#or it was soon to happen and he's stuck in haven or a mission on his birthday. which is also sad

[moinsbienquekaworu]

Bedtime but oh how I wish I had coherent thoughts about. Amaris.

[fortheloveofwonderland]

Rusty | Chapter 20 | S.R

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A/N - this chapter gets dark. Spencer is suffering from a full on break and grows suicidal. Please proceed with caution. This one ends on a cliffhanger, sorry not sorry.

Summary - While you set out on a mission to help Spencer, despite the personal risk, Spencer spirals further into darkness.

Pairing - Spencer Reid / Fem! Reader

Category - strangers to friends to lovers | angst | smut minors DNI

Warnings - extreme dissociation, swearing, drinking, mentions of past rape, brief mention of oral (m receiving), vomit, blood, self harm, suicide attempt.

WC - 6.4k

Nearly two hundred and fifty some miles and four sweaty buses later you found yourself in a nondescript alleyway sandwiched between a bodega and a dry cleaners on the outskirts of Las Cruces, New Mexico. 

Despite the heat you pulled the hood of the sweatshirt you’d purchased higher over your head, obscuring your face as much as possible. The wanted posters were everywhere, you couldn’t be too careful. 

You’d bought supplies and treated your arm wound as best you could and it had at least stopped bleeding. It was one less thing to worry about. 

It was some eighteen hours since you’d watched Spencer, or whoever he was at the time, leave the barn in the middle of the desert that you’d been hiding in to continue his hunt for you. 

You could have kept running, you no doubt should have kept running. But you knew leaving Spencer this way would result in his complete and utter spiral into the blackest depths of destruction. You couldn’t just leave him to his own demise. 

Despite it all, you loved him. It wasn’t his fault these things were happening to him, it wasn’t a testament of who he was as a person. It was a manifestation of a lifetime of trauma and you needed to get him some help. 

And there was only one person for that job. 

It wasn’t until you were almost an hour outside of Tombstone that you even realised you had Spencer’s phone. There were only a handful of numbers saved to the device and one in which you knew could be the answer to his problems.

However, if you were to help Spencer you would ultimately need to sacrifice yourself. 

You’d weighed up the pros and cons religiously on one of your bus journeys. You’d known for some time you would do just about anything for Spencer, the fact you’d stuck around after he hit you was proof enough of that. 

But did you love him enough to put him before yourself? Because in order to help him, you were effectively ending your own life. 

In the end the decision had been a relatively easy one. Spencer would no doubt end up dead at his own hands if you left him like this and no matter how far you ran you would never outrun that kind of guilt. 

And so here you were now, ready to surrender yourself in return for Spencer’s well being. 

At first when you’d called that number in his phone it hadn’t rang, simply beeped each time you’d hit the call button. After a few attempts you realised the number had been blocked. 

Once you’d gone through his settings and unblocked the number it rang five times before a frantic voice answered.

“Spencer? Oh my god Spence!” 

“Uh, not exactly…listen I need your help and I don’t know who else to ask. I'm a…friend of Spencer’s and I think he’s come off of his meds. He’s in a bad way. I need your help.” 

You hadn’t had to go into detail, hearing Spencer was in trouble was enough for them to come running. 

You’d chosen Las Cruces as a meeting place as it was far enough away from Tombstone that should they not help you and you managed to get away, you wouldn’t compromise the little safe haven. 

Their flight arrived an hour ago, they’d text you on Spencer’s phone and you’d given them the meeting spot. They should be here any minute. 

You held the revolver in your hand, hoping to not have to use it but knowing you’d need some leverage. As soon as they saw your face, the one plastered on wanted posters across the country, they’d be ready to drag you in. 

But Spencer was the priority here, you needed them to hear you out before slapping you in cuffs. 

You heard a car roll past and soon come to a stop. Then the sound of a car door opening and closing. You held your breath when the sound of footsteps entered your ears and levelled the gun towards the entrance of the alleyway. 

He appeared like an apparition, shrouded in an almost ethereal glow from the sunlight streaming in behind him. 

His footsteps were heavy on the ground as he started towards you, back stiffening when he saw the gun in your hand. 

Your face was obscured by the hoodie, pulled closely round your head. You needed to make a few things clear before he knew who you were. 

His hand went to his holster, palming the butt of his own firearm but not drawing it. He dared to step closer, out of the light and his image came into view. 

Luke Alvez stepped towards you, his brow furrowed deeply and his lips puckered. He stopped a few feet in front of you, eyes trained on the revolver in your hand. 

“You called me,” he spoke, one hand still on his holster, the other in the air in surrender. “Do we need the gun?” 

“For now, yes.” You replied stiffly. “I need you to make a deal with me before I can put it away.” 

“What kind of deal? I’m here for Spencer.” 

“I need you to promise me you will help him first and arrest me later.” 

Luke’s frown deepened as he tried to focus on your face beneath the hoodie to no avail. He gave you a cursory once over before his eyes landed back on the gun. 

“Why would I arrest you? I don’t even know who you are.” Luke shrugged. 

“Yes, Agent Alvez, you do.” You took a step closer, using your free hand to finally tug down the hood of your sweater and waited for Luke’s reaction.

It happened almost instantly. His eyes widened, almost bulging out of his head. His mouth fell open and the colour seemed to drain from his face. He drew his gun now, pointing it back at you in one swift move. You noticed his hand was shaking a little. 

“Y/N Y/L/N,” he croaked, absolutely dumbfounded. His mind travelled back to Spencer’s Bandera ranch as he stared at you in disbelief. 

“Is this the woman? I only saw her from the back. She coulda changed her hair? Is this her? She escaped from a max security facility a few weeks ago. Phil called me.” 

“No. I’ve never seen this woman before.” 

“You wouldn’t lie to me would you, Spencer? Because this woman is dangerous, and if you’re lying to me, that’s harbouring a fugitive. I don’t need to tell you that comes with a prison sentence.” 

“I’m telling you Luke, I don’t know this woman. I’m sorry, I can’t help you.”

“Right, I’m just being paranoid I guess.”

Your lip twitched up at the corner in a wry smile and you stared him dead in the eye, not allowing him to see your fear. You swallowed down your nerves over all the ways this could go wrong and when you spoke, your voice held nothing but conviction. 

“Hello Agent Alvez,” you clicked your tongue. “It’s so good to finally meet you.” 

***

Spencer Reid had finally lost his mind, of this he was certain. The last thing he remembered before finding himself in his library surrounded by hundreds of trashed books, was standing in the stable opening Luke’s gift. 

He was bleeding, there was no surprise there. His shotgun was on the floor and there were three bullet holes in the wall. 

His books had been torn from shelves, pages ripped from their spines and shredded to confetti. He found Copper in the bedroom and he cowered away from Spencer when he entered the room. 

But you and his cell phone were nowhere to be found. 

Judging by the time he’d been out for over half a day, his longest dissociation by far. Images came to him in flashes but he wasn’t sure if any of it was actually real. 

A sprawling desert. Shotgun blasts. An abandoned barn in the middle of nowhere. Blood.

But the most disturbing part was the extremely distinctive voices of the ghosts in his head conversing with him as though it was perfectly normal. 

“It was God’s will boy, don’t you ever forget it.” 

“We were just protecting you, Spencie. She’s no good for us.” 

“You were too weak to protect her, just like you were too weak to look after your mother.” 

“You couldn’t save Maeve from me, what makes you think you can save her from yourself?” 

“She would have made a much better sacrifice than you. Cyrus would have loved her.” 

“Shut up! Just fucking shut up!” He yelled, hands flying to his head and eyes closing against the onslaught. 

“She was cute, I’ll give you that. But she’ll never be me. Does it make you sick that after everything I put you through you’d still fuck me given half a chance? I saw it in your eyes when you had me up against the wall, it turned you on.”

“No, no! That’s not true. You make me sick, I’d never-”

“He would have let me too, if he thought it would save his previous Maeve. He let me kiss him, I always wondered what else he’d let me do.” 

“That’s not true. I would not have crossed that line. I loved Maeve, I was just trying to protect her!” He rocked back and forth on the edge of the bed, clutching his head tightly. 

“But you couldn’t protect her, the same way you couldn’t protect Y/N. Because you’re a goddamn weakling, Spencer! It’s why I left, I couldn’t stand what a pansy of a son I had.” 

“Fuck you, dad. I’m not weak, not weak. You were the weak one. You left because you couldn’t handle moms illness.” 

“You were pathetic and weak just like Tobias. It’s why Charles and I had to teach you a lesson. Both weak and both sinners.” 

“No! You’re wrong! I’m not weak and I’m not a sinner! I’m nothing like Tobias!” He screamed to try to drown them out. 

“Cyrus was so wrong about you.” 

“No, please. Just leave me alone, please!” He whined, opening his eyes to a barrage of tears cascading down his cheeks. 

“You did this to yourself, son. You’re just like your mother, thinking you know better than the doctors, coming off the medication that is meant to help you.” 

“What have I done? Fuck, Spencer you’re supposed to be a genius!” He threw himself to his feet, ignoring the ache from the open wound in his thigh he’d yet to address. 

He stormed back downstairs to the upturned library and the bottles of whiskey he kept in a hidden cabinet in one of the shelves. He grabbed one and unscrewed the lid. 

“Once an addict, always an addict. Just like Tobias.”

“I��m nothing like him.” He whimpered, raising the bottle to his lips and taking a long sip. 

“Just replacing one vice for another. Do you feel it, Spencer? Do you feel your cells dying as you decide to give up? You’re only proving my research.” 

“I don’t want to die. And even if I did, your research was flawed. You used your parents as test subjects, your sample was biased.” He took another swig. 

Where is Y/N? What happened and where did she go? 

“She left your sorry ass just like everyone else.” 

“Fuck you dad!” Spencer screamed into the void. “And fuck you Cat, Diane. Fuck you Merva. Fuck you Raphael, Tobias, Charles…whoever you are. Fuck you all! I need to find Y/N.”

“She’s never coming back, you scared the life out of the poor thing, Spencie.” 

“I didn’t do anything! That was all you. What did you do to her?”

“We drove the devil away.”

“She wasn’t the devil!” Spencer spat, taking another, longer sip of the whiskey in the hopes that if he was drunk he wouldn’t hear their constant assault upon him. “Why is this happening? Why is this happening to me?” 

“You’ve never been strong enough. You weren’t strong enough to fight me off were you?” 

The new voice entering the fray caused Spencer to still, his heart skipping at least several beats. This voice was a thick Spanish drawl, husky from too many smokes. That particular voice haunted Spencer’s dreams and most of his waking moments too. 

It was the voice of the ringleader, the aggressor and instigator in Spencer’s prison rapes. 

Spencer’s whole body trembled, almost dropping the bottle on the floor as more tears scored harshly down his cheeks. 

“P-please,” he whimpered. “Please not you too.” 

“Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy what we did to you. We all saw how much you enjoyed it, cariño.” 

The use of Luke’s old nickname in the voice of his rapist caused Spencer’s legs to buckle. He collapsed on the shredded paper on the floor, the whiskey bottle rolling from his hand and spilling its contents across the ripped pages. 

“D-don’t call me that.” He cried, on his hands and knees in the destruction of books. “Please don’t c-call me that.” 

“What’s the matter cariño? You always liked it when he called you it.” 

“Because I loved him. Because when he said it, it was caring and kind and not evil.” 

“What would you prefer, cariño?” The voice was overwhelming, casting all the others away. “Mi corazón? Mi Vida? Querido?” 

Spencer sobbed, his whole body quaking. At some point or another Luke had called him all of those things and hearing them from the mouth of the man who destroyed that relationship was causing Spencer to spiral further than before. 

“Te amo, Spencer.”

“No, no please stop it. It’s not fair!” Spencer wailed. “I loved him so much but I couldn’t be with him because of you! Because of what you and your goons did to me!” 

He was crawling around on the floor with no destination. The voices all started talking at once, muttering and mumbling to each other, to him, and he couldn’t keep up.

The voices weren’t just in him, they were him. And he was them. Spencer was no longer a singular entity. He carried pieces of his ghosts, his abusers, his tormentors. He was one with them now. 

There was no coming back from this. He may as well just lean into it. 

***

When Luke Alvez’s phone bleated for his attention that morning he’d assumed it was the BAU trying to drag him away from the first blissful day off he’d had in weeks. 

He’d been in the midst of receiving one of the most earth shattering blowjobs of his entire life, swaddled in the plush goose down duvet on Grant’s unnecessarily comfortable mattress. 

His boyfriend - yes that’s what he was - lived in a little apartment a few blocks from Luke’s own although they spent all their free time together. It may have only been six months but Luke was already considering asking Grant to move in with him. 

As long as he brings this stupidly comfy bed. 

He’d been moments away from his orgasm when the ringing device rudely cut through his haze of pleasure. 

It wouldn’t be the first time the BAU had demanded his attention while he’d been in the middle of sexual euphoria with Grant. 

His head had been so foggy with his impending release when Grant came off of him with a little pop he had to blink a few times at the phantom name on his phone screen. 

For a moment he was so bewildered by the sight of the ghost's name displayed in front of him that his whole body froze in abject horror. 

Grant watched him curiously from the other side of the bed while his boyfriend paled a sickly colour. He knew it wasn’t the BAU. 

“Spencer?” Luke breathed as he put the device to his ear. “Oh my god Spence!” 

“Uh, not exactly…listen I need your help and I don’t know who else to ask. I'm a…friend of Spencer’s and I think he’s come off of his meds. He’s in a bad way. I need your help.” 

The stranger using Spencer’s phone had gone on to ask him to come to Las Cruces, New Mexico, practically begging for his help. When he hung up he didn't know what to think. He’d ended the call by saying he didn’t think he could get involved. 

Grant had moved to DC for him, Grant had moved to DC because even after one night together he’d decided Luke was worth that to him. But Spencer had easily been able to toss him aside after two years together.

He’d made a decision after Grant came to the east coast that he was finally done with Spencer. He was giving himself over entirely to his new fledgling relationship and he was going to stop pining over Spencer once and for all. 

But then some mystery woman called him and he found himself thrown into turmoil. 

Grant had been incredibly understanding and if it wasn’t for his insistence, Luke might not have gone. 

But Grant had pointed out that it would only play on his mind and he would never forgive himself if something happened to Spencer. And although Grant wasn’t thrilled about him springing into action to help his ex, he knew it was something Luke needed to do.

So he’d called Spencer’s phone and spoke to the mystery woman once more saying he’d be on a flight as soon as he could. And then he’d called Emily. 

Emily was equally as understanding as Grant, letting him take a few days to go and check on Spencer. 

And so now here he was, in New Mexico, face to face with a woman he’d been obsessed with catching. 

“You need to put the gun down right now. Come quietly and maybe I’ll see if I can cut you a deal for handing yourself in.” 

You had your guns pointing at each other, neither of you relinquishing. 

“I’ll be the one making deals, Agent Alvez. I need your help. Spencer has come off his meds and his brain is fracturing. I’m fairly certain he’s dissociating into multiple personalities. You are the only one who can help. Please?” You begged and you saw Luke falter a little. 

“Why should I believe you?” He corrected himself. “This could just be some kind of trap.” 

“What on earth would I have to gain by drawing you out like this? You didn’t know how to find me, you had no idea where I was. Why would I put myself in danger like that?” You scoffed.

You saw the cogs turning in his eyes, making sense of your words. 

“Why would you put yourself in danger for Spencer?” He cocked an eyebrow at you. 

“Because I love him.” You shrugged. “Getting him help is more important to me than my freedom. So if you come with me and you help him, I will go quietly. I will let you bring me in and I will spend the rest of my life behind bars. As long as Spencer is okay.” 

Luke narrowed his eyes on you, scrutinising you in disbelief. It was understandable, you expected his scepticism. 

“I swear this isn’t a trick.” You continued. “But I need you to help him before I cooperate with you. Let me take you to him, please? I don’t know what else to do.”

He was profiling you, you could only assume. He saw nothing but genuine care for Spencer in your eyes. You were here, prepared to give up your freedom so Luke would help Spencer. 

But Luke was bred to be a cynic. If his time in the Rangers and as a fugitive hunter had taught him anything it was to trust no one. 

If you did have an angle however, he couldn’t foresee what it would be. If you wanted him dead you would have shot him the moment he entered the alley, before he’d had a chance to draw his weapon. 

But if Spencer really did need his aid, and Luke agreed to assist, what was to say you wouldn’t kill him after? Or at the very least make a run for it. 

If he wanted to, he could shoot you in the arm, disable you long enough to cuff you and call Phil to help him extract you. 

But the begging look in your eyes told him that Spencer really was in trouble. And he’d never be able to forgive himself if he turned his back on him. 

“You’d do this for him? You’d really hand yourself over and go back to prison just so I’ll help him?” His hand holding the gun faltered. 

“I would.” You nodded. “Luke, you know all about the magic that is Spencer Reid. I have no doubt you would have done anything for him too, am I right?” 

“Yes.” He replied without hesitation. 

“Then you know what I’m saying is true. He means more to me than my freedom.” As if to prove this point you cautiously lowered your gun. 

You hoped the second you did so Luke wouldn’t be on you with cuffs. But the look on his face told you he believed you and you were sure he was going to help. 

You tucked the firearm back in your waistband and held your hands up to show you posed no threat. You nodded at his own gun, silently telling him to do the same. 

Luke’s jaw clenched, you saw the way it pulsed. His fingers flexed around the weapon before he slowly lowered it, carefully tucking it back in his holster. 

For a moment the two of you stared at one another, a quiet understanding passing between you. You were both willing to put aside this forced vendetta between you for the sake of Spencer. For a brief window, the two of you were on the same side. 

“Okay,” Luke huffed out after a few minutes of silence. “Where is he?” 

“Tombstone.” You rolled your lip between your teeth. 

“Arizona?” He baulked. 

“You really think I was going to bring law enforcement to our doorstep before I knew I could trust you?” Your lip twitched at the corner. 

“Ay dios mio.” He muttered under his breath. “I guess we better get going, that’s a long drive.” 

“About four hours.” You nodded. 

“Mierda.” He spat with a roll of his eyes. You could only assume given the conviction for which he said it that it was a curse word. 

“I don’t speak Spanish but, sure.” You shrugged. “Shall we?” 

Luke nodded his head, motioning for you to pass him first, probably so he could keep an eye on you in case you tried to run. 

He led you to a black Escalade parked a little ways up the street which he unlocked from the button on the rental keys. You slid into the passenger's seat and Luke in the driver's side. 

He started the engine and nodded his head towards the GPS display in the middle of the dash. You leant forward in your seat and tapped in the zip code of the ranch in Tombstone. 

“This better not be some kind of trap.” Luke grumbled as he put the car in drive. 

“Agent Alvez with all due respect, please just fucking drive.” 

Luke huffed out a breath, hands clenching around the wheel but he did as you said, flicking the blinkers and checking his mirrors before pulling out onto the sleepy street. 

You fell into silence and he switched on the radio to combat the awkward quiet. You stared out the window, only partially wondering what the fuck you were doing. 

***

The thick and heavy scents of vomit and blood assaulted his nostrils before he’d even opened his eyes. He didn’t remember falling asleep, or being sick for that matter. 

He peeled his face off of the floor, a rogue book page stuck to his cheek which he removed and tossed aside. 

He blinked as he sat up, rubbing his eyes and taking in the annihilated library around him. His memory came in broken flashes but he couldn’t decipher what was real and what was imagined. 

What he did know was there was a puddle of dried vomit near where he’d been laying, mostly bile as he hadn’t eaten much of anything since…well he had no idea how long it had been. 

He wore only his boxers and t-shirt, his jeans were crumpled nearby in a pile of books of torn paper. Pulling his legs out in front of him he noticed several cuts of varying sizes littered all over his left thigh, covered in crusty blood. 

The way his head throbbed told him he’d drank a lot, again, no surprise there. 

And then he remembered with startling coherence that you were gone. He’d let his demons out to play and they’d driven you away. 

A shotgun. A dry desert. Glass shards. Heavy breaths and violent heartbeats. 

“I will find you princess, mark my words. I will find you.”

Silence hung heavy around him and for that he was grateful. The rush of voices were quiet for now, for the moment at least he was alone. 

He’d kept a lid on those monsters that lived inside of him for so long but he knew now that they’d escaped they would be back sooner rather than later. He’d dealt with so much evil in his life but those six hellions were the ones with whom he’d suffered the most. 

William. Tobias. Diane. Cat. Benjamin. And the man who had incited his prison rapes, who’s name he couldn’t even say inside his head. 

He’d become them, and they him. They were so deeply sewn into the fabric of who he was as a person that they were now coming to life. He’d given them life. He fed them, nurtured them and he couldn’t just let them go. He’d brought this on himself. 

It was an inevitable outcome of years of trauma combined with suddenly withdrawing from his meds and heavy alcohol consumption. He’d given them the tools to break free and he couldn’t be surprised that they’d done just that. 

For now all he could do was relish in the quiet before they all came back at him full throttle. 

Eat. Shower. Try and clean up this fucking mess. And then…

Then what? The obvious answer was to try and find you, figure out where you’d gone and if you were ever coming back. But how did he go about that? He couldn’t find his phone and you could have gone anywhere. 

One thing at a time, Reid. Clean up the vomit. Clean up yourself. Food. Cleanse. Before they return. 

He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the way his new cuts howled as he moved. He forced himself towards the kitchen for cleaning supplies. 

He barely made it to the sink before he felt an itching in the back of his head. No, not his head…his brain. 

And then the voice made itself known, although he struggled to ascertain exactly what voice was assaulting him this time. He supposed it didn’t really matter. 

“You can’t run from us, Reid. We’re a part of you now. We all took pieces from you that you’ll never get back. This is your life now. You’re stuck with us. Until the bitter end.” 

***

Luke drove at a frightening pace, his foot hugging the accelerator. His hands held the wheel in a white knuckle grip, monopolising the far left lane and overtaking almost every car on the road. 

Aside from the radio station filtering into the car, the two of you were silent. You could see the internal battle waging within Luke, the good versus evil debate. 

You were evil, you knew that’s how he saw you. But you were trying to do good by Spencer and because of this, Luke didn’t know how to feel towards you. 

You felt bad for dragging him into this. From the little you knew of him he seemed like he was a nice guy, a guy who would clearly do anything for the love of his life, who was also the love of your life. 

But he would get his reward in the form of getting to take you in, he would be the one to arrest you once Spencer was safe from himself. It was a sacrifice you were willing to make to keep him from harm's way. 

After miles of highway landscape zooming before your eyes, you sucked in a breath and turned to Luke in your chair. 

“So, uh, how are things with your cowboy?” 

Your words caused him to stiffen more so than he already was. His fingers somehow gripped tighter against the wheel. 

“Grant. His name is Grant.” He replied, his voice monotone. 

“Right,” you smiled to yourself. “My question still stands.” 

“Why do you care?” He glanced at you out of the corner of his eye. 

“We’re gonna be stuck in this car for at least another three hours, maybe less given the speed you’re gunning it. But I thought I’d try and make conversation.” You shrugged. 

Luke chewed on the inside of his cheek, weighing up his options. He knew you were right, as much as he didn’t want to engage you. It would be an incredibly long journey trapped in silence. 

“It’s, uh, it’s good. He’s great, he makes me feel like I might finally be able to get over Spencer.” He confessed, unsure why he was telling you this. 

“And, ya know, he’s super easy on the eyes.” You chuckled, only just refraining from saying what a good kisser he was. That would have no doubt caused Luke to swerve off of the road if he found out that tidbit of your past. 

“He really is.” Luke relaxed a little, a small smile playing on his lips. 

“I only know the bare bones about your break up with Spencer, but for what it’s worth I know he still thinks about you. I know he loves me, but I also know a part of him will always love you.” You sighed. 

Luke tensed again, his jaw set and his back stiffened against the chair once more. He squared his shoulders like he was gearing up for a fight. 

“I don’t think I needed to know that.” He huffed. “I’m crazy about Grant but if Spencer told me tomorrow he wanted me back I would drop everything for him. Kinda like I did when you called and said he was in trouble.” 

“Don’t beat yourself up over it.” You spoke softly. “He’s a force unto himself. He’s magnetic, irresistible. Hell, I’m willingly letting you arrest me when this is all over just to ensure his safety. It’s kinda infuriating how he makes it so easy to fall in love with him.” 

“It kinda is.” Luke agreed with a wry smile, giving you a sidelong glance again. “Y/N?”

“Yes?” 

“Twelve times.” He swallowed. “You shot him twelve fucking times.”

“I did.” You nodded, rolling your lip between your teeth. “And I’ll tell you something, Agent Alvez, I’d do it again too. I’ll admit twelve shots was excessive but if I hadn’t killed him, he would have killed me. He put me and my mom through hell and he deserved what he got. 

“Tell me something, Agent. If you could get your hands on the men who abused Spencer in prison, would you hold back? Despite the oath you took, would you be able to steal yourself if confronted by them? Because I don’t think you could. They hurt someone you love and I think, like me, you’re fiercely protective of the people you love. So tell me, would twelve bullets even be enough?” 

He felt your eyes on him, heavy and imposing. He swallowed thickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing beneath his flesh. He didn’t owe you the truth but he gave it to you anyway. 

“There wouldn’t be enough bullets in the world if I ever came face to face with them.” He confessed, his jaw tight as he did so. 

“I know you hate me, I know I’m some kind of thorn in your side. But I think that animosity stems from the fact that you understand why I did what I did, and it pains you to think that way because you’re an officer of the law. You vowed to protect and serve, to uphold the laws of this country and ensure justice. But justice isn’t always rewarding. 

“I could have called the cops on Sayers, I could have testified and had him put in prison. But as long as he was breathing it would never be over. The same way that while Spencer’s rapists are still alive it will never be over for you. I get that you have a job to do and as promised, if you help Spencer I will go quietly into the good night. But you know you agree with what I did, and that’s why you’ve let my escape consume you.” 

You were right and it was proven by the tight pulse of his jaw and the squeezing of his hands against the leather wheel. He didn’t speak to confirm it, he didn’t need to. 

The truth was, and Alvez knew it well, that we all harbour a darkness inside of us. He’d kept his well hidden for the most part, but it had come clawing to the surface after Spencer’s incarceration and his face off with Mr Scratch. 

When he found out of the true horrors of Spencer’s time in prison, it was impossible to swallow it down again. Ever since it had ebbed just below the surface, ready to be unleashed at any moment. 

The very same way yours had when you’d confronted your step father. 

As much as he wanted to blame you for what you’d done, he couldn’t because that would make him a hypocrite. You’d taken your revenge on the man who’d hurt you in the same vein Luke wished to seek justice on the men who had raped Spencer. 

Of course, he didn’t admit as much out loud. Instead the two of you fell back into that terse silence as you continued on your way to find Spencer. 

He only hoped the younger man hadn’t succumbed to his demons in a way that would make it impossible to cloy him back from his own treacherous darkness. 

***

The gentle caress of the too hot water tingled his fraught limbs and provoked his open wounds. His sensitive flesh groaned beneath the heat that threatened to encompass him. 

The weightlessness of his body sunk deeper in the watery folds, allowing it to rise above his ears in an attempt to cast himself into silence.

It didn’t work. You couldn’t quiet the voices that lived in your head. 

“This is a coward's way out. I always knew you were weak.” 

“What’s the matter, Spencie? Can’t handle a few little ghosts?” 

“And to think we thought you’d be our ultimate sacrifice.” 

He descended deeper, the water covering his eyes, barely reaching his nose. He took a few breaths, readying himself for the end.

“Ohh you think Maeve will be waiting for you on the other side? Pur-lease. You’re a sap, I don’t know what I ever saw in you.” 

“We broke you good, didn’t we? Shame really, even under duress you gave great head.” 

“Shut up, just shut up.” He whined, his own voice distant in his water logged ears. 

He slid lower with one final breath, letting the scalding water submerge him, maybe even cleanse him. Little bubbles formed on the surface as he instinctively tried to breathe. 

Don’t fight it, Reid. Just let it happen. Death has got to be better than this. 

He opened his eyes beneath the water, blurry visions of his ceiling would be the last sight to meet his eyes. 

His uncontrollable breathing forced water into his lungs, burning his chest, like a flame ripping right from within him. It was shredding, tearing him apart as his brain instinctively fought for a breath he wouldn’t allow. 

“Sinner, I told you so. Suicide is the ultimate sin. You will endure his wrath, boy.” 

It was a similar breathlessness he’d grown all too accustomed to in his life. When his dad left and he became responsible for his mothers care. When Tobias literally killed him only to bring him back to life.

When Diane Turner took her life and Maeve’s in one single bullet while Spencer could do nothing but stare in abject horror. When he came face to face with Cat again after his release. When Merva held his blade to his throat, readying Spencer to be his three hundredth victim. 

When that man and his cronies crept into his cell and forced him to his knees time after time. 

The oxygen was fleeing his brain rapidly, everything was becoming hazy around the edges as though looking at the world in soft focus. 

Thoughts and voices coalescing, drifting, fading. Soon it would be dark, soon the sounds would disappear entirely and he would finally be alone. 

You won’t win, I won’t let you. I would sooner die than walk among you for another second. 

An eerie yet peaceful smile pulled at his lips. Any minute now and it would all be over. 

“You think killing yourself makes you a martyr? You think this means you win? Jeez for a so-called genius you really are dumb, huh Spencie?”

“Are your cells giving up? Can you feel it?” 

“Walk towards the light, join us in our sacrifice.”

“And you said I was the weak one? What the fuck would your mother think of this?” 

“The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.” 

Ezekiel 18:19 verse 20. I told you I could recite the bible. 

“Such a shame to waste such a skilled and pretty mouth.” 

Shut up. Shut up. God-fucking-damnit you can all just shut the fuck…

His consciousness was waning, his brain cells dying. It wouldn’t be long before he suffered irreversible anoxic brain damage. Death was upon him, his fiery talons reaching from the depths to come and take him away. 

Yes, please. P-please. This has to e-end. I’m ready for t-the end. 

Seconds before Spencer Reid surrendered to the ethereal glow of death, something flickered in his blurry field of vision. 

