#much slower than the first one cause i also have a comm to work on lol

[synthaphone]

it begins anew

[fallenfurther]

Homecoming - Earthbound

Chapter 2 of Homecoming. John and Jeff.

Thank you for the response to my first chapter and Josie will return later on as the story develops.. The next few chapters are set  within the last episode of the series  , between Jeff returning to the island and stepping out Thunderbird Two and him sitting down to take the rescue call. There is no way Jeff is fit and health after eight years alone in space, so these chapters fill in that recovery and continues as he finds his place within the family and organisation again. 

This chapter is an emotional one, so trigger warnings for trauma, death, last wishes. 

*********

Jeff placed his cutlery down on the empty plate, before leaning back into the cushioned back of the chair. The food was excellent, though anything was better than what he'd survived on for the past eight years. It helped that he knew there was no expense spared for his stay. It felt so strange but comfortable to feel full again and his body was feeling better for it. The nurse popped her head around the door and smiled.

"Want me to take the tray from you?"

"Yes please."

Lauren swished her way over to him, picked up the tray and left him alone. Jeff had various therapy sessions and doctors checking in on him and he welcomed the breaks from them. He just had to keep looking forward, knowing that the light at the other end was to spend the rest of his life with his sons. How he'd missed them. Each one imprinted in his mind, clear as day, spurring him on. They visited him when they could, though it depended entirely upon the number of callouts and if someone was fit enough to fly. International Rescue seemed much busier now than eight years ago. Eight years away from everything. So much had stayed the same and yet the important stuff had grown and changed. Particularly his little Alan. He was the smallest, just, but he'd matured, become more confident and was an amazing astronaut. Normally he would have been angry at Scott and the boys for letting someone so young fly Thunderbird Three. He'd always known the dangers of space. A teenager doesn't. But having seen Alan pilot Thunderbird Three, making her dance elegantly between asteroids, he understood. Alan had flown the Zero-XL to save him. The talent that boy had was incredible. How could Jeff deny the boy who followed so much in his own footsteps, who shared his passion for space? It pained him to know he hadn't been around to help nurture it.

Jeff forced himself out of his chair, joints complaining from his physiotherapy session that morning. The gravity in the Oort cloud had been variable but being back on Earth it had an intensity he could get no reprieve from. John had suggested a skint on Thunderbird 5, but the doctors insisted he have no Zero-G exposure until he was medically fit, insisting his body needed to adjust to gravity first. They also ruled out a trip in Thunderbird Three as the forces that would be applied to his still healing body would be too intense. Jeff was itching to witness Alan fly the Thunderbird first hand. Jeff opened the patio door and stepped out into the warm breeze and sunshine. He still had moments of panic when he realised he didn't have a helmet on, or when he realised it wasn't close by, but the fresh air transported him back to the time before he was stranded. Even now it didn't always feel real, being on Earth. Almost two months and he still had to pinch himself sometimes, still shed tears at the sight of his boys visiting. The small private garden attached to his room was a small haven where he could get used to the world again. He followed the path to the plant-laced wooden gazebo beneath which a table and chairs stood waiting. He took a stroll down the small path circling it, not quite ready to sit yet, the wind chimes tickling above him as he brushed his hand through the purple flowers, sending a wave of lavender in the air.

Eventually he had to sit down. His tablet was on the table where he'd left it that morning. Flicking it on, he pressed his thumb to the corner, activating International Rescue's secure network. John had willingly let him have access, walking him through the new filing system before letting him loose on it. Jeff was sure John or that little AI of his was monitoring every document he saw. He opened up yet another mission report, he'd started making a timeline of rescues, only for it to be completed by EOS, listing the main statistics such as time, craft used, and which sons were involved. The timeline was worrying. International Rescue had started off slow, only going to major rescues, however nowadays barely two days went by without a need to be called out. International Rescue had response times and equipment that outmatched local agencies, but it meant his boys were often being pushed to the limits. There were meant to be fail-safes in place and compulsory downtime to stop back to back working, but all that had been side-lined so lives could be saved. He'd started with the older reports and with each one his sons got better and more efficient at writing them, but he was starting to see their exhaustion. International Rescue hadn't been designed for the workload it was taking on and something was going to snap. Jeff feared it would be his boys. He'd just got them back and now he feared he'd lose one of them.

It was never meant to be this way. Jeff had expected a little increase in workload, but nothing like this. The GDF had tried to help, as he'd found out from the last report about their robots, but that had proved unsuccessful. He didn't want to raise it with them, not yet at least. Jeff planned to finish catching up with the reports, machine specifications and chat with Brains to see what had happened and what could be done. An idea was already forming, but he knew he had to be careful, and knew he couldn't step on anyone's toes. He could see his place in International Rescue wasn't where it used to be, though it had been suggested that he take over the comms so John could rest or do other work. However, this wouldn't solve the problem. They all loved him, were so happy he was back and yet it was exhausted men that visited him. They came often in ones or twos, often with bags under their eyes, sometimes even straight from a rescue in Virgil and Gordon's case, showering on Thunderbird Two which would be parked on the green behind the facility. They would come in trying to hide how tired they were to see him, sometimes a guilty look if they hadn't come sooner. Jeff understood now, he would complain if he didn't want to see them so badly. He should send them home with a clip around the ear and set his mother on them. Instead he opened his arms and embraced them, forever thankful that he still could.

He turned back to the reports, chimes filling the air with each light gust. He only looked up when some light footsteps came along the path, and a smile crossed his face. John, still in his uniform, settled into the chair before him.

"Afternoon Dad."

The smile on his son's face reached his tired eyes. John's inconsistent sleep was something Scott had mentioned. Getting John to sleep properly or to get him out of orbit was a challenge. Though he would often find time to pop down using the space elevator and would get Mum to help EOS with monitoring the world.

"Afternoon John, I'm guessing everything is going well? Will your brothers be joining us?"

"It is and no, they won't," John yawned, "it was a nineteen hour rescue so they are all catching up on sleep."

"Like you should be."

John rolled his eyes bringing a smile to Jeff's face. How many times had the boy done that as a teenager? Memories flooded back of John curled up with a book, Gordon, Alan or both on the living room floor, only for him to roll his eyes at something one of them had said. It was mainly Gordon, informing Alan of things that weren't quite true.

"I couldn't sleep."

"How about we go sit on the bench in the corner, the cushions make it extremely comfortable."

John nodded. Jeff brought the tablet with him and got up, his pace slower than his son's. John already had the cushions out the base and was on the seat when Jeff got to him. They sat down side-by-side, Jeff placing his arm over John's shoulder and pulling him close. His son didn't resist, laying his head against Jeff’s chest. This was the contact Jeff craved. Devoid of it for so many years, he still needed to be reminded that this was real.

"People died."

Jeff sat still, not saying the many things he could, knowing John needed time. John needed to work himself through it, needed to speak and be heard. So Jeff waited.

"It was a mudslide following an earthquake. Collapsed buildings and mud. That's what they had to deal with this time."

"Mud is like snow, it takes and rarely gives back. Hundreds of people are still missing, many bodies that may never be recovered, or will have to be DNA matched to be identified. We can do earthquakes and mudslides, we're efficient, but it takes its toll."

"They are all exhausted, physically and mentally. Grandma's enforced downtime but I don't know how long it'll last. Another rescue and they'll all be up and away before she can stop them. I would ground the craft for her but that would only cause suppressed anger to rise."

John's gaze was aimed at the ground, his whole body was unearthly still except for the rise and fall of his ribcage. Jeff knew John was thinking, debating what to say next. As the minutes passed and John remained silent Jeff knew it was time to coax it out.

"What about you? What weight are you carrying?"

John's fingers flexed, a hesitation, debating whether to share what was weighing him down more than gravity. It was the reason John was here, Jeff knew John saw and heard things the others didn't think about. Or if they did, they were helpless to do anything about it. John needed someone he could trust. He needed his father. Jeff's thumb started to rub the man's shoulder, offering more comfort.

"I…there were just so many people. They all had phones, all calling in. Some were petrified, others screamed, children and adults all with the same fear in their voices. All asking for help, to be rescued. Some were fine but it was a friend or family member in trouble. I talked to one young man through first aid, he had to tourniquet his younger brother's leg. His brother had already lost a lot of blood and was unconscious. I got Gordon to go there but when he found them it turns out the young man was in shock. He hadn't wanted to believe his brother was dead and he had done the first aid on the body. He had refused to leave his brother. It took Gordon five minutes to drag him away."

"I went straight from that to a child who was hurt and her mother wasn't responding. She cried; cried so much. She screamed when Virgil unpinned her arm and again when she realised he was leaving her mother behind."

A tear skipped down John's cheek. Jeff kept quiet, knowing too well what the screams of a child for a dead parent were like; how much they pierce your heart and tear into your soul. No matter whose child it was always painful.

"I heard so many last words. I've a document of names and last requests. Things they wanted to say. They are mainly 'I love you' to various family members and spouses. So many people wish they had said it more. I heard so many phone lines go quiet."

Another tear.

"I was working flat out, Grandma was taking calls from the island, but I still want to have done more. I wanted to save more. Maybe if I had directed Scott here and Virgil there or if I could have kept her calmer her rescue wouldn't have taken so long. So many lives were lost. So many we couldn't save. It's our job to save people. We should have saved them."

Jeff reached his right arm up and hugged John, tears silently falling. He knew there would always be rescues like this, where no matter what they did, many people would still die. There was nothing that could be said or done to fix it. The pain would always be felt. Holding his son, he let John cry it out in a safe place. It was his job, as a father, to be there when his sons needed him. He knew from the reports that he wouldn't be going out on rescues, his body too old and damaged to keep up with his boys. But just as his mother had, Jeff knew he would find his place again. He was still needed, even if it was just to answer the odd call, to help as Mum had all this time, to shoulder that burden and still be there at the end of the day, to help them process it all.

His eyes fell onto the mop of ginger hair, messed up by the position they'd been in, and smiled. It was the result of a hidden gene that had popped up and Lucille had adored it. It shone in direct sunlight and would give John an angelic glow. He’d been their quiet angel. Hardworking, often out of sight, but always there. The man's eyes were closed and he had become a dead weight against Jeff. It'd been more than eight years since a son had fallen asleep in his arms. There would be no complaint from Jeff. He would sit here for as long as John needed. Jeff peered down at his boy, heart full of love and pride for the quiet reserved man.

"I love you son."

[moonlit-imagines]

The “Perfect” Couple

Natasha Romanoff x reader

warnings: alcohol, guns

a/n: i feel a lil gay in this chilis tonight

prompt: natasha and you were history, but still worked together. fury just paired you up for another mission, what could go wrong? or right?

You and Nat tried to keep things professional, but you also tried to keep a distance. After the two of you split, there were still some hard feelings. But you two do what spies do best, you lie and hide what could get in the way of a mission. The current mission was...to mask your true feelings about the breakup.

“Agent Romanoff, Agent l/n, I have a mission for you.” Fury called the pair of you over to debrief you, but this was already a bit worrisome. You and Nat? What was he thinking?

“A mission for the both of us?” You asked as you approached the director together.

“I’m glad to know you can hear, Agent.” He sarcastically and you held your tongue as Nat gave a sly smirk. “You two are going to be attending a gala hosted by a high-profile threat. As a couple.” You held your breath and waited for Natasha to comment.

“All due respect, sir, but why us?” She and you exchanged glances. “Me and y/n, we...” She paused and cleared her throat. “we’re not exactly on great terms right now.”

“Well, Romanoff, you two are my best agents, so you better learn how to get along on this mission.” He turned away and left you both a bit speechless. “And do not. Blow. Your cover. Agent Hill will be detailing the rest of the mission for you, I just needed to break the ice.” You noticed a little curve in his lips and heated up in the face, he could be so mean sometimes. But there was no getting out of this one, time to get professional. Next, pair of you would head to Maria for debriefing.

—————

Natasha was stunning in the deep red and black dress she chose to wear, you could just barely keep your eyes off of her and you knew she noticed. There was no doubt she was sneaking looks at you, too. God, you missed this, being such a power couple. Whatever room you walked into together, it was all about you and her.

You led Natasha through the crowd of fancy rich people who could all be tagged as criminals, but there was a special one you were there for. Nat and you had locked your arms together, but she used her opposite hand to clasp onto your arm, nails starting to dig into your skin.

“Is there a problem, ‘Natalie?’” You looked over to see a genuine looking smile on your face, but as a fellow spy, you could tell when she was faking it.

“No. No problem here, my dear.” She answered through clenched teeth before the two of you found your seats and felt a sense of relief from finally separating by just a foot or so. “Could I get some champagne?” Natasha asked the waiter and he quickly complied. “Thank you so much, you’re wonderful.” She took the glass and quickly began drinking.

“Are you done or do you need another? Because he have a job to do.” You rolled your eyes at her tendencies and waited for her to finish.

“If you want me to look like I’m enjoying myself tonight, you’ll let me drink, got it?” She set the glass down and took a quick glance around the room to see if there was any suspicious activity to check out. “Out of all the agents at SHIELD, Fury just had to stick me with you.” Your ex-girlfriend commented under her breath.

“Hey, Nat, I don’t like this any more than you do, but we agreed we would keep things professional and that’s what I plan to do.” You snapped at her while she gave you a tired expression, as if she didn’t care one bit for what you had to say. “We have a job and the sooner we get it done, the sooner we can go on with our lives.” Your disagreement seemed to be causing a small scene, a few pairs of eyes were on you. So Natasha leaned forward and pulled your face in for a passionate kiss, you hadn’t tasted her lips in such a long time.

“You were gonna blow our cover.” She swatted your leg as she pulled away. There was nothing fun about this mission, but that kiss sure brought back some memories. You could barely remember why the two of you broke up in the first place. You sat there staring at Natasha for just a moment more while she smiled at you, probably thinking you were pathetic for getting bit flustered from that. “‘Mx. Rushman,’” She started, “would you care to dance?”

“Sure thing, Natalie.” You took a deep breath and offered your hand to take her to the dance floor, a slower song was being played by the live band. “Remember how we used to dance in my living room?”

“How could I forget?” Nat placed her hands in the appropriate position and looked over your shoulder, if anything where to happen, you were literally watching each other’s backs. “You always stepped on my feet.” She switched her gaze back to your eyes and smiled.

“Oh, well, I’m sorry I’m not a perfect ballerina.” You scoffed and turned your head as you shook it. Her little chuckle took you back, as well. This night sucked because it made you feel like you were missing out, you wondered how Natasha felt. “Four o’clock.” You whispered and Nat inconspicuously took a chance to see what you were looking at. The target.

“Keep and eye on him, we’ll finish this song and then go after him.” She instructed, leaving you to accept that before you realized something was wrong.

“Wait, what?” You whispered. “You don’t want to go after him now? While we have him?” You asked your ex in disbelief, this wasn’t very typical of her, the mission always came first.

“I’m having fun dancing.” She admitted as her red lips curved up. Was she serious? “Don’t get too flattered, y/n...We’ll find him in a few more minutes.” Nat closed the gap in between the two of you and leaned her head on your shoulder as each of you swayed back and forth along with the music. “This mission could be worse, I guess.” You heard her mutter into your ear and you gave a little exhale out of your nose in place of a chuckle.

“Oh, I’m sure.” You remarked ask the song officially came to an end. “Wanna wrap this up now?” You asked as your felt a warm kiss on your cheek. “Natalie” grabbed your hand and led you to your target, this wouldn’t take long if you chose the right timing.

“Wait for him to enter that room right there, It’s empty for now, we’ll be able to get him without much of a hassle.” She told you over the comms as you separated. You watched from afar as your target entered said room and decided this was it, time to make your move. “Now.” She headed towards the door and you followed a couple moments behind. In she went to confront the wanted criminal, who quickly had his men come in...with guns.

“I thought Fury said this would be hard.” You shook your head in disappointment and equipped your own guns, pointing them at the wealthy mister that was about to go down. “If anyone moves, I shoot twice, you hear?” Natasha watched proudly with her own weapons out. You never went down without a fight, she admired that.

“Anyone feel like getting their asses kicked today? The party’s been a little dull, so we’re bored.” She paced the room, training her weapons on the goons she passed, it’s almost as if she smelled fear. “Yes, no, maybe..? Okay.” Your (ex) partner spun and kicked a goon right in the kneecap with the tip of her heel, making him tumble to the ground instantly. All hell broke loose from there as you fired your warning shot and charged for some hand-to-hand combat with the boys who wouldn’t last out here.

“Give it up, guys, we can do this all night.” You shouted as you fired a shot into another guy’s leg, causing him to fall instantly with a thud. “Did that hurt?” You asked when you passed him, going directly to tackle the target while Nat finished up her four-course beating. You restrained the crook as she gracefully walked over and kneeled down next to you.

“Huh, guess we still make a pretty good team.” Nat winked and helped you pull this guy up, then contacting SHIELD to come on in and take him away.

“Still hate my guts?” You cocked your eyebrow and saw her shining a grin that was as real as could be, seems the two of you had gotten over your differences on this fateful mission. Nick Fury was a clever SOB.

“I wish I could say ‘yes,’ but you’re just so hard to hate.” She wrapped her arms around your neck and brought you in for an amazing kiss that you knew was meant for you from Natasha, not from your alter-egos. Reconciliation, something you thought would never happen between yourself and Nat. “Can we get dinner tomorrow night? Call it a date?” She suggested as she pulled away, still keeping her face close.

“I think that could work.” You bit your lip to hide the giant smile fighting to show. “I have to say, we did some good work today.”

“No kidding, and we looked great while doing it, too.”

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @rorybutnotgilmore // @locke-writes // @sweetheartliz07 // @queen-destenie // @natasha-danvers // @allthecreativeonesaretaken // @frostedgiant // @emygirl // @lotsoffandomrecs // @johnmurphyisbisexual // @teenwaywardasgardian // @pappydaddy // @captainshazamerica // @freya-xo // @ravenmoore14 // @purpleskiesstorm //

[messwriting]

Summary: “He would like to say there’s been a long time since the last time he’d felt panic. That gripping feel of impending doom blooming inside your chest like a weight constricting your heart and taking hold of your lungs while you struggle to think.  Last time he felt it he was close to watch one of his students die and follow soon after. That time, through it all, he managed to think clearly and act by setting the clear directive of not letting his students die and buy time. This time is different.” 

Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five

Warnings: Reader is a hero involved in intelligence work, with a specific quirk. This bit has car persecution and brief descriptions of anxiety; intoxication (drugs) and driving, though the person doesn’t drive long; car accident and Aizawa being a old man. 

Note: So sorry I couldn’t post this yesterday, but it’s here now! Like I said before, I’ll add another part and this one is short for the sake of cliff-hangers ngl there. THIS PART BEGINS WITH READER’S POV AND THEN CHANGES TO AIZAWA. Also, it’s on the short side, just a bit over 1k.

This guy shouldn’t be driving.

You notice the way he takes too long to open his eyes when he blinks, how his hands grip the steering wheel more tightly than necessary and how his hands slide over your body aimlessly, suddenly gripping parts of your flesh like he's just noticed what's in his hands. His legs are not moving right against the pedals and you check your safety belt just to be sure. 

There’s a feeling telling you he’s close to crashing this fucking car. And more than anything, you’re about half-certain he was drugged in the club. The nagging feeling in your gut telling you’re not the only one who got notice this motherfucker was about to get his hands on these drugs and now trouble is probably on the way.

You get your phone while putting your hand above his on the wheel. He sends you a drowsy smile, like his drugged mind thinks you’re looking for his contact. The car moves at a high speed from his heavy limps on the pedals and you try to send a message with one hand. Text and drive really proving to be too much for your coordination when a lethargic man keeps going in and out of consciousness behind the wheel. 

Getting tired of it, you hop on the man's lap, press the lever under the driver's seat that causes the seat to slide far enough so that his feet move away from the pedals and yours can replace them. You almost hit two cars during the change, dodge a pedestrian when the car enters the sidewalk, but finally can comfortably place yourself with both hands on the steering wheel and your foot on the accelerator.

It’s not hard to discover you’re being followed when it’s this late at night and on empty streets two cars don’t get out of your tail. Finally, the aggravated voice of Eraser Head comes through your newly activated communicator.

“You’re being followed.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“What happened? The car almost crashed moments ago.”

“The dude’s out. Someone drugged him and he got drowsy while driving. I’m on the wheel now and he’s passed out.” You inform him and try to make enough curves that whoever’s following you get thrown out.

“Who could’ve drugged him?”

“Someone who knows what we know and wants what we want.” You’re working through hundreds of possibilities though you know it’ll be hard to guess with no Intel as of right now. Maybe if it turns into confrontation you could actually come up with some names to the faces.

“Do you think they’d care if I show up?” A pro-hero is always a threat. But the quantity of drugs this man has is too good a prize.

“They have two cars and probably backup; You’re good, but I doubt.”

“I’ll call backup. Keep trying to lose them, I’ll follow through the track device.”

“Good. And Eraser?”

“What?”

“Try not to get us killed.” You try your best in the teasing remark though you’re sweating in the driver’s seat. You’d prefer hand to hand combat over car persecution ten times over and god, your driving skills are smooth. As proof, you turn a sharp curve like a pilot, without warning and in little seconds, losing at least one of the cars - that’ll have to maneuver.

“I’ll do my best.” Comes his grumpy retort. Somehow you feel like you’re holding it too close to your heart.

You manage to drive at a crazy speed enough that you put some distance between you and the other cars and just to be sure about staying out of the radar, you move in the direction of the docks. Even if there’s surveilance around there, you’re half sure you can manage to fuck it up later. What you’re not expecting, however, is their backup.  

A motorcycle is coming behind the cars, the pilot indiscernible with the black clothes and helmet. But it’s eating the distance necessary to overtake the cars at a high speed.

 “Oh fuck.”

You scramble for the comms while doing your best to drive in the narrow spaces on the docks. But you’re soon to be without roads to drive on. And still having two cars closing on you - and a motorcycle.

“Tell me you’re close.”

“I’m close. Look, I’m gonna need you to turn right in the next one-hundred meters and then the third left.” 

“‘Kay. Where’s the backup?” 

“They’re coming.”

“Oh god, you better not be fucking lying.” Your voice turns into a whine when you’re on the last word, right in time to make the curve into the right. The bike’s passing the cars, but you hope you can lose them with the motions.

“Are you scared of some thugs, y/n?” Eraser is being playful. You almost gasp. And turn the first left as he told you to. 

“Oh, please. I’m scared of their bullets, I don’t have an impenetrable quirk you know? Also, I hate being shot, it hurts like hell and it’s a pain to heal.” Turning the third left in a few seconds. Right in the end of the street, a few hundred meters away, Eraser Head signals for you to turn. 

“You could’ve used a vest.” He offers over the comms, while you watch him jump over buildings way in front of you.

“Oh yes, so sexy, a bullet vest. Not noticeable at all.” You sass him and turns right when he tells you to. On top of the buildings, he starts to signal your way. “You couldn’t send me GPS directions or something?”

“Don’t know how.” It’s his earnest and surprised answer. You sigh. Gulps when you see the bike approaching too fucking fast for comfort, eating the distance like it barely exists.

“Boomer.” The word had barely left your lips when suddenly the car just… stops working. The panels are dead, lights out like a blackout. The pedal gives you no acceleration and the car is slowly losing velocity and the wheel it’s jammed so hard you break a nail trying to turn it. The only thing in front of you is a metal security bar between the road and the fucking sea. 

And, of course, the comms are dead. 

You sigh. 

“Fuck.”

-

Eraser watches, with no little shock, as the sports car goes through some kind of electrical pane and completely blacks out, losing control while going at a slower but still too fast speed and then breaks through the metal railings and flies into the water.

