.

"Tie off the blade with the rope and pry open the door." Ghost instructed.

"Sounds like you've done this before..." You hold on to the fan blade and follow Johnny back toward the garage.

"Years of practice..."

"Maybe when we get out of here you could actually teach us this stuff, no?"

"If you live that long."

"You think we'll live that long?" Johnny asks, starting to pry open the garage door.

"No." Ghost replies.

"As comforting as always lieutenant."

Johnny cracks the door open, the fan blade twists and bends, snapping once the door opens and the hinges of the lock crack.

"Busted the fan blade..." He mutters.

"Get you through the door?"

"Affirmative."

Johnny inspects the hallway and slowly moves in. You stay until he makes it inside and eventually, he motions you forward. And the two of you enter.

Johnny takes the lead ahead of you. You can't help but look at a few paintings down the hallway of a family. When you enter the living room you can hear loud voices.

Johnny arches to a stop, causing you to pause as well.

You can hear Graves yelling in the kitchen. Several Shadow men stalk around the area.

Johnny retreats from the living room and brings you back into the hallway. "We have to do something-" Johnny covers your mouth with his hand and stays in place.

You both listen to the shouting. You try to block it out. Your heart pounds away, fear making your shoulders up through your throat ice cold.

"Mama! ¡Mama! ¡Mama...!"

"Si tocas a mi familia, I will feed you to the fucking leonas! ¡Me escuchas!"

Your hand shoots up and grabs onto Johnny's bicep when you hear the gunshots. You squeeze your eyes shut tightly and try to keep focused.

Johnny looks as scared as you. His bottom lip trembles violently. The Shadows leave and move to another house to raid.

"Don't hurt my children... I'm begging you... Please..." A woman begs. In the distance, you can hear more yelling and gunshots.

A tear runs down your cheek. You dig into Johnny's skin, wanting to cry and scream. If Graves did anything, you'd kill him. Right here, right now.

Johnny looks into your eyes as a deafening silence continues. A moment of what felt like hours passes.

"Take the kid, get him out of here." Graves finally answers.

It relaxes you only slightly as the voices keep up. But you can't muster to listen anymore. No amount of training could rid you of the empathy that stung you on your job every day.

Johnny slowly pulls his hand away, his breath husky. "Come on." He whispers. You nod slowly and follow him toward the kitchen. You manage to sneak past the Shadows and up the stairs.

The smell of smoke hits you, but you dare not look, knowing what you'll find

Once in the hallway, You're able to relax scarcely. You step through the hallway after Johnny.

"God, this is awful." You shudder.

"Come on. Just gotta keep moving." Johnny replies.

"Lt. You good?"

"Peachy. How are you two coming along?"

Johnny bends down and picks up a headlamp off the floor. "Found a headlamp. Not too far from the previous owner either."

"Good. It can light your way but you risk attracting attention."

Johnny steps back into the hallway and motions you to the left while he checks the last room. You walk inside, blood stains on the carpet and chaos in the wake of Shadow men.

You shudder but continue searching the room. At this point, the aching in your body is the least of your concerns.

"Just keep moving..." You remind yourself under your breath.

"So, where do we go from here?"

"Think we'll get the green light to go after these guys?" Johnny says. You can hear him rummaging around in the other room.

"No more greenlights. We're on our own."

You frown. "What about Captain Price?"

"Price isn't here, is he...? The old man can't bail us out. Not this time."

Your eyes turn despaired at one of the bodies. You don't reply, but Ghost continues to talk.

"Alejandro you can trust. But, he's in Graves' custody. If he's even alive... Laswell's close with Shepherd. Callin' her's a no-go until we learn more."

You find a few more things around the room and turn to go. "I trust the Captain - if he knew, he'd be here."

"Be careful who you trust, Sergeant. People you know can hurt you the most."

"Good advice Lt..."

"I want to be like you when I grow up."

You move back into the hallway and find Johnny also exiting back into the hallway.

"You want to be better than me, sergeant."

You couldn't help a tiny smile.

"Got our work cut out then."

"That you do..."

"Think we'll live that long?" Johnny asks.

"Probably not."

You ignore Ghost's pessimism and continue on.

Johnny nods to the last door. You slowly approach it and twist the handle. "Locked." Johnny holds up a lock-picking contraption. You move back behind him so he can bust the door open.

The lock cracks and the door is forced open.

You enter the room, stopping when you see the caged dog. He barks when he sees you, forcing a retreat.

"Fuck-"

Johnny grabs your hand and tugs you out of the room and around the corner. You can hear a Shadow soldier yelling downstairs, footsteps tromping up the stairs.

You watch the door as the Shadow walks into the room. He positions his gun and investigations the room thoroughly.

"It's the dog from the bedroom. I don't see anything. I'll stick around, just in case..."

You look at Johnny who motions you to stay.

You settle into the shadow of the upstairs. You focus on maintaining your breathing. You don't know how long you were there. Felt like a bloody long time before the Shadow soldiers decided to pack his ass up and leave.

"Did you see the caged dog?" Johnny manages to ask over the comms.

"Big geezer. If he barks, shoot him and repo quickly- Don't get compromised..." Ghost responds.

"You are stone cold, Simon."

You follow Johnny, shuddering when you pass the room with the dog.

"hey Cobra. What has two legs and bleeds?

