#tw: near death

[some-messed-up-writing-for-you]

Short Prompt #1293

CW: death threats, near-death experience, implied past character death.

"Do I have your attention now?" the villain questioned with a smile that threatened to sour on a dime, their gun held against Civilian's head. The civilian, already knocked out from the explosion, couldn't even stiffen in fear. "Or must I crack open such a precious skull before you start listening?"

The hero, for once in their life, had no witty comeback or quip. That was their lover in Villain's grasp, their everything. Hero stood tense, ready to rush forward, and yet too petrified to move.

Was this what the villain had felt like all those years ago when Hero had let their partner fall?

[timeguardians]

sorry I haven't done much in the way of replies. My mom had a MAJOR surgery and had complications. She could have died this week when they tanked her sodium and potassium. Took her four days to answer simple questions from me. I've been a train-wreck since. I've been carrying the entire house worth of chores, stress working out, and have been super sick with iron levels. I've been so tired. soooo stressed. And I've had to make a million phone-calls.

[madmanwonder]

Prompt

Crossover Mercenary AU

Dark Samus unfortunately gets the better of Loid and it seems like she was going to kill him. Thankfully an ally of his in Red Hood has come to save his ass. Whether he can deal with her or not is a different story... but he will definitely take the fight to her.

"Damn...."

Agent Twilight, known by his alias "Loid Forger" spit out a glob of blood to the side, slumping against the wall with a battered and injured state as he stare with blurry eyes at the tall, intimidating mercenary walking toward him with the menacing gait of a cruel and sadistic predator.

"You have put up a good fight Agent Twilight...." The deep, echoing voice of the armored warrior said in a polite and playful which hide little of the sadism in her inhumanly deep, monstrous voice. "But this is where the fun ends and where i get to boast that I kill the esteemed Agent Twilight to all those who listen." The Esteemed One aimed her handcanon toward the head of Agent Twilight charing the canon to fire.

Sensing his end and far too injured to move, the super spy closed his eyes and waited for the end to come. 'Anya...Yor...I am sorry but this is it for me.'

But the end never came for him when he hurt the familiar sound of RPG being fired and the explosion impact filled his ears causing Twilight to open his eyes and saw his soon-to-be-killer a feet away from him, her helmet fell off revealing her beautiful but inhuman face glaring at...

...Jason Todd, Red Hood, half-vigilante half-mercenary hero for hire who held up a large rocket launcher in one hand while his other hand was holding a sem-futuristic gun.

"Too bad for you are not going to do any boasting today." Jason toss the rocket launcher and took a combat knife. "Because your ass is going six feet other.

The second Red Hood dashed toward to the angry mercenary who let out a guttural battle cry as she charged toward Jason with murder in her eyes, forgetting about Agent Twlight in the process.

[danascullysjournal]

If You Will Let Me

A Post-Milagro X Files Fic

TW: Medical trauma, near death experience, sedation, visit from the dead, mentions of demons

___________________

Chapter 20: Tethered

There is a plane between death and life, a haze of struggling where the soul is suspended.  Battered by tempests unseen, haunted by visions of what was and what could be, the spirit is tethered to a silkworm’s thread, swung on a pendulum.  

Toward the darkness.

Toward the light.

In the darkness, velvet waves pummel and formless voids gape in hunger. The stench of death wafts from their depths.  They wait.  Ravenous.  They beckon in earnest. 

They promise peace.  But they have no peace. 

��They promise safety.  They are not safe. 

But what can the spirit do, adrift in this ocean, without a compass, without a rudder, at the mercy of currents and the strength of the thread?  The soul cries out for an unseen savior, a way to be pulled from mouths that would devour.  To be gathered and bound up, a castaway returned, restored to what was.  Pulled safely, securely into the folds of light. 

The hours passed.  The pendulum swang.

It was disorienting.  The space in which Scully found herself was not truly anywhere.  She knew that much. 

But the voices enveloping her, or inside of her, were insistent.  Insistent and real.  

Their desperation, their hunger spurred her on.  Giving in to the darkness would only guarantee her damnation.  And his victory.  As much as the cavernous spaces yearned to pull her in, she wouldn’t go.  God, she couldn’t. 

The thread wavered, drawing her along aimlessly, a faceless soul through battering gales.   

She felt him near, somehow, even though he wouldn’t, or couldn’t, manifest as he had in her apartment.  How much of himself had he woven into her?  She was infected.  Stained.  

She tried to cry out, but found her throat was sand.  

The cord twisted.  It spun.  

She saw a hint of light.  

Pale, thin glimmers on an otherwise formless, shrouded horizon. 

Another voice began alongside the sounds of hunger.  Calling to her.  Intent, but with a different tone than the mouths that wanted to consume.  

This sound was kind. This voice had hope. 

Dad?  Dad!  

How many years had it been?  She tried to reach out, but had no control of her arms. Tried to call to him, but could not find her words.  Tried to find him- somehow- but her body felt nothing save the emptiness of this barren plane of existence.

She choked, the absence of breath, the absence of self striking panic. 

Dad!

“I’m here, Starbuck.  I’m here.”

She wanted to yell for him.  Cry out to him.  Hug him, one last time. 

But he was nowhere and everywhere, and her mouth was mute.  

Are you real?  She wanted him to be.  More than anything. 

“This part of me is.”

You… pulled us out of the house.  You came for me.

“How could I not?  How could I not come for my little girl?”

The flood of loss, of undying love was overwhelming.  It suspended them both in a cocoon of bittersweet silence.  

Dad.  How did you know?

“You will be amazed, someday, at what we get to know. What we get to see, and do, when we are needed. That’s why I’m here now.”

I do, I do need you, Dad.  I’ve missed you so much, I thought I could never talk to you again… and you’re here and I just…  

She felt like a desperate little girl.  She wished she could cry, just to ease the torment inside herself.  But she was bound up, inside and out.  Powerless.  It made her ache all the more. 

“You won’t stay here.  You’re my fighter.  Remember?”

How can I fight what I can’t see?

His voice seemed nearer, somehow.  She could almost smell his aftershave, she thought.  

“You don’t.  Not alone.   You have to decide, Dana.  Decide what you’re willing to fight for.  And I hope you make the right choice.”

What is the right choice?    

“I always chose myself, Dana.  And my orders, and my job. All the accolades, all the rewards, remember?  And I was given permission to come to you, to tell you that is not enough. Not to really live.”

That doesn’t make sense. 

“It does.  You’re just still afraid to admit it.  I left with things undone, sweetheart.  I was certain that what I did was enough.  I was strong, your mother was strong, I made you kids strong.  You were strong because you had to be.  Because I wasn’t really there for you to rely on.”

If she could breathe here, if she could speak, she would have screamed at him.  As much as she knew his words were true, his confession tore open a flood wall inside her.  The sudden deluge of denial and bitterness was too great.

Don’t say that!  You were there, Dad, you were.

“I tried to be, sometimes.  But I was torn.  Blinded by what I thought was important.  But ask your mother, when you get home.   Ask her about the forgotten anniversaries.  And the birthdays I missed, for trainings or ceremonies.  Remember who helped you with your homework, and your big projects.”  His voice was sad.  “I had a lot to do… a lot I thought was more important… She was always so, so good.  Forgiving.” He paused, his silence pained.  “Service has a cost.  Service to our country.  Or to the FBI.   We choose where to place our time, our trust.  That’s what shows love.   I didn’t give your mother… or you kids… I didn’t give the time you deserved.  When you go back, please tell her I’m sorry.  You have to tell her that.  I’m so, so sorry.”

If a voice could carry weight, if it could bear upon another with a touch, she would swear she felt him holding her with only his soft timbre. 

She desperately wished she could hug him back. 

I love you, Dad. 

“I love you, too.  So much.  Listen to me, Starbuck, I want you to know, it is possible to love and be strong.  What you’ve been doing, carrying all this.  Fighting alone… you don’t have to.  Sometimes being strong alone… it isn’t possible.  It isn’t what’s best.  I wish I had known… wish I had acted on it more.  I wish I had shown you all how important you really are.” 

You sound like Mulder.

“And I can tell you don’t think that’s a bad thing.  Make the right choice, Dana.   Don’t wait till it’s too late.  You can't get the time back.  And don’t forget, I’m here.  Always.  In your corner.”

But Dad, wait—

The pendulum swung. 

The silk thread snapped. 

____________________

Opening his eyelids fully was too much effort.  Instead, Mulder settled on cracking them just enough to make out the golden glow that surrounded him.  

His neural networks processed haphazardly, firing thoughts at random as he regained full consciousness. 

Good color.  Scully would like it.  

His fingers felt next to him, where her body had been resting with him the past nights.  He wanted to wake her, to show her the strange tangerine light that enveloped them.  

His fingers found cold sheets. 

Scully should be here.  She’s not.

He fought to force his eyes open, his heart rate climbing as the confusion and panic took root.   His pupils registered the plain, sunset stained hospital walls.  The heart monitor pads on his chest.  The IV lines anchored in his veins.   The nurses running into the room. 

His mouth became cotton.  His forehead grew hot with a strange, chilled sweat and his stomach turned without warning.  He bolted upright and managed to twist his body in the hospital bed before he vomited onto the floor, and the shoes of a nurse. 

“Oh…gaw..m’s’ry…”  The apology slurred out.  His tongue felt thick and unfamiliar.  

