#like look s3 had lots of good conversations

[technicalthinker]

FINALLY WATCHED THE BEAR SEASON 3 and after some considerations I think it was generally good! THOUGHT'S AHEAD:

I see what they were going for and in a lot of ways it worked, I think the first episode's concept was a super strong start for example. I agree that the season feels a lot like set up for s4, which again I don't rly mind.

But yeah, I still think it could've been stronger. It is purposefully stagnant, but I think they could've kept that feeling while still adding a bit of a journey to the season itself. Maybe not leave so many threads hanging. Giving certain plotlines a bit more of a clear curve or a set deadline. I can see why it's a mixed bag for many, but I think a lot of it's really good, it just needed some tweaks.

First I was like, am I too harsh towards this season, but I think a measurement to why it didn't hit the same is just... like literally didn't emotionally hit as strongly. I think s1 is the most even season as a whole. S2 has flaws and imo is messier but when it hits, oh boy it hits, I still return to certain scenes that make me feel feelings I can barely describe. And those moments were usually the show paying off big set ups, so it makes sense that a season with mostly set ups didn't hit the same way. STILL, there were a couple of exceptions this season, one being the Ice Chips episode. And there weeree rly good stuff and plotlines in here, just missing some parts.

DESPITE THIS, I REALLY LIKED S3, and I think it all depends on how s4 turns out how people will look back at this. Either it feels completely necessary it played out like this, or like the beginning of the end. All the conversations are like, stellar still and I love these characters.

So all this to say: i am gonna go insane about the bear now for a bit. I had a lot of old posts in my drafts i never got to post so watch me freak out over especially certain s2 scenes again!!! I truly never recovered from some of those moments.

[somedayillbepeterpan]

I have gone down this rabbit hole now and I'm afraid I'm never getting out. I hope I give justice to this. And sorry if this is long.

I've seen a lot of the Colin and Marina vs. Colin and Penelope analyses in here and I want to raise this parallel as to how the Butterfly ball was such a powerful move for both Penelope and Colin. We all have our issues with how they handled Pen and Colin finding their way back to each other but let me add this perspective and hope it helps us understand how real they handled the issue of LW and pushed the character development for them both.

The scene on the left is from S01e06 (Swish) and the right is S03e08 (Into the Light)

S1 scene - Violet is still in her dressing gown, obviously distraught having just read something from LW. She hears someone come down and finds Colin.

S3 scene - Violet is dressed for the morning and her face looks a combination of surprise and confusion after reading a letter. She turns around when she hears someone coming down the stairs.

In both scenes, we see Colin coming down the stairs.

S1 - we only see Colin's back. We're in suspense on what emotional state he is in but we do know that he's on his way to elope with Marina.

In S3 - we see Colin's face immediately looking determined and ready. We see Violet calling his name quite urgently.

S1 - Colin sees his mother's face looking like a combination of disappointment and anger. He asks what's happening. She doesn't say anything but just looks at Colin with a sadness that only a mother can give.

S3 - Violet pointedly says that she received a letter from Colin's wife (I love this line so much) that sounds awfully like "I need you to explain what's happening right now."

S1 - Violet hands Colin LW without saying anything and just looks so so so sad. Colin is shocked to his core because we learn that LW (Pen) exposes Marina's pregnancy and that she has been pregnant from the beginning of the season.

S3 - Colin determinedly faces his mother telling her that they had better sit. And I'm guessing that Colin tells her everything.

Where am I going with this? (Gosh, doing an analysis is hard 😂)

The first time Colin fell in love (thought he fell in love), he was blindsided. But I believe the pain he felt at that time was made deeper because his family had to save him from the situation (Anthony explaining that his actions in the scandal will affect his sisters' prospects as well). To think that it was his mother who first learned of the situation added salt to the wound because we all know that he is a mama's boy and that the one person he dislikes letting down is his mother.

The second (and last time) Colin falls in love, he once again feels betrayed. But he's fallen in love so deeply that he can't imagine his life without Pen. The struggle he goes through in understanding his emotions was very hard to watch and it's because the issue goes beyond his and Pen's relationship. It extends to his family.

Colin's hero complex goes beyond feeling worthy of Pen's love but also worthy of the Bridgerton name. We see it several times in S3 when he mentions it in his confrontation with Portia (" I advise you not to sully our Bridgerton name...") and when Pen tells him that Cressida discovered her secret ("It will besmirch our Bridgerton name. The entire family").

The whole sequence in the study is now more significant because of what Pen addresses in their conversation-- Colin's family ("Your family... the one you so kindly shared with me, they are too good").

Pen's "sacrifice" ("But I can no longer conceal the biggest piece of information I have. My identity."), I believe, was to save the Bridgerton family (once again) and she asks Colin to stand by her as she formulates and executes this plan.

It was very important that Pen wrote a letter to Violet directly and that Colin was there right after she's read it to explain everything. From this point on, they were a team. From this point on, Colin moves in parallel with Pen instead of against it. Colin finally sees that version of Pen that she's always been even while she was LW-- the person who was always determined to save his family just as much as he does.

From this point on, their goals were aligned.

10 rewatches after, I finally see how Colin found his way back to Pen. It wasn't very obvious to me how he got over the feelings of betrayal after he discovered Pen was LW. Of course, him reading the letters help but the events leading up to the Butterfly ball, helped him see her as both Pen and Lady Whistledown and the overflowing pride we see on his face was heart-melting to watch.

From this point on, they finally see each other eye to eye. From this point on, they finally accept this version of each other.

If you got to the end, thanks for reading my humble musings.

*Editing to add this: The Butterfly Ball deep dive series

[onceuponapuffin]

Ineffable Bureaucracy and Ineffable Husbands

So, especially in the early days after the release of S2, I saw and heard a lot of people comparing these two as if they were the same. There were fan comics and fanart and fanfiction that included dialogue that was something along the lines of "why are they so healthy after only a few years and we aren't?" or "why do THEY get a happy ending and we don't?" And I mean, I haven't seen any of that in a while so maybe people have come to this conclusion on their own, but just in case, I wanted to point out

That they are fundamentally different. They are not the same.

And the reason why comes down to this conversation from 2x3:

So, hold this conversation in your brain while we go through this.

First of all, we have our Ineffable Bureaucracy, Gabriel and Beelzebub.

So these are the ones who, figuratively speaking, were born in a castle.

Gabriel was the Supreme Archangel for however many millenia, and Beelzebub was the Grand Duke of Hell for the same, roughly speaking. They are equals in positions of power.

So, when they fall in love, you have two supernatural authorities who have lived their existences believing that they can reasonably expect to have and keep whatever they want. After all, that's exactly what their lives have been (with the one exception being Beelzebub's Fall) - they want something, they get it, they keep it, and no one tells them no.

The biggest risk is to Gabriel. If Heaven were to find out, he would Fall. I can imagine Beelzebub being a bit concerned, but "Oh no," Gabriel probably figured "I Fall to Hell, and straight into your arms!" And I could see Beelzebub with a little smirk saying "I'd look after you, babe," in response.

The only time Gabriel actually worries is when he finds out that there's another punishment that he didn't realize was a possibility.

Falling to Hell is one thing, but having his memories erased is an actual threat, and possibly the first time he's ever been told no. This is when we see him panic, and leave Heaven in a mess, storing his memories away to keep them safe from the Metatron. We find out later that he was on his way to Hell anyway and just forgot halfway there and got lost.

And so, we have two beings who were always told they were Good Enough, who approached each other knowing they were able to have whatever they wanted, and were therefore able to communicate and fall in love in a healthy way. They didn't need to tip toe or hide, because they had no reason to believe anyone would ever tell them no until someone did. Their risk, because of their positions of authority, wasn't nearly as great as Aziraphale and Crowley's risk.

So now we come to our Precious Ineffable Husbands

Crowley and Aziraphale start off in much lower positions on the Celestial Food Chain. We know that they have to be very careful about their relationship to avoid the repercussions. They can't mention The Arrangement out loud, they can't put their feelings for each other into words. It has been made clear to them that they are always being watched, and anything they have can be taken away from them on a whim.

So how can they communicate safely when they've spent millenia living on eggshells and tightropes? Of course they won't, and of course it's going to be much harder for them to believe they can once they finally are safe. I definitely believe that they will get there (for my own wellbeing I have to believe that their love is stronger than anything), but they will need to fight tooth and nail in a way that Gabriel and Beelzebub didn't. All because they aren't figures of authority.

It might honestly be another good argument for Crowley taking the Grand Duke of Hell job (even though I reeeeaaaally don't want him to). It would put them in the same position as Gabriel and Beelzebub, and might give them the footing to actually escape the system (even though I think it's more likely that they're going to dismantle and/or repair the system in s3, but that's my own opinion).

These two pairs aren't mirrors of each other. Rather, they illustrate the problems with inequity that Crowley was pointing out in Edinburgh. And if S2 showed us that, I'm hoping S3 will show us possible solutions for it.

[imminent-danger-came]

Sun Wukong Knew About MK the Whole Time: A Theory

I am currently hyped up on leftovers and iced coffee, so let's do this!

I've talked about this before, here and here, but I think it's finally time I wrote an official post. You can go and read those posts if you want to (I definitely hit the nail on the head with some of this stuff), but I will be compiling a lot of what I said on those posts here!

So. Let's get the Mr. Elephant out of the room first: The David Breen Tweets. (thread here).

I see this tweet mentioned a lot whenever I bring up SWK knowing about MK, and honestly, this is a far cry from the "it's been confirmed that SWK didn't know" definite answer everyone's been implying.

So let's break it down!

#1: "Monkey King ain't the father"/"Monkey King isn't his dad." Well of course! Being born from a stone means you don't have any parents. I see it like this: Wukong isn't MK's dad, but he's also not NOT MK's dad, it's a secret third thing (creator and creation). Or, perhaps Wukong didn't help create MK at all, but he at the very least was involved in the circumstances that lead to MK being created/being born from the stone. (Aka eldritch abomination MK theory. My Beloved. Okay sorry.)

#2: "Monkey King was ripping his way through memories looking for MK, but kept coming back to the stone. He doesn't know why." So, while Wukong was ripping through memories, he didn't know why the scroll kept spitting him out by the stone. This is not a confirmation that Wukong didn't know about MK and his origins. It also begs the question: how did Wukong know MK was in the scroll to begin with? There's also some speculation to be had about why Wukong was so desperate to find MK to begin with:

MK: "Monkey King did this?" Macaque: "It looks like he's been tearing his way through his past—trying to find his way to.." MK: "Me."

(4x11 A Lifetime of Mistakes)

-

What was he so afraid of MK finding? Or, what was he afraid the scroll would force MK to experience? I think these are questions worth asking.

#3: "Wukong's trying real hard to leave the 'not being open with MK' days behind after s3. Problem is he's got lifetimes of info to catch them up on." Well, this one is a DOOZIE. One: we already know MK doesn't know everything about Wukong and his choices because he doesn't know Wukong killed Macaque (thank you 4x11). Two: "trying real hard" and "successfully doing" are very different things. And three: YOU DON'T JUST DROP INFO LIKE "Hey, did you know you're a Monkey Demon?" ON TOP OF SOMEONE RANDOMLY. Especially not MK. You have to prepare them for it.

Wukong is trying to do better and be better for everyone around him, but that still takes work. That still isn't easy. He's still going to make mistakes, which means he's not going to always go about being open with MK in the best way.

Sun Wukong: “Point is, mistakes happen, but so long as you leave the world in better shape than you found it, then it’s all good. Right?”

(4x01 Familiar Tales)

-

This scene—to me—feels like Wukong is trying prepare MK for his eventual "Hey did you know you're a Monkey Demon?" conversation he wants (and needs) to have down the line. Yes, SWK is trying to be more open with MK, but he's also just not going to be given that chance before the truth comes out.

MK: "Yeah right, if Monkey King really was my dad don't you think he would have said something by now?" Mei: "Yeah...because he's normally SOOOOO forth coming with information." MK: "Well uh, whatever—when we find Monkey King's stone, then we'll just ask him!"

(4x05 Court of the Yellow Robbed Demon)

-

Notice how they never asked Monkey King that question? From a writing standpoint, why bring this up at all if it wasn't to imply that (even if Monkey King isn't MK's dad) he wasn't involved with MK's creation in some way?

ANYWAYS.

NOW THAT THE BREEN TWEET THAT HAS RUINED MY LIFE IS OUT OF THE WAY, let's get into the evidence given to us throughout the entirety of the show. Starting with this:

This isn't a scene that takes place during the "A Hero is Born" special, as I'm sure plenty of people have noticed before now. Of course, this could have just been Monkey King "scouting out a successor", but with everything we know now doesn't that...feel kinda weird?

We were told at the beginning of the show that Monkey King gave MK his powers, but now we know that's not true. MK has had his own powers this whole time—and that's something Wukong, at the very least, knew:

Sun Wukong: "Listen kid: You fought demons, and you didn't die, and you made it here! Not just anyone can lift my staff, but you did." (1x00 A Hero is Born)

-

MK: "This whole time, I thought my powers came from the staff! Sun Wukong: "The staff's just a big 'ol stick bud! It takes someone special to lift it." (3x03 Smartie Kid)

-

There's also 1x09 Macaque, which I have mentioned before:

Macaque: "Ohohoh no, can't you hold the magic staff anymore? Well, you know what that means—there really isn't anything special about you. You're just a kid with a heavy stick."

This scene is then followed by MK lifting the staff, which only happens because Wukong encourages him.

MK: "Ugh, I can't! I'm not strong enough." Sun Wukong: "Kid! We're definitely going to have words later, but it's time for the Hero Stuff!"

(1x09 Macaque)

-

Ultimately, Wukong knows MK can lift the staff again even after Macaque supposedly stole all of MK's powers. He knows MK can beat DBK (more on that later). He does something similar to all this in 3x14, being the one to let MK face the Lady Bone Demon, powered by the Samadhi fire, alone (even after Pigsy tries to stop MK):

Wukong want's to protect MK. That's why he went to face the Lady Bone Demon alone in the first place—but here, he let's MK stop the end of the world all by himself. Why would he let his beloved student face not only LBD, but a reality ending flame alone?

Because he knows how much power MK has. Because he knows MK is capable of doing it.

This all brings me to my main point: If before now we were supposed to believe that Monkey King gave MK his powers, and he so clearly didn't, how would Wukong not know he didn't give MK powers. And because he clearly knew he didn't give MK any powers, why would he not question where this kid's insane level of power came from? He had to have "chosen" MK to be his successor for a reason right?

ESPECIALLY because Wukong never planned on being a mentor in the first place:

Sun Wukong: "I know I can never make it up to you. Honestly, I- I never thought I'd live as long as I have let alone be someone's mentor—turns out I'm not very good at it. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I'm sorry MK. For all of it."

(3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

-

This was also alluded to in 3x05 Amnesia Rules:

Pigsy: "Of COURSE you don't remember the kid—one day you are going to grow up to be a terrible mentor!" Sun Wukong: "Ha! Zhu Bajie, can you imagine me teaching someone? HA!"

-

So, Wukong clearly didn't ever want to become a mentor, and this directly contradicts what Wukong says to MK in "A Hero is Born":

Sun Wukong: "You're perfect!" MK: "Perfect for what?" Sun Wukong: "To be...my successor!"

Honestly, think about it: has Wukong ever once actually needed a successor? When given the opportunity, he goes off and tries to handle things on his own anyways (Leaving in s2, wanting to go and reforge the Samadhi Fire on his own, going to stop LBD alone). It's the classic "we're being told one thing and shown another" trick.

Sun Wukong: "No no no- in case you forgot I'M retired, you're the one supposed to be taking care of the bad guys." (1x01 Bad Weather)

Even in 2x01 he's lying:

Sun Wukong: "Aw, come on bud! I promised myself that when I found a successor I'd go see some friends, take a tour of my old stomping grounds, just cut loose you know?" (2x01 Sleep bug)

It's proven in the next episode, and by the fact that all of his friends are dead/gone, that literally nothing he said here is true.

And, it's also note worthy to point out, that by this point Wukong had already disappeared for hundreds of years. Why step in again at all? Why put the effort into getting a successor you definitely were never prepared to have?

MK: "*sigh* You think Monkey King ever felt like this? Maybe that's why he stayed up on this mountain, just having a good time with you guys. You know cause- cause he knew he'd be out of the way where he couldn't hurt anyone he cared about." Macaque: "Or, he was doing his usual Wukong thing and being a lazy peach eating idiot. Ignoring all the worlds problems.

(4x09 Roast of the Monkie Kids)

-

So, I don't know about you, but I'm going to trust Macaque's insight on this. I'm not sure Wukong ever planned on coming back. Sealing DBK, he effectively cut off one of his last ties to the world (please go read wlw-wukong's thoughts, they are delightful), and he had already left the world alone for a long time. Why did he feel the need to train a successor now?

The simple answer is this: because he knew he needed to train MK and teach him to control his powers, and DBK's return was the perfect way to do it.

NOW. THE S4 MK VISIONS.

So, the visions MK see's all through out s4 (4x03, 4x04, 4x05, 4x06) are of Wukong ripping through the scroll and going to the stone—David Breen confirmed that himself in the above tweets.

Here's a list of what we see:

(4x03 The Great Tang Man)

-

(4x04 Pig Napped)

-

(4x05 Court of the Yellow Robbed Demon)

-

These are what I would say are the visions of Sun Wukong trying to find MK in the scroll. Yet, they are distinctly different from what Subodhi presses MK to remember ("Tell me of your childhood, your parents." "You do not remember?" "And what else?"):

(4x06 Show Me the Monster)

-

Look at that difference!

Every vision MK has includes the same scenes, except this one. That's why I think it's a memory; that and the way it's framed, with MK closing his eyes in focus. The other visions from 4x03, 4x04, and 4x05 all are unprompted, being forced upon MK. Why make this last "vision" so different from the others? Why show our mystery lady making the stone monkey? That would be because it's a memory—be it MK's, something from the scroll, or a mix of both.

There's also the matter of like, why Wukong going to the stone would trigger any sort of vision in MK to begin with. Overall, it just seems like there something more to those visions.

This would be how I imagine the general timeline playing out:

MK is created (through help of Sun Wukong), a beautiful baby boy pops out of the stone, and Sun Wukong "loses" that beautiful boy (if Wukong knew he was born to begin with) with MK finding his way to Pigsy's.

Then it's later Sun Wukong finds MK again, coming up with a plan to make MK his "successor" (still leaving MK with Pigsy, which I think was the right call lol). As Wukong says in 4x01, "You make ONE mistake, and no one ever let's you live it down! Looks like the ghosts of my past have finally caught up with me." That's what I think this parallel in particular is really trying to show off—in some way, MK is part of his past mistakes, just like Macaque is.

AND SO. I WILL CLOSE OFF THIS THEORY POST WITH EVERYTHING WE LEARNED IN THE SPECIAL.

Sun Wukong: "Heh, nothing gets under his skin more than a monkey. Leave Azure to MK and me."

(4x12 The Plan Man)

-

Sun Wukong: "Kinda embarrassing for the Jade Emperor to have two little cheeky monkeys running circles around him the first day on the job." MK: "Well, one monkey and one unconfirmed, but *laughs* yeah! I'd be embarrassed for sure!"

(4x13 Rip and Tear)

-

Wukong sounds suspiciously confident that MK is a monkey.

Not even MK is sure what he is (which he's probably just in denial, but also "Until I know what I am, what my destiny is?" from 4x08 anyone?), but Sun Wukong is extremely certain about what MK is.