Moments before everything turned dark he swore he saw a figure appear above the haze of water. But before he could register it, the lack of oxygen closed in around him and he let himself fade away into the abyss. 

@kalulakunundrum @katrina0-0 @bakugouswh0r3 @prettyboyandthefangirl @zooni92802 @babyspiderling @pleasantwitchgarden@ @djsjjsjsjsjsnsnsns @bringitonhomejohnb

[leakyweep]

Ace x Sabo’s Partner!Reader - Everytime?

A/N: This fic was heavily inspired by this fic by @stephisokay ,, brother Ace has been heavy on my mind I’m not gonna lie. I hope you all enjoy <3

Warnings: Modern AU, afab reader, no pronouns, ace calls reader “goody”, reader works out, cheating, shower sex, oral (f receiving), barely proofread

Words: 1.6k

MINORS DNI.

As soon as Ace heard the shower start, he knew what he had to do.

You, Sabo’s cute partner, one he loved very much and had been with for about half a year now, stepped into the shower to rinse off after the gym this morning. It had been arm day; quite vigorous weight training followed by extensive cardio. The sweat on your whole body had been substantial, and you needed to rinse the soreness away with warm droplets of water.

Ace, your boyfriend’s brother, had other plans.

When Ace saw you waltz through the door, carrying your water bottle and keys, his mind was immediately filled with dirty thoughts of bending you over the bench at the gym and pounding you until you were begging him for mercy– your wispy baby hairs and sweat-covered forehead were enticing to him, somehow, and he almost followed as if he were on a secret mission as you grabbed a new set of clothes from your overnight bag and headed for the bathroom.

He couldn’t believe that you hadn’t closed the door.

He felt like such a perv, but he couldn’t help it; his curiosity got the best of him. He wanted to know what you were hiding under those big t-shirts, toned muscles peeking through the fabric almost as if they were teasing him purposefully.

He watched through the sliver in the door as you undressed, your pants pooling around your ankles before his pupils widened at the sight of your round, robust ass; it was almost as if there were a devil on one cheek and an angel on the other; the first begging him to enter the bathroom and the second imploring him to turn around.

In the end, he listened to the former; those dimples and dips had been singing to him like his favorite song. How couldn't he listen?

He decided to make his move when you entered the shower, sighing as he pushed the door open.

Your head snapped over to the threshold, hands unconsciously moving to cover your most intimate parts. You had just stepped into the warm haven of water before the door was pushed open. You knew your boyfriend wouldn’t be home from work for a good few hours, so the only option of who it could be made your heart drop.

“A-Ace!” You exclaimed, crouching so the wall halfway up the glass of the shower gave you cover, “What are you doing? I’m showering!”

You had always had a good relationship with Sabo’s brother; he was chill, lax, and made you feel comfortable. Right now, however, you wondered what in the hell the man was doing.

“I know!” He cried, putting his hands up defensively, trying to think of an excuse, “I was only looking for the q-tips, and you happened to be in here, and-!” He was such a bad liar and you both knew it.

“If you see me in here, then, why aren’t you closing the door?” You asked, cocking your head to the side. However menacing that was supposed to sound, it only made him take a curious step forward, nose stuck in the air to get a further look at your nude breasts.

“Okay, okay- I lied.”

“I think we both know that by now!”

You found yourself shrinking further behind the wall, wishing you could call on Sabo to get his brother to back off. He had never given you weirdo vibes before… and though his boyish charm was handsome, you were dating his brother…

“I– This has gotta stay between us.” Ace sounded completely serious as he unbuttoned his cargo shorts, glancing up at you as if for permission. Though your eyes widened in shock, you nodded slowly to show that you were okay with this. You felt like a bad person, and perhaps you were, but you couldn’t help but think that what Sabo didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. You watched the black material of Ace’s shorts fall to the tiled floor and you gasped.

“Commando?” You chuckled, watching as he shed the beads from his neck and the socks from his feet. You marveled silently at his size; for such an average sized man his dick was anything but. He sauntered towards the shower with cocky confidence and opened the door with a smirk. “You’re not as a goody-two-shoes as my brother is, I’m guessing.”

He stepped into the threshold of the shower, gasping as you stood to your full height; your breasts were full and hardened, your body muscular and strong and capable; and he could almost see your cunt from where he stood in the shower, if only you’d open your legs just a tad more. “I’m plenty good.”

The smug look in his eyes was almost tangible as he took one last step to you, admiring the curves that didn’t belong to him. “Whatever you say, goody…”

Challenging him, you pressed your chest into the glass of the shower, glancing back at him boldly. Your bottom half was arched and ready for him, your now aching cunt on display for him to explore.

The touch of his fingers against your mound sent a tingle up your spine, and the way he was staring at your cunt, kneeling to lick his lips and lean in closer, only made you more wet. He looked as if he would be willing to do anything for you, sparkling droplets of water shining in his raven locks.

A moan filled the shower while his tongue delved into your folds, relishing in the way your desire pooled onto his tongue like sweet honey. He couldn;t help when the tip of his tongue prodded at your entrance, licking up what he could reach. His fingers were ghosting against your skin, dancing across the snakes and twists of your desperate figure. When he pulled away, though it blended in with the water and was gone in an instant, you saw the line of slick that connected his mouth to your pussy and it made your core throb with even more need than before. “Ace… Please, I need you.”

His warm touch graced your plushy hips, palms enveloping the skin there. You couldn’t help the gasp that escaped your lips, fogging the glass that your palms were flat against it. Both his words and his touches were enough to have you seeing stars, and you were convinced maybe the boys had shared their secrets as teenagers and over the years. The way his hips pressed into yours felt eerily familiar, and you knew immediately by the way his feet notched against yours where he learned this technique. Sabo had done this maneuver many times to you before– pressing you between the wall and his lean hips as he wrapped your thick thews around himself, mercilessly pounding into you, jostling you against the shared wall of his and Ace’s room.

Your feet were being lifted from the floor as you puffed out, “Ace, b-but Sabo-”

A growl left his throat as he perfectly molded his thighs into his hips, positioning his curved cock at your entrance. The toasty water falling over both of your bodies was casting a fog against the mirror, as if it were shielding you from the rest of the world. When you felt his thick head intrude your cunt, you forgot every other place that wasn’t this tiled haven as he pushed in, your thighs hitched around his. “Don’t talk about my brother while I’m fucking you, goody.”

“Oh- fff-fuck~” You moaned, arching your back against his abs, “Your cock is so-”

“Fat?” He laughed, pressing himself in to the hilt, “Long? Amazing?” He began to thrust into your pulsing walls, making you cry out. Your cheek and breasts were pushing into the cool glass of the shower, listening to the wet plaps between the two of your bodies like a perfect rhythm, your moans a harmony behind it. His confidence radiated from him with each propel of his cock into your g-spot. He could practically feel your pussy drooling around his cock, your lips speared so beautifully around his length.

“Ace-” His name had tried to come out as a warning, but it ended up sounding more like a pathetic mewl as he drilled into you from behind. You were thankful he was on the same page as you as far as keeping this away from Sabo– You knew it would only lead to trouble if he found out his brother fucked you while he was at work. Somehow, though, that made you feel even more horny, your body now thrusting itself back onto Ace’s cock in a desperate attempt to feel him deeper. He could tell you were caught between a rock and a hard place, your moans quieting into whines, so he leaned down and released your thighs, letting you stand on your own as he fucked you.

“Don’t worry, goody,” he muttered into your ear, the way his wavy black mat of hair looked under the droplets of water was even sexier than his usual handsomeness, his brow furrowed as he rigorously fucked you, “I’ll make sure this stays between us, every time-”

His words were cut off by a loud moan of his name, reverberating from your own mouth. You were cumming around him, thighs shaking and calves struggling to keep you held up as he continued at his harsh pace to overstimulate you, the mischievous bastard.

He only stopped once his own cock was spewing his spend, painting your insides with his seed. He knew you took birth control, your alarm always going off during your smoke sessions, so he had no need to worry.

“Every.. Time?” you panted, breaths hot as you turned to him with doe eyes.

“Well of course, goody. Didn’t you like the motion of my ocean?”

[bridgyrose]

Cinder goes too far with her manipulation, causing Ruby to put her foot down and tell her to screw off. Whether Cinder realizes what she did wrong is up to you.

Cinder gently cupped Ruby’s cheek as she pulled her into a hug, her grip tightening around her. “I told you they’d leave you again. But I’ll be here for you-” 

“That’s enough, Cinder.” Ruby pushed herself away from Cinder and looked away from her. “I’m done.” 

“Done? You cant be done!” 

“I am!” Ruby looked at her scarred arm and gently held it. “I’m glad you showed me how broken the world is, but I’m… done. Tired of following you and tired of the way you treat me.” 

Cinder frowned a bit. “I’ve done nothing but show you love and kindness that no one else would! Ozma would be using you by now and your friends dont care about you! They left you as soon as you started to see how the world really is!” 

“They left me because of you! You used me, manipulated me into doing your own dirty work! I helped topple Beacon because you convinced me its the only way to change anything! And now everyone hates me!” 

“Everything we’ve done is because I care about you.” 

“Do you? Did Pyrrha have to die because you cared? What about what happened to Weiss? I shot her because you needed a distraction. But have you ever cared about what I want for all of this? I dont want people to die, I want things to change! And clearly, I cant have both if I’m with you.” 

“They wont take you back. They’ll never understand you like I do.” 

“I dont think you ever did…” 

“Salem will never let you leave,” Cinder said quietly as she watched Ruby walk off. Her heart pounded as she tried to figure out a way to fix this. She wasnt ready for Ruby to leave her yet, not now when there was still so much to accomplish. Even after the victories at Beacon and Haven, there was still so much more that could be done. 

And yet, she still felt hollow inside. Having the fall and spring maiden powers didnt seem to satisfy her, using Ruby to bring Atlas’ puppet under their control only seemed to anger the reaper. Even now, she felt the guilt of what she had done start to pour over her and flow through her mind. She was angry at herself for letting Ruby down, for tossing Emerald away at Haven, for losing almost everything she cared about. 

Mercury stopped at the doorway with a grin on his face. “So, the runt’s finally leaving, huh?” 

“Its her choice,” Cinder said coldly. “If she wants to face Salem’s warth, that’s on her.” 

“Then I think you’ll be happy to know that she wont be the only one seeing her wrath. Salem has caught on to what you’ve been doing and knows that you’re not the one responsible for all of your success.” 

Cinder felt her heart skip a beat as Mercury spoke. “What do you mean?” 

“What I mean is that she’s offering me a spot as part of her inner circle.” Mercury grinned a bit. “And, she’s going to offer a spot to Ruby as well. Though, things dont look good for you with the way you have managed to disobey her by using Ruby and I. I almost feel sorry for the runt. Once Salem gets her hands on her, I dont think there’ll be anything left of the girl that we’ll recognize.” 

Cinder frowned and threw a dagger at Mercury. “Get out!” 

Mercury didnt flinch as the dagger stuck into the wall, his grin fading to a frown as he walked away. “Remember, I’m only the messenger.” 

Cinder laid back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Of course Ruby wont get far, and even if she did, its not like she had anywhere else to go. Salem would find her, make sure she could never leave again… it was all a suicide mission to leave. Her eyes went to her own pack and a small sigh left her lips. As if on autopilot, she stood up and grabbed her pack to go after Ruby. She had to make sure she’d get away safely. She had to make sure everything would be alright.

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (April 12/2021) - 72 Hours

Quackity takes a trip down memory lane, recounting the events that led up to his visit to the prison.

---

VOD LINKS:

Ponk

Tommy

HBomb94

Foolish

Quackity

Badboyhalo

Karl Jacobs

Ranboo

Eret

Captain Puffy

---

- Ponk’s room in Niki’s city is decorated with posters of anime, his favorite people, pictures of Ponk and Sam next to each other, and his Enderman named Speed Wagon

- He wants to get a poster from both Foolish and HBomb

- Ponk waits at the Community House and Foolish boats in.

- Foolish notices Ponk’s stump, not knowing what it is at first. Ponk tells him that “Sam happened,” and Foolish replies that Ponk needs to get Sam out of his head. Ponk then tells him that he’s been taken into a communist cult, and that he’s missing an arm, and it oozes red stuff. Foolish freaks out.

- Ponk remarks that Foolish has a good sense of style, and he would like to commission something. He leads Foolish to the city. Foolish asks about his arm again, and Ponk says he’ll tell Foolish about it in time.

- Foolish says at least Ponk seems to be in good spirits. Ponk says that it’s because of the medication that Niki gave him. The salmon in his roof produces a drug that makes him happy.

- They mess around with the posters in Ponk’s room some. Ponk mentions that Sam took his arm, and Foolish is shocked. Ponk’s said too much. He wishes Foolish luck and says he’ll pay him well later before leaving Foolish to the room.

- Foolish says he knew Ponk and Sam were on rocky terms, but it’s a bit much of Sam to take Ponk’s arm...

- He puts a picture of himself in the shark outfit on Ponk’s wall and leaves to continue working.

---

LAS NEVADAS: EPISODE TWO

---

Two shadowy hooded figures ride on horseback across the wilderness. 

There’s a third who rides a skeleton horse. 

They approach Eret’s castle from the direction of Antfrost’s animal sanctuary. As they ride down the Prime Path, sirens can be heard in the background.

---

There is a montage of Quackity going to the prison each day, rain or shine. The waivers are shown, and Quackity’s name is signed.

On screen, the day numbers are shown as Dream runs around the cell, punching the air.

It starts from 2. At day 16, Dream is in the respawn pool as Quackity approaches. The numbers go up to 29.

-

72 Hours before The Visit

-

- Quackity rows to a remote island, where he meets Awesamdude. Sam is confused at how Quackity knew about this place.

- Sam has been busy farming in a small patch of land to get away from things. He started not long ago.

- There’s a gravestone with a disc and a jukebox dedicated to Tommy.

- Quackity tells Sam that Tommy’s death wasn’t his fault. Sam disagrees, saying it was his responsibility.

- Sam shows Quackity his beach full of turtles and his horse

- Quackity tells Sam that he’s a very caring person. Sam shows Quackity his house. 

- Quackity then tells Sam that he’s not the only one who thinks Tommy’s death wasn’t his fault, but Dream’s. To accept that is the only way to move on.

Sam: “I could’ve done something, Quackity. I could’ve...I don’t know. I could’ve done something.”

Quackity: “No, you know what you could’ve done? You could’ve gone back into that jail cell and put a sword right through his neck. That’s what you could’ve done, Sam. That’s what you could’ve done to Dream. Because guess what, Sam? this isn’t the first time he does it, and this isn’t the last time either. Sam, look at me...the only way he’s gonna stop this is if you get rid of him, Sam. That is the only way.”

- Quackity says they should do it right now. They go back into the house and Sam activates a secret door with a potato, leading down into a basement full of weapons and armor. They head out in boats as Quackity encourages Sam to do it.

Quackity: “Feel that fury in your fucking heart, Sam, and know that’s all because of Dream. Let’s go. Let’s go, Sam. It’s all because of Dream.”

Sam: “You’re right! I couldn’t do anything! Dream would’ve killed him anyways if I had gone in there, there’s nothing I could’ve done!”

Sam: “I can just kill him! I can just murder him! He can’t get away, he’s stuck in there, he has nothing! He’s so weak! This is the perfect chance! I can just murder -- no one would even need to know that he died! I can just say he was still locked up there, I could -- yes -- you’re right, and if I kill him no one will die! I don’t want any visitors already!” 

Quackity: “Exactly! No visitors! No visitors, Sam! No visitors, no one’s allowed to see Dream ever again, it’s a secret between you and me, Sam...we’re not gonna tell anyone. As far as we’re aware, Dream is in that prison, and no one’s allowed to visit him ever again because he committed that crime against Tommy. Guess what? no one’s even gonna wanna see him, Sam, nobody! Because he killed Tommy, and everyone’s scared of him. But guess what? You and me, we’re not gonna be scared, Sam, because we know Dream is going to be fucking gone.”

Sam: “‘Cause he’s stuck in that cell anyway! There’s nothing he can do! We could kill him, and when he’s a ghost, I could go in and kill him again! And kill him again! And kill him again! And kill him again! And I can kill him a thousand times for the one death he gave Tommy!”

“Do you wanna come with me? You wanna help me do it? You can hold him down, and I'll chop his head off! We can kill him just like that, and there’s nothing he can do! Yes! He can just cry, and scream, and he’ll die -- I wonder if he’ll laugh now!”

- They reach the prison entrance and enter the portal. Quackity tells Sam that this is all for Tommy, and it’ll make him feel better.

- Before they can go through the defenses, though, Sam hesitates and starts having doubts.

Sam: “Quackity, we can’t kill him! That’s the whole reason we put him in here to begin with! Tommy trusted me to keep Dream in here! And now Tommy’s -- Tommy’s dead, I can’t do this to Tommy! Tommy trusted me, and he might’ve died, but that doesn’t mean we can let this happen! No, no! Tommy would want us to keep him locked up! The whole reason we locked him up was -- if someone else dies, Dream’s the only one who can do anything about it!”

“I can’t ruin what I promised to Tommy more than once.”

- Quackity says this is his chance at redemption, but Sam insists they can’t kill him. Quackity stops and then says he’s sorry he got ahead of himself. Quackity goes to leave, but then hesitates and goes back to Sam one last time.

- One way or another, someone will have to do it. If not Sam, Quackity. He reminds Sam that Tommy’s death wasn’t his fault.

Quackity: “Sam, before I leave...you gotta get it together. Las Nevadas will have no place for emotions, or for any personal ideas that you may have, or feelings, Sam. If you’re gonna be my business partner, you gotta do more than this. Understand?”

“I’ll talk to you soon, Sam.”

- Quackity leaves.

-

48 hours before The Visit.

-

- Quackity is speaking with someone. He thanks someone for giving him the spot, telling them that they can’t tell anyone about it. 

- Quackity is near Fundy’s house. He digs straight down into the ground, landing in an underground area made of nether brick. It’s an extensive series of hallways. Quackity has a bunch of TNT.

- He finds the Egg Room and starts putting TNT around the Egg.

- He notices Bad and Punz approach and backs into the area behind, brandishing a redstone torch. Bad warns him not to do it.

- Quackity tells Bad that he doesn’t need the Egg, he knows that there’s still a part of Bad that isn’t doing this, and that they can work together.

- Bad replies that if Quackity gets in the way of his mission, he won’t have anything. 

- Rat starts barking. Quackity says he’s doing this for Bad.

Punz: “Bad, don’t let this guy manipulate you.”

- Quackity shouts that he’s going to light it up and places more.

Quackity: “We’re all gonna go. I’m doing this for your own, Bad! I’m doing this for your own good!”

Bad: “You’re doing this for yourself, Quackity! I need this! I need the Egg!”

- Quackity gets Bad to order Punz away and keeps negotiating with Bad. He tells Bad that before the Egg, Bad was one of his closest friends, and in order for them to do great things together, Bad has to let go of the Egg.

Quackity sets off the TNT. The explosions go off, and the Egg turns to obsidian.

---

On one heart, someone slowly makes their way through the burning remains of the nether brick area, holding a single redstone torch as the Egg whispers. 

HOW DARE YOU TRY AND TAKE THIS ONE FROM ME.

YOU WILL SUFFER FOR THIS.

HOW DARE YOU TRY AND TAKE THIS ONE FROM ME.

They stumble down the hall and the screen goes black.

-

24 hours before The Visit.

-

Quackity rides Boner down the Pogtopia highway.

He pauses at Tommy’s summer home, looking at the prison, and rides down.

- He notices George standing at the entrance, looking towards the portal. The two have a happy reunion. Quackity asks him why he’s here -- George says he’s just chilling.

- Quackity hasn’t seen George in ages. George is surprised by the scar on Quackity’s eye.

- He shows George Boner, who he has renamed to Ossium.

- He asks what George has been up to. It’s been ages since he’s seen George, Karl or Sapnap.

- Quackity tells George that he’s taken a break from El Rapids and has been working on a new project called Las Nevadas, a country full of casinos. An entertainment haven. He wants to set up a meeting with George, Karl and Sapnap about getting them all casinos.

- George asks, what about Kinoko Kingdom? Quackity doesn’t know what that is. George tells him, and says that Karl said he told Quackity about it.

- Quackity wasn’t told anything about this. He asks how long ago. It’s been a while.

- Quackity thought they had El Rapids going. It’s been hard to get in contact with them. George says he can still join.

Quackity: “I was working on this project, and I wanted to p-- no, no no, you’re...that makes sense. That explains so many things.”

- George tells him the direction that Kinoko is in. Quackity asks if they aren’t a part of El Rapids anymore. George says he supposes they can’t be in two countries at once.

- Quackity asks George not to tell anything to anybody about Las Nevadas. It will open soon, but he wants all the details to remain between them. As far as George knows, it’s just a country with entertainment.

- He says goodbye and leaves, telling George to say hi to Karl and Sapnap for him.

---

There’s a shot of Eret’s tower.

The Socializing Club and Purpled’s Walmart.

The old remodeled Community House.

The cobblestone version of Tommy’s house with the spruce trees around his land.

Skeppy’s original blackstone house with the three-door entrance.

Ze Haus.

The Spawn trap.

The camera pans up to a view of L’manburg, with blackstone walls, and the rebuilt Camarvan made of dirt.

The Elton John House and Space Program within the walls.

King’s Court.

It’s the Election Debate, Quackity and George arguing with Wilbur and Tommy.

---

- Quackity is out on a walk with Wilbur. He wants to know more about Wilbur. He asks why Wilbur has done the things he does.

- Wilbur tells him he wants protection for his people. Quackity asks to talk to Wilbur off the books. He wants to talk to Wilbur not as politicians, but people.

Wilbur: “Um, I mean I appreciate it -- No. The election’s in twelve days.”

- Quackity insists, and Wilbur says he’ll try.

- Quackity says he appreciates the Wilbur is trying to protect his people, and he doesn’t aim to overthrow him. 

Quackity: “None of this is about fighting to me. I think there’s just a big difference between you and me, and I like to see the good side on people. I like to think that there’s a side of everyone that is willing to work for wanting to see a better future for everyone, and I think that’s where you and I are very, very different.”

“See, when I got here, when I got to these lands, and I wanted to join L’manburg, I was told I couldn’t. I was told to walk away because I wasn’t allowed to join L’manburg. And to me, that was a lack of belonging. And if I have to become President and tear down some walls in order for no one to ever feel unwelcome again, then so be it. I do believe that everyone has a good side to them, and I do believe that everyone has something to contribute to the nation.”

Wilbur: “Your aspirations of optimism are not going to be subject to my nation’s security, I’m afraid. I -- I completely disagree with everything you said...”

“You say everyone has a good side, Quackity -- and you’re right. You’re right. Everyone has a good side. But that good side is only there to help themselves. If you’re really gonna help people, you’re gonna need power, Quackity. You can make a movement, you can make a resistance, right, you can go out and you can come back, and they’ll give you a ticket-tape parade. They’ll cheer for you in the streets, but you will change nothing. If you have a revolution, everyone will hate you. You will sacrifice everything, and you will lose everything you ever had, but you will come back and everything will be changed. And Quackity, if you wanna change things, you’re gonna need power. That’s what you really want, isn’t it. Look at me..”

“And power isn’t gained from diplomacy, and bureaucracy, and giant courthouses suspended in the sky, blah blah blah -- it’s gained from swords, Quackity. It’s gained from blades. It’s gained from steel. Iron. Even if everyone has this good side that you’re talking about, then anyone who wants to prove it has to show their dark side first. You’re going to have to kill. You’re going to have to torture. You’re going to have to maim. When I look at you, as a fellow outsider...you’re not ready for that.”

“I’m leaving.”

 - There’s a montage: 

Quackity watching as Schlatt destroys the White House the day he left to join Pogtopia.

The Mexican L’manburg Revolution, Quackity facing Dream outside Church Prime.

Dream destroying Mexican L’manburg.

Quackity facing Technoblade in the Final Control Room.

Dream and Quackity outside of Church Prime again.

“I understand that you -- that you wish to cause problems on the SMP, and that’s your number one goal. You are, by far -- you are the biggest enemy on the SMP right now.”

---

Present Day.

---

He’s at Wilbur’s resurrection shrine. There is a chest marked “For Wilbur.”

- Quackity writes in a book.

“My dearest friend, Wilbur...

You were right all along...

And I won’t make the same mistakes twice.”

- He signs the book “PROJECT NEVADAS” and puts it in the chest.

- Quackity rides off on Ossium and dons the black hood as the sirens sound.

---

- Bad sees the sign about concrete that Ranboo left at his house and assumes that it must be some sort of cryptic scavenger hunt. He and Skeppy go to try and figure it out by reading out the other signs throughout the server

- Skeppy eats part of Jonald

- Karl builds a Party Island in Kinoko Kingdom with Pokimane

- Ranboo gets a wither named Logan to mine for him

- Eret works on their fortress

- Captain Puffy does a late night stream and does some mining

---

Upcoming Events:

- The Red Banquet

- The Las Nevadas business opening

- Dream’s lore video

- Ranboo’s lore (April 23)

- Tales From the SMP: “Space Race”

- Dream SMP’s one-year anniversary

[hermitcraftheadcanons]

Scattered AU Masterpost Part 2 [COMPLETE]

Due to post length limit (which is apparently a thing), this AU has been split into two parts. Find Part 1 here!

Join the Discord server here!

Contributions:

- Mumbo has a pet ravager miscellaneous ideas: the ravager is actually a bit small as far as ravagers go. Once Mumbo leaves to go to the hermits, he doesnt take the ravager with him, for fear the environment wouldn't be right for it. However, the ravager follows him and Iskall, startling both when it comes running up to Mumbo. The ravager does not like any of the hermits, however it doesn't attack them because it can understand that Mumbo cares about them. - anonymous

- related to scattered au and "what if this happened to old hermits too" -- python's stuck in a death loop in a bastion (his spawn is right next to a piglin brute). he has no clue what's going on but by god, does he blame zloy - Anonymous

- Consider: Etho's mask protecting him from the flowers that gave Hypno so much trouble. - @/rayveewrites

- (Scattered AU) After Etho dies accidentally at the spawn haven, his spawn takes him to Xisuma. Xisuma is clinging to life when he gets there, and Etho only has time to grab his admin's arms and promise he'll be found before Xisuma passes away. Etho and Xisuma get a few hours together to work on getting Xisuma to the surface before Etho starves to death, and he's transported somewhere else. After that Etho makes it his mission to cycle through spawns as quickly as possible to help Xisuma and anyone else who is trapped in their spawn graveyard, no matter how much his legs start to fail him from the damage starting to linger from building into the sky and leaping off to respawn over and over. - @/petrichormeraki

- Some honorable mentions from my written summary for mumbo in the au: the illigers being terrified as he keeps coming back no matter how many times they kill him; he gets adopted by evoker; he fails at evoker magic, like so bad he cant even dye a sheep; the evoker being so done with mumbo that they beg the vex to give him magic; mumbo summoning scar when the vex get annoyed at how often he summons them, mumbo eventually summoning bdubs after scar's contract to mumbo runs out.... and so much more - @/therainofsweetmelody

- Moobloom!Hypno attracts bees - @/itsabork

- Not too long into his messenger journey, etho remembers what had happened to impulse by the time he, zed and tango had found him, which inspires him to try and die in a different way each time he sets off to find another hermit, partly to avoid becoming resiliant to certain death methods and partly for the challenge - Anonymous

- Because Doc hasn't died his death messages haven't been showing up in the chat. The other hermits don't know if he's even in the same world as them. - Anonymous

- (Scattered AU) More on the Mumbo accidentally summoning Scar thing; the summoning has "opened" the chat for them, but only between Mumbo and Scar. All evokers can call on their Vex, after all, so why not an evoker in more-or-less training? - @/petrichormeraki

- (alternate headcanon) There's so much discussion in the server, I wouldn't know where to start restating. However, I wanna mention one thing: scar spawning in xisuma's first spawn, deep in a geode down under ground. Being trapped in an endless death loop due to the warden lurking just outside the geode, forcing scar into the same loop xisuma had been trapped in so long ago. Not only does he have to deal with the separation from bdubs once they got out of the end, now he seemingly cant escape the warden's clutches.... - @/therainofsweetmelody

- Admins log who knows how long: I've finally managed to get my helmet some repairs with this I could get some plugins to start working hopefully. Considering the situation going on, I better not have derped to hard on this, not now. - Anonymous (singleplayer sleep now works)

- (Scattered AU) Because the code is glitchy for mob hermita, Jevin would spilt when injured too much. So while X and Jevin are trying to get to the surface, they encounter a dungeon or a mineshaft and Jevin gets fatally injured. X starts freaking out cause he doesent want to be alone again and he cant bear to watch Jevin die infront of him and risk getting lost and seperated and Jevin just splits, theres two Jevins now and X doesent know what to think of it.While there are two Jevins, their consienceness is split between the two and his motor skills are more sloppy and X notices and realises that Jevin loses more of himself the more he splits. So while he has a lower chance of losing Jevin to an unfortunate accident, Jevin slowly reverts to a slime the more be splits and the more be spends time as multiple entities. X worries that if Jevin splits for too long or too much, he might lose Jevin - @/itsabork

- The only portal to get out of Hels and into the overworld is an incredibly complex vault boarder line weapon built by Hels Doc and Hels Mumbo and the location of the portal is known only to a few and it changes every season. Now cue Helsknight and Wels sneaking all around Hels while trying to look for this basically impossible to find and get into way home. - anonymous

- It takes a while, but eventually those outside of hermitcraft start wondering why all the hermits collectively disappeared. Sure, they started a new world, and sure they’re usually more secluded, but it’s been months. Skizz wonders why he hasn’t heard from Impulse in a while. All the legates wonder where Python went. Everyone’s confused when none of the hermits turn up to the next MCC. Things get weirder when none of them sign up for the one after. -🟣

- Ok to add on to the daisy ravenger post, on his way to 0,0 Mumbo found spawn spawn, slo when he arrived everyone had him at sword point, expecting angry illiger noises they were surprised when they herd "GUYS IT'S ME!!" - Anonymous

(Note: Hermits at the haven currently include Joe, Beef, Hypno, Scar, Bdubs, TFC, Mumbo, and Iskall, in order of arrival. XB is en route, and Etho was there briefly before dying and respawning elsewhere.)

