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sunflowers-insherwood · 4 years ago

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Allan A Dale Analysis - 2x05

Analysing Allan’s Experience of the Confrontation with Robin in Ducking and Diving

As I was writing my analysis on Allan in 2x06 (which is coming tomorrow!), I realised it was necessary to first investigate this confrontation between him and Robin, as it changes their relationship massively and sows the seeds for the motivations behind their actions in the next episode. This is a quite casual line by line analysis of their conversation in the bar at the end of 2x05 (Ducking and Diving), and is quite speculative, as I outline my theories but also alternative interpretations – mainly of Allan’s viewpoint. I wrote out the transcript for this conversation myself, so the punctuation is intended to show more the pauses/ emotions rather than be grammatically correct. Let’s dive straight in! (Wordcount: 3.5k)

X = owner of the Tripp Inn, A = Allan, R = Robin

X: You’re late, I was going to keep your money back. Silver, not gold.

As soon as Allan walks into the room, he looks to the back corner and all around to ensure Robin isn’t there already to find him. He’s on edge and doesn’t want to be found, but now trying to do the right thing.

A: You’re gonna tell Gisborne to keep this money. I’m not doing this anymore, alright, I’ve changed.

I’m never sure what to make of the motives behind Allan’s actions here. To me, his actions are more of someone realising that their time’s up: he’s a rat on a sinking ship trying to cover his tracks before it goes under. This obviously paints him in a pretty bad light, as the only reason he’s stopping being a spy is because he’s about to get caught. I find this more believable than a realisation that he’s actually done wrong, however, because I doubt that if he hadn’t felt threatened he wouldn’t have tried to stop working for Gisborne then. I think he would have eventually, but it would’ve taken him longer to realise the severity of his actions. Alternatively, the reactions of the others and his conversation with Djaq have sped up his realisation process significantly and he’s genuinely guilty about what he’s done. Perhaps it’s a mix of both. On top of this, if he thought it was certain he would get thrown out by Robin, I think his survival instincts would tell him to keep the money and run. He refuses it, signifying he feels really guilty about what he’s done, or that he thinks he can still get away with it at camp. Maybe he intends to refuse the money, and then tell Robin he was working for Gisborne afterwards, to prove that he’s stopped being a spy.

X: It’s a bit late for a conscience now isn’t it?

A: Yeah. Very late.

Again, this could mean two things: that he knows he’s almost about to be caught, or that he genuinely feels bad and knows that he’s been playing the double agent for too long. I’m more able to believe the first but I think even if you see him as simply covering his tracks, the sincerity of how this line is delivered implies there is an emotional conflict going down here too.

*Arrow fires into bag of money. X gasps*

A: Robin. *swallows* You’re early.

I think of this as an attempt at humour, perhaps more to himself than anyone else as he says it so quietly. Classically the comic relief of the gang (when Much fulfils this function it’s accidental in his sincerity, Allan is more purposefully cheeky chappy about it) he’s still trying to lighten the situation and break the silence. Robin doesn’t allow it and Allan instantly has to go to defend.

R: Leave us.

A: Stay there.

This is an indicator of just how scared Allan is of what Robin will do to him – he wants the bartender to stay there as a form of protection, as a witness to anything Robin might try to do to him, under the theory that with someone else there Robin won’t hurt him so badly. Allan feels completely cornered, as he knows he can’t really blag his way out of this situation and that Robin would probably overpower him in a fight. Does Allan think he’s about to die? Quite possibly.

R: GET OUT! I need to talk to my spy.

A: What was that with Will? You banished Will.

Allan’s first thoughts are on Will. This could be (again) interpreted in two ways: he’s purely confused about the situation and is trying to work out where Robin stands, or he’s genuinely concerned for his best mate in the gang (which is the interpretation I prefer, although I think it’s a mixture of both). We see how torn up Allan becomes when Robin accuses Will of being the spy that afternoon – he almost admits to being the spy then as he cries ‘no…’ and ‘Robin…’ when he hears Robin explain it was Will, hating the idea that Will would be accused on his behalf. Even if he’s willing to sacrifice the cause, he’s still loyal to his friends, or at least tries to be. It actually benefitted Robin to frame Will as the spy, as Allan and him are so close; I know this was a random choice but it actually worked to Robin’s advantage, making Allan feel worse and acting as an extra punch in the gut.

R: It was an act! Only she knew who was guilty. And I knew the spy would want to come here before me to cover his tracks. For all I knew, it could’ve been Will standing there. But it’s not. Is it? It’s you.

On a related sidenote, @chaoticbitheatrekid recently mentioned ‘i don’t know if this is just me, but i always felt that if Robin had to pick one member of the gang to get rid of, he would pick Allan’. Although he says here ‘for all I knew, it could’ve been Will standing there’, to me the ‘but it’s not… it’s you’ indicates that, maybe if he didn’t consciously think it was Allan, to him Allan was the most likely to betray the gang.

A: Robin, it was over, ask her! I made a decision.

Robin interprets Allan’s presence here as I did, as Allan trying to ‘cover his tracks’. However, Allan did come here purely to reject the money, and he has a point here: if Robin asked the bartender, he would find out Allan was giving it back. I don’t think this would matter to Robin even if he did ask however, as he would purely view it as Allan trying to save himself rather than the more sympathetic view that he’s genuinely regretful.

R: Then what’s this?

A: No, I was giving it back.

This is true, but again Robin doesn’t investigate it any further. He consistently refuses to listen to Allan’s side of the story – something that Allan will become extremely bitter for later.

R: So you betray me. You betray yourself, you betray your king, and for what. For a few silver coins. What have you told Gisborne, Allan?

Another example of the differences between Robin and Allan’s priorities: Robin’s mind almost instantly goes to the King, a person I don’t think crossed Allan’s mind during this entire process. Perhaps ignorantly (or he’s decided to ignore the idea), he’s assumed the only thing his betrayal will impact is the gang’s immediate success. He can’t see the bigger picture that Robin strives towards, as his motivations for being in the gang are less to help other people (which I think he enjoys, but wasn’t the reason he joined) and more as a fun way of survival among friends. Robin also mentions (in true teacher fashion) that Allan has betrayed himself, indicating that Robin did believe Allan was a good person, perhaps especially due to his progression from a shameless liar at the start of series 1 to a pretty sturdy friend in series 2. Allan’s actions could almost be viewed as a relapse into the lies and pickpocketing associated with his brother. Interestingly, Robin doesn’t mention the rest of the gang at all here, implying that he sees Allan’s betrayal as a direct attack on him and the King. Allan begins to internalise this view in 2x06, but I think if he were to explain who he betrayed, he would only mention the gang.

A: Mmm… nothing really.

Allan seems almost awkward here. ‘Nothing really’ is obviously his attempt to diminish what he’s done to appeal to Robin, but also furthers the idea that doesn’t think he’s done anything too serious (he knows betraying the gang was serious, but doesn’t think the outcomes have been that bad), and that he never had intentions for his betrayals to impact more than the gang’s monetary success. This wasn’t helped by Guy reassuring Allan when he agreed to working for him that nothing he said would be of any real weight to the people or wider actions of the gang.

R: Does he know about the camp?

A: No.

R: No. Does he know about Marian?

A: No!

Allan’s reactions to this part of his interrogation further the theory that he really didn’t think he was impacting much outside of the gang’s money – he grows almost appalled at the idea of telling the location of the camp and Marian’s secrets to Gisborne, like they never even crossed his mind, or they were so out of the question that he never would have imagined telling him. He seems offended by Robin’s insinuation that he would betray the gang so greatly, that Robin’s idea of him is so low that he thinks Allan would sell the very safety of his friends for money. Robin’s assuming of the worst instantly is another action that Allan will grow to hate later, and although it is harsh, in Robin’s defence he is quickly ensuring the safety of his gang, not only accusing Allan. Their fighting is entirely based on a lack of proper communication and interpretation. If not loyal to the cause, Allan is loyal to the people he loves, and that can be seen by his repeated protection of Marian in the later episodes. He never tries to harm any of the gang apart from Robin (2x06), but I think that is due to loosing part of his love and respect for Robin in this confrontation. If he doesn’t lose it directly, he definitely projects Robin’s hatred of him onto Robin and villainises him until he feels justified in attacking him later.

R: More lies?

A: NO. This was the last time, I promise. And I was wrong. But he captured me, Robin, he tortured me, I didn’t have a choice-

You can hear how earnest Allan is on that final no. I guess Robin, in the midst of his anger and paranoia, can’t read just how truthful he is being. But I don’t think I’d be able to either, to be honest. Robin then interrupts him from speaking, actively talking over Allan rather than listening.

R: EVERYTHING IS A CHOICE. Everything we do!

Up until Robin says this, Allan has been purely defending his corner and reassuring Robin of everything he hasn’t done, and trying to get back on the same page – but when Robin diminishes his experiences of being captured and tortured, Allan flips and instead starts on the attack. You can see this change happen as he takes a second to think, eyes narrowing with offence as he thinks of what to say back. And what Allan said next has a point, Robin is in a place of privilege as the leader of the gang because if he gets captured, he’s never left for long enough to get tortured, and the Sheriff prefers to go straight to threatening to kill him anyway. He’s too prized a prisoner to be treated badly. Allan’s experiences of being caught are very different: he was left for hours, unsure if anyone would come and rescue him, while being pretty consistently tortured both physically and emotionally. (It’s also interesting that Allan doesn’t tell anyone anything while being physically hurt, but once Gisborne starts preying on his insecurities, he’s bought quite quickly. He is exhausted at that point but it looks like Allan is emotionally hurting more than he lets on to the rest of the gang. Also, he makes it explicitly clear that he isn’t going to help with killing anyone or giving away condemning information, it’s only when Gisborne brings up the idea of little bits of information he becomes swayed. The way to get to Allan is by convincing him what he’s doing isn’t actually harming anyone, actually showing he’s good at heart.) When Robin tells him ‘everything is a choice’, Allan sees it as a complete disregard of the position of hardships he’s been in. Robin’s lecturing him on morals, but in his eyes, Robin has never been/ will never be in the same difficult position as he was. Before that statement by Robin, Allan’s been feeling guilty, and been reaching out to reconnect with Robin – but at the dismissal of his experiences, Allan’s guilt turns to anger.

A: That’s easy for you to say though, isn’t it, huh? You get the glory, you get the girl. Everyone loves you. And then when the King comes back you’ll get lands, property, a wife, EVERYTHING. And what will I have? You are always in the sun, Robin, and I am always in the shade.

I’ll cover this more in the 2x06 analysis, but Allan’s biggest fears are being in pain, deprived, and without security. This outburst is actually one of Allan’s most vulnerable moments (looks like he’s only able to admit to his fears in anger) as he shows all of his insecurities by stating everything Robin has that Allan wishes he did. These play on his being deprived – ‘you get the glory, you get the girl’, ‘what will I have?’ – and being without security – ‘and then when the King comes back you’ll get lands, property, a wife’. As much as Allan enjoys being in the gang, he knows that it cannot be sustained for long and worries about what will happen to him after it ends and, he assumes, everyone goes their separate ways.

R: Is that meant to be an excuse. Heh?

In his anger, Robin misses the vulnerability in Allan’s side of the story. (To be fair to Robin, if I just found out someone I trusted completely had been selling important secrets to my arch nemesis, I’d be blinded by anger too.) But because Allan’s only way of showing vulnerability is by attacking Robin, and Robin takes the attack personally, he misses the insecurities behind Allan’s motivation by taking what he says as an excuse, not a reason. In this moment, Robin exerts his fury physically, pushing Allan up against a wall and shaking him – Allan sees no way out and begins to work on the defences again, realising he can’t gain anything but further disconnect by attacking Robin.

A: Give me another chance, please. I wouldn’t have let Gisborne hurt any of us, I’d never have told him anything like that.

I think this plea makes Allan looks particularly weak, as we see him switching tactics the second he realises one isn’t working (showing how clever he actually is), but also insinuating how happy to shift the truth he is in order to get what he wants. It makes him look almost cowardly, and in Robin’s eyes just furthers the mistrust, as he ricochets from an attack to a plea for forgiveness. However, it’s also a truthful admission by Allan of what he wouldn’t do and where he very firmly draws the line.

R: Harmless lies, innocent betrayals? They don’t exist, Allan!

Robin’s morals are consistently a lot stricter than Allan’s, and at their relationship’s best, this leads to Allan being inspired and positively influenced by him, but at its worst creates conflict and leads Robin to believe he is better than Allan, lecturing him on what is right (see 2x06).

A: Robin, I’ve changed. How can I get you to believe that?

I see ‘Robin, I’ve changed’ as an agreement with Robin that ‘harmless lies’ and ‘innocent betrayals’ don’t exist, but as Allan has only just realised the severity and extent of the actions he believed to be harmless until so recently, he shows his agreement through saying his beliefs have changed. He’s still reaching out to maintain his connection and trust with Robin and in turn, the gang. (I think if it hadn’t been Robin who had gone to the Tripp Inn, it would’ve been a very different outcome. Much would’ve been similar to Robin, casting him out immediately, but taking the betrayal very personally. John would’ve been really angry but I think Allan would’ve perhaps been able to talk him down. Will has a wicked temper for Allan to reckon with, and I think as Will and Allan are so close and Will’s morals so strong, he would be quite personally offended too, so Allan would struggle to win him over, but after some time to cool off Will would’ve heard Allan’s side of the story. Djaq says multiple times she believes Allan is a good man and could have changed, so would’ve listened to his entire story and possibly even let him stay if she believed him. As the leader of the group, Robin sees the gang as his responsibility to keep safe, hence having to be extra harsh in order to make sure they are protected.)

R: You can’t. And the funny thing is, you might be telling the truth.

Here, Robin shows he is aware of how blunt he’s being with Allan, but has so little trust for him he can’t even begin to think he’s telling the truth. He admits that Allan could be being truthful, but that he’s refusing to give him a chance anyway. In 2x06, as Allan becomes highly bitter, saying ‘you should’ve given me a second chance’, it’s likely largely in reference to this moment, where Robin refuses to even consider his viewpoint. For now though, Allan is still trying to regain Robin’s trust.

A: I am!

R: And how am I supposed to believe you anymore?

A: Robin, I swear to you, on my life.

*Robin holds knife up to neck*

A: Don’t kill me. Please.

I don’t think Allan comes across particularly well within this conversation, but the only reason he’s acting in a way that can be seen as cowardly is because he’s doing what he can to fight for his life the entire time, shown as he at first asks the bartender to stay, and coming to a peak here as Robin presses the blade to his throat. His attempts to stay alive have to be spoken, as he knows Robin would overpower him and there’s nowhere to run. His fears of what Robin would do to him are confirmed and in this moment, he truly has no idea whether Robin will kill him or not.

*Robin jerks knife away*

Woohoo Robin doesn’t kill him!

R: You are lucky I’ve left you with a life to swear upon. Never, ever, let me set eyes on you again.

This kind of insinuates Robin thought Allan deserved to die, or at least deserved a worst punishment than just being told to never come back to camp. As we see in the next episode, this doesn’t go to plan and essentially forms the basis for Allan’s further descent and the height of their physical conflict, which is in 2x06.

*Robin stalks away, Allan is left to feel sorry for himself*

TO SUMMARISE:

- Robin continually refuses to listen to Allan’s explanations, instead seeing them as excuses

- He dismisses Allan’s experiences of being captured and tortured, instead lecturing him on morals that Allan thinks he can’t afford to have (this is the biggest hurt for Allan, I think – the complete dismissal of his experiences)

- Robin’s quick to assume Allan would betray the gang completely (admittedly it’s better to be safe than sorry in these situations)

- He knows he could give Allan a second chance but doesn’t even consider it, and tells Allan this (a major catalyst for Allan’s anger in 2x06)

- He separates Allan from the gang, meaning Allan can’t go back to camp to collect his items, and can’t explain to his friends his side of the story; they will only hear it through Robin, furthering the bias against him

- Allan tries to reconnect and reassure Robin, only attacking him once and playing defence the rest of the time

- He came to the Inn to cover his tracks but also to return the money, implying he’s doing everything he can to stay with the gang – and whatever the motive, he was about to stop working for Gisborne

- Allan didn’t think his betrayals were as severe as they were, he never imagined telling Gisborne anything more than when they were planning on targeting a certain area

- Allan and Robin’s inability to listen and respond to one another properly leads to a worsening of the situation and drives them both to the actions of 2x06, as Allan becomes more bitter as he reflects on the conversation and Robin still doesn’t understand Allan’s motivations properly

Thank you so much for reading if you’ve made it this far, I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know your hot takes and interpretations too – did I miss anything? My analysis on 2x06 is coming tomorrow so keep an eye out for that :)

#allan a dale #robin hood #bbc robin hood #character analysis #robin of locksley #ducking and diving #allan a dale analysis

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planetsam · 4 years ago

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Michael Sanders prompt: could you do a follow up where Walt makes Michael go to college?

Follow up to THIS

Walt isn’t surprised to see Alex waiting there alone.

Alex looks heartbreakingly young but still every bit the stubborn punk whose defied his father enough times to be sent away. Walt wishes he could say he’s disappointed Jesse isn’t here to see his son off, but he expected that from him. No, Walt realizes the person he’s disappointed in his own son. Which he’s planning on dealing with in due time. But first things first. He puts the truck in park and tries not to watch hope and then disappointment fall over Alex’s features.

“Don’t look too disappointed.”

“Mr. Sanders,” he says respectfully, “I’m sorry I thought—“ he stops and Walt remembers that the military is about as understanding as Alex’s father, “Sorry.”

