#worse than usual back pain at least o(-(

[jackiebrackettt]

ushering in the new year with back pain wooooo \o/

[yuri-is-online]

Here's a short list of things that I think would affect yuu (not from an omegaverse world) being in twisted wonderland (omegaverse au)

The scent thing. In my mind, everyone has a scent, including betas, theirs are just weaker. So how would Yuu, who has no scent, be classified? Would ortho or idia want to study them and see what's different between twst folks and earth folks? Scent is usually just noted in smut scenes, but it does have a larger role in most a/b/o stories. Mainly, it's how people communicate emotions. If you're happy, it shows in your scent. If your distressed, it shows in your scent. If your scared, excited, horny, anxious, it shows in your scent. People probably focus on scent when it comes to emotions before they focus on your face or body language. So figuring out what Yuu is feeling is probably a lot harder. It's even worse if Yuu isn't that expressive in the first place. Although it does make me wonder about how people try to hide their scents when their trying to be aloof or stoic...

Noises. This also ties into emotions, the more extreme ones at least. A/b/o twst people purr when their happy or content and growl when they're feeling territorial. Yuu might be able to growl, not very well but whatever. But purring? Yeah no. Not happening. Bless Jades heart he's trying so hard to give Yuu gifts they like and listening for a purr and it just. Never comes. Also imagine being Yuu and you're just getting growled at on a daily basis that's just gotta suck lmoa

Warnings for menstruation and omega heats 🤩 (also jade thinks his partner got SAed so HUGE TW). I personally think that TWST doesn't have periods. Mostly because I read Period Drama series by twstfanblog and was like "Yeah sure I'll integrate that into my belief system". So Yuus under a lot of stress right? Especially those first few months and overblots, so I think it's safe to say that an AFAB Yuus cycle would probably skip over those few months or even a year until everything calms down. And then boom! Ovulation! Jade thinks it's a preheat or a heat and is trying SO HARD to be respectful because they did not talk about this before hand and he doesn't know if he's aloud to "help" them the way he's wants to. Doesn't exactly help that Yuus throwing themself at him every step of the way and asking shit like "Hey if we have kids what would you name them :D?". Yuu is killing him. All in all though, it's a pretty subdue heat, they're not confined to their nest (a messy pile of pillows, blankets, and cushions that they impulsively made in Ramshackle one day) or anything, they can go to class and move around just fine (he doesn't let them though. He doesn't need any perverts possibly getting off or fantasizing about something only he should be fantasizing about), and unfortunately, they're not keeping him in their nest and letting him breed them until they forget their own name, so it all worked out just fine. And then about a week later, he goes to Sam's first thing in the morning to buy more snacks and comes back to the strong scent of his loves blood, only to find out that blood was coming from "the void" and they're curled up in pain, and crying. Yeah that was the worst moment of Jades life, actually. 0/10. Would not recommend. He almost killed several people that day 👍

Nests. Yuu doesn't know what the hell a "nest" is or why Jade freaked out so hard with joy when they made their shitty little pillow fort but hey! At least he's happy! Look at him! Just vibrating with joy! While he's sitting just outside the fort and is just... staring at them..... Is he not gonna come in? So now their scooching over and awkwardly patting the spot next to them- and Jades eyes just dilated SO HARD ok

Ruts and knots. The Fun Shit. Jade asked (very flusteredly) if Yuu would be willing to help him through his upcoming rut and Yuus like 🧍👍🧎. And it's a lot more intense than they were expecting. Bro is looking a half step away from feral as he carries Yuu over to the "nest" and just let's go fully shortly after they start. And Yuu is throughly enjoying it but also- isn't this a little much?!It's just a week of a bad Coleen Hoover novel where all they do is have sex and sleep! They ain't built for this! Honestly, they're just a doll for him at this point because there is not a THOUGHT behind those eyes expect for Jade and his dick and they ain't even mad about it!

That last section wasn't a question I was just thirsty. Damn this ask got long as hell shit.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH bless you. My lifespan... my strength... it is returning 2 me.

I think a lot of this could be cleared up with some communication, but at the same time poor Yuu wouldn't know what they were supposed to be communicating.

If scents are reflective of emotion and how people communicate, I would think they reflect people's personalities in the same way facial expressions do? So a particularly stoic person (like say Silver) would have a much more muted scent when he's happy than someone who is much more expressive (like Kalim.) Of the people who would be most distressed by Yuu's lack of scent, I think it would actually be Riddle since I could see him thinking it is a medical issue they need to get checked out ASAP. It would certainly isolate them from their peers even more than not being a mage would, making them a real alien as far as most people in Twisted Wonderland would be concerned.

Now. Jade. My beloved. I think after he manages to successfully court Yuu he would be very smug about this because he would be maybe one of the only people in Twisted Wonderland able to pick up on Yuu's unique body language. But that's in the future, now he's struggling because on top of no scent there's no purrs D:< He's fantasized about what it would sound like sosososososo many times and he is worryingly close to realizing that he's not above begging. He just wants some praise from his chosen mate... please...

lmao about the growling I just would not be able to take that seriously and probably make some dumb comment that would get my ass beat. But if it was really loud that would stress me out.

... oh poor Jade. In my head I am thinking of Yuu maybe having been told by a (concerned) adeuce that Jade is attempting to court them so they start trying to reciprocate (which does not help anyone's concerns) but they haven't really talked about what exactly that means yet. So by the time Yuu starts ovulating they're still in what Yuu might consider to be a "talking" phase? Because Jade hasn't asked to make things official? Whereas Jade is simultaneously on cloud nine planning the wedding and in the depths of despair wondering how best to continue his courtship efforts because oh he wants to help you with your heat so badly :c he's in a permanent state of horny grip the entire week and so tense. Yuu wonders if it would be too much to offer to help him relax since they aren't all that close yet so they figure they'll ask him some questions to see how he reacts and all that and he is extremely receptive but he still doesn't make a move, even if he does insist on talking to them around the pillow fort a lot?

Speaking of the pillow fort... I'm just picturing Jade sitting so pretty and heavy breathing while Yuu is sat there very confused because he is buzzing with excitement but they can't tell what kind. Man relationships are real hard so is jade when you add in alien biology and customs to them please let him help you hope you aren't doing something wrong? you could never please please please just one chance Yuu one chaaaaance

The period stuff... I don't think my mind would jump to SA but certainly some sort of attack and Jade being Jade, he would not let that stand. Thankfully no one actually gets hurt since Jade asks Yuu for names and they have a very strange conversation about reproductive biology. Oh so you are bleeding because you aren't pregnant? Well that sounds like such an easy fix~ And is probably when you finally have that talk about how horny he was all last week because he asks, very earnestly asks to help you through your next "heat" so you don't have to endure this pain again.

Since you were being thirsty allow me to share some of my... thoughts (￣▽￣||)

I feel like Jade would want to take Yuu in his merform at some point if not first because he wants them to think about it. He wants to ruin them for anyone who is not very specifically him and he is not shy about it, but alas the omega decides where to build the nest and you chose "poorly." Yuu is getting their guts rearranged while Jade bullies them about their poor nest building skills. It's ok, he just finds you so cute maybe he'll walk you through it next time? Sure he's never had to build a nest, never felt the need but he's sure if you follow his instructions nice and slowly you'll do just fine.

You wind up in Ramshackle's tub more than once. Just don't complain about not being able to remember most of it because he'll just take that as you wanting a redo. Say less, he's been good for too long anyway *smack*

[arctickat2400]

Take Care Of You ∞ Henry Cavill

Henry Cavill x F!Reader

Warnings: talks of detailed period stuff, negative self talk, normal repetition (*annoyed eye roll*), overall fluff and Henry taking care of Reader (as in the title lol), Henry being literally the best boyfriend ever (as per usual)

A/N: I’ve had notes for this imagine in my Notes app for a while and the day before I started to write it was the second day of my period and it was kicking my ass. So I thought it was finally a good time to write it. Enjoy!

Word Count: 3,448 (aka much longer than it needed to be)

* * * *

Henry had gone to work on his new movie a month ago and he was finally coming home. You wanted to do something special for him, knowing he’s going to be exhausted, and you just wanted to take care of him. Besides, he’s always taking care of you, so why not give him a break every once in a while if he’d let you?

However, your plans hadn’t turned out the way you wanted them to. Your period had come in the middle of the night, resulting in very little sleep. You had things you needed to do, but it was kicking your ass and all you wanted to do was curl up and not get up for the next several days. That wasn’t an option, though.

Your apartment was a mess, and although Henry doesn’t live with you permanently, he’s at your apartment a majority of his time when he’s not away filming for a movie or show, so it might as well be his home. You’d prefer it to be clean for him. But your body had different plans - you didn’t want to get out of bed.

When you finally did, you headed to the bathroom to take some Advil for the pain, but you did a double take when you looked in the mirror. Your face was all broken out, your hair was a mess, and you were feeling a bit more insecure about yourself and your body now that you were on your period, although that’s not saying much. You wanted to take a shower, but you could hardly stand due to your raging cramps, the Advil not having kicked in yet, and you decided it best to go back to bed, cleaning yourself up before doing so.

You couldn’t let Henry see you this way. Yes, he’s seen you on your period before. You’ve been together almost two years and he’s always told you how beautiful he thinks you are, on or off your period, clean or dirty hair, acne or no acne (even though no acne was quite rare). Either way, he’s always told you how gorgeous you are no matter how you look.

But your mind was telling you it’s different this time. In the past, Henry’s always been there to help you through it all, to take care of you, if it was at home or while you were on trips with him. But, he’s never come home to you this way, and the fact that it’s hard for you to take care of yourself makes matters worse. He’s coming home expecting one thing, but will come home to something completely different, and quite unattractive (at least in your mind).

So, to take care of matters to the best of your ability, you picked up your phone from your bedside table and texted Henry.

Y/N: Hey, babe. Just wanted to let you know I’m not feeling well and that maybe it’s best for you to head straight to your place when you get home. I should be feeling better in the next couple of days, so I hope to see you soon. 

The original plan was always for him to come see you when he comes home from trips. You wanted so bad to see him, more than anything. You missed him dearly when he was gone, especially for so long. If it wasn’t for your insecurities, you wouldn’t possibly care if he saw you this way. But, that wasn’t the case this time around. 

You placed your phone back on your bedside table, curling up on Henry’s side of the bed, and falling asleep almost instantly.

When Henry got the text right after his plane had landed, he knew something wasn’t right. He couldn’t remember the last time he went to his house first before going to see you after a trip. He would always go straight to you and you’d never told him not to come over. 

As the realization popped into his head, Henry opened his calendar on his phone to see what day it was, and surely enough, just as he’d predicted, it was your time of month. That’s what was so great about him, it was his real life super power: Henry knew every little thing about you.

Henry couldn’t possibly just leave you alone in your time of need. He wants to come and take care of you if you want him to or not. So, he texts you back.

Henry: My beautiful baby, I’m so sorry you’re not feeling well. Let me come take care of you. I’ll be there shortly, my love.

But, by the time he’d texted back, you’d already passed out again from exhaustion, missing his text. 

Henry decided to stop by the store on his way home to pick up a few things for you. He didn’t want to make you mad by coming over when you told him not to, but he knew the reason why, and therefore he’s justified because he just wants to take care of his baby. Plus, he hasn’t seen you in a month and he hates being away from you for long periods of time. If he’s able to see you, he won’t hesitate to do so. He prefers for you to go with him on trips, and you feel the same way, but you both know you had your job and responsibilities at home that prevented you from going with him. Henry was grateful, though, for the times you are able to go with him. 

Finally pulling up to your complex, Henry took all of the grocery bags and his suitcase from the trunk and made his way up to your loft. Using his key to get in, all the bags in one hand, he set his suitcase by the door and toeing off his shoes before guiding himself into the kitchen and quietly setting the grocery bags on the island, knowing you had to have been asleep after not having texted him back. You were usually very efficient when texting people back. 

Making his way upstairs, Henry spotted your sleeping body on his side of the bed. He knew you loved sleeping on his side when he was gone because it smelled like him. He knelt down beside you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear and brushing his thumb over your cheek before placing a sweet kiss to your temple. He stood to go back downstairs, putting away some of the groceries, keeping the stuff for you out on the counter. Henry, then, decided to make you something to eat for when you wake up, knowing you probably forgot to eat before going back to sleep. 

Meanwhile, still half asleep, you hear some clanging of dishes downstairs and your eyes pop open wide. Quickly, you rush out of bed and downstairs, only to find Henry in the kitchen with an apron on (you would laugh if it wasn’t for the adrenaline pumping through your veins), food on the stove, groceries on the counter, and no dishes in the sink (which you’d meant to wash before but now they were gone). The kitchen was clean, and, unless you cleaned in your sleep, Henry had done it all for you and you felt even worse now than before. 

“Henry, what in God’s name are you doing here?” You startled him as he whipped his head around, his eyes wide in surprise. 

“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I was trying to be quiet and trying so hard not to wake you. I know it’s your time of the month and I know you said not to come over, but,” Henry walked up to you, placing his hands on your waist, brushing his thumbs over your tummy. “I just couldn’t go home knowing I could be here taking care of my precious girl. I couldn’t stand by and leave you to deal with the pain all alone,” Henry finished, a sweet smile on his lips.

You loved Henry with all your heart and loved that he wanted to take care of you despite more than likely being extremely tired from filming and his trip home. But the fact that you knew how you looked right now made tears well up in your eyes as you stared into his. The other fact, unknown to you, was that all Henry could see was his magnificent girlfriend who would never cease to look anything short of stunning to him no matter what. 

“Honey, what’s wrong? Does your stomach hurt? What can I do?” He panicked. If you weren’t so aware of your mind going haywire, you would have chuckled at his absolute need to take care of you. 

You fell into tears, turning away from him and heading back up the stairs. Henry took his apron off, hanging it on the back of a chair at the island before chasing after you. “It’s just that I look absolutely horrendous. I’m still in my pjs, I haven’t had it in me to shower, I feel and look disgusting, I’m all broken out, and I’m just feeling all out insecure.” You say, sitting on the recliner in the corner of the room, placing your face in your hands, hiding from Henry who knelt down in front of you, his hands on either of your thighs. “And I was supposed to wake up this morning and clean, and I had a plan to take care of you today for once ‘cause I know you’ve got to be exhausted, but I ended up just falling asleep again, and you’re just so amazing and you’re always taking care of me. I just feel like such a bad girlfriend, and I… I…”

Henry took your hands from your face, holding them in his, making you look at him. “Baby, it’s okay. I don’t need anything more than to come home to you. And if that means being able to take care of you when you’re having a hard time, I’m more than happy to do so ‘cause I love you and I love more than anything to take care of you,” Henry smiles up at you as you sniffle. “And as for your comment about how you look, you know how I feel about that and you saying those things about yourself. It is impossible for you to ever look anything less than stunning to me. So don’t ever hide away from me. That would just deprive me of your beauty and we can’t have that now, can we?” Henry chuckled, pulling a short snicker from you, as he brushed his finger over your cheek to catch a tear. 

“Now, please let me take care of my baby girl. I bought you a few things from the store that I hope will make you feel better,” Henry smiled, taking your hands in his and lifting you from the chair. “Didn’t know what you needed so I just got you some extra supplies, as well as a bunch of chocolate and some food you crave around this time. Plus a little something special,” Henry turned to you as he led you down the stairs and winked at you, making a red blush rise to your cheeks. To this day, even after two years of being together, he never ceases to make you blush. 

Leading you to the island and lifting you up by the waist to sit on top, Henry pulled a bouquet of red roses from the pile of groceries, handing them to you. How you didn’t notice them before, you didn’t know. But they were so beautiful and he was so sweet for the precious gift. 

Henry stood between your legs, his hands on either side of your hips. “Henry, they’re gorgeous. Thank you,” You placed the flowers down beside you as you pulled Henry in for a kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck before pulling him in for a much needed hug.

“Welcome home, my love. I’m sorry that’s not the first thing I said to you,” You smiled, pulling away to look him in the eyes. “I was just very surprised to see you and I was too in my head. Didn’t realize what really mattered was right in front of me.”

“That’s quite alright, my darling. Never need to apologize. I’m just happy to be back home with you in my arms,” Henry pulled you in for another kiss. “Now, I made you lunch and your favorite dessert - brownies,” He winked at you. How you didn’t smell them before either was beyond you, but the sparkle in your widened eyes and smile sent Henry into laughter as you licked your lips. 

“Let’s get some food and water into that adorable belly of yours, shall we?” Henry placed his hands on your waist as he bent down to press a kiss to the sliver of belly beneath your tank top, making you giggle, your hand brushing through his hair. 

Henry was obsessed with your belly. You never understood why, but you guessed it might have something to do with the fact that you’ve never been a big fan of it yourself, always being insecure about it and the extra fat that’s accumulated there. He just wanted to love the parts of you that you didn’t like so that you may learn to love it all like he does. And his love for it and the constant attention has allowed you to hate it just a bit less and you were grateful for him and his love for you, not just your body.

“Then, I’ll get to taking care of my beautiful baby,” Henry smiled and kissed your forehead. And he did just that. After eating, Henry picked you up koala style (your favorite way to be held by him) and carried you upstairs and into the bathroom. Setting you down on the countertop again, he went to turn on the shower to the temperature of your liking. 

Henry came back to help you undress, lifting your tank top over your head and sliding you off the counter before taking off your underwear.

Just then, tears stung your eyes as a wave of pain struck your lower stomach and your insecurities started to come back again.

“Hey, hey, what’s going on, baby? Are you okay?” Henry questioned, his hands cupping your cheeks to lift your face to look into his concerned eyes. But you couldn’t meet his eyes as you let out a cry, your arms covering your stomach. 

“I’m so sorry. It just hurts and all of this is just so disgusting and your shouldn’t have to deal with this…” You cried and Henry followed your line of sight to your blood filled pad. He knew what you were talking about, but he didn’t understand why you were so upset about it. 

“Baby, look at me,” He placed his finger under your chin to make you look at him. “I’m here for it all. There is nothing to be sorry about. This is all normal and I know that. There is nothing disgusting about it and nothing to be embarrassed about. I hate that you’re in pain and I wish that I could take it from you. That’s why I want to be here to help you and I will be here to help you in any way I can. I will do all the heavy lifting. Just let me take care of you and it will all be okay.” Henry explained to you so it would be ingrained in your head, sympathy in his eyes. You nodded and let out a whispered thank you, not trusting your voice just yet after the tears. Henry offered a sweet smile and a kiss to your head before you went to take care of your female things while he undressed himself, ready to join you in the shower, wanting to wash off his flight. 

