#of it in your talks with alistair about him

[qunaricatnip]

I’m sure it’s been said before but I still think it’s very interesting that Duncan waits to recruit Alistair until after Maric dies like what’s that about

[attractthecrows]

thinking about Alistair in the aftermath of Sy's self-sacrifice where she just left him behind..... he couldn't do anything to save her, he couldn't even see the battle, fuck that must hurt like hell. He can't even GRIEVE. he had someone to talk to about Duncan, but the love of his life gave hers for Ferelden and he doesn't even get the benefit of a few days of privacy because she fucking made him King. he has to LEAD.

but he still goes up to the battleground. he can't not. He has to find her, and he does, and he tenderly, carefully picks up her broken body. Those eyes he loved, closed, that face he loved, expressionless and still. If not for the sickly white shards of bone peeking through her raven hair, the thick dark blood dripping from her nose, she could be asleep. She's not, but she could be. And he carries her - fuck, where??

I can see the well-meaning Andrastian nobility and Chantry priests trying to organize a "proper Andrastian" funeral pyre. But she wasn't Andrastian, and Alistair won't let that happen. No. He watched her bury Tamlen; she will be buried in the Dalish fashion, with cedar branch and oaken staff, and a tree planted for her. A silver birch; her favorite. If he can manage it, in the castle courtyard. What are they going to do, tell the King he can't bury their Hero wherever he damn well pleases?

Even if they tried, I think Anora would back him. Especially if she saw that Dalish ring on his finger, far too small for his hands, but perfectly sized to Mahariel's. She gets it. She didn't get the chance to have a proper funeral for Cailan, after all.

[flashhwing]

finally opened dragon age origins and IMMEDIATELY get Alistair and Morrigan being sassy at each other I forgot how much I love and cherish them both

[ndostairlyrium]

MA QUANTO TEMPO, wait that I'll throw you some family prompts.

👩, 👍 for Hawke, 💕, ✨ for Ankh, 😞, ⚰️ for Ela!

( of course, skip any you don't like, they're… A lot, LOL)

GLI EONI 💛💛

Hawke:

👩 - What's your muse's relationship with their mother, what made it that way?

Leandra is a very cautious person, protective of her children. Being Hawke the guy with the thunderous laugh in the back of the room and the occasional "I turned Carvers hair into moss because he was being annoying" sibling, you can see why their relationship was rocky to say the least. Malcolm acted like Switzerland between them but most of the times it wasn't enough. They were clearly different people, they still are.

It's when Malcolm died that Hawke realized that his mother was acting a certain way for a reason, consequently he changed his behavior to ease her role as a single parent. He soon became someone to rely on, working alongside her with much more passion, plus he toned down his personality to avoid unpleasant attentions.

Usually, when parents are left alone with children depending on them, they either become superheroes with iron shoulders or they look for another adult in the room for assistance. In Hawke's case, unfortunately the second option happened. He was treated like the other adult in the household while he was still developing his identity. I think that's one of the reasons why Carver just antagonizes him at every possible occasion; he's not his dad and he's not acting like his silly big brother again. Who is Hawke? Why he's in charge? Why does he think it's best to do certain things without even consulting him and Bethany about it?

I can sympathize with Leandra for acting like this tho, growing three kids (two of them being mages) without someone helping is probably one of the hardest roles you can ever have. "Yeah but she could've asked for help rather than putting such responsibilities to her kid"

Listen Judy, the woman has kids with magic. What if she asked for help to the wrong person? One that could give templars a call and just take what's left of her family away, for example. She's alone, in a different country, her dreams have just been shattered in the worst way. She's just a human trying to survive an environment that is trying to crush her; realistically, a perfect reaction to crises rarely occurs.

What I'm trying to say is, Leandra's situation has never been easy. But she was also the adult in the room and she wasn't fair with her older kid.

Hawke took the lead because he understood his mother's struggle, but she failed to fulfill her children needs in return. But she also did her best? That's why Hawke was adamant to give her a better life in Kirkwall, he knows she could have done more, but also he knows that she just needs a different environment to grow and thrive.

tl;dr: he knows her flaws, but he can't help but love her profoundly even if he has all the rights to fail and process his trauma without having to act like nothing can touch him

👍 - Does your muse think they’re a good child and/or sibling?

No, because he blames himself for everything bad happened to his family. But he's a great child and sibling.

Ankh:

💕 - What are your muse’s thoughts on parenting and being a parent even if they aren’t one?

Actually, I never planned anything for this lol

I know she wants to generate a chaos elemental and the guy is into the idea as well, but there are quite the maluses involved in such a concept (anchor messing up with the inquisitor's body, age, lyrium influence on fertility, plus elves being unfortunate when it comes to their reproductive system). Hopefully they'll have that experience, I'm just not too eager to explore the implications surrounding it :'D and Bonbon is already a fulltime parenting job. Could be a training ground for the most poofy haired kid in existence? We'll see, we'll see

✨ - How important is family to your muse?

Fundamental.

Her concept of family is different from the standard parent 1 parent 2 (3,4...), plus spawn. For her, family is the ensemble of all her loved ones, including her clan, her people in general, and the ones who entered her life by seeking her protection. She doesn't think of her blood relatives more than she would think of Cassandra.

Which is why when someone betrays her, the world just stops making sense.

Ela:

😞 - Finding an orphaned child would your muse opt to take them in, find someone more qualified, or just leave them?

A Warden's life is not suited for a child. Before the Chantry just forced the Wardens to get rid of Anders, probably she would have left them to a flock of mothers/sisters to take care of them. In this moment she would probably claim a couple of favors and place them in the most suitable household. The girl has a heart

⚰️ - How would the loss of a family member affect them? Does it vary based on type of family member?

Being a traumatized orphan still, she would take the loss of his brother in the most heartbreaking way possible. She knows her clock is ticking faster than his, and it would be an upsetting surprise if he was the one walking through the Veil first.

She would honor his name by all means, even if this would end in losing all the freedom she struggled to capture all those years she was away from Highever. She would return home and stay in court to protect the designated heir until the situation is cleared from any threat, sacrificing her tasks in order to celebrate what her brother accomplished while she was away.

Now

If Alistair died (Warden Alistair in my worldstate) it would be tragic in the most greek-theatre-like possible way, because he became the most stable presence in her life since the loss of her family. He's the air she breathes, her compass whenever the morality of a situation gets blurry, the man that made her say "not all men suck" for once. She wants to give him a better future, it's irrelevant if she's involved in it or not.

She knows she's on borrowed time, grasping every minute with what's left of her nails, but he doesn't need to carry such burden. He deserves happiness, he deserves the world. And she wants to give it to him on a silver platter.

If her brother died she would have a plan, but if Alistair died nothing in her life would make sense anymore.

The ask meme

[andragoras-in-vanity]

really wanna replay the dragon age series but my rage for the ending of origins is unparalleled and frankly i never want to see another darkspawn ever again.

[lavenderprose]

Emmrich actually IS the suave and charismatic gentleman we've all been waiting for. Forget your Alistairs and your Cullens. Emmrich says dear and darling and has enough Big Dick Energy that you sense him coming from three rooms away. What's that shift in the air? Emmrich's natural necromantic aura touching the Fade? Well yes but also the sound of his monster cock swinging in his perfectly tailored trousers.

Emmrich talks to Rook like there's a love letter addressed to them specifically lodged in his voice box. He touches them like he paid money for the privilege. Emmrich uses his wealth to help others, he is NOT a person who desires power, and he expects the same of others. One time he looked at Rook and said, "The only good noble is a dead one," and even though Rook knew he was talking about the residents of the Necropolis, or perhaps because of that, it made Rook so wet they had to go sit down against a tree and bang their head a little to calm down.

Sometimes Rook shows up in Emmrich's room of an evening and without even missing a beat Emmrich says, "Come have a seat, darling," and Rook sits next to him only for him to tut and pat his knee. Immediately, Rook is perched there like he's Santa Claus.

"The things one can sense when truly in tune with the fade are inspiring," Emmrich says, and other such nonsense as his touch finds the path of least resistance to Rook's skin without hesitation. His fingers are cool and kind and they trace up the side of Rook's ribs like they might slot perfectly between them, like Rook was built as a home for his hand.

"You're killing me," Rook says, because he is, because Rook could actually choke and die from how badly they want to feel Emmrich's mustache on their thighs.

"Yes, but only a little death," Emmrich says. He smiles and his bangles jingle merrily away as he plays with Rook's chest. "Every time I touch your body, I'm already longing for the moment I'll touch it again."

"Guh," says Rook. "Hrng. Hunh."

"I quite agree. I find that words fail me when it comes to...how you make me feel, dearest." This is what Emmrich says, but fails utterly to demonstrate as he leans in and delicately bites Rook's earlobe, whispering seventeen of the twenty filthiest things Rook has ever heard. Things like I'll eat you like a cake, though you're more delicious and the Fade sings your name when I'm in you and--

"If I have to hear ONE MORE THING about that necromancer's cock," seethes Solas, who did NOT know that he was signing up for nightly pornographic lullabies when he decided to kick it in the back of Rook's head. This is the fourth time he's said that this week. He will hear many, many more things about that necromancer's cock.

"YES EMMRICH," echoes through the Fade, "Gods YES, harder! Give it to me!"

The spirits of the Fade, who like Emmrich a whole helluva lot more than they like Solas right now, twirl and giggle.

[thewardenisonthecase]

(warning i'm about to ramble over something small)

So, if cousland tells alistair that they're family was just murdered, he sayd "how stupi of me to forget" which means he was told prior, but before this conversation, the warden can never actually tell Alistair about what happened in Highever (as far as i remember, the topic never comes up. you can tell others you're from highever or that you're the teynr's child, but besides Cailan, you can't tell them you're whole family is dead)

now, considering that alistair says that you must be the recruit duncan talked about (if you tell him your name, he even says like ah right that was the name), that means between the duncan recruiting/conscripting the warden and them arriving at ostagar, he most likely sent a letter to alistair.

which leads me to this: i cannot stop thinking about duncan writing a letter to alistair ahead of time to tell him about the recruit and saying "oh yeah by the way, the arl of amaranthine kiilled their whole family so maybe don't bring it up"

[housederiva]

Do you guys want to know the thing that pisses me off about Inquisition the most? If you play your cards right (have Alistair stay a warden and side with the mages instead of the templars) You can have Alistair and Fiona both at Skyhold at the exact same time and there's not a single interaction between the two of them. Which from Alistair's perspective is stupid because Fiona is a grey warden who's been cured of the blight and from Fiona's perspective is frustrating because she is his mother and she knows she's his mother

“Oh I shouldn’t talk to him because his father asked me not let him know he’s my son” Girly Maric’s dead and you have agency over your life. Get your ass to the courtyard and at least introduce yourself as the cured warden??????

[wowthatsextra]

An indefinite list of every time James Beaufort was the most head over heels pathetic pining mess over Ruby Bell

The arm nibbling... sir that is not

His Pride and Prejudice moment at Oxford

Jumped into the pool and carried her out in front of everyone

Gave her Queen Victoria's Dress

Ran around the whole school trying to catch hundreds of chickens for her gala and when his friends tried to make fun of him for it, he owned it and made them help him

Kept circling around her house because she fell asleep in his arms and he didn’t want to wake her up

Printed a huge ass poster of him and Ruby and put it up for the whole school to see as an apology for making her feel like he was ashamed of her (he wasn’t)

The fact that whenever Ruby is around he keeps zoning out of conversations

To add to that, told Alistair that he was being too obvious about being into Kesh but then got distracted by Ruby walking by and Alistair was like "You're one to talk"

Was insanely jealous of any guy she talked to (even gay Alistair 😭) and started a fight with the Oxford guy in front of everybody

Drew her from memory after she apologized to him for dragging his ass in class and gave it to her on her birthday

Ran after Ruby at Oxford even though 1. She just dragged his ass again in public and 2. he knows they can't be together

"You're not invisible anymore. Not to me"

"I know exactly what I want"

While making a list about things he likes "The most important one- you"

"For you I'll be anything that you want- whether it's your lover or your boy toy"

"You drive me crazy. Do you know what you're doing to me right now? Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to see you, and to hear your voice?" You're the Bane of My Existence and the Object of All My Desires 2.0

"My family saw how much I changed because of you"

Lashed out when his father called her a gold digger

Took pictures of her smiling

Went on his knees asking her to dance

The way he looked at her when she was coming down the stairs wearing the dress

Skipped his whatever meeting it was to take her on a spontaneous trip to London

Went out of his room at night to see her at Oxford

His awe when he saw her naked 😭

The extra kisses when the bus was waiting for her at Oxford

Instinctively tried to sit next to her at Oxford even though they were broken up

Broke his own heart trying to save her and her family from his father's wrath. He'd rather have her hate him than let her or her family get hurt (can u hear me sobbing)

Literally gave up being the face of the Young Beaufort Line so he didn’t miss her birthday (insane how this was only episode 4 before they even KISSED)

[writeyouin]

Lucifer (Hazbin Hotel) X Fem-Reader - Sinless Sinners

Chapter 1 - Hate For All Sinners

A/N – I couldn’t stop thinking about this short King after episode 5 of Hazbin Hotel came out. This is mostly a fic for me, to get me back into writing. (WILL DO A MALE AND NONBINARY ONE SOON!)