- Pix and Zloy would be the first to notice the hermits' absence. After all, they do a weekly show about them. Maybe they just decided to have a few weeks of downtime before moving to the next Season? Though surely it wouldn't take this long... - @/rayveewrites

- because im a legacy sucker, the legates would likely be the first to notice the hermits' disappearance. between zloy being on the server, skizz being part of zits and very close to impulse, pearl knowing a few hermits, plus python literally disappearing. what they'd do about it? no idea.to keep it more on the topic of hermits though, don't think about how devastated skizz would be to find out what impulse went through. don't think about it :) - anonymous

- Hello I have produced thoughts! I don’t have room for both so I’m sending 2 asks -when Iskall arrives at the mansion all of the illagers are wary; if one of mumbo’s friends are here then he must be leaving soon. Despite their initial feelings they’ve come to care about this idiot that wandered into their house, and they’re fully aware he has no survival instincts whatsoever, so when he does end up leaving they send a ravager to keep him (and his friends, they suppose) safe -@/haworthiaace

- so like... hear me out ok what if the reason the whole world is corrupting and weird and why a lot of people are like slowly turning into mobs is because maybe this is the way the game and the mobs are turning on the hermits for like making really inhumane farms or something like that and the mobs somehow messed with the code of the world to get revenge - anonymous

- Scattered AU!! Biffa spawned very concerned and on a beach. Where is he? How did he get here? Is he alone? Well one of his questions was answered quickly as he heard a constant buzzing sound come from his communicator, upon opening it he saw probably millions of death messages. He quickly realised this was probably supposed to be a new season of hermitcraft, but he didn't really have time to think about it, night was quickly approaching and he could already see drowned swimming towards him. - Anonymous

- How many times did X die to that Warden? Maybe he develops something to counteract the Warden’s sensors, or that his heartbeat slowed down to the point that his suit can barely pick it up (therefor making it harder for the Warden to track Xisuma down). -🦊

- Etho tried his best to fight the system and not get any new features from all his deaths. But, the game has its ways. Slowly, after every death he has, the less alive he comes back. (Undead!Etho, could be ghost, zombie variant, or skeleton variant) -@/harley-the-pancake

- Other hybrid characteristics Hypno gets of the moonbloom: His ears turn into golden cows ones, the horns grow in, he gets a tail, and little flowers grow though his hair and wrap around his horns. He can also grow flowers around him as long as he has dirt, but thankfully they dont do anything beyond smelling a lot stronger and smelling very nice (and maybe a bit of evoking certain reactions, but nothing beyond what normal flowers can do, ie lavender being calming, just a bit more intense) - anonymous

- Beetlejhost ended up in the world along with the hermits, spawning as if summoned: in the middle of a circle of beehives. His spawn is in the birch forest near the s8 spawn, and his presence spooks anyone who stumbles across him. He blends in concerningly well with the black and white of the forest. Beef feels like hes being watched whenever he goes in the birch forest to get supplies, but joe never notices a thing. He teases the hybrids about their changes, leading him to get swiftly decked- - @/therainofsweetmelody

- beetlejhost spawns in a circle of beehives in the birch forest near spawn. he thinks he's invis, in reality it's just his stripes making him blend into the birch trees. he can't leave the circle of bees, ah how wonderful it is to bee bee-tlejhost - @/justme123abz

- Beetlejhost doesn't mean to be mean, really, he just has really, really bad timing. This includes seeing a pollen-stained Hypno and, with his gravelly voice, immediately say "Woah! Someone had some fun in the sun! Tell me, did you spend a week rolling in dandilions or do you just like the color yellow?" This does not go over well - Anonymous

- Speaking of hybrids, Xisuma spawned in a Wardens den right? Well unlike the other hybrids, Xisuma has been changing too but its been slow. Every time he spawned back in that place, on the warped ground, he's changed. He doenst notice the dark starts to seem less dark, until noises get louder, until he's more sentive to it then he noticed, he gets stronger and breaking though the stone with his bare hands seems a bit easier, its not until he finds Jevin and he points out the glowing horns (1)peaking from his temples when his hair is pulled back hastily that he realizes that something has gone horribly wrong with him. Thankfully Jevin helps ground him before he can freak out, so he shelves it for later, once they're out of this cave. The warden that once was down by his spawn is no longer there btw, disappeared. The horns grow slowly, and soon glowing vein like markings appear as well. (2) - Anonymous

- Okay, Xisuma, we established he spawned in the deep dark, right? As time goes on he adapts to the dark. The skulk sensors grow on him. However as time goes on, they not only grow on him, but become a part of him. His footsteps quiet to near silence, and he can feel sounds. He certainly isn't how he was when he entered, at first glance he might even be mistaken for a warden. - Anonymous

- Tango is the only hermit other than Mumbo Daisy kind of likes. Tango thinks Daisy is absolutely adorable, and Daisy does like the positive attention(and the treats). - Anonymous

- When tango meets mumbo’s pet ravager he loses his mind, he tried so hard to get the decked out ravagers to like him and then mumbo just waltzes in riding on one of the things! He ends up hanging around her a lot and eventually forms some sort of relationship, although not as close as he would like (he also gets a little more sympathetic once he sees the effects the evokers had on mumbo, he figures the guy earned a pet ravager) - @/haworthiaace

(Hermits now at the spawn haven, in order of arrival: Joe, Beef, Hypno, Scar, Bdubs, TFC, Mumbo, Iskall, Tango, Impulse, Zedaph. XB is en route, Wels and Hels are traveling through Hels to get there, Ren, Doc, and Grian are attempting to get there but their success has been limited so far)

- Scattered!AU: Idea that Ex is the ONLY one that knows what is going on and how to fix it perhaps (maybe 'cause of having been banished to the void for so long)? That's why he's trying to find X. - Anonymous

- Admins log: day 1006: Me and Jevin finally see sunlight, and I've managed to get the clock function on my helmet working, finally. As we're on our way to the surface, I only hope that I can find someone or something to help guide us to where we need to go, but unfortunately I've lost all signal to chat, and I think we're next to a woodland mansion. I think I've derped up this time.

- Dear Xisuma, if you see this message then the log is working, also fixed the clock in your helmet it's been 50 days, not 1005. I was about to leave with Iskall when I noticed you and Jevin outside with a few, erm, "buddies" of mine you two where passed out and I managed to stop them from killing you with Daisy, my pet ravenger. I'll explain everything later and spawns in the village are working, finally. I recommend not moving much and work on the data packs for a bit before you do anything elseExplanation log to Xisuma part 2: Sorry if the last one got cut off abruptly, apparently there's a limit to these messages. Any way please take care of yourself. Sincerely, your pal Mumbo Jumbo

- Admins log, day 51: I first want to say thank you Mumbo for bringing me up to speed and explaining why and how me and Jevin are here, next I want to say that these logs may slow down for a bit, I'll be working on some maintenance for some packs. I still don't know why this is happening, I now hope this is a wicked nightmare and not our reality. Hang on I see something over there it looks like, wait let me ju- Voice logs are off for the moment.

- all one anon

- mooblooms spread the flowers that enraptured hypno. now that hypno is a moobloom hybrid, he can make people "hypnotizd"! he doesnt like to, but if the spawn ever gets attacked, the hermits are winning easily. - anonymous

- I like to think that at some point when there's a significant number of healthy hermits at 0,0 they start group searches to find the rest of hermits - anonymous

- After awhile, if they can't change the spawn of everyone, they begin securing all the spawn points to everyone, so if their bed is ever destroyed in the future, they won't end up in a death loop again. They secure the death loop spawn points first. - @/ciaravixen

- For undead Etho: I know that ghasts aren't technically undead mobs, but they're basically ghosts and that's what I feel etho is becoming?He's leaving his mortality behind bit by bit as he ceases to care about death and starts to use it as a tool instead.One day he'll respawn without a body at all - @/draconic-dreams

- This is just a thought. Sand cant be good for Iskall's mechanical parts, and its not like he has anything to fix it. Does he have to wait to find doc to be able to have hope of fixing himself? - anonymous

- Jellie had spawned in the village that cub and xb had come across, so when xb heads to 0,0 he takes her with him (she'd be safer in the overworld than in the end, after all). Its quite a long journey, and she makes for good company. -@/supertiny-tins

- Grian, Doc, and Ren fianlly start heading out to 0,0. Its a long journey, they decide in the end to leave their beds behind at the cabin in case any of them die so none of them end back at their orginal spawns. they would of just made new beds every time but the lack of suplies and resources near by has been low oddly enough. Doc manages to push aside most of his fears to help Grian and Ren, who are weaker, but he keeps his distance whenever he can. They make many hastily built huts as they go 1most nights are spent sleeping on hard ground, later straight up blocks of wool they find but not beds, just wool is better then ground, and it doesn't do the weaker hermits any favors but it works. There are many close calls, but they manage to avoid death, mostly due to Doc. Along the way they start to find signs of other players, coble in places it shouldn't, a rare torch, half mined trees, but no hermits. They still have a way to go, but they're getting closer to the others and safety. 2 - anonymous

- Etho once found himself spawning in the middle of an ocean with nothing and no one in sight except of course... A faint trail of lights dancing beneath the waves... Pulsing and glimmering, almost in a rhythm, something so fascinating, so... So... He was meant to be doing something...? It was... Important... At least... It might have been... It's all.. Kinda hazy... It couldn't have been more important than the lights, nothing was more important than the lights... They were so beautiful... He could watch them all day... Etho never noticed how he slipped beneath the waves, nor how the glow squid's glittering eyes had turned upon him, coiling a tentacle around his waist as it dragged its prey deep into the depths, his eyes hazed with green, he never even noticed his lungs burning for air.And he never remembered drowning after he respawned. - anonymous

- Impulse actually punches through the Nether roof so they can traverse more safely to coordinates given to them by Etho. They leave trails of blocks so they can make their way back, of course. - @/rayveewrites

(Evil X is now hiding out in a cave near spawn)

- Shattered!AU: I see everyone's Warden!Xisuma heacannons and I give you Axolotl!Xisuma. Think about it he's been hanging around with them and Jevin in the lush caves so maybe he's becoming more like them. (Frills, a more pink-ish tint to his skin, the ability to breathe underwater, etc.) :D (Is this because the thought of him having Warden traits is terrifying to me? Maybe. Is it because I think he deserves to become something not scary after his whole ordeal in the Deep Dark? Yes.) - anonymous

- Ever since getting out of the loop, Impulse has had a horrible inner conflict between his guardian side being instinctually drawn to the water, and his human brain being deeply terrified of ever being submerged again. - @/asexualbert

- Because I absolutely adore Daisy, more headcannons for Daisy.Daisy will occasionally just pick Mumbo up gently with her horns when she thinks she isn't getting enough attention. Daisy has a bell collar, because she kept scaring hermits by following Mumbo silently. Daisy is more okay with Iskall than most other hermits, though still doesn't really like him. - anonymous

- Though I'm a sucker for angst, what if Impulse was saved by a dolphin pod or something instead of transforming into a hybrid (or after transforming if Guardian!Impulse is cannon). :3 I can picture dolphins don't take kindly to the Guardian Mobs, might even find them as prey if anything since they're fish. (Guardian!Impulse wouldn't count since they're smart enough creatures to tell the difference.) - anonymous

- Prob a bit early for epilogue stuff but I like to think that, once all the glitches are fixed, that those that became hybrids and would prefer to be back to normal get changed back. - anonymous

(Shade note: Personally, I'm a sucker for stories where the characters adjust and learn to live with the unexpected changes to themselves rather than having them magically fixed, but this option is certainly still here for the people who find it appealing)

- For the scattered au, after the numerous frozen deaths Grian's gone through he starts hearing voices from the snow, even from within Ren's cabin. A snow golem forms after a wandering trader drops a pumpkin and watches from outside the cabin, deciding to guard the place after taking a liking to Grian and Ren. - anonymous

- When Etho became fully ghost, it hit hard. BeetleJhost saw this, and after a while decided to teach him how to show his form and speak. It takes a lot out of him, but it’s worth it. His friends deserve that closure. (Listen, I was expecting angst, I just wasn’t expecting that much angst.) - @/harley-the-pancake

- Mod Shade, I want you to know that angsting ghost!Etho that hard was entirely on you. I was picturing him clipping through blocks and dropping items at inconvenient points, not fading out of existence entirely. - @/draconic-dreams

- Possible explanation for everything going on in Scattered:Players were never supposed to be so powerful; in the natural state of Minecraft they're just another mob, albiet one that can craft and use any tool.But the Players weren't satisfied with that. Everyone from the admin of the smallest server to the mythological ‘dev team’ has been imposing little changes on the world since its inception, slowly tweaking it into a better environment for Player-kind.A single spawn at the world's centre. The ability of Players to chat from one end of the world to another -- even across different worlds. Even natural regeneration, an ability unique to the rarest and most powerful of mobs. As time marched on, Players not only unlocked these things but began to take them for granted, drawing far away from the behaviour of normal mobs. This became normal. Players continued to create datapacks and run commands that tweaked the very nature of the world. -@/draconic-dreams

(Shade note: Perhaps it was just a random glitch, one fundamental line of code removed to shift the balance of power. Or maybe it was orchestrated, but by who and for what purpose? Either way, it will take the Hermits a while to realize this, and even longer to fix it...if they can at all.)

- Jessasin spawned in a mesa biome, of course he's confused on how he got there and why he's in this random vanilla world and not his usual modded world, but both questions got pushed aside when the death messeges arrive. He exploared the area gathering as much recourses as he can and goes off too find someone, anyone really. - @/ghan-does-things

- hello! I discovered the scattered au literally yesterday so sorry if this is something that has already been gone over but I had an idea about bdubs, what if his constant exposure to the void and surviving on nothing but chorus fruit for who knows how long made him slightly enderman-y? 1/2 (sorry, couldn't fit the whole thing in one ask)Like nothing obvious at first, but making eye contact makes him agitated and snappy, touching water makes his skin tingle and if you look at him in the dark his eyes seem to have a very faint pink/purple glow about them? Maybe the other hermits swear he's taller than he was the last time they saw him? And the tips of his fingers are blackened, he assumes due to frostbite, but it seems to gradually be making it's way further up his hands? again sorry if this has been gone over already 2/2 - @/plantichu

- Okay so after Welsknight and Helsknight manage to get past the crazy vault door in Hels, not sure how but it probably involved a lot of cussing on Hels part and Wels saying that he never wanted to look at redstone ever again. The portal takes them to the overworld near Xisuma and Jevin. - anonymous

- (scattered au) The first set of non hermits to join this corrupt world are two strangers that apparently came from infinity's grasp. The good news they both spawned at spawn, bad news the brought the tnt duper flying machines, good news that everyone was able to calm them both down. Now the fun begins. Tldr Illmango and Methodz finally get out of the infinity portal. - anonymous

- Loving the Scattered AU. Late to the party, but was looking at the wider MC community reaction to the Hermits vanishing. Once it's clear something bad's happened, would the Legacy crew and whoever else (former Evo squad members like Martyn and Jimmy as well, if they notice Grian go dark) take steps to find out what happened? Would they go to the MCC server (it's kind of a nexus between worlds) & get Noxcrew to try "pinging" the HC server? Would X & other admins see it but be unable to respond? - @/wixelt

- I dont know if anyone has mentioned it but uhhhh, guardian xb? he was a guardian hybrid before everyone got scattered like Ren was already a wolf/dog hybrid. iirc xb spawned in a desert which would be a very interesting place for a guardian hybrid to spawn - anonymous

- Etho has been so, so desperate to avoid dying the same way twice, to stay himself. He hasn't drowned that many times, he thinks. Surely, surely he's starved more often? There's a strange feeling of deja vu hanging over him when he respawns in the ocean, though he can never understand why. Each time the squid finds him, he drowns a little slower, and each time, he glows a little stronger.And he just can't understand, almost refuses to, as he treks from biome to biome, where the small green bumps that line his arms and face came from, how his fingertips seem to almost glow when he scoops a handful of water, how long he finds himself simply staring… at the moon, at sea lanterns, at torches, at lights… He would die a different way every time. He had to. He had to stay Etho. He would not become anything else. - Anonymous

- When Mumbo comes riding into camp on Daisy, it’s easy to see Impulse is not happy about the ravager being there. That’s expected, it’s not exactly everyone’s favorite mob to see around a safe haven. But when Mumbo and Impulse make eye contact, the evoker can’t help but make a simple warding gesture his friends at the mansion taught him- it’s a reflex move. Days later, Mumbo still isn’t sure if Impulse flinched because of Daisy’s sudden growl or his ward. - @/fluffy-papaya

- (From the Discord) What happened to the world: For years, seeds and the land they built had been carefully curated by those known as players, in an effort to make it both easier and more interesting for themselves. But the land doesnt want to be controlled. Their glitched, broken world is a result of the world itself rioting against their presence. Coordinates aren't visible with the debug screen, their coms only serve the world, to tell the players what it knows. Compasses spin wildly in the overworld, for there is no "world spawn" (though coordinates are visible with one in hand. Small mercies are still given). The world resists any further changes by the simple fact it refuses to accept what a hermit communicates. Maybe it's fixable, but maybe... maybe it runs deeper than just their world. (The Legates caused a lot of damage with all those withers, after all.) - @/basaltdragon

- While Iskall is in the desert, he ends up dying quite a few times, enough to adapt, he becomes like a stray, so now, if we have skeleton Etho, we have 3 undead hermits - anonymous

- When everyone is finally gathered and they manage to come together to use all their skills, new and old, the hermits use it to flee back to Season 7. They stay there for months, mostly to heal and adjust to what happened to them. (Trauma isn't easy) Those who have friends or family off server get invited to visit, but the hermits don't leave, they nearly lost each other and they aren't willing to risk it again right now. They'll make a new season 8 at some point, the hermits are too (1/3)restless and too ingrained in their ways to completely disregard how they've always done things, but that will come when they feel better, safer, more put together, when they can finally stop sleeping in a big pile becuase they're afraid the others will disappear. They never go back to that old glitched world, the idea makes them sick, and X starts the new practice of sending in the 'Cam' and/or 'alt' accounts in first to check out the world and set up commands and plugins remotely first. (2/3) What happened before will never, ever happen again he swears it. Next time they might not be so lucky after all [if you can call them all being traumatized, many of them dying over and over again, some being permanently altered, and barely escaping lucky] (also feel free to save these asks for near the end of the au!) (3/3) - anonymous (Shade note: I personally like the idea of them fixing and learning to live in the glitched-out world, but this is another alternate ending!)

- (From the Discord) What happened to the world: Alternatively, what happened is exclusive to their world. (I don't have Dramatic Storytelling for this one, sorry) EX has ADHD to the max, and everything he does is a desperate attempt to get Noticed, to get looked up to and listened to. He's known it was "wrong" for a while, hence why he took X's name and added "Evil", but he never seriously wanted them to hurt. Just to listen to him. He'd meant to come in and fix it all and finally be a hero. He didn't realize, either through haste or inexperience, that he too would be at the mercy of what he'd done.Maybe he does, eventually, make it to where the hermits have gathered. But does he really want to admit everything? (RSD had burned him before, and if there ever was something to place the blame on his head...) - @/basaltdragon

- lasting effects of deaths

- a large amount of assorted ideas

- The bell they put on Daisy was originally of the type that are put on cats, but Grian ended up switching it out with a cowbell because he hated the sound - anonymous

- False, Keralis, Cleo, and Stress make it to spawn, bedraggled and exhausted. Out of all the Hermits, they are some of the last to arrive. Along the way, they’ve encountered trials innumerable that have left them beaten and bruised, but after months of travel, they’ve finally made it.Shortly after leaving the Moobloom field, they came upon an abandoned cart in the middle of a desolate village. With some of the redstone they had found and whatever magic they managed to scrape up, they turned it into a sort of vehicle that allowed them to travel much faster. It had a habit of breaking every six seconds or so, but nothing they couldn’t fix. For the most part. A few accidental combustions aside, they crossed the server in record time.Once at spawn, False has to be forcibly restrained from immediately starting guard duty, and several of the Hermits have to physically wrestle her into a bed in order for her to get some rest. Stress starts up a potion factory the next day, and also starts decorating the spawn with the flowers she’s collected during their travels. Keralis helps out wherever he’s needed, but in his downtime, he constructs an elaborate warren of tastefully decorated, industrial tunnels under the spawn, just in case they might help. Cleo mostly just stays in bed, creating elaborate dioramas and mourning the loss of her zombie side. She’ll get better, but it’ll take some time. And that’s ok with the rest of them. - @/topazastral

- When Doc, Grian, and Ren finally make it to 0,0 there is no fanfare, no dramtic entrance, no revulation. They were travling and suddnly, there was a base, a hermitcraft base, and they could see people. Grian clambers to feet shakily from the shed, nearly falling but Doc and Ren catch him and toghther they help him walk foward and call out to their friends. They are safe now, they're here- Is that mumbo on a ravager what the hell? Wait thats Impluse? Seems like Grian wasnt the only one changed. - anonymous

- Jellie reacting to vex!scar headcanons -she recognises him instantly. The moment she and xb arrive at spawn she darts straight towards him. Of course, she cant figure out why he looks different, but regardless, thats her owner and she demands pets!!!-sometimes she will jump up and try to pounce on his vex wings, because shiny moving thing! Scar picked up on this very quickly and will move out of the way before she gets the chance (vex wings are rather delicate and a pain to get fixed)-whe she's bored, she will always go to mumbo and daisy for attention first. This makes scar rather jealous and she knows that damn well-Scar will sometimes pick her up and fly her around not too far from spawn for a few minutes. Nothing she isnt used to, as he flys with the elytra all the time, but something about flying with vex magic just feels... different. And fun! - anonymous

- Contrary to the enderman bdubs, ender dragon bdubs. His eyes aren't the normal brown, and are instead a bright magenta, he also now has ashen gray horns. - Anonymous

- Scattered AU: The intended world "theme" Xisuma had set up for Season 8 was Large Biomes. This was before anyone knew something was going to go wrong, of course, but it's had a horrible lasting effect in the glitched world. Not everywhere has generated as "large", so when Hermits are travelling they'll sometimes find normal sized biomes, and other times they'll find one biomes that stretches an abnormal distance in all directions. Grian and Doc's mountain range is one of these large biomes. - @/wixelt

- For the scattered au, the snow golem follows Grian and Ren (and Doc) to the spawn haven, for a few days the hermits are wondering what's leaving behind snow trails and zombie flesh, so they decide to have a night watch around this area. Ren volunteered and waited, half-asleep he nearly nearly gets hit with a arrow when he hears the sound of a skeleton getting hurt. He sees the snow golem and uses his sword to kill the skeleton. The snow golem tries to flee but Ren realizes and stops it (1/2)He welcomes the snow golem and introduces it to Grian and Doc, (where the snow golem warns him that it is keeping its eyes on him in its own language). Spooked, Grian tells them that he can understand it, and the golem tells him that he's been following them since their time at the mountain. They decide to give it the name Catmint and it helps guard the hermit's base at night (while giving a stern look at Doc every now and then.(2/2) - anonymous

- (Scattered au)Seeing as we now have 3 different variations of Etho, I raise you: all 3 at once. It turns out Etho was not in fact human, instead a shapeshifter who didn't know that he was, the deaths simply sped up the process, whereas before, while he would change slightly, it was never fast enough to be noticeable - Anonymous

- I had this idea some time ago actually but I thought it was silly but now that the au in ending might as well say it. It doesn't make much sense now with all the new development srry. What if one day Mumbo was callibrating his comunication monstrosity, and suddenly his communicator had signal. He called and called but whoever was a the other side didn't pick up, until they did and Mumbo was overjoyed, but the happiness died down when he could only hear chocked sobs and sharp breathing and (1)teeth chattering. Suddenly a voice whispered, little and fragile "h-h-he-lp". Mumbo knew that voice too well. Before he could even open his mouth to let his best friend he was coming for him, he'd be okay, anything, the breathing stopped. The call was still going, but no one was at the other side anymore, Mumbo hung up with tears in his eyes, and he swore he'd find him and he'd help him. (2) - anonymous

- Scattered AU: While there's still time for them: Mumbo was the furthest Hermit out in the Overworld, & didn't set off for over a year, yet wasn't last to 0,0 (with Iskall) by any stretch. More than half the Hermits seemed to arrive after him. This can be partly attributed to Daisy making good time, but it makes you wonder how many trials & tribulations impeded False, Stress, Cleo and Keralis along the way? How much Ren, Doc & Grian were slowed by Grian's condition? What took xB or Biffa so long? - @/wixelt

- Once everyone finds each other, at the world spawn, after the initial shock, and fixing of the world of course, the hermits all decide to settle much closer to each other. They were separated for quite a while, so it makes sense why they'd decide to keep close. Some groups also make shared bases. - anonymous

- I sort of want grian to be a bit more inhuman so how about grian’s skin on his arms, legs and most of his face permanently blackened by the severe frostbite and the rest of his skin has taken on a bluish tinge, his hair is no longer the Gold it was before but almost snow white with a tinge of dark and light blue, his ears and tail are snow white with what appears to be frost and ice growing on them (1/2)(2/2) grian can not cry because the tears will immediately turned to ice, he can’t swim because if his body touches the water the water will freeze over, his skin is cold to the touch and whatever he moves his body it will make a cracking sounds like breaking glass or smashing ice, no matter how warm it is he can always see his breath... i’m trying to think of more but I’m coming up blank so that’s it hope you like it. - anonymous

- bc i cant stand when cleo is unhappy: the moment she and joe reunite, joe realizes how horrible it is for her to have her body messed with against her will. and as an admin, he can modify her code to put her back to how she was in previous seasons (aka not totally rabid but still undead) - anonymous

- Admins log final day: I'm glad we'll all be able to wake up from this nightmare, and we're able to get an exit portal going thanks to Mango and Methodz having a backup of the key to open the infinity portal's power, we should be able to not only go back in time, but destroy this broken timeline. Were all grateful for them, and I did invite them both to help us incace this happens again. This will be the last day in this timeline, if you somehow found this helmet with these logs, thank you. :-) - anonymous

- Grian, Doc, and Ren find it hard to stay away from each other too long, especially Doc and Ren becuase they've been taking care of Grian for such a long time so they find themselves kinda hovering over him and Grian finds himself seeking them out even when he's with other hermits. The other groups, who've been toghther for awhile, do it too probs - anonymous

- Soon as Grian and Mumbo see each other, they launch themselves at the other and hold on for a long, long time. Iskall join in soon as he wanders by and they talk for hours about what happened, looking over Grian's new fox parts and the blue marks on his hands, Mumbo gray stained hands and magic, and just Iskalls overall experience. Also Grian's little fox buddy absolutely loves Daisy and vice versa. Its not uncommon to see the small fox riding on the ravager's back while Daisy scares people. - Anonymous

- I know I'm a bit out of loop w scattered au & is probably getting things wrong but consider this, when Mumbo accidentally summoned Scar, leaving Bdubs alone, Bdubs freaked out. The very person that meant rescue & hope for him back in the end is now gone, he felt like he's back into the void again and he thought Scar abandoned him because he's too weak & is a burden to Scar. (Yes I am currently drowning in Scardubs angst) - @/anthosaidsmth

- The glitches in the world didn't only happen to the Hermits, it happened to all worlds created in 1.17. The cause remains unknown, though it is believed that something or even someone corrupted/changed the code (what/who is up to imagination. In the case of the latter, so is the motive). My idea, we've already confirmed that Watchers are arrogant jerks so perhaps they couldn't stand the fact that players learned to do things against the rules that they put in place, and did this out of spite. - anonymous

- A bit late but I see all the Fox!Grian headcannons so what if Grian spawned in a jungle and slowly became a parrot hybrid instead? How idk, maybe resorting to eating seeds to prevent himself from starvation because there is no animals in this jungle.

- Here's a thought: The Hels!Hermits were also effected by whatever caused the scattering. They may all hate or annoy each other, but not having each other around to pick on isn't very fun (neither are death loops). Perhaps some of them gain humility over this or learn to be at least a bit nicer to each other and their counterparts. (or some of them find sadistic amusement in their counterpart's miseries) - anonymous

- Finally, once everyone has made it safely to spawn and the problems with the world have been resolved, the season begins. Some of the Hermits may have changed (more than just physically) but over time, they adapt and recover. Grian eventually starts yet ANOTHER war, Tango gets to build DO 2.0 (X is terrified at the fact wardens are involved), and Cleo becomes a coach on 'how to be a mob hybrid' (unless all new hybrids get returned to how they were before by admin powers or just being players). - anonymous

- With all the glitches fixed and all the hermits starting to get back to their normal (Well as normal as it can be after all of these), I wonder if Scar is still a vex. All the hermits just adapted to their situations, but Scar is different, he made a deal with the Vex. - @/anthosaidsmth

- It takes all of the hermits that changed a while to get used to the changes, but eventually they do, mostly through help and support from the other hermits - anonymous

- I had a wee idea and it's a little silly but I like hurt/comfort so maybe after all the scattered au events have passed and the hermits are all together living safely, every winter some hermits invite Grian to their bases to take care of him since the snow and the cold are very bad for him. Sometimes he gets fevers but most of the time he just needs a warm blanket and someone to distract him from the snow. This is also making me wonder if Grian could develop chinophobia (fear of the snow). - Anonymous

- conclusion

Art:

- An Evoker Mumbo

- Evoker Mumbo with Daisy

- Evoker Mumbo summoning Scar

- a Guardian Impulse

- assorted doodles here and here

- A two-part Impulse comic

Writing:

- some Etho lore come back to haunt him (pt 1)

- Cleo sharing mob-hybrid tips with Impulse

- Executioner

- Fish out of water

- Homesick

- Thalassophobia

- The General's Wager (pt 2)

- The Undertow

- Saviors

- Bdubs falling

- For lack of blue shiny rocks (pt 3)

- conclusion (pt 4)

- EX in the Deep Dark

- this road I'm on's gonna turn to sand

- Snapshots

- a multi-chapter Scattered interpretation written just before the real season 8, complete with some outside lore and crossover

- Scattered Across The Map (series of parallel multi-chapter fics)

- One Hundred Thousand Worlds Away

[etherealvoidechoes]

Ne Cede Malis - A Twist of Fate

An idea that struck me during a dream. Just a quick AU and playing with some ideas. Also mild stress relief writing. It’s not going to become a series. Can’t really say much without spoiling what it’s about.

