#like it seems weird that a miner would find some ore and be like oh :( no i don't like this one :(

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

You ever wonder if each nation has variations of common phrases? Like fontaine would have "plenty of fish in the sea" but liyue would have "plenty of ore in the mine" or sumeru would have "plenty of leaves on the tree".

genuinely good question that i have no answer to. that sort of implies the regions all developed their phrases on their own, simultaneously, and that there was no cultural mixing at any point. like i could see there having been regional variants, but i do think it's likely the 'fish' variant spread wider by virtue of getting everywhere by boat.

but idk, i'm not knowledgable enough in how that stuff works irl to tell you if it would work like that in genshin

it does sound like a pretty funny idea though

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

More than just a game

Warnings: dark elements including noncon and rape, oral, fingering, doxxing, stalking, and other explicit content. 

This is dark!Jake Jensen and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You find a new gaming buddy but he sees you as more than that.

Note: So this is my first Jake Jensen fic and it was lots of fun so let me know what you think and hope you enjoy. :D

Thank you. Love you guys!

As always, if you can, please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3

Special shout-out to @navybrat817​ for helping me with this idea

After too many nights scrolling through subreddits and searching for something to keep you distracted, you decided to bite the hook. Several other redditors agreed to hop on Minecraft and it had been a while since you logged in. You missed the almost relaxing ritual of mining and building.

You joined the chat, quick to hit the little microphone emblem as you listened to the voices in your headset. You learned long ago to keep your mic muted on the servers, especially with strangers. The last time you dared to speak up as a woman in a game chat, your DMs had become so overwhelmed you deleted and started a new account on Discord and changed your ID on Steam.

You were all given your tasks as players called out coordinates and you kept to chopping up the side of a mountain. You mostly worked alone, chatting through text instead of voice chat. As you placed a crafting table in your little mine, another player, JJ-Smooth, popped up and dropped some iron for you. 

He stayed close but you didn’t mind. A lot of players tried to work together the deeper they got and you were used to it. As you uncovered some lava, he dumped water before you could get burned and helped you hack up the obsidian. 

He thanked you on the voice chat but you knew any courtesy in return would earn you the attention of the entire server. So you dropped some gold for him and went on your way.

“I hear a zombie,” he warned.

You turned to hack up the undead before it could get you, only to be shot by a skeleton hidden on the next level. Another appeared and you died before you could hide, the bony villain killed by your ally as you watched your possession scatter over the death screen.

“Hey, I got your stuff,” he said as you loaded back up, “I’ll find you.”

You typed quickly in the chat, ‘sorry, mic busted, give me your coordinates and I’ll come to you.’

You waited as ‘JJ-Smooth is typing…’ appeared at the bottom and finally he sent the numbers. You hopped over the blocky hills and through the forests until you found the mine again. He was just outside and handed over all your tools and ration. He headed back into the mine and you followed him. This time, you began your own path in the opposite direction.

Before you knew it, you’d lost track of time. You sat back as you realised it was only you and JJ on the server. The silence should have tipped you off earlier. He was the host and you felt super awkward for staying so long. You typed that you were logging off for the night and thanked him. 

You hit the keyboard with your knuckle and yawned as you opened the screen, 

“God, it’s late,” you muttered.

“Hello?” he said.

Your eyes rounded as you looked at the mic symbol and the lack of red line made you cringe. You’d hit an extra button without noticing.

“Um, hi, sorry, I just--”

“Mic busted, huh?” he asked.

“No, I--” you didn’t know what to say, “anyways, I should--”

“So, you’re a chick? Is that why you mute?”

“Uh, well, it’s just… easier, sorry, I--” even if you weren’t trying to hide from gamer dudes, you weren’t the best at conversation.

“A gamer girl, nice,” he said and you sighed, “sorry, that sounded weird, didn’t it?”

“Mhmm,” you touched your bottom lip as you cupped your chin, “it’s late, I have to work tomorrow.”

“You comin’ back?” he asked, almost hopeful.

“I don’t know--”

“I won’t tell anyone,” he said abruptly, “promise, lips sealed.”

“I really don’t know if I can do this too much, I usually work early mornings so… yeah,” you said.

“I get it but you know you’re always welcome, hope you don’t mind if I send you an invite now and then. No pressure,” he offered.

“Uh, sure,” you shrugged, “okay, yeah, good night.”

You left the chat quickly and pulled off your headset. Shit.

‘I’m Jake by the way,’ a pm popped up, ‘gg.’

You typed back, ‘gg, it was fun’ and quickly logged out. You sat back and rubbed your eyes. Well, he didn’t seem like a total creep, maybe just a bit awkward but so were you. You shut down for the night and stretched out as you switched off the lamp. You were going to pay for your session in the morning.

🎮

A few nights later you got an invite to the server. You debated it but as it was Friday, you decided to make good use of the PC you’d saved up forever to build. You spawned in the middle of nowhere and built a bed before you found the half-finished settlement. You joined the chat but you must have been early as you were the only one there.

You headed back to the same mine, some work done since the first night, and laid your torches as you ventured into the depths. You jumped in your seat as a voice broke your peace.

“I don’t think anyone else is gonna join,” JJ-Smooth, or Jensen said, “you think maybe you’ll unmute?”

You stopped your mining and stared at the screen. You hovered over the mic button and re-read his name, he was the only other one there. You clicked and gave a strained smile to the screen.

“So, um, what’s the goal tonight?” you asked.

“Get some materials and go back to the settlement, keep building, oh, maybe we could try a portal, you ever gone to the nether?” he said but before you could reply he kept on, “shit, I shouldn’t assume, you seem like an experienced player.”

“Yeah, a few times, but I’m more a casual miner,” you went back to harvesting stone and ore.

“Ah,” he said, and it was silent for a moment, “so, you work again in the morning?”

“Not tomorrow,” you said as you focused on the game, “daycare isn’t open on the weekends.”

“A daycare, huh? That sounds fun, I love kids… not in a weird way but you know, I… urgh, I have a niece,” he said with a nervous chuckle, “nah, that’s cool though, sounds more fun than my gig.”

“Oh?” you turned and kept your axe moving.

“IT. You know, some people would be like ‘hey Jensen, why do you spend all your free time staring at a screen when that’s what you do at work?’” he scoffed, “well, who says I’m not mining there too.”

You wrinkled your forehead and gave a small laugh. He was rambling and it was kinda odd. You were happy for once not to be the strange one.

“But anyway,” he said, “I found lots of diamond over here. If we get some lapis lazuli we can build an enchanting table and get some sick armour.”

“Awesome,” you pressed your fingertips to your lip as you leaned on your elbow, “should try to head back before dark…”

“Hard to tell down here. How about you mine and I’ll keep an eye out for monsters?” he offered.

“Sure,” you agreed as he came onto your screen, “that works.”

🎮

Another week went by and you ventured back into the server a few times but not for very long as late nights did not mix with young children. The next weekend, you joined again on Saturday night and like the last few times it was just you and Jensen. You wondered why no one else was joining when the subreddit was so popular but you didn’t worry about it for long.

You mostly played in silence, Jensen did most of the talking and it was never about anything more than the game or his niece’s last soccer game. That night when you left the game, he kept typing on Discord.

‘I like playing with you,’ his message blipped up.

‘Same, thx.’