The dark haired nurse smiled slightly at him.  “It’s okay, really.  Not the worst thing I’ve had happen.”  While the other nurse helped clean him up and lay him back on the pillows, the dark haired nurse wiped her shoes off with a towel.  

“Fox, is it?  My name is Beth,” she continued.  “And this is Abby.  We’re here most nights.  When they brought you in, they told us we have to keep an extra eye on you.  They had to sedate you to get you to rest.  Sounds like you’re trouble.”

Mulder couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.  Even if she were serious, he couldn’t form a coherent rebuttal.  He managed a shrug instead.   Yes, he did seem to be trouble, he supposed.  His bosses and exes would all vouch for that.  

Abby was changing fluids in the IV drip.  Mulder eyed her.  Her hair curled, like Samantha’s.  He found himself suddenly leery of these two strangers.  They could be another demonic ruse, for all he knew. 

“So we will be just outside your room at the nurse’s station, and will come in and bother you, probably more than you want.  They said you can’t be alone.” There was a strange tone in Beth’s voice.  Irritation, Mulder decided.  Or distain.  “Anyway, ER bandaged you up nice, so we’ll just be here to change gauze, check your fluids.  You’ll be out of here in no time.”  Beth patted his hand and turned to leave. 

“Where’s’ssshhh,” he managed.  

Beth blinked.

“Wurrrss’shee,” he tried again.  

“Oh, oh.  Where is she…”  She glanced at Abby, a pensive look on her face.  

He felt his panic building again.  

Abby scrambled to tamp down his worry.  “Sir, we have to keep all patient information confidential.  But I promise you she’s alright.”  She offered a kind, reassuring grin. 

Beth pursed her lips and gave Abby a disapproving look, then glanced back at him.  “And that’s all we can tell you, sir.  We shouldn’t even tell you that much.”  Her glare settled back on her colleague. 

Mulder’s heart rate slowed on the monitor.   He nodded, a small smile on his lips. 

Scully is alive. 

“Get some rest.”  Abby finished making notations and both nurses turned to leave.  “You’ll feel much better tomorrow.  Promise.”   She offered another polite smile over her shoulder.  

He was so, so tired.  Sedated?  Given how his body felt, it was entirely plausible.  As his eyes drifted closed, he heard Beth from the hallway.  

“They told us it’s a DV case!  Everyone’s been talking about it!  What were you thinking?”  Her words hissed through her teeth. 

“He was worried, Beth.”

“Maybe.  Or maybe he’s acting.  Don’t give any more information or you’re gonna get yourself fired.” 

“Yeah…” 

“I’m serious!  You do it again and I’m reporting it.  I’m not going down with you just because you think a guy is nice.” 

Though his head was still foggy and stomach still swimming, Mulder’s mind was clear enough to register the weight of their words.  So much for getting help from anyone here.  Maybe once his brain fog lifted he could…. 

The fresh dose of sedatives in the IV took over as dusk began to settle into the corners of the room.

Fox Mulder fell into a dreamless, leaden sleep. 

____________________

“Dad!”  Scully’s hoarse voice cut through the monotonous beeping of the monitors.  Her eyes flew open as she gasped in air.   It was sick-sweet and plastic.  

Her fingers found an oxygen mask.  Beeping monitors behind her hammered out her elevated heart rate.

Fumbling, she pulled at the mask.  It caught, hindered by her hair tangled in the elastic.  A nurse ran into her room before she managed to remove it.

“Dana?  You okay?”  The panic of inexperience stained the young man’s voice.  He hurried to her side in an attempt to calm her.  Once he secured the mask once more, he eased her back down to the pillow.  “It’s good to see you awake, at least.”

“I heard- I swear he was here.”  Scully’s eyes searched the dimly lit hospital room.  

“Who?”

She blinked back the emotion she felt bubbling to the surface.  

“Who was in here?” 

She shook her head.  “It must have been a dream.”

There was certainly no way she could explain what she had just experienced to anyone else. 

“That would make sense,” the nurse said.  “You’ve been through a lot, bad dreams can come from that.  It’s good to see you so alert.”

Scully felt ill at ease.  Her medical mind struggled to process, to make sense of where she was and what had happened.  She didn’t remember going to the hospital, but she could deduce why she was there easily enough.   What she couldn’t reconcile to herself was the fact that she was alive.  After feeling them entering her body… after deciding she was too tired to fight anymore… she should be… dead?  Part of them?  Definitely not sitting here, she was sure of that much.

She knew that she had her father to thank for that. 

 “Could I… Can I talk to a doctor, or at least see my chart?”  She tried in vain to sit up.  “Please, I’m a doctor.”

The young man studied her face seriously.  “You have been through a lot,” he repeated.  “And you’ve been unconscious.  You are really lucky.”  He nodded toward the mask on her face.  “Oxygen, obviously.  Keep it on. Keep resting.  Your body needs it.  The doctor will be in to make rounds in the morning, and you can talk to him then.  The last thing you need is more stress on your mind or body right now.”

“You said I’m lucky.”  She sounded strange to herself, muffled through the mask.  “What about my partner?”

“Partner?”

Her stomach dropped.   She took a breath to steady herself.  “Yes, Fox Mulder.  He would have been with me.”  

The nurse shook his head apologetically.  “I don’t know that name.  I’m sorry.”

Panic seized her.  “I have to find him, you have to let me go!” 

She began pulling at the mask again, but the nurse grabbed both of her hands.  His face bent down to hers, his eyes serious.

“Listen.  This is a big hospital, and you’re in the intensive care unit.  Your partner is probably in another area.  You need to stay here until we can be sure you’re alright, okay?  You’ve been unconscious for a couple days.  You lost so much blood they had to do a transfusion.  But they don’t know how on earth you lost it.”  His brow was furrowed with worry, or pity.  “I don’t know what all you went through, but I can tell it wasn’t fun.”

Scully shook her head slowly, reeling at this new information.  “No.  It wasn’t.”  As he let go, she let her hands fall to her sides.  Bewildered.  Defeated.

“My name is Jordan, I’m here all night.  I can stay here for a bit, till you go to sleep?  Would you like that?”

He was no Mulder, but she didn’t want to be alone.  She nodded softly. 

“Yes, please.” 

Jordan pulled a chair close to her bedside.  She sighed, irritated that her body was so weak and worn.  Still, she was thankful for the company.

“How long have you been working here, Jordan?”

The nurse ducked his head in a boyish fashion.  “This is actually my first year working.  But I completed my clinicals here, too.” 

“Mm, good for you.”  She smiled at him.  “You chose a good line of work; you'll help lots of people.  So you're pretty familiar with the hospital then?”

The nurse nodded. 

“Would you do something for me, please?”  In spite of herself, Scully felt her eyelids getting heavy again.  Her body felt utterly spent.  

“I’ll try.”  His voice was wary. 

“Can you find out if my partner is okay?  Fox Mulder.”  Her eyes were desperate.  “I need to know.  We were attacked, and I want- just, please find out if he’s here, if he’s alright.”  Her jaw clenched tight against tears that threatened.  I need him to be alright.

Jordan nodded, holding her gaze.   “You know I can’t give you personal information… but I can see if he’s here.” He gave a smile. “I promise.” 

The relieved grin she returned was faded from fatigue.  “That’s all I want, thank you.  Just to know he’s safe.  He’s… he’s a good friend.” 

Her father’s words wavered in her subconscious as she began to drift off. 

You’re right, Dad.  I know you’re right. 

____________________

Footsteps on the tile floor roused Mulder.

He took great care to turn his head like the hour hand, wary of startling the staff or making himself throw up again.  

“How are ya feeling?”  Abby’s kind face studied him through the dim light.

He rolled his dry tongue in his mouth as he stared at her.  His eyes darted toward the doorway, then back.  She was alone… which either meant the nurse was really here alone, or… He felt a low panic begin to creep in.  If it was indeed the demons again, he was hardly in a position to resist.   He swallowed thickly, moving his mouth in an attempt at words.  

“Behht?”  He groaned to himself.  Stupid sedative.

Abby grinned.  “Beth?”

“Mh- hmm.”  He kept his eyes fixed on her, watching for a shift, a telltale murmur in the planes of her face. 

She let out a small laugh.  “She’s not your favorite, is she?”

Mulder grunted.

“She’s on break,” she shrugged.  Her long brown curls moved with her shoulders. “I figured now was a good time to check in on you… I dunno.  She’s a good nurse.  She just makes her mind up about people pretty quick.  But I like to decide for myself.  Just because you hear something about someone doesn’t mean it’s true, ya know.”  She offered another smile.

Mulder licked his cracked lips.  “No more.  No, no more sedttiff.”  He glared at the IV bag to make his point. 

She shook her head.  “No, we don’t do that unless it’s absolutely necessary.  That was supposed to be the last round.   As long as you promise not to go crazy and try to hurt anyone again.”

He scrunched his nose and brow in confusion. 

“You don’t remember?”

He slowly shook his head.

“Huh.  Well, I wasn’t here when they brought you in, but the report was that you were pretty upset.  Fighting the paramedics.  Saying crazy things.”  Her eyes were filled with sympathy.  “You must have been in shock, I guess.  You look like you’ve been through a lot.”  She studied the cuts on his face, his bandaged hand. 

“Mhm.”  He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering Padgett’s hollow, hateful stare, Scully’s terrified face…  the darkness filling him.  “T’ tried’t’take us.”

