#ok I thankfully have a backup of my hard drive but still

[joesquinns]

Yesterday, I sadly had to say goodbye to two very important things in my life:

1. My external hard drive with all my gifs, coloring-psds and joe quinn videos on it 

2. My AirPods 

I’m deeply mourning

[anythingbutmar]

Fairy lights

Klaus Hargreeves x reader

Summary: You tried to get Klaus’s sobriety to last in every way possible but it just didn’t work. Maybe he needed to walk in your shoes. Maybe you had to show him.

Promts: 20. “You don’t seem like yourself tonight.”, 59. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

A/N: I’m still in a weird mood but I’m glad to be writing for Klaus! Those prompts were perfect together, so thank you anon!

Warnings: BIG ANGST, drugs and alcohol.

It’s funny, isn’t it? How the shadow of your fairy lights seems so similar to a barbed wire when they’re up against your bedroom wall.

He warned you about this as soon as you met him. He said I’m corrosive, Y/N, and you chose to believe him because you thought you could help him, you thought you could help each other because you both had issues and maybe, just maybe he wasn’t as damaged as you. Little did you know the poor man had suffered worse than you could ever imagine, and thus his problems were twice as hard to figure out.

You thought about all of this while staring at the blinking lights that adorned your shared bedroom, you recalled your best moments together and pictured some more to come, you thought about just how much you loved him, but everything came with a ting of nostalgia, because no matter what you did Klaus would always fall back into his old habits.

Unless…

You instantly stood up and started searching every piece of furniture for some hidden booze or pills. It hurted a bit because you knew he thought you couldn’t find out, but you understood it was something he had been doing since he was a teenager, and old habits die hard.

You stabbed every pillow until your apartment was left looking like a mess, but you did find a jar with a few tiny pills inside. It almost wasn’t enough but thankfully you didn’t need much.

You had tried Molly before at some parties during your teenage years and ocationally when you hit rock bottom, but it had been years since the last time you got a hard drug in your body, so you had to be careful not to cross the line. One pill would do it for now.

You took the familiar circle in your hand, it was light green and it had a smiley face in it. It almost seemed like those vitamin pills your mom used to give you and it made it easier for you to swallow it. You almost thought ok, this is enough but you knew Klaus better than that, he would find it hilarious if you were just laying there, happily hallucinating with colorful stars on your ceiling, and as much as you adored laughing with him, it wasn’t your purpose for the moment.

It wasn’t like you wanted to hurt him either, you knew your plan was extreme and dangerous and it might harm him, but you were out of ideas, and you really just wanted your beloved to be safe, to stay with you.

And so, you remembered one of your worse trips, caused by mixing ecstasy with alcohol and searched underneath the couch for your own backup bottle of rum, chuging some, enough to cause an impact but not that much as to forget your own name.

You knew Klaus would be home soon. Him and his siblings had a family meeting and Five promised to drive him home safe, so you knew he would at least be sober before walking through the door. You carefully placed the bottle on your coffee table, in between all the feathers and the other spilled pills that you dropped on accident. It was quite the scene, but it was lacking something.

You went back to the bedroom avoiding every mirror in the way because you really weren’t ready to see murderous shadows just yet. You opened a tiny box holding your rolling papers, grinder and weed, but you grabbed an already rolled joint, because you weren’t about to do such a delicate task in your state.

You lit it in the hallway and enjoyed the sensation of the smoke in your throat, still having some second thoughts as you layed in the couch. Weed had always helped you during rough times unlike other substances, but right now it seemed like the worst idea you’d ever had.

You laughed at yourself, already seeing the world in brighter tones and more flexible shapes and you suddenly weren’t afraid anymore. That upbeat song that you couldn’t recognize from the radio now seemed much cooler than before, and all you wanted to do was dance because it felt like your entire flat was your runway.

You got so caught up in the midst of swaying to the music that you didn’t hear the door, but when Klaus walked in you could smell him, oh dear god, you could smell him it was such an overwhelming feeling that you instantly ran to hug him, almost tripping in the way.

“Oh sweetheart don’t mind me, keep doing that lovely dance of yours” He kissed you with a smile, but it faded as he watched you take another sip of the bottle, and he saw the entire mess behind you.

“Come with me my love! This is the best thing ever!” You tumbled against the wall and laughed at the shapes it formed, then suddenly frowned when it’s colors turned greyish “Wanna fight me bitch?” You snapped at it, but your boyfriend grabbed you by the waist and turned you to see him.

“How did this happen Y/N?” He inspected your eyes, pulse and tongue as gently as it was possible.

“Well you know how it happens, you take one of those and then boom! The world is a better place!” You laughed pointing at the pills on the table. “Except from that damn demon in the wall.”

“It’s okay Y/N, the wall won’t do anything if you stay away from it.” He sat you down on the couch as you silently nodded. “What I meant is why did you do it? I thought you didn’t like it and it just… You just don’t seem like yourself tonight, you seem like-”

“Like you?” You cut him off agressively. At the beginning of the night you promised yourself not to fight, you promised not to hurt him, but right now all you felt was a burning pit of rage in your stomach, and you weren’t even mad at him, but you had to express yourself somehow, you had to show him how much you hated the old bastard that had done this to him.

“Yes, like me, and you know it’s not a good thing.”

“I know, I can almost feel Ben frowning at me and my head hurts.” You threw yourself in the couch and laughed at the tickling feeling in your back. You opened your eyes to see your boyfriend’s face much closer than before, or at least it seemed like it. “You’re so gorgeous. How are you so gorgeous?” You quickly stood up and cupped his cheeks in your hands, smiling wide. He smiled with you and gave you a tiny peck on the lips.

“I think we should go lay down for a bit, don’t you agree my love?” You pouted and crossed your arms like a child. “I’m just really tired but I don’t want to go by myself.” He pouted right back, knowing that he had to pretend it was for him and not for you, knowing just how you felt all too well.

You sighed but stretched your arms, silently asking him to give you a piggyback ride. He happily complied and strutted like a horse, making you laugh and forget about the shadows in your reflection on the mirror at the end of the hallway.

He dropped you softly on the bed and you instantly looked for the bottle that you left on the living room, and Klaus just knew exactly what you were doing, and he didn’t like it. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

You were right about to tell him that he should ask himself that very same question, but when you looked up into his eyes all you could think about was the gleam of sadness and concern on his pupils, and you understood he had seen himself through your eyes, you understood him and he understood you through his loving gaze, so you just nodded because he was right, you had done enough.

You let him change your clothes and place you under the covers. He laid down, giving you some space, but you got closer and placed your head over his heart. “I don’t like this feeling baby, do you? How do you do it.”

“The truth is, Y/N, that I don’t like it either, but I like it even less when it’s you going through it, and I promise you that I’ll let you help me from now on, we’ll help each other and we’ll beat this, together.”

“Yes Klaus, together.”

[j-elaine-hyde]

The Bean Chronicles - Before Bean Part 4

Chris Evans / Reader / Henry Cavill

**Trigger Warning - DRAMA / Emotional **

You had asked for a moment alone and everyone filed out of the room. You stared at yourself in the full length mirror, your gown was incredible. Despite being excited and happy, for some reason you felt anxious. Your chest felt tight. You were breathing deeply trying not to have a panic attack.

“Don’t marry him.” Henry walked in from the patio surprising you. “Marry me.”

His words sent your panic attack into overdrive. You were starting to hyperventilate. Henry rushed to you with a glass of scotch in his hand. “Here. Drink this. It’ll calm you down.”

“I....... can’t......” you gasped.

“Sure you can, just slam it. You don’t need a chaser. It’ll only hurt for a moment.”

“No....... I’m........ pregnant......”

“Is that why you’re marrying him?! Don’t marry him. Please!”

“God damnit I knew it. What are you doing in here?! I told you not to fuck with her.” Ashley charged in and helped you to the bed to sit down.

Henry finished his glass of scotch in one quick drink. “Ashley. No. I have to talk to her. This doesn’t concern you.”

“My pregnant best friend is having a panic attack before her wedding and some jackass is in here telling her not to marry the love of her life?! Whom she’s having a baby with?! Get bent Cavill.”

“Y/n.... talk to me.” He lunged down to the ground in front of you, holding your face in his hands, forcing you to lock eyes with him. “You’re ok. I’m here.” In one swift movement he had you craddled in his lap as he was kissing your forehead and hugging you tightly.

“What the fuck?!” Chris walked into the bedroom from the patio.

Ashley jumped up, placing her hands on his arms. “She had a panic attack. Thankfully Henry stopped by and helped me out.”

He glared at Henry holding you. “Is she ok?”

Chris pushed passed Ashley, “Babe? Are you ok? I’ll take her. You can go.”

“She’s out mate. She’s ok. She’s breathing normally. It’s ok. I’ve got her.”

Ashley chimed in, “Chris, it’s bad luck to see your bride before the wedding. I’m here, we’ve got her, she’s ok.”

Chris pulled Ashley out into the hallway, “Did you know they hooked up before she and I got together?”

“I didn’t know... you knew....”

“Malcom just told me by accident. Then I come in here to talk to her about it and who’s in here but him, holding her.... what the fuck is happening?”

“We all stepped out to give her a minute. And before I knew it she was hyperventilating and having a panic attack. Then Henry came in from the patio and helped me calm her down.”

“Is she having second thoughts? Does she not want to marry me? What’s going on Ash?!”

“She loves you. She’s having your baby! But to be fair, we did kind of spring this wedding on her. It was just a lot. Granted it was a happy a lot. But still a lot. That’s all. Go back out there and greet your guests.... let me take care of her....”

“Get him out of there Ash. Now.” With that Chris stormed off down the hall.

Ash watched him storm off before ducking back into the bedroom. “Damnit y/n” she muttered under her breath.

“She can’t marry him Ash...” Henry pleaded with her, still holding onto you. Ashley shook her head and walked out to the patio doors looking for backup.

Your eyes fluttered open, focusing on Henry’s face. You smiled, “Hi.”

“Hello darling...” he smiled that smoldering smile at you.

You smiled and closed your eyes, looking completely peaceful. “Mmm take me home.”

Henry stood up holding you in his arms, “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go Darling...”

“Ok” still dazed and delirious you clung to Henry.

He quickly carried you down the hall, making a beeline for the front door. Chris saw Henry rush passed the door to his office carrying you and bolted after him.

“What the fuck are you doing Cavill?!” Chris lunged after him halfway down the staircase, tripping Henry, who in turn stumbled on the step sending you tumbling down the grand staircase, landing at the bottom with a gut wrenching thud.

“No!” They shouted in unison, scrambling to get to you at the bottom of the stairs.

They stood over you, collapsing to their knees shoving each other like children.

You were unconscious surrounded in the ripped and tattered white fabric of your dress.

“I’ll never forgive you for this. Help me get her in the car.” Chris scooped you up and walked out into the driveway. “Give me your keys.”

“I’ll drive. You hold onto her in the back.”

Once in the car Chris laid into Henry.

“What the fuck were you doing?! Were you kidnapping my fiancée?! Where were going with her? On our wedding day! What the fuck?!”

“She told me to take her home.” Henry spoke softly.

“This is her home.” Chris replied through gritted teeth. “When were you going to tell me you hooked up with her before I met her?”

“I didn’t just hook up with her. I fell in love with her. Then I had to leave for that Discovery project and then my cursed luck, you had to fucking meet her.”

“She’s the one you told me about... I had no idea...” Chris hung his head. Henry had called him the day he left raving about this incredible woman he had met. He knew how intensely Henry felt about her long before Chris had met her. He felt a pang of guilt course through him.

“My phone fell off a damn waterfall and I lost her contact info, I didn’t know how to get ahold of her. I sent her a letter, but I never heard back. You wouldn’t believe the trouble I had to go to, to even get that. And by the time I got back to LA, she had already met you and you were buying a ring. Do you know devastated I was the day you introduced me to her?! I tried to sit by and let you live happily ever after with the woman I loved. I tried.”

Chris sat silent in the backseat the entire way to the hospital.

Henry watched as Chris carried you inside before driving off to find a parking spot. By the time he got back inside he found Chris hunched over sitting in a waiting room on the fourth floor. He was clutching your wedding dress in his hands. The red stain a stark contrast to the white lace. Henry stopped in his tracks. Chris’s shoulders rocked as he cried.

Henry shuffled over to sit next to Chris. “I’m sorry mate. Do they know anything yet?”

Without moving Chris clenched his jaw. “She’s still unconscious. They’re worried she lost the baby. There was a lot of blood. They haven’t told me anything. They won’t let me in there yet.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Henry’s whisper could barely be heard.

“I think you’ve done enough. Don’t you?” Chris stood up, still clutching the wedding gown, and shuffled away. He began pacing back and forth in front of the nurses station.

“Mr. Evans... you can come back now.”

He bolted across the room shoving the dress hard against Henry’s chest as he raced through the doors before they were even completely open.

“I’m sorry sir... are you with him?” Asked a nurse from behind the desk.

“Yes. I don’t need to go back. But can you tell me what’s happening? Is she ok? What about the baby?”

“Oh my god... you’re Superman.... I mean I’m sorry. I can’t really tell you that. I’m not allowed. Are you family?”

“Yes. Kind of. This was my fault. So he’s rightfully pissed. I-“

-

Chris followed the nurse to your room at the end of the hallway. Your lace gown had been replaced by a pink smock. He collapsed against you holding your hand.

“Please Mr. Evans, take a seat.” The nurse was typing on her computer, “The doctor will be in shortly.”

Chris moves around to the other side of the bed, still clutching your hand. He watched the machines they had going trying to make sense of any of it.

A woman in a white coat walked in pushing a machine with a monitor. “Hello Mr. Evans. I’m Dr. Fay. This is a sonogram machine. We’re gonna check again and see if we can’t find a heartbeat. Ok?”

Chris was holding his breath the entire time. He watched the monitor, which looked like a jumbled black and white mess. He couldn’t tell anything. He got lightheaded and had to look away. He stared at your sleeping face.

“Mr. Evans, I’m so sorry. I’m not able to find a heartbeat. Honestly we’re extremely lucky that your wife didn’t break her neck. Her injuries are minimal considering the fall she took. It’s a miracle that she’ll be able to walk out of here. Once she’s awake I’ll do a more thorough exam to get a better idea of where we’re at. But as of right now I’m not seeing any permenent damage that would keep you guys from getting pregnant again.”

All the color left his face. His eyes welled up with tears before he shut them tight and collapsed against the bed.

You started waking up to see Chris’s head on the bed, one hand holding yours, the other resting on your stomach.

“Chris?”

“Oh my god...babe? Hey...” he wiped off his face and tried smiling.

“Where’s Henry?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?! He’s out in the waiting room.”

“Is he okay?”

“What?! We fucking lost our baby and you’re worried about him?!”

“What?”

“Oh my god... Y/n.... I’m so sorry. Oh god... Babe I’m sorry. I didn’t... I just...” he laid his head down and started crying again. You couldn’t bear to look at him.

“Get out. Now. Get out!”

[alys-careen]

Tim Bradford x reader

Today was a random day. Well, as much « random » meant when you're a cop...

A few weeks ago, you, (y/f/n) (y/l/n), were assigned to the Mid-Wilshire station, LAPD, and your Training officer happened to be Tim Bradford. In other terms, your life had been hell since. Between your constant stress of wondering if everything you were doing was according to the laws and the constant stress of being as flawless as possible to be sure you wouldn't have to listen to any spiky remark coming from your TO, you didn't have much peace.

Thankfully, you weren't late, so Bradford couldn't say anything about it. Actually, you arrived even before the end of the night team's shift, so... When you saw him, he looked great: not grumpy. So when he started scolding you for you better being at your best today, you didn't really understand why, and why this sudden change of mood.

You looked at your fellow rookie, Steven Collins, who was already heading to his car with his instructor, both trying to keep it straight but you could clearly see that they were amused by the situation, though they pity you. For a matter of fact, it was Game Day: each arrest meant a certain amount of points, the winner being the team with the most points.

"I have been winning for two years, I don't plan on losing today, have I been clear (y/l/n) ?"

"Yes, Sir."

You didn't even think about arguing: he was driving.

As you were getting in the car, you heard Bradford telling his colleague about how he was going to win again this year. You, on the other side, weren't that excited about that game. I mean, yeah cool but it felt...odd. Plus, it meant (at least to you) that you would try to go as fast as possible, therefore you might do something wrong.

The beginning of the drive was rather calm, but it sped up just before lunch and didn't stop until the end of the shift. From simple breaches to car chases, you had everything in one day.

But your last one was special.

"7-Adam-10, we have a current burglary in Santa Monica, on the junction between Arizona Avenue and 9th Street.  According to the caller, they are 2 and are heavily armed."

You looked up at Tim, saw his smile and a strange feeling started growing in you.

"7-Adam-10 to centrale, we take to call" he responded.

He turned towards you, smiling.

"We're definitely going to win."

~~~

You arrived in front of a small house, its door has been forced.

"We need backup, we won't be able to handle this, I can feel it" you whispered

"What, afraid? We don't need backup," he growled.

He's been like this since the beginning of the day. Until now, you always found a way to do things without them, true but it was a different case.

"They are heavily armed !"

"Yeah but to anyone who never saw guns in their life, everything is a synonym of heavily armed. Now get ready."

He walked before you, his gun in his hands. You sighed and followed him, gun out too. You really had a bad feeling about it.

You entered the house as silently as possible, but one of the burglars saw you and started shooting, so you hid. As Tim was shooting at him, he waved you to go upstairs, where footsteps could be heard.

But the situation was way different than it looked like.

When you arrived upstairs, after a few seconds, you found the other one, but like before: he shoots, you hide. You hide behind a wall, and finally, you hurt him. But, as you disarm him and hear Tim telling you he got rid of the other one, you feel pain in your right leg and hear a shot at the same time. You hid away in the closest room, and take a look at your leg. You've been shot, indeed.

You take a small glimpse: there were two other burglars. You took your talkie and started calling for backup.

But as you did so, you heard Tim calling you: he also realized that the situation was out of control. He started shooting at them and so did you, but as you got focused on only one of them, the other successfully shot you in the left shoulder. You screamed.

And then, everything began to spin around you: you could hear other police cars coming, and Tim shouting at you, clearly concerned and...Was it panic? But you couldn't respond, you were losing to much blood from your two injuries, and struggling to stay conscious. But you ended up giving up, too tired and in bad shape.

~~~~

You woke up in a very bright room. So much bright that it hurt your eyes, and you had to take more time than the usual to wake up.

"Where the hell am I ?" you thought

You felt something moving next to you, but you were having a hard time moving your eyes so you couldn't tell.

You tried to straight-up, but you winced in pain.

"Ah, yeah. My shoulder. AAAAaaand my leg.ouch."

"Don't move, you still aren't healed." someone said, helping you get back in your original position.

You knew this voice. You turned your face towards the stranger. Yup, you knew him.

"Hey Tim" you croaked, craking a little smile.

His face was paler than usual and looked tired. Exhausted. He was in a casual outfit: jeans, Tshirt, jacket.

"So I guess I'm at the hospital. Did you get them?"

He looked away and paused for a moment.

"I didn't. If it wasn't for Bishop and Lopez, we would both be dead" he answered.

"(y/n), I'm sorry. I should have trusted your instinct but I got overwhelmed by this...game. I regret. I nearly got us killed."

He looked at you hesitantly. You took his hand and smiled.

