#neither of them can do anything other than half damage to her

[lxvsiick]

O U R

PART 12 | SUNGHO FIRST WIN!! (written)

A/N: guys it’s been so long since i’ve been on less than 5 hours of sleep and 2 hours of sleep is making me crash out 😵‍💫 ,, bouta pull a y/n and down 4 cups of coffee ,, might have to hibernate once i finish my classes today

୧⋆｡🕯. -ʚɞ

Taesan trudged down the hall, swinging a bag of Subway in his hands. Out of nowhere, Sungho had begged him to bring lunch, practically promising his firstborn in exchange for a burger and fries. He sighed, wondering why he always gave in so easily. At least he’d get to sit down after this, or so he hoped.

Pushing open the door to the art room, the smell of paint and ink immediately hit his nose. The room was well-lit, with tables scattered around, various projects in different stages of completion. His eyes quickly found Sungho, who was lounging at a nearby table with someone else.

Then he saw her.

The girl who had dropped a massive book on his head at the library. His heart skipped a beat as he hesitated in the doorway, the bag of food feeling heavier in his hands.

Sungho spotted him first, grinning wide. “Oh, you’re here! Thanks, man. Just set the food down for a sec.” He nodded toward the table in front of him, where she was seated, working on a sketch.

Trying to keep his cool, Taesan awkwardly stepped forward and placed the bag of food down. He couldn’t help but glance at her, who looked up and smiled politely. He wasn’t ready for that—his stomach did an unexpected flip.

“By the way,” Sungho said, gesturing between them, “you two should meet.” He gave a lazy shrug, leaving the introductions vague. “I’ll let you ask each other’s names. I’ll be in the office eating.” A teasing grin on his lips, he grabbed his bag of food and slipped out, leaving them alone.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Taesan stood there, suddenly feeling very out of place in a room full of unfinished art and half-sketched projects. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at her, trying to muster something to say.

“Uh… h-hey,” he managed, giving her a small, nervous smile. “I guess we haven’t officially met.”

She smiled back, just as awkwardly. “Yeah, I guess not. I’m Kim Y/n.”

“Oh, uh, I’m Han Taesan or Han Dongmin. B-but you can just call me Taesan.” he stammered, trying to keep his voice steady. “But you can call me yours” is what you really wanted to say, right? SHUT UP BRAIN! Why did his name suddenly feel weird in his mouth? He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at the art project in front of her, desperate for something to focus on that wasn’t her face. If he focused on her face, he wasn't so sure he would remember anything else.

The silence that followed was heavy and awkward, stretching longer than it should have. Taesan shifted on his feet, his heart pounding, when she suddenly broke the silence.

“Hey, um…” she started, gesturing to a large book sitting on the table next to her. “I wanted to apologize again for, uh, dropping that massive art book on your head the other day.” Her tone was sincere, but there was a hint of a nervous smile tugging at her lips.

“Oh, that…” Taesan gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah, that’s okay. No permanent damage or anything.” He was trying to joke, but it came out stiffer than he intended. He mentally kicked himself for being so awkward.

She laughed softly, the tension breaking just a little. “Well, that’s good. I was afraid I might’ve knocked you out or something. That book weighs a ton.”

“Yeah, it did feel like getting hit by a brick,” he said, finally relaxing a bit. “But, you know, I’ve survived worse.”

They shared a brief smile, the awkwardness still lingering but not as intense now. He wasn’t sure if he should keep the conversation going or let it fizzle out, but Y/n seemed a little more at ease, which helped him breathe a bit easier.

“So uh… art major?” Taesan asked, gesturing to the work she was doing.

She nodded. “Yeah. What major are you?”

“I’m a music composition major.” Taesan answers, nervously fidgeting with his rings.

“Oh, that’s cool.” The beating of his heart was making Taesan dizzy. He still couldn’t believe Sungho knew her this whole time. Park Sungho, you bastard.

“S-so are you a junior like Sungho hyung?” Taesan rambled out. Placing her pencil down, Y/n shakes her head.

“No, I’m a sophomore.” Taesan widens his eyes. She was in the same year as him? 

“O-oh we’re the same year then.” Taesan says. “Wow, you’re a sophomore and you’re on the same level as Sungho hyung.” Y/n lets out a small, embarrassed laugh.

Just as the conversation was starting to feel a little less awkward, the door to the office swung open, and Sungho reemerged, wiping his hands on a napkin. “Alright, I’m good to go. You ready?”

Taesan turned to face him, caught off guard by how fast the time had passed. “Yeah, sure,” he replied, giving Y/n a quick glance.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/n,” Sungho said as he started to head toward the door. As he passed Taesan, he gave him a teasing smirk to which Taesan squinted at.

Taesan gave her a small wave. “Yeah, see you around,” he mumbled.

“Bye,” she said, smiling at them both as they made their way out.

As they left the art room, Taesan couldn’t help but feel the strange mixture of relief and regret. He’d survived the awkward encounter, but somehow, he wished it hadn’t ended so soon. Turning to Sungho, Taesan gives him a light punch on the arm.

“You knew her this whole time, hyung?” Taesan says, his eyes squinted at the older boy. Sungho shrugs with an innocent face.

“You never asked.”

୧⋆｡🕯. -ʚɞ

PART 11 | PART 13

MASTERLIST

TAGLIST [OPEN]: comment a 🐝 to be added

@tkooooop @ktzuki @dalliesque @cherrytaesan @crispy-kirby @onedoorland @chnhnyu @nujeskz @txjuns @prettiann @imuziawi @lynnimini @woorcve @swanyvess

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, lxvsiick, 2024

[harrieatthemet]

A Sneak Peek

She doesn't have a title yet and this is a (smallish?) excerpt from ch. 1.... but I wanted you all to meet Anna. If you like, there's plenty more to come (:

“Wait what do you mean,” Isabelle shakes her head in bewilderment, “your stuff is… packed? As in, like, you’re leaving permanently?” 

“Originally yes, that was my plan.” Anna huffs, forcing herself to sit upright and take the phone with her, “I wanted to be out before he got back but this… I don’t know, like, it fucking changes things.”

Isabelle’s state of disorientation only intensifies as she shakes her head again. Anna can tell that she’s been caught off guard by her abrupt definitiveness. She lets it roll off her tongue so easily, without being distraught or reactive. The flat, deadpan tone of Anna’s voice is still holding strong. She’d delivered the news to Isabelle as if she’d already known, that somehow this was not completely blindsiding information that felt pulled right out of thin air. It’s only throwing off Isabelle even more.

“Anna what is going on?” Isabelle asks, tone soft and hinted with apology, “I knew you guys were fighting more, I guess, but not like this. It’s been that bad?”

“Uh yeah,” Anna states irritatedly, “I wouldn’t be frantically packing up my shit to try and avoid seeing him if it wasn’t.” 

Isabelle doesn’t take the hostility coming from the other end of the line personally. There’s a nagging feeling of remorseful guilt, though it’s fleeting, that tugs a bit on Anna. It’s not fair to snap at her like that, and it certainly wasn’t intentional. She’s not covertly trying to unpack her big feelings onto her sister, who’s trying to upkeep support however she can given how little she’s been told the past few months. There’s so much swirling in her brain, she feels like a headache is beginning to loom. Isabelle was just temporary collateral damage. 

“Totally understand why you’ve been laying on the floor for half an hour.” Isabelle digresses, “Was it the phone call? Was it really that bad?”

Anna realizes that the amount of information Isabelle is currently privy to is even more limited than what she initially anticipated. She hadn’t realized that, to save face and protect her relationship from outside scrutiny, she had deep-swallowed the animosity that had been plaguing her day-to-day the past couple of months. 

They’d been together well over 3 years and, by that point, nothing struck either of them as out of the ordinary. Bickering was normal, mauve even a bit healthy when tame. It never escalated to anything outside the realm of reconciliation. If it threatened to go that far, one of them always managed to sort it out beforehand. It just started to occur a little more frequently, here and there. Until it became nearly constant.

Before the phone call, there was the argument that paved the way for copious amounts of phone calls. The pretenses were the same as they’d been in the past; one of them neglecting the other, prioritizing their career more or entertaining longer nights out. She’d said he traveled too much during his time off, and his rebuttal was that she didn’t make more of an effort to travel with him as she should. 

This time in particular, though, neither of them took their foot off the gas. The yelling got louder, her tears came quicker, and he iced her out a little bit longer. Every reaction was visceral and borderline cutthroat, one of them trying to make the other feel worse and worse. It became tit for tat, and she had hurled something at him that cut so deep that, surely, it had permanently offset a dynamic in their relationship that hadn’t managed to bounce back from. 

“It was more than that one phone call,” Anna exhales, her lip between her teeth, “but yeah. Yeah, it was pretty bad.” 

A very forced, unpleasantly awkward truce had been agreed upon in the wake of their blowout argument. There was an amicable alignment on their differences, one that was sealed with a prolonged hug and an unsure peck on the lips. Anna knew right off the bat how badly it lacked any sign of genuinity, and she has to imagine Harry did as well. But his bag was already in the car and the plane was waiting. He never liked to leave the country if they weren’t on good terms, even if it was faked for the sake of their sound of mind. 

And, despite their best efforts to upkeep the phoney reconciliation, Harry’s departure for Japan only seemed to throw kerosene onto the fire. It had, quite literally, been three and a half weeks of absolute hell. The phone calls started nightly and, while it was a sign of good faith, felt mildly uncomfortable. She didn’t trust him and he could feel it, so neither ever knew what to say without it somehow leading to an argument. It’d start as an insult in passing, which cascaded into arguing, which ultimately ended in one of them hanging up the phone and Anna consumed by inconsolable tears. 

So then the phone calls started to come in every other night. Which, eventually, became 2 times a week. Sometimes 3, though that was painfully short lived. When his contact in her phone became a one-night-a-week occurrence, she had involuntarily found herself in a state of dread. And if she was dreading his call, she had to imagine he dreaded having to make it.

It was the big one four days ago that brought an altogether halt to the calls completely. Harry had taken the subtle accusations of being unfaithful on the chin beforehand. Though it lit a touch of rage in the pit of his belly, he refused to let himself play into that hand. But that night, Anna had been glued to her phone with a hollowness in her chest and a welt in her throat. While she had blacked out for the bulk of that argument, the shrillness of Harry’s booming shout through the phone was one of the only lasting recollections. 

She can remember the photos beforehand that had gotten the ball rolling, the same premise of the fights that lead up to the final one. All she remembers were the pictures of the model, the same one he’d said he hardly knew, walking beside him as if they knew every inch of each other inside and out. Sickeningly beautiful, dragging out insecurities Anna didn’t even know she had. The longer she stared at them, the more she could feel her skin starting to swelter and her stomach start to churn. Her vision went periodically hazy until his name appeared on her phone, replacing the photo she was previously honed in on. And while she couldn’t quite recount what transpired once she picked up, she knew nothing that ensued was good. Because that was now 4 days ago, and she hasn’t heard from him since. 

“I know things are weird between you guys right now,” Isabelle responds hesitantly, “but you gotta tell him about this.” 

“I know that,” Anna answers unconvincingly, “I will.” 

“This is insane,” Isabelle exhales in disbelief, “what’re you gonna say? Like, how are you gonna tell him?” 

“I’ve got maybe an hour to figure it out,” Anna groans exasperatedly, “and then I’ll just-” 

Almost immediately, her focus is stripped from the conversation at the faint sound that emits from a distance. She could kick herself for not attempting to make more of an effort to hear it the first time, because she can’t tell if her mind is just tripping her out or if she had actually heard the side door being slammed shut. People come in and out all the time, and she was almost positive she had at least another hour left. 

Instinctively, the pad of her thumb flies to the volume button on the side of the phone. The house is big, and the likelihood of anyone on the first floor hearing her whilst being barricaded in the master bath is slim, but it couldn’t hurt to take the extra precaution. The speaker is muffled against the bulky fabric of Anna’s sweatshirt, though she can still faintly make out the inquisitive shouts coming from Isabelle. She needs whatever silence she can scrounge together to determine who the distant noise on the first floor belonged to.

A few more clicks of shoes concur, promptly coinciding with a vague jingling of keys. She knows that if she got up off the floor and re-entered the bedroom, she’d have a better chance at hearing more clearly. But the sink hasn’t moved, and neither has all the things that are sitting atop it, so she doesn’t want to reintroduce herself to that yet. 

It’s when the distinct clearing of the throat ensues, followed by the sound of bags hitting the floor and mindless humming, that the presence on the floor just beneath her claims it’s rightful owner. It’s about an hour earlier than she was told to expect him, not that it matters. She was clear on the phone that she’d be busy upon his return; out of the house and out of his hair, as that’s how he seemed to want it last they spoke. 

But instead she’s sitting on their bathroom floor. She’d planned to be out with enough time between his return. That way seemed easier. He’d realize, coming upstairs to unpack his things, that her side of the dresser was bare and her corner of the closet was emptied. All her trinkets in the bathroom had rescinded and, essentially, whatever trace of her that rang through the house had completely ceased to exist. Due to poor planning and a bit of an unforeseen wrench thrown in halfway through, that was not the case. Now she was just trying to avoid the bouquet of positive pregnancy tests lined up on the sink basin above her head. 

[englandsgirl18181234]

Some questions I got in the notes of one of my posts!

Can you tell us more about Athena and apollos friendship? When’s hades going to talk to the others? Will Trition ever get to fight zeus? Why did Athena’s death end Zeus’s reign, on like a symbolic level. She doesn’t seem relevant here but what does Athena think of Pallas? Did she ever tell Ody and Co about her?

So, one by one! And I'm actually going to put the answers under the cut because I don't want this post to be a million miles long

Athena and Apollo, in basically all of my AU's, are both very lonely people at their core. They're both supposed to be half of something, Athena and Ares as gods of war, and Apollo and Artemis as the sun and the moon.

But neither of them fit quite right in those places, there's something just off enough that the things they're supposed to do, supposed to be, don't come naturally to them. And they hate that.

Apollo covers it with a smile and a slightly airheaded cool older brother act. Athena covers it with icey distance and cold disdain.

Hades isn't going to talk to the others for a while. In like, any of my AU's, probably. Any AU that involves Athena or Apollo in the Underworld? Means someone, somewhere on Olympus, fucked up massively enough that he's the one stuck doing damage control.

And if Athena is actually dead? He's not saying jack shit until she's strong enough to protect herself against them. He'll say something to Apollo once it's clear that he's the only one she trusted, but that's it.

Because the thing with Hades in my fics? He is both possessive as hell, and holds grudges to the ends of the earth. And currently, his niece is dead, making her both his family and a member of his kingdom.

She's also traumatized as all hell, recovering from a kind of pain that she should never have been exposed to, and his brother did that to her. Using power that was, by all rights, under his domain. And the rest of their family did nothing. They didn't even realize anything was wrong until she was already dead, for the Fates sake!

So yeah, he's not saying shit until she asks him to or he decides they can be trusted again. Not even Hestia is getting a word out of him.

As far as Olympus is concerned? She's fully dead. She never arrived in his realm.

They let his niece die. Now they get to deal with the consequences of that decision.

And oh boy, Triton. I haven't decided yet on what I'm going to do with Triton because we have basically no personality for him in canon beyond him not liking Percy while in the middle of a war. We get one scene with him and that's it.

But while I'm not certain on him fighting Zeus, he's definitely going to be fighting Poseidon for the right to fight Zeus! And if he manages to get to Olympus, he's gonna fight anybody that tries to get between him and Zeus.

I love feral overprotective characters, so I'm extending that to Triton here. He's now lost both his daughters to Zeus and he's not going to stop until the god is punished for it.

