#they gave her the Mantis treatment

[ironyscleverer]

Hm ok so I just finished episode 3 of dead boy detectives and like,,, I’m enjoying it but I wish Niko was less of a stereotype 🫤

[the-navistar-carol]

I am now here for the shit-talking about working with someone else on a fanfic.

I need distractions anyways (although I teach in 20min, it will give you time)

Alrighty. Buckle up. LONG POST AHEAD.

I mean that. This post is long as fuck. It spans YEARS.

I first met this person — let’s call her Cass — on Discord, in one of the Maribat Discord servers. I hit it off rather well with her, but where our friendship really grew was in an offshoot server, of a Miraculous RP server under the premise is “everything is the same except no canon characters exist” — full sandbox! Free reign for all characters. It was great.

I won’t toot my own horn about my own characters, I do that too much on main already. (Someone ask me about them. Please.) But, to summarize the main two characters I’ll be talking about, I’ll explain Valérie Levi and Aidan Fierro.

Valérie Levi started out as the typical anxious bookworm who likes handcrafts. Upon first glance, she seemed to be the side character, especially in comparison with her best friend, Jamie Lee (again, ask me). But when she discovered the Sea Lion Miraculous (OC) and, at the same time, found out that the rest of the War Box (OC) was being kept by this RP’s version of Hawkmoth, she had no real choice but to don the Miraculous and fight akumas. The Sea Lion’s items were a pair of tonfa, so it forced her to make plans as well as be on her own front lines. Her planning skills (as well as me being one of the main constant RPers) eventually got her to the position of Team Leader, which she had a lot of impostor syndrome about.

(I wrote an essay about this, unprompted. I love Valérie.)

SIDE TANGENT: the War Box was engineered so that each kwami would be used for some purpose of combat, which is why the Sea Lion gave Valérie tonfa instead of a toy. The Lion, Sea Lion, and the Praying Mantis were front-line fighters; the Snow Leopard was a scout; the Cobra was a spy; the Dove could orchestrate a safe and neutral ground; and the Basilisk, made to counter the canon box’s Dragon, was their general and last-ditch effort of scorched-earth fighting.

Aidan Fierro was supposed to be a one-off character. He was akumatized for taking competition too seriously, and then when I got attached, he joined my merry crew of OCs. He was a jiu-jitsu competitor, which gave him common ground with Jamie Lee, and had his own cast of friends: Nagihiko Fujisaki, Colin Strami, Victor Guzman, and Tina Zaipe. He had his own issues, such as daddy issues (being the child of a single mom whose father left) and abandonment issues.

Cass’ main characters, Peter and Salia Reyes, were twins. Peter became the holder of the Tiger Miraculous, and Salia became the holder of the Raven Miraculous (OC). I won’t get too much into their characters, but Aidan and Salia started dating and there was an effort to get Valérie and Peter on the same page.

Remember how I said Valérie had a personal connection to the RP’s Hawkmoth (Yanluo) because he had the rest of her kwami’s Miracle Box? Her kwami only became hers because she escaped.

Peter and Salia’s mother, this rich Arabic woman, came into possession of the Spirit Box (OC).

SIDE TANGENT: my Lion Miraculous was originally the Bear Miraculous, which is why there’s that weird repetition. Cass’ Spirit Box, made after my War Box, was based off of Native American iconography, and it had the Bear, the Raven, the Beaver, the Deer, the Falcon, and the Owl. I changed my Bear to be a Lion so there wouldn’t be any conflict between our Boxes. She did not warn me about this.

Peter and Salia ventured alone on their own personal mission to get this Box back from their evil mother, and wound up getting their souls zapped for a bit before they died, came back, and then took the box and ran. Basically. I’m not even sure about what happened. After that, Peter and Salia obviously needed help. Treatment. From a therapist. Anyone.

Valérie and Aidan, who both had their own troubles and plotlines — one of them facing anxiety over being the team lead and having a personal connection to the server VILLAIN (the latter being a server-wide plan, she was not facing this guy alone) and the other not understanding why Salia left for like two weeks — became the shoulders for Peter and Salia to lean on.

She created this character, Melanie, because she liked my characterization of Colin (think gentle giant, basically), and wanted the “traumatized x therapist” ship. That’s beside the point of Valérie and Aidan, but still in the same vein.

(The server died before I could give all my characters the resolutions they needed. I keep them in my mental memory crate and unfurl the wires every so often.)

At the same time, Cass and I were writing fanfiction together. That is where every fic on my Ao3 with an orphaned account next to it comes from. I co-wrote then with her. DC. Star Wars. BNHA — though that one was never posted. The same thing was happening: her characters held the narrative weight and mine were supports.

Ria Myles was my character in the Tim Drake fic. I had so much more planned for her than being the supporting character! She was going to get electric powers, she was going to be the vigilante known as Switchboard, she was going to have her own arcs! Her own romance!

In our BNHA fic, my character, Imai Ketsuko, was going to have a friends-to-lovers arc with Sero Hanta, because he was one of my favorites at the time. Ketsuko had self-worth issues because of how her Quirk affected her body (ask me) and how her hands became so damaged in their nerves, to the point where she could not feel her hands. It was going to be this great plotline of overcoming her own mental issues and becoming a better person!

But Cass’ character (one who also had body issues stemming from her Quirk, mind you) got the rivals-to-lovers arc with Bakugo. Ketsuko’s older brother, Imai Katsuo, was this pro hero at another (OC) agency? She got to go do a work-study at that agency and bond with him and my other hero OCs. (I have a list. Ask me.) She got all the advice, all the support, and when this super-dangerous villain who her mother, another pro hero, took down — when he got out of prison, she got the hero moment of fighting him and taking him down! When she was injured due to that, she got the pep-talks from everyone else.

Cass’ characters got everything.

I didn’t notice this for years. I did not realize this, fully realize this, for years.

Why?

Because she seemed just as excited as I was. She was in my DMs, keysmashing and all-caps-ing and raving right alongside me about just how cool our ideas were! Never mind that I did most of the writing, because she was creating ideas with me! She was just as excited as I was, for RP, for writing, for planning — all of it. We even had a plan to make a webcomic together with a soulmate AU for Aidan and Salia. I was someone safe, someone she could vent to when her siblings were too much to handle or her friends weren’t genuine. I sent her Christmas gifts and she sent me handmade earrings.

And then she vanished. Not literally. Not yet. She just… became quieter. There was no enthusiasm, no keysmash, no all-caps. I tried asking, multiple times, if there was something wrong. I wanted to help her! I wanted to be a shoulder for her like I’d done so many times before!

But when she said everything was fine, with that text-tone that says that the typer did not want to talk about it, I stopped prying. And she stopped texting. There was no huge blow-up. No huge argument. Just… slow realizations and slowly, two girls drifted away from a friendship over multiple years — one with a bit more vitriol than before.

I follow her jewelry business on Instagram. She’s doing fine. Sometimes she replies to my stories, but that hasn’t happened in years. I still wear the earrings she gave me. I plan on rewriting that Star Wars fic we wrote together, I still remember the plans we had for that.

But I will never write with her again.

[shyficwriter]

Temporary Home: Chapter 11

Guardians of the Galaxy fanfic | Reader x Guardians (With Yondu and Kraglin!) Guest starring Nick Fury and Maria Hill

Summary: Fury comes for another weekly check-in and Reader gets in trouble. He also brings along a doctor, will he have good or bad news for Rocket?

Previous Chapter here | Next Chapter Here Or click here to: Start From Beginning

Author’s Note: A -l o n g b o i- of a chapter. Also, for my records, this is day 14 of the Guardians living with reader.

Word Count: 7,756

You wake up early, partially due to the pain in your arm, but mostly because you knew Fury would likely be coming today and you wanted to try and get to town and back before he arrived.

After a light breakfast you start to go out back door to retrieve the box the raccoon corpse was in, but Peter, who had also just finished eating and who suspected exactly what you're doing, jumped up and said he'll help you get the box.

You roll your eyes, and you're about to tell him you are fine to do it yourself when you hear knock at door. You assume it's Fury, but you want to be careful. You look out window, prepared to tell Peter to keep the others out of sight, when you notice two SHIELD vehicles behind your own, and that they hadn't been cloaked like Fury's was last time.

"It's Fury," you tell Peter, and he goes to fetch a few of the others who weren't already in the kitchen, mostly Rocket, because he expected they would want to see him after you said you'd be contacting SHIELD about the raccoon fight and whether Rocket had his shots.

Feeling slightly relieved that it was just Fury and that he hadn't decided to test you this time, you answer the door to see not only Fury and Agent Hill, but another man.

Fury gives a quick greeting and introduces the man as a doctor they brought along to test the dead raccoon. Apparently they came prepared after your message to Maria the previous night. You offer to go unlock shed but Fury says he needs you to stay there, and to give the doctor the keys. You are surprised, but obey, assuming he just wants briefed on what happened last night.

You hand the doctor the keys and he disappears back out the front door while you lead Fury and Maria into the kitchen where the others are just as Peter comes back down the stairs with Drax and Rocket.

As suspected, Fury asks first about what happened with the raccoon incident.

Rocket rolls his eyes and grumbles, "Nothing."

Drax speaks up. He tells Fury that he and you heard the commotion outside, saw Rocket getting attacked, and then you shot the offending animal.

Fury nods. "I see. I trust you've already looked him over, but our doctor will be doing so again before he administers the booster. According to our records Rocket was given a rabies vaccination, but you can never be too careful."

"Good." you reply, nodding your head in relief.

Rocket just hopped up on the counter to sit with his arms crossed indignantly, not looking forward to being examined for something he had already been checked for, but surprisingly he chose not to be a child about it.

"How long before we know if the raccoon was infected or not?" asked Kraglin.

Agent Hill answered. "The test takes about two hours. We brought a lab van so the test could be preformed on site that way we'd know as soon as possible."

Leave it to SHIELD to come prepared for literally everything.

"We also brought another couple weeks worth of rations. NOVA expects you all to be here for awhile more." This earned unhappy muttered grumblings from Rocket, but the others kept their mouth shut. They were never under the impression the negotiations would be done quickly. Maria continued, "So if a few of you want to help carry the boxes in..." she gestured towards the kitchen door. She said it politely, but it wasn't exactly a request. She wasn't a maid.

You nodded and started to head toward the door when Fury said. "Agent, stop."

You stopped, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Sir?"

Peter, Drax, and Kraglin, who had stood and were also about to follow Agent Hill (and tell you specifically not to go, for obvious reasons), also stopped, surprised by Fury's tone. He almost sounded a bit like he was scolding you despite his tone being even.

"Please remove your sweater."

The sweater he was referring to was actually an old knit cardigan. You had taken to wearing it the past few days due both to a string of overcast and therefore chillier days, and well, for said obvious reasons. "I'm sorry, what?" you ask.

"Your jacket. Take it off."

You swallow. You had a sneaking suspicion why he would ask you that. He had an annoying habit of somehow knowing everything. "If it's all the same, I'd rather not-"

"Remove your jacket, agent. Or do you need Agent Hill to assist you?" It was clear that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

You try to hide a grimace as you did what you were told, doing your best not to wince as you pulled your sweater off your good arm first and then the injured arm. Silently you wondered who had squealed on you. A small gasp from Mantis was heard when she saw what your sweater had been hiding, and you could feel the eyes of the others also on you as Fury gave you an unamused look and Agent Hill's eyes widened sightly. Even Rocket looked a bit surprised. He wasn't expecting it to look that bad.

Purple and green bruising stained your arm, radiating out from your elbow and stretching from your bicep to maybe 5 inches shy of your wrist.

"The doctor is also here to check over your injury as well." Fury said. Looking to Gamora he thanked her for informing them of your injury before turning back to scold you for not having mentioned it to them or having seen a doctor for it. He also threw in that you should be wearing a sling and resting your arm instead of 'acting like a dumbass who thinks they don't need to take care of themselves.'

"Sir, it's fine. I-"

"I'm trusting you to protect these people. How are you going to do that if you cripple yourself by neglecting injuries?" he scolded.

You shot an unhappy look to Gamora, but you could tell she wasn't sorry. You also caught almost smug looks from Yondu and Peter before turning back to Fury.

"How did it happen?" asked Maria. Gamora had told her that it had happened, that you refused help, and that you put it back in place yourself, but she hadn't told her how it happened. Seeing the aftermath of the injury now herself had made her curious.

"Slipped," you say before anyone can speak up for you. "Clumsy me," you add sarcastically.

Peter raised an eyebrow and shared glances with Kraglin and Yondu, surprised that you seemed to be covering for him. However, he didn't correct you, assuming you gave that answer for a reason, and after all, it wasn't totally a lie, more just... not the whole truth.

That explanation was apparently good enough for Fury and Maria because she nodded at the guys for them to follow as Fury laid into you again.

***

Maria opened the back hatch of the SUV, revealing crates of rations to be taken inside.

Lifting up one of the crates, Peter tried to make conversation, mentioning how Fury seemed surprisingly mad at you for not seeking out a doctor for your injury.

Sure, he could understand your boss telling you that you were dumb for neglecting an injury and scolding you for being stupid, but Fury's anger seemed different than he would have expected. Almost like he genuinely cared that you had gotten hurt. He couldn't remember any of his mother's bosses caring that much. If anything, if she had gotten hurt or sick, they would have preferred that she pretended she hadn't and just worked through it. Then again, he always did think most of her bosses were mean. Maybe she just had bad luck?

"Yeah, well, this wouldn't be the first time she's hidden an injury." Maria admitted. "I imagine he's getting a bit tired of it."

Kraglin took a crate from Maria. "She do that often?" he asked, surprised that anyone would just routinely hide when they've been hurt for seemingly no reason.

"It's not a super frequent occurrence, but she does have a bad habit of not saying when she's hurt. Once she got stabbed on the job in Hong Kong... we only found out when another agent walked in on her trying to stitch herself up in the hotel afterwards." She stacked a crate on top of the one Drax was already holding and shut the hatch before bending down to pick up the last crate she had set on the ground for herself. "Then there was a time when we were on a job together in Romania. We had been captured and held hostage for two days. I noticed she started looking worse and worse as time went on. I thought she was just getting sick, but then she passed out during the last interrogation attempt before SHEILD busted in the door with backup." She started walking back towards the house with the men. "I found out after they got her to medical that the day after we got sent out she came down with appendicitis and instead of telling someone that something was wrong and getting medical treatment, she apparently decided it was better to just cut out her own appendix- still don't know how she managed that without anyone noticing." Maria sounded like she clearly disapproved of your prior actions. "Anyway, with no way to keep it clean while we were being held prisoner, she had developed an infection. She was put on suspension for that one. I've got more, but I think you get the drift."

The three men's eyes were wide as they followed Agent Hill back to the house.

"That's insane." Peter said. "Why would anyone do that?"

"Beats me. She didn't always used to be that way, but now we use her as an example for what you shouldn't do with the new recruits."

"What do you think changed? Could she have suffered a brain injury that made her dumb?" Drax asked.

Peter shifted his crate so he could open the door and scolded Drax for being rude. As they walked into the hall Maria said, "No head injury that I'm aware of, she just kinda changed after-"

She never got to finish that sentence, for they entered the kitchen to hear you angrily say to Fury, "You can't be serious."

The four made their way towards the pantry with their crates, cautiously eyeing the situation so as to not appear nosy. Well, except for Drax, who was just flat out staring.

You were staring angrily at a stern-faced Fury while Gamora looked at the two of you, uneasiness in her eyes. Yondu and Rocket had looks of almost smug satisfaction playing on their faces, while Mantis and Groot appeared confused and intrigued.

"Serious as a heart attack." Fury answered. "After the doctor examines you and gives his orders, she-" he pointed to Gamora, "is going to report back to me if you break them, since clearly she has more sense than you."

"Sir, I don't need a babysitter-"

"Act like a baby, you get a sitter." Fury responded, cutting you off. "Adults know better than to just ignore serious injuries, Agent. Or do I need to remind you of the stunt you pulled in Romania?"

Gamora looked uncomfortable, and she wasn't even the one being scolded, though now she did wonder what you had done in Romania, wherever that was. Yondu was also curious, as Fury's statement confirmed you had done this more than once.

You sighed indignantly, "Sir I-"

"Enough. Unless you want to tell me you intend to defy orders, I suggest you keep any excuses to yourself. If I hear anything about you neglecting the doctor's orders, your ass will be assigned to a desk so fast your head will spin. Are we clear?"

Your eyes widened. Desk duty?! He couldn't do that to you. "What? Sir?! You can't do that-" you say, your voice almost pleading with a hint of indignation.

He says again, more firmly, "Are we clear?" Not only could he, he most definitely would. You thought being assigned to stay home was bad? Try being stuck in a cubicle for the next foreseeable future.

"Yes, sir." you say begrudgingly.

"Good."

Rocket started chuckling, pleased to see you get dressed down by your boss. In your own home, no less. Then he got an idea. "Hey, Agent." he said in a mocking tone.

You turn to glare at him. "What?" you respond irritably.

"Why don't you tell me where that new bed in my room came from?" He was wearing a shit eating grin, and you weren't sure why he'd bring it up right now.

You roll your eyes. "How should I know? Bed faeries? Piss off."

Rocket grinned wider. "Really? 'Cause I've got a feeling you aren't allowed to lie to your director, so if he were to ask..."

Fury, not in the mood, flatly repeated what he had said on the last visit, "I'm not here to get involved with your petty squabbles." adding, "I couldn't care less what this was about."

Rocket almost looked disappointed, and you relieved, before Agent Hill said, "Well, he might not care, but we'll be here for the next two hours waiting on results anyway... and technically I do outrank you..." Her smile wasn't malicious, it was clear that her intent was only some good-natured ribbing to her fellow agent who seemingly didn't like to admit that she'd done something nice for the asshole raccoon. Trying to lighten the mood.

You give Maria a look that says, 'Are you fucking kidding?'

Rocket looked delighted, and a few of the others looked pleasantly intrigued by your expression. By now everyone had pretty much gathered that you had made Rocket the bed, but you never would say as much. It'd be interesting if you'd actually admit it, or suffer whatever consequence lying to a superior might entail if they would choose to enforce it.

Fury, however, rolled his eye and told Maria he was going to have a word with the doctor. His way of saying that this issue wasn't worth his time, but he also wasn't going to stop whatever happened next.

Maria didn't force you to come clean about the bed. Not at first anyway. She did, however, exercise her power to keep you in line. Meaning, if you didn't do like you were told and just sit and wait for the doctor while the guys finished emptying the crates into the pantry and returned the crates to the vehicle, she'd make veiled threats to ask where the bed came from.

You knew she was only having a bit of fun, but you still stared daggers at her.

***

After a bit Fury returned with the doctor, who greeted you again by handing you the keys to your shed, stating that he locked it back up. He also informed that part of the the rabies test involved freezing the samples for 45 minutes, so he would examine you and Rocket in the meantime.

You went to motion for Rocket to go first, but Fury prodded the doctor in your direction, giving you a look that you knew better than to argue with. Rocket stuck his tongue out at you and remained sitting, satisfied, on the counter. Out of most everyone's sight, though, his tail twitched.

You were tense, but on your best behavior the whole time the doctor examined your injured arm, not wishing for Fury to come up with another punishment for your disobedience.

The doctor pulled a device out of a briefcase that turned out to be a fancy portable X-ray device to make sure there were no fractures. Luckily there weren't any.

The outcome was determined that you were very lucky. Somehow you had managed to set the bones back in place well enough on your own without accidentally breaking the radial heads in the 're-entry' process, something the doctor said he'd wouldn't have expected for a self-reset, but then again, most don't attempt to reset this type of injury on their own either. You were given a mild scolding by the doctor for not putting the arm in a sling so the ligaments could heal, however, and he said you were very lucky it didn't re-dislocate. You internally groaned as "I told you so's" peeped from behind you.

The doctor placed your arm in a strange hinged brace with a strap that made it sort of like a sling with the instructions that you were required to wear it with the strap for a week. Afterwards you could remove the strap, but you would still need to wear the brace for at least another two or three weeks. You were also placed on a weight restriction of only 5 pounds for your injured arm. Great...

You didn't say anything, only nodded, having gotten the message that it wasn't in your best interest to argue if you didn't want another tongue-lashing from Fury.

When the doctor was done with you he moved onto Rocket, who's ears momentarily flattened when he saw the doctor was now approaching him, but he quickly recovered, begrudgingly allowing himself to be examined.

As expected, the doctor found nothing of concern, barely even a scratch, which he was sure to clarify that Rocket likely wouldn't have contracted rabies from even if the animal does test positive.

The doctor turned to his coat pocket and pulled out a pre-loaded syringe of pinkish liquid, declaring to Rocket that it was the vaccine booster as he pulled off the cap.

Peter saw Rocket stiffen and finally noticed the twitching of his tail, and decided to be merciful and distract him. "Hey, Trash Panda,"

Rocket turned his head to Peter as the doctor grabbed his arm. "I don't answer to that, Star-Munch."

"You just did." Peter laughed.

Rocket growled at him before turning back to the doctor and asking him to hurry up so he could bite a chunk out of Peter's face.