Henry took your brush and started running it through your hair gently, getting all the tangles out. He, then, followed you into the shower, closing the glass door behind him. Your body instantly relaxed once the hot water hit your back and shoulders. It was even better when Henry came to stand behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. You leaned back against him, reveling in the warmth and safety of his embrace. 

“You’re so wonderful, Henry. I hope you know how much I appreciate you. You never cease to show me just how much you love me and I love you so much, darling.” You look up over your shoulder at him, one of his arms wrapped around your waist and the other coming up to stroke your cheek. 

“And I love you, my precious girl. I hope you know I will never stop. I can’t imagine a world where I could ever stop loving you. There is not a single thing that could take my love away from you. And that is how it will always be,” Henry smiled a small smile, leaning down to press a sweet kiss to your lips, crading your head in his hand. 

After Henry washed your hair and body and helped you shave your legs (this man’s a freaking saint), he got out first to allow you to enjoy a few more moments of warm water on your tense muscles. Meanwhile, he went to get you and him some comfy clothes while also running downstairs to grab your supplies from the kitchen. 

You opened the glass door to be met with Henry, his towel tied around his waist, holding your own fluffy towel out for you to walk into as he wrapped it around your body. He helped you dry off before getting himself dressed while you went to put in a tampon. Turning to see him shirtless and in a pair of gray sweatpants, just as you like him, you meet Henry in the middle. He knelt down to pull your underwear up your legs, a pad already set up inside, and pulled his Royal Marines hoodie over your head. It was your favorite hoodie because it was his. It always smelled like him and felt like his hugs for whenever he couldn’t be there to hold you.

Henry took your towel and ruffled it through your hair to dry it a bit, making you laugh. He loved your laugh and it never ceased to make him smile. Twisting your hair and clipping it at the top of your head, Henry picked you up in his arms and carried you to bed. Laying you down gently against the pillows, “Get comfy, sweetheart. I’ll be right back,” Henry leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead, smoothing the hair back from your forehead, before leaving to go downstairs. You took the remote from your bedside table and turned on the tv to Man of Steel. It was your favorite comfort movie. What could you say? Did it have to do with the impossibly handsome man currently in your kitchen? Maybe. 

Soon enough, Henry came back upstairs with a tray of items in his hands - a plate of four generously sized brownies, your Owala water bottle, two Advil pills, and a bowl of cut up strawberries. You smiled at just the sight of such a spectacular man (in more ways than one) coming toward you as he placed the tray on your right side before climbing into bed on your left (you sleep on the right and Henry sleeps on the left). Henry pulled the covers over your legs and pulled you into his side. 

He made sure you drink plenty of water, always making sure you were properly hydrated, and ate the snacks he brought up, having heard your tummy make noises just after getting out of the shower. You took the Advil as well, hoping to keep the cramps at bay if you kept on the medicine. 

Once you were done with the brownies (two for you and two for Henry), you slid down to lay your head on Henry’s chest, your legs pulled up over his. He held you tight against him, one arm around your back and the other rubbing your belly. Being back in Henry’s arms made you feel so safe and secure, and you were so comfortable, you began to drift off. Your eyes became heavy, the toil of your emotions and hormones getting the best of you.

Henry looked down to see you struggling to stay awake. “Sleep, my love. It’s alright. I’ll be here when you wake,” He brushed his fingers through your hair, soothing you into a deep sleep in the warm embrace of the love of your life.

[cosmal]

okay so im currently struggling with really bad body image/restriction & all i can think of recently is james potter just being so, so kind and patient and gentle and helpful with a shy s/o struggling with the same things. letting them wear his quidditch sweater when they're insecure, making sure they eats, forehead kisses when he's proud of them, etc. i totally respect if you're not comfy writing for this, i adore your works<3

sweater

summary — james gives you his sweater when you're not feeling comfortable with yourself.

content — james potter x fem!afab!reader, tw for reader with body issues and eating issues, also I tried to keep the body description low because I didn't want to be too specific on why reader is feeling this way

note — thank u for the request lovely! i hope you're feeling better 🤍

You told James you’d be no longer than ten minutes. That ten minutes has well passed now and you’re sure he’s worrying crazy about you.

You did arrive when you said you would, but you’ve been standing outside the pub for at least twenty, trying to find the courage to go inside.

He’s probably sitting all alone inside and the thought makes you feel even worse about yourself, but still, your feet are stuck on the pavement and you can’t find the motivation to move.

You can feel your phone buzzing in your pocket, you ignore it because you know it'll be James. You think messaging him might be easier.

You stare at your reflection in the dirty window of the pub's front entrance instead of fishing for your phone. You look at your outfit - the last of many you'd rifled through whilst crying on the floor in front of your cupboard - and notice how it looks worse than it did in the lighting of your stuffy room.

It feels worse, too. The wind picks up and clings the material in spots you wish it didn't. You keep tugging the dress in an attempt to not feel so suffocated and end up feeling pathetic. You don't remember it being so short and the thought of going inside to sit down terrifies you. The idea of it riding up to show more of your legs, and it bunching around your torso makes you want to go home and sit in your pyjamas and fall asleep.

You don't want James to think you're ditching him, but for every possible scenario you see yourself in, all you can think about is how your outfit ruins it for you. The way you're feeling right now - the way you always feel about yourself - ruins it for you. Will ruin it for James.

Your phone dings and you think he knows you don't want to speak on the phone.

Everything ok love? xxx

You stare at the message until it blurs. You put him out of his misery and message back, feeling worse by the second.

sorry jamie. wont be long. x

You stand outside still and kick gravel. Holding your breath like a dizzy head is going to help in any way. You tug at the hem of your dress until the stitching cracks and try to find any ounce of confidence to go inside.

Patrons rush past you to get inside, out of the elements of the chilly, autumn afternoon air. You hear the bell above the door chime and then you hear his voice.

"There you are," he says softly, walking down the last few steps. His nice shoes click against the sandstone and you notice straight away how lovely he looks. His tan cords and maroon jumper. So simple but so very James. Effortlessly pretty.

He stands so close your shoes almost touch. "I'm sorry," you say in replacement of your usual warm greeting.

James frowns while opening his arms for a hug. You panic because he's about to feel you under his weight, scared of where he'll hold his hands. Though the thought of being buried in his chest almost makes the idea less painful.

"What're you sorry for, hmm?" he asks and you try to focus on anything else than the burning in your chest.

His scent, like spearmint and coffee, and a perfume of yours that you're not wearing now. The idea makes you tamp down the urge to cry. His chest is firm under your cheek where you've buried your face. You focus too hard on him for too long and you forget to answer.

He pulls you back and you startle. You miss his heat sorely. "Sweetheart?"

You clear your throat and blink. "Sorry."

"Y/N."

You shake your head and try to swallow. The words get caught in your throat and the way he's looking at you makes it harder. Soft eyes and an even softer frown. He's not pitying you, he looks sad. Even worse when he watches a tear dribble down your cold cheek.

"Hey," he says, half panicked, half worried. They blur into one emotion when he raises his hand to catch the tear before it curves down your chin. "C'mon."

He ushers you away from the entrance and to the brick wall curled around the side. Off of the pavement and under the awning to the side of the steps. "What's the matter."

Your tears slow because he's got his hands all over you. It's confusing because you don't want to be felt but he's not doing it for himself. He wants to calm you down.

"It's embarrassing," you mumble, craning your neck to wipe your cheek on the sleeve of your dress. You hope you don't get all snotty because it'll be embarrassing and you have no tissues.

"Let me be the judge of that," he says with the barest hint of a smile. He's still frowning and your chest feels worse. You hate it when you make him frown.

He'd never judge you. Never over anything that wasn't stupid, despite the fact that this feels stupid to you, he'd never. Over your favourite movie or how you like your eggs, maybe, but not this.

You say, "My dress," at a volume you're surprised he can hear.

"Your dress?" He looks at your outfit and you want to squirm out from where he's got his big hands on your arms.

"I don't," you take a big, gasping breath and try to fix your voice, "I don't like how I look in it. I don't like how I look in anything."

You and James have had this conversation before. It wasn't as emotional as right now, but he'd been lovely and understanding about the whole thing and he might be sweeter than he was before you told him if that's entirely impossible.

He tells you all the time how lovely you look. He knows when to compliment you on your outfit without being completely obvious about it. When he can tell you're struggling to choose an outfit or when he catches you staring at yourself in the mirror. I love that dress on you, honey. Or You've got your favourite top on! He's never specific but he always knows how to make you feel better.

"You feel uncomfortable?" he asks.

He never diminishes how you're feeling. If you don't like how you look, you don't like it. He likes to figure out how to help instead of telling you that you look good. That would be useless, a two-second conversation isn't going to get to the root of your problem straight away.

"I don't like how it feels on me," you sniffle, pulling at the material, "It's like I can't - like I can't breathe."

"Do you want to go home? We can eat in if you're feeling up to it?" He squeezes at your biceps and it feels nice. You lower your shoulders.

The idea is tempting, but you won't ruin his night. "I want to eat here."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," you say, not sounding very convincing.

"You're not lying to me?"

"Jamie..."

He bites his lip before letting you go. Reaching down to grasp the hem of his big sweater before tugging it over his head. He pushes his glasses back up his nose but ignores the mess of his hair.

"Arms up," he smiles.

"What?" you giggle despite yourself.

"You can wear this if you want," he says, bunching the soft woollen sleeves in his hands.

"You'll be cold," you tell him. All he's got is his white cotton tee.

"No I won't," he says firmly with a shake of his head.

You lift your arms because you won't win. And because you kinda do want to wear his jumper. You push your hands through the sleeves while he slips it over your head. When you pop back out with ruffled hair and a demure smile, James smiles even worse.

"How do I look?" you ask, twirling a little because you can't help it. It's strange how better you feel already. It's also not because James has that effect.

"Beautiful," he says and then doubles down, "You always look beautiful."

You feel like you might melt into a little puddle right then and there. Just slip right through the cracks of the pavement with the ants and weeds. "You're only saying that because I'm wearing your clothes."

James feigns offence, dropping his jaw and gasping, "Not true!" He's laughing now, "Not true. You look beautiful in everything."

He gets you into his arms and cages you against his chest, squeezing you tight and pushing his mouth into the side of your head, "And nothing."

"James!" you gasp but can't go anywhere. You don't really want to but it's fun to be this way with James. "You're dirty."

"I know," he says chuckling into your hair. "It's your fault though, babe. You bring it out of me."

You look turn to look at him and you smile. "Thank you."

"It's nothing," he says, smacking a kiss to your cheek. "Anything for you."

You kiss him back until he's grinning wildly like he can't help it. You how he's feeling because neither can you.

"Wanna go inside?" he asks when you pull back.

"We should."

"You feeling hungry?" he asks, snaking a hand down your arm to link your fingers.

"I could really go for some chips," you say honestly.

James grins, "Good," he says, "That's good. C'mon, I'll get you anything you like."

Of course, he will. You love him.

[mychoombatheroomba]

Choices and Consequences

Between the Bones (Leon x GN! Reader) - Chapter 20

You and Leon find it harder to hide your activities than you thought it might be.

(Cross-posted from Ao3)

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Chapter Index

CW: NSFW themes, mentioned sex, 18+ Please

You’d been a soldier for years now. Joined young, stayed in because, well, frankly, you had nowhere else in the world. Years spent in the army, and years adjusting to that style of life. 

And in those years, you’d had your share of stolen moments. Rushed pleasures. They had all been the result of tension and stress needing to be alleviated, for you and what partners had been involved. They were the sort of trysts that you could usually put behind you. It had never been complicated.

This was different. 

You’ known that if you fucked Leon, then things would change. You’d known that the dynamic between the two of you would be different, that your mind would cast him in a different light. You’d known all of that going in. Even if it had gone no further than lips and hands, it was enough. More than enough (or, at least, enough for now). You did your best to brace for it, and that night, as you walked back to the barracks - separately, to avoid suspicion - you believed that you would be able to keep a lid on what had happened. 

You were successful, you thought. 

It was in the morning that problems started to arise, because as soon as you pushed yourself out of bed, you saw Leon across the way, combing his fingers through-

-his hair twisted around your fingers. You grabbed a fistful of it as he placed that first kiss between your legs, and got a soft moan from him for the effort-

You were used to memories coming at you sideways. Usually, though, they were horrors and pains. This was new. This, despite being a memory of pleasure, was almost worse, because it sent electricity shooting through you. And when you made eye contact across the bunks, and Leon’s face went a little red and- 

-he smiled. Even as he worked, even as his tongue lashed against your skin, he smiled up at you in the moonlight.

Oh, this was going to be a problem. 

You counted yourself lucky that you were used to that barrage of thoughts and memories. You had a practiced impassive mask to hide behind. Leon, though . . . when you caught him staring at you during morning drills, you knew two things. The first was that you could kick his ass in poker, if it ever came down to it, and the second was that he might as well be wearing a sign that read WE HAD SEX BEHIND THE MESS HALL LAST NIGHT. 

But you weren’t free of blame, either. Because you would hear him straining on the obstacle course, and-

You tugged on his hair again as you felt yourself coming undone at the seams, and the sound he tried to hide was all you wanted to hear-

You were fucked. Literally, figuratively . . . all of it. 

But you realized halfway through another brutal day of Krauser’s training that you were thinking more about Leon and the way his hands and mouth had felt on you than anything else. You were thinking of him so much that you barely even remembered the terror and shame that had driven you into his arms. Hell, you were so busy thinking about him that you barely even registered the pain of the brutal drills the Major put you through - and they should have been brutal. Krauser still seemed to very much be in a mood.   

You had pulled Leon into the shadows seeking comfort, and even if it didn’t keep the nightmares away, even if it would never erase the scars at your side or alleviate the weight of the dog tags around your throat, it had given you a moment of something else. One sweet memory for both you and him to cling to. 

And you knew you could never leave it at just one. 

With the way he was looking at you, with the sheer and utter need he held in those pretty blues of his, you knew that you and he were of the same mind. 

So, you let yourself stare back. 

When you were standing at attention and knew you could afford a moment of distraction, you let yourself recall how Leon had sounded. How he’d felt. It was a dangerous game to play, because each memory you replayed threatened to crack your impassive mask. The corner of your mouth would twitch upwards traitorously, and you had to fight to keep it down. 

And you would catch Leon doing the same damn thing, his eyes flitting away from your own if they ever met for too long. Like he was pulling his hand away after brushing hot metal. And that just made you want to tease him more. 

“You’ve been pretty chipper all day. Sleep well or something?” you asked at lunch before anyone else joined you at the table. You did it while scooping some food onto your fork, casual and quiet, like you were asking about the weather. You glanced up as the question landed and felt some satisfaction as his face reddened a bit. Fucking adorable. 

“Like a rock,” he admitted, and you could see him fighting a smile. Then, there was a knowing glint in his eye as he matched your casual demeanor, taking a sip of water and shrugging. He ran a hand through his hair so it fell the way it was supposed to, and you knew that he did it very purposefully. “Guess yesterday wore me out.” 

You almost smiled at that one. “Don’t let Krauser see you in a good mood. Bet he’d like to wipe that smile off your face,” you said, and even if there was a gleam in your eyes as you spoke, the words were genuine. No one had a reason to be happy, what with Krauser still seemingly pissed at nothing and everything. 

“Like to see him try,” Leon said, and you could only raise a brow at him. The man gets his shit rocked once and thinks he’s on top of the world. Still, he said it with brass that you had to respect. Stupid and foolish as it was.

Lots of stupid and foolish going around. 

And despite the training, despite the pain of being pushed to the limits, despite the horrors from your past that you’d been faced with the day before, you found yourself almost . . . hell, you were almost happy. 

And recognizing that - relishing it - was the most foolish thing you could have done. Not because you couldn’t keep things under wraps, but because the universe always had to lean itself back into being shit. 

And it started when Valeria pulled you aside after lunch. 

“Hey,” she’d greeted, and there was something about the way she was looking at you. She almost always wore a smug smile, but this? There was something more behind her eyes, this time. “Heard Williams and Alenko were gonna join you and pretty boy for sparring tonight.” 

Word traveled fast. And that was exactly what was worrying you. 

You nodded, trying to keep your face measured as you searched her expression. “That’s right.” 

“Hm,” she nodded, like she was pondering something strange. “Well, the way things went last night, guess I can’t blame them for wanting to join in the fun, eh?” 

You didn’t say anything, hoping that maybe she was talking about something else, but then she went on. 

“Hey, if anything, I’m impressed. The rookie’s got a pretty mouth, glad you helped him find a use for it other than frowning.” And just like that, the good day you’d been having took a bullet to the back of the head. Point blank. No warning. You almost swung at her. You might have, if it wouldn’t make things infinitely and undeniably worse. 

She’d seen. 

Or heard. 

However she knew, it didn’t matter. It only mattered that she did. You could see it in her eyes. In that damn fox smile of hers. “Hell,” she went on when you didn’t give her comment a response, “even I might swing by tonight. See if there’s room for me in all the fun.” 

Then she was walking past you, slapping a hand on your shoulder like you were comrades and she was proud of you. 

It made your blood boil. 

One time. One goddamn time was all it took for someone to know. And if Valeria knew . . . then who else did?

That was the question that made you avoid looking in Leon’s direction during afternoon drills. It made you try your best not to think of-

-a fistful of his hair-

-his mouth still on you-

-the sound he tried to hide-

Instead, you focused on your drills. Your shooting. Your knives. 

And the way Major Krauser’s eyes bored into the back of your skull. You caught him watching you a few times that afternoon. Not out of the ordinary - he was your instructor. It was his job. But there was something about his look . . .

You knew Krauser well. Better than the other recruits, because-

A shadow passed over the sun-

A red beret above you-

A gruff voice. “This one’s still alive!”

You didn’t need to know him well to see that he was angry - he had been since the day before. What you could see, though, was that he was also deep in thought. There was a grim decision being made behind those eyes. 

Those deep set, pale eyes that you saw fixed on Leon when the younger man wasn’t looking. Krauser was staring at him with his arms crossed while Leon disassembled a rifle that afternoon. Fixed on Leon specifically, not the gun he was working on. 

Oh, fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck. 

Maybe you were jumping to conclusions. If Krauser knew, you and Leon would both be on your asses, you were sure of it. But still, the way he was looking at Leon - at you - like he wanted to strangle one or both of you . . . 

