#yes he's sleeping on the battlefield got a problem with it?

[zoopzopp]

Day 5 of drawing bakugo daily till @is-bakugou-alive-yet says yes

[setarmare]

My DB, waking up hungover: Sweet Mara... my head... Lucien: And hullo to you, Dragonborn! Feeling better after... well, I suppose you wouldn't remember, would you? DB: No, I don't. Why do I have bruises all over? Lucien: That would be from throwing yourself at every one of our companions to deliver, and I quote, "mandatory hug therapy." DB: ...oh no. Lucien: You wouldn't just hug us- it felt more like watching a bear with one leg climbing a tree than a hug. DB: Oh no. Lucien: For the taller folk you insisted that they backpack you across camp so that you can hug them while they do their thing. You cried on Master Xelzaz's shoulder about all your problems, and called Secunda 'too precious, too good for this world.' You were also munching on Gore's hair. DB: NO. Lucien: --you also carried our shorter companions like luggage. Auri says that the 'dragon spin' was fun, and wants to do a similar thing in the battlefield. DB: And... is that all I did? Lucien: You then proceeded to call yourself 'the dragon' and us 'your mountain of treasure', but you got tired halfway through the explanation and ended up sleeping on Taliesin's lap while he patted your head like a cat and Khash braided your hair. DB: ... Lucien: ... DB: ... Lucien: ...Dragonborn? DB: Lucien. Lucien: Yes? DB: Strike this from that record you're writing, or I'm going to haunt your bloodline.

[ponderingmoonlight]

Should have told her

Pairing: Nanami x fem!reader

Word Count: 2,5k

Synopsis: While being secretely in love with you since joining Jujutsu High, Nanami never admitted his feelings to you. Only after you nearly die in a fight and are on the brink of death, he begins to realize how much you really mean to him

Warnings: injury, death, language

This is not fair. You are such a talented jujutsu sorcerer, your abilities even surpass his own. But apparently, not even your skills were enough to save you from getting severely injured.

They said it would be a grade 1, a curse you could eat for breakfast. Maybe a few hours and you’d be back. Yes, absolutely no problem for a grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer like yourself, Nanami knew that all too well and trusted you when you smiled with nothing but determination and confidence at him before leaving.

But it wasn’t a grade 1. A special grade curse appeared. You fought back with all your abilities, ready to die on the battlefield in order to exorcise it and safe over a hundred people from certain death. But that was too much for you. Satoru came just in time before you got punctured and ultimately killed. Yes, he saved your usually so efficient ass from certain death. And now you’re laying here, unconscious since exactly 7 days, 3 hours and 18 seconds. Unconscious and severely injured, on the brink of death.

“You need some sleep, Nanami. (y/n) won’t be helped if you collapse next to her bed”, Shoko suggests, her very own tired eyes filled with concern when looking at your lifeless frame.

She thought you’ll die the second she laid eyes on the severe wounds that almost pierced your abdomen in half. You were lucky that Satoru brought you here so fast. One minute more and you’d be dead by now. God, the look on Nanami’s face when he caught a glimpse of you, covered in your own blood and hanging from Satoru’s arms like you already took your last breath. It broke her heart seeing him like this, completely shattered by sighting the woman who everyone knows he secretly loves since joining Jujutsu High like that.

“It was a special curse. How is that possible, Shoko?”, he groans, head hanging in his nape.

“I should have just gone with her.”

“No one but Satoru would have been able to help her out. You know that”, Shoko reminds him.

“It’s like back then. I can only watch and stare in awe”, he mutters through the towel that covers his face.

Shoko’s heart skips a beat. She knows exactly what he’s referring to. They always knew the incident from a few years ago still haunts him. How devastating it must be for him to go through all of this again, to see you in the same situation, not sure if you’ll make it.

“Unlike then, we can save (y/n) now. I’ll do anything to make her survive.”

Back then, Nanami had no chance to protect Haibara from certain death. You were so devastated when you found out your classmate didn’t make it, the two of you were like siblings. Always confident, constantly optimistic and cheerful. And even though Nanami would never admit it, he constantly admired both of you for the ability to stay positive in a world this cruel and unforgiving. Fuck, he should have told you how he felt, that your smile makes his world stand still and that he adores the way you embrace his left arm when walking next to him, the touch sending shivers down his spine since more than 10 years. He should have told you way earlier that he can’t get you out of his head, not even after he ran away in an office job to escape his feelings. You are the light in his life, one of the striking reasons why he returned to be a jujutsu sorcerer. But right now, this light seems to slowly fade away, without him telling you a single word about his true feelings towards you.

“I should have told her!”, he cries out, jumps out of his chair and throws it across the room.

Maybe it’s too late now. Even when you wake up, you may not be able to recognize him. Or maybe you don’t want to see him anymore.

“Let’s eat some cookies when I return, yeah?”

“(y/n), I certainly won’t waste my day eating cookies with you.”

“Too bad, but more for me. See ya!”

Oh, how badly he wants to eat cookies by your side right now. Nanami would give everything to sit with you on an abandoned bench away from the hustle and bustle of Jujutsu High, hold you in his arms and watch you eat, a satisfied grin plastered on your face. And you loved sunsets, the ones that paint the sky blood-colored.

“Looks like apocalypse”, you always commented, completely mesmerized by the play of colors above your head.

What he would give to hear your voice calling his name once again, nobody pronounces it like you do.

“Nanami, there you are!”

Woah, Nanami, that suit makes you look like a snack!”

“Ohh, don’t look at me with those eyes Nanami, I know you are thrilled to see me!”

If you only knew how thrilled he was.  If you only knew how your words make his knees go weak and the tips of his ears heat up in an instant. If you only knew how your sight alone makes his day better, your warm smile following him into his dreams and chasing away his nightmares.

“I bet she already knew for a long time. And that she feels the same”, Shoko rudely interrupts the train of thoughts that rolled over him.

Impossible. How would you know? After all, he did his best to push you away in order to hide his feelings so well that it seemed like he has none. Surely she only says that because she wants to comfort him. Pathetic. Nothing could comfort him expect that you finally open your eyes again.

“She even looks cute when she’s unconscious.”

Satoru’s appearance in the doorframe catches Nanami off guard. What the hell is he doing here? Oh right, he saved you. And you two know each other as long as Nanami knows Gojo himself. Apparently even Satoru cares enough about you to check on you.

“How’s she doin’?”

“Not much changed. Her heartbeat is stable and her wounds are taken care of. It is up to her if and when she wakes up again”, Shoko briefly explains.

“If? Don’t be ridiculous, it’s (y/n) were talking about! She’s always been a pain in the ass with her determination and unshakable confidence!”

“How are you able to joke around when she’s laying right there, fighting for her life? Don’t you care about her at all?”, Nanami snaps at him.

Pure anger crawls up his veins. How can he? How can he come here and tear stupid sayings when you possibly won’t make it? Even Satoru should be sad about what happened. After all, he knows you since more than 10 years, the two of you were always joking around.

“I know (y/n) well enough to be aware of the fact that she won’t let herself die from something like that and you should too, Nanami. Trust her with this one.”

“I already trusted her with this fucking mission and that’s how it turned out”, Nanami barks back.

Gojo positions himself next to the puny figure of Nanami, a small smile creeping up his face. Kento must have thought he hid his feelings from the world when in reality, everyone at Jujutsu High knows that he adores you. Even if this incident was tragic, there is perhaps something good about it. Maybe he’s finally realizing how much he cares about you.

“(y/n) would never die without bugging you one last time. After all, she loves you too much for that.”