"Well, try not to forget this one time. And everything will be almost forgiven if you buy me a burger steakhouse from burger king as soon as I get out of here."

"Ok. Copy that" He laughed.

~~~~

You spent 4 days more in the hospital before you could get out.

As everyone was on duty today, and you had no one to call, you just thought about taking the bus and heading home.

When you stepped outside, it was noon, you immediately headed for the bus, but as you did, you felt a hand on your shoulder.

You turned around, only to see Tim Bradford in his uniform.

"Where the hell do you think you're going to ?"

"Home ?" you said, laughing.

"Na-a, you're coming with me" he answered while guiding you to patrol car.

You looked at him, wondering why but with a little smile.

He opened the door for you, but you stopped, intrigued by his new behaviour.

"Why ?" you teased

"Burger King. I'm true to my words."

.

.

.

Well, he might make your life hell will on shift, but outside work, he definitely had the best jokes and funny stories to tell!

[builder051]

Merrily we roll along

For @mohini-musing.  Happy belated birthday, my dear, and I’m very sorry I put you through this terror on a regular basis.

Whoa Bessie, the AU in which Steve is trans and Bucky is a veteran, not that either of those particularly figure into the story. __________

They’re driving.  Again.  James’s slew of twice-a-year check ins with various specialists have rolled around, and more than one has referred them on to yet another more capable doctor friend.  There’s new technology out now, too.  First James let them outfit his ears, and now, finally, he’s thinking about letting them outfit his arm.  

The new prosthetics specialist is Swedish, at least Steve thinks he is.  Somebody Odinson.  Between James’s hearing and the doctor’s accent, their teleconference went less than well.  So now they’re driving.  Not to Sweden, but it may as well be, with all the twists and turns and side streets.  Steve silently tells the GPS to go fuck itself, then mutters to James, “We’re so taking the highway the rest of the way.  Just let me find an on ramp.”

“Ok.”  James doesn’t seem to care.  Why would he?  He doesn’t drive, doesn’t particularly mind if they’re on time for his appointments.  He looks especially blank, though.  Maybe a little grey in the dim afternoon light filtering through the heavy clouds.  

“You doing ok?” Steve hopes James isn’t carsick, though it would make sense if he was.  The path they’ve been following is more akin to Thunder Mountain than an actual street map.  But there’s no self-conscious gulping, no green tinge across his cheeks.

“Yeah.”  James blinks, but doesn’t look at Steve.

“Tired?” Steve guesses.  They were up once overnight, briefly, at one in the morning, but a cuddle and a glass of water put James down again without much trouble, so Steve counted it for a win.  Compared to the sleepless nights they’d endured before the insurance approved the Prazosin, it was practically pleasant.

“Hm.”

“Alright.”  Steve doesn’t push him.  He’s probably nervous about the consultation, and talking about it will just make it worse.  “Here’s the highway.”  Steve twiddles the steering wheel and merges onto the interstate.  “I bet we’ll be there in ten minutes.”

This time, James doesn’t respond.

Steve mentally shuffles his deck of therapist cards.  He’s not technically supposed to treat James, but the techniques have done a lot to calm him through stressful situations.  “You feel like talking it through?” he asks, always wary of chattering too much and getting on James’s nerves.

“Eh.”  James shrugs and looks out the window.

“Ok.”  Steve settles on a CBT protocol.  What’s the positive?  What’s the negative?  What’s the realistic?  “What’s a good thing that could happen at the appointment?”  He looks at James, then quickly returns his eyes to the windshield when a fat drop of rain splatters across the glass.

“Um,” James starts.  He takes a shuddering breath.  “I…  I could…”

“Uh-huh,” Steve encourages him, turning on the windshield wipers.  

“I could… um.”

The traffic slows in front of Steve.  He presses down on the brake, wondering what’s causing the backup.  He shifts in his seat, trying to see around a monsterous jeep.  At first he doesn’t notice anything unusual, then he sees a line of orange barrels edging him steadily out of his lane.  “Shit,” Steve whispers at the same moment that James gives up on his stuttering and murmurs, “Fuck.”

Steve laughs quietly.  “Aren’t we a pair?”  He throws another glance in James’s direction and turns on his blinker.  “Come on, give me a good possibility.”

“I… ok…”  James heaves a sigh.  “Um…”

“Buck?”  Steve squeezes in between the jeep and a pickup truck that seems set on bottoming out the speed limit.  Steve could probably roll faster if he put the car in neutral.  The one benefit of the slow tempo is that he doesn’t need to steer, though, so he reaches over to gently pat James’s shoulder.  It’s the stump arm, so he’s careful not to exert too much pressure or move too quickly, but James seems to need the grounding touch.

“I…”

“Ok,” Steve assures him.  “It’s ok if you can’t think of one.  You wanna tell me… what we should pick up for dinner later?”

He hears James drag in another breath, then let it out with what sounds like a mighty tremor.  Steve breathes slowly himself and keeps his ears peeled.  

“I...can’t.”

“Huh?”  It’s not want Steve expects to hear, though he can’t think of a good reason why not.  “You don’t have to, Buck.  You never have to.”

“I… Just… I…”

“Take your time.”  Steve’s beginning to worry now, his heart hammering just a bit more quickly than usual.  He turns his head and takes a good long look, his eyes bouncing from James’s pale cheeks to his cockeyed sunglasses to his slack, white lips.  “Buck?  You feeling alright?”

“I…”  The answer is plainly no, but James still seems unable to pronounce the short word.

“Ok, let me figure this out…”  Now that he’s well and truly merged, there’s nothing to do but inch the car along until they get to the next exit.  Steve ponders pulling over and calling someone, maybe 911, but that’s probably overreacting.  James won’t take well to paramedics poking and prodding at him.  He’s still too coherent for this to be a real emergency.  “Here,” Steve finally says, reaching across James’s chest for his right hand.  “Hold on to me, ok?”

James obliges, though slowly.  His grip starts out strong, then begins to slacken the longer he holds it.  The rain that had previously been sending down drops every thirty seconds or so breaks into a steady downpour.  James practically hisses in distaste.

“I know, just hold on, ok?  I’m going to exit as soon as I can.”

James makes a breathy noise, then swallows wetly.  “I… ok.”

“Ok,” Steve echoes, glad James is at least minimally coherent.  “Ok.  Let’s play a game,” he says with an air of confident cheeriness he doesn’t feel.  “What do you see?”

“Um…”  James pauses for a long moment.  Trees, Steve expects to hear him say.  Or cars.  But instead, James slowly says, “Orange?”  The word trails up at the end, as if he’s not sure what he sees, or maybe how to put it into a verbal form with letters and syllables and sounds.

“Orange?” Steve repeats, his brown knitting in concern.  

“I…  I think?”  James gulps again.  “Um…”

“Alright.”  Steve squeezes his hand.  “You feel sick and you can’t see.  Am I right?”

James slowly nods.  

“Give me those.”  Steve points to James’s sunglasses, then winds up gently pulling them off the other man’s face when he’s too slow.  “Now look at me.”

It’s as Steve suspected.  His pupils are blown and not responsive to the change in light.  The rain makes the afternoon dark and dingy, but there should be enough contrast from the shade of the dark glasses to make at least a little difference.

“And you’re seizing.  Hold on just a little further, Buck,” Steve tells him.  He can see an exit ahead of them now, one thankfully devoid of traffic cones and flaggers.

“Hm.”  James blinks hard and tucks his chin as if suppressing a gag.

“Yeah, just a minute…”  Steve carefully extricates his hand from James’s clammy grip and turns the steering wheel.  There’s a McDonalds just off the road.  Steve barely pauses at a stop sign and pulls into the parking lot.  

“Alright.”  Steve flings open his door and dashes around the car just as James pitches forward against his seatbelt and begins to vomit into the footwell.  He swears under his breath, then yanks the passenger door open and helps James aim for the pavement.  “Ok,” he whispers, squatting in front of him.  “You’re ok.”

“I--” James sputters.

“It’s alright.  You don’t have to talk.”

“No, I--”  James retches again, then drops his forehead onto Steve’s shoulder.  “Ow.”

“Head hurts?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Ok.  Just breathe for me.”  Steve wraps him in a loose embrace and pats him on the back.

James inhales, then pushes the air back out.  He hiccups, then retracts his neck before he throws up again.

“Just breathe,” Steve encourages again.  He tucks a lock of hair behind James’s ear, careful not to jostle the aid perched there.  “Just get your breath back.”

“Ok…”  James spits and wipes his mouth on his stump shoulder.  “I’m… I…”

“Shh,” Steve says.  “We’re not done with our game.  I have a few more questions for you.”

“Hm.”

“Do you know where you are?”

“Uh…”  James clears his throat and his whole body shakes.  “Car?”

“Ok, good.”  Steve presses his cheek to James’s temple.  “Know what day it is?”

“I don’t…” James starts.  “Tues… I mean… Wednes… Wednesday?”

“Alright.  See, you’re with me.”  Steve grins and kisses him on the hairline.  

“Still… don’t feel good.”  James bites back a dry heave.

“Let it out.  It’s ok.”

He’s quietly sick again, though it’s just bile now.  Mucous hangs from James’s nose and lips.  Steve opens the glove box to find him a tissue.

“I…” James croaks.  “Home.  P-please?”

“Yeah, of course.”  Steve reaches in his pocket for his phone.  “Let me just cancel your appointment.  Then we’ll go so you can have your migraine in peace.”  It’s the sad truth to seizures like this.  First absence.  Then illness.  Then pain.

“Sorry.  R-really, I’m...”  The words may be in the wrong order, but the sentiment is sincere.  

“Don’t worry about it, Buck.”  Steve gives him another soft peck, then scrolls through the massive list of doctors in his contacts.  “Let me take care of this.  Then I’ll get you home.”

[cuckariki]

so, just wanted to keep you guys updated.

today my stand-in computer finally died. specifically, the hard drive with all of my art on it.

i lost everything. the bird print i've been working on for months, concept work for my personal projects, and a lot of commissions. the big project i'm on now thankfully has everything backed up with the coder, but all of my personal work is fried with the drive.

i've needed a new work rig pretty badly for over a year, but the help i've been offered by my family has never come through and i can't afford to replace it myself. however, a very close friend stepped in and replaced the drive for me almost immediately (god bless her,) so i'll be able to keep making a little bit of money with this piece of shit laptop, but i have to start from the ground up.

if you've ever ordered a commission from me, if it's not too much of a hassle, PLEASE dm me if you still have the original PNG file. i'm trying to find work and i need to piece together what's available to make a portfolio.

there's not much else than i can really do, but i've learned my lesson to keep another backup, i guess. learn from my mistake and do that for your work too.

on a lighter note. birds are all doing ok. without going into too much detail, the dog and cats are in a better situation and i'm seeing them almost weekly: they're healthy, but the dog's training isn't what it needs to be. then again, beggars can't be choosers, and i'm just happy she's getting walked more than once every two days.

i'm not holding my breath, but if things go well i got into a decent school and can get a couple certifications under my belt so i'm slightly less of a liability to hire. i haven't had luck finding a job, but freelance stuff and some family support are keeping me and the birds mostly afloat for now.

thanks for reading. i try to keep stuff about the birds as much as i can, but life's been throwing me some interesting curveballs and it's stopping me from posting as much as i'd like to.

anyways, more birds coming soon.

[monarch-boo]

talking for a really long time about how i ripped the model

could be used as a tutorial maybe, unless this is a mess to read, which it probably is

continued from this post

ok so why is it a pain in the ass you ask? well there might be a faster method to doing what i'm doing but i haven't found it, this is the fastest method i have figured out

starts out simple enough, extract the character's model as .odd with OpenIV, go into 3ds max and then on the openformats tab hit 'import single' under the .odd header and grab the .odd i exported, wait a bit for it to finish, then run the xnalara script by mario_kart64n (i partially use that because i'm intending to put these in xnalara in the first place but also because things like fbx or dae result in messy looking skeletons for some reason, while the .mesh.ascii exported with the script keeps it neat) and hit export and put a name and location, then wait a bit for that to run (i get some error messages but i disregard them because it seems to export fine regardless and i haven't had any problems)

but for characters with their cutscene models at least (i haven’t checked out their in-game ones and i don’t plan to) every. separate. piece. has it’s own skeleton (when i say "piece" i mean the things that are actually meant to be separated, the things that you see as separate parts in the model viewer of OpenIV or SparkIV. that distinction is important for a reason that i'll get into in a bit). well thankfully not actually separate armatures if that makes sense, it's still all part of one armature, it's just that every part has it's own entire body's worth of bones. it doesn’t automatically merge these upon importing or anything, it actually just tacks (###) onto the end, a unique 3, sometimes 4, digit number for each duplicate of the bone. so like let's give a random example in regards to like... tony in his suit or something. his hands are not parented to the same arm bones as his sleeves are weighted to. for example if i try to move the clavicle bones, which should, in a model with a clean skeleton, move the entire arm, the sleeve moves with "Char_L_Clavicle(404)" whereas the hand moves with "Char_L_Clavicle(494)". every piece of the model just has it's own entire skeleton's worth of duplicate bones.

my way to fix this (yes, it has to be this way, because none of the other model programs i have are able to just merge bones on a whim like this, xnalara kind of has a way but it's a bit tricky for me so this is actually the easier route) is to: 1. take that .mesh.ascii i exported 2. export THAT as a .pmx (i import the .mesh.ascii file into blender then immediately export it to pmx with pymeshio, without touching/deselecting/moving/resizing anything of the imported .mesh.ascii. for some reason if you alter the model in any way then exporting to pmx winds up moving every bone to where the mother bone would be in mmd? like in the center of the floor y'know. but if you just export the fresh unaltered .mesh.ascii import as pmx it keeps the bones intact) 3. put it into pmx editor and go through the easy yet long and boring process of renaming every. single. duplicate. bone. name. to match the first one, which is as simple as deleting the (###) off the end of all the names, however it takes an incredibly long time because, at least in regards to tony, there are well over 1000 bones, the vast VAST majority of which are those duplicates that need to be renamed. like when i say vast majority i mean that now that i've gotten through and merged all the bones there's literally only 108 bones in total now. even though it's just some quick clicking and backspacing it still took me like 20+ minutes to get through the whole list renaming them. 4. save a copy now just in case i need a backup, then hit edit>bone>merge bones with similar names (E>B>M) 5. now i can save THAT and put it back into blender. 6. it merged the model itself into one object so i go into edit mode, make sure everything is selected, then hit P and click separate by material. now it's back how it should be.

then comes the (minor) issue with the materials, this happened all the way back when i exported the .mesh.ascii from 3ds max with the xnalara script! the script, when it exports it will break up objects/materials into even more pieces, which if you're getting a model with all the alternate clothes like i am with tony then you have already have a ton of pieces in the same place as it is, well now they are broken up even more so if it wasn't kinda hard to grab one specific article of clothing or something off the character before, it is now. BUT thankfully it's actually a much easier fix than it looks like at first: each broken up chunk of each body part/article of clothing are actually relatively close to if not right by each other in the objects list.

so what i do, this is the stage i'm at right now with tony, is that after i merged the bones in pmx editor and put it back into blender and separated the materials into their own objects again, i go through the outliner in blender, using the little eyes next to them in the outliner, hide the armature just so that i can see the objects clearly, then i go and hide all the objects, and then starting from the bottom of the list (you could probably start from the top but i'm just already at the bottom so) i start to unhide objects one by one until i've revealed a whole body part or article of clothing or whatever, then i select all of those (shift+click their names in the outliner) and hit ctrl+j, then rename this merged object to clearly label what it is

then there's still multiple materials for one object, which i don't need, so i'm just going to go into edit mode again and in the material tab just hit "assign" on the first material there, and remove the others, also rename that first material into a clear label just like the objects

then after THAT i have to apply the textures to each material, then i just have to add the numbers on the start and end of each object according to this tutorial, then i should finally be ready to do the final export to xps and test it out in xnalara! i'd also like to rename the bones to whatever the common naming convention for xnalara models is so hopefully the models i rip can be used with pose data, but since the skeleton is nice and clean now that should be super easy.

also i am going to back this model up onto my external drive i m m e d i a t e l y because while i have the hang of the method now it's still too much time and pain in the ass if i have to remake the whole thing if something happens to it

[sky-writes-daydreams]

How They Met Part Three

A;N: Hey. I’m going ahead and posting this today. I’ve got things to do this weekend so I don’t really know when I’m going to post the next part. Hopefully this can keep you guys at bay till then lmao. Um I just want to say... All of the likes and reblogs and the oh so kind messages have been really helping. Work has been kicking my ass but when I go to break and see that you people have blown up my phone... It really makes me feel awesome So thank you all. :) As always, Feel free to send an ask or dm me if you want to talk. I don’t bite much.

@valkyrieofardyn @mooshinspace @shigekihizashi (finally let me tag you lmao) 

As always.... Enjoy. 

Next Chapter     Masterpost

All I heard was knocking. I was slowly waking up but then I heard it. I sighed then and slowly got up. I had crashed hard last night after my date. I walked over in my pjs sliding on an overshirt over my tank just in case. I opened the door and stopped. It was one of the boys from the hotel.

“Hello miss, Sorry to wake you.”

“No it’s ok… What’s up?”

“I was told to give this to you by a mister Ardyn.” He held out a thick folded letter. I stopped then and he smiled.

“He said you might have need of them. I didn’t ask what that meant.”

“No it’s alright…” I took them carefully then and smiled.

“Thanks hon..”

“It’s nothing. Anything else?”

“Yeah… Does that store here sell ebony?”

“Yes miss.”

“Sweet. Thanks.” He nodded and headed back then. I closed the door and sat at the table unfolding them. The first page was a note.

Dear Skylar,

Last night was amazing. I didn’t say so but it had been a long time for myself as well. I couldn’t have found a better date though.

Now the important part. I don’t know when they will get these to you. The papers behind here are what you will need to get back into duscae. I have no use for them being who I am. That being said, Sometime in the upcoming week, I will be in lestallum for some time. If you make it that far and so wish, Please find me. I’d love to talk with you again.

From the espresso and the best cinnamon roll in lucis.

I quickly dropped the letter on the table and looked. These were papers needed to get through any imperial barricade! Papers like this weren’t easy to get ahold of right now.  So how…? I quickly put them down and ran to get dressed. I stayed in the tank top and over shirt and put on jeans with my boots before running out. I had to find him. Only I didn’t realize what time it was. I had slept past noon.

Stepping outside almost blinded me. I hissed at the light and quickly looked around. Only Then I saw some people I recognized walking away from the hotel. I gasped and ran over.

“Boys!” They looked up and I saw their shock. The blonde one came running though and hugged me. I jumped a bit but hugged him back.

“Prompto, hey.”

“Hey! We thought we missed you!”

“No. The ferry’s shut down…. I didn’t have a way of telling you all before now.”

“Quite alright.” Ignis said smiling.

“Looks like you slept well.”

“Huh? Oh yeah. Um… look I can chat in a second but I have to know. Have you seen a man in a long coat? He’s got red hair.”

“Yeah…. Why?”

“I need to kick his ass over something. Is he still here?”

“No. He left about an hour ago.” I growled a bit then.

“Damn it….” Gladio smiled then.

“Date and run?”

“Something like that…” They chuckled then and Noctis smiled.

“Come chill with us then. We’ve got someone who might be able to get us a ride.”

“Nice… Yeah. let me pack up and then I’ll join you for a bit. I’ve got to get home today though…. I’ve been gone too long.” They nodded and honestly helped me get my bags back into my jeep. I had my sword on again and while noct fished for a cat, we just talked about what all they had been up to. They were really good hunters now and had made some serious gil. They already had enough to afford a room at the hotel. I was seriously impressed honestly. Then they invited me to go hunting with them. I figured it couldn’t hurt. Some of the hunts around here had some higher level beasts on them. A little backup never hurt anything.

Only by the time we finished, It was too late for me to be trying to go home. I might have the new headlights but I didn’t want to risk it. Thankfully I had more than enough saved up, between selling a few things and the hunts to afford a room at the hotel. I easily paid and got one next to the boys. It had been a good day honestly.

That got ruined by sunrise. I had gotten up early, hoping to get a headstart on the road. I was packing up what I had gotten out last night when someone knocked. I finished before going to the door. It was Ignis. Only the look on his face instantly worried me.

“Ignis…?”

“Come to our room. Quickly.” I nodded and followed him. He had a paper in his hand. We went in and Noct stood up.

“What’s with the look…?” He handed it to gladio and I saw it on his face as well. Prompto read it outloud though.

“Insomnia…. Falls.” I froze then. There was no way. There was supposed to be peace.

“This your idea of a joke?” Noct was pissed.

“Noct. I need you to calm down so I can explain.”

“I’m as calm as I’m gonna get!” He came close and I went closer to prompto. Noctis was kind of scary right now. I started reading the paper while gladio held it.

“There was an attack. The imperial army has taken the crown city.”

“As treaty room tempers flared, Blasts lit the night sky. When the smoke cleared from the Citadel, The king was found… Dead.” Gladio read aloud. You could hear it. They were crushed. This was insane.

“No…”

“We had no way of knowing….”

“Knowing what!?”

“That the signing was last night. That insomnia…”

“But the wedding! Altissia!”

“That was the plan. Yet Every headline says the same thing. How could they all be wrong?” I couldn’t even believe it. This was….

“We can’t believe this without seeing it for ourselves.”

“It might not be safe for us there!”

“It might not be safe for us here.” I nodded then.

“I’m going to ask Cid…. If anyone knows the truth, it’s that old man.” Noct nodded then.

“Go and ask him… Gladio, Give her our numbers. Call us when you find out.” I nodded then and we quickly exchanged numbers while ignis and prompto packed. I put my phone up then and looked to noct.

“Look…. If you guys make it to duscae for any reason… Call me. I’ve got a place there. You can hide with me ok?” He nodded then.

“Thanks… Be careful yourself ok?” I nodded then.

“I’m sorry…” He just nodded and I had to go. This had to be a lie. There was no way the peace would have failed so quickly.

There were imperial Dreadnoughts flying all over the area. I had put my top on before the rain hit this morning and now, I was driving as carefully as I could. I was still gunning it. I had to find out the truth. Only I knew the car parked outside the garage. I quickly drifted over by takkas and parked it before running. Cid was inside with the marshall. I ran in and the look on Cid’s face told me everything.

“No….” He looked up then.

“Hey kid… Thought you were hitting the city on the water.”

“They shut down the ferry… No ships in or out….”

“Did you see the prince?”

“He got there yesterday…. We…. It’s true!?” Cid nodded then.

“Afraid so….” I looked to the Marshall then and he nodded.

“Have you seen Noctis?”

“They’re heading back to insomnia… He’s pissed… Lunafreya…”

