#we were stuck in cave systems

[dvrk-moon]

ENHYPEN OT7 ; 엔하이픈

PLAYING MINECRAFT WITH THEM

requested : no

genre : crack, fluff

pairing : enhypen x reader (can be platonic)

warnings : cursing + the members being menaces

heeseung ; 희승

absolute sweat

like speed runner esque

nags on you for being too slow and making him have a speed run time of over fifteen minutes

like you’re barely getting an oak log and he’s already in the nether. like u turn away for two seconds and he’s already built the portal

“heeseung where did you go” “i’ve almost killed the wither wait” … “CAN U CHILL OUT WE JUST CREATED THIS WORLD”

so u thought u were gonna have fun hanging out with heeseung on minecraft? NO

because as soon as he finishes his speed run and you finally got your first diamond, he’s decided to build a base

and u thought he was gonna be all cute and make u a room awwww!!! no.

he does make u a room, but the stairway up to ur room is a parkour course

(when the fuck did he have time to even make that?!!?!!)

first and last time playing minecraft with him

jay ; 제이

absolute knight in shining armor

literally

those mobs have nothing on his iron drip

protects u even if u don’t need it

“oh shit there’s a creeper” “ON MY WAY Y/N”

his netherite sword is CRACKED. like perfect enchantments

when he’s not protecting u he becomes ur farmer

the farm is so organized and beautiful jay is literally my husband pls

does in fact laugh when u die tho

like he’ll collect your stuff for you but the second he sees “[your gamertag] fell from a high place” he’s going to laugh for like two minutes straight

also he keeps an extra chest in his room for u

like in case u need something OR u die and he’s not able to collect ur stuff so it despawns

jay is so husband. even in minecraft

jake ; 제이크

he’s played before ok (trust him)

(it was when he was like nine)

like he’s very very. bad

he’s trying tho!!!

keeps dying. like every two minutes you see “jake_awesome2002 was blown up by a creeper”

he does not know how to change his gamertag so ur just stuck playing with jake_awesome2002

he starts getting the hang of it and immediately thinks he’s cracked at the game (he’s not)

so he disappears from you out of nowhere and so you try to help him :

“jake where are you” … “jake” … “jake sim where the fuck are you” …………. “i don’t know”

(cue “jake_awesome2002 fell out of the world”)

“JAKE HOW DID YOU FALL OUT OF THE WORLD” “I DONT KNOW”

he respawns and like sulks for three minutes before leaving and collecting dirt(?) for some reason

coincidentally you keep finding dirt blocks placed throughout your base afterwards! how silly of him!

sunghoon ; 성훈

he was so ready to show u how good he is

he’s not very good. but at least he’s better than jake!

he somehow is always in a cave or some sort of dangerous location

like say u found a village and you’re like “sunghoon come raid this village with me!”

meanwhile he’s trying not to die because of a pillager outpost

somehow he doesn’t?

he’ll go and do stuff like that or spend days in the nether and survive but his weakness is witches

like he doesn’t scream UNLESS there is a witch

and if you’re nearby ? he will 100% sacrifice you to the witch so that he can survive

womp womp

he actually sacrifices you quite a bit because he has like 36 levels

he thinks he’s funny when he does it too

sunoo ; 선우

honestly prefers to play in creative mode (me too sunoo)

but when you were like “let’s play in survival for once” he’s like “fiiiiiiiiinneeeeeuhhhh” (very dramatic about it)

he immediately builds a forever base when you spawn in

makes you do all the mining and stuff

he will tag along! but he won’t do shit

he’s the interior designer. he’s got bigger and better things to do

he only redeems himself when you go into the base and find your minecraft beds right next to each other

besides holding the house down, he also has an extremely high scale and successful farming system

so if you ever check in his chests, 100% you will find like 20 stacks of wood, stacks of wheat, of carrots, of beets, etc.

may be a homebody in minecraft but at least he’s fun to play with !!!! 10/10 would recommend to a friend

jungwon ; 정원

the miner

like you’re trying to get along with your day until jungwon stops and drops into the smallest cave ever

“what are u doing” “wait y/n we might need this copper” “jungwon don’t u already have like three stacks of copper” “yeah but we might need it”

lots of time spent mining

u eat your words tho when he is decked out in diamond armor from almost the get-go

when you guys build a base it HAS to have a little mine under the house (little as in huge)

somehow has like ten dogs?

“this one is maeumi, this one is maeumi’s friend, this once can be gaeul… maybe this one can be layla? oh! and this one is maeumi’s other friend. this one is bisco. this one is yours but you don’t get to name it. i will name it for you.”

they would be cats if it was really up to you but you’ll live

also refuses to elaborate on this thing he does

he makes tons and tons of signs and just places them around the base

some of them make sense and others just don’t at all

has a 2x2 fenced in area and the sign outside of it says “jail”

has anyone ever been sent to jail there? no. but as jungwon says “just in case”

riki ; 니키

possibly the worst yet most fun person to play with

at first you’re like “let’s play together” and he’s like “yeah sure whatever” but little do u know he has every plan in the world to turn the game into warfare

it’s even worse if you are playing on a realm rather than just a server

he abandons you from the get-go and immediately runs away and you can’t catch him so he builds a base far away from you

the base is in fact a dirt house

but it’s minecraft who said he had to be an architect

yes he abandoned you and is regularly attacking you at any given chance but he still keeps his tabs on where you are

walks all over your farm and kills your livestock

leaves signs saying “riki was here” “get rikrolled”

since he keeps tabs on you, u have to be very cautious of what you leave in your chests

he will steal anything. just for fun

threatens to blow up everything because he just wants to

little does he know if he wants warfare ur gonna give him warfare

a/n : this is random but i played mc like two days ago and i thought this could be a silly idea

[marvelfanfn2187a113]

Just Keep Breathing, part 2

TFW & Winchester little sister!reader

Requested by Anonymous

Synopsis: just a fluffy little follow up to part 1

You couldn’t breathe. Your mouth was opening and closing like some macabre imitation of a fish, but no air would come.

Sam and Dean were there. Dean tried to grab your arm, and Sam was reaching out to cup your face but everywhere their skin touched yours, you started bleeding.

Your lungs were on fire, you were crying, and Sam and Dean were too scared to hold you in their arms, even as you died.

You awoke with a jerk to find that you actually were being held—in fact, Sam had you in his arms and Dean was shaking your shoulders.

“Wake up!” Dean breathed a sigh of relief when your open eyes met his. “Hey sweetheart. You ok?”

You nodded silently, not trusting your voice.

“Ok.” And then Dean was pulling you into his arms, and you nearly cried in relief when you got to relax in his embrace with no pain. “Ok, you’re safe.”

“I think I’m gonna go make us some breakfast,” Sam said, letting go of you and standing up. You turned and latched onto him, unwilling to let him go.

“Please don’t…” you didn’t want to tell him not to go—you were hungry, after all—but you’d also spent so much time not able to touch your big brothers, that now you were scared to let them go.

Sam seemed a little confused, but no less willing to help.

“Ok…uh, hop on.” Sam turned the awkward silence into an opportunity to turn his back to you, waving you onto his back. You grinned—he always knew how to work with your emotions. You jumped up on his back, giggling when he grunted and hoisted you higher.

“Ok ok, now hold on tight. Dean, you coming?”

“Right behind you,” Dean chuckled.

…

You stuck like glue to your brothers as they worked in the kitchen; if you weren’t holding onto Sam’s hand while he was cooking eggs, then you were hanging off Dean’s sleeve while he was making coffee.

They weren’t stupid, and neither were you—you could see them glancing at each other over your head, silent concern etched on their faces.

“Hey, how about we eat in the Dean cave and watch a movie?” Dean suggested, his arm slung around you shoulder. You burrowed closer to his side and nodded.

“You doing alright?” Sam asked gently as he plated the scrambled eggs.

“I’m ok.” Your voice was quiet, but Sam believed you—you were probably tired, but he was sure you’d be ok. “Are you coming with us?”

“Uh, yeah.” Sam nodded. He’d planned on doing some research in the library for a case, but he could make a call and ask one of his hunter buddies to do it instead. “Yeah, I’ll be there in just a minute.”

You and Dean took your plates and retreated to the Dean cave. The movie was just starting when Sam finally came in, and when you saw his figure enter the room you jumped up to greet him with a hug.

“Hey.” Once you let go, Sam got on one knee so he could look at you face-to-face. “What’s going on, are you ok?”

You nodded, shuffling suddenly in embarrassment.

“I just…I just need you today.”

“Ok.” Sam pulled you into his arms, and when he stood you lifted off the ground. “Ok, then I’m yours.”

…

Your head was resting in Dean’s lap, your legs splayed over Sam’s, when the flutter of wings announced Cas’s arrival.

“Cas!” You were up and in his arms before he even knew what was happening. He hugged you back.

“Hello, little one,” he greeted. “Are you feeling better today?”

“Well, I’m not dying,” you quipped, grinning up at your angel friend. “Are you staying?” Your fingers tightened on Cas’s hands, like you could anchor him to the room.

Cas just smiled at you.

“Of course.”

…

After two movies, you took over Dean’s speaker system with your iPod. You dragged Sam to his feet, laughing. He was hesitant and shy at first, but once you had him up and you were dancing around him, he got into quickly. He’d spun you around about five times before Dean stepped in and stole Sam’s spot as your dance partner.

“Let me show you how it’s done.” Dean was grinning as he took over. You and Sam laughed mercilessly at Dean’s ridiculous dance moves.

Dean was unfazed, grinning as he said, “This is what real dance looks like.”

“Yeah, the real chicken dance,” you giggled.

Dean looked mock-offended.

“Ok then superstar, show us how it’s done.”

“I already did,” you argued. “Now it’s Cas’s turn.”

“No no no no no.”

Cas’s protests went completely ignored as you dragged him to his feet.

He—very, very reluctantly—joined the other three of you in your various dances.

Each and every one of you had some moves that you would never live down, but nobody cared.

It was one of the best days ever.

Taglist:

@nyotamalfoy @mrvlxgrl @chocorade @aestheticdaisies @inlovewhithafairytale @that-wannabe-vangoghgurl

[miniwheat77]

Lust. (141 x Reader.)

The gang bang version to this is here

!CW! NSFW, Smut, mutual masturbation, dirty talk, porn without plot, read at your own risk. (Lemme know if I missed any.)

(Summary): After a hard mission, task force 141 has to find creative ways to relieve tension.

This was a requested story, you can find the ask here

The small room everyone was in was filled with the smell of rotting wood and dust. Everyone was covered in dirt and sweat, a little dried blood.

“Exfil can’t get to us until morning, settle in.”

Those were your Captain’s instruction, so everyone did. You took up one small corner of the room you were in. The house you were in was in the middle of the desert, the furthest thing away from any threats. Most of the house was leaky and some parts of the roof had caved in, leaving the entire task force to one room. There was an old couch, and everyone had set up around you, almost in a circle. All you had was a sleeping bag and an emergency blanket for comfort so you laid them both out. It was still too warm so you were sitting on top of it. You tried getting comfortable but it was a little hard. Everyone had a couple emergency MRE’s and first aid kits. You tended to your wounds, patched up, and ate one of the MRE’s.

“I don’t have sweats or extra clothes in my bag so you’ll all just have to be okay with me sleeping in my boxers.” Soap calls out.

“That’s fine, no one cares.” You call out. “Use a buddy system if you have to go outside to relieve yourself or for any other reason.” Your captain calls. He’s laying on his own sleeping bag a couple feet from you. Soap starts removing his clothes, tucking them near his bag and laying down. The room fills with an awkward silence and everyone shifts uncomfortably. It was clear no one would be getting much rest. A deep sigh brings everyone out of their own thoughts. “Maybe we should do something. Like.. play a game.” Soap says. “What, like one of those ridiculous games you played in grade school?” You laugh. “You got any better ideas?” Soap rolls his eyes. “Not really. I’m in.” You shrug. 

“Truth or dare?”

“Can’t really do many dares, Soap.” You laugh. He smiles. “Alright alright, truth or truth?” You laugh, sitting up in your sleeping bag. Everyone follows suit. “I think I seen some old bottles of vodka in the kitchen. Maybe we can do a drinking game like never have I ever.” Gaz suggests. You nod your head, standing up. “Captain could probably pick out good liquor. He’d be able to tell which is good to drink and what’s bad.” You smile. “Damn right little lady.” John pushes past you, you follow him into the dingy kitchen and he opens up a couple cupboards, finding 2 unopened bottles of liquor. Gin and Vodka. “Alright. We’ll just pass around the bottle.” You nod your head. “Before we start I’m ditching my clothes too.” You complain. They were dirty and had blood all over them. “Yeah me too.” Gaz complains. Pretty soon everyone is just sitting in their undergarments. Most of you were pretty beat up. Bandages and cuts and bruises all over.

Each of you form a circle and John picks up a bottle.

“Alright so.. if you don’t already know, never have I ever works like this. Someone asks a question, and if you’ve done it, you drink, if you haven’t, you don’t.” You explain. Everyone nods.

“Alright, I’ll go first. A warm up question.” Gaz sits up. “Never have I ever… been stuck in a dingy house in the middle of a desert.”

Each of you pass around the bottles of liquor.

“Bloody hell that is shite.” Captain Price flinches. He lowers the bottle of gin from his lips and shivers. “Steamin Jesus that is horrible.” Soap laughs, passing the bottle of vodka to you. You take it, tipping it back. Flinching as you set it down. “Alright. Soap, your turn.” Soap laughs. “Alright uh..” he pauses, thinking to himself. “Never have I ever gotten into a fight.”

Everyone passes around the bottles again.

This goes on for a few more times and everyone is starting to feel buzzed, loosening up. “Okay, Y/N.”

“Never have I ever had a dirty dream about someone in this room.” You smile. “Ooooh. That’s a good one.” Gaz laughs. Your captain, Soap, and Ghost each take a drink.

The game goes on like this until most of the liquor is gone. Everyone settling into their own little worlds. Playing on their phones, reading. Or just relaxing. The same tension is still thick in the room, everyone can read it. “Alright. I hate this. Let’s try something else.” Your captain says, sitting up. “What do you mean?” Gaz laughs, taking a breath. “I was thinking we find another way to relieve some tension.”

“What, a gang bang?” Gaz jokes. “Hate to break it to you cap, but I don’t think poor Y/N could handle that.” Your mouth props open and your cheeks burn. “I like your taste Garrick, but that’s not what I meant. I mean.. similar. But.. less hands on.” Ghost pulls off his mask, this wasn’t the first time you’d each seen his face. “Are you suggesting we.. touch ourselves?” Soap asks. John nods his head. Everyone steals glances at each other. “If everyone is okay with it, I suppose.” Everyone makes a silent agreement and relax into their sleeping bags. You swallow hard, seeing each of them release their throbbing cocks from their refinement. You play with your fingers, hiding the fact that your cotton panties are soaked in arousal. “You alright lass?” Soap laughs. His hand is already pumping the shaft of his cock. “Uh.. y-yeah. I just..” you pause. “It’s okay to be nervous sweetheart.” Gaz breathes. By now, even Ghost has shed his boxers. You’re the only one still wearing any clothing.