“You don’t gotta apologize, I saw you waiting here, figured you might want the company.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Alex says.

“It’s nothing. Apparently my son was an idiot last night and punched out Wyatt Long’s tires,” Alex’s face falls and Walt realizes he’s not the only one disappointed in Michael’s behavior, “I gotta go knock some sense into him.”

Alex pales and Walt realizes his mistake instantly. He’s never raised a hand to Michael in his life and he sure as hell isn’t about to start, but it’s a sore subject. Especially for someone like Alex. He looks like the kid in the principals office. It breaks Walt’s heart to see him looking like that.

“Shit I didn’t—“

“I know you wouldn’t,” Alex says. Walt nods, “I have to go,” he adds abruptly, “this is my chance, you know? I don’t want to but—“

“I know,” Walt cuts in, “you should take your chance,” he adds, “It doesn’t mean anything about that,” he adds, “you’re both young anyway, you got lives to live and shit to figure out.”

“I don’t need to figure that out,” Alex says.

Walt hates it when he’s proved so epically wrong about something. He’s always tried not to judge Alex but he’s never been the boy’s biggest fan. He remembers his family too well for that. But he’s going to have to make an exception. He hasn’t had this big of an “I told you so” since he put down the bottle all those years ago. Right down to the headache.

“You know he’s doing this so he doesn’t have to say goodbye,” Walt says. Alex nods, “doesn’t mean you have to forgive him right now, he should be here, but in his own way he’s trying to say how much he cares.”

“He’s also saying how hurt he is,” Alex adds. He straightens up more if possible and turns to him, “you know he’s spiraling right? You can stop him can’t you? I tried but—he won’t listen to me.”

Walt doesn’t think there’s anyone on either planet that can make Michael do what he wants but that sure as hell isn’t going to stop him from trying. But Alex’s worrying is another point in his favor, not that he needs more of them. Walt’s got no frame of reference here, is he supposed to approve of the boys Michael brings home? Is that even a thing? He digs into his pocket and pulls out one of those business cards Michael made up to help compensate for his people skills. He scribbles the number on the back and hands it to him.

“I’ll deal with my boy, but if you need anything that’s my cell. Damn social worker said parents needed to have one and I never bothered to shut it off.”

Alex looks stunned but nods, quickly putting the card in his wallet. They both turn to look at the bus that pulls up. Walt wants to tell them to fuck off but he remembers Michael’s drying out in a cell, if he shows up they’ve got bigger problems. Alex gets up. Walt wishes he had something wise to say but he’s never been that kind of guy.

“He’d want you right now,” he says, “but no boy of mine is being with someone who hasn’t graduated college or proved himself in some other impressive way so I’m convinced to approve when he asks in person—so you’d better go make something of yourself and come back here, you hear? It doesn’t count if you die.”

“Yes Mr. Sanders,” he says, “can you tell Michael I said goodbye?”

He nods.

Alex gets on the bus.

He looks for Michael the entire way until it’s a speck in the distance, never once giving up hope.

Walt drives to the police station. If he wasn’t mad before, he’s damn near livid when he forks over bail and is presented with his son. Michael stinks of alcohol and acetone, like he got drunk in a beauty parlor. He stumbles out with a stupid grin that falls the moment he sees it’s not his brother. Max feels guilty still about them being separated, Walt can’t hold that against him. But when Michael gets ugly mad that doesn’t stop him from using it. Walt’s got no such leverage over his head.

“I thought you were Max,” he says.

“Well I was in the neighborhood seeing Alex off, so I guess we’re all having a shit disappointing morning,” he says, “get in.”

Michael clenches his jaw. Walt doesn’t blame him for wanting to say no, but he’s also not doing this. Michael stares him down for a moment, then he wisely gets in the car. Walt slides in too. Michael reeks worse in the closed space. Walt’s never had to wonder how much it takes to get an alien drunk, Michael isn’t that kind of kid. But the answer is apparently ‘a lot’. He looks ahead as Michael slouches in his seat, like he’s on a quest to annoy him as much as possible.

“I want to know what happened.”

“Alex left—“

“Bullshit,” Walt cuts in, “you think I was born yesterday because you managed to hide some boy behind my back for a few months?” Michael looks down, “what happened?”

“I can’t tell you,” Michael says finally.

Apparently Alex isn’t the only one whose trying to look young. It’s like looking at Michael when he first came to him. He was all broken edges then. Now he just seems broken. It’s not something Walt wants to see. He’s never been the best parent but at the moment he feels like a failure. A part of him wants to let Michael have this, but the rest of him refuse. Letting Michael go or have his secrets has never served Michael well.

“You got words don’t you?” Walt says, “or should I call Isobel?” Michael’s jaw clenches, “okay so this involves her. You want to spit it out or should I keep playing 20 questions.”

“I’m not a kid anymore,” Michael says stubbornly.

“Then stop acting like one,” Walt shoots back, “you’re a man. A man takes responsibility for his actions,” Michael’s jaw clenches, “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on—and don’t tell me you don’t want my help. I’m your father. You being an adult isn’t going to change that.”

Michael stares ahead but the stubborn clench of his jaw softens and his straight spine slopes slightly. Michael’s always worn his heart on his sleeve. Walt can see him starting to crack, even if a moment later he’s back to sitting up straight with a clenched jaw. Walt knows he’s not gonna be able to just pry what happened out of Michael. But he can’t exactly let him just take his sweet time if he’s in real trouble. Not after letting him take his sweet time resulted in him being maimed. He figures lightening the mood will maybe get him to let his guard down.

“Come on, it’s not like you murdered someone.”

Michael folds.

The boy doesn’t have much of a poker face when it comes down to it. Not with people he loves. Walt stares at him. He may not have fully succeeded in raising Michael to be an outstanding member of society but he sure as hell thought he got him over the ‘don’t murder’ part of that curve. Walt’s spent the past decade evading the law on one level or another, depending on how you looked at it. But Michael murdering someone is a whole different story.

“Shit,” He says.

“Yeah,” Michael agrees. He glances at Walt out of the corner of his eye, “I guess I should—“

“Just wait a damn minute,” Walt snaps as he reaches for the door, “let me think.”

“You’re not going to turn me in?” Michael asks.

“Just wait,” Walt repeats.

This isn’t something he thought he’d have to weigh. He almost feels sympathetic to Jim Valenti, though nothing Kyle did in their school days comes close to full on murder. Still Jim was stern but he stood by him. Walt didn’t think he was going to have to feel sympathy for what happened there.

“Walk me through what happened,” he says. Michael stares at him, “everything. Every damn detail,” Michael looks at him, “Now, Michael.”

“It was Isobel,” he whispers.

Walt’s glad he’s sitting down because otherwise he’d be on his ass with relief. It’s a horrible thing to feel, someone got murdered and Michael was somehow involved. But finding out your son isn’t a murder is relieving. And makes a lot of sense. Michael would trust him with everything except his siblings. Walt knows that there’s a difference and he’s always done his best to respect that.

“I—“

“Shut up and let me enjoy the fact I don’t have to be sympathetic to Jim Valenti,” he says. Michael raises his eyebrows. But he keeps quiet until Walt straightens up, “now tell me what happened.”

“Isobel killed them,” he says, “she blacked out and she killed them. Max and I made it look like a car crash,” he swallows tightly, “I told her I did it so she wouldn’t feel bad.”

“Shit,” Walt says finally.

“Yeah, shit,” Michael echoes.

“There anything else?”

Michael shakes his head. He’s gone back to looking small and miserable and Walt finds himself torn between hugging him and shaking him. It makes a damn lot of sense why he’s been acting the way he has. Like lying, subtly has never been Michael’s forte. He looks exhausted too but Walt can’t tell if that’s the hangover or the fact that the weight he’s been carrying is less.

“Right,” Walt says, “here’s what we’re gonna do—“  “Isobel can’t go to jail,” Michael says abruptly, “I have the most control. I can figure it out.”

“No-one is going to jail!” Walt cuts in, “none of you belong there. What’s wrong with your sister is—a problem for another day,” he says. It’s not like Isobel can go to the doctor or anything, “but you sure as hell ain’t going for her.”

Michael doesn’t like that answer, but Walt’s used to Michael needing to protect the people ehe loves no matter what. He’s too hungover and a murder is the biggest thing happening but Walt’s not stupid enough to think that Alex leaving is just going to be brushed aside. It’s too much happening at once, but they have to start somewhere. He puts the car into gear and figures home is a good place to start. He’s not cruel but there’s no way to get there without passing the damn bus stop. Michael peers out the window just like Alex did.

“Bus came about an hour ago,” he says, “but you knew that.”

“Did you see him?” Michael asks quietly.

“Course I saw him,” Walt says, “I wasn’t going to let him ship off standing there alone,” Michael cringes, “you thought his dad was going to see him off?”

“I didn’t deserve to say goodbye,” Michael mutters.

“Alex’d disagree with that,” Walt says, “not that it matters but he earned that goodbye from you,” Michael gives a slight nod, “instead he had to make due with me. I told him he wasn’t getting near you until he went to college or did something impressive,” he says, “since his dad isn’t going to say it, I’ll say the same thing to you.”

“Say what?”  “You aren’t getting within 100 feet of him without going to college,” Walt says.

Michael gives a miserable sort of smile.

“They probably took back my acceptance,” he says, “I got arrested.”

“Then you’re going to reapply,” Walt tells him, “it’ll probably put you and Alex graduating at the same time. If that’s any incentive,” he clears his throat, “in the meantime, you can work in the yard.”

“I already work in the yard,” Michael points out.

“You gonna undo everything I say?” Walt demands.

Michael shakes his head.

Walt feels relief coursing though his veins. He might not drink but he sure as hell is going to need some coffee to get his head back on straight. He’s damn proud of Michael for a lot of things, but mostly he’s relieved it looks like his boy is back. Still Walt’s not about to commend him too much and risk it going away. He claps Michael on the shoulder instead.

“Good,” Walt says, putting the car into park, “I got a car they just brought in that needs some new tires and an apology.”

#walt sanders #michael sanders #alex manes #roswell new mexico #malex #Michael guerin #malex fic #roswell nm #roswell nm fanfic #roswell nm fic

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kenzieam · 4 years ago

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About Last Night - Chapter Two

@jewels2876 @moonbeambucky @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123 @iammarylastar@captstefanbrandt @badassbaker @pinknerdpanda @oliviastan17 @mizzzpink

I know I’m forgetting people, sorry. If you want in, hit me.

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Rating: M

Warnings: Language, general nuttiness, smut, major angst, drama

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FEEDBACK IS LIFE, Y’ALL!

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Lev wakes up the morning after a wild night at the Compound and realizes she hasn’t spent the night alone. The fact that the man unconscious beside her is her most trusted teammate is besides the point, he’s also her best friend and

NOW WHAT THE FUCK DOES SHE DO???

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Okay, this chapter is just shameless angst and self-pity, mixed in with a healthy dose of Lev’s incredible stupidity and my absolute favourite... cliffhangers.

You’ve been warned....

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Too late, sugar. He’s found someone else.

No. NO.

And there’s nothing you can do about it, her mind sneered.

A cold rush went through Lev and it was all she could do to not leap from the table and run.

She was becoming her mother.

She was letting love cloud her mind, dictate her actions.

No. She wouldn’t give in, she was stronger than that, baptized by the blood of the damned, literally.

If asked later how she managed to stay seated at the table and remain semi-functional, Lev wouldn’t be able to say. She’d become talented in hiding her emotions, stonewalling the therapist her father briefly tried sending her to, and disguising the true depths of her rage and sorrow as she grew from a teenager to hot-headed adult, but even she couldn’t kid herself into thinking she was successfully acting tonight.

Conversation continued without her, for if anyone noticed her discomfiture, they kindly chose to ignore it, not bringing up the fact that every single person at the table, with the exception of Bucky, Lev and Lilly, had fully expected and had in reality placed bets with each other on when their two friends would finally wake up to the attraction between them, knowing that something had gone down after the party, but not what.

Bucky’s new woman was questioned relentlessly, the guise friendly inquiry, covert ‘what the fuck, man?’ glances sent Bucky’s way whenever her attention was diverted with answering and he glowered back defiantly, refusing, with the exception of one scorching glance, loaded with too many emotions to sort out, to look at Lev.

And she felt her skin tingle every time he touched Lilly, rested his arm on her shoulders, brushed her cheek or tucked some of her long blonde hair behind her ear. If he was acting he was doing a hell of a job, there seemed to be a genuine draw between them, especially in the way Lilly would gaze at him, like he’d hung the fucking moon and, as soon as it was polite, Lev excused herself, the few bites of dessert she’d managed to choke down sour in her stomach.

Why the hell was she so upset? SHE’D WANTED THIS! SHE’D WANTED TO MAINTAIN DISTANCE, but not like this, anything but this.

And she hadn’t truly wanted distance, not really, not in the deepest parts of her heart. Once the static had cleared in her head, she’d heard the message loud and clear. Love was dangerous, love was terrifying and made fools of us all, but she would have been safe with Bucky. He wouldn’t have hurt her; he wouldn’t have let her fall. He wouldn’t have passed off lust as love and then thrown her away, driving her to insanity in the form of hysterical suicide.

He would have treasured her the way she always secretly wished to be and, at the first offering of that, she’d slashed with razor claws, wounding him perhaps permanently.

She wished for more Mead, but there was none and she instead spent the night cross-legged on the floor of her quarters, headphones secured to her ears, blasting her most angry and rage-filled death metal playlists, hoping to drown out the tears.

She shouldn’t have left her room the next morning, she wasn’t fucking hungry anyway. But she had, and the punishment had been swift and severe. Giggles preceded her arrival in the kitchen and, if she’d been listening instead of continuing to stew, she would have recognized the deep answering chuckles.

There had only been a few times in Lev’s life when she could honestly say she was breathless with shock. The first had been with her mother, slipping and sliding in her lifeblood as the woman screamed and slashed even more at her shredded forearms; the second had been when Lev had awoke disoriented under blinding lights, agony like hellfire crawling through her veins, a multitude of strange, lab-coat wearing men standing dispassionately above her, the sudden and cold realization that she’d been taken and changed, that her issues had blinded her to life’s bigger dangers and she’d fallen in with the wrong crowd, selected by HYDRA for an experimental program due to her lack of family and the extremely large chip on her shoulder and she was never going to be the same.

The third was when she had been discovered by accident and rescued by the team, half-mad in that underground bunker; her shadowy surroundings suddenly lit up and blinding her like the sun, fevered confusion and disorientation, dangerous-looking strangers all around her, their grunts of pain and surprise when she fought their hands, struggled to understand a language she’d not heard in so long. Fear and animal instinct to defend had taken over, her enhanced body too much for all but Steve and Bucky to restrain and her first real memories of freedom from that hellish cell where she’d languished, cold and slowly going insane had been of strong arms, gentle hands stroking her face and tangled hair, masculine spice and a deep, soothing voice, speaking words she no longer recognized but in a tone that calmed her nonetheless.

The forth, and final time was now, when she turned the corner into the kitchen and stopped dead, like she’d been slapped by the very hand that was currently caressing Lilly’s breast through her half-buttoned shirt, a shirt Lev recognized instantly, even in her shock, as the one she’d bought Bucky months ago because she’d loved how it matched his eyes. Lilly was gasping and mewling, their bodies moving in a sensual, unmistakable rhythm, Bucky’s eyes flaring with heat as they rolled upwards when her lips, hidden by her face tucked into his throat, nibbled in return for his touch and it was devastatingly obvious what they’d spent the night doing, what Lev had probably unintentionally spared herself from hearing all through the dark hours by keeping her headphones on.

What they were still doing.

Lev could smell it on them and there was no way two bodies could twine so close together if they weren’t already connected in the most visceral and primal way possible. His hand fell from Lilly’s breast, but only to drop to her hip, curling around the curve and pulling her closer still, lifting her thigh to hook around his. His eyes raised finally to Lev’s, banked lust making them look like a beast’s eyes, and his jaw clenched, teeth baring as he growled harshly. Lilly moaned as he turned his head to bite at her throat, eyes staying locked on Lev’s almost defiantly, returning the nips with an intensity that made Lilly’s hips roll against his, made her cling even tighter to his body and ratcheting up the sexual heat that was already so thick between them. Seeing Lev seemed to push him to move harder and faster, as if with each heavy thrust of his hips he was snarling at her ‘like what you see? This could have been you.’

Bucky was fucking her against the counter, her ass smacking the edge while he glared coldly over her shoulder, eyes locked with Lev’s, each heavy grunt as he thrust further driving the nail deeper into her heart and something inside her, something that cracked as she’d watched her mother die and had only continued to yawn wider with each successive hit in her life, shattered completely.

************************************************************************************* “So, you’re volunteering to take this mission? The one I haven’t been able to bribe, cajole or threaten anyone else to take on?” Tony raised a brow at Lev, half his attention still directed to a tablet in his hand, feet resting on the edge of his desk, chair tilted back.

“Yes.” Lev waited until Stark reluctantly pulled his eyes from the screen and focussed fully on her. Understanding softened the quizzical lines on his forehead.

“You know, kid… what Barnes is doing, bringing that new girl around-”

“Doesn’t matter, he can fuck whomever he wants.”

“Yeah, but after that party we all figured you two would finally-”

“You know… that shit would have been a little more helpful before all of this. I didn’t realize Bucky felt that way, I didn’t realize I felt that way.”

“Is that why you pushed him away? According to Cap you broke his heart.”

Lev flinched. “I didn’t push him away, okay? I was scared shitless and thought we should stay friends.”

“A man doesn’t look at someone the way Barnes looked at you, if they just want to stay friends.”