And there's three major reasons Athena's death ended Zeus's reign.

The first is the prophecy from before her birth. In some translations(others often saying it would be the second child of Metis, born a boy) it was said that she would surpass him in one of two ways. If she was born a boy she would become ruler of the gods after Zeus. But if she was a girl she would be better and smarter than both her mother and father combined. So Zeus swallowed Metis when it became known that she was pregnant in order to avoid being overthrown.

The second reason is because Zeus managed something that no one else ever has. He killed a Goddess. And not just any goddess, but an Olympian.

But prophecies in this verse can't be avoided, only certain circumstances changed. The second vision Apollo had(visions sent to him by the Fates are different from prophecies, they're warnings for him specifically because they like him) was one way it could have ended, but there are hundreds of others.

Because Athena didn't fade, and they know that for certain. She left a body behind, that doesn't happen when a god fades.

*I don't know what I'm going to do about her body yet, but she definitely left one*

There are barely more than a handful of beings that don't belong there that can say such a thing, and three of them were Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades themselves when they went to scatter Kronos' remains. And he wanted to send them back there for eternity.

And the third is that, even if he hadn't killed Athena, he still went too far to be allowed to remain as King. He planned, admitted to, and was both fully willing and prepared to trespass in Hades' domain simply to punish a pair of demi-gods for a perceived slight. And not just any demi-gods, but two demi-gods that not only saved his reign from Kronos, but survived Tartarus Itself to save his reign from Gaia.

And as for Pallas...

Even just admitting that he was planning to attempt it was enough for it to be considered a violation of the Ancient Laws. But should he have actually tried? With Hades own stolen power over his own subjects?

Whether he succeeded or not, Hades would have been well within his rights to give him the Kronos treatment.

Athena, by the time she dies, doesn't have very many memories of Pallas left. She remembers her death, remembers the aftermath, remembers being banished and sent back to Olympus because of it. Primarily because of how traumatic it all was for her.

On her very best days she remembers what Pallas was like while she was alive, while she was happy. She remembers how the two of them called each other sister. How she came to see Triton as a father because of it. How the two of them once interrupted an important meeting on accident and instead of being punished they were allowed to stay and give their own input.

But the vast majority of her time in Atlantis is lost to her over the years.

She did tell Odysseus and his family some things about her, but not very much. She was ashamed of what had happened, and she hates that she played such a major part in Pallas's death.

Poseidon, when he ordered her to leave Atlantis, made it very clear to her that he blamed her for his granddaughter's death. This was before they knew of Zeus's involvement, of course, but by then it was far too late to take back his words.

Triton refused to speak to his father for centuries after the news of Athena's banishment reached him. And it was only made worse by the fact that Poseidon hadn't even told him himself, instead leaving the job to Amphirite who in turn left it to a palace messenger.

He never truly forgave either of them for it.

[runnning-outof-time]

Better Than the Dream | Tommy Shelby x Reader

Request: yes by anonymous

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: After meeting in France, (Y/N) (Y/L/N) and Tommy Shelby were certain that they'd never see each other again...until one fateful moment has Tommy dreaming of her, or maybe he's not dreaming at all.

Warnings: language, mentions of drinking, talk of war, injuries, blood, hospitals

Word Count: 3388

A/N: I….I’m not sure how I feel about this one…as I was finishing it, I realized that it was like my other story ‘Called to Serve’, even though there are some differences to the story. I decided to set it after Tommy’s injury in season 2. Enjoy! :)

A/N 2: also I’m sorry this is being posted late…I didn’t have much time to get it edited today.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Comment/Message me if you’d like to be tagged in future stories similar to this one!

"Would you stop fucking wincing? You're gonna get that bloody thing stuck into me hand as well," Tommy grumbled as he continued to hold down pressure on his fellow soldier's hand so that he wouldn't bleed out anymore than he had already.

"I'm trying me best, Sergeant Major...it really fucking stings though," Donny, the unfortunate one who'd gotten barbed wire stuck in his hand while their company was on overhaul, responded, the second half of his words coming out like a hiss as he winced yet again.

The curtain that was separating the bed and chair these two men were occupying moved before Tommy could say anything else. From behind it came a woman, dressed in a nurse's outfit with a clipboard in her hands. "Donald White?" she asked as she looked up from the papers, a polite smile on her face.

"That'd be me," Donny responded, raising his good hand as he spoke, "me Sergeant Major's come with me...he needed to make sure the bleeding was controlled," he added then, explaining the other man's presence.

"Hi," she sent a nod and a smile in his direction, almost immediately noticing the pair of ocean blue eyes he had. She had to look back at the patient so that she didn't get sucked into them. "What's happened here?" she asked then, focusing on the injury.

"We were doing overhaul and I got this section of barbed wire stuck in me hand. Most of it was able to be removed, but there's still some left inside," Donny explained. Tommy let go of the cloth he'd been applying pressure to so that Donny could unwrap it and show the nurse the extent of the injury.

The woman nodded almost immediately after seeing the damage that had been done. It was pretty obvious that there was at least one barb and some wire still stuck in his palm. "I'm going to get the doctor to come over...he'll be able to extract it," she explained the next steps of treatment as she went about writing some things down on the clipboard.

"You've an English accent," Donny pointed out, a bit of a smile forming on his face. Neither he, nor Tommy, were expecting to hear one in a French run hospital.

"I do," the nurse answered, laughing slightly.

"Where're ya from?" Donny asked.

"Solihull," she answered with a polite smile.

"Ahh, ok," Donny nodded.

"I'm going to get the doctor now so that he can have a look at your hand. My name's (Y/N), if you need anything," she addressed both of the soldiers then, sending them one last smile before she turned and exited the closed off area.

Donny turned to Tommy with a grin seconds after (Y/N) had exited the room they were in. "She's fuckin' gorgeous, ain't she?" he asked, nudging Tommy's arm with his good hand. Tommy finally brought his eyes away from the section of curtain (Y/N) had exited through to look at his comrade. He didn't have to say anything, because the second Donny saw his face, he was speaking again, "yeah, she is...got you too stunned to speak," he ragged on his superior like they were part of the same rank again, and all Tommy could do was roll his eyes.

He wasn't going to deny something that was as obvious as the light of day. Their company had been given a week-long reprieve, and even though they were only one day into it, Tommy knew that he wasn't going to see a woman that was more beautiful than her. So he kept his mouth shut and listened to Donny's goading, allowing him some time to soak it up while he was injured.

——

Tommy returned to the same wing that he'd left his fellow soldier in two days ago, keeping his eyes peeled for the woman who he couldn't seem to get out of his mind since she left the room the other day. He, thankfully, found her, standing at one of the nurse's stations at the end of the hall.

"(Y/N), isn't it?" he asked as he approached her, successfully getting her attention.

"It is," she answered as she turned to smile at him, "what is it, Sergeant Major? Are you looking for Donny?" she asked, her voice sounding like sweet music to his ears.

"I'm not...was looking for you actually," he answered her, not caring how straightforward he sounded.

(Y/N)'s eyes widened slightly out of surprise when she heard his statement. "Me?" she checked to make sure, tilting her head slightly to show her interest in the answer.

"Yeah," Tommy nodded, "I was wondering if you'd want to go out and get a drink after your shift's finished?" he boldly asked her. A more pronounced look of surprise formed on (Y/N)'s face. That immediately made Tommy backtrack, "that might have been a bit too forward of me. I haven't even asked if you have someone, or if you're busy."

"No, it's fine," (Y/N) brushed him off, "I quite like the confidence actually," she added then, flashing a smile and letting out a slight laugh.

"So you'd be willing to join me?" he asked her, allowing a smile to form on his face. Her laugh, much like her voice, was music to his ears.

(Y/N) nodded before giving a verbal answer, "yes. My shift finishes at the top of the hour."

"I'll meet you outside," Tommy suggested, making her nod again. He nodded back, showing that he was happy that the plans had been finalized, before he decided he'd let her get back to work. "Which room was Donny in actually?" he asked her after she'd taken a few steps away from him.

She turned around to smile at him. "So you weren't only here for me?" she decided to tease him slightly.

"No. Just figured I'd see him while I'm here," he grinned, loving her attitude and the fact that she was able to banter with him despite everything going on around them.

"He's four doors down," she told him, pointing past him down the hallway.

"Thank you," he said to her, nodding one last time before he turned and went to his comrade's room.

—

"Are you only here because of Donny?" (Y/N) asked once their laughter caused by a story Tommy had told trailed off. She had her head rested on her arm that was propped up on the bar, and she was giving Tommy her full attention.

"No," he shook his head, looking briefly down at his glass as he let out a soft scoff, "we were granted a week's leave and sent into town instead of home...someone thought it'd be less money to keep us close. Cheap bastards," he explained then, muttering the final two words under his breath.

"Donny's having a terrible week off then," she commented, remembering the man that had come into her ward the other day.

"He managed to do it while we were doing overhaul," he shared another detail about the accident with her.

"Tough luck," (Y/N) stated, shaking her head as a look of sympathy formed on her face.

"That's Donny for you," Tommy responded, chuckling slightly at the thought of his friend.

"So where do they have you staying?" she asked him then, moving their conversation to another topic.

"A boarding house in town," he answered before adding, "it's an absolute shit hole."

(Y/N) sent him a sympathetic smile before looking at the bar. "I don't have anyone," she said out of nowhere, her statement shifting the topic of conversation yet again.

"What?" Tommy asked her, his brows furrowed as he looked at her once more. He was confused by her sudden statement, unsure of how to link it to what they'd been talking about.

"You said before that you hadn't asked if I had someone...I don't," she filled him in, calling back to the statement that he'd made at the hospital. Tommy nodded his head in response to her statement and looked at his glass again. Silence fell between them for a moment before she spoke again: "do you have anyone?" she asked him, her question making his eyes snap to hers in seconds.

He looked her over, his brows slightly furrowed in surprise. He didn't expect her to ask such a question. But he wasn't going to waste time answering it. "No," he told her, shaking his head for extra measure.

(Y/N) felt her throat go dry at his answer. Am I really going to do this? she asked herself, taking a moment to think her choices over. "It might be a bit forward of me to ask this, but..." she trailed off, thinking over it again. Ah, why not? "Would you like to come home with me tonight?" she asked her question, rushing to get in: "it'd give you a chance to sleep in a proper bed," so that her intentions weren't that out there in the open.

Who could blame her though? Almost all of the men around her age living here had gone off to fight as well. There wasn't anyone left, and as much as she hated to admit it...she still had desires too. And the fact that Tommy was a good looking man greatly helped the cause.

Tommy looked her over again after hearing her proposition. A grin ghosted over his lips as he nodded his head slightly before answering, "I would like that."

His answer made the fire that (Y/N) had been feeling in her stomach since the moment he'd found her today begin to burn out of control. She couldn't help but exude a giggle, feeling giddy that her attempt had actually worked.

"Would you...want to get out of here now?" Tommy asked her then, trailing off in the middle of his sentence, but completing it before she could interject with anything.

"Yes," her answer was said in a breathless manner, but he heard her loud and clear, and the two left the bar after paying what they owed.

—

The door to the apartment was barely shut before Tommy had trapped (Y/N) in his arms. It was no secret what the two wanted from each other. The hand holding and shoulder brushing on the walk back made it rather clear. But still, his kiss took (Y/N)'s breath away, and the way that her hands were roaming his body made Tommy feel dizzy; something he hadn't felt with the women he'd been with before.

Every night for the rest of the week ended that way for Tommy and (Y/N). He would come to the hospital to check in on Donny and then would wait around for the rest of (Y/N)'s shift until she could leave. They'd go to the tavern for some drinks before winding up at her apartment again; where they'd end the night wrapped up in each others' arms.

It was a nice arrangement, one that lasted right up until Tommy came to the hospital at the end of the week. Donny was being released after his stay (his hand had thankfully healed without infection) and their unit was due to move onto another station. Which meant that it was time for Tommy and (Y/N) to say goodbye.

The two soldiers were walking down the hallway when (Y/N) exited one of the rooms she was cleaning. Her eyes immediately found Tommy, and they widened visibly. Without thinking, she backed up into the room in hopes that he wouldn't have seen her. But the knock on the door told her otherwise. Of course, she let him in.

"I wanted to say goodbye...before we shipped out to our next station," Tommy started, a solemn look on his face. Spending time with her this past week was the closest to normal he'd gotten in a long time.

"I appreciate that," (Y/N) answered, a sad smile forming on her face as her eyes met his for a moment. She didn't have it in her to hold his gaze for it might have made her start to cry.

"This past week was lovely, (Y/N)," he told her, taking her hands into his. "Thank you."

"I enjoyed it too," she answered, her heart squeezing as she admitted this. It was making the situation all the more real.

"C-can I kiss you one last time?" he asked her then, wanting to kick himself for how juvenile he sounded.

"Please," she breathed quicker than she would have liked, but the timing didn't phase Tommy. Upon hearing her answer, he dropped her hands and grabbed her cheeks, pulling her to him for one last head-spinning kiss. They broke away moments after, their foreheads finding each other. "Goodbye, Tommy," (Y/N) was the first to speak, and she hated that her voice cracked when she said these two words.

"Goodbye, (Y/N)," he repeated her farewell, lifting his head so that he could press his lips to her forehead before he dropped his hands from her completely.

They offered each other a sad smile before he exited the room, leaving her alone once again.

"So that's why you were coming to see me every bloody day, eh?" Donny questioned with a wide grin on his face once Tommy was back by his side.

"Fuck off, Donny," Tommy grumbled, not in the mood for the banter.

"Ahh, I get it. It's hard to leave," Donny commented, picking up the signals that Tommy was putting down.

The two walked out of the hospital then without saying another word to each other. Back inside, (Y/N) had to put a smile back onto her face before she re-entered the hallway, even though she was hurting because she knew she’d never see Tommy Shelby again.

——

—1921—

Tommy was slipping in and out of consciousness as he was carried by stretcher into the hospital. He couldn't remember much from the beating he’d gotten; just that Sabini had been standing over him, grinning, as one of his men aimed a revolver at him. The Italians then scattered after another weapon was fired, and Campbell became visible before he blacked out completely.

He knew he was at a hospital now. The blinding, overhead lights of the operating room easily gave it away. There were doctors working on him. He could just barely feel their prodding as they tried to figure out the extent of his injuries. Every inch of his body hurt. It hurt just to think, and he couldn’t bear it much longer. So he closed his eyes and allowed complete blackness to overtake him.

The room was much darker when Tommy woke again. He looked around as best as he could, trying to get familiar with his surroundings. Things were starting to come together when he felt something touch his cheek. He jerked his face away before quickly turning his head to see (Y/N) (Y/L/N) with a rag in her hands. She looked worried, but not put off by his sudden movement.

"You...you found me again?" Tommy stammered, his voice coming out in a hoarse whisper. It was slowly becoming apparent to him that he was in her apartment in France.

"You were attacked. They brought you here," she explained to him while dipping the rag into a bowl, "I need to get you cleaned up." He nodded and allowed her to continue on with what she was doing.

"Can I hold you again?" he asked after silence had been hanging between them for a few moments.

She looked around the room for a moment, which Tommy found odd. "You can," she then answered, and he wasted no time in opening his arms for her. She smiled before moving into them.

Tommy inhaled her scent as she settled in his arms. He found it odd that he couldn't really feel her, but he didn't think too much into it. He had her again. "Can I stay here with you forever?" he asked after they'd been still for a few minutes.

(Y/N) giggled as she heard his question. "I'm not sure if you'd be allowed to..." she trailed off, her smile a sight for his sore eyes.