He would like to say there’s been a long time since the last time he’d felt panic. That gripping feel of impending doom blooming inside your chest like a weight constricting your heart and taking hold of your lungs while you struggle to think.  Last time he felt it he was close to watch one of his students die and follow soon after. That time, through it all, he managed to think clearly and act by setting the clear directive of not letting his students die and buy time. 

This time is different. 

He’s not in a fist fight or being overpowered. There isn’t a person threatening you. No quirk is involved in the way the car flies over the metal bars and into the water. And he can’t fight gravity. Or the pressure of the ocean. He can’t run faster than that car flies, too. 

So Eraser watches as it falls inside the sea with a huge noise, and starts to sink. And as the black cars slowed and stopped about seconds later a few meters away from the broken railings and armed goons started to run in the direction of the water, he jumps. 

That’s when the fight breaks loose. 

-

tag list: @therealwalmartjesus​ @danicalifxrnia​ @thatcutewerewolf​

[prompt-wars-in-the-stars]

How about 6.“Shh. Stop fussing. I’m just braiding your hair.” with Ahsoka,Anakin and Obi-Wan bonding time?

It would be my pleasure! Got away with me a bit. I hope you enjoy!

-

“Shh. Stop fussing. I’m just braiding your hair.”

The words were followed by a noise that could only be described as a yelp. It was in a voice Obi-Wan would recognize anywhere. The yelp was followed by a protest of "Snips!" that only further confirmed who he was overhearing. 

Obi-Wan wasn't surprised the noise was coming from Anakin's favorite meditation balcony. He'd been using the same one since he was nine years old and was supposed to be using it for teaching Ahsoka meditation, at least according to her Temple schedule that Obi-Wan had peeked at. Slipping through the doors Obi-Wan couldn't say he was surprised to find that the Master and Padawan pair were most definitely not meditating. Anakin was sitting cross legged, facing away from Ahsoka, curling forward away from her hands. She was on her knees bent over her Master with her hands tangled into his hair. Scattered on the meditation mats they'd pushed together was a curious mix of sparkling clips, ribbons, and a few barrettes.

"Stop struggling Master!" Ahsoka shouted arms jerking forward as Anakin moved away pulling her with him. She pulled back causing another yelp of pain from the unexpecting human.

"Snips! Ouch, whatever you are doing stop it! That is not braiding!" Anakin protested attempting to escape, but it was clear Ahsoka had somehow managed to tangle her own fingers in the knotted mess of curls that appeared to have a few hair bands already mixed in. Obi-Wan winced sympathetically and decided it was probably best to interfere before Anakin lost some of his hair in the struggle.

"It may be best if you both stop moving for a moment," Obi-Wan slipped in, unable to keep the amusement completely out of his voice.

They both turned to him simultaneously, Anakin wincing as he did, and spoke in unison.

"Master!" / "Master Kenobi!"

Anakin tried to straighten up as Ahsoka tried to pull away, both looking embarrassed at being caught. Obi-Wan could see the disaster on its way even as Anakin gave another shout and Ahsoka seemed to be gearing up to yank at full strength. He dropped to a knee beside them, using one hand to grab Ashoka's elbow and Anakin's shoulder. Both went still instantly, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Now lets see if we can't get you free, why don't we?" he said with as much warmth as possible, focused on Anakin's poor curls and pretending like he didn't see their flushed faces. "Hm, Ahsoka keep still for me will you? And Anakin stop squirming you are making it worse."

Ahsoka obeyed quickly, with obvious contrition, looking down at the mess with guilt. Anakin was a bit slower but not wanting to cause himself more pain by disobeying just to be contrary. Obi-Wan worked slowly, gently unweaving the knots, freeing the hairbands that had twisted into a tight web and easing Ashoka's hands free. He continued untangling the attempt at a braid, with quick practiced ease as Anakin relaxed and Ahsoka watched with clear interest.

Once he could run his fingers through the curls without catching, he leaned back satisfied and looked at them both expectantly. 

"So, what exactly have I stumbled upon my Padawan and Grand-Padawan?"

Ahsoka looked startled at being referred to as such, but then was clearly pleased at the recognition. She looked at Anakin for guidance and he met her gaze with a reassuring smile, turning to face Obi-Wan. The two of them had only been together for a couple months and it was reassuring to see they were already looking to each other for support. Obi-Wan had sadly been unable to get to know his Grand-Padawan too well yet. They'd been deployed separately after Christophsis and it was only by a miracle of the Force, and an unexpected engine malfunction, that the 212th was back on Coruscant during the 501st's leave.

"I wanted to try braiding human hair," Ahsoka admitted, looking a little shy like she expected to be scolded. Very different from the bold, snippy girl Anakin reported to him in his comm calls. Obi-Wan nodded, keeping a smile on his face. This seemed to make Ahsoka relax a little and she continued. 

"Skyguy, eh Master Skywalker," she corrected the nickname self-consciously, but seemed reassured when Obi-Wan didn't react. Obi-Wan thought the nicknames the pair had were endearing even if Anakin did pretend to be annoyed at it sometimes. "He agreed to let me practice on him since we were taking a break from meditation. But, I wasn't very good at it."

The last part was said mournfully and Anakin frowned at his Padawan's upset. Obi-Wan couldn't sense exactly what passed between them, but he could feel the Force around Anakin blaze and see Ahsoka's frown relax.

Obi-Wan did not raise an eyebrow at the story though, feeling thoughtful. Ashoka's meditation hour was less than halfway over. Anakin shifted slightly, guilt carefully hidden, and Obi-Wan decided to make a point to invite the two of them to meditate with him. Meditation had always been hardest for Anakin to master and it was not right to expect him to be able to pass it along to his own Padawan easily. Obi-Wan had received counsel and training from others in areas Qui-Gon was weak in. He saw no reason not to assist his Padawan, former Padawan he mentally corrected, in this.

"I see," Obi-Wan said. Looking at the assortment of hair decorations and knowing the disappointment  that had been on Ashoka's face he did.

"Was this your first time braiding Ahsoka?" 

She nodded, sheepish. Anakin was frowning at him looking both protective and curious as to where his former Master was going with this. Obi-Wan smiled at him.

"Well, I'm certain Anakin himself isn't much help. He has always been terrible with braiding. I always had to do his Padawan braid for him whenever it came loose." Obi-Wan said, allowing a teasing tone to enter his voice directed at Anakin, who huffed, but seeing Ahsoka perking up said nothing. "If you give me some room I will show you how it's done."

"That is," Obi-Wan said, meeting Anakin's knowing gaze. "If Anakin will volunteer to be our model."

Anakin sighed, loud and dramatic. "For you Snips."

Ahsoka beamed and scooted over to allow Obi-Wan to settle in behind Anakin. He picked up a comb and began gently working his way through Anakin's hair, sure to give Ahsoka a clear view. Anakin relaxed at the attention, he'd always enjoyed physical affection and Obi-Wan could feel his Force signature relaxing into something peaceful that was normally accomplished through meditation. 

"Human scalps are quite sensitive, Anakin's especially, so you must be very gentle. Start from the bottom to work out any tangles," Obi-Wan began adopting the same tone he'd used when teaching and feeling his own peace settle in as he showed Ahsoka how to separate the hair into sections. He stopped after each step to allow her to practice, correcting as needed.

-

Obi-Wan maintained eye contact with Mace Windu, his posture relaxed as his former Padawan stood stubbornly straight and determined despite his embarrassment and his Grand-Padawan barely stifled giggles beside him. Mace looked like he wanted to ask, but also did not, continuing to debrief them as if there was nothing wrong. Plo wore an expression more befitted to someone looking at a collection of Tooka kittens. Yoda was amused, very clearly in the Force, though he kept a serene expression. Shaak was smiling softly, eyes somewhat distant. The rest of the Council, rather in person or over comm, wore a mix of resigned, confused, or amused expressions.

"I will make sure Cody begins preparing the men immediately," Obi-Wan said a picture of innocence. "I believe he and Anakin's second are together and that should take care of preparation for the 501st. Is there anything further the Council needs?"

Mace looked at him wryly and Obi-Wan, from the passed ten years of getting to know the Master more closely, saw the corner of a smile. "Perhaps remove the flowers before you start negotiations."

Obi-Wan nodded seriously, and saw Ahsoka bite her lip out of the corner of his gaze. Anakin's face was red hot at the teasing.

"Your wisdom is always appreciated, Master Windu, now if you'll excuse us," Obi-Wan said and Mace nodded his dismissal. There was a small click that sounded like a holo being taken that Obi-Wan ignored as he ushered Anakin and Ahsoka out. As soon as the doors closed behind them Ahsoka burst into a fit of giggles and Obi-Wan allowed his own smile to grow widely.

They had finished braiding Anakin's hair, playing with it until they'd managed to shape it into something resembling a butterfly Ahsoka had admitted to admiring on a civilian she'd met on one of the 501st's missions. It was completed with a rather ornate flower barrette and small sparkling clips and ribbons Ahsoka had eagerly braided through Anakin's hair under Obi-Wan's tutelage. When they'd finished Anakin had gotten a gleam in his eye and said something about Obi-Wan not being left out and between the two of them, after a few winced, they'd managed some clumsy braids in his now much shorter hair. Anakin had pouted about it, bemoaning the loss of "Obi-Wan's luscious locks", but then Ahsoka had mentioned seeing flowers braided into beards and soon he'd found himself allowing them to decorate him with a dozen small white blooms plucked from the crawling vines on the Temple no bigger than a pin's head. When Ahsoka had looked somewhat put out at not being included Anakin had surprised them by getting the idea for a ribboned headdress and together the two of them had crowned the beaming, laughing Torguta teenager who'd protested but looked too happy to be taken seriously. 

Halfway through Ahsoka had stopped being so formal and happily snipped and called him 'Obi-Wan' instead, to his pleasure. 

They hadn't even registered the decorations when an emergency call came through from the Council, resulting in quite a sight.

"Master Windu's, hic," Ahsoka could barely manage her eyes streaming as she laughed. "His face! Skyguy, they were all so-" 

She collapsed into laughter causing the ribbons to sway and the bells in them to jingle. Anakin smiled, offering a small chuckle at his Padawan's amusement. Obi-Wan could feel his embarrassment fading slowly. 

"It was pretty funny," Anakin admitted. "I don't think I've ever seen Master Rancis so confused."

Ahsoka beamed and Anakin returned it. Obi-Wan basked in the warmth between them pleased at how close they were. Ahsoka turned to look at him brightly.

"Master Obi-Wan since you'll be joining us, can you show me jar'kai? Skyguy said you're one of the best at the Temple and Skyguy is terrible," Ahsoka looked up at him so hopefully as Anakin sputtered behind her.

Obi-Wan felt a warmth spread through his chest and reached out to give Ahsoka's shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "I would be honored Ahsoka."

[grey-water-colors]

Missing you Damian Wayne X Reader Part 4

Part 4 is finally here! I am so sorry for the wait. I have been super busy prepping for college and then moving in. This is the finale and I hope you like the ending. I’m thinking of writing a separate part for this, explaining how I wrote this. It would just be all the research and planning that I did. Let me know if that sounds interesting. 

Warnings: WOO BOY THERE’S A FEW. Fighting. Cursing, like the F-bomb. Switchblades. Kidnapping. Trauma. Not as many as I thought, but be safe everyone.

Pairing: Damian Wayne X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1265

Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3

Big thanks to @oreosmama for the title!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Patrol was slow, so Damian went back to the Batcave and train a bit before he went to bed. He knew school was going to be excruciatingly slow because Y/N was coming back tomorrow.

He saw Drake sitting at the Batcomputer watching for crime around Gotham.

��Drake,” he said coldly.

“Demon spawn,” Tim threw back.

It was quiet for a couple minutes while Damian started training and Tim went back to watching for crime, then a distress signal went off causing both of them to jump.

“It’s not Bruce,” Tim said as he picked up the signal to see who it was. “Damian don’t freak out,” Tim’s voice was strong but sounded scared.

“What? Who is it, Drake?” Damian had a feeling he knew. His heart was in his throat. He hoped it wasn’t who he thought it was, but the only reason Tim would tell him not to panic was because of Y/N.

“Y/N’s activated her emergency bracelet.”

“Fuck!” He shouted. He should have brought her home the minute he felt something was wrong the night before. He knew something wasn’t right.

“Father,” he called into the comms. “You need to get back to the cave as soon as possible. Somethings happened to Y/N”

15 minutes later Batman, Robin, and Nightwing were walking through the Zeta Tube and following Y/N’s signal. Tim, Alfred, and Barbra were back home helping to track her and be ready for when they got back.

They came to an abandoned building just outside London. An expensive car was parked out front.

~~~

Y/N woke up with the biggest headache she’d ever had. Her vision was spotted, and her ears were ringing. She tried to move but found she couldn’t. Her hands were tied to the chair she was sat in.

“So, she finally wakes up,” a familiar voice calls from somewhere she can’t see. “I really hoped I hadn’t killed you. You ran away before the first dose could fully work, but I got you this time around. I was worried I had given you too big a dose.”

A man who looked vaguely familiar walked into your line of sight.

“Wh- who are you?” your voice was groggy, like you hadn’t spoken in weeks.

A laugh and he turned around to pace the floor. “It doesn’t really matter who I am, it matters who you are.”

“Why would it matter who I am?”

“You’re a famous artist and singer,” He turned towards you with a sick smile. “Lovely voice by the way. You also happen to be dating the son of one of the richest men on earth, whether you like it or not, your worth a pretty penny.”

“You’re holding me for a ransom?”

Another laugh. “No. I’m going to sell you. Whoever wants you, but they have to pay the right price of course. I didn’t go through all this work for it to not work out.”

“You’ve done this before?” You questioned.

“Yes. I’d call it my job. I collect young ladies like yourself and give them homes. I go to galas and charity events and scout out people, then I get my target and from there it’s a piece of cake.”

It clicked in your head. “Your from the Hotel Event in Florence!”

“I scouted you out of all the pretty girls, you should feel special.”

You spat at him. “Your a bastard!” You struggled in your seat to try and get out. “I’ll never let you do this! Someone will find me an-“ You were cut off by a slap. Your head painfully snapped to the side and your chair tipping over. You landed on your side, and you think something broke, but all you could feel was red hot pain. Your head pounded and your vision exploded in colors. The drug was still very much in your system.

Your eyes widened at the sight of him pulling out a knife, his face turning red with anger.

“You’re getting on my nerves little girl. You’ll find I have a very short temper.”

He stalked closer while you still struggled and he raised the knife, but before he could do anything, the switch blade was knocked out of his hand by a familiar looking object.

Suddenly everything was in motion, shouting and then there were bodyguards fighting some people. You tried to focus on who was, hopefully, saving you. All you saw was a black cape, but that was all you needed. If Batman was here, then Robin wasn’t far behind. You felt someone cutting your bonds and when you were free you stood up or tried too. Your head was pounding, and your vision was spinning and soon you were falling towards the ground until someone caught you.

You saw a flash of red and the yellow of a cape. Damian was fighting, specifically the guy who had kidnapped you, but if Robin was fighting with Batman then who was helping you?

“Are you ok to stand?” a voice asked in your ear. You knew that voice, but never quite so serious. Dick was almost always making puns and bad jokes when you were around, which was 98% of the time.

You shook your head and Nightwing picked you up bridal style and started to carry you out of the building. Before you blacked out you locked eyes with Robin, then darkness.

~~~

That feeling when you wake up and you aren’t quite sure where you are is terrifying, and it hits you hard. Were you still in London? Are you back in Gotham? Were you safe?

You knew the answer to the last question, the familiar hand in yours told you that you were safe. You were always safe with him. You also knew you wouldn’t be let out of his sight for at least a month.

You opened your eyes and let them adjust to the light in the room. You were in the room you shared with Damian, technically it was his room and you just had clothes, toiletries, and some of your knick-knacks. You’d had your own room at Wayne Manor for a while, but you were almost never in it, so it was put to other use.

You looked over to see a sleeping Damian hunched over on the bed, one hand cradling his head and the other holding yours. When you were sure of where you were and that you were fully awake, you squeezed his hand to gently wake him up.

He stirred slowly and you smiled. Despite what you’d think, Damian Wayne was slow waking up. You’d heard from Tim that when he had first gotten to the Manor that even the smallest noise would wake him up and he’d be on full alert. As he had gotten comfortable with being there and slowly realized that no one was going to attack him in his sleep, he started waking up slower and slower. You thought it was cute and it made you feel warm inside knowing he felt safe enough with you to not always be on alert.

“Dami,” you whispered.

He looked up at you and just stared for a while, until realization clicked in his eyes.

“Beloved! You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

You gave him a small smile. “My head hurts a little, but I feel fine other than that. How long was I out?”

“It’s been around 14 hours. Alfred said you just needed to sleep off the drug the thug used.”

Your smile fell at the reminder of what happened, and you felt Damian squeeze your hand.

“I don’t think I want to travel anymore; I don’t think I want to leave the Manor ever again,” you whispered.

Damian climbed onto the bed to sit beside you and pulled you into a hug. You burrowed into his shirt and wrapped your arms around him.

“You’re going to have to leave eventually, beloved, but I’ll be with you the whole time.”

You nodded and felt tears stream down your face. “I missed you. I missed you so much it hurt.”

He held you a little tighter. “I missed you as well, Y/N. I always miss you when you’re not with me.”

“I love you Dami.”

“I love you too, Beloved.”

Taglist:

@lostredrobin @random-fandom-girl-24

[bi-naesala]

Join me

Despite Maul's doubts on the subject, Obi-Wan is convinced that commander Cody would be a great asset to add to them team, for pragmatic reasons and also... others. Will he be able to convince Cody to collaborate?

((Part of the Sith Obi-Wan AU))

Can also be read on AO3

Meetings with Maul have become less frequent once it became known that he’s still alive. This isn’t something Obi-Wan had planned, but he figures that saving his brother was too important than secrecy.

In his immense mercy, he’s decided long ago to let it pass, despite the fact that, in the end, Savage Oppress has died anyway. As much as it is a tragedy, it’s also good, though, very good, because it only added more to Maul’s rage; now it’s not just Sidious the one he wants dead, but Ventress too, who according to him is the catalyst of Savage’s premature death. What matters now is that Maul wants revenge even more than he did before, which is exactly what Obi-Wan needs.

The downside is that they have to be even more careful than before when they meet. Sidious’ words when he learned that Maul is actually alive still haven’t left Obi-Wan’s mind; it’s the closest to fear he’s every felt.

 And this is why they’re meeting in a shitty Outer Rim motel, instead of a decent place.

 This is something - the only thing - he admires of him, his ability to turn even the most innocent sentence into a threat.

He told it wasn’t his fault, that he did his duty as he should’ve, that the Dark Side is a mysterious thing, but he also implied that he was his job to rectify his mistake, or else the consequences were going to be dire.

Frankly, Obi-Wan can’t wait to shut his mouth forever.

 “Are you even listening?”

Obi-Wan shakes his head as Maul’s voice brings him back to reality.

“Mh, sorry. Could you repeat that?”

Maul rolls his eyes. “Weren’t you the one who said that we had little time and that we should get to business immediately?” he chastises him. Well, he’s right.

“I know, I’m sorry…”

Maul responds with silence, at least at first. He looks deep in thought, and for once Obi-Wan isn’t able to predict what is going on inside his head, at least not until Maul speaks again. “You seem distracted as of late.”

“Do I?” Obi-Wan replies, trying to dissimulate. “Must be your imagination...”

“Obviously,” Maul hisses, completely unconvinced. “You aren’t at all thinking about something, or rather… someone.” Obi-Wan, for all his supposed diplomatic abilities, looks away, barely able to keep his guilt hidden as Maul continues. “And this certain someone certainly isn’t a certain clone commander that has been working with you for the past what? Two years?”

At those words, Obi-Wan glares Maul with all the fury he can muster, weirdly protective as he hears the spiteful tone with which Maul is obviously referring to commander Cody. Maul, never one to back down for a challenge, holds his gaze like it’s nothing, determined not to be the first one to breaks, which prompts Obi-Wan to do the sensible thing and deign him of a response, lest they end up their meeting having solved nothing.

 “You’re right,” he admits. “I’ve been thinking about him.”

“He seems a capable and honest man, I’ll give you that,” Maul states, though he continues, “but that’s not all, isn’t it?”

He’s right, again. “Yes, I… I’ve been thinking about getting him on board of our operation.”

“And why is that?” Maul asks, face carefully blank - not that if fools Obi-Wan.

“For starters, it’s become harder and harder to keep our correspondence from him. It would be way more efficient for him to become our accomplice rather than having him finding out about this project of ours and reporting it to Sidious,” he begins, trying not to sound like he cares too much about this. “He’s intelligent, a great fighter, and already knows about Sidious. I think he’d be useful to us.”

Maul doesn’t say anything at first. He keeps looking at Obi-Wan with an intensity that makes the other almost want to duck away from his gaze, scratching his chin as he thinks. Despite everything, Obi-Wan stays there, still, letting Maul think his thoughts; he refuses to give him the chance to watch him faltering.

 Eventually, however, Maul reaches a conclusion.

“I think you’re making a mistake. You’re risking to ruin everything.”

“When I came to you about this, so long ago…” Obi-Wan begins, “Wasn’t I taking a risk as well? You could’ve ratted me out to Sidious, but you didn’t.”

“So? What does that have to do--”

“Don’t you see? It’s the same exact thing now,” Obi-Wan concludes, and there’s a teasing smile on his face. “You and Cody are more alike than you think.”

“Is that supposed to be an insult?”

Obi-Wan rolls his eyes. “Take it as you will,” he says.

 Still, despite Maul’s reticence, he does have a point.

“I can see why they call you the Negotiation,” Maul mutters, making Obi-Wan chuckle, but then he continues. “Does he interest you?”

“I thought we’ve already established that he can be of great help to us--”

“Obi-Wan,” Maul cuts him off - Obi-Wan, not Kenobi - making it clear that he wants him to cut the shit. Obi-Wan sighs, looking away from him.

“Yes,” he admits, eventually. He has promised himself time and time again that he would’ve played the part of the mature person and talk about his feelings, but every time he tried, the resolve to do so always abandoned him. “This doesn’t mean that-- mpfh!”

He’s cut off by a kiss. Maul’s holding him by the edge of his Jedi tunic, lips pressed against his to convey what he can’t with words. Only once they pull away he speaks.

“I know.”

They kiss again, this time slower. It took them a while - too long one might argue - but now they know: no matter what happens, they belong to each other.

 “Go, now, and convince your commander,” Maul mutters as he pulls away. It seems all too easy, but Obi-Wan’s glad things are going as they are.

“I will.”

Obi-Wan begins to walk away, but before he vanishes from Maul’s view, he turns towards him.

“By the way, you should give him a chance,” he says. “I have a feeling you’d like him.”

Maul snorts.

“Yeah, right. We’ll see…”

  Once Obi-Wan’s back to Coruscant, he can’t help but to sigh, scratching his beard.

Maul isn’t entirely wrong: this infatuation of his could jeopardize everything, but he doesn’t think he’s gotten a wrong read on Cody. He’s more likely to follow him than Sidious, of this he’s certain, and yet there’s still room for some small doubt in his head.

The best thing he can do is to ask Cody directly, and if he truly says no… Well, he has ways to deal with that, because even though he wants him on the team, he’s not going to let everything get ruined in case he’s misjudged him.

Yes, he’s going to find him.

 All it takes is a comm to confirm his suspicions: Cody is in his commander quarters back in the Coruscant barracks.

“Cody, may I speak with you, privately?” Obi-Wan asks, trying not to focus too much on the way the commander’s face lights up with a teasing smile as he replies.

“Aren’t we already speaking privately?”

Obi-Wan rolls his eyes, and yet he can’t help but to smile. “No sassing the general, commander.”

“Aw, not even a bit?” the other replies, though after a pause he continues, “Shall I get the boiler ready?”

