#will use as comm samples perhaps

[yeetthatkolibri]

It's Wednesday again my dudes and I am getting carried away with making a character sheet for my OC Replika instead of finishing things I'm supposed to finish.

[acotarxreader]

Silence in the Shadows part Two

Azriel x Reader

Synopsis: Azriel finds himself a prisoner of the girl who may have taken more of his heart than he'd care to admit but have the lines between captor and captivated become forever blurred?

Warnings: Angst, sexual tension, a lil physical injury.

A/N: Part two hehe! I hope you like it, I enjoyed writing this lil guy! And I promise that a second part of Mirror is coming but I'm just not happy with her just yet!

Part One

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Azriel felt the smothering sense of something within every cell of his body as he woke to the rotting room somewhere in the Court of Nightmares. Oddly to him this dullness was pain free but simmering. Deep breaths couldn’t pull his shadows back to his side nor winnow him out of the prison cell he was a resident of. Hazel eyes traced for any information he could gather on his new home as his bound hands fought to be free from the weighty ropes tethering him to a creaking chair. With closed eyes he tried to refocus on freeing himself, unsure if it was faebane that was snuffing out any spark of power he possessed. Hollow voices in the hallway drew his attention up again. 

“They’ll settle, it's just new to them” Azriel closed his eyes again to focus intensely on your quiet words.

“YN, I’m not here for babysitting. Dahlia brought the last shipment into the city, let her mind the new ones this time and let me out”

“Yeah and she brought back a guest with her, very much not the plan” He could hear your soft smile towards the voice he recognised as Orion’s.

“He seemed like he knew you when he woke up?”

“Leave it”

“And now you’re personally delivering the food to a prisoner, lackey work, very very below your station” Azriel could practically picture you shoving Orion’s teasing body backwards, and heard the small stumble of his footsteps. 

“I don’t know him” If he was honest with himself, your lie hurt him but his priority was getting information and getting out.

“Just saying, if there’s a history there that perhaps you haven’t been so forthcoming with then I can’t imagine it’ll end good for either of you”

“Go bring the next shipment before I change my mind Or” 

“Ah so I get what I want if I mention our new lodger?”

“Is what you want my foot up your ass?” Your soft laugh had a small smile growing across Azriel’s face, he quickly banished it away again. There was short goodbyes as Azriel tried to work his way through the bindings that held him to the chair, the clicking of locks in front of him stilling his movement. 

“Good morning Shadowsinger” Your voice was like poisoned honey in his ears, a sickly addicting sweetness that brought conflict to his desires. You approached him with a tray of various foods resting on your hip, your loose silky dress from your first encounter replaced with an ink coloured leather jumpsuit, blades gleaming on your thigh in what little light leaked into the chasm. 

“I’ve seen you without your dress on, I hardly think the scarf across your face is necessary” He shot back, trying to not get trapped in your eyes as they curled at the corners into a smile.

With each step closer, the smothering feeling grew in Azriel’s veins, a complete contradiction to the light he felt with you previously. You placed the tray of various samplings of food on his lap, his stare moving from the plates back to you. You placed your hands on your hips before sighing, moving behind him where to his surprise you freed his hands from their bindings, leaving his ankles tied. 

“Take what’s offered to you”

“That’s how I ended up dancing with a criminal it seems” The feeling of his heated stare on your face was almost indescribable in its scrutiny as he rubbed his wrists where the ropes had left their markings. 

“Funny, we call you that around here” You smiled again, the scarf lifting slightly in the movement. 

“And how do I know you haven’t poisoned it with faebane? The same you seem to be using right now on me” You scoffed at his comment, your quick hand taking an apple from his tray. You tugged down the scarf, Azriel trying to stop his breath from hitching again at the full sight of you, your beauty only rivalled by your current radiating strength.  You sank your teeth into the ripe flesh of the almost eerily blood-red apple before placing it back down. 

“Faebane is so last season Shadowsinger, eat your dinner” 

“You said good morning to me?”

“I guess I won’t be telling you the truth about the time of day” You pulled the scarf back to cover the lower half of your face, Azriel quietly thankful for the action, it would allow for less distraction during what was to come. 

“You won’t be telling me much truth about anything it seems” He took the apple you had laid claim to, sinking his own fangs into it without removing his eyes from yours before he allowed the tray to slip with a crash to the floor, the sound not shaking either of you. 

“I can’t be blamed for your presence here, my dear friend got a bit confused” You circled around him briefly, attempting to banish the thought of your bodies melting together. 

“Release me and we can chalk this up to a bad one-night stand” You stopped behind him at his words, your hand hovering over his shoulder before it made delicate contact, Azriels hand gripping the apple tighter with the sensation. You walked back to stand in front of him, all without removing the pads of your fingers from his muscles. You stepped in closer until you had a leg on either side of his lap, lowering down almost painfully slow until you were fully sitting on his thighs, eyes unbreaking from one another. You once again pulled down the scarf, mere inches from one another’s faces.

“It wasn’t all bad was it?” Your sultry whisper rattled through every nerve of Azriel’s body, your hand wrapping around his wrist, bringing the shared apple back to your mouth again. His eyes bore into your equally intense, unblinking eyes as you took a slow bite from the fruit again, the new piece entering your mouth with a sucking sound. Azriel’s other hand found the top of your hip and, you both seemingly forgot what had brought you here.

“It wasn’t all lies was it?” the heat of his words had your face softening for a moment, the pad of his thumb tracing over your hip in small circles, the space seemingly shrinking again between you both. 

“Would you believe me now even if I told you the truth?” in another setting perhaps what happened when you first met would repeat itself again, but this was not one of that moment, something Azriel felt awash with again when the shadows didn’t respond to his request to join the intimate moment. Azriel’s hand quickly snatched the blade strapped to your thigh, his swing for your throat dodged by mere millimetres as you leapt back up.

You caught your stolen breath as Azriel pierced through the bindings on his ankles, freeing him back to his feet. A laugh left you that infuriated him to no end but intrigued him just as much as he flew towards you, still weak from the smothering feeling in his veins. You expertly avoided him, taking advantage of his somewhat sluggish state. Azriel flew the blade towards you again, gashing the edge of your forearm as it split the wall behind you. Your sharp intake of breath at the sensation gave Azriel an unusual sense of his own pain hurting you. 

“You missed” You smiled, the blood running down the split leather, it ending the feeling of remorse in Azriel. 

“I’m drugged” 

“You’re not drugged Azriel” Coldness suddenly leaked from the shadowsinger, a shiver traversing his spine at the sound of his name on your tongue once again.

“Don't say my name” he bit, his eyes moving from yours to the blade splitting the wood behind him, his sickly feeling of missing shadows had him making the rookie mistake of separating himself from his only weapon. You followed his gaze to your side before you pulled the knife and threw it back down to his feet, unsettling him.

“Tuck that in your boot and sit back down” You ordered, the same authoritative tone you had used earlier. 

“Feeling guilty for drugging me?”

“Gods, you are not drugged, don’t be so dramatic” He stepped on the sharp end of the blade, creating a little lever for him to snatch the blade back to his hands by the handle. 

“Sit”

“I don’t take orders from you” you scoffed at his objection, one of your wrists making a small circle at your side. Suddenly Azriel’s head felt as though it was full of cotton wool, his limbs growing more heavy at his side, fighting to keep a grip on the gifted knife. He hated himself for his movement back towards the chair but was finding it difficult to support his weight. 

“What-what was in what you gave-gave me?” he hung his head in a hand, the blade falling alongside his boot.

“Nothing” You beamed, moving effortlessly to his side again, taking his hands and placing them behind his back, unable to fight off your movements through the drowning lethargy. Once he was bound again, you squatted to the floor, making small knots in the shredded ropes to bind him back, placing the gifted blade in his boot. His heavy eyes watched the movement. 

“It’s like-like you can’t decide if you want me to die or not”

“I’ll let you know when I do” You grinned, pulling the scarf back up as you stood, your wrist swirling again softly, the smothering feeling lessening through his entire system almost instantly. 

“The moment you feel them come back, get out” Your sudden rapid hushed voice replaced the air of joking you had earlier, you putting space once again between you both as growing heavy steps. The door was nearly separated from the hinges as the towering male slammed it against the damp brick. 

“Ah, our guest of honour. Darling, I trust you’re using your beautiful ability to protect us all?” The booming voice filled the cell, Azriel sitting back in the chair with the same coolness you saw from him in the bar. The male gave you a sideways glance, you falling into line to his side with the gesture, nodding slightly in confirmation to his question.

“Is the face scarf the fashion here?” Your eyes flared slightly at Azriel’s sarcasm, the blocky male slamming Azriel back further into the chair, his tattooed knuckles tightening on Azriel’s windpipe. You fought the urge to shout at your superior, the colour beginning to slip from Azriel’s face. Your mouth opened to object just as the tension was released. 

“Darling, I thought it was decided you’d make it hurt for him” He didn’t turn to look at you while he spoke, examining Azriel closely. 

“As I said earlier, none of them know anything”

“And as I said earlier, I wanted you to make it hurt” he chewed out.

“I think-” You didn’t finish the thought, the cruel hand that had began to crush Azriel swung backwards, clipping you with force across your face, sending you crashing into the ground, the sound of your bones clattering off the tile filling the room. Azriel flinched slightly, the movement not going unnoticed by his prosecutor. 

“Oh? Do I detect a soft spot for Darling?” You pushed up from the tile, trying to send mental messages to Azriel to not react further. 

“Get up” He ordered you and you followed, rejoining his side, your lip’s blood dripping down your chest from beneath the scarf, Azriel’s stony stare attempted to cut through your superior to no avail. 

“You’ll have to kill me you know-” Azriel’s words surprised the two of you although you didn’t show it, so desperate to change the subject from his potentially growing feelings “-I was with the General of the Night Court before being taken on this little…sabbatical, they’ll come for me and it won’t be pretty” 

“Fine. Darling, kill him” Your head shot in the direction of the order and back to Azriel who sat relaxed back into the chair. His smugness had you considering carrying out the order but you ignored the petty thought. 

“Don’t you think that might draw unnecessary atten-” Another swipe was made across your face but you managed to keep your balance, some of your blood slipping from your lips to the front of Azriel’s shirt. He recoiled internally but this time didn’t show it. 

“Tsk tsk Darling, perhaps you’re so desperate to be touched even if its in punishment that you’re speaking out” You stood straight again alongside him, hands settled behind your back as you blinked away any rising tears. 

“Do not, under any circumstances, forget who the enemy is Darling. Now silence him or I’ll resort to it the old-fashioned way” Azriel watched your wrist swirl again, the cotton-wool feeling in his head returning but something bubbled beneath. The threat of unimaginable pain held behind a dam in his mind, a dam you had made to shield him from what was to come and he knew it. He knew this was not the full extent of what you were capable of even if he didn’t fully understand what you were doing to him.

“Making it slow Darling?” the sick laugh filled the cell as your eyes fixated on Azriel’s, an idea lighting in you. 

“Some-something's wrong. He’s…he’s fighting it” You released your full hold on Azriel willingly, power hitting him again like a tsunami at the mention of the lie you spoke. The spymaster sprung from the chair as you fell down to the ground, faking overwhelming pain despite Azriel not retaliating in anyway. The towering male made a futile movement towards Azriel but despite the ghost of grogginess in his body he winnowed out as you had instructed earlier.

-

Azriel’s body hit the steps of the Night Court’s residence in Hewn City with a thud, still adjusting to the return of his full strength, how long had he been under your influence he wondered. He managed to push himself up from the cold stone, a strong arm met his side causing him to turn to swing, only to be stopped by Cassian's contorted face. 

“Thank Fuck you’re back, Rhys was about to start pulling Hewn City up brick by brick, let’s get out of this hole” Cassian hauled closer to support his weight, dragging him in the direction of Rhy’s to be winnowed away.

-

Azriel allowed Rhysand into his mind to witness some of what he had, keeping his feelings about the situation still shielded. He projected his initial interrogation with your two accomplices, your conversation with Orion outside his cell and then conveniently removed the sexually charged conversation you both had prior to you gifting him the blade and your mercy in releasing him. The fire of the Town House crackled in the living room, warming Azriel in his still cold damp state.

“I don’t recognise the site they held you in, she’s the fae from the nightclub though?” Azriel nodded up from the couch as Rhysand stood inspecting him.

“Oh Azriel’s girlfriend is a dangerous woman” teasing words left Cassian, his attempt to lighten the thick air in the room.

“Azriel’s girlfriend is potentially a kidnapping drug dealer”

“Hot” Rhysand threw Cassian a stern look for his throw away comment, Cassians hands going up in surrender. 

“I will contact Amren, get her opinion on the powers YN seemed to hold over you…why do you think she released you?”

“I don’t know Rhys, she never hurt me, she didn’t seem like she wanted to”

“And is that why she had you tied to a chair? Kinky” Azriel and Rhysand both glared towards Cassian as threw his arm around the back of the couch behind Azriel.

“Okay, winnow us back to the room Az, the three of us will end this now” 

“We should wait and see Cass, Az is only just recovering”

“This isn’t the time for wait and see” Rhysand’s head shot to Cassian’s clipped words. It was true, that had become Rhysands main tactic since Nyx was born, afraid to lose any of his friends for even moment to covert missions or faraway travels, mother hening was in overdrive and it was getting in the way of the work. 

“I know Cass, I was suggesting that we just need to be careful with our resources”

“Your resources, are our lives and I think we should get a say in the workload we under taken” Azriel looked between his two brothers as Cassian stood to face Rhysand, this was going to become a fight, it always did. Azriel had decided to end this before it started, standing abruptly to place a hand on their shoulders, winnowing them back to the dark damp room. 

-

The three rocketed into the chasm, their landing echoing throughout the chamber, fighting stance ready. The two new to the room stalked around for perpetrators, Azriel taking slow steps back towards the chair that he had just escaped hardly more than an hour ago. Cassian broke through the door out of the room, Rhysand hot on his heels as they combed through the vast space with precision, Azriel’s eyes snagging on a corner of paper stuck the the leg of the chair. An uncharacteristically shaky hand retrieved the scrap of paper.

“I guess I decided. Thanks for the dance Azriel - YN” Azriel read the words over and over, a small dappling of your crimson blood on the very corner of the small note, a shiver shooting down his spine at the sight of it, what punishment would you face for his release he thought.

“This place is a ghost town” Rhysand's clear voice snapped him out of his daze, tucking the note quickly before his brothers could see it. 

“They knew we’d come back, they’ve moved operation, quickly but very carefully” Cassian added, leaning on the doorway. 

“I’ll get a team in here right away to go through this place with a fine toothcomb, any clues left they’ll find. C’mon Az, lets get you home” Azriel gave the smallest of nods to Rhysand’s gentle tone but how was he going to explain that he now thought home was with the fae who had captivated him in every single way. 

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Whatcha think?

Tag: @sttvrdustt @teenagellamaangel @ilikemintpeassss-blog

[nilsavatar]

DAY 23 - BITING

Parings: Neteyam x Fem!human

Genre/Warnings: NSFW/MDNI +18, no use of Y/N, SMUT, violence (Neteyam almost killed Spider’s sister), biting (tasting of blood, marking, possessing behavior), P in V, manhangling, oral (f receiving), fingering, praising, cursing, pet names (muntxa-muntxate, yawne, mate, yawntu, yawntutsyìp, baby, tawtute), feral Neteyam (he gets intoxicated by a plant), friends to lovers, edging, breeding kink ((as requested by the lovely @layla2-49 Hope you'll like it, darling), rough, overstimulation, fluff, ANGST. All characters are AGED-UP.

Summary: It is the panopyra flowering season, and Celeste is assigned to collect samples of the strange plant. On her way, she meets Neteyam who offers to accompany her albeit with some hesitation. Panopyra are known to create hallucinogenic effects on those who stand too close to them and to ignite the mating instinct. In the presence of a human, he can rest assured it will have no effect, right?

Word Count: 5,5k

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If Spider could be summed up in a sentence, it would be said he was like a stray cat; always around. With his playful and at times intrusive manner, he'd adopted himself into the Omatikaya, winning over their hearts.

But Celeste?

As much as they were siblings — twins — the two were polar opposites in every way imaginable, like day and night. Spider was sunny, energetic, almost impossible to contain, and thrill-seeking. For him, being in contact with people was as vital as breathing. Celeste was a reserved and private person despite her curious nature. Interested in the village's happenings, but never overstepped her boundaries, only getting involved when required.

The sun and the moon.

When they were together, the guy's light was so blinding to eclipse her in his shadow. Perhaps that was the reason why today, on a rare occasion she went out alone into the forest to collect samples, Neteyam struggled to recognize her. His arrow's tip was well aimed at the back of her head, waiting for a misstep, a suspicious movement to justify piercing her skull. Maybe, if he hadn't been alone as well, if Lo'ak had been there with him as planned, he wouldn't have risked murdering the life of Spider's little sister. Unlike him, Lo’ak and Kiri were at home at the lab, in constant contact with the scientists and the girl. On the other hand, it wasn't easy for Neteyam to carve out time to unwind and have fun. Not when the weight of his clan's future leaned on his shoulders, and on his head hung the Damocles blade of the older brother. Presumably, the last he had really spent time with her were still children, before he began the grueling journey as the next olo'eyktan in line.

Let's thank the electronic whistle of the throat-comm she wore around her neck if he stopped his hand; on the other side, he recognized Norm's unmistakable calm timbre. “Be there soon. Just need to collect the last sample you asked for.” “Got it, but be safe. Stay close to the edge of the woods and don't turn off the tracker, OK? If you're lost or in danger, call Jake right away.” “I grew up in this forest. Chill out.” “You grew up right by this forest,” he corrected. Celeste rolled her eyes, both annoyed and unimpressed, tired of hearing the same recommendations over and over again. Yet, she avoided comment or complaint, aware it would only lengthen that torment. Just as she reassured the man and turned around, the words died in her throat, cut off by a high-pitched shriek that ripped through the air. “Cel! What's going on?!” Not over three feet away from her, a man, a young male Na'vi who must have been stalking her up to that moment, stood there, in all his glory, staring down at her. Indecipherable gaze and bow well in view. With slow, measured steps, he approached her, never breaking eye contact. Celeste was trembling more and more with every inch of distance the native consumed, her heart drumming frantically. It seemed about to explode in her chest. The blood resounded straight in her ears, deafening her; her saliva dried up, and a sudden chill took over her entire body. She was terrified, to say the least. Yet, in the lucidity of those brief seconds of horror, she noted one thing. A strand of beads woven into the young man's songocord. The same one the twins wore on their wrists. “N-neteyam?��� At the uncertain sound of his name, in lips parted in an amused grimace. “You scared me half to death! Geez!” Better to avoid telling her he was about to kill her for real. “False alarm, Norm. It's just Neteyam.”

Just Neteyam. Although, in all likelihood, Celeste would have used the exact definition had any of his relatives stood before her, he didn't like the sound of it for one bit. He wasn't just Neteyam.

“Phew, you almost gave me a heart attack.” Yeah, tell me about it… “I feel way better now that you have someone with you. Hey, kid!” “Hi, Norm,” he pressed on the girl's communicator. Close, too close. The trail of his skin stunned her. Since when had Neteyam's smell become so... so good? Since when had he become like this? Tall, muscular, toned. His hair, much longer than she recalled, crossed far past the shoulder blades' line, grazing half his back. Where had that hint of round cheeks of yesteryear gone? His face was defined and masculine. Sharp cheekbones cut the contours of his visage down to his chin.