Warnings – None.

Rating – T

MALE VERSION HERE

NON-BINARY / GN VERSION HERE

“Who’s that?” Lucifer asked, pointing you out to Charlie.

In truth, he would’ve likely asked that of the next person he saw. As Charlie’s father, Lucifer was trying desperately to show how interested he was in his daughter’s project, even if he was barely holding onto anything she said. It wasn’t that he was disinterested, or too ignorant to understand the situation, but rather that after spending so much time as a recluse, locked away in the protective space of his workshop where he wouldn’t have to see the sinners or the Hell he was responsible for creating, Lucifer could barely comprehend what was going on around him. He knew it was because he was depressed, but he was trying and he had to make Charlie see that, even if it meant feigning fits of hypomanic excitement.

Yet, Lucifer found himself genuinely… horrified by you. He had seen many types of Demon over the millennia. Typically, they tended to represent Earth’s animals, such as that annoyingly powerful Deer Demon, Alistair, whom Lucifer had met thanks to this very tour… not that Alistair was worth mentioning, piece of shit that he was, mingling with Lucifer’s daughter when he had no right to even breathe the same air as her-

Lucifer caught his snowballing thoughts, turning them back to you. You weren’t an animal Demon. There were other types of Demons of course, though Flora and Fauna were the most common; object Demons also existed, such as that rather famous one that people talked about, the TV Demon, V-something? Lucifer couldn’t remember his name. He didn’t watch Television… he didn’t do much of anything these days.

“Oh,” Charlie sidled over to you, wrapping her arm warmly around your shoulder as she corralled you towards her father, “Dad, this is (Y/N). She’s one of the hotel’s, uh, allies I guess, right (Y/N)?”

“That’s right, Sir,” You held out your hand for Lucifer, who was staring dumbly at you, uncertain what to make of you.

As the ruler of Hell, fuelled by angelic power, Lucifer could always read a Demon, or rather, he could read their strength. For example, he knew after only one meeting that the bartender, Husk was a strong Demon, though his power was clearly being dampened by a soul contract, whereas that little snake fellow Sir Pentious was rather weak, though he had potential if he could manage to claim even a few souls of his own, but you? You were entirely different.

First off, you didn’t resemble an animal, plant, or object… You were the most human-looking Demon that Lucifer had ever seen; frankly, he found that disturbing. Secondly, you didn’t seem to have much if any power. What was wrong with you? To come off as human with little demonic power… Well, if Lucifer didn’t know any better, he would guess that you weren’t a sinner at all, but you had to be. You were definitely dead; that much he could tell. And, you were in Hell.

Dead and in Hell - those were the only two qualifications for becoming a Demon, so why were you like this?

“Dad, are you listening?” Charlie said exasperatedly, clearly annoyed that Lucifer’s thoughts seemed to have trailed off once again.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Lucifer stated, staring at your hand which you had seemingly retracted when he wasn’t paying attention. Damnation! Now Charlie was going to think he had snubbed her friend on purpose.

“So, (Y/N) is another one of your patrons. That’s nice.”

“What? No. Dad, I just told you, (Y/N) has no interest in being redeemed.”

“Oh,” Lucifer looked you up and down disapprovingly. It figured. Even this non-Demon was looking for power in Hell, probably so you would finally be a killer worth bragging about – Honestly, what was the point? All sinners were the same. Greedy, destructive forces who wouldn’t stop until there was nothing left to break.

“Yep, she’s our only permanent resident who wants to help rehabilitate other souls. Isn’t that great? She helps with everything here, and she doesn’t ask for anything in return.”

“That’s not true,” You blushed at Charlie’s praise. “Your daughter is very generous, Sir. She lets me stay here rent-free.”

“And that’s all you want?” Lucifer asked suspiciously.

“Honestly? Yeah.”

Lucifer shook his head but didn’t argue. He didn’t want to know what your real motivations were. It was probably as simple as hoping for regular boons from the Princess of Hell; you were clearly just biding your time. Besides, if you didn’t want to redeem your soul, then you must be just like Alistair, a sadistic monster just waiting to see Demons repeatedly fail in their attempts at redemption.

Now that his curiosity was sated, Lucifer decided that he didn’t want to lay eyes on you again. You weren’t worth his time. Only Charlie was… Well, Charlie and Vaggie, because any woman his daughter loved was practically family to him. He was glad when the tour continued, leaving you behind to catch Nifty who was trying to pull a piece of fabric from Lucifer’s coat, muttering something about the ‘Ultimate bad boy.’

“Okay, I can get you the meeting,” Lucifer agreed, doing what he could to support Charlie’s dreams of saving her people, even though he didn’t think there were any redeeming qualities for any denizen of Hell.

It hurt him to tell Charlie that he wouldn’t be able to go with her to that lofty paradise, having been cast out; how he wished he could protect his daughter from those who carried out God’s will. Still, she never asked him for anything, and if this was what her heart most desired, he would do all in his power to help.

“Will you be okay?” He asked sombrely.

“I’ll be fine,” Charlie assured him, taking hold of his hands.

“That’s my girl.”

For a moment, it looked like Lucifer was done, but he paused, worried that this wasn’t enough to make up for the years he had been absent, leaving Charlie to fend for herself while he shut himself away.

“Is there anything else you need?”

Charlie couldn’t help but worry about her father. What would happen when he went back into isolation? He needed something to focus on, but… What was there for him when all of Hell was his prison?

She couldn’t help thinking about how little Lucifer thought of all the other citizens of Hell. If only he could see that they weren’t as terrible as he thought. Granted, they could be violent, and loud, definitely rambunctious, but these were his people, and he had to see that his gift of Free Will was a good thing, yet, if she said any of this, she was certain Lucifer would only laugh at her or tell her to get real while playfully pinching her cheek. There was no way that Lucifer would leave his home to hang out with any citizen of Hell.

Then it hit her. If Lucifer wouldn’t leave his manor to visit people, then people should be allowed to visit his manor. Or better yet, one person should be chosen to go and live with Lucifer so that he would learn just how good people could be, and Charlie knew just the person for the job.

“Actually, Dad, there is one more thing.”

“Name it,” Lucifer smiled, glad that his daughter wanted to ask things of him, as any normal child should want from their parents.

“I think it would be good for you to socialise, just a little bit.”

“Charlie,” Lucifer’s voice was strained at the thought of going anywhere else in Hell.

“I know,” Charlie reassured him, looking into his eyes; she looked so understanding that he relaxed slightly. Then, she continued in a more upbeat tone, “That’s why I think you should take (Y/N) to live with you, as your maid!”

She pounded her palm decidedly, much like a judge pounding her gavel.

“What? NO!” Lucifer sputtered.

You for your part, had seemingly been shocked into silence, watching the exchange uncertainly while Alistair grinned devilishly at you, and Angel Dust was holding in a snicker. Granted, you could have argued, but Charlie was stubborn, and she always had some kind of wild idea. Whatever she was thinking, you decided that you would go along with it; there was usually a method to her madness after all.

“It’s fine, Dad, (Y/N) doesn’t mind, right (Y/N)?”

You shrugged your shoulders passively, “I guess?”

“See? You should get to know your citizens, Dad. It will be good for you, I promise. They’re not all as bad as you think.”

Lucifer took one hard look at you. Honestly, he wished his daughter had picked the porn star or that psycho maid. You, as a very human-looking Demon, were a vicious reminder of his past mistakes. Still, he had told his daughter he would do anything for her, and he had already promised her a meeting with Heaven, and nothing could possibly be worse than that.

“Alright,” He agreed.

Then, he summoned a portal for you with the flick of his wrist.

“Good luck, kiddo.” He said to Charlie, and upon keeping a safe distance from you, he waited for you to step through the portal.

“Charlie, I’m assuming that you have a good reason for this,” You said before taking a step towards your newly appointed home, “Just call me if you need anything.”

With that, you were gone, followed closely (though not too closely) by Lucifer.

[qunaricatnip]

duncan is such an interesting character and yet I don't think ive ever played a warden that actually liked him

[going-to-ikea-for-the-fries]

Temporary Fix! || skirt chaser!Johnny

Rating: E Words: 4.1K~ CW: smut smut smut, a bit of BAD dirty talking, oral sex (m!receiving), protected piv sex, breath play (if you squint), praise kink (lots of 'that's it' + 1 'good girl'). Tags: afab!reader, fat/chubby!reader, you/your pronouns, one-night stand but more like one-week stand. Summary: Johnny's a dog who can't keep it in his pants. a/n: this is for my chubby gals and also for my @crashtestbunny because I wanted her to be able to read this and not have the previous cheating plot in place.

The thing about soldiers… Is that they tend to have lovers. As in, for as long as they stay deployed in a country, they’re bound to get themselves a toy they can have a shag with. Sometimes it’s prostitutes. Sometimes it’s regular women.

This is a lot more common for enlisted soldiers in the Army. The types that get deployed for 9 to 18 months at a time when they're very young, fighting in a war that keeps them far away from home for so long that they “can’t help” but seek affection from local women.

But that’s not to mean Special Forces soldiers, especially those kept on ‘stand by’, always ready for a quick deployment that, at most, lasts a month or two, don’t do it. They do.

John Alistair MacTavish is a grown man, not one of those young lads of 18, recently out basic, who need a whole to bury their cock in or else they'll die. But you wouldn’t think that, seeing as he's constantly seeking out action on the side.

He goes on and on about how childish those stupid recruits are, about some of his old mates who'd shag anything that walks... Only to then leave base with his team to end up at some bar or club in civvy clothes, find a nice bird or bloke (he’s not picky) and go home with them.

A hypocrite, any normal person would call him, a womanizer, a skirt chaser, a player... He’s not above calling himself that. But sometimes he just needs to decompress! That's his excuse anyway. Decompressing. Letting out pent-up aggression. Orgasms are great stress-relievers...

And as useful as his fist is, he’s not a sixteen-year-old anymore, rubbing one out in his bathroom during a quick shower. That just doesn’t cut it anymore. If he has the option to shag someone, why wouldn’t he?

Now that he’s in the 141, the philandering just gets much worse. Whenever they have downtime on a foreign location somewhere, a night free before they return to England, or a night before they get the go-ahead to go on a mission, what have you… He’s out getting himself a shag.

And, worse of all, he brings Gaz along. 

Gaz doesn’t have the same issue, unlike Johnny, he can actually contain himself. Maybe that makes Gaz a bit bad too, because he knows that Soap has a tendency to chase like they owe him money... And he still enables him. He still goes out with his mate and they both get wasted and laid without a care. 

Maybe Gaz doesn’t think it’s his place to intervene, or maybe he just doesn’t care enough to.

Camaraderie and all.

That’s how they ended up in a club downtown, flashing lights all around them, loud reggaeton playing through the speakers, men and women around them with more skin on display than they had covered rubbing their bodies, sipping drinks, spilling them over each other… Oh, the wonders of a Colombian night club.

They saw you before you saw them. Kyle tapping at Johnny’s shoulder as their eyes perused the space individually, then, he drew the Scot’s eyes to you, standing with your friends, laughing, drinking, softly swaying to the music. 

Soft curves in a copper-colored dress that left little to the imagination, clinging tight to a round ass and a thick belly, the hem constantly pulled down by your hands, as it insisted on rolling up, up, up, exposing more of your smooth thighs than you wanted it to. 

It didn’t stop you from still rolling your hips to the music, however, turning the fixing of your dress a near impossible task, repetitive, useless, and maddening, Sisyphus-and-his-stone.

Turning to each other, the two sergeants hands shot to the middle of their bodies, a quick rock-paper-scissors ensuing… which Johnny won.

And that’s how you ended up turning around to the sight of a foreigner with the broadest shoulders, thickest arms and pecs, and bluest eyes you’ve ever seen… As well as a mohawk, something you didn’t often see on… anyone, really.

He was a soldier, you could tell, even out of uniform. Not your first time seeing one, this being a city with a military base attached, and certainly not your last time being approached by one.

Oh, how soldiers seem to love fat women. You’ve experienced your fair few, many of them assuming your weight would equal desperation for love and affection, which would result in you accepting a rushed wedding for the sole purpose of getting him out of the barracks. 

But you’re not desperate. Other than for a good lay, maybe.

“Erm… Hola.” The soldier in front of you says, blue eyes locked on your face for a surprisingly respectful amount of time considering the sinful cleavage that this dress and your bra give you. 

His Spanish has the thickest accent you’ve ever heard, meaning he’s not American… But his pronunciation is off, so he’s clearly an English speaker. Though he’s not English either, you can tell.

“I speak English. Hi.” You told him, watching as he let out a little sigh of relief. Then, the corner of his mouth popped up in a dirty little smirk. 

“Well, tha’ makes it easier. Hi.” He replied. “I saw ye from over there… Was wonderin’ if I can buy ye a drink?” He offered. Only then did he allow his blue eyes to slither down, down, down, trailing every inch of your exposed skin down to the black ankle booties you’re wearing, thick, square heels to prevent your hamstrings from feeling the pain of stilettos the next morning.