Tea does sound lovely, he’s not going to lie. Alright, Obi-Wan will indulge. “Yes, if you’d be so kind.”

Cody nods, then pauses. Actually, both of them do. There’s a strange tension in the air, tangible even despite the fact that they aren’t speaking directly in the strict sense of the word. There’s more that both of them would like to say, but something stops them, maybe a sense of discretion, maybe something else…

“Then I’ll be waiting for you, general,” Cody says, eventually, his voice awfully soft, or maybe it must be some kind of interference on the comm - Obi-Wan would rather it being the latter.

“Yes, see you soon, Cody.”

  When he does indeed arrive to Cody’s quarters, he’s greeted by the commander, who’s still wearing his dress grays, instead of his usual armor. Figured it would be more comfortable.

There’s something in the way they greet each other, in the way Cody excuses himself to serve them tea, that is quite… domestic. Yes, domestic. That’s not a word Obi-Wan ever thought he’d use for anything, not with how his life has been, not with how his life is going to be; there’s no space for domesticity in his future Empire, not for him at least.

 In another life, maybe… but Obi-Wan shouldn’t get distracted from what is his main objective of this visit.

 “Cody, may I ask you something?”

“Of course, general,” the clone replies.

“Please, this isn’t an official meeting, you can call me Obi-Wan.”

He can sense the commander’s hesitation, but he can’t help but to smile when he says: “Alright, I’ll try… Obi-Wan.”

He can sense that it’s been a while since he wanted to do that. He really hopes their mutual attraction will be enough to convince him…

 “What do you think about my Master?”

Cody’s posture tenses immediately at those words; he’s clearly guarded now.

“I think that he’s a great strategist,” he begins, almost mechanical, like he’s rehearsed this speech time and time again, “And--”

“Cody. I’m not testing your loyalty,” Obi-Wan cuts him off, “I don’t need lies.”

The commander almost flinches at his harsh words, but his poker face is excellent. Things won’t go anywhere if they both keep being guarded like this however; he needs to change tactics.

He rises from his seat and he walks towards Cody, kneeling in front of him, then he goes to take one of his hands between his. Cody’s still tense, but Obi-Wan can feel the waves of emotions that this is causing him - he feels them too.

“But don’t you think that he’s a bit too much… self-serving?” he asks, massaging his knuckles.

“Talk about an understatement,” Cody huffs. Now they’re going somewhere.

“Exactly,” he replies, “If I may be so frank, I’ve been having doubts about his effectiveness as a ruler…”

 Cody doesn’t say anything for a while, deep in thought. Still, he hasn’t pushed Obi-Wan away, so at least it’s safe for him to assume that he must have a favorable opinion about what he just said, nor that he minds him touching him so intimately, something they have never done, except that time… He should focus on the present, not the past.

What he begins doing, instead, is to rub circles with his thumbs on Cody’s palm. Even for this he doesn’t push him away, nor he gives any indication of not liking it, so Obi-Wan keeps going.

 When Cody seems to have reached a conclusion, he speaks again. “So, where are you going with this?”

Straight to the point. Obi-Wan should’ve known. “I have friends… Friends that agree with me,” he says, seeing no point in hiding his true intentions anymore.

He can sense Cody’s amusement as he replies. “Something tells me you have a plan of some sort.”

“Mh… Depends if you want in or not…”

“And if I do?”

They’re so close that Obi-Wan could safely close the distance between them, but…

From all the scruples he gets, he must be making a rather poor Sith, mustn’t he?

“Cody… This is a dangerous path. Are you sure you want to take it?”

“Obi-Wan,” Cody begins, his voice serious, “I’d rather do this with you than remain under Sidious’ orders.”

Obi-Wan wants to kiss him so bad, but what he does instead is telling him everything: the plot, Padmé’s participation and… Maul.

 He reserves him for last, and can feel the change of atmosphere as he admits to everything. Cody’s gaze hardens, and his voice becomes cold. “Ah, he says, “So this whole thing was all a ruse?”

Damn it. This isn’t how Obi-Wan wanted things to go. “No!” he exclaims immediately, hands shooting straight up to cradle Cody’s face between his hands. He moves gently, with care; it’s so different from when he’s with Maul, but lately they too have gotten softer with each other. “I wasn’t lying to you. Cody… you aren’t just a pawn in my plan. If I’ve shown interest in you, it’s because this is how I really feel.”

“But what about--”

“He knows, and he’s fine with it.”

 There are many things that should’ve been said, but for once Obi-Wan’s glad Cody takes the initiative to kiss him.

He’s not being soft, and Obi-Wan melts immediately. He’s waited for this for too long.

As he reaches out for Cody’s face, cupping it between his hands, a surge of thoughts of mine mine mine mine begin to echo louder and louder in his head. He’s always been denied everything in his life, but not this time, not now that he has the power to get what he wants.

Foolish Jedi with their fear of attachments; they haven’t understood how much more powerful they can make all of them. Granted, they also make you vulnerable, because they give you something to lose, but in return they give you a drive that nothing else can give you, because when you get attached to something, you’d do anything in order not to lose it.

Maul is his, Cody is his, his future Empire is his. One could ask him what makes him think that he deserves all this, what makes him so better than everyone else that he can get what he wants and keep it from himself; Obi-Wan would just laugh and silence whoever would dare to question him in such a way. He wouldn’t even need to use brute force, just his silver tongue; if there’s something he’s learned in these years is that, with the right words, he can bring anyone to his cause.

 By the time he and Cody pull away, they’ve been kissing so harshly that their lips are all bruised, but it doesn’t matter, not at all. What matters is how obediently and pliantly Cody moves, when Obi-Wan gets him on the table.

The teapots crash on the pavement with a loud noise, but neither of them minds, not when they’re busy kissing and kissing and kissing again. Their bodies fit so well together, Obi-Wan finds. An obvious sign that it’s meant to be, because Cody is his, just as much as Obi-Wan is his. What? Of course it goes both ways: Obi-Wan would do anything Cody asks, just like he’d do with Maul.

It could be so easy to just use them - use everyone - as means to an end, but Obi-Wan has never liked the easy road.

 He pulls away just enough to be able to watch Cody squirm under him, taking in the details of his flushed face, as well as his swollen lips and undone hair.

It could be a problem for them to be found in such a compromising position, but Obi-Wan’s not worried about it; he’s locked the door as soon as he stepped in, and if someone still manages to get inside, well… he has other ways to deal with them.

Deciding that he doesn’t care about that, he goes down on Cody again. He’ll take everything he’ll have to give him; selfish, he knows, but he refuses not to indulge in his nature. He won’t hold his freedom back.

 Eventually, he’ll have to fill Cody in with the specifics of his plan, but for now he only keeps kissing him and touching him and holding him. It’s something he’ll never get tired of.

What really matters is that he’s gained his devotion, the strongest weapon of all.

[haknew]

anon asked: I HAVE SONG RECS :DDD I tried not to do songs that you would have obviously heard before but a lot of the songs here are still popular but I couldn’t help but add them 😭

AHHHH thank you so so so so much for all the recommendations anon ! your taste is absolutely impeccable !!! i think i vibed with a lot of these maybe we are a bit similar ^~^ and no worries about your picks ! i totally support you and your incredible music taste no need to defend yourself :p ! popular songs can still be good ones ! thank you again and i tried ... to ... get through them all i’m so sorry JHGFDJHGDK you’ll see i get through like ... half and then ran out of energy T^T i’ll probably get back to this list some other time when i have free time and update with thoughts ! thank you for sending so many in ! i found so many new songs to add to my playlist heh thank you lovely ! 

Pop

cherry by rina sawayama - super cute ! i love these kinds of pop songs it’s right up my alley :o ! 

xs by rina sawayama - her voice is so well suited for this style ! i watched the mv and djkfhskgrjf HHH idk she gives me mitski vibes even tho their music is pretty different, you have peaked my interest i’ll definitely look into more of her stuff :o !

comme de garçons by rina sawayama - the bass line T^T !!! the talk-y (?) parts are so good i got chills, it’s like a rave song low key haha :p ! it’s so good ! 

Any song by Rina Sawayama 😭 - yes yes i’ll try to look more into her stuff ! 

Kpop

123 by nct dream - i’m only an honorary guest of ncity but one of my irls ults them ! and dream’s music has always been a bit more my speed :o ! this has more nostalgic kpop vibes to it ! i said this before but i really am more a pop person at heart and this is so good ^~^ 

Up to you by pretty much and nct dream (HAECHANS PART HHHHH) - oooh are you a haechan stan 0v0 i like jaemin tho i admit my knowledge of dream is limited (my fren ults renjun heh) also yes yes consent is very important kids u.u dskjghkdfj YOU’RE RIGHT THO haechan is a singer he SINGS, i love the vocal harmonies ! 

Oasis by crush ft zico - those electric keyboard synths (?) amazing ! this song bops u.u 

Moon by everglow - !!! i actually have heard this a lot before ^~^ i got so excited when i saw this bc it’s so good ! it’s definitely one of my fav everglow songs too i think i overplayed it a lot when it first came out *v* 

Woowoo by dia - i love the ocean wave sounds ! that’s so cool i love how summery it is ! it kind of reminds me of loona too ! ggs are just >>> i love the fun and brighter pop songs so much 🥺

Secret garden by Oh My Girl - i’ve heard a few songs by omg ! and i really like a handful of them, secret garden kinda gives me early gfriend songs vibes too ! it’s so pretty ! i really love when songs utilize strings in their instrumentals too ! it’s a bit slower paced too which is really nice ^~^ 

Page by got7 - YEEEES okie actually maybe unpopular opinion but spinning top is one of my fav got7 albums ! i used to listen to the whole mini on repeat ! i actually used to ult got7 too for a few months heh ^^ BUT YEEES i love page ! got7 always have bangers love them so much 

Nekkoya by produce 48 - AHHHHH ANOTHER SONG I LOVE !!! i’m actually a wizone haha :p so i’ve seen produce 48 ! tho admittedly it probably contributes to my burning h*tred for mn*t and any survival shows ;;;; but i loved the title song so much ! i used to unironically play it on repeat djghskfj

Puzzle moon by gwsn - AHHHH YOUR TASTE !!! i also followed gwsn from debut and puzzle moon is so so so cute ! it’s such a bop too ! they have such fun and catchy songs ! 

Goblin by sulli - ahhh the xylophone chimes ! they make the song sound a bit haunting before the piano comes in ;;;; it really reflects the mv story so well i think ;;; and sulli’s voice is so beautiful ;;;; it’s got that characteristic background vocal harmonies that sm artists usually do and it’s just really beautiful ! 

What are you up to by kang daniel - today on can you tell jess is unfortunately a bg stan daniel’s songs have been so good :,)) i stopped following all the wanna ones closely after a while but ! he always surprises me ! his songs are such vibes u.u 

Best day ever by yeri and nct dream - the TRUMPETS YEEES it’s so upbeat and fun !!! the cheering is so cute i love it ! 

Hair in the air by yeri and nct dream - JAEMINNNNN !!!! I LOVE YERI SO MUCH PLEASE ! i love the vocal harmonies between her and the boys 🥺 it’s so cute T^T ! renjun’s a singer HE SINGS 

119 by nct dream - ah yes this is ncity brand u.u LOL they always have really filled chorus instrumentals and use a lot of vocals to fill up the space which i think is really cool and something i think immediately screams sm artist :0 ! i think renjun’s voice really sells this for me tho HIS VOICE IS AMAZING him and haechan yeees it’s a banger tho :,) 

Save me save you by wjsn - i love wjsn’s music so much ! it sounds so magic and ethereal and totally bops ! their voices are so beautiful too and work together so well and i think this song’s style really suits all the members’ voices so well too ! 

Loonatic by loona - YEEEEES loona are my ult gg ! and oec is probably my fav unit in terms of music ! i have spent many a day playing their whole discography ! haha :3 

Up by izone - MY GIRLS ! yes yes up is so cute ! i love it so much ! the choreo is so cute too ! i love izone please ;;;; 

N/s by stray kids - oh boy okie ;;;; i’m like not a good judge of a lot of hip hop / more rap heavy songs ;;;; bc i was classically trained as a singer in choir ;-; so i’m sorry i do not have much to say about this one ;;;; it slaps tho ! i probably wouldn’t listen to it normally if you hadn’t recommended it tho so ! good to listen to smth outside of my normal preferences  

Sunshine by straykids - OH very very different from the last skz song KJHGKFJHKD yea this is probably more my speed i’m so sorry LOL T-T it’s so good tho :o ! i don’t listen to a lot of skz bc i figured i wouldn’t be able to vibe with them but this one is so good i really like it ! skz and ateez man i’ve been trying to stan for ages but music is a big part of why i stan /stan/ certain groups more seriously and it’s also why i’m only honorary nctzen lol clearly i have been enlightened (literally *looks at my past ult groups* yeaaaa)

Blueprint by stray kids - YEEES IT’S SO UPBEAT ! i love upbeat and brighter songs (i am consistent like this T-T) it’s got summery tropical vibes to it too ! it’s so cute ! 

Question by stray kids - another banger yeeeees ! i vibe with the lyrics too u.u love that 

Any mixtape by stray kids (but I really love 1 and 4) - oooh i still have a lot to get through so i’ll save these for my own time haha ^^ 

I’m your girl by khan

Revolution by Alexa

Secret by wjsn

I wanna be by key and soyeon

Handle it by twice

Teenager by got7 

Take by jus2 (CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS ENOUGH)

Bump bump by woodz

Stylish by loona - this is one of my fav loona b sides yeeees !!!! love them so much ! 

Outta my head by somi

Jpop

showersnow by orbit

show off by orbit

crazy love by orbit

any orbit song ngl 😭

poison girl by nanaka suwa

lost umbrella (I like the tsukishima kei version cause it sounds like lee know :DDD)

Notice by moe shop

Kawaki wo ameku (domestic girlfriend opening)

The day by porno graffiti (my hero academia opening 1)

Odd future by uverworld (my hero academia opening 4)

Again by yui (full metal alchemist brotherhood opening 1)

More English music

Luxury by azalea banks (Ive heard she’s said some terrible things tho 😭 WHY DOES IT SLAP)

Hurricane by Bridget Mendler (I miss this song and ready or not too 😭)

Little dark age by mgmt

I got a couple one direction recs bear with me here 💀

Happily, Magic, AM, 18, Tell Me a Lie, Through The Dark, Wolves, Night Changes, Better Than Words

Hip-hop/rnb

Leaked by lil tjay

Pretty little fears by 6lack and j cole

Water by joe gifted

The London by young thug

Bands by shoreline mafia

Swervin by a boogie wit a hoodie

Father stretch my hands pt 1 by Kanye west

More English music (indila is French)

Northern lights by kennie

I am not a robot by marina

Tourner dans le vide by indila

Parle a ta tete by indila

Greek tragedy by the wombats

Viva la vida by Coldplay (SHHHHH DONT ROAST ME)

La da dee by Cody Simpson (SHH IT MAKES ME HAPPY 😭)

Move your body by loving caliber and anders lystell (this ones good to make u feel like an early 2010’s movie protagonist :D)

Mariposa by Peach tree rascals

Sunflower by post Malone and swae lee (like many songs on here it’s popular but I still wanna put it here cause they make me happy 😭)

I got really carried away sorry I hope you haven’t heard too many of these 😭😭 OKAY BYEEE ❤️

[wolf-555-writer]

Target On My Back Part 7

This one’s kinda long xd. Oops. Enjoy, enjoy.

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow x Reader

Summary: After confessing your feelings, Natasha and you are now together. But will it last? Working as SHIELD Agents together seems to be going perfectly, but how about your personal life? The past still seems to haunt you in the nights, but will it only stay in your dreams? Can it all be fixed, or is it way too late for that?

Word Count: 5,523

Tossing and turning. Trying to escape. Trying to run away. Far, far away. A sharp inhale of air, followed by a contraction of all the muscles in your feverish body, you scare awake. Wrapped up in the sheets and the slightly oversized T-shirt sticking to your clammy back. A trembling sigh leaves your mouth, now slightly relaxing. You check your left and your eyes shift over a small picture frame on the wooden bedside table. It holds an old photo, one edge torn off and wrinkled, portraying two people in love - beyond a doubt - who both were stupidly unaware of that at the time. Eventually locking your sleepy eyes on the alarm clock next to the frame. The illuminated numbers read 3:41.

Great… Another restless night. Rubbing your sweat-stained face with your hands in desperation when a calm voice eases, “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, just a stupid nightmare”, you answer the woman who was peacefully asleep beside you but woken up by some troubled movements. Or was it a memory? You wonder. Natasha sits upright in bed and runs a hand through her messy, red hair before gently placing it on your shoulder. “Was it about…”, she strokes your back softly, “you getting shot? Like the last time?”. She hesitates a bit with the question, knowing the tension it brings. “No it wasn’t”, you grunt, making it sound more resentful than anticipated. Now that your eyes have fully adjusted to the dark room, you’re able to see her upset expression clearly, without a doubt caused by your last comment.

“If it were possible I would take it all back, but I can’t, okay”. Meanwhile the redhead had let go of you, her warm touch replaced by a cold sensation. “I have to live with the choices I made. All the things I did”. Lying down on the mattress again, she has turned her back towards you and pulls on the sheets to cover herself completely. She keeps her secrets, especially about the time in the Red Room. It’s a difficult subject for her. No surprise, judging by the information SHIELD has on the KGB-owned Academy. But you’re hoping that one day she’ll let you in. Under her breath Natasha mutters, “It’s all easy for you”, which was meant to remain inside, but managed to slip out. Unfortunately, a little too loud.

You scoff. “What is that supposed to mean?”. With a quick roll - and heavy sigh - Natasha turns to face you. “Like I said, I have to live with my choices. With all the scars I can’t erase. All you have left are the physical ones. The only reminder. But with a clear, carefree mind, pretending like it never happened”.

“Pretending?! So you think it’s all rainbows and sunshine for me huh? No horrible things haunting my mind?”, you snap. She’s got a point there though. It’s not a contest, but if it was, she would be by far the winner. All the trauma she needs to cope with. And mostly on her own. You're not the only one who has restless nights. 

“Okay, just- forget about it. Forget about what I said. I’m sorry”, you sigh tiredly and let your body plump down on the mattress next to the one you’re sharing this bed with. “I’m sorry, Nat”. Caressing your cheek with the back of her index finger as she whispers, “It’s okay”, causing a small smile to form at your features. A second attempt. “But, the bad dream. I think it was about... when I was younger. Like really young, when I was just a kid. I felt grief and-”, taking a deep breath in, “and anger. A lot of anger. A rage inside of me”.

I can clearly see that ‘rage’, Natasha thinks. Maybe a good thing she didn’t say that out loud. You look at Natasha, expecting an answer, a memory you don’t have anymore. But she turns away, deliberately breaking eye contact, and murmurs, “Just go back to sleep, it’s late”. “Are you kidding me?”. “It’s complicated”. “Complicated? Is that all?”. Oh no, here we go again…

“Well, what do you want me to say, huh? Recruited by the KGB when we were only innocent kids. Raised, trained and forced to kill in the Red Room, and after the mandatory graduation ceremony operatives at that same KGB, doing the most unspeakable things, no questions asked. Do you want to hear that?! Is that it?!”

You remain remarkably quiet, a bit blown away by Natasha’s sudden outburst of words, who in the meantime sat upright in bed again. “We’re both broken. You as much as I am. Don’t you dare deny that”. With that final statement she lays down, facing the wall and not you, tucking herself in tightly. This time there’s no turning around.

After a few minutes Natasha's breathing has become slower and more rhythmic, telling you she's asleep again. Twenty minutes of mindlessly staring at the white ceiling later, you climb out of bed and feel the coldness hit the bare skin on your legs. You really stepped out of line tonight. Did you just assume you both could pick up where you left off? Obviously forgetting about the trying-to-kill-each-other part for a moment... A splash of cold water hits your face, now in the bathroom you stare into the mirror at your own reflection, wide awake. “It’s complicated”, you mutter faintly and scoff. “No. We are complicated...”.

A true balance - that’s the key. It’s not a weakness. In fact, it even makes you a better SHIELD Agent. But you gotta admit, sometimes emotions and feelings can be damn difficult. Like right now. 

“On my way back. All the intel acquired”, you report over the communication device in your ear. “Almost at the rendezvous point, Coulson”. After a not-so-well-rested night, and plenty of coffee, a new assignment for Agent Romanoff and you was waiting in the morning. With a strictly professional attitude you managed to get through the briefing. Or so you thought, because as always you were not that good at hiding your emotions. Keeping that so-called true balance is easier said than done. Fortunately, it was a pretty standard op, also where the two of you conveniently needed to go separate ways. Maybe we’re not meant to be, thinking back to last night's heated discussion still occupying your mind. Maybe it’s better if we’d go our separate ways, because, like Nat said, we’re both broken. Some things just can’t be fixed...

Too caught up in thoughts, you almost didn’t realize you reached the intersection. Agent Romanoff is not there yet. She’s probably right behind you, as she had to cover a greater distance to get here. After 15 minutes of waiting you’re certain she missed the agreed upon meeting place. However, she can take care of herself, so the question to wait for her or to continue the mission is easily answered. You carry on. And besides, you’ll see her at Headquarters for the debriefing anyway. Right? 

“Agent (Y/L/N), how many minutes out till pickup?”, you receive in your earpiece. “Don’t wait up for me”, you inform calmly, though anyone could hear that you’re slightly out of breath. 

“Excuse me? What do you think you're doing?”

“I took a small detour. Might be a little later”. Well aware you’re disobeying a direct order, but it’s not the first time. And above all, it’s for a specific reason. You would do it again in a heartbeat, because something doesn’t feel right. She should’ve given an update about her status. “I tried her comm, but I couldn’t reach her”, you explain. Whatever goes on in your personal life can’t affect you in the field. Both of you know how to be professionals during work. She knows that. You know that. And that’s why you’re worried. It stays silent on the other end, meaning they already knew her communication device is not working. You continue, “Coulson, could you give me her last known location”. Again, total silence. “I know you can hear me. I’m going after her either way, you can’t stop me. So if you could give me the location of Agent Romanoff it would save a lot of time and the faster I’ll be- no, we will be back”. You recalled Romanoff's route from the briefing this morning, but technically she could be anywhere. A sigh is heard through the static crackling, followed by a definitive answer, “... Okay. I couldn’t change your mind anyway. Before the comm went dark she was last seen near a parking garage, 0.5 kilometers south, in the direction you’re now heading”. “Thank you, sir”.

Your gut-feeling was right, because what you encounter on the ground level is nothing good. Nothing good at all. A rush of adrenaline is taking over all of your senses as you spot them. Bodies. Scattered around. Dead. Bullet holes in concrete pillars and in parked cars that their owners safely left behind, unknowing what would happen today. But no Natasha. You’re starting to regret that fight last night more and more. Out of instinct you grab your gun from the holster and proceed with caution, following the path of destruction. You know she can take care of herself, pretty good actually, but that doesn’t mean the situation hasn’t gotten you worried. “Coulson, something has happened here. I don’t know what, but I’m gonna find out”.

How did they find me? Natasha ponders while landing a brutal elbow on a guy’s temple who thought he could easily take her. That was his first mistake, the same all the others before him made. When the ex-spy turns around, leaving the knocked-out idiot behind her, a gun is pointed at her head. “Never turn your back on enemy, makes you easy target”, he mocks with a thick accent. Then a shot is fired. The guy with accent releases his finger from the trigger and leans forward, landing face-first on the cold cement. A dark red hole in the back of his head. Natasha looks up. Standing in the distance, behind a red station wagon she spots a familiar SHIELD Agent.

