#like I need comms done and dusted

[wokelander]

I need to be better by Saturday or I’m fucked.

[writing-mlm]

Blue-pilled man [D.W]

Summary: Sophomore year of college and life is good-- until Bruce invites your family to Thanksgiving. Thankfully your boyfriend is there to distract you-- wait, boyfriend??? Pairing: Damian Wayne x male!reader WC: 9.3k

A glitch in the system is what you’d considered yourself. There wasn’t supposed to be anything special about you, the middle child born from the rare chance the birth control didn’t work. The failed plan B. The unimportant middle child in a large family living along the West Coast. You hadn’t been anyone special, you hadn’t done anything remarkable with your life. 

You’d graduated high school and flew across the country to Gotham of all places. Low housing costs, honestly, was the only reason. You’d been going to Gotham University for what? Five or so months before you’d gotten an internship at Wayne Enterprise for your major in business. It was going fine, you met some other interns and made fast friends and went out with them as often as you could. 

Which is probably where you fucked up. You’d gone out to someone’s birthday party in a club, fake IDs locked in. It was fun, from what you could remember. And you were all going to head out since it was a Sunday— poor choice, you know but you went to use the bathroom when someone shoved some blue pill into your mouth. But at the time you were too drunk to care about what it was. It tasted like a mint though, so you assumed that’s what it was and thanked them for the breath mint before heading to meet your friends in the Uber. 

The next morning you woke up with a raging headache and the need to vomit. Unfortunately for you, you had a meeting with the Bruce Fucking Wayne. Apparently, he interviewed each intern a couple of months into their internship and it was your turn. Surprise!

But thankfully, it led to where you are now. 

As a Junior in college, you like to think you’ve been doing this long enough to get the hang of it. You’ve also been granted off-campus housing. Which was fucking amazing. You lived with one person and get this… he’s Bruce Wayne’s son! Honestly, for a nepotism baby, he was cool. 

Plus, he was Robin. So it made going out to fight crime at night so much easier, and his dad— your boss in more ways than one, always understood why you were late to work. But it also meant he called you whenever Robin was called in. 

“Player!” Robin shouts as you leap from roof to roof, leaving an animated dust cloud after you. “Player!” He repeats this time his voice cutting through your comms. “You’re going the wrong way!” He groans and you land on the roof, confused. He watches as you tap in the air and a holographic map pops up, taking over your field of view. 

   “Oh, shit!” You say, tapping a button on the bottom of the map and it shoots back to the corner it came from. “My bad, Rob!” Tapping on your waist bag, you see a selection of food and swipe to find a glowing lollipop. “Heading your way now!” Popping the lollipop into your mouth, you feel a surge over you and look down at your boots. There’s a green glow on them and you nod to yourself before jumping to the roof that was closest to him. 

He nods when he sees you following him, taking off towards the robbery happening at a local, beloved restaurant. 

“You think they’ll be open tomorrow?” You ask, catching up to Robin just as the two of you jump down from the roof and land across the block from the restaurant. “I was thinking we get some of their food for dinner tomorrow.” He glances at you then sighs, heading towards the restaurant.

   “Considering no one’s dead, yes.” He says once he's halfway across the block. You grin and catch up to him, already scanning through your inventory for where you kept handcuffs. 

—

“Do you reckon I could be a mad scientist?” You ask Damian as you walk into his bedroom, not even looking up from your laptop. “Or could I get roped into a cult? Am I cult material?” Sitting on his bed, you tuck one leg under you and let the other dangle off of the bed. “I don’t think I’m cult material, I’m not easy to peer pressure,” You mutter. 

   “No,” He sighs, setting his own laptop down next to him but he doesn’t close it. “You couldn't be a mad scientist but you would get sucked into a cult.” Gasping, you look up at him and blink. 

   “Nuh-uh! How?” Crossing your arms, you sit properly on his bed and shut your laptop. 

“You almost signed up for the Church of Scientology last week because they asked if you wanted to take a personality test. Every time you pass by a club that asks you to join, you sit on it for a week before declining because I remind you that you’re a full-time college student with a job and a vigilante!” He lists and you huff, throwing yourself onto his bed. “It’s not your fault, though. Growing up in an environment where you didn’t feel loved would lead to a person being more susceptible to a cult. They make you feel needed, wanted.” God, you hated that he had taken that psychology course. 

“Ouch,” You mutter, resting your hands on your stomach. Looking over at him, you see he’s gone back to doing his work. “Do you want me?” You ask and he glances up at you before looking back to your laptop. 

   “In my room? Depends on my mood.” He shrugs.

“In your life, I mean.” He looks at you this time, his hands ready to close his laptop. 

   “I do,” He gives one strong nod. “Considering I agreed to live with you until we graduate, I would hope I’d… enjoy your company.” Smiling, you look back to the ceiling. His ceiling is bare, although you can see the marks from the times you’ve thrown sticky balls to the ceiling and pieces got left behind. You wonder why he hadn’t taken those off yet. 

Damian’s room isn’t what you had expected it to be. He has various art materials set up around his room, an entire section of his room is dedicated to his pets like their beds and toys, and his walls are covered in various items. You see drawings, news clippings, posters of various famous people he enjoys, and a full-length mirror was nailed to the back of his door. He doesn’t have a rug, he says Alfred the cat likes to tear those up. But he does have a curtain that looks like a rug. 

Not to mention his swords. 

His bed is nice, too. Bruce had spared no expense furnishing the place, he’d gotten the best beds possible for the two of you. Damian preferred a firmer bed, he never liked the feeling of sinking into a bed and not being in control of that. He also needed space for his pets, since there was no rule about how many could sleep in his bed now that he no longer lived in the manor. Prior to moving in, you’d pegged him as a one-pillow type of guy. But he had an absolute mountain of pillows, most of which he didn’t even use. 

Tapping on the transparent food icon that was always in the corner of your eye, you watch as your inventory materializes above your body. You widen the bar into a grid and scroll until you reach a water bottle. 

“Want one?” You ask. “They’re cold.” He hums and you pluck two water bottles out from the bar and toss one to him. Of course, being Damian, he catches it without looking up from his work and you roll your eyes. 

   “Thank you,” He says as you close out your food inventory. 

Honestly, major fucking thank you to that blue pill guy. Whatever was in it had made you into your very own video game character. You could even change your appearance! It was so fucking cool, you could find random items lying around and literally create a bomb in two seconds! 

Not that you’ve ever done that. 

Sitting up, you take a slow sip of the water as Ace trots over to you and lifts his paw. Grinning, you pat the bed and he jumps up, bumping his nose to your arm as a greeting before curling up at Damian’s side. He glances down at his dog and mindlessly pets him along his spine. 

“Have you studied yet?” He asks, lifting his eyes from his screen to meet yours for a brief moment. Capping the bottle, you toss it back into your inventory and lean back on his bed. 

   “A little,” You admit. “Between jobs and class, I haven’t had time. Was gonna during break, though.” He raises an eyebrow and you shove his foot. “Sorry some of us won’t be visiting family and will have an entire week to do nothing!” 

“Oh, and where do you think you’re staying?” He asks, finally fully closing his laptop and setting it on his nightstand. 

  “Here,” You shrug as if the answer was obvious. 

    “Father wants you at the manor, he’s invited you to Thanksgiving,” This is news to you. Looking at him, you see Damian is looking at you before he turns his attention back to Ace. He’s old, you note. He’s gotten the powered face and you’re pretty sure he’s been sleeping on the sofa while watching late-night game shows. He even snores now. 

   “Oh, thanks so much for the heads up!” Scratching his backside, Ace’s leg kicks and you chuckle. His eyes crack open when you stop and he moves to nudge your hand, letting out a small howl. 

“Don’t be cruel, he’s old.” Damian gestures to the dog who’s doing his best to look like he’s about to cry. Where he learned that, you’ll never know. But you lay down properly on the bed and continue to pet him. Damian pets his head, and you just barely register that he probably doesn’t want you to smash his pillows underneath you. Adjusting yourself, you look around for Alfred. 

He’s awake in his cat tree, but his tail is slowly swishing in the air. A little harshly, you might add.

“Someone’s jealous,” You joke, and Damian follows where you’re looking. “Come and get pet, Alfred!” The cat lets out a chipper merwl and leaps from his place on the tree and onto the floor. There are two small thumps, one from the front paws hitting the floor and the second from the back paws. Alfred flicks his tail as he lands before jumping onto the bed in one big jump. 

He nudges your free hand and when you lift it, crawls underneath forcing you to pet along his back before he settles on your chest. One thing about cats is that despite their small size, when they’re sitting directly over your ribcage they all but quadruple in weight. 

“Ow,” You bite back a groan, closing one eye and slowly easing onto Damian’s pillows. “Lay down, please,” Whispering to Alfred, he blinks and then plops down as if his bones had just gone away. Chuckling, you pet wherever he asks and close your eyes. 

“Fathers texted,” Damian mutters, shifting down on the bed so he could comfortably lie down. “We’re patrolling tomorrow,” 

“Thank god, not tonight,” You huff, looking down at Alfred whose content on your chest. He’s purring loudly, and his front paws are neatly tucked under his body while his lower half is splayed out to the side. His eyes don’t leave your face, though. They’re half-lidded like he’s fighting sleep and you see his head rocking a bit. Scratching his forehead, he pushes his head further into your fingers and gives one lick before laying his head flat on your chest. 

“He likes you too much,” Damian chides. “He’s a traitor!” Alfred doesn’t miss a beat as he rolls to turn his back to Damian, letting out the loudest sigh he can muster in his very tiny body. 

   “He’s a baby!” You protest. “Ain’t that right, Alfie?” In response, Alfred flicks his tail once, slowly lowering it back down to your stomach. “See,” Looking over at Damian, you see him watching his cat with an almost envious glare before he looks at you. 

“You know it took me five hours to train him?” He asks as Ace gets up and jumps off of the bed. You watch for a second as he paws the door open before slipping into the hallway. Damian scoots a bit closer and raises his hand to pet Alfred. “He was totally feral before me.”

“Ah, so he was you before Bruce?” The tease is clear in your voice, your eyebrows wiggling and your chest shakes a little bit when you see his reaction. 

   “I wasn’t feral,” He bites, looking over at you. 

   “You stabbed your brothers,” You softly remind him and he scoffs, laying his head down on the same pillow you were using. But neither of you seems to notice or care. 

    “If they could get stabbed by a ten-year-old, they deserved it.” 

Alfred stands up, his back rising to comical heights before he spawns and stretches over to Damian. 

“Traitor,” You frown, rolling to your side and watching as he lays down on Damian, his tail curling under his body. 

   “He knows where home is,” Damian jokes, making you scoff. 

“I’m gonna go take a shit,” You mutter and press a kiss to Damian’s forehead. Somewhere in your mind, it was intended for Alfred, but you missed it and didn’t realize it until you were at the door. 

“I don’t mind,” Damian said when he noticed you had paused at the door. 

   “…Okay…” You hum and leave his room. It’s not like you’ll make a habit out of it. 

—

A week later you’re both in the apartment's living room, Damian is busy working on this art project he’s been working on and you’re cramming for your last final of the semester. You’re sure if you read another word in that stupid textbook you’re going to explode and huff, slamming it shut before tossing it onto the pile that had amassed on the floor. 

You need to do something else. Looking towards the kitchen you squint, food? No. Sighing, you look towards Damian. He’s focused on his drawing, you’d hate to disturb him. Your attention drifts down to your phone that’s vibrating on the coffee table. 

Perfect timing. 

You grab your phone and stand up before leaning down to kiss Damian’s cheek and say a quick “Call,” before heading into the kitchen to fix yourself a snack. 

Okay, so habits quickly form, according to your track record. 

Apparently, anytime either one of you leaves a room, you announce it with a kiss on the cheek or forehead— whichever is closer, and then the location. You’d actually grown to be fond of it. And it didn’t really affect your previous relationship with him. If anything, you spent more time with Damian now. Which seemed impossible considering you go to the same college, live in the same place, work at the same place, and fight crime together. 

But, still. It’s just bros being bros. 

“Hello?” You answer the call just before it stops ringing. Slipping the phone between your shoulder and ear, you open the fridge and lean inside for a better look. God, you need to go grocery shopping soon. 

   “God! I’ve been calling you for twenty minutes!” A woman shouts from the other end and you pull the phone from your ear and check the caller ID. It’s not saved and you don’t recognize it. Probably the wrong number. 

   “Who is this?” You ask, grabbing the butter tub and opening it. Yogurt-covered fruits. Jackpot. You set the tub on the counter and reach for a nearby bowl. 

“Your mother! Hello, this is (Y/n), right?” Standing up straight, you disregard the fruit and rush into the living room and wave to get Damian’s attention. He doesn’t notice and you almost shout at him; he’s Robin and he can’t tell when his best friend is literally silently calling out for help five feet away?

   “Hey, mom!” He looks up at that, slowly setting his pencil and sketchbook down. He mouths something but you don’t catch it between your blinking and pacing. “How’d you— how are you?” You cringe, biting your fist to stop yourself from speaking. 

“Horrible! Where are you? We’re in Gotham,” She huffs and you whip around to Damian, eyes wide and you’re so close to lowering yourself into a squat and banging your head on the table. 

  “You’re here! In Gotham!” Damian sits up properly, motioning for you to put it on speaker and you do, setting the phone on the table. “How long are you here?” You ask, tugging your hands down your face. 

“Two months,” Your mother answers and you swear you almost passed out right then and there. “Ujjwal, no! That place looks like it has bedbugs,” She huffs and your step-father starts to complain in Hindi. “Where are you?” She asks over the complaining. “We’re coming over!” 

“I dorm, actually!” You quickly spit out, covering your mouth immediately afterward. 

   “Ah, why don’t you have an apartment yet?” Your step-father asks. “You know, your sister, Nadia has a house.” He says, forgetting the fact that Nadia was 27 and had won the lottery before moving to the countryside and buying her own house with her roommate since elementary school. 

    “I know, abbā.��� You strain. 

“I still don’t know why he went to Gotham for college,” He mutters and you wouldn’t have heard it had it not been for them being on speaker. 

“Come meet us!” Your mom demands. “We’re in front of Gotham Bright Hotel! Diana is tired.” 

“I’m busy, mom.” 

“Nonsense, come and pick us up!” She huffs. 

You at Damian, silently telling him see, crazy! He nods and thinks for a second before grabbing the TV remote and hurriedly opening YouTube. 

“I’m studying and I’m pretty busy,” You repeat, watching as he looks up Fire Alarm noises. “Just stay there. I heard it’s a go—“ The video plays and you thank god there wasn’t an ad and it’s loud enough to seem real. “Sorry, abbā, mom, I gotta go! Fire drill,” Hanging up, you sigh and press your forehead to the cold table. 

“Why are they in Gotham?” He asks, stopping the video. 

   “Fuck if I know,” You grumble into the wood. “I should get a new number…” Sitting down, you stare at your phone and groan. It’s not worth it. “I’m gonna take a nap, don’t wake me up until the sun comes up, please.” Getting up, you kiss his cheek and head to your room. 

—

It doesn’t take long for you to bump into your family. The very next day, in fact. Dick had all but begged you and Damian to come along with him and the rest of the Waynes to go and check out the tree they put in front of Gotham City Hall every year. Like the New York tree. Just way smaller and probably will be stolen before Christmas. 

You’re next to Damian, your hands stuffed into your big coat and your chin trying to retreat into your scarf watching as the crane lowers the tree. It’s already decorated in yellow and red ornaments, There’s some Gotham Vigilante ornaments, too, you note and grin when you see your insignia. 

“It looks nice,” You chitter to Damian who looks over at you. He laughs at your state and moves in front of you to fix your scarf. You watch him as he carefully unwraps it and measures it to an equal length. He does it incredibly fast and you hope one day you’re as good as him with— everything really. 

He looks back up at you and carefully draws the middle in front of your neck. He has to lean a bit forward to wrap the material around your neck but he doesn’t mind the fact that you can see your breaths mixing with the small gap he created. You don’t either, though. His fingers graze your neck as he tucks the scarf into itself before he admires his work and nods. 

“Thanks,” With a noticeably less chatter of your teeth Damian is satisfied with his work and stands next to you again. You peer over at Dick who’s grinning ear to ear, watching the tree and putting his phone back into his pocket. 

“He’s like a kid or something,” You laugh and Damian follows your eyes.

   “He’s up to something,” He shakes his head and glares at his brother. Feeling the glare, Dick looks over at the two of you and waves his hand wildly. “Suspicious,” Damian confirms to himself. You roll your eyes and look back to the tree. There are some people helping set it in place as it’s lowered. Hopefully, there are no bombs in it this year. 

“(Y/n)?” Several heads turn to the voice and you see your younger sister grinning and rushing over to you. She’s dressed in a fancy blue winter coat, the one with a small cape on the shoulders and white fur along the edges. 

   “Diana…!” Behind her, you see some other family members. Your parents, both your step-parents, your siblings, and two cousins with their mom. “Oh my god.” You whisper. In truth, you probably should’ve expected they’d be there. That’s your fault. 

“We should run.” You tell Damian and he considers it. But your mother must be the flash with how fast she’s in front of you. 

“Where’s your hat? And you don’t have gloves!” She immediately says while removing her gloves and holding your face for a second. She removes her hands as you try not to move away from her grip, then places the back of her head to your forehead then your ears. “You’re going to get sick!” 

“Is this your mother?” Bruce smiles as he stands behind you. 

   “Yes,” You nod, putting your hands in your pocket. 

    “I’m Bruce,” He introduces himself and holds his hand out. It doesn’t click fast for the others, but for Diana it does. 

“Like Bruce Wayne? So, you’re Damian Wayne, right?”

Diana’s eyes gleam as she asks and for some reason, it leaves a bad feeling in your mouth. You don’t like the way she looks at him and the idea of her touching him makes you angry. He notices, you don’t know how, and places a hand on your shoulder. 

   “Yes.” He nods. “And you are?” Her smile falters for a second and her eyes dart to you for a second. She composed herself and removed her hands from her pocket. 

    “Diana, his sister!” She holds her hand out for him as the rest of your family catches up. “He must’ve talked about me a bunch!” She flashes a grin to you. 

   “Not at all.” He shakes his head and turns to the rest of your family. You hide a grin and he shakes their hands, he already knows their names and he’s seen their faces before so it’s just a formality on his end. 

“I had already invited (Y/n) to Thanksgiving,” Bruce starts, getting everyone’s attention back to him. “Would you like to join?”

Oh god no. Please. 

Damian looks over at his father with barely hidden distaste as you stare at nothing. You know they’ll jump at the chance. They’ll ruin everything. 

“We’d love to!” Your father says as your stepmother nods in agreement. The rest of your family agrees and maybe it’s the cold air that makes it hard to breathe but for some reason, you can’t. You blink, trying to take in as much as possible but it’s hard and you’re sure you don’t have asthma. Not anymore at least. Subconsciously, you tug at your earlobe to try and calm down. 

“We need to leave now, though.” Damian cuts off your step-father as he’s about to speak. “We have finals to study for. It was nice meeting you.” He grabs your wrist from your ear and tugs you after him; you follow him without hassle until you’re back at the car Bruce had driven in. 

“I truly do not understand father's thinking. Inviting them without consulting with you was a brash and out-of-character thing for him to do.” He frowns, unlocking the car with the keys he snagged from Bruce’s pocket. You used to wonder how he did it, but you’ve learned to not truly question him and his methods. Just hope he teaches you then one day. 

   “Yeah,” Is the only thing you manage to say. Only Damian really knew about your family, the others just knew you weren’t very close with them. 

It was one night, you figured. You’ll be fine. 

—

Bruce had requested everyone be at the manor before noon, which to Damian reads as being at the manor by nine. It’s less than a two-hour drive from your apartment to the manor, so you had to be up since four in the fucking morning. Which, honestly, you didn’t mind all that much. 

It was a little homey just sitting with Damian in the living room and the sun wasn’t up yet, and then taking turns getting ready. It was nice. Different too. It almost distracted you from the fact that you were about to see your family.

“Is this okay?” You ask Damian as you enter his room, tugging at the hem of your sweater. He was already dressed, in a simple black shirt and brown pants but he made it look expensive. You felt stupid and like someone pretending to be important. God, your pants didn’t even fit right! You should probably go and change, find something from one of the gala’s you’ve attended. 

   “You look perfect,” He says as he removes your hands from the hem and locks your hands together to stop you from leaving. “Cuff the ends of your pants, perhaps.” He adds offhandedly. You frown and look behind him. He has a small bag packed and you look back at him. 

“I don’t wanna go,” You whisper, searching his face for a sign that he’ll agree and you’ll both stay in your apartment for the night. You won’t have to see your family and probably finally block them. He won’t have to deal with his brothers. It’s a win-win situation. 

    “Take this opportunity,” He says and lets go of one of your hands to grab his bag from his bed. “Show them how good you’re doing. You’re basically a Wayne, you’re above them in every way possible.” Shouldering his bag, he guides you to your room and hands you your bag. 

“But…” You bite your cheek and take the bag. “What if… I dunno— I do something stupid! I slip up and reveal everything… I’m probably better off just sitting there. Diana will do most of the talking anyway.” You huff the last part. “Did you see the way she acted? I mean, she definitely toned down the spoiled and entitled energy but still. She’ll probably try and get with you, too.” His face scrunches at the thought and it makes you laugh. 

   “You should know she’s far from my type.” He says as he checks his phone and you don’t really understand but you pretend you do. 

“Can you grab Alfred? Pennyworth is here.” Humming, you enter the living room and grab the carrier that Alfred is less than happy to be in from the table. You try and keep him as stable as possible while Damian gets Titus and the two of you head out. He locks the door and you add an extra measure from your toolbar before going to the elevator. 

“You’ll be fine,” He swears as the two of you step inside. There’s no one else in the elevator seeing how early in the day it is and all the students have already gone home. “Besides, I’m sure one of my moronic brothers will do something embarrassing and do all the talking for us. And Pennyworth has promised knafeh.” 

“I love knafeh,” He grins and steps out of the elevator. 

   “That’s why I asked him to make it.” And they call him a demon.

Following Damian, you spot Alfred waiting in front of the car with a warm smile. 

“Good morning, Mr. Pennyworth,” You greet him while giving him a one-armed hug. 

   “Good morning, Mr. (L/n),” He pats your back then moves to open the car door. “Young Master Damian,” He nods and Damian nods back. The two of you scoot into the car and you set the cage in front of your legs. Alfred meows when he realizes he’s going back to the manor and begins to scratch at the bottom of the cage. 