"Already done," stated the doctor, capping the now empty needle and slipping it into a plastic bag before returning it to his pocket.

Rocket raised his eyebrows, forgetting his previous anger towards Peter. "Oh." His tail ceased its twitching. He hadn't felt a thing.

Peter didn't return to taunting and just let him forget. Mission accomplished.

Now done, the doctor announced he'd be going back to the lab-van to check on the samples, leaving you to sit awkwardly with your boss, co-worker, and the rest of the Guardians.

You look to the ceiling and sigh before saying, "Well I suppose I should offer you some tea if you're going to be here awhile."

Maria nodded that she'd take some and no sooner than you go to stand does Peter speak up and say, "Let me help-"

You give him a seething look that actually makes him recoil. "Unless you know how to make tea, fuck off. And even if you do, still fuck off. I don't need both arms to make fecking tea and I don't need your help. I'm not an infant." Your tone was even, but the venom was still there. A bit harsh, perhaps, but it sent the desired message. The whole situation was making you very cranky and maybe they shouldn't push it. At least for awhile until you had a chance to decompress.

Fury, however, shot you a disapproving look before you turned to put the kettle on, though he didn't say anything. He had pretty much expected this is how you might react.

The next half hour was mostly sipping tea and awkward attempts at conversation as everyone waited for the doctor to finish the test.

Yondu wasn't much interested in trying to make conversation, though he was surprised to find he didn't mind the tea. He was watching as you fiddled with your cup. You were quiet, and he thought you seemed nervous. Could you be nervous about the test results on that animal? Why? All evidence pointed to Rocket being completely fine, he hadn't been bitten, and that's what you said they had to worry about, right?

When the doctor finally returned he had good news. The raccoon had tested negative.

Yondu watched you visibly relax and it made him wonder if there was something you hadn't told them.

He was right. You were worried about the possibility of the raccoon's blood or saliva having found its way into one of the scratches or, more grossly, Rocket's mouth or eyes. If the raccoon had been infected, you knew those would be other possible ways Rocket still could have contracted the virus. You hadn't told the others because you hadn't wanted them to worry, but doing this only then made you worry. Not just because you didn't want to see even an asshole like Rocket die like that, but because you had told the others he'd be fine if he wasn't bitten, and that hadn't fully been the truth. It was a weight off your shoulders to hear that the test came back negative.

With that news Fury, Agent Hill, and the doctor were finally all able to leave. Fury stood and made eye-contact with Gamora. "Remember what I said, she steps out of line, disobeys the doctor's orders, you report back to us. Understood?"

Gamora nodded uneasily. She hadn't expected to be put on the spot and honestly wasn't looking forward to her assigned task, sure that it would only serve to piss you off.

Fury looked at you now. "Understood, Agent?"

You exhale irritably and say, "Yes, sir."

"Good. We'll be seeing you again next week."

You led them to the front door to let them out, but right before she walked out Maria turned to you with a smile and said, "Oh, almost forgot. Where did that new bed in Rocket's room come from?" She said it louder than necessary, no doubt to make sure that the others could hear the question being asked.

"Dammit, Maria!" you scold.

Fury now turned with a smirk, seemingly finally finding humor in the situation. "You know what. I changed my mind. I'd also like to know. Agent?"

You look to the ceiling with a pitiful look. Maria had only been joking, there wouldn't be any real consequences for refusing to tell her. Fury, however, was your boss, and if he wanted to be a dick about it, he could. Apparently your recent stunt with your injury had pressed his 'asshole' button. "I built it." you mutter.

Fury spoke in a tone louder than necessary, just to mess with you. "Sorry, Agent, I didn't catch that."

You glare at him and only speak up a little bit. "Said I built it, sir."

Fury chuckled, and spoke again in the louder-than-necessary voice, "Ah, you built the bed! What a nice thing to do, Agent!"

Rocket could be heard from the kitchen cheering, "I frickin knew it!"

You glared at your boss and coworker. "I hate you both so much."

Fury chuckled. "Goodbye, Agent."

"Goodbye, sir." you reply, promptly shutting the door.

You turn to see Rocket standing smugly in the kitchen doorway. Peter and Kraglin were standing behind him, appearing amused.

"Not a word." you say, barely looking at them as you made for the stairs.

Rocket laughed. "Oh, I was just going to ask if I should give my regards to you, or the faeries."

"Can't hear you!" you call back as you walk up the stairs.

"Come on now, that was a nice thing ya did!" Kraglin said, his tone teasing.

"Not listening!" you cry back as you climb higher, fully aware you were acting a bit like a child, but not caring in your pursuit to get away.

They heard your door shut and Kraglin turned to Peter to say, "She's an odd one, ain't she?"

"Yep."

***

Gamora felt uneasy. After conversing with the others about you, she had contacted Agent Hill on the communication device SHIELD had given them in case any issues arose. They were naturally concerned with how you kept to your room after the injury, and a few therefore worried that the injury was worse than you let on.

They could have just let you be, after you made it clear that you wouldn't accept their help, but after they saw you risk further injury to save their friend, she and Peter collectively decided they'd risk overstepping and contact SHIELD. You helped one of them, they'd help you. Even if you didn't want it, they felt you needed it.

What they hadn't expected was for Fury to be angry about it and, as a result, assign Gamora as your warden.

She talked with Peter in private, discussing what she should do about the situation. She didn't see the situation going well. You barely knew each other and you could be... well, stubborn might be an understatement. Eventually they agreed there was only one thing to be done. Just do it.

Or, at least make it look like she had every intention of carrying through without pissing you off to much. Sometimes people needed a little tough love for their own good, but Gamora knew if they crossed the line into overbearing things could go south real quick, and she didn't want to risk finding the tipping point that would make you make them leave. Being assigned someone to report back on you if you misbehaved was probably humiliating enough without them pushing it.

Now if they could only get Rocket on board.

You stayed in your room most of the day, but when you did come out to eat or to stretch your legs Rocket would throw teases at you, saying that you better stay in line if you didn't want Gamora to tell on you, and throwing taunts about the punishment Fury had threatened you with if you disobeyed the doctor's orders.

To their surprise, however, you just ignored him. You literally just didn't acknowledge him. Just walked about your business, and returned to your room without even a glance in his direction.

Then they realized it was only because you couldn't hear him. You had your earbuds in. Probably for the best, really.

Gamora's uneasiness eventually turned into relief when it became clear that you didn't hold a major grudge against her for squealing on you or her assignment from Fury. Based on your reaction earlier she had been worried that you'd focus your ire on her, but for whatever reason, you didn't seem to.

It was true, you didn't hold a grudge against her. Well, not after you had a chance to cool down about the situation, that is. Listening to music always made you feel better, so it helped your mood that you had kept your earbuds in for most of the day, (and let's be honest, it saved Rocket's ass too.) You took some time to reflect. Except for a period when you went for a walk to decompress, you stayed in your room and just thought about the situation. From what you had seen of Gamora, she probably only thought she was helping. Why she wanted to, you couldn't guess, but you just assumed she did. Fury was probably just trying to teach you a lesson, and you resolved to not let it get to you. You'd play the game, be good, and then he'd eventually get off your back. Easy.

After spending most of the day reflecting, you didn't feel as cranky as you had that morning. Yup, good old music and walking had done it's job to help your mood...

You hadn't made the connection that each of the three times Mantis came to your shared room to check on you, and would take your hand or place hers on your arm to ask how you were feeling, you felt a little more contented. You just assumed she was feeling affectionate and that you enjoyed her company.

Both of those were true, but Mantis had also been working her magic a little, wanting to see you cheer up but doing it in tiny doses so as to not ruin the practical joke Yondu had said would be real funny later if she didn't tell you about her abilities. She didn't know when the joke would be over, but she also didn't want to ruin it and disappoint her new friend.

Later that night you decided to break out a bottle of whiskey from the cellar. Try to get a buzz going. You brought it into the kitchen, asking those already at the table if they wanted any. Well, it was more like telling them that they knew where the glasses were if they wanted some, but still, an offer is an offer.

You sat down and poured yourself a glass as Peter grabbed a glass each for him and Gamora, and Kraglin fetched one for himself and Yondu.

Gamora was the first to speak. "I just wanted to aplogi-"

"No."

"What?"

"It's awkward enough without the apology. It's done. I'm sure you thought you were being helpful or something, but it's done."

Gamora raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Well I-"

You sigh. "Look, if it makes you feel better, you're forgiven or whatever, but I don't want to talk about it. 'Kay?" you down your glass and pour another. "Don't kill my buzz before it's even started."

Peter started to speak up. "Well I feel Krags and I at least-"

You cut him off as well. "Same goes for you. We're not going to talk about it right now. It's done."

"Oh...kay..." Peter said, taking a sip. He attempted small talk after a bit. "So... how did you come about working for SHIELD?"

You sipped and shrugged before setting your glass down. "My dad was an agent, and I guess I followed in his footsteps." you say, toying with your glass. Eager to turn the conversation away from you, you asked, "How'd you lot go about becoming 'Guardians of the Galaxy'?"

That question had the desired effect. Peter started off the story by telling you how it actually all started with them getting thrown in prison over a stone and then breaking out of said prison together to locate said powerful stone that some dick called Ronan was going to use to wipe out an entire planet.

About a quarter the way through the story the rest of the Guardians came and the same offer was extended to them before you stood up and announced you should probably grab another bottle as the one you brought up was nearly empty.

Rocket piped up, "So where ya hide it anyway?"

You looked at him, confused and a little tipsy. Cocking your head you asked, "What?"

"The booze. You always seem to pull it out of thin air. Figured you were hiding it."

You blink at him while Peter scolded him for being dumb, a sentiment you now currently shared. You laugh and look at Gamora, who looked embarrassed by her friend. "Is he always this dumb?" Not waiting for an answer you turn back to Rocket. "It ain't hidden. Dipshit." You turn away to resume your task.

Rocket, offended that you would call him dumb, said, "If you ain't hiding it, why haven't we ever seen where you keep it."

Now Kraglin was giving him looks. Even if you were hiding it, it was your shit. You were already giving them a place to stay, you didn't owe them booze too. The rest were sure Rocket was just trying to get a rise from you, but the secondhand embarrassment was real.

You rolled your eyes but kept walking. It was most likely the alcohol, but you were actually finding humor in his stupidity. "It's in the cellar, space case. I won't stop you from tagging along. Make sure your mother signs the permission slip." With that you slipped out the kitchen door.

The guardians exchanged glances at your comment and Peter, who remembered school and field trips, said, "That was a joke. You wouldn't get it." He then stood up and said, "Might as well take the chance to see something new since we don't know how long we'll be stuck here." He then looked to Rocket and asked if he was coming, since technically the invitation had been extended to him.

Rocket, who had been clearly hoping for, or at least expecting, a fight, awkwardly followed in the direction you had left. Mantis and Groot stated they wanted to go see the cellar too, but the others opted to stay behind.

Seeing that four of them had actually decided to take up your mock-offer to come to the cellar, you waited for them to catch up. You honestly didn't care if they went into the cellar, as long as Groot didn't go down there to play, and you made a point to ask Peter to tell him that you didn't mind him coming down with the rest of you tonight, but he was under no circumstances to come down there to play as he could get hurt.

Rocket translated instead, seeming irritated that you had given the message to Peter instead of him, and you open the door start to walking down the stairs, the others trailing behind.

The cellar wasn't anything spectacular. The stairs were a bit creaky with age, and it was dusty and dim even with the light on. The walls were stone strung with cobwebs and the floor was made up of old red brick.

You reached the ground and led them to some shelves on the wall across from the boiler, to grab the whiskey. On the other wall next to the shelves was an old wooden door, but other than that, a few cans of paint, and another set of shelves on the far end of the cellar, it was largely empty. You didn't keep much down there due to the damp.

You turned back to face them once you grabbed a bottle and asked if Rocket was satisfied. You didn't recieve an answer, not like you had expected one anyway. Gesturing back to the whiskey you said to Peter that it was down here if they wanted it. You didn't care as long as they didn't get sloppy drunk and start wrecking shit on the regular.

Peter nodded and the four took in the sight of the cellar. Mantis looked like she regretted her decision to come down, and said it was a little creepy, and Groot seemed to share her opinion. Good. Would mean he wouldn't care to come play down there. Peter and Rocket, however, looked at the shelf behind you in surprise. There was... more whiskey than they had anticipated. A lot more.

"Not that it's any of my business, but why do you have so much whiskey down here?"

You turned back to the shelf. Remembering the reason combined with your tipsy state made you giggle as you answered honestly. "Decided to order a small case awhile back just to have a bit around. Might have ordered it drunk and messed up the size of the order... just a bit..."

'A bit' was an understatement. The whiskey didn't sit on just one shelf, but rather the whiskey took up a whole shelving unit. You had only meant to order one case. A case would have been maybe six bottles. Somehow you ended up ordering six cases, and of course there were no refunds. So, into the cellar with a few other assorted bottles it went. You didn't do any online shopping while drunk after that again.

Peter chuckled at your honesty and noticed the wooden door for the first time. He debated asking about it, it seemed oddly placed considering the layout of the house above, but Mantis beat him to it.

"Where does that door go?" she asked, pointing to it.

You look to the door and then back to them. "Closet," you say, before widening your eyes in mock realization to tease Rocket. "Oh right, better prove it before that one gets all suspicious again!"

Rocket narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, not thrilled with you making him the butt of a joke as you opened the door to reveal a small, dark closet, maybe a meter deep and just as wide. Pipe wrenches hung on hooks off the door, and inside was a bucket, a broom, and a shovel resting against a wall of shallow shelves which were empty aside from a few random tools and a couple lanterns.

You closed the door after a moment and to Peter's surprise you handed him the whiskey bottle you had retrieved and grabbed another. "Might as well grab two, save me a trip if we run out again," you explain before shooing them all up the stairs.

Once back in the kitchen you re-took your seat and poured yourself another glass before sliding the bottle towards the middle of the table for someone else to grab. "Alright, I believe you were telling a story now?" you say to Peter as he also sat down, seeming surprised you were still interested.

And you were. It was quite an interesting story and you had to admit it captured your attention quite well.

Before you knew it an hour had passed and the second bottle was finished between seven of you when they'd finished telling it. Mantis didn't like the taste and Groot wasn't permitted to have any, though fortunately he didn't seem to mind. Just sipped on some juice you had gotten up to pour for him and Mantis and played about on the table adorably as Peter told the story.

The Ronan guy had gotten the stone, but Peter and his team still won anyway, having managed to get the stone away from him. You had giggled when you realized that Peter had more or less described that they had used 'the power of friendship' to hold onto the stone, though he didn't seem as keen on that comparison. You were also surprised to learn that the little Groot before you wasn't the original Groot, but rather more like the original's son, and that Kraglin and Yondu weren't part of the team yet in this story, but actually the leaders of an almost adversary group of space pirates that had agreed to work with Peter with the promise of obtaining the stone for themselves. You wanted to ask about that, how they came about joining Peter's team and where the rest of their crew was, Ravagers you believed they were called, but before you could Yondu interjected.

"Yeah, I'd almost forgot about that switcharoo ya pulled with the stone, boy." Yondu said to Peter, who, now several drinks in, included that bit of the story despite the former captain and first mate sitting right at the table with him.

Peter chuckled nervously in response, and said in jest, "Well, you got a cool troll doll out of it, that's something, right?"

You snorted a short laugh out your nose at that, making the others turn to you in surprise. Aside from a few questions, you had been more or less quiet the whole time until now. "Troll doll?" you say, clearly tipsy, behind your hand. The thought was ludicrous to you. Of all the things, a troll doll.

Peter grinned, pleased to see you found it funny. "It was the only thing I had on hand that would fit in the orb." He admitted, giggling.

Gamora's eyes crinkled as she looked at Peter. She hadn't had nearly as much drink as him, but she still found his giggly nature and his ability to tell a story to be endearing. This was probably the most she had let herself relax since they arrived.

Kraglin lightheartedly punched Peter in the shoulder. He'd been angry when the "switcharoo" incident happened, but he'd since been given enough reason to get over it.

"You goofy cunt," you chuckled at Peter, standing from the table and grabbing the empty bottle to bin it.

Peter raised an eyebrow and cocked his head at you as you walked toward the bin. Had you just called him a 'cunt'?

The others shared surprised contemplative looks and Kraglin said, "I think that was a compliment?" He was unsure, but you hadn't exactly said it in a derogatory way, so perhaps it was?

You overheard him and said from the bin, "Eh. Close enough." You spared one final giggly glance towards the group before leaving the kitchen to use the bathroom.

Peter shrugged, correctly assuming that he shouldn't be offended and stood to put his now-empty glass in the sink before re-joining the table with the others.

They sat chatting for a bit longer, before they thought they heard the soft sounds of singing coming from the sitting room. Exchanging glances, Peter and Gamora decided to go check it out.

***

You didn't return to the kitchen after you finished your business. The story was finished and you were in a better mood than you had been that morning so you just made your way to the sitting room to relax in your rocking chair before your buzz could wear off.

You had been there just a few minutes with your eyes falling closed when the sensation of something crawling up your leg startled you. You jump slightly only to see it was Groot crawling into your lap. You then relaxed. Cute little bugger looked sleepy, and for whatever reason, decided he would crawl up into the rocking chair with you. You didn't mind, and even if you did, you were getting a little too sleepy to feel like wasting energy making him move.

He climbed up on your slinged arm, too light for the action to cause you any pain, and curled up as you rocked away.

You weren't sure what possessed you, likely the whiskey, but you started to softy sing him a lullaby. One you remembered your grandmother singing you to sleep with when you were little.

***

Gamora peeked in the doorway and stopped, seeing you in the rocking chair, though you didn't see her. The rocking chair faced the bookshelf on the opposite wall, putting your gaze perpendicular to her own.

You were the source of the singing, and it didn't take long for her to notice Groot curled up sleeping against you and to deduce that what you were singing was a lullaby.

The others had come to see as well, but Gamora motioned for them to be quiet and didn't let them get past the doorway, afraid that you would stop if you knew you had an audience.

"What is it?" Drax asked.

"I think she's singing a lullaby to Groot." Peter answered, turning to peek back through the doorway for a moment before stepping aside to let Drax see. Drax smiled warmly at the sight and motioned Mantis to take his spot.

Kraglin chuckled and whispered over to an equally amused Yondu, "Well ain't that precious."

"So what?" asked Rocket, annoyed that everyone was gathered by the doorway instead of entering. He was, however, definitely not jealous that Groot would have taken to you well enough to let you sing a lullaby to him. He was also definitely not irritated about the fact that Groot had aparently just fallen right asleep in your lap, when he had been having to deal with Groot fitting to go to sleep most nights due to being someplace new.

Gamora looked to him. "It's sweet."

"She ain't sweet, it's all an act. She don't really care."

"So it was an act when she shot that raccoon and saved your ass?" asked Peter, rolling his eyes at his furry friend.

Rocket threw up his arms in frustration, unwilling to admit the possibility of being wrong. "Probably! She don't really care about us. We're just an assignment to her. And I didn't need her help anyway."

Peter rolled his eyes again, and that's when they noticed the singing had stopped. They were too busy arguing to notice it had been getting softer and softer. Gamora peeked in again and saw that you had fallen asleep, and she whispered back to the group as such.

"Good. I'm putting Groot to bed." Rocket said, pushing through the others before they could say anything.

"Rocket!" Gamora hissed, finally entering the room herself along with Peter.

Rocket ignored her as he approached the rocking chair. Who did you think you were anyway, singing lullabies to Groot? You weren't his mother. He was the one raising Groot, he didn't need some Terran dickhead stepping in and playing 'mommy.' Rocket let his frustration get the better of his sense and instead of gently climbing to retrieve Groot, or asking someone else once he realized he wouldn't quite be able to reach, he decided to be an asshole and jump right into your lap, startling both you and Groot awake in the process.

"Ow! The hell?" you said groggily, rubbing your eyes.

"Oh, sorry. Did I wake you?" Rocket said mockingly before walking off with a confused and groggy Groot.

The others gave him disapproving looks as they dispersed, not wanting to crowd the doorway any longer.

"You're a real asshole, ya know that?" Kraglin said before heading towards the stairs with Yondu. Rocket just ignored him.

Mantis, who also decided she would go to bed, said to Rocket as they climbed, "You're wrong, you know. She does care. I've felt it."

Rocket just rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever," before bounding up the rest of the stairs and to his room to put Groot down to sleep.

Peter and Gamora had decided to head back into the kitchen with Drax to clean up the forgotten empty glasses on the table, so by the time you got up and decided to head to bed yourself the hall was empty.

Too tired to do anything else, you decided to just go to bed. As you made your way up the stairs you remembered taking the others to the cellar and showing them what was behind the door, and wondered if you should consider getting a lock, just in case Groot disobeyed and decided to go play down there anyway.

They didn't need to find out what was behind the back wall of that closet.

