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superbattrash · 2 years

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Bruclark Week Day 7: Free Space

Alternative title: The Unspoken Thing

WE DID IIIIIIIIT AND ON TIME TOO. Dear God, remind me to plan stuff like this better next time, alright? Anyway, here’s that merbruce thing I was going to write. It’s loosely based on a piece of art by @katsuyacrimson - I’ve been graciously allowed to post the picture with my fic. The art is at the end :)

Bruce’s tail is amazing. It’s an odd mixture of purple and iridescent; so large that the fins could probably cover a small child if Bruce wanted to. Not that he has that kind of control yet obviously, seeing as he’s been a mermaid for less than five minutes at this point. Still, Clark can’t help but stare as Bruce moves the huge tail around experimentally; like he’s trying to get a feel for it despite it being a part of himself. The blues in his tail become visible when he moves it, and they complement his eyes so beautifully. Some are warm, some colder. Some almost violet while others are bright blue, so light they can almost rival Bruce’s eyes in beauty. Almost.

Clark watches as Bruce holds up a hand – his fingertips replaced with sharp little claw-like tips, purple and scale-y just like his tail. So far that’s the only parts of him that have changed but judging from the way his jaw is tightening by the second, it’s more than enough.

He does look rather strange with half the batsuit on and the only exposed parts of him – except his face – being brightly colored. Purple does suit the darkness of the batsuit though, Clark thinks. Not that that’s what he should be focusing on right now, and he is most certainly not going to tell Bruce that that’s what he’s thinking about. He quickly lands on the ground next to Bruce and crouches down. It’s odd, having to sit down to look Bruce in the eyes.

“I’m sorry, I am so sorry,” Clark exclaims for what feels like the hundredths time in the last thirty minutes. He really should have been faster, should have protected Bruce somehow. He’s supposed to be the strong, invulnerable one.

“You’re just as susceptible to magic as the rest of us,” Bruce mutters like that’s an excuse. It sort of is but not a very good one.

“Yes, but-” Clark feels incredibly guilty despite Bruce having thrown himself in front of the beam of his own volition. It doesn’t make him feel any better that Bruce would sacrifice himself for Clark, believe it or not. There’s a reason Superman is on the team. He can handle himself and take a hit.

“Kal, just-” Bruce takes a deep breath and nearly pokes a lens out of his cowl when he tries to pinch the bridge of his nose with his mer-claws. He drops both arms in his lap. Or, where his lap is supposed to be. Is it still called a lap if it’s on a tail? “Shut up.”

“I didn’t see her in time,” Clark explains. He tries to go on but Bruce speaks over him.

“I know, would you just-” Bruce sighs exasperatedly. He’s clearly trying very hard to be patient with Clark, which is nice of him. Too bad it doesn’t make Clark feel any better. “Just go home, alright?”

“I can’t leave you like this,” Clark argues. There is no way he’s leaving Bruce stranded in Metropolis stuck in mermaid form. He wouldn’t leave him even if he still had his own two feet.

“I’ll be fine,” Bruce insists even as he wiggles around to get his tail situated in a way that lets him sit up straight.

Once again, Clark will never voice any of his thoughts out loud. At least not the quieter ones, hiding behind his worry and guilt. It’s just so weird seeing Bruce uncoordinated like this. He’s swaying back and forth like he can’t quite keep his balance.

“How will you even get home?” Clark asks, trying his best not to stare too long at Bruce’s beautiful tail. He’s not doing a very good job of it.

“I’ll figure it out,” Bruce says with an odd shrug. He nearly tilts with the movement. Sitting on a tail is apparently much different than how Bruce usually sits. Which isn’t much when he’s out as Batman.

“Can you even survive outside of water?” Clark bursts out. He knows it’s a stupid question and that he should probably just let Bruce be, but it isn’t in his nature to leave his friends behind. Especially when that friend is Bruce. Clark has never actually had much contact with mermaids but he’s the best Bruce has got right now. Arthur isn’t with them on this mission, which in hindsight is a big mistake, but Hal has already contacted him.

“Kal,” Bruce says. His voice jolts Clark out of his muddled thoughts.

“What?”

“I’m a mermaid, not an actual fish,” he reminds him. There’s a hint of amusement in Bruce’s voice which is a good sign. He doesn’t usually take the time to laugh at Clark on missions unless he feels safe enough to do so. He shifts on the ground and is back to his usual stern self in less than five seconds though.

“I know,” Clark says. “But-”

“I am talking to you like I’ve always done, Kal,” Bruce says and this time there’s a tinge of annoyance to his voice. “I am still me, just with more-” He looks down at the shimmering purple tail occupying the space where his legs are supposed to be. “Tail,” he ends awkwardly.

“I know.” Clark bites his cheek as he thinks. He doesn’t want to cause Bruce anymore trouble, but he still feels like he needs to help in some way. “What can I do?”

“Just find the witch,” Bruce says.

“I will,” Clark promises with all the conviction he can manage. He’ll look through the entire galaxy if need be. Although he’s pretty sure Diana must’ve caught up to her by now. There’s no way that witch could’ve outrun Wonder Woman.

“I know,” Bruce says and his lips twitch like he wants to smile reassuringly at Clark. It might just be his imagination though.

“Call me if you need me, okay?” Clark says one last time before he stands. He’s not planning on going home until he knows what happened to the witch.

Bruce grunts, which is the closest to a confirmation he’ll give Clark.

Four days. It takes four days for someone to reach out to Clark. It’s obviously not Bruce himself who calls, he’s way too stubborn. It wouldn’t be so bad if only he’d had something else to keep his mind occupied but the rest of the League has it covered. Clark caught up with Diana fast enough, but it turned out that the witch did outrun her, which had to be a first for the princess. Not to worry though, Diana has a plan to catch her and sent Clark home. He was of course happy that she knew what to do, but a little disappointed that there’s nothing he can actively do to help her out.

Which is why he’s thrilled to get the call four days later, even if he’s a little concerned that he hasn’t heard anything in from Bruce in four whole days. It’s not like they text every day or anything (well, Clark texts Bruce silly images and updates of his day, which Bruce responds to about half the time), but he’s used to seeing Bruce often. What with his situation he hasn’t even been able to go out as himself, much less as Batman.

Alfred is too dignified to call Clark’s name (the image of Alfred calling “Master Kent” from the balcony makes Clark smile though), despite knowing that Clark would hear him and instead does the rational thing and calls his phone. How Alfred got his number Clark doesn’t know, but he suspects one of the kids might have given it to him. He doesn’t mind, he’s just happy someone called him. He’s been worried sick.

“Master Kent,” Alfred greets him when he arrives at the manor.

“Alfred,” Clark says warmly. It’s always nice being invited into Bruce’s home although he wishes the circumstances were different. He likes it way better when it’s just him, Alfred and Bruce having dinner. Or in reality it’s just Alfred making them dinner and then leaving them to converse amongst themselves. Clark likes spending time with Bruce either way. He’s missed him a lot these past few days. “Good to see you, how are you?”

“I’ve seen better days,” Alfred says honestly but vaguely enough that it feels rude to ask more questions. “And you, sir?”

“I’m alright. Worried about Bruce though. Is he here?” Clark asks despite being able to tell exactly where Bruce is from his heartbeat alone. It’s not like he chooses to listen for it, it’s more habit than anything.

“Very much so,” Alfred nods towards the stairs that lead up to Bruce’s bedroom. “He’s upstairs, sulking.”

“How did you get him up the stairs?” Clark can’t help but ask. He’s not sure who ended up taking Bruce home, but there’s no way he’s crawled up those stairs even if he is ridiculously strong.

“I bribed Master Jason after Master Bruce was knocked unconscious,” Alfred says conversationally. Like it’s a thing that happens often. Clark knows better than to comment on it.

“With what?” Nothing seems to be able to convince Jason to do anything, although if anyone can make Jason do something, it would be Alfred.

“Knocking Master Bruce unconscious,” Alfred says simply.

“Oh.” Yeah, that’ll do it. Clark feels bad for Bruce though. “Is he alright?”

“I wouldn’t call you if all he needed was company, Master Kent. I know you’re a busy man.”

“Oh no, I don’t mind,” Clark is quick to reassure. “I was just wondering what I can do to help.”

“You can make sure he’s still alive in there,” Alfred says and it’s the first time he’s sounded irritated through the whole conversation. Irritated, but also worried.

“What do you mean?” Clark asks.

“He looks like a neanderthal, Master Kent, and he hasn’t come out of his room in several days. He’s not eating, and I doubt he’s able to shower by himself.” Alfred follows him up the stairs.

“Oh, that’s, uh.” Clark doesn’t really know what to say to that. He’s quite sure Bruce wouldn’t want a helping hand taking a shower – much less Clark’s helping hand. There’s this… unspoken thing between them. They’re not supposed to act on it. At least that’s what he’s gathered from Bruce’s grunts and side-glances.

“I cannot carry him myself or I would’ve forced him out already,” Alfred explains. “Never mind the fact that Master Bruce won’t let anyone into his room.”

“Ah, got it.” This Clark can do. This he’s basically made for.

They stop outside Bruce’s bedroom but judging from his heartbeat he hasn’t heard them approaching. He doesn’t sound agitated per se, but there is definitely something off about him.

“He’s locked you out?” Clark asks after he’s jostled the handle.

“Yes.”

“There’s no extra key?” It doesn’t sound like Alfred to give up so easily. Clark knows for a fact that all of Bruce’s children (and Alfred) know how to pick a lock. His own apartment has been the victim of their skills more than once.

“I’m afraid he’s taken them with him. All seven.”

“And?” Clark asks because he knows there’s more to it than that.

“He’s jammed the door from the inside,” Alfred sighs.

“Ah,” Clark says before looking through the wood to see the chair Bruce has shoved underneath the handle. “Are you very fond of this door?”

“Have at it,” Alfred says with an elegant swoosh of his hand. “But do mind the handle, please. It’s original.”

It’s not exactly hard to break a door when you’ve got Clark’s strength, but the manor does have a very sturdy interior. Clark makes sure to merely knock it off its hinges gently. Or, as gently as one can anyway. He’s pretty sure he’s ruined the chair that was in the way though. Alfred doesn’t seem to mind.

“Best of luck,” he says before leaving Clark to it.

Clark looks around the room. Nothing seems out of place, except for the broken chair and the door in his hands. He rests it gently against the wall; still covering most of the doorway.

“Bruce,” he calls. He knows better than to simply appear by Bruce’s side if he’s barricaded himself in his bedroom. Something must be really wrong.

“What do you want?” Bruce’s speech is slurred and coming from the bathroom. It’s no surprise to him that Clark is here which Clark isn’t sure is a good or bad thing.

“Alfred is worried about you,” he calls out as he approaches the bathroom door. He really hopes he doesn’t have to break this one down. “I am too. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Go away,” Bruce says. There’s movement on the other side of the door; sounds of water moving around. Maybe Bruce has finally decided to try for a shower?

“Bruce, come on,” Clark tries. He doesn’t look through the door in case Bruce really is in the shower but he’s very tempted. Just to make sure Bruce is alright, of course. “Alfred says you’re not eating.”

“I said I’m fine,” comes Bruce’s gruff answer.

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Clark says as he makes the decision to ignore Bruce’s personal space. It’s not like it’s the first time anyway. “I’m coming in.”

“Clark, wait, no-”

Clark opens the bathroom door (and is silently glad it wasn’t locked) and steps inside. It smells odd in the room, not unpleasant, but not how it usually smells. Not how Bruce usually smells. Clark looks to the shower but that’s not where Bruce is. He’s in the tub.

And he looks horrible.

No, not horrible, Bruce always looks stunning, but he looks exhausted and like he hasn’t slept in days. Alfred is right; the – from what Clark can tell – four days old stubble on his face is slowly turning into a full-blown beard and it somehow makes him look older than he is when combined with the dark circles under his eyes. There’s water in the tub but barely enough to cover his tail as it lays curled around him. It looks like it’s grown – or spread at the very least. More of Bruce’s waist is covered in scales and he’s even started turning purple near his temples and ears.

“Oh, Bruce,” Clark says, despite knowing how much Bruce hates being pitied. “What happened?”

“It keeps getting worse,” Bruce mutters. He’s keeping his hands under the water, but Clark suspects the scales on his fingers have spread as well.

“And the eating?”

“I can’t hold anything with these damn claws,” he says and finally holds up his hands. It’s not nearly as bad as Clark had anticipated but he can see how it would be tough to hold onto a fork or even a spoon with the slippery scales covering his fingers.

“Why not just ask Alfred to-”

“To what? Feed me?” Bruce interrupts bitterly. “He’s done enough already; I can’t ask him to do that. I can’t ask anyone to do that.”

“Okay, alright, I get it,” Clark says gently but firmly. There’s no reason to push the issue right now. “I’m here now though, so what do you need? What can I do?”

Bruce is quiet for a while and then sighs heavily. Even he’s not stubborn enough to refuse help after what looks like four days in his own tub. His ribs are poking out more than usual and he looks pale where he’s still got human skin.

“I need fresh water, but I can’t turn the knob,” Bruce mutters. “My skin- scales- the tail gets irritated if I’m not in water.”

“Alright, let’s start there,” Clark says.

It takes a little maneuvering, but they manage to move Bruce’s tail from the drain enough that they can let the water out. Bruce can lift the appendix himself now, but it takes a lot of effort, and he looks like he’s about ready to fall over so Clark carefully lifts most of it for him. As soon as the water is out Clark plugs the drain again and opens the faucet.

“Hot or cold?” he asks as he holds a hand under the spray.

“Hot,” Bruce says quietly. He’s huddled together and it makes Clark’s heart ache. Bruce is usually so confident, but he’s been stuck in his bathroom, clearly embarrassed to be seen. How has he even managed to sleep if he’s been in the tub all these days?

Clark fills the tub as much as he dares, making sure it doesn’t splash over the edges even if Bruce moves around.

“Alright,” Clark says as he dries his hands on his pants. “Next up is food. Anything particular you’re in the mood for?”

“Something soft,” Bruce says. He’s scrunching up his nose like the thought of food is making him ill. “My teeth hurt.”

“Your teeth?” Clark stops in the doorway to look at Bruce. He can’t help but x-ray him quickly but there doesn’t seem to be something wrong with his teeth at all. Bruce has excellent teeth. When he looks up again, Bruce is glaring at him. “Right, sorry, something soft, coming right up.”

Alfred is thrilled that Clark not only got Bruce to talk to him but also managed to find a way to make him eat. Something soft is easier said than done but Alfred knows Bruce better than anybody and he’s the fastest cook Clark has ever seen. He’s made a tomato soup by the time they’re finished talking about how Bruce is doing. He hands Clark a small piece of bread as well, because “He can’t survive off liquids, that silly boy.”

It's clear as day that Alfred is worried, but he seems calmer now that Bruce has agreed to eat something. Now the question is how Clark is going to have Bruce actually eat the soup? He takes the tray Alfred has made ready and goes back to the bathroom, where Bruce is resting his chin on the edge of the tub. He looks like he’s about five minutes away from falling asleep, but he bolts upright when Clark enters the room.

“Tomato soup,” he says as he eyes the bowl.

“With bread,” Clark says with a smile as he holds up the small roll. Bruce stares at it like he could eat it straight out of Clark’s hand. Hmm. “Alright, I know you’re going to say no-”

“So don’t say whatever it is you want to say.”

“Shush,” Clark huffs. “I know you’re going to say no, but this is how we’re going to do this, okay? I’ll hold the spoon all you have to do is eat. Are your teeth so bad you can’t swallow?”

