#we're now right at the edge of the abyss

[uzurakis]

jjk men w gf who’s overly sensitive and they said something that hurt her feelings? ^___^

FALLING INTO ARGUMENTS?!

featuring: megumi fushiguro. gojo satoru. itadori yuuji. geto suguru.

n. nonnie, allow me to spice your req a bit by make them getting into arguments which hurts your feelings in the process. sorry it took a longer time to write this cause i really don’t want to mess their characterization on this one t—t you also didn’t say i need to end it with comfort so…

GOJO SATORU.

the atmosphere was heavy with tension, as if every breath you took stirred up a storm of unresolved emotions. the soft glow of the desk lamp cast long shadows across the room, accentuating the lines of frustration etched into gojo satoru’s face. his piercing gaze fixed into yours, a silent challenge hanging between both like a veil of uncertainty.

as you stood before him, the weight of his dismissive words bore down on you like a crushing weight. it was as if every syllable was a dagger aimed straight at your heart, each one leaving a deep, painful wound that threatened.

you cried out, "i can help, satoru," your voice quivering with a mix of hurt and desperation. "please, just let me help you."

however, his reply felt akin to a blow to the face. "i don’t need your help, alright?" he yelled, his voice snapping like a whip. "i've got this covered myself.”

the words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating, filling the space between you guys with a palpable sense of defeat.

you begged, your voice almost audible, "but satoru, we're supposed to be in this together. i thought you trusted me. isn't that what relationships are built out of?”. nevertheless, his expression remained impassive, a mask of indifference that hid the pain lurking beneath the surface. “trust has nothing to do with it," he replied, voice colder than you had ever heard it before. "i do better alone."

with those comments, the abyss between you and gojo deepened, threatening to swallow both whole. then as you turned to leave his room, the weight of his rejection settled like a stone in your gut, leaving only a hollow ache and the bitter taste of regret.

the silence of the room was deafening, broken only by the soft hum of the air conditioning and the steady rhythm of his own heartbeat. every fiber of his being screamed for him to go after you, to swallow his pride and beg for your forgiveness, but something held him back, he didn’t want to pull you into his mess any further.

with a heavy sigh, gojo sank into his chair, his shoulders slumping in defeat as he let out a long, ragged breath. the weight of his actions settled on him like a leaden blanket, suffocating him with its suffocating embrace.

tears threatened to spill from his eyes, but he blinked them back, refusing to let himself break down in the face of his own weakness. he had always prided himself on his strength, on his ability to handle any situation with ease and confidence, but now, in the aftermath of this argument, he felt more vulnerable than ever before.

MEGUMI FUSHIGURO

"are you okay, megumi?" you asked softly as you reached out to touch his shoulder.

his usually calm demeanor was replaced by a tense energy that crackled in the air, setting your nerves on edge as he flinched away from your touch, his expression hardening as he turned to face you.

he snapped, "i'm fine," in a tone that was unlike anything you had ever heard. "stop asking me that."

the words were like a slap to the face, leaving you feeling with hurt and confusion. all you had wanted was to help him, to ease the burden he carried on his shoulders, but instead, you found myself faced with a wall of anger and resentment.

you tried to protest whilst trembling with suppressed emotions. "you know you can always talk to me, right? you don't have to go through this alone." yet he shook his head, his eyes dark with pain as he pushed you away. "i said i'm fine!” insisted, tone slightly went higher. "just leave me alone."

the tears threatened to spill over, but you just held it down and bit your lips. with a heavy heart, you turned and left his room.

as the door closed behind you, megumi let out a frustrated growl, the sound muffled by the empty room. he cursed himself silently, his hands clenching into fists at his sides as the weight of his harsh words settled heavily on his shoulders.

"damn it," he muttered under his breath, very much thick with regret. "fuck you, fushiguro.”

the memory of your hurt expression haunted him, a reminder of the pain he had caused with his thoughtless words. he had never meant to hurt you, never intended to push you away, but in his fear and uncertainty, he had lashed out without thinking, building walls around himself to keep you out.

now, as he stood alone in the quiet solitude of his room, he realized the magnitude of his mistake. he had pushed away the one person who had always been there for him, the one person who had never given up on him, and now he was left to face the consequences of his actions.

with a heavy sigh, the man sank onto his bed, running a hand through his hair as he tried to make sense of the mess he had created. he knew that he needed to apologize, to make things right, but the thought of facing you again filled him with a sense of dread.

ITADORI YUUJI

under the soft glow of streetlights, yuuji and you found yourselves standing at the edge of a heated argument that threatened to consume the bond between you. the cool night air was heavy with tension, each word you and he exchanged hanging in the air like a cloud of unresolved emotions.

"i just wish you would trust me, yuuji." you said, sounding frustrated as you looked for any indication that he might understand.

however, he shook his head, his expression stubborn and closed off. "i do trust you, but this is different. i need to handle this on my own, babe.”

his remarks pierce deeply. it seemed that he was shutting you down even though all you wanted to do was to help him. you looked at yuuji and said, "i can't just watch you struggle."

"just, give me some time alone, okay?”

the hurt in his voice mirrored your own. as you watched him walk away, the sting of his words lingered like a bitter taste in your mouth. just as you turned to leave, you heard him call out your name, his voice filled with panic and regret. "wait! baby, i'm sorry. i didn't mean it like that."

you turned back to face him, the ache in your chest easing slightly at the sight of his vulnerability. in that moment, you understood that beneath his tough exterior, he was just as scared and uncertain as you were.

"it's okay, yuuji," you calmed him down, reaching out to take his hand in yours. "we'll figure this out together."

GETO SUGURU

you couldn't stand idly by as suguru pushed himself into further depression from time and time again, and tonight, you had finally reached your breaking point.

"suguru, you need to take better care of yourself," you begged, tinged with frustration and concern. "you can't keep treating yourself like this."

“is there really nothing i can do to help you?”

only he scoffed at your worries, waving off your concerns with a dismissive gesture, expression stubborn and unyielding. "i'm fine, babe.” with a deep sigh, geto suguru pointed out, "and what would you know about my problems, huh?" he reacted with resentment.

those words cut deep, leaving you mourning with hurt and disbelief.

"suguru..” you claimed, “do you really think i would just stand there as you destroy yourself? when you mean so much to me?”

his eyes softened at your words, a flicker of regret passing over his features before he shook his head, expression hardening as he turned away from you. "i don't need your help," he spat.

“i can take care of myself."

the finality of his words hung in the air like a heavy weight, crushing the last vestiges of hope that lingered in.

"fuck, i'm sorry," he murmured right before you decided to walk away. "i didn't mean to worry you."

“i, i just don’t know what to do with myself. shit, i’m so sorry.”

you turned back to face him, tears welling in your eyes as he crossed the room to pull you into a tight embrace. his familiar arms curled around you, providing comfort and warmth despite the tension. you could feel his heartbeat against yours, a rhythm that expressed both guilt and tenderness. at last, words were unnecessary as you allowed the quiet to envelope both, saying more than any apology could.

@uzurakis — requests are open! <3

[vaguely-concerned]

the melancholy edge it must have for lucanis romancing rook especially to see the end of the murder of crows quest before they know for sure lucanis will be staying with them tho. the 'so happy for him that neither his cousin nor his grandmother is irretrievably lost to him (*cough* no matter what I might think of them personally *cough*) and also that it all ended about as well as there was any sane reason to hope for even though he's saddled with this awful job he doesn't want now! incidentally my heart feels like it's being crushed under the immense pressure haunting the deepest abysses of the ocean floor at the idea of not seeing him every day anymore but we're not going to be talking about that right now'

[ninibeingdelulu]

Both of them ??✧

Plot: They came to comfort you.

A/N: Suggestive??

The cramped cabin felt suffocatingly claustrophobic as you huddled trembling in the corner, tears streaking silently down your flushed cheeks.

Echoes of your fallen comrades' dying screams reverberated through your mind's frantic, panicked spiral.

Eren - that twisted embodiment of rage and hatred incarnate - unleashed untold horrors upon the world.

Countless dead beneath a merciless stampede of Titans set on rendering humanity extinct. All over some misguided bid for twisted vengeance.

And now, you teetered on the razor's edge of that genocidal abyss alongside your remaining friends.

One wrong move, one faltering of conviction...was all it would take to get swept over into that ravenous maw of obliteration right alongside Eren's monstrous ambitions.

Hot, stinging droplets splashed from beneath your tightly-squeezed lids as you buried your face in your knees.

Why?

Just...why had everything gone so horrifically awry?

A metallic groan heralded the cabin door swinging open with an ominous creak. You flinched instinctively, shoulders hunching defensively as those cloying shadows spilled across the floor towards your curled form.

Until two deeply familiar, gruff voices sliced through the keening misery ricocheting endlessly within your skull.

"Hey, kiddo. You alright over there?"

Steeling your composure through shuddering inhales, you dragged the heels of your palms across your cheeks before glancing up at the striking figures framed by the threshold's bleak lighting.

Jean and Reiner gazed down with matching masks of grim resolution - all taut jawlines squared with stubborn fortitude masking the softness simmering in those slate and honey irises.

A marked departure from the roguish, incandescent youths once hell-bent on proving themselves amidst those carefree military training days in the sun.

Lean muscle solidified by battlefields replacing wiry boyish forms, chiseled features sharpened by years of combat severity into something inhumanly statuesque.

Even the unkempt stubble misting matching jawlines lent some wild, rogue charm belying their hardened edges.

All at once, you registered a searing pang twist through your core quite differently from the anguish clenching it mere moments prior.

It smoldered hot and insistent, quickening your pulse until you felt dizzy and curiously feverish despite the chill swaddling the tiny cabin.

Whoa...when did they get so...?

Your mind faltered lamely through the haze of adrenaline and lust thrumming white-hot through your veins like heady liquor.

Heat blossomed undeniably in your cheeks as sordid thoughts scattered your reeling focus.

"I'm...I'm f-fine!" you squeaked, dropping your gaze with a violent shake of your head.

As if harboring notions that sordid involving two of your closest comrades wasn't depravity itself.

The very idea of pleasuring not one but both those towering, battle-hewn Adonic specimens spurred viscous, all-too-vivid fantasies to swamp your psyche.

Fevered daydreams where every lascivious hunger, every illicit friction, every indecent cry got magnified tenfold by the unholy prospect of being sandwiched between their bulging musculatures.

You silently reprimanded yourself through labored breaths, willing the sinful deluge corrupting your senses away through sheer force.

Until Reiner planted one massive paw squarely on your shoulder, fingertips sinking into the taut cords of muscle there.

"Don't give us that bullshit," the hulking warrior growled, blonde stubble swaying with the rippling motion of his voice. His honeyed irises lashed by pale lids bored into yours with blazing, unshakable intensity.

"We're way past hiding shit from each other."

"That's right," Jean chimed in, mirroring Reiner's steely countenance.

His slender fingers brushed the stray tendrils matted to your sweat-sheened brow with startling tenderness.

"So talk to us - either of us, or both. You know it's okay to unload on your fellow soldiers for once."

The simple weight of their voices - deep, gritty ravers caressing over every syllable with such unspoken affection and care - proved your undoing.

Unleashing a deluge of scorching, mortifying yearning pooling liquid-hot in your loins with a disconcerting pulse.

Oh Fuck...These sinful thoughts...how is this even possible right now? About them of all people. After everything we've been through?!

Yet as maddening lucidity trickled back into your lust-glazed eyes, confirming the lusty sparks mirrored amidst Jean and Reiner's equally molten expressions, you realized something profound.

You craved this unorthodox outlet. The ultimate intimate submission, the total escape into primitive bliss beyond reason or complication or crushing stakes.

To shatter apart completely in your beloved brothers' loving, capable hands like surrogate messiahs ferrying your shattered spirit into ecstasy's sanctum reprieve.

Mutely, you nodded before surging to your feet - backing away on wobbling legs until your shoulders bumped the cabin's reinforced wall.

Two pairs of searing gazes speared you to the spot, radiating the same furnace of scintillating energy that pulsed through your veins and ached between your thighs.

