#like i can walk on it there is just a constant low level of pain

[casbitchh]

ok i googled “how to know if toe is broken or bruised” and i genuinely feel nauseous from some of the photos that came up. i think if my toe was broken though it would be much more painful and swollen, plus it takes like 4-6 weeks for toes to heal and i have a half marathon in 8 weeks to train for so i am choosing that my toe is not broken

[thornheartfelt]

*Drags Mor.din with me to my orthopaedics appointment for emotional support*

[loonylupinblack3]

Period Trouble

Pairing: Logan Howlett x Reader

Warnings: swearing, nothing else i think?

Summary: you wake up with your period and are forced to go on a mission with Logan of all people

Word count: 2.4k

A/N: literally obsessed with this man rn so ofc i had to write about him. also wolverine has enhanced senses including smell but its like…. barely shown in the movies so i had to search it up to be sure, and some part of me still doubts it but for the purposes of this fic he does have it

You woke up with a groan, immediately curling into a ball. You were early. You were early and you hadn’t emotionally or physically prepared for having your period today, yet the world seemed ready to punish you, burdening you with an early cycle.

You checked the time, cursing every god and deity you knew when you realised you were supposed to have woken up half an hour ago. Wincing, you got up, your body screaming at the movement. Already your stomach was aching, the ghosts of cramps to come caressing your body. 

There was knocking at your door, quiet yet firm. You already knew it was Storm on the other side of the door, no doubt in search of a reason why you failed to get up on time. It was going to be a long day.

You yelled out to Storm, promising to be out in five minutes, and got up, groggily looking for your clothes. When you’d tamed your hair and brushed your teeth, you exited your room to find Storm waiting on the other side, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

She took one look at you and sighed. “What are you wearing?”

You looked down perplexed. “....my clothes?”

She raised her eyebrow. “You’re on a mission today, remember?”

Fuck. You nearly let out a whine. You were not in the mood to go skulking around doing Xavier’s bidding when you had a constant throbbing pain assaulting your stomach, unreasonable mood swings, and exhaustion weighing you down.

Storm sent you a questioning look. “You up for this?”

The mission was nothing big. Professor X needed you to collect some sort of rare herb that had recently been shipped into the nearest city, something he needed to complete a super secret experiment you weren’t privy to. He’d just asked for help and you’d volunteered.

Oh how you regretted that decision now.

“Yeah I’m fine,” you muttered. “Let me just get changed real quick.”

Getting into your previously decided upon outfit, a plain inconspicuous one intended to blend in, you left your room again, this time with no complaint from Storm. Your stomach gave an uncomfortable clench and you sighed, making a mental note to find some nurofen before leaving for the mission.

“Why aren’t you in your outfit?” you asked, just realising Storm wasn’t wearing what you two had agreed upon yesterday.

She winced slightly. “Can’t go. Filling in for some classes.”

Your face soured but you tried not to hold it against her. Storm loved her students, and given the choice of helping them or Xavier with a low level mission, she’d obviously choose her kids. You couldn’t blame her exactly, but it meant you’d have to go on this mission alone, while not impossible by any means it would make it slightly more difficult.

You sighed. “That’s okay. I can go alone.”

When Storm winced even more your eyes narrowed in suspicion, following her with caution. “Storm…..”

She sighed guiltily. “Xavier didn’t want you to go alone. The herb’s too valuable.”

You tilted your head slightly as you entered the house’s foyer. “So who am I going with then?”

Storm’s eyes darted ahead, and you followed her gaze to find Logan Howlett leaning against the wall, hands in the pockets of his jeans. He smirked at you, “you’re looking at him sweetheart.”

You resisted the urge to groan, instead sending Storm a dirty look. You didn’t necessarily dislike Logan, but he was a lot to deal with, and you were already tired from your day that had barely begun.

You couldn’t say all that with Logan standing there however, so you muttered a, “lovely,” and walked past the man to the garage.

He followed you silently, no quip or smart ass comment which was strange for him. You’d just entered the garage, heading towards one of the cars, when you glanced back at him and found Logan stopped in the doorway, staring at you with a frown on his face. Or rather, a deeper frown than usual.

“What is it?” you asked him, standing at the hood of the car.

Logan’s eyes roved your body, searching for something. “You’re injured.”

It was your turn to frown. “What? No I’m not.”

He took a step forward, almost as if he was planning on looking for your alleged injury himself. “Don’t bullshit me Y/n, I can smell your blood.”

You made a face. “What are you talking about…..” you trailed off when you realised it, perhaps the most mortifying moment in your life.

Logan could smell your period blood. He thought you were bleeding from an injury. 

You cleared your throat, feeling your cheeks heat up. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

He scoffed, walking towards you until you were face to face. You tried to step back and felt the hood of the car against your legs. “I can smell the fucking blood seeping out of you Y/n. I wouldn’t call that fine.”

You gritted your teeth to stop yourself from snapping at him. “I can assure you, I am not injured.”

You moved to walk past him but he caught your wrist, forcing you back into your position pressed against the car. “If you think I am going on this mission with you while you’re wounded, you’re out of your mind.”

“I’m not-”

“Do you think I’m an idiot darl? Is that why you’re denying being hurt while I can literally smell it on you-”

You cut him off. “I’m on my period, Logan.”

He paused, staring at you with an indecipherable expression on his face. You waited for him to speak, feeling embarrassed and furious about it. Why should you be embarrassed of your period? He was the one who was pushing you, prodding you, forcing you to tell him the source of the bleeding. If your answer made him uncomfortable, that wasn’t your fault nor your concern.

Eventually he spoke. “Alright then. Get in the car. I’m driving.”

You scowled at him. “Says who?”

He didn’t even bother looking at you, already in the driver’s seat. “Says me.”

You sighed but didn’t argue further, silently getting into the passenger seat. Logan started the car, reversing it out of the garage and driving down the long winding driveway till you got to the street.

“It’s an hour's drive to the city, give or take,” you told Logan, setting the GPS up on the car.

Logan barely glanced at it, eyes on the road, a firm grip on the steering wheel. He didn’t even respond to you. You sighed and turned away, looking out the window as the scenery passed you in flashes.

As the drive continued, you noticed Logan sending you glances every now and then. If you really focused on them, you’d almost say they seemed worried, concerned even, but they were always too quick for you to tell for certain. You were too preoccupied with your cramps that had started up anyway, and the lack of nurofen you’d forgotten to grab.

Finally, you arrived at the city, driving into the hustle and bustle of the crowded area. Logan’s hand tightened on the steering wheel, obviously not a fan of the traffic the city provided. You watched the stream of people through the window as Logan looked for a space to park, muttering under his breath.

You were mildly entertained at the amount of road rage he had, cursing every car that wasn’t at least 10 metres over the speed limit. His jaw was clenched, hand fisting the steering wheel, yet he still looked at you here and there, like you were actually wounded.

When he eventually found a parking spot the two of you got out of the car and you looked at the address Xavier gave you.

“Should be somewhere along this street,” you murmured, eyes flicking from the piece of paper to the busy street.

Logan moved behind you, so close you could feel your back against his chest, and looked at the paper in your hand. He let out a grunt and moved past you, walking forwards. You frowned and hurried your pace, not wanting to lose him amidst the crowd of people.

Luck was certainly not your side, because soon enough you’d lost him, unable to see his black leather jacket in the throng of people. You hesitated, wondering if you should look for him or just go straight to the address, when you felt an arm around your waist.

“Stay close to me,” Logan murmured into your war, his voice gravelly. “Don’t wanna lose you again.”

You glanced at him as he continued walking, not moving his arm from your waist. “How’d you find me?”

He gave you a smirk. “Followed the smell of blood.”

Again you felt your cheeks heat but you glared at him defiantly, refusing to be embarrassed. He smirked at you, flashing his teeth, as you arrived in front of the address, a plain building home to some sort of florist. 

Logan finally took his hand from your waist, walking to the door with you trailing behind him. A bell gave a little jingle as you entered, and you were immediately assaulted with the smell of flowers. Different sorts of plants took up every corner of the room and Logan’s face soured as he looked around, obviously not pleased with the environment.

An old woman sat behind a desk, watering a plant with a mini watering can. You walked up to her, Logan hot on your heels. When you stopped in front of the desk Logan was so close behind you you could actually feel his chest against your back.

“Mrs May?” you asked.

The old woman looked at you with a smile, her eyes crinkling. “That’s me. What can I help you two lovebirds with? Bouquet of roses? Lilies?”

You opened your mouth, surprised, and tried to find something to say. Being mistaken for a couple shouldn’t have affected you so much, especially while on a mission, but you were flustered and could still feel Logan’s chest right against your back, his warmth almost dizzying.

“We’re not here for flowers unfortunately,” Logan spoke, saving you. Except why didn’t he specify you weren’t a couple? Did that not matter to him, what some old lady thought, or did he enjoy the idea of being thought of as your boyfriend?

Oh god. What were you thinking? Stupid period hormones. 

The old lady looked at you two curiously. “Then how can I help you?”

There was a pointed silence and you realised Logan was waiting for you to speak. You cleared your throat and spoke the random sequence of words Xavier had you memorise, that would inform Mrs May just what type of buyers you were.

The woman’s eyes lit up with recognition and she nodded her head slowly. “Ah, yes, let me just go to the storage room quickly, I’ll be back….”

Mrs May tottered around the desk and through a side door, half hidden behind the multitude of plants covering the area, leaving you alone with Logan.

You took a step away from him and turned around to look at him, finding him staring at you with a frown on his face.

You frowned back at him. “What’s up with you today?”

He raised his eyebrows at you. “What is up with me? I don’t know if you’ve noticed Darl but you haven’t exactly been up to par yourself.”

You rolled your eyes at his words. “That’s not what I meant, and besides, I’m on my period.”

Logan stared at you, arms crossed. “What did ya mean then?”

“You’ve been acting strange. Less talkative and annoying like usual.”

Logan snorted. “Ever the lady.”

“I’m serious. What’s up with you?”

Logan sighed and took a step forward until he was towering over you and you had to crane your head up to look at him. “You are what’s up. I can constantly smell you bleeding, and I can’t get it out of my mind that it means you’re hurt. You’re driving me crazy sweetheart.”