“I’m sure he misses the open space,” You comment, trying to peer down inside of the cage but you can only lean down so far without fearing you’d break your back. 

   “Alfred is truly a pampered cat,” Pennyworth says as he enters the car. “Buckle up.” 

The ride is spent with you and Damian discussing random topics from your next patrol to your finals. He had even gotten Alfred to join in on the topic and the two of them all but yelled at you to study for your finals. Eventually, you did cave and promised them you would and you just know Damian is going to hold you to that. 

“Now,” Alfred sighs as he parks the car in front of the door to the manor. “I have to retrieve your family along with Master Dick. Do not tell the others this, but I trust you two the most in the kitchen. Could you please continue my preparations?”

“Of course, Alfie!” You grin while Damian just nods. Alfred smiles and looks at the two of you through the rearview mirror.

   “Thank you, I have a list on the fridge. Simply follow it until I get back.” With the promise not to fuck anything up, the two of you head into the manor and quickly put your things into his room and let Alfred out. 

“You’re better with a knife,” You mutter as you read over the list on the fridge. A  list probably isn't even the right word for it. It’s four pages long and double-sided, explains what’s being made and the steps to make it and you’re not sure that’s even all of the papers he’s created. Alfred tends to go big for Thanksgiving, you think it’s because the Wayne’s hadn’t been a big family until Bruce got addicted to taking in kids. Not to mention now your family was joining. “I’ll season the food.” 

Damian peers over at the list as you move to wash your hands and sees that everything has a time next to it, they’re already a little behind schedule so he’ll need to work quickly. He’s sure that the two of you can catch everything back up to speed and hopefully allow Alfred some breathing room. 

It’s vegetables after vegetables for Damian. He’s sure he’s cut up an entire acre of carrots and onions by the time he sees the two cars pull up to the manor. You, on the other hand, are having fun mixing and mashing various foods. You just hoped it was to Alfred’s standards. 

You see both of the cars pull up and take that as your sign to wrap up whatever you’re doing and you wash your hands. 

“I’m a pro fucking chef,” You grin at Damian as he sets the last of the stuff he chopped into a bowl next to the sink. 

   “It smells good.” He agrees, watching as the cars pull to a stop just long enough for everyone to get out. Your family piles out of the cars and you cringe as Diana is quick to insist on a family photo. You, of course, are not included in it but that’s nothing new. That fact doesn’t do anything to satiate your mood, though. 

“Bathroom,” You say as you kiss his cheek and head down the hallway. He watches with a frown before he wipes his hands on the kitchen towel and decides he’s not going to greet your family at the door. 

He stops at the first-floor bathroom and hears the faucet running. He knocks on the door once with his index knuckle and hears the water stop running. 

“I’m going to be in the family library,” Looking up from your spot on the top of the toilet, you wipe your face and clear your throat. 

  “Okay, be there in a second.” 

—

Entering the family library, you’re glad your family wasn’t inside just yet. They were probably still taking pictures in front since god knows how many individual and group pictures they like to take. Damian is sitting on the middle couch, Titus and Ace are sandwiching him together but Ace moves when he sees you. Like he knows you’re going to sit there. 

It makes you smile and you greet Tim who’s on a chair, he gives a small wave without pulling his head out of his laptop. You wonder what case he’s working on, has to be important if Bruce couldn’t force him to keep it in his room. The others aren’t downstairs yet, so it’s just the three of you in the room. 

Damian moves his left arm to the top of the sofa as you sit down and only when you’re comfortable does he move it to lay across your shoulders. He doesn’t do that often, but whenever he does it’s a welcomed interaction. You lean into his touch, just a little. 

You hear them enter the manor, but you’re more focused on the fact that he started to play with the hair on the base of your scalp. He’s probably doing it on purpose, but you don’t care; you’re glad he does because you didn’t even realize they had entered the library until you felt him greet them. His shoulder bounces a bit as he nods to them. 

“Oh,” Nadia says and you look over at her. She says it in the same way you’d say oh when you catch onto something. But you’re not sure what she’s caught onto. Her roommate, Kendall, waves with her fingers and you wave back. “Hey, squirt.” Your eyes turn back to your sister and her hand that twitches to grab Kendall’s. 

“There you are!” Her hand snaps back to her side as your mother speaks. You sit up straight as you see your mother, you don’t know why. But it felt wrong leaning on Damian with your family there, you’ve never felt that way before. “Why didn’t you greet us at the door?” Your mother asks. 

   “I was busy.” You say, looking over your family. “How was the ride?” 

“No one shot at us,” Your cousin laughs, throwing himself onto one of the sofas. You cringe, watching the wood bend at the sheer force he’d thrown himself down with. “But there was this one lady with the only gyatt!” He says and oh my god, you’d forgotten he was a middle school boy. 

“How’s school going?” Your step-mother asks, sitting in your father's lap. Your mother eyes them and you try not to as well, but you’ve never liked them together. She’s twenty-five, hardly old enough to be with a man in his fifties. 

   “Good,” You hum. 

“So,” Diana grins as she crosses her leg over her right. “Damian, what’s it like— living in Gotham? I bet it’s scary.” She’s sitting on the sofa next to the one you’re on, but closer to Damian. You bet if your folks weren’t in the rooms she’d try and reach for his hand. You try and not to focus on that. 

   “It’s not,” He shrugs. 

    “Really?” She grins. “Because I was thinking of transferring to Gotham University!” She says and Damian’s fingers twitch along your back. 

   “It’s not scary for me, someone who isn’t used to life here will never make it.” He quickly adds and she frowns. 

“It can’t be that hard,” She waves her hand to you. “I mean, (Y/n) is doing fine and he’s… him!” She laughs as she says that and you look at your parents, they’re clearly listening to the conversation but as per usual, no one will ever stop Diana. 

   “What’s that supposed to mean?” Damian asks while leaning forward in his seat. 

“There you two are!” Dick shouts as he runs into the library. His eyes look between the two of you and he makes the same face he does when he sees a cute dog. 

   “Richard.” Damian greets. 

“Kori!” You gasp and rush over to the woman as she walks into the room. Damian grumbles something but stands up and follows after you. “Oh my god, Dick didn’t mention you were coming.” You glare at him but he holds his hands up. 

   “We wanted to keep it a surprise,” She laughs and holds onto his shoulder. “His father has the baby.” Two months ago, Kori had given birth to their daughter, Mari. You had yet to meet her, but Dick made sure to spam-send you photos whenever he could. 

“Aw!” You frown. “Why does that old man get to see the baby first?” Damian hides his laughter and you nudge his side with your hip. 

   “Because she’s my grandchild,” Bruce says as he walks in behind them. He walks next to Kori and you see her swaddled in a purple blanket, sound asleep. 

   “And I’m the godfather!” You remind him, looking down at Mari. 

   “As am I,” Damian reminds you and you roll your eyes, waving your hand at him.  

“Can I hold her?” You whisper, afraid you’d wake her up. Bruce nods and you grin, helping him slide Mari into your arms. “She’s so small,” Turning to Damian, he holds your shoulder with one hand, and the other scoops under the hand that holds Mari’s head. He’s trying not to smile in front of Dick but you can see it. 

   “She has your hair, Richard.” He notes, turning to his brother as he puts his phone back into his pocket as quickly as possible. He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t broach the topic. 

“And her mother's eyes,” Dick smiles at his wife. 

“Let’s sit,” Bruce says and you nod, unable to look away from Mari in fear of dropping her. Damian guides you back to your seats and you slowly lower yourself onto the couch. 

“She’s less fragile than you think,” He softly reminds you and you finally look away from her. Damian looks away from Mari and looks at you, his eyes flickering across your face before they settle on your eyes.

   “She’s so small, though.” You frown and he nods, moving some of your hair from your face. “Wanna hold her?” 

“Wish Jay took that much of an interest in her.” Dick frowns, watching the two of you. “First grandchild of the family!”

“Hopefully only grandchild for a while,” Bruce says as he unbuttons his jacket to sit comfortably. 

   “I doubt you’ll have a baby problem anytime soon.” Tim laughs, finally putting his laptop away. “Dickie is the only one of us to date a woman.” Dick laughs and Bruce genuinely has to think about it. Had he raised a home filled with gay people? Did he make kids gay? He’s one for four at the moment but he sort of wishes Duke and Cas would even the scores out a bit. No— he’s zero for five. He corrects himself, remembering Dick’s boyfriend from a few years back. 

   “Not true,” You cross your arms, oblivious to Bruce’s spiral. “Steph—“

“You know what I meant!” He rolls his eyes. “He’s the only guy in this family who’s dated a woman.” 

“No,” You shake your head while looking at Damian. “Didn’t you date uh… what’s her name? Nika?” He looks almost offended that you said that. 

   “(Y/n), she’s gay.” He corrects. 

“Alexis?”

“She was delusional.”

“Emiko?”

“Friends.” 

“Maxinne?”

“Friends. Why do you think I’ve dated these women?” The man himself walks into the library with Alfred. 

“…Jason…” You admit and he gives you a Are you fucking serious look. Jason looks confused for a second but he can get a hint of what’s happening based on Damian and Dick’s face. 

   “You believed Todd to tell you the truth of my love life?” He stresses and now you feel stupid. 

  “When you say it like that!” You huff, turning your head away from him. “I mean he also said you dated Jon.” 

“And that didn’t give you a sign he was lying?” He chuckles. 

“So, are you single?” Your mother asks and you catch Diana pretending not to listen but she leans in closer. 

   “No.” Damian answers in a tight tone and you frown. 

   “No?” You echo and he looks at you, bewildered. 

“No shot,” Jason laughs, his head tilted. “You two with me.” He points between the two of you and you look between his family, a similar look spreading across their faces. What the fuck is going on? But you follow Jason after Damian handed Mari back to Dick. He doesn’t look happy, you note as he walks two paces ahead of you; something he hardly ever does. 

Jason guided the two of you into a smaller library that Bruce uses when he’s having meetings. You stand on the carpet while Damian stands close to the fireplace. 

 “Damian,” Jason says as he closes the doors. “Are you single?” 

“No.” He snaps. 

“(Y/n),” He turns to you. “Are you single?” 

“Yes…?” You trail. “Why?”

“Figure it out!” Jason laughs and then leaves the room. Staring at the door, you sigh and sit on the couch, leaning your arms on your legs. 

“(Y/n),” Damian calls. “Why didn’t you tell your family we’re together?” His voice is smaller than before and he doesn’t look at your face, like he’s ashamed. 

   “We’re what?” You shout, your head snapping over to him. “Dude, since when?” He realizes it then and now it makes sense. 

“You kissed me.” He stresses and sits down across from you. 

    “Yeah, on the cheek!” You roll your hand. “That’s normal and totally not romantic!” He crosses his arms and you shrink into your seat under his gaze. 

   “Do you kiss all of your friends?” He asks, an eyebrow raised in the air. You humor it for a second, thinking about kissing one of your college friends on the cheek like you did with him. It seemed gross, wrong. As if it was some sort of violation. That those kisses between you and Damian were sacred and to even think about it with someone else was somehow an act against god. 

“Well, no,” You blink down to the floor.

   “Then why me?” He asks. You don’t understand at that moment, but when you look back on the conversation you realize he was guiding you to an answer you already knew. 

    “I mean, it just feels right with you.” Looking back at him, he’s smiling and his eyes are bright. “But I’ve never liked a guy before.” You admit, taking in a deep breath. “I dunno how to be in a gay relationship.”

“It’s the same as any other relationship.” He reassures you. “If that’s what you want.” He adds, holding your hand. You look at your hands together and smile. Do you want that?

You imagine yourself, going on dates with him and announcing each other as your boyfriend. Kissing him. Like actually kissing him. And it makes your face hurt with how much you’re smiling. You’re giddy, like some kid with a crush and you feel stupid for not putting two and two together sooner. 

“I think I do.” You look at him and hold his hand back. “I do.” You nod. “I want that— this.” 

“Good,” He sighs, his shoulders relaxing. “Because my family already knows.” He admits and you look at the door. Jason is probably still there, listening and reporting back to the others. 

   “Do you want other people to know?” You ask. “I know you consider your private life… private.” 

“I would love nothing more than to introduce you as my partner.” He says, his thumb rubbing against your flesh. 

    “If I knew you liked me this much before I would’ve made a move sooner,” You laugh, looking between his eyes. He rolls his eyes and stands up, pulling you with him. 

Once you’re on your feet, he holds you by your hips and you don’t exactly know what to do with your hands. You settle on holding his waist, you’ve never realized just how toned he was. 

“Can I?” He asks, bringing his left hand up to brush against your bottom lip. Understanding what he’s asking, your heart hammers in your chest as you nod. “Use your words, Habibi.” 

“Yes.” You nod feverishly and he dips in without a second thought. His left hand cups your face, trying to pull you closer and you’re doing the same with his waist. Digging into his skin, you’re sure your lips are going to bruise with how needy you’re kissing him. It’s almost shameful how easily you’re crumbling under his touch. Your stomach is doing tricks that only Dick could perform and for some reason, you don’t know why you didn’t do this sooner. 

Never has a kiss felt this good, this right. His right hand moves from your hip and travels up, surely messing up your shirt but that’s a worry for another time. You can only focus on how it’s now holding the back of your head, his nails dragging across your scalp and you can’t help the noise that comes out. 

“Oh?” He utters against your lips. You laugh and take the time to catch your breath, looking between his eyes, listening to your shared panting. 

   “Again?” You’re almost pleading, your eyes stuck on his lips. 

    “Of course.” This kiss is different, it’s less of a release and more of a we have all the time in the world now type of kiss. It’s slow and it’s tender, you feel all the details in his lips and how yours moves against his. This one feels like a hum you’ve known all your life and it’s wonderful. 

This time, your hands find his hair and you don’t realize it, but you’re dragging your nails across his scalp and playing with his hair. He does, though. It makes his heart hammer and he moans into the kiss, unable to do anything but focus on you. 

“Alright, that’s enough!” Jason says as he opens the door. Without breaking the kiss, you open your hot bar and with pure muscle memory, grab the water gun and spray him until he leaves. Damian laughs, pulling away from the kiss, and looks at Jason who’s trying to avoid getting sprayed but it seems like Damian’s rubbed off on you more than you realize it because damn, even when he moves you’re still hitting him!

He looks back to you and you’re still looking at him, your pupils blown wide and he can feel the light panting coming from you. Your lips are glossy, coating in both of your spit and he’s sure his are too. He can get used to that. 

“We should head back,” He reasons, lowering your water gun. “Before father sends Grayson and he starts crying like before.” Throwing the gun back into your hot bar, you give him a questioning look. “When I announced we were dating… he cried.” 

“You’re joking?”

“Unfortunately not.” He rolls his eyes and stands up straight, fixing his clothes and his hair. You do the same while Jason is going on about cleaning up the water and having to change. There’s no water on the floor, you note as you walk out of the library. None on the walls either. Every single one of them hit Jason. 

Back in the family library, you return to your seats and Tim is the first to notice both of your elated moods. It’s more visible on you, but it’s harder to spot with Damian. It’s more of a feeling he gets, his face is as neutral as he can be when he’s around you but he’s so clearly happy. His steps are different, he imagines if he had less dignity he’d skip around the manor. The two of you settle in your seats and he’s pleasantly surprised to see you lean into Damian without a care of who else is in the room. 

He’d gotten the text, along with every other sibling from the NO BRUCE!!! group chat. Jason, only seconds after closing the door had told everyone that you didn’t know of your own relationship. Safe to say you knew now. 

Tim looks at your family and the only happy one seems to be Nadia. She’s a somber type of happy, though. She’s happy for you, but she can’t bring herself to be half as bold as you are and it hurts. Diana is trying to wrap her head to a different conclusion, she’s holding onto hope that you’ll be pushed away. It almost makes him laugh. Your older brother is in his own world, as he’s always been. He’s quiet, hardly noticeable but it seems to be on his own devices as he had picked the furthest seat from everyone. 

But it seems to be from more of an air of misplaced pride than anything. His nose is turned up and he’s wearing an expensive suit. But it’s clearly not his, Tim would know. If there’s the money to splurge on that type of suit there’s always a tailor to get the proportions right. 

Then there’s your half-sibling, from your father's side. She’s around ten and he wonders just when did your parents separated. Then he remembers there’s a seventeen-year age gap between the oldest and the youngest of your siblings. She’s sleeping, her head on her father's shoulder and the forgotten iPad discarded on her lap, about to fall off and hit the carpet. 

Your father sees the two of you and looks at your mother who’s trying to keep her calm around the company— rich company at that. Tim doesn’t know why, but if he were them, he would at least try and pretend as if he’s happy for the relationship. Their son was dating the richest bachelor in the world and could very possibly give them a comfortable life. But he doesn’t think they see the bigger picture. 

And yet, despite the clear disgust throughout your family, no one says a single word. The entire library is silent save for Mari and the two of you, talking as if no one else is in the room. 

He wants to gag. 

“Kids,” Bruce says as he sits straight in his seat. “Could you leave us for a moment? I’d like a word with the adults.”

“Half of us are adults,” You chide and he gives you a look. 

   “A word with the parents.” He corrects. 

    “I’m still in, baby!” Dick silently cheers to not wake Mari. But it only makes Bruce sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose. 

   “A word with (Y/n)’s parents and aunt. Alone.” He stresses. Curious as to what he’s up to, and mostly afraid of what’s going to happen while you’re gone, you open your hot bar without causing too much attention to yourself. The Hotbar is only visible to yourself, so no one sees the vast list of gadgets you pull up and quickly find the listening device Tim created. 

   “Don’t need to ask me twice,” You grumble and stand up, pulling Damian up after you. 

Jason and Tim are already out of the room, there any fewer interactions and they’ll jump at the opportunity. Dick and Kori, despite wanting to enjoy the snow in the yard with the others, retreat to Dick’s room to nap while Mari is sleeping. 

You hold the door open for your siblings and cousin, but Damian sees you place the device on the door and raises an eyebrow

“(Y/n),” Bruce says in a low tone. Of course, he’d seen it, too. 

“Gotta go!” You urge and slip out of the room. 

—

Diana, alone in the yard as her family had drifted away, finds herself bored and honestly, she’s at Wayne Manor and she just has to show off. She hasn’t posted the pictures yet, she still needs to edit them so no one knows she’s there. And she’s sure her followers would love to see a snowy Wayne manor. 

Thankfully, the wifi was stable enough in the backyard that the connection for her Instagram Live was crystal clear. 

She waits until she sees five digits on the view counter before he even starts speaking. 

“Hey, guys!” She waves at her phone. “Bruce Wayne invited my family to his manor for Thanksgiving! Super grateful for that,” She nods towards the large manor and then at the comments, begging to see the man in question. “He’s inside, talking to my parents. But his kids are here too! I think Damian went into the maze…” She looks off to the green hedges coated in a thick layer of snow. “I’ll go and find him.”

She flips the camera around, and her viewers watch as she walks inside. She doesn’t notice right away, but nearly gasps when she sees she has just over two million people watching. Maybe you are good for something, she almost laughs. 

It takes about twenty minutes of aimlessly walking before she finds the center of the maze. The two million viewers had gone down to just a million but she’ll take it. 

“I think that’s it,” She mutters, seeing a clearing of bushes. It’s incredibly cold, so she’s shivering and her teeth are chattering but she can’t blame herself! She’s not used to snow. “There’s Damian!” She whispers, seeing his head of hair sitting on a bench. Pointing her phone in that direction, she decides it’s better to hide herself and look through her phone. 

From what people can see, Damian is sitting next to someone. They can’t tell until she turns the phone a bit more and it’s you. Gotham citizens know you, of course. Over the past couple of years, everyone in Gotham knows the two of you are friends but no one really cares to post about it. 

She rolls her eyes, of course, you’re still stuck to his side. The two of you are talking, but you’re too far away for Diana to hear the conversation. You’re laughing, though and Damian is explaining something. Your laughter slows down and the two of you just sorta of look at each other. 

Damian asks something and you scoff, looking away before he grabs your chin and leans in. The viewer count is going up and before Diana can fully process what’s happening, the two of you are kissing. Honestly, she’s furious! You knew she liked him, she’s sure of that. This— whatever game you’re playing is just to get at her. She’s sure of it. But she can’t act on it, the views are around eight million and she doesn't want Damian to think she’s crazy. 

He’s holding you dearly, it’s the gentlest he’s ever touched a person before and you’re proud to say you’ll be his first and only. 

His lips detach for yours and trail down to your chin. 

“Habibi,” He mutters and you shudder, feeling the vibrations against your neck. Honestly, at that moment you genuinely could not give a single fuck about your family. About their feelings towards you, about the ways they treated you growing up, and about them. As people. Each and every one of them, none of them could ever compare to this. 

Thank that blue-pilled man, seriously.

[icarusdescending7]

Aquamarine - Chapter 3

Ao3 | First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Your fiancé died seven years ago, and you joined the military in his wake to fill the void his death put on you. Now, you work with the 141 for an assignment, hunting associates of their enemies.

Their Lieutenant, however, given you an uneasy feeling. You have a vague sense of familiarity with him, but from where?

-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-

You sighed as you stared up at the ceiling, replaying the day's events over and over. What a… stressful first day. First, the other Lieutenant doesn’t like you, then the gift your fiancé gave you breaks, and you get the shards in your hand and have to have Soap help you pull them out. What a mess. You clenched your hand a little, sighing at the feeling of the wounds splitting open. These are the days you wish he were still- you need to stop thinking about him. He’s dead and gone. In the past. If only it were that simple. But it is that simple. It really isn’t. It is. It’s not.

You rolled over, glancing at the clock, and sighed— 1 am. You buried your face into the pillows and immediately relaxed. Your brow furrowed for only a moment before you fell asleep. The smell of citrus and cedar lulled you away to the best sleep you’d known in years.

~~

You were lying on the ground, a thick dust clouding up around you as you struggled to regain your senses, the sound of thundering boots approaching you, grabbing you by your vest, and attempting to pull you up. Keyword: attempting. You were quickly dropped as a red mist hit your cheek, the hulking man before you with a newfound hole in his head. He collapsed on top of you, and you were quick to shove his corpse off, the drop shaking you back to reality.

“Too close, Ghost.” You grumbled into your earpiece, wiping the blood off your face with the back of your hand. You recovered your rifle and shouldered it, moving to take cover.

“You’re getting sloppy. Did you eat when we told you to?” He asked, another gunshot coming over his mic. “I have a feeling you didn’t. I can see it, in the way you’re shaking.” He said, a hint of annoyance in his voice— which wasn’t lost on you.