“Let us guide you yeah? No need to be nervous.” Your captain smiles. He’s closest to you, so he moves himself near you. “May I?” He asks, fingertips moving toward your panties. You nod your head. He grasps them, sliding them down your legs. “You touch yourself before?” He asks. You nod your head skeptically. He smiles. “S’alright. Just pretend like the room is empty yeah? You don’t have to if you don’t want to though.” You nod your head. He moves back to his sleeping bag, starting to glide his own hand over his cock. “Start slow.” Simon is looking you in the eyes as he pumps his cock slowly. You nod your head, fingers skeptically gliding along your stomach. “Rub small circles over your clit. You can slide lower if it’ll help.” You’re surprised how vocal Simon is to you. But he can see how nervous you are. You start slow like he said, body relaxing as you spread your legs further. When you look up, you can see that each of their eyes are fixed on you, making you a little self conscious, crimson creeping up your cheeks. You need to relax, so you let their small groans egg you on. Your fingers dip inside of your soaking hole, a collection of moans filling the room as you do. Simon spits into his hand, the squelch of it drawing moans from your mouth.

“Fuck.. so pretty.” Soap gasps, eyes on you. You’re breathing hard, your free hand moving to rub at your clit. Simon tilts his head back against the wall he’s leaning up against, a groan leaving his lips. Soap is leaning up against the couch, thumb gliding over the tip of his cock to gather the precum from the tip. Gaz watches you intently, hips bucking with each jerk of his hand. Your captain has his eyes on you as well. Hand working up his cock steadily. He keeps the same pace, stomach clenching up. A mewl falls from your lips and your body starts to shake slightly, a chuckle falling from each of their lips. “So eager to cum.” Gaz laughs. “Yeah she is. S’quite the sight.” Simon let’s out a deep chuckle. “Relax Y/N. No need to rush.” You try to let their voices soothe you, slowing your movements. “Slow down, try curling your fingers.” Soap instructs.

“Ah- like this Johnny?” You whimper. The way his name rolls off of your lips has his dick jumping in his hand. “Yeah sweetheart. Just like that.” He growls. His eyes are burning into you, you’ve collected the stares of each of them as you bury your fingers into your wet cunt. “Regretting not taking Garricks gang bang idea.” John chuckles, drawing small laughs from everyone in the room except for you. You’re too focused on the way your fingers are moving into yourself. “Almost busted when she said my name like that.” Soap laughs. Hand still steadily stroking his cock. Simon laughs, adjusting his position. “Y/N, you feeling good sweetheart?” He tests the waters, trying to get you to say his name. “Y-yeah. Feels so good Simon.” You pant, He raises his eyebrows slightly, groaning out. Soap chuckling when he catches onto what he’s doing. “Fuck that’s hot.” Simon groans.

Your moans are getting louder, unsteady. Your fingers are working at your pussy faster than before. You were getting close, they could tell. “S’alright love. You can cum for us. Show us what a good girl you’ve been yeah?” John breathes. Your chest is rising and falling at a rapid rate and you’re working at your clit with your free hand, a mewl leaving your lips as you buck your hips into your hand. “Ah- I- I’m-“ you can’t finish your sentence, a cry leaving your lips as you reach your high, soaking your hand and your emergency blanket beneath you. Moans still spilling from your blushing lips. “Oh fuck-“ Gaz groans. He’s the first of the men to reach his own high, ropes of cum spilling from his cock and coating his front. He jerks himself off faster than he intends, bucking his hips as he pumps himself through his high. He relaxes, head tilting back as he pants, coming down from his high. Soap is next. Unsteady pants, each louder than the last as he finishes up his own front, he’s a lot more vocal than Gaz, groaning out as he finishes. “Fuck!” He gasps. Relaxing back into the couch. Your eyes draw from Soap to your Captain, hearing him moan out. He reaches his high, gritted teeth holding back the moans that desperately want to leave his lips. His cock throbs against his hand with each spurt of his cum that covers his thighs and stomach. “Fucking hell-“ he gasps.

Finally, eyes fixed on Simon as he pumps his cock. Your clit is still throbbing as you stare, watching the cum spill from the tip of his cock. His head is tilted back and you’re watching as his adams apple bobs as he swallows back the whimpers he’d usually let out. He hisses as his hips jump, finishing up his front.

Each of you relax into yourselves, the room feeling hot and thick with arousal. Nobody says anything as each of you clean up, settling into your makeshift beds for the night. The silence is a comfortable silence, and everyone seems much more relaxed than before, leaving your captain feeling better about the welfare of his team. Each of you fall asleep with no words exchanged, and every single one of you had a new secret to take to the grave.

Or maybe, another game of never have I ever.

[meirimerens]

MEIRI!!!! i am taking a class in art history and i wanted to ask about your favorite paleolithic cave paintings, cause i know you're very passionate about that!

OOOHHAHHGRGHH MY GODDDD

YOU'VE AWAKEN MY EVIL POWER......

okay so this is gonna be real hard for me to choose. like reallll hard. but i think i can narrow it down. i don't know how much #info you need or how much Lore you care for me to add, but you've activated my trap card, so now you're stuck in the cave with me, i have the torch, and if you try to leave you won't find your way back. okay. let us start.

GENERAL LORE:

at least in the Franco-Cantabrian geographical and paleo-cultural area [this thing], which contains some of the most famous painted caves such as Lascaux, Chauvet, Pech-Merle, Altamira, etc, one main currently reigning hypothesis, because it allows to explain the most amount of [gesture] Stuff Going On, is that cave art exist within a magico-spiritual system of belief of the animist persuasion likely with shamanic elements. The places where walls were painted in the caves, were very, very rarely Living quarters. paleolithic tribes prefered to make camps outside, or just at the very entrance of caves: the depths were Hard to navigate, dangerous, possibly inhabited by predator animals. you didn't got to these places to fuck around; you went because you had a drive, you believed in something about them.

Jean Clottes (one of our main prehistorians in France, who wrote Pourquoi l'Art Préhistorique ?, or "Why Prehistoric Art", translated into english as "What is Paleolithic Art" which is fucking stupid, the "why" is the whole question he's trying to answer in the book, is this guy fucking stupid) identifies 4 main concepts that exist within indigenous, nomadic or semi-nomadic, hunter-gatherer, animist & shamanist societies and peoples, that are widely distributed (as such having "universal" elements) and could, likely, have been found within paleolithic societies, and possibly give us clues to their belief system, which are:

the INTERCONNECTEDNESS: of animal species between one another (explaining the numerous accounts of paloelithic art depiction species together, or separated), and of human and animal: including through mythologies in which humans were created from animal(s), or animal(s) later changed into human(s).

the FLUIDITY of the living world: animal species are recognized as kin, for they can become it; animal species are given, or projected-onto attributes that make a tribe, a clan, recognize themselves in it

the acceptation of the COMPLEXITY of the world: paleolithic people likely had deep, complex mythologies and cosmogonies, which we might Never, Ever, know anything about (this drives me insane.) their language, and their rites, might (have) reflect(ed) an understanding of the complixity of nature, or animals, that sedentary, then later capitalist societies might have lost the nuances of.

the PERMEABILITY of the living world(s). this again is seen in beliefs in the permeablity between human & animal, human a animal, animal as human: this is also where Shamanism might come into play. shamanism(s) rest(s) upon the conceptualization of the world as divided-but-permeable between a physical, living world, and an unseen, spirit world: the Shaman is the mediator, the person who can freely go between these two worlds, to communiate, to heal, to direct, to plead, etc. AND, and this is where it gets real interesting for The Caves: potentially, the belief in the permeablity of the cave rock itself: multiple painted sites might contain hints of a belief in the cave being the place where spirits dwell; and painting them is less "calling" or "invoking", even if there might be some of it, but rather "revealing". the cave itself, maybe, could (have) be(en) considered the place where spirits dwell, and come forth/from. more about that later.

WITH ALL OF THAT IN MIND. at least in the franco-cantabrian area, the placement of cave art is, very Very likely, extremely deliberate. it is not just the art that counts, but where it was made. we can ask ourselves, why it was made here, and not elsewhere. i am picking my answer on this axis. some caves might be so beautifully painted, but are The Vibes here? if the expression of this potential magico-spiritual complex and tens-of-thousands-of-years-spanning(!!!!!!!!!! this is nother thing that's fucking insane btw. did you know we are as close to Lascaux as Lascaux is to Chauvet, another very ornate painted cave. MULTIPLE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS) is visible, or #feelable, let's mention it. now onto the good part

CAVE ART THAT DRIVES ME CUCKOO CRAZY:

THE NIAUX (pronounced "Nyo") CAVE

reason: i've been there. twice. sobbed both times. came out changed like genuinely. made me go back to uni. the Niaux Cave is located in the Ariège (a-ryeh-juh) département [think smaller than a state bigger than a county] of southern france, in the Pyrénées (pee-reh-neh) mountains making the border with spain.

the almost entirety of the art is concentrated in the "Salon Noir" of the cave.

now. come close and listen to me. the Salon Noir is some 700 meters from both the modern entrance and the prehistoric one. today, like back then, you have to navigate rough, slippery terrain, crouchspaces, and generally accident-inducing (source: my dad slipped & fell just like our guide warned us about) walking space. for most of the way, the ceiling is 5 to 10 meters above, and the walls relatively close together (but not claustrophobic). the Salon Noir seems to be "indicated" by, on both of its sides, red symbol markings. now listen to me. the Salon Noir's ceiling is twice as high. even with modern lamps, you struggle to see it. now imagine. having walked all the way there, in the Wet, the fire of your torch or your grease hand-lamp to guide you, and suddenly not only can you not see the ceiling anymore, but the rock seems to speak back to you. the echo is intense, in the Salon Noir, way more than anywhere in the lower-ceiling'ed cave. your voice carries on for 5 full seconds, if you sing the rock continues singing after you. did you know? in france and spain, studies have shown that most parietal (=cave wall) art corresponds to particular acoustic features. did they sing? did they play the flute, the drums? did they use lithophones: the stalagtites & stalagmites, hit of small sticks, to make them ring? in the Salon Noir, most of the animals are bisons, as is very common in the franco-cantabrian area. now this is just something fun that our guide told us, possibly nothing more than an interesting coincidence, for its truth would rest on an unproven-hypothesis-within-an-unproven-hypothesis, but did you now that the female bison has the same gestational period as the human? 9 months.

the bison to the right, with the red markings and the "eyebrows", is my dad's favorite: he says its profile looks like him, with his beard and his big nose, which to be fair, truly it does. in a previous-previous-previous-previous life my dad as an upper paleolithic era bison. this is my dad's paleolithic fursona.

my favorite is this horsie. see? she smiles.

so does this one on the left, a protome (= name for the depiction of only the front of an animal, of a human)

PERGOUSET (pronounced per-goo*-zeh) CAVE

(* but the "oo" sound is short)

i'm cheating a little. because this is not painting, it's carving. but i consider sculpture an art, and parietal carving to be as important and interesting as parietal paintings, so. take it or don't!

yeah the whole cave. you'll see why. basically if i think about Pergouset for too long my skin starts melting i foam at the mouth etc. anyways. since the cave is closed to the public, and basically only available to researchers' viewings, it is quite hard to find images of it, so we'll just ball on this one.

Pergouset is located in the département of the Lot, in southwest-central france. this region is Plentiful with caves, including Pech-Merle that is basically next door, and Lascaux 1.5h away. why this one & not any of those two? well. come closer.

okay. the pussies & this guy with his penis out cave. what's her deal. Well, first piece of lore is to know that, in the grand scheme of franco-cantabrian paleolithic cave art, human representations are minimal. animals make up the majority of depictions, however, "archetyped" or "stereotyped" human figures that insist on sex characteristics are Plentiful. and within representations of that, "female" archetypes outnumber "male" ones by a lot. basically you cannot cough on a paleolithic "human" depiction without landing on a vulva frankly. many such cases in life as well. one of the hypotheses, which Michel Lorblanchet brings forth in his book La Naissance de la Vie: Une Lecture de l'Art Parietal (from which the picture above is from) is that it could be part of a belief system in which the cave, the whole cave, itself could be a "female" principle or archetype: the whole of the cave a matrix, a uterus. basically its giving, it's giving birth. one of the biggest data point he has for that hypothesis is the Pergouset cave. in the Pergouset cave, carvings of vulvae rhythm a long narrow passage following an underground river. the 3 vulvae could represent that of pre-birth, that of currently-pregnant (with the line in the middle, like the pigmentation line on pregnant belly + carved over a convex part of the stone), and that of currently-actively-giving birth: "vulva 3" is just two streaks in the rock, surrounding a naturally-occuring hole in the rock: as if that feature of the cave itself had been recognized as It's Giving Birth / hereditary voice I Am Your Mother. as you can see on the picture, vulva 1 is all the way back in the #depths, in the #dark, and vulva 3 the closest to the exit, indeed to the light ( -> it's giving birth). now. and this is the insane thing. foaming at the mouth like unwell arms shaking rn. i've had to go pace 4 times since i started typing. in the depths of the cave, the animals that are carved are less (see the numbers on the picture). but also, they're... more fantastic. stranger, more unusual. lacking the realism that is typically associated with parietal art. they're... as if from a dream, an undetermined land of weirdness, of amorphousness. as they get closer to the light, they get more numerous, they proliferate, life crawls the walls: they become also more and more realistic. as we reach the last carved vulva, as it is giving, what is it: giving BIRTH, animals are numerous, abundant, fully formed, their visible selves in the world outside: it is as if the cave itself, the depths of cave itself, gave birth to these animals, formed them inside of itself, let them out from this unknown, amorphous, strange land beyond the stone, where human cannot reach. humans went in, and meticulously, sometimes using a natural relief in the stone for an eye, a feature, "released" the animals from the stone, "revealed" them from their state of hidden-inside-of-the-depths-ness. the whole cave this Mother from which all the animals drawn on the walls emerged.

tldr

[mysteryshoptls]

SR Ace Trappola - Beach Wear Vignette

"An amazing and memorable summer"

[Uninhabited Island – Cottage]

Ace: HIYAH!

[wind magic]

Ace: Awesome, bullseye! Finish 'em off, Housewarden!

Riddle: I don't need you to tell me twice. HUP!!

[fire magic]

Ace: That's a Housewarden for you! Alllright, let's nab all the parts ASAP.

Riddle: You've improved, Ace. But the number of robot attacks seems to be increasing.

Ace: Yeahhh. Maybe Gantu's finally taking it seriously?

Riddle: …Everyone is so elated by the resort and surfing, but I believe we should take a breather to think more seriously.

Riddle: At dinner, we should speak to determining a security system.

Ace: So I got stuck patrolling around the cottage based on Riddle-ryōchō's suggestion…

1. Let's do our best! 2. I'll join you.

Grim: Nyahaha! Gantu's robots ain't no match for me～!

Stitch: Yeehaw ♪

Ace: NO, BUT SERIOUSLY, WHY AM I STUCK WITH THESE GUYS!? THIS DOESN'T MAKE ME FEEL ANY SAFER!