Well…. That certainly wasn’t what you were expecting. Logan smirked down at you as if he knew that, and enjoyed surprising you. You cleared your throat as your eyes darted to the floor. “Well, that’s hardly my fault.”

Logan chuckled. “Not your fault no, but it is your doing whether you mean to or not.”

You swallowed, looking back up at him. “Well…. Don’t you constantly smell when people are on their periods?”

“It’s different with you. Smelling your blood just drives me crazy, plain and simple. Can’t get the instinct out of my head that blood means injury.”

The way Logan was admitting all of this, with such calm, made you think he’d been wanting to say this for a while. The unspoken confession was there, and it was up to you to decide what to do with it.

“I’m glad you care,” was what you landed on, unsure of what else to say.

Logan chuckled again, one hand snaking to your waist. “I do a lot more than care, Y/n.”

You smiled softly, looking up at him. With his other hand he brushed your cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. The sound of a door closing brought you out of your little bubble and you took a step back, Logan reluctantly letting go of your waist.

Mrs May, either not having seen you two or graciously deciding to ignore it, passed you a package, informing you the herb and all information involving it was inside, and to handle it with care. You nodded and thanked the old woman before exiting the building, Logan again right on your heels.

As soon as the shop’s door closed behind you Logan’s hand was back around your waist. “Not losing you this time.”

You tried not to smile, though internally you were grinning like a maniac, and let Logan lead the two of you back to the car. You didn’t even get to argue your case of driving this time, Logan already in the driver’s seat. You sighed and got into the passenger seat, resigning yourself to another hour of silence as Logan started driving, when you felt his hand on your thigh.

You looked at him but he didn’t say anything, just gave it a light squeeze as he kept his eyes on the road. You looked away, grinning. So maybe the world didn’t have it out for you after all.

[lovelyiida]

i have a fic / oneshot idea hear me out!! u know how bakugo got kidnapped by lov? what if there he meets y/n and she is a member but she is actually nice to him/helps him escape?? that would be cool 😩

YAAAAS THIS GOES SO HARD FRIEND!! I don't think the reader would be super nice, more passive agressive if you get my drift? villains gotta keep that hardshell exterior lol.

This is my first ever request fill on this account, hopefully, this is to your liking :)

IMAGINE YOU AS A NICE MEMBER OF THE LEAUGE OF VILLAINS, bakugo had been held captive for hours. his body ached due to his constant thrashing, his skin stung as he struggled to set himself free of the rope. as the rest of the league went out to fight, you kept watch of him.

"you're going to tire yourself out if you keep on throwing your body around," you stated. only being met with a loud growl. frowning as you watch him struggle more, your heavy black boots echo across the room as you walk toward him.

you watched as he struggled even more as you grew closer, letting out a groan as you stand in front of him. you watched as he grunts louder, frowning you grab him by his jaw.

your fingertips can feel the way he trembles in your touch, you frown at this. "listen, if I untape your mouth...will you be quiet for me?" you say.

only being met with bakugos' hard gaze and stagnant breath, he shakily nods. you let out a small smirk, "good."

Caressing his face, you quickly take ahold of the piece of tape and rip it off his mouth with ease. hearing the boy curse out in pain, you quickly apologize.

you reach for a bottle of water on the floor, grabbing it you walk back over to him. "here, drink up, I know all that screaming has your throat dry" you chuckle at your own words. guiding the bottle into his mouth you watch him gulp the whole bottle.

quietly laughing at him, he finishes the bottle. throwing it on the floor, you walk away and grab another chair and drag it in front of him, sitting down you eye him down.

Bakugo scowls at your face, quickly letting out a burp, he blows it in your face.

licking the inside of your cheek, you let out a dry chuckle. "do you want me to tape your mouth shut again?" you start.

"let me go," bakugo growls.

"and why should I?" you asked, he watches bakugo curse under his breath. "you're making a big mistake, there are people coming for me⏤"

"like I don't know that..." you grit your teeth together, irritated by the utter mentioning of the heroes. "like I said, why should I let you go?" you cross your legs, awaiting an answer.

Bakugo sighs, "because...what's the point, I'm never leaving this shit hole." Bakugo hangs his head low, lips quivering as a single tear drips onto the fabric of his pants.

you bite the inside of your cheek, poking your lip out you look away.

looking back, you uncross your legs and crouch down to his level, "I'm gonna give you a reason why I'm gonna let you go." you breathe out, voice strong and confident.

your words make Bakugo's head rise, "huh?" he says. "I thought villains keep their hostages, not let them go," he says.

"well, luckily for you, I'm the only villain in this so-called shit hole with a single ounce of empathy left."

a quiet beat passes by, you hear the rain pour outside, looking towards the window, you see the faint colors of the city lights. turning back towards him, you frown.

"you don't belong here...whatever your name is" you mumble.

"all because you have some flashy quirk and a shit personality doesn't make you a villain, that I know for sure," you say.

"so then why are you here?" bakugo grumbles. licking your lips, you let out a sigh. "because I have a debt to pay that keeps on growing" you say.

"and what debt is that?" bakugo asked.

"I owe him my life⏤Shigaraki⏤I came here the same way you did, just in different circumstances. My father crossed him, so instead of killing him, I gave myself away...so that I could pay the debt my father owes."

Bakugo only gives you a look, a sorrowful look.

opening your mouth to speak, you were cut off by the sound of a car pulling up. eyes going wide, you quickly jump out from your seat and wrap your arms around bakugo and start to untie the rope from the back.

"you need to go!" you whispered, quickly setting him loose, bakugo shoots up from his chair. his heavy hand reaches out for yours and runs towards the door.

flinging the door wide open, he tries to make a run for it until you stopped him by holding your tracks. "I'm not leaving you here to die!" he yells.

your lips quiver as you try to give him a smile, "I'm way past saving, please go! whoever you are-"

"Bakugo, Katsuki Bakugo" he says.

you let out a breath, "go, bakugo" you whimper, sliding your hand out of his and slowly sliding them to the sides of your arms. he frowns at your state, "I'll come back to get you."

you let out a bittersweet chuckle at his words, "okay."

Turning on his foot, he runs out the door.

maybe in another life, under different circumstances, the both of you would've been friends...

[artful-aries]

How They Take Care Of You When You’re Sick (Scaramouche, Diluc, Albedo)

​​Scaramouche:

​​Sorry folks, he’s going to be a total asshole if you’re sick

​​Coughing so much your throat is sore? Sucks to suck. Nose is so stuffy you can’t breathe? Not his problem

​​Honestly has the nerve to make fun of you for getting sick, saying how you’re just so weak for letting a little cold get to you so much

​​Yet when your sickness takes a turn for the worse with high fevers, vomiting, etc., Scaramouche low key becomes concerned

​​He’ll try to keep his remarks going, but they will eventually die in his mouth as he just sighs to hold your hair back from your face as you get sick

​​He tries to actually take care of you a little at that point, but he’s still a bit of a jerk about it; he will demand that you hurry up and eat, stop whining and get more rest, and will remind you that you owe him big time for his efforts

​​Despite his harsh words, Scaramouche does a good enough job to set you on the path of recovery, and once you’re all better he will stop tending to you

​​“You better not get sick like that again, it was a pain,” He would say, almost glaring at you for having the audacity to get sick

​​It is all he will say that would indicate that he was ever concerned about your health in the first place

For a while, he secretly will find ways to slip you herbs that help with the immune system, or will always keep medicine on hand after you recover

​​

​​Diluc:

​​For all his stoicism, the man is worried about your health

​​If you’d let him, he will bring you to Dawn Winery and have you recover under the constant care of his servants, as well as himself

​​He makes himself scarce if you’re too sick to manage bathing by yourself, need help changing clothes, or any task that requires a bit of…intimacy in his mind

​​Regardless if he is already in an established relationship with you or not, Diluc cares about your privacy. He will let the maids take care of those types of needs, unless you specifically request him

​​He is more than happy to bring you food himself or keep you company in your room. Not that he’s the talkative type, but he will do it if it aids your recovery

​​Diluc sort of hovers near your room, making sure that if you ever needed something he would be right there to hear your call. It makes him nervous that there isn’t anything he can do but wait out your sickness

​​Hires the best doctor he can to routinely come and check on you though, so thankfully your sickness never gets too terrible

​​Diluc is relieved when you’re finally on the mend, you can almost visibly see the tension evaporating from his body

​​If you try to repay him for his efforts, he will not have it, saying that it was his duty to help you while you were in need

​​He is totally one that would wind up getting sick after taking care of you, he was just too much of a worrywart to stay away

​​

​​Albedo:

​​Having Albedo treat you is basically just like having a doctor on call 24/7

​​It is RARE that any of your sicknesses get beyond the point of a mild cough or sniffle, because he is keeping track of your health at an absurdly detailed level

On the off chance that your illness does get to the point of being something like a flu or worse, Albedo is very attentive

​​He makes all of your medicine himself, using alchemy to enhance the effects, as well as making various cooling lotions and such to help keep your fever down

​​Admittedly, the medicine he makes tastes HORRIBLE, but he insists that he had to sacrifice taste to improve efficient. You wonder if it’s worth being sick for longer if you can avoid the awful aftertaste it leaves in your mouth

​​The downside is he is too focused on you making a recovery. You will lay down and rest, and no amount of “I’m bored and I need to walk around a bit” will convince him otherwise

​​It’s how he shows his love and concern, though it can be mildly frustrating and annoying that he is stubborn about it

​​Refuses to give you affection beyond a pat of the head, and will go into extensive detail on how germs and disease spread if you ask him why he won’t kiss you

​​It’s not that he doesn’t like kissing you, but physical affection is the last thing that’s on his mind when you’re sick. He is hyper focused in his goal of getting you well again

​​Once he finally clears you of your sickness, he will pull you into a light hug and tell you that he is happy that you’re feeling well again

​​It’s almost worth putting up with how bossy he can be when your sick, seeing him turn so soft when you’re well again

[deramin2]

Charts For Assessing Pain And Fatigue

As a person with chronic pain and chronic fatigue, I often find it helpful to use scales to communicate how I'm doing, both for myself to contextualize it and so others have an idea how I'm doing. It's especially helpful for doctors who take you more seriously when you have data.

But I'm really bad at just assessing it in my head, especially consistently. Internalized ableism means I always feel like I'm just being a wimp and I really minimize my pain. So assessment scales that make me look at my behaviors really help break me out of that and be more honest. They also keep me more consistent so the days is more useable.