"What do you mean?" he furrowed his brows, confused by her response.

"Wake up, Tommy," she said to him, her statement confusing him even more. In what way is that a response to my question? he wondered, but yet he couldn't ask her because she was speaking again, "Tommy..." this time her statement was accompanied with a slight shake.

Things got much brighter in the room then, so bright that it made Tommy squeeze his eyes shut. He couldn't handle the pain that it was causing in his head. When he opened his eyes again, everything was different. He was no longer in (Y/N)'s apartment, instead he was in what looked to be a rather large hospital room. He was laying down instead of sitting, and he didn't have his arms around the woman he couldn't seem to erase from his mind. But she was still in front of him.

"(Y/N)..." he said her name, his voice still groggy. He felt a heaviness in his hand and it made him glance down to find that he was holding hers. "Wha...how are you here?" he asked, his confusion apparent in his words.

"I'm your nurse, Tommy," she answered him, throwing the formalities out the window. She felt that they were past all of that.

"Are we still in France?" he asked her next. This hospital seemed to be in much better condition than the one he remembered meeting her in, but it was the only way he could make this make sense.

"No," she shook her head softly, a gentle smile on her face. This information made Tommy's brow furrowed in confusion. "I think you were having a dream, Tommy," (Y/N) spoke up when she noticed his expression.

"But you're still here..." he trailed off, voicing the part that he was most confused about. He was unsure in saying it though because he didn't want her to disappear when he admitted this observation.

"I moved from Solihull after a position opened up. I work here now," she explained to him, her answer making his confusion dissipate. He simply nodded at this new information, taking a moment to think about what it meant.

Silence fell between them after she finished speaking, and she took that as her go ahead to complete some of the tests that she was required to run.

Tommy was the one to speak after a few minutes had passed, "so you're in Birmingham for good now?" he questioned her, watching intently as she continued checking him.

"I am," she answered, not losing focus on what she was doing. Another period of silence began. (Y/N) waited until she was finished with her tasks before she looked at him again. "So the dream you had..." she started off, unsure of how she'd word the question that had been burning in her mind since he came to, "is me being here better, or worse?"

Tommy chuckled slightly at her question, "oh this is better, love. You being here now is way better than the dream," he told her, a grin tugging the corner of his lips upwards. (Y/N) smiled at his admission. "And this may be a bit straightforward, but I wanted to know if I could take you out for dinner?" he asked her then, not wanting to waste any more time in getting them reacquainted with each other, "if you don't have anyone, that is," he added to the end.

(Y/N) giggled slightly as his final statement made her think back to the first night they shared with each other. "I don't have anyone," she started, a smile forming on her face, "and I'd love to have dinner with you, but..." she trailed off then, biting on her bottom lip. Tommy sat up straighter as he waited intently for what she would say next. (Y/N) noticed this and couldn't help but smile as she delivered the rest of her statement, "we need to make sure you get healthy first."

Tagged: @mgcldydrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @elenavampire21 @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @midnightmagpiemama @cillmequick @rangerelik @dandelionprints @letal-y-poetica @raincoffeeandfandoms @itscheybaby @gypsy-girl-08 @lora21 @insanitybyanothername @depxiety @dragons-are-my-favorite @acewritesfics @forgottenpeakywriter @cilliansangel @cljordan-imperium @areyenotfondofmelobster @little-diable

MASTERLIST

[mdhwrites]

Andrias vs. Collector: Who Was Redeemed Better?

Andrias hands down. Not only is it helped IMMENSELY by character consistency with him but it actually functions with what we know of him. Despite literally only ever getting half an episode dedicated to him (he doesn't actually get a lot more screentime than The Collector, especially while as a villain) we understand his motivations, the reasons for his cruelty, why Marcy made him cold and annoyed every time she was even mentioned post True Colors (he did not enjoy torturing Marcy. The literal only claim there is one line from True Colors where he blames her but otherwise, Marcy is fridged SPECIFICALLY to give someone for Andrias to show regret about) and then when shown how far he had fallen from the good man he was, he goes ahead and tries to fix that. First a final act of heroism but then not asking for forgiveness or the like. He is too guilty to need, or perhaps even want, such things and he instead can try to put things right on his own. In the end, we are left with the impression that Andrias WILL continue to tend to Amphibia now until the day he finally dies. It's actually done pretty well for the fact that it's given such little direct attention, especially by the time he's supposed to start being redeemed.

Meanwhile, the Collector's arc only works if you ignore large swaths of the show. His redemption mostly comes down to the idea that he needs to learn morality and that other people can be hurt by his actions but... He already did. In Watching and Dreaming, he yells at Belos controlled Raine specifically about how King will hate him for the nightmares, showing that he understands that his actions can upset people. In S2B, he talked about wanting to play with bones and criticized Belos for potentially murdering the Grimmwalkers, kind of opening up a moral conversation about the nature of Belos' treatment of them while showing his knowledge of death.

Even if we believe he didn't know these things and try to say he was manipulated, we can't. Belos' goal was extremely explicit and back when he was Philip, he had no reason to lie to the Collector. A spell to kill all witches in return for your freedom was the deal. That's pretty damn evil and the Collector could have always said no but instead he's EXCITED for them to be dead in Hollow Mind. All that matters to him then is his freedom, screw anyone else. Then when he is freed, he has neither the archivists or Belos to push him around and tell him what to do. As such: Why the fuck did he make the hunting stars? You know, the roaming stars that turn people automatically into puppets, rendering them to a fate worse than death as they are conscious and aware of what's going on, even as they are entirely incapable of doing anything about it. They are still around MONTHS later. Hexside literally keeps watch for them. If he is just a little guy, why the fuck did he make those in the first place and why are they still around?

None of this is ever addressed though. Instead, the show spends a quarter of its finale, and a decent chunk of the special before it, focusing on trying to redeem him and show him off as a good guy while not having him actually acknowledge the awful, terrible things he did. There's no taking of responsibility like with Andrias. There is no proper refusal of his morality or change in his thinking. Even his attempt to make peace with Belos is flawed because it's still the same all or nothing thinking that we've seen up until now for the Collector. "I do X, I get friend." It's not actually an acknowledgement that other people are complex and have their own free will, it's just a new form of trying to easily get what he wants. Then after her turns people back, which is good, he just leaves. He doesn't do anything to actually make up for what he did or allow him to face a world that he has irrevocably damaged. Instead, he abandons it all. All that responsibility and guilt can just be left behind instead of actually worked on. How is that a show of what he learned? Of him rejecting how he was before? Of him being REDEEMED?

It makes it much less an arc and more something we're told. At least when Andrias powers down to make Anne's final punch on him more effective, we have seen his regret. We have seen his motivations. We have seen as one is pushed into his face and the other torn down. Then we get to see him act on it, allow his conquest to fail, as a willful decision to back down from that evil rather than double down. Then we see follow through with him in the timeskip where he is still simply trying to make up for his sins, even if no one will ever tell him his work is done.

We don't get anything like that with the Collector and that's why he will always be easily worse to me.

======+++++======

Someone shared a Reddit post on this topic in my Discord and I almost posted 95% of this as a comment there. I... I know better than to do that on Reddit though so I decided to just let it be a blog over here.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[bloodyshadow1]

just my feelings on the bad kids and their class levels/classes right now. It's just my opinion, I am not bashing the multiclasses or the players choices

Adaine- Love it, she's an 11th level wizard, i get that multiclassing can be fun, but for some classes it's just better, imo, to just stay the course because having access to upper level spells can be more useful than a multiclass. I'm sure there's a broken wizard multiclass, but I think it just fits her better to stay a wizard throughout. Sometimes with full casters, I could see dipping into monk or Barbarian for the ac buff, but neither would help her so It's probably best for her to stay a wizard since she has access to 6th level spells since leveling up

Kristen- Same as Adaine, I personally like full casters to stay the course and keep on keeping on. again I'm sure there's a broken cleric other class build, like Saccharina from ACOC, but I'm not sure anything other than paladin would fit Kristen. A lot of her issues are mental and Tracker was right about her not wanting to do the boring stuff. I like her having to discover what she wants out of being a cleric rather than her dropping it because it's not exactly what she wants for something new.

Riz- 11 levels of rogue, though from the beginning of the season he's now an arcane trickster instead of an inquisitor which I think is more helpful and just a better fit. He's still a detective, but he's also kind of a secret agent so having access to magic helps and fits his character growth. Also he never really used a lot of the inquisitor abilities that often and his perception wasn't that good to justify the subclass. I'm also glad he is staying a full rogue so far, I think given the mechanics of Junior year so far, it would put a lot of strain on him to try and do more than just a single course track

Now for the multiclassers

Fabian- I think both taking levels of bard and going from champion fighter to battlemaster was the best choice for him. I think overall he was a fighter because he was taught to be one, but overall the boy is a bard at his core. The flourishes the spells, the charisma proficiency, they're what Fabian wants more than what he gets from being a fighter. Fabian has always wanted to be popular and stand out while being a great warrior and a swords college bard fits that better than being a fighter, a class he seems to have very little attachment to. Currently he is a 6 fighter 5 bard, since he was a level 8 fighter and gave up 3 levels to take in bard when he was depressed he has boosted up 2 levels in that class vs 1 in fighter. After the initial class level trading he hasn't decreased his levels in fighter, but I wouldn't be surprised if he does in the future.

Gorgug- this is where I get a bit critical, I don't really know if Artificer Barbarian is a good multiclass. I've seen some people say it's amazing while others say it's terrible, I have no clue. from what I can tell it doesn't look like it's super good, it's a support class and a tinkerer so it does fit Gorgug, but I don't think it really is that efficient with the Bad Kid's party comp. Fabian and Gorgug were the front line fighters, Gorgug being the tank and DPS while Fabian was a striker dps with a good hp pool and ac, but Barbarians soak up damage better than any class. It's also hard to be a caster (even a half/third caster like Artificier, and be a barbarian because you can't cast spells or even concentrate on them when you rage which is obviously a problem. It's just hard to imagine gorgug as an battlesmith, which I assume he is, since other than the steeldefender it doesn't give him anything he doesn't already have as a barbarian. We also don't know any of his infusions so it's hard to really be attached to Gorgug as an artificer when we don't really seem him artifice. That being said, he's Zac's character so whatever he wants is gonna happen. Since Gorgug has been trading an additional level in barbarian for artificer (6 barb/5 art) I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually drops barbarian all together. I think a barbarian is more useful, but I can understand why Zac would want Gorgug to go down the artificer path instead and I support it.

Fig- Honestly, Fig's multiclassing is the strangest to me because I can't really wrap my head around it. She so far only has 2 levels of warlock to her 9 of bard, even last level up she took another level of Bard, the two levels she took of warlock were in freshman year and she never really looked back. That being said, from the recent eps, it seems like she likes the warlock classes better, she isn't even sure if she wants to be a bard anymore. which I find kind of a shame because she also liked the 1 bard class she took. Emily is a master multiclasser so I'm sure Fig is gonna be great whatever and will be who Emily wants her to be. I'm hoping she doesn't become a paladin because, even if it's to replace her levels in Bard, despite hexblade being one of the best combos with paladin. It just feels like Fig as the character took levels/are planning to take levels in other classes to make other people happy. She became a warlock because she found her devil father and wanted to be closer to him, she offered to become a paladin for Cassandra to help out Kristen, but I think that's selfless, but it doesn't help her as a person. Sometimes you can be too selfless to a point where it's bad for you. Emily can of course do whatever, but I'll be a bit sad if has Fig giving up on being a bard. Like with Kristen it seems like Fig just doesn't want to do the uncool stuff and that's gonna be with anything she tries. I think she's running away from what she wants herself to be to make things easier/more exciting and I think it's going to backfire.

I will also say, it's not exactly fair for Brennan to poison her bardic abilities. I'll say more on the topic on another post but it's still how I feel.

[centrally-unplanned]

House of the Dragon "peace arc" was generally cringe though with a bright spot at the core. Rhaenys came off the worst for it; sitting in a council meeting getting news that the enemy has marched an army, taken two of their castles, and sacked a city and calling those wanting to respond to that warmongering idiots is an amateur hour moment. It isn't like Rhaenyra was heading to King's Landing to surrender or anything, she wanted a negotiated peace. To get that, you need a position of strength - otherwise your enemy is less likely to make peace with you, as the cost of killing you is so low. "War begets war" is an aphorism, not an iron law; this cowardice in the name of conflict avoidance serves neither peace nor their war. Smack their advancing army with a squad of dragons and show them "hey, this is what More War is gonna bring - let's give peace a chance hm?" You only make peace with your enemies, after all, reminding them of that fact is not the barrier to peace naive instinct thinks it is. And then you also aren't telling your own vassals you are going to ditch them in the face of fire, bonus!

The way she seems haughtily superior to the "squabblings of men" while making a fool or herself is a real directorial fail, it is almost accidentally sexist - poor wimmins can't understand Clausewitz. Though I gotta give the actress Eve Best some unintentional credit:

I guess she fucking nailed it.

While I am bashing Rhaenys, the framing of the Vhagar/Meraxes fight is very strange - Rhaenys has clearly won the battle, because Sunfyre is pretty much dead, and you would likely bet Aegon with him, and the way it is shot strongly suggests Rhaenys successfully retreated while Aemond is not at all in pursuit. The whole battle was clearly a trap that she had just dodged. Then she doubles back anyway against a much stronger foe and loses while dealing no apparent damage. Why do that dumb thing? It's both way too risky and also strategically foolish - Meleys as the Black's strongest dragon is highly needed as a deterrent force. It would be more reasonable if Rhaenys was a proud warrior type, proud warriors do that kind of thing ("I can't abandon Rook's Rest!"), but she was defined by her caution up until she chose suicide-by-dracarys.

In the books she is ambushed by a cooperative Aegon/Aemond and dies fighting, easy peasy. The logic is sound, it is a weird change to make.

Speaking of bad tactics, why only send one dragon? If the other dragons were busy that would be one thing, but they mainly aren't, they are doing nothing of note at the time, you have like 4 of them. In the book Rhaenyra is being a bad leader, too grief-stricken or cowardly to go herself, and too possessive of her sons to let them fight; it is shown as a mistake. In this show it is shown as a moment of Rhaenys's courage; she is like "I will go your grace" and everyone is like "oooh" and the question of why this is a solo mission just gets swept aside. Again, you know Vhagar is stronger than you, teamwork is the only real chance you have, while having more dragons is your primary advantage. The Blacks can and should make mistakes, but it has to be framed as mistakes by the show.

This is of course downstream of the "make Rhaenyra the Good Guy" decision; but beyond the Rhaenys idiocy I think this worked great for her here. She didn't hesitate to help her allies; the moment she returned from her failed peace mission, she got right to work. Trying to make peace was idealistic but people are sometimes. And meanwhile I continue to support the Aegon's Dream choice - it really does give her this solid motivation beyond power for her commitment to her inheritance. It is framed really well - like she herself only half believes the prophecy. She is choosing to believe it because she is stuck now and needs moral certainty for the choices she is going to make. That is a very human thing to do, and insightful to essentially admit her own biases out the gate. It makes her likeable without giving her a moral pass for anything.

I do think the show has tipped a bit too far into the "greens = bad guys" camp in comparison though. I would have fixed that by making Rhaenyra more directly complicit in past crimes like killing those who called her children bastards, show she is too committed to this whole "law & prophecy above all" bit, and that the Greens have some legitimate grievances against her. But we may see her get corrupted by the war yet; hopefully they have the courage when it matters most.

