#we were together and were in the underground...... but at some point we got lost in the woods

[awkward-tension-art]

Bacta and Bandages Chp.9 (Rex x Reader)

Chapter 8. Epilogue

Crystals

CW: Slow burn, Two fools trying to ignore their crushes, underground caves, non-canon planet and species, talk of unfair treatment of clones, being lost, kisses, Anakin is a little shit, Reader is gender neutral, no use of (Y/N), reader is a doctor, if I miss a tag LMK!

Tag list (Thank you everyone!): @heavenseed76 @arctrooper69 @ghostlyembassy @notgonnaedit @tentakelspektakel

You couldn’t breathe. 

Your mouth filled with cold water, flooding your taste buds with salt and dirt. Shouting wasn’t possible as you tumbled under the harsh current. It threw you, disorienting your senses. At some point, you dropped again into another running body of water. A smaller waterfall, you guessed. 

Your back slammed into what you assumed was the bottom of the river. 

An iron grip on your arm yanked you upward, letting your head breach the surface to take in a lungful of air. Despite getting your face above water, it still tried to ragdoll your body under the current. 

That same grip continued to pull you, and once you got your bearings, you started kicking your legs. You opened your eyes, barely making out Rex’s blue and white armor treading the same dark, cold water. His presence grounded you, and it was like everything snapped together all at once. You moved your hand, holding his tightly as you both fought against the heavy current to get to the edge of the river. 

Your feet hit smooth stones and allowed you to stabilize. With your boots on the ground, you and your Captain stumbled out of the freezing rapids. 

Once you were out of the dangerous clutches of the current, you fell to your knees, breathing heavily. 

Rex did the same, pulling off his helmet to cough up water. As he tried to get his breath back, he hit his com, “G-General Skywalker…” He croaked, only to be met with static. After getting no response, he pressed it again, “Commander Tano…?” 

Static. 

You lowered your head, swallowing. Coms didn’t work…

Of course they didn’t work.

After a stretch of silence, you spoke, “Are you hurt?” Looking around the two of you, you took in your surroundings. You both had surfaced in another cavern. This one had large silver shards protruding from the walls, ceiling and floor. Glowing moss and mushrooms lit up the area, so you weren’t entirely blind.

Rex perked up, moving to stand and offering a hand to you, “No, I’m not….Are you?”

You took it and stood, giving him a small smile, “I’m good. Let's…find a way back.”

He nodded, putting his helmet back on, “Stay close. We don’t know what might be hiding in the damn walls.”

You nodded and followed, brushing a hand over one of the massive metal fragments. Unsurprisingly, they were cold. Almost icy to the touch. If you had to guess, the water you and Rex tumbled in had come from the surface. 

As the two of you walked through the underground paths, the Captain would periodically check his com, hoping to get a connection to the General or Commander. 

As you navigated the tunnels, the metal shards began to be replaced with more of the coral like stone, moss and glowing mushroom plants. Crystal embedded in the ceiling gave a soft light, looking more like stars than gems. 

It was…rather pretty. 

You reached up, hand brushing over a white, glowing lily speckled with black. However, once you touched it, the flower closed suddenly and shrank into the rock it was growing out of. There were more up ahead and they grew in number, the further you and Rex walked. 

The underground tunnel opened up into a chamber that was more grotto than cavern. The air echoed with the running water of a stream. Moss, patches of grass and flowers replaced the cold rock of the ground. Vines, with small glowing berries, hung from branching stalagmites and protruding crystals on the wall. Small bugs, which lit up with a soft golden white light, danced around both you and the clone beside you. 

“Woah…” Your eyes were wide, taking in the rather beautiful area. You stepped forward, raising a finger to one of the glowing bugs. It landed gently on your nail, flexed its wings and hovered off to continue its flying, “It’s…beautiful…”

Rex was looking at you as you spoke, however, you didn’t notice, “Yes…I agree.” He continued onward, trying not to stare too long, “let’s…let’s continue.” clearing his throat, he tried his com again. 

Among the static, you swear you heard Anakin’s voice, “Rex…Collapse…Where….” Rex tried to respond, but was met with more broken distortion.

“The General must be close, if we have a connection.” You perked up, walking over to him. 

“We should still try and find…” The Captain's voice faded off, watching a butterfly with large, bioluminescent wings hover close. He raised a hand to try and swat it but you grabbed his fingers, halting him. it approached, landing softly on his visor. The beautiful bug fluttered its wings a couple of times before going still.  

You couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped your lips.

He cleared his throat, “Now, uhh…little bug, that’s…I can’t see.” Slowly, he raised his free hand again, letting the glowing butterfly walk along his palm, “There we go, buddy.” After a few more moments, it beat its massive wings again and got into the air. 

For a second, you forgot you were holding his hand. You didn’t want to let go, even after you began walking again. 

He was the one who pulled away. 

You tried not to let it bother you. Though, it did. 

You’ve realized that your ‘passing crush’ was more than that. There were true, deep feelings for the captain in your heart. Something you couldn’t shake, no matter how hard you tried. 

You wondered when these feelings began.

Was it the time he helped you with your aim?

When he was the one who got the others to sign a card after Ferrum’s death?

One of the many times he thanked you after you bandaged his wounds on the battlefield? 

Or maybe it was when you first saw him smile. When you saw how warm and lovely he looked when he did so. When he smiled, a true, happy smile, he wasn’t the 501st captain. He was Rex. 

You loved Rex. 

And it ruined you. Clones weren’t permitted romantic partners. Even if he had the same feelings, neither of you could pursue them. Not only was it against the rules, he was your Captain, and you were his legions doctor.

You walked behind him, watching his armored back. He was a soldier. A good soldier. He’d never break the rules to be with you. 

So you swallowed your feelings and followed his steps.

The grotto was bigger than you originally thought. It took more than 20 minutes to get to the other side to look for a way forward. You brushed aside some vines, revealing another tunnel. It was pure darkness save for those glowing star-like crystals that dotted the walls and ceilings. The small amount of illumination reflected off multicolored stone. 

When you and Rex stepped forward, it was like you were walking inside the galaxy.

“I can see why the Drosari like living in the tunnels.” the clone beside you spoke quietly, “Though, as pretty as all of this is, I’d like to no longer be underground.”

You let out a small chuckle, “If there wasn’t the threat of a cave-in, I might like it here.” Your hand ghosted over the crystals in the wall, “These caves are beautiful.” 

“I agree, but I think I prefer to have a solid, metal ship around me rather than rock.” Rex responded, shrugging slightly. 

“You prefer a Venator ceiling over an open sky?”

“Well,” He grazed his palm over a cluster of gems that reflected soft purple light, “Other than Kamino, It’s all I’ve ever known as a home.”

Your heart twisted in your chest and you turned to look at him. You couldn’t see his expression through his helmet when you asked your question, “What would your ideal home be?” 

“What?” He seemed surprised by your question. After a few beats the Captain answered, “Truthfully, I haven’t thought about it.”

“Not even a little?” you asked, walking beside him, “When the war is over, where would you like to go?”

“We’re not made to think like that.” Rex took off his helmet, and turned to look at it in his hands, “We’re soldiers. We were made to fight. It’s why we age twice as fast, so when the fighting is done, we…don’t stay for too long.” 

You swallowed, throat tightening.

“And…what if you didn’t age twice as fast?” Your voice shook slightly before you cleared your throat to speak, “You could choose anywhere to live. Where would it be?” Without thinking, you rested a hand against his arm.

“I don’t know.” he sighed, “Why does it matter?”

Your words were stubborn, “Because what you think matters to me.” You don’t know why his answer mattered so much to you. Even in the low crystal light you could tell he was confused by your pressing. 

Rex blinked, “I’m a clone, doc. You don’t need to-”

“You're more than a clone to me.” you stepped forward, getting closer to him, “And you're more than a soldier…”

There was a flick of emotion in his gaze. His eyes reflected the small illuminating crystals, making them look like amber with stars trapped inside.

By the galaxy, his eyes were beautiful. 

He swallowed, looking back at his helmet before meeting your eyes, “I suppose I’d want to…have my home wherever you are.” The nervousness was clear in his tone. And you could feel ever so slight shaking from his arm.

Your heart hammered in your chest as you got closer. With a trembling hand, you raised it to his cheek. 

Rex was tense and frozen in place, looking at you. His gorgeous eyes were a storm of anxiety and uncertainty. His small confession was honest but most likely terrifying for him. He was created and raised to be a soldier, and he was in unknown territory now. 

He wasn’t taught anything more than warfare. 

You held power over him, intentional or not. He was a clone. In the eyes of many he was property with no thoughts or feelings. A droid to take orders, nothing more. He wasn’t allowed rights or liberties.

So you gave him the power to choose what he wanted.

“Rex?” You whispered his name, breath ghosting his skin, “Can I kiss you?” 

The Captain nodded slowly, “Yes…Please…” 

You’d most likely be his first. His first kiss. His first romantic partner. His first…everything.

Gently and slowly, you leaned forward, connecting his lips with yours. It was tender, soft and chaste. But it held so much emotion. The only reason you pulled back was to breathe, but he chased you slightly, following your lips. 

The Captain blinked his eyes open, meeting your gaze. His helmet dropped to the ground, and his palms were on your cheeks. This time, he initiated by leaning forward and kissing you. It was an uncertain kiss, but one that still spoke with so much feeling.

“Gar cuyir ner kar'ta.” He whispered, once you both broke away to breathe properly.

You smiled, leaning against him, “Gar cuyir ner cyar'ika.”

Rex laughed softly, pulling you to kiss you again. 

…Until you heard the clearing of a throat. 

You and the Captain jerked away, eyes wide, coming face-to-face with General Skywalker.

Anakin was standing at the other end of the cave, one eyebrow raised and a satisfied grin on his face. His arms were crossed, and he seemed way too pleased. Like a Loth-cat in a sunbeam. 

Fives was next to him. You could tell by his posture that his jaw was dropped in his helmet.

“G-general!” Rex saluted, “I-we…”

“I knew it,” the Jedi’s grin didn’t falter as he spoke, “Like I said a long time ago, Rex. All of my men are free to pursue whatever relationships they want. I won’t tell a soul. Neither will Fives, right trooper?”

After a second, he nodded, “r-right. Yes sir! I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

The 501st captain let out a relieved sigh, “Thank you, General…But…may I ask, how did you find us? Our coms have been cut off.” 

“I had to use the Force,” He responded, turning to face the exit of the tunnel, “I wasn’t going to leave my most loyal captain or talented doctor to wander around some caves. Now come on, we still have a mining operation to stop.”

You shared a look with your cyar’ika before he put his helmet on to follow. You kept close to him, feeling pure happiness in your chest.

Cyar’ika….

You liked calling Rex that.

[l-in-the-light]

Why is Law more stressed, more serious and often grumpy and annoyed in Wano? Thought he would be relieved after Luffy defeated Deflamingo 🤔he couldn't even relax at the banquet 😑

Broody Law is actually my favourite Law, which means I enjoyed him so much in Wano ❤ But why is he delivering behaving like that, indeed? Let's summarize the Wano experience from his side, shall we?

his alliance with Strawhats gets sidetracked because Luffy went to Big Mom to retrieve Sanji. He barely avoided a conflict (not really)

he's stuck at Wano, worrying his ass off for Luffy, hoping he's not left with half of Strawhats crew to take care for forever now

everyone is dying of hunger and getting sick in Wano, because they can't stop drinking water from the polluted river

Luffy finally arrives, Bepo gets sick, Luffy in the meantime does The Worst Thing Possible and Law's efforts to patch up the situation do not work out

Luffy snaps and runs off to fight Kaido

Kaido bombs away Strawhats and Hearts crews while Luffy and Law are already near town and can't do shit about it

he fails to stop Luffy from fighting Kaido

he fails to stop Kaido from putting Luffy in prison

freaking Hawkins getting in his way

crews turn out to be fine, but freaking Kinemon soon leaves to find remaining Akazaya samurais. Now the whole raid plan and making sure it's not exposed is Law's job. On top of that, he needs to take care not only of his Heart Pirates, but also Strawhats, because their captain is in jail. Two crews, a raid plan and the weight of 20 years of revenge is all hanging on Law's neck.

freaking Germa (he's a Sora follower, ok)

he almost throws it all away when Hearts get put in prison

he's got accussed that his crew is crap and he should just kill them off, all that coming from his very own allies he's been taking care of for last couple of weeks!

freaking Hawkins again

getting tortured (just another monday morning amirite)

finding traitor and making sure the raid doesn't fail in the process. Is Luffy finally out of that prison, what is he doing there? Or maybe, that's for the best, he can't make the situation even worse...

Luffy arrives late to the raid and late to the rooftop battle

Luffy brought freaking Eustass Kid to the raid

Luffy is ordering him around in front of freaking Eustass Kid

Luffy tells him to get along with freaking Eustass Kid

Zoro-ya almost died on his watch

Kurashi-ya (literally) caught him in a middle of an embarrassing blunder

Eustass Kid is behaving like a newborn baby and Law has to babysit him

LUFFY BROUGHT FREAKING BIG MOM TOGETHER WITH HIM

now it's Law's job to fight Big Mom. He didn't sign up for this!

Luffy nearly drowned in the sea while fighting Kaido

Luffy lost and died while fighting Kaido

Luffy got revived and won against Kaido

Law had to make bigass room, bigger than anything he made in Dressrosa, probably cutting down on his lifespan in the process

Law has to take care of stuff no one cares about after the raid succeeds, which is taking care of the ships, searching for the poneglyphs (no one but him cared for that in the middle of the raid!) and probably patching many, many people up

he ends up stranded with Robin in some moldy underground chamber for hours, while being seriously exhausted, sleep deprived and in the middle of recovery from his injuries

he doesn't join in the banquet out of spite (no one told him about Jimbei joining the Strawhats. Is Law a joke to them?!), besides just in case a certain Luffy would assault him there, make him go all night long eating and playing around and celebrating, all the while probably bugging him to become a 100% part of the Strawhat crew or at least extend their alliance to together forever status.

And that's just the major things listed! I'm sure I missed some details here and there.

Overall, I think he was stressed and exhausted, because he was carrying a lot of responsibility (and the stakes were extremely high!), at certain points almost the whole raid plan's success was depending solely on him, while others merrily ignored the dangers. He also had two crews to take care of for the whole arc, constantly worried himself over Luffy, got pissed at Eustass Kid and had to cooperate with him (he hates that dude!), and at the end of it his world got almost turned upside down in worst possible way (Luffy dying and raid failing as the result, and the vision of all of them dying flashed before his eyes).

As Bepo reveals to us in the midst of Winner Island escape, Law wants to stay behind with his crew even if it kills him and needs to be reassured that no one is dying there. That suggests Law doesn't deal well with people close to him dying, which shouldn't surprise us after what happened in Flevance and later also to Cora-san. I'm sure Wano hit Law harder than we expect, because there he was, finally believing in people again (Luffy), only for Luffy to die on him as well. Old issues must have resurfaced and his fear of losing people worsened as the result.

I think we should cut him some slack, shouldn't we? Wano was definitely not a walk in the park for Law, especially psychologically-wise. Though to be fair, he could relax and laze around a bit, we see it happen, right before Strawhat Luffy waltzes into the country. That was the last time we saw him actually calm and resting, so I guess that alone gives us another answer to your question as well ;)

And then his alliance ended, and we know Law doesn't like dramatic things, which also means overly emotional goodbyes. It was probably pretty difficult for him to part ways and maybe he thought it would be easier if he avoided Luffy for most of the time after the raid finished. And then Chopper went and almost blew all his efforts up with his warm send-off! Law owes a lot to Strawhats and his debt is only getting bigger, but it won't change his withholding personality.