“I got your back Nat. Always”. She sends a loving smile your way and starts filling you in. “I got ambushed on my way to you and lost signal on my comm, my guess they’re jamming it, so I decided to take cover here. Not so exposed and easier to conceal myself than out there in the street”. “Copy that. I figured, ran into the same problem with my comm too. And good thinking. How many and who are-”

The conversation is cut short, caused by the sound of metal colliding with metal. No time to talk. Both take a stealth position behind the red coloured vehicle and use hand gestures to make a strategic plan. At Natasha signalling ‘Go’ you both dash to a different side, Glock ready, and shoot until you’ve reached the next parked car. 

You listen to their ongoing discussion as they’ve taken cover too. Who are these people? And what do they want? They appear to be talking in a foreign language. Could it be... Russian? You fire a couple of shots and take a quick peek. Your suspicion is confirmed when you identify one of their weapons. Definitely Russian-made.

3… 2… 1, now! Natasha jumps up and slides over the hood smoothly, kicking the approaching goon in the neck without breaking a sweat. You’ve also jumped up at the rear and deliver a precise hook on your attacker's nose, hearing it crack, and follow up with a powerful uppercut on the chin, launching him backwards. Simultaneously grabbing your own guns, Romanoff and you hit the others in sight until both mags are empty. Words such as 'get that traitor' and 'who’s the other one' are echoing through the large, concrete structure accompanied by multiple footsteps. Guess your Russian remained somewhere in your brain after all. Nice. But first things first, considering you're outnumbered judging by the amount of voices, you both have to get the hell out of here. Squatted and leaning against a blue sedan, out of sight for now, you slide in a new magazine when Romanoff says, “We’ve got to do something before they pin us down”. Several rounds pierce the metal of the sedan and the windows above the two of you explode into tiny glass splinters. As a reaction you lift your arm to protect the face and slam your eyes shut. “Totally agree with you, Nat”, you shout back over the loud gunfire. “Good. Cover me”.

“I got you”, you return and steady your gun to fire multiple rounds at a shiny new BMW where the attack originates from. Romanoff runs as fast as she can and you prevent her from getting shot. Although, you can’t prevent the weapons from being fired and bullets start to snap off the concrete. Luckily, she’s able to evade those meant for her and slides the last couple of meters over the rough floor to her desired spot. Lying on her side on the ground, now shielded by a bulky, black SUV, she observes the four targets along the underside of the vehicle, positive she can hit them. And she does. Eliminating every last one of them, till her final bullet.

It’s gone silent. All the lifeless bodies, not making a single sound anymore. Struck by at least one bullet, but most of them by more. In the meantime you jogged to Natasha and she asks, “I'm out of ammo, you got any?”. “Nope, this one’s empty too”. You make a small wave-motion with your Glock and suddenly spot movement in the corner of your eye. A gun, gripped by a short guy appears from behind a concrete pillar close to the shiny, now heavily damaged car where the others came from seconds ago. Patiently waiting for his perfect moment to strike. Unexpected. Both you and Natasha dive to the ground, desperately searching for cover, knowing damn well there isn’t any. Natasha is faster though, as always, but instead reaches for your ankle, followed by two short pops and a thud, resembling a body hitting the ground. “How did you know I carry a spare gun with me?”. She gives a brief glance. Your past. Have you become too predictable? Or predictable to just Natasha? Maybe that's why you two are such a good team. As long as she doesn’t betray you that is. She has done it before, turning her back on you. No, stop it. She won’t do that. Not again, I know her. Right?

“All clear?”, Natasha sort of asks, snapping you out of thought as she sweeps the surroundings with your spare gun. “Let’s not find out and get away from ‘this’ here”. With the coast clear for the moment, you both go searching for a vehicle - one without a flat tire - and decide to split up. Unfortunately, there are not many cars in the parking lot, so you go a level higher, but abruptly come to a halt.

“Wait! (Y/N), just-”. Natasha pauses. “What’s up?”. Is there something she wants to tell you? Something she should’ve told earlier? 

“Be careful okay”. You look at her confused. Not what you expected. You can handle yourself too, she knows that. Then a smile forms. “You know I always look over my shoulder, right”. Yet your answer doesn’t seem to ease her mind. The expression she has, you've never seen before. The worry in her eyes, it’s as if she’s scared. For what? “Fine, I’ll be careful. But for you the same”. She gives a small nod but still doesn’t look convinced. “Let’s see who can score us a ride the fastest”, you challenge and sprint away.

The SHIELD Agent has found a possible getaway vehicle and smashes the window on the driver side to pieces. No car-alarm, that’s why she chose this one. Jump-starting the old pick-up truck that she is about to borrow and without making too much noise Natasha speeds away in your direction. Or so she thought. After searching for what seems to be the entire parking garage multiple times, there’s no sign of you. Only the engine sound of the truck can be heard, nothing else. No Russian-talking, no gunshots, no screams. Everybody is gone. And so are you.

I won't turn my back on you (Y/N). Not again. Never again, she pledges, clutching the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles have turned white. Already blaming herself for not warning you enough. She only wanted to protect you. Yet, this wouldn’t have happened if she had just told you the truth. Right?    

Natasha closes the door behind her with a loud bang followed by a muffled grunt. Thinking back to the conversation that just went down, if it were to be called a conversation. A lot of shouting and wide arm gestures were involved. And anger. “Are you questioning my ability? Or my loyalty?”, is what she’d said to Director Fury. Yet getting the same response back as before. No. SHIELD won’t send a team, stand down Agent Romanoff. Another grunt manages to escape. “So we are all just expendable operatives to you?”, was her last comment before the Director showed her the door.

“So, that didn't go very well I guess?”, a voice eases. “You guessed right”. She marches away, almost so fast that Barton can’t keep up. “Talk to me Nat, who were those guys again?”. “Some people I knew”. “Ah, old buddies of yours”. “That's one way to describe them”. “Not so friendly, got it”, Clint states, barely able to follow Natasha’s pace. “I need to find Coulson”, she eventually speaks. She doesn’t care about losing her job. All she cares about is getting you back. Whatever it takes.

Something in his features tells Natasha that he already knows. “Is this what I think it is?”, he asks the former spy. “Unresolved family issues”, she answers the SHIELD Agent. Maybe it's a good thing (Y/N) can't remember, she reckons while listening to Barton’s astonishment. “Wait- family?”. “It's complicated”, Natasha responds curtly and turns to Coulson again. “You know there’s nothing I can do Romanoff”, he says. “If the Director won’t approve a rescue mission, then my hands are tied too”. Natasha is about to walk away, constructing what seems to be Plan E at the moment - hijacking a quinjet and hacking every possible camera, database or whatever needed to find your position - when Coulson’s words catch her attention and make her stop in her tracks.

“Off the record, I may have the location of Agent (Y/L/N)”. “What do you mean?”. “You have to understand, we had to take the necessary precautions because of your past”. Natasha finishes his explanation, because she understands what is implied here. “A tracker”. The silent nod of Agent Coulson confirms her statement. “Great. So we both got a tracker. Just great. I’m guessing somewhere underneath our skin, around our ear maybe. Undetectable. Am I close, Phil?”. The tone in her voice is close to blame. It cuts deep. It feels like betrayal. Loyal to SHIELD, but is SHIELD loyal to you? No time to dwell on that however. Maybe even give the guy a bit of credit, now she’s at least able to find you. “I care too, you know. Very much actually. Please, just- bring (Y/N) home, okay”, Coulson says with a low tone, feeling as if he failed to protect his own Agent. His responsibility. “Good luck, Agent Romanoff”. 

“Count me in”, Barton offers as he managed to track Natasha’s sprint towards the elevator. “What?”. “Let's save (Y/N). I’m in”. “But I thought that you guys weren’t speaking, that you hate each-”. “Keep up Nat, we had some beers and what’s in the past is in the past”, Clint interjects. She stares at her friend for a moment, “...Okay”, and accepts. “Then let’s go”. The doors open and both get in. “We’ll get (Y/L/N) back”, Clint reassures as he places a hand on Natasha’s shoulder while waiting inside the elevator. “I just- I can’t lose…”. She doesn’t finish her sentence, preventing a trembling voice from being heard. “I know, Nat. Me too. But you do have a plan, right?”. “Of course I do. Plan H. Let’s pay my old pals an unexpected visit they won’t ever forget”.

Waking up. Disoriented. A sharp pain originates from the back of your neck when you try to lift your head up. Earpiece gone. Weapons gone. And hands zip-tied against the back of a firm, metal chair. Ankles secured too. Very, very tight. They’re thorough, you have to give them that. You carefully look around, a dimly lit, chilly, abandoned warehouse. The windows covering the high ceiling are barely providing any sunlight to pass through, coated by layers of filth. Seriously in need of a proper cleaning. Which basically applies to this entire grimy place. Long overdue. It’s better to just demolish the ghost property into a pile of useless bricks - with your abductors still in it. Well, one can wish. A cold shiver passes through your spine. Why not some central heated motel room of sorts? Guess that’s not how the KGB does things. Counting three grumpy, square-shouldered guards watching over you. Maybe more behind, you don’t know, they’re out of your field of vision. The eyes of the three in sight are burning right through you, definitely not thinking friendly thoughts. What do they want with me? Are they after SHIELD intel? Or do they want to settle an old score? Meaning, I’m dead.

Someone enters. An officer it seems, judging by the uniform. He appears overly confident. Full of himself. Someone who uses others to do the dirty work for him. Because he can. Though, he seems more than capable of committing horrible acts to a human being without even feeling a pinch of remorse. At the sight of him your heart starts beating faster, throbbing against your chest. A wave of pure rage flows over you. Why? Maybe it's his attitude that you don’t like, seeing that the other men are afraid of him. Or simply because he's the reason that you're here.

“Tying off loose ends? Shouldn’t have gone through all that trouble”, you mock, sitting straight up and squaring your shoulders, meanwhile trying to find a way to break free from those zip-ties that are eagerly digging into your skin. He laughs. “Kill you?”. With a small wave of his hand the now less crouchy, more anxious-looking guards lower their guns which were cravingly pointed at you this whole time. “That’s what you guys do with traitors right?”. He laughs again and a stern expression surfaces. “It hurts you’d ever think I would do such a thing to you”. To me? What the hell does that mean? You stop moving your arms. It seems as if he recognizes you, as the other men around also seem to. Not that strange considering you’ve been a KGB operative once, but you obviously don’t recognize them. Not even your own dad.

“I'm certain (Y/N) is still alive”. “How so?”. “You really want to know Barton?”, she requests over the loud mechanical humming, giving him a choice before there’s no turning back. A positive nod from Barton made Romanoff begin. As clear and concise as possible she explains her past, starting in the Red Room. “One day a new ‘recruit’ arrived, only a few years older than the rest of us girls. An outsider. Everybody would think twice before engaging. But I didn’t. We stuck together through it all, trying to survive, and became inseparable”. Clint notices the pain in her eyes. She continues and tells that after spending time together, you began to trust each other. You’d told her about the life before, because you, apart from the others, remembered. That your dad was a fierce man working for the KGB, probably the reason why everyone avoided you. Afraid of you, but especially for your dad. “I suspect that (Y/N)’s mother is the reason why she turned on the KGB later on, knowing all too well what the consequences were”. “Why?”, Barton asks, who until now hasn’t spoken a word and is listening attentively. “Well, the KGB officer didn’t deserve the-father-of-the-year award by a long shot. He was an abusive man. A monster. So one night they ran away, (Y/N) and her mom, who was a real angel in living form”. Natasha clearly has respect for the woman, yet she hadn’t had a chance to meet her. “But it didn’t last and he caught up to them. Taking (Y/N) to the Red Room Academy to fuel all the anger coiled up inside, to turn it into something they could exploit”. “Anger? What anger? You just told me (Y/N)’s mother raised her well, good conscience and everything”. “Because-”. Natasha pauses and swallows the lump that has formed in her throat. “Because the father shot her loving mom for taking his child away. Killed, in cold-blood, right in front of the poor kid”, she says as her voice cracks. “And now he learned that his lost child is somehow very much alive and well. So I doubt he’d kill (Y/N), who by the way doesn't have a clue”, she points out ashamed and thereby wrapping up the story. Clint probably has more questions, which Natasha won’t answer, not at this moment anyway. She looks outside through the small, square window. “Besides, it's me who they want to kill. At least, he wants that”. “Wh- And you're telling me this now?! The moment we're about to storm the place, just the two of us?!”, Barton shouts out. “Told you it was complicated”. Romanoff secures the harness she’s wearing and slides the door open. “It's time”.

The uncleaned glass ceiling breaks into a hundred pieces and scatters on the dirty ground below, finally letting the bright warm sunlight in. Eyes closed for protection, you hear the whirring of a helicopter. Something drops down through the roof, guns entering first, secured to a rope and accompanied by multiple shots. Well, that sure as hell is one way to make an entrance.

After mowing down the guards - of which there were apparently six of - she makes a perfect landing on the metal chair located in the middle of the room where you happen to be sitting on and unhooks the rope. Staring into a pair of green eyes you tease, “Took you long enough”. The redhead grins and moves even closer which sends a ripple of pure energy through you. “Sit still for me”, she whispers in your ear and cuts all the zip-ties with her knife in three, quick movements, freeing you. “Oh, for the record, I had it totally under control over here”, you confidently state while rubbing the red, painful skin on your wrists. “Is that your way of thanking me?”, she returns with raised eyebrows and rests her arms on your shoulders while you put yours around her waist firmly. “Nah, I actually had something else in mind”. “Hmm, that sounds more like it”. Both leaning forward, about to properly thank your rescuer, but seem to have forgotten you're not in complete privacy. “Care to do this some other time?”, Barton interrupts flatly, throwing a Glock your way as the two of you quickly got up from the chair - saving it for later. “Thanks for being here”, you say, squeezing his shoulder lightly. “Don’t mention it. You would do the same for me”. He hands you something else. “This might come in handy too”, something he and Natasha already slipped on as an extra precaution, “you already got enough scars, no need for more”. “You know Barton, I heard ex-assassins dig scars”, you reply while connecting the velcro straps of the bulletproof vest he gave you to protect your torso. Natasha grins. “Real cute”, then replaces that mesmerizing grin for a serious expression.

“I won’t ever turn my back on you. Never again, you hear me”, Natasha voices just before the action’s about to start. You send her a quick hand kiss and silently mouth, I know, while aiming at the rusty doors that are about to open.

More KGB assholes start to flood the old warehouse space from two entrances thrown open with force, alerted by the sound of broken glass and gunshots. What they don’t know is that the SHIELD Agents have taken cover, hitting the handful by surprise. A shoot-out goes down until the first men are able to reach your hiding ground. Barton and you start to throw brutal punches while Romanoff uses her widow bites, jamming her charged fists into the attackers.

“I’ll go sweep the rest of the warehouse”, Barton states after picking up a rifle from someone who doesn’t need it anymore as the three of you are currently the only people not unconscious, or dead, in this part of the building. “I’ll join and take that way”, you state and grab a new weapon too, whereas Natasha answers, “I’ll find us a vehicle. Be sure to meet me this time okay”. You grin. “I’ll do my best, Nat”.

After searching half of the unconscious, or dead men on the ground, she’s about to hit the jackpot. A set of car-keys. But before she can get a hold of it, she hears a sound. She's not alone anymore. “Natalia, so nice of you to join”, someone says, “or should I say, Black Widow?”, accompanied by a set of footsteps becoming louder. Without turning around she speaks, “Yeah I wish it were under different circumstances, like you six feet under with me holding the shovel”. He laughs. “How thoughtful of you”. “Guess your men weren’t that thoughtful, they might have underestimated me”. Still her back turned towards the person speaking to her, continuing her search meticulously. “I know they underestimated you. Something I would never do, Natalia”. The sound of a gun close to her loading up for its next shot made her spin around. Car-keys in one hand, her Glock in the other.

Someone is pointing a weapon, but hesitates to pull the trigger. Like she also had, merely one time before. “Why aren’t you doing something?!”, you shout at the KGB officer in anger, a steady grip on the gun handle. He isn’t even defending himself. The three of you positioned in a triangle, you look at the man claiming to be your dad and then to the person you love who stares at you with worried eyes. “It’s okay (Y/N). You don’t have to do this”, Natasha eases, but it doesn’t calm you down. She sees the hatred burning in your dark, dilated pupils. It’s strange, you don’t know who this man is, or what he did, but he makes every fiber in your body scream. There's so much pent-up rage. And yet, nothing happens. The trigger isn’t moving. “So? What are you waiting for?! Do something!”, you shout again, noticing the gun quivering in your hands. He shakes his head. “You’d always let emotions get the best of you. It’s weak. But I wouldn't kill my own child, you know that”, he answers calmly, looking at you. “And what about the mother of your own child?”, Natasha says accusingly. “What? My… mom?”, you speak softly, even more confused, and meet Natasha's sorrowful eyes.

He laughs once more. The evilness in it makes Natasha shiver. “Love is for children. It's pathetic. And traitors…”, in a flash of a second he grabs his pistol, “we all know what happens to a traitor”, and aims. It's not a regular weapon. Not like the ones his men were using. He probably kept the best for himself. Selfish bastard. Regardless if you remember him or not, he isn't aiming at his own child. No. Following the barrel’s trajectory your eyes stop at the sight of another barrel. A Glock held by a beautiful redhead now less than two meters away. Oh shit...  

Two shots are fired, and two people hit the cracked, cemented floor. It all happened so fast. One of them deserved it a long time ago. The KGB officer, your cruel father. Dead. And the other one… Meanwhile Barton made his way back, having cleared the whole building but freezes when he enters. With an open mouth he stares, speechless, and his eyes getting watery. It wouldn't have been a problem and led to this outcome if the now dead officer had used any of the other guns here present. Yet, the rounds from his pistol were not standard. These were able to pierce one’s body armor. Your body armor.

“Don't leave me. No... Not again. Not now. I just got you back…”, Natasha says hoarsely, fighting back tears and holding you in her arms. Her recently fired gun now next to her on the cold ground. A tear rolls down her cheek and she presses her soft lips on your forehead. After the delicate kiss she whispers,

“I love you. Till next time, (Y/N)...” 

PART 8       

Tags: @5aftermidnight​​​, @ohfuckno​​​

[justagaymess]

SAFE WITH ME...

Warnings: Violence, swearing

Pairing: Beginning of Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary: Y/N is a fire based mutant who is still figuring out their powers and Natasha tries to help them.

Word Count: 2.8k

A/N: This is my first fic and I suck at summaries, I’m sorry. I will probably be continuing this au so the nerdiness will make more sense later.

They were supposed to be backup. In-case of emergency, is what they were told. If that was true, why were they there in the middle of a fight, outnumbered, with no help? They could only guess. Who knew how many HYDRA agents there were lurking about. Y/N looked down and started to focus on their hands, urging sparks to form and turn into wispy flames. The orange strands that tangled around their hands were slowly growing larger, hotter. Y/N thrust their hands out toward two HYDRA agents, flames shot against them, causing them to fall back with the flames attached to their vests. Desperately, pointlessly, they tried to smother the flames before the smoke could smother them. Y/N ran up to another agent, kneed him in the chest, and put their burning hands on his face, which caused a scream and the guard to collapse. The last HYDRA man took them a bit by surprise, he snuck up behind them and pressed a blade to their throat. Y/N gasped as the cold metal met their overheated skin. Y/N brought their hands up to the hand holding the knife. They burned him enough to let go, but not enough to deter him from attacking again. The man was large, not as big as Thor, but still, large enough to intimidate the smaller Y/N. They began to focus again, letting their fire grow over their arms, spread across their torso and into their hair. They charged the man currently gathering his wits. He quickly grabbed his knife and started slashing in Y/N’s general direction. They swung for his legs, making the man stumble and swing his arm down hard onto Y/N. His knife landed in their shoulder, Y/N shrieked in surprise and pain. The man grabbed the knife and started to swing again, when a bullet pierced his back and he fell to the ground.

Natasha lowered her gun and walked over to Y/N quickly; their flames flickered and died out. Y/N quickly discarded their jacket, the breeze cool on their hot skin. Having only gotten their powers six months or so ago, their body was not used to the strain. 

“Your flames were getting pretty big,” Natasha said looking them over. “Almost like the warning beacons of Gondor.” Natasha added, small knowing smirk attached to her lips. Y/N looked at her quizzically. Their face breaking into a grin and a small chuckle forced its way out.

“I cannot believe that THE Black Widow just said that.” Y/N bit their lip to stifle another laugh. Natasha rolled her eyes and tried to hide a shy smile. “Who knew that Natasha Romanoff was a nerd?” They playfully nudged Nat’s shoulder, their hand lingered on her arm.

“I’m more than meets the eye,” Nat winked at Y/N, acutely aware of their hand. “But if you tell anyone, you know what I’ll do.”

Y/N sighed, “I’m fine. Just need to cool down a little bit.” Natasha nodded and looked around, checking the surroundings to make sure that they were clear.

“Steve, Update?” Natasha spoke into her comms, waiting for an answer she turned back to Y/N who was hunched over, hands on their knees and breathing harder than normal. Natasha put her hand on their back and rubbed gently. Their posture stiffened for a brief second after Nat put her hand down, but relaxed quickly, almost melting into the touch.

“Taking heavy fire in the southwest corner; Tony and Peter are inside securing the intel,” Steve responded. Natasha nodded and took her hand off Y/N’s back. 

“You good?” She asked them, checking their position again; making sure nobody was sneaking up on them. They nodded and stood up, grabbed their jacket and pulled it back on. “We’re on our way,” Natasha replied to Steve, and grabbed her gun from her holster. Y/N and she ran to Steve, Wanda and Clint’s positions. They were truly overrun with enemies. Hydra agents everywhere. The team was trying their best to hold them off and stop them from gaining access to the building, but they were quickly losing. Clint’s arrows were flying and there were very few left. Wanda was tired; it could be seen in her body language, hands slower than normal, red tendrils of energy slow and lagging. Y/N understood why, there were too many of them for those three to take on by themselves but, they all liked a challenge. Y/N grabbed their own gun from the holster on their thigh. They quickly aimed and shot a man directly behind Wanda. She gasped and waved a silent ‘thank you,’ before continuing her own assault.

Y/N unloaded their gun rather quickly, too many people, too few bullets, and unlike the rest of the gun toting gang, they didn't carry five extra magazines. They dropped their gun and clocked the guy charging them, knocking him out cold. 

Once again, Y/N focused and let the bright orange flames lick at their skin, the heat and intensity strengthening. They shot flames from their fingertips, taking care to not catch their team in the cross-fire. They smirked and continued their work. Most of the agents are taken care of, Y/N let the flames dissipate once again. This time, they’re on the ground, eyes closed; trying to keep their mind off the dull pain radiating through their chest. Y/N put their head down on their knees and wrapped their arms around their legs. Natasha approached and sat next to them, and put her arm around their shoulders. Y/N flinched slightly as Nat’s arm made contact with their sensitive skin. Natasha noticed it but decided against speaking. They leaned slightly into Nat’s comforting touch. She had taken Y/N under her wing, so to speak, when the new recruit showed up with Maria, just over four months ago. Y/N only had her powers about two months longer than that, having escaped a HYDRA facility much like the one that they were at, not that most of the team knew. In fact only the original Avengers were privy to that information. Fury deemed it unnecessary that the lower ranking members know, for now at least. Natasha was the one training Y/N, being the most skilled in hand to hand combat, also providing an excuse for both of them to be together.