Heartbeats stampeding in your ears, a hyper-awareness sharpened your vision onto every tantalizing detail.

How Reiner's broad chest ballooned with undulating breaths, eyes glittering with primal promise.

How Jean dragged his tongue along the plush curvature of his lower lip, leaving it slicked and swollen in unconscious temptation.

Fuck. They want this too. Really, really want it.

Gasping aloud at the delicious epiphany, you watched blithe and expectant as both demigods surged forward - powerful strides unwavering and unbroken.

Gaits predatory yet betraying no urgency nor aggression, just the promise of total unhurried obliteration upon celestial impact.

Two behemoth silhouettes consumed you within their intersecting, heated eclipses, blotting out reality altogether.

Fingers splayed against your rain-slicked window of separation, breath quickening until the first feverish graze of Reiner's searching fingertips scorched across your jugular...only to freeze in tandem with Jean's insistent tug at your chin as a familiar voice echoed through the hall beyond.

"Hey guys? Where'd you all run off t-- oh, there you are! Got a second?"

Armin's curious tenor crashed through the thickened veil like a bucketful of ice water extinguishing smoldering embers.

All three of you snapped back with a violent, breathless jolt.

Gulping audibly, you averted your eyes and hastily mumbled some excuse about needing air before bolting from the oppressive cabin confines.

Footfalls ringing out against hollow steel, you fled the unbearable, unresolved tension blazing in your wake alongside the feverish maelstrom of unrequited, sinfully fervid hunger threatening to chew you asunder from within.

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

Fall into the sky

Written for @astrangersummer, week 5 (shhhh, we're not talking about how this is super fucking late, it's fine!)

Prompt: Constellations

Words: 1,527 (also on AO3)

Rated: T

Relationship: Steve/Eddie

Tags: Magic AU; Thief Eddie; Guard Steve; Forbidden love; Jailbreak

Notes: Part of my Phantom Thief mini series (Previous part | Part 1)

The world is sound. The crackle of fire and the rush of wind and the thunder of crumbling stone. 

The world is color. The brilliant kaleidoscope of the sunset, stars emerging from the purple and pink backdrop of the sky. 

The world is touch. Hands in his hair and fingers on his face and warm breath tickling his skin as he is scooped into a pair of trembling arms. 

It crashes into Steve’s senses all at once, overwhelming and terrifying after the eternal white and the never-ending silence of his prison. It's too much. It's too beautiful. It can’t be real.

He's going insane.

He's been waiting to go insane for so long. 

Because if insanity is sound and color and touch and a name on his lips that he thought he'd never hear again, if this is all in his head, he never wants to leave. 

“Yes, sweetheart, it's me,” The vision murmurs, cradling his face in both hands. The gesture is comforting and soothing, and Steve realizes he's been babbling the name on repeat, an endless loop of Eddie Eddie Eddie. “I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm getting you outta here.” 

Steve laughs, high-pitched and hysterical. 

“You're-” he starts to say. His voice cracks. When he licks his lips, they taste like saltwater. “You're not really here. I've lost my mind, I'm imagining things.” 

“Don't think you are,” Eddie hums. He's covered in soot and bleeding from a hundred tiny cuts, but his smile is bright and brilliant as always. “Wouldn’t be able to do this if I wasn't real, would I?” 

His lips taste like ashes and magic. The ground shakes underneath them, and something crashes. Steve thinks that if the world broke apart around them right now, he'd happily stay in this kiss forever. 

“Don’t,” he pleads when Eddie pulls away. “Don't stop.” 

Eddie smiles, full of that grim determination that makes Steve’s stomach flutter.��

“I won't,” he says, and the constellations in the sky glint in those impossibly dark eyes of his. Another crash pierces the air, so loud that Steve can feel it in his bones. “I swear it, honey. I'll get you back down and to safety, where they can't ever find us. And then I'll never stop kissing you, for as long as we both live.” 

*

The world below the floating island is basked in dusk. Steve can see the shadows of clouds moving over the land, the sparkling bands of rivers weaving between forests and hills and cities. The ocean and the curve of the earth, far in the distance. He didn't see it when they brought him here. The view was obstructed by the giant tornado that surrounded this place, ready to tear everyone who dared approach it to shreds. 

There's no tornado now. 

Just like there are no griffins guarding the arched entryway of the fortress, no manticores prowling at the jagged edge of the island. 

“What did you do?” Steve breathes as they skid to a halt, inches from the abyss. Behind them, the pillars of the entryway crumble and collapse. “How did you-” 

“You know how they stay in power?” Eddie asks. He's ducked behind another pillar to retrieve a bundle of fabric and string, hidden out of sight. “Your family and their friends?” 

Steve blinks, floundering and disoriented by the question and the barrage of noise and colors. Eddie straightens up, strapping what looks like a giant backpack decked in wires and ropes to his back. 

“Magic,” he declares, throwing his arms out in an all-encompassing gesture. “This place, their splendid city, their fucking underwater prison, they all run on magic. Beautiful, isn't it? If it weren't for one tiny problem.” 

He pauses dramatically, like he's waiting for Steve to catch on. When he fails to do so, he throws back his head and cackles, dark curls whipping around him in a chaotic tangle.

“There’s not enough natural magic in the world to keep it all going. So what did they do, like the greedy little morons they are? They amplified it!” 

He laughs again, like it’s the best fucking joke in the entire world, grabbing Steve by the shoulders and pulling him in for a big, noisy smack on the mouth.

“Amulets and talismans and trinkets, Stevie! Dozens of them, all in the hands of the high and mighty, used to magnify their power. But take them away, and it all goes poof!” 

He throws his hands up in the air, miming an explosion, just in time for another thunderous boom to shake the island. The ground tilts, just a bit. 

“Do you know where they kept the most powerful one?” Eddie asks. This time, he doesn't wait for a reply. “Right here, Stevie. What better place than the big-ass, impenetrable, fucking sky vault to keep their biggest treasure, huh? They didn't think anyone would ever be insane enough to try and breach it. And you know what? I wouldn't have. They could've kept it, for all I fucking care, but they do not-” 

The ground trembles again, little fissures erupting from the rock under their feet like spiderwebs. Eddie pauses and swallows, and his eyes are like fire in the dusk.  

“They do not get to keep you.” 

His voice is pure, unbridled rage. Steve knows the feeling all too well. The powerless rage of knowing exactly where they have taken the man you love, and having to be patient. Having to wait for days and weeks and months until your plan finally falls into place, knowing all the while that every hour, every second in that wretched place is too much. The all-consuming want to tear through all the walls, all the chains, all the barriers they’ve put in place to keep you apart, to destroy all that might ever stand in your way again. 

Understanding comes slowly, but when it does, it punches the breath from his lungs with a hoarse wheeze. He is dizzy and his stomach swoops, but he isn't sure if it is from what he just realized or from the island breaking apart under their feet. 

“You destroyed it,” he whispers. “Eddie, you- … what did you do?” 

Eddie doesn’t answer. Instead, he pulls Steve closer, slipping a leather-and-rope harness over his shoulders to tether them both together. 

“This little baby is all mechanics,” he says, not looking up from his task. His face is nothing but grim concentration as he makes sure every buckle and every rope sits correctly. “I'd have been here sooner, but it took a while to put this together and make sure it would actually work, so-” 

“What about your magic?” Steve blurts. 

“Don't worry, it'll come back once the natural equilibrium is restored.” Eddie shrugs, walking them both to the ledge. “Some of it at least. I think.”

Steve gapes at him. Eddie looks up from where he's been securing the last of the straps, sees his dumbstruck face and smiles. 

“Stevie,” he says. He's too beautiful to be real. Beautiful and wild and untamed like the wind ripping at their clothes, like the sky stretching all around them. If they jumped now, they'd fall straight into its stars and constellations and never ever touch ground again. “It doesn't matter. There's no treasure in the world I wouldn't give up for you.” 

Steve opens his mouth to argue, but another tremor interrupts him. Large chunks of rock come loose from below their feet, tumbling into the depths. 

“Do you trust me?” Eddie asks. Steve doesn’t even think about it. It's like asking if water is wet. Eddie sees him nod and beams, delighted and a little smug. “Then let's get outta here.” 

He wraps an arm around Steve’s waist, claiming his lips again. And then, without breaking the kiss, he steps over the ledge and they plummet. 

The wind rips Steve’s scream straight from his mouth. His guts twist and his limbs go light with terror, but Eddie laughs. He yanks on one of the ropes, and something unfurls from his backpack in a ripple of cloth and wire. It snaps open somewhere over their heads, and Steve’s stomach lurches, and then, suddenly, they're no longer falling. 

They're gliding. 

Above them stretches what looks like a giant sail, stitched together from dozens and dozens colorful scraps of fabric. It carries them like a bird's wings, taking them away from the crumpling island, away from walls and chains and barriers, away from all that kept them apart. 

Eddie whoops into the night sky, loud and unrestrained. It takes Steve a second or two to recognize the voice that joins in as his own. His stomach is still light, like it's filled with a million beating wings, but he realizes that it's not from vertigo.

It's happiness. 

The sheer, overwhelming exhilaration of knowing Eddie made it, that they're both free and together and never parting again. Of knowing this is real. 

They soar through the clouds, with the constellations close enough to touch, the earth spanning far below them like something from a dream. And if they never touch ground again? Steve thinks he wouldn’t mind one tiny bit. 

Next part

Tag list:

@sourw0lfs @bananahoneycomb @firefly-party @whoneedscanon @steddie-island

@sidekick-hero @theheadlessphilosopher @extra-transitional @penny00dreadful @medusapelagia

@mugloversonly @0happyeverafter0 @stevesbipanic @acingthecounts @sweetheartprincess28

@starryeyedjanai @sailing-through-hawkins @original-cypher @tinyplanet95 @n0-1-important

[nomohmoss]

the more i think about the last story quest the more annoyed i get, they literally repeated inazuma

they put the traveller in the centre for no reason with the heroes who were supposed to fight the abyss cheering for us from the sidelines; they fucked up the pacing, the fight wasn't rewarding, it happened to fast and easy, literally us fighting with the power of friendship, so why was it a threat to natlan at all??; they killed a harbinger for no reason again (other than maybe not wanting to bother with power levels since he was the strongest of the fatui but that's bs, they don't care about when they release girls) and without a proper story for them and like without making us spend time with them to you know, at least make the sacrifice tragic, instead it came out of the left field despite being very much expected.

The quest was written so fucking bad this time overall, i felt like something would happen every time there was a calm moment like during the send-off or mavuika and hine's conversation, or the celebration and i think it would be better if something actually happened to put us on edge a bit but the story was very straightforward, boring and relying too much on the things that happened outside the quest like trailers/teasers and character story quests

idk man, i like genshin for world quests, lore and and the world in general but the way it's moving right now sucks, i still can't get over the "fat" overeating cowgirl and the amount of filler waifus we're getting instead of at least some varka crumbs (who carried the hype for natlan along with capitano)

[andrewmoocow]

Meanwhile, in a parallel universe....

L-48: What are you doing?!

Galindorion Pax: It's over, L. Everyone in Emeracon knows the truth.

L-48: So do I! He took everything from us! I have to do this!

Galindorion: No, you don't. Rebuilding Emeracon cannot begin with an execution.

L-48: He deserves to die! Can't you see that?!

Galindorion: We're better than this. Don't be like Wiztinel.

L-48: (angered once more by Galindorion's insensitivity) Galinda, you need to move out of the way before I move you myself.

Galindorion: Elphie, please. (L-48 shoves Galindorion out of the way and prepares to kill Wiztinel once and for all, but Galinda takes the bullet and L-48's fusion cannon wipes out her right half. She nearly falls off the edge into the abyss before L-48 saves her)

L-48: (horrified over what she's done) No! No, no, no, no... why?! WHY did you do that?! WHY?! (starts hyperventilating as something changes within her, and Galindorion tries to stop her dear friend from what she's about to do)

Galindorion: Elphie, no.....