“The tawtsngal (panopyra - sky cup), then.” “No need to trouble yourself. I know the route. Besides—.” Celeste fell silent under his glare. Did she actually think he would leave her in the forest at the mercy of predators? He was already alarmed none of the AVTR Program was with her. “It's flower season,” he said like there was a darker meaning. “We're gathering some stem samples just for that, to examine the bioluminescent receptors. To figure out how their glow interacts with the environment. Fauna seems to get a little lovey-dovey around those things,” she giggled.

And not just them, he would've liked to retort, reluctant to get close to the plant at specifically that time of year.

“That's why I gotta come with you, no question asked. Panopyra blooming coincides with some species mating season. Animals go crazy and get extra aggressive around the plants. It's like they get in a trance. What was your plan if you came across an animal in heat? This could be lethal even for us Na'vi.” Now that he'd thrown that frightening possibility in her face, she felt foolish for not having thought of it sooner. She could be so naive, even though she knew the dangers that lurked in every limb of the lush greenery. All deadly to a tiny alien being like her. “Stay close to me,” he said in a peremptory tone as he cleared a passage through the dense network of shrubs. A sort of command that irritated her beyond belief. However, what bothered her even more was realizing she wasn't irritated at all. The unfamiliar note that tainted his voice, making it scratchy and an octave deeper, went straight to her abdomen; where she felt slight persistent flutters tickling her belly. Like many butterflies flapping their wings in a swirl. Another characteristic to add to the list of missed things during the years away, holed up within the human outpost's aseptic walls. When the boyish huskiness had yielded to the incumbent adult tonality. A full-bodied texture, soft and even a little dark, resonated in his throat in an enveloping musicality like a warm blanket. Yet one that knew how to mess with her head. She felt the pressing need to explain herself, to take the scientists' side. For yes, as much as the lab concentrated a handful of the brightest minds on Earth, in some regards, their genius made them fearfully ingenuous; they got an almost childlike confidence. As if the research spirit, to always go one step further than the acknowledged, silenced the inclination of self-preservation. Blind and unable to conceive of the existence of danger. Wasn't that also part of their charm, though? People who still looked at the world with the wonder of their inner child.

Celeste supposed she looked just like that in Neteyam's eyes: a baby.

“It was me who pushed for it.” “This is an avatar job,” he stoned sternly, “And why were you alone to begin with? How come you didn't ask one of us to come with you? Someone to keep you safe.” He gritted his teeth, “Ha! You're even fucking unarmed.” She had never seen him so heated, which made her hesitant to respond. “Hm... these plants are close to the lab, so I thought—.” “You thought? Going into the forest unescorted and defenseless. You call it thinking?” His look was fierce, burning, and untamable, it pinned her to her spot. “No, you haven't put any thought into it. The lab is located in the farthest corner of the clan's territory, right on the border with neighboring clans. Imagine if you stumbled upon a total stranger in my place. You're lucky I didn't hurt you, Celeste!” Anguished filled his voice.

She was lucky he didn't kill her.

Where was all that anger coming from? He hadn't felt this way when he'd crossed her shortly before, regardless of the way. Something had clicked the instant she'd told him he didn't need to go with her. That sentence did hit a nerve. Was she really so unwise as to ignore what lay behind tall trees and in thick bushes? Even Spider, despite being all too prone to let Lo'ak influence get the better of him, dared not challenge the forest. Or maybe it was a consequence of that unfounded sense of rejection that had made his heart sink? She didn't want him there.

Well, why should she? They barely knew each other by now. And for that, Neteyam would always blame himself; he had left her to her own devices. Though aware of her reluctant nature, and her need for constant prodding, he'd stopped trying to bring her out of her shell at some point. I'll see her tomorrow. We can watch a movie if she's not up for coming to the village.Tomorrow I'll take her to the clearing. Nah, we're skipping that, going to the waterfall. Yeah, I'm sure she gonna love it.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. A tomorrow that never happened.

Time had passed anyway, and now he stood before a young woman with whom he had no common ground, nothing to hold to apart from the fond memory of a feeling that once bound them together. With whom his initial reaction was to scold her, his own detested paternalistic attitude surfacing. The forever babysitter.

Great job, Neteyam, really. Congrats, he gave himself a sarcastic tongue-lashing.

“I felt like going out.” The whisper possessed the disarming impact of a shout, hinting at an unspoken longing between the words. “Sorry,” he said, halting his steps, “I shouldn't have.” Against all logic, she mustered a smile for him, but it appeared more strained and pained than heartfelt. “Thanks.” Neteyam cast a quizzical look her way, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. His mistreatment still stung, like a slap across the face. Why thanking him? “For caring about me.”

Although locals considered the panopyra to be at the extreme of a plant, it actually didn't approach any taxonomic concept of the same. Somewhere in between plants, animals, and fungi. Because of its sensory tissues and saprophytic lifestyle, scientists classified this species as a zoopantae. Its shape resembled a jellyfish and represented an evolutionary lineage close to a primitive form of nervous system. As an epiphyte, it grew attached to the branches of trees via tentacle-like outgrowths, with which it formed a symbiotic strategy. A curious feature was it grew upside down, transforming its body into a sort of cup, from which natives collected dew and mist to make a nutritious, nourishing drink, and the motive of its Na'vi name. But that wasn't its only use; the vine-like stems were strong and flexible, perfect for making nets, traps, and woven objects of any kind. Furthermore, the phosphorescent tips lured in unsuspecting prey with their faint electrical signals, yet they appeared to serve a purpose beyond that. The latter caught the attention of the research team. The sensory cells seemed to have an aphrodisiac effect during flowering when the spores fluttered in the air. Young Na'vi frequently wore them while searching for a mate.

Did that truly reflect the reality, though? Did panopyra alter hormones so strongly that it led to a state of mental instability? Or was it pure chance that animals displayed exceptionally unusual behaviour in the presence of the plant while facing heat? The plan was to gather samples, find the source of the bioluminescence, synthesize it, and conduct field trials. Celeste never imagined that arriving at the site during the bloom height accompanied by a Na'vi man would cause her to go straight to the experiments. Nor did she herself word become the lab rat.

The zooplantae structure grew near Utraya Mokri (Tree of Voices); a sacred place to the Omatikaya, to which they weren't normally allowed access. A rule they had never dared to evade, even as children, and the girl was quite impressed with Neteyam's idea. Other colonies were nearby, she suggested, but the young man argued that their location ventured too far into the dense forest. Eclipse was upon them; the sunset's warm orange light colored everything the dying sun could reach. Night was looming - the time of day when predators were at their busiest. Neteyam would never purposely endanger her if he could avert it. He was a pragmatic man, of innate wisdom for his age, always opting for the most favorable outcomes scenario. He would worry later about the consequences of violating the purity of this place (assuming anyone found out). As if coming there at that particular time of the year wasn't equally reckless, if not more so. However, Celeste was human. Nothing should have taken place, right? Just indigenous species were subjected to the hypnotic effect of panopyra, so on her, it wouldn't have resulted in any behavioral changes. And without a potential mate, reflexively Neteyam could consider himself safe.

Right? To his misfortune, he would find out the hard way.

If only scientists had consulted the clan, they would have their answer by now, but he had learned from an early age that confirmation from them was not enough. Humans had to have proof, tangible and repeated demonstration of a phenomenon through the scientific method. Opinion formulated on empirical basis was not reliable; they had to thumb their noses at it. And the two of them were going to rub all their noses in it!

Neteyam watched her at arm’s length as she took notes in her haphazard handwriting alongside pen sketches. Attentive eyes never left her slender figure except to check their surroundings, ears flicking at every little rustle or distant call. When he looked back at her for the umpteenth time, Celeste was squatting in front of a budding panopyra whose stems she was prodding with her pen. Despite the new model mask, her senses were not sharpened enough to fully feel the fragrance the plant was releasing with every slightest touch. Her weak eyesight could not see how the spore dust clung to her, unlike him. And that detail would have been easy to ignore, except that it accentuated the delicious scent of her skin even more.

It was powdery, sensual, and velvety, with the central notes of peach combined with citrus, centifolia, and jasmine. But the enchantment occurred in the mysterious background of her perfume; where the spices, cinnamon, amber, and subtle hint of underbrush blended with her epidermis. She felt stuffy, but the trail of the lab that lingered on her was also part of what the woman was all about.

Just a little more. Celeste had almost finished jamming the tip of the last stem into the slide. Just a little more and they would be gone. He could start breathing again. Even a small distance weakened the intensity of the plant's influence. He could have held on, except…

“Shit!” moaned the girl in a ragged sigh as she shook her left hand. Neteyam’s already flaring senses snapped and without registering the movement, he was on her. Her hand, whose wrist he was clutching, a palm away from his face. He inhaled so eagerly, Neteyam, that for a moment she feared the skin would peel off her fingers, which were sprinkled with viscous nectar. His nostrils flared and his mouth twisted into an ecstatic smile from which his canines sprouted, longer and sharper than they had ever seemed.

She dared not breathe a word, Celeste, as the Na’vi tugged her wrist higher and his nose took up her arm to the crook of her neck, where his hot breath gave her goosebumps.

“T-teyam,” the tone was hesitant, but the nickname sounded like an invitation. His eyelids, which had remained closed up to that point, snapped shut, revealing two impossibly gigantic eyes. Na’vi eyes had always made some impression on her. So big and round. They reminded those of lemurs. But now, wide apart at their largest, a little protruding and out of proportion, with the pupil reduced to a dot and so yellow as to glow, they had something sinister. The twin orbs stared at her with the sly insistence of a tarsier; they seemed to peer into her soul, and Celeste was astonished to feel fascination rather than revulsion or fear.

Then, all of a sudden, the pupils widened until they covered the iris almost entirely, and there the chills preyed on her whole body, and her heart beat wildly fast. “Muntxa (mate),” was the only word that eluded his dry lips; the cavernous, grave voice rose from his throat in the beginning of a roar. Celeste squeaked as he towered over her under his weight, the turf making a soft bed. Neteyam’s hands ran all over her body as he searched for access to her clothing. His tail rolled possessively over one of her thighs. He rubbed his chin against her trapeze with the stubbornness of a cat marking its territory. And that was what he was doing. He was releasing his wake so that other males would stay away from her.

She was his.

Normally, a Na’vi male would have been satisfied with that, but not Neteyam. Not when rivals included humans as well. And especially not in a hallucinogenic state. He would leave nothing to chance; in fact, he bit her, slowly but sufficiently for his tongue to be stained with the taste of her blood, and sucked greedily where a female of his species would have a particular gland. An extra scruple to warn even those fools enough to dare to ignore tsaheylu. The moan of pain that rose from Celeste’s lips was like music to his ears. “My tawtute’s so delicate. My fragile little mate.”

He repeated that phrase again, and again, and again. The word muntxate became a litany that stunned her. She felt soft in his muscular arms; Neteyam could have picked her up with a spoon. She barely felt the tickle of the wafer-thin white strands that snaked under her clothes and ran up her body to the nape.

The roots of the Tree of Voices.

Suddenly, her mind became incredibly alert. She could feel... everything. The strength of the tree’s mighty roots anchoring themselves in the ground, the sap flowing through the leaves in the same rhythm as the blood in her veins. The deep connection bordering on the supernatural that she felt with the surrounding nature was indescribable. And, more surprisingly, she could breathe Pandora’s air without feeling asphyxiated by its toxic texture. Yet she didn’t feel complete. Something was still missing. Something that might have seemed infinitesimal in the immense network that connected all things together, but for the reality reduced to her person was much more. Imposing. That was everything.

Neteyam.

Celeste opened her eyes, and everything seemed to stop. No longer the rustle of leaves or the buzz of twilight animals. The forest, the sky, the distinction between day and night, light and dark. All vanished. Only Neteyam existed. The warmth of his body, the steadiness in his gaze, the gentleness of his voice that rang in her ears, although he had not uttered a word.

They stared at each other for a long time. She confused, he enraptured. A wide smile crossed his face from side to side, and his eye sockets shone as if he were about to cry as he caressed her cheek and kissed her with a newfound gentleness. She had never seen him smile like that, which made her heartbeat quicken more than the kiss itself. His kisses were caressing, engaging. They guided her as if they were dancing, as if they were trying to teach her the steps of a fast, but also languid and sentimental waltz. Celeste recognized Neteyam’s true soul there, despite his aggression.

Ma’yawne, she heard him say, though without speaking. How could she when their lips were still clinging to each other in a cuddle that was getting hotter and hotter? The rhythm with which they mingled pressed in unison with the speed of his thoughts, of his sensations pouring into her as if they were her own.

He slid more on top of her, pinning her to the ground with a voracious kiss as he trudged to remove her shoes. His fingers quarreled with the laces, then went up her calf, her knee, her pelvis, until there was nothing left to separate them. He inhaled her pleasant fragrance and immediately felt different, more vigorous. The innate and almost animalistic recognition that this was his female, the member of his own species to which he was predestined. But how was that possible?

Sucking the breath from her lungs, his wet kisses lingered on her lips, letting the desire to burrow into her skin and be taken creep ever stronger. They were bathed in a cloud of spores that blurred his vision, but he didn’t need his sight to know where Celeste’s warm irises were. He could feel them searching for him in the haze, wandering over his face and crossing to his own.

This makes no sense, she thought. You are Na’vi; he laid a hand on her chest, Your heart is Na’vi. Their mouths didn’t come off for a second. I shouldn’t be feeling all this. Feeling you.

One of his hands slipped until he found his braid and lifted it in front of her. Celeste followed it in length until her gaze landed where the tips of his hair revealed the nerves of his tswin. A myriad of emotions followed on her face.

Bewilderment. Surprise. Awareness. And finally… Embarrassment.

His kuru was connected to the tubular outgrowth, anchoring to her nape. The ultimate intimacy. Ripples of light spread around them, two atokirina dancing together in the air.

Nawna Sa’nok accepted you as her daughter. His eyes were luminous, honest, infinitely deep. I am with you now, Cel. We are mated for life.

He laid his head down, and her arms enfolded him. They started exploring each other with sparkling eyes. Neteyam went to his knees and stared at her with trembling anticipation. Celeste just nodded, looking at him with eyes full of meaning. Their mouths found themselves again, with even more passion, overwhelming frustration, almost fury. She clung to his forearms as if it were worth her life; she wouldn’t let him go. Arching her back, she clung to him as she stroked the stripes on his back and shoulders, then intertwined her fingers in his hair when Neteyam moved his lips to cover every inch of skin to her intimacy.

And so he tasted her. Sensual and tender, his thumbs caressing her asscheeks as he slowly slid his tongue into her womanhood to get a better taste. His tongue and the way it pressed against her walls made her push her head against the moss and let him explore her further. A small tingle in her lower abdomen told her how much she wanted him, how much she needed his touch, craved it.

“So soft,” Neteyam murmured against her skin, kissing and squeezing the fat of her thigh. She relished in the way his mouth sucked at her skin, leaving marks that would last for days.  He giggled and began to draw circles around her cunt, watching Celeste squirm beneath him. Her only thoughts were how desperately she wanted to ride his smug face. And his ability to know exactly what she was thinking was shaking. Tsaheylu, baby. He tilted his head to look at her flushed expression. Her breath caught as she expected him to fuck her with his tongue, already a whimpering mess, and he hadn’t even started yet. Ride my face. His demanding tone only added to her excitement and the speed of her heartbeat. Celeste moved back and forth on his tongue as he watched her with hooded eyes, moaning at her taste. She grabbed his hair with both hands and picked up the pace, disengaging herself and waiting for the rush to hit. The intense sensation in her stomach revealed its formidable power. “Oh fuck,” she whimpered, throwing her head back as she continued to pleasure herself on top of his big mouth. “T-teyam—. I’m about to cum!” An animalistic growl was all she got in return. His fingers plunged into her thighs, trying to steady himself as she lost her mind against him. “Oh-oh, shit! Shit, shit, shit. Cumming!” It drained her of all energy, leaving her limp in his arms. A whine of his name echoed through the air as he licked a long strip down her folds to her core, which, thanks to the bond, went straight to his cock. And so a surge of courage came over him as he inserted a digit into her sex, enjoying the little gasp she gave as he cupped it tightly in his hand. “Gonna let me breed your tight pussy, yawntu?” Another moan, this time coming from somewhere deep within. “Gonna carry my kids in that tiny belly of yours?” So that was the person he became in the darkness of his hut when he could be his true self with no filter. Her cheeks turned red. “T-that can’t happen, Tey. Different species can't get pregnant with each other.” “The Great Mother would make it possible. We’re meant to be.” He rubbed his still-clothed cock against her heat, massaging her clit. “Now, say it. Are you up for starting a family with me? Carry on my lineage? Say you want me to fill you up ’til your tummy swell with my heirs.”  “I-I…” “You? C’mon, open that pretty mouth of yours and tell me.” He didn’t stop to rub on her, he was driving her mad. “Y-yes! Gimme your cum, gimme your babies, gimme everything, Teyam!”  “At your command.” He tore off her thin clothes with one hand, shredding everything in one go, and threw her back onto the moss. Then he removed his tewng. His eyes never left her, growing darker by the second. The band of the hunting knife was plastered to his sculpted chest, so sturdy, drawn by hard work. Soon, every layer that separated them was gone.

For goodness’ sake, Celeste’s eyes seemed to fall out of their sockets. Neteyam was huge.

“It will never fit.” He let go of her legs to give her a hard, sloppy kiss, pulling her lower lip between his canines, a move that sent waves of glee throughout her whole body and the bond.  “Everything will be fine. Just trust me, yawntutsyìp.” He used his fingers to gently pull her lips apart, catching a glimpse of her wet cunt. Celeste shuddered at his touch as he moved his thumb over her swollen clit. She sighed his name as his leaky tip probed against her ring. He moved it along her swollen clit, still feeling her swollen folds throbbing from her orgasm. He pushed in with a hiss and her mouth fell wide open from the stretch, his cock ready to tear her apart. “Wiya (damn), so fuckin’ tight,” he threw his head back, grip tightening around the back of her knees as he worked his way into her. He smirked as he watched his length disappear inside her clenching walls, his hips beginning to move. “There you go, scarfing it down.” The human girl bit down on her lip when his tip pushed against her G-spot.

Celeste raised herself up just enough on her elbows to watch the point where their bodies connected, to see his gigantic dick disappear and reappear, disappear and reappear, wondering how his fragile little body could accommodate it so well, amazed at the bulge inside her belly. Her lips could be bleeding from how hard she bit them, her eyebrows knitted together. Desperate whimpers were the only sounds she could manage as his thrusts became so heavy she was sure she could feel him in her very core. His eyes were on fire, locked with hers. Enchanting. Rough hands went to the back of her neck, interlocking his fingers behind it, holding it in place as he rutted inside her. “We’re really meant to be. Shaped for each other so perfectly,” her folds squeezed him in after each sentence. He spoke with mirth; he was enjoying the way she was falling apart for him. 

She couldn’t tell what came over her, but when she reached to grab him by his shoulders and pull him with all her strength on top of her, she sank her nails as hard as she could into his cerulean flesh, and then bit. Hard. Neteyam wailed from the pain; her teeth sharper than he ever thought. But the pain, mixed with pleasure, sent him over the moon.  He switched positions in a flash; Celeste was now on top of him as he held her in place. “Do it again. Bite me.” He took her by the nape of her delicate head against the column of his neck, turning just enough to expose himself to her. “Bite me. Right here,” he pointed, where below was the mating gland. Neteyam encouraged her by driving his hips upwards into her core, making her cry out; he just hit the spot that could make the human girl lose it.