“We don’t honestly know. We think some of the glavie members who didn’t turn got her out.” I nodded then.

“The boys… They won’t be able to get back in, will they?”

“No. There’s an imperial checkpoint right outside the city. Liede is locked off.” I nodded then.

“I’ve got to call them…”

“Let me.” The marshall was serious.

“They all have my number. They’ll call me soon.”

“Ok….” I had to process this. It was insane honestly.

“What do I need to do?” He stopped then.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m not from the city…. I’m not even part of the guard. Just a hunter…. But I can still fight.” Cid nodded then. The marshall sighed then.

“Call me Leonis then. Get to lestallum. If you’ve got room in your jeep, offer refugees rides if you can. Get them to the city. It’s the safest spot. I’ve got to stay around here to help the prince out with something.” I nodded then.

“Alright. Cid… You gonna be ok old man?”

“I can hope.” I nodded then.

“Call me if you need me.”

“Will do hon.” I gave his shoulder a tight squeeze then before taking off. There was no time to lose.

It was about an hour from sunset when fate had some fun with me. I got to the barricade quickly after leaving cid’s and let a few different people hop in the jeep with me. A lot of others were doing the same thing. I had the papers ardyn left me on the dash and I was glad of it. They took one look and I was let through. The people riding with me were so relieved. I was in total shock but still got them to the city safely. A lot of people were coming in right now. I was heading back to see if anyone else needed a ride through when I saw it. The maroon car Ardyn drove off in. I quickly pulled over in front of him and jumped out running over.

“Ardyn!” He peeked around the trunk and smiled.

“Skylar. Fancy seeing you like this. Glad to see the papers worked.”

“Yeah… What happened?”

“Oh… I hit something. Gave me a flat tire… Which I apparently have no way of changing.” I laughed then and looked in the trunk. There was an umbrella and a spare tire but that was it.

“Wow….” He nodded then and I smiled.

“Then be glad I found you. I’ve got what you need.” He looked over but I was already headed back to the jeep. I opened the back hatch and got the jack and my lug wrench and a big rock I kept in case.

“A tip if you’re going to be in this country for long… get a jack and a lug wrench… and a first aid kit.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Pretty much.” I went over by the flat front tire and had the rock secure it before I started loosening the lug nuts. It was hard though. They had been put on with a drill.

“You know how to do this?”

“Used to help at a friend’s shop. I know how to change a tire, Change the oil in most cars, and check fluids… oh and replace headlights to a point.”

“Wow… So you can do basic car care, You hunt, You can be a cute waitress…. What can’t you do?”

“Um… Dance.” He laughed then as he came close. I got up then and stomped on the wrench. I felt it pop then and I smiled.

“There we go.”

“Did you just…?”

“You gotta break the resistance!” He sighed then but I got it to work every time. I was making quick work of it.

“So…. Did you hear?”

“About what?” I looked up as I got the last one loose enough.

“Insomnia.” I stopped then. I had been ignoring it.

“Yeah… I heard.” I got the jack under the frame then and started raising the car up quickly.

“Skylar…” I shook my head then and focused. I got it up high enough and quickly got the nuts off then.

“Talk to me.”

“Why? You already know what happened….” I put the nuts down then and looked down at the ground.

“I haven’t heard from any of my friends inside… I know of two kids who have lost parents… No three cus he has a sister…. The oracle could be dead for all any of us know…. Or captured…. Your country just destroyed a nation from the inside…. And I bet that damn chancellor doesn’t give a damn.”

“That’s a bit harsh.”

“Like killing our king wasn’t!? I’m friends now with his son! He’s crushed… His dad was all he had left…. He honestly believed in the peace and now…. Because of your damn bosses, no one is ever going to trust that word again.” I got the tire free then and dropped it by the car. I was honestly pissed. I wasn’t even part of the city but I had respect for the king. He had always done right by these areas.

“I’m not one of the spoiled city people… but he was a fair king. He offered chances to all of us.. Not just those in the city…. His son does the same the best he can but he’s got a long way to go… a way he’s now having to run down so he can hopefully keep himself alive.” I got up then and looked at him.

“I don’t hate you ardyn…. But I’ll be damned if I don’t hate nifelheim…” He nodded then.

“I understand hon…” I nodded back and soon got his spare tire out. It was a real tire so It would be fine to drive on for a while. I got it back on in silence then. I was still so ticked off and honestly… I was scared. What was going to happen now? I got the tire back on easily and soon lowered the car carefully.

“There… That should get you back on the road…”

“Thank you. I would have helped if you let me.”

“You can put the flat up.” He laughed then but did it. I put everything up then and just sat in the trunk. He put it up and closed his before coming over.

“Skylar…”

“What?”

“I’m sorry….” I looked up. His expression… He was sad as well.

“I wasn’t there when it started… I had to leave the quay to catch a ship to take me there. Only by then… it was in full swing. It was horrible to see honestly. I don’t understand why they wasted so many lives..” I nodded then looking down.

“They don’t care about us…. We’re just the enemy Ardyn… Lucis and niflheim… We weren’t ever going to get along.”

“Well some of us can try.” I laughed a bit then and he came closer.

“Come here.”

“Huh?”

“You look like you need a hug.” I laughed a bit then smiling and nodded. I jumped down and hugged him. At first it was light but slowly I tightened it up. Just something about him screamed safety and security. I didn’t want to let go.

“It’ll be ok. There is no thing I’ve learned about your people hon… You guys don’t ever quit. This is just a setback. I know it’ll work out in the end.” I nodded then taking a deep breathe.

“Thanks Ardyn…”

“Anytime.” I laughed then and relaxed. He smelled really good too. It wasn’t a scent I’d forget anytime soon. I let go first, very slowly and just smiled.

“You’re a Strange man Ardyn…”

“Oh like you’re totally normal.” He made me look up gently then.

“I like it though.” I felt myself blush then.

“Glad to know…. Um…”

“Yes?”

“It’s close to night…. I’m pretty sure you don’t have the repelling headlights so.. You need to go soon. It’ll be dangerous after dark.” He let me go then and I smiled.

“It’ll be the smartest move.”

“I know…” He sighed then. I remembered then.

“Oh yeah.”

“What?”

“How did you know I needed those papers?”

“You mentioned this region. I figured it meant you lived around here. Plus the bags in your jeep?” He motioned towards them and I smiled.

“Nice… Yeah. I’m like a few miles away right now….”

“Then you better get going too huh?” I nodded then and smiled.

“Well… If you hang around the city close by, I’ll probably see you. I help out around there a lot.”

“Good to know hon. See you next time?”

“Yeah. Maybe next time It’ll be where I can buy a drink or two.” He chuckled then as he got into his car.

“I doubt you could afford my tastes.”

“Try me next time then…. Just be careful.”

“You too.” I nodded and quickly got into my jeep and started her up. I waited for him to leave before I turned around and found my road. A few of us hunters lived out here in a community honestly. I pulled in and waved to the ones outside before heading in. We just had to have hope. We could make it through this. We’d make those nifs pay for taking down insomnia.

[fandomoniumflurry]

But You, Dean Winchester

Dean Winchester x Angel!Reader, Sam, Castiel

This is for my Secret Santa, @jesswaywardangel Hope you enjoy this!! this was a challenge from @xx-multi-fandom-imagines

Little longer than I planned on at 1.4k words but hey

Warnings; just some swearing

Sometimes the Winchesters traveled in the most unusual modes of transportation. Dean’s fear of flying kept them from going on planes. Sam’s seasickness kept them from using boats. And sometimes driving the Impala just takes too long. So it’s times like that when they use their trusted angel, Castiel. With just a touch of a finger and a quick zap, they could be anywhere they wanted to be. Once they got used to it, it wasn’t an unpleasant way to go. It was the quickest way to go, that’s for sure. Sam was always more than willing to travel by angel where Dean still preferred Baby.

Of course, Castiel was their one tried and true way to travel overseas. Not that they did it much but this holiday season had called for it. The cold air bit through their flannel and army jackets the moment they appeared on the Scottish coast. It was already dusk on this side of the world and the absence of the sun made the weather far more rigid than when they left Kansas. Dean hugged his coat around him after folding his collar up to protect his ears. Sam had shoved his hands in his pocket after ducking his head down into the green colored fabric.

“You couldn’t have appeared in, I don’t know, say somewhere warm?” Dean grumbled, a brow raising as he turned his head toward the angel. Cas simply wrinkled his forehead at the eldest Winchester and strode forward. The brothers exchanged a look before Dean’s shoulders shrugged and he followed after the angel. “At least it’s not snowing or raining or anything.” Sam’s eyes grew wide and looked down at his older brother, panic flashing in his eyes as if Dean had just jinxed them. With a scoff, Dean waved him off. “It will be fine. Look, not a cloud in the sky. We’d more likely run into a herd of sheep.” Sam’s eyes rolled with a shake of his head but they carried on behind the angel.

“What are we doing here, Cas?” Sam questioned after a few minutes of trudging miserably through the countryside.

“Following the call.” The angel answered stoically.

The brothers looked at each other quizzically and paused for a moment. Dean’s head tilted as his brow wrinkled. “What call?”

Castiel stopped then and turned himself to face the brothers. By the look on his face, he seemed aggravated by their questioning. He looked between the two of them as if they were the most ignorant of all humans. The boys faces fell and eyes widened slightly at the look he gave them. “An angel has called me here and she begs for help.”

“Another angel? Cas, why bring us?” Sam questioned, taking a step forward his hand raising to gesture between he and his brother.

“There is no one else that I would rather have as backup should things go wrong.” His face seemed soften, his blue eyes looking between the brothers almost pleadingly.

Dean stepped forward to clap a hand on his friend’s shoulder with a nod. “We got your back then. Don’t mean I ain’t gonna complain about the damn cold, though! And if I see anyone fucking a sheep, I’m out!” His hands shot out as he donned a look of disgust before pushing past the other two to carry on their walk.

The distress signal wasn’t that strong and Cas had a hard time pinpointing it. The angel was also growing weaker making it even harder to get a lock on her. But Castiel still continued, Sam and Dean right behind him. Eventually though, the humans needed food and rest. So where the Winchesters stopped for the night, Cas carried on his search.

It was the middle of the night when the angel finally returned to the brothers. Appearing in their rented room at a local inn, they both startled away drawing their guns out of instinct. Once they saw the blue eyed man through sleep heavy eyes, they lowered their weapons and both grumbled tiredly. “I have found her.” Cas’s eyes were wide, mostly with concern but he was elated that he had even found this mysterious angel.

“Ok, well let’s go get her.” Dean’s voice was gruff with sleep as he tossed the blanket off and threw his legs over the edge of the much-too-short-for-him bed. Once the two brothers were up and dressed, they were spirited away by Castiel once again.

“The place is warded. I can not enter and she can not leave.” Castiel stated as he looked up at the tall brick building before them. His head turned to look at Dean, that serious look on his face that always seemed to intimidate the eldest Winchester. “I need you and Sam to destroy as many of the wards as you can.” They nodded in understanding and Dean took a step forward to move ahead. A hand shot out to grasp his shoulder halting his movements. “Her life is in your hands.”

“Don’t worry, Cas.” Dean assured him, placing a calloused palm over the hand on his shoulder. “How many times we done this kind of shit before?” He didn’t expect an answer but he could see the angel relax a little. “Exactly.” He brushed Cas’s hand away before slapping his own hand against the man’s shoulder. “Give us five minutes.” With a smile and a wink, Dean took the lead with Sammy right on his heels.

What they weren’t expecting was the gaggle of demons that guarded the place. It was no surprise that Hell was holding a fallen angel captive. They were like the Hatfields and the McCoys, one always trying to one up the other, a feud that went on since the beginning of time. Thankfully, the demon blade and an angel blade came in handy, helping the Winchesters to take their enemies out easily. They had clearly chosen the better side since Dean claimed the demons to be the stupidest of villains.

They each took turns scratching off the sigils while the other kept watch or fought off their foes. When they got to the cell in the middle of the building, they were shocked at what they found. The beautiful young woman, cold damp and bloody, chained to the concrete below. Her eyelids were heavy and her hair was matted yet she made no sound nor did she even try to escape. Her head slowly lifted and Dean’s emerald hues were the first thing she locked onto.

Dean stood immersed in her hypnotic gaze, her Y/E/C orbs completely engulfing him. Sam looked at his brother with knit brow, looking between the elder and the woman curiously. A hand slapped against Dean’s shoulder, jogging the older man from his trance. They quickly made work of the wardings around the cage before unlocking the bars. The moment they were in, Dean dropped on his knees at her side to hold her weak body.

“Alright, Cas! Get your feathery ass in here!” Dean called out looking toward the heavens. The woman smiled up at him, a sigh of relief passing her chapped lips. He returned her smile softly as Sam tried to release her of her bonds. “We got you, sweetheart.”

“Y/N.” She responded breathlessly. “My name is Y/N.”

“Y/N.” The name fell from Dean’s lips with a grin as he nodded. “We’re gonna get you out of here, Y/N.” Once her hands were free, Dean pulled her against him, her body falling limp. Castiel offered to take her but Dean clung to her tighter. “Just get us to the bunker.” Standing to his feet, he hoisted her up and she clung around his neck burying her face against him. Castiel and Sam exchanged a look and the younger Winchester found himself grinning after a moment but nodded in agreement.

In a flash, they were within familiar walls and Dean could finally let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. The angel refused to let go of him as he tried to lay her in a bed but after promising not to leave her side she finally relented. He sat on the side of the bed with her as Castiel helped her as best he could. She would be weak for a while but she was alive, her grace still in tact. She squeezed Dean’s hand and looked up at him with gentle eyes. “Thank you.”

“It wasn’t just me, Y/N/N. My brother and friend here helped.” Dean explained with a smile, his other hand combing through her Y/H/C locks.

She nodded in agreement but her features softened. “Physically you all saved my life. But you, Dean Winchester. Have saved my heart.”

[myneighborhood-thelake]

Mt. Whitney, May 2021

Sometimes a sufferfest is exactly what the doctor ordered, and, thankfully, permits to hike Mt. Whitney (14,508′) are online. It takes a little searching on recreation.gov for the permits to come available, but they can be booked immediately. On Monday, May 24th, a day hike permit for Wednesday, May 26th became available, so I grabbed it.

OK, I had scored a permit the week before, but I’d strained my right calf during a 3 mile run and wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to hike 21+ miles in the backcountry with a bad calf. In the meantime, I had strained my calf more on a 5 mile run, but I really wanted to get back onto Whitney.

I left town about 11:30am on Tuesday. Unlike previous trips to the Eastern Sierras, I was in no hurry. This time I decided to set cruise control at 70 MPH (the speed limit), and see what gas mileage I could get up to. It also took the edge completely off of driving. A few podcasts later and mileage was showing a solid 44 miles per gallon. Considering it’s an SUV (a compact SUV, but an SUV all the same), I was pretty happy to see 44 MPG.

Around Bakersfield, I cut east and crossed over the mountains to Tehachapi. Hitting the 14 North, I let the hypermileage goal go and bumped cruise up to 75. Fuel mileage dropped, but that was OK. Cruising along without much traffic I rolled into Lone Pine around 5:30 or 6:00pm.

Also unlike previous trips, I had no need to stop in Lone Pine, so I turned left on Whitney Portal Road and proceeded up the hill to the Portal.

It’s somewhat early in the season, so I wasn’t sure if the parking areas would be filled with hikers’ cars or if there would be spaces available. I had decided to literally car camp for the night and just needed a parking spot and not a campsite. Thankfully, hiker parking was only about 50% full, and I backed into a nice spot really close to the trailhead.

Camping - a Honda CR-V is the definition of “compact SUV” which may make a few folks wonder how my 6′1″ frame can fit to car camp. If you slide both front seats all the way forward and put down the back seats there’s enough room for a twin mattress in the back which is just long enough for me to sleep on.

I spent some time organizing my pack for the hike, laying out my sleeping bag, and boiling water for some freeze dried beef stew.

I was so close to the trailhead that I had to check pack weight and was OK with my pack coming in at 15 pounds.

(that’s 8.81# of water (4l), 1# first aid kit (I could reduce that), 0.83# H2O filter, and about 1 1/2#’s for my pack (1.62# to be precise). That means there was 2 3/4# of food, sunscreen, trail meds and such. I’m not in shape to hike 20+ miles at altitude, so cutting down on pack weight helps a LOT!

Freeze dried beef stew? 10/10, perfection. Maybe one of the best freeze dried meals I’ve ever had even though it had been in my camping box for probably 5 years (or more).

After cleaning up a bit and popping up the sunroof for ventilation it was time to crawl in and try to get some rest.

Suprise, surprise, it was super comfy. I read for a bit and finally got tired enough to try and sleep. I was planning on a 2:30am wakeup and 3:00am start on the trail. Usually sleep is elusive and sounds from other campers and cars inhibits good rest but not this time. I was quite comfy and drifted off easily.

At about 1:45am I woke up feeling quite rested. Sure, I tried to go back to sleep for my 2:30am alarm, but I felt perfectly rested and decided after a few minutes to get on with the day.

The previous night I had setup my morning caffeine (mandatory) in the form of a mountain mocha. 2 starbucks Via instant coffees and a packet of hot chocolate (that had probably been in the camping box for 5+ years). After drinking that and consuming a banana it was time to hit the trail. At about 2:15am or 2:20am, under the light of a full moon, I hit the trail.

Even with the full moon I still needed my headlamp due to treecover and cliffs blocking the moonlight. At this point I kicked on the high beam for my headlamp and realized I’d made a mistake... When the high beam starts flashing it means batteries are low. Ooops. Looks like this hike will be under the weak light of low beam. Oh well. I usually carry extra batteries and never use them, so this was OK in my book. I just needed to be sure to be off the mountain before darkness fell at the end of the day.

Passing a few folks with fuller packs and trekking poles I was glad of two things - low pack weight and being able to focus solely on my pace. I was just cruising along knowing that I wasn’t in shape or trained for distance. I’m just stoopid enough to know how to suffer well.

I totally missed when I passed Lone Pine lake, just focusing on the trail ahead and taking frequent small sips of water from my Camelbak. For water I had my 3 liter reservoir and an additional 1 liter water bottle for a little more than a gallon on board. I like the additional 1 liter because I can use it if my reservoir hits empty between water stops.

The trail started dropping down which was a bit disconcerting. I know that the trail drops a couple hundred feet right before Outpost Camp, but I couldn’t be there yet. Turns out I was there! 2 easy hours on trail and the sign “Outpost Camp” was right in front of me. 3 1/2 miles in 2 hours is pretty pedestrian, but for me, at altitude, it’s a good pace.

I had the option to refill my water at Outpost Camp but did not need to and cruised straight through. Note to anyone thinking of doing an overnight trip on Whitney - don’t stay at Outpost Camp. It’s too low down the mountain and leaves way too much for day 2. Shoot for Trail Camp instead which is at 12,000′ and 2 1/2 miles further up the trail meaning 2 1/2 miles less to cover on summit day.

Leaving Outpost Camp I did my usual and got lost trying to find the trail. The moon was well past the mountain, providing no light, and my headlamp was pretty pathetic by then. I inadvertently looped in a big circle before stopping and using available clues - water sounds. Being color blind does not help when the trail is just a different shade of grey than surrounding dirt. No worries, after homing in on the waterfall sounds I picked up the trail again and started my relentless progress toward Trail Camp.

A word about the trail - it is a trail, but it’s also pretty difficult. Lots of rocks to step up on or over, all of different sizes and at random distances, so you have to really pay attention to foot placement and balance. You can’t get into a rhythm and just cruise along. It also saps a lot of energy.

At this point I realized that my balance was really bad. Normally above 10,000′ the altitude really hits me hard. This trip I didn’t have any problems with altitude sickness, but my equilibrium was TOAST! It was not fun stumbling around at points, and my right shin took the hit on an unforgiving granite rock. My right calf was also aching pretty steadily.

Before Trail Camp I passed a party of 3 guys, one of whom asked “are these the 99 switchbacks?” No, man. We need to get to Trail Camp first and THEN we get to do the switchbacks.

I think it took about an hour to get from Outpost Camp to Trail Camp at 12,039′. My water reservoir felt good plus I still had the 1 liter backup bottle, so instead of stopping to refill I cruised through Trail Camp and on to the 99 switchbacks.

The switchbacks run up the face of a cliff and are pretty tough. Lots of granite steps requiring good foot placement and working the legs with their random sizes from only a few inches tall to big steps at 2+’ tall. Plus they are above 12,000′ and the air definitely feels much less dense. It was about 1/3 of the way up the switchbacks that I took my first break just to catch my breath. I think it may have been the first time I ate. Stroopwafels are amazing...

Oh yeah, I never count the switchbacks. You’re either done with them or have more to go, so just keep moving.

About 2/3 of the way up I had been trudging along, head down, eyes on my feet placement for each step, with my boony hat blocking any view of the trail ahead. I stopped to get a Gu Chew out of my left hip belt pocket, which is much less accessible than my right hip belt pocket. It took some contortion, but I finally got them out and popped one into my mouth.

Sure, there are better packs for endurance activities that make it easy to access pockets, but I’ve had my Salomon pack for 23 years now, and it still works.

After chewing for a bit I looked up and jumped back in surprise! About 2 feet in front of me, sitting on a boulder just off the trail was and extremely pretty, very blonde, woman in her early 20′s. Where the hell had she come from????

She apologized for scaring me.

I apologized for stopping in her personal space.

I’ll be honest, it took me a few moments to decide she was real. It was really weird.

Oh well, onward and upward.

The water in my reservoir ran out just before Trail Crest (13,777′, 8.5 miles), so I stopped to put the water from my 1l bottle into the reservoir. I also looked down the trail to see if the mountain sprite was real, and she seemed to be.

After downing another stroopwafel and some Gu Chews (expensive gummi bears), I shouldered my pack and headed towards the summit. Thankfully I was still not feeling any signs of altitude sickness. 

After Trail Crest there is some exposure to potentially long falls off of a cliff face, but the danger is pretty minimal. Well, except when a corner is exposed and still packed with snow. THAT got the pulse to spike a little, but soon the summit house was visible in the distance. Still a long way off but visible. Just keep moving.

At this point I was really feeling the effort and it’s about 14,000 feet in elevation making for slow hiking. I was able to catch a couple and then turn right up the summit dome. There’s not really much else to say other than - just keep walking, and then there’s the summit. 14,508′ (10.7 miles)

I think it took about 6 hours and 15 minutes to get to the summit which is a pretty good time for me, and maybe one of my fastest. Add in I’m doing no endurance training and feeling no altitude sickness and I was super stoked.

As usual. Take summit picture, eat, drink, relax, shoulder pack and start going back down. Yup, that’s about as exciting as it gets. I left the summit at 9:00am

