#so basically you are asking me if scavenger would have easier time getting along with other scavengers than with ancients. yeah it would | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

purpleyellow · 4 years

Text

Lights out

BTS 8th member

Sunny’s masterlist

“Strange things happen in the dark”

a/n: Guess who didn’t know what to do with Sunny and decided to try out a crazy and random idea...... this dumbass. Your opinion is very important for me, send feedback and requests anytime 💜 Also, don’t be shy and interact a little, ask box is always open

“Okay, looks good,” J-Hope said clapping after Sunny ran over the choreography he had just taught her “Let me just see it once again”

“Again?” She huffed incredulously and grabbed a water bottle and taking the biggest sip possible “I already went over it ten times and you said it looked fine in all of them”

“I know, but it’s still missing something. Stand in place please” He said pressing play on the song and walking to the end of the room to watch her moves through the mirror.

Hoseok’s concentrated face and crossed arms could make anyone nervous when he was evaluating them, but Sunny had seen him like that so many times before she didn’t even care anymore.

Waiting until the beat dropped, she started dancing like she had done the previous times, twisting her ankles in the moments he had told her to and focusing even more on facial expressions, hoping that was the thing he thought was missing the previous times.

Feeling confident they were getting close to the end of work, Sunny almost feel on the ground when the room turned pitch black and the song stopped suddenly.

“Uh?” Hobi’s voice sounded through the room and she heard his footsteps towards the door and opening it, but the lack of light coming inside indicated there was no power outside as well. “Looks like the whole building is out”

“Did they forgot to pay the energy bill or something?” The girl said walking to where he was, a window at the end of the hallway making it a little easier to see, but still, it wasn’t that much of a help since it was in the middle of the night.

“What if it was a blackout?” The boy said turning to her, they were both standing in the hallway and waiting for some idea on what to do.

“Maybe, I don’t know” She shrugged “I guess we’ll have to wait for the generators to start working.”

As soon as she said that, another door, a few meters from where they were, opened and a scared head popped out of it.

“Yeonjun! How are you, buddy?” J-Hope exclaimed after recognizing the boy and walking closer to him.

“Oh, Sunbaenim!” He smiled relieved and bowed to them, Sunny smiling at the younger and waving him out of the room.

“Are the other boys around?” She asked finding strange that he was alone in a practice room.

“They went home already, I was just running through some things when the lights stopped” He answered and giggled embarrassed, “I thought there wasn’t anyone else in this floor, so I got a little scared when I heard someone talking”

“Well, I’m interpreting this as a sign for all of us to finish for the day,” Hoseok said patting him on the back and walking to the elevator only to find out it wasn’t working. “It usually doesn’t take this long for things start working again”

“I know, hopefully, no one is stuck inside there” The girl sighed, coming to the conclusion that she was too tired to go down about twenty flight of stairs. “I guess I’ll wait until the energy comes back to go home”

“Is the power out in the entire city?” Yeonjun asked looking out of the window and seeing the buildings around still had lights on “I don’t think so”

At that moment, J-Hope’s phone started ringing and he took some steps away to answer it, leaving the others talking.

“It really shouldn’t take this long for the generators to start working,” She repeated looking around the place, trying to find some kind of emergency light.

“Has this ever happened before?” He asked with genuine interest since he couldn’t remember going through something like this as a trainee.

“I think like once, but it lasted for seconds until everything was fine again” Sunny answered looking at Hoseok getting off his call “Who was that?”

“One of the managers, I told him you two were with me,” He said a little nervous and held the girl’s hand pulling her along the hallway and gesturing for the younger to follow them “Let’s stay in the practice room until everything goes back to normal”

“Is everything okay?” Sunny asked, feeling that something wasn’t quite right with the way he was acting.

Ignoring her, he led the three of them, not to the room they were before, but to the furthest one from the staircases, locking the door once they were all inside.

Looking at Yeonjun and his wide eyes, Sunny could sense that he was as confused as her, so she gave him a comforting pat on the back and walked closer to the oldest.

“Oppa, what is going on?” She asked again putting a hand on his arm.

“They’re having unusual trouble to get the power to come back, and the head of security thinks it might have something to do with some kind of security breach”

“He thinks?” Sunny asked incredulously at him.

“He’s pretty sure actually,” Hoseok said letting his nerves get the best of him and pushing his hair back with his hands. “He told me how we should hide, and now all we have to do is wait until someone comes to get us”

“Wow, wait, there could be someone dangerous in the building?” Yeonjun took a step forward to see if he had understood right.

“We don’t know yet, and if there is someone unwanted, doesn’t mean they’re dangerous” Sunny succeeded to make some kind of sense and grabbed her phone from her pocket, although she had gotten used to the lack of light, the closed door made the room even darker.

“Noona, I don’t think that’s smart,” Yeonjun said pointing to the little opening under the door “Someone from outside could see it”.

“Oh, true,” She said turning off her flashlight. “Let’s sit by the wall then, it’s a waiting game now”

Staying in between the boys, she held Hobi’s hand in an attempt to stay calm as well as get him a little less scared. The youngest was calmly now playing with his shoelaces and she couldn’t understand if that was a nervous tick or just his way of dealing with the boredom.

Sunny kept replaying in her head that everything was going to be fine and they were doing this just to be safe than sorry, but the possibility of some kind of intruder in the place she worked every day and considered very safe was still disturbing.

“I’m glad the boys are home,” Yeonjun thought out loud making her remember about the rest of her members.

Squeezing Hoseok’s hand, she asked him as quietly as possible “Do we know where the rest of them are?”

“The manager said Namjoon and Yoongi went out to have dinner 30 minutes ago, the rest of them didn’t come to work today” He answered her while tapping on the floor with his free hand.

“Sunbaenim, I’m sure we’re going to be fine,” Yeonjun told him with a tight smile making J-Hope thank him before closing his eyes.

Sighing, Sunny mumbled a random song she knew, trying to lessen the intense silence, and waited for something to happen, unconsciously praying that the whole situation had just been a huge misunderstanding and they would all make out without any trouble.

It took around ten minutes from that moment when suddenly the lights outside of the room turned on indicating the electricity was working again and making the three of them stay frozen from the surprise.

“Why are we still in the dark?” Hoseok asked in a hushed tone.

“Probably because the room was empty before the power went out” Sunny answered whispering. “Should we keep it like this?”

“It’s probably better” The boy agreed and took his phone out, “They told us to wait until someone finds us, they’re looking through the floors right now so it should take a while until they get here”

“So, we wait again?” Yeonjun asked and they nodded.

For some reason, the light coming through under the door made Sunny even more aware of everything going on around them, and she could foresee an unfamiliar shadow passing by and scaring them at any time.

Focusing on her breathing, she knew Hobi was doing the same while Yeonjun looked at the door expecting something to happen. And it did take a while of them sitting there in silence, but after what looked like an eternity, a shadow showed up and knocked on the door.

“It’s from security, is anyone there?” The familiar voice of a security guard asked from outside and the girl could feel herself becoming less tense.

With a nod from the older, Yeonjun got up in a halt and went to unlock the door, letting the light come in and blinding them for a split second, before they could make out the bodies of the four guards.

“Come with us, we’re escorting you home,” One of them said gesturing with his hand and the three of them followed him to the elevator. Sunny, still holding J-Hope’s hand, felt a little better for finally be able to go home, but she still was undeniably nervous about the fact that the guards were holding big guns and maintaining a square formation around them.

Reaching the floor level, one of her managers ran to their side and gave them the basic information about what they knew had happened. Somebody from the company blocked the energy level of the building which made the power go out, he had already been located but there were several teams of security still scavenging through the floors looking for something unusual.

“That’s insane” J-Hope mumbled when they got to a car that had been previously checked and a security guard was waiting inside to drive the three of them home.

“I’m never staying late again” Yeonjun mumbled and Sunny laughed emotionless.

“Considering our field of work, I don’t think that’s an option for us”

186 notes · View notes

plus-size-reader · 4 years

Text

Never Alone

Michonne Hawthorne x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1783 words

Warnings: none

Summary: Michonne helping you raise your daughter, because she doesn't want you to have to do it on your own

——————————————————————————————————

Your daughter had been a part of your life for as long as Michonne had known you.

You two lived in Alexandria long before Rick and the gang showed up there, and everyone knew that your daughter, Chloe, was the light of your life.

You would do anything for her, and you did. However, that was part of the problem as far as Michonne was concerned. She didn’t like the fact that you two were all alone.

It was always just the two of you, and while it seemed to work out just fine for you both, it just didn’t seem right for you to be all on your own. You had everything all on your shoulders, and she wanted to help.

She wanted to make it easier if she could.

After all, she knew what it was like to be a mother and it had only gotten more difficult since the world went to hell. No one should have to do it all by themselves, especially not surrounded by helping hands.

“‘Chonne” the little girl yelped, wobbling over to the woman, who was perched on the step, watching the people passing in the street. It was one of her favorite things about living in a fenced in community.

It was the one normal thing she had left.

If she could, she would spend all day there but she didn’t mind taking a break from it to spend it with you and that little ray of sunshine that you always had attached to your hip.

There was nothing better in this world.

...And she’d checked.

Of all the things that she’d ever had a chance to experience, in this world and the last one, there was nothing better than getting to spend time with you. There was just something about you.

She couldn’t help but be captivated in all the time that she’d gotten to experience by your side.

“Good morning little one, how are you?” she grinned, opening her arms wide for the sweet girl. It was the absolute highlight of her life, and she wasn’t ashamed of that.

All she got in return was a few happy giggles from the young one, who jumped into her arms happily. It had only been a night since she’d visited with her last, but for Chloe that was too long.

In fact, you were sure that the little girl would stay with her forever if she was given the choice.

When the two of you were together alone in your home, Chloe was constantly asking to see Michonne or quizzing you on what she must have been doing. You never had an answer for her, of course, but the thought was touching.

“I’m good, doing good” she chirped, fiddling with her fingers as she curled up in Michonne’s lap.

“Mama and I got apples this morning and mama says we can make a pie with them if I promise to go to bed on time” she ranted, adding more and more as she sat.

It was never a dull moment raising a four year old, after all.

However, at the mention of you, Michonne let her head snap up to where you were standing. Up until that point, you had just been watching the wholesome little scene unfold in front of you.

Having her attention on you made you admittedly more nervous than you would have been but you did your best to cover it up. “And how are you?” she hummed, her eyes sparkling as they met yours.

“Doing fine, making a pie tonight if you’re interested” you smirked, swinging the bag forward toward her to show them off. It was only four or five apples, but it would be enough.

You would make sure that it was enough.

Usually you wouldn’t have been so forward in your attempts to spend time with her, but it had been an extra hard week. No matter what you did, nothing seemed to be going right and maybe you just wanted some adult time.

You wanted to have a conversation with someone about something other than fireflies and homemade crayons. If you had to explain how the laces of Chloe’s shoes worked one more time, you would go insane.

That was the one thing you knew for sure.

If you had to risk looking like a fool to get something other than that, you just had to take that chance.

“Pie huh? I wouldn’t want to intrude” she started, but you stopped her before she could even try to come up with some excuse about interrupting your private time.

There was no such thing, especially not now.

“Don’t make me beg you” you teased, your voice just above a whisper as you pointed down at the child in her lap casually. You were desperate and upon realizing that, Michonne nodded.

It could be a good opportunity to spend some time together, even if neither of you was ready to admit that was what you wanted just yet. You had nothing but time right now.

“Come by after 6 and I’ll have something on the stove for dinner” you suggested, scooping up your toddler from her arms before going about your business for the day.

As much as you would have liked to spend all your time on her porch, you knew that wasn’t the most productive use of your time.

Relaxing would just have to wait.

~ You filled your day with harvesting veggies and carrying boxes of supplies up to the pantry from the barn but mostly, you were just chasing around your little girl, trying not to lose her.

Since she’s started walking, she had basically been running from the moment her eyes opened in the morning to when they closed at bedtime. It was what you’d signed up for when you had her, sure, but that didn’t make it any less tiring.

If there was one thing that was clear to everyone in Alexandria, it was that Chloe was a handful and you couldn’t argue.

That was part of the reason why dinner wasn’t done when Michonne knocked on your front door, opening it to find you curled up on the couch, your daughter playing dolls on the floor.

“Shhh ‘Chonne, mama sleeping” she hummed as soon as she placed the second woman in the entryway, watching the two of you with amusement shining in her eyes.

She could only imagine the kind of day you two had, and she wasn’t about to wake you up from your much needed rest. Instead, she picked your baby girl up off the floor and headed to the kitchen.

You had offered dinner, but nothing said you had to be the one to cook it.

“You wanna help me make mama something to eat?” she grinned, watching Chloe’s eyes light up immediately. She ‘helped’ you cook all the time but the idea of doing it with Michonne was much more enticing.

It was a fleeting opportunity, and even at her age, Chloe knew that it must have been a special offer.

...And with a wide smile, both she and Michonne got to work on dinner.

You woke to the sound of your little girl laughing and carrying on in the other room, instantly panicking. You hadn’t meant to fall asleep and you couldn’t keep your mind from wandering to the worst.

Anything could have happened in the time since you’d closed your eyes and you shuddered to think at what could be entertaining her. Luckily, when you rounded the corner, you relaxed.

There was no shambling corpse in your kitchen, or some dirty scavenger with a knife. Instead, by her side, was Michonne who had arrived on time, just as you’d instructed.

That was when it hit you.

You had overslept, and completely ruined any chance that you had to enjoy an evening with her.

“You’re here. I’m so sorry! I guess I dozed off and I didn’t hear you come in” you started, immediately rambling on as you tried to explain yourself to her. It was completely your fault but Michonne didn’t seem upset at all.

In fact, when you finally stopped to take a breath, you realized that she was smiling.

“It’s okay. I thought you needed the rest” she shrugged, knowing that you did, even if you didn’t want to admit it. Everyone on the block knew that Chloe was having trouble sleeping and that meant you were too.

Any extra chance you got to sleep was a miracle and she wasn’t going to rob you of that.

“Thank you” you hummed finally, taking one more deep breath to calm yourself before taking the time to actually assess what they were doing that amused Chloe in the first place.

They were baking.

There was a pot of stew on the stove, likely made from cans you had under the sink but you didn’t even care about that. More than anything, you were just glad that someone had made something.

If Chloe didn’t eat on time, she would throw one hell of a tantrum, but you didn’t have to worry about that now. Michonne had made sure she was taken care of, and now they were cleaning apples.

As you talked, your daughter was munching on clean apple skins that Michonne was removing with a kitchen knife, leaving in a pile for her to sort through.

“You want pie mama?” she giggled, holding out a chubby hand toward you, a few shreds of apple held in her grasp.

...You couldn’t even help but laugh along with her.

“You two did all this?” you asked, addressing your question to Michonne over your shoulder as you took the apple Chloe offered you. It was crazy that she would go through all this for you, but you weren’t even that surprised.

Michonne had always looked out for everyone before herself and it wasn’t a stretch to imagine that kindness would extend to you.

Chloe only nodded, focusing all her energy on the rest of the apple on the countertop. As she did though, you found yourself focusing more on Michonne as you smiled.

“Thank you” you whispered again, repeating yourself just to make a point. No one had to do anything to help you and this was much more than anything. This was something you couldn’t even believe and you were grateful to her for it.

You couldn’t help but be in awe of her.

“I told you before, you’re never alone” she winked, rounding the corner again to get started on the pie dough, which would inevitably end in all three of you covered in flour, giggling like lunatics.

...And you wouldn’t have it any other way.

196 notes · View notes

lvlyhao · 4 years

Text

「PART ONE: HOPE」

Humanity series; Q.K

A/N: this truthfully is a basic ass apocalypse!au but i couldn’t care less so that’s that on that. come talk to me if you wanna tell me your thoughts i’d literally cry out of joy other chapters coming soon!!

important: i know i put minor character death as a warning but it’s not, i repeat, NOT one of the nct members. jesus, i’m not that cruel. having said that, please enjoy it.

word count: 1.3K

pairing: none (yet).

disclaimer: the characters in the story below do not reflect real people or present real facts. this is purely fictional, and you may not copy, change, translate or repost my work in any way. all rights reserved © cherry-hyejin 2021.

next chapter

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

When the world you know is going through an apocalypse, many things become outdated, antiquated, old, or useless. Call it as you will. They no longer serve their purpose. At least, not when one-third of the world population is dead, and you fight zombies daily.

You could probably go over 100 items that fit the description—cellphones, high heels, short skirts, televisions; really, nearly anything that you were once happy or proud to own.

The one thing that stuck to you the most, though, was a heart.

Of course, no two hearts are the same, but you mean yours. People that naturally don’t care about others probably have an easier time, but, gods, look at you! How could you keep that golden heart of yours safe from the claws of despair? How did you plan on picking up its pieces every time it fell apart?

Well, you reasoned to yourself, the week after the virus began spreading. Maybe I just shouldn't.

At that moment, your brain told you it was the right decision. No one has the time to deal with these sentiments when their life is always on the line, right?

You sure hoped so, because that one, fateful night, you blinked back the tears, swallowed hard, and killed every bit of fear that still lived in you, killing, as well, part of your humanity.

Looking back now, contemplating the night sky, you can admit it had been scary. Very scary.

Rumours about a new virus, different from anything the world had ever seen, got out pretty fast. People talked about it everywhere, and even more at the hospital where your parents worked. But, you know, people always talk. A disease that could turn someone into an actual zombie, with no conscience and the need for human flesh? There was just no way in hell that was true.

“Sure, Hendery”, you used to mutter to your friend, not paying attention to his absurd theories.

Not too long later, you came to regret it. Did it take both of your parents dying for you to believe it?

Your lips twisted into a scowl. Life can be an unfortunate thing.

After you had gazed into the eyes of your mother's colleague when he told you the news, nothing was ever that frightening again. Sure, the undead, boo-hoo. Glassy, unblinking eyes, a putrid smell and a keen sense of hearing. Thousands of them slowly crawl across probably every city in the world, hunting for their next meal. Simply terrifying, you snigger bitterly.

To be fair with the people you have come to know, that always seemed scared out of their wits, they were in a lot more danger than you. Why, do you ask?