[damejudyhench]

Many thanks to @captastra @strangefable @jumpship90 and @kourumi for your writing prompts from the “touch” meme! They went together really nicely, so I’ve combined them into one fic. I hope you enjoy 😊

the prompts were:

2. Running fingers through hair

16. Massaging them

17. Holding the other’s chin up

32. Caressing the other’s back

34. Washing the other’s body

this is so indulgent to me, it’s sfw but I’m still sitting here like 😳😳😳

tags: canon-typical injury, blood, mention of corporal punishment, bathing kink, lying

Max took forever in the shower. It was a fact of life, a law of nature, as inevitable as gravity. Whether it was a trauma reaction to his time in Tartarus, his determination to prove that if cleanliness was next to Lawfulness then he was the most Lawful person on board, or simple vanity; once he was in there, it was almost impossible to get him out. Nyoka, the newest member of their crew, could pound on the door all she wanted; she might as well be cussing out gravity itself.

So Pearl let him be for longer than she might have, but eventually concern started to nag at her. Max was hurt; a larger than average mantis had caught them unawares while they were scavenging the canyon that lay outside of Stellar Bay. They’d all been left worse for wear, but Max had taken the brunt of it, and he’d staggered back to the Unreliable with his face pale, swearing through gritted teeth as he clutched his arm to his chest in the position of maximal stability that signified a fracture or worse. He might need her help. After a few cautious knocks on the bulkhead, followed by a few less cautious, Pearl used her Captain’s override and pushed inside.

Max rounded on her like a wounded animal cornered in its lair. Shirtless, his injured arm strapped against his chest, his other hand held his razor. His jaw was still more than half covered in shaving foam, and she could see a fine thread of bright red blood trickling down the skin of his throat.

“Yes, I am still using the bathroom! Architect forfend someone on this ship might actually possess any standards of decency…”

Screw him.

“Mind you don’t cut yourself,” she snarled back, and left him to his own devices.

Around five minutes later, as she lay on her bunk scanning through an old data pad, there was a knock at the door. Max stood in the gangway, his towel draped around his neck, a sheepish expression on his face.

“I apologise… and I would appreciate your assistance, Pearl. If you’re not too busy, of course.” His tone was courteous, but his face was tight and drawn, and she knew he must be in pain despite the strapping.

“Any time, Max.”

In the shower, she took the towel and the razor gently from his hand and set them on the sink, then turned to face him. His shoulder was bruised an ugly purple and red, fading to deep brown beneath his collarbone where it was dented and distorted. It looked sore as hell, and Pearl sucked her breath through her teeth in sympathy.

She pushed him gently back until he was sitting on the toilet, then took his canidfeather brush and applied a new coat of lather to his face. She shaved him with slow, even strokes, pausing occasionally to grasp his chin and tilt his head from side to side and then back so that she could check her progress. Max looked throughout as though he wanted to say something, but as in love with the sound of his own voice as he was, he kept still to avoid injury.

When she was done, she wiped his face clean with his towel and stepped back to admire her handiwork. Max got to his feet and shuffled toward the shower

“Of all the damned bones one might break, this has to be the worst… I can scarcely do anything by myself,” he grumbled.

“It’s the most commonly broken bone in the body,” Pearl replied mildly. Max had hang ups about injury, about physical weakness. He took it as a sign that he was straying from the path; or worse, that his path lead to destruction. Pearl knew because she’d been raised that way herself. Those who were meant to survive, survived.

That was how her job had worked. She’d treated those whose benefit to their corporation had outweighed the cost of their treatment. Of course, ultimately it was down to the Plan who survived and who didn’t, the corps were kind of a middleman, but the OSI said that was ok because the corps being in charge was down to the Plan too. It was a whole system based on a lie so obvious she couldn’t understand how she’d once believed it, or how so many people still did. Including the man in front of her, who was self conscious about asking for help when he’d broken his collarbone.

She locked the door, unfastened his pants and eased them down over his hips along with his shorts. She made a neat pile of his clothing, then reached for the sling that held his arm.

“You want to take this off or keep it?”

“I’d rather it remain dry.”

“Ok… you ready?”

She let Max brace himself, with his good arm supporting the other, then gently released the sling and added it to the pile. Max flinched, but nodded when she glanced at him. Pearl activated the shower, sending warm water streaming down over his body. She smiled at the sight of him. His hair fell forward into his eyes, and he gave a deep sigh of pleasure.

Pearl stepped back and frowned. It was going to be tough to wash him properly without getting herself soaked in the process. And Max hadn’t been able to shower for a few days, which would have been a torment to him. If she was going to do it, she ought to do it right. Besides, it wasn’t as though they hadn’t seen each other naked before. She undressed quickly, adding her clothing to his own, then bent to pick up the soap and the washcloth. Max’s eyes were wide, and whatever he’d wanted to say before seemed to have gone from his mind entirely. He saw that she was watching him, and hurriedly looked away.

The air was warm and steamy; the water pleasant on her skin. She soaped Max’s shoulders, his chest, carefully avoiding the injured area, then worked her way down his arms. His muscles were tight beneath his skin, and she dug in a little and squeezed, working out the knots in his body. He had thick, strong fingers that were just long enough to be elegant, she thought as she washed his hands. She went to her knees to do his legs, and noticed that his cock twitched a little, but when she looked up at him his eyes were closed, and he seemed quite lost in the moment.

“Spin around,” she said, getting back to her feet. Max frowned, and he once again avoided meeting her gaze.

“I’ll be fine now. Thank you.”

“What? You’re kidding. There’s no way you can use that fancy stick with the sponge on it… I’ll do your back, I don’t mind.”

Max gave a pointed sigh and turned, but she noticed the droop in his neck, the way he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. Strangely, he looked frightened.

His broad back was a lattice of scars, and Pearl brought her hand up to her mouth to avoid gasping or otherwise making a sound.

“I haven’t seen it in a while… is it still as bad as I remember?” Max said bitterly.

“They did this to you? In prison?”

“Where else? I can’t remember what I did to earn it. I was hardly a model prisoner, not at first anyway.”

“It’s just scars, Max. You’ve got those grazes on your chest, some on your legs… it’s not that different.”

“It is different,” he hissed. “Because they broke me.”

“They… broke you?”

Max looked away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You were in prison for heresy, right? And look what you did as soon as you got out. You went straight after the journal, just as heretical as you were before. They didn’t break you.”

On impulse, she hugged him. Her arms around his waist and her chest against his back, both of them slippery with soap.

“You’re stubborn, Max. They could drop Groundbreaker on your head and you’d get up and keep right on going after the Equation.”

He laughed, a sound that was rare and delightful in its rarity, and relaxed beneath her touch as she ran the cloth over his back.

“You have a way with words, Pearl. And you may have a point. Nevertheless, I must ask that you don’t tell the rest of the crew.”

“Your secret’s safe with me… now sit down for this last part.”

Max settled himself on the tiled floor, bracing with his good arm. He leaned back against her legs, a pleasant sensation with his warm wet skin and the solid weight of him. She ran her fingers through his hair, rinsing out the worst of the sweat and the dust, then reached for the elegant glass bottle she’d had her eye on ever since the first time she’d set foot in his cabin.

Max’s voice carried a tone of warning. “That one’s  expensive, you only need a purpleberry sized amount - a fucking purpleberry sized amount, good Law!” Pearl laughed and ignored him, pouring the rich, sweet smelling shampoo into her palm. She lathered his hair, breathing in the scent of lavender and nearmint and Max. His hair was thick and soft, and he groaned in pleasure as she alternated between running her fingers through it and massaging his scalp.

When he was clean from tip to tail she helped him to his feet, let the water rinse over him. Finally, with a nod that mixed pleasure and regret, he was done. She towelled him off and helped him dress and reapply his sling, ran a comb through his hair. She doubted it was to his usual standard, but it kept it out of his eyes.

“Good as new, Max. So listen… our field guide, Nyoka, she’s got something she wants to do that she needs a crew for. If we help her out, she’s gonna give us a big discount in return. So I figure we do her thing, let you rest up, then once you’re all healed we can head out. I’ll find my broker, you can find your… scholar.”

“My scholar,” Max murmured. He took her hand, and for a moment Pearl was again convinced that he was going to say something, but instead he squeezed her tightly. “Thank you, Captain.”

[generallynerdy]

Maybe it does all add up to a single hush (Kanan Jarrus/Cal Kestis)

Summary: 15 years after the Fall, 10 years after the death of Caleb Dume, Kanan Jarrus and Cal Kestis find each other again.

Warnings: Jedi: Fallen Order Spoilers, Implied/Referenced Character Death, cursing, brief suicidal ideation/thoughts Word Count: 5,143

Author’s Note: the effort I had to put in not to make this another series...I had to stage an intervention for myself. Anyway, I love Cal and Kanan’s dynamic, whether as partners or as friends, and an Idea struck me that wouldn’t leave. Also, idk how old most people think Cal was when the war ended based on JFO clips, but I always just kind of went with him being the same age as Kanan at the end of the war bc I love them and I need them to know each other. The title is from the poem “So They Say— They Finally Nailed— The Proton’s Size— & Hope— Dies—” by Rosebud Ben-Oni.

Read On AO3

*

When the hard part is over, Cal returns to Bracca, his new lightsaber tucked under Cere’s old robe that still smells like the Temple, with the intention of burning Prauf’s body.

Caleb still had his own robe. He kept it in the deepest part of their shared closet, bringing it out only on the worst days. If Prauf saw it, he never mentioned it, and both boys were grateful for it. There was a lot he didn’t mention.

Cal thinks, sometimes, that Prauf knew who they were before. After all, it’s hard to look at two abandoned kids in the wake of the Clone Wars that can survive being riggers and not think of the thousands of Jedi younglings that died on Empire Day. It’s even harder to ignore two lightsabers and one ratty, brown robe.

Maybe Prauf wasn’t sure.

But he had to be, on that last day, when they found that fighter. When Cal caught him with the Force. He knew then, maybe before. But he still took care of them.

Maybe he knew when the Empire showed up, when Caleb heard the roar of a TIE Fighter and looked instantly to the redheaded boy beside him like he was about to die before his eyes. Maybe that was the moment he put it all together. Or was it his last moment? When the world began to go dark and both Cal and Caleb lashed out in fury at his killers with matching, bright blue blades—did he know? Did he know that he died for the children of an already dying Order?

Standing over the bonfire, Cal holds the Holocron in shaky hands.

Did Prauf know his sacrifice would save the life of every child just like them?

Cal moves away from the flames to the gap in the ground that they’d held Caleb over, his calloused hands clawing at the Ninth Sister, who clutched his throat.

Deep in Cal’s heart, he knows half the reason he beat her was for his best friend. He’d almost given in to rage but stopped himself at the memory of him. Revenge is not the way of the Jedi. But justice is. And so is survival, these days.

Caleb’s lightsaber fell long before he did. When he did fall, he went screaming bloody murder, the noise echoing in the silence that rang in Cal’s ears.

Standing at the edge now, Cal almost considers simply...stepping off.

He can survive it. He has before. And what’s to say that Caleb isn’t waiting at the bottom?

Caleb...used to like animals, he remembers. He preferred them to plants, which are unreadable if you don’t have practise with them. Animals, like people, are complex but tell you in simple terms what they want and what they don’t want. Cal has always been better with plants. They’re simple, grounding, natural. Caleb used to tease him for it.

The only plant he ever managed to grow on this place was a seedling in a boot filled with dirt he kept in their room. It had been making good progress in their last weeks, enough that he’d actually felt some semblance of hope.

And then...and then he’d lost everything. Again.

The Holocron burns in his hand, reminding him that there is more in store for him than an endless chasm. Hundreds of thousands of Force-sensitive children are depending on him now, him and the Mantis crew.

Cal lets out a shaky breath. “I couldn’t save you,” he whispers to the wind. “But maybe I can save them.”

On the way back to the Mantis, he turns around to go find the robe and the plant in its boot. The robe smells like blaster fire and the plant is wilting but both are comforting: one because it’s familiar and the other because it’s not quite gone yet.

*

Kanan changes his name.

It doesn’t feel right, hearing his given name from anyone that isn’t Cal or Prauf. The first and only time it happens, nausea sinks in and he quickly makes the change.

Some days, he wants to go back to Bracca. Some part of him still hopes Cal survived the Inquisitors, that he’s waiting for him back at what used to be home, but the logical part of him knows that he’s not. Kanan surviving was a miracle, a fluke, and those don’t happen twice. Sometimes he wishes it had never happened at all.

He managed to save his lightsaber, as broken to bits as it was. It and the necklace Cal gave him are all he has now.

Kanan doesn’t let himself grieve, as much as he knows he needs to. He hardly did it before, on Bracca, but now he won’t allow even a tear. Surviving is the only thing on his mind, though for what he doesn’t know.

When he almost loses that little piece of metal on a string, though, he breaks down sobbing.

It’s the stupidest thing, really. All those lessons on attachment are lost on him now, as he cries over the rusted symbol of the Jedi Order on a piece of scrap metal that Cal had put on a cord for him. He keeps it close to his heart, hanging off his neck every hour of every day if he can help it, and getting that close to losing it is the last straw.

He knows now, why he’s surviving. Because Cal would want him to.

Meeting Hera is a relief. She’s kind but curious, which is more of a bane than it should be.

(Painfully, he’s reminded of himself as a youngling. His Master always said his frequent questions were what drew her to him.)

She’s the first to know about his past, both as a Jedi and a rigger on Bracca. He doesn’t think to mention Caleb, doesn’t think it would matter to anyone, not until after a mission gone bad.

Hera is putting bacta on his wounds and graciously ignoring his constant wincing when she sees it.

She points to the cord after examining what hangs on it for a minute. “For someone who’s trying to be discreet, you wear a lot of Jedi stuff.”

Kanan snorts. “Yeah, well, I won’t get rid of this one.”

“It’s important to you,” she points out. “Can I ask why?”

He hesitates, swallowing roughly. “My best friend gave it to me...on Bracca, befo-before the Inquisitors caught up to us,” he admits. “He didn’t make it.”

Her eyes are full of empathy, something she never lacks. “What was his name?”

“Cal,” he says, voice quiet. “Cal Kestis.”

“If you remember his name,” she promises, “he’ll always be with you.”

It’s not so much a Twi’lek belief as it is her own but it reminds Kanan of Grey more than anyone else. His buir. The clones subscribed to many Mandalorian beliefs, including the echoing of remembrances for the dead. Before the abrupt end of the war, little Caleb used to say his every morning with his Master and buir.

So, he decides to start again. It’s difficult, at first, to even get through the first names, his oldest names.

“Depa Billaba,” he says through tears in the quiet of pre-dawn, “Grey, Styles, Prauf...”

He stops.

It’s hard to think, even harder to say, but he knows he needs to. He needs to tell himself the truth, needs to accept the truth.

“Cal—”

He sobs, shaky and painful. His throat burns just like it did when he fell down the chasm on Bracca, screaming his head off, part out of fear for himself but mostly for fear of what was happening to Cal above him. It hurts to speak it into the world, into the Force and those marching on. Cal is among them now, he knows. He just...has to admit it.

“Cal Kestis,” he finally says, the admission wobbly and half-hearted.

He never loses the necklace again.

*

They’ve finally settled on Bogano, after wiping every trace of it from Imperial data servers. The Holocron is safely locked away in the Vault, guarded by their crew and the Binog, fondly called ‘the big guy,’ mostly by fault of Greez.

Though mostly self-sufficient, occasionally some of them will leave the planet for supplies they can’t make themselves. While off on supply runs, well, they can’t help it if some Imperials just look like easy pickings. Apparently, slavers get the same treatment because Merrin ends up a figure in some sort of oral tradition of a Tatooine family, which Cal finds hilarious. Cere is not so amused and grounds them—literally, in that they can’t leave Bogano—for over a month.

Cal spends most of it repairing old platforms and ziplines, not to mention entertaining the Boglings.

They’re fond of him, for some reason, and BD-1, who loves to run around with them while Cal works. One in particular, named Rabid by Merrin after she stole her entire plate of food, is especially loveable.

Cal snickers as he pulls Rabid off his shoulder. “I have to finish this, then I can play.”

Rabid is not pleased with his answer, nibbling at his trousers.

“Rabid,” he chides, ignoring her in favour of his work. He laughs again. “I used to know somebody who would’ve loved you, annoying as you are.”

BD, who has taken Rabid’s place, beeps curiously.

Cal’s face falls a little. He pauses in his work. “Oh. I guess I’ve never told you about Caleb, huh?”

The little droid shakes his head.

Cal never intended to talk about Caleb to anyone, really, but it all comes pouring out. He tells BD and Rabid all about his old best friend, his confidant. The story is a long one, reaching from the creche all the way to Bracca and its bitter end. By the time he’s finished, his voice is quiet and hesitant, his grief echoing through.

Rabid curls up in his lap, nudging his hand, while BD sits in front of them, tilting his head.

A little light on the side of his scope says that he’s recording. He does that a lot, Cal knows, for prosperity, just like he was programmed to. Cal doesn’t mind, really.

When he finishes, BD gets his attention by chirping.

“Huh? You have something to show me?”

BD’s projector whirrs to life and a blue image appears. It’s Cordova, again, but not a video this time. It’s only a holo, of him and another Jedi—Master Jocasta Nu, Cal realises. Master Cordova is dead asleep on her shoulder and she’s leaned over to kiss his brow.

“Oh,” Cal breathes out, something jarring in his chest.

BD-1 thinks that he and Caleb were—well, were like that.

“I—” he pauses. “I dunno, buddy. I never asked him if...but I think…”

Well. It’d be a stretch to say Cal loved him, but he certainly cared for him more than he ever did anyone else. When they were thirteen and stupid, he might’ve said he had a crush on him. After the Fall, on Bracca, he just...didn't think of it. Caleb was all he had and he clung but he never...thought about what it was, thought about what they were.

It hurts to think of now, all that he missed.

“I don’t know if I did,” Cal tells BD quietly. “But I think I- I think I could have.”

BD asks about Caleb a lot, after that. Maybe he can tell that talking about him makes Cal happy. The others know about the one he lost but they don’t ask. They all have their demons and Cal’s are just...just too great to pile on another person. BD, though, is a little easier. All he wants is to see Cal smile again.

*

“What’s this?”

Kanan doesn’t think to look up at whatever Ezra—the newest addition to the Ghost crew—has swiped from him, until he notices a weight missing from his neck. His head snaps up to where a cord hangs from Ezra’s hand.

“Give that back,” Kanan growls, not meaning to be so aggressive.

Ezra’s eyes widen. He holds it out immediately, dropping it into Kanan’s open hand. “Sorry,” he mutters, watching curiously as Kanan puts it back on.

Almost by instinct, Kanan tucks the piece of scrap metal back under his shirt and breathes out a sigh of relief. He goes back to his datapad. Then, a moment later, when he notices the entire room is still silent, he looks up. Sabine and Zeb have joined Ezra in staring incredulously.

“What?” Kanan asks, his voice back to normal.

“I’ve never seen you that mad before,” Sabine admits with a half-shrug, though her eyes betray her concern.

Zeb nods, arms crossed. “And I’ve never seen you without that thing on your neck.”

“Yeah, you even sleep with it!” Ezra adds. “What’s up with that?”

“I—” He goes to make an excuse but stops, his hand fidgeting with the necklace.

“You don’t have to…” Sabine starts to say, but he shakes his head.

He sighs. To be honest, he’s surprised Zeb and Sabine haven’t asked before. “My best friend gave it to me.”

Ezra immediately sits down across from him, eyes wide. “Another Jedi?”

Admittedly, the kid is a lot like he used to be: always asking questions, always pushing. It’s going to get him in trouble someday but for now, it just gets him more stories out of Kanan, stories about the Jedi.

“Yeah. Yeah, another Padawan. We grew up in the Temple together.” He smiles, a fickle and fleeting thing. “He was picked by a Master before me, so we were separated...at the end. But I found him again, on the planet he was last assigned. He gave me this.”

Ezra’s face is bright, curious. Sabine, on the other hand, looks prepared for a gut-punch.

“What happened to him?” she asks quietly.

Kanan exhales sharply, ruefully. “Inquisitors. After 5 years of nothing, they came out of nowhere. I never saw what happened to him. For all I know, they still have him.”

“Oh,” Ezra says, his face falling.

“You know, Zeb,” Kanan begins, not wanting to make things any sadder, “his Master was a Lasat.”

He scoffs. “No way.”

“He was, swear it on my life!” he claims, raising a hand. “First time I saw you, I thought Master Tapal came back to haunt me for being a bad influence.”

Zeb snickers. “Bad influence? You?”

“Eh, a nudge here and there. We were not good kids.”

He tells them a few stories before Sabine and Zeb are called away by Hera and Chopper, leaving Ezra and Kanan alone. Ezra makes to follow them but stops, his expression cautiously blank.

“What is it, Ezra?” Kanan asks, already knowing that he’s brimming with curiosity.

“You said he was...your best friend?”

He frowns. “Yeah, ever since we were kids. Why?”

“I dunno. The way you talked about him just reminded me of my parents,” Ezra admits hesitantly. “Sappy. Did you—?”

Kanan sighs, touching his necklace again.

He had always been more reckless than Cal, back then. He threw himself into everything, into every situation. No matter the problem or the person, he was all-in. No matter what. And that included Cal. Once he took that step, he was karked. Before he knew it, he was hanging onto the redhead’s every word.