Abby’s eyebrows furrowed.  “Take you?  So you- you didn’t hurt the other patient.”  The relief was evident on her face. 

“Never.”  He wished he could explain himself more, so this nurse could understand.  Scully was his only reason to keep going.  The thought of hurting her was unconscionable. 

“I knew you weren’t that kind of guy.  Who did this to you?” 

Mulder blinked, considering his next move carefully.  She seemed trustworthy, but if she felt he was crazy or dangerous…  He examined her kind face, framed by long curls that were tucked back in a loose, messy ponytail.  A glint of metal flashed from one earlobe that peeked through her hair.  

He squinted.  A cross earring.

She squinted back at him with a small grin.  “What?”

“Umm…”  Mulder struggled to sit up, fighting the residual dizziness.  “D’you b’lieve in God?”  He could barely believe the words as they came out of his mouth.  Less than a week ago, he would have vehemently denied any plausibility of such things.  Yet here he was, tethered to a hospital bed with IV lines and BP sensors, all because of a hoard of demons.  The world was a strange place.

Abby tilted her head, then nodded.  “Yeah.  Yeah I believe in God.  Why?”

He took a deep breath.  Here goes nothing.  “Okay, an’dem’ns?”

She stared at him, her brow twisted in confusion.  

“An’demons.”  He spat out.  He couldn’t wait till he regained full control of his thick, uncooperative tongue. 

“Demons,” she repeated.

He nodded.  His eyes locked on hers, begging her to take him seriously.  She took a step backward, toward the door.  Her lips were a thin line.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Mulder, I don’t want to get involved in any of that.”

“Please.” 

“This is why you were sedated…”  She reached the doorway and stopped.  Her arms were crossed, her expression pensive.  How many times had he seen that look on Scully’s perfect, freckled face?  He would give anything to see her, to hold her again.  

“Please,” he tried again.  “I need help.  Please.”

Abby shook her head fiercely and her curls flung back and forth, magnifying her reticence.  “I can’t.  Even if what you’re saying is real- and I’m not agreeing it is- even if it is, how could I possibly help?”

Mulder spoke slowly.  “Y’don’t understand.  Th’want me.  An’ her.  Not you.”  He kept his eyes locked on hers, pleading.  “I gotta get help, an’ if I don’t.  We die.  She dies.  I die.”  He felt his stomach churning, from the sedative.  From the helplessness.  “You don’t hafta believe me, but’f you go, you’re killing two people.  Two.  Is your doubt worth that?”

The hospital room was silent for a long moment, save the beeping of the heart monitor.  

Abby licked her lips nervously, then took a deep breath.  

“Okay.”  It was a whisper.  “I don’t want anybody dead…  But this doesn’t mean I believe all you said, either.  What do you need me to do?”

____________________

[strykingback]

Event: Rescue Mission FINALE- The Reapers Bullet

OST: The Disgraced Clone

The strike team moved up quickly approaching the fallen Mecha-Perseus as the stopped hearing the chest piece open up with a hiss, with Nero walking out of the machine with smoke and coughing a bit while he waved it away. "Fucking little pieces of shit! I have no more patience with you all!" He would say with a growl. "It's over Nero! Surrender now and you will be taken back to Brumel where you'll receive a fair trial!" Eros demanded pointing his twin blasters at the clone. While Nero would just scoff at it... getting into a fighting position as he lifted up one leg and slammed into the ground breaking the concrete starting to groan.. while the fusion energy began to surge around him.

"Democritus particles?! They're being absorbed?!" MAYA would say with Leonidas already having a bad feeling about this. Eros, would just roll his eyes underneath his helmet thinking that this clone was just going to the same thing as the real figure did somewhat have a temper tantrum. Zek and Guangxian would just remain quiet and watch to see what would happen.

Finally, the disgraced clone would release a loud roar of rage with more of the Democritus particles becoming streams of energy entering Neros back as even the wires from Mecha Perseus would surge outward feeding more of the energy into him. Before a wave of power was unleashed pushing back the strike team..

"The Bloody hell?!" Eros said checking his HUD for any fusion poisoning in his body.. which there wasnt.. yet for the Disgraced Councilman he stood up looking more buff than ever. While he would push his glasses up with a slight smirk. "LETS RUMBLE!" Nero spoke with a growl.

"The fuck are you on about you absolute-"

"GRAHHHHGH!!!!" Nero would charge at Eros with everyone jumping away as Eros was left unprepared to shoot at being surprised at the speed of the now charged up councilman with no time to dodge as he was immediately tackled to the ground with Eros getting up, only to get a punch towards his face, and then a headbutt cracking his visor. "I'm not like those cushy politicians! Played a lot of Zeroball in college!" Nero said.

Leonidas would immediately launch himself into battle swinging a punch towards the clone while he gritted in pain with stinging feeling moving through his left hand. "At some shitty fancy college, you mark!!!" The bull faunus growled using Aurelius' Wrath in attempt for the wrist blade to gouge out the eye of Nero only for his arm to be caught by Nero. Which the elite atelier guardsman attempted to swing a punch with his free arm only for it to be caught, with Nero letting go of Eros. "Try the University of Atticus in Vale! I'm not like those beltway pansies who wont do things right nowadays!!!" He said headbutting the bull faunus again with a groan coming from Leonidas.

"I can easily crush your shit king....with my bare hands!!!" He said, letting go of Leonidas right hand and immediately punching him in the face causing his visor to crack as well! Being sent to the floor in pain from the strikes. Immediately Zek would come in using the bayonet function of his rifle only to be caught by the throat and thrown into air with Zek screaming loudly in fear as he fell right back down.

"DO NOT FUCK WITH THIS GODDAMN COUNCILMAN BITCH!" Nero shouted immediately kicking Zek at a perfect time sending him right to the floor, as the rifleman held his gut in pain which he wondered what was damaged....perhaps it was his ribs, or even worse internal bleeding. "Fuuuuck...." He groaned out.

"Bastard! Just what the hell are you!?! " Guangxian said shooting at the Senator while he did not flinch almost as if the bullets were literally and figuratively bouncing off of his body, which the Councilman looked at the Hacker and attempted a few punches while Guangxian would dodge them swiftly only for a punch catching him off guard as stumbled back a bit dazed. While the clone of Nero pushed up his eyeglasses. "Why dont you boys live long to find out?" He said while everyone got back onto their feet... yet Zek noticed something was missing on Guangxians back.. and that was Hathor... which he looked up to the sky to see the drone in air showing the fight live.

And on the Atelius everyone watched the fight with eyes of shock in their eyes... and worry.

"Come on Leonidas get back up!" An Atelier Soldier said.

"Lets go Eros!! Show'em what you mean by planning!!!"

"Guangxian... Hang in there!!!" One of the Atelier Technicians spoke.

"Zek... please.. get up!!!" Atya said with worry.

"Guys we need to work fast on this anti-serum now!!!" Merlinda spoke with urgency with Hermes, Twilight, and Krieg having to work as quickly as they could. "Father... please protect them....." Krieg shuddered underneath his breath... while he had worked to solve the problem with the Anti-Serum for Project Immortalis...

"Lets go ... lads!!!" Eros shouted throwing Pequod to the side and pulling out his plasma knife while, Leonidas staggered a little bit reaching his full height along with everyone else.

"Come on boys! Lets have a fun talk!" Nero spoke as the fight reignited with Eros charging in firing Ishmael at the clone, while narrowly dodging an attempted punch and using his knife to attempt to slice open or cut his abdomen albeit it felt like bounched off. With Guangxian coming in with his pistol to try and claim a head shot with Zek aiming and firing a dust round with an explosion.

Finally Eros and Leonidas looked at each other and nodded rushing in with both with both a plasma knife and wristblade with both swinging down after Zeks incredible headshot... only to feel something holding them back, with the two looking up to see Nero's head still intact and his arms and hands black as night.....

"Nice cooking knives, mind if I take those to go." He said breaking both the Plasma knife and the Wristblade.

"WHAT!?!" Both Atelier soldiers said in unison, before they backed up a bit. "Bloody fucker!!!" Eros shouted throwing what remained of his knife while Nero simply walked up towards them quickly before running as Eros utilized his semblance. Haste to jump over it while Leonidas rushed in and slid underneath an attempted punch dodging it completely. Just for a moment Leonidas chuckled and then

WHAM!!!

With a loud smack the bull faunus was punched making him stagger once again but with his kinetic punches all but charged up its just enough for him to handle it. As he saw a punch being swung at him as he blocked it with both sides grunting and groaning. "Always going to be a mark, you piece of shit politician! Big Promises you cant even deliver....!" Leonidas said throwing the fist to the side, swinging an attempted punch which made contact. "Experimenting on innocent people?! All for what! Your broken pride!!!" He continued swinging two more kinetic punches.

"And you're just like every other PMC mark I killed! Just another shitbag crawling in the pile!!!" He said giving a kneestrike to the chin with enough force to make the clone stumble backwards a bit.

"Heh... you are right about one thing... Marauder of Marcenas River...." Nero spoke which made Leonidas grit his teeth hearing that title. "I do have big promises that I could not deliver.... but its because I have a dream!" Nero said.

"What?" Leonidas said with confusion, before watching the councilman walk up to him.

"That one day every PMC watching will use this as a means to be inspired to do more! To go forward and do more even if it is unethical!!!" Nero said with Leonidas taking zero time to think and charging forward with both hands grasping each other in another hand while the two would clash heads with blood seeping out of Leonidas helmet.... "I want PMC's to understand that they can destroy the governments that once held them back and use it for their own fuel for their fire!" Nero spoke with a kick to the bull faunus' stomach making him stumble backwards.....