That is quite simple. You are immune.

You did not waste your time trying to understand the words your father had told you the night before he died. It was something about a specific section of your DNA that stopped that virus from spreading to your brain, or, whatever. You thought he was kidding, laughed it off and headed to bed. You remember having bad dreams that night.

Not being capable of turning into one of them did come in handy later, when you had already found a group of students from the university you used to attend. While you couldn't say they looked well back then, being alive was the most they could do. They were all mostly younger than you—not at all smaller, per se, but more naive, more fearful.

More reluctant to go looking for food when they were running out of it.

The minute they told you about the problem, you took it in your hands to care for them. Chuckling at their protests, you had said someone had to look out for the children, and so you did.

The morning you left to scavenge for food didn’t go half as bad as you expected. Having nothing but a bow and some arrows, and some short knives on you, only getting chewed on one shoulder was way more than you had hoped for. During the fight at the crumbling supermarket building, you thought maybe you were going to lose a finger or two, possibly break a leg. But a bitten shoulder? That was pretty cool.

You were almost pleased with yourself when you marched back to the campus dorms, dragging behind you a cart filled with everything you could get your hands on. Among more essential items like rice, you had even managed to smuggle some jelly beans, dropping them quietly by Chenle’s side with a secretive smirk. However, the lighthearted atmosphere didn’t last for too long—just until Taeyong’s eyes landed on you.

You can almost hear his loud gasp and choked shriek again, yanking at your jacket with rubber gloves to get a closer look. As he visibly paled and grimaced, you could tell it was worse than you thought.

Maybe it was the adrenaline still pumping through your veins, or the small feeling of achievement as you saw your boys eating again, but getting the wound treated did not hurt that much. The weight on your shoulders did not lessen, and you were still very aware of the smell of death that clung to your clothes, but… you were satisfied. As satisfied as a ruthless fighter such as you could be, anyway.

That night, lying close to each other and talking in whispers, you told them about everything that had happened before you found them: the death of your parents, how you found your weapons, and your decision to free yourself from fear. You might have left out the part about the mild numbness that came along, but did it matter? They listened like you were describing to them all of the secrets in the universe, and barely even blinked. It would have been endearing if thoughts about them being on their own for so long had not made you set your jaw forcefully.

About two days later, while you sharpened your knives on the corner of one of the rooms, Taeyong had sat down beside you. His once blond hair had turned ashy, and black, where his roots had grown. His clothes were ripped at strange places and were not at all fashionable. He no longer was the model-like nursing major you used to know, but the caring gleam in his eyes was as evident as ever. His heart was still whole.

He quietly spoke to you about the change you had inspired in his friends. Knowing about your fearlessness had done something to them.

Donghyuck had not cried himself to sleep ever since. Doyoung was not shaking as badly when he had to help Tyong at the med bay. Renjun no longer paced in circles like a lost boy, and Jaehyun was definitely more appreciative of the throwing knives you gifted him. Small but important things had changed, and you could see it in their smiles as they passed by, wishing you a good morning.

Your speech, as improvised and adrenaline-driven as it had been, had given them something not even Johnny's jokes could bring—and that was saying a lot. It gave them hope, sewing together the small pieces of the people they used to be.

Maybe it was not the kind of hope to go back to their old lives, studying their asses off for finals one day and attending 3 frat parties the other. No, going back to those times was ahead of what anyone could wish for, but, maybe, just maybe, they could finally dream of a new future. Things in this future would be entirely anew, most likely different from what they know, but perhaps not all bad.

Maybe it was not the kind of hope to get back what they had lost, but simply hope, and when the world you know is going through an apocalypse, that's enough.

-------

final notes: i??? really like this fic??? soon enough i’ll make a definitive masterlist so you can find the chapters easily tho, so look forward to it~

33 notes · View notes

deadlygronkle · 4 years

Text

Ancestor’s Legacy Part 3.5/4

Author’s note: While this is part 4 it is technically part 3.5, and is about basically what happened during part 3 in Twilight’s perspective.

Twilight was having a bad week, or at least a bad 3 or so days. First it was that Hylia damned helmet that appeared, looking brand new, which Twilight admits looks a bit weird not seeing it covered in vines and degraded beyond repair, and it sitting on the head of his still alive mentor.

Next it was that mask which apparently can turn Time into a stalfos, which sends a lot of questions running through his head. Like how time could very well have been alive when he trained Twilight just older, just like how Twilight was sent through time in his wolf form to aid Wild. Though if that was the case that would raise some questions on how Time met him in Twilight’s hyrule in wolf form, or how Time somehow sent blasts of magic at him through his sword.

Twilight, shaking out of his state of confusion, continued to wander around Warriors’ Zelda’s castle, dubbed Artemis when they first met. Artemis reminded Twilight of his own Zelda, who he hasn’t seen since this whole ordeal began, in the sense of how strict but also kind to everyone no matter where they came from and what problems they carry with them. Both of them are also very intelligent especially in war tactics.

Twilight sighed as he looked to the area he was in. Twilight was staring at a long hallway with paintings of the past kings and queens adorning each side of the hallway. The carpet was a deep royal blue that every hallway in the castle had along with golden highlights that looked to be of Hyrule's insignia every foot or so.

Twilight sigh, just his luck he would somehow get lost in the castle after trying to avoid Time and his questions. Twilight is no idiot and knows he has been acting weird ever since the helmet appeared in one of Legend’s countless dungeons. He can’t help it, everytime he looks at Time with the helmet on all he can see is the Hero’s Shade’s skeletal face grinning down at him.

Twilight was startled out of his thoughts again as he heard a voice that sounded like Warriors shout “There you are!”.

Twilight turned around to find Warriors standing there, looking a bit out of breath, “How did you get all the way over here?”

Twilight shrugged and said “I got lost in thought and didn’t realise where I was going.”.

Warriors gave him a suspicious glance and replied “You seem to be doing a lot of thinking recently, wanna tell me about what's been bothering you so much to cause you to zone out in a moment’s notice, farm boy?”

Twilight, once again shrugged and replied “Just thinking about my quest through my own Hyrule, specifically the people I met during the journey.”

Warriors hummed “It has something to do with the old man doesn’t it” Twilight couldn’t stop the surprised look that came on his face. “I mean every time you have zoned out these past few days you always end up staring at Time like he is on his deathbed.”

Twilight sighed mulling over his words carefully before saying “Lets just say that I have seen his helmet before on someone who helped me on my quest” Warriors face lit up in recognition as he realised the implications of what Twilight said, “but you can’t tell him that I told you this alright?”.

Warriors at a loss for words just nodded. Twilight visibly loosened up and then stated “So what did you need me for?”

“We are leaving the castle here in like 15 minutes and you need to come back so we can make sure your weapons and everything are covered by the cloak” Warriors stated quickly going back into captain mode.

Twilight nodded “lead the way.”

Once they both got back to the group nearly everyone besides Twilight and Warriors were donning their heavy cloaks, but they quickly started putting their own cloaks on. Once everyone had their cloaks on Warriors, having taken the lead since this is his hyrule told the links that they were moving out in 10, much to the relief of Twilight for not being forced to wear the fever inducing cloak for very long.

Wild then walked up to Twilight who had been rearranging his cloak so he didn’t die of heat stroke and said “Hey will you be alright? You have been out of it all week”.

Twilight getting annoyed by how everyone was asking if he was ok stated as blatantly as possible “I’ll be fine, cub” leaving no room for any discussion.

Wild then said, not convinced, “If you say so.”

After the 10 minutes of Twilight avoiding Time they were off, getting the occasional odd look, but hey when is that new?

Once they finally got out to the gates Twilight quickly pulled out his Hawkeye mask to find where the horde of monsters was located only to find them watching the road like vultures do to find scraps of meat.

“Looks like the information is correct, they are watching the road like a bunch of scavengers” Twilight said while handing the mask to Warriors so he can see the horde.

“Okay so we have orange moblins and red bokoblins, that are currently hitting each other with their clubs, three unarmed lizalfos and one completely armoured lizalfos carrying both a sword and shield” Warriors stated, Wild perked up when he heard about the moblins and bokoblins. “We know from experience that these are the easier types of monsters, but don’t let your guard down, these monsters are corrupted.” Wild deflated a bit at this comment.

After the group decided who was going to fight the armoured lizalfos. They headed down to where the monsters were located, quickly being spotted by the lizalfos who then alerted the rest of the monsters.

Twilight getting a bit nervous about the aspect of these monsters surrounding them whispered “now?” only for warriors to wait a few seconds and then shouted “NOW”.

Before any of the other links reacted twilight whipped out his sword and slashed the lizalfos unmarked by the monster forcing the lizalfos to fall on his butt, much to the satisfaction of Twilight, who then ripped off the sweltering cloak.

Soon after the battle started the links were either fighting on their own or separated from what Twilight could see from the spare glances he allowed himself as he fought at least 7 different enemies including the armoured and an unarmoured lizalfos.

After Twilight realised he wasn’t getting anywhere with brute force he decided to do the Mortal Draw. So he jumped away from the fight and put his sword away all while not unfocusing his gaze from the monsters in front of him. Just as the Lizaflos came within sword distance, pleased that it would get an easy kill, Twilight pulled out his sword and ended the creature's miserable life, not before taking a hit to the stomach from the other lizalfos.

In a haze Twilight reacting on pure reflex stabbed the lizalfos in the eye ending that one's existence as well. As Twilight stumbled barely able to raise his shield in defense from the moblins attack, much less being able to finish them off, he heard a beastly roar that sent a shiver down his spine. Much to Twilight relief as he collapsed to the ground in pain barely staying conscious.

As he blinked away the pain above him he saw Hyrule rush over and start forcing him to drink a red potion getting down half of it before starting to refuse the disgusting liquid. As he started to fall asleep his eyes opened to see a stalfos wearing the Hero's Shade’s helmet.

Twilight wondered if the Shade knocked him down in their spare, as he forced himself to get up and pick up his sword and shield, while wondering why he felt so weak. Maybe he took a hit to the head before he met up with the Golden wolf and he was feeling the concussion that he got? Twilight didn’t know but he would try to focus on the lesson being taught to him.

Twilight then heard a voice sounding far off as he felt something trying to bring him down to the ground again, but he held strong.

The Shade then put down his sword and stated, like he was trying to calm a spooked animal “Calm down pup, it’s me Time, you’re injured just… just lay back down and we can fix you up”. ‘Who was time’ Twilight thought as he squinted towards the skeleton ‘ I know the name, but why can’t I put a face to it?’

The Shade walked forward causing Twilight to panic and jump back knocking something out of his way as he did so. Then he made a point to thrust his sword into the position that usually started the spar. ‘What is he doing?” Twilight wondered. As the force trying to pull him down tripled, but he locked his knees and kept waiting.

More voices, closer this time but words still jumbled, reach his ears. Then the Shade did something unexpected and ripped off his helmet making Twilight lower his sword in wonder, the hero’s shade never took off his helmet. The Shade raised his hand to his face and took off a mask?! Twilight started in shock as he dropped his sword and shield, barely hearing the man say “Com’on pup just lay back down.”. As twilight consciousness started to slip he connected the name to the face and as he felt himself start to crumble he let out a terrified sounding “T-Time?” Before the world around him faded to black and he felt himself fall.

Author’s note: While this is part 4 it is technically part 3.5, and is about basically what happened during part 3 in Twilight’s perspective.

Twilight was startled out of his thoughts again as he heard a voice that sounded like Warriors shout “There you are!”.

Twilight turned around to find Warriors standing there, looking a bit out of breath, “How did you get all the way over here?”

Twilight shrugged and said “I got lost in thought and didn’t realise where I was going.”.

Twilight, once again shrugged and replied “Just thinking about my quest through my own Hyrule, specifically the people I met during the journey.”

Warriors at a loss for words just nodded. Twilight visibly loosened up and then stated “So what did you need me for?”

Twilight nodded “lead the way.”

Wild then walked up to Twilight who had been rearranging his cloak so he didn’t die of heat stroke and said “Hey will you be alright? You have been out of it all week”.

Twilight getting annoyed by how everyone was asking if he was ok stated as blantinly as possible “I’ll be fine, cub” leaving no room for any discussion.

Wild then said, not convinced, “If you say so.”

After the 10 minutes of Twilight avoiding Time they were off, getting the occasional odd look, but hey when is that new?

“Looks like the information is correct, they are watching the road like a bunch of scavengers” Twilight said while handing the mask to Warriors so he can see the horde.

Twilight getting a bit nervous about the aspect of these monsters surrounding them whispered “now?” only for warriors to wait a few seconds and then shouted “NOW”.

Twilight then heard a voice sounding far off as he felt something trying to bring him down to the ground again, but he held strong.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu twilight #lu sky #lu legend #lu hyrule #lu time #lu wild #lu wind #lu warriors #ancestor's legacy

16 notes · View notes

lady-daydream · 4 years

Text

MacCready and Duncan Headcanons-Fallout 4

4 Year Old Deacon -

Lucy was always the one that got him to laugh or stop crying. So when MacCready had to deal with all these issues without any help or guidance he felt extremely lost. Unknown to him at the time however MacCready didn't have to worry when Duncan was a baby since he reasonable quiet child however he became concerned when by the age of three he still wasn't talking, just nodding or shaking his head. MacCready was borderline considering getting a doctor to check if his son was mute when Duncan talked for the first time. MacCready had just come back from his farm around midday, physically tired and thirsty. As he walked into there little shack of a home he saw Duncan sat under the wooden table (His favourite spot). Greeting him with a tired smile he laughs before asking “ you alright down there bud?, almost didn’t see you there. You must have superpowers just like in the comics”. Duncan nods while smiling before going back to playing with a poorly stuffed Teddy Bear MacCready had picked up while scavenging, while MacCready slowly made his way over to the broken fridge. He was halfway through drinking some of the water he had collected that morning when he heard a small voice say “ Can I have some water as well dad”. This was followed by MacCready dropping his glass, muttering something he hoped Duncan didn't hear under his breath before quickly rushing over to kneel next to his son, holding his face in his hands. “Did you just talk little bud? “ he asks his eyes almost watering as Duncan says yes. Duncan had just caught onto speaking however just didn't feel the need to speak.

Duncan could follow basic direction and instructions by the age of 4. He would follow his dad around while he was working on the farm. So MacCready would ask Duncan to pick up small items , or to go fetch things such as bullets if he was checking over his gun or to show him where items are. MacCready loves the curiosity and excitement in his sons eyes.

Duncan likes to make and sing silly songs with random words as well as goofy made up words. MacCready likes to try and sing along if he can pick up the tune, so when he is working in the field it always cheers him up to sing with his son since it distracts them of all the darker and sadder memories surrounding the two of them.

Duncan is naturally creative and since MacCready is normally away doing work Duncan ended up with the neighbour family and idea, play together. Duncan started developing an imaginary friend quite earlier one, and would try and draw pictures of his imaginary friend as well as his friends and his dad.

At this point, Duncan is able to do basic things such as getting dress and eating and cleaning himself, and due to this slowly MacCready starts taking up Gun for hire jobs again. Though he is hesitant and has the neighbours check up on his son after a few months of getting used to this routine it becomes routine, with MacCready making up the time he is away whenever he comes back.

Duncan still have tantrums because of changes in routine or not getting what they want and for a while he started getting into a small phases of arguing over thing that Duncan understands are wrong just to see his dads reactions. This of course was a strain on MacCready since he is a naturally blunt person, he had to learn quite quickly to separate his love for his Son, but also understand he had to teach Duncan right or wrong so that he had more guidance than MacCready did.

11 Year Old Duncan -

After getting the cure and finally joining his dad in the Commonwealth, slowly Duncan fit in better than anyone expected. Everyone felt some sort of compassion for the small kid. After a few years of this it seems he has picked up small traits from everyone. He enjoys listening to Uncle Hancock's wacky and weird stories, both their height amounts of energy (despite Hancock trying to sober up a little around the kid) leading to chaos, Having Valentine, Preston and Piper around though always means the kids has a high levels of curiosity , wants to ask question and can read and write to a considerably high level for his age. He enjoys following sole around though, watching what they are doing and always asking why.

Physically Duncan is also a perfect 50/50 of MacCready and Lucy. He has his mother’s eyes and more roundish cheeks as well as inherited her smile. He does have MacCready hair as well as his more muscular but lean built, as well as having MacCready left handedness.

However, there are other things as well. He is thinner than normal, and he never seems to be able to put on weight, He has a gap in his teeth that always stands out. He has freckles that only get more prominent on sunny days. He also gets tired easier, running out of breath as well as having a slight limp from not being able to walk for a long while. This added with growth spurts means Duncan ends up in a lot of pain. MacCready always tries to have painkillers on him, and hates seeing his son like this.

Though Duncan is still close to his Dad, Duncan starts to resist physical affection. He wont want hugs as much or doesn't want to spend as much time with his dad. Though he still enjoys sharing comics together as well as hearing his dad’s stories about what him and sole and all the adventures they got up to.

This ones for you @theartofblossoming I hope its okay, sorry its a bit short. I'm sorry in advance if their are many spelling mistakes please comment if you see any so I can correct them. :) If anyone has any suggestions/imagine/headcannons please just message me or comment and I will try and write it as quickly and to the best as my ability. I hope everyone has an amazing day, love you all <3

#fallout #fallout 4 #fallout4 #fallout maccready #fo4 #fo4 maccready #fo4 headcanons #maccready

31 notes · View notes

theoriginalsuki · 4 years

Photo

Because if you like what I write, we probably have the same taste!

There’s a glut of well-written, well-crafted post-TROS Star Wars fanfiction out there, from fix-it to AU’s – not that I’m complaining! – but I’m-a just throw out some of the ones that have hit my sweet spot. Please reblog! It keeps the fic life cycle going.