Did Law find peace after Mingo was defeated? Not exactly, because I don't believe Doflamingo was Law's end goal. Just take a look at his reaction when Luffy finally wins:

Everyone is crying and celebrating, but Law's face looks like this instead. Does this look like a face of a person who finally got rid of his demons and is set free? What about Flevance, are we forgetting that? Law has a lot on his plate, Mingo was simply one of the obstacles in his way (but an important one!). If you want to know more about what I think about Law's end goals, I wrote about it here: https://www.tumblr.com/l-in-the-light/761556630027616256 (the topic starts somewhere around the second picture). That's why I don't think he is at peace or that his revenge is over and we shouldn't expect him to completely "move on" or reach perfect closure just because Mingo is now out of the picture.

There's one exception though. I do believe Law is showing his emotions more openly after Dressrosa. And I think it's actually a sign of him healing and partially moving on.

Because just look at this. Law was always annoyed with his beloved Cora-san as well, and yet we never doubt he loved him dearly. In Wano Law is acting the same way towards the Strawhats, openly showing when he's annoyed and angry. That's how he shows affection and worry. Compare it to Punk Hazard, when he's always holding back, stoic and cold, keeping his comments and reactions to bare minimum. Dressrosa changed everything in Law's emotional department. And the result is that he did open up to his allies.

Also I feel like it's my duty to remind the world about this, often overlooked, fact: so far Law celebrated in the feast exactly one time, in Dressrosa. He didn't join in on Punk Hazard, Zou or Wano. So it's not really a "Wano thing", but more like Law almost always choosing other things over feasting ;) personally, I think it's because of that "30 minutes on festival" rule he had in his household as a child. He's probably not used to just playing around for hours. Besides, we should never underestimate Law's pettiness. Not joining the celebration might have been as well just a petty payback of his, for every offense that happened to him in Wano, lol.

I'm not sure if you liked my answer, anon, but I hope you at least smiled a bit when I tried to mimick Law's grumpiness in this post :D

[rei-ismyname]

Ororo, how did you get here?

I wonder if we'll get a solid, in character explanation for why Storm would become a cop (Avenger) again. I'm writing an analysis on From The Ashes (so far) and while I'm clear-eyed about where most characters and books are at, I really need to know if they're even going to bother explaining why Storm would leave Arakko (oh yeah, there's still a million mutants on the red planet) and if they do to what degree. Sure she can just bail off screen but it'd be deeply out of character. She's a member of the Great Ring (or at least she was, occupying Magneto's empty Seat of Loss after she yielded the Regency to Lodus Logos.) She's the most impactful political and cultural figure in a generation. She was the leader of the winning faction in the Genesis War. She had a lover, who was caring for two orphans. I think they were living together. She was happy. I can't recall any ties to Atlanta, but it doesn't really matter. Without serious explanation she's going to look fickle, like she's shirking her duty. A duty she chose, too. Fought multiple wars over. She's getting a solo book, there's totally room to do it properly.

The other big ting for me is Magneto. The First Krakoan age put him through the ringer - his character arc was objectively given the most attention and subjectively the most satisfying. Even without Uncanny X-Men #700 he was poised to shake up the status quo but when you include his chat with Charles that's a promise. A promise that needs to be paid off. Not just any old promise either - it's an ideological breakthrough five decades in the making! He's been kept in the background so far and I haven't really been able to judge whether that promise is being kept or not. I hope so but my expectations are low. It would be such tonal whiplash I can't even think of an analogy.

Interestingly both Max and Ororo were Of Arakko last time we got a close look. Magneto died defending Arakko, he has friends there. He is literally one of the society's heroes for slaying Tarn the Uncaring and The Hour Of Magneto/Judgement Day.

Yeah, that's right. *AIR HORN* *PUMPS FIST* He cares about the Arakki and they care about him. He'd want to pay his respects to the Fisher King and generally see how it's going. He lost his place on the Great Ring when he died and Vulcan blew up his house, but neither are especially important. Both planet and culture are dear to him. After X of Swords, in that brief period when the Arakki were on Earth, it was Magneto meeting with Isca about teething problems. 'Twas Magneto who spearheaded the Terraforming Operation, handling the communication/logistics and harvesting enough iron to bring the planet to life from the Khyber Belt. While he was doing that, Ororo was fighting Nameless to the death for the Noontide Seat.

I could honestly go on, but my point is these two especially are invested. (Roberto Da Costa too, but it seems the New Mutants are represented by Magik alone and Cypher looking like an idiot.) If that continuity is disregarded I'm going to have a problem with it. Honestly, if Arakko is there and not being used in any stories I'll be scratching my head. How do you go from terraforming planets to hated and feared on Earth as anything other than a regression? The geopolitical implications of it being there pretty much break the world they're selling us. They're telling us it's so dangerous for mutants that they're developing secret hand signals and Underground Railroad'ing. At least some mutants would move to fucking Mars. All countries would be at Defcon 1. Did the entire galactic council just forget Sol exists?

I'll stop there, save some for the actual essay instead of the rant lol. If you're enjoying it I couldn't be happier for you. I am struggling to, though, and I'm very wary of heartbreak. Maybe that's on me for how I manage my expectations. We shall see.

[m-jelly]

Jelly, thank you for doing my request! Reading it made me feel better (I have a really bad infection rn but that's beside the point). Do you think you could do a part two? Where Post war Levi and Freyja!Reader are now looking out at the ocean, talking about all they went through. Reader tells Levi of Asgard and Levi tells reader of The Underground City. When Levi goes into all the stuff he had to go through in order to survive. Reader, not wanting to lose the love of her life after a world of hate with Odin, wants to make him a god, the god of Survival, Heroes, and Freedom. Feel free to ignore! :D

Searching part 2

Levi x fem!reader

Canon world, reincarnation, Norse mythology, goddess powers, action, being in love, married, fluff, angst, reader has tattoos, reader has long hair with braids and beads.

In this chapter: Levi and you have a moment on the beach where you connect. You reflect on the bad memories and the good ones you made together now as a married couple. You want eternity with Levi and offer him a God position with you at his side. Reluctant at first because he doesn't think he'd be good enough, he accepts so he can be with you forever.

Part 1

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @nbinairyn @bts-spnlvr12 @darkstarlight82 @notgoodforlife @demonic-bird

Levi's thumb ran over your hand as his fingers remained entwined with yours. The two of you decided to have a picnic on the beach for a date. While you were enjoying the sun and peace, the two of you just started talking naturally about your lives.

A long sigh came from Levi and paused as his story hung in the air. "I'm glad I got out, but the cost..."

"You were played by man. No matter where you go, there will always be greed." You lifted his left hand and kissed below his wedding ring. "I am sorry for your loss. You have grown and fought so much."

He smiled a little. "I fought to survive, but after you it was fighting to spend forever with you."

You leaned over and kissed him. "I am forever grateful. I love you more than words can say. My love for you is stronger than the walls protecting Asgard."

Levi blushed. "I can only imagine how impressive they are." He gazed at you. "You know about my life, what about yours? You said this is your second life."

You gulped hard and looked out at the sea. "Yes. I died in my first life all because of Odin."

"He was the King of the Gods, right?"

You nodded. "He was. We all trusted him, but he was...he was a terrible father to so many. I worked hard and made sure to keep a distance, but the things he did to his children. Poor Thor was always trying to make him proud, but he never achieved it. Odin's madness and desperate hunt for more power led us all down a path to destruction. Loki had enough and started the end, Ragnarok."

Levi stared at you. "What happened to you?"

You welled up. "I thought he loved me. I became his lover. I am ashamed of that."

"How did you die? Was it in a great battle?"

You shook your head. "Most people don't know what happened to me. My part is lost in texts and teachings to the people. Some thought I died in battle, others I killed myself and lastly people thought I was spared."

Levi called your name when he saw pain in your eyes. "Odin killed you, didn't he?"

You sobbed a little before stopping yourself. "He went insane. He was searching for the meaning of life and trying to beat Ragnarok. I was against it all. There is nothing wrong with not knowing the end. Sometimes life and things don't have meaning, they just happen. He knew he was losing me, so he killed me and buried what happened to me before the world ended."

"Tch, that piece of shit. I wish he was alive so I could kill him."

You giggled. "Thank you."

Levi gazed at you. "Is he alive?"

You shrugged. "Everyone probably is living their second life. I'm glad I'm not with them. I want to be here with you." You gulped hard and opened your little bag. "Speaking of you. When I arrived in this world, I had a bag with me, remember?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

You pulled out a bottle. "This has a special drink that can make someone a god." You looked over at Levi. "I want eternity with you."

Levi moved closer. "Me too."

"I think that you would be the god of Survival, Heroes, and Freedom. You would be incredible."

Levi whined a bit. "I don't know about that. I want eternity with you, but I don't think I would be a good god."

"Levi, you know what loss is. You know what it means to keep fighting even against all odds. People looked up to you and they still do now. You are incredible."

He smiled a bit at you. "You see me in such a beautiful light, but..."

"A God who doubts themselves and sees fault is good. Odin thought he was the best and fell. Other gods I knew with egos were the same. To know you can't do everything is true. As a god, you can't bless everyone and save everyone, but that's not always what they want. Sometimes they just want a person to listen."

Levi reached over and grabbed the bottle. "You'll be with me, right?"

"Every single step and I will shower you with all my love."

He kissed you and moaned in delight. "I'm with you." He brought the bottle close to his lips. "Plus, I am interested in the fertility part of your goddess role."

You gasped and felt your cheeks burn. "Y-You, flirt."

He downed the drink that tasted like custard. He flopped back onto the blanket as his body glowed and began to tingle. All the injuries and aches in his body went and only faded scars remained. He was born again but into a new life of love and happiness with you. It felt like he was breathing for the first time in a while.

He sat up and gazed at you. "I feel...alive."

You leaned closer and kissed him. "You've changed. Your wounds are gone, only scars remain."

Levi pounced on you making you squeal in delight. "I feel energised. I want to shower you with love."

You mewled in delight. "I'm all yours."

[noonieftp]

Drug princess’s 💊🤧

!Drug Lord! Baji x poc! Reader

Hii, welcome backkk! Yes this is another chapter story I’m sorry bear with me🥲. I don’t really have much to say but to enjoy the story and have an amazing day! 🖤

Warning‼️: if you do not feel comfortable reading this please exit off and enjoy the rest of your day thank you. 🫶🏽

Minors dni pls 🥲

Drug princess’s 💊🤧

One random night can change anybody’s life. It’s a make or break situation, and quite frankly it’s breaking you.

You were in a random bar, on a Friday night. Sitting pretty at the bar with your closest friend, Nekoo. The two of you were just catching up gossiping about work, you two were exotic dancers.

“Did you see what sugar had on last night?” Nekoo put down her glass and turned to you

“Mm not really. I mostly had private sessions that night” you pause for a second then tilt your head. “Why?”

Nekoo shakes her head in disbelief. “Bitch everyone was talking about her in the changing rooms, how did you not hear about it or even seen it?!”

You shrug your shoulders nonchalantly then settled your drink in your hand, you look down and think for a bit before speaking.

“I just mind my business nekoo, I don’t think talking about people will help me get money” nekoo sigh picking her drink up and sip it.

“Shut up, you know your just talking” she glanced over and crack a smile making you laugh “yeah your probably right” you both drank the rest of your drinks and decided to hit the dance floor before leaving.

Most of the songs were okay, some just plain out boring. You tell nekoo you’re ready to go but before y’all got the chance to even step off the floor, you hear a song you two knew by heart. So y’all HAD to stay for this song at least.

You two were fucking it up on the dance floor, had everybody and they mama staring at the two of you. This was nothing new for yall, catching people’s attention is what you get paid for. It’s bound to happen 🤷‍♀️

You were lost into the music feeling those few drinks you had earlier kicking in, your body moved freely as your eyes stayed on nekoo’s smiling face. Everything was pretty peachy until you feel a sharp smack on your ass making you yelp, you jump forward into nekoo’s arms in shook.

You quickly recover turning around to see who this creep was, when you turn around your eyes met with a slick black suit and a very tall figure wearing it. Your head slowly rises up to put a face with the figure, your eyes were met with a handsome male. Standing almost 6’3 tall long wavy black locks with grayish blue eyes, you were MESMERIZED by this man!

You quickly snapped out of it when you remembered the assault he did to your ass, your eyebrows scrunched together and your lip twitched.

“What the fuck is your problem?” You felt the ratchet in you coming out and nekoo can tell this isn’t gonna end well.

The male smile down on you showing his pearly whites and canines to you. “That ass of yours is my problem” your lip twitched again at his words.

“My ass should not be your problem. I don’t know who the fuck you think you are but we can fight right now!” Those drinks are really kicking in..

The man throws his head back laughing richly at your little threat. “You don’t know me you say?” He lifts his head back up and grin at the two of you.

“How could you not know baji keisuke.”

Nekoo’s eyes widened in shock, you on the other hand still didn’t know who he was. “Baji who?” You tilt your head in pure confusion.

“Baji keisuke.” Another tall man walks through the crowd towards us. Nekoo grabs your arm and pulled you close to her

“He’s an underground drug lord..not to mention the biggest threat in the city” nekoo looks over at the other guy. tall but just a bit shorter then baji, blonde hair green eyes. You point your finger at him then turn your head to nekoo

“And who is he..?” Nekoo sigh, you really didn’t know much about Tokyo you only been there for a few months now. “That’s the second most dangerous drug lord in tokyo , Chifuyu Matsuno. Also Baji’s best friend” you start to clap proudly on how much you’re friend knows about them, nekoo rolled her eyes of course.

“The short one is correct” baji said, while looking down at you.

“Hey I’m not short fuck face!” Nekoo chirps out.

“Hey, she kinda hot baji” chifuyu looked down on nekoo giving her a toothy smile, that made nekoo’s heart jump out her chest.

You see this and had to do something quick, you don’t wanna be here all night. “Look lord baji, just apologize for what you did so we can go”

Baji face remain in a cocky smile, he looks over a Chifuyu. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Chifuyu grin then nod his head “2 man” baji nods.

“Um hello? Are you gonna apologize yet” you snap your fingers in the man face, baji swiftly grabs your risk then pulls you close to him.

He gazed down looking into your pretty brown eyes “Look ma, I ain’t apologize tonight. but one thing I am doing tonight is taking you with me”

your eyes widen at his bold statement you couldn’t find the words to say,In a surprised tone all you could say is “Oh”

To be continued..🖤

[evilou]

I've been fascinated by the idea of the Hive collapsing for a while. What would cause it? Who would survive? How would they rebuild? To that end, I wrote a little snippet. It's not super complete, but it's interesting to think about!

---

Summary: The Hive has gone through social upheaval, and so many, including Lucas, are now dead. Amber and Atticus find themselves thrown together by the forces of Fate to help defend what remains of the Hive and its citizens. When all seems lost, at least they have each other.

“You know, I never thought, when we were on Teen Level, that one day we'd be here,” I said, scuffing the soles of my shoes against the ground.

Atticus, sitting next to me on the bench, chuckled. “Yeah,” he said. “I feel the same way.”

“So much has changed.” I hesitated. *Do you feel insecure about the fact that we probably wouldn't be together if Lucas hadn't died?” I asked him.