She applied pressure to his neck, feeling it pulsate under her lips, and he started moving again, rushing his cock inside. “Don’t be afraid. Bite me with all you got.” Chomping down on the flesh with all her might, Neteyam’s jaw ticked in response, and the coppery taste of blood wet her tongue. “Y-yeah, yawne. Mark me like you own me.” His voice strained, shaky even, overwhelmed by just how much pleasure it was giving them both, with Neteyam thrusting as rough as he could. “Ma’ lor muntxate (my beautiful mate).” She put her entire weight into the bite that was chomping his trapeze, her mind flying out of her head as she felt him reaching his peak. Too much. His cock was opening her too rapidly, and Celeste couldn’t even sit straight anymore. "T-tey, I can't hang on for much longer." Pushing her onto the moss, and sliding right back into her gummy walls, he pinned both her wrists over her head, slamming himself inside her so deeply, it felt like he wanted to rip her apart. “Just a little bit, ma’tawtute. Almost there. Hold out for me.” His thrusts sped up to the point her whole frame bounced on the solid ground, whining and closing her eyes shut, orgasm approaching with full force. “Yes, yawne, just like that. You’re so good to me. Taking all of me so well.” 

Those praises pushed her over the edge, and soon she realized she was screaming his name and squirting all around him, while he was still hammering his own into her cervix. His hips lost control as he painted her walls with his warm cum, bawling from the strength of his climax. He didn’t stop even when Celeste was sure he’d given her everything he had to give, filling her to the brim with his load and continuing to slowly rock his hips into her overstimulated cunt.

After a moment, he looked down, his expression turning sorrowful, realizing what the intoxication had caused him to do, now that its hallucinogenic effects were wearing off.  “Cel, are you okay?” A tired nod was all she managed, still so out of it to concentrate on anything else but the sensation of his cum dripping down her tights. “I’m so, so sorry. What I did—.” She shushed him by laying a finger on his lips. “That was amazing. You are amazing. Whatever triggered this, it allowed me to look inside your heart and there was no will to force me to do anything.”

It was so bizarre how the same person who had just minutes before fucked her into oblivion was now staring at her with the most intense, loving eyes, his topaz eyes tugging at her heartstrings. “Nga yawne lu oer (I love you).”  “Nga yawne lu oer nìteng (I love you too).” 

The happiness that simple words brought to him was impossible to contain, as Neteyam laid on his side to cradle her in his arms. He whispered words of adoration and gentle praise in her ear, and it was this that caused Celeste to drift off into a much-needed sleep.

A whole new life awaiting.

Special thanks to @pandoraslxna for the prompt!!

[@neteyamssyulang sorry I didn't you right away, I was so eager to post that I forgot😅]

[eight-cats-in-a-box]

Lore for my Phoenix!!!! Long post so it's under the cut OwO @dandorime

Agent Phoenix, also known as [REDACTED], is the Agency's best operative, with successful missions numbering in the dozens under their belt. This file requires Level 5 security clearance.

[CARD ACCEPTED]

Agent Phoenix, hereafter referred to as either "Phoenix" or "Agent", also known as Leonidas Orion Bates, is the Agency's best operative, with their unique gift of resurrection allowing them to complete missions without a fluke- perhaps not the first time, but it's only a matter of time and iteration until they can complete it.

Phoenix had a fairly normal upbringing, with nothing of note occurring until their eighteenth birthday, when they were kidnapped by Zoraxis operatives on their way to a party. They would spend the next five years captive there. It is unclear why they were chosen, and Phoenix has declined to comment.

During those years, Phoenix was Pavlov'd into complete obedience by [REDACTED], their Zoraxis handler. [Note from R.C: Their handler was a horrible person, and quite frankly, I'm glad she's dead.] This was accomplished with a high-voltage shock collar. Phoenix has declined to elaborate further, for good reason.

They were renamed "Sicarius" ["killer" in Latin], and used as an assassin/executioner for Zor themself. This left Phoenix quite damaged, both physically and mentally. They have expressed a fear of harming their loved ones, and although the scars from the shock collar have faded, they're still visible on occasion.

Phoenix showed up at the Agency Headquarters in London on 04/09/XXXX, looking exhausted. They were taken into custody, and promised to give freely the information that they had on Zor's plans in exchange for sanctuary.

Their first Agency handler necessitated a transfer. It took a long time for them to trust their second Handler, due to mistrust not only from their Zoraxis handler, but their first Agency handler as well. [Note from R.C:I made sure that [REDACTED] got fired. What they did to Phoenix was inexcusable.] However, post-Operation: Death Engine, they opened up a bit more, and the two are now fast friends.

Phoenix has expressed a concerning willingness to kill, maim, and otherwise maul the enemies of those they are close to. This has been kept in check by their handler, but there are occasions on which they are permitted to...let loose. [See Incident Report 089.]

Post-Operation: Rising Phoenix, Agent Phoenix's handler, Reginald Crane, had informed Agency Director Ricardo Morales that if Phoenix were truly dead, he would be handing in his resignation, effective immediately. Two weeks later, the Agent initiated the Recommunication Protocol at Control Point Babadag. [Note from R.C: To say I was ecstatic would be a gross understatement.]

Post-activation, Phoenix informed Crane that none other than John Juniper was in their custody, and they were helping him recover. Juniper was later taken to an Agency hospital to recover, and allow Phoenix to focus on thwarting Doctor Roxana Prism, who had recently allied with Dr. Zor.

[Note from R.P: The two seem to have a dynamic similar to that of siblings. Phoenix regularly instigates arguments with J.J, and vice versa, but they have started all-out brawls because of someone else bullying the other. It's very strange. See Incident Report 087.]

After Operation: KBOOM, Prism was taken into Agency custody, but was released after both Agent Phoenix and Crane threatened to leave the Agency if she were not released.

Phoenix eventually befriended and even wooed the Doctor, and they have a very healthy relationship. Crane has expressed his approval, although Juniper was seen "shovel-talking" Prism. It seems he is rather protective over Phoenix, as Phoenix is with him.

Phoenix also stole the kinesium the Agency confiscated [namely, the sample taken from Robutler], and returned it to Prism, along with Right Robot. Phoenix returned to the Agency HQ looking quite smug, and declined to comment on their disheveled state.

Phoenix currently resides in California, with Prism, Right Robot, Robutler, and several cats. [Note from A.P: Their names are Buzz, Gracie, Lucy, Betty, Cheddar, Bill, Frank, Honey, Flip-Flop, and Sandal.]

INCIDENT REPORT 087

INCIDENT FILER: [REDACTED]

Agent Phoenix has left no less than four agents in critical condition, and at least ten more with non-serious injuries after an all-out brawl they started in the canteen. When asked why, they simply replied, "No one is allowed to bully Agent Clover [John Juniper] except me." [Note from J.J: Aww, they do care.]

Disciplinary action has not been taken, as their Handler has interfered.

End report.

INCIDENT REPORT 088

INCIDENT FILER: [REDACTED]

Agent Phoenix, who has now returned to normal, was reported as seeming rather dazed and looking around as though they had lost something at 17:26. They left the building at 17:32, and Doctor Roxana Prism reported seeing them at her doorstep at 18:49, with symptoms similar to that of Zor's Project Eidolon. [Glowing eyes, bigger physical presence, oddly robotic movements]

However, when Prism opened the door, Phoenix did not attack her, as other Eidolon were wont to do. They instead told her that they were "awaiting commands." [Note from R.C: I've always said that not even God himself could make Phoenix harm Roxana. It's nice to know I'm right.]

This loyalty/obedience lasted until Phoenix was returned to normal, and save for more sass, there hasn't been much change. [Note from A.P: Because there wasn't, really. I'd do anything for the ones I love. I think the only thing that changed was my accent, honestly.]

End report.

INCIDENT REPORT 089

INCIDENT FILER: REGINALD CRANE

Doctor Roxana Prism, who is currently recovering in the medbay of Agency HQ, was recently kidnapped by Zoraxis, possibly as a last resort due to the failure of Project: Eidolon. Agent Phoenix and myself found her at Zor's base in Jasper, Nevada. The place was crawling with guards, so we made a plan.

Phoenix was already on edge, and getting twitchier every second. So, I allowed them to clear the way for the both of us to rescue Roxana.

It was...brutal, to say the least. To say they were covered in blood not their own would be an understatement. [Note from R.P: I didn't exactly mind, honestly. The dry-cleaning bill was awful, though.]

Roxana was extracted without further incident, and the Zoraxis base was demolished.

End report.

INCIDENT REPORT 090

INCIDENT FILER: Agent Clover [John Juniper]

Agent Phoenix has recently landed themself in the medbay (again) after attempting to down three entire bottles of moonshine on a bet. Suffice to say, they won. Unfortunately, the upgrade the Agency provided them with (that was supposed to be for poisoning) did not hold up to the stress.  I had to hold their hair back while they vomited for nearly half an hour, and as both their girlfriend and their Handler were busy, I had to take care of them as well.  I will be sending the Agency my dry-cleaning bill.

End Report.

INCIDENT REPORT 091

INCIDENT FILER: [REDACTED] Agent Phoenix is currently recovering in the medbay after a massive brawl between them and at least seventeen other agents, as well as security, which left them with a broken nose and three broken ribs. When asked what their motivations were, they declined comment, but a bystander said that they had apparently over heard someone mentioning Doctor Roxana Prism's history with Zoraxis, which enraged Phoenix to the point of picking a fight with an agent nearly twice their size and his group of friends. [Note from A.P: I don't even have a defense for this one. Love makes you do stupid things, and I love Roxy more than I love fire and alcohol.] Doctor Prism declined comment.

End Report.

[agentmarymargaretskitz]

@wwheeljack asked: A cuddle pile/some comfort for the original four after a mission during the TCW era, perhaps? Maybe Cross was injured and Tech supports him? Need some gen with the original four badly.

(CW for injuries. Also I’m writing this on my tablet as I am in the middle of moving. Yay. However, this was a lot of fun to write on a break)

“Crosshair, get to the ship!” Hunter ordered over the comm channel.

Τhe sniper ignored his older brother’s command and realigned his next shot up in he tree. Another droid’s head sailed off while the body hit the dirt. B1s were almost too easy at this point for him to pick off, even though Clone Force 99 had received combat clearance five months ago. It had hit the point where he and Wrecker created a competition to see who could take out the most in a standard week. Loser scrubbed down the can.

Crosshair had no intention of losing this week.

Two more shots. Two more heads.

“Get down now, Crosshair!”

“You’re not clear yet,” he argued back, peering up from the scope to see them running for him. “Hold on.”

Tech’s voice now came onto the channel. “You have done sufficient damage. Now please get down from there.”

“Ugh, you-“

Shots came firing at him now. Crosshair pulled his scope back up to see a wave of B2s flanking a tank. He positioned the barrel to get a shot right through the barrel of the tank. One shot, and then-

The tank fired first and splinters erupted below him. Crosshair tore his helmet away as the branch he was seated on suddenly gave way.

“Crosshair!” Wrecker screeched.

He must have been twenty five feet high above the fast-approaching ground. Someone was screaming. Instinctively, Crosshair closed before he hit the ground. His whole body jolted by the impact when something harder than dirt struck his side. For a moment, breathing was a forgotten bodily function.

“Crosshair!”

His mouth opened to suck in a deep breath. Instantly, pain crackled around his rib cage. Crosshair blinked his eyes open to see Hunter sprinting towards him, yelling something he didn’t comprehend.

He closed his eyes again.

~!~

“Crosshair.”

He didn’t remember falling asleep.

“Crosshair, you must respond.”

“Go,” he whined, but his chest ached when he inhaled and opened his eyes.

The first thing that struck the sniper was the interior of the Marauder, followed by the realization of laying flat upon his bunk. Hanging off the edge of the rack was his twin brother, typing rapid fire onto his datapad. Tech paused for a moment and looked back at him before reaching into one of his multiple pouches.

“There’s not rocks in there again, are there?” Crosshair attempted to joke until he saw a tube of bacta come out of the pouch.

Tech fixed him with an unimpressed expression. “Had I known those sedimentary deposits I collected for geological examination would take up so much space, I would have left most of the samples behind. That incident also occurred four months ago. Now, how are you feeling?”

“Like I went a couple rounds with that trainer who had the lip ring,” he sighed.

Tech leaned down and pulled up their well-used medical kit to take out a gauze package. “I suppose falling from such a height could be compared to combat training against Lees Bardeux. Fortunately, you only broke two ribs, cracked three others, and suffered a moderate abrasion to your temple.”

“Which you’re lucky for.”

Crosshair now realized Hunter stood right behind him, arms crossed. His face seemed to be trying to scowl, except his eyes were somewhat shiny. Seeing that was enough to make the sniper feel crappier while Tech applied the bacta and gauze to his head wound. Hunter always internalized every failure like Crosshair did, although Hunter did it with things that weren’t even his fault.

“I’m alive,” Crosshair quipped, hoping to squash Hunter’s guilt with ill humor.

Unfortunately, the scowl dropped and Hunter looked frustrated instead. “For once, can you just listen to orders?”

A reply of how that went against what their squad did was on the tip of Crosshair’s tongue. However, he found the words difficult to say out loud. Sure, he was a cold-hearted piece of shit. Hurting his brother drowning in guilt though…that would be taking it too far.

“Next time, I’ll listen the first time,” Crosshair promised, hoping it would appease his brother.

The sergeant seemed satisfied with that. Tech gave Hunter a somewhat smug look before Wrecker appeared around the corner. “You didn’t tell me he was awake!”

“Good news, Crosshair is awake,” Tech said bluntly.

Crosshair chuckled before his ribs protested again. “Kriff.”

“You should be feeling better in a few days,” his twin explained, returning his gaze to the datapad. “Unfortunately, you will need to rest and use cold packs, as well as sleep upright and perform a few breathing exercises. Fortunately, none of your vital organs have been perforated.”

“Goodie.”

“We flew outta no man’s land into that Republic-occupied area while you were out,” Wrecker explained as he started pulling the blankets from the other bunks. “Also, we ‘lost’ the comm signal after General Windu kept asking Hunter what happened.”

“Droids get it?” Crosshair asked.

“Chewed wires,” Tech corrected, a gleam in his eye. “Such a surprise for a vessel such as ours, but these things happen.”

Hunter nodded. “They scraped away enough coating before cutting them that even I can’t tell the difference.”

The sniper laughed again before remembering it hurt. “Ow.”

Hunter dropped down and brought their heads together, ruffling Crosshair’s hair. “Still, thanks for covering our asses.”

“Who else are you going to get to do the job?” Crosshair quipped back

[yukisetsura]

Impress me with your story, and win a chance to get FREE cover art! It can be for original or fanfics! I need more samples to open comm 🫶

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[mymoodwriting]

5.9k, yandere, manipulation, mind control, deceit, assault, torture, heist, guns, drugs, revelations, kidnapping, guns, character death (@xcharlottemikaelsonx)

“I… I can’t do this…”

     It wasn’t just the fact that you were staring down the man you had tried to hurt before, or the fact that you would have to dive into his head again, it was just you not trusting yourself. Taemin had always been patient with you, but even you were getting annoyed with yourself, so you could only imagine how he felt. He didn’t show it or anything, which made you more concerned. Or maybe he had more patience than you did.

“How about we take a break and try again later.” Taemin suggested. “You’re probably hungry.”

“Yeah…”

     Taemin went with you to get some food, and you were happy to see Taeyong there. You sat with him, and Taemin excused himself to attend to other things.

“How’s your training?”

“I think I’m improving? At least that’s what Taemin says.”

“Do you not think so?”

“I just… I don’t know if I can do what he’s asking.”

“Mind control?

“Yeah…”

“How come? It seems only natural that you should be able to do something like that.”

“But isn’t it… cruel… making people do things against their will…”

“You’re not necessarily making them do anything bad, are you? I can’t see you making someone hurt themselves or others.” 

“Then what could I do?”

“Make them stop hurting themselves or others. You’re seeing your powers only in a negative light because all you’ve seen yourself do is bad things, isn’t it? You never meant to hurt us before, and I know you wouldn’t mean to now.”

“Hmm…”

“Don’t be scared of your powers, and don’t push yourself too much, okay?”

“I’ll do my best. What about you though? How’s your training?”

“One day I’ll be as powerful as you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Your powers are very cool.”

“So are yours. I can have all the Taeyong’s I want.”

“Aren’t you greedy?”

“Nothing wrong with that.”

     Taeyong stayed with you, doing his best to bring a smile to your face and ease your worries. You did feel better by the time Taemin came to get you, and you certainly had a different mindset too. Taeyong had been right, your powers could do bad things, but also good things, and it was up to you to decide how to use them. Although that meant gaining control, if you couldn’t control yourself, you could hurt people.

“So what exactly… do you want me to do?”

“Huh?”

“What do I make him do?”

“Anything really, that is what you’re capable of.” Taemin explained. “But I guess something simple for starters. Like make him dance to your favorite song.”

“Okay…”

     You still didn’t want to go back into that room, but you felt more determined this time. Your little test subject was tied up and gagged. You were safe, and all you had to do was make him dance. You took a deep breath and focused your thoughts. You thought of your favorite song, thinking of the dance that went along with it. You wanted to see it, you let the idea fill your head, and then thought of sharing it with your friend here. You could already share thoughts with other people, now it was about intentions. 

    You meant no harm, you just wanted something to be done, and in a sense you were asking, just somewhat removing the possibility of rejection. After a moment you saw your friend moving about. Of course their actions were limited but you were actually surprised. You could see the confusion in their eyes as well, but they were responding to what you wanted to do. Perhaps it wasn’t really something to be excited over, but you were. 

“Taemin… am… am I doing it?”

    Besides watching you, Taemin kept a close eye on the monitors he had reading your brainwaves and patterns. He was certainly detecting a change, and Baekhyun had already pulled up your other records to compare.

“It’s different for sure, but we’d need more than one sample to compare.”

“Obviously.” Taemin turned on the comms. “I think so. Why not try something else, maybe make him sing.”

“Sing?”

“Remove the gag, but make sure he doesn’t try anything before you do so.”

“Try anything?”

“If he’s dancing around at your request. I’m sure you can ask him to keep quiet and still.”

“Right…”

    You took a deep breath and refocused your thoughts, wanting him to sit still and relax. Once he stopped moving and you felt it was safe to do so, you reached over and removed the gag. He didn’t speak, which was a good first sign. You kept your thoughts focused and asked him to sing a song for you. Of course you didn’t say anything out loud, feeding him the words and watching in awe as he repeated, in a song voice too.

“Taemin, this is so cool!”

“You’re doing great.”

    Taemin glanced over at the screens, seeing the comparisons. There were minor differences which he could say were the result of different commands given, but overall he could see the base formation.

“Is this what you wanted?” Baekhyun asked. “What are you going to do now?”

“I need to run my own tests first…”

    Taemin didn’t realize that you had started asking questions. You were just asking out of curiosity and didn’t really mean harm by it, but he knew things could spiral in a bad direction if you continued.

“Do you have a family?”

“No.”

“How come?”

“My job wouldn’t allow it.”

“So you’re alone.”

“Yes.”

“Why? Is the job really worth that?”

“I didn’t have a choice.”

“You didn’t? What does that mean?”

“When you get involved with the Organization, you don’t get to leave alive.”

“You must know a lot of secrets…”

“I do.”

“Your job was to look after Taemin, right?”

“Yes.”

“What do you think of him?”

“He’s dangerous, and manipulative.”

“Is he trustworthy?”

“No.”

“Do you think I-”

    The door opening startled you a bit, but it was just Taemin. He offered you a smile and gagged your test subject.

“How do you feel?”

“Good. I did it right?”

“Yes. I’m quite impressed and proud. You should probably rest too, you just did something incredible and new.”

“I can’t wait to tell the others.”

“I’m sure they’ll be excited to hear too. Why don’t you go with Kai and find something sweet as a prize.”

