#legendary jaeger moments | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

m1ckeyb3rry · 1 year ago

Text

Endure VII: Gear

Series Synopsis: You and Eren Jaeger have been best friends since the age of two, but the two of you are destined for an inevitable tragedy. The world you have been born into is cruel; it is one where friends are traitors and enemies are allies, one where you find yourself doubting everything you've ever known. In this life, mistakes are fatal, and you must be careful, lest you make one too many.

Chapter Synopsis: You get to use the ODM gear for the first time.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Eren Jaeger x Female Reader, Armin Arlert x Female Reader

Chapter Word Count: 6.1k

Content Warnings: swearing, canon-typical violence, sexual abuse (non-explicit), major character death, angst, original characters included

You were used to being bad at things. You were used to being weaker than Mikasa and dumber than Armin and more scared than Eren. Therefore, you did not have high hopes when you were hoisted into the ODM harness for the aptitude test. The only advantage you had was the tips that Petra and Levi had given you.

Then again, that was quite the advantage indeed. How many of these cadets could say that they had been given advice from humanity’s strongest soldier? And Petra was no slouch herself. She had one of the highest titan kill counts, as well as an incredible amount of assists. Her prowess with the ODM was perhaps not legendary, but it was not to be discounted, either.

You tried to remember all of this as your examiner raised you into the air. The reassuring words of the two experienced Scouts rang in your head, and you did your best to follow them.

Keep your core tight and your muscles limber, engaged but not resistant. If you overthink it, you’ll fall, so it’s better to just not think at all. Channel your inner T. This was Petra.

The key to the ODM gear is to not fight it. Most people try to outmuscle the gear, and for people who are big in size, that’s fine — to a point. But it’ll never work for you and I. The gear will automatically self-balance, so there’s no need to force anything. Just let it do its job and focus your energy and strength on maneuvering your body. Try not to stay still, either. The gear is meant for movement, and counterintuitive though it may seem, the more you move and the faster you go, the better your balance will be. Levi had written an entire paragraph about how to effectively utilize the ODM gear in one of his letters, and his detailed advice combined with Petra’s allowed for you to stay upright in the air.

After a moment, you began to feel what Levi was talking about as the gear started wobbling a little. You gave your examiner a worried look, but she only raised her eyebrows at you, perhaps wondering what you would do. Taking this as a challenge, you relaxed your body further and let yourself swing back and forth, making sure the examiner could tell it was on purpose.

The examiner nodded in approval before lowering you and helping you out of the gear. She handed you a bottle of water, which you accepted gratefully.

“You were excellent with that. Your instincts are uncanny,” she said. You blushed and wiped your mouth with the back of your hand.

“I wish that was the truth, but honestly, I have a lot of prior knowledge. I live with Petra Ral — she’s a Scout, you know, and part of the Special Ops Squad — and Captain Levi is my pen pal. They both gave me a ton of advice, so I had a bit of an unfair advantage, you see,” you said. The examiner looked surprised before nodding.

“Ah, I see. Regardless of how you got your knowledge, the fact remains that you have it, and you definitely pass. You say you’re...pen pals...with Captain Levi? Then I’ll have to assume that he saw something in you, which only leads me to believe that you would’ve been fine either way. Congratulations, Cadet L/N,” she said.

“Thank you, ma’am,” you said, saluting at her before looking around, “Um, is there something else I’m supposed to do for the rest of the day?”

“I believe all of today is just devoted to aptitude testing, so no. Feel free to walk around and cheer your friends on or take a break. It’s up to you,” she said.

“It’s pretty nice out today. I’ll go see how everyone else is doing! Thanks again!” you said, waving at the woman before jogging off.

Tullia, who had gotten the same advice as you had, did similarly well to you. Mikasa and Jean were naturals with it. Mikasa looked almost bored, her newly-cut hair swaying softly in the breeze. She had decided to chop it off because, according to Eren, it would get in the way with the ODM gear. You were saddened that you wouldn’t be able to braid it anymore, but she looked good. You doubted you could pull it off as well as she did. Eren had tried to get you to cut your hair, too, but you told him in no uncertain words to screw off and worry about his own hair. You liked your hair long, and you weren’t going to just cut it because he said you should.

Armin was clearly struggling with staying upright, though this was no surprise. He was unbelievably smart, but physical pursuits had always been beyond him. Still, he endured and he prevailed, and when he was lowered, his face red and his breath coming in huffing pants, he wore a wide smile on his face.

“You did it, Min-Min! Nice job!” you said, patting him on the shoulder. He blew his hair out of his face and nodded at you, sighing in relief.

“I can’t believe it. I thought it was the fields for me, but here I am,” he said.

“Here you are,” you agreed.

“I think I’m going to sit down though. Sina, that took a lot out of me,” he said, sitting criss-cross on the ground and massaging his temples.

“Do you want me to stay here?” you said, giving him a worried glance. He shook his head.

“No, it’s fine! I’m alright. We’ll have plenty of time later to talk. Speaking of, we should hang out during one of our off days. Maybe have a tea party or something, for old times’ sake,” he said, suddenly shy.

“Sure!” you said brightly. You had missed your tea parties with Armin. Never had you thought you’d get to have one again, and you were not going to let the opportunity go to waste. You refused to take your friends for granted anymore.

“Y/N, watch this!” Connie shouted. He was currently being tested, though his examiner was sitting on the ground with his face buried in his hands.

“What, Connie?” you said.

“DO A BARREL ROLL!” Sasha shouted from where she was spinning in her ODM gear. Connie lit up at this suggestion, and your eyes widened as he prepared himself to execute the feat.

“Connie, no!” you said.

“Connie, yes!” he said, flipping backwards. To your surprise, it was nearly flawless, and he beamed at you when he had straightened, shooting you a thumbs up.

“You passed ten minutes ago! Let me lower you!” his examiner groaned.

“Wait, I did?” Connie said, freezing as he mulled this over. The examiner took advantage of the short boy’s indecision to hastily return him to the ground and undo the buckles of his ODM gear.

“Yes! By the walls, yes!” he said.

“Sick!” Connie said, marching over to stand with you before placing his hands on his hips, “Wait a moment. So I’m not a failure and a disgrace? I knew it!”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” the examiner muttered before motioning Bertholdt forward.

“Who said you were a failure and a disgrace?” you wondered. Connie winked at you.

“The voices,” he said, making wiggling motions with his fingers, presumably to represent these mysterious voices.

“Oh?” you said.

“Mhm. I’m going to go watch Sasha. You coming?” he said.

“Looking at Sasha makes me dizzy, if I’m being honest with you. I’ll just hang around here,” you said.

“Have fun, Mrs. Springer!” he said cheerfully before running off, not giving you the chance to refute his claims. You shook your head in amusement, turning and then promptly running straight into something.

No, someone. Looking up, you were met with the face of Reiner Braun. He seemed surprised, and you immediately stumbled backwards.

“Reiner! I am so so so sorry!” you said, clasping your hands in front of you as you frantically apologized for literally slamming your face into his chest. He began to laugh.

“It’s fine,” he said, waving it off dismissively.

“But I feel bad! Ugh, this is so embarrassing,” you said, facepalming at your own idiocy. Reiner was the oldest cadet, so to have done something like this to him was even worse than if you had done it to, say, Marco.

“If you want to make it up to me, you could always let me do the same to you,” he suggested. You looked down at your body and then back up at him.

“Um, no. I don’t feel that bad. Sorry,” you said. He grinned sheepishly.

“It was worth a shot,” he said.

“It really wasn’t,” you informed him. He shrugged, unaffected by the now-weird atmosphere. You decided if he wasn’t going to make a big deal about it, you weren’t either, so you resolved to forget about the entire encounter and his strange attempt at lightening the mood.

“Well, moving on, how was your aptitude test?” you said.

“Great! I passed, and that’s about all anyone can ask for. My examiner seemed pretty happy with me, so that was doubly good,” he said.

“Oh, awesome! And yeah, same, though unlike you, it wasn’t out of some sort of natural talent or skill. I already knew the theory of it all, so putting it into practice wasn’t that difficult,” you said. He patted you on the shoulder.

“S’okay, Y/N. Not everyone has to be born with special abilities, or else they wouldn’t be special, right?” he said. All of your pride in your earlier accomplishments vanished at his words. You had thought Reiner would be impressed anyways, or at least congratulate you, but with a simple sentence, he had crushed any self-confidence you had gained. You found yourself desperately wanting to prove yourself to him as someone special. Someone worthy of his praise.

“Right,” you muttered.

“Don’t worry about it so much! I’ll take care of you,” he said, puffing out his chest in an attempt to seem more masculine and strong. You didn’t have the cruelty to tell him that Mikasa and Eren had already beaten him to claiming that job.

“Thanks, Reiner, but I think I’m okay,” you said. He locked eyes with you, and something about his fierce amber gaze felt as though you had seen it before. He trapped you in place; but it was not the good kind of trapped, the way you felt when Eren looked at you. You felt like a deer being stalked by a hunter, but you shook it off. You were no deer. You didn’t know what you were, but you knew that what it wasn’t was some sort of helpless prey.

“Now you’re being silly,” he said, and the words were almost tangible, slithering down your spine like a serpent. You were cold, so very cold. You were standing directly in the sun, but it wasn’t enough. Something about the way Reiner spoke made you believe wholeheartedly that he had seen you at your weakest, during the fall of Shiganshina, being carried to safety by Petra, even if it was silly. You had only just met him yesterday, after all.

“I’m going to go find Eren,” you said. Cold, cold, only a fire could ward away this sort of chill. Reiner watched you go with eyes that tracked your every movement. He was feral and untamed, an unchained wolf running with mere lap dogs, but you were too young to see it and too naive to care.

Eren looked determined as he was strapped into the ODM gear. Catching his eye, you offered him a small smile of encouragement. This was it, his time to prove that he could be a Scout. You had no doubts about his abilities. Even you had been able to, and you weren’t anywhere near his level.

His examiner raised him up, and his eyes shone with happiness as he was doing it, he was doing it, he was really flying, just like the hero you had believed him to be when you both were children.

And then he came crashing to the ground like a bird that had broken its wings. Dust plumes raised up around him, causing you to cough as you stared at him in abject shock. Eren...had fallen. How was this possible?

A selfish part of you felt vindicated. He had failed. Eren had failed, and you hadn’t. You were better than him. You were better than him. You wanted to scream it to the world. You wanted to scream it at Reiner. You wanted Reiner to know. More than anything, you wanted Reiner to know.

Then you realized what this meant. If Eren couldn’t use the gear, he couldn’t be a Scout. If he couldn’t be a Scout, he couldn’t see the outside world. He would be stuck in the very walls he had so despised for his entire life, powerless to fight back against the monsters that had stolen your families.

“Let me try again!” Eren shouted as the examiners clicked their tongues in disappointment. They exchanged glances before hesitantly raising him again. You held your breath. He would get it this time, you knew it. He would be a Scout, and you would be better than him, and things would be alright again, and nobody would know about your horrible thoughts.

But he didn’t get it. He fell and he fell, over and over again. The ground cut at his face, and rivers of blood rushed from his head, mixing with the dry dirt, damning the earth beneath him and creating crimson mud that steamed slightly in the heat.

“I think that’s enough. He needs to get his wounds looked at before they become infected,” you interjected as he was raised again. The sun had passed its peak in the sky, and most of the other cadets had long since gone inside for lunch and to escape the afternoon’s high temperature. Only you and Eren remained, mosquitos beginning to nip at your neck. You slapped them away in irritation before giving the examiners a beseeching look.

“Girly’s right. Sorry, kiddo, doesn’t seem like you have what it takes. You can have a final try tomorrow when your head isn’t covered in blood and bruises, but you might just want to cut your losses and move on. Working in the fields isn’t that bad of an existence, you know,” the examiner said, lowering the boy to the ground, where he immediately collapsed in defeat. The examiners gave him sympathetic looks before leaving him to sob on the ground. You tentatively crept over to sit beside him.

“Come on, Eren. Let’s get you bandaged,” you said, pulling him to his feet and wincing at the injuries that littered his face. He hung his head and let you lead him to the infirmary, where you dampened a rag and wiped him off.

“You don’t look that bad now that you’re clean!” you said, trying to be optimistic, though by the dull glare he gave you, he was not convinced.

“Not that bad? You heard the examiner, I don’t have what it takes! How have I gotten this far and then been bested by the ODM gear? You were good at it, right? Tell me your secrets!” he said. You sighed and began to wrap a bandage around his forehead.

“I just got advice from Levi and Petra, that’s all. I’m not anything special,” you said. He grabbed your hands, forcing you to stop bandaging him.

“Levi like Captain Levi of the Scouts?” he said.

“Yeah, him. We’re pen pals,” you said.

“You very conveniently forgot to mention that yesterday,” Eren said through gritted teeth.

“Oops, sorry. Um, Levi and I are pen pals?” you said. He shook his head, letting you finish your task.

“Well, don’t be shy. What’s the scoop? What’s the magic key to using the gear?” he said.

“Basically, just don’t fight it. You’ve got to relax into it. Keep your muscles strong but flexible, that’s all, I guess. Oh, and staying still makes it harder to balance. It’s meant for motion, so it’s almost easier to use while in motion, if that even makes sense. Sorry, I’ll let you read the letter he sent me, it’s probably clearer. I’m not that good at describing it,” you said.

“Reading a letter that Captain Levi himself wrote? Y/N, if you let me read that, I’ll literally marry you,” he said seriously. The thought caused a funny feeling in your stomach that you put down to disgust.

“Please refrain. I do not want to marry you, remember?” you said.

“Oh. Well, can I still read the letter, at least?” he said.

“Sure, but maybe after dinner. Both of us had to skip lunch, and I’m hungry. Soon, I’ll be hangry, and then I’ll be yelling at you, my poor concussed baby,” you said with a smirk. As you had expected, he immediately turned red and glared at you.

“Let’s not forget which one of us is older here, Miss Baby!” he shouted, crossing his arms.

“Little baby Eren,” you sang, “Do you want me to swaddle you? Get you a pacifier?”

“No!” he huffed.

“Yes!” you said, “Your father taught me a little about infants. Have you been eating your vitamins?”

“Stop it. I can carry you. You’re the baby here,” he said.

“I can carry you too!” you argued.

“Oh yeah? Try it,” he dared you. Now you couldn’t back down, so with a deep breath, you wrapped your arms around him and tried to lift him off of the table he was sitting on. He did not budge, and eventually, you gave up.

“Fine, I can’t carry you, but I can use the ODM gear, so ha,” you said pettily. Eren looked crestfallen at this.

“That’s true. But you’re going to help me,” he said, and he did not frame it as a question but rather a statement. It was a fair thing to say; you would help him. Of course you would.

“Yes, but we’re going to eat. Let’s go. Hopefully we won’t be stuck with everyone’s gross leftovers again like we were yesterday. And by we I mean Tullia and I, of course,” you said.

“Okay, let’s go. Thanks for cleaning me up, by the way,” he said.

“Anytime. Hey, maybe you should ask Jean and Mikasa for help. The two of them were the best at it out of all of us,” you said.

“I’ll ask Jean, but not Mikasa,” Eren said with a shudder.

“Why not? I’m sure she’d be happy to help you,” you said as you entered the Mess Hall.

“She’d use it as a reason for why I shouldn’t be in the military. Some ‘give up on your dreams’ type of shit or something. You understand, right? You know why I can’t give up?” he said.

“I understand that you’re a stubborn little boy that does what he wants and sends everyone that tries to stop him straight to hell, yes. I know you can’t give up, and I’m not telling you you should, but at the same time, it might not be your choice. If you can’t master the gear, you can’t fight titans. It’s not a complicated concept,” you said. He deflated at the harsh words, but you knew he needed to hear them.

“I know all of that! Do you think I don’t? I just can’t figure out what I’m supposed to do!” he complained, grabbing a tray and two bowls, ladling soup into both of them and handing you the one that was slightly more full.

“Beats me. Look, Jean’s sitting by himself. We can ask him,” you said, putting a steamed potato on your plate and tossing another at Eren, who caught it deftly with one hand and nodded.

“I’m sure he’ll be able to help me! He’s a real prodigy, and a stand-up guy, too. Yeah, Jean’s great!” Eren said happily.

“Surprised to hear you of all people singing my praises, Jaeger, but I’ll admit that it’s pretty nice. Now what do you want?” Jean said as you slid onto the benches beside him. He did not even acknowledge you, and you had to admit that you felt more than a little put out by this. Still, you were sitting with Jean for Eren, not for you, so you brushed aside your feelings and motioned for your best friend to start talking.

“I need your help, Kirstein. I have to be able to use the ODM gear and, well, you’re the best at it, so what’s your advice?” he pleaded before shoving a spoonful of soup in his mouth and giving Jean an expectant look, his eyes wide with desperation.

“My advice is to either be born naturally talented or get the hell out. Weren’t you just saying yesterday that those who are weak don’t belong here and should return to the fields? How ironic,” Jean said flippantly.

“He asked you nicely. You don’t have to be a jerk about it,” you said.

“Aw, you need your little girlfriend to defend your honor?” Jean snickered.

“Seeing as you have neither, can you really be talking?” you said dryly. Both boys looked taken aback; Eren at the fact that you had not denied being his girlfriend, and Jean that you had insulted him. You sighed and stood, grabbing Eren’s arm with one hand and your tray in the other.

“What happened?” Eren said.

“He’s not going to be of any help to us. Come on, we can read Levi’s letters, and then maybe you can ask Reiner to show you or something,” you said, dragging him out of the Mess Hall with you, ignoring the way Jean glared at the both of you. What was his problem? It was like he woke up and decided to be mean, just because he could! He reminded you of Oskar, and you had never really liked Oskar.

“You didn’t say you weren’t my girlfriend earlier,” Eren pointed out. You rolled your eyes.

“Yeah, I wasn’t about to embarrass you further in front of everyone. I’m not cruel like that. We both know we aren’t dating and will never date. That’s all that matters, isn’t it? Now, you should be focusing more on your ODM issues than the state of our relationship. One of those is far more important than the other,” you said.

“Our relationship is important,” he muttered. You softened slightly. You had only just gotten each other back, and you were already acting like some sort of harsh taskmaster or something. True, it was for his own good, but it was also true that he probably didn’t need to be yelled at anymore than he already had been, both by you and everyone else.

“I know it is. But we can worry about all of that later, right? Let’s just make sure you don’t get kicked out of the military first, and then we’ll have enough time to properly catch up with each other,” you said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“True. I really really do not want to get kicked out of the military,” he said with a small frown.

“Wait out here. Boys aren’t allowed in the girls’ dorms, so I’ll bring the letters out here and we can go through all of them together. There’s only one that was specifically about using the ODM gear, but there might be bits and pieces throughout the others, too,” you said. Eren sat obediently on the porch of the barracks, and you ran inside to grab the mahogany box.

“That’s a lot of letters,” Eren said in awe as he stared at the stack of papers.

“We were pen pals for a year,” you said, “This is the one about the ODM. I’ll start looking through the others.”

You and Eren sat in comfortable silence for a little, rummaging through the different letters, looking for something that might help him out. For you, it was also a trip down memory lane, reminiscing over the different things you and Levi had talked about.