The trip back down was uneventful. Saw a bunch of people heading up, so I stepped to the side and let them pass which gave me a few breaks. I do not appreciate the elevation lost just after Trail Crest on the way up because it’s elevation that needs to be gained on the way back and on a difficult section of trail, but it is what it is.

I cruised down the switchbacks and stopped in Trail Camp to filter water and refill my reservoir. It was nice to take a solid 15 minute break. Of course I ate another stroopwafel. Damn, those things are AMAZING!

My hands were so swollen with edema that it was a bit challening to pump the filter, but that’s why I don’t use trekking poles. My hands always puff up like cooked sausages and make it impossible to handle trekking polls. Plus, it’s one less thing to worry about. - the trekking poles, not my hands.

Back down the trail. Now I was tired, my legs were feeling the effort from the trail and constantly changing terrain. Just keep moving.

Down through Outpost Camp, by now it was 1pm, but it felt like it was 6 or 7pm due to my early start. Somehow, along the way, I got completely off trail and wound up on the shores of Lone Pine Lake which I had not even seen on my way up. I’m pretty sure this was another case of missing the trail due to blending colors and sunglasses, but I wasn’t worried. I could retrace steps or do a little bushwhacking which is what I did. After crossing a couple of creeks and doing some minimal bouldering I was back on trail and heading down.

After loosening up my watch a few times due to swelling, I saw that I had an outside chance of being done in 12 hours or so. Normally the trip down is a breeze compared to the trip up, but the trail conditions always limit my ability to make time on the descent.

About 1/2 mile from the end I saw a family, with young kids, having a picnic by the side of the trail. I took my eyes off the trail in order to say something nice to them about getting their kids out. Unfortunately, right then the trail dropped off by several feet which meant I landed solidly on my right foot and sent a serious jolt directly up my calf that hurt like HELL!

I limped the last 1/2 mile to the trailhead being very happy that it had occured so close to the end of the trail.

Something like 12 1/2 hours had elapsed, and a lot of those hours were exactly what I needed, time utterly devoid of anything other than focussing on the trail directly in front of me and where I needed to place my feet. Suffering has a way of distilling life down to its essence, and I’m very happy that I get to experience this when I choose to.

After that it was a 7 hour drive home. After a quick stop in Lone Pine for a full tank of gas, a coke, and a package of Oreo’s, I was on the road back to San Jose, arriving home at about 10:30pm.

[thewhiterabbit42]

Ground Rules

Part 4  of Home for the Holidays (Masterlist)

Summary:  You finally arrive at your destination where you find the accommodations aren’t quite what you expected.

Pairings: (eventual) Gabriel x Reader

Warnings/tags: Human Gabriel, slow burn, bed sharing, implied PTSD

Word Count: 2180

Author’s Note:  BRING ON THE TROPES.  Also, my muse is really digging the slow burn.  

Special thanks to my wonderful beta @sumara62 for all her help and support <3

***Please do not repost or copy my work to any other site without my written permission.  Giving credit does NOT count.  Reblogging is ok.***

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Gabriel had fallen asleep again, which was honestly for the best.  Your trip had taken longer than anticipated once you got into the heart of the country.  Winding, one-lane roads replaced interstates and highways, making it tough to make good time when you became stuck behind slower cars.  

The route itself became more scenic. The only things you passed anymore were lakes, rivers, trees, and the occasional small town that broke up the stretches of untouched countryside.  Maybe Gabriel would have enjoyed the landscapes, but you had a feeling the monotony would have only made him crawl out of his skin.

You had just passed through the last little pocket of humanity left on your drive when he began to stir.  He ran a hand over his face, his fingers continuing up through his hair. It took some time for gold to shake its glassy look as he scanned the surrounding area.  You wondered if he was going to be one of those slow to wake individuals who needed to ease into their day.

After a few minutes he cleared his throat, his voice a little scratchy.  “Anyone else, and I’d be worried about why we’re headed this far into the woods.”  

He didn’t quite sound like he was joking.  

“I have plenty of places to hide bodies that are much closer to Kansas,” you assured him, trying to keep things light.  He let out a soft snort but left things there, drawn in once more by his thoughts or the scenery. You weren’t sure which anymore.  

It took another fifteen minutes before your turn came into view, and you were glad to see the gates had been left open.  You had debated whether or not to come in through the back, but over the river and through the woods seemed the best way to arrive without drawing attention.  Your current plates were from Arkansas, an unusual state to be visiting up this far. You hoped your friends still kept an extra set of local plates stashed in their barn to help you blend in.

You eased your way onto the long, sloping driveway, taking your time to scout what you could see of the grounds on your way up.  When you crested the hill, the treeline broke and the inn came into view. It looked so different from the last time you were there.  You were used to thick woods, lush lawn, green as far as the eye could see.

Everything had become faded, muted now that autumn’s colorful song had passed, leaving only brittleness and bare branches behind.  A number of tall pines was the only spark of color along with the bright white siding of the structure itself, and you imagined it must be quite the sight to behold in the fall when the leaves turned.  

The snow would come, however, and change the barren view before you.  There was that dry, winter nip in the air that promised soon.  A series of aches flared throughout your body, and you weren’t certain if it was due to just the thought of a winter storm, the result of your long drive, or if it was another set of memories unlocking beneath your skin.  

Nothing good had ever brought you here, yet you felt a sense of calm as you neared the building.  You had spent more time in this place than any other over the last several years. It might have been as close to home as you came.  

“We’re staying here?”  Gabriel asked, wide eyes painting his words with disbelief as he stared up at the structure.

You could only imagine what he expected considering hunting didn’t really go hand in hand with having any tangible resources.  He’d probably envisioned some run down, oversized house that tried to pass as habitable.

Red and Roxy weren’t your average hunters, however, and, in Gabriel’s defense, this place was more impressive than your standard inn.  The architecture was a mixture of a few traditional New England styles with modern additions, and the building itself was a combination of a three-floored original structure and a two story addition that had been added along the side in a way that made the structure appear to wrap around itself.  

The guest rooms were located in the original half, with each room having its own window.  The newer wing was where your friends lived, having renovated it from storage into an apartment so they could live on site.  They also added a wraparound porch that ran along the front entrance facing the east, making it a prime spot to spend the morning.  You could see a few of the chairs still remained, though most had been removed in anticipation of the colder weather.

“Well, I’m staying here,” you teased, inclining your head up at the large, red building you began to pass.  “You’re welcome to sleep in the barn, if you’d like.”

He had no other comments after that.

You parked your car along along the back entryway, content that this side of the property kept your presence shielded from either entrance to the property.  The inside was far different than the exterior. Quiet, dark, and eerie, it looked more like a potential case. It didn’t help that your friends were in the midst of some construction.  

Clean, plastic sheeting hung down across walls and overlaid every doorway you passed.  Most of the furniture had been covered with sheets and the floors removed, leaving thick boards of plywood as the only thing that stood between you and the basement.  You noted that the kitchen, thankfully, appeared fully functional as you passed through the hallway that connected to the main entrance.

You didn’t bother switching on the lights until you reached the front foyer, dispelling the gloomy atmosphere.  The large open area was welcoming, adorned with bright colored wood that gave the room a cozy, rustic feel. The front desk sat off to the side, bare, save for a white envelope with your name across it.  The fact that the script was neat and legible suggested Roxy was the one who had left it.

You picked it up, noting the unusual heaviness to it before you opened the flap.  Inside was an antique key and a note written in the same handwriting.

Sorry about how the place looks - we finally got around to renovating, but needed to take care of a few things before we could finish.  We managed to get one of the rooms completed after you called. Here’s the key. We should be back within a week.

Your brows drew together.  Your friends had no family left (or at least in Red’s case, none that he’d consider family anymore), and since purchasing the inn they made it a point to stay local.  What kind of business could they have that would pull them away for that long?

Help yourself to whatever you need (if you can find it - and if you do, please put it back some place that makes sense since Red’s idea of organization translates to finding the first available place to stash something).  

Your lips pulled up, imagining your friend’s frustration at her other half’s less than stellar ability to keep track of anything that wasn’t anti-angel or barbecue sauce.

Oh and just one more thing - I haven’t gotten a chance to discuss that thing we talked about.  

You frowned.  You didn’t remember any thing, unless...

You know… the large, feathered elephant in the room.  

You knew it.  You knew the moment Red wasn’t there to greet you with a stern nod and Gabriel with a shotgun that she had lost nerve to tell him his mortal enemy would be living under his roof.

You sighed.  What the hell were you supposed to do now?

One cluster at a time.   

You were getting awfully tired of telling yourself that.

We’ll figure it out though, Roxy finished.  We always do.  

Sure you guys did.  Usually after certain words were exchanged, and sometimes certain bullets.  

“Something wrong?” Gabriel asked, his body moving closely behind yours as he peered over your shoulder.  Your instincts flailed as snippets of sensation exploded across your system and--

--white sterile tile, unforgiving fingers digging tight into your skin, your entire body burning, from the harsh antiseptic smell in your nose, to the tears in your eyes, to the heavy rage and betrayal searing through your veins--

--you let out a yelp, clutching the paper to your chest as you spun around.  Hearing his voice was the only thing that kept you from attacking. Mostly. You hit him soundly in the chest, your panic quickly morphing into anger.  

“Yeesh, someone’s jumpy these days.”  The look he gave you contradicted the flippant remark, helping to dampen some of your ire.  

“Of course I’m jumpy, I’m a hunter” you reminded him, hoping to ease some of the worry on his face.  “A very sleep deprived one.”

“Shall we fix that?” He asked.  “Because my next suggestion would be to disarm you if you have other plans.”

You couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.  He still looked more serious than anything, but his words began to shake off some of their stiffness.

“Rule number one: always stay armed,” you instructed.  The only reason you were still alive was because you made sure you had your main weapon, a backup, and a backup for your backup if possible.  

“Hate to break it to you, sweets, but that rule’s been broken from the start,” he replied.  

You blinked once.  Twice. Once more for good measure.  Because it was sure as hell better than unleashing the fury that flowed into your veins.  “They didn’t give you anything?”

“They didn’t even trust me with the toaster,” he said with a bitter smile.

Just when you thought your opinion of the Winchesters couldn’t get any worse.  

You clenched your jaw, hard, probably ensuring that some lucky dentist would be putting their kid through college in the near future.  You reached across your body, unclipping the gun from your side before offering it to him. “Every other bullet in this is a devil’s trap.  You can have it until we get you your own.”

He looked impressed for a moment as he took it from you, testing the weight in his hand before his eyes flicked back up to you.  “What about you?”

You lifted the other side of your shirt to reveal a second weapon.  

“Can’t be too careful these days,” you explained, shifting slightly as that intense look overtook his gaze again. You brushed past him, eager to escape his scrutiny.  “Come on. Let’s go find our room.”  

“Wait - room?” He echoed after a few moments.  You pulled the key out of the envelop and held it up over your head, his footsteps hastily shuffling in your direction.  You braced yourself, waiting for him to make some comment, but he didn’t say another word.

You would have preferred it if he did.  You knew how to handle his jokes; the silence, however, was harder to navigate, especially when there seemed to be so much of it.  

Thankfully your room was one of the first on the second floor, leaving only the short ascent up the main staircase before you found yourself at your door.  You slid the key into the lock, giving it a firm turn before pushing your way in. What you walked into had your eyes growing wide.

The design was a combination of intricate masonry and warm wooden tones.  Unlike the rest of the house, the hardwood flooring was intact, recently replaced but still retaining a rustic, worn look to it.  To the right lay a fireplace and mantel, built from stone and laid into the wall with a small outcropping in front of it, where the spare wood and tools for the fire were stored.  

Both remaining walls had windows, and you realized this was the room that sat in the front corner of the house, giving you the best view of the sunrise and surrounding area.  The incredible scene became lost on you, however, as your eyes remained riveted on the furniture… or lack thereof.

A solitary bed adorned the space, looking out of place with its antique headboard stained several shades darker than the floor and decadent throw pillows and comforter.  You would bet the sheets were just as lavish, and you almost dropped your face into your palm. What were you supposed to do now? There was no way you were going to make him sleep on the floor and your body was in no condition to try and brave it.  

“You know, if you wanted to snuggle, all you had to do was ask,” Gabriel teased, doing his best to give you space as he peered in around the opposite side of the doorframe.  This time there was something beneath his tone, breathing life back into his words and features as he gave you the tiniest smirk.   

“Rule number two:,” you announced, suddenly finding the need to re-prioritize your guidelines. “Keep your hands to yourself…”

Next Chapter>>

ALL the tags: 

@girl-next-door-writes @sumara62 @fand0maniac @feelmyroarrrr @omgreganlove @jannalionheart @baritonechick, @deaths-maiden @lucifer-in-leather @stone-met    @blondecoffeecake  @raspberrypuddle @ourloveisforthelovely @the-moose-of-baskerville @deanxfuckingadorablexwinchester @crowley-you-sinnamon-roll @tistai @christinalibertymikaelson @room-with-a-cat @authoressskr @revwinchester @flufy07 @greieba

Gabe Squad:

@theblackenedsky @bloodstained-porcelain-doll @pepperwoodatnight @lacqueluster @samikitten @a-vast-african-plain @onlyanothersocialcasualty @kazosa @carryon-wayward-winchester @nobodys-baby-now @dlb1999 @ludwigs-a-monster

Home for the Holidays: @unleashthemidnight @archangelgabriellives @4evergeek @schizonephilim @winchestergirl-13 @keepingcalmisoverratedgoddamnit

[charger-batteries]

How to Copy Your Windows Installation to an SSD

If you're still using a traditional, spinning hard disk on your PC, you're missing out. Swapping it out for a solid-state drive (SSD) is one of the best upgrades you can make in terms of speeding up your computer. It'll boot faster, programs will launch instantly, and games won't take so long to load anymore.

You could reinstall Windows from scratch, if you wanted to, and start new with a fresh, squeaky-clean system. While that might seem simpler, it's actually much more of a hassle. Copying your drive will get you up and running much quicker, as long as you follow these instructions.

What You'll Need: An SSD

Obviously, in order to upgrade to an SSD, you'll need to, well, buy an SSD. We have some recommendations here, though if you're on a pretty strict budget, we have a separate list of cheap SSDs as well. Make sure to buy the right form factor for your computer (some laptops will use 2.5-inch drives, while others might use M.2 or mSATA drives), and get one big enough to fit all your data. If you have a 500GB hard drive now, you should probably spring for a similarly sized SSD (or larger, to accommodate for future data).

The only exception is if you're on a desktop computer and have room for multiple hard drives. In that case, you could store Windows and your programs on the SSD while putting your music, movies, and other media on a second, larger hard disk.

What You'll Need: A USB-to-SATA Dock

During this process, you'll need both your SSD and your old hard drive connected to your computer at the same time. If you're using a laptop with only one hard drive slot, that means you'll need an external adapter, dock, or enclosure that can connect your bare SSD to your computer over USB. (Again, desktop users may not need this if they have room for two drives inside their PC—you can just install it internally alongside your old hard drive.)

What You'll Need: AOMEI Backupper for Windows

There are many different drive-cloning tools on the market, but when cloning a hard drive to SSD, I recommend AOMEI Backupper, since it's free, easy to use, and takes into account a few quirks that sometimes pop up during clones from hard drives to SSDs.

The free Standard version is fine; there's no need to upgrade to the paid version for what we're doing today. You will need to enter your email and subscribe to the newsletter to get the download link, though. Thankfully, you can just unsubscribe later.

Once you've gathered up those necessities, it's time to get started.

Back Up Your Data (and Free Up Space, if Necessary)

Before you start messing with drives and formatting partitions, it's absolutely necessary to back up your data first. A simple misclick can result in you erasing everything, so do not continue until you've backed up all of your data. If you don't have a backup yet, check out our favorite software for the job—though for today's purposes, copying your important data to an external hard drive will do in a pinch.

If you're upgrading to an SSD that's smaller than your current hard drive, you'll want to take extra care here. This isn't as common as it once was, thanks to bigger, less expensive SSDs, but if that's the case for you, you'll need to delete some files and free up space on your hard drive before cloning it. Otherwise, your data won't fit.

Once your data is safe and secure, continue onto the next step.

Plug In and Initialize Your SSD

Plug your SSD into the SATA-to-USB adapter, then plug that into your computer. If it's a brand-new drive, you probably won't see the drive pop up in File Explorer, but don't worry; it just needs to be initialized first. Open the Start menu and type "partitions" in the search box. Click the "Create and format hard disk partitions" option, and Disk Management will open. It'll prompt you to initialize the drive using either the GPT or MBR partition table.

I'll be using GPT for my SSD, since I have a modern PC with a UEFI firmware. If you have an older PC with a traditional BIOS, you may need to use an MBR partition table. If you aren't sure, look up your specific model of PC or motherboard to see which type of firmware it uses.

If you aren't prompted to initialize the drive, and don't see it in Disk Management, double-check that it's properly connected to your computer, and that the enclosure or dock is powered on (if necessary).

Once the drive has been initialized, you should see the drive show up in the bottom pane of Disk Management as unallocated space. Right-click on it, choose New Simple Volume, and click Next through the wizard to create a new volume taking up the entire drive. It isn't super important what this volume looks like; we just need a volume on the disk for AOMEI to see it. Close Disk Management and continue to the next step.

Clone Your Hard Drive

Open AOMEI Backupper and click the Clone option in the left sidebar. Choose Disk Clone, and select your C: drive as your source disk. Click Next, then click on your SSD to select it as the destination disk—again, be very careful you're selecting the right disk here, since it will be erased and overwritten—and click Next again.

Even if your SSD is smaller than your current hard drive, AOMEI will resize the volume to fit. You shouldn't run into trouble unless your source drive contains more data than can fit on the new SSD.

Finally, you'll be given a summary of the upcoming operation, which you can double-check one last time. Check the SSD Alignment box along the bottom, which ensures you're getting the best performance from your SSD, and click the Start Clone button.

Wait...and Wait, and Wait

This can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on how large the disks are. So go binge-watch some Netflix and come back in a while. When it’s done, click the "Finish" button. You should see your new SSD in File Explorer, complete with all your data.

For Bigger Drives: Extend Your Partition

If your SSD is the same size or smaller than your old hard drive, you should be all done with the cloning process, and you can skip to the next step.

If, however, you upgraded to an SSD with more space than your old drive, you'll need to do one more thing. The Windows volume you copied to your SSD will be the same size as it was on the original hard drive, and you'll need to expand it so it takes up the rest of the disk. The Pro version of Backupper allows you to do this during the clone process, but there's no need to pay—another AOMEI tool called Partition Assistant can do it for free.

Install the free, Standard edition of Partition Assistant and look at the disks along the bottom of the window. You should see that one of your drives—in my case, Disk 2 holding the D: drive—has a bunch of unallocated space at the end. That's our new SSD, and the D: drive (or whatever letter its assigned on your system) is the volume we want to expand. You may see other volumes on the disk—these are boot and recovery partitions, and it's best to leave them intact for now.

Click that volume and select the Merge Partitions button in the sidebar. Check the Unallocated box alongside that D: drive and click OK. You should see the new layout in the AOMEI Partition Assistant window, and you can click the Apply button in the upper-left corner to make the changes.

Install Your SSD

Next, shut down your computer. It's time to install that SSD in your computer permanently. If you have a laptop with only one hard drive slot, you'll need to remove your old hard drive and replace it with your SSD. This is a bit different on every laptop. If you have a desktop PC with more than one hard drive slot, you can leave your old hard drive in as extra storage, and just install your SSD alongside it.

Reboot From Your New Drive

Once you're finished installing the SSD, you'll need to tell your computer to boot from it. (This may not be necessary on laptops with just one drive, but if you experience problems booting, it can help on some PCs.) Turn your computer on and enter its BIOS/UEFI setup—this is a bit different on every PC, but it'll usually say something like "Press DEL to enter setup" on the boot screen, so you'll want to press the corresponding key as it starts up.

From there, look for your BIOS' boot options. These will be in a different spot depending on your computer, but once you find them, you'll want to select the option to change the boot sequence. Choose your SSD from the list as the first boot drive, then head back to the BIOS' main menu to exit, saving your settings.

Your computer will reboot, and if all went well, it should plop you back into Windows faster than ever before. Open File Explorer and check to confirm that your SSD is, in fact, the C: drive. If everything looks good, you're ready to rock, and your computer should feel significantly snappier without having to reinstall a thing.

[ramblinganthropologist]

N7 Day 20 - Shield

Summary: Liara and Alistair catch up post Therum. What’s up with his barrier anyway?

---

Nothing like getting the shit beat out of him to make him appreciate the times when things didn't hurt.

Alistair Shepard sighed as he finally left the medbay, rubbing his sore neck. To say things hurt was putting them mildly – he had just gotten slammed into a wall by a krogan battlemaster. The fact he had bones to break was a miracle, by physics alone he should have been turned into meat jelly. Thankfully he wasn't, because that was kind of gross.

Two broken ribs, a broken arm, and some severely sprained ankles. Dr. Chakwas had patched him up while he lay there, hearing about updates from Therum. Triggering a seismic event was putting it mildly – they had caused an eruption.

His bad? Maybe? Probably? At least there had been nobody there when they were running for their lives.