“I meant that you almost got me too with that shot. Did you eat?” You asked, annoyed, “Why do you care? Christ, you sound like my fiancé. Always on my ass about eating…” You mumbled, turning to move forward, finally hitting the door you were trying to get to and shooting the lock off. You swapped to your sidearm, dropping low as you entered, waiting for Soap to catch up.

“What, we can’t be concerned for our teammate's health?” Soap’s voice came in over the comms, breathless like he’d been running. “We cannae do a ton with you operatin’ at fifty percent, can we?” He slipped in through the door, giving Ghost an indirect thumbs-up as he did.

“Right, because me being a little hungry is so much worse than you dodging bullets at every opportunity you get.” You rolled your eyes, looking at him. “Look at you, you’re covered in scrapes and gashes… Ghost, you got our six while we’re in here?” You asked, poking your head out and looking for the glint of his scope.

It takes him a minute to respond, then a raspy “Yeah, got an eye out.” rung in your ears.

~

“Soap! You done planting those C4 yet? We got to get the fuck outta here!” You shouted, ripping the hard drives and USB sticks from the computers you found, hoping something might be useful beyond what you were sent after. You quickly shoved it all in your pack, running down the hall and dipping into the room he sat in.

“Yeah, lass! Let’s go!” He said, grabbing your arm and dragging you along as fast as possible to get out. At some point, you ended up in a fireman carry over his shoulder, being shaken about as he ran like a bat out of hell. You let it happen, not trying to run when you could barely see straight.

He dropped you on the ground face down, a puff of dirt kicking up around you. You got up on your knees, shrugging your pack off your shoulders, and flopped onto your back, trying to cool your pulse. You were shaking like a leaf. No, you didn’t eat. Before you could fully recover, your pack was snatched off the ground by Soap and you were quickly picked up by Ghost, who carried you much more delicately if not a bit tight— bridal style. The three of you booked it, the sound of trucks rumbling on the dirt path, getting closer with each second.

After an hour of running, the three of you finally settled in a dense patch of woods, taking a moment to breathe. Before you could think, they both shoved energy bars in your face, their expressions mildly annoyed.

“Eat.” Ghost nearly demanded, opening the bar and shoving it in your mouth when you went to protest. “I’m done carryin’ your ass around.” He huffed, leaning back against a tree and closing his eyes.

Soap closed his eyes, also leaning against a tree. “Where are we, now? We must’ve missed evac by a mile by now.” He sighed, pulling a satellite GPS out of his bag. “Sorry, two miles.”

You finished eating the bar that Ghost gave you, swallowing the last bite. You took Soaps GPS, fiddling with it for a moment before locking it on a clearing about 4 miles north of you. “We could make our way there, send the coords to Watcher?” You offered, handing it over to him and plucking the other energy bar from his hand.

He showed Ghost the suggested route, shrugging. “Could work.” Ghost only nodded, sighing a bit.

~

The car ride was quiet except for the grumble of the vehicle and the occasional bump making stuff roll across the steel floors. Soap had fallen asleep at some point and was snoring loudly, and you were fighting to stay awake.

“You should sleep.” Ghost's voice broke through the silence, making you jump a little.

“Don’t want to.” You said, looking at what you could see of him. It was dark in the cabin, so all but that creepy mask of his was in shadows. “You’re creepy.”

“So I’ve heard. You gonna fight sleep the whole way or…?” He questioned, turning to look at you. “If you don’t sleep now you won't get any until we get back to base.”

“I’ll sleep when I want to. Are you gonna sleep, or do you have the whole ‘I don’t sleep mehmehmeh’ vibe going on?” You asked, your joke making him huff in amusement.

“I don’t sleep. Not when I’m in the field.” He said, “Just sleep. You’re clearly fighting it, there's no use.” His hand came up to make you lean back to rest. You could only grumble before succumbing to sleep, your head lolling from the back of the seat over to his shoulder, despite the awkward distance between you two.

~~

He watched you as you raked the leaves from your yard into a pile, your focus waning slightly as you hit the same spot for the third time now. Simon went out, taking the rake from your hands and making you take a break.

“Did you eat, sweetheart? You look dizzy.” He asked, making you look up at him. Your eyes were unconcentrated, making him frown. “That’s a no. Go inside, love. I’ll finish up.” He kissed your forehead, sending you on your way.

“Was gonna finish this then do that, but sure, okay.” You grumbled, gently touching the spot where he kissed you. “Are there leftovers from breakfast?”

“Yeah. Go eat those. I’ll be in after a bit.” He called over his shoulder.

You went in and heated up the breakfast you made, taking the plate to the couch and watching him from the window. He’s so kind that you find it hard to believe that he’s a soldier. But then again, it was easy to believe he was a soldier. The scars across his arms and neck and face told all kinds of stories. Not ones you knew, of course, he would never in a million years tell you his tales of war. You were too precious to him, and he feared that you’d fear him instead of love him if you knew the horrors he witnessed and contributed to. But you knew. Even if they were vague hints and words of the ghosts that haunt him. You’d had to ground him from PTSD flashbacks on more than one occasion, and they were never pretty. After each and every one, he’d apologize, hold you close, call you his “pretty girl” and “love of my life”. He’d worry about making you go through that with him, even though you never minded.

You broke out of your trance when he sat his hand on your shoulder, making you turn up to look at him. His cheeks were rosy from the chill of the autumn air, and his hair was messy from his stocking cap. You sat up on the couch, pulling him to eye level and examining his face. You ran your fingers over scars you’d memorized, then found a new one.

“You have a new scar. How’d you get this one?” You asked, knowing you wouldn’t get a straight answer. You ran your fingers over it, bringing him closer to kiss it.

“A battle. Like most of the other scars. Nothin’ you need to worry about” He answered quietly. He leaned in, pressing his forehead to yours. “You don’t have to fuss over every new scar, you know.”

“Maybe not, but is that going to stop me? No. I need you to know that I love you, even with all your battle wounds.” You hummed, closing your eyes.

[lazycats-stuff]

Okay hear me out, reader x batfamily okay? The reader is 2nd youngest (like 14) and recently during a mission, they got sent to alternate reality where they’re a bad guy, and witnessed themself kill the batfamily? Obviously you don’t have to write out that part if it makes you uncomfortable, but any ways. Once they return they distant themselves from the family beacuse they’re scared they’re going to hurt the family and turn out like the other evil them? The batfamily has enough of this after a while and corners them and kinda pressures them into telling what’s going on with them, and the reader kinda breaks down and says what they saw and that they’re scared they’re going to hurt their family. The batfam comforts them and tells them that, their nothing like their evil self? Somethin like thattt

Oh yeah... My poor reader is going to be traumatized.

Summary: (Y/N) gets thrown into a an alternate dimension. He didn't expect to be evil.

Warnings: murders, major characters death, but not really, alternate universe, angst and fluff,

(Y/N) had a bad feeling about all of this. He was back in Gotham, his home city. But there was something that is off. His family encountered Klarion and that's when the fighting started.

The fight was a blur for (Y/N), but he remembered that Klarion threw him into a portal. After an uncomfortable travel, he landed on top of a building, near GCPD.

And something is so off. It's too quiet for (Y/N). Now he felt like Bruce, knowing how the city felt. Was he turning into Bruce? (Y/N) shuddered a little bit, not wanting to be Bruce.

It isn't a necessarily bad thing, but still... One thing is for certain.

This is not his Gotham. Nope.

" What is going on here? " (Y/N) asked himself, trying to calibrate his comms. When he couldn't find their channel for their own comms, now he knew.

This is an alternate universe. Of course Klarion would throw him into an alternate universe or reality. Now there is a new question that he needed to answer.

What has happened with his family?

Were they still the same? Did somebody go insane? Did somebody turn into a villain? (Y/N) shook his head.

Nope. He won't think like that. He is going to hope that his family is fine. But where should he go first? GCPD? Should he find Gordon? Or his father?

What about the rouges? You know, Two Face, Penguin... Is there still Joker here? He hoped that there isn't. He didn't have any will power to deal with him.

Well, James Gordon is going to be his best choice. And besides, there is a bat signal up in the dark sky. He started moving, eager to move and get back home quickly.

Should he go to the Justice League HQ? You know, to find doctor Fate?

If Bruce was here they would have a plan set in place already and 5 different strategies how to approach this entire thing.

He landed quietly on the roof of the building, dusting his cape off. Gordon saw him and pointed a gun at him.

" What are you doing here? " Gordon asked, voice full of anger. What the hell has happened? (Y/N) stayed calm as ever.

" Okay, I'm assuming I'm not liked here. " (Y/N) said, trying to figure out what is happening.

" What the hell are you on about?! We hate you. " Gordon said and (Y/N) didn't know how to feel.

" Can I ask what happened? " (Y/N) prompted.

" Why are you wearing a suit? Are you working with Batman? After everything you have done?! "

Okay... He is a villain then. Oh no. Oh God.

" What if I tell you I'm not from here? I'm from another universe. " (Y/N) said bluntly and Gordon looked at him in shock.

" What? "

" Yup. I know how it sounds, but back in my universe, I'm a good guy and Batman's kid. " (Y/N) tried to explain and Gordon lowered his gun.

" Oh God. " Gordon said, rubbing his face.

" Now that we have gone over this, can you explain to me what the hell happened? I want to know why you pointed a gun at me. " (Y/N) said, moving closer to Gordon.

" You are a villain. You would make Joker jealous. " Gordon said and (Y/N) couldn't keep his reaction in anymore.

" What? What do you mean would? " (Y/N) asked, tilting his head.

" Joker is dead here. I made sure he burned. Then you, well, the other version, if that's even correct term, stepped onto the Gotham scene. You made a lot of waves and Batman is probably working overtime in order to bring you to Blackgate. " Gordon said, rubbing his forehead.

" I want to ask what I've done, but honestly I don't want to know. " (Y/N) said, looking at the city skyline.

" How screwed is Gotham? " (Y/N) asked, looking down at the Wayne Enterprises, the highest point in Gotham.

" Very. With you in it, even more than usual. " Gordon explained and (Y/N) couldn't help but sigh.

" Oh God. "

Gordon was going to say something more, but a broadcast from the building nearby. It was him. With his family on their knees, masks off. What the fuck?

Oh God. This a public execution. (Y/N) paled. No, nononono- A shot after shot rang out and (Y/N) couldn't keep his tears in anymore. He covered his mouth with his hand, sniffling quietly.

What has he done? Oh God, what has he done? Gordon was silent, forcing himself to stay calm with a stoic look on his face.

(Y/N) fell down on his knees, forcing himself to breathe. Just breathe. He looked up and jumped back.

" Doctor Fate? " (Y/N) asked quietly, trying to get up.

" I'm here to help you get back home. Your father contacted me, telling what Klarion did to you. "

(Y/N) nodded, standing up. He felt so lightheaded.

" Gordon? " (Y/N) said, taking a deep breath, trying to compose himself.

" Yes? "

" Honor them. Please honor them. Don't let him win. " (Y/N) requested and Gordon nodded, eyes glassy.

" Thank you Gordon. " (Y/N) said, before allowing Doctor Fate to send him back to the same universe.

(Y/N) shuddered as he was back in his universe, falling down to his knees again. He noticed that he was in the Batcave and while he is relieved to be back home, he couldn't look Bruce in the eyes. Nor his brothers.

He brushed past everyone, making a run for the locker rooms. He basically ripped the suit of off him and made a run again for his room. His brothers shouted for him, but (Y/N) didn't hear it.

He locked his room and got under the covers. Nope. He is not leaving this room for the life of him. Not happening. Patrol and any other missions are going to be out of the question.

How can he work with them when he can't even look them in the eyes?

Bruce really wanted to know what happened, but Doctor Fate didn't have an answer. Bruce knew that he would need to talk to (Y/N), but that is not going to be easy when (Y/N) refuses to be anywhere near them.

Bruce could see that the others were worried. (Y/N) has never tried to distance himself from them.

" What do we do B? " Dick asked, crossing his arms.

" We have to talk to him. "

" You know, he was taking his suit off as if it burned him. " Damian chimed in, looking down at his crossed arms. Bruce sighed quietly, waving four of his sons forward. All of them shared a hug.

" We will find a way to talk to him. We will find out what has happened to him. " Bruce said, squeezing his sons a bit tighter. After he let them go, they were all a little bit emotional. Even Damian. Damian and (Y/N) are close and it hurt him when he ran passed everyone.

He knew that (Y/N) becomes withdrawn when he is upset or angry, but they confided in one another.

" We will find a way boys. We will find a way... " Bruce said, closing his eyes for a moment.

It has been a week since (Y/N) came back and the situation is alarming. (Y/N) closed himself in a room and didn't allow anyone to enter besides Alfred.

Alfred was trying to figure out what was happening with him, but (Y/N) closed himself off. He made so many walls, so many defenses on and Alfred wondered what could have traumatized his adopted grandson this much.

Bruce and everyone else knew that they had to take this head on and make an intervention. No one wanted to see (Y/N) spiral, but he is on a good way to spiral completely out of control.

They made sure that (Y/N) had left the room. They watched him to pinpoint the time when he would be in the kitchen. After they saw (Y/N) in the kitchen they all steeped in, blocking all the exit points.

" (Y/N), " Bruce started, trying not break as he took in the appearance of his son. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked so tired. So emotionally drained. " We are worried for you. We wanted to give you some time to come to us, but you are spiraling and I won't let you go down that path. " Bruce said, heart clenching at the panic in (Y/N)'s eyes.

" Talk to us please. " Bruce pleaded with (Y/N). He knew that (Y/N) was looking for a way out, but he couldn't let him out.

(Y/N) shook his head. Bruce isn't going to yell.

" (Y/N), please. You can tell us. We are here for you. You can confide in us. " Damian pleaded and (Y/N) started crying. Bruce was mortified as he watched his son break.

" I don't want to hurt you! I don't want to become like him! I don't want to! " (Y/N) cried out and Bruce quickly stepped closer to his son, allowing him to wrap himself around him and (Y/N) refused to let go.

" Tell us what happened. " Damian said, moving closer.

And (Y/N) did. Everyone was horrified at the story and they all hugged him.

" You are nothing like him. " Jason started.

" You won't turn into him. " Dick added.

" That version sounds like an asshole. " Tim said.

" I'm going to end him. " Damian chimed in, hugging his brother.

(Y/N) chuckled quietly as he was being squished. Even Alfred joined, giving him support too.

" Now, how about you eat something and then go to sleep? You look like you are going to pass out at any moment. " Dick said and Alfred led him to a table.

[marivoid]

Entry 25

Day 200

I think I nearly avoided death by not sticking around this guy.

While I was busy clearing out a gas station today, this guy popped out of nowhere! I swear on it! That gas station was as dead as dust and then he just shows up out of the blue! (Or brown? The sky doesn't exactly look blue really.)

He seemed decently friendly while I spoke to him. Rambling on about how he's completing these "Zedvancements" (I still haven't figured out what qualifies for one of those things) and that he needed help on this next one.

Then came the change in attitude.

"You know you could be a really useful person! It's just a second." It started off casual.

"No thank you."

"Come on man! I haven't seen anyone in what? Five, six days? My Zedvancements are boring without anyone to complete them with!" He got a bit louder around here.

"I am sorry but I really can't! I have to go speak to a man about a horse, you know? Can't dilly dally!"

That eye of his... He didn't seem all too happy when I told him no at that time.

(As I'm writing this down, I feel so stupid! He probably just wanted my head on a spike or something!)

"Who are you trying to meet with?" He had started to walk a circle around me then. Like I was prey (AND I SOMEHOW DIDN'T REALIZE. WAY TO GO PAST ME WHAT THE FUCK! WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE NUMBER ONE DUMBASS OF THE YEAR) "There can't be anyone that important that you can't stay a day or two!"

"Well, actually there is. I'm trying to find the Doctor!" And I had turned. Away. Just turned away and walked to the door like there wasn't a single damn in the world. "My arm here needs work to be done. Keeps glitching out!"

I distinctly remember just how shocked he was when I looked back at him. How that golden-yellow eye was fixed on me. How his weird pupil dilated several times over in just the span of seconds. He was getting angry and I hadn't known it at the time.

"You can't be serious! THE Doctor?? The madman?! Are you insane?"

"I am!" I had to of been stupid to keep talking to him, let alone to just crack open one of the last pop bottles that lingered on the shelves (I'm still fine as of writing this. I'm not hurting or sick because of that drink.) "He's the only one who can fix my arm. It's Watcher Tec and Admins were never trained on how to fix that kind of stuff."

"YOU'RE FROM A G.U.I.D.E?!" I swear to you his scream could have scared off a Night Stalker. "That's genuine Watcher Tec?? You have Old Metal??"

"I wouldn't call it that." I had let him see the complex steam system wiring up my arm to my stub. "It's titanium, not the stuff that the G.U.I.D.E.s were made from. And even then, good luck trying to pry that stuff off the walls. Once it's molded, it's stuck for good!"

I hadn't realized he had been staring at me like I was a fool. No, I was too busy chugging my soda. (Still really good by the way!)

"I know a couple of people that could melt it down." He had said oh so casually. (No I did not do a spit take here, shush.) "One's a few days South from here. The other, West. Find one of those guys and they'll help melt down some G.U.I.D.E. metal."

"I'll see what I can do for you. No promises though. Do you have a number or however these things work?"

Annnnd that's how I suddenly have three new contacts in my wrist thingy. (From here on out I'll just call it a Comm, since it's a Communication Device of a sorts, but not exactly like how those old phones worked back in the day.)

Person one (South) is called "The Demon" in my phone. I don't think that's a very trustworthy name, but it could be worse. The second one, however, is called "Heavy-Body Builder." What's a Heavy-Body Builder? Is it important? Dangerous?

And the third...

"Zedaph"

I'll have to make sure to contact that number as little as possible. Leave it alone unless absolutely necessary. That guy was NOT safe. But at least he showed me how to take photos on this thing. Got a reference for the journal though, so it was kind of worth almost dying.

Just got to find The Doctor.

-MLW

-G.U.I.D.E 67

[tcw-x-reader]

When The World Comes to Pieces

Crosshair x reader x Tech (no clonesest, ew), usual star wars violence, swearing maybe?

"I don't like this.." I mumble as Crosshair and I put our rifles together.

"What do you mean?" Hunter calls from the front, turning his head to look at me.

"I don't know...I feel, uneasy." I say, looking up at him.

"If you hurl on me, I'll kill you." Crosshair says, standing up and lifting up his rifle, testing the weight.

"Duly noted." I reply, moving to the front of the ship.

"Don't worry, when we get back to Kamino, we'll be back in our own barracks." Echo says, I knew he was trying to make me feel better, but the smell in that room only made me sicker. I sigh as I sat in the seat by Wrecker.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

-

As we make our way back to where Caleb said we were needed, Crosshair and I break off from the group and get on top of a rock formation of sorts, aiming our weapons below. We shoot the droids down, one by one, making a path for the others to run through.

"Wrecker's having too much fun with this." I chuckle and Crosshair groans.

"As long as he gets the job done, he can have as much fun as he wants."

"Crosshair, N/n, let's get these tanks moving!" Hunter's voice says through comms.

"You heard the man." I say.

"Sir, yes, sir." Crosshair says, and it almost sounds like he's excited. We both take aim and shoot at the same time, the lines connecting to the tanks and Wrecker goes and starts pushing them.

'Huh? Hey. Stop that. Adjust the stabilizers. We're going over!' We both hear the droid scream through Echo's comm. I laugh boisterously and don't miss the shake of Crosshair's shoulders as he tries not to laugh as well. We both watch the tanks go over and Tech detonate the bomb. Cross and I both run down the hill and when the blast goes off he instinctively shields me before we start running down again. We meet up with them at the bottom, Wrecker pulling me to him and cheering.

"You saw that, right!" He smiles under the helmet.

"I did! That was awesome!" I say.

"Oh please, don't encourage him." Crosshair groans.

"What was it you said uo there again? Hm..Oh yeah 'as long-'" Crosshair brings me to his chest, putting his hand over my mouth as we continue to walk.

"Not. Another. Word." He lets go.

"If you wanted to cuddle, you could've just asked." He rolls his eyes, flicking my forehead.

"You're dead." He hums.

"Well, it's been real." I shrug, he mused.

-

We make our way out of the dust that settles and to the Jedi and their Captain.

"Care to introduce your new friends, Caleb?" The Jedi master asks, I can't help but feel a sense of loss when I look at her. My brow furrows.

"Yes, Master. This is Wrecker, Hunter, Echo, Tech, Crosshair, and Y/n. Clone Force 99." I smile politely.

.

"The Clone War may soon be over." Tech says, and I feel my stomach drop, i subtly grab my side and my chest tightens. Why did I like the sound of that?

"I am referring to the encrypted comm chatter. Clone intelligence is reporting Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi has found and engaged General Grievous on Utapau."

"If he captures or kills Grievous, the Separatist command structure will collapse." Echo says.

"And most likely the droid armies along with them." Tech adds.

"-I suggest we focus on the task at hand." The Jedi General says.

"Any orders? Or shall we do what we do?" Hunter asks.

"Let's blow something up!" Wrecker says enthusiastically, making me snort. The Jedi padawan runs alongside us, and yet again, I feel my gut clench. And then...I hear it.

'Execute Order 66.' No.. No, that's not, that can't be right. I turn around and gasp at the Jedi, who's now engaged in a battle with her own troops, the very ones who were defending her five minutes ago. Her padawan runs to her and I hear her yell for him to run, I run up behind him and grab his robes, pushing him back and grabbing my rifle.

"No, stop!" He yells, hitting my gun.

"I won't hurt her." I say. "But you need to run." I say, making my way back to Crosshair and Hunter.

"Are you okay?" Hunter asks, grabbing ahold of my shoulder when I run past.

"Yeah- What was that? Why are they..?" He shakes his head.

"We don't know, for now, we need to make sure that kid makes it." He says, and I nod. He runs down a drift, Cross and I following behind.

.

For a split second, Crosshair hesitates. Out of the corner of my eye, i watch him lift his rifle to where the kid is, Hunter is too distracted to notice. Crosshair shakes his head, clutching at the side of his head, letting the rifle drop. He looks up and we make eye contact briefly, I nod to him, silently checking in. He nods in reply.

All three of us see the kid, Caleb, run to the cliff. My heart stops.

"No!" I shriek as he jumps..and.....makes it. I grab at my chest plate, where my heart is, and sigh. Hunter's hand pats my shoulder before pulling away as the other clones come down. We all silently walk away from them and back to the others.