(L-48 stops hyperventilating as she looks down. Then she glares straight at Galindorion with piercing red eyes)

Wickedtron: I'M DONE SAVING YOU.

--

(meanwhile, in another parallel universe)

Optimus: D-16, why couldn’t you have stayed calm so we could resolve this peacefully, Instead of becoming just like Sentinel?! I hope you’re happy. I hope you’re happy now, I hope you’re happy that you’ve broken our bond forever, I hope you think you’re clever.

Megatron: I hope you’re happy. I hope you’re happy how you Would rather become the system, Instead of fighting for the victims.

Optimus/Megatron: So though I can’t imagine how, I hope you’re happy right now!

Optimus: We could’ve built the future together, D.

Optimus: You could still change Cybertron. What you’ve wanted for so long. You could have all you ever wanted.

Megatron: I know, Pax, but I don’t want it. No, I can’t want it anymore.

Something has changed within me, Something is not the same. I’m through with everyone deceiving me, Now I am the one who will run this game! Too late for second guessing, Too late to go to sleep. It’s time to trust my spark, Close my optics and leap!

It’s time to try defying gravity, I think I’ll try defying gravity, And you can’t bring me down!

Optimus: Can’t I make you understand That you’re having delusions of grandeur?

Megatron: I’m through accepting limits, Just because someone says they’re so! There might be some things I cannot change, ’Til I try, I’ll never know!

Too long, I’ve been afraid of, Losing love, but I guess I’ve lost. If that is what you call love, It comes at too high of a cost!

I’d sooner buy defying gravity, Kiss me goodbye, I’m defying gravity! And no one can bring me down!

Megatron: Orion, come with me. Think of what we could do together!

Megatron: Unlimited. Together, we’re unlimited. Together, we’ll be the greatest team Cybertron has ever seen. Orion, dreams the way we planned them.

Optimus: If the two of us worked in tandem.

Optimus/Megatron: There’s no fight we cannot win, Just you and I, defying gravity! With you and I defying gravity!

Megatron: They will never bring us down!

Megatron: Well, are you coming, Pax?

Optimus: I hope you’re happy, Now that you are choosing this.

Megatron: You too. I hope this brings you bliss.

Optimus/Megatron: I really hope you get it, And you don’t live to regret it. I hope you’re happy in the end, I hope you’re happy, my friend.

Megatron: So if you care to find me, Look to Cybertron’s sky! As a certain someone once told me, “Everyone deserves the chance to fly!” I will build our future myself, After I tear down everyone in my way! To everyone who oppressed me, This is my message today!

I’ll tell them how I’m defying gravity, I shall rise up, defying gravity! And soon, I’ll match Megatronus in renown! And nobody on Cybertron, No Prime that ever is or was, Is ever going to bring, me, DOOOOOOWN!!!

Optimus: I hope you’re happy!

Decepticons: Praise be to Decepticon! All hail our emperor, Megatron!

Megatron: Bring me down!

Autobots: We’ll wage our battles till all are one! To bring those Decepticons-

Megatron: OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!

Autobots: DOWN!

[pizzabox-box]

There was a mysterious door appearing somewhere, surrounded by dark, pulsating shadows. The door itself looked old and rotting, with moldy pizza crust framing its edges. Peppi-no entered the door into the long, empty hallways and dead ends that lead nowhere, with crumbling walls and floors that looked like they hadn't been touched in years.

The further Peppi-no went, the more the environment decayed, walls covered in strange, black goo, everything's cracking and falling away into an abyss below. After moments, Peppi-no arrived at a large room. In the center was a giant pizza, but it was rotten and moldy, its surface covered in a sickly green slime, with many flies flying on it like they did on the Doise's corpse.

Peppi-no stood trembling, as if frozen in place. Soon, the pizza's surface split open, revealing a grotesque face beneath the layers of moldy cheese. Its eyes were empty, black holes that seemed to stare directly at him, it let out a guttural moan. Peppi-no's face stretched, his mouth opening unnaturally wide, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. The giant moldy pizza's voice was a deep, distorted whisper, like it was coming from somewhere far away. He blames Peppi-no for his issues and misery caused from his devourment of the real Peppino and takes his form, saying that he's not the real Peppino and is not worthy of taking his pizza place, among other unpleasant things.

The pizza's face began to melt, thick, green sludge dripping from its mouth and eyes. The walls of the room started to close in on Peppi-no, the black goo from earlier seeping in and consuming everything in its path.

The story idea is based on jumpman animatic's Pizza Tower creepypasta "The Rotten Slice". You can see his creepypasta video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzpoKXB8Vi0

BOUND BY GUILT

Stepping through the door, Peppi-no found himself in a place not so different from his restaurant back in the tower. Seeing the bizarre surroundings and the infinite black void below he figured out this is simply one of many nightmares he had before. Regardless, he kept moving forward, watching as his surroundings became more and more disjointed with every step.

Eventually, he arrived in a large, open room—and froze. A giant pizza lays before him, rotten and moldy, its surface covered in a sickly green slime. Before the incident, he wouldn't have hesitated to take a bite out of it, but now it made his stomach turn in disgust. Not that he had a stomach, exactly, it was more of a multipurpose internal pocket,but we're getting distracted. The point still stands. This was the second most revolting thing he ever had to look at, only surpassed by the gory sight of a headless body.

As the pizza's surface split open, Peppi-no let his face distort into a grotesque version of itself, a defensive maneuver meant to scare away any would-be attackers. He expected the usual reversal of roles or a storm of words meant to discourage him from his future attempts at impersonating the person he had killed. And he was right. The pizza began to speak, it's voice deep , shaking Peppi-no's being to it's very core. Despite his best efforts to block out the words, a small part of Peppi-no knew that this was what he deserved.

But then, when the pizza took the form of Peppino, green ooze leaking out of the figure's eyes and mouth, something inside Peppi-no shifted. This was different. The room began to collapse onto itself, it's walls black and gooey.

As the black goo threatened to swallow Peppi-no whole, he realized that this wasn't just another one of his usual nightmares. There was someone,or something, different behind this one. With no clear way out, he fought fiercely against the gooey black walls closing in on him. But in the mindscape, physical strength means nothing,what matters is willpower. And Peppi-no, clouded by doubt and fear, was quickly overpowered by the oppressive mass coming at him from all sides. He could feel himself succumbing to the rot, his mind being breached, his senses slipping away.

"Hey! This idiot is mine to haunt. Scram !"

Another entity entered the scene, and with surprising ease, overpowered the attacking entity, throwing it off into the infinite horizon. Not sure how, but this is the mindscape we're talking about, real life logic, doesn't apply here. An eerie silence filled the space. The darkness surrounding Peppi-no felt different now, clearer, dotted with faint stars, almost like a night sky.

"Would you believe these phantoms? I look away for one second, and one of them's already trying to take over my job. Unbelievable..."

The ghost's form resembling a more lifelike figure, though with some distortions in place of his head.

But before Peppi-no could come up with a response, the Dead Man realized he's chit-chatting with the monster that had killed him. He froze for a moment, and an almost awkward silence echoed through the vast black void as the two entities, suspended in the inky darkness, tethered together by a single blood-red string, stared at each other.

Without uttering another word the ghosts form shifted into something more fitting for a haunting, his head glitching out, his blood-red eyes laser-focused on Peppi-no's very soul. Peppi-no had just escaped from one phantom's grasp, only to find himself at the mercy of an equally terrifying, vengeful, but familiar ghost. The Dead Man's glare alone filled Peppi-no with immense guilt. Peppi-no braced himself once more for what's to come.

But before they could get to it, the well known sound of his alarm snapped him back to the material world, signaling the end of this night’s series of nightmares, mostly consisting of reliving the moments from the perspectives of those he had hurt. He didn’t have time to think too deeply about his encounter, he had a restaurant to run, friends to meet, and an act to put up...

====

Read the story, got a inspired by it and carried away. I can see this being canon to the DMW AU as one of the many nightmares Peppi-no experienced. I imagine This takes place sometime before DMW part I. comic.

[elysiaheaven]

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲-𝟮𝟰-(The Fox's Wedding)

Mentions of beheading-( threats for now) ,etc,gore

Words:2489

Jiaoqiu sat beside you in the dim, cold cell, his hand still gently holding your trembling wrists. The silence between you was heavy, but it was only broken by your quiet sobs. He looked at you, his heart aching, desperate to understand the source of your pain. He couldn't stand seeing you like this—so broken, so lost in your own darkness.

"Y/N..." he whispered softly, his voice barely audible. "Tell me. Please, tell me what happened. I need to understand."

His question hit you like a blade, and suddenly, the walls you had built around your past began to crumble. Your hands shook as you gripped the edge of your torn clothes, feeling like they were suffocating you. You looked at him with wide, terror-filled eyes, shaking your head. "No... no... you don't want to know. I'm—I'm evil, Jiaoqiu," you choked out, your voice cracking as the words tore from your throat. "I'm a monster. I deserve this."

Jiaoqiu's eyes filled with sorrow and confusion. He couldn't understand how you could believe something so cruel about yourself. "What are you talking about? You're not evil, Y/N. How could you—"

"Stop!" you screamed, clutching your head as memories from the past surged like a flood, drowning you. "I killed... I killed them, Jiaoqiu!" Your voice cracked as you sobbed, shaking uncontrollably. "It's my fault... I deserve to die!"

Jiaoqiu's breath caught in his throat. "Killed who? What are you talking about? You... you protected people, didn't you? That'swhat he sounded like..." His voice faltered as he tried to piece it together.

But you were beyond reason now, lost in the twisted, painful echoes of your past. "It was me! I was supposed to save them! But I failed. I let them die, all of them. The village... everyone trusted me, and I couldn't do it. I couldn't save anyone. I killed his brother... I thought I was doing the right thing, but all I did was bring more death!"

Your voice rose in a raw, agonized scream. "I deserve this pain! I deserve to die, Jiaoqiu! Please, kill me... just end this. Save Feixiao. She deserves a life unlike me. You all do!"

Jiaoqiu's eyes widened in shock as he knelt in front of you, his hands on your shoulders, trying to calm your shaking form. "Y/N, listen to me!" he urged, his voice filled with desperation. "Feixiao, she...We all need you. You didn't kill anyone, not like that. You're not the monster you think you are. Please, don't say this. You're not alone in this."

But you couldn't stop the overwhelming tide of guilt and self-loathing that consumed you. You were trembling violently now, barely able to breathe. "You have to kill me, Jiaoqiu," you whispered, your voice breaking as fresh tears spilled down your cheeks. "Please, just... do it. Hoolay will keep hurting you. I don't deserve to live. You'll all be better off without me."

Jiaoqiu's grip on you tightened, and he pulled you into his chest, cradling you against him as you cried, his heart breaking with every sob that escaped you. "I'm not going to kill you, Y/N. Never. I won't let Hoolay's lies destroy you. You're stronger than this, stronger than him. I won't let you give up on yourself."

You cried harder, the weight of his words crashing over you like a tidal wave. He held you tightly, refusing to let you fall into the abyss of your despair. "We're getting out of this," Jiaoqiu whispered fiercely. "You're not dying here. Not today. Not ever. I won't let you."

You sat there, shaking, staring into nothingness as you began to tell Jiaoqiu the truth—the truth you had buried so deep inside, it had taken this nightmare with Hoolay to force it out. The cold of the prison walls seemed to disappear as you became lost in your memories, pulling at the tangled threads of a past you had almost forgotten.

"There was a village," you started, your voice hoarse, as if the words were choking you. "A hidden village, secret but known... One of the Luofu ships... They weren't supposed to be there, but people—spirits—they lived there anyway, helping other ships by trading goods. It was like... a place where the lost people, the forgotten souls, came together."

Jiaoqiu's hand tightened on yours as you spoke, but he remained silent, listening intently.

"There was a leader," you continued, your eyes glossing over as the images filled your mind. "A foxian with nine tails... Eiji. He was... beloved, the perfect leader. He was always around, laughing with everyone, eating with the villagers... no one questioned him. We were all spirits, or... we thought we were."