Complete

The Ocean: A TFA Divergence by Journeying_Jane

I’m a die-hard TFA Kylo Ren fangirl (it’s my favourite of the trilogy, I know), and this divergence tugs the threads unravelled in the interrogation scene to a very satisfying conclusion, re: Rey and Kylo see their shared future a lot sooner, before the elevator scene in TLJ, and start to understand what they mean to one another. Soooooo good. (Rated G)

Air and Water by Flaignhan

The tender and thorough examination of Ben and Rey’s relationship, what it is, how it completes her, and their wholesome being-together that we ache for across three films. Better than cozying up with a hot cup of cocoa on a rainy day. (Rated G)

What She’s Worth by g_girl143

If Rey had been taken in by the Jedi Academy as a child and basically raised by Ben Solo. Hear me out. This love story is innocent and organic and is so well navigated that by the end you’re just like, yeah, of course, there was no other way that could have happened. The *potential* is what it gives us. I need to read it again, slowly and to savour, and happily await the sequel! (Rated T)

Dead Space by Solia

Kylo Ren sacrifices himself to save Rey when they are stranded in a malfunctioning ship. If you’re like me, and you like angsty grand gestures of love more than sexy times, this one is gourmet Reylo. I’m so into the not-looking-directly at their feelings and extending that sweet pain for as looooong as possible. Because, one brain cell! (Rated G)

Paradise by englishable

Post-TROS, the only epilogue I will accept (except for Cleave, also by englishable). Ben is brought to trial; Rey stands by him throughout; they figure out how to go on together. It’s so wholesome and satisfying. Let the healing begin! (Rated M)

Near Kinsman by englishable

In post-Civil War America, Rey answers a bachelor ad and the most classically romantic love story since the Brownings unfolds. (Rated T)

Delicious Ambiguity by Juulna

Some people like smut. I like dangerous male-types harnessing their aggression toward protecting women and their unborn children. That’s hot. Some good TFA Kylo Ren being inexplicably soft with Rey and her Force-conceived twins. Both of them have issues. Both of them really, really love those babies. It earns the happily ever after, which you know I appreciate so much in a fic. (Rated M)

until you return to me by lovefrompluto

Rey accesses the WBW and looks in on every incarnation of Ben, all the lives they live together. Such a cool meta on fanfics with a satisfying ending, giving Rey the agency she was denied in TROS. (Rated M)

Killing Me Softly by AlbaStarGazer

I’m not a big AU person but the premise of this is so good and works really well with the characters as we know them in canon. I also really appreciate a fic that isn’t afraid to look at the work of love.

Ben and Rey, childhood sweethearts, married, are put to the test for three years after Ben gets in a terrible accident and forgets Rey. She’s won’t give up on him, but she’s too hung up on the past. He’s in love with her but afraid that all she sees is a memory, and not the person he is now. Some really good character study and hurt/comfort with a happy ending.

WIP’s

The Argent Coda by BetweenTownleys

A deeply involved and well thought-out fix-it that makes me soft. It’s not happily ever after (yet) and I am 100 percent okay with that. The Force bond intimacy between Ben and Rey hurts soooooo good! (Not Rated)

Conversations by acowlorsomething (suchlostcreatures)

Takes place after TLJ and moves effortlessly into the kind of interaction we want to see between Maybe-Ben and Rey. Okay, what *I* want. Nothing too easy, nothing too sexy, more of the same of the tender conflict we got from The Last Jedi, playing out in a believable way. (Not Rated)

Bride of Fortune by SharKohen

Cute arranged marriage AU. Rey is supposed to be a lucky bride. So Leia Organa-Solo brings her into the household as her son’s wife. They’re only young, so will they have time to chose one another before the age of consummation? (Rated T)

Chains by Veggieheist

Rey is a slave on Jakku. Kylo Ren picks up on her Force sensitivity and “buys” her. Cue side comments from everyone that he just wants to sleep with her, to which he is bewildered and frustrated. Kylo doesn’t understand why someone so powerful would act so lowly, but when he pushes Rey hard, he finds out there’s more to her than he bargained for. Or did he see it all along? (Rated M)

hear my plea (and come save my life) by nouveaulove

Rey finds Ben alive but with amnesia. I’m so soft for pining and protective Rey having to woo back Ben. (Rated M)

Halfway, Between The Black and Grey. by PunkForTheMoment

Anakin helps Rey go back in time to the interrogation scene in TFA and she is anything but smooth. Inspired by that meme. Very promising!

My Fic

Epilogues by TheOriginalSuki

My initial self-help fic in the wake of The Rise of Skywalker. Kinda dream-like with a hazy plot that is basically me just making myself feel better. Maybe you too? Some mature content, I don’t think it’s smutty, though. (Rated M)

Rey goes into self-imposed exile on Tatooine. After refusing to let Ben go, they break the laws of physics to be the family to one another they never had. Healing can at last begin.

Battlefield by TheOriginalSuki

After The Rise of Sywalker I could see things getting worse before they got better. If Kylo Ren had buckled down on the darkness after soul-crushing rejection from Rey and the trauma of seeing Luke again, how in the world would he walk back from that? I’ve got it tagged “dominant Kylo Ren” but I’m not into abusive stuff, so don’t expect that! I do however love the angst. (Rated T)

Kylo Ren took the galaxy, and Kylo Ren takes Rey. There’s nothing left for him to accomplish, Vader’s vision is complete – only he’s still in pain. And no matter how he manoeuvres around the scavenger girl, it’s not easing up.

what stars are made of by TheOriginalSuki

Me trying to make a place to dump one-shots and dead-end ideas and probably failing. Every time I pull a thread of “how things could have gone” in this universe, a whole world unravels! Oops! The tone of this one is completely different, inspired by the adorkable Ben Solo we got a glimpse of in TROS, and how he and Rey’s relationship plays out afterward. (Not Rated)

Rey has a minor objection to being abducted. Good thing Ben didn’t ask her, then!

The Stray by TheOriginalSuki for itsinthestars

Written for the RFFA fic exchange. A modern AU! (Rated T)

Rey moves in across the hall from Ben; a former foster kid alone in the city, aspiring to be an actress. Ben is a ladder-climbing white collar businessman with a horrible boss and zero social life. Which is just the way he likes it. So why in the world has this insufferable creature made it her life’s work to adopt him? From sharing her dinner to doing his laundry, she seems determined to make a connection. In the end, it’s easier for Ben to just let her. But opening up means letting your heart be vulnerable.

Hiraeth by TheOriginalSuki

A passion project. I even have a plan! Bonus – there’s Tai! (Rated M)

Rey crosses over the World Between Worlds and finds herself in a time before Kylo Ren. it’s been twelve years since her Ben dies, and she’s achingly in love. But he has no idea who she is.

Beatrice by TheOriginalSuki for englishable

Illustrates the principle that good art generates good art. Rinse. Repeat. (Raged G)

A brief character study from Ben Solo’s point of view, encompassing the three films and then a positive resolution.

#Reylo fic rec #Reylo fic #Reylo fanfiction #Reylo #Ben Solo #Rey #Star Wars fanfiction

54 notes · View notes

ninthfeather · 4 years

Note

You have been offered an exorbitant sum of money to (somehow) remake The Untamed as a mecha series. What Do You Do?

So, this is actually a bit trickier than the times you asked me the same about Detective Conan and Fruits Basket. Both of those stories are ones that I’ve interacted with for a long time and they have cores that I feel work with varying amounts of sci-fi and tech involved as long as certain elements stay stable. Meanwhile, the Untamed’s specific version of xianxia cultivation is pretty heavily tied to its plot. But I think it’s still doable.

Ok, so, for The Untamed, the most central plot is ultimately the one about the dangers of rumors and hearsay, with the theme of the complicated nature of real-world morality being almost as central. Other than those, my favorite theme is probably the whole ongoing narrative of each generation’s actions affect the next. None of this stuff would be out of place in a traditional sci-fi style mecha series set in space.

So, my inspirations here are primarily gonna be Magic Knight Rayearth, Sakura Wars, and the bits of various Gundam shows that involve what’s collectively referred to as space magic.

(this got long so have a readmore)

The concept: this is still, to some extent, xianxia. People still cultivate, they just do it on non-Earth planets and moons (note: if this is something that is specifically not allowable in Taoism I would appreciate someone letting me know). Each of the clans has their own planet/moon, corresponding in climate to the locations we see in the show and presumably named after those locations on Earth. The Burial Mounds is probably a subsatellite of the Yiling moon orbiting Yunmeng. The costuming will not change for the most part, though because space travel exists, there will be space suits—just made of materials available in the setting. I’m picturing some real funky ship designs, and also probably some scenes of cultivation-based metalworking to justify the existence of the spaceships in the first place. The sets would probably also look very much the same, but with occasional modern devices made with obviously ancient methods, thrown in just often enough to be subtly jarring. Tech levels would probably vary by clan—the Jins would have the most, the Lan would have the least, the Jiang would have a few weird things that Wei Wuxian came up with but not much else, etc.

As far as the mechs themselves, my solution here would be essentially creating a magitech setup, with mechs more along the lines of the ones from Magic Knight Rayearth or Scrapped Princess in piloting mechanics—i.e., they’d have magic bubble cockpits, transfer damage directly to pilots, and run on the pilot’s energy. I’d probably go ahead and have mechs be essentially summons that are exclusive to cultivators and tied to their swords, which adds even more layers to a number of scenes in the drama (people’s swords being stolen, certain people losing the ability to cultivate, the Nie saber stuff, etc.). Maybe people who have spiritual tools like Zidian can use them to power up their robots? Also obviously Wei Wuxian builds himself a new mech in the Burial Mounds and ties it to Chenqing.

I’m seeing the great clans all having very traditional sort of fantasy robot designs (like, Escaflowne/Rayearth/Dunbine vibes), color-coded by clan, with some design variations to differentiate them--I can see the Lans having the most curves, the Nie units being really blocky, the Jin units having extra ornamentation, the Jiang units being sleekest, and the Wen units being the most pointy. And then, just, the robots made through demonic cultivation? Evangelion-type eldritch horrors that are, given how demonic cultivation works, most likely made of organic material from dead bodies and scavenged bits of metal.

So, ok, it’s the Untamed, but everyone’s got robots. The thing is, they don’t only have robots. The show that results from this would probably end up including a mixture of the original series’ sword & cultivation combat and robot battles. There are some fights, for example, that basically have to take place indoors or right next to buildings, and those would probably end up involving sword combat. On the other hand, some fights would be just as fun if they involved two giant robots zooming around in the sky.

Some specific scenarios: a lot of the Sunshot Campaign involving simultaneous space and ground battles, the First Siege of the Burial Mounds starting with a gigantic robot assault before Wei Wuxian knocks enough of them out of the sky for them to try sending in ground troops, the battle between Lan Zhan and Xue Yang in Yi City happening in mechs while Wen Ning fights [spoiler] on the ground. It could be cool. Also, it would really emphasize the difference between people who can cultivate and people who can’t.

I’m not going to go full spoilers here, but I think you can imagine how the feelings of certain characters who aren’t strong cultivators would be even more intense in this type of setting. And how much easier it would be for them to argue that they felt weak, and vulnerable, and threatened!

I don’t think there’s any reason you’d need to add robots to The Untamed. But I think if you did, you could have a lot of fun using them to reinforce existing themes and make situations that were already gutwrenching even worse.

So, for that unlimited budget? The majority would be spent on getting as much of the original team as would be willing to return to make The Untamed: But Robots This Time, or replacing the cast & crew members who were unwilling to participate in this level of nonsense. The rest would go into hiring a robot-focused effects team with a focus on recruiting people who worked on Pacific Rim or Transformers, and then paying them to do a lot of work.

Once again, disclaimer: if I screwed up anything on a cultural level, feel free to tell me. I genuinely do not mean anyone any harm I just like putting robots in stuff.

#mirrorfalls #cql #the untamed #makin' it mecha #thanks for the ask #the spoiler level is low but there's a little bit of into in here #also this can be considered an AU that I'll take questions on #just don't expect fast responses I've been unwell for chronic illness reasons

3 notes · View notes

hoseoksuc · 4 years

Text

Like What You See?

summary ➣ after several months of not being able to see your boyfriend yuto, you decide to surprise him at his dorm, and let’s just say he wasn’t the only one surprised when you got there

genre ➣ fluffyish

warnings ➣ weight loss??

“so are you sure it’s alright if i spend the weekend with you guys?” you nervously buckled your seatbelt as you listened to the drastic sigh that was released on the other end of the phone call. “yes Y/N, i’ve told you for the hundredth time that it’s ok. i checked with our manager and he said it’d be a great stress reliever for yuto.”

relaxing your muscles, you laid back on to the soft fabric of your drivers seat. it seems like you haven’t seen yuto for ages and to add on you’ve never been to the dorms without his guidance. the whole situation made you a nervous wreck but you really wanted to surprise him after such a long time.

“Y/N, are you still there?” hui’s voice echoed throughout the speakers within your car, “yeah yeah sorry, i’m still here hui.” your thoughts were so jambled you forgot you were still on the phone. with your startled response you could hear hui chuckle at you from the other side, “listen, he’s gonna love to see you, don’t even stress about it. it’ll be great i promise.” you and hui had been friends years before you and yuto even started dating. he was like an older brother you never had and he always knew the right words to say.

exchanging brief goodbyes you hung up the phone, pulled out of your driveway and began the dreaded 45 minute drive to cube entertainment. the entire ride there you had to constantly fight back your anxiety. why were you so anxious? you guys had been dating for more than a year and you’ve never been uptight about things like this, so why now?

trying to take deep breaths to calm yourself down, you began to quiet the rising anxiety that had been creeping on you for the past hour. to distract yourself even more you rolled down the windows and turned up the radio to drown out any wondering thoughts still left. focusing on your driving you realized you only had a little ways to go before you reached your final destination. the thought of being able to physically see yuto again immediately put a smile and your face and you returned to your bright and happy self. “it’s all gonna be alright” you thought to yourself, “it’s all gonna be alright...”

after about 50 minutes of traffic from hell, you were finally able to send hui the text telling him you arrived safely and were waiting for him in the parking lot. about six minutes passed before you saw the medium sized black haired man appear from a set of white double doors dressed in a jersey and blue jeans. if his outfit wasn’t enough to identify him, his smile would 100% give away that it was indeed Mr. Lee Hoetaek.

“well well well, if it isn’t the one and only Mrs. Adachi.” taking a low bow in front of you, you smacked the back of his head. “ah hui, what did i say about calling me that” you whined as he laughed and stood back up to your eye level. “cmon, i know you like it” you waved that little annoyance of a man off and ignored his teasing. “am i gonna have to deal with your teasing this entire weekend?” you asked as you already started to walk away.

“well, no, technically you’ll have to deal with...” he quickly counted a number out on his fingers before finishing his statement, “eight, eight people’s teasing this weekend”. you chuckled at hui’s words, damn, you really missed being around him and the boys. they were like family to you, it’s hard to believe how much they really meant to you.

“so i’ll take your bags, let the boys know you’re here, and you can go find yuto, sound good?” hui already began to strip the light luggage you brought from you and slyly leave you behind. “hey! can you at least tell me where he’s at?” you yelled at him from halfway down the hall, “now if i told you what’s the fun in that? plus i’m not really sure where he’s at.” hui then turned around and scattered along with your overnight clothes. “sometimes i just really really despise that man.”

the cube building was HUGE, even though you weren’t a huge fan of the company you had to admit it was really pretty on the inside. but with cube being such a big building it made navigating much harder. yet on the bright side, hui had you park on the dorm side so you had three basic places yuto could be: the small practice room, the gym, or genuinely just inside pentagons dorm.

before you set off on your little yuto scavenger hunt you went ahead and sent wooseok a text asking where yuto was. you knew he wouldn’t answer immediately so you wanted to give him enough response time so you weren’t just wondering every where on cube property. but your safest bet was that he was down a couple hallways in the practice room, he had been talking about how he kept messing some footwork up on their latest choreography and how he’d been spending extra time practicing. you were kinda hoping he wasn’t practicing right now, just because you thought he was starting to overwork himself these days. he always strives to make himself better which you loved and hated about him, just sometimes he doesn’t know when to stop.

just a few steps away from the room you could already see there were people inside the practice room whether one of them was yuto or not. putting your hand on the door knob you told yourself just to act normal just in case he wasn’t actually present in the room. when you turned the handle you made immediate eye contact with three guys, none of which were yuto. a sigh of relief exited your body and a loud scoff could be heard.

“well hell are you not surprised to see us or something?” you instantly matched the voice with shinwon and a smile stretched across your face. “yea what the hell Y/N”, the second voice could be matched up with kino who had his arms crossed in front of his chest. you turned around and closed the door but before you could even get a word out a pair of long dangly arms picked you up off the ground.

“AH Y/N ITS BEEN SO LONG, I THOUGHT HYUNG WAS KIDDING WHEN HE SAID YOU WERE VISITING!” and this happy boy can easily be recognized as wooseok. you laughed and patted for him to put you down which he did once his energy levels dropped a bit. “no, no, i’m happy to see you guys i really missed you all. i was just hoping yuto wasn’t in here overworking himself.” the three boys let out a long ahh and shook their heads in agreement.

“so you’re looking for king of japan huh?” shinwon slipped in while making his way to lean on a wall. you nodded in agreement and looked at wooseok and kino for their responses. “well i’m pretty sure he’s in the gym working out right now.” wooseok added, “he’s been working out recently so your best bet is there.” hmm so he has been overworking himself a bit...

you had light conversation with the three and thanked them before going to check the gym to see if yuto was there. you enjoyed being able to talk to them, they’re some of the members who are closest to your age so conversation and interests were easier to talk about.

the gym was only a hall and two rooms over from the practice room, hopefully he didn’t hear wooseoks loud ass from the practice room or else the surprise would be ruined. as you got closer to the door the pain in your chest started to rise and you tried your best to ignore it. instead you tried focusing on the booming music that was leaking from the blurry door leading into the gym.

you couldn’t recognize the music to be yutos but you didn’t exactly know what kind of music he listened to when he would work out. so slowly you cracked open the gym door, allowing the music to grow louder and make your thoughts incoherent. you looked around a little until you saw a shirtless guy with glistening honey skin curling some weights in the corner. making your way in fully and shutting the door you tried finding the source of the loud music to turn it off. unfortunately you were unable to find any noticeable off switches so you decided to just sneak up on him.

the closer you got, you realized how buff and toned this guy was. maybe it wasn’t yuto? your thoughts all started to doubt each other and now you had to decide whether or not you wanted to take the risk of embarrassing yourself because you thought some random trainee was your boyfriend.

but while your thoughts started eating each other up the music had stopped and the man had put down the weights. you immediately snapped out of your confusion and just waited for the man to notice your presence. that’s when he finally got up and turned around and at that moment you thought you were for sure going to pass out.