‘Really, you’re awesome.’

‘Thx :) Tired, gotta sleep.’

‘Sweet dreams.’

‘Night.’

You changed your status to offline and dragged yourself to bed. You opened your phone as you laid in the dark and went to the subreddit, you scrolled through the builds and screenshots of other people’s catastrophes. 

You came to Jensen’s last invite post from that night but all the comments complained that the world code was incorrect. Hmm, you should tell him next time.

You blackened your cell and plopped it on your night table. You rolled over and buried your face in the pillow, the light still etched into your vision. You fell asleep quickly and woke the next day to another invite from Jensen.

‘How about some Fortnite? If you’re into it?’

‘Srry, can’t, my mom’s expecting me for lunch.’

‘2 bad, maybe later.’

‘Maybe’.

You got ready to go see your mother for your usual Sunday afternoon visit and it went by like any other. When she asked you what you’d been up to, you didn’t mention the gaming, she was never a fan of it. When you got back home, Jensen was messaging you again. You didn’t open the notification and settled in to catch up on some streaming before another week of work.

Monday hit you like a train and you were glad you hadn’t spent the night mining again. If you had, you doubted you’d even be able to open your eyes. You got to the daycare centre and welcomed in the kids. You got them set up for the morning snack then cleaned up as Sandy took them over to the reading circle.

You wiped the tables and then did some painting before you went out for some play time in the yard. As you watched several of the children on the swings, you glanced around. There was a man across the street. You squinted through the chain link as he seemed to be watching but assured yourself it was nothing as he quickly headed for the corner and disappeared.

Inside, the kids were due for quiet time, some napped and those who didn’t, stared at the ceiling and yawned. You could have joined them but knew that wouldn’t be acceptable. The end of the day came and you helped the kids pack up their paintings and their sweaters. You waited in the yard with them as the parents showed up and handed them off one by one.

You waved to Danika as she clung to her mother and your eye was once more drawn beyond the chain link. The same faded grey jacket, the same glasses, and the hat with the frayed brim. It was a better look at the man. Was he looking at you? Why on earth was he hanging around outside a daycare?

“Sandy,” you turned and lowered your voice as she neared, “see that man?”

She peeked over and shrugged, “which one? The guy crossing the street?”

You looked up again and like before, he was walking away casually as if he hadn’t just been staring through the fence. You shook your head and huffed. “Sorry, never mind.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” she waved her fingers, “come on, let’s clean up.”

With the kids all sorted out, you went back in and tidied up the last of their mess. You and Sandy were friendly but like with any, you weren’t very talkative. You never really knew what to say but you were never unkind.

You pulled on your jacket and checked your purse for your phone and wallet. You checked the time and turned off the lights. You bid Sandy goodbye as she headed for her SUV and you took your usual route down the sidewalk towards your bus stop. 

You stopped short as the man was there. You were paranoid, he must just be waiting for the same route. You approached and he turned to watch you as you sat on the bench. He smiled and the dread sank deep in your chest. 

His rectangular glasses gave light to his blue eyes and a goatee trimmed his jaw. He was tall and well-built, you could tell even under his comic book tee. He was going to talk to you, another weirdo in the city.

“Hey,” his voice was chillingly familiar, “how was your day?”

You stared at him and blinked cluelessly. You looked around, it was only the two of you. You opened your mouth but you had to be wrong. He said your name and you winced.

“Jensen?” you breathed as you stood and squeezed the strap of your bag, “why? How--?”

“You weren’t answering me, I was worried,” he said, “just making sure you’re okay.”

“What the-- I don’t understand how--” He stepped closer and you backed up against the bench. “Don’t, I’ll scream.”

“Scream? Why? I’m just-- You know me, it’s me, Jensen.”

“You doxxed me?” you snapped, “what the hell?”

“No, I didn’t-- I’m just checking on you--”

“I don’t know you,” you said as your heart began to race, “so please, leave me alone,” you edged away from him, “and don’t message me again.”

You sprinted across the street and as you came up on the curb, you looked back at him. He watched you but didn’t follow. You could tell from there he wasn’t happy but the brim of his cap shadowed most of his face so you couldn’t guess if it was hurt or anger. You quickly spun away and continued down the next street to the nearest stop.

You couldn’t believe he’d just shown up like that. You couldn’t believe he would think that was okay. You couldn’t believe he’d think that much about you.

🎮

You blocked Jensen on Discord and left his world on Minecraft. That night you were shaky and nervous, afraid that he would show up at your apartment. Did he know where you lived? He must if he could figure out where you worked.

You didn’t open Steam that night. You paced your small apartment, jumping at every noise. Sleep didn’t come easily but in shallow spurts that left you even more tired. You watched over your shoulder as you walked to your stop and boarded with one eye on the door.

Work was little better as you found yourself distracted in the room full of toddlers. Sandy asked if you were okay as you kneaded play-do violently. You shook yourself out of your paranoia and assured her you were only short on sleep, not a complete lie.

You took out your phone when you stepped out for a small break. Your mom had called but you would have to get back to her when you had two hours to waste. There was another notification, that one from Discord, a friend request from JJ-NoRematch. It wasn’t hard to guess who it was and you declined it right away.

There were several others from Jensen, too. He followed your Insta, blocked; he followed your mostly empty twitter, blocked; and he even commented on your LinkedIn like a weird. You closed your phone and took a breath before you headed back into the kids, their voices rising in their excitement to go outside.

In the yard, you had another look around, expecting to see him there on the other side of the fence. You were slightly relieved when he wasn’t but still on edge. You joined a game of tag then watched several of the kids line up for the slide. You lost yourself in your job as you told yourself he must have gotten the hint, at least not to bother you irl.

Just like the day before, and every day, you left work and headed for your stop. He wasn’t there either and you sat down and phoned your mom, hanging up as the bus pulled up with a promise to call her again when you were home. At home, you felt almost normal again and checked your notifications; no more follows, no more requests, nothing.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday passed in a similar fashion. Each saw your anxieties less than the day before. You even resolved to open Steam and start a new world for yourself. You spent hours mining and almost fell asleep in your chair. When you nearly tipped over, you decided it was time for bed.

You slept better than you had all week and woke up before noon. You wanted to log right back on but you had life to deal with; groceries, cleaning, and of course, making that call to your mother you’d delayed the night before. After all that, you felt accomplished and you decided to treat yourself to take out, a rare divulgence.

You called the local Chinese eatery and waited eagerly for your feast as you turned on a new episode of your current binge. You played on your phone until the battery was low and had enough juice to buzz up the delivery man. You dug for your wallet as you went to the door and unlocked it without looking up.

“How much--” you asked as you opened the door.

Your eyes met a familiar pair, two blue gems behind a pair of narrow glasses. Jensen wore the same cap and held the paper bag of take-out with a smile. You grabbed the door and tried to swing it shut but he was too quick as he slapped a large hand against the peeling paint.

“It’s on me,” he said, “I love spare ribs.”

“What the--” you gasped as you pushed on the door helplessly, “please go away.”

“You’re not answering me,” he said as he stepped closer and forced you back as his body brushed against yours, “you blocked me and I can’t even get a hey, Jensen, how are you?”

“I don’t want you here,” you tried to shove him and he shouldered you away easily, “get out!”