[valscigarette]

Summary: Vox takes Angel on a "dry-run" of a date he has planned for Valentino. (Angel's POV on Staticmoth)

Tags: Vox/Valentino, background Angel/Valentino, Canon-Typical Everything, Angst, Mutually Destructive Vox/Val, Threats of Violence

See AO3 or DM me for more detailed tags/warnings!

WC: 3.6k | AO3

-

“Be good to him, Voxxy,” Val warns playfully, smacking a wet kiss to the corner of Vox’s screen and leaving a tinted smear that could be lipstick or drool. “We have a long shoot tomorrow, and if you make a mess-”

“Oh, please,” Vox huffs.

Despite this being his idea, his plan, his request, he seems utterly uninterested in Angel’s presence. From the cabin of the limousine, Angel watches his and Valentino’s back and forth, desperate for some clue as to what the evening has in store for him. Most johns are simple. They know what they want, and Angel knows how to give it to them, and Val usually steps in before they damage the merchandise too badly. Vox, on the other hand, has never asked for Angel’s time so much as inflicted himself on it when Val’s feeling particularly cruel.

“Since when do you give a fuck, anyway?”

Vox leans against the side of the limo, a sign that their conversation will last long enough for Angel to light a smoke. He taps one from the pack in his clutch, pink-filtered with an extra dose of Valentino’s venom, and holds it out toward Vox for a dismissive, static arc of a light. They’re not oblivious to his presence- just ignoring him, like he’s no more alive than the velvet cushion beneath his ass.

A chuckle, low and dangerous, spills from Valentino’s lips with a plume of opaque smoke Vox has to physically wave from the air between them. “Since you decided that my toys are more fun than me,” Val answers, torn somewhere between deadly anger and catty mockery. Angel stutters on his exhale. Even when Val is blurry, separated by the tinted windows of the car and half-obscured from Vox’s frame, the sound of his temper is enough for Angel’s lungs to seize.

“Come on,” Vox groans. He pushes off the side of the car to crowd Val’s space while Angel recenters himself, hoping to finish his smoke before Vox is ready to leave. “It was one mistake, baby. And honestly, how many whores do you fuck a week? A day? How is this different?”

This gets Angel’s attention enough to subtly shift in his seat, scooting toward the open door to better hear the argument Vox has definitely started. Neither of them like to back down, but both love the heat of a fight and to take it out on their subordinates. It’s a sick cycle Angel somehow found himself in the middle of.

“It’s my fucking job, that happens to make you a shit-load of money. You don’t see me taking your assistant—what's his name, the slimy one with that sexy little fin—to bed in the middle of your workday!”

The assistant in question could be one of several, though Angel noticed Vox replacing the whole set of them over the course of the month. He wonders if it has to do with Val, but quickly dismisses the thought; Valentino will fuck anything that moves, or anything that doesn’t so long as he can find a hole to stick his cock in, and there’s simply no one Vox could hire that Val wouldn’t want to fuck. Yeah, he has his favorites. Angel’s one of them. But Angel knows Val isn’t loyal to anyone, and he’s certain Vox is equally aware.

“Is that what this is about?” Vox asks. “They’re- that’s what you keep them for, Val, don’t be ridiculous. I know for a fact you fucked that one twice, the same day I did, and it wasn’t even in front of a studio camera!”

“Her performance needed work,” Val sniffs, then blows a heart-shaped smoke ring into Vox’s screen petulantly. “Forgive me if I don’t appreciate all the time you have for my performers, amor.” Vox mutters something, only to glance back at Angel through the window as if to commiserate when Val barrels over him. “You just don’t seem to have any left for me.” His pleading lilt is almost convincing as his lower set of hands curl into fists at his side.

Angel inhales from his cigarette until his eyes cross and his lungs burn. Although Val likes him fine high, in too much of a stupor to raise a hand let alone fight back, Vox prefers his partners sharp enough to scream, and this tainted smoke is likely the only reprieve he’ll get until Vox dumps what’s left of him in front of Valentino’s door tomorrow morning. He holds his breath. 

Vox reaches out, insisting, “That’s not true,” as the light from his screen flashes across Val’s eyes.

“Fuck you.”

When Val slaps Vox, his head slams into the car window with a thunk that spiderwebs a crack over the glass and dents the corner of Vox’s screen. 

“I don’t even care,” Val adds. “Have fun with fucking Angel Dust. Don’t break him.”

As Valentino swaggers away, not even bothering to say goodbye to Angel, Vox sighs and takes a minute to compose himself. Through the broken tinted glass and a wispy cloud of smoke, Angel watches him straighten his tie, button his jacket, adjust his hat, and flicker through a few settings on his screen to ensure Val hasn’t actually damaged it. By the time he slides into limo, Angel is ready to toss his butt out the window and put on a show. For all that Valentino doesn’t care, he made sure Angel knew to be on his best behavior tonight for Vox. 

The limo pulls away the second Vox shuts the door, but it takes a bit longer for him to acknowledge Angel for the first time all night. “Val pick the dress?” he asks, staring out the window as the city passes them by. 

“Why? Do you like it?”

It was Val’s choice, a silky red number that matches both Vox’s usual suit and the gloves on all four of his arms. The skirt is wide and flowy, unlike the usual form-fitting dresses he wears, and his patent red heels are so short he may as well have gone without. His outfit has been meticulously crafted as an homage to the glitzy fifties nostalgia Vox can’t seem to let go of.

“It looks lovely,” Vox replies, glancing over at the hem of the skirt with such interest that Angel has to tug it up higher on his thighs. “Not your usual style, but it’s better than those slutty costumes he always puts you in.”

Unsure whether it would please or irritate Vox to know Val chose this one, too, Angel doesn’t clarify either way. Instead, he keeps a careful eye on every minute movement Vox makes, desperate to prepare himself for the evening ahead. From the scenery passing out the windows, he can tell they’re on their way out of the city, but that alone isn’t necessarily indicative of anything. Vox doesn’t care who hears them. “Thanks, Mr. Vox,” Angel offers, the safest bet available. He may not know Vox inside and out like he does Valentino, but he’d be stupid not to have picked up on what pleases and pisses him off the most. Demure, grateful, and appropriate are the key words Val gave Angel years ago, and they’re still a good rule of thumb despite how much has changed.

“Can’t see him wearing anything like it though,” Vox says. He pinches the hem of Angel’s skirt between two clawed fingers, barely careful enough to avoid tearing the thin fabric, and scoffs. “It’s cute, I like it, but it’s- he wouldn’t be caught dead in this.”

Angel makes an appropriately sympathetic noise and leans into Vox’s side, mindful not to bump into his sensitive screen when he’s not been given permission. “His loss. Not only would it look great, but you know, you deserve something every now and then, too, baby.” When Vox gets what he wants, he’s happy, and when he’s happy, he doesn’t occupy his free time testing the limits of sinner regeneration. 

“You get it,” agrees Vox, finally wrapping an arm around Angel’s shoulders and tugging him close. Hot-and-cold is Val’s game, and so the affection soothes Angel’s racing heart to a tolerable tremolo, and the way he relaxes into Vox’s touch is entirely genuine. “You’re smarter than Val gives you credit for, Angel.” As he talks, Vox traces shapes over Angel’s bare shoulder in the perfect accompaniment to his affectedly saccharine tone. “Satan, sometimes I wonder.”

The territory gets more familiar with each passing quip. “Hey, Val doesn’t mind sharing. He’s into it. You know that.” Angel leans forward for a kiss before he remembers that Vox is no particular fan, but electric teal claws seize his jaw to keep him from pulling away by the time he realizes his mistake. “Sorry,” he mutters instinctively. “I- I didn’t mean-”

“Oh, relax.” Vox shakes Angel’s head gently with the grip on his face. “He usually doesn’t care--fucking better not, with how busy he gets--and if I wanted you, sweetheart, I’d have you by now.” He chuckles. “As if you’d be worth the effort.” Though it’s far from the cruelest thing Vox has ever said, something about the fondness laced through his voice is worse than outright anger, and Angel struggles to blink back a reaction. “I mean if you weren't his favorite whore,” he continues, releasing Angel's face, “you’d be working for Voxtek.”

Reasonably convinced it’s a compliment, Angel thanks Vox again and tries not to cringe away from him. “Yeah, well, I don’t foresee Val letting me out of filming any time soon.” He pointedly avoids thinking about the implications: his afterlife, infinite in its duration, will be spent at Valentino’s whims, and every time Angel thinks it no longer bothers him, the reminder stings behind his eyes. “‘Specially not when he’s mad at you.”

“He’s always throwing a tantrum about something.” The limo slows as they turn onto a sidestreet along the outskirts of Pentagram City, the neon signs and patchy streetlights fading behind them. Vox picks a sliver of plastic from the scrape on his screen and says, “You know, I made him. He was just another whore, selling backroom tapes before I got involved. He’d still be turning out tricks if it weren’t for me.” 

Whether Vox forgets Angel has been around longer than him, or he simply doesn’t care, it’s impossible to tell, but Angel remembers the days before Vox well enough to know how well Val did for himself on his own. He doesn’t have do the dirty work himself anymore. Of course, the studio still re-releases his old pornos a couple times a year as a publicity stunt, because Val won’t let anyone forget his allure. These two don’t need each other at all. 

“He ever tell you, I built Vee Tower for him?” Vox carries on, nonplussed by the lack of response. “He just had to have a penthouse suite, taller than anyone else’s, and I gave it to him. Me. I’ve done everything for him, and for what? To share his attention with every down-on-their-luck sex doll he sees?” He throws Angel a sidelong glance. “Some offense intended.”

“It’s okay, I know where I stand.”

At last their ride ends. The driver scurries to open Vox’s door for him, and upon climbing out, Vox offers his hand to Angel for support. Angel only hesitates a second before he takes it. He finds Vox’s palm cool and unforgiving, his claws a faint threat where they rest against Angel’s hand, but the touch is uncharacteristically gentle as Angel fluffs his skirt back out. Once they’re a couple steps away, the limousine speeds off, and he suddenly realizes he’s alone on a deserted road with Vox, whose face serves as the only light in the absence of the car headlights. 

“Uh, Mr. Vox, can I ask you something?” He asks, leaning into Vox’s support as they take slow steps further along the road.

Vox walks like he knows the path well, veering from the craggy asphalt to the soft dirt alongside a guardrail. Glancing past him, Angel can make out the glow of the city hundreds of feet below, and realizes they’re on one of the mountains that border it. “If you must,” Vox tells him. The hand not intertwined with Angel’s casts a spark to light gas lamps spaced along the railing.

“What are we doing up here? Not that I’m questioning you, but throwing me over a cliff is a new one, and if you don’t like the dress-” Angel cuts off when Vox squeezes his hand hard enough to hurt. 

“I took Valentino here for our first date, and for some of the bigger anniversaries,” Vox says. The cut path broadens to include an outlook, which has been furnished with a set dinner table and two comfortable chairs, each slightly angled to be close to one another and enjoy the admittedly breathtaking view. Vee Tower is visible from here, the tallest building in the city, and Angel imagines Valentino brooding on the balcony as he waits for Angel to come back and give him every detail of the encounter. Vox guides Angel to one of the chairs, pulling it out for him and pushing him into the table once he’s seated. He tells Angel, “I haven’t been up here in years, so I needed to make sure it’s exactly as I remembered.”

“It’s very romantic,” Angel agrees. “I can see why you guys like it.”

Vox lifts the silver dome covers off their plates, which releases a plume of fragrant steam as it reveals their classic steak dinner, exactly like the place up the block from the tower serves. “We used to,” he says, and he almost sounds wistful. He picks up his fork, then pauses, lights the candle on the table with a spark, and spears a couple of green beans. “I need to do a dry run.”

“Right.” Angel reaches for the bottle of wine, corkscrew placed but unopened, and holds it out to Vox. “Might wanna open this first. And, you know, warn him that you’re taking him to dinner, not his grave.”

“Maybe stewing on his choices will do him some good.” Vox uncorks the bottle with ease, filling Angel’s glass before his own, and his demeanor suddenly clicks. Angel’s here as a proxy for Valentino. For now, that’s a benefit rather than a detriment, and he might catch a glimpse of whatever Val saw in Vox to begin with. “Are you warm enough?”

The chilly breeze is nothing in comparison to the heat generated by Angel’s pounding heart. “Sure. I wouldn’t worry about Val, either, he runs hot.” When he takes a bite of steak, Angel lets out a pleased sound that has Vox’s attention snapping away from the meal and back to him, as though surprised he’s enjoying the exquisite food provided to him. “What?” Angel manages. “I got something on my face?” He reaches for the white cloth napkin to dab around his mouth, but only sticky pink lipgloss comes away with the fabric. 

“Just wondering what he sees in you,” Vox says, voice performatively flat, before he pulls out his cellphone. “I better get some dancers out here, or something. He likes dinner and a show.”

“Oh, ‘cause that won’t bother you at all, Mr. Possessive?” If Angel’s stepping over the line, Vox gives no indication. “And how’s that special? He can go to every club in the city at the drop of a hat. Val doesn’t need your help finding strippers.”

A frown twitches across Vox’s mouth. “I suppose I would be pulling them from the studio payroll.” He slips out of his chair to pace in front of the table, the neon colors of his face slicing a visible beam through the night, brighter than the candle and closer than the city. If it were Val, Angel would already be on his knees to console him, but with Vox, he can’t bring himself to move an inch. “What the fuck does he want from me?” 

A garbled laugh crackles through his speakers and Angel wonders idly whether his phone would get any reception out here. 

“I give him everything he wants. The best booze money can buy.” Vox snatches the wine off the table and hurls it over the side of the mountain, where it disappears to a fate so far below, they never hear it shatter. “As many drugs as the lab can develop. Whatever clothes Velvette can dream up.” He snags a strap of Angel’s dress in one claw, sneering at the delicate fabric. “Eight different fucking engagement rings.” Under the whisper of candlelight, Angel can barely make out the plain golden band on Vox’s left hand- not his color, but Val’s, which is all that matters. “I don’t get it.” Vox draws himself up to his full height, which is shorter than Angel when they’re both standing, but towers over him when Angel is pressed as deep into his chair as the unforgiving wood will allow. “What the fuck,” he growls, letting each syllable grate on Angel’s ears, “is so special about you?”

Angel swallows. He can’t flinch. Fear is like blood in the water, and Vox is a precision-designed predator who will pounce the second he smells it. “Nothing you want, Mr. Vox, I promise.”

His chuckle vibrates in Angel’s chest. “What, going face-down, ass-up at the snap of his fingers?”

“No, well yes, but-” The scent of coolant and expensive cologne that surrounds Vox clouds Angel’s mind as easily as his hypnotic eye. “Val’s not a sentimental guy, alright?” Angel hedges. “He doesn’t appreciate the tradition of coming here over and over. He likes novelty.” 

Vox releases Angel’s clothes to curl his fingers around his neck instead, grip barely tight enough to restrict his breathing. “And why is it you think I don’t want to have new experiences with him?”

“It’s not that, I promise.” Angel can’t focus his eyes, but he wrangles his tongue around the words like he’s begging for his life. “I can’t say no to him. The shit you don’t wanna do, aren’t willing to try, he does with me.” He knows because Valentino constantly runs his mouth. “My thing with Val- it’s not like what you guys have.”

“I know that,” Vox snaps.

His teeth seem real and three dimensional, as if they could bite Angel in half. In the recesses of his memory he thinks he’s felt them before. No one except Val would even notice Angel was missing, if Vox decided to rip him to shreds and leave him here, alone, to piece himself back together. 

“He’s not bored of you, baby,” Angel pleads, desperate to soften Vox’s temper, “just the routine. There’s gotta be somewhere in the city you ain’t gone yet, right?”