“Guess I should check on our newest friend...”

He frowned at the thought. Liara was... interesting to say the least. Honestly, he wasn't sure what to make of her yet besides a strong biotic and an intelligent academic. Both were things he needed in this hell that was trying to track down Saren, but apart from that he didn't know what to expect from her. His experience with asari had been somewhat... limited.

Being in the Alliance didn't exactly give you a chance to meet a lot of other Council races...

Whatever, it was his job as the CO to make sure everyone on his ship was settled in. That was the thought he was going for as he continued his walk to where he knew the asari was going to be. She had mentioned doing some research, and there was a good place on ship for it. If he needed to do some reading in quiet, that's where he'd be.

Naturally, he knocked on the door when he got there.

“Liara? It's Shepard.” He paused, then added, “Uh, not the big one. I just wanted to check in on you to make sure you were ok.”

Someone on the other side of the door shifted around, and then it slid open. Liara was standing on the other side, looking as though she had just been distubed from some serious research. That annoyance melted away, thankfully, when she realized who it was.

Phew, that was good...

“Oh, Commander Shepard.” She nodded, “I didn't expect a CO would knock on the door to his own ship.”

Alistair rubbed the back of his neck, feeling color enter his cheeks as he did. “I'm still pretty new to this being a CO thing. Besides, it's just being polite.”

If he was known for nothing else, it was for being polite. It's why they'd called him a boy scout so much when he had been enlisted. Well, that and the fact he was really good at rigging up random things to work. It was kind of a double-sided omni-blade.

At least she nodded and moved to the side. Soon they were both seated – she because research, and him because his ribs were still tender. He couldn't help but massage them a little as he settled in. Normally they wouldn't hurt... but he broke his ribs a lot.

Just living that trans life, he supposed.

“Is everything alright, Shepard? You look like you're in pain.”

He offered a somewhat awkward smile as he kept his hand there. “I broke my ribs back on Therum. They're just taking a little longer to settle in.”

The asari definitely looked concerned, so he held up his hand. “Don't worry, it's not the first time and it's definitely not the last. Chakwas fixed me up, so I'm fine now.”

Fixed him up, and lectured him about top surgery. Again... if he had time. And since he was kind of the fucking CO of a freighter now going up against a rogue Spectre... that didn't exactly give him much healing time. Maybe he could use that as motivation for catching Saren faster. You know, besides the saving the universe from Saren and his geth pals...

Something about a mix of inside and outside motivation? Heck if he knew, he just fixed tech and people.

“I had no idea human ribs were so fragile.”

He chuckled. “Just mine I'm afraid. Anyway, I wanted to make sure you were settling in ok. The Normandy is probably a little more chaotic than Therum.”

After all, more people and all. Then again, the ground wasn't rumbling under their feet (because no ground) and their krogan battlemaster was probably on their side. So maybe it was a moot point – they probably equaled out.

He was pretty sure Wrex was on his side... maybe he should ask him later.

“It's certainly louder, but your crew has been welcoming to me.” Liara smiled a little at that. “It's strange, I wouldn't expect an Alliance ship to have other Council races on it.”

That he chuckled a little at. “Yeah that... would be on me too. I need all the help I can get out there with Saren.”

After all, he had a turian sharp shooter, a quarian genius, and a literal fucking krogan battlemaster. Add in Liara's biotics and the Normandy's new crew was looking just as capable as the humans already on the ship. Maybe they were a little unconventional, but he figured that was probably what they needed to catch Saren. Besides, a little cooperation never hurt anybody.

He just had to tell the Alliance that the next time they breathed down his neck about it.

At his words, the asari chuckled. As far as Alisair knew, he hadn't said anything particularly funny to prompt it. So, without really meaning to his head cocked to the side. There went part of his vision, but it was pretty much gone in the right eye anyway.

“Something funny?”

Liara's cheeks turned a darker blue as she stopped laughing. “No, it's just... you seem more than capable based on what I saw on Therum.”

“Look, I know I'm not the best driver, but the Mako's kind of-”

This time, she stopped him. “No, I meant your biotics. For a human, you are remarkably skilled with defensive maneuvers. I think you could possibly even take trained asari down.”

Oh. Well, at least she wasn't making fun of his driving. He had already gotten an ear from the crew about that when they got the Mako back full of dents and space rocks. Excuse him for being a little cautious about lava and geth turrets... if he hit a rock once in a while, it wasn't too big of a deal. He did his best for someone without a license...

The biotics, though? Yeah, he had been told that a lot.

“Oh, thank you. Barrier's always been the one that came easiest to me.” Just mentioning it made his amp tingle. Right then it was cool, but back on Therum it had been running hot trying to keep the krogan and geth at bay. Honestly, it was a miracle he didn't have a migrane right then. Pushing it too far often led to bad headaches.

Maybe his body had been so hot it had ignored the overheating. Being so close to lava was a little overwhelming.

“Is defense your specialty then?”

He nodded, feeling that amp again. “Pretty much. Bo usually covers the offensive when we're together and I keep things from blowing up or hitting the rest of us. It's worked out pretty well so far.”

“That's a practical approach.” Still, she didn't seem finished. “But that last one... didn't feel like a barrier, if you mind me saying that.”

No, he didn't... he had been thinking the same thing.

It happened sometimes. When Alistair's amp overheated and things were getting crazy, sometimes his biotics did odd things. Usually it involved his barrier holds – normally he could guess the strength and how much they would hold. In those moments, they felt heavier like he was holding an actual shield in front of his squad. It was stronger, but... it was exhausting to hold for too long.

Unfortunately for him, the battlemaster he had been going up against hadn't cared his arms hurt. He had still slammed head-on into his barrier, forcing him a near foot back and against the wall. Had that not been there... well, it probably would've been further.

He had seen the cracks in the barrier, the red light of the alarm sirens showing through the blue of the shimmering hue keeping him alive. For a brief moment, he had worried it was going to break and what his backup was going to be. Thankfully, someone – he hadn't seen who – had shot the krogan in the head right at that moment.

It hadn't killed him obviously, but that temporary distraction had been enough to take the heat off and allow him to reform the barrier just in time to keep from geth fire tearing him apart.

“Shepard?”

Alistair shook his head, suddenly feeling the hum of his amp again. “Sorry, guess I'm more worn out than I thought.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess mine are just weird. My instructor always said I had an odd way of forming them.”

Honestly, he didn't have the time to really think too hard on it. Saren was out there somewhere, and as long as his barriers worked then he didn't care why they felt strange. He could worry about it later, when there weren't geth trying to kill them and the universe was safe.

If it wasn't broke, don't fix it as the ancient mantra went.

“Well, I have to say I'm glad they're odd. It seems likely we would have died without it.” Liara was smiling again. “Maybe when you have time later, we can discuss it more.”

Something about her tone made his stomach shift uncomfortably. Alistair could already feel the panic bubbling in his gut. Here was an area he was well aware of, and one he found himself in plenty of times over the years.

Please, just let this one stay platonic. He was very tired and very gay.

“Maybe. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were settling in. You looked like you were pretty into your research. Sorry for interrupting, Liara.”

He stood, careful not to bang into anything as he looked towards the door. With a lack of depth perception, his shins were often a shock breaker. Lucky for him, it looked like a clear shot for the door for once.

Hooray for military precision.

“I'll let you know if I find anything relevant to Saren. Thank you for stopping by, Shepard.”

Alistair nodded, and then he was out the door, sighing in relief when the door slid shut behind him. Then he straightened up and continued on his way. There were still plenty of things to do before they made it to their next stop, and standing around wasn't going to finish any of it.

Still... he looked down at his hand. Sometimes, he could still feel the humming of another barrier just beneath his skin. Right then it was quiet, but in a heartbeat it could bloom to life with just a snap of his fingers.

Nobody in boot camp had managed that. Just him.

“Maybe the asari will have something on that... I'll ask Liara later.” Much later.

With that in mind, he headed off. His XO had broken her omni-tool again when they had fought their way off Therum. Lucky for her, he had plenty of spare parts this time around to bring it back to full condition. That would keep him plenty busy until they exited FTL space.

Hooray for busy work. If only he could get it without Bo breaking shit...

[bapdaydreams]

Jung Daehyun Scenario: Mafia AU

A/N: Well hello! I am back with another Mafia AU you you guys. This one is obviously for Dae. So I hope you enjoy. And now I only have the maknae line to write for. How exciting.

Member Profile

Mafia AU Prologue

Yongguk Mafia AU

Himchan Mafia AU

Youngjae Mafia AU

Jongup Mafia AU

Zelo Mafia AU

Daehyun normally didn’t get distracted easily but he had his head swimming in information for the next raid. This was when he bumped into you. He is quick to say that he was sorry. He was at fault after all as he was on break from working so he really shouldn’t be thinking about it. Youngguk would be mad if anything happened as Daehyun had his guard down.

Thankfully he only bumped into you to snap him into reality. You tell him that it was ok with a bright smile on his face. He had been intrigued by your smile and your easy-going nature about being bumped into. But that was all there was to it. He shrugged you off as a stranger he would never meet again…a pretty stranger but that was it.

But the smile on your face lingered in his mind.

“You have something on your mind?”

It was Jongup who was sat in his usual corner cleaning his gun. He was usually silent and rarely voiced anything but he was good at observing people.

“It’s nothing special”, Daehyun murmured and Jongup doesn’t reply.

Daehyun guessed that was the end of the conversation. Daehyun went back to reading the details of tonight’s raid. Well it wasn’t a raid. Daehyun and Youngjae were going in to collect information with Zelo for backup.

It was a bar and Daehyun was to pull off his usual disguise while Youngjae did his thing and hacked the computer system for information. Zelo was to stay in hiding and make sure no one was following them or targeting them.

“Don’t get distracted. It can cause too much trouble then its worth”, Jongup says before getting up and leaving.

Yongguk must have sent Jongup to check up on him. He was still new to their little gang so he figured trust was hard to gain.

“Don’t let him bother you”

This time it was Youngjae.

Youngjae sits next to him and reads over his shoulder.

“This should be a simple enough mission”, Youngjae says.

“You never know, things might go wrong”

“Oh God. Yongguk is rubbing off on you”

They laugh together.

As it got dark, they got ready for their mission. Daehyun was dressed in a black suit while Youngjae and Zelo wore their normal raid clothes. He was going to be on stage performing songs and hopefully keeping their target distracted while Youngjae did his magic.

It was simple.

What he didn’t consider was seeing you again in the crowd of people while he performed.

It looked like you were out having a few drinks with co-workers. You still had that smile on your face that he was intrigued with.

He caught your eye when he opened his mouth and his voice just filled the room.

Hey, show me what to do, I can’t find you.

You instantly recognised him from the café earlier today. His voice was beautiful and the emotions he put while singing was beautiful.

Show me what you got, what do I want?

You were mesmerised by the end of the song. He slowly walks to the end of the stage and her captures your gaze before giving a small bow. You feel a blush creeping on your cheeks as he walks off stage.

“Man that song is depressing”, Youngjae says as he meets up with Daehyun.

“It did the job, didn’t it?”

“Indeed it did. I got the information, let’s get Zelo and leave”, Youngjae says as he walks off.

Daehyun’s eye lingers in the crowd of people before he too leaves. They meet up with Zelo outside before they head towards Youngja’s van. Youngjae gets in the driver’s seat while Zelo gets in the back. Daehyun feels his pocket and finds his phone missing. He was distracted and this was going to put them behind schedule and also at risk of getting caught but he absolutely couldn’t leave his phone behind.

It had everything on it.

“Hey, I think I left something in the dressing room”, Daehyun says and Youngjae just nods.

He heads back into the bar and heads straight to the dressing room. It is empty so he quickly scans the room and easily finds his phone. He grabs it quickly and scans it. Everything is as it should be. He quickly leaves but in a hurry he bumps into you again.

“We need to stop meeting like this”, you say with a smile.

“How about I make it up for it by meeting you for coffee maybe?” he returns your smile.

“I’d like that”, you reply and the two of you end up exchanging number before Daehyun leaves.

He has a smug look on his face when he approaches the van.

“What have you done?” Youngjae asks as he gents into the passenger seat.

“Nothing”

“Well, we are behind schedule now so hold on you two”. Youngjae says with a smirk on his face before he speeds out of the parking lot.

As promised, you meet him again in a nice café. He orders cheesecake as he states several times that it’s his favourite. You smile at his silliness and you order your own favourite. The two of you end up sharing cakes and drinks. It turns into a fun date, as he is full of energy.

He was completely different from when he preformed at the bar. You two end up talking for hours and then some more after the two of you part through texts.

You get closer with him for about a month when he calls you out to meet him at the park by your house. It was a cold night so you put a jacket on and run out. He is waiting for you by the park gates. He greets you with a smile and you return his smile.

“Why did you call me out so late?” you ask.

“Just wanted to talk to you under the stars”, he says with a smile on his face.

“When did you turn romantic?” you ask.

You two had been friends and you may be interest in him romantically but you didn’t get your hopes up. Yes, he was always sweet but you heard rumours about his flirty-ness with women as he was a bar singer after all. But things he did for you made it hard to not get your hopes up.

“Only when it counts”

“What?”

“Be my girlfriend?”

“What?”

He has a smile on his face while you look at him in shock.

“Are you serious?” you ask, still in shock.

“Yes, I would like you to be my girlfriend. I will give you time to think about it”, he says as he gently places his hands on your shoulder.

His bright smile still on his face. He lays a gentle kiss on your forehead before he leaves you. You watch him leave while you still stand there in shock. You trace your fingers on the spot he kissed. As the events sink in, you feel a blush creep up on your face.

“But, I don’t need time to think”

Daehyun sighs. Maybe he was too hasty. You didn’t even know about his deepest secret but you had him wrapped around your fingers. You were all he thought about these days. Yongguk would constantly tell him to focus on the work at hand and to leave his personal life out of it, be he was in too deep.

So he went to Himchan to ask what he should do. Himchan laughed at first but said to do, as he likes but to be careful. He definitely didn’t want you getting dragged into his world.

But unfortunately for him he gets a video message from an unknown number. He sees you unconscious and tied up. Instantly all he sees is red.

He gets up and goes straight to the weapon room. He loads his favourite gun and in the process he feels someone’s presence behind him.

“What do you think you are doing?”

Usually, Yongguk’s presence made him a little nervous but he honestly wasn’t in the mood. He turned around and threw a knife at Yongguk’s direction but Yongguk doesn’t flinch. The knife lands on the wall behind him. He pockets his gun and passes his phone to Yongguk.

“I’m going and you can’t stop me”, he says simply before walking out.

He walks down the corridor and he feels another presence behind him.

“I’m coming”

“Do as you please”

Youngjae smiles and follows Daehyun.

“Do you know where you are going?”

Daehyun freezes in his tracks.

Youngjae laughs.

“Come on, I put a tracker on your little friend”, Youngjae says as he pulls his phone out and opens a GPS system.

“What? When?”

“You know, you are still under close eye of Yongguk right?”

“You mean, he still has trust issues”, Daehyun says with a roll of his eyes.

“But I know you can be trusted and I just wanted to prove it…just not like this”, Youngjae says as his GPS system tracks you down.

“I found her, hop on”, Youngjae opens the passenger side of his van.

Youngjae drives quickly and before Daehyun knows it he is in what looks like a warehouse area. They both get out of the van and then follow your GPS signal and eventually track you down.

“Right, what’s the plan?” Youngjae asks.

“You don’t have a plan?” Daehyun asks.

“No, I thought you did. Did you think you were just going to walk in and shoot everyone in there?”

“Er…yeah?”

“Ugh, you losers”, it’s Joungup.

“Come on, I’ll go in and distract them, Youngjae, cover me and Daehyun can go be the prince charming”, Jongup says.

And without waiting for a reply Jongup goes in. He has his murderous smile on his face and it scare the latter two for a second before they come back to their senses.

“I got his back, now go”, Youngjae says as he loads his gun.

They start hearing gunshots and Daehyun nods before he starts sneaking into the enemy’s warehouse. He can see your unconscious body with your hands tied behind your back. You didn’t look hurt so he signs in relief.

The entire enemy are busy targeting Jongup so there is no one guarding you. He quickly but quietly manages to reach you. Once he is with you, he sits you up and looks around. Most of the enemy are down so he quickly manages to carry you over his shoulder, gun ready on hand and he starts running for the exit. He manages to shoot a few enemies in the knee so they stop coming after him but his aim isn’t as accurate.

Jongup and Youngjae do a good job of covering for him and he manages to safely get you out. He manages to take you inside the back of their van and lay you down. He cuts the ropes tied around your hand and gently traces the marks left by the ropes on your wrist. He checks your breathing and pulse to make sure you are indeed without any injuries.

You stir and slowly open your eyes. You see a worried looking Daehyun.

“Daehyun?”

“Are you ok? How are you feeling?”

“Where am I? I feel a little bit dizzy”, you say as you sit up.

“You are safe now”, he says and gives you a tight hug.

You hug him back tightly.

You slowly remember the events of the evening. After he had left you someone knocked you on the head on the way back to your house.

“I was scared”, you say honestly.

“I’m sorry, it’s al my fault. I shouldn’t have gotten you involved in my world”, he says.

“You have so much expanding to do”, you say as you let him go.

“Don’t you want to get away while you can?” he asks with surprise.

“Of course not!”

He smiles at you and you smile back. You place your hands on his face.

“I think you missed earlier”, you say and you pull him down for a kiss.

He kisses you back.

“I love you”, you say between kisses.

“I love you too”

“Alright, that’s enough lovey dovey stuff”, Youngjae says and you two pull apart.

Jongup looks fascinated with his gun while Youngjae looks annoyed. The two of you can only smile at the latter two.

[delerithmoriwen]

Hex and the city: The curse of his salvation - Klaroline Mashup day 3

So 3 day event 3 drabbles yay me! This is for day 3 of the Klaroline Mash up event: Magic & Bedsharing! And because it’s my birthday it’s extra long! Enjoy! Set after TVD season 4 finale no magical babies! I don’t own TVD or TO

Caroline tried to drive through the crowds of the New Orleans nightlife. But her head was getting very dizzy and the sweat made her hands slippery on the wheel. Her sight was getting hazy as well and she prayed that she would find the address soon because she didn’t know how much longer she would be able to drive safely without being a danger to herself or others. She bit her teeth hard as another burning pain shot up and down her body her muscles tensing painfully. Only for a second the world went black.And in that second she heard the crash and felt the shock of her car coming to an abrupt halt. She had never had an accident before - or at least not one that she caused - but now she had crashed right into a concrete roadblock. Thankfully not another person she managed to think to herself. The hood of her car was dented and there was smoke coming out of it. Worried and curious people were gathering around her car. With the little strength she could master she kicked the door open hard nearly breaking it off it’s hinges people staring at her wide eyed.

“Are you ok lady?” A half drunken frat boy walked up to her.

Caroline could hear his blood pulsing through his arteries. She was so thirsty and so weak.And he smelled so delicious...She needed to get out of here fast! It couldn’t be far now. She pushed herself through the crowd hoping that in the middle of the drunkenness of whatever party was going on in the city here she wouldn’t be noticed. Looking up she saw she had the right street now and in the middle of it was the house the lady in the bar had described.She stumbled to the door trying to stay up straight by holding .on to the doorframe with one hand, and holding on to her stomach with the other. She felt like her body was splitting in two pieces. She knocked on the door hard hoping SOMEBODY would be home.

She was relieved when she saw a vampire opening the door. He was large and mean looking but at least she was probably at the right spot.

“What do you want?” the vampire asked rather rude.

“I’m looking for Klaus Mikaelson!” Caroline breathed through her pain.

“He’s in a meeting , no visitors today” The vampire wanted to close the door again.

Caroline tried to put her foot in the door to keep it from closing completely.

“No you don’t understand it’s urgent…. My name is Caroline Forbes, please just tell him i’m here” Caroline begged the man shaking like she was in heroin withdrawal.

“Look lady!” The vampire started to raise his voice “I don’t care what your name is, he said not to disturb him so get lost before I rip your head off”

“Ronald what seems to be the issue here?” A familiar deep voice emerged from the back.

“Elijah!” Caroline gasped relieved before she fell on her knees letting out a painful scream as she clutched to her head.

“Miss Forbes!!” Elijah pulled her up again supporting her under her shoulder.”Go get Niklaus” He barked at the vampire named Ronald.

“But he said not to disturb him….” Ronald whimpered.

Caroline was annoyed by how scared he sounded for somebody so intimidatingly looking.

“I don’t care go upstairs tell him Caroline Forbes is here and she’s hurt… GO!” Elijah shouted as he placed Caroline on the sofa.

With vampire speed Ronald was all the way on the other side of the compound, the smell of sage hitting his nostrils. He couldn’t hear any voices coming from the meeting area but he knew they were there. Gently and politely he knocked on the door 3 times.

“Enter!” Klaus’ voice bellowed through the door.

Ronald swallowed hard before he walked into the room. At a long table the most powerful supernatural beings of New Orleans were joined discussing territory and power.

“I thought I said I did not wanted to be disturbed” Klaus growled deeply.

“I know sir...I- I’m sorry but your brother send me….he said it’s urgent” Ronald tried to explain.

“And what could possibly be so urgent that he said to disturb me during a faction meeting” Klaus asked him contempt filling his voice.

“A girl named Caroline Forbes just arrived sir, she seems to be hurt” Ronald said in one breath hoping Klaus wouldn’t rip his heart out.

Klaus’ eyes widened only for a second before he regained his composure.

“Meeting is adjourned!” He said calmly waving his hand towards the door.

“Klaus we were in the middle of an important discussion” Marcel reminded him not realising why they all had to leave so sudden.

“I said the meeting was adjourned!” Klaus barked again.

The rest other faction members hurried out the door as soon as klaus raised his voice leaving only Marcel in the room.

“Do you know how difficult it is to get all these people in one room?” Marcel asked annoyed following Klaus as he rushed downstairs.

Klaus found her sitting on the sofa next to Elijah shaking vigorously. She was nearly blue pale and her hair clung wet to her face from the sweats. Her lips were cracked in multiple places and her eyes sunken deep into her face. She looked on the verge of dying. He was next to her in an instant holding his face in between her two hands.