Ace: Stitch is one thing, but you two from Ramshackle're not really good for fighting!

Grim: Whaddya say～!? Humph, I ain't gonna save you if you're attacked by a robot.

Ace: That's my line. Don't get lost wandering around on your own.

Ace: Anyway, [Yuu], you better not leave my side, especially 'cause you can't use magic.

[nods]

Ace: Eh, I mean, I guess we don't really run into any of those robots at night anyway, so I think you'll be alright.

Grim: Alllright, so let's get this patrol on the road. Follow me!

[Uninhabited Island – Tropical Forest]

Ace: Wheew～ The breeze's nice. It's great to have since it's still pretty humid at night.

Ace: I was worried what would happen bein' stranded on this deserted island and all…

Ace: But thanks to us having that cottage, I'd say we're survivin' pretty comfortably.

Ace: If we didn't have Stitch or our upperclassmen, we'd probably have been stuck sleeping in that cave the whole time.

Ace: Thanks, Stitch.

Stitch: Ehe!

Grim: Funyaa! Hey, I also was out there collecting vines and branches and fruits and any other stuff out there we could use!

Ace: Sure, you're helping in your own little way, but when it comes to the fruit, you were basically eating them as soon as you found them.

Grim: That’s… Uh… Yeah, I was tasting to make sure it was good! It woulda been bad if you all got upset stomachs, after all!

Ace: If you eat everything yourself, then that's no longer taste testing.

Ace: Eh, I mean, it's not like I really want fruit, anyway. All of Floyd-senpai's dishes were totally delish.

Ace: The white fish sauté, the seafood simmered in coconut milk, the carpaccio, and that fruit salad...

Ace: All those dishes tasted like they came right out of a restaurant. There's no way I'd be able to go back to normal food after that.

Stitch: Right!

Grim: I wanna barbeque again! I can't get enough of that juicy, savory flavor of all that shellfish～

1. The grilled shrimp was delicious.

Ace: Totally. It's gotta be the fact that all these ingredients are super fresh that it tastes so good.

2. The meat was good, too.

Ace: I totally get it. I'm still a growing boy, y'know? Fish is good and all, but it's just not enough without some actual meat.

Ace: The cottage and food are getting' more and more extravagant, so it really feels like we're at a private beach resort.

Ace: Gettin' to be more of a celebrity getaway, 'stead of us being stranded. Honestly, I've always wanted to experience something like this.

[Grim's stomach growls]

Grim: Funyaa～ …All that talk of food's making me hungry. Hey, hey, why don't we go back to the cottage already?

Grim: The other guys are also out patrolling, so they'll all be fine without us.

Ace: Don't be stupid, Grim. Riddle-ryōchō and Azul-senpai are still at the cottage.

Ace: If it's found out that we slacked off, we'll definitely lose our heads.

Ace: C'mon, we're basically living that resort lifestyle, no one wants to be wearing that heavy collar around. Let's just do our job and patrol.

Ace: And besides, Gantu's capturing robots won't pop out at us, so… Just going on a stroll while chattin' it up ain't bad once in a while.

Ace: Honestly, being around my Housewarden, or my basketball clubmates day in and day out just kinda tires me out.

1. Yeah, seems like.

Ace: I knew you'd get me.

2. Doesn't look like it to me…

Ace: You don't get it at all. 'Sides, it's called being polite not showing how tired I am!

Ace: Putting that aside… This has been pretty great, hasn't it? We all got to go surfing together, too.

Ace: Whatever else there might be, don't you think this is turning out to be an amazing and memorable summer?

[Uninhabited Island - Tropical Forest]

Ace: Putting that aside… This has been pretty great, hasn't it? We all got to go surfing together, too.

Ace: Whatever else there might be, don't you think this is turning out to be an amazing and memorable summer?

Ace: Sucks that my phone battery died so I couldn't take any pictures…

Ace: But when we get back to campus, we totally gotta brag to Deuce that we had an awesome vacation on a tropical island.

Grim: Yeah! Deuce is probably super depressed right now.

1. It would have nice if we could all have come together.

Ace: I wonder～ Well, I guess he does have a ton of stamina, so he might have been super useful gathering water and food.

2. It would be nice to come together next time.

Ace: EH, NEXT TIME!? I mean, sure, we're having fun and all, but I definitely don't want to get stranded like this a second time.

Ace: But hey, I guess I feel sorry for him that he was the only one left behind.

Ace: Guess it wouldn't be too bad to invite Deuce and we all go somewhere together for summer vacation.

Stitch: Ohana?

Grim: Hm? You talking about Deuce? Yeah, he's another one that I look after.

Ace: I question who's looking after who, here…

1. He's our friend. 2. We get along well.

Stitch: Great!

[rustle, rustle]

Ace: Hm? Did you guys hear something behind us?

Grim: Probably just the leaves rustlin' in the wind. Look at you, a real worrywart.

1. Huh? Where'd Stitch go? 2. Wait. Stitch is gone!

Ace: Stitch? If you're still here, say something.

Ace: No way. I got a bad feeling…

Ace: EH!?

Grim: Hey! Stitch! You better not be trying to scare me… HRMPH!

Ace: Shhhh!!! Both of you stay quiet.

Ace: I knew it… Something huge is coming this way.

Ace: Is it an enemy? Shoot, of all times to show up, it had to be right when we lost Stitch.

[rustle, rustle, rustle!]

Grim: Eek… Th-Those footsteps are getting closer!

Ace: I'll do what I can to stop them. So you two need to head back to the cottage and go get my Housewarden and Azul-senpai.

Ace: When I give you the signal, run and don't look back. …It'll be fine. I'll be able to fight them off, at least until you get back.

Ace: …Here we go.

Ace: [YUU], GRIM! RUN!!!

???: GRAAAWR!!!!

Ace: I WON'T LET YOU PASS ME!

Ace: I'll beat yo… Uh, wait. Huh?

Floyd: Boo～! Whaddya think, did I scare you?

Ace: FLOYD-SENPAI!? AND STITCH!?

Ace: O-Oh, come on～～! Don't scare me like that!!

Floyd: Aha! Look how scared you were, Crab-chan. Hilarious!

Stitch: Yahahaha!

Ace: Hey, you, Stitch～! You totally abandoned us when you realized Floyd-senpai was near, didn't you?

Ace: And here I was praising you so much, and that's how you repay me?

Floyd: Just let it go. "I won't let you pass me," you said? Don't think I've ever said that kind of line before.

Floyd: [whistles] Crab-chan, you're so coool～ You thought so too, right, Shrimpy-chan?

1. You were totally cool. 2. Thanks for protecting us!

Ace: Ughhhhh! Floyd-senpai, stop teasing me!

Ace: And the rest of you better not join in, either! Don't tell anyone about what just happened.

Grim: Nyahaha, maybe I will, maybe I won't～

Ace: If Trey-senpai or Cater-senpai, or even Deuce hears about it… They won't ever let me live it down.

Floyd: Ah, don't get all crabby on me. There's some chilled jelly waiting for us when we get back to the cottage.

Ace: Whose fault do you think this is…

Ace: No, it's fine, I guess I am pretty hungry, so I'll take that jelly and call it even.

Ace: Sigh, I feel so tired all of a sudden. And the best way to get rid of this icky feeling is…

Ace: To eat some delicious food again tomorrow with everyone and just have as big a blast as I possibly can!

Requested by Anonymous.

[stardust-kenobi]

Blizzard

Crosshair x Fem!Reader

Summary: You and Crosshair get stuck in a relentless snowstorm. A cave provides you shelter, but you’ll have to get close to survive.

Warnings: smut, LITERAL cock warming, (kinda) sub soft crosshair, fluffy

Word count: 2.1k

A/N: Y’all seen twilight eclipse? Yeah it’s like that…and Jacob’s lil comment about how he could warm her quicker if they took their clothes off. Also the logic may be nonsensical, so, forgive me.

Request for @crosshairs-wife 💕

Gif cred: @azertyrobaz

The piercing sting of cold upon your skin was almost fading away as you grew numb. Crosshair was only feet in front of you, but you were losing sight of him in the relentless blizzard. You’d gotten separated from the other guys, but they’d already signaled you on your comms that they had made it back safely.

“We can’t come for you yet. It’s too dangerous. Try and find shelter until the storm passes” Hunter’s voice cut through the weak comms signal in your ear. He was so worried, but knew you both were capable of survival.

It was an unpredictable planet with weather patterns unlike any other system. You hadn’t planned for a winter storm, so you weren’t dressed for the freezing temperatures, only making the situation more dire.

“T-there’s…a cave” Crosshair breathed heavily, shivering through his words. You couldn’t muster a response, and he could only assume you were following behind him. The cave was deep inside the base of the mountain, perfect for shielding you both from the brutal winds and freezing temperatures. It was only just barely visible to either of you, and you were thankful he saw it.

Throwing down your backpack, you both collapsed onto the dry ground of the covered fortress. There wasn’t much room, but you found yourselves huddled in opposite corners, still hanging onto your social norm of not touching one another, even in a state of uncertainty.

“We s-should get c-c-closer” You mumbled, but not without struggle. You had never bonded with Crosshair beyond being in the same squad, and you really didn’t think he even liked you. But that didn’t matter right now.

He nodded, as the desperation for warmth drew him into you, curling up against each other's bodies. His arm stretched over your body as if he tried to shield you from the conditions. It was uncharacteristic of him, but human instinct overcame you both, knowing it was crucial for survival.

“You’re freezing” You mumble with your shaking voice. He was arguably worse off than you were, but he wouldn't show it. Crosshair had been out in the cold a little longer than you.

“So are you” He rebutted. Sure, but you needed to make sure he found warmth soon.

“You need to take your armor off, it’ll only make you colder” You told him, knowing the metal would only trap the coldness against his body, and your body couldn’t feel the warmth of his own with the hard metal creating a barrier between your clothes and his.

Crosshair moved slowly to pull the armor from his body, and you watched as the shape of his form come to view.

“Your clothes are soaked from the snow, you-” He began, realizing that soon the moisture would freeze, trapping your body within it, “you’ll die”.

“I don’t have anything else to wear, Crosshair” You groaned in response, realizing your only other option was to strip down to nothing and cuddle up against him.

“I know that” He scoffed through the grit of his chattering teeth.

“Gods, you’re right. Just, try not to stare, please” You begged; feeling self-conscious already, but there was no time for that now.

He noticeably swallowed hard, anticipating the view that was to come. He’d never admit to you that you turned him on, but really, you drove him wild. It was always a skill of his to not show a single bit of that emotion when he was near you, but it was something he had to train himself to do, or else he’d blow his cover.

“I need help” You shamefully requested, the numbness of your fingers lacking the grip to pull your jacket and shirt from your body.

He hesitated, whether that was because he was nervous or because he was trying to process the words coming out of your mouth, it didn’t go unnoticed. His hands gently grab the bottom hem of your shirt and helped you maneuver out of it. Your bare breasts were exposed then to the frigid chill but somehow felt warmer now that you were out of the dampness of your material.

Through all the discomfort of the storm and the hell you'd been through, you still felt a tingle of tension between the two of you as you laid back to remove your pants. It was such a strange sensation to be warmer in your bare form, but this would help you from freezing to death.

Crosshair couldn’t take his eyes off of you, despite your plea to not be stared at. You had to admit you sort of liked it, though. The attention helped you feel less self-conscious, because surely he wouldn’t stare if he didn’t like the view, right?

You remembered something about survival that was going to be hard to suggest, but someone had to, “Skin to skin is the fastest way to warm each other” You shivered, “Please, Crosshair. I’m sorry to ask I j-” You begged helplessly.

“I’ll do it” He interrupted you. Crosshair wasn’t angry, he was eager. This shocked you, but you welcomed his eager attitude.

Quickly, he removed his clothing, keeping only his underwear, same as you. You were enamored with him, loving every inch of his body, and not attempting to hide your staring at all.

“Come here” He demanded, laying down next to you and wrapping his arm around your shaking body. The immediate encasing of his shielding body on you felt as close to a warm blanket as you could get right now.

“Oh maker…I don’t know how you feel warm but it’s helping”

“You feel warm too” He noted.

Your eyes met his as you looked up to him and something so unfamiliar came over you, an urge that made itself known so suddenly, but you leaned up, pressing your barely tingling lips against his.

He pulled away.

Oh no.

“What are you doing?” He snapped.

“I-” You choked on your own words, mortified and confused.

His eyes scanned your face and wandered your expression to try and read you. Crosshair wasn’t rejecting you, but he was rejecting the idea that you wanted him. It was simply too hard for him to believe. Things were always distant and tense between you two, but right now, stars...right now he wanted to fall apart for you.

Finally, after what felt like forever of nothing but the roaring of storms, he kissed you back. The passion that you felt through the motions of his lips sent a flash of heat through your veins, something you so desperately needed. As if by natural instinct, you reached to palm the growing bulge between his legs.

“I know how else we can get warm” You whispered against his lips.

He held your gaze, unbroken, and let his fingers float down between your legs, feeling the arousal pooled inside your panties. With only small rhythms of motions pressed to your clit, you whimpered. Crosshair couldn’t wait any longer, though, as his body begged for warmth. Something so primal in him did this because he knew he needed it to live, but something more intimate in him told him he just needed you.

Swiftly, you pulled his cock from his undergarments, and swung your leg over his hip, straddling him. His needing eyes scanned your face, looking for any uncertainty, but found none. He recognized that you were doing him an act of such deep kindness, but was so eager he pulled you fiercely into place. You knew he’d probably benefit from this more than you in terms of survival, but stars, you know you’d enjoy every second of him fucking you anyways.

No words could’ve described how euphoric he felt sinking into the warmth you provided him. It was more intense of a high than any spice the galaxy could offer. He groaned so loudly, equally satisfied with the feeling of any part of his body being wrapped in warm velvet, subsiding the numbness, and finally having you like this.

You winced, feeling the contrast of cold inside of you as you fully lowered yourself onto his cock. Trembling forceful fingers dug into your hips pressing you in place and refusing to let you move.

“Please, just, stay like this. For a moment” He begged, a desperate look replacing his usual scowled expression. He shuddered, eyes falling closed as he savored every second that passed.

You did as he asked, and wrapped your arms around his neck, and pulled his face into the crevice of your breasts. He groaned again, and a breathless whimper fell from your own lips as the fullness you felt overwhelmed you. It felt so good to do this with him, and it felt better to know how much relief you brought to him.

Even though he could’ve stayed buried inside you like this forever, you needed to move, needed to have that movement. Slowly, you sat up again, and curled your hips up and down, adding friction against your walls.

“Oh, Y/N” Crosshair whimpered so softly. This was a side of him you’d never expected to see, especially in this intimate situation. But then again, he never let you get close enough to him to even know. His desperation for relief transformed him, and it melted you.

“It feels so good, Crosshair” You praised, losing yourself as you fucked him faster. He seemed to be losing him as well, struggling to hold back any expression of his pleasure.