Atticus appeared to think for a moment, but ultimately shook his head. “No,” he said. “I'm fully aware that if Lucas was still alive, you two would still be together, but that's not the situation we're in and we have to work with what we've got.” He smiled ruefully. “Waste it, if all this hadn't happened, I might have been with someone else too.”

So many had died. At some point, Atticus and I, along with the remainders of the Council of Gaia, had made the choice to move from the main Hive to Hive Futura. Those who could handle it were encouraged to move to the sea farm. Even though I'd wanted to go to the sea farm, I thought I could do the most good at Hive Futura. Plus, although Atticus had been working on his fear of Outside, he still felt safer underground.

So, here we were. Atticus's and my own parents had been included among the casualties, although Gregas was still alive. He'd chosen to go with his partner, Sierra, to the sea farm.

The telepath from Hive Genex, Ben, had chosen to come with us as well as Sapphire and her unit. The others - Morton, Mira, Keith… They'd stayed behind.

Even though staying in the main Hive meant a virtually certain, if not too swift, death, all of them thought the environment outside the Hive was far more dangerous.

Well, Morton and Mira did, anyway. My personal theory was that Keith knew that, outside of the safety and protection provided by a Telepath Unit, someone might decide to kill him in the midst of all of the social upheaval. I wasn't sure what he thought he would accomplish by staying behind, but I decided it didn't matter. He was unlikely to be able to achieve his goals.

[pyropsychiccollector]

Harem Deluxe: Night at Okinawa, Part 1

Mahiru: *sitting at a bar near the top of a grand hotel on Okinawa* It's nice to get away from the snow and ice once in a while~ n___n

Yukiko: Oh, was your guys' area hit pretty bad? (✿◠‿◠)

Mikan: N-Not exactly... *at Mahiru's grumpy stare* >w< Um. Not worse than everywhere else...

Mahiru: Mikan-chan, you don't get to say that. @___@*** We couldn't let you shovel because of your slipping and sliding. It was just me, Hajime, Chiaki, and Natsumi busting our rumps out there. And even with numbers like that, it was HEAVY!!!

Mikan: I'm sorryyyyy! DX *bows way too deeply*

Yukiko: Wow... We live on a mountain, so I figured we had it the worst. (✿◠‿◠);;; Four people shoveling... And you still had it rough...

Mahiru: :x Yeah, well. We use this underground parking garage cuz there's so many of us, and we needed to get access to the roads. Not to mention the sidewalks around our house... And we had to get it all cleared out in the early morning, so it's that much colder. :x And there's no way I was gonna let Hajime tackle that all on his own. No sir. *nod nod*

Yukiko: Hajime's the type to tackle everything on his own, huh?

Mahiru and Mikan: EVERYTHING! >:[

Yuzuki: Oh, you guys use a parking garage too, huh? (✿◠‿◠) We know that feeling. Though like Yukiko said, we hafta make our way down the mountain each day to get to our jobs...

Yukiko: Going down's the fun part. :3 Skiing, sledding, or snowboarding~...

Yuzuki: Yeah, it's the journey back up, isn't it? That's the real bummer. @~~@***

Yukiko: (✿◠‿◠) On the bright side, Koro-sensei and Hayate are looking into skii lift options for that part~...

Yuzuki: Mm! (✿◠‿◠)

Mikan: S-S-Skiing s-sounds f-fun... nwn

Mahiru: No, they don't!! No skiing for you. (๑•́ ₃ •̀๑) You remember the last time.

Mikan: (✿ヘᴥヘ) I r-rolled into a b-big snowball...! Hajime had to dig me out~... nwn

Yuzuki: :x ... Big snowball?

Mahiru: (✿◠‿◠)*** Gravity seems to hate Mikan-chan... She'll literally trip and fall over air, but when on a ski slope...? Well. :x Roll enough snow together and it becomes a ball. And she was going REALLY fast...

Mikan: *still giggling to herself despite the compromising state she'd been in at the time... or perhaps BECAUSE of the compromising state* (✿◠‿◠)

Mahiru: >___>

Yukiko: Well, that sounds...

Rio: *walks up all glum* >w<

Yuzuki: What's wrong, Rio-chan? Lose a bit too much at the poker tables? n__n;;;;;;;; *a little anxious to find out*

Rio: DX I lost EVERYTHING! *points back at two separate tables, where a sizeable audience has gathered to watch* I tried two different tables and went bust. (✿◠‿◠);;; Kaede-chan's gonna be pissed...

Yukiko and Yuzuki: Yes, she will be. (✿◠‿◠);;;;;;;;;;;;

Mahiru: :x Excuse me? *raises hand to gather attention* Um. Who did you lose to?

Rio: >w< Some goth chick...

Mahiru: Uh-huh. Dumb of you to challenge that one, but go on? :x

Rio: And some chick calling herself former yakuza. >w<

Mahiru and Mikan: DON'T PLAY HER!!!!!

Yuzuki, Yukiko, and Rio: o___o That bad...?

Mikan: N-Natsumi-chan is mean at games... >w<

Mahiru: She'll do everything short of cheating because she's THAT passionate about cards. >:[ *huffs* I should have known not to let her go gambling... But it's not like Hajime can say "no" to her, so what was I supposed to do? >___>

Rio: Well. :x I'd say the goth chick cleaned me out more. That Natsumi chick just got the scraps of what I had left. ... Although I think there was a couple girls who wagered more than I did...

Yukiko: (✿◠‿◠);;; Rio-chan, there's a reason we don't let you go gambling... Be happy we gave you spending money at all.

Rio: Oi, I'm a GREAT gambler! Those two were just demons! DX

Yuzuki: Who put in more money than you? It's not like we're millionaires or anything, but we've got, like... Eight incomes between all of us? Counting Nagisa, I mean. o.o

Rio: >w< Some blonde foreigner who wailed about getting cleaned out of food allowance... Kinda weird with that armor cosplay, too. The other chick's right over there. *points a little bit away from them*

Rin: *drunkenly wails* Stupid, *hic* bozo-bitch cheaters...! I knew I shoulda shot for craps! DX *slumps on the bar counter, moaning that she doesn't have enough money to get blackout drunk*

Mahiru: :x Well, you're the idiots who thought betting everything against the Ultimate Gambler and Natsumi was a brilliant idea.

[mediocres-writing-blog]

Mortal Kombat Legends: Smoke Screen Chapter 9: The Ultimate Showdown

In the palace throne room, Ermac and Skarlet were preparing to finish off Rain, just as Ermac was getting ready to steal the Hydromancer's soul, major Briggs grabbed the Soul master and threw him away to the wall on the left, the blood mistress attempts to attack Jax, but is shadow kicked by Cassie.

Robin: Think you two could handle the ugly mofo and the bride of Yobbo?

Cassie: I think we can.

Said the commander, as she put her back against the major's.

Cassie: You ready, uncle Jax?

Jax: I got some unfinished business with this mufucker.

Skarlet: But didn't you wake up Ermac from his regeneration first—

Ermac: Be silent, woman, this is between him and us.

The rest of the group continue, as the Special Forces engaged in kombat, the others continue, being stopped in their tracks by the Kytin champion. As D'vorah's kin swings his blade, the speedster stops it with his hook swords and Outworlds avenger jumps at the insectoid, knocking him down to the ground.

Robin: Kabal and I'll take care of momma's boy, you just go ahead, protect their majesties.

Smoke and Sub Zero boldly look at eachother and then back at Red Robin, nodding together and sprinting off together to save the empress and kahn.

As the Lin Kuei bretheren head forward, right before the stairway to the lookout tower stood the Tremor, raising the rubble around him.

Tremor: I'm sorry, but i mus'nt let you go further...

Smoke: (to Sub Zero) Kuai, I'll take him on, find and stop Kano.

As the cryomancer nodded, the geokinetic ninja slammed the rubble on the ground, destroying it, revieling an underground Trigor pit, which stood there ever since Shao was still kahn of outworld. Sub Zero used his ice magic to create ice spikes, which he uses to climb to the tower entrance. He called two guards to go with him, and now, he knew exactly what he had to do now.

Sub Zero: KANO!

The master of ice yelled, as he rushed up to the tower's peak. As he was reaching the top, Kitana and Mileena are trying their damnest to keep up with the Black Dragon leader, but they can barely leave scratches on the aussie. As they're highnesses fall onto the ground with a leg sweep, Kano sighs, charging his cold, byonic heart.

Kano: Ya know, this could all have been avoided, just by handing me the throne, but I like you two... Tell ya what? Show your honor to me, I'll spare your lives and make you the queens of, oh i dunno... Japan?

He chuckled. Kitana and Mileena said nothing, nor could they do anything, as they're weapons were on the ground and they were injured. Kinana then spat at the australian, Mileena in disbelief. The australian hummed, his expression unchanged.

Kano: Welp, can't win em' all.

As he was getting ready to wipe Kitana off the face of the Outworld, a loud noise was heard behind, which sounded like swings of an axe against wood. Kano turned to see Kuai Liang and a broken door. The cryomancers bold expression gleamed at the arms dealer.

Kano: Well, If it ain't Chilly Willy. Here to whatch we take the throne, or run away, like when Scorpion lost his arm during the invasion?

Sub Zero: Neither of those two will happen. I'm done running, lets settle this once and for all.

Kano: Alright, first, get these two outta here, we don't wanna hurt the ladies while we fight.

The guards, who followed Sub Zero, take they're highnesses downstairs.

Sub Zero: I've looked forward to this... many will be thankful for what i'm about to do.

Kano: Well, lets not stand around and get to the fighting.

He said, as he reached for his pocket, Kuai Liang was flabbergasted. The Black Dragon leader pulled out Scorpion's amulet, it shined in the setting sun.

Sub Zero: You took it!

Kano: ...And your little boyfirend never told you what else it could do other than take you from a realm to realm, did'nt he?

Kuai Liang was furious, forming his kri sword, he spun it a bit before pointing it in Kano's direction.

Sub Zero: Enough talking, face me, scum bag, in Mortal Kombat.

Kano took a knife that was in his boot strap, in his other hand the amulet.

This is it, the final battle; Scorpion vs. D'vorah, Cassie and Jax vs. Ermac and Skarlet, Kabal and Red Robin vs. The champion, Smoke vs. Tremor, and Sub Zero vs. Kano. They're whole journey has lead up to this point. The tention was so thick you could cut through it with a knife. And it was finally time for one epic, final, Ultimate showdown.

The battles begin all at once, they're combat shakes the entire palace.

The Earthrealmers continue the fight against the queen of insects and her minions, but with Robin and Kabal, the tide is slowly turning in their favor. the champion throws Robin aside, and Skarlet gets the upper hand on Cassie, and is ready to finish her off, when Jax punches the blood mistress, and Cassie knocks her out with her baton. Ermac gets up, and throws a few more energy blasts at Jax and Cassie. Jax is able to deflect them, and Cassie charges in, punching the soul sacker to the floor, and the two earthrealmers deliver a devastating kick, launching Ermac across the hall. The insectoid stands before them, ready for another round, decking Outworlds Avenger right in the face, shattering his mask and knocking him back a few meters, the Speedster notices this, rushing in his friends aid.

Kabal: Red! You Arright, pal?

Robin: Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry. I got a plan...

He quickly explains his idea, Kabal nods and they head fourth. Kabal rushing behind the big bad bug, grabbing him with his swords, ready to finish him.  As the champion screeches and tries to grab the nomad, Robin uses his fire-like magic to ignite his daggers and throw them at the kytin champion's eyes, and Kabal Spinning him with the swords and slamming him onto the floor face-first, and the daggers protrude right out of the back of the head, finishing D'vorah's kin. The Knives return to the sender, sheathing themselves in the caped warrior.

Robin: Fatality.

Jax and Cassie look back at them, and they all cheer in unison, Skarlet escaped without anyone's notice. The Earthrealmers celebrate, as the guards and other warriors come to their aid. Jax hugs Cassie, and Kabal does the same, Robin, still not feeling like he belongs in the family.

Robin: *ahem* Let's not celebrate to soon, the ninjas need our help!

Cassie: You're right, lets go!

The image cuts to Smoke and Tremor Dueling in the underground chambers, both stronger than ever. Tremor keeps throwing minerals at the gaseous ninja, who keeps dodging them. Smoke throws a shuriken at the stone giant, and the two rush, clashing their fist.

Smoke: I do not wish to fight you! understand Tremor--

Tremor: I wouldn't fight you neither, but I have no choice. I have no will, and no life, I only exist for him. He wants me to kill you, and I'll do anything for him, even if it means my own demise. I'm sorry, but you are an obstacle, and obstacles must be removed.

Smoke is trying his best to dodge as many blows as he can from the stone giant, but he is too strong, swing after swing, he gets stronger. Smoke gets knocked back, and finally figures out his pattern, which allows him to get a few lucky strikes, which finally gets Tremor down to the ground with a leg sweep. The golem tries to get up, but the master of mist puts a dagger at his throat.

Smoke: Don't. I know when someone doesn't feel right, and i know a pain sears your heart. Tell me, I can help you.

Said Smoke, as he made his dagger disapear. The earth ninja sighed, and got off the ground to sit to the wall behind him. As he opened his mouth, the image shifts to still shots of his past.

Tremor: I was once a happy and just man. I had it all: a wife, daughter, and a place i could call home... that is until that faithful day. The invasion started, and we tried to escape. My wife was taken from me by the hands of Shao Kahn's soliders, and I tried escaping with my daughter, I held her close, and we tried to hide. When the building was fallen, I couldn't find her. Just then, Kano found me, and took me in, he said he could help me with getting them back. I had nothing left to lose, so I joined him and he took me to his base in Outworld. The more I was there, the more my body started to change, turning me into this golem I am today. My mind was broken, my body disfigured, and my soul felt like it left my body... you realize now why I do this. And don't pretend like you know, how could anyone know my pain?

The gaseous ninja heard his reasoning for his actions, making him reflect on his own past.

Smoke: I am truly sorry... I lost those who are dear to me too. My sister and mother, who I've lived with were taken from me, I was left alone in the world, until I was taken in by the Lin Kuei's grandmaster. There, I met Kuai Liang and Bi-Han, who I've become brothers with. I've been taught to use powers even I didn't knew I had, and I had my fairshare of disagreements, but we were united as one. When the cyberization of my clan began, I was the only one left who had a soul of my own. I was slain, and brought back to the world of the living. I was terrified that it might happen again, but I wasn't alone. Kuai Liang, Sub Zero, was there too, helping me get through it. If you come with me, we could find a cure for your disability.

The geokinetic was left speechless, and tears shed from his eyes. He quickly wiped them off, and he looked at Smoke's golden-yellow eyes and got off the ground.

Tremor: Okay. Lets stop the others. But how? I am not as powerful as him. I am not even sure if I can beat him.

Smoke: Kuai Liang is fighting him now, we have to see if we can help him.

The image cuts to the Outside of the palace, with corpses of Kytin warriors and fire over the floor, and Hanzo Hasashi standing in the middle of them all. The wound in D'vorah's stomach has healed, due to her inane healing factor. She stood there, staring at the Shirai Ryu with utter rage. She charged at the ninja, and Scorpion threw his Kunai at her, which she dodged and grabbed. He threw more at her, which she blocked and threw some acidic venom at him, he dodged, and she protruded her four tendrals from her back, hitting him with a few swings. He got up, and threw his chain spear at her, which went straight through her arm. She screeched, and ripped it off her body, and jumped at him, attempting to pin him down, however, he grabbed her by the neck and threw her off him. She stood there, still dazed. Scorpion threw his spear at her, jumping over her and phasing through the ground but still keeping her above it. He makes the spear go fully around D'vorah, jumping out of the ground and pulling the spear back to himself, splitting the insectoid in two, right down the middle. The pieces fall onto the ground, and the ninjas walks over the carcass.