———

THREE MONTHS EARLIER

The compound was quiet, everyone was either on a mission or at their own homes. Y/N was alone for the first time since becoming an Avenger a month prior. Y/N shuffled around the large living quarters, and made their way to the kitchen to grab some food before training in the fireproof room that Tony had made for them. They had decided against getting dressed up to train, instead opting for their sleep shorts with little ducks printed onto the fabric and an old ratty band tee, clothes they wouldn’t mind if they got burned. Once they made it to the kitchen, they grabbed a granola bar and headed down the stairs to the training floor and into the specialized room. They grabbed some of the mannequins and set them in different positions, to practice their aim. They sat down and ate their small breakfast, thoughts swirling around their head. Thoughts about their past, their new team, but mostly of Natasha. She was the first one to try to include Y/N in group activities, be it movie night, or group training. Natasha had taken Y/N in, showing them kindness, but Y/N hoped there was something else there too. They noticed her lingering touches, her eyes drifting down to Y/N’s lips when they talked, they noticed the subtle things that they thought that Natasha might not have even noticed herself doing. Y/N tried to think of something different, every time their mind wandered back to Natasha, her hands on their shoulder, and back, and everywhere. They thought about Natasha’s smile, how it made them feel when it was directed at them, the warmth that overtook them, so similar yet so different to their powers. Y/N shook their head, and hoped the thoughts would get pushed aside as their head moved. Y/N looked down at their hands, they tried to focus and draw a flame, to no avail, their mind kept veering back to the redhead that gained their affection. Y/N tried like this for a while before they sighed, leaned against the wall and slid down into a sitting position. A soft knocking sound came from the door, which startled Y/N, they looked toward the source of the noise. Natasha stood there, eyebrows raised in a questioning expression, a small smirk on her plump lips. 

“Having trouble?” Nat asked, walking over to them. They nodded and stood back up, frowning slightly. “Something distracting you?” She asked taking their hands in hers, her eyes never breaking their gaze. 

“Yeah, you!” Y/N screamed internally to themself. They just shrug, and look away, eye contact too intense. Natasha looked down, her eyes catching sight of Y/N’s ridiculous shorts. She started to laugh. An expression of confusion flashed over Y/N’s face. “What?” They asked aloud, Nat just pointed to their shorts.

“Do you want some help?” She asked, ceasing her laughter. Y/N raised an eyebrow.

“How?” Instead of responding Natasha walked behind them. She wrapped her arms around them, holding onto their arms. Her chest pressed against their back, their eyes widened and hoped that Nat can't see the blush making its way up their neck. 

“Breathe in, one……two……three……” She whispered into their ear. Y/N’s heart was beating out of their chest when she moved her hand to their sternum and waist.They were keenly aware of Nat’s hot breath on the back of their neck, and the rise and fall of her chest against their back. They could barely pull themselves together enough to follow her suggestion. “Out three……two……one…… Continue like that.”

“O-Okay,” Y/N’s voice came out jagged and breathless, they internally cursed themselves. The feeling of Nat surrounding them was intense. They tried, their breath sharp.

“Close your eyes, visualize the feeling of your powers,” They complied, the feeling of Natasha so similar to the feeling of the flames, same heat, same energy, same warmth. Things were definitely different, but having Nat there brought their attention to the similarities. They used the feeling of her right there to try again. A small spark appeared in their hand, soon it spread to cover their palm. They both opened their eyes, they smiled to each other.

“Thanks Natasha,” Y/N murmured. Natasha just nodded and let them go. She backed up and left the room, not uttering another word. Her own heartbeat hammered in her chest.

———

“Don't think I’ve forgotten about the whole Lord of the Rings thing. We have stuff to talk about,” Y/N said cheekily, opening their eyes and unfolding their limbs. Natasha just rolled her eyes and shoved them playfully, standing up, she extended her hand to them pulling them up with her. They dusted off their suits, Y/N watched Natasha, eyes quickly flitted away when Nat looked up at them.

“Uh huh, I’m sure we do,” Natasha replied, walking toward the other Avengers to regroup and wait for the other two to return. Y/N stood still for a moment before catching up with the group. They couldn’t help but think about Natasha’s arm around them. It felt good, almost loving, despite the sensitivity of their skin. Y/N sighed and leaned against the building, watching around for any sign of trouble or their teammates.

After a while Tony came through the comms telling every one to be on alert, more men coming and that they were on their way out. Hot on the heels of that short warning was a flood of HYDRA agents. They swarmed around the badly armed team, everyone started to fight. Y/N, the newest to the team, also had the least amount of training. Which is why they were intended to be back up, not a regular team member quite yet. Y/N was weak, not just because they’ve been fighting for what felt like hours, but because their powers took a lot of energy. Y/N knew fire was the only way to help the team at this point. Their punches didn’t connect and they had been knocked down several times already.

One last time Y/N started to focus, but as soon as they saw those wisps of red and orange they knew they had fucked up. Their powers as well as draining them, had the potential to hurt them, and that is what happened. Instead of the calming warmth that radiated from them before, a raging heat clawed at their skin and burrowed down their body. Y/N’s team needed them but the pain was already blinding, black spots dotted their vision and they collapsed on the grass screaming in pain.They felt their skin burning and blistering, hands red and raw. Their body felt as if it were boiling them alive. It was agony. The only slight relief was that when they went down, their flames shot out and took several agents with them. On the ground Y/N was shaking and the flames were growing stronger. Natasha knew what happened as soon as she heard the scream. She was the only person who bothered to read their file, or talk to them about the “gifts,” as HYDRA called them, bestowed upon them. She knew that this would happen if they overworked themself, but the team needed backup and Y/N insisted on coming with them. Natasha took down another agent and ran toward the burning Y/N. 

“Y/N! Y/N focus on me!” She yelled over their convulsing form. Y/N looked up, tears streaking down their face, blurring their already spotty vision. “I need you to focus on my voice and match your breathing to mine.” Natasha spoke in hope of calming them down enough to make the flames disappear. They watched Natasha breathe for a moment before slowly matching her rhythm, the flames gradually lost their height and intensity until all that was left was a bright red Y/N, their sobs wracking their body. Natasha leaned in and wrapped her arms around them, trying to comfort them. Y/N shrieked at the light contact, their body covered in burns. Natasha quickly released them and looked over Y/N, trying to find any place she could lay a comforting touch.

Tony and Peter ran out of the building not stopping to help take down the rest of  the agents. 

“Come on! We got it! Lets go!” Peter spoke. Wanda and Clint ran after them, and Steve ran over to Y/N and picked them up, despite their protests. The pain only made worse with the pressure of Steve’s arm on their back. The Quinjet was ready to take off as soon as they got on board. Steve set Y/N down in one of the seats and Natasha sat next to them. Steve stepped away to talk to Tony after securing the belt around Y/N.

Y/N leaned backward, hands splayed out on their knees, the slight pressure on their body almost intolerable. Natasha sat sideways in her seat, eyes trained on Y/N’s slightly pain contorted face. She reached up and tucked some loose strands of Y/N’s hair behind their ear, gently she ran her fingers through their Y/H/C locks. Y/N closed their eyes and sighed, they grabbed Natasha’s free hand. Their hand wrapped around Natasha’s, they held on lightly. Natasha released a small smile as Y/N started to drift off.

Y/N woke several hours later in the medbay. Bandages covered their arms, hands, and their full torso. They looked around the pristine white room and spied the redheaded assassin curled up in an uncomfortable looking chair. They smiled and closed  their eyes again and tried to reposition themselves. The movement sent shooting pains through their body and they gasped and groaned. The full force of their injuries hitting them. Natasha bolted upright and stood next to them. She put her hand on their cheek and bent down to look them in the eyes.

“It’s alright, I’m here. You’re safe, you’re with me,” Natasha whispered and lightly stroked Y/N’s cheek. Y/N looked up, a small half smile played at the corner of their lips as they sighed. Natasha called for the doctor, once they had checked them out and cleared out of the room, Natasha pulled her chair over next to the bed. She sat down and held Y/N’s hand lightly. A comfortable silence fell over the room, the only noise was from their breathing and the rhythmic beeping of the machines that Y/N was connected to. 

“Talk about those beacons, right?” Y/N croaked out with a secretive smile. Natasha chuckled, shook her head, and rubbed the back of their hand. 

[scienceglitches]

How does your Shockwave perceive his relationships with say Megatron, Soundwave and Starscream??

Who’s asking---? 

Omg no, but aaaaaaaaahhhhhh

All three are vastly different ones, though admittedly I feel like I may be bare bones with Megatron because how the Prime animated series handled him was very....disheartening towards what Megatron could be. It felt like a disservice to his character? But maybe I’m also giving Megatron too much credit in combination with believing they tried to wrap up too much in a short amount of time, ahah. (But also I’ve only watched Prime, animated, and Cyberverse so my source material for Megatron is a poor library as is fjaosidfz)

Read more bc this got kinda....lengthy...Sorry if this more than what you were hoping for anon!!!? ;;;;; (It may not even be what you wanted at all LOL;;;;)

 With Megatron; Shockwave thought him someone to be respected at first. A scenario of “He a little confused, but he got the spirit”. And in some regard Shockwave still does respect the bot, but he “justifies” this that he saw Megatron fight a lot of battles in the pits. He patched Megatron up in a lot of positions, it would make sense for a bot to lose their sense of self or to go power hungry like Megatron seemed to do. To go from (minor?) to Gladiator to commanding your own army that’s strong enough to wage a war across Cybertron large scale is a large jump, especially for a society where caste systems were very strong and upheld. Even for someone who opposed that very caste system, you could become weak in other areas when given even a slim chance to oppose it on a large scale. 

 Never mind how obsessed Megatron became over Optimus Prime.

 It was at that point that Shockwave knew he was only entirely with the Decepticons for his own sake. To be able to freely experiment and expand the knowledge of where things can go. He tried to observe it as a thought that Optimus was what remained of that caste system, but Megatron showed his old ways. Old ways of treating everything like a Gladiator show, had to throw in dramatics, had to impress. Which isn’t something Shockwave can relate to. Impressing others is not why he does what he does. 

 He perceives his relationship with Megatron as something that could have been better, but ultimately only sided with him in the end as a means to properly exercise his genius to create and explore where other bots didn’t want to under the strict ‘right vs wrong’ caste system. Megatron disbanding the Decepticons because Only At That Moment he discovered suffering feels wrong to Shockwave, like maybe there’s something more? It wasn’t logical how the dissolve of Decepticons came to be, but he was never that loyal either so he’s not hard pressed to hunt him down and find out why. (Though if given half a chance he’d love to pry deeper into the reasoning, just out of curiosity.)  Ultimately it’s nothing, he’s not missing anything with Megatron’s absence. At most maybe Megatron still gave Shockwave what he wanted, as with the rebuild of Cybetron maybe the caste system won’t be so strict and he can experiment as he wants again. 

 With Starscream: I’m speaking with thinking of @soleresistar‘s Starscream in mind, of course. Since they’re kind of my Starlight and I only have this blog because of them! But I feel like their portrayal of Starscream is so fucking spot on I don’t think it’s canon divergent. I’ll mostly be playing off of what has already developed between the two in our threads and maybe some stuff that we have vaguely planned out for these two in the future! 

 Shockwave perceives his relationship with Starscream as something greater than what he had with Megatron, for sure. And as of right now they’re Partners, Starscream is definitely someone that Shockwave now has to trust despite the past three times Starscream has lied to and betrayed him. Shockwave feels like there’s more to observe of Starscream than with Megatron. And despite how eratic Starscream is on the outside Shockwave feels like there is one common thing within that makes him act like this; Which is fear. Something that Shockwave can piece together and understand, he does this or that because he’s afraid. Especially considering what has happened to Starscream in the past and all that he’s lost. Wanting to be validated also makes sense in all of this. 

 Having to trust Starscream so that he can survive (both of them) is something powerful, and Shockwave can even understand that. At this point it’s only logical that they would work together, but in Shockwave’s processor he definitely understands that Starscream could find one (1) thing that could cause him to decide to turn tail and leave Shockwave in his bulky, slower, and land bound self to defend for himself. Which was easy when he was the only one on Cybertron (sans the insectcons), but now there’s Autobots riding around causing a ruckus.

 Their relationship is...there. And in the past Shockwave has definitely used Starscream as a basis for how to act or emote. While moving his antenna’s is natural for him, they only do so much. Wings, however, he’s discovered convey so much more. And that’s something he’s interested in! Also the very concept of the hidden Seeker language is fascinating and something he’d like to learn just to learn. (Bc Shockwave’s just a beefy nerd)

 Starscream will become a bot that Shockwave ‘trusts’. Starscream is scientifically curious, and wants to find his place again that’s not living in fear if he so much as breathes in a disapproving way to Megatron. Shockwave is willing to give him this place.  

 Dratz and I have even discussed scenario (in deeper and longer depth) where if they did manage to find Megatron, and he decided to go back to his old ways of physically berating Starscream Shockwave would step in. Without the ranks of the Decepticons it is illogical to show your disapproval in this way, there is nothing to disapprove of. If you wish to be angry, than be angry, but take it out on a rock (or a bot more your size.) It’s just ridiculous. Though, other than finding Soundwave, Shockwave has no want or need to find this estranged warmonger really. 

 With Soundwave: OOOOOOOHHH, forgive any biased as WaveWave is my like....default ship for Shockwave. But I’m trying to explain this in a way that’s not totally biased and is just how I think they perceive each other. (Or Shockwave of Soundwave, anyways) And I say default ship in the sense of....Shockwave is without a doubt endeared to the other bot, and exists very comfortably with him. Where as normally Shockwave is constantly operating in a sort of rigid way of needing to figure literally everything out even about himself. 

 Their trust is impeccable. When Dark Mount was literally falling down around Shockwave, he calmly requested a groundbridge and just kinda waited for Soundwave to get that for him. While things were falling down around him, because he knew that Soundwave would get it for him in time. Or another time when Shockwave was still out retrieving Predacon bones himself, when Bumblebee and Smokescreen showed up and ganged up on him (and eventually Optimus too) Soundwave? Just showed up? Soundwave never leaves the Nemesis unless ordered. Another small thing would be when Cybertron was still livable and before Shockwave’s first accident Soundwave just like. Points for Starscream to go to Shockwave. Shockwave can say without a doubt he trusts one bot and that’s Soundwave.

 And in all honesty I feel like I would need to headcanon deeper with someone who muses Soundwave about what exactly happened during the Gladiator days. Also on the fact they share a name. They’re not regarded as brothers or twins like others in the series, so in some way I feel like their sparks are touched by each other. Maybe not deeply, maybe not subtly at all actually! This is stuff that I think about a lot and over the top but don’t really have the other half to muse or headcanon off with. (Because like. I get Soundwave, but I don’t get Soundwave. He’s not my muse.) 

 I also know that I headcanon Shockwave as permanently having a comm link opened up for Soundwave at all times, so when he got sent to the Shadowzone it was a very jarring and emptying moment for him. But there was also so much going on in that moment Shockwave didn’t have much of a chance to investigate it or do anything about it. And then it just became more and more difficult to do anything about it as things started really hitting the fan. 

 But Shockwave perceives his relationship with Soundwave as something absolute, it’s unavoidable. 

 Shockwave has also picked up cues from Soundwave, similar to how he has with Starscream. At first Shockwave, too, thought that Soundwave’s oath was ludicrous and pointless. But as Shockwave is learned from a couple different walks of life, there’s a certain expression in silent languages that spoken ones really can’t get across. (Which is weird for a scientist based entirely on logic.) 

 Just as a fun bonus here’s a dumb meme I made for @stiillness when we were talking one night ahah

[korora12]

Ladybug Week Day 2 - Bedtime Stories

Day 1 Day 3

Word Count: 3810

Grimm. Monsters of nightmare, of bedtime stories meant to scare children. Behave, little Tenny, or the creatures of grimm will fall from the sky and eat you. No one knows where they come from or even how they function since grimm fade and dissolve upon death.

What is known is this: they are the greatest danger any space-faring civilization will face. Grimm move freely through space without need of a ship or air, their black bodies invisible against the void and only small white masks reveal their presence. Their method of moving through space so quickly is a mystery. It’s unknown what they eat, or even if they need sustenance. They don’t seem to be intelligent; at the least, no one has ever been able to communicate with them. Where there is one grimm, you can be sure there are more, and their only goal seems to be the eradication of intelligent life throughout the galaxy.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Today was just not Ruby’s day. What started as a simple escort job for a crateship carrying raw construction materials to Draconis 3, known locally as Eltanin, had quickly gone south when a spawner appeared from nowhere. Spawners were massive grimm that ranged in size from football field to small island nation and did exactly as their name implied; they spawned more, smaller grimm. Ruby thanked the stars that the one that had appeared, vaguely whale-shaped and covered in tentacles, was only a little larger than the crateship they were guarding. They would’ve stood no chance against an alpha spawner.

Crescent Rose was fast, agile, and deadly, which made her perfect for dealing with the smaller grimm, and thankfully she wasn’t alone. A second ship, the Crocea Mors, had also been hired for the job. She was an old ship, old enough that she would’ve fit better in a museum than out in space, but she’d been well-maintained and still seemed to function well. She was much slower than Crescent Rose, but her heavier weapons let her crew unleashed hell on the spawner directly.

Still, two ships against an effectively infinite stream of grimm was not good odds, and the numbers began to take their toll. Crocea Mors couldn’t stay on the spawner long enough to do any real damage to it without getting swarmed, and every time Crescent Rose swooped in to pick some grimm off her hide, they were forced to leave the crateship wide open. During one such run, grimm had managed to break into the crateship through a side window. The area had been sealed off from the vacuum of space, but not before several dozen of the creatures had boarded the ship.

Ruby had made the decision to dock with the crateship to protect the crew; Jaune would just have to make do without them for a bit.

Yang had stayed on Crescent Rose, taking control of her many guns and pointing their firing AI at any grimm that drew close. Ruby, Blake, and Weiss had rendezvoused with the crateship’s small crew, then started hunting grimm on foot.

Since this was their first real battle together, Ruby made sure to keep an eye on how her crewmates fought. She herself had brought her lazrifle onboard; her ballistic rifle would’ve been more effective against the grimm, but it was also more likely to blow a hole in the ship walls. Each pull of the trigger caused a small explosion of heat and light wherever she pointed, but only a sustained pulse would be able to tear through a space ship’s thick, coated walls. With a sixteen-centimeter bayonet attached to the end, her gun was nearly as long as she was tall, but Ruby was far too familiar with its heft for that to hinder her.

While Ruby held back and mowed down grimm with near-perfect aim, Weiss was the first to rush in to the fray. She was a materia, a silicon-based species made of light-generating crystals who had made their home on the planet Atlas. Weiss in particular looked like someone had carved a human out of white diamond or glass. Their bodies, though usually mobile, were extremely hard, allowing her to fight grimm up close without worry.

Watching Weiss fight made it obvious why Yang was so smitten with her. She wielded a thin sword and lazpistol in tandem, and the way she moved was like art in motion. One wouldn’t expect a creature of stone to flow like water, but she managed to do just that as she danced between opponents, blade flashing and gun firing. She wore a pair of modded magboots that let her glide across the floor without lifting her feet and could send her shooting towards an opponent like a particularly pointy missile.

Following in her shadow was Blake. Weapons wielded in opposite hands and blade a bit broader, she was nonetheless similarly equipped as Weiss, but the way she fought set her apart. Where Weiss had danced, Blake instead flew. Her naturally high strength and reflexes were further heightened by selectively overclocking certain internal systems, causing her to move almost too fast to follow. Ruby had very good eyes, but it seemed the grimm were not so lucky as they fell to her sword and gun as easily as they did to Weiss’ as she leapt and bounded through their numbers.

The trio was making short work of the grimm when the entire ship suddenly shook. Ruby immediately hit her helmet’s comm. “What was that?”

“Are you kidding?” Yang’s voiced rang in her ear, tinged with panic. “Try looking outside!”

The sounds of battle faded as Blake and Weiss finished clearing out the hallway. “We’re not near a window. Tell me what’s going on.”

“The spawner just latched on to the crateship. I had to break loose to avoid being crushed.”

A new voice joined their channel. “We’ve lowered the barricades on all the windows and airlocks,” Captain Braun, the man in charge of the crateship, said. “Most of the breached areas are blocked off, but the site of the initial breach is still unresponsive. Atmosphere is dropping in the areas ahead of you, and if they get much further, we’ll start losing our shipment.”

“Jaune has an idea for destroying the spawner,” Ren chimed in next, “but we’re going to need some help to line up the shot.”

“Right.” Ruby’s mind whirled. The situation might be different, but what needed to be done was still the same. “Yang, rendezvous with Crocea Mors and give them whatever help they need to kill that thing. Captain Braun, close off the areas behind us. I don’t want this ship to completely depressurize if they break through.”

“You risk getting trapped if I do that.”

As the only member of the boarding party that couldn’t last for hours in the vacuum of space, Ruby was equipped with a skintight spacesuit, an oxygen tank, and a helmet, all worn under a large red cloak. “I’ve got three hours of oxygen. That should be plenty of time to clean up and get everyone inside before I run out.”

Ruby could hear heavy metal walls slam down behind her. She pressed a button on her helmet and it fabricated a clear visor before her eyes, sealing her off completely. It cut her off from most sound, but her crew was fluent in Atlesian Sign Language. “Let’s go,” she signed.

The trio continued down the hallway, more barricades dropping behind them as they went, until they finally reached their goal. At the end of the hall were a pair of massive metal doors partitioning them away from the gaping hole in the ship that Ruby knew was on the other side. Unfortunately for them all, a lot of grimm had made it through before the barriers came down, and some were still there, trying to pry it open. A loud bang on the door suggested there were yet more grimm still waiting to pile through.

Ruby attacked first, using the advantages of surprise and range to take out three grimm before they realized what was happening. One, a round thing held aloft by long, spindly legs, fired a series of white spines from its back. Blake deflected several with her sword while Weiss and Ruby let them shatter harmlessly against their skin and cloak respectively.

The spider-like grimm was already dissolving, courtesy of Ruby’s crackshot aim, by the time Blake and Weiss closed the distance between them. The battle was over in under a minute.

Ruby activated her comm, speaking into the silence of her helmet. “That clears up the grimm that got through. Now as long as the doors hold we’ll be—” She was cut off by a loud clang as both doors shook violently.

“Ruby,” Weiss signed, managing to get her point across despite both her hands still carrying her weapons, “please stop talking before you get us all killed.”

The trio backed away from the doors as they shook again. “Activate magboots,” Ruby signed. The women managed to stick themselves to the floor just in time for a fourth strike to tear a hole between the doors. Ruby’s cloak whipped around her as all the air in the hall suddenly decided it wanted to be outside. The onrushing air pressure bent one of the doors at an angle, widening the gap further.

Small, tube-shaped grimm, each no bigger than a small dog, began pouring through the opening in droves. They were covered in legs, as many jutting upwards as facing the ground, and each leg was tipped with tiny claws sharp enough to dig into the metal floor and pull them forward in spite of the onrushing air. At their size even a lazpistol could do enough damage to kill one with a well-placed shot, but there were so many they threatened to overwhelm them through sheer numbers.

The airflow cut out before the invading grimm managed to fill the space between them, leaving the room depressurized and its occupants free to move again. “Spread out,” Ruby signed, and her crewmates obeyed. Before the grimm could spread in response, she leaned over into a runner’s crouch, gun held tightly in both hands. Lines on her suit began to glow before the world blurred passed her.

Cybernetic enhancements in her legs, coupled with further enhancements in her boots, put Ruby’s top speed somewhere around 100 kilometers per hour while on the surface of Vale. With no air resistance, on a ship with lower gravity, Ruby topped out closer to 200.

Grimm scattered as she sped through them; she lowered her bayonet blade into their numbers, further spreading her range of destruction. With a slam of her legs she leapt high enough to bounce off the ceiling, bleeding off momentum with the help of gravity, then came to a complete stop by landing feet first in a puddle of ex-grimm directly in front of the open doors. Her crimson cloak settled around her, long enough to reach the ground and protect her from the claws of any grimm she missed.

