#trust me about ships I know these things i live on a boat!

[green-eyes-and-orange-ties]

It's a crackship TO YOU! I know in my soul that they would be a perfect match if only the writers would Let.Them.Meet!

[itneverendshere]

THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE - rafe cameron (+18) - two

request: "a rafe enemies to lovers 🫣 the reader is jjs sister the whole drama before but then she gets left behind on the ship and rafe ends up comforting her and then yea that’s all I got you can do whatever else the rest 😛"

WARNINGS: maybank!reader x sorta canon!rafe; doesn't exactly follow the real plot line but...it does?; am i turning this into a series? maybe.

word count: 6k...

Neither of you ever mentioned that night again, as if it had never happened. It couldn't have happened; it must have been a figment of your overactive imagination. 

There was no way in hell you would have let Rafe Cameron have you on top of a dining table, living up to the derogatory "dirty pogue" nickname. You were better than that. You knew better.

Despite that...You found it impossible to look at him for the next forty-eight hours. In fact, facing yourself in the mirror became a challenge, so much so that you refused his help in tending to your wound. Self-sufficiency had long been your norm. Growing up with Luke meant mastering the art of tending to your bruises from a young age. 

Initially, there was clearly tension between you and Rafe.

Every time your paths crossed, it dragged you back to that regretful moment—the feeling of his hands, the memory of his presence inside you—but there were bigger things at stake, and so, you pushed the nagging feelings aside, focusing on one thing only: getting out.

You and Rafe didn’t mix, oil and water, two stubborn bastards with heavy emotional baggage. Sometimes it was tricky to work together, but other days, it flowed so easily it gave you whiplash. 

In the time that followed, you both worked tirelessly to plan your getaway, meticulously plotting every detail to ensure success and not another round of bullets.

Your job was to sit around and act innocent, while Rafe had to ensure you had a way out and enough money to pay someone off. Avoiding Ward was easy enough since he spent most of his time in Guadalupe.

Rafe scoffed; his arms crossed over his chest as he eyed the small, weather-beaten boat skeptically. "I'm not getting into that piece of shit. No fucking way," he declared, voice dripping with disdain.

You rolled your eyes, trying to ignore the frustration growing in your chest.

He was so fucking insufferable. 

"Oh, so you've got a better suggestion?"

He shot you a glare, but you couldn’t help but notice how his eyes caught the shimmer of the clear night sky, "I do," he retorted, gesturing towards a sleek motorboat moored nearby. "That one looks like it might get us somewhere without sinking halfway."

You followed his gaze, your entire face scrunching up as you took in the sight of the motorboat. It was certainly more modern and well-maintained than the rusty old dinghy you had been eyeing, but something about it made you uneasy.

"Hell no?” you hesitated, chewing on your bottom lip nervously. "It seems a bit...too much. We don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves."

Rafe rolled his eyes, "C'mon,” he scoffed, "This isn't the time to be playing it safe. We need to get out of here, and that boat is our best chance."

You bit your lip, torn between your instincts and Rafe's seemingly reckless impulsiveness.

On one hand, you didn't want to take any unnecessary risks, but on the other hand, you knew that time was running out and you needed to act fast. Ward was coming back to the island soon enough and if he dragged Rafe away with him…you were a lost cause.

There was no third chance. 

“What about the guards?” your voice dropped to a whisper as you glanced around nervously. The last thing you needed was someone overhearing your plans.

“I’ve got it covered,” Your skepticism must have shown on your face because he stepped closer, lowering his voice, “Look, I know you don’t trust me, but I’m not about to let us get caught. I’ve been dealing with Ward’s security my whole life. I know how to slip past them.”

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose in frustration, “Fine. But if this goes south, it’s on you.”

“Yeah, yeah, isn’t it always?” he replied, dismissively waving a hand, “Just try not to get shot this time.”

"You think you're so fucking funny, don't you?"

"Keep your voice down."

The sleek motorboat gleamed in the fading light, its potential for escape glinting like a promise of freedom. 

As night fell, you both moved with practiced stealth, with a reluctant nod, you followed him towards the sleek motorboat. The docks were eerily quiet, save for the gentle lapping of the waves against the hulls of the boats. Your heart pounded in your chest as you kept a lookout for any sign of the guards.

Rafe moved with the confidence that you envied, quickly untying the boat and preparing it for departure. You glanced around nervously, half-expecting to hear the shout of a guard at any moment. Every shadow seemed like a threat, every noise a potential alarm.

“Hurry up,” you hissed, glancing over your shoulder.

“Calm the fuck down,” Rafe muttered, though he did quicken his pace. “We’re almost ready.”

Your anxiety spiked. This was it. No turning back.

Rafe started the engine, the low rumble sounding like a roar in the silent night. You winced, half-expecting the noise to draw attention. The sound was louder than you expected. But luck seemed to be on your side.

“C’mon,” He whispered, his eyes scanning the area for any sign of trouble, “Get in.”

You climbed aboard, your hands shaking as you settled into the seat. 

“Go!” you urged, glancing back at the docks nervously.

Rafe didn’t need to be told twice. The boat lurched forward, cutting through the water with surprising speed. As the island receded into the distance, you felt a little hope. For the first time in months, freedom was within your reach.

As he guided the boat out of the harbor, you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding. 

“See? I told you it’d be fine,” Rafe said, a hint of smugness in his voice.

“Just keep your eyes on the water,” you retorted, refusing to give him the satisfaction of being right.

He adjusted the throttle, the boat picking up speed. "Relax, Maybank. Enjoy the ride," he said, his tone dripping with mock concern.

You shot him a withering look, gripping the edge of your seat. "Just focus on getting us out of here in one piece.”

He glanced at you out of the corner of his eye, a muscle in his jaw ticking. "You think I don't know what I'm doing?"

"Frankly, I don’t care what you think you know. Just keep us moving.”

Rafe's hands tightened on the wheel, but he said nothing. The silence between you was a common thing, the hum of the engine the only sound cutting through the night. The coastline was a distant memory now, the open water vast and foreboding. You kept scanning the horizon, every wave hiding a potential threat.

"You're acting like we're about to get ambushed by pirates," Rafe finally said, his tone lighter but still edged with that irritation.

"Better safe than sorry," you muttered, refusing to meet his gaze.

Rafe let out a sharp laugh. "Always so paranoid. That's what gets you in trouble."

You whipped your head around to glare at him.

“No, your family got me in trouble. In case you’ve forgotten.”

His face hardened, the easy bravado slipping for just a moment, “Huh, right. ‘Cause your friends are such fucking saints.”

“At least they’re not murder—”

You cut yourself off before you said it, but the damage was done anyways. Rafe's jaw tightened, the muscle there twitching again as he ground his teeth, lips pressed into a thin line. He didn't respond verbally, but the anger you could feel radiating from him was answer enough to you.

He turned his attention back to the horizon, his grip on the wheel tightening until his knuckles were white. The boat's engine roared louder as he increased the speed, the vessel slicing through the water with renewed urgency.

The waves splashed higher, and the night air became colder, but Rafe didn't seem to notice. His focus was absolute. Yeah, he was pissed.

What could you possibly say? Apologize?

There was no way in hell you were apologizing to him. Not after everything his father had put you through. If anyone owed an apology, it was him. And you knew you'd see the world end before Rafe Cameron ever uttered those words.

It was infuriating. There he was taking a step forward, leaving his loyalty to Ward behind and he still refused to show remorse if not between four walls with you. Never out in the open, never too loud.

You sat in silence, each lost in your thoughts, the weight of the past not letting you calm down the way you really wanted to. It was done.

And although you wished things had been differently, they weren’t. 

Despite the chill in the air, sweat prickled at the back of your neck, tension coiling in your muscles. The night stretched on, like it was never ending, you hated every minute of it.

After what felt like an eternity, light appeared on the horizon, signaling the approach of dawn. You breathed a sigh, the tension in your shoulders easing slightly.

The worst was over, for now at least.

Rafe glanced at you out of the corner of his eye, “We’re almost there. Keep an eye out for any patrol boats," he instructed, his voice curt and businesslike.

He was all focus still, that calculating side that had always unnerved you. 

You nodded, scanning the waters diligently. The further you went, the more the reality of your situation sank in. You were out there, in the middle of nowhere, relying on a Cameron to get you to safety. The irony was almost laughable.

“Where are we heading?" you asked, breaking the silence. Your voice was softer, dulled by the exhaustion.

"We'll head south, find somewhere to lay low for a while. I've got contacts who owe me favors."

“Uh? We’re not going back to The Outer Banks?”

He shook his head, attention fixed on the horizon. “No. Not unless you want to get killed.”

The Outer Banks, once your home, now felt like a trap waiting to snap shut. You should’ve figured Ward would send someone after you the minute he figured you were gone. A loose end.

Shills ran down your body as you remembered your close encounter with death. 

"Your contacts won’t sell us out?"

He smirked, though there was no humor in it. "They know better than to cross me. Criminal, remember?”

You sighed, ready to jump into the water if it meant a little space from the unbearable atmosphere. Despite everything, you couldn't ignore the nagging feeling of guilt from what you’d almost said before.

“You know what I meant.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Listen,” you began, your voice faltering as you struggled to find the right words. He glanced at you, his expression guarded, but you continued, “I don’t care, okay? Not right now. What matters is that you’re here, not with him.”

Rafe's face softened slightly; the hard edges of his demeanor were momentarily blunted by your words. He looked away, his jaw working as if he were chewing over something in his mind. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter, more subdued than before.

“If you say so.”

As you drew nearer to the shore, details of the island began to come into focus. Lush greenery blanketed the landscape, punctuated by towering palm trees swaying gently in the breeze. It was oddly like the place you’d been stuck in for months, but this time, there was no sense of dread in you. The boat slowed as Rafe expertly maneuvered it into a small cove, sheltered from prying threats by rocky outcrops and overhanging foliage. With a soft thud, the vessel came to a stop, the engine sputtering into silence.

Once he was done, he stepped onto the water, knees deep as the sandy shore still lay a little ahead.  

You blinked in confusion as he turned to you, his arms open wide in a gesture that left you momentarily perplexed. The water lapped gently against the sides of the boat, its surface reflecting the golden hues of the setting sun.

"What are you doing?" you asked, your brow furrowing in bemusement as you eyed his outstretched arms.

“Helping you.”

You blinked, caught off guard by his simple gesture of assistance. It took a moment for his words to register, and when they did, a faint blush tinged your cheeks at your slowness.

In all fairness, you weren’t used to this side of Rafe. You’d only seen it a few times and it was…something else entirely.

“Right.”

As Rafe's hand brushed against your waist while helping you out of the boat, your skin prickled in goosebumps. Traitor.

You quickly brushed off the sensation, chalking it up to nerves from the situation. With a grateful nod, you stepped onto the sandy shore, feeling the warm grains shift beneath your feet. The island stretched out before you, its landscape dotted with lush vegetation and towering trees. It was larger than you had expected, much bigger than Ward’s private hell.

"We should find a place to sleep,” you said, turning to Rafe as you scanned the horizon for any signs of civilization.

He nodded in agreement, his gaze following yours as he surveyed the landscape. "Let's head towards the center of the island. There should be some motels.”

With a shared nod, you set off along the sandy shore, the waves crashing against the beach providing a rhythmic backdrop to your footsteps.

As you walked, an uneasy feeling crept over you, the hairs on the back of your neck prickling, maybe it was just the paranoia that had become like second nature to you over the past year.

After a while, you noticed a winding path leading into the dense foliage of the island's interior. Without a word, you and Rafe followed it, venturing deeper into the heart of the island.

The sounds of civilization faded, replaced by the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds. 

Finally, after what felt like hours of walking, you emerged into a clearing. Before you stood a beat up motel, its faded paint and weather-beaten facade blending seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.

"This should do," you said, nodding towards the building, "I guess."

“Yeah. Good for a night or two, my contact won’t be here till then.”

As you entered the motel lobby, the air was thick with the scent of stale cigarettes and cheap air freshener. Rafe followed closely behind you, his expression unreadable as he glanced around the dimly lit room. You approached the front desk, where a bored-looking clerk sat slouched behind the counter, flipping through a magazine with half-hearted interest.

"Hi there," Rafe said, flashing a charming smile as he leaned casually against the counter. "My wife and I are looking for a room for the night."

His what?

Your eyes widened in surprise, but you quickly hid your reaction, playing along with his impromptu act. It was obvious it wasn't the first time Rafe had pulled a stunt like this, and you had to admit, he had a talent for getting what he wanted.

To pretend and lie his way out.

The clerk glanced up from his magazine, peeking over the two of you with mild curiosity. "Sure thing," he said, his tone disinterested. "How many nights?"

"One for now," Rafe replied smoothly, reaching into his pocket to produce a wad of cash that you hadn't even realized he had. It was a substantial amount, more than enough to cover the cost of survival for at least two weeks. 

The clerk took the cash without comment, handing Rafe a key with a grunt of acknowledgment.

"Room 203," he said, gesturing towards a staircase in the corner of the lobby. "Upstairs, second door on the left."

"Thanks," Rafe said, pocketing the key with a nod of gratitude. He turned to you; his expression unreadable. "Let’s go, baby.”

Baby?

He must've been out of his goddamn mind. His hand found yours, rough fingers intertwining with yours in a gesture that felt oddly intimate. You glanced at him, confused, but he simply squeezed your hand reassuringly, focused on the hallway.

When you reached the door to room, he released your hand with a reluctant sigh. That always happened with him, there was always something new you couldn’t pinpoint, but eventually got used to. The charming, panty-dropping posture was gone in an instant, replaced by his usual brooding demeanor as he unlocked the door and pushed it open, revealing a modest but comfortable-looking room.

“After you.”

You swallowed your surprise at his manners and stepped into the room, grateful for the relative privacy it offered. Rafe followed close behind, closing the door behind him with a soft click. It was sparsely furnished, with a queen-sized bed dominating the space and a small television mounted on the wall opposite. A worn armchair sat in the corner, and a narrow window offered a glimpse of the night sky outside.

"It’s a fucking dump,” Rafe said, his tone light but with an underlying note of exhaustion. "But it'll do for now."

You sank onto the edge of the bed, resting the mattress. “Better than my room back home.”

“Really?”

"Don't act so surprised. We're not exactly living in luxury over there."

You could see the realization click on Rafe's face as if he’d forgotten your background, “Didn’t think it was that bad for you.”

"Yeah, well, appearances can be deceiving," you replied, "But let's save up the pity for later. I'm more interested in asking you why the fuck you got just one room with one bed."

“I can sleep on the floor, relaaax.”

You shot him a skeptical look, eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Seriously? You'd actually sleep on the floor?"

He shrugged, "Why not? It's not like I haven't slept in worse places."

You didn’t want to delve into that.

Instead, you only stared at him for a moment, searching for any hint of insincerity in his expression. To your surprise, you found none.

Moments like these reminded you that he was human, and you hated it.

“Okay.”

With a weary sigh, you rose from the bed and began to remove your shoes, the events of the day finally catching up with you. Exhaustion settled into your bones, dragging you down like an unbearable weight.

Rafe watched you for a moment before turning away to rummage through spare sheets and pillows, preparing a makeshift bed. There was no time to change clothes; you had left the little you had behind.

As you slipped beneath the covers and closed your eyes, you couldn't ignore the possibility that this was only the calm before the storm. It felt too easy.

You heard the rustle of sheets as he settled onto the floor, making himself as comfortable as possible, “Don’t fucking snore, Cameron.”

Rafe chuckled softly, the rare sound carrying through the darkness of the room. "Wouldn't dream of it, Maybank.”

Hours later, you woke suddenly, your heart pounding in your chest, the remnants of a nightmare still clinging to the edges of your consciousness.

For a moment, you lay there in the darkness, disoriented and trying to make sense of your surroundings. Then, you heard it—a low, murmured voice coming from the other side of the room. Turning towards the source of the sound, you saw Rafe lying on the makeshift bed on the floor, his face twisted in a grimace of pain. 

He was tossing and turning restlessly, his brow furrowed as he muttered incomprehensible words under his breath. The sight of him trapped in a nightmare weirdly stirred something protective within you. Despite everything, despite the walls he put up, you didn’t like to see him in pain. It felt so familiar, and for a second you were back home, in your room, rocking yourself back and forth after waking up in hysterical screams.

Moving quietly, you slipped out of bed and crossed the room to kneel beside him. Gently, you reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle shake.

"Rafe," you whispered softly, trying to rouse him from his slumber. "Hey, wake up."

In the next second, you were gasping for breath as Rafe's hands closed around your throat in a vice-like grip. Shock and fear nearly knocked you out instantly but your body instinctively started against his hold as you struggled to break free.

Muscle memory and all.

"R-Rafe!" you gasped, your voice coming out in a strangled whisper as you clawed at his hands, desperate for him to let go. But he was so lost in the grip of his nightmare, his grip unyielding as he continued to squeeze, his eyes wide and unseeing.

Panic took over you as the world started to blur around the edges, darkness creeping into your vision while your lungs burned for air. Frantically, you tried to call out to him again, to wake him from whatever hellish nightmare held him in its grasp, but your voice was little more than a choked rasp.

“Rafe!"

Then, as suddenly as it began, the pressure around your throat disappeared, leaving you gasping and wheezing for breath as you collapsed against the bed.

Blinking away the tears that pricked at your eyes, you looked up to see him kneeling beside you, his hands shaking as he stared at you with wide, horrified eyes.

"Fuck, fuck," he whispered, his voice trembling, "Shit, shit. I didn't mean to—I didn't know—"

His words were choked off by a strangled sob as he buried his face in his hands, his entire body shaking with the force of his sobs.

It was a startling thing to witness , seeing the usually composed and confident Rafe Cameron reduced to this, his vulnerability laid bare for you to see. For a moment, you were frozen, unsure of what to do or say.

But then, instinct kicked in again,and you reached out to him, wrapping your arms around him.

He practically dragged you into his lap, one hand wrapped around your waist and the other tangled in your hair. He only shook his head, his sobs growing louder as he buried his face where your neck and shoulder met, his entire body wracked with tremors. All you could do was hold him close, offering whatever comfort you could.

Eventually, his sobs began to subside, his breathing evening out as he clung to you like a lifeline. 

You held him close, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head, “Better?”

Rafe nodded against your shoulder; his breathing still ragged but gradually steadying. "Yeah," he murmured, his voice barely audible above the soft sound of your heartbeat. "Yeah, I think so."

You remained silent, holding him close as he slowly calmed down. The weight of his body against yours was oddly comforting, grounding you and pushing back the memories of his violent outburst just moments before.

After a while, Rafe pulled away slightly, his eyes red-rimmed but clear as he looked up at you "I didn't mean to hurt—”

You reached out and brushed a stray lock of his blonde hair from his sweaty forehead.

“I know," you whispered softly, “It was just a nightmare. I have them too.”

You didn’t know why you offered him that solace.

"You do?"

You nodded, though you knew he couldn't see it in the dim light. 

"Yeah," you admitted, "They’re pretty bad too.”

There was a brief pause, filled only with the sound of your quiet breathing and the distant hum of the night outside.

Then, Rafe spoke again, "What do you dream about?"

You hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. But something in Rafe's earnest expression told you to be honest, to let down your guard just this once,

“Luke. You?”

Rafe's immediate reaction was defensive, hands pulling away from your body, “Doesn't matter."

You felt stupid for asking him such a personal thing.

He wasn't like you.

“Do you want to sleep in bed with me? It might be better than the floor."

"I'm fine on the floor. Don't worry about me."

But you weren't about to let him off the hook that easily.

With a sigh, you reached out and gently grasped his arm, turning him to face you again, "Rafe," you said, voice borderline pleading, “Just sleep on the bed. Okay?"