Scorpion: Scorpion wins, flawless victory.

 The image cuts back to the inside of the tower, Sub Zero and Kano still in combat. They both are starting to get exhausted, but Kano is able to keep up with Kuai Liang's cryomancer abilities. Kano pulls out a knife and cuts the cyromancer, leaving a huge scar across the Lin Kuei's eye, and he falls over. Kano chuckles and puts the knife away.

Kano: Welp, guess your little plan didn't work, eh Chilly Willy? Ya know, I'm glad I didn't kill you back at the invasion. This, this is much sweeter, ain't it? Now, what was the deal? Oh yeah, I'm gonna rip your fucking arm off, and shove it up your ass. But first, I want you to suffer. I'm going to let your little boytoy watch you bleed to death, and when you're on the brink of death, I'll send his head back to your clan, and the rest will follow, and no one will mourn you. No one. Got it? Good. Now, say goodbye, ya fuckin' pansy.

The cryomancer knew he couldn't go out like this. So he dodged Kano's laser blast and redirect it into his own arm to free himself, and with his ice powers makes a new one. He rushes towards the arms dealer and delivers a powerful punch. Kano tries to attack the Lin Kuei, but he was too quick. He then jumps behind him, and kicks him into the floor, and he freezes his legs, which the Black Dragon leader quickly breaks out off. Sub Zero throws a barrage of icicles at the Black Dragon leader, but Kano manages to break them all and throw energy blasts with the amulet at Kuai Liang. They both continue the fight. Kano attempts to throw a knife at Sub Zero, but the cryomancer grabs his hand and freezes his arm, making the Aussie yell in pain. Sub Zero punches the Black Dragon leader and knocks him out the window, from which he survives by grabbing onto the side with his knife, and uses to get back up. Suprisingly, Kano is impressed with how Kuai Liang has been doing, he aplauds him even.

Kano: I gotta admit, I thought I was gonna kill you, but it seems that's not the case. Maybe I'll just let you have the throne and be on my way, but not without a souvenier.

As he was taking the amulet off, Kuai Liang threw a kunai at his arm, making Kano drop the amulet, and the cryomancer used his ice powers to grab it, and throw it outside, and the Aussie was left without an exit. Sub Zero walked over to the Black Dragon leader and picked him up, looking straight at his bloodied face, and then, he delivered a devastating headbutt. The cryomancer was preparing to deliver the final blow onto the Black Dragon's leader.

Kano: Well don't just stand there, do it!!!

Kuai Liang stood there in silence, throwing his ice out the window, and looking back at Kano.

Sub Zero: No. It was my soul desire to kill you ever since I saw you, but now  I'm no longer blinded by my rage. I am sending you to the Special Forces, you must stand trial.

Tremor and Tomas rush upstairs to see Kano with his hands behind his back and Kuai Liang holding him in the heavely damaged lookout tower.

Smoke: This was all you?

Sub Zero: I'll explain later. Lets take him to Commander Cage and Major Briggs.

Kano looked at Tremor with anger in his eyes.

Kano: You fucking traitor, you'll pay for this!

Tremor: (To smoke) He's all yours.

As he said that, Kano tried to reach for his pistol, but before he could even grab it, Kuai Liang chopped the Black Dragon leader's neck, knocking him unconscious. The three went downstairs to join the others. When the group came down, they all looked at Kano with hate in their eyes, Robin was the most disgusted.

Cassie: So, this is the man responsible for everything, huh?

Jax: We should have killed him years ago.

Robin: We can do that now, if you'd like.

Cassie: Nah, we can do that later.

Commander Cage calls base, to which general Blade quickly responds to.

Sonya Blade: Cage, this better be important.

Cassie: It is, ma'am. The mission is complete.

Sonya Blade: Amazing! You may return tomorrow, to bring him in when the sun rises.

Cassie: We'll bring him in ASAP, Commander Cage out.

She said as she cut off the communication.

Kitana and Mileena, who were healed up after that big fight, walk into the lobby to greet and congradulate the team.

Kitana: We were saved, thanks to you, Earthrealmers. You have our gratitude.

Mileena: Yes, our eternal gratitude. You are truly the defenders of the realm.

Cassie: Thanks, but we couldn't have done it without the help of Robin and the ninjas.

Robin: You guys are giving me too much credit.

Smoke: And we wouldn't have been here if it wasn't for You, commander.

Kitana: Well, whatever the case, you have all proven yourselves worthy, and will be rewarded.

Tremor: That won't be nessecary, your highness, I didn't earn anything of material worth.

Smoke: You earned my trust, Tremor.

Cassie: So, does that mean we get to sleep over?

Kitana: For the night, yes, and you may leave tomorrow. But what about Kano?

Jax: I can put this device that cancels out all electricity on whatever its placed on.

He put that on Kano's head and it activated, stopping him from using his prosthetic eye or heart, and two guards send him to a dungeon with chains hanging his arms.

Tremor: Well, I'll be heading off. I don't feel like partying.

Sub Zero: If you earned Tomas' trust, you've earned mine, too. Stay, we'll celebrate tomorrow.

Tremor: I'm no good with crowds, sorry.

Robin: You know, you're sounding a whole lot like me before I met this squad. They ain't half bad actually.

Tremor was scared but his heart was in the right place.

Tremor: Alright, I'll give you all a chance. But I can't promise I won't run off.

Cassie: Good, lets get some sleep, y'all.

And everyone went to their respective rooms to get some shut eye.

[cyberneticatoms]

no way is that WES FREE..they’re a 23 year-old SYNTH notoriously known for being TALKATIVE & EXCITABLE but there are some people who have seen them being EMPATHETIC & OPTIMISTIC. if you ask me, they remind me a lot of a shattered reflection, writing notes on yourself, and hands covered in hair dye, but that could just be because they’re considered the CONVERSION CLONE around town. just keep an eye on them  &  see if their true colors shine through..

↳ 𝚀𝚄𝙸𝙲𝙺 𝙵𝙰𝙲𝚃𝚂

NAME:  Wesley Scott Free NICKNAMES:  Wes DATE OF BIRTH: March 6th (23) HEIGHT: 6'2 AFFILIATION: Violet Messengers OCCUPATION: Busker/Thief FACECLAIM: Milo Manheim

TW: emotional manipulation, mental manipulation, murder

↳ 𝙱𝙰𝙲𝙺𝙶𝚁𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙳

❖ If you asked Wesley, or usually just Wes, he couldn't tell you what the first 19 years of his life were like. Not because he doesn't want to but because he doesn't remember.  ❖ What he does know is when he was 19, he took a job as a personal assistant for Pamela Taylor. She'd recently lost her husband and son, looking for a fresh start and just wanted someone around. ❖ Everything at the beginning is mostly a blur, he remembers she took him in for a checkup. That's when things became really confusing for him. She started calling him Jaiden and he had all these memories he couldn't explain, a whole other life he knew wasn't his.  ❖ She told everyone who asked that he was her son, and for the next few years checks up with an underground doctor became the norm. At one point not recognizing himself in the mirror.  ❖ Through her drunken ramblings and his own warped memory, Wesley slowly pieced together what had actually happened. Her ex-husband had worked for Epsilon Labs and been declared expandable after almost revealing a long held company secret. With her receiving a new identity and a buyout, while the real Jaiden was adopted by a woman called Zarina West.  ❖ Her new plan being using a copy of Jaiden's mind and placing it in a synth who with enough cosmetic surgery could pass for him. Eventually coming back to DFW for the rest of her ex-husband's wealth.  ❖ To say Wes was horrified would be an understatement, but he was effectively trapped with her. He didn't know who he used to be before this, and even if he had, he had no money or resources to leave. ❖ Her plan ended up being expedited when Wesley learned she'd burned through all the money she'd been given and then some. When the doctor came for his latest payment, it was the first time Wesley killed someone for her.  ❖ She never failed to remind him that they were stuck together, that if word got out over what they'd done he'd be in jail at best or killed at worst. Considering what Epsilon had done to her ex-husband, he found it hard to argue.  ❖ By the time they arrived in DFW he was 21, and he learned first hand how quick Epsilon was to handle a loose end. Barely managing to stay hidden and quiet when a security personnel broke into the motel room they'd been staying in. A part of him was more than relieved that they'd killed Pamela that night.  ❖ While they were busy covering everything up, he'd scrambled out of hiding. Catching the gaze of the security personnel, he knew they thought he was Jaiden, the moment they hesitated was all he needed to run out of there.  ❖ He likely would have gotten caught, if not for who he ran into that night. Cinder Glass, having spotted an Epsilon security member, had followed, helping Wes hide.  ❖ Maybe it was the near panic or exhaustion that had him spilling parts of his story to her. He didn't name who he'd meant to be a copy of, just what had been to him. With Cinder becoming a mentor/older sister figure to him. ❖ This led to him joining the Violet Messengers, filling Taurus in on just parts of his story. Finding something like a home in their ranks, though he still mostly keeps to himself. 

↳ 𝙼𝙸𝚂𝙲

• Frequently dyes his hair green to look less like Jaiden, also avoids going to the upper district. Along with wearing lower face coverings and almost always having a hoodie pulled over his head despite the heat.  • Lives in the Graveyard and tends to really only travel at night. Works frequently with Cinder on her heists either as a look out or a second set of hands. • Special interests for him are: music and art. It being one of the easiest things to get into and form an opinion. He's very proud of his tape collection even if a severely outdated form of keeping music. He enjoys transferring music onto them and designing little cases for them.

[autobot-ratchet]

Dark Cybertron Volume 1

Dark Cybertron Volume 1

I was gonna do this arc issue by issue but about three issues in, I realized I was reading a volume that just had all of the Dark Cybertron arc in it without having to jump between MTMTE and RID so lmAO that's fine it's honestly better this way but that does mean I'm gonna do this by volume, so basically half of this arc in one volume, the other half in the next

Galvatron sucks but he was so right to defend Cyclonus from Jhiaxus. No words, just a “shut your fuck” arm gesture, hell yeah

also I just realized this is a little glimpse of the ship Tailgate said he was gonna be a part of just before he fell underground, nice

god. I don't want to do a reread of MTMTE's sister series (or at least not a complete reread, I might reread certain bits) but like. Remember Rattrap lmfAO I remember so much fucking buildup like “ooh he's being so sneaky he's gonna betray Starscream, he's gonna betray him so hard just you wait” and then that guy straight up disappeared without ever actually doing anything at all. And I don't mean that he disappeared within the story like for plot reasons, I mean that Barber just stopped including him in his writing and I'm gonna be real I deadass didn't notice for a long time lmFAO

oh that's right, I vaguely remember this orc dude, Garnak, he was a friend of Roddy's

fdjasksl Swerve just immediately embarrassing Rodimus in front of Optimus

aww you hug that bot, Garnak, god knows he needs a good hug after all the shit that's gone down

interesting that Perceptor brings up that the Lost Light isn't technically an Autobot ship, it's a neutral ship

“Mostly I thought about Megatron.” I bet you did, gayass

oh fuck I knew Cyclonus had been trapped in the dead universe before but I didn't realize he spent six million years in there. Wasn't that as long as Tailgate spent trapped underground??? no wonder they were drawn to each other, they are each the only fuckin person who could possibly understand what the other has been through

ooh, so Roddy's told everyone the truth about the Overlord project at this point, he's got the numbers carved into his hand

I also forgot that the dead universe is where we meet Nightbeat. The fuck is he doing here lmfAO he's just in here chilling I guess

I'm not gonna lie my eyes glaze over so hard whenever anything RID related is on my screen lmAO I tune in just enough to get the plot relevant bits and then just... schoop... rats trap........ metal hawking............ omg Ultra Magnus!!! hi ❤️❤️❤️ like rip to everyone who was really invested in all the non-MTMTE goings on but god. Could not be me lmfAO and I tried! I did read all of the transformers comics in the first IDW run at one point! And my final verdict is that MTMTE/Lost Light is the cream of the crop and there were like. A handful of other comics that were worth a shit lmAO some mini series, some spotlight issues

hell yeah, love the crew deciding to do their own thing to go find Metroplex. “We can't do our own thing anymore,” yes you can, actually lmAO you can do whatever you want forever. Also I find it interesting that it's Ratchet who's trying so hard to argue that their hands are tied. Maybe moments like this were what put the idea in his head to go find Drift later

awww this is the first instance of simpatico!!! Percy and Brainstorm really are cute together

the fuckin Rod Pod........

oh fuckin right there was a whole thing about Nightbeat getting shot in the head, god I really did not retain shit about all the other transformers comics I read lmfAO whatever it's fine

Nightbeat really does just lay out Cyclonus's whole entire life in front of everyone, damn

fgdhsjk Galvatron just casually rips Megatron in half god damn

Getaway getting caught up in just how ridiculous this fuckin series is, simultaneously loving and hating it

aww Skids has Swerve's number, there are so many little moments of bonding or just like casual indicators of closeness sprinkled throughout this series, I've been noticing it with Brainstorm and Perceptor too, they have a lot of small moments of banter that are really good. Like people portray Perceptor as no-nonsense in the fandom but he does get just a little silly with it when it comes to Brainstorm, it's very cute

rip Rod Pod

rip Hardhead also, he was kind of a bitch, good riddance

[poetsparty]

EA-002 (pt 1/3?)

If you asked me at any point of my life what my dream career would be, I never could’ve fathomed that I would be leading space explorations. My name is Griffin Taylor, but for the past year I’ve been training as Captain 2-3. 

I started out as what my father would’ve called a waste of space. Rotting in a cubical filling out spreadsheets is no one’s idea of a satisfying life. I stumbled upon the newspaper ad by complete accident, looking for volunteers for space exploration crews, I didn’t think it was even real. I kept it, but didn’t do anything about it. A couple days later I got a letter. I don’t know how they found me again, but they did. In short, it was an offer to essentially disappear. To be fair, I didn’t have much to disappear from, so why not. 

So for the past year I’ve been in the midst of NASA’s underground training program. There are other planets out there suitable for human life. There have been two explorations to planet EA-002 in the past month. The ships returned empty. The excavations have become less about exploration and more about relocating the lost crews. 

I will be guiding a team of 4 others. Since I was given the position, both my crew and the NASA team running the controls here on Earth have come to refer to me only as Captain 2-3. 

Day 1: We boarded the ship late in the night. The projected travel time is three weeks, our Pilot wants to shave at least half a week off that time, (much to the Engineer’s disdain). We’ve been training together for some time, so we’re all on good terms. It’s been a couple hours, everything is running smoothly, largely in thanks to the J.O.C.. I was pulled aside by the Mission Specialist. He expressed concern. He was the newest to the training program, brought on when the mission became geared towards finding the missing crew. He used to be a Private Investigator, before getting wrapped up in all this. It’ll take time, but he’ll realize he’s just as much a part of this crew as the rest of us.

Day 5: We’ve adjusted to life on the ship pretty quickly. The Mission Specialist has kept to himself, he seems the stoic type. All the more reason that I appreciate his honesty to me at the start of the journey. The Pilot has been getting restless, though he insists this is the greatest opportunity of his life. There’s more to it, but that’s not my place to pry. The Mission Specialist has noticed it too, but I’ve told him prying into the lives of the crew isn’t why he’s here. Hopefully he’ll stand down, but I can’t help but worry for the Pilot. He’s operating most of the ship's functions during this journey.