“So good for me, helping me like this” He breathed, looking up at you while you bounce your ass up and down on him. The motion was warming your body, working up your blood flow. The relief of warmth began flowing through the deepest part of your being, extending out to your skin, until all you cared about was being here with him at this moment.

“Stop" He mumbled suddenly, and you did just that.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, please, just stay still again" He begged. You sat deep into his lap, covering his entire length, "I want to feel you just like this. I want to see you"

Your ears couldn't believe what they were hearing. Never would you have guessed that he was so soft when he needed to be. His hands traced the shape of your body, traveling down the side of your waist. Then his grip moved to your breasts, taking one into his palm as he massaged your nipple. You threw your head back as the sensation sent a strange chill down your spine.

"Crosshair, Y/N, come in" The comms hummed in your ear, startling you out of the trance he had you in. It was Tech's voice, "Are you two alright"

"Better than alright" You responded, keeping your eyes on him beneath you. Crosshair smirked at you.

"I doubt that, considering you're trapped in a blizzard, but alright then" Tech responded, but accepted your response as a sign that you were alive, at least.

Without warning, and fueled by the strength you'd provided for him, Crosshair picked you up and laid you down. As he hovered above you, his cock still resting inside your cunt, he held the back of your head as he rested in on the rock floor of the cave.

He thrusted slow at first but picked up his momentum with a few motions.

"I'm going to come soon, but I want you to come on my cock first, darling" He asked, bringing his fingers to rub your clit again as he continued to fuck you.

"Fuck, right there" You cried, feeling your climax creep up so suddenly.

"Yeah?" He asked, knowing you were so close as you clenched around him, "Let go, it'll feel so good, Y/N"

Just then it burst open like an ignited flame, the fire spreading throughout your entire body. You cried out his name as your orgasm took over your movements and thoughts, helping your body reach an ultimate high. You'd never been fucked like this while coming at the same time, and it was almost too much for you to handle.

As you felt yourself come down from your high, he faltered in his movements, curses flying softly through his thrusts. The warm spill of his cum coated the inside of your walls, and he held himself there for a few more moments, taking every second that he could before he finally had to remove himself.

It was then that the blizzard began to break apart and subside, the outside of the cave becoming more visible. You situated yourself propped against the wall of the cave, and Crosshair did the same, wrapping his arm around your shoulder, huddling together through the very end of the storm that put you here.

"We're going to have to help each other back into these clothes when the boys pick us up" You broke the silence that you both savored after your releases, "that might be a hard one to explain"

"Only I should see you like this" He snapped, sudden jealousy taking over his tone as he imagined any of the others enjoying this sight of you like he has. That was the Crosshair you expected.

You smirked, omitting a response as you leaned into his body, trying to enjoy every last second you had with him before things likely went back to normal.

You hoped that they wouldn't.

——

A/N: feedback and comments are always so encouraging and appreciated. If you enjoyed this, please let me know❤️

[neon-junkie]

Knee-deep in Trouble

Summary: If there's one thing worse than being stuck in a snow storm, it's being stuck in a snow storm with your least favourite squad mate - Crosshair.

Pairing: Crosshair x gn!Reader

Word count: 2.6k

Tags: Enemies to friends, Huddling for warmth, Snow storms, Arguments, Bickering, Sleepy cuddles, Touch starved.

Notes: the recent episode got me THINKIN. yeah, i wanna cuddle this man, but... what if we hated each others guts? and we HAVE to cuddle for our own survival? mwahahah

Out of all the scenarios that could have happened today, this one just had to arise.

First, you were cut off from the rest of the Batch. Your comm lost signal as the snowstorm began to thicken, and all hopes of communicating the others dwindled as your main focus became finding shelter.

Your armour is only doing so much to keep you warm, and only now do you curse yourself for not opting for a helmet. A thick hood, scarf, and goggles are doing well at protecting your face, but the chill continues to seep into your bones as every second passes.

And even now, knee-deep in snow, trudging towards the mountain in hopes of finding some sort of shelter, you still manage to bark up another argument with your least favourite member of the Batch. "Hurry up," Crosshairs words are sharp, peering over his shoulder for a short moment to see you following behind. You're using his tracks to your advantage, pushing through the loose snow, allowing him to take the lead like a bulldozer.

You let out a grunt, "not all of us have stupidly long legs." Crosshair doesn't bother replying. There's no point. Instead, he pushes forward, and keeps his helmet dipped down to protect his sights from the incoming snow. Minutes pass, although time has blurred into one. All you've known for the last thirty minutes is to push forward, keep walking, and follow Crosshair's trail. Through your goggles, all you can see is white - thick heaps of snow that only continues to pile higher and higher. The mountain is now within your reach, and you follow the edge, waiting for some form of shelter to appear.

"This will do," Crosshair comments as he comes upon an assortment of boulders, providing some shelter from the storm. With a frown, you let out a disappointed, "is this it?" as you gesture to the tiny crevices that will barely keep you covered, let alone warm.

Despite not being able to see Crosshair's expression, you know he's scowling as he gestures to the surrounding area. "Do you see any other options?"

No, you don't, but you're not going to give up hope. "I'm going to push on," you say as you turn back to him, and vaguely gesture into the distance. Surely there will be a cave up ahead, or a cliff that provides cover. There must be something better than some rogue boulders.

Pushing through the snow, Crosshair grabs at your forearm with a tut. "You will not," he scolds. "We need to stick together. This is as good as it's going to get," Crosshair points to the 'shelter,' and you pull your hand from his in disgust, let out a grumble with it. "I'm going," you repeat. "You can sit with your boulder buddies and freeze to death. I'll find a cave, get warm, then collect your body once the storm has passed." With that, you continue moving forwards, unbothered if Crosshair chooses to follow. His lips purse in annoyance, and he's rather vocal about his frustration. Still, he follows you, telling himself that it's purely for the fact that you're going to get yourself killed, and he'll be the one collecting bodies. The mountain itself would provide decent cover, if it wasn't for the fact that the snow is falling against your direction. One gloved hand comes up to move your scarf higher on your face, tucking the edges beneath your goggles to prevent it from slipping down again. At least your nose is warm, the complete opposite to your toes.

Despite his armour's heating system, Crosshair is now really starting to feel the chill. His teeth are clattering together beneath his helmet, and every so often, his fingertips brush over one of his belt pouches. Inside are the tools necessary to start a fire, and he'll be damned if those tools are somehow taken from him, despite never falling out of his pocket before. Your feet come to a halt, and Crosshair, who isn't looking up, bumps into your back with a grumble. "What is it?" he groans as you look over your shoulder, silently cursing him for running into you without an apology. "What does that look like?" you point ahead. Crosshair squints through his visor, before flicking his helmet's scope down to zoom in on the area up ahead. "A cave," he mutters.

"I told you I was right," you shrug, and you're met with another grumble. "Don't let it get to your head," Crosshair huffs as he pushes past you, eager to get out of this knee-deep snow. With a roll of your eyes, you follow behind, allowing Crosshair to clear the last stretch of your journey. The cave is deep, stretching far deeper than you require. You only need shelter, not another adventure, so you and Crosshair pitch yourselves several meters from the entrance. For the first time in what feels like hours, snow and wind is no longer against you; all you need to do now is stay warm, and stay alive.

Once his helmet is removed, Crosshair crouches down and begins pulling supplies from his belt pouch. It's standard GAR equipment, but it's enough to get a fire up and running, and hopefully, keep it burning for longer than you need. However, once lit, the flame is... disappointing. "Is that it?" you sigh, looking at the meek fire at your feet. Crosshair looks up at you whilst feeding the remains of his supplies to the flame, encouraging it to grow, even if it's just a little. Despite the tiny flicker of light, your goggles begin to steam up, so they're reassigned to sitting on your forehead, allowing you to give your eyes a well-needed rub, and relax your scarf around your neck. "This pack is usually only assigned to one person," Crosshair replies, watching you sit down opposite him. You know that the clones are kitted with essentials to survive, which would explain why Crosshair only has enough for himself. If only you had your backpack with you - the backpack that is sitting back on the Marauder, because this mission was meant to be a simple retrieval, until you wound up separated from the others, and lost in a snow storm. "It's better than nothing, I suppose." Crosshair lets out a simple, "mhm," as he gets comfortable opposite you.

Silence fills the air, minus the howling winds coming from down the cave. Silence - as in, the silence between you and Crosshair - is common. You've never really seen eye to eye, both too stubborn for your own good. Maybe that's why he went after you when the Batch split up, covering different routes as part of your mission. He must have known that you would wind up in trouble, which is why he told Wrecker to go with Hunter instead, pairing himself up with you. You are his squad mate, after all. Far from a friend, but still an asset to the team. "What is it?" Crosshair questions, and only now do you realise that you've been staring at him.

"Nothing," you reply with a firm shake of your head. Crosshair's eyes squint for a brief moment, before he decides to bite his tongue, and not bother pushing your buttons. (For once.) "Why don't you get some rest?" Crosshair suggests, which might be his first good suggestion of the day. Maker knows how long this storm will brew for, and you need to be physically prepared for more trudging through that snow, which must be thigh high at this point.

"Only if you do the same," you reply. Such kind words cause Crosshair's eyes to widen, only for a moment, before he pulls his emotional mask back on. There's no need for either of you to be on watch, and despite your disliking for the man, the bags under his eyes are as heavy as yours. Rest is needed, for both of you.

"You first. I'll follow," Crosshair replies with a soft nod. "I want to finish warming myself up first." With a light sigh, you shift onto your side, pulling your knees up against your chest. The fire is warm against your face, and hopefully, it'll continue to warm the rest of your body up as you sleep. Your hood acts as the thinnest pillow in existence, but it's thick enough to keep the chill of the cave floor away from your ear, and you'll take what you can get. Finally, your lases flutter shut, and it doesn't take eternity for you to drift into a deep slumber.

-

Crosshair is loitering.

Why? He doesn't really know. You've been asleep for an hour, and in that time, Crosshair has cleaned the snow from his armour and rifle, wandered deeper into the cave to find the remains of another campfire, long forgotten, and scavenged the leftovers from it. The fire is eating away at new material, yet Crosshair is still huddling close to it, as if it's a fading source of warmth. There's a chill in his bones that he can't seem to shake off. No matter what he does, no matter how warm he feels on the surface, his insides feel cold. With slanted brows, he brings his knees up to his chest, and wraps his armoured arms around his thighs. Silver hair rests against his forearm as he presses his cheek to his knees, breathing deeply as his eyes shut. He can't relax. He can't warm up. Crosshair thinks, questioning what to do. He's oh-so-tense, and his muscles are long worn out from shivering. However, it seems he's not the only person who has a chill within them. Crosshair's eyes perk open at the sound of whimpering. There, on the cave floor, is you, sound asleep; only you're not sound asleep. You're shivering, curled up in a ball besides the fire, struggling to maintain heat in the depths of your slumber. Untucking himself from his position, Crosshair pulls his glove off to press his palm against your cheek. There's barely any warmth to you, and it's a mystery how you've not woken up. Crosshair has found himself in a predicament. Despite not being the best of friends, Crosshair doesn't want you, nor himself, to freeze to death. The fire is growing, but it's still not enough for either of you. He has an idea - a silly, foolish idea that you're bound to hate him even more for - but he can't bring himself to wake you up and offer the suggestion.

Well, what if he doesn't have to wake you? A deep grumble slips from his lips as he ponders his options. Surely you'll understand, right? It's not like there are any other options, and you can't hate him any more than you already do.

With that, Crosshair slips his glove back on and rises to his feet. He walks over to you, tilting his head as he analyses your curled up pose, questioning how he can fit with you - like pieces to a puzzle. He's quiet as he dips down to his knees, tucking his body behind yours. Crosshair remains propped up on one elbow, and cautiously positions his legs around yours, followed by his torso. You've barely shifted in your sleep, jittering away whilst soft huffs slip from your lips, only your whimpering seems to calm as Crosshair places his hand around your waist, ensuring that it's firmly in the centre of your torso, not wondering north or south. With that, he shifts himself off his elbow, allowing his head to rest against the cave floor. This isn't his first time sleeping on the floor, nor stone floor, for that matter; still, it's uncomfortable, but he'll take what he can get. After letting out a deep breath, Crosshair finally bites the bullet. Using the arm wrapped around your waist, Crosshair pulls your body against his, fitting perfectly together. He's cuddling you, in some form or other, but there are instant results. Your jittering is coming to an end, and somehow, Crosshair is already managing to feel warmth growing inside his chest.

Or are those butterflies?

Whatever. He allows his eyes to fall shut, and finally gets some rest.

-

It's not often that you drool in your sleep. However, this is one of those few occasions. The sensation of your drool dripping over your cheek shakes your body awake, and through groggy vision, you move a hand off your pillow to wipe your spit away. Your arm returns to your pillow, clutching onto it tighter as you pull it against your chest. Something firm is pressed to your cheek - firm, yet warm, like plastoid armour on a-

Wait.

You let out a soft, "huh?" as your eyes open, soon focusing on familiar red and black armour. Somebody's chest plate is acting as your pillow, along with their arm, keeping your head off the cave floor.

Ah, yes. The cave. The cave that you entered to shelter from the snowstorm, and of all the people that you could have been thrown into the deep end with, it just happened to be-

"Would you stop fidgeting?" a rather frustrated, yet quiet voice calls out. Looking up through your lashes, your eyes come into focus with Crosshair, who is attempting to sleep. His expression is neutral, eyes shut, and dare you say it, but Crosshair looks rather sweet when he's cooped up at your side.

You let out a sheepish, "sorry." Your eyes wander around the cave, soon meeting the entrance. It's light outside, the sun is shining down overhead, and the snow looks far tamer than it was last night. Your way out might not be as cursed after all, but a new issue has risen. Crosshair is softly snoring, and his grip on you is deadly. He is not letting go, or at least, not without a fight. For a man who prefers his own company, he seems rather touch starved, and whilst you clash heads with him, you're content with giving him the comfort that he so clearly needs.

And it's a good thing that you're content with this scenario, as Crosshair rolls over onto his side, engulfing you deeper into his grasp.

Sure, plastoid armour isn't the comfiest thing to cuddle, but the man beneath it is. Your chest is pressed to his, legs tangled up together, and Crosshair's arms are holding you tightly against him. He's rather soothing like this, your personal teddy bear, but you know that he's only doing this for warmth. It pains you; you may not get along, but you can't deny that you aren't soft on him. Perhaps your soft spot is mutual, as despite your clashing heads, Crosshair wouldn't do this if he truly disliked you.

"Go back to sleep," Crosshair quietly mutters, his voice barely audible above his deep breaths.

"What?" you stir, peering up to see his tired expression, eyes remaining shut.

"I can hear you thinking," he replies. The hand around your waist moves up, and gloved fingertips entwine themselves in your hair. Crosshair begins to softly massage your scalp, earning a pleasant hum, and for your eyes to close. "Quit thinking, and get some rest," Crosshair demands once more.

Mhm, can't argue with that. You allow yourself to become engulfed in warmth, pressing your chest tighter against Crosshair's, with your forehead resting against his collarbones. His fingers continue to glide against your hair, offering nothing but comfort.