“Why?” You decided to ask him with a cocked brow, forcing his eyes to shoot upward to meet your face again, locking onto yours with a surprised expression.

“Why, what, pretty thing?” He replied, his own brows, thick, straight, rising up to meet his hairline. He’s confused, his eyes blinking a bit. His intentions had been clear as day. Obvious enough for you to pick up on, but you’re playing dumb, or maybe hard to get. 

“Why do you wanna buy me a drink?” You asked him as you dipped your head to the side, your eyes slowly trailing over every inch of his handsome face. Those blue eyes of his are locked on you, pupils slightly dilated, hands hanging off his hips, fingers looped onto the belt loops of his jeans.

“Because you’re proper beautiful.” He replied. Your cocked brow and unimpressed glances up and down, cause him to continue. “And I’d love to take you home, find out what you’ve got on under that dress, and make sure your neighbors hate you from today onward.”

His words are crude, his voice loud and crass, disregarding the public space you’re in, the fact that there are others around, not just your friends, but complete strangers too. Maybe he’s hoping they won’t understand English. But they do. Hell, your girlfriends look at you and exchange coy looks with you, before them, and you, break into a fit of giggles.

He looks at them, noticing they caught what he said, even through the loud music, but then looks at you again. “So? What do you say?” His brogue is getting easier and easier to listen to with every word he says.

Rolling your head to the side, your squint your eyes at him and then shrug. “Do you have to buy me a drink for that?” You challenge him, your eyes snapping back and forth between his own, almost taunting him with your inquiry.

“Not if you don’t want to.” He tells you, eyes lit ablaze and a smirk on his lips.

So, you simply grab him by the arm, bid farewell to your friends, with a wave, and grab your clutch from the table, before dragging him out of the club.

Johnny was expecting a flat, a home, maybe even a university dorm room considering your age. What a surprise it came to him to find you taking him up to a hotel. Not that he’d complain when he noticed the large king-sized bed and the large view, providing a beautiful view of the illuminated city of Cartagena.

His hands were on your broad hips before you even got to closing the door, his mouth clashing onto yours as he pushed you against the wall by the door, calloused hands already sliding over the slinky fabric of your silky dress, tugging it up, so they could slip underneath.

His tongue pushed into your mouth, wet and drooling, saliva traded between your mouths as his strong fingers caught hold of a greedy handful of your ass, digging into the supple flesh and groaning in delight at just the feeling of you at his fingertips.

Your own hands already slid up and around his torso, feeling him up through the fabric of his t-shirt, before sliding down to pull the navy blue fabric out of its tuck into his jeans, rolling it up to expose a strong, bulky body covered in a generous amount of body hair.

Your lips broke apart for a moment, only long enough for you to take off his shirt, tossing it onto an armchair in the corner, and for him to unzip the side-zipper of your dress, taking it off you too.

Then, he grabbed you around the thighs, causing you to shriek, as he bounded for the bed, dropping you so hard onto it you almost swore you’d bounce off. Still wearing his jeans, he slotted himself between your parted thighs, his body bending over yours.

His stubble scratched your neck as he kissed you all over, licking stripes of your skin as his hands pulled off your boots, unfastened your bra… They were surprisingly nimble for such a hulking man. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.” Johnny cooed as he let his eyes run down your body.

He dragged his mouth down from your neck, across you clavicle, over one of your breasts, and caught your nipple between his teeth, beginning to suck on it, noticing how you hissed a bit, leaning back on your elbows as he did so.

One of his hands caught your other breast, grabbing and carefully kneading it between his fingers, as his eyes shot up to your face, blue irises beneath a pair of dark eyelashes, fluttering slowly as his pupils blew out from how horny he was. His other hand found your black panties and pulled them aside, (more so ripped them with how aggressive he pulled on them), the rough and calloused pads of his fingers catching your lips immediately and beginning to slide up and down, running over your slit.

The moment his cracked fingertips grazed your clit, you whined, your legs spreading apart even more, your body jumping a bit. “Fuck…” You grumbled under your breath, your eyes locked on his face and the way he eagerly played with your nipple. 

“Relax.” Johnny told you once he let go of your nipple. Then, he rolled his tongue around in his mouth, collecting some saliva, before letting it drip onto your slit, his fingers catching it and spreading it quickly as he resumed playing with your clit, hand craning in order to push a finger inside.

“Oh fuck…” You moaned softly, hips bucking up against his hand, following his ministrations as he pushed a second finger inside of you and hooked them up to graze your g-spot, pumping them in and out, the rugged feel of his cracked fingertips drawing a surprisingly pleasant sensation of pleasure from the depths of your soul.

His other hand moved away from your breasts in order to undo his belt, leaving it to hang around his waist as he also undid his jeans, sliding them and his boxer briefs down one-handed, in order to allow his cock to spring free.

Your eyes lock onto it as he continues fingering you, a bit sloppy and rough, his palm pressed to your clit and his fingers constantly drawing a ‘come hither’ motion inside your wet walls.

His cock is stubby, shorter than some of the men you’ve been with, but so thick you can’t help but wonder just how he’ll make it fit inside of you, and how straining the stretch of it will be. It’s heavy too, uncut, hanging down even while already full-mast, too heavy to spring back against his belly button. His balls are heavy too, full, round and strained as he continues to play with you, watching your reactions to his touch.

“You like what you see, huh?” He asks you, noticing the way your eyes don’t slip far from his cock before returning to it, watching it lay against one of your smooth thighs, the ruddy color and constant twitching only bringing more attention it as it rubs against your skin, dripping pre-cum over your stretch marks.

“Mhm…” You reply softly as your hand reaches down to tug at it, carefully wrapping around it and drawing it up and down over his length, only letting go to cup his taut balls and fondle them a few times.

“Tha’s it…” He murmurs and hisses under his breath as he looks you right in the eyes. “Wanna be good f’r me?” He coos at you, and you nod in reply as you bite your lip. “How about you get on your knees and let me see how you suck me off, hm?”

Nodding, you untangle yourself from around him, his fingers slipping out of you, as you took your spot on the floor, the soldier having been caring enough to toss a pillow from the bed onto the floor to cushion your knees.

He sits on the edge of the bed, strong, muscular thighs spread open, as you sunk your mouth onto him, without so much as a second’s worth of hesitation. The stretch as you tried to swallow as much of him as you can tugged at the corners of your mouth, making them feel a bit sore, your jaw already protesting at the size of him. But that doesn’t stop you.

You start lapping at the underside of his cock eagerly, wetting him as much as possible to make sure you could continue taking him down your throat. The sounds he was making were sinful, low groans and grunts, hissing through his teeth, one hand carefully fisting the bed covers.

He carefully gathered your hair away from your face, gripping it one handed. “Tha’s it… Greedy thign you are, wanna take all of my fat cock in your mouth, hm?” He goaded a bit as he looked down at you between his legs.

Any other time, any other place, any other man, you’d already be pulling off him, getting dressed, telling him to fuck off… But something in this soldier’s voice, in his accent, the growl behind his voice, the spark in his eyes… 

Maybe you are just desperate for a good lay with the thickest cock you’ve ever seen… But you don’t complain. You simply nod at him and bobbed your head even more enthusiastically, lips struggling to glide up and down his length, spread open sinfully to accommodate his size.

“Tha’s a good girl…” He praises, his free hand coming to grip you at the back of your neck, tugging you slowly, forward, to make you swallow more of him down into your throat, making you gag and sputter on his length, sloppily drooling around the size of him, saliva drooling down your chin and onto the carpeted floor of your hotel room.

“Pretty fucking thing… Gonna make that make-up run, hm?” He offers as he pulled you off and back onto his cock, moving your head for you. “Show some attention to that pretty pussy of yours, go on.” He demands, causing you to nod.

One of your hands found your wet slit between your legs, sliding two fingers inside, which felt like not nearly enough after having had his own, and considering the fat cock that would soon replace them, but you’d make do. 

“Both hands, don’t be coy now.” He added. Your eyes widen, already anticipating the loss of balance that’d come from the lack of support from your free hand holding you up on the bed. But you do as you’re told, trying your best to keep a perch on your knees as your other hand starts slowly padding at your clit, rolling circles with it.

When you inevitably lose balance, as you knew you would, the soldier simply pulls you forward against him, making you bury your nose against his pelvis, swallowing his cock in its entiry, causing you to choke and gag, trying to catch a breath through your nose. He, in turn, lets out a loud groan of delight, eyes rolling back, as he feels the warm wetness of your throat.

“Keep your hands where they are.” He demands of you, preventing you from trying to pull away and find balance again with your hands on the bed or the floor or his thighs. You can barely do much more than nod against his hip.

He hooks a leg over your shoulder, pinning you close to him, while his hips begin to rock into your mouth, blindly and sloppily, making you gag more and more, more saliva slipping down from your parted lips, making a mess of him and yourself. “Tha’s it… yeah… just what I fuckin’ needed… Such a good girl f’r me…” He grunts as his hand swipes your hair out of your face as it slips from his grip.

“You like this?” He asks you as he abuses your mouth and your throat, while you sputter and try to fruitlessly breathe between each thrust of his into your throat. Nodding pathetically, mouth to full to speak, you whimper against him, making him shiver and shudder. “Of course you do… greedy fuckin’ mouth…”

He only pulls you off him after another couple of minutes, which felt like an eternity, allowing you to catch your breath only for long enough for him to pull you onto the bed, bending you over at the hips, presenting your round ass to him.

“Mmmmm, look at you…” He grunts out as he ruts his cock between your ass cheeks while tugging your head back at the scalp, causing your back to arch ever so slightly, your tits still pressed against the bed covers. “Round fuckin’ arse… Gonna love see it jiggle f’r me…”

He lets go of you again for a moment only to paw at your ass cheeks with one hand, while the other blindly looks for his wallet in his jeans. “Find me a condom, will ye?” He asks as he tosses the leather wallet next to your head, while he steps out of his jeans, underwear and boots, finally.

While looking for the little clip pocket containing them, you spot his military identification very briefly. It makes you realize you didn’t even ask him his name… Nor did he ask for yours. A green and white striped card titled ‘British Army’, with the name ‘John MacTavish’ and some extra info you don’t really pay attention to. John. That’s his name…

Once you pass him one of the silver wrappers, Johnny rips it open and puts on the slick condom quickly, barely waiting a moment before slipping himself inside of you, down to the hilt in one swift motion. You find yourself squirming against the bed covers with a whine, while he groans loudly behind you.

Although the stretch was still wildly bigger than any other man you’ve been with before, it didn’t feel as uncomfortable as you expected it too… probably because you were wetter and more eager than you expected.

He starts rutting inside of you immediately, huffing through clenched teeth as his big hands grip your ass cheeks and keep you spread open. His fingers dig deeply onto your extra fat, squeezing and kneading it, his blue eyes glued to the way your puffy lips part and stretch to swallow him whole. “Beautiful fuckin’ sight…”

“Fuck… Just like that… Don’t stop…” You beg him and whine loudly, fisting the white bed covers and digging your nails into them, your face resting on them sideways, sliding back and forth with each thrust of his.

You’re sure the hotel staff is going to have a field day washing the duvet, your make-up already staining the white fluffy fabric, sliding down with the sweat, and dragging across with each motion of your head.

You can barely speak or think, moaning in turn with him, each thrust of his causing you to croon and whimper in delight, his fat cock hitting you at every possible angle and rubbing every inch of your walls, the veins dragging against your g-spot, the condom barely there.

“Yeah… ye like tha’? Huh? Ye like it?” He coos at you, already slightly out of breath, hips barelling against your plump ass, making it jiggle as he bounces himself off them.

“Oh, fuck yes…!” You whine loudly. His hands slide up to find your hip, pushing you down against the mattress so he can shift more of his weight onto you, pumping at a downward angle, causing you to shriek desperately.

“Oh yeah…” Johnny grunts and starts huffing atop you, leaning all his weight atop of you as he pounds his hips against yours, his breath ragged against your shoulder and hair. “Fuck… Yer cunts feels so fuckin’ good…” He murmurs in your ear, his thick accent becoming.

“Oh, God…” You whimper, shuddering beneath him, feeling the familiar knot tightening in your stomach, each of his strong thrusts rattling every fiber of your being. “John…”

“Oh… tha’s it… Moan my name…” He orders as one of his hands suddenly shoots up and grips you by the back of the neck. “Moan my name…” He insists as he throws his hips down onto yours.

“John!” You call out, doing as you’re told, panting for air as he pushes your face harder into the mattress, slowing his thrusts down and bottoming out inside you each time at a slower pace.

Good thing he did too… Because the knot in your stomach only tightens more and more and more, and then snaps, making you cry out loudly with a choked moan that gets half-caught in your throat as your walls suddenly clamp down around him, tightening the grip on his fat shaft.

“Oh fuck…” Johnny grunts and picks up the pace again, grasp your hip as hard as his hands can, a bruising grip that’ll definitely leave a mark, as he pounds into your weeping cunt again and again and again…

He finally comes, losing his balance and landing on his elbows and forearms on either side of your body, his chest against your back, out of breath, as much as you, even though you feel like you barely did anything other than take him.