When Vox drops his hand, Angel gasps in a deep breath, mindlessly fixing his askew neckline so he doesn’t have to think about whether there will be bruises under his fur tomorrow. Val would be mad at both of them for it, printing his own handprints over Vox’s and spitting degradations for allowing himself to be used in such a manner, despite his own orders not to give Vox any trouble. 

“If you’re fucking with me, I’ll make Val’s worst moods look like a walk in the park,” Vox threatens. His phone emerges from his pocket again, blue-tipped fingers dancing across the screen in what Angel assumes is an effort to secure a reservation somewhere new.

“Understood.”

Evidently over his outburst, Vox flops back down in his chair and says, “My driver will be back in ten minutes.”

Angel tentatively picks his fork up and, when Vox doesn’t react, wolfs down the rest of the dinner provided before the limo’s headlights eek up the road once more. He figures he likes Vox best distracted. Like Val, his attention can only be positive for so long before his mercurial mood changes. At least his worst injury is the lingering ache in his throat, and not the mess Vox leaves when permitted to express his pent up rage on Angel’s body.

As when they arrived, the driver opens the door for them, and Vox offers Angel a polite hand into the car and doesn’t release him until he’s settled into the comfortable seats. In the wash of light, his screen brightens, making Angel realize how much it had dimmed to avoid becoming a beacon on the lonesome cliffside. 

“Since I gave you good advice, would you do something for me, Mr. Vox?” Angel asks.

He knows he’s pushing his luck even before Vox’s condescending laugh. “You’re asking me a favor?”

“Forget it, I shouldn’t’ve asked-”

“No,” Vox chuckles, “go on.” His eye begins to spin and his voice drops. “Tell me.”

The words tumble out as if Vox plucked them from his brain: “Can you please mention to Val that I was good for you?”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Vox sighs, reclining into his seat. “I wouldn’t if you paid me.”

On that note, Vox doesn’t say another word for the rest of the drive back to the tower. At some point Angel gives up on sitting modestly, like Val told him to, and draws his knees up in front of him to wrap both sets of arms around. If he’s lucky, Vox and Val will make up sooner rather than later, and he can go a few more months without being used as a pawn for the game they play, but he’s not so naive as to expect a significant reprieve from either of them. He’d be more likely to find a way to Heaven. 

[unkat]

i am playing around with the idea of naturally ending chilchuck/his wife as a narrative, with a lot of headcanon interpolation of events. this is led by my fanfic brain which is looking at a different end game. i am marcilling it.

canonically he did not contact his daughters or wife for those years after she left. i struggle to imagine how it must feel for your life partner to let you disappear from his life and stopped contacting your shared kids at the same time, diving even more headfirst into his work that made you feel abandoned in the first place.

i think chilchuck thinks he is doing what is best for them by working hard on improving the respect for half-foots and not telling them about his work life. i can see him thinking that this is too much for them to worry about, so he can protect them by not disclosing anything but a censored version of events, minimizing the danger and death he faces whenever he leaves. i think before he started working in the dungeon, he was a lot more open about it with her, back when the complaints were just shitty customers.

but its not like she wouldnt notice, once he started advocating for higher safety regulations. like. what if each time he came home, he had some new frightening clause to add to his contract, and brushed off her attempts to get details as to why he put it there? and that feeling is not something their kids would be able to overlook once they get old enough to go from parent-child caretaker to parent-child friendship/advisor.

so yeah! when she actually meets his coworkers and realizes how much he has been leaving out about his life, its like he is a totally different person than the man she has been living with for the past 13 years. she has been lied to through omission, and he cant read the room that she needed him to trust her. so, she does something drastic to get his attention (and, very importantly, give herself fulfillment). and then he never calls, never writes, never reaches out for years of her life.

personally i think it would make sense for her to find something of her own, like a hobby or job, after her children have grown, and through that there could someone who can give her enough emotional support to fall in love again.

by the time he returns, he was a good man and great father, but a lousy husband, and she does not want to throw away the happiness she found without him. i think they loved each other for so long that it would be easy to fall back into that fondness after they both had a serious couple of conversations. but the ship to go back to how things were has sailed, and neither of them should try to go back to how things were. there is still love there, just in a different form than it was before.

i guess i kinda like the idea of growth that is staggered from each other due to their communication problems, if i had to make them lines moving in parallel. they fell out of sync understanding each other, and by the time they caught back up, they have missed the window to be as close as they were before. kinda a "right place, wrong time" by the time chilchuck has finished canon. i think there is beauty in the imperfections of damaged relationships, the fallibility of human nature, healing by falling apart.

could they have both been that loyal to the commitment and still work hard to fall back into love? i think its possible, but it should be as difficult as it needs to be for both of them to feel like this is a real change. chilchuck retiring might make that easier or harder for her- less stressful job, but he needs to actually put aside time for them and not fixate on his career, which would be hard if he is still a driving force behind civil movements on top of starting his business.

[unstablerk800]

𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕤

Rating: Explicit Pairing: RK900/Fem!Reader (third person) Tags (tagging as I go): post-android revolution, kidnapping, angst/fluff, hurt/comfort, Stockholm syndrome, protective RK900, manipulation, solitary confinement, blood, injury, violence, gore, illnesses, RK800, RK800-60 and RK900 are considered siblings, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rape/Non-con Elements Read on Ao3.

Chapter 13.

Chapter 14. 🔽

Chapter 15.

Word count: 6,5k

The natural order of the world was established anew after RK900 was activated. 200,000 of them was enough to hack themselves into everything and destroy half of America. So humans became what they should be in the new world order. They became the slaves, and androids were their new masters.

RK900 sat down in front of her, at the other side of the table in the kitchen. He placed down a small box from which contained all the necessary tools to trim and file her nails. Since Connor told them he'd work with the android animals for a few hours, RK900 thought it'd be best if they spent some time together. Just to fix her nails and test the waters about how she felt these days, because since they've met those humans, she was awfully quiet.

"Give me your hand, please", his voice was calm and quiet, and she obeyed him without saying a word.

A part of him wondered what else would she do without asking questions. How far would his authority over her go? His thoughts remained hypothetical; he wouldn't betray her trust. She'd been through enough in the past few days, he wouldn't add to it. If anything, he wanted her to feel safe around him.

He took her left hand in his own. He couldn't help it, he analyzed her nails. RK900 discovered that even though her hands had been cleaned many times since the incident, neither the medical androids nor her took good care of her nails, and they still told a story about how she was trying to scramble away from her attackers. She must've dragged her nails across concrete to get them so badly damaged. The thought alone made his stress levels rise.

RK900 said nothing as he picked up a tool form the box and trimmed her nails. Her hand felt slightly colder than usual in his hold. He worked in silence, trimming and then filing each and every nail so it wouldn't get stuck in her clothing and would grow out properly. He did an amazing job; she guessed he downloaded the instructions how to do it beforehand. For a brief second, she wondered how much data he'd downloaded so far just to take good care of her. It was almost… sweet.

Although, judging by his rapidly spinning electric blue LED, he had quite a few things to think about at the sight of her hands, and she couldn't help but guess the reason why.

"Do you know what happened?"

Her question caused him to pause, and his icy, grey eyes glanced up in hers. She was taken by surprise at how serious he looked then.

"I have my theories."

He ever so gently placed her left hand down before he reached out for her right hand. That one looked even worse than the left one. RK900 ran an analysis again.

"I know you fought back", he murmured, making her regret that she asked. "I know you were desperate to get away."

"Can we please not talk about it?"

His eyes shifted to look in her eyes again, but she was looking away. He didn't mean to trigger her, but it seemed that this was more than enough. Her cheeks flushed slightly and tears already gathered in her eyes.

"Of course", he agreed quietly. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you feel like this."

He trimmed her nails gently once again, then filed the edges, but there were two nails which were damaged way too much. He wondered why hadn't she told neither Connor nor him that her hand was aching from touching anything; it must've been painful to hold things with these nails.

"I'd like you to tell me how you feel in the future", he calmly reached for a small bottle of nail glue. As he opened the bottle and started to apply the glue, he could detect that her pulse was rising. He didn't look up, just continued to work. "You needn't worry or stress about this. I'd just like to know how you feel, so I can help you."

"I don't feel anything."

He finished putting the nail glue on her broken nail, and he looked at her face again. She was staring way away from him, probably at the clock on the microwave that displayed the current time.

"Nothing?" RK900 asked softly, and her eyes shifted back in his general direction.

"Nothing."

She did not make eye contact as she said that, and her hand became even colder in his palm. He knew she was lying. But he chose not to press on it.

"Alright", he acknowledged, then applied the nail glue on her other finger as well.

Later that day, while both him and Connor were with her in the bedroom where she snuggled up to RK800's chassis after she fell asleep – listening to his thirium pump regulator, as always –, Nines decided to talk about this with Connor. If they couldn't get to her to deal with everything she'd been through, they'll need to include a professional. There had been a large number of andriods who were fascinated by the human psyche, and would help humans deal with their traumas.

They could understand the surface symptoms, of course. She disassociated. She probably felt emotionally numb, because her mind couldn't deal with all the trauma she experienced. She'd try and shy away from situations that could be potentially triggering, and found little to no joy in activities she liked before. Of course, she probably was in constant pain due to her injuries that needed healing in the upcoming few days, but both androids agreed that if this state persists, they'd ask for help – whether she liked it or not.

~*~

She was sitting on the edge of the bed in silence. Nines walked in front of her, then he knelt on the floor and observed her face. She didn't move her eyes to look at him; she seemed like she wasn't even aware that she wasn't alone. Her eyes looked distant, empty, they've lost their shine.

The first two days with her after they've dealt with her abusers went by in relative calmness. She'd take care of herself in general. It just occurred to the android that she never once complained about the pain she must've felt. Both him and RK800 made sure she got her painkillers on time, but they could never determine whether they worked for her or not. She remained unresponsive when it came to her traumas. Both physical and mental. Whenever either of them tried to press on the events that took place in the underground tunnels, she would shut down.

And now, she was shutting down without anything even happening to her.

RK900 knew she left the tea and sandwich Connor prepared for her untouched. Her usual time for breakfast passed two hours ago, and she didn't want to eat last night, either. She looked calm, unbothered; but the circles under her eyes – coupled with his observations – let Nines know that something was terribly wrong. She didn't eat and couldn't sleep.

"Are you alright?" He whispered, his voice as soft and gentle as possible. She didn't reply immediately, just her lashes fluttered as she stared forward. "Please… talk to me."

He reached out for her hand which she rested in her lap. When he touched the back of her hand, she flinched, then her eyes came back into focus, and she stared at him like she wasn't even aware he was there until then.

"Nines?" She mumbled, looking confused.

"Yes", he murmured quietly, "are you alright?"

"I-"

She glanced around the room, trying to remember what was she doing there. What was she doing before this? She couldn't remember. Flashing lights and noises resurfaced in her mind and she felt nauseous as another splitting headache started to roll in her brain.

"I feel like-" She glanced down at him again, with a frown on her face. "Like I'm- trying to keep sand in my hands", she lifted her hands up and glanced down at them. His hand remained in her lap. She frowned slightly. "I don't- when did I come here?"

"You've been here since you woke up. Three hours ago", Nines replied softly. "Are you feeling alright?"

It was so hard to get her to answer this question, but they were patient. RK900 had to ask several times before he could get a proper answer out of her. It seemed that she had been conditioned not to complain or tell the truth about her well-being.

"I- don't know."

Nines tilted his head a little as his brows moved up slightly.

"You don't know?"

His quiet question made her glance back in his eyes. She looked troubled.

"I just. I just feel like something will go wrong", she confessed quietly. "I don't know what's going on." She paused for a few seconds before she added, "what is going to go on."

"Nothing is going to go on", Nines reassured her. "You are safe. We're safe. Everything will be alright."

"How- how can you be so sure?" She glanced around the room, unknowingly searching for a clue to figure out if this was a test or not. "We can't know. I can't know. I could… still be in there. In the lab."

A shiver ran across her body, RK900 could sense it. He took her hands in his own and gently squeezed her fingers; his touch was warm against her skin.

"They've given you substances that caused hallucinations?"

"Sometimes", she confirmed. "Although…" Her brows twitched. "Those felt different from this…"

"You've been in our care for weeks", he murmured. "This isn't a hallucination. I am not a hallucination. I am here, I am real. And I'm keeping you safe. Always."

There was a long pause as she was observing his face. Nines could see the understanding within her eyes until the spark gradually faded from them. He was at a loss.

"You need to eat", he decided, squeezing her fingers again. "I'll bring you something."

When he moved to get up, he stopped mid-movement when she grabbed his fingers tighter. He remained, crouching, in front of her.

"N- no, wait-", she frantically pulled his hands back against her neck, under her chin. "Don't."

Nines frowned, this time.

"You need to eat", he repeated slower, gentler. "You didn't have dinner last night, and you've missed breakfast today. Your body needs nutrients."

"I can't."

He gently removed his fingers from her grip and cupped her face in his hands.

"Why can't you eat, hmm?"

"It hurts." When Nines didn't reply just stared at her in shock – he wasn't prepared for this answer for sure –, tears gathered in her eyes again. "It hurts to chew."

Days passed since the accident. Days! And she said nothing! RK900 needed a few seconds to absorb that.

"Why didn't you tell us something sooner?"

"I- didn't want to be a burden-"

The way she broke eye contact and tried to lock her eyes onto something, anything, to distract herself told him more than anything else.

"Listen", his voice was as gentle as possible as he nudged her cheek to force her to look back into his eyes. "You're not a burden to any of us. If something hurts, tell us."

"Everything hurts, Nines", she blurted out the words as a sob shook her, "breathing hurts, drinking hurts, chewing hurts- even lying down and trying to fall asleep hurts. I don't want it to hurt anymore."

"I can help with th-"

"I don't know why can't I just lie down and die."

RK900's LED spun to red at an alarming rate. Even the thought was unbearable for him. He knew she was a human and that this must happen sooner or later, but if he had a say in it, it wouldn't happen in the upcoming few decades for sure.

"You say that because you're in pain", he said out loud, to calm her down and himself, too. His LED reverted back to blue – slowly. "I'm sure that if your injuries heal and the pain vanishes, you'll feel alright again."

"What if I don't? What's the point of me being alive?"

The android stared up in her eyes for a few long seconds. He didn't have answers to such questions; he couldn't know what to say to that. Earth's most sophisticated android could not answer such a trivial question.

"Would it suffice if I asked you to try and live for me?" Nines gently stroked her new tears away. "For us?"

She stared at him, her eyes full of unspoken emotions.

"Maybe", she whispered.

"Alright. Maybe it is. Let's just wait and see, okay?"

"Okay."

Nines slowly let her face go.

"You still need to eat, but if you're in that much pain, I'll bring you a stronger painkiller, this time."

Quietly standing up, he noticed that her expression morphed again, indicating that she did not want to be left alone. He reached out for her hand and when she slipped her fingers in his hand, he smiled a little at her.

"Just one step at a time", he told her quietly as she got up with him. "Alright? Just a step. And I'll be with you along the way."

"Promise?" She pulled closer to him, touching his arm with her other hand, pulling close to his synthetic body.

"Promise", he confirmed without hesitation, leaning closer to her to kiss the top of her head.

After he managed to get her stronger painkillers and she could eat and drink something, she announced that she was sleepy and tired and would like to sleep. While he knew that she was actively trying to escape her thoughts, he couldn't deny her the rest. He stayed with her all day, watched her as she slept, snuggled up close to his body as he monitored her.

She could sleep for long, long hours. As if she was catching up with sleep still.