Cal was...different. Kanan had known that for a long time but the war only brought it out.

Kanan had a stupid crush, that was all. But on Bracca, it was everything and more.

He’d known then, known for a long time. Cal had never seen it but he didn’t have to. Kanan was fine the way things were. It didn’t feel right, bringing things up after...well, after. So Cal never knew.

(Sure, he could see the past of things with a single touch of his hands but he’d always been pretty oblivious.)

“Love him?” Kanan asks, raising an eyebrow.

Ezra nods.

It’s without hesitation that he answers. “I did.”

When they go in search of Master Luminara, Kanan’s kids buy him a precious few minutes to search for a Cal Kestis in the prisoner logs. He’s not there, of course, but Kanan thinks he prefers that to a death certificate.

*

“Ho-oly shit,” Greez says over comms one day. “You guys better get up here.”

Cal shares a look with Cere, following her out of the workshop with BD on his shoulder. Merrin has already teleported to Greez’s side when they arrive, lightsabers in hand. Greez passes the young man—not so young anymore, Cere has commented teasingly as he desperately shaves away any trace of his age—a pair of electrobinoculars.

Squinting through the scope, he spies a trail of smoke on the horizon attached to a ship.

“Kriffing hells,” Cere says after she gets a look.

In all their 10 years here, no one has ever landed—or crashed, for that matter—on the planet. The few ships that have come into orbit were Imperial and always quickly dealt with before word could get out. This one, however, isn’t exactly your standard Imperial cruiser. And it’s wrecked.

“Looks like a modified VCX-100 light freighter to me,” Greez says. “It’s a nice ship.”

Merrin rolls her eyes. “Are we waiting for them to come to us?”

“Looks like we don’t have to,” Cere declares, still looking through the binocs. “They’re headed this way, six hostiles. Three humans, a Lasat, a Twi’lek, and a droid.”

Greez laughs. “A Lasat? We’re kriffed.”

“Says you,” Merrin snorts.

“I’m with her,” Cal agrees, a cocky smile on his face. “Merrin and I will take the Vault. Cere, Greez, take home. BD will lure the big ones our way.”

“You got it, kid.”

Cere puts a hand on his shoulder before he can follow Merrin—more or less, seeing as she just teleports everywhere. “Be careful.”

The worst part of intruders is that even the hypothetical good ones can’t know Bogano is here. They’ll have to knock them out hard enough for their memories to be spotty and dump them in a nearby system if they’re smart—and they are.

Cal slips on his robe, a gift from Cere, and flips the hood up, making for the Vault.

If these visitors think they can take the Holocron, they have another thing coming.

*

“Are you sure we can find help here?” Ezra asks for the third time as they approach the massive building in the distance. “It looks...deserted.”

Hera sighs for the third time. “Scanners said there were signs of life here in a higher concentration than the rest of the planet. It’s worth checking out.”

Sabine gestures through the mild fog. “There’s buildings up ahead.”

“Good, let’s head there,” Kanan says, a cautious hand on his lightsaber.

Hopping across platforms is a pain, but they all manage to make their way to what looks like a residential area. A small path digs into the ground, leading deeper inside the planet’s crust. With a look at her second in command, Hera starts toward it. However, she stops when Kanan freezes.

“Do you feel that?” he asks suddenly, squinting as he looks into the distance.

Something is...tugging at him. Something in the Force is insistent that he go...that way. The feeling of incompleteness settles inside his chest.

“No…” Ezra replies uneasily. “What is it?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know.” After a moment, he decides. “I think I should go this way. You guys go on ahead.”

Zeb scoffs. “I’ll go with you. We don’t know who lived here. Could be Inquisitors for all we know.”

“They generally prefer places with lava,” Ezra counters.

The group splits, with Hera leading Sabine, Chopper, and Ezra into the abode. She and Sabine have their blasters raised, while Ezra keeps a hand on his lightsaber. Chopper is always ready to give someone a nasty shock.

“Anyone home?” Sabine calls.

There’s no answer.

They come across a small kitchen and dining room, where two chairs are pulled out. Over one hangs a small, ratty brown robe with multiple blaster burns.

Ezra plucks it off the back of the seat. “Woah, cool,” he breathes. “Very Jedi-like, huh?”

“Leave it, Ezra,” Hera chides fondly.

“You’d best,” says another voice.

All three of them jump as a lightsaber hums to life. Double-bladed, the weapon burns bright white throughout the room, illuminating its bearer, a woman with dark skin and hair, and her companion.

“Inquisitor!” Ezra cries, lighting his own.

The lightsaber wielder’s friend fires off a blaster right at Hera, who’s shoved out of the way by Sabine. Chopper shrieks, his head spinning.

“Look out!”

On the surface, Zeb follows Kanan to the edge of the platform. There, they find a zip line, which they intend to brave before a series of chirps stops them.

Zeb yelps and lifts his rifle when a droid appears, only stopped by Kanan’s raised hand.

It’s...a buddy droid.

“Hey, little guy,” Kanan greets cautiously. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

He beeps excitedly and backs away, indicating that they should follow. With a single leap, he attaches himself to the zipline and whirrs as he zooms all the way down.

“Don’t tell me we’re following the droid,” Zeb groans.

Kanan just smiles. “We’re following the droid.”

Using the Force to balance himself, he leaps atop the zipline and begins to tiptoe his way down. Behind him, Zeb sighs but reaches up to grab the line, following right after him. They land on a platform a good distance away, where a small slope is guarded by two statues; the beings depicted are of an unknown species, one lost to time.

“I don’t like this,” Zeb says as soon as he hops onto the grass. “It’s like the start of a bad horror holo.”

Kanan snorts. “If that were true, it would be raining tookas and massiffs.”

The buddy droid whirrs loudly to get their attention and bounces his way up the sloping path, on top of which sits a fluffy native creature. Kanan doesn’t know what they’re called, but this one is adorable. She chirps at them, much like the droid did.

“Oh, you’re a sweet little thing, aren’t you?” Kanan coos, moving to meet the creature and let her sniff his hand.

She makes a happy noise and nudges him.

“Ugh,” Zeb mutters, “more things.”

The droid and the creature lead them to the entrance of the massive, ancient building that had caught Kanan’s eye from the crash site. He steps in front of Zeb, placing his hand on the runes in the rock as the Force sings. This isn’t what’s calling him, but…

“Something is here,” Kanan whispers.

“I hope it’s not something that wants to eat us,” Zeb says long-sufferingly.

The slab of rock retreats into the space above, leaving an open tunnel of sorts.

“Karabast,” the Lasat curses, “I hate Jedi stuff.”

Kanan rolls his eyes. “C’mon.”

It’s a tight fit, but the two squeeze their way through, Kanan leading the way. They exit into a large cavern filled with a few inches of water, just enough to be annoying. Standing in the midst of the cave is a figure in a brown robe. The moment Kanan spots him, he draws his lightsaber and stands in front of Zeb until he can ready his rifle, too.

“You are not meant to be here.”

Kanan frowns. “The Force says otherwise. Who are you?”

“The guardian of this vault. You need to leave,” the figure says.

From underneath their robe, they draw a very familiar weapon. With a snap and a hiss, two blades of yellow light appear. Kanan lights his own lightsaber in response but it’s too little too late.

A green smoke encompasses Zeb, who yelps as he’s flung across the room by a pissed off Nightsister—which makes zero sense because they’re all supposed to be dead.

Kanan makes for his friend, interrupted only by the mysterious guardian rushing at him.

“Where did you get that lightsaber?” the faceless figure hisses.

And, well, Kanan doesn’t know how to answer that question except with another question. “Where did you get yours? ”

Back in the residential platform, Hera leaps in between Ezra and the lightsaber-wielder. “Wait!” she cries.

Both stop, staring at her like she’s crazy.

“That’s a healed kyber crystal, isn’t it?” Hera asks, pointing to her white blade. “You’re not an Inquisitor. You’re a Jedi.”

The woman lowers her lightsaber just slightly. “I was.”

“I’m one, too!” Ezra chirps, popping out from behind Hera. “Er. I’m training to be one!”

Her eyes widen. “A Padawan? Who’s your Master?”

Before he can answer, Hera speaks for him. “Kanan Jarrus. But his name used to be Caleb Dume.”

“Caleb?” she asks, her voice hushed in awe. “Depa Billaba’s Padawan?”

She nods.

Abruptly, the woman turns sharply on her heel, raising her comm unit to her lips and rushing out the door. “Cal, they’re non-hostiles, non-hostiles! Don’t hurt your boyfriend!”

“What!?” Ezra and Sabine cry at the same time, the former’s voice cracking.

Without another word, they follow her and her friend outside.

*

Merrin has the Lasat out of the Vault long before Cal gets his opponent to the entrance, admittedly. Lightsaber to lightsaber combat is significantly more balanced than Nightsister magick against a bo-rifle, poor guy.

Still, Cal pushes the intruder to the top of the Vault’s slope, the man just on the edge of slipping.

That’s when Cere’s voice crackles through the comms.

“Cal, they’re non-hostiles, non-hostiles! Don’t hurt your boyfriend!”

Hand grasping the intruder’s shirt, holding him above the edge, Cal freezes. He meets brown eyes and suddenly can’t breathe, gaze drifting to the cord around the taller man’s neck. His gloveless fingers just barely skim the material, Force signatures exploding in front of his eyes.

And suddenly, he can see it. He can see himself, painstakingly painting that symbol onto the metal and bartering for a cord. He sees an older Caleb sobbing in the quiet of an unfamiliar room, clutching that necklaces like a lifeline.

“Did you—?”

“Love him? I did.”

A shaky breath passes his lips.

“Caleb?” he asks, voice breaking on the name that’s so unfamiliar on his tongue.

The grip on his wrist loosens.

Kanan hears the woman’s voice, clear as day, but he almost doesn’t believe it at first. He almost doesn’t believe when he hears that whispered question. Caleb. It’s the name of a stranger and yet—yet when that robe’s hood slips off to reveal red hair and bright green eyes, he feels like he’s never known any other name.

“Cal?”

The Force wasn’t calling him to the Vault. It was calling him to its guardian.

Silence falls, the rest of the world fading away. All they’ve been through, all they’ve seen, and it all stops in this moment. It all adds up to this.

Cal lets go of his shirt, letting him balance precariously at the top of the muddy slope down from the Vault. Neither of them speaks—neither of them knows what to feel, except bright, unparalleled joy.

Cal doesn’t let himself flinch when Caleb reaches, his fingers just barely skimming his cheek.

He doesn’t get much further. Green smoke encompasses his body and before Cal knows it, his best friend is being flung from the Vault entrance to the platform beyond, screaming as he goes. The platform beyond, where the Oggdo used to reside, is covered in flowers. It was there that Cal planted his little sapling in a boot and there that the plant spread, covering almost every inch of land with budding blue and yellow flowers.

Cal whirls around to see Merrin, her eyes glowing green.

“Merrin, no!” he protests, eyes wide with desperation. “That’s Caleb!”

Merrin’s glowing fades as she glances at the nearby Lasat and her friend’s horrified face. “My mistake,” she says in that tone that says she knows exactly who he is.

(They were taking too long to speak, in her opinion.)

Cal huffs at her before getting a running start toward the entrance, using the Force to balance himself as he slides down that muddied slope, sailing right toward Caleb. Near the end, he leaps into the air, propelling himself a mere few feet from his collapsed companion.

“Caleb!” he cries, stumbling the last few steps and falling to his knees, where Caleb is face-down in the damp grass, his hair-tie mysteriously missing.

Caleb is—well, he’s okay. He’s just...wheezing with laughter.

He pushes himself up on his elbows and flips over just as Cal makes it to him, his chest heaving with the effort. And still, he laughs, a half-mad sound.

“Are you o—?” Cal is cut off by his own yelp when Caleb flings himself up from the ground and pulls Cal with him.

He embraces the redhead, dragging them both to their feet so he can swing Cal around. Cal shrieks and hitches his legs up on his hips, as difficult as that is with the man’s height—the bastard, he grew. He reaches desperately for Caleb’s shoulders to hold onto when they spin, completely unaware of Cere and the rest of Caleb’s group appearing on the platform.

Finally, Caleb stops, looking up at Cal with shining eyes and a smile that could kill a man. Cal leans forward, letting his forehead fall against his and breathing out a sigh of relief.

“I thought the Inquisitors had you,” Caleb whispers, a thousand more words in the back of his mind, too many to count.

Cal’s eyes well with tears. “I thought you were dead.”

Caleb has always been more reckless than Cal but the latter was the one to hear his words echo through that necklace, an admission years too late. It’s because of that little echo that Cal buries a hand in the hair that falls to his shoulders and pushes his head upward, meeting him in a searing kiss.

Out of shock, Caleb both squeaks—adorable, Cal thinks—and clutches the back of Cal’s shirt for a moment before dropping him. Luckily, his instinct has him landing on his feet.

The drop pulls him away and, looking up, he sees Caleb looking shell-shocked.

He just grins, grabs the taller man’s shirt, and pulls him in for another kiss, this one saying much more than the first. Caleb plants his feet and buries a hand in Cal’s hair for good measure.

They both ignore Greez cackling in the distance and Sabine’s whispered: “What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck —”

Because in that moment, all is right with the galaxy. Cal’s flowers are fully grown and blossoming beneath their feet, Caleb’s robe is waiting for him in the other room, and they have each other again.

And that’s all they’ve ever really wanted, isn’t it?

*

River’s Tags: @hahaboop & @mystoragehatesme

Masterlist

[capricornus-rex]

Someone Left to Save (6)

Cal Kestis x Reader

Requested by Anon

Summary: The Mantis crew arrives to the capital of Ulfin, in the planet of Pevera, under siege. They meet the local rebel cell spearheaded by the former Republic admiral, Jax Beneb, who seeks to destroy the Empire’s occupation that was aggressively imposed upon while exploiting the planet of its natural resources. A plan is devised to destroy the Imperial’s main base of operations—as well as their influence—in the planet; however, it was a do-or-die mission that you and Cal had gotten yourselves caught in.

A/N: Sorry if I haven’t been uploading as quick as I used to. I’m not in a good place right now mentally. I’ve had random crying episodes that rooted from last night’s breakdown, I’m stuck dealing with overbearing parents who don’t understand and can’t be bothered to take in the time to listen to their kid. I had to look for that from my friends who really know and understand me. It’s really hard. Because what do you do when your boomer, overly-traditional parents misinterpret your artworks and then drag you down for it? But I’m trying my best to fight it off and be better, so I can still give you guys good stories. I’ll get through it, I’ll be better eventually. So, if my posting frequency seems slow, I hope you understand. Thank you for your continuous support! You guys are the greatest. Love, Veron.

Tags: Force-Sensitive! Reader, Inquisitor! Reader, Jedi! Reader, Fake Death, Jedi turned Inquisitor, Seduction to the Dark Side, Turn to the Dark Side, The Dark Side of the Force, Aftermath of Torture, Torture, Psychological Torture, Redemption Arc! Reader, Possible Redemption, Premonitions

Also in AO3

Chapters: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 | Previous: Part 5 | Next: Part 7 | Masterlist

6 of ?

In the span of three weeks, you and the Second Brother were in constant observation by the medical droids—encoding and then relaying their findings to the doctors who occasionally visited you every other day. A medical droid reports that you might open your eyes perhaps at the end of the week. The same goes for the Second Brother, despite his severe injuries and that tedious surgical operation that he underwent.

When the third and a last week came, you did open your eyes. The Bacta-infused water stung your eyes and you realize you’re submerged—by instinct, you held your breath, unaware that you have a medical breather on until you bit on its silicon mouthpiece, you felt the rather uncomfortable armbands on your pruning skin. Through the glass of the vat you’re encased in, a medical droid hovers in front of you.

In confusion, your heart rate spiked—reflecting on the heart monitor just right next to the tank—but the droid wasn’t alarmed. It deduced it as a natural, conscious bodily response. The medical droid tapped hurriedly on its dapatad; shortly after, a doctor comes rushing into the ward, he approaches the vat to look at you.

Peering again through the glass, you can see through your squinting—and already stinging—eyes that the doctor’s mouth is moving, but the bubbling of the substances shrouded your hearing from any outside noise.

“Prepare to drain the patient’s Bacta vat,”

A loud rumble echoed in the back of your ears, your head jerked up to the source of the sound and saw the water level lowering. As the substance fell to the level of your breasts, you mentally prepare yourself to plant your feet on the floor and your palms to the walls of the tank once you needed to balance and support yourself.

Finally, the tank has been emptied—the remaining liquid gurgled under your feet as it disappeared into the drain. The glass whirred as it retracted into its round, metal frame and then the nurses helped your balance yourself. Their faint whispers of encouragement rang indistinctly in your ears.

“Hello there, can you hear me well?” asked the doctor.

“I… I suppose,” you groaned, hooking your grip on the nurse’s arm. You looked at your surroundings. “Where am I?”

“You’re in a medical facility, in Mons Golotha,”

“Mons Golotha? Where is that?”

“In the Outer Rim. Don’t worry, you’re safe here. We’ve been helping you recover,”

“It looks like you had quite a dangerous brush with death there,” the nurse added.

Still confused, you surveyed the room further—there were more droids manning the computers and the machines. It appears that you’re the only patient in this room. You blinked several times until your eyes adjusted to the light pooling in the dull, gray ward. Something didn’t sit right with you, but your waking up gave you a bit of a hangover that you can’t pinpoint it. Little did you know that the Second Brother is still submerged in his own tank in his own room and that you are in Inquisitor—rather, Imperial—territory.

The Inquisitors were informed in the comfort of their temporary lodges that you’ve finally awakened. The Seventh Sister smirked with satisfaction, as if her work given by Grand Inquisitor is close to its completion. At her mercy, she allowed you until tomorrow to rest, after that you will be sedated and transported to   the main fortress; when she finished hearing the report, she resumed her meditation in peace.

You stayed in bed, fed with three square meals, regularly checked for your vitals, temperature, blood pressure and the like—this was your entire routine for a day and half.

The Seventh Sister’s given timetable is due. As a way to not startle you, the doctor was very subtle on your sedation in the guise of a treatment.

“Alright, [Y/N], the vapor that’ll flow out of this mask when you wear it will dissolve the smoke and particles that may have polluted your lungs when you inhaled the smoke from your accident,”

You nodded, “Okay.”

You lied down flat on your back first, then the doctor gingerly placed the transparent mask, then the medical droid switched on the machine at the doctor’s command. It growled and the vapor hissed through the tube up to your nose and mouth; the sound sort of lulled you to boredom, you thought that it was a hypnotizing sound that you slowly let your eyelids drop and lean your head further into the pillow.

“Just a few more milliliters until she’s fully sedated,” the doctor mouthed to himself, watching you lie perfectly still in your bed.

Ten minutes later, the medical droid’s readings indicate that you’re now asleep.

“Vitals are still at a normal and optimum level, she is amenable for transfer,” the medical droid added.

Through his own comlink, the doctor contacted the Seventh Sister.

“Is she really unconscious now?”

“Yes, she won’t be able to recall a single thing before the sedation,”

“Good. Oversee the preparations for the transfer,”

The doctor nodded in compliance and the Seventh Sister switched off the transmission on her end. He immediately did as he was told and then you were transferred from your ward bed to the hovering gurney. It was a warden who escorted you to the main fortress, the apparatus used to administer the sedative is still attached to you as they wheeled you through the corridors.

—–

Eventually, you’ve arrived to the prison block. At the end of it is the torture chamber especially designated for you. The Seventh Sister and the Fifth Brother were waiting inside the chamber, they turned to the door when they heard it whir and found you still as a rock in that gurney.

“Put here in,” the Mirialan ordered.

The warden pulled the gurney closer to the torture chair—with its restraints wide open, like an animal’s maw waiting to snap shut once its prey has fallen in—and put you to the machine. The restraints clamped shut when the warden stepped back, the metal clanged so loud that it startled him, making his shoulders jump. The warden was dismissed immediately and left the chamber.

The sedative wore off by the minute, the intensity of the light shone differently than what you recalled, and now you find yourself unable to move—you flinch your wrists and ankles to find polished, silver handcuffs that are three inches thick banding around them. Leaning in front of you is the mechanical limb of the torture chair with panels running with electrical current; you attempt to sink yourself farther into the bed, and the cold metal stung through your bleach-white tunic that the nurses dressed on you. Your heartbeat spiked again, the Inquisitors can sense the fear oozing out of you.

The Seventh Sister stepped out of the shadows, hands tucked behind her back.

“Oh don’t bother fighting it off, it’s not like you have the strength to break out of that,”

Your eyebrows furrowed, struggling to recognize her.

“You’re an Inquisitor, but I… I’ve never seen you before,”

“Who I am to you is not important. You, on the other hand, know something we don’t—and we’d like you to let us in on that,”

“Oh I bet you do,” you spat.

The Seventh Sister liked your snark, she’ll give you that, but she didn’t like other people outclassing her. One flick of her finger and the Stormtrooper operating the machine flipped a switch; the limb with the electrical panels lowered closer to you until only an inch hangs between you and the bright, violet cracks.