Ruby took a moment, as her crew began picking off the stragglers, to take a look inside. Or perhaps it was outside now. Whatever purpose this room had once served, it wouldn’t be able to return to the task anytime soon. Most of the outer wall was gone. Remnants of window frames hinted at its previous shape, but they had largely been ripped away. In their place was a giant tentacle as wide across as the room was tall. A large chunk of flesh was missing from the end of it, no doubt repurposed into the attacking grimm.

Had the tentacle been responsible for breaking open the door? Much of the room was still blocked off from her angle, but if she could poke her head through quickly, she might get a better read on what they were facing.

Her comm sprung to life in her ear. “Ruby, look out!” Blake shouted.

She was already backpedaling before she could see why. A massive hand, black as night, grabbed the side of the bent door. Another one joined it, then two more. A great heave peeled the door from the wall, revealing the creature behind it.

Even hunched over as it was, the grimm’s head brushed against the ceiling. It’s bone-white mask, bulbous, mouthless, and misshapen, sat squarely between the shoulders of four pillars of muscles that might be called arms. Its furred torso, as wide as it was tall, rested atop four squat legs that spread in each direction for balance.

It tossed the door aside and charged.

Ruby’s crew was already moving before it reached them. Blake leapt straight up, slashing repeatedly at its torso as she rose, then ricocheted off its shoulder. Turning in midair, she began unloading her lazpistol into its mask as she flew backwards. Ruby put distance between herself and the monster and, the moment Blake was clear, started taking shots at its elbows, wrists, and shoulders. Weiss dashed around its feet, tearing gouges and jabbing holes in its legs and knees.

The creature kicked out a foot at Weiss, three stubby toes latching on to her and slamming her into the ground. A brief flash of purplish-white shone from inside her; the equivalent of a scream of pain for a species that spoke with light instead of sound.

Blake was already hurdling towards her, having bounced off a wall to redirect her flight, when she saw her scream. A full-force flying slash severed one of the toes, giving Weiss enough room to stab upwards into the sole pinning her down. The grimm flinched backwards and Weiss was able to free herself. Blake grabbed her arm to help her up, and neither seemed to notice as the monster raised two fists to the ceiling.

Not enough time to warn them via comm, Ruby instead did the only thing she could think of to get them out of harm’s way. She dashed forward at high speed, grabbing both of her crewmates as she passed, narrowly avoiding its falling fists and skidding to a stop in the room beyond their foe.

Blake gingerly rubbed her side where Ruby had grabbed her, but nodded her thanks anyway.

The grimm struggled to turn its oversized bulk in their direction, buying them a little time. “We’re wearing it down,” Ruby signed. “If we keep attacking it from different angles it should have trouble keeping up with us. Stay in motion and don’t lose focus.”

Before either woman could respond, the room began to shake. Ruby’s eyes widened in shock as she had a sudden realization. She’d zeroed in too much on the giant grimm attacking them that she’d forgotten to account for the spawner tentacle still protruding into the room. She’d assumed, based on experience, that it’d used up so much mass making their current foe that it wouldn’t be able to spawn more grimm for a while. She’d failed to consider that it could still attack them directly before she rushed them all into its range. It had no way to sense their exact location, Ruby was pretty sure of that, but that didn’t stop it from flailing wildly until it hit them.

She wrapped her cloak tightly around herself and hoped it would hold up. Weiss was zipping along the ground, dodging the writhing tentacle as best she could. And Blake…

Ruby’s heart stopped beating as she watched Blake misjudge a jump and take the full force of the spawner straight on. She hit the wall and didn’t bounce back.

Ruby screamed Blake’s name and it echoed in her ears.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The world was dark when Blake reactivated. She lay in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. A warm breeze blew through an open window, carrying with it the scent of flowers and grain. She was on a planet, then, which didn’t square up with her most recent memory of being thrown against a wall by a Grimm. Sitting at the side of her bed, head in her arms and seemingly asleep, was one Ruby Rose.

She was still wearing her spacesuit and cloak, with signs of helmet hair clear atop her head, despite the fact that Blake’s internal clock told her over a day had passed. A book lay half-open by her side, next to her discarded helmet.

Blake shifted in the bed and Ruby bolted upright. “Blake! You’re awake!” Her silver eyes were rimmed red, adding to her bedraggled look. “Thank goodness, I was so worried.”

“Hey.” A quick self-diagnostic revealed that most of the damage she’d suffered had been repaired. But still she wondered, “What happened? Is the crateship and crew okay?”

Ruby nodded while rubbing some sleep from her eye. She spoke in a quiet tone, more reserved than her usual cheer. “Yeah. Jaune’s plan worked. Yang says he had a mass driver that launched high-yield explosives straight into the spawner’s mouth. Blew it to smithereens. After that it was just clean up. Most of the Grimm retreated, and Weiss and I were able to kill the one on the ship and get you back to Crescent Rose.” Her hand dropped back to the bed. “But you were hurt really bad, more than Weiss could fix on her own, so we took you to a hospital once we got to Eltanin.”

Blake looked around the room she was in. It most certainly did not look like a hospital room. It looked more like someone’s house. She had a pretty good idea how the rest of the story went.

Ruby balled the bedsheets between her fists. She continued, “when we got to the hospital, they wouldn’t even look at you. They said…” she broke off, looking away. “Well it doesn’t matter what they said. It’s not worth repeating. Yang was ready to start threatening people if they didn’t admit you until one of the doctors pointed us towards a clinic in a nearby town.” She shook her head as if trying to clear it. “How could they do that? Just turn away someone in need?”

“It’s unfortunately common,” Blake answered, though she suspected the question had been rhetorical. “Hospitals aren’t legally required to have someone on staff who’s familiar with FAUNIS biology. Without anyone who can give the proper care, they’re allowed to turn us away.”

“It’s not right.” Blake could see tears forming in the corners of Ruby’s eyes. “You could have died. And they were going to let it happen. People like that…” she trailed off, not finishing the thought aloud.

Blake placed her hand over Ruby’s, pressing down until they finally unfurled. She understood Ruby’s anger viscerally; she’d felt it herself more than once.

When Ruby met her eyes again, her voice was quiet and plaintive, begging for an answer. “Are these the people we’re out here trying to protect?”

It was a difficult question. Blake couldn’t deny that she resented those sorts of people. But she’d also seen where that resentment could lead if left unchecked. “There are good people too, who do deserve protection.” She waved her hand around. “Who was it who took us in?”

Some of the visible tension began to leave Ruby’s shoulders. “Dr. Zong. He’s a FAUNIS too. Most of the town is, from the looks of it.”

Blake left Ruby to her thoughts. This was an important moment, but Ruby had to figure out for herself what it meant. It was easy to go from “these people willfully and cruelly hurt me” to “they don’t deserve my protection” to “the world would be better off without certain people in it”. She’d started down that path once, and getting off it had cost her dearly. She didn’t want Ruby to suffer the same way.

To be honest, Blake’s brush with near-death bothered her a bit as well. Diagnostic logs showed that a crack had formed in her core matrix, the one part of a FAUNIS’s body that wasn’t replaceable. Repairing it would’ve required careful application of properly programmed nanobots, which a hospital not set up for treating FAUNIS likely wouldn’t have had. If left unchecked, the damage could’ve worsened, causing loss of memory, personality, or even identity.

So the pair sat in silence for a while, until Ruby at last broke it. “I’m sorry.” She turned her hand over, wrapping her fingers around Blake’s. “I’ve seen racism before, but it was different this time. I was so scared that you might not wake up. The thought that I might never get to see you again… I wasn’t even that scared when the spawner showed up, but from the moment you hit the wall and didn’t get up, I wasn’t able to think straight.”

There was something more here. Something Blake was supposed to say. Ruby was important to her, Blake knew that much. Even though she’d only known her for a couple months, Blake found herself drawn towards her captain in a way that wasn’t entirely unfamiliar.

She’d told herself at first that her interest was only in trying to prevent Ruby from turning out like that man. But the more she got to know this woman, the more certain she became that the similarities she’d noticed were only surface similarities. At their cores they were drastically different people.

And anyway, getting things right with Ruby wouldn’t make up for or undo her past failures.

Despite that, there was still a definite attraction there, but it wasn’t the sort of thing Blake was ready to put a name to. So instead she said, “Thank you,” and hoped it was enough. She squeezed Ruby’s hand with her own, then pulled it back.

“Of course,” Ruby replied.

Unable to meet her captain’s eyes, Blake’s sight instead fell on the book splayed out on the bed nearby. “Did you fall asleep while reading?”

A hint of pink touched Ruby’s cheeks. She picked up the book, gently straightening creased pages before shutting it fully. “It’s an old adventure novel my dad used to read me to help me sleep. I thought you might like it, so I was reading to you. Not that you probably heard any of it. Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Blake said, parroting Ruby’s earlier words. “Are there any grimm in it?”

“Completely grimm-free. It’s a fantasy story about a married couple, a historian and an archaeologist, who discover an ancient civilization and are changed by its unknown magics.”

“Sounds interesting. Do you want to keep reading it to me?”

Ruby’s face lit up with a grin as she flipped back to the first page. Blake did her best to stay awake, listening as a story filled the air between them, but doing so proved difficult. The air was warm, the bed was soft, and Ruby was nearby. Before the first chapter was done, she’d turned once more to the land of dreams.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Lance didn’t see it as running away. “Running away” suggested he could run, not simply rolling himself around in the wheelchair that Shiro insisted he use until he was safely out of sight. He hadn’t given up his baby sitting duties, not once Krolia was released from the pod, nor when Curtis was released. His friends were all being overly careful not to mention Keith’s status. A status that had only sent him into a deeper pit of depression. After a movement in the damn pod, Keith had finally been released. Lance should have been happy, his husband was released after all... only, he hadn’t woken. One quintant ticked into the next, then the next... and the next, and into a whole new movement. Keith had been left in a coma, despite being placed into a pod within vargas of the attack. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He could touch him. He could hold him, but no matter what he did, Keith wouldn’t respond. Now Lance was striking out on his own... through a series of what Keith would call “bad choices”. First came disregarding Shiro’s insistence that he rest. Keith was moved into the same room as him and Curtis, and after what had felt like a movement of hellish torment, all he’d wanted to do was curl up with his husband. At the time, no one had predicted that Keith wouldn’t rouse from his stint in the pod. Cuddling into him, Lance had been determined to be there when he woke. Then when Keith hadn’t, he’d gone slightly mad... slapping his unconscious husband hard across the face when he refused to wake up and show him those deep amethyst eyes he loved so dearly. Shiro had pulled him off, ordered him to sleep in his own bed, livid with him for his actions. That was when he started planning. Feeling guilty that his boyfriend had woken when Keith hadn’t, Lance had managed to get his comms returned to him by manipulating that guilt uncomfortably, he’d then called through to obstetrician and okayed the surgery that he hadn’t wanted when Keith was there to babysit him and keep a watch for any symptoms he may miss. Surrounded by friends and family, he shouldn’t have felt as alone in his pregnancy as he did. Without Keith to ground him, he felt lost and reckless. He had no idea what to do or what choices to make. He didn’t have the right words to make everyone around him feel better. Pity was plastered on the face of everyone who’d visited him, Zethrid and Ezor were no exception to that. No one wanted to look him in the eyes, leaving him feeling like he was a leper shunned from society. Shay has tried to perk him up by finally asking what an Earth wedding was like, that soon came to an end when Shiro shooed her off “because Lance needs his rest”. He didn’t need rest. He didn’t want rest. He didn’t want Shiro pestering him over if he wanted Coran or Miriam to come stay with him while he was confined to his hospital room. His Mami had made it very clear that she wanted him to come back to Earth while Keith lay there comatose. Veronica had explained everything to her, he could see it in her eyes as when they’d spoken. The way she paused that fraction of a tick too long as she tried not to reveal the truth of the matter to him. Everywhere he looked was another “betrayal”. None more so than his husband who refused to wake up.

“Sneaking” out the infirmary as everyone slept wasn’t easy. Shiro heard the creaking of the wheelchair when he’d climbed out of bed jolting awake mid-snore to ask where he was going, Lance smoothly lying as he stated he was going to pee. His catheter had been removed when they finally let him shower himself, and he wasn’t afraid of blood so his IV cannula was soon removed too. They were someone else’s problem. With the bathroom next to the room’s door, Shiro didn’t move from Curtis’s side as the door let out its usual soft whoosh. Kosmo’s nails clicked on the stone flooring as his fur son stayed by side. Once sure that his footsteps wouldn’t arouse suspicion, he climbed from the wheelchair only for Kosmo to growl at him until he sat down again. His wolf was a dirty rotten traitor, but he also knew how well loved he was and how to use those big puppy dog eyes on him. Rising slower, Kosmo growled again, his mouth finding Lance’s hand in an attempt to stop him

“I know. I know, Kosmo. I have to go. It’s for the sake of the twins”

Kosmo may be the dumbest wolf in the universe, but that was only when he wanted treats and pats. Lance knew he understood everything perfectly. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t react to situations he did. Whining at him, Lance ruffled the fur between his ears

“I know you don’t like it, but it needs to be done... I can’t stay here. It’s... it hurts too much. I keep waiting for your dad to wake up, but he’s left me here and I can’t go with him or to where he is... I’m not strong enough to keep watching over him like this... he won’t wake up... no matter what I do...”

Kosmo whined at him, not happy he’d left the company of the others but Lance had made up his mind. He was falling apart from the inside out. He knew he was breaking in an entirely different way and to stay would only cause troubles.

Creeping through the corridors, Lance headed to Keith’s quarters. He had clothes at the outpost, but he needed his work comm back. Shiro hadn’t let him have that one, so when Krolia had lent him her comms to show him a video of Kolivan sitting up and snoring with Korra asleep in his arms, he’d set up permission for him to take a pod and have wormhole to Erathus opened. He felt guilty betraying her, yet he’d never get off the damn planet if he hadn’t. Opening the door to Keith’s quarters, he jumped visibly as he was caught in the act. Krolia was sitting on Keith’s bed, Korra and Kolivan not there to witness his shame

“I had a funny feeling I’d be seeing you tonight”

Rubbing his stomach to hide how much Krolia had scared him, Lance stared at his baby bump, suddenly fascinated with the fabric of his plain black top

“What are you doing here?”

“I was notified you’d left the infirmary. I’m well aware of the arsenal that Keith keeps under his bed. I cannot allow you see Krystaal in your current state of mind”

Krolia thought he was going to see Krystaal? Dios knew he wanted to. He wanted to shoot the arsehole in the face, but he was smart enough to know that he couldn’t get down there to see him without everyone knowing

“Who said I wanted to see him?”

“Lance...”

Lance shot her a glare. He was tired of all this tiptoeing around

“Krolia”

“You should be resting...”

“I’m done with resting. I’m sick of that room”

“You haven’t...”

“I haven’t what, Krolia? Go on. Tell me what I haven’t done. Tell me what I don’t know. I’m done Krolia”

“Lance, Keith wouldn’t want you...”

“He wouldn’t want what?! He wouldn’t want me talking to Krystaal? He wouldn’t want me talking to the piece of shit who put him in a fucking coma?! He wouldn’t want me being treated like I’m made of glass? What am I supposed to do? He might never wake up! And none of you are treating me...”

“We’re worried about you. You were doing so well. Then you took my comms and scheduled a wormhole to Erathus. What were you going to do? Kill Krystaal? Take him hostage? He’s not talking to anyone”

Lance let out a bitter laugh, twisted with a touch of madness

“Of course this has to be about Krystaal. You couldn’t imagine it being about anyone else, could you? I was doing well? You mean I was keeping my damn mouth fucking shut and letting all of you decide everything for me. Tell him the damn truth, Krolia. Keith won’t wake up. He might never wake up. He’s as good as dead”

Flying off the bed, Krolia stormed over to him, slapping him across the face. Shocked, Lance clutched his cheek, tears welling and rushing to roll down his face

“I’m disgusted how little you believe in him”

“That sounds about right. I’ve always been disgusting. The only difference is that now you all have Keith to explain it away. Poor Lance. Who do we pass him onto now that Keith’s up and gone? We can’t leave him alone. We can’t let him make his own decisions or even let him leave the planet to see his obstetrician. No. He’s a murderer. Obviously he’s planning the murder of Krystaal! Everything has to always be about Krystaal!”

“You’re the one obsessed with Krystaal! Your medical care has been transferred here”

“You decided that! Keith knew that wasn’t what I wanted. He knew! I’m brain damaged, not stupid. I know I can’t see him. You all this in too fucking fragile too handle it! None of you trust me. I’m done with being treated like this!”

“You’re the one...”

“Don’t you dare turn this back on me because you can’t make him talk! Hack his memories. Inject him with a truth serum. Torture him! Do something fucking more than acting like you care when all you care about is the fact I’m carrying your grandchildren! Rest. You all tell me to rest because I’m pregnant. You tell me to rest because of the twins! Don’t get out of bed because it’s bad for them!”

Krolia grabbed his left wrist so hard he felt as if it was bruising immediately

“You think it’s that easy. I have never seen you act so childish”

“You’re hurting me!”

Growling at Krolia, Kosmo raised his hackles. When Krolia shot him a glare, his cowardly fur son sat, though he kept his teeth bared.

“What’s going on here!”

“Let me go!”

Saint Shiro had found him far too fast, Krolia also seemed surprised that a former Black Paladin’s presence

“I’m taking Lance to see Krystaal. He seems to think we’re all relaxing while Keith remains unresponsive”

Tugging at his wrist, he couldn’t get free of Krolia’s hold. Part of him was seriously starting to panic with his plans being so thoroughly unrailed

“Let him go, Krolia”

If anything, Krolia’s hold tightened causing him to whimper

“He’s given up on Keith. He used my comms to approve a wormhole off planet”

Krolia was so angry that Kosmo growled at her again, pawing towards him as he didn’t know what to do with two of his humans fighting

“Lance? You were planning on leaving?”

Shiro sounded hurt. Great. Just fucking great

“He was planning on taking his revenge of Krystaal then leaving. He’s given up on Keith. He said we should tell Krystaal Keith is dead”

“No I wasn’t! I told you it had nothing to do with him! Let me go!”

Shiro caged him in from behind, reaching around him, his fingers started prying Krolia’s hand off his wrist

“Then what were you doing? You never planned on coming back from the bathroom, did you”

As Shiro’s hands start trying to free his wrist, Krolia let go. Lance clutching his wrist to his chest, with Shiro continuing to remain behind him

“Lance? What were you planning on doing?”

“I have an appointment with my obstetrician... I wanted to go to my appointment but none of you cared about what I want. You took it upon yourselves to decide all of this and to tell me nothing. At least Kolivan as honest with me. He told me what was going on... I came to get a few things because I wanted to do this on my own. I can’t keep watching him sleep. He won’t wake up... I can’t wake him up”

“Lance... you could have talked to us”

“You keep telling me to rest. You keep talking at me...”

“Shiro, his medical care has been transferred here, to us”

Shiro knew his issues with previous obstetrician. He also knew how happy they were to have found someone who treated him like a human

“Krolia, let Lance talk. Lance, you have an appointment?”

Lance nodded, Krolia shifted her weight causing him to bump back into Shiro who placed his hands on his shoulders

“She was... my doctor was formulating a plan to help with the bleeding, if I was still bleeding. And with my medication... and stuff. You know what it was like... but she was confident. We liked her. We were supposed to be planning things together. She tells me the truth”

“You should have told us. You can’t go running off when things get to hard”

“Krolia, that’s enough. Lance, you can’t leave on your own. Did you call anyone to meet you there?”

“How could I when none of you let me have any privacy?”

Shiro sighed deeply. Yeah, Lance was going to hold onto his anger over that. They’d all treated him exactly how he hated to be treated, except for Kolivan but he was Krolia’s partner so it’d be weird not to be slightly mad at him... but he wasn’t mad at him the same time. The man was more awkward than Keith had ever been

“You’re not going on your own”

“Then I’ll call Daehra. I can’t do this Shiro, I’m not as strong as you. I can’t sit here and wait for my husband to maybe wake up... He left me... He wanted... I was bleeding and he chose you... I could feel it and he chose you... when I begged him not to go. If I’d been stronger he... he wouldn’t have had to shield me. He wouldn’t be like this! This is my fault... all my fault. Please... please let me go. I need to know what’s happening with his babies”

Shiro forced him into a tight hug. Still scared from Krolia’s outburst and his throbbing wrist. Disappointment had clouded her expression, he felt sick to the stomach from being the cause of it

“Why do you always keep it inside until it comes to this? I can take you. Curtis is awake, watching over...”

“No. Dios... I don’t want a baby sitter! I don’t need a baby sitter. I want to go. I need to go”

“Lance, you can’t. What if you had a seizure? What if no one was there and something went wrong?”

“Then it happens... if Keith isn’t awake, then what does any of this matter? Everything is broken and once again I came second best to you. We can’t compete with you...”

Each word was a spiteful barb aimed at Shiro’s heart. He was lashing out with words he didn’t want to say but had no way of stopping them now that he’d snapped. He didn’t care if he died mid-surgery. He could be a good father to their sons without him. He couldn’t even take care of himself as they’d all proven

“... I want to go back home. Back to my outpost. I want to go back to where I don’t feel like this... I want my brother... I want Marco... I can’t keep walking on eggshells like this. You won’t let me see, Krystaal. You won’t let me get any kind of closure over why he had to hurt Keith like that... or why he betrayed everyone”

Marco would help him figure this out. Veronica worries too much, as did his Mami. Marco worried but he worried in the right ways... not this “lock down and wrap him in cotton wool” quiznak style everyone else was employing. He didn’t know he’d wanted Marco until he’d said it...

“Krolia, you can return to your quarters. Keith and Lance both decided they were going to Erathus for help with Lance’s pregnancy. Lance had a pretty rough time on Altea, Keith was scared yet excited for his next scan. We need to respect his decision on his pregnancy. However, Lance, you’re not going to get any answers from Krystaal. I can take you to see him, but he hasn’t spoken. In return for taking you, Daehra, and Marco will be required to meet you on Erathus, where I will deliver you into their care myself, and you’ll take Kosmo. He knows when you’re stressing and knows when a seizure is coming on. Keith would want him with you. Also, I want you to see Keith before you leave. I want you to be sure of this. He will wake up. Is there anything here you want to bring him?”

With Krolia in their space, angered by him and his actions, their safe space felt tainted. He knew how stressful being a mum could be, he’d seen it in Lisa and his cousins. Plus she had an empire to run and a son in a coma... and it’d been 25 years since the first time around... There were lots of things he wanted to take to Keith. The blade he kept under his pillow. Keith’s own pillows and his favourite blanket. His own clothes. Photos... ultrasound scans... the thought of them felt like they were making a shrine around Keith’s bed... but...

“There’s a box in his bedside drawer. He’d want that...”

Inside the box was Krolia’s memories of Keith and his father. Keith had needed a little time to sort through the box and find the words he wanted, before he’d finally opened up to him. Laying in bed, cuddled up in Keith’s arms with his back to Keith’s warm chest, his husband had pulled the small pile of photographs out from under his pillow. Lance had no idea that Keith had kept them there. Keith didn’t remember everything from his childhood, no ever did from that age and there came a point where you hear a story so many times that you fool yourself into having that memory, but he’d started talking. Those days when his father would burn dinner spectacularly so they’d settle down and eat cereal while watching cartoons. The times his dad would come stinking of smoke, only to pick him up onto his hip and place his helmet on his head. The times Keith tried to help in the kitchen, sitting on the kitchen bench and bossing his father about. They weren’t all good memories. Memories triggered more memories like an earthquake before a tsunami. Keith growing restless and annoyed at his own tears, spluttering apologies while rolling Lance onto his back and shimmying down to talk to his stomach, telling their twins about their grandfather while Lance played with his hair. His husband content to nuzzle and kiss his stomach as he spoke slowly moving from his father to Shiro, then to meeting him. He was grateful for the memories, though confused and unsure at some points as he’d talked about photos and places. Lance let him talk, for what felt like vargas before his husband finally moved back up to lay by his side, one leg thrown over Lance’s as they shared small and soft kisses. Keith finally able to open up about his life, and his fears of leaving their twins behind. Now he had. Lance wasn’t stupid over how much everyone missed Keith’s presence but they also didn’t need him like he needed his husband. Everyday was a struggle to exist without Keith. He relied on him so heavily to simply be there that without him it was like losing half his body and soul.