For a moment, he hesitated, his gaze flickering between you and the bed, but with a reluctant sigh, he nodded. 

"Okay, okay," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Fine."

With that, he rose from the floor and cautiously joined you on the bed. You shifted slightly to make room for him, and as he settled beside you.

“Don’t snore.”

“Not more than you do.”

The rest of the night passed in a blur of fitful sleep and restless dreams, but somehow, with Rafe by your side, it felt bearable.

When morning finally came, you awoke to find he was already gone, his side of the bed cold, no traces of his presence, and a messy scribbled note left behind on the bedside table.

"Picking up food and clothes, brb. Don't open the door."

You felt relieved that he hadn't disappeared without a word and was instead putting in the effort to rely on you.

Deep down, you knew he had left as soon as he woke up, probably sprinting out of the room to avoid waking you and having any awkward confrontations about last night. It was going to be a long day, especially if he was determined to hide his emotions. You knew the old, bad Rafe Cameron would make a reappearance.

You got up from the bed and stretched. You needed a shower. You stank. It had been two days since you had washed yourself properly, and the thought of having gone to sleep in such a state made you want to hurl.

You’d have to ask for another set of fresh sheets if you stayed another night.

As you stepped into the bathroom, the warm water cascading over your skin felt like a dream, washing away the previous night. The steam filled the small space, enveloping you like a comforting embrace as you took your time, allowing the water to ease the knots of stress from your muscles. You focused on washing away the dirt and grime, letting the familiar routine ground you.

Yet, even as you lathered soap onto your skin, your mind couldn't help but drift back to Rafe, to the way he had clung to you in the darkness.

Another reminder that despite his tough exterior, he was just as human as any of you, with fears and insecurities that ran deep. And it terrified you, because up until last month Rafe Cameron was not capable of emotions to you, only violence. 

You stepped out of the shower, the steam still lingering in the air and with a towel wrapped snugly around your body, you stepped back into the main room of the motel, feeling refreshed.

“Huh, good morning to you too.”

You nearly jumped out of your skin, “Fuck!”

Rafe stood there, leaning against the doorway, something similar to a playful smirk at the corners of his lips as he watched your startled reaction.

His arms were laden with bags of groceries and a few articles of clothing.

"Didn't mean to scare you. Just wanted to make sure you were alive in there."

You stared at him incredulously, “Turn around!”

He scoffed, walking into the room as he closed the door with his foot, “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

He said it so casually, it irked you. As if you two hadn’t been purposely ignoring that night ever happened. You shot him a withering glare, snatching a towel from the nearby chair and aiming at his face, full force.

"That's not the point, Cameron," you grumbled, your cheeks flushing with embarrassment, “And you didn’t see shit. I was dressed.”

Rafe raised an eyebrow, catching the towel with ease before tossing it back to you "What's the matter, Maybank? You shy all of a sudden?"

“Will you shut up?”

He held up his hands in mock surrender, his grin widening as he leaned against the nearest wall.

There was no point in getting into a pointless argument with him, especially not when you had more important things to worry about. Instead, you focused on drying yourself off and getting dressed in the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind you.

As you emerged again, fully dressed and composed, Rafe had already begun unpacking the bags of groceries, laying out an assortment of food on the small table in the corner of the room.

The sight of the makeshift spread made your stomach growl in anticipation, reminding you just how long it had been since your last meal.

“Hungry?” Rafe asked, glancing up from where he was arranging the food.

You nodded eagerly, making your way over to the table and helping yourself to a plate of fruit and plain toast.

As you ate, Rafe filled you in on his plans for the day. It was strange, hearing him talk so casually, without insults, without fear, or threats. For so long, you had seen him as nothing more than a spoiled, entitled rich kid, content to go through life on his family’s wealth and influence.

But ever since that night, you couldn't help but feel a newfound sense of respect for him. He wasn’t Ward.

When he finished speaking, you glanced up from your plate, “Sounds like a plan. Is your contact here, yet?”

“Nah, only tomorrow.”

“Great. So, we’re on our own for now?”

“Yeah, you and me, Pretty Maybank.”

"Hey," you began, your tone light as you tried to sound casual, "I've been curious—why do you call me 'Pretty Maybank'? Is there a story behind it?"

Rafe's gaze flicked up from where he was picking at his food. He seemed taken aback by your question as if he hadn't expected you to bring it up.

He shrugged, "I don't know," he admitted his voice casual but tinged with a hint of embarrassment. "Just seemed fitting, I guess."

You raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, "Fitting? How so?"

Rafe hesitated, elbows dropping to the table as he searched for the right words. "I don't know," he repeated, his voice softer this time. "You just...are pretty, Maybank, everyone knows that.”

You felt like there was more to the story.

“Oh.”

He leaned back, now sat in the old chair, “Might start calling you snoring Maybank though.”

Your lips twitched, fighting back a smile, “You’re not funny. At all.”

“Sure.”

You tilted your head, studying him intently. He looked like a completely different person from last night, “Do you feel any better?” 

“About what?” He feigned innocence, avoiding your gaze, as his fingers started tapping nervously on the table. You knew what that meant. 

You leaned forward as you reached out to touch his hand gently. “Uh—Y'know, last night, your nightmare.”

“Don’t,” Rafe's abrupt change in demeanor catched you off guard, his walls shooting up in an instant, his tone laced with defensiveness.

You straightened up as you withdrew your hand, a wall of your own rising to match his. 

"It’s not important," he snapped,"Just drop it, okay?"

You recoiled at his harsh tone, the way he spoke down at you making you want to slap him across the room. It was clear that he wasn’t in the mood to talk about whatever demons haunted him in the night, and you knew better than to push him when he was like this.

But you were feeling inspired.

“Why do you always do that?” You blurted out, frustration taking over your mouth.

You needed some sense of security around him, and every single time you were close to getting it, he backed out.

He stood up straight, rolled his shoulders back, and narrowed his eyes at you “Not doing anything.”

"You always shut me out," You continued, words coming out in a rush as you struggled to articulate your feelings. "Every time. You say a few words, and then bamb, gone. We’re not friends, that’s fine. But I need to know you’re someone I can rely on, okay? You can’t be doing this. One moment you’re all trusting and the other…I don’t even know what the fuck you are. You can say no nicely, you don’t need to act like a dick.”

Rafe's jaw clenched, his expression turning steely as he locked onto your gaze, "I don’t want to be your fucking friend, Maybank," he retorted,"I'm protecting myself. And if you can't handle that, then maybe you're the one who needs to reevaluate things."

The words stung like a slap to the face.

You felt the color drain from your face.

"Protecting yourself?" you shot back, your voice rising with each word. "From what, exactly? Me?"

He didn’t move, didn’t so much as toss a glance your way as he responded, “Keep your voice down.”

You shook your head, standing up from your seat. He'd said the same exact thing before you got on the boat and you were tired of being pushed aside like a toy.

“No, I fucking won’t. You’re the one who punched me on that ship, your guards were the ones who shot me, your father is the one who wants me dead,” your lips quirked in a small, humorless smile, “And you want to talk about protecting yourself?”

Rafe felt himself flinch, noting how his brows seemed to furrow ever-so-slightly. There was a feeling in your stomach that you couldn’t make out yet, but it was heavy and made you antsy.

"You think I don't know that?" he growled, “You think I don't carry that guilt with me every single day?"

His words caught you off guard, the raw emotion in his voice sending a shiver down your spine.

Rafe ran a hand through his hair, frustration etched into every line of his face.

"You have no idea what it's like. To carry that weight, to know that everything you touch turns to shit.” His voice was probing, his eyes scanning your face with a scrutiny that made you want to run out the door.  “And you—Shit, you’re just searching for some confirmation that I am as horrible as everyone’s made me out to be. Newsflash, I am."

You let out a groan, the sound scraping against your throat. "I’m trying to help you! Are you stupid? Oh my god.”

"I don't need your help!" he snapped, standing taller than you, "I don't need anyone's help. I've been doing just fine on my own."

You stepped closer to him, pushing against his chest with your finger, "Fine? Is that what you call it? Living on the run, constantly looking over your shoulder, never knowing who you can trust? That's not fine, Rafe. That's not living."

His hand shot out, gripping your wrist tightly, “I don’t know how to live. I know how to serve, that’s it.” His grip on your wrist tightened as if he was trying to anchor himself, "I just...I can't."

Can't trust you, you think that's what he wanted to say.

“Right,” You swallowed, finding the carpet of the room suddenly all too interesting, “Good enough to fuck, not to trust.”

His grip loosened slightly, his hand falling away from your wrist as if burned, “I never said that.”

“You don’t have to. Dirty pogue, remember?”

His breathing mirrored your own, both erratic, leaning in closer, breath hot against your skin as his nose brushed against yours, “You think I’d risk my life for you if I believed that?”

“I don’t know. Would you?”

“You have no idea," he breathed, “Do you?”

"I don't understand you."

"Neither do I."

Without another word, he closed the distance between you in a single fluid motion. His hands found their way to your face, fingers tangling in your hair as he deepened the kiss. His touch seemed to tingle between tenderness and roughness, with soft, gentle kisses blending seamlessly with fervent, desperate ones, as if he was unable to choose between cherishing the moment and giving in to his desires completely.

You melted into him, your body responding instinctively to his touch. It felt different from the first time you kissed. Less violent, less primal, more…intimate. Like he was trying to convey everything he couldn't put into words, everything he had been keeping bottled up inside, and you welcomed it. 

He pulled back slightly, his forehead resting against yours.

“You can’t keep kissing me to avoid questions.”

"I know," he murmured, "It's just easier than talking."

You sighed, your hand coming up to cup his cheek, your thumb brushing lightly against his stubbled jawline, "It's wrong."

He closed his eyes, his breath hitching slightly at your words. For a moment, you thought he might pull away again, and retreat into his shell. But then, to your surprise, he leaned in closer, his lips brushing against yours in a feather-light kiss.

"I know," he murmured against your lips,"But for now, can we just...be?"

You nodded, "Yeah," you whispered, "For now, we can just...be."

Neither of you knew what you were doing nor the consequences to come. 

[cameronspecial]

Let Me Take Your Boat Card, Angel

Pairing: Frat!Rafe Cameron x Reader

Warnings: SMUT

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 1.7K

Summary: Rafe continues to make their Spring Break interesting with his bucket list item.

A/N: This was suggested by the lovely @mellillasstuff, who I love to talk about Drew Starkey with! I hope you like it, Babe. The gif is special for you.

Masterlist

They spent the day in Mykonos, Greece and now, the yacht is drifting to Turkey. Their last Spring break of their lives is coming to an end in a few days and Y/N and Rafe are trying to make the most of it. Rafe sees this trip as the perfect opportunity to fulfill a bucket list item for him. “Come on. Let me take your boat card, Angel,” he begs, walking over to her on the bed. She shakes her head with a giggle, “That isn’t a thing, Rafe. Plus, we literally had sex this morning on this boat, so if it was a thing, then you’ve already taken it.” “It’s not the same. It’s not boat sex unless it is on the top deck and out in the open,” Rafe argues. He jumps into bed with her, making the mattress bounce under both of them. Her hand finds his cheek, “What kind of weird fraternity shit are you making up, Rafe?” He kisses the palm of her hand. “It’s not a weird fraternity thing. It’s… it’s kinda a fantasy of mine. Making love to my angel under the stars in the middle of nowhere with the sound of the waves keeping us company. It’s just you and me.” She, of course, wants to help him achieve his fantasy and it honestly sounds so romantic, but she can’t shake the feeling of being caught by a crewmate.

“Rafe, as nice as that sounds, what if we get caught.”

“Don’t worry, Angel. We are the only ones on the boat. I got the crew to take a boat out to the land for the night. They’ll be back in the morning to take us to our next city. If you really don’t want to do it, then that’s okay but I just thought it would be fun.” 

“I’m a little scared for our safety that no one can take drive the yacht, but I think it would be really fun too. I hope you have a captain’s hat because you are about to take my boat card.”

———

Y/N’s fingers graze the bottom of her dress, taking confident steps up the stairs. “Captain, how much longer until we reach port?” she calls out as innocently as she can. Rafe looks over his shoulder at her with a captain’s hat on his head, “A few more hours, Ms. Y/L/N. Is there something I can help you with?” Her arms swing from in front of her to behind and she walks towards him. “That’s so long… I don’t know how I’m going to fix my problem,” she laments, bringing her hand to play with her hair. 

“Well, what’s your problem? Maybe I can help.”

“I don’t know… Captain. It’s kinda an intimate issue.”

“Come on, Angel. You can trust me. I’m the ship’s Captain.” 

Her hands move up his chest, meeting around his neck. She grows impatient with this game and starts to unbutton his white shirt. “You’re restless tonight, Angel,” Rafe chuckles, bringing his hand to rest on her bum. She nods, “Very, something about that hat is doing something to me.” “Wow. Never thought my angel would be turned on by a man in uniform,” he teases. His hand moves up her bum to untie the bow of her dress while she begins peppering his bare chest with kisses. His fingers lace through her hair, pulling her back from his skin. They look at each other with a grin. “I can’t keep playing this game anymore, Captain. I just need to feel you,” she mutters. He brings his lips to hers and pulls her dress off of her body, “Me either.” Once the cool ocean breeze meets her skin, Rafe walks her backwards toward the couch. The back of her knee meets the cool leather and she lies down with him on top of her. 

He kisses her on the lips, moving his hand down the valley of her breast to the top of her underwear. He grins to himself when he sees the moon glint off of his Greek letters that have been resting between her boobs since their sophomore year. A finger delicately lifts the fabric and continues its descent until it meets the wetness of her pussy. “Is this all for Captain Rafe, Angel?” She nods her head, itching for him to keep going. “Nuh-uh. Angel, you know I like it when you use words,” he tsks and removes his hand from where she needs it. 

“Captain, please. Touch me,” she begs, grabbing his wrist to bring his touch back. He growls at her words, “Enough of this Captain shit. I want you to be screaming my name to the sea, Angel.” He takes the bill of his hand in his hand and throws it somewhere on the deck without another thought. It’s one of the reasons she doesn’t have a nickname for him. It wasn’t for lack of trying when they first started to date. Rafe is so possessive of her that the thought of her calling him anything other than his name drives him to become the green-eyed monster. He pulls down her underwear and throws it with his hat, getting to work on making her feel good. His head buries between her legs, lapping up the mess he created. “Oh god, Rafe. This feels so good,” she moans at her normal level. Rafe always encouraged her to be as loud as possible, teaching her to not care about the other frat brothers, who might hear her sweet melody.

“Angel, you can be louder. There is no one around,” he reasons. She listens to his words and screams as loud as she can to please him. His mouth works on her clit as his fingers enter her hole. They curl to hit her G-spot and she tugs at his hair to get him to keep going. He quickly moves his fingers in and out of her. With every move of his finger, it brings her closer to her orgasm. Her fingers pull at the root of his hair and that’s how he knows she is about to cum. He pulls his fingers out of her, causing a whine to leave her lips. “Nope. Sorry, Angel. You are coming around my dick tonight,” he informs.

He stands up to pull off his shirt and his hand removes his belt in one fluid motion, which always makes Y/N’s thighs clench together. She sits up to help him take off the rest of his clothes and he lets her. She sinks to her knees in front of him, butt hitting the couch cushion. Her hands begin to pump his length. Saliva pools in her mouth, so she can spit it onto his dick. She slides her hand up and down his dick, listening to his groans. “You are doing so good, Angel,” he praises. His hand finds the back of her head and pushes her onto him. She takes him into her mouth, letting him hit the back of her throat. A hand remains at the base to pump what isn’t going in her mouth. She pulls herself off of him, so she can circle her tongue around his tip. She can taste his pre-cum. He decides he is hard enough for her and brings her back up so she is facing him. He lies her down on the couch again, kissing her lips. The mixture of their juices makes both of them want to moan. 

She watches as he brings a hand down to his cock to bring the tip to her vagina. He enters her inch by inch to let her have time to adjust. He has no more to offer her and waits for her to tell him to begin his thrust. “Please start, Rafe,” she states, bringing her forehead to his. His hips move back so just the tip is still inside of her and then eases them back down to meet the top of her pelvic bone. They normally like their sex fast and hard, but the moment felt right for something slower. He repeats the motion, enjoying the way her arms round his back to mark it up.

She may be his angel, but she has nails like the devil. He can feel the dig of her nails as she drags it down his back in an attempt to bring him closer. Being chest-to-chest with him doesn’t feel like enough to her, so she rounds her legs around his waist and helps meet his thrusts. It feels like the sounds of the skin slapping against each other and their groans echo out to the sea, yet she knows it is all in her head. She brings his hips in faster during his next thrust with her feet. He gets the message and deepens his thrust, feeling the way she begins to cling to him as she does. With her walls squeezing him, he knows he isn’t going to last long. Determined to make her climax first, he brings his hand down to her bud and starts to rub it in a circle. Y/N’s orgasm washes over her with his help. The feeling of her cumming around him causes him to twitch his seeds into her. He continues his gentle thrusts to ride out their high, stilling once they are both done. 

He slips out of her and lies beside her. She turns to face him, bringing his arms over her. He tightens his hold on her and gives her a kiss to the temple. “I don’t think roleplay is for us,” he observes, thinking back to how they didn’t last very long in the charade. She giggles with a nod of her head, “Yeah. I’m too impatient and you are too possessive to let me call you anything else other than your name. But I’m glad you convinced me to do this. I enjoyed giving each other our boat cards.” 

“I hate to have to tell you this, Angel. But I don’t have my boat card.” 

“Wait, if I’m not taking your boat card, does that mean you’ve done this before?”

“I’m from the Outer Banks, Angel. What do you think?

Taglist: @loves0phelia

[shikai-the-storyteller]

A lot of people (including some QSMP members) are theorizing that the Eggs are evil or are being controlled by the Federation, but I disagree. Even if the Eggs are somehow acting as spies or agents of the Federation, I don't think it's willing and I don't think they know it. Why?

Because of Chayanne.

moti_otp on Twitter made a thread that compiled ALL of Chayanne and Richarlyson's signs from their conversation (Phil's May 3 VOD, Timestamp 3h 7m). Here's the transcript:

Richarlyson: How are you Chayanne?

Chayanne: I'M OKAY Richarlyson and you?

Richarlyson: I am great!! Happy to meet you but I am concerned about my dad's plans.

Chayanne: I'll ask you some questions is that ok?

Richarlyson: Sure :D

Chayanne: What are your dad's plans?

Richarlyson: They plan on building the biggest favela in the server :D

Starts innocently enough, right? Chayanne knows Forever is one of Richarlyson's dads, and he knows Forever is interested (a little too interested) in Phil, so it's normal that he wants more information.

But then it takes a turn.

Chayanne: Where do you come from?

[No response is given]

Chayanne: How many people do you know on this island?

Richarlyson: Uncle Fit, Roier, and Foolish Bobby and Leo and now you

Chayanne: Do you want to hurt anyone?

Richarlyson: Just bulls they broke my egg rights

[Context: they lost their first life to a bull]

Chayanne: Why I never saw you before?

Richarlyson: There was not enough Brazilian aura (the ship was late bc don't know how to drive boats)

Chayanne: How long have you been here?

[No response is given]

There are a few things we need to keep in mind here: Richardlyson isn't one of the original eggs. Like Tallulah, he conveniently happened to show up right when a new Egg was needed... but his appearance was a little too convenient.

Chayanne: give me 3 reasons why I should trust you

Richarlyson: I have style :D

Chayanne: Should I keep an eye on your dad? Did someone else arrive with you? Or are you alone?

Richarlyson: I… maybe!! But if he gets mad he would probably try to take down any mountain nearby he is dangerous for the nature

Unlike some of the other Eggs on the server who (canonically) only know a little bit about what's going on (either through osmosis, overhearing things, or getting information directly from their parents), Chayanne knows more about what's going on on the Island than most for one simple reason: Phil trusts him.