You paused, swallowing hard, feeling your heart pound painfully in your chest as the memories resurfaced. "No one remembered their past. Not me, not anyone. I was just... a baker. I ran a small restaurant where everyone came to eat, even the Cloud Knights. They'd come from other ships, and we'd feed them. It was... a happy life. Or so I thought."

Jiaoqiu was watching you closely now, his eyes darkening with concern, but you couldn't stop. The story had to come out.

"One day..." You faltered, your hand shaking as you reached for your stomach, as if you could still feel the pain. "I got burned. Just a small burn while cooking. But... spirits aren't supposed to get hurt. I didn't know what it meant, but I... I started to remember things. Little flashes. Pieces of something... someone else."

Your voice cracked, and Jiaoqiu gently squeezed your hand, his silent way of urging you to continue.

"Then, Hoolay's brother came. A monster," you whispered, your voice trembling. "He threatened us, demanded food, threatened our peace... Everyone believed they were safe because they were spirits. They thought nothing could hurt them. But Eiji... he knew. He knew the truth. He asked some of us—chefs like me—to cook for the monsters. To feed them so they wouldn't hurt us. But those chefs... they never came back."

You bit your lip hard, trying to hold back the tears. "I didn't understand why... but I had these memories. Flashes of talking to someone—a friend. I remembered... I was good at poisons. So I made a decision. I cooked the food, but I added the poison."

Jiaoqiu's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't interrupt.

"Hoolay's brother... he ate the food, and when he realized he was dying, he... he almost killed me. He slashed my stomach open." You gestured to your abdomen, the phantom pain making your breath hitch. "But... spirits don't get hurt."

"I blacked out. And when I did... I remembered everything."

Your voice broke as the weight of the truth crashed down on you. "I wasn't a spirit. None of us were. We were people... kidnapped, brainwashed by Eiji. He erased our pasts, gave us new lives, new stories, to fit his perfect little world. We were puppets, living in harmony... But it was all a lie. And I... I broke free of his spell."

Jiaoqiu's face was pale, his eyes filled with horror as the truth sank in. "You... you weren't just a chef," he murmured, more to himself than to you. "You were the one who stopped Hoolay's brother."

You nodded, tears falling freely now. "I killed him. I thought I was saving the village. But when Eiji realized I was no longer under his control, he spread rumors. He told everyone I was the one who aided the monsters. He made them believe I had betrayed them, that I was the one responsible for the deaths."

You broke down, burying your face in your hands. "I don't deserve to live, Jiaoqiu. I killed his brother... I betrayed the village... I'm a monster, just like them."

Jiaoqiu pulled you into his arms, holding you tightly as you sobbed against his chest. "No," he whispered fiercely. "You're not a monster. You were trying to protect them... you were manipulated, controlled... just like everyone else."

But the guilt and shame had wrapped themselves around your heart like chains, pulling you deeper into despair. "I deserve to die... for everything I've done."

The memories spilled out of you like a flood, the weight of the truth seemed almost unbearable. But there was one part of it that, as dark and twisted as it was, had given you a grim satisfaction. You wiped your tear-streaked face with trembling hands, and your voice turned cold as you began to speak again.

"Killing him... Hoolay's brother," you whispered, your voice hollow. "It was the best part."

Jiaoqiu looked at you, shocked, his arms still around you but tense now as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"He deserved it," you continued, your eyes distant, fixated on some invisible scene only you could see. "After all the pain he caused... the suffering... the torment, I didn't just poison him to stop him. When I knew he was dying, when I saw the life drain from his eyes, I didn't stop there."

You lifted your gaze to Jiaoqiu, your eyes filled with a mix of darkness and regret. "I beheaded him."

The words felt like venom on your tongue, bitter but true. "I wanted to make sure he could never come back. Never hurt anyone else. I watched him writhe in agony, watched him choke on his last breath. Then I took his head. It was... satisfying."

Jiaoqiu swallowed hard, his grip on you loosening as he processed your confession. His face was pale, but his eyes remained steady, filled with a mixture of shock and pain.

You let out a bitter laugh, one that seemed to come from somewhere deep inside you—somewhere dark. "That's how Hoolay would kill me if he wanted to. I know it. He would do it the same way I killed his brother. He'd take my head, and he'd enjoy every second of it."

Jiaoqiu's face twisted with sorrow as you spoke, his hands gently holding your shoulders as if trying to pull you back from the edge. "Y/n...," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "You're not that person. You didn't have a choice."

Tears filled your eyes again, but this time it was not from guilt, but from the overwhelming weight of the truth. "But I did have a choice, Jiaoqiu. I could've stopped with the poison, but I wanted him to suffer. I wanted to be the one to end him, and I did. And now... Hoolay wants me to pay the same price. I deserve it."

"No." Jiaoqiu shook his head, his voice firm despite the pain in his eyes. "You don't deserve to die like that. What you did... it wasn't out of cruelty. It was survival. You were protecting them, protecting yourself. Don't let Hoolay convince you that you're the monster here. He's the one who deserves to pay."

"The monsters... they killed them all," you started, your voice hoarse. "Hoolay's brother was just the beginning. After I killed him, the rest of them came. The borisin—they wanted revenge, and when they couldn't find me... Eiji..." You choked on his name, your fists clenching. "Eiji handed over the entire village. All those people, the ones I thought were my family... he gave them away just to save himself."

Jiaoqiu's eyes were wide with disbelief, horror etched across his face. "Eiji? The village leader... he sacrificed them?"

You nodded, your body shaking with the weight of your confession. "He was a coward. He couldn't find me because I had hidden myself away after I killed Hoolay's brother. So, he made a deal—he gave the villagers to the monsters. All of them. They died believing the lie he had crafted for them, thinking they were spirits, that they couldn't be hurt. But as they died... they realized the truth. That everything they had ever known was fake, a fantasy created by Eiji. They had families, memories, lives outside the village... all stolen from them. And when they died, they knew."

The agony in your voice was almost unbearable as you recalled the sight of those innocent people falling, one after another, as the borisin ravaged the village. "I watched them die, Jiaoqiu. Every single one. I couldn't save them. I couldn't stop it."

"My daughter, I wanted to buy her..that kite! Why am I here!?"

"I promised my beloved...I would return...I can't die..Why did I forget about him?"

Jiaoqiu's hand reached for you, but you pushed him away, the guilt and horror too much to bear. "You don't understand. I found Eiji after that. I found him hiding, shaking, and begging for his life. He said... he said that he had done it to protect us. That the villagers would have died eventually, so there was no harm in what he did."

You spat the words, the anger and hatred still burning within you. "He said he just wanted a family, that he was a lonely spirit, just like the rest of us. He cursed me, Jiaoqiu. He cursed me to understand his pain. He said I would be just like him—forever alone, forever hated, a monster in the eyes of the world."

You shuddered, your fingers gripping your own arms so tightly they left marks. "And then... he tried to kill me. He had a sword, one that could hurt spirits, and he stabbed me with it. But I didn't die. All the curses, all the pain I had endured—it changed me. I became something else. Not a god, but something worse. A spirit of vengeance, a cursed existence."

Your voice cracked as you continued. "I killed him, Jiaoqiu. Slowly. I made him suffer. I tormented him until he couldn't even scream anymore. And when he was finally dead, I... I turned to stone. Locked away by the Luofu, forgotten by everyone except Jingliu."

Jiaoqiu's hand tightened on your shoulder, but you couldn't stop now. "Jingliu knew the truth. She wrote a letter to Jing Yuan, but Hoolay must have intercepted it, twisted the truth. Jing Yuan... he thinks I'm a monster. Just like everyone else."

You sobbed, your tears falling uncontrollably. "I failed. I couldn't save anyone. Not the village, not the children... They died right in front of me, and all I could do was watch."

Jiaoqiu's face was pale, his heart breaking as he listened to your story. "Y/n... I'm so sorry."

But his words couldn't reach you. The weight of the past, the endless pain and suffering, was too much. You couldn't stop the tears, the cries that escaped your throat as you clutched your chest, feeling like the world was collapsing around you.

"I killed them all, Jiaoqiu! I killed them with my weakness. I deserve to die. I deserve to suffer. I couldn't save them, I couldn't save anyone!"

"Why didn't you tell me?!" He shouted.

"If I did...?! You wouldn't killed me! You wouldn't have consider me an option My soul could cure! I thought If I remind as that person the history made me out to be..You would have killed me easily with no regrets..I wouldn't mind it.."

[notgonnaedit]

Healer's Care

Plan 99

Summary: Eight months after the destruction of Tipoca City, and the Bad Batch are starting to question where they truly belong

Pairing: Bad Batch x Teen!OFC (clones being good brothers/dads)

Chapter summary: Everything that could have possibly gone wrong did.

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, heights, canon character death, blood, crying, gagging, hostages, kidnapping (If I miss a tag LMK)

Masterlist

Tags: @hugmekenobi @nottwonerdy777

@dreamsight73 @delicioustacocollector

@covert1ntrovert @clonethirstingisreal

"This is not ideal," Tech stated as they looked out the door at the abyss below.

"At least we're not hanging under the car," Wrecker suggested.

Omega grimaced. "This isn't much better."

Blaster shots halted their speak. Another railcar full of stuck stormtroopers were were firing at them.

Althea fired a few shots before ducking back inside. She repeated this with the others.

"Echo, get this car moving," Hunter ordered.

"The explosions must've knocked out power to the rail line," the ARC grunted.

"I can try to reboot the system," Tech stated, "but I will need to plug directly into one of the terminals on the track."

Hunter nodded. "You four, give us cover. Tech, up top with me."

Althea continued her fire with the others, covering for Hunter and Tech. It wasn't long before the tracker rejoined them from the upper level.

"I am plugged in. Stand by," Tech announced.

Wrecker took down another trooper before their troubles started.

"We've got three ships inbound," Hunter warned.

Althea squinted into the fog. "Where? I can't see them."

Then, through the clouds, they appeared. Three Y-Wings that were ready to destroy them flying right to them.

"Tech, we need power!" Hunter panicked.

The ships blasted and the railcar jolted.

"Echo, now!" Tech cried.

The ARC scomped in immediately. "We're online."

The railcar whirred to life, but the ships blasted the track. Hunter managed to take down two, but the other was still firing.

Althea gasped as the car jerked. "Tech's still out there." She moved towards the door as it jerked again.

"Althea!" Hunter yelled, but she ignored him.

The medic went until she found her brother hanging over the fog, a grapple wire attached to his belt. She could only watch him through the grate.

Wrecker came over and looked past her. "Come on, Tech! Hurry!"

"I am climbing as fast as I can," the pilot grunted.

The railcar rumbled and it was yanked down another few feet. Wrecker pushed Althea back from the edge. Tech's line was jerked down.

"Tech!" Omega called.

"Why aren't we moving??" Hunter growled.

"The car's being ripped from the track," Echo told him.

Another jerk, this time with Hunter shouting, "Wrecker, get him on board!"

The demo man took a tentative step forward, but the railcar jolted down.

"Don't!" Tech cried. "Any shift in weight could send both of these cars over."

The roar of more ships found Althea's ears. Another blast and the railcar fell more. Wrecked gripped the connector. He was the only thing keeping Tech from falling.

The pilot looked around, weighing his options, but there was only one.

"You must sever the connection hinge. Now!" He ordered.

"Not until you're up here," Wrecker grunted.

Panic settled in Althea's bones as the railcar screeched angrily at them, demanding to succumb to gravity. Hunter was still firing at the ships and the other car, desperately trying to keep them safe.

Then, over the din of battle, Tech's voice crackled through the comms.

"There is no time, Wrecker. Plan 99."

A startled choke escaped the medic. 

No. No, no, no, no!!

Wrecker grunted softly. "Don't you do it, Tech!"

Althea watched as her older brother pulled out his blaster. Even over the raging noise, she could hear his soft sigh. He raised his blaster and squinted his eyes for a moment before saying, "When have we ever followed orders?"

One shot. One shot rang out through the clatter. It was the shot severing Tech's cable, sending him into the abyss.