“I swallow just fine,” Bruce says and there’s a hint of a smirk on his face that has Clark feel a little faint. It’s that unspoken thing again.

“Alright, okay,” he says and clears his throat. “I’m not going to make you say ahh unless you want me to do the airplane thing.”

“Shut up,” Bruce huffs but obediently opens his mouth when Clark holds the spoon out towards him. He wraps his lips around the spoon and moans.

Clark nearly drops the spoon at the sound. He plays it off as well as he can, but of course Bruce notices. He always notices everything. It’s not like he can blame Bruce for enjoying the first proper meal he’s had in days.

Clark thought it might be odd or awkward to feed Bruce, but they’ve known each other for years and years. They’ve been stuck on alien planets together, fought aliens and super villains. They’ve even had to bandage each other’s wounds, for God’s sake. It’s not like Bruce is eating the soup off of Clark’s naked body.

He really does drop the spoon when that thought runs through his mind.

Bruce sends him a quizzical look but doesn’t comment on it. It’s not like they can’t rinse the spoons off; they’ve got plenty of water nearby. It’s when it comes to the bread that Clark really starts to struggle.

It’s not the whole dipping the bread in what’s left of the soup, it’s the fact that there’s nothing between Clark’s hand and Bruce’s mouth now. He has to breathe through his mouth and pretend like he doesn’t feel his fingers tingle where Bruce’s lips grace them as he bites at the bread. He’s being awfully nice about this whole thing, but Clark suspects he’s just trying to make it as easy on Clark as he can.

There’s no way to explain the flutter in Clark’s stomach those few times Bruce’s tongue accidentally touches his skin. God, he really needs to get it together. When the last piece of bread is gone, he feels both relieved and disappointed. He’s not going to look closer at those feelings right now. First, he has to take care of Bruce.

“Okay,” Clark says, trying very hard to ignore how breathless he sounds. “Next is the beard.”

“What?”

“Alfred isn’t a fan.”

“I’m not surprised,” Bruce shrugs. “It makes me look like my father when was too busy to take proper care of himself.”

“Good to know it’s in your blood,” Clark comments as he puts the bowl and spoon back on the tray. “Now, how do you want to do this?”

“By myself but that’s not really an option,” Bruce grumbles.

“No, it is not,” Clark agrees. “So stop sulking and lean your head back so I can reach your neck.”

It’s not been on Clark’s yearly bingo card that he gets to shave Bruce’s face but he’s not complaining. Or at least he isn’t until he actually has to do it. Even if he hovers in the air, he can’t get the right angle without making Bruce sit in a painful or at the very least awkward position. He can’t very well ask Bruce to leave the tub either even if that would make this easier.

“I can’t really-” he tries. “This isn’t going to work if I can’t- um.”

“Spit it out, Clark,” Bruce says, and Clark does his very best not to look at how his Adam’s apple moves when he speaks. His neck looks so long like this, exposed and vulnerable.

“Can I sit in the tub with you?” Clark asks before he can think too much about it.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s just that I think it’ll be a lot easier seeing as you’re more comfortable in water and there isn’t really room for your tail anywhere else and I can’t really- I can’t reach you properly any other way.” He really hopes he sounds more confident than he feels.

“Hm,” Bruce grunts, which... isn’t a rejection. And then Bruce scoots forward in the tub, making room for Clark to sit behind him.

Clark gapes but only for less than a second. Then he strips off his shirt and pants. At Bruce’s raised eyebrow Clark merely smiles. He’s not going to get naked, but he also doesn’t want to leave in soaking clothes. He steps over the edge of the tub and shuffles around until he can sit comfortably behind Bruce. It’s a good thing his tub is so ginormous.

It’s intimate. Odd but not unpleasant. Clark never thought he’d be able to do this, to be this close to Bruce. There’s obviously a reasonable excuse for it now but he still wouldn’t have thought Bruce would allow him to do this; to help like this.

Clark doesn’t actually shave much, himself. He has his heat vision, and he knows how to use it. There’s been a few times where he’s had to use a razor though and he’s happy for the practice now that he has to hold a blade so close to Bruce’s neck.

Bruce, on his part, doesn’t seem to mind at all. His heartrate is steady, his body calm. There’s no physical sign that he’s reacting to their close proximity which leaves Clark both relieved and a little disappointed. It’s the theme of his feelings today, it seems.

“Is this alright?” he asks, because despite being able to read Bruce’s physical response, he still wants to make sure Bruce is comfortable. Or as comfortable as he can be with Clark pressed up against him.

“Yea,” Bruce says softly. “Yes, it’s- it’s fine.”

There’s slight skip to his heartbeat and Clark frowns slightly. He’s not a lie detector; there are many reasons why people’s hearts skip a beat. Embarrassment, excitement, even rage. There’s no one clear answer to explain it, and yet… Bruce’s heart never skips a beat. It races in the heat of a fight; it slows when he (seldomly) rests, but it doesn’t skip.

There’s no way to comment on it without a) overstepping the boundaries Bruce has set about personal space (the mental kind, the physical can’t really be respected right now) or b) sounding like a creep, so Clark settles back and ignores it. Mostly ignores it.

He lathers up Bruce’s face gently – which he probably could’ve done himself, but there’s no way Clark will let him try if it ends up with those mer-claws piercing his skin. Bruce may have many scars, but he doesn’t need to add facial ones to the collection. He’s got enough everywhere else. Clark bites his lip as he carefully makes sure Bruce’s neck and chin are covered before he moves onto his cheeks. The hairs catch on his skin, but Bruce doesn’t seem to mind the slight pull at his face.

Clark’s hand is steady as he slides the razor over Bruce’s skin. He barely presses down; doesn’t have to with such an expensive razor. He rinses it in the water and mentally makes a note to change it again when they’re done. He wonders if the pool Bruce uses to swim laps would be more comfortable for him. Bruce might need to stay in water for several more days; there has to be a better way to do this; the tub may work for shaving but for sleeping? He’ll have to have someone looking over him constantly.

There’s another skip in Bruce’s heartbeat and then: “I never thought I’d willingly let you this close with a blade.”

“Neither did I if I’m honest,” Clark says. He waits a beat or two, carefully gliding the razor over Bruce’s skin. “I’m glad you did though.”

Bruce turns his head as Clark rinses the razor. His eyes catch Clark’s.

“So am I,” he says quietly. He’s staring at Clark like he’s trying to see through him. His nostrils flare and there’s a faint purple shine in his eyes. Clark wonders if it’s always been there and he’s just never noticed or if this is part of the mer-curse. “I’ll give you a scalp massage as a thank you,” Clark offers just to keep the mood light.

Bruce chuckles and they settle in comfortable silence as Clark works.

He finishes shaving Bruce’s face and neck, careful not to cut him. He rinses the razor once more and then puts it on the edge of the tub. He’s just about to reach for Bruce’s face again with the warm washcloth when Bruce flinches.

Bruce lets out a soft sound and starts shivering. Not even a second later he groans quietly and Clark stops moving all together.

“What? What’s happening? Did I hurt you?” Clark asks worriedly.

“No, I- I don’t know what’s happening,” Bruce mutters but he’s staring down at his tail.

“Happening?” Clark echoes and moves around so he can see what Bruce is talking about. “What- oh.” Clark’s face feels like it’s on fire as he looks at… he’s not even sure what it is he’s looking at, but underneath Bruce’s navel, in the scales of his tail, a small opening has appeared. It seems to be throbbing in time with Bruce’s pulse and it looks wet and warm and-

“Jesus-”

“That, uh,” Clark stutters. “It looks like-”

“I know what it looks like,” Bruce bites and twists away as much as he can when they’re pressed against each other. “Stop staring at it!”

“I’m sorry.” Clark turns his head upwards to stare at the ceiling. “Does it hurt?”

“No, it doesn’t hurt,” Bruce hisses. He’s doing some of his breathing exercises, but they don’t seem to be working. After a minute or two Bruce huffs in frustration. “I need you to leave.”

“What?” Clark asks and forgets to keep his head turned. “Why?”

“I just-” Bruce’s nostrils flare again, and he seems to flinch back from Clark as his skin flushes all the way down to his chest. “I need you to not be near me for a while.”

“But Bruce-”

“I’m not-” Bruce interrupts. He closes his eyes and breathes very slowly through his mouth. “I’m not asking you leave the house, okay? Just this room, just for a little while.”

“Oh.” Clark flushes a little at how relieved he feels. “Okay.”

It’s awkward, stepping out of the tub and going back out to Bruce’s bedroom, but mostly because Clark doesn’t know what he did wrong or what’s happening with Bruce.

Bruce keeps his word and calls out for Clark softly fifteen minutes later. He seems to have calmed down and the opening or whatever it was - not that Clark is looking for it! - is gone as well. Clark isn’t an expert in mermaid anatomy and he’s not going to ask Bruce about it after the reaction he had, but he has an inkling. It’s not something he’ll ever bring up unless Bruce does, but… he can keep that thought for himself. That feeling.

Despite their rather awkward and abrupt shower session Bruce is more than willing to let Clark stay at the manor. Clark is pretty sure it’s because he’s horrified to let his children see him like this and now that he’s already let Clark in, it’s easier to accept his help. Either way Clark is happy to stay and help out. Especially as the days pass and they still haven’t heard anything cure-related from Diana.

It seems the curse is worse than they originally thought. The more time goes by the more mermaid Bruce becomes. His teeth are soon too long for him to speak around them properly (it seems that’s why they were hurting); Clark wipes blood off his chin every time he tries because he keeps piercing through his own lip. The scales spread from his fingertips up his hands, all the way to his elbows.

The third day Clark is with him, Bruce stops trying to talk. Clark assumes it’s the teeth but when Bruce opens his mouth to answer a question Alfred asks by pure instinct, he hears why Bruce has stopped talking. Because he can’t. All that gets past his lips are small chirps and low humming. Bruce looks horrified and Alfred looks scared. This can’t be good.

By the fifth day Clark is done waiting. He’ll find Diana and figure out what’s going on. Bruce has to have help. Now. He spends more time under water in the tub than he does above and it’s worrying both to Clark and Bruce’s family. Even Jason has stopped by the manor to poke his head in and stare at Bruce. No rude comment or anything, which says something about how worried he is.

Clark finds Diana fairly easy; she’s at the Watchtower with J’onn and Wally. He’s been too wound up to search properly for her, even with knowing her strong heartbeat, so he has no doubt that he’s wasted time looking for her. He should’ve simply sent her a message, but he’s been too preoccupied keeping track of Bruce’s heartbeat since he left the manor. Clark doesn’t mean to sound accusing but he can see on their faces that he must have spoken rather roughly when greeting them. He swallows and tries again.

“My apologies,” he says. “I just- have we found the witch yet?”

“Yes,” J’onn says. He must sense Clark’s urgency.

“She was half Atlantean,” Diana supplies. “I needed Arthur’s assistance in catching her.”

“And?” Clark presses. “What did you find out?”

“We already sent Batsy the cure, Big Blue,” Wally says helpfully. “Arthur should’ve been by Bruce’s house like an hour ago.”

An hour ago. Clark would slam his head against a wall if he wasn’t sure he would break it before knocking his own brain into a working spot. He thanks them quickly before making the trip back to the manor. Has he really wasted so much time that he missed Arthur’s visit or was he simply too panicked to notice him arriving? He can’t be sure, and he doesn’t have the patience to figure it out. He needs to get back to Bruce.

Clark finds the entirety of the bat family in Bruce’s bedroom. They’re all talking amongst themselves; it’s happy chatter so Clark is hopeful. He enters just as Bruce walks out of the bathroom. Walks. On his two legs.

“Well, that’s better,” Bruce says as he pulls the shirt over his head. His eyes instantly fall on Clark. “How do I look?”

“Incredible,” is the first thing in Clark’s brain and he somehow forgets to catch it before it exits his mouth.

“Huh,” Bruce says with a slight nod of his head. “Does that mean you’re willing to share another bath with me even without my tail?”

“Oh, yuck,” someone says – sounds like Jason, but he’s not supposed to be here, is he?

It may just as well have been Tim or even Dick; Clark can’t focus on anything but Bruce and the words he’s almost certain Bruce just said. It can’t be right though, can it? Did Bruce just invite him into another bath? Being mer must have scrambled his brain. He looks fine though. More than fine, he looks…

“And that is our cue to leave, young sirs,” Alfred says and shoos the others out the door. Were they really all here? Clark feels rude for not greeting them properly.

“I seem to recall you owing me a scalp massage,” Bruce says when the last bat-boy is out of the room.

“Hey, it wasn’t my fault we didn’t get to finish that,” Clark points out. His chest feels light as he looks Bruce over. He really does look his best when he’s clean-shaven and on his own two feet. Although Clark might miss getting to take care of him.

“I promise I won’t pop a mermaid-boner on you this time,” Bruce says with a cocky shrug. He’s trying to cover up the slight blush on his cheeks with a confident attitude and Clark has missed this. Missed him being up and flirty.

“Too bad,” Clark grins because now that Bruce has mentioned it, it’s free territory. It’s not part of the unspoken thing. “It suited you.”

“I thought I told you not to look,” Bruce says as he steps closer.

“I thought I told you to ask for help,” Clark counters.

“I’m asking now.” He’s so close that Clark only has to flex his hand and he’ll be able to touch him. Bruce is well aware of this; it’s clear in his bright eyes. The purple is gone but his eyes are just as beautiful without it.

“Are you?” Clark asks.

“Please,” Bruce breathes so close to his lips. He looks from Clark’s mouth to his eyes, searching for something or saying something, Clark isn’t sure. The signal is clear as day though, he doesn’t have to say it: the unspoken thing now has words. “Help me out of these clothes.”

“You got it.”

#misha writes #superbat #superbat fanfiction #Clark Kent/bruce wayne #Superman/Batman #katsu's art below the cut #bruclarkweek2022 #thanks for letting me steal bruce's mer design from your art katsu

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highschoolboi · 1 year

Text

Ok I just got put my thoughts about 911 6x17 onto a page before I explode. Heavy spoilers for 6x17!!!!

1. Buck and Natalia situation.

Why is she so pissed off at the fact that buck has dated women before? Yes I know it interrupted their date, so obviously you can be a little annoyed, and she tried to say it in a joking manner, but It really didn't come off like that. It came of like 'you dated other women? How dare you'. And yes his life is messy so it's OK to be overwhelmed by that a bit, but stormy off, and implying that it's completely over for them, at the mere idea of buck being a human with an life outside of her? I instantly thought she didn't like buck, she liked the stories she could get from him about death. As soon as he's anything more than that she bails.

2. The buck and Cameron situation.

As far as I know, they aren't close. Buck and Connor are, but not buck and Cameron so why is she coming to him first and not a close friend, family etc? And they were already weird about the sperm donor situation, so this definitely felt like overstepping of boundaries (addition to this is her just eating the meal he has set out, not even asking if she can have some first). But my main issue with this is where it looks like the writers are heading with this. Cameron and Connor are in a bad spot, and the last scene of buck shows him and her with 'love is in the air' playing in the background, a song they played for the other couples/potentially couples (bobby/athena, hen/karen, chim/mads, /eddie/insulation foam girl), which implies Cameron and buck might become a couple which is just so bad in so many ways. Yes it could just be a scene showing him being gentlemanly, giving her the bed and he takes the couch, bringing her pickles, and maybe him imagining a family of his own (not involving cameron), but with the music it really isn't looking good.

3. Eddie and insulation foam girl.

I forgot her name, I know it's starts with M. They met briefly, once, and I don't remember any chemistry (i barley remember her tbh). And now, with the music, they are implying a potential romance between her and eddie? Feels very rushed, and kind of a last ditch effect because they couldn't think of anything better.