And you had no real way to tell Leon. Not before dinner, or the next time there was a quiet moment. Nothing but the warning glances you gave him when you hoped Krauser wasn’t looking. You managed to get his attention when you caught him looking at you that evening before melee drills. He looked so content, even with the sweat on his brow. So damned happy. You hated having to fix a cold stare on him and shake your head. You hated the way that his smile faltered, and a look of concern took over his face. 

You glanced towards where Valeria walked ahead of you. Shook your head as subtly as you could manage. Hoping he would understand. 

His brows pinched together for a moment, and you steeled your heart. You had faith in him to comprehend your meaning, and after a moment, his eyes widened. 

He didn’t look at you with any sense of longing for the rest of the night. Even if you wished he could. Even if you wanted him to. 

You were all paired with the same people you’d been set against the day before, when it came time for knife drills. That meant you facing down Alejandro, and Leon . . . you bristled as you saw the way Valeria was smiling at him. The way her dark eyes were fixed on him, sharper than any knife. 

Don’t look. Don’t make it obvious. That was what you tried to remind yourself of. Thank god you had Alejandro’s blade to worry about. To channel your newfound frustrations against. 

But you were distracted. Maybe not as bad as you were last night, maybe for different reasons, but your focus had cracks in it all the same. 

It didn’t go unnoticed, and you heard a gruff voice at your back. “Stay focused, Sergeant,” Krauser hissed, and the frustration in his voice . . . 

So, you threw yourself into the fight. Hoping it would be enough. Hoping that Valeria hadn’t run her mouth and told anyone what she knew. Hoping that Krauser was angry for any other reason. 

Because if he knew . . . 

No. If he knew, it would all already be said and done. You would be in deep shit and that would be that. 

It was fine. 

It wasn’t, but so long as Krauser didn’t know, then it was fine. 

You would just have to talk to Valeria, maybe. Figure out what she wanted in exchange for her information, because she was always the type to leverage anything she could. You could find what she wanted, and then it would be alright.

It would be fine. 

That was what you told yourself, and you very nearly believed it. 

Right up until Krauser dismissed your squad for dinner and- “Sergeant, you stay.” 

Fuck.

You had no choice but to nod, trying to keep your face neutral. Maybe he was going to talk to you about yesterday. About the trial with the edged blades and how you’d frozen. Maybe he was going to tell you to get your shit together. 

You might even appreciate a talk like that. But then, his gaze moved away from you, and you felt yourself freezing as it locked on someone else. 

“And you, rookie. I need a word.” 

You looked back. You tensed as you saw Valeria's expression . Her shit-eating grin. But more than that, you saw Leon freeze in his tracks. Felt your heart turn to a block of ice, heavy and cold. 

The two of you looked at each other, and you wondered if the moments of joy had been worth it. If those wonderful minutes of peace the two of you had brought each other would equate to whatever happened now. 

You’d made a choice. 

You would deal with the consequences. 

And if it came to it, you knew then that whatever happened, Leon would not take the fall. You were the higher ranking one. You had been the one to initiate it. You would be held responsible. 

However much it would ruin you. 

But you supposed you would see just what those consequences would be soon enough. 

“With me,” Krauser ordered, and both you and Leon took a breath before falling into step, heading off towards whatever fate was waiting for you.

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[xieni-logs]

hello!! could i request Dan Heng, Blade, Jing Yuan and Gepard with a chronically ill s/o? just some fluff and comfort :)

thank you!! have a lovely day <3

HSR x chronically ill!Reader

includes: Blade, Gepard, Jing Yuan, Dan Heng

a/n: hii!! I’m not sure what type of chronic illness you wanted the reader to have so each character has a different chronically ill reader, I hope that’s ok! blade's was kind of self-indulgent because i got arthritis (though no where as severe as the reader's is depicted) im so sorry if some of the illnesses arent 100% accurate word count: 1.4k (in total)

Blade x Reader with rheumatoid arthritis

: ̗̀➛ you were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in every joint in your body. this meant that the pain in your joints would only get worse with time. of course, you had your good and bad days. on good days, the pain was minimal, to the point you wouldn't feel a thing. but on bad days, the pain in your shoulders made it difficult to carry bags, lift things, and particular bad days made it near impossible to get even changed. somedays, the pain in your hips were uneven and made you limp. Blade didn't really understand it at first; you were fine one day and looked terrible the next. it took him a while but he eventually understood that your arthritis came and went. 

: ̗̀➛ one particular bad day, you could only lay down, feeling uncomfortable in your own body, a constant spike of pain present. breathing felt difficult, and you felt yourself tearing up just trying to sit up. the minutes it takes to even sit up right felt more like hours. sometimes, the pain killers wouldn't work as they should, and unfortunately, this was one of those days. 

: ̗̀➛ Blade enters your room and you quickly turn your head to face him, and immediately regret it due to the pain. he knows it's one of those bad days; your eyes watery, the awkward position you were sitting in, and the look on your face just begging him to make the pain go away. it's difficult for him to comfort you with words so he goes to get some heating pads, food for you to eat, etc... anything he can really. he'll hold you close, minimal movements, letting you lay on him. in the silence between you two, he can't help but wish that at the very least, you could achieve the eternal peace he was chasing after. 

Gepard x Reader with asthma

: ̗̀➛ as the captain of the silvermane guards, he has to keep fit and he’d like you, his lover, to at least do some morning runs with him. he knows that you have asthma, but he didn’t think a morning brisk would do anything awful. as long as you managed your symptoms, it was all fine! there usually arent any problems either, to the point your inhaler was often forgotten at home during these runs.

: ̗̀➛ unfortunately, perhaps you were trying to go faster for Gepard knowing he usually slowed down for you or something but you were definitely pushing yourself more than you could handle. your breaths drew short, not enough oxygen getting to you leaving you lightheaded as you continued to run. Gepard ran a bit in front of you, or at least he did. you watched as the distance between you and him grew farther and farther, and your running got slower until it came to a halt. leaning against a wall, you tried to catch your breath but you honestly couldn’t tell if you were breathing at all. the pain coming from your chest felt like too much, you had a hard time pushing air in and out of your lungs.

: ̗̀➛ Gepard ran back, retracing his steps, when he saw you were no longer with him. he found you hunched over, leaning against a wall, looking like you were hyperventilating. rushing to your side, he quickly recognizes that you were having an asthma attack. scooping you into his arm, he quickly runs back to your home. he may look calm due to the fact he is able to hide his fears, he’s a captain after all, but he’s panicking on the inside. the way home is blurry; you aren’t focused on what’s happening around you, only feeling your chest going up and down yet it didn’t feel like you were breathing. it felt as if there was something blocking your airway, causing everything to feel sort of stuck. Gepard grabs your inhaler and shakes it, before giving it to you. the effects don’t happen immediately which worried Gepard, but you eventually were able to breath, at least a little. he takes you to a hospital to get checked up immediately after. it’s when you’re getting checked does the realization that he came so close to losing you sink in. Gepard is clingier the week after that; holding your hands more (even when he’s working), kissing you almost every chance he gets, holding you before bed, etc… he’ll never forget to bring your inhaler on your morning runs after that.

Jing Yuan x Reader with diabetes

: ̗̀➛ low blood sugar is more than being shaky; no matter how long you’ve been diabetic, you’ll never get used to the god awful feeling of dread that occurs. Jing Yuan cares about your health, and he’s got the books and notes to prove it. usually, diabetes doesn’t get in the way of your life besides watching what you eat, having to keep fit, but it’s manageable.

: ̗̀➛ certain occasions like today, unfortunately, you wake up to a shaky feeling crawling up your body. it was early morning, Jing Yuan slept looking peaceful by your side. you forced yourself up and reached over to the meter as quietly as you could. after loading the strip into the device, you pricked your finger- a feeling you will never like. the number 40 glowed on the screen, glaring at you. you knew you had to wake Jing Yuan up because you really didn’t think you could go anywhere feeling like this. you felt awful nudging him awake, interrupting his sleep. all you have to do is show Jing Yuan the 40 and he’s beelining to the kitchen for some juice. when you finish drinking the juice, Jing Yuan holds; your head on his chest and his arms wrapped around you.

: ̗̀➛ your apologies to Jing Yuan for waking him fall to deaf ears as he’s rebutting everything you’re saying. many “nothing to be sorry about”s and “it’s not your fault”s could be heard. 15 minutes later, you prick your finger and show Jing Yuan a glowing 97. he goes to grab you a sandwich and after you finish eating, you two go back to bed. you lean on his shoulder, his hand cradling the side of your head, his chin laid on the top of your head, the two of you drift back to sleep holding each other.

Dan Heng x Reader with osteoporosis

: ̗̀➛ the path of the Trailblaze was not one without danger and Dan Heng was afraid you’d to be hurt in the crossfire though. you were diagnosed with osteopenia which eventually led to osteoporosis, which meant your bones were brittle. you hated it, this meant you were a liability to the astral express when trailblazing and often had to sit out during anything that had the slightest bit of danger. once, you asked if you could just have March’s shield on you at all times but even that proved ineffective in the long run.

: ̗̀➛ today, the astral express crew was visiting Herta for the Trailblazer to check out the simulated universe. Dan Heng quickly finished off the enemy before rushing to your side. it looked terrible, your arm was bent out of place and you couldn’t find it in yourself to say a thing. when you tried to move, a dreadful grinding sound occurred which made you nauseous. Dan Heng alerted the rest of the express crew before they all brought you to the medical department. thankfully, it wasn’t anything irreversible but throughout the treatment, you couldn’t help but feel like a big burden, getting hurt easily.

: ̗̀➛ once everything is fine and all you needed was time to heal, Dan Heng pulled you into a tight hug, whispering a few “thank god you’re fine”s and a “i was so worried.” usually you’d love his clingier side but it felt like pity. and god, it made you feel awful. no one else on the express would get hurt as easily as you. you push Dan Heng away, feeling terrible that you were such a burden, you quickly brief over how you feel. he grabs your wrist, looking you straight in your eyes, and loudly stated every reason you were not a burden because of your osteoporosis. from how you could take care of yourself to helping the express in ways non-physical like talking your way into less community service when the astral express crashed into a stadium. Dan Heng pulled you into a hug saying one last time, “you aren’t a burden.”

[bwabys-scenarios]

Reunited

Illumi x Reader x ??????

Part 14

part 13

part 15

“We want to see her.”

Kurapika and Leorio stood outside the infirmary, hands on their weapons. Illumi leaned against the doorway, a cellphone to his ear.

“No. You have no reason to be here, so scurry off before I lose patience.”

The two had been trying to visit (Name) every hour since the exam ended, with little luck. Every time they approached the infirmary, Illumi was there standing guard. It didn’t take a nen expert to tell his aura was one of a predator, ready to strike if provoked.

“We’re her friends. Just let us see that she’s o-“

A rustling sound from inside the infirmary causes all of the three men to turn their heads.

“Kurapika, Leorio? Is that you?”

(Name) was trying to get out of bed, her legs wobbly and her stance unsteady. Illumi rushed in, pushing her down gently and shushing her whines.

“Easy, you’re injured.”

She tried her best to push his hands away, crying out in pain. “Don’t touch me! Just leave me alone!”

Kurapika walked in the unguarded doorway, holding his hands up in surrender.

“It’s okay, (Name), we’re right here. Just relax, okay?”

His words seemed to reach her, and she slowly leaned back onto the bed. Illumi noticed this, pushing away his possessiveness and finally allowing the two to enter the room. (Name) had drifted back to sleep, looking much more peaceful knowing that her friends were by her side.

“… I have some business to attend to. I will allow you to stay by her side until then.”

Illumi left without another word, pulling his cellphone out again.

Leorio let out a relieved sigh as the fearsome man left, finally able to see (Name).

She was in worse shape than they had thought she’d be in, bruises blooming along her stomach and chest. Leorio pulled up her shirt to check her over, his usual perverted mind only thinking about making sure his friend was okay.

“He hurt her pretty bad, she’s got broken ribs and internal bruising.”

He glanced over at an X-ray that had been taken of her body, seeing 2 broken ribs. Kurapika gripped her sheets, his eyes a brilliant shade of red behind his contact lenses.

“That bastard thinks he can beat her to near death then take her away from her friends? It’s unacceptable. How can we trust that that monster won’t hurt her even more?”

He pushed her hair back to feel her forehead. “She has a fever.” Kurapika remarked, pulling his warmed hand back.

“Shit.” Leorio sprinted off, returning with a cool rag. He placed it on her hand and caressed her cheek, frowning at the tears stains.

“You heard him talking on the phone earlier, yeah?” Leorio asked. Kurapika nodded, pulling a chair to the side of (Name)’s bed and sitting next to her.

“He’s planning on taking her to his home. Said she… owes him a favor?” Kurapika rubbed his temple. “I don’t care what she owes him, he can’t just kidnap her.”

“I agree, but there’s not much we can do to stop him…”

The two watch as (Name) stirs, her hand shooting out to grab Kurapika’s.

“Please don’t leave me alone… hate being…” she relaxed slightly, squeezing his hand as she slowly drifted off to sleep again. “Alone…”

“The fever must be disorientating her.” Leorio remarked, watching her labored breaths. Kurapika sighed, keeping his hand in her’s.

“Don’t worry, (Name). We won’t leave.”

———————

When (Name) finally awoke, she was surrounded by people. It took her at least 30 seconds to recognize who was standing around her.

Three of her friends, Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon were sat in chairs around her bed, while Illumi sat in the corner of the infirmary, watching her silently. She could also see several of the examiners milling about, some excitedly rushing over when they saw she had woken up.

“(Name)!”

Gon jumped into her arms, hugging her so tightly she could hardly breathe. Leorio had to tug the boy away, reminding him of your broken ribs.

“You’re awake.”

Kurapika looked down at her with tired eyes, his hand in her’s. He squeezed gently, smiling. (Name) rubbed her eyes, groaning at the pain in her chest.

“How long have I been out?”

“About two days.”

“WHAT!?”

(Name) sprung forward, leaping out of bed only to fall into Illumi’s chest. He’s sprinted across the room just in time to catch her, his strong arms keeping her in place. She glanced at her surroundings, becoming more panicked by the second.

“Where’s Killua?”

A silence fell over the room. (Name) looked between her three friends then back to Illumi. He stared down at her with a neutral expression, his hand on her hip.

“Illumi. Where is he?”

The tall man sighed, sitting her down and kneeling in front of her.

“He went back to our estate on Kukuoo Mountain.”

Gon stood, anger apparent across his face. “Tell her the entire story.”

Illumi glanced at him for just a moment, weighing his options. “He killed one of the applicants.”

(Name) blinked, starting up at him.

“Why?”

Illumi couldn’t answer her. He instead lifted her into his arms, holding onto her with a gentle yet firm touch.

“Doesn’t matter, you’re coming with me.”

His words were absolute in his mind, but (Name) struggled in his grasp.

“No!”

He tilted his head, squeezing her leg just enough to get her to stay still.

“What do you mean, ‘no’?”

She bit her lip and looked away from him, seeing the angered faces of her friends. “I’m not going anywhere with you! Not after you said all those horrible things to Killua.”

Oh, this was fascinating. For a moment he though she may not want to go with him because of the injuries he’d given her, but she hadn’t thought of herself. She’d thought of his brother.

“(Name), you have no idea what you’re taking about. Killua is the son of assassins, as am I. We don’t fraternize with the common folk, it only gets us and them hurt.”

He thought over his own words as he watched her eyes slowly drift to meet his.

“Then what do you want from me?”

Illumi raised an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten already? Silly girl, you still owe me a favor.”

She gave him a confused look. She remembered him helping her train when she still knew him as Gittarackur, but…

“You said if I told you who the people in the photo were, you’d train me.”

He put a finger to her lips, tutting softly. “You couldn’t complete the task, my dear. I asked for the identity of the two in the photo, and you could only name yourself.”

She groaned, a hand slapping against her forehead. “Seriously?” she let out an annoyed sigh, a pout pulling at her lips.

“What kind of favor do you have in mind?”

Kurapika stood, stepping towards the two. “(Name), you can’t seriously think you owe this man anything. Whatever he did for you isn’t worth being in debt to an assassin.”

Illumi regarded him with cold stare, his dark eyes boring holes into the blond haired boy. “It’s really none of your business, boy. (Name) owes me a favor and she is honorable enough to pay it back. Right?”

He glanced back down at (Name), who’s eyes were locked on his injured arm. He’d forgotten that Gon had broken it the previous day.

“… you’re hurt.”

Her worried voice made him wince. The pure kindness in her (e/c) eyes was enough to make the most stoic man swoon, and Illumi could barely hold himself back from pulling her into a kiss.

“You can thank him for that.”

He pointed to Gon, who was glaring at the black haired man. “And I’ll do it again if you don’t let her go.”

The two had a stare off before (Name) groaned. “Let me down, Illumi. I’ll do whatever you need to return the favor.”

(Name) ignored the numerous complaints from her friends, focusing on standing once Illumi had set her down.

“The favor I need is simple.”

Illumi kept a hand on her waist, a sign of his possessive nature. This didn’t go unnoticed by her two older friends.

“Just tell me already.” (Name) responded with a sigh, rubbing her temple. She was still tired, and could feel a headache coming on.

“All I ask is that you come with me to my home and let me train you. Once your training is complete, you may leave.”

(Name) raised an eyebrow. “Is that all?”

Illumi laughed, shaking his head. “No, though I will train you and ask for nothing in return, your favor is still to be determined. After all, you currently have so little skill that a favor from you would mean nothing to me.”

(Name) folded her arms over her chest. “Uh-huh. And what will my training consist of?”

Illumi glanced at the examiners in the room, who’s eyes told him he needed to keep quiet. “I’ll have to tell you that later.”

She nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

A smile pulls at Illumi’s lips, his aura relaxing ever so slightly.

“But…”

He frowned. “But?”

“I have a few conditions.”

Illumi sighed, sitting down in a chair beside her bed. She sat as well, Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon joining her on her bed.

“Alright. What are your conditions.”

(Name) cleared her throat. “First, you cannot force me to do anything that makes me uncomfortable, and that includes killing someone.”

Leorio nodded. ‘That condition would also cover him trying to do anything strange against her will.’ He thought, watching (Name) intently.

She watched to see if Illumi’s expression would change or if he would protest, but he didn’t.

“Anything else?”

(Name) nodded. “I won’t let you keep me away from my friends and family. I want to be able to visit or talk to them whenever I please.”

“Fine. Any other conditions?”

“Yes, one more.”

(Name) glanced at her friends, biting her cheek. “I’m meeting up with a close friend September 1st. My training will have to be done by then.”

Illumi shrugged. “Your training won’t take nearly that long. Okay, I agree to your conditions. With that being said…”

He stood, pulling out his cellphone once more. “I have to make a few more arrangements before we leave. Go ahead and tell your friends goodbye, and go to orientation.”