Think I only need to warn for is mild language. And about 9.5K. One of these days I’ll keep myself from writing an overly long one and done fic.

-----

“Ho—how much longer… until we reach the outpost, Bradford?” Manson asked in-between gasps of air and grunts.

“Not much longer. Should see it when we reach the top of this hill.” Bradford replied.

“And then how far from there?” He sounded so exhausted.

“Oh, ease up.” Laney rolled her eyes. “Fresh ain’t killing you.”

“The humidity is.”

“Should install a fan into your Gremlin then. Just try to not get thrown out of Shen’s workshop.” She playfully teased, only to get a few curses slung at her. Yuri let out a boisterous laugh.

“You’re just asking for him to get thrown out of Shen’s workshop. Again.” Jody snickered. 

“I didn’t know that was her workshop.” Manson said through gritted teeth.

“Go easy on the new guy.” Joshua shook his head. He grabbed Manson’s pack off his back and slung it onto his. Manson gave a quick thank you.

Bradford was leading a squad of about five, him included, through the backwoods of North Georgia. Partially into the Appalachian Mountains. Though it was a cool, spring day, a recent rain had saturated the air as Manson was not dealing with the humidity well.

There were some sound rumors there was a reputable Black Market dealer that made their home deep within the moments. In fact, they had turned an abandoned ADVENT outpost into their base of operations. A bold and dangerous play on their hand, but seemed like ADVENT didn’t care about this region. Barely any patrols ran through the mountain. Maybe the occasional dropship flew by, but not much happened. Hopefully, the trip was worth it. Heard the dealer may have been in possession of some sensitive equipment procured from an ADVENT facility. And they were always interested in getting their hands on sensitive equipment. No telling where it could lead them.

As they crested the hill, there it was. The outpost off in the distance, just a few miles away. A white, grim covered building with several vines growing over it. The sun's rays glistened off one of those gaudy, golden statues of the Elders. A surprising sight. Those things were usually defaced or torn down when abandoned.

“I need… to catch my… breath.” Manson sat down as soon as they reached the top of the hill. He wiped the sweat from his brow before taking a swing of water from his canteen.

“Make it short.” Bradford glanced back at him and then to his watch. They still had a good amount of time before evening would hit. He wanted them to at least get halfway back to the Avenger before nightfall to set up camp.

“You’ve gotta toughen up, man.” Laney was still playfully picking on him. She found a log to step on to do some stretches to loosen up her legs. “Can’t have you on missions if you’re getting this tuckered out.

Manson furrowed his brows at her. “Not used to the humidity.” He was more used to drier climates. “Still getting used to carrying so much gear. I’m more of an engineer than a soldier.”

Manson was a new recruit to XCOM. A former ADVENT engineer fed up with the life and lies. He lived through the invasion as a teenager, and things never sat well with him. Of course, all the things the Elders did were wondrous, but it was all a lie. And then education They brought made his engineering interests flourish, but once he was older and found a job, he felt used. Eventually, catching wind of this XCOM made him want a way out of this false “golden” life. And there were a few others like him. It took some work, but they orchestrated a rescue from XCOM and delivered some equipment and valuable information into their hands. A few left to help with some havens, but most, including him, stuck with XCOM.

He flinched several times as Yuri patted his back. 

“You’ll adapt in no time, kiddo.” He gave a reassuring smile in his slightly thick Russian accent. A jagged scar ran up the left side of his face, from lip to ear. His left eye was glassy, but there was a hint of life to it. “If you don’t, you’ll suffer Corvo’s wrath.” He wiggled his fingers and made an ominous “ooOooOoo” sound.

“Don’t remind me of him.” Manson huffed. He wished he never volunteered to join the more military part of XCOM. It was interesting, but he should have just stuck with the engineering crew, but there were hurting to have more people on the field. Corvo was a slave master when it came to training. He wondered how a man like him was married to Shay, who also helped with the training. She was miss peppy to mister cold… who had his own quirks. Annoying Bradford was one of them. 

A few minutes passed by as they all caught a break.

“Let’s get going.” Bradford was ready to go. He was already moving.

In about half an hour or so, they arrived at their destination. The outpost. It was quiet. Dead quiet. Just the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling.

“Hm.”

Bradford approached the door. He signaled for three of them to check the windows. The security lasers were down. Boards and tarps had replaced them, as there was no more power to keep them going. He gave another sign for Manson and Laney to have their Gremlins do some scanning. Better safe than sorry. Last thing they needed was them stumbling into a trap. Or a nest of Chryssalids. As they did that, he knocked on the door a few times in a pattern given to them by their sources.

“I have burned my tomorrows and my shadows.” And said the code phrase.

A few minutes passed… and no response.

“Hm.” He glanced over at Joshua and then Yuri.

“Lights out and the place looks empty on this side.” Joshua said.

“This side is dark too.” Yuri said.

“Backs empty.” Jody said, coming back from checking the rear.

“Hm…” He didn’t like that. He then looked back at their Specialists. Laney’s Gremlin had returned to her side.

“Reading no life signs but us.” Manson said. He was letting his Gremlin do more extensive scans. “Just cold on the inside. We’re the only hot spots.”

“Same here.”

“Hm.” Odd.

He looked at the door handle and gave it a tug. The door slide right open, with a bit of help. It stuck a few times and let out a grinding screech at one point. He winced. Somebody probably heard that.

Once fully opened… there was still no response. The place was empty, but it was set up like any other black market they had gone to. Several display cases containing various weapons, equipment, and resources. Dried meats handing off to one side. There were probably more items to be purchased in the side rooms.

“Hm.” He didn’t like this. “Stay alert.” Cautiously, he entered. The others followed. He took in several whiffs and sneezed. Dusty. “Sea… salt?” But he was picking up a faint smell that was like the ocean in the room. Strange. Didn’t look like there were any candles burning.

“Picking that up too?” Yuri asked, nose wrinkling. Bradford nodded. “The air feels off.”

“Think it’s psionic activity?” Yuri was oddly sensitive to that. The doctors had done some tests. Said he had potential, but currently they didn’t have the tech to trigger that fully for him.

“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Could be coming from an artifact lying around. Still, we should be careful.”

He nodded. “Agreed. Careful everyone.” 

They all slowly spread out, weapons at the ready for anything, as they searched the outpost for any signs of life. But Bradford stayed in the main room. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. No black market dealer would leave their place unsecured like this. They usually had bodyguards besides booby traps. 

“Don’t touch anything.” He noticed Joshua about to touch one case by the left wall. The man quickly apologized and backed away. Bradford didn’t take another step further into the room. Something still didn’t feel right. “The dealer could have some nasty security set up.”

“Way ahead of you. Daedalus, do your thing.” Manson has his Gremlin carefully scanning the room to pick up any traps. That blue grid touched every inch of the room. “Clear. Next room, pal.” 

As the team continued to investigate, Bradford finally moved. He went over to the counter to see what was on sale. Some elerium, elerium cores, alien alloys, and torn down magnetic weapons caught his eye. Especially that elerium. “Hm…” They rarely had such a thing on display, especially the cores. You usually had to ask for those.

“Hey! WHAT TH—AAH— MM! MM!”

“Who was that?” He asked loudly. The muffled yells of one of his squadmates caught his attention. His finger hovered over the trigger to his shotgun. “Sound off! Everyone!”

“I heard that! Still here!” Yuri said.

“Nothing odd on the scanners!” Manson said.

“Investigating!” Jody said.

“Joining her!” Joshua added.

No response from Laney. She was missing.

“Be careful.” Bradford was weary. Looked like it was a setup.

As Jody and Joshua entered the room they last saw Laney head, no one was there. Minus her Gremlin that was frantically flying around a hole in the ceiling. Dust and debris fell from it and a broken light fixture swayed back and forth.

“Laney’s gone, but her Gremlin’s still here.” Joshua said, turning on his comms. He cautiously moved over to that hole, turning on his flashlight at the end of his shotgun to see what was up there.

And then something fell from that opening and made several metallic tinks on the ground.

“SHIT!” Jody’s eyes went wide.

“GRENADE!” Joshua yelled. “WE GOT TROUBLE!” He swiftly turned and headed back to the door. A second later, the grenade went off, letting off a loud bang and tossing up a lot of dust and debris. It was a flashbang.

A second later, there was a scuffle, several yells, and gunfire.

“Dammit…” Bradford cursed under his breath. He heard several wooden boards snapping from the left and right sides. Manson let out a blood-curdling yell and then Yuri spitting out several curses and gunfire before he was silenced. They were getting picked off quickly.

Before he could move to join them, he noticed a black and white blur swinging down from the ceiling. And then something solid hitting his chest. 

“AGH!” The wind was knocked out of him as he hit the ground with a solid thud. His shotgun clattered from his hands.

The world spun as he quickly tried to get his bearings. There was something else in that kick. It hit like a truck and was fogging his mind. Reminding him of a Sectoids psionics. As his vision cleared, he saw what kicked him dropping from the ceiling and heading over to him. 

Shit. ADVENT. 

They had a helmet that reminded him of one of those Stun Lancers. He pulled himself over to his shotgun and quickly grabbed it. Before he could turn it on his attacker, they were on him, kicking the gun out of his hands and planting a knee on his chest. The next second, they had on his hand on his face and in an instant the world blurred again. 

He felt his head spin and a headache grow. He noticed a blue glow growing around them and streams of energy traveling from him and up their arm.

 Fuck, they’re a psionic! He recognized the unpleasant feeling, but this was different. He felt like he was growing weak. As if his life was being drained from him with each passing second. Hell, he felt like his skin was wrinkling, drying out as the seconds passed. 

Need to get them off! Need to cut this connection! Desperately, he tried pulling their hand from his face, but they had one hell of a death grip. He frantically reached for his knife, but they were blocking it. He could feel himself growing weaker by the second. This was not how he wanted to go out.

“Hm…” They muttered as they brought their face closer to his, cocking it to the side.

“>BOSS! STOP!<“ He heard the flanging voice of one Hybrid somewhere in the back. He wondered if they were gloating over taking them out. “>These people are XCOM!<“ 

He recognized at least one word in there. XCOM. Still needed to learn the language the Elders forced onto humanity, but it was looking like he wouldn’t get that chance. But the draining… the draining suddenly stopped.

“>XCOM?<” The one on top of him asked, turning their head.

“>Yes! XCOM!<“

“XCOM.” This time they uttered in English. That surprised Bradford. And they sounded female. 

She carefully shifted to the side, making sure she still had him pinned as she checked his shoulder. That familiar blue, polygonal patch was there. “Hm…” She brought her hand back to his face. He winced when he felt a connection again, but this time, it felt like probing. A quick search through his mind. A gasp left her mouth.

“Dammit.” She cursed under her breath. “>EVERYONE! STAND DOWN! THEY’RE FRIENDLIES!<“ She switched back to the alien tongue.

What the hell is going on? Bradford wasn’t sure why this Hybrid had stopped draining him and stopped to check his shoulder. He still struggled, but barely had the strength to lift his hand. Here we go. He noticed her bringing her hand back to his face. He closed his eyes expecting the worse, but… but he felt his strength returning. A sharp gasp escaped from his lips. His life was coming back.

A minute or two passed before she took her hand off his face and got up. And he felt like himself again, minus the soreness to his chest and back.

“Sorry… sorry about that.” An out of breath apology came from her. And she was speaking in English again. But there was no more of the flanging in their voice like the others. Like she turned it off like a switch. Sounded completely human. And oddly familiar. He couldn’t put his finger on it. There was also a strain to her voice and a slight echo. She was slightly hunched over. Did that life transfer reserve take the life out of her? The skin on the lower part of her face… her brownish-red skin looked unnaturally pale and wrinkled. And then, from what he could tell, her neck was black. Like it was burned.

“You stumbled into our trap. We thought you were some of the local raiders that have been plaguing the locals.” She extended a hand to him.

“What the hell?” He quietly muttered to himself. 

He eyed her, especially that hand, finally having a chance to study her. She was about a head taller than him, for starters. Never had seen a Hybrid so tall. She wore ADVENT armor; repurposed and repainted black and white. And that helmet was different. At a quick glance, it looked like a Stun Lancers helmet, but it was very different. It didn’t have that red ‘glass-like’ visor, instead an onyx curved piece took its place. Then he noticed this Hybrid had hair. White and brown hair. Hybrids didn’t have hair. This one had to be special as they also had psionics. Blue psionics. What were the Elders up to?

He finally noticed the symbol on the right side of her chest. Those wings and a star. Skirmishers. Ambushed by Skirmishers. What were the chances? Better than ADVENT.

“You guys set up one hell of an ambush.” He said gruffly. Just how troublesome were the local raiders for them to set this up? He finally took her hand and got up.

Just as he got up, the other Skirmishers were entering the main room, ushering in his people. They were all battered, highly confused, and ticked off. Manson was cursing out one Skirmisher in Persian. He had a dislocated right shoulder, and the Skirmisher was holding a very banged up Daedalus in their hands. Poor robot was letting out several pitiful beeps. No amount of “sorrys” was going to make the engineer calm down.

“>Sorry, boss,<” One Skirmisher in black armor came over to them, “>I missed their patches. I should have waited to give the signal.<”

“>It’s okay.<” She raised her hand to silence them. “>We already planned on taking any who entered alive for questioning. Thankfully, none were killed.<”

With that conversation over, she looked at each XCOM member. They were all pretty banged up. Cuts, bruises, and dislocated joints. At least none are dead.  She then looked at Bradford. 

“Come back to our camp. Our medics can patch up any damage.” She offered. “And we have some supplies and intel we can share. Information on vulnerabilities to several outposts and some facilities nearby.”

Bradford crossed his arms. An apology, of sorts. He wondered if he should accept it. They came out here for supplies and anything dealing with ADVENT. He would rather not leave empty-handed. And it would be best to keep the peace. Last thing Betos probably wanted to hear was some of her people attacking him. Hearing another curse from Manson as Yuri, with the help of one Skirmisher, popped his arm back into place had him leaning towards accepting it. A quick patch up would be a good idea. Probably would spend the night with them, depending on how long it took.

“We accept.”

————————————

“What’s your clan?” Bradford asked. 

As they were following the Skirmishers back to their camp, and were nearly there, he had been studying their armor, looking for identifying markers for one of the clans local from the area. So far, he was finding nothing.

“I know a few in this region that Betos has informed me of, but not seeing anything on you guys’ armor that says who you are.”

“We don’t exactly have a ‘clan’.” Bastion answered. He had come to know her as ‘boss’ or Bastion. She still had her helmet on as the others had removed theirs as a sign of friendship. Must have been secretive. “We’re more nomadic.”

“Huh.” That was interesting and odd. Even the more nomadic clans had a name.

“You can call us Twilight Drifters.“ Attis, the one in the black armor, butted in. Looked like she was Bastion’s right-hand woman. ”Boss is a bit hesitant about a clan name, but we all felt like having some sort of name was better than nothing!” She let out a hearty laugh as she smacked Bastion’s back several times. Bastion grunted with each hit. She turned her head. The corners of her lips were twitching as they slowly turned into a frown. That just got another laugh out of Attis and there others joined in.

“Here we are.” Bastion said as she moved some brush out of the way. The camp was active. It was a series of cabins deep in the woods they had taken over to be their base of operations for the time being. A mix of Hybrids and some humans were moving about and working.

“Attis. Turel. Get them to the medics.” Bastion instructed. “And Hol’tul and Ermes get the intel from Varkner and his crew. And get some food and sleeping quarters prepped for our guests, just in case. ”

“Yes, boss.” They nodded and went about their duties. Attis and Turel were already barking out orders to the others to alert the medics as they lead Bradford’s crew away.

“You,” she pointed at Bradford, ���follow me.” She started heading over to one cabin of to the right.

He raised a brow, but shrugged. Probably had something to tell him. His ears only. He followed.

————————————

After they entered the cabin, Bastion locked the door. Didn’t need their conversation being disturbed.

“Hm.” Bradford looked around. Looked to be her quarters and the situation room all in one. A bed shoved into a corner and then several maps plastered on the walls, along with photographs and various weapon crates, spread about. Reminded him of rougher times before he found the surviving remnants of XCOM. He didn’t miss them.

“Again, I’m sorry for the injuries my people caused to your people.” She as said as she headed over to a table. She placed her rifle on the table and started taking off her armor. The gauntlets were the first things to come off.

“It’s fine.” Bradford said. Well, it was to a point. But he could ignore it. They were still alive. “Just one hell of an ambush. How the hell did you hide from our sensors?” He was curious about that.

“Psionics.” She raised her hand, forming that very energy into an orb. “I can deaden our life signatures. Makes us untraceable to most sensors. Usually takes a strong psionic to pick up something is wrong.” With that, she let the orb disappear. “Though, somehow you and one of your men noticed.”

“Huh.” He wondered if Sectoids could do that. That could be a potential headache. Something to note for the future. Especially if ADVENT started fielding Hybrids with psionics. “We just smelled salt. Sea salt. Like there was an ocean nearby.” He still found that strange.

“Hm.”

Just as she pulled off her last bit of armor, she felt woozy. Body wobbling for a moment before her legs gave out. She barely caught herself with the table, hands slamming down to stabilize herself.

“Dammit.” She grumbled under her breath.

Bradford raised a brow. He dashed over to her and helped her back up. “You alright?”

“It’s… complicated.” She grunted. She was out of of breath. “Thanks.”

“You need a medic?” He noticed she still looked pale. She shook her head.

“They can’t really help me.” Another grunt slipped out as she leaned on the table. She looked around until her eyes fell on something. “Can you bring that capsule over to me, please?” She pointed at a cylindrical device.

He fetched the capsule and handed it to her. She thanked him again as fiddled with it. The thing lit up in hexagonal panels that suddenly spun out. A white mist poured out of it. And something glimmered inside of it. She pulled out what looked to be a black crystal about the size of his thumb and sealed the capsule. The crystal had a blue shimmer when the light passed through it.

She gripped the crystal tightly in her hand and channeled her psionics. There was the sound of cracking until a loud snap was heard. Black, blue, and red liquid seeped from her hand. She opened her hand. The crystal was shattered, revealing the liquid came from with in it and a few shards had pierced her skin. Before a single drop could fall, the liquid retreated into those cuts; discoloring her hand to a pitch black. She took in a sharp breath as her body shuddered as the discoloration traveled up her arm. Just as quick as it came, the discoloration disappeared back to a brownish-red. But she looked better. Her skin looked more lively, especially around her face. That paleness was fading.

“Okay…” Bradford wasn’t sure what he had just witnessed. More weird alien stuff. This Hybrid is special. “Just who are you? What type of Hybrid are you?”

“Hm…” She grimaced, turning away from him. Looked to be a sensitive subject. 

“Look, I don’t mean to—“

“No, it’s not that.” She interrupted him. “I don’t know how to put this…” She glanced over her shoulder. Looking at him for a few seconds before turning her head away. “I think I know you… and you know me.” As she said that, she started to take off her helmet.

“What?” That made no sense to him. He’d never met her or her group before. Nor did her name ring a bell from some operatives Betos had shared with them. And it was a long list.

He watched her remove her helmet. Curious to see what she looked like underneath. A Hybrid having hair was still a surprise to him. As she removed the helmet, he noticed a few oddities. She had ears. Hybrids didn’t have ears. Then there were no ports from what he could see or those surgical scar lines from them. And there should have been ports, as those ADVENT helmets connected into them.

She set her helmet down on the table, took in a deep breath, and let out a sigh. Almost like she was hesitant to turn her face fully to him. But she finally turned.

“Long time no see, John.” There was a warmness to her voice as she said that. “Can’t believe you’re alive.”

John? He never told her his first name. “How the hell–“ But as she turned, he paused. Those features, she looked more human than the average Hybrid, but some genetic modification was evident. Eyes spaced further apart, a flared nose, and an odd gauntness to her face. Reminded him of one of the Chosen, but with a more human looking skin tone. But there was something about those features that looked to familiar too him. The freckles… Why was her voice familiar to him? 

“What the… no…” The gears in his mind were turning. He gasped. He knew her. “Commander Reeves? Jynn?”

“In the flesh.”

“You can’t be…” No. That was impossible. Had to be. No way she could be the Commander they were searching for. No way this person was his missing best friend. In those dreams…. No. Nightmares. In those nightmares, he saw what she looked like. She was in terrible shape, a walking corpse. And here she was, not in that terrible state, but still equally concerning. “You can’t be her.” He shook his head. But he was moving closer to her. 

“I am Jynn Gresham Reeves, Central Officer John Bradford.” There was a slight annoyance in her voice as she looked at him with hooded eyes. Saying his title and full name seemed to make him snap too. It was her. But a sigh slipped from her lips. She could understand his disbelief. “Though… changed.”

He reached out to her, raising a hand towards her face, but he stopped. He quickly retracted his hand and turned away, covering his mouth. He tried his best to stifle his disbelief, his weeping. This can’t be her.

She let out another sigh and shook her head. “John.” She placed her hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away.

It was a minute or two before he turned to face her again. His eyes were bloodshot. Tears stained his cheeks.

“What the hell did They do to you?”

She sighed. Them. She crossed her arms and looked away. 

“A lot of things.” She didn’t know where to start. “They nearly killed me several times with Their experiments as well as being the brains behind ADVENT. Tactical advisor running 24/7 nearly nonstop for several years. Really should be brain dead from that.”

“So that theory is true…” Bradford was always a bit hesitant about that theory, but all the data they had been gathering and just how ADVENT worked leaned towards it being true. And he hated the idea of it being true, even if it meant she was still alive.

 “Won’t be surprised if they have a clone of me running the system or some brain scan backup, but I see there’s some breakdown that’s been happening since I escaped. Maker said that probably wouldn’t work due to several reasons.” She darkly chuckled. She could see the Elders frantically working to make the perfect replica of her, but falling terribly. But she soon sighed. 

“Raal’Maker… I have him to thank that I’m even alive. A rather benevolent Elder.” She still couldn’t believe there was a benevolent one in that Collective and supposedly his mentor had the same mindset as him. Perhaps there were more levelheaded ones under his mentor. “He tried fixing the damage several times before they ripped me away from him again. Really, my health is still terrible.”

“Benevolent?” Bradford wanted to scoff. None of those things were benevolent with what they did to the Earth.

“Trust me, he’s a good one out of Their mad Collective. Pretty much the only one who was truly concerned about my damn health.”

Health… “What about your health?” He almost didn’t want to ask. But he noticed there was still a strain lingering in her voice, even after whatever she did with that crystal.  

“I can’t put this lightly….” She looked away from him. “I’m dying, John.”

“What?” Did he hear that correctly? She repeated herself, which only left his mouth hanging. “What…? How? Why?”

“What the Elders have done to me…” She touched her face, pushing at her sharp cheekbones and the strange platting-like growths that lined them. “They’re careless. Tried turning me into a Chosen when I was still broken, even after Maker’s warnings.”

“What.” To imagine her as one of those abominations was impossible. But that’s why she looked the way she did. She had some of those familiar features akin to those deathless pests.

“A funny thing, almost a twisted irony of sorts. I’m more like Them. Parasites feeding on ‘lesser’ creatures to survive.” She shook her head and laughed. “Maker was right. Something like this would happen.” She looked back at him. A pang of guilt entered her heart. She fed on him. Could have gone too far and nearly killed him. “Sorry about draining you earlier. I try to incapacitate the head of the group first and was just a bit hungry.”

Bradford was about to say something, but quickly snapped it shut. He didn’t know what to say. He was still trying to process everything.

“At least that draining wasn’t instantaneous.” He cracked a joke. Mainly trying to cheer himself up. She chuckled at that, but soon sighed. “And there’s something else.” What else? He didn’t want to hear it.

Jynn raised her hand and let her psionics flow freely from her hand. It took on the shape of a thin, four armed humanoid creature. Looked kind of like the Elders. 

“I’m missing a part of me. Something happened that day they captured me at the base. I was connected to some being that was helping us. Guiding me.” She tried to explain. “When that Muton grabbed me… I disconnected to that being and haven’t been the same since.” She closed her hand and let the figure dissipate. “Even the Elders knew of whatever was connected to me. Called it the ‘Ascended One’ or something like that. Disappointed it was no longer connected with me when They started Their experiments and got me hooked up to their war machine. But They were still looking for it.”

He looked at the figure she made one last time before she let it disappear. Looked exactly like the one that would be behind her in his dreams…. No. Nightmares. He rubbed his face before dropping the hand to his chin. So much more to process. Nothing made sense. He didn’t recall them having an alien on their side back in the day. But then, again some of his memories were shot. He had trauma and alcohol to thank for that.  And then so much was going on back then.

“I take it…” He paused, trying to find his words. “I take it you’re looking for this thing?”

She nodded. “Been at it for a few years now. Why my group moves around a lot.”

He let out an exasperated sigh as he moved over to an open spot on the table and leaned onto it. This can’t be happening. But it was. Somehow, all of this was happening.

“So, what have you been up to?” Jynn switched topics, hoping that would help his mood. She didn’t want to dwell on the subject for any longer. Hated thinking about her poor state of health. “I see XCOM’s still alive in some capacity.”

“We’ve been fighting back.” He nodded. “And we’ve been looking for you.”

“Looking for me?” Her ears perked up.

“I didn’t believe you were dead for a second.” He looked at her. He still couldn’t believe it. “They captured you for a reason that day. And the information we found reinforced that… and then some dreams… visions I had.”

“Huh. Really?” She was surprised to hear that. Even more surprised when he said yes. She was touched. He still believed she was alive in this mad world. But the dreams comment was… strange. “How many thought you were crazy? Wasting resources looking for a ghost from the past?” She knew there had to a good amount of doubters irritated with him, and whoever else, being insistent that she was alive.

“A good handful.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

 But something still bothered him. ”Sounds like you’ve been free from the Elders’ grasp for a few years.” And if she was, and was with the Skirmishers, she had to know XCOM had come back for quite some time. “I have to ask,” he looked at her, “why did you never contact us?”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “Do you see what I look like?” She snarled, eyes glowing for a second. She gasped, catching her outburst and seeing him quickly move away. “Sorry… sorry…” She backed away for his safety. “There was no way… I’d have no idea who survived our downfall that would remember more and even be accepting of the new me.”

“Right…” That made sense. Hell, his reaction could have been so much worse when she revealed her identity. How would the others back on the ship react? There were several in the group that were extremely anti-alien. Made working with the Skirmishers tense at times. He was somewhere in the middle. But there were certain aliens he hated more than the others. 

“Now, you said something about dreams?” She asked. She wanted to make sure she heard that right. “Or did you say visions?”

“Both. From what the Templars told me.” He said, looking away as he thought about them. He hated them. “Really, they were damn nightmares.”

“Explain.” She was curious.

He did his best to explain the nightmares. They were sporadic. Never really having a set pattern when they would occur and he hated that. But when they would occur, they were horrible. He would see her, just like she was before the base was invaded. But over a short period, her appearance would degrade with a flash. Several times. It was gut wrenching watching her degrade into what he could best describe as a walking corpse, barely hanging onto life. And the worst part for him was he could never reach her. There was always a distance between them. An invisible force keeping them from ever meeting.

Her mouth was agape as she listened. Sounded like he saw her through her stages of experimentation. She partially remembered some of them. Barely lucid and screaming her head off as she fought to escape her fate. Just the details he gave… did they have a psionic connection?

“Why… why were they like that?” She didn’t want to bring up the psionic connection as a suggestion just yet.

“I really don’t know…” He shook his head. Then he remembered something. “A Templar told me it may be a psionic connection of sorts. A ‘psionic bond’.” He still didn’t believe that. He didn’t want to. Just the very thought they were visions and what he saw was happening to her always bothered him. “I don’t remember you being a psionic back in the day.”

“Psionic connection…” She muttered under her breath. That just made her curious. Did she do that back then without thinking? “Well, my psionic potential was latent back then.” Something she learned when she was in the Elders’ clutches. Though she faintly remembered Vahlen wanting to run some tests after a routine health check showed something, but she was far too busy to entertain her. A part of her wanted to bring up the possibility of the bond, but decided against it.

“Huh.” He wondered what Vahlen would have done if she learned about that. Probably would have somehow convinced her to enter one of those sarcophagi for testing, despite everything going on. He chuckled to himself, cracking a smile. But it disappeared as he looked at her face. Just so much was wrong.

 He looked away, retreating back to his thoughts. This was her. It really was her. His mind didn’t want to reconcile such a fact. This has to be a dream. A bad dream. Part of him wanted it to be that, but he knew the truth. Felt the truth. His body was still sore after the ambush and he could still feel the lingering tingle from those psionics. This is really her. 

He turned back to her, this time moving towards her. He looked at her from head to toe. Studying her. This new form twisted by the Elders. Like the Chosen, but a proto-form of sorts. But there were so many familiar features. It was her but… she was so changed. And dying. Just why?

The next moment, he hugged her. Tightly wrapping his arms around her, and just cried.

Jynn froze, arms open and drawn back. She was hesitant to touch him. She had been waiting for this, but not so suddenly. A sigh came out as she wrapped her arms around him. Nestling her chin against his head as tears streamed down her face.

Bradford eventually pulled away, but his hands went up to her face, pausing mere inches away. Hesitant to touch her, but he eventually did. He ran his fingers down her jawline, expecting to feel any remnants of pulled ports under the skin, something some Skirmishers did once they were freed. But there was nothing. It was smooth, besides the wrinkled skin. Why did she have to look like them?