Day 7: Our J.O.C. has been keeping in contact with the Ground SCaN team the most through this trip. According to Grounds, we’re on track to reach the planet in the predicted three weeks, which the Engineer was glad to hear. There haven’t been many problems with the ship, I’m led to believe the Pilot was joking in cutting the time down when he realized it would put the ship at risk. But that’s between me and the Mission Specialist. He didn’t really take my instruction from the previous day to heart. I digress.

Day 10: We’ve been trying to keep some semblance of a schedule on the ship. Most of us line up when we sleep. I was given a watch that keeps the time in relation to Ground SCaN. At about 2 AM Ground time, we were woken with a violent jolt of the ship. Then alarms started blaring. Immediately, the girls sprang onto it, the rest of us quick in tow. One of the boosters had been struck by an unexpected asteroid in our path. The J.O.C. alerted Ground SCaN, as there’s always someone on duty for instances like this. The Pilot had to cancel course, sending the ship into an idle state, moving only by the forces of space. We suited the engineer and myself to help her. We had the Mission Specialist in control of the chords connecting us to the ship. From there it was up to the Engineer to get the ship’s booster repaired. To be honest, I was mostly there to relay any information from The J.O.C. and to hold things for The Engineer. “Grounds in asking for an estimate of how much longer this will take.” “How long has it been?” “20 minutes Grounds time.” “It should be another 10, tops.” “Got it.” “You can go back inside, I’ve got it from here.” She turns to face me. “Are you sure? I have no problem making sure things here go smoothly.” “What, are you waiting for me to mess something up so you can take over?” “No! You’re perfectly capable here, Engineer. I’m here if you need anything else.” “I’m sick of this whole ‘calling people by their title’ thing. My name is Tia.” I wasn’t expecting her to tell me this. “That’s understandable, but it is protocol. I can start calling you your name if you prefere, but the rest of the crew might not feel comfortable sharing theirs just yet.” “I understand,” she turned back to the ship’s booster, “Thanks, Captain.” She got back to work.

Once we were pulled back to the ship and unsuited, the Pilot and J.O.S. were waiting for the signal to set the ship into motion again. The signal came for the J.O.S., and all she had to do was give a nod, we fired up the engines again, the booster performed as if there was never a collision. The J.O.S. relayed that we weren’t thrown of course at all during the collision and repairs thereafter, which was nothing short of a miracle. The Pilot set us in motion again and we were off, taking our speed quicker than normal to make up for the lost time, before we were able to set the course to it’s autopilot cruise.

Day 16 Tia has asked several times to go out again to check on the booster, Grounds has yet to approve it though. They claim nothing’s been cause for concern yet, so there’s nothing to worry about. The Pilot told me confidentially, however, that he’s been pushing the speed in small increments each day, so that when Grounds realizes, she’ll have a chance to go check up on it with no detriment to the time. I honored the compassion, but told him that wouldn’t be necessary. After all, that only ups the risk for something else to go wrong in the future.

Day 17 Grounds caught on to the Pilot’s scheme, the whole crew was quick on the scheme. I had to swear I didn’t ‘tattle’ or anything of the sort. Tia was the first to catch on to the language. “Tattle? What is this a third grade classroom?” she teased, causing the pilot to go red in the face. “Sorry, force of habit I suppose.” “Habit? Were you a teacher?” M.S. chose to chime in. “No, no,” he laughed, “my wife and I were planning on having a kid, before all of this, of course.” “Why’d you do it then?” The J.O.S. chimed in, not helping to end the Pilot’s embarrassment at all. As he fumbled to find a response, I figured they had messed enough. “We all have our reasons for joining this operation. We can keep them to ourselves if we wish.” There was a grumble in response, but The Pilot looked grateful. “Grounds is coming in.” J.O.S. suddenly sounded, before responding to them. She listened for a moment, before nodding and signing off. “You’re good to check up on the booster, we have time.” She told Tia. The girl practically jumped for joy, running off to get her suit ready. The Pilot gave me a smile, and I couldn’t help but laugh at how flawlessly his plan ended up working, tattling or not.

Day 20 We’re nearing planet EA-002, and there’s a tense energy among the crew. Everyone is sticking to their stations, making sure everything is prepared for the landing soon to come. It was the Pilot who pulled me aside. “I’m sorry about before. I shouldn’t have pushed the ship.” “It’s alright, we were able to check up on the booster without going off schedule, honestly I’m shocked just how perfectly it worked.” “Thank you, by the way, for stepping in when you did, Captain. To be honest, the reason I went on this whole journey is kind of embarrassing.” I offered for him to take a seat, and also sat. “Are you wanting to tell someone?” To my question, he nodded. “It’s been my dream, ever since I was a kid, to go to space. I was ready to give up everything for that. But my wife, she’s so smart, saw the potential money out of it. I wanna be able to provide for her and start our family, you know? But I’m worried. It’s been such a long time already, and we’re just now getting to the place. Then once we’re there…” He looked out one of the ship’s windows, staring at the stars. “We’ve put a lot on the line here. Your commitment to your dream is more than almost anyone can say for themselves.” I stood, so did he, and we both went to the window. Just staring out into the vast expanse of stars. “The other crews… it’s understandable where your uneasiness is coming from. But, we owe it to ourselves to get this right.” I put a hand on his shoulder, “for her, and everything else waiting for us back home.” “For home,” he repeated.

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Azusa Ecstasy [09]

ー The scene starts in the underground dungeon

Ruki: ...Why did you come here?

Yuma: To save yer ass, duh!

Ruki: ...I see.

Yuma: ...Ugh...

Yui: ( This reaction. It seems like Ruki-kun is prepared to be executed after all... )

Hey, Ruki-kun. You probably won’t comply if we ask you to run away right here, right now, will you...?

Ruki: ...You know me well.

Yui: ...

( ...Makes sense. I guess he won’t consider escaping when he came here willingly... )

( But...If we give up now, it defeats the purpose of coming here. )

( Perhaps he’s reconsider if we tell him about what’s going on with Azusa-kun... )

Selection

→ Don’t tell him

Yui: ( ...I better not. I mean, it’d kind seem like I’m using Azusa-kun as an excuse. )

Yuma: Listen, Ruki. The truth is, Azusaーー

Yui: Y-Yuma-kun...!

Yuma: ...We have no other choice, do we?

I feel bad for Azusa, but if we don’t convince this guy to run away, we’re in deep shit.

Yui: ...Yeah, you’re right.

I understand. I’ll take over from here.

→ Tell him (❦)

Yui: ( ...I’ll talk about it. )

( Even if it means I have to use Azusa-kun to my advantage, there’s simply no time to hesitate now. )

( I’m pretty sure Azusa-kun would want to save Ruki-kun no matter what as well... )

Yui: Listen, Ruki-kun...

ー Yui tells him

Ruki: ...I guess it was partially a trap after all. 

Yui: Kanato-kun said that if all four of you gather here, he’ll call off the execution. 

...But Azusa-kun can’t come here to save you...

Hey, Ruki-kun. At this rate, you’ll actually get executed.

Azusa-kun wishes to save you. ...So, let’s run away together?

Ruki: I won’t fall for that.

I never expected for Azusa to come save me.

...Besides, even if he had come to my rescue, I would choose to be executed instead. 

Yui: No way...

( All of us want to save him, why won’t he just understand...!? )

Yuma: ーー Ya stubborn bastard!!

*CLING*

Yuma: Azusa wanted to protect ya and our family, ya know!?

He even agreed to some fucked up deal!

And you’re gonna let all of that go to waste!? 

If ya die, what he did will be for jack-shit!

Ruki: ーー Don’t talk as if you know it all!

I chose this path where I will be the sole sacrifice for Azusa’s sake!

If I am executed, the Sakamaki Family, as well as you guys and the rest of the Demon World will be safe! It’s the solution which makes me least casualties!

Why won’t you understand that!? 

Yuma: ...!

Yui: ...Ugh...

Ruki: ...Besides, this is Sakamaki Kanato we’re talking about.

Even if all four of us were to gather here, he will definitely break his side of the promise and execute all of us instead. 

If you understand that, don’t get any more involved with this.

Yui: ( Ruki-kun is trying to sacrifice himself because he believes that’s in Azusa-kun’s best interest. )

( So he won’t get manipulated and hurt by the Church any more... )

( So the others won’t get killed. )

( After hearing that, we can’t force him to leave any more. )

ー The scene shifts to the Ghouls’ manor

Azusa: ...

( I’m always the one being protected by everyone. )

( I’m weak...at all times. )

( Even though I got stronger...and have been hunting down Demons as I was asked to... )

( I can’t believe I had to give up both Ruki and Eve regardless... )

( There’s no point in being strong now... )

( I wanted...to be stronger. A powerful person, capable of protecting everyone... )

Kou: ...Azusa-kun.

Ah, hey! Why don’t we eat something to get our minds off things?

I know we have limited ingredients to work with here and I’m not a master chef by any means but I’ll try my hardest today...

Azusa: ...I’m sorry, Kou. Right now...

Kou: ...No, it’s fine. I’m sure you have days like this as well.

ー Kino enters the room

Kino: ーー Azusa, are you there?

Kou: ...What do you want, Kino-kun?

Kino: Fufu, I’ve come here to pass an order from the Church to Azusa.

Kou: ...!

Kino: Seems like Ruki will be executed tomorrow.

They want you to make use of that opportunity to launch an attack on the Vampire Clan.

Azusa: Attack...

Kou: H-Hold up! You’re going to make Azusa-kun fight again!?

Kino: Of course. I mean, he’s the loyal dog of the Church, remember? 

Besides, the Wolf and Adler clans have been invited to witness the execution as well, so it’s a prime opportunity. 

Kou: No way...

Azusa: ( Attack the Vampires...I don’t want to do that, but... )

( If I go, I might be able to rescue Ruki...In which case... )

Kino: ...Ah! Let me warn you before I forget.

Don’t get distracted trying to save Ruki, okay?

I know a spell to restrain you after all. 

Azusa: ...Ah...

Kino: Well then, there you have it. Get ready, okay? 

ー Kino leaves again

Kou: This could be our chance to save Ruki-kun but...

I don’t want you to pay the price and get hurt...

...Hey, Azusa-kun. What do you want to do?

Azusa: ...

Kou: Azusa-kun...

ー The scene shifts to the staircase at the Sakamaki castle

Yuma: ...Fuck!

*THUD*

Yuma: Why did this shit happen!? Fuck, damnit!

*THUD THUD*

Yui: ...Uu...

Monologue

In the end, Yuma-kun and I left the dungeon,

without anything being resolved. 

I believe that our strong feelings towards each other,

is making the whole situation all the more complicated. 

Everyone is trying to sacrifice (犠牲) themselves for the others’ sake...

That’s what I believe.

ーー I want to protect (守りたい) everyone. 

It’s with said intention which I left Azusa-kun’s side,

and tried to offer myself to Kanato-kun instead. 

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for accidentally killing one of my closest friends?

I (200 M) accidentally killed a close friend (??? M), one of the only people I consider family. At the time, I didn't realize I had any connection to him because I had been recently reincarnated(?) and had lost my memories. Beforehand I ran a small gang of people who had animal-like traits, and we looked out for each other. I care for each one of those members deeply, sadly all of them are deceased at this point, but one of them survived the initial incident of all of them being killed. Now, I do have an actual family, in a way, more so are we forced to call the person who created us father, but whatever, and one of my 'siblings' had originally killed all of the people who were a part of my gang, and captured me. The thing is, me and my 'family' are supposed to be working together to take over the world, or something like that, but being who I am I don't want what they do, I want more than what they strive for and I want it for myself. So I ended up branching off, doing my own thing, but suddenly my 'youngest brother' barges in while I'm trying to make a deal with this kid in a suit of armor and trying to deal with his older brother and teacher and attacks me and my friends. One of them got away, the rest were killed trying to protect me and I eventually was apprehended. I was brought to my 'family's' dumb underground base and killed and sort of melted down into what could be considered my 'raw' form?? If that makes sense. Then the next thing I knew I was in this kid's body, some prince or something, and I remember absolutely nothing of my old life. What I did know at the time was to listen to my 'father' and carry out his orders, though, once again, being who I am I wanted my own freedom, my own gains from this world, so as I was patrolling this underground base and planning my own attempt to become some sort of figure in this world, I found my old friend. Not recognizing him though, I attacked and killed him. Suddenly I started getting flashes of my old memories and this kid whose body I was inhabiting started berating me for killing my friend, which was tbh fair enough, and I ended up kind of losing it. After shortly mourning for the person whom I considered true family, I found my 'youngest brother' and attacked him, but ended up having to make an escape soon after.

I wasn't able to avenge any of my friends in the end so AITA?

[thelediz]

This is just me seeing bits from your story and picking at them like threads, but it feels like there was supposed to be more plot relevance to Sonic’s adoptive family.

Sure there was the bit about Tails learning about Sonic’s adoptive parents from Cyrus, and that was more about robotocization than anything else… but what about Rouge learning about Uncle Chuck? The way you write the story implies that Sonic and Tails had met by that point so he would have been there, like Rouge was going to ask Tails if he knew anything because she was trying to piece together the backstory in full.

Other than that, do you think you’ll write the full backstory? Like Sonic and Cyrus learning the truth of how robotocization affects the people, Sonic leaving to the outer islands and meeting his friends, to deciding to go back to the mainland, and then your version of a reboot of Underground?

For those not playing along at home, Sonic's adoptive family are these two:

In the actual series, we don't actually know what happens to them. The last we see of them is when they tell Sonic to run as their house burns down around them. He lives with Uncle Chuck for the rest of his pre-Underground days.

I, for my sins, call them Red and Amber Rat (he looks like a rat to me...), and I actually have written the whole line of them in Wrong or Right. I fridged them, to help explain Sonic's anger and fear, and also why he goes a bit mute sometimes. Trauma, woo!

To detail it:

Red and Amber were on the sidelines of the Resistance, providing rest for traumatised victims and fighters, but they weren't actually fighters themselves. Robotnik did know about them, however.

After the honeymoon period of Robotnik's reign was over, people began questioning whether robotocisation was really the death sentence it seemed. So Robotnik decided to prove it really was as scary as he was making it out to be.

He captured Red and Amber, because they weren't fighters and they were vulnerable. He robotocised them, and manually removed their cyborg parts. It literally tears them apart. He filmed it.

For years after, whenever someone was captured to be robotocised, he would show them that film in the holding cells, so they knew there was no escape.

One day, Sonic and Cyrus were playing with hoverboards in the street when they got arrested. They saw the video. Sonic literally watched his parents get torn apart.

Sonic had a mental break. He tore apart the holding cell, and then just ran. He ran in a straight line. Eventually, he ran out of energy and fell face-down in some sand. This is where Mighty and Ray found him.

He hung out with them for a few months, just Not Dealing. He learned how to survive in the wild, he learned mechanics, he was just living on an island doing his own thing, until Robotnik appeared on the horizon and it all came flooding back.

NO ONE ELSE will ever have to go through what he did.

So Sonic's family IS a big thing in the Lost Prince. It's the basis of why he fights Robotnik. And all of the Resistance knows it. Red and Amber Rat are a driving force for a lot of people, and they think it's Sonic's full motivation.

But here's the thing: Sonic is more than that.

