#the hair at the top of my head sticks out violently unless it's long enough to weigh itself down.

[joziokowalski]

looking for pictures of the haircut i want to me is like dealing with a foreign language but harder. i have no idea how haircuts work & the only thing i know for sure is it's not going to look the same on me anyway

[rosiehunterwolf]

@fabro-de-omres HOLD UP BESTIE, I GOT ONE LAST FIC FOR YOUR LIST-

Star-Ninja!

Prompts: Siblings and Competition

Word Count: 5,884

Characters: The ninja

Timeline: Snapshots throughout the series

Trigger Warnings: None

Summary: What happens when the loveable gremlin the ninja adopted off of the streets introduces them to Starfarer comics?

Chaos ensues, of course.

Read on FFN.net

Read on Ao3

Tumblr work under the cut

“Take that! And that! Oh, yeah-” Jay leaped to his feet, grinning. “Die, lava zombies, die!”

Level complete. The words flashed across the screen, and Jay whooped. Only one more level and he would beat Zane’s high score.

“You could’ve beaten it faster if you had taken out the little guys first.”

Jay whipped around to see the little wispy-haired kid draped over the arm of the couch, staring at the TV screen with a glazed, listless look in his eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Jay snapped.

“I’m borrrred,” he whined, kicking his legs against the couch. “Can I play with you?”

“No.”

“Can I use the training course?”

“No, you’re not a ninja.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“It’s not our job to entertain you, kid.”

“I didn’t ask to be kidnapped by you,” Lloyd snapped.

Jay felt his face flush. “So you’d rather still be with the Serpentine?”

“Well no, I just wanna have a choice!”

Jay stared at him for a moment. I don’t know his whole story. He’s a kid who’s been dealt a bad hand in life. He exhaled slowly. “Look, Lloyd, you’re just a kid. I know it’s hard for you to understand- but you’ve caused a lot of trouble. The Serpentine are dangerous, and you don’t know enough to deal with them. You just gotta trust us, okay?”

Lloyd sighed dramatically, sliding off of the couch and onto the floor. “Yeah, whatever.”

Jay rolled his eyes. “Can’t you find something to do for a little while? Please? I’ll talk with Sensei about what we’re going to do with you as soon as he gets back.”

To his surprise, Lloyd actually left him alone, and Jay turned back to his game. He knew it wasn’t a very responsible move, but he had never agreed to babysit the kid. Besides, they were going hunting for Serpentine again tomorrow, so it would likely be Jay’s last chance to have some downtime for an entire week.

By the time Jay had finally beaten the top score, his fingers were sore from playing. Flopping onto the couch, he glanced up at the clock. It had been an hour since he had sent Lloyd off, and he hadn’t heard so much as a peep from the kid.

Jay had only known him for a couple of days, but already that seemed like suspicious behavior.

He headed into the storage room that Sensei had scrapped together into a makeshift bedroom for his nephew. Lloyd was sprawled across his mattress, reading a book.

I guess he’s not up to anything. I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge him. Jay turned to leave before stopping suddenly and whirling back around.

“Hey!” he yanked the book out of Lloyd’s hands. “Is this a Starfarer comic? Have you been snooping around in my room?”

“No! I haven’t touched your stupid stuff. Figures, the one time I actually didn’t do anything wrong, you blame me.”

“Have you not heard of The Boy who Cried Wolf?” “What?”

“Nevermind.” Jay examined the comic. It was an old edition, but not one he owned. Besides, the cover was wrinkled and there were dog ears on several pages. Jay would never treat his comics so harshly. “If it’s not mine, then whose is it?”

“It’s mine. Is it so hard to believe that I don’t steal everything?’

“No, I mean, you like Starfarer?”

“Of cou- I, uh, I mean, Starfarer’s for babies, ha. I’m only reading this because it’s the only book I have and you wouldn’t give me anything else to do.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I guess I’ll have to go enjoy my Starfarer comic collection on my own, then. Since it’s too babyish for big kids like you.”

“Your what?” Lloyd was suddenly sticking to him like a barnacle. “You collect Starfarer comics?”

“Not just comics.” He grinned as he watched Lloyd’s eyes widen. “Movies, posters, action figures- you name it.”

“No way! Can I see? Please, please? Just for a second-” Jay put a hand on his shoulder, holding him back. “Hang on, kiddo. I thought Starfarer was for babies?”

Lloyd shifted on his feet. “Well, I didn’t really mean that, I just- I was just testing you!”

Jay raised an eyebrow, smothering a laugh. “Uh huh. If you’re such a master, why aren’t you reading the new comics?”

Lloyd looked down, shuffling his feet. “I… this is the newest one I have. We didn’t really get many opportunities to buy what we wanted at Darkley’s. Especially not a book about superheroes. Because we were super busy being evil and stuff, heh.”

Jay felt his heart twist. Am I really pitying Lloyd Garmadon right now just because of some comics?

Although, when he looked at Lloyd now, he didn’t see the annoying, mischievous son of a villain. He saw a wide-eyed, naive kid looking at Jay with such hope that it was hard not to feel a strong urge to protect him from the burdens of the world.

Jay crouched down next to him. “Y’know what? I’ll show you my newer comics. You can even keep some, if you like.”

“Really? You’re not messing with me?”

“As long as you promise not to treat them like that.” Jay gestured towards the wrinkled comic. “Seriously, dude, you better go wash your grubby little hands before I even let you within five feet of my stuff.”

Jay didn’t think he’d ever seen Lloyd be in such a hurry to do anything.

---

“What’s this do?”

Nya snatched Lloyd’s hand away from the control panel. “Don’t touch that!”

“But what about-”

“Or that! Just-” She took a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair. “Don’t touch anything unless I specifically tell you to, okay?”

“Well, then what am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know, find something. I’m not here to babysit you, Lloyd, I’m managing the comms. It’s important to make sure we stay in touch with the guys when they are on their mission.”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” he huffed. “Why couldn’t they take me with them? I am a ninja now. I could’ve bashed in some Serpentine heads!”

Nya glanced at him, glaring defiantly in his oversized gi. “I’d hardly call you a ninja, squirt. You haven’t even grown into that gi yet.”

“Yes, I have! See, it fits me perfectly!”

“...Lloyd, those pant legs almost completely cover your shoes.”

“They do not! Uncle Wu said I was a ninja.”

“A ninja in training, at best,” Nya corrected.

“What’s the use of being the green ninja if I don’t get anything fun out of it?”

“One day, green machine. You just have to be patient.”

He groaned loudly, flopping onto the chair. “I hate being patient.”

“No! You? Impatient? Who would’ve guessed?”

“Can’t you at least show me how to turn on the alarms?”

“No. Alarms are for emergencies only.”

“It is an emergency! I’m going to die of boredom!”

“Fine,” Nya relented. “What do I have to do to get you to leave me alone- and stay out of trouble? Can I rent you a movie?”

“Ooh, can I watch Zombies: Back for Revenge? Or Ghost Story? Or Dawn of Destruction?”

“Nope, nope, and nope. Too scary, too mature, too violent. Pick something more family-friendly, Lloyd.”

He pouted. “Kai got to watch those movies.”

“Yeah, well, Kai’s older than you and is responsible for his own actions. If you watch those, you’ll be up all night with nightmares and Sensei will never trust me again.”

“I won’t have nightmares! He’ll never know! Please, Nya.”

“No. End of discussion. Pick something else or nothing at all. Remember, it’s my money paying for the movie here. What about those… space wars movies you love?”

“It’s Starfarer,” Lloyd snapped, although his expression looked considerably lighter. “There’s one I haven’t seen yet…”

After Lloyd showed her the movie and she paid for it, Nya turned back to the control panel and checked for messages from the guys. Still nothing.

She really hated when they left her in the dark like that.

There were sounds of explosions from behind her, and a cheer from Lloyd- she glanced over her shoulder to see him grinning gleefully at the screen as the main characters blew something up. She shook her head- what was it with young boys and explosions?- but she couldn’t stop a smile from creeping onto her face. Glancing over at the comms, she double-checked that no one had said anything.

The guys obviously weren’t taking the effort to communicate with her. It wouldn’t hurt to take a quick break.

Sitting down next to Lloyd, she focused her attention on the movie. It seemed nonsensical and boring at first, but after a bit, Lloyd started explaining things to her, and, to her surprise, she found herself happy to listen. As it got later, his talking slowed, and at some point- Nya couldn’t quite identify when- Lloyd was leaning against her side, snuggling with their shared blanket.

Nya watched him carefully. She hadn’t cuddled with anyone like this since she had been younger, with Kai- but then, she had been the younger one, the one being protected. Now, she was experiencing what she imagined Kai must’ve felt, and despite how annoying he could be, Nya felt a strong urge to pull him close and never let him go.

She understood their reluctance to let Lloyd fight fully now. She didn’t want to ever send him off into battle, especially not the Final Battle.

How could this sweet, stubborn little wisp of a child be the green ninja?

Many hours and three movies later, Nya was afraid to even look at the clock. Rubbing Lloyd’s head, she murmured, “It’s way past your bedtime, kiddo.”

“‘m not tired,'” he mumbled in an obviously tired voice.

“I already let you stay up way later than you should be.”

“Just one more movie!” “Lloyd! These things are two hours long!”

“I promise I’ll go right to bed after!”

“That’s what you said after the last one.”

“Well, I really mean it this time.”

“No way.”

“Please?” Lloyd suddenly looked a lot more nervous, twisting his hands together. “Just… just until we hear something. From the ninja.”

“Oh, Lloyd.” She put a hand on his back. “It’s okay. They’re okay. Most likely, they just forgot to report back. They do that all the time.”

“But we don’t know that.”

“...Yeah. You’re right. We don’t.”

“Is it always this scary? Waiting for them to talk to you, not knowing what’s going on?”

Nya nodded slowly. “Yeah, a lot of the time it is, bud. But eventually, you learn to trust them. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t worry about their safety, but I know they are strong and capable and can take care of themselves.” Lloyd nodded. “That makes sense.”

He still didn’t look quite content with her answer, though. Nya leaned in, murmuring to him.

“Tell you what. What if we watch half of one more movie?”

Man, she was turning into such a disgustingly gross softie for this kid so fast, wasn’t she.

But the wide, genuine smile that split across his face made it worth it.

---

Kai stood in front of the long expanse of bookshelves, stacked with dozens and dozens of comics.

“Excuse me,” Kai gestured to the nearest bookstore employee, and he walked over. “Which part is the Starfarer section?”

The employee blinked at him. “You’re already in it. This entire wall is Starfarer.”

Kai gawked at the wall in utter amazement. There had to be at least a hundred books there. How were these many Starfarer comics even possible?

“Which one is the best one?” he asked the employee.

The man pushed his glasses up his nose, looking increasingly annoyed with Kai’s lack of Starfarer knowledge. “That’s hardly a straightforward question. Starfarer is our most popular franchise, they’re all popular. It’s impossible to pick one book. If you’re looking for our most popular selling comics of all time, that would be volumes 1, 32, 45, and 79. As for comics trending right now, that, of course, would be the most recent ones, 273 through 282. Although volume 13 has seen a sudden influx in readership. If you are looking for those with the best ratings-”

How do I say, ‘which comic is best for my little brother who was just aged up several years, without warning, and I want to help him regain his sense of childhood?’

Deciding this wasn’t going to be helpful, Kai gently dismissed the employee and began looking on his own. He tried to pick out ones with interesting covers, but ended up throwing many of them back after skimming the summaries on the back.

That wasn’t working very well either, and Kai was just about to throw the towel in and grab some random comics and hope for the best- or worse, call Jay and ask for help- when he decided to open one comic to skim it.

This quickly turned into a mistake, because before Kai knew it, five minutes had turned into an hour, and he had completely finished the comic. One comic turned into two, then five. He only was able to yank himself from his reading when he got a text from Zane asking where he was and that dinner was going to be ready soon.

Gathering up a large handful of the comics he had liked, Kai headed back towards the Bounty on his motorbike.

He found Lloyd on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with earbuds in. He pulled them out when he saw Kai, his gaze darting curiously towards the stack of comics.

“I got you these,” Kai said, setting them down next to him. “I know things are… different now, with you being older, but you’re always going to be my little brother. And I wanted you to know that just because you’re physically older doesn’t mean you have to stop doing the things you love. So if you still want to make doodles for our fridge, or make your food into shapes on your plate, or read Starfarer comics, no one’s going to judge you.”

Lloyd picked up a comic, slowly leafing through it. He was quiet for so long that Kai began to worry that he had completely messed something up. But when he finally spoke, he simply said, “You read it.”

“I… what?”

A smile spread across Lloyd’s face. “You read these before you bought them. Didn’t you?”

Kai spluttered. “I- what? That doesn’t make any sense! You have no proof!”

“The pages are creased over here. You always crease back the pages when you have a book. And there’s a slight depression here that shows the presence of fingers. Too big to be Jay’s or Nya’s, and too small to be Zane’s or Cole’s.”

Kai blinked at him. “You pay way too much attention to people, don’t you?”

“Hey, I paid attention during training, y’know!”

“More than we give you credit for, apparently.”

“I just can’t believe I spent all those months trying to pressure you to read Starfarer and you suddenly pick it up when I’m not even forcing you.”

“Shut up.” Kai shoved him gently. “It was a one-time thing. I was only doing it so I could find a comic you would like,”

“Yeah, so it makes sense you would look at them for five hours.”

“How did you- I mean, I didn’t go to the bookstore right away! I was doing other things! I only went there a few minutes before I came home!”

“Oh, yeah?” Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “What ‘other things?’”

“Uh, very important ninja business, like, um… patrol?”

“Cole returned from patrol two hours ago.”

“Well, this was a super-secret different patrol that Cole doesn’t even know about.”

“Really. Does Sensei know?”

“Nope. Just me.”

Lloyd elbowed him playfully. “You’re gonna have to watch all the movies with me now, y’know.”

“No way. Aren’t there like, fifty of those?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“No, thanks.”

“You have to! It’s part of the experience. Wait until I tell Jay you’re into it now.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“You bet I would!” Lloyd looked over at the pile of comics again, examining them more closely. “Nice, these are some good ones. Which ones did you read?”

“Um. The ones I bought?”

Lloyd looked up at him, his grin fading. “But like… not just these, right? You read others? In between them?”

“No… is this supposed to be some sort of poke at me being a slow reader-”

“No! I just can’t believe you read them in this order! Seriously, you couldn’t have gotten it any more wrong! You’ve ruined the whole series for yourself!”

“Oh, that’s such a shame, guess you better not tell Jay, then-”

“Oh, no way, you’re still getting into the fandom. We’re going to fix this. Come look at my comics. We’re going to read them together, and I’m gonna show you how to do it right.”

“Oh, is that Zane calling for dinner-”

“Nice try,” Lloyd smirked. “But you’ve entered the Starfarer fandom now. You’re in it, good and deep. There’s no coming back from this, Kai.”

“Glad to see your psychotic gremlin tendencies weren’t lost in the tea,” Kai grumbled. “Probably the one thing I could’ve gone without.”

---

“Are you out of your mind? The movie adaptions of Starfarer are way better.”

“Okay, there is clearly no hope left for you, Lloyd. The show is far superior to any of the movies.”

“Are you kidding? The budget for the show was so much lower! They just used a bunch of cheap, corny special effects, the movies were much smoother!”

“Visuals aren’t the most important thing, Lloyd. The show had a smaller storyboard team, meaning their ideas were more consistent and developed. The plot is overall much more in-depth in the show, and the extended time also gives them more space to do what they want.”

“It also leaves a lot of space for pointless filler! The movies are more direct. Every scene is important. Whereas I can name half a dozen episodes from the show- and that’s just on the top of my head- that were completely useless and would not change the plot at all if discarded.”

“You’re insane, every filler episode had importance! Some just showed it in smaller ways than others.”

“They could’ve fit the minor details into the other episodes!”

“Yeah, but filler is nice sometimes. Getting some more chill episodes between all the action is good.”

“No way, they’re boring and ruin the pacing. The movies have you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole thing.”

Zane sighed, glancing over at Jay and Lloyd. Their argument was getting increasingly more physical, with each boy attempting to tower over the other- not an easy task, considering they were both short.

“Can you two please be quiet? Or at least take this somewhere else? I’m trying to watch the news to make sure there aren’t any danger reports in Ninjago City.”

Jay suddenly whirled on him. “Zane! That’s it!”

“...What’s it?”

“Zane should decide! Which is better? The Starfarer movies, or the show?” Turning to Lloyd, he added, “Since he’s a nindroid, he’ll be the least biased of all of us.”

“One problem,” Lloyd said. “Zane hasn’t watched either.”

“Well, then, he’ll have to watch them,” Jay shrugged.

Zane glanced back and forth between them. “You want me to watch twenty-seven movies. And all seven seasons of the TV show. Just to help you win a disagreement.”

“It’s actually eight seasons,” Lloyd corrected.

“Exactly!” Jay beamed. “You’ll do great. Get back to us when you’ve watched them all and have formed an opinion. The sooner the better, so that I can prove Lloyd wrong as quickly as possible.”

“Hey! If anything, I’m going to prove you wrong!” “No way! The show-”

“Okay, okay, I’ll do it!” Zane stood up suddenly, putting his hands between them before another argument could break out. “Just stop fighting. Please.”

“You got yourself a deal,” Jay winked.

Two weeks and over a hundred hours of content later, Jay and Lloyd were staring at him expectantly over the dinner table.

“Well? What’s the verdict?”

Zane blinked at them with glassy eyes. “They were both very good. I enjoyed them. However, I feel like I never want to watch a minute of Starfarer ever again.”

“Seriously?” Lloyd fumed. “We waited all this time for him to not even properly answer the question?”

“Who cares about the question?” Cole grumbled. “Zane was so tired from watching your guys’ dumb Starfarer stuff, he messed up the gumbo.” Cole drew a spoon listlessly through the stew. “This is my favorite meal. I’m never forgiving you guys for messing it up.”

“Starfarer isn’t stupid,” Jay and Lloyd cried at once. They blinked at each other, surprised, and Kai and Nya laughed.

“I think that’s the first thing they’ve agreed on all week,” Nya grinned.

“It won’t last,” Kai murmured to her as the green and blue ninja set on Cole for his statement on Starfarer. “I give them two days to find something else to bicker about.”

---

“Hurry, Nya, he’s almost at the navigation!”

“I’m trying!” Nya bit her lip, an iron grip on her video game controller. “He’s sabotaged the security system!”

“No-”

Game over flashed across the screen, and Jay leaped to his feet, cheering. Nya rolled her eyes, tossing down her controller, while Zane, Lloyd, and Kai watched with disappointment.

“I can’t believe he won again,” Kai huffed. “How is he still undefeated? We’ve been playing this game for weeks.”

“I thought you were supposed to be good at this, Lloyd,” Nya grumbled. “You’re the Starfarer expert. You’ve got so many hours logged on here.”

“I’d like to point out that I’ve gotten closer to beating him than any of you have,” he snapped. “The last time I was only seconds away from winning.”

“Yeah, well, close isn’t good enough,” Kai said. “We need to beat him. Otherwise, it will get to his head.”

“Clearly none of us are going to be winning any time soon,” Nya groaned.

“There is someone who hasn’t played against him yet,” Zane mused. “Someone who has a track record of beating Jay’s top scores in games.”

Five gazes drifted towards the chair on the other side of the room. Cole looked up from his book when he realized the others were looking at him. “What do you want this time?”

“You gotta beat Jay in Starfarer: Alien Invasion 3,” Lloyd insisted, at his side immediately. “He’s undefeated. You know how unbearable he gets when he’s cocky.”

Cole blinked slowly up at them. “I don’t know the first thing about Starfarer.”

“I can teach you,” Lloyd begged. “Just do it. Please. Since when have you passed up an opportunity to beat Jay in something?”

Jay grinned. “Admit it, guys, I’ve defeated you. There’s no way Cole will ever win against me.”

Cole stood up abruptly. “Oh yeah? We’ll see about that. Lloyd, give me that controller. Jay’s about to get a serving of humility.”

For what appeared to be just another mundane rendition of a classic monster-fighter game, it surprised Cole to find it was actually much more complex and engaging.

It would’ve actually been really fun, had Jay not been so ridiculously goated at the game.

“What? Your character is invulnerable to the imperial sludge? How is that fair?”

Jay scoffed. “If you had read the Aliens Strike Back arc of Starfarer comics, you would’ve known that.”

“This totally isn’t fair. You have a bunch of background knowledge on Starfarer that I don’t.”

“It’s not our fault you’re the only one who hasn’t read or watched any Starfarer,” Lloyd said.

“Oh no,” Cole groaned. “You guys are dragging me into this too, aren’t you?”

---

“Where’s my copy of issue 117 of Starfarer?”

Jay looked up from the counter, where he was munching on crackers. “Like I would know, Lloyd. It’s not my responsibility to keep track of where you put your stuff.”

“I know exactly where I put it. But it’s gone now! I left it on my nightstand last night, right next to my bed. I haven’t touched it since.”

“Well, evidently, you have, since it’s not there now.”

“No, I didn’t touch it! Someone must’ve moved it!”

“And? I don’t see how this is my problem.”

“Everyone knows you’re the biggest Starfarer fanboy on the team apart from me, and I happen to be aware that you don’t own that particular comic.”

“I didn’t steal your comic, Lloyd.”

“Oh yeah? Then what happened to it?”

“Don’t ask me!” “You know that’s my favorite issue, Jay.”

“So? You think I’d take it just to spite you?”

“I think you’d-”

He cut off as Kai meandered into the kitchen, eating crackers and reading a comic.

Lloyd’s eyes widened. “Hey! That’s my missing comic!”

Kai glanced up at him. “You said I could borrow it.” “I did not! And give it to me, before you get cracker crumbs all over it!”

Kai rolled his eyes as Lloyd snatched it from him. “Alright, fine, take your dumb comic.”

Jay crossed his arms. “I think you owe me an apology, Lloyd.”

Lloyd stuck his tongue out at him, and Jay returned the gesture.

“Hey!” They turned to see Nya strolling into the room behind Kai, elbowing her brother sharply. “You said I could have that comic once you finished it.”

“Seriously, Kai? You can’t go around giving my comic to people without asking.”

“I wasn’t going to give it to her! She’s lying!” “Excuse me? You literally just said that like ten minutes ago-”

Zane and Cole joined them not long after, glancing around. “Guys! What’s with all the racket?”

“Kai promised me his Starfarer comic after he was done-”

“It’s not Kai’s, it’s mine! And he took it from me without asking and just auctioned it off to Nya!” “I didn’t auction off anything, it’s not like she paid me for it. Although, that's honestly not a bad idea…”

“What is this, a monopoly?” Jay asked. “We’re not paying for comics we already own, that’s dumb.”

“Yeah,” Lloyd agreed, “especially when they were mine in the first place.”

“Liar! Most of them were mine!” Jay insisted. “I should get dominion over my own comics!”

“Just because you own the most doesn’t mean you own all of them,” Lloyd countered. “You may have more comics by sheer number, but I have more rare comics than you and, overall, my comics have a higher value.”

“I’m sick of you two always deciding everything about Starfarer,” Cole said. “Why can’t one of us regulate the comics?”

“Whoever gets control over the comics is just going to have bias and distribute them to their advantage.”

“I think I would be the most responsible man for the job-”

“Stop lying to yourself, dirtclod, I’d obviously be better-”

“Better than Kai, yeah, if you’re trying to set the bar low.”

“Excuse me?”

“Guys,” Lloyd interrupted, slamming his fists down on the table. “There’s only one solution to settle this. We have a competition. Winner gets control over the Starfarer comics for… let’s say, the next six months.”

Kai cracked his knuckles, grinning. “You had me at competition.”

---

“When you said, ‘competition,’ somehow I was expecting something a little more grandiose than this.”

The ninja had gathered around the kitchen table, glancing down at the box Lloyd had dropped there. Starfarer: Galaxy Wars, it read.

“Yeah, Lloyd,” Cole agreed. “A board game? Seriously?”

“Not just any board game. The most popular, most difficult, most fun game out there. It is truly for the Starfarer master. Part roleplay, part strategy, part trivia- it puts your Starfarer knowledge to the test. That way, we know whoever wins this didn’t just get the win out of chance, but actually deserves it.”

Nya raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I guess. But you better not be an expert at this game.”

Lloyd shook his head. “I’ve only played it a few times, I promise.”

“Okay then,” Kai said. “May the best ninja win.”

As usual, that lasted about five minutes until they were all yelling at each other.

“Oh, come on!” Cole threw down his card. “I got stuck in the Imperial Sludge Swamp again?”

“Ha!” Jay leaned forward, moving his piece across the board, jumping over Cole’s pawn. “Next time you know to pick a character with better environmental perks.”

“Cole’s character is more well-rounded, though,” Zane pointed out. “If you are unable to gather enough energy before the end, it is likely the aliens will take you out.”

“Quit your yapping and let me take my turn.” Kai snatched the dice from Jay’s hand and tossed them- landing a perfect 12.

“You’re cheating!” Nya snapped. “That’s the third turn in a row you’ve rolled higher than a ten. Are you using weighted dice or something?”

“He’s using the exact same dice I just used, Nya.”

“It’s called skill,” Kai scoffed. “Maybe someday, you can be as good as me.”

“Rolling dice is completely based on chance! If the best skill you can boast is being able to roll high numbers, I think I’m doing pretty well.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see how useless it is once I win this thing and get total control over all the Starfarer comics.”

“Fat chance,” Nya huffed as Kai moved his piece.

“Oh, look at that, I found a pile of scrap metal! I get to roll again!”

“Are. You. Kidding me!”

“Wait,” Zane put a hand on Nya’s shoulder. “He’s right by the alien spaceship. If he gets an 11 or less, he’ll be on their turf and they’ll shoot him down, kidnap him, or confront him, depending on his stats. The only way he could possibly get through this without negative consequences is by rolling a 12.”

“There’s no way he’ll do it again,” Cole agreed. “Nya, this is your chance to overtake him.”

“Let’s see.” Kai grabbed the two dice and shook up his hands. He shook and shook, stopped to blow on the dice, then shook some more-

“Just roll the stupid dice,” Cole snapped.

Kai dropped the dice, and time seemed to move in slow motion. Lloyd held his breath, leaning forward-

And watched as the dice rolled one six, then another.

A perfect roll.

“Cheating!” Nya cried. “Cheating, I tell you! There’s no way this is possible.”

“We can’t let him win,” Jay groaned. “He won’t share any comics with us.” “Not true! I’ll let Lloyd have one.”

“Only one?” “That’s better than none at all,” Jay snapped. “At least he’s giving you something.”

“He’s not going to be giving me anything, because he’s not going to win.”

Kai grinned, gesturing at the dice. “Sure, be my guest. See if you can beat me.”

Lloyd rolled, earning a seven.

Jay hissed between his teeth. “Tough luck, green bean- you get injured and robbed by aliens.”

“Actually,” Lloyd said, slipping a card from his pile and slamming it down on the middle of the table. “I don’t, because I play this special ability card, allowing me to pick the number of spaces I travel. I choose 10, landing myself on the abandoned spacecraft. Then I use my character’s high level mechanics skills and use this card-” he slammed down another card that showed scrap metal reserves- “to instantly fix the ship. Then I spend my energy points to get another turn, use the gas from my generator to fuel the ship, and then am able to fly the ship back to the base and restore the artifacts. According to the manual, it would take three days from my location, and Kai, the closest, would take five days in his slower spacecraft, meaning it is impossible for anyone to beat me back, and I win the game.”

For a moment, they were silent, gaping at him.

“How?” Cole murmured. “Dude, how did you do that?”

“He just crossed half the board in one turn,” Kai spluttered. “And I was about to win! That shouldn’t even be possible!”

“How many moves were you planning ahead?” Zane shook his head. “Your strategy appears to be far more complex than any of us were anticipating for this kind of game.”