“This is really cool. It’s like an inside look at all of the things the Scouts do. You’re really lucky to have these,” he said. You peered over his shoulder to see which letter in particular he was referring to. It was one about Hange’s experiments. The eccentric scientist was somebody Levi had an interesting relationship with. It was always humorous to read about, at least.

To be honest, you found Hange’s work fascinating. You had been interested in human anatomy when you were younger, and you were eager to learn about whether it applied to titans, as well. You had expressed this interest to Levi in one of your letters, and in the next one, there was a messily scrawled footnote from the scientist herself, along with several of her journals. Though you could not understand most of it, it was still interesting, and you often pored over her research when you were bored.

“Levi really helped me through a lot,” you agreed, “I was...kind of a mess at first. After the fall, you know. Petra and Tullia were there for the worst of it, and then Levi gave me some tough love, and eventually, I realized I would be okay. You were gone, but I would be okay. Yet here you are.”

“I never thought about that. I at least had Armin and Mikasa, but you had no one,” he said. You let out a soft sigh and leaned your head on his shoulder, making yourself comfortable against him and continuing to read.

“Not no one. The Rals and Levi are like family now, and besides, you’re back, so it’s a moot point. And you don’t get to leave me again, you hear? Never again. Even if I came to terms with it, the years I spent thinking you were dead were the worst in my life. I can’t go through that again,” you said, putting the letter in your hands down and picking up a new one.

“I won’t, but you can’t leave me either. Don’t forget, we thought you were dead, too. We’ve been together since we were two. Losing you was like losing a part of myself, the best part,” he said, resting his cheek against your hair.

“Sounds like we’re stuck together, Jaeger,” you said.

“Sounds like it,” he agreed, sounding pleased at the prospect.

“Well, have you found anything in these letters that might help? I’d really rather not leave the military, but if you get kicked out, then that’s what I might have to do. I doubt I’m cut out for working in the fields, but I’m sure there’s always brothels hiring,” you said, considering this. Life as a prostitute would be cruel and unyielding, and it was not something you ever wanted to do, but you did not have the strength to work in the fields for days.

“No way in hell are you working in a brothel!” Eren said, horrified, “You stay in the military, understand? Don’t follow me if that’s your next option.”

“Or maybe you could just not get kicked out,” you offered.

“That’s the plan, but so far, all I’ve learned is that Levi thinks that Hange is a barbarian for putting three sugar cubes in her tea instead of the standard two, and he believes that Petra makes the best tea in his squad,” he said.

“Oh, did he really say that? I must’ve missed it when I read that letter! I’ve gotta tell Tullia! Uh, after we figure out this ODM situation. The truth is, I doubt we’re going to find much more in these letters, though. Most of them are along the lines of that one in the sense that they’re personal things, not military guidebooks. I’m really sorry I couldn’t be of more help,” you said.

“That’s okay. Don’t blame yourself,” he said, letting out a defeated sigh and putting the letters back in their box before neatly closing the lid and giving you a sad smile.

“Come on,” you said, tucking the box under your arm and standing abruptly, pulling him to his feet.

“Where?” he said as you dragged him after you.

“Reiner! Reiner’s strong and talented and good at everything. I’m sure he can help you!” you said in excitement.

“You sure do have a high opinion of Reiner,” Eren commented.

“Duh, of course I do! Have you seen him? He’s amazing! Only Mikasa’s better than him overall, and obviously she is, because she’s Mikasa. If anyone can help you, it’s him!” you gushed as you ran across the courtyard to the boys’ barracks where Reiner and Betholdt probably were staying.

“I guess so,” he said.

“I know so! Now, I’m not allowed in there, so you’ll have to ask him for his help by yourself. You can do that, right?” you said, looking up at him. He scoffed.

“’Course I can, I’m not a chicken. You should probably get to bed now, it’s getting late,” he said, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, you’re right. Okay, goodnight Eren! Good luck! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you tomorrow,” you said, hugging him tightly before dashing off to the room you shared with Tullia.

The blonde girl was in there, punching a pillow, though why she was doing such a thing, you had no clue.

“What did that poor pillow ever do to you?” you said.

“It bears an unfortunate resemblance to Jean Kirstein’s face,” she responded, still busily punching the pillow.

“I’m sorry, I can’t really see it,” you admitted.

“Use your imagination,” she said, waving you off dismissively before sighing and tossing the pillow aside, collapsing on her bed. You raised an eyebrow at her.

“Done?”

“For the moment,” she said, laying down and resting her head on the very pillow she had just been brutally beating.

“What did Jean do?” you said, changing into your nightclothes and giving her an expectant look.

“It would be better to ask what he didn’t do, but since you asked what he did do, I’ll give you the full story. Basically, he’s a stupid jackass that thinks he’s so cool and amazing just because he’s attractive! Guess what? HE’S UGLY!” she screamed.

“Very ugly,” you agreed.

“SUPER UGLY! He is not pretty enough to be getting away with the shenanigans he tries to get away with!” she raved.

“No pretty privilege for Jean.”

“None! He thinks he can just ignore me? I was trying to be nice so I sat with him, this has nothing to do with my crush by the way, I sat next to him at dinner and I was like ‘hey Jean, how have you been?’ AND GUESS WHAT THE ASSHOLE DID?”

“He didn’t talk to you.”

“HE DIDN’T TALK TO ME! He just looked at me like a stupid fish or something, all open mouthed,” Tullia took a breath to demonstrate the exact facial expression she was referring to, “Then he like squeaked and left? Ugh!”

“Maybe he likes you and got shy. I mean, most people don’t really squeak,” you suggested. Tullia threw the pillow at you, and it hit you square in the face as she blushed but scowled.

“Impossible! Right? Wait, what if you’re right? This is all so complicated!” she said.

“Oh, I have an idea! We can write Levi! He’s a guy, I’m sure he knows all about this sort of thing,” you said, snapping your fingers together in pride at this brilliant idea before reaching under your bed to pull out the stationery you had brought with you for this exact purpose.

“Y/N, you’re literally a genius. By the walls, this is perfect! Levi is going to come through, I just know it. This is why Petra likes him,” Tullia said, shaking her head and watching you as you began to write.

“Okay, I’ll put it in the mailbox tomorrow. We should get the response in a couple of days. Just play it cool with Jean until then, you know? Keep it relaxed, don’t avoid him but don’t seek him out either. Let him decide what he wants to do,” you said.

“I’m so glad I talked to you about this. I’m tired now, though, mind blowing out the candle? Punching that pillow took a lot out of me,” she said, yawning and pulling her blanket up around her shoulders.

“I can only imagine. Yeah, I’m tired too. I had to spend the entire day watching Eren fail miserably with the ODM gear,” you said, blowing out the candle and crawling into your own bed.

“Ouch. You think he’ll be able to pass tomorrow?”

“I hope so. I only just got him back. How cruel would it be for the universe to take him again? Besides, being a Scout is his dream. Armin, Mikasa, and I are only along for the ride. Well, Min-Min wants to see the sea. I guess that’s his dream. Mikasa wants us all to be happy and safe, that’s all she cares about. As for me? I guess my biggest goal is to be worth something. I want to be remembered, Tullia,” you said.

“Remembered?” she said, half-asleep.

“Remembered,” you affirmed, “I want to do something important. I want to change the world, you know?”

“Go to bed. You’re way too fucking philosophical when you don’t get your eight hours,” Tullia groaned, her bed creaking as she rolled over. You let out a small laugh.

“Yeah, okay. Goodnight, Tullia.”

“Good-fucking-night.”

The next day, you downed your breakfast in a few gulps before heading to Commandant Shadis’s office to send your letter to Levi. Once that was done, you joined everyone outside to watch Eren get raised for his final try.

“Did he ever end up asking you for help?” you said, standing next to Reiner, who smiled and nodded at you in greeting.

“Yeah, he did. Him, Bertholdt, Armin, and I went out and had a good long talk last night. I don’t know if it did anything, but it seemed to light a fire in him, at least. Man, that kid’s got more determination in his pinky finger than most people have in their entire bodies. It’s admirable,” he said as the examiners lifted Eren up.

“He’s amazing, isn’t he?” you said, watching as the boy managed to balance. He was doing it! He was doing it. All of your worries had been for nothing. You let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t going to be kicked out of the military.

You spoke far too soon, as Eren once again fell, his face slamming into the dust. Sympathetic murmurs broke out, and from beside you, Reiner shifted slightly.

“That was weird. It looked like he was doing everything right,” he muttered. You gave Reiner a wide-eyed look.

“You think somebody sabotaged him?” you said.

“Nah, but maybe a malfunction. Look, the Commandant agrees, it’s why he’s getting him to switch belts with Thomas,” Reiner said, motioning towards where Eren was putting on Thomas Wagner’s belt, a bewildered look on both boys’ faces.

“Woah,” you said as Eren hung proudly in the air, not even wobbling once, “So he managed to balance for a few seconds without proper gear? He’s even more amazing than I thought!”

Too amazing. He was better than you, yet again. You were nothing and nobody more than an afterthought. For once, you were almost jealous of how bright he was. He was a roaring inferno, and you were just a campfire, flickering feebly next to his brilliance.

Still, when he smiled at you in pride, as if he were showing you that yes, he had done it, as if he were begging you to be proud of him, too, you found it all too easy to smile back. If it was your fate to always be second to him, then you would be the best second there had ever been, and if you were cursed to be a pawn to his king, then you would let him manipulate you as he pleased.

Levi’s response to your letter came earlier than you had expected. You and Tullia ripped it open eagerly, waiting to see what words of wisdom the legendary Captain had sent you. For some reason, the paper was littered with spots where it looked like tears had fallen and dried, as if he had had some sort of a mental breakdown while writing.

Dear Brat,

I’m a thirty two year old virgin. Don’t fucking ask me about boys ever again.

Sincerely, Captain Levi Survey Corps, Special Operations Squad

“Well, there goes that idea. Looks like we’ll have to figure out this Jean mystery the old-fashioned way: by talking to him,” you sighed.

“Oh, call me a lunchbox and fuck me! This is awful!” Tullia said, throwing her hands up in the air in despair. You gave her a startled look.

“What? Actually, no. Do not elaborate on that.”

taglist (send an ask or dm to be added): @futuristicxie

#eren x reader #armin x reader #eren x you #armin x you #eren x y/n #armin x y/n #canon au #reader insert #endure #m1ckeyb3rry writes

26 notes · View notes

pettyprocrastination · 3 years ago

Text

A difference in Career

Pairing: Francisco Morales x Scientist!reader (pacific rim au)

Summary: the legendary jaeger pilot Francisco Morales, finds himself back on base for the first time in 14 years. He meets a new face while trying to avoid a familiar one.

word count: 552. this is a baby done for fun.

Note: I had the pacific rim au idea like...a year ago and then I rewatched the movie twice last night, cried, and wrote this for funzies. Very short and just written for fun. Enjoy! Let me know if this is a concept you’d like to see more of. I've written out how each TF character plays into the concept and would even possibly have a relationship.

tagging @madhyanas because she hasn’t seen this movie yet and we should all bully her until she does. Also tagging @pedrostories because im shit at tagging you in things i keep forgetting im sorry love lmao.

------

“Does it bother you to see them like this?”

A heart valve of a kaiju fought and killed in Tokyo six weeks ago, sat suspended in a murky yellow fluid. He didn’t turn away from it as you spoke, content to sit there and watch it move. Pulsing and thrusting liquid through it as if still inside of a body.

“To see them like what?” “Fragmented.”

He pulled himself away from the tank, you stood next to him, peering out of the corner of your eye at the pilot.

When Francisco arrived at the base, you were one of the first people he saw. A manic little scientist who moved through the base like a hurricane. A flurry of files and mumbles, usually toting some cart of kaiju entrails behind you.

Most people parted when they saw jaeger pilots. They would stand and stare as he walked past with hushed whispers of “he came” “hasn’t stepped foot in one since his wife died” “what about the commander-” like he couldn’t hear them. They looked at him like a hero. A god.

You looked at him the same way you looked at a kaiju.

Like you wanted to pick him apart. Cut him open and figure out just what makes him tick.

“I’ve seen my share of kaiju guts, this doesn’t bother me.” It’s true. Years upon years upon years of piloting. Of fighting. Of killing had steeled his stomach to the gore of these monsters. The first time he sliced one open he was 24 years old, barely enough stubble on his face to shave in the morning.

He ended up having to clean the vomit out of his helmet when he saw it’s stomach split open, as if he wasn’t the one who did it.

“But it’s different, isn’t it?” It was.

Seeing a monster sliced open from a 60 foot sword in the middle of the Atlantic ocean wasn’t the same as seeing it plucked apart and examined like a dissected frog. To be studied and learned from instead of killed with zero mercy.

“You know, you're the first pilot to come down to my lab.”

“I am?”

You hummed. “Nobody ever comes down here.”

The lab was grimy. Coated in a layer of sweat and slick that never left no matter how much you scrubbed at it. All it managed to do was leave a lingering stench of disinfectant that was so strong it burned the nose of anybody who came in.

“I can guess why.”

You smiled at him, bathed in the dingy neon lights that danced across the walls from each tank, illuminating your face in a bouquet of pale yellows and vivid blues. Lips curls and teeth bared, for a moment he feels like he’s staring at one of them.

A voice he hadn’t heard in person for years cracked over the intercom. “All jaeger pilots meet in the main training hall immediately.” A voice he heard on news reports and press metals that spoke of the pride in the jaeger program and memorializing all those who died.

A voice he last heard calling him a pathetic coward for leaving.

“It was nice speaking to you, Mr. Morales.” He dipped his head with a small mumble of “Nice seeing you doc.” before turning on his heel.

#hehe this is just a fun little thing!!! playing around wit the tf crew in a pacific rim au again #i have ideas for them all and this is just dipping my toe in #francisco morales x reader #frankie morales x reader #catfish morales x reader #its. bad. written in just like two hours so uh. enjoy?#i think the ending is too quick and i couldnt think of a nice line to finish it on so i just. plop. lmao #title is a wip

79 notes · View notes

demonwield · 2 years ago

Text

Eliminate the Target: this is her mission.

Wild Hunt: a ruthless group created for the sole purpose of being THE EMPIRE’S legendary hunters - an ORGANIZATION that even the JAEGERS despised. And their leader was all that remained. . .she WOULD annihilate him, at all costs! (That had been her goal. . .but she UNDERESTIMATED HIM.) Her speed wouldn’t be enough to save her for what lie ahead. . .and it made her feel truly WEAK as she grit her teeth.

Esdeath. . .and Syura? (Night Raid was truly outmatched in this moment, and she KNEW it from the feeling she had in her gut.) They had to retreat!

Another storm of ICE SHARDS soared at her, her body dodging past one, her blade coming up and CLEAVING one apart, then another, forced to stand her ground and strike each one in a flurry of deflects and slashes, as she was standing between an INJURED LEONE, who was using Lionel to mend. ❝ S - So, what’s the plan here, Akame?! ❞ The SISTER at her back barked over the chaos: DAMN IT, how could they have been so CARELESS to be caught in this trap?! Her teeth were grit so tight as blood rushed through her ears, SWEAT dripping down her face from the exertion. MURASAME was growing heavier by the second.

At this point, there’d be a WAR OF ATTRITION they could never hope to clash with.

❝ Are you good enough to FIGHT? ❞

❝ Hell Yeah! Lionel has me good to go, let’s rock! ❞ The blonde’s tone didn’t reassure her: Akame knew Lionel’s limits, and knew that Leone was at hers soon too. (They had to eliminate ONE target: that was their only chance of victory, to try to TAKE ESDEATH TWO ON ONE.) A nod, before she strikes another crystal from the air, her form pivoting and sprinting to the right, Leone going for the left.

TWIN STREAKS of GOLD and SCARLET moving at high speeds as the two went for a scissor motion.

Esdeath saw through it, swiftly bringing her hand down to freeze the FLOOR in their path, but Akame was agile: her footing perfect as she launched right at Syura. . .and that’s when it all went wrong. (Leone’s animal instincts told her to back off, and so she did, skidding to a stop on all fours ---) Akame’s speed was at MAX VELOCITY: LAUNCHING at the Minister’s Son at MACH ONE, her blade brought down in a single strike in a vicious blow: ❝ YOU’RE DONE! ❞

❝ Oh AM I?! ❞ His taunting voice: it catches her attention before the very GRAVITY started to intensify around her, eyes widening as her BLADE SLOWED, and she watched her strike MISS! Disbelief tore through her core like a dagger; Akame never missed a blow. She might not kill, she might CLASH, but MISS? (Never.) What had she done wrong?!

(Underestimate Shambhala.) That is what.

The very GROUND radiated MAGICAL POWER as the SIGIL formed at her feet, landing in the dead center of it and dropping to a swift tumble and roll, her form skidding to a stop as she stayed on a knee, one hand FLAT to the ground, her blade in opposite hand as the AIR began to heat up. She felt her skin CRAWLING, her HAIR whipping around her face, partially obscuring her face and vision as she grit her teeth even tighter: to the point she’d BREAK one at this rate. ❝ AKAME! ❞ Leone’s cry catches her ears, but she doesn’t take her EYES off her PREY; counting down mentally in her thoughts: she HAD to get out of this trap, it was clearly his TRUMP CARD. . .right?

But could she HIT THAT TYPE OF SPEED?!

A hiss beneath her breath, and it’s ESDEATH’S bewildered ‘Ohhh?’ that causes her head to turn. ❝ What’s this, Syura? ❞ The Empress questions, but the man merely snarled and roared with laughter. Akame felt it deep in her bones: something was COMING, but she kept herself perfectly still. When one doesn’t know what they face, it’s best to NOT MOVE, for all she could know, this could be a MOVEMENT TRIGGERED TRAP. (Shambhala such a foreign and UNKNOWN TEIGU like it was, she couldn’t take chances. Not with her life, and Leone’s on the line.)

A GRAVE mistake. (And she’d learn it all too late.)

❝ A GRAND SPECTACLE you were, Akame of the Demon Sword! But it’s time to end this, ENJOY YOUR BATH IN THE MIDDLE OF A VOLCANO! Now, SHAMBHALA! ❞ The words register, and her eyes widen in SHOCK - a VOLCANO?! (She had to move!)

Footing LAUNCHES her forward, the very GROUND exploding under her body as MURASAME reacted to her alarm: the SENTIENT blade engulfing her in a DEMONIC BLACK AURA, giving her the strength, the SPEED she felt she needed to escape - - -

- - - and it wasn’t NEARLY enough.

The world is CONSUMED before her eyes, DARKNESS swelling in her vision. . .the feeling of WIND kicked from her lungs. . .and then. . .n o t h i n g.

. . .NOTHING remained. (No pain, no WHITE HOT FLAME that would be felt when one is DROPPED into a Volcano. . .)

. . .what happened?

VERSE START: Isekai to put it lightly - - - if you are wondering, Shambhala was a Teigu with the power of Teleportation and Spatial Displacement. This allowed for Syura to teleport his foes to where he pleased. And of course, using some multi-verse SHENANIGANS this can discard her into OTHER WORLDS. This? Tends to be what this blog will do if a full, INTERNAL verse is not fully set up.