Both scales in a spreadsheet

Pain Scale

This scale was given to me in a hospital with no indication of where it came from in a really basic badly formatted table. This is my cleaned up version formatted to be saved on a phone or printed.

0 - No Pain - Pain free

2 - Minimal - Pain is barely noticeable; tightness

3 - Mild - Feel a low level of pain entering awareness only when my attention is devoted to it

4 - Uncomfortable - Pain is troubling but can be ignored most of the time; am able to continue activities

5 - Moderate - Moderate pain but no break in activity or concentration; guarded movement patterns

6 - Distracting - Pain is troubling and breaks through concentration but is tolerable; activity level changes.

7 - Distressing - Pain is intense and preoccupies my thinking; can complete tasks but it is difficult and must cease some demanding activities; considering pain medication or other pain reducing agent.

8 - Intense - Severe pain that makes concentration difficult; can do only non-demanding activities; taking pain medication, etc. Can't carry on a conversation well, pacing , etc.

9 - Severe - Cannot concentrate on anything else; sweating, unsteady breathing, can do almost nothing. Can barely talk.

10 - Immobilizing - Excruciating pain, constant; unable to move.

Fatigue Scale

This was floating around Tumblr in the colorful version. I can't print it, I can't read it with the colors when I'm tired, and I wanted the scales to normalized going the same direction so here's my formatting version:

0 - Not tired at all.

1 - Slightly tired, but still able to carry on as normal with little to no difficulty.

2 - Finding everything more effort than usual, but still able to carry on.

3 - Tiredness makes it hard to enjoy activities that are usually fun, but still able to work or study (with some difficulty).

4 - Possibly able to do some work or studying, depending on how much effort it takes. May choose to work or study from home. Avoiding activities that take a lot of energy.

5 - Mostly unable to work or study (except low effort tasks that can be done from home) can go out (for example to buy food) but only if essential.

6 - Too tired to go out, but still able to move around the house and do activities that require little energy and focus. Preparing a meal is difficult. Can't work or study.

7 - Doesn't need to lie down and can walk around the house, but can't stand for more than a few minutes without resting. Finding it hard to eat some foods. Can't focus on anything easily.

8 - Able to sit up for a while and walk around the house if absolutely necessary. Unable to eat most food. Holding a conversation is difficult.

9 - Able to sit up for a short time and can walk short distances (with difficulty), e.g. to get a drink or go to the toilet. Can't eat.

10 - Can barely sit up. Needs assistance getting out of bed.

Sources

I don't know where either of these came from originally or who to credit, but I'd like to. (Normally I wouldn't repost people's work but the public benefit here outweighs those concerns for me.) Please reblog if you do and I'll edit it in. I just want them available to more disabled people.

[leapingbadger]

Entangled - Chapter 2 - Awry

Apparently, I have no patience. Chapter 2 is up now!

Will likely post updates daily.

The night air was cool. Stale puddles reflected the neon lights of the surrounding nightclubs and bars. Fennec Shand led Hunter down a particularly putrid smelling alley way, strewn with rubbish and the occasional pair of feet sticking out from under a crate. Hunter knew they weren’t dead; he could hear their hearts beating shallow in their chest.

He tugged at his armor. For something he had worn most of his life, it suddenly felt unfamiliar and cumbersome. He couldn’t say he preferred the soft, flowy linen clothes of Pabu, but had to admit they were more comfortable. His helmet, the new one Echo had supplied him had none of Tech’s modifications and was a constant disappointment. He had at least managed to paint it, so it didn’t look quite so much like clone trooper armor.

A large group of bounty hunters passed and Shand pushed Hunter into the wall of the alley, her helmet meeting his and she did so.

“More guild members. We’re going to have to be quick.”

“You want to enlighten me on the plan?” he asked.

His squad may not have been ones for following orders, but they always had a plan, or at least an idea of a plan before starting a mission. Shand may have known her objectives, but Hutner was in the dark and it wasn’t a place he was comfortable being.

“Moto has a friend who almost certainly knows where he is. We’re just going to have a little chat.”

“If he’s in the bar what makes you think every other bounty hunter doesn’t already have him?”

“He’s one of Jabba’s men. He’s untouchable.” She said.

“But you’re just going to stride in there and talk to him?”

“Of course not. You are.” She said. Hunter could swear he saw a glint in her eye through the slit in her helmet. She was enjoying this.

The bar was hidden down another narrow alley. Patrons spilled outside. Hunter could feel the vibration of the music in his chest. His ears prickled with the stimulation to his senses. He took a deep breath before following Shand inside.

The bar itself was dingy but packed. He and Shand skirted through other patrons before finding a spot to the right of the bar. No one seemed to be paying attention to them, Hunter leaned closer to hear over the din.

“The barman’s who you need to talk to.” Shand said.

“What are you going to do?” Hunter asked,

“I’m going to catch up with some old friends.”

Hunter scowled as he saw her disappear into the crowd. He knew working with Shand was a mistake.

He walked up to the bar and ordered a bitters, taking his helmet off and gulping it down and soon as it was put in front of him.

“You should stick close to your lady. This place isn’t safe,” the barman said. He was a Quarren, the purple tentacles protruding from his jaw twitching as he talked. His tone was neutral, but Hunter felt the threat under his words.

Hunter shrugged, “she can take care of herself.”

As if on queue, the noise level in the bar raised over the thumping of the music. A Twi’lek with long orange lekku went flying across the room, crashing into a crowd of helmeted bounty hunters. The crowd parted to let Shand charge after her target. She tackled him low, her heavy helmet doing to work to bowl him over.

“Well then, maybe you should stick with her,” the barman said.

Hunter knew before the Quarren pulled out his blaster, he caught the barrel as the shot went narrow, through the crowd and into the arm of a drunken patron who didn’t seem to feel it.

Hunter, still holding on to the blaster, pulled barman over the bar and swung down with his left arm, disarming him and breaking his elbow with a loud snapping pop. The barman let out a guttural cry in pain. Shand was at his side as he stunned him and started dragging him towards the exit.

“We’ve gotta go” she shouted in his ear.

“No kidding,” Hunter said, putting his helmet on with one hand and throwing the Quarren over his shoulder. He pulled out his own blaster and shot out a large dome light, hoping it would buy them enough cover to get out in the open.

There was a surge of bodies moving towards them. Hunter kept his eyes on Shand’s colorful braid and followed as she sprinted up the stairs and out into the wet night.

They ducked and dived around corners; the dead weight of the barman was heavy on Hunter’s shoulders. He was out of practice with this sort of thing and was beginning to feel it.

“Here,” Shand said, indicating for Hunter to drop him next to a doorframe in an alleyway. She slapped him until he came around. Hunter stood behind them, a blaster in both hands, in a T-pose, covering both entry points.

“Fennec Shand,” the barman said groggily, “You’re gunna die for this,” he chuckled.

“Nice to see you too, Dimitri. Just tell me where Moto is. That’s all we need.”

“What makes you think I’d give you that intel when I wouldn’t give it to anyone else.”

“Because I know you’ve been skimming off the top and soon, they’ll coming for you.”

Hunter noticed the Quarren’s white eyes widened and for the first time he struggled against Shand’s grip. She had him, and he knew it.

“I can…I can give you the coordinates… but you gotta protect me.”

“Of course,” she said cooly.

Hunter felt the vibration of feet, lots of them, in the surrounding alleyways.

“We can’t stay here,” he whispered. “they’re coming, we have to move,”

“Shh.” She spat before turning back to Dimitri, “Coordinates?” He shakily reached into his pocket and handed over a small data rod.

“Down!” hunter called, yanking Shand to the wet floor of the alleyway as a snap from a blaster rang out, echoing off the buildings.

Shand extricated herself from the tangle of bodies and Hunter saw the fire in her eyes as she glared at him. She turned to see Dimitri, the color draining from his face, the hot scorch mark between his white eyes as the life slowly drained from him.

“Kriff it,” she shouted, before another shot rang out, sparking the ground where her hand had just been.

Hunter flattened himself against the wall. He could feel them closing in but knew they had to take to sniper out first.

“Cover me, I’ll get the sniper,” he said, making to step out before Shand pulled him back.

“I’ll do it,” she said, shoving the data rod at him. She stepped out, twirled around and fired one shot. The sniper screamed, falling off their spot and through the roof of a lower building.

“We need to move,” She shouted.

“Wait,” Hutner said, pulling her back, flat against the wall. His arm, splayed out defensively, “There’s too many we…”

“I give the orders, Tracker. Not you.” She growled, pushing his arm off her and stepping out.

The first shot hit her in the stomach, sending her to her knees. The second and third came in quick succession, knocking her over.

Hunter stepped out and over her, a blaster in each hand, trying to cover her as best he could. He dove for a large piece of durasteel and used it for cover. Shand’s breathing was ragged, her heartbeat erratic. She was alive, at least. He heard her groan.

“Can you shoot?” Hunter asked amongst another wave of blaster fire. They were closing in.

“Yes,” Shand said through gritted teeth.

Keeping down, Hunter picked her up. Her left arm was wrapped around her stomach protectively. He maneuvered her so they were chest to chest, her right arm propped on his shoulder, blaster in hand.

Without asking for permission he set off, running in the opposite direction from the guild members. He heard the thunk, thunk, thunk as Shand’s shots landed, the bodies of her colleagues hitting the wet dirt. With his own blaster drawn they wended their way through the streets, Shand giving Hunter directions to her ship.

They finally made it to The Outcast, the guild members hot on their heels.

“Get us in the air,” Shand shouted as Hunter laid her as gently as he could on the floor of the cargo hold. She winced and curled up, both arms holding tightly to her abdomen.

Hunter charged through the body of the massive ship and was glad he knew where he was going. He heard blaster fire hit the hull, as the guild surrounded them.

“Get us out of here,” Shand screamed, all composure lost.

He sank into the pilot seat and hurriedly pulled the coordinates from the datarod,  punching them in to the ships nav computer. Flicking switches and pulling levers he easily maneuvered the cumbersome ship into the air and through the atmosphere. He threw the lever for hyperspace. The familiar blue clouds were a pleasant balm from the chaos.

He let out a sigh and took the first breath he felt like he’d had in the last hour.