In the next second, a jolt courses throughout your entire body. The metal cuffs on your wrists and ankles amplified the voltage and doubled the pain of the shock. You didn’t even get to take a deep breath, you were simply taken by surprise. The limb then retracted, returning to its original distance from you.

“She’s got a kick to it, doesn’t she? You’re gonna have more than just a kick if you don’t tell us what we want to hear,”

“I’ve had worse beatings!” you winced.

“I’ll bet you have, [Y/N],”

It didn’t matter how the Mirialan knew your name. She proceeded with your questions that you retorted with the perfect opposite of it—sarcasm.

“Tell us where the rebels are hiding, and we’ll let you go scot-free. We’ll even give you a headstart so you can warn your friends,”

“The last time someone gave me a bargain like that…” you panted, recovering from the shock. “They found my lightsaber sticking through their ribs.”

The Seventh Sister sighed.

This is gonna be a long day… but I don’t mind. She thought.

Hours dragged on as you kept yourself mum, filling in the blanks of their questions with sarcasm or straight-up refusals. But for every time you decided to keep your mouth shut about the location of the rebels who staged the bombing of their outpost in Ulfin, you were returned with a shock of the torture chair—the voltage became more powerful and lethal than the last.

“Impressive,” the Fifth Brother commented. “Not many can withstand this many hours, let alone that high of a voltage, in the chair.”

“Perhaps, there’s a better way of persuading you,” the Mirialan chided.

From her pocket, she fished out her holodisk. She thumbs the button and out comes a figurine-sized projection of Cal. The faintest, sharpest inhale from you wasn’t spared from the Inquisitor’s keen sense of hearing. She smirked and glanced at you.

“Oh, you know him, don’t you?”

You didn’t answer, but it already feels like the Seventh Sister has seen through your tough-faced façade.

“The longer you stay in this chair, the more likely my troops are capable of finding him. Who knows? I could bag a complete package if he was siding with the rebels the whole time. Definitely likely.”

The rage rooting from the pain and the Seventh Sister’s taunting flared in your body. The Mirialan could almost feel the blaze of that anger pouring out of you. She catches a whiff of it and was intrigued.

Your body impulsively leaned away from the backrest and strained yourself to get at least an inch closer to the Seventh Sister, but you’re nowhere even near six inches in front of her.

“IF YOU DO SO MUCH AS PUT A FINGERNAIL ON HIS HEAD, I’LL MAKE SURE YOU GET TWENTY TIMES THE PAIN YOU’RE GIVING ME NOW!!”

“Oh, there we go. Yes, use that hate, that anger!” the sheer adrenaline rush caused the Seventh Sister to slam her fist against the wall of the operating computer. “TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!!”

“I…” you hissed. “Will never… TELL YOU!!”

The Seventh Sister eased her shoulders.

“So be it,” she jerked her head to the operator. “Again! And don’t stop until I say so!!”

Your shallow, rapid breathing didn’t save your lungs to overcome the pain sent by a thousand to ten thousands volts coursing through your body. Your throat strained as you cry in agony, your fingers twisted and curled as the tendrils of electricity violently pricked the nerves, your body thrashed in all angles trying to alleviate the pain but it’s as though several daggers entered and left your body repeatedly.

Your head jerks back, unable to withstand any more of the gradual pain the longer it dragged on. The only thing that filled your eyes was the lamp that hung overhead and the cracks of compacted lightning from the electrical panels. You don’t know how much your heart can take. At the Seventh Sister’s mercy, she shot her hand up—signaling to stop—the Stormtrooper obeyed; it only was a ten-second breather, and she asked again.

“Where are they hiding?”

“In a Bantha’s arse,” you gasped.

Seventh Sister scoffed, she snapped her fingers and the torture resumed. Your mischievous snickering at your own joke was instantly replaced by a wail of pain. The longer you remained in that torture chair, the more the Inquisitors saw your rage and hate crawling out of you—and they relished each waking minute the darkness seeps out of you.

In the midst of your screams echoing across the entire chamber, the Seventh Sister stepped back into the shadows to join the Fifth Brother. She stood on the tips of her toes to reach his height, close enough for him to hear her, and she whispered.

“She will be a good Inquisitor.”

There was no worded response, but the Fifth Brother smiled in agreement. The violet light of the electrical current flashing and pooling over the surface of their faces as they watched you at the mercy of the torture chair.

[gredandforge01]

Cal Kestis: The Dark Side

PLOT: Yourself and the infamous Jedi, Cal Kestis, are on the mission to stop the Empire killing innocent, Force-Sensitive kids; but as you and Cal venture further into Ilum, you find it harder to focus on the mission as a certain memory keeps showing up in your mind.

•••

The Mantis landed with a few oddly concerning sounds. "Hey Greez, I think you need to check your ship out, eh? It's making weird sounds." I told him as he walked around the Holotable to reach Cere, Cal and myself.

He looked up at me and scoffed, "why would I do that? This ship is in perfect condition, there's no need to-" Greez was cut off from something falling around the back of the ship. He stopped for a moment and lowered his gaze, almost embarrassed. "Yeah, you know what? That sounds like a perfect idea, I'll be doing that while you and Cal do... whatever it is you need to do on this freezing planet. But don't take too long, I don't want to freeze my ship or arms off, thank you very much."

I laughed at him, patting him on the shoulder and went over to Cal as Greez walked around back to check out the source of the sound. Cal was standing by the door, waiting for me, he didn't say a word to me, but went outside into the freezing climate of Ilum.

We recently had a fight because I had risked my life in order to save Cal from a bunch of Nightsisters attacking us when Merrin had unleashed them upon us and the weird Wanderer. I had used the Dark Side to push them away from us, before bolting to get back to the Mantis. I knew I was in trouble, as Cal was very against using the Dark Side of the Force, but I had saved us both; what would have happened if I didn't?

Unlike Cal, I was very persuaded to use the Dark Side of the Force every time I used any type of Force, and so to prevent myself from doing so, I cut myself from it - much like Cere did. Cere helped me try and control my habit, but because she wasn't using The Force herself, she could only do so much. I once burned a hole in the side of the Mantis trying to contain the power within me and hurt Cere and unknowingly Force-Pushed Greez into The Holotable, and that's when I decided that I couldn't control my power and so stopped using The Force altogether.

That was before Cal came along into my life. Cal and I had bonded quickly, soon enough getting together. I found out that Cal too had some trouble with The Force and so that's when I decided to tell him the I once used to be a Padawan; a very tricky one to deal with, unfortunately. My Master was obsessed with The Zeffo and how it all worked, much like Condova, and therefore didn't teach me as well as she could have. That's when The Purge happened and my Master had been turned to the Dark Side and I barely escaped her torture to try and turn me as well, resulting in me using the Dark Side to escape The Empire. I would have been lying if I said I wasn't thinking about turning to the Dark Side in order for her to stop torturing me, but then I thought of my parents and what they would have wanted me to do and so fought it as much as I could and barely escaped.

I shivered as I looked up at the tall Jedi Temple, it was beautiful, much like it used to be when I went there as a child. "Hey Y/N, got a second?" I heard Cere say and walked over to her. Cal waited a few feet away, talking to BD-1. "I know you and Cal are having trouble at the moment, and I don't blame him for being mad at you, because you did use the Dark Side, but you both have to make up. It's making him not as focused on the task as he should be. You are each other's rock, you need to do something or otherwise this mission may fail." Cere told me and I nodded, she had a point.

"I will Cere, I was trying to help and- and- I don't know. I was just trying to help, Cere. Please don't be mad at me for that." I whispered and lowered my head in sadness. I get why she was mad at me but after all, I was just trying to do what was right.

She brought me in for an unexpected hug, "it's okay Y/N." We pulled away and I smiled at her before joining Cal. He looked down at me for a moment, sensing my sadness before turning to walk towards the Jedi Temple, I sighed and followed him. As we came closer to the temple, BD-1 jumped from Cal's shoulder to mine and I smiled at him.

"Beep Boop?" The droid spoke to me, wondering if I was alright.

I laughed at him, trying to cover my hurt up. "Yes, I'm alright BD. How about you? Are you alright? Your parts aren't freezing up, are they?" I asked him.

The droid made a sound, "Beep Boop Beep!"

"That's good, little buddy." I said as we neared a small gap to squeeze through. Cal went through before I did and we neared the other side before Cal climbed up the ice wall, me following in suite. "Wow, it's beautiful up here." I mumbled and BD-1 beeped in agreement. We continued up the ice wall, having to jump to reach it, before climbing up to one of the side areas. It was dark for a moment, my eyes adjusting to the darkness before I saw a plug that connected to a stand on the other side of the room. I jumped to get to it but soon realised that I need to Force-Pull it towards me.

"Um, Cal? Can you do this please?" I asked him and he looked over in my direction to see the plug. He jumped onto the ledge I was on and Force-Pulled the plug towards him before putting it into the stand. I watched as the door opened and light shone through the magnifying window in the next room.

When we got to the magnifying window, I stopped for a second, enjoying the slight warmth it was giving. "It's nice to have the warmth from the window." Cal spoke but I realised he wasn't speaking to me, but BD-1 instead and I sighed quietly as I followed him to other room where there was another magnifying window.

Once we broke down the ice walls covering the entry ways to undiscovered sections of Ilum, we followed the path that lead underwater. When I jumped in, I made a noise of discomfort and Cal looked behind him to see if I was alright before quickly turning back and submerging himself completely underwater. This silent treatment was killing me, it hurt that he wasn't talking to me at all. I grabbed my breather and followed him, spotting a chest behind one of the columns and swimming over to it. BD-1 jumped off and dived into the chest before coming out and showing us what he got.

The reason why we were on this isolated planet was because Cal had broken his lightsaber when facing his dead Master, Jaro Tapal, and he was a wreck afterwards, only hurting more when I used the Dark Side of the Force. We were in search for a Kyber Crystal to help him rebuild his lightsaber and hopefully get over his guilt for not being strong enough to save his Master. I still remembered when we got back to the Mantis after barely escaping the deadly rage of the Nightsisters, Cal had broken down into front of the crew. Cere wouldn't have any of it though, explaining to Cal the truth behind her failed Padawan, Trilla, and how she escaped the torture she was held in. She gave Cal her lightsaber and demanded he rebuild one; to move on from his guilt.

I knew I was in trouble when I was sitting on the sofa in the Mantis and Cal came up to me and sat down, looking at me with a look of disappointment in his beautiful green eyes. "Why would you do that?" He asked, it sounded harsh, even if he didn't mean too. I went to speak but he spoke again, "you could have lost control back there!"

My gaze lowered and I took a deep breath, trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill. "Cal, I'm- I'm sorry. I was just trying to help the both of us." My voice was quiet yet my heartbeat was loud in my ears. Cal sighed and ran a hand through his ginger locks.

Standing up abruptly, Cal suddenly grew frustrated with me. "What would have happened if there was a few more Nightsisters there, huh? You would have to have used more of the Dark Side to stop them, and then what? Y/N, you could have turned there!"

"I'm sorry." Was all I managed to whisper as tears hit my pants. Cal let out a frustrated groan and stormed off to his room. I whimper and brush the hair from my eyes, only to see Greez and Cere looking at me, making me look away instantly. Taking a deep breath, I stand and make my way to my own room before shutting the door, not coming out until we landed on Ilum. Greez had a look of sympathy, and while Cere also held that same look, she also had a look of anger as well. I had truly screwed up this time.

Replaying back on those memories, tears once again gathered in my mind, but I quickly brushed them away before Cal or BD-1 could see. Cal stopped for a second, almost making me crash into him but quickly stopped myself. "I see it BD-1, that's where we need to go." He said, looking over the ice walls at a ledge in the distance.

Its like anger grew inside me when he mentioned BD-1 again, and not me, and I couldn't control my outburst. "Why are you always talking to BD-1? I exist too, you know, or do you wish I didn't because I save us from the Nightsisters and had to use the Force? Why- why can't you just realise that I am sorry and move on?" My voice cracked at the last sentence, tears gathering in my eyes faster than before and succeeded in spilling.

Cal looked back, while BD-1 made a sound of sadness. Cal's eyes softened as I broke down and crouched on the iced floor, not caring that it was cold or that my hands where freezing and I could barely feel them.

"Y/N-" Cal started but I wouldn't hear his complaints about me anymore.

He crouched down to be with me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Forget it Cal, I'm going back to the Mantis." I grumbled and wiped away my tears before standing and walking in the other direction, back to the ship. He didn't try and follow me back, which I was glad for.

I didn't know why I was so angry at him, when really it was my fault in the first place. I understood that I had done something wrong but he or Cere didn't have to keep telling me and pulling me down into my abyss of guilt and regret, they could help me try and control myself.

I was shivering violently when I got back to the Mantis, Greez seeing me first and gave me a questioning look. "Hey kid, what's the matter? Why aren't you with Cal?" He asked as he salted his steak.

Cere came from the cockpit as he heard Greez and saw me on the verge of tears and shivering violently. I looked down at my hands that were starting to go blue before up to Cere. "Why can't you accept that I'm not like you or Cal, that I don't know how to use the Force properly, that I have trouble controlling it? Why do you have to be so mean and keep telling me about my mistakes? Why can't you just accept what I did and move on?" I knew I shouldn't be angry, but I couldn't help it. My hands balled into fists and the sound of shattering came from the kitchen.

Greez leaped back as the light above him shattered into tiny pieces. Our attention was moved to the light and I felt guilt wash over me again when I saw Greez picking out a shard of glass in his arm.

I broke down then, covering my face in my hands. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. What's wrong with me?" I sobbed and ran to my room, locking it behind me before sliding down the metal and bringing my knees to my chest. I sobbed for a long time, not knowing when I had stopped and finally drifted into an uncomfortable sleep.

I woke to faint whispers being ushered between people before I groaned and stood up from my position on the floor, moving to my bed. It was terribly cold and I was still shivering violently as I wrapped the thin blanket around my body. Someone knocked on the door a few moments later, "who is it?" I mumbled, secretly hoping it was Greez, he seemed to be the only one to not judge me.

"It's me, Cal." I sighed when I heard his muffled voice on the other side of the door. I knew I couldn't avoid him forever, that I had to face him and the mistakes I had caused.

I got up and padded to the door, unlocking it for him before it swooshed open and he came in. His eyes held nothing but softness and I'm sure that if he was looking into my eyes, they would be red with hopelessness laced all throughout them.

Cal didn't usher a word for a few moments, making the air around us thicken with tension. I looked down at my hands, them being the most intriguing thing in my room. "Y/N-"

"I'm sorry, Cal." I whispered. Tears threatened to spill once again but I held them back.

"It's okay, I'm sorry I was so harsh on you. You had made a mistake yet I made it seem like the end of the world, when it wasn't." Cal said and grabbed my hands in his, bringing them to his mouth to blow hot air on, it was nice seeming I was so cold.

I stayed quiet for a while, just enjoying the peaceful silence between us. Cal unexpectedly brought me in for a hug, trying to warm me up as best as he could, and I felt myself relax beside him.

"I'll help teach you become a Jedi." Those words rang in my head and I looked up at Cal, his green eyes glancing back down at me lovingly. "Cere will help too, we discussed this just before. We will go to Bogano and I will help teach you there. We just have to get the Holocron first then I'm all yours."

I sat up then, tears forming in my eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time and I engulfed Cal in a hug. "You would do that for me?" I whisper.

"You know I would." He whispered back. I smiled at him, grabbing his face and kissing him lovingly. I pulled back as soon as I leant in, we've never kissed before... A bright blush covers my face and so does Cal's. He slowly reaches up to cup my face before gently bringing my face back to his, stopping just before he kisses me and brushes his lips against mine. I whimper and he finally pushes his lips to mine softly.

As we pull back, I lean my forehead against his and smile softly. He does the same, and for the first time that day, I felt content and happy; safe and wrapped up in Cal's arms.

[littleteatimestories]

Prompt: @ourwritingprompts’s #163 “I’m an emotional wreck.” “It’s okay, you’re a cute emotional wreck.” Pairing: With Peter Quill/Star-Lord As requested by @nighthood13

A/N: Request fulfilled! 😆 I know some of you think I can’t fulfill a request for the life of me, but I’m trying bit by bit. I actually have 3 requests in my list right now. Since I’m done with this one, I’m still accepting 8 more. For more info on the prompt request, go to this 🔖

I hope this is to your liking. I tried to make Quill as cute as he can be, but I feel like I have better plans for him. 😅 Anyway, enjoy!

-

It just felt like yesterday. At that time, there was an emotion inside of you that you felt so weak. Next, you felt your heart palpitating and your brain malfunctioning. You then noticed that your hands were turning into dust and the last thing you saw was Peter looking at you terrifyingly. He probably ran over to you because you didn’t know what happened afterwards.

Darkness… That was what you sensed on that moment. You finally knew how death was and you became scared to hell. Once everything went back to normal after five years, it never was the same for you. You frequently had nightmares. The worst part was hearing about Gamora not coming back ever because, according to Quill, Thanos killed her for the soul stone. That devastated you even more since the green-skinned female was one of your closest friends. You could say that you two were like sisters. You always saw her in your dreams, mostly being ceased of her life or saying her goodbyes. You wanted to believe that those weren’t true, but the truth was already set in front of you. All you could do was weep.

A few lives were traded just to bring humanity back. You heard Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff were one of those ‘heroes’. You didn’t know what happened to Captain America himself because no one would tell you.

In your case, Sam Wilson was the one who helped you in treating your so-called PTSD. Peter assisted you along the way as he tried to ask The Falcon of your condition. Sam tried, but Peter couldn’t help in bursting in anger just because he didn’t understand a word that was explained to him. Maybe the stress was also affecting him since Gamora was gone.

After six months of treatment, you were back to your old self. You were always so tough and a risk-taker. You finally accepted that Gamora was truly gone and realized that the only thing you can do was to honor her sacrifice and move forward.

You and Peter were actually helping one another in the coping process. You felt closer to him. You found him adorable at one point when he sensed that you had a panic attack. He was really worried and you assured him that you were fine. He didn’t buy that and still kept fretting over you.

The Guardians were back in doing space exploration, plus with an additional new ‘recruit’. Thor decided to tag along and so, there wasn’t a time that Peter and he would argue of who has the better leadership skills.

“Look, Thor. I only decided to have you in my ship because I felt very pity,” Peter debated.

“Listen here, Star-whatever-you-call-yourself, I may not be worthy of being the ruler of Asgard, but I am worthy of being a good leader. That’s one of the reasons why Mjölnir and Stormbreaker chose me,” the God of Thunder countered.

Peter laughed sarcastically. “Yeah, right. So that means the Milano chose me to captain her. My ship chose me so I’m worthy to be her captain.”

Thor squinted. “Your ship is a female?”

Peter groaned loudly. “You know what, just don’t do anything.”

“You don’t tell me what to do.”

Peter just rolled his eyes and walked to your area where you were tinkering with some stuff.

“He’s really persistent,” you remarked.

“And he’s annoying the hell out of me. Ever since he came, it’s never quiet here.”

You shrugged your shoulders. “Well, he’s at least entertaining.”

“I don’t get his jokes. Only Rocket laughs with him.”

You quietly giggled and continued on fixing your weapons.

“You know, I’m proud of you,” Peter said.

You looked at him quizzically. He continued on, “We’ve been through a lot with that war with Thanos. Dying just like that… You should try imagining what Rocket had been through. Five years without us… He survived that.”

“Yeah, I know… But, it was still different being able to die. All I felt was just pure darkness.”

“I guess that afterlife thing wasn’t true at all, huh?” Peter attempted to make a joke.

You just smiled on that one.

The ship shook excessively. You and Peter were alerted at once. You two went to the Flight Deck to see what was going on.

“What just happened?” Peter asked, casting his eyes at the space beyond.

“We’ve got company!” Rocket announced as another collision came into contact with the Milano.

“Enemy ships?!” you confirmed.

“Nu-uh, sweet cheeks! Asteroids!”

“Great! I leave you to drive the ship and we already have asteroids flying all over us!” Peter chided as he perched himself on the co-captain’s seat.

“Oh wow! I didn’t know this became all my fault!” Rocket retorted.

“I am Groot! (Look out!)” Teenaged Groot pointed forward as a large asteroid was barreling directly at them.

Rocket turned the ship too late as the big chunk of rock hit the left wing. A red alert instantly flashed, declaring for immediate landing.

“Nearest planet, anyone?!” Peter yelled.

You quickly checked the computer at the third seat. “Lithios! Sending in the coordinates!”

“Prepare for a hard landing, losers!” Rocket declared.

***

You loudly gasped and started scrambling up on your feet. You started to sprint to who-knows-where. Everything you see were all different shades of purple and it was making your head hurt more. You felt like you were seeing things. Right now, you think you just saw Gamora standing at the distance. Your heart was starting to pulsate and you were wheezing aggressively. You finally gave into the anxiety attack as you laid on the ground, curling and sobbing like a baby.

Someone was calling out to you, but you were in deaf ears. It was like going back to that void again.