What does this entail? Well first off, Akame herself still has EVERYTHING from her world: her power with Murasame, her strength, her speed, everything that made her a DANGEROUS FORCE in her world. In some worlds? This might make her GOD LIKE in strength, and in others? This might make her WEAKER than the normal denizen. It varies per world.

This will be the CANON for now, as Akame’s Canon itself is unknown to the majority of my followers, and as such, CANON interactions are rare to happen.

This is a GENERAL start for other worlds, she has no attachments in a world prior, and as such, this is your own personal way to START A VERSE with this version of Akame.

#Every Journey Starts With A Single Step Forward || Every War With A Single Drop Of Blood Shed (Verse Starts!)#Torn From The Fabric Of Reality Of Her Very World || She Must Return At All Costs (Verse: Isekai Start)#The Era Of The Empire Draws To A Close || The Very Existence Of Night Raid But Tales Now - Nothing More (Headcanons)

7 notes · View notes

avi17 · 4 years ago

Text

MK X Pacific Rim AU Concept

You ever get an AU idea in your head and go absolutely feral for a bit putting it all on paper? Me neither, until now! This isn’t so much a fic as just a detailed wiki-style outline, but hopefully it will still be fun to read! I had a ton of fun figuring out how to translate all these concepts and backstories into the PR world. If anyone feels like doing anything with these ideas they’re absolutely welcome, just please credit me and link back to this post if you do! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to write this into some massive longfic, but I definitely hope to do some shorts in this ‘verse. I brainstormed this with a bunch of people, and got some fun ideas from @sxvethelastdance, @bastardsunlight, and @fallen-angel-lucifer- thank you guys so much for humoring all this!

Pan Pacific Defense Corps Marshal Raiden was a legendary Mark 1 pilot dating back to when the program was first launched. Based out of the Shatterdome in Tokyo, he and his brother Fujin, in their Jaeger Thunderbolt Gale, were the first line of defense from Kaiju attacks headed westward from the breach for five grueling years. However, they met their match in Motaro, the first Category 3 Kaiju to make landfall on Hokkaido, and when Fujin was torn from their Jaeger and killed, Raiden was forced to take down the creature solo- a feat replicated only twice since. The physical and emotional toll of that day led to his retirement from active combat, but he remained in the PPDC as a commander, as well as a mentor of other pilots. When the Jaeger program was decommissioned, he was the last one to retain his faith in it, and took up leadership over the few remaining Jaegers at the Shatterdome in Hong Kong for one final stand against the Kaiju. Current Pilots:

Liu Kang and Kung Lao Jaeger: White Lotus Original base: Hong Kong

The home base heroes of the Hong Kong Shatterdome, pilots Liu Kang and Kung Lao are the top graduates and darlings of the Wu Shi Jaeger Academy. Raised together in a martial arts sect before the first breach and drift compatible since their ranger training began, they are nearly inseparable- though Kung Lao has never quite forgotten how Liu Kang's scores just barely edged out his own in their individual skill assessments, and he strives constantly to prove himself his partner's equal (despite Liu Kang's insistence that such competition is unnecessary). Their Jaeger, White Lotus, is a well-rounded, powerful machine, featuring high-powered flamethrowers, as well as a system of fuel vents that allow it to set its fists alight and heat them to brutal temperatures in close-quarters battle. For ranged combat, it utilizes a circular blade mounted to its head, which can be thrown like a boomerang with enough force to slice through buildings.

Kitana and Jade Jaeger: Edenia Glory Original Base: Lima

Interplanetary refugees, Kitana and Jade escaped to Earth after their homeworld was attacked and overrun by Kaiju invaders. Their spacecraft crashed in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, and though they immediately searched for civilization in order to warn Earth’s people of what was to come, the first wave of attacks had already begun. After making their way to Lima, they volunteered to put their combat skills and close bond to use as rangers in the South American Jaeger program. Together they have defended the coasts of Chile and Peru since the Mark-2 days, though between battles, they spend their time in communication with the PPDC and the U.N., sharing what information they can about the Kaiju and other alien life previously unknown on Earth. Their Jaeger, Edenia Glory incorporates technological elements from their original planet not used in any other Jaeger, and is lithe, fast, and deadly, with a style focused primarily on precision bladework rather than hand to hand brawling. Its name is a tribute to their lost homeworld, and they use it to great effect to prevent Earth from suffering the same fate.

Sonya Blade and Jackson "Jax" Briggs (later Johnny Cage) Jaeger: Flawless Victory Original Base: Los Angeles

Both Lt. Sonya Blade and Maj. Jax Briggs had successful careers in the U.S military behind them when the first Kaiju came ashore and attacked San Francisco. Though at the time, Sonya was in the field pursuing the criminal Kano, she returned to the states when her friend and superior officer, Jax, suggested that they might be good candidates for the newly-formed ranger program. He proved to be right, and the two did time at the Shatterdomes in both Los Angeles and Anchorage, fighting off Kaiju from Canada to Mexico, and became well-admired figures within the military for their ascent. Though far from unscathed, the ostentatiously-named Flawless Victory is the last American Jaeger left standing by the time the program is decommissioned and is a tank of a machine, sacrificing some speed for the greatest physical strength of any Jaeger still on the field. Like the other American Jaegers, for long range combat it favors plasma cannons and explosives- particularly a ring-shaped plasma blast with wider coverage than the usual single beam- but it is at its most effective when delivering a crushing beatdown up close and personal. Johnny Cage is the star of a popular series of action films dramatizing the battles of the Jaegers and Kaiju, and to many civilians at home, is as much the face of the Jaeger program as its real members. He has a secret ambition to become an actual pilot and has an impressive record in simulations, but because of his celebrity status (and his personality), Marshal Raiden and the other Jaeger teams refuse to consider him as a true contender. However, when a vicious fight with two Kaiju at once leaves both of Jax's arms shattered, taking him out of commission as a pilot for the foreseeable future, Sonya is forced to accept Johnny as her new co-pilot in order to keep Flawless Victory in the fray where it is needed. Despite her irritation with him, they turn out to be drift compatible, and become a formidable duo in their own right.

Hanzo Hasashi and Kuai Liang Jaeger: Phantom Vengeance Original Base: Nagasaki

From the Nagasaki Shatterdome, the bright yellow Mark-3 Jaeger Shirai Ryu defended the coast of the Yellow Sea across three countries. Its building was overseen by its husband and wife pilots, Hanzo and Harumi Hasashi, and it was named for the legendary warrior clan from which Hanzo claimed descent. It was in service for four years, though Hanzo and Harumi always spent as much time as possible between missions with their young son Satoshi, who lived with them in their quarters at the base so that his parents could still have a part in raising him in a world that would not guarantee a reunion for families who choose to separate. Across the sea based in Shanghai was an organization known as the Lin Kuei, a private military contractor funded by shadowy, unknown sources. Though its bread and butter was anti-Kaiju weaponry, it also began to develop its own Jaegers- the only ones outside the PPDC, created from illicitly obtained blueprints, and hireable for the right price. Its crown jewel was a small, stealthy machine called simply Sub-Zero, unique for its proficiency underwater and tendency to use coolant as a weapon rather than fire or explosives, and piloted by two brothers- Bi-Han and Kuai Liang. When the massive Kaiju Kintaro directly attacked the Nagasaki Shatterdome, Shirai Ryu was the only Jaeger left to defend it. Desperate, the Hasashis attempted to contact the Lin Kuei, as they were closer than the nearest other Shatterdome in Tokyo. They received no response and were forced into battle alone, and though they prevailed, the price was too high- not only Harumi’s life when part of their cockpit was crushed, but Satoshi’s as well, buried in the wreckage of the base. In his grief, Hanzo blamed the Lin Kuei- particularly Bi-Han, with whom he had never gotten along- for what he perceived as a failure to act due to greed and amorality. What Hanzo did not know that day was that they were experiencing the first double event in history, and Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei were under attack by the Kaiju Sheeva at the same time. The Kaiju hivemind had figured out Sub-Zero’s usual strategy of attacking from the water, and were ready with an acidic bite that tore a hole in the cockpit, which rapidly flooded. After a similar failure to make contact with Shirai Ryu, Bi-Han was swept out into the sea and presumably drowned (though his body was never recovered), but Kuai Liang, despite a bleeding face and water up to his neck, managed to kill the Kaiju mere moments before Sub-Zero ceased to function. After his release from medical, a furious Kuai Liang set off immediately for the remains of the Nagasaki Shatterdome to confront Hanzo for his failure to respond to the attack, since Shanghai was within Nagasaki's area of coverage. Both blinded by rage, they nearly got into a fistfight in the middle of the base, but once they realized what had truly happened, their anger cooled. They bonded over their grief, and the unfathomable experience of having to pilot a Jaeger alone after such loss- and in the process, discovered they were drift compatible, and that they both wished to continue the fight in retaliation for what the Kaiju had done to their families. Their new Jaeger, Phantom Vengeance, is a strange sight- constructed from salvaged pieces of both Sub-Zero and Shirai Ryu (along with some newer tech to fill the gaps), it looks as much like a walking ghost as its pilots. However, it should not be underestimated based on its appearance. Quick and light (for a Jaeger), it features a retractable grappling hook to drag Kaiju into the range of its blasts of powerful coolant, and a devastating grip to snap them like twigs once frozen.

Other Players:

After the destruction of Sub-Zero and the defection of Kuai Liang, the Lin Kuei concluded that the problem with the Jaeger program was the human element of drift compatibility, which limited the number of possible pilots and held them back due to concern for their partners in battle. Therefore, in secret, they began a series of horrific experiments, fusing subjects with their Jaegers to operate more like batteries than true pilots, and erasing their memories through drugging and electric shock in order to create blank minds that could operate together without the complications of emotion. Assassins Cyrax and Sektor, along with Kuai Liang’s close friend Tomas Vrbada, were among the subjects of this initiative, forced to operate a three-armed machine called Triborg.

Shang Tsung is a scientist, shunned from the academic community and at times running afoul of the law for his unethical- if not outright twisted- biological experiments. He and Marshal Raiden have crossed paths in the past, and though no one knows the details, their enmity towards each other is clear. However, in his desperation after the decommissioning of the Jaeger program, Raiden had Shang Tsung brought from prison to the Hong Kong Shatterdome, and gave him access to whatever parts he needed to find a way to destroy the Kaiju- by any means necessary. Shang Tsung agreed partly because of the money offered, but mostly because the world's destruction would throw quite the wrench into his own personal goals. (And maybe because it was deeply satisfying- and perhaps useful- to have the Marshal in his debt.) Where his allegiance will lie at the end of the day, however, is anyone's guess.

For such experiments, one needs a steady supply of Kaiju parts, and for contraband like that, Raiden had to look even lower- to the crime syndicate the Black Dragon, led by Kano and including his associates, Kabal and Erron Black. Though once mercenaries dealing in everything from illicit arms trading to assassination, the Black Dragon followed the money and and put all their resources into the trafficking of Kaiju parts. With demand so high, they have become immensely powerful, but their involvement with the PPDC in the name of greater profits ends up bringing Kano face to face with his old nemesis, Sonya Blade- with predictably violent results.

Nightwolf was the historian of the Matoka tribe, which had long ago predicted a great cataclysm that would bring about the end of life on earth. Though he had been skeptical that such legends were real, when that cataclysm came to pass in the form of the Kaiju invasion, Nightwolf was not content to merely await a prophesied destruction. He left home and applied for the ranger program, but although he trained toward being a pilot and had the necessary combat skills, he never found a partner with whom he was drift compatible. Rather than dwell on this with resentment, he pivoted his focus into other ways he could help, and found his place as a technician and LOCCENT officer. Transferred to Hong Kong after the decommissioning of the Jaeger program, he was the rangers’ primary point of communication with the base while in battle.

Though most of the world fears the Kaiju, there are also those who worship them, and such admiration has evolved over the years into a full-blown religion. The shadowy high priest of this cult is Quan Chi, who claims that the Kaiju have been sent by the God of Death himself- to end the days of humans on Earth as we so richly deserve. Recently, a strange, hollow-eyed man calling himself Noob Saibot has appeared like a shadow at Quan Chi’s side, serving as his personal bodyguard against all threats and a fellow ardent believer in the inevitability of humanity’s destruction. Mileena is a grotesque fusion of Kaiju DNA with that of Kitana, which was stolen against her will when she was injured and bled during the invasion of Edenia. She enters Earth as a general of the Kaiju, connected to their hivemind, along with the first Category 5 to ever come through the breach, Goro. Together, they intend to ensure the will of their creator and the ruler of the Anteverse- Shao Kahn- is carried out.

111 notes · View notes

rosierocks30 · 3 years ago

Text

Hidden series Ch.22

Chapter 22: The Legendary of the Infinity Stones

(Gilbert)

Most of the day since Nathaniel had come home was dull. He had to spend time with Nathaniel with the queen. It was absurd how much he had to put effort in getting his old lover’s attention while Queen Historia who doesn’t try and received more attention. Luckily, he has a plan to make this blonde whore fall from Nathaniel’s grace. Few of the templars who were only loyal to Alexander had discovered the culprits of Levi’s escape. Oh this made him grin in joy when it was Historia and also Zeke’s younger brother, Eren Jaeger. He had already informed Alexander about Historia and Eren involved in Levi’s escape.

Since a month had happened both Alexander and Gilbert were planning and waiting for the right time to execute the plan. At this moment, Gilly is about to meet Zeke Jaeger, the current leader of the Jaegerist. He wondered how Zeke would take in his little brother’s betrayal? Even though Eren was known to be one of the dangerous titan shifters, he was too overhead on his heels for the handmaiden. It’s such a shame he was not into men. Gilly had always wondered how good was he in bed? He heard so much of it from that other whore, Belia. It got him curious but annoyed at the same time.

Gilbert quietly knocked on the door and heard Zeke’s voice for him to enter. He opened the door to enter the room and saw only Zeke and Yelena. They probably were having a deep conversation. “Good evening, Gilbert! What brings you here? Please have a seat.” Zeke politely greeted the other man. Yelena guides Gilly to a chair then goes to pour whiskey for all three of them. She handed one to Gilbert then to Zeke.

“I hope I’m not interrupting both of you. I do have a message from the Grandmaster that I think you want to know.” Gilbert said that this had Zeke and Yelena interested.

“Oh really? What message does the Grandmaster have for me?” Zeke took a sip on his glass of whiskey.

“He believes it’s time to have a new King since Nathaniel hadn’t kept his bargain of the deal to keep his crown by letting one of our most valuable assets escape.” Gilbert said.

Zeke thought about it for a moment. “You mean about that monster Levi Ackerman escapee? I was disappointed when I heard Captain Levi had escaped.”

“Yes, we all are. So, the Grandmaster and I have thought of putting the rightful ruler to the throne.” Gilbert kept talking.

“Is Historia gaining her full power to rule? That’s very bold for the Grandmaster to assume she will comply.” Zeke had his brow raised in curiosity.

“I did say a king not a queen. We believe you are the perfect choice. Think about it? You being a ruler will help your group strengthen the support of the people of this island. And you at one point used to be part of Marley’s military. With that knowledge, you can command a new military who will do anything to fight against Marley. The people will glorify you as their savior instead of your little brother who's nobody.” Gilly resumed.

“I would be careful how you talk about my younger brother if I were you. He may be a hothead sometimes but this group would not exist if it weren’t for him!” Zeke glared at Gilbert for the way he disrespected his little brother.

“My apologies for offending you. It just saddens me how you care and love your brother so much and yet it doesn’t seem like he does based on his actions.” Gilbert coaxed Zeke as the other titan shifter paused for a second in confusion.

“What is the meaning of this, Gilbert?” Yelena had intervened when she looked at Zeke’s expression with a doubt.

“What I’m trying to say is that Eren Jaeger along with Queen Historia had conspired together to make sure Levi Ackerman was able to escape.” He finally pulled the trigger and waited for both of them to react.

“Wait what? So Eren was the one to let Levi escape?” Yelena said in shock.

“Yes, and I have evidence. What nobody knew but only very small members of the inner circle of the Grandmaster about there are small spy cameras installed in the palace. Week by week, they had tracked the queen’s and Eren’s movements. They had allied together to free Subject 18. We have videos.” Gilbert had his phone and showed the video evidence of Eren and Historia meeting together then it showed another scene of Historia meeting Levi in secret in the dungeon. Then it showed how Eren had helped Levi escape from the castle.

Zeke felt hurt by his little brother’s betrayal. So much rage surged inside him. Of course, he had to be calm and clear minded for now.

“I see, this is disappointing.” Zeke said.

“I know this truth is hurting you but you must know this.” Gilbert said.

“He is stupid for being reckless especially it can endanger his new little family. Alright like my father, putting his personal agenda first than his family’s safety. I was alright growing fond of my soon to be sister-in-law. I have no choice but to end her life along with my potential nephew or niece that she’s carrying.” Zeke sighed.

“I’m afraid you are not allowed to harm the handmaiden for now. She has something that the Grandmaster had been searching for years.” Gilbert said.

“Oh? Like what?” Zeke was curious again.

“The infinity stones. They are real and she is the wielder of all six. So if you accept our offer, you can help your dreams come true.” Gilly continued.

“What will you do about Eren and Historia? And how will you dethrone Nathaniel?” Zeke was now intrigued.

“With Eren being connected to the Path and Ymir, he will be difficult to get rid of. As for Historia and Nathan; I will expose this secret of her being responsible for Levi escaping and probably the king will lose his interest in her and execute her which will make the people rise up and dethrone him then place you as king. What do you say?” Gilbert said.

At first Zeke thought about it. “I see as long as I get to deal with my brother. So tell the grandmaster I accept his proposal as king.” The Beast Titan shifter shook Gilbert’s hand while Gilbert smirked in victory of phase 1.

“We have a deal then.” Gilbert said victoriously.

(Historia)

Shit. It’s like the day of the wedding with Nathan again. She was in her room waiting for Nathan. Naked and alone. He had told her to be ready for him at night.

Don’t let your fear show to anyone Historia..

The queen heard Ymir’s voice again. She had been quiet for a while. “I can’t help it...the thought of him touching me again is just too much for me.” The blonde woman whispered.

My Krista, I wish I was there to protect you and hold you like when we were in the scouts..

“Same...I do think about what would happen if you were still alive. I read your letter and if you were still alive, I would have married even with the short time you have before the curse takes you away from this fucked up world…” Historia felt a small tear slipped from her ocean blue eye.

But you shouldn’t feel regret in any decision that you made before. You have now Levi and your son, Atticus. Think of both of them when fear consumes you. You’re not giving yourself some credit of how strong and capable you are in fucked up situations.

“Atticus? My little boy...I missed him so much. I envied Sasha for raising him, which I should be the one.” Historia had always thought of her baby boy. For being Levi and Historia’s son, he wasn’t a tiny baby. Her hand wiped the tears off. She must endure these acts for their sake. Levi was caught once. She will have to be stronger and not be a burden to cause more misfortune. A queen can make many moves and has a chance to win this twist game in politics.