“Y/N?!” but at least your first instinct was right, it was indeed yuto, but a very toned, more muscular, sexier yuto... in that moment you forgot how to speak the only thing you were capable of was scanning every inch of yutos body.

“You like what you see?”

his deep cocky voice instantly flooded your cheeks bright red as he made his way over to you.

“s-surprise!” you managed to choke out before sweaty yuto enveloped you in a tight hug. all he did was chuckle at you as he placed a quick kiss to sit on your forehead. “why didn’t you tell me you were coming? i could’ve been ready and we could’ve went to go get lunch!” he let you go and pouted his lips at you.

being the dumbass you are, you still couldn’t bring yourself back to reality after seeing buffed up yuto. “hellooo, earth to Y/N, anyone home? don’t make me tickle you.” finally you snapped out of it and came face to face with your boyfriend. instinctively you hugged him again which jerked him backwards a little bit but he gladly hugged you back.

“ha well someone was dazed a little bit.” he chuckled while you continued to embrace him. “i’m sorry, i was just a little shocked.” he looked down at you and raised an eyebrow, “hell out of all the people here i should be the one shocked.” you both let out little laughs at each other before you loosened your grip and yuto moved just hands down to your waist.

“well i’m glad i surprised you, it’s what i wanted. but you just surprised me with all of, well you know, this.” you dragged your hand lightly down his chest, drawing a straight line down his toned abdomen. “you look like you’ve lost a lot of weight hun” yuto scrunched his nose and randomly kissed your cheek, “ive been working out for the past couple months baby, just trying to make myself look better”. you reached your arms up to yutos neck and looked at him in disbelief, “yuto you were already the hottest, sexiest most perfect man on the world. you didn’t need to change yourself.”

a small smile pricked his lips and he reached down to kiss yours. oh how you missed his gentle kisses and just the feeling of being close to him again. “do you not like how i look now?” he asked jokingly which earned him a light slap to the chest, “of course i like how you look now, you’ll always be perfect in my eyes. i just want you to stay healthy, i can’t monitor you all the time now yuto. i just worry about you overworking yourself.” you rubbed his cheek and gave him a small smile. “i promise you im fine, i just wanted to gain more muscle that’s all, i promise. i still eat all the cookies and goodie bags you send me.” you laughed at each other and it made you feel a little better knowing that he wasn’t trying to unhealthily force himself to workout.

after a small moment of silence yuto finally speaks out “i missed you Y/N” he whispered as he pressed his forehead against yours, “i missed you too yuto.” you connected the space and kissed him again but this time it lasted longer than the first, it was more passionate and deeper. when you both pulled away it caused you to laugh and fall into his arms. moments like these are what makes you miss him every time he goes away...

now that yuto knows you’re here, you both decide to make your way back to the dorm and get yuto all cleaned up and you must say, the man smells much better now. laying on his bed playing on your phone you waited for him to return from his brisk shower. suddenly without warning a big plop landed right next to you. the strong scent of old spice rolling off of him. you had never forgotten that distinct smell of body wash since you were the one to buy him that specific brand.

“im.so.glad.you.came.to.see.me” moving around, yuto placed kisses all over your face as he spoke to you which made you a giggling mess. once he stopped he calmed down and pulled you into his chest. of course he still had no shirt on, but you were never one to complain.

“yuto” you said which made the wet red striped haired boy look down at you. “Y/N” he replied sarcastically, “is it weird that on my way here i just had a nervous gut feeling that something was gonna go wrong today?” the little smile on your face turned to serious as you asked yuto the question you had been wanting the answer to all day.

even though you couldn’t recall the memory at the moment, yuto knew exactly why you were so anxious about seeing him after such a long time apart, “you know i would never do to you what he did to you, right?” he played with a strand of your hair while you tried processing what he had just said. and then it hit you.

your ex, he had cheated on you, after he went on vacation for awhile and met a foreign woman and slept with her... it was your last relationship before you dated yuto and it was something you always told him that bothered you. it explains why you were so anxious to go see him, you were just in terror that you’d find him cheating or find out he’s been cheating and half to drive 45 minutes back home all broken-hearted again.

you made eye contact with yuto and faintly smiled. he has made you realize that you can trust someone and fall in love again without having to second guess his every action. you really really loved him and you couldn’t ask for someone better.

“i know, i know you would never, i guess i just get paranoid sometimes.” he rubbed a little circle on your cheek and smiled, “i would never do anything to hurt you, i love you a lot Y/N, there’s no one in this world other than you that can make me feel like i own all the stars in the sky.” for a moment you felt tears prick your eyes but you held them back, this time you just dug your face into his chest and let him hold you. this is truly the thing you had missed the most, just being able to rest in each other’s presence.

37 notes · View notes

savannahsdrabbles · 5 years

Text

Adaptation (Encounters-verse)

rating: PG summary: Despite the general happiness among their small family, April learns that at least one family member holds resentment about their situation.

notes: :D Sorry that this took so long to finish! 6.8k words, Ao3 link here

Even after nearly two months of regularly walking through the sewers, April still couldn’t help but feel the taddest bit unnerved whenever she ventured through the massive concrete maze alone. The flickering lights lining abandoned maintenance tunnels did little to cast aside the shadows that loomed around each corner, and the constant shuffling of small rodents and bugs along the ground still made her stomach turn ever so slightly.

However, for once in its existence, the sewer was definitely dryer than the same path above ground.

It was almost impossible to hear the thunder and lightning crashing through the thick layers of concrete and rebar over her head, but the rushing dark water that ran through the center of the tunnels was evidence enough that the storm had not yet let up. A chill had also fallen in the sewers as a result of the water, making April wish she had grabbed a second jacket that morning to replace her currently wet one. She stomped her feet a little harder as she walked, teeth chattering slightly as she picked up her pace.

It had been raining hard all morning, so she hadn’t been too surprised when her school’s lights suddenly shut off– though it apparently caught enough students off guard that the hallway was immediately filled with the piercing shrieks of dozens of sixth graders. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a buzz of excitement when the principal had come over the speaker and announced that they were sending everyone home due to the weather.

April’s mom typically worked weekdays at the hospital, so the young girl was used to coming home in the afternoon to an empty apartment. However, with school closing at noon today, that meant that she now had five hours of alone time to kill – and she wasn’t intending on spending any of it actually alone.

Bursting through the school doors with her backpack serving as a makeshift umbrella, April left a quick message on her mom’s cell to explain the situation and say that she was spending the rest of the school day at a friend’s house. She promised to text if anything changed and would still be home in time to start dinner, and then hung up as she darted into the nearest subway station.

To no surprise, she could hear the guys laughing and yelling before she even reached the alcove where their train car home was parked. April grinned as she heard young voices bouncing through the tunnels, punctuated by raucous laughter from the turtles and the occasional paternal warning from Splinter. Despite how they might appear on the outside, the guys really did seem like four normal, rambunctious little boys.

“Throw the ball my direction! Over here!”

“Donnie, the point is for us not to know where you are, remember?” Leo’s voice reminded with a laugh.

“I know- but you guys never chase me right!” Donnie’s responded, voice high and pinched with frustration.

“No, I’ve got the ball! Chase me!” Mikey laughed, immediately followed by the sound of thundering footsteps and a shriek of excitement.

“Hey, guys!” April chirped, announcing her presence as she rounded the last corner and hopped down onto the subway tracks. The five mutants froze and perked up immediately, heads swiveling to face her. To April’s surprise, the four boys’ eyes were covered – their color coded bandanas had been twisted around to obscure their vision, forcing them to fumble blindly through the alcove.

“April?”

“It’s April!”

“April!”

Before she had time to react, several pairs of arms wrapped around her waist and April found herself being whisked off of her feet. She’d come to expect this from the boys – although they tolerated the cool sewers and temperatures, their heat-seeking nature called for lots of hugs and physical closeness. However, almost as soon as she had left the ground, April felt herself being hurriedly put back on her feet and stepped away from.

Raph fumbled with his bandana and stuck out his tongue in displeasure as the other boys followed suite. “Ew, April – you’re all cold and wet!”

April laughed and shrugged off her damp jacket to reveal a slightly drier long-sleeved shirt. “Yeah, I got caught in the rain on the way down here. I was hoping I would dry off a bit by the time I made it, but I guess not.”

“You should have let me know that you were coming, April,” Splinter admonished as he joined the small gathering around the human girl. The rat’s ears were tucked against his head in concern as he took the jacket from April and motioned for everyone to follow him back into their home. “If I’d known that you were on the way, I would have met you – the concrete and ladders can get very slippery during the rain, and you could have been hurt.”

April blushed slightly at the correction. He was right – it probably would have been a good idea to call ahead. “Sorry, Splinter. School let us out because of the storm and my mom isn’t expecting me to be home until later, so I figured now would be a good time to hang out.”

“So we all get to hang out the rest of the afternoon?” Leo grabbed onto April’s arm and bounced excitedly, making the girl stumble slightly. Even though three of the four boys were smaller than she was, they still weighed a heck ton. “Best! Day! Ever!”

Splinter reached out and laid a hand on top of the red-eared slider’s head, slowing down his bouncing until the turtle finally landed solidly on two feet and released April’s imprisoned arm. With a small sound of approval, the rat ducked into their home and hung April’s jacket over the humming space heater that had been set up in the boys’ school area. “That’s another reason it would have been a good idea to call ahead. This weather has had me thinking more about the fact that we need to relocate soon, and I had plans to go out.”

Mikey pushed his way past his brothers and pulled himself onto the steps, brow creased in concern. “Wait – like we’re moving?”

“Yes, Orange.” Splinter patted Mikey’s head as he returned to the doorway and looked down at the small crowd. Even though she and Splinter were nearly the same height, watching the way that the boys solemnly listened to their father reminded April that this small creature was roughly thirty years her senior. “We’ve discussed this before – we’re already outgrowing this home, and it is about time we start looking for one that is more prepared for the elements and for housing four rowdy boys. Plus… it would be nice to have room for a bigger TV.”

“And maybe room for me to build stuff?” Donnie’s hopeful voice piped up from where he stood beside April. He’d been uncharacteristically quiet since April had arrived, hanging back from his brothers and still looking frustrated about the game that they had been playing. April looked down at him.

It was only then that she noticed Donnie was still wearing his ever-present backpack – though she guessed that she shouldn’t be too surprised. In the two months that she and the turtles had been friends, April had never seen the purple-clad boy without his backpack on. She’d asked about it before, inquiring as to what he was constantly carrying around with him, but Donnie had always found a way to dodge her questions or change the topic. Whatever was inside it, he clearly was not keen on discussing. Maybe it was full of tools and things to tinker with? That would definitely fit his character, but she imagined that it would have been easier for him to play without the hinderance– surely the material slowed down his movements or rubbed uncomfortably on his shoulders.

“We will see, Purple,” Splinter gave a half nod, and April could see Donnie wilt slightly at his lack of enthusiasm. “As I said, I was planning to go scouting for a new area this afternoon, but I suppose that since we have a guest…”

“Oh, don’t let me stop you!” April turned back to the rat and waved her hands in front of her. “You can go – I really just wanted to get out of the rain. I’m totally cool with hanging out alone with the guys.”

After a few minutes of debating, Splinter finally agreed to leave the five children at home with strict instructions not to wander off or fight – he entrusted a small, recently scavenged hand radio to Mikey and told him to spill the beans if anything went down in his absence. With a few more guidelines about lunch and a promise to be back in time to walk April home, the robed rat was gone.

“So April, have you ever played Bandana Ball?” Raph asked hopefully as picked up the tennis ball they had been playing with and tossed it to her.

“She couldn’t have, Raffle,” Leo leapt into the air and caught the ball before April could even raise her hands. The red eared slider landed gracefully and bowed to his older brother, a smug grin on his face. “Donnie made it up, remember?”

The bespectacled turtle at April’s side shrugged, sticking out his foot to trip Leo as he attempted to waltz away. The blue boy landed on his plastron with a heavy OOF, the ball slipping from his hands and bouncing back up into Donnie’s waiting palm. “Well, I kind of did. It’s basically just Marco Polo mixed with catch and football. I just made up the rules.”

April watched as Leo rolled onto his shell, half expecting him to launch upwards and tackle Donnie, but was surprised when the turtle settled on kicking his brother’s feet out from under him and then darting away. The braniac child stumbled, arms waving as he caught his balance, and then cast a frustrated scowl at his Leo’s retreating form. As if sensing an imminent argument, Mikey chose this moment to seemingly materialize near his purple brother and offered him comforting pat on the shoulder. In the same quick move, he snatched the tennis ball from Donnie’s hands and clambered up onto April’s back.

“Yeah, Donnie came up with the idea. Basically we all blindfold ourselves, and then we have to use ninja skills to figure out who has the ball and get it from them– like in Lou Jitsu’s movie ‘Blinded by Barbarians’. Once you have it, you have to bring the ball to the far side of the tunnel without being stopped. If you get tackled, you immediately lose – but that’s also the most funnest part!”

“Not if you don’t play fairly,” Donnie huffed quietly in frustration, but Mikey didn’t seem to notice as he scrambled back down April’s back and onto the ground.

“We can play a few rounds first so that you can see how it works, but then do you wanna play?”

“Totally!” April shook her head, casting aside curious thoughts about Donnie as determination swelled in her chest. She made a fist and punched it into her other palm. “April O’Neil is ready for action!”

“So is Leo… Nardo!” Leo yelled, spinning his mask around to blind himself. The other boys followed suite – Donnie removing his glasses and sitting them to the side -and all immediately crouching down in anticipation. The sound levels in the alcove dipped for a moment as the four turtles slowly began to circle each other, arms out and palms down as they tensed for movement. It was then that something inside of April told her that she needed to step back – and not a moment too soon.

“Think fast!” Mikey bellowed as he suddenly whipped the dingy tennis ball across the tunnel. Instantly, the lair exploded into chaos. The ball whizzed past April, nearly brushing the top of her head as she leapt back onto the train car’s steps.

“I’ve got it!” Donnie dove forward, arms outstretched as the ball hit the wall inches in front of him and then rocketed back towards the other end of the tunnel where Leo was already waiting. The slider leapt into action, climbing up a confused Raph’s shell and launching himself into the air with hands waving wildly. Unfortunately his timing was off, as he dropped to the ground while the ball fell directly into Raph’s waiting hands.

The snapping turtle let out a gleeful laugh and stumbled forward, feet sweeping the ground in front of him as he scampered towards the goal area. April opened her mouth to cheer Raph on, but an orange blur suddenly zipped forward and crashed against his plastron, sending both turtles sprawling on their shells.

“Gotcha!” Mikey crowed proudly, hands patting the plastron of his brother experimentally before he gave a satisfied nod. “Gotcha, Raphie!”

“You ain’t got nothing,” Raph laughed as he knocked the younger boy off and rolled to his feet. “The ball went that way!”

Sure enough, the ball had rolled several yards away, and was now balanced on top of the train tracks behind their home. April watched in amusement as all four boys stumbled around, bent at the waist and frantically sweeping their hands across the ground in hopes of finding their treasure. A fleeting image of one of the turtles clutching the ball to their chest and hissing warningly for no one to touch their ‘precioussssss’ crossed April’s mind, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

Suddenly Leo was on the move. The blue masked turtle finally found the ball and took off silently towards the tunnel wall – only for Donnie to lock onto his location and throw himself forward chest first.

Leo let out a shocked laugh as he was knocked to the ground and landed heavily on his back. “Whoa – nice tackle, D!”

Donnie snorted dismissively, making April frown. Leo had seemed genuine in his compliment – why was Donnie brushing it off so flippantly? As she continued to watch, the purple masked turtle took off running towards the opposite end of the tunnel. His movements were more calculated than Raph’s had been, as if navigating without his eyes was just a simple problem to fix rather than a handicap. However, unlike Leo’s and Raph’s attempts to move quietly to avoid detection, Donnie move loudly and purposefully – almost daring the others to come and get him.

Mikey was the first to take the bait and chase after his brother, but April could tell that his own movements lacked the wild, reckless enthusiasm he’d had when tackling Raph. The small turtle jogged alongside Donnie, seeming to time his steps, before he finally dropped and latched onto his target’s ankles.

The older boy stumbled forward, arms pinwheeling for the second time that day before he toppled and fell ungracefully onto his plastron. April heard him give a small grunt when his chin hit the ground, and she tensed. Owch – that had to hurt.

Mikey had apparently heard it too, as he immediately sat up and started to reach for his blindfold. “Oops – are you ok, Donnie?”

“Yes!” Donatello pushed himself back onto his knees and groaned in exasperation. Across the alcove, the other two boys had frozen in their spots and were listening intently to the exchange. “You guys have to stop doing that – you have to treat me the same as everyone else!”

“But I wasn’t– ”

“Yes you did – you held back.” Donnie let out another frustrated sound, and then reached out to pull the blindfold back over Mikey’s eyes. “I’m not fragile. Just HIT ME.”

Before Mikey could respond, Donnie was on his feet and tossed the ball into the center of the alcove.

The game was back on. The ball bounced back and forth across the tunnel, sometimes carried by one turtle and other times being chased after by a cartoonish swarm of flailing limbs. This went on for several minutes, to the point that April began to wonder if anyone was going to be able to secure the ball for long enough to get it where it needed to be.

Eventually, Donnie made his move. He snatched the tennis ball as it soared through air and dribbled it on the ground, then began to jog in the direction of the wall. This time was different than his last attempt, though – he moved silently and kept his mouth closed, allowing no sound to give away who exactly had the ball or where it was in space. Even the rustle of his backpack was muffled as Donnie used his free hand to pull the straps tight against his body. April watched as he ran, glancing over his shoulder to track his brothers’ movements.

“I hear it!” Raph called out, pointing in the general direction of Donnie and then surging forward.

April tensed – this didn’t look good.