And the hits just kept coming. “Again, might have been a little more helpful to me before.”

“Why were you so scared?” Tony changed subjects, tilting his head. “I mean, the Manchurian Candidate isn’t my cup of tea, but he’s never hurt you, even when you were trying so hard to kill all of us in that bunker; if anything, he’d be like a pain in the ass puppy, always loyal and trying to get in your lap.” Understanding dawned. “This have something to do with your parents? You told me their divorce was ugly.”

And then some.

“Nah, their divorce was the standard train wreck, it was what came after; when the guy left her, she uh…. Well, she didn’t take it well.”

Tony arched a brow, waiting patiently and Lev was so tired of holding the weight of her burdened past by herself she gave in and opened her figurative vein.

“When uh…. When the new guy took off, she…. I found her after school one day, blood everywhere and the razor still in her hands. I was trying everything I could to stop the bleeding, to stop her, but all she wanted to do was keep cutting and keep screaming into the phone at the guy, over and over again, ‘is this what you wanted? Are you happy now?’. She… she died in my arms, her last words for him, still yelling at him. I’m not even sure if she knew I was there.”

Tony stared, stunned silent, which was quite a feat for him, and Lev swallowed uncomfortably. She’d not told anyone the whole story, not even her dad or the therapist and she felt her adrenaline beginning to rise as the spectres from her past rattled their chains and threatened to break free again.

“Shit… Lev. You need to talk to someone about that-”

“I need to go on this mission.”

“You need help.”

“The mission.” Lev repeated stubbornly. “Just the mission, Tony, okay? If my mother’s suicide taught me anything, it’s that love is the most dangerous fucking thing out there and if I hadn’t learned it then I sure as fuck did when Bucky showed up with that fucking supermodel. That’s all the help I need. Let me get out of here, clear my head and still be fucking useful as I do it. Please?”

Tony gazed at her, such pain and sympathy in his eyes that Lev was forced to look away, chew hard on her lip to keep from breaking down.

“Okay,” he finally murmured. “I’ll send you out on this one but we’re in on this together, you and me, got it?”

Lev squinted at him, not understanding.

“I’m not going to tell anyone else, but you and I are going to talk, regularly, while you’re out there. I’m keeping an eye on you, kid and when you get back… you gotta talk to someone trained in this, okay? That’s not anything anyone should have to carry alone.”

Lev snorted, trying to disguise how touched she was with more sarcasm. “I’m not carrying it alone; it can haunt your nightmares now too.”

A faint smile, but Tony’s eyes stayed troubled.

“Okay,” Lev conceded. “Now can I go?”

Tony nodded slowly. “Yeah, I got everything set up, if you’re ready now, let’s go.”

“I’m ready now.”

*********************************************************************************** Lev exhaled slowly, fighting the urge to doodle on the notebook in front of her and closed her eyes until the itch passed, then opened them again, squinting as she peered through the scope mounted in front of her.

Forty-three days now of reconnaissance, observation, stakeout…. Boring.

Although it had been in the back of Lev’s mind as the reason why no one else wanted to take this mission, meaning Tony had been about a day away from volun-telling someone they were going, it hadn’t truly hit her until now how epically draining this was.

She had nothing but time now, to think, to analyze and consider.

The communication was iffy, limited, hence the need for someone to stay here and watch the comings and goings of the suspected HYDRA affiliate; setting up remote surveillance simply wasn’t possible, nor feasible to complete the set-up of without drawing suspicion. And rotating teams wasn’t ideal either, so Lev was stuck here, admittedly exactly where she’d asked to be, and she was getting a lot of thinking done.

She had been wrong to push Bucky away, that thought was clear as crystal now after weeks of distilling in her mind while she observed and noted each movement of her quarry.

Even if she’d genuinely wanted to simply stay friends with him, wrong, she had gone about that completely ass-backwards too. There had been happiness in his eyes that morning, the smile on his face hopeful, and she’d squashed it like a bug, squashed his heart like a bug, according to Steve; no wonder he’d returned her pain so cruelly, so harshly. He’d been open and vulnerable in front of her, thinking they’d turned some corner in their relationship, holding out his heart to her that morning and she’d clumsily slapped it to the floor, stomped on with her curt announcement that the magic that had passed between them the night before was a mistake.

God, did she wish she could go back in time.

She’d slap her past self silly in that bathroom, grab her shoulders and order her to not be so fucking stupid and scared, to be the fucking hero she played at being and take that leap of faith, knowing Bucky had already taken the leap and was waiting to catch her on the other side.

It’s too late now, her inner voice whispered.

“Shut up.” She hissed back.

9:32 am – subject takes out the garbage…

************************************************************************************ “So, how’s it going?” Tony asked from the monitor, head tilted to the side. The connection wasn’t the greatest, static crawling across the screen and pulling at his outline, but his voice came through clearly enough.

“I’m bored.”

He snorted, shaking his head. “Dude, why do you think everyone else passed?”

“I know, I know, it’s just…”

“Too much time to think?” Tony offered quietly.

Lev exhaled heavily. “Yeah.”

“I know all about that.” Tony continued softly. Usually at this point he would lead Lev into talking about her issues, not start baring his own demons.

“You too?” Understanding hit her like a truck. “Wait, your parents too, right? I forgot about that.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t walk in on my mother having a psychotic break, but they’re both gone.”

“And Bucky…” she couldn’t finish, shocked that she’d managed to put away this detail and forget it for so long.

“No, The Winter Soldier.” Tony clarified. “I’ve made my peace with that, HYDRA killed my parents, not that lovesick sap I see dragging his sorry ass around the compound all day.”

“Wait, what? Dragging his ass around? He’s got Lilly now.”

“Not anymore. Not sure what happened, but she left a couple weeks ago… not long after you took off, actually.”

“Huh.” Lev pondered this, her confusion deepening. What the hell did that mean? Was it just no fun fucking his girlfriend anymore without Lev standing there watching? “And you just decided to mention it now?”

Tony smiled faintly. “Today’s the first time you’ve even mentioned his name too, kid.”

“Touché…. Wait, you just needed me to stay here and finish the job!”

“Why? Would hearing about Lilly leaving make you want to come back and talk to the guy?” Tony challenged evenly; brow raised.

Shit… it did, didn’t it? That’s exactly what she was steamed about, wasting her time here instead of falling on her knees in front of Bucky and begging for his forgiveness. Still, she hated to let Tony know he was right, he could be such an arrogant prick sometimes. “So. What if it did?”

Tony snorted again, chuckling. “You two, Jesus Christ… Still, I’d appreciate if you could stay a bit longer out there.”

“You owe me, Stark.”

“I do? You volunteered, and now you’re trying to bail? Tough, kid.”

Lev stuck out her tongue, chafing mildly at this responsible adult nonsense.

“Brat,” Tony commented mildly. “Another week, Lev. Please?”

“It’s good to hear you say please.”

“It’ll be even better if you stay there like I asked and then come back and talk to that therapist I set up for you.”

Lev clenched her teeth, debating her response. Knee-jerk told her snarl and tell Tony off, to mind his own business, she’d made all sorts of progress just talking with him, but a deeper part of her knew it was time, she needed to confront and drain this wound, she couldn’t let it’s poison taint her life any further. “Yeah, okay.”

“Don’t sound so damn happy. I’m paying top dollar to keep the best grief counselor on the East Coast on retainer.”

“Thanks.” Lev injected true appreciation in her tone and his expression softened.

“Brat.” He repeated fondly. “I gotta go, talk to you in a couple of days, alright?”

“Yeah,” Lev replied softly, offering a real smile.

************************************************************************************* Lev tried not to hurry, jostle the pack on her back and maybe make too much noise. Nobody was following her, that much she was sure of, but she’d managed over fifty days of surveillance without being discovered and didn’t want to disrupt her streak. Nearing two months in a depressing tenement in a dying Eastern European town had been all sorts of boring, staring out through faded old curtains to the building across the narrow alley, but she’d managed and now it was time to go home. Tony was waiting, with a quinjet, at a site a dozen miles out and Lev was eager to see the man again.

He’d passed on her messages to the team, for Lev had left so furtively and quickly that she hadn’t told anyone else, not even Steve, and he’d relayed their messages back due to the constraints in their communications, but she was eager to see Stark, hell, anyone, in the flesh again. There was only so many games of Solitaire you could play on a dingy tabletop as you kept one eye on the window and Lev had discovered that limit long ago.

But… Bucky.

She still hadn’t spoken to him.

She’d not told him she was leaving; hell, he probably hadn’t even pulled out of Lilly yet by the time she was heading for the jet and there’d been no message from him in the ones Stark had relayed, not that Lev had expected any.

He probably hoped she didn’t come back, and a part of Lev was tempted. But no, she was a part of the Avengers, whether he liked it or not, and she could function as a member of said team even if she no longer had any meaningful contact with the Winter Soldier again. She’d have to figure out a new strategy for when her nightmares tore her from sleep and there would be no more Bucky to save her, as well as what she was going to do now when his nightmares echoed down the halls and she wanted to run to comfort him, but that could be solved easily enough. She could switch floors, sleep with earplugs or just plain gut it out, go cold turkey until the impulses faded, until Steve or Sam or, most likely, nobody’s presence took the place of comfort and support when their mutual nightmares grew to be too much in the dark.

But she’d miss the softness of his voice in the dark as her heart raced, miss the gentle way his hand would stroke across her forehead, thumb rubbing at her cheekbone; his bright, earnest eyes locked on hers as he talked her down, helped her match her gasping breaths to his steady ones.

She’d miss the way he’d cling to her when he was trapped in his own hells. The faint tremble in his massive frame that would start to cease, begin to relax as soon as he sensed her touch, the way his arms would band around her and hold her close, his body wrapped around hers like a shield but his face buried in her neck like a child’s while he grounded himself again. The way he’d murmur her name over and over again like a mantra, soothing himself back to sleep or, more likely, to the faint drowsy, dreamy, pillow talk stage, laying next to each other for hours as night died, talking about everything and anything that seemed too fragile to hold up and not shrivel under day’s harsh glare.

How had she thrown all that away? How had she not seen what everyone else apparently had? Actual physical love and sex had been about the last boundary they’d had, they’d been intimate and close in every other way possible and yet Lev had deluded herself into thinking, no… into telling herself stubbornly, that it was only friendship, that the way she’d sometimes catch Bucky gazing at her were nothing, only projections of the way she sometimes would watch him.

What a fucking idiot.

Christ, she was going to take a hellacious long bath when she got back to the Compound and compose a doozy of an apology to match her depths of remorse.

She glanced at her GPS, saw the jet was mere dozens of feet away now, in a clearing so well hidden she, even so close, still couldn’t see and picked up her pace. Hopefully, Tony brought some of those Cow Tales caramels she was such a whore for like she’d asked.

Pushing through the last break of trees, Lev paused, just admiring for a moment the stark (tee hee) splendour of the sleek jet amidst the woods. With a muted hiss, the ramp descended, and Lev turned her attention to the pilot.

“Tony-” her voice died in her throat.

#bucky #bucky barne #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes angst #au bucky #au bucky barnes #au bucky barnes fanfiction #au bucky barnes fanfic #au bucky barnes angst #bucky and lev #bucky and levi #bucky barnes drama #bucky barnes romance #bucky the morning after #bucky mixed signals

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capricornus-rex · 5 years ago

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The Longing For A Familiar Feeling

Cal Kestis x Reader

Summary: Cal sustains a grave injury while going against a Jotaz in the chambers of the tomb. You obliged to tend to his wounds and nurse him back to health.

A/N: This basically counts as a backlog because I eventually ended up getting requests on the fly. The outline has been in my notes since April lmao so here I am fulfilling my compulsiveness to have everything ticked off the list.

Though, I hope you guys will enjoy this fic as you enjoy my other stuff! Your support has been an awesome impact ever since I came back here just to write a single oneshot last January ;;w;; I’m emotional again, I should stop now. Please enjoy the fic! ^w^

Also posted in AO3

Other reference: This one

Tags: Soft! Cal Kestis, Affection Starved! Cal Kestis, Intimate! Cal Kestis

Masterlist

The Tomb of Miktrull was unexpectedly more crowded than either of you expected.

Not only did the Tomb Guardian preoccupied you and Cal, but so did the Stormtroopers, Purge Troopers, and Probe Droids!

This day just can’t get any worse, can it? You thought, imagining yourself saying it out loud through clenched teeth.

The now-malfunctioning probe droid closed in on you and you timed the exact second before it self-destructs and Force-pushed it towards that trio of scout troopers coming at you. They instantly die in the explosion.

Cal rushed to back you up after defeating the Guardian. The Purge Trooper may be dead, but there were still two more scout troopers remaining. The odds are even—which may not be so bad, at least for you.

“I hit her! W-Why did I do that?!” the scout seemed to have regretted his action for pommeling you in the stomach.

You sent a clean streak of lunges at the scout trooper, your strikes were strong enough to break his defenses—after all, what good’s an electro-baton if your enemy’s a Jedi?

Cal easily took down the scout commander, he winced when he tried to stand up straight but he hid his pain from you when he gestured on taking on the lead.

“Look, there’s the gate,” he pointed out, Force-pulling the rope and then latching it onto the mechanism.

“Be careful, there’s that Jotaz,”

“It seems to be too busy with the Stormtroopers,”

“There’s the Jedi!” a Stormtrooper pointed out and signaled some of his men to fire at you.

“Not anymore!” you blurted, immediately deflecting the blaster fire and sending it back to their direction, leading some of the projectiles to the Jotaz—however, the mindless animal thought that it was still those soldiers who were still hurting it.

All that’s left was you and Cal against the Jotaz. The fat creature roared and lumbered towards the both of you, springing itself with its feet positioned for a flatfooted kick at either of you. Luckily, the two of you were quick and then dodged in opposite directions. Cal attacked it from behind while you drew its attention in the front, dodging its backhanded swipes by sliding against the flooded floor and searing its fleshy legs in the process.

While hunched and still coming at you, Cal took the opportunity to run up on its back and pith his lightsaber into its skull. Just when the moment seemed right, the Jotaz suddenly retaliated, feeling for Cal’s next movement and smacked him hard with its claws when the creature spun to face him.

The boy was sent flying across the other side of the chamber, lying flat on his back and partially submerged in the water. You were taken aback about how suddenly this animal became perceptive—at least, just this particular one—and had to up your game. While the Jotaz asserted its dominance against Cal, you afforded that moment to finish it off; it was close to dying and so you had to do the deed, sending a flurry of attacks, denying it as chance to attack you, and a succeeding Force-push made it stagger—finally allowing you to use your finishing move against it.

“Cal!” you ran up to him, kneeling down and ignoring the water seeping onto the legs of your pants. “Cal, open your eyes!”

A metallic smell wafted in the water, even though the chamber was quite dim, there was a noticeable red tint swirling over the back of your hand underwater. The source was from Cal’s body, but you searched for the actual wound—the Jotaz had cut Cal’s back and he’s bleeding out fast.

Promptly, BD-1 popped a stim for you, you caught the green syringe and injected it into the flesh of Cal’s bicep. His eyelids shot open when the viscous green substance packed a punch in his bloodstreams. You helped him sit up and searched for something—anything—in your person to press against the wound to clot the bleeding.

Lying right next to you is the corpse of a Stormtrooper, underneath the armor plates the dead soldier wore a black, cotton undershirt; you scrambled towards the body, tore the arm plates off until the entire sleeve showed—you gave it a good, harsh tug for the seams to pop until you’ve torn a considerable length of cloth for a compress. You dipped it in the water before putting it on Cal’s wound.

“Here, just keep pressuring on this, okay?”

The ancient elevator was there at your disposal, you supported Cal on your shoulders, hobbling towards the large cylinder and used your joint weight to trigger the pressure plate. The tube rumbled and felt it rising back up to the surface.

“[y/n], I can… I can walk,”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

There wasn’t any harshness in his tone, but the firmness of his voice made his point clear. The two of you managed to get out of the Imperial base and made it to the part of the cliffside where there’s a pack of Stormtroopers waiting.

Cal pushed himself, still being able to fight but only utilizing half of his power; due to his growing weakness, the most he can do in combat in banking the shots, barely engaging in melee, and he couldn’t even use much of his Force abilities even if he wanted to.

“Bleeding’s stopped,” Cal mumbled under his breath.

“Keep it wrapped then,”

The healing stim could only do so much for the wounded Jedi. Cal’s pace was slow, traversing the obstacles suddenly became strenuous for him, but he pulled himself together until both of you came out of the mouth of the cave and caught sight of the abandoned village from the top of the slope. His body felt heavy and every muscle around his wound felt like tearing, he still thinks he’s doing a good job putting up a brave face.

“Come on,” he led on, walking ahead of you.

The trooper standing by the edge was startled by Cal’s entrance, barely having a second to stance himself, the soldier was easily subdued by the boy. The trooper’s companion eventually appeared and defeated him in less than a minute.

“This way, the path’s shorter,”

The two of you circled that house and climbed up the metal bridge where two more scouts are waiting on the other side. The commander was evidently more powerful and stronger than his subordinate, but that didn’t faze either of the Jedi, another Stormtrooper heard the din of the skirmish and pulled the trigger—to which Cal had skillfully deflected and sent back to the soldier.

Cal’s deflection became a window of opportunity for the scout commander and made an underhand swipe of his baton against the redhead’s torso—submitting the boy to his knees—and when the commander was about to finish him off with an overhead swing, the Stormtrooper’s body jerked at the impact of a lightsaber lobbed his way and fell limp to the soil.