Sun Wukong: "We got this bud. Would have liked to give you some new training with your monkey form, but-" MK: "Oh yeah yeah yeah- uh um- about that— um. I- I was thinking, I've never really needed a scary new monkey form before, so, I just thought maybe I'd use it next time." Sun Wukong: "Next time? Kid, there might not be a next time! This is the time."

MK: "It's be fine! Mei and I have got this awesome new armor and everything! You know, when we look this good? Ain't nothing gonna beat us." Sun Wukong: "Kid. New armor isn't going to cut it! We have to hit Azure with everything we've got! You can't just ignore this whole part of your power because it scares you!"

(4x12 The Plan Man)

-

If the writers were trying to highlight the fact that Wukong didn't know, this scene would have gone very differently. Instead of "You can't just ignore this whole part of your power because it scares you!" I think it would have been more along the lines of "I know this is new for all of us, but you've got to accept this part of your power!".

Even this exchange at the end of the special raises some alarm bells for me:

Pigsy: "Heh, don't bother. I've been telling him that for years but he LITERALLY never listens." Sun Wukong: "Yep! That's how we roll."

(4x14 Better Than We Found It)

-

That's how "we" roll? As in him and MK, as two monkeys? Again, Wukong is surprisingly chill and okay with this new form for someone whose first interaction with it was supposedly this:

MK, writhing on the ground in pain, completely destroying the world around him, and unable to control his powers.

Sun Wukong: "Yeah! Go MK, go! Just try not to totally wreck up my stuff would ya-"

(4x13 Rip and Tear)

-

Overall, it gives me the impression that Wukong already knew what MK was before 4x07. This new form didn't scare him because he always knew that's what MK was. MK, to Wukong, is MK! And MK has always been a Monkey Demon. He has unshakeable faith in his protege, and even while MK is absolutely tearing up the world around flower fruit mountain he can't help but cheer for him.

After all, Wukong knows MK is the only one who could defeat Azure:

MK: "Ne Zha's right—while Azure has the Jade Emperor's power and the scroll, there's NO way we could beat him head on!" Sun Wukong: "I mean, some of us could beat him! *ahem* One of us, specifically-" MK: "Nope! None of us at all."

(4x12 The Plan Man)

-

"But Imp!" I hear you say, "Wukong was talking about himself here!". To which I would reply, that's not true! This scene is right after Wukong has already said he only almost beat the Jade Emperor:

Sun Wukong: "But don't worry—I almost beat the Jade Emperor single handed once! Between both of us, Azure doesn't stand a chance." (4x12 The Plan Man)

-

Between this and Wukong's pre-fight convo with MK ("We have to hit Azure with everything we've got!"), he's clearly banking on MK using the full extent of his powers to win this fight. Wukong isn't banking on his own—if he were, he would never have left MK to go and collect the scroll pieces during their fight with Azure.

Conclusion

Sun Wukong knew MK was a monkey the whole time, lol—and fate has plans for MK. Great plans, or foul? Time will tell.

And Wukong has done his best to ensure that those plans are great.

[miss-musings]

"And We're Not Done Yet": How Omega Also Needed Crosshair in The Bad Batch Season 3

Both during and in the weeks after "The Bad Batch" Season 3 aired, a lot of people talked about how much Omega helped Crosshair grow and change during Season 3 (and the show in general).

I'm certainly one of those people, but I thought it might be time to talk about just how much Omega needed Crosshair in Season 3 as well. I know he generally supported her like his brothers did throughout the show, but let's focus on how she specifically and uniquely needed him throughout S3.

(NOTE: I already posted this as a thread on my Twitter — @catchingclassic. So, sorry for any repetition across platforms. But, if you already saw the Twitter thread, I am going to expand on a few points, because Tumblr is more conducive to that.)

So, let's talk about how Crosshair and their special bond helped Omega in "The Bad Batch" Season 3:

Initial Imprisonment on Tantiss

Let's go chronologically and start with our characters' five- or six-month imprisonment on Tantiss.

While Omega is a prisoner at the base, she basically only has four individuals she has neutral to positive interactions with on a daily basis: Nala Se, Emerie, Batcher and Crosshair.

While she spends the most time with Emerie and does seem to develop some bond with her -- as we find out from Emerie's comments in 3.14 -- she also doesn't fully trust Emerie. If she did, she would've clued Emerie into her escape plans in 3.03.

But, Crosshair is someone she KNEW she could trust.

Crosshair was essentially Omega's only comfort during her imprisonment (other than Batcher, I guess). She'd just lost Tech and been separated from Hunter, Wrecker and Echo. She clearly needed someone to support her mentally/emotionally.

We only see two conversations between them in 3.01, and in the first one, he doesn't offer her much in the way of comfort. But in the second one, it's clear that Crosshair is trying to keep Omega focused on escaping, even if it's without him.

Look, I'm not saying Crosshair's demeanor was great. I wish we could've seen him offering her more comfort and support (and maybe he did off-screen).

But, at minimum, she continued to interact with him on a regular basis and seemed to tell him all sorts of details about her day, her plans to escape, etc. And, again, Crosshair encouraged her as best as he could:

Crosshair: What is your primary objective? Omega: Escape. Crosshair: Then stop wasting time on lost causes. Forget the hound, forget me, and complete the mission.

In early 3.01, he doesn't believe escape is possible. But, by late 3.01, he's apparently realized that Omega does have a good chance of escaping, if she plays her cards right, so he's trying to keep her focused.

And, he's actually right. Omega could've left with Batcher at the end of 3.01, but as I'll talk about shortly, that wouldn't have gone very well.

I've been showing TBB to my sister and we recently started S3. She was surprised by the five-month time jump in 3.01 and by just how much Omega had changed. She'd lost hope. She'd become almost complacent about her new life on Tantiss. She doesn't acknowledge Crosshair in the hallway. She doesn't demand to leave anymore. She's just accepted this is her life now, to some degree.

Omega definitely still had some fight left in her, as we see when Batcher is threatened, but five months on Tantiss clearly diminished so much of the stubbornly optimistic person she used to be. She also seemed to tunnel-vision on Batcher and Crosshair, and so that's why Crosshair has to remind her exactly what her objective is.

Again, we don't get to see much of it, but it's clear that Crosshair was basically Omega's only real support system on Tantiss. She might've had some positive interactions with Nala Se and/or Emerie off-screen (although that doesn't seem likely), but Crosshair seemed to be the only person encouraging her and helping her toward an escape attempt.

Speaking of...

Escaping Tantiss, Round 1

Omega absolutely needed Crosshair's help to escape Tantiss, especially on the day and at the time she did.

Let's say she took Crosshair's words to heart and left with Batcher at the end of 3.01:

She's outside the base with no weapon and no datapad. Even if she happens to remember the abandoned shuttle, she has no way to find it other than just blindly running around the jungle.

(EDIT/UPDATE: I forgot the droid K9-X1 also had a datapad Omega could’ve taken after she used it to open Batcher’s chute in 3.01. Not sure if it had the same capabilities as Nala Se’s datapad, but I would guess so. The droid also had an electro baton she could’ve taken. Not exactly a blaster but it’d be better than nothing. 🤷‍♀️)

And, while Batcher would be some help against the jungle creatures, one lurca hound isn't going to do much.

It would probably take a while, but I’m sure the lurca hounds and/or the stormtroopers would find her. And even if she remembers Plan 72 herself, now she doesn't have another person (or a weapon) to help her execute it.

But, in 3.03, once she gets Crosshair out of the cell, he gives her the second blaster. Now, they're both armed. They get outside, and he suggests they "follow the flight path" to find the crashed shuttle. He also watches her back the whole time they're in the jungle, and when the stormtroopers find them, he suggests Plan 72 and acts as a distraction while she steals the shuttle.

I also love that moment when she seems to give up, but Crosshair doesn’t let her:

Crosshair: You got us this far, and we’re not done yet.

One small detail I appreciate: if you look really closely at his facial expression when she apologizes, he really goes 😟 to hear that Omega of all people has given up hope that they’ll actually escape.

In any case, Omega, Crosshair and even Batcher all needed to be there to escape Tantiss as they did. And even then, they probably wouldn't have gotten away safely without Emerie bringing Hemlock Omega's results to have him call off the V-Wings.

Navigating Lau

Once the group crash-lands on Lau, Crosshair proves crucial to their escape efforts there. We always focus on her contributions, but don't really talk about his.

Omega probably would've been at the crash site all day, freezing and trying to fix the shuttle, if Crosshair hadn't prompted her to leave. He locates the spaceport, and says they need to move before they're discovered.

Once there, he reassures Omega that the stormtroopers are a standard patrol presence and tells her they can't contact Hunter and Wrecker because the Empire monitors long-range comms. He then comes up with the plan to try to sneak about one of the shuttles at the spaceport, but it's too well-guarded.

This is where Omega then takes the lead: she tries to bribe the spaceport employee and then decides to get money by hustling people at the cantina.

The whole time, though, Crosshair is watching her back and tries to stand up for her against the Imperial officer and the street kid.

And, despite how much he dislikes it, he does follow Omega to the cargo docks and helps her free Batcher. During the shootout, he fights the troopers while she steals the ship. Just like on Tantiss, they wouldn't have gotten out of there without working together.

Finally, as they head to reunite with Hunter and Wrecker, Crosshair tries to prepare her for the possibility that they might not be there. We know he's wrong, but he was still looking out for her (even if it was probably just him projecting).

Crosshair's Knowledge of the Empire and Tantiss

Just like on Lau, Crosshair's knowledge about the Empire and its procedures, etc. proves crucial in TBB's larger fight against Tantiss.

Once he and Omega reunite with everyone in 3.05, Crosshair helps by sharing what information he does have (although it does take him a while because of his trauma).

He takes TBB to Barton IV to decrypt the datapad in 3.05; he tells Rex & co. about the CX operatives in 3.06; he volunteers to take on CX-2 twice in 3.07; and he initiates the plan to break Rampart out of prison in 3.12.

Obviously, I don't like that Crosshair stayed with the Empire and left his family in 1.16. But the unspoken truth is that, without Crosshair staying in the Empire as long as he did, TBB probably never would've found Tantiss.

It was so well-guarded that the only way they could've found it was to track a ship already going there, like CX-2's Dagger in 3.11 or the science vessel in 3.13.

Also, while Omega wasn't there, Crosshair's knowledge of Tantiss and the surrounding jungle was crucial to TBB infiltrating the base in 3.14 and 3.15 -- even though the CX operatives beat their asses and take them prisoner anyway.

We'll circle back to Tantiss, Round 2 later, but for now, let's refocus on mid-Season 3:

Recovering from Tantiss

Let's talk about Omega needing Crosshair during their downtime on Pabu.

While the show focuses on Crosshair recovering from his trauma, Omega was traumatized by her imprisonment too. And Crosshair is the only one who knows firsthand just how bad it was for her.

Her day-to-day routine on Tantiss clearly wasn't as brutal as his, but she was still separated from her family for months.

As she tells Emerie in 3.03, it reminded her of being trapped on Kamino; and as we know from Season 1, that's where Omega was initially traumatized.

In mid-Season 3, she's so focused on going back for the other clone prisoners, but it's clear from several looks and remarks in 3.05 and 3.06 that she's still processing everything that happened to her there.

Throughout Season 3, we get several scenes of Crosshair being worried about her, checking on her and trying to keep her safe. We also get at least two scenes where he affirms just how bad Omega's suffering was:

Emerie in 3.03: "You should go back to your room." Crosshair: "You mean her CELL."

This exchange was short, but I love that Crosshair refused to let Emerie gaslight Omega. (I know Emerie was essentially a prisoner too, so her gaslighting wasn't exactly intentional, but that's a story for another time.)

We also get The Argument in 3.05 where Crosshair holds Hunter accountable, albeit in a very mean-spirited way:

Crosshair: You let Omega be taken to Tantiss. She went through what she did because YOU failed. You're angry because she escaped with MY help, not yours.

Admittedly we don't get to see it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Omega's recap of her imprisonment in 3.05 glossed over just how bad it was for her.

Again, Crosshair knew firsthand just how much she suffered. So, he tries to look out for her as best as he can, whether that's physically or emotionally. (Admittedly, we could've gotten more scenes of this, but the show is focused more on Crosshair's post-Tantiss recovery rather than Omega's.)

In 3.08, Omega's focused on helping Crosshair start his healing journey. I'm sure it proved to be a decent distraction while inadvertently helping her start processing her own trauma too.

I mean, at the end of the episode, they're meditating TOGETHER. It's not like she showed him how to do it and then just watched him or walked away.

It might have been inadvertent, but by helping him heal, I also think Omega was starting her own healing journey too.

Family, Reconciliation and Hope

Another recurring thread in mid-Season 3 (and even into the finale) is how Crosshair's journey reaffirms Omega's belief in the power of love, hope and family.

We know from Season 1 that Omega always wanted to save Crosshair and bring him back to their family. Even though he leaves them willingly in 1.16, she still cared about him and in 2.15, she and the others pushed Hunter to do whatever necessary to save Crosshair.

But, especially after losing Tech in 2.16, I can imagine just how important saving Crosshair and restoring him to their family was for her.

As she says in 2.16 when Hemlock captures Hunter and Wrecker:

Omega: I already lost Tech. I'm not gonna lose them too.

From the way she pushes Crosshair to talk to Hunter at the beginning of 3.05, it's clear she's invested in seeing the brothers reconcile. And, based on her expression when she sees Wrecker hugging his brothers at the end of the episode, it must've been so comforting for her after everything she and their family went through -- especially losing Tech.

Additionally, throughout the show, Omega has always tried to believe in people's goodness, and appeal to their kindness and compassion.

With Cid (and others), she's proven wrong, and they ultimately take advantage of her.

But, Crosshair proved she's right to believe people CAN change -- that they can reject the darkness and choose light.

When the group is debating whether to let Omega train with Ventress in 3.09, Omega uses Crosshair as her prime example that "people can change" and that she's not naïve for wanting to give Ventress a chance despite her past crimes.

I think she ultimately learned that there's a balance: that yes, some people like Cid will take advantage of you; but that there are others like Crosshair and Ventress who are trying to be better and will come through for you if given the chance.

(ADDITION: While it took her a long time to come around, Emerie also ultimately makes the right decision to turn against Hemlock/the Empire and help free the Tantiss prisoners. Maybe after reuniting with Emerie in 3.12, Omega hoped her sister would come to her senses and help/join her, just like Crosshair did. I can’t say for certain, but it’s a thought.)

Returning to Tantiss

In 3.11, when the Empire attacks and invades Pabu, Omega feels guilty for seeing the island full of refugees suffer because of her.

She straight-up says as much to Hunter and Crosshair. And while Hunter tries to emphasize that it's not her fault, based on what she tells Crosshair later in the episode, she still feels guilty:

Omega: Look at what they've already done. I can't let the people here suffer more because of me.

And, in 3.12, when Crosshair justifies letting Omega surrender herself, he affirms her sacrifice for the people of Pabu:

Crosshair: The Empire would've destroyed this whole town. She stopped them.

You can argue that Crosshair made a bad decision by letting Omega surrender, but I personally feel like they had no choice, especially if they wanted to minimize the suffering on Pabu. They couldn't hide; they couldn't fight; and they tried to run but failed.

I've wondered before if Hunter had been in Crosshair's shoes in 3.11, whether he would've let Omega go. I honestly don't know if he would've. Crosshair himself was so reluctant, and I imagine Hunter would've been just as bad or worse.

We've all talked before about how much Crosshair was afraid of going back to Tantiss, but we tend to overlook Omega's fear because of how brave and determined she is in 3.11. When CX-2 is taking her back to Tantiss, the way Omega breathes when she's on the ship is reminiscent of meditation breathing. I imagine she was trying to collect herself before facing Tantiss again.

I think she was afraid to go back, but she was more concerned about the people of Pabu and the prisoners on Tantiss, so she was trying to make the best of a bad situation.

But, despite all her fears and his own, Crosshair supported her decision and then tried his best to track her ship. And while he ultimately failed, I'm sure the thought that he was there for her -- physically and emotionally watching her back -- helped Omega make that choice and face it as bravely as she could.

(ADDITION: Right before she boards CX-2’s ship, there’s a moment where she turns around and looks back at Pabu. Was she looking for Crosshair specifically, or Hunter or someone else familiar, or just looking back in general? I’m not sure.)

Escaping Tantiss, Round 2 (AKA The Shot)

So, Crosshair helps his brothers infiltrate Tantiss.

They get captured by the CX operatives and taken to the training room/CX lab. Echo, Omega and the clone prisoners work together to fight the CX operatives and save TBB.

After Crosshair saves Hunter from CX-2, he affirms he's going with Hunter to find and save Omega.

It's honestly a really good thing he did, because without Crosshair on that bridge, that scene plays out very differently.

Hunter probably could've taken out CX-2's Dagger and Scorch by himself, but with Hemlock holding Omega at gunpoint, I think Hunter might've actually put his blaster down when Hemlock threatened her.

It'd be in-character for him, as he surrendered when Hemlock's commandos had Wrecker at gunpoint in 2.16. Admittedly, he was vastly outnumbered, which is a big factor. But, if Hunter is on that bridge by himself, he and Hemlock are basically in a standoff.

With Crosshair with him, though, the brothers have Hemlock outnumbered and outgunned. If Hemlock managed to shoot one of them, the other would take him down.

Additionally, either of them might’ve backed down if they had to navigate that situation alone. But together, they have each other for support. They're greater than the sum of their parts after all.

So, Hemlock has Omega at gunpoint and is using her as a human shield. The brothers take a knee on the bridge, and Hemlock decides to take Omega over to the edge, so if the brothers manage to shoot him, he and Omega will both fall to their deaths.

Omega signals them. Hunter catches it, but Crosshair apparently doesn't. So, Hunter tells him what to do.

And now we come to The Shot:

Let's say Hunter is out there alone and the scene plays out the exact same way. Omega signals him, he sees it, and she stabs Hemlock in the leg and lifts the binders so he can shoot them.

Could Hunter have made that shot?

Obviously, it's a TV show set in a science-fantasy universe. So, there's always a chance. Plus, Hunter is definitely a better shot than the average person, and in a high-stakes situation like that, I'm sure the adrenaline and his love for Omega would help (just as it does for Crosshair in-canon).

But, based on everything we've seen of Hunter's shooting abilities in the show, I'm going to say: No, he probably wouldn't have.

In 2.09, Tech shoots the vial of ipsium instead of Hunter or Wrecker because:

Tech: If the shot is not precise, it'll cause another cave-in.

If Hunter was a better shot than Tech, Tech would've had him take it. But, Tech was the best of the three, so he did it.

And, Crosshair -- as a sniper -- was the best shot in Clone Force 99. I mean, that was his whole thing. He’s a sharpshooter.

I know that Crosshair has basically everything stacked against him, and he still managed to do it. But, Hunter would've been facing many of the same disadvantages -- injuries; lighting and weather conditions; the distance, size and speed of the target, etc. And based on everything we've seen in the series, Hunter is a worse shot than Crosshair.

If Hunter knew he could make that shot himself, I think he would've taken it knowing Crosshair was missing his shooting hand. And, if Hunter only thought there was a chance he'd make it, he clearly didn't want to risk it. He deferred to Crosshair, because he knew Crosshair was the better shot of the two of them, even with all the disadvantages they were facing.

No, it HAD to be Crosshair.

As I said, Crosshair needed to be there for Hunter and Omega.

He helped Hunter take out the Dagger and Scorch; he supported Hunter as Omega was being held at gunpoint and Hemlock told them to surrender; and he made The Shot to free Omega and then helped Hunter turn Hemlock into Swiss cheese.