Nanami’s eyes widen at the sound of Gojo’s words in his ears. You? Loving him? You have always been the sweetest woman around Jujutsu High, the students of the past years constantly falling for your charm, beauty and brain. Fuck, sure you could even have Satoru if you wanted. So, why him?

“Stop making fun of me and get your ass out, Satoru.”

“Grr, so rude! But okay, I’ll leave you alone with your sweetheart. Tell me when she’s awake. See ya!”

And with that, Satoru disappears behind the door as fast as he came, alongside Shoko. Nanami signs and slaps the rag on his face away without heeding it. His gaze falls upon your peaceful face, chest rising and falling at steady pace. Gojo is right, you really do look cute. Like you’re sleeping and throwing your tired eyes at him any moment, revealing your most striking smile when realizing that it’s him even though he doesn’t deserve it. But you won’t wake up. And probably your pain is too much to smirk over it.

He can’t help but rest his head on the soft mattress beside your body and grab your cold hand. You simply can’t die on him. Not now, not when he didn’t tell you about his true feelings yet. God, he is so dumb for gatekeeping this shit since 10 whole years. Why did he always shut himself up when his happiness was right under his nose? Maybe because he firmly believes that you don’t feel the same way. How could you, though? He is the complete opposite of you, quiet when you are loud, serious when you are goofy, negative when you are positive. Yes, the two of you are the definition of contraries. And apart from that, a simple man like him doesn’t deserve a striking woman like you.

His grip around your hand tightens, tears start to pool his eyes. Why did all of this happen? You promised everything would be fine, he even bought you a pack of your favorite double chocolate chip cookies. And now you’re laying here, holding onto for dear life. Nanami is no man of tears or sadness, but when it comes to you…You truly hold the most special place in his soul. If you leave, a part of his heart will die too. Maybe he should quit being a jujutsu sorcerer. Working in an office might suck, but at least he won’t have to go through pain like this.

“Where are my cookies?”

He is immediately pulled back to earth, heart beating out of his chest while gazing at you wide-eyed. You are awake. You just said something. Your beautiful but tired orbs are directed towards him, a small grin creeping up your face.

It’s like Nanami forgets how to breathe for a moment when reality kicks in.

“(y/n)?”, he breathes out.

“I told you you’d eat cookies with me. Knew you couldn’t resist a date night with me”, you mumble with unusual weak voice.

There it is. His name out of your sweet mouth, just like usual. As if nothing ever happened.

He can no longer hold back. Before his head tells him to back up, his hands cup your face and his lips crush into yours. Fuck his thoughts, fuck the others. He will never forgive himself if he never did that, never got to taste the sweetness of your mouth, never held your face like that. You lean into his touch, eyes fluttering shut while sparks fly around you. God, how often you whished he did that. For years you loved him in silence, accepted the fact that he might not be interested in you romantically. But even though pain seems to eat you alive and your weak senses are still trying to process that you are awake, you are probably the happiest woman on earth right now.

“Don’t ever do something like that to me again”, he hisses into your lips.

“Not planning to.”

“But if it makes you do this…maybe it’s worth another shot.”

God, your breathtaking smile. Nanami can’t remember a single moment in his life that made him happier than this one, tears rolling down his face carelessly. You are awake. You didn’t forget him. You’ll survive. And you want him too. A striking woman like you really wants a man like Nanami.

“Wish you did this sooner. Or maybe when I don’t feel like dying, y’know?”

“Could have done a move yourself”, he mutters into your neck, arms embracing you gently.

“Oh no, I’m way too shy.”

You melt into his touch. It feels so good to finally feel his arms around you and his body against you apart from rough training sessions. Even though you have no idea why exactly your frame feels like it’s on fire or how you’ve ended up in Shoko’s hospital room in the first place, you aren’t able to question it at the moment. You loved Nanami since meeting him all these years ago, attracted by his abilities, brain, sense of humor and looks.

“How are you feeling? The pain must be really bad”, he comments, eyes scanning your body like a professional.

“Can’t say I ever felt worse. My tummy feels like it’s falling apart”, you reply, a hiss escaping your mouth when he pulls the blanket that covers your body down a little.

“Well, it literally almost fell apart. You were sent to a mission, should have been a grade 1. It was a special, though. Satoru came just in time to safe you. If he had come just a minute later, then…”

A closer look at his face reveals that he hasn’t slept for days. Your heart sinks into your chest. He shouldn’t feel this bad because of you.

“Hey, look at me.”

You lift your weak fingers to caress his face gently, tired eyes gazing over you.

“I feel like shit but I’m fine.”

“I thought you’d die. I-I thought that I’ll…never get to tell you that I love you.”

“I would never die without telling you that I love you too. And without another kiss.”

Nanami can’t help but smile down at you. Down to the woman he loves, the woman who never loses her optimism, to the woman who is so fucking strong that she seems to survive anything. He admires and adores you more than his heart can take. And the fact that you love him too…Is this real? Is he dreaming again? He just has to lean down, lips only inches apart from yours. He needs to taste you again, to make sure that this is real.

“You cryin’, Nanami?”

Both pairs of eyes dart up immediately, your eyes light up when realizing Satoru is standing in the doorframe.

“I’ll kill you, Gojo”, Nanami hisses threatening, cheeks redder than ever.

“Hey shawty”, you greet him, completely mesmerized by the pack of cookies he carries under his arm.

“Please tell me those are for me.”

“Shoko actually forbid me to feed this to you. Something about a hole in your stomach or so. Why are you so irritated, Nanami? Did I steal you the show? He’s your boyfriend now, (y/n)? It really took you 10 years to finally kiss the girl you love, Nanami?”

“He’s my husband”, you explain proudly.

“Get your ass out Satoru”, Nanami moans.

You grab his hand and press it mildly, gazing at the man above you with stars in your eyes. Yes, he is yours now. And you’ll do the devil to let him go again.

[vespertiliosworld]

Songs and Simon Riley

Song: Aqtaii- Cenneti Müjdeleyen

Forgive me if there are any mistakes, English is not my first language.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

This longing hurts me so much

He missed you, after loving hours in your cheap apartment, he missed your sleeping body next to him, sitting with the sheets covering only his crotch while you slept.

Come back to me quickly before I forget your taste

He was dreaming of you among the bullets grazing his body. Your bare skin, touched by the moonlight, reaching out and laying on his chest. The cigarettes he smoked around you were never the same as the ones he smoked on the battlefield. The cigarettes he smoked after his mouth was covered with your juice were sweet, but on the battlefield the cigarettes were bitter. It was never the same.

Your little eyes that herald heaven

He would love for you to look at him with your squinted eyes when you wake up every morning and put your hand on his cheek. It was his favorite part of the day, he loved seeing himself in your shining eyes.

Supporting my suicide

Every day he wasn't in your arms and couldn't hear your laugh, he wanted to die a little more. What's the point if it doesn't come back to you at the end of the day?

This little bed feels like a dungeon to me

He's a soldier, he doesn't have much chance of being at ease. The bed in your cheap apartment is also small, but this is different.

It's okay if you're in my bed

Yes, his bed has less space when he sleeps with you, but it is more comfortable than any bed in the world.

If you hug me with your skinny arms

It's less stressful when your hair falls on the bed, your breath hits his bare chest, and your arms wrap around him. He has no problems at times like these.

Fuck me crazy whenever I look at someone else

He is a successful soldier, of course there are many women after him, but he only has eyes for you. Other women's perfume scents make him nauseous, and if it's not your scent, he doesn't even want to come close.