You walk back into the hallway and one of the rooms, finding a balcony.

"Don't tell me."

"Half a dog."

"I asked you not to tell me."

Johnny approaches the balcony and sees the streets below are clear. "Think you can jump with those legs?"

"Honestly no."

Johnny nods. "I'll do my best to catch you then."

You look down over the ledge as Johnny hops up and tumbles down to the ground. You can see two Shadow men at the end of the roadway Johnny is in.

The fall was well-timed and he manages to get back up from it. He looks down the road and then up at you. He reaches his arms out, his injured one shaking more than the other.

You take a deep breath. You force your slightly less battered leg up onto the ledge. Your hands grip it tightly, fear scouring through your body.

You know Johnny is going to do his best to catch you. Even if the odds of that aren't in your favor.

You let go of the ledge and drop to the ground. Johnny grabs your underarms just before your legs wack against the ground. You have to bite your tongue to halt the slu of profanities that passes your mind.

"Sorry- that wasn't my plan." Johnny winces.

Your eyes swell with tears. "I'm fine." You wheeze.

He helps you regain your balance, but you're within seconds of collapsing. "Are we almost there?"

"Gimme a sit-rep." Ghost's voice crackles back over the comms.

"Outside... Gated alley." Johnny checks on you once last time before reaching for his gun.

"Stick to the edges and stay low."

"Copy."

You follow Johnny to the corner, wincing when your leg bends and you stumble into the wall.

"You ok?"

You nod to Johnny and urge him forward.

"What exactly do we get from this?" You wheeze again.

"You may get a brag rag for this..." Ghost replies monotonously.

"A medal?"

"Chest candy." He restates.

You scoff. "Dead Shadows are my medals."

Johnny reaches the back of the road just as the two Shadows walk off.

"Split up?"

Johnny shakes his head. "I'm not leaving you battered. You can barely walk."

"You doubt my abilities."

"I doubt your legs." He holds out his hand. "Stick with me, we get out alive. We find Ghost. Together."

You grabbed his hand and he led you forward. "Together."

"Church is on the north side of the city. I've set up a sniper position in the church tower. Find your way there, and you might just make it."

"We're on it Lt."

Johnny moves forward into the open yard. He stops by the wall of a building. You can see another group of Shadows.

"Fucking hell." You mutter.

"Graves is rounding up cops."

Johnny reaches out his arm to hold you back. Graves comes out of one of the houses, and you both watch the scene before you. You watch the Shadows murder one civilian after the other. Firing gunshot after gunshot.

"He's judge, jury, and executioner now."

Your hands quiver and pulse across your gun.

You look down and find a bottle in the street. "Johnny." You whisper and hold it up for him to see.

"A bottle. Good for a distraction. Could prove useful."

You continue to search around for a moment until Johnny hums. "Got it."

"Commandeered some wax, LT."

"Could prove useful..." Ghost reiterates.

You make eye contact again and you nod. You were ready.

Johnny looks and motions toward the water fountain in the middle of the street.

You slip out from the corner. You can't help but try and rush when you hear Graves yelling, followed by another gunshot.

And another.

You skid to a stop at the fountain and duck down behind it. You clutch your gun tightly and motion Johnny over. He comes around the corner and rushes across the open street.

He ducks down next to you and looks around. Two soldiers were standing by the perimeter of the street.

You try to still your breathing and keep Johnny from moving forward when you hear them talking.

"I got too much respect for these guys to go to guns unless they do." The first one says, his back turned toward you two.

"I bet we'd come out on top of that fight." The second one snarks.

"I don't wanna test my skills against 141."

"What are you thinkin'?"

"We should white flag this thing and talk or everyone's gonna end up dead."

"You gettin' scared, dude?"

" I'm not fuckin' scared, bro. I'm not stupid either. Any movement over there? It's quiet here... Narcos got outta Dodge. It's not them I'm worried about anyway..."

"I thought you said you're not scared."

"I'm worried, worried is different than scared..."

Johnny taps your arm and motions to a nearby crate. "Stay here."

You nod and continue to hold your position as he sneaks out just enough to reach the box.

"Same fuckin' thing..." The second Shadow replies when you turn your attention back on the conversation.

"No, it's not, it's not the same thing at all..."

"I'm telling you right now, don't let these guys get in your head..."

"So, you're tellin' me you see that big boy with the skullface, and you're not gonna start sweatin'?" The first Shadow sasses.

"I'm not gonna see him--"

"You're right, you won't see him. It's too late if you see him, you're fuckin' dead already."

You chuckle. "I think they're scared of you, Ghost." You whisper into your comm.

The radio crackles, but Ghost doesn't reply.

Johnny returns to your position and smiles. "Found a mouse trap."

"And this is good news because..?"

"Surpisingly useful as a trigger."

You look from the mousetrap to the bottle and start to catch on to his plan.

"It's no airstrike, but it'll do." He smirks.

"You both are doing good. Just keep moving. The longer you sit there the more chances you have of being killed."

You looked at Johnny. "Copy that Lt." You huff.

You looked into Johnny's eyes, and he can tell you are starting to give out. Your energy is fading, and you kind of liked the sound of staying there.

Johnny takes your hand and clutches it tightly. "Stay with me, soldier. Come on. Only a little longer and we can rest."

"Johnny I'm tired."