"Fuck all these limpshit politicians who decide to not go above and beyond what they can or can't do! And these chickenshit hunters who only want to be famous as hell and instead seek only glory instead of fighting for the PMC's to sate their inner demons!!!" Nero would rant while punching Leonidas with the next punch landing shattering his helmet entirely... while in a dazed state... Leonidas immediately tore off the holopad containing MAYA as he threw her somewhere safe..... so she wouldnt have to be harmed....

But Nero saw this distraction as an opportunity while he grabbed the marauder by the hair. "Fuck all this! I wanna be the very best and prissy soft society bullshit!!!!" Nero shouted slamming Leonidas' face into the ground.... as he lifted him back up which the bull faunus was too dazed and was trying to formulate something. "Fuck the Fake Media! Fuck the Naysayers!!!" Nero punched him again making the Marauder stumble again with blood staining the grounds...

"FUCK ALL OF IT!!!!!"

Nero roared swinging a haymaker punch sending, Leonidas flying into a damaged wall which had a spike piercing out of it which it would pierce his arm making the Marauder of Marcenas scream in agony for the first time every...

With everyone watching aboard the Atelius... they never seen such brutality before , with the Atelier soldiers now showing worry because without Leonidas it only leaves Eros, Zek, and Guangxian to fight against this untamed beast!

"Krieg! Whats the status on the anti-Immortalis serum!?" Merlinda demanded in a hurried manner.

"Not good!!! They made this thing incredibly complicated!!!" Krieg replied looking back at the battle seeing Eros stand up and try to shoot but he was too late.

"Shite! They made it too complicated!!! Even with my magic it wont be enough to reduce it down to its base materials!" Hermes said before hearing another scream of horror from the audience outside.

"LEONIDAS!!!" An Atelier soldier shouted.

"COME ON EROS!! CLUTCH UP!!!" Another shouted.

"You can do it guys come on!!!"

"Leo!!!" Eros shouted, charging in only to be slammed to the floor onto his back. "You see you useless knights in shining armor! Remnant is rotten to the core.... which means we need to do one thing!" Nero continued with his rant... "WE NEED TO BURN IT DOWN!!!!" He shouted kicking Eros making the seasoned soldier cough up blood.

"Fuuuck.. you.. you serial murderer!" Eros spat back.

"Oh.. still alive. And from the ashes of this new Remnant everyone will be underneath a banner where they can fight and die for what they BELIEVE!!!" He shouted stepping on top of Eros HARD making him cough up more blood!!!

"The weak will be purged and I WILL BE ITS NEW LEADER AND THOSE WHO DO NOT AGREE WITH ME WILL BE PURGED AS WELL!!!!" Nero shouted kicking Eros away as the soldier slid across the floor with a groan....

"I WILL MAKE NOT JUST ATLAS GREAT AGAIN BUT ALSO REMNANT GREAT AGAIN!!!!" He said with Guangxian leaping on top of him and pulling out his karambit knife in an attempt to stab him in they eye only to be stopped and grabbed which he would be raised up over his head.....

And then...he would be slammed onto Nero's knee by his back which a blood-curdling scream was emitted from the Hacker as he was thrown away like trash..... into a wall.... as he struggled to get back up.... "Just like him! Trash.. aimed for me!"

"You know what mate... Fuck off!!!" Eros said getting up to which on the dreadnought everyone roared with a cheer watching the commander stand up with Eros rushing in and beginning to swing multiple punches against Nero... but to no effect before he swung a final punch that made him grunt in pain a bit...

"Why wont you just fucking die you sack of shite!!!!" Eros shouted with rage, while Nero finally revealed what had happened to him tearing off his shirt... revealing a scar around his chest where his heart is located... "Fusion Nanites, son. Ever since I got that surgery along with Project Immortalis whenever physical trauma is dealt to me.. they harden in response.. in other words.. Im fucking invincible!" The clone said.. with Zek charging in and using the butt of his rifle to smack him only for the Fusion Nanites to respond with a swift hardening to lessen the blow.

"What did I just say son?" He said dealing a punch to Zek which the force made him spit out blood from his mask sliding across the floor....and for a moment.. he could see his master... and his mother who was shot... during the invasion of the village waving at him to come with them..

"Mamulechka... Master..." He said weakly.. before he shook it off because of Eros shouting something only to get punched with his helmet shattering into pieces....

"Fucking Atelier Garbage!!!" Nero shouted after he punched Eros.

"Shite murderer of my brothers, sisters, and others!!!" The commander said trying to lay a good punch on him.

Finally in a desperate move... Guangxian charged in and grabbed Nero by the abdomen making the councilman look at him.."DO IT NOW!!!!!" Guangxian shouted with Eros and Zek charging in....but however... Nero grunted and groaned until... "WHY DONT YOU FUCKING DIE YOU PIECES OF SHIT!!!!!" He shouted with a bright light coming from his back with Eros', Zek's and Guangxian's faces widening with shock as finally..

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

They were caught in a pulse explosion that destroyed the area around them... as back on the Atelius... Hathor was still connected showing the live feed meaning Guangxian was alive... but by a thread..

The sight alone made everyone aboard lose hope... as finally back in the lab.. Krieg fell to his knees tears dripping from his eyes. "Not again... not again!!!!! DAMN YOU!!!! NERO!!! HOW MUCH MORE MUST MY SINS FOLLOW ME!!!!" He shouted with fury... with hermes understanding his anger.

".....We cant give up yet!" Atya said walking into the lab.

"Use my blood.... I have an idea." She said..

Back in the battlefield... Guangxian was barely conscious using his drone sight to keep himself in the fight for everyone to see. Eros on the other hand was embedded into a wall... were it not for his armor he would have been dead.. but his aura had also broken leaving some scars across his face along with very serious burns and injuries... but Zek took the worst of it as his left eye was bloodshot from the insane damage, blinding him... and his right arm was all but missing..... as his breathing was labored.. once again he could see his master Odin and his other mother standing before him.

Yet, from the smoke came Nero .. undamaged and still having a bastard of a grin on his face. "See this is what you boys get for playing heroes...." He said.. while Zek struggled to get up but was too close to deaths door. "Time to finish this..." He said approaching Zek before the sounds of an Atelier gunship came through flying above the remaining fighters as it would come around hovering just well enough above ground with the side doors opening.

Revealing Atya with a rifle aiming at Nero.

"For everyone you killed!" Atya said shooting at him which was revealed to be a dart as it made contact around his shoulder which injected the serum right away. "Huh? Thats it... some bullshit tranquilizer dart?!" He shouted. "Not quite!" Krieg said over the gunships speakers.

"It's in fact an anti-serum that combats the Immortalis serum inside of you!! While we could not figure out a serum to combat it from its base materials.. however what would happen if your hundred and fifty thousandth experiment.. used her own blood against you which contains immortalis thus using our failed vaccine attempts to fuse it with hers.....created the anti-serum necessary!!!" Krieg said.. which Neros eyes widened in response seeing feeling his eyes starting to bleed and himself coughing up blood.

"Urgh! Fuck!!!" He said...

However, Zek would slowly rise to his feet with one arm left.....and his rifle in hand. Injured as he was. There was no way he was going to die... not without taking this man down once and for all! "NERO!!!!!" Zek shouted...with the clone turning around..

"Let's Rumble...." He said with a weak smile while Nero would only have rage in his heart, charging at the Sniper as he rolled across the floor after an attempted punch was swung with Nero swinging his fists down at the floor causing little breaks in the ground to catch Zek off guard only for the Sniper to keep his balance and shoot at him this time piercing his abdomen.. making him stumble back.

The Fusion Nanites... were no longer responding! "YOU FUCKING WHORE!!!!!!" Nero shouted grabbing a PVC pipe and throwing it but thankfully it would move out of the way just narrowly grazing the attempted javelin throw. However, Zek would not take this lightly as he would drive his Bayonet through Nero roaring with rage while unloading bullet after bullet into him making the Councilman spit more blood out.

Yet, out of defiance, he would swing a punch at Zek making him pull out his rifle, sliding across the floor. Which the cloned councilman in a dazed manner released a roar of rage forcing the nanites to work while he would swing a punch at the Sniper with Zek side-stepping out of the way and shooting a fist covered in the Fusion Nanites, making him stumble back and swung his other undamaged fist covered in a bunch of fusion nanites... while that fist would be shot and damaged... making him stumble back... until charging forward. "YOU FUCKER!!!!!!!" He roared.

While Zek quickly counted how many bullets he had left... and had only one left... which he lifted the rifle aiming it at Nero ....which his Aura surged.... and finally he said one thing in his language...

"Пуля Жнеца!!!!! (THE REAPER'S BULLET!!!!!)"

Pulling the trigger as the bullet was launched with what Zek imagined Death to look like screeching forward with its cape and such and skeleton hands outstretched with the bullet striking and piercing through the councilmans heart as he stumbled a bit realizing what just happened.

"Urgh... fuck....." Nero spoke looking At Zek who was about to put his rifle down..

"Vengeance... for everyone.." He said, before hearing Nero chuckle weakly. "You didnt claim shit... I'm just.... a clone." The clone would speak. "Clone or not..... you are him. Plus.... it was a long time coming and it offered closure for all parties involved...." He said... watching the man fall back.