In The Lost Prince, the basic timeline is:

Sonic breaks out of the cell

Sonic the Hedgehog (the arcade game)

Sonic the Hedgehog (MegaDrive)

Sonic CD

Sonic 2

Sonic 3 & Knuckles

Sonic goes back to Robotropolis

Tails Adventure

Sonic and Robotnik leave Mobius

Sonic Adventure through to Sonic Colours

Sonia calls Sonic back to Mobius

Sonic's been through a lot, and has been quietly and internally processing a lot. What Rouge was discovering in her intel trip was that Sonic didn't just snap from one personality to another - he was DEALING. Somewhere around Sonic 2, Uncle Chuck found Sonic and tried to get him to come back, but Sonic WAS NOT READY. He was still hiding and panicking. Even after Sonic 3 & Knuckles, when he decided to return, he wasn't actually ready then, either. That's how Solar could take advantage of him. It took going back to Mobius, and realising he cared about more than just what had happened to him, that finally allowed him to process and grow beyond his trauma.

But it's all backstory. And Rouge knows a thing or two about growing beyond your tragic backstory.

So they're both just working with what they have in front of them, damn the past.

[apompkwrites]

Okay but like hear me out-

Cult leader!shroud 👀

But like it makes sense! The ideas of resurrection and man controlling life and death?! Come on! Twst probably has religion or whatever the equivalent is. The point js, seeing chapter 6, they probably, for the most part, don't believe in an afterlife or "paranormal equivalent."

So imagine me this.........

○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●

A young shroud going through the countless research papers their brother had created. Going through every single one of them. Growing more and more frustrated with every single word their eyes land on.

Idia doesn't love ortho the way they did. No, no, no, not like this, not with this. He doesn't love ortho(?) Not like this. How could he replace him with..with this thing? This isn't him, no,no,no,no,no, this piece of metal will never be truly be ortho.

It has no soul, none of his "true" memories, it won't remember the things they went through together. That thing will never be ortho.

Unlike their brother, they will bring ortho back, they will bring the real ortho back and not some mockery of nature.

○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●

I feel as if, eventually, young little shroud would leave their home, leave the underground and towards the surface. No amount of research or mechanics would ever bring a person back from the dead, not by staying here, that is. So the little shroud left STYX(?) Without letting anyone know of where they have gone. They can't know, they wouldn't understand, they could never love ortho as much as them. They don't love them either, so why would they care? They never stopped to understand what happened. They would never understand what they spoke about before the Monster got him.

And so gone they were, little shroud all alone to fend for themselves. They don't know where to begin searching to bring back their brother, but that is of no matter, it will take years and a few lives to find an answer. But along as he comes back, there is no need rush.

○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●

There lies a young little lionette, mourning the loss of her beloved family. How many more days will it be? How many more days of war between tribes must go on? Why is this being ignored? Why do they kill each other? Why fight this pointless war? Why do they ignore this? Why does the royal family ignore the terror and horrors that occur on their land? Do they not have any love for their people!?

She cried and weeped as the Lachrymose sky began to tear as well. The young little lion cried and cried as a cloaked figure stood behind. They approached the girl slowly as possible and stopped when half a foot away and asked, "What would you give to bring them all back?"

A heart, a soul, a ring, a bird.

"Would be interested in hearing my story?"

○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●

A lion, a heart, a ring, a bird.

A rabbit, a lion, a heart, a ring, a bird.

A fae, a rabbit, a lion, a heart, a ring, a bird.

A man, a fae, a rabbit, a lion, a heart, a ring, a bird.

A murder, an abuse, a victim, a war,

His heart, the blood ring, and the corpse of a bird.

○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●

It has been a bit over a year, and soon will be then. When a human not known to this fairytale world, arrives in a coffin with people not of know, a sacrifice will occur, and those of once pronounced deceased, will rise and sing once more for they.

Oh, little shroud, lost into nothingness and obsession with the dead. The poor little sheep lost their way from the cruel reality. Idia never loved him, but they do, very much so. They will bring ortho back, no matter what.

And those behind them who sing a chant, they help with that very goal.

"We will save this world from all evil and purify it soon."

"Nothing is set in stone, not even death"

○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●□■○●

Cult leader shroud, cult leader shroud-

Imagine the cult infiltrating NRC

Imagine like tho, little shroud attempting to mess with a afterlife and play god?! Like omg omg. The drama~

I had a thought and wrote it out.🙏😭😭🤌

CULT LEADER SHROUD CULT LEADER SHROUD

i love cult!shroud despising idia for making ortho? maybe they see it as a desecration(?) of his image. and they leave STYX bc there is no way they can find what they need there.

and. and is that a crossover i see? lil kingscholar becoming a part of cult!shroud's group?

ugh now we have black sheep cult au /pos. imagine they infiltrate NRC and are, like, a big bad at the school but no one knows it yet :O

[ashrillvenheim]

Awakening Past

Chapter 14

pairing: Ashley Graham x Leon S Kennedy.

Content: (+18) romance, angst, gore, erotic/suggestive themes at some point, slow burn, violence, action, self-harm, death talk,

If you're a MINOR or feel uncomfortable with any of these genres or ships, please DON'T keep reading, thank you.

Archive of our own / WORK LIST / Awakening Past Masterlist

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He placed the coffee on the table and turned to the next page.

His blue orbs glided over the lines of the report slowly. He read every detail carefully and looked at the graphic descriptions.

He took another sip and listened for footsteps at the back of the floor. The dogs prowled the house calmly as their owner rummaged through the things in her workshop. He heard a knock and arched his eyebrows, raising his eyes down the hall.

“Do you need help?”  his deep voice echoed through the walls.

He heard a grunt and then answered him.

“ Almost... there!”  another thump and a shriek of victory came to him.

Ashley emerged from the workshop carrying a board full of notes and papers. She leaned it against the living room window frame, toward Leon, and the agent stared at the board.

“Did you finish reading?” She asked pointing to the report in the man's hands.

He nodded and folded his hands on the table.

“ I want to talk about something else first.”

Ashley sat across from him with a nervous look on her face. 

“ Tell me.” she said shyly.

“How did you find me?”

The blush on Ashley's cheeks didn't go away.

“ Chris found your jacket and I used it to follow your scent.”

Leon couldn't hold back a surprised chuckle.

“ So you were telling the truth when you told me you could smell me even underground.”

She arched her eyebrows.

“ When did I say that?”

“ When you fell asleep on my carpet.”

“ Wow, I wasn't very careful.”

“ It doesn't matter anymore, does it?”

“ No, it doesn't.”  She smiled with her eyes on the table, not knowing whether to tell him the words he spoke back then.

Leon noticed the uncertainty in her eyes and leaned over the table.

“ There's something else, isn't there? - his voice changed to a more concerned tone.” Did I do something? Did I say something to you?

Ashley took a few moments to respond.

“No... you didn't do anything, but when I arrived," she paused. “ You called me Ada, until you realized it was me.”

The way those blue eyes widened again, showing a mixture of surprise, guilt, anger and confusion, made Ashley feel a tightness in her chest.

And yet her mouth added helplessly.

“Is that the... same woman we encountered on the island?”

Leon blinked, processing the news and buried his face in his broad palm.

“Did I say anything else?” she dodged Graham's question. She clenched her fingers.

“ That it couldn't be her, that she'd never go somewhere like that for you.”

A deep snort escaped the agent's lips, followed by a heavy sigh.

“ Yes, it's the same woman from the island.” He wasn't going to fool her, he wasn't going to lie to her. Ashley deserved the truth, even more so for having gone looking for him and having him mistake her for that other woman. “ But I met her in Racoon City.”  his blue eyes were lost in memories, his fingers folded and unfolded the edge of the paper in front of him. “Long story short, I thought she was FBI, with all the shit that was going on and considering I was alone let's just say... I got too fond of her.” he paused unable to look Ashley in the eye and clenched his jaw. “ Turns out she tricked me and used me for her benefit. I thought she died in that subway lab, only for me to find her in Spain six years later.”

Ashley watched him. That expression, the way he seemed to linger in thought about something....

The same one he had at their dinner together. did he remember her at the time?

“ I didn't... know, I'm sorry.” she couldn't think of anything else, she didn't know what to say in that situation.

But Leon's hand falling suddenly on the table startled her.

“ Don't even think of apologizing. I'm the one who should apologize for having confused you with a person who doesn't deserve it. I'm sorry.” His voice sounded almost furious, annoyed with himself.

She didn't want to see him like that.

“ It's okay Leon, you were delirious because of the fever, then you realized it was me, so it's okay.” She gave him her best smile even as she felt a sting in her chest.

But that was Leon's business and she didn't want to invade his privacy.

Leon looked at her, aware that it had hurt, he was sure.

For God's sake, she'd crossed the Atlantic and gone through the tunnels they'd dragged her through after kidnapping her to go looking for him and what was he doing? Mistaking her for a person who'd saved his life because she'd met him there by chance, not because she cared about him. 

“ Leon.” That soft voice brought him out of his thoughts of guilt, making him raise his eyes towards her. “ The important thing is that you got out of there and that's all, okay?” He saw her get up and approach the blackboard where she had drawn geological layers of different depths. “ after I found you I started looking for a way out at this height.” she pointed to a level above where she found him. “ I came across a mass grave.”

The agent glanced at the report still somewhat affected by the previous statement.

“ That part is not that detailed.”

“ Let's just say that part is a little fuzzier because of the impact the smell had on me, I was still getting used to using my sense of smell.”

“ I remember following the sound of the water until I became unconscious and everything became more and more blurred.” He paused and pointed to the plaga cave. “ Where was that grotto?”

Ashley now pointed to a layer much lower than the previous two.

“ This is what worries me. The mines where the parasite specimens were taken from were up here.” She marked a height similar to that of the pit. “ but those two-tailed fossils were far below, so it implies that they are older and that the ones that affected the villagers were ones that managed to survive until pre-medieval times, when Salazar's ancestor sealed them up.”

“ You mention that those new ones were dismembered.”

“ Yes, and besides, the replica I made is much smaller than what I actually saw, at least four times bigger.”

Leon scratched his chin.

“ Do you have any theories as to why?”

“ The only thing I could think of is the size of the prey they had to hunt. The mammals and various types of animals that were around before were much larger, maybe over time, the ones in the village became better adapted to human and domestic animal size.”

Kennedy looked at the board and the notes for a few seconds.

“ It would make sense.” He turned to the blonde. “ What's your intention with all this?”

Ashley sat down at the table.

“ To confirm whether the species I found is older than the one in the village or a simple mutation. If it is, we could trace it back to older ancestors and find a way or cure to cope with them.”

“ Cure?”

“ I mean a method of being able to get rid of an adult plaga in a human body, or drugs that could destroy it at an early stage of development. Perhaps the answer lies in the ability of some specimens to control others. Perhaps in the ancestors we could see how these parasites worked or how to eradicate them more efficiently.”

“ That's a bit of a broad plan don't you think?”

Ashley subtly shrugged her shoulders.

“ I can't do a final analysis without having the basics.”

Leon looked at the data and thought for a few long seconds.

What she was showing him made sense, but that didn't make it any less dangerous.

He let out a long sigh.

But who was he to hold it against anyone if something was dangerous when he was the first one to dive in head first? 

Ashley had made a decision. The events she had been through had caused her to go down that path, just like him of wanting to be a cop.

He wasn't going to talk her out of it.

“ You think it's insane,” Ashley said defeated. 

Leon smiled.

“ You're talking to the king of improvised plans.” he paused. “ I'm in.”

Ashley gave him a puzzled look.

So the only thing he could do for her now was to help her and improve her chances of success. Support her.

Graham froze and almost lunged at him if it weren't for the fact that she nearly threw the coffee on him.

Relief washed over her like an avalanche. That Leon had decided to help her was an immense joy to her. 

A sudden call on Leon's laptop startled them both and he picked up. 

“ Hunnigan? I thought you were going to send me the report.”  the agent said in surprise.

“ I'd rather tell you in person, good morning Ashley.” she greeted the blonde who moved to a seat next to Leon. “ I see you two have settled things.”

They both looked at each other for a moment and the memory of how they had woken up together on the couch came back to them. Their ears reddened and they turned quickly.

“ Yeah, it wasn't nice of me to tell him out of the blue.” Ashley said trying to calm her rampant heartbeat, catching the scent of Leon's nerves.

“ We were able to talk about it, yes.” added the agent, listening to the rumbling of his partner's heart and returning, inevitably, to when he had her sitting on him, embracing intimately.

Hunnigan watched them for a moment and arched an eyebrow.

“ Did I call you at a bad time?”

They both opened their eyes like saucers and turned to each other uncomprehendingly. It was Ashley who waved her hands in the air.

“ No no, I was explaining my theories to Leon in a little more detail.” It was amazing how good an actress she was, Leon thought to himself.

“ I see.” Hunnigan seemed convinced and decided to go ahead with her call. “ Well, the first thing I'm going to tell you is that you and Chris were right. The group that Chris reported was an advance party to scout the terrain, then they got the information about the existence of Narsson and Ashley and that's when they planned the attack on the college. It seems Wesker is trying to find out what else is in those mines.”

Leon and Ashley remained thoughtful for a few seconds and it was the blonde who spoke first.

“ Is my father aware of this?”

“ I was going to meet with him after I caught up with you - do you have anything to add to your report?”

Ashley explained the same as to Leon, showing her the whiteboard with the notes. The new information the agent acquired seemed to convince her and she nodded in satisfaction when they were done.

“ I think with this I have what I need to request an official mission, but first it has to go through....”

“ Through my father.” Ashley finished the sentence with a sigh.

“ I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything.” Hunnigan tried to calm her down. “ I was going to fill out the application with your participation as a research biologist candidate and member of the reconnaissance team with Leon, should I omit it?”

Graham denied under the watchful eye of his bodyguard.

“ I'm not going to lie to my father anymore. I want him to see that I'm serious.”

Ingrid watched her for a few moments before nodding.

“ I understand. I'm going to meet with Mr. Graham then, wish me luck.” she sighed.

Hunnigan said goodbye and hung up leaving Leon and Ashley watching the screen for a while. Her thoughts rattled around in her head restlessly.

“ Are you sure about putting your application in for your father?” Leon whispered turning his eyes to her. He noticed her profile, her subtly furrowed brow, her delicate nose and full lips... He found himself staring at them longer than would be considered appropriate and only blinked when he heard her voice answer him.

“ It's up to him to be reasonable or not, because he's the first one to know that it won't make any difference whether he says no to me.” she paused, interlacing her fingers. “ because he has been the one who has taught me to persevere since I was a little girl.”

Leon didn't look away from her for long minutes, his own thoughts battling with each other. 

If they were going to work together...he had to be honest with her, in this case about the earlier topic about Ada. He had to warn her, talk to her about what she did and what she is capable of doing.

“Are you going to tell me at once?”

He looked at his companion perplexed.

“ Why do you think I have something to tell you?”

Ashley turned to him leaning her cheek against her hand and arching an eyebrow. Leon mentally slapped himself. Really, he was forgetting that she could smell his nerves and more if he didn't spray on the cologne. The man sighed heavily.

“ I want to talk to you about Ada.” He felt a violent throbbing, an instant that made him look at her hopelessly.

“ Leon, really, it's all right, I've already told you.”

The agent denied.

“ As an enemy. I want to warn you of her threat.” he clarified with his serious and hard eyes.

Ashley dropped suddenly and sat upright in her seat.

“ I hear you.”

He nodded and took a breath.