 She seemed unfazed by him doing that. Almost expecting him to do that. She welcomed it. The touch of an old friend. His hands felt nice. A bit rough from calluses, but nice.

“At least they let me keep my freckles.” A little joke to lighten the mood. He chuckled for a moment before the sadness returned.

“All of this… why?” Part of him desperately wanted to know.

That. She let out a huff. She wouldn’t keep the truth from him.

“They wanted an asset and weapon in more ways than one.” She explained. “XCOM was coming back. What better way than to have the leader of said group be the one to crush it?” The Elders enjoyed doing that. The Hunter was a fine example of that. A Reaper turned against his own kind. “And They don’t care if they have to break you to remake you. Even when one of their brightest advises against it.”

“…Why.”

Hearing that just hurt him deeply. To imagine, if she was still in Their clutches, she would be one of those Chosen. Having to fight an old friend for Earth’s freedom. How would have that gone? What would they have done if they had learned of her identity? What would he have done?

“And you’re dying?” Part of him just didn’t want to believe that. Just hoped that wasn’t true.

“Yep.” Sad eyes told all. “I feel it every day. Always feels like I’m teetering on the edge. I’ve had several extensive medical scans and a…. benefactor… not Maker….” Really… she questioned if she could call that Voice such a thing. “They’ve confirmed it too.”

“Benefactor?”

“That’s hard to explain… makes me feel insane most days.” She sighed. 

She reached up to her collar of her under armor and pulled it down. From the chin down, her skin was black. An unnatural black. Like something had charred it black. And there was something else. Eyes. Sharp blue eyes that looked like tattoos were near the center of her neck. Four in total. But there were some others on her neck where more eyes could be, except they were closed.

“What the hell…”

“A gift from my ‘benefactor’.” She questioned if she could even call it that. “Something the Elders fear and it equally hates Them for some transgression They committed against it… him… I don’t know. And then several other species They’ve screwed with he’s ‘friends’ with.” She shook her head. “Feels pity for me for what They’ve and has helped stabilize my form to a point… against my permission.”

Some alien that hates the Elders? At first he thought they may have had an ally until she continued to describe this being. Sounded like she didn’t like it. Trusted them even less. “This benefactor helped you?”

She nodded. “He wants to help me more. More offers to heal the damage. But I don’t trust him. I’ve refused them.” She really didn’t trust it, though its words were sweet and soothing. “The Elders fear it for a reason, though They’re not innocent from Their crimes.”

“I take it this being is still making offers?” He asked. She nodded.

“He’s patient… Scarily patient… The offers haven’t stopped.” She shook her head again. This time she hugged herself. “Sometimes… Somedays… I’m tempted to accept them just to be me again. Human once more.” It was such a dangerous temptation and she had a feeling if she accepted, something terrible would befall her.

“Damn, Jynn…”

How long had she been suffering? Living such a tortured existence? A cosmic plaything from the sound of it. This is so much worse than his fears of finding her in some lab dissected like some animal and… hopefully dead. 

He dropped his hands to her shoulders. Head lowering, gaze fixed on the ground, as he dug his fingers into her shoulders. She sigh and patted his back. She hadn’t let go.

“I never got to tell you…”

Should he tell her? This could be my only chance. She is dying. How long will she live if this can’t be fixed?

“Tell me what? John?” She noticed something glisten, falling to the floor. Tears again. They must have been flowing. 

He tightened his grip again as he took in several shaky breaths. He raised his head. Those tears were flowing, just streaming down his face. 

“That I love you.” He finally said it. Fighting off any hesitation that wanted to come through. Felt like an enormous weight was taken off his chest.

She blinked once. Then twice. Eyes darted around before focusing back on him. He looked serious. Did she hear that correctly?

“W-w-what?”

“I love you, Jynn.” He repeated himself. More confidence in his voice. “I’ve had these feelings since we were teenagers.” Sometimes he wondered how she never noticed it back then, but she was rather oblivious to guys flirting at her kin high school. “Just kept it under wraps when we met again because of the Invasion. Couldn’t have them getting in the way. Keep it strictly business.” 

“Uh…” Her mouth hung open. She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. This was a revelation to her. Her lack of response did not surprise him. Probably not the best time to tell her, but he needed to get it off his chest.

“I am such an idiot…” She let out an exasperated sigh.

“Huh?” Not the response he was expecting.

She shook her head and smacked her forehead with her palm. “My mother was always the one to point out guys that had a crush on me and I’d just ignore her. She did the same with you!”

“Really?” He asked, holding back a snort in-between sniffles. She nodded.

“Hell!” She smacked her head again. “Explains why my dad was fine with me hanging out with you so much.”

“Really?” Another surprising detail. He and Mr. Reeves had a friendly relationship, but he found her father to be a rather intimidating person when he was younger. “He did scare me.” 

“Seriously?” She held back a snort.

“To a teenager, a military man like him was very intimidating.”

She thought for a moment. A snort slipped out. “You’ve got a point there.”

The two hugged again. Just holding onto each other. Neither really wanted to let go. It had been so long and it felt right.

During the time, she looked at his features. How the years and stress had aged him. She wondered if the scar on his cheek came from the day the base was attacked. Probably wasn’t his only scar from that day and over the years. She ran his fingers through his hair a few times. Seemed like he didn’t mind. In fact, seemed like he welcomed it with the happy “hm” that slipped out. It surprised her to see him let his hair grow a bit, but he had an odd haircut going on. Partially shaved, starting just above his ears.

“About the hair…” She said, breaking the silence. Fingers toying with the little ‘tuft’ of hair. “Interesting cut.”

“Felt like letting it grow out.”

“But the partial shave?” She asked next, fingers feeling the border between the shaved and non-shaved side. He just shrugged. He didn’t really have an answer.

“Huh.” She just chuckled. “The little tuft is cute.” She flicked it.

Eventually, Bradford pulled away from her. Almost having to pry himself from her grasp. He didn’t want to move away, but he needed to breathe. Just so many thoughts and emotions were going through his head. He paced around the cabin as he rubbed his face. 

At least she didn’t negatively react to me sharing my feelings.  He was happy that didn’t sour the mood.

As he paced, he looked around the room. Eyes falling onto the maps, photos, and blueprints. One photo had a big red circle around it and a quick note scribbled next to it that said “SEND TO BETOS”.

Betos.

“So how long have you been with the Skirmishers?” He asked. He had stopped in front of the photo that had the note. He noticed another photo circled and an arrow pointing to a location. And another note saying, “SCOPE OUT MORE. HIGH SECURITY. HIGH PRIEST IS HEAD OF SECURITY. MAY BE THE PLACE. WILL NEED BACKUP. KEEP IT STEALTHY.”

“About five years or so.” She said. “Still not fully one of them, to be honest.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, how I’m more nomadic for staters and I’ve never told Betos my identity.” She explained. “She never pressed me again once I told her it was for my safety and hers if she never knew it. Last thing I need is the Chosen knowing who I’m with. Especially Jax-Rai, the Assassin.” 

She and her group had far too many close calls with her. She was thankful Jax-Rai never used her psionics like Dhay-Vol, the Warlock. Would have figured out who she was ages ago, but thankfully her identity was still hidden from them. But she piqued their collective interest. A psionically capable ‘hybrid’ was running around with the Skirmishers. That caused a new set of problems for her.

“Those things.” He grimaced. He had received some intel from the other factions that those three were hunting something for the Elders, but they didn’t know what. Information was always classified, on another network they had no clue of how to reach. Now he knew it was her.

“They’ve been annoying.” Which was an understatement. “I avoid Dhay-Vol the best I can. Trying to hide my psionic signature when he’s on his hunt is nerve-wracking.” She hated him the most. Had to fry his brain on a few occasions just to escape. Somehow, he was still oblivious to her identity. Should have picked up her psionic signature from her attacks. But maybe her benefactor, that Voice, was hiding it? That thought crossed her mind many times. He could have altered her signature ever so slightly to aid her.

 “Jax-Rai is a pain and I think I’ve pissed her off with how much my people and I have escaped. And we’ve bested her a few times.” She shook her head, but chuckled. “Though I think she enjoys the chase. Kind of like her brother, the Hunter. Though not as mad…” She bit her lip. “Kon-Ris… I feel like he’s figured out who I am… but is keeping it secret for some reason.”

He couldn’t imagine the amount of stress she was under having to hide from those three. But her comment about the Hunter interested him. The wildcard of the siblings. “He’s figured you out?”

“Think so. Said a few things he shouldn’t know about me. Enjoys calling me Gresham and brings up XCOM a lot.”

“And he hasn’t told the others or the Elders?”

“Hates his siblings and hates the Elders even more… Probably some part of his brain blocks the info from the Elders.” She was curious how They hadn’t picked that detail up yet. “He’s always been a wildcard for the Elders after an incident with the Reapers happened that made him more flippant. Why he hunts ADVENT and aliens too.”

“Huh.” That was interesting.

“So what’s this?” He pointed at the photo with the note of wanting to scope out some facility with high security. And the photo showed that. There were standard Troopers and MECS all over the place.

“Hm?” She went over to see what he was pointing at. “Oh that. I have a feeling that’s where they may have my ‘backup brain’ running. Want to take it out. Disrupt their tactical information network again.”

“Ah.” He simply nodded. He would have to ask about that in greater detail another time. Still couldn’t believe that theory was true. Explained how ADVENT worked like a well-oiled machine since they were founded.

“So, when’s the raid happening?” He asked.

“Still in the works. Have to scope it out more and request backup from the local Skirmisher clans.” She shook her head. “Though I want to keep it stealthy as possible. Don’t want them teleporting the asset and any other backups out of the place before we get to it.”

“Hm.” Smart. He knew he had some facilities he had people scouting. Get as more information as you can before striking. But there was always a risk. He thought for a moment as he rubbed his chin. “Well, you could… join us. Join XCOM.” He suggested. “We’d be glad to back you up. Glad to have you back.”

She blinked a few times as her eyes went wide. Both brows raised high. He has to be kidding. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. 

“XCOM is your home.”

“John…” She wasn’t sure of that anymore.

“Our medical team may be able to help you.” He almost sounded desperate as he said that. “Hell, the Templars may be able to help you!”

It was a tempting offer, but she wasn’t so sure.

“What will your people think of me?” She asked. “Is there anyone there besides you that knows me?”

“Corvo Samaras.” He quickly responded. As if he was prepared for that question. “He was one of the training officers that moved between the bases fairly frequently. Got nicknamed the ‘slave master monk’ by most of the recruits.” 

After naming him, he started naming more. Soldiers, doctors, engineers, and other staff that had survived the downfall of all the bases. She covered her mouth as she listened to him. But from her trembling eyes betrayed her. She recognized several of the names.

“So many of you… so many of you guys survived.”

“And we’re still finding more as the years pass by.” He smiled. “Most haven’t given up the fight. They’ve been eager to join up with us.” 

She looked away, bitting her lip. Join them. It was such a tempting offer. XCOM was her home. But so much had change. She had changed. “But what will they think of me?” That was something he didn’t want to think about, but knew it would be a problem.

“I know some back on the ship will be hesitant. Some won’t agree…” He knew several were very anti-alien; including Hybrids. They were barely tolerant of the Skirmishers and any aliens that had defected. Given the opportunity, they would kill them. It was rough keeping that from happening with some meetings and joint missions.

“But you…” He gestured to her. “You’re alive.“ He felt like that was the only thing that mattered. “I don’t think I can let this chance meeting be a secret… Can’t just suddenly drop the search for you. Some will question that.”

He had a point there.

“I don’t know.” But she was unsure. She turned away, taking a few steps away from him. “I have to think about it.”

He reached out to her, but stopped himself. “Just think about it.”

“But I must ask… which part of you is asking this?” She glanced over her shoulder. “That military side of you? Or the part that loves me?” That declaration was still on her mind.

He looked away, closing his eyes. “Both.” He couldn’t lie. He didn’t want to lose her again.

“Hm.” That’s… concerning. But made sense. It just made her leery.

She paced around the room as she mulled over his offer. It was so tempting, but she had her worries. And then what would her people think? She couldn’t just leave them behind. She shook her head. Like they would let that happen. They would follow her to the ends of the Earth, no matter what. They told her that on several occasions. Swearing their loyalty to her despite her protests. They were beyond grateful that they were free of the Elders’ enslavement.

She looked back over at him. He had busied himself with looking at the intel.

“Maybe…” She muttered as she went back over to him. “Maybe I can join… rejoin XCOM. My people and I can join you all.”

“Hm?” He glanced over his shoulder. Looked like he was deep in his thoughts. It took him a moment to process what she said. “Would they be fine with that?”

She nodded. “My people are flexible. Practically have sworn their loyalty to me. They listen to me first before listening to Betos.” That was a headache, but somehow they worked around it.

“Huh.” Looked like she never lost her commanding skills. That made him smile. “Have to figure out the logistics, but we can always use more people. Though integrating Hybrids is going to be interesting.”

“Guess we’ll just have to see what happens when you introduce us to everyone.”

“Right.” He said, then sighed. “Think I need to send a warning first so a few of the levelheaded staff can help me. Got a radio I can borrow?”

“That sounds smart. And yes, we do.”

Bradford looked at his watch, then over to the window. Through the slits of the curtain, he could see the sun disappearing behind the trees as the sky darkened.

“Think we may be staying for the night.” Was probably for the best. Never fun trekking through a forest in the night. Anything could happen.

“Sleeping quarters should be prepared for you all by now.” She said. “And we should have enough food to go around.”

“Thanks for the generosity.” And he meant it.

“It’s what we do.” She smiled.

“Back to joining… rejoining XCOM… I would like to snuff out the local raiders before leaving. A bunch of psychopaths.” She said. A hiss slipped out as she wrinkled her nose. The world was already hard to live in with ADVENT running things, and some people just had to make it worse. No ounce of empathy. No sense of remorse. Everyone was fair game as they pillaged any camp, haven, or ‘authorize’ settlement they came across. Especially the weak.

“I think we can help with that. Won’t be leaving this region for a while.”

“Sounds likes a plan.”

She then gently patted his back a few times before heading to the door.

“Now, let’s get your current crew updated on who I am and what’s going on.” She said as she unlocked it. “And then go from there.”

He nodded and followed. “It’s going to be interesting telling them. Laney may remember you. She’s another soldier that spent most of her time in the main HQ.”

“Laney?” The name didn’t ring a bell.

“Laney Stavros. She was a medic. Still is a medic.” 

“Still doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Maybe seeing her face should jog some memories.”

“Maybe.” Hopefully it would do the trick. There was a glimmer in her eye. She was somewhat excited to meet a survivor from the old base.

“Also…” She paused as she opened the door. “We’re going to have to talk about this… love… thing.” He was waiting for that.

He nodded, a small sigh slipped out. “I know.”

“It could become quite troublesome when I rejo—“

“I know.” He cut her off. He knew the risks. “I’ll try to push it to the side, but…” He paused, sighing as he looked away for a second. He turned back and looked her in the eyes. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

Her brows scrunched together, part of her lips turned into a grimace. “Hm.” Her eyes flashed blue for a second. She was picking up a lot of strong emotions from him. And a lot of conflicting ones. “And you still feel this way, especially after seeing how I am now?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation in his voice.

She closed her eyes and huffed. What to say? She didn’t know what to say.  Now she was feeling conflicted. She felt something deep inside of her. Almost as if she felt the same way towards him, but wasn’t so sure. And then her current state of health wasn’t helping. She couldn’t reciprocate those feelings. She needed to dwell on them. Dwell on them for a long while. 

“We’ll… we’ll discuss this later.” She continued out the door.

“Understood.” He nodded and followed. “I’ll hold you to it.”

“Don’t make me regret it.”

Where would the future take them?

[siorca]

Autobots set up cameras to spy on the Decepticons but they instead witness Momma Soundwave (any verse)

Anon I have no idea why you send me this prompt because I literally have not written in years, but I felt inspired. Didn’t edit, might fuck around and put a proper version on my AO3:

“What are you doing?”

Ratchet was tired, and the throb of a processor ache buzzed between his optics. His voice echoed his state, dull and unperturbed where he might have shown a level of concern on a good day. Meetings with Prowl tended to do that. Primus, did he have respect for that mech, but how frustrating it was to sway his stubborn nature on issues of medicine.

Sideswipe spared him a passing glance, returning to his task with added fever, as if completing it quickly could keep Ratchet from spoiling his fun. Ratchet had pulled rank on him for more minor infractions before. In a rare case of fortune, Ratchet had no interest in the resulting paperwork today.

Laid before him was one of the few drones that the Ark still had left, between the crash, Decepticon interference, and drunken Autobot hassling. Its simple processor was split open neatly, and Sideswipe moved between its internals with precision. In another life, Ratchet would have gladly mentored him as a junior surgeon for such a display, but knowing what he knew of him after millions of years, he could only muster a vague sort of impressed detachment.

Sunstreaker was only a few feet away, not contributing much, aside from a cool atmosphere, leaned against the wall like he was the last line of defense before a sudden collapse. While Sunstreaker rarely participated in Sideswipe’s more mischievous endeavors, he was never far behind to witness the fallout, like a specter of misfortune. A classic form of sibling bonding, in Ratchet’s experience.

He locked optics with Ratchet, raising an expectant optic ridge, the edges of a smug smile pulling at his lips. Ratchet waved at him in polite greeting.

Sideswipe let out a loud huff, hovering over his pet project protectively when he realized Ratchet wasn’t moving - mostly because a majority of the hallway had been turned into a makeshift workshop and Ratchet ached in too many places to try maneuvering around the little space left for travel.

“I’m winning a bet,” he said, oozing the brand of determined confidence that only Sideswipe was foolish enough to exude. Ratchet rubbed his optics, unimpressed, trying to keep his processor ache from spreading. Deflated, Sideswipe fiddled with his screwdriver a moment more, ducking back into his task, neatly and swiftly installing a small camera in the midst of the fissures he had created in the cranial unit.

“And what bet involves you vandalizing Autobot property?”

“He thinks the Decepticons have a pet sea monster,” Sunstreaker supplied, helpfully. “He got hooked on one of Hound’s stories about Earth creatures.”

“What?” said Sideswipe, incensed. “Just because the humans haven’t been able to get much scientific proof, doesn’t mean the Decepticons haven’t discovered something they missed. They live down there, for Primus’ sake!”

“Don’t you think they would have managed to outfit it with some sort of Cyber-tech to make our lives more difficult by now? Megatron would have at least called to brag the first deca-cycle they captured it.”

“Maybe they’re saving it for a secret mission? You never know!”

Ratchet’s shushed them, waving his hands frantically to avoid a brawl. Sunstreaker still looked unperturbed, but Sideswipe’s hackles were raised enough to hint at an inevitable pounce. Sideswipe pouted, welding the suffering drone back together with far more force than was necessary. The camera poked out of its head inelegantly, though blinking steady enough to prove that it worked.

Ratchet held onto only enough processing power to put the pieces together.“Are you...planning on breaking into the Decepticon base with that? To see if they have a sea monster?”

Ratchet was impressed, truth be told. This sort of ingenuity was something that Jazz would be interested in. It was almost a shame that Sideswipe was not cut out for Special Ops. Still, he could appreciate the craftsmanship, not to mention the sheer absurdity of going to these levels for the sake of pride. It reminded him of something Wheeljack would do, and it was only the fond thought of his conjunx that fueled his further investment.

“Yeah. Good to make sure the ‘cons aren’t planning anything.” Sunstreaker scoffed behind him. Sideswipe shot a glare over his shoulder.

“Huh,” said Ratchet. “If only you could muster this much effort on any of your assigned projects.”

Sideswipe sputtered in indignation, standing from his crouched position. He naturally towered over Ratchet, but knew better than to use his bulk for intimidation where Ratchet was involved. Sunstreaker snickered behind him. The drone, which had finished powering up, chirped, hovering around Sideswipe’s knees like an eager youngling.

Sideswipe gathered himself, brushing past

Ratchet brusquely. “Excuse me, I have a point to make,” he shot over his shoulder. The drone chirped again, matching his pace quickly. Sunstreaker peeled himself away from the wall, trailing behind him, sighing dramatically.

Ratchet looked down the empty expanse of hallway, his quarters tantalizingly close. The processor ache was starting to fade, replaced with a dangerous curiosity. “You doing this now?”

“No time better.”

“Curfew is soon.”

“So?” said Sideswipe, crossing his arms in a defensive manner.

Ratchet sighed, cursing every weak process in his body that caused him to make equally as foolish decisions as those around him. “So, it’s best to have an officer escort you. After all, said officer might be able to cover for you if you happen to be late.”

Sideswipe grinned. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m more so interested in seeing if your monstrosity can get the job done.” Said monstrosity beeped irritatedly, as if its neglect was a personal affront to something that held no personality.

Sunstreaker groaned. “Don’t encourage him. This is only going to end badly.”

“Most likely, but what else do we have to do right now?” said Ratchet, trailing after the strange trio and out of the base.

��

The sun was just beginning to set by the time they made it to the shore, the pinks and oranges of the sky reflecting on the ocean in a dazzling kaleidoscope. In the distance, the one moon was beginning to peek through the clouds, struggling to outshine the fiery final performance of the sun. Humans found something romantic in such periods of transition. Ratchet, of a species who built their existence out of transformations, remained nonplussed.

“Mirage mentioned a security loophole near the back hull of the Nemesis a while back. Fancy words for ‘there’s a hole in it.’ Salt water makes it difficult for repairs to take, I guess.” Sideswipe placed the drone near the edge of the water, facing the general direction of where the Nemesis lay dormant. The drone did not move, ever eagerly awaiting orders.

Ratchet made a humming noise. On the other side of the beach, Sunstreaker was hassling a tiny crab that didn’t make it back to the water before low tide. It couldn’t harm him, yet it’s posturing begged to differ. If force of will could kill a mech, Sunstreaker would be in critical condition right now. Sunstreaker smiled crookedly at the creature, taking care not to accidentally step on it.

Sideswipe reached into his subspace for a datapad, tapping at it with his stylus in a rhythmic manner while he waited for it to fully boot up.

“Rigged this up.” Sideswipe waved the awakened pad, the crisp image of the sunset on full view.

“Clever,” said Ratchet. “You even sure the drone’s going to survive the water?” Most Cybertronian tech did not play well with salt water. One of the drawbacks of being born on a planet that was not intimate with the substance.

“It’s survived this long. Seems to be made of sturdier stuff than the average drone.” Sideswipe patted it good-naturedly on the shoulder.

“If you say so. Let’s get started before a ‘con patrol shows up.” Ratchet waved Sunstreaker over. He grumbled something too low to hear, moving down the beach. Once reunited, he folded his arms, cocking one hip to the side in his usual aloof stance, shooting his brother a challenging glare. Sideswipe stuck his glossa out at him in retaliation.

Sideswipe turned his attention to the datapad. He nudged the drone with his foot. It beeped, inching its way forward slowly. He nudged it again, the drone making a more affronted noise, quickening its pace.

There was a palpable tension as the drone immersed itself, the watery image of the Pacific melting into itself as the camera adjusted to its new temporary home. The image crisped the deeper it went, the shapes of small fish, scampering away from their newest visitor, becoming clearer. Sideswipe let out a whoop of excitement, the drone dutifully fulfilling its task and Sunstreaker huffed in annoyance.

“Well I’ll be slagged,” said Ratchet, placing his hands on his hips in astonishment. Autobot ingenuity was truly only at its best when petty pride was involved.

The drone traveled deeper, the pressure of the depths squeezing around the hydraulics in its lower half, slowing its momentum only slightly. The remains of the Nemesis were laid deep, near to the point where light had difficulty penetrating to the sea floor. Just enough sunlight peeked through to illuminate the remains of coral and the clinging vines of seaweed crisscrossing the outer hull. It looked monstrous in the semi-dark. If any sea monsters were lurking here, the Nemesis could certainly qualify as one with the right argument.

A large hole, poorly obscured by a large wad of algae, pocketed the side, toward the back. Small creatures hovered near it, mistaking it for a haven from the larger predators. The drone made its way through the throng, scampering up the remaining shrapnel that passed for a crude ramp into the interior. Inside, the Decepticons had managed to use some feat of engineering to stave off the water after a few feet. The result was a lagoon in the middle of what Ratchet would assume was the remains of part of the cargo bay.

Emergency lights flickered overhead, bathing the otherwise empty space in an eerie, energon-pink glow. The bay was smaller than expected, only made more obvious by the tall wall of concrete, sectioning off one side, no doubt to protect their precious mechanical stores on the other side. The drone gave a quick sweep of the area.

Sunstreaker tapped his foot impatiently. “Nothing here.”

“Yeah, yeah, we just got here,” shushed Sideswipe.

A convenient ventilation shaft lay across the room, wide enough to pass through. The drone meandered its way there, clambering inside with little effort. The tunnel was dark, but the basic night vision on the drone could make out the forward path.

“They probably have it stored somewhere where they can keep an eye on it,” said Sideswipe, matter-of-factly.

Ratchet kept a close optic on the screen, his sharp senses picking up the tell tale notes of conversation. Up ahead, a vent peaked out into a hallway, somewhere near the living quarters. Ratchet hushed them, pointing at the screen firmly. Valuable reconnaissance was important, regardless if sea monsters were involved or not.

Sideswipe commandeered the drone toward the vent, tilting the datapad to encourage the drone to look through the grates. It pressed up against them firmly. Even distorted, the distinct, blocky shape of Soundwave was hard to mistake, two smaller bodies with him that could only be his own pair of twins.

One brother was cradled in his arms with a painful looking dent in his right cheek. A sour frown marred his face while his body sagged in an overdramatic sprawl over Soundwave’s arm. The other had his arms crossed over his chest, his visible forearm sporting a nasty scratch, petulant scowl twisting his features.

“You must mind your strength, Rumble. You nearly cracked Frenzy’s optic,” chastised Soundwave, gentle and firm in only the way a creator could manage. There weren’t many of those left, between the two armies, and it only made it extra bizarre to hear such a rare tone from Soundwave, of all mechs.

It was obvious that the drone had stumbled upon some sort of familiar conflict. Perhaps not imperative to the war effort, but tantalizing all the same.

“Should they be doing this out in the hallway?” said Sideswipe, absentmindedly.

Sunstreaker shrugged. “Maybe it’s a Decepticon thing.”

On the feed, a loud huff came from Rumble. “Well, he started it!”

“And yet I have told both of you multiple times to stop rough-housing.”

“Soundwave, I’m fine,” piped up Frenzy, drooping further down Soundwave’s hip. He seemed to be trying to turn himself into pure liquid in order to escape his creator’s arms. Soundwave only tightened his hold.

“That is not the point. You will seriously hurt each other one day. Last week, you nearly blew out Rumble’s audials. What will it be next time?” Soundwave’s words must have struck a nerve. Frenzy had the decency to look bashful, pausing in his squirming. Rumble simply pursed his lips.

“Both of you must be more careful until you have better control of your sigma abilities.” Soundwave finally freed Frenzy from his makeshift prison, who promptly scampered to his brother’s side.

Soundwave’s concern was familiar to Ratchet, echoing a time long ago when creators used to bring their Outlier sparklings to his Dead End clinic. Those whose abilities were extreme enough to affect their health or those around them and the rarer cases of those that thought he might be able to help control their abilities.

He empathized with him. Soundwave himself was an infamously powerful telepath, and it was only logical that his creations would inherit some sort of power. The proof was in their terror on the battlefield, the few times that they had participated in the more small scale scuffles. He had nearly forgotten how this would reflect in what would pass for home these days.

Soundwave sighed, for the moment deflated. “Go to Hook. He owes me a favor. Make sure to behave yourselves.” The twins nodded, for now behaving themselves as they made their way down the opposite side of the hallway. Soundwave, himself walked a few doors down, assuredly to his own quarters.

Sideswipe pulled the drone away from the grate. “Give them a few days, they’ll be right back to trying to kill each other.”

Sunstreaker grinned. “Wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a round 2 before they hit the medbay.”

Ratchet barked a laugh. “Probably.”

“Now to find that sea monster.”