"Heh... then let me tell you something. Don't let those pieces of shit make you sensitive......" Nero would say weakly...

"Twenty Three years too late...." Zek responded putting Hayha on his shoulder.... turning around and walking away weakly while the gunship containing Krieg and Atya would arrive...

"Heh... you and me have the same killer instinct....... we ...are kindred spirits... you and I..." Nero would speak his last. While Zek looked down at him with his only remaining eye.

OST: The Reapers Shadow...

"ийэ (Mom) ,I..... I want to ...... go home..." Zek would say before falling forward... and going unconscious....

"ZEK!!!!!" the scream of his mother would say.

"We have to do something!" Kriegs voice rang out

"Immor-" Eros' voice rang

"We need to inject him-"

"We're.....los-"

"Dont give up yet... Zek..." His mothers voice rang out one last time....

[untitledducklett]

loss of family

Try to guess my character's fears. They'll have to answer honestly with yes or no and rate out of 10 how scared of it they are. Currently: accepting

10/10

I almost saw my mother die protecting me, and I couldn't do anything. I froze and just watched. I'm never going to let that happen again.

[orchid-151]

First interaction for new blog is up...

No one is following the new blog so posting a second link here...

[rq-solsymc-deactivated]

Ummm umm mine's a lil odd it's like, a HS AU except fucked up and over half the school died to some strange, unexplained and incurable illness, my sols included. - @iwillbeconsumedbyyou

what is it with versions of me and dying or almost dying, i almost dies, wypm me almost died, factive me almost died, dir sols did die, and your sols died?? are we fucking hampters or something????

[some-messed-up-writing-for-you]

Short Prompt #1291

CW: wounds, near-death experience.

The halfling collapsed against the old brick wall, heaving for breath. The gash in their shoulder burned with every inhale, flecks of silver still stubbornly clinging to their flesh. With a stifled sob, they pressed a hand to the wound, trying to slow its bleeding.

Their mind raged with a storm of emotions. They had been lied to - betrayed. The half-vampire had truly thought they had found a safe space; they had been so certain that these people wouldn't judge them for their blood-craving side.

But, no.

They were still just a monster, just a dangerous thing that needed to be slain. Why? Why couldn't anyone give them a chance? Why couldn't they find a home--?

"Need some help, pup?"

The halfling jumped at the sudden voice and pressed themself against the wall. Their eyes frantically scanned their surroundings but failed to find the stranger. In response, a chirp sounded above them, finally landing their gaze on the other.

Bright crimson eyes stared at the halfling from the roof of a neighboring building, making them let out a frightened squeak. The vampire above them chuckled and stretched their massive wings. "So? Want some help or not?"

"I-I..." the halfling stammered, unsure of how to proceed. However, when the shouting of angry humans slowly grew closer, they caved. "Y-Yes, please!"

[the-potpourri]

Near death experience? You've almost died?! What the hell, Pili?!

"....Yeah. When I was a kid. Got in a really bad accident and almost died from blood loss. Was probably my imagination or just a hallucination from pain meds or shock or something like that, but do recall someone guiding me back to myself when it felt like I was heading off. So, yeah. Almost died. Angel brought me back. So I think anyways."

[sirserpentine]

As much as Pentious rejects the notion of Arackniss succumbing to his injuries and bleeding out on the bed, he also knows he cannot deny what may be his final request. May be. But won't. Won't. Never!

He manages a nod to calm Arackniss' frantic emotions and allows himself one moment of exposed emotion as his red claws climb up to hold the arachnid's tear-stained cheeks. Only adrenaline is keeping Pentious' own tears at bay and he gently hushes his beloved. His former beloved. His refuge, his everything.

"I know, Luv."

I don't mind you crying, I don't mind you yelling, just don't leave me.

The minions return with a phone in one's hand. Pentious takes it with haste, never more glad to hear the other Sinner's voice as he is now.

"Baxter, it's me," he says. "I need ssssurgical assistance."

"Naturally. You haven't the brains to do it by yourself," comes the self-satisfied response.

Pentious grits his teeth.

"Now!" he barks, and even through the cracks of the telephone line Baxter, thankfully, registers the gravity of the situation. He and Pentious exchange few further words before the anglerfish promises to be on the way. He'll make it in twenty minutes, if he hurries.

Despite any emotional grievances he may or may not be holding, Pentious breathes a sigh of relief. He knows that with Baxter's help Arackniss may be mended and saved.

"Just keep breathing for me," he begs the spider. Eyeing the blood across the sheets, and all the possible ways bacteria may enter his body littered across the room's unprepared nooks and crannies he composes himself once more and calls everyone to attention.

"We need to ssssterilise everything, everything we can," he tells the other residents. Niffty runs to action first, as expected. She knows how to make it happen.

They need to turn the space into a makeshift operation room and they have no time to spare. Not, if they want Arackniss to survive his injuries as well as the care they are about to administer.

After what must have been closer to a full twenty-four hours, Arackniss has been sedated, cut, mended and medicated to ensure he survives such prodding. He has been made to lie under a fresh set of sheets, comfortably hoisted up to support his weak lungs. Bandages cover his abdomen and chest under the blanket and the hotel has slowly quieted down alongside his slow stabilisation.

Baxter had arrived with his set of surgical tools and ungodly amounts of experimental expertise. With Pentious, they had managed to put Arackniss' torn flesh back together and stabilised him enough for the anglerfish to eventually pass out in another graciously offered vacant space.

Angel Dust had come and fretted and gone again, contractually forced back to work despite the horrifying circumstances that threatened his brother. Though the worst seemed to be over, Arackniss was still unconscious and Angel had made Charlie swear to call him if anything, anything at all happened.

The rest of the residents had either fallen asleep around the lounge and corridors or settled in silent nooks to process and recharge after the eventful day and night. And despite them begging for Pentious to catch a break and sleep himself, he has refused to leave Arackniss' side.

After the tenth hour, the serpent had finally allowed himself to cry off his shock, his devastation and fear. Head burrowed near Arackniss' arm, he had sobbed quiet tears and long-since forgotten prayers for the other Sinner's sake.

And somewhere between his mental and physical exertion his body finally gives out. Pentious falls asleep over his coiled tail, tear-stained cheeks glistening in the dim light of the guest room as he grips at Arackniss' sheets, still desperate to guard the other Sinner. The minions at his figurative heels follow suit. Some sleep over his tail and the corners of the room and one of them, the ever-curious and brave Frank has climbed up to curl up to the nook of Arackniss' neck.

It has been a long time, but like Pentious, he remembers him.

it’s  only  getting  harder  to  hold  onto  himself.  his  mind  is  slipping,  slipping,  constantly  slipping,  not  even  the  pain  or  prodding  enough  to  gain  his  focus.  but  he  tries  ;  his  half-lidded  eyes  remain  locked  on  pentious,  his  anchor,  his  partner  -  …  no.  no,  not  his  partner.  not  anymore.  he  shouldn’t  still  think  of  him  that  way,  but  …  god,  but  why  else  would  he  have  came?

the  only  man  in  hell  he  trusts.  the  only  man  he’s  ever  loved.

he’s  infuriating.

❝  no,  no,  no  -  listen  to  me  !”  Just  for  a  second,  his  voice  rings  clear,  devoid  of  exhaustion  and  pain  and  foggy  lungs;  just  for  a  second,  arackniss  musters  his  strength  and  yanks  pentious  towards  him  by  the  arm.  he  has  one  request,  and  he’ll  demand  with  his  dying  breath  that  it’s  obeyed  if  he  must.  ❝  i  mean  it  -  i  mean  it  !  -  he  doesn’t  -  …  need  to  see,  pen,  please  …  ❞

his  second  wind  vanishes  as  quickly  as  it  arrived,  leaving  him  teary-eyed  and  breathless.  He  can’t  even  find  the  energy  to  wipe  his  eyes,  and  in  spite  of  his  condition,  can’t  help  but  be  embarrassed.  men  don’t  cry.  he  doesn’t  need  to  cry.  instead,  arackniss  swallows  hard,  and  closes  his  eyes.  he’s  so  exhausted,  he  has  to  rest  …

they’re  not  miracle  cures,  the  blood  or  the  drugs.  he  doesn’t  spring  back  to  life  like  some  twisted  marionette,  ten  times  better  than  when  he  came  in,  but  arackniss  can  feel  it.  the  wounds  burn,  then  fizzle  out  of  his  recognition;  the  shivering  begins  to  slow,  chattering  teeth  easing  into  a  grimace.  his  brow  smoothes,  and  the  seal  on  pentious’  hand  weakens  for  the  better  :  a  sign  of  much-needed  relaxation. ❝   …  yeah,  ❞  he  mutters  weakly,  belated  in  his  response.  he  takes  in  a  deep  breath,  experimenting  with  the  newfound  ease,  and  winces  at  the  pressure  -  the  morphine  is  kicking  in  nicely.  ❝  i  …  m’sorry  I  yelled,  i  just  …  ❞ he  can’t  say  it.  men  don’t  cry.  men  aren’t  scared. “  …  this  is  …  hard  . ❞

[numbuh424]

"What's the matter, Near?" 🖊️🧩

Inspired by the scene in Relight 2: L's Successors where Light has a majority of the SPK killed. Near calls him and sits in tense silence (and a pool of blood).