He left without another word. Once he was out of their line of sight, the three boys surrounded her. Kurapika leaned down to whisper into her ear, his hair tickling her cheek.

“(Name), did you say September 1st?”

His tone was unreadable, but by the look on his face she could tell this was important to him.

“Yes.”

“Did Hisoka tell you that, by chance?”

(Name)’s eyes widened, looking up at him in shock. “He… he did. He said my friend would be in York New September 1st.”

Kurapika mulled over this for a moment. “Well… I’ll be there September 1st as well. Let’s… meet up.”

“Of course!”

(Name) exchanged her number with the three, smiling and laughing. “I’ve never had so many boys ask for my number at once, I’m flattered!” She joked.

The boys all leave soon after, saying they had a plane to catch. “Hopefully we’ll see you at the Zoldyck Estate. Be safe, (Name).”

With that, she is left alone with the examiners.

“Hello, Miss (Name).”

Chairman Netero approached her bed, holding a black folder. “Here is your Hunter License.”

She took the folder and opened it tenderly, her jaw dropping open. It was a rather simple thing, looking almost like a credit card. Her name was printed on the front neatly, showing that it was indeed hers.

“Because of your current state, we will do a short orientation here. Make sure to listen carefully.

——————

(Name) sighed in relief as the orientation ended, stretching her tired limbs. She looked down at her phone, unlocking the screen to see three new messages from unknown numbers.

‘Hello, this is Kurapika. We are leaving the city soon, currently in the airport. Please be safe and don’t be afraid to call if you are in need.’

‘Yo, it’s Leorio! Can you put a heart next to my contact? Thanks!!’

‘When orientation is over, call me.’

(Name) giggled at her friends messages, adding them to her contacts. Kurapika’s contact was now Pretty Boy🫶, and Leorio’s was Silly <3.

“Hmm, wonder who this message is from.”

She followed the instruction from the third message, the line only ringing twice before a familiar voice answered.

“Ah, just in time. I just finished arranging our ride. I’ll be there to pick you up in just a moment.”

Illumi’s voice rang out of her phone, causing (Name) to frown.

“How did you get my number?”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to, (Name).”

Click.

“Did he… did he hang up on me?”

(Name) huffed, throwing her phone into her bag. Another notification sounded through the fabric, but she ignored it.

Illumi was in the room quicker than she thought he would be, holding a small shopping bag.

“Here, I bought you a new outfit to wear to my estate. Get changed and we can go.”

He left, standing just outside the door. She could hear him audibly tapping his foot, so (Name) didn’t waste any time getting dressed.

The outfit was a simple knee length white dress, with tights and a purple cardigan to keep her warm. She looked herself over in the mirror with a smile.

(Name) didn’t want to think about how he knew her exact size, instead walking out of the infirmary slowly as to not aggravate her injuries.

Illumi’s eyes softened ever so slightly when they fell on her figure. His hands reaches out to fix her cardigan, smoothing out the fabric.

“You look nice.”

She blushed lightly, shying away from his touch. “Thank you, Illumi.”

The walk through the Hunter Exam Hotel was peaceful, besides the examiners watching Illumi with a mix of interest and caution. (Name) caught Menchi staring at her with pursed lips, as if she wanted to tell her something.

When they finally reached the parking lot, (Name) was shocked to see a limousine waiting for them. Illumi offered his arm her, which she took gratefully.

“Master Illumi, and Miss (Name), I will be your driver today.”

A plain looking older man opened the door, and closed it once (Name) had stepped in. Illumi slid in from the other side, his eye on (Name) the entire time.

“Once we reach the city we’ll stop to eat dinner. I heard you haven’t had anything today.”

(Name) nodded, clutching her painfully empty stomach.

“There are a few refreshments to tide you over until then.”

He handed her a fun sized bag of (fav chips) and a (fav soda). She accepted them gingerly, thanking him.

He watched her sip on the soda and munch of the chips intently, so intently that it freaked her out. “You didn’t do anything to this did you?”

Illumi tilted his head. “(Name), if I wanted to drug you I would just shove whatever I wanted into your mouth or injected you. Don’t worry and enjoy the ride.”

She shivered at the nonchalant way he’d just described drugging her and finished her snack. He took her trash and tossed it into a bin, watching as she settled into the soft leather seats.

“Tired?”

(Name) nodded, a hand slipping down to her chest, then stomach. “I’m aching all over, and being in a moving car-I mean limousine doesn’t help.”

He hummed, absentmindedly reaching out to caress her bruised stomach. She tensed immediately, giving him a confused stare.

“I’ll have the butlers prepare some pain killers and a bubbled bath for you when we arrive home. Until then, try to relax. Tensing up will only aggravate your wounds.”

‘I’m tensing up because your caressing my stomach like I’m pregnant…’ she thought, hoping her stare would deter him. It didn’t, he continued to gently rub her until the limousine came to a stop.

“Master Illumi, we have arrived.”

————

The restaurant was huge, bigger than any restaurant (Name) had seen before. A large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, lighting up the otherwise dark interior.

(Name) reached out and held onto Illumi’s sleeve, huddling closer to him. He talked to a waiter, who quickly seated them.

“Master Illumi, what a pleasure to have you here! We’ll bring out some drinks soon. Is champagne alright?”

Illumi glances (Name) who shakes her head. “I’ll take some sweet tea, thank you.”

“Champagne is fine with me.”

The waiter scurries off to fulfill the orders. (Name) scans the menu, her jaw dropping by the second. There wasn’t a single item she’d be able to afford!

“Don’t worry about being able to pay, I’ve got it. This restaurant is run by our family.”

(Name) placed menu down to see illumi staring at her again, his cheek in his hand. “Have you decided what you want?”

“Uh, yeah, I’ll just have the (steak/salad/grilled chicken/salmon) and some pasta.”

He nodded, raising a hand for just a moment before a waiter appeared. “Are you ready to order, Master Illumi?”

“Yes, the lady will have ____, and I will have one of everything.”

(Name) raised an eyebrow at this, watching as the waiter wrote down their order and left. “One of everything?”

“I do a lot of moving, need extra food for energy.”

(Name) eyes scanned down his body, stopping at his arms. They were thin, but obviously extremely muscular. He was able to carry her effortlessly as well. Oh wait, his arm…

“Illumi, is your arm feeling okay?”

The man peered down at the worried girl, who bit her lip anxiously. He raised his arm, the area where Gon had squeezed a blotchy red.

“Ah, I mean it hurts but it will be fine. I’ll have a physician look at it once we’re home.”

(Name) took his injured arm gently, her fingers tracing over the reddened skin. “I’m sorry you’re in pain, Illumi. I wish I could help.”

Illumi couldn’t help but use his other hand to caress her cheek, his eyes softening. He couldn’t find the right words to say to her. She didn’t flinch at his touch this time, but didn’t lean into it either. Instead her eyes were on his hurt arm.

A shift in her aura caused Illumi to pause. It was being controlled again, concentrated around his arm.

Although not much a change was shown, the redness of his skin began to fade enough for Illumi to notice. He could see sweat beading down her face, eyes concentrated on his arm.

“(Name).”

Her concentration was broken, and her aura relaxed. She looked up at him with a questioning look. “Yes?”

Although not much had changed, his pain was gone. (Name) didn’t seem to know what she was doing, her need for him to be in less pain having been so strong she’d been able to focus her nen into one point to heal him.

Illumi leaned forward and placed a kiss on the back of her hand, her face heating up significantly at this action.

“You’re an extraordinary girl.”

“Ehem.”

The two turned to see a sister carrying their food, two trailing behind with the rest of Illumi’s orders. The first entrees were set in front of them, with fresh drinks placed onto the table.

“Please enjoy.”

—————

(Name) could barely contain her sighs of content as she dug in, not caring about anyone watching her. She hadn’t realized just how hungry she was. During the exam she’d eaten, but not enough to really fill her, so she’d been running on half empty the entire exam.

Illumi ate as well, periodically glancing up and asking how she was enjoying it.

“Ish really good!!”

He would smile, then go back to eating yet another entree. By the time they had both finished, nearly an hour had passed. (Name) leaned back, her eyes drifting closed as the waiter returned.

“Would the couple like any desserts?”

(Name) shot up, her cheeks red. “Couple, we’re n-“

“Yes, a piece of chocolate cake for the lady.”

(Name) glared daggers at Illumi, a pout forming on her lips. The waiter didn’t seem to notice, once again leaving to get their order.

She folded her arms. “Why did you not correct him?”

Illumi shrugged. “It’s best not to accept or deny being in a relationship when you’re someone like me. Gossip spreads fast, and the best way to stop it is to be indifferent. If we both started denying it, they’d assume we were trying to keep it a secret.”

(Name) nodded. “Oh, okay, that’s understandable. So do you bring girls to restaurants often?”

He laughs, leaning his cheek against his hand. “No, never. You’re the only girl that wasn’t family I’ve ever taken out on a…”

He stopped mid sentence. “On a date?” (Name) replied in a teasing voice.

He rolled his eyes. “No, I’d say this is more of… a business outing.”

“Okay, let’s talk business then. What is my training going to be?”

Illumi pinched her cheek. “All in due time, (Name).”

——————

(Name) stabbed a fork into her cake, taking the first bite and smiling. “Oh wow, this is amazing! Illumi, you have to try it!”

She offered her plate to him, having set her fork down on it. “You can use your f-“

He ignored her, instead picking up her fork and taking a piece of cake to his lips. He placed it into his mouth, nodding. “It is good, if a bit too sweet for my taste.”

(Name) stands, covering her face with her hand. “I-I have to use the restroom.”

With that she ran off, leaving her cake behind. Illumi watched her go, the fork still in his mouth. He ran his tongue along the prongs, tasting the faint flavor of her chapstick.

———————

(Name) closed the stall, sitting on the toilet with her head in her hands. ‘Does he know that that was an indirect kiss? Ahh…’

She groaned, before feeling a vibration in her side. She reached down and pulled out her phone.

Grumpy Pants: Heard you took exam. You pass?

Grumpy Pants: Hello?

The first message had been sent three hours ago. (Name) quickly responded, typing fast.

Strawberries: Yes, I passed! I’m sorry I didn’t respond sooner, I was kinda… kidnapped? Lol

She sent the message, giggling to herself. His reply was quick.

Grumpy Pants: Where are you? Have they hurt you? Is it man that Hisoka told me about? Do I need to get you?

(Name) smacked her forehead. She’d forgotten he didn’t have a sense of humor in these things.

Strawberries: No, I’m fine. I just owe him a favor. The only time he hurt me was during the exam, and I can’t really be upset about that.

Grumpy Pants: I’m upset about that. Very.

She held her phone to her chest. It felt nice to have him worry about her, but she also felt guilty.

Strawberries: I’ll share my location with you at all times, and I’ll send pictures to show I’m okay everyday, does that make you feel less anxious?

He took a moment to respond.

Grumpy Pants: … a little. Still angry you took exam without telling me.

She rolled her eyes, typing back a quick reply.

Strawberries: If I did tell you, you would have stopped me. Listen, I gotta go, we’re at a restaurant right now. I’ll call you when I’m alone. Looove youuu~

She giggled at her last statement, knowing it would piss him off. Every time she said soft things, he’d get red and storm off.

Grumpy Pants: … be careful. Stupid girl.

With that, she left the stall and washed her hands. (Name) splashed some water on her face, sighing. “All right, let’s get back out there.��

————

The so-called grumpy pants folds his arms, his phone resting on the desk in front of him. He thinks back to her message, a pang in his heart.

“Stupid girl. Says that so easy.”

He slides his phone open again, rereading her messages over and over again, scrolling up further to see the random pictures of her day to day life, even a few of them together.

“Just 8 months… see you then.”

He places his phone down again, standing up and exiting the room. He closes the door, a puddle of blood leaking out through the bottom.

TAGLIST

@tsukilover11 @mercyboluthecrazychicken

If you’d like to be tagged in future updates, please comment a ❤️

[shadedheart138]

Too Much Thinking Is Bad For My Health (Part Two)

Several hours had passed, and Wars hadn't woken. If anything, he'd gotten worse. Wind and Time refused to leave his side, Wind holding one of his hands and Time constantly checking and rechecking him over. Wind's sobs had long been quieted, but his eyes were red-rimmed and still teary.

Wars' breathing had stayed painfully shallow and he'd barely moved once. Hyrule had tried his magic, hoping to ease at least some of his brother's pain, but it hadn't touched the agony. Legend had pulled him back with a tired, remorseful expression on his face.

Four was curled up against Wild, still shaking and talking to themself. Their colors refused to be quiet. Twilight had taken to pacing, while Sky just watched with fear.

"Are ya sure 's hemlock?" Twilight asked, for the upteenth time.

"Yes, Twilight. It's hemlock." Time said quietly.

"Are you-" "Hush." Legend snapped. "We're worried enough as is, we don't need you pacing and fretting and driving us up the fucking walls. Sit down."

Twilight wrung his wrists and frowned deeply, before sitting down near Sky. He seemed ready to leap up at any given second, but at least he was sitting.

There was no known antidote for hemlock. At all. Even the tiniest amounts were fatal. Potions didn't touch it, no amount of Hyrule's healing magic was able to help, and even the fairy that brought him back didn't treat it.

They could only hope he didn't die again. They only had three fairies amongst them all.

XXX

That hope was short lived, and before the end of the night, they were down to two fairies. It was Time who was up and pacing now, just as frantic as Twilight had been. Wind had been corralled to sleep near Four and Sky, held tight to try and keep him soothed.

"Are there any Fairy Fountains nearby?" Time asked Twilight, voice wavering and cracking in the middle. He was grasping at straws, trying to find some sort of way to keep his brother alive and make him better.

He refused to lose Warriors.

"Not that I can recall. But we can always go lookin'. There ain't many that I can actually think of."

"Fuck." Time whispered under his breath, crouching to run his hand over Warriors' forehead, feeling the still-climbing fever. They really shouldn't move him. He was frail enough as it were.

"Do you have a map, by any chance?" Time's voice was even quieter, now that he was closer to Warriors.

"No. Usually didn't need one, anyhow. If we weren't so far from Ordon, I'd say we take him to th' spring. But that's about a day's walk, at our normal pace, from here. It would take more time than I reckon he has."

It would. In maybe six, seven hours, Warriors had needed two fairies. He was barely hanging on. They only had two left, so maybe they had about seven hours, eight if they pushed it, to get to the spring before they were out of them. But the spring was the only chance they had.

No one in camp was really asleep. It didn't take long for Time to have them up and aware.

"Let's pack up camp. Sitting here, waiting, none of it is going to do Warriors any good. He'll only get worse. Hyrule, Wild, while camp's being broken, can you go looking for fairies? If we're going to get to Ordon in any reasonable time at all, we're going to need more than just two."

Wild and Hyrule went off into the woods, for once without the intent of play or exploring.

Time settled down near Warriors, and started packing up his brother's things. A notebook, his pens. Time folded his scarf neatly, hands trembling. How many times had he himself been wrapped in it, when he'd had one nightmare too many, or was too sick to get out of bed? No matter how bitter he was, during the war, he'd loved this scarf almost as much as the owner of it. It was a comfort, even now, as Time ran his hands over it.

Time opened Warriors' bag a little more to fit the scarf, not wanting it to get ruined. There really was no other place for it, other than someone's hands or Warriors' neck. The bag was crammed full of things, and even though there was so much, it was neat and tidy.

Time pulled out a book, hoping taking it and putting it somewhere else would make room for the scarf. He caught a glimpse of the cover.

Old and worn, this was the book that Warriors had used to teach both Wind and Time how to read and write.

Time's eyes immediately teared, and he held it with a gentle grip. Why did Wars still have this old thing? At the bottom, in Warriors' scraggly handwriting - not neat like he would for war papers - were the words "The Good Ones".

Good what, exactly? Time opened the book, seeing the simple, childish shapes and letters. He smiled, and turned to a dog-eared page.

Oh.

So this was what he meant by the good ones.

The good memories, of the war. There were pages taped over pages and scribbles and drawings. Many of them were Time's own, when he'd barely known how to hold a pencil. Some of them were Wind's, when he was older, of Wars, of Mask, of the seagulls and the flowers and the things that reminded him of family. Of home. Some of them were Warriors', of a sleeping Mask and Wind, of Proxi, of Artemis. Pages of Wind learning how to spell. Pages of Mask learning how to draw a cat that didn't look like triangles.

Time didn't realize he was crying until a tear dropped onto a lovingly laminated page. He gently wiped it, then his own eyes. He tucked the book back where it belonged, in Warriors' pack. The scarf could be held. It didn't need to get shoved in here, unorganizing things Warriors clearly had in certain places. Time got up, zipping up the pack.

Time made his way over to Wind, who was folding up his bedroll.

"Here. Can you hold onto this?" Time asked, holding out the scarf. Wind's eyes widened. "Are you sure? I- I don't-" "It won't fit in his bag, and I won't have the hands to carry it. Please."

Wind took it in shaking hands and just sort of looked at it. He hadn't lived the war yet. This version of him was still fourteen, hadn't seen everything that he and Mask could get up to. Hadn't seen Warriors two years before now, commanding an army. But he'd naturally gravitated towards Warriors. It wasn't hard to see who had won his favor first.

Wind carefully wrapped the scarf around his neck, having to do it three times more so that it didn't touch the ground. "Thank you." He said quietly.

Time had already made his way back to Warriors. It hurt to see just how thin and weak Warriors had gotten. How had Time not noticed? How did he let it get this bad?

Time carefully helped Warriors out of his bedroll, and moved him to lean against a tree. He was so out of it, he almost looked like a doll. Limp and fragile. Time packed up the bedroll quickly, then scooped Warriors up gently, like a child. Warriors' head was easily pillowed against Time's chest, and he seemed to cling to the cold, hard armor.

He held Warriors while everyone waited for Wild and Hyrule to return. It didn't take long, maybe four more minutes. Wild's face was muddy and Hyrule's hands were scraped.

"We didn't find many. They gave us a run for our rupees trying to catch them. We only got three." Hyrule's voice was slightly breathless.

Five fairies total. Maybe fifteen hours to get Wars to the spring, if his cycle of decline stayed the same. Time nodded. "You did what you could. Keep them close. Let's be off."

XXX

Warriors' cycle of decline did seem to stay consistent, even three hours later. One more fairy down. Twilight was heavily skeptical about reaching Ordon in time. Even with the brisk pace they'd set, it was hard to keep it.