"I know, I'm going to get us out of here-" Johnny presses down on his comm. "Ghost, Cobra is fading, we need your oversight."

"I've got you Johnny. You're clear."

"Y/n."

Your ears ring when he says your name. You groan, trying to keep quiet.

"Y/n, you need to keep walking. Just keep walking, I'll get you both out of here, can you do that for me?"

Tears filled your eyes. "Yes sir."

"Good. I've got your backs, Johnny, use what you've found to conjure a distraction."

"I'm already on it Lt."

Johnny readjusts the bottle and throws it at the Shadows blocking your path. You scuff your boots and shove them under you to swing upward.

The Shadows look up, rushing to check the sound of the bottle smashing against the brick wall.

Johnny pulls your arms, and you both sneak down the overshadowed alleyway.

Your vision swims and goes fuzzy again. Your hand unclasps from Johnny's, and his silhouette fades into the darkness. You slump back to your knees, resting against the side of the building.

"Lieutenant..." Your thumb quivers, unable to keep the comm open to talk.

"I'm right here sergeant. You'll be ok, keep moving. I know you can do it."

"Tired..."

"Where is Johnny?"

You look up. You try to clear your head. Your insides swim with bile, and it makes the hooks of your jaw fuzzy. Your throat forces down saliva you don't want to swallow.

The shadows move, and there is Johnny. He rushes back over to you and crouches. "We've gotta go come on."

You grab onto him, unsure of where your feet are going, but you stand during the process.

Johnny guides you. His eyes soften again, and he slows down so you can slouch against him to take away some of the pain from your ankles.

"We're so close." He says.

You shake your head of the dizzy feeling and muster yourself up.

Johnny brings you to the end of the street and lays you up against the wall. You draw your gun into your lap and watch Johnny hunt the street for material.

"Found some chemicals." He says into his comm.

"Tie them up with some wax and you got a smoke bomb. A toxic distraction."

"Sick... I like it."

"Guarantee you they won't..."

"How is Cobra doing?" Ghost asks a minute later.

"Solid. Hanging on."

Johnny finds a roll of tape just a bit further from the chemicals. "I can use that later." You watch Johnny as he starts to make an explosive contraption.

You rise to your feet. Your knees shake but you manage to keep yourself up. You come to Johnny's back and could see he was making a bomb of sorts.

Eventually, he tucks it into his bag. He motions across the street and you follow him into another house. When entering you see a Shadow slammed up against the wall of the room, dead.

"Woah."

Johnny comes over and examines the knife stuck in his throat. "Looks like Ghost's handiwork." You mutter. "Missing a knife Lt?"

"Several."

"Think we found one."

"Some of the dead Shadows are my handiwork..."

"You came through here?" You ask.

"On my way to the church."

"And you left us?" You frown.

"I'm used to working alone."

"So much for no man left behind." Johnny grumbles.

You pull the knife from the Shadows' throat and clean the blood on your vest pocket. You can probably use it for something. Might as well return them to him.

"Just get yourself to the church. Tryin' to keep you alive and get you here in one piece. One of us needs to survive to tell the tale."

"It'll probably be you." You reply.

Johnny motions you forward and the two of you search the house. Everything is in shambles, barely put together, and a mess in every sense.

Johnny moves into the living room and chuckles. "Seek and ye shall find..."

"Whatcha got?" You perk up curiously and walk over to him where he was currently strapping a briefcase to his person.

"Black powder..."

"Nice. This could get interesting..."

Johnny nods and the two of you set off. Johnny moves up the stairway while you search the kitchen. Under the cupboard there are a few chemicals you see fit to take with you.

"So..." You open your comm.

"What if we don't get out?"

Ghost hums. "If you mean all three of us die. We die. Price has to learn of this himself, three of his best soldiers dead and barely a task force left. You know. No pressure or anything."

"And what if you get out alive?"

"Then I'm going for safety, regrouping with Price. Then I'm finding Alejandro and Graves."

"Good plan."

"If you want to be in on it you might want to keep moving sergeant."

"Copy that Lt."

Johnny tromps back down the stairs and shakes his head. Nothing much.

"Lt, about to play rough with the Shadows..." You slip toward the back door, hands shaking and rough.

"I like the sound 'o that." Ghost replies.

"Fashioned a trip mine..." Johnny adds.

"A man after my own heart..."

"That's a scary thought." You mutter.

"You learn fast, Y/n."

You slip the back door open and find a lone Shadow standing guard. From your vest pocket, you pull out Ghost's knife and grip it in your hand.

Johnny nods, and you slip forward. You buckle your hand over the Shadow's mouth and drive the knife up into his back. His body strangles and freezes before going limp and falling to the ground.

"That knife came in handy."

"You're welcome."

"I ain't thanking you lieutenant." You chuckle and slip the blade back into your vest.

You search the Shadow's vest and are lucky enough to find a pistol. "Found a gun."

"Good work. Moving up in the world. Choose your shots and targets wisely. Guns make noise."

"Copy Lt."

Johnny stares down at the dead Shadow a moment longer. You hear a noise down the road and your eyes shoot up as another Shadow walks your way.

"Fuck, come on MacTavish." You grab his hand and pull him out of the street and around the corner. You make ten paces before you're stopping again, faced with another group of conversing Shadows.