The days found a calm rhythm, her injuries faded, her pain lessened and she seemed like she was alright. RK900 thought that he could go back to continue his own mission, when something unexpected happened.

It was a calm, regular morning. She was quietly eating her breakfast, staring off to nothing. Nines sat in front of her and scanned her vitals, as always, trying to figure out how to help and pinpoint her triggers. The doorbell rang and Connor walked over to the entrance to open it. A brief introduction could be heard before he was back in the kitchen – with a huge box in his hands.

"We have kittens", he announced, and brought the box next to her with a smile on his face.

She glanced down in the box and saw an orange cat mother with her six kittens around her. The big cat stared up at them, uncertain. There was a big, fluffy, dark blue blanket under them to keep them warm.

"Where did they come from?" She asked quietly, then glanced up at Connor who wasn't quick enough to erase his worried expression.

"A friend of mine", he replied, his tone sounding off. He took a moment to pause. Nines noticed that, and he straightened himself on his chair as he stared at Connor, unblinking. "…a friend of mine asked me to take care of them."

What happened?

Nines sounded direct after he was granted permission by Connor to connect.

Blip and Cain, Connor answered, we've lost contact with them.

Since when?

Three days.

Nines rose to his feet at the news. He walked over to her as she glanced up at him, and he could see that she sensed that something must've happened. He observed her without saying a word, then reached out to stroke her cheek with his right hand's knuckles.

"I'll be back soon", he promised her quietly, and when she nodded, he left.

A few hours passed by with Connor taking care of the cat and her kittens. When he was preparing lunch for her, she walked up to him, stopping on his right side.

"Connor", she mumbled.

"Hmm?"

He didn't look at her first, as he was focusing on cutting up the cucumber for the salad he wanted to serve to her.

"I've been thinking", she hesitated, then glanced at the slices of steaks quietly sizzling in the pan on the top of the stove. "I'd like you to put a tracker in me."

Connor's hands stopped what they were doing.

"What?" He straightened up and frowned, looking in her eyes.

"Please, put a tracker in me. In my veins. So I won't get lost again."

The android's LED spun quickly as he was processing her request. At the core, this was not a bad idea. They all knew that her collar could be removed, and they also owned technology that allowed them to track individuals. But for it to be her who requested it…

"Why would you want that?"

Connor's voice was soft and gentle, but she still flinched a little.

"It'd just feel right", she shrugged, her eyes pleading. "Please. Maybe I'd sleep better if I knew that even though if it happens again… you'll have a way of finding me."

"Alright", Connor replied quietly. "I'll talk about it with Nines, alright?"

"Thank you", she smiled at him, then walked back in the living room and sat down to relax.

Since Nines saw no harm and neither did Connor, they've scheduled the tracker insert for the next day with the help of the medical androids. When it was done and they've tested it, she looked much more calm and she seemed more relaxed with it.

Until everything went wrong.

That day was just another day. It was a Friday, her watch stated it that morning, when she walked out in the kitchen. She was barefoot, her hair was messy, and some of her bruises were still visible on her face as she yawned and wandered out of the bedroom. She woke up alone, but that was hardly unusual; RK900 and Connor often left the apartment or were occupied in another room, so she didn't panic. At first.

The living room and the kitchen was empty. She checked on the animals, too, but Connor wasn't there. There were no notes, no breakfast for her on the table… nothing. No sign of them.

She walked over to the fridge and opened it before she yawned again. She made herself a sandwich and ate – she knew how Nines was a firm believer of her eating breakfast, even if she didn't feel like she needed it –, then she made sure that Connor's living animals were fed, then she walked back in the living room where she covered herself with the soft plush blanket she got from Connor and she started to colour on her tablet.

Hours passed by. The apartment was so silent that she would've heard if someone dropped a pin. As the middle of the day approached, she decided to call Sixty, but he didn't pick it up. She tried to call Connor, but the line was dead. An uneasy feeling slowly, but surely, started to awaken in the pit of her gut.

The day went by without her handlers arriving back home. She wasn't sure what would happen if a human's handlers didn't come home, but at the same time, she didn't want to find out. As the night approached and she realised she'd need to sleep alone, she realised two things.

One, if she had to sleep alone, she wouldn't sleep at all.

Two, something horrible, terrible must've happened to RK900 and Connor, and she could do nothing about it.

She flicked up every light switch in the home as dusk arrived, and she started to pace up and down in the middle of the living room, thinking about everything she'd learned from the androids during the time she'd been with them. Even if they were destroyed, shut down, they'd upload their memories and they'd be able to come back. But what if�� what if they weren't destroyed? What if they wanted to come back but could not because they were held captive?

She almost screamed in relief when the entrance door opened all of a sudden, but her heart fell to the bottom of her stomach as soon as she saw that it was neither Nines nor Connor – and not even Sixty – who entered the living room. She recognized this model; an MC500, an android with paramedic specifics. She met a lot of this specific android on the medical floor. He quickly scanned her, not the room. He scanned her watch, too; the gadget had been recording how many steps she took, and he was slightly surprised when he realised that the counter was over ten thousand steps that day – despite the limited space in the apartment.

"I need you to come with me", he told her, then turned around to lead the way.

"Where are my handlers?"

It occurred to him that she had a significant amount of stress in her voice. He half turned to glance at her; she followed him, worry clearly written on her face.

"We'll tell you everything you need to know", he reassured her, "this way, please."

He got into the elevator and she followed him.

"Please, tell me", she begged, on the verge of tears. "Are they alright?"

"We're unsure."

That only heightened her anxiety.

"How… how come you're unsure?"

He didn't answer her. As the elevator arrived, they stepped out and he led the way down a long corridor, to a room. She was anxiously fidgeting with the edge of her shirt as she discovered that the room was a big one they probably used for meetings; and this time, it was full of all sorts of androids. Some with LEDs, some without. They stared at her in absolute silence, and she was sure they could all hear the way her heart was beating hard and fast against her ribs. She was told to sit down on a chair at the end of the table, and when she complied, the man in front of her, on the other side of the table, started to speak.

"We've gathered here to talk about the possibility of your handlers being held captive."

She stared at the man in front of her. She knew him – remembered his face, his voice, his eyes, even though they were mismatched now. The tone of his voice was burned in her mind as she recalled what they've done to him for trying to help her.

"Markus?" She whispered, her hands twitching in her lap before they started to fidget with the edge of her shirt anxiously.

"Correct", Markus confirmed, looking her in the eye before his gaze dropped to the collar around her neck. He allowed her to have a few moments of silence to let that settle in, then he started to speak. "We've lost contact with RK900 and RK800 around midnight. They both were near the central park. Do you know anything about where did they go and why?"

Of course. Two androids suddenly disappear, and she'd be accused of doing something to them at once. She almost broke down in tears.

"No… no, they were with me until I fell asleep. I don't know where did they go", she replied quietly, her voice trembling with clearly detectable fear.

"Did they tell you anything about leaving the tower?"

"No", she frowned as she tried to remember. "They were quiet in the evening. They always are. I… I fell asleep with them being there. Near me. They know I don't feel safe if they're not around."

Markus frowned.

"You've had your fair share of trauma", he noted, "I'd hate to put you through more, but I have to. According to our laws, every human must be assigned to a handler. Since you've lost both of your handlers, we need to find a new handler for you."

Markus paused when he saw her expression. She looked confused, sad and… enraged? At the same time. There were so many complex emotions written on her face that he couldn't determine what did it mean at first.

"I'm… I don't understand", she said at last, "you said I lost them but… but they're just missing, right? They're not… dead?"

"We've lost our way to communicate with them", Markus nodded, "and our systems can't find androids if they've deviated. In the past few months, androids suddenly vanish. Those who're deactivated, find their way back to us, so we know that there is a lethal group of humans who're taking our people, but we can't do anything about them."

She stared at him as if she thought he was joking.

"You can't do anything about them", it wasn't even a question, she just echoed the last words of his sentence.

"No android can enter that place", Markus's expression darkened. "Their defense system makes it impossible for us to walk through the doors of the base."

The other androids exchanged bewildered glances; why did Markus confide in a human like her?

"Why are they taking androids?"

"They're experimenting on them", Markus's hands balled up into fists under the table. "They're trying to find a code that simulates pain for us. They want to destroy us. Isn't that what humans always want to do?"

Her hands trembled as she shook her head, her eyes full of tears. Knowing that this was the fate what Nines and Connor had to face enraged her.

"You know that's not true", she finally replied, raising her shaking hands to rub the tears away from her eyes.

"Most of the time it is true", Markus shook his head and leaned back in his seat. "Back to the matter at hand. You're in the lucky position that you can choose a handler for yourself, thanks to your unique status. Who'll it be?"

She blinked a few times to clear her head a little. He didn't even think about… he didn't want to try and free his people? Was he this afraid? The thought was numbing.

"I want my own handlers", she whispered then, steeling herself.

"They're gone. There's nothing we can do."

"There is!" She raised her voice now, and slammed on the table. "Infiltrate the base!"

"How?" Markus's tone was both annoyed and condescending. He tilted his head, his mismatched eyes narrowed. "Did you even pay attention to what I just said?"

"Send me!"

Markus stared at her for a few long, long seconds, as the other androids burst out in laughter around them. He knew she was deadly serious, and she saw that he was thinking about letting her do it. When the laughter died down, she looked even more determined than before.

"I am a human. I'm sure I can get in. You can arm me however you like – even if you take my collar down, you'll know where I am. I have a tracker in me." She paused, and when he said nothing, she continued, "I could find them and the others who were taken; I could free them all and neutralize everyone else."

"How would you neutralize everyone else?" Another android asked, making her look at him without her batting an eye.

"I'll kill them."

Markus was shocked at the cold determination that rang in her voice. He could recall snippets; glimpses of a time long gone. She must've learned to fight for herself since then. The lab… the tests… her helplessness…

"Please, Markus", she pleaded, and he realised he wouldn't be able to say no to her. Not to her."Let me try this. I… owe them this much. They've risked everything for me, not long ago."

Markus stared at her for a few long seconds, assessing the dangers she might face and the outcomes of her endeavor. This could be the very last time he saw her if he allowed her to do this – but at the same time, human allies were so very few. He might not have another chance like this, and they'd need to act fast.

"Alright", he decided quietly, his voice ringing in her ears. "But you're not going in empty handed."

~*~

"So, how did you find us?"

The question was met with an unnerving stare. It looked like the woman hadn't had food in days; she was pale and she looked dehydrated, her cheekbones were standing out more than they should've, but her eyes were glinting with a spark that could not be snuffed out by the bleak surroundings.

"I've had a team", she confessed, then fell in silence for a few seconds. The man let her think that through; allowing her a few moments of grief for her fallen comrades. "We heard that the androids were trying to find a human base somewhere nearby. Only I remained. Others either died or were captured."

They walked down a set of stairs. She had a bulletproof vest on under her simple coat, and she carried a gun in a holster attached to her waist. Unbeknownst to the man, she also had a dagger hidden in her boot. She followed him like a ghost, her steps silent as a cat's.

"Same story every day", the man grumbled and pushed a door open. Vivid lights scanned both of them, and she scrunched up her nose at it. "Sorry about that. Gotta make sure you're not an android. They're getting more clever with every fucking day, we need to be prepared."

"This device alerts you of unwanted guests?" She squinted, glancing up at the machine.

"Precisely. Makes 'droids malfunction the second they're scanned with that. Can't be too careful."

She took a good look on the machine, and tilted her head before she followed the man.

"By the way, I'm Gavin Reed." He turned to look at her now, grinning her way. "I was a cop before the shitstorm."

She made eye contact with him, unblinking, certainly unnerving him again.

"Milly Green", she uttered the lie effortlessly. "Journalist."

"I've never heard of you before", Gavin cocked his brow and sized her up again.

She didn't move, neither did she blink. She didn't look uncomfortable or nervous, as if she didn't even feel anything particular.

"I've worked for a small paper back in New York", she reassured him with a half smile. "Just before the androids woke up, I came here to write about them."

"Guess you'll never get your money for that article, huh?"

Gavin laughed out loud, but she didn't even smile. When he started to look suspicious, she realised she must say something about her behaviour.

"Like I said", she murmured quietly, "I've lost my team. In New York, too."

"Yeah… sorry. Me too."

Gavin ran a hand in his hair at the back of head awkwardly, then led her down a corridor where humans were scattered around in a bigger room. They've lit fires in metal barrels and gathered around them for warmth, others were sitting on the floor or lying down, covered in blankets. She observed them as they walked and said nothing about them. She counted fourteen humans, men, women and a few children.

"Get yourself comfortable", Gavin motioned around, and she stared in his face without a word. "This is all we have – apart from some fuckin' androids on the deeper levels."

He turned away to glance at a woman and her daughter, missing the way the woman's eyes lit up with a newfound curiosity.

"Androids? Here?"

Gavin smirked as he looked back at her.

"Yeah. Maybe I'll show them to you later. For now, just get some rest. You look exhausted."

She knew she wouldn't be able to rest. Not like this.

But she allowed a few hours of rest for Gavin while she discovered the entire area. Counting humans. Checking if they had weapons, and if they did, what sort of weapons did they have. Trying to gauge how much of a threat they were.

A day has passed during which she couldn't eat and couldn't sleep. She was invited to sit with Gavin in one of the dullest rooms she'd ever seen. From what she could see, Gavin was respected by the other humans, and he had some sort of important role in keeping peace here.

"So? Will you show me the androids you have here or what?"

Gavin raised a brow as he looked at her from where he was sitting. She looked bored.

"Curious, are you?"

"Of course I am", she replied almost eagerly, "I'd like to see how can you keep them contained. I'm a journalist, you know; I could spread the word and help other human bases if I ever move on from here."

Gavin remained silent for a few seconds.

"Sure, why not", he shrugged, "come with me."

He led her out of the room, down a corridor that ended in an elevator, which, after he'd pressed level -12, led right into another room that looked hauntingly like a test room at CyberLife. She felt nausea at the sight of the sterile, pristine clean walls and familiar signs plastered on the walls and windows. Gavin led her to an enclosed space; the bulletproof glass pane was impenetrable, and she knew that if she wanted to free those who were inside, she'd need to find a key of some sort. Then, she realised that the glass panes operated with palm scanners; similar to those Nines and Connor were using in their homes to make the alarms work.

"Here's our first", Gavin tapped the first glass pane and she crossed her arms across her chest as she walked up to next to him, just when Gaving flicked a switch on.

Inside, there was an RK900 inside the room; suspended from the ceiling by handcuffs. His torso had been torn in half; countless wires hung from his body, others were attached to him and to the wall behind him. His LED was rapidly pulsing in crimson, his cheeks stained with countless artificial tears that never stopped flowing. He still had his white-black jacket on, the numbers stating his number – #313 248 317 – 123 – but his high-necked velcro shirt had been ripped open. He barely could open his eyes to look at his visitors.

But when he did, his eyes locked with hers instantly.

She was shaking her head in horror at the sight. Gavin was too occupied with his pleased humming when he saw that thirium leaked from the corner of RK900's mouth.

"We're keeping him alive for tests", he told her in a calm, almost pleased tone, "he's the first. We've tested our latest creation on him first."

She got a hold of herself before he turned to look at her. She needed every ounce of her willpower not to break down crying. She folded her arms again, and grabbed her elbows to support herself.

"What is that?"