There was no warning when Warriors started to seize, jolting Time out of the half-aware state he'd been in. It had been a frantic rush to get him on his side and stay near him, fairies at the ready if they were needed.

That was thirty minutes ago. Currently, they were surrounded.

Wolfos, and lots of them. Not to mention the lizalfos. Legend tossed Twilight one of his fire rods, and drew his sword. Hyrule stayed near Time, ready to heal. He'd never been a fighter. He would, if needed. But he would heal, before he fought. Time gritted his teeth.

They didn't have the time for this. Wild climbed a tree and readied his bow, and started letting ice arrows fly. Wind was fighting, Sky was fighting, Four was fighting, they were all around, getting rid of the enemies.

Time was standing there, doing nothing.

Time gently set Warriors down near Hyrule, but before he could take his hands away, Twilight put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go. Pick him back up, we can't afford to fight here. Th' others'll stay back and fight them off. We've gotta get him to th' spring." Time looked at his boys, his brothers. He didn't want to leave them to their own devices, what if they needed him? A shiver wracked Warriors' body, making Time look down. This brother needed him more than the others did.

"Alright. Let's go." Time whispered. He scooped Warriors back up, and with Twilight at his side, they bolted from the battlefield.

XXX

One fairy. They had one more left and they were several hours away from the spring. Running for so long was making Twilight wheeze, and Time had reluctantly made them take a break. Chest heaving, Time put his head in his hands and cried. They wouldn't make it to the spring in time, he just knew it. No matter how they rushed and ran, they wouldn't make it.

Time had failed.

Worst of all, he'd failed his brother. Someone who took care of him, who loved him, who taught him that all life was to be cherished. And Time couldn't even repay him the same favor. Warriors would be dead, by the next sunrise. Time would never hear his laugh, his teases, his advice, his comforting voice ever again. Time would never be able to forgive himself.

Twilight looked down at his hands. Eight hours, that's all they needed. They only had about three. They wouldn't make it. No amount of praying to Hylia to save Warriors would help. They just wouldn't make it.

Time had himself convinced of that fact, when Twilight scooped Warriors back up. He'd given up. They'd never reach the spring in time. He kept chasing his thoughts in circles, while Twilight watched him. What were they going to do? XXX

holy shit the people who reblogged this, that messaged me, that read this, holy shit. You guys are amazing! This part two is for all you guys because WOW. I didn't think it'd be received with so much enthusiasm! But guess what? I'm gonna have to make a part three >:)

@rrainydaydreams, @rebornofstars I thought you guys would like to know :)

[the-s1lly-corner]

can i req jax x reader angst? o-(-( been brainrotting on this idea for so long now; jax goes a little overboard with his joke or prank and reader gets upset by it.. but he doesnt really approach reader to say sorry for a while because he doesnt really know how to? so it worsens the situation? thank uuu!!!!

Severed ties (jax x reader)

There will be NO!!!! Comfort here!!! I want pain!!

Written this as platonic !!

Not proof read and written on mobile!! Yahoo!!

Honestly I love writing angstier stuff, like

Idk I like exploring the topic and the feelings

Jac in general does not seem like the type of person to apologize. It hurts his pride and ego, and really in his eyes everything he does is "all in good fun", or as a means to entertain... himself, mostly

What, is he supposed to apologize because his little joke made someone upset? That's his thought process, I think. Like unless there are huge consequences or he is actively trying to better himself I really don't think he would give a sincere apology, you know?

Like imma be so real here, I know I usually portray jax as a prankster but so far he's worse than that. He has pushed gangle at least twice (in the pilot, and in her tailer), he stepped on her mask and knowing him I wouldnt be surprised if it was on purpose. He just. Ripped zoobles arm off (like yeah sure it doesnt look like it hurts and it can be reattached, but its the idea that he just disrespects them like that), throwing a bowling ball at kinger, ect ect ect

Like I think I down play how mean jax can be

I think a lot of this is caused by the digital world; given that hes probably gotten way too comfortable with the fact you cant get severely injured in the digital world or hahe any long lasting physical damage, you know?

Anyways onto the actual request

I think it's less likely to happen if this is a romantic relationship because I think at that point in time you guys respect each other enough to not be goofy and communicate stuff. As well as this, this prompts jax to try to tone it down.. can also see this happening if you guys are close friends

So really this can only happen if you guys are only like. Normal level friends, because otherwise jax at least learns remorse and tries to be less. Uehdjcf.. you know?

Like I love jax as a character and I enjoy writing him but I'm realizing just how assholish he is based on the pilot

Honestly to be friends with jax you're going to have to be able to have some kind of tolerance to his more tame everyday stuff... imma be nice and assuming the stuff he does above isnt in his usual league of asshole-ness... or maybe it is? I dunno

But some prank he pulls goes too far, and he laughs at you. Probably takes to down play it if you're actually upset, trying to dismiss it as a good ol fashion joke

If he gives an apology it's a half assed one

This leads to you not talking to him as much anymore, if at all

In fact, you may even go as far as to avoiding him during IHAs

And you know what

At first he thinks you're just being sour over his little practical joke

But overtime as you continue to bold your ground he starts to... actually feel bad

And if he does ever sincerely apologize, its likely two late

That's also assuming you dont abstract before then

God can you imagine that, I mean what's worse? Never being able to apologize because the person is effectively dead, or apologizing and not being forgiven?

I think this would push jax to try to tone down his antics

Like he wont totally stop, but it will definitely go back to the light hearted fun I like to headcannon it being when he first joined the circus.. before it got all.. meaner..

Boredom does terrible things to someone and given that the consequences of losing your mind in this place are huge.. I can't help but understand jax a little, assuming my headcannon is correct

Though again he might just be an asshole

While your friendship may be dead and buried now, at least jax learned a lesson that actions do in fact have consequences

And hopefully it sticks

[guiraguira]

Hi can I request ichiro hitoya and samatoki taking care of their fem s/o when she's having period cramps?

Helping you ✨

Hello!!💕 Yes! It really seems interesting to me and I don't usually see fics or hc on this topic (at least not from the fandoms I'm a part of)

Warnings: None in particular, just comfort for menstrual pain.

Ichiro - Samatoki - Hitoya x fem reader!

Ichiro

° He knows how menstruation works and has definitely read a lot of articles online about what to do to help you if something hurts. So when he sees you lying in the fetal position he can already imagine what is happening to you. Crouching down to your height he asks what he can do for you, he wants to know specifically what you need right now.

°"S/o, do you want some medicine? Some heat? Chocolate?" He gently strokes your hair as he asks you. Whatever the answer, he will bring everything in any way and leave it at your fingertips. He constantly asks you if the pain has decreased a little or is it still the same, he does it unconsciously because it hurts him to see you like this and even though this happens every month he never gets used to it.

° It will keep you company for long hours if the pain does not decrease and no matter how much you try to push it away, you will not be able to make it go away for more than a few minutes before being by your side again.

"Don't you have a job? I'm fine" but the pain just gets stronger and causes you to twist your face while squeezing your abdomen. He leaves the room only to re-enter with a tea "they say chamomile tea is good in these cases" and without the possibility of discussion he stays by your side waiting for you to finish it.

° He tries to distract you a little by kissing your head while he chats with you and gives you his "I'm acting natural, but if you suffer I suffer" look by holding your hand throughout the process, at some point the situation seems so funny that finally You make the pain go into the background.

° Forget about crying in front of him, your crying causes him to cry too in the worst case scenario. Applying a heating pad that he bought especially for you, he adjusts it as best as possible while he holds your face in his hands.

Samatoki

° He definitely knows a thing or two about what period pain is, but he's not as sweet with his words. He expresses himself best with his actions towards you, he will be totally at your gestures and movements, at the slightest sign of discomfort he will force you to sit down so that you do not strain.

° He will definitely force you to take some medication to dull the pain if they become too intense, otherwise he will bring you blankets so you can wrap yourself as you like. He perfectly masters the art of wrapping you so that the blankets give you comfort.

"This one is very soft, it looks like a stuffed animal" you say as Samatoki spins it around you and presses it against your body. "Yes and this one is a little heavier, so I'll put it on your waist" with a relaxed and calm voice he continues adding layers of blankets while he explains the function of it to you.

° Unfortunately, he doesn't have as much time to stay next to you as he would like, so when he can, he likes to replace the hot water bottle you use with his hands and allow you to lie on him.

"This month was worse, wasn't it?" The palms of his hands lightly squeeze your abdomen as he asks you. You moan in the affirmative and he moves to cradle you more comfortably as he caresses you with his thumbs in light circles.

° He can't see a single tear on your face so if you cry from the pain he freezes in place, he will ask you a thousand times if you don't want to go to the doctor so they can give you more effective medicine. He can handle being hurt, but he can't see you hurt, and if you refuse to go he has no choice but to offer you a back massage, hoping that it will relieve some of the tension.

° He will not let you clench your teeth or bite your lips to endure the pain, he is able to put his fingers so that you bite them in his place. When you relax a little he will bring you your favorite dessert so you can keep your mouth entertained.

Hitoya

° Yes, he has the entire situation under control for you and when you are in pain he pampers you without any shame. He is even capable of leaving work halfway and picking you up wherever you are if you tell him you can't get home because of the pangs of pain.

° He will prepare a bathtub for you with hot water and various treats so that the discomfort is reduced while he sits next to you chatting with you or washing your hair.

"We could try this new shampoo, Jyushi recommended it to me for you" he spreads the product gently over your scalp, pampering you in the process. The feeling of his hands and the heat of the bathtub has a positive effect on your pain.

° No matter how much he hid it, several times he asked Jakurai for the best way to help you and sometimes, those calls were in the middle of the night while he took note of everything the doctor said. You accidentally discovered the notebook where he writes it down but you decided to keep it a secret.

° He comforts you with massages, applying the necessary pressure on your back to relieve tension. Even if you are lying on your side and as compressed as possible, he will make sure to give you a good massage session.

° He tries not to kiss you while the pain lasts because he doesn't think that will help you much, but seeing you so bad, he can't channel his feeling of compassion and support in any other way than leaving the occasional solitary kiss on your cheeks, which at times They manage to warm your heart and distract your body.

° Your tears destroy his self-control and tranquility, gently wiping them away activates his emergency protocol. He gives you medicine and holds you until you fall asleep or the pain subsides, always wiping away any tears that may continue to come.

"The pills will take effect now, yes? I promise it will happen faster than you think" his hands caress your back giving you comfort "you're doing well..." he can repeat these phrases as if they were a prayer or a lullaby, the smell of his skin gives you peace and eventually you will fall asleep.

[flyiingsly]

What will become of us

Part 1

Square : Is this for me ?

Pairing : Dogma x f!jedi!reader

Warnings : Mention of death and injuries, mention of Umbara, a lot of angst, implied depression

Wordcount : 4,9k

Summary : After the treason of Krell and the disaster of Umbara, you couldn’t stop worrying about Dogma and are determinate to go visit him at the GAR prison, without expecting how much of an impact on your life this decision will soon have.  

A/N : Finally ! My last submission for the @clonexreaderbingo !! I'm so glad and proud to have made it to the end ! This event was such a big and important challenge to me, this year was very messy and awful on so many levels of my life, and writing and focusing on it really helped me go through all of this ❤

Thank you so much to the wonderful @ghostofskywalker for organizing this event, it was sooo much fun :D

That one was reaaaally hard to write ! I really got carried away and it actually moved me a lot and gave me a looot of feels. It was starting to be a bit long and I still had things to add, so I decided to turn it into a two chapters story !

(Now that I'm about to post it, I just noticed that the mention to the bingo square is in the second part ... It really didn't catch my attention until now, I hope it still will count :O )

@dystopicjumpsuit if you're still interested, here it is (the beginning at least) :D

Enjoy ❤

The sky around the ship became clouded as it entered the atmosphere of Coruscant. You barely had a conversion with the others for the entire flight, just a few words exchanged here and there, but you could feel that nobody really wanted to talk at all. So you just remained silent.

It was the first time that a journey with the 501st boys was that silent, and it seemed never-ending. You were just coming back from Umbara with what was left of your battalion. That mission was one of the deadliest you’ve ever been part of, and one of the most mentally destructive, both for you and your men.

Everybody was tired and feeling strange, and as you looked around you, they were all staring into space with empty eyes, still processing what happened on that damn planet. There was usually cheering and agitation when a mission ended and that you were on the way back home. But not this time, and you couldn’t blame anyone for not at least try to relax the atmosphere.

You, too, were still processing what happened these last few days.

When the ship finally landed, you helped the medics carrying the wounded to the med bay. You exchanged a long, desperate and full of pain glance with Kix, before he disappeared behind the walls of one of the many emergency rooms of the building. His mission wasn’t over yet, and you couldn’t even help him with that burden.

You looked around you for a moment, completely still in the idle of the agitation, contemplating the endless flow of blue and orange painted amours passing the doors. You were feeling powerless right now, and tears were starting to form in your eyes.

“General …”

You heard a distant voice, but you were so lost in thought that you didn’t even noticed it was coming toward you.

“(Y/n) …” a gentle hand settled down on your shoulder, making you jump in surprise.

“It’s ok, it’s just me ...” It was Rex. He looked so tired, even more than everyone else. You had spent a couple nights together back at the Umbarian base, unable to sleep and crying your eyes out, hidden in a tiny room so none of your men could see you like that, trying to ease your pain and process this mess of a situation, comforting each other as you were always doing when things go wrong. Although this time, it was worse than everything you ever had to go through before.

“General Kenobi just called me, the Jedi council want to see you as soon as possible. I guess that they need explanations … “

You had broken your commlink on the battlefield, so no one was able to contact you directly. He looked at you right in the eyes, you knew he had noticed the tears, you didn’t even try to wipe them, you just answered his look. You didn’t need to talk much to understand each other sometimes, eye contact was enough.

“I have another thing to do before, they’ll have to wait a bit longer.” You briefly replied.

“As you wish”, he whispered. He knew exactly where you were going, it probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do, but he didn’t protest. He knew you needed it.

“But please”, he added, his look turning more concerned, “be careful, (Y/n), and try to be easy on yourself, there’s nothing we could have done to prevent all of that, it’s not your fault.”

His voice was trembling, you could feel the lump in his throat. You both felt terribly guilty about everything, and you knew that he was trying to convince himself as well as convincing you. You badly wanted to hold him in your arms to comfort him right now, but the only thing that you were allowed to do in front of so any peoples was to, as he did before, to put your hand on his shoulder.

“I will, same for you, please, you deserve some peace too.” you answered with emotion filling your voice, nearly whispering.

“Thank you, (Y/n), I hope to see you later.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

You gave him a soft smile before leaving the med bay, already planning to visit him at the GAR base right after meeting the council.

But for now, you had something important to do.

***

The GAR prison was a vast building appended to the Coruscant Guards base. When you introduced yourself at the entrance, the two troopers watching the door easily let you in. But once in the reception, explaining that you were here to see a prisoner, you were greeted by a surprised and confused guard, who immediately called his superior.

Jedi usually never come at the prison, even less to see a clone prisoner.

You were well known by the Coruscant Guards, for you had already worked with them on several occasions. So, when a helmetless Commander Fox showed a couple minutes later, he wasn’t that surprised to see you.

It was common knowledge to everyone that had met you that you were very close to your men and having a very unique relationship with them. And needless to say that the news of a member of the famous 501st being imprisoned here had already flied around the other battalions. It was something as unexpected as hard to understand. So Fox quickly connected the dots.

“General (Y/n), it’s an honor to see you here !” he greeted you.

“The honor is for me, Marshall Commander.” you greeted him back with a smile.

He opened his mouth to ask you if you were here to see that particular blue armored trooper, but quickly refrained himself. Nobody exactly knew for now what happened on Umbara and why that prisoner was here outside of “treason”, only rumors had filtered, and he didn’t want to become too intrusive by asking. You stared at each other for a moment, before he finally says something, suddenly feeling uneasy under the gaze of his confused soldier.

“I’ll handle that, thank you”, he spoke toward his men, before addressing you, ”Please, follow me.”

You nodded and both headed to his office. It was the first time you entered that prison, and beside your apparent confidence, that place was making you nervous. Fox didn’t said a word until the door of his office was shut close and he was sit at his desk.

“So, I have been told that you were here to visit a prisoner, right ?”

“Right.”

“Nobody told me about an interrogation taking place today”, he said trying to look oblivious, scrolling on his datapad, avoiding your gaze.

“Actually, I’m not here to lead any interrogation … One of my men, a lieutenant from the 501st, had been incarcerated in this prison a few days ago, and I just … I just need to see him, to make sure that he’s ok, you know … That last mission was particularly grueling, things … happened …” you were trying to find your words without revealing too much details, but you were desperate to shorten that meeting, the only thing you wanted right now was to finally see him again.

“It’s not fair for him to be here” you finally carried on, “I just need to reassure him about his fate, to tell him that his superiors are not gonna let him down and will fight for his reintegration.”

Fox raised his head from his data pad, meeting your worried eyes with a look that couldn’t hide his suspicion about your presence here anymore. You exchanged another long and heavy stare, he clearly was in the middle of some big moral dilemma. He finally let out a sigh, putting down his datapad on his desk.

“He’s not supposed to leave his cell for now, so I can’t lead him at the parlor or the interrogation room, and it’s categorically forbidden for him to receive any visitors. Thes orders emanate from the Jedi Council itself, they cannot be bypassed …”

Your heart sank in your chest, you opened your mouth to speak, you were ready to argue, but Fox stopped you in yours tracks.

“But”, he quickly picked up, “I could be in charge of the reception for one night, and be urgently and unexpectedly called by one of my officer, because, you know, things happen sometimes … Which will cause the entrance to be left completely unsupervised … That could be the perfect occasion for an unauthorized visitor to enter here without being bothered …”

He stopped, looking insistently at you. You weren’t really sure what he was driving at, until he came closer to you above his desk, still looking at you right in the eyes, and added in a sadder tone.

“Look, rumors are going on about what had happened on Umbara. Awful things have been said, news spread fast between soldiers you know. We weren’t precisely informed about why that man is here, but if you say that he didn’t deserves it and since you know more than us, then I trust you. To be honest, he was looking so miserable when he came here that I felt sorry for him. Whatever happened had obviously broke him, and I think that he, indeed, deserve some support. The Council wanted him alone in a whole wing of the prison for a reason that I think I understand now, they didn’t want anyone to communicate with him because the situation must be problematic enough for them to keep it undercover. But that also means that nobody will know if someone come to visit him. On the contrary of the civilian prison, there’s no video monitoring in this building, so I think it’s safe.”