4. The eddie bobby conversation.

I mean it all points to eddie and buck. Buck was the one there to sit with eddie at his lowest moments, buck was the one who always had his back. Making big bobby/Athena and eddie/buck parallels again.

*Also wouldn't of eddie asked buck first to help him build the project? He's always helping chris with school and he built or at least had a hand in building Chris's skateboard, so he has experience with diy. Not that i disliked the eddie + bobby time, it just confused me why it wasn't buck.

5. Eddie and Buck.

Eddie wants to be chosen by a romatic partner, and buck is at an impass where he needs to choose his romantic partner. You can put 2 and 2 together. Buck needs to back away from the Cameron/Connor situation like he did with the chim/mads in Boston situation: he got too involved with someone else's relationship and baby, and he nearly got people hurt/hurt himself, it's the same with the c/c situation now: he's done his part, now he needs to choose to step away. He also needs to choose whether his current(?) relationship with natalia is actually good for him, or whether it will end in hurt just like with his other relationships (hinted at with lucy and taylor). Eddie just wants someone he is already comfortable with, and that he has chemistry with, to make the initiative, he doesn't want to go out searching for love, he wants love to find him: he wants to be chosen.

6. Maddie and Chim.

On a happy note, this was adorable and I love the direction their relationship/dynamic/story is going in. I also really liked the talk mads had with hen: mads came in on offence, but hen handled it, knowing her own intentions were pure, and explained this to Maddie, helping her to work through the fears she had, just like with Chim. I wouldn't mind more hen and Maddie scens in the future, especially considering she is marrying hens best friend.

*Also side note we did not miss the fact that Buck had a ring cutter for 'other things ;)' fanfiction is abundant on the topic of 'other things' and buck.

7. Final odds and ends.

Loved the anniversary talk with Athena and the lady, then with Bobby. Just really sweet and heart-warming. I also saw someone sat that the 4-5 year anniversary they keep bringing up also coincides with how long eddie and buck have known eachother, so there could be a fun Buddy parallel there.

With eddie and tia texting, and the scene cutting to Chris on the laptop, it really looked like Chris was posing as tia, setting eddie up on dates. I assume this isn't what they intended but it was really weird editing and scene choice.

The guy maybe checking out eddie at the golf place, as well as the two women who could be lesbians, was just a real unsubtle hint (hopefully), as well as the general vibe of the sequence where everytime eddie tries to flirt with a woman, something bad happen: stop trying to force this man into a straight relationship, it's clealy ending in disaster each time! /hj

- also the plot thickening on the eddie/Shannon deal. Last episode we learnt that eddie ONLY married her because of Chris, very much implying he maybe didn't actually want to, it's just what he was expected to do, so he did it (comphet much?), and now we learn that eddie didn't even pursue shannon! Clealy she initiated everything, and he just went along with it! If they are not trying to say eddie is bi/gay/didn't like Shannon, then why do they keep framing it that eddie kinda felt forced to go out with Shannon and marry her? (From sociatal expectations, not necessarily forced by shannon herself)

Fin

Thank you if you read this very long rant: I just needed to get my thought down before I exploded form frustration :)

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leclerqued · 2 years

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Happy Monday! 🧡✨

Normally October is a month where I’ve settled into an autumnal routine, my school stress has levelled itself out and I’m actually in a happy place - but now that the deadline for my final part of the study is approaching… yeah no that autumnal routine is out of the window and the stress is back in full force. So, this weeks motivation will all be about stress!

Tim. S. Grover once said: “Stress keeps you sharp, it challenges you in ways you never imagines and forces you to solve issues and manage situations that send weaker people running for cover.” And while that holds a piece of truth, do I fully agree with it? No. Stress these days is one of the reasons so many of us struggle with anxiety and get burned out. But stress, that adrenaline rush, does often help us stop overthinking over the things that give us stress. I always go in focus mode, not stopping until it is done.

But it wouldn’t be a Monday Motivation if I didn’t actually did have something to help deal with stress and it is something that comes so natural to all of us that we forget we do it every minute - breathing. Just taking a moment to close your eyes, breathe in deeply through your nose for the count of four, holding your breath for a couple of seconds and then pushing the air out through your mouth for the count of eight… it is the greatest way to relax the mind and the body. Stress endures hyperventilation and hyperventilation is a sign to our body that we’re in danger - which means we go into lockdown… and none of us want to go back into lockdown.

So, if you are dealing with something stressful this week: breathe along with me. Sit yourself down, close your eyes, breathe and know that you are stronger than you think and life only throws things at you that you can handle.

Now, I’m going to go and focus on this assessment! Sending you the biggest hug and kiss for this week. You’re not alone 😘

Good morning darling!

I've actually decided a couple of days ago that autumn is my favorite season. Especially this month, the Halloween vibes, the weather is still nice and I don't have to stress over holidays or exams.

Since I've finished to attend all my lessons atm I'm just enjoying playing videogames (actually only World of Warcraft) and chilling. Covid has slapped me in the face multiple times now, I've been ill for more than 3 weeks and even tho I'm not positive any more, I still have weird symptoms (rn I feel like I have bruises all over my body). It's tough and I've gained a lot of weight, have been neglecting eating in a proper healthy way bc covid & medicine would make me unbearably hungry, and whilst I thought my depression was about to get better, my father decided to scare the shit out of me behaving like he was capable of hurting me and destroying my stuff.

It's tough, but I have people helping me go through this. I have a community online and I can focus on many things in-game, keeping my mind busy until my body is strong enough to pick myself up and go through hell again.

I'm sorry this felt like removing a big thing from my chest, but I hope my perspective over this situation will give you some insight since you're always so positive.

Thanks for your kind messages, as always, as they make me reflect about myself and give me a big push forwards ❤️

Hope you have a wonderful week.

#babssionate

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s-s-s-sideblog · 2 months

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it’s literally just summer. that’s what it is. what do you mean two years ago i was extremely lonely and had nothing to do and an unstable home life and was filled with self hatred and then reading fanfiction about steve from stranger things getting railed within an inch of his life (among other things) genuinely changed my life. and also now that they’re filming again i’m reminded of the grip this silly little show has on my life which is so!! silly!! and i’m trying not to be embarassed because for the first time ever i have a solid friend group that doesn’t primarily consist of people who regularly engage in fandom culture. i think it’s the paradox of like. now that i’m socially accepted it’s harder to be weird because i actually have something to lose if people think i’m strange and off-putting. and also i have in fact spent nine straight weeks with people i don’t know well so i’m masking like 24/7, either by literally pretending to Be Normal or by putting up with the sensory nightmare that is my current living situation.

also i don’t currently have an ongoing piece of media that i’m extremely interested in and can talk about. like not even in an autistic way i just need something to engage with meaningfully because modern family reruns are no longer cutting it. and books are good but they make me sad and montreal makes me sad because it reminds me of loneliness. it reminds me of scream-crying at my dad in the airport because our flight got delayed and i didn’t know how to handle things like that yet. crying a lot, actually, because i love my dad but he doesn’t get it and no one does and actually i’m going to die alone because i am fundamentally unable to love someone wholly!! oh except for maybe my childhood best friend who i was waiting for to wake up one day and realize she was in love with me too but instead she ditched me for the first man who was nice to her. and now we don’t talk and i see her tumblr posts still and sometimes they’re just batshit insane and make me wonder what kind of person she’s become. and actually i think i’m just isolated because i’ve seen almost no one except my coworkers and the fucking townspeople since may. but also sometimes when my friends say they love me i don’t believe them. and lily told me i was a beautiful soul when she was drunk and i went to bed and cried because i was convinced that if she Knew The Truth she’d change her mind (what even is The Truth??). and that i held my breath and squeezed my other friend’s hand when i saw someone i didn’t want to see and she made and offhand comment about me being scared of him and i’m not, not really, not of him, i just know that we’re not so different and everyone did hate him once they Knew The Truth and even though everyone says i’ve never done something as horrible as he has so i shouldn’t worry i don’t know if that’s true. and christ what does it say about me that i cared for him? (loved him? wanted him to love me? did i even?) that i saw myself in him? that i kinda thought i was being used but i let him do it because i liked the attention? that this fucking mealworm of a man is always in the back of my mind, like a devil on my shoulder, like a snake waiting to strike? what the fuck does it say about me, this borderline psychosexual obsession? i think it says that i’m still secretly convinced that if i hate him enough i will kill the part of myself that is like him. but i don’t hate him, because i don’t really truly hate many people, but also because i don’t hate myself. because i know there’s a world where i didn’t get better and i turned out like him and i would want the world to have sympathy for me so it makes me feel sympathy for him. himhimhimhimhim jesus christ it’s embarassing to think this way about a man i knew for less than a year. but also shaming myself will only make it worse, like when you punch a non-newtonian fluid. there’s no wrong way to feel. there’s no wrong way to feel. i’m not hiding anything. i swear i’m not. sometimes i wonder what i’m hiding without meaning to, though.

#🖤#a rare break from the political arguing because it’s unproductive #(so is using a tumblr sideblog as a journal but whatever)

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frozenfries · 2 years

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Hi! I kind of fell in love with the way you write Cypher and was wondering if you could like maybe a very angst/hurt heavy Cypher x Reader. Like reader has radiant powers but they’re slowly deteriorating the host. Sorry if it’s a bit weird of a request. I love your work.

Hey! It’s definitely not a weird request and you’re so very kind in your words. I’m more than happy to practice writing for Cypher once again. Thank you for your patience and I hope I did him justice!

Square One (Cypher x Reader)

Prompt: Cypher was always prepared to lose you, but he didn’t realize how much it would hurt.

Word Count: 871

• After losing Nora and his little one, Cypher hadn’t bothered fantasizing about being in another relationship. He’d already been down that road, and nothing good had come of it.

• So it was just his luck when he realized he was falling for you, the one with a ticking clock on their life. Your unique sense of humour, your sharp wit, your superior chess playing skills… he always knew you were too good to be true.

• “A real mystery…”

• You were a rare case of Radiant - you were able to turn back time, which saved the lives of your team several instances over on missions. But every time you used your ability, your lifespan got shorter.

• Despite your impending death sentence, you had a deep desire to help others and dedicated the rest of your days to fighting those from Earth-2. Even more so, you did it with pride, determination and confidence.

• Cypher vowed to cherish the time you had left. But being no stranger to pain and loss didn’t make your last moments with him any easier to handle.

• Your death day arrives when you rewind time to prevent your team from dying after a spike detonates.

Cypher should have known better than to fall for someone living on borrowed time.

Foolish.

He felt his stomach drop as he saw you laying on the ground beside the spike, trying desperately to regain your breath. Your chest rose and fell, your face covered in soot, your armour tarnished. He knew what this was, but it looked so much worse this time around.

“We were too late, weren’t we?” He spoke quietly, a familiar ominous beeping sounding in the background behind him.

You nodded, a dry cough escaping your parched lips. “Yeah, but thank goodness I saved you in time. I prefer you alive.”

He shook his head incredulously. Even in a grim situation like this, you cracked a joke to make him feel better. But nothing made him feel good about being saved in exchange for you dying in his place.

Well, at the very least he wouldn’t let your sacrifice go to waste. Quickly defusing the charge, his shoulders sagged in relief once the action had been successfully carried out. He made a motion to radio for Sage next, but your hand shot out and gripped his wrist with surprising strength. In this line of work, you never thought you’d be in the position to ask someone to-

“Stay.” The single word was commanded in a hush, but Cypher heard it loud and clear. “She can’t heal me.” Swallowing, he gave a slow nod, though remained unsure of what to do next.

You stared at him for a few beats, looking almost peaceful where you lay. “Do you remember what you said to me the first time I beat you at chess?” You chuckled at the memory, recalling how a first date had been hanging in the balance: if you won, you got to take him out. “When it came to the prospect of a second chance at happiness, you said you’d never see it - not after losing your family. I told you that one day, I’d open your eyes and prove you wrong.”

He looked down, squeezing your hand tightly. He could feel a sharp prick in the back of his eyes. He could tell where this was going. “And then the first time you took me to the spot that you visit every year to remember them, you said to me-”

“I want you to know… that I see it now.” Cypher let out a strange sound as he finished your sentence. You couldn’t tell whether he was laughing or crying, though maybe it was a little bit of both. A small part of him wished he never even met you, let alone fallen in love with you - not when he knew it would end like this. But a bigger, more naïve part of him knew he was only lying to himself thinking that. At the end of the day, he was a human being who yearned for a happy ending, to find someone who wouldn’t leave him like he’d been left already.

But that was wishful thinking.

“Do you regret it? Being with me.” You looked away, almost scared to know the answer.

His head snapped toward you and he quickly cupped your face. “Not for a second,” he admitted firmly, the pad of his thumb running soothingly over your cheek.

“Hey, Amir El Amari,” your lips twisted up into a ghost of a smile as you’d heard what you’d needed to hear. “Be good…”

The man shut his eyes, tears seeping freely down his cheeks as you spoke for the last time, the liquid pooling at the bottom of his mask where it met his chin - hot, sticky, muddled with helplessness.

Though it wasn’t like anyone could see it.

Suddenly, he felt much older. Pitch black grief rose to the surface, coating his insides like poison. Wordlessly, he draped himself over your body in a never ending hug, resting his head on your chest, feeling numb as the last few heartbeats faded out of earshot.

#valorant #valorant x reader #cypher x reader #valorant cypher #cypher valorant

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sargeant-bxrnes · 3 years

Text

1 step forward, 3 steps back.

warnings: rafe being… rafe. drug mention & consumption, cursing, toxic relationship, sexual situations/implications, mental health issues. ANGST.

[AN: this is the first thing i’ve written, ever, so my apologies if it’s not flawless ; also, english is not my first language, that’s a warning on its own]

my requests are open btw

click for my master list

word count: 4.4K

Called you on the phone today

Just to ask you how you were

All I did was speak normally

Somehow I still struck a nerve

“Hey,” you said in a soft tone as soon as Rafe picked up the phone, you were laying down on your bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Hey princess,” his tone was calm, but his voice was rough and raspy all together.

“How you doing?” you asked him, even though you’d seen him last night, up close.

“I’m doing great,” he replied in a surprisingly cheerful tone, which is weird this early in the morning. Rafe is not a morning person. “You sound tired.”

“I am tired,” you confirmed with a sigh. “Guess I have you to thank for that.”

“My pleasure.” he replied cockily, and even though you couldn’t see him, you could practically hear his proud smirk.

“So, what’s the plan today?” you asked in a casual tone, fidgeting with the edge of Rafe’s shirt, the one you wore to sleep.

“Uh, what do you mean?” he asked in a distracted tone, he sniffed subtly and coughed.

You knew what that meant, but still, you hoped it wasn’t what you deep down knew it was.

“Yeah, I mean—“ you said and made a brief pause. “Wanna go to the club? Maybe we can take a ride on the boat, you know, with food, alcohol... just us.”

“Can’t, I’m busy.” he said after a few seconds, if you didn’t know him better and his occasional mood swings, you would’ve said his tone was harsh.

"Really?" you asked in a soft tone, trying to disguise your disappointment with interest. "But I thought we were going out together today."

"Y/N, just because I'm your boyfriend it doesn't mean I have to be with you all the fucking time."

Okay, now he was definitely angry, you thought you said the right thing, but it still made him angry.

"Rafe-"

"No, Y/N. I have a life of my own, you know? Things to do besides you."

“That’s okay Rafe, I get it,” You said calmly, nodding your head softly. “Have fun today.”