“You okay?” you extended your hand in front of Cal, he gladly takes it and you pull him up carefully.

“Yeah, I’m good,”

The sluggishness in his body was apparent, his legs dragged to the direction he wanted them to go but it’s obvious that he cannot carry himself anymore. He stumbled back on his knees again seconds after he planted his feet on the ground.

It’s not plausible, you thought. What stood between you and the Mantis is a hangar that’s probably guarded by Stormtroopers and their KX droid or Haxion Brood hunters waiting to jump on you. The only solution you can find around you is take shelter in one of the houses. You became Cal’s crutch as you led him into the bigger house in this section of the village, BD-1 spliced the door controls and the door hissed open.

The little droid spotted the fusebox and overcharged it so all of the lights in the cottage flickered to life, revealing that the house is only one, large furnished space; you settled Cal on the couch to let him relax and catch his breath, while you searched for medical supplies. For ever cabinet you rummaged, you muttered an apology—supposedly for the absent residents in the home—you’re only apologizing to the wind. You came back to the common room, dropping all the supplies you’ve collected on the table.

“It’s not much but I think it’ll be enough to get you patched up,”

Cal proceeded to undo the top of his jumpsuit, color flushed in his cheeks when he saw your eyes counting the cuts and bruises on his body. Droplets plopped back into the bowl as you wrung the towel tight, he winced occasionally whenever you carefully dabbed the towel on and around the wound.

At first, you dismissed the occasional spasms of his body as pain reactions whenever the water from the towel seeped into the wound.

“I’m gonna have to put some Bacta gel on everything, okay?”

He nodded and you proceeded to scoop a pea-sized dollop of the healing gel for each injury you see. The translucent mint green gel partially obscured the redness of the cuts and the bruises—both old and fresh. Cal flinches whenever your finger presses onto his skin, rubbing the cool substance in circling motions on his injuries, but his muscles gradually soften a few seconds later.

Her hands are so gentle… He cooed in his mind. Secretly, he wanted you to find more of the wounds just so he can continue feeling your touch.

“I’m sorry, I…” Cal stammered.

You blinked, taken aback by the apology, “What are you sorry for?”

His head hung low, his eyes jumping from one bruise to the next, his lips parted to say something.

“I’m too much trouble to bring with,” he murmured.

A somber smile curled along the line of your lips, Cal’s shoulders jolted when he felt the center of your palm press against his jaw, the muscles of his face twitched when you ran your thumb across his cheek.

“No, you’re not,” you cooed lovingly. “Besides, I like taking care of you.”

Your words somehow made all the tension in his muscles disappear, his eyebrows furrowed, and he released a big sigh as he placed his forehead against your shoulder. Initially, he hesitated but he still gave it a try—his arms snaked around your waist, locking his hold on you by clutching his wrist with his free hand, and allowing himself to savor this feeling. He buried his face on the crook of your neck and his eyelids fell when your fingernails massaged and raked his hair—this prompted him to pull you in closer to him until your thighs sat over his lap.

It was a pleasant feeling for the young redhead. All of a sudden, his courageous Jedi demeanor morphed into that of an innocent child. This was something he lacked for a long time and he was glad to find it in you—the person who cares so much about him, the same way he does for you.

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sincerlypadfoot · 4 years ago

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The Fifth Marauder (3)

Word Count - 2051

“This is the dumbest shit you guys have ever come up with,” Remus said to Sirius and I as we sat in the common room high fiving.

“I don’t know what your talking about, we are a genius, putting soap in the fountains in every bathroom sounds like the best thing ever,” I said as Sirius nodded his head.

“Could you imagine how funny the aftermath is would be, watching bubble flow out of the bathroom and people tripping and following and the teaching having the get around and try fixing it,” Sirius said nodded his head.

“Take my cloke, you guys better be back here before morning, with my cloak and with the bubbles down, because I think this is just awesome,” James said tossing his cloak at me and Sirius.

“If you don’t get caught i’ll do your homework for a week, if you get caught you both due my homework for a month,” Remus said smirking and tilting his head.

“Deal!” Sirius screamed shaking his head then looking back at wideyed me “Don’t worry, we won't get caught,” Sirius reassured me.

“Go on then, I wanna see how this one ends,” Peter said leaning against the top of the stairs with a smile on his stupid blond headed face.

“We’ll get it done and outdo you guys on all the pranks,” I said cockingly picking up the soap we bought today and looked at everyone. “Lets go Sirus,” I mumbled angrily grabbing his hand and James cloak he let us borrow.

“We’re gonna pull this off you know, and I have the map so we know if anyone is coming for us, we have four bathrooms to hit then the prank is on,” He whispered showing me the map. Flich and Miss Norish were nowhere near us so we were good.

“First bathroom, come on,” I said to Sirius pulling him in. “You can do the honors,” I suggested handing him the first bottle of soap. “Moaning Myrtles gonna totally be a problem huh?” I asked watching Sirius dump the whole bottle of soap in the fountain, instantly retaining bubbles and growing.

“We just won't let her see our faces, only put your hand out of the cloak if you see her,” Sirius said throwing the cloak back over us and looking at the map. “See she's in the last bathroom, we don’t have to worry about anything,” He said as we walked into the bathroom across the hall.

“How much trouble do you think we could get in from this?” I asked placing the second bottle of soap into the bathroom fountain.

“A lot of trouble, which is why we aren’t getting caught and not letting the boys know we got caught if we do,” Sirius said watching the bubble fill up the whole fountain in a blink of an eye. “Third one, then we just you know become ghosts like myrtle in the last bathroom,” He joked toasting the cloak on top of us.

“Yeah just don’t her see your face whatever you do,” I whispered as we entered the third bathroom. “Someone's in here,” I said moving us the farthest away from the bathroom stalls and into the wall bumping into Sirius who chuckled.

“Hey your pretty close to me,” He whispered in my ear making shivers go down my spine. “Hey,” He said spinning me around.

“What are you pulling at Sirius?” I ask looking up at him, he had his stupid little grin on his face, the grin he pulls when flirty, the annoying stupid one I just wanted to wipe off his face.

“Nothing, you just look beautiful,” He said just looking at me with a smile. “Look he’s leaving come on,” Sirius said pulling the cloak off and walking to the fountain with the last two bottles of soap. “Moaning Myrtle here we come,” He said tossing the empty bottle into the trash. I followed Sirius into the cloak as we walked to the entrance of the last bathroom.

“She’s sleeping, didn't know ghosts could sleep,” I nudged Sirius looking at Myrtle who was laying in the water with her eyes closed. “Come with me, i’ll just do it quick,” I whispered taking the bottle from Sirius hand and unscrewing it.

“Whos there?” Myrtle shouted opening her eyes as we got to the edge of the fountain. “Oh my mind playing tricks on me again huh,” She said floating up into the air and laying on her back. “Little old Myrtle going crazy, just like everyone says, Myrtle is just a crazy bat,” She shouted flying into a stall and crying.

“Does she ever think she is crazy?” I whispered sticking my hand out and pouring the soap. “Sirius your so close to me,” I whispered to him looking behind, he was leaning against the shoulder.

“I heard you!” Myrtle shouted making Sirius jump and fall ahead knocking both of us into the fountain filled with soap. “I knew I wasn't crazy, a pair of lovers hiding in the bathroom,” She screeched coming up to us. “You’re trying to pull a prank huh?” She shouted loudly.

“Get up, come on, we gotta go,” I said to Sirius helping him up from the water and pulling the cap over us. “We’re sorry,” I whispered pulling Sirius under the cloak and grabbing him so we could rac out of the bathroom where Myrtle was screeching her head off.

“That was awesome,” Sirius said taking off the cloak once we got into the clear. “Did you see the soap in the hallways, we really pulled it off,” Sirius said out of breath from running out the hallway. “I’ll get you new shoes since their wet and anything else I ruined,” He laughed as I leaned against the wall.

“What's your problem huh?” I asked getting angry and putting my fists onto his chests catching him by surprise. “Why do you do that, you flirt and flirt and it’s just ahh,” I said taking my hands off his chest and leaning back against the wall.

“What?” Sirius asked looking at me. “I’m sorry that your just, you,” He shouted but looked around. “Can we talk about this somewhere else?” He asked taking ahold of my hand gently but I tugged it back.

“I can’t handle these Sirius, with all the mixed feelings,” I said back pulling my hand and leaning my head against the wall. “I think you should go back to the common room, i’ll see you in the morning okay,” I said but was retained by Sirius holding me back.

“I love you,” He said leaning against me in the wall. “Why do you think I ask you to do everything with me, ask you to go to hogsmeade with me every weekend, because I love spending time with you,” Sirius said putting his hand on my face.

“This will ruin things Sirius,” I cried out putting my head against the wall. ‘I don’t want this to ruin things,” I said not able to look at him.

“I promise, through whatever we go through, this wont ruin things and i’ll be by your side until the day you die,” Sirius said putting his hand under my chin. “Until the day you die,” He whispered making me put my head down and smile at him.

“Students out of, what the?” Flitch said around the corner, Sirius and I both looked at each other, not a second later the cloak was over our heads and we walked back to the common room soaking wet, dripping a trail of water behind us.

“Did you do it, I told you they would do it,” James said fist bumping Peter. “You got their homework to do for a week,” He said laughing at Remus.

“You two are soaking wet, what happened?” Remus asked as we took of the cloak, everything about my was soaking wet.

“We did it, we didn't get caught, have fun with my homework Moony,” I said smirking and dragging my wet self up to my room. “And just you wait until you see the aftermath,” I whispered before getting to the top of the stairs, I smiled at the four boys then opened my door and closed it once I was in. I stripped down to nothing and tossed on a baggy sweater and sweatpants, landing onto my bed and looking up to my roof.

“Can we talk?” Without looking I knew it was Sirius, I waited a couple seconds and looked up, he was dressed in black sweatpants and a white shirt. “Please,” He asked.

“I’m really tired but I can spare a bit of sleep for you,” I muttered laying back down and watching my room, reminiscing what I wish my reality was. “Shoot,” I said to Sirius as I heard my door shut.

“You know, if it was between me getting caught tonight and you, I would have gotten caught for you to have a head start to the common room,” He said moving my chair to sit on it. “I don’t think I could live without you,” He said making my heart skip a beat.

“We would have never been in that situation, we had the cloak, and don’t use the word what if, because what if I never came to Hogwarts, you would have never thought of saying that to me,” I said sitting up and looking at him.

“Why do you do that, shut everyone out, your only happy when in a group, what are you thinking in that head of yours?” He asked tapping his own head.

“You really wanna know?” I asked taking a deep breath in closing my eyes and opening them back up releasing my breath. “I’m in love with you, but I can’t let this ruin the thing I have with the rest of the boys, when i’m with all of you I feel at home, when i’m with you I feel complete but I don’t wanna be broken again,” I cried out covering my eyes.

The wheels of my chair moving echos my room and Sirius soft hands lached onto mine. “I love you too,” He whispered making me look up. “I promise that I will never hurt you,” He said sitting down infornt of me.

“Sirius Black kiss me,” I said lifting my head up as Sirius attacked my face landing me back first onto my bed laying on top of me, his hands crawling into my shirt, I copied his action rubbing my hands along his spine and wrapping my feet around his.

“Kinky,” Sirius whispered taking his shirt off making me curl a smile and take mine off too and crawl under the blankets. Sirius smirked putting the blanket over his, leaning down to kiss my neck making my hands dig a bit into his back turning the both of us on.

“God Sirius,” I moaned as he continued to kiss my neck making my head go back and my stomach feeling tingly. “Sirius,” I moaned turning a gidget in his head.

“Take of your pants,” He whispered into my ear, I didn't hesitate sliding my sweatpants down, feeling SIrius do the same with him, the my underwear being slid down my him. Sirius caressing his hand along my v line up to my stomach then my naked chest, inserting in me making my hands attract to his back and claw at him....

“So, your staying here tonight?” I asked Sirius as he laid on my chest and I ran my hands through his hair. “Because i’m okay with that,” I said to him.

“I wasn’t planning on leaving this bed,” Sirius chuckled running his hand on my thigh. “I didn't picture this the ending of my night today,” he laughed making me laugh.

“I can picture us going to sleep right now you know, we’ve got a prank to react to in the morning,” I whispered kissing the top of his head, he moved up beside me, his chest bare.

“Goodnight love,” Sirius said kissing my forehead and turning me around so he could wrap his arms around me. “See you in the morning,” He whispered in my ear as his hands rested on my chest, I smiled to myself then shut my eyes to go to sleep.

#sirius black #sirius x y/n #sirius imagine #siriusblack x reader #Siriusblack #Siriusblackxreader #sirius black x y/n #siriusblackxyou #sirius black x you #JamesPotter #James potter #RemusLupin #remus lupin #peter pettigrew #peterpettigrew

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lucarioisinthevoid · 4 years ago

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Bonbon...just bonbon. Just bonbon stuck to his hand. And he has to make a choice to put up with bonbon, or cut off his own hand.

(Amazing idea that I cut short due to being so fucking tired and filled with writer’s anxiety to the MAX, smashing my head into the keyboard, but not wanting to keep abandoning the damn blog. Hope this is still fine though! I really need to cut back to shorter asks again, I should have considered that before making a “series” of this. At least it’s going to be done soon!)

Sometimes, your brain tells you to do stupid things. TRULY stupid things. Henry certainly was no stranger to it, not at all. Though usually he had a little bit more… of a reputation what to uphold. ‘What is the worst that could happen?’ That was the standard question to consider, the one thing to maintain at the forefront, while also eying the potential benefits of the risks. What was the worst that could happen? Usually death. That has prevented Henry from doing quite a few nonsensical actions, ranging from petty theft of objects he never needed, to making himself a name as a Serial Killer. Nonsensical ideas, with no rewards, and potentially risky chain reactions that could lead to the destruction of his entire work. It was for the better that they had gotten buried in his mind again, Henry would have been even more upset with himself now, looking back on his life, otherwise. Yet, now? Nothing was stopping him from the worst. Death? Never heard of ‘em. If you only wake up again in the same place as you were before, death lost its biting edge, it became old news, hardly worth a second thought. And this led to more and more bad ideas. However, today’s bad decision had taken the cake. Henry had sat down behind the desk just a moment ago, the night barely even started. Only few animatronics were roaming, thus it wasn’t anything to pay too much attention to. Maybe a few interesting conversations would come out of it- but that was it. So, instead he began picking apart the office. It wasn’t the common one, it was made out of steel and darker than the regular one, instead there were blinking lights shining- pizzas made out of plastic and glass, stage lights to the sides, and the eyes of two animatronics that were- probably not capable of coming to life. Probably. A shiny mask of Funtime Freddy’s and- The Puppet. The OTHER Puppet. God, when was it that he had designed and planned out THIS robot? It must have been when- … never mind that. Prying his attention away from the frozen machine, peacefully smiling, with its eyes glowing golden- Prying his attention AWAY, he turned to the table, where the small handpuppet of Bonnie was sitting. The panel to the side, filled with buttons and levers, was also interesting, but he would look at that later. The little machine seemed like a great opportunity to inspect if the animatronics were actually still working as they should have in reality… or if perhaps they were only plastic shells, filled with only the intent of the soul that created this place. He wasn’t sure what it would tell him about the maker… however more information was always useful. It was a light machine, in general. Its weight would still surprise anyone who wasn’t familiar with machines, but all in all? A lightweight, nothing to note. Peering into the opening, the Pink Guy noted that it was unnaturally dark inside of there. Even if he held it directly under a light, there seemed to be a void inside, swallowing all light, making it almost impossible to see any mechanisms that were in place. And that was when the terrible idea hit him. Usually there were a few criteria that thoughts of his had to pass before being translated into an action, like ‘why’ and ‘how’ and ‘what if’- due to his currently freedom of basically anything, it swiftly skipped past these hurdles. Before he knew what he really was doing, he put the little bunny onto his hand- Where it instantly clicked shut, grabbing his arm tightly from the inside. The lights flickered wildly, before the lighting changed to the usual “caught” atmosphere- Quite alarming. Now, there were two options- either a creature has come in from the outside while he was disracted, or BonBon was about to maul him. Seeing as the machine started twitching and booting up, the latter one seemed more likely, so Henry watched the creature with mild interest. What a funny way to kill him. The vengeful soul was rather creative, he had to admit that much. The bunny looked from the left to the right- Then up at Henry, who stared down at him somewhat unimpressed. For a moment both sides stared at each other in silence, then BonBon crossed his arms. “Put me down.” “Oh, I would if I could and in more sense than one. But you seem to be grabbing me.” “Where is Freddy!?” “On the wall, as far as I can see.” Looking at the mask, the bunny frowned for a moment, then swiped its claw over Henry’s eye and cheek, only barely missing the eye itself. Deep red scars were left on the cheek, blood slowly starting to drip down from it, a disgusting feeling in the Pink Guy’s opinion. “NOT FUNNY!” “DO NOT ATTACK ME.” “THEN STOP MESSING WITH ME! JUST BECAUSE I’M SMALL YOU THINK YOU CAN MESS WITH ME, HUH!?” Again he tried to attack, Henry only barely being able to hold him back. “I CAN EAT YOU. I CAN HURT YOU. AND I WILL IF YOU DON’T TELL ME WHERE MY FREDDY IS!” “I DO NOT KNOW.” “THEN FIND OUT!” “IF YOU STOP ATTEMPTING TO HARM ME, I MIGHT.” Finally, Henry was able to let go of the bunny, it wasn’t trying to rip him into pieces anymore. God, that little rat was a little stronger than he liked. “Last time I saw Funtime Freddy- or at least a thing somewhat resembling him- he was in the vents. Thus, the choice- do you want to let go of me and inspect them, or do you want to stay here and search the other rooms first?” BonBon- Benjamin, right? He thought he could remember him being called Benjamin before- looked at him angrily again, then his ears dropped. “I- don’t- I can’t! I don’t know how to! I think YOU did something to make me unable to let go, this isn’t my fault!” Finally, the aggression that had started to build up inside of him subsided, as he recognized this behavior easily. Benjamin was still a child, probably has not been very old when taken and not having been dead for more than a year or two. Raising his other hand, he tried to calm the boy down. “Alright, alright… I did not do anything, but if neither of us can separate from the other, we might have to look together. Would that be okay with you, Benjamin?” Wrong thing to say. “Wh-Who told you my name?! You don’t have a RIGHT to use my NAME-“ Something within Henry SNAPPED, the aggression returning, double as strong. “Please, CALM DOWN.” Finally, this seemed to shut him up. Perhaps it was the heightened aggression in his voice that helped- and while Henry didn’t enjoy trying to scare those weaker than him, this time it seemed to be necessary. This seemed to be the damn reason why that bear was borderline mad and always happy to throw this thing around. Looking at the little thing the man slowly shook his head, then took a deep breath. “Are you calm now, Bon? Good. Good. Amazing.” His tone had changed now, much sharper and colder than before. If it worked, it worked. “Let us have a nice walk now. A nice, long walk, you and I, both of us, maybe we will find Freddy, maybe we will not. And you know what, while we have this walk, we could also have a nice long talk about you. What brought you here, specifically.” “I- I don’t want to-“ Abruptly Henry moved his right hand, where Bonbon was located, almost smashing it into the wall. “Oh. I seem to have slipped. How CLUMSY of me. What were you saying?” It was a bluff. Of course it was. He wasn’t so pathetic as to try and harm a kid. But he also felt sick and tired of being in such a ridiculous situation. For a moment Bonbon stared at him nervously, his jaw slightly tremble, as he was caught between wanting to try and live with the situation, in hopes of it not getting worse, or if he should lash out, here and now, trying to kill the human he was attached to. “Only a little walking and a little talking and maybe we will find Freddy too. Do you not want that?” The easy way out. Old habits die hard. Most people preferred the devil that they knew. Including returning to familiar situations again and again, reenacting them, even if it had hurt before. The small machine pressed its ears against its body, clearly distress, but finally he nodded wordlessly, drawing a smile out of Henry, who was now more than willing to pretend he hadn’t very obviously threatened the kid before. “Fantastic! I am sure we will have a lot of fun. First and foremost, I would like to know, what is the last thing you remember from before waking up here…?” Maybe he would be able to make it up to the bunny a little while on the go. He did somewhat feel bad for him. They slipped outside the office. No animatronics in sight. And Henry for once was looking forward to a long night.