[indulgentdaydream]

Can you write something where the reader is badly injured in some way and jason rushes her to the manor for help and everybody is confused on who she is bc they didnt even know he was in a relationship (despite them being together for awhile) but they see how soft and cute he is with her. (I’ve never made a request so sorry if it got kinda rambley)

anon you’ve got me TEEMING with ideas I LOVE the trope of nobody knowing jason has a girlfriend and they find out but it is NOT by Jason’s choice nor reader’s.

Also omg? Your first ask is to lil ol me?? That means this is a special occassion. And you’re doing great I’ve def sent worse asks.

Out of the Bag

Jason Todd x Fem!Reader || Hurt and Comfort.

Word Count: 1,862

Warnings: Injuries, swearing, near death experience, blood, knife mention, stabbing, canon-typical violence, use of pet names (princess, baby), drug (pain med) use

You were sat in an alleyway, vision going in and out.

“Tell me something, princess. Anything.” Jason’s voice rang out in your ear.

That’s right. In your right hand, you held your phone, to your ear. Your other hand was pressing the fabric of your coat to the side of your stomach. The blood had soaked through, becoming sticking on your palm and fingers.

You should’ve listened to Jason. You shouldn’t have walked home alone, at night. Luckily your phone had been in your pocket and not your purse, which had been stolen from you by the same guy who decided to stab you.

“Princess,” he sounded panicked.

Right. “Wish I had kicked him harder.”

You heard a sigh of relief leave him, “That’s my girl.”

The phone slipped from your grip a little as your head swam. The sight of blood coming from your own abdomen made no help in quelling your nausea.

You fixed the phone. You had called Jason the second the guy ran off, leaving you to bleed out. He was driving, you think. Tracking your phone to try and get to you. “How far?”

He said something you didn’t hear. Your vision was swimming, your side was aching, and you couldn’t help but keep this funny understanding out of your mind that you were dying.

That this is something Jason had come back to your apartment with a few times, claiming it was nothing. It was something.

You heard him call your name, “What’s around you?”

“I’m tired,” you mumbled.

It seemed to happen in a blink of an eye. Jason was trying to tell you to stay awake, to look at the alley around you. To look out towards the street and tell him what you saw. Then he was there, standing in front of you, his helmet hiding his face.

“I’m here. I’m here, baby.” He cupped your face, tapping your cheek to get you to open up your eyes. He crouched down, pulling your hand from your side to assess the damage.

You smiled lazily and leaned forward, resting your forehead against his shoulder.

Jason muttered a slew of swears as he pressed something soft yet hard against your agonizing wound. You let out a yelp before Jason was picking you up, placing you on his bike.

He’s talking fast, “Fuck. Okay, listen to me. We’re going to go somewhere new, okay? There’s nowhere around here except there for me to get you safe.”

You passed out nearly as soon as he started the bike.

Jason’s freaking. He had tried to keep you safe from anything like this. From everything less than this. And here you were, bleeding out in his arms as he carried you through the batcave. He beelined for the cots and the medical supplies off to the side. He knows his motorcycle couldn’t have been the smoothest of rides for someone in your condition, but it’s all he had in such a short time span.

He’ll apologize when you wake up.

When. He repeats. When she wakes up and when we can get the hell out of this place again and when I can remind her I love her.

No one was back from patrol yet. He set you down on the cot before tearing off his helmet. He tossed it aside, pulling out a med bag and ripping it open. He pushed up your shirt, examining your side and where he had placed the military-grade gauze pad. He curses at the amount of blood.

His hands are shaking. Jason’s hands don’t shake, but you’ve proven to him a lot of things you could make him do that he hadn’t known he was capable of in the last year and (almost) a half of your relationship.

Jason nearly drops the suture thread before another hand is reaching out from just behind him. It catches the thread and Jason looks back over his shoulder. Alfred’s there, moving up to you.

“Allow me. You keep checking her vitals.”

Jason hadn’t even heard him come up. He’s nodding, stepping back to let Alfred take over the stitching. He moves to the other side of the bed.

That’s when he catches sight of the dark figure moving closer from behind Alfred. Jason immediately fixes him with a deadly glare, pointing at Bruce, “Do not come closer!”

Bruce stills. He’s in his bat suit, his cowl hanging behind his head, exposing his face. He looks down to your body, “Who is she?”

Jason doesn’t want him here. Rather, he doesn’t want to be here. You should’ve been home by now. Getting ready for bed and sending him a goodnight text. He turns his gaze back to you.

There’s some hair across your face that he hadn’t noticed. He moves it out of your way without a second thought, “My girlfriend.”

“Finally feel some remorse for sending someone to their grave, Todd?” Damian’s voice spoke up, walking up and stopping beside Bruce, “He’s probably trying to just reverse what he did.”

Jason ignores him. He wants to yell, scream, and maybe shoot the little bastard, but he was right. In a way, this was his fault. He didn’t look after you. He should’ve offered you a ride. Called you a taxi. An uber. Anything.

Jason grips your hand into his. It’s a way to count your heartbeat, and another way to ground himself. To reassure that you’ll be okay. His other hand stays on your cheek. His thumb gently moves back and forth, stroking your skin.

He barely registers Bruce telling Damian to go wash up. When the brat is gone, Bruce speaks up again, “What happened?”

Jason doesn’t take his eyes off of you, “She was walking home from her friend’s. A mugger got her purse, she fought back. He stabbed her.” Jason takes a deep breath, “She still had her phone. She called me. I brought her here because it was closest.”

A beat of silence. Still stitching you up, Alfred speaks, “How come we’ve never been introduced?”

Jason shakes his head, “I didn’t want her near any of this. She’s bad off enough sticking with me.”

Once you stabilize, Jason brings you up to his room in the manor. He walks past Dick, Tim, Duke, Cass, and Steph without looking at them. They sit around the batcomputer, watching Jason gently carry you out ot the cave.

He changes you out of your dirty clothes once he makes a run back to your apartment to grab you some of your own spare clothes.

Asides from that, he doesn’t leave your side.

He lets you have the bed to yourself. He pulls up a chair beside it, waiting for you to wake up. He didn’t want you to be alone when you did, in a strange place after a traumatic event. It was a recipe for disaster.

The sun’s been up for a long while and Jason hasn’t budged. He sits there, your hand gripped in both of his, held up and pressed against his mouth. His lips brush over your knuckles whenever he speaks up. Uttering a “I’m sorry.” every now and then.

There’s a light knock at the door before it’s cracking open. Jason turns his head to find Dick poking his head in. Jason glares at him.

Dick steps further in, presenting the tray he was holding. There were two glasses of water, some solid foods, and lighter ones, probably for you. Jason looked back down at you, letting his older brother enter.

“Just… figured since you’ve been cooped up in here all day,” Dick begins, setting the tray down on the beside table beside Jason.

Dick moves back around. He stands at the end of the bed, leaning against the tall bed post that was meant to hold up a canopy. “I heard…” he trails off, before nodding and your body in the bed, still unconscious, “Who is she?”

Jason looks up at his brother, not letting go of your hand, “So you haven’t heard.”

Dick rolls his eyes, “You know what I mean.”

Jason raises his brows a little. He looks back down at you. His hand reaches out to brush along your forehead, moving away imaginary stray hairs, “My girl.”

Dick nods in understanding, “How long you two been together.”

Jason pauses in thought, “Over a year. Our anniversary was in December.”

A small, choked sound comes from outside the door, in the hallway. “A year?”

Jason looks up at Dick, who makes a face that shows he’s knows he’s been caught.

“Are they seriously listening right now?”

Steph poked her head in first, an apologetic smile on her face, “We wanted to know!”

Duke pokes his head in next, just above Steph’s, “And we wanted to meet her.”

Tim’s head in next, above Duke’s, “You can’t carry a random bleeding woman into the cave and expect the family of detectives to not be curious.”

Cass’ head appears below Steph’s. She nods in agreement.

Jason let’s one hand go of yours to wave his hand through the air, “What the fuck? She’s not even awake!”

“Well that’s why we sent Dick as bait.”

“For the record,” Dick held up a finger, “They built off of my original, innocent idea of bringing you snacks.”

“Jesus Christ,” Jason stands up, taking a few steps forward. He points them all back towards the door as they start to filter into the room, “Get—“

“What’s going on…?”

Jason’s whole body whipped back around at the sound of your groggy, rough voice. The others watch as he’s back at your side in a millisecond, his whole demeanour changed. “Hey, you’re okay. Everything’s okay. Remember how I said we were going somewhere new? You thirsty, baby? Here, I got you some water.”

“Oh, you certainly did not get the water,” Dick piped up.

Jason glared back over his shoulder as he held the glass of water for you, keeping the straw Dick had added placed in your mouth.

You stopped drinking, your eyes now on the other people in the room. You turned your head, propped up against pillows Jason had put there for you. You weakly raised your left hand to wave, “Hi… oh?” your gaze turned down to your hand. A heart monitor clip sitting on your finger grabbed your attention. You gave a confused pout at it, “I feel funny.”

Jason set the water aside again. His glare was gone. He leaned in, kissing your forehead, “You’re hopped up on pain meds. That’s why, princess.”

“Damn,” Steph spoke up, “I wish I got the literal princess treatment.”

Jason turned back around, pointing out the door, “Get. Out. Leave my girlfriend alone until she’s better.”

You looked at the strangers, pointing at Jason with your left hand, “I’m his girlfriend.” Your head tilted back against the pillows as you stared up at Jason, pursing your lips, "I’m tired.”