That was the only way the three of them could've done it -- together.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, as much as we understandably love to talk about Crosshair needing Omega to grow and change, Omega needed Crosshair too.

After losing Tech, she wanted so badly to escape with Crosshair and return to TBB so they could all be a family again.

He gave her support and encouragement during her darkest days.

He looked out for her as she processed her traumas and never let others diminish her suffering.

He supported her decision to protect Pabu by surrendering herself, despite her fears and his own.

He showed her that change was possible and that healing is a journey -- one they started together.

And then he helped his brothers rescue her and the others from Tantiss, and ultimately saved her life.

Plus, as we hear about in the epilogue, Crosshair helped his brothers raise Omega for ~10 happy years on Pabu.

Omega needed Crosshair in Season 3 just as much as he needed her.

She needed ALL five of her brothers/dads to become the kind and capable person we meet in the epilogue.

[hugmekenobi]

S3: The Bad Batch (5)

Chapter Five: The Return

Gif by @theworstbatch

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Ever since Eriadu, Clone Force 99 had been a fractured squad. Months have passed but you're finally back with the Batch but Omega is still out there and you won't stop until you find her again.

Chapter Summary: Will a mission to an Imperial facility be the thing that allows you, Hunter and Crosshair to reconcile?

Masterlist for S1 and S2

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, again we have my interpretation of headspaces, limited use of y/n, fluff, reference to past character death, angsty conversations, PDA (kissing and some brief spicy thoughts), brief innuendo, mentions/ references to scars and torture, reader, Hunter and Crosshair are all a lil mean to each other, me making up how the Force works, I give some of Crosshair and Hunter's past fights some more lore, fun family teasing dynamics

Word Count: 8K

Author's notes: Had a lot of fun incorporating reader into this one! Hope you like it too! And the work for Ch6 will begin today too!

Omega released a content sigh as she opened her eyes upon feeling the warmth of the sun on her face. As she took in the familiar walls and gave Lula an affectionate squeeze, part of her still couldn’t believe she was really here again.

“Looks who’s awake!” Wrecker called out jovially.

“How’d you sleep?” Hunter enquired as she came down.

“Better than ever.” She replied. 

“Delivery from Shep and Lyana.” Wrecker chucked her a piece of fruit.

“Another one?” Omega remarked lightly as she caught it. It had been a few days since they’d returned to Pabu and Shep and Lyana had been incredibly accommodating in the provision of clothes and food since she’d been back.

“They’re happy you’re back.” You said cheerily as you handed Wrecker and Hunter their mugs of caf and sipped from your own. Since being back, you’d all slipped out of your armour and for you this had also meant allowing the warm Pabu sun soak into your skin so there’d been occasions where you’d removed your top layer and gloves. You’d stopped hiding the scars from your torture, but it had meant you needed to fill Omega in on certain events.

“And so are we.” Hunter added with a smile as he slipped an arm around your waist.

“Where’s Crosshair?” Omega asked as she looked around the ship.

“He wasn’t on the ship when we woke up.” Wrecker replied.

“He’s… still adjusting.” Hunter added.

“I’ll check on him.” Omega said breezily before she departed the ship.

The three of you shared a mildly concerned look as she left.

--

Crosshair watched his shot go wide yet again.

“Greetings, Omega!” AZ shouted with a cheery wave to the girl standing in the distance.

Crosshair glanced her direction but quickly went to focus on shooting the fruit out of AZ’s hand again but released a low groan as he saw that his hand continued to quiver, making his grip and aim unsteady.

Omega made her way down to the beach cove and gave Batcher a few dotting pats before she came to crouch beside Crosshair. She noted the bowl of fruits on the rock he was positioned behind. “Shep and Lyana found you then?”

“Their ability to do so is uncanny.” Crosshair responded dryly.

“I know what you’re doing, Crosshair, but you can’t keep hiding. You need to talk to them.” She advised, the ‘them’ referring to you and Hunter.

“I’m not hiding. I’m training.” Crosshair deflected as he readied his rifle and got the fruit in his sights, but his shot missed. He stared at his hand in anger and aggravation. What good was a sniper who couldn’t make a simple, unopposed shot?

“You know, I’m sure AZ could look at your hand for you.” Omega suggested.

Crosshair exhaled a sharp sigh. “I’m fine.”

Sensing his wall was well and truly up on the matter, she changed tact, “So what skills does this require, besides good sight?”

“Being a sniper is more than just looking scope. It’s about patience. Reading the environment.” He half-turned his head. “And knowing when you’ve got eyes on you.”

Omega looked up past his shoulder to see the three of you watching them from the top of the cliff edge.

“They don’t trust me.” Crosshair stated matter-of-factly.

“Give it time. But you will have to talk to them.” Omega reminded him with a soft pat on his back.

Crosshair only gave a non-committal hum before he went back to his rifle.

--

“Not sure it was a good idea to give Crosshair back his rifle.” Hunter commented.

“Omega trusts him. That’s good enough for me.” Wrecker replied. “And well, he hasn’t tried to kill you yet.” He added, looking to you.

“Oh, yes, that’s a great comfort, Wrecker. Thank you so much.” You replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Wrecker raised his hands in appeasement. “All I’m saying is that it might be an idea to talk things out again.”

“Cause that went so well last time.” You muttered.

The sound of a ship approaching interrupted further discussion.

Hunter glanced up to see Echo’s shuttle and he whistled down to the other two but as he got up to leave, he noticed the stare you were giving him. It was pointed but there was something else behind it that he couldn’t quite label, “What?”

“ ‘What?’ he asks like I can just give a simple reply as to how whistling is attractive.” You mumbled, avoiding his gaze as you rather hurriedly stepped past him.

Hunter smiled at your back and fondly shook his head in your direction before he caught up to you and Wrecker.

--

“It’s Echo!” Omega cheered as she saw the ship fly overhead.

“Perfect.” Crosshair grumbled.

“I have tabulated your shooting accuracy. Your target success rate was at 53%. Well below your average.” AZ helpfully informed him.

Hearing that only made his mood worse. Crosshair did not respond to the droid, instead he just trailed behind Omega as they made their way to the top of the island.

--

You grinned as you saw Echo and Omega share a brief hug.

“What? No hug for me?” Crosshair quipped as he approached.

Echo scoffed, “That depends how good your intel is.”

Crosshair grunted in return. At least that felt somewhat normal.

--

The sun was setting as the six of you took your seats around Shep’s table, the golden glow adding some much-needed softness and warmth to the atmosphere. He’d been kind enough to let you all use his residence as a place to gather and think- there had been numerous offers of setting up places of your own since you’d all returned but until this business with Tantiss had reached an official conclusion, it felt too much like tempting fate to accept.

“They were using clones for testing, taking samples. Most were held in the detention wing, but I never saw what was in the vault.” Omega told the rest of you. “Even Emerie wasn’t allowed access.”

“Emerie?” Echo repeated.

“She works for Hemlock. She’s a clone, like us. Like me.”

Echo reflected on that for a moment before he addressed Crosshair, “And what about you? Anything else to add?”

“I was a prisoner. Not much to tell.”

You and Hunter both narrowed your eyes at him. He was holding something back.

“We’ve been searching for this base for a long time. Accurate intel’s hard to come by. We need to know all we can before making any moves.” Echo said.

“We have Nala Se’s datapad, but it isn’t working anymore.” Omega slid the device over to Echo. “If we can get it online, we should be able to pull more intel on Tantiss.”

“It could have schematics, entry points.” Hunter theorised. “Maybe even the coordinates of the base itself.”

“Imperial encryption will be a problem, especially without Tech.” Echo said, his tone solemn.

The mood shifted and your eyes couldn’t help but drift over to the empty seat at the end of the table. Regardless of everything else, it was obvious the loss was felt by all of you.

“Plugging it into an Imperial terminal will bypass the encryption.” Crosshair stated after a moment of heavy silence.

“Where do we get one of those?” Wrecker asked.

“I know a facility. Remote, understaffed. It shouldn’t be a problem to infiltrate.”

Hunter debated the risks in his head, “Crosshair, Echo and I will go to this remote facility. You three will stay here.” He looked to you, Wrecker and Omega.

You frowned at him.

“We’re finally together and you want to split us up?” Omega argued.

“Yeah, I’m with the kid on this one.” You piped up.

“We just got you both back. I’m not going to risk either of you getting captured again.” Hunter replied firmly.

Your gaze softened, “Hunter, not that I don’t appreciate the concern, but there’s no way I’m letting you go to an Imperial facility with just two other people. No matter how understaffed it might be.”

“With me, you mean.” Crosshair muttered, the double meaning behind your words was not so subtle. “One of these days you’re going to have to trust me.”

“Give me a reason to.” You snapped back. Hunter’s gentle squeeze of your knee stopped you from saying anything more.

The others all shared in fretful looks of concern.

Omega spoke up to get her argument in before one started again between you, Hunter, and Crosshair. “And I left all those clones behind. I need to do this, Hunter.” Omega implored.

Hunter glanced between Wrecker and Echo who both nodded. He then faced you, and he could tell by the resolve in your eyes that he wasn’t going to win this one. He gave a resigned but agreeable nod of his head.

--

The tension between the two clones could be cut with a knife as they passed each other on the ramp.

“Don’t hold it against him. He’s only worried about you.” Crosshair explained to Omega as Hunter moved out of earshot. He picked up the next case of supplies.

“I know.” Omega said begrudgingly. “You think I should stay behind too?”

“You’re capable, but you are still a kid.”

Omega only scoffed, “I’m older than you are, little brother.” She taunted.

“Never going to quite get used to that.” You said to yourself, sliding your gloves on and long-sleeved top over your head before grabbing your limited pieces of armour from the pile of supplies. You reapplied it as you passed the two of them. But the smile and quiet laugh Crosshair allowed himself at Omega’s words wasn’t lost on you either. You boarded Echo’s ship but saw Hunter standing in the doorway watching as Wrecker walked towards the two of them. Is that-

Hunter offered a rigid nod by way of reply.

“I don’t know if this’ll still fit, but, uh, here.”

Crosshair turned to the sound of Wrecker’s voice and opened the case he held out for him, but he wasn’t expecting to see what he did. And whether he’d want to admit it or not, the meaning behind the fact that they’d kept it after all this time touched a part of him. “My old armour.”

“Yeah, it never felt right to get rid of it.” Wrecker admitted before he boarded the ship.

--

With all of you properly kitted up, the ship came out of hyperspace and entered the ice planet’s atmosphere.

“On approach. Reading minimal life signs, if any.” Echo announced.

The ship landed and the group of you got ready to disembark.

Echo gave the scanners one last preliminary glance, “No heat signatures inside of the depots, and nothing on comms. There’s no one here.”

As you followed the helmeted example of the others and pulled your hood and mask up, and made your way out, you couldn’t shake the feeling that you’d been here before. Something about it felt eerily familiar but you couldn’t fathom why. You dismissed Hunter’s questioning glance and continued further down the steps. Clearing your mind, you studied Tech’s datapad with Hunter.

“Hey, it does fit.” Wrecker said with a laugh as he half-turned and saw Crosshair come outside in the old black and red 99 armour.

You, Echo, and Hunter all looked too, and the sight automatically transported you back in time, but it was now clouded by a lingering darkness.

Crosshair grunted as he fiddled with it and his eyes caught the ice vulture screeching in the now clear and serene sky. This place certainly looked different in the sunlight and without the violent snowstorms, and he only wished the outcome from this mission would be more successful than last time. Your voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

“You said this outpost was remote, not abandoned entirely.” You didn’t bother to hide the element of accusation in your tone.

“Well, I didn’t get daily intel briefings in my cell.”

You rolled your eyes at the unsurprising uncooperative response and watched as Hunter moved past you and closer to his brother.

“I get the feeling there’s more to this place than you’re saying.” Hunter said, the distrust in his voice seeping through.

Batcher’s barking disrupted any potential reply and you all turned to see what had got her riled up.

Hunter pulled out his macrobinoculars, “The sensors are giving off a high-frequency tone. She must be reacting to it.”

“What are the sensors for?” You asked Crosshair.

“Perimeter detection against local raiders.” Crosshair responded, already fearing but knowing where this path of questions might lead.

“You didn’t think to warn us about these raiders before?” You countered heatedly.

“No, they were all dealt with.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Take a guess.” Crosshair snarked.

You only shook your head and scoffed.

The answer didn’t please Hunter either and he found himself standing opposite Crosshair once again only this time he felt himself feeling more confrontational than he’d been before, “Just following orders?”

“If you’re scared, why don’t you wait on the ship. I’m sure someone could offer you some… comfort.” He added with a barbed nod in your direction.

You glowered at him and found yourself uncaring if one of their typical fights ensued. You’d seen them both in hand-to-hand many times and you knew who would come out on top in that scenario.

Hunter took half a step forward after the comment, but Echo pushed them both back.

“Hey, kill each other later. We’re here for a reason. Let’s crack into the datapad and get out of here.”

Omega watched the rest of you head to the base, but Crosshair was yet to follow, “I said talk to them, not argue with them.” She chastised.

Crosshair only sighed and muttered, “They started it.”

Omega released an exasperated breath of her own at the lack of from all three of you and made her way to the base too.

--

As the group of you approached the doors, you saw that the doors were blocked by multiple layers of snow.

You couldn’t help but smile behind your mask as you saw the way Batcher excitedly joined Wrecker and Hunter in the digging process.

With Batcher’s assistance, enough snow was dissipated, and you were able to make your way to the doors.

Wrecker pulled them apart and you all entered the facility.

Omega made her way over to the sound of beeping and took up position by one of the consoles and turned the power and lights on, “The power to this outpost has been nearly depleted by the sensor beacons.”

“Then we need to divert all power to this depot.” Echo directed.

“On it.”

“No one else thinks that’s a risky idea?” You tugged your mask down. “We don’t know if there was more that they were meant to keep out.”

“Nothing showed up on the scans, we should be fine.” Echo replied casually before he signalled to Omega that she should keep going.

Echo took up position by another console and took off his helmet like the rest of his brothers.

“So why’d the Empire abandon this place?” Wrecker wondered aloud.

“I guess it served its purpose.” Crosshair said.

“Hmm. Sounds familiar.” Echo said flatly.

You and Hunter watched as Crosshair moved away from the rest of you towards a darkened section of the room.

--

Crosshair shone his torch around the space and saw the collection of discarded clone helmets and he remembered what it had been like when he’d first arrived here. He remembered the respect Mayday had shown him. A respect and understanding that he hadn’t experienced for a long time, and he knew he couldn’t leave them like this.

Hunter observed his actions. He knew his brother and he wouldn’t behave like that for no reason. Whatever had happened to him clearly held more significant than he was letting on.

You too studied Crosshair carefully as he respectfully but solemnly placed the helmets on the crates. Whatever you were sensing about his place was lingering around him. A quick tap on your shoulder brought your attention back to Hunter who jutted his head back towards the rest of the group.

--

“That should do it.” Omega said as the sensors officially powered down and the power diverted so now the entirety of the outpost was lit.

You all crowded around Echo’s position as he plugged the datapad into the system, “Ah it’s working.” He began to digest the copious amounts of information on the screen. “Look at this manifest. There are even more clone prisoners on Tantiss than we thought.”

You all simultaneously turned towards Crosshair who had emerged from the other room.

Crosshair didn’t say anything, instead he noticed Batcher’s agitated growls and the way she was looking outside.

“Where are you going?” Hunter queried as he saw Crosshair heading towards the exit.

“To check the perimeter.”

You and Omega both went to follow them out, but Echo stopped you both.

“Uh, let them work it out. We have to finish this data transfer.”

“But-” You began to object.

“You three rile each other up too much. This won’t be solved by you all looking for ways to score points.” Echo reminded you sensibly.

You may not like it, but you knew deep down that he was right. You watched the two of them fade into the distance before you turned back to help with the datapad.

--

“Are you going to be my shadow everywhere?” Crosshair asked, removing the toothpick from his mouth, and turning around to face Hunter.

“I know you. There’s more you’re not telling us, and I’m done waiting. Start talking, Crosshair. What did you do to finally get on the Empire’s bad side? Betray them, like you did with us?” The last words were said with particular feeling behind them.

Crosshair glanced down at his hand as the tremors started once more. He curled his hand into a fist and shook it out.

--

“Any schematics on there?” Omega asked Echo.

“None that I’m seeing. Just medical records. I think this is all we’re gonna get. At least it’s something.”

You registered a faint rumbling that reverberated around the outpost, and you noticed Batcher anxiously pacing and sniffing the floor. “Batcher?”

Omega turned upon hearing you and she recognised the unusually tense behaviour being exhibited by her dog. “Something’s wrong.”

--

When he’d been met with stony silence, Hunter had closed the distance between him and his brother, “You thought we’d take you back and not ask questions? I don’t think so. Tell me what changed.” The lack of reaction from his brother was infuriating and it got the better of him. He shoved Crosshair’s chest. “What happened, Crosshair?”

Crosshair avoided Hunter’s intense stare as he went through all the possible outcomes of this interaction, but it all came back to one key detail- he wasn’t able to avoid this any longer, “I killed an Imperial officer.”

Hunter was taken aback. It had been a growing suspicion in his mind, but hearing it be true was an entirely different matter.

“So, yes, I did betray them after they betrayed me.” Hunter may have gotten him to say it, but he wasn’t the only one who knew how to push the correct buttons. “Oh, don’t pretend like this is all about me. I tried to warn you, Hunter.” Crosshair turned his back to him. “I risked everything to send you that message. You ignored it.” He turned again so he could see his words finding their mark. “You let Omega be taken to Tantiss. She went through what she did because you failed.” His emotions started to take control as he shoved Hunter back, “You’re angry because she escaped with my help, not yours. And as for (Y/N)-”

“Don’t-” Hunter snarled.

But Crosshair was in full flow now and although part of him knew he’d regret saying them, he couldn’t help himself as the words spilled from his mouth in a way that he knew would cut his brother deeply, “She thought she hid them in time, but I’ve seen the marks around her wrists from binders that were secured too tightly. I’ve seen the scars on her back. Whatever hell she went through is on you too.”

Hunter clenched his jaw so hard that his teeth hurt. White hot rage coursed his veins and all he could see was red but before he could act, Batcher’s distant barking got his attention. It was then he felt the ice beneath them shaking. “Move.” He yanked Crosshair forward just as- what could only be described as a giant ice wyrm- erupted through the snowy ground.

The resulting impact of the ice cracking had seen to it that the ship collapsed further into the snow, but they couldn’t worry about that now, the two of them scrambled to their feet and sprinted back to the base.

--

You all watched anxiously as the other two made their way back with the creature hot on their heels.

When they got close enough, you all retreated further inside, and they managed to dive through doors just before Wrecker shut them.

There was a deep bellow and growl from the creature as it crashed against the doors.

“I guess we know what the perimeter sensors are meant to keep out.” Omega said agitatedly.

Echo felt your standard ‘I told you so’ stare being trained on him. “Not the time.” He groused.

“ ‘We should be fine’ I believe is what you said.” You remarked, raising your eyebrows at him whilst Hunter and Crosshair got to their feet. “I can’t get the ship-” There was another harsh growl and the entire base shook, bringing all of you to your knees.

“Great, what now?” Wrecker grumbled as he turned his torch on.

“I can’t get the ship out of the snow with that thing out there.” You finished your previous sentence as you stood up. “We have to restore power to the sensor beacons.”

Echo jogged over to where Omega had originally rerouted the power. “There’s a fuse box for the reserve energy grid in the back of this compound.”

“One of us needs to get over there and reset the grid manually.” Crosshair said.