You got out of the shower and lay next to me

When you lay down next to him, your lotion scent, now integrated with you, was spreading in the room. This is a scent that Simon would start wars for and kill people for. Unfortunately, on the battlefield, this scent is just a dream for him.

You lit your cheap cigarette with your wet hair

You lit your cigarette while the water flowing from your hair soaked the bra you were wearing. He was lying on the bed when your eyes were illuminated by the light of the lighter. One of his hands was under his head and the other was on his stomach. He laughed when you took a drag from your cigarette. You laughed too as your eyes turned to him with a mischievous glint. "What?" you said, raising your voice a bit.

You threw the short robe off your shoulders

"Nothing." he said, but the pleasant tone in his voice said that something was up. You giggled at him and tossed his robe aside, sitting on his stomach just below his hand. "Say it." you said as you moved closer to his face.

I stared in admiration at your cut-filled skin.

Faint scars churned his stomach as Simon's eyes wandered to the cuts on different parts of his body. He was angry with himself for not being able to be with you at that time and not knowing you. Still, he was proud of you for standing to all despite the difficulties. He lifted his hand from his stomach and held your cut wrist and brought it to his lips. He closed his eyes as he pressed your wrist to his lips and kissed it.

Think of dirty money, my God, it's like a dream to me

Forget it, God, all my dreams are here

Even if they offered more money, he wouldn't accept it. Of course, Simon had been kidnapped and tortured before, but even when he was about to lose consciousness, the only thing he thought about was you. Having your dreams calling out to him was what kept him awake and kept him alive.

Gold is on my bed while I'm already sleeping

I have no business with this city's dirty money

You didn't need to know he was kidnapped. You didn't need to know that he rejected every opportunity that was thrown at him for you. When he finally stopped in the hallway of your apartment building and set his bag down, his eyes only saw you. As your eyes filled with tears and his heart burned with the moment he had dreamed of for months, he reached out and held you in his arms.

Another difficult task came to an end for the two of you when his lips pressed against yours with great enthusiasm. Finally Simon was home. "You are at home." you said with great excitement in your voice.

Simon smiled. "I'm at our home." he said, suppressing all the words. Now it was time for you two to spend some truly special time in bed. Details may be left for later.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

I'm crying, I want Simon Riley so bad.😭

[thegreymoon]

The Story of Minglan

It's been 84 years 😭😭

I've forgotten which episode I'm on 😢

***

LMAO, him putting his smelly sock to her face to check if she's really asleep 🤣🤣

How women deal with gross, smelly husbands in their beds, I will never know, but smelly or not, I'm 100% on his side here. Poor baby, he kept waiting for her to do something, anything, and she went straight to bed and fell asleep! Logically, I know she was never going to lift a finger to stop him from sleeping with that other woman and that if he had done so, he would have lost all possibility of ever winning her romantic affection for the rest of their lives. Win or lose, the very act of having to fight over him would have been a defeat for her. He is fighting on a battlefield he cannot see and is set up to lose on all fronts. But here his, against all odds, emerging with the moral high ground.

***

LOL, she's awake after all 🤣🤣

Test or no test, I was wondering how she could sleep. Even knowing, even fully prepared, even resigned, I would still not sleep for a week. Once it happened, there would be no coming back and I'd never trust or love him again, but while it was happening, I would not be able to pretend that everything was normal.

***

That's right, snuggle your wife 🤗

***

LOL, at least she has a plan to drive her away 😅

***

MY GUY, SHE'S NOT JEALOUS BECAUSE YOU PASSED THE TEST! 🎉🎉🎊🎊🎉🎉

YOU GET TO STAY MARRIED WITH HER STILL LOVING YOU!

***

Oh, Minglan, take your victories and stop now 😢

***

LMAO, yes, Minglan, stop letting evildoers add firewood to the fire!

Next time a garbage aunt comes by to stir up shit in your marriage, gouge her eyes out.

***

LMAOOOO, from the looks on their faces, I'm guessing this second wife was not invited 😅

Anyway, here for a scandal that, for once, does not involve Minglan.

***

Oof, that will end well 😅

As usual, no sympathy for men who take in concubines. I hope the main wife eats them both.

***

Yes, give them hell 🤬

The aduacity, I swear.

***

OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDD 🤯🤯

She is not very bright, is she? If I was the main wife, I would skin her alive when we got back home.

***

LMAOOOOO, I am living for Gu Tingye's WTF face 🤣🤣

***

Poor Hualan, she has to parent her dumbass mother who is about to step into a huge pile of 💩 at any moment now.

***

Oh, this shit-stirring idiot showed up too, smh.

***

OH MY GOD.

WHY IS YOUR SHIT MARRIAGE TO YOUR SHIT HUSBAND MINGLAN'S PROBLEM? LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE ALREADY.

***

LMFAO, Minglan is entertaining none of this nonsense 🤣🤣

The way she suddenly asserted herself as an ~elder~ and she is, what? Eighteen years old at best? 🤣🤣

***

Minlgan, murder her and bury her stinky corpse under a rosebush in your backyard.

What a goddamn bitch for no good reason.

Trust me, Minglan is not the reason your worthless husband can't get it up for you.

***

DIDN'T YOU START IT?

If it were me, I would have kicked you and your garbage husband out on your ass. But Minglan has more grace and patience than I ever will, so she is kindly trying to set you straight, you fucking moron.

Ugh, she and Qi Heng deserve each other 🤬

***

AGAIN, YOUR SHITTY MARRIAGE IS NOT MINGLAN'S FUCKING PROBLEM.

She is so done with Qi Heng's shitty ass and she doesn't even know you, leave her the fuck alone!

***

You are also an idiot.

And here I was, feeling sorry for you.

***

The way this crusty wank sock came running, smh.

He will pass up zero opportunities to take a gigantic dump on her entire life. I hate him so much.

***

FUCK OFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

[kayyybenson]

Control Your Kids - Rafael Barba

You and Barba have kids together. Good luck.

    I was awoken by a loud crash then two voices. Jesus Christ. "It's your turn to see what they're up to." I rolled over and heard Rafael mumble something in Spanish before the bed moved. After a couple of minutes, there was another crash and a couple of curses. "Rafael?" I stood up walking out of the bedroom, something crunched underneath my foot. "Oh god, what did they get into?" I whispered before turning the living room light on. My jaw dropped when I saw the mess. It looked like both a hurricane and a tornado ran through the house. "What the hell?" Rafael stood there, covered in flour, feathers, and what I can only assume is chocolate frosting.

    "I'm going to kill them." He groaned. I heard giggling behind me, I swiftly turned around and got met with the same chocolate frosting that covered my husband. 

    "Not if I kill them first." I glared down at the twins, butting my hands on my hips, activating disappointed mother mode. "You two are going to clean this mess up, right. Now." Camila flinched and quickly moved to get the swifter. "You too Carlos. Go!"  The twins were at the age where they were literal menaces. We had gotten so many calls from their school that we resorted to switching their classes so they were separated. The school threatened to expel them if we didn't do something.

    "What if I don't?" I looked at Rafael, hoping for backup, but he just shrugged. 

    "I will put a lock on your door, the only time you will leave will be to go to school, eat, and use the bathroom. Hell, you won't even have a bathroom, you'll use a bucket!" That got him and he moved to clean the mess. "If Elena is like this we're sending her to a boarding school." I finished wiping my face off and sat on the couch. Rafael sat next to me and rubbed my back.

    "You're a good mom." 

    "It doesn't feel like it, I can't keep my own kids in check. Look at our house, it's a battlefield." 