“That sounds good.”

    Kai had been waiting by the door and you happily went along with him. Taemin waited a moment before shutting the door behind him, and taking a seat. He had brought a tablet with him, focusing on it for a moment.

“You know I can hear your thoughts right.” The subject grew stiff. “You’re freaking out cause it’s just me and you now. But you’re mostly concerned about her, because she’s with me.”

“…”

“Now you’re probably wondering how it is that I can read your mind. She can, that’s her power, but that’s not something I’m capable of. I’d agree with you, but given how far I was pushed, it is now something I am very capable of doing. So let’s run some tests, shall we. I’m going to remove this gag and I want you to tell me everything I want to know. I’ll know if you’re lying to me, but if this all goes well, you won’t be able to.”

❤

“Taeyong! I did it!”

    You were so overjoyed to see one of your boys, and you couldn’t contain your excitement. You had been running around looking for someone and found Taeyong in the gym. You didn’t care he was covered in sweat, just running up to him and hugging him.

“Woah, woah, where’s the party?”

“I did it! I used my powers like you said I could.”

“Oh, really? What did you do?”

“I had them dance and sing for me.”

“Wow, see, that’s not bad at all.”

“Taemin was so proud of me!”

“I am too. And I’m sure the others will be when they hear about this.”

“We should go find them and tell them.”

“I think they’re a bit busy, so we can let them know later.”

“Oh, okay.”

“How about I clean up first and then you can show me what you can do.”

“I don’t wanna use my powers on you…”

“You’re not gonna hurt me? Maybe just make me do a silly dance, right?”

“Still…”

“I trust you, and it’s important to practice, isn’t it.”

“Yes.”

“Alright then.”

    You were still nervous about using your powers, you only barely discovered your new powers, but Taeyong’s confidence and trust in you put you at ease. You found a quiet room for the both of you to use. At first you had Taeyong dance with you, having him follow your steps, and then sing nonsense. Although you weren’t entirely sure he wasn’t just amusing you.

“Taeyong…”

“Hm?”

“If I ask you to be honest with me… will you?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“Have you… lied to me before?”

“… I… why…”

“Answer me… please.”

“Why would you ask…” Taeyong was speaking through his teeth, feeling something in the back of his head telling him not to lie. “Y/n… what…”

“Something’s been… different lately… with you at least… and I want to know what.”

“Y/n…”

“I know you all want to keep me safe, but I hate being left out like this. I don’t want you guys keeping secrets or doing dangerous things because of me. I also don’t want to force an answer out of you, but if I can do that…”

“Stop it… you’re not like this…”

“Then just tell me without making me-”

“What’s going on here?”

    Taemin entering the room interrupted everything. Taeyong jumped to his feet, as did you, suddenly feeling shameful over your actions. You couldn’t even raise your head up.

“We were just practicing.” Taeyong explained. “She’s really improved a lot.”

“Ah, were you making him dance and sing too?”

“Yeah…”

“Why are you looking down though? Did you do something wrong?”

“I…”

“Nothing happened, we were just-”

“Quiet.”

“…”

“I was just practicing and might have gotten carried away…”

“Ah, I see. No one can lie to you anymore, power like that is tempting, isn’t it?”

“Yes…”

“So what is it you want to know?”

“Taeyong… is different… something…”

“Dangerous.”

“Huh?”

“I told you she would be dangerous.” Taemin commented, looking over at Taeyong. “Didn’t I?”

“Taemin, what-”

“Shall you use your power on me?”

“Uh…”

“Anything you want to know?”

“I can’t… my powers don’t work on you…”

“What powers?”

“Huh?”

    Taemin gently pet your head, smiling down at you. He seemed genuine, but there was something in his eyes you couldn’t quite make out.

“How fortunate of you to have such lovely boys around you, to look after you, and protect you.”

“I…”

“And now you have us as well.”

“Taemin… what…”

“Just breathe… this is for your own good.”

“Taemin…”

    You reached up to push Taemin away from you, your head getting fuzzy. This was an unfamiliar feeling, and you didn’t like it.

“Sh, just listen to my words. You know I speak the truth. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“Tae…”

“Easy now, easy…”

“Taeyong! It hurts…”

“Taemin, what are you doing!” Taeyong got you away from him. “What the hell!”

“I told you what my plan was from the start. You agreed with me.”

“You’re hurting her!”

“And was she not causing you pain just now? Trying to pry whatever truth out of you.”

“That’s different!”

“Are you going back on your words now? Because I can send you back to your creator if you’d prefer that.”

“There has to be another-”

    Taeyong flew across the room, crashing against the wall and being held against it. He tried to move, but he was pinned. Even if you were out of it, you were vaguely aware of the confrontation. You wanted to go to Taeyong, but Taemin pulled your focus back to him, staring you down. You felt a pressure in your head, but it slowly began to ease up.

“We are all here to protect you. We were blessed with such gifts, and we use them for you. It’s fortunate you weren’t cursed the way we were, you get to remain perfect as you are.”

“Me…”

“You don’t have any powers to burden you.”

“I don’t… I don’t have any powers…”

“You have us. That’s all you need, right?”

“That’s all… I need…”

“You don’t have to worry about us. We’ve got you.”

“You’ve got me…”

“Why don’t you get some rest, it’s been a long day.”

“I do… I…” You yawned. “I’m tired…”

    Taemin pulled you into his arms, gently rubbing your back. He glanced over at Taeyong who was glaring daggers at him. He dropped the other, picking you up in his arms. Taeyong scrambled over to stop Taemin.

“So this was what you meant?”

“Did you think I was gonna drug her?”

“Just making her forget she has powers is gonna work? Seriously?”

“As long as no one brings it up. I’ll make sure things go well.”

“What if she finds out, or uses them by accident.”

“I do have something to make sure she doesn’t use her powers anyway. Now, get out of my way.”

“She’ll be fine, right?”

“Yes.”

“Do the others know yet?”

“I’ll inform them when I return. I need to deal with y/n and then something else. Keep an eye on her for me once she wakes. Is that manageable?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Glad you’re still in my corner.”

❤

    Taeyong had been at your bed side, anxious. He felt guilty despite knowing he had done much worse himself. Still, he would just wait until you woke up and make sure you were still you. He remembered what you were like before all this nonsense, and this was a way for you to go back to all that. Taemin had been alone with you for a while before he was allowed to be with you. So he had no idea what else you had been told. As long as you were okay he could deal with whatever came next.

“Hm… Taeyong?”

“There you are… how do you feel?”

“Uh… my head is fuzzy, but I guess I slept more than I meant to.”

“Yeah, Taemin told me… where’s Taemin?”

“I believe he went out for a moment. He’ll be back soon.”

“Okay… and where are the others?”

“Busy. I’m sure they’re around somewhere.”

“Let’s go find them.”

“I think-”

    Before Taeyong could come up with some excuse you had gotten out of bed and were out the door. He quickly followed behind you, making sure you didn’t wander off and get lost. You still seemed to know your way around the base, and you didn’t seem completely lost. You were still yourself, as far as he knew, so he was glad about that.

“Ten!”

    You ran up to Ten when you saw him exit a room, embracing him in a hug. He was surprised to see you, but very happy as well.

“Y/n, hi, hi, what are you doing here?”

“I was just looking for you. Feels like forever since I’ve seen you all.”

“Cute, I feel the same.”

“How’s your training going? Taemin tells me you’ve all been doing well.”

“Of course, would you like to see?”

“Yes.”

    Ten led you down the hall where you saw a beautiful painting. You weren’t sure what he intended to show you since there was nothing else here.

“You were training in here?”

“Yup. I know it’s weird, but… I think it’s better to show you.”

    You watched as Ten put his hand on the painting, and it slowly began to fall apart. The colors melted off the canvas, the frame breaking apart. Your eyes went wide, somewhat horrified to see such a thing.

“What… how…”

“I know. I always thought my power was healing, but Taemin helped me realize it goes beyond that, it goes beyond what we thought was living.”

“But you didn’t… heal that painting… you destroyed it…”

“Not quite. I did heal it…”

“How?”

“Healing is like reversing time. When I’ve healed injuries before, I’ve stopped after a certain amount, but I could keep going… I could turn a flower back into a seed… and in this case… I’ve returned this painting to the basics. The canvas has been made blank again, the frame is back to the original wood it was, the colors are separate once again on the floor.”

“Oh…”

“It’s crazy, I know. I would never have imagined I could do something like this.”

“But can you put it back?”

“I wasn’t sure that was possible at first, but if my healing is really manipulating time, then it should go both ways. It seems impossible considering the paint on the floor, but even if I’ve deconstructed this all, all these pieces are connected.”

    Ten reached down and dipped his hands into the paint, mixing it all together again with his fingers. He then pressed his hand against the blank canvas, and slowly the color began to move on its own, what was left on the floor climbing up the wall and over the frame to return to where it once was, where it belonged. You watched this painting come back to life, restored to all its glory. Ten stepped back when he was done, looking at you with a smile.

“See.”

“Wow… that is pretty crazy.”

“And what about you? How’s your training?”

“Good. I bet I can take you in a fight.”

Ten chuckled. “I’m sure you could, but I meant the other training.”

“Other?”

    Taeyong had been quietly observing everything, well aware the conversation would eventually go down this path.

“Ten, there’s something we need to talk about.”

“What?”

“It’s complicated but-”

“Y/n, how’s your training with Taemin.”

“Ten!”

“He’s a good teacher. A lot of combat training.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Huh?”

    Taeyong grabbed Ten and dragged him out of the room, leaving you confused, but that was probably for the best. He wound up taking the other into the nearest room over and locking the door behind him for good measures.

“Look, there’s something you need to know.”

“Is she messing with me or something?”

“It’s complicated.”

“You said that already so explain.”

“Just, listen, you’re not gonna like it.”

“Like what?”

“Y/n did it…”

“Did what? Can you just say it!”

“She figured out how to control other people.”

“So? What does that have to do with any of this?”

“She did it, and Taemin figured out how to do it too.”

“I’m sorry, what? Do it too? Are you saying Taemin can control people now?”

“Yes…”

“And… I…”

“Y/n’s untrained and undisciplined, so for her safety, and ours, he made her… forget…”

“Forget? Forget what?”

“That she has powers…”

“What?”

“It’s just a precaution and-”

“He used her own powers against her! To make her forget?!”

“She’s dangerous with mind control abilities, you know-”

“How! She’s not some monster or-”

“She was using her powers on me, Ten!”

“What?”

“She was interrogating me! What if I told her about what we did? How do you think she’d take that?”

“I… we can’t do this to her, it’s not fair.”

“It’s for her own sake. How are any of us supposed to handle someone with mind control powers? When we all have secrets to keep from her.”

“But why does he make that call? He told none of us about this! But you… you knew, didn’t you?”

“I…”

“He told you his plan from the start and you said nothing! You went along with it!”

“It’s for all our benefits!”

“How! What about her?”

“She’s fine, she’s safe.”

“Where the hell is Taemin, I need to talk to him.”

“He went out on a mission.”

“Then I know where he’ll be when he returns.”

❤

“That was a disaster.”

“The mission was a success.” Baekhyun countered. “We were in and out without-”

“It could have gone a lot better.” Kai said. “We got lucky this mission was simple, but we can’t possibly do something bigger like this.”

“But-”

“He’s right, Baekhyun.” Taemin interrupted. “I can’t do both, let alone when one is just an imitation. Trying to control multiple minds, while being able to watch my back and yours, it’s too much.”

“So then… that means we need her…”

“Yes.”

“The agreement was she wouldn’t be on the field.” Kai reminded. “That’s what you promised them.”

“Not like they can argue with me anymore.”

“You took care of it before we left?”

“To a degree.”

“Of course you did.”

“I need a few hours to recover, but we need to move fast. I want a plan ready within the hour, incorporating every asset we have.”

“Does that include-”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“They won’t be happy.” Baekhyun added. “You know that.”

“They don’t really need to know.”

“Right.”

    The three went their separate ways, Taemin heading to his office. As soon as he opened the door he found Ten sitting on his desk, glaring. He was gone for a good amount of time, and this attitude was expected.

“Where is y/n?”

“Fine. I didn’t pry into what you did to her.” Ten hissed. “Now explain yourself, what the fuck were you thinking!”

Taemin scoffed. “You have a lot of nerve talking to me that way.”

“You going to force me to bend the knee like you did her? Like Taeyong?”

“Just like you, Taeyong, knows my intentions from the start. He’s on my side, what about you?”

“Why didn’t you tell me about your plans with y/n? Unless you don’t trust me.”

“Apologies, but I never could truly trust you. Your priorities lie with your brothers and protecting y/n, my plans go beyond that.”

“Which is why you’ve been torturing us all?”

“Helping you. Do you think your powers would be at their level without me?”

“What about the others?”

“I’ve given Mark some words of motivation. Do I need to give them to you?”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Yes. I don’t have much time to build trust with all of you at the moment. It’s much easier to have you think for yourself and not be programmed like some machine, but I don’t have time to argue. Now are you on my side, or not.”

“She’ll be safe, right?”

“Of course.”

“And you do intend to undo what you’ve done at some point, right?”

“When the time comes.”

“… if she gets hurt, we’re done, and you’re dead.”

“I’ll keep you to your words.”

    Ten got up, still glaring at Taemin. He couldn’t really trust him, not anymore, but if he wanted to keep his mind he’d have to play along.

“By the way.” Taemin added. “We’ll all be going out on a mission later, so I’ll see you at the brief.”

“Sure.”

❤

    Of course now would be the time they’d all actually work together, when mostly everyone was under Taemin’s control, to a degree or another. Still, there wasn’t much Ten could do to oppose him, not now anyway. The mission was kind of like a heist, their specialty. The building they were hitting, on the outside seemed like a normal business office, but was actually a secret headquarters of the organization. It was intel they had just received, and they had to move fast before they lost their chance. The plan was to break in, get their hands on confidential intel and get out.

    Because of the time crunch proper recon couldn’t be done, so they’d be approaching the building, gathering information, and executing their plan. They had a rough idea on how things would go, given Taemin and his boys’ knowledge, but it was best to believe it was outdated. Normally a plan like this was dangerous, but this time around there were two exit strategies in play, so it wouldn’t be so difficult. Ten and his boys would be in charge of dealing with the people in the building, the other three would get the intel.

    Even with a rather hollow plan, it was one nonetheless. After the brief they made their way out, and Ten could finally take a good look at his brothers. Taeyong was the same, more or less, but he could definitely tell something was off when it came to Mark. A slight dim in his eyes, how intently he’d been listening to Taemin, and how quiet he was compared to before. Ten would keep his mouth shut for now. The first part of recon involved figuring out the layout of the building, and finding a good entry point.

    With that a better plan of action was set out, and the heist began. Upon arrival, Kai managed to disable the security system. The whole building was on high alert now, but without visuals, they didn’t really know what they were up against. Now they split off into their separate groups. At most thirty minutes would be needed, maybe an hour. The hard part was getting the information, but once they had that it’d be easy to leave, so it was a matter of maintaining their control of the building until then. It wasn’t what they usually did, but they could deal with whoever got in their way.

“Ten.”

“Hm?”

“I need to tell you something.”

“What now? More secrets to divulge?”

“Ten, I’m being serious and you need to listen to me.”

“Okay, what?”

“I’m not Taeyong.”

“What!”

“I don’t have time to explain, but I’m just a copy of him.”

“A copy… what? How?”

“Taemin’s training but that’s not-”

“Where’s the real Taeyong? The original?”

“Somewhere back in the base, he’s fine.”

“How long?”

“That doesn’t-”

“How long!?”

“Y/n’s here!”

“Wa… what?”

“You think coming to a big place like this, to gather a lot of intel, will work if Taemin is mimicking her powers?”

“I… are you sure?”

“I saw her earlier… and I overheard Taemin talking too… giving her orders…”

“That motherfucker. The deal was-”

“Ten.” Taeyong grabbed the other. “This is your chance, get y/n and the others, and get out.”

“Huh?”

“If Taemin gets what he wants, then what’s the use in the rest of us? Everything he’s done has been because of y/n. Heck, he could abandon us all today.”

“What about you? The real Taeyong?”

“We could deal with whatever as long as y/n’s okay. You need to get her and get away.”

“But Mark-”

“Snap him out of it. Taemin mimics her powers, they can’t be as strong, and if not, as long as we get Mark back we can go wherever.”

“Fuck…”

“I can cause a distraction, get y/n, and get her out.”

    This was a lot to process, but you being in danger was enough motivation to get his head on straight. First he needed to figure out where you were, and Taeyong said he’d look into that, given that at the moment he was more trustworthy than Ten. Meanwhile Ten found Mark, immediately shoving him into a room and slapping him.

“I don’t know what Taemin told you, but snap out of it.”

    It may have taken a few physical actions, but Ten managed to get his old Mark back to himself. There wasn’t much time to explain, especially since Ten didn’t fully grasp the situation, but saving you made sense. Now it was a matter of waiting on Taeyong with the information, at least that was the plan. When Taeyong found them again the lights went red, the building now entering lock down.

“What the hell is going on?” Ten asked.

“They know.”

“What?”

“The Organization knows we are here. They’ll be sending special reinforcements to deal with us specifically.”

“And y/n is here. Where is she? We need to leave, now.”

“Taemin is not leaving without what he came for.”

“He’s putting her in danger! Where is he!”

    Ten didn’t wait for an answer, running down the way Taeyong came. This wasn’t his mission, this wasn’t something he was going to risk anyone’s life for, especially yours. Taeyong shouted directions, and soon enough they found you and the others.

“Ten, how fit-”

“Liar!”

    Ten immediately went in for a punch, but Taemin stopped him, knocking him against the wall and pinning him there. He saw Taeyong and Mark enter soon after.

“I see I can’t trust anyone.”

“We need to leave.” Taeyong said. “You know they’re coming, and they have the means to take us down.”

“We’re close.”

“And what about y/n!” Mark yelled. “What are you doing with her!”

“She’s fine.”

“Bullshit.”

“You don’t-”

    Ten suddenly collapsed to the floor. He quickly got up, finishing what he started, landing a blow on Taemin. Although the other didn’t seem to care, looking down at his hands and then at his partners.

“They’re here.” Kai hissed. “And they’ve already blocked us.”

“Y/n.”

    A moment after that all seemed to register, you collapsed to your knees screaming. With Taemin’s powers gone, it meant his mimicry was gone too. You grabbed your head, everything hidden hitting you all at once. Taemin tried to reach you, but Ten shoved him away, Taeyong coming to your side.

“Y/n, deep breaths, just breath. It’s-”

“Get away from me.”

    You pushed Taeyong back, looking around at everyone in the room and stepping back. You didn’t know who to believe anymore, or what was real. Everything was foreign to you, and you knew you needed space. You ran towards the nearest door and bolted down the hall. You could hear their voices chasing after you, but you focused more on your own feelings, trying to see through the tears. You felt more alone than ever in the moment, losing the trust with the only people you ever cared for. You kept running without thinking, rounding a corner and coming face to face with a group of armed men. They did not hesitate to shoot, a bullet grazing your head as you ducked out of the way.

    You caught your breath for a moment, feeling the blood dripping down your face. They would kill you if they found you, but then you remembered you weren’t completely helpless, not anymore. As you heard them approach you took a deep breath, then you revealed yourself and ordered them all to put their weapons down. They listened without hesitation, and you felt relieved, realizing maybe you could get out of this place on your own. Although the thought didn’t last long before the boys found you.

“Y/n!”

“Stop!”

“Please… please just listen to us.” Ten pleaded. “We-”

“Shut up! I don’t know what any of you are doing anymore! I don’t… I don’t even know you…”

“Let us explain. You know we can do it without lying…”

“Yeah, but I don’t wanna hear it right now.”