The smaller boy had almost made it to the far end of the tunnel, when he suddenly planted his feet and turned to face his brother head on. The snapping turtle kept moving, unaware that his target had stopped, and then the two boys collided.

Donnie let out a yelp as he was thrown backward, Raph’s momentum transferring into his frame and catapulting him into the concrete wall behind them. His body hit the brick with a dull thud that echoed through the alcove, and then he slid to the floor in a crumpled ball.

“Oh my gosh – Donnie!” Raph ripped the bandana off of his head and threw it to the floor, hands flying to his mouth in horror. “I’m so sorry – I didn’t mean to -”

Mikey and Leo were on their feet in an instant, quickly tearing their own bandanas off and dashing across the tunnel. “Donnie? Dee? Are you ok?”

April felt a chill run through her body as she pushed herself off of the car steps and ran over to join the boys. Something was off – that had been a hard hit, yes, but the other guys had taken similar hits throughout the game – why was Donnie not moving? She dropped to her knees around the small semi-circle gathered around Donnie and reached out a shaking hand. “Donnie?”

At first glance she wasn’t even sure if he was conscious– curled on his knees in a fetal position and pressing his head to the cold concrete floor. Then she saw the way that his body was shaking, and the white knuckled grip with which he was holding himself. A sharp, strangled sound escaped his throat as he struggled to suck in air.

“Let me see,” Leo reached out and grabbed at the straps of Donnie’s backpack. He tugged at them, attempting to slide them over his brother’s shaking shoulders, but Donnie pulled his arms tighter around himself and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Leo sighed, and gently laid a hand on the boy’s neck. “C’mon, dude – we’ve got to check it out.”

Donnie shook his head again, a bit more firmly, but made no attempt to fight as Mikey and Leo worked together to pull the backpack off and lift up the purple hoodie to reveal his shell.

Or at least – what should have been his shell.

Compared to his brothers’ armored plating and thick layers of keratin, Donnie’s back looked almost bare. His shell appeared to be made of an almost leather-like material, hardly thicker than the rest of his skin and seemingly flexible to the touch. A small row of ridges ran down the center, and April gulped at the sight of them – was that his spine pressing through? Oh gosh – where was Splinter when they needed him?

“You’re not bleeding, but there’s a couple of big scrapes and it looks like a bruise is already forming,” Leo finally said after a few seconds of poking and prodding, during which Donnie made only small sounds of discomfort. He rolled the hoodie back down to cover his brother, but left a hand on Donnie’s back. The injured turtle kept his forehead pressed to the ground, shoulders tensed and not looking up at the rest of them. His body continued to tremble, and nearby Raph let out a hiccupping sound.

April cleared her throat nervously. She was beginning to feel that she should do something as the oldest in this situation. “M-maybe we should use the radio and call your dad?”

“No!” Donnie shouted suddenly, causing all four of the others to jump in surprise. The turtle slowly forced himself to his feet, keeping his head down as he twisted his bandana back into place. April couldn’t see his eyes, but the twin wet splotches now on the back of his mask said enough. Before anyone could say anything, he shouldered past the others and ran into their train car, slamming the metal door shut behind him.

Raph stumbled after him, hands outstretched to grab the door handle. “Donnie-”

“NO!”

“I just want to-”

“LEAVE. ME. ALONE!”

There was another crash from within the train car, and then the alcove fell silent.

April slowly turned to face the three remaining turtles. “What was that?”

At this point, Raph looked like he was .03 seconds from bursting into tears. “I didn’t mean to hurt him – I didn’t know he had the ball or was in front of me or I would have stopped – I thought it was Leo –”

Mikey reached up and patted the snapping turtle’s quivering shoulder. “I know, buddy. It’s not your fault.”

“Guys? What –”

“It’s kind of hard to explain,” Leo cut her off, rubbing his neck awkwardly as he searched for the right words. “Donnie was just born with a different kind of shell than the rest of us. He and dad explained it at one point – it’s something to do with our DNA or something? I don’t know the word for it, but basically he isn’t as strong as the rest of us and so he can get hurt easier if we’re wrestling or something. It doesn’t matter most of the time, but he really doesn’t like talking about it.”

Mikey nodded his head emphatically, still patting their hiccupping older brother. “Dad used to strap a towel or something soft to his back when we were little, but then Donnie got really mad about it and just started covering it up.”

“Will he be ok, though?” April nodded her head back towards the train car. The walls were thick enough that they couldn’t hear anything going on within the small home now, and April couldn’t help but feel worried about what the upset turtle was up to. “I’ve never seen him act like that before.”

Leo nodded, but shared a look of concern at their home. “He’s taken worse hits before – I think he’s mostly just embarrassed that you saw him get hurt, too.”

April blinked. She hadn’t considered the fact that her presence could have added to his discomfort. “Oh.”

It was at that moment that the small radio Splinter had left them sputtered to life with a burst of static. Mikey darted across the alcove, giving Raph one last pat before he left, and scooped the device up from where it had been resting. He twisted one of the large dials on the side and frowned as the static increased, then twisted it the opposite direction until Splinter’s tinny voice rang through.

“-lo? Hello? Is this thing wor--ng?”

Mikey nodded, twisting the dial some more and then pressed down the main button. “Hi Dad – yeah, it’s working.”

“Oh, good. I need a bit of help.” There was a slight pause, and the kids could hear Splinter grunting. “Do you remember the small bistro that we gathered at a few weeks ago? The one with the cake?”

“Yeah?”

“Apparently they had a bake sale recently – I currently have several boxes of different baked goods, and I need some assistance carrying it all back home. Could at least two of you come meet me at the tube underneath the store to help? Tell April that she’d better hang back – one of the tunnels is nearly flooded, and I don’t know how well she can swim if necessary.”

“Ok – we’ll be there in a few minutes.” Mikey flicked off the radio and turned back to the others. “I don’t think Donnie’s going to want to go anywhere soon, but maybe some cake will make him feel better?”

“That is pretty good timing.” Leo nodded. “But the tunnels there are pretty deep – it must still be raining a ton. It would probably be a good idea for all of us to go, just in case. Do you mind staying here alone, April?”

April shook her head, even though the thought of essentially being alone this deep in the sewers was a bit unnerving. “I’ll be ok. I guess I can let Donnie know where you guys went in case he comes out and is confused.”

Raph let out a big sniffle, snot bubbling from his nostril as he scrubbed the tears from his cheeks. “If he does come out, tell him I’m really really sorry and didn’t mean to hurt him, ok?”

April nodded and gave the turtle a big hug. “I will – I promise.”

***

Minutes passed after the boys had taken off, leaving April alone in the alcove. She paced nervously, casting frequent glances towards the train car’s door and pondering whether or not she should try to knock. Whenever her younger cousins threw tantrums, their mom would usually give them time to blow off steam before trying to reason with them. But that was with LITTLE kids, and when they had done something wrong. Donnie had been hurt, so should she go make sure that he was ok? Or should she –

April stopped mid step and ran her fingers through her curls. What in the world had she gotten herself into? She didn’t even know where these guys technically came from, let alone how to handle something like biological differences within species. She would have to borrow her mom’s laptop later tonight and try to do some research on soft shell turtles, like she had done when the other guys had mentioned their species – maybe that would help. Until then… April pulled her cell phone from her pocket and glanced at the time.

She imagined that the boys were just now reaching where Splinter was, meaning that it would likely be twenty minutes until they got back – and that was if they didn’t run into any flooded areas or roadblocks. Maybe she should try to talk to Donnie one on one, without the others present. If he was embarrassed to talk about this stuff, maybe it was better to try to do so without an audience – right?

April turned towards the train car and nodded her head. Alright. Game plan. Let’s do this.

She took a deep breath through her nose, attempting to settle her nerves – and then froze. Hold on – why did she smell smoke? She sniffed the air again, turning towards the scent and squinting down the train tracks. The area around their home was relatively well lit, especially in comparison to the rest of the sewers. But several dozen yards down the line, she could see the light flickering brightly – alternating between normal lighting and lighting so bright that it seemed as if the sun had found its way under the streets.

Casting a quick glance at the train car, April shook her head. Ok, maybe she should check this out first – what if it was a fire or something dangerous? She should know in order to try and catch the guys before they got home.

With quick strides, April hurried towards the flickering lights. A loud crackling noise echoed through the tunnel with each pulse of light, getting louder and brighter as she closed the distance between them. She shielded her eyes as she finally rounded a corner, not looking directly at the light but gasping at what she saw.

“Donnie?”

The bright lights immediately cut off as a small form turned to face her. “Oh... Hey, April.”

The girl blinked rapidly, her eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden change in lighting. “I… I didn’t see you leave.”

“I climbed through the window.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

April glanced around the concrete tube that Donnie was holed up inside of. “Can… I come in?”

“I guess.”

April ducked her head as she stepped into the tube. It wasn’t as large as most of the ones she had seen throughout the sewers – only about seven feet deep and the same measurement in diameter. However, despite the lack of square footage, every inch of the floor had been taken advantage of. Neat piles of loose materials were scattered about the tube – pieces of scrap metal, loose wires, random rusted tools… it looked as if hundreds of small devices had been carefully dissected and sorted back into their bare essentials. Even the walls had not been neglected in the organized chaos – hundreds of notebook papers had been taped to the exposed brick and concrete, each filled with a mixture of frantic scribblings and meticulously labeled diagrams. Stacked on the floor beneath the drawings were several piles of neatly stapled pamphlets – owner’s manuals, from the looks of it.

To an outsider, this whole set up looked like something straight out of a mad scientist movie. However, instead of a wild-eyed, crazy-haired genius crouched among the piles of machinery that stood almost as tall as April, there was only… Donnie. He looked even smaller with just a hoodie and no backpack on – closer to Mikey’s size, really. He’d removed his mask at some point, likely to hide any evidence of his emotions, and now looked at April with a blank expression from behind a large pair of goggles.

“Whoa – this place is awesome,” April breathed as she knelt at the makeshift table beside him. “Did you collect all of this stuff yourself?”

The turtle scooted to the side, allowing her to get comfortable before nodding. It was hard to read his expression through the tinted lenses, but April imagined that he was avoiding her eyes. “Yeah. Dad said I could keep any extra gadgets that we gathered, as long as they don’t get in the way. So, I started collecting stuff in here.”

April nodded at the welding torch he clutched in his hands. “And you guys just found that?”

A small smirk tugged at Donnie’s lips and he touched the machine proudly. “Naw – this was here when we moved in. I think that it was left over from when they were originally building the subway tunnels. Dad said I’m technically not allowed to use it until I’m ten, but he never specified that he meant ten YEARS.”

“I guess that makes sense,” April snorted. Ok, there was some of the Donnie sass that she’d come to know. She gestured towards the stack of instructional manuals on the floor. “Wait – so did you just teach yourself how to use it?”

After pulling the goggles over his head and setting them to the side, Donnie leaned back into a resting position and gave a nod. “Uh-huh. It took me a while to figure out how to read German, but once I got the basics I learned the rest through trial and error. After that it was just a matter of getting the acetylene tanks from construction sites.”

Despite his nonchalant manner, April could see his chest swell ever so slightly in pride. She blinked, looking around the room again. Maybe she hadn’t been too far off with that mad scientist comparison.

“Holy cow, Donnie – that’s amazing! I’m sure your dad is really proud.”

Donnie’s expression immediately fell, twisting into something partially angry and partially sad as he drew his knees to his chest. “Dad doesn’t really know about or understand this kind of stuff.” His voice dropped to almost a whisper. “I think he wishes I was normal like the other guys.”

“Normal?” April pulled her head back at the word, brow creasing. “Donnie, you’re not NOT normal.”

The turtle cocked an eyebrow, giving her an incredulous expression and gesturing at his body. His whole body had tensed now. “Then how do you explain… this situation?”

April cringed internally. “Ok, you’re right in that you guys aren’t… typical –”

“April, nothing about us is ‘typical’!” Donnie interjected, his voice pitching as he leapt to his feet and waved his arms in front of him. “That’s why we have to live in the sewers and can’t go out like normal people.”

April’s eyes widened and she gaped helplessly. How was she supposed to respond to that? Before she could think of anything, Donnie continued on.

“We’re weird and not normal and our Dad isn’t even our real, biological dad. But he won’t even talk to us about it – he always just avoids answering questions or puts on a movie or something whenever I try to ask him.” The turtle brought his hands to his forehead, physically shaking it in frustration and then wrapping his arms around himself. “And if that’s not enough, out of all four of us, I’m the weirdest one. All of the other guys are normal and can do regular stuff, but whenever I try to do fun things I always get hurt. And then Dad will just… just look at me like I’m made out of glass or something. Like I’m weird and he doesn’t know what to do to fix it and…” Donnie took a shuddering breath, and then slumped to the floor with his head in his hands. “I know he loves us, but…. Sometimes I think that he wishes he didn’t have to be my dad.”

The small tube fell silent as both kids sat and processed the weight of his words. Finally, Donnie raised his head and used the heel of his hand to scrub at his eyes. “I’m sorry – I shouldn’t have said all of that.”

“No!” April exclaimed, catching the turtle off guard. She took a second, reverting to a normal voice, and then reached out to take Donnie’s hand in her own. “My mom says to never apologize for feeling hurt – that’s … that’s just … normal.”

Donnie let out a little huff of amusement, but his brown eyes focused on their now intertwined hands. He moved his thumb lightly over her knuckle and adjusted his own fingers so that they could fit together better. “Yeah, but… I don’t know.”

The turtle fell silent again, lost in thought but still clutching her hand like it was a life support. April squeezed it lightly to get his attention. “If it helps any, I don’t think that you or your family are weird – and even if I did, what’s so wrong with being weird? You guys are all special and unique in your own way, and I don’t think that anyone was made incorrectly or by accident. Everyone is made exactly how they were supposed to be, and that includes any differences that they have to struggle with.”

“And about your dad,” April hesitated, thinking through her words before she spoke. “I’m sure he doesn’t mean to treat you differently – I think he just wants to protect you, you know? Because I can already tell you, based on the letters he wrote about you guys – he loves you all so much. He’s just not the kind of person to show it, I guess.”

Donnie squeezed her fingers tighter and used their joint hands to wipe at his face. “I wish he was.”

“What about when you were little? Mikey said that he used to wrap a towel around you to make sure that you didn’t get hurt, right?” He nodded. “That’s because he loved you, and wanted to protect you!”

“It was still embarrassing.”

“Yeah, but every parent is embarrassing sometimes – I think that’s part of their job or something.”

“Really?”

“Oh my gosh, yes.” April rolled her eyes as she recalled a distant memory. “Like when I was learning to ride my bike. My mom was really paranoid that I would crash or get hurt, so she made me wear every kind of safety gear she could find – knee pads, elbow pads, shin guards, a helmet, you know. And then for a while she even made me stuff a pillow under my shirt! It was super embarrassing, and the other kids at the park made fun of me for weeks.”

“Did you tell her that you didn’t want to wear it?”

“Of course! I remember arguing with her and saying that she was being way too overprotective, but she refused to let me practice riding until I had all of that stuff on. But then one day while we were out practicing at the park, a kid fell off of their bike and broke their whole arm.” April shuddered at the thought. “I remember seeing it happen and waiting for the ambulance to come get them – it was awful. But then I was really glad that my mom made me wear all of that junk. Sure, it seemed dumb at the time, but she was making me wear it while I was learning so that I would be safe whenever I fell. And now that I’m older, I still make sure to wear my helmet.”

Donnie hummed softly. “That’s true… but I’m still not going to wear a pillow or whatever.”

“What if you didn’t have to?”

“What?”

“I mean, what if you had something else to protect your shell? Something that YOU liked and approved of, but that still kept you safe?”

“That’s actually kind of what I was working on,” Donnie took a deep breath and finally released April’s hand in order to reach out for the object he’d been welding. “It’s kind of like a battle shell – something I can wear to protect my real shell when we’re out playing and stuff. See?”

Donnie moved the metallic object to his lap and then pulled at the hem of his hoodie. He glanced at April and gave an awkward smile, then tugged the clothing over his head. April winced when she caught sight of his shell – like Leo had hypothesized, a deep purple bruise was already forming and taking up a large portion of his back.

“Oh, owch.”

“I’ll be ok,” Donnie turned so that his back was fully facing April and then craned his head to look over his shoulder at her. “Can you help me get this on?”

Together the two maneuvered the metal into place. It fit over Donnie’s shoulders similar to the way that his backpack had, but this invention was much more intimidating and solid looking. The purple metal curved perfectly over his shell, sealing it in and totally hiding it from view. Four metal straps extended from the sides of the device, which Donnie carefully latched around his shoulders and waist. After a moment of adjusting, the turtle turned to face April and gave her a nervous smile. “What do you think?”

“Donnie, you look awesome!” April clapped her hands together and squealed, causing the boy to blush. Already, Donnie looked like he was standing taller. His usually hunched shoulders curled back in pride, and the turtle looked like he was ready to charge into battle – or at least into a game of Bandana Ball.

“It’s not finished yet,” he admitted, rotating his shoulders and giving a small wince. “I’ll probably have to add some sort of padding to keep it from chafing, and the next version will definitely need to be made out of a lighter material. But… it’s definitely better than a pillow.”

April gave a small laugh. “I bet – and you should totally show this to the others. I’m sure they’d all be super impressed, and would probably want to help you make them!”

“You think so?” Donnie looked nervous, but he couldn’t hide the hopeful grin that was pulling at his lips. “You don’t think they’ll think it’s weird?”

“Are you kidding me? Donnie, look at all of this stuff,” April gestured towards the small inventions scattered around the room, the drawings on the wall, and then back to the battle shell. “You’re only eight years old, and you’ve designed all of this stuff without any teaching or guidance. You saw a problem and innovated to overcome it. Heck, if the rest of the family isn’t impressed, I don’t know what will impress them.” She reached out for his hands again. “Donnie, you and your brothers are amazing.”

The turtle froze, lip trembling. For a moment April wondered if she had said something wrong, and then the boy threw himself at April. She stumbled backwards, suddenly aware of the extra weight now on Donnie’s back, but then righted herself before the two tumbled onto the floor. Donnie locked his arms around April’s neck and buried his face into her shoulder.

“Thank you, April. For everything.”