“Fuck… I needed that…” He grumbles under his breath as he speaks against your shoulder blade, before leaning up and biting at your earlobe. “That feel good f’r ye?” He whispers in your ear, an earnest question, receiving a little nod from you. “Good…”

Slowly, he pulled himself up, slipping his softening cock from you and rolling the condom off. “So… how long are ye and yer friends stayin’ here?” He asks you nonchalantly while tying off the condom.

“Are you trying to make small talk…?” You ask him, surprised that you can even find a voice or string together a coherent sentence in the aftermath of that. You try your best to drag yourself up and over onto the bed, and once you succeed, you look at him languidly.

“No. I have a reason to ask.” He assures you as he tosses the condom into the paper bin under the desk in the corner, before shuffling back over to you on the bed, lying lazily next to you, an arm behind his head, the other on his stomach.

“Four more days.” You tell him, and he nods at the reveal of information. You roll your head to the side to look at him, both of your bodies sweaty and sticky, your make-up undoubtedly a mess, not that he shows it in the way he looks at you… And even if he did, he’d likely only show pride at making you look like that.

“Well… I’m comin’ to pay ye a visit every night until then.” He tells you, before wrapping his free arm around you, pulling you close. “I plan on gettin’ that tight cunny wrapped around my cock fer as long as I can.”

yes, this is a repost of the original "Temporary Fix." but without the cheating :)

[wanderingsoul6261]

Credit for gif goes to cinevettel

Title: You're Okay. We're okay.

James Beaufort x Reader

Synopsis: James and the Reader get into an argument and their relationship is rocky for a week. Then she doesn't show up for several days to school and he gets worried, before finally going to Alistair for some answers.

Warning: I think there is a few swears words? If I remember?

Also some personal reflection in this as well. I have hypothyroidism and it runs in the family. My dad had an episode with vertigo in which he had also found out he had his first episode of AFIB. This was a few years after he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Second episode was four years later. AFIB is often a side effect of thyroid issues. Thyroid issues can cause detrimental effects if not taken seriously. You have any issues, with anything to do with your body, please please. Get it checked out. Stay safe.

------

The current week was definitely turning out to be a tough one, especially for both James and Y/N. Y/N herself hadn't been feeling the greatest the past week, with an unknown cause nor did she have anything that had seemed to help her feel better. But the two were currently going through an argument. Albeit, she wasn't one to go out of her way to talk to Ruby, Y/N wasn't happy with the way that James was treating her. She had felt that he had been unfair towards her, especially when Ruby's actions towards him were largely warranted. 

So the two had barely talked in the last week. Whenever they did, they argued, and Y/N didn’t like it, but James had to know that his actions were wrong, and as Y/N walked through the halls of Maxton, she thought back to the argument that they had earlier that morning. 

They both rode to school together that morning, even if they weren't talking. Alistair and Elaine offered to take her to school instead. Y/N understood Alistair asking, but she was surprised by Elaine, considering Elaine liked James. Y/N had spared James a look a few times, and itched to hold his hand. But he looked pissed off, so she didn’t, and when she went to ask if he was okay, he got snappy. This had only succeeded in now pissing Y/N off for the day as well. 

“What is your problem?” She asked. Percy turned the car down the long road leading to Maxton. The college could be seen through the trees.

“My problem? My problem is Ruby Bell.” He had but growled out those words, sending a sneer out the window at the passing trees. 

“She didn’t do anything.” 

“She walked in on Lydia and Sutton.” 

“It could have been anyone!” Y/N exclaimed. “What would have happened if it was Alistair or Cyril that walked in on them?” She asked. Y/N turned in the seat To look at him, but he refused to look at her. 

“But it wasn't them!” James turned to look at her. Percy looked in the rearview at them for a lengthy amount of time before turning his eyes back to the road before them. 

“Not my point, Beaufort!” She looked incredulously at him, as if he grew an extra head. Y/N wasn't understanding him in this moment, but then again, all millionaires and their heirs worked in the same way. “You can't just go and try to buy someone like you are her!” 

“Since when have you liked Ruby Bell?” 

“I don't not like nor do I like her. I just don't like how she is being treated by you and Lydia. She isn't even talking!” 

“Doesn't mean she won't. She thinks she knows how far I'm willing to go with this, but she has another thing coming for her.” James grumbled out. “I'm only just beginning.” Y/N clenched her jaw, before turning towards the front. 

“Percy, let me out.” the courtyard of Maxton was now in sight and only a few seconds away via car, but she couldn't handle James anymore at this moment. Percy looked at her through the rearview mirror, blinked a few times and then looked at James, who went back to looking out his window. 

Percy stopped the car. 

Without saying another word to James, she climbed out of the car. 

“Thank you, Percy.” 

Y/N had thought about it all consistently throughout the day. It had made some moments of studying and paying attention in classes difficult, but she had managed till the end of the day, and she was relieved. Y/N was ready to go home and relax. 

However, once Y/N had arrived home, she suddenly felt a ringing in her ears. Y/N felt nauseous, taking a few deep breaths to try and settle her stomach as everything seemed to hit her at once. She struggled to get out of the car, and the moment she was finally standing, she fell. 

The world was chaotic. Her vision was blurred and she was sensitive to all light and noise. Her chauffeur had come around the car to her, shouting for anyone inside the building to come and assist him. The crunching of his shoes against the stones of the driveway caused her face to scrunch up, and the yelling made her want to puncture her eardrums until she became deaf. 

A few more people knelt down around her, and she tried to keep her eyes open to see who it was, but the world was spinning. It was fast and quick and everything hurt. Y/N closed her eyes again. Why did she feel this way? What was going on? 

Y/N was now being picked up, placed back in the car between two bodies. Their voices told her that it was her parents. She was going to be okay. 

She turned as well as she could to see Alistair and Elaine standing on the front porch of the porch, watching them leave. She’ll be home soon. 

—

Y/N hadn't been to school for several days. Alistair and Elaine had missed a few days as well, but had not talked much about what was going on. And to say that James was worried was an understatement. He was terrified, especially more so as their last conversation was an argument. 

She hasn’t been answering his texts. Alistair and Elaine hadn't said much when he first initially asked. Just that there was an accident but everything was okay. No specifics were given to him. He had been too busy with the event committee and his parents to find time to go to the Ellington’s manor to see him. Even then, visitation to Y/N had been strictly limited, it didn't matter who you were. 

James was pulling his hair out by the time the fifth day arrived of no communication from her. 

“Alistair!” James grabbed his bicep, pulling him into an empty room. “Is someone going to tell me what the fuck is going on?” 

“About what?”

“About what? Your sister! Why isn’t Y/N answering my texts? Is she okay?” He had all but demanded. “And most importantly, why can’t I see her?” He asked. Alistair stared at him for a few seconds. 

“She had an experience with vertigo the other day. She’s been experiencing it on and off the past few days. Parents took her to the hospital after she collapsed the last day she was at school. Me and Elaine were already home, as she had stayed behind to do some extra studying on school grounds.” James stared at him as he took In this information.  

“And she's okay now?” Alistair hesitated.  

“Yes and no. She'll be fine. I can promise you that. But the vertigo is still messing with her pretty badly. On top of it, she had an episode of afib that she didn't really detect. She has to be on beta blockers for a little bit with a pacemaker also for a little bit to help monitor her heart rate. It will help the doctors keep track of her heart and this event of afib.”

“Can it just be a one time thing?” He asked. 

“Depends, honestly. They said it was likely for her, but that she could also likely experience more down the road. They said it was likely brought on by her hypothyroidism.” the two went silent for several minutes as James took in the information. 

“When can I see her?” He asked. 

“I can take you today.” 

—

Hesitation was not in James' intentions when he arrived at the Ellington manor. He booked past every single person, he seen, even the owners of the home As he raced towards the stairs. 

Their parents looked back at Alistair, Elaine following slowly behind him. He gave them a small shrug. 

“No one was talking to him about what was going on, including myself. It was time someone finally gave him some answers.” 

James hurried through the house, slowing down as he neared her room. She had vertigo, which likely also meant she was sensitive to light and noise. He had to be quiet. 

He knocked softly on her door, before calling out her name. It was silent for several seconds. 

“James?” A weak sounding voice could be heard. 

“Yea. Its me, love. Can I come in?” James could barely make out her approval. He opened her door, slowly and quietly. Her room was dark. Not entirely pitch black, but still dark enough that she could open her eyes and not be bothered by it if needed. 

She could be seen laying on her bed, buried underneath the blankets. James watched as she peeked her head out, her eyes opening slightly to watch him as he walked over to her. 

“Can I crawl into the bed?” He asked. Y/N nodded, moving backwards in the bed to allow him in. 

As he proceeded towards the bed, he noticed the medication bottles on her side table. The one he knew to be her thyroid medication. The others must be from her recent hospital stay. 

“So many drugs.” Y/N softly mumbled. “a pain in my arse.” James huffed out a laugh as he climbed into her bed. She scooted back over to rest against his chest. His arms came up to wrap around her, a hand coming up to comb through her hair. James buried his nose in her hair. 

“I'm glad you’re okay.” He whispered. Keeping his voice down. “I didn’t hear from you and no one in your family wanted to tell me anything.” 

“I'm sorry. They were supposed to.” Her weak voice spoke back to him. “that wasn’t fair to you. Even if we were fighting.” his mind went back to the argument. 

“I want to apologize.” He said. “You were right. The whole time, you were right. It wasn’t right for me to treat Bell like that.” He admitted. James knew when the arguments started that Y/N was right. He was just too arrogant and hard headed to admit it. For a moment there, he had turned into his father, and he grew to resent it. 

“Did you apologize?” 

“Not yet.” He admitted. “But I have been nicer.” 

Y/N huffed out a laugh, before wincing. 

“Well, it's a start.” Y/N kept her voice quiet, barely a mumble. She almost sounded tired. 

“We’ve made some good work on the donor gala.” He admit. “We are changing it to be Victorian themed.” 

“Yea? Are you going to use your parents' collection for advertisement?” Her voice sounded still as a mumble. 

“Wasn't going to. But I think it will be good for it. I was probably going to take Bell in the coming days to take photos. I know you absolutely love the collection, so if you'd like to join us-” a soft snore broke the moment. James sat there, listening to Y/N as she slept. A small smile graced his lips. James pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, his fingers still gently combing through her hair. He used his other hand to pull the blanket to cover more of her body. After a short amount of time, James too fell asleep. 

—

Several hours have passed and the Ellington parents checked in on the two in Y/N's room. Both were fast asleep, clung to each other. 

“Should we wake them?” 

“No. They have to make up for lost time. Plus him being here will probably be better for her moral.” 

---

taglist: @honethatty12 @lifeonawhim @ashamedtobewhitemanswhore27 @maryvibess @wheredidmyeyesgo @imasimptoowth @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @sillyfreakfanparty

[shoutydwarf]

veilguard spoilers !

literally None of these characters are above b tier for me except davrin and that's carried by him being a grey warden that doesn't need me to therapy speak him into being fixed.

sorry to be a toxic origins bro on main but my favorite characters are always the ones that don't recognize me as the player character pressing the buttons. their development isn't contingent on me making choices for them. they have opinions i don't agree with and which i can't change their mind on, a la vivienne/anders. alistair is one of my top companions because he has LINES in the motherfucking SAND. he will be your brother and/or your lover for the entire game but if you don't put his vengeance above your duty to the wardens, he will leave, if not attempt to seize power and force his ends. same for most all other origins and 2 companions (and inquisition to a lesser degree) - A. the option EXISTS to fundamentally piss them off to the degree they will want to kill you, and B. some of them literally WILL try to kill you. that's how roleplaying games are supposed to work. i am supposed to be a person in this world surrounded by other people in this world and i expect it to feel like that. moreso, i know they CAN make it feel like that, because they DID that in all 3 previous games.

there is no way to fail loyalty missions in VG. characters are so lukewarm that the guild of looting, pirating thieves exercises ethical tomb raiding and does monologue you about it. not a single one has any opinion that beckons you to use your brain cells. these characters do not evoke any emotion from me. i could write whole think pieces on why vivienne has the disposition that she does, why she thinks she's right, why i fundamentally disagree with her but still greatly empathize with her and consider her the best option for divine (out of 2 other companions that are just as complex). i have NOTHING to say about the veilguard companions. there is NOTHING to talk about here.

every single one of their villains are entirely one dimensional and unforgivable. THAT is the true disney aspect of the game. loghain, meredith, samson, calpernia, bhelen, branka, the architect, celene and gaspard, even fucking HOWE all have nuances and complexities to them that, even if you still end up at the conclusion that they're awful, you still have some things to think about. there are reasons leading up to their descents into cruelty and madness beyond just "me wanted power :p for fun :p"

this is also part of why davrin is the only memorable character for me; his villain was someone i knew and, frankly, the only interesting one out of the entire lot but only because she had an entire book's worth of setup. harding's was also great but because of the larger issue with zero catharsis for the titans, i have to kick her down several tiers with the rest of Mid Town.

don't get me started on the hardening system and how it can literally only happen to a single companion as a consequence to a single choice in the entire game. and then that 'hardening' actually has no bearing on their loyalty missions or, in neve's case, their romance.

the game does not make me think at all. it is designed to be consumed but not digested. there is nothing beyond the curtains. there is nothing to discuss. there is no nuance, no spice, no complexity, no grey areas. all that exists to talk about here is "i liked this part" and "i didn't like this part".

it is, like too fucking much of modern media, brain rot soup. and it doesn't even taste good.