Suddenly, the doors opened and Historia glanced to see Nathaniel entering the room. The usurper noticed his wife was ready for him.

“I see you have been waiting for me, my wife.” Nathaniel smirked. Historia felt the urge to slap his smirking face, but she was composed.

The beautiful golden haired queen got up from the bed then let the white sheets fall on the floor to reveal her nude body. Nathaniel walked towards her and caressed his fingers on her soft creamy fair skin.

“Would you believe me if I say I have missed you?” Historia was not expecting his words. She knew he had hated her for many reasons but that feeling is mutual too. This does not make sense. She felt his lips on her neck slowly traveling down to her collarbone. No matter how hard she tries to enjoy it for her mental sake, these lips are not her true husband. Levi had always made her crave more. Her thoughts drifted to remembering their first time together. It was a grieving night for everyone from the betrayal of Reiner, Bertholdt, and Ymir. From feeling lonely and grief, both Historia and Levi had blossomed into a prue love.

“Historia, you are beautiful like your sister, Freida.” He muttered.

Historia glanced then took a step back from him. “How do you know my sister?” She whispered.

Nathaniel realized Historia was confused but alert. Maybe it’s the alcohol in him but he felt it’s time for her to know that long ago he was in love and engaged with Freida. He sighed and went to sit on the bed and pat the mattress for her to sit beside him.

“Come Historia, I think it’s time I tell you about the time I used to be engaged with the woman who was my first love.” He said. Historia was hesitant at first, but she went to sit next to him so he could tell her about her sister.

(Natasha)

The sky was beautiful with clear blue and white puffy clouds. A little girl with brown hair was plucking out wildflowers at the meadow. She carefully tried not to get her summer dress dirty. Her mother will scold her as today will be an important day. Natasha, her mother, and her baby brother Damon will go visit the palace to see Grandpa and Grandma. Her mother, Morgan Ackerman nee Stark had decided to fly from Hawaii to Paradise Isle two days before planning to see her in-laws. Long ago Atticus bought a private land away from the capital when Morgan became pregnant with Natasha.

For two days Morgan wanted to have some time to herself with her children. Life as a widow was too heartbreaking for her. She lost the love of her life just when their marriage was still new. This must be how her mother felt when her father died so many years ago. Natasha looked up to see her mother who’s in the cottage cradling her baby brother. The little girl smiled and resumed plucking out flowers. Her mommy loves flowers. This will make her smile again. Her mommy had a pretty smile.

It felt so long that little Natasha was surprised her mommy didn’t call her name to go see grandma and grandpa. Maybe mommy had fallen asleep with Damon again? The little girl skipped back home. When she saw the door was opened, Natasha was feeling weary but didn’t think too much into it. She entered and went upstairs.

“Mommy! I got flowers for you!” She heard no one.

As she got closer, the little girl heard a grunt and whispers. Huh? Who is with her mommy and brother? She slowly pushed the door to open for her to view a gruesome scene. Her silver grey eyes widened in horror to see two men were looking down at her mother who looked frozen from seeing a small body on the floor. There was blood soaking the wooden floor and from the look of these strange men's faces; they were laughing.

Did they hurt her little brother? Why? Why would they do that?

Her mother finally noticed her and shouted. “Natasha ran! Run to safety!”

Natasha gasped when another man grabbed her before she had the chance to run away.

“Oh no you don’t brat.” The man who grabbed her was struggling from her wiggling and kicking to be free. “Noo! Let go! Mommy!” She was calling for mother to save her.

“YOU PIECES OF SHIT! YOU MONSTERS!” Her mother was screaming and crying from seeing her baby laying on the floor dead. “WHY?! I have told you I don’t have it!”

“Don’t lie, woman. Your father was the last one to hold all six stones. Our sources say you found it five years ago with that Ackerman prince you married. So, tell us where those stones are and this time your last remaining child.” The sinister leader said.

“Fuck you. Fuck all of you, Jaegerists! I have told you. I don’t have them anymore. Please, please spare my daughter.” Her cries were heartbreak and full of agony. The worst pain to see your own child being killed.

“Tell us where was the last time you left it?” The Jaegerist man said.

Morgan was sobbing as she realized it’s pointless to beg for mercy since she was telling the truth. The stones literally disappeared as she used them to have her first pregnancy to make it to full term to birth a healthy child. Her daughter was the result of it. The one wielding the power of the six stones. They must not know the truth. These monsters will do anything to get the stones. The leader was losing his patience.

“Very well. Kill the other brat.” The leader ordered.

Morgan looked panicked when the other man who held Natasha placed the dragger on her small throat. Slowly, Natasha screamed in fear.

“Stop! Stop! I will tell you the truth! Please don’t take her away from me too…” The grieving mother begged them.

“Fine, now tell us.” He gestured to the man to not harm or kill the crying girl.

“They are inside...me. I absorbed them accidently.” Morgan said.

“I see and yet you are not unable to use them? What a terrible mother you are being unable to protect her children.?” The man mocked her. Morgan glared up with rage and charged at him with the knife that was used to kill her infant son.

The man used defense moves to disarm the knife and lock his arms around her neck and pinned her to the floor harshly. “You asked for this, bitch.”

Everything had gone to hell when Natasha saw the man pinned her mother and now he’s unbuckling his pants while her mother wiggling and screaming so many bad words. Then herding her mother crying and screaming in pain whatever the man was doing to her mother. All she know, that man’s hands with her baby brother’s blood smearing on her mommy. Then the man started to choke her in the process until no cries or screams were heard from her mommy.

Natasha stopped wiggling and whispered. “Mommy…?” She had a devastating expression.

“Such a shame. She’s dead.” He had finished violating the mother. The men groaned in disappointment since they wanted to have a turn.

“Stop being whiny brats. The body is still warm enough to have fun.” The leader said then chuckled.

Natasha felt her world became dark. Rage, sorrow, and feeling useless consumed her. A faint whisper was heard from her ear.

Take your ravenge...they have spilled blood now; they must pay for it…

Who was that? Natasha said mentally. She could hear the same voice again.

Use it..use your gifts form the stones they so eager to have…

Mommy had made me promise not to use it.

I’m sorry sweetheart but you must break your mommy’s promise...look what they have done to her and your baby brother? They must pay. You are an Ackerman and Ackermans must do whatever it takes to protect and survive. The least you can do is honor your mother, child…

You didn’t answer my question. Natasha said in her thoughts.

My apologies, I’m you...well the titan in you. Awaken first and let me and the power of infinity stones handle the rest…

Natasha snapped back to reality to glare at these awful men. “You will pay for it!”

Now the men started to laugh at the little girl’s threat. “Oh, she has fire in her. Men just end her so we can leave.” The leader said.

Suddenly a rush of electricity spread inside her as some unfamiliar power burst out. She now felt stronger and aware how to fight. The little girl let out a roar while using that strength to bring the man down to the ground surprisingly. The rest of the men were shocked to see a small girl was able to throw a full grown man onto the ground. Then she grabbed the knife the man was holding to stab repeatedly on his chest. Blood spilled everywhere while hearing the man screaming from the pain. All he could see was glowing silver eyes until he died.

Natasha dropped the bloody knife and turned herself to glance at the rest of the men. The men looked so scared and ran to try to leave the cottage.

“Where do you think you are going huh?” Natasha’s voice was distant but not like a human. With the power, she made the door closed and locked from the room so they wouldn't escape. The men tried to open the door.

“I just want to play a little game.” With her glowing hands, she made them lift up into the air without touching them and threw them to the wall for them to crash roughly.

“Please, please! Don’t hurt us. Have mercy..” Her hearing those words from their mouth had enraged her. “Mercy? Where was that mercy when my mother begged you not to harm my baby brother. Where was your mercy when you hurt her and killed her?! You deserve no mercy.”

Natasha slowly crushed their insides into liquid and watched how they coughed out blood. Now they look like a blob with human skin. She hadn't noticed the wind was causing it while she flew above ground. Little by little, she started to get back in control and saw what she had done. Her reaction was dizziness as darkness took over her and slumped down to the ground.

Night time had arrived when Natasha woke up. The cottage was dark but only the moonlight shined down the room to see blood all over the walls, floor, and furniture. Slowly, she got up and went to her mother’s body hoping she’s still alive. Her tiny hands shook the corpse but no response.

“Mommy, please wake up. We’ll be late…” her tears falling seeing no life in her mother’s once brown eyes. She let out an agony scream until the house phone rang. The little girl could hear it from downstairs in the living room. She quickly ran downstairs and picked up the phone.

“Hello? Who is this?” Her sniffles were loud enough a familiar voice was able to hear.

“Natasha? Is your mother there? Why are you crying?” Her grandfather Levi called.

“I-I..grandpa!” She cried.

“Hey kiddo, calm down. Tell me what's wrong?” Levi was trying to calm his granddaughter.

“M-mommy...they...kill her...and Damon too….I’m scared. Please come get me..” She was still sobbing.

It was quiet on the other side of the phone; only heavy breathing was heard. Then a growl of anger and a punch sound was heard.

“Honey, who was it that killed your mother...and Damon.” Levi’s voice felt like they were about to break. He and Historia had lost their son, Atticus a year ago, now two members of their family were killed.

“I think...they were called Jaegerists? I don’t know. Please I’m scared..come.” She begged.

“Natasha, it's going to be ok. I want to stay inside the cottage and don’t open the door to anyone besides me and your uncle. We’re going to get the military police to investigate. Can you do that, soldier?” Levi uses his affectionate tone while giving her an order. Whenever she visited her grandparents, Grandpa Levi played soldiers for fun. He sometimes teaches her some moves to protect herself.

“Y-yes Captain Grandpa.” She sniffled.

“Good girl, stay there. We’ll get there in half an hour.” With that, he hung up.

Natasha goes lay on the couch to wait for her grandfather. She began to chant to herself to calm down. As he had promised, a half hour had passed. A knock was heard but she was quiet.

“Natasha? It’s Grandpa. Open the door, kiddo.” She sprinted up and ran to unlock the door and open it. In her view, Levi and behind him were several military police men and Uncle Erwin. The little girl jumped at her grandfather to hug him tightly. He instantly held her and carried her.

“Shhh it’s ok. I’m here.” He whispered to comfort her. Levi entered the cottage with her holding onto him. He was grateful that she survived.

The police made their way into the cottage and explored all over the cottage. Her Uncle Erwin was beside his father. “Natasha, where are the bodies? Can you show us?”

She nodded and pointed them upstairs, they went and reached Damon's nursery room to see a bloodbath nightmare.

“Oh fuck. What a mess…” Levi glanced at each body and spotted his infant grandson’s corpse then his daughter-in-law’s. What is he going to tell his wife about this tragedy? And Pepper...too.

(Eren)

The green eyed titan shifter was dabbing a cold wet cloth on his lover’s forehead. He stared at the woman he loves while his hand caressing her hair. Eren was in disbelief at what he saw earlier with Natasha. She is full of surprises. The Eldian man got up and started making tea in case his fiancée woke up.

“Damn it, Natasha...you literally will be the death of me.” He sighed while turning on the stove to have the kettle pot boiling for tea.

He was stuck in contemplating other matters when a soft groan was heard. This got his attention. He glanced on the couch to see Natasha waking up. Eren went to be by her side.

“Hey…” It’s the first word she had said to him since the incident. He took her hand to gently kiss.

“How are you feeling, babe?” He asked with concern.

“I feel...like being hit against the wall.” She chuckled lightly and carefully tried to sit up. Eren stopped her so he could help her without struggling.

“Luckily I got a special tea just for that.” He smiled then got up as the kettle began to make a whistle sound.

Eren goes to turn off the stove. He poured the hot water into two mugs. The tea bags were already in the mugs as he poured the water. Carefully, he holds the handles to carry the mugs to the couch. Natasha watched the way he had prepared the tea. By the time she received her tea mug, she had enough strength to sit better. The heiress took a sip of her tea.

“It’s not green tea?” She was a bit disappointed.

“Doctor recommended not to let you consume caffeine while you're pregnant.” Eren informed her.

“Wait, is this ginger root tea?” She sipped again. The taste was familiar with earthy and spicy all in one. The Burnette loved ginger root tea especially with lemon to add the zesty flavor.

“Yeah, it’s good for you and safe for the baby.” Eren said while sipping his tea.

“I hope there will be more because I love ginger.” She gulped down her tea.

“Natasha, don’t drink too fast.” He warned her.

“Alright, alright. Any medical advice Dr. Jaeger?” She smirked.

“Dr. Jaeger is my dad.” He scoffed.

“Yes, but I can see you being one too. Imagine you wearing a white uniform coat or blue scrubs. I think it looks sexy on you.” Her hands rub on his chest. Usually he would respond to her flirty actions but right now it’s not appropriate. He had seen her use so much power and it almost drained her energy. If he hadn’t been there to try to calm her down, the situation would have gotten worse.

Eren sighed in disappointment and grabbed her hands gently to remove them from his chest. “Natasha, you have a lot of explaining to do. What was that earlier that you just did? It nearly drained your energy. You were unconscious since the incident. Fuck, I was scared for you. I just need you to be honest to me. What other surprises do you have?” He ranted.

Natasha was biting her lips nervously. This is where she needs to tell him what he saw was not what she had wanted anyone to know for many reasons. One of them is being used as a weapon by others. The American heiress placed her mug on the table stand.

“I don’t know where to start...this isn’t easy for me to tell anyone about my powers.” She said.

“You can start on how you got them.” Eren looked at her.

“I was born with them, but I don’t remember much of what my mother had told me long ago.” She paused as she was trying to remember the conversation with her mother on keeping her gifts a secret to everyone.

“Is it genetic?” He was concerned. If it was, there’s a chance their unborn child will inherit. It would put any of his children with Natasha into a dangerous situation.

“I don’t know. This had never happened to any wielder. It was one of the reasons why I joined a secret organization to help me know more about it and be in control. All I knew was that these stones inside me had killed my late grandfather, Tony Stark.” She began to explain.

“I see. So, no one knows about the stones besides me?�� He asked.

“My grandmother from my mom’s side, Director Maria Hill who’s in charge of the organization I joined and now you. I don’t tell anyone about it so please can you not tell anyone?” She gave him a pleading look.

“Hey of course I won’t tell. Your secrets are mine now. I will not let anyone hurt you if they know the truth. I’m here for you, Natasha.” He wrapped his arms around her to reassure her that her secret is safe with him.

“Thank you..” She was grateful of having her secret being kept for good.

Eren was about to say something when her stomach made a loud growl. He saw how she blushed embarrassedly. He chuckled at how cute she looked.

“You haven’t eaten at all today. Tell me what you're craving and I’ll make whatever you want.” Eren offered to make something for her.

“Hmm...I am craving a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup?” Natasha glanced at him.

“You got it, rest here while I make what you request.” Eren smiled then kissed her forehead. He went to the kitchen to start making food.

Natasha watched Eren cooking from the couch. She had thought if it’s time to tell him the cause of her PTSD. She was lost in her thoughts when Eren was calling her name.

“Natasha, I got your soup and your grilled cheese.” Eren had already placed the tray of soup and grilled cheese on the coffee table. He sat on the couch next to her. His hand grabbed the bowl and spoon to help feed her. She was reluctant at first but let him feed her.

She moaned from having tomato soup in her stomach. Her eyes glanced at the delicious melting grilled cheese sandwich. Eren noticed where her eyes lingered and chuckled form the way she stared.

“This is why you can’t skip meals, my love.” He placed the bowl down on the table to grab the sandwich and let her bite down as the cheese stretched.

Natasha just made a grunt sound from having her mouth full from the grilled cheese. Her finger pointed to the bowel to have something to help her swallow down her food. Eren switched the sandwich to the soup and watched her slurp the soup.

“Thanks my love. Seriously, you have magic hands whenever you cook. Did you learn from your mom as a boy or was it on your own?” She gleaned into his rich emerald green eyes.

“I learnt just the basics from her, but mostly from during my time in the military.” Eren was a bit quiet from hearing the mention of his mother. His memories as a boy gave him a nostalgic feeling. His mother did teach him how to make soups, and sandwiches including grilled cheeses. He missed her so much.

“Hey...I’m sorry about our fight at the clinic. You were right. I wanted to forgive you and move on, but that pain was still there...I wasn’t being honest to you or myself.” Out of the blue, Natasha decided to apologize for her behavior towards him.

“Shhh it’s fine. I knew deep down what I did to you will take a long time for you to heal and forgive me completely.” He said.

“Um also...I think I’m ready to talk about my mother’s death..” She struggled to let it out in sentences.

“Babe, you don’t have to…” Eren gently grabbed her hand to kiss it softly.

“But this is important...it’s mainly the reason why I struggled to control my powers. My past has always haunted me where my pain and emotions get out of control and create chaos. I don’t want to end up hurting an innocent.” She glanced at him and hoped he let her talk about her past.

Eren sighed but nodded. “Alright if you’re really ready, I’ll listen to you.” He gave her a warmth smile.

Natasha smiled back and began to speak. She started every beginning of the summer, her parents and her had always visited Paradise Isle to spend time with her grandparents. When she was 4, her mother decided to go to the cottage that her father had built for my mother as when she was pregnant with Natasha. What she could remember was being in the meadows to pick at the flowers and smell them. She had collected a few for her mother and went back to the cottage. What she had seen was blood spread on the floor in her baby brother’s room. A small body laying in the pool of blood. Her mother’s face went pale than glared at the men who were responsible. Her mother yelled and screamed at them but all they did was laugh and it got to the point where it led Natasha to seeing red for what they did to baby brother than later witnessing her mother being raped. A child should never have witnessed such a gruesome scene. Then all she remembered was blackout until she woke up to see what she had done to these filthy men. She had heard a ring in the living room and went downstairs to pick it up and it was Levi who was concerned when they would come to visit them. She had explained what had happened and quickly her grandfather hung up to go to the cottage.

“So yeah...he brought the police and they were horrific from the scene. I told them what they have done and I torture them until their bones and organs were melted. They looked like a blobfish out of water, but they probably thought it was my Ackerman gene that killed them. I mean I was awoken on that day too but mostly the power of the stones did the damage.” She had stopped to see the way Eren was trying to compose himself. His knuckles were white from how his fists tightened.

“Do you know who were those men that did these awful acts on your mother and baby brother? Why did they do it?” Eren’s voice was cracking from feeling angry and disgusted by what these men have done to her and her family.

“What I heard from my mother before she was killed; they were…” She doesn’t know how Eren would act if he knew these men are part of the Jaegerist faction. Her grandmother, Queen Historia had been slowly gaining back her power throughout the years and she had restricted them until the Jaegerists had lost their power seat in Paradise Isle.

“You can tell me, Natasha.” He slowly calmed down for her sake.

“I don’t think you would like it if you knew who they were.” She said cautiously.

“Why? Don’t tell me it’s related to me?” Eren felt his heart beating fast as he became afraid of her answer.

“Y-yes...but I know it’s not you. It’s never you nor your brother since he's been dead for a long time. They belong to the Jaegerist. I don’t know who was the real leader during that time when I was a small child.” She felt Eren got up quickly. All she heard was an angry growl and a punch to the wall.