April smiled and hugged him back, her eyes closing as she placed a small kiss atop Donnie’s head. “You’re welcome.”

#rottmnt #tmnt 2018 #savannah drabbles #donatello #rottmnt donnie

31 notes · View notes

theoscout · 4 years

Text

Part 1 of 2

@bornoffireandwisdom

He kicked it again. It merely slumped to its side. The bitter cold had dampened his smell, but the stench of blood hung in his supersensitive nasals and throat like drenched wool. His grief having subsided, he began to work his fingers into its skull. He did not know why he did this. But the food always came easier when there was already a mark to pry open. Red ooze and pale, slushier parts caked his fingernails and sank their way into the crevices of wrinkles on his hands, highlighting them. He finally abandoned the idea of saving the cleanliness of at least one hand, lest the inexplicably precious trinket lost to him should appear again as miraculously as his food. His teeth stripping at the corpse's skin, the memory soon passed from his head.

*** The blizzard had calmed a while ago, but that did little to raise the temperature around them. Like the windscreen of a car on a cold day, Bertrum's line of sight was obscured behind the clouds of breath condensing every time he paused his unsteady march to regain his energy. "How far away till the next house?" "Not long now, it's up on that hill ahead." Lacie stopped beside him to lend him a hand. While they no longer faced the threat of screaming gales and biting frost, the snowstorm had brought with it another layer to the already deep drifts of snow, both on and off path. The city, before the fall, had always irritated him with its ceaseless barrage of lights and sound. Now there was nothing he wished for more than a brick path which had been swept clean of the smothering snow gathering there. "If he's not in this house either, I guess we can always check for supplies," Lacie offered hopefully. Too out of breath to seriously consider a reply, Bertrum nodded silently, then bent to brush away the particles crusting the fringes of his pants. Even if the walk wasn't an easy one, they could be grateful for being well protected.

Though kilometers of travel had proven unyielding of outcome, they pressed on. Searching the houses by now had become a routine, although finding one suitable for shelter was proving to be a different matter. As per basic outbreak survival protocols, most houses they found were locked and barred securely from the inside, their original occupants likely having fled, or worse. None of which were percieved to house any living creatures, aside from the occasional scuffle of sheltering rats and other scavengers fleeing from their attacks on the front door. If Grant isn't in this one, Bertrum thought with increasing cynicism, we're going home and waiting to find him instead. Still, there were still flickering dots of hope relighting with each house they visited. After all, how far could a young wounded zombie travel, especially in such weather conditions.

"Think it could be this one?" Bertrum raised his head from when he had been bending over wheezing, and made an attempt to straighten his posture. "Jesus christ, look at that door..." Something had torn the hinges off this one. From what details he could make out from afar, behind the snow caking its roof and piling against the walls it appeared to have withstood some severe neglect. Cavities in the snow drift indicated a smashed window, and long dead creeper vines were in the process of curling their way up the brick walls with faded grafetti. The damage could have been done before the apocalypse, yet even from a distance the lack of snow beyond the threshold compared to the drifts by the door gave away at its recentness. "I dunno Lacie," he began. "I can't tell if the door was locked or not, otherwise he wouldn't have found this way in. And he's not strong enough to break down a door that's been barred." At least he hoped* Grant wasn't strong enough. Lacie nodded in rejection of the alternative implication. The door was within distance for a more detailed examination. Bertrum ignored the ache in his legs and waded forward until he was able to lean one hand against the flaking, frosted over wall. Finally able to take at least some* pressure off his legs, he peered closely at this mess. "On second thoughts, this doesn't look like him. That's some pretty jagged edge in the piece we got here-" Lacie huffed as she pried a piece of the door from where snow had begun to bury it, "Sharp stuff is what makes the edge. Not hands." " Then I assume this was done by a roving survivor." Bertrum hid his breathless exhaustion with some difficulty. "Some angry nut this guy musta been. Put a bunch of holes in the centre for no reason, ice pick probably. Reckon it musta been loud enough to wake the dead, eh?" She chuckled sadly at her little quip, but abruptly Bertrum's gaze was fixed on something she could not see. Narrowing his eyes, he swiftly and firmly brought his finger to his lips and mouthed for silence. "What?" Lacie whispered. She raised her head, following his stare, backing out of the doorway for more accuracy in angle.

All but one of the windows were shattered, some with fractures looking as though they had been made by the rocks of many a roving vandal, others by the unfavorable weather and the constant change of the decaying house. But where glass remained, a creature would be likelier to seek shelter against the chill winds. She saw the results plastered against what was left intact.

Blood. Against the glass, almost floating in midair. Tiny flecks of blood crusted the bottom right corner of one upstairs window.

"Oh... oh no..."

Very slowly and deliberately, Bertrum laid a frail hand on the what remained of the door and pushed. It slid inwards without a creak, almost as if by miracle something had silenced its rusty hinges. He turned grimly back to Lacie, and they shared a nod. Carefully lifting their feet out of the snow, over the threshold as slowly as time could allow them, they pulled out their torches and turned them on. The only noise being the sigh of the dusk breeze and the near inaudible ruffle of their own clothes per movement. And upstairs, there came the faintest of rustling. Time seemed to hang suspended in the still air, no longer as musty or stale as an enclosed house would bring.

And as their eyes scanned the floor for disturbances to their stealthy entrance, they saw a strange pattern formed in the dust on the tiles. It appeared that once, a large amount of liquid had been spilled there. Although on closer inspection it certainly was not water. It had pushed aside a lot of dust, the leftover ripples forming dark marks where they did not tread. Splattermarks, and the remnants prints of snow boots they did not recognise. Puddles had once pooled here, flecks of liquid having hit the walls in their force. But the absence of any stain was not the strangest part. There was a spot on the ground where the dust appeared to have coalesced, forming an almost torso-like imprint surrounded by thousands of thin threads of gossamer. The lines appeared to transcend the laws of physics, flowing along the ground to this point. Ignoring various indentations and surfaces in a tiled surface beginning to buckle, perfectly straight lines which at some point became far too complex and needless to be done by hand. Yet.. if not by hand, then left by what?

A creak in the floorboards above, undoubtedly spurred by motion, and Bertrum flicked his torch up just in time to catch a puff of plaster dust rolling from some unseen crack. Pound pound pound, they heard it begin to run. "Oh god-"

Disregarding the floor patterns, the two leapt out from the doorway and back outside.

Her hand against the doorknob before she even realised. It was just as well they had moved out the way, as from above there came a dreadful* howl. Lacie readied herself against the door as the scuffling, growling *thing* flung itself down the stairs and galloped at them on all fours. They watched its silhouette blunder across the room, and for a precious moment the light of an adjacent window, if only for an instance, the face it belonged to. Lacie threw herself against the door and Bertrum did the same, shutting it so explosively the foundations of the house seemed to resonate with the bang. Behind the wooden frame, the thing screamed and clawed in futility. But there were no more strange sounds, no more hidden menaces. If this one had company, they would have attacked together. They were in another room, and thankfully one with a window. There was no furniture to block the door with, but seeing a section of the doorframe splintering aaway gave Lacie an idea. Still leaning as much as she could against the door, she took off her scarf, wrapped it around the doorknob and then jammed the other loop under the lifting piece of wood. Fastening the knot as tightly as she could, she silently motioned for Bertrum to back away. The door hold shuddered but held firm. They edged their way accross the room and carefully scaled through the empty window, keeping an eye on the woods for any lurking silhouettes. "What do we do?" whispered Lacie, in a volume only slightly above the desolate wind. "I wouldn't know yet, dear. Did you see his face?" "It was Grant, I'm almost certain. Jeepers creepers, look at how aggressive he's gotten! Downright possessed if you'd ask me! The hells gotten into him?" "I may need to ponder this for a moment..." Bertrum turned away and kept an eye on the woods. "Oh come on," interrupted Lacie, "If we don't hurry he's bound to get away or somethin. The door's wide open and what if he realises we're not behind the door anymore?" Instinctively they both moved out of sight from the entrance, just in case. "Well I certainly wouldn't like placing you in such dire threats again," Bertrum mused. "But certainly there exists a method which defers from the questionable safety you seem keen on?" "You do you, but II'm not letting him escape again! Not on my watch. I see your armor still works-" Without waiting for a reaction, she jogged the perimeter of the house. "Hey!" Bertrum called, but she had already gone. He shook his head and ran after her.

#tag later #long post #my writing #tw: gore #bornoffireandwisdom

1 note · View note

nyxxon · 5 years

Text

Build-A-Bear (Bakugou Katsuki)

The ash blonde male's eye twitched as he watched you looking through the multiple bins of random unstuffed animals trying to figure out which one you'd want.

How you had convinced him to come here to the damn 'Build-A-Bear' place was beyond him. You both didn't even have any fucking kids for crying out loud! Thank the Gods, he didn't want any at the moment, or that was what he'd tell himself anyway... Though back on topic... This was far from how he had wanted to spend his precious weekend that he could actually enjoy since he had it off.

Honestly... It was embarrassing. Two adults, no kids, in a stuffed animal making place... Thankfully, Bakugou was wearing a 'disguise,' one that at least kept him from being recognized by the public since he was a pretty well-known hero (rank fifteen as for right now) so at least he had that going for him right now and could basically hide his identity a bit... And being found out in a place where kids were currently running rampant wasn't a scenario he'd like... So it saved him from some of the embarrassment he was feeling at the moment.

You, on the other hand, weren't in one at all though you also weren't very well-known either, being more the underground hero so disguises weren't needed for you and you didn't have to ever worry about being recognized in public. Though you still walked in here with no shame whatsoever as you excitedly scavenged the stuffed animal making place showing excitement any child would entering. You were usually a very calm, collected, and serious person but sometimes you did get childish spouts here and there...

Like now.

However, they could be cute... But the ash blonde would never admit to such so openly to as it was his nature not to be very open about his thoughts, especially ones like that.

"Hurry the fuck up so we can leave." Bakugou mumbled beside you.

You looked up from your decision making of trying to figure if you wanted a dragon, tiger, bunny, or just a plain old regular bear and glared while he just did so back, "... Language. There are children here."

"Tch. Just hurry the fu–" He paused for a second seeing the glare you were giving him causing him to reevaluate his sentence, "... Just hurry up already..."

"Then help me choose!" Holding out all the ones you were trying to decide on, you looked up at him, "... The dragon, tiger, bunny, or the bear."

"I don't see why it matters..." Bakugou grumbled as he looked at them all, honestly unable to decide himself since he didn't give two flying fucks of which one would be chosen in the end. After a few seconds, he finally spoke up, "... The shi..." Though he stopped himself before he let the word slip⁠—God, it was a struggle given most of everything that'd leave his mouth would be a cuss word and such⁠—so he wouldn't have to hear from you before letting out an annoyed sigh and rolling his eyes.

"... The... Tiger... I... guess..." He mumbled while gritting his teeth together between every word.

Humming, you looked down at the four animals in your hands while the ash blonde furrowed his brows waiting for you to finally get done choosing. You soon began to place the ones you weren't going to use, "... I'll go with the bear, it's easier to dress." You held the unstuffed brown bear up causing the male's eye to twitch.

Of course, he hadn't expected any less. You usually never went with the option he chose anyway though it didn't make him any less annoyed, especially when it was for more important decisions that required both of your inputs on. However, he'd let this slide given this was not on a list of important things that needed to be decided on.

"Now... Let's go stuff it!"

You excitedly grabbed Bakugou's arm and began to drag the reluctant male along with you to the stuffing machine soon handing the person who looked just how Bakugou did⁠—unexcited to be here and only here for the pay that probably wasn't worth shit⁠—though they had also given you both weird looks upon not noticing a child in sight (which Bakugou couldn't even fucking blame the worker at this point) before beginning the stuffing process while you then watched excitedly as they stuffed the bear before boredly handing it back to you.

"Great. Now let's... Go." The ash blonde insisted.

"Have you forgotten, Katsuki?" He furrowed his brows urging you to go on, "... We have to get him clothes."

Him? Joy. Before he knew it, you'd already be choosing a name for the shitty stuffed animal.

You instantly made your way to the clothes area of the store with your newly acquired stuffed bear, the male soon following reluctantly behind you until he caught up to you as you were stopped in front of a little place with different styles of guy clothes that could only fit the stuffed animal.

Bakugou began to mentally prepare himself for you to take your sweet ass time here as well, knowing it'd be a much longer time spent in this area than when you were choosing which animal you wanted to have...

And he was right. He could positively say it took you almost an hour of looking through a bunch of shitty clothes to find one you preferred over the five hundred ones you had said you liked, asking him which ones he thought would look nice⁠—him choosing random ones knowing you probably weren't going to pick them anyway (which he was right)⁠—choosing (outfit choice).

Thankfully, that was the last thing on the list to do and you both were now on your way to the counter to pay and leave this hell hole of a place and hopefully to never return to it.

"That'll be seventy dollars and fifty-eight cents." The, also unamused, counter worker said.

"You've gotta be..." Bakugou gritted his teeth, "... Kidding me."

"No sir, I assure you... Seventy dollars and fifty-eight cents." The worker said with a drip of sarcasm, obviously not wanting to deal with a customer longer than he had to.

The ash blonde's eye twitched as he reluctantly took out his wallet and swiped his card before putting it back in his wallet and placing, more so shoving, it back in his pants pocket. If it weren't for him being in public as well as trying to keep a low profile while in this God-forsaken place, he'd have had an outburst at this point.

Though before the worker handed the receipt, he outcasted a piece of paper towards you (no doubt having already taken a dislike towards the ash blonde) as you just tilted your head but grabbed the paper anyways and looked over it, "... What's this?"

"Your child gets to name their stuffed bear..."

"What should I name you?" You held the bear up, ignoring the word 'child,' and looked at it for a moment while the worker soon put it together that you both didn't have a child in sight and seemed to not even have one at all having him talk before he could think.

"Aren't you a bit too old for–" However, catching the male's beside you hard glare pierced into him, he gulped and stopped what he was going to say.

You looked at him, "... Huh?"

"N-Nothing... Nevermind." The worker gave you a strained smile while you just shrugged and went back to examining the bear in hopes to figure a name you'd like, not wanting to anger the ash blonde who was practically giving him the 'if you say one more damn word, I'll kill you right fucking here with no remorse' look.

"I'll name it... Katsuki Jr!" Bakugou scrunched his nose up at this but didn't say anything as you handed the paper back to the worker who shakily grabbed it back with a nod, not bothering to question the name choice.

"Seriously... Katsuki Jr.?" Bakugou questioned in a disgusted manner as you both walked to the car.

"I thought it was cute." You smiled as you held out the bear in front of you, the male beside you rolling his eyes.

"Tch. I hope you know you fucking owe me for going along with you to that shitty place and wasting seventy fucking dollars on a shitty bear."

"Oh?" You raised a brow before placing your arms down and leaning a bit into him though not too close as you looked up at him, "... And... What might that be?"

Bakugou smirked as he placed his arm around your waist and pulled you a bit closer before lowering himself a bit so he could whisper in your ear, "... I think you know..."

You rolled your eyes and shook your head in slight amusement as a smile played on your lips knowing exactly what he wanted in return for humoring you in today's trip though you didn't really have a problem with what he was requesting either since you did think he did deserve at least something for going along with you.

"Whatever."

With that answer, Bakugou loosened his grip on you but didn't fully let go as you both continued walking towards the car, the smirk not leaving his face... Perhaps this trip was worth it in the end...