    "It's a phase, it will pass, until then I'm not against putting a lock on their door." I chuckled in response. "How about I bring them to school today so you can get some rest?" 

    "Are you sure?"

    "Yes, I'm sure."

    "But you've never made their breakfasts. Carlos likes the chewable Flinstones and Camila likes the gummy ones. Make sure she thoroughly brushes her teeth though sometimes-"

    "Mi Tesoro, I got this. Go to sleep." I huffed and went back to the bedroom. Rafael let out a string of curses followed by the twins giggling.

    "Nope. Not my problem today." 

[windwardrose]

locals I am perishing.

(FSN FATE ROUTE CRITICAL)

perchance this absolute doorknob of a teenager and Gilgamesh should both be yote into the river for being controlling pests....? let the cold waters of winter damp their ardor. Saber should have just walked home and made sure she and Rin and poor Illya got dinner at like, midnight. leave the men with their misguided objectification to argue each other into silence, and have an unbothered bath and some sleep?

Yes, I know Shirou is trying. That's part of the problem. he needs to stop trying. Just stop trying to fix/domesticate/put Saber on some kind of glass pedestal. sheesh. good thing my expectations for Kiritsugu's parenting skills and modeling of gender relations were already pretty rock-bottom low.

mmmph hrrggrgrgrgh. I know it's canon but that doesn't mean I have to like it. the only thing that makes sense to me to ship with Saber is self-determination, and maybe Irisviel in some dear, platonic fealty AU way. 1.5 lines about Shirou being In Awe is not enough to outweigh the 30 dozen lines about how Saber is wrong for having her dream, wrong for holding to her pledge, wrong for taking responsibility, wrong for being on the battlefield, wrong for being selfless, wrong, wrong, wrong, and needs to be kissed unconsentingly quiet in the darkness until she learns to Love Herself or something. STOP TRYING TO MAKE SABER BE NORMAL. SABER ISN'T GOING TO BE NORMAL. I know it's a Conceit of the Genre but it makes me sad and boggled and weirded out and I can't stand it.

[kellanved-ammanas]

PyroMedic Week Day 1: Doves

Shipweek hosted by yours truly!

~

Medic, as a doctor and someone who didn’t always have the healthiest relationship with sleep, knew well the signs of sleep deprivation. The lethargy and lowering of motor functions, eventually culminating in the body deciding it had had enough and just putting itself to sleep regardless of what else was going on. Including in the middle of the battlefield, the worst place for such a thing to occur. And so…

“Are you sure you’re getting enough sleep?” he asked again.

Pyro nodded, this time without any hesitation. It would’ve been nice to be able to examine him properly, see how bloodshot his eyes were and how deep the bags were under them. The suit and mask made that impossible though.

“Then what’s wrong?” Because clearly something was. The past few days Pyro had been acting off and not performing as well in battle. Medic had brought it up but Pyro had brushed it off, saying he was fine. So Medic had figured that perhaps he was just having an off couple of days and would be back to normal again soon.

But then today he’d fallen asleep when left to guard the sentry nest. Something he was normally very diligent about, so much so he was the only one trusted to do so by himself. He’d even supposedly slept through the enemy Spy sapping everything, a difficult feat given how loud the sappers were.

Everyone’s first instinct had been to be mad, especially since that had been the tipping point leading into them eventually losing the battle. But then Engie had pointed out the obvious that something was clearly wrong, possibly severely so. Which lead to Medic pulling Pyro into his lab and sitting him down on the exam table the moment they got back to base to try to get to the bottom of it.

Pyro was being uncooperative though, far more so than usual. Even now, he just shrugged in answer to Medic’s question.

“Is it nightmares?” They’d established that Pyro had those sometimes, typically resulting in him burning something in the middle of the night. Perhaps, after everyone got mad at him for setting the fire alarm off in the while they were sleeping for the umpteenth time, he’d started responding to them differently. Such as just staying up the rest of the night, resulting in not getting enough sleep. Or maybe even just staying up to avoid the possibility of having one in the first place.

Pyro shook his head.

“Have you suffered from insomnia in the past?”

Another head shake.

“I want to help you but I can’t if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Really?” Finally a verbal response.

“’Really’, what?”

“You want to help?”

“Yes, of course.” That was part of Medic’s job and if he knew what it was he could fix it or at least make it better.

Pyro was silent for a few seconds as he gripped the edge of the table and lightly kicked his legs. Nervous about finally admitting to whatever the problem was or just general restlessness? Eventually he slid off the table to stand instead. “I’m fine. Sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise.” He then turned and fled the room.

With a sigh, Medic watched him go. He could call him back but likely would continue to not get any information. So he’d just keep an eye on Pyro and if whatever was wrong persisted or seemed to get worse, he would force a more intense examination.

Later that night

Well if Medic was having trouble falling asleep anyway, he might as well get up and check to see if Pyro was sleeping like he was supposed to be. They had battle again tomorrow which was a good reason why Medic shouldn’t get up but tonight he had good enough justification to do. Not that he wouldn’t have been able to find justification under different circumstances but if he got caught, no one would be able to argue with him about the importance of checking up on Pyro.

First he started for his lab. If Pyro wasn’t asleep, he’d offer some medication to help and he needed some himself too lest he make a hypocrite of himself. Or actually, make more of a hypocrite of himself as he’d certainly fallen asleep during combat a few times and would likely do so again next time he got caught up in a project or experiment for too many nights in a row. He really shouldn’t do that but at least he’d been doing it less…

He froze as he turned the corner. The light was on in his lab. He always turned it off when he left for the night. Meaning someone else had gone in since he’d left and was likely still there.

Medic tensed as he resumed his approach. Luckily he was wearing his slippers, making his footsteps silent. He didn’t have a weapon but he could pack a mean punch when he put his mind to it. And there were a multitude of things that could be used a weapons in the lab – including some actual weapons – assuming he could get to them fast enough anyway.

Upon reaching the doors he carefully and quietly pushed it open. By some blessed miracle it didn’t squeak for once, allowing him to open it enough to poke his head in without alerting the intruder.

Inside was… Pyro. He stood by the doves’ nesting tree. They were utterly unalarmed by his presence, even letting him pet them. Indicating perhaps that this was not the first time he’d interacted with them in such a way.

“Is this why you’ve seemingly not been getting enough sleep?” Medic asked as he stepped the rest of the way into the lab, letting the door swing shut behind him.

Pyro squeaked as he snapped around to face Medic. He jerked his hands behind his back and sidestepped away from the birds. “Sorry. Sorry.” Whatever he said next was lost in a guilty sounding mumble as if he’d been caught doing something naughty and was expecting to get yelled at for it.

“You’re not in trouble,” Medic finally had to cut in.

Pyro paused, silent and still for a few moments. “I’m not?”

“Of course not. Why would you be?”

“Because you said if anyone touched your birds, you’d kill them. But they’re so pretty and I wanted to pet them so bad. So I sneak in sometimes, only sometimes, promise. But then they had babies so I’ve been sneaking in more to see them. Too much though, I guess. Tonight was going to be the last night. I never touched the babies, I promise. I only looked at them and pet the others. I won’t do it again though, I promise.”

As he spoke, Medic approached closer in order to hear him better. But even then, his words were only understandable thanks to how quiet it was in here mixed with Medic being used to deciphering his words though the mask.

“I guess that explains why you’ve been so tired lately.” Medic had been enamored by the newly hatched doves as well. So if Pyro thought he wasn’t allowed to see them, it made sense he’d go to such lengths to do so. “There is no need for you to sneak in at night though or to stop seeing them. You are welcome to come visit them in the daytime.”