Your eyes immediately started to glimmer when you finally understood his point.

“Thank you so much Fox !” you let out with relief, “I could never thank you enough for that !”

“Well, let’s say that you owe me a couple drinks on our next night out at the 79’.” He let out with a teasing grin while standing up from his chair to head toward the door.

“As many as you want !” you exclaimed, following him in an instant.

***

As you entered the corridor leading to the cells aisle, the silence became crushing. The only thing that was breaking it was the repetitive sound of your footsteps on the cold floor, reverberating on the bare walls. You crossed the empty space without a word, until you arrived in front of a massive door.

“Here we are … You’ll need that to get inside and to go out, don’t forget to bring it back to me before leaving the building. This one cannot open the cell if that was what you were thinking about.” Fox joked, holding a pass card to you.

“It’s the cell number 42, take all the time you’ll need, nobody will come until 1900, he’s not allowed to go at the mess hall neither, so we have to bring him his diner here.”

“Thank you again Fox” you answered with a grateful look.

“No problems ma’am !”

As the Marshall Commander left you alone, you presented the pass in front of the locking pad, allowing the heavy curtain to open in a sudden whoosh sound. Once on the other side, you stayed on the doorstep for a moment, contemplating the disturbing, cold and endless corridor framed with little empty rooms on both side.

The ceiling was low and the luminosity wasn’t very high, making the space even more distressing. You flinched a little when the door suddenly closed behind you, pulling you out of your thoughts. You realized that you were awfully nervous as you felt your heart pounding faster in your chest.

You slowly started to move forward, looking around you to find the number 42 cell. It soon appeared into your field of vision, and you reached for it with a faster pace, your anxiety level increasing again and the fear of what you were about to find on the other side of the thick transparent door growing in your mind.

When you finally arrived in front of it, your heart instantly broke. Here he was, sat on the floor at the foot of his narrow bed, curled up on himself with his head settled on top of his bended knees, buried between his folded arms.

Seeing him like that made you want to cry, a mix of intense pity, sadness and despair hit you like a wave. You clenched your fists. He never deserved to be treated like that, you though. All you wanted to do right now was to break through that stupid door and take him into your arms to comfort him, to tell him that everything will be alright.

But you couldn’t.

So you just closed your eyes, took a deep breath and did your best to regain your composure, before reopening them and addressing him gently.

“Dogma ?” you let out in a soft, interrogative tone.

Your words were nearly a whisper, but still loud enough for him to hear you. His head slowly rose from his knees, and his eyes widened at your sight. You noticed that he must have been crying recently and probably was severely sleep deprived by the bags under his eyes, making you feel even worse for him.

“Ge … General ?” His voice was weak and trembling. “What are you doing here ? I thought I wasn’t allowed to see anyone …” He stood up with difficulty, nearly stumbling on his feet.

“I know” you breathed out, as he came closer, placing himself in front of you, “but let’s say I got a little help to bypass the problem.” you added with a smile.

A sudden expression of confusion crossed his face.

“Why would you do that ?” he asked.

“I needed to make sure that you were ok, I wanted to see you again, you know, I … I was worried about you.”

He was, indeed, looking miserable, and you could see by the sudden watering of his pupils that your concern was touching him deeply. He lowered his head, trying to hide his pain.

“Thank you … You didn’t had to, nobody care about murderers and traitors …”

“I care … What’s happening to you is not fair, and I needed you to know that I’m not gonna let you down, I will fight to get you out of here and to have you rehabilitated. I’m never leaving any of my men behind, you’re not alone Dogma.”

He couldn’t refrain his tears anymore, and he raised his hands to his face in an unsuccessful attempt to cover it.

“I will never get out of here ! The only think that I deserve right now is to be court marshalled and properly executed. The Jedi are never gonna let that pass.”

You throat tightened, tears raising at the corner of your own eyes. You wanted to stay strong, but it was becoming harder and harder not to fall apart.

“Please, don’t ever say that, it will not happen, I will never authorize it.” your voice was soft but determined, and you were putting all of your remaining energy into preventing it from cracking, “Listen, you did your best, you took the right decision …”

“But I nearly made you shot ! And all for nothing ! I acted like a fool, following orders blindly, and for what ? I nearly executed my own brothers ! You should hate me, all of you ! I’m a monster !” he harshly cut you, almost screaming with rage and frustration, his hands curling into fists against his distorted face.

The roughness of his words took you aback, you could hear his suffering piercing through his voice, and you had no idea what to answer him at first, your mouth staying open but no sound escaping it.

You stayed silent for a moment, searching for the right words, before swallowing hard and trying to articulate something.

“Dogma …” you murmured, “I don’t hate you, none of us do …”

His whole body was shaking, and you could hear the muffled sob he was trying to contain, but he wasn’t moving otherwise, his body like paralyzed with pain. You took a deep breath before going on again.

“Please, don’t be that hard on yourself, you did your best, you did what you thought was right, and nobody can blame you for that. I don’t want you to end up executed, I will never allow that, I promise you, I will plead your case in front of the Jedi Council. You’re a good soldier Dogma, and a good man, whatever mistake you’ve made, it’s hard enough to bear for you, I know your guilt is already enough of a burden, I don’t want you to be punished more than that. I’ve said it and I’ll say it again, you did your best, you deserve to live, and as any other of my men, you’re more than just a number to me, and I will do whatever I can to help you overcome all of this.”

The gentleness of your voice and your reassuring words soon made him calm down. His fists slowly unclenched and relaxed, his hands ending up slipping from his face as his sobbing turned into a silent whimper.

He was still not looking at you, but you knew by the twitching of his eye leads that he wanted to, but probably was too ashamed to do it.

“Thank you …” he shyly mumbled, still sniffling.

“It’s okay, you’re gonna be safe, I promise you” you muttered, absent mindlessly settling your hand on the clear door.

He caught a glimpse of your gesture from the corner of his eye, and it made him raise his head, surprised, his dark brown orbs finally meeting yours.

You stared at each other for a few seconds. The way he looked at you was so intense that it made your heart skips a bit. Then his gaze slowly lowered to land on the spot where your skin was touching the door. And without a warning, he raised one of his hand and gently placed it on the other side, his large palm and strong fingers entirely covering yours.

You saw him blink a few time, like if he was just realizing what he was doing, a faint shade of red appearing on his cheeks, but neither of you could remove your respective hand from the surface, too afraid to end this special moment and break the connection.

His body warmth was irradiating through the transparent material despite his thickness, and for a moment, you got lost in it, wondering about that strange feeling of being so close and so apart from each other at the same time.

***

When you showed up at the Jedi Temple later, you were having a knot in your stomach. You had the feeling that you were about to go through an excessively long interrogation. You were the only jedi to have witnessed what happened on Umbara, so you were a very important element for the understanding of the situation.

You were right.

The council spent hours questioning you on every little detail of the events. You did your best to stand for Dogma, to make them understand that it was the best thing to do, and that his action was a courageous and selfless one. But the council only listened to you, never showing what they were really thinking about it. They just sat here without a word, while you were pleading his case.

When you finally get out of the Council Chamber, you were feeling exhausted and empty. It took so long that the night was now upon Coruscant. The worst part was that you had absolutely no idea about what was going to happen now, and you couldn’t do anything more about it.

You sigh when you catch the view of the military prison while standing at the temple’s forecourt. You were supposed to go take some well-deserved sleep, but you wanted to visit the 501st before. You just needed to be surrounded by your men, to spend time with them, to talk to them, and to show them your undefective support. You were all in this together, after all.

Without even looking back, you go down the temple stairs and headed toward the GAR building, disappearing into the darkness.

***

As you were about to leave the prison on your first visit, Dogma asked you if you were going to come back again. And of course, you promised him that you will as soon as possible.

At that time, the Jedi Council had decided to not assign you to any new mission until the situation has been clarified. They needed to know how and by what means General Krell ended up betraying the Order and the Republic, how nobody was able to notice it sooner, and if anyone else among the jedi or the clones could have been or could still be complicit in the treason.

It was a really big deal both for the Order and for the GAR, and as you were a key witness, they needed you to stay near, both to protect you and to watch you, and you found yourself assigned to stay on Coruscant, while another jedi was temporarily affected to assist General Skywalker with the 501st.

They were still conducting interrogations among the clones, soldiers as well as officers, and you have already been auditioned several times yourself after meeting the Council, by the GAR committee of inquiry and even by the Chancellor himself.

But things weren’t going as easily as they should have. The whole situation seemed to be dragging on, and the pressure and suspicion that were weighting upon on you were harder and harder to bear. Even if the council wasn’t saying it out loud, you could feel that they were doubting you.

You were stuck on Coruscant, far from your battalion and worrying about your men, unable to help them when you should have been by there side to support them, and it was making you sick.

You had absolutely no idea about how long all of this was going to last, and the only thing you had been allowed to do was to helplessly wait until things could finally move on a little. It felt like a punishment to you. Maybe it was a way for the Council to test your nerves and patience, you couldn’t tell at this point.

It was hard and uncertain times for you. You could feel the distance growing between you and your fellow jedi every time you were trying to reach for one of them, to engage a conversation, to seek their company.

Something had changed in the way they were perceiving you, you knew it, but you couldn’t blame them, despite feeling lonely and outcasted. In all your spare time, you started to question yourself a lot, thinking about the purpose of this war, of the Order, even about your place in all of this, wandering if all of these sacrifices really were necessary, and if justice was finally going to come someday.

The Council eventually ended up assigning you to help Master Jocasta in the archives department, asking you to be patient, simply telling you that their investigation was progressing, although they never gave you much more details about it.

You kept asking them about the fate of the prisoner, but they just told you that it wasn’t the first priority right now, and that they’ll treat his case later.

You did your best to look as impassive and unaffected as possible during all that time, to not let your emotions and worries show too much to anyone, feigning to resiliently handle the situation. But on the inside, you were starting to grow more and more tired and desperate every day, and as much as you appreciated to work with Master Jocasta, you were badly craving to leave Coruscant and go back on missions again.

Since the beginning of the war, you had never spent as much consecutive time on that planet, and mostly, you had never been separated from your battalion for so long.

Of course, you always stayed in touch with them, no matter how far they were send to, but still, it was impossible for you not to worry about them. So every time they were back on Coruscant, you took the chance to spend as much time as possible with them.

Nothing was the same without you as they say, and nothing was the same without them. Despite all the hard times shared together, there were also moments of pure joy, fun and complicity, and you were missing those deeply.

You were missing each one of those clones very deeply, in fact.

That’s how your daily appointments at the prison began. Nobody knew except for Fox and Rex, to who you were regularly giving news about his soldier. You were extremely lucky to have the Marshall Commander on your side, you could have never done that without his help, at all. That man was a blessing, even if it had costed you so many drinks already. You’ll be forever owing him that favor.

Your routine was every day the same : you were leaving the Jedi temple at dawn, entering the prison by a hidden service door known only by the guards, and sneaking into Fox’s office to retrieve the pass before heading to Dogma’s cell.

Sometimes the Commander was here in his office to greet you and give it to you, sometimes he wasn’t and you were picking it up by yourself. He was trusting you blindly, as long as the pass was back in his drawer the moment you left. To be honest, you were a Jedi General, you were basically having the authorization to access to any office in the building if you really wanted to.

The only thing that was ultimately forbidden to you was to open one of these cells by yourself without the permission and supervision of the Senate or the Jedi Council.

Since you were visiting him, you could see that Dogma was in better shape than the first time you saw him. He was slowly regaining a bit of hope, and even if guilt was still hitting him hard sometimes, he started to understand that what he did was the only possible outcome at the time, it was going to happen anyway, whether by Rex’s hand or his own.

It seemed like your presence was the only glimpse of joy given to him in the never-ending state of isolation he was forced into, and witnessing his face enlightening and a warm smile growing on his lips as soon as you were showing in front of his cell was making your heart melt every time.

Every one of those encounters always ended up the same way : before leaving, you laid your hand against the door, and Dogma put his on the other side, in front of yours.

It was the gesture that comforted him the most the first time you came, and on the second visit, it was him who initiated it. He didn’t need to ask you, for you immediately understood what it meant when he settled his hand on the glassy surface, answering his move without a word.

The truth was, you needed comfort too, you were feeling absolutely down staying at the Temple, and you were even starting to lose track of time when remaining there for too long without going outside. The high and thick stone walls of the sacred building became more and more oppressive and started to feel less and less like home to you. All you wanted to do was to escape from here as much as you could, even if it was a very hard thing to accept.

In this context, visiting him soon became the only thing that was giving you a reason to keep waiting and to go on without losing your mind. It turned into the time of the day that you were waiting for the most, a very special and intimate moment that you wouldn’t miss for anything in the world.

You were opening more and more to each other, sharing more and more personal things at each occasion, to the point that you came to knew each other nearly better than anyone else ever. A very strong bond built up between the two of you. Something that emerged from loneliness and concern at first, but quickly evolved into a sincere and fond connection. You could both feel it, even if you weren’t understanding the true nature of it yet.

As the days passed by, you started to badly wish that you could cross the prohibition and open that door, to finally be able to touch him for real, to feel the warmth of his body and the contact of his skin against yours without any more filters or boundaries.

You weren’t supposed to allow yourself to get attached as a Jedi, but deep inside of you, you knew that it was too late, and this since a long time already.

But little do you knew that you weren’t the only one to feel like that.

[shipmistress9]

Made to Order - 6

AN: I'm pretty optimistic that I can wrap the (main) story up within seven chapters. But there's also the epilogue to come, and my beta reader taumoebaa and I have spun enough more snippets to write at least two more things for this AU. So I decided to create a series for this AU where I can post them connected to this and still have this story complete once it's done. So if you don't want to miss out on any of that, you can subscribe to the series directly. 😊

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. o O o .

Press and fold. Press and fold. Press and fold.

I like the repetitive motions of kneading yeast dough. It’s calming, therapeutic even in a way. I can’t hurry the process, need my motions to be calm and steady. Perfect for calming down the mind. Unless the mind straight up refuses to calm down, of course.

The motions are just familiar enough that I don’t need to focus all the time, and even though I try, I can’t keep my thoughts from wandering back to what happened a few days ago. How we joked and laughed, her smiles and her tears, how she almost kissed me and how I pulled away. I wish she hadn’t done that. I wish I hadn’t done that. Fuck, I don’t know what to think.

That almost-kiss… it made it impossible to keep working with her. It crossed a line, and I don’t know how we can come back from it. But even though kissing her would have made everything a thousand times worse, I wish—

No!

I can’t go down that road, there only lies heartbreak and pain. I can’t think about what could have been, not when I want it too much. Gods, I’m so fucked…

When the entrance bell rings, I flinch. I haven’t heard a single word from Violet since that day, but I know it’s her, can feel it just like I felt it so often before. But I can’t talk to her, not now. Maybe not ever again. Not if I want to keep at least these last shredded remains of my sanity.

“Can you see who it is?” I ask in as calm a voice as I can muster. “I… I can’t. Need to finish this dough.”

Liam looks up from where he’s currently modelling some cheesy cake topper, and even though I can’t see his face, his confusion is clear enough. “Uh, sure,” he mutters and puts his works aside without a question. That’s why I love him, why he’s my best friend. Because when it counts he helps without asking questions.

“Ah, hey, Violet,” I hear him from the front room, surprise clear in his voice, and my fingers dig deeper into the dough. As if I need to hold on to something to not rush over to her, after all.

I hear her voice but not her words as she replies. She must be speaking quieter than usual.

From the corner of my eyes, I see how Liam turns where he still stands behind the counter and looks in my direction. “Uh, I… No, he’s, uhm… he’s busy. What’s up? Something I can help you with?” A short pause. “Sure, I can do that.” Another pause, then the entrance bell sounds again before Liam can say more, and I know she’s gone.

Suppressing a sigh, I keep working the dough. Press and fold. Press and fold. Force myself to stay calm so I don’t run after her.

I more feel than hear Liam returning to the bakery, his eyes drilling into my back like hot iron. “She asked me to tell you that she’s truly sorry. That it was a mistake.”

I ignore him, pressing my lips together so I don’t let out some humourless laugh. Of course, that’s what she would say.

“So… are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Liam asks after a minute or two of silence. I don’t need to turn to picture Liam leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed in front of him and with that look on his face. I’ve known him for long enough.

Studiously, I keep kneading the dough, channelling all my overflowing feelings into the motion.

“Xaden!”

I close my eyes. I owe Liam the truth. Besides, if there’s one person in the world I can talk about this, it’s him anyway. My brother in all ways that count. With a sigh, I place the finished dough into the oiled bowl and cover it with a damp towel, the movements all muscle memory, before turning to face him.

“Last week, she was here for the tasting, as you know,” I begin in a monotonous voice. “It went well, she decided on a filling and then we finished off the rest of the cakes. And then…” I can’t look at him, my gaze wandering to the ceiling as I wet my lips to buy time. “And then, we almost kissed.”

There, I said it. Admitted my guilt for him to judge me. And yet… despite my part in what happened, my only regret is still that I couldn’t kiss her for real.

Instead of getting rightfully upset, however, Liam’s snorts. Of all the reactions I might have expected, laughing wasn’t on the list, and my gaze snaps back to him, eyes narrowed. “Do you think that’s funny?”

“Oh, no, it certainly isn’t.” The smirk on his face betrays his lie. “It’s just nice to see that, at the end of the day, even you, Mr stone-cold-focused, are just human.”

Letting out a huff, I turn away from him, grabbing the bowl with the yeast dough to bring it somewhere warm where it can rise—anywhere but right here. But Liam beats me to it, blocking my way and taking the bowl from my hands.

“Hey, I’m sorry. Tell me what happened,” he demands, gentler and more serious now. “You haven’t been yourself lately, and if this is the reason then talk to me about it. Please?”

It’s that last word that gets me, that breaks the last of my defences. Because I know he cares. So I tell him everything, almost. I tell him how it started, how even during that first short meeting, she caught my interest. I tell him about that irresistible attraction I felt towards her that only got stronger and stronger with every time we met, with every little detail I learned about her. I tell him about how I tried so hard to fight my feelings for her and yet failed anyway. I tell him about the tasting, about how it all went perfectly, until that moment. I tell him about how I got too careless, how I thought I could drop my guard around her and how it backfired. How she responded to my too obvious flirting and how I nearly let that inexcusable mistake of a kiss happen. How screwed I am and how impossible the situation became.

Liam listens to all of it, quietly. At some point, we settle at the work table, Liam making hot chocolate for both of us, and I can’t suppress a harsh laugh at the irony. The drink is supposed to help me calm down, but it has the opposite effect. Forget about working with her being impossible. How am I supposed to keep going in general once all this is over, when every little detail reminds me of her?