Any information Phil learns, he tells Chayanne. At first I was a little worried, but as time goes on, it seems more and more like Phil had the right idea. He wants Chayanne to be careful and be prepared for the worst, especially since Chayanne only has 1 life left ("Living Hardcore mode"), and Chayanne has taken this to heart.

A lot's going on right now and everyone's a little big suspicious, but I think Chayanne has proven where his loyalties lie.

Bonus:

Chayanne: Why does your dad wants to date my dad?

Richarlyson: I think… 2 things 1. He's a bit*h 2. He is crazy

Chayanne: My dad is happy married to my dad Missa thank you

Richarlyson: He is cheating.

[alexa-fika]

hey I love your writing so much I had an idea but I’m not good at making stories so the other day I remember that when I was little I used to run a lot so I fell from a boat and you know I was swimming away while my parents almost got a heart attack how about a child reader with red haired pirates it would be funny , only if you want you don’t need to do it have a nice day or night

Take off (Red haired pirates x m!child!reader)

A/N Here we go, guys can you believe this is the last of the requests from APRIL like that’s so crazy to me, I want to take you for all of the requests and for trusting me to bring them to life

Reader here is replaced by Dokucha which stands for Readerin Japanese

Dividers by @/saradika

The Red forced was the same as always, with lively chatter among the crewmates as they partied over their newest conquests, not taking their eyes off the child running along the Deck

“What has got you this happy, Dokucha?” Lucky piped in, taking a bite from his chicken and laughing merrily at the young boy

“Uncle Shanks found a plane in the loot!” He cheered, waiving around said toy around

“Why did they even have toys? The crew didn’t have any children on them,” Limejuice questioned, downing down a mug of beer

“The crew was big on woodwork; they had a couple of pieces here and there littered on the loot,” Shanks answered, joining the group with his own mug in his hand, his first mate not far behind

Dokucha grinned, ignoring their chatter as they launched the toy, beaming as it glided around and rode on the same wind that pulled the Red Force along

“Dokucha, watch where you are going!” Yassop called as the child ran behind the plane, trying to take hold of it

“Don’t w-

His words die out as the floor disappears behind him, and they quite literally run themselves out of the ship. The last thing he heard was the scream of his name as he made an impact with the water, another splash following after his

He gripped onto Beckman’s similarly soaking clothes as he pulled himself over the side of the deck

“Im sorry, Daddy,” he cried, hugging him tighter and sobbing into Beckman’s already drenched shirt as they both sat on the Deck, Hongo crouching in front of the two, checking over the boy, the rest of the crew crowding around the two much to the displeasure of the first mate, a glance to his captain was all the latter needed to quickly dismiss them, leaving only the officers littering the deck

“Everything seems in order; no water seems to have entered the lungs, and no damage from the impact; next time, make sure you pay attention to where you’re running, okay?” He asked, giving Dokucha a small smile as he ruffled his hair and took his leave

Teary eyes glance up at his father, trying to gauge his emotions

He sighed, turning them around on his lap so that they were facing him, as he wiped the tears from the boy, his own dripping hand not making much difference

“I saw the dive you did before you hit the water,” he comments, giving up in the action as he recalls the safety position he had seen them take before colliding with the water

“You told me to do it if I ever fell in the water.”

“You did well; you had good reflexes as well; now we just need to practice keeping our eyes on the path,” he said softly, rubbing his knuckles against his cheeks

“You’re not mad?”

“We’re pirates; we’re going to have our slops from time to time; everyone here has fallen to the water at least once, though not everyone was as gentle as you, ain’t that right, Punch?”

The latter lets cackles as he happily takes over the small boy as he recalls the less-than-proud moments from the crew

“You know, Monster here once fell overboard; you should have seen the little rascal. It was like watching a b….

Beck watches his son regain his previous demeanor at Punch’a stories go on, and he heads to his quarters to replace the now flimsy box of cigarettes lost to the sea

“Shanks,” he called

“Hm?”

“You are banned from giving any Toys to Dokucha.”

“W-What, come on, Beck! We can talk about it,” the captain whined, following after his vice-captain

Uncle privileges revocked 😂

Taglist:

@imaginarydreams

@amethystviolin

@h0n3y-l3m0n05

[ladyofnegativity]

Heeeeey Tiny-! Okay so...

AHHDLRGSKSVDKVXSKSBRKRB. BITCH. WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT ACTUAL THE FUCK?!

How the hell did you make something so... SO-! ARGHHHHHH-! I CANT FIND THE WORDS-!!!

I'm blessed. SO FUCKING BLESSED.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU-!

Okay okay okay. So! I'll try to do a deepdive on the newest installment of Human Effects.

BigBotNoStop: Alright mechs, I come bearing an inquiry. As you may have heard from some of my last posts, the newest additions to our crew are a thriving colony of soft, squishy humans. Word in the taproom is some have taken quite an interest in... extending cultural exchanges, if you catch my drift. Not really my field of experience and was hoping some of Xeno's here might have some input. 

Posted to Sublink: Human and cybertronian relationships?

But I'm curious, are interspecies acts even possible without harm? Their frames seem so fragile. One wrong motion and SPLAT! No more humans. quite a few members of our crew have shown interest in flirting... Thoughts? Suggestions for how to proceed with care- help a mech out!

(I don't know why, but this bot reminds me of Skids. I've been reading the other installments, and so far, my hunch on this is Skids.)

Blazemech: Yo! You got fleshies on your ship! Fragging jealousy!. Your ship is looking for any dock workers?

(Okay! So, from the context of what Blazemech wrote, I can tell that they aren't from the Lost Light. Perhaps a crew member from the Vis Vitalis, or some other ship? I don't know, but the name 'Blazemech' reminds me of FireStar(?), but judging from context, I don't think she'll want to work as a dock worker when she's second in command in the Vis Vitalis.)

TailOrTrails: Oh Primus, are we really having this discussion?? Look, I get the appeal of those soft little flesh bags. Really, I do - different wiring can be so freakin' hot. But there's no way a romp with one of those puny things ends well for them! Even accidentally bumping into a table puts them in the medbay. Think of the mess, One wrong thrust and you've got squish all over your plating.

(Riptide. Definitely Riptide. 'TailOrTrails' reminds me of a mech who has an aquatic themed alt mode, and we, Riptide turns into a boat. And from reading the other installments, Riptide acts hesitant yet intrigued.)

ISOCLEAN: Just download some holofacing and use your imagination if you're that jonesing for an organic interface. Trust me, it's not worth the risk - or hassle of cleaning up after. sure you can find something from the Human sites on Mechanophilia, slutty Show and shine or Car Washes. Stay shiny and keep those servos to yourself, mechs! Some curiosities are better left to fantasies.

(Honestly, I'm stumped with this one. I can't seem to find or remember someone who's a clean freak. Aside from Ultra Magnus, but then he wouldn't fit the mannerisms of ISOCLEAN. Fuck.)

Flyboi69: Don't leave a mech hanging, I want deets!, has anybot here actually gotten friendly with a fleshie before? I'm talking about hands-on experience. We've all gotten curious watching, but has the real thing lived up to the fantasy? 

(Tailgate??? I'm sorry, I REALLY don't know who this guy is. Could be Starscream, but it would fit with they way the text was worded.

I think it's Skywarp??? But then why would he be interested in humans???)

Pimptheride: Any tips for coaxing one into the berth, or does their tiny size mean you've got to take it slow and gentle? And most importantly... any videos out there of the deed? A mech's gotta do some, ah, research before taking the plunge. Hook a brother up if you've found any good amateur organic-on-mech action out there in the 'net. Gotta see it to believe it. 

(Haha! I read the name, and immediately thought of Knockout. Not because of the text or anything, but I just remembered that in Transformers: Prime, the animators decided to pimp out Knockout, hence the 'Pimptheride')

ScienceSorcerer: For reasons. Does anyone know if humans have both Spikes and Valves? Or if they have any human anatomy holos or books and such from Earth they are willing to sell for some decent Shanix.  

(Brainstorm. The mech that started it all. I'm betting everything that this is Brainstorm.)

T-Wrexz: Primus, you mechs are hungrier than fragging scraplets. As far as I know, relations between our kinds are still uncharted territory. Could be amazing, could end badly - who's to say until we try? Personally I'm keeping an optic out, just curious to see what new experiences those squishy aliens can offer us tough metal mechs. 

(Definitely Grimlock. The name gave it away.

I mean, do you know any other mech who has a T-Rex alt mode??? Yeeeeeah.

But what business does Grimlock have with humans??? To think that he'd be interested in humans in really funny to me.)

Bar-rizzla: Oho, look who's swapping tall tales. I've been keeping a close optic on our ships squishy company since they came aboard. And between you and me... I may have an in with their ambassador that could lead to some juicy first-hand intel. Just trying to track down the bot we think they are berthing with. Crews got bets out. Turns out they get just as curious about us big metal hunks as we are them!. The other night, their chat got particularly saucy after a few drinks. Lots of gossip and speculation about which lucky bot one of them might take for a private ride. 

(Easy pickings. This is Swerve. I know it is.)

WPHAS-Violation: I may have a certain special "human entertainment" vid I could share. Let's just say the organic in question got quite... friendly with an eager mini-con. You know where to find me if you're brave enough to watch! 

(I'm torn between giving this to Rewind or to Tapemix54. From context, I'd say WPHAS-Violation is from the Lost Light, but then what about Tapemix54??? Is Tapemix54 Soundwave???

👀 Who was this Minicon that got lucky... Hmmmmmm.)

Tapemix54: Oho, mechs - think you've got it bad now? You should've seen some of the real deviants back before the war. When I was still stationed on Petrex, I knew this one smuggler - went by the name Rattler. Sneaky little scraplet, but Primus if he didn't have the wildest stories. Rattler used to run goods across time and space, dodging security at every turn. He'd pop up out of nowhere selling the rarest exotic "pets" to rich senators and other high caste mechs looking for a thrill. I'm talking aliens so bizarre even our data banks had never heard of their kind. But the highest bidder always walked away with a new "plaything" to break in, if you catch my drift. Word was Rattler even had a collection of sentient organics that he'd let special clients "test drive" between runs. Humans were apparently a favourite - their smaller frames could take all sorts of creative handling. Rattler had vids, too, of course, to entice buyers. I saw one once, let's just say "versatile" doesn't begin to cover it. Naturally the vids have all been scrubbed by now. But I bet if you knew where to dig in the deep web or some easily swayable Archivist, you might find traces of Rattler's stash still floating around out there.

(Fuck. FUUUUUUCK. Now I'm thinking that this is Chromedome because he was stationed in Pretrex with Prowl when they were sent to investigate the assassination of Senator Sherma.

For all I care, Rattler could have been Swindle since... Y'know, he was trafficking humans. Though, now that I think about it, would Swindle even be old enough to do that??? FUUUUUUUUCK.)

"Old records saved of the Senator and his human Conjunx”

It's a file collection of holotapes and pictures: "Enjoy these are pre war photos of Senator Shockwave and his Human holding their sparkling" 

There are many holos and videos of the long gone senator smiling with his human perched on his shoulder, in the crystal garden with a young sparkling held in the human's arms. Videos of the sparkling playing with the two but the last The last holo looks like a family portrait with Shockwave’s frame in a lime green blue white paint with gold accessories,  his human lover is dressed in elegant robes and the small blue praxian sparkling held in their arms. Each holo is dated with the Iacon records seal of authentication. 

(Okay. Okay okay okay. I LOVE the fact that you decided to incorporate Laboratory Logs to Human Effects. Admittedly, I did not see that coming when I sent that ask. Smart move.

And uhhh... Now that a few mechs have seen the photos, wouldn't that mean that if they ever recognized a mech that looked a lot like Senator Shockwave's long lost sparkling, It'll further cement the fact that uhhhh.... Fuck. I think I lost the path.

Uhmmm... Think about it like this, when Ratchet sees the family photo and sees the little sparkling, wouldn't he recognize that it's Traxies?)

FlyBoi69: NO FREAKIN' WAY. Is this real?! *downloads files faster than Blurr* FRAG ME SIDEWAYS, I think I just popped a gasket! How in the PIT did you manage to dig up the holos of senator Shockwave, most of his speeches, debates and lectures were wiped. Where did you find this!

(Honestly though, I'm still not sure who this guy is. Could this be Misfire??? AHHHHHHH.

Who are you FlyBoi69?!)

Jackin0: of all mechs, with an actual human back in the Golden Age?!. I'm calling scrap on this being real. It's gotta be a flawless deepfake. By PRIMUS if true - to think ol' Shockers was living it up with a squishy. Maybe there's more to those Senatorial types than meets the optic...

(Jackie. Definitely Jackie. Ah! Sorry, I meant Wheeljack.

It's just cool to call him Jackie. ☺️)

T-Wrexz: Okay, I'll bite... but someone better explain to me RIGHT NOW how any of this computes! Last I checked, time travel and inter-species relationships were the stuff of erotic imagination, not legitimate pre-war archives. Tapemix, you better start talking. Where in the PIT did you source these files? How do we know they're authentic and not just an incredibly convincing parlour trick? Because if I'm gonna let these images ruin me, I wanna be ruined by the real deal! Spill it, mech. 

(I REALLY think this is Rewind. Cause Rewind likes to collect rare footage.)

Iacon-Records: Tapemix54 could i please request where you discovered these as i work with Iacon records and this here is history that needs to be preserved. I'm willing to talk with you through a contractor if you would be willing for us to add these back into the new hall of records. Cybertron has lost so much and to find something like this I ask that we find a way to preserve it.  

(Optimus. THIS IS OPTIMUS PRIME.

You can't get more Optimus than Iacon-Records.)

BigBotNoStop: Pit take me now... I think I may have to reassess everything I thought I knew about interface and partnerships. That human is holding a sparkling curled around them - frag if it isn't the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! If anything could make me believe in miracles, it's this! Tapemix, you glorious glitch - how can I ever repay such an enlightening gift?

(Okay. I'm getting more and more convinced that this is Skids.

On that note, I like to think that whoever managed to see the photos are going to think, 'I can have a sparkling with a human'.

Which is cool, but then a bummer if they found out that Tiny didn't actually carry Traxies but was instead adopted from a hotspot when he imprinted on Tiny.)

Tapemix54: These were filed only cycles after Shockwaves Emputra; they were added to the Iacon records by some Archivist under the title. 'I will Remember you for who you were'. This was right when the senate fell apart on the brink of the war. From my knowledge of information on Rattler he apparently had an outlier who he got to take them to different times since he was a shuttle made it easier to transport. That's from the  records that still exist at least. I'll take you up on that offer Iacon-records. 

(Okay. That mysterious archivist? Definitely Optimus.

...

But wasn't Optimus a police officer during that era??? Wasn't he working with Sentinel at that time???

And who's this mysterious shuttle??? Omega Supreme??? JDDKSJDLDHDKGKSGS.

And who's RATTLER?! So many questions and so little answers.)

Oh, and Tiny? I really want to thank you for humoring me. You have no idea how much help you've given.

And uhhh.... Yeah....

ACCEPT MY LOVE AND APPRECIATION.

꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡ TINY ♡⁠˖⁠꒰⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠⑅⁠꒱

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

It’s half past midnight as I’m starting this, who knows what time it will be when I finish it, let’s talk: Inej versus the Wraith.

Ok I’ve been thinking a lot about the distinction between Inej and the Wraith as a concept similar to the desperation of Kaz and Dirtyhands or Kaz Brekker and Kaz Rietveld, and I think I’ve noticed an actual trend in the books of using the epithet at certain times or in certain tones. For example, when the group find the pyre in chapter 19/20 and realise one of the victims is still alive, Jesper shoots them to end their pain. Kaz wanted Inej to do it since using her knives would be quieter than the gun, but she can’t bring herself to. In this moment, she is described exclusively as “Inej”. Later in chapter 20 she kills a parem-drugged fabrikator in order to save their lives, and is described as “the Wraith”. Not only is there the suggestion of a growing distinction between the two, but it is now being noticed by the characters as well as just the reader. For Kaz it’s really only the reader (and maybe Inej but I’d argue not to a full extent until Crooked Kingdom) who sees this distinction because we are closer to him than he lets anyone else get, we are the only people who really know what he’s thinking and see the two sides of his personality or the two potentials for who he could be. But with Inej it’s almost the exact opposite, we as the reader see the idea of the Wraith as an epithet invented by Kaz and an as empowering epithet designed to counter the dehumanising “Lynx” whilst still echoing the trauma of her past by linking very clearly to Inej’s descriptions of leaving her body behind and thinking “I’m already dead, I died in the hold of a slaver ship”, whilst the characters begin to almost refer to the Wraith and Inej as separate entities. I’m using Jesper as my example here since he’s the one to calll her the Wraith in chapter 20 - “trust the Wraith” - and the one to shoot the dying Grisha at the pyre, both to spare them and her from pain. It seems a sudden turnabout to go from a non-verbal or even any kind of communicatory acknowledgment that he needs to step in for her to expecting, trusting, and praising her for killing, but arguably that’s because he has seen a change in her during this short period of time.

It’s also worth noting that Nina almost always calls her Inej, in fact I don’t think she once calls her Wraith (at least to my immediate recollection, feel free to correct me) except when she uses the name to call Kaz out when he says “the Wraith can handle it” and she replies “the Wraith is a 16-year-old girl” and goes on to emphasise Inej’s injuries. But even in this scene, which is on the boat to Fjerda when it’s still unclear whether Inej will even survive and Kaz is talking about making her climb up the incinerator shaft at the Ice Court, Nina begins the conversation by saying Kaz can’t make Inej do that, and he comes back with “the Wraith can manage”. This suggests he sees a distinction between them as well, perhaps that Inej is a religious young woman who’s been left incredibly vulnerable but the Wraith is a hardened criminal with nothing to lose. By choosing to refer to her as the Wraith when he plans to put her through something so incredibly difficult, he is alleviating himself from the guilt of harming a vulnerable young woman by instead considering her as a hardened criminal. Nina calling him out in this shit (yeah I said it and I stand by it) clearly annoys Kaz or he wouldn’t have bothered arguing back to her, as he usually doesn’t. Arguably we could extend this to the idea that the others call her Inej when she’s the person they know and care about but the Wraith when she’s violent or commits crimes so they can actively choose to separate the image of warm, kind-hearted Inej from cruel or calculating Wraith.

Now everything I’ve said so far really comes down to perception so in terms of analysis it’s the kind of thing that you can say confidently and have accepted as accurate or at least as a reasonable interpretation, like when critics tell you that the dream sequence in Frankenstein can mean on of the following 5 things so you agree with them because they clearly know what they’re talking about. (Not that I’m saying the dream doesn’t mean one of those 5 things it can definitely be interpreted in those ways, it’s just an example of something in literature I’ve seen we kind of take as fact when it is, of course, all yo for interpretation). However, I want to be clear that what I’m going to say from now on can be considered a possible theory or interpretation of Inej surrounding her mental state and ptsd response. I’ve talked about it recently as part of other posts and I’m basically about to repeat myself word for word, but I wanted to compress this all into one post on the theme and include the stuff about the characters actually perceiving her that way too.