Natasha looked up to see he made a hole. She got up from the couch and slowly walked towards him. “Listen Eren, this is not your fault-”

Eren turned around to face her quickly. “Of course it is! I made the Jaegerists. I caused the revolution for Eldia not to fucking brutally kill an infant and raped then kill a mother. They stole your childhood away and yet I was not able to be there to prevent that. Was I there to protect you?”

“No, I haven't met you yet. Eren, I told you. This is not your fault. You didn’t kill them. You didn’t send them to kill my family.” She placed her hands on his cheeks. “I know what type of man you are and what you're capable of doing but you are not a monster. They are my love.”

Eren’s tears fall from the guilt. If he knew his followers would cause this kind of trouble, he would’ve not made Jaegerists. He was surprised that the Path didn’t let him access Natasha's timeline. He will need to have a talk with the Founder Ymir.

“But my name. My family’s name is tainted by causing pain to the mother-in-law I wouldn’t ever get to meet or your little brother.” What bothers him the most is when his child is born, how will he look at him or her without guilt.

“You shouldn’t feel guilty. They should feel the guilt for what their action had done to my family. I will not let those fucking Jaegerists take my happiness too by having the love of my life feeling the guilt and burden of their crime!” She could feel her body shaking with hatred from thinking about the Jaegerists.

“You really do hate them huh?” Eren said.

“I do. They took almost everything from me. My mother, brother, my birthright. I was supposed to be My grandmother’s heir but few Jaegerists who are still in power were prevented by passing a law to take my title I was born with and the line to succession. I am tired of the way they ruled over the government far too long and my family had to pay the price. I’m glad times are changing in the future era because my generation has been protesting to give my grandmother’s power seat full control. I only go visit Paradise because my father’s family lives there. Kuchel had been studying overseas to become a diplomat to best handle the government to help her family to survive there. The aftermath of the three Jaegerist’s acts of crime, the police had to cover the truth. I was angry and furious. My grandparents had to shut me up for my sake. So I had to play the fucked up heiress who sleeps with strangers and parties and drinks into my misery.” She finally calmed down from her outburst.

“It was not meant to be like the last government was before the uprising. I did it so the Eldians can open their eyes to know the truth and not live in some delusional lifestyle where we’re the last humans on this planet and these fucking walls are our life support. I can’t believe it fires back at my ideology.” He took a deep breath and joined Natasha to sit beside her.

“So what do they want from your mother? There must be a reason they went to your cottage on that day?” He resumed.

“They wanted the stones. My mom is the daughter of the late Tony Stark. He was the last person that used it to save the earth’s population from an alien invader, Thanos. She didn’t tell them that I have them in my body, instead she told them she had them inside her...to protect me.” Her lips quivered as tears fell. All Eren could do was hold her and comfort her.

“I won’t let the Jaegerists get you and our baby. If they or anyone tries to hurt my family; I will personally shed their blood like a river.” His tone was dark. This is one of the promises he will keep.

He needed her. His Eve. His soulmate. His freedom.

(Natasha)

The following morning both of them had woken up early to go back to the palace. At first, Eren was reluctant to let Natasha go back to work from yesterday's incident. She had to persuade him that she was better now. They entered the palace and looked at each other before they departed for their duties.

“Let me know if you don’t feel well. I’ll pick you up.” Eren said while she nodded.

“I promise I will. Now go before your annoying brother comes to find you. I’m not in the mood to greet him.” Natasha said.

“Alright, but I will see you later.” He gave her a kiss on her forehead.

“Yeah, I’ll see you later.” She smiled back while embracing his kiss on her forehead.

She had watched him leave, then went to Queen Historia’s chamber to start her work. Later as half of the day reached, Natasha finished her morning chores. It’s lunch hour so she will wait for Eren to come by to get her to go eat. The brunette heiress was about to go inside the Queen’s chamber to grab her stuff.

“Ms. Potts, is the queen busy with an audience?” Yelena walked towards her. Natasha turned to see the stoic woman.

“Hey Yelena. Um, I think she is at the moment since she left in the morning to a bunch of meetings with the high ranking ladies, after lunch I will let her know you stopped by to have an audience with her.” Natasha said.

“I see. Then after lunch it is. Are you on your way to lunch?” Yelena asked her.

“Yes, but I’m waiting for Eren to come. You know how protective he has become lately.” Natasha chuckled.

“Yes, Eren will be a great father and husband too. SPeaking of husband, when will you two be wed?” This threw Natasha off guard.

“I don’t know. We haven’t picked a wedding date yet. Maybe after our baby is born?” From so many events had happened, it didn’t accrue to her or Eren to pick a date to be married. Only thing Eren ever mentioned was he just wanted to get married now and be his wife. She forgot the culture and society in this island was way different than most modern societies. Maybe she will give a date for the wedding before their child is born even though it's ridiculous to wed so rushly because society will label their baby an unwed bastard. Oh well, she’s just doing this for Eren.

“I’m sure Zeke and I can offer help for the wedding to happen as soon as possible. Queen Historia adores you. I’m sure she’ll happily help too.” The female Jaegerist said.

“Thank you, I’ll have a talk with Eren about your offer.” Natasha finds it suspicious that Yelena all of the sudden decided to talk to her so casually.

“Oh I forgot to mention, but Eren would be busy during lunch. He sent me a message to let you know he’ll see you later after work.” Yelena said as she noticed the way Natasha became disinterested and was about to leave.

“Really? He said that, huh?” Natasha sighed and felt a bit sad that her fiance will not be able to have lunch with her today.

“Of course. If you want, you can have lunch with me. I might have to come back here later anyways.” Yelena offered.

“I guess having lunch with you is better than eating alone. Shall we head to eat then?” Natasha gave in and walked with Yelena.

They went to the hall where most of the staff, Jaegerists members, lower ranks Templars have their meals. It’s basically a cafeteria to her but one day it will be one in the future. She preferred to have lunch outside of the palace since drama had always come to find her. As her pregnancy started to show, few people who had annoyed her before avoided her. Especially, her relationship with Eren was public so they don’t want to be on Eren’s bad side. Oh my god, she was so embarrassed the way he announced everyone the day after the ball. She remembered how her face was red and dying the need to hide herself. If she was in control of the situation then she wouldn’t feel embarrassed.

As for today, many people stared while walking through the aisle of tables to go wait in line for a meal with Yelena. This felt like her high school days where she was always the center of attention. Being the heiress of Stark Industries and the family’s fortunate, the public was always eyeing on her. It gets too much when she needs her privacy. Once they got their meal, both Yelena and Natasha sat on an empty table.

“Eat Ms. Potts. The child will need his or her strength.” Yelena gave a smile and began to eat her meal.

“You can just call me, Eve. I felt like those ladies during the Regency Era.” Natasha said while putting her meat.

“Very well, Eve.” Yelena said politely.

The rest of the meal hour, they were silent while eating. They barely had small talks which bugs Natasha. Maybe having lunch on her own would have been better? They finally finished their meals and Yelena spoke again.

“It’s almost over lunch, would you be alright if we take a detour? I need to drop off a letter to one of the members in their office.” Yelena waved an envelope letter towards her.

“Yeah, we got time before the Queen expected me to be back to serve her.” She said. Natasha got up to grab her tray.

“Good.” The other woman got up as well and took her tray.

Both women place the tray with empty dishes into a bin where kitchen staff pick up to wash them later. They walked out of the hall in silence. The detour walk was a bit long until slowly it got dim further away than the hallways Natasha was familiar with. She started to feel anxiety.

“Yelena, are you sure this is where the office leads?” She was getting a bit worried.

“Yes, I have come here a lot. There are some offices further down.” Yelena said casually.

“I see…” Maybe Natasha was just feeling a bit sick again. The meat was a bit heavy for her.

“We’re almost there.” The other woman said.

As they walked further, Natasha was getting frustrated as her feet were killing her. She stopped to take a small break.

“Sorry I am going to need a minute.” She begin to panting.

Suddenly, a hand was placed on her mouth to keep her silent. Natasha panicked and wiggled to free herself. Before she can use her Ackerman strength, she feels something poke on her neck and slowly sees the view blurry. She saw Yelena with a smirk along with two more people. Where did they come from? Why are they doing this? Shit, did they find out she was one of the spies for the Assassins and the last remaining Paradise military?

“W-what did you do to me, Yelena?” She was struggling to speak.

“Don’t worry this injection is not titan serum nor will it affect your child. We just need you for our special project. We know you have the stones in you. If we do not keep you until you give birth to the child, we’ll remove them from your body.” Yelena explained.

“Y-you bitch! Eren will notice. He will-” Natasha felt a slap on her cheek. She glared at all three with hatred.

“Be good and stay silent. The serum is working. Soon we’ll have you unconscious. Speaking of Eren, Zeke will handle him. Sleep well. Ms. Potts.” Natasha’s view slowly darkens.

Slowly her eyes began to open. All she saw was white surrounds but there were blue lines glowing. In front of her, there was a holosign doing a countdown. It felt like she was in a virtual game that’s becoming popular in her time.

Welcome to Animus Project. Name: Natasha Eve Ackerman-Stark. Code: 2467489

Shit. She’s in the Animus machine. They know her true identity. Oh where are you Eren?

New subject. Subject 19. Resuming Arene Ackerman arc.

Halonus, Eldia Empire 1556

It’s been forever since being knocked out by the king’s guards. Arne lost count being held in the cell. Is Ingrid alright and safe? He wondered about his wife. Arne heard the footsteps coming closer and the keys chain making noises as it unlocked his cell. The guard looked at him.

“The king had summoned you.” The guard said as he dragged Arne out of the cell. Arne prays to the gods and goddesses to protect his small growing family.

“What the hell? Where am I? Who are you?” Natasha suddenly sees white but as her vision became clear, there were many people staring at her. Some familiar ones like Zeke, Yelena, Floch.

“How intriguing. Girl, we should be asking you that. Who are you?” Alexander Di Lorenzo stands before her to observe like she’s some mythical creature.

“It’s pointless to answer that question when you have me hooked up into an Animus machine.” She with a bitter tone.

“True, but we wanted to give you the chance to speak, Eveline or should we call you Natasha? Tell me Miss Ackerman? What year are you both?” Alexander said.

“2041…” She whispered.

“Just as I expected. Gentleman and ladies. Who would ever think the handmaiden is from the future and even better a direct descendant of Levi Ackerman and Queen Historia. I presume that’s on your father’s side? The infant prince is your father?” Alexander chuckled from seeing how her expression became pale.

“Go fuck yourself.” She spit on the Grandmaster's face. The templars quickly aimed their gun at her ready for their leader to give command.

“Lower your guns.” Alexander ordered his men.

“You’re a hothead woman. It doesn’t matter now. You are the key to my goals. Knock her out again and gather any info since her grandfather decided to escape.” Alexander said. The scientists nodded.

“Hold up. Alexander, she is pregnant with my brother’s child. My niece or nephew might not make it.” Zeke was concerned.

“Don’t worry the baby will survive. It’s mother is an Ackerman. We’ll give you the baby as its legal guardian. If the child inherits the gifts, we’ll raise it as our weapon.” Alex smirked.

Zeke stayed silent, this is what he feared having an innocent being born in this cruel world and will be used as a weapon. He felt conflicted from knowing how his little brother will not hesitate to use The Rumbling on them instead.

A/N: Ok, this is where I’ll stop until the next chapter. I’ll see you next time.

#attack on titan #assassin's creed #mcu #crossver #fanfic

15 notes · View notes

pencilofawesomeness · 4 years ago

Text

Fics I Absolutely Adore and Would Recommend to Anyone

I’ve been meaning to do this for a long, long time, because I love reading fanworks and they deserve a lot of love and I love sharing things that I love.

Obviously this isn’t everything, and if it’s not on this list that doesn’t mean I don’t love it, it just means I forgot at this moment. I will be adding to the list and I remember things or come across it again. (Trying to sort through my bookmarks and subscriptions is like trying to catch a fish bare-handed.) I’m also gonna shy away from the one-shots, even though I adore fun one-shots, just for the sake of organization. The list would be super long otherwise, and those are best sorted by fandom. Here... Here are just some brilliant works I want to rant about.

Disclaimer: I say “recommend” because I would recommend these works, any time any place, but do keep in mind the story’s rating and tags and stuff. Not everything is kid-friendly.

There is absolutely no hierarchy to the list below. They are added as I add.

Fairy Dance of Death

by Catsy ( @fairydanceofdeath )

Fandom: Sword Art Online Word Count: 660,282 Status: ongoing

「AU reboot of the entire SAO storyline, beginning from the premise that Kayaba Akihiko was obsessed with magic and Norse Mythology rather than swords and pure melee. As a result, he created the Death Game of Alfheim Online rather than the floating castle of Aincrad—a world in which player-killing is not a crime, and the nine player races are in competition with each other to reach the top of the World Tree. Multi-POV epic following the stories of multiple canon characters throughout the game.」

If Catsy wrote the SAO light novels and anime, SAO would be among the legendary series. Fairy Dance of Death has this amazingly simple premise of making Alfheim Online, the video game from the original series’ less-than-stellar second part, the game that the main cast becomes trapped in. However, it’s so much more. They took the characters and made them characters, and everyone gets ample spotlight—even background characters that normally wouldn’t receive a second thought. It’s masterful work, and to boot, there is a lovely frame of in-game mystery and player conflict. The organization is phenomenal and I aspire to world-build the way they did. Not to mention that stakes are so much higher and this series has ripped my heart to shreds more than once.

It has also brought me great joy, and even when I was in the dumps and didn’t want to read anything, a FDOD update made me pick up my phone and read when I otherwise wouldn’t have. It has a really special place in my heart. It updates once in a blue moon, but that’s okay.

Even if you have never seen a single piece of Sword Art Online, Fairy Dance of Death is still a great read. In fact, it’s the Better Version of SAO, if we’re all being honest, so I would especially recommend it if you hadn’t seen the original. Or if you have. The characters are given so much love and detail, to the point where Fairy Dance of Death’s characterizations are More Canon to me than Kawahara Reki’s work. It is just a beautiful piece of fiction, and it makes you question the depravity of man on levels that SAO shied away from.

Poisoned Dreams

by StrangeDiamond

Fandom: Genshin Impact Word Count: 82,852 Status: Complete, with a complete sequel and more to come

「 Every night now, Diluc dreams of death. Usually Kaeya's. In between these nightmares his life is falling apart. It doesn't take Kaeya long to realize that this is something much more insidious than simple bad dreams. His brother's life and sanity are on the line and there is nothing Kaeya won't do to save him. Bonus chapter added.」

In a growing fandom from a new game, StrangeDiamond swooped in and characterized these bad boys so well I think it’s canon. It really breathes life into the video game lore, and it’s an A+ depiction of awkward sibling re-bonding post-Terrible-Happenings. Poisoned Dreams can be read alone with a basic understanding of Genshin storybuilding, but StrangeDiamond has an entire group of fics and oneshots set in the same headcanon, and they integrate them really well and subtly together. Not to mention that the narrative style is really clever with making you question what is real and what is dream (a big point in this story) and the inner voices of the point-of-view characters are very compelling.

One Word to Change the World

by AgentMalkere

Fandom: Fairy Tail Collective Word Count: 43,988 (30 parts) Status: probably never coming back

「 In just one universe, Ultear called out to her mother instead of turning away and the fate of Fairy Tail and the world was irrevocably altered. These are glimpses of a world where a single word made all the difference.

In other words, welcome to the Butterfly Effect - Fairy Tail style. 」

It’s a really cute canon-divergent, and while the series makes no attempt to re-write Fairy Tail, it addresses the major events and just snippets in between. It does a good job at giving the vast cast ample spotlight, but it’s also an easy read. It’s special to me because it was the series that made me really pay attention to Bickslow in particular, and I respect that.

Vigilantis Pretium Libertatis

by aradian_nights

Fandom: Attack on Titan Word Count: 399,226 Status: Complete

「 Five years ago, an accident freed Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlelt from an experiment that forced the most extraordinary powers onto them. After five years of separation, of being raised apart to be heroes by a set of three very different adults, they meet again. As they uncover the truth behind their captivity they realize being free and being heroes are sadly nothing but an illusion. 」

This wrecked me.

I still remember when I read it. It was the beginning of 2018, and I had the flu and a lot of time on my hands, so I binge-read this. It was simultaneously the best and the worst thing I have ever done, because I resonated with it so deeply there were times I was just staring up at the ceiling wondering what was real. I empathized with the characters to a level I rarely achieve, and I empathize easily. I laughed. I cried. It was amazing.

I refer to this story in conversation to this day. It handled themes published authors have only dreamed of achieving. Heck, if Dani (the author) took out the names of the AoT cast and replaced it with new ones, it could be its own stand alone novel. It is worldbuilding from the ground up, and any fandom knowledge you take in with you is used against you like a knife leveraged against your throat. Yet, no one is out of character. It’s phenomenal. I would say more, but this is something I daren’t spoil for anybody, because you must be as wrecked as I was. Vigilantis Pretium Libertatis is a level of writing I achieve to gain as a writer myself. It is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Life in Glass Houses

by blueskyscribe ( @blueskyscribe )

Fandom: Transformers (Transformers Prime, Transformers: Shattered Glass) Word Count: 119,900 Status: Ongoing (maybe, I hope)

「 No one would have thought Bumblebee and Knock Out were capable of getting along, but when they're stuck in a strange new world and their only hope of survival is cooperation . . . Yeah, they're probably doomed. 」

I could be biased because Knock Out and Bumblebee are two of my favorite characters, but it really is brilliant. Two enemies, stuck together—but not in an overly cliché way. It’s the right amount of cliché, with heaps moral conflict and inner conflict and sometimes just beating each other with a broom when no one is looking. It’s also a fascinating look into what makes a character the way they are in relation to the morals they possess, and how stalwart those morals can be. I can’t help but think of this story whenever I see or write a “role reverse” or mirror-verse AU. It does an excellent job at making all of the characters engaging and their own character, despite being in a mirror-verse.

Yesterday Upon the Stair

by PitViperOfDoom ( @pitviperofdoom )

Fandom: My Hero Academia Word Count: 424,070 Status: Complete

「 Midoriya Izuku has always been written off as weird. As if it's not bad enough to be the quirkless weakling, he has to be the weird quirkless weakling on top of it.

But truthfully, the "weird" part is the only part that's accurate. He's determined not to be a weakling, and in spite of what it says on paper, he's not actually quirkless. Even before meeting All-Might and taking on the power of One For All, Izuku isn't quirkless.

Not that anyone would believe it if he told them. 」

As a person who normally doesn’t read these kind of minor canon divergences, especially at the time of reading, I frickin’ love this fic. In fact, I think YUTS gave me a deep appreciation for canon divergence fics. It’s MHA in all of its glory but it’s so much more, and even the parts that rehash canon give new light to the characters and their points of view.