In this moment, you feel nothing but safe and secure. Crosshair is doing all he can to keep you warm, and you've been the fool for being so harsh on him - not that your harshness isn't reciprocated. And it seems you're as touch starved as he is, as you're clinging onto him for dear life, soaking up all the physical contact that you can get.

Maybe it's time to turn over a new leaf, see eye to eye, and allow your similar personalities to grow, rather than clash. Maybe Crosshair isn't so bad after all.

[parachutingkitten]

It Gets Cuter

Zane has plans for Valentine's Day that no one was expecting. Takes place shortly after Crystalized. ~1100 words

Valentine's day was always a bit of a mess at the monastery. Love is great, but stopping danger takes priority, and it seemed like every year there was someone intent on feeling most important. This year had been Killow’s turn, and the team was now stuck in the Samurai X cave, repairing surface level damages to their vehicles after the fight so they could be safely stored for the night. Groups were scattered across the room, but Zane, Nya, and Kai were gathered around the Dragon Raider, finishing out their required repairs at a decent rate. 

“You and Jay have dinner reservations or anything?” Kai asked.

“No, we’re doing junk food dinner.” Nya smiled, glancing up from her work. “Nothing but piles of snacks and sweets until we eat ourselves into a coma in front of the TV. It’s fantastic.”

“That actually does sound amazing,” Her brother agreed. 

“What about you? Did you make plans with Sky?” Nya asked.

“Yeah, she asked me to do this escape room thing with a bunch of friends. You know, a group date to keep things light while we’re starting out.”

“Honestly, that’s a good idea,” Nya shrugged. “You go in too fast, and sometimes things get… messy.”

Kai glanced over at his unusually quiet teammate. He seemed rather distracted as he worked, his mind obviously occupied by something else. “What about you Zane?”

Zane’s eyes popped up to his friends, pulled out of his internal world. “What about me?”

“Yeah,” Nya shrugged. “You have any Valentine’s plans tonight?” 

Zane cast his eyes to the ground, embarrassed, letting out a long sigh. His complexion turned upward again, his voice lowered, and his lips smiling with tentative excitement.

“I’m finally going to tell Pixal I have feelings for her.”

The faces of his companions froze in their anticipation, Kai in particular shutting down as he tried to process the news he had been given. 

“You… what?” Nya leaned forward in concern, placing down her wrench. 

“I’m finally gonna tell her how I feel.” Zane reiterated, his face distorted in worry at the blank responses he got back. “Do you think it’s a bad idea, or-”

“Dude… I think she already knows.” Kai pressed, his own words still unsure of the situation as he spoke them.

“You think so?!” Zane’s eyes grew wide in surprise, glancing behind him at the nindroid in question. “She is pretty good at reading people,” he reasoned.

Nya stepped forward, putting a hand on his arm. “Zane, she’s your girlfriend, I think-”

Zane began to chuckle. “What? No! I wish! I mean, maybe. Hopefully! That’s why I’m gonna tell her. I’ve had a crush on her for a while now.”

“But you-” Kai chimed in, still frozen in place, his face stuck in a state of stupor, the gears in his head churning away as he tried desperately to make sense of the interaction. “I’m sorry.” He finally broke, shoving his hands through his hair. 

“Have you two really not talked about this before?” Nya stepped in front of her brother, attempting to distract the newly fragile Zane from his reaction.

“No. Why? Do you think I waited too long?” The panic in his voice was palpable, but the confusion which filled the air was still much stronger.

“Yeah! I mean, no,” Nya calmed herself. “I don’t think you’ve missed your window or anything, but… I definitely think you could have done it earlier.” She sighed as she began to mutter. “Like the second after you met her earlier.”

“Hold on.” Kai broke in again, stepping forward, having found some sense of footing. “I’m still… But you two were like, the same person, right?”

“She was implanted into my systems for a period, yes.” Zane agreed.

“How is that not like… the most intense form of dating?” Kai’s eyes turned down as he spoke, the question more for himself at this point.

“Zane, if she was in your systems for all that time, couldn’t she… read your thoughts? Wouldn’t she already know how you feel about her?” Nya offered.

“I suppose it’s possible.” Zane mused, turning back around to observe his hopeful Valentine. “I never went as far as to observe her thoughts. She was very respectful of my privacy as far as I’m aware, but I suppose there are some things it would be difficult to conceal-”

“How did we not know?” Kai began a sibling sidebar as Zane continued to analyze his situation. “...Do you think she knows?”

“I think she- I mean she has to, right?” Nya reasoned, both of them now stuck watching Pixal as she noticed the glance of her admirer, and softly waved at him, a bashful amount of blush gracing her cheeks. “...honestly, I can't be sure about anything anymore.” 

“I’m so nervous.” Zane turned around to face his companions. “If she does know, why has she not spoken to me about it?”

“Hey, buddy,” Nya grabbed both his hands, attempting to focus him. “If it makes you feel any better… I think she likes you too.”

Zane’s face exploded with hope, perhaps even on the verge of tears. “You think?!”

“I can guarantee.” Nya nodded.

“I’m going to do it. I’m so excited!” Zane again turned around, not being able to help looking at the center of his affection.

“How are you going to tell her?” Nya asked, the shock finally beginning to subside a bit.

“Well, I spoke with her father,” Zane started, spinning back around. “And he helped me make up a pair of those heart necklaces, only the heart isn’t a heart, it’s meant to look like the two halves of our power source, and the metal is reclaimed from my original technoblade, which brought us together in the first place.”

“Oh gosh, it’s so cute.” Kai breathed out, leaning over his vehicle.

“Right, because that’s how you freed her from the overlord’s control.” Nya nodded along.

Zane grinned, beginning to chuckle. “Well, no. Because she fought me for them in the woods.”

Kai fully crumpled over the hood of the car. “It gets cuter-”

“You know what,” Nya started, her heart also melting at the gesture described to her. “We’re almost done here, why don’t you go get ready to surprise her, and we can finish up the rest.”

“You’re sure?” Zane nearly jumped with excitement.

“Go!” Kai urged him, raising his head back up. “Master knows you’ve waited long enough already!”

Zane looked at them both graciously. “Thanks so much for your help!” His energy took him across the room quickly, almost skipping. At one point he turned around to wave back at his friends, which they both, much less exuberantly, returned.

“There he goes,” Nya mused.

Kai remained slumped over the Dragon Raider, his mind now as full as Zane’s had been just a few moments earlier. “I think I need to like… go lay down for a second.”

“Maybe you should talk to Skylor-”

“I really should.”

[vodika-vibes]

Undersea/Merfolk AU with the Bad Batch please! Can be romantic or platonic.

Stand By You

Summary: You spent your whole life living in the Royal Orphanage of Atlantis. According to the Matron, you were found on the front steps when you were hours old, and no one ever showed any interest in adopting you. You’ve since aged out of the system, luckily, you made some pretty solid friends. Unluckily, you’ve also landed squarely in the crosshairs of a Sea Wizard.

Pairing: platonic TBB x F!Reader, hinted Crosshair x F!Reader

Word Count: 2792

Prompt: Merfolk AU

Warnings: reader is attacked

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: So, I wasn't sure, at first, where I was going with this, and then I had an idea. And then I had to change the idea halfway through because it was edging into Little Mermaid territory. Anyway! I hope you like it~

“I’m telling you,” You say with a roll of your eyes as you flip so that you can look at Tech while swimming backward, “I am a very poor fit for the Atlantis military.”

“You have not even tried,” Tech points out as he adjusts his glasses, then swiftly grabs your wrist to keep you from swimming into a statue, “You can not continue living in a cave outside of the city.”

A petulant pout forms on your lips, “Watch me.”

He sighs as he carefully tugs you so you’re swimming next to him, “Why are you being so stubborn about this?”

You glare at him and flick your fingers towards your tail. Your very mammalian tail. Unlike the other merpeople of Atlantis, your tail looks more like a seal than a fish.

Tech glances at your tail, and then at you, “No one cares that your tail looks different.”

“Correction, you don’t care that my tail looks different. Everyone else cares a lot.” You fold your arms, “Just because they don’t say it around you, doesn’t mean they don’t say it.”

“Well, that is a good reason for you to get a military job,” Tech tries, “Make people see you differently.”

“It’s like you’re being deliberately obtuse, Tech. Why aren’t you listening to me?”

“I am listening to you!” Tech stops and grabs your shoulders, “You are not listening to me. It is not safe for you to live outside the city. Do you know what it would do to us if something happened because we were not there to protect you?”

You sigh and lightly wrap your hands around his wrists, “Tech. I know you’re only being like this because you care—”

“Because you are family,” Tech says.

“But you’re making me feel like you don’t actually care about what I’m saying.”

He closes his eyes, and drops his hands, “That…is not my intention. I am sorry, vod.”

“I forgive you.”

You fall into a comfortable silence, and then Tech bumps your shoulder with his, “I would feel more comfortable if you moved behind the walls.” He says, “But I understand why you might not want to do that.”

“It’s not like I want to live in a cave like a sea witch, Tech. No one will hire me. And, without any money, I’m kind of stuck.” He opens his mouth to say something, but you cut him off with a press of your finger against his lips, “And don’t even think of saying that I can move into your barracks. There’s barely enough room for the four of you.”

Tech sighs, “I do not like that you are right about that.”

You grin at him, “Relax. I’ve been living in that cave for years now, and nothing bad has happened.”

“Yet. Nothing bad has happened yet.” Tech corrects.

“Well, maybe I’ll be lucky.” You shrug, as if you’re unbothered, “Anyway, thanks for coming shopping with me.” You add as you lift your netted bag.

“You are welcome. Are you heading home?”

“That’s the plan. Tell the others that they can come and visit whenever,” You say as you back away from him, “And be careful at work, all of you.”

“You do not have to worry about us.”

“Truth, I’m going to do it anyway.” You quickly dart in and press your lips against his cheek, “I’ll see you later, Tech.”

“I will tell the others that you say hi,” Tech replies.

You toss him one more grin, and then turn to swim down the path that will take you out of Atlantis proper, splitting from Tech, who continues straight to the military barracks. 

Your home is near the kelp forest, several miles away from the solid walls that mark the city of Atlantis. The location tends to work in your favor, seeing as there’s a lot of food in the kelp forest that you can gather, or catch, without having to pay for it.

On the other hand, your neighbors aren’t the best.

One of your neighbors, a Cecaelia sea wizard, who goes by the name Verdant, has been trying to coax you into his employ for the better part of the last two years.

He’s nice enough, you suppose. He understands what it is to be seen as not normal in Atlantis and has always been your biggest supporter when it comes to helping you advocate for yourself.

Still, you have no intention of working for him. 

You have the feeling that working for him would put you in opposition with your closest friends, and you’d sooner cut off your arms than allow that to happen.

You slow as you approach your home, a single brow arching when you see Verdant, and his two most loyal retainers, in front of your cave. “Something you need, gentlemen?” You ask as you swim over to them. 

“Ah, my dear,” Verdant beams at you as he swims over to you, “I was wondering where you were.”

“In Atlantis,” You reply, “They get deliveries of surface fruit this time of year, and it’s something that I enjoy when I can.”

Verdant’s grin seems to widen, “How wonderful! Tell me, my dear,”

There’s something about the way that he’s grinning that makes your skin crawl, and you begin to regret not taking Tech up on his offer to crash with him and his brothers for the night. 

One of Verdant’s cronies moves so that he’s almost circling you, ushering you closer to Verdant, “Tell me, you’re friends with several members of the Atlantis Military.”

“We grew up in the Orphanage together,” You reply, it’s not an answer, not really, and judging by how his smile fades, he agrees.

Roughly, Verdant grabs your chin, “I want you to convince your friends to look the other way while we enter the city.”

“No.” The answer falls from you almost without your permission. 

“No?”

“No. I’m not going to help you. Let me go.” You try to jerk your head out of his grip, but he just tightens his hold on you, until it’s painful.

“I have been exceedingly patient with you, child. You have to help me.”

“I don’t have to do anything.” You counter, “Can’t we go back to just being neighbors who sometimes say hi to each other?”

“No.” Verdant releases you and you try to back away, only for the twins to latch onto you, holding you still. “If you won’t work with me, then I suppose you’ll just have to suffer.”

“What do you—?” You’re cut off when you feel a sharp pain in your lower abdomen.

“I am a variant of the Blue Ringed Octopus, little one. Your death is going to be very slow and very painful.” He lightly pats your cheek as your vision starts going grey at the edges, “Assuming you don’t bleed to death first, of course. Release her. We have places to be.”

The arms holding you still vanish, and you sink to the ground.

They swim away while you struggle to cling to consciousness. Whatever they did to you, you can’t seem to move your tail, wherever you try, it sends shockwaves of pain through your whole body.

The next thing you’re acutely aware of is a cry of your name. 

Omega leans over you, her hands pressing firmly against the wound on your abdomen, “—ld on, just hold on! Help is coming!”

What a shame.

The last thing you would have ever wanted was for Omega to find your body. The only thing worse would be dying in her arms.

Shame that it isn’t your choice anymore.

You sink into darkness with Omega’s increasingly panicked cries of your name ringing in your ears.

The waiting room in the Atlantis Military Hospital is silent save for the muffled sobs of Omega as she buries her face in Wrecker’s side.

And while Hunter would usually love the fact that it’s not loud, after six hours of waiting for some news, any news, the silence is beginning to be deafening. 

He drums his fingers against his side for a moment and then swims over to the window, just for something to do, while he tries to stop thinking about what she looked like when they found her.

He wants to forget the blood and how unnaturally still she was.

Hunter wants to be angry that Omega was the one who found her, he wants to rage at her, and tell her that if she just listened to them, this wouldn’t have happened.

But after 6 hours, his rage has been totally extinguished. Replaced with an icy terror.

What is he going to do if she dies?

How is he supposed to keep their family going if she dies?

Hunter flickers his gaze around the room. Omega isn’t crying anymore, though it looks like she’s cried herself to sleep while cuddled against Wrecker. She still has blood on her hands and shirt and streaked down her tail.

Hunter should have helped her get cleaned up, why didn’t he help her get cleaned up?

Wrecker is tense, his hands curling into fists, and then relaxing, before curling back into fists. This has to be torment for him, the sitting and the waiting. He seems pretty calm, all things considered though. Probably because Omega is right there.

Hunter wants to say something to him, to reassure him that she’ll be alright, that she’s stronger that people give her credit for. But, in truth, he doesn’t believe it himself.

So he keeps his mouth shut and flickers his gaze over to Tech.

Tech is sitting closest to the doors that lead to surgery. He’s flipping through a book, very quickly, and a glance at the titles makes Hunter shake his head. They’re books on medicine, surgery, and poisons. Of course, Tech is dealing with the situation in the only way he can. His hands are shaking, though.

Makes sense, Tech was the last person to see her before she was injured. He’s probably blaming himself. No one else here blames him, of course, but Tech has always been his own worst critic. Hunter will have to keep an eye on that, and maybe call Phee if he starts to spiral too badly.

Finally, Hunter turns his attention to Crosshair. Crosshair is folded into a chair, his head in his hands.