Now you clearly heard the sound of him sniffing something and the sigh that left his lips after, and Barry’s voice in the background. “Don’t play the victim card on me, that’s not gonna work. I deserve to have some time off.”

“I didn’t,” you said softly. “And it’s okay baby, you’re right, you deserve to have some fun.”

“See? No need to be so fucking dramatic,” he said, his voice and words slurring. You? Dramatic? It was all him. “But don’t worry princess, I’ll drop by tonight and fuck the attitude out of you, yeah? That way I’m not just doing things with you, I’m doing you.”

And with such a vulgar comment and a harsh tone, Rafe hung up on you, leaving you completely dumbfounded and filled with incredulity.

What you did know for a fact, is that he would keep up his word. And judging by his tone of voice and how annoyed he was, you could already imagine the ache between your legs.

You got me fucked up in the head, boy

Never doubted myself so much

Like, am I pretty? Am I fun, boy?

I hate that I give you power over that kind of stuff

You knew exactly what you were getting into when you started hooking up with Rafe, and what you were committing to when you agreed to be his girlfriend.

You know that man carries more problems than he shows, he prefers to make himself appear as the Kook prince who lives a life of partying and money; hiding all the things that were going on in his head.

However, there were times when his attitude made you doubt yourself.

You couldn't help but think, ‘What if one day I don't manage to calm him down?’ ‘What if one day he realizes that there is someone prettier, or hotter, or wealthier out there?’

And Rafe would get angry if you doubted yourself. He would complain to you about it, saying you had no reason to be insecure about your looks; if you are absolutely gorgeous, or to feel insecure about your personality; if you were the most genuine person he'd ever met, and you could make him laugh until he forgot all his problems.

But what really made him furious was when you had doubts about the relationship itself, about whether or not he was capable of leaving you for someone else. He took those doubts personally, as if he wasn't trying hard enough to show you how much you mean to him.

When in reality; you were doubting yourself.

'Cause it's always one step forward

You were preparing dinner for you and Rafe, your family was out for the weekend, and Rafe had decided to spend it with you.

Your hair was tied up in a bun, your attire consisted of nothing but your underwear and a shirt that used to be Rafe's, but you took it so long ago that it's yours now.

Music from your shared playlist played in the background, as you danced absentmindedly with a spatula in hand, extremely calm and enjoying time with your boyfriend.

Rafe could do nothing but stare at you with admiration, you are literally the only good thing in his life; his little piece of heaven. You are everything to him.

As soon as Dark Red by Steve Lacy started playing, you let out an excited gasp. That song in particular is Rafe’s and yours, like… if you two had to choose a song to describe your relationship, it would be that one. It represented how you two did not always have good times, but your love prevailed.

Seeing you this happy, comfortable and at ease with him made Rafe's soul happy. All his life, he had done nothing else besides make people angry, disappointed, terrified. But with you, everything was different.

You were so focused on swaying your hips to the music and singing, that you didn't notice when Rafe stood up and walked over to where you were.

It wasn't until he stood behind you, chest to back and with his hands on your hips, that you realized he was closer. His head was bowed, you could feel his breathing close to your ear, so he was able to murmur in your ear the lyrics of the song:

“Only you, my girl, only you, babe,” he sang in your ear, his voice a soft whisper as he wrapped his arms around your body and started to sway with you. “Only you, darling, only you, babe.”

The gesture quickened your heart to unsuspected levels, you felt your knees weaken as you pressed closer to his body, appreciating his closeness as he pressed a kiss against your temple.

“You know I love you so much, right?” he mumbled in your ear, as you closed your eyes and relished his presence.

“I love you too, baby.” you mumbled back, leaning your head against his chest, caressing one of his arms around your waist with your fingertips, and bringing your hand to his ash blond hair, stroking it softly.

and three steps back

“Why is he mad at you, again?” Topper asked you with a raised eyebrow, after witnessing Rafe utterly avoiding even looking at you when he walked into the room and then left without a word.

“Because I told Barry to not open the door if Rafe dropped by,” You replied with a shrug, closing your eyes and leaning back against the chair. “And when Rafe tried to lash out on him, Barry said it all had been ‘Mrs.Country Club’s’ request.”

“And he’s mad at you because you don’t want him to get all fucked up?” Topper questioned next, trying to understand the situation. But he never knew what the fuck you two were up to.

“Yes, but it’s Rafe, are you surprised?” you said with a heavy sigh.

“No, not really,” Topper admitted. “Honestly, I don’t know why you keep up with him, Y/N.”

“I ask myself that all the time…” you said with a deep sigh. “But I love him, so I guess that’s the answer.”

“And? I mean, I don’t want to be ‘that guy’ Y/N, but he’s…” Topper trailed off, apparently looking for the right word.

“I know exactly how he is, Topper, I don’t need you to remind me. I already think about that way too much.”

You and Topper had easily assumed that Rafe was no longer around, since he seemed to be making his best efforts to avoid you.

But Rafe was there, and he heard everything. He’d heard Topper giving you bad advice (or what he considered bad advice) And he heard you, having doubts about why you loved him or stood by him at all,and it made him want to lash out again.

I'm the love of your life until I make you mad

It's always one step forward and three steps back

Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy, I don't understand

No, I don't understand

[+18. Really]

“Leave me alone!” his voice boomed in the room, his brows furrowed and the veins in his neck were popping out.

“Rafe—“ you tried once again, approaching slowly in an attempt to place a hand on his shoulder, but he waved it away aggressively.

“Leave-me-alone,” he said, pausing in between each word to emphasize on how much he meant it. His eyes were bloodshot, his nose had specks of white dust, his lips were dry and his voice was coarse.

You weren’t entirely sure what you could say to get him to calm down. Or if there was anything at all you could do.

Normally, what upsets him the most is Ward. His own father. Rafe has spent his whole life trying to prove he's a good son, to make his father proud, and Ward never appreciates his efforts, only notices the bad, and ignores Rafe's clear calls for help, has since Rafe was 10 years old, so he certainly wasn't going to pay attention to him now that Rafe finally had a steady girlfriend, someone who had willingly decided to help.

95% of the time, you managed to talk to Rafe before he decided to resort to intoxication. Most of the time just seeing you helped him calm down, hearing your voice soothed him, and your lips, your skin, put him in a state of peace.

But the other 5% is when Rafe resorted to alcohol and, above all, drugs.

When Rafe is upset and decides to get high, he only manages to become unstable, erratic and yes, aggressive if not handled with care.

In those situations, the best thing you can do, putting yourself first, is to give him his space. Let him screw himself as much as he wants for that day, and help him deal with the consequences the next day, while you listen to him lament his attitude.

Rafe always said he would quit the vice; claiming you were all he needed to calm himself down, that you made him feel at peace. And above all, that you weren't slowly killing him; on the contrary, every minute he spent with you made him feel more alive.

However, for one reason or another, he always came back to it. Whether it was at a party, because Kelce suggested it, or, as is almost always the case, when he's upset with his father and needs quick relief.

And usually, this ‘quick relief’ ends up with Rafe fucked up, big time.

Once he was convinced that you wouldn't try to intervene again, Rafe went back to his business. He turned to the table, and since he already had the line ready, he simply leaned over and inhaled it, throwing his head back, running his hand through his hair and exhaling as he closed his eyes.

You exhaled heavily, shaking your head as you stared at your feet. You knew he would struggle to quit, after all it is an addiction and he has to fight it, but sometimes you get the impression that Rafe doesn't want to quit, not really.

"Do you want to help me?" asked Rafe eventually, turning his head to look at you. You didn't know if it was a trick question or not, so you hesitated before answering. "Answer me."

"Yes, of course I want to, Rafe." you replied with your respective hesitations, wondering what he was up to.

"Come here then," he said, making a 'come hither’ sign with his fingers.

You took a hesitant step but stopped, your eyes narrowing as you analyzed Rafe, trying to determine his intentions.

He raised both eyebrows in your direction, in a silent question of whether or not you're going to go with him.

Eventually you walked over to where Rafe was, he smiled at you while biting his lip lightly. Without saying anything he approached you and kissed you; the drugs made his senses heighten, so the kiss was intense from the beginning.

So that's when it made sense to you what he wanted, he wanted you. Your most obvious thought is that he would use you to take out your frustration, put the drugs aside and, most likely, fuck you.

Your idea seemed to be the right one as soon as Rafe grabbed you by the waist, still with his lips on yours, left a little bite on your lip before pulling away; and without any problem, lifted you off the floor and placed you on the table.

It's something you wouldn't admit out loud,—mostly out of shame and guilt,—but this kind of sex with Rafe was the best, he's completely unrestrained, rough, full of stamina and teasing, and above all, possessive. And that, in combination with his attractiveness, always drove you crazy.

And honestly; if what he wanted was to fuck you to take out his frustration, you'd let him.

His kisses were hungry and his hands desperate, running all over your body without distinction, as if he didn't know where to start.

He parted his lips from yours, and left a kiss at the corner of them, on your jaw; and began to make a little trail of slow kisses down your neck. The feeling of his lips on your neck made you bite your lip as you wrapped your legs around his waist to feel him closer.

You slid your hand under his shirt, caressing his defined abs and the sides of his body gently with the tips of your fingers, as he left little bites on your neck. Your hands slowly moved up, intending to remove his shirt, but Rafe was quicker and brought his hands to the edge of your shirt, causing you to stop your movements to raise your arms, so he could remove your shirt with ease. And so he did.

He parted his lips from your neck and stared at you, the hunger in his eyes made you feel a fire in the pit of your stomach that only he could put out.

Desperately, your lips connected again as he settled between your legs. One of his hands traveled to your neck, and he wrapped his fingers around it, pressing lightly to the sides. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head; though he couldn't see it.

With just enough strength, Rafe used the grip he had on your neck to push you down onto the table, so that you were lying on top of it.

As soon as he leaned over the table, you could feel his breath over abdomen, so you bit your lip in anticipation for what was to come.

He began to leave slow, wet kisses on your abdomen, making a slow trail to the edge of your shorts. Your automatic reaction was to close your eyes and put a hand in his hair, stroking it gently.

What you didn’t know is that the fact that you closed your eyes had given Rafe an opportunity he couldn't miss. Without you noticing, he slid a hand to the side of the table, where the small bag of white powder was.

To conceal his actions, he unbuttoned your shorts, and returned his lips to the beginning of your abdomen for more time.

The little bite he left to distract your attention caused a gasp to escape your lips; and that sound almost caused him to change plans completely.

He did want to fuck you, don’t get him wrong. He even had a mental debate about whether to continue what he was doing or simply sink his head between your thighs and provoke more sounds like that.

But he wanted to try something first. He had always wanted to try it, but had never asked you, because he knew that you would most likely say no.

With ease, he slid your shorts down your legs; so that they stayed at your ankles or fell to the floor; he didn't care. One of his hands slid into your underwear with ease, his fingers going straight to where he knew you needed him the most.

Trusting that you would not open your eyes, carefully, he put the white substance on your body, so delicately you didn’t notice. He began to prepare to inhale, while biting his lip in reaction to the sinful sounds that left your lips.

And obviously, without warning, Rafe inhaled a line from your thigh.

And all your sounds stopped, your eyes opened and your expression was filled with surprise, the bad kind.

You couldn't believe what Rafe had just done, you felt like an idiot for falling into the trap.

You also had to bite your lip to keep from letting out a moan in reaction to what his fingers were doing in between your legs, but your pride forbade it.

But more than anything else, you were outraged.

“Rafe, you did not just—“

“It felt nice, yeah?” Rafe’s voice was hoarse, you could feel his breath over your skin, as he left little kisses around. “After all, I did feel you clench around my fingers.”

His dirty words, hoarse voice, and close proximity to your body, not to mention his fingers deep inside you, caused you to let out a soft moan, causing Rafe to smirk in what he thought was victory.

But you wouldn't let him win this little game.

Although you really didn't want to, you grabbed his hand by the wrist and pulled him away, your legs trembling slightly at the sudden lack of anything between them.

Rafe's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as soon as you pushed him away from you and got off the table, lifting your shorts off the floor and putting them back on without a word.

"What are you doing?"

You didn't answer, as you searched for your shirt, feeling his heavy gaze on your body.

"Y/N, where do you think you're going?"

“I’m leaving you alone as you asked me to, remember?” you said in irony. “Before you sniffed a line off me after I begged you to quit that shit?”

“Oh, so now you’re playing the victim?” his voice rose. “Don't- Don’t act as if you wouldn’t have let me fuck you less than a minute ago!”

"Yes I would have let you, to distract you from that shit!" you admitted to him, failing to control your anger. "I said I wanted to help you, to distract you, to give you something different to do. Not that I'd give you another place to snort lines from!"

Rafe knew you were right, of course he did.

You had spent months after months trying to get him to quit, you had offered him countless hours of your days to give him something new to do, distractions, attention and love. And this is how he had decided to pay you back?

But Rafe was angry too, very. You had interrupted him, you were yelling at him; and you had left him so hard, that it would start to hurt unless he did something about it.

“Fine, then get the fuck out of here.” Rafe spat, his anger clearly getting the best of him.

Your eyes widened at that, you hadn't expected him to react like that.

Your best case scenario would be that your attitude would piss him off, yes, but that he would retaliate by getting you back to the table and showing you everything you were missing.

Instead, he simply took your word for it and told you to get out of the room.

“What?”

“You heard me, get out.”

“Rafe—“

“You uh, you have three options, yeah? You let me fuck you over that table and do whatever I want, you get out of here, or I’ll get you out of here.”

The first offer was tempting, it really was, but you wouldn’t allow him to talk to you like that. Before anything, came respect and dignity, and no matter how much you wanted him to fuck you silly, you were too angry and disappointed at him to let it slip.

Blinking repeatedly to chase away the tears from your eyes, you grabbed your phone from the other end of the table, your jacket from Rafe's bed, and walked out of there without another word as you heard him calling your name.

And maybe in some masochistic way

I kinda find it all exciting

Like, which lover will I get today?

Will you walk me to the door or send me home cryin'?

Your relationship with Rafe was unique.

Not because of the circumstances in which it was created. A one-night-stand that turned into something casual, that was formalized after a dinner.

If not for Rafe.

You loved him, no doubt about it. You would give anything to see him happy and at peace, at peace with himself and succeeding in his life.

Rafe would do anything for you, really, anything. No matter how risky, demanding or dangerous, he would do anything for you.

He would die and kill for you.

But that surely didn’t mean it was an easy relationship, hell no. In fact, the willingness both of you had to do anything for each other sometimes made things too complicated; for at times it seemed that not a single rational thought crossed your minds.

And yes, Rafe’s addiction was a big issue. Whenever he was too high, or going through withdrawals, he wasn’t the Rafe you knew or had grown to love, it was another side of him you wanted to help get rid off. And the process wasn’t easy.

While trying to get clean; there was no way to know how he’d behave. He could either get clingy and want you around at all times to calm himself down, or he’d be in a very bad mood all the time, constantly snapping at you and raising his voice.

So there were days where he’d walk you to the door of your house and leave you there with a tender kiss and a smile.

Or days when you’d get out of his truck without a word, with tears streaming down your cheeks while he kept yelling for probably the stupidest thing.

No, it's back and forth, did I say something wrong?

It's back and forth, goin' over everything I said

It's back and forth, did I do something wrong?

'It's back and forth, maybe this is all your fault

Rafe knew he wasn’t okay. After all, he had begged his father for help, begged for anything that would get those thoughts to stop, but his father hadn’t listened, had only told him to ‘man up.’