He slammed the door and you flinched. He put the bag down on the corner table and reached back to twist the lock without a look. His eyes roved around your entryway and further into your apartment. He smiled as they stilled and focused on you.

“This place is cute… like you,” he said and you heard a slight hesitation in his voice.

You swallowed and backed away from him. You spun on your heel and ran for your couch. You reached over the back to your phone and unlocked it as the battery icon flashed. You had just enough juice to make the call. You dialed as you turned back to him.

“I’m calling the police so you b-better l-leave,” you warned as your voice and hands shook, “I me--”

He was quick and before you could pull away, he swiped your cell out of your hand. He scoffed and tossed it across the room. It hit the wall and landed screen down on the hardwood. You bit down and pressed yourself to the couch. You stared at him and kicked yourself forward as you tried to slip past him. He caught you and wrestled you back into the front room.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked calmly as you struggled in his grasp, “I’ve been nothing but nice to you.”

“N-no, you’re-- you-- let me go,” you stammered as he angled you around the couch. He pushed you down so you bounced on the cushion. You tried to push yourself up and he pointed his finger in your face and wagged it. 

“No, you stay,” he growled and wiped his other hand on his jeans. He was nervous, even if he was angry.

“Please, why-- what do you want?” you grasped the cushion and hovered at the edge of the couch.

He sighed and sat in the chair. He took his hat off and set it on the table as he ran his fingers through his short hair. 

“Good question,” he said as his jaw squared and his eyes turned to pinpoints, “better one, why did you block me?”

“Are you serious? You-- you--” you struggled to get your words out, your voice even more splintered by your fear, “you doxxed me, you came to-- to my work-- and…”

“I thought we were getting along. I thought you liked me,” he said with a frown, “I really did, you sure acted like it and-- I only wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“But why wouldn’t I be? I--” you shivered and crossed your arms as you withered beneath his gaze, “Jensen, this was only supposed to be online.”

He scoffed and stomped his boot on the floor. He shook his head as he looked to the ceiling and his anger bulged along his temple. He tilted his head and looked at you again.

“You know, for years, I have been a nice guy, I am a nice guy,” he pushed his shoulders to his ears as he threw his hand out, “I’m so patient and caring and you girls, you don’t even give me a second look.”

“Jensen--”

“No, really, I mean look at you, you’re no supermodel and yet it’s the same thing, ‘let’s just be friends’,” he spat, “but I watch guys all the time treat women like shit and they don’t have any trouble at all, they got them hanging off of them and I’m a creep for giving them a compliment or opening the door--”

“I don’t… know you,” you eked out, “you have to understand--”

“I don’t understand,” he stood abruptly, “I’m done trying to understand.”

He pulled his jacket open and slid it down his arms. You watched him sling it over the chair and as he turned back to you, you stood. He caught your shoulders and held you in place. His strength was plain in his grip as he squeezed then slowly moved his hands to cradle your face.

“I just wanna be nice,” he said as he leaned in. You tried to pull away but he moved a hand around the back of your head and forced your lips against his. He poked his tongue inside your mouth roughly as you tried to shove him away. Finally, he parted, his hands still firmly around your head, “wasn’t that nice?”

“Please,” you begged as he ran his thumb over your bottom lip.

His eyes searched your face as you stared back at him in terror. He sighed and dropped his hands back to your shoulders. He pushed you down to the sofa harshly and backed away.

“Fine, I won’t be nice,” he snarled as he took his glasses off and folded them carefully. He put them on the table beside his cap and twined his fingers together, loudly cracking his knuckles.

You blinked at him as your eyes grew glossy. You brought your legs up under you and pressed yourself to the back of the couch. You grasped the upholstery and turned as you launched yourself over to the other side. You stumbled as you landed on your feet and ran for the door.

You were yanked back as he snaked his arms around you and took you off your feet. You kicked out and screamed but it was cut off by his palm as he kept one arm around your middle. You scratched at his hand as he dragged you back to the couch. He pushed you face down onto the cushions and planted his knee in the middle of your back, slipping his hand away as he put enough weight on you to keep your voice suffocated.

“Listen, I know I look like some IT nerd but I’m a lot more than that, now don’t make me hurt you,” he played with your hair as he smiled down at you, “you try that again and I will shut you up and if someone hears you, I can take care of them too.”

You sniffed as tears pricked in your eyes and nodded frantically as it felt as if he would snap your spine. He pushed off of you and you stayed as you were, paralysed with fear. He sat and unlaced his boots one at a time. He looked up as he set them neatly beside the foot of the chair and he bent to catch your eye.

“Well?” he pointed at you and traced the line of your body in the air, “let’s go.”

You stared at him dumbly and he stood to pull his tee over his head. His torso was sculpted perfectly and his chest trimmed with hair that trailed all the way down to his pants. He stepped forward and tugged at the back of your shirt.

“You want me to do it for you, baby?” he purred, “I can help you.”

You swatted him away and sat up. You bent your legs to your chest and hugged them. “Please, I’m scared, just leave me alone--”

His hand rested on his belt and exhaled again. His fingers moved swiftly to unloop the striped belt and unbutton his jeans. He pushed them down, nearly tripping as he stepped out of them. He stood in his boxers, tented with his impatient excitement, and gripped his hips.

“It’s okay, baby, I know you’re shy, I am too,” he neared and you winced as he grabbed your wrist. He tugged on your arm and you resisted until he bent your hand back painfully and you cried out. He tickled your jaw as he looked you in the eye and tutted, “it doesn’t have to be like this, alright?”

You went limp and let him pull your arms apart. Your legs slipped down and your feet dangled above the floor. He got to his knees and pushed between yours. He slowly rolled up the hem of your shirt and bent to kiss your stomach as he bared the flesh. You trembled as he forced your arms up and swooped the fabric over your head. It fluttered through the air and to the floor as he cupped your tits through your bright pink bra.

“Is this so bad?” he asked as he nuzzled your chest and pushed your tits up. 

He glided the straps down your arm and slid your bra lower so that you popped out. He nibbled at your flesh and traced your nipples with his tongue. You sat rigid and let him explore your body, too terrified to move a muscle. He reached around you and struggled with the hooks, frustrated he snapped the clasps and the band came free.

He continued to play with your chest, his fingers crawling up and down your stomach and sides. There was a genuine curiosity to his touch and it sent a chill through you. His fingertips pressed to the top of your pants and he pulled at them as his lips travelled down to your hip.

He tugged on your pants and jerked your entire body. He tore them lower as he pushed you up and you lifted yourself to let him peel away the layer. He added them to the floor and toyed with the elastic of your panties. The little bow in the front drew his attention as he pushed your legs wider and ran his nose along the cotton.

He hummed and rubbed his fingers down your crotch, pushing the fabric to your folds as he teased you through them. You inhaled sharply at the tingle it inspired and he pressed firmer against you, flicking his fingers along your bud as he noticed how it made you squirm.

He gently pulled aside the cotton and you felt his hot breath against you. You pushed on his head before he could delve into you. “Please, don’t--”

“Shhhh,” he threw your hand away from his head and bent over you, “just relax.”

He dragged his tongue along your cunt and lingered around your clit. You clenched as it sent a thrill through you and he moved his lips against you, suckling at you bud as your breaths grew raspy. You pushed yourself against the back of the couch and dug your nails into the cushion.