So first you we have a quote from the Crooked Kingdom Bathroom Scene™️, and what I’m going to say here is pretty much going to be exactly the same as what I wrote in my detailed breakdown and analysis of that scene, which if anyone wants to read is on my page or I can tag you if you’d like. The quote I want to talk about is: “I live in fear that I’ll see one of her - one of my clients on the street. For a while I thought I saw them everywhere”. Now I’m about to say there are 2 was to read this, but I mean this in a “I’ve read this is in two different ways” kinda way not in a “this can only be interpreted in these 2 ways” kinda way ok we’re embracing the de-classicising of literature here (I have no idea if that’s the right word or if that even makes sense but hopefully you know what I mean, I’m tired, bare with me) and we are open to any and all possible interpretations of things in any way they’re written so whooo if you read this quote in a different way let me know would love to hear it, these are the two ways I read it:

Firstly, that when she refers to “her” Inej means Heleen but edits her words as a continuation of this vulnerability she is forcing herself to share in this scene. If we exclude her being vulnerable with the reader, this is the most vulnerable we ever see Inej make herself - aka, this is the only time she allows herself to be deeply vulnerable out loud with another character. I think this closest other time we get is with Nina on the boat to Fjerda when Inej is trying to ward of flashbacks and she tells Nina why she doesn’t have the Crow Cup tattoo. However, that scene is written from Inej’s perspective and therefore gives her the opportunity to show the reader a lot more vulnerability than she shows Nina (eg when she has flashbacks the reader knows but Nina doesn’t because Inej is just egging her on to keep singing and distracting her; Nina knows something is happening but she isn’t being brought into the moment to share it because Inej isn’t in a position where she’s able to share her vulnerability) so our memory of this scene being particularly vulnerable is actually more about Inej being very honest with us, which of course isn’t an active choice, and less about her being very honest with Nina. Having the Bathroom Scene ™️ from Kaz’s perspective gives us the opportunity to have Inej’s openness and vulnerability in the scene far stronger since she has to say something out loud for us to know with certainty that she’s thinking it. Arguably if it had been a less vulnerable scene, Inej would have said “her clients” in reference two Tante Heleen as an added layer of the separation she practices, but here she changes it to “my” clients because she is forcing herself to be uncomfortable because she wants to be able to be more open with Kaz and she wants to continue this vulnerability that she’s allowing herself ti have with him. I feel like I just some variation on vulnerable like 20 times.

The second way I read it is linking back to our main theme of Inej and the Wraith as separate entities. “Inej talks a lot about how she would leave her body behind to exist only in her mind, in passages I find particularly reminiscent of passages in The Handmaid’s Tale (although please note soc is not very explicit whereas tht is incredibly explicit). But to take that idea further, I think there are certain hints, and I think this is possibly the biggest one, to imply that one of Inej’s ptsd responses it to actually view herself today as a separate entity from who she was during her indenture, effectively saying ‘yes these things happened to this body but they didn’t happen to this mind so that should make it easier’ to herself, which is massively self-destructive in nature because it almost creates this idea that she needs to get over who she once was and move on, very similar to the way Kaz Brekker represses Kaz Rietveld. Arguably, what she’s saying is the worst of it is this fracturing of the self that has been created by what they put her through and that she cannot seem to escape from.” (I put that bit in quote marks because I didn’t feel like rewriting it so that’s copy and pasted exactly from my Bathroom Scene™️ analysis post)

Ok there’s one other specific quote I want to bring up and it’s the end of Chapter 2 of Six of Crows, I did talk about it in my favourite quotes analysis of the chapter (which I am planning to continue btw chapter 5 up next if anyone wants to read these posts for the previous chapters let me know and I’ll tag you).

"Inej pitied the boy who might die alone with no one to comfort him in his last hours or who might live and spend his life as an exile. But the night's work wasn't over yet, and the Wraith didn't have time for traitors"

This I think, unless there are more I haven’t noticed/thought of yet is the only other time we get an suggestion of Inej perceiving herself and the Wraith as separate, and it’s arguably more concrete than the amendment of pronouns I just talked about for a ridiculous amount of time. To me, this quote shows Inej as being the girl she was, the girl she should have been, and the Wraith being a creation of necessity to aid survival. Inej is a religious young woman from Ravka who has been through far more than she should have done, but the Wraith was born and raised on the blood-soaked streets of Ketterdam and has every intention of surviving them - no matter the cost.

(That was also pretty much direct quotes from what said before)

It is now quarter past one in the morning. If you made it this far then thanks so much for reading I hope it made sense and was interesting, I feel like I’ve made enough “me rambling about grishaverse after midnight” posts that we can call it a series so if I think of a good name for it I’ll go through a tag them all so if anyone fancies trying to wade through all my middle-of-the-night-analysis nonsense you can find it all together because let me tell you something I never quite acknowledge just how much I’ve posted until I have to scroll back through to find stuff I’ve said in order to reference it in a new post. Anyway, thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed and if you have any thoughts linked to this or grishaverse analysis in general please comment or send me an ask I would love to hear it.

EDIT: sorry, correction, I just realised Inej didn’t kill the parem-drugged fabrikator she killed the parem-drugged squaller; the fabrikator was Nina’s childhood friend Nestor, he died from a combination of injury and the drug

[nvvacanesworld]

..••°°°°••..GREAT BLUE °°••....••°°

What if sirens were real and had the ability to make captains crash/sink their boats and their crew? Write from the perspective of a young sailor who survives a crash and interacts with one of the sirens

credit to @writers-potion for the prompt☼

♡pairing -Sailor!Gojo x Siren! Fem Reader!

♡content warning- Angst/No comfort, death, manipulation, starvation, satoru being stranded. she/her pronouns used Comment if i missed any please

♡word count-2,174

an- this took so long i’m sorry if it’s not perfect i haven’t proof read but i will later. Likes and reblogs and comments are appreciated, and if you like this feel free to follow me i’m trying to reach a goal of 100 followers :) or don’t it’s okay. I also like getting feedback just please be nice to me as i am a new writer ☮︎

it’s been seven days. seven days i’ve been stuck on this island. Seven days sense those things attacked me and my men. I don’t know how it happened. It’s like i was in a trance, she was pulling me towards her with her eyes. Oh those eyes, those beautiful ey- No Satoru Stop! Get your self together. I started slapping my face to wake up and get myself to stop thinking about her. Before i flipped the ship, i heard her, i swear i heard her whispering in my ear. She promised me power and riches if i would just jerk the wheel.

“Oh Satoru, listen to me brave sailor, riches beyond imagination await you. I can give you what you want, i just need you to trust me. Trust me Satoru”

Trust her? I looked forward and saw the most beautiful women i’ve ever seen looking at me. I didn’t care where she came from, I just wanted to see more of her.

“Yes my brave sailor, treasures only the bold can claim can all be yours”

“Tell me more please” I was so eager to know how i could attain this treasures. Looking out at the sea, the sun hitting my skin started to fade away making the once clear sky dark and gloomy, The once calm waters became more aggressive crashing into the side of my ship, but i hardly noticed, to focused on what this women, with her soft enchanting voice could possible mean, it’s like i couldn’t control myself. That’s was the only thing on my mind.

“Ancient jewels that shine brighter than the stars, Scales of the mightiest creatures that have ever lived, stronger than any metal or wood, The crown of the ruler of the sea Queen Asherah, with this crown you will gain the ability to breathe under water, we can see each other that way Satoru, i want you to see me, i want to see you”

Without a second thought i spoke

“I want to see you too, tell me how i can see you” I gripped the wheel tighter eager to know what i could do to attain these things that only are spoken of in folktales, things you hear about from your comrades while you watch the star in the sky dreaming about what you want to be.

Her voice sounded eldritch the next time she spoke, more sinister, different than the soft voice i had grown accustomed too

“Crash your ship”

What? My eye go wide but before i could think my mind goes back to the promise of hidden treasures, things that could make me the most powerful man to sail these dangerous waters, making me remembered for generations. Ignoring the warnings the waves gave me, I start to steer my ship closer to the sound of her voice. Where are you, how can i find you

As the ship goes deeper into the perilous waters, it feels like the water has an iron grip on my ship, making me and all my men shake with it.

“Captain what’s going on what are you doing?” One of my men shout at me, but i ignore him continuing on my path.

No matter what you do or how hard you fight you fight nature will always win

My ship flips succumbing to the oceans furry.

The last thing i remember is the screams of my men, begging for mercy, begging to live. And the scene of that same women and others attacking them as they struggled to keep themselves up, in that oh so unforgiving sea. And that soul wrenching song luring me to sleep.

I woke up in a sweat, jumping up from my position. How was i alive?

I’ve been stuck here for seven days waiting for anyone to notice that we never reached the port. Wandering around with no certain direction in mind. But the thing that irked me the most is i still wanted to see her. I don’t know what i would do if i happened to see her again. Maybe try to kill her to be honest. For what she made me do, or maybe she wasn’t even real and i did it myself.

My mind has been spiraling ever sense. As i kept walking i reached shore again. Great i went in a circle.

Falling onto the sand i felt the grains against my back prickling my skin. I was starving and hungry, only surviving off of the fruit that hung off the trees around me. I could feel myself slipping in and out of consciousness. This was it, i was going to die here. Right when my eyes were about close and my mind was about to fade into darkness. I heard her again.

“Oh Satoru, you look so hurt” she murmured in my ear. Her voice was so calming, oh so soothing i almost forgot how much i loathed her.

I got the toughness of steal and forced my body up and finally i saw her smiling at me.

“You…” I said with a strain in my voice glaring at her. She had so much nerve to smile in my face after that fucking mind control spell she cast on me. How could she be so confident? Standing so close to me in my reach like i won’t snap her neck and make her suffer the same fate as the men of mine she killed.

Without too much thinking i gather all the strength i can muster and lunge at her.

But she..she evaded me so gracefully, like she was dancing she twirled out my grasp, and i fell face first into the sand right in front of her like an idiot. I heard her laughing at me.

As i lay there defeated in the sand, she continued to laugh at me. That haunting melody that echoed in my ears caused my face to turn red. I couldn’t understand how she seemed so exquisite and untouched and calm by the chaos that she had caused. The tragedy she had caused. Struggling to my feet, my anger added fuel to the fiery flames that ignited in me at the sound of her mocking laugh.

“Why did you make me do it?”I growled not even bothering to wipe the sand sticking to my damp clothes “What even are you?”

Her laughter died out and she looked at me almost childlike her eyes looked so doll like.

“I am a Siren, Satoru. A creature of the sea, drawn to the deepest desires of men like yourself. Satoru your heart desired and sought after the most beautiful treasures, all the glory and for your name to be remembered for generations. I merely offered you what your heart desired”

Anger surged within me. “And at what cost? Where is all that now? After my crew is gone my ship has sunk, What do you even gain from all of this destruction?”

“Oh Satoru” There she goes again saying my name like that. “The sea demands its sacrifice, the sea doesn’t kneel for anybody, In return i bestow upon you the opportunity to come with me, Embraces the depths with you Satoru and wield the treasures your heart desires”

I hesitated, why did i hesitate, i was torn between the desires for revenge and the lingering allure of her vow. The lines between hatred and captivation started to blur. “Join you? After what you’ve done?”I croaked out my voice strained

Her expression softened, almost like she pitied me. I hated that. But the more i looked it almost looked like understanding “You may despise me now, but the sea has changed lots of peoples perspectives it has a way of doing that to people. Embrace the change and power i offer and you shall become something greater than you can imagine”

The conflict raged within me as i heard the waves crash, further echoing the turmoil in my mind. I yearned for vengeance, while another part of me felt drawn to her seductive promises she whispered. The siren extended her hand to me, an invitation to a destiny entwined with the depths of the sea.

“Do you choose the surface, where you will be stuck here forever wandering this very here beach because no one will come to save you Satoru i’m the only one who is here for you” Her voice got darker as she spoke it seemed she was getting angry but she quickly covered it up again “Or will you come with me, We can be together Satoru, i will make all your dreams come true” She was calm again looking at me with a glint in her eyes awaiting my answer. Why was she so bent on taking me with her, was she once like me ? Who are you?

A starange calm settled within me, the rage giving way to curios acceptance. I found myself reaching for her hand that she offered me. The decision made against the backdrop of the now calm sea. It’s like nature was playing into her hands. Our hands met, a surge of entertainment courses through me.

The world around us started to shift, and the island transformed into an otherworldly paradise. Vivid hues danced in the air, and the haunting melody of the sirens song resonated with a newfound lucidness. When i looked around me i felt a connection to the depths, an understanding that surpassed my former human limitations.

“You are now more than a mere sailor Satoru” she whispered from behind me. Her eyes gleaming with a mix of triumph and compassion. “You are now part of the oceans songs, it’s powers”

As i embraced my transition and transformation. The memory’s of what now was my past life started to fade like distant echos. I didn’t harbor resentment for the shipwreck, or the loss of my crew. Instead a symbiotic relationship with the sea and with the siren unfolded before me.

In the depths i discovered the wonders that were promised to me. The ancient jewels that shimmered like the stars. Scales of mighty creatures that pulsed with raw strength, and the beautiful crown of the Queen Asherah. With the crown on my head the ability to breathe underwater became second nature. And the ocean unveiled is secrets to me. This is what power felt like.

The siren, whose named i learned was y/n, and i began to roam the depths together. She became more than the seductive creature who led me astray, she became my mentor, my friend, my lover. Our connection transcended the surfaces desires that once bounded us.

As time passed i lost track of how long i had been apart of this aquatic realm. But i embraced it with open arms leaving behind the limitations my once mortal existence gave me.

The sea, once a relentless force, had became my ally, my truth. And with the Siren by my side i embraced the desires of the sea and the destiny that awaited in the endless expanse of the great blue.

—

Years have passed and whispers of the mysterious island reached the years of adventurous souls who wished to see if these folk tales were true. A group of explorers, drawn by tales of lost treasures, set sails toward their destination.

As their ship anchored near the sand of the island, the explorers set foot on the sandy shore. The air carried an eerie feeling, and the wind seemed to whisper untold secrets. Among the group was a seasoned archaeologist named Dr.William was leading the group.

Their footsteps echoed through the abandoned remains of a shipwreck that looked like it was washed up on shore, a haunting reminder of a past that was long forgotten. They explored further, discovering footprints deeply etched into the sand, evidence of what once was someone’s existence.

Deeper into the sand they discovered a figure lying motionless on the beach. A gasp swept through the group as they walked towards the body.

“Is that Satoru?”

“Who is that?”

“He was that famous caption who sailed the seven seas, but when he was on his way back home, it was said his ship crashed and he was never found”

The group gasped shocked by the news of the incident.

His body was intact but lifeless.

Dr. William explained the scene “Starvation” She uttered. A somber realization. “He must have been stranded here for days and took his last breathe when he laidback on the sand”

The once vibrant and ambitious man laid there as mere shell his dreams and desires extinguished by the unforgiving nature of the island.

As the explorers gathered around his body they prayed and paid their respects, but right as they were getting ready to leave the heard a haunting melody and out of the corner of there eyes they could’ve sworn they had seen something, or rather someone, rise from the sea ready to confront the crew. The last thing they heard before they passed out was

“Oh Satoru, my brave sailor”

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO NVVACANESWORLD DO NOT STEAL MY WORK OR COPY MY WORK!!!

please and thank you :)

♡tag-list- :) @getosbabymomma @seeingivy

[simsor-talks]

Ok so I'm a huge Ford stan (haha get it, because his na--) and I love this little meow meow and I love to see all the content that everyone is cooking after The Book of Bill. However.

I'm Not a big Billford fan 😭 and I'm not making this post to say I hate the Billford content on my dash. I'm making this post to say that I love all the Billford content on my dash. And now there are a few other things that I've been thinking about: a) I'm actually a Fiddauthor shipper, b) I'm practicing my improvising/storytelling skills, c) I like the Billford content even though I don't ship it, d) I love me some good angst. I don't know how much sense it makes but it's not supposed to be a serious post anyway. So here's what I've been thinking:

Chronologically, Fiddleford and Stanford met at Backupsmore and became friends, (and they were roommates :0), right. Fidds gives massive bi/pan energy and we all agree that Ford is gay (though i headcannon him as aroace when in different context. He's cool either way), but given that Ford is an oblivious mf, he never realised that Fidds had a thing for him. Fidds on the other hand was fully aware the feeling wasn't reciprocated so he never made any move. Then they parted ways, Ford went to Gravity Falls, and Fidds kinda got over his crush and started his business and a family. But then Ford called him and guess what. He didn't get over his crush. While they worked together, Ford kinda-sorta started reciprocating? But then Bill happened. And he happened big, making Ford practically fall for him (let's be honest, by manipulating and using him but still), to a point where Ford wouldn't do anything without him. And Fidds obviously got jealous af, because Ford kept praising Bill and calling him his assistant and his muse, but he didn't say anything because he trusted Ford and that he knows what he's doing. I honestly think it was a Sam/Frodo +Gollum kinda thing? Where Bill started telling Ford that nobody really is trustworthy, and especially not Fidds, for working so closely to the project. But still they tested it, and the incident happened, Fidds fell into the portal and well. He decided to quit working on it, to forget everything about it, and we know what happened to him next. Ford then realized, that what Bill wants is dangerous, and that he's been lying to him and using him and he shuts down the portal, stops sleeping and then the Stan situation happened and this time he fell into the portal. Welp. Now, he's been travelling through the dimensions for 30 years, ofc he had time to think about his whole life a bit. I mean not that he'd admit to doing something wrong, but maybe he realized some things, maybe got to know his feelings a bit closer, you know. I mean, Bill was Going Through it in the meantime, actually mourning after the divorce, and alright, billford is canon, but Bill is still a little bitch and he's still a literal demon and he fucking ruined everyone's lives. Literally. Then Stan got Ford back, they lived their domestic fluff for a while (I mean Ford was sitting in the basement all the time but anyway) and he definitely heard that Fiddleford is still there somewhere. And honestly I think he was too scared to talk to him earlier, and maybe also too proud, because he would have to admit to being wrong lol. But I think after the Weirdmageddon, after defeating Ford's evil ex and after getting Stan's memories back, Ford and Fidds did some catching up, definitely explained some stuff and then there was old men yuri and they lived happily ever after, even with Ford on a boat with Stan in the middle of nowhere

Thank you for coming to my ted talk, these characters are constantly consuming my brain

Read it if you want basically the summary of Ford's backstory 😭

[stagefoureddiediaz]

So they’re really pushing the communication aspect of all the relationships we’re seeing this season aren’t they -

Athena and Bobby - not communicating until they have to, then communicating well and them being stronger than before.

Maddie and chimney doing pretty well at communicating but things getting a bit lost in translation occasionally but even then they still end up on the same page and the strength of their relationship is evident. And they tell each other everything and that tendency is healthy and helpful

The subtle communication between Hen and Karen (that I’m sure were going to come into play much more as the season goes on) that speaks of how much work they’ve put into their relationship and how well they know one another

The fact we’re now seeing Maddie and Hen communicating after their chat last season - how much growth there has been there when before it was non existent - how Hen is trusting of Maddie because of Chim.

Some interesting tension in Hen and Chims friendship - the evidence that they normally communicate well but didn’t this time - which is pretty jarring when compared with the Jonah arc that showed their friendship off so amazingly. So this not communicating this time is setting off a mini siren and I think it’s being done e to set up some bachelor party shenanigans

The fact that Chris is prepared to be open and communicate with Buck - building on what we’ve seen in previous seasons - that Chris has this safe space he can be open in.

Then we have literally all of the calls and people on the boat - showing poor communication for the most part - rocket couple just sniping at each other, hot tub couple not being fully honest/keeping information from each other, car crash dude being incapable of communicating properly but also unwilling to. Lola and Norman not communicating so their marriage has become broken, the comma line on the ship being taken out by the pirates, the family all talking over one another and missing their sim who doesn’t communicate and is in his own world. The various other characters such as casino chips guy - communicating loudly over everyone else and drowning them out.

Tommy faking communication issues from the chopper.

The only ones we see communicating well are the captain and her second in command.