[charliemwrites]

A little request from the discord server about Castle “Daddy” Alistair and No Nut November.

CW: free use spice; everything is enthusiastically consensual and part of an established dynamic.

It’s all Keegan’s fault.

Looking back on all the devastation, every fault line to this disaster can be traced back to Keegan fucking Russ and his stupid cocky mouth.

It started like this: the team was playing cards and sharing drinks, the dinner Nova prepared long since enjoyed. They were discussing silly internet trends and challenges, trying to explain to an unimpressed Nikto what the point of it all was.

Castle was listening with mild amusement, shaking his head at the nonsense of it all. The fact that these arbitrary tasks were considered difficult was a mystery to him and he said so. Then Keegan tapped his finger on the table, a glint in his eye.

“Ya know… November is coming up…” he mused.

“What about it?” Castle asked.

Nova to perked up, eyebrows arched. No way would Keegan actually suggest—

“There’s this one challenge I think you’d struggle with Cap. It happens that month.”

Castle snorted softly, tossed a couple cards down. Let the moment draw out just to fuck with his partner, even though they all knew he’d humor him in the end.

“Yeah? What is it?” he asked, taking a swig of his beer.

“It’s called No Nut November. Pretty much what it says on the tin. You don’t cum for the whole month,” Keegan explained. He sat back and crossed his arms, looking smug. “Tell me you wouldn’t fold, Cap.”

Castle leveled him a steady, smoldering look. “I wouldn’t fold.”

Nova shifted, face flushing when Castle focused on her, eyebrows arched in silent invitation. She debated all of three seconds before throwing caution to the wind; Keegan could use a bit of backup against a man so formidable. And besides, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t curious about what would happen.

“I’m not saying you couldn’t,” she mused, “I’m just saying that given your usual libido, I don’t think it would be a walk in the park.”

He snorted, seeing right through her half-hearted attempt at diplomacy. “Is that right? And what do you think, Nikto?”

A pause as he considered, then spoke low and measured. “The sergeants are getting too cocky.”

Castle smirked. “I agree.”

A week into the “challenge” Keegan had nearly forgotten. The team was busy, not much opportunity for more than cuddles and stolen kisses.

Two weeks in and he was enjoying himself immensely. Teasing Castle with wandering hands, climbing under his desk and getting him right to the edge, only to be stopped by a firm hand in his hair and a low warning that he wasn’t as sly as he thought. It wasn’t like Keegan (or anyone else on the team) was taking on the challenge. They were getting to indulge themselves as often as time and energy would allow - usually with their Daddy right there, talking them through it, organizing them as efficiently as he would in the field. Taking care of them with his mouth and hands to stave off some of his own frustration.

But week three… week three he started to worry. It wasn’t that Castle was struggling. It wasn’t that he was snappish or pent up or frustrated. It was that he seemed perfectly fine. A quick adjustment of his pants here or there, idly stroking himself while he watched his partners together. But he was like fucking iron for himself, and Keegan’s normal admiration was taking on a frightened edge.

And then week four began the silent, unknown countdown. Keegan felt it on the back of his neck like a sniper scope. A little, private smirk on his captain’s face, or a slightly rougher than usual sigh. An unusual flex in his jaw or twitch in his steady hands.

On November 30th, the team was lounging in their private rec room, idly watching a tv show together. Nikto was curled up with Nova in one of the big arm chairs, her head settled on his shoulder. Keegan and Castle were sharing the couch, the latter with an arm thrown over the back around his sergeant’s shoulders.

Halfway through, he glanced casually at his watch. Stood up to take his empty glass to the sink. Sidled back around to his spot.

Then snatched Keegan by the shirt and threw him to the ground.

“What the—”

His sweats were yanked down to midthigh, but his underwear didn’t survive, split right down the seam by brutal hands.

“Did you have fun?” Castle asked, dangerously low and even.

Keegan started to push himself up, but a big hand on the back of his neck stopped him. And then a heavy body followed, pinning him prone to the floor. He shuddered as he felt the thick, hot, rocking fucking hard cock sliding between his asscheeks.

“S-sir…“

A thrust hard enough to rock his entire body, dragging his quickly-filling dick across the carpet. He choked out a noise as reality began to set in. Christ, he almost wished that didn’t feel so good.

“Daddy, I—”

“Asked you a question, didn’t I?” Castle rumbled, voice deceptively casual. “Did you have fun?”

Keegan shuddered, any defiance or self-preservation draining when he felt the pierced head of his daddy’s cock catching at his rim. His well-stretched, well-used, still-wet rim. Because Castle had spent an hour before dinner getting him off on his thick fingers.

“Yeah…”

“What was that? A bit louder, kid.”

“Yes, Daddy, I had fun.”

Castle chuckled, so deep and low and rough that Keegan could feel it in his own chest, all the way down into the pit of squirming stomach.

“Good,” he cooed, “I hope it was worth it. Because now it’s my turn.”

Keegan was a stupid, drooling mess when midnight struck. Stuffed full of his captain’s cock and shuddering on oversensitivity. Would forever deny the high-pitched whine that escaped when he felt the absolute flood of cum being fucked into him. There was so much, it leaked out around Castle’s still-hard cock and dripped down Keegan’s reddened thighs.

“Happy December 1st,” Castle chuckled, pulling out.

Keegan shuddered as he stood, could hear the audibly pop as he cracked his neck.

“Nikto, take care of Keegan. I’m not done with him yet.”

“Yes, sir.”

A heavy, tense pause.

“You know what’s next, don’t you, babygirl?”

“Daddy, I’m not the one that—”

“If you run, I’m fucking you wherever I catch you,” he warned, taking a languid step towards her.

Nikto silently slipped out of the way to kneel down by a dazed Keegan. Nova despaired. “So make your next choice very carefully.”

He had them both twice over that night, leaving them whimpering and sobbing in his bed. They only got a break when Nikto took one for the team, kneeling down to suck Castle off so his partners could get a rest.

The next ten days were a lustful sort of hell. At any moment, without warning, Castle would grab a teammate and press them against the nearest surface - his desk, a wall, a chair, even the counter at gun range - and pound the daylights out of them. Sometimes even going out of his way to sneak up, appearing like a shadow and dragging one of them into a supply closet to ruin them.

On a normal routine, Castle had an almost improbable level of stamina and lust. But after a month without getting off, with satisfying himself on his partners’ pleasure and indulging their teasing? He was utterly insatiable. Keegan made a comment about him being so horny that Castle would override biology and get him pregnant. One day, he’d learn to keep the thoughts inside. Blame it on his brain being ruined by astronomical levels of cock.

The compensation fucking finally began to taper off halfway into December, Castle seeming to level out back to his normal libido. Still high, but not anytime-anywhere-anyone levels anymore. He did chuckle at his jumpy teammates in the aftermath though, watching their pupils blow out whenever he looked at them a certain way.

The next time they played cards (everyone but Castle sitting gingerly in their chairs) he smirked at Keegan around his beer bottle.

“So, you wanna try your luck next year?”

[teshadraws]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 67]

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AO3 Link

-

Team Scarlet works through the emotional aftermath of the disaster at Bethoc Bluffs.

-

Once Ezra and Team Evergreen are teleported up to the medics, Tobias and Nia are left on the flight floor with Alistair and the other psychics.

Alistair turns to them with an exhausted sigh. “Are you two all right?”

Nia, still sniffling into Tobias’ shoulder, doesn’t answer.

“We’re not hurt,” Tobias answers. All right is a bit of a stretch, though.

The gardevoir seems to understand, eyes softening. “What happened?”

Tobias recognizes that tone. It’s caring, but firm enough that it’s an order. Alistair probably needs to inform August, Verene, and the medics about what happened, and wants to get it done right away before he forgets in the chaos.

“We went into the dungeon,” Tobias says, dropping his eyes. “Team Evergreen followed us in. One of the towers collapsed on top of Ezra and crushed his arm.”

Alistair doesn’t scold them or reassure them. He simply hums in understanding. “I’ll pass that info along to the medics and let Verene know you’re back at the guild. Evacuation is almost complete, so why don’t you two head to your quarters and get some rest?”

Nia doesn’t answer, lifting her head from Tobias’ shoulder to instead stare down at her paws. Tobias nods. He doesn’t want to go back out there anyways—not after what happened to Ezra. Even if Tobias sort of feels like they’re running away from their duties.

“Could you have Verene let our teammate Samir know we’re back?” Tobias asks, quiet. “They weren’t with us when we went in.”

Alistair assures them that he can, then recommends again that they get some sleep.

“Ezra is in good hands,” the gardevoir adds before turning back to the other psychics, who are teleporting another team and a few evacuees into the guild in a blinding flash of light.

Tobias watches the proceedings dully. Behind he and Nia, one of the open flight ports lets rain mist in against their backs, and Tobias is at least grateful for his poncho shielding him from the worst of it. The weather is finally slowing down too, a gentle drizzle rather than a downpour. When Tobias looks, the sky is lighter, a sleepy pre-dawn gray rather than the pitch black of night.

Beside him, Nia stares into space with tired eyes. Her ears and tail hang low.

“C’mon,” Tobias mutters, taking Nia’s paw. “Let’s get some rest.”

Nia lets him tug her into motion and back to their quarters. The Seekers floor is unusually quiet when the reach it, and the two of them plod by the other teams’ rooms in equal silence.

When they open the door to their room, Junie immediately pops out of the blankets, clearly having not slept a wink since they left.

“You’re back! Thank God. I was going stir-crazy in here and you had me all worried about—"

Junie stops when she really takes them in.

“…Everything okay?” Junie asks, quieter. Her eyes flick over Tobias’ shoulder. “Where’s Samir?”

“Samir’s fine,” Tobias rasps, scrubbing a hand over his eyes. “Probably not happy with us, but safe. We…”

“I made us do something stupid,” Nia whispers. She sniffs, swallowing hard. “Ezra got hurt.”

“Oh…” Junie falters, watching Nia with uncertain eyes. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

Nia wipes at her face and shakes her head, trudging over to the bed and crawling under the covers to hide. She curls into a tight ball rather than sprawling everywhere like she usually does, and Tobias’ wordlessly follows her example, taking off his rain poncho and climbing into the mountain of blankets and pillows as well.

“Later,” Tobias says, feeling Junie’s questioning eyes on him. “Just…I need to sleep a while first.”

Junie doesn’t push, thankfully. She just sighs and moves to burrow under the blankets next to Nia.

Tobias hesitates before taking the second blanket and curling up too, his spine pressed to Nia’s through the blankets.

The covers feel scratchy against his scales, his skin sensitive and raw after being out in the rain for so long. He tries to ignore it, closing his eyes and willing sleep to come. He’s exhausted, and he just…doesn’t want to think about this. Not yet.

Tobias must fall asleep quicker than he expects, because the next thing he knows he’s waking up with a gasp, and fighting his way free of the covers, heart pounding hard in his chest. He looks around wildly, panting as he catches his bearings.

Right. They’re home. And despite feeling like he hadn’t slept a blink, he must’ve been out for hours. Late morning sunshine lights their room with a soft, gentle glow through the leaf blinds.

Vaguely, Tobias recalls wisps of the nightmares he must’ve had. Memories, of a sort. Cold fur and stiff muscle under his fingers. Ezra’s voice, screaming. The rumble of rock, and then Nia’s voice screaming in the sneasel’s place. Or maybe Vivi’s. Tobias can’t be sure. Even now, the sensations are fading fast.

Whatever he dreamed, it certainly didn’t help him feel well-rested. Tobias groans and rubs at his temple. He feels a headache coming on, and he’s tempted to try going back to sleep. Not like he wants to face what he knows awaits them in the waking world anyways.

The guilt.

Tobias takes a few minutes to calm himself, then lifts his head again once he feels more at ease. Beside him, Nia and Junie are still fast asleep, two motionless lumps under the covers. Nia’s tail is poking out.

Tobias is surprised to hear another source of soft breathing, though, and looks past them to find Samir has returned as well, curled up on the bed without a blanket on Nia’s other side.

Tobias watches the skiddo sleep for a moment, the guilt in his chest growing heavier.

Samir tried to stop them from going into the dungeon. Tobias is sure they’ll have something to say about that—and rightfully so. It was a stupid decision. Beyond reckless. But he couldn’t let Nia go alone, and he didn’t fight her once they met that plusle wailing for her sister.

Tobias sees the minun’s body in his mind’s eye for a moment, her pale fur wet and dirty and her body unnaturally still.

Tobias shakes his head as if he can physically dislodge the image. Still, the heaviness in his chest remains.

They weren’t fast enough. Once again, he couldn’t save someone’s sister. Couldn’t save anyone. Was there even a chance they could, if they’d moved quicker? Or were all the casualties already dead long before they even stepped foot into the dungeon?

…Does it matter? Ezra is seriously injured, either way. And they accomplished nothing.

Tobias takes a long, shaky breath, and pushes himself up. He slips out of the bed to stretch, yawning until his jaw cracks. He still feels exhausted, his limbs heavy. After a moment of hesitation, Tobias grabs his warm blanket and pulls it over Samir, hoping to alleviate some of the guilt in his chest.