#henry miller #Henry in hell #BonBon

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elmidol · 4 years ago

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Static Communications

Three Blind Tooke Part Three Death is an Art

Read on Ao3

Three Blind Tooke

Part Three: Death is an Art

Chapter Sixty-Four: Static Communications

We stand and we fall,

United/Divided in this war.

I hope that soon

We’ll achieve what we’re fighting for.

Due to his piloting expertise, Poe Dameron had been one of the individuals that had volunteered to aid in locating the various remaining First Order strongholds that were potential fortresses for Supreme Leader Armitage Hux during the final battle. Not final of the entire war, merely final of his reign. Taking comfort in this knowledge, you were able to dismiss the possibility that all Order of Ren pilots on reconnaissance missions might perish before relaying whatever information they were able to obtain. It would have also been a blow to consider that they could die after they had transmitted the data to nearby Order of Ren allies. Thus you chose to focus on what you could control alongside the positives in your life.

Ushar and Finn had taken a sort of liking to one another, and the pair practiced communications through the Force as well as with comlinks. It had been decided that Finn would lead one of the Force sensitive squadrons on the ground of whatever planet was chosen while Ushar provided further support, just as Ap’lek had discussed with you before. Rose worked with two Order of Ren officers and three technicians to develop scramblers for the comlinks that would prevent the First Order from hacking into the feed. Ushar and Finn were content to work as test dummies for the new equipment. They were seen wandering around the Star Destroyer, sometimes together and other times apart, speaking into the devices while others with standard First Order tech worked to override the scramblers used.

You sat beside Rose while sipping a mug of caf to help warm yourself. The temperature in this section of the Star Destroyer was purposefully cooler, and you wore loose garments that properly covered the bruises Kylo Ren had left on your body. He had, to no surprise from you, insisted you use bacta to lessen the damage from an assortment of the bites. You had not argued with him, aware that his concern dealt with the upcoming battle. You wanted to be at your best, and he knew this. You rolled your shoulders while watching Rose’s fingers in motion. She had finished speaking with one of the technicians and was busy making an adjustment on her own to check if one spotted error was fixed with the alteration.

She rarely looked in your direction, although this was largely due to the presence of Cardo. He set many people on edge simply by standing there. You remembered how the Resistance had treated you similarly when you had returned. This similarity allowed you to develop a stronger sense of camaraderie with Cardo, who had taken to gravitating towards you. “Will jammers baffle the scramblers?” you asked, leaning closer to inspect the device in her hands.

Rose gave a nod without hesitating. “Yeah. There aren’t many ways around that. Finn and Ushar perfecting Force communications might come in more handy in that case. Although Rey says that it drains your energy the farther away the target is.” You recalled how Snoke had bridged together Rey and Kylo’s minds; he had been the one using his energy to assist in those communications, which had then lessened the toll on the two. You sometimes took that for granted, your memory skewing events.

Cardo set a hand on the edge of the container on which you were seated. “Have a team devoted to taking out the jammers.” His voice had an echo-like quality to it that came and went. As he spoke in that moment, it was present and more pronounced with the quiet enveloping the room. An officer jumped in surprise then shuddered. You pinched your lips into a thin line while trying to keep from reacting to the others. “I’ll speak with Kylo.” Despite his words, Cardo did not dismiss himself nor walk away, which indicated that he would complete this task at an unspecified time in the future.

“Ye...yeah,” the officer that had startled most visibly stuttered out, likely to fill the awkward silence that you had allowed to descend. You were annoyed with being one of the few to acknowledge Cardo as an equal. Forcing others to do the same was for their own good in your opinion.

Inwardly you were screaming: He’s the one who just helped adjust your armor to withstand more damage, to help you survive run-ins with terror troopers. You looked over your shoulder to find that Cardo’s mask was dipped in your direction. He could sense it. All of the Knights of Ren were Force sensitive, and you were more and more convinced that absorbing some of Not-Rey’s life force during his revival had indeed increased his control over the mystical power. Where others avoided him, you wanted him beside you on the battlefield. Not that this came as any sort of surprise; you had been on missions with the Knights of Ren, and you trusted all six of them with your life just as they had trusted you with theirs.

Cardo, Kylo, and you had all three died and then come back. You were set apart from the others. Cardo’s subtle ostracization was more noticeable than yours had been. Kylo Ren self-isolated socially and thus it was easy to miss the occasions that his choice was stripped, that he was ignored. It was funny, to you, that Kylo had once upon a time mentioned the Rule of Two when your life seemed to latch onto groups of three instead.

“Okay, Finn, come get this and try again.” Rose spoke into a second comlink that was in her possession. Finn’s voice came back moments later to acknowledge her. Rose considered you. “Do you plan to be part of that team?” Your mind raced through scenarios, weighing pros and cons of devoting yourself to taking out towers that would be blocking communications. It could take you closer to Hux or it could draw you away from him. You took another sip of your caf while shrugging, committing to nothing. Rose shook her head. “We’re going to win.”

“I want to be there,” you said, lowering your mug. Before she could say anything more--her mouth was open to do so--you continued. “Not to kill him myself. I want to watch him die though. After everything he did, I want to see it.”

The discussion might have been longer had Finn not arrived, causing Rose’s attention to shift back to her job. It was unknown how swiftly the Order of Ren would have to spring into action once the information was retrieved by Poe or the other pilots. You moved up onto your feet, walking away from the group. Cardo trailed after you, his steps soft, controlled.

Your mind shifted focus, working through the list of weaponry that the First Order would deploy against the Order of Ren. The AT-M6 Walkers would be among the most troublesome due to their reinforced limbs, which would make them harder to bring down. That was where aerial support would be most beneficial. If any of these behemoths were stationed in a location that defended shields--a high likelihood--it would be best if you focused there. Bringing the shields down was imperative. The First Order’s starfighters would be picking off ground troops and Order of Ren ships alike. The AT-M6s were also armed with anti-ship cannons, which was a benefit when it came to the few that the Order of Ren was in possession of. The issue was landing them on the ground without the First Order picking of the transports first. That was not your responsibility, however it nevertheless impacted all that you would do.

Cardo brushed his arm against yours as he arrived by your side rather than following you. You switched your cup of caf to your other hand, took a sip, and gave him a nonverbal cue that you were listening. “Kylo and Rey believe that Hux may use taozin amulets. Even if we know which planet he is on, pinpointing his location will be an issue for them.”

“So… We have to buy them time.” You felt your shoulders sag as you spoke. Better understood why it was that Cardo had not commented on Rose’s question or insistence of victory. He had not wanted to seem as though he was siding with her. When it came to matters of the Force, the others were less inclined to listen to him or remain open-minded. They would have insisted on speaking with Rey first before forming an opinion. “Where will you and Ap’lek be?”

Ap’lek, you were told, would be leading one of the squadrons that contained both Force sensitives and non. Kuruk would be providing him cover; the Night Buzzard would not be in use due to its noise and the need for stealth before the battle broke out. You did not know how any of the Knights felt about this, nor did you ask. You were in favor of the decision, which would make things awkward if you learned for a fact that they were opposed to it. As for Trudgen and Vicrul, they would be working together in a unit designed to clear the way for Kylo and Rey. This left Cardo, who gestured to you, confirming that you were going to be together on the battlefield. You instantly relaxed.

“That wookie is going to be with Kylo as well. Insists it.”

Your lips twitched, although you were not able to fully smile. It was hard to say if Chewbacca wanted to be by Kylo because of their history together before Kylo had joined the First Order, or if it was because of a lack of trust. That was not even to delve into how Kylo himself felt. The arrival of Lando along with a few others that had served in the Rebellion had been met with silence from him. Lando and Chewbacca had each been close with Han. They might serve as nothing more than a reminder that Kylo had killed his own father.

A chill ran through you, one that you did your best to squash, to shrug away. Concerns regarding his reception once the war ended would wait. You were not ignoring them completely. Neither was he. Kylo Ren had chosen where to place his Knights based on strategy. The same with other members who held any leadership positions. It was another reason that Rey would be fighting at his side; she would not betray him, that you knew with an absolute certainty. This was meant to be a two-way war now that the Resistance had joined the Order of Ren. Of course, there were always radicals that would break rank at a moment’s notice to further whatever agenda they had in mind.

“They won’t be able to rely on the Force to locate Hux,” you said, returning to a different issue. One that you could better navigate, that would not drive you crazy with paranoia. “Do we have anyone or anything good at tracking?”

The echo-like quality to his voice returned when next he spoke. “Jannah stated that there was a planet her squadron explored while Snoke was in command. Akk dogs once served Jedi, and their hides are resistant to lightsabers, which will make them plenty capable in battle. She returned there after joining the Resistance. They’ve been training a few. There were other creatures as well. Orbak. They’re on a different ship in the fleet.” Now you did smile, it striking you that the Force, that the galaxy, was gathering together to fight against the First Order. It was joining under Kylo Ren, a balance being created.

You need only remind yourself that the Resistance had worked to locate First Order officers for years without being able to use the Force. You had, for one. Prior to missions, during your training, you had not been able to use the Force to complete your tasks. This nervousness that you were feeling, you were able to let some of it go, realizing that it was nothing more than a waste of time and energy.

Unaware of how much time was left to you, you decided that you would seek out your mother. Whether she would speak to you or not, you were unsure. Her moods varied. She had not recovered from the destruction of Naboo, and you doubted that she ever truly would. You drained the last of the caf from your mug on the way, handed the empty dish to a droid you passed, and asked Cardo if he wanted to be present when you visited her. He grunted, noncommittal. His presence or absence would not change a thing for you. Allowing him an opportunity to leave without it becoming awkward, however, had felt important to you.

Though he did not leave you, Cardo slowed his pace. This resulted in you being nearly a yard ahead of him when you located your mother, who was seated near a collection of supplies that were being inventoried by a team made up of former Resistance members and Order of Ren stormtroopers. She had a doll in her hands that you recognized as belonging to one of the former Resistance tech officers that had children hidden away with their father. You stared at the doll as you eliminated the last of the distance that remained. Cardo, on the other hand, fell back another few steps and stopped, possibly to offer you a bit of privacy in the rather public area. You shifted onto one of the crates that was beside hers.

You curled your legs so that your feet were no longer touching the ground and arced your body to help you grow nearer to your mother. She hugged the doll tighter to her body, her hand cupping its head against her chest. She was not in a hopeless state nor did you believe that she was feeling that death and loss were inevitable. This woman was tired. Ready for the war to end. Ready for a peace that she had believed had already arrived after the Rebellion had ended. You reached out a hand to touch hers. She did not flinch away. Her eyes drifted towards you, slipping along your hand and up your arm until she could explore your face with her gaze.

“I wanted your father to be wrong. I wanted you to be wrong.” You nodded--what else could you do? You had wanted her to be wrong as well, however you had accepted the truth. It was why you had joined the Resistance. “I’m sorry. I let this happen to you.”

A puff of air escaped your lips. You had to struggle to hold in the laugh that threatened to emerge. Bitter. Amused. Content. Relieved. It should not have taken her this long to get to this point of acceptance, and yet… And yet she was your mother. You saw at last the stubbornness that you had displayed when Kylo had tried to help you understand the gray areas of war. Stubborn, just like your mother before you. You smiled, rolled your eyes, and shook your head.

“I don’t blame you.” She nodded, whispering I know, and lowered the doll to her lap. “He won’t win. I know it won’t bring back everyone that he killed, but we are going to stop him from killing more.”

“You have your father’s strength,” your mother said, touching your shoulder. You felt your stomach swoop at her words and at the physical display of affection. “I believe in you.” Your throat felt impossibly thick with emotion, with the threat of tears. You swallowed, scooted nearer again. She wrapped her arms around you. The doll rolled onto the ground, and your mother made no move to prevent this from happening. You were her priority, her focus.

Together the pair of you sat until a chime came from a communications device that she had with her. She was helping to keep track of equipment as well as advise on political matters so that communications could be maintained with other Resistance allies that were wary when it came to the Order of Ren. Your mother patted your hands, stood, and left after giving the top of your head a kiss. You watched her go, your gaze drifting towards Cardo only after she was no longer in your line of sight.

Joining with him for a second time, neither of you said a word; there was a silent understanding for where you would be headed next. For your mother to be called away, you were under the assumption that one or more of the teams out for reconnaissance had returned or else been eliminated. You wanted confirmation on this, which meant that you planned to go straight to Kylo Ren. As Supreme Leader, he was one of the first being fed any new information. This was undisputed by the others since Rey was at his side, or at least had been the last you had been updated.

Along with Rey there were other members from the former Resistance, many of whom you recognized as having been leaders. They offered you dismissive glances before turning back to one another. The multitude of conversations that were taking place revealed that your suspicions were correct. You passed two of the Knights of Ren before arriving in front of Kylo. He flicked through information displayed on a datapad as a mini holoprojection was expanded to give a more detailed layout of one potential base on which Hux might be hiding.

“What planet?” you asked, keeping your voice low so that you did not interrupt anyone.

It was Rey who answered you. “Bakura.” She turned next to Cardo. “I was discussing possible pieces of armor that would be quick for you to help me with.” She pinched at the white cloth that she wore, and you wondered how it was she had kept it from growing dirty as well as where she had gotten it from. The two left together, their voices fading and quickly drowned out by distance and other discussions.

Kylo Ren did not speak although he seemed to you to relax as you drew nearer to him now that Rey was no longer present. You read the report without any interference. There might have been members in the room who would have objected to you looking at the data before some of your superiors, but if there were then they kept their mouths closed. Getting into petty squabbles or irritating Supreme Leader Kylo Ren was not going to benefit anyone besides the First Order. Four individuals joined together to form a group as another transmission came through. You wondered if it was another team returning or if it was a report of failure and death.

“How likely do you think it is that he’s using Bakura?” you asked, twisting back around after observing the group. He gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head that you were able to take note of solely because his hair shifted. You crossed your arms over your chest, let your head loll back, and stared up at the ceiling. Given the fact that the data regarding Bakura indicated a generous amount of life, you should have been pleased. Instead you were frustrated that the information sought remained elusive--unless the new report would prove to be exactly what the Order of Ren required.

Kylo flicked the data away in favor of pulling out a different report, one that detailed how the Order of Ren would be divided in the upcoming hours. The First Order had many resources at its disposal that it could use to destroy and enslave more of the galaxy while its enemies focused on the mission of killing Supreme Leader Hux. This was another reason that your mother’s work remained important. The connections that she had with others would aid in convincing them to, even if only temporarily, joining the Order of Ren in its endeavor to fully defeat the First Order. Waiting for another to crown themselves Supreme Leader before engaging in battle with any not in the same sector as the fleet defending Hux would hand them victories, would cost lives that could be spared. These allies could pull together available ships and pilots. Smugglers, rogues, pirates, anyone who was willing to fight against the First Order. This was not about absolving people of past crimes or grievances so much as winning the war.