“I know,” Jason said softly. The others began to filter out of the room as he leaned down and gave you a soft kiss, this time on the lips.

From the exit, a collective, “Awwww,” sounded out.

“Out!”

Your drugged up voice came after his, once they were all back in the hall, “Nice to meet you!”

[strykingback]

Zek would listen intently as this was normal for him... whenever he was injured he would find a place to quickly perform an emergency surgery on himself. Removing the bullet which was far too dangerous for anyone...normally and because of the timing and such.. he was dancing with Death. Which resulted in him nearly passing from the pain and having to do what he could to stop the bleeding while also using field medicine...

Not this time... as he noticed his vision becoming blurry.. he was about to pass out. He needed to help Harmony in any way he could but how?! Which with the strength he had he would move his hand into his coat pocket... grunting at the pain of the sanitizer... taking out a stabilizer. "U-Use... it.... hurry....." He would speak weakly.. as time was running out for him.

Precious minutes were now turning into mere seconds.. as he felt Death's embrace creeping up on him. The sounds of friends and family that was once in his life now calling to the sniper. "Har....mony...." he said weakly.. his breathing becoming labored.

---

@strykingback

"Mamulechka?" Harmony repeats that word with a slight tilt of her head. She never heard of it before. No, now is not the time to ask questions. There will be another time for that. Zek needs help now! He's in dire straits, suffering from the pain and fear. The sight of the sniper likes his breaks her heart.

"It's okay..."Harmony's voice softens and one hand embraces the one reaching out to her. "Easy, easy...It's okay. You're safe...You are safe and not alone. Just focus on breathing..." She fights back fresh tears and gently squeezes his hand. "I'm right here. I need both hands to work, but I'm here. I'm-" The woman sniffs and blinks the brimming tears away.

Heavens above, this is so hard.

Why Zek? Why did it have to be him?

"I'm going to fix your wounds. Please, just breathe. Breathe for me while I work. I'm going to clean and patch you up." Great reluctance weighs heavy on Harmony as she slowly releases Zek's hand. A quick rub of the sanitizer from the kit is the urgent prelude before slipping on the light blue gloves. From there, Harmony steels herself to tend to his wounds.

[pineconepie]

oooo how about vincent with reader and one of his parties gone wrong? maybe reader gets hurt or almost dies?

Here you go!! <3

TW: Near-death experience (for Reader), mentions of murder, attempted murder, poisoned Reader, hospitals

"Stay close by me," Vincent reminds you once again, squeezing your hand tighter in his own gloved one. "You don't have permission to talk to strangers or leave my sight."

You almost scoff. As if you ever have permission.

Its been at least three months since you've started living with him. Despite being constantly monitored, you don't necessarily hate living with him. After getting used to his treatment of you, it's pretty comforting.

Being able to depend on somebody and not worry about things is nice. Other than a few rules, you can basically do whatever you want as long as it doesn't involve running away, hurting anyone or yourself, or disrespecting Vincent.

Overall, it could be way worse.

Vincent looks at you for confirmation.

"I know," you mumble. "No going near strangers or leaving your sight. I'm not stupid."

The blond chuckles softly, brushing his thumb against your knuckles. "No, you're certainly not dumb, pumpkin, but sometimes it takes more than smarts to keep safe. Remember what we said? The world is dangerous." He ruffles your hair gently. "And hey, if you don't wanna stay for long, we don't have to. Just need to make appearances, all that good stuff."

You nod. "Okay."

Honestly, if you had a choice, you wouldn't attend this gala whatsoever. It was a meeting between members of Cryo, but not like their usual monthly one.

Instead, this was actual an annual thing hosted in order to show off Cryo's successes over the year and hopefully find prospective members.

Vincent was reluctant when you told him you wanted to go, since apparently these galas were usually rather boring and weren't suited for "babies" like you (in Vincent's words). Plus, there'd be plenty of alcohol, gambling, and lots of "grown-up conversations."

But you managed to convince him with your puppy dog eyes and pleading. He's weak for those, you've noticed. Always wants to please you.

He had gotten you the nicest dress/suit, even though you already had at least five ones to choose from. He donned a black suit with a purple tie and matching slacks. His gloves were also black and leather, as well as his belt and shoes. He finished the look off with cufflinks shaped like golden bullets and a matching broach on his suit.

"You nervous, kiddo?" he asks in concern, squeezing your hand tighter.

"A little bit," you admit. "Just want people to like me."

Vincent frowns at you. "Well, if they're mean to you, they'll end up six feet under, so no need to worry about that."

"I don't want people to die either," you grumble. "Especially just because of me."

Vincent pinches your cheeks. "They can either be respectful to you, or dead. Their choices, doesn't seem like a hard one, either."

You swat at his hand, and he laughs. Soon enough, the two of you reach a large, extravagant looking building, lit up brightly despite the late night.

He guides you towards the entrance, and you enter into a massive hall filled with hundreds of people, most likely part of Cryo. Its quite loud inside. There's music playing somewhere nearby as well.

Everyone seems dressed formally. Suits and dresses abound. Several waiters walk by holding trays piled high with hors d'oeuvres and wine glasses.

Vincent continues to guide you towards a specific spot—where the guests are gathering to greet one another. As soon as he shows up, everyone greets him. Some of them eye you suspiciously or curiously, but they seem to know better than to outright approach you.

And you notice they only acknowledge your existence briefly before turning away and continuing their conversations with him or each other.

He notices you staring. "(Y/n), want me to introduce you?" he murmurs, patting your back.

You shake your head, and instead hide yourself behind him.

"Sorry, folks, my kid is a bit shy right now," Vincent laughs. "How bout we save introductions for later when they're in a better mood?"

The people shrug and agree, seeming content with that answer.

So that's how things continue. Vincent occasionally lets go of your hand to perform a handshake with somebody new, or wrap an arm around your shoulders, but never once truly leaves your side.

Occasionally, he offers to grab you food and drinks, making sure to only feed you things he knows are safe. Knowing the crowd here, for once you don't blame him for being extra vigilant.

A lot of small talk goes on. You zone out a bit as you hear talks about trade deals, weapons manufacturing, smuggling operations, assassinations... The typical mob business. You already know most of the details thanks to Vincent's constant chatter anyways.

Once it seems like the two of you have met every single person attending, he brings you to a quieter part of the gala, where they seem to have an open bar.

A couple people are milling around the area. A few seated on barstools and chatting with bartenders, others standing nearby watching. Vincent guides you to one of the seats, helping you onto the stool before sitting next to you.

"Want some juice, kiddo? We've got lemonade, grape juice, orange juice..." Vincent says. "I personally get a root beer float most of the time."

"Don't you drink?" you ask. Now that you think about it, you've never seen him drink in your presence.

"Not as often anymore. Not when I got someone young and innocent depending on me! Gotta be sober to watch you properly," Vincent says. "Besides, I'd never live it down if I became a bad influence for you."

You almost laugh. Funny he out of all people is saying that. "I guess I'll have what you're having, then."

Vincent grins and flags down one of the nearby servers.

"What can I get you, Mr. Brewer?"

"Two root beer floats for us, please."

She nods and rushes away.

While waiting, the two of you idly chat and watch everyone else. You notice a tall man with short brown hair and brown eyes approach, eyes fixed on Vincent. Something about his wide smile throws you off. He looks friendly, yes, but also a bit too enthusiastic, even more so than others who met you earlier.

He seems different than the other people here, and not in a good way.

"Hey, Boss," the man greets. His voice is slightly on the higher-pitched side. "Haven't seen you since your trip to Budapest. I heard you adopted a kid." He smiles at you.

"Yep," Vincent confirms, though he sounds a bit annoyed. "If you attended more meetings, that wouldn't have become a problem. Phoenix tried to contact you several times, we all thought you were dead."

The guy scratches the back of his neck nervously. "Sorry... Things got busy on my end..."

Vincent looks angry, but holds himself back from yelling. For your sake, that much is obvious. You see his fingers twitching subtly. "You should make an effort to stay available whenever possible. You have a job, Sullivan. This isn't some side-gig you can just show up to when you want. If your uncle weren't contributing so much to Cryo, you'd be out of here in a heartbeat. I can still make that happen."

Sullivan sighs. "Yeah. I'll try to do better next time. Sorry again, really." He sits next to Vincent, eyeing both of your root beer floats, both in fancy wine glasses. "So, uh, (Y/n), was it? Nice to meet you."

"Yeah... nice to meet you too," you say politely, sipping your drink.

Vincent's eye twitches. He shifts his chair so it's angled closer to you protectively. Almost like a shield separating you and Sullivan apart. "Is there something else you needed?" Vincent questions, clearly getting impatient. He puts his drink down, right next to yours.

"Nah, just wanted to see you and apologize for being such trouble recently." Sullivan wedges himself between you two, arms outstretched on both of your shoulders, and both of you looking at him in confusion. Vincent's confused look turns into a sour one. "What? Just wanted to be affectionate, sorry. You're awfully grumpy today."

"Are you drunk?" Vincent sneers.

"Just a little!" Sullivan snorts and pulls away.

You're a little fearful for the guy's life, judging by the way Vincent is staring him down. You grab your drink and take a sip from it, not noticing Sullivan's brief look of panic.

"Uh, well, gotta go! I'm sure Trent's gonna wanna catch up with me," Sullivan nervously says, walking away quicker than Vincent has ever seen him go.