Then, he goes to the window, peeking past the blind to find that the clouds have mostly cleared, only a few wisps remaining from last night’s storm. The sky is a light, wintery blue and bright with sun. The autumn-toned forest below smells wet with rain, and the air bites at his cheeks.

Last night almost feels like it was a bad dream.

Tobias looks over at the bed again, throat tightening as he thinks of the bits of his nightmare that he remembers. Endless, stinging rain. Digging, digging, digging. Rumbling and death and tired fear. Ezra screaming. Nia too.

That could’ve easily been Nia pinned beneath that tower instead, and it makes him physically nauseous to think about. He can’t imagine how Andyn and Jaz are faring.

They should check on Ezra today, even if some part of Tobias is terrified to find that they couldn’t save the sneasel. That he died while they slept.

Tobias shakes his head. No. No use thinking like that.

A quiet shift of the covers on the bed makes Tobias look back. Junie’s awake, the rookidee’s head poking out of the covers as she blinks sleep from her eyes.

“Hey,” she whispers. She glances at Nia, then Samir, then back. Some of what Tobias is feeling must be on his face, because she doesn’t don her usual smug smirk. Instead, she carefully extricates herself from the nest and flutters to his side. “You all right?”

“Not really.” Tobias says. He lets the blind close.

“What happened out there?” Junie asks.

“…Let’s get some food for everyone and I’ll tell you on the way.”

Junie doesn’t respond aside from fluttering up to perch on his shoulder. Tobias welcomes the grounding sensation of her tiny, prickling claws and the gentle brush of her feathers against the side of his jaw.

————————————————————————————————

It’s a bit closer to noon when Tobias and Junie return to Team Scarlet’s room, Tobias gently kicking the door open to avoid dropping any of the fruit In his arms. He doubts they’ll need so much, even for the four of them, but he wanted to be prepared with some light, easy snacks. Although Junie mentioned not having much of an appetite after hearing about their night, and he can’t imagine Nia and Samir will be very hungry, either.

Nia is awake, though she apparently hasn’t been for long. She’s sitting up in bed with the blankets pooled around her as she rubs at her eyes.

Samir is awake too, but much more alert. The skiddo is sitting by the window, peering past the blinds like Tobias had been. When they turn, their expression is unreadable but definitely not happy.

Tobias sets the pile of food down, meeting the skiddo’s eyes. “Food.”

Nia slips out of bed with one of the blankets wrapped around her shoulders and stumbles over, muttering a word of thanks before picking listlessly through the offerings.

Samir abandons the window to approach the rest of them and lock eyes with Tobias.

Tobias holds back a sigh. “…Guessing you want to talk?”

Nia stops pretending to look through the food, looking up at Samir with wide eyes.

Samir nods, once.

Tobias bites back irritation as he glances down at Nia, huddled in her blanket as if that could protect her from the world. “This can’t wait a day?”

Samir hesitates. They glance down at Nia too, but then shake their head, resolute.

“Fine,” Tobias grumbles. He flops down on the plush scarlet rug in the center of the room.

Nia tentatively joins him, pulling the blanket closer around herself. Tobias isn’t sure if she’s genuinely cold or just needs it for comfort. Junie wordlessly hops into the riolu’s lap for moral support.

Tobias looks at Samir. “I don’t know if anyone caught you up, but—"

Samir cuts him off with a curt nod, only a twitch of their brow betraying any emotion. Word must’ve spread about Ezra’s injury, then.

Heavy silence falls between them.

Samir opens their mouth, then stops. Their brow furrows. They stamp a hoof, once, clearly frustrated, and huff a breath through their nostrils.

Right. Whistle communication can only get you so far. It can’t be easy to be upset and be physically unable to articulate it. Tobias quickly stuffs away any pity that might be showing on his face.

“Do you want some paper?” Nia asks, quiet.

Samir only looks more frustrated at the offer. They look around the room, then suddenly stop, as if struck with an idea.

The skiddo frowns at them and taps their hoof on the floor twice, as if to tell them to stay here.

Then, they leave the room.

Tobias blinks. He exchanges an uncertain look with Nia.

“Uh. Where’d they go?” Junie asks.

“Dunno,” Tobias mumbles.

A minute passes.

Then, they hear the telltale sound of Samir’s hooves against the wooden floor. The skiddo stalks into the room, shoulders tense, and positions themself across from Tobias and Nia.

To Tobias’ surprise, Avery trails in behind them. The kirlia offers the three of them a strained smile and a little wave before joining Samir’s side.

“Samir asked me to act as a telepathic translator for a few minutes,” Avery says. They glance at the skiddo and the tension visible in every rigid line of their body. “They have some things they want to say without getting muddled.”

Tobias blinks, surprised. Psychic ‘mon using telepathy isn’t an uncommon disability aid for mute ‘mon, but he’d assumed Samir wouldn’t be comfortable asking someone they’d only met once to do the job. Especially for a situation like this.

Though, looking at the way Samir holds their head, jaw clenched, maybe they’re just so upset that it’s worth the discomfort.

Tobias fights the urge to squirm with renewed shame, and nods. “Right. Uh…go ahead, then.”

Samir glances at Avery.

Avery says, “I’m angry.”

Tobias winces. Yeah, he thought that would be the case.

“I know you were doing what you thought was right, going into the dungeon. In a way, that’s admirable,” Avery says, watching Samir’s face.

While the kirlia doesn’t have quite the right inflection—Tobias hears none of the carefully controlled anger he sees in the skiddo’s posture—it’s clear that Avery is using Samir’s body language to make sure they get the right message across.

Samir turns a hard look on Nia and Tobias.

“But what you did was stupid and reckless, and you could’ve gotten yourselves killed. From what I hear, you almost did.”

Nia flinches. Tobias bites his lip to keep from making a defensive remark.

“And I tried to warn you as much as I could in the field,” Avery says, watching as Samir starts to pace in a tight path, back and forth. “And you just—didn’t listen. I don’t try to stop you for fun, you know? I’ve been in an active disaster zone before. I know how bad it can be. I knew the chances of anyone surviving in that dungeon were slim when the outside looked so volatile.”

With each word, Tobias feels his shoulders raise a little higher, as if to protect himself from the sharp scolding.

“This happened in Fort Asra, too. I told you the mines were too dangerous, and you insisted on going in without Calder anyways. And we almost died there as well! Eddy would’ve killed us if he got the chance. You know he would have.”

Tobias feels an extra heavy layer of shame settle on his shoulders for that one. Fort Asra’s recklessness was all Tobias—and for his own gain, too. At least Nia was trying to help other Pokemon during last night’s emergency.

“Nia,” Avery continues, as Samir swings their head to focus on the riolu. “I thought you had a cooler head than Tobias, but you let your emotions get the best of you last night.”

Nia winces. Tobias fights the urge to defend her, to tell Samir to back off while Nia’s in such a fragile emotional state.

Junie does it in his stead, fluttering forward to glare up at the skiddo. “Hey! I wasn’t there last night, but I know Nia was only trying to help! She’s an awesome Seeker and she saved my life by being so brave!”

“And when she saved your life, did she risk her own in the process?” Avery asks, low, matching the burn in Samir’s eyes.

Junie falters. “…W-Well...”

“What happens if she doesn’t make it out from the next reckless decision she makes? Or if Tobias doesn’t? Are you okay with their deaths on your conscience?”

At Tobias’ side, Nia takes a sharp breath.

Junie’s fluffed feathers fall back into place, and she suddenly looks twice as small. “…N-No.”

Samir shakes their head, agitated.

“This happened with my old teammate too,” Avery says. “No one ever listens to me when I’m just trying to keep them safe!”

Samir punctuates Avery’s voice with a stomp of their hoof, and Tobias knows they would be yelling if they could. Instead, they glare daggers at Nia and Tobias as Junie shuffles back into Nia’s lap.

“I can’t be on a team with Pokemon who jeopardize not only their own safety, but that of everyone around them,” Avery continues, quiet. “Not again. I’ve done that before, and it ended with me losing my voice and nearly my life.”

Tobias stares at Samir, aghast. That’s how they got hurt? Because their partner didn’t listen to them?

Nausea rolls in Tobias’ stomach. Beside him, Nia silently brings a paw up over her mouth.

“I know I’m the one on a trial run,” Avery continues, as Samir’s jaw tightens and they stubbornly hold Nia and Tobias’ gaze. “But if this happens even one more time, I’m gone. I’ll withdraw my application and return to the Pyrite Guild immediately. No debate.”

Silence crushes down on the room yet again.

Nia stares at Samir as fresh tears bud in her eyes. Tobias can’t blame her for being so stricken. Hearing that the injury that took the skiddo’s voice and nearly killed them came from their partner’s negligence—their recklessness—is…more than a little upsetting. Especially considering how poorly Tobias and Nia have viewed the skiddo’s last teammate.

Samir’s right. They haven’t listened to them. Tobias and Nia let their emotions rule over the skiddo’s wants twice now. And it doesn’t matter if Nia and Tobias’ motivations are somehow more selfless or more personal than Samir’s ex-partner’s, does it? It doesn’t matter when it hurts Samir all the same.

“You’re right,” Tobias says, quiet.

Samir stops, looking sharply at him. Tobias can read the What? on their face without Avery’s help.

“You’re right,” Tobias reiterates, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Arceus, he’s tired. “We should’ve listened to you. We shouldn’t have brushed you off.”

“I’m so sorry,” Nia adds, voice cracking. “I knew we shouldn’t go in there but I just couldn’t stop thinking about my own brother, a-and I couldn’t just leave the minun, and—"

“Breathe,” Tobias murmurs.

Nia cuts herself off, taking a shaky breath. Her eyes are wet. “We should’ve listened to you, Samir. I’m so sorry. And I’m really sorry we made you feel like your voice didn’t matter in that decision.”

Tobias nods, mumbling, “Sorry. We can promise to do better, but…I don’t know how much weight our word carries on its own.”

There’s a moment of silence, punctuated by Nia wiping at her eyes, while she and Tobias wait for Samir’s response.

Samir stares at them for a moment, as if expecting them to continue. When the skiddo realizes they’re done, their expression shifts to confusion.

Samir glances at Avery, and for the first time in this conversation the kirlia looks close to smiling.

“That’s it?” Avery asks for Samir.

Tobias frowns, exchanging a hesitant look with Nia. “I’m…not sure what else we can say, other than apologizing and trying to do better if you give us another chance.”

“Promising to do better,” Nia says, fervent.

Samir shakes their head, brow furrowed.

“No,” Avery says. “Aren’t you two angry?”

…What?

Nia tilts her head. “A-About what?”

Samir’s ears slide back, and their head ducks, embarrassed.

“I didn’t stick with my partners. I stand by what I said, but I thought you’d have your own piece to say about me abandoning the team on the field. And then coming back and scolding you when I’m not even an official member.”

Oh. Tobias looks again at Samir. Despite their threat to leave—and Tobias has no doubt that it’s genuine—they look a bit timid themself, as if waiting for Nia and Tobias to kick them off the team for…what? Insubordination?

Tobias snorts. “Why would we do that? You’re right.”

Samir looks up, surprised.

“And,” Nia adds, voice soft. “Even if you weren’t, this isn’t the kind of team where you get in trouble for, um…’disobeying’ Tobias. Or me. Tobias usually leads us in dungeons, but…”

Nia glances at Tobias, so he finishes, “We don’t really have a leader in the traditional sense. We’re a team. You’re afforded just as much say as either of us.”

Samir blinks at them, clearly baffled by the idea. Their mouth opens. Then closes. Their brow furrows again.

“You say that,” Avery says. “But so far that hasn’t proven true.”

Tobias winces. While Samir wasn’t technically on the team in Fort Asra, their point still stands.

“You say you’ll do better. How do I know you’ll follow through on that?” Avery asks.

Tobias swallows, exchanging an uncertain look with Nia.

“I don’t think there is a way to know, until we’re put into that kind of situation again.”

Nia looks at Samir. “Unless you have an idea?”

Samir thinks for a moment, before sighing and shaking their head.

“Then I guess,” Tobias says, slowly. “Your trial period in the mountains is our trial period too.”

“If you’re still willing to come with us,” Nia murmurs.

Samir doesn’t answer immediately. They look between Tobias and Nia for a few silent moments with dark, conflicted eyes. Tobias fights the urge to look away.

While a small part of Tobias—the part still reluctant to add anyone to their two-person team—finds the idea of Samir leaving a relief, this isn’t how he’d ever want that to happen. Not because they’re such bad teammates that the skiddo feels forced to leave for their own safety. And a much larger part of Tobias doesn’t want the skiddo to leave at all. They’re a good teammate.

“You were right,” Tobias says. “You knew what you were doing more than we did, and we should’ve listened to you. If you’re willing to stick around for one more try, we can show you that we can listen and be the teammates you deserve.”

They have to. Samir made an excellent point, earlier. They can’t keep gambling with each other’s lives and just hoping it’ll turn out all right. They need to be smarter.

“We can hold each other to that,” Nia says.