“Just the box?”

“Yeah... yeah. He’ll understand”

Bit by bit Keith had left him in, let him fix the pain in his heart until he accepted that his father would be proud of him. More than one nightmare of losing his father had followed, Keith tearfully admitting he missed him beyond words. Lance had promised him that wherever he was, he’d always be watching over him. Having been in space, he’d learned anything was possible... so maybe heaven and hell were a possibility too, or some form of it. He’d told him how his father would be watching over him the same way he’d watch over the twins if anything were to happen. Keith had called him an idiot, but he’d take being an idiot any day of the movement if it meant being there for his husband

“Alright. I’ll get the box. Do you need anything from in here?”

“Just the bathroom...”

“Ok. You go clean up while I get the box and call Daehra. Krolia, I think it’s best you leave now. I’ll check in once Lance is on Erathus”

Krolia looked to him, but Lance didn’t have the words to say. He felt scared of her. Scared of her and her disappointment all over again. To him it felt as if their relationship had been sent right back to square one. She loathed weakness. He was nothing but weak in her eyes now...

Led to see Keith before seeing Krystaal, his husband continued to sleep as Lance kissed him goodbye. His tears dripping onto his husband’s cheeks faster than he could wipe them away, whispers of love against Keith’s lips, even if his idiot husband didn’t deserve it. He didn’t want to leave him behind but he needed space to breathe and to figure out how to live without him all over again. He didn’t know his left from his right with how overwhelmed he was. He loved Keith. He loved him more than all the words he knew to describe his feelings. He couldn’t stop crying as he pulled away from him. Shiro would take over the exercises to stop atrophy from forming, Krolia would take over bathing him. Curtis would read to him, he promised that much as Lance drew in on himself. They had this handled. They didn’t need him there. Tears were still rolling down his face as Shiro led him through the palace. Lance wasn’t sure he knew what he was going to say to Krystaal, he’d given up on having the chance to see him with everyone watching his every move. He still wanted to shoot him in the foot... and slowly move his shots upwards... He also wanted to punch him right his self-centred arseholic face. He also wanted to take the Telula and pick that princess up for a nice long talk, or maybe just launch her out the air lock as she hovered in orbit over her damaged planet.

Reaching the entrance to the cells, Shiro confirmed he had Krolia’s permission with the Galra guiding the hallway. He was mammoth in size, even compared to someone like Sendak, a chill ran down Lance’s spine as he tried to draw away from the man and his strange scent. Pregnancy had made scents a hundred times worse for him, yet with Keith by his side he’d worked hard not to be so scared of each individual Galra’s differing scent. After coping Krolia’s anger, his anxiety left him shaken, and had the man gone to shake his hand he probably would have thrown up on him, or fainted. Both seemed as likely as each other. His skin was already starting to itch with the memory of phantom and unwanted touches by Galra just as big as this guard. A whimpered growl escaped when Shiro placed his hand on his shoulder to silently reconfirm that he wanted this. He didn’t. But he did. He wasn’t sure this was going to help anything, and all it was doing was fuelling the anger he was trying not to give into. He was supposed to be off of Daibazaal by now. He had no idea how much time had passed, but he was sure he’d be cutting it fine in regards to his appointment time. Gnashing his teeth together, Lance was forced to breathe through his nose as he gently pushed forward into a hall of unremarkableness. It’s sterile and cold grey walls were surely enough to drive any prisoner to talking if more traditional methods didn’t work. The walk it’s self was short, only a handful of violet bars flickering through Lance’s peripheral visions before Krystaal was before them.

Sitting on the floor of his cell, Krystaal seemed to be in a mediative pose as Lance and Shiro stood before him. Having had a run in with the same bars previous he knew they’d deliver a small shock if he was to get too close. Hesitant as he raised his gaze from Krystaal’s crossed legs, the first thing he noticed was the carved “y” on his arm. The design crude, cut from the man’s fingernails and bloodied to deliver the full effect. With how Krystaal was posed, and the lingering hues of blood in the air, Lance was pretty confident in his guess that Krystaal had “touched up his work of art” once he’d caught their scents in the hall. He’d thought maybe his infatuation with Keith had caused him to go to such lengths but he’d clearly gone off the deep end

“We’ve come to inform you that Keith passed away approximately three vargas ago, having never regained consciousness”

Shiro’s hand tightened on his shoulder, Lance forcibly removing his hand. No one would stoop so low as to play this hand, no one but him. Everyone else was too damn “noble”, yet Lance found nothing noble about Krystaal’s actions and acted without guilt clouding his conscious. He wanted to hurt Krystaal. He wanted to cut him bone deep

“He sustained catastrophic brain trauma from the last explosion to hit the temple. He was placed into a pod, but the pod cannot restore a brain dead patient. He was held in status until it was ensured that both of his children will live, then removed to be prepared for burial. He also told me about your kiss, and how disgusted it made him feel... to the point he threw up at the memory of your lips against his. Unlike you, my husband was brave, honorable and courageous. He came to me straight after the incident to confess what had happened. He considered you a friend. He took pride in your training and skills. He couldn’t understand what provoked you to kiss him, only that it shattered any and all ties between you the moment it happened. He is dead as a direct result of his actions because you were petty. You will never lay your eyes or hands on him again, nor will you be granted permission to attend his funeral. His children will grow up without their father because of you, and we will go on our with our lives, forgetting you existed. We have no hate for you, only pity. Your actions cost the life of one of the hopes of the universe and for that you will stay locked in here. Banishment is too good for you. The princess already admitted her part in the plan, you’ve been shamed across the galaxy for your attempts to ruin Keith’s life and memory. If you think that mark on your arm scares me, it doesn’t. How could an uneducated half breed as yourself understand what that mark ever meant? I hope you enjoy what crippled freedom you think you retain. And I hope the memory of Keith’s kiss sustains you, is branded on your soul like a brand from an iron. Because your kiss sentenced him to death. I’m done here. I only came to tell you that my husband is gone”

Krystaal’s need for superiority overruled his held tongue. Lance knew he loathed him every bit as much as he did Krystaal

“If Keith was dead, you wouldn’t have come down here to see me. You’re not that kind hearted, Lance”

“You’re right. I’m not. I’m a murderer who’s killed a lot more people for less than what you’ve done. Keith, on the hand, was. I’m telling you for his sake”

“Why would I believe anything you say?”

“No one said you needed to believe me, but the fact you broke your silence means your worried that it’s true. You’re not the strong silent schemer you thought you were. There’s no strength in holding your tongue when the object of your insane and petty jealousy is no longer around. I’m leaving Keith’s here with his family, and don’t see myself returning. My children and I, my family, will be returning to live in the place he wanted to settle down in. I don’t care what you think, I’m done with you. We’re all done with you”

The human mind was amazing when it wanted to be. The coldness Lance projected stilled his racing heart and dries his tears. Everything he’d felt up until that point seemed to vanish away as his face settled on a rather neutral expression. None of this meant anything particularly. He felt no stab of pain in his heart as he described Keith as gone... just a kind of emptiness where that pain should be. Turning, he started to walk away from the cell

“Don’t you walk out on me! You didn’t deserve him! You ruined him! I’m glad he’s dead! Being hated by him to the very depths of his soul means I was never far from his mind in his last thoughts. You’re nothing but a murderer and a whore. A piece of shit stuck to the bottom of his boot! He told me he didn’t even wish for you children! He didn’t wish to be entwined that way with you. He very rarely spoke of you until you returned to ruin him. You might believe he loved you, but if he hated me as you say, then I was in his thoughts as he died and that ultimately means I meant more to than you. You’re an abomination of nature. It’s laughable that you were ever a Paladin”

“You know, for a guy who you say you hate, you seemed to love talking about me. You seemed to really love stalking me. Slandering me across the intergalactic media. Yet, you still mean nothing to me. Klearo means more to me than you. So maybe that means you’re simply so insignificant that I’m going to forget you the moment I walk out the door. You went after “Daibazaal’s Shining Prince”. You have no friends left in the universe, no, they already confessed when they learned of Keith’s condition”

“Keith should have been with his own kind!”

Continuing to walk, each step grew a little easier as the weight on his shoulders lessened. He wouldn’t be surprised if Shiro called to tell him Krystaal had taken his own life sometime over the next few quintants. Keith would grieve, because his husband was a caring idiot, but Lance... he held no sympathy for him.

[imagine-loki]

Mad Predictions

TITLE: Mad Predictions

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 8

AUTHOR: inspired-snowflace

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: “A freedom restrained the sun shall invoke, The gift from the plea a mother spoke, Purpose shall be bestowed upon your life, In form of one you should have called wife, A lover presumed dead shall be back, Now shall you truly pay for your attack.”

Ever since the fortune teller had spilt these words, Loki’s life was thrown into a hurricane. He dared to hope that after the attack on New York and the following arrest, things would get better, but these words seemed to point in an opposite direction.

Things would never remain the same, for better or worse.

RATING: Everyone

NOTES/WARNINGS: Description of war. This includes something that isn’t part of the MCU Canon. Also, a short ellaboration on your powers- when you turn your wrist counter-clockwise, it tortures your subject (The slower, the more pain) and turning it clockwise kills them easily and consumes way less power. Updates earlier on my tumblr!!

RECAP : Loki regrets his past actions but doesn’t confess the reason he did them. Time passes on.

~a month later~

The attack started the first thing in the morning.

The city of Sokovia was once again threatened by extra-terrestrial beings. They were similar to the Chitauri, but they were obviously smarter and stronger than their brethren who had attacked New York. Apparently, they wanted vengeance for their previous defeat and so they decided that the best place to attack would be Sokovia, which had already suffered one attack in the past and had not recovered from it entirely. For the first time, the tide was in favour of the Avengers.

Wanda put all her emotions in her fight since her brother, Pietro had died saving the city and she would do all in her power to protect it.

Unbeknownst to you all, even Loki worked overtime since he wanted his own sweet revenge on the Chitauri for making him a mere puppet in the hands of Thanos.

You stood in the place since the past hour, turning any nasty Chitauri that dared to come close to you to dust. But of course, they had a ace up their sleeve.

You first heard it over the comms, Hawkeye muttered, “Guys! How are you even dealing with these things? They don’t seem to die!!”

“Dear Hawk, looks like your eyesight has worsened. For each of these stupid things that die, there are two!” Black Widow said in the comms.

“Guys, for the past hour I have been trying to kill them, frying, roasting, boiling, deep frying, nothing seems to work on them.” Tony sounded exhausted through the comms. “I have been avoiding them by flying. Cap’s Orders- first evacuate citizens and then find a way to kill them.”

“Even lightning doesn’t work!” Thor sounded irritated through the comms.

“And from my and Hawk’s side, you can definitely eliminate arrows and bullets.”

You were completely confused. Two for each that die? What was going on?

Then Steve’s voice crackled through, “Team, focus on civilians first. We will deal with these creatures, later. Ok?”

“Umm.. Guys, could you please elaborate on the issue of ‘kill one get two free’?” You asked.

“Y/N, since you haven’t noticed…. THESE IDIOTIC CREATURES DO NOT DIE, NOT REALLY, THEY JUST SPRING BACK ALONG WITH A SECOND BODY AND KEEP COMING!” Tony screamed. “Does anybody have any ideas to kill them?” He added.

You looked at all the dust around you. Not a single one had resurrected. What were these guys talking about? Then you saw it. Hawkeye jumped over buildings with a small crew of Chitauri running behind him. When one of them came too close, Hawk shot him. But the monster would fall for a second and then suddenly awaken back as two. It was that moment that you realised that the perfect recipe to a dead Chitauri was shredding it to perfection.

“Have any of you guys tried turning them to dust?” You questioned over the comms.

“Well breaking news, Y/N!! You can’t exactly turn these things to dust with an arrow!!” Clint said, exhaustion and frustration imminent in his voice.

“Well, Congratulations Clint, for your birthday you get some Chitauri dust!!” You exclaimed while quickly twisting your wrist clockwise at Barton’s tail.

They immediately disintegrated into piles of Chitauri dust. Clint looked behind him in shock only to see no followers. However, killing so many together took its toll on you. You started huffing like you had just run a marathon. Meanwhile a grateful Clint jumped down a two floored building and landed gracefully.

He headed towards you and said, “Well, Chitauri dust makes a decent birthday gift.”

“Cap, your recipe is to turn them to dust.” Clint said in the comms.

“Well, I don’t think that except Y/N, there are many of us who can do that. Y/N, Charge to you. Over.”

“Fine. Cap, Nat, Thor and Clint; I want you to help the civilians. Loki and Wanda, my fellow magicians, just hold these guys out or if you can turn then to dust, do that! Tony head over to my location, I would like an aerial position to murder these creatures. Do not kill these creatures yourself unless there in an absolute necessary.”

“On it!” Wanda confirmed.

Clint quickly headed to the direction where he could hear screams.

“Ummm.. Y/N, I would gladly head over but I have a tail of like 40, very, very, angry looking Chitauri.” Tony said.

“Head over to my location and give me a window and a clear shot. I shall deal with them.”

“Fine Y/N, behind you!!” Tony screamed. You turned to see Tony soaring skywards and the Chitauri following him. You made quick work using both your wrist and soon it was raining dust a few feet ahead of you.

The effort caused you lots. You were literally on the ground trying to catch your breath. Tony came back down and lifted you from behind.

“Nice work there, kid!!”

“Tony, to Wanda and Loki’s position.” You panted.

You arrived quickly at Wanda’s location. Wanda had managed to turn many to dust herself, so had very few Chitauri in front of her. But you saw the deep gash on her left leg and figured she could use some help. Tony flew you closer so that you could get a better shot. You turned your left wrist and the dumb things turned to ash. Wanda turned and smiled at your pair.

“Loki is dealing with too many, I can sense it. He is at the centre of the city. Y/N, here is my energy.” Wanda said while red wisps floated towards you, providing you with a new boost. As a contrast, Wanda fell to the ground with all her energy drained.

Feeling newly energized with whole of Wanda’s energy, Tony flew you to Loki’s location. You had prepared yourself to be extremely professional on field, so Loki and your past didn’t matter on the battlefield.

But the moment he came into your view, you were shocked. Loki was fighting hundreds, if not a thousand, all alone! He froze some, trapped some in magical loops, cast illusions of himself running away to distract a few Chitauri. Behind him, Steve, Nat and Hawkeye guided the civilians to safety. By the sheer number of civilians present, you assumed that they were being held hostage. Steve would occasionally join Loki, to knock some out. Not strong enough to kill them, but enough to keep them down for a few moments. You intended on using your powers, but there were so many! Killing a mere 40 had caused the wind to knock off your lungs, but handling more than a hundred all by yourself!! Even with Wanda’s energy, you would die before you even erased half of them from existence. A sudden surge of panic hit you when you remembered that you were the only one capable of defeating them, the others could only assist you. This victory was riding on what you did.

“I can’t do this!! There are too many!!” You cried out from sheer panic gripping your veins.

“Y/N, you can do this. I have complete faith in you.” Steve said with firmness. This reassured you a bit.

You turned your wrist in the direction of a few Chitauri which were about to attack Loki. Your breath become more laboured almost immediately. It was ironic how an action as small as turning your wrist caused you to lose so much energy.

“Tony, set me down there; that will give me good height.” You said pointing to a crashed car behind Loki.

Tony flew you over while you decimated a few Chitauri that were heading towards the civilians. He set you down nimbly on a car, ensuring that you had enough energy to stand.

“Fly over to Wanda! Get her to the evac ships!” You told Tony.

“Kid, you sure?” Tony’s voice seemed uncertain.

“Yeah! The Chitauri might attack her!” and to prove your point a few Chitauri disintegrated on the turn of your hand. You started panting heavily, but there was no way the war was over yet. Hundreds of Chitauri still surrounded you, while Loki did his best to hold them off. Tony flew with a start, leaving black marks on the bonnet of the car you stood on.

Suddenly, a voice whispered something in your mind. While training with Wanda, you had learned that the thing you called your ‘gut instinct’ was actually the soul stone talking to you. You had got used to the soul stone warning you in your mind, but this didn’t seem like a warning. It seemed more like an idea.

“Uhhh… Guys? I have an idea…. Not sure of it, really…” You said uncertainly, this was definitely crazy.

“Is it crazy?” Tony asked over the comms.

“Would it kill all the Chitauri?” Steve enquired.

“Yes! Yes to both!” You exclaimed. “Not sure whether I have the energy though…” You muttered under your breath.

“Then go with it!” Steve and Tony exclaimed in unison.

You were sure that no one heard your second sentence. But a string of green energy flew into your body from Loki’s direction, leaving you energized, then surprised.

“It is all I can manage. I will require the rest to hold them off. You can do this, Y/N.” Loki said loudly while looking dead ahead, as if he wasn’t talking to you.

The Asgardian God did provide you with a lot of strength. Atleast now you will be able to save the avengers, even if you yourself die. “Thank you.” You said as gratitude flooded your voice.

On the comms you said, “I would need cover!”

“On it!” Steve replied almost immediately. You let the soul stone take over you. You started chanting a spell with your hands slightly raised at your side, palms as if you were holding two beach balls.

You saw Steve jump to your protection and knocking a few Chitauri out, even killing some in the process. On his left, Loki did as earlier, freezing the Chitauri, trapping some in magic and even lulling some to sleep.

You muttered ancient words that made no sense to you. However, You knew that they were your only chance. Suddenly, a group of about 50 Chitauri stopped completely and turned back as if they were being controlled by a remote. Was this the soul stone’s idea?

You traced the line of direction in which they were walking. Oh shit!! They were heading straight towards the civilians!! You wanted to use your energy, but you knew you couldn’t waste any. Steve also came to the same conclusion and started heading towards the small battalion.

“Y/N, you have lost cover!! Some are following the common men!!” Steve shouted over the comms.

At that exact moment, as if the Chitauri knew your vulnerability, he shot a weapon, which looked very much like an arrow, only sharper and extra-terrestrial, straight at your heart. You looked with shock at Loki, who was too busy re-freezing soldiers who had gotten free and were trying to attack him.

So this is how you would die.

[crossbows-and-moonshine]

Blood in the Water (Sequel to Such a Softer Sin) Chapter 8)

(Chapter 1)

(Chapter 2)

(Chapter 3)

(Chapter 4)

(Chapter 5)

(Chapter 6)

(Chapter 7)

This is honestly just a few thousand words of pure smut and I’m not even sorry looool. I realised I had not given you the goods yet in this one, so here it is. Might not be everyone's cup of tea, but there you go. Things are about to go pretty serious soon so I wanted something a little more lighthearted.

-----------------

The next morning Lila was sat at the table, the boys opposite as they had breakfast. Rocco was still asleep, he’d ended up drinking a bit the night before so no doubt he’d be in bed for a while. Lila made the boys a full cooked breakfast, saving a plate for Rocco in the oven. She opted herself for toast, not feeling up to eating much. The boys were a little worried at her, they noticed she didn't seem to eat much lately claiming she felt off, but she put it down to the stress of everything. They felt guilty the whole thing was making her unwell. The boys were talking to each other in a language she didn't know, but she didn't mind it, she was too busy staring at them as they glanced to each other, deep in conversation. They were only in their jeans and she found herself admiring them.

She wasn't sure if it was from being worked up the night before or what, but she squirmed in her chair, eyes scanning one boy at a time. They were different body wise, but both equally devastatingly beautiful. She wasn't aware she had completely zoned out as she was just ogling them both.

“Lila!” Connor yelled, making her jump and her eyes snap to his. He was looking at her like the cat that ate the canary, clearly catching her in the act. She felt the heat sweep up her chest and to her face and when she chanced a glance at Murphy, he was smirking at her, quirking a brow.

“Ye see this Connor, she’s not even heard a word we said.” Murphy snorted, all too pleased with himself.

“Aye, too busy eyein’ us up it seems.” Connor grinned, making her want to strangle them both. They were enjoying this far too much for her liking. She crossed her arms over her chest and squinted at them defiantly.

“You know what, I was eyeing you up, can’t blame a girl when you're sat there half naked.” She raised a brow, giving them both a very obvious once over. Much to her amusement, the boys smiles vanished and they shifted in their seats, clearly being affected by her wandering gaze. A slow smirk spread across her face, the tables now turned and she almost laughed.

“I’m horny, so if anyone of you two wanna help me out, I’ll be in the bedroom.” She stood up, sauntering off to the bedroom and the boys watched her go, swallowing thickly. They glanced to each other before the dove out of their seats, shoving and pulling at each other to trip the other up. Murphy was the first to enter the room but he stopped dead, Connor running into his back and almost knocking him over. Lila was stood there, shirt discarded and the light reflected on her pale skin, making her look like a fucking angel. Both boys could do nothing for a moment but watch her. She shimmied out of her panties, flinging them at them with a mischievous smile.

They snapped out of it then and Murphy rushed to rid himself of his pants and boxers, Connor following suit but at a slower pace, not as impatient as his dark counterpart. Murphy practically dived on her, lips crashing to hers and she welcomed him, kissing him back just as greedy. His hand tangled in her hair and he tugged it, making a moan leave her lips that he swallowed willingly. Connor suddenly came up behind her then, she could feel him hard and wanting against her ass cheeks and she arched her back, pressing herself against him. Murphy was still kissing her like he needed it to breathe whilst Connor started his assault on her neck, kissing and nipping at her. Her head was spinning, it always did when these two touched her like this.

She broke away from Murphy just from the sheer need to breathe and she turned in Connors' arms, wanting to kiss him too. They switched, Connor kissing her deeply whilst Murphy marked up her neck real good, being more aggressive than his brother as usual. She loved it though, she always did no matter what they did to her. She nipped and tugged at Connors lower lip, making him groan low in his throat. She smiled up at him wickedly before shoving him over to the bed.

“On the bed, sit up against the pillows.” She demanded. The boys looked at her, quirked brows curious and half amused since she never took charge with them in bed. They were conflicted, part of them wanted to take back that control whilst they also wanted to see where this was headed. The boys shared a look before Connor smirked and shrugged, curiosity winning out as he did what he was told, laying back on the bed propped up by the pillows.

She took Murphy's hand and pulled him along behind her on the bed as she climbed on to it, giving him a good view as she did. He licked his lower lip as he watched her and situated himself behind her. Her hands slowly stroked up the inside of Connors' thighs, making him squirm a little, watching her with a hooded gaze. Murphy gripped her hips and ground himself into her ass with a groan, licking and sucking her neck.

“Christ m’girl, want inside o’ ye.” He pleaded, his heavy breathing tickling her ear. She almost relented but a child was the last thing they needed right now. She turned to look at him over her shoulder, their eyes locking as he stared her down intensely.

“You know there's another hole you can stick that thing right?” She asked with a smirk, raising her brow almost challengingly. He blinked at her for a moment, letting her words sink in and then a devilish grin worked its way on his face. Seeing he was following her line of thought, she turned her attention back to her lighter twin who was watching her with rapt interest. She bent down, the motion causing her to rub more against Murphy and he moaned, watching her beautiful ass.