“I knew something was up when he kept stashing his ability cards,” Jay groaned. “We were all using ours, but he hardly used any- he was saving them up to use them all in a big power move and catch us off guard, the little rascal!”

“You liar,” Nya hissed. “You said you only played this game a few times! This was way too complicated of a plan for a novice player.”

“Technically, that’s true,” Lloyd grinned. “I have only played a few times. But I never said how long I played for each time.”

“You conniving little gremlin.”

“Now, Nya,” Lloyd scolded in a sagely voice, barely able to suppress his laughter, “I’d be careful how you speak to me from now on. If you’re rude, I may not give you any Starfarer.”

“Yeah, this is going to get old, very quickly.”

“I can’t believe it,” Jay sighed. “You never share comics with us.”

Lloyd gawked at him. “Are you kidding? It’s because of my sharing that you guys are even into Starfarer in the first place! Jay was the only one who knew about it before I came, but even he didn’t tell anyone else he was a fanboy and kept stuff hidden in boxes. When I showed interest, do you remember how excited you got? You took everything out, just for me.”

Zane shook his head, smiling. “I still can’t believe you got me to binge the entire series.”

“Or how I spent hours investing in that game and tracking down all that information in the comics just to beat Jay’s high score? Which I crushed, by the way.”

Jay scowled. “For the last time, you beat me by five points! You didn’t crush anyone.”

Cole scoffed. “Someone’s just jealous. If it weren’t for Lloyd, I would’ve never beat you.”

“You showed us all something we love, huh, squirt?” Kai ruffled his hair, and Lloyd pulled away, like usual, but grinned at him, bumping his shoulder gently.

“Remember when you used to get all upset at me for slacking off and reading Starfarer comics during training?”

Kai reddened. “That was different! We were preparing you for the Final Battle, there was a lot to be done.”

“Hypocrites,” Lloyd whispered, giggling as he ducked a swing from Kai.

“Well, what are you going to do now, ‘master of the comics?’” Jay asked. “Hoard all the books to yourself? Read in front of us to taunt us?” “Tempting,” Lloyd said, “but I think first, I want to play another round of the Starfarer board game.”

Cole blinked. “Lloyd, it’s seven pm. And this took us like five hours to get through the first time.”

The ninja blinked at each other.

“Oh, it’s on!”

[wienerbarnes]

The Electrifying Mind Reader (2/2)

Pairing: Bucky x Reader (Cheek to Cheek)

Word Count: 2,556

Warnings: not really any major ones tbh

A/N: yay hope yall enjoy! 

MAIN MASTERLIST | CHEEK TO CHEEK MASTERLIST

“No, no, no, this is all wrong.”

Bucky closes the blinds that the young nurse opened for you and rips the socks from Sam’s hands. He approaches where you lay in the hospital bed, unconscious to give your body and heart a break while your system is flooded with IV fluids.

“You don’t know how to put her socks on right; she - she doesn’t like ‘em too tight on her feet. You put ‘em on and you gotta tug on the toes a bit so they fit looser, yeah?” Bucky instructs, not really caring if Sam is paying attention to this lesson of putting socks on your feet.

It’s been six days. Six days since your heart stopped. Six days since Bucky’s CPR probably saved your life, holding you over just until they reached the tower and were able to get you into the MedBay. Six days since they stabilized you and induced you into a coma in fear that your heart would stop again, and also to give you a break from the pain.

It’s also been six days since Bucky’s had a proper shower, too, which Sam is getting really tired of.

It took him three days to even change out of his uniform from the mission; he didn’t want to leave your side.

“Bucky -”

“And as for the blinds, she always likes the room dim. The rest of her may be bright, but she doesn’t like all the lights on and the windows open.” He explains, still holding your feet in his hands, not taking his eyes off of you.

It doesn’t feel like it’s been six days for Bucky. Feels more like six years. Or six seconds. He doesn’t like you like this. Laying in some bed, no color anywhere, tubes sticking out of your nose, eyes closed and not looking back at him.

“Bucky, man, you gotta shower,” Bucky finally looks up at his friend, “Go outside. Touch some grass. I don’t know, but you’re not doing her any good by just sitting here.”

Bucky opens his mouth to disagree, but Sam stops him, “She’s not going to wake up, at least not for now. She’s still induced. They’d need to stop that medication in order to wake her up, which they plan to this afternoon. And even then, it could take her another day or two to wake up naturally.”

Bucky slumps at his explanation.

“And when she does wake up, she’s not going to want to see you like this.”

His hair is greasy, having grown out a bit more over the past couple of months, the circles under his eyes make his face look more his real age, and he can actually smell himself. She wouldn’t want to see you like this.

“I will be back in ten minutes.” He decides, willing to leave your side for a bit in order to clean himself up; clean himself up for you.

Unfortunately for Sam, the nurse returns as soon as Bucky steps out, new syringe in hand.

“Uh, what’s that?” It would be as soon as Bucky leaves that they want to do something to you. They haven’t done anything to you except change your IV bags and now is when they want to change shit up?

“Dr. Cho wants to take her out of her coma. This,” She raises the syringe, “Will help with that. She should wake up either later tonight or tomorrow morning, she’ll be very groggy.”

“Uh, alright.” He replies, not really knowing what else to say, but suddenly regretting convincing Bucky to leave.

It’s fine, she won’t wake up in the next seven minutes while Bucky’s gone.

Except when he only has three more minutes to wait out before Bucky’s return, he hears a soft groan from you. He freezes and looks up at your face, your eyes still closed but eyebrows twisted a bit closer together.

He glances at the clock, panicking. Please, only three more minutes, please.

Eyes force themselves open despite the blinding light and sharp crust around the eyes. Sam watches as your hazy eyes glaze over the room before landing on him, his eyes open wide like he’s looking at a ghost. You move your move a bit but no noise comes out. He can recognize the way you bring your lips together and push out that you’re trying to say something that starts with a B.

“Bucky? You want Bucky?”

“Buuhh,” You breathe out, voice weak from lack of use.

“Uh,” He glances at the clock, one more minute, “He should be here soon, just relax,” He tries, but it seems you take after your boyfriend when it comes to hospital settings.

You reach your uninjured arm to the oxygen tubes in your nose, pulling them away from your face and off your ears, next reaching for the IV in your arm. Sam slaps a hand over yours when you try to tear the tape off. Why would you tell her to relax, you idiot, that’s like the worst possible thing you could’ve told her in this situation!

How did you wake up so fast? He knows you were experimented on years ago and that HYDRA injected you with something while you were captured a few days ago, but are you enhanced like that? Enough for medicine to go through your system that quickly? What the hell did they inject you with?

“Stop -” He starts, reaching for your hands to stop them from pulling at the tubes.

“Sam, what the hell are you doing?!” Bucky’s voice booms into the room.

Sam whips his head over his shoulder to see a freshly showered Bucky, hair still wet and dawned in new clothes, as well as a bundle of more colorful patterns he assumes are for you.

“You’re awake.” Bucky realizes, anger dropping form his face and he completely forgets about what looked like Sam trying to take out your IV.

“I leave for ten minutes and you wake up. You weren’t supposed to wake up until tomorrow and you wake up the first time I leave the room.” He approaches the bed, throat tight as he feels an unbelievable relief at seeing your open eyes.

Your face also softens, no longer frustrated and eager to leave. Your hand leaves from underneath Sam’s and reaches out to Bucky, his metal fingers softly getting a hold of yours, bringing them to his lips to plant a kiss on the top.

He leans in and kisses you on the mouth, too, despite Sam’s presence, despite the cracks and dryness in your lips, despite the fact that you haven’t had any water or toothpaste in your mouth in six days.

Water!

“Let me get you some water, sweetheart, hold on.” Bucky drops your clothes in the chair he’s been sleeping in for six days and walks over to the counter to pour you a small cup of water. Sam realizes that the both of you are very occupied with each other now and takes his opportunity to leave before Bucky remembers the scene he saw when he came in.

I’ll check in later, he thinks, before leaving quietly.

He holds the straw still for you with one hand and gently helps lift your head up with the other, helping you take small sips of water.

“‘M tired,” You whisper, still weak.

“Sleep, my love, you can rest all you want, as long as you promise to wake up.” He brushes a hand along your face, taking in your features, and happy to feel your skin while you’re awake and looking at him now, as opposed to lying in a coma.

“Stay,” You tell him, hand grabbing at his shirt to pull him closer to you, trying to communicate to him that you want him to lie down with you, that you want him close.

Luckily, he takes the hint.

He carefully slides into bed next to you on your good side, making sure nothing bumps your shoulder. It doesn’t take long for you to snuggle into his body and let exhaustion take over once more.

He even sleeps a bit, too. Having you in his arms, feeling your body move with your breathing, slow and steady, instead of the violent shakes he felt a few days ago.

Your heart stopped. He got it started again on the jet, just as they landed and the doctors were able to take it from there. He watched as they rushed you into surgery, needing to work on your heart, brain, shoulder, and any other injuries you may have. All he could do was wait. Couldn’t watch from the viewing room of the OR. Couldn’t ask anyone; they were all in there with you. You were in there for hours. He was sure you died. That you died hours before they came out but they were thinking of how to tell him.

He wasn’t exactly happy with the news that your heart had stopped a second time and that you were in a coma, but you were alive. You were alive.

He’s scared to ask what they did to you. How long you were in that room with them. If you even remember. He didn’t see who in the room with you and there were no cameras anywhere. He doesn’t even know where to start; there were over 500 people at that base.

A lot of things went through his mind while you were asleep. He just thought about you. Your belongings. What you normally eat for your meals. What you normally wear around the tower. How you work out. How you meditate. How you read. He read to you while you were under, but he’s not sure if you were even aware. He talked to you a lot, too. Some of it jokes, some anger that you would have the audacity to almost die. A lot of love. A lot of tears. A lot of hope that you wouldn’t die unless he’s able to put a ring on your finger first.

He hopes you weren’t aware of any of that, looking back.

He closes his eyes and allows himself to relax a bit, dreaming of that ring, a white picket fence, and you.

Your recovery is difficult. Your hands trembled for a few days after waking up, either after effects of electro-shock therapy or just the trauma of being captured by Hydra again.

You couldn’t remember the men that were there with you. You try, and you remember their hands on your skin, holding you down, the flesh and metal merging together in your memories but it all gets blurred. You begin to catch pieces of that day, and like an old movie with the film being burned, holes erupt and all that’s left is blackness.

You knew two of the men were your old handlers, so you can try to narrow those down. But the other soldier. The man with two arms made of metal. You remember him. You don’t know who he is, but you remember him. You feel sorry for the guy, even though he shot you. Who knows what they’ve done to him.

You’ve since left the MedBay and have tried to get back to your routine as quickly and normally as possible. Tried, at least.

You flinch as Bucky brushes past you in the kitchen, muttering an apology to him, not wanting him to think that you’re afraid of him.

One thing you’ve noticed as of late is that you’ve been particularly jumpy. Sensitive. And you hate it. You hate the flinching, the spike in anxiety, the nightmares. The confusion.

“I wanted to show you something.” Bucky tells you, urging you to have a seat while he puts together breakfast for the two of you. He’s been extra protective lately, but you understand why and let him do things for you.

You hum, taking a seat and stirring your coffee slowly. You know Bucky has noticed the depreciation in your energy levels. You’re not bouncing off the walls, you’re not teasing him and Sam, you’re not dressing up cute to watch a movie with him. No colorful nail polish, they removed it in surgery and you haven’t bothered to paint them again. And you know he wants to mention it. But he doesn’t, out of politeness, or maybe out of fear.

Is he scared of you? What did they inject you with?

Your thoughts of that syringe are forgotten when a folded piece of paper is placed in front of you. You unfold it to see your messy handwriting, names after name after name scrawled out with the first few crossed out.

“The list. You kept my list?”

“I did. I promised you I’d complete it didn’t I?”

“You didn’t…” You trailed off, not wanting to believe that Bucky finished your list in secret behind the Avengers’ back.

“I didn’t,” He reassures, “But I thought it might help jog your memory; maybe seeing the names will help you put it to the face of who was there with you.”

It’s a good idea. But it’s not what you want to do.

“Uhm,”

“You don’t have to do anything about it now, it was just a thought to help you.”

“Buck,”

“I also thought we could -”

“Bucky, stop.” You snap.

He looks up at you from the list on the table.

“I know I’m weak now, but,” You begin, he opens his mouth, face dropping, wanting to interject, but you don’t let him, “I need you to stop. I need you to treat me like normal. I know I’m weak now, I know I’m having nightmares again, I know I’m not going on missions for a long while now, I know that I still have no fucking idea what they injected me with and what it’s done to my body, but I need to pretend like I don’t know all of that right now. I want normal.” You explain.

His mouth opens and closes again before giving a small nod of his head. “Okay.” He agrees, taking the list from the table and folding it up again. He walks over to your desk where a lot of his stuff has started taking up space, slipping the piece of paper into a notebook.

“I don’t ever want to hear you call yourself weak again. You’re my girl and you're as tough as fucking nails, okay?” He tells you seriously after turning around.

You scoff sarcastically before returning your attention to your coffee while Bucky finishes in the kitchen.

As he walks back over to you, hands full of two plates towered high with pancakes, you turn to him, “Don’t forget the syrup, babe,” You tell him, raising your hand to gesture towards the fridge.

You feel a surge of power exit from your hand, shooting Bucky with a burst of energy, sending the plates flying out of his hands.

“Woah!” He yelps, certainly not expecting you to do that because you’ve never been able to.

The plates shatter on the ground, the pancakes slapping on the tile, and you freeze completely, hand stilling in the air, not knowing how you did that and scared to move another muscle.

Silence takes over the room and Bucky looks between the mess on the ground and your eyes that have now blown open wide.

“That’s… new.” Is all he can say.

What was in that syringe they injected you with?

[isthisthingeven0n]

i’ll marry you someday : j.w

brief summary: jeff hopes that someday he’ll marry you, but after an accident that lands him in hospital, he’s more certain than ever 

word count:  2.5k (i kinda went off on this) requested: yes by the sweetest anon. i adore this idea and cause i’m super dramatic well, you’ll see   warnings: mentions of a car crash, some graphic descriptions. nothing too threatening, but if these are sensitive topics please read at your own discretion or miss this one (your wellbeing matters more than anything!)

* masterlistin’ / masterlistin’ 2.0

(everything on my blog is my own writing. if it is shared on another page or website know it hasn’t been approved me unless specified. all rights reserved. - i have to start doing this as I had some shit on my other blog with plagiarism)

DO NOT STEAL MY WORK - IT IS ALL MY OWN WRITING

“You know, I’m gonna marry you someday,” Jeff mumbles as you curl up against his chest as you struggle to keep your eyes open long enough to focus on the film.

“That so?” You whisper, looking up at him as he smiles down to you, his fingers gliding through your hair as you hum in content.

Jeff nods, unable to hide his grin as your eyes close.

It’s true though, Jeff really means it when he says it. Even if you think he’s just joking around. As a matter of fact, in all his life, Jeff has never been more certain about something. That being with you, and spending the rest of his life alongside you, and only you. After everything he’s been through, the consequences he’s faced from his actions you’re just a ray of sunshine.

You didn’t care about his past, the things he once did. He’s grown, matured as a person into someone you want to be with and love him regardless.

*

Standing in the doorway, Jeff’s bags pile up outside whilst Todd patiently waits for his friend to depart from his house. If only it were easier said than done.

“Do you have to go?” You pout as your arms remain around his waist, not wanting to let go.

Jeff chuckles as he glances behind you, seeing Todd filming on his camcorder in the pathway. “I’ll only be gone a few days, baby.” Jeff reminds you, hearing you sigh loudly as your hands begin to slip away from him.

“Just, stay safe.” You nudge his arm as he picks up his bags before leaning down and kissing you softly. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He blows one last kiss to you before walking out from your house, leaving you with Nerf sat by your side watching his Dad get into the passenger seat of Todd’s car.

“You really love her, don’t you?” Todd speaks up, noticing the way Jeff looks at you as if you’re the only person in the entire world.

Jeff can’t help but think of the ring he’s picked out and reserved at the jewellers, a quick pitstop on route to his and Todd’s destination. “I do, Toddy.” Jeff sighs as they pull away, moving further away from you, but closer to the next step in your future.

“So, airport?” Todd looks over to Jeff before returning his attention to the road.

Shaking his head, Jeff points to the left hand turn coming up, the opposite direction. “I just wanna make a short stop first.” Jeff states as Todd turns the car, and as they follow the road Jeff can see the old shop sign.

Feeling his heartbeat quicken pace, it isn’t something that goes unnoticed by Todd. “We going where I think we’re going?” Todd asks with a hesitant smile before Jeff points at the shop whilst Todd parks up just down the road.

“Yeah.” Jeff runs his fingers through his hair as he opens the passenger door, hearing Todd mutter his name as his right leg hangs out of the car.

“This is it, huh?” Todd chuckles, an attempt to hide his nerves for his friend. “You’re gonna ask her?”

“I really am, Todd. Got it all planned out.” Jeff states, feeling that familiar sense of uneasiness return to his stomach as he climbs out fully, his arm resting on the top of the car as Todd remains in the driver's seat. “Gotta say, I’ve never been more certain of anything.” He admits before turning away from the car, crossing the street toward the shop in question.

Whilst Jeff is crossing, Todd’s fingers tap on the steering wheel, humming to himself. Yet, Jeff doesn’t make it across the road.

Glancing through his rearview mirror, seeing a car speeding down the narrow street, shortly followed by a sharp break and a loud thud.

“No, no.” Todd mutters, feeling everything play too quickly for him to process. “Jeff?!” Todd yells, looking behind his car to see the small car in question with the window smashed as the driver crawls out, coughing violently.

A few shop owners and customers gather around behind the driver's car, some converse whilst others call for help. “Is he alive?” Todd hears one lady question whilst another bends down, her feet sticking out from behind the car as Todd hesitantly walks closer.

Fearing the worst, Todd took a deep breath as he moved between the gathering crowd to see what his fears be a reality.

“Jeff? Buddy?” Kneeling down, Todd couldn’t stop his hands from shaking as he reaches out as blood dribbles from Jeff’s mouth as his eyes remain closed. “Has someone called for some help? Fuck!” He looks around, desperation lacing his tone as faces blur together whilst blood coats his face and exposed limbs.

“An ambulance is on its way.” Someone speaks up, resting a hand on Todd’s shoulder with a sympathetic smile.

“You’ll be okay, buddy,” Todd mutters, forcing back his tears as Jeff’s limps are splayed out, lifelessly.

*

You couldn’t process the phone call as it came through. Part of you thought it was a sick prank call until you heard Todd’s hushed voice down the line, loud enough to understand without it cracking.

David picked you up with Natalie, understanding you were in no fit position to drive.

No words were exchanged as you sat silently in the passenger seat, thinking about what Todd had told you. He hadn’t even left town, they were making a pit stop and some sick fuck was speeding.

Tearing the images from your mind, you open the car door and rush inside without checking your friends were close behind.

“Is Jeff Wittek here?” You ask bluntly, remaining emotionless as you bite your lip, holding back a sob.

The receptionist looks up at you before averting her attention to her screen. You wait painfully as she types into the system, now aware of David and Natalie either side of you. Natalie rests her hand on your forearm, squeezing it lightly as a single tear spills from your eye.

“He’s in room 207. Turn left down the hall, and three floors up.” The receptionist tells you and before she can ask if you need anything else, you’re gone.

You can’t keep up with your own feet as you race to his room, a distortion of voices play as Natalie and David converse as they try to catch up to you, but you’re oblivious to everyone else.

Slowing down, you can see someone hunched over on a seat outside of a room. A tuft of brown hair, slouched form and his hands clasped in each other.

“Toddy?” You call out weakly, seeing him rise to his feet and rush over, engulfing you in a tight hug as you sob against him.

Natalie and David hang back as Todd focuses on Natalie with watery vision. “I’m so sorry, Y/n.” Todd mumbles into your hair as your whole body shakes. “He, he just wanted to get something. I should’ve gone with him.” Todd rambles, but you lean back, shaking your head to him.

“It’s not your fault, Todd.” You tell him bluntly. “Do not blame yourself. It was an accident.” You breathe deeply as you force yourself to look at the door number behind him. “Is he, is he awake?”

Todd scratches the back of his neck as he takes a hold of your hand, guiding you closer toward the room. “He’s still unconscious, but he’ll be alright,” Todd tells you, but you can tell there’s something else. “but he got hurt bad, Y/n.”

Taking a shaky breath, you nod. “How bad are things?”

Shutting your eyes, you wipe away your tears forcefully as you listen to Todd listing off Jeff’s injuries. Two broken legs, fractured ribs, a collapsed lung. He was lucky to make it out alive.

“Can I see him?” You question quietly.

Todd opens the door and guides you inside to the room where Jeff is being monitored.

As you lift your eyes up, the sight before you breaks your heart.

You listen to the sound of his monitor beeping as various tubes are connected to him. Discomfort is worn heavily in his face, despite him being unconscious as stitches line his cheeks and forehead. Bruises are starting to form across his exposed skin, but the damage evidently lies deeper than that.

A sob wracks through you as you cover your mouth, muffling the sound as you fall to the ground.

“It’s okay, Y/n.” Todd hushes as he helps you to your feet. “Jeff’s strong, we know this.” He reassures you as you step closer toward your boyfriend, sitting beside him.

Reaching out, you rest your hand alongside his.

Both you and Todd sit in silence until visiting hours are over, and at this point, you can feel your entire body is numb. You didn’t want to leave him, you didn’t want Jeff to be alone in that room, left in pain without anyone by his side.

*

Two days you were sat in the room, sitting in silence beside him as Doctors and Nurses passed by. Checks were made, vitals were monitored and silence was a frequent friend.

You saw many faces, most with sympathy etched into their smiles as they tried not to focus on the damages covering Jeff’s body or the tiredness lining your eyes. It felt like an ongoing cycle, just waiting for any kind of update.

Everyone was just waiting, waiting for him to wake up. And after three solid days of waiting, sitting by his side for as long as you were allowed to, Jeff started to stir in the bed.

“Where the fuck am I?” He mumbles, and you quickly jolt up from sleeping at an angle on the plastic chair beside his bed.

“Jeff?” You call out, blinking rapidly as your vision begins to focus on his confused expression as he winces. “Oh thank god.” You reframe from wrapping your arms around him, knowing he’s still fragile. “I, I’ll go get someone, I’ll be right back.” You tell him quickly as you rise to your feet, finding the first Nurse to pass you by.

Whilst you talk to a nurse, Jeff looks around the room as the events of that afternoon replay. He remembers seeing a blue car speeding toward him and being on the ground with faces surrounding him. But after that, everything is simply blank.

Jeff watches as you walk back in, your angelic smile plastered across your face as bags wear heavy beneath your eyes.

Sitting beside him, you rest his hand in yours as the Nurse checks his vitals and explains exactly what has happened to him. As you listen to the Nurse, you feel Jeff faintly squeezing your hand, letting you know he can feel you beside him.

“So, I got hit bad, huh?” Jeff tries to joke but winces at the pain spreading across his ribs.

“Take it easy, babe.” You remind him as he lies back down, letting out a strained sigh.

“Seen worse in jail, let me tell you that.” He continues his efforts to make you smile, even if tears fill your eyes as you focus on him, how casts cover both legs and bandages across his stomach. “Hey, Y/n, I’m okay.” He reaches out as you lean closer toward him.

Feeling his hand rest across your cheek is enough to comfort you as you let out a shaky breath. “I know, I just, I don’t know what I would do if you were,” You struggle to finish your sentence as Jeff wipes away your tears that fall.

“Don’t think ‘bout that, baby.” He hushes you, peering over your shoulder to see Todd leaning against the door frame. “If it isn’t my saviour,” Jeff calls out and you laugh lightly, leaning back as Todd walks in.

Rising to your feet, Todd hugs you lightly as you pass him and exit the room in search of the bathroom.

“Hey man.” Todd sighs as he sits down, taking your seat temporarily whilst you’re gone. “Good to see you awake, you, you had us worried for a moment.”

“Just a moment?” Jeff raises an eyebrow, ignoring the bruising around his eye and the stitches below.

Todd shakes his head as he reaches into his pocket, taking out a small velvet box. “I, I picked this up, thought you might want it.” Sliding the small box across the bed, Jeff hides it underneath the covers of the hospital sheets.

“Thank you, Todd.” Jeff smiles, and Todd simply nods as you return.

“Did I miss anything?” You call out as Todd stands up, moving away from the chair as he shakes his head.

“Nothing too eventful. Good luck getting him to pee for the next few months though.” Todd laughs, nudging you lightly as you roll your eyes, missing the wink he sends Jeff.

For the next few hours, you just sat with Jeff as the Doctors explained the next step in Jeff’s recovery. It wasn’t going to be easy, and you understood that there would be hard times, but you weren’t going anywhere.

“Thank you, Doc.” Jeff speaks up, processing everything he’s just been told.

“Looks like you’ll be my bitch for a while, huh?” You tell Jeff, hoping to see a smile cross his lips to ease the pressure of the detailed recovery process.

Jeff chuckles, looking up at you as you keep a smile on your face. “You’re seriously something else, Y/n.” Jeff shakes his head, watching as you shrug a shoulder. “You know, I’m gonna marry you someday.” He reminds you, and you laugh lightly.

“I know, baby. You tell me almost every week!” You smile brightly, but Jeff shakes his head as he reaches into the sheets, taking a hold of the velvet box.

“I really mean it, and, and I know this isn’t probably the way I envisioned it. And I can’t even stand, let alone get on one knee right now, but,” Taking a deep breath, Jeff reveals the diamond inside of the box, looking up as your lips part.

“Jeff,” You start, but Jeff shakes his head.

“Y/n, you’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met. You, you’ve seen past all the shit in my life, you’re willing to help me through this and wheel me everywhere for possibly months. I can’t imagine being with anyone else, and I don’t want to.” Jeff reels off all of his thoughts as you remain in a state of shock. “So, Y/n Y/l/n, will you marry me?” He finally asks the question, feeling his heart pause as he awaits your response.

“Yes.” You mumble, nodding as you rise to your feet, leaning closer and kissing him passionately. “Yes, yes!” You laugh excitedly as you sit back down, letting Jeff place the ring on your finger. “So, this is it, huh?”

“I told you, baby.” Jeff smiles brightly, fighting through the pain as his monitor continues to beep at a slightly rapid pace. “I’m gonna marry you someday, and that’s a promise.”

[peralta-guaranteed]

Bullies, Black Eyes, and Big Brothers

(read it on AO3)

“Let’s not jump to conclusions right away.”

“What’s there to ‘jump to’, Jake? He got in a fight and gave another kid a bloody nose and knocked out two baby teeth.”

“Yeah, okay, I know that sounds bad.” Jake sighs while shifting gears. They’d gotten the call from Mac’s teacher just fifteen minutes ago, but from Amy’s fidgeting, he could tell she would’ve liked to have already arrived at the school. For what it’s worth, he’s still surprised Holt let them both go without much explanation - he supposes the sentence “Mac’s school called” is some sort of magic spell to turn their captain into grandpa mode. 

“I just remember a lot of times where I got into trouble and wished my mom had listened to me first before the punishment, you know?”

Now it’s Amy’s turn to sigh.

“Okay. He gets one chance at explaining himself, and then we ground him for punching someone.”

When they finally make it to the classroom with Mac’s teacher waiting in front of it, Amy seems to have forgotten all about it though, as she already starts apologising to Ms. Hernandez for the trouble Mac has caused.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions.” The teacher says, and Jake remembers why he’s so glad that Mac got her as homeroom teacher in this grade instead of that nasty old Mrs. Lipschitz he had last year. “Yes, Mac and Dennis got into a fight, and they’re both a little worse for wear, but we have no idea who started it or why. Neither of them will talk to me, so I hoped that you might get more out of him than me. Dennis’ parents couldn’t make it yet, I’m afraid.”