"I wanna find those English motherfuckers. That asshole with the mask and the other leprechaun." The first one says.

"Leprechaun's-they're Irish, I told you that." The second one responds.

"Right. One o' those dudes with the skirts."

"It's called a kilt."

"It's a dude in a dress, that's all I know..."

"Uh huh. What about the third one? Smart ass little sergeant got away."

"They're 141, what do you expect? Wimps?"

"Just want to get my hands on that one. Slimy as a frog. An agile thing."

Johnny scoffs. He prepares his bomb from behind you and doesn't waste his time throwing it in their direction. "Lot o' slime." He mutters.

The smoke bomb hits the ground and alerts the Shadows. Before you know it Johnny is taking off toward one of the alleys.

"Fuck-"

Gunfire rains down on you, forcing you from your position. The gunfire strays you out into the street and down a separate roadway. You slam yourself around the corner and down against the wall. You clench your teeth, fresh blood trickling down your arm.

Your left hand is shaking violently, unable to hold your weapons.

You slouch against the wall, breathing ragged and body gushing blood.

"Cobra!? What's your position!" Johnny finally asks worriedly through the comms. You huff, raising your hand to respond. "Solid... But hit."

"Shit. My bad." Johnny apologizes.

"All good." You reply.

You slowly stand, pressing your weight into the wall until you manage to recover yourself.

"Feeling weak, are you?"

"bit shaky, sir, yeah." You roll your neck, pain shooting up your spine.

"Graves tried to kill us. Would stand to reason if you were a little off. Find a stim- It'll give you a boost"

"I just want out of this alive."

"We'll get you out alive then."

"So you do like me?"

"I like you both alive."

"Fair enough."

You traverse through the roadway and sidetrack into a garage linked to a building.

"Found a stim." Johnny says over comm.

"Use it. I'm out of luck." You push your way through the door, hissing at the use of your hurt arm.

"Elbow is going numb."

"Find a stim."

"I'm trying to find anything I can." You reply.

Johnny and Ghost maintain contact while you slip through the house and scavenge for anything you can take to keep the Shadows off you.

You find only one speckle of useful items like chemicals, which are more useful in Johnny's hands.

"Y/n.. Graves is burning the midnight oil to find us... Why...?" Ghost asks.

You frown. "He's involved. Both Sheppard and Graves are involved."

"No matter what- this is an unprecedented amount of fuckery. We need to get to the bottom of it." Johnny adds.

"Accurate and deadly fire tends to resolve these things. Right now, we're not safe here."

"Right now... we're not safe anywhere, Lt." You break into another room, combing through as you go. You sneak out the backdoor and find yourself faced with Shadow soldiers.

You manage to slip past as they talk and into the next house.

You find a small storage room and your heart sinks when you find a civilian laying dead next to a toolkit. "Son of the damn devil." You whisper.

You walk through the rest of the house. Chairs and dreary wallpaper, everything a normal family would need.

You jump when you hear banging thunder against one of the doors. You grab your knife as you approach the door and swing it open.

But just as you do, the wounded civilian on the other side falls to his knees. His eyes look up at you in pain and fear before he's gone.

You swallow the sick feeling in your mouth and step over him and press forward.

"I'm in the coffee shop." You sit rep.

"Get us a tea."

You roll your eyes. "Fuckin' Brits. You'll owe me for this you know?"

"Why?"

"We're all fixing each other's problems."

"And what's my problem?"

"The mask," You whine.

"Take it off." Johnny joins, making you smile.

"Show my face?"

"Yes, sir. Ain't nothing wrong with that."

"Negative."

You pout. Finally, you find a stim case on the counter, along with some other trinkets. You jab it into your arm and feel slight relief from the adrenaline.

There's a briefcase sitting on the table. You open it only to find more explosives and an aiming sight. Not much use to you.

You grab the briefcase and hang on to it, just in case Johnny can use it.

"Are you ugly?" Johnny continues.

"Quite the opposite." Ghost replies.

"I doubt that."

Johnny chuckles, and Ghost disappears from the comms. You switch your channel to just Johnny, "I think we bullied him."

"Aw, poor Lt."

You search behind the shop counter. "He does owe us when we get back, though."

"That's for fucking sure. This would go a lot smoother if we were all together."

You push another door open, looking around and finding nothing.

"You know, maybe a vacation could do us good??"

"Vacation? The hell are you on about."

"The Bahamas are sounding really nice right about now."

"Ghost is allergic to the sun."

You chuckle. You hear the door of the coffee shop open. You're at the ready, slipping back out of the room, only to see Johnny.

"Scared me for a minute."

"Figured out where the coffee shop was."

You hold out the briefcase and smile. "Figured you could use this." You look down and see the gun in his hand. "And where did you find that?"

"Tripwire. House just down the road."

Johnny takes the case of explosives and secures the sight onto his gun.

"Have you checked everything?"

"No, just the first door."

You both head for the office door, to no surprise it's locked.

Johnny hums and pulls out a couple of tools from his belt. "Give this a try."

You take a step back as he slots the tool in the door and force it open.

"Nice skills there Soap."

He winks and allows you in first. A couple filing cabinets, a desk, and a safe. You approach the safe. "Is there a code around here??"

Johnny inspects the room, looking under papers and books. His attention soon turned to the calendar up on the wall. With a suspicious number of dates circled. "That looks interesting."