He slid a finger along your cunt and circled your entrance. He rubbed up and down as he kept his tongue swirling over your clit and you swallowed back as gasp as he poked inside. He felt around and added another finger, stretching you as he carefully pushed them in and out of you in time with his mouth.

He lapped you up and you closed your eyes, desperate to resist the coil winding within you. Your legs tensed against the couch and you tilted your pelvis without thinking. He sped up, the noise of his mouth and your slickness filled the silence. You let out a puff and moaned as you slapped the couch. The waves rolled over your flesh and you came into his mouth with a pathetic mewl.

He stilled his fingers as he lazily teased you with his tongue. He pulled his fingers out and sat back, the heat between your legs cooling in his absence as he licked up your juices. He watched you as he sucked his fingers and stood. Your head lolled and you edged forward on the couch. You tried to stand but he caught you and flung you back.

“We’re not done, baby,” he winked at you as he grasped the top of his boxers, “go on, lay down.”

You murmured your refusal and once more tried to get up. You slipped onto the floor and shakily crawled away as he dropped his boxers to his ankle. He grabbed you before you could get around the side and lifted you easily. He turned you and shoved you down onto your back as he lifted a leg over you.

He straddled you and again his hands roved over your body. You smacked at his fingers weakly but he easily ignored you. He kept one hand moving along your curves as he stroked himself with the other. He groaned and shook as he stroked his dick. Your eyes followed his hand and you gulped, he was thick.

He moved his knees back and pushed them up beneath your thighs as he kept a hand planted on your chest. He ripped your panties down your legs and untangled them from your feet. 

He held you down as he ran his tip along your cunt, wetting himself with your coerced arousal. You groaned and grabbed the arm of the couch above you. You tried to pull away from him.

He pushed against your entrance and you looked at him in shock. You couldn’t stop him. His eyes were set between your legs as he inhaled and slowly eased into you. He gasped as he got his tip inside you and his muscles tensed. He bit his lip as he dove further in and you gasped as he filled you inch by inch.

“Shitttt,” he moaned as he reached his limit and you whined at how full you were, “oh, baby.”

His hand slid from your chest and he gripped your hips as he pulled back and thrust. You exclaimed and he did it again, slowly as he watched himself impale you over and over. You curled your fingers against the couch arm and your feet arch as you pressed your thighs around him. He lifted your pelvis high as he angled his dick even deeper.

“You feel so good,” he rasped, “oh, baby, you’re so good. Ahh-hh-hh,” his voice fizzled as your walls clenched him and you closed your eyes as you felt the heat building. 

He moved his hand along your thigh and stretched it over your pelvis, pushing his thumb to your clit as he kept his pace. He purred as you writhed helplessly against him and you panted through the rising ecstasy.

“Please, please, please…” you chanted, unsure if you were begging him to stop or for more.

He moaned as he sped up and you sucked your lip under your teeth as you neared your peak. You quivered as your orgasm crashed into you and you let out a strangled cry. He snarled and planted his hands beside your head as he leaned over you, his hot breath tickled your face as he pounded into you.

Your legs bent around him as his pelvis rubbed against you and the friction drove you to another climax. You held onto the arm of the couch as he fucked your harder and harder. He kissed you and nibbled at your lip as he groaned and hooked an arm under to hold you close.

“You’re gonna make me cum, baby,” he said against your cheek and you turned your head away from, “ah, here I--”

He spasmed and slammed into you. He took several long thrusts and stilled. He grunted and drew heavy breaths as he rested his weight over you. He grabbed your head and turned your head up as he pressed his forehead to yours. You kept your eyes closed as the flames slowly dwindled.

“Was that so bad?” he stroked your cheek and trailed his finger down to poke between your lips, “No, it’s what you wanted, isn’t it, baby?” he wiggled his hips and you hissed, “yeah, you want me.”

[adventuresinfarming]

A Story a Day Series - Chapter 3

A Story a Day Series ~ Chapter 3 Spring 3, Year 1 Word Count: 2,340 Summary: Avian learns about geodes and the library/museum.  A weird noise creeps her out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (WEDNESDAY) SPRING 3, YEAR 1 And just like that – she woke up with the most brilliant idea – why doesn’t she make a Field Snack? She was mad at herself that she didn’t bring that survival book with her – if she even still had it.  But she had thought she read it before: Pine Cones, Maple Seeds and...what was the last thing? OH YEAH! Acorns!  If you mashed them together, it was a surprisingly good source of energy.  She didn’t want to forget this and scrawled a quick note on the notebook besides her bed to put into the blueprint binder for later.

She didn’t even need to look out the window to know it was raining outside.  She was pretty exhausted from the past two days so she figured what’s another hour to sleep in?  However just as she rolled over and got comfortable, there was a knock at the door.

She signed and quickly threw on whatever clothes she had nearby and opened the door an inch.  A taller man with brown hair and brown goatee wearing a heavy apron stood outside the door under an umbrella.

“Uh…Hi there.  Good morning,” he began.  “Welcome to the Valley, I’m Clint – I run the blacksmith shop in town.  Uh, I apologize for the early morning visit but I noticed that you’ve been breaking some rocks open and finding ore – that’s good!  If you want to get the mo-“

“Huh?” she interrupted.  “I’m sorry -  Clint, was it?  I haven’t broken any rocks?” she was so confused, she didn’t remember breaking rocks – aside from the small stones on her property that is.

“You haven’t?” he also seemed quite puzzled.  “You mean you haven’t come across any small orange-looking stones?” he stopped to think for a moment.  “Or maybe you fished some up?  They’ve been known to get hooked on bottom-feeder fish lately.” Now that jogged her memory – she remembered getting something like that in a chest attached to a fish yesterday.  “Oh yeah, now that you mention it, I did catch a fish with some yesterday!  Sorry for the interruption.” She gestured that he could continue.

“No, that’s okay – uh, anyway if you want to get the most out of the ores you find, you’ll need a furnace.  Just happens I had an extra set of blueprints lying around.  Here, I want you to have them.”

With this, she opened the door wider.  “Really?  That’s awesome!  I’ve been wondering if anyone had extra blueprints I could add to my binder,” she hooked her thumb over her shoulder back towards her table.  “I really appreciate you sharing these with me.”

 He looked down, almost embarrassed, his face growing just the slightest shade of pink.  “Y-you’re welcome…just in case you don’t know, it allows you to smelt metal bars.  The bars can be used for crafting, construction and tool upgrades.  When you’ve smelted a few copper bars, consider having me upgrade one of your tools.  It can make your work a lot easier.  Well, okay.  I’m heading home now.  Take it easy and stop by my shop any time!”  He took his leave after this, Avian watched him go.  Kind of a strange man but he seemed nice enough.  As he passed the shipping bin, she completely forgot about her shipping!  She grabbed the umbrella that sat in a box (she had yet to finish finding a place for everything) and ran out to see if anything was still there.

She looked into the shipping bin and found a note and a small pouch.  Written in the same hand as her earlier note from Mayor Lewis, was an itemized list of everything she had put into the bin the night before along with an amount that she received for each item.  Huh, 596g – Not too bad!  She stuffed the note and pouch into her pocket as she ran back inside to properly get ready for the day.