Jake nods and sneaks a peek through the little window on the door - Mac and Dennis (he guesses - not a classmate he’s familiar with) are sitting 4 tables apart, both staring down at the desks with the most forlorn looks he’s ever seen on two 10-year-olds. He remembers his first fight that ended with heavy bruises and a bleeding eyebrow, right around the same age, after stepping between Gina and some teen she’d been mouthing off to. Dennis is still holding a slightly bloody towel up to his nose, and Mac’s t shirt is ripped at the collar, and - yeah, that’s definitely a black eye on his little guy. His stomach swoops down sickenly low and he wants to walk in and just carry him home straight away to ice cream and cartoons on tv and no stupid classmates that fight him anywhere. 

As it stands, he tries to walk in as calmly as Amy does, now that she’s pulled herself together again, before crouching down in front of Mac’s desk.

“Hey, bud.” He smiles at him, but Mac only looks up for a second and then back down to the table, and God can he please just hug his kid and not see the worry and fear in his soft chocolate-brown eyes? 

“Do you want to tell us what happened?” Amy says from his side, equally crouched down, and her voice is far softer than it was on the drive here. She’s probably thinking something very similar to Jake.

Mac, however, shoots a look over to Dennis, who’s decidedly ignoring all three of them, and then up to Ms. Hernandez stood beside him, before shaking his head.

“C’mon, Mac.” Jake tries to give him one more push. “We can’t do anything if we don’t know the story.”

Mac rubs at his eye - the non-black one - and sniffles, but that’s the only sound he makes. Jake fights back another sigh before looking up to the teacher.

“Do you think we could talk to him alone?” You don’t interrogate suspects with their aggressor still present, his detective mind adds, but he’s not sure if that’s an appropriate explanation for an elementary school classroom.

Ms. Hernandez nods, anyway, and tells Dennis to step out with her.

Once the door clicks shut behind them, Jake fully lowers down to one knee and smiles at Mac again.

“How about now? Do we get a story?”

Mac still seems hesitant for a moment, sniffling once again, but then-

“He kicked Maya.” he almost whispers, and his voice sounds sore, like he’s been yelling, or crying, or maybe both. “She was on the merry-go-round that he wanted to go on and he kicked her to make her leave and she fell off and I think she hurt her elbow. Ms. Mabel took her away for a band aid. I couldn’t check. I was too far away.”

“Oh peanut.” Amy says after she’s made her way round the desk to softly ruffle through his hair (it’s a mess anyway, probably from the fight as well). “You didn’t have to be afraid to tell us that. But it also wasn’t okay to hit him. I’m sure Ms. Mabel would’ve talked to him later.”

“He’s called her names before and makes fun of her.” Mac continues, the floodgates apparently finally open. “And he always pushes her out of his way. And she said he chased her around with a stick once until she hid in the toilets. So now she doesn’t wanna go outside during recess anymore. And he took her turrón de maní that abuela gave us that you packed us for lunch.” He looks up at Jake now, and so luckily doesn’t see the way Amy’s face begins to change from soft worry to unbridled mom-rage. “I gave her half of mine.”

Jake has to take a deep breath too, because he reasons that running out to punch a fourth grader in the stomach is probably not a good thing to do, no matter how strong the impulse.

“Why didn’t you tell us about all that earlier?” He asks instead and hopes that there’s no admonishment in his voice, because he really doesn’t want it to sound like he blames him for anything.

“Maya said not to.” Mac sniffles again and rubs his nose, smearing the back of his hand with snot, and Amy has a handkerchief drawn to wipe it as quickly as only she can. “She said she has to be the ‘bigger person’. ‘N I said she should punch him instead but she didn’t want to, so I did.”

Putting aside the fact that their second-grader has definitely picked up lingo that she’s nowhere close to old enough to really understand, he’s glad that at least one of their kids was decidedly against a violent approach - however fitting it would be in this situation.

“Okay, Maya was right that you shouldn’t hit people, unless you have to protect yourself.” Jake vividly remembers that heated discussion about principles in parenting he’d had with Amy not long ago, that ended in his ridiculous argument of ‘so if you’re getting kidnapped and the only way out would be to throw a punch you wouldn’t do it?’ and reminding her of the several times she’s actually punched him in mistaken self-defense before. It had convinced her to agree with him, though. 

“But if someone is being that mean to you or her and bullying you like that, you definitely should tell someone who can help.” Amy finishes for him. “Even if you’d promised not to say anything.”

Jake nods at the same time as Mac, and they look so similar that she can’t help but smile, as inappropriate as it might be for the situation.

“I’m sorry I started a fight.” Mac mumbles again.

“It’s okay.” Jake answers a bit too fast, and Amy’s raised eyebrows in his direction tell him more than enough. “I mean, it’s not great. And it’s good that you’re apologising. But I’m glad you stood up for your sister and protected her.”

Now Amy nods to that, and Jake’s knees ache only a little bit as he gets up after crouching down for so long.

“Tell you what. Maya’s classes are over by now, so what do you say we go pick her up and go to Sal’s for dinner?”

It only takes seconds for a bright smile to finally, finally break across their son’s face as he jumps up and Jake tells him to get his backpack from the other end of the classroom. Amy sidles up to him and nudges his elbow.

“Sal’s, really?” She says almost inaudibly, but Jake can hear the exasperated amusement.

“What?” He whispers back. “I think he deserves a reward far more than a punishment.”

“You only say that because you would’ve punched Dennis too.”

“Well, let’s see how bad Maya’s arm really is and then I decide if he deserved the bloody nose.”

“Alright, let’s not get carried away. You go tell Ms. Hernandez what happened and Mac and I pick up Maya in the meantime.” Amy only mumbles as Mac bounces back towards them.

After Sal’s and an entire Meat Supreme at display temperature for Jake, Mac and Maya (and one slice of spinach & feta for Amy), they watch their two little ones settle down in front of the tv for the one allowed nighttime episode of Adventure Time, Mac holding a small bag of frozen peas to his black eye, Maya snuggling into him on his other side and beaming up at her big brother from time to time.

“If we tell your mum about this”, Jake grins at Amy across the kitchen island where she’s busy making hot chocolate because apparently she agrees on the reward-over-punishment thing too, “I bet she’s gonna send them like a pound of turrón each.”

“We’re not telling my parents any of this, or my dad is going to have Dennis expelled from school or something equally over the top.”

“Hate to agree with Victor about anything, but I do think-”

Luckily Amy pushes a marshmallow into Jake’s mouth so he can’t finish whatever stupid joke he was going to make.

[itsthelab]

SlutOut

It was late at night and I'd had a long day. The last thing I wanted to do was train another client. Well, that is, if it had been anyone else. But this was you, easily my favorite client. And there were several reasons why she was my favorite. But I'll get to those.

You had texted me earlier that day that she had had something come up in her regular time slot and asked if she could reschedule her workout to the evening. I obliged, but let her know that my only free time was after hours and that she'd have to pay extra for the session. She replied that that was fine and we agreed to meet late in the evening to begin the workout.

She arrived, and immediately I remembered why I loved my job. She was dressed in a tight gray sports bra that accentuated her curves and black yoga pants that hugged her firm ass. It was all I could do not to comment on her beauty, but I had to stay professional. And I did, despite the difficulty. So we finished our workout in a good time and I breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn't slipped up and told her what I was really thinking about when she did squats and stretches.

"I want to thank you for letting me train after hours," She said as we refilled our waterbottles. "I just had to get a workout in tonight."

"I know what you mean," I responded. "I feel like I'm in the gym 24/7 anyway so this isn't a big imposition. Anytime you need me to stay late for you, just give me enough notice and I'm happy to do it."

"That's great to hear," she said, screwing the top back on to her waterbottle. "I wish I could live at the gym sometimes, but I'm sure you get tired of it."

"It takes some doing, but yes, I do." I smiled. "Do you want to grab anything at the vending machines? I could go for a protein bar right now."

"Sure, I'll join you for that. But then I've got to shower and get out of here."

"Sweet. I won't keep you too long."

Our protein bars were soon washed down by the waters we had refilled and she undid her dark hair from its ponytail in anticipation of her shower. "I have got to get under some hot water now," she said, standing up from the table where we were sitting. "I just feel so sweaty after working out."

"Me, too," I concurred. "And I've helped ten people work out today. So I imagine I'm not exactly fresh either. Let's head to the showers."

We threw away the protein bar wrappers and walked down the hallway to the other hallway that led to the locker rooms. I quickly realized something was up when I saw that the women's locker room door was open. "What's going on?" I asked her, who was peeking into the locker room just then.

"It's being cleaned," she answered. "No one is allowed in while they clean it."

"Oh, shit..." I trailed off as I realized something. "I forgot to ask the janitors to hold off on cleaning the locker rooms until we were done using them."

"Is the men's locker room still available?" She asked.

"Yes, it looks that way. They usually do only one at a time. If you want to go first, you can use that one and then I'll go after you."

"Nonsense," she said, shaking her head. "That would take way too long. We'd still just get in the way of the janitors. Look, we're both professionals. I think we can be professional about this and use the locker room at the same time."

"Are you sure? I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Of course I'm sure. I mean, if you can't be professional, I don't know who can. You never make comments about me, even though you're a red-blooded man and I look this good." She gestured to her amazing body as she spoke the last word.

"Well, you've got a point," I replied, thanking my stars that I'd kept my mouth shut when I could have made risky comments about the way she looked. "And I mean, we're both adults. We should be able to be nude in front of each other and not make it sexual. It's just our bodies."

"Exactly. Now let's get in there and take our clothes off and get under that hot, steamy water in a completely platonic manner." She giggled as she opened the door to the men's locker room.

"Oh, look who's staying professional," I huffed as I followed her.

"I have to tease a little bit," came her reply.

"OK," I answered, "but then I get to tease back when you do. Deal?"

"Deal."

"So... should I go ahead and turn the water on so it gets hot by the time we get in there? It's notorious for taking forever to heat up."

"Go ahead," she replied.

"And should I turn on two stalls or just one?" I said, grinning.

"OK, well played on the tease-back." She pulled her sports bra over her head as I went into the shower area to turn on the water.

"Just one, actually," She called after me.

I poked my head back into the locker room. she was topless, standing beside a bench with her duffel bag on the bench beside her, looking me square in the eye.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," I said, my breath catching nervously in my throat.

"I said, just turn on one," she insisted, her brown eyes staring a hole through mine.

"Are -- are you taking a cold shower?" I stammered.

"No," she said huskily. "We're saving water. Unless you don't think you can handle being naked in the shower with me."

"Oh, oh -- no, I can handle it. I can handle it just fine."

"Just one shower then."

"Uh-huh," I mumbled as I went to turn on the water again. Was I the luckiest man alive or was this an elaborate joke she was playing? Either way, I was going to see her naked, so even if she pretended to be into me and pulled back at the last possible second, leaving me hanging... still felt like a net win.

I came back and she was digging around in her duffel bag, bent over, with her back to me. She was sticking her ass out, too, and it looked like it would be heaven to slap that ass. But I refrained. Then she brought her hands to her waist and began to slowly peel down her leggings, revealing her silky, smooth skin, puckered little asshole, and tight, glistening pussy to me.

"Oh, come on, that's too much," I protested, in reply to which she just wiggled her ass. My dick was rapidly hardening and I ran my fingers through my thick hair.

Naked, she turned around and sat down on a towel on the bench. "It's just nudity," she said quietly, "don't take it too seriously. Come on, let's see what you're working with."

I sighed and removed my shirt. She bit her lip in response to my six-pack and well-built upper body.

"Now the shorts," she prodded.

"Were you... not wearing panties all day?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Took you long enough to notice," she said, rolling her eyes. "Now, come on, take it all off."

I removed my shorts, leaving myself in just my boxer briefs, which were now bulging quite conspicuously.

"Mmm..." she moaned, getting down on her knees and crawling toward me. "Is that for me?" she said, pointing to my sizable erection.

"Yes, it's for you." I sighed again.

She licked her lips. "No one's dick ever gotten hard for me before."

I started, unsure if she was serious. "You're bullshitting, right? I would think it's a daily thing for you."

"Yeah, I'm kidding. It's happened hundreds of times. But... mmm. I don't think there's ever been one this thick and big before. Not that I've seen, anyhow. Come on, pick me up and carry me to the shower."

"What?!"

"Come on, do it. I want you to pick me up and carry me to the shower. I know you're strong enough to do it."

She was right. She couldn't be much more than 120 pounds, and she was barely 5'4". I could carry her, and she stood up just then and basically fell into my arms, so I picked her up and brought her to the shower and placed her under the water.

She fell to her knees and immediately peeled my underwear down. My hard thick dick came to life in front of her face. She tossed my underwear across the room and opened her mouth wide, engulfing my dick. She took just the tip in her mouth at first, teasing its sensitive head with her lips and tongue, but then she began to choke and gag on it. At first, I thought she couldn't deepthroat so I grabbed a hold of her wet hair and thrusted violently into her eager mouth, fucking her face with a vengeance.

Ack! Guh! Nngh! The sounds of my dickhead hitting her throat made me even harder as she took my hard thrusting in her mouth. Her face was wet with tears as I fucked her mouth relentlessly, but she kept going like a slut. But then she pulled back off of my dick and caught her breath. Smiling, she said, "That was sexy. Now force it down my throat."

"Are you sure?" I queried, "Can you take it?"

"I can fucking take it," she responded, grinning seductively.

So I entered her wet mouth again and forced my way into her throat. She took me easily until the last three inches, but she stayed steady and let me force the last part of my dick deep into her throat. Her nose was deep in my pubes as I held her down on my dick for a full minute before letting her back up for air. She gasped for breath and immediately enveloped my dick in her throat again. Another minute passed and she showed no signs of letting up. Finally, I pulled my dick out.

"I -- could -- have -- kept -- going," she gasped.

"I don't know, you were dangerously close there," I responded. "Besides, I don't want to come yet, and I was pretty close myself."

"Fine," she conceded, "but you better fuck me good then."

"Oh, I will," I said, smiling.

She stood up and looked me deep in the eyes. "I want you to fuck me like a slut," she said huskily.

"Get on the floor then, Slut," I said to her, moving out of the way of the direct stream of water so we could fuck more easily. She got on her knees again, this time facing away from me. "What do you want?" I asked her.

"I want you to fuck this pussy," she said quietly.

"I didn't hear you," I replied.

"Fuck this pussy!" she said, more loudly this time.

This time I slapped her ass hard and said more sternly, "What the fuck did you say, Slut?"

She turned her head toward me and motioned for me to lean down and listen to her closely. She whispered hoarsely into my ear, "I want to fuck me like a slut right in my tight ass pussy and then cover my face in cum. Do you fucking hear me now?”

I decided to respond with action instead of words. I got down on one knee and lined my dick up with her dripping pussy. I entered her slowly, my dickhead teasing her soaking folds.

"Mmm," she moaned. "Give it to me,” she begged me.

Instead, I slapped her ass very hard on both ass cheeks -- repeatedly, until her ass redden. Every spank made her wetter and made her moan a little, so I knew I was on the right track. I began to enter her pussy more deeply, plowing her innermost part with my thick dick. I thrusted deep in her pussy, filling her up completely, and she responded by rubbing her clit and telling me "you're so fucking deep inside me."

This turned me on even more and I began to pound her pussy with quick powerful strokes. I thrust into her with everything I had and she began to squeal in delight every time I would spank her ass. Finally I couldn't hold on any longer and I knew I was about to cum. But not before she did, yelling out to me that she was cumming "so hard on your big dick”

"Cum on my pretty face, mark me as your little slut," she said, and I wasn't going to say No to that. I pulled out and went to stand over her, her face looking up at me, mouth open to receive my cum. I exploded on her face in a series of streams that got into her hair but also dripped down onto her generous titties.

She sank back onto the floor, exhausted, until I picked her up again. "Is that what you wanted, Slut?" I asked her, whispering into her ear.

She nodded, whispering back, "Fuck yes, Thank you for fucking the hell outta me. Now help me clean up."

We had forgotten to grab soap so I went back to get it from the locker room. I came back to see her standing under the shower, touching the folds of her pussy lightly with her fingers. I came up behind her and pressed my still-hard dickk into her ass crack.

"I want you to fuck me after every session from now on," she requested.

"You don't get to make the rules, Slut," I whispered into her ear.

"I'm sorry”

I was silent for a moment. Then I whispered again. "I want you to make time after every appointment so I can fuck you like a little slut."

She smiled. "Yes, Sir."

[third-rail-vip]

Complicated

Summary:

It’d be killing two birds with one stone, she’d said. MacCready glared at the crinkled, blackened leaves of the fern sticking out of his duster pocket. His duster, which like the rest of him, was currently chest deep in stinking marsh water, facing a cluster of ferals.

--

Ivy and MacCready's trip to take on the Gunners is stopped in its tracks by a poor judged detour. Mac gets hurt, but he's never been very good at being cared for.

Rating:  Mature

Word Count: 5625  [AO3 link]   [Then I Met You - Series Link]

Mud-clouded, irradiated marsh water burned into his nose, filled his throat, and tried to force its way into his lungs.  

And as if drowning wasn’t bad enough, a close second in the ranking of bad-to-worse was the gouging pain of claw-like nails burying themselves deep into his back, forcing him under water as they tried to tear chunks out of him.  

A dull thought overtook him as the last of the breath left his lungs; he was going to die here.

--x--

The chill of cold water was replaced by a brief but biting gust of wind as a door clicked shut.  MacCready stirred, floorboards shifted as he flexed his back and shoulders, which turned out to be the worst idea he could have possibly had - pain radiated from his left shoulder like fracturing glass.

He hissed through his teeth, taking a sharp breath in and sending a fresh wave across his body, briefly reigniting the burning sensation in his lungs.  Waking up from a nightmare was supposed to be a relief, not just another chapter of discomfort.  

MacCready kept his eyes scrunched closed.  There was light beyond the barrier of his eyelids, low but warm.  If it hadn’t been for the dull headache starting to tap away between his eyes like water torture, it might even have been welcoming.  

“Shhh, shh, shh,” a voice murmured close by.  “You’re okay.”

First things first, when you woke up somewhere strange, it was always best to keep your eyes shut.  There was a lot you could learn when people didn’t know you were awake.  Things that could keep you alive if you weren’t somewhere safe.  

He took a breath in through his nose; the cold December breeze cut through the old damp scent of the room, it carried with it the smell of vegetables (tatos probably) and manure – he grimaced, trying to hide the expression of regret at his deep inhale.  So, it was a farm.  He listened carefully, the lows of brahmin and the quiet chatter of voices confirmed enough for him – the only danger he faced here was boredom.  

As his apprehension dwindled further, he realised it was Ivy’s voice offering the soft reassurances – of course it was – and he could only assume it was her who’d just gently brushed his hair back from his sweat-damp forehead.  The tender motion would be enough to lull him back to sleep if he let it, but he wasn’t ready to be drowning in his mind again, or to watch Lucy pulled to pieces, or to be yelling for his missing partner.  No, it was time to wake up.  

His vision was blurry when he eventually peeked his eyes open, the dull glow of an oil lantern was the only thing beating back the shadows of early evening.  It’s illumination barely reached the wooden slatted ceiling he found himself staring up at.  

He was laid on a mouldy old sleeping bag in a small room with broken windows, but that didn’t exactly narrow down locations when it came to the Commonwealth.  Glancing out the window, the faint remnants of orange warming the darkness on the horizon told him the sun hadn’t long set.  

Sat next to him, lantern light shafting through her hair and casting her face in shadow, was his partner.  He smiled to himself at the halo effect doing its best to make her look like an angel – if angels sat there drinking Nuka-Cherry with a cute little crinkle on their nose from their patented ‘worry frown’.  

Quick check for his other essentials; his sniper rifle was propped up in the corner by the lamp, which sat on the same small table as his hat.  He reached up and patted his top pocket and felt the reassuring bulk of the toy soldier.  Everything was where it should be.  

“So, did I die or is this just my guardian angel coming to pay me a visit?” he croaked, with a throat drier than wasteland dirt.  

“Hey you.”  Ivy swiped the heel of her palm across her eye, before pushing a smile onto her lips and turning to look at him.  “You had me worried there.”

Crap.  He really did.  That light tone didn’t hold any weight with him, he could hear the waver in her voice, see the tension in her smile.  She’d hired him to make sure this kind of thing didn’t happen, but all it took was ferals and he was failing people all over again.  

Now the light shone on her properly, the scratches on her face (earned in a fight he was nowhere near to help her with) put his heart into a vice-like grip.  

They didn’t look as bad as before, there wasn’t blood all over her face anymore, for one thing.  In fact, her hair was damp but back to it’s usual creamy white – no more essence of marsh water – and her rolled down vault suit showed she’d swapped into a clean tank top.  

Come to think of it, when they’d arrived at Oberland Station it had only just been getting dark.  Yes, he remembered where they were now - a cluster of shacks and a signal box huddled by the railroad tracks and surrounded by tato plants.  He also remembered the welcoming committee, armed with pipe pistols and a whole heap of mistrust.  

The pair of them had been caught off guard on the tracks, Ivy still in his arms – the vice tightened another twist.  They were soaked, bleeding and, unless the settlers expected him to hurl his injured partner at them, they were unarmed.

He’d been about to give them the biggest f-ing piece of his mind, when the world that had started to spin around him, decided to turn out the lights.  

“How long—”

“You’ve been out for a couple of hours.”  Ivy hugged her knees to her chest and nodded to the IV he hadn’t even noticed in his arm.  “You’re on your second bag.”

A bag of Radaway was hung up using the bedstead as a makeshift drip-stand.  It had almost run through.  On the ground nearby was another spent bag and an empty blood pack.  

Shit.  Well that would explain the headache, the dizziness and the nausea, not the mention the fever.  There were only two things in the wasteland that’d do that to you;  a whole heck of a lot of rads, or a couple of sips of Vadim’s moonshine.  

“They let us stay, huh?”  He hoped his smile could pass for something warmer than a grimace.  “I wouldn’t have guessed from that reception.”

Ivy sighed and raised an eyebrow at his salty remark.

“Well, you passing out and dropping me like a sack of potatoes… tatos?  Is there an equivalent?”  She frowned for a second, adjusting the grip on her knees and shifting her weight to the other hip.  “Anyway, I think it helped our case.”

Mac smiled.  He liked her tangents, when her old world and his new one got jumbled up in her head and knocked her train of thought off the tracks.  Her mental meanders had tested his patience back when they first met, but now he found it soothing to watch her puzzle things out.

Ivy leant forward and pressed the back of her hand against his forehead.  Her fingers were cool – a welcome relief he hadn’t realised he needed until they soothed some of the heat in his skin.    

“Your temperature’s coming back down, at least.”  The last of the Radaway had run its course, so she slipped the drip from his arm.  “How are you feeling?”

MacCready sat up – big mistake.  The room spun violently around him, dragging a sickening groan from his lips.  If Ivy hadn’t been there to grab his arms and steady him, he’d have slumped back down onto the sleeping bag.  

Fat lot of good he was doing anyone in this state!  Those goddamn ferals.  He wanted to scream.  Or shoot something.  Or have a cigarette.  Where were his damn cigarettes?  

But he needed to keep his shit together.

“I feel like a herd of brahmin stomped on my head,” he griped, hoping he could at least manage to make her laugh.  “What do you think, doc?  Am I going to make it?”

She wasn’t even looking at him - wide-eyed, she was staring at his shoulder.  Ever so slowly, she reached out and peeled the sleeping bag away from where blood had soaked it to his shoulder.  He couldn’t hold in the pained cry when she did it.  

--x--

It’d be killing two birds with one stone, she’d said.  MacCready glared at the crinkled, blackened leaves of the fern sticking out of his duster pocket.  His duster, which like the rest of him, was currently chest deep in stinking marsh water, facing a cluster of ferals.

He lined up another shot, taking two down with one bullet – a very nicely placed double headshot.  Ordinarily he’d be singing his own praises, but this whole mess had the potential to go bad real fast.  One tackle from a feral and he’d lost the upper ground, got separated from his partner and cut off from any hope of an easy retreat.  

Once-upon-a-time, taking out ferals had been child’s play.  Literally.  He’d been at it since he was 10.  He’d perfected the art of anticipating their shambling, diving movements.  Could line up a shot with barely a glance, the same way he took down raiders and greenskins these days – it came as naturally to him as a heartbeat.  

It was no boast when he claimed to be the ‘best shot in the Commonwealth’.  If you asked MacCready, he was a modern-day Robin-fucking-Hood – except the beggared of the commonwealth could keep their mitts off his caps.

That had all changed four years ago, at least with the ferals it had.  Now he had to focus – there was no winging this shit.  He had to tell his hands to stop shaking, to count his breaths so he even remembered to take them.  Every time those things showed up he had to ride the line between fear and rage - which might have been useful if he was wielding a baseball bat, but it was no damn good for a sniper.  

His finger was slick on the trigger, and as much as he wished he could just blame it on the water, his palms were sweating.  He bungled his second shot, it only winged the racing creature.  

This was goddamn nightmare fuel.

The third shot came from the walkway above him.

“I could have got it,” he snapped, more harshly than he meant to, but this shit had got him on edge.  

“I know.”  Ivy didn’t even bicker back at him.  

She was scared.  And alone.

But he’d thank anything that’d listen that she had a good eye - he admired the clean shot between the eyes of the feral before it sank beneath the water - and that her aim was getting better every day.  The trouble would come if she got overwhelmed and he couldn’t get to her.

Hell of a lot of good he was doing down here.  

The pair had taken on ferals before, but not in this number and he’d not left her side the whole time.  This was different.  There were so many - more rising up out of the water or scuttling across the rooftops at every turn.  They were closer to the Glowing Sea here, but this was ridiculous.  It was like someone had set up a feral summer camp and the damn things had waited for them to get right into the centre of town before attacking.

With barely a thought, he took down another feral as it rounded the corner ahead.  It was easier if he just went on instinct, less time for thoughts of consequences - and the memories of old ones - to creep in.  

MacCready patted his top pocket.  Good, it was still there.  

“I hate getting wet,” he moaned.

“I know.”  Came the reply (after a few more gunshots), this time from a few roofs down, further back into the heart of the sunken village.

MacCready made to move forward in an attempt to keep pace with her, his feet dragging through deep silt.  He’d barely made it a few yards before something heavy fell with a loud splash right behind him.  He definitely didn’t have time to turn around before it was on him – teeth, nails, sheer weight dragging him down under the water.  

--x--

“I’m so sorry.”  Ivy’s voice was so small, her eyes were swimming when she looked at him.  “I really fucked up.”

MacCready frowned, confused.  It wasn’t her fault he’d bled all over the damn sleeping bag.  The settlers would just have to get over it.

“I took us to that awful place and you got hurt,” her voice was growing more and more frantic until it finally cracked and tears spilled down her face.  “When they dragged you under—”

Oh, Ives.  Did she really think this was all her fault?

He leaned forward and caught the back of her neck, gently tugging her forwards until their foreheads touched.  A startled gasp mingled with a sob when he did, her red-rimmed brown eyes looking straight into his brilliant blue gaze.  

“Don’t you dare blame yourself for this,” he murmured.  “Yeah, sh—stuff went wrong, but we made a heck of a team out there.”  

“Mac, I thought I got you killed…”

This close together, with their gazes locked, even in that dark little room, he could see the scratch the knife had made down her eye.  She must have come damn close to losing it.  What kind of animal could do that to a sweetheart like her.  He felt his temper bubbling up, but given it was 200 years too damn late, it was about as redundant as he’d been today.  

“I’m a Capital Wasteland radroach,” he smiled, bumping the tip of his nose against hers.  “It’ll take more than a few ferals to kill me.”