**

With the ship safely in hyperspace, Hunter made his way back down to the cargo hold. Shand was still sprawled on the floor where he had left her. She had managed to remove her helmet on her own but had overexerted herself. Hunter removed his and set it on the floor at her feet.

“Do you have a bunk somewhere?” he asked as she lay wincing, arm draped over her injured stomach.

“Yeah, it pulls down. There.” She indicated with her eyes and Hunter saw the lever to release the bunk. He pulled it and the bunk slowly dropped into place.

“Can you walk or…”

Shand attempted to sit but seemed to think better of it. Hunter nodded in understanding, gently scooping her into his arms. With all the snark and malice, he was surprised at how light she was.

He laid her on the bunk, pulling her braid over her shoulder and resting her head on the small, squashed looking pillow.

“Med kit?” he asked.

Again, she pointed with her eyes, and he retrieved it. He knelt at the side of the bunk, pulling his grime-soaked gloves off with his teeth and sanitizing his hands as best he could with the limited supplies that the med kit had to offer.

“Close your eyes,” he said softly, as Shand wreathed and twisted in pain.

She narrowed her eyes at him. He held up a needle. “It hurts less if you look away. My brother hates needles; I’ve got a lot of practice.”

“I’m a big girl,” she said witheringly as her face scrunched up in pain.

“Suit yourself,” Hunter said, putting the needle to her neck and pushing it into the skin.

She hissed and glared at him.

“It’ll help with the pain.” He said, his focus shifting to her stomach and the scorch marks littered across it. He looked at her for approval and she nodded.

Hunter gently opened her jacket and peeled up her shirt. She groaned as the fabric pulled away, revealing three deep and angry scorch marks. Luckily, they seemed to have missed any organs.

Her torso was strewn with scars from blaster bolts, stab wounds and Hunter thought he noticed a bite mark.

“I think bacta is your best bet.” He said.

He pulled a crumpled, well used, tube of bacta gel from the med kit, put a small amount on his index finger and hesitated before carefully touching it to the wound.

Shand cried out at the contact and Hunter winced at the sound. “Sorry,” he mumbled as he gently rubbed it in, before moving on to the next wound.

Hunter noticed her eyes fixed on him as he worked.

“What?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the task at hand.

“You really don’t look like other clones. I never noticed before.” she said softly.

Hunter shrugged, “We were different by design, but all clones are unique, despite what you were told.”

“I always thought you were just mindless killing machines, like the droids.”

“That’s not surprising, that’s what they wanted you to believe.”

“They?” she asked.

“The republic, the separatists, the empire. Whoever.” He said gruffly.

“Hmm, I guess so.” She said cooly.

He finished up with the last wound and noticed Shand relax into the bunk.

“Do you think you can stand so I can wrap you? It’ll help.” He said from experience.

She shook her head.

“Okay, we’ll have to do it with you lying down then.”

Hunter pulled the long, white bandage from the med kit and leaned closer. Shand arched her back so he could pass the cloth underneath her, pulling it tightly. He continued to wrap it, trying to be as gentle as possible but knowing the tighter it was, the better it would feel.

When he was done, she rested back down and let out a large sigh. “Thank you,” she said, and Hunter was surprised by her sincerity.

“You’re welcome,” he responded, rocking back onto his feet, standing and striding to the ladder at the far side of the cargo hold.

“I’ll check on things up top. You should rest.”

“I don’t take orders from you,” she said, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“yeah and look where that got you.” He said with a raised eyebrow.

She laughed and groaned. He chanced a look back before climbing the ladder to the cockpit.

[teleiapotami]

NaLu Week Day 7

Prompt: New Adventures

The Grand Magic Games are over and Fairy Tail is back at home. In the aftermath of Future Lucy's death, Natsu is loathe to let his Lucy out of his sight. Cuddling can be platonic anyway, right?

@allaboutnalu @thenaluarchive

Lucy tilted her head out through the canvas of their covered wagon. The ride back to Magnolia was a long one, and even she was beginning to get tired of the constant rocking and jolting as their cart rumbled along the uneven path home. The sun on her upturned face brought a warmth to her that she hadn’t realized she’d been missing. Natsu let out another low moan, drawing her attention again. He was slumped over against Wendy who was pressing against Lucy’s side, trying to escape the jerks and twitches that kept wracking Natsu’s frame.

“Come on Wendy, I’ll trade you spots. You feel bad enough without having to deal with his sweaty mess up against you.” Lucy giggled at the badly concealed look of relief on Wendy’s face and stood up to switch spots. She leaned down to Natsu’s level and brushed her thumb over his cheek.

“Sit up a bit and I’ll let you lay on my lap Natsu,” she said softly. He let out a whine but shifted his arm under him to lift himself just enough so she could slide under his head. The moment she was beneath him he let himself flop back down onto her legs, making her yelp and glare at him with annoyance. Still, his misery pulled at her sympathy, and she let her fingers begin their usual dance along his scalp. 

The events following the games had been intense, and though peace had returned, Natsu wasn’t sure he would ever feel entirely at peace again. Certainly not until he managed to avert the future that led to Lucy’s death. He wanted to sleep, to escape the pains he was experiencing from the movement of the torturous vehicle he was trapped in, but every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was the blood spraying from Lucy’s body as it was pierced by Rogue’s projectile. He saw her collapse into her own arms, and he watched her die over and over again in his dreams.

He buried his head into her lap, choosing to deal with the pain instead of the nightmares. At least while he was awake he could feel her warmth against his skin as life pulsed through her, and her scent surrounded him, untainted by the cold, metallic undernotes of death and blood.

Once Magnolia’s homecoming parade was over, the members of Fairy Tail went their separate ways to recover, rest, or return to work. Happy flew off with Carla and Lily, leaving Natsu and Lucy to walk toward her apartment together. Natsu was grinning with his hands behind his head as they walked along the canal.

Lucy smiled at him. “You certainly look like you feel better.” He just grinned at her brightly, making her heart skip a beat. “Well, good. After all, you achieved over the last two weeks, you deserve to be happy.”

“Pretty sure we both do, Luce. Cause there’s no way any of us would have survived if it wasn’t for you……er…her? Both of you.”

Lucy nodded solemnly. “Yeah….She was pretty amazing, huh? I’m not sure I could have done what she did….Losing the guild….Losing you…and still finding the strength to look for some way to fix it?” She wasn’t sure of her own strength, but she knew without a doubt that her Natsu would die for her, just like the other Lucy’s.

“Well, good thing I made sure to smash that gate to bits, so it’ll never happen. And I’m gonna keep on protecting your future, just like I promised.” He didn’t feel like he could tell anyone what else Future Rogue had warned him about. Not even Lucy. She smiled softly and wiped her eyes where tears were threatening to form.

“Thanks, Natsu. Hey, let’s grab some food and stuff and have a sleepover tonight. What do you say?” Natsu punched the air with a fiery fist and whooped. She giggled at his infectious enthusiasm. Natsu wasn’t ready to let her out of his sight yet anyway. A sleepover just meant he wouldn’t have to break in later. He held out his hand to her with a toothy grin. The moment she took it he took off with a cackle, dragging her along to the restaurant district.

“And that is why I think Cana should be the centerfold instead of Mira,” Natsu crowed triumphantly. He shoved another muffin into his mouth whole.

“Natsu…. Gildarts wouldn’t come to fight you just because Cana modeled. She’s been in Sorcerer Weekly before, remember? Besides, why would he fight you and not Cana or even the magazine people?” Lucy twisted a lock of her hair around her fingers, trying to figure out his logic.

Natsu sat back and stretched out. “Ah fon hink oo—” he swallowed hard and started again, “I don’t think you understand how much he loves those bikini girls. If Cana was the only girl in those things, Gildarts would come straight home to make her stop. And then Cana would tell him it was all my idea and BAM! Gildarts gets a beat down.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “You’d think after all those battles we just survived you would think about something other than more fighting.” When he didn’t respond she looked up from her hair twisting. He was staring at the wall with a faraway look that hurt her heart. “Natsu?”

“Yeah,” he murmured. “I’m here…” Wherever he was, it was certainly not next to her on the couch Lucy knew. She scooted over and leaned against his side, nervously pushing a piece of cookie around her plate.

The sudden contact startled him, and he looked down finally. Finding her curled against him as though she was made to fit there made him happy somehow, and a contented hum resonated through his chest.

“Natsu…” Lucy spoke softly, “We’re just friends, right?”

“Uh, as far as I know…why?”

She giggled softly at his response, then continued, “D’you think you could….maybe come to bed with me tonight? You know, platonically.” The words tumbled from her mouth a bit faster than she intended.

“Er- What’s that mean again?” he asked with a grunt.

“Platonic means just as friends. Not romantically,” she clarified.

“Oh, sure. I don’t mind if you don’t. To be honest….I don’t want to be too far away from you right now…. you know…” he trailed off.

Lucy nodded and laid her head against his neck. “I get it, and I feel the same.” She let herself snuggle deeper into his warmth and tugged the blanket off the back of the couch over her legs. “Start the movie. Unless you have more to say about Cana in bikinis.”

He chuckled and did as she asked, settling into his role of warm pillow. Even though he had been the one to choose their movie lacrima for the evening, he found himself far more interested in the way the lights danced across Lucy’s face. Her expressions were more adorable than he’d ever realized. Especially the way she scrunched up her nose at certain moments. He was always the one in her lap and now that the roles were reversed, he wanted to enjoy it. With that goal in mind, he gently slid his fingers through her golden hair. It was like silk, slipping between his fingers easily. Lucy made a small sound of contentment that made him smile. Following an instinct he couldn’t explain, he tangled his fingers into the hair at the back of her head and gave it a gentle tug.

Lucy let out a gasp and a soft moan escaped her before she pressed her hand over her mouth and glared up at him angrily as she sat up. He smiled sheepishly, holding up his hands in surrender. “Sorry…I just wondered what would happen.”

She pouted at him warily. “Not nice, Natsu.”

“I dunno, the sound was pretty nice. I won’t do it again, promise.” He shrugged and chuckled at the blush that colored her cheeks. She tried to hide it from him by returning to her position against his chest. They finished the movie in comfortable silence. Natsu busied his hands drawing slow patterns lightly ­along the exposed skin of Lucy’s midriff. Another action that drew adorable shivers and squeals from her every so often, he noted.