“Well, that’s quite something,” Liam sighs once I get it all out. Chewing on his lower lip, he gazes into the distance before adding, “I knew you had some kind of crush on her, that much was obvious.” He snorts a laugh as I whip my head up. “Sorry to say this, but even a blind man could have seen that. Besides, it seems to be more than that anyway, doesn't it? You’re actually falling for her?”

I reach for the mug of hot chocolate, but my fingers tremble so much that I pull them back again. “Not falling,” I mutter. “Fell.” I bury my face in my hands. “I’m such an idiot! How can I fall for her when I know she’s getting married, dammit. I really fucked up.”

“If it’s of any consolation, I don’t think it was just you? I mean, from what you told me and how she apologised, it’s obvious that she was kissing you, and not the other way around? How can that be your fault?”

I shake my head. He doesn’t get it. “I encouraged it. The flirting. Or maybe not encouraged, but… invited? I don’t know. I certainly didn’t even try to discourage it. When I really should have known better.”

I let my head drop back against the old brick wall and let the guilt have at me. Or try to, at least. But instead of the self-loathing I should feel, all I can think about is the colour of her lips, of that tiny sound she made right before leaning in. About that sweet floral scent of hers.

“So, are you going to tell her?” Liam interrupts my moment of daydreaming before it can go too far. “How you feel for her, I mean.”

I huff another humourless laugh. “And what good would that do?”

Liam leans in, his eyes drilling into me until I can’t look away any longer. “She was about to kiss you. You didn’t force her to do that. And no matter what you did or didn’t do to encourage it, she still did it on her own. So she must feel something for you, too, right?”

Slowly, I shake my head. How often have my thoughts gone down this exact line during these last days? “She’s getting married,” I say in a far calmer voice than I actually feel. “Maybe she got a flash of cold feet, or whatever. Wanted some last adventure before the wedding. But she’s certainly not interested in me.”

“You can’t know that for sure,” Liam tries, but he doesn’t sound convincing. “I still think you should at least tell her? Maybe you’re wrong. She didn’t seem to be the fickle type to me, so maybe she does feel something for you, after all. Maybe—”

“It’s enough!” I interrupt him, probably harsher than he deserves. “Enough. What was it she wanted you to tell me? It was a mistake and she’s sorry? Yeah, no, that doesn’t sound like she’s going to call off the wedding.” I shake my head. “Which is telling me everything I need to know.”

But Liam isn’t done yet.“But maybe she would call it off if you told her? If she knew how you felt for her?”

In a way, his persistence is comforting, shows how much he cares. And I can’t even blame him. In opposition to me, he didn't already have days—weeks—to constantly ponder the options.

“That would be even worse,” I sigh, defeated. “Don’t you see? How I would be destroying what she’s been dreaming of for nearly her entire life? I can’t do that to her. If she was calling the wedding off on her own, simply because she realises it’s wrong for her, then maybe. If she closed that chapter, then I’d be happy to start a new one with her. But not like this.”

“Xaden…”

I hear the pity in Liam’s voice, but I don’t want it. “Besides, there’s another far more practical reason,” I interrupt whatever he might have wanted to say. “This is obviously a very high profile wedding. Countless famous and influential people will be there. What do you think would happen if the bride called the wedding off on such a short notice and word got out that it was because the wedding cake baker seduced her away? We’d never get another order again. I… I didn’t rebuild Gran’s bakery, didn’t build this life for us, just to throw it away because of some stupid infatuation.”

That last word nearly makes me choke and throw up. It’s so wrong, what I feel is so much more than just that. But at the same time, it isn’t. Whatever I feel means nothing if she doesn’t feel the same. So what’s the point?

“I still think you should at least talk to her,” Liam murmurs after a long pause of uncomfortable silence. “Not… about your feelings then. I get it. But about what happened. You didn’t see her earlier, Xaden. She was devastated.”

With a defeated sigh, I let my eyes fall shut. I’m too drained to keep arguing like this. “Fine. I will talk to her, if only to settle this… this misunderstanding and keep working with her. Get this job finished and return to normalcy.”

As if that was an option…

. o O o .

Liam is right, I tell myself as I stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Talking to her about what happened is the right thing to do. If only to draw a line beneath it all.

Because there is no other way, I have to get over it, over her. And the sooner I do it the better.

With a suppressed groan, I close my eyes and give my thoughts free rein to wander, for once unrestrained. I let myself remember everything about her and let my mind fill in the details that are missing, let myself relive that moment from a few days back, let myself imagine what could have been. The yielding of soft lips, her taste on my tongue, the sensation of holding her in my arms. For a moment, I let myself have it all.

And then I lock it away forever.

This moment was all I could ever have. So it will have to be enough.

Letting my hand sink from where my knuckles were brushing against my lips, I pull out my phone and open the threat of messages we exchanged. Never something meaningful, only inquiries about when she could come over, but always with a sense of sweetness to it, like an added emoji here and there, the words too casual to be formal. But I ignore all previous messages, can’t look at those right now. Instead, my focus is on her last message, a hesitant ‘can we talk?’ she apparently sent after she talked to Liam earlier. I take a deep breath and type in four words before pressing Send.

Yeah, we should talk.

. o O o .

As always, Violet is right on time as she enters my shop the next day. Reliability, another one of her many admirable traits. And is it possible that she gets prettier and prettier with every passing day? Because every time, it feels like I’m seeing her for the first time all over again. Even now, with one arm wrapped around herself to rub nervously at her upper arm and with her lips pressed into a tight line, she’s fucking beautiful.

“Hey,“ I greet her, trying to get something of a smile onto my lips.

“Hey.” Her reply is equally tense, her gaze not meeting mine just like I avoid looking directly at her, too.

I should say something. She already made the first step in coming here in the first place, so I should make the next. But I can’t find my words, have no idea what to say. “So, I—” I begin, just as she opens her mouth as well, and I cringe at the awkwardness of it all. Fuck, why does this have to be so hard?

With something between a grimace and a forced smile, I gesture at her to begin. Even though I don’t think I want to hear what she’s going to say.

“Right, erm…” she begins, brushing a nonexistent stand of hair behind her ear. “I… guess Liam delivered my message? But, uh, I want to apologise again, in person. That… what I did… it was a mistake and… and given our situation, it never should have happened. I’m truly sorry, I never wanted to compromise your professionalism like that.”

Yep, I hate these words. Even though they’re just what I expected, they sting nonetheless. But even more do the words sting she didn’t say. “Is that all?” I can’t hold the question back, even as I’m only setting myself up for more pain.

Violet frowns, clearly confused, and I can guess what she’ll say even before the words are out. “What… what else would you want me to say?”

I sigh, closing my eyes. It was foolish to even allow myself the tiniest bit of hope that she’d called the wedding off, after all. “Nothing. It’s fine,” I murmur. “Yeah, I think we can agree that it shouldn’t have happened. And I’m sorry, too.”

Violet visibly relaxes, though I don’t feel the same relief she apparently does. “That’s good. No hard feelings then.” She chuckles, a little abashed maybe.

“No hard feelings,” I agree. Trying very hard not to think too much about those words.

Her grip on her purse hanging over her shoulder tightens. “Right, so… I have to get back to work again. But…” She bites at her lower lip, the tiniest hint of pink dusting her cheeks. “Would it be okay if I come over again the day after tomorrow?”

I already half turned to get back to the bakery, and I’m incredibly glad that she can’t see my face. Because I don’t think I could have kept it together. She wants to come back? To just continue like before, as if nothing happened?

I close my eyes, and silently count to ten. I thought just working for her from a distance would be the best we could achieve. It’s the most sensible way to go, anyway. To get some healthy distance between us so that such a mistake can’t happen again and I can begin to return to a normal life. I should tell her so, too, if not with all the details, should use this moment to reestablish some boundaries. It would be better that way, for everyone involved.

But I just can’t bring myself to cut her out of my life just yet.

“Sure,” I say, turning back to give her my first true smile in days. “I’ll be making some time for you.”

Next Chapter

[thewolvesshade]

Oh God... he was stuck.

There was a lot to fear as a werewolf. Being shot, being captured or experimented on... But nothing was quite as terrifying as the risks of merely transforming.

"Please... Just get it over with..." Shade thought to himself, caught in a painful stasis between the final stage of the shift and sweet release. Bits of skin remained loosely wrapped around his body, leaving him to gasp as he tore away the few remaining bits of pale, bloody flesh. What's worse is he could smell every part of it, every fleshy bit, every drop of blood, sweat, and tears that had come from this hellish torture.

His new skin, what little showed itself near his hands and feet - were tough and leathery. Every part of his body ached, his heart struggling to keep up with his current state. Every strand of wirey, greasy fur stood on end as he scraped against the floor, writhting in the current state of limbo.

It wasn't the first time this had happened either, every time was a little different. Most months, he simply shifted, lost control, and had to give away the driver's seat to the beast that drove his body. Other times, he blacked out from the pain - leaving him to either pass out in his apartment, or wake up in a ditch the next day.

Not this time though. Today just had to be the worst option.

It felt as if Shade had a stone caught in his throat, the wolf's head forcing its way up through his neck as always - but no, this time it was stuck. Caught at the back of his throat just out of reach of his fingers... Well, at least that's what it felt like.

There was a distinct hacking sound as he barely managed to breathe, coughing up thick, viscous blood as the final changes refused to happen. For now, his teeth and gums protruded from his mouth, leaving for a painful pinching sensation on his nose. His actual nose had yet to snap away from the skin on top, making it feel as if there was a perpetual sense of pressure on his face.

His vision remained blurry as he could barely stay upright, praying that he would somehow pass out. He willed, no, begged the beast to finally come out. He'd been trapped in this state for nearly twenty minutes, a lump forever in his throat.

It took a great deal of energy not to make too much noise, not to scream or moan in pain - the last thing he needed was the landlord getting on his ass. Every haggard breath came with a small vocalization, vocal chords near-shot as his voice was layered and far deeper than usual. In the back of his mind he heard the sound of the wolf's howl, the horrifying scream-howl which had haunted the town of Lockheart for years now.

He prayed for the feeling of release, to slip through his own skin - even if it meant feeling the disgusting, slimy sense of viscera against his new face... To close his eyes as it completed its final push and simply let go.

But not now... Not tonight. For now he was trapped in the hell of his own body, forever conscious of the excruciating pain that made him want to claw out of his own skin... His own, bodily cage.

(+Bonus Flat-Color w/o the effects for clarity!)

[hannahmanderr]

SKULKER AND EMBER!!

Skulker/Ember - Hunter's Flame

(immediately after the events of "Girls' Night Out")

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Suffering defeat at the hands of the dipstick was humiliating enough. Suffering defeat at the hands of the dipstick's loser humans was even worse.

Ember leaned back into the couch and rolled her neck. Being stuck in that stupid thermos always gave her a nasty crick in the neck. At least the girlfriend, the one with the killer fashion sense, had enough decency to let her and Kitty and Spectra out sooner rather than later. Now instead of excruciating pain, she was only in severe pain.

Physically, at least. Mentally, the pain was definitely excruciating.

Especially knowing she'd had to slink her way through the Badlands with her tail between her legs... back to Skulker's place. Who, the last time she'd seen him, had gotten into a huge fight with her.

Surprisingly though, Skulker wasn't in his home. Nor was he anywhere on his island.

Which was a shame, because if this humiliating defeat had done anything, it'd made her realize she needed to tell him a few things. Which... would also be majorly embarrassing.

Not to mention that the longer he didn't show, the more of her nerve she lost.

Something clattered loudly in the kitchen. Ember immediately sat up (and winced when her neck protested it).

"Ancients, I swear if another one of his stupid 'trophies' found its way in here again..." she grumbled as she stormed off to investigate.

What she found, though, was not one of the many animals roaming the island, but a little green blob ghost rooting around in a drawer.

"Hey! Get out of here!" Blob ghosts were commonplace enough that they usually staked out a claim around ghosts' lairs, but usually they knew to stay out of the lair proper, let alone dig around in private places within the lair.

She shot a little bolt of energy at it - nothing strong enough to harm it. The shot hit and the blob...

... squealed?

"waitwaitwait!"

Blob ghosts also didn't usually talk.

Still with energy called up, she approached where the blob had fallen out of the drawer after getting hit. "What the...?"

"it's me, it's me! don't shoot me!"

"Aaaand, I'm supposed to know you?"

The blob ghost finally righted itself and stood on tiny little legs she hadn't seen before. It zipped up to meet her at eye level.

"yes! it's me, skulker!"

"... Huh?"

The blob ghost - Skulker, apparently - rolled his eyes. "yes, okay? this..." He sagged, dejected. "look, this is me, alright? my true form..."

Ember's eyes narrowed. "Really, huh? That's awfully convenient, how am I supposed to know you're really Skulker?"

He sighed and crossed his teeny arms with a huff. "because... because i went out on a hunt for you. to... make up for the whole tv remote thing, alright?"

Her core stuttered. "Ancients, is that really you? And - whoa whoa, wait. You went on a hunt? But what happened to... everything?" She waved a hand around his body.

"it's my ecto-skeleton. it makes me more... formidable. helps me hunt." He wouldn't meet her eyes as he rubbed a hand up and down his arm. "i didn't want it to be a big deal. especially with..."

"With... me?" Static filled her brain. "But why?"

"why? what do you mean, why? because why would a powerful ghost like you even look twice at a whelp like me?" His cheeks darkened as he spoke. "i was embarrassed, alright? i didn't want you to laugh and throw me aside, because i l- uhh, i care about... what you think of me."

"Hey, hey, chill out metalhead," she said. The pet name finally made him look up at her, and she offered a tiny smile and an outstretched hand. Warily, Skulker settled into the palm of her hand and yes, now that she was in contact with him, she could feel that this really was him.

"you... you're not mad?" he asked, almost sounding like he couldn't even dare himself to ask.

"Mad?" She scoffed. "'Course I'm mad, I'm pissed! You've been lying to me this whole time!"

"... oh."

"But I don't hate you," she said, and this time, her smile widened. "Look, I realized some things over the weekend, and if you were serious about trying to make up for the remote, then... well, I can't exactly hate you after that, you know?"

He looked up again. "really? you're... okay with this?"

"Obviously." She rolled her eyes, but the smile remained. "And... as much as it pains me to say, I'm... sorry for calling you a bad hunter. I shouldn't have gotten so close to your core like that. Not when you're someone I, er, care about a lot too."

Carefully, she leaned down and planted a little kiss on the top of his blobby head. When she pulled away, she couldn't help but laugh at his stunned face.

"So," she said, mischief dancing in her voice. "Let me guess. You went after the kid, didn't you?"

"... oh, just help me find the key to my backup shed."

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~~Send me a ship and I'll write the first scene that comes to mind with them!

[watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees]

The aftermath

directly continued from Not on purpose (which I'll probably rewrite a bit) short lil drabble to extend it <<3

taglist: @risk606

masterlist

TW: aftermath of torture, fresh injuries, Cole being creepy as hell, multiple whumpers, gaslighting

She couldn't step out of his way in the middle of the hall fast enough, and Cole wasn't one to miss out on some fun to be had. Aly knew it was completely deliberate that he knocked into her shoulder.

And even though she was expecting it, she couldn't stifle a pained yelp, and covered her side instinctively with both her hands.

"What was that?" he asked and looked her up and down, trying to figure out the nature of the injury he'd aggravated. Alyssa was sure he would have hit her just the same if he knew she was injured, she wasn't expecting that question to be the lead up to an apology. In fact, it might have been worse he got a stronger reaction out of her than he planned. He was intrigued, and there was not many things worse than his childishly cruel interest.

"Nothing" Alyssa hissed and tried to walk past him again. She slouched slightly, and still kept clutching at her side.

It's her ribs, probably, Cole decided. There was nothing else notable, a rare occasion to see her with no bruises or bandaged body parts, a great indication of what might have happened.

Of course he didn't let her pass by, he took a step to his left and cut off her escape route completely.

Aly finally looked up at him with a glare burning with hatred that she usually concealed better.

Cole raised an eyebrow, challenging her to do something, but Aly knew better. He was the one breaking their staring contest to stare her down, again, with a contemplative smile.

It stretched the moment out, she didn't know and she honestly preferred not to know what deranged ideas ran through his mind, the only thing she was sure about was that she had to endure, no matter what he decides to do. And pray it wouldn't hurt too bad.

Her breathing picked up, ever so slightly, as she tried to prepare herself.

Sometimes her prayers were answered though. Cole only yanked up the front of her T-shirt to expose her stomach.

The fabric slipped from her grip easily, up her side, exposing the freshly stitched wounds.

"Oh damn," he laughed "What did you do to deserve these?"

Three long horizontal lines stretched over from her back to the side of her belly below each other on her right and two matching ones on the left. As if she was mauled by a wild animal and she slipped out of it's grasp as it tried to pull her back into its cave.

"Nothing" she repeated herself with an even tone; maybe he'd leave her alone to go tend to the cuts, if her reactions were boring as can be. Her face still gave her away, presenting a unique mixture of fear and hatred, and Cole just drank it in.

Aly knew he at least had the sense not to touch a fresh wound with his bare hands. It was a small fact that shouldn't have provided as much comfort to know as it did.

"Come on, these are gnarly, what was it?" he encouraged and leaned to look closer.

Alyssa heard footsteps from behind at the same time and tried to turn around so she'd get away, but Cole didn't ease his hold on her shirt. And the owner of the footsteps got close quickly enough to wrap his arms around her from behind, effectively immobilising her.

"She's right, she was such a good girl today" Luke pressed a warm and disgusting kiss just below her ear from behind. Apparently he witnessed the whole interaction before.

"Fuck off" she muttered without much conviction. The man behind her held her so tight she felt the bones in her lower arms grind together with her ribs.

Luke wouldn't loosen his hold unless she stopped struggling. It was a game of willpower and Aly lost.

"She enjoyed it so much, she practically didn't let me stop" She turned her head to the side, the only part of her body still free to move, and she wanted it the furthest from the husbands she was stuck between. She tried to observe the small imperfections of the wall, but her tears were quick to cloud her vision.

"Is that right?" Cole asked and ran a finger down her stomach outlining the swelling skin around the injuries. Far enough from the wounds not to aggravate them, but close enough to be uncomfortable. Aly wouldn't dare call the sensation painful, Cole's touch was actually soft and carefully deliberate, and she knew very well what being in pain was like. She still winced and bit down on her lower lip.