The words tasted like bile in the back of his throat, knowing they might well be true, but the same didn’t extend to the people he loved.  But then, they weren’t for his benefit, and the intended recipient had almost laughed, which was definitely something.

“I am sorry tho—”

“Ah, ah.  You saved my ass, angel.  I’d be feral food if it wasn’t for you.”  

It was true.  It had been terrifyingly close.  

Ivy bumped her nose against his before pulling away, shifting back into her spot against the wall, leaving him with an odd sensation in the pit of his stomach.  Her tears had dried up, and she wiped away the remaining trickles from her cheeks with the heel of her palm.  

MacCready dug in his pants’ pocket for his cigarettes, pulling one out only to watch it flop and snap.  He hated water.  

His partner giggled when he looked across at her, a pathetic sight with his packet of ruined cigarettes.  Then she laughed, really laughed.  The tension from moments before finding its way out in nervous energy.

Ivy laughing - really laughing - was a joy.  

First, she’d fight to hold it in, but you’d see it building in her eyes.  Then the corners of her mouth would twitch, her lips desperately wanting to break open into a grin, so she’d catch it behind a hand - both if it was especially bad - like, if he couldn’t see the smile, he hadn’t won the game of making her laugh.  Tears like diamonds flecked with mascara would form in the corners of her eyes and trickle down her cheeks.

He'd happily sit there with half a cigarette hanging off his bottom lip if he got to watch that sight.

Once her giggles had faded, she filled a cup with purified water for him.  It’d be more soothing for his throat than a cigarette anyway, just not for his nerves.  Regardless, he downed the water in one and held his cup back out for a refill, big blue eyes pleading the same way dogmeat did anytime they were cooking something tasty.  Ivy obliged.

“How about I take a look at that shoulder now?”

Whether he’d like her to or not, she was already digging in her pack for antiseptic and filling a small basin with more purified water.    

--x--

Removing MacCready’s coat and shirt turned out to be more of a challenge than they’d anticipated.  The fabric of both were either caught in the wound or dried to his skin, and the attempted removal of them left him chewing on the back of his hand.

The pair of them sat hip-to-hip, the small of Ivy’s back resting against his knee as she focussed on her work.  Outside he could Diamond City Radio playing quietly from somewhere in the settlement.  It showed how hard his partner was concentrating that she wasn’t even humming along.  He let the strains of Billie Holliday wash over him and tried to think about anything other than the pain in his shoulder.

“Mac?”

Ivy cast a quick glance MacCready’s way between strokes of the damp cloth she was using to stop the dried blood clinging to the fabric.  

“Hmm?” He tried to sound casual, like he hadn’t just been counting the freckles on the bridge of her nose.  23.

“What does RJ stand for?”  She treated him to the little hopeful smile she usually reserved for shopkeepers and potential employers.  

“Where did that come from?”

“I just wondered.”  And you thought it’d distract me from thinking about my shoulder trying to pull itself apart.  “I can’t believe I’ve never gotten around to asking before.”

“Oh, you have.”  

He grinned at the confusion dawning into a half-memory on her face.  He’d been just sober enough to remember the second agreement they made on Halloween night, when they first met in Goodneighbor – one shot per question.  

It’s no wonder she couldn’t remember though.  Most of his memories, other than a few of her more outlandish questions, revolved around those big, bright, buzzed eyes.  

They’d been sprawled on opposite sofas in The Third Rail, half a bottle of whiskey – which she obviously couldn’t handle – down and she’d just asked him (as one of the 20 questions he’d limited her to) what the meaning of life was.  He’d told her to shut up and drink.  Then she’d tried for his name with so much mischief in those eyes and a smirk on her lips that he’d never quite been able to take his eyes off since.

“And I’ll tell you now, what I told you then.  No way.  I’m not telling you.  You’ll only use it to tell me off.”

He hissed indignantly at the cold hand she purposefully rested on his chest when she paused to give him an appraising look.  

“That’s fair,” she eventually conceded - most likely when her hand had reached the temperature a human body should be - setting back to work, only to pause again a second later.

“Of course...” she smirked at the new idea that had presented itself to her, leaning across conspiratorially to whisper in his ear. “You might have to make a choice between that, and me making up names for you.”

“I’ll take my chances,” he replied without hesitation.

“That’s your prerogative, Rodney.”

He glared at her.

--x--

It took a couple more minutes to work the material free of the wound – and a couple more minutes of enduring every name beginning with ‘R’ that Ivy could think of – but now the damage was plain to see.  

Or at least he could guess it was from the sudden lack of teasing and the expression of horror on Ivy’s face. The colour that he’d tried so hard to get back into those cheeks had drained again, and the guilt he could see in her eyes, when she flicked them to his face then back to his shoulder, was like a mirror to his own.  

If the deep red stains that had soaked into his once white tank and across his shoulder were anything to go by, those ferals had made a goddamn mess of him.  

“I—this might take a little while.  I’m going to need to clear out the…debris…and clean the scratches before I can even think about getting a Stimpak in there.”  She chewed on her bottom lip.  “These deeper ones… RJ, they’re going to hurt.”

“I’m a big boy, angel.  I can take it.”  

Debris.  He knew exactly what that meant.  And damn right it was going to hurt.  This wasn’t the first time he’d had to dig broken off feral nails and teeth from his flesh.  At least this time he wasn’t trying to comfort a bawling infant as he did it.  

When she dragged the lamp closer, MacCready knew exactly what else she’d see.  The back of his shoulder and upper arm were littered with old scars.  How long would it take her to spot the similarities between the old marks and the ones she was cleaning?  He wondered whether she’d guess that’s what wrecked his duster in the first place.

He braced himself, waiting for the inevitable pain, trying to ignore the glint of lamplight on the already red-tinted basin of water next to him.  Picking a patch of peeling paint on the skirting board, he stared at it, trying to make himself focus on what colour it might have been two centuries ago.  Would it have been something fun?  Midnight blue, maybe?  Not likely.

A shiver ran up his spine as Ivy smoothed a hand over his shoulder-blade, her thumb tracing the lines of the old wounds with a touch as delicate as a kiss.  She didn’t ask.  She didn’t need to.  One glance between them and she could recognise scars with a history.  If anyone understood the vulnerability that came with them, it was her.  

MacCready had never been much of one for looking after himself when he was hurt.  He was more of a ‘rip the bandaid off’ kind of guy.  Stick a stimpak in it and hope for the best.

Oh, but Ivy, she was as gentle as she could be with him, soft hands working to soothe, stopping with every groan and halted curse – if she could – whispering apologies and reassurances that she wouldn’t take much longer.  

The water beside him grew deeper red with every time she had to wash the blood from her fingertips.  He thought he’d bite clean through his lip when she dug out the last of the debris, it was buried deep and he could hear from trying to keep from retching as she pulled it from deep in the muscle.  

The smell of the antiseptic burned his nostrils.  He was such a mess, he barely even felt the sting of the carefully applied stimpak getting to work on knitting his muscle back together.  Woozily he pressed his fingers to his bleeding lip, rocking forward to put his head between his raised knees until the room stopped spinning.    

“Hey, that was the last one,” Ivy gently rubbed her hand up his spine and across his uninjured shoulder, quietly reassuring him.  “Just got to get you bandaged up and you’ll be good as new.”

“And what about you?” he asked as she began to bandage his shoulder, glancing pointedly at her swollen ankle which was covered in an ever-increasing nebula of purple and black bruises.

“It’s just a sprain, Mac” she shrugged.  “It’ll go down in time.  Let me worry about you.”

--x--

He heard the gunshots, that wasn’t what frightened him.  It was the scream that came after.  The last he’d seen of Ivy she’d been standing up on a pitched roof – stupidly out in the open, but if she hadn’t thrown caution to the wind to get that vantage point, he’d be a dead man.    

Now she was gone.  

There were feral corpses bobbing in the water all around him, even more hanging off the roofs and walkways.  He hadn’t realised how many were on him until he pulled himself back up, fighting for air.  

In seconds his vicious memories were replaced by a new fear.  

Bleeding and dizzy, he began wading through the deserted streets.  He couldn’t see any more movement, not around him and not on the rooftops.  And he couldn’t see her.  The village was as silent as when they arrived.  

“Hey partner, you okay?” he hazarded a shout.  

No answer, just the echo of his voice bouncing back off deserted buildings.  

MacCready started to move faster towards where he’d last seen her, forcing his body through the deep water, causing eddies and ripples to trail out behind him.  He tried to keep calm but his breaths were getting shaky.  

“Hey angel, you good?”  he shouted louder this time.  

Nothing.  

“Ivy?”  

It was more of a croak than a shout.  There was no way anyone could hear it.  He could barely hear it.  But that didn’t stop the nausea rising in the pit of his stomach, or his pulse starting to pound in his ears.  

No, no, no, no, no… not this time.

“Ives!” he yelled at the top of his lungs.  Over and over again, he shouted, his voice mixing with the echoes as he dragged himself up the rusted fire escape onto the rooftop.

“Mac?”  He almost missed it.  Her voice was stifled by coughing, but it was her.  

Scrambling up onto the pitched roof he’d last seen her on, he spotted a hole edged with rotten beams and snapped tiles.  Peering over the edge into the gloom of a dusty attic space, he could see Ivy.  She lay crumpled half on/half under a pile of broken beams with blood smeared across her face.  Her ankle was caught at a weird angle.  The body of a feral lay impaled where it landed just feet away.  

He wasn’t sure he’d ever been so relieved to see a person in his life.  The way she was smiling at him, she looked pretty damn glad to see him too.  

“Did we win?”

Shaky laughter spilled from his lips, “Something like that, angel.”

“You called me Ives.”

She gave him the soft look of a woman who’d probably hit her head on the way down.

--x--

But Mac was the one doing the worrying.  

It had been a long time since he’d been that worried about losing a partner.  What rattled him the most was that when she’d disappeared out of his sight, his panic had nothing to do with suddenly being alone in a feral-infested swamp.  He didn’t even spare a thought for the Gunner base less than a half a mile away.  He’d been too wrapped up in the fear of losing her.

Ivy was giving him that soft look again now, even without the concussion.  Would it be so much to hope that she actually gave a damn about him?  He’d made mistakes in the past, given his trust to people who didn’t deserve, and he’d been burned.  

But maybe she was different, just like he’d told her when he convinced her to help him with this dumbass plan.  

“You really don’t have to do all this for me, angel, but thank you.”  

Without thinking he reached out, brushed that one stubborn curl back behind her ear and cupped her cheek.  It took his thumb brushing her scar for him to realise that he was the biggest dumbass in the commonwealth.  Of all the things he could have done…

He was on the verge of panicking and pulling his hand away, when she pressed her hand over the top of and smiled at him.  He couldn’t have imagined such a different reaction to when she’d been falling apart in front of him in Malden.  

“You should let somebody else take care of you every once in a while.”  

If he thought she’d been looking at him softly before, well this look coaxed all the air from his lungs, and if he remembered to breathe at any point in the future, he’d struggle.  

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.  Usually MacCready was the one who knew how to tease blushes and smiles out of her.  To catch her eye and leave her speechless.  How did one simple gesture have his stomach in knots?  

Holy crap, he did not see this coming.

There was a creak on the wooden stairs outside their room and he wasn’t sure he’d ever resented a noise so much in his life.  Their little bubble had been burst and now he could hear the chatter of settlers outside again, and the damn brahmin still hadn’t shut up – even though he’d been deaf to them just moments before.  He could hear one of those damn crows squawking away in the woods nearby.  Dinner was cooking, and people were laughing, and didn’t they have anything better to do than interrupt them.

Ivy gave his hand a quick squeeze and took it away from her face just as the door creaked open and one of the settlers arrived with a basin of scalding hot water - now he thought about it, after the day they just had, he probably smelled like antiseptic and stagnant marsh water.  Nice.

“I’ll leave you to get washed up.”  There was a flush to Ivy’s cheeks that couldn’t just be put down to warm lighting.  He just smiled at her like an idiot.  

“You need a hand down the stairs?”  their host enquired, giving them both the kind of look that gossip was built on.  

MacCready glared at the woman.  Ivy might be quick to forgive, but he remembered that pipe pistol, and if he started getting shit from caravan guards, he’d know exactly where it had come from.    

“No, thank you, Lynn.  I can manage.”   The woman bustled back out into the night air, but MacCready could hear her taking her time going down the stairs.  Nosy...

Before he could help her, Ivy had dragged herself to her feet, using the doorframe to keep as much weight off her ankle as possible.

“I’ll be outside.”

“What, no bed bath?”  MacCready forced a laugh.  This was the crap they usually joked about, right?  He was sure it wouldn’t have sounded so awkward that morning.  

Ivy shook her head in exasperation, or at least that was probably what she was going for, but the grin and the blush undermined the impression.  

“I was an artist, sweetheart, not a nurse,” she teased.  “So, unless you’re planning on posing for a life drawing, I’m going to go and help with supper.”

A sudden panic hit him as the room emptied.  What if something happened?  What if something happened while she was out there and he couldn’t get to her in time.

The door had barely clicked shut before he called after her, “Angel?”

“Yeah?” she poked her head back in, curious smile in place.   The wave of relief he felt after just a second, well, it was ridiculous.

“Stay close.  Yeah?”

--x--

The previous night had ended up much like that morning had begun - with bickering and a meal.  A big bowl of vegetable stew and a quarrel about how to get back to Diamond City, to be more precise.  Not that they’d gone to sleep on bad terms, if intertwined fingers and shy smiles in the darkness were anything to go by.

MacCready watched the weather suspiciously, the morning was dull and windy, and knowing his luck, they’d probably end up hiking in the rain.  He stood on the tracks with Ivy, all packed up and ready to go, but they were still undecided on the route they should take.  Her ankle was no better than the day before, despite her hobbling on it and trying to convince him that she’d be able to make it the long way on foot.

“I’m telling you, if we go via Cambridge it’s actual roads and I’ll be able to walk.  I might just need a little support,” she challenged him.  Again.

“And I’m telling you, you’re in no fit state to try and get past raiders and muties if they’ve infested that apartment block again,” he snapped back, frustrated.  “If we take the shorter route we can be back in under two hours.”

“And if there are yao guai, Mac?  What then?  I’m definitely going to get eaten, is what.”  She folded her arms across her chest, the very picture of defiance – if it wasn’t for her standing on one leg like a lawn flamingo.  “Where’s the salt?  Because you might as well season me now.”

“Stop being so damn dramatic.”  He rolled his eyes at her indignant look.  “I’d get us there in less time if you’d just let me carry you.”

“And what about your shoulder?”

He chose to ignore that one.  The shoulder in question still ached like a son-of-a…gun.

“I’ll tell you what RJ stands for.”  Looking at her like he’d just upped the ante on a bet she could never refuse.  “But only if we can go the shorter way.”

…got her.

“Really?”

He shook his head and stalked over, picking her up in one fluid movement and–hopefully–managed to hide the sharp pain in his shoulder.  She quickly wrapped an arm around his neck to steady herself and swallowed hard – he couldn’t miss it – composing herself after being caught off guard.  

“Robert.  Joseph.”

She smiled, glancing away at nothing in particular, like she was trying out the feel of his name in her mind.  Then she smiled at him, and it was his turn to steady himself.  There was none of the teasing he’d anticipated, just that gentle warmth that always caught him off guard.  

“Ok, you win.  We can go your way.”

Oh, this was going to get complicated.

[brvdleymilligan]

HLO slinks in thru a bead curtain.......... truly sry this took me so long to concoct bt i’m here now, hand on hip, smiling coyly at u all...... i’m nai n i’m rly excited to b here so i’ll just dive right in!! u can find bradley’s pinterest board here n her muse tag here. like this or hmu for plots!

[ cis female, she/her, margaret qualley , twenty-four ] i can’t be sure, but i think i just saw BRADLEY MILLIGAN drive onto the parkway. don’t they know we’re not supposed to be driving on that haunted road right now? maybe it has to do with the fact that they’re so +RESILIENT and -VOLATILE that makes them feel UNPHASED about everything going on. i guess we could also chalk it up to the fact that they’re always reminding me of LEMON IN A FRESH CUT, THE AMBER BLINK OF AN ANGRY ALLEY CAT, GRINNING WITH BLOOD ON YOUR TEETH. either way, i hope they get back safely. [ nai, she/her, 24, gmt ]

aesthetics: singeing a hole in your fishnets with the cherry of a menthol, spitting a pistachio behind the bar just to hear it ping off the nozzle top bottles, lemon in a fresh cut, a war torn poppy standing alone in an empty field, pressing thumbs to yellow bruises, stomping over flowerbeds when there’s a path right besides it, dangling over ledges just to feel your chest jolt, a snarling rottweiler that needs muzzling, limp feet poking out behind a door, ‘I PROMISE I DON’T BITE’ scrawled on a name tag, slapping a bald head in front of you at the cinema like it’s a bongo, not owning a single jacket that isn’t stolen, driving a stranger’s car down the wrong lane against the screaming traffic, hair more feral than a wolf cub and eyes smudgier than a coal mine.  

BACKGROUND:

ok SO. her father owns a strip club in crescent hill named no angels. it’s kind of.... a seedy establishment i won’t lie. hs a red glowing sign like it’s lighting up a window in amsterdam. cigarette butts floating in oil slick puddles outside. unsavoury characters crawling all over like rats in a sewer. despite this it’s a legitimate business on the surface of things n it does pretty well in trade. it’s like.... that place people warn u NOT to have ur bachelor party at unless u fancy urself the type tht willingly enters a lion’s den bt tht almost??? adds to the allure in a way??? ppl r like wow so sketchy it’s the thrill of a lifetime........ i mean run while u still can bt go off i guess

it isn’t Confirmed Public Knowledge bt it’s pretty heavily implied thru the rumour mill that bradley’s father is the head of a gang of rly............ Not Nice people. all the ppl that work for him u would hands down NOT want to run into in a dark alley. while things seem legitimate on the suface it’s pretty clear they’re into shady dealings n the townsfolk that suspect that would indeed b correct! the club’s a front for a drug business n they’re also washing n running counterfeit cash thru it. they probably also have their hands dipped into a few other local businesses to run their cash thru these too n keep it all seemingly by the books so nobody comes sniffing around. they even r friends with a member of local law enforcement that’s working w them for a cut so they honestly have all bases covered to keep things airtight n foolproof. perhaps a business in reed too which bradley oversees bt i haven’t given this Too Much thought as of yet??

so ya she’s grown up fairly local most of her life n would maybe be known around town as such.................. the milligans r certainly Interesting as far as families go so like. it honestly wldn’t surprise me if ppl nudge elbows when they see one of them coming n immediately walk in the opposite direction. just quite an intimidating presence...... they’re like caged animals where ur specifically instructed NOT to stick ur fingers between the bars bc they WILL bite

on a more personal note her dad is pretty much the worst human being alive n bradley hs like….. a lot of issues with herself as a result of years of toxicity n abuse

in terms of more family bkground info her mum’s name was alyssa n she vanished when bradley was 12. jst like…. into thin air. nothing. no note. zilch. gan! n when bradley asked her dad abt it his response was essentially “guess she didn’t love us enough to stay”. as bradley’s got older tho n become (without intention) more involved in the business side of things, it’s become pretty clear there was far more to the story.

(abuse tw) they had a horrible marriage n tony ws emotionally manipulative at the best of times, violent at worst, which didn’t help the fact tht alyssa ws struggling a lot w severe depression n rly just… not in the mindset to b dealing w anything else, even where motherhood ws concerned. bradley p much… would look after her a lot n they’d both b scared of her dad n it was just a whole unhealthy mess.

(death implied tw) anyway im rambling bt basically tony (bradley’s dad) gt wind of alyssa sleeping w men tht worked fr him n he just… got rid. bradley’s kind of worked out over the yrs tht her mum didn’t jst leave on her own accord n tht something must hav happened to her bt she’s too scared of her dad to ever directly accuse him

when her mum went all of her dad’s cruelty pretty mch got channelled straight onto her. it ws diluted between two before bt as u can probably imagine her upbringing was jst…. a steep downhill decline

(drugs implied tw) she learnt ways 2 deal w the incurring trauma bt they weren’t healthy ones at all! bsically jst. will do or take anything fr the distraction. chases a thrill like it’s the only way to remind her she’s alive. has absolutely no regard fr her own wellbeing n often gets other ppl in trouble too bc she’s so insatiably reckless

(hospitalisation tw) she hd….2 separate stints of psychiatric hospitalisation n she never tlks abt it. like ever. acknowledging she’s been vulnerable is her worst nightmare n bc of the way her dad raised her she always thinks any sign of struggling within herself is weakness. truly does…. not kno how to properly emotion

CUT TO!!!! the present. she’s currently living at the motel which is like. the least homely place she cld ever live rly but bradley loves making her life uncomfortable n doesn’t rly believe in growing sentimentally attached to anything if she cn help it <3 probably gets into arguments all the time w her neighbours it’s a whole thing.... atrocious at feeding herself has breakfasts frm the vending machine like her organs aren’t screaming fr vegetables.... plays music too loud n sometimes vanishes for days at a time without a word. she’s a lot.

i honestly feel like the murders haven’t rly phased bradley too hugely....... i won’t lie she probably genuinely is like. oh maybe it’s smthn to do w my dad. n just blinks the other way not rly that phased. on some subconscious level i think she rly just thinks........ death follows her wherever she goes n is like. this is just life for me! kind of depressing. holds her hand bt then screams n pulls away when she inevitably bites me.

PERSONALITY:

the kind of sour cherry only certain people have a taste for

once drank a bottle of whiskey, insisted she could still do a cartwheel and accidentally kicked an old man’s front tooth out in the process. proceeded 2 collapse into a flower bed and laugh so much abt it that she cried

barely takes anything seriously 50% of the time and is angry the other 50%

if she was a coffee she’d be black with five grains of sugar that you couldn’t taste until the last sip

(alcoholism tw) high functioning alcoholic. if u ever see her w a coffee cup u jst kno tht one sniff will confirm high alcohol percentage. honestly idk hw she does it her liver must b yellin

loyal to a point of fault. if she cares abt u (rare) and u murder a man in cold blood (not so rare in the broad scheme of bradley’s life) she’ll brawl anyone that says ur guilty

honestly wld probably fight a person over anything. sometimes she’ll jst be having a bad day n she’ll burst n take it out on whoever says the wrong thing. minefield!

has the worst luck in romance…. ever. ALL her past bfs hav been absolute beasts n as a result she has the ‘romance is dead n love is a lie’ mentality. definitely NOT a romantic. very cut n dry abt these things. sex is mostly just sex n she’d kind of scoff at anyone that wanted more from her

mostly wears stolen clothes from strangers and jackets that swamp her. huge chunky stomping boots with steel toe caps that would RLY bruise if they gave u a kick. hair is p much always a wild mess n she usually hs kind of smudgy/smoky makeup bcos apparently she’s allergic to combs and generally looking presentable… relatable content. the only time she rly looks put together is when she has to do something/go somewhere/see someone on behalf of her father....... he kind of uses her as a sort of. honey pot sometimes fr shit his gang get up to it’s like. not! a way u should ever utilise ur daughter but :/ i cannot stress enough how much i wna drop kick him in the neck

she’s v sarcastic. blunt. kind of has a habit of…. assessing a person n she’s quite perceptive bc she’s been trained to b by the way she always has to monitor her dad’s expression fr the slightest emotion change. she’s very confident n can p much mke a conversation out of whatever if she feels like it. independent too like she hs a bunch of (predominantly surface connection) friends bt she doesn’t care abt going out places alone n does this often. she’s probably kind of known around town bt itd b a 50/50 balance between bein known as intimidating n bein known as that one girl tht always gets into anarchy

likes: drunken snow angels that drag on so long they flirt with pneumonia, stealing cars, throwing watermelons off rooftops to watch them explode, shooting pedestrian’s with bb guns from hidden spots on rooftops. 

dislikes: telling the truth, tulips so yellow it’s like they’re gloating, playing music loud enough to fry your brain and serve it on a piece of toast, going home.

PLOTS:

someone tht works at the ‘no angels’ strip club?? either as a dancer or bartender or whtever. just a forewarning it’s probably gna b a pretty….. seedy and Not That Pleasant environment bc it’s like. a crime hotspot inevitably bc it’s a gang hangout so. ur chara wld truly be in fr a rollercoaster ride to say the least

(drugs tw) she deals coke fr her dad’s gang so perhaps ur muse buys off her

anyone….. she’s brawled in the past like. she’s literally a menace i cnt express this enough. wil jst randomly throw a drink in someone’s face fr no reason bc she’s bored. she’s probably pissed off 1000 diff ppl in 1000 diff ways. the possibilities r endless n i jst think tht’s a sexy prospect!

fwbs perhaps??? exes??? (probably ws a tumultuous relationship honestly bradley is. a handful...... it’s also rly not often she ties herself down tbh so this would maybe have to b discussed/be circumstantial/kind of rare)

mayb someone tht she met at an aa meeting when she hd to go fr a court mandated thing one time after bein arrested fr public indecency. i feel like there’s probably a rly expensive statue somewhere thts fancily sculpted n she like. did a flying kick n broke the dick of it off n gt arrested fr it

ppl she……. Goes Wild Goes Crazy w. truly jst the most self destructive person alive so anyone w a similar mindset wld b a hellish bt fun combination

on the contrary a gd influence cld b nice perhaps? like someone tht genuinely cares abt her n she jst doesn’t kno hw to compute it

maybe people who r her neighbours that live at the motel too??

OH it could b fun if ur muse runs or works at a local business maybe like. a bar? idk? n bradley n ur muse have developed a rapport bc she frequents the place n is................ a Character

um. honestly the world’s our oyster. hmu n we cn brainstorm if none of tht catches ur eye!

[thistangledbrain]

Ok y’all, I’m sorry I’m having to catch up! We got a new foster in a few days ago - a particularly broken soul - and my mind has been *entirely* on him. But he’s settling in a little now, so here’s the last 3 days in one post ☺️

Autism Acceptance Month

Day 10!

“Sensory Life”

This is sort of hard to describe, but I’ll try! This is different from the next entry about stims, though both are sensory related.

It’s like being on microdosed ‘shrooms *all the time*. If you don’t know what that’s like, I’ll try to describe (this is collaborated with a friend who regularly does this - I don’t...it would probably be far too overwhelming).

Colors are far sharper to me & I emotionally react to them far more than most people. That results in some colors being genuinely offensive - not just “I don’t like that color”, but it will make me intensely angry or physically sick. This makes me curious about chromotherapy, but I haven’t really looked into it that much. My tolerance of certain colors can ebb and flow depending on my emotional state/mindset. (This crap is so sharp, I’m actually getting a twinge of irritation just *thinking* about my most hated colors LOL 😂 🤦🏻‍♀️)

Textures/skin sensations are another big one. (By now you may be asking, how TF did this chick manage Marine Corps training/exercises?!) I guess if you want something bad enough, you can shut down some of the overwhelming aspects of the sensory thing...this ability to disassociate probably isn’t what NT’s would call “healthy”, but it’s quite handy if you’re autistic, and those of us who have been through real trauma seem to be especially skilled with our ability to just shut off all circuits and “embrace the suck”). Like...I’ll nearly panic to get out of a store or something if my underwear starts feeling uncomfortable, but I’ve literally been soaked head to toe, covered in mud and sand in my *everywhere* (and I HATE SAND anywhere but on my feet) AND I pissed myself, because nobody’s gonna stop shooting/training just because you have to go potty 🙄), and I remember literally giving zero fucks about it...so it really is entirely a mindset thing. But let’s talk about when I’m NOT in “Marine mode” (cuz let’s face it, it’s been close to two decades since I got out, and I no longer HAVE to tolerate overwhelming sensations).