“Caroline” he whispered in a soothing voice trying to catch her gaze.

“I didn’t know where else to go” Caroline apologized her voice cracking from weakness.

“That’s ok love, I’m glad you’re here….’ Klaus smiled. She felt hot and feverish to his touch. “Now drink up” he continued as he bit his wrist open bringing it to her mouth.

“Who is that?” Marcel asked confused as to how caring Klaus suddenly was to this unknown young girl.

“Hopefully….his salvation” Elijah whispered under his breath as the two of them looked at the pair.

Her body seemed to relax after his blood ran through her system calming the firing pain to a dull ache like being sore a few days after falling down the stairs. Her breathing became more regular  but still shallow and she was still shaking and grey looking.

“Who bit you?” Klaus asked with a growl scouring the visible parts of her body for bitemarks. Whoever did this was in for a world of pain.

“I don’t know” Caroline coughed letting go of his wrist wiping a stray drop of his blood from her lips. “One second I was in my dorm room getting ready for class the next I wake up in the forest feeling like i’m on fire I don’t remember anything.”

“Send a few hybrids to Mystic falls let them question every wolf around until you find whoever bit her.” Klaus barked at Ronald who nodded and made himself scarce.

“There’s an empty room upstairs for you to rest up love, do you think you can stand?” Klaus asked her grabbing hand and pulling her up straight when she nodded.

As soon as she stood up the room started spinning again. A wave of dizziness and nausea hitting her like a brick. She fell to her knees again in agonising pain gasping for air before puking out all Klaus’ blood again on the carpet her body shaking hard again.

“CAROLINE!” Klaus yelled trying to keep her straight. He felt powerless not knowing what was wrong with her. But when he saw the blood she was puking turning a near black color he knew it was bad…. This wasn’t a wolf bite this was magical. “Get me Sophie Deveraux!”

“She’s not going to want to help after what happened with her sister!” Elijah said carefully looking too Marcel for confirmation.

“If she wants her and her coven to live she will!” Klaus yelled again picking up Caroline from the ground and holding her close to his body.

“I’ll come with you, maybe I can put in some leverage” Marcel said nodding reassuringly before leaving the compound with Elijah.

Klaus carried Caroline up to the spare bedroom next to his placing her on the soft bed. She was coughing hard nearly choking and struggling to breath.

“Hold on ok, we’re going to save you I promise!” He whispered stroking a wet streak of hair out of her face.

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” Sophie said as she put away clean shot glasses.  

“Come on Sophie We’re just asking you to check out what kind of magic is used” Marcel said sternly.”Besides I wasn’t really asking”

“And what will you do if I refuse? Murder me like you did Jane-anne? I don’t care anymore” Sophie bantered back.

“There are worse things we could do to you then murder you Miss Deveraux” Elijah suggested darkly.

“Yeah well try your best shot because I’d rather die a hundred tortures then help an Original...so either get on with it or get the hell out of my bar” Sophie gestured them out.

“Come on” Marcel pulled Elijah out by his arm back to the streets.

“Well that went splendidly, are you going to explain this or Niklaus then?” Elijah said sarcastically.

“I have a backup plan, go back to the house i’ll meet you there” Marcel grabbed his phone.

“And what might that be?” Elijah inquired looking at Marcel suspiciously.

“Look I can help you, but to do that i’m going to need you to trust me and let me do what I need to do ok so you go back to the house and i’ll be back in an hour…” Marcel said annoyed typing in the digits on his phone.

“You have 30 minutes” Elijah said sternly before vamping off.

As soon as Elijah was out of side Marcel pressed the call button listenin to the ringing until there was an answer on the other side.

“Hello?” The voice on the other side picked up the phone.

“Hey it’s me , i’m stopping by I need a favor” Marcel said before hanging up again keeping the conversation short.

“If Sophie Deveraux didn’t want to do it why do you think I would?! I thought you said this Klaus guy was like the ultimate bad guy” Davina asked surprised sitting at the end of her bed looking at a pacing Marcel.

“Because D. she’s a young girl around your age….and she looked genuinely scared like you were” Marcel tried to persuade her hoping that if he could help her relate to the young girl she might give into helping them.

“What makes you think I can even help? I don’t know that kind of magic!” Davina protested.

“I believe in you ok, you’re more powerful than you think… “ Marcel looked at her hopefully with a smile.

“It would mean I’d have to come out of hiding, the witches would sense my magic and they’d know i’m alive and come to find me” Davina doubted getting up from her bed to the window of the attic looking out of it over the city.

“True, but the Original family would owe you a favor for helping them, and they could protect you...they could help you with your magic much better than I ever could.” Marcel explained putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t know Marcel” Davina sighed turning around and looking at him.

“Look D.” Marcel put his other hand on her other shoulder holding her in a tight grasp. “If i thought you would be in any kind of danger i wouldn’t ask…Think about it, you’d be free to walk around the city again under the protection of every vampire in the city….free to leave this attic... I’m not asking you to trust them...i’m asking you to trust me. ”

“Alright, I guess I could give it a shot” Davina smiled convinced.

“That’s my girl” Marcel put his arm around her as they both walked out of the attic for the first time in a very long while.

Although the bed was comfortable and luxurious Caroline couldn’t seem to relax. The pain had taken over her body again agonising her to the point where she was going insane. She had crawled up into a little ball in the bed panting hard. Her hands crossed over holding her arms like she was trying to keep herself together literally. Rocking back and forth. Her nails were digging into her own skin scratching it till the point of bleeding, healing over in a second only to be cut right open again.

“What is taking Marcel so long!” Klaus paced through the room. He couldn’t stand seeing her like this and not being able to do anything about it.

“He said to trust him Niklaus” Elijah tried to reason with his younger restless brother “patience”

“WE DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR PATIENCE!”Klaus shouted angrily.

Caroline shot up again with a bone chilling scream the fire in her head taking over again making her gasp for air harshly leading her to gag up her empty stomach again.Klaus quickly sat next to her holding her hand and caressing her back trying to sooth her. His eyes shot meaningfully to Elijah. He could hear her sob now lightly under her pain. Breaking from exhaustion.It was the last straw.

“I’m going after him it’s taking too long!” Klaus said stubbornly trying to get up from the bed.

Her hand weakly held on too his shirt trying to keep him from leaving.

“Klaus….please don’t leave me” She uttered nearly inaudible. “I’m really scared”

Another cough escaped her lips before her body relaxed slightly again after the painful attack. Klaus bit his lip looking from her to Elijah. He was torn. He wanted to save her so badly but she had never begged him to stay by her side before and she looked so fragile lying there.

“I’ll go” Elijah said silently nodding at Klaus before he left the room again closing the door behind him.

Klaus sighed as he sat on the bed again next to her. She looked at him with teary eyes full of fright and agony. Kicking off his shoes Klaus laid himself next to her on the bed with his back against the headboard watching over her.

“Am I gonna die?” She suddenly whispered tears streaming down her face.

Her question took him by surprise, she was always so full of hope and light but now lying here it almost looked like she had given up. He couldn’t even imagine how much pain she must be in if she began to think like that.

“Ofcourse not sweetheart...I will ensure it” Klaus smiled at her pulling her into his chest and holding her tight.

She seemed to relax as he held her, her breathing calming down and the uncontrollable shaking reduced to a soft quiver. He could hear her softly falling to sleep.

When Davina Claire arrived in the compound she shivered slightly. There was a dark aura about this place. She could sense it. She hadn’t quite grasped the full possibilities of her new power yet but magic had definitely touched this place. Marcel and the original named Elijah guided her to the upstairs where she would fine the girl Marcel had wanted her to help. She was glad her guardian was with her because even though the man named Elijah seemed very polite and gentlemen-like he creeped her out. She could feel there was blood on his hands. And lots of it.

Though the sense she got from him was nothing compared to the aura that had hit her when she entered the room and found the original hybrid sitting next to the bed watching over a beautiful young blonde girl like a hawk. She had to take a minute to regain her composure reluctant to show any sign of weakness. The girl however exhumed no darkness at all. She was surrounded by light. She was pure good that was simply surrounded by evil. Davina wondered why she would be in such company.

“Who’s this” Klaus barked at Marcel waving his hand to Davina.

“My name is Davina Claire and i’m here to help you” Davina said bravely straightening her back. She had once learned that when face to face with an aggressive animal the best thing to do was to make yourself as big and intimidating as you could. Not easy when you were so small as she was.

“I asked for Sophie Devereaux, and elder witch, not the weekend student help” Klaus said sarcastically.

“Davina is no ordinary witch, she’s the last standing Harvest girl, I saved her before the ritual was completed. She has all the power of her coven now.” Marcel shot back stepping next to Davina.

“Why haven’t we heard of her then?” Elijah asked surprised studying Davina more carefully now.

“Because her coven is looking to kill her to complete the ritual. She’s been under my protection. Which leads me to our demand, if she does this… you vow to protect her as well” Marcel negotiated.

“And why would I agree to that...i’m trying to keep the witches in check, i could just tell her to help or i’ll deliver her to her coven for her death sentence” Klaus threatened he didn’t like meeting other people’s demands.

“Look do you want my help or not, because the way I see it is she doesn’t have a hell of alot of time left” Davina interrupted the two men’s pissing match.

Klaus seemed to take her words into deliberation for a second weighing his options. Caroline was getting worse, fast!

“Yes fine, if you succeed I promise you no harm will to come to you by the witches.” Klaus agreed holding out his hand to seal the agreement with her.

Davina walked past him ignoring his invitation for the handshake. She held her hands out above Caroline’s body whispering in an unknown language. A wind formed in the room circling like a small storm located in this part of the house alone. The lights began to flicked and a dark grey mist formed around the two girls. Objects started to fly around as the room began to shake and Davina started chanting louder. Blood softly dripping from her nose.

“D!” Marcel shouted trying to stop her but he was stopped in his tracks by Elijah.

“Let me go man! She’s killing herself” Marcel shouted trying to fend Elijah off.

“This is very dark magic, if you pull her out now all three of you will die” Elijah explained to him.

The words had just been spoken when the entire room came to the halt. All flying objects falling and shattering of the floor. Marcel was just able to catch Davina before she fell backwards panting hard from exhaustion.

“You ok?” Marcel asked her looking to see if she was hurt in anyway.

Davina nodded before standing up again. “She’s been cursed..”

“Well then uncurse her!” Klaus yelled annoyed!

“It’s not that simple, I’ve never seen this magic before I only heard of it when I was very young. It was banned long before I was born. A dark magic used in ancient times to rid the world off vampires. Set the balance of nature back. Her body had been hexed to repel vampirism, that’s why she’s throwing up blood. It forces her to dessicate. But this kind of magic needs a tangible totum in this world to draw its power from , find it destroy it and she’ll live.” Davina explained.

“That could be anything anywhere she doesn’t have that time!!!” Klaus sighed frustrated rubbing his temples.

“Magic like that always leaves a trace, I should be able to track it if I have a starting point, some kind of lead”Davina went on turning to Marcel ignoring Klaus completely.

“Start with Mystic Falls in Virginia, she has a bennett witch friend there, i’m sure she can help” Klaus sighed giving her Bonnie Bennett’s number from his phone on a piece of paper.

“I’ll get right on it… in the meantime i suggest getting her on an IV drip of blood, that way it’s forced directly into her system and she can’t regurgitate it.” Davina nodded taking the phone number from his hands and following Marcel out of the door.

“Compel a nurse to set up a station for her” Klaus looked at Elijah gritting his teeth. This was taking too long!

In the hours that followed Klaus had been able to turn the bedroom into a fully functioning hospital room with an IV drip in the inside of her elbow and heart monitor attached to one of her fingers. Caroline at this time was falling in and out of consciousness and her body temperature was rising rapidly. The more she deteriorated the more Klaus became on edge. Worried creases forming permanently on his forehead. He never left her side just like she had asked him too which was difficult for him because he severely disliked sitting around and doing nothing. He felt useless in protecting her this way. He remembered the last time they had spoken to each other like it was yesterday.

3 months ago

Klaus watched her clean up the various caps and gowns as he walked up to her. His dear sweet full of light Caroline, always cleaning up the messes of other people even literally. While the other members of her superhero god squad were off celebrating or brooding or whatever it was they did to fill their days, Caroline chose to process the day's events while cleaning. Lucky for him, because this would mean she was alone and he could say to her what he had prepared in his head for days now upon receiving her graduation notice. She must have heard his footsteps or sensed his presents because as soon as he got close she turned around. Smiling slightly as if she was actually happy to see him. With these circumstances she probably was although he hoped that maybe it wasn’t just because they needed his blood, that maybe it was also just for him. Maybe this amazing blonde goddess actually deemed him worthy of being her friend.  He had chuckled when receiving her millionth voicemail where she told him now was not the time to decide he was over her. How could she possible ever think he would be over her. She was impossible to get over.

“How did you get here so fast?” She asked tilting her head slightly.

‘I was already on my way” Klaus explained trying not to let his excitement get the best of him “I received your graduation announcement… It was very subtle”

The slightly embarrassed giggle that came out of her warmed his heart.

“I assume you’re expecting cash?” He teased her putting the announcement back into his pocket.

“That… Or a mini fridge” Caroline joked back.

“Well I had considered to offer you a first class ticket to join me in New Orleans, but I knew what your answer would be” Klaus smiled slightly sad looking disappointed because they both knew he was right. The look in her eyes confirmed that.

“So I opted for something I knew you would accept” He went on suddenly looking at her very seriously. “Tyler is now free to return to Mystic Falls”

She looked at him in shock like she couldn’t believe this was happening and would wake up any time soon.

“What?” She breathed looking at him like he had just given her a unicorn.

“He’s your first love” Klaus explained a rare warm smile gracing his features “I intend to be your last… However long it takes”

He moved in quickly to kiss her cheek softly and for a moment he was sure she wanted him to kiss her, to seal this utterly selfless and romantic gesture he had just done for her with their lips softly grazing over eachother. She was truly happy at this moment and that was the most important thing. To give her this moment of utter happiness and to be the one who caused her to feel this way. It was worth it to push past his pride for this one occasion.

“Congratulations Caroline” He whispered softly into her ear. He meant it. After all the misery and drama she went through she had made it. She had managed to graduate and hold on to that last speck of her human life.

He could tell she was moved, nearly in tears by the emotion of the situation.

“Now let’s get out of here before twelve angry hybrids decide to pick a fight” Klaus joked offering her his arm as they walked away from the football field.

They had talked for a while about what her plans were for college and what courses she would take. What her plans were for summer and he even tried to convince her that maybe she should try and visit New Orleans for spring break. She had dismissed the invitation again as he knew she would. Nevertheless he turned to her took her hand into his and looked at her deeply.

“I’m being serious Caroline, I can no longer protect you and that makes me more uncomfortable than I care to admit so I have something else for you” He whispered taking a vile out of the inside pocket of his vest.

“This contains my blood, I want you to keep it on you at all times. You were lucky this time that I was already on my way, if somebody bites you while I am in New Orleans I will not be here on time to save you so consider this my insurance policy, should you need to use it you simple call me up and i will send you a replacement” Klaus told her rubbing the back of her hand with this thumb and never losing her gaze.

“Klaus..I” Caroline whispered taking a hold of the vile. It was so clear how much he loved her.

“However it comes with a promise” Klaus explained swallowing hard due to the tension between them.

“Yeah sure” Caroline whispered.

“Should you find yourself in any kind of trouble whatever it may be… Promise me you will come to me straight away…. Do not rely on others to protect you ….trust me to always keep you safe… “

She moved into him and for a moment Klaus thought that maybe this time she would actually kiss him. He nearly closed his eyes in anticipation of her lips when she wrapped her arms around him tightly pressing her face in his neck and embracing him.

“I promise” She whispered nearly silently not letting go.

He wrapped his arms around her as well hugging her back and smelling her hair. She smelled like Jasmine and vanilla. He could feel her breathing against his chest and hear the slightly faster beating of her heart. She was soft to his touch and warm. It mesmerized him so that he had uttered the words before he had even realised it.

“I love you Caroline”

She released him cupping his cheek with her hand tilting her head slightly and giving him a sad smile.

“I know you do”  

Present

Klaus was awakened from his memory by the ringing of his phone. He shook his head slightly to regain some of his composure as he picked his phone from his jeans looking at the caller on the screen. It was a number he didn’t recognize. Realising it could be Davina with an update he answered on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Is it true? Is she with you is she safe?” The voice of Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes asked worriedly on the other side of the line.

“She came to me for help yes…” Klaus said calmly recognizing the voice.

“Is she ok? Can I talk to her” Liz begged nearly in tears.

“She’s resting right now Sheriff, i’ll have her call you when she wakes up “ Klaus said hoping to end the conversation quickly.

“If you hurt her..”Liz started to threaten.

“Rest assure that no harm will come to your daughter as long as she is in my care, I am just as invested in her well being as you are you have my word” Klaus cut her off annoyed.

“Alright… I trust you to save her”  Liz warned him.

“I will protect her with my life” Klaus agreed before hanging up and ending the conversation.

Caroline didn’t wake up for nearly twelve hours after having received the 4th bloodbag in a row. The bags seemed to keep her a little more at ease, it relieved her of the horrible pains for the most part dulling it down to a soft ache and it helped with the shivering. But she was getting weaker he could tell that time was running out. She had called her mother just like Klaus had promised when she awoke in the middle of the night and he could tell she was trying to be brave and make light of the situation as to not worry her mother to much. But he knew how scared she was, he wasn’t quite sure if she had been hallucinating when she asked him to stay by her side because she was scared, but he knew her well enough now to know she was terrified even if she tried to hide it.

When she hung up the phone he had explained to her that the witch had  sensed dark magic on her and that they were out trying to find and destroy the totem. He explained to her that the IV drips helped keep her somewhat fed and functioning when her body was repelling the blood.

“Thank you for saving me” Caroline eventually said able to slightly sit up from from the bed.

“Thank you for keeping your promise” Klaus replied giving her a weak smile. “So I hear you and Tyler broke up?” he said a little to cheerfully.

Caroline had to chuckle slightly at his enthusiasm making her cough painfully. “Not now Klaus” She waved away his flirtations.

They talked for a while longer. Klaus tried to distract her mind for the pain and situation she was in by inquiring about her new life, in college. The classes she was taking and her professors. How her friends had been faring with him gone ...All the while avoiding the matter or her recently obtained single status. Eventually she had grown tired and fell asleep again. The sun was setting in New Orleans it had been little over 24 hours now since she had arrived. But Klaus had not spend a minute away from her. As he was watching her his eyes fell weary and he very slowly drifted into sleep.

“I’m picking up on something here...we’re definitely getting closer” Davina said as she softly stood in the middle of an open spot of the woods.

She was holding on to the hand of the Bennett witch they had met up with about an hour earlier channeling her powers to get the best reading. She had never met a Bennett witch before but she had heard of them. Several witches in New Orleans spoke badly of them because of their generations long affiliation with Vampires. But Davina had never judged about things like that, after all she befriended a few herself. Josh, Marcel… they had meant more to her in the last year then most of her family had in her entire lifetime.

Behind them were Marcel and Elijah who had come along for muscle power after all they had no clue what to expect once they had found the totum. The two men kept their distance leaving the girls to focus on the task at hand.

“Elijah can I ask you something?” Marcel asked when they had been waiting for over 15 minutes.

“Go ahead” Elijah nodded breaking a twig from a tree and twirling it between his fingers.

“What did you mean when you said his salvation?” Marcel asked curiously, he had been wondering what Elijah meant by that and why klaus seemed to be so uncharacteristically caring towards the girl.

“You know as well as I do that throughout the centuries I have fought for Niklaus’ humanity. To make him care for something other than himself whether that be family or mentoring you. But everytime I think we get close he’s proved me wrong by doing something to push all of us away….” Elijah started explaining the story.

“Yes I know that, it still doesn’t explain the girl” Marcel cut in, anxious to hear more about this mysterious girl.

“I’m getting to that now… You see about a year and a half ago Niklaus and I were in Mystic falls on a quest to find an alleged cure for vampirism. Miss Forbes who you have met earlier today was a new vampire turned by Katherina Petrova to be killed as a sacrifice in the ritual that would turn Niklaus into a hybrid. However young miss Forbes seems to have a knack for surviving even in the most dire of situations. This was also the case when she was bitten by her wolf boyfriend. In the end Niklaus came to her rescue because for the first time in his life he pitied someone, I think he must have thought her to be very beautiful” Elijah went on.

“Well she’s pretty i’ll give him that even when near death you could see she’s pretty” Marcel agreed.

“After he had fed her his blood, he changed. He always kept an eye out for her. Protected her but he also craved her attention. At first I think it was because she blatantly rejected him over and over. Niklaus always wanted what he could not have. But then it became more. You see Miss Forbes is everything we are not to him. She is loyal and full of light and she was always honest with him even when he did not want to hear the truth. She challenged him both openly and personally. She dared him to be better. She saw more to him I believe.... “

“Are you saying… He fell in love?” Marcel said in disbelief.

“With my brother there is never a guarantee, but in my opinion...yes he fell in love, for the first time since we were human I believe he fell in love, and it is in that love that I hope his salvation lies” Elijah ended the story.

“She must be one special girl” Marcel thought out loud thinking he never saw his mentor to be capable of such a thing.

“That she is” Elijah agreed.