“I’ll do it.” Wrecker volunteered immediately.

“And I can get the defense system reactivated once the power’s back.” Omega said.

“We’ll have to draw the creature beyond the sensors before they reboot, or we’ll be trapped inside the perimeter with that thing.” Hunter reminded everyone.

“I’ll do it.” Crosshair said to him.

“Not alone. We’ll do it together.” Hunter replied firmly.

“You sure about that?” Crosshair challenged.

Echo saw you getting ready to also volunteer to go so he placed a hand on your wrist to subtly tell you to stop, “We’ll spot you both from the tower.”

You shot Echo a questioning look but nodded all the same. Brotherly bonding? You guessed, although you wished it was under different and safer circumstances but then again, this felt pretty fitting for them.

Echo gave you a small nod.

Hunter gave you his macrobinoculars before addressing all of you, “Then let’s get to it before it tears the place apart.” Hunter ordered.

--

Helmets and coverings were back on as Wrecker opened the door and you all waited for Hunter’s signal.

Satisfied that the cost was clear, Hunter made the first move and all of you went to your decided positions.

--

“Three o’clock!” Crosshair shouted as he saw the wyrm angling towards Hunter who was a few metres ahead of him. He drew his rifle and opened fire, but they weren’t making contact, the ice was too good a cover.

Hunter turned his head to see the animal explode from the ground. He was able to dive out the way of its jaws but as he landed, he felt the ice crack beneath his feet, and he plummeted downwards.

--

You put down the binoculars and inhaled deeply before releasing a slow, calming breath. You tapped your comm. “Did you just fall through the ice?” You asked, already knowing the answer.

“I’m fine.” Came his reply.

He may have been fine, but you could hear the slight strain in his voice. A series of annoyed grumbles left your mouth- how many times was this man going to fall through/from things?

“Why? Why is there always a huge monster?” Wrecker’s voice said through the comms as he made his journey across the show. “Echo, (Y/N), do either of you see it?”

“An excellent question.” You muttered to yourself as you and Echo continued to scan the area for the creature. “We don’t have a visual.” You said into your comm in answer to Wrecker’s second question.

--

“Can you get outside the perimeter from down there?” Crosshair called down to Hunter through the hole in the ice.

Hunter scanned the tunnel ahead with his torch. “I’ll follow the tunnel north. Find out.”

“We’ll track you from up here.” Crosshair said. The ‘we’ now referring to him and Batcher who had joined the fray after seeing Hunter fall.

--

You and Echo continued to search for the creature from your posts.

“Target spotted. It’s right on your tail.” Echo said into the comm to Crosshair. “About a hundred meters and closing.”

“Got it.” Crosshair acknowledged. He came to a stop and drew his sniper. He fired at the oncoming shape in the snow, but the result was the same as before and his trembling hand wasn’t helping matters. He shook it out yet again and repositioned his stance just as the wyrm resurfaced. His shots kept hitting the creature’s shell until one of them finally hit the inside of the mouth, causing it to retreat back underground.

“I think I just made it angrier.” Crosshair mused into the comms.

“Fantastic.” Hunter replied dryly as he continued to run through the tunnel.

--

After finally digging through all the snow that had been blocking the entrance, Wrecker finally made it inside, “Okay, I’ve found the fuse box. What’s next kid?”

“Good. Now prime the breaker.” Omega instructed.

--

“You’re about 400 meters from the perimeter.” Crosshair said into his comms for Hunter’s benefit.

You kept your sights trained on Crosshair and the area around him, “No sign of that thing.” You said into your comm, but you weren’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

--

As they passed the perimeter, Crosshair followed Batcher’s lead this time as she sniffed the ground before letting out an excited bark as she began to dig.

“We’ve found a weak point in the ice. We’ll try to break through.” Crosshair said to Hunter, giving Batcher a praising pat.

“You’ll try?” Both you and Hunter said together.

“Glad you two heard me properly.” Crosshair retorted.

“Crosshair, I swear if-”

“I’ve got him.” Crosshair reassured you with more sincerity than he’d anticipated as he and Batcher began to dig through the ice.

--

“Alright. Breaker’s primed. What next, kid?” Wrecker asked as the screen finally lit up.

“Cycle the navigator. That should be to the right of the main breaker.” Omega replied.

Wrecker did as she said.

--

“Things are getting close in here. Am I gonna have a way out or not?” Hunter asked as the sounds of growls and ice cracking echoed around him.

“If you end up where we hope you do.” Crosshair responded.

“Boom! Power’s online.” Wrecker interjected.

“Hunter, should I activate the beacon?” Omega asked, her hand hovering over the button.

“Wait! We have to make sure the wyrm is past the perimeter.”

--

Crosshair shot into the ice to weaken it and create a bigger opening.

The sound of falling ice and light shining into the tunnel grabbed Hunter’s eye and he made his way under the opening that Crosshair had caused.

“Get up here!” Crosshair urged.

“Not yet. Where’s the wyrm? I can’t find it.”

--

The sound of him refusing to get to safety sent a wave of anxiety through your body but you focused up and helped Echo look around but neither of you could see anything.

--

“It’s past the perimeter!” Hunter said into his comm as a deep bellow sounded in the tunnel and he saw the wyrm emerge ahead of him.

Crosshair pressed his own, “Omega, activate the sensors!”

“Bringing them online now.”

Once Crosshair saw the sensor activate, he reached the end of his rifle down into the tunnel for Hunter to grab onto to pull him out of there. He helped him to his feet just as the wyrm shattered through the ice and the three of them began the run back to the inside of the perimeter.

They dived across the boundary and were relieved to find that the wyrm refused to go any further. It let out an aggrieved howl before moving away from them.

--

You put the binoculars down with a deep sigh of relief as you saw them sitting within the safety of the perimeter.

--

Hunter joined Crosshair in taking off his helmet so as to allow more oxygen to enter his lungs after that rather strenuous task. He then glanced over to see a restrained but warm look on Crosshair’s face as he stroked Batcher.

It was then that something seemed to tentatively slide into place. This mission, weirdly enough, had helped to fill in the gaps. It had brought a sense of normality back and when it had truly come down to it, Crosshair had helped get him to safety.

Crosshair felt Hunter looking at him. He angled his head to meet his stare and as his brother offered a small but sincere nod of gratitude, he gave one back in return.

--

You tugged your hood and mask down and shielded your eyes from the sun as you saw the two oncoming figures and their animal companion.

Echo and Omega came to join you and the three of you watched as their return journey was interrupted by Wrecker running up to them and embracing them both in a needed- but rather one-sided- group hug.

You chuckled as you observed the scene ahead of you and, despite your own worries about Crosshair, it felt good to see that there was room for reconciliation- at least with his own brothers anyway. You weren’t sure how you fit into the equation yet.

“See? They always work it out. And I don’t even see in blood this time. That’s progress.” Echo stated light-heartedly.

“I think the worst I saw between them was after the stampede of Reeks. We wound up having to fix more injures than what we started with.” You reminisced with a smile. The stressful part memory of the incident was pushed to the back of your mind as you remembered that by then, you and Hunter were both experiencing the same feelings for each other. Of course, you hadn’t exactly known that at the time, that information had come out much later.

“Do you know what that was about?” Echo asked you.

You fully looked at him now. “No? I’d left to get more medical supplies. I’d assumed Crosshair just called him an idiot for coming down there after I fell in.”

“I mean, that phrase was certainly used but not in the way you thought.”

You didn’t like the teasing insinuation in his tone. “Then why?” You asked carefully.

“It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that he was the first one down there to get you out and took a horn to the rib for his troubles…”

A tossed your head back and humiliated groan left you, “No…”

“Crosshair saw a lot from you two, he always knew just what to say to get the reaction from Hunter that merely proved what we all already knew.” Echo chortled, “Well, almost everybody.”

“Are you kidding me?” Embarrassment graced your face.

“I mean it was so obvious by that point…”

“Yes, Echo.” You mumbled as you exhaled a short, sharp breath.

“The fact that a wounded Hunter still chose to have it out with Crosshair rather than admit it was something else that caused him to come to your aid without an ounce of strategic thinking…”

“Thank you, Echo.” You said through gritted teeth as you saw the delighted grin on Omega’s face as she heard all of this.

“Didn’t you put it together that after that moment you two started ending up in a lot more tiny spaces with conveniently ‘broken’ doors?”

“Alright, you’ve made your point.” You interjected hastily before he could carry on. The obliviousness and- quite frankly- idiocy that you two had conducted yourselves in for the longest time was an element of your relationship you’d rather forget.

Echo merely shot you a knowing smirk, “You never said I was wrong.”

“I’m moving away from you now.” You gave his shoulder a playful shove.

Omega watched you jog away from them but the emotions she was experiencing were far more conflicting. “Do you think the intel we recovered will help you and Rex?”

“We still don’t know the coordinates of Tantiss. But between the datapad and all you and Crosshair have told me, we’re closing to finding and freeing those clones.” Echo replied.

“I wished I could’ve done more to help them.” Omega reflected with regret.

“You did all you could, kid.” Echo laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “And you did exactly what you’re supposed to do. You got out of there.”

--

You managed to give Crosshair a genuine smile of thanks as he and Wrecker passed you by.

Hunter regarded you curiously, “You didn’t need to meet me, I was-”

You placed a hand on his chest and brought yourself closer to him. You didn’t know if your headspace was because things had gotten unnecessarily nerve-wracking or because you’d just been reminded of how much time the two of you had wasted but, in all honesty, you didn’t really care, “I’m going to be unprofessional right now.”

He was too busy getting carried away with the feeling of your body pressing against him to properly register your words, “What-” The rest of his question evaporated as he instantly found himself on his back in the snow with you straddling him and it was a position he didn’t mind being in one bit. His hands instinctively came to rest on your hips.

Stop falling through things. That’s four times now. You scolded affectionately as you traced your lips along his jaw and nudged the side of his nose with yours.

“Is that an order?” He rasped into your ear, teeth grazing the sensitive spot behind it.

“A very firm one.” You murmured before planting a brief but sensual kiss to his lips. You got to your feet, pulling him up with you at the same time. You feigned a look of seriousness and propriety, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Sergeant, I have a ship to recover.”

Hunter found himself not quite wanting to be revert back yet. He kept a hold of your hand and as you went to leave him, he tugged you back to him and kissed you passionately. His hands caressed your back and tangled themselves in the fabric of your top and he used your surprised gasp to deepen the kiss.

You parted from him when your lungs rather inconveniently insisted that they have some air. You stroked a hand through his hair as you saw the emotions behind his eyes. There was more behind that action than just a response what you’d just done. You couldn’t be sure as to what that could be but the only time, he hadn’t been around you was when he’d followed Crosshair outside the first time. “What did he say?” You asked, your voice quiet and soothing.

“Nothing.” Hunter replied quickly. They’d been words designed to strike a nerve and they’d been said and used in anger, he shouldn’t have let them resonate.

“Hunter-”

His relationship was on the mend with Crosshair, and he knew that process still had to start with you both. And… and he wanted that for you two. There’s be no sense in bringing it up and causing further strife when he’d already had your reassurance on the issue. “It’s nothing. Not really.”

You searched his eyes for any lingering hesitation or reluctance, “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” He confirmed. Hunter angled his head towards Echo’s ship “Go rescue the ship so we can get outta here.” He said with a fond grin.

“Sir, yes, sir.” You saluted him humorously before you stepped away and made for the ship.

--

Crosshair had watched the two of you from afar. What he had witnessed wasn’t wholly different to how things had been before Kaller but there was something more to it now. What he had seen between you both was pure and unfiltered. There was no hiding, there was no denial or deflection anymore. There was no question or doubt to be had in the intensity and genuine nature of the feelings- in the love- the two of you shared and if he had any shot of fitting back in, he needed to make things right with both of you.

He took a deep breath for courage and headed in your direction.

--

You gently lowered the ship onto more stable ground and released a few tired breaths.

“Not bad. Guess there’s some benefits to having you around.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Crosshair come to stand next to you, but you didn’t look at him yet, instead you nudged the toes of your boots through the snow. “Uh huh.” You answered distantly. “Surprised you’re wanting to stand so close to me.”

The way your posture tensed as he approached had not gone unnoticed, “I think we should talk.”

“Oh, do you?” You replied hotly.

Crosshair exhaled an irritated sigh, “Seriously? This is me trying here, can’t you meet me halfway?”

You breathed heavily and fully turned to face him. You crossed your arms as you signalled that he was to go first.

Crosshair cleared his throat before he started to speak, “Seeing that poster… seeing what you truly were and knowing that they all- that he- knew that day on Kamino… I was brought back to that time and all I could think about was how could he fall in love with a Jedi but not the Empire.”

“The two aren’t the same, Crosshair.” You replied sombrely.

“Believe me, I know that now.” Crosshair remarked wryly.

You uncrossed your arms and spoke to him candidly and kept your voice steady, “We can’t get past this if all you see when you look at me is that wanted image of me. If all you see when you look at me is the things that I’ve done. If all you feel when you look at me is hatred because you think my people committed treason.” You stopped as you felt the emotions rise in your throat as they threatened to overcome you. You swallowed roughly before going again, your voice still steady but it had dropped in volume, “If you think I should’ve died along with the rest of them that day… then- then the friend that I had is truly gone.”

Crosshair’s eyes flitted to the ground, then to your lightsaber before he looked back to you, “I really thought the Empire was the way forward… for all of us. I can’t- I can’t speak for how I would’ve acted back then. I wish I could, but I can’t.” He swallowed harshly, “But I can tell you how I will be now.”

“And?” You asked quietly.

“I- I might need some time to adjust but- but as far as I’m concerned, you’re still the same person we met on Devaron that got our asses out of a tricky spot and who fit in with us like you’d been a part of things since the beginning. I won’t turn on you.”

You narrowed your eyes slightly as you studied him but there was no deceit behind his words. No deception or trickery in his face. He meant what he was saying, and it filled you with hope. “Really?”

“Really.” He confirmed before half a smile tugged at him mouth, “Plus, even if I wanted to, I don’t fancy my chances with the rest of them if I tried something.” He joked.

You visibly relaxed. Being at odds with him was never something you wanted to be and if he was open to starting afresh then you could be too. “If it helps, since I chose to leave the Order, technically speaking, I’m probably not even counted as a Jedi anymore.”

Crosshair hummed out a short laugh, “It’s something, I guess.”

“Believe it or not, a wanted ad was not how I planned for you to find out so, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in the time after Devaron.”

He dipped his head in acceptance. “Probably did yourself a favour.” He mumbled sheepishly.

“Probably.” You agreed with a soft laugh.

There was a beat of mildly uncomfortable silence between you before Crosshair spoke in an attempt to ease some of the lingering awkwardness, “So, you and my brother…”

“Don’t start.” You said with an exasperated grin as you held out your hand to him.

Crosshair faltered for a second, but he willed his hand to stay steady as he mirrored your actions.

As you clasped it, you were hit and overpowered by the familiar sensation you had been questioning since arriving and it all connected to the clone in front of you. You withdrew your hand swiftly as the realisation hit you, “It was here.” You said with a shaky breath.

Crosshair was caught off guard by the intensity of your reaction and the words that followed. There’d been no way for you to hear his conversation with Hunter and he hadn’t said anything to anyone else. “I don’t know what you mean.” He denied uneasily.

But you knew now, he couldn’t lie to you about it, “What happened to you to get you to Tantiss. It was on this planet.” You said, titling your head at him, concern, and compassion in your gaze.

The certainty in your voice told him that there’s be no point in lying to you. Crosshair gulped. “How’d you know?”

“I felt it. Months ago, I felt it. I didn’t know that it was you, or what exactly was going on, but I sensed something.” You paused for a second, “I felt the cold and the isolation. And- and the pain. A lot of pain.” You said gravely as you fully comprehended how things had gone for him.

Crosshair avoided your stare. “Well, I made a lot of choices that led me to that.” He said with plenty of self-deprecation.

You laid a delicate hand on his shoulder, “Crosshair, you should never have to experience that type of pain. What you had to go through…” You trailed off with a knowing sigh before continuing, “I’m sorry, really I am.”

Crosshair looked at you with a different type of intensity, “You didn’t either.”

Your breath caught in your throat. You had not been as careful as you’d thought you’d been and it was your turn for denial to spill from your lips, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You may not be a Jedi, but you’re not the only one who can pick up or notice things people think they’re hiding. Sharpshooter, remember?”

You fidgeted with your gloves and found yourself unable to look at him. “They tortu- I did some things- made some choices that I-” You scrambled trying to find the words to explain what he’d seen.

Crosshair shook his head at you to get you to stop, “I’m not in a position to judge, I was wrong to do so when we left that moon.”

You saw the sincerity in his face and nodded gratefully.

You two shared in the quiet of a new mutual understanding before you puffed out a short breath to reset and you activated your comm, “The ship is good to go.”

“And, uh, everyone is still in one piece?” Came Wrecker’s tentative reply.

Crosshair shared in your eye roll. Evidently the others had been even more sceptical about this moment than he’d been.

“Yes, Wrecker. Civilised conversation is a possibility sometimes.” You kidded in return, “Now, can we please leave this planet?”

--

Crosshair waited for Hunter to emerge from the base as the rest of you boarded the ship. As he saw him getting ready to walk past, he called his name, “Hunter?”

Hunter paused and glanced back at him expectantly.

“I… thought I knew what I was getting into with the Empire. I thought I was being a good soldier.” Crosshair admitted, keeping his back to him in case the look on his face was the one that he feared he would see.

Hunter took a second to find the right words, “Nobody really understood what was happening back then.”

Crosshair lifted his head in surprise at the accepting tone in Hunter’s voice. Maybe there truly was a way forward. He turned around, “I’ve done things. I’ve made mistakes.”

“I have regrets too, Crosshair. All we can do is keep trying to be better.” He found his eyes being drawn to yours as you waited by the doorway, but he brought them back to his brother. “And who knows? There might be hope for us yet.”

Crosshair stole one last glance up at the ice vulture screeching in the sky. Hope? Not a sentiment he had been overly familiar with these past few months, but he needed it. He started to walk towards the ramp.

Hunter paused to stand by you as you leaned against the entry way. The supportive and loving way you were looking at him made his heartbeat that little bit faster but there was also a mischievous gleam in your eyes that sent warmth thrumming through his veins. “Stop that.”

“Am I not allowed to look at you, sir?” You queried, a teasing lilt to your voice. A delighted smirk graced your face as you saw the way his throat bobbed as he attempted to remain composed.

He caged you against the wall, “You can’t play that game right now.” He warned, his voice a low rasp.

Your own breathing hitched as his body pushed against yours. “What game?” You managed to murmur.

“Oh, well, if this behaviour is going to continue to be a running theme, you can just leave me here.” Crosshair said with light-hearted mocking. “I don’t know what’s worse, dealing with you two now or dealing with how you to were before all this became... official.”

“You get used to it!” Omega called from the belly of the ship.

“We hardly ever interrupt them now!” Wrecker added.

“Cut it out!” Hunter barked as he stepped away from you and gathered himself.

You also took a moment to straighten up and shake off the lingering anticipation in your veins.

“Yeah, plus he’s a lot more relaxed since they finally worked up the courage to actually make it real!” Echo’s voice entered the conversation.

“I’ll bet.” Crosshair remarked with a smirk.

“Get your ass on the ship.” You retorted with a good-humoured shove to his back.

Crosshair chuckled quietly to himself as he half-stumbled into the ship.

“Back to professionals?” Hunter advised as he shook his head in response to the antics of his family.