She checked the TV – sunny tomorrow and mildly perturbed spirits today...she still didn’t understand what that meant but oh well – before sitting at the table to examine her new blueprint and thought about what it’ll take to upgrade her tools.  Would be nice, they were so worn and she really needed to lay into the tool in order for it to work properly – she was using too much muscle.  But then again, it might not be a bad thing to bulk up a little.  She chuckled to herself, envisioning herself looking like a bodybuilder in a few years if she didn’t get these tools upgraded.

Clint didn’t really explain how to get ores other than breaking rocks (and fishing them up) so maybe she’d pay him another visit today for more information – hey, maybe he knew what those 2 oval rocks were too?  Since she didn’t need to water her crops today, she gathered some things into her rucksack, grabbed her umbrella, then went to go find Clint’s shop.

***It was a longer walk to Clint’s than she had expected not realizing he lived on the complete other side of the town and but as she got closer, she followed the racket that radiated from the massive machine behind his shop.  Although it didn’t open for another hour so she decided to do a little fishing in the mean time but she fished up more trash than fish (and of course, this had nothing to do with juggling a fishing rod and holding an umbrella)

 Once 9am rolled around, she went right in.  It was a larger shop which made sense as she saw the Blacksmithing forge at the back of the shop with the billows working keeping the flames alight. A large selection of hammers and other types of tools were hanging on the wall beside it.  “Hi Clint!” she said cheerfully as she walked up to his counter and started digging through her bag. ***

“What are you doing here? Er, I mean..Welcome.  How can I help you?” he looked nervous as she walked up to him.

“After your visit this morning, I was wondering if you knew what this was?” she pulled out the oval rocks she had found yesterday.

“Of course I do.  Those are Geodes.  They typically have some kind of gems or materials inside them.  I can easily break them apart for a small fee of 25g each.  Is that something you’d like to do?” he held up one of the geodes, examining it as best he could with the limited light in his shop. “Yeah, why not?”  She took out the amount he mentioned and followed him over to his anvil as he placed the geode on it and went to the wall to select a large hammer from the wall.  He gestured for her to stand back as he swung the hammer, demolishing the hardened material to reveal granite, Jagoite and Orpiment.

“That was awesome!” she exclaimed as he picked up each one to look at them.  “Now what?” she asked.

“Uh, well..you can do whatever you want with them.  I thought I heard something about Gunther  looking for things like this so maybe check with him?

“Who?”

“Oh Gunther.  He’s the curator that runs the Library and Museum in the building south of here”

She thanked Clint for his help and exited his shop to pay this Gunther a visit.  No one was at the counter as she walked in but she heard a voice coming from further in the building. 

“Abysmal…” a voice trailed off.  She walked past a couple of large book cases and found a dark haired man with a goatee and bright blue uniform was muttering to himself.  He was standing amongst a large collection of empty tables.  “Not a single piece in the entire collection.” “Hi…I don’t mean to interrupt but Clint said you might be interested in these minerals?” Avian spoke softly, as the acoustics of the empty room caused her voice to echo.

“What’s that?  You found something?  Let me see it!” She pulled out the items that were hidden inside the geodes and laid them down on the table in front of him.

He picked one of them up immediately and started examining it intently. “Remarkable!  This is very old.  I’d love to study these in greater detail…but they are yours. Hmmm…” he handed them back to you and tapped his chin in thought for a moment. “I’ve got a favor to ask you.  Would you consider donating any new artifacts or minerals that you find? We could make a groundbreaking discover together!  Oh, and who knows…if you keep donating I might come across some interesting items to send your way.”

She didn’t even need to think about it and agreed immediately.  “Of course I’ll donate them – I don’t know what I’d do with them otherwise!” she handed the items back to him.

“Oh thank you! You’re doing a great thing for science.  Once I examine these, I’ll have a description of them so please come back to find more information on your extraordinary discoveries.  Actually, to thank for your donations so far, please take this.”  He reached into his pocket and handed you 250G. Avian stared up at him in amazement.  “Just like that?” she asked. 

“Just like that.” He replied.  “And remember, we could discover other useful items that would be worth more than that!” ‘Thanks! Yeah I’ll bring anything else I find to you.”

She left the shop and wondered what she should do now.  She had more room in her rucksack so she decided to grab some seeds as she was close to Pierre’s then fish a little bit more.  Plus it was raining a bit harder now so maybe by the time she was done choosing seeds, the rain would die down a little.

However, she tried to open the door to Pierre’s but it just didn’t budge.  She pulled back a bit before seeing the sign that says “Closed on Wednesdays”.

Well, crap. She thought.  Guess she’d just skip to fishing then. She thought she heard mentioned that there was a lake in the mountains and even though it was raining, that sounded like a really relaxing place to spend the rest of the rainy afternoon.

She followed the path North East towards the mountain, passing a large decrepit building that looked like it was on the verge of collapsing.  It had a weird, calming aura about it, though.  She continued on the path, finally coming to a large house and realized that this must be Robin’s!  She didn’t really feel like talking with anyone so she continued on and saw the lake not too far away. 

There was a nice little island that looked cozy but the wooden planks leading to it looked suspect and slippery so she stayed on regular land and cast the line into the water.

It was actually quite a great fishing day – got a ton of fish, plus some interesting some items in chests like rice shoots, more squiggly worm bait and coal.  Her rucksack was full to bursting and unfortunately, it was getting a bit dark.  She started to head back the way she came before she saw a guy standing underneath the eaves of Robin’s house.  He was in all dark clothes and she couldn’t see him that well.  Cigarette smoke hung in the air as she stopped a little ways from him.

“Hi, I’m Avian – I just moved here.” She called from beneath her umbrella. “Do you by any chance know if there is a shortcut back to the farm?  I don’t really want to have to walk all the way back around in the dark.”

“Oh, you just moved in?  Cool.”  He sounded bored and took another drag of his cigarette before continuing on, his voice taking on a sarcastic tone.  “Of all places you could live, you chose Pelican Town?”

Kind of taken aback by his comment, she tried to defend herself.  “Well...yeah, I’m continuing on my Grandfather’s legacy…is there something wrong with that?”

“No.” he said simply and threw the cigarette butt to the ground before stepping on it.  “If you continue back this way, there’s a path to the left that’ll lead you directly to your farm.” Without another word he went inside the house, leaving her alone in the rain.

What was with the crabby people in this town?  She didn’t even get his name to add to the crabby list alongside Abigail and Shane. How many more people even lived here?  She was annoyed by his comment but she just shrugged it off.  She took his instructions up around the mountain house and easily found the path that lead to the left.  It was so dark though and she wished she had a flashlight with her.  Luckily the path was easy to follow as it turned south to an overpass across the road that lead to the bus station and realized that was the entrance to her farm was right there – good to know she had a path that lead directly to the mountains behind her property. 

Just as she got to the entrance, the frog and insect songs that had accompanied her throughout the day, suddenly stopped.  The complete silence (other than the rain) was eerie as an otherworldly sound echoed around her a moment later.  She’d never heard anything like it…it wasn’t like it was close to her but it seemed to echo all around her, stretching throughout the entire valley.  To be quite honest, she nearly jumped out of her skin and flat out ran the rest of the way, barely throwing her haul into the shipping bin and slamming the door behind her and triple checking it was locked.