“And I can help too!” Junie says, putting up a wing. “If they try pulling any stupid, reckless stunts I can yell at ‘em and tell them they’re both being idiots!”

Samir huffs something like a laugh, some of the tension in their shoulders dropping as they look at Nia, Tobias and Junie with an almost annoyed expression.

Avery laughs. “Took the wind from your wings, didn’t they?”

Samir’s mouth twists, and they nod. Then they take a deep breath.

“I mean it,” Avery says, voice going soft again as they speak for Samir. “I won’t hesitate to leave if this happens again. I won’t have anyone’s blood on my conscience. Not yours, and not mine. Not when it can be avoided.”

Tobias thinks of Ezra and hears the sneasel’s screams, and thinks again of how easily that could’ve been him or Nia instead. “I know. We won’t fight you on that.”

“We deserve to lose you if we mess up like that again,” Nia says. “So we just…won’t mess up.”

Samir stares them down for a few more long moments, then sighs.

“Then for now, I’m with you,” Avery says.

Junie cheers. Nia breathes a sigh of relief, chin dropping to her chest. Tobias feels a bit of his own tension melt away.

Samir turns to Avery with a nod.

Avery smiles and curtsies. “You’re very welcome. Feel free to let me know if you need my help again.”

Samir nods, all righteous anger gone from their expression. Instead, Tobias spots some of the embarrassment he’d been expecting earlier.

“Really,” Avery says, gentler. They smile and tilt their head Nia and Tobias’ way. “There’s no shame in it. We all need help sometimes.”

Samir hesitates, but nods, though they can’t quite hold the kirlia’s gaze.

Avery turns next to Tobias and Nia. “Speaking of—how are you two holding up? I hear it was a particularly difficult night for Team Scarlet.”

Not as difficult as it was for Team Evergreen, Tobias thinks, cringing.

“Not great,” he hedges.

Nia shakes her head, taking a deep breath to straighten out the wobbly, upset line of her mouth. “U-Um. Have you heard anything about how Ezra is doing?”

Avery shakes their head. “No. I’m afraid my team only just woke up a short while ago. You could try visiting the medical floor? Maggie may be able to give you an update, even if Ezra isn’t her patient.”

That’s true. Even if Ezra is being treated by other medics, Maggie and Sage would still be supplying the herbal treatments with a disaster this catastrophic.

“You don’t think she’ll be too busy?” Nia asks.

Avery shrugs, the kind smile never leaving their face. “You won’t know until you try. If she is, you can always visit again later.”

“You want to go check?” Tobias asks Nia, half-hoping she’ll say no. He’s still dreading the possibility that Ezra passed away in the hours since his injury. Tobias will be relieved if they just find the sneasel alive, but even the best-case scenario won’t be easy to handle.

Nia looks scared, hugging Junie close to her chest and shrinking into her blanket. Tobias imagines she’s probably thinking much the same as him, but she still nods a yes.

Avery excuses themself back to their own room with a word of luck and directions to come straight to them if they need to talk or need more telepathic translating.

And then it’s time to go find Ezra.

Junie and Samir tag along without Tobias having to ask, and almost all too soon the four of them have made it up the stairs and to the medical wing.

The floor is noticeably busier than usual. Unfamiliar medics pass between the rooms lining the hall, talking to one another in low, urgent tones. Quiet voices can be heard from inside the patient rooms, and somewhere farther down the hall Tobias hears someone crying.

Nia shuffles closer to Tobias, Junie settled in the crook of her neck. Samir stands close to the riolu’s side.

Tobias eyes the medics that pass, gauging how easily they’ll be able to slip down the hall without getting in anyone’s way. He can’t remember the last time they had someone here who needed surgery, but he does know that patients with severe injuries will likely be housed together farther from the stairs.

One of the medics notices them hovering near the staircase before they can make their move. It’s a meowstic, and she stops to ask with a tired air what they need.

“Is Ezra the sneasel available for visitors?” Tobias asks, dread building in his chest. Don’t say he died. Don’t say he died. “His arm—"

“I know the sneasel,” the meowstic says, thankfully not wearing the sympathetic expression that would mean Ezra passed away due to complications. Instead, she looks so tired she almost comes across as bored, her yellow eyes lidded and her pointy ears held low. “Are you friends of his?”

Tobias hesitates. Nia nods, giving a quiet confirmation.

The meowstic looks them over, then nods. “He’s still unconscious, but you can visit briefly as long as you don’t cause any problems.” The meowstic turns and points towards the end of the hall. “He’s in the last room on the left with his team. There are other patients in there as well, so do not disturb them.”

They all nod, and Tobias quickly leads the group down the hall, staying pressed to the wall to stay out of the medics’ way. At the end of the hall, Tobias stops and peers into the room the meowstic had pointed them to.

There are a few patients resting inside, lying in nests situated against the walls. They all appear heavily injured, bandaged and out cold. There are one or two unfamiliar ‘mon visiting the wounded, sitting exhausted and morose at their bedsides. A medic is carefully unraveling the maroon-stained bandages on a doduo’s stump of a leg.

Tobias tears his eyes away from the grisly sight to focus on the familiar pair of ‘mon at the back of the room: a deerling and stufful. The two of them are silent, Jaz curled up in a ball and seemingly fast asleep with her striped tail laid over her face, and Andyn resting with her long legs tucked underneath her and her head hung low.

Just past them, Tobias catches a glimpse of dark fur: Ezra, motionless in a nest of his own.

Tobias glances at Nia, who has frozen up beside him with wide eyes and pinned ears. She looks terrified.

“We can always come back later,” Tobias murmurs.

For a moment, Nia doesn’t respond. Then, she swallows and shakes her head. “N-No. No, I want to see how he’s doing. If they need anything.”

Nia takes stilted steps into the room. Tobias exchanges a grim look with Samir before following.

Andyn’s ear flicks when Nia gets close. The deerling lifts her head to look at the newcomers, and for a moment a thousand different emotions flicker across her tired face. Anger, sorrow, relief and shame battle for dominance in her red-rimmed eyes.

“How is he?” Nia asks, quiet.

“He lost his arm,” Andyn responds, quieter.

Nia stops in her tracks, looking at Andyn as if she’d misheard. Tobias sighs. Maybe he should’ve warned her that that would likely be the case.

Tobias looks past Andyn to where Ezra is resting. The sneasel’s entire upper body is wrapped in bandages, and his left arm is simply...gone. The curve of his shoulder slopes smoothly into his ribcage.

At least the sneasel is alive.

Nia’s mouth opens, then closes. “Andyn, I-I…I’m so sorry.”

“You should be!” Andyn snaps. “If you hadn’t gone in there—"

Samir steps forward with a sharp stomp of their hoof. The dark look in the skiddo’s eye is enough to make Andyn’s mouth click shut.

“You can’t blame Nia for this,” Tobias says, more tired than angry at this point. “It was stupid of us to go in, but you’re the one who decided to follow. And you’re the one who made your team go with you.”

Andyn flinches, looking away. Looking at Ezra. Slowly, her head drops again.

“…I know.”

Another uncomfortable silence. Nia looks on the brink of tears again.

“He’s stable, right?” Tobias asks. He imagines a medic would be on constant standby otherwise.

Andyn lets out a shuddering breath, nodding. “He is. He’ll live. He’ll just be…”

Be missing an arm. Tobias can imagine it’s hard to take in. For anyone, but especially for a sneasel, seeing as their claws are one of their greatest weapons.

“There are plenty of Seekers who’ve lost limbs,” Tobias says, not sounding nearly as reassuring as he’d like. He recalls glimpsing one or two such ‘mon over the years and marveling at their scars when he was younger.

Andyn swallows hard. Then, she looks back at them, mouth shaking like she’s barely keeping herself from falling apart. “My parents stopped by.”

Tobias frowns.

“Th-They…” Andyn glances at Ezra. “They said that I should start thinking about how to let Ezra know he’s off the team. Since he’s…a liability now.”

Tobias’ jaw goes slack, stunned. The suggestion would be harsh enough, but to come from Andyn’s parents? About one of Andyn’s best friends? And less than a day after the whole traumatic incident happened?

“That’s horrible,” Nia says, looking sick.

“Yeah, those are officially horrible people,” Junie mutters.

“They’re not horrible!” Andyn says, voice high. A few tears slip down her cheeks. She tries to glare at Nia and Junie, but it’s ruined by the way her face crumples. “Th-They just…they…”

For a long moment, it’s silent again, save for the quiet sound of the medic working on another Pokemon elsewhere in the room. Andyn sniffles.

“There’s only so long you can make excuses for them,” Tobias says.

Andyn doesn’t answer that, looking back at Ezra’s unmoving form. The deerling reminds Tobias of a wilted flower, her ears and shoulders limp. Like she’s barely holding herself upright.

Nia shifts on her paws. “I-I don’t know if there’s anything we can do before we leave, but, um…don’t hesitate to ask if we can help, okay? We—"

“You’re leaving?” Andyn asks, head snapping up to look at Nia. Her voice is accusing, but her eyes are scared.

“Probably in the next couple days,” Tobias confirms.

Andyn shakes her head, tears welling up again. “Y-You can’t! I—Ezra needs you right now!”

Nia winces. “I-I know. I’d rather stay here, but we’re on a timeline a-and—“

“A timeline? What could be so important that you have to up and abandon us right now?!” Andyn asks, pushing herself to her hooves. She’s visibly shaking, enough so that Tobias worries her thin legs will snap like twigs beneath her.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tobias sees Jaz finally stir and lift her head.

Nia takes a step back, paws up. “W-We don’t want to! B-But—"

“Is it something to do with that monster you summoned in the dungeon?” Andyn asks, voice rising. “Giratina? How long have you been hiding that little secret from us?!”

“Shut up!” Tobias hisses, glancing over his shoulder. The few unfamiliar ‘mon who are visiting their loved ones are staring at the commotion, though they quickly look away.

“Anne?” Jaz murmurs, sitting up.

“I-It kind of has to do with him,” Nia admits. “But it’s really important, Andyn. L-Like, um…world-saving important. We wouldn’t go otherwise! But—"

“Of course it’s world-saving important!” Andyn says with a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “Why wouldn’t you be gallivanting off to save the world?”

Nia blinks. “What?”

“After all, you’re perfect little Nia. The human with all the answers!”

“Andyn,” Tobias warns.

“W-What are you—?” Nia stammers, looking blindsided. “I don’t know—"

“You’ve always gotta be the hero, right? You just keep thinking you’re so good and sweet when your stupid idea is the reason Ezra got hurt at all!”

“Andyn!” Jaz snaps. The stufful moves between Andyn and everyone else, butting the deerling back a step.

Whatever look is on the stufful’s face, it’s enough for Andyn to finally back down, face twisted with emotion and tears streaming from her eyes. The grass type turns back to Ezra, folding her legs once more as she falls back to the ground.

“Just go,” Andyn says. “All of you. Go have your little human party with Giratina in the mountains. I don’t care anymore.”

“Andyn,” Nia whimpers, barely loud enough for Tobias to hear. “I don’t…”

Tobias intercepts his partner’s reaching paw, giving her heartbroken expression a silent shake of his head. Samir takes over from there and gently herds Nia back towards the hall while Junie murmurs soothing words.

Tobias glares at Andyn’s back. “Nia visited today hoping to help. Your parents visited to tell you to abandon your partner. Think harder about which ‘mon you really want to push away.”

Andyn stiffens, but doesn’t answer. Tobias turns on his heel to follow Nia and the others out into the hall.

Nia is choking back hiccupping sobs. Junie is preening the collar of fur around the riolu’s neck in a soothing gesture. Samir is pressed against Nia’s side, holding her up, but the skiddo looks at Tobias with dark, angry eyes. Tobias can only imagine how the skiddo feels about the deerling right now, having been in Ezra’s position themself.

“Tobias! Nia!”

Tobias turns, surprised to find Jaz hurrying after them on her short, stubby legs. The stufful’s face is apologetic, and she looks deeply pained when she catches sight of Nia trying to pull herself together.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Jaz says.

“Not your fault,” Junie grumbles. “You aren’t the one with a stick up your—"

“All the same,” Jaz says, cutting her off. “I’m sorry. Andyn isn’t taking this well, but that was way out of line.”

“Why are you always the one apologizing for her?” Tobias asks, crossing his arms.

Jaz hesitates. “I…shouldn’t be. I know. But I just know how good of a ‘mon she can be.”

“Well that’s not a very good reason,” Junie grumbles. “Anyone can be nice one day of the year. That doesn’t matter much if they still suck every other day.”

Jaz pauses, then sighs. “…I suppose you’re right about that. Andyn’s been going through a lot lately, but that doesn’t excuse her lashing out.”

“Why do you and Ezra even follow her?” Tobias asks. “Seems like you’d be better off on your own team.”

For a long moment, the stufful doesn’t answer. Their whole group has to shift to the side of the hall to let a couple of medics through.

“That would never work,” Jaz finally says. “We need Andyn. She’s the heart of our team.”

Tobias frowns. “The heart?”

Jaz smiles up at him, soft and sad. “Ezra and I don’t have the drive or the confidence to be Seekers on our own. Andyn is the one who makes us feel strong. She’s the one who makes us feel like we can do anything. When she’s focused, when she’s in a good place, it’s like…I can see the kind of leader she could be one day. And it’s amazing. And that makes me want to be amazing too.”