“(Y/n)! Hey, (Y/n)! I’m here!” Peter was trying to get your attention. You weren’t budging, still staring straightforward and crying nonstop. He held your shoulders tightly and gently as he moved you to face him. He focused on you. “Hey, you’re okay, alright? You’re okay. Everything’s fine.”

You wept noisily and embraced him. He returned it and soothed you.

***

“I’m sorry,” you apologized.

“For what?” Peter questioned.

You sighed heavily. “That I’m an emotional wreck.”

You finally met up with the rest of the Guardians. You were all sitting on the ground with a purple fire burning at the center. Apparently, Lithios is a crystal mining planet, though, the crystals here were the purple-colored ones. Rocket said Lithios crystals were worth 100,000 credits per piece; the bigger the size, the higher the price. Thor, though, went to find his own area.

“So what?” Peter seemed disinterested with your answer.

You narrowed your brows. “Don’t you get it? I looked like I was falling apart back there. I could have gotten myself killed if this planet was a dangerous one. I could’ve let the team down just because I could’ve had a tragic way to die.”

“But you are still here and you did not die,” Drax commented as he sipped on a gooey-looking soup.

You fought the urge not to roll your eyes. “Yes, Drax, I am still alive and kicking. I was only sharing a scenario.”

Drax’s eyelids drooped. “You are not kicking. You are sitting right there.”

You finally bowled your eyes whilst exhaled a breath as Peter chuckled and spoke, “But, really, it’s okay. You’re a cute emotional wreck, anyway.”

All of the Guardians including yourself stared at him. Peter froze and flickered his eyes from one member to the other and vice versa.

“What?” he queried.

“I think I need to clean my ears. Did I hear ya right, Star-munch?” Rocket opined as he tried to clean his one ear with his pinky paw finger.

Mantis, who was sitting beside Peter, held his back hand and felt a strange euphoria coursing through her antenna. The Terran immediately swatted his hand away from her.

“You are in love,” Mantis concluded.

Peter laughed dryly. “Okay, that’s just funny. First of all, I am not.”

“Is it hard to deny that you are in love with (Y/n)?” Drax went straight to the point.

Peter gaped at him. “I am not, okay? (Y/n)’s like a sister to me, that’s it.”

“Right,” Rocket drawled, signifying that he didn’t believe him.

Peter huffed and attempted to change the topic. “Anyway, we should be worrying about the ship. Rocket, when can we expect full functionality of the Milano?”

Rocket brushed his shoulders up and down. “I don’t know. It could take weeks or, worst, months if we don’t have the materials we need. Just look at the ship. We have a broken left wing and I’m not sure if I can fix that easily.”

“Find a way. We can’t stay here for too long.”

Rocket grunted. “I’ll do what I can. But you do have a point. We can’t stay here long.”

And their conversation prolonged. Groot peered at you and gave a small smile. “I am Groot. (He likes you.)”

You returned the upward curve on your lips. “I hope so. I really do hope so.” You gazed at the Star-Lord longingly.

[lilisouless]

The all women scene in Endgame is bullshit

Because Marvel doesn’t deserve to be praised about it,doesn’t deserve the support of feminist , is not awesome at all 

Do a group of women posing together seem cool? yeah in theory but...

-Only two of said group of women talk to each other beyond two seconds

-Only two get into the real universe saving mission. One dies and the other actualy screws them over 

-They killed one of them off-screen despite being an important character the previous movie

-One , as the universe´s savior would in theory be the most interesed in the mission, however, is left out 

-Hope,Mantis and Shuri´s action scenes need to be paused to be actualy apreciated as they are quick ,blurry and the scenes doesn’t focus on them

.-Okoye gets not even a little screen time to show her emotions about a) being now in charge of Wakanda b) the people she lost , but they gave Natasha a full crying scene despite not actually loosing anyone important to her. Also kills one of the main villains:

a) when Vision killed him in IW , it was framed as a big dam hero´s momment

b) when she did it, you have to pause it to actually apreciate 

-Gamora doesn’t get a funeral scene, Past! Gamora is treated as if it is a reemplacenment enought 

-No funeral for Natasha, Steve seems more sad about loosing Tony than her despite her being closer (one of his best friends) to him

-No mention of how similar Valkyrie´s alcohol problem in Ragnarok could mirror Thor´s breakdown , aka : wasting an oportunity of her returning his favor when he inspired her to come back as her warrior self. 

-And , why wasn’t Valkyrie invited to the universe saving mission? 

-Also, Wanda was already close to Thanos to finishes herself but it seems like they forgot that so she could pose with the girls 

-In fact, they care so little about what they do with their female characters that they totaly forgot Hope was already near to the portal , how did she got there so fast if Captain Marvel (who can fly and is supposedly faster) still needed a long wahy to get there?

The “all women” scene is bullshit, and it´s purpose is to cover how little they care about their female characters . Don’t let it fool you 

Do all marvel movies do this? No

-Winter Soldier actualy cares about Nat beyond fanservice , like the first Avengers was nice too but it didn’t let her much focus beyond her relationship with Clint

-Ragnarok gets half the point, while is kind of mean just brush Jane out (thought to be fair the actors didn’t really had much chemistry so it was not hard to belive their break up) but Valkyrie is not bad handled ,also first woman as the main villain and extremely powerful  

-Black Panther, for now , is the best of the movies in it´s treatment of their female heroes 

-Ant man and The Wasp. actualy does an effort to set the characters as equals 

-Lets say Captain Marvel, but it could had been much better since they were clearly in a rush and didn’t developed her too well

So they CAN handle a female character, they just don’t want too and don’t think we would notice if they just put them all together in one badass scene .

[themurphyzone]

Lucky Thirteen Ch 3

Ch 3: Three’s a Crowd

Come to Alvizo’s Cafe on Haywood Street. My treat. 

He sent the text, wondering if Dakota was even awake. He’d see the text soon enough, and the promise of brunch would be incredibly tantalizing for his food-obsessed mind. 

The quickest way to Dakota’s heart was through his stomach after all. Cavendish paying for the meal was just the cherry on the sundae. 

The downside was that he’d also have to pay for Doofenshmirtz’s meal too. There was no way around it. Dakota would get suspicious if he didn’t pay for Doofenshmirtz. And Cavendish couldn’t afford to be seen as anything less than a gracious host. 

“That’s weird, the Tip-inator’s supposed to automatically calculate the tip based on your bill and generate the right amount. I have no idea why it’s spitting out enough coins to fill up a Swiss Bank.” 

The floor was completely littered in dimes and quarters, and workers had to take it slow so they didn’t trip over the metallic piles. Many patrons were shooting dirty looks at Doofenshmirtz, though he didn’t seem to notice or care. 

“Can’t you turn it off?” Cavendish asked. 

Doofenshmirtz rolled his eyes. “And miss a chance to do good? Society doesn’t appreciate servers and vendors enough! I should know, I used to be a bratwurst street vendor. I would do my whole ‘I am a Superstar’ routine again if it meant getting this many tips.” 

Cavendish’s phone buzzed. 

Be there soon. Yum! 

Dakota had tacked on a slew of food emojis at the end of his message. For some reason, Dakota insisted on using cups of tea and hamburgers in every text conversation. 

“Moving on. Dakota will be here in just a few minutes. Remember, your job is to make things less awkward than they already are,” Cavendish said. 

Doofenshmirtz threw up his hands. “Hey man, I’m a do-gooder, not a miracle worker. But look on the bright side you unjolly green giant, you don’t have to worry about your budget. If you don’t have enough, you can just scoop some coins off the floor to make up the rest of the bill.” 

Cavendish wasn’t cruel enough to subject a poor worker to counting that many coins. Go figure that Doofenshmirtz managed to figure out a way to help an employee with finances while simultaneously diminishing their efficiency at work. 

Cavendish patted his lapel, making absolutely sure the ring box was secured. He couldn’t afford to lose the rings again. 

The clock’s hands ticked on. 

Dakota still wasn’t here. 

There weren’t any new messages either. 

What’s the exact timeframe of ‘soon’ in this context? A few minutes, an hour, a day, or when the Earth ceases to exist? 

Doofenshmirtz snapped his fingers in Cavendish’s face, bringing him back to the present. “Geez, did you eat something last night that turns you into a praying mantis? Cause I don’t want to be anywhere near you if you’re gonna adopt the whole behead your mate thing.” 

Cavendish realized that he’d been involuntarily holding his arms in front of him, bent at an awkward downward angle. The praying mantis description was somewhat accurate. He shoved his hands into his pockets, slumping against the back of his chair. 

He’d never been good at hiding that particular nervous tic. 

“No, I am not adopting that bug’s appalling mating or dietary habits,” Cavendish muttered petulantly. 

“That’s a relief. Just thought I’d warn you from personal experience, avoid all insects during your proposal. They tend to bug the intended fiance,” Doofenshmirtz said, grinning widely at his own pun. “You see what I did there? Bug as in insect bug?” 

“Yes, you’re a pungeon master entirely worthy of an Emmy award,” Cavendish muttered. “So you’ve proposed before? What did you do?” 

“Wrote a musical number and hired backup singers. Jazz is Charlene’s favorite genre. Had this whole nifty bit with the saxophone. She was impressed. Then a swarm of bees were attracted to the pots of honey we used as background props and stung almost everyone. Charlene managed to escape unscathed, but the backup singers had at least four stingers each and I had to go to the hospital because of allergies. Charlene managed to smooth everyone’s feathers out, cause the backup singers weren’t that happy with me afterward.” 

Note to self: Try to avoid anaphylactic shock via bee stings during proposal. Easy enough to prevent: just don’t involve honeypots in any way, shape, or form. 

“Then we got married, had Vanessa...remind me to show you pictures later, she’s always frowning in her baby pictures but she looks so adorable doing it...oh, and now we’re divorced.” 

Cavendish thought he’d misheard that last sentence. 

Doofenshmirtz coughed. “Now that I think about it, mentioning divorce probably isn’t soothing your nerves.” 

Divorced. Please let me fall to Earth’s molten core so I don’t have to deal with this anymore. 

Dakota arrived half an hour later. He munched on a chocolate donut, casually wading through the pile of coins that were now ankle-deep. 

“What took you so long?” Cavendish griped once Dakota sat down. 

“Donut place had free samples. Figured I’d grab one for the road,” Dakota replied, licking the chocolate off his fingers. “And I can’t say no to the breakfast burritos here.” 

“Yes, heaven forbid that you refuse food,” Cavendish agreed. 

“Yeah, he was all worried about being jilted,” Doofenshmirtz added. “Perry the Platypus did that to me from time to time. Like, I get the mysterious secret agent schtick, but at least tell me why you can’t thwart first.” 

Cavendish scowled. “I wasn’t worried about being jilted! You’re completely misconstruing the situation!” 

Realizing that people were staring, Cavendish quickly buried his head in the menu and pretended to read the pancake options. Since Cavendish was preoccupied with his embarrassment, Dakota was the one who signaled a waiter to come over and take their orders. 

“Blueberry pancakes with tea,” Cavendish mumbled to the waiter, regretting that he couldn’t hang onto the menu to hide behind when he needed a moment to recuperate. 

Rather predictably, Dakota ordered breakfast burritos. 

Doofenshmirtz decided on eggs and bratwurst. He spent four minutes rambling about the superiority of bratwurst to hot dogs before the waiter got fed up and left for the kitchen. 

“How’s Milo doing?” Dakota asked. “I’m trying to lay low for a while. I think his parents are trying to get me and Cavendish to pay for a new table since we used theirs to temporarily plug a deadly vortex.” 

“He told me some of my bad luck came from not thinking things through,” Doofenshmirtz said. “I think he’s onto something.” 

“Yeah, he’s a smart kid,” Dakota said.  

“So if I just take enough time to think about my actions, I can avoid stuff blowing up in my face at a later point. Alright, so I ordered eggs and bratwurst, and that doesn’t come with dairy, so my body won’t react from lactose intolerance, the cafe gets $10.99 from my order alone, unless the coins build up enough to cause structural damage which they’d have to spend money to fix,” Doofenshmirtz mused. He quickly pressed a button on the Tip-inator, and the coin flow trickled to a halt. “Oh, that’s useful. I found a potential consequence and I figured out how to avert it. Thinking through stuff works!” 

By now, everyone’s knees were buried underneath the coins. Parents had to carry their children out the door. 

The waiter finally delivered their food, then rushed over to help a coworker who was stuck behind the counter.

Cavendish tried to focus on cutting his pancakes instead of how he had nothing to talk about. How did one broach the topic of engagement? 

Thank you for not letting me stay dead. Will you marry me?  

Yeah, that would go over well. 

“You gonna say something or what?” Doofenshmirtz asked, poking Cavendish with his fork. “Cause you’re quieter than Mother whenever she gave me the silent treatment.” 

Cavendish brushed the offending utensil away. “I was about to say how...nice the sun is today.” 

Dakota pointed to the gray clouds that blanketed the sky. “It’s overcast.”

“Of course,” Cavendish quickly amended. “The clouds look nice today.”

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Dakota asked. His breakfast burrito threatened to dump its contents all over his pants. 

“Dakota, keep that greasy thing over your plate,” Cavendish scolded. 

Dakota sighed in relief. “Never mind, you’re fine.” 

“Look, a nonspecific thing in the ceiling!” Doofenshmirtz shouted, pointing above Dakota’s head. When Dakota glanced at the ceiling, Doofenshmirtz snatched Cavendish’s arm and hauled him to the restroom. 

Cavendish yanked his arm out of Doofenshmirtz’s grip. The doc was faster than he looked. 

“What’s gotten into you?” Cavendish snapped.

Doofenshmirtz scowled. “That’s my line, mustachio. The sun is nice? The clouds are nice? I can’t believe you sunk low enough to start talking about the weather! That’s like, first date material! The kind that doesn’t lead to a second date!” 

“I was nervous!” 

“I was nervous when I proposed! And you know what? I just did the musical number anyway! Just pop the question already!” 

“Why are you even here?” 

“You told Brigitte and Martin that you wanted my help! Okay, Martin seemed oddly happy that I was out of the house but oh well. They filled me on the way over here,” Doofenshmirtz said. 

“You’re the worst wingman in the history of wingmen,” Cavendish growled. 

“I’m beginning to understand why Perry the Platypus always seemed more annoyed when he had to wingman my dates,” Doofenshmirtz sighed. “Still, I don’t think I was ever this hopeless.” 

He has a point. This is hopeless. 

Cavendish turned to the sink, splashing his face with water to clear his mind. 

“What do I even say?” Cavendish muttered. 

“Well, if you can’t do musical numbers or long, flowery speeches, there’s always the direct approach.” 

Though he was fairly certain that Doofenshmirtz and direct were complete opposites, Cavendish decided to humor him. “What’s your idea for the direct approach?” he asked. 

“Some punching, a little kicking...you know if you throw your hat like a projectile he’ll probably find it cool. And trapping! Trapping him in your clutches works too!” 

“Never mind. I regret asking.” 

“And the manager had to bring out this really tall stepladder! And he was afraid of heights so he asked our waiter, but he was afraid of bats. So they tried getting this other girl to do it but she was afraid of ladders,” Dakota said, continuing his play-by-play of the events that Cavendish and Doofenshmirtz missed while they’d argued in the restroom. “So they got their chef out here and guess what?” 

“He was afraid of ceilings?” Doofenshmirtz guessed. 

Dakota shook his head. “Nope, he was scared of the spider that made its home in a top corner of the ladder. But they got the bat down, so crisis averted.”  

Doofenshmirtz and Dakota laughed together, but Cavendish really didn’t see what was so funny about it. At least heights, ladders, bats, and spiders were all tangible. 

Cavendish couldn’t pinpoint his fear toward one thing when it came to the dreaded question. 

Their food was cleared away, then the check was dropped off. Cavendish felt a bit guilty when he saw the receipt.

“What’s up? More than you expected?” Dakota asked. 

“Said it was my treat, didn’t I?” Cavendish said, carefully counting out his money to make exact change. The total price of their meals didn’t bother him, but the physical receipt did. 

He looked up to find Doofenshmirtz pinching his index finger and thumb together to form a ring shape, not so subtly indicating Dakota with his other hand. 

Okay, maybe I can do this. How hard can it be? Face Dakota. Open mouth. Try not to insult him. Take out ring box. Actually, speaking should go somewhere in there too. 

“Dakota, there’s something-”

“WE HAVE SECURED PERMISSION TO SEARCH THIS CAFE!” 

Everyone screamed as coins suddenly flew everywhere. Three men in perfectly tailored suits and sunglasses spread out, swiping through coin piles and upturning tables as they searched. 

“Excuse me, gentlemen,” one of the men said, stopping at their table. “Many of the patrons have stated that a machine is the source of these coins. They pointed us to your table. Do you know anything?” 

Cavendish and Dakota were fully prepared to deny these accusations, but Doofenshmirtz beat them to the punch. 

“The Tip-inator’s mine,” Doofenshmirtz said, brushing coins off the machine and setting it in front of the stunned agent. “Waiters won’t have to worry about bad tips again with this puppy!” 

Some people were just asking to be punched in the face with an elephant. 

“Counterfeiting is a federal offense. We’ll have to take you in,” the man said as he handcuffed Doofenshmirtz. Then he gestured to Cavendish and Dakota. “Are they accomplices?” 

“No,” Doofenshmirtz scowled. “I was wingmaning them cause the leprechaun can’t-” 

“Yeesh,” the agent grimaced, and Cavendish was grateful for his timing. “Word of advice: don’t pick felons for wingmen.” 

Tell me about it. 

“Wow, so this is the consequence I should’ve been wary of, not the structural damage thing,” Doofenshmirtz said as he was led to a white federal vehicle and taken away. He may have the right to remain silent, but he sure as heck wouldn’t be taking advantage of it. 

“Why was he wingmaning us? Did you need a mediator cause you’re mad at me for some reason?” Dakota asked. 

“Yes and no,” Cavendish said. 

“This is about me dropping your Professor Time boxers into the red load at the laundromat, isn’t it?” 

“No, it’s not that. I wanted a nice brunch and then he goes and gets himself arrested and I’ve been overcome by the urge to strangle my twenty-year-old self for buying that Professor Time pin-up calendar...and you dropped my Professor Time boxers into the red load?” 

Dakota grinned. “I plead not guilty.” 

“Don’t even joke about that,” Cavendish muttered. 

“Thanks for the burrito. It was good. There’s an adoption fair in the mall today. You wanna go look at cute animals?” 

“You go ahead. I think I need a me day,” Cavendish said. Mostly to think about his next course of action, since Operation: Propose After Brunch was a complete bust. 

“Catch ya later then,” Dakota said, humming to himself as he walked off. “Goin’ to the fair. Goin’ to the fair, and then I’m gonna see some animals!” 

The world didn’t end. It’s not exactly the worst case scenario. 

“Krrr.” 

Cavendish looked up from his sulking to find Perry the Platypus examining the Tip-inator. The men must’ve forgotten to take the machine for evidence. 

“The federal agents arrested Doofenshmirtz for counterfeiting,” Cavendish explained. “He was trying to correct the issue of bad tipping.” 

Perry tipped his hat in a silent thanks, scribbling out a note that stated he would speak to Doofenshmirtz later. 

And use some cartoonish physical violence too. Cavendish chose not to question it. 

Perry flipped a switch in the Tip-inator, and the coins vanished in a flash of light. Then he ripped out a wire, disabling it for good. 

“When you see him, can you punch him once for me?” Cavendish asked. 

Perry saluted, more than happy to oblige the request. 

It wouldn’t solve his proposal problem, but it made him feel better. 

AN: Talk about a trainwreck

[anagentinwriting]

To Catch a Thief - Part 10

Summary: Being an FBI field agent was your dream job but having been stuck behind a desk for most of your career you’ve almost given up. Fortunately, a series of robberies with minimal evidence forces you to assist a team in the field to help solve the case. But when the only thing left behind is a series of song lyrics, will you be able to find the perp? Or will the number of obstacles and lack of evidence keep you from solving the case?

Pairing: Peter Quill x Reader

Word Count: 3482

Warnings: Language

To Catch a Thief Masterlist / Main Masterlist

Gamora sat beside you in the interrogation room helping Peter finish the last few touches of his arrangement, which guaranteed his mother safety and him being pardoned for any crimes he committed.  Yondu thought it was best to give Peter something in this deal since he was the only one coming forward with information. With one last signature from him, Gamora left the room.

On the surface, Peter appeared calm and relaxed but underneath he had to be a little worried. He reached for the styrofoam cup filled with coffee and took a sip as you begin your questioning. “Now that everything's squared away, I want to know how you managed to pass the polygraph test even though you were guilty.”

“Out of everything that’s what you want to know?” The corner of his mouth turned up not being able to hide his amusement.

“To start, call me intrigued. Mantis is one of the best polygraphers in the country and she wants to know how you pulled it off.” You crossed your arms across your chest and leaned back in your chair.

“The short answer, I got good at believing my own lies.”

“That’s it?” A smirk spread across Peters' lips and he nodded. You didn’t believe him but decided to let it slide for now. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?” You leaned forward grabbing your favorite black pen and tilted the yellow notepad ready to write down any important details.