Sensory input is just basically dialed to 11 & the knob’s been snapped off. Bright lights, loud discordant noises, too much touching/not touching the right way, things like that. I am particularly sensitive about body hair (my own). I *strongly* prefer to have my head shaved on the back and sides (but I leave the top long). The only time I haven’t done this, was in the Marines (it was considered “eccentric” and not allowed, so they made me grow it out). Even though I leave the main part long, it’s *always* in a bun or ponytail - well, unless I’m super dressed up for something, but even then I prefer some sort of updo. Despite the fact that I like my long hair (well on the top anyway), I can’t *stand* the way it feels on my neck or especially my face - I HATE IT when my hair touches my face. If I wasn’t married...there’s a decent chance I’d just shave it all off and be done with it LOL 😆 My ponytail pulled through the back of a baseball hat is I guess what they’d call my “signature look”.

And you think NT’s have bad misophonia? *I’ve jumped out of a moving vehicle before* to get away from the noise of someone chewing loudly/smacking their lips in the back seat (he was a coworker and punching him in the mouth - which is what I DESPERATELY wanted to do - would have gotten me fired 😕)...but humans eating, or dogs licking their junk, makes me want to crawl out of my own skin. It’s mostly humans though....you have *no idea* the level of self discipline it takes to keep me from either rage crying or actually getting violent around someone smacking their mouth during a meal. I *cannot* be around my husband when he’s eating breakfast cereal even though he’s a very mannered eater - I don’t know why, but it’s *so loud* (and I’m terribly hard of hearing) - it sounds like he’s chewing rocks. It took us years to work this problem out LOL - he thought it was dumb that I had such a deeply emotional reaction. Then he tried to “chew quietly”, which all that did was slow down the rock tumbler inside his mouth 😂...gradually, for everyone’s sanity, we realized that cereal eating should not be done in close proximity to each other lololol....and now, when it’s time for family meals around the table, I’ve learned to either keep the range hood fan going (white noise is definitely my friend), or have the TV on. If it’s just mainly the sound of everyone chewing, I simply won’t eat at the table. I lose my appetite. (And all of my dinner guests/family are very polite diners. It’s MY hangup.) Phone calls are another big one. I could probably come up with several reasons why I hate it...I LOATHE it. This is one sensory hangup some people in my family just refuse to accept. I don’t think they realize I equate unexpected or immediately demanded phone calls to running naked though a mall or getting a root canal. Hissssssssss!! Give me some time to prepare myself for this shit please - you’re actually asking a *lot* from me. (And when I do have a call? Ugh I babble and am so awkward, because I’m so effing uncomfortable, which I also hate.)

But here’s an area where my “sensory overload” serves me very well:

Dogs.

I am usually *intensely* dialed into the energy and body language of an animal, but particularly dogs. I’m *so* sensitive to them, that I often actually can feel things even happening behind my back - can basically sense the energy in the area shift. (Roughly 75% of the time. I’m spacey sometimes too LOL.) The work I do with “behaviorally challenged” dogs is the biggest area where I am *grateful* for my autistic mind. I don’t think I could really do the things I do without it, successfully. (I can do this to a large degree with people as well, as can my youngest son. You cannot lie to that boy about your feelings or mood.)

We all have different levels of sensory sensitivity and different triggers, but every autistic I know has several “sensory hangups”. It often is one of our biggest hurdles to deal with, when it comes to “normal functioning”. So, many of us constantly have headphones (or muffs) on, some of us wear sunglasses *all the time*, etc (I wear a baseball hat - and I genuinely don’t like going anywhere where I have to get dressed up and can’t wear my hat. Been like that since my early teens. That hat shields me from all sorts of real and imagined sensory triggers.) You do what you can to mitigate, you know? But my “microdosing shrooms” and “knob dialed to 11 and snapped off” is really the best way I can summarize. (And that’s not all bad - my trips into a new natural space, like the redwoods, is an absolute *thrill*. I also occasionally love sensory overload - many auties do - like rollercoasters. My youngest son and I can ride till we pass out LOL!) So sensory life is love/hate, really....but I don’t think I’d change much about it.

Except the fucking misophonia. I hate that I go into almost a murderous rage over someone just chewing food loudly 🤦🏻‍♀️ - but seriously. It’s impolite anyway. Don’t do it. 😆

———————————————————

Day 11!

Stims

This is one of the biggest areas where neurotypicals struggle to understand us.

We all have stims. Stims are basically any stimulus that brings us joy or comfort. It could be rocking, flapping, walking in tight little circles, clicking your fingernails together, spinning, making weird sounds or whistling, etc. And it’s usually repetitive - that’s the part that gets on people’s nerves.

I’ve found that most *women* hide most of our stims. We only let go and stim our little hearts out when we’re alone. I do that, because some of my stims grate on my husband. Sometimes I don’t WANT to feel “watched” anyway...I’ve noticed males don’t have quite the same issue with that.

I have quiet stims I do to soothe myself, and happy stims. One of my quieter stims when I’m trying to soothe myself (like in public) is clicking my teeth, particularly my right canines. I also have this silicone bite stick I wear around my neck sometimes, that I chew on (my sons like the bite sticks as well). I carry a little bag of fidget toys in my purse, to soothe myself with when I’m stressed. There’s a thing sort of like a fidget cube, a little cowrie shell and twine bracelet that I fiddle with almost like a rosary, a small stuffed axolotyl (her name is Blossom), and a few other toys. My little stash also comes in damn handy when I encounter a bored child LOL!

One of my sons makes funny little sound effects randomly (and he’s grown & still does it). The other used to randomly shriek when he was younger - then he learned how to whistle, so he couldn’t say a whole sentence without punctuating it with little whistles (we actually thought it was adorable).

My favorite stim is putting my headphones on, putting on some favorite music, sitting with my legs crossed, closing my eyes, and rocking. I’m happy to TELL you about this stim, but it’s one I do alone, because I like to get completely lost in it and I can’t do that if I feel I’m being watched...and you’ll damn near give me a heart attack if you touch me while I’m lost in that world. (And boy does it irritate me to get yanked out of that before I’m ready, for some bullshit non emergency reason.) Better to just isolate myself (except my dogs are always with me). Another one I do alone - and I have no idea why i like it so much - is squeaking my bite stick across my teeth. (This one is weird to me because I usually HATE my teeth being touched...yes dentists are a problem.) This one I enjoy doing kind of mindlessly while I read, but damn would it irritate anyone in listening distance LOL...I mean, it would irritate the shit out of ME if someone else was doing it, because *other people’s* repetition, especially if it makes noise, gets on my damned nerves. 🙄 Figures lmao!

Stims can be damaging sometimes, though. Like I used to twist and twirl my hair when I was younger so much that the areas I usually grabbed were frayed and broken (I also chewed my hair sometimes). One stim I cannot break myself of even though sometimes it’ll make me bleed, is chewing the insides of my cheeks or my lips. That’s my most frequent (several times a day) one, and the one that is both gratifying *and* soothing. It’s also the one that’s hardest to suppress.

Some auties are either unaware or literally don’t care how you feel about their stims, but I am and do. I’d like to think I’m pretty “appropriate” *most* of the time with my stims and other people around, except the lip/cheek chewing. If my husband notices I’ve gotten pretty furious about it (even using my hand to push my cheek into optimal biting position), he’ll gently put his hands on mine to bring me back to awareness - if I’m gnawing away, I’m either super stressed or way lost in thought. Either way, I can accidentally hurt myself, so he gently guides me away/distracts me.

Stimming is an important part of Autie life and should not be discouraged unless it hurts Your Pet Autie ™️.

And if you’re looking for a neat gift for an Autie? They actually make stim toy packs. Get them one, they’re fun. ☺️ (Most stim toys are designed to withstand being put in mouths and bitten/chewed, too - LOTS of us have oral fixations.) And hey, even if you’re a NT, try stimming sometime (lots of normal people have stims, they just don’t realize that’s what they are - like nail biting. Bite your nails a lot? Get a bite stick!! God they’re so satisfying!)....

Happy stimming!

———————————————-

Day 12!

“Favorite Autism Charity”

This one is short and easy: ASAN. Autism Self Advocacy Network.

“The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is a nonprofit organization run by and for individuals with autism. According to its mission statement, the Network’s goal is ‘to empower autistic people across the world to take control of our own lives and the future of our common community, and seek to organize the autistic community to ensure our voices are heard in the national conversation about us.’”

————————————————-

Day 13!

“Family”

Well that’s kinda ambiguous, isn’t it? 😒

I’ll start with this tack:

Being an autistic mom with autistic kids.

I mean for years, none of us KNEW LOL - and maybe that’s what took me so long to get around to pursuing a formal diagnosis for my youngest. To me, for the longest time, he was just sensitive and different like me (same with my oldest, for the most part, but I’m pretty sure that was me buying into the “brilliant people are just fucking weird ok” mindset also), yannow? So it was like, “well mama always told me I’d have one like me & then know what I put her through” 🙄 My oldest got lumped into the “all bright kids are quirky” category - but as I learned about ASD through my youngest and myself, it became damn obvious the oldest was also in our camp. (He’s taken the prelim test now anyway, but is not formally diagnosed.) I genuinely believe that our “shared weirdness” binds us very tightly to each other - and I’m super pleased about that.

It brought a whole new level of understanding and awareness within our little family when we realized it was ASD I guess - and acceptance. (I 100% believe that diagnosis - or even affirmation - is critical to our self acceptance and understanding.) I wouldn’t trade my little family for anything, and consider myself remarkably blessed. I can talk about how complex and brilliant my boys are ALL day (and often do LOL). Hubby is neurodivergent, and can identify with (or at least sympathize with) MANY of our hangups....but he’s “normal” enough that he’s been able to guide us (mostly me) with things like how to use tact (not often a skill we naturally possess lmao). My heart breaks when I read posts by auties whose families either don’t understand or don’t accept them & are constantly trying to basically mute who they are. Auties “live out loud”, and some people find that off putting. I know growing up, I was constantly getting my ass chewed for being “dramatic” or too sensitive, too, so I shut down and hid my sensitivity far, far away. I’m only *lately* (last few years) discarding that silly tough girl mask. (I can still be quite the little wolverine at times, but I’m not afraid to show my soft sensitive actual self anymore...to stay soft in today’s fucked up world takes actual courage - a lot of it - and strength. I was looking at the concept of being “strong” entirely the wrong way.)

I swear my husband has lived with nearly as many phases and facets, as years we’ve been together. Sometimes I ask him if this ever bothers him. He says no, because who I am at my core never changes...and he grins and says “and you damn sure aren’t boring” 😂

But since I’ve known I’m autistic, I’ve given myself more freedom to discover who I am without these socially dictated parameters. And permission to be precisely who I am, without cringing apologies when the real me shines through awkwardly.

And my husband and boys have been there every step of the way, embracing me, as we do with them. ♥️

Yeah. I love my family. We’re some pretty cool people. 😁

[shnuggletea]

Chapter 22 is now LIVE on fanfiction and AO3! 

For those of you keeping count, this is twenty-two of twenty-four chapters. Now that the voting has closed, I will be finishing up the finale! Thank you to all of you who voted! I will be getting that chapter to you soon! Chapter 24 will be live on Patreon asap, I have to finish writing it! But! You guys voted so now I can write the finale based on your thoughts!!

Just so people that are interested know, I’m currently working on the next chapter of Enchanted. No, I haven’t forgotten and yes, I am going to finish it someday. Better read it while you can though cause I’m going to turn it into an original and take it off the site pretty much as soon as it’s done!

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Wanna catch up from the beginning? Fanfiction here and AO3 here!

Chapter 22

“Your memory feels like home to me. So whenever my mind wanders, it always finds it’s way back to you.” ― Ranata Suzuki

Waking to black hair in the bed with her had been startling until she remembered and realized it was just Rei, her back to her as she slept.

Rising carefully, she managed to remove herself from the bed without waking either black haired guardian within it. Tiptoeing to her dresser, she traded out her PJs for a pair of jeans and a thick sweater. As quietly as possible, she pushed her feet into her boots and pulled on her coat as she left the apartment, all occupants snoring softly inside.

The frozen ground crunched under her soles as she walked, the grass-covered in ice from the morning dew that froze in the cold. Even in the middle of winter and night, the park still looked beautiful, the trees glittering slightly from the frost that covered them. The moon was still up, high in the sky as it slowly made its way down to the other side of the world. It seemed to glitter as well.

Once in the park, it didn't take her long to find him, standing in front of the pond they shared a kiss at in one of their lives. Without a word or hesitation, they wrapped their arms around each other once she neared him. There was no explanation for it, the two of them just knowing to come to this exact spot and knowing the other would be there.

He planted a kiss on her forehead, still holding on to her tight. "I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise to protect you."

"Why didn't you? And why don't I remember any of that?"

He chuckled, "Usako, you were four years old. I'm surprised you remembered your name!"

"But you weren't. If I was four then you were seven. Why didn't you remember and tell me before?"

He stiffened and she felt it all as it rushed through him to her. Her arms around his waist, she pulled him in as tight as she could. "Oh Mamo, I'm so sorry."

Silence fell over them, or at least, they would appear silent to anyone who happened to pass by at such a late hour. The two of them consoling one another with all their might. Him for not being there for her as promised at no fault of his own and her for the loss of his family and memories. She desperately wished she had memories of them for him, to share with him. If only they had gone inside; if she and her mom had gone in just to say 'hi' or let his parents know what he had done….

"Stop, Usako, it's not your fault." She let it go, nodding in understanding. Not wanting to upset him any further. "I wanted to show you something."

Pulling herself from his chest, she found him with a grin and a twinkle in his eyes, reminding her very much of Endymion at that moment. "Really? Haven't you already shown me enough?"

His grin turned to a smirk but said nothing from his link or his mouth. It fell past her face so small and fast, she wasn't sure she really saw it. But then more began to fall, the small white flakes each perfect in their own way.

He released her and she stepped away, watching as the sky turned white. Her hand stuck up in the air, catching a few flakes as if to test if they were real. Then she let them both fly out, catching as many as she could in her palms. She giggled, spinning in the white fluff, it sticking and starting to pile up on the ground already.

Even though she already knew he was, she turned back, finding his eyes on her and her heart raced. "I know what you are doing by the way." He flinched slightly, not sure how he thought he could hide it from her. "But it doesn't matter now, whether I am like Serenity or not."

A smile slowly formed on his face. "And why is that?"

Her heart was beating erratically, barely containing it inside her chest. "You know why."

He made his way to her, the thick snow crunching under his feet and not another sound other than the snow softly hitting the Earth. "I still want to hear you say it."

Her arms across her chest, she did her best to protect herself, even though there was no point. "I don't need to be Serenity because you love me." He nodded, wrapping his arms around her again. "And I love you, Mamoru."

With her heart already pulsing, she actually needed the alarm from her communicator. Mamoru released her just enough for them to look at it together. "Usagi-chan, Youma. Downtown shopping district."

Luna sent the coordinates, even though she didn't need them, already feeling the pull. She pulled the rest of the way free from Mamoru, readying to transform. "What is with these bad guys? Why in the world would they attack that area in the middle of the night?"

"Usako." He grabbed her arm, stopping her from moving or transforming. "This isn't about other people, it's about you."

"What?"

"Think about it. That last attack, they set it up for you. They are targeting you."

A shiver ran through her, a combination of their fears and worries. "Do you think that's why they attacked me in the arcade?"

His head shook, "I don't know. But it didn't feel that way. They must be targeting Sailor Moon and Usagi."

She slumped, looking at the now white ground. "Great… just great."

"I won't let anything happen to you."

"I'm more worried about something happening to you." He tried to pull her back to him, but she twisted free. "We should go. Get there and end this before anything bad happens."

~*O*~

He really should be focusing more on the fight they were racing towards, but all he could do was watch the goddess next to him as they both raced. Leaping from one building to the next, her body arched across the skyline, snow dancing around her. He probably should stop the snow now, it only being an impediment for them in battle. But it made Usagi so happy…

This wasn't going to do, he was far too distracted. Pushing, he cleared his mind of thoughts that weren't helpful at the moment and focused on the throbbing pain in the back of his brain. A reaction to the Earth and the people on it getting wrecked in one way or another.

But none of it prepared him for what they found when they arrived at the scene of the crime. Because it truly was a crime scene. It took him too long to react, grabbing Sailor Moon and pulling her into him to hide her eyes, even though she had already seen it.

Bodies. Everywhere. At least 20 all completely drained of energy.

"Welcome to the party, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen!"

It was the same voice from before, the one that had taunted them last time. All they could tell for sure was that it was a male voice. Or at least, it sounded male to them as humans. Sailor Moon pulled away from his hold but he kept her close, a hand on the small of her back that was ready to grab and pull or toss if necessary. With their link and his touch on her, he could feel the tension she held in her body. It matched his.

"What have you done, you monsters!"

The heartache and tears Sailor Moon had were felt by him and heard by all in her voice. A high pitched and annoying giggle filled the air, a second creature taking the 'mic'.

"We took what we needed before but this time, for you Sailor Moon, we took it all!"

Rage growled from deep in his belly, the bodies around him that were killed for no reason amplifying his feelings. "How about you show yourselves you freaking cowards?"

"Hmmm… no I don't think we will. Not yet anyway."

He felt like he could spit fire at the both of them, the male in particular who continued to mock them from his hiding spot. But someone else did come out of hiding, a creature that looked like a tree with legs. Brown bark made up the skin of it and branches from the middle and bottom where its legs and arms. Its hair was twigs and leaves, twisting and shaking with every step it took closer to them.

On instinct, he threw Sailor Moon behind him. If the creature was any part of an Earth tree, this would be a short fight. Focusing, he watched as his golden cords fanned out and then wrapped around the monster. But they went no further, unable to penetrate the bark and dig into the Youma and take control. It wasn't from Earth at all.

The monster shrugged off his power, recoiling back to him with a snap and having him step back into Sailor Moon slightly. Then it started to shake, small at first but getting more and more violent until something burst out of its branches on the top of its head. Mixing with the falling snow, dark pink mixed with white, fat petals falling from the sky. Twisting, he wrapped his cape around Sailor Moon, even in her protests and shouts of fear for his safety. She was his priority.

But the petals didn't come near either of them, watching as they floated with a mind of their own only to land on the corpses around them. Attaching themselves to multiple parts and spots on their bodies, he watched in horror as the dead flesh began to twitch, tremor… then stand.

His arms still around her, they took several steps back but were quickly getting surrounded. "Tux…"

"I know, I know."

Pushing her behind him again, he punched a zombie that had gotten too close in the jaw. It hit the ground hard, a sick crunch from its bones, only to get right back up again. Laughter filled the air, his nausea burning his throat or his anger.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to do better than that, Tuxedo Kamen. Unless you want to just give us Sailor Moon?"

"Fuck you!"

Both voices erupted in laughter and his brain began to burn. Spinning on his heel, he found a wide-eyed Sailor Moon, tears brimming and making her blue pools sparkle. "Sailor Moon… they are already dead. Remember that."

Taking his staff, he pulled and unlocked the blade that hid inside it, the metal dull in the dark and early morning. The sharp intake of breath from Sailor Moon was deafening, only making what he had to do that much harder.

"Close your eyes, Usa." He whispered and prayed she obeyed.

But that wouldn't be Usako.

Grabbing it out of his hand, she flung the blade far, only getting a shocked glare shot at her before she ran from him. To make matters worse, the damn things followed her.

"Sailor Moon, cut it out!"

"I can't just let you… cut their heads off!"

He took off after her, kicking and punching as many of the walking dead out of his way as he followed. "They're already dead…"

"It doesn't matter! Think of what it will do to their families? What it will do to you!"

The idea of cutting someone's head off, dead or alive, did make his stomach turn. But it was better than the alternative, them getting Usagi. The nightmares would be nothing compared to the overwhelming pain he would feel if anything happened to her.

For a quick moment, he split from her, grabbing his blade back up and getting to her side. Sailor Moon reached for it to toss it again, but this time he was ready pulling back from her grasp to keep it in his hold. Now their backs were literally against the wall, the high brick wall that surrounded the parking lot they were in was behind them while zombies rounded on the two of them.

"Where the hell is everyone else?!"

Sailor Moon shivered from his tone and he pulled her closer to him, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"It will be okay. I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

"It's not me I'm worried about."

Her voice was shaking, the fear she had for him snaking through their connection. He couldn't stand it, her being so scared, all for him. The ground was quaking under them, his emotions taking control. But for once, he was thankful for it, the ground splitting open before them to create a deep barrier between them and the dead.

Just as they started to breathe easier, the dead began dropping into the hole. One after the other and Sailor Moon shrieked after them. It seemed pointless until they began to pile up. They were all reaching out for them, for Sailor Moon. It was enough to have his stomach turning again.

Not a moment too soon, fire filled the hole and he had to grab Sailor Moon again, covering her eyes. But nothing saved them from the smell. "Someone, kill the goddamn Yoma already!"

Now, ash-covered and charred arms reached for them, a few still on fire as they crawled out of the hole. Sailor Moon was sobbing while he was trying not to vomit. It would have been better if he had just cut their heads off after all.

"So much suffering for just one person…"

The bodies all went limp, the air shifting before them until a man stood before them. Well, not really a man, but he looked like one in a way. "You…"

"Oh? Have we met?"

Shit. This creature had attacked Mamoru not Tuxedo Kamen. He had almost fucked up royally.

"You are the cause of this? Ugly piece of shit like you?"

The creature fell for it, grimacing back at him. There had been two at the arcade the other day…

He felt it too late but still managed to throw Sailor Moon away and across the hole from them. The pink-haired bitch nearly sunk her claws into his blonde and he had to grab hold of her wrists to keep them from sinking into him.

"Tuxedo Kamen!"

"Just go!"

Sailor Moon was still on the ground, staring wide-eyed at the two of them. "Just go, Usako. I'll catch up!"

Their link was truly a blessing and a curse, her not believing him in the slightest and not moving from her spot on the ground save to get to her knees. Pain shot through his shoulder, having been distracted he now had long, pink knives sticking out of it. They appeared to be the monster's nails.

A roar erupted from his throat, now tossing the bitch at her lover who did not catch her correctly, both of them going down. Leaping across the void, he scooped up Sailor Moon and made for the others with her; Mars, Jed, Venus, and Kun going toe to toe with the tree creature. They weren't far and yet, no matter how hard he ran, it was as if they were going nowhere. It was then that Kun looked up at the two of them, his face going pale that he knew something was really wrong.

"Run all you want. Wear yourself out, it will make sucking you dry easier."

Setting Sailor Moon to her feet, he threw a rose, only to have it soar on endlessly as if time and space didn't exist. Or gravity, it hanging in the air as if it had none. "What did you do?!"

The girl shimmered before them, cackling. "Oh, not much. Just put you in a sort of...space vacuum. You're in what we like to call a time bubble, it doesn't really exist in here. And there is no exit."

"What do you want?"

He shoved Sailor Moon behind him but her words still made it out, the answer he knew he didn't want to hear. The male appeared next to his mate, looking Sailor Moon over like dinner. "Your energy was so… effective. And we are in need. So I'm going to have to ask you to give it to us. All of it."

"Will you let him go?"

Twisting, he growled back at her, but Sailor Moon didn't even flinch. "Sure. If you surrender to us!"

The smirk on the female's face told him it was all bull shit. They were going to drain Usagi dry and then him and whomever else they wanted. "Don't fall for it, Sailor Moon. They will never let either of us go."

"Tux…"

She was clawing at his back, pulling hard on his cape. He turned to her as much as he could without taking his eyes off the pair. "Sailor Moon, if you think for one second I'm going to just let you go then you are…."

She screamed, grabbing him and pushing him hard. He had been an idiot, taking his attention from them for a second to look Usagi in her eyes in hopes of bringing his words home. Instead, they had taken advantage and fucking up whatever he had hoped to tell her. His face hit the dirt but he didn't feel it, Usagi's screams making him numb all over in the worst way.

The male had her in his hold tight, pressing her against him, front to front that had him seething all the more. The female tried to stand between him and the two, putting on some sick pout on her face. There was no more control over himself at this point. Because they were touching Usagi, his Usako. So now they had to die.

His skin popped with electricity, it arching out and striking the female. She went sailing but he didn't watch to see where she landed. The male looked, watching the body of his lover go flying. But he held onto Sailor Moon still, now using her like a shield, the fucking coward.

"Let. Her. Go."

The creature shivered for a moment, but then smirked, twisting Sailor Moon around so that she was now facing him. "No. I don't think I will. Because you will never hurt her even if I do."

Sailor Moon whimpered, her arms locked in the creature's hold. She was being foolish, not wanting to strike the guy because he was similar to a human. But he wasn't human and he had killed several innocent people. She needed to snap out of it and take the fucker out!

It happened in slow motion, feeling so helpless as the creature held the woman he loved captive as a shield… and then leaned over to run his tongue over her neck and jaw.

His bones cracked from the pressure, his power surging but having nowhere to go. The creature had pissed him off so much, he wasn't sure he could contain himself and keep from hurting Usagi as well. The look on Sailor Moon's face was one of shock, having turned away from the assault to her skin. But it didn't last, her turning slowly to look at the beast as much as possible.

It was smirking, looking like he might do more to her. But then the monster started to shake, starting in his shoulders and chest and then all the way down to his toes. He could see it, the beautiful coils of Usagi's silver energy as it wrapped and twisted around her capture. The monster only felt the pain, soon losing his hold on Sailor Moon as the agony he had to feel took control of his limbs. Suddenly, his limbs snapped back, going up into the air and bending at an unnatural angle.

"ALI!"

The heart-wrenching scream woke up Sailor Moon, unfortunately, releasing the prick that had just held her for ransom. And she was still too close.

Time slowed again, him reaching for her while the female reached for her simultaneously. Her claws were out, planning on ripping Sailor Moon's heart out and he begged her through their link to move. But she was in shock, drained too, the energy she expended making her slow even though it wasn't much.

The night was just too much for her mind, making her sluggish. He wasn't slow though, grabbing her with just enough time to spin her out of the way and block the blow. Pain shot through his spine this time, the 'nails' digging in and going deep. It felt as if they touched his heart, it tripping over itself. But then he realized, it was the draining of his energy that caused the sensation, it getting siphoned off quickly.

Bright white light filled his vision, the nails getting ripped from him just before he hit the ground. "Mamo!"

She was whispering harshly in his ear, tears streaming down her face. He wiped them away with his gloved hand. "Shhh… it's okay. I'm fine."

He didn't feel fine, his accelerated healing not as quick as he needed it to be as he bled out. And shit, their link was a curse again, her hearing every thought in his weakened state. "Let me take a look…"

"No, Usa. Just get out of here. I'll be fine, I can take them myself."

"You can't even stand!"

She was right, half on the ground (and half in her lap) Usagi was holding him as he laid limp. It was as if his spine was broken.

Oh...it was.

Severed by the creature's claws. But his neck worked, looking around for the threat only to find them limping away. The two of them held onto one another, neither in good enough condition to help themselves let alone one another. They shimmered away so he looked for the other creature, catching it as it turned to dust thanks to a large blast of fire from Mars. Usagi was safe, he could rest now…

"Don't you dare close your eyes, Mamoru. I will NEVER forgive you if you die on me again!"

"I'm just going to… rest for a minute…"

"Mamoru?...Mamoru!...MAMORU!"

[kumeko]

Title: crumbling castles

A/N: For the @featherszine, I also got assigned Tsubasa in the Summer, and Tomoyo somehow snuck her way into both of my pieces.

…

…

…

…

Syaoran’s toes sank in the damp sand, the coarse grains sticking to his skin uncomfortably. What a strange sensation. He was used to sand. His homeland was filled with the dry, soft substance that could scrape wounds and erode ruins. Yet there not even the rain could give it this texture; the oppressive heat quickly dissipated any moisture.