Later in the evening, Lucy sat curled up in her bed reading a book. Natsu pushed out of the bathroom with her towel wrapped around his hips. He crossed the room to her dresser without a word. “What are you doing Natsu?” she watched him over the edge of her book.

He opened her underwear drawer and replied without looking up. “Grabbing my spare pants, obviously. Why has your panty collection gotten even bigger?? Who needs this many? Ooh, that’s a new color, I bet it looks great against your—”

“Natsu!! Get out of there! You don’t have any pants here!” She launched off the bed and tried to snatch the sapphire pair of lace panties off the finger he was dangling them from, but he held them above her.

“Shows what you know. I hid some here weeks ago for when I sneak—I mean when I stay over.” He continued digging through the drawer, letting her grab her undies out of his hand when he pulled a pair of black sleep pants out from under the mountain of her lace collection. “Haha! See?”

Lucy wasn’t paying any attention to him now, as she stuffed her clothing back into the drawer he had so rudely invaded. She turned around to scold him some more but was met with Natsu’s completely naked backside as he dropped the towel and pulled up his pants. She yelped and covered her burning face. “NATSU!”

“What now?” he whined.

“You could have done that in the bathroom!”

“Oh, come on. It’s not like we didn’t just spend ten minutes bouncing around Crocus in a bell together while you were naked. This just makes us even.” He laughed at the horrified expression on her face. “Don’t tell me you forgot about that!”

She pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut. “I was trying to. You are seriously making me reconsider having you stay over.” He laughed and pulled her against him for a hug.

“No, come on. Let’s go lay down and be…pantolic or whatever.” He flopped onto her bed and patted the spot beside him. Lucy snorted as she followed him. “It’s platonic, Natsu.”

He shook his head with a grin. “It’s cuddling Lucy.” He laid back against the pillow and stretched out his arm, giving her a pointed look. With a roll of her eyes and a stifled giggle, she crawled up the bed and settled into his side with her head on his bare chest.  

They lay quietly together for a while, the sound of Natsu’s heartbeat drowning out everything else around her. Then his chest rumbled, and he started telling her about dragons. Did she know his dad was known as the Fire Dragon King? She shook her head gently in response and he continued. Most of what he said she had heard before, either from him, Mira, or Erza, but she let him talk. As he did, she trailed her fingers over his skin, tracing the line of his collarbone and down the center of his chest. She paused at the beginning of his abs and looked up at him, but he was still talking, looking at the ceiling.

He was telling her about his uncle now, Atlas Flame, whom he’d apparently met during the dragon battle. Lucy listened with more interest this time but resumed her tracing of the lines along his muscled stomach. She sat up on her elbow to follow the line until it met his pants, then dragged her fingers along their edge to the pink skin of his newly healed wound from Rogue. His breathing hitched and he paused in his story to glance down at her fingers against him.

“Sorry,” she said hurriedly, and made to move her hand away from him, but he caught her wrist. He pressed her hand flat against his skin again. “Don’t stop. I like it when you touch me.” Her hand twitched under his as her cheeks warmed, but she didn’t pull away. When he released her and returned to describing the taste of his uncle’s fire she resumed her tracings. She followed the line of the scar down to trace along the lines of his exposed hip bones, then followed his pants back across his belly to begin the journey back up his body in reverse.

Natsu felt like her fingers were leaving trails of sparks dancing along his body. He felt every brush of her skin against his more intensely than he had ever felt any attack in all his life. He finished telling her about Atlas Flame and fell silent, closing his eyes to bask in the sensations her fingertips were leaving behind them. He jumped a little when she began to outline the features of his face, and when she reached his lips he licked her hand with a grin.

Lucy recoiled instantly and wiped her fingers on his chest with a disgusted sound. Natsu cackled gleefully. “That’s what you get for tickling me.”

She glared. “I wasn’t tickling you, and you said you liked it either way.”

“I did. Still tickled.” He mirrored her position, sitting up on his elbow and facing her. “Your turn. Lay back and tell me a story. We’ll see if you still think it wasn’t tickling,” he challenged. Lucy frowned a little, feeling distinctly baited, but she refused to back down from a chance to prove him wrong. She rolled onto her back and studied the ceiling. “Tell me how you ended up naked in that bell, I bet that’s a good story,” he teased, laughing at the pout she put on again.

“I’ll tell you, but you don’t get to interrupt to make fun of me.” After securing his promise, she relaxed a bit and settled into telling him what happened to her after they parted ways. Natsu settled in beside her as she had, and traced his finger around the shell of her ear, then down along her jaw. He followed the line of her throat down, then came back up her collarbone. He found himself mesmerized by her lips as he let the backs of his fingers trace down her arm.

Lucy shivered under his gaze but tried to stay focused on her story. He returned his focus to his hand and walked his fingers along the bottom edge of her cropped sleep shirt, smiling when her breathing hitched momentarily. Her skin was so smooth under his fingers that he worried his rough hands might irritate it, but she didn’t seem interested in stopping him, so he continued.

He followed the centerline of her stomach to the waistband of her shorts. Following the same path she did, he traced the edge to one hip, then back across to the other. She squirmed under his touch slightly and he grinned. He sat up and shifted to sit at the foot of the bed and pulled her legs up to rest in his lap.

“Natsu?” Lucy paused in her story to give him a curious look.

“Keep going.” He waited until she resumed her story before he dragged his fingers slowly up from her ankle to the gentle bend in her knee. He traced the lines of her kneecap before switching to the other and following the same path back to the ankle. He caressed the top of her feet, then returned slowly to her knees. Lucy trailed off as she finished sharing and watched him, her lips parted slightly.

He glanced up at her. “I can stop.”

She shook her head, blushing. “I like it…w-when you touch me.” He wet his lips and let his fingers continue their gentle exploration up Lucy’s outer thigh. Again, he followed the bottom of her shorts around to her inner thigh and trailed his fingers back down. He repeated the action on her other leg, smirking when she trembled against him.

“Told you it tickled,” he said as he shifted her legs back down and crawled over her to lay down beside her again.  Lucy couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. Platonic or not, his fingers felt good against her skin, and she didn’t want them to stop. As though he could read her mind, Natsu murmured against her, “Sorry. I ran out of places to explore that aren’t under clothes.”

Lucy smiled and made to settle against his side again, but he rolled over and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer. Finding her face pressing against his throat, she turned her head slightly and nipped at his collarbone, making him grunt and loosen his grip just a little. She looked up at him just in time for him to press a soft kiss on her forehead and bury his nose into her hair.  She closed her eyes contentedly.

“God Luce, you smell so damn good. It drives my instincts haywire when you’re so close like this.” Lucy felt her pulse speed up a bit and she tucked her head under his chin again. With her ear against his body, she could hear his heart thudding almost as fast as hers.

“You could let me go then if it bothers you so much,” she said. His arms tightened again, and she giggled, pressing a kiss to the base of his throat. She was so comfortable curled into his embrace, his warmth chasing away the chill of the night air creeping into her window, that it wasn’t long before she felt herself begin to doze off.

Natsu felt her lips against his skin, he felt her body grow heavier as she relaxed, and he felt her breathing slow to the steady rhythm of sleep. Relaxing his grip, he rolled onto his back and looked down at her, studying her. Natsu, we’re just friends…. Her words echoed through his mind. It was a true statement, though they had never said it aloud before. Once it was out there, Natsu realized that it didn’t sit right with him anymore. Lucy was much more than his friend. But if he didn’t like the idea of them being just friends, then what did he want?

Lucy let out a soft moaning mumble in her sleep and he glanced down at her lips. He wanted to be more than friends…but what exactly did that mean? He began to study the relationships of those closest to them for some clue as to what he wanted. Levy and Gajeel were more than friends, but that seemed to be the same situation he was in now. Neither of those two had made any move to change their relationship one way or the other. His thoughts turned to Bisca and Alzack. They had always been awkward around each other, and everyone had known that they would be together eventually. Come to think of it, wasn’t that what he’d overheard said about him and Lucy anyway?

He thought about Biscan and Alzack’s relationship overall. They were married and had sweet Asuka, who brought more light and joy into the guild than Natsu had ever felt before. Was that the more than friends he wanted? Having kids was not something he was ready for yet, but spending his life with Lucy was something he liked the idea of. He rolled over to wrap her in his arms again and let sleep claim him at last.  

Several hours later Lucy jolted awake when something shook her sharply. She sat up quickly and looked around. Natsu was beside her, his legs tangling in the sheets. His face was twisted in a grimace of pain and anger, and his arm came up as though he were trying to grab something. All he managed to do was hit Lucy in the lip. With a hiss at the pain, Lucy tried to shake him awake but it didn’t help. Her shaking only seemed to upset him further and his legs began to kick.

Relying on her instincts, Lucy ducked under another swipe of his arm and swung her leg across his hips to pin him down. She caught hold of his face and shook him again. “Natsu! Wake up, please! Natsu!!”

He jolted under her and sat up suddenly. She yelped and grabbed his shoulders to keep from falling off the bed when his momentum threatened to dislodge her. He caught her by the hips and settled her back against him. “Luce?” he blinked up at her.

“You….you were having a nightmare,” she mumbled, running her thumb over his cheek gently. His eyes were still slightly unfocused, and she wasn’t sure if he was even seeing her properly. “Natsu, are you okay?”

His fingers tightened on her hips, and she felt his finger slip under the waistband of her shorts slightly. “Lucy…” he murmured, letting his head fall forward to rest on her shoulder. She could feel his pulse pounding against her where her arm was resting against his neck. His voice was hoarse when he spoke again. “I love you.”

She thought he was talking in his sleep until his arms slid up her back to pull her against his chest and his lips found the hollow where her neck met her shoulder. His tongue darted over the sensitive skin there before he kissed it gently, sending shivers up her spine. Her skin broke out in goosebumps under his hands. She licked her lips lightly and tried to swallow the trembles that his tongue was trying to draw out of her. When he bit into the soft flesh, she lost her concentration and moaned, dropping her head back.

He sucked gently there for a moment before moving his mouth up to kiss along her neck slowly. Lucy squirmed as his breath tickled against her but went still when she felt something hard beneath her. Natsu let out a low groan and his hips lifted against hers slightly. She whimpered when he bit into her neck again, sucking harder this time. “N-Natsu….”