Right. Crosshair has always been closest to her. She’s always been very good at handling his mood swings, even when they were kids, and Hunter’s pretty sure that Crosshair’s feelings towards her have long since stopped being simply platonic. 

Not that he’d ever admit it, even to himself.

“You’re staring, Hunter.” Crosshair says quietly.

“Just making sure you’re alright.”

“I’m not the one that was nearly murdered. I’m fine.”

“She’s going to be fine.”

Crosshair releases a bitter laugh, “You don’t even believe that yourself.”

Hunter doesn’t say anything for a moment and then turns to face Crosshair fully. He opens his mouth to say something, only to pause when the door to the surgical suite opens, and the Doctor enters the room.

He looks exhausted, but pleased with himself. 

The Doctor’s gaze sweeps the room, and he nods once, “Her injuries are severe, but I’ve managed to repair the worst of the damage, and she has been given the first of three doses of anti-toxin. We won’t know the extent of the damage until she wakes up, but assuming nothing goes wrong over the next couple of days, she’s going to be just fine.”

The tight string of tension that had been running through all of the brothers snaps at the doctor's words as they slump in relief. “Is she allowed visitors?” Hunter asks.

“Not just yet. Give us some time to get her settled in the observation ward, and then you can visit her.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Tech says as he straightens, “This is very good news.”

The Doctor smiles at them and then turns and leaves the room.

No one moves for a moment, and then Omega lets out a delighted noise and she twirls, “She’s going to be okay!”

“So it seems,” Hunter agrees, a relieved smile on his face.

Slowly, you open your eyes, feeling like you’ve been asleep for far, far too long. You feel warm and comfortable, and it takes you a moment to completely push the sleep away to figure out where you are. 

There’s a quiet beeping noise coming from nearby, and you roll your head to see what is making that noise, momentarily confused when you see a heart monitor next to your bed.

You slowly sit up, the blanket tumbling from your chest to settle at your waist, and you absently tug on the sleeve of the shirt you’re wearing. It looks, and feels, like the soft material used in hospitals. 

And then you remember. Verdant. His Cronies. The stabbing.

You lift the hem of your shirt and peer down at your stomach. There’s a massive wound, running from just over your hip, across your stomach, and stopping just under the breast at the opposite side.

You touch the injury, and aside from some faint pain, it doesn’t hurt.

You must be on some good painkillers.

It’s about that time when you realize that you can’t feel your tail. For a moment you think that Verdant cut your tail off to punish you, though as you move the blanket, you can see your tail is still there. 

White and dark grey with black spots.

The same tail you were born with. The same tail that had you treated as an outsider. 

You stare at your tail as you try to move it. To twitch your flipper, or anything.

But nothing happens.

The door to your room opens, and you turn to stare at the Doctor. He looks surprised to see you awake, but then he smiles, “How are you feelin—?”

“I can’t feel my tail.” You interrupt.

His smile vanishes.

The next couple of hours fly by. Tests and more tests, and long conversations with dozens of different doctors, and they all say the same thing.

The attack that nearly killed you permanently damaged your spinal cord. You’re likely never going to be able to move your tail ever again. And then they leave you on your own, with little more than an appointment with a therapist to help you learn to live with your new circumstances.

And so, you’re not in the best mood when your family arrives to visit you. 

Though, Omega flinging herself into your arms, wrapping her arms tightly around your neck, and burying her face in your hair is almost enough to make you smile again. 

“How are you feeling?” Crosshair asks, as he moves to the other side of the bed, his sharp gaze flickering across you as if searching for any injuries the doctor might have missed.

“I’m…okay, all things considered.”

“Just okay?” Tech asks.

You frown slightly, “I’m going to be in the hospital for a bit longer.” And then you hesitate.

“What’s wrong?” That’s Wrecker, from the doorway. The room isn’t really big enough for everyone.

“Um…well,” You pause, “The attack left some lingering damage.”

Hunter lightly takes your hand in his, “Tell us.”

“I’m paralyzed,” You clench your jaw, to keep yourself from crying. You’re still alive, there’s no reason to be upset. “I can’t swim anymore.” Hunter’s grip on your hand tightens, “The doctors are working on coming up with a way for me to still be independent, but—”

You start when Crosshair lays his cheek against the top of your head, “We’ll help.”

“As much as we can.” Wrecker agrees.

“If we pool our money,” Tech says, “We can afford a place outside the barracks for all of us to live. I will work up a budget.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Don’t be silly,” Omega says stubbornly, “We’re family, this is what family does.”

Some of the anxiety fades away, and you flash the smallest smile towards all of them, “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank us,” Hunter says, “We’re not doing anything that you wouldn’t do for us.” He flashes a small smile, “We take care of each other.”

“You are going to have to talk to Marshal Commander Cody about the attack,” Crosshair says, “Everyone is very interested in knowing who attacked you so close to Atlantis.”

You nod at him, “I know. I’ll tell him everything he wants to know.”

Two weeks later, you’re released from the hospital with your new mobility harness strapped around you. You’re going to need help for a while, while you adapt to it, but you’re not too worried.

You have a pretty solid support system, after all.

And they’ll never let you get hurt.

[luimagines]

Mr. Blue Sky

Another commission!

A small look into the idea of what it would be like if Sky got a hold of the Four Sword and then split- but I had to focus a little more on their favorite color. not because they asked, but because I know them. XD

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

This was… interesting to say the least. 

You had managed to get separated from the group after a particularly nasty landslide. Items were thrown about, people were buried and you had taken cover in a cave with Hylia’s Chosen Hero in a split second effort to get out of the way of the falling mountain side.

You were both stuck in the darkness until you took out your lantern. You consider yourself lucky that you still had your pack strapped to your back.

“Hey…” You crawled over to Sky. He was face down in the dirt and unmoving. It was unnerving. 

“Sky.” You grabbed onto his shoulder. No reaction.

“Link.” You shook him. He groaned.

You let out a sigh of relief and all but collapsed onto yourself. “You ok? Anything broken?”

Sky pushed himself up, keeping quiet for a moment before he put a hand to his head. “No, no. I think I’m fine. Just a little turned around. Where are we?”

“I think we got buried under the mountain.” You answer, holding your lantern a little higher. “I don’t know where the others are. They might still be outside.”

Sky sits up and looks around. “Any way out?”

You shake your head.

“Great.” Sky rolls his eyes and forces himself to his feet. Instinctively, he tries to reach for the Master Sword that should have been strapped on his back, but he comes up empty. In a moment of panic, he looks around the rubble, spinning in a circle to see if he can find his beloved blade.

It’s nowhere to be found.

Instead a familiar blade lays near the once entrance. The ribbon on the hilt is a dead give away of who it belongs to. The Four Sword lays innocently on the ground, half buried by the dirt and rock that had fallen minutes earlier. You walk over and pick it up, treating it gently. You still have your weapon, since you kept everything in your pack so you have no use for it. But you can’t leave it behind.

Sky looks concerned even though he says nothing. You hand him the sword. It’s much smaller by comparison and certainly much smaller than he’s used to, but it’ll have to do. There’s not a lot of options.

“We need to move.” You say gently. “I’m sure the sword is fine. I think you actually gave it to Warrior before the landslide. We’ll need to keep this safe when we meet up with Four again. Smithy would like to know that his sword was safe too.”

Sky makes a face but takes the sword, strapping it to his back. “I know you’re right. But… I hate being underground.”

You pat him on the shoulder. Holding your lantern higher, you offer your hand to the young man. “We won’t be here forever. Let’s just keep moving ok? At best, the others are already trying to get us out of here. Knowing some of them… Bombs are definitely on the table. So let’s get away from the entrance.”

Sky takes your hand without question and nods. “...That’s a good idea. I don’t feel like being blown up after everything.”

You laugh and lead the way through the cave.

It’s dark and damp and uncomfortable. Despite the amount of room you both have to walk around freely, you find yourself shoulder to shoulder with your hands tightly held together as your sides are virtually glued together. It’s almost as if you’re both afraid to make any more noise than soft padding of your footsteps make in this cave system.

Where you’re from, many monsters live in caves such as these, but you have yet to see anything like that during your travels around Hyrule. Then again, this could be the moment where you’re proven wrong.

You tug on Sky’s hand. “Did you travel a lot underground during your adventure?”

“I’ve been underground before.” Sky answers. His normal volume sounds like it echoes along the walls of the cave. He quiets himself to a whisper. “This isn’t exactly anything new…. But when you live in an open area for your entire life… the sudden restriction is… stifling.”

“Are you claustrophobic?” You run your thumb over his knuckles.

“Wait a second, what does that me-?”

A creature screeches and turns the corner in front of you. You gasp and hook your lantern onto your hip, reaching for your weapon. Sky is the same, reaching for the Four Sword on his back.

He charges first and strikes the beast in the neck. You trip over your feet and follow up just a second later. It’s hard to see with the non existent lighting. Your lantern swings erratically and fails to do a proper job for lighting the way. You strike the monster in what you hope is the shoulder after making a swing at Sky. It turns to you with a speed faster than you could have anticipated and a limb of sorts knocks you off of your feet.

You hear Sky cry out in anger and a white light suddenly blinds you. You’re stuck on the ground for a few seconds before you hear… multiple Skys. 

You get up and can barely see the creature fighting off a small group of people. For a moment you think that part of the group has arrived to help you out, but your dimmer lantern light tells you a different story.

You charge into the fight. Glimpses of the sailcloth dyed in different colors, passes your vision and lantern light as each individual dances through the battle.

Frankly, the battle doesn’t last long with the added hands but you’re left wondering what on earth happened. That bright, blinding light was unexpected. And who are these people then? Who came to your rescue?

You unclip your lantern and hold it higher to get a better look in front of you. Your jaw drops.

Sky is still there, he’s looking just as confused as you feel. But suddenly there’s four of him. 

“I think I figured out why it’s called the Four Sword.”

“No kidding.” One of them sneers. He’s in a blue tunic with the same blue eyes that you’ve grown accustomed to seeing on Sky. “Well isn’t this just great! We’re trapped under a mountain, separated from the group, it’s pitch black and we have magic shenanigans happening at the moment.”

“Woah, hey, calm down.” The first speaker walks up to the other one. He’s dressed the most similar to the way Sky was before he apparently split, but he has green eyes. “No need to get ourselves worked up. This can work to our advantage.”

“I have to be honest.” A third Sky speaks up. He’s dressed in purple but the lantern light makes it harder to tell the color of his eyes, but you can guess that they are violet to a degree. “I don’t want to think about it. Why don’t we focus on getting out of here first?”

“Agreed.”

“And how, pray tell, do you intend to do that?” The blue one snaps.

You open your mouth to answer him, reeling from the information and the sight in front of you.

The fourth one starts coughing, cutting everyone off. You turn to him in concern. You notice that like the other three, he’s dressed in a different color. He wears a red tunic and as you approach him, you notice that his eyes are red as well. It’s off putting and it startles you. You’re used to red being the equivalent of danger- but if anything, it sounds like he’s struggling to breathe.

“Uh oh-” The purple one walks over to him. “You need to calm down too. Deeper breaths. Easy.”

“What’s happening?” You ask, holding the lantern closer to the poor man. You can see him struggle to keep the air in his lungs, despite his attempts to listen to his copy. The man in purple, rubs the other’s back, trying to fish through his pockets with one hand. You can see him struggling.

In an instant the other two beside you scramble for your light also looking through their pockets. They seem to bump into each other and they nearly run you over in their… enthusiasm. Is that what you would call it?

The one in red coughs harder. The way he tries to suck in oxygen rattles you to the bone. It’s a wet snapping noise that causes goosebumps to crawl all over your skin. It’s unnatural. He’s clearly struggling.

“What’s happening?!” You repeat louder. Your heart begins to beat quicker and you can feel the way your anxiety spikes at the lack of information.

“Hold on.” One of them says, you can’t tell who.

Suddenly, someone comes up with a rather large green item and gives it to the one in red. “Eat this.”

He does.

He begins to calm down and slowly, he starts to regain his breath. It sounds as if he was on the verge of drowning on dry land. 

You’re shaking. Your nerves feel shot. “What the heck was that?”

“Stamina Fruit.” They slowly stand again. “It helps me catch my breath and keep going.”

“I’m… sorry…” You lift your lantern higher again. “I can’t tell which one is speaking.”

The one in green lifts his hand. “It’s a good thing I still have a few. Otherwise this was going to be a painful ten minutes.”

The one in red slowly pushes himself to his feet with the help of the purple one. He raises a hand and waves him away. “...Sorry… I’m ok now…”

“Are you?” You ask again, clutching your hand over your heart. That was a terrifying few seconds. Granted, nothing had really happened. But between the sounds he was making and the lack of information you were given it was hard to keep yourself calm in what was clearly growing to be a moment of decisive action. 

He coughs some more, still not answering you. You turn to the others.

“He’ll be fine.” The purple one tries to placate you. “While I haven’t been that bad in a while, there are ways to help with it. Even if there was no stamina fruit left, it could have also just been waited out until it all calmed down again.”

You gulp. “That would have been nice to know before we got here, Sky.”

“Well that hasn’t exactly been a problem for a while now.” The one if blue growls. His foot is tapping and his arms are crossed. “This is dumb.”

The green one turns to him. “I don’t care for your attitude, you know-”

“How do we fix this?!” He shouts, ignoring the other one entirely. “This is just going to make things harder! I think even our inventory was split between the four of us.”

“You’re scaring me.” You say on instinct.

He shuts up in an instant.

The green one smacks his head with the curve of his wrist while the purple one puts his hand on your shoulder. “Come on. Keep your sword on you. I can carry the lantern. We can’t stay here. There might be more monsters. Besides, the sooner we can get back to the others, the sooner we can hopefully track down Four and ask him how to get back into one person. Given that this is his sword and we haven’t seen this ability of his yet, he must know how to undo it.”

“...Ok..” You hand him the lantern. You’re already tired. This is too much information for your brain to handle right now. Between the landslide, the darkness, the fight and whatever was happening with Sky in the red getup- you’re ready to end the day. And it’s only 2pm, you’re sure.

Purple guy takes the lead, holding his sword out with the lantern held high. Greeny and Cherry follow after, arms around each other for support as he tries to catch his breath even more. Blueberry stays behind with you, putting a hand on the small of your back as your now group descends through the cave system.

You try to not think about the way his hand feels against your body. You’re not even sure why he’s doing it. You cough to clear your throat and try to be as quiet as you possibly could. You wouldn’t want to alert any more monsters within the cave- or get on his nerves. Frankly, he still looks pissed.

Eventually, after an agonizingly long five minutes, he removes his hand and walks beside you, keeping an eye on the other three from behind. You hear him sigh and huff but not say anything else.

You decide to be a little brave, now that his hand has been removed, and poke his shoulder. “You ok, buddy?”

“...This is stupid.” He growls.

You try to not flinch and pull your hand back. “It’s… just what it is at the moment. It’s not like this was planned. I didn’t know the sword was capable of that either.”