One of the documents available for your viewing was a list of individuals who would hold lead positions in these other battles. Near the top was Lando Calrissian. You could not say that you were surprised with this or with other names that were familiar to you from both the former Resistance and original Order of Ren members. Beside their names were expandable lists that contained information on personnel and vehicles along with weaponry that would be devoted to their units. Kylo slid the device from his hands into yours before reaching for another on which he was able to access the same information.

You muttered out a quick thanks while expanding the lists. Jannah would be working with Lando, the Orbaks going with them save for a small number necessary for other missions. Their cover would come from old Rebellion allies that had remained in contact with Lando as well as rogues from his past. Other Force sensitive stormtroopers and officers would accompany him, although their numbers were minimal. Given their destination, which would be key in securing more weaponry from the First Order, it made sense. Rose was set to go with them, which you understood was due to her capabilities as a technician. She would be working with slicers to take control of one of the First Order’s remaining planetary training facilities, which potentially held records that could identify silent partners that might work against the Order of Ren when the battles ended. Lando would be given the Millennium Falcon for the mission.

“Supreme Leader, we may have received confirmation of Hux’s whereabouts.” Your head snapped quickly enough that your neck gave a protesting crack. Setting a hand against the area, you massaged it while listening to the report, which had come originally from Poe Dameron. It was the amount of weaponry on an Outer Rim planet that had heightened the Order of Ren’s suspicion of the area. That had been increased. Walkers were in place, shields raised, frequencies jammed on one side of the planet. Along with one of the scouting party’s ships there had been three starships that had entered real space near First Order Star Destroyers only to be shot down. They were taking no chances. Too hostile. And they were already aware of the Order of Ren’s intentions to hunt them.

Poe had had the foresight to send in members of his squad from different angles, which had allowed one of the parties to properly infiltrate the planet for a cursory scan, which had been uploaded to their ship’s databanks then transmitted to two others in case they were shot down. It was thanks to this strategy that the Order of Ren was in possession of the information. The pilot had been killed shortly after completing this final act of duty. You said a silent thanks and hoped that their death had been swift, that they had not had to suffer. Poe had met with a different Order of Ren Star Destroyer to relay the information since the vessel would be more capable of long-range transmissions whereas his X-wing was not. There had not yet been a return from Poe or his squad members, and there would not be. They were ready to fight, did not want to risk endangering the flagship with a hyperspace jump. The Star Destroyer in question that he had gone to had already been in position to fight should the situation call for it.

Kylo Ren seized your upper arm and began to steer you towards the door. “Allocate resources for the remaining targets. Ready all squadrons.” He pointed to Kuruk. “Ensure we have all necessary data.” Kuruk gave a stiff nod, passed the two of you on his way to the officer that you had just left, and began speaking. “You will land with me.”

That was one of the most dangerous parts--getting past the fleet and making it to the ground. You appreciated that he wanted to protect you, to ensure that whatever ship transported you to the planet was not obliterated. His long strides were making you jog to keep up; you would have been walking faster naturally, however your mind was working through where each person you knew would be. Kylo had a comlink on his person that he raised to his mouth, speaking to someone who released an inhuman response. Chewbacca, your mind supplied. The wookie was being informed that he would not be on the same ship. It was not a permanent separation, Kylo argued, his voice stern, leaving no room for argument. In order to infiltrate such a well-guarded stronghold, the wisest course of action was to attack from both sides. This would divide the First Order’s resources as well, would prevent the First Order from relying on its ability to potentially fatigue Kylo before he reached his destination. They could not attack in layers. A grumble from Chewbacca indicated that he understood even if he did not fully agree with the fact that he would not be at Kylo’s side.

There was a fondness to Chewbacca’s tone, or so you believed, that helped to calm you. Blood was not the only kind of family. Kylo had more who accepted him than he knew, even if they had a strange way of showing their support. They would learn one another in time.

In the meantime, you had to focus on the upcoming battle. As Kylo released your arm, you were already starting to split off in order to finish gearing up. You knew where to meet him without being told. It had been one of the first things discussed before scouts had been sent out. This way no time would be wasted with needless scrambling. Already there were announcements sounding through speakers. You did not listen to any of those. You required no instructions. Others, though, paused in their steps. Thankfully they were aware enough to step off to the side, which prevented any pileups from occurring. You raced past multiple groups. Gradually your speed increased until you were running at top speed. You did not need a name for the planet, whichever one it was, to choose what armor you would wear. The one that Cardo had modified regulated your body temperature for multiple terrains. The majority of the handicaps that had existed since you had been impaled by Kylo Ren’s lightsaber all that time ago would not stop you as they would have before.

As you dressed and readied, you were on your commlink, receiving updated targets and lists of locations in the form of coordinates that would be pertinent to your assigned tasks. You listened more than you spoke. What few words you did speak were to request confirmation on anything you might have misheard or to gain a name for individuals you would be in contact with. Visual data was sent to you, which you scrolled through at a fast pace. There would be things you might miss, however you did your best to commit everything to memory and would be relying on your allies to assist in filling any gaps that might exist in your knowledge just as they would do with you.

Your mother was waiting by the ship that would take you to your destination when you arrived in the docking bay. Kylo Ren slipped an item into her hand, and then she was turning to you, speaking and completing the task she had set out to do before you could respond. She, too, understood that there was no time to be wasted. You would figure out what was said after you were on your way to the planet. The transport was capable of hyperspace jumps, which allowed this flagship to be left out of battle and used instead as a base of operations and supply house.

Other Star Destroyers would join the transports for the battle and provide cover. Many of those were also in possession of the Walkers, which would be deployed as quickly as possible. From the ramp of the ship, you watched your mother head for a different transport that would take her to safety. You turned back around after releasing a quick breath. You did not want to cause any delays, did not want sentiment to interfere and cause the deaths of everyone onboard. Which would, in turn, more than likely cause the defeat of the Order of Ren.

Aris did not look back like this. She was brave, you though while nodding and settling into place. The others joined you in fastening themselves into the ship. Some, like you, used the restraints. Others had the Force to anchor them to their seats so that no amount of turbulence would jostle them. The ramp lifted. You heard other ships going through the same motions all around. Some would be joining you, while others had different destinations. Poe Dameron would be there already. So, too, would ships that belonged to other Resistance allies. Order of Ren allies, you corrected yourself, finding fault with the continual separation into two entities.

The jump occurred when the ship was a safe distance away from others after exiting the docking bay. From the view port, you were able to watch the dots of stars elongate into streaks. You closed your eyes, settled back, and felt your helmet hit against your seat. There were coughs, the sounds of breathing, small noises; nothing that could be constituted as conversation, yet there was no full silence in the cabin of the transport. It almost took you back in time to when you had first joined the Resistance and were headed for a new base with other recruits. No one wanting to say anything stupid. Everyone waiting to see if someone else would speak.

It was the pilot who began talking, outlining the two units that were inside the transport. Reminding each individual of their mission. Not that anyone was dumb. It was all too easy to become overwhelmed when you landed on the ground, though, and this was truer now more than ever. You could lose focus due to the fact that you knew Armitage Hux was down there. The Akk dogs would be ready to seek him. If there were no taozin amulets, Kylo and Rey would have the Force to locate him. You did not want to be away from them for any period of time, however it was going to happen. Based on the information that had been used to brief everyone, there was no way around it.

It was not a heavily forested planet though neither was it a desert. There would be an assortment of flat lands on which the Walkers would have an advantage. No high grounds with cover that you could use to shoot at enemies from a distance. You had a list of names from other transports--just as they had your name--and a frequency to use in areas that comms worked. Poe Dameron had your number as well, so to speak. He had asked for you by name--by Supernova, which had made you smile--and you had immediately agreed to be his eyes on the ground.

Exiting hyperspace, you again watched out of the view port to count the number of Super Star Destroyers that the First Order had present. The Order of Ren’s were arriving all around. Streaks of blaster fire gave light to the darkness of space. The pilot and copilot of the transport ignored this aside from ensuring that the ship was not struck. The ship headed nearer to the planet, breaking atmosphere in under a minute of entering real space.

What called upon the storm could have been any number of things, yet you somehow did know that it was a natural phenomenon rather than made by man. Starships caught by lightning strikes would go on the fritz. That was not something that Armitage Hux, as desperate as he might have been growing, would risk. He was patient, not foolish. The cover of the storm’s darkness would give an advantage to the Order of Ren’s ground troops once they made land. It had been wise for Rey to abandon her white clothing in favor of garbing herself in black. The armor that Cardo had assisted in fashioning for her was lightweight, much like what you wore. She did not have a helmet like you did. That might have been too great a difference that swiftly turned into a hindrance. Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the starfighters that were ahead of the ship you were in. You leaned forward to look at them. Felt Kylo shift in the seat to your right, no doubt observing you.

Adrenaline coursed through your veins, setting your limbs trembling. Your teeth clattered together before you clenched your jaw to silence the sounds. There was a vibroblade sheathed at your hip. A second on your ankle. A pistol on your other hip. The blaster rifle that would serve as your main weapon was in your hands, its safety currently on. X-wings and Y-wings both were flying alongside the transports that carried stormtroopers, officers, and the Knights that were in different squadrons. Your heart felt like a hammer pounding against your chest, threatening to burst through your sternum and ribs. Finn and the others were out there. Poe Dameron was in an X-wing, though you did not know which. It was too dark to tell.

The Walkers being deployed met resistance in the form of First Order ships, ground-to-air missiles, and other Walkers. Across from you, Cardo was drumming out a gentle beat with two fingers. This was not to calm himself. He was calm, eerily so, not dissimilar to how Kylo and Rey displayed a sense of peace that most others were deprived of. You would have been more calm if it were not for the fact that you were meant to temporarily split away from Kylo Ren. Underneath your armor, you wore the chain that held your wedding rings. Some strange reminder that you were always together--it had been your mother’s idea, and you were unsure how you felt about it now that the departure loomed so near.

Another flash of lightning, this one crackling, spreading, capturing a ship with its might. Your heart stuttered, your mind working to identify which side it belonged to. Should you cheer for its failure? Pray that it recovered? You closed your eyes and made an attempt to rid yourself of all thought. You had to focus, to ground yourself, or you would drive yourself insane. This was not difficult for you to do when you set your mind to it. The Resistance--Ip specifically--had taught you well. These practices were how you had survived against Kylo when he had been your enemy, when he had been working to break you. When Armitage Hux had worked to break you as well.

The landing gears were deployed. Shuddering, the ship rocked as it began to lower its ramp before it was fully down. All around you there were people unlatching themselves. You felt your restraints sliding off of you as well. You were on your feet, opening your eyes only after you had started to head in the direction of the ramp. Cardo was at your side, Rey behind you along with some of the troops, and Kylo was in front of you. His cape billowed behind him without allowing the hood to whip off his head. It would protect him from the rain, the droplets of which were thin, reminiscent of needles that felt as though they wished to cut through your flesh.

Kylo Ren activated his lightsaber the moment he was clear of piercing any equipment or allies. In the skies above the ships engaged one another. TIEs circled, the same ships that had tried to shoot you down on the entire journey to the planet’s surface. You spared a quick look at the sky to witness the Star Destroyers firing at one another. Hundreds of thousands of lives would be lost with every one of them that was destroyed. You sent a silent prayer to any and all deities that those losses would be First Order lives. Your feet carried you towards Kylo, your heart aching with the foreknowledge that the minutes were transforming into seconds before the parting would occur. You should have continued to watch the sky or the enemies moving on the ground, however you chose to observe him. The grace with which he walked. The power that he utilized when carving through the first of his adversaries as though they were nothing, which was precisely what he had reduced them to.

Cardo tapped on your shoulder. You jerked your gaze away, forcing yourself to, aware that if you did not then you never would. With a nod, you assessed your surroundings. Durasteel structures melded with the natural formations of the land, which was not entirely different than Starkiller Base had been save for the absence of snow and the reduced amount of trees. You crouched, slipping along one of the other transports and using it as a shield from enemy fire. Cardo prepared one of his concussion grenades, sending it towards an AT-M6 that had cut through one of those belonging to the Order of Ren. The two of you paused after taking cover behind another transport, which shook. You grunted, your legs tingling as the ground shook beneath you. Cardo’s body shielded yours, which you knew to be in case any fire from blasts made its way too near. His flame-resistance Riftiaworm-hide coat was one you would have otherwise envied.

The stormtroopers and two officers that were assigned to stick nearby rejoined the pair of you when the trembling of the earth under your feet lessened. It would not fade entirely, not with all the explosions nor with the Walkers that were heading towards one another. One of them brought up a comlink, speaking into it to gather intel on which other squadrons were in their proper locations. There was a jamming device closer to the compound. Delaying going further until more of you were in place would be wise, however you could not expect to have time be a resource that could be wasted. Your finger flicked the safety off your blaster rifle while the officer received a response from two of the other squadrons and three pilots that would be able to provide cover for a short period unless an enemy managed to chase them away.

“As we discussed,” Cardo said, his voice so clear through the chaos because of its inhuman quality, “I will damage any shields around the tower. You aim for its weak spot.” You nodded, a frown pulling at your lips. It was easier said than done. The blueprints that had been available in the information gathered by Dameron’s team during recon could be old. They had not had much time to get in and out, and what they had managed to obtain had been added to old files from the Order of Ren’s days as the other half of the First Order. Fast repairs or alterations would have eliminated the weak spot, in which case the enemy would know your position and be able to attack before anyone had an opportunity to adjust strategy. “Keep her covered.” Each of the others in the squad gave verbal confirmation. Now that you were in battle, there was no fear of the Knight from them.

Take out the jammers so that we can communicate while destroying the inner shields. That way Kylo and Rey can work on tracking Hux. Inhaling deeply, you calculated the distance from your current position to the next transport shuttle. Just as you were finishing, you swore aloud; a Walker fired upon it in unison with a First Order TIE on a strafing run. The transport exploded, its shredded parts flying across the battlefield. Those sliced through enemies and allies indiscriminately. A stormtrooper to your left fumbled their weapon. You reached out with one hand to assist them. Grateful that they had not removed the safety from their weapon, you advised them that they do so as well as be more careful. This was not their first battle.

“It’s my largest one yet,” they said, not arguing so much as expressing how small they felt. You sympathized, nodding, and giving a verbal you’ll be fine, stick by me that you hoped would not become a falsehood.

A different stormtrooper took lead after finding a different path to take. You followed without comment, as did your other allies. Cardo walked behind you, firing in the direction of a group of enemy soldiers that were on land mounts, some organic and others machine. He took out two-thirds of them easily, damaging and injuring others. Three stormtroopers fired their weapons after him, picking off even more. You spared a glance over your shoulder at them, chose to leave them to it so that your weapon would be at the ready should you encounter more First Order troops coming in the opposite direction.

The tower was coming into your field of vision as you ventured farther away from the transport shuttle that had taken you to the planet. Surrounding it were multiple weapons turrets and another three Walkers that were further guarded by ground troops stationed behind a barricade and weak shields. Damaged ships and firefights brightened the dark sky between bursts of lightning. You touched a button on your armor that activated a tiny electronic torch that was attached to your helmet. You did this in bursts then shut off the light, waiting a mere handful of seconds before receiving a response from another team. They would work with Cardo to bring down the obstacles that would prevent you from destroying the tower.

“Once the third team is in place, we need to go for it,” you said, earning a grunt of disagreement from an ally who went on to voice that they wanted to wait for more aerial support and a fourth squadron. “In the meantime they’ll pick us off. You think the enemy won’t have noticed those signals?” Your tone was harsh, just as you had intended. Instead of recoiling, the officer countered with the accusation that you should have waited if that was such a concern.

Cardo shoved the man with his forearm, the one without the arm cannon, and looked directly at you. “You don’t want to wait.” You gestured to the sky milliseconds before a fresh flash of lightning struck. “The storm is getting closer.” A nod from you. This effectively silenced the officer, who had been ready to speak against the Knight as well as you. He was bold, and you had to respect that on some level. What you did not respect was his foolishness, his inability to properly survey his surroundings and account for the presence of the storm.

Thankfully he seemed to have caught onto the fact that he had been in the wrong. He held his tongue, nodded, and worked with you and Cardo rather than against you. The Knight of Ren kept you covered with his body as best he could while also providing proper offensive and defensive shots that eliminated many of your enemies. As had been stated, your position was not entirely secure due to the signaling. The third unit, however, was swift in falling into place. As the storm overhead raged on, Cardo and the others began to target the shields that prevented the tower from being hit by the shot that you were meant to take. You ensured that you did not empty your weapon’s power when you directed it at First Order troops that managed to survive the blasts from your allies.

Two X-wings streaked past from overhead. You knew them by the sound of their engines, and so you did not look up, which allowed you to keep focus on the target at the other end of your scope. The shields were weakening. You noticed blasts slipping through cracks in the barrier, and you would have been at a choice position to fire at the tower if not for the fact that the First Order was readying a more volatile assault. You swore as Cardo seized hold of your arm. He yanked you along with him, and your allies shuffled to keep up as a lobbed grenade landed where you had just been. A shout of agony alerted you to the fact that not everyone had made it. Your stomach churned, but you did not look back. Had you done so, had you paused for even a second, you would have been crushed by debris that rolled through and silenced the cries of pain.

“There are four others who will attempt the shot if I can’t, right?” you asked, seeking clarification more because doubt had begun to seep into you. That was the plan, however some individuals would ignore these commands in favor of fulfilling other duties that were not tentative in nature. Cardo muttered something under his breath, something that you did not quite catch and that he did not repeat. You dismissed it, decided that you did not care about the answer, and checked your surroundings to better recenter yourself. You were farther away from the direction that Kylo had headed. This realization had you gritting your teeth, a snarl breaking out across your face. That was two things wrong already.