"We're integrating a software in their programming that creates the sensation of pain", Gavin smirked, "this one, here?" He pointed at the glass pane, and behind it, at the RK900. "It's been muted, because it had been screaming nonstop, so it works. It's CyberLife's last android prototype, so that means that if it couldn't swtich our software off, then the other androids wouldn't be able to turn it off, either. Our main problem is that they're unstoppable, they don't get tired and they don't feel pain; we wanted to remedy that with a nice dose of ones and zeros. And we succeeded. Soon, every fucking android will feel if they get shot or hit or cut. And that will give us an advantage against them. We'll overload their senses with so much pain that they'll be absolutely paralyzed from it."

She, once again, realised that humans were way too creative when it came to hurt others. The terror she felt at the mere sight of that RK900 – strung up like a piece of meat, feeling excruciating pain nonstop, not even allowed to scream...

"Marvelous", she whispered.

She decided, in that moment, that Gavin had to suffer.

"Will you show me the others?" She smiled at him sweetly, and he laughed quietly.

"Curious, are you?"

"I'm glad you've found a way to fight against them", she nodded enthusiastically. "And I'd like to see what else you've got."

"I'll show you our other inmates", Gavin decided, touching a scanner near the next glass pane. Lights switched on. An RK900 and an RK800 were in the next cell; both had their arms bound tightly behind them, the ropes digging into their plastic padding. RK900 stared up at Gavin at once, in silent rage, but the RK800 looked like he was unconscious. "We're keeping these two together", Gavin smirked as he said that, "it seems that they are in a close relationship with each other. Whenever we 'treat' one of them, the other tries not to react, but they always end up begging."

She glanced at their numbers on their dirty coats. RK800's ended with 95, while RK900's ended with 485. These weren't the androids she'd been looking for, but her heart broke for them all the same.

"There's a theory machines can learn how to love, but I think that's just humbug", Gavin scoffed, "how can a thing love another thing, you know? Bullshit."

"Yeah", she whispered, "yeah, insane."

She thought of all the times she cuddled with her RK900, or when Connor pecked her face, her temple, when they held her close. The way Sixty lifted her in his arms, saying he was worried they were late. Why couldn't two androids share such a bond? Who could say that a machine did not understand what love was?

The next cell Gavin showed her had only one android in it. An RK800. As soon as the light turned on, he turned to stare at his visitors, and he froze as soon as he saw her. His chassis did not have an active skin on; he looked metallic and pitch black, his optical units were dark with a shining, bright orange sclera.

Her heart felt like it sunk into her stomach. Her eyes fell on the jacket he still had on himself.

RK800 #313 248 317 – 13.

Her lips parted as he took a few steps towards the glass pane. How could this be possible? Thirteen was destroyed, taken apart by CyberLife. Unless the androids rebuilt everyone they've lost; unless they've restored what they could to give their own kin a chance.

The way Thirteen stared at her now made her realise he definitely thought she was dead. He walked up to the glass pane and his expression shifted into a mournful one. But he did not make an attempt to break out of his cell; he didn't touch the glass pane, either. Her eyes flickered to the palm scanner. Then…

Gavin did not pay attention to the android, but to her; noticing that she definitely looked like she knew the machine. The next second, she turned her head to stare in Gavin's face unblinking, with eyes so dark, so determined, that he knew insantly that they've allowed a wasp enter their little hive to destroy it from the inside out.

He realised in that moment that this was the end.

[apollabarnes]

wip wednesday

tagged by @leashybebes and @ambernotember

i let leashy pick which two characters would be in this part (chim and parker) (there's also a surprise buck!) it's... half? a third? of a larger slapstick adventure in the story so i'll let you all wonder what that is (for now)

consider yourself tagged if you see this and you need motivation to write!

we provide... emergencies

"Listen, I'm not saying that this is your fault but you are the one that started baking snickerdoodles by the scores when Maddie was pregnant, and now they're the only cookies that Jee wants." Chim poked around the table they were looking at, sighing as they came up empty again. "What is this, a seasonal cookie flavour?"

"Hey, I can make Jee snickerdoodles. We can make them together next time I'm babysitting," Buck offered.

"God, no. Nope. We only managed to convince her she couldn't have them every day because they needed to be made special at the bakery," Chim shook his head. "If she remembers we can make them at home Maddie and I will have to make a batch every three days. I'm not emotionally prepared for that. Neither is my wallet."

"It's cheaper than buying a dozen every time you go to the store. Or the farmer's market," Buck snarked, cradling his apple cider in both hands to warm them up.

"But then we don't get brother time. Are you against having time with your brother, Buck?"

"Don't — don't make that face at me." Buck looked away from Chim, his eyes catching on a familiar silhouette the next row over. He'd been thinking about Tommy since they'd seen each other at the station two days ago, sure that every tall, wide-shouldered man he was walking past was Tommy and being disappointed when it wasn't, but that — that had to be him, right? "Hey, is that—"

There was a crash in front of them and Chim rushed forward, thrusting his drink into Buck's hand.

"Buck! Clear away as much of this as you can!"

Buck ditched the coffees on the bakery table and started picking through the debris that was scattered across the pavement.

"Hey, you okay? That was quite a spill you took there." Chim knelt down in front of the woman who had collapsed, searching out her pulse. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I…" she blinked up at him, frowning. "My boot caught on something, and I just sort of… stumbled?" She tried to push herself up and Chim reached out, keeping her still.

"Let me check you out first, we want to make sure nothing worse than a spill happened." He ducked his head, checking her pupillary response.

She wrinkled her nose at the flashlight. "Are you a doctor?"

"Only on tv." Chim laughed, checking her neck carefully. "I'm a paramedic. First question, what's your name?"

"Alice. White."

"Good. What day of the week is it?"

"Wednesday. Never liked Wednesdays."

"Yeah, this isn't exactly doing Wednesdays any favours, is it?" Chim glanced over at Buck. "You see anything that she might have landed on?"

"There's a few crushed strawberries and some oranges are… not great, but none of the crates broke." Buck lifted up another box, putting it aside.

"Okay, well it doesn't look like anything is broken and your head isn't bleeding. If you get a headache in the next day or so, go to the doctor right away and tell them what happened." He rocked back on his heels, offering her a hand. "Looks like you have a couple of scratches, but a band-aid should be more than enough for them."

"Great!" Alice popped up without taking Chimney's hand, rolling her neck and tipping her head to one side to crack it.

"Uh, Alice, I wouldn't recommend—" Chim blinked over at Buck, who was just as surprised at how easily she was moving around after a fall that had knocked over an entire stall.

"Thanks for that, I haven't had a good stretch in a while." She scooped up the damaged basket of fruit and tipped it into her bag, dropping a few twenties on the counter. "Sorry about the mess! See you around."

Chimney squinted after Alice as she dashed away, frowning. "Does that seem like someone who trips over their own feet?" he wondered aloud.

Buck shrugged. "Maybe? Anyone can trip over their own feet."

"I'm really glad that I didn't give her my name. That way she can't blame me if that did something to her neck." Chimney dusted his knees off, helping Buck clean up the last few boxes. "It's weird though, right? Hey, you were trying to ask me something when she fell — what's up?"

Buck glanced around, but the maybe-Tommy was nowhere in sight. "Nothing important, don't worry about it."

"Geez, thanks," the stall owner gushed, handing them both a bag of oranges and apples. "That would have taken forever to put back together on my own."

"Oh, no, we can't—"

"Seriously, you totally saved my life, my boss would have hated me forever," she winked at them both. "I hear there's some snickerdoodles at the end of this row."

[meet-the-chef]

RED Chef Personal Info:

Full name is Akari Tanaka

Any pronouns, but prefers he/him most of the time

26-28 (older than Scout but younger than Sniper)

Born in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan

Birthday is on June 31

BLU Chef Personal Info:

Full name is Aoki Aojima

Any pronouns, but prefers he/him most of the time

26-28 (older than Scout but younger than Sniper)

Born in the Ryūkyū Islands, Japan

Birthday is on May 24

(None of the chefs are clones, however, Akari and Aoki are half-siblings, fact that neither of them are aware of yet)

About:

Chef is one of the newest and most weird members of Team Fortress.

His roles are quite simple: He cooks, but also provides assistance as a full-time mercenary during matches, making him the tenth class of the team and also a potentially dangerous individual with sociopathic traits. He is obsessed with sushi, the only kind of dish he is able to make due to a generational curse that forbids him from cooking literally anything else.

Not all of chef story is known by his team, but his personal files state that:

Apparently he got brainwashed by the Japanese government as a child and forcefully trained to be a ninja, living most of his life under the service of politicians and high profile people as a living weapon until one day when he accidentally got back his free will, proceeding to murder his superiors so he could flee to America and follow his new dream.

Chef is currently banned from Japan and highly wanted over the crimes of mass murder, mass poisoning, manslaughter, shoplifting, terrorism, throwing bubblegum on the street, accidentally breaking a light pole and more. Same reason why Miss Pauling has asked her to keep a low profile in the meantime.

His dream is to become a famous celebrity chef, have his own cooking show and open his own restaurant, a dream kinda difficult when the only thing you are able to make is sushi and also need to keep constantly a low profile for the crimes you committed in the past.

Load-out:

Main: Suhijiki knifes, which he can use both as a melee weapon or throw at enemies, the only disadvantage is that he can only throw 4 knives per load, but the chances of a critical are high and they make a lot of damage anyways.

Secondary: Smoke Impact bombs made of wasabi, the damage they make is ridiculously low (-3 hp), but the special thing about these bombs is that they liberate a cloud of green smoke that can last around 10-15 seconds and make it very difficult to see anything through them, ideal for dealing with snipers.

Third: Bento Box full of sushi, Its actual role pretty much similar to the sandvich, you can throw or give sushi to your allies so they recover partially their health, the healing obviously isn't as high as a medi-kit or a medigun, but it comes handy to help your Medic not do the work all by himself.

Ability: Besides their loadouts, Chef's unique ability is that he can make up to 3 "super-sonic jumps" with each one taking around 8 seconds to load (think about it like Tracer's teleportation from Overwatch), in other words, he can jump almost immediately to locations near him in a short range due to his training as a ninja.

Fun facts:

Chef's best friend is the Scout, usually with the ones that are on his same team.

The reason why their eyes are an intense color like red or blue unlike the rest of the people is because it's the way on which their generational curse takes form.

Chef can sleep standing up, do not ask her though because she looks creepy as hell when doing it.

His hobbies include calligraphy, meditating, fishing, and obviously cooking.

He is un-familiarized with some western concepts due to the time he spent brainwashed as a ninja, like yogurt, Christmas, modern medicine, etc.

Her thoughts on the gravel wars are pretty much neutral, he doesn't enjoy the idea of having to kill under someone's orders again, but the pay is more than decent so he doesn't complain.

From what is known, Chef's entire family is dead, but after a few DNA test and studies, it was discovered that perhaps... Someone might still remain alive.

[buried-stars]

💜 a ship that you like but have never written for before! >:)

thanks i went insane about this (bstars ending spoilers + suicide cw)

💜 surprise kiss / impulsive kiss

When Seil slinks out of the hospital at half-past eight in the morning, he isn't expecting an ambush.

"You're not hurt!"

He instinctively pushes away from the attack, only for the words to sink in. He's not being strangled, he's being hugged. It's still weird, but it's not entirely unwelcome.

"Tae-yeon... How long have you been waiting here?"

Tae-yeon Kim is probably the only person in the world Seil thinks he can call a friend. Prior to last night, a few other members of the Top 5 could have qualified, but not anymore. Those bridges are nothing but ash.

She lets go of him and takes a step back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Ever since you were airlifted out. Soon as I found out what hospital you were taken to, I... I had to make sure you were still alive."

Seil's neck prickles. Of the seven people trapped in the collapsed stage site, five survived. Hyesung's in surgery and apparently Do-yoon's in a much worse state than any of them thought, but they should still live.

"Hey," Tae-yeon says, her eyes crinkling around the edges, "let's bail. We can talk more somewhere private."

"I can't go home," Seil mutters, tugging on the strap of his messenger bag. "My parents... They won't be..."

She rolls her eyes. "Obviously. You can crash on my sofa for now. Min-hee won't mind; they're too busy doing damage control with the rest of the staff to notice, honestly."

Seil doesn't feel up to arguing with that. They take her car -- a plain, scratched up sedan -- back to her apartment, and she doesn't force him to talk on the way. He's too busy running through the events of the night in his head, trying to pinpoint the exact moment when everything went wrong.

When they get inside, Seil sits on the sofa and cradles one of the decorative pillows to his chest. Tae-yeon brings two cups of herbal tea in after a few more minutes of silence, and sets it town on the low table.

"Is it true?" she asks finally, trepidation dripping from her words. "One of the light techs caught wind from the rescue team that... that Gyu-hyuk's dead."

Seil clenches the pillow tightly. "...Yeah. We took our eyes off him for a minute and he... he hung himself."

Tae-yeon gags on her tea. After struggling to swallow it, she rests the mug between her thighs, no longer looking interested in it. "Oh my god. That's... Right at the end...?"

"He didn't leave a note," Seil says, but it feels like a lie in his mouth. He'd seen Do-yoon clutching scraps of paper, white knuckled and shaking, but that's not proof of anything. In any case, Seil has a sinking feeling he knows what the note would have said.

Silence again fills the apartment. Eventually, Tae-yeon clears the mugs -- both cold and neither more than a few sips from full -- and Seil rests his head on the sofa arm. He's exhausted, but the thought of sleeping feels foreign.

(He shouldn't be here. He needs to turn himself in. It's the only way to absolve the sins festering in his rib cage.)

"Tell me what I can do to help you," Tae-yeon says softly when she returns from the kitchen. "Even if it's just to leave you alone for now."

Seil shakes his head and, impulsively, reaches for her hand. "Stay. Please. I'm... I'm afraid."

Delicately, she presses her lips to his fingers, and settles down beside him. "Okay. I promise."

[marshmallowprotection]

Ray felt shameful.

Even as he recovered from the explosion, he felt guilty and shameful for how the situation played out. No matter how much he begged, pleaded, or lamented with her to leave him behind and save herself—she refused to let him be alone if that was the end of his life—and her blood was on his hands because of it.

Neither died from the explosion, instead, they were left with scars that wouldn’t leave no matter how many years passed by. He could live knowing that he had marred his flesh because he just couldn’t do anything right—he couldn’t dispose of himself properly—but the scars on her body felt like they were his to take the blame for in the end.

She might’ve stayed with him, knowing what that meant in every way, but she didn’t choose to carry the weight of his sins. She chose to stand to with him so he wouldn’t be afraid to... you know... go away by himself. He spent too many years alone and afraid... and his selfish wish was the ugliest of all, because he felt ultimately grateful that someone was there with him.

Even though the guilt was just as powerful to him as that relief. Even though it’d been a few months since the explosion, he couldn’t shake these feelings away no matter how hard he tried. They were a part of him now... and he doubted the emotions were going to stop vexing him anytime soon. It might’ve been easier to bite his tongue, lay down in the cabin V decided to hole them in, and cry.

But, he couldn’t do that.

The pain of immobility was worse than the pain of a gentle breeze hitting his body like a thousand paper cuts.

It left Ray to sit there on the porch, watching Lila as she sat underneath a tree, a pencil in hand as she stared at the patch of dandelions that swarmed around her legs. She had every reason to be sent back to the RFA... to America... to people who could take care of her better than he ever did. She could’ve gone back to a life that wouldn’t hurt her like... like he did.

Yet, there she was, a sunhat protecting her face from overexposure from the sun and an eye-patch to limit the damage to her pupil. Even if he took the brunt of it that day... leaving most of his right side from his cheek to his mid-thighs with the abrasive edge of frayed skin... it didn’t change the fact that she got hurt, too. The fire licked the left side of her face, burning her cheek from just beneath her eyes to her shoulder blades.