"You should have heard how she moaned for more" Luke laughed. It wasn't funny or something a sane person would find delight in.

"No" she inhaled sharply, and tried to stop herself from crying. She failed, miserably.

Cole sighed and smoothed her shirt back down, so Luke could spin Aly around to face him.

"You're ruining the fun" She stared at the ground stubbornly, watching her own tears drop down and disappear in the carpet. "Learn to take a fucking joke, Aly, jesus"

Cole decided this conversation wasn't interesting anymore, and walked around them with a hand on Luke's waist, and then left to wherever he was originally headed.

"I'm sorry" she whispered and didn't know if it was better or worse that they were only joking.

"Go clean the wounds again and bandage them up, it's an infection you're risking there" He finally let go of her, and Aly felt like she could breathe again.

[deadlygronkle]

Ancestors Legacy chapter 13 'The Desert' part 3

Ao3 link

Prev

Word count: 3890

Twilight stood in front of the barrier separating him from inside of the Zone. It was a quick trip once he got out of the cave. Though he hadn’t spoken to the others since that sand storm, hopefully they weren’t too worried. Settling on getting the force transformation over with as soon as possible, Twilight took a deep breath, walking in.

The effect was almost immediate as Twilight felt his Triforce burn. Falling to his knees Twilight let the transformation take hold. It was definitely less painful than the last time he went into a Zone, but still painful nonetheless. 

Getting up on all fours, Twilight shook off any sand that was stuck in his fur. The clinking of his chain was the only thing filling the silence as Twilight traveled towards the Cave of Ordeals. 

Along the way Twilight encountered the scent of 3 people, with one eventually splitting up from the other two. They were all going in the direction Twilight was. Either these were archaeologists trying to uncover something and Twilight would have to save them. Or they were the cause of everything.

Twilight followed the scents until he reached the Gerudo Mesa, or rather where it should have been. All of it was gone, not even a speck of the natural rock mound was left. 

Looking around Twilight saw tools like a pickaxe and some demolition equipment. All of it stunk of the same 3 scents Twilight smelt when he first entered the Zone. The scent on the tools was old, and they didn’t have the wear and tear of tools used for hard labor. Some of them even looked pristine, like they were just bought yesterday.

 Twilight, after a moment of looking around, found the entrance to the Cave of Ordeals.  It was now a solid staircase down. No ruins of columns could be seen. It was honestly quite simple and easy to go down, but something about it made Twilight feel uneasy. 

Maybe it was the horrible stench the place had. Unlike the usual musty smell Twilight had come to know, this place smelt like foul magic.  Just like how the springs smelt when they went under. With how potent it was he could probably smell it in his human form. 

Wrinkling his nose Twilight went down the staircase, hopefully the Great Fairy would have some more information on what was happening. Maybe she even had a map of sorts to lead him to the bugs, or whatever stole her power.

The Cave of Ordeals was a dungeon with different monsters every floor that changed every time you completed all 50 levels. The first time Twilight ever met the Great Fairy was on floor 10. She was in a small little pool of water that didn’t even reach his ankles.

It was a sad sight to say the least. According to history books Twilight found in the Royal Library, the Great Fairy was highly revered with a wondrous underground spring that rivaled Lanayru’s. Everything took a turn for the worse however when the Gerudo left the desert and all Hylian settlements went back to Hyrule proper. 

Without those settlements the journey was far too risky for people to seek the wisdom or the danger that came with the Cave of Ordeals. With less offerings and upkeep, the Cave of Ordeals withered away into what it was today.

Even the first 9 floors were different from what Twilight remembered. There were stairs leading down to the main fighting chamber of the floor. Though there were no monsters to be seen. Hell, Twilight couldn’t even smell any sort of monster, but the smell of the two was getting stronger as he went. 

Going as quietly as his chain would allow him, Twilight crept through the next floors. It was the same story with these floors as well, stairs, more and more demolition equipment, and the stench of dark magic. 

Luckily enough the  foul magic smell was getting lighter as he went down, that gave him hope that the Great Fairy was alright. Not even the 4 main light spirits did well in a Twilight Zone, and they were worshiped extensively. 

“-that happen?!” a voice yelled out, making Twilight’s ears perk up.

Twilight lowered himself to the ground and crawled into the 10th floor. His chain lightly scraped on the floor as he crawled forward. Twilight hoped that the people in the room didn’t have enhanced hearing to hear it.

The moment Twilight entered he could smell the difference in the room. This was the most pure place Twilight had been to yet. Looking over the balcony Twilight assessed the situation. 

The small pool of water had changed into a spring like what Twilight had seen in the book. Water that went up to the taller of the intruders’ knees that spanned nearly the entire room. 

There was even the start of foliage along the walls and in the water itself. At the opposite end of the chamber was a waterfall that came from nowhere, but made the room cool and provided water.

The only light in the chamber came from the Great Fairy herself who was staring at the two with clear disgust.  Mixed with how the two were positioned, and trying to be stealthy, Twilight couldn’t see their faces nor figure out who they were. 

“You were messing with magic beyond your comprehension. What did you think would happen?” The Great Fairy asked, making eye contact with Twilight as he descended the staircase.

Twilight froze and waited for her to say something, but it never happened. Instead the Great Fairy just looked back down at the two in front of her. Taking this as an invitation, Twilight continued down the staircase as quietly as he could.

“It still worked! Now where did that stupid soul go?” The taller one stomped about frustrated. That deep, grating voice matched what Twilight heard earlier. 

“Why do you think I would know? Souls that old and powerful are the most finicky,” The Great Fairy responded, distracting the taller one before they could turn around.

This allowed Twilight to finish going down the flight of stairs. Practically leaping to get under the staircase.That way he was at least cloaked in the shadows to continue eavesdropping. 

“We don’t need to deal with her sidestepping our questions,” the shorter of the two interrupted, “We can always summon another soul to sacrifice, and that ancient book we have can answer our questions,”

The taller one nodded, “You're right, she isn’t even useful as a battery anymore,”

“Let’s go report that our search was unsuccessful for any traces to Terea,” the shorter said, turning around and making Twilight duck his head under the staircase to not be spotted.

“Yeah, maybe she had more luck than we did,” The taller grumbled, following the shorter out.

Once the two’s voices and footsteps faded into the distance The Great Fairy spoke out.

“Hero Chosen by the Gods , you are safe to come out now,”

Twilight, like a skittish animal, poked his head out and looked around. He smelt no one, nor could his heightened hearing pick up any intruders. So, he warrily came out, chain clanking loudlyas he went to the edge of the spring. 

“Good, I was wondering when you would show up to fix this mess,” The Great Fairy continued, looking down at Twilight.

Twilight thought for a moment, how was he supposed to ask the fairy queen questions? He wasn’t able to be understood by most things while he was in his wolf form. Not even Midna could and she had to go by body language and Twilight’s best attempts at facial expressions.

Maybe since the Great Fairy was magical she could understand him? Well there was only one way to find out. 

“How did this happen?” Twilight asked, voice coming out as a singular bark. 

The Great Fairy motioned to the spring around her, “I was deceived. The three came here, wishing to bring the Cave of Ordeals back to its former glory. They worked tirelessly for weeks, just as I let down my guard they striked,”

Clenching her fist she continued, “Using ancient tomes they found out in the desert they sapped away my power with dark magic. I don’t even have enough strength to communicate with my fairies,”

Twilight’s tail wagged as he tilted his head up at the fairy. It actually worked, “Do you know what they sealed your power in? Or what they used to do all this?” 

“They sealed my power in several vase-like contraptions. I only saw a glimmer of what they channeled through, it looked to be a shard or a jewel of some sort,” The Great Fairy informed him.

Twilight’s fur bristled and his ears went down, “Would you say it looked like a part of a mirror?”

“I don’t know,” The Great Fairy answered briskly.

Twilight relaxed slightly, shaking as he got up, “Ok so, I need to recover your power right? Do you have any idea where the vases are stored?”

“No I sadly do not,” The Great Fairy waded through her spring in a frustrated manner. 

“Alright what do you want done with the…… mages?” Twilight asked after a moment.

The Queen of The Fairies looked back with a wicked look in her eye and an unnerving smile, “I want them brought to me, they will face punishment for what they did. Dead or alive is at your discretion, but it would be easier to bring me the bodies,”

Twilight lowered his head down a bit, “Would it be acceptable if I just…. Told you that they died?”

The Fairy gave Twilight a stern look, “I will require proof that the job is done and they didn’t get away,”

So Twilight was working off of practically no knowledge besides that he was working against 3 assailants and that they needed to die. One named Terea, the other 2’s names are unknown. Hopefully they were incompetent and were just incredibly lucky this one time. Sadly something told him that this wasn’t the case.  

Twilight did his best to bow, “I will return with news once I find something,”

“Good,” The Great Fairy’s hardened expression softened for a moment, “You are welcome back without news. I may not be able to procure food for you, but my spring can keep you hydrated during your search,”

“Thank you, Great Fairy,” Twilight rose from the bow, taking his leave.

Once he was outside of the cave, he took to trying to find the freshest scents. It was a small challenge with how it was mixed in with the old scents, but Twilight managed. Luckily enough though the freshest scents were one of the few that left the area and went to the left instead of the right. 

Twilight was quick to take after the scents, with the occasional pauses. The most difficult part of tracking was not straying from the path to follow a different scent. He didn’t know how long it had been since he last ate something, but it was long enough for his stomach to gurgle greedily at the mere smell of prey. 

But he had a job to do, so until he could find where their base was, his stomach was just going to have to wait. Even then Twilight wasn’t sure he could take the time away from spying for information to hunt. 

Eventually after an unknown time of running after the scent, Twilight came upon a camp. It was filled to the brim with cages of varying different sizes and thicknesses. In the center of it all, there looked to be a campfire, flickering unsteadily in the desert wind.

It was like a maze, as Twilight tried to get through to the center. Cages of Shadow Monsters and regular alike screeched angrily at him as he passed. With ears swiveling for the slightest movement, Twilight glanced into the cages.

The first thing he saw in the maze were Keese, shadow, normal, and Keese in between the two. He never saw them mid transformation to a shadow monster, he thought it was basically instantaneous. 

After a closer look Twilight noticed on each of their creepy little claws was a tag labeling them. Looking around, Twilight noticed a clipboard hanging several feet above his head.

Eventually after balancing on his hind legs, Twilight managed to knock it down. The clipboard clattering loudly when it hit the ground. He froze and waited for anything to come from the campfire, whether it be someone blocking his view or noise.

When nothing came of it Twilight turned back to the clipboard. While ignoring the angry hissing of the Keese, Twilight started to read. It told him about where they found the Keese (all from the Cave of Ordeals), and what their personalities were.

The next pages went into scrutinizing detail about the slow or quick change from normal to shadow. Apparently this was their fifth batch of Keese, the others didn’t survive very long. They used them to see if the Keese body parts had the same magical effects when they were shadow, normal, or in between.

Whoever took these notes gushed about the differences in their body and temperament. Even, as disgusting as it sounded, their organs were more potent in elixirs and potions when they were Shadow Keese. It even went on to even describe that the more temperamental that the Keese were, the better they were as ingredients

It didn’t go in depth on what exactly they needed the Keese’s life force for, but apparently it was taking a lot of trial and error. Deciding he read enough of the very gruesome descriptions against the Keese, Twilight delved further into the maze of cages.

The monsters Twilight saw were from all around Hyrule. From Bokoblins of Hyrule Proper to the Bulbins from king Bulbin’s pack. The Bulbins were the only monsters who didn’t try to lunge at him despite being restrained. Instead they just stared at him curiously, probably recognizing him from when he adventured into their camp in this form.

The further in he went the more dangerous the monsters became. Some like the Aeralfos had to have been brought from the Cave of Ordeals, but that didn’t make sense. 

None of the scents went past the great Fairy’s fountain on the 10th floor, but nearly every monster he had seen could be located there. Did they somehow trick the monsters to adventure outside of their level?

Each of the monsters had their own special clipboards hanging up on the cage in a very similar fashion to the Keese’s. While Twilight was interested in them, the closer he got to the campfire the less he wanted to mess with them. The clattering would make everything all the time sneaking up on the interlopers worthless. 

“I can’t believe that soul just disappeared! Just poof, Gone!” The voice of the taller one exclaimed. 

Twilight’s ears perked towards the yelling, basically sliding along the ground to get closer, stopping right at the last layer of cages around the fire. Next to him was a hissing restrained Lizaflos, that Twilight was quite happy for it to stay like that.

The inner part of their camp was pretty simple, a large tent to the left, and a fire on the other side with the three intruders sitting on them. Twilight could see the 2 from the cave sitting with their back to him and the third, who by elimination, Terea was facing him but she was too far away to get a good look at her.

“There was always that possibility. Remember the moment it broke free it became a poe and disappeared, we could’ve never prepared for that,” Terea’s figure motioned at the tent, “Besides we have the equipment to summon another,”

“We only have the resources to summon one more, and I’m not too keen on the questions we would get if we went to get more ingredients in Hyrule Proper,” the shorter tapped something wooden on their lap, “took us basically everything we had to just get a soul strong enough for the spell,”

“And what if the hero comes? He already dealt with all other poes in Hyrule. What’s to say he won’t come out here and investigate where that one came from?” the taller shuddered, “Rumors are that he is strong enough to win against the Gorons in hand to hand combat,” 

The shorter scoffed and elbowed the taller, “Calm down Ebo no one has seen the hero in like 2 months! Besides with how his last audience with the queen went down, I’m not so sure he will be summoned to deal with us,”

Twilight’s tail wagged just a smidge as he listened. So much for him not showing up, but maybe if he could get to the tent he can ruin their plans of getting another soul. Twilight got up as quietly as possible and started to move through the maze, keeping his ears pinned towards the noise. 

“Besides we can call it a happy accident if he does come. His soul would be a great sacrifice,” Terea got up and stretched, “Which monsters are on the schedule for testing tomorrow?”

“Uhh,” Ebo took something from the unnamed one, “Looks like it's the Bulbins! Ugh, they are by far the least cooperative,”

At that point Twilight managed to slip into the tent, the sand making it quite easily. He could hear their muffled voices through the tent, but they sounded far enough away that he wasn’t concerned.

There were three beds 2 on the left and 1 on the right. Nosing through whatever possessions they had laying around, Twilight found nothing of use, no dairy or anything. 

Huffing, Twilight padded to the proper room, it was filled to the brim with strange ingredients. If Wild or Hyrule was here they could probably tell him if they were poisonous or what elixirs were in them. 

Twilight violently shook his head, no use wishing for them to be there, he had to do this by himself. Keeping the others safe was the whole reason he left by himself after all.

The rest of the room was filled with racks of ingredients that Twilight couldn’t hope to know all of them. But from his experiences in the kitchen some were in fact cooking spices, though the neon purple jar across the room wouldn’t be good for drinking. 

There was a bookshelf and stand of sorts by the tent flap, but that could hopefully wait until morning when the intruders left or were sleeping. No use in trying to lug things around when they would most definitely be coming in here at any time.

“....What the?” Twilight froze as the light from a lamp hit him from the entrance, “Guys? There’s a wolf rooting around the tent,”

It was the unnamed intruder, staring down at Twilight with great confusion. Twilight immediately started snarling and backing up, looking for any way out as the other 2 filed in. Twilight couldn’t believe he was so careless to not hear them coming, or even checking outside!

“Oh my! Terea! This looks to be a gray wolf hybrid of sorts! I’ve never seen one like him! Can we keep him?” Ebo asked, trying and failing to get in front of the shortest of the three.

“It looks rabid,” the shortest gestured with a small knife, “Just look at those teeth!”

Twilight wanted to flee the way he came but that would involve turning his back to them. They blocked the only clear exit. He could try and trick them so he could escape. Right now no one was getting close and looked rather wary of him so that plan wouldn’t really work. 

“Is that a chain on its paw?” was the only thing Terea said as Ebo managed to get past the shortest.

“See it's been around people before! Oh it must be so hungry and looking for food! It was probably treated poorly by whoever kept it before, you poor thing,” Ebo knelt a few feet away and stretched his hand out to Twilight.

“I don’t like its eyes, they’re too intelligent just to be here by chance. You can keep it for testing IF you can trap it,” Terea finally said.

Twilight growled as he backed up further. He didn't like the idea of being trapped again or experimented on, especially by his enemies. And he didn’t like his chances of fighting the three of them off.

“Would you look at that! It clearly understood what you said! What I would give to see into that brain,” Ebo gushed.

That’s what did it for Twilight, he lunged snapping at the hand. Unluckily for Twilight, Ebo was quick to retract his hand, looking slightly surprised. The other two, now armed with lassos or whips of some kind, started advancing towards him.

Thinking quickly, Twilight jumped to the side and slammed as hard as he could into the racks of ingredients, breaking and falling on him as it crashed to the ground. A lot of the unknown ingredients got on his fur, but that was an issue when he wasn’t surrounded by enemies.

“Ebo!” Terea yelled, jumping to shield the other from the debris.

Taking the chance Twilight, while still knocking things off the racks, took off outside. He felt something just barely missed his tail, but he wasn’t going to stick around to find out what it was. Though his back started to ache and twinge oddly, it could’ve been the glass shard irritating his skin.

“Fuck Laven catch that mutt!” Terea screamed from inside the tent.

“Got it!” Laven, the shortest, agreed and Twilight could hear the stomping footsteps behind him.

Whatever splashed on his fur now burnt. Like he was set on fire with ants crawling and biting at his skin. It was painful to say the least, making him stumble away, smashing into cages as he went. This was definitely not one of his more better thought out plans.

Then, as if in slow motion, Twilight saw a rope go around his head and yank him back. Coughing and his back now screaming in pain, Twilight got back up and pulled whoever was behind him towards the expanse of the desert. Maybe if he makes it to the Fairy Spring whatever got on his back will stop hurting.

“Holy shit,” Laven grunted, “Terea I need some help! This bastard is strong,”

“On it,” A second, metal chain went around his neck, “Geez this is stronger than any wolf I’ve ever met!”

“I got it! I got the stuff!” Ebo’s voice joined the grunting chorus, “Oh geez, I’ll need to work fast, smoking is never a good sign,”

All Twilight could do was struggle as the chain and rope that were biting into his skin. He could barely keep his eyes open because of the pain. He needed to escape. He could not get captured by the enemy. 

“Now would be good Ebo!” Laven yelled as another harsh tug sent Twilight to the ground.

“Ok ok Im doing it,” Ebo shakily said as purple dust covered Twilight’s sight.

The last thing Twilight could hear as he hit the ground was the three intruders arguing over him. His back aching as everything went black.