“Probably a good idea.” You agreed with a pleasant grin before the two of you fully entered the ship just as the ramp came up and it took off.

--

It may have been at your expense, but that small teasing moment had symbolised that the mending of the relationships you all had once was indeed possible. Finally, things were starting to feel more like the used to be.

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @andreaaxy, @dominoeffectsworld, @arctrooper69, @nightmonkeysstuff, @notgonnaedit

[thoughtfulchaos773]

The Bear S3- A conversation with the viewer. Part 1

I'm not saying I loved it or hated it, but this season read as a conversation between viewer and story. Let's talk about it.

The cannon best meal

@currymanganese called the situation involving the best meal Sydney has ever had. There were a lot of moments in the show that came true and it's funny this is the first episode- ending with this moment- reminding us how connected Syd and Carmy are.

A Chris Storer conversation

This is the real-life owner of the Beef and Chris Storer worked there when he was younger. This is a look into Chris Storer always wanting to cook or direct but like Carmy, he does not have a why behind it. It's also a look into being so involved with the craft one can lose sight of life.

Our hearts breaking for Carmy's regression.

Natalie's line is a perspective as a viewer I think some part of my heart just broke. Richie is a cinephile and well-versed in books. Richie is the one who gives a quick run down and psycho-analysis on Carmy even though he gets back in the scene and shows his own flaws. But the focus was on Carmy throughout the season

The Faks- the greek chorus and vibe checkers

Faks are introduced to the audience as 'the vibe' checkers. They're the naive chorus that guides and relieves some viewers of the chaotic kitchen, but they also distract us from honest conversations. Looking at reddit, it is split between people needing that comical relief the faks provided, or were annoyed and felt the good vibes were too much and they didn't have the perfect timing for those good vibes.

Performance and Film

Actor reference- we'll also get references to filmmakers.

The Syd and Carmy dynamic

There were hopes and dreams to get back in in the kitchen for season 3 and when the audience enters we see why we love the kitchen it's the creators asking this is what you love? But Richie points out there's a lot of energy between Syd and Carmy and the audience is aware. This is what you wanted, right? Richie again is the thread between the viewer and filmmaker.

Claire and Sydney's role

What Sydney (and Claire) will not be for Carmy. I see this take as either a call back to the panic attack scene or a conversation with the viewer for later in the season (episode 9 had a lot of hidden conversations with the viewer).

This was only the second episode and there's plenty more coming. This season talks about the love of art, deceiving the audience, and what makes The Bear- the tv show and the restaurant magical.

[sepublic]

Odalia’s Plan?

Looking back, I remember people wondering what Odalia thought she could possibly get from helping Belos commit genocide; How can you live like royalty without a society left? I think at face value, Odalia has the snails from the many Abomatons that Belos bought from her, and was planning to revel in that wealth to rule over the survivors. She must’ve thought Belos would spare her from the draining spell for her contribution, maybe she never got a sigil as some suggested. But with the hindsight of S3…

Odalia knows that those who aren’t covenbound will be the true survivors; And that this includes her kids. I presume she thought there would be an exception for her and Alador, on account of helping Belos; Kikimora hoped the same! And speaking of, Odalia was trying to butter up Kikimora and get on her good side on the Day of Unity… But why do that?

Look at what Kikimora did; She took control of a bunch of surviving kids through a manipulated child ruler after the Day of Unity. She leveraged her position as an adult, and didn’t even need to use force despite having Roka, an Abomatron made for her on Odalia’s orders… And Odalia is someone shown to be very good at manipulating kids and even her own husband.

I think Odalia was expecting Belos to do a Kikimora (and Kiki was specifically inspired by him) after the Day of Unity; With almost all adults dead, there’s only a bunch of scared kids left. But Odalia has an army of Abomatons who are unaffected by the draining spell and will obey any order. And there will be a ton of resources and material goods left behind by the deceased for an army to claim. And there would’ve been a factory to produce more Abomatons.

I think Odalia was hinging on establishing a new era with her family right under Belos, and with Kikimora there, Odalia felt it necessary to foster a good working relationship with a fellow commander. Of course, Odalia overestimated how much Belos cared for Kikimora or honoring his own promise with either of them (karma for Escaping Expulsion), because she was devoid of the actual context and motives behind his genocide.

And even though Belos didn’t go through with that, even with the Abomatons no longer in her control or production thanks to Alador’s sabotage, Odalia and Kikimora still attempted that anyhow? The Collector was definitely a huge wrench in everything, but it was a situation Odalia could adapt to, they might actually prove more useful to these plans, rather than an obstacle; Or so she thought!

Because while she seems to have hinged on manipulating yet another child, one far more powerful than Belos ever was, who has the magic to single-handedly rule over the isles, with the puppeted adults replacing and more useful than any Abomatons… The Collector is not impressed with Odalia. She has no leverage, no physical power over them whatsoever. They’re somewhat wary after Belos lied to them, and they have King anyhow; And given King sabotaged Odalia’s plans by helping Alador rebel against her abuse, he would do the same with the Collector (And now I have to imagine Odalia seething over this connection as King casually owns up to it).

Conversely, Kikimora had a lot more success, playing by the old fascist playbook of necessitating tyrannical rule because of an outside threat people need to be strong against, and turning down any plan that would resolve said threat, and thus render her micro-reign without justification.

In short: Odalia thought Kikimora and the Blights would lead an army of Abomatons under Belos to conquer the scattered children who survived the Day of Unity, and groom a new population into their working class. When Belos disappeared and the Collector took his place, Odalia attempted to adapt by replacing Belos with the Collector as someone both stronger and a child she could control (placing herself in top, even better than the original plan!), but instead found herself under someone else’s thumb. She couldn’t even go through with the bit of conquering the isles, not in the way Odalia envisioned it, due to the Collector wanting to play Owl House; Again another sabotage by King!

It is worth noting that Adrian Graye, shortly beforehand, attempted to bind a lot of kids into the coven, including Odalia’s own children; He didn’t know about the genocide and with the coven heads always backstabbing each other, it tracks they don’t communicate with one another on their various operations.

Maybe Odalia passed off Adrian’s attempt because it ultimately failed (though he’s just the first illusionist messing with her plans), but she certainly rooted for his impending death now. And if Belos can make an exception to her, Alador, and Kikimora’s sigils, the same can be said for the kids right! Except Belos can’t make an exception to any sigil, not even his own; Maybe if he’d designed the bindings that way from the start, but of course he was adamant on no exceptions if they could be avoided, and couldn’t imagine anyone being able to place a sigil on him.

And with the Abomatons programmed to keep people from escaping, I can see how Belos had to explain it to Odalia and spin a lie, because she would’ve noticed that suspicious detail, because why would they escape. Why is there a contingency for that, why do you expect them to suddenly want to flee from ‘utopia’ once they see it…???? Alador voices a similar question just from observing and asking why there needs to be so much security in utopia. Who knows, maybe Odalia blackmailed Belos with this knowledge; Thus, the lie, which guaranteed continued shipments of Abomatons to the ritual. Appropriately, Kikimora is relegated to this, as someone in the same knowledgeable yet duped situation.

I’ll also add; In addition to everything else like payoff to Labyrinth Runners’ ending and whatnot, the Hexside subplot in For the Future could also have the benefit of giving proper context to Odalia’s motives and thought process, and thus the entire conflict in Clouds on the Horizon to begin with! And of course set up an Odalia confrontation in the Archives, with her being a much less successful Kikimora.

Again, broken record; But knowing we had a deleted scene with Odalia in the finale and apparently some manner of resolution with her (at the very least an Enemy of my Enemy situation), it really does drive me mad wondering what would’ve happened. The obvious answer is Amity capping off her arc one more time, but I wonder what else would’ve been revealed/clarified, if Odalia would’ve reflected, etc. I really need someone to ask the writers about this!!!!!!

At the very least, this theory makes Odalia seem a lot smarter, adaptable, and opportunistic, with her own agendas even Belos has to work around; Even if she’s still an idiot by the end of the day, like him. It’s a step up from being scared of his Golden Guard and helpless to the regime assimilating Odalia’s company, to Odalia taking advantage of this to guarantee her own survival, somewhat strongarming Belos for just a moment. And it technically works (in a way she didn’t expect), as giving Kikimora the Abomatron allowed her to fly off with Luz to the skull, which led to King following and working with Kikimora to stop the Day of Unity together, which saved Odalia’s life.

So her little investment in Kiki actually paid off there, and Belos using Blight Industries to guarantee the genocide goes as smoothly as possible actually screwed him over; Alador found out and helped bring the kids, particularly King, to the skull where the Collector was. Putting Odalia and Kikimora away in the same spot to prevent their interference led to both supplanting him, technically. Because in the end, Odalia is technically a victim of Belos too, as a child raised in his regime, who was at threat of being betrayed and murdered. So even the worst witches deserve their W here.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

Hey

Want to know your opinion, how would you improve some arcs of toh characters, like Amity, Hunter, Lilith, Willow, Gus and probably anyone whose arcs you think are bad-written?

good question! let's see,

luz: i have mostly no complaints about her character but i wish they made it clear that her running off to the boiling isles was not ideal. i don't entirely blame her because she was a child and she was looking for a way to avoid going to camp, but the show starts off implying that luz's escapism was a bad thing, but then they kinda contradict that in the end, by letting her have access to the boiling isles forever.

also her s3 arc with her palisman was just overall poorly written. it was supposed to be an emotional and wholesome moment but it didn't have that impact on me. if luz's greatest wish was to be understood, they should have built on that more. i mean, it's not like no one understood her, all of her friends and found family in the boiling isles seem to understand and empathize with her. it just felt like the writers pulled this revelation out of their asses, and the fact that stringbean was inexplicably a shapeshifter didn't help their case.

amity: i would keep some parts of her initial characterization, like her ambitious nature and her resting bitch face energy. even if the idea was to make amity grow into a more cheerful person, it doesn't make sense that it happened so quickly. imo her characterization was at its best when she was warming up to luz but not entirely nice to other people (like during the grom episode). i really liked her cold, standoffish behaviour and i think it would have been nice if she had kept some of that, while still being a better person than she was in the beginning.

also, like i said in another post, she should definitely have goals of her own. her character shouldn't have been reduced to "luz's girlfriend". i would definitely show more of her interacting with the other characters (and these interactions and conversations aren't about luz) and pursuing her own dreams. i think steven universe did this best where connie liked steven a lot and she did hang out with him, but she also had her own life and her own dreams to chase.

hunter: i wouldn't put him in a relationship with willow, or anyone, for that matter. the poor boy has a lot of trauma he needs to work through and based on the stuff that he's said, it's clear that he doesn't know how healthy human interactions work, let alone a romantic relationship.

i would make his arc about slowly healing through his trauma or at least being able to express his emotions, instead of suppressing them for willow's sake. i think it could have been done, despite the time crunch. he needed time to grieve flapjack, to grieve himself after being possessed and almost killed by his abuser, and to slowly start his healing journey.

the others would definitely support him through it, but that's what he needs at the time, not a badass girlfriend.

lilith: i think her redemption arc started off okay but then everyone forgave her too quickly. it wasn't as bad as catra's because lilith did put a little effort into trying to be better, but she still needed to do more before she could have been forgiven.

so either i would extent her redemption arc and let the other characters, especially eda, stay mad at her a little longer before she gets forgiven. or i would just keep her as an antagonist.

they didn't even explore her trauma of being in a cult and the emperor's coven never chased her down after she left. not to mention, her experience of being in the emperor's coven is never relevant to the plot. she could have given luz inside information or talked about belos' potential weaknesses, it was such a missed opportunity.

willow: her arc with amity was not terrible and i like that she was allowed to take her time to trust amity. this is more about amity than willow but i think it would have been nice if we saw amity making more efforts to gain willow's trust. her apology in understanding willow was good but they kinda glossed over the fact that amity wasn't just "letting her friends bully willow", she was also bullying willow.

i think we needed more of willow and amity trying to mend their friendship, instead of lumity being the main focus after that one episode.

and in general, willow deserved a bigger role in the series. for the longest time, she was just luz's friend and then they forced her into a relationship with hunter, which did not work at all.

if her intended arc was to work on her insecurities and get more confident over time, they should have shown more of that process. even Any Sport In A Storm was mostly about huntlow (and hunter, to some extent) then willow. and let's be honest, the whole "half a witch" thing was dragged out more than it needed to be.

gus: okay, buckle up because i think i have the most grievances with gus. i need to make this clear. GUS WAS SO UNDERUSED.

i'm sorry. this guy is a child prodigy who can create illusions and use illusion spells to look into people's minds and force them to relive their worst memories?? why was this not more relevant to the plot? gus is such an insanely skilled witch and yet he's always pushed to the back for some reason. he has the most versatile and useful skillset but he never gets to use it, it makes me so mad!

even him looking into belos' mind was only used for that brief moment where he admits that he knew hunter was a grimwalker, but didn't want to force hunter to talk about it. that's it. we get no further conversation about it, gus never addresses the other stuff he saw in belos' memories like him MURDERING his brother and creating all the grimwalkers and god knows what else??

also just the fact that he's able to psychologically torment people with illusions is such an OP move that the series just kinda glossed over. it was used in a few episodes, but it could have been used to a greater extent. i just think that gus could have been such an interesting and powerful character, if he was given enough spotlight.

he also had a good thing going with mattholomule but instead of making that canon, they went for huntlow. i'm not saying that gus has to be in a relationship (or any of them, for that matter) but why create a new rushed ship when you already have a perfectly good one to work with?

i also find it weird that gus and willow were supposedly best friends but we got very few moments between them. i would have loved to see more of their friendship, and more focus on platonic relationships in general.

so yeah, if i were to rewrite gus, i would definitely give him a lot more spotlight. heck, given his powerset, he has the potential to be the main character even!

belos: i've mentioned it a lot before but belos deserved a more climatic end to his arc. all of the implications of religious trauma and puritan culture was thrown in the trash in s3.

he was actually such a compelling villain, genuinely intimidating and with an interesting motive and backstory. what was the point of crafting such an interesting character, just to be like "lol he's evil murder his ass"?

i'm not even mad that he died, i'm just mad that THAT'S how he died. i was expecting his death to be something ironic and self-inflicted, like the people from the human realm being horrified by him and killing him. maybe even burning him to death, the same way witches were burned at the stake. buuuut no, we get king, raine and eda stomping on his corpse because haha that's funny. hunter didn't even get to be a part of all this, and he was the one who deserved closure, he was the one who deserved to see his abuser face consequences of their actions, not fucking eda and raine.

and that part where he tries to convince luz that he was just under a terrible curse was just.. so childish. and not in-character childish, but just childish writing. it was just so ooc for belos, he is a manipulator but this wasn't how he manipulated people. i guess you could argue that he was just too desperate to survive but eh. i think it could have been written better.

eda: i don't have too many complaints here, i think she was probably the most well-rounded and compelling character in this show. her arc about the owl curse was interesting and very relatable to me, as someone who is epileptic. her relationship with raine was the best in the series imo.

the only thing i would change is, as I mentioned earlier, i wouldn't make eda forgive lilith so easily. i also think that she kind of lost her "morally grey parental figure" edge by the end of the series, and i honestly liked that part of her a lot, so i would keep it. but that's just a personal preference.

raine: they were definitely a very interesting character, i just think they deserved more screentime. most of their role in the story was surrounding their relationship with eda, which was very compelling, but we could have gotten more of their character outside their relationship.

the members of the emperor's coven, as a whole, could have been used better in the series. but for a side character with medium relevance to the plot, i'd say raine was written pretty well.

[trickstermiraculous]

Miraculous Court Revived Au

This au is based off the idea of Marinette revving the guardians through her classmates.

Basic Facts:

Lila has been found out but the staff still believe her

Ladybug and Chat Noir has revealed their identities after Master Fu passed over guardianship

Miracle queen didn’t happen (Chloe gets a redemption)

Adrien and Marinette had a big conversation on boundaries (with Chat Noir constant confessions/refusal to listen to Ladybug and Marinette borderline stalking, it was desperately needed) and decided on friendship for now so their relationship is healthy

Think only s1 s2 s3

Story:

Both Marinette and Adrien agreed to lend out the miraculous permanently but they did it slowly over a year

Not every hero shows up to an akuma at first but most do now as hawkmoth keeps getting stronger the longer they have the miraculous

Which ironically is something happening to the heroes with them gaining effects outside their suits such as animal traits, super strength/speed and small amount of their powers

The Kwamis explained that this is not unusual and many past users who last longer ended up being tightly bonded to their miraculous which made them into demigods (the class being all true holders just made this happen sooner in the development unlike others who had this happen when they were adults)

Over time the class got more feral but not something that was insanely noticeable until another heroes day incident which ended up with class (plus Kagami and Luka) revealing their identities to each other in order to have a stronger support systems as shit was getting worse and worse with the akumas becoming more deadly and horrific

This cause the class to basically become feral in an actual noticeable manner (think Feralnette au vibes but with the whole class)

They also focused way more on the hero jobs, learning martial arts, weapons training, gymnastics, dance, first aid, civilian control tactics

It was Chloe who brought up the idea because while these classes were great, it was too public so why not get a secret base? Like other heroes do

Between her money and her dad’s complete refusal to go against her and never looking into what she was doing, it was a perfect way to hide a secret base and there are a lot of old warehouses/old buildings needing to be bought up so no would really notice

Even so Max and Alix pointed out that even if that was the case wouldn’t it look odd for a bunch of teenagers to keep visiting a random building/warehouse

It took a lot of brain storming but eventually it was surprisingly Kim that had a solution even if it would be complicated as fuck to accomplish

BUILD A BUSINESS

Confused at first, Adrien asked for an elaboration

Well Marinette wants her own fashion brand, Alya wants to be reporter, Nino wants a music/movie career, Kitty Section has started a career already and just needs to be sign to a label but also has their own job wants outside like Myleen/Ivan/Rose’s charity work and Julaka Modelling career, Marc/Nathaniel wants to make comics, Alix wants to expand her art career/sports career, he wants his own sports career as well, Max wants to build more inventions to improve technology for the world, Adrien wants to also work in science (if not work in food) and Chloe/Sabrina like business in general

so why not just combine all their talents and build a jack of all trades enterprise like other big corporations tend to do

It would also be a good cover to build up the Miraculous Guardians again like Marinette and Adrien wants because you can’t really build something like that out in open anymore without it sounding like a cult.

The Plan/Effects:

So that was the plan, it helped keep their parents off their case, could work on it during school because basically everyone there expect for Lula or Kagami (both helping on music and security branches)

It was a slow build as buying a hood building took a while so did all the legal issues but Chloe, Sabrina, Kagami, Adrien and Marinette helped due to the rich kid background, police father and Marinette’s small business that had been set up with the help of Jagged.

The business didn’t really come first though at least they were not openly promoting it.

First they worked on their hero reputation/brands by increased public interactions with more patrols (more heroes means easier ways to spread out patrols), working with the police for normal crimes like how many other heroes in America do (I’m thinking dc crossover not the canon ones), social media presence for better alerts/info to public/a way to see more down to Earth and relate to people (since come what teenager type hero is not going to shit post/meme about their lives)

And it worked more people support them, helping bring more hope as the new need for more heroes got people worried that hawkmoth was winning, the government was starting to help out more (double edged sword thou as that meant a bigger work load for other crimes) which made them express that even when hawkmoth was defeated they wouldn’t minds them sticking around to help Paris since most hero’s tend to stick to America

The main cover business started to become popular after making themselves more known openly with Ladyblog being officially under the company banner, Marc/Nathaniel’s comics also coming under the brand, Max’s new hero endorsed akuma alert app and Hero Website also coming under the company, Kitty Section joining with the start of company’s music records, famous jagged stone endorsed designer known as MDC also joining.