“ She's a mercenary.” He paused for a second to continue more decisively. “ We don't even know who she works for or where she comes from. She went to Raccoon City to retrieve a sample of the virus and in Spain to capture a plaga specimen. I assumed it was for Wesker and that's what I mentioned in the report. He usually attacks from a distance but still knows how to fight.” He recalled his first encounter after six years. “ She always has some kind of trap that can allow her to escape, so don't trust her.” His eyes wandered for a moment and then returned to Ashley. “ don't trust anything that comes out of her mouth.”

Ashley felt a shudder at the warning tone of those last words. Uncontrollably her heart pounded. Leon looked at her seriously, aware that he wasn't telling her everything. 

He wasn't telling her about the bullet he took to protect her, in how she used those lips to manipulate his tormented mind and how he tried to save her even though he had blown her cover. He wasn't telling her how weak he was, he couldn't find the courage to do so, but he had made Ashley promise to tell him things, to trust him.

And now he was the one hiding secrets?

Then he remembered her words, two and a half years ago.

He wasn't aware of how much his countenance had darkened until he sensed Ashley's hand holding his.

“ Leon, please.” her anguished voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “ I don't want to see you like this, if it's something you don't want to tell me, don't, I'll wait.”

Those amber irises watched him worriedly and Leon finally broke down.

He couldn't lie to her like that. She deserved to know everything, even if it hurt and embarrassed her.

“ When I told you that at sea, when we left the island, I didn't know how to answer you.” Ashley wanted to stop him by squeezing his hand in hers.

“ Leon…”

“ She saved my life, more than once and although I can't help but feel grateful I know she did it on a whim.” He looked at Ashley guiltily. “ Because she was the first one to tell me to leave you.” He saw the blonde's eyes widen and felt a sting in his chest. “ the part of me that I can't seem to shake is being grateful that she saved me all those times, even though she's a person who thinks of nothing but herself and using people as her puppets.”

Leon clenched his fists helplessly, feeling the anger coming back to him, but this time an immense shame was shaking him.

Talking about this person to Ashley made him feel terribly dirty.

Everything went silent. Ashley was speechless trying to think of something. She could feel Leon's fist under her hand, tense and twitching. He wasn't looking at her, she saw his subtly reddening ears and she felt that tiny twinge in her chest again, but for some reason it hurt less this time.

He had just trusted her.

He had told her something that two and a half years earlier he couldn't, even though they had just been through hell. He hadn't.

And that was what mattered.

She gave him a gentle squeeze and Leon raised his head somewhat reluctantly, only to stare at the table. 

“ Leon, please look at me.” she whispered softly. He hesitated for a second and cocked his head to the side unable to do so. Ashley didn't pull away and remembered how softly she called him when she came to his rescue. She gave him another gentle squeeze.

“ Sweetheart , look at me.”

She saw his broad shoulders tense for a moment and his eyes lift in puzzlement, meeting a sweet playful smile. Leon couldn't help but curve his lips faintly at having fallen for the same ruse he used on her. The tiny gesture on the man's lips cheered her.

“ That's a good boy.” she encouraged him before adding softly. “ Leon, thank you for telling me this and I want to tell you that you are not a puppet, because, even though she told you to leave me, you didn't and that, for me meant seeing a sunrise again. You didn't give in, you fought even though it hurt you. Nobody is perfect Leon, we make mistakes and we learn from them, you told me that, remember?”

“ I wonder how many of the things I've told you I've applied myself.” he let out a heavy chuckle.

This was hard. Up until now he had kept all his anxieties to himself, but after everything he had been through with Ashley and how she made him feel like a person and not a dog... he had decided to trust her in a way he hadn't done with anyone until then.

He went so far as to think that, perhaps, it wasn't normal that deep emotion she made him feel and that he still didn't understand.

He raised his blue gaze to meet those amber irises that observed him with absolute sincerity. He would teach her, he would educate her with everything he knew so that she would not make the same mistakes, or at least know how to deal with them.

And now it was time to be objective.

He hardened his expression and regained his composure. Now he was speaking to her as Agent Kennedy, warning her of the dangers of that path.

“ I don't know if Ada will show up in Spain, but I warn you that if by any chance you have to face her you should know that she is very agile and that her way of fighting is similar to yours, so be careful.”

Ashley sensed the firmness in the man's voice and nodded. She would learn from all the advice he gave her, she was entering his world and she had to listen to him more than ever.

“ Anything else I should know?”

Leon was thoughtful for a few seconds returning to normal.

“ As Hunnigan has already said, the last word is up to your father. Once we know the answer we can plan things, but....”

“ We have to wait.” sighed Ashley loosening her grip on Leon's hands.

He watched her with a subtle smile and this time he gave her a squeeze to get her attention.

“ After two years of planning all this, what's a few more days?”

Ashley gently patted the back of his hand and released him to stretch out in the seat.

“ I don't like sitting around doing nothing.”

Leon looked at her deeply, losing himself for a few seconds in the warmth of her company, then stood up and patted the table. Ashley jumped and gave him a confused look.

“ Well, let's entertain ourselves then.”

Ashley gave the same devilish grin that Leon sometimes gave her. 

Cocked and seductive.

“ Are you proposing what I think you're proposing?”

The agent looked at him in confusion for a moment and saw her stand up to approach him with smooth elegance, making all his alarms go off.

“ I haven't proposed anything what do you think my idea was?”

The last thing Kennedy expected was to feel Ashley's fingertips trailing up his abs, his chest and throat until they reached his chin.

The look on her face was amused and dark.

“ You...me, alone at home, would be fun don't you think?”

Leon almost choked on his own saliva and gasped in surprise. His eyes widened wildly and his heart raced violently. He was speechless, feeling his body burn and a shiver run down his spine.

She had just suggested to him to have s-

A thump in his chest and a violent laugh brought him out of his paralysis. He watched Ashley hold her abs with tears in her eyes.

“ You should have seen your face!”  she exclaimed, wiping her eyelashes. “did you…” she gasped, catching her breath. “ Did you really think I meant it?”

Convincing it had been, he wouldn't deny it. The way she'd brushed her fingers up his torso to his face... for a second he'd wished he hadn't had his shirt in the way.

“ Now we are even.” Leon looked at her questioningly and she added. “ For the sexual suggestions you gave me that night with my friends.”

She laughed again, picking up the papers from the table. The agent could hear Ashley's pounding heartbeat, but he didn't know if it was from laughter or nerves.

He took a deep breath. She had caught him off guard. He gave a crooked smile.

“ So that's how it goes.” His voice was strong and mischievous, causing her to turn around, fearful. “ I'd thought about going for a walk, but we're going for a run.”

“Now?”

“ Now, Miss Graham .”

*

She filled her lungs violently. Her chest burned and her rapid breathing sent pinpricks all over her chest.

She watched the beads of sweat fall on the forest leaves and turned her amber eyes to the side, supporting herself on her knees.

The man accompanying her was not much better off than she was. the T-shirt clung to his torso like a second skin, accentuating all his muscles. She saw him stand up straight and look at her seriously.

“ Let's go.” he said dryly.

“ Do you still want more?”  Ashley growled.

“ When you feel yourself going blind from lack of oxygen, we'll stop.”

Was he angry? she saw him jump over the rocks and run up through the trees.

Ashley cursed under her breath and followed him.

She didn't know how long they had been on the mountain, but she knew they were a long way from home. He'd shoved her out of her apartment after the prank and had only been responding to her in a surly manner.

Had she pushed her luck too far? Had he been that upset at the comment? She had only wanted to return his same joke, but it seemed Leon wasn't taking them so well, or so he was showing.

She hopped over the rocks like a kangaroo and stopped as she looked ahead frowning.

Where was Leon?

She heard a snap and her body tensed instinctively. She raised her fists in guard and scanned her surroundings. She sniffed the air, but caught Leon's scent in a blur. She knew he was there, she smelled him, but... it was fainter.

“ Leon?” she called cautiously, bending her knees and tensing her muscles. -Are you there?

Silence.

“ Kennedy, it's not funny. If what I said upset you so much, I'm sorry, it was just a joke.”

Silence. 

A gentle breeze ruffled her sweaty hair and a shiver ran down her back like a whiplash. She dodged violently and a pebble passed close to her shoulder.

She arched her eyebrows.

Was he testing her?

She opened and closed her fists a couple of times and took a deep breath.

No. This wasn't a joke. Another shudder made her jump to avoid another small stone.

She inhaled and focused. She took in the scents and searched for Leon's.

He had used something to camouflage his scent and she couldn't help but smile inwardly.

It looked like he wanted to give her a hard time. Well, this wasn't training with Dana. It wasn't a matter of finding a mammoth's weak spot.

She was at a disadvantage. Leon was hiding somewhere, but he had her in his field of vision.

She feinted, avoiding another stone, this time from the side.

She was facing an agent specialized in the open field. As much as she had trained she still lacked field experience.

But she was a quick learner.

She began to take small steps, trying to minimize her blind spots.

She couldn't hear him, but he wasn't invisible to her sense of smell and vision either.

Then the pebbles stopped.

She took a breath and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She took a step back and adrenaline coursed through her veins.

She turned her body abruptly and his fist brushed past her face. She jumped and threw a kick that Leon dodged nimbly to lunge for her waist.

This wasn't like the confrontation they had in the gym. Those blue eyes were going for her without hesitation.

He threw a kick at her that she could only meet with her arms up in the air. Her muscles screamed in pain, but her logic disappeared.

She did a sweep and used her hands to propel herself into an upward kick catching Leon in the jaw. She heard him grunt, but didn't stop.

The instinct to fight and survive came out of both of them.

Leon picked up dirt and threw it at her eyes. Ashley coughed and covered herself, but air escaped her as he placated her around the waist. Leon dragged her away, but never expected to feel Ashley's hands wrap around him and lift him into a Suplex. He paled as she pulled him through the air and managed to stretch enough to fall backwards, avoiding breaking his neck, but feeling the impact lock his lungs.

They both fell to the ground, but Ashley didn't stop. 

She charged at him and they engaged in a wrestling match of wrenches and pinning. Leon locked her between his legs and Ashley grabbed him violently by the shirt collar and wrist. He squeezed his thighs and Ashley growled looking up at him like a tiger. She released Leon's wrist and raised her fist. He dodged the blow by turning his whole body and Ashley took the opportunity to break his grip and release from between his legs, throwing a kick that caught him in the chest.Leon grabbed her leg and extended his own hitting her in the stomach. 

Ashley coughed and rolled to wrap Leon's head between her legs.

He punched her in the side but she didn't let go, holding back the pain.

She grabbed his hand and contorted her fingers making him roar.

Shit, Leon thought. She had a stronger grip than he did. He tried to make a fist but she clenched and twisted the agent's arm with intent to dislocate it. Leon slid his hand to his neck and pressed on the inner nerve of Ashley's thigh, which made her flinch enough that he could free his head. But he didn't let go of her arm.

He spun on himself to release tension and punched her in the face.

Ashley hissed, feeling the blood in her mouth, but she didn't let go. 

No. Not this time.

He grabbed Leon by the wrist, kneed him in one ear leaving him disoriented and like a rhinoceros headbutted him.

Leon fell sideways and staggered for a few seconds.

“ F-Fuck !” he roared, holding his hand to his head, trying to get everything back on track.

Ashley gasped from the effort and dropped to all fours trying to catch her breath.

Leon saw a few small scarlet droplets fall onto the back of his hand.

His head was still buzzing and the blood emanating from his nose caused him to drop to his ass. He looked up gasping at Ashley who raised her eyes to him and saw her split lip and blood staining her jaw.

They both stared at each other breathlessly, but without taking their eyes away.

They saw the wounds they had inflicted on each other, but felt no guilt.

Maybe a slight sense of responsibility, but nothing more.

They had fought as enemies and Leon had seen that she was fully capable of breaking his arm if her life depended on it.

He had pushed her and she had responded.

He squeezed the bridge of his nose trying to stop the bleeding, but the taste of iron slid down his lips into his throat.

He watched Ashley crawl over to him and reach into several pockets of her pants looking for something to clean him up.

Without a word she knelt between Leon's legs and grabbed his jaw with firm gentleness. He locked his eyes on her and let her wipe his face and then press on the side where the most blood was coming out.

Leon let her do it and as she held him, he took the cloth. He wiped her just as gently and heard her hiss as he ran the cloth across the open wound on her lip.

For long minutes they tended to each other in silence, cleaning each other's wounds. They didn't utter a word, still catching their breath and letting the adrenaline drain from their system. Ashley wiped the dirt from the small tear in Leon's jaw with her thumb and sat up on her calves.

They pinned their eyes on each other, watching the sweat slide down their necks. Leon let the air out deeply and slowly, feeling the blood stop coming out already. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, analyzing what he had just done and something in him felt much calmer.

It wasn't just that Ashley had trained physically, no, he needed to test if she was capable of fighting until she broke her opponent and he had seen that she hadn't hesitated.

She would not hesitate if the situation called for it.

He parted his eyelids again and met the woman's inquisitive expression. Ashley watched him silently, still between his legs. She saw Leon pick up a limb and rest his arm on his knee.

“ I'm going to teach you how to do wrenches. Dana isn't very skilled at them, so I'll take over. You have a very strong grip, it can really help you a lot.”

He saw her nod unblinkingly and then she parted her lips.

“ If you want to avoid being trailed you're going to need a boar scent cover.”

“ Did you still smell me?” he looked surprised.

Ashley nodded.

“ Noted then.”

They took another few seconds of silence, where their panting breaths were all that could be heard. Leon flicked his tongue and tossed his head to the side to spit out the blood that filled his mouth. He watched Ashley sit up to mimic his gesture and then held out her hand.

Leon looked at the woman's reddened knuckles and gave a sarcastic smile.

“ Is this a draw?”

Ashley's lips curled up.

“ I think I won.”

The agent looked at her with mock puzzlement.

“ Yeah, you wish.” He took her hand to stand up.

Leon's back impacted against the ground, he gasped for air with his throat pressed down, his legs pinned and his arms twisted.

Ashley lay on top of him, pressing her forearm even harder against the man's throat. Leon gasped and raised his eyes to hers, seeing a menacing glint in them.

She was no longer smiling.

“ When you feel like you're going blind from lack of oxygen, I'll stop.” she repeated the words he himself had said to her.

Leon gave a tug, not letting go. He went around Ashley's neck holding her arm, twisting it and pulling her closer to him so that with the pressure she would strangle herself as well.

He saw her pupils dilate and eat the amber of her irises and gritted his teeth. The blue-eyed man heard a faint hiss caused by the corner of Ashley's lips taking in air between her teeth. Leon squeezed tighter, cutting off her flow and she mimicked him, leaving him breathless.

And they stood still.

The first one to give in lost.

Their heartbeats thundered in their ears and their lungs began to burn as a minute passed. Leon watched Ashley, feeling his head start to press down and saw those golden irises staring at him, but at the same time not. She was still doing the same force on him, but he didn't see her as on edge as he was. how was that possible?

Leon gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes trying to hold on. He saw Ashley frown, beginning to feel the pressure on her temples.

He wasn't going to lose. Like hell he was.

He gripped her tightly with his pupils dilated and his lungs screaming.

He...wasn't...going...to...give in.....

He let go of Ashley's neck and she let go, breathing violently.

Leon clutched his throat and felt a hand on his chest. Ashley gasped holding onto him, squinting her eyes to calm the burning. Their faces were red from the pressure and Leon couldn't believe he had given in first. He looked down at her with sweaty locks plastered to his face, feeling her torso against his.

“ You…” she gasped catching his attention “You'll be a... genius in... com-bat.” she swallowed her breath to continue. “ but I…” she looked at him with a smile of victory. “ I climb in altitude.”