The blond only scoffs. "If I see him again tonight, I'll shoot him in the head myself," he grumbles.

"What happened to wanting to be a good influence?" you laugh.

Vincent flicks your nose. "Hey, if someone were bothering you who you wanted to shoot, I'd fully support it. I think the world would be a much better place if we got rid of all the people who were bothering my beloved kiddo." He ruffles your hair. "And hey, did you take my root beer float? Mine had the purple straw! Brat." His tone is playful, of course.

You pull back to look at the nearly fully-consumed drink, seeing the green straw. "Oops, must've mixed 'em up... too late, it's mine now."

He shakes his head in mock disappointment. "My kiddo... so mean. But it's fine, because yours had more in it, anyway! So ha-ha." As if proving a point, he begins loudly slurping yours. You laugh at the silliness. If only everyone knew that Vincent was a fool.

"That guy was kind of weird," you murmur, changing the subject onto Sullivan. "Have you known him for long?"

"Unfortunately," Vincent mutters. "Ever since his uncle joined Cryo, he felt entitled enough to get a job from us. Honestly, I'd much rather fire him, but since he's family with a high ranking member, I'd rather not cause any unnecessary conflict. Don't really trust him, though."

"Sounds like you really hate him," you chuckle.

"Me? Hate someone? Pfft, never. I'm a saint." Vincent nudges your shoulder with his own. "Yeah, I'm kidding. I kinda hate him. And I especially hate anyone who makes you uncomfortable, which I can tell he was doing. If not for his uncle..." He doesn't need to finish that sentence.

You finish your root beer float, and put the empty glass to the side. He wraps an arm around your shoulders while he pulls out his phone.

You see it's Quinn, and that he's telling her to keep an eye on him. You continue reading what he's texting, but then it gets harder to, the words growing blurrier and blurrier.

That's when you realize everything is getting blurry. Even the man next to you.

"Dad," you mutter. Your tongue feels like lead.

"Not now. Give Dad one sec." He keeps typing on his phone.

"Dad." More urgently.

"Be patient, kiddo. Quinn can barely type properly as is."

"I feel really bad," you rasp. "Dizzy."

Vincent looks up from his phone quickly. "(Y/n)?" His eyes widen as he sees your pained expression and sweat dripping down your face.

He drops his phone immediately as he catches you right before you fall off the stool. He runs a hand across your forehead. "(Y/n)? Hey, baby, shh, calm down. What hurts?" Panic seeps through his tone, yanking off one of his gloves with his teeth to feel your pulse, putting two fingers to your neck. Its rapid-fire.

"E-everything," you whimper. It's hard to even form words anymore. Your vision is getting darker and darker, and you can no longer breathe.

You begin to cough, holding onto his shirt for comfort as you feel the edges of your conscious slipping. Your throat feels blocked up. Every attempt to speak results in a strained wheeze and a coughing fit.

Vincent lets out a rare, strangled noise. The fear of losing you is the one thing keeping him grounded.

He lifts you up easily, bridal-style, into his arms, resting your head against his chest. He maneuvers past the crowds, calling for someone to get a stretcher for you.

You can't tell what he's saying anymore, only that he's yelling. Is he mad? Upset?

Or terrified, maybe. Maybe that's why his voice is shaky and cracked.

"Baby, come on, just breathe for Dad, alright? Just focus on my voice, sweetie," he begs, rubbing circles in your chest, as if he can coax air into your lungs. "Breathe with me. Please."

Your breath stutters and comes out shallowly. There's nothing you can do.

No way to obey him. You can't breathe. Why can't you breathe? You're trying so hard, just like he asked you to, but it's like your lungs refuse to expand, refusing to cooperate.

Vincent tries his best to coach you into breathing right, talking in soothing tones and soft coos, encouraging you to calm down and copy him.

Even if everything didn't sound muffled, you couldn't understand him anyway from the way he's speaking, on the verge of hyperventilating. He's trying so hard to act okay for you.

Everything starts to become dim. Blackness creeps into the corners of your vision, slowly overtaking your sight entirely. No matter how hard you struggle, fighting to stay awake and alive, your body gives into the poison and shuts down, leaving you limp in his arms.

The last thing you hear before darkness consumes your consciousness is Vincent screaming louder than you've ever heard him before.

...

Vincent paces back and forth as he waits in the hospital hallway outside of the ER.

"Vincent," Trenton greets sympathetically. It's rare he ever refers to his boss with his first name, but it's not something Vincent minds usually, especially not now. His mind is too preoccupied. "We found the perpetrator—"

"Sullivan," Vincent snarls, finishing for him. "I already figured."

"R-right," Trenton sighs. "We caught him attempting to run. He was already prepared for flight. Uh, it seems like the strychnine was meant for you, but either mixed them up or you got your drinks mixed up."

Vincent nods. "That damn traitor... you have him in custody, right?" Trenton nods. "Good. Keep him alive. I want to kill him myself."

"Understood. Do you want us to torture him first?" Trent asks. He's usually not this brutal, but he loves you like a sibling, after all.

"No. I'm saving that pleasure for myself." The door opens and a doctor steps out. Vincent's most trusted doctor, Dr. Fredericks. "(Y/n)! Let me see them now!" He doesn't even bother asking if you're alive; he simply refuses to even consider that outcome. That's the only thing that's been stopping him from absolutely losing it.

"Okay, but they're very much out of it," she tells him, leading him down the hallway into your room.

She's right.

You're on a hospital bed with the covers pulled over your chest. An oxygen mask is secured over your mouth and nose, and several monitors hooked to various machines beep quietly, tracking your vitals. There's an IV drip attached to your wrist.

As promised, you are awake, but clearly unable to do anything beyond that. Your eyes are drooping and you're blinking slowly, struggling to stay alert.

"(Y/n)," Vincent breathes, rushing over and grabbing your hand. He crouches beside the bed so that he's level with you. "Sweetie? Can you hear me?" He kisses your temple gently. He brushes your hair away from your forehead, pressing his cheek against yours.

You try to move your hand weakly towards his voice.

The blond nods quickly. "Hi, baby. Yeah, its Dad. I'm here. Everything is gonna be okay now." He presses kisses all over your face—anywhere he can reach without disturbing the oxygen mask.

"Poisoned," you manage to rasp.

"I know, lovebug. But it'll be okay." Tears threaten to spill down Vincent's cheeks.

"Scary," you say next.

"I know," Vincent whispers again, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching closely enough. Shouldn't have let him anywhere near us. I won't make that same mistake again, I promise." Not after he turns that bastard to dust. Slowly.

"Not y'r fault," you slur.

"It is. I should've protected you. That's my job, sweetie." He kisses your hand repeatedly. "Don't speak anymore, okay? I just want you to rest. At least until this comes off." He taps the clear oxygen mask. "And then we'll talk aaaall you want. Doesn't that sound nice?"

You shift positions as much as the wires will allow, and you pat the small space on the mattress, motioning for him to join you.

He chuckles and shakes his head fondly. "Aww, buddy. I don't wanna crush you."

When you continue to persistently slap the bed sheets, he finally concedes. He slips his shoes off and climbs onto the bed with you, helping you lay on top of his chest.

He makes sure all wires are in place as they were moments ago. "Comfy?" You hum in confirmation. Vincent plays with your hair. "Get some sleep, honey. Dad's not going anywhere."

Your eyelids flutter shut as you listen to the sound of his steady heartbeat, grounding you and lulling you to a peaceful, safe sleep.

Normally Vincent would be awake, hyper-vigilant as ever, but the exhaustion from running around in a frenzy and pure terror takes its toll on him too. His eyes close and sleep follows soon after.

[some-messed-up-writing-for-you]

Short Prompt #1217

CW: near-death experience.

The city had always been strange - split in two and yet connected by their beliefs. Two gods ruled over it, one that favored light and one that favored darkness. They were old friends who had joined forces to protect the people worshipping them.

'From what?' one might ask. Well, simple - from creatures like you.

A demon of the deep dark, evil. You feasted on the blood of mortals... though not willingly. Having been forcefully turned into this monster half a year ago, your body couldn't survive without that precious liquid life. And for an entire month, you had managed to hide amongst the human citizens, trying to regain a sense of normalcy.

But no good thing can last forever.

And now, covered in wounds that had nearly killed you, you found yourself stumbling into the temple of the dark god. "SANCTUARY! P-PLEASE!" you begged, falling to your knees as the city guards grew near.

"Granted," a deep voice bellowed, blocking your pursuers from entering as a barrier of magic formed in the doorway. The humans glared at you from the other side with rage and shock covering their expressions.

You, meanwhile, looked up at the towering god in terror. They could still throw you out if they wished; they always had the choice. And with your disguise gone due to the stress, you feared the worst as they silently studied you.

It was so obvious - from the claws and fangs to the sharp, blood-red eyes. But the god merely turned around and began walking away. "Come, little monster. Let us see where your heart lies."

Anxious, you followed them on shaking legs, silently begging for mercy. Unseen by you, the god smirked. Did you even realize you were praying to them?

"They looked so cute on their knees... but the tears and fear don't suit them. No, no." The god eyed you from the corner of their vision, watching you keep your head low and hands clasped together. "Poor little thing, covered in so many wounds. We'll get you cleaned up. And oh...

"I cannot wait to feel your teeth sink into my neck. I'll treat you like the treasure you are, little shade."