“Really? But you said you didn’t want anyone touching them.”

“That was a long time ago.” Back when the team had first formed. “I know you better now so I know you won’t hurt them.” There were still a few people he wouldn’t trust alone with the birds but Pyro wasn’t among them, he’d proven himself to be fond of animals and decent with them. “So please stop depriving yourself of sleep to visit them. There’s no need for it and honestly, I wouldn’t mind the company in the daytime.” Most of the time whenever someone came to the lab it was because they needed or wanted something from him so having someone come for a reason other than that would be quite welcome.

“Thank you! Thank you, thank you!” Pyro did a cute little clap before closing the rest of the distance to give Medic a quick hug. It was a surprise but not entirely unwelcome.

“You’re very welcome. Now go get some sleep. I don’t want you falling asleep on the battlefield again, okay?”

“Okay. See you tomorrow then. Good night.”

“Yes, yes. Good night,” Medic said as he watched him leave with a spring in his step.

Well, that solved the problem of what was wrong with Pyro. Thankfully it was nothing major and would now be fixed. And seems Medic would be seeing a bit more of him in the future. That was okay though, his enthusiasm was endearing and mixed with the fact he was also a competent killer made him quite fascinating.

[claire-starsword]

The Guardiana Magic School Run - Part 8

Well, last time was tough, but at least now we get to chill on a little sea voyage.

Except of course we don't. Let's go beat up some zombies instead I guess.

Sadly, the chapter ends as soon as we finish Shade Abbey, so this is our last chance to buy stuff. I still don't have enough money for the Zombie Charmer nor got to win it in yesterday's disaster bonus, but I don't care much. Everyone is hitting hard enough in this team by now, my worries for the next battle are all defense-wise. The Charm Ring will not help because none of the enemies use magic, but it's our last chance to buy them so I'll get a last one anyway. It goes to Gong because I'm still mad. I did check the deals section beforehand, there's nothing new.

The bonus is just money so it's not that pressing, but (hubris incoming) eight turns does not sound like much in a tiny battlefield like this.

Max being alone there worries me little because he's overpowered. Anri and Arthur starting in the front though is a horrifying sight. Thankfully we're all faster than the enemies.

See, there's no need to worry.

Also I just remembered Max is already up for promotion, I honestly have no clue if it's better or not to delay his promotion or whatever, I tend to just promote people whenever they start finding weapons that require promotion. Spellcasters however have a problem in this version that I'll explain later when we aren't, you know, in the middle of battle.

"Yes, we can always make time for a lesson."

"But let's clean up the classroom first."

I'm curious as to how much the Zombie Charmer would be doing, but as you can see the Power Staff is doing just fine.

This guy however is hopeless. Jk, the skeletons do have greater defense. And he's only 3 exp away from his first level up, so any scratch counts. And he indeed gets it next turn, honestly there's not much else to talk about, this battle is super easy compared to the last one, Max isn't talking much damage even when poisoned, and the enemies are downright turning to avoid other characters sometimes, it's ridiculous.

Arthur's level up gives him +0 attack and +0 defense.

sigh. we have a long way to go with this guy.

In the meanwhile Tao continues to have so much fun. The skeletons only take 6 damage though, so there's definitely some resistance afoot despite the game not showing it. Usually that's the case for elemental resistances, but that's weird since fire is often advertised as the element good against undead.

We're at turn 5 and only the Ghoul is left.

Max clearly won't have any trouble unless this thing has absurd attack or something. He also levels up, but gets very little stat increase. I feel Max should be promoted early because his epic level ups have chilled by now.

Which feels weird, because you can see growth rates in this version and, aren't the attack/defense/speed ones implying they grow better at late levels? That's kinda the opposite of what's happening.

Hey, that's more than I expected! Despite being the boss, the Ghoul still has less defense than Skeletons. Arthur gets another level up for his efforts, gaining +1 defense.

Like, just that. 1 stat point. Oh Arthur.

Again his curves imply the opposite of a late bloomer to me, either I'm messing up badly at reading these or there's something wack here.

Also I forgot the Ghoul could do this. This man can't catch a break, but I was actually gonna let others get the exp anyway. Sleep man. Dream of better boats.

Hey, again with this! Stop lying to me about resistances! (Anri used Blaze 1 here).

Because of this nonsense, it takes an extra turn for Anri and Arthur to finish off this guy, but we still get the clear bonus with a turn to spare, because we're that awesome.

Anri also reclaims a relic of Guardiana from the undead forces. I'm legit wondering if he's the only one to drop this, in which case it's very interesting, is this guy supposed to be the real priest? I'd expect zombies to be made from older corpses. Though there was a whole line of Anri relatives buried here anyway. Why am I discussing lore in the middle of a challenge run, see this is what happens when the battle is too easy.

Let's move on, not that there's much else here, we say hi to Amon and Balbaroy and head to Bustoke, ending the chapter. I find it kinda weird that Balbaroy says "let us know when you're ready" but you're not given a chance to get back to town. Feels bad.

But in the end it's good that the post is short so far. We have business elsewhere after all.

And that business deserve it's own post actually. See you soon :)

Losses: 0 Deaths: 2 The expected deaths on Narsha interludes: 0/3

[anchanted-one]

Legend of Vajra 27 - Stopover on Ord Mantel

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43208574/chapters/110326750

Fort Garnik, Ord Mantell

Vajra left Kira to watch over the ship—and perhaps listen to any interesting gossip—and went down to the surface with just T7.

“Ever been here before, T7?”

<Negative.>

“We need to find Var Suthra’s man, this… Agent Ottau.”

<Rendezvous location = ___ ?>

“All I know, is we’re supposed to meet him at Fort Garnik,” Vajra sighed. “I think we should ask around at the barracks. Maybe the cantina—”

<T7 = Loading map. T7 = lead the way?>

“Of course.”

The Droid led him to the Barracks, but no one there knew about Agent Ottau, or an SIS base. Eventually, a Private pointed him in the direction of one General Vander.

The old soldier looked surprised when he was shown into his office. “Well, well! It’s rare to see a Jedi on Ord Mantell, these days!” He knocked a rodent off his table and said, “Please, sit down. Sorry about the Mantellian Rats. There’s an infestation, and we’re having trouble coping with it. So what can I do for you?”

“I’m here looking for Agent Ottau, of the SIS,” Vajra said. “I was hoping you could point me in his direction.”

“Is that all?” he chuckled. “I was hoping you’d come to help us stamp out the last pockets of war on this planet.”

“I might be after a few Imperial bases down here on Ord Mantell.”

“Ahhh, I see! Good for you, Padawan. Err, say? Are you alone? It’s rare to see a Padawan without his Master.”

Vajra was pleased to know that he wasn’t famous because of one live broadcast. Even people on Coruscant hadn’t recognized him. “I’m a Knight, Sir. I understand how you feel. I still have difficulty believing too!”

“Pardon my ignorance,” the General said.

“No problem.”

“So… Ottau… Ottau…” he searched through his datapad. “Yes, found it! He’s in Talloran Village. It was overrun with Separatists until recently, but they’ve finally been talked down. The situation on Coruscant made a lot of people rethink their alliances with the Empire.” A shadow passed his face for a second. “Here’s the coordinates.” He handed Vajra a datapad. “It’s a short walk. You can take a speeder, if you like.”

“Two kilometers… I’d love to walk, but time is of the essence.”

“Right. I’ll see that you have clearance for that speeder. And anything else that you might need.”

Vajra thanked him and left.

*

Shortly after Dawn the next day

Agent Ottau wasn’t surprised when he opened the door to find the Jedi had returned. “Welcome back, Master Jedi.”