All these popular thing helped it grow quite fast and with the fact most of them being young teens helped make the media especially interested in how fast they were raising in popularity because it wasn’t everyday you see a group of teenagers build such a big company at their age.

That’s all I got so far to be honest.

Notes:

Adrien has to sneak around his father still but with the business he had chloe help him to threaten Gabriel to back off (threaten to go to the press about how he’s unfairly treated)

Kagami and Lula while out of the class have ended up close with most of them over time before the reveal

Parents are just happy their kids are having fun and building up their future careers

Kwamis are protective as hell with class while also are all really happy with being out after being stored into the box for so long

Teachers and the rest of the school tend to avoid or be more harsh on the akuma class (Lila being the cause for the staff issues)

They are now around the age of 16-17

The hero team is now known as the Miraculous Court due to how the public has heard them use their old titles that the guardians used to use such as Lady Of Luck, Duke of Destruction, Seers of Time, Knight Of The Elements, etc.

If you guys have an idea on what the Business should be comment below (currently only idea is Lucky Enterprise)

[cupcakeslushie]

Could you elaborate on Venus being a cyborg? I want to write a scene where Donnie performs maintenance, but I’m still not really sure which parts of Vee are metal and which aren’t.

Are any of her limbs detachable? Or is it all a metallic skeleton? Do you think she deals with phantom pains if Donnie has had to amputate anything?

Venus info dump!

@nintendogirl106734-blog Main boys with cloaking broaches!

Not a ton of peaceful moments, but when Draxum would leave the two would be able to relax and spend the day by Three’s wading pool.

Venus mask is stitched on. A lot of her skin/limbs was lost thanks to a combination of spending most of her life in a vat and also her illness. Three has to constantly perform maintenance and update her cybernetics and to make sure the transplants are healthy. So far whatever was causing her body to fail has been stopped from spreading. She does deal with a lot of general daily pain, less from Three’s cybernetics, because he did such a good job on them, and more on the joined spots where Draxum replaced with “spare parts”. It does however hurt when Three has to do mechanical repairs, but it’s normally so light and moves amazingly realistic that Venus often forgets that arm isn’t real.

Venus’s shell and plastron had to be replaced. The shell is mostly metal and much more sleek than her old shell. Three made the plastron replacements look realistic since Venus asked.

@phoenixanddust

Venus will be kind of a sad character for a while, but she will be happy in the end! Donnie and Mikey are the brothers she’s closest to. Donnie spoils her to the extreme, and Mikey is of course her twin so Vee likes to drive Mikey crazy. She is technically the baby of the family, but her and Mikey together are unstoppable when their wants align. Splinter stands no chance of saying no.

Venus does have a very dry sense of humor which leads to Three sometimes not even registering them as jokes. When she gets rescued she’s very much a girly girl. She likes dresses and bows and pink.

Three’s mind doesn’t really think of anything when he’s being rescued. It’s very much a “Savage Donnie” moment where he’s there and talking, but he’s so upset that his mind has gone blank. But even then, Big Mama has kept Venus away for nearly a year, so Three thinks he’s been abandoned and Venus isn’t really on his mind…. Their reunion Cont👇

@cavern-of-shenanigans @orderedchaosthings2

Venus will see Donnie again somewhere in the middle of “season one”. It won’t be a long reunion, but enough for Donnie to realize he’s been enjoying living with his family, while Venus has been stuck being Big Mama and Draxum’s errand girl. He feels extremely guilty for basically giving up on her. He allowed his bad thoughts, and visions (yes he does see her as well) to convince him that she has abandoned him, but it turns out, all this time, it was the other way around.

Unfortunately, Donnie was the only one to see Venus, and he thinks the fam won’t believe him when he tells them about seeing her, but he’s surprised to find out that they do and they all promise Donnie they’ll rescue her.

In season 2 they run into Venus again, and Donnie is able to have a better conversation with her, but Big Mama has done such a good job spinning lies, that Venus runs off before Donnie can convince her he’s sincerely sorry about leaving her behind. This is when the family learns that Mikey and Venus are twins. Mikey feels bad that Venus seems to have fallen into Big Mama’s web, we will see him angry with Big Mama for the first time on Venus’s behalf.

At the season 2 midpoint Venus agrees to help with Draxum’s cleansing ritual.

At the s2 finale we will see her still aligned with Big Mama BUT….[spoiler] and she will disappear to get her mind together.

She will make a short appearance in the movie.

S3 will be very Venus and Jennika heavy, and it’ll all be about their integration into the family unit. Jennika has her own life in the Hidden City, but Venus will split her time with the family and [spoiler].

The boys really all treat Venus as the little, baby sister, but all to varying degrees. April, Donnie, and Raph dote on her, Leo is wayyy too overprotective and Mikey rubs being slightly older in her face all the time, but they will team up to be The Ultimate Youngest™️. Out of all the “sister group” April and Venus get along the most like sisters. April really helps Venus be girly and learn it’s okay to enjoy these things, to be more than just a mindless drone (Leo will very often help with this mindset as well, and it allows them something deeper to bond over).

[enigmatist17]

So I had a bit of a different plan for this, but the ending of Earthspark S3 really got me upset, so I've altered it a little bit :')

---

The ferry that went to Griffin Rock rarely did private ventures, but today was a different story. Chief Burns had set out early in the morning after loading a massive trailer, the ferry captain and his crew that definitely included those who were supposed to be off excited at the thought of who they were going to pick up. A family of four were waiting at a dock that was mostly out of sight of the rest of the port, two kids running around chasing what looked like a drone while their parents looked on in amusement.

"Wait, is that the Lieutenant Malto?" One of the older ferry hands gasped, and the Chief looked up from his book with a smile.

"It is, and I'd appreciate it if you fellas kept your questions for a later date."

"Of course Chief, no worries." A younger woman piped up, whispering with her coworkers as they docked and the Chief headed down the ramp. The semi-truck silenced whatever conversation was going on when it transformed into a massive bot, one far bigger than the bots back on the island, kneeling down to shake Chief Burns' hand. The drone the children had been chasing around transformed to land beside the older man, making him jump as the small transformer grinned up at him. They couldn't hear the conversation the bot was having with the Griffon Rock police chief, but soon, the massive bot walked over to the trailer that had been attached to them to open the doors, revealing even more bots that were unfamiliar.

A lot of them were tiny.

The sound of approaching fighter jets startled the relaxed air a few minutes later, and the crew on the ferry flinched when three seekers adorned with a faded Decepticon logo transformed and landed a few feet away from the group. One of the female seekers had landed closer to the family, smiling when some of the smaller mechs came over to greet her, wings hiking up in concern at the sight of the chief hovering a hand over his taser. She kept the two other seekers behind her as she began to speak with Charlie, the other female seeker staring at the unfamiliar human while her male companion just stared at the ferry with an unfocused gaze. The small purple mech had tried to approach him with a friendly smile, the gesture faltering when he flinched, hiding behind his companion with a slightly distressed ring of chirps and clicks no one understood. The chief seemed to relax a little after his chat, still not entirely pleased by the new arrivals, but clearly making plans for them to join the family if the massive bots placating gestures with his hands were any indication. While they spoke, the family of four had decided to approach the ferry, the two kids running ahead with the flying drone and a bot that turned into a motorcycle with a sidecar, laughing and talking with each other until they caught sight of the various ferry hands watching them in amusement.

"Kids, don't run ahead like that!" The husband of the family chided, waving with a smile. "Sorry about them, they're just so excited for this trip."

"It's all good, we've got some time before we head back out, so the little 'uns are welcome ta run about." Captain Shaw chuckled as he headed toward them. "Captain Shaw, at yer service."

"Alex Malto, this is my lovely wife Dottie, and our children Robby, Mo, Twitch, and Thrash. My other kids should be joining soon, they're waiting on Bumblebee and Wheeljack." Arthur shook both of their hands before tipping his hat to Dorothy in mutual respect.

"You did a lot durin' the War, you've my respect."

"Likewise, Chief Burns told me you did a lot of search and rescue out at sea." The former soldier nodded, whistling when Thrash was too close to the edge. "Thrash Malto, what did I say about being that close?"

"Sorry mom! Mo and I thought we saw a dolphin." The small mech pouted as he stepped back, much to the amusement of those around them. "Will we have to travel to the island in the trailer the whole time?"

"No, only until we pass the major shippin' lanes youngin." The captain shook his head, turning to eye the seekers. "Not sure about them, though; my ferry is only so big..."

"They'll be flying Cap, no worries." Chief hummed as he trailed up the ferry, flanked by the three other smaller bots, two others the size of the rescue bots bringing up the rear while holding the Malto family's luggage. While he still wasn't overly excited about the extra newcomers, Charlie made a few calls as the extensive Malto family got situated for the journey to Griffin Rock, the younger bots clearly annoyed with needing to be in the trailer the chief had loaded up, even if it was only going to be for a short time. Bumblebee cut down the chaos with a simple raise of his optic ridge and a firm point at the trailer, the kids grumbling but hurrying inside when the ferry sounded its horn.

"Have a great time, Malto's! Make sure to take plenty of pictures." Optimus waved before the doors closed, the prime reading over to hand Dot a small box he'd pulled from his subspace. "From Megatron, he wanted it to be a surprise."

"Tell him thanks, and we'll check in later." Dot shook her head with amusement as Optimus stepped back to transform, honking before heading back to the work that awaited him in Witwicky. It wasn't long before the ferry had pushed off and headed for its home of Griffin Rock, Mo and Robby chatting away with a transformed Bumblebee as Alex and Dot stood at the ship's bow, taking some time to themselves. Once the captain decided they had moved far enough from prying eyes, he leaned out of his cabin and whistled to Charlie, Bumblebee and Wheeljack transforming as the Chief let the smaller bots out and onto the deck.

"Now kids, I know you're all excited for the journey to Griffin Rock, but I don't want to see any running or transforming until we're docked, is that clear?"

"Yes Chief Burns!" The five coursed before spreading out to bask in the sun, Charlie grinning to himself as Thrash and Jawbreaker argued over the best spot to watch for dolphins. Nightshade had perched themself on the top of the pilothouse to scan the horizon, seeming quite content to spend most of the journey alone while their siblings ran around or pestered each other. Bumblebee was herding the kids with looks or the occasional point, Wheeljack just sitting to the side amused as he tinkered with something, Dot giving him an intense look when he mumbled something about explosives.

The chaos reminded Charlie of his own kids, and he wondered how hectic the next few weeks would be.

"Mom, Dad! I see the island!" Hashtag was the first to squeal in excitement, the speck growing ever closer, drawing the other kids' attention.

"We should be there in no time, speaking of which..." Charlie pulled up his phone and dialed someone, rolling his eyes at whoever was on the other end before hanging up. "Hashtag, sweetie, Nova Storm says to time how long it takes her to arrive."

"Already waiting!" The purple bot grinned, bouncing excitedly as she waited for an honest to god Decepticon to show up.

What a world.

It barely took five minutes before there was the shrill sound of jets heading their way, Skywarp transforming and zapping to end up on the back end of the ferry with a grin. Starscream seemed content with slowing to match the speed of the ferry, Nova Storm doing barrel rolls and small maneuvers to the cheers of the kids.

"What do you think, kid? Who won?" Skywarp grinned as Hashtag hurried over with a grin, a small screen appearing over her palm.

"Nova Storm won by milliseconds, you were close." The terran snickered, Skywarp leaning closer to look at the times with a soft laugh, though they went quiet when Charlie approached the duo with a small wave. "Hi Mr. Burns!"

"Chief works just fine, sweetheart," The older man chuckled, eyeing Skywarp with a slight frown. "Skywarp, right?"

"Yep tin- Chief." The seeker's face scrunched up momentarily before she shrugged, eyeing him with a trill. "You don't like us being here."

"I can't say I do, but I'm a big fan of giving people a chance to prove themselves...Decepticons included. Make no mistake, however, I will be watching, and as long as we all play nice, then I have no issue with you all taking your own break." The massive jet stared at him before grinning, reaching out to gently poke his chest.

"Between you and me? Screamer needs this bad, Storm and I have done a lot, but with Megatron always showing up, we lose whatever ground with him we make. Fragging irritating." Her playful tone had turned serious as Charlie crossed his arms. "As long as we don't end up trapped in a cage, you'll have no problem."

"I think the most you'll have to worry about is Doc Green talking your ears off." The police chief shook his head good-naturedly, glancing over when Nova Storm partially transformed to scoop Jawbreaker up and onto her cockpit, the bot cheering as he was taken close to the water to examine something. "Huh..."

"Looks like fun." Skywarp hummed, vanishing with a buzzing noise to scoop a surprised Thrash into her arms, transporting them a few feet as she transformed to let the young bot balance on top of one of her wings with a whoop.

"They're really nice when you get to know them, I promise," Hashtag whispered with a strained smile. "I wish Starscream was a bit more...aware, but we're working on it."

"What happened to him? I've heard tale of Starscream, but not since the War ended." The older man frowned, Hashtag shaking her helm with a sigh. Said seeker had not made a peep since her initial greeting back on the mainland, and the lack of whistling from his jet engines was almost unnerving if the older man was honest.

"He was possessed by the Quintessons to try and turn their biggest enemy into a weapon, but it all went wrong." Hashtag sighed, hugging her legs to her chest. "The power and the mind control broke his mind, and he got stuck when we put Terratronus in stasis for...a while. I didn't want to leave him there, but it all happened so fast it just, we didn't have the time."

"How long was he stuck?" Charlie gently pat her leg plating, eyeing Starscream as he started to veer off course, only to move back into position when Nova Storm whistled to him in a soft tone.

"Um, about a year. I tried to visit, but it wasn't until Prowl crash-landed that we could get into the zone, and even then, he was still stuck until we were able to wake Terratronus to defeat the Quintessons. It's...the solitary after everything that happened, I think, made things worse, b-but I'm hoping some fresh air with no Megatron around might help!" Hashtag brightened, clearly hoping for the best.

"That was a great idea, sweetie, Griffin Rock has done a lot to help people." Charlie eyed the former second-in-command with a sympathetic expression, making a mental note to get more of the story from the older bots and adults once they were all settled, pausing after a moment to text an old friend.

"Land ho!" Nightshade pointed to the rapidly approaching landmass with a smile, their siblings letting out an excited cheer as Jawbreaker and Thrash were returned to the ferry. Dot and Alex wrangled the kids to settle down while the ferry captain guided his ship toward the docking area. It looked like nearly half the town had shown up in anticipation, the Terrans nearly vibrating with excitement as they waited for the ferry to fully dock and tie up. Dot and Alex get off first with Charlie, the crowd quieting when he holds up his hands.

"Everyone, I know you're excited to meet our newcomers, but I don't want to see any crowding! Dorothy and Alex Malto are our guests, as are their kids and the other bots who have joined them, so I expect that everyone will give them space to enjoy their vacation. Before anyone asks yes, there are a few extra bots I hadn't planned for, but the message also applies to them. Now, why don't we all take a step back while the kids come on down, I'm sure they're done being cooped up. Dorothy, Alex, kids, I'd like to introduce you to the citizens of Griffin Rock, as well as our resident rescue bots Blades, Heatwave, Chase, and Boulder." Charlie motioned to the bots who stood to the side of the large crowd as he introduced them,

"Yay!" Thrash and Hashtag were the first ones off the ship, Nightshade jumping off their perch to land not far from them as Jawbreaker and Twitch brought up the rear. The next half hour consisted of the younger bots either greeting townsfolk or getting cooed over by Blades, until Chase and Charlie eventually dispersed the group to allow the family to gather their things from the ferry and set out for the cabins Charlie had arranged for them. Heatwave had gone off with Boulder to check on the seekers, who had landed further down the beach to avoid too many eyes on them as Nova Storm and Skywarp spoke about where they would stay while on the island. Starscream had wandered away from the two to study some crabs along the beach, the former air commander apparently too invested to notice the two bots several feet away.

"They're fascinating creatures, aren't they?" Boulder decided on a friendly approach, servos up as he approached the seeker. The former Decepticon glanced over at the voice, narrowing his optics for a moment before shrugging, disregarding the first responder as he looked back at the small crustaceans.

"What are you doing?" Boulder and Heatwave looked over at Skywarp's hiss, a look of surprise crossing her face plate at the logo she hadn't seen in a long time. "Whoa, I didn't think rescue bots were still around."

"We are," Heatwave growled, crossing his arms. "What's his deal anyway? I've read about Starscream, but I was expecting someone a bit more..."

"Put together?" Boulder supplemented with an awkward smile.

"Be very careful what you say next." The second seeker stepped forward with a glare, not intimidated by Heatwave in the least. "You have no idea what we've gone through on this Pit forsaken planet."

"We have no intention of upsetting any of you, just getting a lay of the land." Boulder smiled, putting a servo on Heatwave's shoulder. "It won't help if we start arguing."

"Why do we need to care about the land?" Nova Storm asked in confusion, wings slowly lowering at the lack of deception she could feel when Boulder extended his EMF field.

"It's a human expression." Heatwave shook his helm, his own field extending just enough to prove he was willing to play nice. "I'm going to be honest, I don't like the fact you're here, but if the Chief is alright with it, then so am I. Test my patience, however, and I don't care what promises were made; I will make sure you will have regretted stepping foot on Griffin Rock."

"...fair enough, rescue bot, I can respect that." Skywarp nodded, her own wings relaxing from their defensive posture.

"Um, I hate to butt in, but where did Starscream go?" Four sets of optics darted over to look where the last seeker had been, only to find the beach completely empty.

Scrap!

[milkywaydrabbles]

number one with alucard 👀 he got and interest on it but is kinda embarrassed to tell his dear wife but them she's SO into it, she wants nothing more than bend him over and pegg him 🥵

A/N: If I had a nickel for every time someone asked for Alucard to be pegged, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but weird that it happened twice.

AAHH, ty both for asking for this baby boy was so close to being fucked in S3 (fuck the twins tho) crying and leg lifted and EVERYTHING. Let's give him what he wanted! I hope you enjoy reading this MWUAH

Pegging x Alucard

Alucard had been pacing around the castle, waiting for you to get back from your shopping. He decided today was the day he’d bring it up--even though he was absolutely scared shitless. He didn’t think you’d judge him for it...well, kind of. But it was a terrifying thing to ask, the darker parts of his brain telling him that you’d think him less of a man, that you should leave him, that you couldn’t look at him the same way again. It was all stupid, and empty fears, he knew that. But he couldn’t help but fear it all the same. When he heard the door creak open steeled himself and just went for it (after he helped with the groceries!) 

“Hello, my love, how was your trip?” He placed a chaste kiss on your lips, grabbing the baskets you’ve brought along with you for the various meats and vegetables. “ Hmm, good. Happy to be back home.” Your soft voice and bright smile always made his heart nearly stop in his chest. God, how would he bring it up? He stayed quiet until everything was put away, a little too quiet really. “Honey, are you okay?” He flinched at the question, internally cursing himself for being so jumpy. “Ah, yes, well ah--” Deep breath, big boy. “I have a...request. I just...it’s a little embarrassing.” You gave him a moment, taking his hand in yours with a small smile. “Whatever it is, you can say it Adrian. You know I won’t judge you.” Here goes nothing.

“I want you to peg me.”

....did you hear that right?

You blinked at him for a moment, trying to process what he said. “You want me to...”

“Yes, well, I’ve been thinking about this for the last few weeks and--”

“Weeks?”

“--and I think I’m ready to ask you, of course you can say no it’s not that big of a deal--”

“Adrian.”