You knew he wasn’t okay. Which is why you wanted to help him, to offer the support no one else had bothered to give him before he met you.

Whether he wanted it or not, those thoughts were still there. Being with you made them easier to ignore, but it’s not like they vanished entirely. He still had some ideas that made his own skin crawl.

And sometimes, you’d say or do the wrong thing and trigger those thoughts. And things got bad again for him.

Rafe knew you wanted nothing but to help him get better and be the best version of himself, and he really wanted to give you that. To change and make an effort. Not only for himself but for you. He wanted to be a man worthy of your love.

But it was hard to be anywhere near decent when you two went out and a guy stared at you for longer than Rafe’s limits allowed, or when guys tried to hit on you, when his friends got a little bit too close for his comfort.

Whenever he got jealous, he turned into a walking, talking ticking bomb. Anything could, and would set him off.

It wasn’t your fault, not really, but most of the time you felt it was. You knew Rafe dealt with a lot of insecurities already, of not being a nice person, not being good enough and so many other things. And you hated being one of the factors that caused his insecurities to arise.

And I'd leave you, but the roller coaster is all I've ever had

It was a complicated relationship, and it would probably never stop being complicated because both of you are complex people, plus there are other factors that affect the relationship.

But that didn't mean either of you would stop fighting to keep it alive. Neither would let the other go.

Rafe utterly refused to ever let you go. He loved you as he had never loved anyone, as he never thought himself capable of loving with that twisted heart of his.

You are, without exception, the best thing in his life, the best thing that ever happened to him. And you being in his heart was slowly turning him into who he had wanted to be during all those years of loneliness.

And you would never let him go, because you loved him with all your heart, soul and nerve of your body. And because you know that no one will ever love you like him. With so much passion, intensity, honesty and purity.

Because every feeling Rafe expressed with you was true; he was himself with you. And you didn't want to let him go.

Even if the two of you went one step forward, and three steps back, that single step would be longer than any step life makes you take backwards.

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phoenixyfriend · 3 years

Text

Commander Buir

Follow-up to this post. Not in any particular order, just spitballing ideas, with contributions from several friends on discord.

Like presumably it takes long enough for them all to meet up again that Anakin and Cody do, in fact, end up treating each other like family, just so I can have that good good "well, guess I'm Dad now" energy. Shmi isn't entirely sure what's going on but she's not a slave anymore and her kid seems to like this rando mando, so.

Anakin gets to have a mom and two dads, though one of the dads is arguably younger than him.

Also when they all meet up again and Cody explains the "General Skywalker got shrunk" thing, there are three reactions: (General) Obi-Wan: Oh, Anakin. Obi-Wan: [gestures to take him, ends up with an armful of clingy padatoddler] Anakin: You can't blame this on me, Obi. Obi-Wan, a little teary, because babies cause emotions: Of course I can, you absurd human being. ------ Rex: That's... my general. Anakin: I am, Captain. Rex: Cool cool cool I'm gonna go stand where I can't, uh, break you. Anakin: I'm not THAT fragile! ------ Ahsoka: [gasp] Skyguy is SKYKID! Anakin: Padawan, this is-- Ahsoka, grabbing him and cuddling: Oh my goodness you're adorable this is the best day ever. Anakin: This is humiliating, Snips, put me down. Ahsoka: Never.

Anakin hates being a toddler because of the lack of independence but Cody keeps picking him up when he's cranky and just holding him until he falls asleep and that's... nice.......

- The brain limitations aren't quite as bad as the situation with Sokanth and Ylliben in the other AU, but - Even if his brain is mostly adjusted he’s still got a tiny body with different needs that he’s not used to. Like, he needs to sleep more but he’s got more energy than usual when he’s awake and it’s all weird.

Cody carrying around toddler Anakin like "God you give me ulcers but you're adorable, you little shit."

Inconveniently tiny body aside, Anakin has a pretty great time in this au. His family are all together and safe and within reach. His wife isn't around, but toddler brain means he doesn't have the Romance Drive, so that's not as bad as it could be It could be significantly worse.

@atagotiak asked: Does Anakin get annoyed about being called cute? - To which I say, He bites the first few times but Shmi tells him that's Naughty so he stops. - Babies are cute so you packbond with them before they’re annoying, Anakin is cute as a self defense mechanism - He’s extra annoying so he needs to be extra cute

You know how you need to keep an eye on toddlers so they don't, like, fall down the stairs or put something toxic in their mouth? - They need to keep an eye on Anakin specifically so he doesn't rewire the ship they're in while they're in hyperspace. - He has less self control on account of being smol. He still has all the mechanical knowledge! Just less comprehension of y’know, consequences.

Anakin, with a sippy cup: This is demeaning. Ahsoka: Your hands don't work great enough to avoid accidents yet. Anakin: It's still embarrassing.

General Kenobi can't just kill Maul, not when Maul is baby right now (sixteen, which is baby enough) so he just. Kinda. Kidnaps a baby Sith. (It's fine. He's fine.)

General Kenobi (not to be confused with Padawan Kenobi) decides to declare Maul his new padawan because someone has to deal with this teenager, and Plo already claimed the rest of Ahsoka's training. And Anakin's three, so.

"What do we do with Maul?" "Eh, I can handle him. I dealt with teenage Anakin getting arrested for illegal pod-racing twice a month, I can work with this."

Maul bites, but only slightly more often than Anakin, it's fine

Ahsoka definitely bullies Maul whenever possible

Consider: Rex holding very still because Anakin wanted to be tall, so he climbed Rex. Being unexpectedly climbed is better than being unexpectedly yeeted. It's still extremely nerve-wracking. - Cody is perfectly capable of running around with a backpacking toddler General, but Rex freezes like a statue. - Ahsoka finds this hilarious

You know how little kids like to be thrown around and swung in circles and stuff like that? This must get even more ridiculous with force users. Can throw a child real high and catch them safely. - Rex panics whenever Ahsoka throws her chibified Master

Literally everyone except Rex loves being yeeted. Even Maul can appreciate a good tactical yeet no shut up he's not having fun this is TRAINING - Rex is Suffering - Cody, a very Tired Dad, deserves to mock his vod'ika a little, as stress relief - Rex, a certified Little Brother, shoves Cody off something tall. Jokes on him, Cody thinks freefall is fun too.

Tia asked: So the people who didn’t exist yet got flung bodily back in time and Anakin did the mental time travel. Why did Obi-Wan not become Padawan Kenobi? (I mean “because I want it that way” is def a good enough answer I’m just wondering if there’s any reason.) - Which, well, it really was mostly "I want to" but here's two options, both of which come down to Blame Daughter and Father. 1. They figured a responsible adult Jedi Master was needed to convince people. 2. Nobody was supposed to get de-aged but Daughter figured they needed to make Anakin less liable to kill things for a few years. - Also IDK the Force God-Manifestations also took away any risk of rapid aging and early death from the clones because uhhhhhhhhhhh I said so

Rex and Ahsoka are fumbling their way through a relationship where ages are just really confusing and awkward, so they're keeping it to just kisses and cuddles for a bit.

Cody is so tired he doesn't even realize anyone's hitting on him until it's been three years of co-parenting with Shmi and his General. - Somehow Anakin knows Cody is in a relationship before Cody does. Cody has never been so embarrassed. - How did he manage to be less observant than Skywalker? -- it was sabotage; all his brain cells were taken up in managing said Skywalker -- Because Skywalker was up at three in the morning whacking a training droid with a stick so he didn't have the energy for Relationships

Also Shmi's come-ons are super subtle, while the General's are... well, Cody's gotten very used to ignoring anything ambiguous on that end because fraternization rules, and also because Obi-Wan flirts a lot with everyone. So.

Please imagine Cody and General Kenobi walking around with Anakin tucked into a toddler sling while they do whatever work they've ended up with at the Temple. - Yes, Cody is helping the Jedi figure out the best plan of attack to take down this slave ring because his grasp on tactics is phenomenal and he knows how to deploy people at greatest efficiency, but also he's got a nosy toddler on his hip who keeps offering his own insane-but-competent ideas. - General Kenobi ends up with a Council Seat just on account of, like, being the kind of person he is. As often as not, he's got Anakin tucked into his robes, chewing on the ear of a stuffed tooka or something.

IDK what Shmi's doing but apparently Legends had it that some of the administrative and support positions in the Temple were held by non-Jedi civilians? So probably something like that.

GENERAL KENOBI LECTURING PADAWAN MAUL WHILE ANAKIN'S BALANCED ON HIS HIP AND GLARING AT MAUL FOR STEALING HIS DAD

General Kenobi: Ahsoka's babysitting. Anakin: I'm her master, I don't need babysitting, this is-- General Kenobi: Fine, then you need supervision, so that you don't blow up a training salle again. Anakin: And you think Ahsoka would stop me? General Kenobi, eye twitching: Fine, I'm leaving you with Plo.

Even if he’s mentally an adult Anakin always needs supervision Look at canon! Anakin was left without supervision for like two days and he became a Sith

Quinlan gets distracted by how attractive General Kenobi is and tells Obi-Wan "dude, you're gonna be so hot once you can get rid of the stupid haircut" and Obi-Wan pushes him into the nearest pond.

They end up with this weird "Uncle Jango" situation (uncle to Anakin, via weird brotherhood-ish to Cody) because Rex and Cody are just like "Uhhhhhhhhh yeah okay" about him eventually, and Jango just like. Drops by. Trying to Earn Affection Of Blood Kin by bringing weird gifts for them and their (ugh) Jedi.

"Okay, Rex'ika, I stopped by Shili--" "What?" "--and apparently this is a delicacy there, so just... your girlfriend will like it." "She's not my girlfriend." "..." "Okay, I can't call her my girlfriend. Jedi have rules about that sort of thing, and--" "This will make your Jedi happy, probably. Just take it, kid."

Baby Anakin got his arm back but for some inexplicable reason still has The Eye Scar. He matches Buir.

#disaster lineage #Anakin Skywalker #CodyWan #Commander Cody #Obi Wan Kenobi #Ahsoka Tano #Captain Rex #Shmi Skywalker #Maul #Darth Maul #Rexsoka #time travel #de aging #baby characters #Quinlan Vos #Phoenix Posts #Commander Buir

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rodr1cks · 3 years

Note

Hi! I don't know if your request are open, but I'd like to know if you could write a rodrick x reader where the reader is Rowley's sister and discovers her talking on the phone with a friend saying she's in love with Rodrick and tells Greg and he tells her that Rodrick has been in love with her for a long time and they try to put them together?

cw: none it’s pure fluff

word count: 1.8k

“I know! And he didn’t even apologize!” Greg ranted into the receiver.

“I’m sorry, Greg,” Rowley frowned, sympathetic nature as present as always. “Anyways, mom says dinner is ready, see you tonight?” Rowley’s tone lifted at the end of his sentence, excitement brewing as he thought about the sleepover he was meant to have with Greg later that evening.

You slid into the kitchen on your socks, just as Rowley was concluding his conversation with Greg.

Rowley sat anxiously through dinner, quickly consuming everything on his plate, including the vegetables. You observed him from across the table, cocking your head as your younger brother inhaled his peas like he hadn’t eaten in days.

He took his last bite before exclaiming, “I’m going to pack my stuff for Greg’s!”

Not without clearing his dishes first, of course.

You rolled your eyes at his charisma and headed into the living room. You slumped over on the couch, limbs splayed every which way as you called your friend, Marissa. You had been needing to gush to somebody about your newest crush, Rodrick Heffley.

You had only interacted with the messy haired boy in passing: family dinners, picking up Greg, dropping off Rowley, etc.

“I don’t know what it is, he’s just so- so- captivating. God, Mar, I swear I could watch him play drums for hours on end!”

Unbeknownst to you, Rowley had entered the room and was about to speak. You were too caught up in drooling over Rodrick to notice. “Hey, y/n-” He cut himself off quickly, curiosity getting the best of him.

“And did you see what he was wearing at Matt’s party? Those jeans? And that eyeliner? God I could just tear them-”

Rowley cleared his throat, unwilling to hear the rest. “Y/n can you take me to Greg’s, please?” He stood awkwardly with his lips pursed.

Your head whipped around faster than the speed of light. “Marissa, I gotta go.”

“Rowley, how much of that did you hear?”

He lied, something he wasn’t really good at, “Not much! I promise!”

“Rowley Jefferson you had better keep your mouth shut, or I swear I’ll-”

You stopped yourself, closing your eyes and drawing in a deep breath. “Just get in the car.” You breathed out in a scarily calm tone. Your red headed sibling nodded frantically out of fear and darted to the garage.

Usually, you would make him walk, but ever since your infatuation with Rodrick began, you were more eager to give him rides over there. The mere prospect of getting the slightest glance sending excitement throughout your entire being.

When you pulled up to the Heffley home, you gave him a final glare. “Say nothing.” He gave you the same shaky nod he gave you only moments ago. With that, he was bounding towards the front door. You made sure he got inside safely and drove off.

“Rowley? Everything okay?” Greg asked his friend, concerned with his behavior. Rowley couldn’t handle keeping secrets. His hands grew clammy and a slight sweat broke out on his forehead. Rowley had an uncomfortably fake smile plastered on his face as he tried to assure Greg that everything was just peachy.

All it took was one knowing look from Greg and Rowley broke.

“Alright, fine! I heard my sister talking to her friend about how hot Rodrick is and how she wants to-”

“Okay, okay! I get the picture!”

Greg took a moment to proceed, his brows furrowed as he brought a contemplative fist up to support his chin.

“Lemme get this straight. Your sister likes my brother?”

Rowley nodded slowly.

“Y/n likes Rodrick?”

Rowley nodded again, confirming Greg’s exclamations.

“But y/n is smart a-and hot!”

“Greg! Don’t say that!” Rowley groaned, rolling his head back in disgust. Greg threw both of his hands up in defense, “I’m just stating facts.”

“Wait, I have an idea.” A pit of dread grew in Rowley’s stomach, Greg’s ideas never turned out well.

“What if we set up y/n with Rodrick? Just hear me out, this could be good for him.”

Rowley mulled the idea over in his head, thinking that maybe dating you could make Rodrick more… agreeable? Maybe you could be a good influence on the intimidating teenager. A happier Rodrick would make sleepovers at Greg’s a lot more pleasant.

“I think that could work,” Rowley said apprehensively. “But how do we do it?”

Greg shrugged, “Simple, we just tell Rodrick there’s a really hot Girl interested in him.”

The boys proceeded to draw up a plan.

Phase one: The approach. Greg and Rowley nervously ascended the wooden steps that led to Rodrick’s room. Rodrick was laying on his back, spinning a drumstick between his nimble fingers.

He shot up immediately when he noticed the boys’ presence. “What are your dweebs doing up here?”

Phase two: Delivery. “Calm down Rodrick, we have some information you might wanna know,” Greg reasoned cooly, easing Rodrick’s anger from a roaring ten to a mild six.

Greg nodded over at Rowley, signaling him to start talking.

“W-well,” Rowley stuttered, “I uhm- heard my sister talking about you and she- she likes you and she was talking about your jeans?”

Rodrick blinked in confusion, processing this intel.

“Your sister likes me? Are you sure she meant me?”

“That’s what I said!” Greg exclaimed and Rodrick shot him a terrifying glare, silently telling Greg to can it.

Rodrick was honestly shocked. He always observed you from afar, deciding himself that a chick as cool as you would never go for him. This news was absolutely world shattering for the boy, he completely admired you.