115 notes · View notes

signutai · 5 years

Text

I didn’t actually end up sleeping last night so I guess it’s time for me to talk menswear, I say, opening up the Fallout wiki to the list of NV armors for reference. Takashi’s armor is his very own version of the classic NCR ranger vet armor everyone knows so well, more closely resembling the unique riot gears found in Lonesome Road than anything else, though clearly distinct from them. The duster is dyed a forest green, only barely desaturated, and reaches down to about just above his ankles for dramatic flair, with a high collar (enough to completely cover the back of his neck) and consisting of three layers: the original outer leather layer, along with a secondary layer of leather sewn into the inside and a layer of sturdy protective mesh sandwiched in between. It’s heavy and much more stiff than the similar armors, and when he’s in a tight spot he’ll usually just toss it aside for freer movement. No pockets on the outside; they’re all on the inside of the coat instead and he keeps his secrets there. There’s some spots of minor damage here and there, along with a few places where he’s sewn new leather over holes, and the ends of the coat itself are starting to come apart thanks to the repeated wear and tear associated with traveling the wastes, but overall he tries to avoid damaging it and makes sure to oil the leather when he can find any leather treatment materials--it overall lacks that dirty, dusty, and aged look the other riot gears tend to have. The pauldrons are similar in size to the elite riot gear’s, though more rounded like the advanced version. Have some visible damage (some denting, missing paint, ect.) due to the fact that he mainly uses them to break down doors. They’re attached directly to the duster, just because it’s one less step to remember when he’s dressing himself. The throat guard is larger and has “Lefty” painted on it in white rather than a number. The breastplate is almost identical to that of the Remnants power armor, except more polished and the metal less dark, stripped of any electronic components and outfitted with clasps on the sides and shoulders for easier removal. Has some minor dings, dents, and scrapes, but he’s recently had to resize it and he banged and buffed out the worst of the old damage in the process. Under all of that he wears a simple dark leather shirt (think barebones reinforced leather armor that still has both sleeves). Wears his Pip-Boy on his right arm, along with an additional layer of padding between it and the sleeve to help alleviate pressure on an injury there. Has a nondescript, unpainted metal guard on his left forearm that is heavily marked with scrapes, cuts, and dents from deflecting/countering melee weapons. And under that is a heavy cloth shirt, to which is attached a backpack-like metal device that links to a cooling system built in the shirt. There are holes cut into the leather armor, breastplate, and duster to accommodate it (he puts it on first and then fits everything else over it), and a small solar panel on the top that provides it with power. It does a fantastic job of keeping him from overheating despite all the layers, at the cost of needing to scavenge for or buy coolant to keep it going (not always an easy task and part of the reason why vertibird wrecks can be a veritable goldmine for him; not many folks know how to properly salvage a ‘bird). Produces a constant, quiet hum when running. The shirt has a zipper to make it less of a pain to wrestle with and zips up all the way under his chin. Fingerless gloves. He tried full gloves once and got nervous about not being able to actually touch anything. Simple, loose-fitting canvas pants (currently) with big pockets for more secret storage (namely, a pencil and his “quest book” as he so fondly calls it). He’s found thigh armor to be just a little too restricting on top of everything else, so the pants tend to see more damage, and get replaced and patchworked more often than any other part of the outfit. Wears knee guards similar to the elite riot gear, and more metal plating over the front of his steel-toed boots. The boots, like the duster, are well-oiled, though a lot more visibly worn. He does a lot of walking. The helmet hasn’t seen a lot of modification because he doesn’t really like wearing it--the actual helmet part of it is identical in construction to the elite riot gear’s, though darker, and the mask portion more resembles the advanced gear’s, save for the red lenses are swapped with a bright green (”The world looks much more friendly this way,” he says.). Under the duster and crossing his chest from the right shoulder are one bandoleer stocked with his very special homemade hand-load .50 MG rounds and another of small pouches (ideal for storing a few handfuls of caps or things like lockpicks that are good to have close at hand). Other ammunition is stored either in the inner breast pocket of the duster or a satchel on his belt. Both bandoleers attach directly to the shoulder and side of the breastplate because the cooling system prevents anything from being looped comfortably around the back. Would absolutely wear a big obnoxious belt buckle if he could find one, though at this point he’d struggle to find room. Keeps his hunting revolver in a holster on his left hip, as well as his wakizashi. Three or four other pouches and bags on the belt hold things like snacks, ammo, more caps, and his cache of herbs, spices, and teas. Carries two canteens on the same damn belt, which is currently crying for mercy, can you hear it? Other storage consists of a courier-style satchel he usually wears with the strap over his left shoulder--that contains the important things, like whatever he’s courier-ing, his medical supplies, a stock of non-snack foods, the rest of his caps, extra water, a length of dyed leather in case of duster damage, his other weapons, books, and various repair kits--and a duffel bag he’ll just sling over his shoulder that he uses for loot and/or anything he hasn’t currently sorted into its proper place in his exhausting storage system. (Yes, he does have the Pack Rat perk, why do you ask.) Basically, his entire set-up is built for enduring long road trips through extremely harsh terrain and for being able to withstand a fair amount of damage--not as much as if he were in full metal armor, but it’s nothing to sneeze at. It is, again, much heavier than the other riot gears, and the fact that he can still keep much of his speed and agility while wearing it is a virtue of his own unique constitution rather than any deliberate effort to make the armor manageable for anyone who isn’t him. His fingers and maybe a small sliver of throat, if he tilts his head right, are the only skin he shows to most people. That is by design. Just about everything that would require him showing his face (eating, bathing, ect.) is done in total privacy except for the two or three people he trusts enough for that. In this way, he’s protected from the outside world in more than one sense. Exact colors I’m still trying to figure out a way to work on, but I’m imagining a bold and quite distinct mix of fairly saturated mid-tone and darker greens, black/dark greys, and silver. He stands out in a crowd and cuts a pretty impressive--if very square--figure. Takashi Takeda is nothing if not a vain motherfucker at his core, and he’s not going to go around looking like he just spent a month swimming in a pool of wasteland dust, regardless of how impractical it is for him to try and keep himself and his armor clean of the stuff. Though he’s since done extensive modifications to suit his particular lifestyle and look, the armor was originally a gift. He can’t remember who from.

#Courier Lefty #long post #i'm probably forgetting a few pieces but yeah #there is a 'late-game' version of this in which he stops wearing the helmet and swaps a few minor things out but #dunno if i want to get too deep into that territory yet #leftyref

5 notes · View notes

layce2015 · 6 years

Text

The Last Of Us (Joel x Reader)

Chapter 6: Hunting A Battery

Chapter 1/ Chapter 2/ Chapter 3/ Chapter 4/ Chapter 5

After Bill shows us his new toy, a nail bomb as he called it, I pick it up and look it over. It was basically a tin can filled with shrapnel and powder, pretty deadly. "So we got shotguns and bombs. What the hell are we doing with 'em?" I asked Bill. "Well, every few weeks this military caravan rides through town. I assume they're out looking for supplies. I mean, you'd be amazed at the shit they overlook. Anyway. Few months back, they were rolling through and they get overrun by this horde of infected. They were all over the truck. It plows right into the side of the high school. Still sitting there with the battery in it." Bill replied.

"So we take that battery and put it in another car." Joel said and Bill nods and points at him. "Bingo. I wanted to get it, but it seemed to dangerous with all the infected in that part of town. But, fuck it...you two need a car." He exclaims. "What if it's damaged?" I asked. "Nah. Those trucks are like tanks. It's just sittin' there." Bill replied and Joel and I exchange looks and we nod at each other. "Actually might work." Joel mutters and the three of us head back over to Ellie, where there was another set of stairs.

"Kid, I swear to god...if you took anything--" Bill griped at her. "Hey, man. I don't need any of your shit. Trust me." She sneered. "Joel...(y/n), you guys are keeping an eye on her, right?" Bill asked us. "Like a hawk." I replied as we head upstairs which lead us into an large church sanctuary. "Wow." Ellie whispers in awe. "Nice place you got here." Joel compliments. "Well, if you got anything to confess, this'd be the place to do it." Bill said as he walks over to a window.

"Alright...time to sack up." He said as he opens it and climbs through it. I climb through after him then Joel follows. "Ellie, c'mon." He said and Ellie jumps out. "Look. There's the school." Bill said as he points at the old football score board. "Alright." Joel and I muttered. "Ready?" Bill asked us. "Guess we'll find out." Joel said and we jump off of the roof and out onto the yard.

"Past this gate, it's all new territory to me." Bill said as he opens the gate and we start to make our way through the church's graveyard. Then we heard some clickers up ahead. "You guys hear that?" Ellie asked us. "Keep quiet." Joel instructs her as I pull out my bow and arrows and started to, quietly, take out as many Clickers as I can, while also scavenging the used arrows if they didn't break.

Finally, we make it to a courtyard gate and I go over to it, but it doesn't open. "Ah, shit... Locked." I muttered. "Hold up. I got a key for that gate." Bill said as he goes and unlocks it. "I suggest we move quietly." He said as we make it out in a residential neighborhood and walk along and, silently, take out any clickers and runners as much as we could.

"If you guys would give me a gun, I could help you kill some of these fuckers!" Ellie exclaimed, annoyed. "Shut up. Just shut up." Bill mutters as we come up on a garage. "This way." Joel said as we go inside of the garage and goes up to the door. Joel tries to get through the garage door but couldn't. "It's tied on the other side." He informed. "What about going through here?" Ellie asked as she points at a small flap on the door, that had a wood plank nailed over it. "What, the doggy door?" Bill asked as Joel rips the plank off of the door. "Be very careful." I said to her. "Of course." She said as she crawls through it.

"Maybe you should've given her a gun." Bill remarks. "Okay, Bill." Joel said, annoyed, as Ellie opens the door. "There's more of those Clicker things inside the house. " Oh, shit." Bill mutters. "They ain't seen us yet. Just stay down." Joel said and we make our way through the house and out the backyard.

"Alright, c'mon, let's get up. On the RV and over. We should be clear." Bill said as he points at the RV. We climb up on top of it then cross a plank to a treehouse. "Who the hell left this here? You got friends in town?" Ellie asked Bill. " No. Although I have some idea who mighta come through here. School's on the other side of this house. Let's get inside." Bill replied as we jump down from the treehouse then through another house and up to a garage door.

"Gimme a hand with this." Bill asked Joel and I as he gestures to the garage door. We go over to him and open it then run out to see the school was just across the street. "What'd I tell ya. There's that truck, sticking outta the school right there. C'mon. There's a bunch of 'em up there, so try not to make a sound." Bill said and we go and take out the nearby runners.

"Well, that was easier than I thought it'd be. They must be holed up somewhere else." Bill remarked after we killed the infected. "Well, let's not test our luck. How do we get inside?" I said as I look over at him. "Someone left a ladder on the bus. Here, get me up there and I'll drop it to you." Ellie said as she points at a school but that was stuck in front of the gate.

Joel goes over to the end of the bus and boosts Ellie up. "Don't get killed up there." Bill hollers at her as she runs a top of the bus. "Thanks, Bill." Ellie said with sarcasm as she drops the ladder. The men and I climb the ladder and run along the roof of the bus then jump down into the school grounds. "We're okay. We just need to get to the hood of the truck." Bill told us until we heard a noise. "Shit. You hear that? They're coming! Move it, kid!" Bill yells as we see some Clickers run up to the fence. "Alright, we're gonna get in quick. We're gonna get the battery. We're gonna get the hell outta here." Bill said as he runs over to a door.

"Oh, fuck. They're piling over this fence over here. It's not gonna hold!" Ellie yells. "The door's locked!" Bill exclaims then we start to run around to the back of the school. Then Bill runs up to a window and said. "It's open!"

"Guys! We gotta way in!" Ellie screams as some runners start running to us and I pull out my gun and fire at them. "Go, go, go, you guys! Go!" I yelled at them and they run over to the window and climb in. I follow and start to climb in but a Clicker jumps on top of me. I yelp then elbow the Clicker off of me and start to crawl towards the window but the Clicker grabs my ankle. "Shit, (y/n)!" Joel yells and both him and Bill pull me out of the Clicker's graps and I fall into Joel's arm while Bill shoots the clicker.

"Honey? You okay?" Joel asked me with worry as Ellie shuts the window. "Yeah, I'm fine." I replied as he hugs me real quick. "That's not gonna hold." Ellie said, point at the window. "Bill, make it fast!" Joel yells as we see the military van. Bill runs to the van as we hear the infected hitting the door. "Grab this." I said as I run over to this metal shelf and Joel, Ellie and I barricade the main door.

"Please tell me you're done!" Joel yells at Bill, who was trying to get the hood open. Joel and I lean against the shelf as Bill finally gets it open but his mouth drops in shock. "It's empty." He said, softly. "What?" Joel and I asked as Joel runs over to him. "It's fuckin' empty!" Bill yells, angrily. "Guys!" Ellie yells as her and I try to hold the barricade.

"Bill, where to?" Joel asked Bill, who looks around like he's lost. "Bill, where?!" Joel screams. "Anywhere but here." Bill said and he runs off. Joel turns to us and places his hands on our shoulders. "Get ready to haul ass. C'mon." He said and we take off as we hear the doors burst open. "They've broken through!" Ellie screams as we start to shut the other set of doors.

We scramble into the high school corridors, escaping the horde. "Let's, um... We'll sneak out the back." Bill said as we run through the corridors and a lab.

We finally make it to a set of large double doors and Joel goes to open it but it doesn't move. "Help me open this." He said to Bill and I. We go up and shoulder charge the door open and we reach a basketball court. "There's more on the way. Barricade the doors." Bill said and Joel and I take the shelf, with some sort of mattress rolled up in it, and barricaded the door. "This ain't gonna hold them for long." I said as we take a breath until we heard a loud noise.

"That don't sound good." Joel mutters as we looks to our left and a Bloater, a large, grotesque infected, burst through door of the equipment room. "Oh, no..." I whispered in shock and horror. "What the fuck is that?" Ellie asked in fear. "It's a damn bloater!" Bill yells as we all pull out our guns. "A what?" Ellie asked. "Ellie, take cover!" Joel yells as we start to fire at the Bloater.

"Joel! Do you still have the molotov?" I asked him. He nods as he pulls the molotov out of his backpack, lights up the bottle and throws it at the monster. As the bottle hits the Bloater, it catches on fire and roars in pain. The fire engulfs the monster while we shoot at it repeatedly until it, finally, falls over dead.

"Aw, geez...what was up with that big guy?" Ellie asked, breathlessly. "He's been infected for a long time. We call them bloaters." Joel replied to her. "Bloater... Okay, got it." Ellie said, nodding. " I hate to interrupt your little biology lesson, but can we get the fuck outta here? Please?" Bill asked and Joel and I run over to the bleachers. "Let's go people." Joel said as we help boost Bill up. "Alright. Here we go." He said as he gets on top of the bleachers.

"Alright, c'mon, c'mon." Bill said as he he kneels down and holds his hand out. Ellie jumps up, grabs his hand and was pulled up. "Okay, honey, go ahead." Joel mutters and I run up and grab Bill's hand. He pulls me up then I turn around and we help Joel up onto the bleachers.

Then we run and vault over through a window and start to run towards the opening of a fence. "This way!" Bill exclaims as we come up to a wooden fence. "There's another ladder over here." Ellie said as she points a ladder leaning against the fence. "Keep going, we're right behind you!" I yelled as Bill and Ellie go up the ladder and over the fence, Joel and I follow.

As we make it over, Bill uses a rake and shoves the ladder away from the fence. "Inside the house. Now!" Bill yells and all four of us run inside. "So, that worked out well." Ellie said, sarcastically. Joel and I give her exasperated looks. "Okay, ah. I'll go check this side of the house." She said, awkwardly, and she walks away.

"Bill?" Joel asked him. "Somebody had the same idea. They stole my shit." Bill growls. "Then what the hell is plan B?" Joel asked him. "You oughta be thankful you're still drawing breath. That was plan A, B, C, all the way to fucking Z." Bill said as I sigh, turn around and saw something that made me stop in my tracks.

In front of me was a man's body hanging from the ceiling, a rope around his neck. "And furthermore, tell Tess that she can take this job--" Bill rants at Joel as I gasped in fright.

"Guys..."

"Don't you bring Tess into this!"

"Guys..."

"--she can shove it right up--"

"She's got nothin' to do with--!"

"GUYS!!" I screamed and they stopped shouting at each other and they see the body. "Jesus." Joel whispered in shock as he walks up next to me. I placed my hands over my mouth as Bill looks at the body in utter shock. "What? Do you know this guy or something?" Joel asked him, noticing his look of shock and despair.

"Frank." Bill said, flatly.

"Who the hell's Frank?" I asked after I remove my hand away from my mouth.

"He was my partner. He's the only idiot that would wear a shirt like that." Bill said as he pulls out his machete and cuts the rope down. "He's got bites. Here. And..." Bill said, his voice full of tears, as he points at different parts of Frank's body. I walk up to Bill and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I reckon he didn't want to turn so he..." I whispered then stopped speaking. "Yeah. I guess not." Bill said as he gives a quick nod. He takes a few deep breathes then looks over at me and Joel. "Well fuck him." He said, firmly.

Suddenly, we hear the sound of a pickup starting up. The men and I look at each other then rush to the garage. "Look what I found. It's got some juice in it." Ellie said as we see her on the driver's seat and Bill goes to the hood of the truck. "That's my battery. That fuckin' asshole." Bill grumbles.

Then he shuts the hood and looks at Ellie. "Get out. Get out." He orders her. "Okay, geez." Ellie mutters as she moves out of the seat. Bill gets in and starts the ignition, it makes a noise like it wanted to start but couldn't. "Battery's drained but the cells are alive." He informed us.

"Meaning?" I asked him. "Meaning we push it, get it started and the alternator will recharge the battery." Bill replied as he gets out of the seat. "Is that your guess?" Joel asked him as Bill goes to the hood again. "Look, you wanted a plan B. This is as good as it gets." Bill told him, annoyed, then he goes back to the hood of the truck.

"What're you guys thinking?" Ellie asked us as she walks back to the driver's seat. "Thinkin' you drive and we push." Joel replied and Ellie nods as she sits down in the driver's seat. "I'm gonna look around for supplies." I said to Joel. "Alright. Be careful." Joel said and I smile at him. "Always." I said and I kiss his cheek then start to walk around the house.

****

While looking around, I found piece of paper on a desk. I pick it up to see it is addressed to Bill from Frank.

Well, Bill. I doubt you'd ever find this note cause you were too scared to ever make it to this part of town. But if for some reason you did. I want you to know I hated your guts. I grew tired of this shitty town and of your-set-in-your-ways attitude. I wanted more from life than this and you could never get that. And that stupid battery you kept a moaning about---I got it. But I guess you were right. Trying to leave this town will kill me. Still better than spending another day with you.

Good Luck,

Frank

I give the note a sad look then towards the direction of the garage. I sigh and pocket it for the time being until I found a few more supplies. I make it back to the garage then go over to Bill. "Bill, I uh...I found this in there and I...I figured you should have it." I said as I hand him the letter. He takes it and reads it. "That's how you feel. Well, fuck you too, Frank. Fuckin' idiot." Bill mutters in slight tears. He pockets the letter then sighs.

"You ready to go?" He asked us.

"Alright, Bill, let's do it." Joel said as we get behind the truck and Bill opens the garage door. "Alright, put 'er in first." Bill orders Ellie. "Already did it." Ellie replied. "Just keep your foot on the clutch and when we get to roll...." Bill started to say as he comes to the back of the truck.

"I know how to pop a clutch." Ellie yells at him. "How the hell do--? Y'know what, I don't care. Just don't fuck it up!" Bill yells and we start to push the truck out. "Alright, Ellie, get ready..." I hollered and we get it outside. "Now! Now, hit it. Hit it!" Joel yells as the truck rolls down the driveway. We hear her trying to start the truck but nothing happens as the truck stops in the middle of the road.

"Perfect. Hey -- good job, kid." Bill said, sarcastically, as we run over to the truck. "Bill, not helpin'." I said to him as we get to the truck. "Ellie -- we're gonna give it another go. Stay focused!" Joel yells at her as we push it again. "Guys! On your side to the left!" We hear Ellie yell. The men and I look over to see some runners heading towards us.

"Shit." I muttered and I climb up on the bed of the truck and pull out the shotgun. "You boys keep pushing, I'll take care of them." I said as I aim the gun and shoot at a few infected. "You have really fucked my day up, you know that, Joel, huh?" I hear Bill growl as the continue to push while I look around, keeping an eye out for any more infected.

"Alright, Ellie, get ready!" Joel yells then he looks at me and said. "Honey, brace yourself." I nod as I go to sit down in the bed and the truck hurtles down the small hill. "Alright, Ellie start her up." I said to her and immediately the truck comes alive. "Good job." I said to her as I see Joel and Bill run towards the truck and jump into the bed with me. "Go! Go!" Bill yells while Joel also yells. "Floor it!" And Ellie accelerates the truck and we get away, just in time before more infected headed our way.