In the span of a heartbeat, he rolled them over, pinning her beneath him. Her legs wrapped around his hips instinctively, and she rolled her hips up to meet his again with a gasp of his name. His tongue traced along her collarbone, and he nibbled at it the way she had at his just hours before. “Natsu…..t-this is all….starting to feel – ah!

His hands slid up her sides and under her shirt to rest against her ribcage. She didn’t know anymore whether she wanted him to stop or keep going. His teeth dragged along her neck until he bit her earlobe and tugged lightly at it. “This doesn’t feel…very platonic anymore….” she breathed.  He drew his nose along the shell of her ear before pulling back. He gazed down at her. “I already told you I don’t know what that means.”

He leaned down to meet her lips with his softly. She let out a breathless giggle and he pulled back to look at her. “I’m not sure I remember either anymore …” She pulled him down to kiss him again. There would be time to figure out their relationship tomorrow. If meeting Future Lucy had taught her anything, it was not to waste any of the time they had together.

A/N: And there you have it! I had such a great time working on my first NaLu Week, and I hope you all enjoyed reading!! <3<3

[broodwoof]

i've been rotating that stability poll in my mind with the da2 crew a lot lately, so here are some of my thoughts/rare da2 meta from me 😂

order of most to least stable is roughly:

merrill or isabela

bethany

fenris

aveline

carver

varric

anders

no hawke bc that's variable and no sebastian bc i haven't personally played with him (altho i tend to think he'd be low on the list)

now, the whole thing about "stability" as a metric is... interesting. it allows for a wide range of interpretations. while things like reactivity and unpredictability factor in, i tend to prioritize self-awareness/being self-possessed/security in one's self over everything else

merrill and isabela - they both know themselves at a deep level. both are dealing with a Lot of shit throughout the course of the game, but i don't rly love the idea that understandable reactions to traumatic events = unstable. in fact, understandable reactions to traumatic events is a characteristic of stability. grief, mourning, fear, anger... all of these have a place. so out of everyone, these are the two i find the most self-possessed. i'd argue that isabela may be less emotionally healthy than merrill bc bela seems to be a bit more about repression whereas merrill is actually letting herself grieve, but they're still very close and i keep switching who is #1 so

by the same metric, bethany seems quite self possessed/self aware as well. she knows herself, and while it's ofc influenced by others, she is not dependent upon them for her sense of self

fenris is dealing with a ton, but his reactions are, again, ones i would define as stable, particularly given that he has outbursts but will apologize and make amends. he is actively and consciously learning and growing, and while he is fairly self-contained, he also has friends beyond the little group, has other jobs, jokes around... he's building a life for himself in the closest he's ever come to peace, and ofc there are growing pains with that, but they seem like reasonable ones

aveline is mid on the list bc despite the fact that she's very stalwart and loyal, i don't find her to be particularly self-aware. for everyone previously listed, they would still be who they are without the people in their life or the job they have - aveline doesn't feel that way to me. she seems to define herself by her duty and her sense of responsibility. while an argument could be made that such values are just as much a form of self-awareness and knowledge as the rest, i don't rly buy that personally, at least not in her case. she feels like she's doing what she thinks she ought to do. like she's been guided by smth into a role and accepted that as her lot in life and defined herself by it, even though she's not entirely that. and i feel like she doesn't know who she is beyond that. repressed! but unlike bela, who is consciously repressing some of her shit, aveline just doesn't seem to realize there's even other ways she can be

in a lot of ways, carver does know himself... but how he defines himself is so deeply roped into hawke. his self-definition seems to be in the form of a constant comparison. without hawke, he would be someone else, and i don't think the path to self-awareness/self-possession can be walked via comparisons

varric is so.... he will throw away his own moral code to follow hawke's. he's loyal to a fault, arguably with an obsessive quality to it, and although he does seem to know himself decently well, he's willing to subsume himself in service to someone else's priorities and being. now, again, an argument could be made here that willing subversion of one's own priorities to another is a conscious, deliberate act and thus a form of self-awareness, but it just doesn't feel like it rly holds up to me

now, anders... i love him so much, but the man is in a constant crisis state throughout the game. and, like fenris, he's discovering himself in freedom for the first time - but unlike fenris, this is the very beginning of his self-discovery. so he's kinda all over the place. he settles a bit over the course of the game, begins to discover who he is under the ongoing trauma of being in the circles and isolation and joining with justice (which, i love them, but i do suspect it was traumatic - for both of them!) and becoming a grey warden and just- everything! and at the start he's still in hiding, and you can't really know yourself when you're stuck in survival mode (speaking from experience)

[weabooweedwitch]

to that prior anon: what makes something a disability is how it impacts the life of the person who has it. for example, you use arthritis as an example of smth being "just a medical condition" but without medication that would cost more than $12k/month if I didn't have insurance, I am in constant pain and literally cannot walk or use my hands. my arthritis is disabling, while for others it's just constant low level pain and they may not consider it a disability.

please remember it's up to the person with the medical condition to determine if it disables them, and it varies person to person even with the same condition.

In their defense i think they were just asking a question because it is definitely like, a weird gray area? It honestly brings up a good discussion about, when do you you start calling something a disability, and how, I think, the broken health care system really, uh, falsely categorizes a lot of people based on what insurance is up to. Also different countries apparently have different guidelines, like for example my Canadian friend gets disability benefits literally just for being autistic despite being very "high functioning", putting that in quotes just because I know that can be kind of a controversial term.

But also, I'm so sorry you deal with that, I dont quite have arthritis but I can totally empathize wirh chronic physical pain 🥺 its actually horrifying reading the prices of some of these treatments sometimes and im really glad you have your medicine taken csre of. I often think about what would've happened to me if I hadn't been on state insurance when I was diagnosed with my equinus, I think it was literally like at least 5k per leg (i actually barely remember tbh, it couldve been higher or lower), which, I guess ultimately isn't a lot, but on my income and my moms income would have been so significant I would've felt actual guilt seeking treatment. Like, there was a legitimate possibility that the mere price could have kept me from... walking normally? And like my mom is 58 and she's been told she qualifies for knee replacements but she's literally scared of even getting them because of how long the recovery period can be and the financial loss and also just the price? So my mom could end up in legitimately worse health, although I guess that also has to do with like, America not having good workers rights where she could've taken off laid leave for surgery or something

It's that whole expression about "disability is defined by the environment" or something like that. Sort of like that whole controversy with Mr Beast where he paid for a bunch of people to get their sight or hearing back. Those people had treatable conditions and were stuck living in a way that negatively impacted their lives simply because they couldn't afford it? Like I can't even imagine not being able to use one of my five senses just because I couldn't afford it, but I know that's um already a reality for like, people who can't afford hearing aids and stuff like that

I think I'm starting to ramble here but like, I wish people had more sympathy for the disabled (and im talking about like society, not the last ask just to be clear, I feel like they were legitimately just curious). Like sometimes when you see people like violently hating the homeless, sometimes those people are literally people who got into horrible accidents or had some sort of injury and they wound up addicted to painkillers and had to turn to drugs when they can't afford prescription pain meds or those prescriptions get them addicted. I had a manager who was in a car accident and the painkillers made her eventually switch to straight up heroin. Even our disabled vets don't get good healthcare half the time

But yeah, as for me, I guess consider myself kind of straddling the line between disabled and able bodied, leaning more towards able bodied, but I can still have issues, like my knees are still kinda jacked up and even though i can stand and walk great now, stairs can be really tough sometimes, especially when I'm coming home from work and my body aches. and I still get pains in my back sometimes when I'm bending and leaning to the point I use a menthol roll-on gel for pain relief. Part of me kind of likes that I, I dunno, overcame the challenge and all that, but like, I think I would've preferred a body that didn't hurt lol 😅

[azriel-black]

“Why has it taken you so long to seek medical help?”

Tw: talk of medical issues and talk about suicide below

For most of my life, I’ve been called dramatic and sensitive by my parents and the adults in my life. So when I started feeling pain that I was genuinely unable to ignore. I was immediately shut down and told that it wasn’t actually that bad and that I just wanted attention or that I was being a baby and needed to get over it by my parents. My brother also had physical health issues and they would get him help when he needed it, but when I would ask for help, it would be met with “Well your brother has it worse” or “you don’t need a physical doctor you need another psychiatrist”

When I eventually was at a point of “I cannot mask this pain anymore” or “I cannot function without an aid anymore” it was luckily at a time where I was already getting ready to move out of my abusive childhood home. So I bought myself a walking aid and hid it at someone else’s house until I could bring it to my dorm.

Now when I go home, I have to pretend to be able bodied, and not in pain. It takes all of my energy for days to do this. After I go to my parents house for long periods of time i usually flare up and cannot walk more than a couple feet without failing or feeling so wobbly I need to sit down. I usually end up loaning a shitty hospital standard wheelchair from my schools disability office because I can’t function any other way.

For a while my pain was just a low pain, something I could tune out if I didn’t focus on it too much. Now my pain is a constant in my mind, I don’t remember the last day my pain was below a 4 or 5/10 on the pain scale and most days its up around a 7 or 8/10. A year ago, if you asked me “What’s in pain right now?” My answer would have been “My knees, back, and my wrists (I had really shit crutches then) but it’s not too bad, I could forget about it if I focus on something else” If you asked me right now, I would tell you “my spine feels like it’s throbbing and pulsing in my body, my hips feel like they are too small for the socket and like they’re going to slip out, my knees are throbbing and on fire, my neck and shoulders feel so tight I want to suffocate, my head has been throbbing for three days, and my jaw feels like it’s going to fall off. if I wasn't used to this level of pain daily I would be sobbing" Do you want to know what I’ve done today? I went to three classes, (I got dropped off by a shuttle at each building, and brought back to my dorm) and a 3-hour shift at work where I sat down and rang people up.

I’m only seeking medical attention now because I genuinely don’t know how much longer I could’ve gone without seeing someone and trying to get help. I was extremely depressed (and still am a little) and I was contemplating suicide because I couldn’t afford to get answers. I one day fell too many times to ignore and called my school's health center which is free for students.

before I went to the doctor I see now, I was crying most nights, texting a crisis hotline at least once a week, and I would probably have attempted if I had been alone with the means to. my pain hasn't gotten any better, in fact in some ways, my pain has gotten worse since I've been seeing my doctor. But when I was at this point, I was just so genuinely sick of not knowing what is wrong with me, and not knowing why I am in so much pain daily. I hid all of this from the people who love me, I'm sure they could tell I wasn't doing well but I never really went into depth about just how hopeless and miserable I felt.