Phase three: Action. “We have a plan.” Greg said, a conniving grin creeping onto his face. “Rowley calls y/n, tells her that he’s feeling sick and blames it on Mom’s pot roast or something. Then when she rushes over all worried, you greet her at the door. And then you work your Rodrick magic!” Greg smiled, abundant pride for his plan evident in his stature.

“It’s a go.” Rodrick declared, scrambling around his room to put on deodorant, a new t-shirt, and cologne before pointing at Rowley. “Make the call.”

“Hey, y/n,” Rowley groaned into the phone, sounding as sick as he possibly could. “I- I think I ate something bad and I really need you ro come get me.”

You sighed, telling him you’d be there in ten minutes and to have his things ready to go. You departed for the Heffley house for the second time that night.

When Rowley didn’t come out to your car, you trudged up to the red door to go retrieve the sickly boy.

You gave the door three lazy knocks, expecting Rowley’s face to be the one behind it when it swung open. “Hey kid, are you feeling okay?” You asked, not yet making eye contact with the figure leering in the doorframe.

Your eyes widened as you came to realize who it was.

“Funny seeing you here,” Rodrick drawled out, a smirk tugging at his lips. Your cheeks burned with the heat of one thousand suns, you were not expecting this tonight.

“Y-yeah,” you smiled awkwardly, staring at your feet. “Rowley called, he uhm, he’s not feeling well. So if you could just get him for me I can leave. Immediately.” You cursed yourself for your blubbering idiocy as you twiddled your fingers.

“Actually, Rowley is feeling much, much better.” Suspicion grew as you studied Rodrick’s devious expression. “What’s going on?” You asked, genuinely puzzled as nothing was making any sense.

“I don’t know, y/n. Why don’t you come in and tell me?” Rodrick was surprisingly smooth in this situation, despite his nerves being at an all time high.

“Rowley is just up here,” Rodrick said while guiding you up the stairs to his room. In the meantime, Greg and Rowley peered out from the hallway, watching you follow Rodrick upstairs and giggling to themselves.

The overhead lights in Rodrick’s room were turned on, the glow from his string lights illuminating the area instead. “Mood lighting,” as he had called it. Rodrick had already instructed the boys to stay far away once you had arrived.

You were still lost, Rowley nowhere in sight. “So? Where is he?” You asked expectantly.

“Here’s the thing y/n. You know Rowley can’t keep secrets, right? I mean you have to know that, he is your brother”

Shit.

“That little shit stain! I’ll get him, I swear to god!” You turned to bound down the stairs, ready to tear the entire house apart in hunting for him. Rodrick grabbed your wrist before your foot could even reach the first step.

“Y/n, relax, relax!” His grip on your flesh made your breath hitch and stomach churn. “It’s okay, I feel the same way.” Rodrick’s cocky facade dissipated into nothing as he revealed his feelings.

You got a glimpse of a more vulnerable side of Rodrick that you were sure he didn’t typically share. “But girls like you don’t usually like stupid guys like me,” Rodrick was staring at the ground now, grasp on your arm softening.

You were too unsure of your words so you opted to move your free hand to hold his bicep, closing a considerable amount of distance between the two of you in the process.

“Rodrick, I’ve never liked anybody as much as I like you. And I don’t mean that in a weird or creepy way it’s just that-”

Now it was time for Rodrick’s own addition to the plan. Phase four: The kiss.

Your rambling was cut short by a pair of warm lips pressing against your own. He kissed you with just enough force to cause you to stumble back a bit, causing you to brace yourself against his torso.

He carded a gentle hand through your hair and tugged back on your soft locks. You moaned at the vibrations tendrilling at your scalp and kissed him with even more ferocity.

Somehow, you ended up on his bed, straddling him. The blankets strewn across his mattress melded against your knees and the fronts of your calves as you stabilized yourself on his lap.

He placed apprehensive hands on your hip bones, unsure of what was okay and what wasn’t. You placed your hand on top of his larger one, assuring him that you were comfortable. You even allowed a small whimper to leave your throat as he tightened his hold on you.

You only pulled away to catch your breath, looking into his eyes for the first time that night. You smiled warmly at him as you cupped his cheek. Suddenly, Rodrick’s signature smirk returned to his face.

“Now tell me what you were saying about my jeans.”

#rodrick heffley x reader #rodrick heffley fanfic #rodrick x reader #rodrick heffley #diary of a wimpy kid #devon bostick

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redrobin-detective · 3 years

Text

love language

“Ben,” the voice said softly, “wake up.” It was familiar in a way Ben couldn’t put his finger on.

“No, mom,” Ben groaned, “five more minutes.”

“Not Mother,” the voice said with an amused huff. “Been longer than five minutes, worried now,” it continued on awkwardly. Ben frowned, confused by the situation. He opened his eyes and sat up to assess what was going on. At least that was what he tried to do.

“Woah,” he gasped as he found he couldn’t move much at all. He didn’t really have sensation or form, there was nothing around him to see and no eyes he could use to see anything with. Ben felt like his brain was spread thin, like cream cheese on a bagel, making every thought feel strange and disconnected. “Where am I?”

“Safe,” the voice soothed and Ben couldn’t help but believe. “Always safe with me. We’re away from attack now, recover here for Grandpa Max or Cousin Gwen to find us.”

“Us?” Ben fumbled as he added up the words in his head. “Wait, you’re the Omnitrix, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” the voice - which now that he was listening Ben recognized as his own just a slightly different pitch and intonation - said happily. “And you are Master, Ben Tennyson.”

“So wait, am I inside the watch?” Ben asked. That would explain his lack of a body, his whole brain was just floating around inside the alien device. It was weird and a bit scary, no wonder Ghostfreak didn’t like it. “Are you in my body?”

“Sorry,” the Omnitrix said almost apologetically, “was necessary. You were unconscious, your life threatened. Had to access your nervous system to get you to safety. Switch back now?”

“No wait, not yet, I wanna talk some more,” Ben pleaded. “Could you always do this? I feel Azmuth would have shadowbanned me ages ago if he knew he could.”

“This was an emergency, we will always do what is necessary to save the Master’s life.” the Omnitrix responded, it’s words coming more naturally now that it was getting used to it. Ben could practically feel the device flicking through his knowledge language and vocabulary to better communicate. It should feel invasive and yet somehow wasn’t. “And Creator does not get an opinion on the Master.”

“Harsh,” Ben responded back, “what do you got against Azmuth? He did make you, helps fix you when I mess up even though he doesn’t have to.”

“Creator tried to separate us,” the Omnitrix bit back harshly. “He lied to Master, drugged you and attempted to remove me from your person. It did not ask either of us, simply decided a child could not handle the responsibility.”

“Woah,” Ben had gone to Galvan Prime many times, fallen asleep quite often. How many times had Azmuth tried to take the device from him?

“Only once,” the Omnitrix chimed in as if reading his thoughts which, oh, it probably was. Weird. “We shocked him to unconsciousness, to prevent him from trying again. We will not be separated.”

“Protective, aren’t you?” Ben chuckled awkwardly. It was one thing to know Azmuth wanted to remove the watch, it was another to realize the watch wouldn’t let that happen.

“You are the Master,” it said fondly, “We love you, more than anything in the omniverse. We would watch it all burn if it meant keeping you safe.”

“What?” Ben asked flustered. His parents said they loved him constantly, same with Grandpa and Gwen. But this felt different. “Why? Like seriously, why me? I’m 16 years old and I’m just as much a mess as I was at 10.”

“We...” it paused as if thinking. There was a vague feeling of moving and Ben wondered what the watch was doing in his body. “We can’t explain, Master was just right.”

“Many wanted to claim us,” the Omnitrix continued. “For many Earth years, we were pulled across the universe, searching for the perfect host. Creator grew tired of the debates, the lies, the deaths that followed and eventually abandoned us. It told us to choose wisely who could use our power. Kings and warriors and scientists demanded it and still we did not relent. None were worthy until you.”

“Seriously?” Ben questioned, “I was like a C student with unmanaged ADHD and about 4 complexes stuffed in a trench coat. Plus we met on accident, Xylene was trying to send you to Grandpa.”

“We like Grandpa Max,” the watch hummed, “but he is too much of solider. Sometimes he even forgets your his family. When the pod opened and we scanned you, we only found your curiosity and wonder. You were the first being to look upon us without ulterior motives. It was, nice.”

“I get that,” Ben mumbled to himself, more than used to everyone in his life expecting something or other from him.

“We, too, were curious about you. Creator did not add human DNA in our storage. He only cared for relevant species at the time, Earth and it’s people were as alien to us as we were to you.”

“Is that why you latched on?” Ben asked again.

“Partially, we knew were under attack and needed some manner of escape. It wasn’t going to be forever but we found we liked you; your bravery, your creativity, your love... it inspired us. You went from Host to Master and we bonded more permanently.”

“Huh,” Ben said thoughtfully. “I never really realized you were alive, that you chose me.” He chuckled sadly, “I turned out to be kind of a disappointment, huh?”

“No,” the watch responded forcefully, enough to startle Ben out of his dark thoughts. “We love you, all of you. All your successes and failures, flaws and strengths, we love them all. We are one in the same, bonded in entirety. We will spend the rest of your days together and when your natural death comes, we will die too. There will be no Master after Ben.”

“So even when I’m just messing around...” Ben asked, changing topics from that heavy comment.

“You taught us how to play and we learned,” The Omnitrix teased. “You ask for Humongosaur too much though, we can have our own fun.”

“Oh so you’re the reason I always get the wrong alien,” Ben laughed. “You’re gonna get me killed one day!”

“Never,” the Omnitrix said warmly but with a steely protectiveness in there. “We will always protect you.”

“Hmm, I guess so,” Ben hummed. “What’s going out in the real world?”

“The battle is over as far as we can see. No sign of Cousin Gwen, Friend Kevin or Partner Rook. Grandpa Max was still in the satellite orbiting the planet last we heard. Do you wish to return now that the danger has passed?”

“Nah, not yet,” Ben sighed, enjoying a few minutes without someone needing him. “I know my body is in safe hands. Tell me more about some of the bozos who tried to wear you.”

“Aurius the Magnificent was one of the more annoying,” the Omnitrix said in the tone Ben used when he was feeling petty. “Just put me on and demanded that I chose him. He did it in front of his whole court and was so frustrated when I would not attach. His concubines laughed at him.”

“Oh man, how embarrassing,” Ben cackled. He let go of his worries, of his responsibilities, of everything and just basked in the familiar tones and the omnipresent love around him.

#ben 10 #the dialogue hit me like a shot and I practically spider crawled out of the bath to reach my laptop #this would be like the prologue before the possessed omnitrix au I wont write #this is like half fic half meta lmao #just really wanted to impress on the watchs utter love for ben but also how scarily possessive it is #it knows him inside and out and chose him above all others #its too attached now (in all meanings of the word) it would kill the universe before it allowed ben to die #which is uhhhh something #watch also has Opinions on the people in Ben's life #esp Azmuth and Grandpa #but at least it has good memories of Max #its PISSED that Azmuth tried to separate them once like 6 years ago #anyway here's some whatever i cranked out in like 45 minutes #now dinner

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luimagines · 3 years

Note

Could I pwetty pweashe have a scenario for each of the boys where reader is loopy with fever or from poison and the whole time they are just laying the compliments on real thick and going on and on abt how much they love their boys 🙏🙏🙏

Masterlist

Yeeesssss!!! Will do!

Here we go. Boys under the cut! Immediate Reader!

***

You were trying to go and find some food for dinner at Wild's request and found some interesting looking berries. They looked like blueberries from your world but there was purple thorns on the bush instead, with yellow trimmed leaves.

You grabbed a few and retraced and marked your steps to find your way back to the bushes. You thought that maybe one of the boys would be able to identify the berries and know if they were actually edible or not.

You stashed them away and grinned to yourself. It was a possibility that they were good but if they weren't- there was other ways to use the berries.

You still needed to find food that your group actually is able to eat if the berries aren't worth anything.

You hear your name being called and it startles you enough to take a step back and look behind you.

You trip on a root and crash against the forest floor- falling onto a separate patch of the same berries. Pollen and dew shoot up from the impact and you're forced to inhale it all in.

There's instant discomfort in your lungs and in your head, and you can already feel the multiple places where the thorns have pierced your skin and ripped your clothes.

You take a while to pry yourself out of the bushes, pain littered in all places you didn't even know you could hurt.

You cough and inhale more of the pollen that hasn't settled yet.

A massive headache begins pounding against your temples and back of your head.

You hear your name being called once more but this time in concern and blink away what you can. You groan and try your best to stand, falling to one knee in a coughing fit with pain and discomfort all throughout your joints and muscles.

You look up and smile despite it, a slight giggle of hysteria on your lips. "Hi Link! Guess what I found!"

Warrior "Oh sweet name of the three, what happened to you?" You see Warrior walk up to you and reach out his hand.

You giggle again and reach out to him. He grabs you and tries to lift you back onto your feet but your legs gives out from beneath you and you fall again.

"Hello~!" You lift out your hand and show him the berries. "You know if theses are good or not?"

"Nope." Warrior smacks them out of your hand with a backhanded swing. "Those are known for being highly toxic in.... depressant... components... Don't tell me you ate them?"

You grin and shake your head. "Nope! I didn't know if they were good or not...but I fell~!"

Warrior's face does that thing where he looks concerned but is only marginally capable of hiding it. "On the plant?"

"Link, you're so smart!" You get to your feet and fall nearly on top of him. Warrior is quick to catch you and hold you with his hands on your waist and you grin up at him, adoration pooled in your eyes. "That's what I did~! Man, you're so strong. You're stronger than I thought you were. Your arms are so toned too. I didn't think you had this much muscle."

"Ok. Let's get you to Sky." Warrior rolls his eyes and begins to more or less drag you away from the plants and back to where you think the group is. "Or maybe Four, this is his Hyrule anyway. Maybe he'll know how to get you fixed up."

"See, this is why I like you so much. You're always so fast to come up with a plan and you're so caring. You're so smart. You're so great." You giggle and try to follow his footsteps but find it really hard to put one foot in front of the other.

After what felt like a few seconds, (but was really ten minutes of Warrior fighting you and gravity (not successfully) to keep you upright), Warrior gives up on your non cooperative limbs and picks you up bridal style and begins to carry you away from the infested area.

"Link, I love you."

"I love you too." Warrior waves you off with a playful roll of his eyes.

"No.. but I really love you!" You insist, getting loud for no reason and place your hands on his face. You give him a squish and lean into his space. "You have to understand this. I would do anything to you."

"I know you would." He laughs. "I'd do anything for you too."

He shakes his head out of your hands and grins at you. "I think you're a little drunk from the plants toxins."

"Nuh-uh." You pout. "I'm too strong for that. I'm completely........ ok."

"I believe you." Warrior bites his lip trying to keep his cool before he absolutely looses it. He's both touched by your words and concerned for your well being. He supposes you're more or less drunk and loopey. It's not the most desirable circumstance but he's sure that those cuts on your skin and tears on your clothes can be handled more easily than the up coming hangover.

You fall silent after a second and look up at him. You poke his cheek and his nose and grin, hugging him close and snuggling into his chest and neck. "Has anyone ever told you that you're very handsome?"

"I think that's the more common compliment." He admits.

"And your eyes are very pretty and very blue and you have very long eye lashes and it's all very pretty. And you have a strong jaw."

"Do I?"

"So strong and sharp- it could cut glass." You say seriously. "And your hair always looks very soft and shiny and silky and I want to play with it but I don't want to make things weird. And you're so cool! You're so smart. You're so nice. And you're great with kids and people and everyone likes you so much, so quickly and it's so cool to watch you work and fight and-"

"You're going to keep going forever unless I stop you, aren't you?" Warrior swallows and tries to fight his upcoming blush. He had thought that you were joking for a moment but the more you talk the more it hits that you're being genuine.