[ultraintrovertedgryffindor]

Sweet Pandemonium - Gally (The Maze Runner) Part 13 of 16

Posting this bonus chapter just cause y’all had to wait so long. Eat up kiddos, cause it’s gonna be even longer until the next update 🙃

~~~~~~~~~~

(Flashback)

Awakening with a sudden jolt, Gally immediately feels a sharp pain in his chest and a dark spot in his mind that he felt where memories should be, but even his strong willpower couldn’t recall anything that happened.

In fact, he didn’t even know where he was...

Gally tried sitting up, but a hand suddenly held him down. 

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t. You’re still recovering.”

Gally looked to his side to see a man, no older than 20, he figured, but life and circumstances caused his face to look worn and beaten down.

“Who the hell are you? Where am I? What’s going on?” Gally roughly had a dozen more questions, but he was cut short by the male to his right abruptly covering his hand over his mouth.

“Chill out, man.” The guy said, but Gally quickly ripped the hand away, trying to sit up once more. “Seriously, dude, don’t. You’re gonna tear the wound if you keep at it.”

Gally’s defined eyebrows furrowed, looking down to realize he was shirtless, a large white gauze covering his left peck. “What...?”

“You were in pretty bad shape when we found you, a gaping hole in your chest. Good news is that the spear missed your heart, but you just have to function with one lung. But I’d say it’s a pretty good tradeoff for the price of staying alive. But hey, that’s just me.”

Gally tried to wrap his mind around what this stranger was saying. He couldn’t remember what happened to him, it was all static.

“Oh, right, you don’t remember squat. My bad.” The man laughed.

Gally had just about enough of this jokester. He suddenly grabbed ahold of the male by the collar of his shirt, trying his best to seem intimidating while still being in a lot of pain.

“Tell me what the hell is going on, piece of shuck, or I’ll snap your shucking neck!” Gally seethed.

The male smirked, only adding more fuel to the fire of Gally’s rage. But it soon didn’t matter, as the world around him started to darken once more. From the corner of his eye, he saw the man holding a syringe. Gally would’ve indeed snapped the man’s shucking neck if only he wasn’t drugged.

“Now, we’re gonna try this again later. Next time, try not to be so hostile when you wake up. Kay? Thanks.”

And next time Gally woke up, it wasn’t with a jolt, but he was still frustrated that he had no idea where he was and what happened.

“You seem more calm.”

Gally could’ve rolled his eyes, but he waited until he saw the man’s face. “Do you get off watching people while they’re unconscious or something?”

The man only smirked. Gally sensed a common theme with this guy. “No, actually. You’re not really my type.” He said, closing a book he was holding and sat it down on a bedside table. “Just doing some light reading.”

“While watching over me it seems.”

“Not like I had any choice.”

Gally scowled. He scanned the room he was in, and he definitely wasn’t in the Glade anymore. The room looked worn, but well made, obviously not made of wood. It looked like some sort of plaster, peeling off around the edges. And he was laying on a bed, but not one made of hay and stick that could easily break apart.

“Where am I? Who-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there.” The man interrupted, making Gally huff and lightly bang his head against the pillow underneath him. “All your questions will be answered soon...maybe. Depends on if Lawrence decides to keep you alive.”

“What?” Gally almost shouted, trying to sit up in a panic, but found that he was unable even without someone else forcing him down. He was strapped to his bed.

“Ash, shut it. You’re scarin’ the poor boy to death.”

Gally snapped his head to the door, a shadowy figure in the frame.

“What? I can’t have a little fun?” The young man, who’s name was apparently Ash, teased.

The shadowy figure stepped into the room, the lamp light on the right of Gally illuminating the other man’s face. He was older, clearly, but what caused Gally’s blood to run cold was the fact that he didn’t have a nose. He looked like something a Griever would spit up honestly.

“Something caught your eye, boy?” The older man’s gruff voice echoed around the mostly empty room. Gally quickly looked away, casting his gaze downward. But he just got even more confused when the man started laughing. “I can see why you like him.” He directed to Ash.

“Can someone please tell me what the hell going on?” Gally snapped, well, pretty much begged.

The man’s easy going attitude turned ice cold when Gally spoke. “Let’s get one thing straight. We ask the questions first, you answer honestly, and we won’t have a problem. Clear?”

Gally refrained from snapping at the older man once more, but he nodded silently.

The man smiled, clapping loudly. “Good! Good. So, first thing: what’s the name?”

“Gally.” He answered monotone, trying not to roll his eyes.

“Well, you obviously don’t know where you are. But do you know what happened before you got here?”

Gally felt the urge to cry, for reasons unknown to himself. He also felt a sort of nostalgia, he remembered Alby and how similar this felt when he first arrived in the Box.

“The last thing I remember...” Your face flashed through his mind for a split second, it was fuzzy, but he could recognize you even if he was blind. But then, he finally remembered something that wasn’t so fuzzy. “I was in the Glade, and I left...”

“And that’s all you remember, just leaving this Glade?”

“Yep.”   

“My people said they found you in a W.C.K.D. compound, a spear in your chest and full of poison. A gun was in your hand, and a kid was shot down next to ya. Remember that?”

Gally felt like he could’ve had a heart attack. “A kid?” He stuttered. “Was it a girl?”

Please don’t be her...please don’t be her...

“Some chubby, curly haired kid apparently.” The man noticed how the boy’s face fell, looking relieved but self loathing at the same time. “Knew him, I take it?”

“...Chuck.” Gally didn’t know what to think. He’d never kill Chuck, he was just an innocent kid.

The man frowned, but looked to Ash. “Fix him some water.” He nodded, quickly obeying and leaving the room. “Let’s move on, shall we?”

The longer Gally was awake, more of his memories came flooding back, even some from before the Glade. But he remembered something that put things into perspective. “I was stung...how am I okay right now?”

“Yeah, you were. But thankfully, we don’t like W.C.K.D. too much and had some of their supplies already on hand when my guys found you.”

“Who exactly is we?”

“We call ourselves the Right Arm. We’re against W.C.K.D. and their methods of doing things. We got a team that saves kids like you and take them to a safe place.”

“My friends.” Gally interrupted. “They must’ve escaped. Did you guys take them?”

“We don’t know. Word don’t spread ‘round too fast when you’re constantly hiding from those techy bastards.”

Gally huffed once more. He just wanted to know if you were safe, that’s all. But no, he was stuck talking to Voldemort.

“Where am I then?”

“Denver.”

“Yeah, I have no idea where that is.”

“It’s right outside the Last City.” The man mused.

Gally felt like he knew the name, but he was pretty shit at geography considering he only remembered living in the Glade. And enough memories had resurfaced for him to know he wasn’t all smart in general. But the Last City part made his ears perk up.

“Wait...the Last City?”

The man smirked. “You’ve got a lot to learn, kid. I’m Lawrence.”

After learning pretty much everything he needed to know about the Right Arm, Gally felt he couldn’t leave, not after learning what W.C.K.D. did and was still doing to innocent kids like him.

Ben was dead, Alby was dead, Zart and countless others that were Gally’s friends who have died because of W.C.K.D. He killed Chuck, and he knew he could never atone for that. So, he couldn’t leave. He couldn’t leave to some haven when that messed up company were still making all the calls, killing kids and sending them into dangerous tests in the name of science.

He couldn’t leave without knowing if you were alive or not. 

When he finally found out that you were indeed alive, that you were trapped with Minho, he finally felt that he had a mission. Something extremely important to him. A mission that he knew he could lay his life down for if need be. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t try.

So when he finally found you again, you were safe in his arms, he felt complete. He felt happiness that he hadn’t felt in his whole life.

When he realized he had to let you go, just one more time with the threat of you getting hurt, he could’ve broke down and he almost did. He wanted a 100 percent guarantee that you would be okay, but couldn’t have one. Not even your words of almost reassurance, it didn’t ease his nerves at all.

So he held you tight, so badly wanting to keep you, but he knew he couldn’t. You wouldn’t allow it when Minho was waiting on the group.

He was forced to see you walk away from him...again.

~~~~~~~~~~

Spain without the S

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Chizuru Town (Part 1)

In the game you wake up on the beach in Chizuru with NO IDEA how you got there.

I have a little fun with it. Enjoy!

“MC!”

The children’s voices were happy and oddly squeaky. They draw you out of unconsciousness. Your body feels a bit cold, and you shiver. 

“MC!” They keep calling you. You’re lying face up but their hands are pressed against your back. They keep pushing you from below.

You take a breath and feel the cold shock of water up your nose. The choking sensation makes you want to bolt upright but something is holding you up on the surface of the water. You catch a glimpse of silver grey, rubbery skin. A thin slit in that skin opens and sprays a mist with a sharp whoosh. The children’s voices are replaced by the squealing and whistling of dolphins.

Dolphins! Their sharp pointed fins are cutting through the water. You can see their bright eyes turn to look up at you. The way their mouths curve in their snouts gives them a smile. But they were powerful, insistent creatures. The moment you tried to swim on your own, they pushed you out of the water again.

The salt water in your mouth, the frigid breeze against your sun warmed skin told you this wasn’t a dream. You’d heard stories of dolphins rescuing people before, but you’d never actually thought you’d get to experience being carried on these muscular bodies. 

There were more surrounding you. Their sparkling backs broke the surface, no doubt watching. One eventually peeled off and another replaced them and you realized they were taking turns carrying you along. The sun was about halfway across the sky now and you could see the sparkling white sand of a small beach. The beach was only a few yards wide before it hit the seawall. You could climb up the seawall by what looked like stairs that led to a main street.

You gather your arms about yourself. What little clothing had survived the ghost tooth dragon vipers was torn away by the water and water-born debris. You were completely naked. You already were in the country illegally. You couldn’t imagine what would happen if you just showed up completely exposed like this. But how would you get any clothing?

The dolphins didn’t care about this at all. They pressed forward. If they knew anything about humans, it was that humans belonged on land and, for whatever reason, they had made it their mission to get you to the land as soon as possible. They pushed you with their snouts so hard you thought you might bruise and swam so quickly, you formed a wake in the water. You were already weak from fatigue and dehydration. There was no way you could fight them.

So you are pushed like a buoy towards the shore. When the water got too shallow the dolphins were forced to turn back or risk beaching themselves. Still, they swam a close distance away. Your body was shaking at a steady constant rate and the warm sand was irresistible. You lay down and sigh.

After a bit of rest, you pick a shadier spot against the wall, out of the sun and hopefully out of the prying eyes of people walking by. The dolphins follow you, spy hopping and watching. This was all so surreal.

You were supposed to be dead.

Again.

When you were younger, you read a book about a world where there was almost no difference between heaven, hell, and the living world. People died and woke up again to a place they found familiar and only vaguely strange. The book was deliberately unsettling, meant to blur the line between reality and dreams. The protagonist wasn’t sure if he was still alive, in heaven, or in hell, and the reader was not to know either until the end.

You’re feeling this way now. You thought you had died in the Arctic ocean, only to be thrown into a chaotic dragonslaying academy. Now you thought you died, only to wake up to a school of dolphins after nearly getting eaten by a dragon.

How are you alive after all that has happened? Maybe you weren’t alive. Maybe this was hell and you were suffering multiple deaths. The dolphins chattered brightly ahead of you, but now their sounds seemed more like they were mocking you, naked, on the sand alone, alive again with no friends.

There was no sign of Lu Mingfei, Chu Zihang or Caesar Gattuso. Were they saved by dolphins too? Or left to drown and be eaten? Was God only with you and not with them? Your mind starts to form an idea. You can test out this theory. Worst case scenario was that you died for real and you’d long since gotten over that fear.

You stand up and brush the sand off your bare bottom. You would take your time to rest and hide out until night fell and then use the dark to your advantage. 

Fatigue made you sleep longer than you wanted. Darkness has truly fallen when you wake up, stiff and achy. A greyish mat of sand has stuck to your whole body. You look back towards the ocean, but the dolphins are gone. You waddle out on wobbly legs and wash the sand away. After so much time in the water, the feel of it on your skin was suddenly abhorrent and you would be happy if you never spent another day in the ocean as long as you lived.

The theory that you’re actually dead and none of this was real was again challenged by how hard it was to make it up the stairs. You were so exhausted, starving and dehydrated that you swayed. You’d give anything for a bowl of hot ramen, served up fresh with a bit of egg floating on top.

You heard a voice cry out. A young couple was out for a stroll and had spotted you. You must look like a monster, hair long and matted and no clothes at all. Sure enough, they back away moaning with trembling voices before turning to run off, screaming something you can’t understand. Further up towards the street, you see bright lights. The smell of vendors cooking street food makes your stomach rumble. You couldn’t be out in the open, but maybe if you got close enough, you could dumpster dive and find some clothes. You sneak behind the back of the nearest building, a stucco box with a small front yard. The young man of the couple returns with a few other people. He’s speaking breathlessly, pointing towards the ocean. Poor guy. No doubt he thought he’d seen some ghost girl come from the ocean. This is probably something that would traumatize him for life.

You hear a small noise next to you. A little black cat is pawing at you. You could barely see it in the shadows. It didn’t care that you weren’t wearing clothes. Its fur was soft and warm and its purrs were comforting. You run your hand over its head and ears and it crawls into your lap. You would have liked to own a cat someday. You always liked them. They were funny and cute and very affectionate like this one. When you raise your eyes, your heart leaps. There are clothes hanging on a clothesline from a house not too far away!

You scramble quickly towards it, careful not to step on anything that might make noise. You check every gap to make sure that no one can see you. Then as soon as you reach the clothing, you carefully yank it off the line. It was just one of the local school uniforms. The white button down top was a bit small, but the wine-colored skirt fits you just fine around the waist. You were only a bit older than Renata when she died so this was probably the outfit of a highschool student.

Your eyes fall on the back door of the house. That’s right, Japanese don’t wear shoes in the house. These shoes were laid out neatly on the rack. You glance around and carefully approach, snatching what you hope will fit you. They’re just the right size, much to your shock. This surprise is enough to send a jolt of happiness through you. Now clothed, you return to the cat and pick it up in your arms and walk out on the street. The first thing you saw was a sign that said, Chizuru.

Before arriving in Japan, Norma, the school AI had told you about a place called Chizuru being a safe haven and to find an Internet Cafe there if you ever got into trouble. The hairs rose on the back of your arms. How could this be possible that dolphins not only save your life, but take you directly to the place that you needed to be? You sang the song that said ‘God is with you’ but it was supposed to be a metaphor right? 

You approach a man on the street who looks at you with a stunned expression. “I… excuse…”

Before you can ask anything, he shakes his head again and again and flees from you. “Wait! I need…”

You try again, this time of one of the vendors, an old craggy-faced man who stares at you with a black expression until you give up.

Burned, you just decide to wander around until you see something that looks like an internet cafe. It wouldn’t be in a neighborhood. More likely closer to the city center, on a main street. You head that way, away from the beach and the houses. The city center seems much quieter than you would expect it to be. You stop.

A group of people are standing on the street, five men in black leather jackets displaying flaming Oni masks. One had a wild looking tall mohawk dyed red. His black jeans reached down to black leather boots studded with silver spikes. It was as if the black dragon that tried to eat you had turned human and walked on land.

He turned his head and spotted you. It was too late to hide. His eyes ran up and down the length of you and he grinned, and made a slow whistling noise. You may have been raised in an orphanage but you weren’t that naive to not know what that smile meant. You’d seen it before on some of the staff who liked to take advantage of the older girls there. 

So you didn’t need to know the vulgar words coming out of their mouth.  You set the kitten down on a nearby trash can and pat it on the head, quietly telling it to stay in Russian. The cat obliged, and started to clean its paws.

In the orphanage, you were taught hand to hand basics until you were strong enough to actually use it in a fight. The trainings were very light against each other and you weren’t allowed to cause injury, but there was no gender splitting. You were only hybrids. Whether you were male or female, it didn’t matter so long as you had dragonblood in your veins.

Because of your background, you didn’t show the same innocent fear that these men may have been accustomed to from someone your age, in that clothing. You stared them straight in the eyes, your arms at your side, not moving forward or back. This nonchalant attitude made them stand there in brief bewilderment. The one with the mohawk was clearly the bolder of the five and he shouted something at you that you don’t understand. You just shake your head.

“I need to find the Internet Café…” You make a gesture with your hands to pantomime typing at a computer. They started to laugh, elbowing each other and nodding. You sigh. You’re so tired and it showed on your face.

Your lack of Japanese and your weary expression was an invitation to attack and they approached you now.

In the orphanage, no one would approach you like this in such a joking manner. Especially not on the training grounds. The Mohawk’s hands were relaxed. He was confident. He wasn’t watching your hands ball into fists as tight as stones and he wasn’t watching the sudden shift in your feet as you moved into a sturdy stance. He reached out with his hand to your elbow. So he was unable to block or dodge your fist that struck him like lightning.

He didn’t just feel pain or stagger back. The man felt flat to his side, straight to the pavement, and he didn’t get up. The eyes of his four friends followed him down with a stunned feeling. You knew that feeling. Like they suddenly found themselves in a fantasy world where a high school girl in a school uniform could knock out a gangster with a single hit? 

Maybe this was a fantasy world and you were a fantasy high schooler. After all, you were carrying a cat!

They all turned to you in unison and you attacked the next one, levering back on one leg and slamming him with a kick to the solar plexus. He staggered back, wheezing, curling in on himself, once or twice.. 

The next one now had the wherewithal to produce a switchblade. He swung it wildly at where your heart should have been, but the blouse was a bit open where it was too tight and he caught a glimpse of the fact that you’re not wearing anything underneath. Your hand caught his wrist and you pulled hard, driving your knee directly into his crotch.

His grip on the knife released as he slowly sank to the ground and you swiped it easily. You give it a toss and catch it by the handle. Now the smile is on your face and there’s no pleasure in it as you stare down the final two gangsters.

One gives up and turns to run, arms pinwheeling comically as his oni mask jacket flapped in the breeze created by his own flight.

The last one was backing away, stumbling over his feet, crawling back upright. And when he does get up, you see something in his hand, shiny and black.

A gun. You hadn’t seen one in a while and you stopped. You couldn’t do anything about this. He just needed to pull the trigger and you were gone. But this was a world where you couldn’t die… right?

A man in a white shirt and black slacks leaped out from behind a car and a bright metal arc gave off sparks as it neatly cut the gun in half. Chu Zihang’s sword then rested its edge on the man’s throat

The man stared at his severed gun in silence a moment before he noticed the blade.

“Senpai!” You joyfully run forward and wrap your arms around Zihang.

Zihang looks bewildered, unsure of what to do. His free hand hovers over your shoulder… head… and then he settles on patting you on the back.

The man at his mercy is trembling in terror at the discovery that this warrior girl in a school uniform somehow has a ‘Senpai’ at all. His companions are already staggering away, one of them limping and bowlegged as he flees. 

Chu Zihang raised his hand and rubbed his thumb and fingers together in the universal sign for ‘money’. You stick his tongue out at him.

The man was quick to oblige, tossing him his wallet.  Chu Zihang lowered his sword. After examining the contents, he picked out a few bills and handed the man his wallet back but he was already running away.

“Were you just going to let him shoot you?” He asked.

You opened your mouth. “Yes… but!” You raise a finger to halt objections. “I knew something would happen to keep me from dying!”

Chu Zihang shook his head slowly. “Where’s Lu Mingfei and Caesar?”

Your expression sobers. “I don’t know. I was looking for the Internet Cafe…”

He walks over to a vending machine and puts in the money to buy you something to eat. You return to where the cat is resting on the trash can. “What a good kitty!” You whisper, ,gathering it up in your arms.

“You shouldn’t keep that.” The Machine is pouring out noodles with soup broth base. Your stomach rumbles and the cat meows.

“Is there something for Kitty?” You ask.

Chu Zihang sighs again. The man gave the whole wallet, after all. Chu Zihang orders some dried squid for the cat.

In a few moments both you and Kitty are sitting against the building. You’re so hungry that you scald your mouth on the soup, but you don't care. Chu Zihang is silent, still standing guard and watching. With your hunger sated, you look up at him. “You’re the team lead right?”

“Only if I find out Caesar is dead.”

“You think he’s alive? Do you want me to call you boss?”

“No.”

“Okay boss.”

You look up at him and he’s scowling at you, not in the mood for your jokes, or your kitten. “How did you survive?”

“You’re not going to believe this. A pod of dolphins brought me all the way here.”

Much to your surprise he believes you. “That’s true. The dolphins here are very friendly to the locals. In fact there was a story I read about that...”

There was a sudden cacophony of roaring engines. Chu Zihang grabs you and together you duck behind the parked cars. Motorcycles, dozens of them, are all roaring off in one direction, their lights streaming towards a single destination. Among them were vans filled with people with automatic weapons. Right after that, all the lights go out in Chizuru. From the tallest building, to the smallest house, even the lights illuminating the advertisements go dark. 

Chu Zihang sighed deep in his chest. “I have a bad feeling Caesar is that way.”

[snowe-zolynn-rogers]

Pairings: None Yet

Word Count: 1,583 Words

Summary: Maria and Mercury tell stories of the pasts.

Warnings: Self-Deprecation Mention, Abuse Mentions, Child Abuse Mention, Amputation Mention, Death Mention, Weapon Mention, Food Mention, let me know if I should tag anything else.

Shadows Are Made Of Light: Chapter 3

Mercury was amazed while Maria was telling the story of her past. The most powerful Silver Eyed Warrior and someone he looked up to as a child, he respected her. But the story also infuriated him on her behalf. How dare they take her eyes like that? Is that what Salem would do to him if she found him?

"But I wasn't. I went into hiding soon after." Maria explained.

"I can't believe it. You. You're the Grimm Reaper. You were a legend. And then you disappeared." Qrow looked startled, shocked, appalled. It all made Mercury nearly laugh at him. He behaved like a obstinate child in front of his idol.

"How exactly does a legend disappear?" Oscar asked.

"You never used your name, never showed your face. Lots of us thought you were just laying low. Eventually we came to accept that you were probably dead. But the stories about you, I based my weapon off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper." Qrow spouted.

"Well, I'm nothing but a disappointment. So you're well on your way." She announced with a huff.

"How can you say that?" Blake asked. Mercury shook with rage. His idol, sitting here, criticizing herself.

"Child, a huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end. But after I lost my eyes, I only ever looked after myself. Even after my surgery, I was too afraid to fight, afraid someone would find me again, finish what the others started. You shouldn't aspire to be like me, especially when some of you are clearly stronger already. It's comforting seeing that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world. I'm just sorry I didn't do more to leave it in better shape."

Maria wistfully looked out over the ground they were passing over. Mercury felt rage subside slightly, she was scared, he understood that. That was exactly why he'd run after Beacon, run away to hide in Mistral only to find out that Lionheart was a traitor and he had to run again, to a place with no primary headmasters like Argus.

"When I was thirteen, I found a little girl when my father took me on one of his missions. Pretty young, a baby no older than her first few months, couldn't even walk yet. I named her Chrome because she didn't have a name. Father called her my sister but I cared for her more like a parent to a child, she was my daughter by all account. He didn't like my attention being drawn off elsewhere besides him so he only got worse toward me and her." Mercury looked at the pitying looks on the faces of team RWBY and Oscar and Qrow, even Maria looked sad.

"One day, I decided to run away from him with her. I managed to get to the next town over and I gave Chrome to a group of training huntsmen that were visiting the town from Atlas who promised to take care of her and I and take us to Atlas, since they were returning to their homeland that night. I knew he couldn't get to Atlas, so Atlas was the safest place to put her. That was until his friends found me and dragged me back home. He took my legs that day for defying him and getting rid of his only chip left to bargain for my obedience. He eventually got mad after about a week that I could no longer act as his personal maid enough that he gave me metal legs to replace the ones he took but, when he did that, I ended up killing him." He kept his composure. After all, Maria hadn't lost her cool when she was explaining.

"I would have hid too, probably found Chrome again afterward if Cinder hadn't found me there, looking for him. I would have run away and hid just like you did if she hadn't threatened me with knowing about Chrome. Because there's nothing wrong with hiding after something bad happens. It doesn't matter what you promised or who you promised it to. When you're hurt or scared and you want to hide, you do it because the person you need to save also has to be yourself sometimes."

He refused to look at the pity on their faces anymore. But he could feel the tension in the air loosen somewhat. Maria gave a little laugh.

"Thank you, Mercury." She looked at him smiling.

"Thank you for sharing something that personal, Mercury." Oscar whispered.

"I also have happier stories if you depressing bastards want something happier." He smirked.

"I think we could use happy after stuff that heavy." Ruby told him.

"Well, there was this one time Chrome decided to braid my hair as practice for her own. My hair was in tiny braids for over a week while I tried to get them out." He laughed.

"I can imagine that, that's the worst part." Yang cackled from the front.

"The great Mercury Black with dozens of tiny braids in his hair for upward of a week." Ruby chuckled. And, even if they were laughing at him, he was happy that the tension was gone now. The heaviness left in the air from those nightmares in Brunswick Farms was finally gone.

"Oh, I was thinking, Maria. Maybe you could teach me to use the Silver Eyes the way you did?" Ruby asked.

"Given I'm already training Mercury here for that same thing. It shouldn't be hard. I've always looked for other Silver Eyed Warriors to train, to teach the next generation of Silver Eyes and give hope back to this world." Maria smiled.

"You have Silver Eyes?" Ruby asked.

"How did you think we got out of that basement?" Mercury asked.

"I thought it was me?" Ruby seemed confused.

"You did the first one. The one where it got those nightmares away from Blake. I did the second that gave us time to get out." Mercury told her.

"Silver Eyed buddies then." Ruby lightly punched his shoulder.

"Hey, don't go stealing my metal limb buddy." Yang joked.

"I'm not. I'm not." Ruby stuck her tongue out at her sister. Then Ruby's scroll beeped and she brought it out. "It's Jaune!" Yang even stopped her bike.

"How?" Yang asked.

"The city?" Ruby asked. "Wait." She took the scroll from her ear and looked toward the direction that Yang was driving to find a path that led up a mountain. Argus. Yang made quick work of getting up the mountain to announce they'd arrived in Argus. Finally, this nightmare was over. They were safe.

Once there, Yang locked Bumblebee in a storage garage for vehicles. While the others waited for...something. Mercury didn't know what. He was just hoping they'd planned out a place to sleep at.

"Cute boy Oz!" Mercury looked toward the sound only to see a streak of pink as something tackled Oscar, though he helped steady them from falling on the ground while everyone else greeted team JNPR or, well, JNR. Mercury got a pang of guilt again. He had been part of the plan orchestrated that resulted in Pyrrha's death.

"Wait, who is this?" Nora asked.

"Mercury." Yang smiled proudly.

"WHAT!?" Jaune snapped.

"I've defected. I ran away. Salem would have killed me."

"Why would she kill a henchman besides you being expendable?" Jaune took out Crocea Mors, intending to use it against him.

"Because I have Silver Eyes. She kills people with Silver Eyes so I ran away and hid in Mistral. I left on the Argus train after Haven Academy was shut down." He told him.

"Why should we trust you?" Jaune asked.

"I have a daughter in Atlas. I'm trying to get to her. She should be turning six in a week." Mercury told him.

"You have a kid? A real kid?" Jaune asked, putting Crocea Mors away but laughing in his face.

"Yeah. I have her picture if you don't believe me." he angrily snapped.

"Yeah sure." Mercury pulled up the few pictures of Chrome he'd managed to get over the time he had his scroll.

"She looks just like you." Jaune hummed.

"I know, surprising considering she's adopted." He smirked.

"Alright, we can keep the stray you guys found." Jaune told them.

"Hey!" Mercury wanted to feel insulted but, honestly, it was kind of funny being referred to as a stray like he was some cat they'd found on their journey. They went onto the transit and Mercury just followed them around to Jaune's sister's house.

Mercury would absolutely not fawn over the baby Saphron had. He totally wasn't. Nope, not at all. He absolutely wasn't and no one had any proof that he was soft toward children, no sir. Mercury did take the food offered to him by Nora.

"C'mon, eat up. You can't be passing out on us." Nora shoved the sandwich into his mouth to stop his argument. It was then he realized he was actually really hungry.

He listened to their discussion this time while he ate. He wanted to know what would be happening. He wanted to make sure he could help at least. Mercury had a bad feeling, like something bad would happen to impede their journey like those damned nightmares.

"So we kinda already tried that and it didn't go super great." Jaune admitted.

"Come on, it couldn't be that bad." Yang laughed. Mercury had a feeling that she would regret saying that.

[lukneetoonz]

I sometimes get panic attacks in my sleep and will wake up feeling like I’m drowning and usually covered in sweat. I also sometimes get a few serious scratches on my arms from them. Could you possibly do some bnha characters reactions to it? Thank you, I love your writing by the way ❤️❤️❤️

Summary: BNHA Men helping you with sleep panic attacks

Pairing: Aizawa x Reader, Bakugou x Reader, Shinsou x Reader, Hawks x Reader, Todoroki x Reader.

Warnings: Mentions of Panic attacks, kinda self harm?, PTSD, minor angst a bit, fluff.

Word Count: 1,316

A/N: Hey there! I actually really appreciated this request because I understand this type of thing, and I want to say if you ever need someone, I'm here. You can always dm me, because I know panic attacks aren’t fun and sometimes you just need someone to talk to…

——————————————————————————

Aizawa

Baby here has PTSD from USJ and I’m gonna say from other things

Because mans a hero and he sees things and has to go through stuff

Anyways when it first happened he waited for you to talk to him

You were his lifeline when he couldn’t sleep after USJ, so he figured if you’re going through something, he’d wait until you’re comfortable

That’s until one night when you were sleeping and he was up finishing some work

Suddenly he heard your breathing pick him and muffled sounds

It scared the shit out of him

The thing that got him to wake you up was seeing you scratch your arms

Especially when your nails left marks on the skin he loved so much

Jumping by your side he cradled you in his arms and called your name until you woke up

He didn’t care about the sweat

He didn’t care about how you almost punched him in the face

All he cared about was making sure you started breathing right again

Running his fingers through your hair he waited until he calmed down until he spoke

“Kitten, how long has this been happening?”

He didn’t mean for his voice to sound so sad, but to see you like this broke him

“I’m sorry… I- I should have told you! I’m sorry…”

He silences those apologies right up by kissing you

Aizawa is 100% reliable for things like these because he’s experienced them before

After that night you don’t ever hesitate going to him again

Bakugou

We all know He's an observant boi

So he takes notice to the bags under your eyes and the fact you started to wear more long sleeve shirts

Bakubae gets kinda irritated since you’re not coming to him

He especially gets irritated when you act like everything is fine

“Everything isn’t fine, dumbass! It’s written all over your face!”

“Suki… please just drop it”

With a grumble and a click of his tongue, he drops it

That you know of

One night after a study date gone late, you fall asleep

~he won’t ever admit it but you sleeping makes him soft^™~

So of course he didn’t wake you, you were just so peaceful

Until he noticed the picked up breathing, and the scrunching of your face

When he looked closer he could even tell you were sweating

Explosion boy didn’t know what to do, because if he woke you, would it trigger something worse?

All his what if’s flew out the window when your hands reached up your sleeves and he could see the red marks from previous nights

Eyes going wide he instantly grabbed your hands and pulled them to his chest

The sudden contact made you startle awake

After taking in your surroundings you just crawled into katsukis lap and cried

And he let you, but he kept his hands holding your arms

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

His intense gaze was focused on you, sending a shiver down your spine

“I was scared that you would find it weird and annoying”

This statement stuck him to the core and he just hugged you tightly and kissed your temple

“You’re my person…. I’d never feel that way”

Shinsou

Sleepy baby knows the sign of lack of sleep

As soon as you start showing said signs he’s watching you extra closely

Slyly he asks you how you slept

He saw how your face paled slightly

He saw how you tensed

So when you said you slept fine, he knew it was a lie

When he saw you get worse it killed him inside

So he devised a plan, a genius one

“Hey, Y/N can you come over tonight? There's this video game tournament and I need a partner”

How could you say no to those big purple eyes and the jutted out lip that pouted at you?