Tobias can hear the sincerity in the stufful’s voice, and to some extent he understands what she means, but…

“But…” Jaz says, quiet. She casts a somber look back into the room. “There are certain things you can’t come back from. And I don’t know if we’ll be able to come back from this one.”

“You’re disbanding your team?” Junie asks.

Jaz shakes her head. “Not yet. But we can’t keep going like this, with Andyn so focused on perfection that she puts us in danger. I want to wait and see what Ezra thinks first. If he even wants to be a Seeker anymore after all this.”

Tobias feels a twist in his stomach thinking about what the sneasel will have to face when he wakes up. The ice type has always been absurdly bright and friendly, but Tobias can’t imagine even Ezra will be able to just shrug off an injury this life-changing.

Tobias glances at Nia and Samir, fresh guilt creeping into his lungs. This very easily could’ve been their team on the verge of disbanding. Nia or Samir in that nest and missing an entire limb.

Tobias can’t let them endanger themselves so recklessly ever again.

“I’m so sorry we have to leave,” Nia sniffs. Her face is still a damp, teary mess, and her voice is warbly. “I really wish we could stay, but this just…isn’t something that can wait.”

Jaz gives the riolu a tired smile. “That’s not hard to believe after seeing Giratina himself in that dungeon. But you can tell us all about it later. I’d better go check on Andyn, all right? Take it easy and be safe.”

They nod and say their goodbyes as the stufful returns to her team. Then, they’re left in the hallway, unsure where to go next.

For a moment, Tobias desperately wants to find Maggie and soak up the meganium’s soothing presence. They could all use that, honestly. But she’s likely still busy with Sage, mixing up herbs for all the injured. Seeing how busy everyone is up here, they probably shouldn’t disturb her.

Nia’s stomach growls, loud, breaking Tobias from his thoughts. The riolu’s muzzle wrinkles, and Tobias can imagine that she doesn’t feel like eating even if her body is hungry. But it’s important to stay fed.

“C’mon. Let’s eat some of those berries we brought back earlier.”

No one argues, and they make it back to Team Scarlet’s quarters without another word between them. Tobias immediately digs through the pile of berries until he finds a persim berry, and shoves it into Nia’s paws.

Nia doesn’t argue with the unsaid command, and starts nibbling at the berry’s pink skin through lingering sniffles. Tobias digs out a rawst berry for himself and gets to work cooking it in the bowl of his hands with a small jet of fire. The first bite of its warm, dimpled skin is a welcome comfort, the juices bitter and sharp on his tongue.

Junie and Samir pick through the berry pile as well, the rookidee trying to guess what the skiddo’s favorite berry is while Samir half-heartedly entertains her guesses with a dry shake of their head. Junie hams up her despair after each wrong guess.

A whimper from Nia’s direction has all of them turning her way. Tobias’ heart sinks to find fresh tears slipping down her face as she clearly tries and fails to hold them back, berry held tight enough in her paws that Tobias fears it’ll get crushed to a pulp.

“Whoa, hey, what’s wrong?” Junie asks, abandoning her game to flutter onto Nia’s leg. “I mean…a lot is wrong, but uh—”

“What’s wrong specifically?” Tobias clarifies, abandoning his own food to sit down in front of the riolu.

Like a dam bursting, Nia starts crying in earnest, dropping her berry to cover her face. Heart-wrenching sobs rip from her chest and make her shoulders jump.

Samir had frozen nearby at the first cry, but they jolt and quickly settle against Nia’s side, as if to offer moral support with their presence despite the obvious panic on their face.

For a second, Tobias panics too. This isn’t the same quiet, constant grief they’ve all been feeling today. This feels like a bubble bursting—like something in particular is making her so upset she simply can’t process it. And knowing Nia, she needs some way to work it out of her system.

So, swallowing his own discomfort, Tobias asks, “Hey, uh. Is this more of a hug problem or a talk problem?”

Nia’s crying slows just long enough for her to wail, “Both!”

“Well, you heard the girl,” Junie chuckles, hopping closer to nuzzle Nia’s waist.

Tobias hesitates for only a moment before scooching closer. Then, he gently tugs the riolu’s paws away from her eyes and guides her into a hug. Nia latches onto the contact immediately, squeezing him tight enough in return that it’s almost painful.

Tobias tries to remember what Maggie did in the past when he was this upset. When he was desperately missing his family and feeling the fresh pain of their absence all over again. After a moment, he tentatively rests a hand on Nia’s back, then skims it up and down her spine in what he hopes is a soothing gesture.

As Nia cries, Tobias feels the grief and guilt he’d been shoving into the back of his mind all day surface anew. She doesn’t deserve to feel like this. None of them do.

This has to be the worst part of being a Seeker.

Tobias squeezes his eyes shut and takes a deep, shuddering breath, trying to send his own sorrow from last night’s disaster along with it. It feels…nice, in a way. To just let himself be sad. To be upset.

Eventually, though, Nia’s cries soften and fade. She pulls back from the hug with clear reluctance, wiping at the wet fur on her cheeks. The red of her eyes pops even brighter than usual.

“Sorry,” Nia says, her voice a wreck. “I’m fine. Just…been a long night. Day. It’s not fair for me to act like mine’s been any worse than yours.”

Tobias snorts. “Just because we aren’t crying doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to cry.”

“Yeah! And even if we’re all upset, maybe you’re the most upset right now,” Junie says, peering up at Nia. “That’s okay. Sometimes people need more help at different times, even if everyone is dealing with the same crappy situation. We’ll take turns.”

Nia huffs a watery laugh. Her expression is warm as she runs a paw over the rookidee’s back, earning a pleased chirp.

Still, something on Nia’s face gives Tobias pause.

“You’ve got something else on your mind,” Tobias guesses, ignoring Nia’s surprised look. “Something other than the general awfulness we’re all dealing with.”

Nia blinks. “O-Oh. I mean…kind of? But it isn’t important."

“What?! It’s important if it’s upsetting you!” Junie says, whacking Nia with a wing. “Spill!”

Nia smiles, like the sun peeking through the clouds. Just as quickly, the expression falls away. For a few quiet moments, Tobias thinks she isn’t going to talk at all.

Then, Nia whispers, “I was just thinking that maybe Andyn was right.”

Tobias frowns. Junie makes a squawk of outrage. Even Samir pulls away from Nia to give the riolu a baffled look.

“I know it was Andyn’s choice to follow us into the dungeon,” Nia explains. “A-And Ezra’s choice to follow her. But I wanted to save that minun. I wanted to save her so badly that I didn’t listen to Samir, a-and I pulled Tobias in with me too. And if I hadn’t done that then Ezra never would’ve gotten hurt and—"

“Whoa, slow down,” Junie says.

If anything, Nia talks faster. She’s blinking back a fresh wave of tears. “I-I just feel so guilty for everything, a-and maybe Andyn’s right and I just like playing the hero? And that’s even worse because I thought I was just being a good person but is it actually good if you have to try to be good a-and—"

“Okay, hang on,” Tobias says, hands out. Alarm bubbles in his gut.

“A-And now I feel like I won’t know what to do in the future because if I can’t trust my own moral compass to lead me to the right decisions, what do I trust?!” Nia asks. “I was so sure I was doing the right thing but was I just doing it to make myself feel better? A-And even if I wasn’t, I know I need to think things through better but does that mean I have to make myself not care because I don’t think I even know how to do that a-and—"

Tobias grabs either side of Nia’s face, stopping her rambling and catching her off-guard. She stares at Tobias with glossy eyes, panting as she catches her breath.

“Breathe, Nia,” Tobias murmurs.

He breathes deep, waiting for her to mimic him the best she can before letting it out. Another breath. Another exhale. Again.

Slowly, the wild light dims in Nia’s eyes. But she still looks so…uncertain. Like she’s doubting everything she is and everything she stands for. It hurts to see, when Tobias often looks to her as his own moral compass.

“It wasn’t smart of us to go into that dungeon,” Tobias says, releasing her. “It was reckless. You shouldn’t have done it, I shouldn’t have let it happen, and Andyn definitely shouldn’t have followed us. But that doesn’t mean you were wrong to care.”

Nia watches him with lost, pleading eyes. Begging him to convince her.

“If circumstances had been different, maybe the minun would’ve been alive when we found her. But even here and now, when she isn’t? When we gained nothing? I know that if we hadn’t gone into that dungeon to look for survivors, it would’ve haunted you. You’d be sitting here wondering if you could’ve saved that minun if you’d only tried. I know you would be, because I would be thinking the same thing. There was no right answer in that situation.”

Tobias glances at Samir, half-expecting a protest from the skiddo. They’re watching Tobias with a furrowed brow, but they don’t interrupt.

Tobias swallows. “A-At least this way, the plusle will know for sure what happened to her sister. And we only know that because we tried. We cared. So I don’t think it’s bad, to try to do what’s right, even if that means you’re wrong sometimes.”

“Yeah,” Junie says, voice soft. “Remember? You followed your gut and came to save me in Ghatha. If you never tried to do good, even when your brain told you it would be smarter and easier not to, then I would be dead right now.”

“B-But…” Nia looks at Samir. “We agreed we were too reckless last night.”

“We were,” Tobias says. “But I think it’s just a matter of…balance. A balance that we need to get better at finding. Between trying to do what’s right, and trying to keep ourselves and others safe.”

“But how do we know where that balance is when my heart says it’s always worth the risk to try?” Nia whispers. “I-I know it’s stupid to be so emotional over this, but—"

“It’s not stupid,” Tobias says, harsher than he means to. Everyone looks at him, and his face heats. “It’s not stupid to care.”

Nia doesn’t respond, and Tobias holds back a frustrated growl. She doesn’t get it. It’s not only that her emotional, caring nature isn’t stupid. It’s that it’s important.

“Look,” Tobias sighs. “You know how earlier, Jaz said that Andyn was so amazing that it made her and Ezra want to be amazing too?”

Nia nods with a small, confused noise of agreement.

“I…kind of understood what she was saying. Because you’re that for me too, Nia. You’re good. You care. You always try to do the right thing. And you make me want to do the right thing and care, too. If I’m in a situation and I don’t know what to do, then…I look to you.”

And that’s something Tobias treasures and admires in his partner. Nia without her ridiculous kindness and her silly, soft heart simply wouldn’t be Nia. And Tobias would never want that.

There’s a moment of heavy silence where Tobias wants to melt into the floor. But Nia is staring at him with something like hope, fresh tears glittering in her eyes. “Really?”

“Really,” Tobias admits. “And if we can just learn to be a bit more cautious about how we follow that drive to do good, I don’t see any reason for us to stop trying, or to stop caring. Right?”

Nia bubbles with a relieved laugh, but there’s a bend to her brow that belies the worry beneath the joy. “I just…I don’t know if you should look to me as your guide for something that important. I try to be a good person, but I’m nothing special.”

Tobias scoffs. He’d argue his partner is very special. And even if he is biased, that bias has to come from something real, right? It’s not based on nothing. It comes from how Nia has always been there for him, even when he didn’t deserve it. How she always tries to do what’s right, even when it’s hard. How she always tries to be kind and helpful to everyone they meet.

A surge of affection swamps Tobias like a wave. If Tobias could just show her that feeling, how much she inspires him, how merely thinking about his partner fills him with comfort and courage and makes him want to be better, then—

Oh.

Oh, he could do that, couldn’t he? Tobias is one of the few Pokemon in the world who actually can show that to his partner.

Fear threatens to smother the warm trust in Tobias’ chest, but he shoves it away before it can take hold. Because this would show Nia how much she means to him, simply because of who she is. And maybe then she’d understand why he looks to her like a guiding star.

“Read my aura,” Tobias says.

Nia and Junie blink at him, shocked. Even Samir seems to gauge the importance of the request after a glance at Nia and Junie’s reactions.

Nia’s mouth flaps. “Tobias, I—are you sure? What—why?”

Tobias swallows. His heart is beating hard against his ribs. He shrugs. “It would show you. That you…inspire me and stuff. Just from being you. You don’t have to do it, but—"

“No!” Nia says, paws out. “I would love to, but. Um.”

They fall into an awkward silence again. Nia watches him with wide, wide red eyes.

Tobias can’t blame her. He remembers how vehement he was in the early days of their partnership about her keeping her aura to herself. Tobias always said it was about it being creepy, a breach of privacy, but if he actually lets himself think about it, Tobias thinks it’s more about the vulnerability of it all. Of Nia seeing Tobias as he actually is instead of the Pokemon he tries to be nowadays.

Tobias doesn’t even know who he really is. He doesn’t know if him trying to be good like Nia actually makes any kind of impact on who he is at his core. The thought scares him.

But…if he can trust anyone with himself, with his very soul, he knows it’s Nia. Even if he’s drowning in embarrassment and fear and some kind of deep shame simply for being him, for being woefully inadequate as a son and partner and Seeker, he knows that Nia will still see the best in whatever he has to offer.

And he wants Nia to see the best in herself, too. Even if that’s through him.

So Tobias takes a breath—two—and holds out a shaky hand, palm up.

After a long moment of hesitation, Nia reaches back.