“We got back to Fort Garnick around midnight, but didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Appreciate it. The Coruscant thing had many of us pulling all-nighters. Not as bad as you, I’m sure, but still…”

“It’s going to get a lot more hectic, that’s for sure,” the Jedi said unhappily. “Especially given what we found.”

Ottau took the list and looked it down. His alarm grew with every word, but years of instilled professionalism maintained his outward calm. “This… wow. Did you get any sleep after reading this?”

“No.”

“The ‘Desolator’ project. Planet-killer. Fuck…”

“I was hoping you could send it to Var Suthra and the Jedi Council for me. SIS transceivers are bound to be more secure than mine.”

“Copy that.” He handed the datacube to a droid, and asked his secretary for some refreshments. “A little rest while we wait?”

“Sure, why not?”

“In the meantime, I wonder if we can talk for a while? I went through the files of your time on Coruscant. There were several names in there which interested me.”

“Oh?”

“The soldier, Lieutenant Queens; and the spacers, Stede and Kraot. They were here a while back, and they made quite an impression. The streets outside my home were a battlefield until they cleared it all up.”

“They did? Just the three of them?”

“Well, Queens only worked with Stede and Kraot while storming the volcano.”

“They stormed a volcano?”

“Yeah. Interesting bunch. I thought I’d tell you about them.”

“A good friend of mine gave me a love for stories.”

“Good, coz this one is kinda long. So, let’s start with Captain Stede and First Mate Kraot. According to the reports, the spacers introduced themselves as traders, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, they were stretching the truth a little. They’re smugglers.”

“Smugglers?”

Ottau was amused by the Jedi’s shock. “Yeah. Ethical, most of the time. They almost always try to pick their clients. But they aren’t spotless, and their background checks are shaky. They were hired to bring crates of weapons to Ord Mantell, by a man working at Fort Garnik. The one Corso worked for.”

“I think… Corso said his name was… Bado?”

“Vidu. He was a low-level criminal whose ‘misdemeanours’ the soldiers overlooked because he was useful to them. He brought in their supplies, had a network of informants… that kind of thing.”

“I see.” Ottau could see the boy struggling to come to terms with the revelation.

“You really liked them, didn’t you? For what it’s worth, they’re good people. They don’t run supplies for people known to prey on innocents. And they hate the Empire. Would never work for them unless it involves a dying population. They’ve run supplies to starving villages and towns basically for free. And Stede is particularly vicious to slavers.”

“Well… that’s good at least. I… I’ll try not to let it color my opinion of them, if I ever meet them again.”

“Good. Sadly, the real world isn’t all light and dark. There’s shades of grey there.”

“Right.”

“So anyway, they weren’t supposed to stick long on Ord Mantell, but one of Viidu’s men, a rat called Skaavak, tricked them into running a dangerous mission in a nearby village. And while they were out, he made off with their ship, and all their cargo.”

“I doubt he knew what he was getting into. Those two are fearless. I saw them fighting on Coruscant. Skaavak would need an army to stay safe from them.”

“As it happened, an army was exactly what Skaavak had. He donated the supplies to the Separatists, so that he could ingratiate himself with them. And steal something they had. And as a bonus, the man who requisitioned those supplies from Viidu would have taken care of the pilots for him. But that last part didn’t go so well.

“Before getting into that, I think I’ll mention your other friend. Queens. A Straight-A’s student in the Phalanx Academy. Stellar performances in his maiden missions. Responsible for single-handedly saving a train from terrorists on Corellia.”

“Whoa!”

“It’s no wonder he got chosen for Havoc Squad along with his best friend, Tatiana Horakova, who was an A-grade sniper. They got assigned right in time to help Havoc locate a stolen warhead.”

“A stolen warhead?”

“Right. The Seps got their hands on it somehow. Special Forces is conducting all investigations, so I don’t know much. Anyway, their searches—the pilots for their ship, the soldiers for the bomb—they kept leading them from one Separatist held town to the next. I sat here and listened to the frightened comms chatter. Even saw them, when they swept through this town. Havoc broke up a meeting between different terrorist groups from across the Republic, and killed all fifteen of them. On their end, the gunslingers raided a Separatist archive, killing dozens of guards, and handing over copies of the data to Republic Command. They gave us everything; sympathizers, traitors, Imperial connections and more. The two groups crossed paths a couple of times, but where they really got together was the volcano. Thanks to Imperial backing, the Seps built up a strong base inside the crater. They had hundreds of their elites there, as well as a lot of their truly dirty secrets. The veterans of Havoc went in without their newcomers, but got trapped in an ambush. Queens and Horakova went in after them, and joined up with the gunslingers, who had tracked Skaavak there. I have no idea how they managed it, but they made it to several landing platforms inside and cleared all AA turrets, which allowed soldiers to land. In just three hours, they had the base.”

“I know Skaavak escaped… but what about the bomb?”

“Right. I believe retrieval became impossible, since they found Imp Special Forces inside. But they were able to defuse it, even under fire. You should have heard the Imps throwing a temper tantrum!”

“Then they still achieved their mission; to save the lives that bomb could have taken.”

“Right. And that’s how the brass took it too! Queens got a promotion!”

“What happened to Horakova?”

“I… don’t know. Normally when a soldier is KIA during such a high-stakes mission, there’s a large service. But since there wasn’t… I really hate to say it, but I suspect she was a traitor.”

“A traitor?”

“Yes. It’s odd; she didn’t have any connection to the Seps, or Ord Mantell. And not to the Empire. But all investigations are being handled by Special Forces. General Garza tends to keep things wrapped up. Anyway, that’s the story. If ever you meet Queens, or Stede, or Kraot again, just know that they’re heroes here on Ord Mantell. Especially Stede; that woman entered the range one day, and beat the blaster-pistol high score. She’s got an eagle’s eye.”

“Thanks, Agent. It was good to know. I wonder if Captain Stede got her ship back.”

Ottau frowned and sent a message to a buddy of his. He was lucky to have a quick response. “Yes, actually. And she somehow managed to put Skavaak on multiple watch lists, including one for infectious, incurable STDs.”

The Jedi and Astromech both laughed.

“Okay, we’re getting a message from Var Suthra. Looks like he got everything. Head on back to your ship, he’s ready to discuss it with you.”

“Thanks for everything, Agent Ottau. I hope we work together again, sometime.”

“Me too, Master Jedi. Me too.”

Once the Jedi left, he sat back for a moment to process the news of this superweapon. The idea that the maniac, Darth Angral, was about to get his hands on a planet-killer… no world in the Republic would be safe. He liked the kid, but he hoped that the Council could spare Jedi with real experience. It was true that he’d saved Coruscant, but this was a different game altogether.

This ‘Vajra’ was in over his head. Even on the modest chance he succeeded, he would be left damaged. After giving it good thought, he wrote a follow-up message to the Jedi Council with his personal request.

*

Kira Sensed the moment her Master arrived on the orbital station, and of course he started coming right for her. Perhaps he thought she’d made a friend, or perhaps he had Sensed her distress. His presence made her feel better though. She wasn’t going back to her birthplace, after all.

There was a panic among her captors, who had been making shuttle arrangements back to Dromund Kaas. There was some discussion, then the one called Inquisitor Ferav decided to hold her hostage.

Kira almost snickered.

All seven of Ferav’s cronies arrayed themselves in a semicircle behind them, facing the only door into their lounge.

When the door chimed, the good Inquisitor drew his blade and placed it near her neck. “Play along, now!” he whispered.