You furrow your brows and hit him with the most innocent doe eyes you don't know that you have. "Do you want me to stop?"

Warrior almost trips at that way his heart skips a beat and he chuckles awkwardly. "Actually... No. It's ok. I don't mind."

"You deserve the world, Link." You say finally and go back to resting with your head in the crook of his neck. "I just wish that you could see that, you stubborn man."

"I'll... try my best."

"Good."

Time "Oh no." Time sighs and makes his way over to you. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"My head hurts." You admit and drop the berries from your palm to cradle your temple. "I was trying to look for food... I think I found it but I also... don't."

Time kneels in front of you and places the back of his hand on your forehead. He hisses at the temperature and places his hand under your chin. "Why do you keep finding yourself in situations like this?"

"You boys keeping putting me situations like this." You mutter and try to stand. Your legs fail you and Time lurches in front of you in order to catch you.

"Do you see me as a boy?" Time raises an eyebrow.

"NOT that I'm complaining." You ignore his question and pat his face. "I love you guys, so much but like...This is what happens when I care about people. I end up in stupid situations."

"Maybe Four will have somethin to help out this." Time admits and picks you up without any further thought. "Let get you some help."

"Link, you're so great." You sigh and press your forehead against the crook of his head. His heartbeat is strong and he's cooler than you thought so you sigh in contentment.

"You're so calm and I always feel safe around you and you give the best hugs." You grin against his ear and Time has to stifle the upcoming chuckles from his chest.

"Do I?"

"The best hugs." You reiterate and snuggle closer. "You can ask Wind, he'll agree."

"I'm sure he will." Time let's a snort pass and he nods to Four as he passes. "They fell in a berry bush."

"Blue berries! With pretty leaves and thorns!" You cry out with an arm outstretched to the sky. "Not good for food, no no no, but good."

"Well... I'll start the antidote." Four sighs and walks away to his pack, immediately digging through it for the ingredients that will help you out.

"Four!" You sing and turn your head back into Time's neck. "Isn't Time the best? He's so strong and gentle and nice and he's so great."

Time lets more laughter fall from his lips as he places you on the ground next to his supplies. He says your name with a slight whine and begins to beg. "Please."

"Beeeeeesst hugs." You ignore him.

Four snickers from the other side of the camp and pulls out a bottle.

"I adore you Old Man. I don't think you get told that enough." You continue. "Like, you always try so hard to be a good person. You've gone through so much and you had no reason to start your adventure or to keep helping people and doing stuff but you care so much so you're here still and I think-"

Oh no, Time thinks, you're crying.

"Ok, ok, it's ok." time kneels next to you and puts your hair behind your ear. "No need to be upset. I'm here and everything's ok."

"But you've been hurt so much!" You pout, tears pooling in your eyes. "And yet you're still here and no one thanks you and you try so hard to watch over all of us and even then-"

"That's enough." Time frowns slightly and shakes his head. "I'm just doing what I'm supposed to."

"No one is making you." You pout and lay down on the ground. "You're not listening to me."

"Believe me, I am."

"Here." Four comes up to you and hands you a little bottle filled with viscous green liquid. "Drink this."

"I don't wanna." You pout. "I don't feel good."

"It'll make you feel better." Four tries again, before Time takes the bottle from his hands and uncorks it.

"Drink it." He says, in a tone which means there no room for argument.

"You're such a dad." You complain and grab it from his hand, placing it to your lips and begin sipping it slowly.

Time shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair. "What are we going to do with you?

Wild "Oh boy, I don't think these are good for eating." He says with a slight grimace. "We should probably not get near these. Let's go clean you up, yeah?"

"WIILLDD!!" You grin and reach your grabby hands in his direction. "Beautiful boy, how are you today~?"

Wild coughs a little and tries to hide his discomfort by avoiding eye contact. "I'm... fine... How are you?"

"Everything hurts~" You admit and look up at him with pleading eyes. "Carry me?"

"Oh boy, sure, why not?" He sighs and wraps around your shoulders and hooks the other under your knees, carrying you effortlessly through the thicket.

"How did this even happen?" He asks out of curiosity.

"I heard you call my name and fell."

"Fell where?"

"In the bush." You mumble with a pout and cross your arms. "It's all pokey and my clothes are ripped and I think I'm bleeding."

Wild bite his lip and hisses. "Sorry."

" 's not you're fault." You look up at him and pat his face. "You're too nice. I just wanted to help and got hurt like stupid me tends to do."

"You're not stupid." Wild scolds you gently. "You are incredibly smart."

"You're the smart one."

"Think so? I think some of the other will disagree."

"Well they can eat my shoes."

Wild coughs out a laugh again in a vain attempt to hide how uncharacteristically serious that was for you and how the unexpectedness of it made him lose it on the inside. "I don't think those would taste good."

"No.... But I need them so maybe they eat my hat instead." You nod to yourself in full serious before gasping slightly. "They should eat Legend's hat instead, then they'll really be sorry."

"Oh my god." Wild snorts and goes to cover his face before remembering that he's holding you.

He jostles' you in the process and the movement cause your headache to flare up. You whine and put a hand to your temple. "It hurts."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Wild frowns and puts the information away for later. "We'll get you back to camp and figure something out ok, maybe you should take it easy for a little bit."

"Link, you're so good to me. I don't deserve it."

"I think you do- I say you do and I'm going to tell Time to keep you down until you feel better."

"Noooo."

"Yeeesss."

"But you're always doing something for someone else, who's going to help you with dinner?" You complain and flop your arms around- regrettably because your head ache flares up once more. "Oh, ouch, ouchies..."

"I think I'll be fine." Wild rolls his eyes. "I've done it before I can do it again."

You hum sadly and shimmy your way into his arm to get more comfortable. "You're a good person. You're so smart. I love hanging out with you. You know that? You're so fun to be around and talk to and you're always so.... good."

Wild looks down on you momentarily before returning to the the forest ahead of him. "Thank you."

"I wish..." You start and cut yourself off. "I wish there was more I could do help you. You help so many people- I think there's someone in every stable in your Hyrule that you've helped... not to mention all of Hateno Village and like- you built Terry Town... It's so good-you're good. I wish more people were good."

"Are people not good?" Wild asks you as he walks through the green.

"I like to think that some are. I don't get to meet a lot of them." You admit and settle your head against his shoulder. "My home's not as nice as here."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm going to miss you guys."

"We're going to miss you too." Wild replies automatically.

"I think I'll miss you most." You hum and close your eyes. "Good people should get good things and you didn't get a lot of good things... Someone should fix that. I want to fix that."

Wild doesn't respond.

Twilight

“Oh!” Twilight winces. “I should have warned you about those. Four told me they’d be in the area and that we’d have to avoid them. You ok?”

“I fell... in the bush.” You pout and begin to sag your shoulders. Guess they weren’t edible after all.

Seems like they’re quite bad actually.

“I’m sorry.” You sniffle and try ignore the tears beginning to pool in your eyes. “I didn’t mean too. I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

“Well no, not exactly.” Twilight rushes to your side at the side and brushes off whatever leaves and twigs he can see from your clothes. “Does anything hurt?”

“A lot of things hurt Twi.”

“Can you be a little more specific?” He tries, with a small tilt to his head.

“My head... and I think there’s a lot of tiny cuts on my arms and back.” You try to stand again and Twilight is quick to help you with a stabilizing hand on the small of your back. “There’s more thorns in the bushes than I thought there’d be.”

“Ok, we’ll get those looked at ok. Four should have something to help you in the mean time.” Twilight takes a few steps with you, wrapping an arm over your shoulder when he realizes you’re more intoxicated than he thought.

You put your full weight against him without realizing it and place your head on his shoulder. “Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“I appreciate you so much.” You take a breath and sigh. “You’ve been the first person there to help me out with whatever this adventure seem to throw at me. You’re always taking care of others... like Wild and Wind and Legend and I know you look up to Time but so many of us are looking up to you too and I guess I want to say thank you. There’s a lot of good in your heart and I’m glad I get to see it.”

“I appreciate you too.” He says in reply.

“But I don’t do anything.”

“I’d beg to differ.”

“You’re too dignified to beg. I don’t think you’d ever have it in you.” You grin. “I admire the way you hold yourself and don’t let anyone talk down to you- like that guy in that old Castle Town- or where ever we were. And like, you can throw a good punch too. I thought you broke that guys jaw!”

“Admittedly... Not one of my greater moments.” Twilight hisses at the memory. Time gave him a nasty look for that one and he’s still working off the penalty for it.

“It was super cool though.” You cock your head to the side, looking at his profile as you stumble through the forest growth. “He totally deserved it, don’t let Time let you think otherwise. I was tempted to punch him too or get get Wild and let him go crazy against the guy.”

“Wild probably would have set him on fire.”

“It would have been funny.”

“No it wouldn’t have.”

“Not to the guy, maybe.” You giggle. “But see, you’re always thinking about others and how’d they react and how to go about things that makes you so smart and you’re so cool.”

“Thank you.” Twilight stops the two of you for a moment and readjusts his grip on you. “Are you feeling any better?”

“No. My head hurts.”

“Well, we’re almost there and then we can get started on fixing this ok?”

“Ok.” You mumble and go back to mostly resting against the country boy.

“You’re really great with animals too.” You say randomly. “I’ve never a horse that close with its rider or how all the cats just gravitate towards you.”

“The cat thing I’ll admit is special to me, but are you trying to tell me that the horses of your world aren’t treated right? Because they bond really well with humans and dogs alike.”

“Why dogs?”

“Uh-”

“Well everybody likes dogs, I guess that’s a given. It's not even a question really. I don't know why I asked.” You shrug.

“Yup. That’s what I meant.”

“And no, well I don’t know... I don’t see a lot of horses in my home world so maybe you’re right and I just have bad examples.”

“Of course I’m right.” Twilight says with a grin. “Horses are great!”

“You’re great Link.” You try to hide your laughter at how genuine and boyish he sounded. “I’d take you over a horse any day.”

“Well I’d hope so.”

Wind

"What is it?" Wind tilts his head and steps into your direction, trying to piece together what happened to you with what little information he has. "You look like you got in a fight... and lost."

"I fell the bush of these berries! Look!" You grin beyond the pain in your head and hold your hand out.

Wind walks up to you and picks one up between his fingers, twisting it around before looking back at you. "Are these safe to eat?"

"I have no idea." You answer honestly. "I was going to as Wild if he knew but then I fell in this bush and got hurt so I gotta go get myself checked out."

"Well that explains why your clothes are torn." Wind snorts a little and holds his hand out. "Do you need help?"

You hum and try to examine yourself from the inside. Your head is killing you but you feel loopey and uncentered.

Maybe some help would be nice.

"Yes, please." You take his hand and let him pull you up. "Thank you Link."

"No problem." He grins. "Can you get back to the camp on your own?"

You hum again and try to take a step forward. But your knee buckles from beneath you and you fall the ground again. "Ow."

"Ok, guess not." Wind is by your side within seconds and helps you back to your feet. "That's ok! I'll just help you get to the others and maybe someone will know how to fix you."

"Yay." You giggle and lean on the boy. "Have I ever told you how great you are?"

"No." Wind grins and starts to lead the way. "I don't think you have."

"That's a shame. Shame on me. Because you are one of the best kids I think I've ever met. Don't let anyone change you, ok? You are.... so fun to be around and I'm so glad I met you and I'm going to miss you when this is all over and I think I'm going to try-"

"You think you're going to cry?" Wind looks up at you.

"No no... maybe." You tilts your head and close your eyes, putting your full trust and weight on Wind's shoulders. "I just... you're so good. And you're so happy and excited to see all these new things and I wish I was like that when I was your age, you know?"

"Uh-"

"And I hope that you get to do and see so many amazing things, Link. You're going to change your world, I know it and I'm sad that I won't get to see it."

"Hey-"

"You can't let anyone bully you, ok? There's a lot of people that would want to break your spirit and your joy and there's a lot of things that we want to do to keep you the way you are but there's only so much we can shield you from. I know you don't like it. I know you think you can't take it. But you shouldn't have to. You should have never had to. You should have had a chance like all the other boys and girls to be young and have a childhood and just be a kid but I'm so proud of you." You say and stop the two of you for a moment, pulling Wind in what you try to be a crushing hug.

"You're incredible, you know that?" You lean back and put your hands on his shoulders. "Link, listen, no matter what any else will ever tell you, we adore you. I think you're everyone's favorite, ok? There's so many things I want to show you myself if the Captain would let me.... I doubt he will because there not exactly things kids your age should know. Like throwing knives and hand to hand combat... But I think we both agree that it's all waaaay past that point. So anything goes!"

"Will you really teach me?" Wind lights up at the thought and be jumps a little on his toes in excitement.

"If you're up for it.. I'm sure that others will try to fight me though."

"I'll fight them."

"I don't doubt that pirate."

"What are you two talking about?" Warrior steps up and places his hands on his hips. "We heard you talking but missed it. What is.... what happened to you?"

"I'm just telling Wind how amazing he is and how much I love him and adore him and how cool he is for a thirteen year old and how I couldn't even come close to that when I was his age so I'm a bit jealous-"

"They fell in some freaky looking berry bush and I think they're poisoned." Wind explains over you. "They're acting a little loopey."

"I am. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OK." You shout and push yourself away from Wind, staggering on your feet and eventually falling on your butt onto the forest floor.

The sudden movement flares up your headache and your neck muscles stiffen around your shoulders, making it hard to move your head. "Oh, ow.... My head... That was a mistake. Mistakes were made."

Warrior hisses and sigh after watching you suffer for a hot second. "Alright, I'll go wrangle up some supplies. Can you take them back to camp on your own, Sailor?"

"I was already doing that." Wind raises an eyebrow.

"Alright then, then go back to doing that." Warrior smirks a little. "I'll be back."

He then nods a bit and walks away from your duo as Wind makes his way over to where you fell, pulling you back to your feet and wrapping your arm over his shoulders. "Did you mean what you said?"

"What did I say?" You try to twist your head around to loosen up your muscle and it only slightly works.

"Well... everything you said about me. Did you mean it?"

"I don't remember." You frown and furrow your eyebrows. "Probably... If it's all good things, then yes. Because you are good. And you deserve good things. And you might be the little brother I never had... but I wish you were my brother. You're cool. You're great. I love hanging out with you man."

Wind smiles softly and sits you down on a free spot once you reach camp again. "I can be your brother, it's ok."

"Awesome!"

Sky

"And what exactly did you find?" Sky raises an eyebrow when he sees you. He recognizes the plant but can't remember what it does or why he's seen it before.

"Hm... I don't think that's good." He sighs and walks over to you, picking you up with a sturdy hands on your elbows. "Are you ok?"

"A lot of things hurt right now." You admit. "Are the berries not good?"

"Let's assume they aren't." Sky smiles a bit and wraps arm around your waist to keep you from falling. "I think you should get someone to look at you."

"You have really long eye lashes." You blurt out and gently bring your hand to cup his face. "And I've never noticed how blue your eyes are."

"Ok, those berries defiantly aren't good." Sky snorts and picks your hand off of his face. "Let's get you back to camp, ok?"

"You're like... one of the nicest people here, you know that?"

"Well I certainly try to be."

"And you're always thinking of others and you're so good." You lean against him, putting your full weight onto his side. "I'm so sorry that you have to be here instead of your home. You're so important to so many people Link."

"You think so?"