“I hate to break up this little bromance, but Davina seems to think she discovered the location of the totum. So if you could break up your little moment i’d like to go and save my best friend” Bonnie interrupted the conversation.

“Very well Miss Bennett lead the way” Elijah nodded gesturing his hand for her to guide them.

As the night progressed Caroline got worse. Her system was now severely rejecting any form of blood and the heart monitor was only barely registering a heartbeat. Every time it took the monitor a little too long to peep Klaus would feel a panicky jolt going through his chest like an electrical shock. He had barely fallen asleep for an hour or two but was more awake than ever. The call from Mystic falls had awoken him. Elijah had said they found the location of the hexed totem and they were now on their way to destroy it. He just needed her to hold on a little longer. She was shivering uncontrollably again slipping in and out of consciousness. She had also definitely started hallucinating. They had a few hours left to save her at most. The hallucinations had been the worst part. Klaus had to watch helplessly as she relived every horrible memory from her past. It surprised klaus that for somebody who was so pure and light she had been through so much in her short lifespan.

First had come the memories of Damon biting her and trying to kill her. She had screamed in fear mistaking him for that sorry excuse of a vampire. It had taken him nearly twenty minutes to calm her down making her realise where she was and by that time she had weakened herself severely. The next hallucination was one of her father torturing her trying to condition her to not need blood anymore. She was just barely awake for that so Klaus thought it might have just been a bad dream. Nevertheless he crawled back into bed with her holding her and trying to sooth her through the worst of it.

The last hallucination was the one she was experiencing now. It was calmer but equally as horrible. She was crying. Heartbreaking sobs against his chest and he had no clue why. She whimpered something from time to time but she was too weak for it to be understandable. His shirt wet from her tears he tried to reach her, but the empty gaze in her eyes told him she was gone. Lost in whatever the hallucination showed her. In the end she kept repeating the same sentence as a whisper over and over again. And when he finally realised what she was whispering his heart seemed to break into a million pieces.

“Why did you leave me, Klaus?”

“Caroline?” He said in a shaky breath trying to get through to her. “Caroline i’m here….I didn’t leave look at me love….I’m here”

Her eyes became slightly more focussed when he spoke to her again, telling him she was out of whatever hallucination she was experiencing for now. But her skin had started to turn slightly grey and Klaus realised they might have even less time than he thought.

“Klaus?” she whispered looking up into his eyes slightly wondering why she was lying in his embrace on a bed.

“I’m here love…” Klaus smiled back.

She coughed , little spats of blood staining his shirt. He didn’t mind.

“I’m so tired” Caroline complained trying to keep the fog out of her head.

“I know love, I know but i need you to hold on for a little while longer....”

“I can’t anymore” tears rolled down her eyes.

“Don’t say that” Klaus said angrily he wasn’t going to let her give up. Not now that they were so close.

“Klaus I-” Caroline started to speak shakingly.

“NO! Caroline no! I won’t let you give up’ He started to raise his voice.

“Listen to me…” Caroline begged silently.” I need to tell you’

“Tell me what sweetheart?” he asked confused not knowing what she was talking about.

“I’m sorry…”

“Sorry for what , you have nothing to be sorry about I told you if you were ever in trou-” Klaus interrupted her again.

“I’m sorry for never telling you….”She coughed again “How I felt about you..”

Klaus smiled softly at her as she tried to keep speaking. “You’re hallucinating love”

“No i’m not” She went on determinedly. “ I need you to know I was just scared of admitting it and I need to tell you now before it’s too late “

Klaus kept her close to him trying to calm down her tensing body.

“You can tell me later love, when you’re better”

“No I need to tell you now” Caroline sobbed before placing a hand on his cheek and softly pulling him towards her. Slowly her broken cracked lips met his brushing against him with the softest kiss he could ever imagine. And in that kiss he felt more of her then she could ever express in words.

When they parted after what seemed like ages but could’ve only been a couple of seconds her body started going limb and the heart monitor started beeping like crazy. Klaus’ eyes widened as he realised she was dying.

“CAROLINE!!!” He screamed thinking that this way not the way things were supposed to go for them. “CAROLINE!!” He shook her hard forcing her eyes to stay open.

It was then that a thought came to him. The last possible resort he could possibly imagine.

“Caroline look at me…. Are you on vervain?....... Are you on vervain love answer me?!!!” He yelled at her.

Panting weakly her head shook only just for no.

“Look at me…. You can’t die on me! Do you hear me! I forbid you to die!!” he looked into her eyes deeply and saw her pupils dilating. He prayed for it to work.

“This is it” Davina whispered as the foursome halted at an empty space at the edge of the woods.

“I don’t think this is right D, there’s nothing here”  Marcel said looking around to see if maybe there was some freshly covered dirt that indicated something was buried.

“Hold on”Bonnie closed her eyes trying to sense something. She raised her hands up before her chest whispering something in Latin.

As by smoke a small Cabin appeared out of thin air. It was a small old thing. Looking like nobody had lived in it for over a decade. It’s windows were shattered and the wood had a mossy green color from bad maintenance. Looking at each other the four of them carefully checked to see if the door was open. It swung open at the touch indicating there was definitely magic around. As the boys tried to step over the threshold there were stopped by an invisible force field indicating that they had to be invited in.

“Well that’s an inconvenience” Elijah sighed banging on the invisible wall that kept him out.

“We’ll go check it out you guys wait here” Bonnie said stepping over the threshold.

Marcel stopped Davina grabbing her by her arm. “Be careful” He whispered meaningfully.

The girl simply nodded as she followed the other witch inside.

Inside it looked no better than the outside. It smelled horrible like there was something rotting and the single room looked like somebody had come in and trashed the place with a baseball bat.

“Hello?!” Bonnie yelled into the darkness grabbing the flashlight she had conveniently packed into her bag and turning it on. There was no response.

“Nobody’s here’ She whispered as they checked the space.

“Yes there is… I can sense it” Davina frowned her brow.

“Let’s just look for the totem” Bonnie said nervously starting to rummage through the place.

“You will never find it” A deep hollow voice whispered eerily from the darkness.

“Who’s there… show yourself?!” Davina yelled.

A figure emerged from the darkness stepping into the little light that shone through one of the cracked windows. An old woman who looked like she was at least a hundred years old appeared. She was small and her silver white hair hung braided over her shoulder. She hunched a little and needed a cane to walk. It was her eyes that freaked the girls out the most, pitch black with no iris’ or whites in them. They were hard against her wrinkled translucent skin creating a nearly demonic look.

“Who are you!” Bonnie asked taking a step back creating a bit more distance between her and the old crone.

“It does not matter who I am...you girls need to leave here… now!” The woman said in the same unnatural voice.

“Not without what we came for” Davina joined next to Bonnie.

“It is no use… I have seen the future and you are too late… As we speak the saviour is dying” The woman stepped closer.

“Look I don’t know what kind of creepy ass scientology shit you’re into lady but I’m here to save my best friend so give me that totem!” Bonnie said angrily to the old woman she had feared they were running out of time and she was stalling.

The woman reached into her blouse revealing a big silver amulet glowing blue through the cabin and dimly lighting the place. “As soon as this stops glowing your friend will be dead, and our future’s as witches will be ensured. With her death we will live!”

“What are you talking about Caroline wouldn’t hurt a fly!” Bonnie yelled back at the old woman. Clearly she had the wrong person.

“No, but the hybrid wouldl...When he rises to power he will unite the factions of all species leaving no room for us ancient practitioners....Vampires are already stopping our rituals and sacrifices...meddling in affairs they have no business in...you are the living proof of that miss Clare”

“What does that have to do with Caroline?!” Bonnie asked confused keeping her eye on the ever fading amulet.

“It is foretold that she will be the one to save him and his humanity. To inspire him to unite the factions. Inspired by her love for him he will find his power. So in removing his salvation he will turn to darkness and fall into the hands of his enemies” The woman explained.

“But peace between the factions is a good thing! We would all live together and be stronger for it!....the old covens are dying because of their inability to see this….” Davina rebutted in disbelief.

“Witches used to rule this earth….and it is their destiny to rule it again...to rule over these anomalies of nature that walk among us!....and now you are to late to stop us” The crone laughed wickedly.

When she spoke her last words the crone started chanting and the amulet started vibrating heavily along with the rest of the cabin. The two girls nearly fell off their feet trying hard not to fall over.

“What is she doing?!” Bonnie screamed through the noise of clattering junk falling to the floor.

“She’s tapping into the power of the amulet Bonnie take my hand now!” Davina yelled loudly.

“What are you going to do” Bonnie asked over the noise grabbing Davina’s hand.

‘I’m going to try and tap into the power of the ancestors to stop her but I can’t do it alone, I need your lineage too so hold on!!” Davina started chanting as well.

As soon as Bonnie started following her chant she could feel a surge of power coursing through her body. She could feel the essence of her ancestors around her harvesting so much power inside of her she felt like she was going to explode. She looked over at Davina who was still chanting in all her might. Blood pouring from her eyes , ears and nose. The spell was killing her but she kept on going.

When the air became too thick with power there was a giant explosion sending both girls off their feet into the ground and obliterating the cabin all together. The next thing she knew Bonnie was on the ground panting hard as burning debris fell  in every direction. A loud ringing in her ears disorienting her. She tried to sit up and take in her surroundings, the old crone was nowhere to be found but a few feet away from her Davina was lying motionless to the ground in her own blood.

“Davina!!” She could hear Marcel screaming as he ran towards the girl’s lifeless body he cradled her into his arms biting into his wrist letting drops of his blood fall into her mouth.

“Come on! Come on wake up” He screamed at her in a panic.

There was a moment of complete silence where Bonnie feared the absolute worst for the girl before she jolted up breathing in deeply.

“Thank god…” Marcel cried out hugging the girl close to his body. “You’re ok...you’re ok” He whispered soothingly.

“The Amulet!” Bonnie came back to her senses looking around to find it.

“Destroyed” Elijah joined them holding the now in three pieces broken amulet in his hand.”We have to bury the pieces in separate locations to keep them from rejoining but you did it!”

“Give me your phone!” Bonnie shouted to Elijah who took it out of his jacket and tossed it to Bonnie.

Bonnie hurried through the contacts clicking on Klaus’ name. He answered on the first ring.

“Klaus! We destroyed the Amulet….where’s Caroline were we on time?!” She asked rapidly.

“Listen for yourself” Klaus’ voice said softly on the other end of the phone.

There was a slight rustle on the other end of the phone and then another familiar voice spoke.

“Bon?” The voice of Caroline asked sounding much stronger than the last time they had spoke.

“Care thank god!” Bonnie cried laughing through her tears. “Are you ok?!”

“Yeah… a little shaky on my feet but i’m getting there… are you?” Caroline asked also sobbing.

“Yeah we’re all fine….” Bonnie laughed.

About two days later Caroline was sitting on the edge of the curb in front of the compound in New Orleans waiting for Elijah, Marcel, Davina and Bonnie to arrive. Though Klaus was sitting right next to her they had barely spoken since she had been cured from the hex. Bonnie had said she would come and find her once they had rested up a bit from the battle. The clouds were dark and grey announcing a thunderstorm would cross over the city of New Orleans any second now but she didn’t care. She was to excited to see her best friend. And as the black SUV turned around the corner she jumped up in excitement. The two girls hugged excessively the second they saw eachother both of them glad the other one was ok.

Caroline then went over to Elijah and Marcel to thank them both for the part they played in her rescuing. When she walked up to the other girl Caroline couldn’t help but hug her also.

“Thank you!” She whispered as she embraced the girl tightly.

“You’re very welcome…” Davina smiled awkwardly.

“No really… you don’t know me yet you risked your life for me.. Not that i’m ungrateful but why?” Caroline asked her seriously.

“Because I also believe in a world where the species can live together in peace… and i highly hope you can contribute to that” Davina squeezed Caroline’s shoulder before walking into the compound with Marcel. The rain now slightly dripping on her shoulders.

“What did she mean by that?” Caroline turned to Bonnie and Klaus as al three of them also walked inside.

“Care we need to talk about something.. “ Bonnie took her best friend by her hand and sat her down in a private corner of the courtyard. “You might want to hear this too Klaus”

“That old woman that hexed you….it wasn’t a random act” Bonnie sighed looking at her feet.

“What do you mean ? What did I do wrong?” Caroline asked surprised at this revelation.

“Nothing...yet…. I mean you’re not going to do anything wrong the way I see it...but other people might see it that way….” Bonnie started rambling.

“Bon you’re not making any sense and you’re scaring me” Caroline looked from Bonnie to Klaus for an explanation he looked just as confused and worried as she did.

“What do you mean?” Klaus asked looking at Bonnie intently.

“The crone was a sort of oracle, she could see into the future… And she made a prophecy that you Klaus will unite the supernatural world under your leadership” Bonnie explained.

“Not that that doesn’t sound bloody brilliant love, but what does that have to do with Caroline” Klaus asked confused.

“Because according to the prophecy it is the love between you too that will inspire you to do so...Without her you can’t…” Bonnie muttered.

“Oh…” Klaus said turning to Caroline with a big smile.

“Wait… Hold on…. You’re saying the fate of the supernatural world is resting on some epic love that there is supposed to be between us…” Caroline started freaking out. She was not prepared for this.

“Yeah…” Bonnie said looking slightly guilty for being the one to tell her this.

“So if I don’t give in to feelings I may or may not have towards the evilest being in the world i’m basically dooming us all” Caroline had the wind knocked out of her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Klaus yet and this all felt like she was being forced. She felt like she was going to puke again and the walls were closing in on her.

“I need to get out of here!” Caroline whispered running out of the front door into the streets.

It was pouring rain outside and Caroline really wished she hadn’t crashed her car earlier that week because it would make running away from her problems alot easier. She could hear Klaus following her.

“Caroline!” He yelled after her.

But she kept moving the rain soaking her instantly from head to toe. Thunder and lightening rumbling high in the sky.

“CAROLINE STOP!” Klaus yelled as he ran after her.

She could hardly see him through the rain as she turned around. Her hand removing wet hair from her face.

“WHAT?!” She yelled back at him.

“Sweetheart came back inside it’s pouring!!” Klaus urged her.

“NO!! I cant!!!” Caroline yelled back rain falling in streams from her face.

“Why not?! What did I do wrong” Klaus asked her as he caught up with her grabbing her by the shoulders.

“You did nothing wrong Klaus!” Caroline said turning her head away from him.

Klaus grabbed her chin in his hand and turned her head back to him to look into her eyes.

“Then why are you running from me?”

“Because this isn’t how it’s supposed to go!” Caroline shouted over the sound of the rain.

“You’re not making any sense darling how is what not supposed to go?” Klaus asked her looking at her cockeyed.

“US!! I won’t let you break my heart. I”m not settling for being second choice ever again because you taught me not to do so! You made me see that I deserve to be loved for me...so you should want to be with me for me! And not because some witch told us it was going to bring you power” Caroline explained her hand running through her hair again to remove wet strains from her cheeks.

“Caroline listen to me…. I don’t care about all that… I never have with you…. I just want you….I always have...screw everything else” Klaus proclaimed.

“Really?” Caroline asked suddenly alot calmer.

“Ofcourse...haven’t you been paying attention? Everything that you think is good about me is all because of you… Because I want to be better for you...It was always you!.... But If you need me to stand here in a thunderstorm to explain that to you over and over again I will… Because if you would give me the chance to be yours I will stand here for as long as you want me to remind you that you will always come first with me…So what do you say Caroline…”  Klaus asked her with a look of total vulnerability in his eyes holding his hand out for her to grasp.

“I say right answer” Caroline mouthed as she grabbed his hand and walked up to him crashing her lips to his, kissing him hard and passionately in the middle of a thunderstorm with rain pouring down on them.

FF link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12395780/6/The-realisation-Caroline-Forbes Please leave a review! (come on it’s my birthday :p) 

[siodymph]

Science Bros Request 1

Alrighty! My first request comes from @sunsetscomiche “Hi! So, you mentioned that you're taking requests, and I remembered that I have a page FULL of Science Bros prompts, so I grabbed a couple of them that could apply to Science Bros Week. (And if you want to view the whole page, it's linked under my bio). ;) - #1. Something where Bruce fixes the arc reactor. (Perhaps he’s the only one who knows how.) If you wanted to go for "Light." - #16. Literally anything where Tony and Bruce keep a score tally for a thing(s). This could work for "Triumph."”

I think I’ll go with your first request! I got an idea for that one! Thank you so much for requesting Sunset and I hope you enjoy this! (Gotta say though, still to this day the arc confuses me. Lol It sends out electromagnetic pulses to keep shards away from his heart, but when it’s removed he acts like he’s having a heart attack and his heart has stopped entirely? And the older models were also poisoning him?)

If there’s any story-ideas you’d like to read about, hit me up with any requests cause I’m accepting them till July 21st, tomorrow.

You can either read this story under the cut or on my AO3 through this link!

word count: 1793

When Bruce slowly came back to himself he knew something was wrong immediately. All his limbs felt like jelly and his focus kept blurring in and out. The Other Guy had taken him far away from the fight, he was waking up somewhere in the woods. But he could still faintly hear the sound of the Avengers fighting in the distance. Back down at the Hydra base hidden in an isolated valley. He could see laser blasts and smoke rise up miles away.

He had woken up way too early.

But it might take hours to drag himself back down there to the rest of the team. Why had he changed so far away from the fight? He got his answer when one thought raced through his mind. One that couldn’t be his own.

FIX TINMAN!

Bruce looked to his side and sure enough Tony was there, lying on a half-squashed stretcher a few yards away from him. He was still wearing bits and pieces of his suit. Sparks were coming off of the chest plate. And the Hulk hadn’t just dropped them randomly in the middle of the woods, Bruce realized now Hulk had set them near the quinjet Natasha had flown them all in on hours ago.

FIX HIM!

With that, the Other Guy’s presence disappeared completely from his mind and he was left alone. Grunting, he pulled himself off the ground and tried to blink away the dizziness as he got to his feet. Stumbling, he made his way over to Tony and saw the damage up close.

There was a hideous gash, it sliced right through Tony’s chest plate. Starting from the lower right, going over where the arc normally was and up to the left shoulder. From the lack of light anywhere else on the suit he feared it was all off-line. And Tony appeared to be unconscious. Skin blanched to the point it nearly looked blue, and his lips were parted. His breathing was ragged and irregular.

Bruce gently jostled Tony’s shoulder. Thankfully Tony woke back up after that, though he was wheezing and shuddering even more violently awake. When he made eye contact with Bruce Tony seemed to be under a haze. Pupils dilated.  

“Bruce? That you? Good. Big guy listened to me…”

He must have somehow persuaded Hulk to change. But Bruce couldn’t afford to give it much thought. Tony needed medical attention right now. Pulling from reserves he didn’t know he had Bruce grabbed Tony’s stretcher and pushed him onto the quinjet. “What happened? What do you need?”

“Suits busted.” Tony said, weakly tapping at the chest piece. He flinched when he dropped his hand down a little too hard. “I got hit really hard. I went down. And- shit! Somethin’s wrong with my arc.”

“Ok Tony, hang on. It’s gonna be ok.” Bruce tried to carefully pry the two halves of the chest piece off. They didn’t come off easily, but after a bit of tugging Bruce finally got the chest off completely and let it clatter onto the jet floor.

Only to find that the cover of the arc had been completely shattered. And it was now flickering in sparks.

When Tony’s saw it his eyes bugged. He squeezed his eyes shut and let his head fall back against the stretcher. “Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!”

It looked bad. Really bad. Bruce was amazed it could still have power for looking so… broken. And from the way Tony reacted to the arc Bruce knew it couldn’t possibly be an easy fix. And it wasn’t like they had spare arcs rolling around on the floor. He was starting to panic. They both were.

Bruce grasped Tony’s shoulders, trying to ground him. “Tony! Tony, you have to stick with me! What can I do to fix the arc?”

“Wha-“

“I can do whatever you need me to do. But I need you to stay awake and give me some direction. Come on Tony. We can do this.”

That seemed to work on Tony some. His breathing, still sporadic, had quieted down at least. And he opened his eyes to look at Bruce and his own chest. Bruce saw him biting at his cheek as he looked over the damage again.

Bruce had helped Tony before. With the arc’s recharging when Tony was too exhausted and a few times with arc replacements. But never something this unclear or dire. He may have been just as much an engineer as he was a biologist, but he’d still need some direction from Tony to make sure he did this right.

Tony tapped at his cracked arc as he spoke. “This- this guy’s busted but I got some time. This isn’t like instant death. More like, death in a couple hours?”

“Tony-”

“It won’t last long. I’ll need to do a replacement stat if we can make it back to the tower. But for now we gotta patch this baby up. Keep her stable till we get home.” Tony was trying to be all funny and cute. But between the dying pale skin and the shaky breathing after every couple words it only made Bruce feel worse.

“Patch it up?” He asked incredulously.

“Yeah, like driving on a spare tire till you can get it replaced. It won’t last forever but it’ll keep me alive.”

Bruce couldn’t believe it. His boyfriend was dying as they spoke and he expected to survive off temporary solutions till they could get a real arc? What if something happened in the quinjet as they flew home? What if something happened to their team that forces them to stay longer? Everything could go horribly wrong far too easily and Tony was putting all his faith on a spare tire?

“You ok to do this?” Tony asked, sounding really unsure.  “Cause… You look like you’re gonna pass out Bruce.”

Crap, Bruce hadn’t even thought of that. He was going straight from transformation into emergency arc repairs? He could barely walk straight! But everyone else was still at the Hydra base and Tony’s heart couldn’t wait a moment longer. “I can do it. I’ll just have to sit down. And I should probably drink something first.”

Bruce found a chair and rolled it directly next to Tony. And as he hurried about the quinjet looking for anything the remotely resembled equipment he took quick sips of one of the electrolyte drinks kept on all the ships.

When it was good as it was going to get, Bruce took all his supplies and plopped down next to Tony. And after cranking his chair as high as it could go he was ready.

“Ok Tony, just talk me through this. I got you.”

“Ok… Be careful of all the sparks as you unseal the top bit. The one that concave now? Yeah, that’s it.”