And then we have Buck and Eddie’s communication being all over the place. We have them talking and communicating well when talking about Chris, and they’re more in sync with each other on callls etc than we’ve ever seen them. But then we get this juxtaposition with other aspects of their lives - girlfriends and relationships. Even the Shannon aspect isn’t something we see them discuss - Eddie overhears it.

And that’s the crux of things really isn’t it - this inability to communicate with one another around relationships - because it’s the only thing they’re not talking about with one another. (We could argue that they’ve not talked about their trauma as well but the trauma is so very connected into their respective relationships that it feels like it’s one and the same)

I’m not sure exactly where I’m going with this beyond it clearly being a season set up around communication (even Maddie and Chim exchanging vows is them communicating) and that the show has loudly been setting up a failure to communicate for Buck and Eddie in this specific area is pretty telling given if you ask me- it’s the elephant in the room for them and it feels like we’re about to finally hit critical mass with it

[t0ast-ghost]

The last one… it’s been coming for awhile…

Here’s my thoughts on Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

(Spoilers for- well— everything)

- Before watching this movie I was trying to figure out why they chose this name and was told by my mom it’s a Shakespeare reference which.. I should have guessed

- “A Nicholas Myer Film” Cool! Now we know who to blame or bow to

- The music is so fucking intense I’m worried now

- I know Christopher Plummer is famous, I can’t place the face though and I want to say I know the name from the muppet show

- WAIT. Michael Dorn… WORF

- Wanna let y’all know that there was a guy (Harve Bennet) who wanted to create a completely different sixth movie that would’ve been more like a prequel where they recasted everyone to have an “academy era” movie with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy shenanigans. Gene Roddenberry didn’t fucking like that idea (cause only he knows how to cast apparently)

- explosion :)

- Teacup that tells you what ship you’re on. I now understand why everyone hates Quark trying to spread his own brand when Starfleet clearly is trying to push their own into every single crevasse

- HIII SULU HIIII

- It’s nice that they gave him the ship he kept saying he was hoping for in voyage home

- I won’t make a fart joke out of “gaseous planetary anomalies” and I definitely won’t say that Q did it

- DAMN NOT THE TEACUP. NBC Hannibal would fucking hate this movie

- Forgot how much I freaking love George Takei and I am so happy they gave him more stuff to do in this movie

- Falling… for about 7 seconds which is about 4 seconds more than normal

- Fairly certain that’s Janice Rand (5:32) (edit: it is! Hi Janice!!!)

- “We have no need for assistance,” and “Stay out of the neutral zone,” sounds like challenge

- Kirk says “What are we doing here?” STARRRING IN THE SIXTH STAR TREK MOVIEE BABEYYYY

- Scotty bought a boat, Uhura teaches seminars at the academy, I love hearing about their lives, keep going

- “Where’s Spock?” Asked in the saddest wettest voice. Kirk’s got his priorities straight. Er- well- not straight exactly but they’re there

- Them trying to hide that the “special envoy” is Spock when Kirk is sitting there looking at him like this

- Sorry babygirl not taking in any of that information. I am taking in those beautiful eyes tho <3

- Ooooh starting this one off with Kirk and Spock on opposite political sides

- Kirk being the one who has to offer the olive branch probably because Spock thought he could trust him to be on the side of peace (which was a miscalculation cause he’s probably still pretty angry with the whole “you Klingon bastards killed my son” thing…)

- “I remind you this meeting is classified” as everybody splits off into chattering gossip

- Kirk actually getting angry at Spock for “volunteering” them. The giant empty room with Kirk in the shadows and only Spock in the light (plus that random person standing in a dark corner for some reason) augh the mise en scène is wonderful

- I don’t even know how to unpack all that. Kirk so prejudiced against the Klingons (finally taking a more antagonistic stance) and saying “You should have trusted me” WHICH IS WHAT SPOCK HAS ALWAYS DONE. Because he trusted that Kirk would ultimately want peace no matter how battered and broken he became.

- They changed Spock’s ears, made the points more curved into themselves

- Why does every new lieutenant like quoting regulations to Kirk? How many does he just regularly break?

- OH FOR FUCKS SAKE WHY DOES HE LOOK OVER AT SPOCK SO SOFTLY

- I love how shape her hair is (draw it draw it draw it dammnit)

- Whenever creating a Star Trek movie you need someone on the production team who loves the ship departing from space dock scenes

- “I can never forgive them for the death of my boy.” Kirk says my boy

- Okay yes, Valeris should have knocked before entering his room but Kirk should also know to lock his door when he’s talking to his diary

- Why is Valeris so involved in this movie? First she’s talking to Kirk and now we’re following her to Spock’s? Strange (my guess. She’s evil.)

- “It is a reminder to me that all things end.” Like your life. Twice. Also that’s a nice sentiment and all but it’s so sad with the context that even his own original timeline ends

- “Logic is the beginning of wisdom, Valeris, not the end.” YEAHHH OLDER SPOCK he’s got a more balanced view on the world and himself

- OKAY I absolutely adore the costume design, especially for Gorkon. Like the golden clips in the hair? The red suit adorned with studs and the giant silver necklace?? The beard??? Amazing

- I like that there’s a “chief of staff” for the Klingons. It’s like the manager at a party city

- “They all look alike” BRO THEY MOST FUCKINGLY DO NOT

- I love the chief of staff being so confused over what the napkin roll thing is. I feel that.

- Ah yes my favourite meal. Blue. With a side of orange of course.

- “I offer a toast. The Undiscovered Country…” Welp. He said it. Time to wrap up the movie

- YEP ITS SHAKESPEARE BABEYYY (thank you Spock for saying that it’s Hamlet, act III, scene I, cause I didn’t wanna look it up)

- “You’ve not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon.” Quoi???

- Spock actively trying to stop Kirk from starting a war

- I think this is such a good part where the Klingons are trying to state their worries. The gradual (or not so gradual) need for assimilation to be apart of starfleet. This is a particularly big problem for the Klingons because so much of their culture has been entwined with violence which Starfleet seems almost hellbent to take away. As well as hearing troubling language such as “human rights” thrown in their faces

- IM SORRY. Kirk. You didn’t. You didn’t just compare someone to hitler.

- Spock looks actually so fucking pissed at Kirk

- “If there is to be a brave new world, our generation is going to have the hardest time living in it.” Gorkon dropping all the good lines

- McCoy just standing there adjusting his outfit and looking like the most tired man alive

- “I’m going to sleep this off.” “I’m going to go find a pot of black coffee.” Both Kirk and McCoy leaving Spock :(((

- The shaky swoop of the camera as Kirk and the rest of the bridge realize that somehow they just fired on the Klingon vessel

- Don’t care about the rest of the movie I just love the scene where everything starts floating on the Klingon vessel

- AUGH THOSE SPACE SUITS OKAY I DO STILL CARE

- Love me some good ol’ bad 3D graphics blood

- Times like this I wish I’d never skipped my tlhIngan Hol classes

- Floating dead Klingons. What. A. Scene.

- Aw Fuck Dude. The one guy getting gravity back online and everything falling to the ground and blood splattering and AUGHHH. Every time I think this scene can’t get better, it does!

- HIII MCCOY!!! He got to rush onto the bridge just to ask “are we firing torpedoes” and I appreciate that :)

- Kirk and Spock fighting over who should go to the Klingon ship and Spock saying “perhaps you’re right” and then putting his hand on Kirk’s shoulder made me more nervous than it should have. Darn you Wrath of Khan! You’ve given me trust issues. (but you're telling me this isn't supposed to look like a nerve pinch???)

- Also Kirk ultimately still trying to maintain peace. It’s his knee jerk reaction to this. He’s got what he’s said he’s wanted when incased in his own emotions about loosing his son but he knows it’s not right

- and finally, yay! McCoy gets to go on the mission!

- The actor for the Klingon that greets them is so good at the rage mixing with grief and sadness

- McCoy to the rescue!!

- Either Klingon blood is pink (like in that one game) or they wanted to keep it pg-13

- “He’s gone into some kind of damned arrest!” McCoy proceeds to straddle the Klingon on top of the table so he has leverage to do proper CPR… I have no thoughts on this that I’d like to share

- I do not believe McCoy’s punches would be strong enough to restart a heart. I’m sorry but they look so puny

- The blood bubbling as Gorkon dies is so fucking good oh my heart

- This is all happening at 2:00 fucking AM??? No wonder Kirk is tired

- “I sympathize, Mr. Scott.” Love when they make Spock say he ‘understands’ or ‘sympathizes’

- SAREKKKK!! Hehe hiiii

- “We are experiencing technical malfunction. All backup systems inoperative.” “Excellent. I… I mean, too bad.” A banger scene from Uhura and Chekov

- Rosanna DeSoto as Azetbur (the Chancellor’s daughter) plays the part so well. Again their portrayal of grief and anger while trying to get to peace is so fucking amazing. LOOK AT HER FACE

- Maybe I’m not so happy about McCoy being on this mission after all…

- The giant circular judgement chamber is so fucking cool

- MICHAEL DORN 🫵

- The sparking gavel <3

- I love the beginning of a translator translating all the Klingon’s words

- WORF IS THEIR DEFENDANT???

- That one Klingon that laughs at McCoy’s joke, wanna be friends?

- “You say you are due for retirement. May I ask, do your hands shake?” “Objection!” “I was nervous!” “No. You were incompetent.” This is like watching reality tv for me. That’s some good drama

- phew thank goodness they’re not killing McCoy. He’s too pretty to die

- The back and forth slow zoom in on McCoy & Kirk and the judge didn’t have the intensity they were going for but I appreciate the effort

- “Better to kill them now and get it over with.” That’s nice Scotty

- Oh shit Spock loosing both of his husbands in one sentencing. That cannot be good for the economy

- “An ancestor of mine maintained that if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains however improbable, must be the truth.” Ancestor? You mean fucking Arthur Conan Doyle?? Or Sherlock??? Either way that’s a hecking lore drop

- They’ve got a murder mystery aboard the Enterprise, this is my dream

- Hey babe, new Klingon dog beast just dropped (Jackal Mastiff)

- I let out an audible “aww” of pity when I saw McCoy wrapped up in a blanket

- I can’t believe I’m only halfway through this movie what is even happening anymore

- Had a brief pause to voice crackedly yell a little bit. Something along the lines of “I do not care. I do not care! I don’t care! I just want Spock- I just want them with Spock! I do not care!” And then let myself breathe for a second or two (and then made chicken nuggets). The outburst was born of a deep sadness from the fact that they can’t just be happy and retired together. Ok, back to the movie.

- Martia just handed Kirk a blunt change my mind

- “Somebody up there wants you out of the way.” of course, it can’t just be about actual politics between the Klingons and Federation, it has to actually be about Kirk and somebody trying to kill him. Dang it.

- “But the killers may still be among them.” …wait a damn minute.. you’re saying there’s imposters- *pulled away forcefully*

- I love how every commanding officer comes into the kitchen absolutely furious that someone fired a phaser

- On that note: why is there a kitchen? And why are they preparing various cooked birds? Who’s having a banquet tonight?

- What kind of bullshit evolution puts a species genitals in their knees?

- Hate how Kirk just lets McCoy go treat the highly dangerous being alone

- “Spock was right” NO SHIT HE’S LITERALLY AN ANCESTOR OF SHERLOCK

- YASSS SULU!!! Now get your rest you beautiful man

- Spock will literally leave no stone unturned for his husbands

- Either Martia has some really good prosthetics in the cave or she’s wearing someone else’s skin… NEVERMIND haha she’s just a shapeshifter

- Chekov was so proud of himself dammit. Too bad he was so utterly wrong

- Also Valeris is so expressive, kinda loving it

- The planet seems kinda nice in the daylight.. minus the dead body I’d say it’s pretty similar to winters in Canada (yes I made the joke, please delete it before posting) (edit: nope <3 just like Canada. Made your bed, lie in it)

- “Leave me. I’m finished.” Goddamn this man’s worst enemy is the cold. Both times McCoy just gives up and tells Spock or Kirk to leave him (First time being in All Our Yesterdays)

- “If they’re even looking for us.” Bones. Spock would literally NEVER leave the both of you. That aside the rest of the Enterprise crew also loves you like crazy

- Everyone laughing on the channel with the Klingons is so funny

- Holyy shit. Is Kirk going to fight.. himself???

- McCoy angel <3

- “I can’t believe I kissed you.” Yeah. Me neither. You didn’t actually have too.

- Poor McCoy holy cannoli oil. He’s knocked out and when he wakes up immediately gets trampled by two versions of his husband

- HIIII JACKAL MASTIFF HIII

- “Since you’re all going to die anyway, why not tell you.” When I go to watch the cinema sins video (I know I’m sorry) on this movie I bet they’ll say “klingonposition” or smt like that here

- If it’s just Chang that wants Kirk dead that’s so disappointing

- McCoy looks over and sees this

- “What you want is irrelevant, what you’ve chosen is at hand.” SPOCK IS ANGRYYYYY SPOCK IS PISSSED

- Please someone let McCoy take a shower, he stinks

- WAIT VALERIS WAS THE ONE SITTING IN THE DARK CORNER OF THE ROOM IN THE BEGINNING

- The distorted wavy angle that almost feels like it’s going side to side dutch angles with each of Spock’s footsteps as he nears Valeris

- I WOULD HAVE SCREAMED IN THEATRES

- Valeris is fucking crying omg what the actual fuck

- I honestly don’t know how to take that apart. I’m still shocked and screaming a little. The reactions from each crew member being just absolutely horrified

- I’m still reeling from that but I gotta acknowledge the fact that Spock says “I prefer it dark” when Kirk enters his quarters. So did I as a teenager and my mom would tell me it was bad for my eyes

- “You and the doctor might have been killed.” “The night is still young.” They are three months from retirement. Goddammnit let them just get to be retired together on a farm or condo or smt. I don’t give a shit just let them rest.

- “Spock, you want to know something? Everybody’s human.” NO THEYRE NOT IN THIS CONTEXT. That was kind of a big point made in this movie. I think the point you’re trying to make is ‘everyone in the whole galaxy forever will always make mistakes.’

- “Doctor, would you care to assist me in performing surgery on a torpedo?”

- Chang just said, “ah the games afoot” why are there so many Sherlock Holmes references in this one? Like I know they have a hard on for famous literature but this one is named after a Shakespeare quote. Just saying it’s a bit crowded.

- They really wanted McCoy to say smt doctory while making the torpedo so they chose “we’ve got a heart beat”

- I think it would’ve been better if Chang said to be or not to be in Klingon like they did at the dinner table

- So they saved the day? Yay? Kirk and McCoy should legally not actually be there- oh they’re all clapping for them who cares

- SPOCK GETS TO SAY GO TO HELL

- Kirk did not just fucking quote Peter Pan. Shut the fuck up.

- McCoy’s look says it all. And by that I mean just let him retire with his husbands. Oh my goodness.

- Just for my mom I'm mentioning the flared pants (Spock and McCoy look kinda goofy tho)

- Ohhh so this is where they change it from “where no man” to “where no one”

- And the Enterprise rides off into the sun. What kind of Grease ending is that?

Awwe okay all of their signatures at the end was a nice touch

I don’t have much more to say here, I forgot how fun but time consuming it was to do these thought posts. I really really appreciate everyone who likes these posts because it means y’all took the time to read this which is just something so meaningful to me.

Thank you all so much <3

Masterpost

[wandabear]

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY [CH 4] - WANDA MAXIMOFF X F!READER

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Summary:   Y/N proposes to Wanda and she says… no. That’s when things get complicated, too much.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x f!reader | Natasha Romanoff x oc

ㅤㅤㅤ    CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO  CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX - finale

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Warning:  Somewhat graphic MCU violence, ANGST and FLUFF. As you know me: Jules is portrayed by Adelaide Kane. This mcu style is my own, Natasha Romanoff will not die here. You're warned. She deserves to be happy.

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Songs you've need to listen reading this:

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The Great War Fade into you - Mash up ㅤㅤㅤ   

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤCHAPTER FOUR ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤPART I: THE GREAT WAR

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“Natasha Romanoff and Wanda Maximoff are in violation of the Sokovia Accords. They assaulted the king of Wakanda and now they're helping two of the most dangerous fugitives, Y/N Y/L/N and Julia Hale. Make an example out of them.” General Ross ordered his soldiers, who after taking courage entered the building surrounding it.

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It wasn’t an easy mission to find themselves against three enhanced and the fucking Black Widow.

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Ross's phone started ringing a few seconds later, unaware that a certain redhead was watching him through the cameras around the place.

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“Yeah?”

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“Don't do this.” Natasha left the phone on speaker and looked at herself in the mirror.  “Come after me... I mean, you're embarrassing yourself. It looks desperate.”

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“Thought maybe you'd be calling me to cut a deal. 'Cause from my vantage point, it's the federal fugitive who's desperate.” Ross's voice showed how proud he felt, he had captured the elusive Black Widow.

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Natasha sighed, changing her blouse for a nice grey hoodie. “From my vantage point, you look like you could use some bed rest. What is this, your second triple bypass? You look like shit.”

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“I wouldn't worry about me.” Ross scoffed. “We got your sister, she's fiery! We got Barton, we got the Bishop girl, Sam Wilson...”

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Natasha clenched her jaw when she heard her sister's name, he knew how to press those weak points. Or at least try.

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“Everyone will recognize you all, Rogers is on the run too. You got no friends. Where you gonna go?”

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“I've lived a lot of lives before I met you, Ross.” Nat smiled and took her phone. “You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble. I'm done.”

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She ended the call and left that bathroom. As she walked to the bow of that boat, Ross right now was breaking into a long ago abandoned apartment.

Nat played him a trick again, he took the bite perfectly.

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“All good?” Y/N asked as she watched the redhead approach breaking that disposable phone.

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“The asshole swallowed it all.” Natasha threw the phone into the water. There was no one but them and some people sleeping, it was barely five in the morning.

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The breeze and the mist from the Norwegian fjords in front of them showed them one of the most beautiful landscapes they had ever seen.

Y/N handed her a cup of coffee and they both shared a moment together while Wanda and Jules rested before they reached Sæbø.

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“Perfect. Now we just... let's try to keep up.” Y/N sighed and looked around.  Sæbø was a fairly quiet town, and living on the outskirts would give them a great advantage in staying unnoticed.

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“We need to draw less attention.” Nat licked her lips and leaned against the ship's rail, watching that beautiful place. “I never came to Norway, you know?”

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"It's beautiful." The brunette smiled. “Thank you for doing this, you didn't have to. You could have stayed on Stark's side, you know he would have supported you."

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“I know.” Nat sighed and turned to see her friend. “But I wouldn't leave my friends behind, Yelena wouldn't forgive me either.”

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Just remembering her sister and the conditions in which they surely kept her broke everything inside the spy.

Nat struggled a lot to find Yelena again and gain her trust, leaving her on the raft for a while longer was painful but necessary.

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“We can do this, and soon we will rescue Yelena. We just need time to put together everything we need.” Y/N placed her hand on the redhead's shoulder. Nat's teary green eyes broke her heart.

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“You promise me?”

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“I swear, Nat. We'll go get her.”

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“We've got a generator outside. It's petrol-powered. And the septic tank will need a flush in a couple of weeks, but, you know, I've got a guy coming for that.” Richard got out of that trailer and turned to see Nat, who was perched against the door smirking. “You okay? I hear things. You know, something about the Avengers getting divorced...”

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“Ugh. It's fine.” Natasha shrugged.  “I'm actually better on my own.”