.

"I don't- What was that? And what..What's..I was.." Hunter sighs.

"You left, N/n, nothing will happen to you. You're a part of this team, and an effective one too-"

"You already have a sniper." I state, making Crosshair smack the back of my head as he walks by.

"Emi. You're a vital part of this team, and a part of this squad, don't ever doubt that." Hunter said.

"Yes, according to the data I've collected, our numbers have accelerated at a higher rate with Emi on missions with us." Thank you, Tech.

"Thank you, boy wonder." Tech looks up at me.

"One day, i hope to understand the odd language you use."

"Funny, i think i could say the same about you." He smiles at me.

"Feeling better?" Wrecker asks, coming in and jostling me in a friendly manner.

"She'd probably feel better if you didn't manhandle her like she's a droid." Crosshair says, making Wrecker pout.

"Stow it, Crosshair." Echo and i say, making Crosshair groan.

"Now there's two of them."

.

Later that night, we're all in our bunks on the ship, I can hear Tech's snoring, and Wrecker's mumbling, and usually that doesn't prevent me from sleeping, but tonight it does.

"N/n, come here if you're planning to worry yourself mad." Crosshair says from the bunk next to me. I smile, getting out of mine and crawling into his, he acts upset, even though he's the one who suggested it.

"I knew you wanted to cuddle." i say, snuggling into him.

"Yeah, yeah." he rolls his eyes, i don't have to see to know. He presses a kiss to the top of my head, running his fingers through my hair. Over the last few months, I'd noticed it become habit for him to do so when he was stressed.

"I saw that look in your eyes, you know...I knew you held back." I say, his hand stills.

"...I wanted to, I heard the order, I wanted to...follow orders." He stumbles over his words. "But I knew you'd kill me if I ever hurt anyone innocent, so I tried." I tilt my head up to him, looking into his guilt-ridden eyes.

"We'll figure all of this out."

"Yeah," he nods, pulling me to his chest again, "we will."

[breakfastteatime]

Today's Survivor request is Rain for @poppinelle

Koboh changes in the rain. It’s quieter, duller, cooler. After five years on Bracca, Cal has done his best to avoid rain in the intervening years, and yet whenever it catches up to him, he remembers something.

He loves the rain. Or, more accurately, he likes what happens to places in the rain. Washed clean. Fresh scents. Thunder. Lightning. It’s a reminder of home.

Still feels weird to think of Bracca as home. Outside of the Temple on Coruscant, it’s the longest he ever stayed in one place… unless he counts the Mantis, but that was always more about the people than the ship.

He will not be letting Greez hear him say that.

Rain pelts his face. When he’s caught out in it, like he is right now, part of him misses his old poncho. The hood specifically. But Kata wanted some seeds for the garden, Cal knew where to find them, so off he went while clouds merely scudded the sky… and then proceeded to open over his head a few hours into his journey. BD suggested they find cover, maybe in the nearby Phon’Qi caves.

“BD, I know you like it down there despite the explosive acidic plant monster things, but you can’t smell it. I can. It is the worst. It is like Greez’s old sock drawer wrapped around dead fish left out in the sun. I don’t deserve that. No organic with a functional nose deserves it. We’ll just clean up when we get back to Pyloon’s.”

Hopping from foot to foot, BD insists they should get out of the rain because the incoming storm is bad. Really bad. Like storm of the season bad. Sighing, Cal glances at the sky. The Force churns, excited by nature’s dance.

His comm activates. “Cal, you there?”

“Hey, Greez. Everything okay?”

“The weather’s getting nasty down here. Where are you?”

Cal checks BD’s map. “We kinda went up the mountain a little way. We’re not that far from the foothills now.”

“Did you get the seeds for Kata?”

“Yep.”

“You got a nekko?”

“Nope.”

Greez sighs. “I’m gonna need you to find shelter. Like right now. You’re not gonna make it back here in time. When the weather turns like this, it gets real nasty fast.”

BD announces they could head into the Phon’Qi Caverns.

“I’m not heading into the caverns. There’s an old prospector’s shack nearby. I’ll take shelter in there.”

“You sure it’ll survive the storm?” Greez asks. “I don’t wanna hear about you getting blown away.”

Cal pinches the bridge of his nose. “If I get blown away, who’s going to tell you about it?”

Me! BD announces.

“No one’s getting blown away.” Lighting races across the sky, chased by a blast of thunder so loud Cal feels his heart miss a beat. “Whoa!” They had storms on Bracca, big, immense, work-delaying storms, but there was something reassuring about always having the wreck of a Venator overhead to protect him. This feels raw, and a lot more exposed.

“Call me back when you have a roof over your head,” Greez says. “And – hold on.” There’s a voice buzzing in the background. “Right, I’ll tell him. Merrin says if you do get struck by lightning and die, she’s resurrecting you.”

“If she does, tell her to leave my hair in whatever style it’s zapped into,” Cal replies.

He ends the call before Merrin can make any further threats and heads down the mountain, slipping and sliding in the rain. Soon, the storm is so loud he can’t hear anything beyond it, not even BD. He spots the large pool where he first met Skoova. Jumping into it with the very real possibility of being struck by lightning seems dumb, but if he moves fast, he’ll be fine. Totally fine.

“Hold on tight, BD!” he shouts over the storm and launches himself into the air. He hits the water a moment later, sinking deep. Kicking to the surface, it only takes a few strokes to see him across to the other side. There, Cal spots the hut nestled against the cliffs. He hurries over, uses the Force to shove the door open, and slides inside. It’s dark and dusty, but BD’s light shines and reveals a small bed and a stash of rations that are still edible. The layer of dust suggests no one’s been here in years, so Cal hopes no one will mind him helping himself.

The storm rages outside, the roof rattling. “I really hope that holds,” Cal says. He calls Greez, promises he and BD are safe and sound for the night, and swears he’ll be back at first light.

“Cal?”

He stops his rummaging for a heater – anything to dry out his clothes. “Yeah, Greez?”

“You sure you’re okay?”

He leans back against the bed, one hand resting on BD’s head. “Yeah.” He breathes. “I really like the rain.”

“Weirdo.”

“Hairball.”

[illubean]

Hello. I am here to request a Yoru X male reader with Yoru acting cocky. I feel like we don’t get enough of that— writers often make him soft in fanfics, but I want to see him act shamelessly arrogant (and for good reason). The genre is up to you, but maybe some sort of action-packed/mid-fight scene would be good. Thank you for your time. :]

Mr. Arrogant

Characters: Ryo "Yoru" Kiritani Type: Fluff?, Oneshot, Gn!reader

IM CRYING I PRACTIALLY HAD THIS DONE THEN A POWEROUTAGE HIT I know the request was for male!reader but I couldn't really find a spot to specify it im sorry >.< anyways reader's abilities are vaguely inspired by kiriko from overwatch

Warnings: none

To say Yoru pissed you off would be an understatement. The self proclaimed 'lone wolf' of the protocol's cocky and arrogant personality made him insufferable to work with. By no means was he bad at what he does, but god was he annoying.

Especially as an agent with healing abilities. Despite his refusal to be a team player, he expects you to come help him at any beck and call. You do anyways because it's your job and, unlike him, you value teamwork. That doesn't make it any less irritating though.

Today had been like any other mission with Yoru. You holding down a site while he ran off to god knows where. The two of you were sent to check out lotus, making sure everything was in order. But what no one expected was for a full team of mirror agents to be there.

"A little help here, asshole!? They're all A!" you yell through comms, trying your best to hold down the fort on your own. Currently, you were cornered in tree where you had to watch for doors and the entrance to site. You huff in annoyance at his lack of a response, shooting your pistol while trying to keep the enemies at bay.

After a few moments you hear the faint sound of the rift walker ripping through the dimensional fabric. From what you could tell, he had probably teleported to drop. You finally made your way out of your hiding spot at the sound of 2 shots from his sheriff and 2 bodies of the omega earth agents hitting the ground.

"Surprise. Idiot."

From what you could tell, there were two sets of footsteps coming from main and another one from stairs. Yoru went to push main, paying no mind to you, fully confident in his ability to take each and every enemy out on his own. You roll your eyes at his behavior, waiting for the enemy who was at stairs to peek out, taking them down.

You snapped your head around to your companion at the sound of a pained grunt.

"Need healing!"

Despite his call out, he continued to push the two remaining enemies.

"I can't heal you if you keep moving, dumbass! Stay in my range!" You run after him, tossing one of your healing charms towards his feet.

"What? Can't keep up?"

You could practically hear the smirk on his face through this remark. The sound of gunshots ceased as Yoru took out the last of the mirror agents, finally standing still for you to run up to him.

After approaching him, you did a few hand signs before placing them on Yoru's shoulders with a soothing glow. You glance at his face to see him wearing a smug expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What would you do without me? You were barely able to take one of them out on your own. Am I just that much better than you?"

Your eye twitched slightly as you removed your hands, ceasing your healing. Oh how he pissed you off.

"Oh? Did I ruffle a feather?" he says, smirk growing wider across his face.

Your feathers were in fact RUFFLED.

Without a word or a second thought, you punched the man in his shoulder before yanking him by his collar into a chaste kiss.

You pulled away and got a good look at his face. His cocky expression was now replaced with one of shock as his cheeks dusted a light shade of pink.

"Not so high and mighty now, are you Mr. Arrogant?"

[photogirl894]

Hey Morgan! I came across this prompt and thought it would fit well with your fics:

“How could you just abandon her like that? She needed you!”

“It was— It was complicated, okay?”

Feel free to use or not to use but I thought you could do something really cool, creative and interesting with it! Feels like a Hunter, Crosshair, or Tech thing to me but thought I'd throw it your way!

Oooh this is an interesting one! Thanks, my friend!! 💜 I'll make this a Tech one since I haven't done anything for him in a while! Let's give our favorite smart Clone some love!

"Barricade"

Pairing: Tech x fem reader

What should've been an easy, calculated explosion to seal in some gundarks behind you and Tech ended up being a huge mistake.

You thought you had made the shot precisely enough that the ceiling would only collapse between you two and the gundarks trailing you, but it did more damage than you anticipated. The whole ceiling had started to come down.

"This is not going as anticipated!" Tech called out as you ran.

You replied, "Tell me something I don't know!"

Right then, you heard a loud crack from directly above you and you could tell that the ceiling was about to give way and Tech, who had gotten ahead of you, was going to be directly impacted by the debris.

"Tech, look out!" you yelled, picking up speed and shoving him forward. Just as you did that, a section of the rocks above you came down and a heavy impact hit you on the back of your head and neck, a sharp pain shooting through you as you collapsed to the ground and everything around you went dark.

Tech, after being pushed, skidded to a halt upon hearing your cry of pain and he shouted your name, running back to you. However, the ceiling continued to cave in and he couldn't get close enough to you before it all came down, separating you two. He moved back a few feet, waving his hand through the cloud of dust that had formed and continued calling out for you. To his concern, there was no reply.

"Oh no," he said aloud with worry. While he was strong, he knew he wouldn't be able to move all of the rocks and debris on his own. He'd have to have the rest of his squad help him. In order to do that, though, he had to get out of the cave and run back to the Marauder because he knew comms would be no good. There was too much atmospheric interference on this planet.

He turned on his heel and ran back in the direction of the cave entrance, overwhelming guilt eating at him inside. He didn't know if you were alive or dead and he hated the thought of leaving you in there alone, but there was no other way. You had saved his life and he was leaving you to an uncertain fate in order to return the favor. He could only hope he could get his brothers and make it back in time.

Minutes later, he spotted light from the outside and made his way out of the cave, now booking it as fast as he could for the Marauder.

"What happened?" Hunter questioned as he saw Tech coming. "And where's (Y/N)?"

Catching his breath, Tech replied, "There was...an unforeseen cave-in. She's...trapped inside."

"And you just left her there?" Wrecker questioned.

Then Echo added, frustrated, "How could you just abandon her like that? She needed you!"

"It was--it was complicated," Tech responded. "The fallen debris separated us and I knew I could not get through the barricade alone. That and I could not comm any of you. I need your help. Her life may be in jeopardy."

"Then we need to hurry," stated Hunter, already breaking into a run.

The Clones all sprinted back to the cave and made their way back to the barricade. Wrecker suggested just blowing the cave-in up, but Hunter said that might too dangerous as the debris could further injure you. Instead, they set to work immediately moving the boulders and stones that were in the way by hand. Tech took out his datapad and did a scan of the area ahead. Your body was still lying motionless on the ground...and to his relief, his scan was still reading signs of life.

"She is alive," he stated aloud to the others.

"She won't be for long unless we get this cleared," said Echo.

A few more minutes went by as the Batch moved the stones as quickly as possible. Before long, they were able to create a big enough hole for Tech to slip through to the other side. He ran over to your unconscious body, knelt by your side and pulled you into his arms.

"All right, Wrecker, I've got her. You may blow the rest of the barricade," he called out.

Seconds later, Wrecker cried out, "Take cover!"

Tech shielded you with his body just as the small explosive went off and the rocks all went flying around him, a few small stones bouncing off his back and helmet. Once he saw the way was clear, he scooped you up carefully into his arms and rejoined his squad. Then all of them returned to their ship to get you proper medical attention.

Your eyes fluttered open, a throbbing pain in your head. Your hand reached up and felt there was a bandage wrapped around your head. The last thing you remember was shoving Tech out of the way of some falling rocks and then...

Tech!

Just as you were about to panic and wonder if he was okay, you turned your head and Tech was already seated at your bedside, his datapad naturally in his hands. However, hearing you stir, his attention was immediately on you.

"Welcome back," he said to you.

"What happened? Are you okay?" you asked him.

Tech's eyebrows rose in confusion. "You are the one with the injury and yet you ask if I am all right?" he questioned.

"Well...yeah," you answered. "I remember pushing you out of the way so you wouldn't get hurt, but then...everything's fuzzy after that. I don't know what happened and I just want to be sure you came out all right."

"I am...unharmed," he told you, still trying to figure out how you could be so concerned for his wellbeing when you were the person who had been hurt. "You should not have done that, however. You were hurt and I should have been the one to protect you," he then said.

You sat up, slightly wincing from the aches in your head. "You had gotten ahead of me, Tech. Even if you wanted to, you wouldn't have been able to stop that cave-in in time."

He released a sigh. "That is a fair point...and indeed, an oversight on my part."

"It's okay," you said. "You're okay and that's all that matters to me."

In that moment, Tech felt the sudden urge to reach up and lay his hand on your cheek, overcome with foreign emotion at seeing how caring you were regarding him. His hand came up, but then hovered hesitantly and he looked away for a moment, contemplating if that was a wise choice. Though, when his eyes returned to you, you were smiling at him and the look in your eyes was telling him it was okay for him to proceed. His gloved hand ever so gently came to your cheek and he laid his palm against your skin, caressing it softly with his thumb.

"Thank you," he said to you.

Leaning into his touch, you replied, "You're welcome, Tech. I would do it all again if I had to."

"I would advise against that," he stated back, eliciting an amused laugh from you.

More Tech fics

Bad Batch Writing Requests

[makethatelevenrings]

HAPPY 3K FOLLOWERS!!!! (Also congrats on making it to the halfway point of your thesis!)

For the bingo, could we pretty please get "Wanna bet?" with Dick Grayson?

thank you!!!! hope you like :)

want to join in the celebration? see the bingo sheet here

“I don’t know if you could tell but I just rolled my eyes,” you commented. A low chuckle sounded over the comms and then that warm, honey sweet voice followed.

“I felt a disturbance in the force,” Dick Grayson teased. “I take it you didn’t like that last joke?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, that was supposed to be a joke?” He snorted at your tone and you continued on, “I figured you plucked that straight from the shitty pun section of the Reader’s Digest.”

“I hate that you guessed that right.” A gleeful chuckle escaped you. Ever since Barbara told you that she needed to expand her operations and enlisted you to help, you never figured you would become Nightwing’s “person in the chair” but here you were, set up in your small Bludhaven apartment with various pieces of technology strewn around you and three monitors tracking crime reports in the city.

“Nightwing, we have an attempted robbery currently three blocks to your right on Roosevelt Avenue.”

“On it, Pythia.” The name came from being an oracle of Apollo at Delphi, something Barbara was very proud to come up with once you agreed to take over Nightwing’s operations so she could focus on Gotham.

Since starting this working relationship with Nightwing, you had become fast friends with the snarky vigilante and you appreciated his love and devotion to this city. You saw the risks he took and the people he fought. You saw it all from behind the screen of your computer and it broke your heart. You wished you could do more than give him information in an attempt to give him a leg up, but sometimes he came limping back to you with a black eye and that shit-eating grin and you were helpless but to apply an ice pack to his eye and bandage his cuts.

“Done and dusted,” he crowed. You sighed in relief and then let your lips curl up in amusement as you watched his fight from a security camera you hacked into.

“That was some fancy footwork there, ‘Wing. You trying to impress someone?”

“Nah,” he hummed over the line. “I’ve got my hands full already.”

You clasped your hands together and rested your chin on your knuckles, eyes peering at the map as you waited for a new dot to appear to dispatch him. “Hmm? I thought a charming man like you would never let himself be tied down.”

“I’m not usually the one being tied down,” he retorted. You stifled your laugh and played with the small silver band that rested on your ring finger.

“Oh, really? That’s salacious. I should tell the tabloids. Local vigilante spends his free time tying helpless folks up. Whatever shall we do?”

“Well, see, now I’m going to have to make sure you don’t spill my secrets.”

“You’ll never be able to silence me.”

“Wanna bet?” The rough, throaty tone that he spoke in made your body tingle and warmth flushed through your veins. You cleared your throat and studied the map once more. It was a slow, quiet night for once. Even though it was only two in the morning, he could afford to take off early.

“Come home and show me,” you murmured.

“Don’t have to tell me twice.”

Tag List:

@someoneimsure @perpetual-fangirl900 @visagebrise @cursedandromedablack @alexxavicry @the-wayward-daughter @raging-trash-of-mind @bunny-kawa @khaylin27

[seraphiism]

𓆩 ღ 𓆪 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬

( my dear, i will always be this tender for you. )

chara : m!byleth fandom : fire emblem: 3 houses quote cr : sanober khan a/n : reader is also a professor! thank you for the comm :^)

i. the transition from mercenary to professor is certainly not an easy one, byleth recalls, memories of previous months at the academy blurred and faded to black. how drastically his life changed, an isolated warrior who knew so little of a life outside battle suddenly responsible for the future and wellbeing of many. it is a heavy weight, this role, and surely he is not alone in this feeling.

that’s the hope, at least– but his typically neutral expression always says so little, no one even thinks to complain about their job in comparison to a professor that’s been thrown to the wolves. it doesn’t help that he has yet to witness anything but your calm demeanor as a fellow teacher; how envious he is at times, watching in curiosity as you offer advice for the tenth time to your students. whether it’s tutoring hours, lunch hours– there’s always someone running up to you in a panic, though you are quick to make it dissipate in a moment’s notice. 

byleth does not know much about dance or what it is like to be a dance professor, but he can only assume it is as difficult as it looks.

so that’s how he finds himself in your office, intentions fully focused on seeking advice until he does, in fact, realize that he is not the only teacher that seems more stressed than they let on. it is both humorous and mildly concerning, he thinks, watching you hurriedly organize scattered documents, mumbling frantically to yourself.

he wonders if he should come back at a better time, act like he didn’t see this for the sake of your pride. he tilts his head, clueless, contemplates his options for a few seconds, and loudly clears his throat.

“do you need help?”

you look up, match his gaze, and it is almost strange how quickly the stressed countenance turns into one of absolute relief at the mere sight of him. how embarrassing it is to be caught in such a manner.

“i’m always like this when it comes to lesson plans.” mildly distressed, you laugh ( slightly ) nervously and scratch your cheek. “if you have spare time, i’d really appreciate it.”

“what do you need?”

you wring your hands together, smile sheepishly as he raises a brow at you.

“let me teach you?”

byleth blinks once, twice. this is most certainly not what he expected, nor what he came for, but perhaps being a professor is not bad, after all.

( no, byleth does not know anything about dance, but for you, he is willing to learn. )

ii. so it turns out you’re always like that before each lecture. you can’t explain it, you tell him, sighing in defeat for the fifth time in two minutes. teaching? easy. preparing the lesson? terrible. horrid. you cannot imagine anything worse. there’s always a hint of self doubt that lurks in your mind, makes you wonder if you’re teaching these students adequately enough to help them in their future endeavors.

– which ultimately leads to byleth being your student of sorts ( you guess, which sounds kind of strange now that you think about it ). you can’t count how many times you’ve done a practice run of your seminars to him, and here you are now, hands on his shoulders, words gentle as you instruct him.

“how am i doing?”

between trying to evaluate yourself in the way you provide instruction and the repetitive sway of the dance, your thoughts drift elsewhere. the sound of his voice anchors you back to reality, eyes widening as you come back to focus, accidentally taking a minor misstep that ( unfortunately ) results in you stumbling right into the other. his arms wrap around you in secure hold, but only for a second before you’re scrambling to save what little dignity is left.

“so sorry.” you blurt out, clearing your throat and absentmindedly wiping the imaginary dust off your uniform. “i didn’t mean to– uh,” your face burns so much. you may as well be in the sun. on the sun, even. “you’re doing great.” you tell him in the most normal way possible. “i think you should probably teach me, actually.”

you sigh, bury your face in your hands as if it’d hide the shame. byleth doesn’t quite catch what you mumble, something about the gods punishing you, he’s not quite sure. there is a kind feeling that envelops him, instinctively brings the faintest of smiles to his lips. how amusing it is, seeing someone so normally composed so worked up.

softly does he call your name, but in your distress, it does not reach you. so instead, he steps forward, touch light as he pulls your hands away to reveal a flustered expression. his smile grows, and perhaps there is something all too endearing in this time you have spent together.

“you teach very well.” he tells you, his voice quiet yet warmer than you’ve ever heard it. “i admire you.”

( & when you resume the dance lesson, minds far too occupied with that moment of earnest, you almost think he holds you a little closer than before. )

iii. “something on your mind, kid?”

byleth has never been one to express his emotions openly, visage nearly a blank slate at most times. there are few who can understand him with such ease, and jeralt is proud to say he is one of the few. after all, what kind of father would he be if he couldn’t understand his own son?

there is a hesitation that adorns the professor’s countenance– the slightest furrow of the brow, a pursing of the lips ; rarely is it that he wields such a concerned expression, and rarely is it that there is anything that causes him to worry. jeralt stiffens, sits up a little straighter when he notices. there are too many things that could go wrong at the monastery– too many possibilities, too little time. what has happened? has his son been threatened? has someone–

“i think i am in love.”