"No!!!!!!" Wrecker and Althea screamed.

"Tech!!!!" Omega cried.

Then, suddenly, the railcar moved at lighting speed. Althea was yanked back, tears in her eyes.

"Girls!" Hunter called.

"Go back! Go back!" The younger demanded. The older simply held her fists to her side and clenched her teeth.

"The car's going too fast," Hunter said as the mountain grew ever closer.

Echo reinserted his scomp several times. "The system's fried. I can't stop it!" 

The last thing Althea saw was Wrecker grabbing her before the railcar collided with the mountain.

                      •°•°•°•°•°•

Everything was a blur. Althea couldn't hear anything except ringing. Her head hurt badly. She felt something warm on her lip and touched it. Even with fuzzy vision, she knew what blood looked like.

"Omega! Althea!" The medic could faintly hear Hunter calling for them.

She felt a hand on her back and turned slowly to see Hunter beside her. "I've got you, kiddo."

She turned back to see Wrecker holding Omega. She was limp in his arms.

No, not her too.

Blaster fire shook the ground. "Incoming!" Echo yelled. "Get to the Marauder."

Before she knew it, Althea was running to the ship. Hunter is as with her, blaster in one hand and Omega's bow in the other.

"Come on! Come on!" Echo growled as he powered up the ship.

Althea turned and watched Wrecker set Omega down. Her medic instincts took over as her shell shock wore off. Althea crouched near the girl and examined her. She had no broken bones, but her breathing wasn't steady.

"Head to Ord Mantell," Althea ordered. "AZI can help her."

"Hurry!" Hunter added, panicked.

                   •°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

A breath escaped Althea as she secured the bandage around Hunter's middle. He had sustained several injuries, broken ribs being the worst of them. 

Wrecker sat in Cid's office with Omega. The demo man had broken his neck and sprained his shoulder, while Omega had a concussion.

Echo stayed in the ship, his only injuries consisting of damage to his mechanical legs. Usually he was helped by... No, it was still to fresh.

Althea herself had a deep cut on her lower lip that only just stopped bleeding. Around her head was a bandage wrap. Despite Wrecker's best efforts, the medic's head had collided with the side of the railcar and cut a decent gash below her hairline.

"That should hold," Althea muttered as Hunter nodded. 

The medic put the bandages back in her bag, but with her shaking hands they dropped to the floor.

"Althea..." Hunter started.

"No, I have to go check on Omega." The medic tried to move away from him.

Hunter stopped her, grabbing her by the shoulders. Althea forced herself to look at him. There were cuts and bruises everywhere on his tan complexion, but all the pain was held in his eyes. Everything that they had lost was there.

Althea broke right there.

She cried as Hunter held her close. She didn't want to let go. He was the only thing real, the only thing grounding her through what just happened. He was the only thing reminding her that Tech dying was real.

Yet he was also injured, and she was a medic. Althea let go slightly to pull away, but Hunter pulled her back tighter. He cradled her head close to him. His shoulders shook but no sound left him.

When their embrace finally ended, Althea could see him clearly. His eyes were red and tear stains ran down his face. She was sure she looked the same.

When Hunter finally spoke, his voice was rough. "I'm...I'm gonna go check on Wrecker and Omega, okay?" He held her face in his hands.

The medic nodded, just barely.

Hunter moved away, walking back to the office. He was only gone for a minute, maybe two, but Althea couldn't handle it. She didn't want to be alone. They were all injured and if she wasn't there–

Althea was at the door before she could register what was happening. She opened it, and found Hunter and Wrecker in serious conversation.

Hunter was sitting by Omega's side while Wrecker stood. Even him, the immovable giant seemed smaller after the day's events.

"Good evening, Volunteer Trooper Aaun." AZI flew up to her. "You will be pleased to know that everyone will make a swift recovery. However, after further analysis, it has come to my attention that your lip will most likely scar over."

"That's great, AZI." Althea walked past him, unable to handle his cheery demeanor.

Wrecker turned and walked towards her, patting her head before walking out. Althea sighed and took a seat next to Hunter.

"How's she doing?"

"AZI said she'll make it, but..." Hunter stopped short. "She might not wake up."

"No."

The tracker turned to look at her, a mix of hope and trepidation in his expression. Then it shifted to something akin to empathy. Hunter knew how much she had lost, but he never knew what it felt like. Not until today.

He had seen her mourn, but he never had to himself. Now that he had experienced it, knew how much it actually hurt, he just wanted to hold her tight and never let go. Maybe it was selfish, but he never wanted to her to leave his side. He couldn't lose her.

"Althea," he started, "Me and Wrecker have been talking about what to do and...." He sighed. "We think that Pabu is our best option."

"But I thought we were soldiers," the medic asked.

Hunter swallowed. "Yeah, well we were. I should have put that behind us a long time ago. Now, it's time for us to have a new life, but only if you want that too."

Althea's golden gaze flicked away for a moment, then she looked back at him and nodded.

"C'mere," Hunter said softly. He pulled her to his side and she melted into his touch. They sat there for a few moments, Hunter gently rubbing her shoulder. She was tall for her age, yet she seemed so small.

"What now?" She asked softly.

They had just discussed staying on Pabu permanently, starting their life there, yet there seemed to be nothing in their future.

Especially with the one who always knew gone.

"I.... don't know, kiddo," Hunter breathed. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay, but he didn't even believe that himself.

                   •°•°•°•°•°•°•

"Hunter?"

The tracker's eyes snapped up to see Omega stirring. Her baby brown eyes were hazy looking at him.

Relief coursed through him. "Hiya, kid." He brushed his hand through her curls.

She groaned softly. "W-What happened?"

Before he could answer, AZI flew in and scanned her. "Hello, Omega. I am relieved you are awake. You each sustained multiple injuries. However, you all will make a full recovery with proper treatment and rest."

Then, Wrecker and Althea came into the room.

"You're... You're okay." Wrecker gave her a gentle hug and sighed. "Don't scare us like that again."

Althea took a canteen and handed it to the girl. "How do you feel?"

Hunter could see her instincts taking over again as he helped Omega sit up.

The blonde frowned. "I don't know." Her voice was dry and unsteady. "The last thing that I remember, we were in the railcar when..." She gasped and her eyes widened. "Where's Tech?"

Hunter looked away, he couldn't meet her gaze. "Omega... Tech didn't make it."

"We have to go back!" The girl cried. "What if he's hurt? He... He needs us. Tell him, Wrecker." She begged. "Thea, please. We can't just leave him!"

Hunter reached for her. "Omega..."

She swatted his hand away. "No! Tech's not gone! He... He can't be!" She broke down.

Hunter rested his hand on her shoulder, moving closer and wrapping his arm around her. She leaned into him, sobbing quietly. "I... I know, kid."

He looked up at his brother and Althea. They were fighting tears as they left the room.

"Why did Tech do that?" Omega sniffed. "He didn't let us save him."

This poor, sweet little girl.

Hunter pulled away so he could look her in the eye. "He knew we were out of time. Tech put the squad ahead of himself. He made a sacrifice, Omega, and we're not gonna waste it."

"What does that mean?" She asked tearfully.

Hunter looked at her. "The galaxy has changed, and so have we. It's time to put being soldiers behind us for good. Wrecker and I think Pabu could be a good place to make a new life for ourselves. And the rest of it, well, we can figure out along the way. Omega," he said when she didn't look at him, "is that something you want?" 

She pursed her lips before nodded softly.

Hunter ran his hand through her hair, resting it on the back of her head. "Then that's what we'll do."

Meanwhile, Wrecker and Althea sat at the bar solemnly. Cid –where she had been previously, Althea didn't know or care– poured Wrecker a drink. "Here. This one's on the house."

The demo man pushed it away. "It won't help."

The Trandoshan sighed. "I'm sorry about Goggles. I always liked him."

Althea stared at the bar. "Yeah. Us too."

                  •°•°•°•°•°•

Echo sat in the co-pilot's seat. He was no stranger to loss, but it didn't make it any easier. A sigh escaped him as his gaze drifted to the pilot's seat. 

The ARC had so many disputes with the one who sat there the most. At the time they were annoying and irritating, but he would give anything to have them back again.

Suddenly, Gonky honked. The droid droid had been silent for a long time, maybe mourning as well.

Echo turned in his seat. "What is it?"

Gonky honked again, and the ARC went to the door. He looked up to see a Star Destroyer in the atmosphere, and several shuttles flying from it.

He commed his team. "Hunter, the Empire's here."

Static.

"Hunter, do you copy?" He tried again. "Wrecker? Thea?"

He grunted in frustration and headed back to the controls. "They're jamming our comms."

Gonky honked as Echo grabbed his helmet.

"No, stay here," the ARC ordered. "I'll find them."

                 •°•°•°•°•°•°•

Althea looked up from the bar to see Cid tapping her claws nervously. Wrecker noticed it too.

"What's with you?" He asked.

"You know, I tried to look out for you boys," she started. "But you got too much heat on you. And you brought it here to my place of business." She looked away. "I had to make the best of a bad situation."

Rage boiled in Althea's body. "What did you do?!"

"Sorry, Bright Eyes."

The door burst open with several commandos and their blasters. They fired.

Hunter looked behind him to see several commandos coming through. He grabbed his blaster and shot the door, sealing it shut.

"What's happening?" Omega asked.

"It's the Empire." Hunter opened the back door and moved the crates out of it. "Take the mining tunnels to the spaceport and find Echo. I'll get Wrecker and Althea."

"But you're injured," the girl pointed out. "You can't fight them alone."

Hunter handed her the bow and kneeled to her level. "Omega, you and AZI need to go. That's an order!"

Omega frowned, a worry crease forming in her brow as she climbed down the ladder. The last thing she saw was Hunter closing the hatch.

She climbed down a few rungs before stopping.

"Omega?" AZI asked. "We must keep moving."

The light from his eyes shone on her face. "I can't do it, AZI," she sighed. "I already lost Tech. I'm not gonna lose them too. Come on."

                   •°•°•°•°•°•°•

Hunter blew the door, killing the commandos there. He ran out, blaster ready, into the main room.

He was greeted with even more commandos surrounding Wrecker and Althea. The two were cuffed and on their knees. The medic was gagged, most likely because she lipped off to the man leading them.

Doctor Royce Hemlock.

"That's not very strategic, Hunter." His voice was soft yet sharp, like a seductive predator luring his prey to their death. "You don't need to use your enhanced senses to know you're outnumbered."

He had their information.

Hemlock took a case and looked to someone on his left. "The Empire thanks you for your assistance."

Cid walked out and took the case shamefully. Hunter narrowed his eyes. The only reason he didn't shoot her right there was he wouldn't risk Althea and Wrecker.

"Our business is done. Leave," Hemlock ordered.

Hunter watched as the Trandoshan left, his blood boiling the entire time. Hemlock never left his line of sight.

"Please, consider your next move very carefully." Hemlock rubbed his gloved hand. "I would hate for this to end poorly for both of you. Here is how this is going to go. You will lower your blaster and hand over Omega. And I will allow you to keep breathing."

"Omega's not going anywhere with you." Hunter's voice was dangerously low.

Something shifted in Hemlock's expression. "Oh. Well, who knew clones are so paternal?"

Hunter blinked.

"Fascinating." Hemlock reached behind him. "I was saddened to learn of your friend's demise. What was his name? Oh, yes. Tech."

How dare he speak his name. Wrecked growled, but remained still. "I'm afraid this was all I could salvage," Hemlock said as he held a familiar item. Tech's goggles, cracked and broken. The red light that had so often recorded their adventures was dead. 

"Consider it a gift." The doctor tossed them carelessly at Hunter's feet.

The tracker wanted desperately to grab them, to hold what little he had left of his brother, but he remained still. "To lose one of your own, it must weigh heavily on you as their leader," Hemlock stated. "And if you don't lower the blaster now, you will lose yet another."

A commando pressed the barrel of his blaster to Althea's skull. The girl made no noise. To anyone else, she looked strong and unwaivering. But Hunter knew her better. She was terrified.