“Y-yeah I can come…”

He had Chamomile tea ready by the time you came along with lavender incense sprayed around his room

Hell, he even made the temperature the nice comfy warm

So when you walked in, you were slapped in the face with an overwhelming feeling to pass out

You didn’t last 15 minutes before you were falling asleep on Shinsou’s lap

Mentally he gave himself a high five, but then scolded himself when you started scratching your arms along with twisting and turning

He could hear your breathing pick up dramatically and he panicked

Right away he shook you awake softly

When your eyes met his worried purple ones, he started kissing all over your face while apologizing

When your breathing calmed down, you told him everything

After that he never let you sleep alone

Hawks

Birb boy is a busy boy

So he is never really home

Especially with the LoV mission, so you took the opportunity to use the emergency key and sleep at his place

Because anything that was him, was a safe haven to you

That’s why, when he came home late one night, he was shocked to see you sleeping

Well, he wouldn’t even call it sleeping

You were gasping for air like someone was strangling you, curling into yourself and scratching your arms

Noises leaving you like you were in pain as your hair stuck to your forehead

It was the scariest sight he ever saw

Suddenly Keigo was up and alert as he swiftly moved to your body and scooped you up in his arms

He started placing soft kisses on your neck, calling your name

When you woke up, you jolted up but relaxed when you noticed you were in his arms

“Kei? W-What are you doing home?”

Softly, he traced his fingers over your fresh scratches and hummed softly before smiling at you

“I couldn’t keep myself from you… I was going to surprise you at home but you weren’t there, so I figured you were at a friends house. But I’m happy you’re here instead”

You nodded sadly and turned to face him

Both of you shared a look, and you knew you didn’t have to tell him.

He just understood.

Birb boy asked you to move in the next day

Todoroki

Another very observant boi in the mix

But he also tries to stay back and give you time

He doesn’t like to push you

Icy hot wouldn't really know how much it’s been affecting you

Until you called him at 2 am one night, barely able to control your breathing

He was at your dorm right away and you ran into his body sobbing

“Darling… what’s wrong? What happened?”

“I-sho… its just I get these stupid nightmares”

First of all; don’t call them stupid

Second of all; never downplay anything, especially when it comes to you

Todoroki stared you down before kissing your forehead

“It’s not stupid… this is what’s been bothering you lately, isn’t it?”

Your soft nod was loud enough for him

Picking you up he put you in your bed, and that’s when he noticed the scratches

Before he could say anything you kissed his cheek

“I wake up with them, I promise”

Ofc baby boy takes your word for it before he slides into bed with you

He waits until you fall asleep before he lets himself sleep as well

After that he will always stay with you until you fall asleep, then go to his dorm

[prettylilhalforc]

Forged in Conflict

After many a late night flitting between tumblr, Borderlands, and discord discussions with the lovely @lorecraft my brain could not shake a Luckyverse Borderlands AU with Triple Frontier boys.

Am pleased to present the first chapter of Forged in Conflict!

Summary: Dahl 12th Company, TangoFoxtrot Brigade have been assigned to secure an old asset planetside. Intel has it that a bunch of bandits are wreaking havoc on dig sites around a local settlement. Idiots trying to bust open an derelict mining facility for tech. Amateurs trying to on sell to Atlas.

Should be simple enough, right? Standard in and out.

Secure the asset, eliminate the threat, back to base in 72 hours flat. All wrapped up like a present on Mercenary Day.

Warnings: Military, allusions to violence and conflict, food.

Rating: M at most given the military themes

A/N: This will be more of a slow burn fic with each of the boys meeting their match. Cannot wait to introduce Lucky, Echo, IRIS and Teflon. This is gonna be so much fun!

Any and all feedback is most welcome!

Chapter 1 - Ain't No Rest for the Wicked

The scent of stale sweat hangs heavy in the recycled air. Hundreds of warm bodies fill the mess hall leaving little space to maneuverer. Unit upon unit of troopers lining the facility in orderly rows. Packed in tighter than vacuum sealed standard issue MREs.

Happens like groundhog day. Same routine over and over again.

Wake, eat, drills, eat, sleep.

Leaves him feeling little more than another cog in the fine-tuned military machine that is Dahl.

It’s stifling. Suffocating.

Maybe he’s just been stuck on base for too long. Maybe he just needs to head planetside. There’s this voracious itch that always rears its head between deployments. An uneasy tension sitting heavy in the pit of his stomach. Gnawing, screaming at him that more needs to be done and sitting here is just wasting time.

What good is a weapon in a fight if left unfired?

This was not what Santiago ‘Pope’ Garcia signed up for when joining the Corp. Pipedreams and promises of jumping around the system, liberating settlements from the greedy grip of Atlas. Putting down bandit scum.

Life on Pandora prepped him for action, for violence.

Not the bureaucracy of the corporate military industrial complex.

Hoo’ fucking rah.

“Need some motor oil?”, a deep voice cuts through Pope’s musing, Ironhead giving him a knowing look.

“Wha-?”

Santiago’s eyes refocus. Physically shunted back into reality by a light shoulder check from the young blond adjacent to him.

“Can practically hear the gears crunching in your head, Pope.”

Will. Now there’s a company man through and through. Six foot and build like a brick house. Keen blue eyes that shine with something purely predatorial. Nothing gets past his gaze. Lives and breathes the life.

Nerves of steel and unwavering discipline earnt him the well-deserved moniker Ironhead.

Regimented. Reliable. Never fails under fire.

Dahl ‘til the day he dies.

“I hate being… stuck. Feel useless.”

Elbows braced on the slick steel benchtop, Pope runs both broad hands through his salt and pepper undercut. Pulling at strands. Trying to find a physical reset to pull him back from the frustration welling in his chest.

“I geddit. It’s driving me nuts, man, sitting here not doing anything.”

Now, Ben, the boy wonder, is pure unadulterated chaos. If Ironhead is a Doberman, then Benny is a damn Retriever chasing down a car on the highway. Kid had a good heart and boundless energy. Though doesn’t know do with it half the time.

Doesn’t think too often, just feels. Get’s him all sorts of situations.

Fortunately, The Miller boys made one hell of a team in combat. The Hellhounds from Hieronymous. Ironhead’s tactical efficiency paired with Wonderboy’s unbridled fury burnt through scores of Atlas platoons on tour. It was enough for brass to look the other way when it came to the frequent indiscretions they found themselves in.

“You hear that Lima Charlie got shipped to Elpis after Zarpedon’s crew went dark? Fucking bullshit man. Why do we get stuck here while- ”

“Better not let Redfly hear you saying that, hermano, especially after last month’s stunt. You’re lucky all you got was a week in the hole.”

Fish interrupts Ben with a look that can only be described as fatherly disappointment, grease-stained hand waving his fork about to about drive point home. Though underneath the worn cap his warm eyes give away everything, brimming with mirth.

Before Atlas. Before the exodus.

Pope swears he would have lost his humanity years ago if Fish hadn’t have kept him grounded. Practically inseparable, the two pulled each other out of scraps since they were knee high in Haven.

Frankie, ever the voice of reason, reminded Pope why they joined the Corp in the first place.

The guy was too honest for his own good. Has a big heart and wears it on his sleeve for all the world to see.

Made cleaning house during poker night a walk in the park.

“Yeah yeah, flyboy. Wouldn’t have been a problem if that snitch from Whiskey Kilo kept his big mouth shut.”

Benny petulantly spears at a suspect lump slathered in gravy on his tray, nostrils flaring.

“Well, it’s certainly shut now. Wired shut. Heard from Ty in medbay Phillips won't be having any solids until next month” Pope can’t help but chime in, it was a small comfort to know he wasn’t the only one grappling with the inertia being stuck shipside.

A collective chuckle erupts from the group and with that Benny's pout is wiped clean. Boyish face cracks into a smug grin.

And who could blame him?

Kid has a left hook that would floor a bullymong.

Conversation soon flows easily, falling into hopeful speculation about the next operation.

Tensions have escalated as of late between major intergalactic powerhouses. The system is on the precipice of a second Corporate War.

It's not just Dahl and Atlas duking out for supremacy across the stars.

Hyperion has begun to stake their claim, planet by planet. Peacocking with the latest in loader tech. Bunch of Machiavellian suits parading around as soldiers. Would sell their own grandmother to make a profit. And what they couldn't buy, they were willing acquire through "aggressive negotiation".

And Vladof, bunch of commie bastards, took glee in sabotaging years of blood, sweat and tears for the sake of glorious revolution. Whatever that meant. Why waste manpower when you can incite the masses to do your dirty work for you?

The desperate push for colonization in the most bizarre locations didn’t make any tactical sense whatsoever.

Something bigger was going on than just a turf war over resources. Not when this many players had come to the table. Stakes must be high.

“Nice to know that you boys are itching for action.”.

By pure reflex the four rise to their feet. Backs straight. Eyes forward. Jaws tight.

Chairs clatter across the hull floor, food all but forgotten.

The crimson glare shoots pure ice down Pope’s spine. Every damn time feels like someone walked over his grave. No matter how long he served, could never get used to it. Cybernetic eye picking apart every detail of the crew before him with clinical precision.

Captain Tom ‘Redeye’ Davis.

Takes a particular kind of individual rise through the ranks in the Corp. A certain cold bloodedness that makes a man willing to put the mission above all else. Hardly a surprise for a seasoned Dahl Mercenary. Redfly had a track record that would make any C.O. green with envy.

The company couldn’t fault him, no matter how harsh his methods. Ran tight crew and expected nothing but excellence. The Corp chewed up and spat so many bodies in the field, there was little room for complacency.

Or mercy.

“Fortunately for you, Brass has something that will scratch itch. Section-312, Intel Room 4. I expect you all there at nineteen hundred TangoFoxtrot. Copy?”

“Sir, yes Sir!”

“At ease soldiers.”

Will shoots Pope a wry smile that spreads across the crew like wildfire. It says it all.

Ask and ye shall receive.

[yandere-daydreams]

A Yandere!Mirio/Reader piece for the lovely @celestialempress, with a little NSFW and some unfortunate implications towards the end. I really enjoyed this commission, a little too much, actually... but, considering recent episodes, it’s fair to say our favorite Obsessive Boy deserves to get something he wants. 

Word Count: 3.1k

TW: Non-Con/Dub-Con, Breeding Kink, Non-Consensual Aphrodisiacs, Contraceptive Sabotage and Delusial Mindsets. 

You were heroic. Mirio loved that about you.

He adored how passionate you were, how much effort you put into every fight, every battle, every mission you were asked to go on. He was grateful for every night you came home exhausted, collapsing into his arms whenever his shift ended before yours and rambling about the nice kid you saved or the sweet man who sent your agency flowers after you rescued his wife. He admired your spirit, always the one to bet how many bad guys you could take down while you were in the same district and to ignore the negative critics of any newscaster or interviewer who tried to dampen your optimism. Even your quirk, the sickening fitting ability to form foam and bubbles strong enough to withstand the weight of a grown-man, was practically made for saving people. You were his hero, you were perfect. Mirio would never say you weren’t, even if his life depended on your dismissal. He was sure you’d do the same for him, too.

He loved that part of you. He loved every part of you.

He just wished you wouldn’t put yourself in so much danger while you were being so amazing.

It was only a scrape, he reminded himself, albeit a bad one. The paramedics had cleared you, as far as your physical safety was concerned. A henchman and a loose platform had just gotten the better of you during a roof-top fight, and you’d been too busy ensuring the security of innocent civilians to worry about cushioning your own fall. It fit your persona, it fit you, and deep down Mirio knew you’d always do the right thing, even if didn’t line-up with the smart thing. He was just as dedicated, deep down, even if he couldn’t be as showy about it anymore. Even now, you were laughing and joking around with the stone-faced healer wrapping a bandage over your forehead, not letting your dirtied costume and a possible concussion dampen your spirits. You were still giggling as he approached, your smile enough to make his heart skip a beat. Still, Mirio attempted to stay serious, even if his self-restraint was tested by every second spent in your company.

“Hey, little hero,” Mirio called, his grin widening as you perked up at the sound of his voice. The other man was forgotten instantly, left in the background as you leaned forward to hug him, nearly falling off the rear step in your eagerness. He was quick to catch you, attempting to give you a more stable seat without throwing you around like a rag-doll, even when you deserved to be strapped down and kept out of trouble. Until you were considering your own preservation, at least. 

But, he didn’t say that, opting to kiss your forehead and ruffle your hair until you were pushing him away. “Everyone’s talking about you, y’know, the reporters are trying to find today’s favorite heroine.” It wasn’t an exaggeration, he could still hear their voice from behind the police-controlled blockade. You’d be all over the newscasts in a few hours, no doubt. “They don’t seem satisfied with your charming fiancé and his lovable antics.”

“You must mean my annoying boyfriend. I still haven’t gotten a ring.” There was a light punch to his chest, more of a tap than anything, and you pulled him down to your height without a second thought. He didn’t have to be told what to do, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you into his side, letting you slot yourself against his side with all the familiarity and affection he’d coaxed out of you. Like an old married couple, rather than two Pro-Heroes in the prime of their lives.

Just the thought made Miro hold you a little tighter.

“Is someone trying to tell me that I’m s’posed to get down on one knee sometime soon?” The question was only half teasing, and you seemed to sense that, deflating ever-so-slightly in his arms. You didn’t pull away, but you only lowered your head, slumping forward and resting your elbows on your knees. You always got like that, when he tried to talk about something that might change the future. Mirio was sympathetic, but he couldn’t help but be… frustrated, at your resistance. He reacted instinctually, rubbing soft, deep circles in your back, doing his best to avoid the bruises blooming around your spine. “Babydoll, we don’t have to--”

You interrupted him swiftly, already knowing where this conversation would lead. “It’s just not something I want to talk about, we’ve been over this before. Marriage is just…” You didn’t straighten your back, but your hands moved in an incoherent, nonsensical pattern, like a micro-explosion was pushing them apart. Your quirk activated for emphasis, a tiny, frothy bubble forming between your palms and popping as you moved, leaving suds to soak into your thighs. You didn’t seem to notice, only kicking at the small bits of foam that landed on the ground. “It’s big, y’know? I’m a little scared, to be honest.”

Of course, his girlfriend was scared. He had to be reminded that you could still be timid, every now and then. “All the more reason to dive into it headfirst, right? We’ll be fine as long as we’re doin’ it together.”

“I know that,” You mumbled, your smile taking a turn towards fragile. Not weak, but vulnerable. Delicate. It only strengthened Mirio’s belief that a future with him was what you needed. A big house, a clean-cut lawn, more room than two people could ever need. And yet, it was room two people could fill, if they tried hard enough. He started to drift into his fantasy, but you drew him out of it with a laugh and a nervous scratch at the back of your neck. “You’ll always take care of me, and I appreciate that. But, I like the way we are right now. I don’t want anything to change, and… I don’t know when I’m going to be ready for anything to change.” You sighed, suddenly talking more to yourself than you were to Mirio. “I’m sorry if that isn’t what you want. I’d understand if you thought I moved too slowly, and… I’d understand if you wanted to move on without me.”

He didn’t hesitate, cupping your chin and encouraging you to look at him, moving in as you turned. The kiss was lingering, as sweet as it was drawn-out, and Mirio didn’t pull away when it was over. Rather, he kept you close, his voice muffled by the proximity. “There isn’t anyone else I’d move on with. If we’re gonna wait, we’ll do that together, too.”

You looked like you had a reply, opening your mouth and shifting, but someone called your alias’ name before you spit it out. There was a parting peck to his cheek and a fleeting embrace, but you left him without another word. The conversation would continue later, Mirio would make sure it did, but for now, he was left in silence. Left to think.

You said you didn’t think you were ready, but he knew you were. You were nourishing and tender and motherly, he just hadn’t had a chance to prove that to you yet. Your lives would be perfect, with your reliable husband working as a Hero to keep his family safe, recounting his victories over a dinner you made before sending the kids to bed so you two could have some time to cuddle and relax and talk about your days and be so happy. If you kept taking risks, getting hurt and sacrificing yourself and waiting, that might not happen. You two might not get a chance to be happy together.

And Mirio wasn’t sure what he would do if you two didn’t get to be happy together.

You’d said it yourself, he’d always take care of you. He knew what was best, regardless of how many childish ambitions and hesitations got in the way. You were his Hero, but this time, he would have to be the one to save you. He already had a plan, too.

Even if a few steps would have to come sooner than he thought they would.

~

He was thankful you never tried to hide your pills.

Mirio knew it was a terrible thing to do. It was awful, it felt awful, but the task itself was painfully easy. Your birth-control was always on the bathroom-counter, the disk-shaped container left open and unprotected in the haven of your apartment’s walls. You hadn’t even stirred when he’d gotten out of bed, sleeping so trustingly less than a room away. It helped that your prescription was on its last legs, too, only four tablets left before it’d need to be refilled. You’d probably be so worried about finding time to stop by the pharmacy, you wouldn’t even notice the slight difference in color.

Just throwing them away wouldn’t be enough, you might get suspicious and notice the discarded medicine. Instead, he waited patiently for them to dissolve in the sink, watching diligently as the yellow prophylactics dissolved, like even the smallest bits of residue would be enough to tell you that something was wrong. The sugar pills were slotted into place with an equal amount of focus, each replacement placed in the exact spot of its predecessor, even if he doubted you would notice if they were upside down or at a slightly different angle. He hesitated when it came time to close the lid, something suddenly making him feel off, guilty, wrong.

It would all be for your own good, he knew that. Mirio tried to think of how much you would love having three or four little ones running around, how you’d adore him for finally taking charge, how love the two of you would be once you got married and moved out of the city and started your lives together, rather than getting stuck on the never-ending plateau most Heroes find themselves unable to pass after retirement, but it didn’t seem to help. There was something else. Were you going to regret staying with him? Would you be mad at him for doing the right thing?

Would you hate him, after you realized what’d happened?

The question was discarded as soon as he noticed the real issue. He stopped himself right before the lid could shut, placing the plastic case back into its original spot. You never closed it. You said you had a hard time undoing the child-proof lock, when you were tired. It hurt your fingertips.

Satisfied, Mirio leaned back, admiring his work for a second or two before moving on. He already had a needle on-hand, sewing kits being a necessity in his line-of-work, but repairs weren’t what he had in mind, tonight. After those modifications were made, all he had to do was slip a little special something into your water-bottle, just to ensure that his preparations wouldn’t be in vain.

Right. Everything would be perfect, by tomorrow night. 

All he had to do was wait until then.

~

You didn’t think you’d ever been this warm before.

It was a heat that ran through your veins, making your heart feel like it was beating too fast and your brain all fuzzy, like you were on the tail-end of an all-nighter, one fueled solely by a drink with too much sugar and foods your worst mentors would’ve disapproved of. Water didn’t help, each drop only making your head throb that much more, and you’d nearly passed out during a mid-day patrol. Luckily, it’d been a slow day, villains seeming to notice your distress and rescheduling their evil-doing for a day where you weren’t feeling so shitty. Even with the lack of activity, you were stumbling by the time you got home, your door seeming to sway in front of you as you unlocked it.

You were thankful for how careful Mirio was, you really were, your boyfriend always seeming to remember the little details you forgot. But it was hard to tolerate, sometimes. It felt like there was a dead-bolt on everything when you were this tired.

You collapsed as soon as the door was closed behind you, falling onto the first couch you saw in a sweating, red-faced heap. You don’t know how much time passed, the minutes blending together with the hours, but the footsteps came by the time you’d started panting, your eyes clenched shut and your body crumpled into a fetal position, the display as desperate as it was pathetic. You didn’t hear him approach, but you were being pulled into the air nonetheless, forced to curl into yourself just to stop from writhing.

“I… I think I need a doctor,” You mumbled, your voice coming out as a breathy whisper. You felt your back touch the mattress, but your attempts to sit up only let another wave of flames wash over your skin, burning whatever they touched. “Could you call someone, everything hurts--”

His lips were on yours before you could finish, the kiss passionate and forceful, lacking any of Mirio’s trademark delicacy. Just as suddenly, the heat in your body was shifting, turning into something else, something namable. Medical assistance was shoved into the back of your mind, buried under your craving for anything but separation from his hands. You deepened the kiss willingly, nipping at his jaw as he pulled away, nearly whining when you felt his warmth leave yours. “Do you still want to go to the hospital, sweetheart?”

You thought for a second, but shook your head. “No, I… fuck me, Mirio.”

You were whining from the moment he started touching you, not bothering trying to find the clasps to your skin-tight uniform. Any other day, you would’ve stopped him while the damage was still repairable, but it was all you could do to sit up as he slipped your sports-bra over your head. You expected him to finish the job with as much fervor, and yet, he saw fit to linger as he tugged your panties downward, rubbing over your covered clit with the pad of his thumb. He didn’t try to hide the way he laughed as you bucked against him, chuckling under his breath at the stain every movement took. He didn’t seem reluctant to hold your hips down, though, after deciding you weren’t in the right state to put in that kind of work.

“You’ve never been this hot n’ bothered for me,” He admitted, finally getting rid of the offending fabric. There was no hint of resistance, his fingers sliding into your cunt and scissoring you open with a loud, embarrassingly wet sound, only contrasted by the soft mewl you let out at the slightest of stimulation. “You must want this as much as I do… Bet I don’t even need to prep’ you, either. You just wanna get to the main show, don’t you?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, leaving you to grind against nothing and beg as he reached something out of your view. A drawer opened, a plastic package following in its lead, but the tell-tale ripping of latex was what gave it away, a disappointed sigh leaving Mirio’s mouth when he saw what’d happened. “There’s a-”

“I don’t care!” His sleeve was the only thing close enough for you to grab, but you did so with a vengeance, bringing him down to your level as your free hand sloppily worked at his pants. Too stunned to react, he stared on at your flushed face, but a hitch your breath and something close to a sob snapped him out of his daze. “I jus’... I don’t know… it hurts, please, make it stop!”

You couldn’t be sure when you started, but soon enough, tears were blurring your vision and something was making it hard to breathe. Mirio only cooed, cupping your cheeks briefly before he abandoned the idea of comforting you, instead taking up your thigh in his hands. You could’ve cried as he pressed into you, your knees crushed into your chest by the time he bottomed out. It wasn’t just the pleasure, the way sparks bit at the base of your spine or how your legs fought to clamp together as Mirio began to move, no, the relief alone was incomparable. You reached up lazily, wrapping your arms around his neck and burying your face in the crook of his shoulder, just relishing in how good it all felt, in how pretty his moans were and how deep he was inside you and how much you loved him, how much he loved you.

You were so caught up in it all, you almost didn’t notice it when he started speaking.

Almost.

“I knew you’d come around, I knew it.” He was nearly inaudible, now, voice little more than a mumble. You glanced up at him blearily, but as soon as your lips hard parted, you were caught in another suffocating kiss, the gesture as messy as it was overbearing. If it was possible, his pace sped up, drawing an unabashed moan from your throat. “You’re gonna look so pretty-- such a good mommy. I--” He stopped, his hips stuttering, like whatever he was distracted by whatever was running through his head. “...need to fill you up.”

There was a shove at his shoulders, a push just strong enough to gain his attention. “Mommy… what?”

Before he answered, Mirio wrapped an arm around your waist, nearly lifting you off the bed in an attempt to hold you tighter, to keep you closer. He was primal, by now, knots of soreness already forming in your thighs. You wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow, not comfortably, at least. “Don’t worry, it’s… it’s perfect,” He gasped, but it was in vain, the panic setting in just as quickly as the realization did. “You’re going to be such a good mom.”

It came suddenly, just as you’d began to struggle, your body tensing up and something inside of you snapping before you could stop it. The heat returned in full-force, scalding and smoldering, your mouth opening but no sound coming out and your nails digging into Mirio’s back, leaving bloody gashes in their wake. Mirio couldn’t have lasted much longer, stilling inside of you at his deepest point. Warmth bubbled up in the pit of your stomach, forcing the meekest of whimpers out, his cum filling you up easily and leaking out around his cock, dripping over your thighs in a terribly sobering way.

Clarity struck you fast and it struck you hard, dread pooling in your heart and refusing to lessen. You looked towards Mirio for reassurance, for acknowledgment or any signal that he felt the same way, but the only thing the met you was a euphoric, lovestruck smile. One soon pressed against your forehead, the peck just as disillusioning at his refusal to pull out.

“I knew you would come around… We’re going to be great parents.”

[mostlycompetentwriter]

“19″ - A Haven Sequel Drabble

M/F Pairing: Jeongin x Original Female Character (OC)

Genre: Strangers to Lovers AU; Haven Sequel!

Warnings: None! Indulgent Fluff for the win!

Word Count: 2.5K

Summary: Jeongin understands more than anyone that he got lucky when he found his adopted family, but sometimes he can get a little frustrated with their over-protectiveness. Maybe that’s why he’s so intrigued by the new girl next door because she was once a favorite classmate. Too bad her brother is the same kid who used to bully him in school.

A/N: Featuring NCT and lots of jealous moments!

It was a warm spring afternoon when Jeongin fell in love...okay, maybe that was too much, but he still considered the fluttering his heart as something quite romantic whenever he spotted the new girl-next-door helping her family unload packages into their home. She was also strikingly familiar, and Jeongin soon realized that they had once gone to school together before she moved. He remembered that she was always nice to him, and maybe something had happened and she was brought back to their small-town to start over again inside the old house next to their little slice of Haven.

Perhaps it was even fate that Lily was brought back into his life - the old cliche about soulmates!

But while Jeongin was enamored with the idea of true love, he still couldn’t help his reservations when it concerned a potential relationship with Lily. In particular, his hesitation came from her twin brother Jisung who used to pick on him in grade school. Unfortunately, Jeongin had already seen him twice in the span of the past five minutes -  walking around the front yard while he complained to his other brothers who asked him to help with their belongings.

And Jeongin scoffed at his childish behavior because it showed that Jisung hadn’t changed much since grade school, always wanting to be coddled by everyone else. It was the same reason why Jisung had disliked Jeongin because he wasn’t so willing to do whatever the boy asked, but why should he give away his gummy snacks to a snot-nosed brat who had held out his hand in a silent demand?

Of course, Jisung had not appreciated that one bit, and he made it his personal mission to torment Jeongin at every possible opportunity. It got to the point where Jeongin cried to Changbin during one of their car rides home because he couldn’t take it anymore. And even though Chan had cautioned Changbin to stay out of the situation, Jeongin was still immensely satisfied when Changbin confronted the other boy on the playground and scolded him fiercely in front of the other students.

But Jeongin didn’t really remember much about Jisung after that occasion, and he even forgot about Jisung’s twin sister, Lily, who always so kind to Jeongin in spite of her brother. Maybe that was why he felt such a strong attachment to her because he remembered all those little moments when Lily had demonstrated an uncanny kindness towards him.

Like the time she helped him rebuild his sandcastle after her brother destroyed it during recess, or when Lily sat with him outside the school because Chan had been late picking him up and Jeongin was afraid that he would be stuck there forever!

It had been a silly fear because in the present, Jeongin recognized that such thoughts had been ridiculous, but he was still grateful for Lily’s persevering thoughtfulness.

“I wonder if she remembers me?” Jeongin hummed in deep consideration, and he spent the rest of his afternoon watching her from afar because he much too cautious to say hello.

And for the remainder of the week, Jeongin made a habit of sitting at the big window in the living room to watch his new neighbors; specifically, he was dedicated to studying Lily and learning as much as he could given the whole distance factor. But he was sure that it was better this way since he could openly admire Lily without fearing for her twin brother’s interference.

He was also so focused on his task that he was barely cognizant of Y/N's entrance until he felt someone tap on his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” Y/N asked, and Jeongin jumped at the sound of her voice.

‘Why are you sneaking up on me?” Jeongin retorted.

“Was I?” Y/N questioned, and she sat down next to Jeongin without his permission. “I forgot that we were getting new neighbors.”

“They’ve been moving in all week,” Jeongin said, and he maybe he was really bad at disguising the longing in his tone because Y/N turned to him with a grin.

“How long have you been watching them?”

“Not long,” Jeongin tried to defend himself, but Y/N could always see right through him.

“Do you want to come with me?” Y/N asked. “We can welcome them to the neighborhood.”

“Uh, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Jeongin said, and he anxiously fiddled with the hem of his shorts.

“Why not?”

“They seem really busy,” Jeongin said, but Y/N wasn’t having any of his excuses.

“Come on,” she said while pulling on his arm, and Jeongin was forced to reveal the real reason why he wanted to remain incognito.

“I can’t,” he said, looking up at Y/N with wide, brown eyes. “I’m kinda embarrassed because I might have a crush on Lily.”

“Oh, Lily,” Y/N cooed, and Jeongin just shook his head at her teasing. “You should introduce yourself.”

“I'm not sure about that,” Jeongin insisted. “Her older brother...he used to bully me in school.”

“You mean that kid who Changbin threatened?” Y/N laughed, but Jeongin couldn’t find anything remotely funny about the situation. 

And the sound of Y/N’s laughter must’ve been louder than Jeongin thought because someone else had entered the room to pinpoint the excitement.

“Changbin did what now?” 

Jeongin flinched when he noticed Sara walking into the living room with a curious smile. Her shift must’ve ended early, which meant that she was home just in time to overhear the embarrassing conversation that he was having with Y/N.

“When Jeongin was younger,” Y/N quickly explained. “This kid always messed with him at school, but Changbin totally embarrassed the other kid in front of their classmates.”

“Really?” Sara grinned. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

“But Jeongin has a crush on our neighbor,” Y/N said, and Jeongin grumbled when she ruffled his hair. “Her name is Lily.”

“Jeongin!” Sara gasped.

“It’s not a big deal,” he protested, even while Sara was forcing him to stumble behind her on the way out the door.

“They’re working in the yard,” Sara remarked, glancing over in the direction of the house next door. “Let’s go say hello.”

But what if Jisung came out?!

And even though Jeongin was adamantly opposed to this scheme, Y/N and Sara were shameless, and Jeongin was already blushing when Sara tugged on his hand and led them closer to the unfamiliar figures working in the front yard.

“Hi, there,” Sara said, and she paused in front of them on the sidewalk. 