( there are many times where byleth has frightened jeralt to the point where he believes he may have a heart attack. this is one of them. 

byleth does not think he has ever witnessed someone go through all the stages of grief simultaneously. )

iv. byleth has never really heard those typical life lectures from his father, but he is most certain that he triggered one. a very long one, actually, and he thinks he may or may not have zoned out during some of it. he supposes it might be a little shocking, seeking his father out for advice on a delicate topic. he has never been one to think about romance until recently– not until he began interacting with you more.

“you know,” you start, watching his form with both amusement and approval, “i don’t think you have to suffer through my seminars and dance practices anymore. you’ve got everything down.”

( and if you have to be honest, you’re surprised that you both became so invested in this, spending so much time together to improve each other as professors. )

“i enjoy it.”

with his hands on your hips and yours on his shoulders, you fall into the motions, all the right steps taken and memorized with absolute perfection. he has helped you immensely through this all– you’ve noticed that lesson planning goes much smoother as of late, although there are some occasions where he does catch you in a frenzy, hovering over your desk as if the next seminar may end your life.

“you like hearing me teach? or you like dancing with me?”

there’s a teasing tone to your words, a blithe smile resting on the curl of your lips. you don’t expect him to look at you so thoughtfully ; you may be overthinking when you see something different in those blue eyes, but you swallow hard, hold your breath instinctively. he feels reluctance claw at a still heart, but there is such a curious tenderness in the way you look at him that he cannot remain silent any longer.

“both. i would like you to be my partner, actually.”

you pause, almost stumble over your steps once again.

“your dance partner?”

you can almost hear the wheels turning in his head. he doesn’t have the slightest clue what a proper confession is, nor does he know how to go about it. he doesn’t think he’s ever felt such fear in his life.

“if you’d like.” he says slowly, contemplating his next words. “but i would like you to be my partner in general, as well. i–”

he reflects on his father’s advice, practically hears the echoes of his words. byleth has always been a straightforward individual, maybe too straightforward, so maybe now is not the time to–

“byleth?”

there is a sense of urgency in the way you call his name, catching him before he drifts off too much in musing. no, perhaps he should not start out with an ‘i love you.’ but maybe– 

no. he will keep it simple for now, take things slow.

“i am… very fond of you. i want to be with you.”

you want to think he’s joking, think that maybe claude thought it would be funny to set up such an elaborate prank on you, but there is nothing but genuine adoration in his eyes. you wonder if he can sense your reciprocation of such feelings.

“i want to be with you, too. i–” you pause, feel your face on the verge of exploding from the heat, “i’m also fond of you, byleth.”

the relief on his face is nearly palpable, shoulders lowering as he lets out a sigh. with a gentle smile, he welcomes you into his arms, holds you ever so tenderly as you bury your face in his chest, half in embarrassment, half in affection. the air is filled with peace, his embrace slowly lulling your heart to a calm. you think you could stay in this moment for years to come.

“lesson plans and confessions break your composure, i’ve noticed.”

you lied.

“shut up, byleth.”

( he kisses your temple gingerly, feels a strange sensation in his chest at the sound of your laughter. it almost feels like a beat, a quickening, this quiet knowing of a love that resides in a heart. )

[smidgen-of-hotboy]

Our Angel of Brahma, pt. ix

Travelers. Friends. Mutuals. @ceaseless-watchers-special-girl @ananxiousgenz @the-private-eye @demonic-panini @gwenlena

SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING BEGINS. MOTHERLY VOICE: I finally got a moment to myself thanks to Eber and Camilla… Thank the Goddess… I don’t know what I would be doing without them. (THE PERSON SIGHS) Where do I begin? I guess… my name would be a good start.  (CLEARING THEIR THROAT) My name is Eevee Bell, and I am one of three to four dozen Dome Wardens on Brahma. Our duty is to perform routine maintenance on the planet’s Dome, track incoming and outgoing shuttles and ships, and monitor Brahma’s severe weather outside the Dome. I love my job. I think I do my job very well. From what I’ve heard about other planets, they have robotics and computers to do this job now. Artificial intelligence that the Solar Planets spent a fortune to perfect. Of course just like with everything else though, Brahma gets left behind in the dust. (EEVEE CHUCKLES UNDER HER BREATH) EEVEE: Goddess bless our savior New Kinshasa. (EEVEE LAUGHS A BIT HARSHER) EEVEE: What happened to us though has been brewing under their noses for some time now. I guess it was only a matter of time before… something was done.  To be honest I’m still not entirely sure what did happen. I know that our alarms went off when the Reactor Core was removed, and I know they stopped going off when the Core was put back. I know that the Chief Constable called all of our stations, and ordered us to go home. I know that we have not gone back to our stations for nearly ten days. I know that if we don’t accept any imports within the next seven days Brahma will begin to suffer. And if we fall, New Kinshasa falls with us.  Cyrus called me while I was rushing to get home to Baird. He asked me how much I knew and after I told him, I asked how much he knew. He said it would be better if he came to speak to me in person. He lives across town with Iris. I told him it wouldn’t be wise to meet up so late, especially with a curfew in place. He disagreed, but I talked enough sense into him that he waited until morning to catch a tram over here to the apartments.  Baird was not enthused to see him. He was rather… indifferent, actually. I know it hurt Cyrus’ feelings, I do plan on talking about it with Baird when I can, but it’s so hard to talk about anything seriously right now. I’d rather keep things as light-hearted as possible.  I sent Baird over to Camilla and Eber’s apartment while I had tea with Cyrus. He looked so worried. He asked me if I saw the Chief Constable’s broadcast about the Revolutionary, Peter Nureyev. I have. I watched it with Baird the night before after I got home from my post. Cyrus said that he doesn’t know of any Peter Nureyevs in any of his revolution circles.  He surprised me by asking me for my thoughts about the Constable they allegedly found murdered by the Revolutionary. I didn’t at the time, and I still don’t now. Cyrus said that he has reason to believe that part was a lie. He doesn’t believe the Revolutionary killed a Constable. He thinks it might be an elaborate lie or cover-up for some more vain truth. (EEVEE INHALES SHARPLY) The revolutionaries are holding a meeting tonight. Cyrus invited me to come. He wants me there. I don’t want to get in trouble, but… I need to keep Cyrus and Baird safe. And by extension, it’s my job to keep Brahma safe.  SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS.

SOUND: COMMS BEEPS AGAIN. NEW RECORDING BEGINS: EEVEE:  What the fuck! NEW VOICE:  What are you doing? EEVEE:  What am I doing I’m recording you idiot! Cyrus, don’t you see? If what was discussed tonight has any truth to it, New Kinshasa isn’t going to let any of this get out. More than– I bet you my next paycheck that Dark Matters is going to play a role in covering it all up! (CYRUS TRIES TO SHUSH EEVEE) CYRUS:  Alright, alright– you have a point. Keep your voice down alright the streets have ears… You really hope your little comms though is going to play a role in– This? EEVEE: Mark my word, I think my little comms will outlive both of us. If Baird’s lucky it will outlive them.  (CYRUS GROANS. EEVEE GIGGLES) Okay, okay… I attended the meeting– CYRUS: The book club. We went to a late-night book club meeting. What? Don’t give me that look. Plausible deniability, Eve. EEVEE:  Right. The Book Club. We attended Book Club and talked about the climax of a war story. In the story, the main character kills a man with radical ideas to overthrow their government. The man he killed was not popular amongst the rebels. In theory, they should have agreed with him. CYRUS: In practice, however, the rebels do not condone murdering hundreds of thousands of people. Thus the whole unpopular amongst the rebels.  EEVEE:  Of course, word got out about the man’s death, and to cover it up, the government claimed him as an Enforcer. And they were getting away with it because the last clothes the man was found in was a stolen Enforcer uniform.  I don’t know if I believe the rebel or the government’s of the story– CYRUS: Eve– EEVEE: But! But. But I do believe that it was the right call for the rebels to sit back and wait for information to trickle out to them slowly… I think I’ll need to attend the next meeting to really make sure I understand what I’m getting myself into. Oh– I’m so tired. Can we discuss all this in the morning? With hopefully less ears listening in? (CYRUS HUMS AFFIRMATIVELY) CYRUS: I’ll even let you sleep in if you let me crash on your couch.  EEVEE: Of course, I wouldn’t make you walk across town while already breaking our curfew.  CYRUS: Thanks, Eve.  (LONG PAUSE) Baird’s not going to be mad to see me, is he? EEVEE: This late at night? I doubt it. If anything he’s staying over at that Spade’s apartment probably fast asleep with Charlie. Oh, they’re so sweet together. I went to say good night to them one evening and I couldn’t kiss Baird’s head because Charlie had a death grip on his shoulders. He's always polite and entertains all of Baird’s whims… I wish you were around more to see it happen. CYRUS:  You and I both know why that can’t happen.  (BOTH OF THEM SIGH) EEVEE: You know he’s only so pouty around you because you and I split up, right? He just wants us all together again. Like a proper family. CYRUS: We are a proper family. Mom who works too hard, dad who left to get milk and never came back– see? Proper family. (EEVEE LAUGHS CAUSING CYRUS TO LAUGH) UNFAMILIAR VOICE: Hey, state your business and show your credentials. CYRUS: Shit, Constables. Run Eve! SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS. 

SOUND: COMMS BEEPS AGAIN. RECORDING BEGINS.  (EEVEE WHISPERS) EEVEE: Cyrus and I got away from the Constables last week perfectly fine. This week on Brahma: we went to another revolution meeting. A few old timers took roll call and one of them said he had reason to believe that the person the Angel of Brahma killed was one of theirs. A man who wasn’t the least bit popular in any particular revolutionary circle. Apparently, he wanted to drop New Kinshasa out of the sky and saw it perfectly fit to kill all of Brahma in the process.  (EEVEE SCOFFS) The nerve of some people. No one at the meeting could remember his name though, and no one still knows who Peter Nureyev is outside of the photos projected on every billboard on the planet now. He looks so young. Those dark and haunting eyes and sharp teeth. I find it hard to believe that he’s just a teenager. But– he is.  I’m trying to keep my voice down right now because Baird is asleep. The meeting was held before curfew this time so Cyrus went home to Iris and I walked alone back to the apartment. Eber was waiting for me just outside and before I could say hello he was dragging me down the halls to Hank’s apartment. His dog Missy was sprawled out on the sofa but Hank, Camilla, and Josie were all gathered around the dinner table. Mrs. Darius was upstairs with Talia, Charlie, and Baird. I sat down and told them everything I could.  The revolutionaries wouldn’t let me record anything with my comms during the meeting, but there wasn’t much that I think needed to be recorded. Just talk about who was storing what, who was leaving their doors open to help others. There was a lot of talk about going on strike. Either food or labor. They want to send a message to New Kinshasa. I don’t think I can afford to do much of anything. Me and the other Dome Wardens just went back to work two days ago, we are working through a backlog of off-planet imports and exports still. If I strike alone I’ll just be fired. If all the Wardens strike, then the Constables will take over and that will lead to certain catastrophe. And if I stop eating then Baird will stop eating and he’s already so… short.  Oh– I wish I got a chance to talk to Cyrus before we went our separate ways. He’d help me think of some way I can help. Better yet, he’d probably be able to give the others here at the apartments the answers they wanted from me. Hank didn’t say anything other than telling us to get out. Eber, Camilla, Josie, and I were silent on the walk upstairs. The kids were delighted to see us. Eber walked Talia back down to Hank, Josie was trying to fill in Mrs. Darius, and Camilla and I watched the boys play some sort of game where they kept pinching each other and trying to not shriek? I think that was the objective? Children’s games used to be much less violent when I was that age. I remember when– BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Memma? EEVEE: Bairdy! What are you doing awake? BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): I couldn’t sleep. You were being too loud.  (EEVEE TSKS) EEVEE: Then let’s put you back to bed alright baby? C’mon. I’ll even sing for you if you’d like.  SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS.

SOUND: COMMS BEEPS AGAIN. NEW RECORDING BEGINS. EEVEE: I have either made the best decision of the revolution that will turn the tides in favor of Brahma, or the worst mistake of my life.  I told the old-timers at this past meeting that I work as a Dome Warden, and that a few of my colleagues seemed interested in joining the rebellion but were uncertain on how to go about it. The old-timers were delighted for a number of reasons and had drawn the same conclusion that I had a few weeks ago when a labor strike was first brought up. They think it would be very good if I was able to get some of the other Wardens on board with the revolution.  Cyrus was very quiet during the meeting. I asked him before we left if he had any opinions he was holding back, and all he said was to trust my gut. So… I trusted my gut. I told the other Wardens at my post about the meetings. I told them about going on strike. A few seemed skeptical. Others wanted to know when the next meeting was. I’m going to contact Cyrus and get him to help me get the others to the next meeting.  I hope… this wasn’t a mistake. I guess time will only tell. SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS.

SOUND: COMMS BEEPS AGAIN. NEW RECORDING BEGINS. EEVEE: –you turned it on. Good job, baby. BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Mom, why are you showing me how to use your comms? Is something going to happen to us? Is something bad going to happen to you?  EEVEE: What? Oh no, baby. Nothing is going to happen to me. I just think you would find more use out of my comms than I would. Look, since you got it to record you can start recording all those little songs you like to sing. Or maybe you can get Charlie to record a story for you.  BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): But Mom, I like your singing and your stories more. Will you sing for me? And tell me a story tonight? EEVEE: Absolutely not. You get one or the other. Take your pick. And whatever you don’t choose, you have to give to me.  (BAIRD POUTS) BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Fine… I want a story from you, and then I’ll give you a song. EEVEE:  Good choice, Bairdy. What kind of story would you like? (BAIRD HUMS) BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): I want a story about Brahma.  EEVEE: A story about Brahma? Well… there once was a boy born on Brahma with nothing. Not even a name. He grew up just like everyone else, hungry for more. More food, more freedom, more time. The boy followed a man who dreamed of dropping the New Kinshasa on top of the planet.  The boy was very tired. Tired of being poor, tired of being hungry, tired of being alone. But he knew, that if he let that man drop New Kinshasa out of the sky, he would never be able to forgive himself. Brahma is his home. He looked down at Brahma from up high, and saw them: his people.  Starving young faces just like his looked up to the sky and stared back at the city as it trembled. The boy had the power at his fingertips to stop a tragedy.  This is it. The people thought. This is how we go out. Not with the big bang, but crushed under the heel of our jailor.  The boy heard their thoughts. He felt a rush of adrenaline and stopped the man from getting away. The city of New Kinshasa never fell out of the sky that day. The people were ordered to retreat to their homes. But that evening, everyone heard about the great threat against the Guardian Angel System. And everyone learned the name Peter Nureyev. And for the first time in the last half-century, hope bloomed on Brahma. The Boy, The Legend, The Angel of Brahma.  BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): That’s not a story Memma, that’s history.  EEVEE: And what is history but a story we have to learn from? Now, I believe you owe me a song. (BAIRD GROANS AND HUFFS) BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Fine… (BAIRD TAKES A DEEP BREATH AND HUMS. THE SOUND GETS CLEARER LIKE HE’S BROUGHT THE COMMS CLOSER) My angel, I must ask you keep singing for me.  How sweet your tune, like a songbird at noon.  What a lovely trill, it makes me feel ill. O’ My heart overflows, I could never let go.  Like chimes in the wind, it must be destined.  I’ll find my way home, with your voice I’ll never be alone. Happy? (EEVEE SNIFFLES) EEVEE: Very. Thank you, Baird. That was beautiful.  (FABRIC RUSTLES, BOTH BAIRD AND EEVEE HUM) Promise me you’ll never stop singing baby. BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Of course, Memma. I don’t think I could even if I tried.  EEVEE: Good. Now– (EEVEE PRESSES A KISS TO BAIRD’S HEAD) Get some sleep. Okay? We have a long day tomorrow. And Bairdy? BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Yes, Mom? EEVEE: You know that I love you, right? BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): To the moons and back, yeah… Mom you promised nothing bad was going to happen to you.  EEVEE:  And nothing will. Good night, Baird.  BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Night Mom.  SOUND: DOOR CLOSING. BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Which button was it to end the recording? Was it this o– SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS. 

- EEVEE BELL. BAIRD BELL. must contact Frannie’s friend about both of those names. - Dome Wardens are indeed an old, out of date job. Eve is right, they’ve been replaced with robots. It’s actually kinda scary how right she was about things. About that, about Dark Matters probably covering everything up with New Kinshasa. - Cyrus and Eve sound so fun together. I can see why they got married and had a kid together. - Bairdy and Memma… right up there with Charls and Dearest. - Oh Baird, he was 12 when these recordings were made. 12. Just almost a teenager, not quite. Almost too old to be called a baby. - Eve loved Baird so much. She reminds me of my mother a bit. And she knew exactly what she was doing tucking Baird into bed that final time. There’s no doubt in my mind this is the last recording with her in it. She was taken away after this and never came back. The Dome Wardens did go on strike at some point according to Baird in other recordings, so did someone snitch to a Constable? Did she the Constable that almost caught her and Cyrus track her down? - I think that’s the most frustrating part of my job. No matter how much I dig and research, there are some things that will be lost to me forever.

[commander-krios]

I can now reveal my Shenko Summer fic for @dandenbo. <3 I'm so happy you enjoyed it! Special shoutout to my beta, @comeoniwantacoolname for always helping me out!

Title: Reflections and Regrets Rating: Teen Pairing: MShepard/Kaidan Alenko Summary:

Five times Kaidan nearly confessed his feelings to Shepard and the one time he did.