“But I think I’d like to try--”

“Adrian”

“--Actually never mind we can forget this conversation happened--”

“Adrian!”

He stopped his nonsense just for a moment to look at you, your smile turning into a less than innocent smirk on your face, and he swore you had horns growing from your head.

“Whatever my baby boy wants, he gets.” Ah, fuck

-

“B-baby please, a-ah fuck! Feels go-od” Alucard had been babbling on about how good you were making him feel from the moment he felt your lubed up fingers poking and prodding at his hole. It was a work in progress, going slow each second to make sure you both were still comfortable with what was happening. But any awkward tension quickly flew out the window when the dhampir started whimpering from your ministrations of the first finger. You couldn’t help but get wet, seeing him so pliable already and you’ve barely begun. “Adrian, you should have told me sooner you wanted this~” You cooed, adding a second finger into his ass, waiting for him to get accustomed before fucking them deeper into his hole. “Look at you, so desperate already.” Alucard grabbed at you, embarrassed at how whiney he was, shutting himself up by kissing you and hoping he could catch his bearings. You nipped at his lower lip, slipping your tongue into his mouth as you fingered him, finally adding a third finger and hearing his wanton moans like a bitch in heat. “You sound so slutty, pretty boy. You want me to fuck you?” You peppered kisses across his face, trailing down his neck and chest until finding purchase on a cute pink nipple. He nodded, arching himself closer to you. He nearly cried when you stopped your movements to look at him expectantly. “I need to hear you Adrian. Do you still want this?” 

Ah, a moment of doubt creeping into your face. You needed the reassurance. “Yes, yes, please don’t stop. I need you to fuck me.” His face flush with need, wiggling his hips to urge you to continue. That was all you needed to hear. You smiled at him, like you always do, and laved a wet stripe over his nipple once more, curling and scissoring your fingers to make sure he was properly prepped for the strap you currently had on. “Doing so well, taking my fingers sweet boy. Gonna take good care of you, I promise.” Your sweet words had him in a daze, panting underneath you and legs nearly trembling with anticipation. You leaned back onto your knees, taking the bottle of lube and lathering up, and Alucard couldn’t take his eyes off you. Seeing your body already made him hot, he loved looking at your naked. You were absolutely perfect. But seeing you like this--domineering, hovering above him with what he deemed your cock in your hands, slowly stroking it to make sure it was covered in lube for his comfort, made his head spin. He whimpered, opening his legs more ready to take you. “Aw,” you cooed “such a good boy for me” You lined yourself up with his entrance, teasing at his hole. “You want my cock?” This time you were simply teasing him, smirking. “Please, angel I need it” 

You pushed him, stretching his ass so deliciously with the cock strapped he couldn’t help but cry out. “Fuck, Adrian, I can have you like this for hours baby. You look so good, so fucking good.” You praised, goosebumps raising on his skin with every sweet word. “A-Angel, keep going please” He whined, bucking his hips in hopes for more friction. You complied, pulling out to the tip only to slam back in, biting your lower lip when you heard how whorish he sounded. You thought you could cum just from the view and sounds alone. You pushed down until your hips were flush with his, hands grabbing at his hips and angling yourself until you saw the tears streaming down his face and eyes rolling to the back of his head.

“Feels so good, feels so so good, fu-uck darling I can’t, please please please don’t stop.” Adrian let go all inhibitions, just focusing on the pleasure as you fucked deep into his hole, bumping your cock onto his prostate so nicely it made him see stars. He felt a hand caress at his face, wiping away the tears. He could make out some of the words you were saying, but his ears were ringing and he kept moaning and whimpering as you fucked him. Words like ‘good boy’, ‘so pretty’ , ‘slutty baby’. He couldn’t take it, the feeling so fucking good he begged to let him touch himself (you never told him no to begin with). 

“Go ahead, sweet boy, touch yourself while I fuck you.” 

A hand immediately wrapped around his painfully hard cock, pre-cum globs dribbling down his shaft. His movements were jerky, but he didn’t care. The pleasure of you fucking him deep and hard with his hand fisting at his cock, Alucard wasn’t going to last very long now. His words all jumbled together, simply nonsense babbling away as the knot tightened in his stomach. “Go ahead and cum for me, darling boy.” You whispered, unsure if he could even hear with how noisy he was. You burned the image into your mind, hoping he’d let you do this again if you asked nicely. You fucked into him as quickly as you could, movement so unnatural for you but you couldn’t help but want to do better for your sweet boy. He breath hitched as ropes of cum decorated his stomach and chest, cock twitching in his hand as he stuttered out how good he felt. 

Sweat dripped from his brow, smile plastered on his face with a dazed, fucked out look in his eyes. He looked at you adoringly, reaching up at you to bring you down for a kiss which you happily complied. Slowly you slipped out, not wanting to hurt him in any way, not breaking the kiss. “Thank you, thank you...” he murmured with each kiss, nuzzling at your nose. “Let’s get you cleaned up, sweet boy, then rest.” You parted to take off the strap, barely having time to remove it from your hips before he stopped you from moving any further from him. You cocked a brow, unsure of what he wanted next. 

“You didn’t think I wasn’t going to return the favor, did you?”

[queen-haq]

Fic: Never You (Polin) - Part 6

Fandom: Bridgerton (TV show)

Spoilers: S3 released scenes.

Summary: They may have been friends once but his callous words decimated their relationship. Determined not to have anything to do with him, Penelope is ready to move on. But Colin isn’t giving up, not at all. Friends or not, they are connected for life - and he intends to remind her of that.

Excerpt:

“You would hate me for not wanting to court you. You would be that selfish?”

“Of course you would think that.”

“What else is this if not punishment?”

Masterlist (contains links to previous parts and my other stories)

Chapter 6

Dearest Penny,

I hope this letter finds you well.

My journey home was perilous and took far too long. However, I did receive good news upon my arrival. Mother was awake in bed, the worst of her illness having passed recently. It will still take a few weeks but the doctor is confident she will recover fully. I have told her a lot about you. As I predicted, she is excited to meet you. 

I miss you. I remind myself it’s only a matter of time before we can start our new life together, full of adventure and laughter, but it still feels too long.

Once my affairs are settled, I will be traveling to London to see you. I know your Mama will not take kindly to me but I hope to win her over with my intelligence and wit (I’m envisioning the mocking smile on your lips as I write this).  If all else fails, I shall win her approval through jewelry, as you suggested. Hopefully that will alleviate her concerns about an untitled son-in-law.

Love,

Arthur.

Penelope read the letter again, smiling to herself. While she and Arthur could converse for hours, his letters tended to be short and to the point. And though they lacked a writer’s flair, his letters still felt distinctly like him and she appreciated that.

With other men she was shy and tongue-tied, and they were never interested in her anyway, but Arthur Debling had been different. At a dinner gathering in Ayleshire, it was he who had approached her, and once she got over her initial shyness the conversation flowed between them. Perhaps it was because he was a merchant and not a member of nobility, but from the very beginning he treated her with respect and a matter-of-fact stance rarely displayed by others. To him she wasn’t some woman in desperate hunt for a husband or an awkward, shy wallflower to be avoided at all times. She was Penelope Featherington and she was enough.

For the first few weeks there had been no romantic intentions, they simply talked of art and poetry. Over time she came to see he possessed a brilliant scientific mind that he went out of his way to hide. Only when she questioned him did he finally admit he was embarrassed of his intelligence and felt the need to dampen his curious mind from others. That was the first night she started to see him in a different light.

“Penelope!”

The sound of Mama's voice brought Penelope out of her reverie. After hiding the letter, she made her way toward her mother’s chamber in the opposite corner of the hallway. Portia was already dressed for bed and brushing her hair when Penelope entered the room. “Yes, Mama?”

The older woman cast her a quick glance in the mirror. “Lady Violet has invited us for tea tomorrow afternoon.”

Pen paused. Tea at the Bridgertons meant seeing Eloise and perhaps even Colin. “I will be in-”

“And before you come down with a sudden case of illness, I will remind you that personal invitations of this nature have been rare of late. We can not afford to turn down any, let alone the Bridgertons.”

Between the Marina scandal and then Cousin Jack, there were many who no longer wished to associate with the Featheringtons. While that was a relief for Pen, she knew the slow exclusion really hurt Portia even if she did hide the pain behind a mask of angry condescension.

“Yes, Mama. I understand.”

“Good. Now get some sleep, child. I will not have you looking haggard tomorrow.”

Penelope sauntered back to her chamber, her mind still reeling. No doubt Eloise would be present and angry with her. Would she at least pretend to be polite? Pen didn’t know. So far they had mostly avoided each other, except for the ball last week when Eloise had warned her to stay away from Colin.

After entering the chamber, she was busy locking the door when a noise startled her.

“Pen.”

Colin’s throaty growl made her gasp, her body suddenly taut.

Hesitant, she turned around.

It had been two days since she last saw him at the park. And now he was here in her chamber, shamelessly sitting at the edge of her bed. Hair tousled, clothes messy and disheveled, he stared at her intently. His face was unshaven, revealing a stubble growth of a day or two. Instead of taking away from his looks, however, it only emphasized his handsomeness more.  

Her heart started pounding in her chest, both from the anger that flooded through her veins and the knowledge that his hold upon her was still so potent. “How did you get in here?” she asked, keeping her voice steady so he couldn’t sense how much his presence unnerved her.

“I climbed up the tree and through the window.”

As if violating her privacy was a daily occurrence for him.

“You’re so very determined to ruin me, aren’t you?”

“I was careful. No one saw me.”

“Well, that makes it alright then.”

“I didn’t take you as the sarcastic sort, Pen.”

“Add it to the growing list of things you don’t know about me.”

He didn’t respond, his eyes locked with hers.

The silence between them grew more tense by the second while they held still, as if a single movement could ignite a fire that would burn them both.

And then he stood up. “Do you know why I’m here, Pen?”

There was a button missing from his waistcoat, dirt on his breeches, and he had never looked more beautiful than he did at that moment. Her heart flipflopped in her chest. “I don’t care. I simply want you to leave.”

A bitter smile shadowed his lips. “Because it’s that easy for you, isn’t it? You’ve moved on already.”

“Yes.” The strength in her voice surprised even her when all she felt was anxiety twisting up her insides. “It’s time you do the same.”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried? That I’ve been trying?” Anger laced his words, hurt etched onto his face. “You don’t want to have anything to do with me yet I can’t imagine a single moment of my life without you. Why is that, Pen?”

With a slow and deliberate gait, he swaggered forward.

“Why can’t I stop thinking about you? Your voice, your smile, your taunts...” He tapped the side of his temple erratically, eyes heavy with emotion. “Always in my fucking mind, refusing to give me even one moment of peace. You’ve been torturing me!"

With every step that drew him closer, waves of madness surged through her body. She didn’t want to feel like this, like her mind and body were completely out of her control.

“Why is this happening to me, Pen?” His voice cracked. “Why do I feel this way?” He clutched his heart, his long, lean fingers rubbing the spot over his waistcoat repeatedly. “It didn’t used to be like this, I was fine before! But now I think about you leaving me and it’s like I can’t breathe. Like a part of me will be lost forever.”

Her eyes softened. The man standing in front of her wasn’t the one who broke her heart. In his place was her dear friend, the boy she had known her entire life and loved for as long, and he was pleading for her help. “That empty feeling will go away, Colin. I promise.” She took a furtive step toward him. “You’ve only just returned, your life probably feels untethered with everything changing around you. But give it time, let yourself settle in, and things will be better.”

He stopped in his tracks. “Nothing will ever be the same without you.”

“It will, I promise.” She sent him a sad smile. “You will meet someone beautiful and kind, and she will be everything you ever wanted. The true love of your life. And this sadness that you feel right now will become a distant memory.”

A beat of silence followed as he contemplated her words.

Would the agonizing pain that coursed through her at the thought of him with another woman ever lessen? She didn’t know. Maybe with time and distance she would be free of this curse, but for now he was still very much embedded in her soul and the eventual reality of him falling in love made her want to retch.

“Is that what you think will happen for you, Pen? You’ll marry this Arthur and make me a distant memory?”

There was no outward change in him yet she immediately sensed the shift within.

He cocked his eyebrow. “Do you think I will let that happen?”

She stared at him defiantly as he approached her. “You have no say in my life.”

“But I do, Pen.” The glint in his gaze sharpened, making his blue eyes appear even darker. “Because it’s me you’re in love with. It’s me you swore never to forsake.” He came to a stop in front of her, forcing her to look up at him. “I intend to hold you to that.”

Her anger returned. “And I intend to fight you. Because I will not sacrifice my future to appease your selfishness.”

“I know,” he sighed, regret looming over his face. “I should never have asked you to do that. But that’s why I’m here, Pen. I want to make things right between us.”

Her demand to know how died on her lips as soon as he retrieved something out of the pocket of his waistcoat. Stunned, she stood frozen as he held out an emerald ring, one she recognized right away from having seen Lady Violet wear it occasionally. 

“My father gifted this to my mother on their tenth anniversary.” There was reverence in his voice as he spoke. “I think he chose it especially for the colour. It’s remarkable, isn’t it?”

She swallowed, nodding. “Yes, it’s beautiful.”

“This has always been my favourite of mother’s jewelry. I knew one day I would gift it to my wife.”

Her mind went blank.

“And maybe now is that time.” He bent down on one knee in front of her, holding up the ring. “Will you marry me, Penelope Featherington?”

Time stopped.

For so long all she wanted was to be Colin’s wife. In her mind marrying him meant she would finally be happy and fulfilled. He would be the perfect husband, and she would be a member of the happy and loving Bridgerton family at last. All her dreams would finally be realized.

Except she wasn’t happy or even excited. The man she loved was on his knees, proposing to her, and all she could think about was how wrong it all felt. The proposal didn’t come from a place of love. No. Instead it was borne out of fear and a stubborn refusal to grow up. A last resort so he didn’t have to face losing their friendship.

Then there was Arthur. With him she didn’t have to hide, she could be who she truly was and not have to apologize for it. And she could continue to write, whether that be as Lady Whistledown, someone new or even herself, and do so without shame or regret.

Colin may have been her lifelong dream but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have new ones. And with Arthur, the life she wanted was within her grasp. A true possibility rather than simple fantasy.

Immediately she felt a sense of peace, knowing she was doing the right thing for herself.  “I’ve already said this to you before. I’m betrothed to another.”

In one fluid motion he slid the ring back into his pocket before rising to his full height. He had always towered over her but that had never intimidated her before. For the first time she felt a small twinge of fear percolating in her stomach, realizing the stark darkness on his face was also new.

He was quiet, too quiet, stalking her every move with his eyes, slowly pushing forward. A predator enjoying the rituals of the hunt, preparing his prey for the kill. Instinctively she retreated, moving back until the door lodged against her spine. He continued to move in, slowly but ferociously, invading every inch of her space until he was standing directly in front of her. She craned her neck to meet his stare, refusing to bow down.

“Is that a no, Penelope?”

She couldn’t think with him so close but she held strong. "Yes."

“Even though you’re in love with me and not fucking Arthur.” 

Maybe he thought throwing her love back in her face would embarrass her into submission but it had the opposite effect. Infuriated, she stood on her tiptoes to glare up at him. "So what? You think you can use my feelings to manipulate me?" She shook her head no. "I have dreams that matter to me far more than my love for you. And I will not jeopardize my chance to achieve them just for scraps of your attention."

Her words were meant to provoke his temper so he would withdraw. Instead his eyes softened as he hunched lower to look at her, his gaze roaming languidly over her face, a gentleness to them that made her insides dance with anticipation. She trembled when his hands cupped her cheeks while he studied every inch of her features, as if marking her in his memory. And then his thumb gently brushed over her pout, his dark blue eyes following the tremor of her lips, and all she could do was breathe slowly, tentatively, her heart drumming in her chest.

“I used to think you were the sweetest person I knew. Always so kind and agreeable,” he murmured, more to himself than her. “And easily forgotten.”

It hurt. Even though she had always known that that’s how people viewed her, if they bothered to see her at all - but to have him admit it was a different kind of pain. “Then forget me. Leave.”

He didn’t move, his gaze concentrated on her lips, thumb stroking left to right, right to left. “And now I can’t get this impertinent mouth of yours out of my head.”

It came as a shock when she realized Colin was hard, his erection pressed against her body. "You're aroused."

He met her eyes. “I’m aware.”

She swallowed audibly. “Why?”

Irritation surged through him. “You’re here, dressed in a robe with your beautiful hair down, talking to me, arguing with me, breathing around me, and you ask me why I’m aroused?” His hands slid down her body until they were at her waist, fingers curving into her sides as he pressed her tightly against him.

A faint gasp escaped her lips feeling his hardness.

“I want you, Pen,” was his raw, throaty plea. “I can’t stop.”

“Show me.” Her voice was firm, determined. “Show me how much you want me.”

To be contined...

A/N - Thank you for the support on this fic. Hope you're still enjoying it!

[nonbinarylesbianherb]

“I don’t actually count 2x08 as character assassination for alicent”

What makes you say that? No hate, just curious because I know a lot of Rhaenicents who openly started hating the ship after Episode 8 specifically because of what the writers did to Alicent’s character.

np! look, I understand it felt like such a big character change (especially if you've read the book, which hotd is obviously meant to be based on) and again I do think they could've handled it significantly better than they did- I've seen great points from both sides (sides of saying it didn't make sense vs it did make sense) and my personal conclusion is I think I understand what they were attempting to portray, but that they didn't do a good job of it.

Don't get me wrong now, I'm still upset with it! but I still think there's hope for her character and that it hasn't been completely destroyed.

Imo, I think it could've made more sense for alicent to beg for the lives of aegon and helaena (and their daughter) saying she'll take them all away and that rhaenyra can just say aegon died of his wounds, or burn a body beyond recognition and show that to the small folk - but pretty much that there'll be no threat against her position because people will think he's dead (and he'll be far away.) And I think the 'sacrifice' could've been aemond. I mean alicent knows aemond is on his own path of destruction, and would refuse to leave with them if she asked, she also knows he's dangerous and untrustworthy. The 'sacrifice' could be that she's letting aemond go, knowing she can't save him from himself but she's saving her two other children.

I do heavily agree that her giving aegon up (whilst it wasn't necessarily 'serving him up happily' to rhaenyra as I've seen people describe - because it was clear this was still a difficult decision and she wasn't gleeful about it in any way) didn't make sense. Especially because how she stayed by aegon day and night during his injuries, and now that he's become more lucid they haven't even had a single conversation, their last conversation being an argument of sorts. So it was upsetting to see, and again I think her 'giving up' anyone would've made sense with aemond more and her doing it to save her children/grandchild.

And yes! this is what I mean when i say you can't treat alicent like this as a character and then push rhaenicent, because that's not how rhaenicent works and you're ruining rhaenicent just as much, so I completely understand why many rhaenicent fans were upset (myself included! again I am upset, maybe I'm just silly and hopeful and want to look at the good side or try to see from their perspective of what they were trying to do with her but we'll just have to see in s3)

we will see what happens, hopefully they take a different approach in s3 tho

[godsfavdarling]

taking away all your pain

list of chapters, also available on wattpad and Ao3, my masterlist previous chapter --- next chapter pairing: Spencer Reid x Elle Greenaway summary: Elle and Spencer continue their friends with benefits affair. warnings: addiction, drugs, smut, angst, phone sex, mention of injury, nightmares, ptsd, time jumps (s3/s5) words: 4k a/n: Kind of a filler chapter. I’m not gonna lie, I was struggling a bit. I know where I want to go with the story, but I’m unsure about the road there. Also, I wrote the smut while at church on a job. Do with that information what you want.