“Hm.” He kept walking, taking your arm gently before you could trip over the rock on the cave floor beneath your feet. You have no idea how he noticed that. You have no idea how you missed that. The blue one takes another deep breath before, pausing, keeping you by his side. He turns to you. “Are you alright? All the commotion with the attack and I didn’t bother to check up if you were hurt. I thought I heard you fall.”

You blush. “No, no- I’m ok. I got my feet knocked out from under me but you distracted the thing before it could turn on me. Then you blinded it with that weird light from the sword so I got back to my feet fast enough. I didn’t thank you for that yet.”

He waves his hand, taking yours before gently pulling you along to catch up with the others. They’re the ones with the light after all.

“Don’t thank me for that. I think it only made things more complicated.” He pouts, putting his free hand on his hip. His demeanor looks upset but the way holds your hand tenderly tells you that he’s actually quite calm. You’re getting mixed signals.

“Only in the way that I don’t think I can keep calling you Sky for the time being. I think it’s actually increased our chances of survival until we can catch up with the rest of the group.” You try to smile. “We’re going to need new nicknames for you while we have these circumstances.”

He groans. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

“Blueberry.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Night?” You try again with a giggle on your lips.

He gives you a deadpanned look. “Really? Was Twilight not enough then?”

You snort. “No, no! It works perfectly! Greeny can be Dawn! Cherry pie can be Noon! Purple guy can be Dusk.”

“No.” He doesn’t seem too thrilled by your idea. “That’s too corny.”

“Oh come on! It’s cute!”

He doesn’t reply.

“Alright! The other names it is then!” You cheer, patting his shoulder. “I’ve got this all figured out. Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing.”

“I’m worrying about the thing.” He replies, seemingly biting on his tongue to keep the smile off of his face. That’s what you’re telling yourself at least.

You open your mouth to call out to the other three before his hand comes out and covers your mouth. You go fight him off playfully, but something in him changes and you’re pulled against his chest, his grip on your tightens and he pushes you both against the wall. 

“Shh..”

You stop struggling as primal fear sets in. You’re a second from kicking into your fight or flight mode, ready to throw him off of you when you hear it. It’s big. It’s heavy and you can’t see it at all.

Slowly, it walks towards you and Night tenses up besides you. He keeps your mouth covered and moves so that his body is on top of yours. 

“Stop moving.” He whispers close to your ear. “I’m sure it can hear us better than we can hear it.”

You stop and wait. The air is tense. You’re sure you can cut it with a knife. You realize then, that the light ahead of you- is gone. Either they’re too far ahead or they realized it was coming faster than you and snuffed out the light.

Something huffs and you can feel the air pass over your head. You curl in closer to Night. 

Neither of you make a sound. You’re too afraid to even breathe.

Another huff and then it starts moving away from you, shaking the cave as it goes. Step after step, it seems to move away from you and you feel as if you can breathe again. A moment later, Night relaxes and gets off of you.

“Sorry.” He whispers, running his hand over your head. “Are you ok? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

You shake your head, before remembering that he wouldn’t be able to see it. “I’m ok. You just took me off guard.”

“I didn’t exactly have a lot of time to warn you.” He admits before trailing his hand down your head, over your shoulder and down your arm. He takes your hand.

In front of you, you can see your lantern light be lit once more.

You take a breath and move towards it, desperate to be able to see where you’re all going. ���We need to get out of here.”

“We can keep going this way.” The one you’ve now dubbed as Dawn points up ahead. “We can follow the tunnel and hopefully figure the way-”

Something explodes in the distance and you can hear frantic, and frankly, upset yelling coming from very familiar voices. Dawn deadpans with a tired smile. “Or we can follow the yelling and meet up with the others finally.”

“I like that idea better.”

[daddysfangirls-dc]

The Arrangement

Ch 4 - Family Portrait

Damian Wayne x OC!Female

Prev | Next

Bruce was not pleased with Damian. He was upset with the knowledge that the girl had fled the city and angry when his son refused to disclose any more information about the girl. He hadn't spoken of her since that night in the cave. Although the others did try to get him to talk about her, they were unsuccessful. Eventually, most gave up. Bruce and Tim were still on his case. He was benched for a while, and he was pretty sure all his electronics were tagged and being spied on. All his gear had new trackers built in as well.

It didn't matter. Syn and Damian communicated via letters through Alfred. No one was aware of Alfred meeting Syn or the letters. This went on constant vigilantes and secret letters for several months. 

-

"Why didn't you tell us?" Dick asked as he stole one of Damian's fries. "Why didn't you tell us you had a fiance?" Damian sighed deeply. Dick felt bad for asking as he watched Damian slump forward, then quickly tense up, squaring his shoulder in defense.

" She is from my time with the League. I knew none of you would approve. "

"were you going to hide her forever?"

"no, she's my fiance. I would have still married her once I came of age. The likelihood of you all being involved would have been...less."

That hurt. Damian was more than likely prepared to have a life without them or support. He didn't believe anyone would support him more in his relationship, and he didn't think they cared. " I'm sorry"

"You've done nothing to warrant the need for an apology."

"You don't feel comfortable telling us about your fiance-"

"I'm not uncomfortable. I just know you all well enough to know all the possible outcomes. And I don't want her involved. She's already dealing with one side of my family, the murderous, egotistic, dominant, delusional side. She doesn't need to get involved with the egotistical, obsessive, dominant, unrestricted side." his appetite was gone. His food was now a distraction for him to pick out. " She already has to deal with her family and my maternal family. I don't want her to... I want her to have peace. "

"you really care about her?"

"She's my fucking fiance." the duh tone and deadpan expression was too much. Dick bit back his laugh; a chuckle slipped through.

"Apparently," he said, "Will we get a chance to meet her ?"

"Can you guarantee everyone will be on their best behavior?"

"No"

"Then not likely."

-

Syn took a deep breath before she took off quickly and skillfully, jumping over the estate's wall and running across the lawn. She laid low and stuck to the shadows, avoiding the security system. Opting against the door, she found an unlocked window on the first floor—how convenient! She slipped into the manor. The manor was empty; everyone was gone for their nightly activities. Signal was included as he had been following a lead since this morning.

She walked the halls slowly, stopping occasionally to look at hanging photos and paintings. She stopped in front of a painting, a family portrait. Two older gentlemen, four young men, and one girl. Everyone had very similar features. The oldest three guys and a girl had eyes with varying shades of blue. And the youngest, her love, was a beautiful shade of green. Despite knowing everything about everyone in the painting, most were strangers she never met. She had only known Alfred and Damian. 

"We'll be commissioning another soon." Alfred had seen her on the security cameras. After Disabling them before approaching. " Adding Duke"

"Why wasn't he in this one?" This painting was a few years ago, and Duke was part of the family then. 

"He was still new at the time and still grieving his parent's situation. He still had hope they'd get better."

"And now?"

"Bruce is not his father, but he is his family." 

Duke eventually accepted his parents' situation and its hopelessness. He knew the likelihood of getting his parents back was minimal and simply took what he could from them in his visits. He had accepted and was grateful this was his new family. 

"You like it," Syn said as she started walking down the hall, looking at photos. " Having a full house. So many grandbabies."

"The manor has never been so full," he smiled. " You have yet to tell me why you're here," he said bring the focus to more important matters. Like her sudden appearances after months. 

"I'd like to meet my future in-laws. Or at least get more information on them." 

"And you can't learn from them in a more appropriate setting." 

"If they are anything like Damian, No."

Alfred sighed. She was right. It would be a long while before she got behind the masks. Introductions were integrations. Greetings were intimations. Acts of affection were subtle pat-downs. No one in this family was normal. 

"Alright, I'll try the normal way. These photos have given me enough information to understand the dynamics of the main household." Syn said, hoping to please Alfred. Maybe the family would get some semi-normal or could at least act like it. Duke wasn't fooling anyone anymore. 

"How about dinner this Saturday?"

"I'll ask Damian. He's not aware of my presence yet."

"Understood." Comotion could be heard on his coms

"I'll show myself out. Goodnight, Alfred."

"Goodnight, Miss Syn"

-

Syn lay still. As she listened to the door open, she pulled her dagger to her chest and evened her breathing. Ready to jump. Ready to fight. "Why was I not made aware of your arrival?" the tension left her body. Relaxing her grip on her dagger and putting it back under her pillow. She took a moment before slowly sitting up and opening her eyes. Damian stood at the foot of her bed, arms crossed in his Gotham Academy uniform: Dark trousers, white button-up, blazer, and tie, all neat and tidy like she expected him to be. 

"You look good," he just glared. " How was school?" he just glared some more. She sighed.

"I knew you would have said no if I asked or waited for some elaborate plan."

"My apologies for wanting us to be prepared."

"Will we ever be prepared?" she asked. " For your family, will we ever be prepared?" Damian sighed he saqt on the edge of the bed she moved to sit next to him. 

"No...They're unpredictable imbeciles."

"We should start with proper introductions and go from there. AT least try for a bit of normalization. Alfred would appreciate it."

She was right. They couldn't continue their relationship without his family's involvement. They needed some kind of introduction, at least to make his family more aware of her, as she was going to stick around. He'd make sure of it. 

Damian took a deep breath, standing and straightening his blazer. " Alfred has informed you of Saturday dinner?"

"Yes, he has."

"I'll arrive on Saturday afternoon to help you dress and prep."

Syn jumped out of bed and followed him towards the kitchen. She found a bag of takeout on the counter he unpacked it as she sat down. "How was school?" she asked her earlier question.

"full of imbeciles" he was going to leave it at that. I do not particularly like the place. 

"I've never been."

At moments like these, Damian was reminded that despite growing up side by side for nearly a decade, he was still more privileged than she'd ever been. He had more titles, more rights, more teachers, he made more normal, more people that actually cared, more friends. He had simple things like pets, family outings(that didn't involve killing), school, and big things like forgiveness. Things she'd never be given.

He could tell her a little about school. And he did. 

[psychologicalwarclaire]

👀can you do a Kai and Zane fic with 7 and 18 pls 🙏🙏🙏 We don’t get to see their brotherly dynamic very often anymore

Prompt list by @promptsbytaurie

Half pinned beneath a large chunk of earth, Zane tried to remain calm.

It was lucky his nerve-circuits shut off after a certain level, or else he would have been in severe pain. Alarms popped up in front of his eyes. Severed sensors. Impeded gears. Skin integrity at 20%.

The cave in had happened without warning.

Well, upon inspection of his recent recorded memories, maybe there had been some warning signs. Not that Zane and Kai had noticed, as they'd been too busy discussing how to get the Geckles to actually team up with the Munce.

Wait, Kai...

"K-Kai-i-i?" Zane called. Another warning popped up indicating the obvious: vocalizing systems damaged.

Zane swallowed down his panic as the list of known injuries and malfunctions grew. They were under a mountain. With no tools to repair him. No materials to repair him.

Why did these things always happen to him?

"Zane!" Kai's voice bounced off of the rocks from everywhere.

The Nindroid shifted. The horrible sound of stone against metal met his ears. Hm. Maybe it was not so lucky that he couldn't feel anything.

A different type of red filled his vision. Not the terrifying red blaring WARNING. WARNING. WARNING. A familiar, comforting red. Warm, fierce, protective red.

Kai.

Luckily, the worst of Kai's injuries seemed to be a slight limp in his left leg and the dried blood under his nose.

"A-a-ahhh," Zane struggled. "Glad-d yo-ou're ok-k-k-k--"

The red ninja's face twisted as if he were the one being crushed beneath approximately half a ton of earth. "That's not good."

"I w-would much ra-a-ather it be m-me tha-an you." Zane's mouth tasted like angry TV static. It was good Zane didn't technically need to breathe because he was pretty sure human lungs would not have been functioning in this situation. Still, the sensation of having his chest crushed was not great. "I-I am... st-tist-c-ically the bet-t-tt-t--"

"Nope, no, none of that!" Kai snapped. He was doing something with the rocks. Surely didn't Kai realize that Zane was stuck, stuck? "Just stop. Stop talking like that. You're not expendable, you're not a walking sacrifice, you're not going to die. You're gonna be FINE, Zane. I promise."

Zane winced as more harsh scraping filled his ears. His head vibrated with the movement of the stones.

He opened his mouth to warn Kai that his vision was only filling with more and more and more warnings but nothing came out. Kai himself kept glitching in and out of focus.

As Zane opened his mouth, the only thing that came out was a high pitched whine.

Kai froze, then started tugging on the rocks with renewed vigor. "You're not getting taken out by a stupid boulder, Buddy," he growled. "That's just not-- just not fair!"

"s-s-s--ns-s-se wh-e-e-en.... ever-r-r-r... f-f-fai-r-r-r.....?" Systems powering down.

It was going to be fine. Zane was going to be fine. Kai would make sure Zane was fine.

...the rocks weren't so bad when they were entirely out of focus. The edges were soft. Soft like a bed for him to snuggle into. He was already tucked in, wasn't he? Exhaustion pulled him further into the welcoming earth.

"Zane?! Cut it out, buddy! Wake up. You wake back up right now, you jerk or- or I'm telling Pixel! Zane? Zane!!"

He always came back. The universe had decided a long time ago that Zane wasn't allowed to die.

More importantly, Kai had decided a long time ago that Zane wasn't allowed to die.

Kai has been a lot kinder to him than the universe ever had. Zane would much rather be in the hands of his firey brother than the universe that loved using him as a chew toy.

As everything faded away, the last thing to go was Kai's panicked voice. It would be okay.

Eventually.

[hazelkjt]

— “just hold me.”

Touched Starved Prompts Write up below ----------

And here she was, back home...a home she shouldn't have left in the first place. At least, that's what Hazel thought now.

It was early in the morning in Reunion but the are was still bustling with Xaela from myriad tribes going about their business. Chambui, the usual Buuz seller was hard at work selling the meat buns to any and everyone around. The other merchants among the tribes were beginning to set up shop as well, the Qestir tribesmen and women keeping silent vigil over the locale.

Hazel began to unconsciously shrink herself down as to try and not be noticed. She grew up in the Steppe for sure, but with her non-traditional clothing she grew accustomed to in Eorzea she looked no different than another traveling Xaela who did not call this place home. Why she was trying to hide herself she didn't fully understand herself. All Hazel could recognize was that she wanted to get through Reunion with as few people recognizing her as possible.

Thankfully it would be fairly simple. The Kha very rarely travel to Reunion at all so the odds of running into another tribe member should be fairly low. Once Hazel was through, it was simply a matter of making her way to the cave system and traveling back to the tribe...

Her hand involuntarily goes to grip her sword, forgetting still that it was shattered. Her expression turns somber as she stares at the empty space on her hip. She failed, plain and simple. She wasn't ready to go out and travel the world...there was no place for her out there. To see all the world has to offer? She was a fool to try and follow such an unattainable dream, she was-

"...Is it truly you?" A soft spoken voice calls out from behind Hazel, one she knew all too well. One she heard in her dreams many, many nights. Sure, she could have been talking to anyone...but Hazel knew. She knew. She freezes, blinking away tears as she turns around. Behind her is a short Xaela woman wearing a black and red tunic...the colors of the Kha tribe. But even without the clothing she could never forget the woman in front of her.