“Before I begin, I should tell you about my father J’son Quill. He was the infamous Ego.” Peter paused, expecting a reaction out of you but you gave him nothing. “He was apart of Thanos’ crew along with The Collector, but back then he went by Taneleer Tivan. Thanos taught my father and Taneleer everything they needed to know about thieving, and they became unstoppable. After Thanos went into retirement, Taneleer formed his own gang called The Collector and his Trinkets.”

“Did Ego help form this crew?”

“No, my dad didn’t like having big responsibilities, which included me,” Peter breathed. “He only started to come into the picture around the time I turned eight, but when he came to visit it wasn’t your usually father-son bonding time. We didn’t play catch or hit a ball around, instead, he trained me how to be the perfect thief. I was basically my father's protege.”

“What did your mother think of this?”

“She had no idea it was going on. My dad wanted me to keep it a secret because he wanted it to be a surprise for her, so I kept my mouth shut. But, she found out and man was she pissed,” Peter explained, his eyes growing big at the memory. “My mom told him to stop because she didn’t want me to be part of that life. He promised he would, but he was never good at following through with his promises.”

“How long would you say he trained you for? Did he take you on any jobs with him?”

Peter stayed quiet for a moment thinking it over. “I would say about two years. As for the jobs, my dad kept them small. He’d take me to gas stations or mechanic shops, where there was an unsupervised register. Sometimes we would walk down a street or in a park, and he taught me how to pickpocket,” he mentioned, scratching the scruff on his face.  “I guess, there’s only one big job I helped him with. He showed up at my school out of the blue after being gone for about a month. He told me I was ready for the big leagues. It was exciting, but I was a stupid little kid willing to do anything to get my father’s attention.”

“What was the job?”

“I’ll get there. Anyways, my dad took me to this abandoned warehouse outside the city. I didn’t know anything about the plan, but my father gave me an earpiece and ordered me to crawl through the ventilation system.  He told me what way to go until I reached a small office. I looked behind one of the paintings, and that’s when I found the safe.  My dad read me the code while I punched it in and it popped open.  I grabbed the box inside, but before I could get away the lights turned on. Turns out the warehouse we were robbing belonged to The Collector.”

“What was in the box?”

“Patience is key.” Peter tapped to his forehead and pointed at you. “Turns out that month my dad was gone he was working a job in London. This job was important to The Collector, so it was important to him.  Have you ever heard the name Erik Selvig?” You nodded, remembering the name on Gamora’s necklace owners list.  “Erik owned the Aether Infinity Stone necklace until my dad stole it, which put this all in motion.” Peter twirled his finger in the air.

“Wait, The Collector already had one before all this started? That would mean he only needs one more necklace to find,” you exclaimed as the realization dawned on you. You remembered someone mentioning it the night you followed Peter to the warehouse, but it must’ve slipped your mind. “Were you and Ego trying to steal the red Infinity Stone necklace back from him?”

“Yes and yes,” Peter replied.  “Ego promised Taneleer he’d steal all the Infinity Stone necklaces for him. Shortly after he stole the necklace from Selvig, my dad decided to learn more about them. He came to realize how valuable they were so he wanted to steal them all for himself. He decided to start with the red stone which is where I came in.” Peter hesitated for a moment before he went on. “At the warehouse that night, I watched The Collector murder my father for his betrayal.”

Your eyes darted to his, but his eyes remained focused on the styrofoam cup in his hands. Peter saw everything. He watched his father die right in front of him. You couldn’t even imagine seeing the last look on your parents face before they died, but Peter did. “I’m sorry, Peter.”

He didn’t answer, but his eyes flashed up to yours for a quick second. “I didn’t cry when it happened. Should I have cried for him, since he was my father? Does that make me a terrible person?" Peter knitted his brows together forming a crease between them. “I could've been in shock and wasn’t comprehending it, or did I finally realized he never cared about me at all? He was just using me because I was a small kid that could fit into places adults couldn’t,” Peter confessed, pressing his lips together in a hard line.

You didn’t move. You couldn’t take your eyes off him. How did you not realize this before? You and Peter were in the same boat. Both of us were used and manipulated by someone we cared about. We were the pawns in other people’s schemes, but if he knew what it felt like to be used why’d he do it to you?

“No it doesn’t,” you whispered, and his eyes snapped up to you. You wanted to keep your emotions out of this, but seeing Peter in this valuable state was painful to watch. He’s always so charismatic and candid, but this was a side of him you’ve never seen before. “Not crying over your father, doesn’t make you a bad person. Yeah, he might’ve been your father, but that doesn’t make him your dad.” He nodded, and you watched his whole body relax as he let out a deep breath.

You didn’t want to continue questioning him. You wanted this to be over, but the few little tidbits about daddy issues, thief training, and The Collector wouldn’t be enough, so you had to keep digging. “Did anything happen after The Collector killed Ego? Did you talk to the police about what happened?”

“I don’t remember much. It all blurred together through the years,” Peter answered, rubbing his head. “The one thing I do remember was Yondu putting me into his squad car and bringing me to the station. He tried to get me to talk, but I wasn’t saying anything. Instead of pressuring me, he took me to his office, turned on the radio, and handed me some crayons and paper. He didn’t say anything he just sat with me. To this day, I still don’t know how the old man got me talking, but I told him everything.”

“Do you know how the Collector got away with it? I mean, how is he still walking free if you explained everything to the police?” You questioned with your eyebrows drawing together.

“The Collectors cousin, Carlo, admitted to it. He told the police he couldn’t live with the guilt. He ended up telling them exactly what happened, but the knife was in his hand instead of The Collectors. They believed him and ignored everything I said except for Yondu.  They didn’t look into it any further so case closed.” Peter gave a half shrug, shaking his head.

Carlo gave up his life to protect a guilty man even though Peter told Yondu the real story. They should’ve examined the evidence further and viewed this case from all points of view. This was lazy police work. “What happened after that night?”

“My mom and I moved around a lot never staying in one place for long. She got a job as a traveling nurse, so it helped keep us off The Collectors radar. Her worst nightmare was not being able to protect me from him.” He shifted in his sit folding his hands together in his lap. “About two years later, my mom got diagnosed with brain cancer. She started treatment, which forced us to move back to New York. When the treatment hit her hard, she couldn’t work anymore, so I stole to make ends meet. I knew it was wrong, so I left IOU’s behind signed by Star-Lord. Whenever I got money, I sent what I owed plus interest because they kept me from starving.”

“Did your mom find out about this?”

“No, but if she did she never said anything. I wanted her to focus on getting better and not be worrying about me. The day she went into remission was a relief, but this brings us back to the present, about 17 years later, and her cancer is back,” he sighed, shaking his head in disbelief.

“About four in a half months ago, The Collector finally caught up with us, and he took my mom hostage.” Your jaw dropped at his confession. “He promised me my mother would get the best treatment available, if and only if, I fulfill my father's unfinished promise.  He wanted me to pick up where Ego left off, and if I didn’t, he was going to kill my mother. I wasn't going to let that happen,” Peter admitted with his eyes boring into yours.

Peter was telling the truth, he wasn't in this for the money or the glory. He was in it for the sole reason to protect his mother as she did for him all those years ago. Everything finally connected into place. Peter left these lyrics behind to share his side of the story.  

Like in the lyrics, Peter had a rough upbringing, but he pushed through hoping things would get better. When they did, he accepted his past and was finally excited about his future. The last lyrics he left put everything into perspective. Peter was on the run from the police as well as The Collector.  Peter knew he would get caught at some point, but he wanted to make clear his mother was innocent. He may be guilty of committing these robberies, but it all goes back to Ego and what he made Peter into.

“Shit! I don’t... I had no idea.” You almost reached out to grab his hand, but you stopped yourself. He hurt you, but you still found yourself caring about him. Your emotions were all over the place, but you needed to buckle down and keep this professional. “We’ll do whatever it takes to get your mom back, and I promise….we promise we will keep her safe once this is all over.”

“Thank you,” Peter spoke up. “I know you didn’t see everything.” You tilt your head confused to what he was referring to. “Last night. After I handed over the necklace, I got to see my mom for a few minutes. If you saw her, you would’ve learned the truth.” Your eyes dart down to your notepad feeling a little guilty about this whole mess. “Hey, it's okay. I should’ve come clean the first time I came in it’s.....it’s my fault.”

You nodded, he was right. If he came clean earlier things could’ve turned out differently between the two of you, but it was too late for what ifs. You found out the truth in a bad way and it will take you some time to move on. The room remained quiet for a few more minutes before you continued. “We need to know more to help you.”

“What else do you need? I’m an open book ready to confess all the spoilers.” His eyes connected with yours. He seemed ready to give up everything if he had to.

“We need to know who was all involved in these crimes. More specifically who helped you?”

“There are four guys in charge of me. Ronan, the Collectors right-hand man, makes sure I show up to each thief and go thru with it.  Korath is the tech guy.  He’s super smart with technology, and I swear, it’s almost like half his brain is a machine with how fast he works. He was able to fiddle with the camera feeds to make sure I got in and out undetected. And to top it all off, he purposely messes up my code name, so that hurts.” Peter pressed his lips together shaking his head.

“Umm....theirs Retch but I don’t know what he does besides get bossed around by the others. The last guy is Taserface,” he laughed. “What kind of name is that? How he thought  that was a kickass name is beyond me?” You let out a quiet chuckle with him. “I think he may be extra muscle because he isn’t the brightest character. I mean, how could you be with a name like Taserface,” he chuckled again, forcing you to crack a small smile.

“How did you pull off each thief?” You clicked your pen, ready to take notes as you waited for him to answer.

“I was in Las Vegas for a Bachelor Party, that wasn’t a lie. The other obvious reason was to steal the necklace. I did a few days of recon myself before the heist because this was my first job with these idiots, and I didn’t want to get caught for something they missed. The day of Retch got me the same uniform as the guard, so all I had to do was wear the uniform, knock out the dude, take the keys, unlock the case, grab the necklace, and replace it with the hologram replica the Trinkets created. All while hiding my face from the many many cameras in that casino.

“The theft at Dr. Strange’s resistance was the most challenging because I didn’t get to recon it myself.  I had to trust the Trinkets, which is tough to do. Korath hacked into the cameras and alarm systems to turn them off, so all I had to do was crack the safe and get out of there.”

“How would you explain the alibi you gave us?” You asked, narrowing eyes because you heard him in his room that night. How could he be in two places at once?

“Oh, thattt--” he dragged out, flashing you a coy smile “--that was a recording!”

“You recorded yourself having sex.” Your face contorted in both shock and disgust.

“Not my proudest moment, I know--” he held up his hands “--but I had the lady’s consent. It’s not like I did it in secret.”

“Like that makes it any better.” You shake your head at his crazy antics.  “So, then when I was knocking on the door you were--”

“Crawling in through the window,” he answered before you could finish.

“That explains your delayed response. How about the necklace in Norway? I know you scoped it out a few weeks prior to you stealing it.”

“Yes, I went two times. I wanted to prepare for the worst case scenario if something went wrong. Ronan did most of the work on this one, but like I said I trust myself more than I trust the Trinkets. The day of Korath played the same video feed on loop for the security cameras and turned off the sensors in the case. I picked the lock then replaced the real necklace with the hologram replica. It was another easy in easy out.”

“Your alibi here was the Tales from the Galaxy Conference you attended in Florida. How do you explain being in the pictures there when you were actually in Norway?”

“What can I say?” He leaned back in his chair putting his hands behind his head. “When The Collector wants something, he will pull all the strings to make sure it happens. With this heist, his techs hacked the site and photoshopped me into the pictures. I wanted to make sure I was there for one whole day so I could talk to people attending the conference, too. This way if you questioned any of them, they could confirm I was there. As for the flights, I flew in and out of Florida, but my trips to Norway were on The Collectors private jet.”

“Of course they were.” You jotted down some notes before he started the story with the last necklace. He explained how it was like the Vegas heist, but it ended up going array in the end. It didn’t matter because The Collector and his Trinkets were able to pull through and have an answer for everything.

“Do you know how they pulled off the camera footage at the pharmacy because it was time-stamped at the time the necklace was stolen?” You asked, tapping your pen on the table.

“The Trinkets must’ve gotten their hands on it and worked their magic.” He wiggled his fingers out in front of him like he was performing a magic trick.

“What’s weird is no one came forward witnessing you at the museum? Like you said you ran into a kid named Ned Leeds, but he never came forward.”

"Best guess, the Trinkets either threaten him, offered him payment, or killed him. It's their tactic, preferably in that order. They do whatever they want without having to suffer any consequences. I've tried to stop it, but it doesn’t do any good," he explained. He was being honest, and you appreciated his cooperation.

“How were you able to find all these necklaces so fast? We had a hard enough time tracking down one.”

“The Collector and his trinkets found them over the course of 20 years. After my dad died, they scoured the Earth searching for necklaces until they found them.”

“Why didn’t The Collector start stealing the necklaces himself? If he knew where they were, why wait?”

“He tried to, but he failed. In all honesty, The Collector’s a terrible thief, and when he grew tired of failing, he decided to blackmail people into doing his deeds for him. He extorted a few fellas to try and steal them, but they failed, too, except for me of course.”

“How come no one has ever heard of his failures?”

“Nobody wants to admit they own an Infinity Stone necklace.” You nodded at his words, remembering Gamora saying the same thing once before.

“But, why go through all this hassle with making up your alibi if he only has one left to steal?”

“Because sweetheart, I’m the best in the business,” he winked at you as a small grin spread across his lips.

“Do you know where the last necklace is? What is it, the orange Soul Stone necklace?”

“No one knows not even The Collector. The books say Valkyrie was the last one to see it, but I don't think anyone has ever found the hidden world she speaks about. For all I know, it’s a myth, and the stories I've read in these books aren’t even true.”

“Okay. One more question, why leave the lyrics behind?”

“As an apology, mostly. I hoped at least one agent on this case would see past the lyrics, and understand I was doing this for a different reason. I’m lucky because I think one of you got my message,” Peter answered with his eyes on you.

AN: Oh snap! Sorry if your head hurts right now. I know this was a lot of information to process since I did get a little carried away....haha!! What did you think of his motive? Were any of you right? Do you think Peter came in to confess on his own free will, or do you think The Collector put him up to it? Anywho, thanks for reading! 

[woozletania]

A merry frickin’ Grootmas, day 18 - Christmas dinner

As Papa and Alyssum scurried off the the kitchen to work on lunch for a bunch of hungry people, Peter used the opportunity to ask a question that'd bothered him for a year.

"How did you get out here, Paul? You and the others?"

Rocket shot Doctor Foster a glance, but a good-humored one. This despite the fact Star-Lord was referring to the pack of Earth scientists, somehow relocated far out into space, who tore apart a little raccoon and turned it into Rocket. Of that crew there were two survivors: Paul, who now ran Sanctuary, and the man they called Ernst II, the "gate clone" of the head surgeon who'd helped make Rocket and later experimented on his father.  Doctor Foster had helped Rocket survive and escape, while Ernst II was safely locked up now. They'd been assured he'd never see the outside of a Xandarian jail again.

"Slavers," Paul said briefly.  "A few years back some of the crews that head to Earth to buy or steal stuff for sale took to taking people, too.  They took Director Randolph's group from a yacht and later they grabbed me from my one-man sailing ship. Then they'd sink the ships and everyone back home assumed the missing were lost at sea. Some of the people they took are still out there somewhere," he gestured at the sky. "But some of us eventually were freed, and found work."

"But you remember Christmas?" Peter nodded at the strings of lights, the holly, the wreaths decorating Sanctuary, here, half a galaxy away from Terra.

"I was thirty years old when they took me," Doctor Foster said.  "I haven't forgotten what it's like on Earth. Sometimes I think about going back, but I have a life here. Family. Responsibilities." He reached down to gently scratch Rocket's ears and Lylla popped up on her hindpaws to get the same treatment.

"So when you told me you were celebrating the holidays, I thought we'd join in. You know how hard life has been for some of the uplifts." He nodded to a dark-furred Uplift in a security harness who was stretched out like a speed bump on a nearby porch. Seemingly relaxed, the musteline Uplift still watched them alertly out of ink-dark eyes and nodded back.

"We should go to the dining hall. We can talk more about this later."

The Guardians gave a collective nod and followed Paul Foster along the arc of buildings until they reached the dining hall. There they found the "lunch" Papa and Alyssum left to prepare was a little more than that.  The raccoon, ferret and half a dozen other Uplifts along with two Xandarians were in fact working on Christmas dinner. The long dining tables were covered with trays of food and Rocket jumped up on a chair to view the spread. Without a word his little clawed hand started feeding grapes, one of his favorite foods, from a bowl into his mouth. Then his eyes went wide as an even more cherished foodstuff caught his attention.

"Holy crap Pete, they got raisins."

The word pulled Star-Lord over as though by magnetic attraction and the two of them started popping raisins into their mouths.

"How?". The other Guardians were surprised to see how misty-eyed Peter and Rocket went at just the taste.  "How did you get them all the way out here?" Peter gestured at the trays of food, most of which had Xandarian equivalents of Earth food. The grapes and raisins, though, were authentic.

"I've been allowed to grow some Earth foods here," Doctor Foster said. "Grapes, for one, are popular food here now. There are whole orchards, some even on Xandarian colonies." This at least explained why they'd found grapes at more than one vendor over the last year.

"Yeah, but raisins," Rocket said as he ate raisins one after another.  He ate them one at a time, pausing before grabbing another, and Peter did the same. It was a strangely ritualistic behavior and each would wait for the other to grab one before taking one himself.  "You wouldn't believe how much we pay for these from smugglers."

The doctor shrugged, looking confused.  "Raisins are just dried grapes. We dry them right here at Sanctuary when we have extra grapes from a harvest."

There was a flash of white as Alyssum flowed over on all fours and popped up next to the table.  "No snacking," she said good-naturedly, but her pink-padded hand still tapped Rocket's wrist. "If you want to help get the food ready you'll be first in line, though."

"But raisins," Peter said weakly. His wrist, too, got a bap from the ferret's furry paw.

"Later," Gamora said, and led him from the table by the elbow.

"At least we know we know where to get them now," Rocket said as he reluctantly drifted away from the food.

"What is it with you and these raisins," Mantis asked. Alyssum, master of her kitchen, rapidly assigned them each a task helping prepare food.  Rocket, naturally, ended up shoulder to shoulder with his dad peeling the Xandarian equivalent of potatoes.

"It's a long story," Star-Lord said. He nodded to Rocket and the raccoon stealthily passed him a handful of raisins he'd snuck out of the bowl.  "When there's time we'll tell you. Together."

[shyficwriter]

Who's Tougher Part 3

Guardians of the Galaxy fanfic | Reader x Guardians (With Yondu and Kraglin!) Guest starring Thor & Loki

Summary: If you were expecting anything the day after the Guardians find out you're a Nephilim, it wasn't for Thor and Loki to decide to "pop-in" for a visit. Too bad Yondu won't let you hide.

Author’s Note: Part 1 here. Part 2 here.

Word Count: 1,873

You were on the lower deck helping Yondu and Kraglin sort out the best course for an upcoming job. They hadn't brought up anything from the night before and you were grateful for that. You could feel the others staring at you all morning, and so you jumped at the chance to join the two men below deck to work.

Like, you got it. You really did. It would be odd to find out one of your friends had been hiding that they had certain powers or extra abilities, but it was nice to be with a couple of people who at least pretended they didn't give a crap about finding out you weren't actually Terran.

And for the most part, it was true. Yondu and Kraglin didn't care if you weren't Terran. They had raised Peter knowing he was half-celestial for 24 years. You being a Nephilim probably wasn't much different, and the fact that you admitted you didn't use your powers because you couldn't control them pretty much put you in the same boat as Peter, far as they were concerned. It also didn't look like you were gonna start wanting special treatment, if anything it was obvious you would abhor anything like that happening, so yeah, they didn't really care as long as you continued pulling your weight. Far as they were concerned, nothing had changed.

You had opened your mouth to ask Yondu a question when you heard an all-too-familiar voice booming out a happy greeting from the floor above you, followed by Mantis's bubbly excited cry of "Peter! Thor came to visit! And he brought a friend!"

You eyes went wide and you paled, dropping your pen and whatever else you were doing in an instant. "Oh no- Oh fuck-"

"What?" Yondu asked, looking at you strangely. He of course had heard it too, but he wasn't really expecting the look of fear that was in your eyes. Yeah, you had looked awful nervous when Rocket had called the "Thunder Man," but now that almost looked like genuine horror in your eyes. He wondered if he should be worried or amused, and from the look on Kraglin's face, he did too.

"I've got to get out of here." you say, starting to back away while still looking at the ceiling.

"No ya don't," said Kraglin, grabbing your arm and pulling you back. He realized this was likely the perfect time to find out why you were so nervous when Rocket called Thor last night. "Not until you at least tell us what's got ya so scared of Thor and his brother."

You looked at Yondu pleadingly, but he only nodded in agreement with Kraglin.

"Can we maybe do this later?" you plead, your urgency to hide becoming ever more apparent when a voice, softer than Thor's, could be heard asking one of the others upstairs if you were around.