~~Throughout the night, her dreams were filled with fish.  Different techniques of casting, reeling in…a variety of fish that inhabited the various  waters in the valley…then it came to her.  She finally understood how to craft the perfect squiggly bait.  Oh wait..no.  The perfect contraption for trapping crabs, snails, lobsters and prawns..no wait..the most delectable ‘Dish o’ the Sea’… ~~

[zombiekillerky]

[DaithiDeTerroriser] - Safety

Nogla just had to say he thought it was a good idea to go mining and find a mineshaft didn't he. If he didn't say anything the Irishlads would already be home or their temporary home since they went on a little adventure with just the two of them. But he had to run his mouth and now look what mess he was stuck in. Tons of zombie trying to kill him as he hides in a little cave spot crying for Brian's help.

Flash Back

"Brian do you think we could go deeper in the cave, there is a possibility that there is a mineshaft down here and I feel like we could find more ores" Nogla asked as they walked down the cave system. Brian shrugged his shoulders as he shifted the bag of minerals he had on his shoulder to the other at an instant. Nogla smiled widely as he took out his torch and started to look around for the system. Not even realizing that he was the only one actually looking from how focused he was at the moment.

"Brian could you at least help me out here when finding this place?" Nogla asked as he turned another corner of the cave. Hearing Brian chuckle softly behind him as he walked. Nogla turned his head to find out what he was laughing at and soon realized what it was. There Brian was leaning against the wall, pointing up to a hole in the cave system that revealed the mineshaft Nogla was talking about before. Nogla rolled his eyes slightly as he walked over to him and pushed him slightly.

"Hey you wanted to find this place, so I helped you out some" Brian replied with a sly grin as he started to hit the wall in order to make stairs for him to climb. Nogla only smiled as he watched him work, he was just trying to get under his skin. As soon as Brian ended the staircase he helped Nogla up the last few steps that he had to climb. Making sure that he was steady and didn't fall from his place  on the stone.

"Now what was the next part of the plan, I wasn't really listening all to much earlier" Brian chuckled as you walked and placed torches on the wall to light there way around the abandoned shaft.

"We are here to collect more ores because Mineshafts contain the most ore and valuables"

"Oh okay gotcha, would you like to split up once we find separate ways?" Brian asked, implying that that's what he wanted to do so they could cover more ground. Nogla only shrugged his shoulders as a response when they walked.

Near came the end of their tunnel and out on to the old wood that supported the rail ways. Nogla's eyes filled with wonder as they walked. Seeing all the deem lit torches that hung from the walls. The untouched minecarts on the tracks that were left there. Nogla rushed over to one as basically went head first in to dig through what ever was at the bottom. Hearing Brian laugh from behind and his footsteps walked further away as he dug through the box at the bottom.

Once Nogla got up from the cart he looked around for his Brunette friend that he thought was waiting for him. A small sigh escaped his lips as he dusted himself off and started to walk towards the direction he last heard Brian walk over to. He knew Brian wanted to mine separately but he felt as if they would be better protected if they were together instead of apart like they were at the moment. Nogla's eyes wondered around the cave and spotted the familiar pinkish ore stuck in the wall. He smiled softly as he brought out his pic and stared to remove as much as he could from the wall.

At first he thought he was fine but shortly after he got around half he started to hear strange sounds around him. He knew there were monsters down in the cave system and had a Iron sword just in case of an emergency.

"Brian I swear to ye if ye are playing jokes it's not funny man!" Nogla yelled out along with an uneasy laugh towards the end as he continued what he was doing. Only hearing the sounds yet again as he worked. His first guess is it was Brian trying to scare him but he knew he wouldn't take this long. There would only be one big scare and that was it with him but this was weird.

Suddenly as Daithi removed the last piece from the wall he started to hearing groaning and hissing coming from his right. The raven haired male turned his head and was faced upon around 10 zombies and around 7 cave spiders. The Irish man screamed in fright as he exchanged his pic for his sword. Getting bit by the spider on the ground that crawled up his leg. He ran as fast as his legs could take him in this falling apart place. The mobs hot on his trail from what he could hear. Nogla wiped some sweat from his brow as he ran, turning the corner only to find a creeper in his face.

There was a loud bang and his body was flung against the wall at harsh force. Daithi's vision became blurry as he laid there, ringing in his ears as he clutched his lower stomach area. Pain shot up his spinal cord as he sat up and grabbed his sword yet again. Rushing to get up since he seen them coming from across the bridge looking area.

"Brian! Brian please help me!....Brian!" Nogla called out as he limped down the hall and found a small area where he could rest and not be seen. He quickly climbed the stone wall and covered where he stepped with dirt and granite. Nogla shut his eyes and listened to his heart beat not sow down anytime soon. His breathing was heavy and his whole body hurt from being blasted against the wall not to long ago. It was close and good that he had woken up but all he wants is to just take a nap and hope for the best when it came to things.

End of Flash Back

"Brian!....Can you hear me! Please help!" Nogla shouted yet again, panic starting to rise within him from the sound of them coming closer and closer by the second. He started to whimper as he held his arm in pain. His heartbeat wouldn't stop racing as he sat there against the cold stone. Sweat mixed in with a small bit of blood and dirt ran down his cheek.

"BRIAN!" Nogla called out, hearing fast footsteps mixed in with the others. The zombies started to pile in closer. Some even reaching out to try and grab him yet they all weren't tall enough to reach him. A sword came across one's head at an instant, watching the head fall to the floor which grabbed all of their attentions.

"Come and get me mother fuckers" Brian called out as he brought a second sword from his inventory with a smirk. Stabbing another one in the throat that was nearest to him, smashing a spider along with it. Nogla watched in awe as Brian did his work. Smashing spiders and killing the zombies with ease. Only getting attacked once which Nogla fired his bow to save him as back up since that was all he could do at the moment. Brian reached his leg up and kicked one of them in the neck, knocking their head off at an instant. His heart was beating fast as he looked around frantically in case there were any left around them both. A smile came on to his face as he looked back at Nogla watched him from up above.

Brian ran over and held his arms out, helping Nogla down off of his ledge. He held him tightly as he helped him down and it seemed like he wouldn't let go off him either. Nogla finally felt safe in his arms as they hugged.

"God you're so stupid sometimes what the hell what happened, how the hell did you attract some many damn zombies after I left you for 5 god damn minutes!" Brian asked as he cupped Nogla's cheek. Nogla only smiled as he shut his eyes in comfort of him, his cheeks heated up from his touch of his gloved hand.

"Maybe I attracted them with my potato's Brian" Nogla replied with a wide grin to lighten up the mood between the two of them. Brian chuckled slightly as he rolled his eyes, ruffling up Nogla's hair slightly as he stared at him with a smirk. A sigh escaped his lips as he seen the rips in his shirt and blast marks from what seemed to be a creeper.

"Next time I say when we are going to a mineshaft, look at you, you look beat to hell and back....*sigh* We're heading home Nogla okay. So you can recover from this, remember we are leaving that Igloo hopefully in the morning as well" Brian said as he grabbed both his and Nogla's bags filled with ores from the ground and through them over his shoulder. Even though it was heavy he could handle it. Brian looked back at Nogla for a quick second and felt heat rush to his cheeks.

"Would you like me to carry you home....I-I don't know if you're able to walk so..." Nogla smiled widely at him being nice and offering but he was already carrying basically everything that they brought down. That was the one thing Nogla wanted was to not be a burden and look at him now.