“Y/n, we need to leave this place now.” Taemin explained. “If they-”

“Quiet… you… you…”

    Taemin immediately lost his voice, and he knew there wasn’t time for this. He glanced over at Kai and nodded at him. You didn’t really know what any of that meant, all you knew was that Kai said something about a fail safe, and then the necklace you had, which you hadn’t realized, electrocuted you. It wasn’t enough to knock you out, but you collapsed to the ground, screaming and then dizzy from the whole ordeal. That was enough for the others to regain their sense.

“Taemin, what the hell!”

“Grab her and let’s leave. Mark you-”

     Gunfire startled them all, realizing they were being surrounded. You were grabbed by some men, being dragged off. Taeyong ran after you, separating himself from the group. Things had gotten bad, and fast. Either they escaped, or they’d all lose. Taemin yelled at Mark once more, startling the boy into creating their exit portal. Baekhyun grabbed Ten, going through the portal. Kai was waiting for Taemin, but his eyes were focused on you and Taeyong. The both of you were out of reach, so Taemin had to make a choice. He quickly managed to get a gun from a guard passed out near him, shooting at Taeyong, before grabbing Mark and Kai and getting them both through the portal. Taemin kept his gun aimed at the portal until it closed, dropping the weapon and then falling to his knees, catching his breath.

“… y/n…” Mark was in disbelief. “What did you do! We have to-”

“You are forbidden to use your powers.” Taemin ordered, having his own powers back now. “Understand.”

“Yes.”

“Kai, get us back to our place.”

“All of us?”

“Yes.”

“Hold on.” Ten yelled. “What the fuck was that back there? You said y/n wouldn’t be in danger, and yet you-”

“She was not in any danger! The cameras were down, Kai and Baekhyun were with me as well. All three of us-”

“You promised!”

“With Baekyhun there, no one would even perceive her presence. And Kai made sure she’d be taken somewhere safe the second her job was done.”

“That’s not the point! She was not meant to be on the field, you promised me!”

“You coddle her too much.”

“And now look where we are! She’s fucken gone! She’s… she’s gone…”

“You shot Taeyong…” Mark mumbled. “You shot…”

“I’m sorry what?”

“That wasn’t the real Taeyong anyway.”

“I thought y/n had him but you fucken-”

“Not the real Taeyong, and it’s better no one is with her.”

“You fucken liar.” Ten growled. “Ever since we met you’ve lied. You’ve hurt y/n, you’ve hurt us. And now you basically handed her over to that organization. Do you really think we’ll trust anything you say? If not for you, we’d all be with her right now!”

“And then what?” Taemin spat back. “What do you think will happen next? They’re gonna do to her what they did to me and my boys. If any of us, if any of you, were there, they’d use you against her. Torture you and hurt you just to make her push herself. Making sure none of us got taken was a mercy.”

“You’re fucken delusional if you believe that.”

“Look in the mirror first and realize this was your mess. I should have done this without any of you. I should have taken her from you instead of inviting you all along. You’ve proven to be completely useless.”

“Try that then. See if you can take us.”

“Have you forgotten what happened on the train? And that I have no issue making all of you bend the knee right now.” Taemin sighed. “Kai, to our base. I need to speak with Taeyong. The original that is.”

“What about y/n?” Mark asked. “Are we just supposed to leave her?”

“It hasn’t hit you has it? She’s gone, because of you. I asked for your trust, even if I couldn’t trust you back. She is everything that damn organization wants, and now they have her. So she’s gone, they’ll happily sacrifice anyone to keep her.”

“We have to rescue her!”

“Well, I have intel to go over, see if any of that gives us answers, but don’t get your hopes up. They have what they’ve always wanted. They’re gonna break her, like they did me, and that takes time. Will we rescue her? I will, I promise you that, but don’t expect it to be anytime soon. She’s gonna be locked up tight.”

“You… you…”

“Enough! Kai, take us home. I’ve had enough of these children.”

(Previous // Next)

[layaliahmed]

FAS3003: Comme de Garcsons

As I was inspired by Comme de Garcsons work in the exhibition, I wanted to create a sample that will reflect this secondary research.

To start off, I used disperse disperse dyes of red and blue and then made some fluid mark making that reflects my primary image. After that, I used digital sublimimation print of my previous work samples and heat pressed together on synthetic fabric. Then, I added some screen print of my previous pattern using dark colours of green and burgandy for some contrast. To imitate the ruching and added ribbon from Comme de Garcsons I embroidered freely, whilst gathering and adding some strips of pink ribbon. I also tried making some flowers from the ribbon to imitate my primary images.

The strengths of this sample were that it includes the technique of comme de Garcsons, reflects the feminine narrative and expresses the fluid nature of flowers through mark making. However, some improvements that I think this sample needs would be that the ruching looked quite messy and shrunken compared to being elegantly gathered. Also, using less overpowering screen print colours like pale pink or lilac. Lastly, the ribbons look quite unfinished and messy with the use of a running stitch technique. In the future, I’ll probably hand stitch the ribbons in the shape of flowers on the print or perhaps not stitch all the way through with the sewing machine.

[butwhyduh]

Under a spell

Sex pollen part 1

Batboys x reader (separate stories)

Okay so I’m going to write the beginning here where theyre all hit and you pick who you want to read their own personal story afterwards. Each one is going to be batboy x reader. I’ll post the second parts next week.

Tim looked down through the roof of the art gallery. Something was happening and he didn’t like it. Bruce and Dick were going inside as he stood by. Damian was home with a cold he caught from school. Jason was on standby on the neighboring roof.

A new street drug was being sold in the Gotham underground. Chemically similar to Poison Ivy’s sex pollen in a mild form mixed with an upper, it was a drug to induce sex fueled euphoria. Unfortunately there had been 4 ODs and multiple sexual assaults from it. Tim wanted to stay far from any kind of sex pollen. Dick had described it as awful and painful.

“Hey boys, I hear someone coming,” Jason said on the comm. a large black van rolled up to a side entrance.

It might seem weird for an art gallery in a pretty nice area of Gotham to be part of an organization that sold sex party drugs but there was a connection. The movement of fine art entailed the movement of a lot of money. It would be pretty easy to buy a piece for a huge sum and part of it goes toward drug movement. Plus those delicate crates were pretty nice for physical movement of supplies.

A set of men started moving crates in the warehouse.

“Should we move on them,” Dick whispered.

“Negative,” Bruce said. “Surveillance until we know more.”

Dick watched from his point of view as they filled a side room with the large wooden crates. It was a full 10 minutes before the men placed them all in the room.

“Can you get close enough, Nightwing, for me to run scans on the lot number of the boxes,” Tim asked.

“I can try,” he said moving along the rafters towards the crates. He stopped as the men returned.

“A little closer, Nightwing.”

“Hold on, Red,” Dick whispered.

“Hmm?” Jason said having been momentarily distracted by a very distracting text message.

“Closer, before they close the door,” Tim urged, ignoring Jason.

“Yep,” Jason said. He swung down and knocked out one of the guys holding the door open.

“What the fuck,” Dick yelped as he suddenly had to dive from gunfire as the other men let loose a hailstorm. Bruce jumped in front of Jason, kicking a gun from a henchmen’s hand.

Tim could see 2 of the men trying to escape a side door and he jumped through an open window to stop them. He hit one with his staff, disarming him. He dived behind a crate as another drew a gun.

“Secure the crates, contain the men,” Bruce growled through the comms. Jason growled at the intrusion in his ears and shot one guy in the knee before kicking him in the face as he went down.

“Oh boys,” came a melodic feminine voice from high. They looked up to see Poison Ivy smiling near the the roof entrance Tim had used.

“Oh fuck,” Tim managed to gasp before a soft purple mist flooded the room. Poison Ivy flipped out of the building with a little laugh. All but two of the henchmen were unconscious. Bruce quickly dispatched one while coughing and the other ran straight to into a door, knocking himself unconscious.

They rushed towards the door, trying to hold their breath, as the mist flooded their senses. The first sign of Poison Ivy’s toxins were racing heartbeat and endorphin release. A bit like right before riding a roller coaster. All four bats stood in the side alley.

“I’m calling GCPD about this warehouse so they can confiscate any evidence and prevent anyone from coming in,” Bruce said, stepping to the side. “And then to the bat cave. All of us.”

“Just give me a antidote because I’m going home,” Jason said. He grabbed one from the bag in the batmobile that Bruce kept for moments like that. He tossed a few to Dick and Tim. “I’ll see you later.”

Bruce finished his phone call and sighed. “Where did Jason go?” He asked.

“Went home. We have the antidotes,” Tim said taking his. Dick swallowed one too and they started giving them to the henchmen slowly regaining consciousness.

“I’ll meet you after patrol,” Bruce said. “I’m going to test this formula just in case.”

“I’ve got to go to WE after we get this cleared up,” Tim said scratching the back of his neck. “A big meeting tomorrow.”

“I guess Nightwing works alone tonight,” Dick laughed with a shrug. He hated it but it wasn’t anything new.

“Alright. Any new symptoms, contact me immediately. Do you understand?” Bruce said seriously. Both agreed. Bruce climbed in the batmobile and drove back to the cave.

He sat at the computer after placing a sample in a test tube and centrifuge before having the computer analyze it. He pulled his cowl off and ran his hand down his face. Was it seriously hot in the bat cave? Perhaps he had Damian’s cold? He started planning for a potential call to the doctor in the morning if Damian wasn’t better and he started feeling ill.

It was a soft hand on his shoulder that made his heart race and his body react that connected the dots:

The antidote didn’t work.

[ifdragonscouldtalk]

Prompt??? 👀 The away team meets a species of aliens that are distantly related to tribbles and all of them adore Jim except one that's glued to Spock's side. No one understands why, but Spock is Vulcanly Smug about it.

I love how you just jumped on this. This got a bit away from me and it's not exactly what you asked for, but I hope you like it anyway. It plagued me all night last night.

“Scotty, beam me back up,” Jim said, disgruntled, as Bones tried (and failed) to stifle his uproarious laughter.

“Belay that, Scotty!” he choked out, quickly flipping open his own comm. “Jim’s just bein’ a sourpuss.”

“Aye?” came Scott’s hesitant reply. “Everything a’right down there, Captain?”

“Beam me up now.”

“Don’t you dare, Scotty. Everything’s fine.”

The moment of hesitation was clear in the beat of silence, before Scotty said, “Mister Spock, everything a’right down there?”

Spock raised a brow, taking in Jim’s glare and closed off demeanor and Bones’ laughter-induced tears, and flipped open his own comm. “The world is as our scans indicated, Mister Scott: class M with no apparent sapient life, and no apparent danger. The away team shall beam up on my mark, when ready.”

“Aye, sir,” Scott replied, the same moment Jim cried “Mutiny! My own commander!” The click of Scott cutting communication made Jim pout more, snapping his own comm shut and crossing his arms.

“Indeed, sir,” Spock replied, clearly already distracted. “How terrible for you.” Bones collapsed onto his knees, his laughs resembling wheezing more than anything else as Jim continued to pout at his first officer’s back while Spock directed the rest of the away team to begin taking scans and samples.

“I hate it here. I hate all of you. You’re all being transferred.”

“Of course, sir,” one of Spock’s blue shirts replied in the same dry, distracted tone, and Jim glanced down to see Bones trying to wipe the tears from his eyes, his entire body shaking with laughter.

“You’ll all be court martialed for mutiny!” he called, edging away from the creatures creeping curiously towards his boots. He got a chorus of “aye, sir” and “of course, sir”s. “I mean it!”

“Captain, please do not distract my crew,” Spock called from across the field where he was examining another group of the strange creatures. They looked like crosses between guinea pigs and tribbles, with silky fur and huge, starry green eyes. Jim couldn’t see any apparent mouths on the things, but they had delicate feet and short legs. In another situation, he might’ve called them cute.

“Your crew? When did they become your crew?” he replied with mock outrage, scandalized. He noticed several of the away team glancing over at him with grins, and Bones still hadn’t made it up off the ground yet, although his laughter was silent now. He could see Spock’s shoulders rise in a sigh even from this distance.

“Perhaps you could be useful and scan the creatures at your feet, Captain?” he suggested diplomatically, turning to fix him with an amused look. Jim scowled down at the creatures that were now crawling over his boots and clawing at his pants curiously.

“They like you, Jim,” Bones cooed mockingly.

“Shut up Bones,” he muttered in reply, no heat to it, and sighed as he calibrated his tricorder to do what Spock had asked, kneeling down to take in the creatures more closely.

Upon further inspection, they were remarkably similar to tribbles. This particular ecosphere seemed to be a grassland, patchy in places where the creatures clearly grazed on it. They seemed curious and unfearful of them, as many creatures who had never encountered bipedal predatory life were, and sniffed at his fingers as he held the tricorder close to him for a scan.

“Hey there, friend,” Bones muttered from where he’d crouched next to him, holding out one loosely curled hand for them to sniff at. “Will ya let me touch you? Yeah? Oh, do you like pets?”

“Fascinating.” Jim looked up at his first officer, pushing away another creature that was attempting to crawl into his lap, and was startled by the sight of one of the creatures perching on Spock’s shoulder, sniffing at his ear.

“What are you doing, Spock?” he asked, bewildered, as Bones once again collapsed with laughter. Spock raised a brow, not glancing at the creature as he wouldn’t be able to see it without turning his head.

“They seem to be able to climb, Captain.”

“I can see that,” Jim grumbled, carefully plucking one from his own shirt to set it back on the ground. “That doesn’t explain why you have one on your shoulder like you’re an off-brand version of Captain Hook.”

Spock’s other brow went up, and illogically, he looked rather smug. “It continued to pursue me when I removed it from my person, Captain. It seemed prudent to allow it to explore, so long as it does not disrupt my duties. Curiosity should not be punished.”

“Logical,” Jim replied mindlessly, still bewildered by the sight of Spock with a tribble on his shoulder, and Spock tipped his head in acknowledgement.

“These creatures do not seem to purr as the tribbles do, Captain, and they are entirely harmless. Their teeth are not even strong enough to pierce our skin. They do have some vocalizations, but they are limited to a soft and high range.”

“Yes, I can hear that they squeak, Spock.” Spock raised his ‘well if you didn’t want to hear my analysis then why did you ask?’ eyebrow, and Jim sighed. “Sorry, Spock. Just... don’t like tribbles.”

“Yes,” Spock replied softly, his eyes softening as Bones placed a warm hand on the back of his neck, comforting, “I am aware of your feelings towards tribbles and tribble-like creatures and your reasons for it. However, these creatures have done no harm. They are merely curious; as we are.”

“You’re right,” he said with a smile, patting Bones on the leg in thanks. “You always are.”

“A sentiment I would endeavor you remember, Captain.”

And Jim was laughing with Bones, warm, furry little creatures clamoring into his lap as Spock looked down on them smugly, his own creature nosing at his hair. He wished every away mission could be like this one; warm and curious.

[fancyfade]

Image: a few comic pages from batman: urban legends. first, we see Bruce Wayne (as Batman) in the batcave with Alfred. bruce is walking to the batmobile and says "Now, let's get back to work." Alfred looks at him and says "I shall leave the dynamic duo to it, then." to Damian, who has his arms crossed behind him and is wearing a red sweater, he says "Master Damian, perhaps it is time to offer an apology to your grandfather for threatening to stab him?" Bruce says "You what?" and DIck (as nightwing) smiles and says "never change, kid." Dmaian shrugs. dick gets on his motorcycle as bruce gets in the batmobile. bruce says "starr's in the bat-bunker. There's a futuristic drug he's been using that caused the disease in the sample you analyzed. we need to make sure that whoever is responsible for my parents being here lives long enough to face a judge." then, the two of them drive out of the batcave.

next scene shows Damian approaching his grandparents, who are in a bedroom in Wayne manor. damian's cat alfred is resting on his shoulders and his dog titus is following him. Damian says "Grandfather. Grandmother." Martha Wayne (his grandmother) says "Damian…" damian shuts his eys and says "I would like to apologize for the threats I levied against you earlier this evening. to make it up to you, II thought I'd introduce you to the rest of the family until you and father sort things out. This is Titus. the cat is alfred. Bat-cow you'll have to meet later." Alfred walks up to Martha who is standing across from Damian. Titus walks up to Thomas and Thomas lets him sniff his hand. Damian says "I would also like to say that when I told you father was the greatest man this world has ever known… it is all parts of him that make it so." Alfred (the human) comes in the room smiling, holding a book. he says "Ah, I see the young master has found you."

next panels show Dick Grayson (nightwing) Bruce Wayne (batman) working together in the batcave with Starr (a guy in a leather jacket and mask) behind them. Damian wayne as robin sneaks up on them while they are working. bruces internal narration reads "We simply have to take the liberty of advancing science ourselves." dick and bruce put on goggles and damian temporarily disappears from view. bruce's internal narration reads "No time for a complete analysis, but we've been able to break down the basic components and Isolate the elements that trigger tissue deterioration" damian covers starr's mouth as he drags him back without bruce and dick noticing. bruce is looking thorugh a microscope and dick is taking off a latex glove. bruce's narration reads "More importantly, we've reverse engineered an antidote to negate the effects… with starr's help. he wasn't exaxctly a willing participant, but dick tells me I can be very persuasive." then we see damian and starr are gone and bruce is holding up something from the microscope and giving a thumbs up to dick.

next panel is outside in gotham. bruce is swinging through the air and catching a falling starr. dick grayson is standing behind damian and has his arms crossed. he says "he's not gonna be happpy about that." Damian says "I wasn't going to let him die, Nightwing." Dick says "I know that. But he's still not going ot like it. Get anything out of him." Damian says "nothing helpful. But this timeline business… what if we just let my Grandparents stay here? Surely gotham would be better off. Father would be better off." we see bruce lands in an alley with starr. dick says "You know that's not an option. and anyway… that would probably mean you…" damian shrugs and says "Disappear? So what? I've died once. I'm not afraid to do so again. Especially if it means… that he can finally be happy." Dick looks a little concerned, and we can see bruce pressing his ear, indicating that he was listening to Damian's message on comms. he's frowning slightly. he grabs starr by the lapels and says "The boy's question: how long?" Star says "Uhhh, uh, a-another d-day, maybe? Give or take a few hours? I-it's impossible to say without more time…"

then we see a tweet from joey esposito. it reads "Nearly ten years ago, I wrote a piece for @IGN bout why Damian Wayne is the best Robin. Now, in 'the murder club', especially part 3 in batman; urban legends #22 (on sale now!) I'm getting to SHOW why he's the best robin. I'm very happy." end image

Can they give this writer more chances to write Damian in the future, his Damian is fun to read. I actually believe him that he likes the character.

[janghoefett]

Telephone Line (Jango Fett x F!Reader)

Jango needs to provide an, ahem, sample of sorts for the Kaminoan cloners and needs your help via holovid. Please check warnings.

Rating: EXPLICIT 18+ Pairing: F/M Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: Established relationship with set boundaries, yearning, breeding kink (ish), mutual masturbation, use of toy, instructions, dirty talk, praise kink!! jango is in a soft mood

and perhaps you can consider this as part of the hotline bling universe, apparently i can only write booty call themed fics for jango

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

Metal tools. An examination table. Bright lights. A stiff metal chair in the corner.

Did the Kaminoans really expect Jango to produce a semen sample in a place like this? Well, it’s not like he hadn’t been able to get off in worse conditions, the bounty hunter thinks to himself... and he certainly had been paid to do worse things than jerking off.