Additional Tags: Slow Burn, 5+1, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Major Character Injury

~~~~

-1-

Smoke.

Kaidan could still smell the smoke on his clothing, mixed with salt water and conductive fluid. He'd intended to change after a long hot shower, but the debrief had taken the rest of his energy, and he hadn’t moved since. Sitting in the silent comm room, he hunched over, hands hanging between his knees, eyes staring at nothing in particular. 

The edges of his vision blurred and he closed his eyes, images of the battlefield as clear as the Virmire skies had been barely a few hours ago. The shake in Ashley’s voice as her pleas echoed in his ears: ‘get Alenko, Skipper. That bomb needs to go off.’

Shepard’s insistence that he could get both of them to safety, that it was important that they all survived this, that he wasn’t going to leave a man behind.

Shepard’s turmoil as realization set in, and the impossible choice he made at the very last moment…

Ashley .

She’d paid the ultimate price so the rest of them could escape, so that the bomb could take out the cloning facility. So that Saren’s krogan army was reduced to nothing but ash and bones, a smoking pile of ruins and dust amid the salty seas.

Sure, Kaidan was grateful to be alive, but not like this, not at the expense of someone else. Especially not Ashley Williams.

A sigh escaped, loud in the silent room. Kaidan stretched his legs out in front of him, willing the stiff muscles to relax. The haunted look in Shepard’s eyes before the debrief was burned into his memory. 

Maybe Shepard regretted his decision. Kaidan certainly did.

The smallest groan left his lips as he stood, his calves still protesting the movement. There was too much to do before they docked at the Citadel. He needed to clean his armor, and himself. He had a report to write about the situation on Virmire. He had a marine detachment to talk to, Mako repairs to oversee, and somewhere in there, he should probably eat, but as he turned towards the exit, he paused.

The sight of Shepard standing in the open doorway was unexpected. The lights of the CIC illuminated him from behind, leaving his face in shadow, his body outlined in white. He was a silent spectre, eyes shrouded in darkness, a ghost haunting his own ship.

A chill ran down Kaidan’s spine, his mind once again wondering if this is what other people saw whenever they came across the Butcher of Torfan.

“I was just leaving.” Kaidan managed, running a hand through his curls, wincing when his fingers caught on the strands. 

“I-” Shepard hesitated, stepping into the dim room, eyes downcast. The glow from the overhead lights only put more shadows along his face, creases that weren’t there yesterday now visible along his brow. “No, you’re fine. I- need to check in with the Council. Let them know the mission is done.”

They’d almost failed… Would the Council even care that they’d lost a human to Saren’s madness? Was one life worth the information they’d gained? One life for total destruction of Wrex’s hope for the krogan. One life for an entire squad of STG soldiers. One life that meant nothing to the people who lived in the relative safety of the Citadel.

What was one life to them?

“I’ll give you some privacy.” 

Kaidan tried his best to stamp down the grief in his heart. He knew Shepard had to be feeling it even worse. It was his call in the end. Shepard would be the one to deal with the consequences, good or bad. Kaidan followed the orders he’d been given. 

He knew that the haunted look in Shepard’s blue eyes was reflected in his as well. 

Kaidan found himself standing in front of his Commander a few heartbeats later, his hand on Shepard’s shoulder, squeezing gently in what he hoped translated as comfort, as support. 

The other man glanced at him, eyes wide in uncertainty. 

“Commander-”

His grip tightened slightly, Shepard’s jaw tensing as he tried to pick his words with care.

Kaidan resisted the urge to pull Shepard into an embrace, to comfort away the pain, the fear, the regret that so clearly tortured him. He wanted to smooth the lines in his forehead, to wipe away the tears, to take the weight of a galaxy off of his shoulders. There weren't many things he could do in this situation, except be there to help when he inevitably took the fall. He wanted to catch Shepard when the galaxy tried to break him.

But he couldn’t .

Shepard was his commander, yes, but he was also his friend. And his feelings had nothing to do with the man himself. He wouldn’t further complicate what was between them.

“I know you don’t hear this often, but you did the right thing on Virmire, even if it doesn’t feel like it. That cloning facility needed to be destroyed.” 

Shepard’s strained smile was full of the sadness he’d never put words to. “Do you really believe that? After everything we’ve lost?”

Kaidan did, even if he regretted what happened, because the galaxy was worth preserving. There were people that needed protecting and they at least had a fighting chance to stop Saren now. But none of that mattered when Shepard met his gaze, the pain in his eyes stabbing Kaidan in the gut.

“I’ll be in the mess when you’re done, Shepard. I’m sure there’s something stronger than coffee lying around.” 

Even if no amount of alcohol could fix their problems, they could at least send Ashley off properly.

“You’re a good friend, Alenko. I’m glad you’re here.”

Neither of them said the obvious: Kaidan was there because someone else wasn’t .

Someone who probably deserved it more.

-2-

The hum of the drive core was comforting, the ripples of its mass effect fields washing over him and the blue glow a safety he craved in his most vulnerable moment. With a sigh, Kaidan relaxed against the farthest wall from the core, sliding to the floor, settling comfortably in the corner so anyone coming and going wouldn’t trip over him. Stretching his legs out in front of him, he closed his eyes. The dark energy tickled at the edge of his senses and his own biotics responded in kind, an intimate dance between them.

The silence in engineering was welcome, especially after the insanity on the Citadel. The Council had immediately dismissed Shepard’s claims about Reapers, placing the entirety of the blame on Saren and the Geth. Then the Alliance decided the best use of Shepard and his crew was to put them on lockdown. Captain Anderson, of all people, helped them steal the Normandy from the docking bay…

And now, they were on their way to Ilos to face Saren head on before he could get the conduit, whatever that was.

Kaidan wished it was all over with because he felt like he could sleep for the next few years. Or centuries.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there when boots scuffed against the floor.

He managed to open his eyes slightly as Shepard sat beside him, their shoulders brushing, a kind smile on his face when he glanced over at Kaidan. “Hiding?”

“Is it that obvious?” He responded, a laugh escaping despite the pounding in his head, and he forced his eyes closed again. The migraines usually gave a little more warning than this so he’d been a bit surprised at the intensity of it. With a pained groan, he leaned his head back against the bulkhead, pressing a finger into his temple. “I’ll be alright in a little bit. The silence down here helps.”

Kaidan didn’t have to see Shepard’s face to feel him tense. “Kaidan-”

Patting Shepard’s hand affectionately, he tried to ignore the way his heart jumped at the sound of his given name on Shepard’s tongue. “I’ll be fine, Shepard. I promise.”

The commander muttered something under his breath, something that probably wasn’t very nice, but he couldn’t make out the words. Silence descended between them: companionable, comforting, and altogether more satisfying than it’d been before.

The humming of the drive core was still a pleasant white noise in the background and the cold metal of the wall behind him soothed his sweaty skin, keeping the nausea at bay. He opened his eyes a crack, unable to stop from staring at the man next to him.

Shepard was bathed in blue-white light, shadows dancing playfully across his face. He appeared strong, severe and yet, Kaidan felt nothing but peace and safety in his presence. His azure eyes nearly glowed in the dark, his skin an ocean of blues and whites, dotted with the tiniest smattering of freckles and scars.

He’d admired Shepard from afar for the last six months: watching him defend those that couldn’t defend themselves, feeling pride at how Shepard attempted diplomacy and understanding before resorting to violence, being witness to how every loss etched itself into his commander’s very soul.

It wasn’t long before Shepard caught him watching. With a quirk of his lips, he leaned his own head back to meet Kaidan’s eyes. “See something you like, LT?”

He was tempted to respond with an affirmative, to admit that he dreamed of Shepard at night alone in his bunk, that he wanted to press kisses along that strong jaw, or to brush his hands down Shepard’s back as he pulled him closer…

Clearing his throat, Kaidan glanced at the room’s light source, closing his eyes as the brightness made his migraine pulse angrily. Moaning, he leaned forward, his head dropping into his hands.

Shepard’s hand gripped him by the shoulder, keeping him from falling forward. When he spoke, his voice was a whisper. “ Hey . What can I do?”

Kaidan’s hands shook as he pulled them from his face. He kept his eyes closed, trying to make sense of what was happening around him over the throbbing in his skull. “The lights. Too much.”

“Why aren’t you in the medbay?” 

“Liara. Ilos Prep. Didn’t want to interrupt.”

Shepard grunted before he shifted away, taking his warmth as he stood. Then he leaned down to put Kaidan’s arm around his shoulders, pulling him to his feet. It took a few seconds for Kaidan’s brain to catch up with the movement. He wobbled momentarily until Shepard steadied him… his free arm wrapping around Kaidan’s waist and securing him tightly against his own body.

“What’re you-”

“Shh.” Shepard moved forward, keeping Kaidan’s weight supported with each step. “I’m getting you out of here and somewhere better to sleep this off. I need you on Ilos.”

Kaidan wished Shepard needed him in other ways, and he would probably scold himself for such thoughts later, but it didn’t make the desire any less real.

“Where-” The question wouldn’t come out so he stopped speaking, his brain feeling like it was going to melt out of his ears.

“My cabin. It’s cold, dark, and far away from everyone.” Shepard lifted a finger when Kaidan made to argue as best as he could. “Do this as a favor to me.”

If Kaidan was feeling like himself at all, he would’ve protested, telling Shepard that he knew better than to believe that taking the Captain’s quarters wasn’t a breach of whatever fragile friendship they had left, and he wasn’t ready for what that meant. Not when the galaxy was falling down around them.

But his brain wouldn’t respond, no amount of prodding did anything except make his migraine worse, so he allowed Shepard to herd him in silence, ignoring the raised eyebrows and confused looks the crew sent them when they passed.

Shepard’s cabin was cool, the air circulator keeping it at a low yet comfortable temperature. The lights were already dimmed and Kaidan’s eyes (and head) were thankful for the reprieve. He collapsed on the soft blankets, burying his face in the scent of Alliance-issued soap. It wasn’t anything special, but it smelled like Shepard. 

Shepard pulled Kaidan’s boots off and dumped them to the side for later, not bothering to line them up like a good soldier would. Then he helped to get Kaidan in a comfortable position, head on a pillow, blankets piled on top of him in a cocoon. Once he was situated satisfactorily, Shepard sat beside him on the edge of the bed.

“Did you need anything else?”

Kaidan swore that Shepard’s touch brushed against his forehead, twirling a curl around his finger before it disappeared altogether.

“‘M good, thanks.”

Kaidan was nearly asleep when Shepard moved, leaving him on the bed alone. His eyes shut as he spied Shepard in the chair across the room, a sentinel watching over him while he slept.

-3-

Mayday! Mayday, this is the SSV Normandy!

The words echoed in his ears as Kaidan pushed his way through the chaos, dodging terrified crewmen and dangling cables, sparks exploding in dangerous arcs. The ship shuddered beneath his feet, nearly knocking him to the ground. He grabbed on to the closest object, the mess hall table, and thanked his lucky stars that the thing was bolted to the floor. Or what remained of it.

A quick glance confirmed what he already knew: the ship was barely holding together. Fires had broken out across the deck, the emergency fire system soaked the floors, adding even more danger to the crew's haste to escape. Gripping his helmet tightly, Kaidan forced it over his head, coughing against the thick black smoke as he waited for the seals to engage.

A hiss sounded as oxygen filled his helmet and he took a deep breath, attempting to orient himself in the chaos.

Taking a step away from the table, he noted a partially burned body to the right. The familiar buzzcut of Talitha Draven made his heart jump into his throat, grief burning in his chest as he continued on, needing to find Shepard. He tried to convince himself it was to get orders, but he was truly worried. Comms were spotty and he hadn’t heard from Shepard since the attack began.

Another few bodies caught his attention as he made his way to where the distress beacon waited to be launched, each new face making his heart heavier. He knew each and every one of these people and now… now they were gone and for what? Hunting geth that weren’t a threat anymore? Doing the Council’s dirty work while there were other things to prepare for?

Like the Reapers?

And the end of galactic civilization?

The Council was blind and sometimes, as much as he hated himself for it, he wondered if Shepard had made the right choice in saving them. Only time would truly tell if they would help end the Reaper threat or only made everyone else’s choices more difficult.

The familiar sight of John’s N7 armor filled his vision, stopping the dark turn of his thoughts immediately.

“Shepard.”

“Get everyone to the escape pods!” Shepard ordered, hitting the distress beacon with as much force as he could muster. The console sparked briefly but thankfully, didn’t break. 

“Joker won’t leave the cockpit.” He shouted, hoping that Shepard heard over the blaring klaxons. He couldn’t see John’s expression with the helmet on but his blue eyes would haunt him. “I’m not leaving either.”

I’m not leaving you .

Shepard shook his head, almost as if he could hear Kaidan’s thoughts. “Kaidan-”

Gripping Shepard’s helmet, Kaidan pressed the front of his visor against it, an intimate gesture that neither were expecting. Kaidan’s heart pounded hard against his ribs, Shepard’s sudden proximity a desire he’d craved for months, but not like this.

Never like this.

Shepard closed what little distance was between them, hand on Kaidan’s neck, securing him solidly against him. The alarms screamed, fires burned only feet away, but the solid feel of John in his arms almost broke him. He’d wanted this for too long, but now, they didn’t have time. 

“Don’t make me go.”

Shepard sucked in a sharp breath and for a second, Kaidan could’ve sworn he shook. “You have to, Kaidan.” He pushed him away, not roughly but enough to put distance between them. “I’ll get Joker. The others are counting on you. Please .”

Kaidan closed his eyes, filling his lungs slowly with oxygen, trying to force his feet to move, to fulfill his orders. When he finally looked at Shepard once more, he knew he didn’t have a choice. He had a job to do and god dammit he would do it. 

I love you.

It was on his tongue and nearly slipped out, but his feelings were inconsequential as their ship burned around them, the dead staring at them with empty eyes. Talitha couldn’t be saved, but there were others that could.

Swallowing the fear that this would be the last time he saw John Shepard, Kaidan nodded. “Aye aye.”

When he turned his back on the man who had become his world in a few short months, running for the escape pods, there was a dark whisper at the back of his mind that told him it was a mistake. One he would regret for the rest of his life.

-4-

His fingers hovered over the datapad, the words not coming the way he’d intended.

It’d been a shock to see Shepard alive on Horizon, even with Anderson’s warning: There are rumors that Shepard is alive, Commander. Be ready for anything.

But the warnings, the hearsay, the hints about Shepard’s survival over Alchera had prepared him little for what he saw that day: the familiar ocean blue of John’s eyes, the all encompassing relief on the man’s face when Kaidan approached unharmed, the gentle brush of his hand against Kaidan’s shoulder before they embraced. His heart had soared with happiness to see the man he’d followed to hell and back standing in front of him, flesh and blood and very much alive . 

But the moment passed quickly, only to be replaced by more questions than answers.

How was he alive? Was it true that he was with Cerberus now? What had really happened over Alchera? And why was he here now ?

What was Cerberus’ interest in the colony abductions?

Were they involved? Was Shepard involved?

It didn’t matter what the answers were, not when they could be lies. How was he supposed to believe anything a dead man said?

While his head spun with questions, Kaidan’s gaze had taken in the changes in the man he’d once pledged his service to. Shepard’s skin was cracked in places and crimson cybernetics held his flesh together, red lines glowing bright like a beacon over his cheeks and jaw. But there was a darkness in his gaze that Kaidan had seen only a few times before and it scared him.

John Shepard wasn’t the same person who’d died over Alchera.

Now that he could look back on the interaction with fresh eyes, Kaidan admitted he was unnecessarily harsh in his reaction after. There was little he regretted in life, and the things he did regret he could count on one hand. His anger at Shepard on Horizon was one of them. If his former commander really didn’t have a choice from the beginning, then he should apologize. 

The blinking cursor mocked him. Twenty minutes since opening the messaging app and he had yet to write a single word. 

With a sigh, he ran a hand down his face. There was nothing he could say to make up for the years Shepard had lost and more than just John’s life had been destroyed over Alchera. His career, his scars, his friendships… The work he’d done as a Spectre swept under the rug by the Council and Alliance both, many now believing Shepard to be a raving lunatic. 

And this situation with Cerberus…

Another sigh slipped out.

Kaidan wished he could pour his heart out, to let Shepard know how deep the pain of losing him had been. To the crew, to him . The last images burned into his brain played on repeat in front of his mind’s eye: the Normandy’s destruction, and Shepard’s lifeless body drifting over the planet in the cold vacuum of space. No one had been willing to retrieve the man that had saved them from the Geth and Saren, of the hero who had haunted visions of things passed and things yet to come. On that day, Kaidan Alenko’s heart tore in two.

His fingers typed the message before he realized what he’d done.

The words stared back at him, his subconscious willing to destroy everything he’d built over the last two years, all for a man who was supposed to be dead.

John,

These past two years have been more than difficult for me. Seeing you on Horizon brought back old feelings I thought I’d put to rest, but it seems that forgetting you is impossible. I can’t join Cerberus, I won’t, and it has nothing to do with you. Because if I’m being honest, I was tempted to throw it all away to be with you on the Normandy again.

But the Normandy is gone. 

I’m not the same person anymore. I sense you aren’t, as well.

The love I have for you isn’t enough for me to give up on everything I believe.

Kaidan swallowed around the lump that had formed in his throat. Even if he wasn’t sending a personal message that both the Alliance and Cerberus officials wouldn’t be reading, he couldn’t admit his feelings in that way. They both deserved better than that, even if they’d never get it.

Each day a life with John Shepard seemed further out of reach.

Especially with Shepard in enemy hands.

He read the message once more before hitting ‘delete.’

-5-

The shuttle landed at the pad a few feet away, dust blowing up into Kaidan’s face as he waited. Lifting his hand to shield himself from the worst of the air, he watched as the door slid open, revealing Admiral David Anderson. He wore his dress blues, medals shining in the bright sunlight. Grey was starting to show in his close cropped dark hair, but he still flaunted that dazzling smile that made him appear years younger.

“Major.” Anderson greeted, reaching out to shake his offered hand. “It’s good to see you. Here to escort us to the inquest?”

“Yes, sir.” He replied, eyes involuntarily straying to where Shepard was stepping from the shuttle. He looked better than Kaidan had seen him in years. This Shepard wasn’t the ghost he’d met on Horizon anymore, half-mended flesh barely held together with cybernetics. His scars had healed, concealing the eerie glow of the implants underneath it, and he’d even put some muscle back on his once thin, almost frail frame.. If Kaidan ignored their purpose for being here in Vancouver, he could almost pretend they were back on the SR-1.

“Major, huh?” Shepard smiled, raising an eyebrow expectantly, almost as if he was waiting for Kaidan to detail the mission that got him the promotion. Like he hoped Kaidan would treat it like old times.

But it wasn’t.

“It’s recent.” He said instead, nodding as Anderson excused himself briefly. Kaidan’s hands were clenched at his sides as he tried to reign in the sudden longing in his heart. He missed those smiles more than he wanted to admit. “I, uh, would rather not talk about it right now.”

“That’s fair. It’s not like I’ve done anything recently to give you reason to trust me.” If Shepard’s words brought him any hurt at all, his voice didn’t betray it. When Kaidan glanced at him again, Shepard was watching Lieutenant James Vega as he stood at parade rest beside Anderson, trying his best not to fall asleep at the conversation the Admiral was having with the lawyers assigned to him.

Kaidan stared at him in silence, memorizing the new scars above his brow, the freckles that dusted his nose, the smooth skin on his cheeks and jaw. John’s hair had grown considerably since Horizon, nearly brushing his shoulders, dusty brown locks that looked as soft as satin.

Kaidan resisted the urge to reach and brush his fingers through it.

This man had done awful things, was on trial for many of those crimes, but stood resolute, fearless. He always had. It was one of the things that Kaidan always admired about him. Shepard was the Butcher of Torfan, but he was also human… he made mistakes like everyone else. What made him different, even special , was that he wasn’t afraid of owning up to them. 

Is that what this was? A misunderstanding? A mistake?

Somehow, Kaidan didn’t think so.

“Did you do it?” He asked, voice quiet and yet, Shepard heard him as clearly as if they were standing in an empty room. 

Shepard’s jaw tensed and he glanced away briefly, blue eyes fixed on something far away that Kaidan couldn’t see. Lieutenant Vega had noticed the movement and looked at them with curiosity. It felt like forever before John shook his head, unfocused gaze landing back on Kaidan.

His fears must’ve shown on his expression because John’s eyes darkened. “Don’t look at me like that, Kaidan. Not you, of all people.”

“I’m sorry, Shepard.” And he was sorry. This wasn’t at all how he wanted to see his former friend again. Not after Horizon. The circumstances never seemed to favor them. “But you have to know what it looks like.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “The Butcher of Torfan getting more revenge against batarians?” He laughed, but there was no amusement in it. “Yeah, I get how it looks.”

“Not to mention, you were flying Cerberus colors.” 

Shepard flinched, the reminder an obvious low blow. “I was under Hackett’s orders.”

“Not officially and that’s all they care about.” Kaidan sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “What happened out there, Shepard?”

“You’ve seen the report, what do you think?” 

“It doesn’t matter what I think.” Kaidan replied, opening his eyes to see the flash of pain on Shepard’s face before he hid it behind his usual stoic mask.

“It does to me.” 

The words were so quiet that Kaidan almost missed them.

“If you’re right about the Reapers, then you didn’t have a choice.” Kaidan said after a moment of silence, hating how strained his voice sounded at the admission. It’s not that he didn’t believe Shepard. He did and that was part of the problem. Because he knew exactly what happened when someone has no other option in a fight that was bigger than themselves.

“It doesn’t make it easier to bear though.”

The regret was nearly palpable in John’s words.

“No, it doesn’t.”

Silence fell between them again, heavier with a truth only a few people knew. Even if they thwarted the Reapers, even if they stopped the whole harvesting of organic civilizations, the loss would still be catastrophic. Winning wouldn’t feel like a victory at all.

“Kaidan, before I leave, there’s something I need to tell you. Just in case…” Shepard trailed off, but the meaning was obvious.

Just in case we don’t see each other again.

Kaidan’s heart broke at the look in his friend’s eyes. They’d once been close, telling each other things that they couldn’t tell anyone else, being there at each other’s six, knowing the other’s tells and expressions, but this gulf between them had only grown since Alchera, since Horizon. Kaidan didn’t want it to grow anymore. Not when the things he felt were still so real. “Shepard-”

“Commander.” Vega appeared at John’s shoulder, a hulking mass of muscle that would’ve been easy to spot any other day, but now surprised them with his sudden presence. “We have to meet with the Admirals now.”

John closed his eyes with annoyance, taking a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke. As always, there was never time. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Sir, Admiral Anderson-”

Shepard stiffened, but before he could snap out a reply, Kaidan cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of both men beside him. With a small smile, he tried his best not to look put out by the inquest, by the politics, and he was sure he failed by the slant of John’s eyes. 

“You should probably go, Shepard.”

He caught the hurt that John tried to hide behind his tense smile. “Yeah. Maybe I’ll see you around, Kaidan.”

As Shepard turned his back on him, Kaidan couldn’t help feeling the deja vu in the worst way.

-6-

“Is that what they did to you?”

Blue eyes flashed coldly and for a moment, Kaidan had a terrible thought that maybe Shepard was a threat much like the mangled creature lying on the ground a few feet away. Was Shepard another husk waiting to be unleashed by the Illusive Man? Could Kaidan trust him? And could he trust himself to do what was necessary if Shepard was a threat?

“How could you compare me to him ?” Shepard snapped, the bite of his voice familiar and foreign all at once. Like so much in their lives now.

He glanced away and realized too late, he probably shouldn’t have. If Shepard was a Cerberus weapon, he needed to watch his back. Unfortunately, the man who usually did that was the one he needed protection from . “Shepard, I don’t know what you are… or who. Not since Cerberus.”

A slight headache appeared as his brain forced the memory away, refusing to acknowledge the fear and doubt he’d held. Because it was his distrust of Shepard that had put them both in danger. 