"I-I'm sure I can walk home just fine Brian no need to worry about me but are you sure you can carry both of our stuff out of here" Nogla asked as he limped over, trying not to draw attention to it much so he wouldn't worry Brian in front of him. Brian only shrugged as he handed Nogla a torched from his bag with a smile and nodded his head toward the direction he came.

"I'm fine as long as you're fine, now don't fucking scare me like that ever again you hear, I thought I almost lost your dumbass back there" Brian said with a stern look as he started to walk down that dim lit hallway. Nogla only rolled his eyes, knowing he was just being over protective like usual. But it did surprise him how much he cared and he absolutely loved the affection.

"Nogla are you coming or what me" Brian yelled breaking Nogla out of he trance he was in,

"Coming Brian...coming" Yeah, he sure did care for him.

[flyswhumpcenter]

Earth Never Stops - Part 1 - Oreburgh Mines

Summary: Oreburgh Mine is Sinnoh’s only remaining source of coal and, as such, serves as its main source of electricity alongside Flowey Meadows’ countless wind turbines. It contains enough resources for years to come, but what may be more interesting to the casual tourist visiting the region is the presence of fossils in its rocks, waiting to be discovered between two coats of black ore. As such, it requires constant functioning and there has to be someone to manage the miners, right? Well, it works until the main gear fails: the foreman is, after all, only human.

Length: 2.5K words

Notes: Someone will have to smack my head into oblivion so I don't write that kind of shit ever again. I'm sorry for this, even if I know I'll probably continue to write it beyond reason. Let's hope this isn't the new Symphonie Cacophonie lmao The OCs are cameos of my PDV characters Luc Parillot (Luke) and Timothée "Tim" Ethan (Timothy).Huge thanks to Magnetism and their Auraverse, whose Roark's been an inspiration for my own interpretation of the character. http://archiveofourown.org/works/10698855 It's some good stuff so please check it out, it's worth a read much more than what you're about to read because it has more plot than, essentially, "mine sickfic".I have to expose some headcanons and stuff which count in this story: -I headcanon the Nurse Joy who appears in this as a "doctor" because she can also diagnose humans. Such a famous mine would have at least a bit of security, wouldn't it? -I know Machop is used for mining in the games, but I also added Geodude because it's literally a punching rock who can learn Rock Smash. -I don't know what a foreman does in a mine despite living in the north of France and having seen mine history here and there. Turns out having once visited a terril and Roubaix's La Piscine museum isn't enough to make you versatile in mining history and functioning. Hell, I even had to Google what a foreman was because I'm that terrible.Writing got me thinking: can you get OOC a character who doesn't have much dialogue in their original material?

AO3 version available here!

Oreburgh Mine is Sinnoh’s only remaining source of coal and, as such, serves as its main source of electricity alongside Flowey Meadows’ countless wind turbines. It contains enough resources for years to come, but what may be more interesting to the casual tourist visiting the region is the presence of fossils in its rocks, waiting to be discovered between two coats of black ore.

As such, it requires constant functioning and there has to be someone to manage the miners, right? The role goes to the foreman, who is always up. In any case, there’s a substitute, but he’s usually not in Oreburgh City since the foremen seems to have an iron health. Someone working in the mines would joke that their previous foreman eventually became Canalave City’s Iron-type Gym Leader.

The following and current foreman is the youngest they’ve had yet. Byron used to bring his son to the mine from time to time since the latter was a child, and some of the eldest miners remembered seeing a newly born Roark, twenty years before. It was like he was born with a pickaxe in his hands, and he was already excavating fossils when he was in elementary school. What was once a tease of Byron, “your son is gonna replace you before we know it”, became reality when the foreman left Oreburgh City for Canalave City, called by the League themselves to take care of its Gym after its previous Leader had retired.

Nobody was really surprised when the boy, the eighteen-year-old boy mind you, was picked by Byron as his successor. It was as if they had always been around Roark, and it had “only” been a bit more than a decade, but the transition felt natural. It didn’t mean he didn’t remain in the shadow his father, foreman for twenty years before him, to whom the miners were all attached, and some considered him their own father, in some way.

The foreman sub’s been missing for the twenty-fifth week in a row. “Where in the hell could he be?” isn’t a real question in the mines anymore: it’s more of a private joke. A question nobody really cares for the answer, and usually it’s replaced by the latest, funniest place to put in a conversation. Last time, it was someone’s ass. Maybe comedy isn’t their forte, but as long as it makes the other miners laugh, it’s all right.

Today, Luke is asking the question to Tim, who simply replies “In Canalave’s Gym, right where Former Boss lost to a ten-year old girl and her Gastrodon”. Tim then shots a look in their current foreman’s direction, only to notice he doesn’t even cringe at the teasing of his own dad.

“Boss,” Tim calls out, “you heard me? Your dad lost to a Gastrodon of everything. How ridiculous is that?”

“Oh, right,” the foreman responds with delay, “that’s right. Gastrodon. Canalave Gym.” He forces a snicker out of his mouth.

“How’s the Gym going?” Luke asks. It’s been ages since he’s taken a break in the Gym. Last time, he got to see a blonde-haired girl beat the Gym with a Turtwig and a Starmie of everything.

“It’s going… well I guess. I broke my latest lose streak yesterday…”

Luke and Tim look at each other. The former shots another look at Roark while the second one orders their Machops to work a bit on their own for now. Once they both thumb up each other, they get closer just so they can speak about stuff their foreman shouldn’t hear them talking about.

“There’s something wrong about the boss,” Luke tells him in a whisper. “He’s quieter than usual.”

“He may just be tired,” Tim replies, almost shrugging off Luke’s worried expression. “The boy’s also a Gym Leader and whatnot.”

“I could have sworn he was usually the first one to make jokes about how busy his life is. He doesn’t even bother with our jokes today!”

“Your dad instincts are playing again. This isn’t your daughter we’re speaking about, it’s the boss. Byron’s blood runs in his veins, he’s fine.”

Tim still looks at their foreman. His own face doesn’t seem as confident in his beliefs as before.

“On second thought, the boss looks a bit weird. He’s a bit slow too.”

“Right? The sub’s not here though, so he can’t entirely leave us without having another foreman to make sure it’s secure.”

“I don’t want to interrupt you on purpose, but I think he’s looking this way. Let’s go back to work and discuss that after lunch.”

While he mines, Tim stumbles upon what looks like a fossil, a weird one of that. He swears he has never seen such a fossil before, despite having worked there for twenty years. His scientist of a husband walks behind him.

“Mark,” he calls him out, “come check out that fossil. I don’t think I’ve seen one like that before.”

The scientist walks to the rock and examines it carefully with his gloves and glasses.

“It’s a Helix Fossil. They’re usually found in Kanto, but there are some in the Underground. It’s very rare to see such a big one in a mine.”

“What about we tell the boss? I’m sure he’s going to lost it in front of it!”

“I’ll let you get him then.”

That’s what Tim does. He goes the fastest he can to his foreman, who’s in another part altogether of the mine, probably making sure the Machops trained to dig alone do their job correctly and safely. He swears he can hear some pants and maybe some coughing echoing between the rocky walls. Finding him and his red hard hat isn’t difficult, and it doesn’t take long for the miner to join his “boss”.