"Give it a go?"

Johnny nods, so you punch in the numbers, your eyes widening when it works. "On the money."

You open the safe and search inside. Throwing knives, money...

"Oh ho ho."

Johnny raises a brow. "What??"

"Hand held .50 cal...? You're coming with me..."

Johnny gapes. "What!? No way, I want that one."

You frown. "No way, you have the big guy." You motion briefly to the Lockwood in his hands. "This one, is mine."

Johnny sputters but ultimately huffs and shuts up.

You switch your radio to the clear channel again. "Ghost."

"Y/n..."

"Guess what I found?"

"More stopping power?"

"Check."

Johnny huffs, making his way back out of the room and you follow close behind.

"Your life expectancy just went way up."

"Thank you!"

"Not yet sergeant. It's still your job to keep you alive."

"Thanks Lt. Really helping us out here."

Johnny approaches the window to take a look outside. "Uh oh, looks like we're gonna have company."

You look up, seeing the Shadows advancing outside. "What do we do?"

"We can fight?"

"Took risky." You reply.

"That's three less Shadows on our tail."

You chew your lip, trying to make a decision.

"You two, check out that warehouse." The Shadow says.

Johnny grabs your arm and pulls you down next to him. "Guess we're fighting it out." You clock your gun.

"Let's get it over and done with."

"You make it sound like we're doing chores." You retort.

"They've got no guns, he won't get far." A second Shadow says, much closer than before.

"They're 141... Still dangerous. Go left, I'll clear the alley."

"Roger, on it."

Johnny sneaks around the edge of the bar, motioning you to follow him. You crawl quickly on your hands and knees, barely out of sight before the door to the shop opens.

Boots crackle wetly along the tile ground. You steady your breath as the Shadow enters, followed by another.

"Ya here? Not too late to surrender..." The Shadow calls out.

You look at Johnny who is readying himself.

Your comm crackles and you freeze.

"Sergeant, how are we doing?" Ghost asks.

Your eyes widen.

The Shadows snap and round the corner, ammo loaded.

You roll to your feet and slam the closest one to you against the wall, the barrel of your gun against his jaw and soon a bullet in his brain. Johnny tussles with the other one before managing to overpower him and stabbing him in the throat.

You both run for the backdoor and run out into the street. Johnny slips down the alleyway toward the third Shadow and slices him clean through the back with his knife.

"Come on."

You break for it down the alley and across the street.

"Come on. A bit further."

You huff. You pant. Your legs buckle and you slam down to the ground.

Blood leaks from your wounds and washes away in the street. Your breathing is heavy and you're feeling dizzy again. And a sick lightheaded feeling bounces around in the confines of your skull.

"Come on sergeant. We're almost there."

You shake your head. "I can't. Tired."

Johnny bends down and pulls you up into his arms. You're eyes focus on him briefly before he's just another blur out of reach.

His cold hand cups your cheek, turning your face toward him. "Come on. Come on you're doing So good. I know you can keep moving. I know you can!"

You press your hand to your stomach, feeling bile rise in your chest. Johnny's eyes fade in and out, his figure blending with the shadows.

"Ghost. Cobra isn't doing well."

You huff and heave. Your eyes swell with tears.

Johnny can see it coming and he slowly moves you out of his arms and down to the ground.

Your vision fades in and out.

"What's the sergeants condition?" Ghost asks.

Johnny smooths his hands over your arms. He checks your vest for any kind of medical supplies. Worry bubbling when he finds nothing to bandage you with. "Not good. I'm not sure what's going on-"

"Alright Johnny. Flip y/n over, get the sergeant on their hands and knees."

"No-!" You wheezed. "Hurt."

Johnny scavenges his person for medical supplies, finding nothing.

"Shit. Y/n, come here. I've got you."

You dry heave, your chest flares up, and your cheeks flush.

Johnny helps to flip you over and rubs your back. "It's ok. You're doing well keeping up."

You feel bile rise in your throat. The burn follows before bile forces it's way out from your stomach. Your insides churning and twisting.

Bile spills into the street and burns your dry, sore throat. Blood spills into the mess and slips into one of the storm drains.

When your stomach finally settles enough to suck in air.

Your shaking arms fold in, giving Johnny barely a second to pull you back into the safety of his arms. The rain is starting to get to you. Plastering your shirt to your skin and your hair damp against your forehead.

"Lt. We need to get going." Johnny comms. Much more concerned than before.

You curl into his cold embrace. Tired and sleep threatening to overtake your exhausted body.

"Johnny... town's full o' tunnels. One leads out across from the church. Be advised- the tunnel is flooded. Prepare for a cold swim."

Johnny winces as he pulls you up to your feet. Your head hangs, fighting for consciousness as he pulls you onto his shoulder.

"Hang on Y/n, I'm getting us home."

"Home..."

"Yeah. We're going home. It'll be warm. You can curl up in a blanket and relax. You just gotta hang on alright?"

"Can't wait."

"I know. But try."

"Still upright?" Ghost asks after a minute of walking.

"So far, so good. Can't say the same for Y/n though."

"You get caught out there, they'll kill you slow..."

"Mercs or the Narcos?"

"Narcos... They'll take videos..."

"I'll give 'em your email so they know where to send them..." Johnny opens another house door and slips inside.