Leon dropped his head to the ground with a defeated laugh. That little detail had been his ruin. He had underestimated her, and if he were her enemy he would be suffocated on the ground.

Ashley vibrated on Kennedy's chest as she heard him laugh out loud. She dropped her forehead against his sternum, laughing with him.

“ I admit my defeat.” he smiled, stretching his arms out on the floor and feeling Ashley laugh with her head sunk into his chest.

“ Sorry, I don't think I heard you, can you repeat that?”

Leon raised his hand and dropped it on her head grabbing her ear and pulling.

“ Don't be greedy, I'm not going to repeat it.” He shook her head hearing her giggle.

They lay on the ground for a while longer. Leon watched the sky between the treetops. His hand was still stroking Ashley's head unconsciously and his heart finally took on a calmer rhythm.

He felt the blonde stir and looked down to see her cross her arms and rest her chin on her knuckles to look up at him.

“ Did I pass?”

Leon rested his hand on her waist without thinking, letting out a chuckle.

“ Between your headbutt and apnea, I can tell you're definitely a hippo.”

Ashley frowned sitting on him.

“ Not even a compliment.” she pouted.

Leon stood upright on his palms, moving closer to her, both of them unaware of the position they were in.

“ You passed with flying colors.” he said with pride filling his voice.

Ashley looked up at him then smiled with a sigh.

“ I almost killed my bodyguard.”

“ I'm going to have to ask for a raise for this.”

Graham patted him on the chest.

“ Oh come on, I bet you liked me strangling you.”

Leon rolled his eyes.

“ Suuuure, I can't wait to get home and have you put a gag and collar on me.” He sneered at her again only to suddenly tense up when he saw her looking at him in a strange way. “ Ash, don't even think about putting your dogs' collars on me.”

She smiled as her intentions were revealed.

“ Come on, just once, I have to see it.”

Leon pointed at her in warning.

“ Try to come near me with a leash and the one who's going to wish she'd been choked is going to be you.”

“ Uuuu.” she patted him on the shoulder. “ Sounds interesting Agent Kenn-”

“ Get a hotel for God's sake!”

They both froze with a jolt and turned their heads in the distance, seeing a figure descend and disappear behind the rocks and bushes. They looked at each other and burst out laughing and fell to the ground.

They didn't know how long they laughed, only when their abs hurt enough were they able to stop crying from laughing.

Ashley stood up and held out her hand again. Leon looked at her suspiciously.

“ Are you going to try to kill me again?”

“ Tempted as I am by the idea, I need you to give me a ride on that bike of yours.”

Leon scoffed and intertwined his hand with hers, rising with the momentum. They both stretched feeling their muscles scream in pain, but took another deep breath.

They walked back, hearing their stomachs roar like bears and brushing dry leaves off each other.

When they reached the building they went up through the garage, afraid of looking like they had gotten into a fight with someone or having to explain that they hadn't hurt each other, even if it was a lie. Leon went to Ashley's apartment to tend to his wounds but first stopped by his house to take a shower and wash off the dirt.

Graham set the metal box down on the table and put the chair in front of Leon. He settled back and let Ashley slide her fingers across his face gently. He hissed when she touched the cut on his jaw and put a few strips of approximation on it. Fortunately, it wasn't deep enough to need stitches, so that would be enough for him. She covered it with clean gauze and put a cold band-aid on the bridge of his nose to bring down the swelling. She noticed the bump they now shared from the head butt.

“ I nearly broke your nose." she laughed, looking at Leon.

“ I see your stubbornness has made your head hard as hell.”

“ It feels like I've hit a wall.”

Leon laughed.

“ Hunnigan says I have muscle for brains, so that would explain it.”

Ashley laughed helplessly only to wince in pain as she felt her wound open up again.

“ Let me.” Leon said leaning over her. Ashley sat up and lifted her chin to give the agent a better look.

She focused on looking at the ceiling as she felt the man's fingers wipe her lips. If she met his eyes her heart would betray her. She took a deep breath trying not to let her nerves show.

She tried her best not to make the situation uncomfortable. But Leon sensed the subtle quickening as he slid his thumb across her lip. He looked at her for a moment, seeing her amber eyes riveted to the ceiling, but her cheeks seemed to have blushed subtly.

For a moment Leon remembered Ashley's words in the park, when they returned from taking Narsson to the hospital. In how she told him she hadn't had any intimate interaction in four years.

And he was caressing her lips in alarming proximity.

Partly he felt bad for putting her through that, making her uncomfortable like that, so he hurried to put the same straps on her that she had put on him and step away.

He sat back down in his seat and Ashley lowered her head to look at him squarely.

“ How are we going to explain this?” she sighed.

“ A training session with Dana?” he suggested.

“ I don't think it's a good idea to bring in third parties.” she paused. “ They tried to kidnap me again and we beat the crap out of them?”

“ Perfect if you want your father to have a heart attack.”

They both smiled and Leon leaned back in the seat petting Pepper.

Ashley watched them and had an idea.

“ It was Mint while we were taking her blood for a CBC.”

Leon arched his eyebrows.

“ Has that ever happened?”

“ He doesn't like needles at all, he's not usually violent, but he does let out the occasional claw until he calms down, I think it's more convincing than kidnapping.”

Leon scoffed softly.

“ Anything is more convincing than kidnapping.”

“ Yeah, I thought so until I got knocked out and woke up on the other side of the Atlantic.” she paused with a snort of amusement. “ Definitely an experience.”

Leon's blue eyes turned away from the dog to fix on her.

“ One that won't happen again.” His voice had deepened and Ashley watched him.

“ I hope it doesn't, but if it does I'm prepared.”

Suddenly that sapphire gaze darkened violently and Leon's jaw tightened.

“ As long as I'm here no one is going to lay a hand on you, you hear me?”

Ashley felt a shiver run down her spine at his low, husky voice.

“ Don't exaggerate, Leon.” she smiled, trying to calm that aura he was giving off.

“ I'm not exaggerating.”

Their eyes met and he didn't blink. Ashley saw in his irises a silent promise, one in which he assured her that he would not hesitate to break the hands of anyone who wanted to hurt her.

But she also wanted to promise him that she would protect him.

“ Then we'll have each other's backs.” She raised her hand toward him. “ A deal?”

Leon watched her. Almost three months ago he would have told her that she shouldn't fight, that he was her shield, but he had proven him wrong, that she would only accept his help if he accepted hers.

His lips curved up and interlocked their hands.

“ Just try not to shoot me by accident.” he joked.

“ Same here.”

“ Don't wear out my name then.”

“ Then don't put me in containers and whistle at me.”

They both smiled and shook hands.

A promise that they would always help each other when needed.

An eternal promise.

**

He turned to the next page of the report. His light eyes swept across the inky lines, making him suck in deeply.

"Reconnaissance mission request."

Hunnigan stood straight in front of the man without uttering a sound, holding her laptop in her lap. Her orbs watched the president's gestures in detail, trying to read something, but she didn't have to for long when she saw him lean to the side, resting his face on his knuckles.

That report definitely did not excite him.

Ingrid noticed that to one side rested a small folder, Ashley's copy of the report. The pages were subtly crumpled, giving Hunnigan the hint that William had reread it countless times.

And no wonder. Ashley had done an impressive job on that document. If it were anyone else there would be no doubt that such a trip had to be made, but it wasn't just anyone, it was her father and that made it a hundred times more complicated.

But now she understood it better.

Graham turned the last page with the same gesture until he finished the last word. Then he tidied up the pages and left them in front of him spotless.

Ingrid looked at him, watching William lose his eyes in the distance for a few seconds, and then parted his lips.

“ Have you spoken to them?”

“ Just to fill in an unfinished part of the application.”

The man emitted an affirmation in his throat still thoughtful.

“ What do you think?”

The question made Hunnigan hesitate, who sighed heavily and answered decisively.

“ With all due respect Sir, I am not going to bring my opinion to a decision that only concerns you, knowing full well where I stand on the matter. I think the fact of bringing you this request is enough for you to understand what I think.”

William said nothing, just lowered his eyes to the papers on his desk, and slid his free hand across the smooth surface.

“ I've seen the video of the attack.” Hunnigan tensed subtly but the president continued smoothly. “ I know you didn't let me see it so I wouldn't worry, I don't blame you, but I've also seen the one from the quarantine two and a half years ago.”

Ingrid paled.

“ The one about the…”

“ Incident of Ashley escaping from her room, yes, I've seen both.”

He leaned back in his chair, throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling.

“ Part of me refused to see them.” He paused briefly. “ I saw the quarantine one first, maybe trying to see the Ashley I knew before the kidnapping, but even in the recording I saw things I didn't know. Facets I knew she had, but wasn't aware of how much she could magnify it, it reminded me .” he paused for a few seconds, getting up from his seat. “ then I saw the one of the attack on the university and I simply refused to see how much she had changed, not because she wanted to, but because she had no choice, and this time... she reminded me of her mother .”

Hunnigan's eyes widened and her heart shrank. 

“ Sir…” she whispered worriedly.

Graham raised his eyes skyward.

“ I remembered one of the little speeches she gave when I was still working at the law firm, "Empathy is an important thing, but when that empathy goes beyond the point of making decisions for a person believing you are doing it for them, that is selfishness, because you are forcing that person to do something you want and that, gentlemen, is where empathy is lost." that's what she said.”

Ingrid looked down at the floor in awe.

“ She seemed like an intelligent, gentle woman.”

Graham smiled.

“ She was, and there was a moment when I thought I should have stopped her from dying in that accident, but she could have stopped me when I mentioned my career change to go into politics, and she didn't. Even though she knew I was putting myself in danger, she didn't do it.” he clenched his fists. “ And neither did Ashley, knowing I was a target to kill, knowing she could be someone of interest, she didn't stop me, she went along with me and did everything she could to protect me on my way.” her shoulders slumped in defeat. “ And I've been trying to force her into a life that no longer fits who she is. I'm not going to stop her, no, she's like a hurricane when she sets her mind to something. All I can do is return the favor she did me. Protect her on her way, help her in her decision and do what is in my power to make her do it the safest way, not lock her up so nothing happens to her. Then I would be the one to kill her inside.”

“ Sir, if you need time to make a decision I understand-”

“ I've had too much time Hunnigan. Ashley has given me way more time than I deserve and I'm not going to make her wait any longer. Let's get it right.” He turned to Ingrid. “ How do I have today's plan?”

Hunnigan opened the laptop to quickly scan the calendar.

“ Today you have four meetings with ministers and a press conference. Do you want me to notify Ashley of your response?”

Graham declined.

“ I want to do it myself. Add to the list a meeting with the DSO charges at the last minute.” Hunnigan typed. “ We'll set up the mission and I'll call them to come in and lay out the campaign themselves.” He paused again. “ It's an urgent mission, but I want Ashley to organize her friends and the university before she leaves, I don't want to drag her along.

Ingrid nodded with a smile.”

“ Shall we start the day then sir?”

Graham looked at her determinedly and walked towards the door.

“ You don't have to tell me anymore, of course.”

**

He threw the ball against the wall and Pepper ran after it.

He slid the full boxes toward the entrance and threw away the paper wrappers that were no longer useful.

He wiped away the sweat and shook his ash-brown hair to look around the room full of packages.

“ I'm done with the fourth!” he exclaimed down the hall. “ Are there any more left?”

“ I'm finishing the last one!” a female voice confirmed.

Suddenly the cell phone rang and Leon jumped, arching his eyebrows.

Hunnigan shouldn't call for another hour. They hadn't heard from her since yesterday regarding the mission request. Leon put his hand in his pocket and picked up the video call.

His heart stopped and his blue eyes widened in surprise as he saw the president's face.

“ Good morning Leon.” the man greeted them politely.

Leon shook his dust and plaster-stained shirt.

“ Sir, good morning, you caught me looking a little... unpresentable.” he laughed, a little nervous about being seen dirty.

William smiled without giving it any importance.

“ Don't worry, you weren't expecting my call, I don't expect you to be dressed in a suit every hour of the day.” he joked and then got to the point. “ I'd like to talk to you and Ashley, please.”

“ Sure.” Leon raised his head and leaned into the hallway. “ Ashley! We have a call.”

The woman's head popped violently out of the workshop, her amber eyes glaring at him with disdain. She dusted off her hair and dungarees then walked toward Leon. The agent sat down on a couch and waited for her to settle next to him.

Leon watched as William watched his daughter take her seat intently and for a few seconds, his heart raced with nerves.

“ I see you're... redecorating?” Graham arched his eyebrows.

It took Ashley a few seconds to respond, considering they hadn't had a good interaction since their graduation party.

“ We're organizing the replicas that I'll be leaving at the university display.”

“ Oh yes, I think you mentioned something about that.” he said somewhat uncomfortably.

“ Yes…” she answered in the same way.

Leon went to intervene to cheer things up a bit, but he heard a sigh from the president and his body froze.

“ My call is not about an everyday matter, it is to talk to you about the mission request that Hunnigan gave me.”

The two young adults swallowed unconsciously, Ashley fearing the worst.

“ I would like to tell you that I have refused to carry that request forward.” The color left the blonde's face instantly. “ But I'd be lying.”

They both blinked at William's words and he looked at them silently for a few seconds.

“ Wait, that…” whispered Ashley fearfully.

“ It means that I have approved your request for an expedition to Spain.

Ashley's heart pounded so hard that she had to put a hand to her chest in pain. She went to exclaim.

“ But.” her father's piercing voice stopped her. “ I want to meet with you in person before I give the final verdict.” he stared at Leon without adding anything for a moment. “ I would like you to come to Washington for the meeting. Put what you have in order.” His voice was calm, but inspired his characteristic authoritative air.

Leon and Ashley looked at each other for a moment before turning and feeling serious.

“ Yes, sir.” they replied in unison.

The President seemed satisfied and with a nod of his head took his leave until further notice.

The screen went black and silence reigned in the room.

They both looked down at the table, Ashley still processing the news and then remembered that she had been holding her breath. She sighed heavily, dropping her head into her hands. Leon watched her and patted her gently on the shoulder.

“ Are you all right?”

He saw her shake her head in affirmation.

“ Yes... it's just that until now it had seemed so far away that... it seems almost....”

“ Unreal.” he finished the sentence.

Ashley lifted her face up to him, staring into his sapphire ones with her amber irises.

“ I'm nervous.” she finally confessed.

Leon gave her arm a squeeze and smiled at her.

“ It's normal, I almost had an attack when your father called me.”

Ashley and let out a weak chuckle.

“ Yes, me too.”

“ But we finally have an answer and now we can work together to find a new way out of all this. “ he encouraged her.”

She nodded and boiled over with new hope filling her body.

“ This is no time to chicken out.” said the woman.

“ We can only move forward.” Leon added, feeling the energy of his companion infecting him.

Ashley already felt strong and jumped to her feet.

“ Well, what are we waiting for?”

“ I'm waiting for that latte you promised me for breakfast.”

Ashley rolled her eyes, staring at the ceiling.

“ Leon inopportune Kennedy strikes again. Can you not ruin what I think is one of the most important moments of my life?”

He smiled slyly.

“ Who would I be if I didn't?”

“ You could be considerate for once.”

He tilted his lips mischievously.

“ I could, but it's my breakfast.”

Ashley growled like a dog.

“ 'I'll get your damn breakfast for you, Jesus.”

Leon blew her a kiss in the air and smiled. He knew perfectly well that Ashley appreciated his humor in calming her down, but he also knew that this moment wasn't being played for laughs.

She knew Leon was there to have her back.