Although he had the room to himself, laying on the examination table under the lights would make him feel as if he were on display, like some sort of specimen. He could stand; he does it enough in the fresher. But, no. He’d rather sit and try to get comfortable. So, with the empty cup in his hand, Jango takes a seat in the metal chair. 

He’s absolutely flaccid, there’s a chill in the air, and there is not even a morsel of humanity in sight to inspire the aid of his imagination. Jango unhooks his codpiece and frees his cock, spitting on his hand before giving himself a few tentative strokes.

Jango closes his eyes and sighs. Naturally, his mind wanders to you. 

Stars, he missed you while he was away... he wished you could stay with him on Kamino full time. The last night you had spent together had been replaying in his mind over the last few days. You just felt so good and you were just so beautiful that Jango could still imagine you if he closed his eyes... yes, he could see you now. He could hear your soft moans. He could feel your soft skin. He could smell the fragrance on your skin. 

Jango starts to grow hard at just the mere thought. He wonders what you’re doing, what you’re wearing... he wonders if you were still thinking about that last time the way he was. 

Well, he could wonder about you all day long... or he could, you know, call you.

Jango pulls out his comm and sets it in front of him, his thick fingers punching in a few commands. He does some math and realizes it was late on Coruscant, though he figured you were still awake, and he prays to the maker that you would pick up.

“Jango,” you answer happily, pleased to see the flickering blue image of your Mandalorian. You’re sitting in your bed wearing nothing but a warm sweater over your underwear. Perhaps Jango would be in for a treat tonight, you think to yourself.

“Ner sarad,” he smiles. “Miss me?”

“Of course,” you smile, already feeling your cheeks growing warm. Stars, the things just the sight of this man did to you....

“Listen, I...” Jango starts. “I need to give the Kaminoans another sample. And I’m thinking about you.”

Oh. 

“You’re thinking about me?” you repeat with that wicked smirk.

“Course I am. Thinking about last time.”

“I’ve been thinking about last time too. Stars, Jango...” you sigh. You shift in your seat remembering just how good it was. “Tell me what you need. I’m all yours.”

“Can I see you, pretty girl?” he rasps, his voice turning husky.

You hum lowly in approval, pulling your sweater up over your head as Jango readjusts the range of his comm, revealing his cock to you. You lay back on the bed to give Jango a full view, left only in the racy bra and underwear he had bought you when he went to Naboo.

“Mesh��la, always so perfect,” Jango groans. His grip grows tighter and he tugs. “Spread your legs for me. Let me see that pretty cunt.”

You slip the underwear off past your ankles and spread your legs, inhaling raggedly at the way you were exposing yourself to the rugged Mandalorian. Your hand comes between your legs to spread your folds, rubbing yourself gently. 

“Fuck, Jango, I wish you were here...” you sigh.

“I know, angel. Soon.”

The low vibrations of Jango’s voice send a chill up your spine. You both stroke yourselves languidly, your eyes fixed on the images of each other. The sight of Jango’s fist around his cock is enough to get you wet fast.

“Don’t have much time...” Jango rasps. “I know you have that little toy in your dresser. Use it for me.”

You reach over and pull out the toy with excitement, a plain dildo that came in handy while Jango was away, and grab the bottle of lube next to it. Jango watches you prepare with hungry eyes as he pumps himself. You bite your lip as you watch Jango grip his cock, lining up the toy and slipping it in slowly, gasping at the intrusion.

“Feel good?” he asks, squeezing his cock and trying to recreate the pressure of your warm, wet heat.

“Yeah,” you whine. You move the toy in and out tentatively, breathing heavily. “Wish I could feel you... stars, you look huge.”

Jango chuckles. “It’s all for you, girl,” he groans, watching your cunt flutter around the stiff cock. “Can you move for me? Want to see how you fuck yourself while I’m away.”

You throw your head back upon hearing his words, starting to work yourself slowly. Jango’s hand begins to pump in time with your movements. Your hips buck as you imagine the way Jango was on top of you last, moving the toy faster.

You watch the bounty hunter as he pleasures himself to just the sight of you, and the thought of it alone is enough to push you closer to the edge. The ache between your legs is indescribable, straddling the line between pleasure and pain, as you chase your release. 

Jango’s grunts are audible, nearing quiet growls. “Fuck,” he curses upon seeing your wrist stutter when your legs shake.

“Jango...” you whimper.

“That’s it,” he growls. “You’re close, don’t stop.”

Your hands continue to pleasure yourself just right, your mouth falling agape as you find that spot. Jango pumps himself faster. “Shit, I-” he grunts.

“The cup. The cup, Jango,” you pant. You come with a small cry, stilling your motions.

Jango’s large hand swipes the cup from the table and he angles his cock downwards, reaching his peak with a gruff groan as he empties himself into the container.

The sight of Jango Fett, fully armored and groaning as his cock weeps pearly white tears is one that would you remember for a long, long time. You bite your lip and take the toy out, groaning at the empty feeling.

“So when are you going to fill me up like that?” you sigh contentedly in your state of ecstasy. “I want to make those warriors we talked about.”

“When are you going to leave Coruscant and finally come live with me, cyare?” Jango counters, his voice soft and wrought with desire.

Your heart flutters upon hearing Jango repeat his request, but you don’t have an answer for him. Kamino was the last place you wanted to be, under the constant observation of those long-necked scientists. You knew Jango couldn’t live just anywhere, and while what you had with the famous hunter was special, it was almost impossible.

“Jango...” you sigh.

“I know,” he says, bowing his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

Jango tucks himself away as you wrap a blanket around yourself to fight the chill of the night air.

“Stars, girl, you were so good for me,” he remarks, reattaching his codpiece. “I have to go turn this in.”

“Will I get to see you soon?” you ask.

“You have my word,” Jango smiles. “Now sleep tight for me, cyare. You’ll see me sooner than you think.”

[alexandenigtscreations]

Chapters: ½ Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast Rating: Teen and up Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel Additional Tags: Poisoning, Poison, Heist gone wrong, Peter Nureyev has ADHD, Rita defiantly has ADHD, Nonbinary Juno Steel, Whump, Hurt/Comfort, TPP, Junoverse | Juno Steel Universe Summary:

After Nureyev get’s poisoned on a mission, he’s determined to see it to it’s completion. He and Juno make quite the team after all. Had many thoughts after reading @kaiserkorresponds​ 's fic ---> [The Celestial's Kiss https://archiveofourown.org/works/31409258 ]. Which apparently has been spinning round and round my head. I do love a good poisioning <3</p>

Chapter 1:

It should have been obvious from the moment the drink hit his lips.  The sour bitterness that the burn of poor quality alcohol failed to mask.  It should have been obvious.  But focused as he was on keeping a straight face; Nureyev found himself swallowing the vial fluid before he could begin to think better of it.  He paused, eyes flicking down to the odd shimmer he’d mistaken for ice melt.  

That- wasn’t ideal-

He filed deeper thoughts on the subject away in favor of assessing for further threats.  The facility crawled with them, from the myriad of security cameras to their flamboyantly garbed host.  They were watching a little too closely, a little too carefully.  A smile playing across their garish lips.

Nureyev sat back, glancing over at his goddess.  A vision in the scarlet A-cut dress.  There was a slit running up his thigh, revealing quite a bit of leg and a hint of a holster.  

Juno’s own drink, served neat, bore the same tell-tale signs of tampering.  The Detective swirled it about his glass, clearly about to throw it back in his usual no nonsense fashion.  

That would not due.

With all the coolness Nureyev could muster, he placed a gentle hand over Juno’s cup.  His Detective tensed, sending a soft, questioning gaze his way.  

“Not very hospitable, spiking a Lady’s drink.”

“What?” Juno pulled back, guard up.  

Nureyev’s fingers curled around the glass, taking a moment to weigh his options.  He had half a mind to fling it’s contents into the eyes of Jody, the large thuggish man directly across the table.  He might even have time to incapacitate Mx. Balsa and get Juno to cover him before reinforcements came.  They might even make it out in one piece-  

It was tempting, but ultimately would get them nowhere.

They were on a job, after all.  If there was any chance of salvaging the situation, that should be their first option.  One little computer virus, how hard could it be to plant?

He took the glasses and poured their contents on the floor, the ice shattered on impact.  

Mx. Balsa smiled.  “Very good Mr. Tillerson.  It seems you passed our test.”

“A test.  We came to have a civilized discussion, Mx. Balsa.” Nureyev said pointedly, he could still feel the burn of the alcohol in his throat “Not play childish games.”

Mx. Balsa shrugged their narrow shoulders “Childish or no, it’s effective.  We don’t let just anyone play with us.  I’m sure you understand.”

“Understand?” Juno bristled, “Understand my boot! You try to pull something like that-”

Juno came up short when Nureyev squeezed his thigh; nodding his head graciously, “Naturally.  Now are there any other- tests- we should be made aware of or are we free to get down to business.”  

Was he imagining it?  Or was his stomach already souring?  

File it away-

“Down to business!” Juno blurted, “They offered us a spiked cocktail and you want to get back to business?” he sat back, crossing arms over his chest “I say no way.  The only people that I know of who spike drinks are scoundrels and cheats.  How are we supposed to take them at their word?” At some point the moral outrage in his voice changed into a conversational tone.

Nureyev could have kissed him, if it weren’t for their cover- “My colleague has a point.  You’ve tested us, it seems only fair that we should test you.” he gave his best smile, “Perhaps a sample of your information for our technicians to verify.”

“I hardly believe that to be necessary-” said Mx. Balsa.  Nureyev knew that they were the sort of person that relied heavily on their reputation.  But deals weren’t made on reputation alone.  

“Oh?  But I do.  Unless you are unable to deliver what we discussed?” Nureyev stared into their pale eyes.  They didn’t flinch.  He waited a beat, then two and still nothing.  He stood with a heavy sigh “I believe our business here has concluded then.  Mr. Micah.” He offered a hand to Juno, who accepted it.  

“Sure Tillerson.”

The pair made to leave. Jody, Mx. Balsa’s companion moved to intercept.  Which was effective both for the fact he was so broad of shoulder as to eclipse the door behind him and so tall that even Nureyev felt as though he had to peer up into his face.  

Instinctively, Nureyev moved in front of Juno.  It was ridiculous, a man that large simply should not be allowed.  

“Like I said, there is no need to leave.” Mx. Balsa’s tone did not change, but there was a weight to it now, a tension.  

“And why should we stay?” Juno crossed his arms defiantly over his chest.

They surveyed him for a moment. “If it’s information you want, it’s information you will have.”  They slid a chip into their comms and made a fuss of downloading a sample.  It chirped upon completion and they offered it up with a flourish. “Please, a sample, if you will.”  

Nureyev’s eyes flicked from the chip to their host and back.  He smiled, accepting it in a cocky, gracious manor that was felt exclusively by his alias.

“Very well, I’ll have our team verify this information.  If you would excuse me.”  Jody made an intercept but this time Mx. Balsa intervened.  A small shake of their head, jewels shimmering in the light.  That was a relief.  With a nod to Juno, Nureyev slipped out the doors and made a beeline towards the restroom even as he sent the data to Rita.  

As much as he wanted to run, he didn’t.  He kept his gate easy and posture confident.  That changed as soon as he was in the privacy of the privy.  

Nureyev bolted to a stall, shoving two fingers down his throat.  He gagged and wretched till his eyes watered, jaw cramped and his skull pounded.  Bowing lower with each convulsion, clinging to the hope he’d retch up the vial cocktail.  

It wasn’t working.  

He reached deeper, spayed his fingers further, feeling the bite of his sharp teeth in his hand, nails scraping on the inside of his throat-  

Historically, he’d viewed being ill at will as a necessary evil of his trade.  A skill, as it were.  

One he’d never mastered.  

It had landed him in the hospital on an occasion or two.  

Try as he might, the only thing he succeeded in doing was ruining his makeup.  He gave up, of course he did, there wasn’t a point in driving himself into exhaustion.  Yet alone displaying that weakness for the world to see.  

There was nothing for it.  He would just have to bide his time until they returned to the Carte Blanche.  

In all probability, he had time.  Brahmese people were particularly resilient to a variety of toxins.  Not by some evolutionary fluke, but by design.  The planet had always been hostile to its human inhabitants.  In all its infinite wisdom, the government, rather than deal with the expensive venture of cleaning the pollutants from living zones, had instead chosen to subsidize gene editing.  That was before the war though.  

Mag had been so relieved to find Nureyev had inherited the genetic coding.  ‘First rule of thieving Pete’ he’d laughed ‘take any advantage you can get!’

Advantage- Nureyev snorted, more like a double edged sword.   While it afforded him some protection, it also marked him as distinctly Brahmese.

File it away-

The thought of the Carte Blanche again, of Vespa Ilkay.  She was the last person he wanted alerted to the genetic quirk.  

File that away too while you’re at it-

Nureyev turned his attention to the vanity.  He’d made quite the mess of himself.  Lipstick and eyeliner smeared, ropes of various… secretions clinging to his nose and mouth, eyes red and puffy.  He frowned at the fine dusting of red circling the tender flesh behind the spectacles.  Petechiae- apparently he’d burst a few blood vessels.  

Great, just great.  All the work he’d put into Tillerson’s visage for naught- file it away.  

All the same, he allowed himself a moment of discontent as he began the process of cooling the swelling, washing away the evidence and rework his appearance.  

The door swung open, and scarlet filled his periphery.  

“God Damnit , there you are- Tillerson-” bless him, they’d practiced using their aliases for a week before the job and Juno was still uncomfortable with them.  

“Mr. Micah.” Nureyev returned, blending the concealer under his eyes.  

“You were gone for a while-” Juno didn’t say it, but he didn’t have to.  Nureyev could tell when his Detective was worried.  He was fidgeting head to toe, poor thing.

“I decided to visit the powder room while waiting on our team to analyze the data.” he glanced at his comms “The information appeared to check out- And- oh my they seemed to have attempted to sneak in a trojan horse.  Rita assures it isn’t a problem but-”

Juno plainly wasn’t listening.  He was looking him over with that sharp eye, stepping into his space.  “You okay babe?” he breathed, reaching out to smooth a hair back into place and cupping his cheek “your eyes are red.”

Nureyev jumped in surprise.  Had Juno even bothered to check for surveillance devices or-  People slept with their co-workers all the time, he and Juno were no exception to that rule, but what if they were seen?  Found out?  Their cover blown!  What if-

But no- he trusted the Detective.  

He cleared his head gently kissing the lady’s palm.  He considered for a moment telling Juno about the poison, but what came out of his mouth instead was “Just some minor irritation, love.” He stepped away, Mr. Tillerson sliding back into place.  “I suppose we should return to our hosts.”

“Yeah-"he flashed an uncertain smile.  Just don’t go disappearing on me again.  Thought they were going to eat me alive or something-”

“We can not have that now, can we?” He returned the smile, trying to exude his usual confidence despite the weakness in his legs.  They would have to wrap this up quickly, if the dizziness was anything to go by.  Plant the virus and leave.

“You were gone for quite a while Mr. Tillerson.” greeted their host.

“Merely conversing with my associate.” he shrugged, “And you’re in luck, Mx. Balsa.  Your information appears to be- genuine.” Nureyev planted a firm hand on the table, as much for balance as it was to return the chip.  

“Of course it is, we went through great pains to ensure it to be so.”

“Indeed. I’m sure the origin story would be most interesting but we have a matter to settle.  The price.”

They had discussed this before.  Mx. Balsa wouldn’t deal with those who didn’t have something interesting to offer.  It had taken Buddy and Rita time to figure out their tastes, and even more to fabricate a program.  A hacking bot.  It wasn’t real of course, the only thing that made it halfway convincing at all was Rita piloting the thing remotely.  

“Yes, the price-” they drawled.  Nureyev did not take kindly to that tone.  “The price just went up.”

Nureyev’s eyebrows crept upwards while Juno bolted upright “Hey now!  We agreed to the terms before this even-”

“Micah, please”

“No!  So far they’ve tried to poison us and hid a goodie in their sample intel.  Now they want more .  Hell, they should be paying us for this-”

“Mr. Micah, please.  I merely desire to know what it is you hope to accomplish with the information.  And to get a taste for your program’s capabilities as you have of my intel.”

Nureyev pretended to consider it, placing a hand on Juno’s knee and tapping out a message, before saying “These appear to be fair terms, however, what I’m wondering is if there are any more hidden fees.”  

To say Mx. Balsa was slippery, was an understatement.  Nureyev had seen people like them before, knowledge brokers, able to root out and twist any grain of truth to their heart’s desire.  This was not someone he wanted to be investigated by.  Juno would be a veritable beacon.  Public employees were so easy to track-

Mx. Balsa took their time in testing the program.  Rita informed them when she’d gotten the virus set up in their system, it didn’t take her long at all.  Now they just had to play the wait game.  They fained interest in the intel, made up a story to satiate their curiosity and asked enough questions to avoid suspicion.  All the while Nureyev could feel his health take a steady trend downwards.  

Once or twice he thought they shot him a knowing look as his attention began to wonder, or that Jody was leaning in a little too closely.  He tugged at his collar absently, the sweat plastering his shirt to him under the corset.  It was hard to gauge if the pressure of the boning was having a positive or negative effect on the nausea.  If they knew he’d been poisoned, what would they do?  Would they try to revoke their deal?  Detain them?  Hurt them?  Hurt Juno?  

He could not let that happen, would not.  

Juno squeezed his thigh, startling him out of his thoughts.  Mx. Balsa was pushing a new chip towards them, the one with the information they’d spent the better part of a day mulling over.  It was encased in a silver embossed box, flashy and probably manufactured to ensure no one could scan its contents.

Nureyev took out his comms once more and clicked it into place.  It was all there, Rita checked for them.  Thank the stars it wasn’t another test.  After all, it would be suspicious if they left with only half the intel.  

“I believe that concludes our business.” he smiled, rising gratefully to his feet.  

“We’ve kept you so long, won’t you stay for dinner?”

“Dinner my ass.” Juno grumbled for only Nureyev’s ears.

“Didn’t quite catch that-” Mx. Balsa frowned.

“Ohh Sorry, we’ll pass, don’t feel like dying today.” Juno smiled, voice dripping in sarcasm.

“Ahh, Pity.”

Nureyev’s laugh was cut short from a stabbing pain in his abdomen.  He started again, swaying, hand pressed to his stomach.  Certain he’d find blood.

“Everything okay there Mr. Tillerson?”

Glancing down revealed only the pristine pearl embroidery of the corset.  No blade, no blood, he was…. fine-  

He released his death grip on the chair, quickly filing away that sensation best he could.  Their mission was nearly done after all, no need for theatrics now.

“Perfectly.” He smiled wider, displaying sharp teeth.  “We’ll show ourselves out.”

Jody made a big show of opening the doors for them so that the muscled chords of his biceps were on full display.  They’d just managed to step before slamming it shut at their backs.  

The smile Nureyev had been wearing, dissolved into a grimace. He set a brisk, if uneven, pace to the exit.  

“Hey- Ran-” Juno groaned “Tillerson!  Wait up!” Juno clacked to his side.  

“Apologies Micah, I merely-ah!” he stumbled over his feet, Juno caught him in his strong arms.

“Hey- are-are you alright?”

His head was still spinning and there was that question again.  He had no desire to deal with it at present. “I-”

“The truth this time.” Juno pressed, ever the persistent Lady.

“Just a tad under the weather-” he admitted.  

“Babe, why didn’t you say something-”

“Something I drank.  It’s fine love.”

Bone deep tiredness pulled him down.  He wanted nothing more than to surrender himself to the arms of his goddess.  It would be safe there, warm.

Juno looked like he was going to ask more questions but was interrupted.

A shrill cry tore through the hall.  It sounded like Mx. Balsa.