"I won't watch 'em... More than once anyway..."

"Sick bastard..."

Johnny places you down by the stairs and cups your cheek. "How are we doing?"

Blood still drips from your mouth, and it's starting to trickle from your nose as well. All you can manage is a weak smile.

Johnny leaves you there while he searches the place. He searches the kitchen, the living room, and the garage. You're left unaided in silence.

"You still standing, Y/n?"

"Think I'm clear..." You can barely reply.

"Soap- you makin' progress?"

Johnny hums from the other room. "Aye. Gettin' there..."

You watch the blood trickling down your arm. Your vision briefly blurs again, but you blink it away.

"Hey sergeant." Your comm. Crackles again.

"Two goldfish are in a tank...?"

You shift gently, still holding your angry stomach. "Go on..."

Ghost replies immediately. "One turns to the other and says... "You know how to drive this thing?" Little army humor."

"Very little." You reply. But you can hear in his voice he's trying to hold back a chuckle. It's a comforting thought to think that wherever Ghost is, he's smiling.

Johnny gives you a nod when he comes back from the living room and walks up the stairs to check the second floor.

"Another?"

You clasp and unclasp your cold fingers. "Why not..."

"Why don't blind guys skydive?"

"Tell me."

"Scares the shit out o' their dogs..."

You crack a small smile.

"We could do this all night."

"That's what I'm afraid of." You respond.

Johnny comes back down the stairs and showed you the new weapon on his hip. "Found a safe upstairs. Had some snazzy stuff inside."

You attempt to stand with him but your body doesnt make it far.

Johnny quickly comes to your side and helps you up. "Don't worry. I'll keep us moving. Think you can hop on my back?"

You nod and stand against the wall as Johnny bends over. It's an uncomfortable fit against the protective vest, but it's better than being hauled over his shoulder.

He left through the front door and walked back out into the rain.

"Hey Ghost..." You croak.

"What is it, sergeant?" Ghost's voice seems a slight bit softer. Maybe it's the delirium or the rain, but he sounds comforting.

"I gotta joke for you..."

"Let's hear it then."

You close your eyes, your breathing slowing. Johnny looks back over his shoulder at you and pats your thigh.

"Why don't shrimps share?"

"Why?"

"Because they're a little shellfish."

"Not bad." Ghost replies. Even Johnny manages to crack a smile.

Johnny stops under a small overhang and opens the door. Warm light welcomes you inside the scuffed up bar.

"Lt- I'm at the bar."

"You like tequila?"

"Could use one right about now," Johnny replies, looking around for things.

"I'd murder for a whiskey."

"You mean Scotch?"

"I drink bourbon."

"Like a good ol' boy..."

Ghost sighs. "I love Kentucky."

"You're out o' your mind, Lt."

"That's for sure."

Johnny pats your thigh. "Hang in there sergeant." You cling to him as best you can, relying on their voices. Both their voices help you focus on the task ahead of you.

Johnny pushes outside of the bar and finds his way to the tunnels.

"Lt. I've got a problem."

"What's your situation, Johnny?"

"Reached the tunnel. Not sure how I'm gonna get y/n through with me." Johnny helps you off his back and sets you down.

"How are you feeling Y/n?"

You hold onto his hand. "Can't quite feel my legs."

"Ghost, is there any other way?"

"I'm afraid not. If you've got any more stims get the sergeant boosted."

Johnny holds your hand and motions to the tunnel. "We've gotta go for a swim."

"I don't think I can-"

"I'm not leaving you out here. We're so close. I just need you to push through just one last time. Can you do this, for us?"

You swallow hard. "I'll try."

"Good. Come on."

Johnny grabs your hand and helps you up. Your feet are numb, but it at least rids off the pain in your legs.

You hold Johnny's hands tightly as you enter the tunnel. You gasp as you walk into the water, eventually unable to touch the ground. The cold water washes up your waist and over your shoulder blades. It laps at your wounds and soothes them slightly. Johnny looks back at you to check if you're ok, and you nod.

You move your arms despite the pain in your left arm and swim slowly through the tunnel.

"You're doing good." Johnny praises over breaths of his own exhaustion.

"Ghost."

"Johnny."

"We're working through the tunnel."

"The church plaza is on the other end of the tunnel. Push through, you're nearly here."

The reassurance of safety fuels your need to keep going. You fight and push through the cold water. Your fingers start freezing up, and your legs can barely move. You grab onto the hook of Johnny's tactical gear just so you can keep up.

Johnny slows along the water line when he spots a group of Shadows on patrol. "Alright, we're gonna take this slow." You nod and follow Johnny toward the water line.

"Where the hell are they?!" The first Shadow grumbles.

"Maybe, all three of them are dead?" The second asks.

"Graves wants proof."

"Just cut the mask off." The second one says.

"Do I get a bonus for that...?"

"Not if I beat you to it."

Johnny slips up the side of the watered tunnel. You follow and try not to disturb the water as you go.

"I'll kill the Irish one." The first Shadow growls.

"The kid's Scottish, not Irish." The second one sighs.

"It's the same fuckin' thing...!"

Johnny stops along the wall and reaches for his knife.

"Ghost, I got Shadows wearing body armor."

"You'll have to get in close and find the gaps."

"Rog."