The day I went to the health center at my school was my last effort, and if the health center had dismissed me, and not helped me get my insurance in order so that they could help me, I had planned to end my life. If i walked out of that office with nothing but being told "theres nothing we can do" or that "I looked fine" I have a very strong feeling that I would've taken steps to harm myself.

I still don't have answers, but I am in the process of getting them, I have appointments and consults set up, I have a doctor who wants to figure out my case, even though multiple times she's told me that "she has no idea what to do next" she has always figured it out, and given me next steps.

Just having a doctor who I know wants to help me, who wants me to get better, has made it much easier to justify staying alive long enough to get a diagnosis and see what I can do to help myself.

[judasdreams]

Besides my late realization that I've been missing out on Harley Quinn content, here's an after surgery update (mostly for me):

- my walking is slowly returning to normal (I can do small trips, like one-way to the outdoor trashcans walking normally) and I'm able to move around my apartment more freely. There's still pain and discomfort afterwards, and I can truly only walk short distances, but it's better than a week ago.

- I can use my legs to open low cupboards (the pullout ones at ankle level) and I can bend at the waist with minimal pain now (I was able to shove the lower rack for my dishwasher back inside with slight help from scissors.)

- getting up still fucking hurts (less than it did, but still) both from chairs and my bed; sitting and laying down hurts a little less than getting up.

- I can't climb up on my bed or a stepstool, or get on my knees on the floor, but a little is better than nothing.

- I have weird pain in the afternoons in my right side (which has been the most painful spot since I woke up from surgery, so no surprise) and I have daily nausea which doesn't really seem to go away. (I'm more afraid of being permanently nauseous than permanently in pain from this.)

- If I stand for too long at a time my abdomen starts hurting in general (that could be from a week of disuse or the surgery area getting agitated).

Pain is still "up there", but not impossible; the worst of it comes and goes instead of being constant, so... I'm getting there. (I finally feel like this pain is under control and not just leaving me suffering for "no reason".)

[shhhsecretsideblog]

The weight of the baby felt so low, as if it was seconds away from falling out of me. I cup the taut skin of my belly as we walk further and further into the store, slowly increasing the distance between us and the only exit.

My breath wheezes as I pant heavily through my nose. Even without a contraction my body was aching and full… my senses were heightened, deep in the advance stages of labour. There was a pressure building between my hips, forcing my legs apart and giving me a distinctively wide waddle. I knew the baby was coming, I could feel it on an instinctual level, but I trusted you to guide me through this new experience into motherhood. You seemed so calm and relaxed, I had to believe you knew what was best. I put my faith in your confident reassurance and took your hand as we ventured towards the back of the store.

I tried so hard to keep control over my body, to not let you see how often I was suffering the pains. But when the next wave hit mere minutes after the last, with pressure dialled up beyond anything I’d felt before, I couldn’t stop the low rattled groan that slipped past my lips as I stopped and doubled over. You’re there in an instant, pulling me upright and I hang off your shoulders for the rest of the contraction. My knees tremble and weaken and I’m not sure how long I can last in this state.

“They’re getting a little bit stronger now eh?” You whisper into my hair as I bury my face against your chest.

A little bit?! That was an understatement. It felt like I was being ripped apart by the massive boulder sinking even lower in my pelvis.

“Just breathe through it babe, we’ve got a while to go yet.” There was a smirk in the tone of your voice but I couldn’t notice it, could only think about the blinding pressure between my thighs. My body was screaming at me to do something, but I had no clue was it was.

“I— I think we need to g-go now…” I gritted, the contraction still holding me hostage.

“You’re okay, we still have plenty of time. Let’s just pick up those bits for the nursery while we’re here.” You said, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear and nodding at me reassuringly.

I wasn’t capable of walking, I knew that, but still you pulled my arm and insisted we carry on moving. We reach the baby section and you talk aloud to me about different monitors and formula and bottles as you view the contents of the aisle. I knew you were talking but I couldn’t hear anything you were saying. Blood was pumping loudly in my ear, my belly was a constant rock solid ball, and I was struggling to stay upright. You let go of my hand and I wavered, swaying uncertain on the spot. When a pain struck seconds later I did the only thing I could - I braced the shelves of the aisle, gripping the metal with a white knuckle grip, head dipped low and moaned heavily. Oh fuck, this baby was coming.

“… what do you think?” You asked, turning towards me.

My only response was a long grunting sound as my body automatically pushed, bearing down against the bowling ball in my birth canal. The push was immediately followed by a splash. Eyes wide I looked up at you panicked. “B-baby’s coming.” I whispered, shocked.

“It’s okay.” You smiled, the glint in your eye dangerous. “We’ll take it steady and get you out of here.” Wrapping your arm around my waist you directed us out the aisle and… further into the store?

“What? Where-are-we-goi—”

“Shhhh. Its okay. Just picking up some blankets, I’ve got a feeling we might need them.” You said, dragging me down another aisle.

Why would we need blankets, we had plenty at home in the nursery—

“Mnnghhhhh!!!!” Any thoughts were cut off by an uncontrollable urge to push and I sank down into a squat right in the middle of the store. “Grrrhhhh— pushing—!!!”

“Don’t push.” Your voice was low and stern, and you grabbed my underarms pulling me back to standing. I whimpered in your arms, desperate to birth the baby. “You can’t push yet, we haven’t got all the items on our list yet.”

“Your belly looks so low. How long have you been in labor?” I ask. I noticed your large belly had dropped much lower from where it usually sat. Your waddle into the store today was highly exaggerated. You have to hold you back with each aching step.

“I think I’ve been in labor all morning,” You groan out. You straighten up as the contraction finally ends. We check around the grocery aisle and thankfully we were alone. You rub your extended middle and try to catch your breath.

This was your first birth and you trusted me with instructing you every part of the way. From what you wore, to what you ate, to how much sex you had everything. Which means you left me in charge of when we go to the hospital to give birth. And I am going to wait it out as long as I can.

“How close are your contractions?” I question. I already knew they were less than 5 minutes apart. You’ve been trying hard to hide it but I knew from how you bent over slightly, you were experiencing a contraction. So it was easy for me to keep track.

“They’re close together… but my water hasn’t broken yet,” You say as you start to waddle down the aisle again. I silently applaud you for trying your best to pretend everything is okay. But from the way your hips are swaying I know we don’t have much time.

“Then I guess we’re not in that much of a rush,” I tease. I know your water will break soon. I’m hoping to be at the back of the store by then. Won’t it be fun to have to pass everyone while you’re dripping fluids and screaming on our way out?

[yapposrantcafe]

The Pen

This year has been a challenge to myself and my family. Contracting COVID-19 at the memorial of an uncle directly after an upper respiratory infection means I've been on antibiotics for 6 months because I have no immune system to speak of. The good thing is I survived barely breathing, low O2 levels, and chest pains to be given these medications. I don't sleep, am in constant pain, I am under constant stress due to my body's limitations and outside sources, I can barely care for myself let alone my home, and yet I show no symptoms. I look well fed, pain free, mentally stable (no depression, anxiety, or panic), like my brain hasn't been slowly devouring itself for 10 yrs, have all my motor and cognitive skills, able to walk a block without gasping or looking like I'm drunk, and my CNS isn't malfunctioning on a daily basis. There are people who are suffering more than I am and some who aren't suffering at all. You may not know their stories, or the life battles they are facing but I send vibes and prayers of good health to everyone, even those I do not know, over this holiday season and the upcoming new year. I do not want sympathy or pity. I want my independence back. I want to walk in the woods, through shops, along streets, and to the library 2 blocks away. I want the constant pain to stop or at least take frequent breaks. I want to be able to do the things I need to do around my home, and I want to be myself again. I want to be the person I was who laughed instead of cried every day. Who got out of bed wondering what the day held vs wanting to stay under the covers so I didn't have to face anything or anyone. I want myself back instead of the pathetic individual who now has ownership of this body. Yes, I feel pathetic, useless, sad, unwanted, and misunderstood. I don't fit in anywhere and often feel like I want to go home while sitting in the house I love. Yet, during this Christmas season of images of decorated trees, travels, presents, and abundant food I am thankful for one specific gift I received this year... a Wordsworth & Black fountain pen. To whoever has made it this far into this particular rant I have always wanted to write. I've started many books over the years but have never been confident enough in myself to finish them. Others have encouraged me after hearing parts of stories or plot lines. But I don't believe in myself enough and this pen makes me feel that maybe, just maybe, I can write a story from beginning to end. Granted that with my motor skills and horrid spelling without using a computer and it's little red wavey lines telling me when I need to correct something it may be very difficult for anyone to read or understand. I still feel empowered by the gift and will use this feeling to write a complete story, no matter how lacking in sense it may wind up being, from start to finish.

[ailelie]

Forgiveness, I think, is a human thing.

I'm Christian, sure, but I believe in radical grace, in a heaven that's opt-out rather than opt-in and sin isn't an automatic no. I believe in a God who accepts and honors mistakes, who gives infinite chances, who doesn't care about human boundaries or bigotries. Forgiveness is such a default state in my mental conception of God that it is meaningless on a divine level. All are forgiven. Moving on.

Humans, though, we need forgiveness, not to be righteous, not because it is the right thing to do, but because holding onto hurt hurts. And forgiveness doesn't mean starting over or letting someone back into your life or any kind of reconciliation. To me, forgiveness just means letting go, it means saying 'I'm not letting this matter to or hurt me anymore.' I like the definition 'to cancel a debt.'

Debts are weird. They create a connection between people, but that connection is full of fear, shame, avoidance, frustration, and pain. When you forgive someone, you cancel that debt and cut that tie. They no longer owe you apologies. They no longer get to hurt you.

(God has canceled all debts, but did so in the interest that those debts did not create a barrier between us and Them, to remove the bad feelings that create distance, to make us free to follow or walk away).

So, when I say that I think everyone can be forgiven, what I am saying is that I think anyone and any action can be let go of. I am not saying that I think forgiveness creates redemption.