Hunter was as well. Terrified of losing her and Wrecker. He could still sense Omega's presence, but he desperately hoped that was because he was holding her just a few minutes ago and her scent was still lingering on him.

He lowered his blaster to the ground, replacing it with Tech's goggles, taking them gingerly.

"Wise decision." Hemlock nodded to a couple commandos, who grabbed Hunter and cuffed him.

A third came from the office. "Sir, the girl's not in the office."

"She's long gone," Hunter said from where he stood by Althea. "Like I said, Omega's not going anywhere with you."

Hemlock hummed. "Hmm. We'll see."

The troopers had Wrecker and Althea stand, and with Hunter they were led outside.

They hadn't even walked a block before they were stopped by pink laser bolts. Hunter didn't know whether to be worried or proud that Omega chose to come after them.

The girl was atop a small balcony, her bow drawn and ready. The commandos readied their blasters.

"Lower your weapons," Hemlock ordered. He sighed before raising his voice. "Hello, Omega. We were just talking about you."

"Let them go!" The girl demanded.

"Omega, run!" Hunter shouted. He was grabbed by a commando, who he struggled against until he was let go.

"I won't let them take you!" Omega cried.

"How about an exchange?" Hemlock suggested.

Hunter shook his head at the girl.

"If you come with me," Hemlock continued, "your friends will live."

"I don't believe you," Omega snarled.

"I did not come here for them, Omega," Hemlock told her. "I came to return you to Nala Se. She needs your help."

"He's lying. They killed the Kaminoans," Hunter reminded her.

Hemlock shook his head. "Incorrect. Nala Se is alive and well cared for. As you will be."

Omega narrowed her eyes. "I'm not going with you."

That's when Hunter heard another person. "Omega, look out!"

But it was too late. A commando jumped her from behind and stunned her. Hunter surged forward, needing to help her, but a blaster digging into his cheek stopped him.

"Scour the city," Hemlock ordered his troops. "When you find the third clone, send them back to Eriadu. Governor Tarkin wishes to question you personally."

They walked to a gunship. Hunter had failed. He failed Omega, he failed Wrecker and Althea, he failed Tech. Crosshair was right. He was unfit to lead this squad.

"I'm so sorry, kiddo," he choked out.

The girl beside him barely glanced at him. But then suddenly, an Imperial walker went haywire and started shooting troopers.

"Echo?" Hunter asked.

Wrecker nodded. "Gotta be Echo."

Wrecker grunted as he broke his cuffs and punched the troopers guarding them. He them broke Hunter and Althea's binders and ripped off her gag.

Each of them grabbed a weapon and began to fight. Hunter ran back to get Omega, but was met with two walkers.

One began to shoot the other, and then out came Echo and AZI. "Where's Omega?" He asked as they looked for cover.

"That Imperial took her," Wrecker spat.

"It was Hemlock," Hunter said. "We've gotta stop his shuttle from leaving."

Hunter glanced up and saw a catwalk. That was his chance. He nodded to the others before making a run for it and climbing up the wall.

They followed, blasting at the Imperials as they ran across the gunship and getting thrown as it exploded.

Hunter ran faster, he was almost to Hemlock's ship. He could make it. He could–

The shuttle flew up from the port. Hunter watched in absolute devastation as the ship took off. It had Omega on it. They had his little girl.

"Hunter, we need to go!" Echo yelled.

"Get to the Marauder!" He responded. He wasn't giving up, not when there was still a chance.

They clambered down into the port and ran for their ship, looking back only to shoot. Once they made it to the Marauder, they flew into the atmosphere.

"Where is it?! Hunter cried, looking desperately for Hemlock's ship.

Echo made their jump to hyperspace. The tracker stumbled back into one of the console chairs. Wrecker sat in the other, and Althea leaned against the controls.

In her hands were Tech's goggles. Hunter didn't realize he had dropped them, but he was thankful she grabbed them.

"There was no way to track Hemlock's ship," Echo said, breaking the silence. "He could have taken Omega anywhere."

Hunter looked back at the gunner's mount. Lula sat up there, waiting to be held by her owner. Omega should be up there, marveling at the colors of hyperspace.

"We are going to get her back," Hunter decided. "And we don't stop searching until we do."

Althea looked down at Tech's goggles, narrowing her eyes. Something changed in her gaze. It turned cold and hard.                         •°•°•°•°•°• "Crosshair!" Omega gasped and ran to the only person she recognized there. He was unconscious and strapped to a table. She shook him. "Crosshair? Crosshair!"

He didn't respond.

"You must be Omega."

The girl turned to find a woman with soft brown eyes and curly brown hair pulled into a ponytail.

"What did you do to Crosshair?" Omega asked.

"He's recovering. I tried to warn him what would happen if he did not cooperate with the doctor."

"I want to talk to Nala Se," Omega demanded.

The woman hummed. "Ironic. You trust the Kaminoan, but not me."

Omega furrowed her brow. "I don't know you."

"No?" The woman removed her rose colored glasses and knelt down. "You might know me better than you think."

Her hair was dark and curly. Her eyes were gentle and intelligent. Her face was round and her voice had a familiar accent.

"We're sisters, Omega. "

End of Book 3

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[fadingdreamscape]

@whumpmasinjuly-archive day 27 - delirious

CW - non-con drugging

Character - whumper and whumpee

Whumper stood in the shadows, watching with a sinister satisfaction as Whumpee's head lolled forward, then snapped back up in a desperate bid for consciousness. "You're still fighting," Whumper's voice was a low, mocking drawl that cut through the fog in Whumpee's brain like a serrated knife.

"I... I can see them," Whumpee murmured, eyes wide and glassy.

Whumper stepped closer, the dim light casting a menacing glow on their face. "See what?" they asked, feigning curiosity. "What do you see, Whumpee?"

Whumpee's breath hitched, their vision blurring with spectral shapes that twisted and writhed in the corners of their eyes. "Shapes... shadows... they're everywhere."

Whumper's smile widened, a cruel glint in their eyes. "Hallucinations. How delightful." They reached out, gripping Whumpee's chin and forcing their gaze upward, staring intently into their unfocused eyes.

Whumpee shuddered as Whumper's cold fingers traced their jawline, a shiver running down their spine. "Please... make it stop," they whispered.

Whumper's grip tightened, their nails digging into Whumpee's flesh. "Oh, but we're just getting started," they crooned, leaning in close, "now, time to take your medication," they purred as they pulled a small vial it of their pocket and forced whumpees mouth open.

Whumpee tried to resist, but their limbs felt like lead, heavy and unresponsive. The bitter liquid from the vial burned as it slid down their throat, and they coughed, spluttering as they struggled to breathe.

Whumper's laughter echoed through the dimly lit room, a sound devoid of warmth or humanity. "There, there," they cooed mockingly, patting Whumpee's cheek with false gentleness. "You’ll feel better soon enough. Or perhaps worse... Depends if you're ready to embrace it yet."

Whumpee's vision swam, the room around them warping and twisting.

"You see them, don't you?" Whumper whispered, leaning down, their mouth next to Whumpees ear.

The shapes in Whumpee's vision shifted, the very air seemed to shimmer and dance.

"That's right," Whumper said, their voice now a soothing purr. "You're almost there."

The room twisted and pulsed in whumpees vision, their body slowly began to feel warm and weightless.

"You look so lost," Whumper mused, circling around Whumpee like a predator. "Does it feel good?"

Whumpee's breathing became ragged, their heart pounding erratically in their chest. "I don't... I can't..." They stammered, struggling to form coherent thoughts as the world around them dissolved into a kaleidoscope of course and shapes.

Whumper chuckled, a sound that dripped with malice. "Oh, but you can. You're just resisting. Let go, Whumpee. Let the delirium take you."

Whumper released their grip, shifting to run their fingers gently through whumpees hair, "You're so close now," they said, their tone a sick parody of encouragement.

The room seemed to spin gently, the walls melted as whumpees thoughts seemed to disintegrate. Trying to think felt like grasping smoke.

"Look at you," Whumper murmured, almost to themselves, "teetering on the edge. Isn't it beautiful?" They continued to gently stroke whumpees hair, encouraging them to no longer fight.

Whumpee's lips parted, but no sound emerged. The spectral shapes in their vision danced with a macabre elegance, and somewhere in the distance, a voice—a memory perhaps—whispered words they couldn't quite understand.

Whumpee's head lolled to the side, their eyes losing focus, the figures in their vision danced and twisted, pulling them deeper into the abyss.

Whumper's hand continued its slow, rhythmic motion through Whumpee's hair, a grotesque parody of comfort. "That's it," they crooned. "Just let go."

Whumpee's lips moved soundlessly, their mind fracturing under the relentless assault. The whispers grew louder, a cacophony of disjointed voices that spoke in a language they couldn't comprehend, but which filled them with a deep, primal dread.

Whumper leaned closer, their breath hot against Whumpee's ear. "You see, this is freedom," they murmured. "No more pain, no more fear. Just... surrender." Their fingers traced lazy patterns across Whumpee's scalp, "You're almost there," they whispered.

Whumpee's eyes fluttered, half-lidded and unseeing. The world around them had become an undulating sea of colors and shadows, the once familiar shapes now alien and terrifying. Each breath felt like a struggle against the current, pulling them deeper into the chaotic abyss.

Whumpee's head lolled back, their eyes flickering with fleeting lucidity. They tried to grasp onto a memory, a sliver of who they were, they grasped onto Whumpers words, onto the sensation of their hand in their hair, unsure whatelse was real.

Whumpee's head lolled forward, their eyes glazing over as they teetered on the edge of consciousness.

Whumper smiled, pulling whumpee forwards into an embrace, letting their head rest on their shoulder, "well done Whumpee," they murmured.

Whumpee's body went limp in Whumper's arms, the fight draining out of them entirely. They hung there, suspended between wakefulness and oblivion, the phantom shapes in their vision dancing a sinister ballet.

Whumper's fingers continued to stroke Whumpee's hair, their touch deceptively gentle. "That's it," they whispered, their voice a silken thread weaving through Whumpee's fractured thoughts. "No more resistance. Just let go."

[stop-the-play]

(At the time of writing this you guys've given me a three-way tie? Gee, thanks (lighthearted))

> (Explore) I mean. Maybe it was only killing us in self-defence. We are here to slay it.

VOICE OF THE HERO: Sure. Maybe it was only trying to save itself. From someone without a knife.

VOICE OF THE MEEK: I... really do want to give it the benefit of the doubt. I mean! We did lock it up the first time around!

VOICE OF THE HERO: And then you decided to give up our only means of defence.

VOICE OF THE MEEK: ...And we got killed for it. I don't know how much more 'we could try forgiveness' I have in me.

VOICE OF THE HERO: So, no, I don't think that was 'self-defence.' That was just malice.

VOICE OF THE MEEK: But, you know, you can believe what you want to believe. It's nice that one of us can stay optimistic.

> (Explore) [Step off the path]

VOICE OF THE MEEK: Um, what are you doing?

VOICE OF THE HERO: No!

You step to the edge of the wide, flat stone you're standing on and look over the edge.

The unyielding cosmos stares back up at you.

VOICE OF THE MEEK: Oh, that's a long way down...

VOICE OF THE HERO: Mate. Please don't actually jump.

> [Jump]

You try to take a step forward, into the nothing, but your legs freeze before you can make a move, as though something between mind and body is refusing to let you throw yourself into the abyss.

It's not one of you doing that, right?

VOICE OF THE HERO: If I could, I would. But no, this isn't me.

VOICE OF THE MEEK: Um... what he said.

VOICE OF THE HERO: I'm just glad you can't actually hurl yourself into outer space. I don't even want to think about what that would entail.

> (Explore) About last time...

VOICE OF THE HERO: Oh, yeah! Last time! Let's talk about that!

VOICE OF THE MEEK: Don't be so harsh on him. He was only doing what he thought was best.

VOICE OF THE HERO: And look where it got us all. I think I have a bit of a right to be annoyed—at him and at the thing who killed us.