"I know so." You pat his head with what little arm you reach. "You're at the start of this whole thing... You are... the whole reason Hyrule, as everyone knows it, exists to begin with. It all starts with you. Not everyone has that kind of legacy you know."

"Is that really my legacy?" Sky looks over to you and you grin brightly in his direction.

"Well aside from the stories of the hero I've always heard so much about growing up there's also like the hero lineage as well. Not to mention you also father... the whole Hyrule Royal Family Line. So I'd say you're pretty important. and your legacy is pretty big."

Sky stops abruptly and the suddenness of it sends you right onto the ground. "I'm the start of the line?"

"OOOWWW!!! SKY!" You whine and cradle your head with both of your hands. "That hurt! Why did you do that?"

"Sorry sorry sorry." Sky bends down and helps you back up, readjusting his grip on you a few times to make sure that even if he loses his grip again, he won't be sent careening onto the floor. "That was an accident. I did not mean to do that."

"That was mean."

"It wasn't on purpose I swear."

"Promise?" You rolled your head over and rest it on his shoulder.

"Promise." Sky bite his lip to hold in his laughter. "I'd never do that to you on purpose, not like this."

"Ok. I believe you." You nod. "I think if you really wanted to hurt me, you would have sent your army of birds against me or something."

"I do not have an army of birds."

"But you're building one."

"No, I'm not."

"You are though. Maybe not on purpose... Maybe you don't realize it. You do know that birds flock to you right?" You blinks your eyes up at him. "It's a crazy thing to witness. I think you could easily rule to world with nothing but cuccos by your side."

"What is it with you guys and the cuccos? What did they ever do to you?"

"I can't speak for the others but I say with full certainty that my Zelda has a wicked streak sometime and she was mercilessly attacked by them one day."

"Oh my goodness"

"I told her to leave them alone but noooo, she had to keep hittin' the poor thing and look where it got her. Those little things are ruthless and should be feared. She won't touch them with a ten foot pole now." You nod your head to your story as if you were telling Sky some age old wisdom.

"Does that mean the others-?"

"Most likely." You snort. "Serves them right."

"That would explain that."

"Sky, I'm really glad I know you... as a person and as a friend. I think you're really talented and great and good and I'm so happy you're here."

"I'm glad I met you too." Sky grins and waves over someone from the camp to come help him.

"You're my favorite ok, don't tell the others." You wink in his direction and let yourself be taken away from his side.

"Oh jeeze, thanks." Twilight snorts and picks you up bridal style, taking you further into the camp and laying you down by the small fire they've started.

"I'll take that secret to my grave." Sky smirks.

Twilight huffs a little and stands to leave. "You can take care of them then."

"That was the plan."

"Sky is a brave boy." You mumble from where you've been placed and reach out to him. "He deserves better than watching over a sick sack of potatoes. He's good at helping people. Someone has to make sure that he doesn't push himself too hard. He'll over work himself and then there would no more Sky and the world will be to dark to recover. There's no way we can lose Sky. He's too good."

"Have they been like the whole time?"

"Pretty much." Sky shrugs.

"I think I'm going to throw up." You mumble and try to push yourself upright.

The boys then scramble to try and manage the approaching problem.

It's going to be a long night.

Legend

"Oh for the love of- you look like you took a swim through the underbrush. What did you do?" Legend groans and comes to stand in front of you.

"I went for a swim?" You blink up at him, confused and a little disoriented still. "Is that what happened? I'm not wet... Am I?"

"You're joking." Legend raises an eyebrow and and places the back of his hand against your forehead. "Ok, maybe not."

"I can not believe the legend himself has graced me with his presence." You giggle and try to stand- not very successfully. "What a joyous day indeed."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Legend kneels next to you and takes one of your arms, lifting it up and wrapping it around his shoulders. "You're acting weird... weirder than usual anyway."

"But I love you Legend!" You cry and wrap your other arm around him. It's a clumsy hug and Legend almost throws you off. But considering you can barely stand on your own feet with his support, he supposes some more wouldn't hurt.

If he likes it then he doesn't say anything.

"I think you love the idea of me." He grumbles. "I'm not that great."

"See, you say that but it's not true!" You grin and nuzzle your head against his. "You put on this big tough attitude and your defensive but you love us and we love you and I know you sometimes slip more food onto Wind's pate when he's still hungry but he won't go for seconds. Or how you sneak potions and healing items into our bags when we're not looking and I know you gave Hyrule some of those magic rings of yours to protect him. Or how you banter with Warrior because you try to keep his stress levels low because he gets flashback of the war and we all know he feels responsible for us even if he has no reason to be. You're quick to point out any puzzles that Four misses... magic eyes and all that."

"Have you been watching me?" He snaps and tries to make his embarrassment with anger.

"Yes, because I find you interesting and I've been wanting to get to know you better but you're one prickly pear." You poke his nose and try to keep walking. "You don't let me."

It's difficult.

"I know you've been watching what weapons Wild goes through and keep track of what he's been using the most, what he's most comfortable with... I think you want to get him something..."

"I'm an apprentice blacksmith... I want to see if there's something that will survive that wild rat." He grumbles.

"Ooohh!! Even better! you want to make him something!"

"I hope your fever erases this from your memory... Make it into one big fever dream."

You laugh and try to hide the grimace from your pounding head. "I know you've helped Twilight with something- he seems a little lighter but I don't know what. And I know you've been watching how much sleep the Old Man gets and I know you've been helping him with it. I know you're watching how much Sky has been fighting and how much he travels and you're quick watch his health and his breathing problems."

"Should I be concerned that you've been watching me this much? Because if it were any other person I'd be fighting you and getting a restraining order. It's weird." Legend huffs and hoists you up a little more, trying to keep you from falling.

"You help so many people." You hiccup and groan, the pain in your head becoming a little more than you can hide. "You're always watching everybody else's back. You don't watch your own."

"Who says that?"

"You take care of everyone else but yourself." You whine and hide your face against his shoulder. "But I've been watching your back. It's ok. I know you wouldn't like it but I care about you too much to let you hurt yourself. Someone has to take care of you if you won't do it yourself."

"I can take care of myself!"

"But you don't."

"Hey!"

"MMmm... Don't yell please." You wince and grip his tunic tighter.

Legend stops for a moment and finally looks at your face. It's flushed completely red and you're beginning to have sweat roll down the side of your head. Legend bites his lip and hides the pause behind the pretend need to adjust his grip.

He can't tell if you've gotten better or worse but he's going to bet worse.

"I'll go get Time. Maybe we can figure how to fix this, ok?" Legend gulps a little and returns to dragging you across the forest.

"Ok."

"The things I do for you people."

"You're a good person."

"Hm."

"Link?"

"What?"

"Thank you." You mumble, right into his ear. "We don't say it often but thank you."

Legend feel the tips of his ears go a little pink and he scoffs. "Don't thank me for anything. I didn't do anything."

"You're a good person."

"I'll chock this up to the fever talking."

Hyrule

Hyrule hisses sharply and can already feel the ominous foreshadowing of the hours to come. "Did you get in a fight? Are you hurt? You're bleeding, that's a dumb question, don't answer that."

"Rule!" You reach your hand out. "Best booooy!!! Hello sweet heart, how are you?"

"What happened to you?" He kneels down beside you and begins to heal the miniscule cuts around your arms and your back. He can feel the magic go down your legs and heal what was torn there and come back up to work on the worst of it.

It's a little more damage that he'd like to admit out loud and he's a little worried that there's monsters nearby that would have caught the scent of your blood.

"I fell in the bush... trying to get berries to eat... I was supposed to find food for Wild to cook but I don't think I can do that any more. It's not good that there's not much to forage." You mumble, relaxed by the suddenness of your pain being relieved and the cuts you've sustained leaving your body.

Hyrule frowns and stops his spell. It's a shame he can't do anything about your clothes.

"I feel funny." You say and lean backwards, over judging the distance and force and nearly send yourself back into the bush behind you.

Hyrule snatches your tunic before you can do that and pulls you toward him. "Be careful... Did the bush do this?"

"I dunno." You shrug and frown as you feel the pain begin to come back. "Are you here to bring me back?"

"I might have to regardless. I think you've been poisoned by the plants."

"I feel funny, not dead."

"Well, let's hope that it doesn't come to that." Hyrule rolls his eyes and wraps your arm around his shoulders. "Come on. We need to get you checked out and see if there's anyway to help you."

He's trying to stay calm... but he hopes that it's mostly you being loopey and not actually in any danger. He doesn't recognize the plant- but he supposes that's a given since it's not his Hyrule and he doesn't know the scale of the dangers around here.

"I have a headache again." You groan and don't even try to help Hyrule in lifting you up.

"I... can't really do anything about that. Sorry." Hyrule sighs and readjusts his grip to lift you higher.

This time you do put a little more effort in standing up and slowly, you begin to make your way back to the camp.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with me right now." You mumble and lean against him. "There's so many others things you could be doing right now."

"I don't mind. I'd rather you be ok than do anything else."

"You're a good person." You roll your head back and look at his side profile. "I hope you get every good thing the universe has to offer Link. May your life be filled with peace and happiness and all sorts of good things."

"Like what?" Hyrule finds himself asking. It stuns him and for a moment and he wonders if he's asking because he doubts he'll have it or if it's merely to get you to elaborate more.

"Like many friends and family and holidays and puppies and kitties and candy and good food and good company and cupcakes and lemonade-" You begin to list off.

Hyrule looks back on his life and the people he's met and everything that's happened to him up until this very moment. Enough so that he ignores the rest of your list and only tunes back in when you've past onto a slightly different topic.

"There's so many little things to enjoy in life, you know. I know you're humble and underestimate yourself and I'm trying to change that because you're absolutely amazing and there's a lot you should be proud and show off a little more because you deserve it but I wish you'd let us show you that. " You roll your head around again and try to match your footsteps to his despite the fog in your brain.

You keep talking.

"It might be presumptuous to say this but I think this group may have been the best thing to have happened to you. And that makes me a little sad."

Hyrule stumbles a little and you follow suit. "Sorry, sorry."

"It's ok. You'd never hurt anyone unless they deserved it." You mumble and try to fight against the now pounding sensation in your head.

"Hurting?"

"Yeah... My headache got worse."

"I'm sorry."

"You apologize too much." You groan. "I can't wait to see the day where you do something completely outrageous and just own it, just unapologetically decide that this is the hill you're going to die on and fight every one else about it."

"That sounds like a lot of effort." Hyrule snorts and raises an eyebrow.

"I can't to see what is the stick that takes you there."

"I don't think that's how the saying goes."

"It is now. I said so."

"Of course. Naturally." Hyrule snorts.

"Link, we're friends right?"

Hyrule nearly stumbles again but catches himself this time. "Of course we are! Whatever made you think otherwise?"

"Nothing." You admit. "But I'd to be the kind of person that's on the list of good things your life. Like that list I was talking about earlier."

"I say you are." Hyrule nods to himself and sees the camp in the distance. Relief flows over him and he nearly sags from it. A smiles graces his face as he turns to you and lets you lean on him a little more. "And I'd die on that hill."

Four

"Oh no no no no no, not good, not good at all!" Four hisses and runs to your side. "Did you eat any? Please tell me you didn't."

"Are they not good?" You tilts your head and try to keep your vision on Four but it's kind of hard to focus on just one of him. You don't remember there being so many Fours.

"No! You're not supposed to eat them! They're highly toxic!" Four grips your shoulders and begins to look over your face and check your eyes.

"Did you eat any?" He asks again, stressing the question more than you think is necessary.

You shake your head.

"Oh thank Hylia."

"I feel in the bush though."

Four groans enough that it sound more like a subdued scream. "Why?"

"I tripped." You giggle and try to stand up. "I heard my name AND FELL~! Hehehehe.."

"Ok. This..." Four sighs and looks around your surroundings for a second. He doesn't find what he's looking for. "...is not ideal."

" 'm sorry." You say and feel your lip start to wobble a little bit. "I didn't mean too."

"No. It's my Hyrule. I should have warned you guys. This is my fault." Four scoots in your direction and wraps his arms under your knees and behind your back.

He effortlessly lifts you up bridal style and doesn't hesitate to begin carrying you back to camp. "Time is going to have my head for this."

"No, he likes you too much." You blinks away what you can and try to think beyond the simple thoughts in front of you. "Everyone likes you. you're a likable person."

"Well thank you, but believe me. There are people who don't me." Four says with a snicker.

"Who are they? I'll fight them. Just say their names."

"You don't know them." Four furrows his eyebrows and chuckles disbelievingly.

"I can find them. And then I'll fight them. How dare they not like you!" You shout to the sky and wave your arm around like it's nobody's business. "You're one of the coolest people I know! That I've ever met! And I've met a lot of people! I've met this group! And you're still the coolest! Tell me their names, Link. I won't stand for this."

"It's not a big deal."

"I'm about to make it one."

"I won't tell you their names." Four shakes his head. Mostly because they're gone already so who cares.

"Then point your fingers Smithy because I'll find them and you won't have to worry about them any more." You say with so much resolution in your voice that Four has to stop himself from laughing out loud.

"Believe me, I don't worry about them."

"Oh so someone else got to them then. Good good."

He loses and laughs anyway. "No, not like that."

"There should be only people who love Link! Link haters are not allowed or welcome! Begone with those thoughts!" You cling to him weakly and Four has to grip you tighter to compensate for your flailing.

"Hold still, you're making this harder than it needs to be." Four snorts and shakes his head. "I deserve this. I deserve this and everything that's about to come. I know it. This is completely my fault."

"It's not your fault my head's hurting." You argue and frown. Because it's true. Your head ache tat you've been sporting since the start of your conversation has grown and it's beginning to be impossible to ignore.

"It kind of is, considering that it's a byproduct of the brumble bush." Four sighs. "Luckily, the antidote is pretty easy to make. The down side is that I'm not sure if I have all the ingredients and we're a little too far away from town to get more. I wonder if Hyrule can do something with his magic to help out... or at least lessen the effects so that it wears off."

"Will it last long?" You mumble and cradle your head in your hand. "I don't like this, Link."

"I don't like this either." He says. "If you didn't eat any of it than you should be fine in a few hours and it'll wear off on it's own but I don't think you want to be like this any longer than you have to be."

"Man, Link you're so smart. You know so much." You sigh and rest what you canon his shoulder. "I'm so glad I'm your friend... that we're friends and I want to keep being your friend. Can we keep being friends? Is it possible to be friends throughout different lifetimes?"

"I don't know but we can certainly try." Four grins and makes it back to camp a little easier now that you're so riled up. "I'm glad we're friends too."

"Yay!" You giggle and lay on the ground with little fan fair and with little convincing. "There's no much we have to do still... as friends and as a group. I love you guys!"

"And we love you!" Four snorts. "Get some sleep- it'll go faster. I'll wake you up when I have the antidote."

"Ok Smithy." You let your head hit the ground and close your eyes.

Four looked over his shoulder to where you are and smiles a little wistfully.

Until Time make his way to camp and eyes your torn and slightly bloody clothes before turning to Four with a raised eyebrow.

Four hisses again and raises his hand. "I can explain."

"You better."

#linked unierse #linked universe x reader #linkeduniverse #A new format!#I'm really excited about this!#There's another post that I'm going to do like this #And I'm really excited about that one too!#But it'll take a while before I get there #i'm just going down the list!#some of these got a bit angsty #I apologize #I wanted each of them to be very cute #but I just start snowballing and it doesn't stop #I hope this is ok #it wasn't until I was half way done with this that I realize I could have taken this in a completely different direction #and that it would have probably been done faster and would have been easier as well #but I've never been known to do something short #so here we are

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