"M...mo...mother...?" She chokes out, the word almost becoming stuck in her throat. Without warning, Janis Kha's eyes shoot open entirely and she runs forward. Hazel nearly stumbled back from the full weight of her mother crashing into her. "I cannot believe it! You truly are back!"

The daughter was shocked by her mother's actions, almost too stunned to move. Janis was always more openly affectionate than Hazel's father but never to this degree. "M-mother, I...I-I..." Hazel begins to speak, but feels the tears welling up again. Any further and they would spill out. In response to this though, Janis hugs her daughter tighter.

"Shhhhh...just hold me...let all your worries wash away...we cannot have you a tear filled mess when your father sees you, now can we?" Janis's words always could cut into Hazel's heart. The dam had burst open and Hazel began openly sobbing, holding her mother close. "I'm sorry! I'm sssoo, so sorry! I-I couldn't...I didn't...I..." She could barely get the words out between the tears.

Janis keeps her breathing steady, unmoving while Hazel began shaking. She looks up at her daughter with the same warm and gentle smile that Hazel recalled from her childhood. "Everything is okay, everything is okay. You, Hazel, are my brave and dear hunter. You have no reason to apologize, for you have done no wrong. When you are ready, we can start the journey back home. Baato and I cannot wait to hear what grand adventures you have been on!"

[soonamisapphire]

Batman's Not-Child - Zoobazoo - Batman - All Media Types [Archive of Our Own]

Hey , this got me thinking I haven't seen any stories where Batman introduces Tim as the one financing the JL I think that would be funny if they were like this is the kid that built the Watchtower. " Hey JL this is red Robin between him and oracle they own us all"

Someone write that and tag me pls

-------------------------

Batman sighed. “Red Robin, report.”

The boy, Red Robin, began, “We infiltrated the base. Took down the goons - there were more of them than we realized. I’m fine, but I might need stitches. Spoiler twisted her ankle. The end. I’ll fill out a proper report back at the cave.”

Spoiler stuck her foot out for emphasis.

Batman nodded. “Good work. Get back to the cave and have Agent A check your injuries.”

Tim looked like he wanted to protest. So, obviously, he did. “Wait! I wanna introduce myself. Actually, I can’t believe Spoils was the first one to be introduced, I’ve literally helped the JLA so many times. If anything, I should've been first,” Red Robin complained. It was true, after all. He’s the one that practically funds almost all of the League’s endeavors as the CEO of WE. Plus, he updates their systems for them without them knowing bi-monthly. Batman nodded. Fair’s fair, after all.

“League, this is Red Robin,” he said. “Red Robin, this is the League. Not that you didn’t already know that.” Tim chuckled.

[idontknowreallywhy]

Resurface 6 - Recoil

A few more words on this one… it’s err… It’s got complicated.

Catharsis is good though, right?

💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙

“Virgil?”

“Dad?”

Scott had been shot once. Unsurprisingly the memory had stuck with him quite vividly.

Having dodged a number of bullets during actual military service, months of incarceration and torture then escaped the grasping claws of malaria, not to mention miraculously surviving a huge range of deadly situations over years of rescues… well, he could have been forgiven for feeling a little invincible.

It had just been an angry farmer. Who didn’t understand why they were on his land. Who wasn’t aware of the ancient cave system beneath. Who didn’t appear to understand that when lives were at stake, a small area of scorched crops and a new entrance to said caves were a necessary sacrifice. Who didn’t care who they were. Even after patiently absorbing the wild eyed ranting, none of them were prepared for the bang.

He remembered the wet thud to his abdomen, the moment of shock before the sudden rush of hormones screaming in panic - the certainty this was the worst it could ever be, that this was actually… it. All the while on the surface he had calmly applied pressure to the entry wound and told Virgil he was fine and to stop worrying. Which he had been sure was pretty believable, right up until the point he passed out.

He couldn’t succumb to unconsciousness this time. Had to ignore the chemical alarm bells telling him this was an injury he couldn’t survive. There was no danger of bleeding out on this occasion, at least… but blood could be replaced. Whatever life force was pumping out of his soul right now… he wasn’t sure it was possible to put back.

But on the surface…

He focussed on smiling, on forcing it to reach his eyes. He kept his voice light, friendly. Unthreatening.

“Hey Virgie, do you reckon we could head inside and talk this through?”

“It’ll have to wait. We’re on a deadline, you know - lives to save!” There was a hardness in his brother’s voice that chilled him to the bone. Virgil eyes locked on his and Scott was appalled to see the anger churning just below the surface. Appalled and… afraid.

“That’s what we do right, Dad? That’s what we’re FOR.”

Another silent gunshot.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Inconvenient (LU in Healthcare War Era)

Sicktember Prompt 15 – Sick in an inconvenient place

This wasn’t ideal.

Everything about the mission was steadily unraveling. The objective had gotten more complicated. The timing was taking longer. The team had split up more than they’d intended.

And Link could feel the shivers of a fever falling over him. It had to be a fever – he felt too warm in such a cold, damp cave system.

The Champions had been sent to infiltrate an enemy base. Their job was to cripple the central command just before General Impa (Link still was thrown off by the fact that their go-to military intelligence officer, Zelda’s friend, shared a name with one of the biggest generals in the army) led her army for the assault. They originally had planned on parachuting in, but the plane that Link, Mipha, and Daruk had been on was shot down. Revali, Zelda, and Urbosa had made it to the drop zone, leaving the team already split more than it needed to be. Zelda had further divided them when they’d made contact since their intel had been a little off – Revali would provide sniper support for Urbosa, who would make her way in through the initial weak point they’d identified. Daruk would take out the secondary base outside the citadel that they hadn’t known about, eliminating a security system that was in place. Meanwhile, Link and Mipha would enter the citadel through the caverns below, which had been their original backup if they couldn’t make it to the drop zone.

They’d swam for almost an hour in frigid waters to get to the damp cave system that Mipha had memorized. Link hadn’t thought much of it until he’d remembered the sore throat he’d had yesterday. After their excursion it had blossomed, making him barely able to talk and snaking a stiffness and ache into his shoulders and head.

And he was shivering. But the water on him was now perspiration. He was frigid and blazing hot at the same time.

Of all the times to get freaking sick.

Thankfully the cave system wasn’t really guarded – there would be a pair of soldiers at the entrance to the citadel itself. They had originally intended to reach the point just below the central command center and plant detonators, but Daruk was the explosives expert and he had been redirected. Mipha could still get them there, and Link was more than happy to set off some bombs, but he didn’t have as much arsenal as their bombastic teammate.

“Zelda hadn’t exactly been specific,” Mipha said worriedly as she held her rifle more tightly. “Daruk has most of the explosives; I don’t think we can actually get into the command center without him.”

Link was thankful he was usually a pretty quiet guy. His lack of response was entirely due to his insanely sore throat, but Mipha wasn’t going to question it due to his silent nature.

She did make a good point, though. Zelda had to adapt the plan to fit the circumstances, but all she’d covered was their entry. They were on radio silence now and they still had to meet at the command center.

Link swallowed and then grimaced at the pain that brought. He bit back a moan, pausing when Mipha stopped at an intersection.

“The command center is down this corridor,” Mipha said carefully. “But the main entrance that actually accesses the citadel is to the right. Which way should we go?”

Fewer explosives meant less likelihood of breaching the command center. Taking the route that fed into the streets of the citadel meant less likelihood of surviving to get to the command center.

Well, the original objective had been to bomb the command center itself. Link could probably jury rig something to make the explosives more effective. Or they could at least attempt to make entry. At least if they stuck to the original plan, they’d be in the right spot. They could potentially secure the command center long enough for the rest of the team to get there.

Or they’d die waiting for backup.

Link bit his lip uncertainly. He didn’t like this. He wished Zelda had been specific with her orders. Then again, she hadn’t changed their orders in particular. He shouldn’t be overthinking it, then.

Link pointed towards the corridor that led to the command center. Mipha took a steadying breath and nodded. The pair marched ahead in silence, though it was beginning to be punctuated by a steadily growing wheeze developing in Link’s chest. At first, Mipha didn’t notice it, too focused on remembering the path they needed to take, but when Link had to bite back a cough and only halfway succeeded, she looked at him worriedly.

“Link… are you okay?” she asked.

Link nodded hastily. This was not the time to be focusing on this. However, Mipha was not only his dearest friend, but also the medic of the group. Her gaze lingered on him too long, and he finally gave up, saying hoarsely, “I don’t feel good. But we have a mission to complete, Mipha. Let’s go.”

He should’ve known better than to say this. Mipha immediately hesitated. “Maybe we should—”

“No.” He hissed. “Let’s—go.”

The one good thing about Mipha’s gentle nature was that she wasn’t big on arguing. She watched him worriedly a moment longer and the nodded. “Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

Great. Now he felt awful in every way possible.

They continued in silence until they reached the point in question. Link bit back another cough, stumbling a hair with a dizzy spell. Mipha watched him, eyes glistening with concern, but she didn’t dare say anything. Link felt guilt coil in his gut alongside nausea. Together the pair set up the explosives, though with some help from Link they managed to climb the walls so they could put the bombs closer to the ceiling of the cave.

Surprisingly, the amount of bombs were still enough. Surprisingly, Link could blink and shake his head through his dizzy spells enough to actually still shoot well. Thankfully, Mipha had his back. And by the grace of heaven above, the rest of the team made it in time. The command center was destroyed, enemies killed, officers captured, and they met up with the army in time for the assault. The mission was a success.

Link was so relieved he could pass out. Or maybe—maybe he had? Why was he on his back all of a sudden?

“What is that idiot doing? We have to go!” He heard Revali grumble.

“Link’s sick, I’m sure of it!” Mipha said worriedly, and her face came into his vision, albeit a little blurry. “Link, can you hear me?”

Link grunted as best a response as he could, but by heaven, he suddenly had no energy.

“This isn’t good,” Zelda noted, a tremble to her tone. “We have to get him out of here.”

Something wrapped around his arm and squeezed it. A blood pressure cuff. Mipha was taking his vitals. He reached haphazardly with his other hand, hand tangling in Mipha’s silky hair, trying to reassure her.

This really wasn’t ideal.

Something plopped onto his face. It was cold and wet. Then another. And another. He shivered. He was burning up, though, so it was kind of nice.

Rain. It was rain. It was raining.

The ground shook hard, and something else plopped onto his face. It was much harder, firmer, and not moist at all. It cut his face and made him flinch. Dust and rock, debris from explosions.

The assault.

“I can update the general,” Urbosa offered. “Revali can cover me.”

“Yes… right,” Zelda agreed halfheartedly, unfocused. “I… No. No, I have to update the general. Revali, work on contacting command to get us out of here. Urbosa, Daruk, watch Mipha and Link.”

“We should move,” Daruk suggested as another explosion shook the area.

Link felt the ground disappear, instead hovering in a strong hold before being shoved up against a warm, muscular chest. Daruk must have been carrying him.

This was just embarrassing now, but he was honestly too addled to protest. Instead, he coughed so hard he felt like he could cough up his entire lung. He almost threw up from the effort.

“What’s his status, Mipha?”

“Tachycardic, has a fever, but his blood pressure is holding steady for now. He can’t stay here, though.”

Link’s mind snapped back into clarity as he heard Mipha gasp and bullets peppered the area. Daruk’s pace picked up, he heard Urbosa firing back at whoever was attacking them, and Link immediately started squirming.

“Not now, brother,” Daruk insisted, his hold tightening, nearly squeezing the air out of Link’s struggling lungs.

Link fought regardless, managing to slip a hand into the holster on his hip. He could just see over Daruk’s shoulder, he could just see the enemy soldiers approaching. He couldn’t get a good angle with the pistol while he was being held, though.

Mipha turned around, cold determination on her face, and managed to get a head shot on the closest soldier. Urbosa took out the rest.

“Evac will be available to us back at the general’s position,” Revali’s voice came over the earpieces everyone wore.

“Can we make it to the general’s location?” Mipha asked worriedly.

“We’ll make it,” Urbosa answered firmly, though not without a touch of kindness. “Don’t worry.”

Link wiggled in Daruk’s grip once more, though with far less conviction as exhaustion overtook him. “I—can—help.”

“Can you run?” Urbosa asked.

Link nodded, biting back a cough. Daruk hesitated, but a glare from Urbosa made him relinquish his grip on the younger soldier, and Link found himself unsteadily standing once more. Mipha immediately took his hand, squeezing it tightly.

“Stay with me,” she advised worriedly. “I’ll protect you.”

Link swallowed, giving her a reassuring smile as he reached for his pistol with his right hand. The group started making their way to the periphery of the battlefield, ducking low to avoid attention. This battle was no longer theirs, after all – they had accomplished their goal. The army would handle the rest.

When mortar fire rocked their world, creating cavernous holes in the earth around them, Link and Mipha both fell, slamming into the ground. His ears were ringing, dust in his lungs as he struggled to breathe, and suddenly everything went black.

It didn’t last long, though. Or at least he didn’t think it did? Though he wasn’t entirely sure what wasn’t supposed to last long. The mission—they’d completed it, right?

Mission. Yeah. Yeah, they’d finished it. And then the fight. Good grief, his head was pounding.

Link opened his eyes blearily, distinctly aware that the world around him was bouncing, his head bobbing against something firm couched in softness, a strange blend that warmed his neck while the rest of him shivered on a cold, hard bed of sorts. He heard an engine revving, and his brain hazily put the pieces together that he was riding in the bed of a truck. Based on how dark it was, it was likely a covered troop carrier.

A leg. His head was resting on a leg. That’s what it was.

Wait, he’d been on a battlefield—

Blinking in the darkness, Link immediately focused his vision and nearly shot to his feet, but a quiet, gentle voice caught his attention.

“—right, Link. You’re fine. We got out.”

“Mipha?” he asked, coughing and grimacing at how bad he sounded.

Mipha smiled down at him, amber eyes glistening with relief. “Yes, I’m here. It’s good to see you awake. You’re safe, Link. We made it to the evac point. They’re taking us to the LZ now.”

A thought nagged at him. “’m sorry I was rude before.”

Mipha blinked. “You—what?”

“During the mission.”

“Oh, Link,” Mipha sighed with a small laugh. “It’s all right. I know you wanted to complete the mission.”

“You were worried, though.”

“Yes, I was. But we weren’t in a position to do much about it. You were right.”

Link sighed, feeling the wheeze escape his chest as he did so. Mipha’s hand slid into his, calloused, thin fingers caressing his own. The pair shared a smile as their ride bounced through the desert. Link glanced around and saw his teammates all sitting in various states of exhaustion, but alive and well. Zelda had fallen asleep with her head on Urbosa’s shoulder while Daruk was needling Revali, who seemed irritated about something. They were all okay.

Link felt his body relax in relief. They had successfully completed their mission, and everyone was safe. Whatever illness he’d decided to catch had chosen the worst time to wreak havoc, but they’d made it nonetheless. He shifted a little to get more comfortable with Mipha and then drifted off, safe in her care. A last, wishful thought passed through his mind.

Someday… someday we can end this and we can all just be together and be safe. No war, no constant anxieties… someday.

Someday.