She took Connor in her mouth with ease, making the boy let out a loud moan. He gathered up her hair, wanting to see her as she sucked his cock, he almost came right there when she looked up at him, eyes twinkling with mischief. She was working wonders with her mouth, swirling her tongue around him and then taking him all the way in, keeping him on his toes. It was making some interesting noises come from him and Lila was loving it. Murphy sucked two of his fingers, they didn't have lube here so they had to improvise, and he eased them inside of her, his cock throbbing from feeling how warm and tight she was around him. He had never taken her this way before, only Connor had, usually Murphy didn't trust himself not to go too hard too fast with this and hurt her. But right now, she wanted him to do this, that much was clear, and fucking her like he usually did was a no go as much as he hated it. He wasn't about to let this opportunity pass him by, he would just have to exercise the virtue of patience.

She moaned around Connor, feeling the fingers inside of her, the vibrations made his hips buck up slightly, almost choking her and as punishment, she dug her nails into his thigh a little. He hissed a breath and looked down at her, hands still in her hair, they were both shocked to find the slight bit of pain seemed to bring him more pleasure. That was interesting and Lila would surely fucking remember that for later. She already knew Murphy liked that kind of stuff, she didn't expect it from Connor. Neither did he judging by the mildly incredulous look on his face. Murphy worked his fingers inside of her, feeling her relax around him. She whimpered when he withdrew them and he smirked to himself, always loving how needy she was for them. He spat on his hand and lubed himself up, stroking himself as he looked at her heart-shaped ass as she sucked his brother off, making his brother moan like a bitch in heat. His brother wasn't necessarily pushing his thoughts or feelings onto him, but Murphy was tapped into him so deeply that he was picking up on it anyway. Connor was more than enjoying himself and Murphy only got more aroused at the running commentary of how her pretty mouth felt wrapped around his cock.

Murphy lined himself up with her, slowly easing into her.

“Fuckin’ Christ!” He gasped, she was so hot and fucking tight and he wanted nothing more than to ram his dick into her until he was fully sheathed.

“Slow Murph.” Connor warned breathlessly, trying to give him a pointed look but failing as the lass took his cock in fully once again and he hit the back of her throat.

“Fuckin’ am.” Murphy bit out, easing himself into her slowly. She was a little tense at the intrusion and it was only making things harder for him. His whole body felt alight with an all-consuming fire and he had to fight his urges so he didn't hurt her.

“Christ Connor, talk te her in French, fuckin’ somethin’!” Murphy practically begged, his voice bordering on a desperate whine. Connor couldn't help but chuckle at his brother's misfortune, at how he was struggling to hold it together. Murphy wanted to smack the shit out of him and he would have if it wasn't for his current predicament.

“Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas mon frère, tu vas partir comme un écolier? (What's wrong brother, you going to go off like a schoolboy?)” Connor asked goadingly, his eyes leaving Lila for a moment to smirk at his brother.

“Fuck you.” Murphy growled, resting his forehead on the back of her neck. His fingers were digging into her hips almost painfully and Lila was well aware she’d be wearing his marks for the next few days. She was trying her hardest to relax for him and she could hear in his voice how hard he was trying to hold it together. She wasn't sure what Connor said in French, the language always got her going when the boys used it during sex, but Connors tone was rather smug. Murphy was finally fully inside of her but he stilled completely, breathing heavy as he tried to compose himself.

“Peut-être devriez-vous laisser le frère aîné tenter sa chance? (Maybe you should let the older brother have a go instead?)” Connor grinned, moaning softly as Lila once again took him all the way in.

“I’m the oldest.” Murphy protested, rather weakly since he was so overwhelmed by the girl he was trying his hardest not to tear in half. He felt Lila laugh under him, the girl amused that even in the middle of this they would argue about it. Connor laughed at him, pleased once again at his brother's misfortune and then he sucked in a breath as Lila dug her nails into him once again, almost like she was punishing him for laughing at his brother.

“I’m gonna kick the shite outta ye when we’re done.” Murphy bit out, causing another breathless laugh from Connor. Lila dug her nails in once again and he winced.

“Fuckin’ hell, who’s side are ye on lass?” Connor grumped, gasping as he hit the back of her throat. Murphy wasn’t sure what she was doing for his brother to ask that but he smirked against the back of her neck, pleased she was sticking up for him.

Lila arched back to Murphy, wanting him to move now she was relaxed enough and he let out a needy moan that he would probably be ashamed of if his brain wasn’t riddled with lust and love, he reached around her, rubbing circles around her clit as he started thrusting slowly. Slow wasn't his usual pace, he was usually hard and fast, fuck you through the mattress kind of guy, but he had to be careful with her. She moaned around Connor, sucking on him more eagerly and he gasped, bucking up into her mouth again. The more pleasure his brother inflicted on her, the more greedy she seemed for him, he was loving it. Murphy set a steady pace, and she was practically riding his hand. The motion was making her ass jiggle and it was getting harder for him to keep his composure the closer he got. He growled, and the sound seemed to spur her on as a loud muffled moan came from her. It was like a chain reaction as she deep throated Connor and he cried out, unable to stop his impending release.

“Fuckin’ hell!” He moaned, eyes screwed shut as his hands in her hair tightened, thrusting into her mouth with a slew of curses. He came hard, feeling like the air had been sucked out of his lungs and his cock fell from her mouth with a pop as she swallowed every drop he gave her.

She rested her head on his thigh, now fully able to just concentrate on her own pleasure and Connor ran a hand through her hair, watching her intently, he always loved watching her. Her moans were needy and high pitched, her body arching against Murphy as he got a little faster, unable to help himself. He pinched her clit lightly and that was all she needed, a keening moan left her lips as her body tensed up, jerking a little. Murphy held on tight for the ride, letting it bring his own release on as he cursed up a storm in different languages. After a few more harsh thrusts he spilled himself inside of her, wrapping his arms around her middle as he leant against her trying to catch his breath. After a moment, he pulled out reluctantly, watching his juices spilling out of her. It filled him with pure male pride, like he’d claimed her, and he rubbed her ass cheeks affectionately before moving to lay next to them.

She was still on all fours, head resting on Connors' thigh as he played with her hair. She felt weightless, like jelly, and she hummed contently. Connor looked to his brother, no words needed once more as they were in perfect accord with each other. Murphy helped her up and lay down facing him, and Connor moved to lay behind her, wrapping an arm around her middle. Murphy smiled at her, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. She smiled back, a blush spreading on her face when she realised just how loud she had been and Rocco was only in the other room. They were all exhausted now despite the fact it was morning, but they had nothing to do so spending some time together like this wasn't a problem.

“So lass, I think it’s about time.” Connor started softly from behind her, his fingers stroking her stomach lazily. She quirked a brow at Murphy wondering what the fuck he was talking about.

“Who’s the oldest?” Murphy asked, looking deadly serious. Lila just blinked at him for a moment before bursting out laughing. Murphy squinted at her and she had no doubt the lighter twin was doing the same.

“Nope, not going there.” She snorted, shaking her head a little.

“C’mon now, we’re big boys, we can handle the truth.” Connor prodded, propping himself up on his elbow to look down at her.

“Aye, Connor will get over it m’girl.” Murphy smirked, only to get a smack across his head of his brother. Murphy scowled at him, reaching out and smacking him right back.

“Hey! No hitting each other while I'm in the middle. Fuck.” Lila tittered, making both of them stop and look back to her expectantly.

“No, I’m not saying a word, you’re like the same size anyway, so I don't know.” She smirked, closing her eyes like she was about to go to sleep. The boys started to protest, clearly not happy with her answer but she just kept her eyes shut and smiled to herself. They were definitely still her childish boys, no matter what else was going on with them.

Taglist; @risingphoenix761 @daryldixonandfrogs @arlaina28 @divadinag

[forthemultiverse]

A Siblings Trust - Batsis!Reader

Requested by Carleyviolingirl28 :

So I was wondering if I could do a request for a middle sibling Batsis type of one shot where she is so focused on missions and school and her responsibilities that she neglects her health (like not eating or sleeping enough) and her brothers don’t notice until she passes out on a mission or something? And could you please include their reactions and what they would do to help her? Thanks!

I’m not sure I followed the request exactly how you wanted me to, sorry, but I hope you like it. This was requested on Quotev and was an interesting change for me; I hope I did Batsis justice since I’ve never written that before. Also, I’ve just started posting these stories over on Wattpad as well as Quotev so if any of you like reading fics on there, *awkward finger guns* I use ForTheMultiverse as my username on there too <3<3

Request are open in case anyone else is wandering :D

You heard the alarm going off the first time. That didn’t mean you were going to listen to it or get up. Not that you didn’t want to get up, you knew you had to, or else you’d end up being late to school, but you also figured that Alfred would eventually come and get you after noticing you hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. When you were late for school, you decided it was Tim’s fault. He’d told Alfred you’d gone in early because he genuinely thought you had. Apparently, it was a believable thing for you to do.

You just about scrambled through the hallway without being seen by anyone, arriving as the bell rang, signalling the end of the second period. If you could slip into the crowd, then no one would question the fact you’d just arrived.

“You look like a mess.” Tim mused, spotting you straight away. He was a few months younger than you, meaning you were in the same school year and most of the same classes. “I covered for you by the way.”

“Why’d you tell Alfred I would already be at school?”

“You’ve left without me almost every day this half term, and I’ve always found you in the library once I’ve got here!” he defended and you stopped walking. He was right. You’d been getting up at four thirty every morning. "See!” he took your stunned face as him being right, and you let him.

“What time do you usually get up?”

“Like six? I do casework for an hour then get ready.” There was a fifteen-minute break after the second period so he could quickly catch you up on everything you’d missed you’d missed. 

“I get up so much earlier than you.”

“You go to bed before me though.” That only made you feel worse. You had to get up early to work on cases because you knew Tim was smarter than you. He would figure everything out if you didn’t work harder. If Tim stayed up later than you, he was getting the same amount of sleep as you but doing so much better than you were. He wasn't oversleeping or accidentally ditching school. He was coping. 

“True…”

“Are you okay? You can go home, take the day off, I’ll get your work for you if you’re too tired?”

“I’m fine,”

“Fine?”

“Great.” Everyone knew that 'fine' never meant fine. 

“Promise?”

“If you’re okay, I’m okay.” you nodded, he was scanning you for weakness, and you weren’t going to let him find any. If he wasn’t oversleeping, neither were you. “Promise.”

“M’kay…” he handed over a few sheets of paper for you to start filling in. He was technically your brother, and you loved him like blood family, but you couldn't bring yourself to say that you needed help. Your family was all about survival, and that's what you were doing. 

Sadly, you couldn’t just zone out for the rest of the day to rest; you needed to help your youngest brother out. Damian didn’t like to ask for help, so you didn’t let him. You just saw Robin in trouble over lunch so disappeared from your friends to suit up. He’d probably be rude to you, but he was family, and you could see him struggling through the live video on your phone.

“What’s happening?” you asked through the comms

“White van has money in it, and the black van is shooting at me.”

“You get the money; I’ll distract.”

“I can do it on my own,” he growled as you appeared around the corner and swung from lamppost to lamppost. 

“You don’t have to though.”

You got yourself ahead of the black van. Jumping over incoming bullets to land on the front - terrifying the driver and stopping the fire for a moment as one of the gunmen clambered into the seat and tried to hit you. Damian took the help and disappeared into the shadows. Maybe you should have given Damian the harder job; he was fully awake while you were off your game. But he was your younger brother, whether he admitted it or not, and as an older sibling, it was your job to protect him. No matter how much slower you were moving, or how sloppy your attacks were - you needed to defend him. 

The bullet missed you because Damian was quick-footed, and watching your back from his takedown. You moved forward, onto the van roof. Tossing one Batarang into the glass and kicking a smoke bomb through the gap. The van swerved across the road, turning fast as it lost control. You tried to keep your balance, but your feet were sliding backwards as it hit the lamppost. The grip on your feet held you on the edge of the van, but bullets were flying everywhere. You ducked and kicked one of the guys as he stopped to rub his eyes. One down. The others weren't so stupid, managing to fire randomly, knowing they'd cause some kind of damage even if they didn't hit you, hoping they'd take a few civilians down before the police arrived. They wanted to make a point, and you couldn't think fast enough to stop them. The gunfire made your ears ring. The second Batarang left your hand, no real aim but managing to knock two guns to the floor before returning to your side - and you sent it straight into the smoke again. No clue what else todo

The smoke started to clear, and a stray bullet was a metre away from hitting you in the stomach. You froze. The first time you'd ever been entirely unable to move. You were tired and unprepared for the entire fight. Your brain raced over how you should have told Tim to go; you should have let Damian deal with this. You didn't need to be here. No one had called you into action. Your stupid sibling override was going to get you shot.

Something wrapped around your leg and pulled, slamming you into the broken van roof, and out of harm’s way.

“The Police have the money, let’s get out of here before you freeze again,” Damian snarled as he released your ankle. 

You both got onto a roof when he finally said something.

“You don’t look good.”

“Whatever, wannabe Bruce.”

“You look tired and old.”

“And why do you care?”

“I don’t!”

“Awe! Do you care about me really, Damian? Do you not like it when other people try to hurt me?” you spoke with a baby voice and grabbed his cheeks, “Is the baby growing up?”

“I’m not a baby.”

“You’re like eight, that’s a baby.”

“I’m eleven!” he yelled

“What’s that? Six?”

“Maybe you're not sloppy; maybe you’re just unskilled, wouldn’t surprise me.”

“I was trained by Batman.”

“And he obviously didn’t care enough to train you well.”

“Don’t make me hurt you,”

“You couldn’t if you tried, maybe I should’ve let you take the bullet to teach you a lesson. Don’t think I’ve ever seen someone move as slow as you were.”

“Screw off Dami.”

“Tssk!” he stormed off, and you jumped off the roof to return to school, knowing you’d missed the start of your next class and won’t be able to get into the classroom until it’s over. 

“Something is wrong with (Y/N)!” Damian announced as he walked into Dick’s apartment. Dick screamed a dropped his cereal bowl, not expecting anyone to come over that day. 

“Learn to knock!”

“You should always be ready for an attack.” Damian shrugged.

“Not on my day off!” He grabbed a shirt and tried to shuffle some of the sprawled clothes out of Damian’s view. He didn’t need to know Babs had only recently left. 

“You’re lifestyle has gone downhill.” Damian judged, “You are aware it’s midday, and you’re eating breakfast foods?”

“Cereal is for all times of the day.” Dick poured himself another bowl now his first one had gone on the floor, and joined his brother on the couch, “So, (Y/N)?”

“She overslept, her fighting was sloppy, she almost got shot, and something’s wrong.”

“And why do you care?” Dick felt pride in his chest, Damian did care about his siblings. “Are you warming up to the family?”

“No! I just don’t want her to ruin a mission!”

“Sure. If you’re concerned, why don’t you just talk to her?”

“She said I was eight and made fun of me.”

“She’s your sister, of course, she’s going to tease you, that’s sibling culture.”

“Then why am I told off for doing it?”

“Because you’re harsh and mean, she’s teasing in love; you can tell the difference by the tone of voice. You want to try talking to her again?” Damian scowled and shook his head. Talking to you again might make you think he cares, “So you want me to try?"

“You’re the oldest.”

“Go it.” Dick winked and waved him out of his apartment.

When Dick found you later that day, he was in civilian gear and offering to buy coffee. Tim had some club after school, so the two of you just drove to the nearest cafe. Dick was known to just randomly show up and do something he dubbed ‘Sibling Bonding’, so you didn’t think it was strange.

“How’s your day gone? Mine’s been good, I’ve had a day off, it’s always nice to have a day off and just catch up on sleep and stuff. It’s relaxing, don’t you think?”

That raised a red flag for you. Dick could be very subtle when he wanted to, but he was trying to cut to the chase without pissing you off.

“I’m fine, and I told Tim that, so if he sent you in, I appreciate the free coffee, but I’m honestly fine.”

“Tim didn’t send me, if Tim had sent me a message, I would have told him to trust you and been a whole lot more subtle.”

“Alfred?”

“I spoke to him, but only after Damian asked me to talk to you.”

“Damian?” you were shocked, the little monster was your annoying younger brother and a living nightmare. He may have saved you ass earlier, but you didn’t think him as the type to go to Dick worried about you. That was a you move. You looked out for your family.

“I’m your brother (Y/N), you can talk to me, and you can talk to him. If you just speak to him like an adult, he won’t be mean. He doesn’t try to be an asshole, and he does care really.”

“Very deep down.” you rolled your eyes.

“Very very deep down, but I’ve seen the nicer side.”

“I’m fine.”

“If Tim already to spoke to you, Damian came to me, and Alfred seems pretty concerned, I think that means you need to take a break.”

“Think about it yourself; someone was telling you that you’re tired, but who knows your body best?”

“I do.”

“Exactly, I know my body, I may look tired, but I’m not.”

“Oversleeping this morning?”

“I told Tim to wake me up! That was his sleep-deprived ass forgetting!” You lied a little. You didn’t want to admit you were weaker than your brothers. You all had the same schedule, you all worked hard, but you always felt like you were lagging behind. You could understand why Barbara had quit being Batgirl. It’s sad to realise you can’t actually help out as much as someone else. But you weren’t going to quit. You couldn’t. You’d be letting them all down, it would mean you’d wasted so much of your life to train for no reason. It would mean they were out there, risking their lives and you wouldn't be able to help them is they ended up in a dangerous situation. You’d drive yourself mad - staying up as late as you could while trying to maintain your grade average trying to solve cases and do homework and workout and keep up with Tim and stay ahead of Damian and not let Bruce down. You would be the first one out of bed each morning, first into costume if someone was needed on the field. You would work twice as hard as the boys, and you wouldn’t quit. You couldn’t let them see you as weaker than them, and you wouldn't let them be out there without you. Not a chance. 

“Okay, you do know your body, but if you have another bullet scare like today, I’m going to Bruce, and you’re taking at least a weak to rest.”

“Come on!”

“That’s nice, that’s me being a good big brother and trusting you.” You nodded, but you couldn’t help but roll your eyes as he lifted his hand for a high-five “Family? What would you do if you were in my position?”

“Family.” you groaned and gave him the high-five, deliberately not answering the second question. You'd make sure siblings were okay; you'd make them rest. You wouldn't trust them the way Dick did.

You made it through the week, focusing on keeping your body going and not slipping up. You weren’t going to let Dick go to Bruce, and you weren’t going to take a day off. But everyone met for a change of patrol a week later, and you were sitting on the edge of the rooftop. You were rubbing your eyes and wishing you had coffee to wake you up. You hadn’t had time to grab anything to eat before heading out to meet everyone, and you were supposed to take over from Damian. You couldn’t let him stay out any later since he was still younger. You just hoped you could talk Dick into making a Fast food run or something.

“Who’s here?” Tim asked, landing last. 

“Everyone but you,” Damian smirked, and Tim stuck his tongue out.

“Up (Y/S/N), you and me can take West High Street, Red Robin and Spoiler, use Wayne Enterprises as your base, Orphan and Signal can use here, Robin’s been patrolling all afternoon so he can head home and rest, Batgirl will be joining us later.”

As you stood up, your head was light, all the blood rushing to it. Your vision went, and you felt yourself trip back. Luckily Cass caught you before you fell off the roof.

When you woke up, you were lying on your bed, Dick asleep in the chair by the door. As you moved, he shot awake. All of his nerves and senses awake.

“(Y/N)! Thank god you’re okay.”

“I was always fine.”

“You passed out from standing off; you nearly fell off the roof.”

“None of you would’ve let that happen.” You shrugged, trying to get out of bed. He jumped forward and held the duvet down.

“Cass caught you, and you are not getting up.”

“How long have I been out?”

“A few hours,”

“Then there’s still time to get out there and help.”

“Not a chance.”

“Cass caught me; I’m not hurt. I can patrol. I know I’m fine.”

“I trusted you last week. We all trusted you! You said you were fine last week. You aren’t leaving this bed for a day at least.”

“You can’t force me to stay here.”

“Yes, I can.”

“Let me out!”

“I’m your brother, and I trusted when you said you were fine and you almost fell off the roof because you stood up. There is no way you’re getting out of this bed. Tim trusted you, Damian trusted my judgement.”

You noticed something different in Dick’s face. He was tense, and he suddenly seemed a lot older than you usually thought of him as. He was your brother, one of you guys, you forgot that he’d been doing this superhero thing a lot longer than you. He’d been the first. Your lies had made him trust you, and you’d almost gotten hurt. His decision could have got you hurt. Your choices made him feel guilty, which made you feel guilty - which of course you deserved to feel.

“Dick…” you whispered, “I was just doing what you all do. You all stay up as late, work hard, I’m just working harder to try and keep up. Trying to protect the others...”

“You don’t have to be me! You actually have the joy of not being me, the only one, the first Robin. There are so many of us that we always have someone spare for patrol. You could’ve just taken the night off.”

“But what if you all realised you didn’t need me at all!”

“You're our sister, blood or not; we’re always going to need you, mask on or off.”

“Wait, you’re trying to keep up?” Tim pushed the door open; he’d been eavesdropping the entire time.

“See! He now thinks lower of me!”

“I don’t think you’re less!” Tim shook his head and rushed towards the bed. He’d just finished patrol. “I want you to be healthy. I’m not healthy, that’s why I noticed. I set six alarms to make sure I wake up in the morning, one of them makes me coffee, so I don’t even have to move without caffeine in my system. I didn’t want you to be like me.”

“You’re the younger one, I should be setting the example,” you complained, flopping into your pillow. 

“This is my fault.” He muttered, “If I wasn’t always trying to prove myself and be as good as you…” he was freaking out and ran out of the room, coming back in a few minutes with one of his coffee alarm clocks.

“No, Tim.” Dick made him take it from you, even though you clapped your hands and tried to grab it. “She needs rest, not a way to stay awake. Actually no, I’m taking that. You need sleep too, both of you are on bed rest until further notice.” 

“Coming from you, you don’t sleep either!” You pointed out as Dick disappeared to take Tim’s coffee supply away. 

“Yeah, because I got into the habit and adapted at a young age. I was the only one, remember.”

“I know, you said it like five seconds ago.” Dick snorted at your comment, and that made you feel better. “The extended families so big by now that no one should ever end up like this again.”

There was a long pause in the conversation as all three of you thought about that. From Kate to Duke to Carrie and Harper and the Fox Family. There was an awful lot of people running around Gotham nowadays. You had been so concerned about making sure Damian wasn’t going to get hurt that you’d almost been shot, you’d been so concerned about making sure you weren’t left behind whilst your brothers were in danger that you nearly fell off a roof. Damian had gone to Dick, which meant he was looking out for you - just in his own socially inept way. 

“How does it feel to have started all of this?” You asked.

“If it's the reason you guys are collapsing, I'm not very proud…”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know, but as your brother, you should be able to tell me the stuff you can’t tell Bruce, you can admit you’re tired or need a break, or trying to balance too much. Siblings support each other. We're a family, so we help each other - whether that's by making you sleep, or pushing you away from gunfire, none of us have to do this alone anymore.”

“Where’s Jason at right now?” you asked out of interest.

“He came back to help cover patrol for a bit so we can all have a break, he’s joining us tomorrow night.”

“Seriously?” you sat up straighter. It was going to be the first time in a long while that all your brothers were in the same house. 

“(Y/N)?” Damian opened the door carrying a bowl of popcorn, “I could hear all the noise through the rest of the house so thought you might like some popcorn.”

“Thank you?” You took the bowl from him, and he disappeared quicker than he had appeared. He really didn’t know how to handle being a brother and you immediately wanted to mother him. 

“Told you he cared.” Dick smiled, grabbing Tim as he tried to sneak out.

“You’re benched too.”

“Not fair.”

“Not making the same mistake twice.” Dick mused, taking a fistful of popcorn, “Disney movies all day tomorrow? I’m taking the day off, follow my example?”

“You’re the oldest, so I guess,” you said, smiling and trying to sound as irritated as possible. Dick was doing what you would do, but with the heart, only he could have. All of your family had their way to show they cared, yours was working yourself senseless to protect them, but if they were taking tomorrow off too...you could rest. Everyone could relax.