Johnny grips his knife and looks at you. You fiddle with your knife and follow him. "I'll take left." He whispers. You nod and turn to the Shadow on the right.

"Again, what about the other one? Graves isn't to happy the other sergeant jumped from the truck." The first one readjusts his gun.

"Kill them. What else? I highly doubt they made it far after that fall."

You look over at Johnny, who slips out of the shadows. He nods to you, and you rush the Shadows'. You grab the Shadow's shoulder and slot your knife in the break of armor by his neck. You dig the blade into the crook of his neck and slice open the skin.

Blood spurts out across your hand and uniform. His body falls back into yours. You lean into the action and throw him back into the flooded tunnel.

Your vision blurs again, but you shake it off quickly.

"Good job." Johnny says.

You both head for the end of the tunnel and your heart swells. "Johnny... The church!" Johnny smiles in relief.

"Ghost. We've got eyes on the church."

"Good. You're on the right track. Keep comin'.

Johnny motions you forward and runs out of the tunnel and out into the street.

The rain has let up, but not by much. It's easier to see your surroundings now. You both run until you are cut off by a blockade of vehicles lining the street. "Shit." Johnny curses. "Lt. We're blocked off."

"Try and cut through the shops."

Johnny looks from left to right.

You look around with him, finding an alleyway next to the shops. "There." You point.

Johnny looks to where you're pointing and smiles. "Good eyes. Come on, let's go."

Johnny rushes toward the alleyway. You stumbled after him. You swallow down your ragged breath, your will to survive momentarily pushing out the pain still searing through your body.

You shivered in the cold, completely drenched.

Your breath evaporates out from your lungs, and into the air. You push through, the fear of Johnny's back getting smaller, and his silhouette being swallowed up by the night keeping you going.

Johnny ducks into the alleyway. "Think we found a way through Lt."

"Shadows are everywhere. I'll hold 'em off until we RV in front of the church and secure a vehicle for exfil."

"Roger that."

"Give 'em hell, Johnny- We're almost there. Keep on your feet Y/n, you're doing good."

"Yes sir." You rasp.

Johnny turns back to you and cups your hand in his. You lean against the wall and close your eyes. You can hear Johnny struggling with the door to get inside.

Your breathing slows and the lightheaded feeling returns.

The door opens and Johnny gasps. "Fuck-!"

You open your eyes just as Johnny receives the butt end of a Shadow's gun and is thrown to the ground. You reach for your knife too late, and the Shadow hits you in the back of the knees and sends you down to the ground.

The side of your head hits the ground, and blood rushes through your ears. Your vision goes fuzzy, and everything blurs and spins. Johnny fades in and out beside you, and the swirl of colors that is Johnny shifts.

"What the... GET DOWN-! All Shadow stations, Got two near the church-!" The Shadow soldier yells.

Ringing vibrates around your head. The blood dripping from your nose onto the road is the only thing you can listen to.

Time seems to freeze an eternity before you hear the Shadow's comm. crackle.

Graves' voice was loud and clear. His voice is cold as ice against your body.

"Kill them."

Bang!

A gunshot rings through the air, and the Shadow above you suddenly falls limply to the ground. Across the barbwire fence of the church rush more Shadow troops, those of which are taken down by a bigger silhouette.

Johnny sits up and shoves the Shadow away with his foot.

"Holy hell... Ghost- was that you?"

"Who else...? Now go..."

Johnny gets up and grabbed

your arms. "Come on y/n, let's go."

Your vision spins, your stomach flipping and spiraling. Your head lolls as Johnny pulls on you, a bullet whistling past your head as he pulls you inside.

Johnny slams the door shut and cups your cheek. "Oh my- you're bleeding so much. Fucking hell."

You try to focus your eyes on Johnny. Your hand comes up to the side of your head, feeling sticky warmth against your temple. You pull your fingers away and red stains your fingertips.

"Ghost. Leaking blood. Badly. What are our options??" Johnny leans you against the wall and checks for anything he could use to stop the blood.

"Johnny, got company in the church, and they're not here for forgiveness...! Get to the steps, I'll be there..."

Johnny curses. "Get on my back!"

"Soap..."

"Get on my back!"

You grab onto his shoulders, and he pulls you up onto his back.

Johnny cocks his gun and opens the shop door.

Gunfire rains across the area, whizzing by your bodies. "Give me a bloody break." He heaves you further up into his arms and makes a break for it across the yard.

Shadow soldiers converge on the church. Johnny smiles when he reaches the entrance of the church.

"Ghost!"

"Johnny!"

Ghost shoots two approaching Shadows and climbs up and over the gate of the church.

Ghost comes into your field of view, his gloved hand cups your injured head. "How are we hanging in soldier?"

"Not good. They're barely hanging on." Johnny replies for you. Ghost nods. "Come on, I'll take them." Johnny stands up and you slide easily into Ghost's arms. "Holding strong sergeant."

You cling to his back and hug him tightly. "Come on! Let's go."

"We need a vehicle, on me-! Stay sharp, they know we're here and they know it's us. They'll send more." Ghost's voice rumbles through his chest and warms your insides.

It's beyond relieving to see your lieutenant again. You aren't in the clear yet, but his presence brings safety.

More Shadows appear from the alleyway and charge your group.

"Contact-! Dead ahead!"

"I see 'em. Watch the alley!"