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The man arched an eyebrow, at least she was still looking really hot like always. “Are you sure?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “Yeah.” ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Because you can tell me, you know.” Richard smiled flirtatiously at her. “That's the way the whole friends thing works.” ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “I know. I have friends.” Nat smiled and nodded toward the girls arriving at the trailer.  “They’re there… and I don't pay you to worry.” ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Ouch.” The man teasingly touched his chest and then walked to his car. ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

At that time, Y/N parked the small Lada Niva jeep in front of the campsite. They all started to unload all the supplies they had brought from three markets in the town. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N wore her hair in two braids, a huge plaid shirt and a cute beanie. Jules now had a wild ‘bisexual-bob’ cut with a few streaks of blonde, quite different from her typical dark hair. Wanda was the one who had made the makeover and according to the girls: she did an excellent job. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ And Wanda kept her brown hair but with bangs, making her look adorable and different. No one had recognized them until now, and if they did, they just smiled kindly and kept the secret to support them. They saved the world so many times, people saw that and cared for them.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “Did you get rejected again?” Y/N joked at Richard and he just shrugged. Wanda smiled - she knew Richard didn't stand a chance with Nat- and Jules just rolled her eyes. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “She is hard to catch.” Richard got in his car and drove off. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ The three arrived at the first trailer, while the other was a little further away, near the river. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Richard stopped by for some smooch or what?” Y/N joked, but Natasha just completely ignored it. Wanda just said a soft 'ew'. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “Very funny… but seriously speaking, it's all done.” Nat showed them all the place, both trailers had a cozy bedroom, a bathroom, a nice sofa and TV, as well as a small kitchen. Everything was pretty cozy and good. “The idea would be that we live two in each trailers.” ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ They all agreed. Wanda walked through the trailer snooping around the kitchen area and the bedroom. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “The story, if the police come close - which I highly doubt - is that we are Aussies backpacking the world.” ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“It sounds pretty good.” Y/N nodded. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “Looks good.” Wanda added. “Better than that small room in Budapest.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “Good. Here are some important items, passports, weapons, some personal stuff you may need.” Nat took two of the bags and gave one to Y/N. “Wanda you coming with me, Jules and Y/N together.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Y/N raised a brow. “That doesn’t sound safe, if they find us, you’re two Avengers with their faces on the magazines. They would recognize you instantly.” ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “Y/N and me, you and Jules.” Wanda tried, trying to hide her intentions to spend more time with Y/N.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “Yeah, nice try.” Nat rolled her eyes. “Y/N and me, Wanda and Jules.” ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

They all looked at each other and then nodded, it didn't sound so bad.

“All that bloodshed, crimson clover. Uh huh, sweet dream was over. My hand was the one you reached for… All throughout the Great War...” ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Her friend's voice made Y/N  smile, Jules had a beautiful voice, so deep and so beautiful that she could send chills down your spine when she sang. Though she didn't do it much. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Come on, you can do it.” The currently blonde cheered her up. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

The brunette closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and tried to think of some nice memory. Losing herself in that melancholic sensation and not letting be carried away by sadness, Y/N raised her hand and felt how the breeze hit her face. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

The leaves of the trees on the ground began to swirl around them, nothing violent, like a slow dance. In perfect sync. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Y/N smiled when she noticed how the leaves danced, some clouds formed over them but the inhuman dissipated them carefully. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “How does it feel?” Jules asked. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“It’s… it’s different. I feel everything, it’s like… when I’m angry the thunder-clouds talk to me, they beg me to let them rain. The power of the storm flows through my veins, my mind, it's part of me.” Y/N shrugged, few seconds later everything calmed down and the leaves fell to the ground. “That was good, right?”

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“Good? It was amazing! You are improving a lot... I’m proud of you!” Jules smiled proudly but couldn't help feeling a little sad, which her friend noticed.

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“You okay?” Y/N approached her.

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“I’m just… I used to be an agent, you know? I was good at it.” Jules swallowed, lowering her gaze somewhat sadly.  “Now I'm afraid of... of not knowing what I am.”

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Feeling that you are different and starting to know yourself was something incredible, scary but incredible. But what happens when you don't know what you are? Or rather: what you can do.

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“What happens if I explode? What happens if... something catches fire because of me? What would happen if...? I don't know.” Jules panicked but Y/N rushed to hug her. “What if I hurt you all? Maybe I should go, be alone...”

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“That will not happen, everything will be fine. You won't hurt us, okay?” Y/N smiled tenderly and took her hand, squeezing it gently.  “Soon you’ll know, when it is time, we will discover it together…”

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Jules didn't say anything, just seemed lost in fear and thoughts.

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“You with me?”

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“All the way.” The blonde smiled.

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Y/N nodded and took her arm so they could walk together down that path in the woods, coming back to the trailers.

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“So… You haven't talked to Wanda?” Jules smiles mischievously, biting her bottom lip.

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“Jules…”

ㅤㅤㅤ “What? You can tell me, I'm her roomie, remember?” She cocked her head to see Y/N. “I have to say: she has not stopped talking about you all this time. You two need to talk...”ㅤ

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“I don’t know how to do it.” Y/N sighed, she felt too lost and confused. It was so much easier when Wanda was acting like a jerk, it made 'ignoring' her so much easier. “She wants to try or something, I don't know. Last time she told me that she was very sorry for everything she did.”

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The blonde sighed and shrugged.  “Maybe…you should give it to her.”

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“You think so?” Y/N couldn't believe it, she had to stop to see her friend face to face. “You're the one who was mad at her the most. You wanted to kick her as soon as you found out.”

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“Well we all have our moments, don't we? Forgive and forget and all that shit.” Jules rolled her eyes.  “Besides, I heard how every day she came to talk to you while we were locked up… Y/N, she loves you and she’s sorry.”

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“But-”

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“And you know what?” Jules stopped, being serious this time. What she wanted most in the world was for her best friend and sister to be happy. “We’re running across the world, as if we were the worst criminals on this planet. Don't you think you deserve a little rest? We can end up locked up in the middle of the ocean, it's time for you to live. Be with her.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I’m scared.” Y/N shrugged and put her hands in the pockets of the hoodie. “What if she hurts me again? What if she walks away again and broke me again with her absence?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“What if it doesn't happen?” Jules arched an eyebrow, winning this battle.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N sighed in defeat. “Maybe…”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Besides that a little sex wouldn't hurt.”  Jules teased and they both started walking, reaching the campsite soon.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Shut up.” Y/N giggled and pushed her.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Go, talk to her… she was in our trailer doing some stuff when I left. Meanwhile, I'll go to... to town to buy something, or the river. Just try not to blow the roof off my trailer when you reach an orgasm.” Jules teased one more time and moved away from her, patting Y/N’s shoulder.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Now?” Y/N panicked when she saw the trailer door open and heard how Wanda hummed a beautiful lullaby.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Now it sounds on time.” Jules turned to see her but kept walking backwards.  “Remember that we do not have much life expectancy in this job.”

Y/N entered the trailer and watched as the brunette was humming and cooking something. She couldn't help but smile.

ㅤㅤㅤ “Hey, Wands.” ㅤㅤㅤ Wanda turned around quickly when she heard her, smiling as soon as she saw Y/N. That day got so much better. ㅤㅤㅤ “Hi! You came back, I thought you both got lost in the woods.” Wanda joked while drying her hands. Apparently she was baking some bread.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N laughed. “We just went for a walk for a while, to clear our minds.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“That sounds good, sometimes it's necessary when this is… too much...” Wanda sighed, looking around her.ㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Today I was able to move the treetops a bit. Very slowly, without causing any trouble. No thunderstorms, no tornadoes, no hail. Just everything under control.” For the first time, she was glad to have some kind of control over her powers. It felt so good, she felt happy.

ㅤㅤㅤ

 “Really?” Wanda smiled widely.  “Wow, Y/N, that’s so good.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Thank you.” Y/N blushed and keep their hands in their pockets. Hoped Wanda wouldn't be able to hear her heart pound with her being so close.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“At least this time I didn't make it rain when I'm feeling a little sad.” Y/N joked but recalled one of their most interesting moments there. “That would draw too much attention to us again, especially when the forecast says it will be just cloudy all week.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda giggled. “Yeah, I'm sure Ross must have a whole team googling ‘weird weather stuff’ around the world.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Maybe I should even be guilty of global warming!I bet you he'll tell that to the President!”

ㅤㅤㅤ

They both laughed and it felt so warm, so good and familiar. They could finally share a personal moment together after so much.

Y/N stayed for a moment watching as Wanda cut some vegetables and dropped them into the pot, stirring it slowly. Making a delicious sauce for spaghetti.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I like how the bangs looks on you. It takes my breath away.” Y/N sighed. Wanda looked up quickly, the hope inside growing exponentially upon hearing that.

ㅤㅤ

“Do you think so?” Those hopeful green eyes sparkled.ㅤ

ㅤㅤ

“I love it, and your brown hair is... lovely.”  Y/N walked over to her and stood by her side, tucking a strand of hair behind the ear.

ㅤㅤ

“Thank you.” The sokovian murmured, biting her lower lip. “I like how you look too.”

ㅤㅤ

“I did nothing.” Y/N looked at herself.

ㅤㅤ

“I know.”

ㅤㅤ

They both looked at each other without saying anything, just the exquisite tension that they missed so much.

Since they had been together, everything was so beautiful and different. So exciting and romantic enough to scare Wanda away completely and to hurt Y/N and keep distance from her.

ㅤㅤ

 “Wanda?” Y/N whispered.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda swallowed, without breaking the connection between their gazes.  “Yes, detka?”

ㅤㅤ

“I missed you.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda smiled tenderly and happily.  “I missed you too.”

ㅤㅤ

“You hurted me so bad.”

ㅤㅤ

Well, that had been as long as she could take. Wanda felt she couldn't climb too high as she was soon plummeting back down.

ㅤㅤ

“I know.” Wanda looked down.

ㅤㅤ

“No, no like that.” Y/N pursed her lips, it was time to drop everything once and for all to heal. “You said I wasn't THAT person you saw a future with, you didn't even know you'd be with me that long.”

ㅤㅤ

“I've said a lot of things, I know that! I was so scared, Y/N.” The brunette hugged herself. “You have no idea how scared it was to love you that way and... to feel that you loved me as much or more than I loved you. Cause I love you, so much you can't even imagine. But I felt… I felt small and scared of losing everything, that it was more than what I deserve. I was afraid that I wouldn't be enough for you, that I didn’t deserve you.”

ㅤㅤ

“We know that. And I forgive you...” Y/N sighed, she settled next to the redhead. “But if we want to move forward, we have to let go of everything that hurts us.”

ㅤㅤ

“Move forward…?” Wanda looked at her without understanding, and without wanting to get too excited for nothing.

ㅤㅤ

“I'm sorry I asked you to marry me, maybe it was too soon.”

ㅤㅤ

“No! No… It wasn't... I was just afraid, I lost everything, my family, my country, and then I have you and... I was terrified of losing you. Watching you die like everyone around me.”

ㅤㅤ

Y/N took her hand to gently caress Wanda's cheek. “You won't lose me.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda blinked in disbelief, this was what she expected. “Is… Is this a… are we?”

ㅤㅤ

“I don’t know yet…” The taller woman narrowed her eyes playfully. “Let's go slowly, if that's alright with you.”

ㅤㅤ

Y/N was encouraged to go further and hugged Wanda’s waist who, instantly upon feeling her touch, clung to her. It didn't take long for them to kiss again, to join once more in a caress that they had been waiting for so long.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda was lost in Y/N's soft lips, in that familiar and pleasant warmth. Her belly was so warm, screaming that she was completely in love with Y/N.

There was no case, no matter how long she refused to accept it, she was in love. Wanda Maximoff is in love.

ㅤㅤ

“How about we... have a date.” She sighed once they broke away from the kiss, smiling so excited.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N chuckled, she didn’t allow herself to let go of her waist. “Oh, Wands... I think we've been through more than one date, don't you?”

ㅤㅤ

“I know, but... now we're getting to know each other again, and everything has changed so much.” Wanda took courage, defeating all the nerves she felt. “Would you come on a date with me?”

ㅤㅤ

Waiting for a while, enjoying that, Y/N nodded before pecking those lips.  “Of course.”

ㅤㅤ

And while they tried to make their first date special, it didn't take long for them to end up in the huge bed in Wanda's room. Naked bodies finding each other under the soft sheets.

Y/N's lips ran down the back of her beloved, so slowly, little by little, discovering her once again. Making each other their own, complementing each other perfectly.

ㅤㅤ

The smiles were not lacking, the words of love and eternal promises. Wanda kissed Y/N’s hand when they intertwined their fingers, after making love all night.

Of course this was going to work, this time, nothing was going to stop them.

ㅤㅤ

“We still have to go on a second date, okay?” Y/N laughed when Wanda bit her naked shoulder and kept kissing her arm and chest.

ㅤㅤ

“All the dates you want… as long as they don't find out about us.”

ㅤㅤ

“Do you know something? Maybe I’m selfish but… I like this moment, together. Just us.” Wanda snuggled up against her girlfriend. “Without a huge noisy city and problems to solve like Avengers…. Is that selfish?”

ㅤㅤ

“No, it’s not, my love. And if it was…”  She took a moment to admire her body.  “It's not bad to be selfish sometimes, you know? It makes us human.

ㅤㅤ

“Sorry, I had to go inside because it's late and so fucking cold outside.” Jules got into the trailer trying to warm her hands, rubbing them together.  “In my trailer there are two lovebirds loving each other non-stop.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Natasha -who was eating something on the sofa in front of the tv- looked at her in confusion, not sure if it was because of what she said or because Jules had walked in.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Oh.” Nat nodded. “I'm glad they fixed it.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Yeah.” Jules walked over and sat in one of the chairs, taking off her coat. The place was much warmer than outside. Natasha took one of her beer bottles and held it out to her.   “Oh, you watching Bond? Nice.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Yep.” Nat didn't take her eyes off the TV, lost in the dialogues she knew by heart.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Moonraker? Do you like Moonraker?” Jules smiled curiously, but Natasha quickly turned a bit annoyed.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Yeah, why? Will you also tell me that it is crap and that others are better?” The redhead raised an eyebrow.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“No, I like it too. Besides to 'The spy who loved me'.” Jules shrugged and settled back to keep watching the movie, not realizing that the russian's gaze was still on her. “I didn't know you liked James Bond movies, guess it's something between spies...”

ㅤㅤㅤ

 “Kinda.” Natasha's serious face softened, perhaps she was too tough at times to let anyone else into her life. Yelena did it since they were kids, but Clint had given her the chance to be friends, something impossible for her.

ㅤㅤㅤ

When she joined the Avengers, her heart opened up a little more to that complex 'family'. But after that, she hadn't allowed herself to love or accept anyone else.

ㅤㅤㅤ

‘You're not a sportsman, Mr. Bond. Why did you break up the encounter with my pet python?’

‘Because I discovered he had a crush on me.’

‘Moonraker 1 on preset launch program...’

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I like how your hair looks on you.” The redhead said without further ado, almost like a whisper. She remembered the time where Jules and Y/N had been locked up, how guilt devoured painfully her all those weeks.

Natasha had broken many hearts in her life, but she had never been so sorry for one of them before.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Yeah, imagine if I were bald!” Jules teased.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“No, I mean it. The blonde…”  She swallowed, leaving a small door open in that gesture. And Jules took it, putting the film aside for a moment to watch Nat. ㅤㅤㅤ “Thank you.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Green and light brown met. Again, this one looks different.

It wasn't at a Stark party where flirting was normal, or somewhere in hiding to make out and then pretend nothing happened.

This was sharing.

ㅤㅤㅤ “What's that? jam?” Jules took that little jar and spoon from Nat’s hand, taking a good taste of that delicious jelly or whatever she thought it was. It was so salty, clearly it wasn't jam, Jules made a disgusted face and dropped the jar in the trash.  “Natasha, what the fuck?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Hey!” Nat complained, looking at the trash can.  “That’s a good caviar!”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Jeez, couldn't you buy some chips or something?” She tried to wipe the taste from her mouth and wrinkled her nose. “Ugh…”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“No, because I thought I was going to watch my fucking movie alone. Eating my caviar.” Natasha huffed. “And don't pretend, you know it didn't taste so bad.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Y/N always buy chips.” Jules whispered mischievously, noticing how Nat turned to see her somewhat interested in that information. “And I don't think she'll come back, right?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Natasha smirked. “I don't think so.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Jules chuckled and got up to grab some chips from Y/N's cabinet. She tossed one to Nat who quickly caught it. Both were lost in the movie for a while until one of the two broke the silence.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Nat whispered. “I know we haven't talked much since you… you know.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Since I called you heartless bitch?”  The blonde muttered as she ate some nachos.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Nat smiled a little amused.  “In fact you called me ‘The bitch with a selective heart’.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Oh, yeah, I remember.” Jules smiled proudly, taking a sip of the beer.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“You and I were never able to talk about everything that happened, Julia.” The spy knew the effect it had when she called her by that name.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“One, don’t call me Julia. Two, kind of hard when you spend time locked in a rock and then run around hiding from some governments.” The brown-eyed woman teased but never took her eyes off the tv.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“You loved me.” Nat finally said, swallowing, saying it out loud was very different. “That night you said that you loved me.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“It's in the past.” Jules avoided looking at her, opening another bag of chips.

ㅤㅤㅤ

The russian tilted her head.  “Is it?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“What do you want me to say, Natasha?” Jules snapped, staring at her now. “That I HAD feelings for you? That I cried like a fucking teenager and that turns my stomach just remembering it? Want me to say that I fall in love with you?  That I loved you?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Jules let out a sad giggle.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Yeah, I did. I never felt so humiliated when you slept with another agent after that.” Jules stared into Natasha's green eyes, losing herself in them but not in the same way as before.  “and every time I remember… Every time I remember what I told you, and how you humiliated me for that, makes me want to hit myself so bad.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I’m sorry.” Natasha genuinely apologized, feeling so much guilt inside. She didn't understand what was the desire to cry that she felt lately, a loneliness that she appreciated before and now drowned her. “I know I was harsh…”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“That wasn’t being harsh, that was being an asshole. Punishing me in front of my teammates to make a point.” Jules swallowed, feeling the bitterness.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I wasn't ready. I was taught that love is for children.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

The blonde sighed and shook her head, completely defeated.  “Well, there's no point in debating that anymore, is there, honey?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Those words made Nat swallow, what was that feeling of sadness? Rejection perhaps?

ㅤㅤㅤ

“We are no longer the same.” Jules drank some beer before keep going, licking her lips. “We're two... ex-agents on the run. Besides that now I am a freak with powers that I still don't know, and I don't know how to control.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Nat watched her with tenderness and perhaps some concern. “You’re not a freak.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Anyway...” Jules sighed. “At least I can say that I fell in love once. And with the amazing ‘Black Widow’, at least I won't be the only one.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

The girl smiled and brought her beer closer to clink it against Nat's.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I don't feel very amazing right now.” Natasha bit her bottom lip.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Jules saw a certain sadness in those green eyes, knew instantly what she meant.  “It's not your fault. We'll go get Yelena and everybody, soon.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

She took the spy's hand and squeezed it. ㅤㅤㅤ

“We just have to wait to get everything, the Quinjet and... we can go, I know.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

They both smiled tenderly, it was time to support each other.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Why did you stop loving me?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Jules dropped her head back on the sofa, here we go again. “There's no point in talking about it, Romanoff.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Maybe I do want to talk about it now.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Oh, now is a good time to talk about it?” Jules perhaps said something sarcastic and harsh, but hearing herself that way made her feel bad, she sighed and tried to calm down.  “It's pointless now, Nat.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Why not?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Because there's no point in loving someone who can't love you.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Because I'm a heartless bitch, right?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“No, because I'm not enough for you!” Jules exploded and then got up from the couch. “I am not enough and I never will be, you told me that. And I don't understand why you make me relive it now! Again!”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Natasha looked at her worriedly, noticing the girl's eyes fill with tears.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I'm fine, trying to move on. Maybe one day I'll meet a pretty girl, I don't know, who loves me as I am and for what I am. And I will stop being in love with an impossible crush like you.” She inhaled deeply trying not to cry this time. “We can be friends.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Natasha frowned and stood up to face her.  “I don't want that.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Okay, teammates at least.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Nat was a little nervous for not knowing how to express herself.  “No, I don’t mean that. I mean, I want to be something else.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Jules frowned, trying to see the catch.  “Why now?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Why not?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Is it because I'm your only option since we're running away?” ㅤㅤㅤ

Natasha chuckled wryly.  “Do you think that would stop me? I lived as a spy, I had many lives before I was Natasha Romanoff."