Yondu almost laughed. He hadn't seen you like this before, but whatever had gotten your pants in a twist was clearly the fault of whoever was upstairs. "Nah, I wanna hear what's got you all riled up. This fella an ex-boyfriend of yers or somethin'?"

You make a face at him. "No!"

"Then what? Spill it, otherwise I might just be tempted to call them down here myself." Yondu chuckled.

You glare back at him. "You wouldn't dare."

"He really would, trust me." Kraglin warned, grinning.

"Ugh, fine!" you relented. "When we were younger, there was this prank that sorta went wrong..."

"Go on," Yondu prodded, intrigued.

"And well, you see, I didn't mean for it to happen, but I might have sorta accidentally made Loki lose his hair. Like all of it. Not just on his his head, everywhere. Eyebrows, everything. I heard it took months to start growing back in fully..." you nervously fidgeted, "and I imagine he's probably still real sore about that."

Yondu laughed. "That's all? If that happened when ya'll were kids I doubt he even remembers. I don't see what yer worried about." Sure, maybe it was because Yondu never had much hair himself save for his beard, but he didn't really see what the big deal was.

"You clearly don't know him then," you say, "so if you'll excuse me I'm going to go hide."

Yondu scoffed. "Last I checked we don't hide from our problems like scared babies. How can ya expect to call yerself a guardian of the galaxy if you're gonna run and hide like a scared little orloni? Ya gotta face up to yer fears, not run from them."

You tried to reason with him. "No- you don't understand-"

"I understand plenty enough. Yer gonna march up there and face yer fears like an adult."

"You really don't understand," you pleaded, "I'd have a better chance with the airlock. I can't!"

Yondu rolled his eyes, "Yes ya can. Come on." he then collared you and began to march you towards the stairs. Kraglin followed, fighting not to giggle at the sight.

"No- wait- Yondu- please! Come on!" Your pleas fell on deaf ears the entire way up the stairs until you reached the landing and Yondu turned you to face him.

"Look here. Either ya can straighten up and face this fella, or you can embarrass yourself by continuing to act like a scared little kid, what's it gonna be?"

You look at him pitifully and say, "I really hate you right now."

He only grinned and said, "I know it," before ushering you forward towards the sounds of the voices, keeping his hand on your shoulder.

When you neared the doorway of the room the others were in Yondu felt you start to resist again, but he just pushed you on without a word, chuckling to himself and throwing an amused look at Kraglin, who was grinning wide. All too soon the three of you were standing in the doorway, staring at the rest of the team as they caught up with Thor.

You forced a small smile when Mantis looked over and happily announced your arrival, prompting Thor to turn towards you with a big smile and begin to approach you, calling your name and opening his arms for a hug.

Yondu gave you a not-completely-gentle push when Thor got close enough and you collided the the tall man as he embraced you. You returned the hug, tentatively at first, but then fully. If you were honest with yourself, you had missed him too, and it was nice to be hugged by your old friend.

After a moment or two he pulled away so he could look at you. "It's been so long! No wonder I didn't recognize you!" He chuckled, adding, "I guess 800 years will do that though, I'm sure I also look very different, so it's no wonder you didn't recognize me as well."

Well, that saved your ass in one regard, at least he wouldn't be hurt by (rightfully) thinking you'd been avoiding him and Loki.

"I'm sorry, did you just say 800 years?" Peter interjected.

You gave a sheepish look to your team, who all had wide, surprised eyes. There were several open mouths about the bunch. You were sure if you turned around to look Yondu and Kraglin might have matched their expressions.

Thor looked between you and the rest of the gang before looking back at you with a chuckle, "Didn't tell them?"

You shrugged, still looking sheepish. "Do you think they'd have believed me?" you say with a slight chuckle, throwing a nervous look at Peter and Gamora who still looked like they were processing this new information.

Thor grinned. "I guess not." He then stepped aside, beckoning Loki to say hi to his old friend, cooing about how much you had changed since they'd seen you last.

It wasn't until then that you had gotten a good look at Loki, as Thor's larger frame had obscured him before. He didn't approach to crush you in a hug like Thor, instead staying where he was and offering a little wave as he grinned. You grin nervously and offer a wave in return. You could feel a heat rising in your cheeks.

Dammit.

Of course he would have grown up pretty. His hair certainly came back nicely.

You try to shake the thought from your mind as you turn to Thor and ask, "So, um, what brings you guys here?"

To your surprise, Thor put his arm around your shoulder and walked you closer to where everyone else was at. "Well, Rabbit's call lost signal before I could find Loki," He released you and you turned back to the doorway to see that while Yondu and Kraglin had also stepped further into the room, they remained close to the door, grinning. They were blocking the door so you couldn't run away, the bastards. Thor continued, "so Loki suggested we just pop-by for a visit instead." Thor answered with a grin.

Your head snapped back toward the group. So it was Loki's idea? Oh no.

Loki's grin seemed to get wider. "Yes, I thought it'd be fun to catch up with an old friend. I can't for the life of me remember why we lost touch. Do you?" His eyes seemed to sparkle with glee, and you were certain you weren't imagining it.

You swallowed, forcing a smile. He absolutely remembered. Crap. "Um, no. I have no idea either..." you lied, praying that no one else noticed the blush in your cheeks. "I guess things just... happen."

"Would you guys like to stay for supper?" Gamora offered, and Peter gave her a look. Peter and Thor had only just barely gotten past their dick-measuring contest the last time he was here, and his ego was still a little bruised. Gamora caught his look and clarified, "That way everyone can catch up more? Drax will be making stew."

Stay for supper? Oh no. It was only just after lunch, they'd be here for hours if they stayed for supper. Gamora, why?? Well, it was just an offer, they may decline...

Thor and Loki exchanged looks each meant to ask if the other cared before shrugging and Thor answering that they'd love to stay for supper.

Damn.

Yondu spoke up. "Hell, why not stay a couple days!" Peter shot him a look as well before he caught Yondu's wink. "After all, you three must have a lot of catchin' up to do if it's been 800 years since ya'll seen each other last."

You throw a pleading glare at the Centaurian and Thor speaks up, "Oh, we could never impose like that-"

You quietly sighed. Thank goodness.

"Nonsense, boy!" Yondu says, approaching to put his arms around you and Thor's shoulders. "We're happy to have the company. Right, Quill?"

Aw, hell, Yondu! Seriously!? You wanted to kill him.

To your dismay Peter had read the room and now sported a smile. "Yeah. Stay a couple days, I insist."

Your nostrils flared. These fuckers were working against you. However, your blood ran cold when you heard Loki's smooth voice say, "Well, brother, they did insist," and then heard Thor finally agree to staying.

Loki met your eyes, grinning wide.

You were so dead.

[blackcherrybombbomb]

I reblogged this originally just as it was, because I love this idea but it’s given me some thoughts that I’d like to write down.

The thought of Hua and Senti spending Hua’s school days together is really cute! I imagine it would help Hua a lot to know that someone is unreservedly on her side, just like I have no doubt Senti would be playing some tricks of her own on those who spoke bad about Hua.

I imagine if Hua had Senti as a life partner she would know about the Honkai threat long before she became a MOTH and a MANTIS. I don’t think she’d know just how dangerous the threat is, but I can’t see Senti not trying to prepare Hua for what’s going to come as a means to keep them both safe.

In regards to Herrschers, the Herrscher of Sentience in particular, I feel that Senti would bring up how similar her abilities could be to the PE HoS, maybe even making references of *them* possibly becoming a Herrscher, speaking cruelly about herself as a result of the damage she did as HoS in the future she came from. It would take Hua’s acceptance of that possibility, because she would, Hua does not lack faith in those she trusts, that would bring forth another understanding of their relationship together. Whether Senti would bring of up the possible future she knows at that point or now is debatable, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she said some of it.

I also think Senti would urge her to take the MANTIS treatment earlier as a means of getting stronger. As what is basically a minor Honkai Will, I don’t doubt Senti could control a large factor of that surgery to ensure Hua survives. What beast they used as a base is debatable, but they’d probably search for something from the same time period as Su’s choice, aka a beast created during the HoS fights, rather than wait for the Key of Domination incident that changed her originally.

I think Hua and Senti would try to play off their shared mind/soul-scape as alternate personalities rather than Senti crafting herself a false body to inhabit. But absolutely I agree that Senti would run around causing mischief when she could, either to help ‘lighten things up’ or for previous slights from the other Flame-chasers that only she remembers.

I agree that Hua would be softer during her Celestial Era, Senti being there to keep her grounded, remind her that the people suffering aren’t just opposition, but victims that deserve to be treated kindly even if in a deadly manner.

As for the betrayal of her students, I think Senti would lash out when they attacked Hua. Like in one fanfiction I read that I can’t remember the name of, I think that would be when Senti and Hua become the Herrscher of Sentience in this newly made timeline. Of course with Su and Kevin in time out, the girls would be left to clean up the mess of the eruption, but I don’t doubt they’d see it through.

Senti would *HATE* Schicksel and Otto. She likely wouldn’t explain why, but she would not be quiet in her dislike. Hua would likely be more distant here from Schicksel command than she was in canon.

And Senti would be so *HAPPY* when she sees the girls again. Depending on what you think Senti’s relationship with each of them is overall, maybe the two of them try hard to be close to the girls. Act as better confidants and guides than they might have been before.

Would Senti allow Hua to be shot by Otto? The incident is what gave birth to Senti in the first place, yes, but here she ALREADY EXISTS. They don’t need that to happen, especially if she became the HoS already as well.

Maybe that would end in a proper duel between Senti and Otto? That’d be cool.

That’s my thoughts for now, but I love this concept!

AU where Senti goes to the past and ends in past Hua's body. Before everything, when Hua was still in school. Senti gets to experience Hua's normal days while Hua gains a friend.

Senti one day wakes up and finds out that not only she's not blocking Hua for some reason anymore, but that Hua doesn't seem to remember her? Also wdym you're not old?? Meanwhile Hua is having a huge crisis because who the fuck is this how are you in my head. Eventually, Senti makes an excuse about how she's not going to hurt anyone. They start to hang out and get along.

Senti manifests herself as another entity that lives in Hua's head, similar to Seele and Seele. She can make herself visible for everyone else, of course. She just doesn't want to.

Senti follows Hua around and judges her life choices. Hua is confused, but accepts the critism. That makes Senti angry.

Then, Hua finds out about Herrschers and asks Senti if she is one. Senti responds saying that she doesn't care, that they're one and the same and nothing else matters.

Sometimes Hua lets Senti take over her body. The flamechasers are weirded out by it, but they're used to it. Elysia somehow always knows when Senti is going to come out. They prank Mobius together, and just when Mobius finds them, Senti gives Hua her body so that Mobius can't be mad at her.

Senti stays with Hua when Prev Era Himeko dies. During the Taixuan (I forgot how to spell it) era, Hua is softer than she is in canon due to always having a friend with her.

Senti cries when everyone they know dies.

When Hua sacrifices her memories, Senti is heartbroken. She introduced herself again, and is determinated to start all over. Hua can't help but feel happy whenever she sees her. She doesn't remember her, but she knows that this weird Herrscher should be important to her. (Senti cries when she tells her lmao.)

Senti screams when they meet Kiana, Bronya, Mei and the others. Hua is confused by her excitement.

When Hua “dies” and Senti takes over her body, she goes crazy trying to find her (and Kiana). It's weird for her to be in control of the body without Hua's presence.

[disregardcanon]

thoughts on guardians of the galaxy 2

i really really liked this one. i think that it did a good job of building on the foundation that the first one gave us, and didn’t fall into that sequel trap of trying to be the same movie that the first one was. 

it had much of the same charm of the first one, but most of the plot lines weren’t recycled as much as carried over and then they added the perfect amount of new material and characters. 

they really developed nebula’s character and her relationship with both her “father” and gamora, which i appreciated. i also really loved what they did with rocket’s character, and then what they did with yandu. (have i mentioned that rocket is my favorite yet? i love that raccoon and all of his abandonment issues okay) 

i really liked mantis and what she brought to the group, and i thought that her characterization seemed plausible. i liked what her actress did with the role, and i think that she really added some perspective early on. like we could all tell that peter’s dad was off to begin with, but he seemed like such a likable dude that i at least didn’t really want to see it, especially because of how happy it seemed to be making peter. what we got of his treatment of mantis always brought me back to the “oh yes this guy will be a bad guy” headspace when he wasn’t on screen. 

he was a really effective villain for the story and for peter himself, because he represented all these things that peter always wanted, and it of course seemed like everything was going to be wonderful. he found his father and a world that he could tailor to what he wanted and someone he could reminisce about his mother with. he thought that he’d found paradise, even though as gamora said (paraphrasing) “i thought you’d already found it (your family)” it was exactly what peter needed to lose sight of his found family, and that’s what made it so effective for this setting. 

peter snapping out of it when he realized that ego killed his mother was a hell of a thing, and then the theme of the song with brand and the sea seemed really fitting. it was a little on the nose, but as a writer i would do something like that so i’ll let it slide. i also think that it was very cool how ego did seem to genuinely care for meredith and peter himself, but he could never care for anything more than himself and his own supremacy and survival. (meredith was a weakness, and she had to go. she was brandy as opposed to the sea) peter was both an extension of himself and of meredith, who he “couldn’t” keep. 

i also loved the visuals in this one, like even more so than the first. ego’s planet was gorgeous, and the eldritch beast qualities of his animation were totally creepy and really worked, and i love love loved the scene with his rebuilding his skin from scratch. 

i also liked how peter was supposed to fulfill the hell portal trope basically, which was a cool choice because every instance i can think of with that trope is a female character. speaking of female characters, this one felt much less sexist than the last one. which was great because that was one of my biggest problems with the first one, along with generally weak villains.

also love love loved the additional worldbuilding we got with the ravagers and the character development on yandu. i also really liked the golden people and their remote controlled planes in the 80s arcade style because it was funny, clever, and felt right in with the 80s homage the whole series has going for it. 

overall it was what i wanted from a sequel. i really liked it. like, really really liked it. 

[thehumanishere]

Spring Festival: Day 15 (Festival of the Full Moon) (Last Day)

And finally, Day 15, which is the final day of the Spring Festival. Part 4 is here, enjoy! (Warning: I don’t really know what have I written for this chapter. Tons of fluff, I guess)

Today is the last day of the Spring Festival, also known as the Festival of the First Full Moon. On this day, specifically at night, the citizens of the Valley of Peace would decorate the main street of the village with lanterns with riddles hanging on them. Other than that, food stalls would be set up by the side of the street. Children would crowd at the candy stall, while adults would be at the food stalls having some tidbits with some rice wine with it, chatting into the late night.

“Po, wanna follow us down to the village? The festival would be starting soon.” Monkey asked Po, who was slouching on the ground after an intense training session with the Furious Five.

“You guys go ahead, I need some rest,” Po said slowly, trying to catch his breath.

“If you say so. You can come down later with Tigress, she said she wanted to meditate.” Monkey and Crane waved at Po and went down to the village together with Viper and Mantis. Po stood up carefully and wobbled towards the student barracks. He entered his room, slumped on his bed and started snoring a few moments later.

At the other side of the palace, Tigress was looking for a spot where she could meditate at the Dragon Grotto. She sat under the dragon in a full lotus position, closed her eyes, and started focusing on her breathing. After a while, she opened her eyes, realizing that the sun had set. She stood up, patted her pants to get rid of the dust and went off to the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom.

Back at the student barracks, Po had just woke up from his “power nap”. He rubbed his eyes, got out of his bed and left his room. He searched every corner of the Jade Palace for Tigress, and only found her at the Peach Tree, looking down into the valley. By then, he was already running out of breath.

“There you are, took me a while to find you.” Po laid back on the tree, breathing heavily. Tigress looked away from the valley, grabbed a peach from the tree and passed it to Po.

“Here. You can have it.” Po took the peach from Tigress and started gobbling it.

“Thank you, I needed it. I’m starving.” He spat the seed to the ground and licked his hands clean. Po then stood up and walked towards Tigress and stood beside her.

The two friends looked at the night scenery, enjoying the view of the village below. They felt each other’s fur, brushing softly against their own as the wind blew. Tigress looked at Po, who was still indulging in the scenery and frowned.

Maybe I’m thinking too much, she thought. Maybe he only sees me as his best friend.

“You know, Tigress, I have been thinking recently.” Po started speaking all of a sudden. Tigress’s ears perked up, and she gave him a flustered look. “About our relationship.”

Upon hearing this, Tigress felt her heartbeat had picked up its speed. She kept her composure, however. She then lowered her head and stared at her feet.

“What about it?” Tigress asked, trying her hardest to be as cold as possible with her tone and choice of words while pushing down her emotions. Po sighed, then lifted his head and stared into the starry night.

“I was just thinking, maybe… we could become more than what we are now.” Po felt his face heating up after he had spoken. He then lowered his head and turned it towards Tigress, forcing a smile on his face. “If you don’t mind, that is…” His voice faded away into the still air between them. “I always hoped that what the pandas assumed was real.” Tigress lifted her head, allowing the eyes of both individuals to meet each other. “I love you, Tigress. I love you with all my heart, and I always will.”

Tigress couldn’t believe what she heard. She hoped that one day, she would hear him say those three words. However, she felt confused. Yes, she finally heard him say those words, but at the same time, why. Why did he love her, and what made him fall for her. Tigress turned her head from Po, cutting off the connection between them.

“How could you love someone like me? How? What do you like about me? What is your reason for…” Tigress was cut off suddenly as she felt something warm embracing her from behind. She felt Po’s heart beating against her back and his warm breath against her shoulder.

“Because I just do. I love you because I do. I do not love you because of your body, your personality, or your title. I love you because you’re Tigress, the only person who I hold dearly in my heart other than my dads.” Po reasoned with Tigress. He tightens his hug, and suddenly, felt teardrops on his arms.

“I have been harboring feelings for you ever since Gongmen, or probably before that. You have changed the atmosphere of the Jade Palace from dull and boring to joyful and lively. You have changed Master Shifu, the Furious Five, and most importantly, me. You changed my view on the world and showed me that training is not my entire life. All this time I was hoping that you would have feelings for me, but no one would love someone like a monster me…” Tigress whimpered and tried to prevent her tears from falling, but was failing due to the buildup of tears in her eyes. Po loosened his hug and turned Tigress around so that she was facing him.

“But I love you. Do not think that you’re a monster and cannot be loved, because that is not true. You’re not a monster, but a normal citizen like everyone else. You’re Tigress, the citizen, and protector of the Valley of Peace and China, not a monster.” Po assured Tigress in a soothing tone. The two then hugged each other, finding comfort in each other.

“I too never thought that anyone would love me, other than my goose dad back then. When I first saw you when you defeat Boar, I was both amazed by kung fu, and most importantly, you. I know that our first encounter was horrible, but that didn’t cause me to feel less towards you. Despite all the harsh treatment and all, you were still a goddess to me. After I defeated Tai Lung, you accepted me and became my brother in arms, my tutor, and most importantly, my best friend. After the events at Gongmen and the attack of Kai, I was certain that I love you more than I thought I was, to the point of sacrificing myself. I wanted to confess to you, but the thought of me being who I am stopped me. No one would want to spend their whole life with this panda, but then again, you will not know till you try.” Po felt his heart sank after he finished his sentence, but received an assurance from Tigress.

“I’m willing to spend the rest of my days with you. Don’t you dare have any negative thoughts from now on.” Tigress whispered. She then broke off from the hug, held onto Po’s hand and brought her forehead to his. “I think this was what our coins were talking about, us getting together,” The couple lifted their head up, looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.

“I will always be by your side, Tigress,” Po whispered.

“Me too, Po,” Tigress whispered back. “Come on, let’s go down to the village and join the festival.” They separated their hands when they reached the village, wanting their relationship to be a secret for now.

The newly formed couple went to Mr. Ping’s restaurant, where they met the rest of the Furious Five, Mr. Ping, Li Shan, Master Shifu and the Soothsayer. The Furious Five were chatting loudly at a table, whereas the elders were at another table at the other corner of the restaurant, away from the Five. Po immediately noticed the Soothsayer and decided to greet her.

“You’re here! Why didn’t anyone told me? Dad, she’s the one who saved me and showed me the panda village back at Gongmen, really grateful for her help for me to achieve Inner Peace.” Po introduced Li Shan to the Soothsayer.

“I know, Po. Shifu introduced me to her. She was the one who told Shen about the prophecy. Initially, I was mad at Shifu for bringing someone who is at fault for destroying the village, but as soon as I got to know that she saved you when you were hit by Shen’s weapon, I’ve forgiven her.” Li Shan looked at the Soothsayer and grinned at her, who smiled softly in return. “Go on, Po. Join the others.”

After Po had gone over to the other table, Master Shifu and Mr. Ping sighed.

“That was close, we almost let him hear our conversation.” Mr. Ping huffed. “Anyways, what do you need, Madam?”

“I need their birthdays. With that, I can predict how well their marriage would turn out. The auspicious date would also be chosen based on their birthday.” Mr. Ping and Master Shifu each pulled out a piece of paper and passed it to the Soothsayer. She looked at the birthdays written on the papers and chuckled.

“Well, this is interesting…”