 That was certainly not the case here. The sun here was comforting, not burning. Shielding his eyes, he stared at the broad sea in front of him. The sharp smell of salt lingered in the air. This world was filled with sand, water, and life. Behind him, an entire forest hummed with creatures. He’d read in books about such locations, such strange places that could be hot without stifling, but it was one thing to read it, another to experience it.

 He curled his toes in the sand once more, trying to get used to the feeling.

“It’s nice here, isn’t it?’ Tomoyo said, suddenly appearing next to him with a knowing grin.

 Despite all the battles he faced, the fighting instincts he’d honed, Syaoran had to resist the urge to jump. In every world they found Tomoyo, she always had the same level of stealth, the same sly smile when she talked. Calming his racing heart, he nodded. “Yes. You said it’s a.” He paused, remembering the word she used. “A beach, it’s a beach, right?”

 “Yes.” Tomoyo gestured at the long, empty stretch of sand before them. “It’s a private one too, so no one will disturb us.”

 Private. Somehow, Tomoyo was also insanely wealthy every time they met her and he was starting to wonder if that was just a character trait at this point. Tugging on the drawstrings of his funny shorts, he asked, “And these are water suits?”

 “Swimsuits. Trunks in your case,” Tomoyo corrected. She cradled her cheek, looking irrationally pleased with herself. “I just knew the dark blue would look good on you.”

 Another character trait—impeccable clothing tastes that occasionally ran on the side of wild. Syaoran ran a hand through his hair. “You already did so much for us: helping us get the feather, giving us a place to stay, protecting us. You didn’t have to do this too.”

 “Nonsense.” Tomoyo shook her head firmly. Her long hair swished behind her. “After all you’ve done, you need a break. Besides…” She drew out the last word as she pulled out a camera. A lovestruck expression crossed her face and he could swear her eyes turned into hearts. “I couldn’t miss a chance to capture adorable Sakura at the beach.”

 “What’re you talking about?” Kurogane asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his dark red trunks as he came up next to her. He ducked his head to eye her suspiciously, his overly tall body folding comically. “Don’t tease the kid too much.”

 “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Tomoyo answered cheerfully, looking up at him with a mischievous grin. With her free hand, she patted him on the cheek boldly. “Why would I, when you’re such an easy target?”

 Kurogane blanched. “Why is that part of you the same?”  Despite his words, his tone and expression were fond, his eyes crinkling just so. He didn’t pull away as he grumbled, “You’re all spreading stories to each other.”

 Tomoyo just smiled mysteriously in response.

 “Daddy!” Fai called out from further down the beach, waving his hand wildly as he squatted on the wet sand next to Sakura. In his other hand was a pail and just in front of the pair was a small sandcastle, with Mokona sitting on top like a regent. “Come, play with the kids.”

 Sakura nodded eagerly, holding up her shovel like it was a sword. “The sand here sticks so well!”

 Syaoran wondered if she noticed the here tacked on, if her memories included the sandcastles of their youth, the mounds of sand that never retained their shape. If there’d be a blank space next to her, a missing set of hands trying to keep the loose grains in shape.

 The bright smile on her face said otherwise. As with all of her memories, he’d been scrubbed clean of them, her mind filling in the gap seamlessly. He ignored the pang in his chest and headed toward her. “It looks good.”

 “I told you to stop calling me that!” Kurogane growled, grinding his feet into the sand.

 “Oh my.” Tomoyo blinked innocently, looking from one to the other. She clutched the brim of her overly large sunhat. “Is there a divorce pending?”

 Fai shook his head. He drew a heart in the air with a finger and blew a kiss. “That’s just how Daddy shows his feelings.”

 “Don’t join him,” Kurogane hissed, looking back and forth between them suspiciously. His worst fears were confirmed as the pair exchanged looks and two identical smiles blossomed on their faces: a team-up.

 Ignoring him, Tomoyo smiled happily, cradling her cheek with a hand. “He is very shy like that.”

 “He truly is,” Fai agreed, slouching forward to sigh. “Mommy sometimes worries.”

“THAT’S IT.” The last stray broken, Kurogane sprinted forward and roared, “THAT JOKE IS ANNOYING!”

 Realizing he was in trouble, Fai quickly sprang to his feet and dashed away. “Daddy’s trying to hurt Mommy!” he yelled and for someone so willowy, he was fast. “AND HE WON’T HURT HIS MISTRESS.”

 Syaoran could practically see fire shooting out of Kurogane’s mouth now. “SHUT UP!”

 “My, my. I feel like I deserve a higher status than mistress.” Tomoyo lifted her camera to capture the moment. “I should send this to the princess.”

 Syaoran stared as the duo disappeared into the distance, growing smaller and smaller by the second. By now, he knew better than to interfere. Kurogane wouldn’t seriously maim Fai. Probably. “How long is this beach?”

 “Not long enough.” Tomoyo sighed and turned to Syaoran. “That is your que to spend some private time with Sakura.”

 That brought him; back to the present and he turned a bright red at the implication from her words. “I-it’s not…I d-don’t…;” He shook his head violently, feeling flustered.

 “She’s waiting,” Tomoyo urged, pushing him forward. When he looked back at her hesitantly, she smiled slyly and added, “Unless you want me to steal her away.”

 She’s already stolen, he wanted to reply, but now he was standing in front of Sakura and Mokona. They looked at him expectantly. Behind him, he could hear the whirr and click of the camera and with a sigh he sank to his knees. It was a break. He should at least try to have some fun. The castle they’d made was a small one, with a moat and two keeps. Nothing at all like the castle at home. “You did a lot.”

 “Fai is an expert.” Sakura patted the side of the castle gratefully. “It would have been just a pile of sand otherwise.”

 “Mokana’s helped a lot too!” Mokona waddled over to the water’s edge and opened his mouth wide. Within seconds, he’d vacuumed at least three buckets worth of water. Locking eyes with Syaoran, he waddled back to the moat and expelled the water. Raising a paw proudly, he declared with a wink, “Mokona’s 108 secret techniques: moat-making!”

 It was neither a secret nor a technique and he could just hear Kurogane’s trademark that’s what you always do!

 “It’s very helpful,” Mokona nodded, satisfied with himself.

 How did that help? Syaoran kept that thought to himself, his smile forced as he politely clapped his amazement. “Wow.”

 Sakura was less reserved, affectionately patting Mokona’s head. The little porkbun leaned into her touch. “That was amazing!”

 “Mokona is always amazing,” Mokona replied sagely.

 Keeping his doubts to himself, he asked, “Anything left to do?”

 Sakura’s eyes sparkled and she reached forward to clasp his hands. “You’re going to help, Syaoran?”

 Her hands were warm on his, and he’d been in this situation before, seen that shy, pleading look more times than he could count. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same, and he would spend the rest of his life finding remembrances of their shared past in her actions. It hurt, but he could handle it. He had to handle it.

 What he couldn’t take was how she said his name: like he was a stranger, like he meant nothing to her.

 But that was the cost of a wish. Gently, he extracted his hand and dug his fingers into the sand. “Of course.” He could still feel her touch.

 If she noticed, she didn’t say anything. Tucking a lock behind her ear, she smiled happily. “It’s always more fun when you’re there.”

 There was a time when he used to search for double meanings in her words, looking for some hint of her feelings. There was no point to it now. He still found himself looking anyways. Her energy was infectious and despite himself, he couldn’t stop from grinning back in response. “It’s the same for me.”

 Her eyes widened. “Really?”

 “Yeah.” Syaoran couldn’t lie to her, he didn’t know how. “Really.”

 Flushing, Sakura ducked her head. “Great.” The wind ruffled her hair, her bangs covering her face. “Um, so…” She fumbled with the sand, scooping several handfuls to make a mound. “We’re going to add towers.”

 That was something he could do. “Gotcha.” Borrowing Fai’s discarded shovel, he quickly dug next to him and created a pile of sand. They worked in silence, building two independent towers, and he tried not to peek at her. It was too easy to slip into his memories, for her adult hands to shrink into a child’s. To remember a heat that burned even in the shade and for her annoyed pout as sand slipped through her fingers, her tower crumbling even before it could stand.

 Syaoran, she’d called, ordering him to hold the sand together.

 The next time she’d do that in the Clow Kingdom, it wouldn’t be with him.

 The next name she called wouldn’t be his.

 “Syaoran,” Sakura repeated, jolting him out of his thoughts. She gazed admiringly at the tower he’d built. “I can’t believe you did all that!”

 He stared at her blankly for a few seconds, before looking at the sand between his hands. By now, he’d formed a tower similar to the one they used to go star gazing on. “It’s a place I used to visit a lot.”

 “You must love it a lot.” This Sakura didn’t recognize the tower, didn’t realize the significance of the place. She gestured at the simple pillar she’d made sadly, frowning deeply. “Mine’s nothing like it.”

 “Look at mine!” Mokona tapped lightly on a pillar of sand next to him. It looked like a pain-stacking render of an actual tower, right down to the small niches and footholds visitors must use. Syaoran couldn’t believe his eyes; Mokona had done all of that and yet somehow, his fur was as pristinely white as usual.

 “Oh wow, the leaning tower?” Tomoyo finally meandered closer, lifting her eye from the viewfinder to take a look at the sculpture directly. “You are an artist, Mokona.”

 “The very best,” Mokona answered, winking.

 “Let’s do our best not to lose!” Sakura clenched her fist, nodding her head sternly. “Right Syaoran?”

 There it was again. For a brief moment, his name sounded right, just like it used to. It’d been sounding like that more often these days.

 He tried not to think too hard about it.

 He couldn’t stop thinking about it.

[bgn846]

Satum Novum Chapter 1:High Seas FFXV Gladnis

This is a repost of an older work from AO3.  Hope you all enjoy. :)

Summary: Noctis gets kidnapped and Ignis is lost at sea after he tries to thwart the plot. Now as he struggles to save himself and locate the missing prince, he stumbles upon the last person he ever expected to find.   Gladiolus Amicitia, the shield that decided to become a fisherman instead.   Will he make it in time to rescue Noctis or has he failed his one and only friend?

Chapter 1:

The idea of death had crossed his mind several times.  The odds of being rescued were extremely rare and his body couldn’t hold out much longer.  Ignis wasn’t sure what was worse, the idea of traitors in the royal ranks or his princes questionable safety.  Not that it mattered he was going to die soon and no one would ever know what had really happened.

Treading water was an interesting thing.  A human could do this action for a couple days at most, but that was under certain circumstances.  Ignis had been in the water now for about eighteen hours.  Things flittered through his mind in uncoordinated bundles.  He had been grateful at first that the water temperature had been warm.  It saved him from catching hypothermia right away, though he was shivering now as he’d been in for far too long.  

However, his traitorous brain would then tell him this was merely prolonging his death.  Dying slowly was agonizing.  He knew he would run out of energy and sink beneath the waves to eventually drown.  With no water and nothing to drink he was pushing it already.

The items on his person that were waterproof, his watch and phone weren’t much use.  His phone had run out of battery and was out of range anyway.  His watch only served to remind him of the countdown to his demise.

Continuing to stay upright he focused on breathing.  Why was he even bothering, he was a dead man playing with time.  Then he saw it, a ship in the distance.   Despite the fact that Ignis knew they couldn’t see him, he still screamed at the top of his lungs.  Waiting for the ship to steer his direction was excruciating.   What if they went the other way?  He would watch his one and only chance at savior sail away that would be heartbreaking.   

Several times it appeared the ship was turning away and he nearly cried.  Then against all odds it got closer and closer.  He waved his hands and yelled hoping someone would see or hear him.  The moment when a tall dark haired man waved back and pointed to him was overwhelming.  The rush of relief at being spotted made Ignis temporarily stop moving.  Sinking beneath the surface he struggled to get his head above water once more.  His body was reaching its limits.

The dark haired man was shouting directions to his crew as they navigated the craft closer to Ignis.  It was a fairly good sized fishing charter boat, big enough that there was no way to board without a ladder.      

He kept sinking beneath the surface due to the shock of being rescued.   Someone shouted something, a warning, and then a life ring was thrown out for him.  Swimming to the floating ring was a challenge.  Ignis swallowed sea water as he attempted to stay afloat.  Finally he was able to grasp it and he could mercifully rest his legs and arms.

As the dark hair man pulled him closer, Ignis noticed another crew member with a new rope.  It had a harness attached.  Once he was next to the hull, the second rope was lowered with instructions for looping his arms and upper body into the harness.  He complied and then he began to feel himself being lifted.  Focusing on holding on tight he closed his eyes.  Part of his brain was unable to come to terms with the fact that he was being rescued.  It was so surreal, in a panic he opened his eyes to check it was still happening.

That’s when he saw his rescuer up close.  The tall dark haired man was holding onto his arm and hauling him over the railing.  He had long hair that was pulled back away from his face, and he was talking to him.  Ignis could barely process anything, he was dimly aware of hands removing the harness and being laid down.

“Hey buddy stay with me.” A voice urged.  “What’s your name?” The man tried again.

“I—Ignis.” He managed to croak.  His voice was raw from yelling and lack of water to drink.

“How long were you out here?” The man asked.

“More than a day.” Ignis rasped.  “He desperately wanted something to drink, but wasn’t sure he’d pass out before he was able to ask.    

“Shit!” The man exclaimed. “Prompto go fetch me water now!  Hey stay with me for a little bit longer.  You need to drink something and then I’ll take you below deck and get you dried off.”

This Prompto returned with the water, but that meant he had to sit up.  His body was done moving and was on strike.   His rescuer figured this out pretty fast and helped lever Ignis up into sitting position.  Making a move to take the bottle almost worked, Ignis was tired and uncoordinated so he faltered.  The dark haired man gave up after a second and brought the bottle to Ignis’ lips.

Normally this type of action would have not been tolerated by Ignis but he needed water.  It may have been a blessing he wasn’t holding it.  The man slowly tipped the water back and Ignis knew he would have tried to gulp the whole thing down in heartbeat.

“I’m not feeling so great.” Ignis mumbled.  “I’m cold.”

“Working on that next buddy, I’m going to carry you so don’t freak out.”

The next few minutes were odd indeed.  Ignis’ world tilted as this man picked him up off the deck.  Then a blur of dark and light spaces proceeded to pass him by.  Finally they stopped and he was being put down on the floor again.

“Prompto!  Kiddo where are you?  I need those towels.”  The man yelled.

The blond haired youth named Prompto appeared with an armful of towels.  He quickly came into the room and waited for more instruction.

“Hey Ignis.” The man spoke.  “I need to get you out of your wet clothes and dried off.  Are you okay with me doing that?”

Ignis managed a nod and tried fumbling with the buttons of his own shirt.   His fingers were numb, astrals this was bad.  The stranger got his buttons undone fast and tugged Ignis up into sitting position to remove the shirt.

“Prompto help me, make sure he stays upright.”

Ignis felt the blond haired man grasp his shoulders and hold him firmly.  It helped tremendously otherwise he would have fallen to the side ages ago.  His shirt was taken off and then his undershirt was pulled over his head.

Next came his shoes and trousers. Ignis chose to ignore the last shred of his dignity being stripped away, as his boxers were taken off.  He knew it was necessary and honestly it felt so much better to not have any wet clothing sticking to his skin.

The stranger spared him complete humiliation by quickly throwing a towel over his midsection once he was fully disrobed.

“You’ve got hair drying duty I’ll get his legs.” The man said as he handed a towel to Prompto.

Ignis zoned out, despite being out of the water and getting dry he was still shivering violently.  “Do --do you have a blanket?” He asked hoping they would wrap him up soon.

“I’ve got a bunk right here with a pile of blankets on it just for you.  Give me a sec.”

As promised a moment later the dark haired man bodily lifted him again and placed him in a bunk a few feet away.   Ignis sighed loudly in contentedness as the covers were pulled up around his body.  He might survive this ordeal yet.

“Try and relax, you’re safe, you can rest.” The stranger urged.

That was all Ignis needed to hear and he passed out.

--

“Uh Gladio – come take a look at this.” Prompto announced as he held Ignis’ clothes while they both stood in the common area.

“What is it Blondie?  Upset because he dresses better than you?”

“Hey! I like my style.” Prompto huffed. “Stop distracting me, this could be important.  Take a look at the label in his shirt; it says it came from the ‘crown tailors’.  Does that mean the crown?” He stressed.

Gladio trudged over finally and took a peek.  Sure enough the label inside read as Prompto had described it.  “Have you heard any chatter over the radio about any boating accidents?”

“Nothing, which is really weird right?” The younger man pondered.  “Unless it was on a secret mission and the boat sank and Ignis is the only survivor.”

Staring at the blond Gladio sighed heavily.  “You and your imagination.  If there had been other people don’t you think Ignis would have said something about looking for other survivors?”

“Not if he is sworn to secrecy and the mission failed.”

Rubbing his face with his hands Gladio chose to walk away and rummage through the food stores.  “I’m going to go sit with him in case he wakes up again.  I’m worried he didn’t drink enough water before he passed out.   You gonna keep my boat float?”

“Okay you have trained me really well on that part; I promise I won’t let anything too terrible happen.” Prompto swore as he crossed his heart with his fingers.

Pursing his lips together Gladio shook his head.  “I’m not sure whether to be happy that you know your limitations or worried that you know your limitations.”

“Oh go I’ll be fine.  I know where you are and I can use the P.A.  if I need to.”

“Fine.” Gladio huffed as he grabbed some apples and water.  Smiling at Prompto he turned and left the common area. His blond friend was an odd ball for sure.  Poor guy had been chased down by a bunch of local thugs one night, and he’d sought solace on Gladio’s fishing boat.   Why on Eos he’d been trailing around the run down port of east Niflheim was beyond him.

Gladio had finished his business and put out to sea without even realizing the plucky kid had gotten stuck in his bait hold.  He remembered getting the fright of his life when he went to check the bait stocks.   All he saw was a shock of blond hair and a skinny arm reaching out to grab him.

That was almost two years ago and no matter how hard he tried the guy wouldn’t leave.  Not that he minded so much, it was nice to have company when he was in between fishing seasons and down a full crew.

Approaching his cabin he pushed the door open slowly and walked in.  Ignis was still unconscious but thankfully he’d stopped shivering.  He’d only left him for about ten minutes and he looked so much better already.  Gladio figured he’d wait another hour and then try and wake Ignis up to drink something.  For now he setup his hammock and grabbed a book.  

--

Panic gripped the advisor as he awoke.  Where was he? What had happened to Noct?  The gentle shaking of his shoulders stopped when he finally opened his eyes.  It was immediately evident that his face had betrayed his fears.

“Whoa Ignis don’t freak out, you’re still safe.  I picked you up in the open sea about two hours ago.  Remember?” His rescuer asked.

The memories of his hellish adventure came flooding back.  The royal vessel and the traitors that had so cruelly shoved him overboard, he could only pray that Noct was unharmed.  He needed to find his prince before it was too late.  “I need to go.” He uttered quickly.

“I figured you’d say something like when you woke up. I’ve already charted a course back to the main land.”

“Where?”

“A fairly decent sized port near Altissia.  I can radio ahead if you need to deliver a message of any kind.”

“No!” Ignis hissed that was the last thing he needed.  He had no idea how many other kingsglaive had been turned.  

The stranger held up his hands in a peaceful gesture. “Don’t stress, I won’t do anything until you’re ready.”

The response calmed Ignis somewhat.  At least he didn’t have to fight with this man over things of that nature.  “What do I call you?” Ignis asked suddenly when he realized he had no name for his savior.

“The names Gladiolus Amicitia, but you can call me Gladio.” He smiled.  

Ignis blinked stupidly at Gladio.  Blaming his exhaustion for being unable to think clearly he tried to find out more information.  “Who’s your father?” He asked weakly.

Gladio narrowed his eyes.  “I’ll play fifty questions with you but you need to drink some water first.”

Oh.

The thought of water was so pleasant it nearly distracted him completely.   Working an arm out from the covers he reached out to take the bottle.   Gladio carefully helped him sit up so he could drink.   After the bottle was drained Ignis became aware of his state of undress.  He opened his mouth to speak again but Gladio cut him off.

“I’ve got some spare clothes for you if you’re able?”

Nodding quickly earned him a lap of comfortable looking garments.  Gladio remained by his side as he pulled the worn but very soft t-shirt over his head.  It was good that Gladio was nearby, as he almost toppled sideways out of the bed, when the shirt was over his head.   He could add lack of balance to his list of problems.

Laying back down Ignis took the sweatpants and managed to don them while staying under the covers.  He sighed heavily after the task was complete.  “Thank you.” He mumbled, sleep was threatening to take him again.

“Let me cut you up an apple before you pass out again.” Gladio added as he patted Ignis’ shoulder.

Watching as the dark haired man pulled a chair over to sit beside him, Ignis worked to remain awake.   He focused on Gladio cutting the apple and watched his fingers work the blade around the fruit.

“Here.” He offered as he held out a small slice.

Ignis accepted and munched slowly, astrals he was hungry.   Accepting each slice gratefully he was starting to relax slightly.

“So my father is Clarus Amicitia, the King’s shield.  However, I have a feeling you already knew that.”

“Did my phone make it?” Ignis asked suddenly.

“Huh? A yeah it did actually.  Prompto’s charging it now.  Fancy with technology these days eh, making water resistant phones and all.”

“I must get to shore quickly.” Ignis reiterated.

“Don’t worry I’m working on it trust me.”

“When was the last time you saw your father?” Ignis asked as he bounced back to the topic at hand.

Gladio rubbed at the back of neck.  “I dunno exactly but it’s been a while.   After my mom died, when I was young, I went to live with an Aunt.  My younger sister and I spent our youth visiting dad on the weekends.  That got to be hard with his work schedule so we stopped going after a while.”

“I’m sorry to hear it.” Ignis offered.

“I have good memories, which helps, but it was still sad not being with him all the time.”

“May I ask why you haven’t taken up the family profession?”

Gladio scoffed.  “I’ve trained for it, believe me.”

Ignis knew this was true simply based off of Gladio’s actions to date.  He’d been picked up twice already by the man, and he could see his muscled physique plain as day. “What happened then?”

“I didn’t want to get sucked into a life that wasn’t my own.  I grew up never seeing my dad and it was because of his job.  I didn’t want to do that to my sister.”

“But aren’t you out on this boat a lot?” Ignis asked unable to stop himself.

“Yeah – you got a point there, but I do spend the off season at home with Iris, my sister, and she tags along sometimes.  Titan’s ass, listen to me rattle on about shit you don’t care about.  Sorry.” Gladio admitted.  

“I don’t mind, it’s nice to hear actually.” Ignis had been curious about Clarus’ home life or lack thereof.  He’d known the man had children but he’d never met them.  Sighing he decided he might have to divulge more information about his situation.  He had a feeling he might need the services of a runaway shield.

“So what about you? How’d you end up floating in the middle of the sea?” Gladio asked with a concerned look.  “You don’t have to answer that yet, I really should let you rest.  You look wicked tired.”

It was true Ignis was struggling to stay awake, but he did feel it might be beneficial to share some of his story.  “It’s alright, you deserve to know more.” He added right before he yawned widely.

“You need to sleep, it can wait.”

“Mmm sleep does sound wonderful, but I must tell you some part of my story in case it proves useful.” Ignis could see the look of confusion cross Gladio’s face.  “My full name is Ignis Scientia and I’m the royal advisor to his highness Prince Noctis.”

Gladio appeared dumbstruck.  “I would hear my father mention someone by the name of Scientia when I was younger.  The prince’s future advisor and babysitter, if I recall.”

Ignis smiled at that remark.  “Ah yes I do still hear that occasionally.”  The thought of caring for his prince did reignite his worry.  “I was accompanying the prince on a special fishing trip when I discovered there were traitors in our midst.  I was unable to act fast enough and they literally shoved me overboard in the dead of night.”

“Damn!  That’s shitty.  The astrals must want you to save him since you got rescued.   Honestly, I wasn’t even meant to be where I was when I found you.  I’d gotten off course and was about to correct it when I saw you waving.”

That information caught Ignis off guard.  He wasn’t expecting to be told of his near doom.  “Oh – that is – uh.” The advisor couldn’t figure out what to say.  Being reminded that he had nearly died was doing funny things to his brain.  The feeling of tears pricking at his eyes surprised him.  Taking a deep breath Ignis worked to calm down.  He’d been saved and that’s what mattered.

“Oh sorry I didn’t mean to upset you.  Try not to focus on the ‘what if’s’ you’re safe now.”  Gladio announced kindly.

“Can I ask that you keep this information quiet for now?  I’m not sure who I can trust.”  Ignis asked seriously.

“Sure thing, you’re lucky my dad likes you otherwise we might have a problem.”

“Huh?” Now it was Ignis’ turn to be confused.  “I thought you didn’t talk much anymore?”

“Yeah well you’ve been in service to the crown for a long time, and I do remember my dad talking about you.  Nothing personal just that he thought you were a good influence on the prince.  I’ll have to take your word that you’re not one of the traitors.”

“I would die for highness; I can assure you I’m one of the good guys.”

“Well you almost did die for your prince already, so hopefully you won’t have to do it again.” Gladio added.  “Now rest, I’ve chewed your ear off for far too long.”

Ignis hummed his approval and closed his eyes.  He could feel the blanket being pulled up to cover his shoulders.  Shoving his thoughts aside he tumbled into sleep once more. 

--

“What do you mean he’s disappeared?” Noct yelled. “People don’t disappear on a fucking boat!”

“Highness watch your language.” Drautos hissed.

“I will do no such thing, my friend is missing and we need to figure out what happened!”

“You must consider the possibility that he slipped and fell overboard last night.”  Lazarus offered with a sneer.  “It’s hard to see at night and the seas were choppy.”

“Ignis is smart he wouldn’t have fallen overboard.  We need to turn around and backtrack; we need to find him before he drowns!” Noct added frantically.    

“I’ve put out a distress call just in case there are any other boats in the area.  They will keep an eye out.” Drautos added with little sympathy.

“No this is unacceptable.  We are turning around now!  That’s an order!” Noct huffed crossing his arms and frowning.

Drautos looked irritated and he looked to Lazarus with a glare.  “Of course highness.  Lazarus go tell the captain to get this boat turned around.”

Lazarus left quickly and then it happened.  Noct watched in horror as Drautos suddenly morphed into a full suite of magical armor.   The ensuing battle was far from fair.  Sure, he could use his magic to defend himself but it wasn’t working real well.  Fighting on a boat was hazardous.  One wrong move and the boat would sink essentially dooming them all.  The turning point had been when Drautos had threatened just that.

He had forced the battle down to the cabins below and was ready to open a hole in the bottom of the vessel.  Noct was livid he’d been duped by the very captain of the guard.  A small hope flickered in him that Lazarus had made a distress call.   That idea was squashed when he saw the glaive coming to join them.

“Put it on him.” Drautos ordered.

Before Noct could ask, Lazarus was standing beside him holding a metal collar.    “I’m not wearing that fucking thing!” he sputtered.

“You don’t have a choice.  Put it on or I’ll sink the boat.” Drautos growled.

After an intense stare down Noct finally took the offending item from Lazarus and fastened it on his neck.  The device blocked his use of magic.

“If you try and remove it, it will electrocute you.”

The prince wished it was full of explosives instead.  He would have considered trying to remove it with them all on the boat.   He would at least be taking down two traitors.  His advisor was most likely dead and things were looking grim.  “Why?” he asked curtly.

“Nothing personal highness, I want money plain and simple.  Lazarus, lock him in his cabin would you.” Drautos ordered.

Once inside his room Noct sat down and tried not to cry.  This was so bad.   He needed to figure out how to send a distress call.  Reaching for his phone revealed no signal.  He’d need to get to the bridge above to use the radio.  Without his magic that was going to be a hard task.

The Eos was a boring place these days.   There had been no major wars in the last three hundred years, and no one died from the scourge anymore.  The history books were full of tales of the black death but the malady had been banished half a millennia ago. Even the daemons that roamed the lands were gone.  Monsters still lurked here and there but they were manageable.