I prefer the more transactional definition of redemption as well--regaining something in exchange for something else or clearing a debt. On a divine level, I like to think God basically traded Jesus in so that we might regain a way into Heaven, whether or not we decide to walk it.

On a human level, though, I cannot read hearts. I cannot see the far future. I cannot erase pain and hurt. I cannot redeem someone. Only they can do that. I like the transactional definition of redemption because it removes the heroism of 'saving.' Saving implies a single Grand Gesture that Makes It All Better.

Instead, I think of redemption as making frequent, regular payments to restore one's reputation and regain the trust and even admiration of others. It is not a Grand Gesture or laying low hoping people forget the debt. It is owning up to the pain you caused and taking constant, regular actions to counter it. And it is doing that knowing that some people will be more hurt than others and will need a greater payment over a longer period of time before they agree to trust or speak well of you again.

Redemption requires regular action. One of those actions can be a Grand Gesture, but you have to keep acting afterward.

I do think anyone can earn redemption on a human level, but it will cost them time, money, effort, and ego to do so.

tl;dr--Forgiveness is about me not you. Forgiveness means we're no longer connected and your past actions no longer get to hurt me. Forgiveness is not reconciliation and it is not redemption. Redemption is a you thing. You put in the time, money, effort, and ego, you do the work without demanding anything from me, and I'll let you know when you've regained the opinion and trust you lost from me.

[kujirara]

Adventure Log 1:

Ancient Forest, part 1

“We’ve been walking for HOOUURS can’t we sit down and rest for a minute?” Eri, the Dark Hunter, yells, while stretching her arms.

“It’s barely been 10 minutes…”

“Do not let your guard down, Eri. The creatures here are stronger than you could think.” Anastacia warns her.

“Come on, we’re on the first floor. There is nothing that dangerous over… ACK!”

Eri suddenly turns around and swings her whip, but the only thing she hits is a tree. The creature that attacked her – A red mole with amazing claws – craved its nails in her back and is holding into it, in a way where it moves when she moves.

“Eri, stay quiet for a second.” Helena, the Alchemist, says in a disturbingly calm tone. “I need you not to move.”

Suddenly, the Dark Hunter feels an intense power hitting her, something way stronger than anything the Mole could have done, and feels the heat of the blood - and the flames - hitting her back right before falling on the muddy ground pain.

“HELENA, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?” Apollo, the Troubadour, yells in anger.

“It worked, didn’t it? The mole is dead.” Helena quickly approaches Eri, thrown in the ground and barely conscious. “I’ll pass the medicine on your back now, okay? You know how much it burns… Eh, I don’t think you’re listening anyways.”

“Now what? Do we call Sylvia?” Lilo asks.

“No need, Sylvia was the one to give me this medicine anyways. She promised it would heal basically any damage a monster this low level could cause. She’ll get up in a minute, I’m sure.”

“But this burn was not caused by a monster…”

“Honestly, she has been hit by me so many times during our training, I don’t think she even feels it anymore.”

“This… Are you aware that this does not make it any better, correct?” Anastacia says, with genuine concern in her voice – a rare thing for her.

“Eh, it will be okay. I think she is into that, actually.”

“Huh…”

And so, the time passed.

-

“Another dead end, how exciting…” Eri says, ironically. “I hope you are marking all this in the map, Lilo.”

“I am! Don’t worry about it”, Lilo, the Survivalist, innocently answers. Eri rolls her eyes.

“Hey, what’s that?” Apollo suddenly points to the top of the tree at the dead end. “There is something tangled in the tree. Doesn’t look like a normal vine…”

“It’s a whip.” Anastacia, the Princess from a faraway land, says in a serious and imposing voice, as she is used to when giving orders. “Lilo. Get it.”

“Of course, Miss…” Lilo quickly but carefully goes up the tree. Despite her constant passivity towards everything, she is skilled in her areas. “This looks really old, are you sure you want to pick it up?”

“Yes. Someone must have lost it, and it is our duty to give it back.”

“I understand…” she then proceeds to untangle the whip from the branch, something a normal person would take a long time due to the complexity of the nods, she can finish in just a couple minutes.

--

On the way back to the entrance of the labyrinth, after carefully avoiding the giant deer, Lilo suddenly stops in a crossroad.

“What’s wrong?”

“This path… we didn’t map it.”

“Oh for fucks sake, then map it!” Eri yells, then starts walking towards the unmapped room. “See. There is a chest here that we missed. Your fault.”

“Hey, come on, stop being mean with her. None of us noticed the path, it’s not only her fault.” Apollo, the Troubadour comments.

“She is the survivalist here. Noticing paths and marking them down is her only role. And she failed to fulfill it. Yes, it was her fault.” Anastacia says in a surprisingly imposing tone. “We are lucky it was not a big deal this time. Pay more attention.”

Helena rolls her eyes.  “What even is in the chest?”

“It was Nectar. Those items are rare around here; we almost lost something very precious. Because of you.”

Lilo says nothing; she only lowers her head and puts down a chest marker on the map.

---

After completing the map fo the first floor and reporting to the Duke, the Graveyard guild moved on to the second floor.

"Attempt at an ambush, behind Eri." Lilo says casually, while preparing her bow. The second the Venomflies pop out of the woods, attempting to spread their venomous powder, a combo attack - Flank Shot quickly followed by a Volt Fomula - Eliminated half of them. A swing of Eri's whip was just enough to deal with the rest.

The battles were getting easier to manage. The explorers were starting to let their guard down.

"So, what did you think of those Dinos back there?", Apollo asks.

"They are stupid. Very big and scary at first glance, sure, but they can't see anything a palm in front of them. I bet we can set them on fire easily." Helena says.

"No, I don't think we can... they might be easy to dodge, but if they catch us I bet we're done for good."

Lilo gestures to the rest of the group. "Hey, guys, I found a shortcut over here, I think it takes us back to the entrance."

"Perfect." walks towards the small open space inbetween the trees. "Good job, Lilo. We can head back now."

"Anastacia, you should see this over here." The voice of Eri is heard a little far away, from her back. Anastacia sighs and turns around.

"What is that, a sunflower? What is so surprising about a flower?"

"It... It's a monster!" Lilo suddenly yells. "What are you doing so close to it?"

"Hey, come on. It's just a flower. What bad could it do?"

Suddenly the creature moves, as if pointing its head - its flower - to the party's direction. And another flower, that until this moment was hiden in between the trees, appears, doing the same movement.

"Guys, this might be dangerous, we should flee. Now."

"Retreat." The Princess orders. Apollo and Helena, with this order, turn and move towards the shortcut, but not Eri. Eri refuses to move.

"Come on, are we really gonna flee from flowers?" she says, taking out her whip. She is confident. She does not believe this fight can be lost.

The sunflowers shoot their Solar Flames: a burst of energy coming from the center of the flower. The first flower, the one closes to Eri, would hit her straight on the chest. She would not survive such a powerful shot, that close.

"Get down!" Anastacia yells, as she throws her body in Eri. Eri falls to the side, but Anastacia is hit directly by the beam.

Eri's eyes widen in horror the moment she realizes what she has done. She picks up the fallen princess, and turns her eyes to the shortcut behind them. Before she can move, or say anything, arrows pass trough her. Multiple arrows, about 8 of them, hit the flowers, one after another, in a burst of power. All the flowers, dead in an instant.

"Eri, what the fuck? COME QUICK!" Helena yells. Eri gets up and runs towards the exit, still carrying Anastacia in her arms.

----

Anastacia is laying on the ground. She has a bed in her room, but she does not wants to use it. Not now.

A knocking sound. Someone is at the door. Anastacia does not wants to answer it.

"Excuse me... I'm getting in, in case you're undressed." It is Eri. "Hey, how are you? Physically, I mean. The nectar worked well?"

"Yes, I am alive." Anastacia answers, without really looking at the door. Her eyes are completely fixed in a singular point in front of her.

Eri sits in front of her. "Hey, I just wanted to let you know, I understand."

"What?"

"I understand. I understand what you are going trough now. Dying is a traumatic experience. I have died before."

"..."

"I used to drink Nectar as a recreational drug. It is a really strong medicine, despite the sweetness, and drinking it when you don't need it can fuck up with your mind. Dying hurts physically, and reviving hurts mentally."

"..."

"...I'm thankful that we found that Nectar. I wouldn't want you to die. You are one of the few cool people in this guild."

"...thank you for using it on me."

"Of course. Just wanted to let you know that I am here for you in case you need it. It's hard to bear psychological damage by yourself, I'd know it."

Anastacia answers with a nod.

"Ok... Well, I'll let you rest now. The Duke called us specifically. Tomorrow we are going there. Hope you can still keep going."

"I can. Don not worry about me."

Eri nods, and smiles. And this was the end of Graveyard Guild's first day of adventuring.

Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Nuzlocke

This is my first time trying a EO Challange Run. I kinda just wanna see how long it will last, and document my journey.

Ruleset:

Game will be played on Expert Difficulty, Classic Mode.

Only 1 character of each class will be created at the start of the game.

All character’s levels must be kept below the cap for each stratum.

The level cap for each stratum 3x the last floor of the stratum. (15 for 1st stratum, 30 for 2nd, etc).

Once a character dies in combat, they must be released from the guild; if the whole party is defeated/a game over is reached, all 5 characters must be released. Ressucitate, Revive and other revival skills are not allowed.

All characters get a second “life” after a game over during a boss battle, only once per boss per character.

Floor jump not allowed. Ariadne Thread is allowed.

May only reassign SP after defeating a Stratum Boss.

Grimoires are allowed.

Medica, Amrita and other healing itens are allowed.

BUYING Nectar is not allowed. Using it is.

The Plan

For exploration, a Survivalist is a must have. With a ruleset like this, surprise attacks could and will be fatal. Risk Perception and Stalker are needed as fast as possible. Keeping a Protector with Flee could also be useful for random encounters, especially early on, tho both of those can be taken out with Grimoires later.

For the first stratum boss, the plan is simple: Dark Hunter for Leg Bind, Troubador for Flame Fantasia, Alchemist for Ice damage, and Sovereign for Elemental Link and buffs. The last slot would be Survivalist, probably.

Of course all of this is insanely RNG-dependant, and the rules might be bent to better suit my own playstyle, but those are the rules I'm going to plan around. Wish me luck lol