VOICE OF THE MEEK: ...That's fair.

VOICE OF THE HERO: But, hey. You can learn from your mistakes. And now that we're back here, and in one piece, and we can all speak to each other again... you've got another chance to do things right.

VOICE OF THE MEEK: It's still your call, of course. But I don't think you should give up the blade again, once you've got it. That definitely wasn't the best plan back there.

VOICE OF THE HERO: It gave the entity the opening it needed. You both heard what it said—we gave up our only power over it.

VOICE OF THE MEEK: I was thinking more about how it called us stupid.

VOICE OF THE HERO: Yeah, that's a good one, too.

VOICE OF THE HERO: Look. There's a reason it didn't make a move until we dropped the blade. When we're armed, we're more powerful than it, and it knows that.

VOICE OF THE MEEK: It was scared of us, you mean.

VOICE OF THE HERO: Exactly. We're capable of slaying it if we try, and all of us know it. I'll be here to back you up if need be again, but as long as you go in with the intent to slay it, everything should be fine.

Choices:

(Explore) What if I don't want to slay it? What if I want to try talking to it instead?

(Explore) Don't worry. I'll slay it this time.

It sounds like we've all got a lot of questions, and they'll only be answered if we see what's at the cabin. Let's go. [Continue to the cabin]

Do I... have to go? [Turn around with intent to leave]

[geotjwrs]

Risk

Pairings ; Gracie Abrams x Male!Reader

Warning ; none

The night was cloaked in silence as Gracie sat on the edge of her bed, the soft glow of her bedside lamp casting shadows on the walls. She glanced at the clock—2:00 AM. Sleep had been elusive, slipping through her fingers like grains of sand. Her mind was a storm of thoughts and emotions, each one pulling her deeper into the abyss of uncertainty.

Her phone buzzed, breaking the stillness. She picked it up, heart racing as Y/N's name flashed on the screen. She hesitated for a moment before answering, her voice barely a whisper.

"Hey."

"Hey," Y/N replied, his voice equally soft, laden with the weight of their shared history. "Can we talk?"

Gracie nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "Yeah, we need to."

Moments later, Y/N stood at her door, looking just as lost as she felt. She stepped aside to let him in, the air between them thick with unspoken words. They moved to the living room, each step heavy with the risk they were about to take.

"Gracie, I've been thinking..." Y/N began, his voice trailing off as he struggled to find the right words. "About us, about everything."

Gracie's heart clenched. She knew this conversation was inevitable, yet she wasn't prepared for it. "Me too," she admitted. "I don't know where we went wrong, but I miss what we had."

Y/N nodded, his eyes meeting hers with a mixture of pain and longing. "I miss it too. But it's like we're on different paths now, and I don't know how to bring us back together."

Tears welled up in Gracie's eyes, but she blinked them away. "We've been through so much. Maybe we were too reckless, too eager to jump in without thinking about the consequences."

"Maybe," Y/N agreed. "But I don't regret any of it. Even now, with everything falling apart, I can't bring myself to regret us."

Gracie took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. "Then why does it hurt so much? Why does it feel like we're tearing each other apart?"

"Because we care," Y/N said simply. "Because we're afraid of losing something that means so much to us."

Silence enveloped them, each lost in their own thoughts. Gracie knew he was right.

The risk they had taken by opening up to each other, by loving so deeply, had brought them to this point. It was a gamble, one that now seemed to be slipping away from them.

"Do you think we can fix this?" Gracie asked, her voice trembling.

"I don't know," Y/N admitted. "But I think it's worth trying. If we both want it, if we're both willing to fight for it."

Gracie looked at him, seeing the vulnerability in his eyes. The risk was still there, hanging over them like a dark cloud. But maybe, just maybe, it was a risk worth taking.

"Okay," she whispered. "Let's try. But we have to be honest with each other, no more hiding, no more pretending."

Y/N nodded, relief washing over his face. "Agreed. No more walls."

Gracie couldn't help but reflect on how it all began. Meeting Y/N felt like a breath of fresh air in her otherwise predictable life.

His charm, his wit, the way he looked at her like she was the only person in the world—it was intoxicating. They had fallen fast and hard, swept up in a whirlwind romance that seemed destined to defy the odds.

But as quickly as they fell in love, cracks began to show. The very things that drew them together became sources of tension.

Y/N's spontaneity clashed with Gracie's need for stability. Her career demands pulled her in one direction while his dreams tugged him in another. The late-night arguments, the missed calls, the unspoken resentments—it all piled up, creating a chasm they struggled to bridge.

Gracie remembered a particular night when everything seemed to fall apart. They had been at a party, surrounded by friends, but she felt a million miles away from him.

Y/N had been distant, lost in his thoughts, and she couldn't shake the feeling that they were drifting apart. On the drive home, their simmering tensions erupted into a heated argument.

"Why can't you just be present, Y/N?" Gracie had snapped, her voice tinged with frustration and hurt. "I feel like I'm always competing for your attention."

"And I feel like I'm always walking on eggshells around you," Y/N had shot back. "Nothing I do is ever good enough. You're always so damn critical."

The words had cut deep, each one a reminder of the growing divide between them. That night, Gracie had cried herself to sleep, wondering if they were doomed to repeat the same painful cycle.

As the days turned into weeks, Gracie and Y/N struggled to navigate the rocky terrain of their relationship.

They tried to communicate, to understand each other's perspectives, but it often felt like they were speaking different languages. The love was still there, but it was buried beneath layers of hurt and misunderstanding.

One evening, Gracie found herself alone in their apartment, scrolling through old photos of happier times. She stumbled upon a picture of them at the beach, smiling and carefree, the sun setting behind them. It was a stark contrast to the tension that now hung over them like a dark cloud.

Y/N walked in, noticing the photo in her hand. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I miss those days," he admitted, his voice heavy with regret.

"Me too," Gracie whispered, her eyes meeting his. "I don't know how we got here, Y/N. It feels like we're lost."

"Maybe we need to take a step back," Y/N suggested, sitting down beside her. "Think of what we want, what we're willing to risk for this relationship."

Gracie nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope. "I want to fight for us, Y/N. But we have to be on the same page. We have to be willing to put in the work."

"I know," Y/N said softly. "And I am. I just...I don't want to lose you, Gracie. I don't want us to become strangers."

They decided to take a break, to give each other space to reflect and heal. It was a difficult decision, but one they hoped would give them the clarity they needed.

During this time, Gracie focused on herself, on rediscovering the things that brought her joy. She reconnected with old friends, took up painting again, and spent time reflecting on her own needs and desires.

Y/N, too, took this time to evaluate his own life and priorities. He threw himself into his work, finding solace in his music.

He wrote songs, pouring his heart and soul into the lyrics, using them as a means to process his emotions. Each note, each word, was a step towards understanding himself and the love he still held for Gracie.

Months passed, and slowly but surely, they began to find their way back to each other. It wasn't easy, and there were setbacks along the way. But they were both committed to rebuilding their relationship, brick by brick.

One evening, Gracie invited Y/N to her apartment. He arrived, nervous but hopeful, and she greeted him with a warm smile. "I have something for you," she said, leading him to the living room where her guitar sat.

She began to play, the familiar chords filling the room. Y/N recognized the song immediately—it was "Risk," one of her originals, a melody that held so many memories.

As Gracie sang, her voice steady and filled with emotion, Y/N felt tears welling up in his eyes. The lyrics spoke of love, loss, and the risks they were willing to take for a second chance.

When the song ended, Gracie looked at Y/N, her eyes filled with vulnerability. "I wrote this for us," she said softly. "It's about everything we've been through, about the risks we've taken and the love we still hold onto. I want you to know that I'm willing to risk it all for us, Y/N. I love you, and I believe we can make this work."

Y/N was speechless, his heart swelling with emotion. He took a step towards her, his hand reaching out to touch hers. "I love you too, Gracie," he whispered. "And I'm willing to take that risk with you."

They moved forward cautiously, rebuilding their trust one day at a time. As they rekindled their relationship, they couldn't help but recall the early days of their love—how it had felt both exhilarating and terrifying.

One night, sitting on the roof of Gracie's apartment building, they watched the city lights twinkle below. The air was cool, carrying the promise of new beginnings.

Gracie turned to Y/N, her eyes searching his.

"Do you remember the first time we said 'I love you'?" she asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

Y/N chuckled, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "Yeah, I do. It was right here, wasn't it?"

Gracie nodded, her heart warming at the memory. "Yeah, it was. We were sitting just like this, looking out at the city, and you turned to me and said, 'Gracie, I think it's too soon to tell you I love you, but I can't help it. I love you.'"

Y/N laughed softly, his eyes meeting hers. "And you said, 'It's too soon for me too, but I love you, Y/N.'"

They shared a moment of silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Gracie leaned in, her forehead resting against his. "I still love you, Y/N. Even after everything, I still love you."

"I love you too," Y/N whispered, his hand gently cupping her cheek. "And I'm willing to risk everything to keep that love alive."

As they sat there, wrapped in each other's arms, Gracie and Y/N knew that the journey ahead wouldn't be easy. But they were ready to face it together, knowing that their love was worth every risk.

[silvercap]

Hi hi for the whump drabble game could I get some hurt Chris with either dangling or perhaps painkillers? No worries if not ❤️❤️❤️

For sure!! (From this prompt list)

Dangling/Painkillers

Chris's arm trembles with the effort it takes to cling to the cliff face, gloved fingers already slipping even as he forces himself to dig deep into the mud and rock in the desperate hope that it will save him. Below, the ocean thrashes at the vicious spires of rock reaching upwards like ragged claws, rain and wind lashing the frothing surf into a roil. He gasps for air, left arm stretched taut where Jill hangs below him, her limp, unconscious form held up only by Chris's hand around her thin wrist. Above them, BOWs growl audibly over the rush of the storm, scenting the blood that pours down Chris's side in hot rivulets despite being too dumb to tell where it's coming from.

Chris blinks rain from his eyes, gritting his teeth with a groan when an attempt to haul Jill higher leaves his head spinning. Below, the waves lap hungrily at the rocky cliff edge as if sensing his growing weakness, eager to swallow them up into oblivion. Chris growls. What a stupid fucking way to die--knocked over the edge of a cliff he should've seen, bleeding out and unable to reach his radio. There's no way he's letting Jill die here like this.

He clings to the rock, eyelids fluttering. No giving up, no matter what.

Chris isn't sure how long it is before the sound of gunfire and squealing bioweapons filters in over the ringing in his ears, arms burning from the endless, intolerable strain that's becoming too much to bear. He's so tired. Rainwater freezes the back of his neck in icy sheets, hair slicked to his forehead as he gasps in defeat. He doesn't even have the strength to call out.

"Captain!"

He doesn't have to, though, because one of the men who'd been part of their backup team--he can't tell who over the rain--is staring down at him wide-eyed, two measly feet above where Chris is clinging to his crumbling lifeline. The man reaches down as another soldier appears behind him, already wrapping his hand around Chris's wrist.

"No," Chris snaps raggedly, unable to hold back a cry as he drags Jill to his chest with a sudden burst of superhuman strength. His heart is pounding, vision flickering, but all he knows is that he needs to save her. "Jill first."

The men bicker amongst themselves as they do as they're told, taking Jill's weight a split-second before Chris's arms fail entirely. He whimpers as his grip slides further, left arm useless as his right hand aches from the effort it takes to hold himself in place.

"Captain!" He hears someone shout, and then the cliff is breaking apart under his fingers, solid earth giving way to open air and the drop of free fall in his stomach. His eyes widen, and then he's slamming into the dark abyss of the boiling sea, and Chris knows no more.

He comes to to the sound of shouting and helicopter rotors, rain dotting his face as the sky above him swims. He's moving, he recognizes vaguely, a blurry sillhouette holding something plastic over his mouth and nose. Chris frowns, shifting--only to meet resistance over his chest and hips, a strangled noise of protest escaping him.

"Can you hear me, Captain Redfield?" The figure slowly squeezes the plastic thing as air floods Chris's lungs, leaning down to reveal the concerned face of a medic. "You're alright, we're just taking you to the emergency chopper. Captain Valentine is safe."