Johnny shoots the Shadows dead and continue their run through the streets.

"How are we doing Y/n?"

"Still alive..." You groan.

"Keep it that way! You're doing good!" He praises.

Johnny and Simon continue down the road. "Johnny, stay close. Heads up for a vehicle we can take."

Bullets whistle past you. The yelling of soldiers struggling to get their targets on the three of you overpowers your senses. Your vision slowly returns, and you're able to regrip Ghost's tactical vest.

"Soap, pick up truck ahead. lights on."

"I got it!" Johnny replies.

"I'll drive, Johnny- take shotgun."

Ghost stops at the backseat and flings the door open. "Hold steady soldier!" He releases you and lays you in the backseat."

"Now, Johnny, passenger side of the truck- mount up!"

Johnny jumps in.

"Alright, you two, you made it..."

You give a shaky thumbs-up, making Ghost chuckle.

"We made it Lt."

Bullets ping into the metal of the pickup truck as Shadows throw you three under heavy fire.

"Hold fast...!" Ghost puts the truck in reverse and runs over two Shadows firing at you.

"That's one way o' doin' it!"

Johnny spots a Shadow to the left of Ghost out the window just as you do.

"Get back!"

The Shadow drops dead to the ground, more soldiers falling into the street and firing at you.

"Thanks." Ghost says.

A bullet whistles through the back window, shattering the glass just above your head. "Shit-!" You gasp.

"Drive- I'll cover us!" Johnny yells.

Ghost slams on the pedal and drives the truck straight into the gate ahead. He takes off down the road and doesn't attempt to stop.

Johnny sits back in his seat and sighs. "Bloody hell..."

"You made it out..." Ghost says.

"I'm proud of both of you." He flips the rearview mirror down to see your face. "Just hang in a little longer partner. We're gonna get you patched up good as new.

"I feel like shit." You groan.

Your blood leaks out on the seat, and your wet clothes grow uncomfortable. Ghost eventually pulls over on the side of the road and gets out.

"We've got a bit of time if they've been following us." He opens the back seat and motions you forward.

"Bloody hell, Johnny wasn't kiddin', you did destroy your knees." Ghost ran his thumb over them and you tense.

"I'm sure Alejandro has something that can patch you up."

"Alejandro..?" You clench your teeth.

"Yeah, for now," Ghost pulls out some bandage wraps from his pouch. "Johnny hand me that tourniquet on your vest."

"My what-?" Johnny looks down and checks his vest surprised. "I didn't even- blind as bloody blind person..." He hands over the tourniquet.

Ghost pulls off your tactical gear and throws it on the other seat. You shiver, and his hand is there to comfort you.

"We'll be out of this soon."

He wraps both your knees and your head enough to get you through. "Arm." He instructs. You motion to your wounded arm and he wraps the tourniquet around it tightly.

"That'll keep you from bleeding all over the seats."

"Thank you lieutenant." You whisper. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

Ghost bends down, and for a moment, his eyes soften and something is let out. A glimpse of love and concern. "You did amazing, sergeant."

He helps your legs back into the truck and closes the door. "Now, let's get somewhere safe."

"Got an idea, Lt?"

"I might. Yeah."

[fallershipping]

I saw your post abt Arceus' biblically accurate angel true form and I feel that! I feel that!! In my writing I decided that Arceus' true form is extremely hard to look at and more of a series of impressions than a true perceivable object. Like when it was pleased they got hit with an image of way too many teeth.

And just standing before it with its attention feels like every eye in existence is watching them

In my brain I kinda pictured Arceus being a little like Coyote in the Ether from Gunnerkrigg Court; incomprehensible to the human brain

One of my fav other concepts is the double Arceus fusion that looks a bit like the beta design

(sprite by ralliv for the infinite fusions hack)

I do feel like there's diff ways you could take it than the biblically accurate angel approach

Sorry for taking so long to answer-- truth is i just didn't know how to respond WHEEZE

I'm.. Super picky about how I wanna handle Arceus and that's on me! The Beta Arceus trend wasn't my cup of tea either! ^^'

I guess in my opinion, Arceus's true form is... For me, just energy? Like the whole reason it can become different colors and change to all types and has a move that changes to all types is because Arceus is the Power of Pokemon taken form.

But it is in the same vein. Space and Time and Anti-Matter are abstract thoughts that don't ever really have a defined shaped THING we can touch. So the dragons are just symbolic of those concepts.

I think I just like that Arceus is as it is. No extra super secret ultimate eye melting form that no one can comprehend.. But it is as incomprehensible as like... You and I! Existing!

Existence is a funny and scary thing to think about. Why this body? Why am I a human and not some other animal? Why am I on this specific planet? Everyday we experience and form an identity and adapt and change...

And I suppose Arceus is the same. All these electrons. Neurons. Fur. Energy. Particles and skin-- Are we even a solid mass or a bunch of atoms holding hands, determined by chemical hormones?

Energy is weird. Energy is even WEIRDER when it speaks and talks and types on a computer. We become bored of Arceus's form that we think it must have this existential amazing cosmic self that is hidden from us...

And yet. In its titular game, it stays the same. It is Arceus, and it has plates, and it wants to befriend a human after having a tough, climatic battle. It is a bunch of energy and cells and atoms barely linked together by electricity. It is a great, fuzzy being capable of love, just like you and me.