I had read Viper’s work before and saw Yesterday Upon the Stair filling my inbox, and then I finally watched My Hero Academia. It was one of the first MHA fics I read and it still has a very special place in my heart. I recommend this series to people who don’t even watch MHA; in fact, there are some who might prefer the darker tones and themes of heroism vs apathy to the main series. Not to mention the writing style is phenomenal, and I aspire to be that good. It made me laugh. It made me cry. Yes, tears streaming down my face crying. It is the best ghost story I have ever read.

the Vantage Point Universe

by Aggie2011 ( @aggie2011whoop )

Fandom: The Avengers (MCU) Collective Word Count: 1,032,651 (35 parts) Status: Ongoing (just slowed down)

「 Six months after the Loki incident, Clint isn't adjusting well. When an enemy from his days in the Army comes back to haunt him, he'll be forced to face a part of his past - and to move past Loki, if he has a hope of finding his place with the Avengers. (First of a universe created to center around Clint Barton) 」

// description taken from first installment

Have you enjoyed the MCU, especially the first-era Avengers phase, but like me, were disappointed in the fact that Hawkeye was barely there? The VP universe is for you.

I honestly have a hard time remembering what was canon and what was VP. And if it’s not canon, it should be. The VP universe gave so much life to Clint and to Natasha and to all of SHIELD and even the rest of the Avengers. It’s just...so good. It’s completely immersive. It focuses a lot on Hawkeye and Black Widow from before the Avengers team-up, as well as after, and it all flows together so beautifully. Not to mention that I can be reading a mission that happened pre-series, so I know that they are going to live with all of their limbs, and I still sit there on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The OCs, minor as they are, that are created for this are also wonderfully done. I can’t believe Dan and Phil don’t exist in canon. Every character, canon or no, is engaging and dynamic, it is a pleasure to follow each point of view. The emotional turmoil is also handled very well, and the VP universe carries the MCU trend of humanizing its heroes and takes it so much further.

Ghosts of the Future

by Evan Stanley ( @evanstanleyportfolio )

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog Word Count: comic (18 issues) Status: ongoing

「 About 200 years in the future, Silver the Hedgehog is an average kid living in San Francisco... except for his strange and terrible dreams of a dying Blue Hedgehog, a Black Hedgehog, and mysterious gems called "Chaos Emeralds". What will he do, when these "figments of his imagination" appear before him in his real life? 」

// description taken from first installment

Okay so this is the only one that isn’t an Ao3 story, but rather a comic on DeviantArt. However, it is still one of my favorite stories. Even though it takes the commonalities of Sonic canon and turns them on its head, GotF really treats the characters well. There are enough familiar world elements to create intrigue, but it is set in a completely different take of the future, so there is ample opportunity for world building and being able to engage with a completely new thing. I wish SEGA put as much love in the series (namely the games, because the comics are *chef’s kiss*) and all of its possibilities as creators like Evan Stanley do.

The friendship and family relationships in GotF are so diverse and all so fantastic to witness. It’s a keynote example of the new hero and the old veterans, and both parties are active and trying their best.

Do not be alarmed by the starting art style. Sure, it’s rough around the edges at first, but then it gets better, and then it gets gorgeous, and then you’re left there so stunned that it looks like just life canon art. And then you could be like me, blinking slowly as my small brain finally connected that this Evan Stanley is in fact the Evan Stanley. GotF is an amazing fanwork, but she also draws and writes for the Official Canon comics (the IDW ones now) and that work is also phenomenal and should be supported.

Whirlwind

by Lynse ( @ladylynse )

Fandom: Danny Phantom, American Dragon: Jake Long, Miraculous Ladybug, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja Word Count: 75,556 Status: Complete

「 Jake should be used to ominous predictions by now. Randy should know better than to blindly follow McFist. Adrien should think twice before sneaking away. And Danny really should've expected something like this when he got that phone call from Jake. (Secret Quartet fic) 」

I have to start by saying that I adore all of Lynse’s fics, and I chose this one simply because it is one of my favorites. But it’s all fantastic, one hundred percent. I also love Mirrored, the sort-of prequel to this fic, but Whirlwind just has the chaotic pure bean energy that each of the shows bring and it foils against each other so perfectly. This is the epitome of the Secret Quartet crossover, truly.

All fandoms and all characters get ample love, and the way the reader gets to see just how badly the characters’ assumptions are going is positively wonderful. It’s so easy to fall into the “I know what’s happening and so do the characters” trap, but Lynse leaps over it gracefully and lands in greatness. The fic had me smiling like a maniac one minute, and feeling sorry for my babies the next. Wonderful. Simply fantastic!

30 notes · View notes

bae-science · 4 years ago

Note

oh? uprising pentagon funding moments? tell us more

okay let’s get into it hello everyone and welcome to unraveled with newt bae-science. i’ve replaced the twink.

BACKGROUND:

when creating the first pacific rim movie with gdt at the helm directing, the cgi being done was pretty expensive. it’s giant robots, giant monsters, huge military complexes, and making raleigh’s pupils into circles and not big pink hearts. complicated stuff! so the expectation from the big boys at legendary was that they would take the marvel route: get funding from the us military.

the way that works goes like so: there is a team at the pentagon that reviews every script sent to them by film producers that would like funding. if the script is deemed to portray the us military in an acceptable way, the production gets free use of military bases, tons of cash, use of equipment, and a ton of other stuff. this is how marvel does all their movies. it’s propaganda, babey!

so they polish off the script and send it off to the boys in brown in washington to ask for cgi money. the us military reads the script, says “no we’re not portrayed well and also the ppdc is too international (and lbr, with the kaidonovskys and the triplets they probably weren’t too happy about that teamup)”, and sends it back for changes. no changes? no money.

well del toro says fuck that.

he says considering all the lovely things the us military had done to latin american counties while he was growing up (because remember, the guy is mexican), he wasn’t gonna take a penny of their propaganda money just to kiss up. no changes are made, a crap ton of more money goes into the cgi, and the first film barely broke even. it had a budget of $180 million usd (10 million more than godzilla king of the monsters) and grossed $411 million worldwide. in big budget movie world? that’s fucking nothing. the first avengers movie had a budget of $220 million and made $2.048 billion worldwide. in 2012. so the bar was set and pacific rim did not meet it monetarily.

cut to five years later with uprising. legendary is sitting around, going “okay we know there’s still a strong fanbase for this franchise, there’s still blockbuster material in here, can we make a profit?”. they don’t want a repeat of last time, because if you bring in del toro, he’s gonna give us a script that won’t get military funding, and we cannot afford to make this movie without it. it’s pacific fucking rim. so they bring in a guy whose never solo directed before and has a background of working on the transformers movies, which are also about giant robots and also chock full of us nationalism. you can pay him less than a big name like gdt, he’s guaranteed to make something that the army will like, and he knows what he’s doing with the rock ‘em sock ‘em robots, which is all we really care about.

enter steven s. deknight.

THE HUNCH:

gonna put a great big ALLEGEDLY here because none of this is confirmed, i’m only speculating, but i’m also a double entertainment major who’s been working in the industry for almost half a decade, so. i have a solid proposal.

here’s my pitch: i think they whip up a script that is us military catnip. tons of glorification of soldiers, turning the ppdc into a police state, child soliders going uncriticized, more emphasis on the jaegers and fight sequences than actual characters, and of course, the villains. you have shao, a chinese businesswoman who has an extremely unethical company culture (stream) and turns out to have been blind to the evil aliens destroying it right under her nose, and then you have the precursors. because putting aside the whole twist thing and newt being possessed and tortured, all the poorly done allegories, blah blah blah, before the big twist that it’s faceless aliens we can blamelessly kill, it looks like the fruity dude who defected from the government to the private sector and sold out, is the main villain. you have several excellent things the audience is already primed to hate (girlbosses, china, people being successful at things who aren’t the government and refusing to work with them, schrodinger’s evil dandy) thanks to propaganda. formulaic, basic plot with little scary nuance or criticism + easily vilifiable concepts the us doesn’t like = tons of cash from uncle sam. free money, right?

well we all know how that girl bossed now don’t we.

the budget for pacific rim: uprising was $150 million. it grossed $290.5 million worldwide for a monumentally worse box office flop than the first movie, mixed reviews from critics, an outraged fan response, and everybody got on their ass for fridging mako and being yet another sci-fi franchise to screw over john boyega. it premiered in march, Q1, where movies go to die. i was there. i sat in that theater in my little newt cosplay and was set on the path to also become a psych student (i have a lot of fields of study. nomative determinism, okay?), and felt my extremely normal and average height body fill with rage. it was a shitshow at the fuck factory.

THE TAKEAWAY:

we all know why uprising sucked. it was a textbook example of fridging, the characters were underdeveloped and one-note, there were no real themes or points made, newt starred in a one-man one-hivemind trauma porno; i’ve said all this before.

but i try to do this thing where i take away a lesson from a shitty experience, whatever it may be. what can we learn from uprising (allegedly)? well for one, don’t cram your movie full of enough propaganda to please the army and expect it to actually be a good movie. don’t let a first timer direct such a big project with so many politics behind it. let financial constraints push you to think outside the box with your art: just look at new who! blink is one of the highest rated episodes of the whole damn SHOW and it came out of penny pinching. and most important: support art that means something. throw your money at projects that have something important to say, and encourage the people you know to do so too. because if we don’t? nothing is immune to propaganda. not even giant robots.

(and stream pacific rim: the black so i can have a big budget for when i direct pr3 ❤️)

#pacific rim #pac rim #mine #pacific rim uprising #ask

16 notes · View notes

author-morgan · 4 years ago

Note

Post-game Deimos Alexios with foreign reader who has been hunted for also having a powerful bloodline “ i know i’m a monster, but you look at me like i’m a man. ” “ you do have something to live for. you have me. ” “ you make me feel safe. like i’m allowed to be anything i want. ”

Hi nonny, sorry this took so long. I hope you like it. Tagging @withered-poppies because they had some of the same dialogue prompt requests for Deimos.

Deimos!Alexios x fem!Reader

WHEN YOU FIRST met Deimos, he was a weapon for the Cult of Kosmos, and you were one of his targets. Hunted since a child because of the blood running through your veins —a Tainted One they call you, like a fire that could not be contained. Chaos made flesh. When Deimos first crossed blades with you, he knew something was different —especially when your fingers brushing against his arm left nigh permanent chills. No one had ever been able to take him on in a fair fight, but you had done so —almost effortlessly.

He had let you escape with your life then found you again in the streets of Sparta after Kosmos had fallen. Deimos takes to you like a moth to flame after a chance second encounter. You’d both spotted one another from across the agora, muscles tensing and fingers flexing as if to draw blades. Neither of you moves at first, though it is Deimos who eventually caves and approaches you —offering a fresh nectarine. When you take the piece of fruit from his hand, it feels like accepting a peace offering. The unspoken connection between you and Deimos is already there and a friendship quickly blossoms despite his tribulations and your troubled past.

For weeks, the meetings between you and he are in the meadows or forests —away from prying eyes, like those of his sister and mother. He says Sparta is his home now, but deep down you can see it is a lie. He is like you, a child of nowhere. Yet a part of you could call the Valley of Two Kings home if it meant being with Deimos. The gods must have placed you in Lakonia for this reason and for the first time you can thank them for something with sincerity.

Kassandra and Myrrine can both tell something is different about Alexios, though they cannot say what the cause behind the shift in his demeanor is. Taking it upon herself, Kassandra trails behind her brother one morning when he leaves before sunrise. She follows him through the polis and into the countryside, tracing his steps up a narrow trail leading to a hill overlooking the city with Mount Taygetos in the background. He draws in a slow breath as Apollo’s golden light floods the valley.

Another figure joins her brother atop the hill and the Eagle Bearer must cover her mouth to muffle a surprised gasp when Deimos wraps his arms around you, stooping down for a kiss. Kassandra smiles the entire way back, eager to dispel her findings to her mother. Neither she nor Myrrine press him to say anything after following him that day, but they do start to drop subtle hints —speaking of love, marriages, and family. He suspects they know something.

Eventually, Deimos asks you one evening to come with him for dinner. He’s spoken of his mother and sister before, but the thought of meeting them is nerve-wracking. His mother is the daughter of King Leonidas and his sister is the legendary Eagle Bearer —but even he carries a reputation as one of the fiercest warriors in Hellas.

Kassandra offers you a place aboard the Adrestia with her brother as she is planning on sailing again soon. A sedentary life is not something to keep a misthios satisfied for long. She does not know you well yet, but it is clear you bring out a better side of Deimos that makes him more like Alexios than the Cult’s weapon. Despite Kassandra’s offer, you and Deimos decide to remain in Sparta with Myrrine —it will be good for her to have her son around. His sister departs at dusk after a final meal, promising to return often if the winds and sea are favorable. The sadness in Myrrine’s expression is quickly quelled when she turns, finding you and Deimos standing in the doorway, fingers loosely linked together.

That night, he holds you in his arms atop the roof of what should have been his childhood home. His dark eyes flit between you and the clear night sky. You can tell something is bothering him —he had not slept well the previous night, haven woke from a nightmare, and never trusting his mind to sleep again. Sitting up and breaking free of his arms, you shift —straddling his thighs and taking his handsome face into your hands.

“I know I’m a monster,” he begins, voice cracking —not meeting your gaze, “but you look at me like I’m a man.” You’d always looked past his bloody history because you had one too. “For so long I believed it was my destiny to bring order to the world–” he leans into the hand tracing over the scar on his cheek “–but now–” His voice and mind wander off, now he doesn’t know what he’s meant to do, and the weight of the uncertainty is almost unbearable.

“You still have something to live for, Alexios,” you breathe, thinking of his mother and sister —his warm, honeyed eyes meeting yours. The use of his given-name surprises him still. Deimos is the man you met, but Alexios is the man you know. “And you have me.” His lips kink into a smile, fingers ghosting across your shoulder and up the curve of your neck. He does have you. More than a year has come to pass since you both noticed one another in the streets, since then the days when you aren’t in each other’s company are rare.

He presses his head into your shoulder, inhaling the soft scent of lemon and roses. “You make me feel safe,” you tell him with a smile. He sits back and you lean in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Even with all your prowess in combat, it is a good feeling to have someone to make you feel safe, secure —like nothing bad will happen again. “Like I’m allowed to do and be anything.” For so long, you’d only seen as someone to be tamed by the Order of Ancients and Cult alike. Even Myrrine noted the strength and power in your blood, but Deimos has only ever looked at you as an equal. “I’m not just a Tainted One with you.”

The soft smile on his lips does not fade. “No,” he starts, tracing a scar on the inside of your forearm, “you’re so much more.” You surge forward, throwing your arms around him and press your face into his neck. Deimos falls backward onto the roof, pulling you with him. Turning his head, he nuzzles his nose against the crown of your head —lips ghosting over your temple. He loves you and perhaps one day he will admit it, but for now, he’ll keep these moments close to his heart. Breathing in, he looks up at the stars. I am no longer Deimos, he thinks, running his fingers through your hair and across your back. I am Alexios.

tagging my Deimos squad: @wallsarecrumbling @novastale @jaegers-and-kaijus and @nemo-my-name-forevermore

#Alexios #Deimos #Alexios x Reader #Deimos x Reader #Alexios Imagine #Deimos Imagine #Alexios Fanfiction #Deimos Fanfiction #Assassin's Creed Imagine #Assassin's Creed Fanfiction #Assassin's Creed Odyssey #AC: Odyssey #actsquad #Anonymous #my writing #requested #withered-poppies

155 notes · View notes

lazaefair · 4 years ago

Text

The Old Guard Pacific Rim AU

!!Spoilers for The Old Guard and Pacific Rim!!

So, the squad join up with the Jaeger program when the first kaiju emerges from the sea. Joe and Nicky pilot one Jaeger, of course, and Andy and Booker pilot the other. (Unfortunately because of their immortality, the flaws in the first Jaegers that led to the deaths of most of the other pilots didn’t get detected at first simply because the squad is immune to unshielded radiation.)

(Proposed Jaeger names, open to suggestions: Joe and Nicky pilot the Millennium Crusader. Andy and Booker pilot the...Scythe Napoleon? Warrior Andromache?)

The PPDC doesn’t know how or why these civilians off the street are so good, but everyone who’s seen them fight knows one thing: they’re never, ever to be separated. The way the two Jaeger teams fight together is uncanny, almost like all four pilots are drifting with each other.

Years later, Booker’s betrayal in canon can be translated in this AU to a massive freakout during the handshake, chasing the RABIT, endangering Andy, etc. due to his personal suicide wish, which makes him useless for the Jaeger program going forward.

Enter Nile.

So, Nile is still a US Marine who gets killed during a kaiju attack. She wakes up in a Shatterdome infirmary - the squad dreamed about her and moved heaven and earth (and PPDC bureaucracy) to find her and have her reassigned to the Jaeger program. At this point the squad are so legendary, they actually get their demands met.

They put her into the pilot academy with the plan to train her up for some kind of new experimental Jaeger or whatever...but Booker has his freakout and goes out of commission, and Andy once again demands Nile specifically even though she’s not done with training.

(Nile is fairly salty about all of this. There’s being ordered around by your commanders, and then there’s this bullshit.)

And then a couple missions later - maybe the unprecedented double kaiju event - Andy loses her immortality.

The B-plot is Merrick is the head of K-Science. Not only has he unethically been making money off the kaiju, but he’s been conducting unethical research as well. He finds out about the squad’s immortality and is trying to basically kidnap them into his lab for even more nefariousness.

Copley is one of the scientists in the lab who has roughly the same moral journey as he does in canon. He and Merrick both drift with the kaiju brain, but Copley turns on Merrick when Merrick tries to somehow use their contact with the kaiju masters to do something villainous. Deliberately bring more kaiju through, idk.

Copley alerts Nile to the fact that Merrick has imprisoned immortality-less Andy in the lab. The squad rescues Andy in time for the next kaiju attack, which she barely survives. Copley confesses everything to Marshal Pentecost, including what he saw in the kaiju hivemind. Merrick gets arrested. They hatch the desperate plan to drop the nuke through the Breach to close it.

The squad goes on the suicide run with the nuke. There’s a devastating moment near the end where Booker, back in the LOCCENT, thinks they’ve all died and he’s completely alone - but in this AU everyone lives, because I said so.

Final shot: Andy, Nile, Nicky and Joe climbing out of their respective escape pods in the ocean, looking around with new eyes at the planet they nearly lost. They all embrace each other in joy. The end.

#the old guard #pacific rim #the old guard spoilers #spoilers #pacific rim au #by lazaefair

95 notes · View notes

everlarkficexchange · 5 years ago

Text

Fortune Favors the Brave

Written by: @ambpersand

For Prompt 46: Pacific Rim inspired AU with drift compatible Everlark (or not if you’re inspired by angst). I really just want to see more of that aspect of Pacific Rim explored than what they did in the movie and what better way to do it than with Everlark! [submitted by @katnissdoesnotfollowback]

Rated T.

———————————————————–

Gale was supposed to be my drift partner. My co-pilot in the giant, nuclear-powered Jaeger that we’ve dreamed of controlling together since we were kids. We promised each other that’s how it would work out once we graduated from the academy. There wasn’t any other option. How couldn’t we get a match?

Dropping my head into my hands, I let out a long groan. When that doesn’t help, I pull my hands forward, dragging them across my face until I can dig the tips of my fingers into my eyes.