Safe. Something warms blooms to life in Chris's veins, tension he didn't know he'd been holding slipping away as his muscles go limp. Well, more limp.

"Hang on a little longer, Captain, you're doing great. Those pain meds should be kicking in right about now."

Chris is too far away to respond, eyelids fluttering closed with the hazy warmth that swallows him into oblivion.

[oliolioxenfreewrites]

An excerpt from the horror story series I’ll be posting tomorrow morning!

The Retreat

8 months ago…

It was supposed to be a celebratory hike. David had just landed a major distributor for his athleisure wear brand, and they decided to mark the occasion with a challenging trail they had been meaning to try. The weather in Maryland was perfect this time of year—cool and crisp, with a median level heat ideal for a long excursion.

They set out early, with the morning mist still clinging to the mountains. Monique felt on top of the world, hand in hand with David, their laughter echoing through the trees.

About two hours in, they reached a fork in the trail. The left path was well-maintained and led to a popular viewpoint. The right fork was overgrown and marked with a faded sign warning of unstable terrain.

"Let's take the next right," Monique suggested eagerly.

She began to stretch and lifted the back of her coily red-brown hair, which shimmered in the sunlight and tied it into a messy bun, preparing for the next segment of the trail. Her husband's face was filled with nothing, but apprehension.

David gazed skeptically at the ominous path ahead and asked, “Are you sure about this?”

“Oh, c'mon! Where's your sense of adventure, baby?” she teased, a mischievous glint in her eye.

David hesitated. “I don't know, Momo. That sign looks pretty serious.”

But Monique was insistent. “Trust me, it'll be fine. We're experienced hikers. Plus, imagine the view without all the tourists.”

Reluctantly, David agreed, knowing it would make Monique happy. And for the first mile, everything seemed fine; the path was rough but manageable. Then—they reached the cliffside portion...

The trail narrowed dramatically, hugging a sheer rock face with a dizzying drop to the right. Monique led the way with steady, confident strides, her resolve unwavering despite the precarious path. She glanced back periodically to check on David, noticing his forehead crinkle in that way she found endearingly adorable. It always amused her that this 6’2” muscular Italian, so strong and charismatic, could be unnerved by heights.

A twinge of remorse washed over her as she remembered how she had convinced him to come along on this adventure, despite his apprehension. She hoped the stunning views and sense of victory would eventually outrank his current anxiety.

“Momo, we seriously should turn back,” David called out, lagging behind his enthusiastic wife.

“Don’t worry, babe, we’re almost through,” Monique replied, seeing the clearing just a few steps ahead. “Just a little further.”

Those four words would haunt her forever.

A few steps later, she heard a sickening crumble, a sound that now echoes in her mind whenever she closes her eyes or feels anxious. The next thirty seconds shattered her world; the path beneath David's feet gave way. As Monique spun around in horror, she couldn’t even process the scene before her.

“David!” she shouted, reaching out desperately, but she was too far ahead. Their fingertips brushed, and their eyes locked for a split second before her husband plummeted into the abyss. It was the last time she touched or saw her college sweetheart.

The world seemed to slow down as Monique watched David disappear into the void. Her scream echoed through the mountains, a sound of pure anguish that was swallowed by the vast, indifferent wilderness. She fell to her knees, the weight of what had just happened crashing down on her. She could barely breathe, her chest tightening with a mix of shock and terror.

Minutes felt like hours as she scrambled to the edge, hoping against hope to see David clinging to something, anything. But there was nothing—just the sheer drop and the distant sound of rocks tumbling into the chasm below. The reality of the situation began to sink in, and with it came a flood of guilt and regret.

“Why had I convinced him to take this path? How could I have been so careless?!”

The next hours were a blur of frantic calls for help, rescue helicopters, and devastating news. Monique sat there, feeling detached from her body as they asked her all their typical questions; all she could hear was static. Despite the best efforts of the rescue teams, the news came that David hadn't survived the fall. Friends and family were notified, and the reality of the loss began to sink in as everyone tried to come to terms with the sudden tragedy.

In the days and weeks following the funeral, Monique was overwhelmed not only by all-consuming grief but also by a crippling sense of guilt. She found herself trapped in a storm of emotions, unable to escape the constant reminders of his loss and the nagging voice in her head that kept repeating, “If only I had listened to David, if only I had been more cautious, if only I could have saved him.”

Every moment without him felt like a lifetime, and the burden of her guilt grew heavier with each passing day. She often found herself either lost in a bottle of whatever she could find in their extensive stash to avoid leaving the house or endlessly, hopelessly, scrolling through ten years of memories in the darkness of their shared apartment in downtown Maryland. Her photos app mocked her every time she picked up her phone, thanks to the new and taunting 'Featured' section that adorns our technology today. She hadn’t worked or touched her art in months. Unless her twin brother Marcus, or her best friend Ashleigh brought her food—she wouldn’t even eat. She was constantly surrounded by the hall of fame of their love. The awards he won for the prosperity of his athleisure wear business, which she signed over to his family out of respect, still adorned the shelves. His clothes hung in the closet, and his shoes sat by the door as if waiting for him to come home.

It took Ashleigh planning this trip to wake her from her grief-ridden daze; she owed her friend her entire future.

Now, lying in bed in the dark cabin, Monique felt the weight of her actions more acutely than ever. She had come here seeking healing but was now confronting her deepest regrets in the most terrifying way possible. The shadows of the room seemed to press in around her, and the sounds of the forest outside took on an eerie, almost whispering quality.

She closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. The image of David’s fall played over and over in her mind, a relentless loop of her greatest nightmare. She clutched the blanket tightly, as if it could shield her from the torment within her own mind.

As dawn began to break, the faint light filtering through the curtains, Monique made a decision. She would confront whatever was taunting her—whether it was the memory of David, her own guilt, or something more sinister lurking in the woods. She needed to face it, to find some semblance of peace.

She owed David that much.

Monique opened her eyes with a deep breath and stared at the ceiling, feeling the first rays of sunlight touch her face. The journey ahead was still uncertain, but she felt a spark of determination for the first time in a long while. The path to healing would be painfully difficult, but she was finally ready to take the first step.

@drchenquill @illarian-rambling @kaylinalexanderbooks @leahpardo-pa-potato @slenders1ckn3ss @somethingclevermahogony @inky-duchess @sassystyl @rotting-moon-writes @highlycosmic @avaseofpeonies @oc-atelier @ceph-the-ghost-writer @paeliae-occasionally @davycoquette @unforgettable-sensations @hissorrow22 @boredwritergirl @scorpiothesaint @thewrathoffemaleragem @spookyceph @enne-uni if interested in joining or being removed, just let me know! :)

[thewingedbaron]

Day Four: Aim and Fire

TGIF. It's been a long week. To celebrate, here's another late entry, squeaking in right at 11pm for me. We're still technically on schedule right?

Death from Above (435 words)

Fandom: Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous

Warnings: mentions of violence

Ships: none in this one :(

Read here under the cut or on Ao3 :)

“Carefully now.” Vysk whispered. She stood, teetering on the edge of a high cliff overlooking columns of demons passing below. Her party gathered around her, concealed behind large boulders, along with three squads of sharpshooters and rangers. Vysk was the only one exposed, lying just over the lip of the cliff so that her head and shoulders would not be outlined against the sky. 

Far below, column after column of babaus, dretches, and Mariliths marched. March might be a generous term. Most of the demons shuffled along in crowds, spurred on by the claws and boots of their larger compatriots. At the center of the mob stood a massive Baylor, lording over the other demons. Occasionally, the massive abyssal spawn would unfurl its flaming whip to drive on some unfortunate underling for perceived slowness. More often than not, that underling was vaporized in a cloud of dust. 

“Steady.” Vysk hissed again, squinting her eyes at the beast below. “We only have one shot at this.” 

The Baylor prowled on, unaware of the danger as it approached a crook in the valley. As it neared, Vysk silently raised a hand as three dozen bows were raised, enchanted arrows at the ready. Vysk’s vision seemed to narrow until all she could see was the Baylor and the marked rock on the side of the path. Two steps away. One step. 

“FIRE!” Vysk screamed, snapping her hand down in a chopping motion. As she did, the marked rock exploded, thick vines snaking around the trunk like feet of the greater demon. Arrows fell like rain upon the creature, riddling its hide with tiny shafts. Upon contacting flesh, their head began to burrow, working their way deeper with each passing breath. The Baylor didn’t even have time to scream as the light was snuffed from behind its eyes and its massive body fell, crushing the demons nearest to it under its bulk. 

In the valley, chaos ruled. Demons ran this way and that searching for their attackers as arrows decimated their ranks. Vysk watched with a grim smile on her face as her enemy fell by the dozen. As the greater demons began to clump and push their smaller allies up the slopes of the valley, Vysk gave another hand signal. 

The rain of arrows began to slow to a trickle. By the time the demons reached the top of the valley to enact their bloody revenge, there was no one in sight. The crusaders had simply melted away, as if they were never there. The only sign their attackers had even existed was a valley full of corpses.

@owlcatober

[numbuhinfinitys]

"Death Isn't The End" | Mourning AU Fanfic

[Warning; angst, implied suicide, mention of death]

Drip, drip, drip...

The sound of water drops she savored so much when she slept there...

Drip, drip, drip... Splash!

Another puddle she stepped into while running into the cave, running passed stalactites and stalagmites, as water drops dripped from the crooked spikes that grew above her.

The cave looked a lot bigger then last time, but that wasn't the point.

What a coward she was... Running away from her problems once again...

"Pathetic, isn't it?"

She stopped, did that voice sound familiar? Or was it just her own imbecilic imagination?... But they took the words right out of her mouth.

"You really think they actually cared about you? Please, no one would care about some monstrosity..." Her ears ringed from the voice, even when her hands are pressed into them, it still felt like her ears were bleeding.

A hand was pressed on her shoulder, the immense feeling of dread going through her whole body as she turned around.

"C'mon, you can't even recognize yourself?" The crooked hand was slapped away from her shoulder, as she took several steps away from the anomaly.

Was that her? Why did she look so, crooked? No features, only eyes that bore into her own.

She stood still as her breathing rhythm quickend, widened eyes with an unmoving gaze from the anomaly that resembled her crookedly.

"What? Don't like looking at yourself, huh, Reyna?" The anomaly giggled, the sound of it was sickening to hear from them. "Well, not to worry, i think this one suits me just fine"

The sounds of bones breaking filled the cave, as the shape of the anomaly changed. Two heads were formed as they turned to her with loud crack.

Reyna gritted her eyes shut, not even daring to look at them, as lava filled tears started froming in her sockets. She started to back away, soon halting once she didn’t feel anymore ground to walk on.

The being turned her around and made Reyna open her eyes, pointing them right down an abyss of nothingness, as the two heads of the anomaly were on both of her sides, slowly leaning her over the edge.

"Why don’t you just jump? You'll have an easier way of joining us..." The female head soothed into her ear, making her take one step forward.

"...C'mon, just a small step and you can give us a hug in no time!" The Male head laughed into her other ear, as she took another step towards the edge.

"I mean, it's not like you wanted to live anyway, your heart broke after all"

As Reyna looked down at the dark abyss, she was about to take her last step, but something stopped her...

It felt like... Someone was hugging her... Holding her back from jumping.

"Reyna, we're here for you... Your friends are here for you... Monster or not"

"We know you miss us... But you need to be strong now, you need to trust yourself and the others, and always keep this in your head.."

"We'll always be there for you..."

Reyna shook her head, as she backed away from the edge.

Her ears stopped ringing, as she slowly calmed herself down.

Was that even real what she saw? That... Entity? But she knows those voices... Mella and Evan.

"Just like Sherryl always said... Death is not the end. Death can never be the end."

"Death is the road. Life is the traveller. The soul is the guide"

Hehe, decided to also write a silly fanfic of what's happening at Reyna's side >:]

Mourning AU belongs to @artsygirl0315