Some ancient Lucis Caelum had come back to life and saved them all.   Or at least that’s how the story was told.  No one knew exactly what had happened, merely that the current Lucis Caelums were tasked with protecting the crystal that gave life to their Eos.  He used its very magic to fight with and it felt brilliant.  What a waste to have such power and not use it for domination.  

However, the soldier wasn’t stupid and he knew a rebellion of that nature would never work.  The Eos liked being at peace.  The idea had come to him to operate on a slightly smaller scale.   Every large city across the Eos had a darker side.

Organized crime.

Once he’d completed this mission and gotten his ransom money he was going to relocate to Niflheim and open up shop as it were.  He had power, and he would have money to go with it soon.  He’d instructed Lazarus to plot a course to angelgard.   The time had come to make his move.

>Next Chapter 2 or read on AO3

[shirewalker]

Sweet Encounters - A Nikolina Fic

Nikolina Appreciation Week 2020 ♛ Day 6: Meet Cute

Summary: Alina's bakery gets an unexpected visitor: Nikolai Lantsov, the Ravkan renowned figure skater. Her celebrity crush. Who happens to like her from the second he sees her. Just another day at the bakery, obviously.

INSPIRED BY @ladyeowyn​ ‘s EPIC CHRISTMAS EDIT SHE DID FOR ME! LOOK AT IT!!

Pairing: Alina/Nikolai

One-shot

Rating: Teen

Also on AO3

Sweet Encounters

All I Want for Christmas blasted through the little bakery, the radio host’s favourite song playing again for the third time that morning.

It’s not that Alina didn’t like the song, she just knew there was a whole world of Christmas tunes out there that she really wanted to hear as well. Plus, it made her just a little more touchy on the fact that being single was going to be her eternal future. There simply was no one to want for Christmas…

“Did you hear?” Genya whispered from the cashier spot, finishing up another sale just as Alina finished setting up the Christmas packages on the counter.

“Hear what?”

“Nikolai Lantsov, the renowned figure skater, is in town!” She said with a blinding smile, her red curls bouncing with her excitement, “Can you imagine? A star in our neck of the woods.”

Alina snorted and dusted off her hands before taking off her apron, “Pretty sure he’ll stick to star-preferred haunts. Like that brand new training centre. If you want his autograph you’ll have to go there.”

Genya pouted, “Aren’t you a little bit excited? I remember you blushing very hard when we watched the Winter Olympics for your eighteenth birthday.”

She fought a blush at the mention of her celebrity crush. Yes, she’d had a huge crush on the prince of the ice when she was a teen. He was a dreamboat. Back then and now. But she was an adult now, no time for crushes over pretty faces.

“Maybe if there was a chance of bumping into him. But I won’t go stalking the man for a glimpse of him.” She grabbed her purse and walked around the counter, “I’ll be back in an hour, need to buy more gluten-free flour. Think you can hold the fort?” She asked, even though both knew Genya could easily take care of Alina’s bakery.

Just as expected, Genya shot her a deadpan look, “I can even make it famous, Alina. Go on, I’ll be here.”

Alina smiled at her friend and left the bakery, her mind wandering to lands where she actually did bump into Nikolai Lantsov. Daydreaming a bit couldn’t hurt, right?

--

“Saints! This snowstorm is growing crazy, Alina!” Genya watched the wind howl outside like there was no tomorrow. Discarded newspaper flashed by the windows, and people huddled fast through the streets, looking like walking cocoons made of winter coats.

“Go home, Genya. I’ll close up.”

“Are you sure? What if you get a crazy influx and can’t handle all the frozen clients?”

“They’ll be frozen, it’ll make things easy.”

Genya rolled her eyes and watched the street again before giving a reluctant nod, “Fine, I’ll go. Take care, yes?”

“It’s just a little snowstorm, Gen. I’ll be fine.”

Genya grabbed her things and left without another word, the two fully aware that Alina would just repeat herself if her friend continued asking to stay.

Alina let out a sigh and turned to the counter behind her, decided to take the chance of having the bakery empty and arrange a few more bags of assorted cookies.

“I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know!” She hummed to the song, bobbing her head as her deft fingers worked fast through the packaging. And then, just as the song hit the high notes, the door rang open again. “Did you forget something, Genya?”

“I did forget something.” A voice that did not belong to Genya replied.

Alina froze in shock, trying to decide if her mind was playing tricks on her. Surely not…?”

“I left my phone in my room and can’t ask for a ride back to the hotel.” The voice continued, growing closer than Alina wanted. “Think I could use your phone? I promise to order all your best creations.”

Hands shaking, polite smile plastered as best as she could, Alina turned to her client. Her stomach danced like a flag in the wind as she found herself face to face with her celebrity crush.

“Mister Lantsov!” She let out in a breath, noticing how much taller he was in person. And how much broader his shoulders were. And saints… His hair shined like pure gold. Not to mention his eyes… Surely emeralds had been named after those eyes, right?

Nikolai Lantsov flashed a rueful smile and Alina almost forgot how to breathe. “Please, call me Nikolai.” His eyes took her in, widening ever so slightly as he seemed to become… impressed? Was her tiny frame impressive in any way to such a man? Maybe she had flour on her face?

He made a breathy sound that sounded like a “wow”.

Her stomach fluttered again.

“You… You said you needed a phone?” She stammered, trying not to look too starry eyed. And failing completely as her face grew hotter with each second Nikolai stared at her.

“Yes, yes.” He shook himself out of his spell and flashed a cocky, but apologetic, grin, “I need to make a call and your place was the first thing I saw through the snow.”

“Ah, that’s the sign Genya insisted I get last winter.”

His grin grew into a full cocky grin, “Must be fate then. Just so I could meet you.”

She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous line, “Yes, clearly I couldn’t go through life without hearing such a cliché line.”

Nikolai laughed out loud, his eyes crinkling with it. “Sunshine, you are… Amazing.”

“Sunshine?”

“Yes.” He paused, clearly not wanting to develop that little bit. Then he leaned on the counter and arched an eyebrow in his best charming expression. One Alina had seen in many, many interviews, “Can I pretty please use your phone?”

Feeling like she couldn’t let him know she’d had a crush on his beautiful face, Alina arched an eyebrow of her own, “Will you order anything?”

“Like I said, one of each of your best creations.” He gestured at her displays.

“All my creations are my best creations.” She said, daring him to back out.

Nikolai’s smile grew, something Alina hadn’t thought to be possible, and he leaned further, “Then I hope you have a very big box, sunshine. I’ll take them all.” Then he slid a large bill through the counter, “All of them.”

She stared at the bill, “Are you… going to have anything… here?” Was he mad? That was enough to pay at least two of each of her cookies, cakes and pastries. Hell, she could even throw in a personalised order!

Nikolai hummed, “Yes, maybe… let’s see…” He eyed the display where several red velvet cupcakes were on display, “Two of these. One with the white cream on top and the other with the black cream. What are they?”

She fought back a chuckle at the question, “White is white chocolate. Black is oreo.”

He hummed delighted, “Both sound delicious! Add a cappuccino to that order. And… phone?”

She was still a bit dizzy with this man and his magnetic force, but Alina managed to whisk out her phone and handed it to him, “Please don’t make it too long or too expensive.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sunshine.”

--

“So…” Alina finished cleaning up the public area, the wind still howling outside. No one walked through the streets anymore, except for one or another straggler. “What are you doing here? The training centre is on the other side of town.”

Nikolai settled down his third cupcake and shot her a crooked smile, “I don’t really train there.”

Alina stared at him for a moment, feeling the cogs turn in her head before she let out a soft gasp, “The lake? How…?”

“A friend who lives here suggested it for me. Quieter and away from the crowds. Perfect for proper training.”

“Isn’t the training centre prepared for proper training?”

“I like skating on the outdoors. It’s great for focus and to come up with ideas.” He paused, “Unless a snowstorm comes in.”

Alina couldn’t help but smile, “Yeah. That can put a damper on the mood.”

Nikolai’s eyes shined as he watched her smile, “Yes, although it did lead me here…” He smiled, “Thank the saints your friend insisted on that sign, sunshine.”

Her cheeks erupted with a violent blush as she realised Nikolai was watching her with interest, as if he wanted to commit every detail of her face to memory. She turned around and checked the bakery’s clock, “It’s almost closing time, you know?”

He nodded, “Yes, Tolya should be here any moment.” Maybe it was Alina’s mind playing tricks on her, but the world renowned figure skater sounded… disappointed.

“I’m just saying because this storm seems to be getting worse. You don’t want to be out there if it does.” Why? Why had she said this? What next? Invite him upstairs? “And if you enjoyed those cupcakes so much, I’ll be open tomorrow as normal, anyway.” Oh no. Not inviting him upstairs, only letting him know she’d be here again the next day. Saints, Alina wanted to slap herself.

Nikolai, unaware of her inner turmoil, beamed with her words, “Oh, I’ll definitely return, sunshine. I’ve never had such great cupcakes, or service.” He added with a twinkle in his eye, as if he meant to say more but kept it to himself. Maybe out of not sounding like a creep.

A car honked loudly outside, startling the two out of their shared moment.

Alina turned to look through the blinds, “It’s a black car, tinted windows. I’m guessing it’s your ride?”

Nikolai walked to the window and watched the vehicle for a moment before smiling at her, “Yes, the wheels have a white stripe on them with a pattern of a sea serpent.” When Alina stared at him a bit confused, Nikolai gave her a half-shrug, “I needed something that would be recognizable to me. Something I knew people would try to copy for nefarious purposes but with details only I could recognize.”

“Okay, how can you see the pattern?”

“I have great eyesight!” He beamed before chuckling, “You see that one?” He pointed to the closest wheel. “The pattern has a flaw on it. Wasn’t on purpose, but once I noticed it I decided to keep it.”

“Makes it more unique.”

“Indeed.”

Alina found herself staring into his eyes, close enough to notice tiny details like the way the green in his eyes faded into deep browns with a crooked line of bright, golden yellow in the middle. The green reminded her of the pine trees that surround the lake he’d visited, and the brown reminded her of her favourite shade of chocolate cake. The one she’d come up with after spending a whole afternoon among said trees. Saints, Nikolai’s eyes reminded her of her favourite place.

Suddenly she realised how much closer Nikolai was. Panic took over, her heart hammering fast with the simple realisation that if she wanted she could simply… kiss him.

Clearing her throat, Alina rushed to the counter, “Well, you should go now. Don’t risk your health and all that. Here’s your order. I hope you enjoy it all, but please don’t eat it all at once. I’d hate to be the reason Ravka’s best figure skater got sick.”

Nikolai’s mouth quirked in a soft smile, his eyes shining with amusement. Oh, he knew what had almost happened. “I look forward to carefully tasting all of your creations, sunshine. And to come back.”

“Oh, you don’t have…”

“Oh, but I do. This place is heaven. And you are…” He bit his lip and shrugged, “I shall stop myself before I sound like an utter creep. Just believe me when I say that you are a good enough reason to come back.” He took the box, and their fingers brushed for a moment.

Alina let out a soft gasp.

Nikolai looked down for a moment, before looking back into her eyes, that soft smile still on his mouth, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Alina. Take care, there’s a storm outside. I hear it’s serious.” Then he winked at her. And left the bakery with a final glance over his shoulder, those eyes promising at least one more encounter.

Mariah Carey finished her song again, her voice carrying the tune perfectly. Alina let out a shuddered breath and realised that, for the first time ever, she very much felt like singing it out loud and with plenty of feeling.

Tomorrow just couldn’t come any faster. She finally had someone she wanted for Christmas.

[departeddestiny]

Pronunciation: Coo-Ra-Sa Or-L

Nickname: Has None.

Age: 31.

Nameday: 4th Sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon.

Race: Au Ra, Xaela.

Gender: Male.

Sexuality: Pansexual.

Marital: Single.

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Hair: Medium in length and Umber, it is parted in a way so that the thick of it falls to the right. Strands stick up here and there, it might be considered disheveled; this is done purposefully, as time is precious. It is silken to the touch. 

Eyes: Burnt Orange optics with slitted pupils, much reminiscent of the dragon’s from which he is descended. Black stains the sclera where white would typically be seen. 

Height: 7 Fulm, 2 Ilm ( 7′ 2″ )

Physique: Large biceps, chiseled pecs and abs. The Xaela is built from his constant efforts to remain in top shape, especially so since most of his Gil is gained protecting others or from chasing after bounties.

Dominant Hand: Right.

Posture: He tends to stand up straight and rigid, some would consider him to have a ‘stick up his ass’.

Scars: They litter his body, telling a story of a warrior. The largest one is jagged and runs along his left pectoral, stops just above his abdominal muscles.

Distinguishing Features: Unlike most Xaela, where obsidian scales would normally be present, his are cracked and flowing with lava. They are hot to the touch, though not enough where they will burn.

Profession: Formerly a Dragoon for the Ishgardian Forces || Bounty Hunter and Sell Sword

Affiliation: None at present.

Languages: Eorzean, Doman, Xaelic.

Residence: Taverns strewn throughout Eorzea, predominantly in Ul’Dah

Birthplace: Doma, before it was razed by Garlean Forces.

Religion: None.

Parents: Tsuki Orl ( Mother, Deceased ) || Ryoma Orl ( Father, Deceased )

Siblings: Chiharu Orl ( Older Sister, Alive ) 

Pets: Draught Chocobo named Isaac

Hidden Amoung Shadows: There might have been a time when Kurasa wished to be seen, when he made a point to show his scales off and revel in the attention. Now, he tends to stick to the shadows or remains in his own company, oft wearing a hood to hide his features.

Flawed Moral Compass: While he may seem like any other person, Kurasa is quite capable of committing heinous acts; an example would be how he became a Dravanian Spy during the Dragonsong War. How many innocents died due to his actions? A thought that would haunt normal people, but Kurasa sleeps just fine.

Short Trigger: Perhaps it is the dragon blood that runs through his veins, perhaps he was simply borne that way, but Kurasa has an extremely short trigger when it comes to his temper. As he’s gotten older, he’s done his best to reign it in, but he will still beat heads if provoked enough. 

Mistrusting to a Fault: Due to all that he has been through, Kurasa trusts none but himself. He has seen how quickly people turn on one another, how easily they come to assumptions. The man has seen the absolute worst of people and would rather not trust another to save his hide. 

Are You Really That Smug?: Once his barriers have been breached, his smug attitude and belief in his own capabilities come to the surface. Kurasa knows that he is good looking, that he is good in battle and in bed, and he won’t let another tell him otherwise.   

Frisky Under the Influence: Though not an every day occurrence, the man can often be seen in the corner of a tavern, pounding back the drinks...which probably garners more attention than it should. But with drink in his system, he becomes much more open and social, which leads to a new bed partner. But upon waking, he is his normal self, extremely ticked and grumpy despite just having got laid.

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual

Romantic Orientation: Panromantic ( monogamous ).

Preferred Emotional Role:  submissive | dominant | switch |  unsure 

Preferred Sexual Role:  submissive |  dominant  |  switch |  sex repulsed

Libido: Over-Active.

Turn On’s: Thoughtful || Witty || Good with a Sword || Sarcastic || Hard to Get

Turn Off’s:  Clingy || Selfish || Overly Cruel ( there is a line ) ||  Debauchee  ( he’s not into romancing someone who is all too willing to sleep with him )

Love Language: Time Spent Alone || Physical Touches ||  Protective 

Relationship Tendencies: Due to his mistrust, Kurasa would do his best to avoid the person all together; they would have to be stubborn and continually come around in order for him to open up. Eventually, the Xaela will begin to open up, once he sees they are not there to cause him harm and they accept him for who he has become. Will become a protector, a shadow that looks over them and ensures their safety. Once he loves, he will love them alone.

Hobbies: Sword Play, Training, Climbing Waterfalls, Reading, Drinking ( Tea and Alcohol ), Eating, Listening to Music, Wandering.

Likes: Cold climates, Animals, Waterfalls, Teas, Rain, Various Shades of Black, Cooking, Fighting, Flowers, Mountains, Fire, Gil.

Dislikes: Small Spaces, Long Conversations, Threats, Blood Stained Clothes, Garleans and Ishgardians.

Fears: His Sister Dying, Being Vulnerable, Drowning.

Positive Personality Traits: Loyal, Passionate and Battle Hardened.

Negative Personality Traits: Cynical, Sarcastic and Violent.

Sword for Hire: Or more specifically, a glaive. Kurasa will do just about anything to put Gil into his pocket; in regards to killing or protecting, that is. But unless the person has won his loyalty, there is a chance he’ll turn on them in favor of a higher counter offer. 

Blood of the Dragon: The Orl Clan was persecuted and primarily killed off because the Ishgardians believed them to be in line with their dragon ancestors: one look at Kurasa and, although not proven, one might think he truly did descend from the creatures. Cracked obsidian scales that flow with lava, slitted eyes, and fanged teeth. He portrays an intimidating picture. 

Battle Hardened Warrior: Kurasa is the epitome of a person that has been hardened by battle, and by fate. There could be no better person to fight at your side, as he is skilled in not only his glaive but a multitude of other weapons. He’s one of the first to rush into the fray and it’s quite hard to take him down. 

Lover of Tea: When the Xaela is able, he enjoys being able to sit down with a steaming cup of tea and let the days troubles wash from his person. It’s strange to see him do so and often, he’ll get looks of confusion when ordering, but who gives a shit? 

A Slight Alcoholic: Then there is the opposite of the tea love, which is his need to drown his emotions in alcohol. Unfortunately when Kurasa drinks enough, he becomes a very open and affectionate person, which oft leads to him waking up with another in his bed. 

Nature Lover: The best way he found to keep his body in shape, is to test his strength against what nature has to offer. Climbing cliffs and waterfalls gives the Xaela a full body work out and when he is done, he can sit amoungst the flowers and animals, and relax. There is nothing quite like feeling the sun beat down and the cool breeze against sweat stained skin.

Please be advised, this blog contains mature content that is not suitable for those under the age of 21.  

I Roleplay: Pretty much anything! Subjects such as kidnappings,  torture ( there is a fine line to tread ), and romance are acceptable but only when previously discussed and both parties are willing to participate.

I do not roleplay: Permanent character death, rape plots, polygamous relationships, god-modding, power-playing, and ERP. I am simply not interested in any of these, it is not meant as a personal insult. 

Please feel free to approach! I love to create stories. That is what roleplay is about, no? If you can somehow see your character fit into Kurasa’s life in some fashion, I am all ears. You’re welcome to message me, even if I do not follow you, and I will do my best to respond!

Please don’t take information from me. While I did not write the events that his story is heavily based upon, Kurasa is of my own creation and I have worked very hard on him. 

I am a shy bean who is just starting out with this character - he demanded I tell his story and that is the purpose of all this.

I am not my character. Kurasa does things of his own volition and although I might say something, that does not dictate his actions in the slightest. 

In Game: Kurasa Orl

World: Mateus  ( Crystal Data Center )

Discord: Given upon request.

Style: I’m a multi-paragraph writer, though sometimes I will write more or less depending on what I am going to work with.

[mrneighbourlove]

Burnt Heart: Ch 6. Trading One Pain for Another

At the Hylian Kingdom's castle, a Hasai in armour gave the King of Hyrule a respectful bow. His militia waited outside castle grounds for him to return, and he had traveled a long way to do arrive to this country. Before he could start his mission, the Hasai wanted to be civil and cordially with the Hylian government. Would make things easier in the long run. "King Covarog. My name is Agent Hresvelg. As a member of the Dorami tribe to the Hasai people, I'm tasked in arresting criminals and securing runaways for her majesty, Emperor Zannah. I am here with a squad of Theron to acquire one such runaway. I ask for your blessing to bring back a Hasai hiding away here in Hyrule. I promise that lethal force, or even use of weaponry or magic will not be used unless absolutely necessary. We will be in and out without being even a nuisance to the lives of your people. Is this information to your liking?"

Covarog wanted to have his wife makeup some excuse that he could not be here at this meeting. He always hated dealing with diplomatic issues pertaining to Zannah. Even over the years, he still could not shake the feeling that the Empress was always up to no good. Still, he remained somewhat civil. So, when his wife dragged him tot he throne room, he did his best to be... cordial.

"A criminal or a runaway?" Covarog repeated. "You must understand my surprise. The Empire has such strict rules and regulations, that there are hardly any of the such."

"Might we ask exactly what this person has done?" Zarazu wished to have a bit more information. "If this person has caused harm to my citizens, I would prefer to deal judgement with Zannah, not apart."

"A runaway. We know that Hasai are allowed to live in Hyrule. We'd never take a citizen who freely lives in Hyrule away unless they committed a crime against the Empire itself. Even then, we'd discuss the matter with you first. This Hasai in particular we are after fled Empire territory with damaging information that could cause infrastructure in the Empire to be crippled for a time. We believe that they might be a threat to themselves, as well as others." Hresvelg gave a nod of his head to Covarog in particular. "My grand father was the once the war hero Grand Admiral Bellum. I believe you were only a child when our people were at war, but I think you would know him. He was a level headed man, known for keeping his word and keeping respect amongst allies and enemies. So please know, I swear on his grave and family legacy that we will not be a danger to your people in our operation."

"We understand, though, before you take this perpetrator back to the Empire, we would like to speak to this person." Covarog explained to Hresvelg. "Put a face to a name, and understand why this happened, especially if they were working with another unpleasant character here in Hyrule. We do not want either of our nations in turmoil."

"A fair request, don't you agree, sir?" Zarazu asked the agent.

Hresvelg shared his grand father's poker face. He was glad too, because how the hell was he supposed to respond to that. Sorry, but his Emperor ordered that the Hylian royalty not witness the target, but I'm sure you can understand right? And he loathed lying. "I'm afraid it's highly important that the runaway is brought back immediately to Empire territory for questioning. They are also a teenager, so I imagine their parents must be ready to deliver quite the earful to them for their misbehaviour. However, out of good faith, I promise I will bring to you alive and as unharmed as allowed any unsavoury characters we have found them with. Is this request acceptable?"

"A kid?" Zarazu now sounded concerned. "How can a teenager get such vital information?"

"You know as well as I do that some children are trained to be deadly, my queen." Covarog reminded her, knowing full well of the Empire's hostile tactics. "Very well. Bring them here."

That would be good enough to not have Hylian forces interfere. "As you wish."

And that wasn't him making a promise either. Leaving the castle, Hresvelg flashed a light in the sky. Flying above a single was received, and the command was given a go.

~

Two weeks had passed since Grievous had arrived. So many days since Zizi had left her house. The Waku girl didn't know how she could help patch the relationship of her father and his wife if she didn't return. In the meantime, she slowly dropped her guard around the family, yet it seemed that Kahli never opened up to her the way he did with his other children. To them, despite tensions, he was warm, attentive and loving. Everything a father should be. To her, he was still rather indifferent. Outside, she was playing on chess board with Urboro. Kahli forbad her from initiating challenges of physical combat, so Grievous thought of different ways to see which siblings she could defeat in some ways. "My knight takes your rook."

"Annnnd... checkmate." Urboro knocked over Grievous' king with her queen. "You left your king unguarded. A knight shouldn't leave his post unless necessary. Got a little too ahead of yourself there, Grivy. I think you should stick to checkers, you beat Manaco seven times already in that game."

Grievous looked at the board, stunned in disbelief. How did she miss that? Glaring at Urboro, she didn't like the fact that she made a bet over a game of chess. "Don't be a jerk. Best two out of three."

"I'm not a jerk, I'm just took extra lessons from Uncle Ralnor in chess." Urboro grinned widely at Grievous. "Do I detect a tint of..." She held over her eyes, pretending to look, teasing. "A sore loser?"

"I just don't like you undermining my value as an intellectual. Just name your stupid prize for winning." Grievous crossed her arms, embarrassed at her loss.

"You shall have the honor of painting my toenails." Urboro set down a jar of polish in front of Grievous. "And I will paint yours."

"Painting nails? I don't understand the need."

"Of course you don't…" Urboro opened the bottle. "It's to look pretty. Feel good about yourself. To catch someone's eye, make them notice you."

"Confidence? Like my face paint? But no one can see your toes under most circumstances." Grievous had a new thought enter her mind. She never had an opportunity to speak of such things with her other half siblings or other students at the academies she attended. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

"Your lover in bed can." Urboro winked at Grivy. "A girl has got to be prepared." At her question, Urboro stared at her. "Of course you're pretty. You got an adorable tail, a huge butt, your breasts aren't that big but so what, if you'd wipe off that face paint, I guarantee you'd have a date by the end of the day. I can give you some flirting pointers and---" She gasped. "We should go bar hopping. I can totally get you a guy with a shredded eight pack."

"Wait. Are you talking about sex?" Grievous tightened at her shoulders, her tail waging back and forth anxiously. Was her butt really that noticeable? Was it due to her tail? "I'm not well versed in such matters. Are you?"

"I'm dating a Hylian blacksmith who is built like a boulder." Urboro nearly purred. "Muscles and such a big dick. Size does matter you know, but also how they use it." Her jaw nearly dropped next. "You don't know about sex?! Wait... you haven't had sex before, have you?!" She nearly squealed. "Oh goodness, I'm so totally going to get you laid."

"B-b-but what about the life bond? Wait..." Grievous' mind raced, her thoughts unable stop herself from thinking information through, even for her own good. "Before I left, one on my older half siblings at the academy was caught in what an officer described to us as an 'oral act' with another student. They would have been punished, had they not discovered neither became overly attached. They thought it was a miracle and summarized it was due to us being half-bloods." She snapped out of her thinking when she saw Urboro only smile even more. "Wait! That doesn't mean I'm looking for sex right now! I must look so bizarre to the people of this land. Is it even that good?"

"We're halves, Grivy. You're half Dal, half Waku. I'm half Lorleidian, half Waku. The Hasai life bond doesn't apply to me." Urboro flipped back her hair in a showy manner. "So you're probably not bound by it either." She then giggled, "And bizarre? Grivy, anyone who is 'new' and 'unique' is translated as exotic. You'll have men chasing your tail. Literally." She then paused. "Unless you want a woman?"

"I, um, never gave that part of my life any consideration." Grievous paused, looking at the clear nail polish bottle. "... you never told me if its good or not."

"Yes, you silly, it is good." Urboro then instructed. "Now, hold still. Appearance is one thing, but adding a little accessory never hurt anyone." She expertly started to paint Grivy's nails. "Hrm. I think metallic purple is your color."

Holding still would have to come another day. From the corner of her eye, Grievous spotted a hand motion from behind the barn. If the Kikai Empire had drilled anything into her with her teachings at the military academy, it was military tactics and strategy. Not care for her own safety, Grievous dove past Urboro, causing nail polish to slip up her leg in stroke. With an open arm, Grievous lightly close lined her half sibling to the ground to safety as an electric ball skidded by her head, every hair standing on top as a result. It appeared she was to trust her instincts to move. The trajectory of the shot would have hit Urboro had she dived left or right instead.

Men in black armour from head to toe stepped out from cover, weapons for capture using slings or shock sticks drawn, but others had crossbows trained if more violent means were necessary. "DAL! GET ON THE GROUND!"

"EEEEEEKKK!!!" Urboro was not expecting a full tackle and released a loud 'oof' when she hit the ground, feet straight up in the air. When the ball of lightning sailed past the pair, Urboro knew that there was trouble. Either someone was after her or after Grivy or trying to hurt her father. More than likely, it was Grivy, but she hoped this could be resolved... peacefully and without electrocution. "Hold onto me!" Urboro instructed Grivy, "And hold your breath!"

With that, the earth opened and swallowed both of them.

Electric shots from slings could be heard sizzling against the earth, voices being garbled by the layer of dirt between them. "Encircle the house! She's not getting away."

Grievous did as she was told, however, being trapped fully under the earth was nothing like trying to breath under water. This was far darker and murkier than she'd like.