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Oh cool, the woman of many lives.” Jules rolled her eyes.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“You've been spellbound with me for months, looking for an opportunity. You have it now, why don't you want it?” Nat couldn't understand what had changed in Jules’s heart this time.  “Why don’t you want me?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Because I'm better than this.” Jules said those words as if trying to believe it for the first time in her life.  “I'm better than ‘something to settle for and that's it’.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“But I like you.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

She sighed. “I know, Nat, we fucked many times.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“No, you moron.” Nat smiled and shook her head. “I think I'm falling in love with you, for a long time.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

"And I don't know how to do it, I was never in love. I've always been in control of myself and my feelings, and now… I don't know how to do it when you're here."

ㅤㅤㅤ

Those words made Natasha sigh deeply, finally releasing one of the most powerful sentences of her life. And it felt good, pretty good. Finally.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ Unlike Jules, who looked like a huge bucket of cold water had been dropped on her. Completely shocked.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Oh no.” The blonde mumbled. “Really?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Aren't you happy with that? I thought you would be.” Natasha frowned in amusement, stretching out her hand to take the girl's and they both sat down on the sofa again, sharing the blanket.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I know, it's just… I-I never thought that would happen.” Jules swallowed, feeling her heart start beating faster than ever. “What are we going to do?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“We can go slow too.” Natasha offered, trying to look sure and confident, but inside her an endless number of flying things stirring anxiously. It felt so strange and charming for the first time.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“We can watch the movie.” Jules said barely, with a small smile on her lips and a special sparkle in her eyes.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“We can do that.” Nat smiled one more time.

ㅤㅤㅤ

They both stayed together, watching the movie. Without realizing it, Jules laid her head on the redhead's shoulder and everything felt good, for both of them.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Both hearts beat fast, this time not because of sex but because of the closeness. And without realizing it, around that place some beautiful daisies grew quickly, under the moonlight. Something magic.

ㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤ

But unlike the other two, going slow was not the idea at all. Since that night, Wanda and Y/N hadn’t separated again.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Of course, although Y/N spent a lot of time in Wanda's trailer, sometimes Jules kicked her out so she could rest one night on her own bed.

After sharing a delicious stew and a last dinner in that place they considered their home for a while, they were ready to move on with their plans.

ㅤㅤㅤ

In the distance, over the mountains, one of the most beautiful northern lights could be seen. An incredibly unique event.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“What do we have?” Nat asked as she drank some of her beer, the four of them were around a nice bonfire under the moonlight.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Underwater prison, prisoners have no contact with the outside world, and they never return to it.” Y/N stroked the bridge of her nose.  “I spoke with a former S.H.I.E.L.D. The place is guarded by US Marshasls. It's not impossible but not easy either.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“That place is for maniacs, it's a place for…” Natasha seemed quite worried.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Criminals.” Wanda finished the sentence, looking at the fire. The reflection from the campfire making her eyes look even more beautiful.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Our source said that Clint and Ant-dude made a deal, as long as they both retire.” Jules took a sip of the beer.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Natasha nodded, at least Clint was safe. He had a family, he couldn't lose everything.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Steve will join us in Dublin.” Nat watched the three of them, handing them new long range earpieces. “You'll take out the Marshall's while we entertain Ross with a show of 'Rogers gives himself up'.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“And then?” Wanda asked what everyone was thinking at that moment. “After that, what are we going to do?

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Flee, possibly continue to live as nomads.” Y/N grimaced, pushing some wood towards the fire.  “They will come back to look for us, maybe more than before.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“So…” Jules sighed and raised her beer, toasting. “Let's get them out of there.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“To them.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

"To family."

ㅤㅤㅤ

They all toasted their friends and enjoyed that drink of beer. It was their last night there, and they had to be strong because the next day, everything was going to change. Forever.

ㅤㅤㅤ

And things changed, quite a lot. Together with Steve, they all managed to get all their friends out of the Raft alive.

ㅤㅤㅤ

They began to live as nomads, from one place to another without finding a home. By carrying out the missions and taking care of things that the governments didn't do, they took justice into their own hands.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Because even though S.H.I.E.L.D fell and the Avengers were done, it didn't mean the cause was lost.

Things with Wanda improved a lot, although sometimes being together was difficult when you were hiding. Romantic getaways are rare, but at least they were together.

ㅤㅤㅤ

For example, the time they visited Rome momentarily, they took the opportunity to escape together.

Wanda took advantage of every moment to make Y/N fall in love again, even though Y/N was afraid. And Y/N took advantage to make each moment unique. Also that sex was so much more interesting when you are one of the most wanted women in the world.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N was controlling her powers so much better, understanding them more instead of repressing them. Wanda taught her a lot about it, reminding that fear was only going to make everything worse.

ㅤㅤㅤ When the day was sunny, she felt an enormous peace and a warmth that filled her with vigor.

When the day was rainy, she would rejoiced into the comfort and happiness. Feeling how the rain wrapped her in a fresh embrace, renewing her.

When there was a storm, she felt her blood pumping hard and her heart pounding fast. Feeling this unique adrenaline rush, Y/N felt complete and powerful. Lightning streaking across the sky, thunder making the earth tremble.

ㅤㅤㅤ

A wide smile formed on her lips. She felt complete.

ㅤㅤㅤ

And Wanda felt enormous happiness to see Y/N accept and understand herself.

Since she left Y/N that time, Wanda hadn't been the same, but now that they given themselves a chance together, Wanda felt like she was living again. A new opportunity that she wasn’t going to waste, ever again.

And they all saw it, they all saw again how in love they were. Not just Y/N this time, both.

Until one night, everything drastically changed. New York had been attacked again, and Earth just lost her best defenders.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda and Y/N were on a little romantic getaway on Scotland when they found out about this, while Natasha, Steve, Jules, and Sam watched the whole thing on tv.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Without hesitation, they all jumped into the quinjet as fast as they could to head to the Compound, where they were greeted by James Rhodes and Bruce Banner.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“The world's on fire.” Those were the exact words of Y/N when she saw the videos on the screens, over and over again. The attack on New York, the day Tony and Spider-man were gone.

Thanos's ships were outside the stratosphere awaiting orders.

ㅤㅤㅤ

She reached for Wanda's hand to intertwine their fingers, sharing the same look of concern. This could be the end of everything, but they would be together until the end. ㅤㅤㅤ

“We can do this.” Wanda whispered and leaned her head on Y/N's shoulder, as they waited for the Quinjet to land in wakanda. If a battle did take place, it would be ideal to do it where they  the local advantage.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“We can do this.” Y/N nodded, taking a deep breath.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I love you, detka... This is forever.” ㅤㅤㅤ

“I love you, Wands.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

"When we get back… do you think…" Wanda bit her lower lip, a little nervous. “Do you think we could do…?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N frowned blankly. “What?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Marry me.”

ㅤㅤㅤ That left Y/N speechless, she tried to search Wanda's gaze for some sign that it was a joke or that it was just part of the despair of the moment, but she could only see love on her girlfriend's look. Just that, just love. Right time, the right place.

ㅤㅤㅤ “Wands…”

ㅤㅤㅤ "Please, detka." Wanda sighed, wishing with all her heart that Y/N would say yes. "Marry me."

ㅤㅤㅤ

The sokovian took her girlfriend's hand. “This time is different… Y/N, I can't see a life without you. Let's get married."

ㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N just stays silent for a moment, looking at her. And a smile begins to slowly appear on her lips.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Yeah.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda smiled feeling the tears forming in her eyes. "Is it a yes?"

ㅤㅤㅤ

“It’s a hell yeah! Let's get married, girl.”

ㅤㅤㅤ They both giggled and hugged each other tightly, before sealing that pact with a deep, passionate and needy kiss of love. Now all they need to do was survive the great war. ㅤㅤㅤ

Meanwhile, in the control cabin of the quinjet were those two women about to land in Wakanda, they only needed the coordinates that Steve was giving them and they would go through the shield that protected that sacred place. ㅤㅤㅤ

“Always remember we’re burned for better. I vowed I would always be yours… If we survived the Great War.” Jules sang to herself, remembering that beautiful song.

ㅤㅤㅤ Nat cocked her head to look at her with tenderness.  “Jules?”

ㅤㅤㅤ “Yeah?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Of endless words that she wanted to say, after being together for some time, the spy just tried her best:  “You’re a good co-pilot.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Jules chuckled, pressing a few buttons on the panel.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Thanks, I worked my ass off on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy just to hear that.” The blonde joked, while making sure everything was alright. She turned to see Nat for a moment. “You okay?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“t's funny...” Nat cleared her throat. “My whole life, I didn't think I had any family. Turns out I got two, so... one of them's a bit of a mess right now.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“It'll all work out, Nat.”  Jules sighed and reached out to squeeze her hand gently. “We will do it together.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Smiling and nodding solemnly, Natasha trusted her girl's words.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Of course they hadn't given her any official name to this ‘thing’ yet, not even a relationship, they hadn't even told each other how much they loved each other.  But everyone knew it, even Yelena who saw them from afar and couldn't help but say "ew", making everyone laugh. But of course, inside was so happy for her big sister.

ㅤㅤㅤ

And although they tried to be brave, they gave everything of themselves in that battle. They fought against huge hordes of aliens, a genetically engineered race of extraterrestrial creatures, so awful and agressive.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“This is it, right?” Jules said feeling like she was out of breath when she saw how those creatures charged against them.  “The great war.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Whatever happens, please, stay with me.” Y/N whispered, looking at Natasha, Yelena and Jules. They gave themselves the strength to start with this. Wanda was taking care that Vision was safe, that the universe was safe depended on. Although all she could think about was y/n, hoping she was safe.

ㅤㅤㅤ

There wasn't much to say other than that it was one of the toughest battles of their lives. All the defenders of that Earth, fighting to make it survive another day.

Y/N took advantage of her powers to kill all the aliens she could, of course not too much because could get out of control and hurt everybody. She rose up, flying and smashed as many as she could with lightning and hurricanes. Fury and storm.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Jules did the same although she still tried her best being a simple agent with weapons and shield making a wonderful team with Natasha.

She hadn't discovered her abilities yet, but one day, she would.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Fall back! Fall back, now!” Y/N exclaimed trying to make the Wakandans in front of her move away, watching as those huge bladed wheel-like were heading towards her and the Wakandans. “Guys, we got a situation here. I can’t stop-”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“On my way.” Wanda spoke through the earpiece and got ready to go to help her, when something hit her with enormous strength. ㅤㅤㅤ

“She'll die alone.” Proxima threatened her, hitting Wanda with the grip of the sword hard enough to leave the sokovian crawling on the ground. "As will you."

ㅤㅤㅤ

“She's not alone.” Natasha's sassy voice made Proxima turn to look at her. Natasha was on one side and Yelena on the other, raising her Widow's batons, ready to start the battle.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Everything seemed to go on their side, the battle was favorable for the Avengers until a portal opened, letting that fearsome villain through.

And as they could, each one of them faced the mad titan in the way they could to prevent him from reaching Wanda and Vision. And each one of them was defeated, since he wore the gauntlet.

Steve. Bucky. Sam. T'Challa. The Hulk. Each and every one of them fell.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N stepped in the way and caused one of the most powerful thunders to strike on him, but the titan used the reality stone to prevent her from doing it again. Y/N was punched badly, her nose was broken and blood dripped from it and her lips.

ㅤㅤㅤ

She tried again but Thanos threw her against some rocks.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Jules tried to get in the way too, gritting teeth and trying her best, drawing a strength that she didn't know where it came from, she managed to make the earth shake, huge roots come out of the ground and catch him. But the Titan was stronger than that. He broke free and got rid of her too, as well as Yelena and Natasha.

They all fell and when he got the gem, that terrifying snap made everything change.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Where'd he go?”

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Steve?” Bucky muttered before falling apart and turning to ashes. Desperate, everyone looked around them to see if their friends were okay.

ㅤㅤ

“Wanda?” Y/N murmured and ran towards her beloved, who was on the ground crying.  “My love, come on.”

ㅤㅤ

She knelt down beside the sokovian to help her up, but seconds after taking Wanda’s hand, it began to disappear. “Wanda, no,no, no, no.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda looked up to see the love of her life one more time, those huge green eyes full of pain, sadness and love saw looked at her for the last time. “I love you, detka.”

ㅤㅤ And she disappeared, just like that, in her arms. Y/N she burst into tears, shocked, terrified to see how the love of her life left her forever.

Y/N searched around as if trying to find her but everything was ashes, just ashes, and anguish everywhere. Crying impossible to contain, uncertainty and pain.

ㅤㅤ “Nat?” Jules whimpered reaching out her hand to hold Natasha's, who looked at her with a tender look. Natasha Romanoff turned to ashes along with everyone else.  “NATASHA!”  she yelled.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Sestra?! SESTRA, WHERE ARE YOU?” Yelena also screamed through the forest, looking for the redhead, trying that whistle but never received an answer.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

They got up to help those who were left, completely devastated by the loss.

Today the universe lost its greatest protectors, and half of its population.

Sighing heavily, Y/N stared at the screen once the meeting ended. She had been in contact with the remaining Avengers, who were at least trying to keep this world upright.

Steve was on an important mission, so it was their turn to take care of the Compound.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Where are you?” Y/N asked Rhodey, who had stayed on the line after everyone hung up.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Mexico.” Rhodes sighed tiredly.  “The Federales found a room full of bodies… Looks like a bunch of cartel guys, never even had a chance to get their guns off.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

The inhuman leaned back in her chair, exhausted. “It's probably a rival gang.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Except it isn't.” Rhodes shook his head, knowing that Y/N would have a hard time accepting the truth but she had to.  “It's definitely Julia.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N swallowed, feeling her eyes fill with tears but she couldn't show weakness.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“What she's done here... Y/N, what she's been doing for the last few years…” Rhodey felt enormous sadness for them, but Y/N had to understand what Jules had become. “She calls herself an 'eco-terrorist'. I mean, the scene that she left…” ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Call me when you have more information and please…” Y/N was blunt. “Do not engage, just call me. I'm the only one who can stop her.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Rhodey nodded and his hologram disappeared. Y/N breathed shakily, tried to stay calm. A cool breeze made the treetops move slightly.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Easy, today's forecast does not say that there will be storms.” Her friend's hoarse voice brought her back to reality, Yelena approached her with two bowls of mac & cheese.

Sadness was reflected in those gloomy eyes, but the widow kept standing.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Eat, please.” The blonde told her with that thick accent, putting the bowl in front of her and sitting next to Y/N, putting some hot sauce on hers.  “That is my favorite.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Thank you.” Y/N sniffled.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Are you okay, Y/N/N?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I'm just worried about her.” Y/N swallowed and wiped the tears from her eyes. “She's taking a rocky path to come back from.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Yelena sighed and took her hand, trying to support her in this. They had spent years side by side, trying to get over the loss and the pain. “You know it could have been me, If it weren't for you, I would be with her.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“But you didn’t.” ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

"I decided to go back, she decided to stay."

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N felt hurt by Jules, but above all, she felt her absence. Y/N understood her more than anyone, but it hurts. “I feel like I have failed her.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“She lost everything, Y/N/N.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“But not us.” Y/N cleared her throat, eating some mac and cheese.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Touché. That was true.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“And we'll let her know she won't lose us when she decides to come back.” The widow sighed, changing the subject to a less sad and more interesting one. For example: what was it like to receive e-mails from a raccoon?

ㅤㅤPart II is going to be the finale...

So you sure want to kill me. But I'll tell you: don't do it, you need to know how it ends, right? This is not the same as the movies, so... pretty much wild. Thank you for reading me and for waiting for me with this story, it means a lot that you have come this far. 🌼🐻

here goes some amazing and lovely people tags   ✨  : @wandsmxmff​,  lonewalker17,  tsmeanobody,  dark-hunter16,  lattayhottay16,  natashaswifeu,  silverockmusic,  kacka84,  emeraldevan! @sunsol-22 @dparker0 Thank you for reading me and leaving your beautiful and quite empowering comments!

[ladyluscinia]

I am of course hugely fond of the crew bonding into a stronger community and embracing Izzy as one of them. Love that they are demonstrating their conflict resolution skills and mutual support, and love even more that they do the main foundational work in the absence of the captains - first during the breakup boat era with the trauma bonding and saving Izzy's life in direct defiance of Edward, and then resolving their divides and trust issues after chasing off Edward (and by extension Stede) in 2x04.

It is SO good to see them becoming a unified front who can push back against the bosses (especially since per comedy rules Stede & Edward are probably not going to stop being self-centered no matter how democratic the ship gets 😆).

But I will say it's still very funny when people give them credit for overcoming their strong negative feelings for Izzy, because like...

I don't think those were really a factor, guys 🤣🤣🤣

The show has thrown a bit of a complication into my theory of socially acceptable mutiny in S2 (which I will probably look at more once the season wraps up), but that's mostly because the rules of "how piracy functions" are not a priority for canon to establish. I'm threading together jokes into a watsonian social system because that's fun for me. 🤷‍♀️ So even though my particular explanation is going to have to adapt, the underlying joke still rings true - the mutiny against Izzy is a disproportionately violent response to what he's doing.

Or to put it another way... Yeah, they try to murder him because they don't want to work for him (or, as several of them say, for Black Pete 😆), but it's not really anything personal. Just business.

Meaning that once he's removed from captaincy, he's back to just being a coworker who's kind of a dick. They're not friends leaving S1, but they probably don't hate him?

(Also like the Navy Plot is a lot of things but it was not a reckless endangering of the crew.)

Plus in Izzy's mind, the vast majority of his side of the conflict in S1 is rooted in either 1) Edward leaving him in an ambiguous position of non-authority by refraining from acting as Captain of the ship despite the fact everyone thinks Edward has captured them until 1x07 at least, or 2) Izzy's fairly reasonable belief that all of these guys are going to die when Stede does and are particularly stupid prisoners, not fellow crew.

Both of those problems resolve completely by 1x10. Which in retrospect probably explains a lot of the apparent Izzy-crew relationship shift between S1 and S2 for anyone still not quite clicking on that front.

(Seriously, if you like Izzy in S2 but don't get what changed from S1, try watching S1 again with the things they've made canon about his personality in mind - being in love with Edward, etc. There was a coherent subtext and it's very fun to watch.)

It's really not surprising at all that lingering animosity with Izzy isn't a problem after his short lived time in charge 🤷‍♀️ or that he gets folded into the union. After everything they've been through with Edward they feel he's not on Management's side, and he does advocate for the crew once they are, you know, actually crew.

[luminouslywriting]

Chapter 2: Toccoa, Georgia (The Prophecy)—A Band of Brothers Fanfic

A/N: I am so so so so SO sorry this is out late. This past week was super hectic! I hope that you really enjoy the chapter. I did my best to make it my own and different from other beginnings of BoB that I've seen, so you'll have to let me know what you think! Also, as a side note—I did, in fact, live in Toccoa area for 13 weeks a couple years back, so I actually do love that place!

Winnie could say that she had never been to Toccoa Georgia for any reason in her short lifetime and would probably have no desire to ever return. Though there wasn’t any snow on the ground here, it was just as gloomy as the rest of Georgia was in the winter months.  Everywhere she looked, there were men in uniforms and people bustling towards the wartime factories that had popped up.  