We’re practically the same person. Raised from birth in the same town, in houses next to each other, we are mirrored versions of the same personality. Long lost siblings, our mom’s joked to each other. Especially since I looked more like Gale and his siblings than I did with my own sister, Prim.

We both hate mushrooms and would rather eat cold leftovers for breakfast than cook eggs or eat the cardboard-flavored cereal they served in the mess hall. We’re light sleepers and early risers. Our tempers flare up at the same time, from the same triggers. We have the same sense of humor and we like the same music. The same movies. Food. Everything. I can tell what he’s about to say before the words can make it to his lips, and he can do the same for me. We’re one in the same.

How could we not be drift compatible?

“So who did you match with?” he asks, his voice rough from beside me on the bench outside the testing center. We just got our compatibility test results back, ranked from highest to lowest. I didn’t even bother to see who else was on my list–I just searched out Gale’s name first. Anything above a 95% was considered almost a perfect match. It was rare, but it happened. 90% was good, but the Jaeger Program would accept pilots at 85% or higher. The closer the match, the better the drift.

My score with Gale? 62%.

We spent six months in the Jaeger Program together, being beaten down by the instructors and memorizing every bit of information we could about the Jaegers and the Kaiju that we would eventually face. Every night we sparred for hours, relentless in our determination. We saw our classmates get cut. Drop out. Abandon their dreams of being a pilot because it was too hard. Too much, they claimed while they packed up their stuff from the barracks. They settled for being technicians or strategists, even though we all knew it wasn’t the same. But we made it. We graduated together, we got our pilot pins together. We did this together. All of it.

All for a measly 62%.

“I don’t know,” I finally find the words to answer him. The match results are sitting by my feet, crumbled into a ball from my frustration. Reaching down to grab it, I smooth out the wrinkles and hand it to him. Right now, I don’t really care to look.

“Oh,” the sound that comes out of his throat sounds more like a laugh than anything else, and I shoot him a confused look. He’s laughing? Right now?

“Lucky you.”

His shoulders are shaking with restrained laughter, and horror dawns in my stomach, crawling up my throat until it feels like I might stop breathing entirely. Whatever is on that paper, it must be bad.

I snatch the results back from him in a quick move, but my hands are shaking as my eyes track across the printed words. Please don’t be him… Please don’t be him…

Shit.

I can feel the color drain from my face. My usually tan complexion is probably ashen white, and my lips feel numb. It takes every ounce of energy I have to force myself to swallow. To keep breathing. To not throw up my lunch on to the sidewalk in front of our other classmates who are currently celebrating their test results.

I didn’t just get a good match. I got the highest match possible with the worst person I’ve ever met.

Peeta Mellark. 98%.

———————————————————–

He’s waiting for me when I get back to my bunk. I should have known he would. Maybe I did, and that’s why I’ve got my fists clenched in anger before I even round the corner to the hallway where my room is located. It’s been burning inside of me all day, flaming up every time I think about Peeta Mellark and my stupid, pointless test scores.

The only sound in the hall are the soles of my boots slapping against the concrete floor, but he doesn’t look up at my approach. Of course he doesn’t, I think, grinding my teeth together. He’s so wrapped up in himself he probably doesn’t ever recognize anyone else is around him. His eyes are locked on his phone, his straight white teeth digging in to his lower lip while he reads whatever is on the screen.

“Everdeen,” he greets me with a grin when I’m only a few feet away. Or rather, he says. Greeting me would be an overstatement, considering it takes him several extra seconds to drag his eyes away from his phone and up to my face after he speaks. “You’re a hard woman to nail down.”

I’ve avoided coming back all day, and the sun set hours ago. Just like I got my test results this afternoon, any available and eligible pilots would have received their matches today as well. The Jaeger Program is constantly scanning for better drift matches. It’s done almost weekly, with every new crop of graduates and every new addition to the pilot database. It doesn’t matter if you’re already matched if a new, better match comes along. As far as the head of the program, Plutarch Heavensbee, is concerned, the stronger the connection, the better you fight. And a well equipped Jaeger fleet is only as strong as the pilots controlling the machines.

Peeta Mellark and I just skyrocketed to the top of the program with our 98% match.

It’s too bad, though, that he’s absolutely insufferable.

“You’re in my way,” I give him a pointed look, ignoring the giddy smile that’s still stretched across his face. He’s leaning against the threshold to my room, blocking me from being able to reach the door handle.

“What? No apology for making me wait?” he teases, either oblivious to my sour mood or completely uncaring. With him, it could go either way.

“Nope,” I shake my head and shove my hand between his back and the door, grabbing the knob. In one swift move I wrap my hand around the metal and push it forward, smiling when he stumbles back a little.

“Easy now… That’s no way to treat your new partner, is it? Wouldn’t want me falling and cracking my head open.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad to me,” I muse, dropping my bag on the small desk next to my bed. A small kernel of guilt nestles deep into my chest. I don’t like being mean. I really don’t. But he has a way of bringing out the worst in me, and it seems like everything he does or says is my own personal brand of torture.

Ignoring my retort, he pulls out my desk chair and drops his body down into it. He dwarfs the entire thing, built with stocky muscle and broad shoulders. He’s not that tall, but he’s tall enough that he takes up too much space in my cramped room.

“Are you really telling me you’re not excited about our match?”

“Yes, actually. That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” I grit my teeth and try not to look at him. I don’t know why he feels the need to invade my space, now, either. Unfortunately, I know what will happen if I try to kick him out. Absolutely nothing, because Peeta Mellark does what Peeta Mellark wants. So instead I sit down on my mattress, as far as I can get from him, and begin unlacing my boots.

“Katniss, this is huge,” the incredulity in his voice is hard to miss. “No one ever gets a 98.”

“It must have been a mistake,” we both know it wasn’t, but I’m still going to hold out hope. The test is never wrong, and it’s not about to start messing up compatibility matches now.

Peeta huffs out a sigh, and when I glance up at him he’s staring straight at me. Was that noise to get my attention? His blue eyes are sparkling with what looks like happiness, and my mouth turns sour. It’s just another reminder of how different we are. He’s like a giant golden retriever, but so much more loud and brash and in your face. Never not joking around, strutting through the base like he’s so special. Like nothing can touch him. He’s happy.

“Come on, you know you want to give me a chance. Give us a chance,” he lifts his ashy blond eyebrows in expectation, and I can’t stop the snort that slips out.

“I really don’t,” my words are honest, and I see the moment they hit him. His eyes dim a little and his mouth twitches down slightly, but as soon as the frown appears it’s gone again. Expertly smoothed away and masked by that signature confidence he’s known so well for. Or cockiness, if we’re all being honest.

There’s no doubt that Peeta Mellark is the best Jaeger pilot in the country. Even I can’t deny that fact, as much as I don’t like him. His hit counts are legendary, and he’s never missed a drop. Even through the training exercises and demonstrations he gave to the academy students, my class included, it’s clear that he knows what he’s doing.

The only problem? He can’t keep a drift partner to save his life.

“Katniss,” he says my name again, his tone pulling the syllables into a little melody. I hate it, and I don’t try to hide my glare at him. “You won’t even spar with me?”

“No,” shaking my head, I sit back up and push my boots off one at a time. When my feet are finally free, I can’t help but wiggle my toes in relief. The standard issue uniform is uncomfortable at best, and the leather of my shoes are still stiff after months of wear.

“Not even once?”

“Not even once,” I stand and move toward the door. I can’t take having him in here any longer. It’s making my skin crawl, and I want to scrub my nails across my arms until I feel like myself again. “Now please leave. I have things I need to do.”

Surprisingly, he listens. It’s a first, and I struggle to cover my shock at his sudden compliance.

“Fine, but I’ll be back,” he promises me with a wink.

When he struts out of my bunk, I finally let out the breath I’ve been holding in my lungs. It’s the most I’ve ever spoken to him in one sitting, and the only time we’ve ever been alone…. And I’m not looking forward to when it happens again.

———————————————————–

That night, I can’t sleep. I toss and I turn so many times that it feels like my skin is starting to chafe from the friction against the rough, standard-issue barrack sheets. Every time I close my eyes, I see that damn list. Then, I see Peeta’s grinning face, and I get frustrated all over again. It goes on and on for hours, no matter how many times I try to direct my mind elsewhere or to focus on something else. I can’t.

How could I match with him? Of all people?

We couldn’t be any more different, and I don’t understand. I would have bet my entire life savings that I would have been matched compatible with Gale. It made sense. This? This doesn’t make one lick of sense and I don’t know how to begin processing it.

The worst part is that once you’re a pilot, you can’t deny your drift partner. If you’re matched, you’re matched. You don’t get to be picky, and the only way to get a different partner is to find a better match. It’s either that or drop out of the program entirely. Which is not an option. Then again, neither is finding a new match. The likelihood of finding anyone above a 98% is impossible. Even Gale’s highest match was an 89%. Some people don’t even find eligible matches after graduating from the pilot’s program, and to have such a high result on my first shot? It’s likely that I’ll be stuck with him forever, or until one of us inevitably dies.

Even though I tried to deny the test results earlier when Peeta was in my room, I can’t. Over the last few years, they’ve refined the process until it’s virtually flawless. It’s never been wrong before, and it won’t be wrong now. It would be stupid to try and believe otherwise. The tests look at every possible aspect of your personality, analyzing and categorizing you until you’re just a series of traits. There are thousands that it ranks you on, taking into consideration the tiniest of details and adding them up into one profile that gets added to the compatibility database.

Your memories. Your experiences. Good and bad, it looks at everything. No stone is left unturned. It reviews your temperament, your fighting techniques, your natural dispositions and your best skills. The test itself takes an entire week to complete, and it spans from memory puzzles to written essays to physical sparring matches. It even takes into consideration references from the academy, and how you interact with other pilots. Simulated Jaeger drops complete the test, but at that point it’s just a formality.

I know I’m good. Gale and I both are, and we graduated at the top of our class. Even our instructor, Haymitch Abernathy, couldn’t disagree. We had the highest simulation kill rates in the last five years. Which, coincidentally, was when Peeta Mellark graduated from the program.

It’s the only thing we have in common.

Everything else, we’re polar opposites. I wouldn’t consider myself petite, but I’m small enough. Him? He’s easily 10 inches taller than me, with stocky muscles and a body made for brute force. I’m lithe and quick on my feet, trained from a young age when Gale and I used to have to hunt for food to feed our families. After both of our dads died during a Kaiju attack on the coast, the two of us had to step up and fill the gap.

Peeta? He grew up in a happy home. Or at least, it sure as hell looks happy. It was normal at the very least, as everyone knows when his parents give tearful interviews on TV about him and how wonderful it is to have a son that’s out fighting for the safety of the world. As if there’s no one else out doing the same thing, and the entire Jaeger program is resting on his shoulders.

Ugh, I roll my eyes in the dark of my room.

I’m confident, yeah, but I’m not cocky like he is. I would never go around bragging about my drop/kill rates the way that he does. Or boasting every time he loses a partner that it’s “for the best, because he’s the best.” If my memory serves me, he’s never had a drift partner last longer than a year, and he’s gone through six since graduating from the academy. They’ve never been higher than a 90% match, either.

Not that I was paying attention.

With a heavy sigh, I twist my body around in the thin blanket until I’m laying on my back again, then push myself into a sitting position. There’s no sense in trying to pretend I’m going to fall back asleep. If it hasn’t happened yet, it wont, and I need to do something with the restless energy that’s coursing through my limbs.

With ease, I get dressed in the dark, pulling a pair of clean shorts and a t-shirt from my dresser. That’s something else they taught us, back at the beginning of the program. Get dressed fast, because there’s no time to waste if a Kaiju crosses the breach at 2 AM.

Shooting off a quick text to Gale, I pull on my running shoes and lock the door to my room as I head toward the gym. Even though there’s still an hour or so before dawn, he’ll likely be up soon. I can get in a few miles on the treadmill, and then practice sparring techniques until he shows up and we can do our regular workout together.

Pulling a deep breath into my chest, I try to settle my raging nerves and focus on what changes I want to make to my workout routine today, instead of the impending drift training with Peeta Mellark.

———————————————————–

He only gives me three days of space before tracking me down again. I’ll give him credit for lasting longer than I would have bet, because I expected to find him camped outside of my room on more than one occasion.

Then again, I have been avoiding him, so maybe I didn’t make it easy.

Gale immediately jumped into training with his new partner, Thom, which has left me with more free time than I’ve had since enlisting in the academy. Training with your new partner means spending almost every available moment with them. Eating meals together, exercising, sparring practice… Anything to give you insight into who they are and what it’s going to be like when you get hooked up for your first drift. Everything I’m not doing with Peeta.

Even though the pilot academy had us doing weekly drop simulations, the Jaeger Program keeps the drift technology under lock and key. Only certified pilots are cleared to drift, and from all the stories in our history books… It’s dangerous. Not as much as it used to be, but dangerous enough that only certain types of people are cut out for it.

People like me and Peeta, apparently.

Back before they refined the technology that enabled two minds to link up into one massive machine, the Jaeger Program lost a lot of pilots. Some to brain aneurysms and strokes, because the neural load was too much, and others to madness. They learned pretty early on that it’s too much for one brain to handle on their own, but you can’t just throw two people into the drift together and expect it to be okay. When you link up with a drift partner, you see everything about them. The things that make them who they are, the events that shaped them into the person strapped in to the Jaeger beside you, facing down death and destruction. It feels like you’re there with them. It feels like you are them. You see the innermost workings of their minds, and see what they are thinking before the thoughts can translate into words. In the drift, you take a little bit of themselves into your mind, and they do the same in return.

So if it’s not a good match? You’ll never be the same.

I can’t imagine what Peeta’s mind looks like after six partners. I’m sure it will be utter chaos as soon as we link up, and I can only theorize on the types of things I’ll see. Flashes of his memories, definitely. Probably some from his childhood, and others during the academy. Not only does he have a reputation as a cocky pilot, but he’s a playboy to boot. I’ll see him sleeping with half the female population on the base. At the thought, I shudder. It’s a worse reality than knowing I’ll see what it’s like to face a Kaiju in the middle of the ocean.

That, I can handle. I’ve studied the pictures and the videos. I know that they bleed toxic blue sludge and scream at ultrasonic frequencies that will burst windows and fry electronics. They’re big and brutal and deadly. I’ve spent years learning about them, starting in school when they added the first attacks to our history books. After my dad’s death, I grew up with a desire for vengeance burning in my chest to finish as many of them as I can. I’ll die in a Jaeger, if it means I can protect another child from having to experience the same grief and trauma I did.

Hearing about Peeta Mellark’s sexual escapades are one thing. Seeing them and feeling them as if I’m him? It’s enough to make my stomach churn. The overwhelming nausea only increases when I realize the reality of the situation…. If I have to see all of Peeta’s dirty little secrets, he’s going to see mine too.

Oh god. He’ll see the awkward kiss that Gale and I shared in the woods. When his lips were so cold from the morning frost they felt like ice cubes against my own, and I laughed through my nose at how strange and wrong it felt. He will see the day that my mom sat me down and told me that my dad was dead, and that his body was never recovered so we couldn’t even have a burial. He’ll know the sharp stomach pains that I felt when I realized my mom was too depressed to go grocery shopping, and that I would have to do something about it if we wanted to survive.

He’ll know the nights that I laid awake in the too-small room I shared with my sister, listening to the steady whispers of her breathing while I wondered what it would be like to survive. To succeed.

I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t even see him when he comes into the gym. Or when he leans against the wall, watching me as I finish out my three mile run. My eyes are straight ahead, burning holes into the wall while I think about all the ways my life is about to get turned upside down.

It was always supposed to be Gale.

“Wow,” Peeta’s voice jolts me out of my reverie, and my left foot catches on the belt of the treadmill. My feet stumble a little but I right myself quickly, sucking in a deep breath and slapping the emergency stop on the machine. My heart feels like it might burst through my ribcage and out of my chest completely, but I cover my surprise with a hard scowl in his direction.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone frown so hard before. I’m almost afraid to ask what you’re thinking.”

“Then don’t,” snatching my water bottle from the holder, I step off the treadmill and move toward the door, but his words stop me.

“It’s just a matter of time before I see it for myself, anyway.”

I can’t stop the flash of anger that makes me turn on my heel and march right up to him, crowding his body against the wall. I’m small, yes, but I’ve got more anger than he does.

He steps back a little, pressing his body into the wall, but looks down at me with an amused expression, like he’s waiting. Waiting for what? To see what I do next?

“Leave me alone,” I demand.

“I have,” he shrugs, completely unbothered. “I gave you three days. It’s time you get your head out of the sand so we can start training.”

“I’m not training with you,” I spit back, crossing my arms over my chest. It’s still heaving with exertion from my run, and I’m fairly sweaty, but I don’t care.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were dropping out of the program. My apologies,” the smirk that stretches across his face is so smug that I have to refrain from throwing my water bottle across the room.

He’s got me backed into a corner, and there’s nothing I can do. I either train with him, or I drop out. I knew what the stakes were when I enrolled in the pilot program, I just didn’t realize I’d get screwed so hard.

“Not today,” I shake my head and move to leave. I need more time.

“Then when?” he laughs, following me.

“I don’t know.”

I only make it halfway to the door before his large hand wraps around my wrist, halting my steps.

“That’s not good enough, and we both know it,” when he speaks, his voice is low and rough.

“Let me go,” I yank at my wrist, but he doesn’t give.

“No,” he replies, and when I turn my head to glare at him, his eyes are sparkling.

“You know, I heard a lot about you from Plutarch. And Haymitch. They said you were good.”

I don’t understand why he’s telling me this, and I try to back up a step but he pulls me closer instead.

“But I didn’t take you for a quitter.”

His words hit me like a punch to the chest, and the water bottle in my opposite hand drops to the floor with a clatter.

“You–” I start, snarling the words as I rear back to punch him. But he’s too quick, catching my fist with his other hand, as easily as he might catch a ball during a game of toss.

“There she is,” he laughs a little, watching me as I struggle. He’s too strong, and with my hands locked in his palms, I’m almost helpless. Almost.

Continuing to pull with my upper body, I wait a moment until it looks like he’s distracted by holding me still. His arms are big, yeah, and roped with muscle…. But his center of gravity is a lot higher than mine.

Dropping low, I sweep my leg out, catching his ankle with my foot and knocking him down to the ground. He lets out a grunt, releasing my hands to catch his fall, but I’m too slow to scramble away. My limbs are already feeling heavy from my brutal run, and he takes advantage of my slower pace by yanking me down on top of him.

It turns into a scuffle almost immediately. When I go to roll off of his body and on to the floor so I can get back up, he locks his leg around my waist and twists his torso. I know what he’s doing–he’s trying to get me pinned. It’s the same move I typically use on Gale, and it’s not exactly in the sparring rulebook. Unfortunately for Peeta, I know how to get out of it easier than he does.

With a quick shift of my weight, I pull my leg up and press my knee against his chest, using the leverage to push him up and off with a heavy grunt. Just because he’s bigger doesn’t mean he’s going to get the upper hand. For all his strength and power, I’ve got speed and flexibility. The force of my shin on his abdomen causes him to let out a rough groan, but I don’t get anywhere that fast. He latches his arms around me and rolls backward, taking my body on top of his.