Outside, the Theron Elite wasted no time covering any exit that the house provided. Going from assassinations to bounty hunting was

It took nearly a full minute, but Grievous and Urboro emerged inside one of her mother's greenhouse's. Coughing, the Zemlja then apologized between breaths, "Sorry, it's COUGH been a while since--ACHOO! I had to do that."

"What about your siblings still back at the house? We have to go back. Where's father?" Grievous took deep breaths after having to hold it in a pinch.

"Mom has a COUGH emergency defense system of sorts." Urboro brushed some dirt off Grievous' clothes. "Oh wait, that's right, she didn't tell you about Venu'sa."

"A what?"

Back at the house, Kahli was waking up from the behest of one of his other children. "What is it?"

"Daddy, I think someone bad is outside." Zaltana was peering through the window, hugging her stuffed dragon. "Venu'sa isn't sleeping anymore."

"Let's get away from the window, shall we?" Chatima led his baby sister away from view.

"Dad, what's going on?" Huyana asked her father, exiting her bedroom. "Sakari and Satinka say that there's more Hasai outside."

Hasai? At his house? With his children here?! Kahli's eye grew with fury. He knew this was an inevitability with Grievous showing up and staying. No way in heaven or hell Zannah would allow the possibility of this secret to spread. He should have left sooner to see her, but with Zizi still gone, Kahli had a duty to look after his children. "Stay here kids."

Kahli tightened his fists as he went to his door. Sure enough, he saw vines slivering, but no attack made by the guardian as of yet. Theron trained their weapons on him from different areas, positioned around fence posts or trees, and Kahli paused, taking a deep breath to channel his energies for battle if necessary. "Get off my property."

Agent Hresvelg had a bow an arrow ready in his grip, shouting from behind the barn for cover, "Give us the girl Sir Kahli. We don't want any trouble."

"You coming here with weapons pointed at my house, at my children invites conflict. I don't care if you're special forces. I will burn you to cinders if you don't back away."

The Hasai looked to their field commander, unsure what to do. "Orders sir?"

"Do not engage. Sir Kahli! I think it would be best for everyone if we stayed calm and orderly. The Emperor values the girl’s life. This isn't an assassination."

"Then why did she send you now? The Theron are Zannah’s death squad."

Hresvelg paused at this statement. There was truth in that, but missions were a mission. "I have no reason to lie to you. My orders are my orders."

Before Kahli could start his eruption of fire to give them a warning, he felt his spine shudder from a collision of pain against him. The metallic punch of T0-D brought him to his knees. "Declaration: Agent. The target is not here. Search the plantations. She must have not gone far."

The Theron nodded, running off into pairs, only a few staying behind to give their commander support if need be.

Kahli grunted, turning his head to look up at the Android. "What the hell."

"Apology: I didn't want to have to hurt you, but it looked like an altercation was about to occur, and I'd like it if you didn't kill any of the pristine meatbags. Also, that was for failing to mention you had broken your arrangement with the Emperor. What were you thinking keeping the girl here? I know she's been staying here for a while."

The man couldn't kick the robot from under his feet, so he rolled away, immediately running between it and his house. "T0-D. Tell your men to stand down. I'm going to see Zannah regardless. But if you take the girl, we'll have problems."

"Curiosity: Oh? Like what?"

The Waku put a finger against his head, pushing his hair tightly. "Or I blow myself up."

~

Zizi had spent the last two weeks in the Forest Temple, meditating and listening to the earth. It calmed her. Between Skull Kid's pleasant company and reconstructing parts of the temple, she felt a bit like her old self. Actually, she felt younger, like she was relieved of burdens in some ways. If Skull Kid could work miracles, making her feel like a kid again was definitely one of his talents. It made her forget her worries and heartaches just for a little while. Though, she knew she had to face them at some point. So, the Zemlja sat in the middle of the temple and harnessed her magic, green energy floating throughout the structure, into the ground, and around her in the air. There, she conversed with Zemlja himself.

"You still don't think you can forgive him?"

"Why should I? He lied to me. Kept this from me."

"He couldn't reveal it. Hasai physiology is very different than Lorleidian."

"I know that! It's just... I've never felt this angry before. Not even at Vul'kar."

"You have a right to be angry." Zemlja offered wise advice. "But if you continue to let it eat at you, you will find nothing but misery. And here, you have been drowning in it."

"... I know."

"It's hard to let go of hurts sometimes, isn't it?"

"Very hard."

"Then perhaps you better focus on what you do have, before you lose it."

"I already feel like I've lost him."

"But have you?"

"... I don't know. Why would he even love me after I lashed out at him? Doubt him? ... I can't forget what he did."

"No, you won't, you never will. Though, you cannot blame all the blame on him."

"You're right... the blame is Zannah's."

"Correct, it is hers. Do you still wish to cause her this type of pain as well?"

"Yes. She hurt me. Hurt my family. I thought her a friend."

"Then you must be careful... and not be foolish. Patience is your friend."

"Lorleidians don't condone violence."

"And violence isn't needed."

"No. No it's not.”

"Be careful, Zizi, and leave your thoughts of Zannah behind for now. Your family needs you."

"... we'll talk again soon?"

"I'll be here if you need me."

And with that, Zizi was pulled out of her trance by the tugging of Venu'sa's activation.

"Skully!!!" Zizi hurried out of the temple to the earth. "I'll be back! Gotta go! I'll bring you some cookies next time!" Jumping into the open earth, the Zemlja moved through the ground as fast as the wind through the leaves. Kahli's distress... she could sense it. Something was wrong, something was very wrong, and she was not going to let anymore damage come to her family... and she arrived outside her home, right in front of Kahli. Was he going to kill himself? The woman tackled him with all her force, and pinned his arms to the side, sitting on him. "... Kahli..." She looked at him with a glare. "If you ever dare to do that again, I'll divorce you for sure."

Kahli fell to the ground, shocked by his wife suddenly appearing from nowhere to hit him to the ground. He stared at her for a moment, before slowly turning his attention at the more concerning issue. "Zizi... we have a more pressing matter."

T0-D's eye flashed between blue and red, his mind thinking over Kahli's threat. "Illogical: Your threat has no merit. If you kill yourself, not only will you fight against the life debt you owe, but you will be leaving behind your children. Not to mention, Hasai do not commit direct suicide. In all my years I've never seen such a thing possible. I don't believe that you could do it. Give us the girl or I can't promise people might get hurt in the process."

Zizi got to her feet, looking at the Hasai troops and T0-D. She had a giant frown on her face. This was, indeed, a more pressing matter, though she had to keep her in mind Zemlja's words. There would no room for being foolish. Zannah would know that she knew now. Nothing could change that.

"... I know about the girl, Tod." Zizi informed the robot. "And I know about the debt." She struggled to say the next words. "We may not have started off on the right foot, but... I thought we became friends after a while. Tell me," She took a sharp inhale. "That day you offered to help me bake cookies... were you just manipulating me like any other 'meatbag' so Zannah could stab me in the back?"

"Reflection: The Emperor instructed me to watch over you, yes. But it was I who wanted to take the time to get closer with you. Her order was very open ended Zizi. The Emperor and I knew that you'd never have agreed to the process. That you couldn't share Khali. Baking with you was a wonderful beginning to what I believe was your start for a friendship. However, I never expected to have doubts. I knew if you ever discovered the truth, you would not be able to accept it. And I dreaded to think on how you would view our relationship after due to me being told to keep you in the dark. Can you imagine? Me? Having dread? Illogical at surface level, and yet, a reality I must face. Here we are now. I'm sure that the girl told you everything now. Is it so bad though? They aren't treated badly. Every Hasai goes through military training. The new generation of Waku are merely being given extra training. They are still relatively young. They will be able to make other careers for themselves in the Empire if they so choose. Zannah did it for the greater good of the tribes and the Empire. Although, I can predict this hardly matters to you. Manipulation and being stabbed in the back were your choice of words was it not? I'm sure you feel this was merely a betrayal. I wonder how you look at me now. I wonder how you look at Kahli. Hurt no doubt. But can't you see logic was put forward? I'd gladly cook cookies with you again, yet I fear a 1 in 14,000 chance of that ever occurring again. Ah, I've spoken far too long. Kahli. You won't kill yourself, and I have my orders to bring the girl. Can you give me a logical explanation to not take her?"

"... so that's it. That's all it ever was. Boiling down to orders and commands and keeping secrets." Zizi was quiet for a moment before saying. "Friends don't treat friends like this, Tod. Orders or not. I don't know really what you feel or if you can even feel guilty. Dread? Sure, you felt that before when you had to fight a formidable foe. I remember, I was there when you fought Malik." She swallowed thickly, "Do you think I would have ever done this to Zannah? Or even to you, be it possible? ... then again, if Zannah never considered me a friend in the first place, just another pawn to be moved on her game board, I suppose my logic doesn't apply." The Zemlja was trying to keep tears from running down her face. "Everything was perfect. I was happy, my family was happy... and then this happened. And I... I can't begin to tell you how much I wanted to just... just scream. I wanted Kahli to hurt like I hurt. I lashed out at him, and I shouldn't have. I should have just kept my emotions in check, but I can't do that, Tod. I'm not... I'm not like Zannah. I'm not like you. I can't sacrifice one person for the whole. I want everyone to be okay and to be safe, and feel loved." Zizi then stated firmly. "And Grievous doesn't deserve at all to be treated like a tool. She's her own person. She deserves her own life. If she doesn't want to fight, if she doesn't want to go back, if she doesn't want to leave here, then she shouldn't have to. She's with family now, Tod. It doesn't matter that I'm not her mother, she's still mine in a way. I will protect her, she's innocent in all this. All she wanted was some answers. Does she deserved to be punished for that? She's a child." She asked the robot, trying to appeal to his sense of loyalty and regret. "Would you want me to drag you away from your family?"

Kahli stared at his wife, unable to find the words. All he had fill him was shame.

T0-D paused, raising a hand to his 'chin' to think. "Answer: The girl has a biological mother she lives with. She has hundreds of half siblings she knows at the academy. In more years, her training will be complete. What makes you so much more special? We all have a part to play Zizi. It is selfish to put yourself above the greater whole. Countries and Empires wouldn't be able to function if everyone was so selfish. You aren't her family. We'd be returning her to her real home. So, it is indeed different then if you were to try and take me away from my own family." His claw pointed towards Kahli. "Query: He is the father, but you are not the mother. This girl is not your responsibility. And my dread is a form of guilt I suppose. To have a friend has been eventful, joyful to certain receptors. It's nice to access my memory of these more joyful times. Now, I still see no reason to not follow my orders. Zannah holds her trust in subjects and in family. To her, friends cannot be a part of her life. Family she can pour her love into and know it is a bond only death can separate. Subjects, she has a loyalty to nurture her people and them in return give undying loyalty and respect. I do regret your pain Zizi Slatki. Zannah does to. But she did what she did for the greater good. I believe in her goals to bring prosperity to every subject of hers. As her family, and as her oldest subject, I have a duty to fulfil."

Kahli squeezed his wife’s hand. "Don't take the girl. I believe Zannah would find me to be a higher priority."

"Doubt: Why is that?"

"The life debt has lost its secrecy. It's chains around me are so much lighter. I believe that she'd want to speak to me to try and correct that, would she not?"

T0-D was still, calculating multiple possibilities to carry out next.

"I'm human, Tod. Humans are selfish, and my love is selfish, but in a good way. I don't care the Grivy isn't mine, she still showed up on my doorstep asking for help. That makes her my responsibility, even if Kahli doesn't want to acknowledge her." Zizi told the robot, literally shaking from grief and sorrow. "A good leader wouldn't try to hurt one of her subjects in this way. A good leader would consider what others want. A good leader would forget her stupid quest for power and conquest, and focus on her family and try to make friends with those who cared about her. Zannah is no leader... she is simply a manipulator." She asked him. "If Zannah doesn't want my friendship in her life, then she doesn't regret a single thing she's done. By the spirits, I was right about her this entire time, but I didn't want to see it. I wanted to believe Kahli about her, I wanted to believe you about her, but it's all dragon-shit. All Zannah cares about is power. That's the way it has always been." The Zemlja couldn't stop the tears now. "I doubt Zannah even cares about you, Tod. When has she ever asked what you want? I tried to amend my behavior towards you, I tried to treat you well, and you..." She choked on her words with a sob. "You tricked me. Zannah used Kahli. She threatened to take away my babies to get what she wanted. I tried so hard... so damn hard to believe in the better good of others, but it has done nothing but brought me pain and misery. Are you really going to make me lose faith in you too?"

"Reflection: I'm sure my soul is impure in your eyes. What I want is the betterment of the Empire I call home. The largest sacrifices require the strongest wills. And Zannah has steeled her will to take on any challenge. A good leader will sacrifice additional comforts to give her subjects all the essentials of living. A good leader uses her power for the betterment of those people. Zannah broke her friendships for the sake of bettering her people. She cared so deeply for her people that she made the heartbreaking choice to sacrifice her friendship with you. I calculate, given her condition, she might step down from her current position and elevate herself for the betterment of her people. I did trick you. I won't lie to you Zizi Slatki. Because I believed in her cause. Even if I didn't like the thought of seeing you hurt."

Kahli hugged his wife tightly, resting his head over her shoulder. With a kiss, he whispered into her ear. "Let me go. You can watch over Grievous while I find a way out of this debt."

So that was it... Tod admitted it. Both of them, Zannah and her robot, intentionally hurt her.

... what did she do to deserve this? What did her husband do? Her family?

"I don't want you to go." Zizi sobbed, holding onto Kahli tightly. "I want you to stay here. I want things to go back to how they were."

"I can try to make things right. You have to give me that chance. Please, I beg of you Zizi."

"Statement: I am honestly sorry to see I hurt you Zizi. Kahli, do you consent to seeing the Emperor?"

The Waku looked over his shoulder, hurt and angry. "Only if you call off your hunt for my daughter."

"Don't go, I don't want her to hurt you. I've already hurt you and I shouldn't have, and I don't want to lose you, I don't care if all your other kids show up on our doorsteps, please don't leave me. If Zannah takes you away, I'll be lost." Zizi begged her husband. "No, you're not." Zizi took a shaky breath. "You just told me, Tod. You believed in Zannah. You didn't believe in me."

"Additional Statement: Those two things aren't mutually exclusive in my eye. I see now, however, it would be illogical to try and change your mind. Goodbye Zizi Slatki."

Kahli gave his wife a peck on the cheek, rising away from her. "I won't let her. You have my love on that."

"You promise?" Zizi looked so... so defeated. So heartbroken. So sad. "I can't... trust her anymore."

"I promise to you. I promise on my unending love for you. She won't take me away from you."

Meanwhile, at the greenhouse, Theron guards finally found their target. On the left and right flank, two cornered Grievous and Urboro. They had crossbows ready to fire with the graze of a finger. "Don't. Move."

Agent Hresvelg entered centre stage, taking off his helmet. Grievous expressed surprise at seeing him. "Teacher?"

The man's purple eyes looked sad and tired to see her. "Why did it have to be you Grievous. You had such promise."

"I wanted freedom my mother wouldn't give me. That the Empire couldn't give me."

"That why you decided to come specifically to Hyrule? To your birth father?"

"I wanted to see him too. Teacher. I'm not going back."

"Grievous. You're one of my most outstanding students. You've shown so much potential, and you want to throw it all away? You could be a great commander if you put your mind to it."

"But that's not the life I want." She planted her feet, grinding her fingers into her palm as she made a fist. "I want to fight my own battles. I want to fly where ever I want. I want a parent who loves me. I want siblings I can actually who aren't so laser focused in following the Empire. I- I want to learn what sex is like after going to bars with my sister. " She unexpectedly gripped Urboro's hand, wanting to feel her support.

Hresvelg frowned, perhaps a little disgusted by her behaviour. "Because of your desertion, the Empire wants you out of sight and out of mind. You might have been able to have been able to have the future you wanted in ten more years with hard work. You were always a serious student. You took your training seriously. You didn’t have time for foolish behaviour. It's why you were given the name Grievous."

"But that's because you all raised me that way. It’s all I knew. That life might be acceptable to the others, but not to me."

The agent drew a flint lock, cocking the gun in the direction of Grievous’ heart. "I have to ask you to come with us. At this range, you can't do your little disappearing act. And I truthfully don't want to hurt you or the girl. I will give you the count to three. 1."

Grievous didn't move, her body spreading out to protect Urboro from fire.

"2."

Just before he got to three, another Theron appeared behind him. "Sir. The mission is being called off by General T0-D."

"What?"

"We are to leave with Sir Kahli back to the Empire to deliver him directly to the Emperor."

"I see..." Hresvelg put his pistol away back into his holster. "Well Grievous. I don't know when I will see you again, but I hope you are serious about your current life choices."

"I am."

Seemingly satisfied, Agent Hresvelg turned to leave. The Theron at the sides disappeared as silently and as quickly as phantoms.

"Wait, they're taking Dad?!" Urboro looked a bit afraid. Her mother always warned her that Zannah could have a horrible temper. If they were taking her father away, what would happen? "Grivy, what's going on?!"

“I don’t know. I really don’t know.” Both the girls picked themselves up and ran to the house. When they arrived, however, all the Hasai were gone. All that remained was a distraught Zizi lying on her knees, with other children gathering with confusion.

Manaco had rushed from work to his parents' house when he heard the rumors of Hasai being present in Hyrule. When he saw his mother on the ground, and no indication of his father's presence, he feared the worst. Either Zannah was going to kill his sire or keep him prisoner... or worse.

"What should we do, Manaco?" Keira asked her elder brother. "They took Dad. That robot was here too. It must be serious if Tod was here."

"I... I don't know what to do." Manaco told his sister honestly. "I think that the only thing we can do is wait."

“Wait? What about the well being of our father? Aren’t you fighters?” Grievous questioned, guilt heavy on her mind. It was becoming clearer to her that he took her place. But why?

"Grivy, there's five of us that are of age. We are all good fighters, and we can defend ourselves, but taking on an army is not within our capabilities." Ahusaka informed his sister with a heavy sigh. "Even we know when to admit we're no match for a battle."

"Unfortunately, he's right." Manaco admitted. "We... we need to take care of Mom for now, and just wait. That's all we can do without endangering the rest of our family."

Grievous’ tail curled low, her feelings on the matter heavy. Turning to Zizi, she barely got the words out with a steady tone. “I’m sorry I came here. I’m sorry they took him away. I’m sorry I broke you two up. Kahli is a good man. He loves his children. He loves you. I shouldn’t have come here if I had known you’d be hurt so deeply.”

"It's not your fault, Grivy." Zizi felt so... hollow. Empty. "You're not responsible for this... Zannah is."

"I'm going to take Mom inside," Manaco told his siblings. "Will all of you try to calm Venu'sa down? She doesn't need to be grabbing a stranger and eating them."

"We can do that." Urboro assured her brother. "Take care of Mom."

"Grivy, we could use your help watching after the younger ones." Miku asked. "Do you mind?"

“Of course. It’s the least I can do. Miss Zizi? You’ll give Father another chance will you not?”

"I will, I just... it's hard to process all of this." Zizi said very softly. "I'm so exhausted..."

"That's okay, Mom. You can rest. We'll take care of everything." Manaco lifted his Mom into his arms, carrying her. He had never seen her so tired before, not even in the hot sun working with plants. He was worried, and it showed. "We'll keep Urboro away from the stove too."

"I heard that, you fu---fudge-head." Urboro had to catch her language in front of her smaller siblings.

Grievous turned to find the little ones. She hoped she knew what her father was doing. In so many ways, today had taken so many losses.

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Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/612492318747082752/burnt-heart-ch-5-reflection

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/612606875698085888/burnt-heart-ch-7-burning-bridges-repairing

Crossover with @ridersoftheapocalypse. Shared Extended World with @s-kinnaly

[fictioninmyblood]

Protector of Her Heart

Chapter Six

Note: I apologize for how long it has been since I’ve updated this fic (If anybody is even reading this). I hope you like it. Constructive criticism welcome :)

Summary: Elinora is an empath’s version of Professor X, only a lot more powerful. She is an enhanced human with the ability to read the world’s emotions. Nick Fury has welcomed her into the fold, but with a fear of herself she has been quite reserved. A forced bonding night with the newly discovered Wakandan royalty brings her out of the shadows of fear and into the light of lust.

Warning: language/smut, 18+

intle yam entle - my beautiful flower

Omncinci - little one

sithandwa sam - my love

Previous Chapter

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M’Baku may have looked calm, but internally he was burning with not only his desire, but hers as well. Nora may have seen his move to the bathroom as torture but he was saving them both from bursting into flames from the fire currently pulsing in his veins. He’d felt lust and desire before, but never to this extent.

It was Nora. Whatever sexual cravings she had were breaking out of her self imposed jail, and it was mixing with his own. He felt otherworldly with how it was affecting him, like Hanuman himself had come down and taken the reins of his libido. He had to get control over himself or he was going to scare her.

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After a long cold shower he sauntered back out in nothing but a pair of black silk pajama bottoms that hung low enough to reignite whatever emotions Nora had momentarily pushed back down. M’Baku was suddenly thankful for T'Challa's recommendation for sleepwear as it worked in his favor, semi hiding his arousal and igniting hers.

Getting back into position at the apex of her thighs he sighed into her, his breath ensuring that she was in a state of awareness. “Are you ready to stop trying to control the situation and give yourself over?”

Fed up with his teasing, she let out a growl, “Would you just shut up M’Baku?! I need to cum so stop dicking around unless you intend to do so inside of me!” Nora barked back in frustration. “Just fucking uncuff me and make me cum!”

M’Baku let out a deep belly laugh. “That does not answer my question, but I rather like your answer,” M’Baku said with amusement lacing his voice. Checking the tightness of the cuffs,“I think I rather like having you in the cuffs, it ensures that the running issue you seem to have, won’t be a problem. However, you get distracted too easily so I am adding the blindfold and the only thing keeping me from gagging those beautiful lips is the fact that this is our first time together and I want to hear you scream. But make no mistake, that little outburst of yours will cost you.” He got off the bed to get a piece of leather from his traditional cloths, coming back to wrap it around her eyes gently, a misleading action to throw her off.

And that it did.

Nora was not prepared for the immediate onslaught to her pussy. In a swift motion he had her legs on his shoulders, ass molded to his hands to push her further into his face, and ate her like a starved man. He licked from her weeping hole to her pulsing clit in a figure eight motion. Everytime he worked his way back up to her clit, he flattened his tongue so that he could ease just the tip in, creating an indescribable sensation that seemed to take her by surprise each time despite his steady pace. She didn’t know how long he had been patiently repeating those simple motions, but he did not stop until she was cumming, his dedication to her pleasure setting her off. After that it was easy for him to pull one right after the other, prolonging each orgasm long enough to create a new, more powerful one each time. By the time he engulfed her clit and lapped up her nectar at the same time, she was unable to stop her screeches of pleasure.

He had broken her dam.

When she finished her third orgasm brought on by only his mouth he switched things up by focusing his tongue on her clit in a fast paced flicking motion. Inserting his forefinger and middle finger, he heightened the experience by contradicting his tongue with a slow come hither motion. Pulling away, he replaced his tongue with his thumb and held her writhing body down with his left forearm.

“Look at you opening up for me, intle yam entle. And your juices, mmmm, I could feast on you for an eternity and never yearn for another drink or morsel. Do you have one more in you? For me?”

Nora was so far gone into the web of pleasure that he had created that all she could do was hum in response.

“That is not an answer love, I need words.”

After another nonsensical moan he realized that she needed to be grounded in the moment again so he slid off the blindfold, uncuffed her hands, rubbing her wrists to increase the circulation, and grabbed her jaw.

Pulling her closer with his other hand on the small of her back, he gazed directly into those beautiful chestnut eyes, whispering, “look at me omncinci,” so low he thought she didn’t hear him until her glazed expression became a little more focused.

“I need you to cum just one more time for me and then I promise you can go to sleep. Do you think you can handle that sithandwa sam?

Not trusting her voice, Nora hummed her assent, nodding when a low growl started to spread from M’Baku’s chest to her own.

Accepting that he was going to get nothing more from her, M’Baku went back to work on dripping flower. His mouth found its way back to her clit like a magnet and his fingers found a new sensitive spot when he curled his fingers deeper.

Nora was in a cloud of bliss she had never experienced before. She briefly took note that she could feel no emotion other than ecstasy before M’Baku added a third finger, pulling her back into the cocoon of pleasure he had created just for her. It took what seemed like no time for her orgasm to build, but it’s intensity felt off to her.

She felt full. Really full.

Suddenly feeling the urge to pee, she started beating at M’Baku’s shoulders in an attempt to get him to slow down or stop. Unfortunately he barely registered her weakened blows and before she could verbally warn him that he was about to be drenched, her orgasm tore through her like a hurricane. In succession, her eyes rolled to the back of  her head, she dug her nails into M’Baku’s shoulders, and her body violently spasmed.

M’Baku was slightly caught by surprise when Nora squirted all over his beard and chest, but quickly latched his entire mouth around her pussy, drinking down the last of her juices. He growled into her pussy in an attempt to calm the insistent need to claim and mark Nora.

Rubbing soothing circles on her thighs until she came down from her high, M’Baku was able to study Nora. From their short time together, he had come to the conclusion that she was never this relaxed, so he took this time to admire this gem of a moment. When he saw that she was starting to come back to Earth, he started a bath for them, adding soothing bath salts and essential oils that he brought from home.

By the time Nora fully came down from her high she felt like jello. Before she could muster up the strength to move towards the bathroom, M’Baku had scooped her into his arms carrying her to the bathroom. Sitting her on the countertop, he stripped her out of his shirt, catching his first glance at her full naked form.

M’Baku couldn’t help but be enraptured by Nora’s glistening form. She looked like a goddess to him, her post-coital hair sticking to her glistening skin that smelled of sweat and sex, curves begging to be explored. Stuck in a state of awe, he couldn’t help but caress her smooth skin for a minute or two, taking in her expressions and body movements when he would touch a certain spot. If she didn’t look like she was about to pass out, he would’ve given in to his need to devour her again.

Nora was grateful for the exhaustion that had taken over, it helped her not dwell on how adoringly M’Baku was looking at her. It was like he was searching for the pieces of her soul that were buried deep down, the pieces that she shared with no one. It made her horny and anxious at the same time, which was not the best of feelings. Thankfully he provided the perfect distraction when he started stripping in front of her, keeping eye contact with that same invasive look.

By the time M’Baku was done disrobing, Nora was just as enchanted with M’Baku as he was with her.

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After their bath, which consisted of M’Baku carefully washing her and praising her, he dried and lotioned them both, opting to stay naked with her as long as possible.

Nora had been struggling to stay awake since M’Baku had started taking care of her so it was no surprise that she had fallen asleep when he put her in the reading chair while he changed the sheets. She startled awake when he lifted her back into his arms.

Yawning, she said, “You sure have an affinity for picking up extremely heavy things, don’t be mad when your arms hurt tomorrow.”

M’Baku grunted at her, not liking that she was trying to make fun of herself. After he got them settled under the covers facing each other, he said, “You are as light as your beautiful soul little one. You will never be too heavy for me.”

She shook her head and geared herself up to correct him when he pulled her flush against him to devour her mouth, consuming all of her protest.

When M’Baku felt her melt into him fully, he pulled his face away to look her in the eyes. “You are mine, and everything that is mine is blessed by Hanuman himself, including you. No more talking about yourself negatively.”

He pecked her lips with finality, signaling the end of the conversation. “Sleep on top of me?,” he asked as he moved her right thigh over his hips, maneuvering her into the desired position.

“I guess so,” Nora whispered before laying her head on his shoulder. His natural earthy tones mixed with whatever he used to moisturize calmed her into the most peaceful sleep she’d ever had.

M’Baku watched her body relax into slumber for a few minutes before he drifted as well.

Chapter Seven