“Is the person I followed to hell and back- the person I…” He managed to stop before he let the word slip: love. He was in love with John Shepard, but this was not the time for a confession. “Are you still in there somewhere?”

“They didn’t change me, Kaidan. But words won’t convince you, will they?”

No, words hadn’t convinced him. But Shepard’s actions, on the other hand, had spoken volumes. They always had, back when they were a lot younger and a lot less jaded about the future, when they were merely friends who hadn’t yet grieved for thousands of soldiers who’d died with a single choice. 

But they were both different now. Changed in drastic ways as the Reaper war dragged on. Because that was how war went, wasn’t it? It tore at every shred of your heart and your sanity until you’re left with nothing but the memories of people you once loved. Memories of who yourself had been at one time or another.

It took longer than he expected to open his eyes. Brain damage, skull fracture, some other things that seemed horrifying and probably should’ve killed him. Instead, he was lying in a hospital bed on the Citadel, receiving the best care that was possible in the middle of a galactic war, all because his closest ally was a Spectre. 

The overhead lights normally would’ve blinded him upon opening his eyes, but he was surprised to find them shut off, nothing by the artificial daylight of the Presidium streaming in through large open windows. Kaidan blinked a few times to clear the blurriness from his vision. A few minutes passed with nothing but the sound of his heart in his ears as his headache began to slowly subside. A C-Sec shuttle flew past the window, descending to the closest shuttle pad. Different species of birds flew through the air before settling on the branches of a small tree. A well dressed couple was walking the Presidium hand in hand, admiring the flowers that had been recently tended.

The Citadel was almost serene in its unrushed pace. He felt like an interloper in the peace, a soldier that lived and breathed war. He shouldn’t be here, he should be on the front lines. Or, if the morose part of his mind was right, even dead by this point. But he wasn’t . And he knew why.

John Shepard.

Shepard always put himself in harm’s way to make sure his people came home, and when they didn’t, he took it personally, even if it wasn’t his fault. Because most of the time, it wasn’t. 

Kaidan glanced to his right where he knew he’d find the man in question, sitting bedside on a clearly uncomfortable chair, hunched over the hospital bed with his head resting on folded arms. He was sleeping, breathing deeply with the quietest of noises leaving his mouth. With his gaze mapping Shepard’s face, Kaidan noted the dark circles under his eyes, the weariness that seemed to haunt his pale skin even when sleeping. Some of his skin was showing wear, the cybernetics glowing crimson between small cracks in his cheeks.

Whatever had happened since the incident on Mars was wearing on Shepard’s health and Kaidan felt a pang of regret. Some of it was his fault, the words he’d spoken to Shepard on Mars were harsh and for that, Kaidan should apologize. If he couldn’t rely on the people he loved and trusted, he couldn’t rely on anyone.

Before he could stop himself, Kaidan reached out, running his fingers through those thick brunette locks like he’d been craving for years. Soft to the touch, it slid through his fingers with little resistance, landing on the white sheets with nary a sound. He twirled a stray lock of hair around his index finger, smiling when Shepard stirred at the touch.

Opening his eyes, Shepard blinked as if he was unsure of where he was. Once he got his bearings, he lifted his head and glanced around, stretching to ward off the embarrassment at being caught in such a vulnerable position. 

“Hey, Shepard.” Kaidan said, unable to keep from smirking, noting the flushed cheeks and nervous movement of Shepard’s hand over his face.

“Kaidan. It’s, uh, good to see you awake. How are you feeling?” His eyes dropped to where the blanket had slid down, exposing Kaidan’s chest. 

He might’ve felt embarrassed if he didn’t enjoy the look in Shepard’s blue gaze, eyes roaming the expanse of skin and curly chest hair appreciatively. “Better. You didn’t have to wait here for me to wake up. I would’ve sent you a message.”

“Are you sure that’s true?” He glanced up, a worried frown pulling at his mouth. “You weren’t happy with me on Mars.”

Kaidan looked away this time, his hands seeming more interesting than the man beside him. “I was… wrong about you. I’m sorry.”

“Kaidan-”

“I need to get this out, John. Please .” When Shepard fell silent, Kaidan took a deep breath, closing his eyes and releasing it through his nose. It was comforting to feel Shepard next to him, to know that he’d watched over him whenever he was on the Citadel, for however long Kaidan had been sedated. “We were both wrong about a lot over the years, but… this is all on me. I didn’t trust you when I should have.”

“I haven’t made myself very trustworthy.”

Kaidan snapped his eyes open, a glare directed at the man he couldn’t deny any longer. With everything he’d been through: the Alliance using his dark past to their advantage, the Council using him as a tool to further their power, the prothean beacon’s visions nearly tearing him apart, the threat of the Reapers and Geth… and then to top it all off, his death and Cerberus resurrection. The months of being forced to work with his enemies while his allies said terrible things about him, Kaidan included. Bahak and finally being proven right about the Reapers while everything the galaxy had built was being destroyed.

Kaidan didn’t know how Shepard was holding himself together.

“That’s ridiculous.”

The smallest grin appeared on Shepard’s face. “Hey-”

Kaidan wanted to reach out and shake some sense into Shepard, but he was partially to blame for that. He made Shepard doubt himself and he never wanted to see that again.

“I’ve known you for a long time, Shepard, and you’re being too hard on yourself. I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you after Horizon. Or Bahak. Or the millions of other times I should’ve been.” He paused, tongue going numb as he pushed his final thought into words. “You’ve always been strong for everyone else. Let me be strong for you.”

His smile widened. “From a hospital bed?”

Kaidan nudged Shepard's shoulder with his hand. “Ok, jackass, very funny.”

Shepard caught his hand before he could pull away, gently holding it against his chest, eyes sparkling with laughter. Kaidan missed seeing him so lighthearted, so at peace. If he could bring a little hope in the face of so much darkness, he’d accept that responsibility wholeheartedly. Entwining their fingers together, Kaidan gave a little squeeze.

“I’m here, John. I wasn’t before and I’ll regret that for the rest of my life. But-” He held up his free hand when it looked like Shepard would interrupt. He relaxed, watching Kaidan with wonder. “I’m not going anywhere. If you’ll have me, of course.”

Shepard was quiet, holding Kaidan’s hand as if letting go would be the end of the galaxy. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Kaidan smirked, leaning closer and brushing his free hand through John’s hair before hooking a finger beneath his chin. Tilting his face so their eyes met, Kaidan let his hand drop to the bed. “What do you want? You’ve given everything for the Alliance, for this war. What is the one thing that Commander John Shepard wants?”

There was no hesitation in his next words. “ You .”

John moved faster than Kaidan expected, pulling him closer so their lips met sooner, their desire crashing like waves, relentless. Years and even death hadn’t quelled his feelings for the man in front of him, and it seemed the same could be said of Shepard.

“I love you.” Kaidan whispered against his mouth, enjoying the feel of John pressed against him. The muscles in his neck twinged slightly, but he ignored it in favor of kissing Shepard again, letting every feeling of love and hope and adoration he felt echo in his touches.

There was still a war to fight, and Kaidan likely had to wait to be officially discharged, but for now, they had each other and he wasn’t going to let what they had go without a fight. He’d wasted enough time. 

John broke the kiss, gasping slightly for air, and Kaidan laughed, the sound breathless and happy for the first time in so long. He sent Kaidan a bemused look, but chuckled quietly. “You’re impossible.”

“I’ll have you know…” Kaidan trailed off, his head so full of the reality that he’d just kissed Shepard that this fight didn’t seem to matter as much as it might’ve once upon a time. With his fingers tangled in Shepard’s hair, he brushed his lips against his jaw. “Actually, that’s fair. Considering how long it took to get here -”

“I love you.” Shepard interrupted, trailing a finger along his cheek, cupping Kaidan’s face in his hand a moment later. “I have for a long time, Kaidan. If I’d known-”

Kaidan leaned forward, their foreheads touching in the silence that followed. Regret. It was something both of them had, about so many things, but he wasn’t going to regret this . Because even if one of them had confessed at any time in their past, it wouldn’t have been right.

This was the moment they’d waited for.

“As much as I want to say it would, I can’t pretend that it would’ve made a difference. Changing anything about our past could’ve changed the future and not for the good. I love you, John Shepard, and I’m going to fight for us. No matter what happens.”

John nodded, but said nothing. There was nothing that could be said. They might not have everything, but they had each other.

It was enough.

[imsadstuff]

Loving You Is Red - A Jeon Jungkook Fic, teaser 3

Link to fic: here

Synopsis:

Jeon Jungkook's name was unheard on the Formula 1 paddock till he got a chance to drive a Mercedes car as a reserve driver. His 2020 starts looking brighter as he signs with Ferrari and meets you, his teammates little sister. So many cliched tropes, strangers to friends to lovers, slow burn, dating brother's best friend, and most importantly Jeon Jungkook looks smoking hot in a Ferrari!

Author's Note:

So, this has been collecting dust in my drafts since I watched Drive to Survive last year, watched the new season, and got motivated to write this fic.

The fic is going to be released on 17th March 2023, mark your calendars!!

Please comment under if you want to be added to the reading list for this fic! ❤ Also, if you have any thoughts or ideas, please feel free to comment or message me and for the love of Jungkook, don't be a ghost reader!

Race 8 Austrian Grand Prix 2020

“Why?” Jungkook asks as he’s walking to the Ferrari office. It’s a meeting and photoshoot heavy day for him.

“Because I have a job now, even if it’s sorting my father’s emails and arranging his meetings, I can’t be there every weekend” you explain calmly as you swivel around in your office chair.

“What’s your day like today?” he asks as a fan stops him for a picture, he’s becoming better at being popular as every race happens.

“We have a few apartment showings, so I’ll be shadowing him, start to figure out if I want to do this or not” you say sipping on your coffee, you’d been arriving early at the office to have some moments of peace before the chaos starts.

“What is your day like?” you ask him and he just grunts, knowing how bad it is to sit through meetings.

“I have a strategy meeting, another meeting with the communications team, lunch with a bunch of promoters and in the evening we’re shooting a bunch of videos for ferrari’s youtube channel” Jungkook reiterates his schedule for the day, and he’s already starting to feel tired.

“Press has just been awful since the last race, no wonder we’re having comms meeting two days in a row” Jungkook had been trying to stay away from the negative headlines but everyone was absolutely shitting on Phillip this week.

“They like pitting you and Phillip against each other, last week was all the ammunition they needed” you had been screening all the click baity articles, they were absolutely making Phillip lose his mind.

“Do you think he hit me on purpose or was I really in his blind spot?” Jungkook asks opening the door to the conference room, most people are already here. Phillip is already slouched against a chair, looking defeated already.

“No comment” “Boo Freaking Hoo!!” he says and you can’t help but smile like a stupid idiot.

“Call me later if you can” you say and Jungkook hums a goodbye as he takes a seat opposite Phillip. 

“So, lots of bad press, people are divided” Claudia says, placing down multiple article print outs and newspapers on the table. 

“And thank you Phillip for snapping at the sky sports reporter, just handing them their headlines” this hasn’t been Phillip’s week, and he’s done with cameras and reporters.

“We need to take hold of the narrative or at least change it because the sponsors aren’t happy with the two drivers seemingly fighting each other. How about you go golfing or something this tuesday” Claudia suggests and Phillip immediately nods his head no. 

“He can’t golf to save his life and I have my sister’s birthday party that day-”

“So, just invite Jungkook, because I really need the news narrative to change” Claudia says with an authoritative tone, the two of them can’t even think about going against her. 

“I don’t want to intrude on a family thing-” Jungkook sounds a little offended by the whole situation, mostly he’s a little ticked off about you not telling him about your coming birthday.

“It’s not, it’s a surprise party with a few friends, I was going to invite you anyway” Phillip says and Claudia smiles widely.

“This is sorted then, I need at least a story with the birthday girl on the two of your instagram’s” The two of them are left alone as Claudia leaves, there’s still this animosity in the air.

“Just so we’re clear, I didn’t hit your car on purpose,” Phillip says, looking Jungkook square in his eyes.

“I know that,” Jungkook replies, a little too confidently.

“How can you be so sure?” Phillip asks as he sits up straight.

“You’re competitive, not petty” Jungkook leaves with a big smirk on his face, he’s been enjoying the season so far a little too much.

taglist:

@blancflms @nadzzzblog @kookiewhtaee @jksoftii @oiseul @elisaaru @coralmusicblaze @tearyjjeon

(comment under if you want to be added to the tag list)

[melishade]

Attack on Prime Alternate Scenes Part 7

Part 6

Since Guren No Yumiya is coming out soon, I'd figure that I'd post one more Alternate Scene before dropping the chapter so this is all the alternate scenes and ideas I had for the Retaliation Saga and Last Ditch Effort!

So the first scene out of many is a confrontation between Kenny and Levi. Because the original idea was that it was just Kenny going to rescue Levi, they get into an argument and then they go find Optimus and Gabi. The only reason I didn't include this was simply due to the fact that everyone's placement wouldn't allow for a moment with them, but here it is:

“You okay, Levi?” Kenny asked as they continued riding.

“Perfect!” Levi shouted as he kicked Kenny in the face. Kenny yanked him off the horse and the two rolled around in the dirt. Kenny managed to pin Levi to the ground.

“What the hell?!” Kenny shouted, “I just saved your life!”

Levi wrapped his legs around Kenny’s neck and flipped him over before pinning him and shoving his sword at his throat.

“You’ve tried to kill me and the Survey Corps in the past!” Levi shouted, “You’ve also killed a hundred MP’s and ditched me in the underground!”

“That was years ago!” Kenny retorted.

“Left a fucking huge impact!” Levi declared.

“Levi, you have to listen to me!” Kenny exclaimed, “Zeke’s planning to wipe out Eldia by taking their right to have kids! We’re trying to stop him!”

“Who’s ‘we’?” Levi demanded.

“…Erwin,” Kenny confessed.

Kenny saw Levi’s expression go from shock, to denial, to rage in a matter of seconds.

“That’s horseshit.” Levi hissed.

“I’m not lying,” Kenny proclaimed, “I did fucked up shit in the past, but I’m not lying about this.”

Levi pressed the blade to Kenny’s throat, drawing blood. “Prove. It. Now.”

Kenny managed to turn his head to show Levi the communicator in his ear. Levi took it out of his ear and wiped it off before eyeing Kenny. He pressed the button on the communicator and placed it in his ear.

“Kenny, what happened?” Erwin spoke, “Did you find Levi?”

“Yeah, he did,” Levi growled, but he felt his heart drop when he heard his voice.

“Levi-,”

“What is going on?” Levi demanded, “Kenny told me some bullshit about Zeke killing Eldia.”

“It’s true,” Erwin declared, “Zeke believes salvation for Eldia is through Euthanasia. He going to destroy all the Eldians on the island and the mainland as a mercy killing. I managed to get Hanji and the others away from Eren. The kids are in on the plan; but Arcee has been compromised and held in prison. I don’t think she knows the Survey Corps aren’t held hostage anymore. Wheeljack and Megatron are most likely at the rogue ship, but we need to get Optimus quickly. He’s the only one that may be able to convince Eren not to do this. Please work with Kenny to find him.”

Levi looked back down at Kenny who didn’t move a muscle.

“We’re not done with this conversation,” Levi swore to the both of them as he disconnected the comm. and threw the ear piece to Kenny. Levi got off the man as Kenny dusted himself off.

This was also another small snippet after Levi and Kenny do find Optimus and Gabi:

Levi aimed the gun at Kenny’s back. “Truck.Now.”

Optimus watched as Levi forced Kenny to the door of the driver’s seat and opened it before turning to Gabi, who still hid behind his alt mode. Optimus walked over to the girl and kneeled down in front of her.

“Gabi, do you trust me?” Optimus asked as he offered her his hand.

Gabi looked down at his hand before looking up at him. “What’s going to happen?”

“I am going to take you someplace safe,” Optimus declared, “A place the military wouldn’t find you. Then once this has settled, we can find a way to take you back to Marley. All I am asking now, is for your trust.”

Gabi nodded her head and took Optimus’ hand.

Another scene that I had planned was Pieck originally finding Arcee in prison and trying to get her out, ultimately getting found out by Arcee in the process. But again, this doesn't happen because of the placement everyone was at. Additionally, I ended up having a different plan for Pieck:

Pieck snuck into the underground prison at the Shinganshina castle. She knew the metal titan had to be here somewhere. She also had the key in hand. Maybe she could play victim and free it to gain its trust, she could capture it.

She found a prison cell and was surprised to find the metal titan in their more advanced motorcycle form. And it was just sitting there.

“H-hello,” Pieck responded hesitantly, not knowing if it was an act or genuine fear. This titan did attack her home after all. “I’m…here to get you out of here.”

Pieck pulled out the key, but jolted and dropped it when the titan spoke.

“Don’t bother,” a female voice responded, “My hands are tied.”

“What do you mean?” Pieck asked as she picked up the key, “I can get you out; we can stop Eren.”

“And how long before he kills the commanding officers and turned everyone into titans?” the titan retorted.

“What?” Pieck asked in shock, “What do you mean? I thought he was protecting us.”

“From what I gathered, Zeke double-crossed us and got Eren to join his side,” the titan said, “Infected the entire military with his spinal fluid, so he’s practically holding the entire island hostage.”

“Do you think…,” Pieck began, feeling hopeful, “That he was working with the enemy all along?”

“Doubt it,” the titan said, “Zeke would’ve sold us out a long time ago, and buckethead was keeping a close eye on him.”

‘Who was ‘buckethead’?’ Pieck thought.

“Look, kid,” the titan continued, “Get out of here before you get into trouble. I’m sure Eren doesn’t take kindly to traitors.”

“You’re not…working with him?” Pieck asked in surprise.

“No, I don’t take orders from him,” the titan answered, “I’m only here because Optimus wanted to protect the island. What sucks is that I can’t tell Optimus or Wheeljack because he threatened to kill the Survey Corps. That psychopath. I really can’t understand why he talks about freedom, and then goes behind our backs for months before slaughtering innocent humans without consulting any of us. Not to mention, kidnapping his own friends and family. If anything, he going to activate the whole fragging rumbling and kill everyone outside!”

Pieck could only stare as the titan turned her wheel around and had her ‘back’ to the titan shifter.

“Sorry,” she apologized, “You didn’t need to hear that. I’m just stressed out.”

“You don’t want to activate the Colossal Titans?!” Pieck exclaimed as she gripped her hands on the bars.

“What?! No!” the titan exclaimed, “The plan was to activate it on a smaller scale! Just releasing the one in Shingnashina to buy the island more time to catch up with the rest of the world! Everyone was reluctant to use it in the first place!”

“What about you titans?!” Pieck demanded.

The titan didn’t respond. Pieck gasped as the titan transformed into her actual form. She was smaller than the flying titan, definitely, but she had just as much menace and intimidation as him.

“What’s the flying titan’s name?” she demanded.

“W-what?” she stuttered.

“Flying titan’s name. What is it?” she demanded.

“I…I don’t know,” Pieck answered.

“You’re from Marley,” she realized, “Scrap! You’re doing an ambush right now!”

“No, wait!” Pieck shouted, realizing she had been caught.

“Optimus, we have a problem!” the titan shouted as she placed two fingers on the side of her head.

“Please, listen!” Pieck pleaded.

“I’m not!” she exclaimed, “I know you can’t transform underground! You’re in a worse position than I am!”

“I know Eren is going to activate all of the Colossal Titans in the wall!” Pieck exclaimed, causing the titan to stop.

“How do you know that?” the titan demanded.

Pieck didn’t respond.

“How do you know that?” she repeated.

“He has no problems now with killing his comrades,” Pieck exclaimed, “I saw them escape in a white ship and-,”

“Hey! What are you doing here?!” a soldier demanded as he and another aimed their rifles at her.

“Move!” the titan shouted.

Pieck jumped out of the way as the titan kicked the door open. The two soldiers trembled in fear as the titan grabbed the two and threw them into her cell. Pieck tried to keep a calm demeanor as the titan look down at her.

“Where did the ship go?” the titan demanded.

“I don’t know,” Pieck admitted, “North?”

“The neutral ship,” the titan concluded before transforming into a motorcycle, “Get on!”

“No,” Pieck declared, “You’re my enemy!”

The titan transformed back into her true form before pointing a finger at Pieck. “I don’t have time for whatever racist scrap you have. It’s either the Jagaerists that want you dead, or the titan that’s thinking it over.”

Pieck could hear footsteps coming their way and nodded her head in agreement with the titan. She changed her body into that of the motorcycle, allowing Pieck to get on.

“Are there any straps?” Pieck asked.

“Just the handles,” Arcee answered before revving up her engine. Pieck held on tightly to the handles as Arcee drove up the stairs. The titan drove past the confused Jaegarists before breaking down the wooden door. Arcee drove down the hall and saw a window at the end. Pieck grew worried as Arcee picked up her speed.

“Wait-!”

Arcee crashed through the window of the second floor, surprising some of the soldiers below her. The Autobot landed on the ground and drove off. Pieck ducked her head as bullets were flying in their direction.

“Where are we going?!” Pieck demanded.

“To the ship!” Arcee answered, “I’m going over 100. You even think about escape and I will throw you off!”

This was another scene that ended up getting scrapped because I ended up developing the dark energon Colossal Titan idea. Annie and Pieck are still allied with Marley at this time too. Additionally, this was supposed to be a moment where Arcee puts her faith in Megatron but I ultimately had Arcee go through her development in a different way. So here we go:

Arcee stared in surprise as Megatron shielded her from the aerial fire. She watched as Megatron concentrated the bullets onto his shield. She then noticed Reiner and Annie approaching the two of them as smoke rose up from the bullets.

This wasn’t going to last. The smoke might provide a good cover, but Reiner and Annie might be able to attack them before they could make another move. They needed to hold on until Optimus arrived. Arcee looked up behind the shield to see five airships firing at them.

“I need you to throw me up there!” Arcee shouted.

Megatron glanced down at Arcee. “I thought you said that you would rather die than put your life in my hands.”

“Can you not?!” Arcee shouted.

“You don’t trust me!” Megatron exclaimed, “You’ve made that clear!”

“Circumstances have changed!” Arcee declared.

Megatron laughed at the proclamation, causing Arcee to growl.

“What could have possibly changed?!” Megatron demanded.

“I have people I need to protect!” Arcee shouted, “People I care for! I’ve lost too many because of you and I’m not going through that again! I’m going to put my trust in you, because the lives of the people I love matter more! Once we’re done we can go back to being enemies!”

Megatron noticed Reiner and Annie closing in as the smoke grew larger. He looked at Arcee dead in the optics.

“Lucky for you, I do as well,” Megatron declared.

“Cease fire!” Magath shouted through the radio as the cloud got bigger.

The ships stopped firing at the two titans. None of the soldiers could see them through the smoke. Everyone grew tense when they saw a pair of red eyes before something flew out of the smoke. Magath realized it was the other titan as she aimed her weapon at the closest airship and fired. The ship exploded as the titan flew through the debris and landed on the other airship.

Annie tried to jump after her, but Megatron grabbed her leg in a surprise attack and threw her at Reiner. Megatron charged at the both of them and kept them distracted while Arcee shot the airship she was on top of. She jumped off it and grabbed the deck of the third one while the other one sunk to the ground. Her fingers pierced through the glass windows and her weight caused the ship to tilt. Arcee shielded her joints as bullets began pelting her from the other two air ships. Arcee swung her herself before letting go and flipping upwards to gain momentum. She fired behind her, causing the ship to explode. Arcee landed on the fourth ship, and before she could fire, she ducked from cannon fire aimed directly at her. She saw Pieck on top of the wall in her titan form with her cannon aimed directly at her. As the cannon was getting ready to reload, the last ship was firing bullets at her to get her off the fourth ship. Arcee jumped onto the last ship and fired at the fourth one causing it to blow up. As Arcee was ready to shoot down the last ship, Pieck’s cannon hit Arcee in the back, knocking her off the last ship.

Arcee was freefalling, but she used her blaster to fire at the last ship and blow it up. Arcee noticed Pieck gearing up to fire again and moved her servo towards the shield at her side. When Pieck fired, Arcee wiped it out and angled it before turning it on. The blast deflected off the shield and bounced back straight for Pieck.

Commander Magath gasped as the blast headed straight for them, but Pieck grabbed Magath and threw him off of her before taking the hit. Magath watched in horror as Pieck was hit and fell backwards down the wall, leaving him stranded up top.

“PIECK!” Magath screamed as Pieck hit the ground.

Arcee was still falling to the ground, but grunted when Megatron jumped up and caught her. He threw his sword at Annie’s head to slow her down as he landed on the ground. Arcee looked at Megatron in surprise as the ex-con set her down. He noticed her shocked expression and rolled his optics.

“Don’t get used to this,” Megatron advised.