His biceps are like iron grips around my torso, and we pause at the same moment, breathing heavy and in sync.

“You’re a little spitfire, aren’t you?” he doesn’t sound mad that we’re wrestling around on the floor like a couple of children. He sounds amused.

“Screw you,” I hiss between clenched teeth, bucking his hold. Or at least, trying to. I don’t get far, but I manage to loosen his hold enough to get one arm out and press it against his throat.

“Let me go,” I demand.

“Is that all you’ve got?” he wheezes, trying to suck in air while I press down hard on his windpipe. In a flash, I’m back on the floor, my back hitting the polished concrete with a dull thud. The only thing keeping me from smacking my head against the floor is the strain of my neck, keeping it upright while I struggle to get my footing. His weight is pressing me down and he moves into a hold position, swinging his legs around to the side and pressing down on the tops of my thighs with one heavy knee.

“No,” I know if I can twist myself around to my stomach, I can leverage myself up and back. The move will push him off me, and I’ll have all the power. If I wasn’t afraid of getting a citation and being put on bathroom cleaning duty, I’d throw in a headbutt to disorient him.

And to give him a bloody nose.

Pushing my arms out, I loosen his hold just enough to make room so I can turn around underneath him. It’s stunted by the fact that he’s pressing his entire weight down on top of me, and I pull a shoulder muscle in the process, but I get there.

“Not so fast,” he manages to catch on to my maneuver and shifts his body the rest of the way on top of mine, pressing me down completely flat.

Shit. He’s easily got a hundred pounds on me, and I can’t move. I’m plastered to the floor, sweaty and exhausted, and I can’t even lift my hips by an inch. When I try, I suck in a deep breath to hide the gasp that rises up my throat–Peeta’s hips are pressed into my backside, and I can feel everything. He’s not hard, but the outline of his penis is obvious enough through the thin material of our workout clothes.

“Let me go,” I grunt the words out again, trying my hardest to get out from underneath him. I barely move an inch, and he laughs.

“Is this what you’ve been running from? You don’t want to spar with someone who’s on your level?”

“You’re not on my level,” I try, but it comes out weak. We’re evenly matched, as much as I don’t want to admit it. If we weren’t, we wouldn’t be wrestling around on the dirty gym floor. We’re highly skilled, trained fighters. One of us should have won the match immediately.

“I am and we both know it. Hawthorne, on the other hand…” he trails off, musing to himself like he’s not practically laying on top of me.

“Don’t talk about Gale,” I snap, shoving my shoulder back. It bumps him in the head, but he only tightens his hold.

“Why not? Your precious boyfriend isn’t that good. I’ve seen the way you whip his ass every time you guys spar. It’s not even a contest,” he says the word contest like it’s an insult, what Gale and I do. And sure, maybe I am a better fighter than Gale, but that doesn’t mean he’s bad.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I don’t know why I feel the sudden urge to clarify that to him, and I regret the words as soon as they fall from my lips. Peeta must be processing the words, and in his moment of confusion, I know what I have to do. I have to do what he least expects, because that’s the only thing that can take him by surprise. It’s the only thing that would take either of us by surprise, and it’s the one thing that we’re hardwired to never do.

I give up.

I go completely limp underneath him, letting the air rush out of my lungs on a heavy sigh. My arms go slack and my legs stop twisting, and I feel my heated skin melt into the hard floor beneath my body.

“What the–” Peeta’s sudden confusion isn’t lost on me. It’s the first time I’ve given up a fight since enrolling in the academy.

“That’s it? You’re giving up?”

“Please let me up,” I try for a nice tone, but it’s ruined by the fact that I’m grinding my teeth together. I’m sure I’ll have a hell of a headache to show for it, but I just want him off of me.

“Promise me you’ll come to training, then.”

“Fine,” I sigh after a moment of hard silence. I’ll get a summons if I don’t, anyway.

With a slight huff, Peeta rolls off of me and extends his hand. Shooting him a hard look, I press my palms on to the floor and push myself up, ignoring the offer.

“Plutarch wants to push up our training schedule. He wants to get us in the drift immediately.” his words stop me in my tracks.

“What?” taking a step back from him, I look around. There are only a few people in the gym at this hour, and they’re all avoiding looking at us. Probably because we just made a huge scene, and they’re just waiting for us to leave so they can all start to gossip.

“We aren’t supposed to drift until after we train together. To see if we work,” I shake my head, like I might be able to dislodge the outrageous statement he just told me. It’s too soon–we need time first.

“Maybe for the others. But we’re a higher match than anyone else in the program, and I’m the best ranked pilot in the entire country. There’s no sense in wasting time.”

“God, you’re cocky,” reaching down to pick up my discarded water bottle from the floor nearby, I shake my head.

“Yeah, well, get used to it. I’m yours now. And you’re mine.”

This time, he doesn’t wait for my response. He walks away, sauntering through the gym and out the double doors before I can pick my jaw up off the ground.

———————————————————–

I’ve got another new reason to add to my list of why I can’t drift with Peeta Mellark, and it’s because as soon as we connect, he’s going to see the effect he had on me. That when he walked out of the gym two days ago, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way his body felt on top of mine, and how, for once, his swagger was enough to make me feel a little weak.

And I think I might be sick because of it. My stomach is rolling, and acid is burning at the back of my throat as I walk through the Shatterdome. It’s total chaos in here, with Rangers and Jaeger technicians running from machine to machine. Right now, there are four massive Jaegers stationed inside, ready and waiting.

And one of them belongs to Peeta Mellark.

There aren’t that many pilots in the program. In total, it’s a little over 15, now counting me and Gale. It’s a ranked system, with the best and most established pilots getting their own Jaegers. Gale and I would have been at the bottom of the list, too, as new graduates. I suppose he still is, but I’ve managed to cheat the system somehow, even if it wasn’t intended.

Two of the Jaegers are dedicated to pilot teams, including the one that I’ll be joining Peeta in today. It’s a big hulking thing, with a nuclear reactor nestled in the chest and cannons attached to each arm. It’s an older model, a Mark V, but it’s strong and sturdy. The second one is manned by Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason, and as a team they’re both about as ruthless as they come. They’re cunning and fast, and the Mark VI machine is made for speed. Aside from Peeta, they’re the best in the country. They’ve been at it longer than he has too, by several years and a few extra kills.

The other two are kept as backups, and when the Breach Alarm sounds, they’ll be filled with whoever is stationed on base and the most qualified. It’s a last line of defense, and if Peeta or Finnick and Johanna do their jobs right, they won’t need to be deployed.

I guess that means me too, now.

“You ready?” my old instructor, Haymitch Abernathy, comes limping toward me as I’m stuck staring up at the massive machines. I’ve seen them in person before, and it’s never short of breathtaking. The pure power is undeniable, and if I were the type to cry… Well, it’s a good thing I don’t wear mascara.

“As I’ll ever be.”

Haymitch used to be a pilot, back when the Mark II machines were considered state of the art. But after his partner died in combat and he was left to pilot the Jaeger back to safety with a crippled leg, he’s never stepped foot back inside one. Now he’s just a gruff instructor who likes to give me shit.

“Why are you here, anyway?” I ask him when we step into the elevator that will take us up to the loading platform. The drift tech is nestled deep inside each Jaeger, and the best way to drift with your partner is inside the machine you’ll be piloting.

“To make sure you didn’t kill him before getting into that machine,” Haymitch flashes me a wry smile, and heat creeps up the back of my neck.

“That obvious?”

“I had a feeling from the first day you stepped foot into my classroom.”

The choked noise that erupts from my throat makes him chuckle, and my mouth drops open as I sputter for words.

“Don’t get yourself all worked up about it now,” he shakes his head, cutting off whatever denial I was about to come up with. “It was just a hunch. Gale’s a good guy, but…”

“But?” I shake my head, waiting for his answer. The elevator doors open to the loading platform, but I’m not going anywhere until he gives me some sort of explanation.

“You’re fire. And so is Gale. And you know what happens when you burn too hot? You either explode or you extinguish yourself entirely.”

He walks right past me, limping along like there’s nothing ridiculous about what he just said. I follow before the doors can close and separate us and catch back up in a few swift steps.

“Your partner is supposed to be someone who’s just like you. Who can anticipate your thoughts before you can even finish thinking them. Who knows you, inside and out.”

“You learn who your partner is through the drift, Katniss. Not beforehand. And your partner isn’t supposed to be just like you. Your partner is supposed to be there to compliment you. To make up for your weaknesses with their strengths. And so you can do the same for them.”

“That’s ridiculous,” I try to argue, but he shakes his head and stops me with a hand on my shoulder.

“Get your head out of your ass. I know I taught you better than that.”

He leaves me behind again, making his way toward the control room without a look back. The technicians behind the control desk will be monitoring our drift. They won’t be able to see everything that we do, but they’ll be able to watch how our bodies react. They’ll see our vitals as they spike and drop, as we rush through a lifetime’s worth of memories in just a few seconds.

“Katniss Everdeen?” a tall woman pokes her head out from a door nearby, catching my attention. “We’re ready for you.”

Behind that door is where I’ll get suited up with a specially designed set of full body armor, made exactly to my measurements. Casted out of lightweight carbon fiber, it’s rigged with the latest and greatest technology to keep me safe. To keep my brain connected with Peeta’s, and our bodies connected to the Jaeger.

With a deep breath, I summon what little bravery I can find and walk through the door. Once inside, I come to a full halt. Luckily, Peeta isn’t in here, but it seems like half of the Shatterdome is. It’s packed full of people, bustling around like mad. A smaller man comes rushing from a door to the left with a helmet tucked in his hands, while another begins detaching hoses from the armor that’s hanging against the far wall. Hydraulic fluid. I recognize the color, and I wonder why they’re doing a full service on the drift suit since this is just a trial run. It’s a bigger deal than the simulations we go through, but it’s not like they’re preparing for a drop.

“What’s the deal?” I manage to catch one of the armor technicians as he passes by, wrapping my fingers around his upper arm.

“The suits always have to be ready to go. Just in case,” he shrugs out of my hold and continues on his way, hurrying toward the control desk.

“Are you ready?” the same woman who pulled me from the hall takes a long look down my body. “You’re going to need to undress down to your underwear, please.”

In here? I think, my eyes darting around at all the people, but before I can argue she purses her lips.

“Come on, we don’t have all day. You better get used to it if you want to be a pilot.”

Shit. With a sigh, I reach down to untie my boots, kicking them off one at a time, before following with my pants. As soon as my shirt has been pulled over my head, another tech comes and sweeps away my pile of clothes. I guess that’s that. I try to resist the urge to cover my stomach with my arms, and press my shoulders back instead. This is it.

“Okay, let’s get you ready to drift, pilot,” her face warms a little when she smiles, and I soak in the title.

Pilot.

It takes three technicians to get me dressed in my armor, but I’m surprised once it’s all on. It’s lighter than I expected, and I can move around freely in a way that I didn’t think would be possible.

“Ranger Mellark is ready to go, Captain,” the same tech that collected my clothes comes by again, this time wearing a headset.

“Copy, tell them we’re headed to the loading platform,” the woman beside me answers, straightening to her full height and resting a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go.”

As we walk out of the room, I catch sight of her nametag. It’s situated on her left breast above a stack of medals and commendation pins.

Paylor.

“Any parting words of wisdom?” I ask when we approach the loading dock and she stops at a wide yellow line on the floor. Past that line is the interior chamber of the Jaeger, where my co-pilot is waiting for me. Where everything is about to change. Everything I’ve been waiting for has led to this moment. Everything I’ve worked for, hoped for, and dreamed about.

My palms are beginning to sweat, and I pull in a shaky breath. With a smile, Paylor pushes me forward. “Good luck.”

Peeta is waiting for me in the main chamber, with his back to the door. He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet, shaking out his arms and stretching his neck as he gets ready to step into the mechanisms that lock our bodies into the Jaeger. There are two techs ready and waiting to help us step into the controls, but he turns to me before they even catch that I’ve entered the room.

“Katniss,” he smiles, and a strange warm sensation floods my system.

“Peeta,” I nod, unwilling and unable to muster a smile. The warm sensation morphs into something else, rolling over my stomach like ocean waves against a buoy. Don’t get sick. Don’t get sick.

“Did Haymitch have to drag you here, kicking and screaming?” he asks, even though his face is lit up like a little kid on Christmas Day. He might be giving me shit but he’s completely alive right now, in his element and ready to drift.

“Is it that unlikely that I would show up on my own?” I avert my eyes forward and step into place, locking my feet into the metal stirrups that control the lower half of the machine.

“Yes,” his answer is blunt, and he follows my movements. As soon as we’re locked in, the armor technicians come around and pull our helmets over our heads, securing them into place.

“How many summons did you get?” his next question is louder in my ear because of the comm system in the helmets, and I wince at the sudden noise.

“Just one.”

There’s no sense in trying to lie. He’ll see for himself soon enough.

“Ready?” he asks, giving his technician a thumbs up. I repeat the action with my own and nod, even though he’s looking straight forward.

“I guess so,” the words barely make it out of my mouth before the countdown begins, crackling through the earpiece speaker.

“Drift initiating in five… four… three… two…”

Peeta interrupts the countdown in a low whisper. “See you on the other side, Everdeen.”

“One.”

With a jolt of electricity, my body seizes up. It’s like being struck by lightning, but instead of my vision going black, it’s pure white. Flashing images and noise flood my system, and I can’t make out a word of it. I can’t hear anything through the sudden chaos, but I feel the gasp as it rushes into my lungs. As soon as I manage another breath, the images start to get sharper, morphing into recognizable scenes.

A little blond boy, being hugged by his father. Peeta. Then he’s laughing and running through an empty yard with two older boys who look a lot like him. Brothers?

It flashes again, changing suddenly. He’s cowering in the corner, clutching his arm. It looks odd and bent at a weird angle, and he’s trying to shield his body away. There’s screaming, but I can’t make out any of the sounds, until a woman comes at him with a large wooden rolling pin.

Don’t chase the rabbit, don’t chase the rabbit. I try to resist the pull… if you pay attention to the memories too much, you could get stuck in them.

“You’ll never be as good as them. Your brothers have always been better than you. I don’t even know why you keep wasting your time,” the same woman is looking at Peeta now, but he’s older. Almost an adult. And he’s got a book in his hands… about Jaegers? “I need to at least try,” he tells her, but she laughs at him instead.

I shake my head, but it doesn’t dislodge the memories. I have a sinking feeling that the woman I’m seeing is his mother. From my recollection of the television interviews, it looks a lot like her… This version is just younger and less grey.

“Peeta Mellark!” he’s greeted by sudden applause at the academy graduation ceremony, and he’s decked out in his dress uniform. His satisfaction is hollow though, and empty when he looks out across the crowd and doesn’t see any familiar faces.

A sudden flash of lightning and a force rocks me back on my heels. No, it’s the memory. He’s locked into the Jaeger, stepping back into position with his partner. The Kaiju has swept it’s tail round, knocking the side of the machine with brute force. It’s trying to take them down into the ocean. To drown them– “No!” both Peeta and his copilot shout at the same time, fighting back as one. “Get ready!” he shouts, pulling forward the controls. They’ve got one shot left in the cannon, and if they don’t hit the beast right in the middle of it’s bulky body… Thousands of people will die. Easily.

The floor stabilizes, and the images blur again. “Your partner has been reassigned,” Plutarch Heavensbee rests a hand on his shoulder, apologetic at the news. “Again?” Peeta can’t help but sigh, and the rejection stings like a knife in his stomach. I can feel it, and my hands clutch at my abdomen, even though there’s nothing there. “The right match will come up one day, just wait. You’re too good to go solo,” Plutarch tries to joke, but Peeta can’t even muster a smile.

Damn, she’s good. The voice in my head is now Peeta’s, but I see… myself?

He’s watching me spar with Gale, I realize. We’re wrestling on the floor of the academy training center, and my hair is pulled back in a tight braid. I remember this day… It’s the day he came to speak to our class about what it was like to fight off a 2500 pound Category 3 Kaiju. “She’s pulling her punches for him,” Peeta whispers to the man next to him. Haymitch? “I know,” he responds. “But you can’t tell her that.” “She’s not going to get any better if you keep babying her.” “You think I’m babying her?” Haymitch laughs, but Peeta’s eyes go back to me. I’m grappling with my legs wrapped around Gale’s torso, my elbow driving in to the back of his neck. “God, she’s magnificent.”

The last words fade, and I realize he didn’t speak them out loud. He’s thinking them right now. I suck in a breath, but the vision falters to a final scene.

“Oh god,” the words are more of a moan than anything else, and Peeta laughs deep in his chest. “Be quiet,” he shushes her. “Before someone hears you.” He’s trailing kisses over a woman’s neck, but I can’t see her face, They’re locked in a dark closet somewhere, cramped between shelves, but that doesn’t stop them. He’s grinding his hips into hers, and her legs are latched around her waist while she writhes against him. When his lips find the spot on her neck that makes her clench, he laughs again.

“Katniss,” I hear him speak, but I’m too focused. I can’t look away, even though there isn’t much to see. I can feel everything. His desperation. His desire. All of it. Buried deep underneath the haze of lust, though, is something else. Something smaller and harder to pinpoint. It feels dull and achy, like a scar that didn’t quite heal right.

“Come on,” I hear him murmur into her ear. “You love it, don’t you?” “I do,” she cries, raking her nails down the back of his neck. I can feel the warmth flooding my system like I’m right there with him. Like I’m her, whoever she is, and I shudder in a ragged breath. It’s so good, and it seems so close–

“Katniss!” Peeta shouts into my earpiece, and I suck in a breath like I’m breaking the surface of the ocean. It feels like I’ve been drowning, and as soon as my eyes pop open, I realize that I must have closed them. I’m out of the haze of his memories, back in the middle of the Jaeger with him. In person. Not a memory.

“You chased the rabbit,” he chides, and the heat that floods my face is second only to the raging fire between my legs. “See anything good?” he laughs, but I know that he knows.

Now that I’m not submerged in 25 years worth of his memories, I know what he saw of mine. Prim following me around when we were just kids, when she still carried around the stuffed yellow bear that was her favorite. The day my dad died, and when Gale and I started hunting together. The promises we made. My first day at the academy, when I thought I might faint at the sight of a jar of Kaiju blood on my instructor’s desk. When I got the news that Peeta was my partner, and the strange heat I felt after we sparred in the gym.

“Drift successful. Pilots, you are now linked,” the technician’s voice filters through the earpiece, tinny from the control room transmission.

“Well, well, well,” I hear Peeta say, but when I look at him, there’s more written on his face. It’s clear as day, but it takes me a minute… no, the emotions that I’m sensing aren’t on his face at all. They’re in his head, and so am I.

The worst thing isn’t that he knows that I’m turned on by what I saw. It’s that he’s turned on by me, too, and now we both know it.

#Springtime Edition 2020 #ambpersand #katnissdoesnotfollowback #prompt 46 #early submission #submission

125 notes · View notes