“What the hell?” Juno craned his neck to look.  "You don’t think they found it yet?“

"Let’s- not check.”  Nureyev entwined his arm with Juno’s, setting up a brisk pace towards the doors.  Relying on the Detective as one might a crutch.

There was a wash of hurried footsteps, people shouting, blasters charging- the only thing that made sense was security-

“I believe we’ve overstayed our welcome Detective!” Nureyev said.

“Ya Think!” Juno yelled back, voice cracking from the force of it.  Even so- he withdrew a fist full of blaster from the dress slit.

But Nureyev wasn’t focusing on Juno, wasn’t focusing on the escape.  Jody was barreling on through the guards, weapon raised and charging and trained on-

“Micah!”  He slammed into Juno just as the bolt whizzed past striking another employee.  They rotated so that he could serve as Juno’s shield while giving him time to line up a shot.  It might have worked too if he’d been a little quicker-  

The next thing he knew he was violently ripped from the Detective.  A strong, bulky arm wrapped about his throat, crushing it.

Jody-

It had to be, few could make Nureyev’s toes leave the ground.  His chest quaked with strain of forcing air in and out of his constricted windpipe.  He kicked for purchase, skiving off the panic by attempting to worm his forearm up through the choke hold; the other diving into a pocket for a blade.

“Tillerson!” Juno shouted.

“Important to you isn’t he.” Their voice was surprisingly soft and high for their bulk.

Juno fired two shots beyond them, he must have hit his mark because there was the sound of something hitting the floor.  

Jody jerked back, causing stars to burst in front of Nureyev’s vision.  Fear clouded his mind, making him claw at the bodyguard.  Even so he blindly groped for the familiar curvature of a handle-

“No more of that-” they warned “Or I will be forced to-” but what they’d be forced to do was lost.  

Nureyev found a knife amongst the stashed trinkets and baubles, he had just enough wherewithal to mouth ‘ ready- ’ before manically plunging the blade into the brute’s thigh.

They howled, dropping Nureyev.  Juno sent a stunner straight to their chest as soon as his partner was clear.  The lady darted forwards, catching the thief under arm and hauling farther along the passage.  Nureyev, for his part, gulped down air and forced his sluggish legs to take his weight.  

They had no choice but to run.  Nureyev readied fresh blades, easier to locate now his brain had a proper supply of oxygen.  Pressed for time as they were, he couldn’t help but notice he wasn’t recovering like he ought to.

They rounded a corner and “Damn it” Juno hissed, taking in the thick ring of guards round a door “There’s too many-”

Manny there were.  But they also appeared green, scared.  Nureyev didn’t need three decades of experience reading people to know they could be intimidated.  

“Perhaps-” he puffed, flashing a wiry smile.  "Let’s see what they are made of.“  It was all the warning he gave before sprinting towards the group.  

It was a foolish plan, a desperate one.  There were screams and shouts as Nureyev’s blades flashed.  He had to give them a little credit, they held ranks far longer than he’d imagined them capable.  That all changed with the first spray of blood.  Typically he’d aim to wound in Juno’s presence; but with the way his hands shook he was taking any opening that presented itself.

Distantly he could hear the bite of Juno’s words as he called out and could feel his presence joining at his side.  The two of them versus the small army of guards.  He allowed himself to get caught up in the simple rhythm of the moment.  

For the first time since the mission started, Nureyev’s mind cleared.  All there was was the ache of his breath, the burn in his limbs and the death defying dance with Juno Steel.  

They shot and sliced their way to an opening; clawed a path to the hall, the entrance way and the street beyond and-

Sweet escape-

This - this moment right here, was what Nureyev lived for.

The dizzying rush of the night air spurred the pair on until all sounds of pursuit faded.  Despite his long legs and penchant for running, Juno easily kept pace.  He could feel it now, the sickness worrying away at him from the inside.  He didn’t know how much more he could take before his legs would give out or lungs burst.  Still he pushed harder, dug deeper, counting his steps to drown out the complaints of the body.  

At long last they stumbled into an ally way; a narrow thing that reeked of misuse.  

"Okay- What the Hell!” Juno rounded on Nureyev, eye flashing in the dim light of the dome.

Nureyev swallowed, hardly able to keep his focus on the Detective.  The light cardio had left him feeling queasy and weak.  Wrong.  He supposed poison on an empty stomach would do that to you.  Not to mention how tender his throat was after Jody’s mistreatment.  

He put a hand to his clammy forehead, swaying a little.

“I thought I was the reckless one,” he lectured “the one that went off half co- babe?  Nureyev?!!!”

He’d doubled over, retching earnestly this time.  Just as before, there was nothing to bring up-  The cruel dry heaves cramped his core and set his eyes watering, legs folding under the crushing weight of it.  

“Babe, heyheyhey, hey~ I got you-” strong arms wrapped around him, propping him up, “I’ve got you.” Small circles worked into his back as they waited for it to end.

“S-sorry-” he gasped between convulsions.  They didn’t have time for this, they didn’t have time for any of this.  Yet here he was endangering Juno with his own ineptitude.  “I’m- ss-”

“Ugh-uh, no, you’re not doing that.” Juno cut him off.  “Hell, when you said you weren’t feeling good-”  Nureyev made to apologize again, but Juno gave a warning “hun”

He slumped against the brickwork, trembling and breathing heavily.  

“Done?”

Nureyev gave a non committal hum.  It was all he trusted himself to manage.  

All the same, a moment was afforded to him to clean up with a moist towelette.  Again his makeup was ruined, but he was far from caring.  The important thing at present was to leave this city behind.  

Juno seemed to be thinking along the same vein.  “Think you can stand?  Or should I contact Jet?”

“No need for that love.” Nureyev smiled weakly, nausea churning within “Just give me a hand.”  

The Detective obliged, neatly entangled their fingers and pulled him along using his comms to navigate.  He was mighty grateful for the assistance, between the stomach ache and the weight in his limbs, he was having difficulty remaining upright.  

Nureyev eyed the nooks and crannies of the back streets.  Had he been alone he’d likely of spent the night curled up in one of those charming locations.  Cold and cramped, but out of sight.  He sighed, surrendering himself to the guidance of his goddess.  

“Hello Ruby.” Nureyev greeted wirily.  It chirped in response alerting Jet to their presence.  The door swung open of the Ruby’s own volition and the pair slid in.  “Jet-”

“Ransom.”  Jet acknowledged.

“Hey big guy.”

“Are either of you injured?” he asked, glancing back in the rearview mirror.  “I ask because of the blood.”

“Don’t think so.  Had to get a little rough on the getaway.” Juno explained glancing down at his gore streaked dress and coat.  “Honestly, if we could move out, that would be great.  I don’t really fancy meeting up with those nut jobs again.”

Nureyev hummed in agreement.  Doing his level best to keep his expression neutral and his breathing measured.  He must look a mess judging by the way Jet kept eyeing him.  

Turbulence made him gasp as pain blossomed in his abdomen.  His composure slipping and rearranging like water.  He slouched lower, trying to get some relief-

Juno was talking with Jet, or talking at him more like.  Nureyev stopped listening after the first few moments, lulled instead by his Lady’s warm voice and the way it crackled at the edges when he became impassioned.  He was just so tired-

Before he knew it, the thief was leaning on the Detective’s shoulder, sinking into his side, bloodshot eyes fluttering shut.  Normally he’d be loathed to sleep at the end of a job like some worn out child.  But he couldn’t fight anymore.

[mccoymccoymccoy]

Riker - No Drinks

A/N I KNOW a shift on enterprise d wouldn’t end at 1900 yes i looked at the shift times but… it’s my story and i wanted you to get off at 1900 so for god’s sake you’re getting off at 1900.

Edit: forgot ten forward doors slide open LOL changed that line.

Word count: 2399

    “Doctor!”

    You spun on your heel away from the ensign you were advising, snapping to attention to greet your commanding officer. You had to try really hard not to be too casual- Riker had such a friendly face and demeanor. It may be okay for him to be casual with his crew, he’s earned it, but you’re not commanding officer. You’re the head of the science department.

    “Yes, sir?” You replied, meeting his eyes. He smiled. “Ease up, Doc. I was just coming to ask if you’d care to head over to Ten Forward after your shift for a drink.”

    Huh? Why would he want to get a drink with you? He’s your superior officer, as you just reminded yourself. You did recognize that being the head of the science department aboard a galaxy class ship was a pretty big deal, but your self esteem had never been that high, and you tended to greatly overlook your worth. Taking a second to add that to the equation to solve the question of why would he ask me why would he ask me, you concluded that he may want to learn more about what’s going on in your department. Maybe he’s interested in the specs of the volcanic rock you had him beam aboard for you and your team to study the other day. This all ran through your head at the speed of a blink, and you responded, “Of course, sir. I’ll be off at 1900, will that be okay?” He grinned. “Great. I’ll see you there, then.”

“Aye, sir,” you finalized as he turned and walked back in the direction he came. Such a quick visit. Had he really waited for a peaceful minute in the bridge to run down to you? Why not use the comm? Sighing, you turned as well, facing the ensign once again who had started giggling by the end of the quick encounter- She saw how flustered you’d gotten, despite not showing it to the commander. Behind your back, however, the skin around your nails was being picked raw, all for the ensign to notice. You sighed again, this time at her, trying and failing to keep from smiling. “Hush, ensign. Let’s get back to the lab.”

    The rest of the day seemed to slip away from you like the beaker from your hands earlier. You had zoned out, something incredibly unusual for you. But then again, it was incredibly unusual for the commanding officer of the ship to invite you out for a drink after work! Let alone one you already happened to find particularly intriguing and attractive!  The beaker was empty, thankfully, but still a bit of a hassle to clean up. “I’m off,” you called from the doorway, nodding in the direction of the ensign from earlier. She giggled and waved you away, and you finally set out for Ten Forward. 

Regardless of the actual temperature, it always felt warm in there- it had such a positive atmosphere, as the only place people could truly relax most of the time. You entered quietly, trying to not disturb the dim and hum. Guinan smiled at you warmly as you walked by, which you returned, of course. Wouldn’t be the same without her here. Looking back in front of you, you instantly spotted Commander Riker sitting at a table close by, a drink in hand and one waiting on the opposite side for you. He looked pretty like a statue sitting there, lit up from the glowing table. You swallowed hard and tried to shove those thoughts out of your head. 

 “Y/N! Hey. Glad you came, I was getting worried you wouldn’t show.”

You tried not to blush as you slipped your lab coat from your shoulders and onto the back of your chair as you sat down. “And disobey my commanding officer? I think not,” you laughed. His usual pep faded for a moment, face growing slightly solemn. “Is that how you see this?”

That damn equation started running through the halls of your minds again. Commander. Friend? Superior officer. Date? You looked down. “Well, sir, I thought maybe you had called me here to ask about how it’s going in my department. Did I think wrong?” 

The smile returned to his face slightly, chuckling lightly before responding: “It’s not a work matter, Y/N. I was actually hoping to get to know you a little better, to be friends. I mean, if that includes talking about work, then that’s alright too, I just-” your chin tilted back up and to the side slightly, a confused look. “Friends?” So he did want to be friends? It makes sense, rationally. You were technically a very crucial person onboard, despite mostly keeping to yourself.

“Yes, friends. What’s wrong with that?” You looked down again. Friends. Friends!

“Nothing, sir, just surprised is all. I thought you only liked to hang out with your bridge crew.”

“I like to hang out with them because they’re there with me. If you had work on the bridge, I’d want to hang out with you. And hey, not at work. No ‘sir’. You can call me Will.”

The man emanated a warmth unlike one you’ve ever felt. You smiled at him, leaning back into your chair and finally taking your drink. You raised it to your mouth, but asked before sipping, “Alright then, Will. What were you hoping to learn about me?” He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, at a loss. God, that was hot. “Christ, Y/N, never made friends before? You act like this is an interrogation.”

“A little direction would be nice, sir-” you shook your head, smirking as you met his eyes. “Will.”

He smiled that ever-charming smile, and his eyes seemed to glitter with what could’ve been anything- curiosity, wonder, lust? It didn’t matter in the moment. Leaning back, holding his glass by the rim, his voice suddenly seemed to be the only one in the room. “Okay then, how about this: What are you doing here? Why did you join Starfleet?”

Once he had gotten you talking, the only was he could shut you up was to talk in return and tell you about himself. The two of you continued like that for a couple hours until yawns started to invade every sentence, and Will had decided it best you called it a night. It was so exciting, you didn’t expect him to be so interesting! Cool, of course, but not all cool people are interesting. Will Riker was cool and interesting, and damn good-looking to boot. He had asked you all about what went on in the labs on a daily basis- considering he practically runs the ship, he did already know what happens, but he asked what you do specifically. On a daily basis, for fun, as challenges. He asked what places have been your favourite to visit, or rather maybe, get samples to study from. He asked what makes you tick and what unwinds you. Beyond that, he answered every one of his own questions and yours. You knew how he’d been offered his own ship but passed it up to stay here. You knew about how he loved jazz and played trombone and piano. You knew about how cunning he had grown to be in poker, how he’d outwit everyone at the table in the weekly matches, and even taught classes on it. 

The door to your quarters slid open, and as soon as you stepped inside you leaned back against the wall. How could you get so tired from just talking? It was late, sure, but you spent extra hours in the lab all the time. Maybe because of the dim lighting in Ten Forward? Or, more likely, the synthehol he seemed to be pumping into you. Perhaps he forgot he was a walking fridge, and you were not. You exhaled heavily, doing your best to take off your shoes and drag yourself to bed, and as soon as you got there it was as if you’d been hit by a tranquilizer. 

Many, many hours later- unknown to you, sleeping- the door chirped. It was well past your shift start, and someone seemed to have taken it upon themself to go check on you. The door chirped again, and was followed by a couple quick knocks. Met with no response, the knocker came in- what if you were hurt? Better to be safe and check, right? 

Riker entered your room. Over his arm was your lab coat, which you’d left in Ten Forward the night before by accident. Stepping cautiously, he said softly: “Hello? It’s Will.” He placed the jacket over the back of a chair at your table. “Y/N?” He called out, louder this time. You rustled-

OW. You were instantly met with the signature hangover headache, cringing and scrunching your nose in pain. Hissing, you squinted at the door arch of your room, and slid off the side of your bed. Riker looked in the doorway and saw you, shuffling towards him, messy haired and wrinkly-clothed, and smiled. Huh? What’s the commanding officer doing in your quarters?

“Oh no. Back to bed with you,” he said gently. What? You did your best to stand up straight while running a hand through your hair. “Commander. What are you doing here?” A pained groan escaped despite your best efforts to appear alright. He stepped closer, reaching out to gently hold onto your arms to make sure you stayed upright. His eyes didn’t lock onto you anywhere, rather flickered all around your face as if scanning you. He looked at you thoughtfully, and responded, “You left your coat on your chair last night, I came to bring it back. You didn’t answer the door so I, and excuse me, let myself in to make sure you were okay. You’re not. Go back to sleep, Y/N.” He half guided, half pushed you back to sitting on your bed. “I’m not fine, but I’ve been worse. I’ve got to get to the lab now, probably. What time is it?” Your head was in your hands at this point. Will was walking away from you, and it made you sad for some reason- you wanted him near you. You didn’t know until he had been, but now you did. 

“You’re not going to work, Doctor. You’ve got the day off today.” Your eyes darted up and you opened your mouth to object, but he cut you off right as your face twisted with pain- “My orders. Lay down.” Figuring you may as well take the opportunity, you complied. He walked back over with a hypospray and used it on you, causing the pain to almost entirely disappear immediately. You closed your eyes to enjoy the relief for a moment, and felt the bed dip next to you. Your eyes flitted open, and Riker was sitting there on the edge smiling, reaching out and petting your hair. “Commander? What are you doing?” His smile dropped slightly. “How much of last night do you remember?���

You closed your eyes again. You went to the bar. You talked. You had a drink. You had another drink, and another. Rubbing your temples, you sighed. “I remember drinking, but that’s obvious. I remember talking. Laughing. You were very pleasant, as far as I can tell. What happened?” He shifted on the bed, facing you better. “We really got to know each other, Y/N. And for that I’m glad. But if you can’t remember, I’d be more than willing to give it another go.”

His eyes had an unexplainable sort of glitter to them, as if he was really excited about what he was saying. Oh man, what did you say? You knew your headache would come back if you thought about it too hard, so you asked: “Sir, did I say anything I should know about?”

His features softened yet again, a seemingly impossible feat. He moved his hand from the crook of your neck to reach down and hold one of your hands, which in your groggy, sore state, confused you even more. “Well,” he started, barely above a whisper, “you did agree to call me Will now. And then we talked for hours. And…” He trailed off, brushing the back of your hand with his thumb. His hands were a lot bigger than yours, and it provided a sort of comfort you wouldn’t have been able to explain if asked.

“And?”

“And, well, you said you thought you might love me.” 

“I think I could.” It slipped out. Your eyes widened immediately, and you felt your face flush what was probably a deeper red than his shirt. It just slipped out! You barely knew him! Tearing your hand away from his, you brought both of them up to cover your face. “I’m sorry sir, that just slipped out, I, I’m sure it’s the headache, I-” He chuckled softly, and you peeked through your fingers. “Huh?”

“You’re adorable, you know that?” You stopped peeking and blushed harder.

“Hey.” He gently took your hands away from your face and held them both, tightly this time. “I think I might love you too.”

“Sir, er- Will,” you corrected, trying to look anywhere but him, “I hate to be frank, but we barely know each other, At least, I don’t remember getting to know you very well. Love is entirely the wrong word. Sure I like you, but one night isn’t much to go off of, and you’re my superior officer, and-”

And he kissed you. Still holding your hands, he brought them close to his chest, and pressed against you ever so slightly. He pulled away, once again smiling down at you, and once again presenting a whole new level of what now appeared to be love. “Everything’s alright. People date for a reason, right? To get to know each other and see if they’re a good fit?” You nodded, doe eyed and starstruck. “Well, Y/N. Would you care to head over to Ten Forward for a date tomorrow?” He had mimicked his initial invitation. You nodded again, grinning, still in a bit of a shock over all of this. He returned your grin and ruffled your hair before standing up and turning to leave. 

You grabbed his hand- “No drinks this time though, yeah?”

“No drinks.”

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

HASO, “Written In Stone

I wanted to write more of this today, but I have been so busy it just isnt going to work, so hopefully it will be good where I left off

The GA Rapid Response Scientific Unit landed planetside at 0800 hours Earth time. They were at least ten miles away from the nearest anomaly: what the scientific nerd people had deemed those strange alien settlements before they had learned that they were settlements at all. Admiral Vir --piloting the craft as was his want -- felt the smooth metal of the landing struts ease against the unbroken metallic surface that was the ground. The ship roared and likely echoed like a thunderclap outside as he eased the ship down into position and then cut the engine listening to the soft pop and whirr as the hot metal began to cool. Inside his helmet, he could hear his own breath sharp and focused inside the enclosed space.

Behind him in the craft, the scientists were unbuckling themselves from their seats and stewing gear on the uniforms, the small Tesraki looking like children when compared to their much taller human counterparts. Outside the window a thick red mist had settled over them, momentarily blown away by the power of the engine, only to come descending slowly down from above to settle back over them with the most insidious slowness.The first wave of scientists moved towards the airlock, and he let them go ahead with a group of marines, waiting for the last person to exit before finally following after.

The door cracked open before him with a sharp hiss, as red mist spilled into the room and he stepped outside his footsteps echoing loudly on the smooth metal of the planet’s surface. 

The scientists had already gotten to work hauling the cargo from the storage units on the side of the ships, and dragging long crates onto hoering trollies. The sound they made in the immense space was deafening, a ruckus clattering that echoed up all around them.