When Vajra entered, he gasped. “YOU?!”

Vajra gave her a confused look. “Kira, is this a strange party or something?”

“I wish,” Kira sighed. “But I’m not worried. You see—”

But charming, charming Ferav interrupted her. “So this boy Jedi was here all along? Well played, Padawan! Your lies convinced even Darth Angral!”

“Wait, so you’re really Sith?” he shook his head disbelievingly. “But your Force Strength is even weaker than mine!”

“Shut up, dog! Imperial Intelligence noticed her poking her pretty little nose around, and my Master came from twenty parsecs away to personally interrogate her! Unfortunately, we were led to believe you weren’t here.”

Kira snorted. “I told them you were on Corellia. Suckers!”

Vajra looked at her with a pained look. “I kinda wish you’d not done that. I could have just killed him.”

Kira snorted again, imagining her captors’ expressions.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY!?” Ferav roared. “Our Master would tear you apa—”

“By the way, Angral wanted me for more interrogation or something,” Kira said brightly. “He said I was not to be touched. You can attack whenever you want.”

Vajra did as she suggested. In a jiffy, he had closed the distance and knocked the Sith off Kira. Thrills rolling down her spine, Kira allowed her Master to pick her up and leap backwards.

“Thanks!” she said brightly.

“Take them!” Ferav screamed. “Alive! The great lord wants them both alive!”

Vajra removed her handcuffs and gave her two of his Lightsabers. “This is a good time to see what you’re made of.”

Kira blinked. “Eh?”

“You heard me. They can’t hurt you, right? Don’t worry. I’ll bail you out if anything happens. The Lightsabers connect, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Kira said. She moved quickly, and Pushed her attackers back. Ferav and one other man managed to stay vertical, but the others were knocked off their feet. Kira attacked Ferav first, striking at his midsection and neck. He fended off her blows, but wasn’t good enough to take her on one-on-one.

His upright lackey reached her after her first attack, and attempted to knock aside her blade with a heavy attack. Luckily, he wasn’t particularly fast; Kira disengaged to allow the blow to miss its mark, then stabbed him in the chest.

The others were back on their feet now, ready to rejoin the fray. Feeling the pressure of facing Ferav and his remaining cronies at once, Kira attacked him recklessly. She managed to cleave his Lightsaber and the hand it was in, but he fell onto his worthless bum, and crawled back, cradling his maimed hand and crying from the pain.

The remaining six finally reached her. They managed to shake off her Force Push this time, but were staggered enough for Kira to retain the momentum. She attacked the runt of the pack, hoping to finish him off too in the second before their comrades were upon her.

But one second wasn’t enough. They were on her, and suddenly she was pushed into the defensive. This barely-Sith comedy band had clearly trained together, and were greater than the sum of their parts. She felt quite pressed by the onslaught of blades from all sides.

She slipped, rolled, and dodged to avoid getting encircled, but knew that it was only a matter of time.

Finally a Sith managed to get under her defenses, and kicked her in the stomach. A different one drew back his hand to slap her, but she felt herself being Picked up and Pulled out once again.

“Thanks for the show, Kira,” Vajra said, letting her down next to him. “I know what to teach you now.”

He pounced; there was a loud whoosh, and the sound of a Lightsaber spinning in the air. Vajra came to a halt in front of Inquisitor Ferav, and six pairs of heads dropped down behind him, the bodies falling after.

Ferav screamed like a plucked rooster. “I SURRENDER!” he screamed so loud that the garrison in Fort Garnik would have heard him.

“Good. There’s much you can tell us.”

Ferav nodded furiously. “Anything. Anything! Just please, don’t send me back to my Master! I don’t want a punishment! I don’t want one!”

T7, who had hitherto just sat back and watched, rolled up to the Inquisitor and stunned him. Vajra locked the man in his own stun-cuffs and left T7 to keep watch before racing over to Kira.

“You alright?”

Kira glowered. “I can’t believe you made me fight those jerks on my own!”

He gave her a wide smile. “Did you notice what you didn’t do?” When she refused to answer, he sighed and went on. “You didn’t lose control. Not even close. You fought these Sith you hate like a true Jedi.”

“Oh!” Kira’s heart leapt. “So, you pulled this stunt to prove a point?”

“In part,” he said. “I also wanted to see how you fought. You’re probably aware of this, but there’s few Jedi things I’m better than you at. It’s only in Lightsabers that I’ve got you beat. Everywhere else, we’re close. You’re even better in most ways.”

“Yeah? I don’t believe that.”

“But I do. Anyway, even if I’m to be your Master for a week, I want to teach you what I can. You’re not bad with that thing, but there’s definitely room for improvement. Once we make the jump into hyperspace, we’re going to work on your swordplay together.”

She took his proffered hand and stood, dusting off her bottom. Reaching out, she summoned her own Lightsaber back into her hand, and returned the one Vajra had lent her. “Wasn’t this the same one that Master Satele loaned you? Why haven’t you built your own yet?” His blush made her chuckle. “Ahhh, have a crush on our ethereal Grand Master, do we?”

“No,” he sighed. “It’s a secret.”

“Huh?” Kira thought about it for a second before clapping her hands. “Ohhh! So it’s true then!”

“What?” Vajra looked nervous.

“Don’t play dumb with me! I’ve seen her stand next to Jasme enough times to see the resemblance.”

He didn’t say anything, but his averted gaze was all it took her to know she’d scored.

“And here I thought they were aunt and niece, maybe.” Kira guffawed.

“Kira? This isn’t a safe place to talk about it,” Vajra said, looking deeply guilty for breaking Jasme’s trust.

“Oops!” Kira felt stupid. At least the Sith was still unconscious. “Hey, T7? Be a dear and scrub a minute or two off the feed?”

<Affirmative.>

“Kira… please don’t do this to me again. I feel like…” he trailed off, and looked so guilty that Kira felt the need to pat his shoulders.

“Hey, don’t worry! It’s just Miss Motor-mouth being motory as usual.”

“Right.”

“Now, come on. Var Suthra will probably be wondering what’s keeping you.”

“Sure.”

“Just… tell me one thing. This thing about Master Satele’s ‘gifts’. It’s obvious now, that they’re special because of Jasme, not Satele.”

“Right.”

“Vajra… tell me you’re not in love with Jazz.”

His response was simple and direct. “I’m not in love with her. I see her as an actual sister.” She was satisfied with the honesty in his voice.

“Good. It’s kinda weird, like you’re using these sabers to tell yourself you’re Jasme’s little brother.”

He blushed even deeper. “It’s silly, I know.”

“Hey, I’m not judging! In fact, now that I think about it, it’s actually kind of sweet. I envy the friendship you have. Now, come on! I need some more grub. I, er… lost my breakfast earlier. Threw up on Angral’s tailored boots.”

*

Kira meditated as Vajra handled the now-Major Var Suthra, and turned over the prisoner. She could hear her crystal’s song, no problem. Any Force user could, after a few days’ training at most.

But Vajra had told her to really focus on it, to let it fill her head, heart, and soul. And so she did. It was kinda relaxing, actually; a million times more soothing than any mundane song she’d ever heard. A part of her started to wonder why she hadn’t done this before; why it had taken her more than three years to begin this kind of meditation.

Unbidden, her mind went back to her first meeting with Vajra. She recalled what he said about dancing to the crystal’s song. She finally understood what he’d meant; why he’d dedicated his entire childhood to learning how to dance to it.

“Ah, I see you like it!”

She opened her eyes to see Vajra entering with several training remotes.

“Hey, Master. You were right; it gets better every second.”