Her hair was no longer in waves that cascaded down her back. it was short and framed her face in a way that made him wonder if it tickled. The curls kissed her cheeks in a way that he once... dreamed of doing. As always, he felt like he was transfixed on her image and he wanted nothing more than to paint her face like a portrait that would never fade from the gallery of his mind.

But, his quivering hand wavered and couldn’t bring his brush to the canvas like he once had. A half-finished painting haunted him of a life that he once dreamed of that they could never have again. There was no more castle, no more walls to protect them, no more gardens and tiaras to bathe her in glory, and no more lost eyes and deluded fantasies that could never amount to the way he realized just how much she’d come to mean to him.

“Why didn’t you send her back?” his broken voice sounded foreign to him but it was a question that plagued him like nothing else.

“My mistake was trying to pull you two apart,” V’s voice responded from behind him, his tone just as weary and shameful, but Ray didn’t flinch when he admitted that. “If only I listened when she pleaded with me to ask for help... your suffering wouldn’t have gotten as far as it did. I cannot change the past, however, so the fact remains that we have to accept our actions and the consequences that are a part of them.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Neither of you can heal from this without the other. That might... be the selfish part of my choices thus far, but... speaking from experience, this pain that you’re suffering... it’s better suffered with someone by your side instead of all alone in a dark place where no relief can be found.”

“...”

“...”

“What do you know about this shame, anyway?” Ray asked. His voice was more cruel than he intended it to be, partially his own frustration mixed in with what he knew was Saeran’s contempt just lurking behind his mind’s eye. “Don’t act like a man like you knows what this feels like.”

V moved from behind him, but the smallest sound of something light hitting the table next to him was done with extra care as not to frighten Ray with what he’d discovered wasn’t safe for him—loud noises. The man he once considered to be interesting and admirable was still in there, Ray hoped, but it was hard to let go of everything that happened to him, both before Mint Eye and after it.

Ray drew in a breath as he took a spot on the porch step beneath him. What was he thinking, anyway?

V unpeeled the shirt from his back just enough so that Ray could see the marred skin from a fire that must’ve taken place in his childhood. The burns covered his upper back, all across his shoulder blades as if the fire had dug its tendrils into it without hesitation. Well, it explained why V always wore so many layers all year around ever since he met him.

“I lost my mother in a fire when I was a boy. She died. She did everything she could to protect me back then, even though I hadn’t been a good son to her in years, if ever. After she found me... slumped over from smoke inhalation, she tried to get me outside of our house... and she succeeded... getting me out of the house... she didn’t get out. These scars I carry... these burns... these are a reminder of her love for me despite my failure as a son.”

“I didn’t have anyone but Jumin back then... but after the accident, I couldn’t face him for weeks. He was the one who wanted me to mend things with my mother... the one pushing me to make things right. But, before I could... the fire happened. I pushed him away for a while. I suffered alone... feeling the fire and letting every part of my body suffer because I felt like I deserved to suffer for being the reason why my mother didn’t help herself.”

“I think... that’s where I went wrong in the end, Ray. My mother loved me more than herself and she wanted me to know that by doing everything she could to save my life. My being alive is... I think that’s her love for me. I don’t want you... to suffer alone, Ray. I don’t think Lila would want you to suffer through this alone, either. That’s why she was willing to die with you.”

As V let his shirt fall back down, Ray looked down at his lap. He didn’t know that V went through something like that. In fact, there was a lot about V that he didn’t know. He never wanted to know more after Rika whispered things into his head, but this? This was something that made sense in some ways, and confused him in others.

Ray couldn’t remember everything about the day that V found the two of them left in the crumbling mass of Mint Eye’s rubble, but... he couldn’t remember the anguish in his sobs and the sound of him begging V to save Lila, not him... not him... if he was to suffer in Hell, so be it. That’s what he felt. That’s what Saeran felt, too... even if his voice was so quiet today.

The guilt in V’s voice felt palpable. “If I can do anything to make things right... I’ll start with you two. I’ll make sure that you both always have each other to hold onto. This fire won’t be a tragedy. It’s painful and you’re still suffering today... but I won’t let either of you fall victim to what I suffered if it’s the last thing I do on this Earth.”

Ray didn’t know what to say.

Not that he imagined there was anything that could be said.

“I don’t deserve—”

“Son,” V’s voice was firm, not harsh, but it shut Ray up as soon as he said it. “I won’t let you become me. I won’t let you spend years suffering alone when you have people who love you and want the best for you. No matter what, I vow that no matter how far you stumble or fall, I’ll be here to pick you up and show you a world that exists beyond our self-loathing and fears.”

“I know you want to sit with Lila. Go on, she’s waiting for you for join her this afternoon. I promise you this, no matter what you’re feeling, she would want nothing more than for you to be by her side. She made her choice and I don’t think she regrets it.”

Ray could feel his body trembling from the influx of emotion. It was a lot... it was too much, in fact. How was he supposed to believe in those words? How was he supposed to believe in anything? He couldn’t believe people were willing to die... to save him, much less than it could be possible that people cared about him like that. Tears bubbled up in the corners of his eyes.

Beyond his wandering eyes, he could see Lila, her smile as plain as day as she beckoned him with a waving hand. She wasn’t angry with him nor was she lost in a sea of resentment. In her brown eyes was nothing more than what could be described as love.

Oh.

Oh.

He croaked, in a whisper, not a voice, “Thank you, Dad.”

[my-head-is-an-animal]

Problems With The Heart

Greg House x Dr Anna Harding (OFC)

Story Masterlist

Chapter 35 - Swansong

House sent me the results, but I couldn’t stand the thought of opening them just yet. I didn’t talk to House for a week and in that time, I contemplated going to Wilson and I seriously thought about taking some more morphine, but neither seemed like a good option.

I ran a bath and found myself going through the same routine I usually went through before injecting a high dose of morphine.

‘Screw it.’ I breathed and grabbed a new syringe and a small bottle of morphine. I only dished out half of what I usually went for, but it would be enough to settle my nerves.

I got undressed, got into the bath and relaxed back feeling the morphine starting to circulate. I couldn’t feel a single thing and it felt good.

Anna wasn’t picking up her phone. Wilson was just as worried about her.

‘She’s pregnant.’ House said, quietly. Wilson snapped around to face him in the parking lot. ‘We did a blood test, came back positive. She’s had two miscarriages already, a third might indicate another problem.’

‘Hang on.’ Wilson stopped him. ‘She had a miscarriage? When? When were you gonna tell me? Have you called her?’

‘She’s not picking up.’ House shook his head. ‘I’m gonna head over to her place. Call me if she comes in.’

House got back on his motorcycle and raced around to her apartment. He knocked on the door a few times, before letting himself in with the key he still had. He went straight to the bathroom and once again found her beneath her shower in a pool of blood. Another miscarriage.

Anna’s eyes were bloodshot from crying all night. He spotted the syringe in the sink and half a bottle of morphine sitting next to it, no where near enough to actually cause a miscarriage.

‘We need to get you to the hospital and find out what’s wrong.’ He said, quietly.

'I can't keep doing this to you, Greg.'

House stayed and helped her get cleaned up, he was gentle with her and did what he needed to do. They went back to the hospital and found out she had severe damage to her womb that meant she could never have kids, no matter what.

Anna got back to work, they didn’t talk about anything, she just got on with things. Wilson on the other hand was declining. He had cancer and he was going to die.

They went on a road trip and when they got back, Anna was gone. No note, no forwarding address, no phone number. She was just gone. House focused all his efforts into Wilson, he was all he had left.

He got home one evening after Wilson decided he wanted to die. There was a message on his answering machine.

‘Greg, it’s me.’ Anna. ‘I’ve gone to LA, back at the research centre. I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye, I just… everything’s just… I need to start again. I love you more than anything, but I can’t stay in New Jersey and I can’t watch Wilson die and I can’t live everyday knowing that you and I don’t have a future. I didn’t do anything with my life that anyone was grateful for, I never will. People always saw me as the poor broken soldier, not the doctor who was the second best in the hospital and number one cardiologist in the country. I am really good at my job and I am a really good person. I deserve better than what I had, but what I always wanted was you. Greg, I’ll never stop being in love with you, but I need to change something. I made it four months while you were in prison, but barely a week when you were out. Even you can see there’s a connection. I’m so sorry Greg, if you can find a way to forgive me for leaving, come to LA and find me. If you can’t… you were the single best thing I ever experienced. But I wasn’t built for happiness. Goodbye.’

House stared down at the floor for a moment before driving to Anna’s apartment, he got there and found that new people were already moving into her apartment. She really was gone.

He had nothing left, Wilson had five months left to live and Anna was gone. He hated them both, he thought he hated them both, but he loved them and they were leaving him. He had nothing.

Wilson couldn’t believe it, the building burnt down, his best friend chose death over everything else. The funeral was awful and surprisingly Anna didn’t turn up for it, he only realised why when he received a text message saying: shut up you idiot. Wilson couldn’t quite believe it, had House seriously faked his own death?

Wilson drove to his old apartment and found his beast friend sitting on the steps waiting for him. He faked his death to ensure he could spend the next five months with Wilson, he did it for his friend, out of love.

‘You realise we have to go to LA?’ Wilson said, adjusting his helmet as they were about to set off on an epic adventure.

‘Yeah, Anna is waiting for us, we’ll be there in two months time.’ House nodded.

‘You should marry her.’ Wilson thought about it long and hard. ‘I know her last message made things seem like she wasn’t interested, but if you can change, if you can learn to be a little more empathetic, then you might just find what you’re looking for and so might she.’

‘Why do you care? You’ll be dead before the wedding.’

‘Just knowing it’s going to happen will be enough.’ Wilson assured him. ‘You gotta try. You’ve always been in love with her, she’s always been in love with you, this on again off again tango you’ve been doing for the last ten years, it’s time to get off the dance floor.’

House shook his head. ‘She’s better off without me.’

‘I’m not going to spend my last five months arguing about facts.’ Wilson told him firmly. ‘Marry her, give her everything you have, don’t look back and don’t regret not giving it everything you have.’ He exhaled sharply and looked around at the clear day. ‘Lead the way.’

House smirked and half laughed, putting his own helmet on. He revved his motorcycle and they began riding to LA. The last five months of Wilson’s life would be perfectly chaotic and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

END

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[fox-daddy]

20 for all three!

Question 20: Reversed endings

Due to how the reversed/upright endings work in the game. My plan was to give the Mc's a route for each version. Due to it taking 12 endings into 24, some are more worked out than others.

Also, mild to major spoilers for all the endings.

Kyle;

Nadia reversed, Kyle reversed; due to Nadia's plan and being tied to Nadia, Kyle started getting pestered by the Fool. In his reversed ending, he neither tries to counter Nadia's plan despite his position nor ask for help from his friends and allies. Leading to him having to kill the Fool, returning Asra, their half-hearted, and fully becoming the Fool. Nadia's plan leads to a full-on arcana war, causing more damage as the minor arcana suffer the most from this. Lacking the power and security the Major naturally has.

Nadia upright, Kyle revered; similar to how Nadia's reversed ending starts with her killing her ex, Kyle's, start with him killing his sister. To feed into the places law. Kyle is the only one left of a four member group, something he signed up to when he was a child. Thus, unless he passes the title on, which would only be possible once Kyle isn't able to do his job anymore so around 30-50 years. He isn't allowed to date or have romantic relations. Since he's bound to this place with nobody able to take the job, he can't say no. Being on the other side of the world, a war with Vesuvia would be a complete loss for Vesuvia, who can't afford it.

Asra reversed, Kyle reversed;

With the world in chaos, humans are dying left rigor and center as the major arcana are fighting each other for what little power remains. A chunk of the minor arcana is already gone (formless and realmless but not dead), and even some of the major arcana are struggling. With this, the Fool is pestering Kyle again since theirs still time to fix things if they hurry. In the reversed ending, similar to Nadia's reversed ending, Kyle fully becomes the Fool as his domain becomes the new human realm as their unable to gather enough power. Leaving Asra with a full heart again. It takes hundreds of years for Kyle to rebuild the human realm. I'm that time everyone he knows dies of old age as I the end Kyle is left alone as a major arcana, the Fool.

Asra, upright, Kyle reversed; similar to Nadia, it starts with Kyle killing his sister. Instead of staying to face the consequences, he runs away with Asra back to Vesuvia. Due to having the magic to cut the bound and run. Leaving Kyle with a loss to his sense of self. Slowly over years, he becomes consumed by the fool as nobody is not even a major arcana like death, or the magician can do anything to help him. Eventually, Kyle becomes the fool returning Asra's half hear and becoming trapped in the realms unable to truly feel anything but a ghost of his previous human emotions.

Hunter;

Julian's reversed, Hunter's reversed; two words, ✨️alcoholism✨️ and furries. Basically, even with Hunter their unable to find their friends or fix anything. Eventually, much later than Julian, Hunter gives up, and they stay at the always shocked Rowdy Raven. As a ravenman and mained-wolfperson.

(For the rest of Hunter's, I haven't thought much about it)

Julian's upright, Hunter's reversed; basically, Hunter gets killed for their old crimes. Remember how Julian was all for getting hanged because he thought he killed Lucio? Hunter's body count is around 91 people. While they can argue for 32 of them, they were 1. A child and 2. Forced to the other 59 are on the air.

(I haven't played Muriel or Portia'a route in a while)

Muriel reversed, Hunter reversed; while trying to find a way to force Lucio back into the magic realms Hunter ends up making a deal where they trick Lucio into agreeing to go without a fight as long as they become his new pet as the Fool. As of course, when he realizes he's been tricked, he doesn't take it lightly. While Hunter makes sure nobody, not even Asra can enter Lucio's domain (the new devil).

Muriel upright, Hunter reversed; remember that kill count? Hunter is found out to be in Vesuvia and forced to stand trial. After losing horribly, they end up actually having to go into hiding with Muriel. Sinking deeper into the woods and cutting almost all their connections forced to live in basically solitude until their either forgotten or found and killed by those seeking revenge.

Portia reversed, Hunter reversed; with magic gone, an old deal is solidified, so only 59 of the kill count counts. Along with the diplomatic mission failing due to Hunter having to focus on that and not make things more muddled. Vesuvia is in war, another group outside the war wants Hunter's head as compensation for the 12 people they killed, and if they don't, they'll team up against Vesuvia. So Hunter abandons Portia and hands themselves in Julian style to save Vesuvia and in their eyes Portia.

Portia upright, Hunter reversed; basically the same, but three different groups want Hunter's head. Two cities and an entire gang organization. So Hunter gives themselves up to save Vesuvia and, in turn, Portia and give a big fat middle finger to the gang by not letting them torture them before they were killed humanely by being hanged.

Bluebell;

Lucio reversed, Bluebell reversed; after countless attempts from others and the major arcana to change their plan, Bluebell goes full force into murdering most of the human population. Leaving Lucio in control of everyone else as they make sure those remaining are safe to feast and drink as much as they want on a large island while animals and nature take over everything else.

(Another one I haven't really thought of)

Lucio upright, Bluebell reversed; during bounty hunting life, they both get too injured to continue as their forced to retire after having to be saved by other people. It doesn't sound too bad for a reversed, except during their time, Bluebell had their wings and tail chopped off, their ears clipped, and Lucio had his metal arm destroyed, his other arm broken if not cut off, one of his familiars killed the other got saved but was in B.A.D condition when found. Their both traumatized to the Devils realm and back. By the end, their back in the magic shop with the banishment revoked due to Bluebell needing to be close to friends for emotional support despite Bluebell actually spending 99% of their time in the woods in solitude outside Lucio.