Her arrival at Camp Toccoa was a rather quiet affair, and so there she sat in a wooden chair inside a small waiting area.  Occasionally, Winnie glanced over at the precipitation building on the windows.  When she was a kid, she had long periods of waiting like this one—where her father was in jail or at some bar and she would just wait for him to come back home. 

It would usually rain—and considering how the weather in Georgia changed as quickly as a summer breeze, Winnie had taken to counting droplets of water as a way to keep her focus on something that she could control. 

The simple fact of the matter was that Winnie had precious little control over a lot of the circumstances in her life.  But the things that she did have control over, she kept those things close to her chest; clung to them like they were her most precious possessions and no one would ever come close enough to take that freedom of control away from her again. 

She clicked her heeled shoes together exactly once, eyes straying to the scuff marks on her simple church shoes.  She wondered how her brothers were all faring in their training at the moment.  If they were all coping with the reality of what war would be—if they were prepared to go and be on their own. 

Richie wasn’t the one she was worried about.  He was two years younger than her and was always rather serious.  He worked harder than anyone else that she knew and wasn’t one to get distracted by a pretty face or lofty promises.  Any day now, he’d be shipping out to go to the Pacific as a Marine and it made her truthfully want to follow him all the way down there and have his back with a gun herself.  

They were Allens.  And they trusted themselves and one another.  No one else outside of their circle of siblings had proven to be someone that they would trust their lives with.  But Winnie knew that they would never allow a doctor—and a female one, at that—to go down to the Pacific and be a part of the carnage and horrors there. 

Robbie was in the same boat, proverbially speaking of course, as Richie.  Set to go to the Pacific in a few weeks.  He was always so quiet and watchful.  Winnie hoped that it would serve him well to be on his guard and pick up on the things that the other soldiers wouldn't notice.  They had yelled a lot back and forth before he had enlisted—she had told him to finish his degree and go into the JAG-Corp.  He had told her to go to hell—which he had tearfully apologized for when she dropped him off at the train station.  

Winnie stretched out her fingers over her lap, letting out a breath.  It had been nearly thirty minutes of waiting to be allowed to see the Colonel—and this was just for him to review her application to join the Paratroopers as a Doctor and training officer for his medics.  She wished that the level of urgency the war truly had would transfer over to her wait time. 

Because if she needed to haul everything back to Buford, Winnie would almost certainly rather pick up and move to the Carolinas and try to sign up for a different branch of the military that would, in fact, utilize her. She hated being idle—hated being alone, even more than that.  

The younger three boys were the ones that needed supervision—needed all the prayers of the good congregation of Buford’s Christian Non-Denominational Church.  Nathan was the first problem in Winnie’s pleas to God.  That boy had been raised wolf-wild by herself and Richie and Robbie.  They hadn’t been much, but they had had each other.  He was always picking a fight with an older boy—and she could only hope that this whole army experience was going to straighten him out.   

Then there was Joshua, also set to end up in the Pacific as a medic.  That had granted her a degree of peace, knowing that his evenings helping her study for school were going to come in handy where he was going.  It might, in fact, just be the thing that ends up saving his life.  

But Charlie? Charlie was, in every sense of the word, hers.  She had raised him from the time of his infancy and so to Winnie Allen, Charlie was her child.  Currently, he was in Texas and Winnie had never been more grateful for the fact that the Air Force programs were long.  She would take those 9 months like a sacred gift from God that he wouldn’t be anywhere near the fighting—at least for a short while. 

And then there was her.  Just her—with no idea where she’d end up, with no clue what her side of the war would entail.  Which of course, would be typical of her life thus far. 

Just then, the door opened and a man stepped inside, clipboard in hand.  “Dr. Allen?” 

“That’d be me,” Winnie said, rising to her feet. 

The man piqued an eyebrow, but said nothing about the fact that she was a woman.  He just let out a weary sigh and gestured towards the door with his head.  “If you’d follow me, ma’am.” 

Of course, a moment ago she was Doctor, and now she was ma’am.  God, she loathed the South.  

Winnie obliged, following after the man with quick steps.  As they crossed out of the building and onto a dirt path, Winnie caught sight of some of the trainees—some of them in the field and doing jumping jacks in the field, some of them running towards a trail through the trees.  There weren’t too many of them at the moment, but that didn’t deter Winnie in any way. 

“Are these the officers that are in training?” Winnie questioned, speeding up her stride to match the man in front of her. 

He let out an annoyed breath.  “You catch on quick.  Sink will like that.  Though I can’t account for how he’ll feel about a woman applying to train our medics.” 

“I’m a trauma surgeon and doctor.  I think my credentials speak for themselves,” Winnie retorted dryly. 

No response from the officer this time, just a huff of air as he came to a stop in front of one of the buildings on the camp.  “Wait here, please.” 

Winnie just crossed her arms and waited patiently, inhaling the cool air.  Not even thirty seconds later, the man had returned and gestured for her to enter the room.  Winnie was grateful for the slight reprieve from the cold air as she entered the room.  And there, sitting in a chair and smoking a cigar, was Colonel Sink. 

“If you’d please take a seat, Doctor Allen,” he gestured at the seat across from his desk with his cigar.  Usually quick to follow orders, Winnie slid into the seat, looking at Colonel Sink expectantly.  It was another moment of silence before Colonel Sink set down his cigar and fully looked at her.  “I’ll be honest, we don’t see too many female doctors come through the military.” 

“I expect you’d see more nurses, sir.” 

“Damn right, we do,” Sink stated.  “This whole war—unpleasant business, not really meant for women.” 

“If I can speak freely, sir?” 

“I’d be appreciative of the honesty, if you did.” 

“You’re right, it’s unpleasant.  But those women are still going to bury husbands, sons, brothers, and fathers.  It affects them just as much as it does the men.” 

“I can’t say I disagree.  Your point?” 

“I’m not a married woman.  I’m a trauma surgeon and head of the trauma department in Buford General.  I was the top of my class and as it so happens, I don’t have any children or brothers—they’re all off in training to fight in this war.  I don’t particularly like sitting on my ass or fancy myself a factory worker.  But I can help you train damn good medics, sir.” 

Sink stared at her for a long time.  His gaze reminded her a lot of her mentor’s, from back in college.  He was always trying to figure out her angles too.  Trying to figure out if she was as good as she claimed to be. 

“I’ll be honest with you, Allen.  We’ve got hundreds—thousands—of men coming in the next few months to train to be paratroopers.  Now I want them to be the best of the best.  And if I want them to survive more than five minutes over there, then that means I also need the best of the best doctors to train my medics.  So I’ll concede to your point.  Your application was good—I’m a self-made man myself and I respect that work.” 

“Sir?” 

“But I’ll also be honest with you.  This isn’t going to be pretty.  It’s going to be bloody and long and tiring.  This isn’t the type of place where you can just escape from whatever life you don’t want to live.  At some point, you might be elbows deep in some man’s guts and I need someone unflinching.” 

“October 27th.” 

“Pardon?” 

Winnie shifted in her seat, leaning forward.  “October 27th, a man and his two daughters are brought into Buford General.  Automobile accident.  The man flung his arm in front of his daughter sitting in the passenger seat.  His arm was hanging by a few strands of muscles and he was going to bleed out.  Now the daughter in the passenger seat got impaled by a fence post—it went straight through her stomach.  The daughter in the back was flung through the car and landed 15 feet ahead.” 

“That’s both gruesome and tragic.   Your point being?” 

“I was the surgeon on call that night.  I triaged.  I assessed.  I delegated.  The father lost his arm but he kept his life.  The daughter who flew through the car wasn’t going to make it.  She was 11.  We were short-handed and I had to tell the nurse assisting me that the little girl wasn’t going to make it and that she needed to focus on the other one.  So she did.  We lost the one—but she was mostly gone by the time she had arrived,” Winnie stated.  “My point here is that I can give your men skills that they won’t get anywhere otherwise.  Real life experience teaching practical application of the skills.  Triaging, assessing, not hesitating in doing the work and saving lives.” 

Sink leaned forward in his seat.  “You’d be hard on them?” 

“I’d be brutal. Because that is exactly what they are going to face out there.” 

“You be the hard-ass doctor that trains my medics, then.  But if you’re gonna be here, then you’re gonna train like my men train.” 

“I’m not a fragile southern belle like Melanie Hamilton, sir.” 

“No, I imagine you’re not.  I’ll give you two nurses to assist with actual injuries on base—and based on performance, you and them might just end up traveling with us wherever we end up.” 

“Sir?” 

“What?” 

“Thank you for letting me advocate my case.  I won’t let you down.” 

“You sure as hell better not.  Or lots of good men are going to die and that’s going to be on your shoulders.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Within the first hour of being there, Winnie had selected her nurses from the pile of applications.  It hadn’t been that hard of a choice to begin with—some were just practical eliminations, and the rest were a careful read-through of letters they had sent in along with the application.  

Reba Garrett and Eileen Gray were the two chosen candidates that she had landed on.  Reba was from New England and had been working as a nurse for well over five years now, placing her as one of the older and more experienced women applying for the position.  But it wasn’t her experience that attracted Winnie’s attention—it was the letter, and the way in which she described wanting to do some real good in the war and that started with saving lives rather than ending them. 

That sounded exactly like the type of person that Winnie wanted to have on her side.  

Eileen, on the other hand, was from Savannah, Georgia.  While her experience time of only two years wasn’t quite as well-established as Reba’s was, it was the picture that she had included of her brother that caught Winnie’s attention.  Eileen’s brother had been stationed in Pearl and he had been one of the many men to be immortalized under the ocean there. 

That gave her motivation, it gave her righteous anger—and in Winnie’s eyes, it was exactly the sort of thing that God would do—place Eileen in her path to ensure that justice was seen. 

So Winnie penned her first letters to the two women that would soon be joining her here in Toccoa.  And then she took those resumes straight to Colonel Sink—who wholeheartedly approved of the decision, though it was made in haste.  Just another reason for him to see her as a capable doctor—as someone he could trust. 

And in two weeks time, Eileen Gray and Reba Garrett would be joining her at Camp Toccoa.  In the meantime though, Winnie’s own training was set to begin.  And she’d be damned if she let herself be torn down by any man—her superior officer or not.  She was determined to earn her place amongst the men here—and earn their respect.  Consequences be damned. 

[loveysmoke6998]

This is my first fanfic so plz be nice (long one at least for me)

Lo’ak was always insecure, insecure about his body, his skills, his worthlessness. He loathed everything about himself, and now that his brother is gone he must not only live up to his fathers name but his brother too. It was all too much he was overwhelmed. He didn’t want to be near anyone, but he wouldn’t mind you right now.

He meet you on the sinking ship, you were standing on the very small area left afloat, shaking. You were scared, if not terrified, you were young. Just around his age at the time, but that wasn’t all he noticed. You were chained up, in cuffs, you looked injured and run down. Yet just as he was getting close from behind he noticed you were branded. You can even say dehumanized, how could humans do an act so horrible, so dehumanizing, so torturous?! That was when he felt something touch him.

His father was behind him also looking at you. “Son do what your heart tells you” he says looking at his son solemnly at his as he understood the conflict in his sons head. With that Jake left, and Lo’ak saved you. Petrified of the Navi you were hesitant to accepting his offer, but you figure it would be better than drowning. As he took you with him as soon as you reached the village you passed out from exhaustion, due to the overwhelming you faced as the boat was sinking and your people were dying. To be honest you didn’t consider them your people. They did in despicable things to you, using you a just another experiment; a lab rat. That’s what they considered you nothing but a waste of space, someone to take their anger upon. Those bastards would torture you, violate you, rid you of your dignity, the only good thing they ever did is adjust your lungs to breathe the air on pandora. Just invade they’d use you as bait and didn’t wanna waste money on a mask especially made for you.

You never wanted to go through that again, but as you were riding with Lo’ak you weren’t scared, nor petrified. You were content, tired but nonetheless content, he was warm, comforting, kind. He was making sure that you were still there behind him as you were too scared to hold onto him. The inevitably changed the moment he went slightly faster now forcing you to latch onto him to stay on. You were struggling to stay awake since he was so warm. That was the last thing you remember since you passed out the second you were inside the village. Jake and Netiri were waiting for him.Jake knowing about his “guest.” However he could let you be alone with his son because you were one of the sky people, so you slept with the Sully family. As you awoken from your sleep you were surrounded by the Sully family. They said they would teach you their ways as long as you stayed loyal to the Navi, and that’s exactly what you did.

(7 years later)

You’ve adapted to their way of life now, adjusted to their ways. However their was one person you never quite got adjusted to Lo’ak. Over the years you guys grew closer and you’ve developed a crush. I know 20’s a little old for a crush but he was the only one who truly acknowledged you as part of the Navi. You were an outsider, no one wanted you there, you were treated as if you were just a dog. Yet you’d rather be treated with discrimination then an experiment. Out of everyone in the Sully family he was the only one who wouldn’t look at you with those eyes. Eyes that knew you weren’t their kind, eyes that knew you weren’t supposed to be here. That’s why you went out with Lo’ak more these days. You gained their trust enough to be alone with him, and the days you spent with him were the most fun. Unless you got on the ikran (the dragon) you were petrified of falling especially at this height that you knew you wouldn’t survive. He was slowly trying to make you less scared of heights but it never worked he’d always need to land mid flight because you’d start having a panic attack from the altitude. He never judged you for that, instead in his head he’d punish himself for making you go through that. Even at 20 years old he still had problems with self worth, and self love. Yet even if he saw you at your lowest he never let you see that part of him. That part that was covered in self loathing, the part that was under so much pressure that he didn’t even know what to do. The only thing he was 100% sure of in his mind was that he wanted to protect you. He didn’t want you to be know as the freak, the outcast, the demon. He knew what it was like to go through that and he’d never ever want you to go through that.

But there was one thing he’d do to soothe his aching head from his thoughts. When you were asleep he’d tell you everything, his self consciousness, his thoughts, his insecurities, he’d tell you everything that plagued his mind. However today was different today was the day his brother died. He felt like a coward, a useless, ridiculous coward. He didn’t even have the courage to tell you this even if you were asleep. Well at least he thought you were. You were a very light sleeper so you’d hear everything he’d tell you, keeping it as a mental note to praise him the next day. But tonight he didn’t do that, everyone was asleep but he was no where to be found. With that you got up and went to the only place you’d think he’d be at… Eywa. The only part that scared you was the swim over there. Of course you’ve swam on his Ilu but never alone. Yet you figured the llu would have a connection to you. But there you stood confused was Lo’ak really that mad at himself that he swam all the way over there alone. You couldn’t tell, but you took the llu that thankfully recognized you and was happy to see you. With that you two swam to Eywa. Seeing his there tired from swimming and looking like he was about to drown. With that you gave the llu to him as he sat there gaining his breath and questioning why you were here. Reluctantly you told him that you’d hear him vent to you every night but since you didn’t hear him this night you went to go look for him.

Damn he never felt more guilty then at that moment. You heard everything! He felt so bad because that wasn’t your baggage to carry, not you guilt to have. With that he broke, the walls surrounding his heart faltering as he sobbed into your shoulder. You’ve never seen him like this before he was so vulnerable, so broken. You understood him so you let him take it all out. You guys were there until sunrise just allowing him to be vulnerable and take it all out. After he finished sobbing and started to relax a little. He realized that he felt safe with you, like you were his rock. So he decided to tell you why it was tonight that he was like this. He told you how his brother was the mighty warrior of the family and took a bullet for him to survive. Saying that it was his fault. When he said that you pulled his hair, him hissing at you until he heard those words com out of your mouth. That he “wasn’t at fault for any of that shit” and that he was “ so fucking important to you because you loved him…” You… what?! You loved him he couldn’t fucking believe it. Out of all people you loved him a freak and a failure, but before he could say anything he felt you grab his hair and make the bond on your heart. That’s when he felt it all the love you had for him, how your heart was beating, how you were breathing. That’s when he finally decided to take the hint and kiss you. Until he heard something or better someone whistle at him it was his father. Both of you were alarmed until his father told him that he was proud of him for doing that, and that he approved you guy’s relationship. Now that was you guys happy ending.

[peachymilkandcream]

Ready or Not|Part 1|Yandere Levi x Evelyn

(A/N: I'm so psyched that we can start the next series! If you all thought it was over we're no where close! While this series is going to be shorter I guarantee it's going to be a freaking blast! Comment to be added to the taglist!)

WARNINGS: noncon, dubcon, manipulation, domestic abuse, yandere themes, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, stockholm syndrome, violence, mind breaking, misogyny, etc

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Erwin found him two days later, when Levi refused to show for work or any of his responsibilities the Commander was forced to drag himself over there and soothe the child's temper tantrum. Probably had too much liquor and too little sex to keep his erratic personality under control.

He didn't have time for this. If he didn't need Levi so much he would've swept him out years ago. He was a good soldier, but he wasn't reliable. How could he continue to run a government with a soldier sabotaging the carefully made trust he'd established.

The house was empty, he swore if Levi went to a fucking bar again he'd really chew his ass this time. Maybe he'd threaten to take Evelyn and his child away until Levi learned how to juggle his responsibilities like an adult.

He was in the living room, the whole place torn to bits after yet another obvious tantrum. But something was off about this one, this time he didn't even acknowledge Erwin's presence, like he was deeply disturbed about something and didn't give a shit about anything else.

"Levi. What happened."

"She's gone Erwin, she's fucking gone!" He emphasized the last word by throwing his empty bottle against the brick fireplace.

"So she finally left you, didn't she?"

"She escaped, I don't know where the hell she went, but I'm going to find out. I'm going to find whoever helped her, and kill them. My son, that bitch took my son!" Levi wept, the first time Erwin had ever seen him so emotional, usually he stopped at nothing to conceal his emotions and appear weak. Poor bastard.

"I'm sure she hasn't gone far, we'll just have to look for her."

"I'll hunt her down to the ends of the earth!"

"Calm down Levi."

"Calm down, calm down!? How can you expect me to be so calm when my wife and child are missing!? They're all I have and you tell me to calm down!?"

Erwin rolled his eyes, the temper tantrums were almost ridiculous at this point. "I won't help you until you relax."

He wiped at his eyes. "Fine, I'm calm, I'm calm."

"Better. Now pull yourself together, and we'll solve this thing."

"Why the hell do you care?"

"I need you stable Levi, and I need your wife's good reputation to keep on top. If it means starting a nationwide manhunt for one woman and toddler then so be it."

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The sea breeze suited Evelyn well, it had taken a lot of courage for her to get on that boat. The fear of the unknown had paralyzed her for too long, causing the ship's captain to ask her several times if she was actually coming aboard.

But she had. She'd stepped forward into her new future, a life of freedom. And while it had taken a small chunk of her funds to be taken so secretly across the sea it was worth it for this view. Sparkling blue as far as the eye could see. Her last trip by ship was overshadowed with the fear of the world ending, now she could actually enjoy these moments with her son.

Furlan, in the past years he had grown to look just like his father. And while Levi had always been a shitty husband, he was a stellar father, so much in fact that the boy seemed to already prefer him over his mother. The past few nights he'd taken to sobbing uncontrollably since he missed his dear Papa so fiercely. Hopefully he would grow out of it, she couldn't bear to think about a world where her child only desired to be loved and cared for by his abusive father. Perhaps since she was pregnant under such dire circumstances the child craved violence like his father.

The wind threatened to undo all her hard work of getting her hair to stay, but it seemed out here was the only way to get Furlan to stop crying. He held onto her dress firmly, watching the waves as they bounced up and down. This would be good for him, good for both of them. All three of them. Evelyn and her two children, both born and unborn would be able to find a life of peace and tranquility away from Levi.

A fresh start.