~~~

Tony tried his best to keep his head on straight and walk Bruce through his mechanical heart. But the longer it went on the more it felt like he was giving the instructions wasted. The world around him blurred to mush, his words felt slow and slurred, he could feel his body slowing down. And it’d keep slowing down until it came to a full stop unless Bruce got the arc stabilized first.

God he hated this. Feeling so helpless. Honestly, he was flying around in top-tier armor and yet on a team where an ordinary man was running around shooting arrows with a sleeveless leather vest as armor somehow he was the vulnerable one today.

They had been battling it out with a bunch of Nazi creeps. It had been going fine too until one of those idiots managed to land a hit directly at Tony’s chest piece. He’d been hit so hard Jarvis got knocked out. And when the suit went down Hulk had gone ballistic. He caught Tony and immediately carried him away from the battle when he couldn’t hear Tony. The suits mics had been down along with the rest of his suits abilities, and he was getting to week to yell.

After a hulk-sized leap that left Tony’s stomach somewhere back in the Hydra base, Hulk had set him down and began ripping apart his suit. Starting with his mask.

“Big guy? Ok buddy can you listen to me? Buddy?”

But the Hulk didn’t seem to focus on him. Instead he was forcing the quinjet hatch open and tried to pull out its emergency stretcher. It was like seeing a kid play with a dollhouse. Hulk didn’t seem to realize his strength and nearly wrecked the stretcher when he squeezed it in one hand. And Tony had half the mind to be afraid as Hulk reached back to pick him up. Luckily though he set him down much more gently. And when he looked down at him, he had the most terrified look on his face it broke his heart. Or technically maybe it broke his heart more.

At least he had Hulk’s full attention now. He tried to raise his voice as much as he could still managed while his whole chest felt like it was stuttering. “Hulk? Buddy? I know you’re scared right now. But we could really use Banner’s help right now, don’t you think?”

“Banner fix Tinman?” Hulk asked, hopeful.

“For sure. He’s a doctor… he’ll know what to do.”

Hulk nodded and took a few steps from Tony. And he saw him begin to transform. Tony closed his eyes and waited for Bruce. Bruce would know what to do. Bruce would make this alright.

~~~

Hours later they were back home in the tower. Bruce helped Tony down to his workshop and with Jarvis there to give him directions and backup he got Tony’s “spare tire” of a heart out of his chest cavity and put one of his newest models in its place.

“You know I think you like making these arcs for the heck of it. You keep making new designs on each one. It must be like pottery to you.” Bruce replied as he cleaned that gross plasmic discharge that built up under the reactor off his hands.

“Oh it is. Definitely. It’s my underwater basket weaving. Having a few spares comes in handy though…” Tony said, looking Bruce’s handiwork over in a mirror before shrugging on a comfy shirt. Once he was all set, he paced back towards Bruce, hugging him from behind and kissing his neck. “Thanks for saving my ass out there.”

“Just looking out for my favorite hero… So what do you want to do now?”

“One thing really.”

They spent the rest of the day passed out in Bruce’s room. Recuperating from hydra-fighting, hulking out, living on a wrecked arc and nearly dying.