I have dealt with worse odds, you reminded yourself as Cardo’s helmet turned in your direction. You wondered what it was that he felt through the Force, or if he was simply more familiar with you personally now to the extent that he could read and predict your moods. The Knights of Ren had been enjoying battles since before the First Order had revealed itself. Likely since before the Resistance had been formed, you mused. You appreciated his calm demeanor.

“Get me closer to the tower. I’m firing.” The words left your lips as your group merged with one of the others. There were nods and voices murmuring agreement. Some of the members fanned out in order to ensure that you were all not a single, easy target for the enemy. The ground reverberated under the feet of Walkers, which had started to pepper the area in front of themselves with blaster fire. You noticed that the First Order held little regard for the lives of their stormtroopers. They fell just as swiftly as did your allies. More quickly, in fact. Defect. It’s not too late. If you don’t, I will kill you.

Though you thought this, you knew that you would not be targeting any of them for the next several minutes. The Order of Ren soldiers around you would, however, and you trusted them to properly cover you so that you could fulfill your mission. As soon as you did so, you were going to break away from this group. You had to find Kylo, and you knew that Cardo was aware of your plan. He would come with you. There was no need to speak about this, to discuss what was going to happen the moment you downed the jammer.

Lightning struck and thunder roared; another ship was caught in one of nature’s snares in the sky. It began spinning on its descent, crashing into one of the Walkers, which was pushed off-balance. It rocked against its neighbor, both of them shaking. The starfighter exploded, its force successfully shoving the two Walkers onto their sides. Death traveled along the land. It swept through the huge wave of carnage that had resulted from that single lightning strike.

This granted you an opportunity to rush for a new position that was superior to the one at which you were originally set to take the shot. You thanked whatever it was that had allowed this--fate, a deity, chance, random luck. Dropping down to one knee, you took a steadying breath. Your allies were spread out around you, not one of them obscuring your vision. If an enemy targeted your group, you would be one of the last hit save for if some freak accident occurred. You were completely grateful for the bravery exhibited by those you fought alongside. It was because of them that you were at long last able to take the shot so that you could focus next on rejoining Kylo Ren.

#kylo ren x reader #three blind tooke #death is an art #kylo ren fanfic #kylo x reader #kylo ren x you #kylo x you

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noblecne · 4 years ago

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╚»★ : INFORMATION ABOUT NEPHILIM’S

The main titles are: Nephil, Half-Breeds, True Abomination (By Angels & Demons) Species: Human-Angel-Hybrid, Human-Demon-Hybrid

They aren’t akin to the Nephalem, which is of an offspring of both Angel and a Demon, but they can also be an Angel/Demon that possesses demonic/angelic powers.

Characteristics: Nephilim have glowing eyes like an angel, although their glow is somewhat dim and grayish in color as opposed to the bright white or bluish-white glow of regular angels. A Nephilim’s eye color is also related to the angel who sired them; Micheal's eyes are azure, his Nephilim child’s eyes are blue.

They (Nephilim’s) are stated to have been quite destructive with their powers, often causing them to be a forbidden by the oldest laws of Heaven. As a result, they are considered as unholy beings and abominations. A mother pregnant with Nephilim can ignite a bible upon physical contact. A human mother will always be fatal to to give birth to one.

Theoretically, removing a Nephilim’s grace will turn them into a normal human, as removing the grace of an angel would turn them, effectively, human. While their grace is an angel’s source of power, a Nephilim has their parents Grace mixed with a human soul causing them to be superior to angels in terms of power. The Nephilim will eventually become more powerful than the angel that sired them.

Due to their human souls, Nephilim, at least when their Grace has been removed, can go to a human afterlife such as Heaven or Hell. In Heaven they are able to sense the true nature of the realm around them and can leave their own personal Heavens and travel to other Heavens that they choose.

Biology: Like their parent races, Nephilim are biological lifeforms not unlike many other creatures in the universe. However, their divine parentage does afford the Nephilim powers beyond anything a normal being is capable of, and the irony of carrying both holy and unholy energy within themselves is an intrinsic part of their existence.

Powers & Abilities: The power level of a Nephilim depends on how strong their angelic parent is. Nephilim lore states that by full power, they will be stronger than at least their angelic parent.

Astral Perception - A Nephilim can perceive the true form of angels, such as perceiving their halos.

Super Strength - Their angelic ancestry endows Nephilim with enhanced strength sufficient to overpower and even toss common angels around.

Longevity - Nephilim have a slower aging process and while they will die eventually, can live up to five hundred years, although most of them never make it far considering how often they’re hunted. Some can be ageless if they are born to a more powerful angel.

Omnilingualism - They possess the ability to innately speak, write, understand and communicate any language they’ve never heard before, sign language, illegible words, and backwards speech and writing. They could even communicate with animals or read body language.

Superhuman Combat - They can even achieve natural proficiency with all kinds of weaponry and combatant styles without the need of special or long-term education.

Precognition - They have the supernatural ability to experience simple or prophetic visions of the future. At first, they are merely capable of experiencing vague dreams of the future while asleep. While in their waking state; they experience vivid premonitions, either through physical contact with a person. They also gain an acute intuitive insight; meaning their able to sense the immediate actions of people and things in their current location. They can also use this ability to fight and sense their opponents attacks and movements, making them deadly fighters.

Clairvoyance - Nephilim possess supernatural senses that allow them to percive things that humans cannot. They can see invisible beings, they can see demons in their true forms even while said demons are in a human disguise or possessing a vessel, and they can see through dimensional barriers.

Perspicuity - Psychic abilities cannot penetrate the Nephilim. Not even illusions, mind control, and the energy-draining abilities of supernatural beings work against the Nephilim.

Superhuman Speed + Superhuman Agility - Nephilim are said to be faster than any non-supernatural creature and can run at an extremely high speed. Nephilim’s agility, balance, and bodily coordination are all enhanced to levels that are equal to, or in most cases beyond, the natural physical limits of even a Olympic athlete. They can also easily preform any complicated sequence of gymnastics stunts such as flips, rolls, and springs at speeds and angles that would be highly difficult or impossible for a ordinary human.

Healing Factor - Are able to fully heal and recover from injuries such as gunshots, broken bones, burns, bite wounds, damaged or missing limbs, and torso impalement. The speed of regeneration is usually dependent on how severe their injury is. Standard cuts and wounds tend to heal very fast, while larger wounds can take a few minutes. Nephilim are immune to most poisons and drugs, and their accelerated metabolism allows them to stay near perfect shape with only light exercise. Their increased metabolism has the side-effect of dramatically increasing their appetite. This also makes it extremely difficult for them to become intoxicated from alcohol.

Flight - Nephilim have the potential to fly, they just have to learn how to. When a Nephilim learns how they can fly anywhere instantly.

Sacred Blood - As beings of angelic descent, the blood that courses through their veins is blessed with the essence of the divine. Their blood is sacred, and is delectable and intoxicating to vampires, or other blood thirsty creatures. As such, any that would feed off the Nephilim or worse, commit the basest sin of Amaranth, find that they are punished for their transgression, as the blood burns through their vile, damned bodies. Nephilim can also use their blood to heal others by transfusing it with their own blood. It can also be used to restore a deceased human back to life. They also use their blood to mix it in weapons to use against supernatural beings; such as filling bullets with their blood. The angelic blood both adds to their beauty and caused the gentle golden glow that appears when they are in the best of moods.

Heavenly Elemental Manipulation - All Nephilim, no matter what type of angel their parent is, can manipulate holy elements. They can summon it within their hands or create constructs of that divine elements. This ability allows for Nephilim to use holy elements without the limitations and weaknesses of normal elemental manipulation and because of this power has healing and anti-demon properties.

Angelic Wrath - When a Nephilim is furious, their power becomes unstable. Since a major aspect of their strength comes from their rage, this could give them a advantage over deities. However, it’s a double edge sword that leaves the Nephilim blacked out once that power is far beyond their control.

Absolute Existence - A Nephilim is immune to the laws of the Natural Order except for only one existing Nephilim can exist at a time and they're infertile. The can exist out of creation and travel into another alternate universe without the laws or rules of the universe affecting their memory or powers and abilities, altering them to match their alternate counterparts like other individuals.

Creation - A Nephilim holds the power to create, which is much more difficult then destroying. A Nephilim's power of creation is equal to that of a Primordial Entity.

Destruction - A Nephilim hold the power to destroy and by that definition it means to erase any object or being from existence. A full power, when the Nephilim erases something, it can erase that thing to the point of non one even remember it existed in the first place and the only beings who can remember are Primordial Entities, other Nephilims, and Arch-Nephilims. If a Nephilim carelessly uses this power, they can run the risk of erasing everything of creation.

Omnifarious - A Nephilim has shape-shifting powers at such high degree that they can alter their appearance down into segments and take on the form of any individual in creation.

Shape-Shifting - A Nephilim can later it's appearance into anyone without limit. A Nephilim can appear human but they are also capable of having a true visage like angels, but unlike an angel that can harm those who cannot handle their true visage, anyone can perceive a Nephilim's true form.

Weaknesses

Mortality - Nephilim are still half-human, possess human-like souls, and still experience human weakness. They’re stronger than any other being, except angels, who can mostly overpower them with their might, unless the Nephilim is the offspring of a significant angel, such as an angel of the first sphere (Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim).

Heaven’s Enmity - Angels and God regard the Nephilim as the worst kind of abomination, more detestable than even demons. An angel will always react negatively to a Nephilim, and will always interpret the Nephilim’s words and actions in the worst possible light. Only a direct order from the deity they serve will ever cause an angel to aid a Nephilim in any way. Nephilim can not benefit from healing or other miracles from angels.

Angelic Wrath - When a Nephilim is furious, their power becomes unstable. Since a major aspect of their strength comes from their rage, this could give them an advantage, or a disadvantage. Leaving the Nephilim blacked out once that power is far beyond their control.

Hunted - Nephilim are viewed as a disgrace and a complete mistake to every normal angel, making them a prime subject for hunting. There are entire choirs of angels dedicated to the extermination of Nephilim.

Magic - Nephilim are still mortal and are, as such, still vulnerable to the workings of magic in all its forms. Witches are able to give supernatural aneurysms that cause the blood vessels of Nephilim to explode, and extremely powerful Witches can even overpower them effortlessly. Black magic has an adverse effect on them, and they’re able to be trapped inside of an pentagram or magic circle which weakens their powers to a point where they’re no stronger than a normal human.

#angel like ; nephilim #long post #supernatural v. )#(i probably should've made a google doc but uhhh ya know #(i used a bunch of nephilim lore shit to combine a bunch of things)#do not steal #do not remove credit

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purplellamanator · 5 years ago

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Oh my god! I can’t believe you open your ask again \(//∇//)\ If it is not much, can you do hero/villain with shinran? It is good to see them on the other perspective. By the way,I love all your stories for DCMK. Thanks for writing the stories to us! And make people smile 😊

A/N~ Thanks so much for the request and your kind words! I hope you like this! This one is a slight twist to canon where Ran is in the BO being the villain and Shinichi, the detective 💜

6. Hero/Villain~ Person A is a Hero. Person B is a villain. And both have an undeniable attraction to each other

oOo

She's a fool. This can all only end badly. She knows that much. Yet . . . she's done it again. And again. And again.

And again.

One night in a week shifted to three times in a week. Every other day was slowly turning into every single day. And it was her fault. She was the one that sought him. She was the one that was in control of when and where they would meet- of if they would even meet. She could try to spin it on him. That he was just as dense as her. That he should tell her to leave and not to come back. But he doesn't.

So they were both guilty.

The repercussions for if they were found out would be damning and irreversible. He could lose his job and she . . . probably her head- not that he needed to know that. If he ever knew what would happen to her- what Gin would do if he found out about them, he’d never spare her another passing glance. So selfishly, she refrained from telling him. Why should she? It was clear that neither wanted to go without the other.

It was ridiculous really, how this all started. He had been chasing her, trying to arrest her. She shouldn’t of looked back when she heard his call of distress nor should she of panicked when the railing stopping him from falling over the edge of the fire escape gave out.

It was all so stupid but it’s what she did. In a flash she had been standing over him and using one hand to grip the shoulder of his coat tightly before realizing she’d need both hands. She had almost toppled over the edge with him due to the grating being slick with the still pouring ran but after he got over the shock of her helping him, he quickly gripped what was left of the railing beside her and helped to tug his body up.

After and he was sitting beside her breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush he must’ve just gotten along with the realization that he almost died, he stared at her with an unreadable expression. Swallowing, she just sat equally frozen only now, petrified that she just royally screwed herself over. He’d arrest her and with his handcuffs, a bullet in the back of her head wouldn’t be far behind once Gin found out.

The abrupt cracking of what sounded like a radio had them both jolting out of whatever staring contest they had been locked in.

“Kudou, anything in your end?”

Her eyes went wide again at the reminder. He was chasing her. Just because she had saved his life, it was still his job-

“No.”

She blinked rapidly and in confusion as he continued to speak into the radio.

“It looks like she got away. Pull everybody in, we need to regroup,” he ordered, the entire time his stark blue eyes were connected with hers. Afterwards and once his partner replied that he got the message, the air between them became tense as neither one made a move. It looked like neither wanted to explain their actions first.

When he realized that she would not be saying anything, he slowly leaned towards her.

And instantly she recoiled sharply, her hand bracing her side protectively.

His eyes flit down to where her palm was pressed firmly into her side. “You’re hurt,” he said simply as if stating a fact.

That was an understatement. She was quick but even for her dodging a spray of bullets was practically impossible. Still, she had managed to do it. Each one missed her except for one. And now she was beginning to feel the affects of blood loss.

When he pressed forward, as hurriedly as her sluggish movements would allow, she scurried behind her almost repeating the incident of sliding over the edge. “Do not touch me,” she warned carefully but really, the threat was an empty one. What could she honestly do in her state? She was mere minutes away from passing out. The rush from the chase as well as his almost deathly fall had worn off and now she was beginning to feel the pull for sleep. Which she knew would not be the kind she’d wake up from.

Ignoring her, he moved forward again and when he reached out to grab her and force his help, she slapped his hand away roughly. “I can do it myself,” she snapped angrily. It was his own officers that did it anyway and gingerly, she cradled her side defensively like a wild animal.

His hand gripping the arm that bore the limb that slapped him, suddenly pulled her towards him. Doing everything she could just to stay awake and aware, all she could do was growl furiously while to struggle like an infant.

Finally, when even his patience must’ve worn out, his eyes snapped back to hers angrily. “Let me help you.” The words came out tense and she was sure was meant exactly as it had sounded- like an order.

After that, she couldn’t remember much of anything else. At some point she must’ve either passed out or stopped fighting but when she came to, she was hooked up to monitors. At first, she thought she was in a hospital and instantly panic gripped her heart so tightly. But looking to her side and around the room, she realized that that wasn’t the case at all. She was in a . . . house?

“How are you feeling?”

The sudden intrusion to her thoughts jolted her so badly that one instinct, she sat up straight in the bed. Forgetting her injury and just what helped lead up to this position, a searing pain shot through her side and she pressed a hand to it delicately.

“Shit!” She heard the curse before suddenly the man from the other night filled her vision. His blue eyes that she could remember so clearly were staring at her with concern and he tried to force her to lay down once more. Seeing that was clearly in no position to fight, she slowly rested her head against the pillows.

“Why am I here?” The question was said without any real emotion behind it and she didn’t bother to even look at him as her eyes rested firmly on the ceiling above her. There was no point. She couldn’t fight or defend herself. She was at his mercy.

For once the man looked confused and it was such an odd look to see on his face. “You were dying,” he said as if she were an idiot for asking.

Jaw clenching she heaved a sign. “No. Why am I here and not a hospital?” Was was she here and not in jail? Surely if he had taken her to the ER she’d be cuffed to the bed right now.

Her question was only answered by his silence and when she thought he must’ve left with her knowing, her gaze flit over time find him staring at her with that same expression from last night.

“Why did you save me?”

His words caught her off guard. She hadn’t been expecting him to respond with a question of his own but once it registered, her gaze moved back to the ceiling.

“You were dying,” she said simply, repeating the words he had given her just a little bit ago.

Based off the way his breath heaved out of him, she could tell her answer only frustrated him. “But why would you of all people care?”

His words made her mad. He said them as if he knew who she was- what kind of person she was. And he didn’t. “Maybe I’m not as evil as you’ve made me out to be,” she replied easily. It was the truth. She had done a lot of wrong in her life but she never took the life of someone that didn’t actually deserve it. And when she did, she didn’t enjoy it. She wasn’t like the others in the organization and she knew that’s what was upsetting him the most. Because he knew that if she had been any other member of the BO, that night would’ve been his last.

Her words had left him quiet and she realized it was because they had him thinking. After that, things had been odd with him. At any second she was expecting the Japanese Police Force to come busting through the windows and roof to arrest her. But it never happened.

He never did tell her why he took her here nor who and how he saved her life. She didn’t bother asking because she knew that he wouldn’t tell her anyway. Probably because she wouldn’t tell him why she saved him but honestly, she didn’t have a reason for that either other than that in her eyes, he didn’t deserve to die. He wasn’t a criminal or crook. Simply just someone doing their job- someone trying to live.

It was unspoken, but a mutual understanding of trust blossomed between the two that night. She would always act as if she were on guard around him but it was undeniable how safe he made her feel. For once she could actually sleep a full night without worrying that she’d be killed off in her sleep. She didn’t want to leave, but after a week passed, she knew that it was time. The others had to be searching for her since she never checked in. If she stayed any longer, this stranger’s life would be in danger.