“Boss, Boss, I found something incredible! Come check it out!” he screams in the mine, getting the attention of Pokémons around him.

“What is it…?” a weak voice replies to him, as the foreman turns towards him. His helmet isn’t put on correctly, which is weird for someone as cautious as him on security for everyone inside the mine.

“I found a very rare fossil according to Mark. I thought I should at least tell you so you can check it out later.”

“Works for me… Oh, if you’re here, can you check out on the other miners for me a bit? Tell them I’ll check up on them once I’m done here…”

“Sure thing, Boss.”

“Thank you…”

Tim finally gets what Luke meant earlier. He would ask him if he was alright, or something alike, but he has a job to do and the boss probably doesn’t like to be bothered with such questions. He’s probably just tired and focused on whatever he’s doing. He’s a bit hesitant to get to his previous working spot, but he still makes his way there.

Suddenly, he feels something grapping his pants. He looks at what could possibly be clutching his leg: a Geodude. Wait, this can’t be a wild Geodude, there isn’t any wild Pokémon left in that zone of the mine. The fluorescent band it has around its left arm immediately tells him it belongs to the boss. It seems to cry for help.

Tim lowers to the rock Pokémon’s level.

“What is it, big guy?” he asks it.

Geodude points to the back of this section of the mine with its other arm, its face void of its usual anger, replaced with worry. What can it possibly be worried for? This doesn’t reassure the miner at all.

“You want me to follow you there?”

The Rock-type Pokémon jumps around a bit as it lets go of his pants before starting to make his way to where they both come from. Tim decides to follow: there may be someone trapped under rocks that fell, or there may be an Aron they need to take care of.

He decides to run back there instead of walking, as he’s afraid someone got jeopardized. On the way there, he recognizes the specially-trained Machops looking a bit panicked, just like the Geodude he’s following. This doesn’t sit well within him: the only person he’s seen there for a while is Roark. If their foreman has found death between rocks, they’re pretty much fucked for the remaining century. They’ll probably all get fired too. He doesn’t realize he’s crossing fingers.

The Geodude, unfortunately, brings him where he spoke to his boss barely minutes ago. The lack of light, which he finds weird because it was lit just fine before, makes it so he has to turn on his own helmet’s headlight. He can hear the usual sound of pants, something entirely ordinary in itself, aside form the fact he’s never heard these pants in particular. This can’t be good at all.

The miner stops right in his track as the Geodude goes next to the person lying on the floor of the mine. This can’t be possible. He must be in some kind of weird dream, and he has to find a way to wake up. He still runs to the lying body, just like the Pokémon before him.

“Boss?!” he yells as he kneels next to the other man. “Hey, Boss, this isn’t time to sleep! You gotta wake up, this is a mine!”

Tim puts a hand on his shoulder and shakes it off in an attempt to wake the guy up, to no success. He just knows he’s alive: he can hear his breathing, which sounds ragged if not difficult.

“What the fuck do I do…?” Tim says to himself, truly wondering what he can do with an unconscious Roark, the latter’s pickaxe and excavation kit, a Geodude and five autonomous Machops around him. The pickaxe and the kit can wait, really. The Pokémons, a bit less. He just hopes the only idea he has will work…

His foot hits a lone Pokéball which rolls until he grabs it. He finds five of them near it, all marked with a special sticker representing the Coal Badge on them.

“Geodude, come back,” he says as he points the ball towards the Pokémon in question, successfully calling him back. He’s surprised that even worked.

“Guys, you too, come back,” he then says as he points each ball to the Machop group, once again ending in pure success. He puts away the balls in the bag near him before taking it and putting it over his shoulder.

It’s with a pained look and an ache in his heart that he takes his foreman in his arms. He feels incredibly light for a miner: it may be him who is pretty strong, or the boy being a lightweight when he’s unconscious, or just both at the same time. He’ll ask for the guys to get the pickaxe and kit later: for now, there’s something more urgent than recovering some mining tools, no matter how important they are to Roark.

It takes a bit of time, and Tim feels like he’s carrying a statue made out of glass when, clearly, he shouldn’t. He braces himself for everybody else’s reaction: he just hopes it’s not too bad, otherwise they’ll have issues, and nobody wants to cause a coal lack in the entire region, not to mention none of them want harm to their foreman for Arceus’s sake!

He gets to remember it’s noon and lunch time when he reaches his usual zone of work, which is next to the entrance, so not many people are around. The less, the better. However, the nearest infirmary-like area he knows of is already outside of the mines: he has to walk past everyone else to bring their boss where someone can say what exactly happened to him.

Luke spots him from the entrance and runs to him, his own face filled with anything but joy.

“What happened to him?!” he screams, eyes fixated on the carried one.

“I don’t know… I was telling him about the fossil discovery I had made, but as I left his Geodude grabbed my leg and made me follow it, and when I arrived he was already knocked out…” Tim replies. “We don’t have time to waste, I have to bring him somewhere.”

“Wait a second. I need to check something…”

Luke rises the foreman’s helmet a little and puts his naked hand first on his forehead, then on the other man’s one, before almost cringing in a hiss.

“That’s what I thought. He’s running one hell of a fever man.”

“A fever?! He’s been sick all that time?! Quick, we have to run to the infirmary! Inform the others please!”

“Roger that.”

Tim isn’t walking at the speed of a Dunsparce now: no, he’s fucking running for someone else’s life to their infirmary, hoping there’s their usual doctor there. He can trust Dr Taylor to be there, right? She’s always there for them, she’ll be there for Roark too. That’s one unusual case for them all, and he hopes his hardest it’ll be alright.

Honestly, he’s afraid shitless when he kicks the door to knock, his hands obviously unavailable to do so. The pink-haired woman opens the door and she looks like she’s going to scold the hell out of him for kicking the door.

“Hello, Timothy. Why makes you behave like a Growlithe all of a…” she starts to tell him before her voice comes to a halt.

As soon as she sees his face then lowers her eyes, her face takes a sharp turn.

“Oh goodness… Put him on the bed,” she reacts as her thumb points to the inside, “I’ll see what’s wrong.”

He executes her orders and, soon enough, they’re both in the room, looking over the third person in the bed. After taking off the red helmet, he lets her examine his boss, more anxious than he’s been in ages, as she silently works on him.

“What does he have, doctor?” Tim asks.

“It seems like exhaustion and overwork has caught to him,” she replies in a much calmer voice. “He should be all right as long as he rests for a few days.”

“But…”

“Before you say it,” Dr Joy replies in a sadder tone, “I know Mr Roark has a very busy life and probably can’t afford many break days, especially since the summer rush is about to start. However, I can’t let him work when he overworked himself to illness like this.”

“Then, what can we do?”

“We’ll have to see that as soon as possible. I’ll have to call the substitute foreman by myself to justify his suddenly needed presence… Please go take your break, Timothy. Just tell the other miners about the situation, will you?”

“Sure thing. See ya later, Dr Joy.”

“See you.”

Tim can’t shake the situation off his head as he walks to his friends and workmates, lost in thoughts, hoping someone finds a solution real fast unless they all want to get in some serious troubles. The less they see the director of Fuego Inc, the better, especially when Roark isn’t here to discuss the matter with his own boss.

He sits next to Mark and unpacks his lunch as he summarizes the situation, a work already started by Luke. The summery air of early June around them all feels heavy, all of a sudden.