Spencer knocked on Elle's door, his heart drumming in his chest with anticipation. 

It had been a few weeks since he had seen her, and as luck would have it, the team had a case in California. He told them he’d visit his mom, since Vegas was not far away, and assured them he’d be back next week. It was the truth, but before he went to Vegas, he stopped by San Diego to see Elle.

He took a taxi to a street not quite in the center of the city but also not in the suburbs. Her location was pretty good - convenient and unassuming. She lived in a small one-floor apartment in a building complex. The walls were probably painted an off-white shade originally, but they now seemed covered in dirt and grime. He had to take an outdoor flight of stairs to reach the second floor where she lived.

When Elle opened the door, she greeted him with a warm smile and stepped aside to let him in.

“Missed you,” Spencer whispered as he stepped in, his lips brushing against her ear.

“Missed you too,” Elle replied, pulling his face down to grant him a deep kiss that silenced any further conversation.

Their time together was always like this – intense and consuming. 

They spent the nights lost in each other, bodies entwined. If they were lucky enough to spend more time together, the mornings were no different. 

Most of their time was spent in bed, sometimes on the couch or in the shower, always together, always naked. For a few precious hours, they shut out reality. 

All that was left were their moans filling the room, the mingling scent of their bodies, the warmth of their breath on each other's skin, the sweat dampening their flesh, and the rhythmic thrum of their hearts, beating just a bit faster than when they were apart.

Eventually, they drifted off to sleep, exhaustion finally overtaking them. 

But Spencer's rest was restless. 

He woke up, heart pounding, drenched in sweat from a nightmare he couldn't quite remember. Disoriented, he glanced at the clock. He had been asleep for maybe an hour.

Elle was not beside him. 

He reached out to the empty space where she should have been, the sheets cool to the touch. Concerned, he got up and moved quietly through the apartment. He found her in the living room, sitting on the couch, staring at the wall.

"Elle?" he called softly, not wanting to startle her.

She didn't turn immediately but eventually looked over her shoulder at him. Her eyes were distant, lost in some thought.

"Hey," he said gently, moving closer. "You okay?"

She studied him for a moment before responding, her gaze softening slightly. "Are you okay? You’re drenched in sweat."

"I just had a nightmare. The usual," he admitted, running a hand through his damp hair. "Can't sleep?"

Elle paused for a second, her brow furrowing slightly. "Yeah."

"Something going on?" Spencer pressed, his concern deepening as he took in her troubled expression.

"No, just can't sleep," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. She glanced toward the window, where the silver glow of the full moon spilled into the room. "I think it's the moon. It's full tonight."

Spencer sat down next to her, the couch cushions shifting under his weight. "You know, there's a lot of stuff about the full moon affecting people," he began, his voice a mix of curiosity and distraction. 

"Some say it messes with our sleep cycles, makes us more restless. There are all these studies about how more accidents happen during a full moon, more hospital admissions, even more births. It's like the moon pulls at us, just like it pulls at the tides."

Elle turned to look at him, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips despite her lingering unease. "Have you ever considered you might know too much?"

"Maybe I've read too much," he chuckled softly, the sound a welcome break in the quiet room. "But it's fascinating, right? How something so far away can have such an impact on us. Maybe it’s just folklore or maybe there's some truth to it. I mean, people have believed in the moon's power for centuries. There’s something... beautiful about it."

She nodded, her eyes reflecting the moonlight as she listened. "Yeah, I guess there is."

He reached out, taking her hand in his, their fingers intertwining. "Wanna talk about it?"

Elle squeezed his hand gently, her grip warm but trembling slightly. "About what?"

Her eyes were distant, as if she were searching for words to make sense of the chaos swirling in her mind. 

The memories from her past were like dark, shadowy specters, vivid and relentless. Each time she closed her eyes, the scenes replayed with haunting clarity: the sounds, the faces, the overwhelming sense of fear. 

The nightmares weren't just dreams; they were jagged fragments of her past, cutting through her waking hours and leaving her feeling… exposed and raw.

She struggled to maintain her composure, her heart racing as she tried to push away the images that refused to fade. 

The night seemed endless, the full moon casting eerie shadows that only intensified her feelings of unease. Her trauma felt like cold fingers gripping her mind, trapping her in a cycle of anxiety she couldn’t escape.

Despite the constant state of anxiety, Elle rarely mentioned her struggles to Spencer. 

When he visited, their time together was so limited that she preferred to avoid discussing any of the painful realities of her life. 

She wanted to handle herself by herself. 

She wanted to manage her demons without burdening him. 

She wanted to keep herself together and through it on her own. 

Yet, sitting with him, in the moonlit room, struggling to keep her fear at bay, she was thankful. 

For him. 

Being here. 

“I just can’t sleep,” Elle said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. The effort to keep her tone steady was almost more than she could manage. 

“I missed you,” she added, her voice soft and filled with a genuine, aching sincerity. She looked up at him, her eyes full of longing. “Just... having you here… I’m glad you’re here.”

Spencer's gaze was gentle and understanding, but he didn’t press for more. Instead, he simply wrapped his arm around her, offering silent comfort as they sat together in the moonlit quiet. 

The room was still, save for the soft rustle of the night, and peace that helped to soothe the tumult within her.

“I missed you too,” Spencer whispered. “And I’m glad I’m here”

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

Spencer had been wrestling with a relentless craving for Dilaudid for weeks now. 

He had been clean for a while, but the memory of a young face - pale and lifeless - haunted him, a constant reminder of his inability to save everyone. The image replayed in his mind like a cruel loop, each repetition feeding his desperation and dragging him deeper into the threat of his addiction.

The nights were a constant battleground of conflicting desires. 

He wanted to escape the guilt and frustration that gnawed at him, to numb the pain and the sense of failure that clung to him. The pull of the drug was strong, a powerful force that promised a temporary reprieve from the agony of his thoughts. 

But he knew all too well how fleeting that relief would be, how quickly it would turn into shackles around his soul.

In an effort to manage the growing urge, Spencer had started attending Beltway Clean Cops meetings. 

The idea was to surround himself with others who understood the struggles of working in law enforcement while battling addiction. He hoped this would help. That hearing their stories, sharing his own, and being with those who walked a similar path might provide some solace, or at least distract him from the cravings that plagued him.

As he stood outside the meeting room, the dim light from the corridor flickered in his tired eyes. The walls seemed to close in on him, the weight of his dilemma pressing heavily on his chest. 

He pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts until he found Elle’s number. 

His finger hovered over the call button, hesitating. They were just friends, who had sex sometimes, but still just friends. And he wasn’t sure what calling her would achieve. 

What could she do from California to help him in this moment of crisis? 

There’s nothing she could do. 

With a frustrated sigh, he shoved the phone back into his pocket and took a deep breath. 

The meeting was about to start. He squared his shoulders and walked through the door.

As he took his seat, he tried to push away the gnawing need for relief, focusing instead on the faces around him and the hope that, perhaps, here he might find a small piece of peace.

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

Spencer’s visits to Elle had followed a familiar rhythm for years now. Every few weeks or months, he would show up and their time together would be a whirlwind of intensity - passionate nights spent together, their bodies intertwined, and then the inevitable departure. 

No strings attached, just moments of escape and solace amidst the chaos of their lives. They kept in touch through calls and texts, but their relationship remained defined by the brief, intense nights they shared.

However, the routine was interrupted one day when Spencer was shot. The incident happened right before he was scheduled to visit Elle. 

The pain was acute, and the hospital room was a stark contrast to the comfort of Elle’s presence he had been looking forward to for weeks.

Sitting in the sterile room, he shifted uncomfortably. His leg, immobilized and propped up, ached with every shift. 

Morgan had accompanied him but had stepped away for a while to handle some personal matters on the phone. The hospital room was too quiet, filled with the distant hum of medical machinery and the occasional footstep echoing in the hallway.

Spencer took out his phone, the weight of the decision pressing heavily on him. He dialed Elle’s number, his heart pounding with a mix of pain and anxiety. 

“Hey,” Spencer said when Elle answered, his voice strained and weary. He leaned back against the hospital bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. “I... I wanted to let you know that I won’t be able to come over for a while. We have to cancel next week, and I’m not sure when I'll be able to see you.”

“What happened?” Elle’s voice was sharp with concern, the worry instantly evident.

Spencer hesitated, his hand trembling slightly as he rubbed his forehead. “Oh, nothing really.”

“Spencer…”

With a deep sigh, he finally admitted, “I got shot.”

Elle’s response was immediate, her concern palpable even through the phone. “Oh my God, Spencer! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he reassured her, though his voice betrayed his discomfort. He shifted slightly, wincing as pain shot through his leg. “It’s pretty bad, though. It’s my knee. I can’t walk right now. I’m sorry, I just wanted to let you know.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, and Spencer could almost hear the worry in her breath. He pictured her biting her lip, a crease forming between her brows. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do? I could come and help you.”

“No,” Spencer said gently, trying to inject some firmness into his voice. “You have a new job. You should focus on that. I’ll be okay.”

He heard her sigh, the reluctance clear in her voice. “Okay. But call me if you need anything, alright?”

“Will do. Thanks, Elle.” He hung up, a heavy feeling settling in his chest.

“Everything alright?” Morgan asked, his tone casual as he suddenly appeared in the doorway. Spencer quickly put his phone away, trying to compose himself.

“Yeah,” Spencer said, forcing a smile. “Just called the facility where my mom’s staying. Had to let her know I couldn’t visit.”

Morgan’s eyes sparkled with a mix of curiosity and concern. “You know, you’re always visiting your mom. It’s like a regular thing with you. How often do you see her?”

Spencer chuckled softly, the sound mingling with his discomfort. He shifted again, trying to ease the pain. “More often than I’d like to admit. She’s been having a rough time, and it helps to check in.”

Morgan raised an eyebrow, sympathy evident in his gaze. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll be able to visit soon.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Spencer said, glancing down at his injured knee, the bandages stark against his skin. He sighed, the weight of the situation pressing down on him.

When Spencer finally made it back home, the journey from the hospital to his apartment felt like a marathon despite the short distance. 

The cast on his leg was bulky and cumbersome, propped up on a stack of pillows on the couch. He sank into the cushions with a sigh, the discomfort of his injury mingling with the exhaustion of his ordeal.

As he settled in, his phone buzzed with a message. It was from Elle. 

Are you home already?

He tapped out a quick reply, his fingers clumsy and slow due to the pain. 

Yes, just got in. It’s good to be back.

Almost immediately, his phone rang. Elle’s name appeared on the screen. He answered, a mix of relief and longing filling him. 

“Hey,” Spencer said, trying to sound as casual as possible, though his voice was soft and strained.

“Hey,” Elle responded, her voice warm and soothing. “How are you feeling?”

“Better now that I’m home,” Spencer said, glancing down at his cast. “It’s frustrating, but I’m managing. I miss you.”

There was a pause on the other end, and Spencer could almost feel her presence through the silence. “I miss you too,” Elle said softly. “and since you’re stuck at home, and I’m miles away, how about we do something a little different tonight?”

“What do you mean?” Spencer asked, his curiosity piqued yet laced with confusion.

Elle’s voice dropped to a more intimate whisper, the sound sending a shiver down his spine. “I’m pretty sure you can figure it out, Doctor.”

Spencer's mind raced, trying to decipher her words and the sultry tone she used. He felt a flush rise to his cheeks, unsure how to respond. “I... I don’t know what to say to that.”

“What are you wearing?” Elle asked, her voice taking on a teasing edge.

Spencer glanced down at his clothes, feeling slightly self-conscious. “Umm... a button-up shirt and a vest. And just a pair of pants.”

“Mhm... sexy,” Elle purred.

“Thanks?” Spencer replied, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

“Aren't you going to ask me what I'm wearing?” Elle's voice was playful, almost daring.

“Oh, right, sorry. What are you wearing?”

“Guess!” she challenged, her voice light with mischief.

“Umm, well, you usually wear some pants, dark ones, and a shirt,” Spencer ventured, trying to picture her usual attire.

“That’s it?” she teased.

“Well, you obviously also have underwear on, and a jacket when it’s colder,” he added, feeling a bit out of his depth.

“Spencer...” Elle's voice was a blend of amusement and exasperation, a teasing lilt that sent a shiver down his spine.

“What?” Spencer's confusion was evident, his brow furrowing as he tried to grasp the situation.

“I’m trying to have phone sex with you.” Her tone was both playful and serious, the words dripping with desire.

“Oh...” Spencer's eyes widened in realization, his cheeks flushing a deep red. He felt a mix of surprise and excitement, his body responding to her suggestive words.

“If you want to, of course.”

“Yes!” he blurted out, then quickly felt a rush of embarrassment at how eager he sounded. “Umm... yes. Yes, I would like that very much. I just... umm... I've never done that before,” he added, his voice dropping to a shy whisper.

“That’s okay. Just do what I say and what feels good,” Elle reassured him, her voice soothing and seductive.

“Okay,” Spencer agreed, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Sooo... back to what I'm wearing. You’re actually extremely wrong, Doctor Reid. Must be a first for you, sorry. I’m in my bed, under the covers, with absolutely nothing on. Nude. Naked. Alone. Thinking about you. Imagining you’re here, next to me, trying to remember how you feel.”

Spencer's breath caught in his lungs. He saw her so clearly in his mind, every detail, every curve and shape. His pulse quickened, and he felt a warmth spread through him.

“If you were here, I would help you feel so much better. That leg must hurt,” Elle continued, her voice a soft caress.

“It does,” Spencer admitted, though he would never tell Elle just how much pain he was actually in. He had refused to take any narcotics to help with the pain, determined to endure it. He wanted to tell her everything, but it felt like too much, even for him.

“I think I can help with that,” Elle said softly, her voice filled with promise.

Spencer took a shaky breath, trying to calm the fluttering in his chest. “How?” he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

“Close your eyes,” Elle instructed gently. “Imagine I’m there with you, next to you. My fingers are trailing down your arm, touching you softly, making you forget all the pain.”

Spencer closed his eyes, following her words. He could almost feel her touch, light and teasing, sending shivers down his spine. “I can feel it,” he murmured.

“Good,” Elle responded, her voice a soothing balm. “Now imagine my lips, brushing against your neck, whispering how much I want you, how much I need you.”

A soft sigh escaped Spencer’s lips. He could almost hear her breath, warm and tantalizing against his skin. “Elle...” he breathed.

“Yes, Spencer?” she prompted, her voice husky and filled with longing.

“I need you,” he confessed, his voice trembling with desire.

“I’m right here,” she whispered. “Imagine my hands moving down your chest, slowly undoing each button of your shirt, feeling the warmth of your skin beneath my fingertips.”

Spencer’s hand moved unconsciously to his chest, his fingers mimicking the actions she described. He could almost feel the gentle pressure of her hands, the heat of her touch. “It feels so real,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

“I’m glad,” Elle replied, her voice filled with affection. “Now, imagine I’m kissing you, my lips soft and eager against yours, just as always, tasting you, savoring you..”

Spencer’s lips parted slightly, a soft moan escaping as he lost himself in the fantasy. He could almost taste her, sweet and intoxicating.

“Can you feel me, Spencer?” Elle’s voice was a seductive whisper, wrapping around him like a warm blanket.

“Yes,” he replied, his voice barely audible. “I can feel you.”

“I want you to touch yourself,” she instructed softly. “Pretend it’s me, making you feel good, taking away all your pain.”

Spencer’s hand trembled as it moved down his body, his breath coming in short gasps as he put his hand under his underwear and touched his already hard cock.

He followed her words, his mind filled with images of her, her touch, her scent, her everything. “Elle,” he whispered, his voice filled with longing.

“I’m here,” she reassured him, her voice a soothing presence. “I’m always here.”

He squeezed himself more urgently, his body reacting to the vivid imagery and her soothing words. The pain in his leg seemed to fade, replaced by a growing sense of pleasure. “I need you so much,” he confessed, his voice raw with emotion.

“I know,” Elle whispered. “And I need you too. Imagine me there with you, taking care of you, making you feel better.”

Spencer’s breath hitched, his body shuddering with the intensity of his feelings. He could almost feel her presence, her warmth, her love. “Elle, I...” he started, but his voice trailed off, lost in the overwhelming sensations.

He could so clearly see her delicate, slender hand, smaller than his own, stroking him slowly, teasing his tip and smearing the precum. 

She always snuggled close, her lips trailing soft kisses along his skin. 

Her body intertwined with his, moving in perfect harmony as if she knew exactly what he needed. She knew precisely how to touch him, how to drive him to the edge of insanity while giving him everything he craved.

“Now, let go,” she whispered, her voice a soft command. “Cum for me handsome,”

Spencer’s body tensed, the pleasure building to an unbearable peak. With a final, shuddering breath, he let go, his body releasing all the pent-up tension and pain. He lay back, spent and exhausted, his heart racing. He was silent for a while overwhelmed by both pleasure and the pain.

“Are you okay?” Elle asked, her voice filled with concern and love.

“Yeah,” Spencer replied, his voice weak but content. “Thank you, Elle. You are... incredible.”

“Anytime, Doctor,” she replied with a soft laugh. “Get some rest. I’ll be here when you need me.”

“Uh, Elle, wait!” Spencer's voice trembled with urgency.

“Yeah?” Elle's response was cool, almost detached, her tone a stark contrast to the warmth he once knew.

“How are you holding up?” Spencer asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.

“I’m fine,” Elle replied curtly, her tone not matching her words.

“How’s work?” Spencer prodded gently, hoping to draw her out.

“I actually recently changed it. Again.” Elle admitted, her voice carrying a hint of hesitation.

“Really? Why?” Spencer knew Elle had been exploring various career paths over the past few years, from working with the government or law enforcement as a consultant to aiding victims of sex crimes. His curiosity was piqued.

“I... got fired,” Elle confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Why?” Spencer’s concern deepened. 

“I just did, Reid. It happens,” she replied, trying to brush it off nonchalantly.

“Yeah, I know, but why would they fire you? With your experience?” Spencer pressed, bewildered.

“I might have not really... been there,” Elle muttered, her voice faltering.

“What do you mean?” Spencer asked, confusion lacing his words.

“Reid... it doesn’t matter. Things like that happen, I’m fine,” Elle insisted, her tone growing defensive.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Spencer’s voice was tinged with hurt, the sting of her omission clear.

“I didn’t want to bother you, Reid. It’s none of your business,” Elle snapped back, her frustration bubbling to the surface, sharp and cutting.

“None of my business? Elle, we talk almost every day. How can you say that?” Spencer’s voice rose, incredulous and wounded.

“Because it’s true!” Elle shouted, the tension in her voice unmistakable. “We’re just friends with benefits, remember? We don’t owe each other anything.”

Spencer was left speechless, his mind reeling. He finally managed, “I just care and...”

“Well, maybe you should stop caring this much. Anyway… I have to go. Bye, Spencer.” Elle’s words were cold and final, the call ending with a click that seemed to echo in the stillness of the moment.

Spencer stared at his phone. He felt a mix of anger, confusion, and a deep sadness settle in his chest. 

His mind raced, replaying the conversation over and over, trying to understand where things had gone wrong. He just wanted to reach out, ask how she’s doing.

Elle’s words had left him paralyzed, each syllable she spoke a nail pinning him down.

His heart pounded in his chest, the ache spreading through his body like a slow poison. 

Questions swirled in his mind: What had he done to deserve such coldness? Did he say something wrong? The room around him felt darker, phone still clutched in his hand.

After that day he tried calling but Elle stopped picking up his phone calls.