It put his teeth on edge to hear that sort of noise in such a space,.

It felt, wrong somehow, and he wasn’t even really sure why.

Like screaming in a cathedral during service. Granted, some people might have found that sot of thin funny, but he sure didn’t, to him it seemed as if they were befowling some sort of sacred space by simply being there, and the least they coil do after that was to at least be quiet. The Tesraki, and the Vrul didn’t seem to notice the strange atmosphere around tem, but by looking at the other humans, he could tell he wasn’t the only one who could feel it.

He watched them shift nervously on their feet as great wafts of red cloud billowed in around them.

So it wasn’t just him?

Or maybe it was everything that had happened the night before.

Either way he felt as if their alien counterparts weren’t exercising nearly enough caution. He paused a moment at that thought thinking how odd it was for him, as a human of all things, to be thinking that. Usually it was the other way around, but somehow, now, based on a lack of that inherent sense of pending doom, the Aliens were moving without due caution.

Soon enough the screeching of their metal tools and boxes being dragged over the ground was just too much for him to handle, and he stepped forward, “I think it might be best if we kept the noise to a minimum.” His voice was tinny over the comms, and even through the visors of the suits he could see the aliens staring at him in confusion.

“What do you mean, Admiral.”

He sighed searching for words to define a meaning he couldn't quite understand evanescent like smoke, it seemed to fade every time he tried to grasp at it.

He turned to look at Krill, who had paused to watch him, shrewdly through the visor of his helmet. He wasn’t much of a traditional scientist, but he had insisted on coming along as the crew medic in case something happened. 

He switched his comm over so only Krll could hear

“I don’t know krill, Something just feels off here, like we are being watched, and I get the feeling that the noise…. Well the noise is only attracting attention.”

Krill paused for a long moment, And Adam stared at him pleadingly through his visor, though he knew the little alien couldn’t see his face, all around him the other aliens were looking on in concern not sure what was happening. He would have explained it to them, but knew --unlike Krill-- they weren’ likely to understand.”

Krill nodded and turned to the others, “Keep as quiet as you can.”

They nodded in confusion, but     the noise from then on was greatly reduced, though every slight scrape put his teeth on edge.

He spent most of his time halfway in between the marines and the Scientific crew, making himself useful wherever he could find use, either carrying things or anxiously watching out into the mist with his rifle cradled in both arms. Not for the first time, or even the hundredth time, he wished that Sunny was there to watch his back. He felt horribly exposed in the mist, and knew that if she had been here he would have felt more confident.

Despite being surrounded by marines, he would have traded them for Sunny any day of the week.

Well, he would have preferred having all of them all at once, but rarely does one get what tey want.

With the scientific tools placed on the hovercart, Adam, lifted the ground Radar he had pilfered from one of the boxes, turning it on and pointing it in the direction of tier final destination. The Radar made a light clicking noise almost like a geiger counter, but he could tell from its alerts that they weren’t yet close to anything substantial.

He set the frequency of his actual geiger counter to a different sort of clicking noise

There was some radiation here, and while the suit protected him from cosmic rays on a regular basis, he would till rather know what kind of environment he was getting himself into. He adjusted the machine, and maverick watched him from some interest, where she stood to the side of the group, the smallest human, but still taller than all of the Tesraki there.

“Since when did you know how to work all the sciency shit.”

“Since I took the time to learn.”

“I thought you were a flight jock, not a science nerd.”

“Why not be both.” he muttered, kicking on the anti grav fields around his boots, and skating around to the other side of the hover car. He liked moving like this, it was nearing complete silence. Clearly Ramirez enjoyed it as well, considering the man couldn’t help from doing little spins and pirouettes like he was back on ice again.

As long as he was quiet about it, Adam could hardly complain, and took his position near the front side of the hovercade rifle still cradled in a sling before his chest, hand resting lightly on the grip. His finger stroked the trigger guard but never the trigger, and he kept his eyes out on the red mist before tem.

From there they began to move, about twenty strong, most of the aliens riding on the hover cart, while the humans scared along beside reaching speeds that seemed to make the aliens nervous. Krill held onto the back of Adam’s suit floating around behind him like some sort of demented baloon. Adam would have laughed if he wasn’t so on edge, especially with the way the other vrul looked at him with such concern and confusion.

Eventually his radar clicking began to speed up, and he looked down at the detector to find a small cluster of those monoliths appearing on the horizon. They were close, at least close enough that the curvature of the planet was no longer getting in their way. The red mist still obscured their vision mostly, but he kept them going, stopping only as the  first hulking shadow came into sight, or not stopping but slowing down, knowing that the structure was large enough that it would probably be a while before they actually reached it.

They Stopped about 100 yards away close enough to notice a large pile of rubble at the center of the little cluster of monoliths. There were no floating monoliths here, and the strange metallic grating noise that had followed him on his first trip to this planet was now all but silent. 

They unloaded the tools onto smaller hover wagens, one to every scientist.

Adam was handed a couple of tools they thought he could handle, mostly busy work to do the things that the scientists didn’t want to do but still needed to do to cover all their bases. He didn’t mind. He liked having something to do, and he supposed this was the best place to learn: the bottom.

He moved with them across the billowing landscape, which was marginally less foggy now, giving them a view of the entire monolith structure.

Something seemed…. Strangely familiar about it, though he couldn’t have said what. It had nothing to do with his last visit, but something…. Deeper. At any moment he expected a voice to ring out through the echoing and billowing darkness, but none came.

Instead, a beam of light passed over them from the distant Sun, and a waft of blue fog rolled in from the left, darkening things as soon as they seemed to have lightened

The scientists fanned out to either side, and Adam made his way down the middle, towards the large pile of rubble. The marines fanned out with the scientists, one marine to every nerd. He was surprised to find he had his own marine, and looked back over his shoulder to find Ramirez’s familiar space suit following him at a distance, nervously glancing around at the towering black structures that dominated the landscape.

Adam could hardly blame him. He felt the same way.

Together they walked forward to the pile of rubble. It was most just the same black material that happened to make up the rest of the structures, and, carefully, he stepped off the metal and into the rubble, using the instruments to examine the rock, running his machine over, and then under and then over. It whirred, but didn’t make the noise he was looking for. He examined the rock closely, noticing the even grain of the broken pieces, and bagging one for a sample.

Perhaps he was biased, but it certainly didn’t look natural.

Then again there were plenty of minerals that grew in ways that didn't seem natural, so maybe he was just kidding himself. Ramirez hovered at his back nervously shifting from foot to foot and staring around at the sky and rolling mist.

“I don’t like this.” he muttered 

“That makes you and everyone human here.” He responded, running the machine over the rock as he climbed a little further up, or maybe it was metal…. Or somewhere in between? He wasn’t sure. Wasn’t rock just like…. Fancy metal.

He sighed, some scientist he was, not even really sure what the difference was between rock and metal other than metal was…. Stronger or some shit, or rock was made up of a bunch of different metals and non metals while metal was….. Just what it was.

He made it to the top of the rock lost in his thoughts when there was a sudden whirring from the machine.

He looked down in shock and surprise only to find his machine resting right over something…. Something that certainly was not natural. He forze and stared.

Looked away and then looked back….. Back at the strange markings on the rock. 

Strange markings that could be mistaken as nothing else, other than writing.

“Find something?” Ramirez radioed in, but Adam didn’t answer staring at te strange script before him.

He rubbed his eyes, looked away, and then turned back, rubbing them again.

He felt…. Very strange, and the letters seemed to spin before him morphing and warping even as he looked.

His eyes ran along the line of text.

And so with knowledge they did pass away.

He blinked again staring at the letters that made…. No objective sense but, yet, every time he looked at them he read the same line, no…. It wasn’t really reading though was it. Every time he looked at those words, he UNDERSTOD what they were saying.

He shook himself. No, he was just crazy, and hi mind was playing tricks on him.

“Ramirez, come here.” he ordered.

He heard the slight rattling ehind him as Ramirez clambered up the rock andpaused over his shoulder.

“What the hell is that.”

“Writing of some kind. What do you make of it.”

He stared at Ramirez very intently for a few seconds as the other man took a look, “Gibberish to me, some kind of alien language?”

Adam cleared his throat, “Uh, yeah, I…. Guess.” e turned to his comm to transm.

“I have something.”

“What did you find.”

“Some kind of…. Weird alien writing, I don’t know. Better send someone over.”

It wasn’t long until one of the scientists jogged over followed by maverick. The two of them climbed up onto the pile of rock, and the alien knelt before it in surprise and great interest eyes scanning over the text, “I think you have found something, Admiral.”

As he watched, Adam saw Maverick press a hand to the outside of her helmet.

He opened the cop to her.

“Mav?”

“Yeah boss?”

“Are you seeing….”

“And so with knowledge hey did pass away?”

“Shit.”

“You see it too?”

“Yeh.”

“And Ramirez.”

“Just sees scribbles.”

The two of them stood there staring at each other awkwardly. Green mist rolled in from the lef and it was very suddenly that Adam felt, a strange sensation rising up inside him, a sensation that maverick seemed to feel as well as she stood and the two of them turned towards the pile of rubble. The scientist and Ramirez called out in surprise as Adam and Maverick pushed past them, and began frantically digging through the rubble with their hands.

They flipped over large blocks of stone grabbing the pieces with strange writing and dragging them down from the rubble and onto the ground where they began to arrange them. The other scientists began running over as the commotion started.

A few of the marines tried to pull Maverick and Adam back, some of them pausing to stare at the strange alien letters only to suddenly turn and join their companions while others stood there in confusion unsure of what was going on.

By the end Adam knelt at the bottom of the rubble with maverick behind him and a few of the marines ranged around.

Together they read.

“And so with knowledge they did pass away

And pillars of stone were left by them

And light came before them 

And the host surrounded them 

Until they were brought up

And none were left save pillars of stone

Woah be unto those who find this stone and read” 

[awhitehead17]

Whumptober 2020: Day 23 - What’s a whumpee gotta do to get some sleep around here?

Prompt: Sleep deprivation

Summary: When Tim gets hit with Poison Ivy’s new toxin, he’s forced to stay awake until an antidote is created. Normally it would be easy however since he’s already pulled two all-nighters prior to being affected, it becomes a whole lot more difficult.

Enjoy! :D 

“Okay, so, don’t be mad, but something’s happened.”

It takes all of Bruce’s self-restraint to not let the sigh slip past his lips upon hearing his eldest son’s words. He knew the night had been going too smooth to be true, nothing has happened up until Dick called him through the comms.

“B? You still there?” Dick’s concerned voice travels into his ear.

“Yes, Nightwing, I’m still here.” Bruce answers evenly, waiting for his son to get to the point.

Nothing good ever follows the words ‘something’s happened’. 

“In simple terms, Red Robin’s been hit by Ivy’s new toxin. He’s fine, except not if you know what I mean.”

Unfortunately Bruce does know what he means. Tim is fine physically and not injured however he has a poisonous toxin running through his veins.

“Red’s on his way back in the Batmobile with Robin, not the smartest move I know but Robin was there when Red got hit.”

Bruce finally gives in and lets out that sigh. He wish he could have been out in the field helping to find Poison Ivy, however he’s stuck in the cave behind the computer because of a damaged hip he acquired 3 nights ago, he was in no shape to go out and fight villains.

Ivy has recently conjured up a new toxin one of which takes affects when the body is asleep. When the body is relaxed the toxin begins to shut down the organs, eventually killing the affected in their sleep.

This new toxin appeared two nights ago and has been a headache since. Bruce has had to split the family up into two, one half going out on patrol to find Ivy herself and the other half is mixed between working on an antidote (since it’s new they have not yet got one) and working out what Ivy’s other motives are as there’s reason to believe this toxin is simply a distraction for something bigger.

The fact Tim has now been hit with the toxin brings a new urgency to creating an antidote.

Bruce is disrupted from his thoughts when a familiar engine could be heard echoing throughout the cave. He waits patiently and observes as the batmobile pulls to a stop and two doors open up. The bickering could instantly be heard and Bruce takes a deep breath in order to help prepare himself to be deal with his two youngest.

His sons immediately head over to him at the computer and stand a couple feet away. Damian was scowling, he had his hood up and arms crossed over his chest. Tim had his cowl down and Bruce could see the way his eyes were dilated and how sweat was coating his skin.

“Father,” Damian demands his attention after a moment, “Drake has once again proven that he is incompetent in the field.”

Next to him Tim grits his teeth and Bruce could see how the boy was holding himself back from making the retort he desperately wants to.

“Damian, you’re finished for the night, go get changed and head for bed.”

“But father-”

Bruce’s glare stops his youngest from voicing the rest of his protest. Once Damian is heading for the changing rooms, he turns to Tim. “Tim, I want you to go to the medical bay, let Alfred take a blood sample and then get yourself washed and changed. Once you’re done, we’ll talk.”

Tim wordlessly nods and heads for the medical bay where Alfred was waiting for him. While he waits for Tim to sort himself out he turns his attention back onto his other family members still out in the field. He updates them with the situation and gets reports back in return. By the time he was all caught up Tim had retuned to the computer.

“How are you feeling?”

Tim sighs and runs a hand through his damp hair. “I’m fine, I don’t feel like I’ve been poisoned or anything. Nothing is hurt, well maybe except my pride. It was a stupid mistake and I messed up.”

Bruce leans forward as much as he can in the chair and pins Tim with a firm look. “You do understand the seriousness of this situation don’t you Tim? You may not feel anything right now but under no circumstances, as much as I hate to say it, you cannot go to sleep. We’ll be having a conversation on your performance once we know you’re safe and toxin free.”

Tim rolls his eyes in that typical defiant fashion that teenagers seem to have. “I know Bruce, I’m not stupid. I can help create the antidote. Also, I’m pretty experienced of working without sleep, I’ll be fine.”

“That's great except you’ve already pulled nearly two all-nighters prior to tonight.” A new voice joins their conversation. The two of them look over to see Dick walking towards them, glaring at Tim as he does so.

Upon hearing this Bruce rubs his forehead. So it’s going to be much harder to keep Tim awake than he thought because his son was already sleep deprived as it was. Keeping him awake for another 24 hours or so was going to be difficult.

Tim glares at his brother. “I’ve handled worse. I’ll be fine.” With that he storms off and heads towards the stairs in order to go up to the manor.

Bruce shares a look with Dick. “We’ll rotate people to keep an eye on him at all times. He can’t be allowed to sleep until we can clear the toxin from his body. It’s nearly done now anyway, another day then it should be complete, hopefully.”

Dick nods slowly. “Yeah, like I said he’s already running on fumes so it’s not going to be long until he crashes for good. If you and Alfred focus on the antidote then the rest of us will keep Tim awake. Please finish it soon.”

------

The day that follows is interesting for everyone. Much to his annoyance Tim was being watched like a hawk, anytime he even closes his eyes for more than two seconds someone was there either calling his name or physically shaking him.

This of course leads Tim to being snappy with anyone who was around him at the time, his tiredness was quickly coming through and it was clear he wanted to rest but could not do so.

Dick watches as Tim floats about the manor, going between the kitchen, library, bathroom and his bedroom. They’ve banned him from any form of training, saying that the exercise will tire him out quicker. In result Tim is working on WE reports and case files to fill up the time while the antidote gets made.

Dick joins Tim in the library and silently works on his own files while keeping an eye on his brother. It doesn’t go unnoticed on how Tim sometimes pauses as if he’s forgotten what he’s writing, or the way he stares at the page for a good five minutes before carrying on with the task.

Dick was getting worried because the sleep deprivation was clearly getting to Tim now and it’s only a matter of time before he crashes.

The two of them work in companionable silence until Tim groans and stands up to stretch. He looks over at Dick, “I’m going to get some food, want anything?”

Dick shakes his head. “No thanks.” He watches as Tim nods and begins to head for the door. He’s glad he had been watching Tim because after a couple steps Tim swayed on his feet and without even thinking about it, Dick jumps out of his seat and lunges for his brother. He reaches Tim just in time to catch him before he hits the ground.

Dick lowers them both to the ground and checks Tim over. “Tim, you okay? What’s wrong?”

Tim blinks at him owlishly for a moment and frowns, “I uh, I don’t… God the room just spun like crazy then and I lost my balance I guess.”

“That's the sleep deprivation, it’s really hitting you now. You just need to stay awake a little longer bud. Bruce is nearly done with the antidote.” God he hopes he is. Without any other words, Dick picks Tim up and takes him to the couch, putting him down gently.

Tim slumps into the cushions behind him and Dick feels terrible because he looks so wiped out and awful. He wants his brother to be healthy again. When Tim’s eyes close, Dick reaches out and roughly pats his cheeks. “Hey, none of that, not yet Tim okay.”

Tim noncommittedly hums as he pulls himself into an upright position and leans over his work again. Dick studies him for a moment before deciding to return to his own workstation. As he settles into the seat he sends Tim a look. “I’ll text Jay and see if he can bring in some food for us, perhaps a drink as well.”

When Tim doesn’t respond Dick shrugs it off and sends Jason the message. After that he cracks back on with his own work.

Time goes by and Dick soon realises he hadn’t checked on Tim for a while. He looks over to where the teenager was sat only to feel his heart stop inside of his chest. For a second time, Dick is lunging across the room to get to his brother, who was lying down on the couch with his face pressed into the cushions.

With one hand Dick reaches out to check for a pulse and with the other he scrambles to get his phone out of his pocket. Thankfully there’s still a steady beat underneath two of his fingers but he has no idea how long Tim had fallen asleep for. This was Dick’s fault, he should have been paying closer attention to his brother.

“Dick?” A voice calls for him through his phones speaker.

Dick frantically shouts into the phone while desperately trying to shake Tim awake. “Bruce please tell me you have the antidote ready! Tim’s fallen asleep and I have no idea how long he’s been like it!”

“Yes, it’s just been finished, we’re prepping a needle now. Where are you?”

“We’re in the library. Bruce hurry!”  

“Alfred is on his way. There are precautions however because it hasn’t been tested-”

“Fuck the precautions Bruce! Tim is dying we need to save him!”

Bruce continues to speak on the phone but Dick wasn’t listening. He was too focused on his sleeping brother, worrying about how his body is going to shut down if he doesn’t wake up. Tim wasn’t waking up no matter what Dick tries.

“Master Dick, please allow me.” Dick looks up and is relieved to find Alfred approaching them. Dick shuffles to the side to make room for the butler and watches with an intense stare as Alfred takes Tim’s arm and injects him with the antidote. As soon as it’s administered Dick is asking questions.

“How long until it takes affect? Will it work? What if it doesn’t Alfred?”

A gentle hand on his arm stops him from rambling. “Master Dick, unfortunately all we can do is wait and see. Master Bruce is still in the lab triple checking it over but an estimation will be a few hours or so, especially considering how exhausted the lad is.”

Dick nods his head and takes a few deep breaths, willing himself to calm down and trust Alfred’s words.

The next few hours were awful. Dick could feel all of the anxiety, the anticipation and worry storming inside of him as he paces around the library waiting for Tim to wake up. In that time, Bruce had now joined them in the room along with Alfred and even Jason.

A small gasp soon gets his attention and Dick abruptly stops walking to stare at the couch where Tim was lying. Sparks of hope travel through him as he watches Tim stir and joy explodes in him when Tim’s eyes open up. Before anyone else could react, Dick was moving, making his way to the couch and pulling Tim into a fierce hug.

“God I was so worried! Never do that to me again baby bird.”

Tim’s only response is to loosely hug Dick back while he tries to wrap his head around what happened. Dick ignores it all, loving the feeling of having his brother back and mostly out of danger, they can deal with everything else soon enough.