Yet, Jeongin still hesitated because they had managed to attract the attention of everyone working in the yard, including Lily who looked between them with a curious expression. “We live next door,” Y/N helpfully contributed, and one of the older boys dusted off his hands before walking across the lawn to greet them.

“I thought I recognized you,” he said, and Jeongin shifted from where he was standing next to Y/N and Sara. “We’ve been busy, but it’s nice to finally have a chance to talk.”

Sara smiled at him in return. “I’m Sara, and this is Y/N and Jeongin.”

“You all came to visit!” the second boy exclaimed. “That’s a lot of people.”

“Like we’re ones to talk,” the first remarked. “I’m Taeyong, and this is my younger brother, Jaemin.”

“Our sister is working over there,” Jaemin said, and Jeongin had no problem turning his attention to Lily who was cautiously approaching them.

But the oldest brothers weren’t as cautious, and Taeyong immediately launched himself into some kind of conversation concerning the weather. And while Y/N and Sara laughed at whatever he was saying, Jeongin couldn’t find it in himself to turn away from Lily’s bright green eyes.

In fact, Jeongin was still focused on Lily when he heard the sound of Changbin’s voice. “What’s going on over here?” Changbin asked, and he joined their little gathering with Minho close behind.

“We were making introductions,” Sara replied. “This is Taeyong and Jaemin.”

“Nice to meet you,” Changbin replied gruffly, tugging on Sara’s hand and forcing her to stand close to his side.

Jeongin frowned because Changbin was being incredibly brash, and Lily might not like him as much if his older brother was rude to hers. But Taeyong simply laughed at the exchange, holding out his hand for Changbin to accept. “We should’ve introduced ourselves properly, but it’s been chaotic trying to move in all week.”

“Understandable,” Y/N said, and she giggled when Jaemin winked in her direction.

“Right,” Minho spoke up, and he wrapped an arm around Y/N’s waist as he glared at Jaemin.

“You’re all welcome to come inside,” Taeyong offered. “Refreshments included.”

“Sure!”

“I don’t know about that....”

Changbin and Sara exchanged quick glances when they realized that their thoughts were completely opposed. But Taeyong laughed through the tension, and continued to insist that he could entertain everyone. And Jeongin didn’t hesitate to take advantage of this opportunity, allowing himself to smile at Lily as they stood outside together on the front porch.

Jeongin was satisfied to see that everything was going well, and Y/N and Sara were doing a good job of keeping the conversation going. They asked Taeyong and Jeamin questions about the plans they had for their home, and what they were most excited to experience in their new town. And for the most part, Jeongin quietly contributed when he was brought into the discussion, but he was also enjoying the silent conversation that he was having with Lily - simple glances in one another’s direction and bright smiles that warmed his heart.

“Jisung, you should come join us,” Taeyong said, and Jeongin’s smile vanished when he recognized that name, turning around to watch his former enemy walk down the stairs.

Although Jisung was much older than he had been in grade school, he still had the same characteristic features that reminded Jeongin of their past together. And he must’ve recognized Jeongin as well because he found himself on the receiving end of a hostile glare. 

“What’s going on?” Park Jisung asked as he stepped into the room.

“We’re talking to our new neighbors,” Taeyong explained. “They had some good advice on renovation ideas.”

“But you’re home is already so beautiful,” Y/N said, and Jaemin smiled and leaned in close despite Minho’s frown.

“It’s not much,” Taeyong said. “But we make it work.”

“I agree with Y/N,” Sara added, smacking Changbin’s hand away from where it had moved further up her thigh. “It’s incredible.”

“Thank you,” Taeyong said, and he appeared amused for some reason. “Do you all live together?”

“Yes,” Changbin inserted, and he sat forward on the couch. “We share the house next door.”

“Its comfortable that way,” Minho agreed.

“Isn’t that too many people?” Jaemin asked, and he shuddered as if he couldn’t imagine living in their situation.

“It works for us,” Changbin insisted, and he pouted when Sara pulled back on his arm and encouraged him to relax.

Meanwhile, Jeongin shifted uncomfortably under the penetrative stare of Jisung from where he sat across the room. Because even if Changbin and the others hadn’t recognized him, Jeongin was very much aware of his presence.

But he also found himself distracted when Lily suddenly moved closer to him, whispering into Jeongin’s ear. “You want to see something cool?” Lily asked, and Jeongin found himself nodding enthusiastically. “Let’s go outside.”

“Okay,” Jeongin managed to whisper back, and he waited until everyone was laughing again before sneaking out with Lily through the side door.

Thankfully, it was much quieter outside, and Jeongin followed Lily as she led him to the backyard with a warm smile. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you,” she said, and Jeongin gasped because he was deeply honored.

“We used to be classmates,” Jeongin said. “A long time ago.”

“I remember,” Lily said, and Jeongin was delighted to know that she recognized him. 

“I didn’t think you would,” Jeongin admitted, and he paused next to Lily when she pointed at something high above them in a tree.

“What do you think?” Lily asked, and Jeongin admired the tiny bird feeder. “I made it myself.”

“I like it,” Jeongin said, and he took a deep breath while turning around to look at her before he lost his confidence. “I like you too.”

Lily giggled at the confession, and Jeongin was nothing short of endeared. And he wondered if this was how Minho had won Y/N’s heart? Or, maybe Changbin was more likely to declare such blatant emotion. And what about Chan and Lisa who were still discovering their relationship?

But maybe Jeongin just needed to stand out on his own, and he questioned whether or not it might be too early to kiss her?

“Oh, look,” Lily said with a laugh. “My brother came out!”

Jeongin swallowed hard when he turned around because he was sort of hoping that it might be Jaemin or Taeyong. But, of course, it was neither of them, and Jeongin watched Jisung grow closer while debating if it was too cowardly to suddenly jump the fence back onto his own property?

“Hey,” Jisung said, tucking his hands into his pockets. “I guess you recognize me.”

Jeongin nodded, and then he realized that maybe he should’ve played ignorant instead. But it was too late to reconsider, and he held his breath when Jisung moved in closer. “I’m sorry for the way I used to be,” Jisung said, and he shocked Jeongin so much that he actually took a step back. “I was really mean to you in school, and your brother had every right to put me in my place.”

“Oh...” Jeongin managed, and he looked between Lily and Jisung with rapid jerks of his head. “It’s alright...”

“No,” Jisung said. “It’s really not.”

“Jisung still has a lot to learn,” Lily suddenly remarked. “But I hope he won’t change how you feel about me.”

Jeongin quickly shook his head to reassure her because what kind of man would he be if he let someone’s sibling decide his opinion of them? It wasn’t fair to Lily, and Jeongin understood that more than anything else. Plus, he was genuinely grateful to hear an apology from Jisung, even if it might take a while to heal wounds from the past after this long.

“Thank you,” Jeongin said, and Jisung nodded before he was walking back in the direction of the house.

Meanwhile, Lily had reached down for his hand, and Jeongin was worried that his heart would leap right out of his chest. “I like you a lot too,” Lily said, and Jeongin had never heard anything sweeter than those words.

[barcaavengers]

Irreversible || Newt Imagine || Part 2

Note: I'm really liking writing this so even if it doesn't get many notes I'll be finishing this imagine. 😂 WARNING: Very light smut in the beginning. It doesn't get to smut though. Angst. Fights. Probably my longest imagine. Let's see how this goes! 

Disclaimer: Gif not mine. Credit to rightful owner!

Vince had said that to get to the Safe Haven we needed a boat, which he had, all left to do was to get the boat sea ready to be able to leave. It has been months since you have heard from Wicked, but you knew they would soon be upon you. Jorge intercepted their frequency every now and then to know the plans and know how close they were. You still had time. You and Vince had a map traced out that was divided by sections, that way you could track approximately how much ground the Bergs covered in a day and be ready. You also had the map to find a way to get Minho, and the others back. 

Good thing was that Vince knew the routes they'd take since he had rescued immunes. Every day for the last six months you have been planning this. No mistakes. No excuses. Next week you will strike the train and get the three of them back. It was the main target, you had thought of helping the other subjects but they would be too many and it hurt to know you couldn't save everyone. 

"Headaches again?" Newt approaches you on the boardwalk at the beach. You have been having headaches due to the memories coming in more often, not revealing much, only fragments. It was night already, the sea black instead of its usual blue. 

"Sort of" you shrug. "I need them gone" you complain as you cross your legs and he joins you. 

"I wish I could help, love" he says and slides his hand on yours, bringing it up to his lips and kissing the top of it.

"Did I wake you up?" You asked, lifting your gaze to him. The soft beach breeze moving his hair. 

He shook his head before answering, "Bad dream…" he frowns. "Leave something before you go out next time" he says yet doesn't provide a reason so you ask. 

"What happened?" Concern took over you, his body was tense so you ran your fingers through his hair to helped him relax. 

"You were gone," he answers. "Wicked came to this place and took you again. I couldn't do anything" he is playing with your fingers and doesn't meet your eyes. "I couldn't get you…" that's all he offers. 

"I'm sorry" you whisper and he shrugs. "But I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I can put on a good fight you know" you say to cheer him up and he chuckles. 

"Gally showed you some good moves."

"If it weren't for that shank I'd be in trouble all the time" you admit. "Surprisingly I miss him."

"I do too," he admits and sighs. "I don't like you being in fights though, what you-"

"We talked about this already" you interrupt. He scolded you for some good five minutes for the stunt you pulled on the Wicked guard back at the camp before they took Minho. "Give it a rest" you say and grip his hand in assurance. 

"Give it a rest, eh?" He asks and you notice the smile he tries to hide in his tone. 

"Stop acting like Jorge" Jorge had been training you with weapons for this new mission for a while now and you had gotten close. So he went on to scold you also about not pulling any risky stunts when this mission happened. 

"Well, what do you want me to be like?" Newt shifts his body and is now facing you. 

"Like Newt…Like my-" you stop yourself. 

"Go on" he shrugs with a grin. "Don't stop on my count" he leans closer. 

"You are making me nervous" you move away playfully. "I'm not saying it." At this point, neither of you have tried to mention the topic again. Being interrupted so many times has done it for you both and now you were waiting for the other to let it slip and in all honesty it had turned into a fun game. 

"I'll make you" he leans in.

"I want to see you try" you wet your lips before pulling Newt by the front of his shirt and kissing his soft lips. He suppresses a chuckle and places both hands on either side of you. The kiss was sweet and playful, him pulling away in the sexiest way, only leaving your lips inches apart until you leaned back in. After a few playful turns the smiles faded and the kiss turned intense. His hand was placed on your waist and he tightened the hold as he ran his tongue along your lower lip and your lips part to give him access. 

A soft whimper leaves your lips as his tongue brushes your own, melting into his touch making you fall back on the sand with him on top. Hopefully everyone was asleep and won't see this display of affection in the middle of the beach. He groans as you bite his lower lip and it gives you a rush knowing you were getting those sounds from him, so you do it again.

"Princess.." he breathes against your lips and you dare to move to the skin on his neck, pressing a kiss here and there making him sigh before taking one of your hands that were wrapped around his neck. "We should go back…" he says and you could see the regret in his expression. You nod your head and press a kiss just below his ear before pulling away and sitting up before he helps.  

Once in the little room you both called yours, you run a hand through your hair to get rid of any sand that got stuck in your hair. When you turn around, Newt is quick to hold your waist and draw you to him. "Hey" you greet with a smile, his lips part to show him licking his top teeth. He only did that when he was thinking, and by the mischievous smile he had? You could tell he wasn't going all angelic in his head.  

One step, two steps, and now you found yourself between a wall and Newt's body. Lately your make out sessions have been escalating rather quickly, you have been close to the point of taking each other's clothes off, completely anyway, yet it didn't mean you stopped what led you to it the next days. Knowing that he was doing all of this naturally did things to you, and knowing Newt, he would not tell any of this to his friends...Not like those shanks would know a thing, none of you did and you just went with the feeling. 

"Y/N, do you-?"

"Yes" you breathe out, his lips were just inches away from yours. 

"You don't know what I was going to say," he gives you a cheeky grin. 

"I don't care. Whatever you say, the answer is yes" he throws his head back laughing and you grin. You loved this side of him, the playful, cheeky one.

"Y/N, do you want to go jump from a bloody cliff?" He jokes. "Needy are we?" e leans forward, his accent was thick and his tone had turned...husky. 

"I can't speak for you" you lean in to try to kiss him but he pulls away. "Seriously!?" You almost whine and he laughs again. 

"Sorry love, but this is amusing for me" he smiles at you before wrapping his arm around your waist, the other going behind your neck and pulling you in for a kiss that made your knees go weak. You bite his lip and he bites yours in return. The fact that you had this small room for yourselves was going to complicate if things continued to escalate. Which they were. 

Cold fingers reached for the hem of your shirt, pulling it up only slightly, his forehead resting against yours as he regained his breath. "You can…" like if he needed any permission from you to do that. He pulled the piece of clothing from your body and his breath hitches as he takes you in. "What?" You feel the heat on your cheeks, he has seen you with just your bra on a couple of times, what could he possibly be staring at-

"You are bloody gorgeous, love" and swiftly he attacks your neck with kisses making you whimper, your hand holding the back of his neck in place. He pulls you closer to him by the waist and both of you gasp at the friction between you two, the one that started everything the nights things would try to go further. You can feel him through his jeans and you try to hold back the urge to do it again, yet he beats you to it and pulls you close again, he groans at the feeling. 

"Newt…" you breathe out and he pulls from your neck only to move to your ear. Hearing his heavy breathing so close was doing things to you... His hips moved up just barely as he pulled you close again by pressing on your lower back, nibbling on your ear and you moaned his name this time. Your hand moved from his hair to his shirt, bunching it up before pulling it off. You take a few seconds to take him in as he runs his hand through his messy hair. His hues were dark with lust, his pale cheeks now tinted with red as things heated up, "Newt, I-"  

He attacks your lips again with such passion and feeling...What has gotten into this boy? Your hands run down his chest, feeling his body tense and relax under your touch. Your fingers hook to the belt loops of his jeans and pull him close to you, bucking your hips a few times to get that feeling again that sent a wave of pleasure through your bodies. His own hands roaming every inch of your body as he took little breaths.

"We should stop…" he rasps out between breaths against your lips yet his hold on your waist does not loosen. 

"So now we can talk?" You tease and throw your head back which invites him to kiss your neck again, now moving lower to your collarbone and just a bit further. He pulls away to remove a strand of hair that rests over your shoulder and kisses the spot in the slowest way possible, earning a sigh from you. "We don't have a bed if we don't stop" you tease and he chuckles against your skin. 

"What is the bloody floor for then?" He says and pulls away. "In the hammock is practically impossible" he is joking and you push him by the shoulders as you laugh, but he holds on to you by your waist and you were already pulling yourself to him. "I don't want to stop...It feels great…" he admits as he licks his lower lip. 

"I know" you sigh and rest your head back against the wall to get some air. "It feels amazing when you do that…" he blushes and you smile. He kisses you lovingly, his thumb reaching to caress your jaw. 

"Let's go to sleep then" he kisses your cheek. "Stop playing around" he pokes your side making you squirm with a giggle and he grins as he turns around and heads to the hammock. 

The mission to get Minho was a success, yet upon arriving at the camp and opening the container, you all found out they had moved Minho to another. You closed your eyes in annoyance; so many nights planning this for this to happen...Although you did get Aris and Sonya which was a great plus. After this happened, you all reunited to plan the next move towards The Last City as Jorge called it, the last place we wanted to go according to him. Unfortunately, that's where you wanted to go, yet Vince didn't want to risk the lives of the rescued immunes for one man. Wicked had gotten closer to your hiding place, and Vince said you couldn't stay in this place much longer which Thomas agreed after looking up at the Bergs once you had killed the lights. Thomas looked at you for a moment and you knew the look. You were going to get Minho, no matter what. If they wouldn't join, you would. Vince leaves and Thomas is left staring at the Bergs. "When are we leaving?" You ask randomly after joining his side. 

"I can't bring you in. Newt would kill me" he says firmly. 

"And I would kill you if I don't get to go with you" you say with a frown as you thought. "It's going to suck to leave him behind" you thought outloud. 

"You don’t have to-"

"I want to have a go at it. They had crossed the line with Minho" you voice and cross your arms against your chest. "I'm not letting them take anyone else."  

Thomas eyed you and sighed. "We meet here in two hours. Bring what you can" he says and you both nod before parting your ways. 

On your way in, you thought of a way to do everything without Newt knowing, conclusion was it was going to be impossible. He was already on the hammock, resting back with his eyes closed. You can't risk his life going into that city...But it ached your heart to know you would be leaving him behind. It was best for him. For you. For everyone. 

"You are late" he says and peaks with one eye in your direction. 

"You are awake" you mock and close the distance between you two, leaning down and kissing him full on the lips. You know it takes him by surprise, but he doesn't say anything, he relaxes into your touch and pulls you closer and you rest on top of him, the hammock swinging and you can feel it coming down an inch. "Don't move too much" you tease. 

"Don't want to fall on top of me again?" He teases as he pulls away. One night he started to tickle you and you squirmed in the small space the hammock. Squirming too much and the laughter resulted in the hammock slipping and you both fell with a loud thud, earning a fit of laughter between the two of you. "I secured it well. Don't worry."

"So you did that night" you shift slightly and rest your head on his chest, holding his hand in yours and intertwining your fingers, giving them a soft squeeze. 

"How rude" he says and kisses the top of your head and you smile. Silence filled the space between you two but you didn't mind it. Soon you will be missing all of this after going with Thomas. 

The question now was, how would you get out of his embrace without waking him up. You can’t look at him because it would make you stay, yet seeing his angelic face as he slept reminded you that this was for him, for all of you. You couldn't be at peace knowing that Wicked could take him away from you. You manage to move from him succesfully, pack a few things into the bag before heading out, and you dared to look up at him enough to see him stir in his sleep, sleeping in the weirdest way. You loved that boy. 

"I got the map and traced out the route. There is a checkpoint but we should be able to cross it" Thomas says as you two walked to the garage where the trucks were stored. 

"Remember we are tagged, if they have scanners in that checkpoint they probably will-" 

"Now where do you think you are going then?" Newt's thick accent filled the room, bringing you to a halt. He turns on a light on the desk to reveal him leaning against it. He eyes you before turning to Thomas, "Stealing my girl I see" he takes a few steps forward. 

"You can't come with us, Newt, not this time" Thomas says. "Its too dangerous."

"Then you will need all the help you can get" the door of the truck opens to reveal Frypan in the driver's seat. "We started this together. May as well end it that way" he looks at you and you avoid his gaze for a moment. 

"Newt, you should stay. You should both stay" you say firmly. 

"And let you go back to Wicked just like that?" He arches an eyebrow and takes a step close to you. "I lost you once. I'm not losing you again" he says firmly and takes your bag and tosses it inside the truck. Thomas exchanges a look with you before giving up and getting inside. You thanked for the little silent conversations you could have with Thomas with just a look. 

"You were going to leave me? Just like that? With not so much as a goodbye" he was scolding you as you two sat on the back seat of the truck once you took off from the camp. "I thought we were closer than that," he says as he looks out the window. 

"Because we are, I couldn't tell you!" You complain. "If they so much threaten you I'd lose it, Newt. I'd lose my freaking mind if something were to happen to you."

"Like it wouldn’t be the same for me, Y/N" he takes a look at you, he was angry. "You think I'd enjoy the Safe Haven happily ever after knowing you were out there!? Because I wouldn't."

"I'm keeping you safe!"

"We promised! Together!" He shifts his finger between the two of you and you flinch. "Better think of another way to stop me from going."

"Well there is no going back now unless we drop you in the middle of the scorch" you mutter. 

"And you would if given the chance since you want to protect me oh-so much" he says and looks out the window. You take a look at him and turn away, your eyes closed as you sigh. 

"I'm sorry…" you give in. "But you need to understand" he doesn't even take a look at you, he was nervously running his thumb along his lips. "If they take you, I would just…I don't even know" you turn to look out the window. "I would probably go on and kill Ava myself and not give a care in the world what they did to me." 

Silence filled the inside of the truck, Thomas and Fry shared a look that could only mean that they were thankful you two have finished your fight. Newt had not said a word but after a while he reaches for your hand and squeezes it yet he doesn't look at you. 

After fighting Cranks, Brenda and Jorge coming to your rescue once again and finding out the Last City was protected by walls, you were kidnapped once the guns at the walls have started to go off after you got close to them. You were taken with Jorge in a van and you two did not hesitate to put up a fight that ended up with the guards being pushed out of the van. Jorge was about to throw a punch to the one he was fighting and you had the gun of yours in your hand, pointing at him, "Where the hell is he!?" You press the gun to the man's head, your breath coming out heavily.  

"Y/N!" Newt rushes to you when guns are being pointed at you and Jorge. A rush of relief hit your entire system when you saw him unharmed so you dropped the gun.  

"We are all on the same side here" you heard a man say and Thomas was quick to question where the man stood. Only to reveal a person you thought was long gone. 

"Gally!?" You gasp. 

"Hey, beautiful" he gives you a soft smile. 

You take a moment to process this and when you are about to take a step close, Thomas was already punching him and Newt was by his side to get him to stop. So he does, and Gally stands up. 

"I had that coming. Anyone else? Newt? Fry? Y/N?"

You took a few steps closer to him, no emotion as you did. "Tempting" you say. "You did teach me a guy's weak spots."

"I did" Gally eyes you curiously, so does Newt but in that way that at the sign of any threat he'd step in. 

"Gosh, you stupid shank!" You threw your arms around him and he was taken back. Of course, Captain Gally was not affectionate with anyone and this outburst coming from you did not change things. "I'm happy to see you" you pull away and smile before hugging him again, this time he returns the hug, he would only break his strong appearance with you. He did back at the Glade anyway. While he was probably avoided by the others, you knew that Gally had only done what happened with Chuck because of the Griever sting and Wicked. He was another victim. 

After some explanations of how Gally was alive, the reason you were there to get into the City to get Minho and him mentioning he had a way in, you were taken to a man called Lawrence, who was a Crank. Newt kept you behind him at all times, and would take glances at you every now and then. No words between the two of you were crossed since the argument back in the truck except him calling your name when you almost shot the man. At the news that only two could go as Gally showed the way into the City, Thomas looked back at you, Newt looked between the two of you. 

"I will go change. Hold on" Gally said before leaving you all. 

"I'm going with you" you tell Thomas. 

"Like hell you are" Newt says behind you and you frown. 

"Its just to check the surroundings. I'll be fine" you assure him as he gets in front of you. 

"There's going to be guards, and Wicked" he frowns. 

"I can take care of myself" you say. "I got the boys, I’ll be fine" you reach to touch his cheek and he pulls away. "Newt?" 

"Why are you so hell bent about going in there by yourself? You want to be one of them? Want them to take you back?" He snapped, his tone was starting to rise. 

"What the hell?! Of course not!" Your eyes shift to confusion. "I want to get Minho back and end Wicked."

"Guys" Thomas steps in. "I can always go with just Gally for now." You and Newt turn to glare at Thomas before turning to each other. 

"I'll go. You stay here until we have a plan." Newt eyes you coldly and turns, you take his hand. 

"Newt, come on" you frown and he pulls his hand away. 

"I'm going to talk to Lawrence. I can't deal with this" Gally gestures to you and Newt before disappearing and you sigh. Newt moves away from you to a corner, you let out an air of frustration before moving to Brenda's side. 

"He just cares about you," Brenda says. "Remember you are going in there but you don't know if you will make it back" she shrugs. 

"I know that…" you cross your arms and look over at him. Thomas was by his side. "I just feel like he doesn't trust me on my own, plus that snapping of him is so unlike him…"

"We are all stressed out here" she says and places a hand on your arm. "You don't trust him either. You won't let him go…" she points out. She does have a point. You just didn't want him to get hurt. 

"Alright" Gally comes up the stairs. "You two shanks, and Thomas, are with me. Lawrence doesn't want to deal with either of you complaining so come on" Gally gestures to follow him. You look at Brenda who pats your shoulder with a soft smile, then you turn to Newt who is quietly talking with Thomas, he casts a glance at you and you bite your cheek. You watch him tighten the laces of his boots, you look at Fry as he says something and then turn to look back at the blonde boy who was now looking at you and holding his hand before he let go and looked away. 

The Last City was a whole new world from the Glade and the scorch. Lights and signs everywhere. Speakers that announced a curfew placed in specific locations and the people were rushing to get to where they had to before it. Gally said they had increased the security because of your group, and that was confirmed after you saw your face on a screen with red letters reading wanted. Apparently not wanting to be another lab rat for Wicked was enough to hunt you all down. You went up a building, too high for your liking without any protection when you noticed you had to go along the outside border, following Gally and once you made it safely you looked back at Newt. Gally and Thomas talk and you take the chance to get close to Newt. 

"Are we really doing this?" You say as you arch an eyebrow. "We are going to fight because we want to protect each other?"

"Its not that simple" his arms crossed against his torso, you hated this attitude. "Its that you don't ask me if I'm okay with it or not."

"Would it make a difference?" You ask and he looks at you before scoffing and looking away at the buildings. "Because for me, it wouldn’t." You lick your lips and get close to him, you try again to reach for his cheek and get him to look at you, this time he doesn't pull away, but he hesitates. "I am not losing you to Wicked. Or anyone" you admit. "We keep each other safe. That's what people like us do, right?" You smile and he eyes you with the softest gaze, you lean forward and peck his lips, letting your lips linger and pull away, resting your forehead against his. "Together" you peck his lips once more before Gally announces you will all be returning. 

The group falls asleep in some mattresses Gally had provided. You had fallen asleep before him, but at some point you wake up and he is awake, just running his fingers absentmindedly on your waist as he holds you with one arm. "Hey" you yawn. "You haven't slept?" He only shakes his head in response. "What's wrong?" You place a hand on his chest and sit up to look at him.  

"Just thinking" he smiles, but even his smile you find…off. "Get back to sleep, love" one kiss on top of your head and he leans back again. You frown and bring his other hand to go around you and you snuggle closer to him, he tightens his hold and you can feel his muscles relaxing before he drifts off and you follow.  

"There has to be another way" Thomas shakes his head. You were all around a table discussing the plan to raid the compound. Everyone, obviously had their say.

"Am I missing something here? This is the same girl who betrayed us, correct? Same dick?"

"I like her," Gally says, pointing at Brenda. 

"The same bitch who pretended to be our friend and then took Minho with her" you add. "You can't expect us to rely on her" you say to Gally. 

"She is our only way in, with Thomas" he concludes.  

"What's the matter, hm?" Newt is tapping his good foot nervously, even if he was standing. You take a moment to glance at the action and then up at him with curious eyes. "You are afraid your little girlfriend is gonna get hurt? Because it has not only been about rescuing Minho, has it?" The tone he used...The way he approached Thomas...

"Newt…" your tone is a warning. 

"What are you talking about?" Thomas was as confused as you were. 

"Don't lie to me!" He pushes Thomas by the shirt against a nearby wall. Your hues widen and you rush to his side. 

"Hey. Hey. Easy." Your hands are resting on his shoulder. "Come on...Let's go outside" he shakes you off before looking around him. "I'm sorry…" he mumbles before going out. You eye Thomas and you watch as he disappears. 

"Can you…?" If Newt had something bothering him he was more likely to open to Thomas these days than to you. He had been acting on and off with you the past few days. 

"What's wrong with him?" Gally asks as he walks to you, Jorge was patting your shoulder before pulling you to him in comfort. 

"I don't know" you shrug. "We haven't really talked much. It's just been fights and silence these past few days…" you admit quietly. 

"This is too much for kids like you," Jorge says. "He can be overwhelmed" and it could be, but Newt wasn't one to stress himself like that.  

"Let's just...finish all of this" you say after shaking your head and leaning into the table. 

"Get some rest" Fry says as he brings a chair to you. "You are not going easy on yourself."

"The sooner we end this the better. I can rest after" you say, yet you sit down. 

"Still stubborn I see" Gally smirks and you roll your eyes with a soft smile. "We get Teresa and after that we plan our way in. I got some uniforms that can fit us when we go in there" the boy says and you nod your head.  

Thomas and Gally were out getting Teresa and you stayed with the rest. Newt was looking at the City away from everyone, leaning against the glass so you take the chance to go up there. 

"I don't want to talk about it." He says, not turning to you. 

"I do" you say and pull his arm by the sleeve and he is quick to yank it away, looking at you before looking out. "What the hell is going on, Newt?" You say and drop your hands in defeat. "I'm sorry for not asking you before I do something. What do I have to do to get you to be you again?" 

"Nothing, Y/N. Just leave it" he gestures with his hand and you take a breath before getting closer and pushing him against the wall. 

"I'm not going to leave it!" You hiss. "You don't talk to me. Hell, I can barely feel you with me" Your eyes are watering. "I don't want to be like this with you! If I would've known you'd be like this-" you couldn't finish. You would lie if you say you wouldn't come. "Talk to me, please…"

"I just have a lot on my mind" he takes your hand from his chest and drops it gently. 

"Then tell me, please" you close your eyes, a single tear escaping the corner. "Stop pushing me away…" your lip quivers. "If you don't feel the same anymore…" 

"It’s not that" he shakes his head, his eyes are closed and you hold back a body shaking sob. Your lips pressed together and you turn to walk away. You feel the warmth of your tears streaming down your face and you wipe them away with the sleeve of your shirt. Just then, arms reach for your own and turn you around, before you have time to react, he is kissing you and holds his breath.  

You can't stop the sobs that come from you when you try to gasp for air, yet he doesn't stop going for your lips. The kiss was urgent, but soft. "Newt…" you call. 

"Don't forget I love you, ever...No matter what, okay?" He is brushing your tears with his thumb and you notice he has his own rolling down his perfect cheeks. 

"Tell me what's going on…" Your mind just couldn't stop with the possibilities. Every passing hour meant a new possibility as to why he was acting like this. "I know something is bothering you…" you give up holding back, and you let yourself cry. 

"I know, princess...I know" he mutters and pulls away. "But I can't tell you…" He moves away and walks away, leaving you on the second floor by yourself.