****

"Alright, this'll do! Stop!" Bill yells after Ellie drives for a few minutes. She stops the truck as Joel turns. "Just keep it running, alright?" He said and she nods at him while Bill jumps off of the truck. "That girl nearly got us killed." Bill said as we get out of the truck as well. "You gotta admit -- she did hold her own back there." Joel said to him.

"You two ain't gonna make it." Bill laughs and starts to walk away but stops. "Oh, oh, ah... Here." He said as He tosses Joel a siphon. "What's this?" I asked looking at it. "You'd be amazed at how many cars still got gas in 'em." Bill replied. "Appreciate it." Joel said.

"Look, Bill, um, about your buddy back there. Uh...That's a tough deal. And I'm, ah..." I started to say but really didn't know how to finish it. "We square?" He asked us. "We're square." Joel and I said at the same time. "Then get the fuck outta my town." Bill threatens and he walks away. I sighed at this and we head back to the truck, the thunder rolling in the distance.

****

I lean back in the seat and watch the raindrops streak across the window as we hurtled down the road, everything was quiet until.... "Oh, man!" Ellie squealed, frustrated, making Joel and I jump. I thought she was asleep. "Hey, what happened to sleeping?" Joel asked her as he looks at her through the rearview mirror. I turn my head to the backseat as she sits up and holds a comic book. "Okay, I know it doesn't look like it, but this here is not a bad read. Only one problem. Right there." She said as she hold up the last page of the comic. "To be continued! I hate cliffhangers." She said, annoyed.

"Where did you get that?" I asked her. She looks up at me then said. "Uhh, back at Bill's. I mean all this stuff was just lying there." I placed my hand over my eyes and shake my head as Joel sighs. "What else did you get?" He asked her. "Well...Here. This make you two all nostalgic?" She asked as I look to see her holding a cassette tape.

"Y'know, this is actually before our time." I said as Joel takes the tape and looks it. "That is a winner though." He said and he puts the tape in and country music, that I had not heard in years, starts to play. "Oh, man..." Joel mutters, in nostalgia, as I smile and Bob my head slightly to the music.

"Well, better than nothing." Ellie said then I hear her rummaging through her backpack. "Oh, I'm sure your friend will be missing this tonight." She said. "Mm-hmm." Joel and I hum, mindlessly. "Light on the reading, but it's got some interesting photos." She said.

Wait? What?! I thought as I turn around and see that she was holding a porno magazine, with a shirtless man on the cover. "Now, Ellie, that ain't for kids." I warned her as she turns the magazine sideways, which reveals a full photo of the man. "Whoa." She said, astonished. "How...how the hell would he even walk around with that thing?" She asked us, curiously.

"Get rid of that. Just--" Joel and I said as I try to grab it out of her hand but she pulls away from me as she looks through the magazine. "Hold your horses. I wanna see what all the fuss is about." She said then her face turns into confusion. "Oh...why are these all stuck together?" She asked. Joel and I exchange awkward and nervous look at this, not knowing what to say.

"Um..." both of us said, uncomfortable. Then she begins to laugh. "I'm just fucking with you guys." She said then she rolls down the window. "Bye-bye, dude." She said as she tosses the magazine out of the window as we passed a sign that said we were two hundred and forty-two miles from Pittsburgh.

I shake my head once again as she leans forward on the middle console. "You know what? This isn't that bad." She said then she reaches forward and turns up the volume of the radio. "Why don't you try and get some sleep, alright?" Joel said to her, softly. She scoffs at this. "Pft -- I'm not even tired." She said as she leans back in her seat. I chuckle a bit then look over at Joel, who had a small smile on his face. I look down, reach out, grab his right hand and we start to hold hands.

His thumb strokes the back of my hand as I said. "If you get tired, let me know and I'll take over." He shakes his head slightly and said. "I'll be fine. You just go ahead and get some rest."

"Fine. But the offer still stands." I said then he brings my hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it. I smile fondly at him as he said. "I know." I chuckled, lightly, as I look towards the backseat and see that Ellie had passed out. "Thought she wasn't tired." I muttered as we both laugh just a little.

At that moment, I begin to yawn and felt my eyes starting to get heavy. "Go ahead and rest. You're not gonna hurt my feelings." Joel said and I lean my head up against the head rest and start to close my eyes.

"I love you." I hear him say, softly.

"I love you, too." I said before I fall asleep.

117 notes · View notes

jeanna-nottaylor-swift · 5 years

Text

Part 4.) Hard Rain

I Cant Fight Without You.

The boat ride was relaxing. Virgil had some food they all shared, and he knew the way to New Orleans. He says CEDA is there taking care of the 'Apocalypse'.

Nick slept on Ellis' shoulder while he and Rochelle played UNO. Coach sat with Virgil and talked about anything.

Looking down at the gas tank, Virgil realized he was low on gas. Luckily he knew the area well, and knew there was a small town off shore that sells diesel.

"I'll leave an anchor just off shore, for ya. Just signal me when you got the gas." Virgil called as he dropped the survivors off on a small dock.

"What are we gunna signal him with?" Nick asked, watching Virgil drive off.

"Oh! There's flares in the gun bag." Ellis cracked his neck.

"What gun bag?"

"You forgot the guns?!"

"Me?! Who died an made me gun monitor?"

"Uh pretty much everybody."

A few handheld weapons lied in front of a white truck, each person grabbed a small weapon, and two proceeded inside and two climbed the car and onto the roof.

Nick and Ellis ran in and grabbed health packs, then guns before killing the infected inside.

Rochelle and Coach killed the zombies on the roof before going down into the restaurant. They also grabbed much needed essentials.

Zombies surrounded the outside, and ran inside once the group came into sight. Nick sniped from the roof, and Ellis beat them from inside, Rochelle shot the ones coming in the back, and Coach was outside killing the infected.

The street sign across the street blinked "Ducatel Diesel" "Next gas 2 miles"

"Looks like we gotta head to this Ducatel place." Ellis confirmed.

"What makes you think they still have gas?" Nick contradicted.

"'Cause if they don't, we're gonna be stuck here forever, Nick." Coach narrowed his eyes.

It seems like Coach has had enough of Nick's shit.

Ellis picked up on the sour mood and ran ahead, encouraging his remaining teammates to follow him, in silence.

A wooden board was up against a fence and they climbed up it. Zombies were scattered along the back yard, and they ran towards the people, climbing up the fence just to get to them. They're basic, though, so the group has no problem fighting them off.

There was no way to go around the houses, so they had to climb up a ladder that was against a trailer. Nick let Coach and Rochelle go up and over, once they had made it over the fence; he stood in front of the ladder, preventing Ellis from going up. Nick smiled a devilish grin, that sent a chill down Ellis' spine.

Ellis knew what was going to happen next, and his face got hot.

Nick grabbed ahold of Ellis' shoulders and pinned him against the trailer. Tilting the shorter boys head up, Nick kissed him. It was passionate, and simply amazing.

Though Nick would never admit it, he was actually nervous to make the first move, but he couldn't see Ellis pulling him from his teammates to kiss him.

Ellis relaxed as the kiss progressed. It was different from his previous relationships, it was nice, and just felt good, not to say his others were bad, it was just... different, and he couldn't explain.

Rochelle knocked on the fence, scaring the shit out of the two boys.

"You guys coming? Or what?"

"Y-yeah!" Ellis stuttered, climbing the ladder.

Better weapons were on the ground besides the trailer. Ellis grabbed a golf club, and Nick kept his axe.

Across the street was a playground.

They had to remember 'land marks' for the return trip.

"Is it raining? Oh, never mind, it is." Ellis looked up.

Nick rolled his eyes at his stupid companion.

Rochelle saw what was going on between the two boys, it was hard to know whether Coach could see it or not. He has stopped caring a long time ago. He just wanted to get to New Orleans.

The survivors were greeted with a ton of zombies once they cut through houses. Special infected joined them. A jockey leaped on Nick, and a hunter on Coach.

Rochelle and Ellis couldn't help right away, due to the amount of zombies that swarmed them.

Rochelle shoved them back, and ran to help Nick who was being pulled around by the jockey.

Coach was being torn by the hunter and Ellis couldn't get to him. If he didn't act fast, Coach would die.

Ellis remembered he had a pipe bomb in his pocket, shoving the zombies back; he quickly lit it and threw it, and the zombies ignored him and ran after the beeping device.

Ellis pushed the hunter off of Coach and killed it. Then he pulled Coach to his feet.

The zombies exploded and none remained. Ellis pulled out his health pack and started to patch Coach up, "Here ya go. I had no use for this anyhow, I ain't gonna get shot."

Once ready; the group proceeded across the street to a play ground, over a gate and through more houses.

Nick decided they should search the houses for supplies. They were a lot nicer that the place before. There wasn't much, no food, little furniture. An unused Molotov sat on the kitchen counter. Ellis took it. Coach handed him a health pack he found. Then they moved to the next one.

The light sprinkle turned into a slightly harder rain.

Nick took the lead as they went in and out of houses. They were family homes. Ones a married couple would have with a child. A brief thought ran through Nick's head: him and Ellis sitting on a love seat in front of a fire enjoying each other's company. Nick would have his arm around Ellis' shoulder, while he leaned on him. It'd be the start of a family he had always wanted. Nick would protect Ellis, and Ellis would stand by him.

He smiled despite himself, because he knew that could never happen. Not in his lifetime. But it was nice, the thought of spending his life with someone. And Ellis was that person.

A similar thought ran through his head as well. Ellis really liked Nick. His personality was so different from his own, yet he was so similar. It's only been a few days, but it's felt like forever.

A parked ambulance was in the middle of the street, and the group scavenged it for medical items. A smoker grabbed Ellis and dragged him away from his teammates, "NO!"

Coach got to them first and rescued his confined friend.

Once everyone was settled, Rochelle took the lead and they all continued down a street. Shooting a few zombies here and there. A tank stayed hidden in an open garage, until he spotted Rochelle, then he growled and came at her. Sending her flying, the others protected her by shooting the tank.

It put up a fight, a pretty good one.

It left the team weak and tired.

"I have not come this far, to die now." Nick groaned, his vision a tad gone hazy. He took some pills, but that was only a temporary boost. A garage sale was down the street, and they used that as another land mark. Guns lie on the table, and they all restocked. It was either go through the house or down the alleyway along the side. They decided to just take the path on the side, the faster they get the diesel the faster they can leave.

Just down the street was a safe house in the second floor of a house. In a hurry to get to safety, the survivors run to the house. Ellis shut the big red door and locked it. "Okay, who here didn't think we were gonna make it?" With a teasing tone, he smiled with relief and wiped the sweat from his face.

Nick knew he was teasing, but a familiar feeling sat in the pit of his stomach; fear. Flashes of Ellis bleeding out in his arms terrified him. He nervously looked at him as he and Rochelle talk about something.

Ellis smiles at the interesting conversation and it relaxed him a little. Nick was so afraid of losing Ellis. He liked him... A lot, and he knew that feeling was mutual. He couldn't imagine being on a team without Ellis. Of course; his facial features never changed, everything he felt was inside. The only affection he ever showed was to Ellis. He was cold and angry. He never showed any emotion, that was how he was raised.

The clouds grew grey as the rain hardens. They stepped down the stairs and out of the safe house, to continue their journey for more gas, they'd need to go through the Ducatel Sugar Co. because the road was blocked. The place had boarded up windows and clearly hasn't been used in a long time.

A sign hung at the top of the building, "Stay away! Witches!"

It wasn't the first warning they gotten about witches; it was written all over the safe house.

A broken window was their entrance inside, but as soon as they went back outside through the back door, a witch was heard as she walked around in the rain. Since she was moving, it was a lot easier to move around her. Into the back parts of the mill, there was a lot of outside industrial working parts, and a lot of the basic zombies wore the uniforms. Going around pipes, the survivors made into the production section of the sugar mill. Machinery were everywhere and coated with rain water. Different witch echoes could be heard in different areas. There was about three of them nearby.

"Shit... IM about to start crying in a minute." Ellis spoke quietly. "Nick, you ever see so many witches? Ho-lee shit!" An opening lead to a small open area and an authorization only trailer. They stocked up and headed for the mill. Up three flights of stairs, an elevator lead down to a cane field. A gas sigh could be seen from the third story. Coach called the elevator up, and it made an awful squeak that called the zombies to attention. A hunter ran up the stairs and pounced on Rochelle. A boomer threw up on her and Nick sending the zombies in their way. Nick killed the hunter and Coach killed the boomer. Ellis killed the infected climbing up the side of the sugar mill building. It took about five minutes for the old elevator to come up. They hurried inside and went back down.

A cane field was tricky to go through. The stalks here high, and you couldn't see over them, really. They could still see the sign, however. They followed that to get out. Three of them made it out, and Nick rolled his eyes once he realized Ellis wasn't one of them. "Dumbass must have gotten lost." He huffed and turned back to go find his stupid partner. Coach and Rochelle stayed out of the field and killed the zombies around the gas station.

Ellis sat on a pipe in the rain waiting for his teammates to return.

Nick smirked at the sight of him looking at his hands, all sad like in the rain. He looked like a lost puppy.

He grabbed Ellis' hand and slightly pulled him through the cane field and back out. Ellis looked down in embarrassment, and it was probably the cutest thing Nick had ever seen.

Since Rochelle and Coach took care of the zombies, they ran into the safe house with ease and in there was four large green cases of diesel. And they all grabbed one and patched themselves up before heading out again. With the gas strapped to their backs, Rochelle asked, "Does everybody have enough gas? I do not want to make this trip again."

The survivors go back outside for the return trip to Virgil.

Zombies swarmed the group, and it was poring outside. Thunder cracked and lightning strikes.

Once it settled down and the zombies were dead, they went back through the cane field.

Nick held on to Ellis' wrist to keep him from getting lost again, because if that were to happen, there'd be a good chance Nick couldn't find him in the storm.

At the sugar mill, Coach called the elevator back up, once everyone was inside. A spitter stood outside the gate, and spat before it was open. The acid burned as they ran out, and Nick shot the long-necked infected. A boomer stood in an opening next to Ellis, who didn't see it. Rochelle shot it, and it exploded, sending Ellis over the edge, covered in goo. Zombies that were attracted to the smell came running up to the third floor of the sugar mill. Surrounding Ellis who was hanging on the edge, and Nick shoved them off before pulling Ellis back to safety.

They quickly ran back down the stairs to see the ground they once walked on was completely flooded.

"We can climb over this tank." Ellis called out as he climbed up a yellow ladder. Back to the machinery, and down on to it. Witches cries are echoed through the area.

The storm came back and it was hard to see, they stayed still until it cleared up.

Retracing their steps, they made it out and around the sugar company.

They returned to their safe house they were in before. It had completely flooded the town ahead.

The storm came back again once they stepped outside. It was there only for a few minutes, then it cleared up and they were able to proceed.

Ellis noticed a ladder pressed up the side of a house. "Hey we can walk along the roofs!"

The water came up to their calfs and slowed them down.

Nick threw a pipe bomb to draw the zombies away from the building, then explode them.

Ellis watched carefully to make sure Nick was safe. He let him take the lead so he could keep an eye on him. Ellis liked Nick... A lot... He hoped maybe even prayed that Nick returned his feelings. The trail of roof tops came to an end and the survivors had to proceed in to the water. They saw a familiar house and ran inside to escape the oncoming storm. Outside was the garage sale they had once passed. A tank caught sight of them and ran through the water in his barbaric ways. The storm returned and it was hard to see his giant fist throw Rochelle into a parked red car, setting off its alarm.

The zombies in workers uniform could be seen trough the storm. Once the tank was dead they continued on ahead.

Past the ambulance, and down the street. And through the sides of the houses.

"The play ground!" Ellis called out as he climbed over the blown down fence. A safe house could be seen down the street, a light shines outside of it. They were so close to the safety when a spitter caused them to back up. Rochelle killed her and they eventually made their way back inside.

Rochelle sat on the couch and Ellis sat on the counter.

Nick leaned on the counter beside Ellis. "What are we gonna signal him with?" Nick asked, meaning Virgil.

"We can use the Burger Tank sign to signal him." Coach answered.

"All right, sounds like a plan." Rochelle stood up.

Everyone was ready, and headed out the door. To the left of the door was the white trailer from before. Both of the boys looked at it and the memory of a sweet moment came back.

Ellis blushed and Nick smiled slightly before moving along. Zombies swarmed the fast food restaurant. It took about 10 minutes to kill them all, plus the hidden specials. Ellis climbed up the ladder to the roof of the building. A cable box was opened and Ellis flipped the switch, "Sign is on, baby, sign is on!" He smiled jumping into the building. Everyone still had their diesel, and restocked their weapons. The group just hoped Virgil could see the sign in that damned storm.

Nick and Ellis fought outside the back of the store closest to the dock. Rochelle and Coach soon followed. Zombies fought the group, and once they were dead, a tank climbed over the fence and attacked the survivors.

It sent Nick soaring onto the dock. Coach and Ellis shot it from behind, it charged after them and Nick shot it down before it could reach Ellis. Another horde came around and just like the last; was taken care of quickly. Along with the tank, they're getting better at this whole "Zombie Apocalypse" thing.

A horn honked and Virgil was coming.

A charger charged Nick into the building and Ellis ran after him. At the same time a smoker dragged Coach near the dock, and Rochelle had to cut him loose. A tank was coming and it chased the boys out of the restaurant, Coach and Rochelle had already made it onto the boat. Once the boys got on Virgil sped away as fast as possible, leaving the tank and zombies behind.

They made a stop once it was safe to refill the gas, and they were on their way.

Sure it's never be the perfect life Ellis wanted; white picnic fence a big house and yard, a family... but as long as he had Nick, none of that mattered.

Nick wasn't sure what to think. He didn't believe in 'fate' but Nick wouldn't have met Ellis if this didn't happen, maybe it was fate...

#l4d2 #l4d #left 4 dead 2 #left 4 dead #nellis #nick x ellis #gaybies #lol

8 notes · View notes