The first time, she had left when he was away. She wasn’t sure if he’d try to stop her and also, she didn’t know exactly what to say even if he didn’t.

But that had not been her last night with him. Two weeks later, she came back. She didn’t know what had gotten into her. Breaking into a detective’s house, she was practically delivering herself to the jail. But she couldn’t deny the undeniable urge she had to speak with him again. She claimed inside her head that it was to finally get him to explain why he saved her but she knew that was all a lie.

It wasn’t till the third time she returned to him that she was able to finally understand. She had been waiting for him. Sitting at the end of his bed with her legs extended and crossed at the ankles. She knew he was home the moment she saw the lights reflecting through his blinds. He had been startled by her presence that night. When he asked why she was there like he did each the two times before, this time she didn’t dodge or give a snide remark in return. This time she spoke honestly.

“Because I want you.”

Her response had surprised him even more than her sudden presence but oddly, a gleam of understanding and . . recognition? . . came through. He felt the same.

The truth had been just as mind reeling for her as it was him. It was only after they lay in his sheets, bare and pressed to each other, his hands leisurely brushing along her back as she rested on his chest, that why she wanted him so much hit her. His touch. It was so kind and gentle. Even when it was pulling her closer for much more carnal reasons.

No one had ever touched her like that before. No one had ever looked at her like that before and for the first time in years, she cried.

And so a pattern began. Her visits had been sporadic in the beginning until finally they became regular. No longer was he confused to find her sitting on his bed when he got home from work. It was something she knew he expected now. And so long as his life wasn’t in danger, she wouldn’t disappoint.

#dcmk #fanfic #fanfiction #shinran #shinichi kudo #ran mouri #asks #drabbles #requests #writing #writing prompts

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inyuji · 5 years ago

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OMG I don’t know why I started adding more sketches. Anyway, this is my take on “Morgana Macawber” in the Ducktales 2017 verse. Honestly, it’s just another fancharacter haha. Meet Miyu Moreno, a pretty well-known voice actress, who likes to pick on Drake Mallard whenever she him near her work studio. But on some nights, she dons the mask of “Red Mugen.”

At first I wanted to just call her “Morgan,” but that was too obvious. Instead, I had a good idea of having her related to the original “Morgana” actress. Miyu isn’t too malicious or goes out of her way to ruin Drake’s day. In fact, she minds her own business and only interacts with co-workers when it’s absolutely needed. For some reason she likes to go out of her way to greet Drake if she ever spots him near her work place. She doesn’t actively hunt him down just to slap him with a “Hey Dorkus!” She doesn’t realize that she has a Tsundere complex going on there ^^ Miyu doesn’t like the “live” acting business, since a whole lot of it depends on physical appearances than actual talent (in her opinion and personal experiences). However, she found great pleasure in the voice-acting industry. She started off in radio commercials, then worked her way up to landing major parts in the tripple-A video game industry and animation. Miyu is put off by Drake’s unwavering determination and enthusiasm for whatever stunt-double roles he can find in action films, and believes he’s wasting his time and talent where it’s taken for granted. Frankly, she thinks he deserves better, especially since she sees herself in his shoes.

Her villain/ anti-hero alias is Red Mugen, because Mugen in Japanese can refer to “infinity” or “without limit.” Red Mugen is crafty and mischievous, and unpredictable with her schemes. One night she’s willing to turn a whole apartment complex into a Yokai sub-haven, the next time she’s stealing ancient artifacts from a newly found imperial tomb, and then she’s playing cat-and-mouse games with Darkwing by baiting him with hostages. Darkwing is always put on edge around her and hasn’t been successful in catching her. He can never tell what Red Mugen’s end goals are. Her motives are constantly shifting. Their first encounter, she was all too happy to kill him. The next encounters resorted to poison or painfully maiming. It always shifted between, murdering him, seductively teasing or playing him, attempts to stealing his soul, or rarely helping him. It doesn’t help that she openly flirts with him, just for the sadistic pleasure of getting under his skin and throwing him off-kilter. Fanfic writers have had a field day with the crack-shipping of MugenWing (all due to a certain die-hard Darkwing Fanfic writer).

As for her connection to “Morgana Macawber,” Miyu was actually adopted by Lucia Moreno, the actress who played “Morgana” for a very short time on the old “Darkwing” show. When Lucia was given the part as “Morgana,” she was on the moon believing that this was a big step forward in her acting career. However, due to the “dangerous” stunts and scenes that were insisted by Jim Starling (smoke, or dangerous fumes, or fire is involved), Lucia was lucky to survive mostly intact. But her voice suffered for it. Her voice was her greatest asset, so losing that was a huge blow to her career. Also, the lingering effects from that accident would prevent her from healing fast enough to even pursue other gigs. A mute actor probably doesn’t get around much in the industry back then. Due to the fast-paced scheduling, the Morgana character was written out, instead of being a frequent character.

After surviving an accident on set, but also having her acting career cut short, Lucia travelled abroad to recover. She started healing while living temporarily in Japan. There she met a wild, yet gloomy child playing with flickers of bright lights. Miyu was considered a problematic orphan, due to her sixth sense, wild claims of seeing creatures or ghosts, and her budding powers in magic. One day Lucia saw her, and instantly fell in love with the strange child. Soon they became family. Lucia found great happiness with being a mother to a child with magical powers. Miyu in return would never forget the love and acceptance that Lucia had given her, while everyone else feared her, or wrote her off as a lost cause. So it was unfortunate when her beloved mother died during a failed operation. Lucia had loved singing, especially with her daughter. Unfortunately, her body was growing ill and her voice hadn’t healed fully. When Miyu started showing great promise in performing arts and as a singer, Lucia wanted to do everything she could to support Miyu’s dreams. In hopes of recovering and hoping to get back into acting to inspire Miyu and to financially support her, Lucia sought experimental treatment in Japan, but she didn’t make it. Miyu was forever heart-broken and never fully healed from her loss.

In hopes of moving on, she tried to pursue her dream as an actress and moved to America, but she struggled and found a lot of downsides to the industry. She struggled working part-time jobs while acting at a local theater and improving her English. It didn’t help that she didn’t have a high-school diploma in America, and was solely home-schooled by Lucia. While Miyu had a small inheritance after Lucia’s death, she refused to rely on it, saving it for life-crisis emergencies. Thankfully she found some voice gigs in commercials within months of reaching fluency in English. Later on, she’ll try to look up her mother’s acting career, and that’s when she finds out about the cause of Lucia’s illness, and eventual death.

To this day, she has festered a deep hatred for anything “Darkwing Duck” related. She blames the show for causing the death of her mother. To find out that an actual “Darkwing Duck” is emerging in the hero scene, is what pushed her to becoming “Red Mugen.” Her attitude towards Darkwing has been undecided, and changed with each encounter. Once she wanted to see nothing but some glory-obsessed wannabe playing hero, but with each encounter and news bite, she grudgingly respects his altruistic spirit and unwavering determination to never give up.

#darkwing duck #morgana macawber #ducktales 2017 #Gosalyn Mallard #drake mallard #launchpad mcquack #launchpad #miyu moreno #red mugen #yokai #geisha #villain #witch #onmyoji #character design #darkwing oc #jorogumo #rokurokubi #inyuji

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iwritethat · 5 years ago

Text

Jason Todd: Little Red Riding Hood

A/N: Another Halloween one lovelies!! 🎃

Warnings: Language, mildly suggestive themes

>>>>—————————>

Black Mask was extremely aggravating at this precise moment in time, of course the dealer always was but for Jason, now in particular, he had reached another level.

"Aw, Little Red Riding Hood is off her game." Roman taunted further.

The vigilante shot in frustration, the wistful gun smoke mirroring his anger perfectly - there was a reason for the unusual mockery but Jason hadn't figured it out yet.

"Fuck off old man, I'm not in the mood!"

A sudden whistle rebounded off of the walls, the action seemingly harmless at first glance leading Jason to reposition his twin pistols toward a cornered Black Mask once more wearing a smirk under his helmet.

Although, a low warning growl echoed in the silence drawing his attention and eliciting maniacal laughter from the master who called it - deadly crimson irises sparkling in the moonlight and silky matte black fur flowing with the oversized predators movements. An array of questions and string of curses ravaged Red's mind as it prowled around him, the play on Red Riding Hood making much more sense now faced with the Big Bad Wolf - how Roman Sionis acquired such a creature remaining unknown.

The beast displayed a healing factor, recovering from bullet wounds in record time as well as maintaining fluent speed and agility Jason could barely keep up with. Although, through cunning he was able to shoot overhead wires to send multiple heavy steel poles toppling down on the creature with a pained whine. Without waiting for the wolf to awaken, Red Hood was hunting Roman down to finally track him to his escape helicopter on the roof until holding him at gunpoint that is. However, when you stumbled through the door panting heavily and glaring at Black Mask - the villain found an alternate bargaining chip. A shrill scream escaped your lips once you felt the piercing bullet through your shoulder and caused you to lean against the doorframe holding your injury.

"You're such a dick Roman!" Venom laced your tone, practically spitting his name like the bile he was before fading into unconsciousness.

"Ah ah, now Red Riding Hood... you can kill me, or save the civilian." Black Mask held the upper hand, there is no way Red Hoods conscience would allow him to let an innocent die, you looked rough already with claw gashes decorating your clothing as well as the blood sinking down your torso. Probably a victim of that beast he'd fought earlier, leverage for some addict Roman dealt to who couldn't pay up - you were undeserving of this situation.

You awoke with a deep breathe, immediately sitting upright causing a brief dizzy spell. The surroundings were unfamiliar, various blankets coated your body as well as bandages encircling you waist and shoulder which were briskly removed revealing no signs of injury at all - quirks of a werewolf you suppose. However, such phenomenons would be considered suspicious by even Gotham standards and as a result you rewrapped them just in case.

At that moment a handsome young man strolled into your space, carrying clean bandages and pain killers, the sight surprising to see considering his less than emasculate association with Red Hood you supposed.

"You're up then stranger." Your only response was an acknowledging hum to which he didn't seem to mind. Although as soon a he reached for your wrapping you were quick to stand, backing away with a defensive stance.

"Don't touch me."

"Tch, you took a damn bullet! I’m gonna call the hospital." He chastised, not much care to his tone.

"No! I'm fine, the bandages are fine - thanks and I've gotta go."

"Then, I'm getting you back to wherever you came from or else Mask is just gonna hunt you down again dumbass. Luckily for you that bullet took out whatever device he planted in your shoulder." The stranger sarcastically replied, crossing his arms with an exasperated sigh.

You gently traced your shoulder, knowing he no longer had control over you anymore. "Heh, he has crap aim when he’s panicking and thanks Red but I’ll be doing the hunting.”

"The names Jason." He acted indifferent but you could hear his heartbeat increase.

"Red Hood, Jason - same thing, what would you prefer me to call you? Little Red Riding Hood perhaps?" You gave a mischievous smirk, both scents identical to your finely tuned nose. Jason looked defeated, released a bored sigh and disregarded all pretences.

"Tch. Anyway, Roman’s heading out to Santa Prisca in a few weeks so I’ve got that covered and you can be on your way.”

“Perfect, I owe him a bullet. Don’t even try to argue, I’m both resourceful and strong enough to get there on my own regardless - I also know the Santa Prisca base inside out.” You posed a valid justification, albeit still wasn’t enough for him to trust you but that meant you were on the same page.

“For fucks sake...” Any other time he would’ve left tag alongs behind but for some strange instinctive reason, he didn’t think that’d be an option with you.

It required teamwork, a gathering of intel and resources - some of which you acquired via intimidation, crimson irises and razor fangs were persuasive - not that you allowed your unwilling partner to bear witness to such atrocities. Although you suspected he had suspicions regarding your mysterious uncanny ability to retrieve answers yet chose to ignore it.

In time you found yourselves standing in the mist of Santa Prisca’s dense forestry under a veil of stars, you’d arrived later than expected and despite Jason’s determined nature you’d pestered him enough to let you rest until midnight. Of course at that point, you’d have additional power with the full moon revealing itself.

Unfortunately lighting a campfire left you at risk of being detected at such close proximity to their base, but it wasn’t an issue as your natural body temperature kept you warm and as a result you were curled up at the base of a tree in no time. However, your sleep was disturbed when a sudden rush of heat seeped through your body and upon opening your eyes caught a glimpse of Jason strolling away with a stretch before lying on the ground, arms tucked behind his head and gaze towed at the starry sky. Your brows furrowed, not sure as to why he’d felt the urge to drape his jacket over your sleeping form rather than keep it for himself - besides he needed it more. With a huff, you stood up and walked over to him only to throw it back on his chest.

“What the- it’s called chivalry!” Jason begrudgingly whisper yelled after jumping from the unexpected interruption.

“I can hear your teeth chattering from over there and I can’t sleep so shut up and warm up.” Was your heartless reply, smirking as your friend rolled his eyes but as you went back to your spot, it seemed his temperature hadn’t risen as much as you’d liked.

Again you returned, this time stripping your own jacket which left more of your heated skin exposed and placed it over him before lying against his side, head on his chest and arm laid on his waist - more heat radiating from your body in order to warm him up.

“(Y/n) what the hell are you doing?! I’m fine!” Jason was incredibly tense, edging away from you purely due to shock as he justified himself.

“It’s chivalry or whatever, trust me.” With your quiet but stern counter, he couldn’t deny how addicting your warmth was and despite his reservations his body was attracted to your warmth like a magnet.

Soon enough his heart rate lowered, muscles comfortably relaxing as he’d subconsciously embraced your presence and had in fact drifted off to sleep before you did much to your amusement.

Midnight rolled around, your biological clock waking you and forcing your irises to glow a deep crimson but your movements whilst you sat up stirred Jason, since you’d slipped out of his grip, who caught a glimpse of them as you’d turned away - instantly he’d pulled you back, grasping your jaw to face him only to find your natural eye colour glaring back.

“I sleep with you once and you think you can kiss me whenever you want?”

“I wasn’t gonna - your eyes were - lets just get moving.” He snapped from his thoughts, too flustered to form a coherent sentence and instantly removed himself to find his helmet muttering something under his breath.

Upon entering the base, you found yourselves before Black Mask, unconscious henchmen in your wake thanks to your turbulent teamwork.

"How cute, it took longer than I expected but my little lap dog brought you here anyway. Too bad Red Hood." At his words and beckoning whistle, you stepped toward him as Mask ordered...

Like countless times before, you found your body configuring to its alternative form, silky black fur cascading down your back with a deadly snarl echoing across the island landscape.

"Interesting thing with wolves Hood, they have loyalty. Now kill 'im (Y/n)!" You prowled around Roman, standing beside the man who now held the upper hand with his greatest weapon by his side.

"(Y/n)?!" Jason was unreadable, the helmet making sure of that but you could hear the betrayal in his voice, an underlying tone of hurt accompanied your name whilst he silently pleaded with you. Though your focus was no longer on him, a glare was directed at your tail that appeared to be wagging due to Jason's attention - god no.

At least you could hide a crush when not wolfing out, this was just embarrassing... before anyone could notice the uncharacteristic behaviour you chose to speak, voice an octave lower than your usual one.

"Interesting thing about loyalty Roman, it has to be earned. And the Red Hood has most definitely earned mine... you however? Not so much."

Jason lowered his guns as a scattered Roman tumbled to the floor in a failed attempt to scramble away after you savagely barked at him, a large paw on his chest to pin him in place and pearly incisors centimetres from his terrified face.

“...So do I have to get you a collar now, because, I mean... I will...” The vigilante quipped, no doubt less than decent purposes occupying his mind as you sighed in exasperation, looking up at him with a deadly gaze before walking past and ensuring to swish your oversized tail in his face as you went leaving him to a defeated crime lord.

“I’ll take that as a no.”

By the time you’d morphed back and returned to the balcony in a stolen soldiers jacket and spare bottoms from your supplies you found Mask hung from the roof and gagged for the authorities to collect. Jason had waited for you and started on the path back to where you’d arrived on the island in silence, supposedly neither of you knowing what to say to each now alone. However, you felt at ease considering he hadn’t left without you even if it was mildly awkward.

“So that’s why you were so warm...” His voice was calm but quiet, though his words caused you to look up at him and answer somewhat guiltily.

“Yeah.”

“And the interrogations?”

“Yeah...”

“Hm.” It was simple, Jason still processing the information whilst silence once again took over the two of you as the walk continued. His expression remaining contemplative but accepting since he’d removed his helmet.

"Your eyes are beautiful by the way, I couldn’t say that earlier since you wanted to kiss me and all.” Jason wore a kind smile now, sensing your silent self hatred he’d playfully knocked your arm in order to stir a heartier reply.

"Oh you’re hilarious, how you honour me damned prince of Gotham." And he got one.

“Great to sleep with and funny too, you're the whole package aren't you furball?" It seemed as though the snarky exchanges had returned, bringing with them a sense of reassuring normalcy again.

“You’re just upset that you woke up as the little spoon Red Riding Hood.” You rolled your eyes with a challenging smirk, winking at Jason who only returned the gesture.

“Hey, there’s nothin wrong with that - besides it’s your turn next Big Bad Wolf.”

“Bite me.”

“Just tell me where and how hard, I might surprise you wolfie.” His flirtatious comments left you flushed but hadn’t left you defenceless.

“You can shiver tonight.”

#jason todd #jason todd imagine #jason todd x reader #red hood #red hood imagine #red hood x reader #dc #dc imagine #dc gets spoopy

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