Despite this not making it in, I really did enjoy writing this fight scene. It was really fun.

Okay, next scene, I was originally going to have Pieck, Gabi, and Optimus remain in the forest for a night and Pieck and Optimus have a conversation and get to know each other better. It was just a way to explore their dynamic, but considering the time crunch, it was not included.

Optimus saw that Gabi was in deep slumber before turning his side view mirror to see the woman setting a wooden pile to burn fire.

“You are more than welcome to rest in the seats,” Optimus offered her.

“I don’t want to disturb Gabi,” she insisted. Optimus activated the holoform and started picking up some dry wooden pieces and some rocks. Then walked over to the woman and knelt down. He used the rocks to create a barrier around the wood, while the woman continued to stack the fire. The woman then rubbed two sticks together, creating a small spark. She placed the burning spark on top of the wooden pile, and the fire began to burn.

The woman than sat down on the other side of the fire, away from Optimus’ alt mode. Optimus adjusted his position and sat down in front of his alt mode and the fire. The two blankly stared at each other, almost waiting for the other to speak up. Optimus relented and decided to speak, wanting to confirm her identity.

“You are Pieck Finger, are you not?” Optimus said.

Pieck twitched at that. That wasn’t a question. It was a statement. She sighed before straightening her back. “Did my relationship with Gabi give me away?”

“The current Titan shifters’ eyes turn blue as a sign of the energon prominent in theirs veins,” Optimus explained, “The energon tends to spread when the powers are activated.”

“You seem to know quite a bit about the energon serum,” Pieck assumed.

“Energon and organic materials have never been known to coexist,” Optimus explained, “This was something I needed to have complete knowledge of, as it is in relation to my race.”

Pieck didn’t answer that, and turned her attention back to the fire. She knew little to nothing about Optimus Prime, other than the reports from Reiner. She was face to face with one of the most powerful titans in all of existence, and she had so many questions. Most of all, she wanted to ask about the shadow. To know why it so desperately wanted her to put her faith in Optimus Prime, but she would sound mad if she asked such a question.

“…Do you intend to kill us? Or hand us over to the island’s government?” Pieck asked, wanting to know if she had to forgo her options and run now why grabbing Gabi. But even in Titan form, she was sure she couldn’t outrun this being.

Optimus took a deep breath at her question. “If you are here, I am certain that Marley and the rest of the world will soon follow. I would take you to the Marleyans for Gabi’s safety, but I cannot risk being attacked if I come too close. We also cannot risk being spotted by the Jaegerists. For now, it would be best to remain hidden until I can contact my comrades for a better solution.”

“Why should I trust you?” Pieck challenged, “You know who I am. You could easily take me and feed me to someone else.”

Pieck saw Optimus staring intently at the fire, watching the flames dancing before grabbing a long stick to poke at the burning wood. 

“I suppose it would be counterintuitive of me to not take you prisoner,” Optimus admitted, “However, I am aware of the situation Eldians face in Marley. And due to the political situation on Paradis, there is no telling what would happen to you if I turned you over. Consider this my kindness to you: I will aid you and Gabi’s safe return into Marley hands. But if we are to meet on the battlefield once more, I cannot extend that same courtesy to you again. You will be my enemy.”

“…I appreciate your honesty,” Pieck replied. Her gaze than shifted to the Titan’s door, thinking about Gabi’s safety.

“How long have you been watching her?” Pieck asked.

Optimus turned his gaze back to her.

“How long have you been watching Gabi?” Pieck repeated.

“A week,” Optimus answered, “Maybe two. I had my suspicions that she was from Marley due to some of her mannerism. But I did not want to turn her back to the military. I was not sure if she would be harmed in any way, so I could not take that risk.”

“Why are you protecting your enemy?” Pieck demanded, “We are a threat to you and the island. Why are you risking your life for mine?”

“I do not condone taking human life,” Optimus answered.

“…you didn’t seem to have an issue trampling my home to the ground,” Pieck retorted coldly.

Pieck could see an expression of bitterness and sadness. “No amount of apologies or condolences will change the what happened in Liberio. Even so, no one on Paradis wanted to attack the town.”

“Again, why should I believe you?” Pieck demanded. Despite her attitude at the moment, she genuinely wanted to believe him. But he was still the enemy, she couldn’t let herself be deceived so easily.

Optimus tightened his grip on the stick. “Eren Jaeger had forced our hand. He defected from us and went to Marley on his own. He was the one that forced our hand into attacking Liberio at the risk of losing the Founding Titan and the Attack Titan. Even so, I have to apologize. Eren Jaeger was my responsibility, and I was not able to stop him.”

“…Now he seems to be causing an uprising of his own,” Pieck concluded, “I’ve seen him. He’s not exactly well.”

Pieck was surprised to see such a devastated look appear on Optimus’ face.

“Do you know where he might be?” Optimus asked with concern.

Pieck shook her head. “I wasn’t able to penetrate his inner circle enough to discover his next steps.”

Pieck saw Optimus hang his head in shame. Did Optimus…have an attachment to Eren? Was he the titan’s weakness? This was an opportunity. She needed more intel now.

“I am sorry,” Optimus apologized, “I never wanted this to happen.”

“…what did you want?” Pieck asked.

“Peace,” Optimus answered automatically, “A world where humanity could coexist in peace.”

Pieck laughed bitterly at that. “Peace? On this world? That’s impossible.”

“I still wish to try,” Optimus proclaimed, “Even now, I want there to be peace.”

Pieck shook her head at that. “It’s too late for that.”

“We are talking now, are we not?” Optimus challenged, “We are not trying to kill one another.”

“I suppose not, but I’ve been deceived before,” Pieck retorted.

“I understand,” Optimus said to her.

“…Why did Zeke betray Marley?” Pieck asked, “I know he isn’t dead, so I want to know why someone so loyal to Marley to the point of selling out his own parents would turn his back on us.”

“Zeke Jaeger has an agenda all his own,” Optimus explained, “He had tampered with the wine transported to the island and made an effort to infect all the military officials with his spinal fluid.”

“Do you know what that agenda is?” Pieck asked him.

“No,” Optimus shook his head, “Which is why I cannot let Zeke Jaeger come into contact with Eren. Both clearly have their own agenda; it would be unwise for them to make contact. We do not know who will be in control of the Founding Titan’s powers if such a thing were to happen.”

“Zeke Jaeger is of royal blood?” Pieck asked in surprise.

Optimus looked just as equally shocked. “I thought you were aware. I was under the impression Marley was aware because he could control the titans with a scream.”

Pieck laughed bitterly at that. “You’re right. It’s so obvious. How could I have not seen it? I always thought that Zeke was hiding something, but I could never find out.”

Pieck noticed that Optimus looked ready to say something, but decided against it. She still…wanted to know more about this Titan. He seemed fairly kind, all things considering. He protected the both of them when he could have left them to die. Pieck then remembered Optimus saying the energon was in relation to his race, and there were two other titans that attacked Liberio. That meant there were more like them. More metal titans that came from another world, just like Reiner said. And the way he talked, it’s clear he wanted something different from what Eren and Zeke wanted. Maybe, getting more of his kind involved was the solution.

“How would you be able to obtain peace for the island and the rest of the world?” Pieck asked, “If you know so much about our world, then you would know how terrible the situation is between Eldia and Marley is. How it wouldn’t matter an Eldian’s status, and they would kill us all the same.”

“…telling you this information means revealing classified information,” Optimus declared, “You may very well tell Marley, and I cannot risk that.”

“You want there to be peace, right?” Pieck goaded, “Telling me the truth may help me explain to Marley that you want that. Eren Jaeger may very well activate the Rumbling, and both of us don’t want that. There must be some way I can help.”

“There is no way you can help,” Optimus declared, “…I proposed a plan of my own: to contact my home world. Our home is much more technologically advanced than your world or any other. With allies and resources, we could help the island become more technologically advanced in a short amount of time, leading the Rumbling to become obsolete.”

“Your home is more powerful than the Rumbling?” Pieck questioned in shock, but that hope dwindled when she realized the extent of contacting another world, “I would take them time to get here would it not?”

Optimus turned his attention to the fire. “This fire is the barrier between us. You are on one side of the world, while I am on the other. The fastest way would be to go around the fire, or travel by foot or blimp. Our technology allows us to create a bridge between us through the fire. With that bridge, I would be able to travel safely, and quickly, to you, and vice versa. That technology allows my home to come here in a matter of seconds. All they would need is our location.”

“And that’s just transportation?” Pieck spoke.

Optimus nodded his head.

“Then…could your world’s technology, find a way…to end the power of the titans?” Pieck asked, feeling hopeful.

“I do not know,” Optimus confessed, “The power of the titans is something I have not encountered before, and it was never been recorded in historical data. It would require heavy research to determine its origins and weaknesses.”

These were one of the few scenes that I wanted to included and I'm kind of sad I didn't get to include it.

Now in regards to Last Ditch Effort I was originally going to have some Marleyans be alive and have Eren kind of come in with some grand entrance and not eat Reiner in a sneak attack.

Everyone stopped when they heard pounding footsteps make their way further into Shinganshina. The Marleyan soldiers looked on in horror while the Survey Corps looked on in fear and worry. Megatron got into another fighting stance while Arcee aimed her blasters at…

“Eren…,” Armin spoke as his titan form stood in front of the Cybertronians.

Magath watched in fear and confusion at the sight before him. They were allies, right? Why did they look ready to kill Eren at the drop of a hat? The Commander gasped in horror as he saw an unconscious and limbless Zeke in Eren’s hand. They were screwed. It was all over. The Colossal Titans were going to be activated. All Eren had to do was scream, but…why didn’t he?

Eren eyed Arcee as she had her blasters aimed at his head. He then turned his attention to Megatron, and he just wanted to scream his head off. It was bad enough he received Optimus’ memories. Why? Why did he have to get Megatron’s too? Why did he have to understand him? Why did that make it harder to hate him now?!

But I figured that everyone would use this opportunity to get the jump on Eren and kill him, thus ending the story. I was originally going to have Eren eat Zeke in front of everyone before ultimately scrapping it. So I figured giving Eren the power up of the Armored Titan would keep him alive for him to activate the Rumbling.

And then, the original scene for the start of the Rumbling. Which includes an active Arcee with an arm intact. The survivors, and Eren not having the monster form. Which was something that I wanted to include, but didn't know how to at that time. Then I remembered the thorn that Annie had cut off of Megatron and made the Marleyans convert that into a weapon to have the centipede be present and what not.:

“Eren, no!” Mikasa screamed.

Everyone started screaming at Eren, pleading with him to not activate the Colossal Titans. Megatron tried to pull himself out of the crystals while Reiner tried to crawl towards Eren. Arcee and Annie were getting ready to attack, but stopped when someone rushed past the both of them.

Eren took a deep breath, ignoring the screams. He opened his mouth to scream but-

“Eren!” a voice cried out, “Stop!”

Eren felt his heart stop as he turned to see Optimus right behind him. He seemed out of breath, if that was even possible, and he didn’t have his battle mask. Zeke tried to cry out to the Prime, but Eren tighten his grip on him and made him choke on his blood.

Sasha immediately flew down to her comrades and gasped when she saw an unconscious Armin in Mikasa’s arms. “Is he okay?!”

“He’s fine,” Mikasa reassured, “But I have no idea what’s going to happen now.”

Sasha looked back with worry as Levi and Kenny arrived next to the rest of the Survey Corps.

“Levi-!”

“If we make it out of this, I am going to kill you myself!” Levi swore to Erwin.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Erwin said.

“Save your half-assed apologies for later,” Levi hissed.

“Eren, listen to me!” Optimus exclaimed, “Don’t activate the Colossal Titans within the wall!”

The surviving Marleyan soldiers could only listen in shock. This titan…didn’t want the titans to be activated?

“I understand your fear of Marley and the rest of the humans on this world!” Optimus continued, “But this is not the way to handle the situation! You have the titan power; you have weakened Marley! That alone should be enough!”

Megatron managed to pull himself out of the crystals and noticed Reiner making his way to Eren. The ex-con quickly grabbed him and pulled him back.

“Stay down,” Megatron ordered.

Arcee and Annie glanced at each other, but kept their weapons trained on Eren.

“This violence; this lust for vengeance will only lead to more destruction and devastation!” Optimus declared, “Listen to reason, Eren! Stand down now, and let us come with a better solution!”

Eren growled as he threatened to scream, but Optimus continued. “Listen to me, Eren! If you activate the rumbling, you will not only be destroying the entire world but the island as well! The people you wish to protect: Historia, Mikasa, Armin, the Survey Corps will be affected! Innocent humans, both Marleyan and Eldian who had nothing to do with attacks against the island, will be killed in the ensuing chaos! The entire world will be devastated, and the only ones that have survived will only see this action as a tasteless once! Creating a new world on mountains of bodies and rivers of blood is not justified! If you do this, you will only be seen as a monster, regardless of your motivation!”

Magath and Colt could only watch in shock at the titan’s reasoning. This titan was supposed to be a devil. That was what they had been told, but here he was trying to create peace and reason.

Optimus could see Eren wavering in his decision and continued. “Eren, I know this isn’t the path that you want, and if you stand down now we can find another solution! This isn’t the path to peace! Think for one second about the weight of your actions! If you do this, you will cause humanity’s extinction! That will be with you for the rest of your life! Do you really wish to be the one?! Do you really wish to be the cause of the death and destruction of all of mankind?!”

Silence rang out after Optimus’ question. No one wanted to move or say a word. Optimus could see Eren’s hand trembling as took a small step forward.

“That’s enough, Eren,” Optimus whispered, holding out his servo, “Please, come home.”

Eren glanced over at the Survey Corps. Levi and Kenny looked ready to murder him. Hanji looked terrified, and was debating the other paths she could have taken in order to prevent this outcome. Jean and Connie looked at him with both hopelessness and anger. Mikasa stared at him with sadness while Sasha held her ground and stood in front of him.

Eren then turned his attention to both Arcee and Megatron. Arcee had her gun trained on him while keeping an eye on Annie, but he could tell she was having second thoughts. He noticed Megatron didn’t waiver for a moment, having his sword out and ready to throw it at him. Annie and Reiner were both terrified; he could see it on their faces, but he didn’t know if they would attack or run. Eren turned his attention back to Optimus, and immediately wanted to throw up.

He could see all of the emotions stirring in his eyes. He could see the fear, fear of the rumbling being activated. He could see betrayal and hurt, wondering how it got this far. But in those array of emotions, he could see hope. Hope that Eren would make the right call and not activate the Colossal Titans. And he wanted so badly to take the hand. He just wanted to stop; he wanted this to end. But…the reality Optimus wanted…doesn’t exist. Marley wanted them all dead. The world wanted them dead. He couldn’t go down without a fight, or everyone else here would die. The world was cruel to allow him to make peace. He’s too far gone anyway. This was the only way…he had to fight.

Eren took a step back away from Optimus and hung his head. Eren tried to emit words, startling the Prime as he shook his head. Optimus stared in shock as Eren lifted his head to reveal tears coming down his face.

“Sa-ee,” Eren spoke, “Sa-ee,”

Megatron grew tense at tightened his grip on the sword while Arcee charged. Meanwhile, Magath saw the machine that was strapped to Pieck on the ground and bolted towards it. He saw that it was aimed directly towards the two and placed his finger on the trigger.

“Aa-iv-ee,” Eren spoke.

“Eren…what are you saying?” Optimus pleaded before freezing in placing and recognizing the speech pattern.

“Sorry. Sorry. Forgive me.”

“Eren, no!” Optimus yelled as he leaped for Eren. Megatron threw his sword at Eren while Arcee and Magath fired their weapons.  Eren crystallized his neck, deflecting Megatron’s sword, before screaming at the top of his lungs. The scream itself threw Optimus back and caused him to slam in the metal gate to the Shinganshina exit while crystals shot up from the ground and protected him from the other attacks. The Survey Corps and Marleyan soldiers covered their ears as they took cover from the force. Magath held onto the weapon for dear life while Colt hid behind a piece of a wall. Megatron shielded his face while Arcee covered her audio receptors and stumbled to keep her footing. Arcee looked over to see Annie and Reiner screaming and clutching their heads in pain while writhing on the ground.

Eren stopped screaming and a deafening silence rung through the air. Optimus forced himself to sit up and began to feel the ground shaking. Optimus gasped when he saw cracks in the wall forming from the ground up. The titan turned his attention to Eren who still had tears coming down his face.

“What have you done?” Optimus whispered.

Eren didn’t respond.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” Optimus screamed.

Eren scream through the air one more time, and the Survey Corps and Marleyans soldiers watched in horror as the Colossal Titans busted through the wall. Arcee covered her mouth in shock while Megatron let go of Reiner.

“Everyone, run!” Megatron shouted.

The Survey Corps flew away with their 3D gear, using the titans as a means to get as far away as possible. Many Marleyans didn’t know what to do and ended up getting crushed underfoot.

“Colt! Get up!” Magath ordered as he grabbed the screaming teen.

Reiner and Annie managed to run from Megatron while Arcee drove off. Reiner grabbed Magath and Colt before making a break for it while Annie chose to run away by herself. Megatron bolted and grabbed his sword before running towards a heartbroken Optimus. He grabbed the Prime and ran in the direction of the Survey Corps as more titans from the wall began to emerge.

Optimus could only watch in horror as he reached out for Eren over Megatron’s shoulder, his form only fading from his sight and being blocked out by the Colossal Titans. That couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be happening. Eren couldn’t have done this.

Eren stopped screaming, his tears fading into the wind as he looked forward with anger and determination. There was no stopping this now. He had to see this through to the end.

Armin opened his eyes and noticed Mikasa was holding him as she flew through the air. He looked up at her to see tears in her eyes before looking back in horror to see the Colossal Titans trampling Shinganshia to the ground and making their way toward them.

“The titans…,” Armin trailed off, “Is this hell?”

“No,” Erwin answered as he heard the boy, “This is the end. This is the end of the world.”

Decided to change it due to how everything else in the story turned out prior to this moment. I had originally written this way back in 2019 while also making a few tweaks before coming up with the final scene in chapter 92.

I'm sure that there is stuff I'm still missing for the alternate scenes, but these were the most important scenes that I had. After this, I'll be updating the Masterlist once more so everyone is caught up on AOP stuff, so keep an eye out for that!

[toska-writes]

I’d like to request something with delta squad and padawan reader on a joint mission, if possible. Maybe scorch and reader causing trouble or just some other headcanons if possible! Please take your time responding, thank you

So it was a little different then what you said but I hope it’s just as good!

“The Wager”

Summary: A crazy mission with the delta squad is always something to remember- now a crazy demolition man is making things way more interesting

Paring: Delta Squad x Reader (plllllatonic)

Warning: None! Have fun

Word count: 1087

Notes: the sibling banter in this was literally so much fun and I really like writing for the Delta Squad I found out

This time it wasn't your fault that something blew up, but for some reason all heads snapped in your direction.

"If you haven't noticed a certain commando in yellow isn't here to defend himself and it wasn't me!" Your hands flew up in a mock surrender now that your presence was known on this 'stealth mission'

"But last time you nearly killed Sev kid so the bar has been raised a little higher this time." Boss said while nodding his head to the side to get the rest of the squad to better cover now that some of the forest was going up in blaze.

"Sev shoved me so when the detonator went off everyone looked right past him!" You whispered yelled as you all repositioned so you could have a clear look towards the outpost. Or what was last.

"It was a nudge and it wasn't my fault that you blew over like a leaf." Sev defended himself but earned a choir of 'shhhhh'

With a last attempt at having the last words you quickly added under your breath. "Maybe you can carry it next time and I’ll just do happen to slip."

Sev glared at you again and if he didn't have his helmet on you could almost see him sticking his tongue out at you.

“Just hope that di’kut didn’t blow up the information we needed.” Boss said to the group.

It was Fixers turn now to try to get you all back on track, he came behind a ruffled your hair slightly then spoke to the rest of the deltas "let's continue with the mission and make sure Scorch didn't kill himsel as well.”

The bombs really weren't suppose to go off until you were closer to the building making your entrance less of a hassle.

Somehow to Fixer and Boss's dismay the missions always seemed to steer off the tracks- actually they went so far off the tracks they created their own, and that one was held together with a lot of glue and prayer.

You took pride in knowing that you were half of this problem. Normally the other half was next to you and never with his mouth shut.

The last mission when you were with this squad was... well it was your second time and everyone was still trying to figure things out.

But when somehow the ship crashed, you and fixer fell through the floor and into a little droid meeting, Scorch and yourself played catch with a bomb giving Boss a migraine, and still somehow managed getting the job done was a great way to quickly bond with the squad.

Boss watched as you each took position around before you quietly made your way closer. The fact that there still was no sign of Scorch concerned him a little, but he knew that if anyone was harder to kill then a bug it was Scorch.

The outpost was just in sight with an unusual cloud of dust and debris coming off the back. The Deltas spent way to long carefully placing those bombs around the landscape just for them to be useless essentially.

"Scorch won't answer his comm." Fixer voice crackled through their helmets. His voice was bordering over uneasiness and anxiety.

You looked to the hiding place of the other squad memebers, a small buzz seemed to sound in your ear. The ground under your feet shook slightly with shock of a distant force coming closer.

Not paying much heed to Boss who seemed to be going over another plan, you walked out from behind your makeshift barricade and stood near the opening to investigate.

"Oh great the kiddo over here is gonna get us all killed." You heard Sev hiss through the comms but you couldn't stop now.

"If you kept quite you might hear it too." You quipped back over your shoulder and into your comm.

For a second nobody dared to even breath, the anticipation rose as the boys watched you walk further and further out into the clearing as they tried to listen too.

Boss had his blaster trained near you just in case someone did try anything while you were.... Distracted. He didn't really know how the force worked but it seemed like too much to remeber. Maybe he'll ask you or Fixer later.

Over the horizon was were you could tell the sound was coming from. The sun seemed to set perfectly behind where Scorch came running to meet up with the group followed by about a dozen battle droids.

Wait a dozen battle droids.

“I GOT IT BOYS I GOT IT.” Scorch seemed way to happy in the position he was in. He held up what looked to be his cracked datapad.

Blaster fire started raining down from both sides, you tried your best to make sure Scorch didn’t get picked off.

“I take that back, he’s going to get us all killed.” Sev gruffly said in between firing.

A long string of curses both you could understand and some you couldn’t spilled out of the leader of the Deltas as he ran to Scorch to try and help him.

You could practically feel the smile radiating off of Scorch as he continued to run back to you.

“Fixer get the ship ready.” Boss spoke clearly through the comms.

Scorch came to a stop at your side quickly showing you the datapad. “Beat that time for a mission complete.”

“I don’t think that,” you vaguely gestured to the chaos that ensued in his wake. “Counts as a great job well done.”

The commando bumped shoulders with you as you both made a beeline for the ship that was touching down.

“Your just upset I get a few credits because I beat your time mate.”

Followed closely behind by the rest of the squad you all somehow by a miracle maybe got onto the ship without a scratch.

Quickly going to your bag on the ship you pulled a few credits out and reluctantly handed them over, adding. “At least I didn’t have to blow anything up or go against the plan and piss of Boss to win last time.”

“You know they’re right.” Boss stood behind you now as Sev went to join Fixer in the cockpit; with a smile on his face knowing just what was about to go down. “But I do need a word with you Scorch.”

You quickly did a ‘oooooo’ as you also retreated into the cockpit taking a seat by Fixer.

You’ll get those credits back next time- no matter what.

_____________________________________

Taglist: @arctrooper69 @thereforepizza @padawancat97