“Good. How’s your dancing? Regular dancing, I mean.”

“Master Kiwiiks… didn’t let me go out for clubbing and the like,” Kira said unwillingly. This was at least the fifth time she’d said anything about her Master, and she didn’t like it. “But I did do some ballroom dancing. The elegant stuff.”

“That’s enough to start with,” Vajra grinned. “You know how to move with a rhythm.”

“I guess so.”

“And you have a good grasp on the basics of Form VI. You don’t have to say anything more about Master Kiwiiks’ focus. I understand.”

She felt grateful.

“But… well. Master WenSuul was bedridden for most of my apprenticeship. What stopped you from requesting a Holocron to learn from? Or ordinary data cubes? Oh, or did your ‘only read erotica’ rule get in the way.”

“I—” She laughed self-deprecatingly.

“There’s only so much our Masters can teach us. For everything else, hit the library. Ours is rather good, you know!”

She felt rather annoyed, but got his point. “Actually… Jazz banned me from the library when she walked in on me… errr… watching a porno.”

“Kira!”

“Oh, your face!” She laughed hysterically. “I’m only kidding!”

“Don’t,” he said seriously. “Especially somewhere Jasme could hear you. She becomes a different person when the library is involved.”

*

“Okay, then. Are you ready?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Now that you are really listening to the song, start dancing to it. However you want. Ignite the blade if you need to.”

“Should I close my eyes?”

“If you want. You are in complete control of everything here. The only rule; no staying still.”

“Got it, boss!”

Kira began dancing like the cantina dancers she’d once seen, back when she’d snuck into a bar on Nar Shaddaa. There had been a Twi’lek named Ilea’naschae dancing then, one of the most famous in Hutt Space. Her movements had been so, incredibly sensual… almost rapturous! It had been that sight which had awakened Kira to desire… and it had been that dance which had given her a love for artful eros.

Kira didn’t want to become that kind of dancer, nor incorporate that into her fighting style—the two needed to be separate. But to start off this dance, it was a good place.

Kira began by spreading out one leg, toes pointed, then attempted a balletic spin. But her anchoring foot slipped and she stumbled.

“Dammit!”

“It’s alright. If you fall, just stand back up. The way you would in a fight.”

“You got it, boss.”

She tried again, and this time when she slipped, she just stood back up and did a reverse pirouette. For about a minute, that was all she did. But afterwards, her body really began to get into the rhythm. She began to move her arms and shoulders; her hips started to swing to the beat. She turned her head, and arched her back. And a larger variety of steps became part of her act. She stepped, sideslipped, tap-danced, turned, and hopped.

She looked at herself in the mirrors her Master had placed before his own practice, and thought that she wasn’t as inelegant as she’d feared.

“The Lightsaber training did help in this, believe it or not,” Vajra explained, when he saw her look of surprised satisfaction.

“I like it!” Kira began to dance more energetically, tossing her hair and picking up her arms. She added in full squats and lunges. Her style eventually moved on to a peppy break dance.

“Yeaaaaaah!” She’d really gotten into the swing of it now! Unbidden, her green blade sprang to life, and she added in attack and defense moves.

Vajra clapped. “That’s good! Really good!”

“Thanks, Master!”

“Now that you’re dancing to the music, start fighting with it. Let the song dictate your step. Do you need a break, first?”

“Not really, boss. Bring it on!”

He released the remotes and ordered them to begin firing in fifteen seconds.

“Ummm. Master? There are nine remotes in there! I can only keep up with six!”

He grinned. “Be prepared to surprise yourself. Again.”

The droids began firing when their countdown ended. They spewed a hail of low-powered blaster bolts at her. And they were set to hard mode, which got Kira nicely panicked. Her attempt to deflect them were, at best, desperate. Her swings were wild, and her movements exhausting.

She wasn’t used to this! In the few scraps she’d gotten into, she’d always relied on cover and running. And a lot of Force attacks. This, getting caught out in the open and unable to Force her way through, was something she’d hoped she’d never have to face. She felt stings on her arms and face after about this session started, and started to lose her confidence in herself.

“Relax, Kira. Don’t be afraid. Listen to the song.”

She tried, in which time she got clipped five more times. She yelped and jumped, her concentration breaking. But after three failed attempts, she was able to listen again. The next second, her body was able to move to the song’s rhythm as it had before. It wasn’t easy at first, but as time went on, she found herself getting back into the zone.

And suddenly, she was there. Her blades intercepted every bolt, and her movements held an economy now. Her rate of exhaustion dropped off, and she felt confident she could keep this up for another hour, at least.

She’d been worried that she would have to face off against Vajra later, but he let her have her confidence boost, not moving on to sparring.

Forty minutes later, he called for a break. “Alright. I think we should be arriving at Carrick station soon. I can drop off our prisoner. I think we’ll stay here for an hour or two, so you can go look for your choice of clothes too, once you’ve caught your breath.”

“Really? Thank you, Master!”

“Don’t discard your old clothes. We’re headed to Taris next, and you know what that means.”

“Damn. Got it!”

She collapsed against a crate as Vajra gathered up the remotes. She took a large drink from the bottle he’d left for her, and toweled the sweat off her face and shoulders.

She felt a victorious glow engulf her chest. She’d thought she would never rise above a D-tier ranking as a saberist, but in less than an hour, she’d started to believe in herself. With Vajra as her Master, she was sure she could be in the Orders top fifty within the next couple of years. In five, she might be good enough to fight Vajra himself.

“Look out, Sith! You won’t take me in this easily next time!”

*

[tanukihunt]

Countries Away: Chapter 20

Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping

Hello, I'm still here

All that's left of yesterday

        Amos woke up, strapped on to a stretcher with his head and chest aching. His memory was foggy and he felt numb to the core. What had happened during the battle? “It seems you’re awake,” His brother, Candon, commented. Amos groaned.

        "And I feel like shit. What happened?" He asked. His eyes widened as he started to remember. "Austin-"

        "6 feet underground. Same with Belle." Candon sighed. "Zeke.... well.... he said that once we finish this, he wasn't a Janesville anymore." Amos cocked his head and sat up a bit.

        "Whaddya mean? Zeke's our brother." To his surprise, Candon shook his head.

        "We never got the whole story. Aussie's real twin was supposed to be identical to him. He ended up dying and the parents got Aussie an adopted twin."

        ”Why were they with us? Did the parents not want Zeke and Austin?” - Amos felt stunned and confused; his little brother couldn’t go! Though if he had already set out on his trek, then he assumes it would be too late to chase after him.

        ”...I actually don’t know. Zeke never said, which I understand...,” Candon shrugged. "He went to clear his head, but I sent Scott on after him to keep tabs on him." He reassured him. Amos sighed as Candon started to snigger.

        "What?" Amos asked him. Candon chortled.

        "Nothing.... apparently you wielded a shovel and a gun and was being a complete idiot!" Candon laughed hard. Amos blushed dark red. Was he that stupid? He started to remember now.

        Flashback

        2 hours ago.

        "Okay, now that they're buried, what do we do with the shovels?" Russell asked, motioning to the tools. Amos started to think. Spencer could see his idea and did an "are-you-fucking-joking?" face.

        "Amos, no."

        "C'mon, Rapunzel used a frying pan!"

        "That's in a fucking movie, amigo!"

        "HERE WE GO!" Amos grabbed a shovel and ran to the battlefield. Spencer sighed.

        "Is he an idiot or did he hit his head?" Russell asked nervously. Spencer and Philippa both groaned.

        "Yes." They said as unison as they followed Amos.

        Present

        Amos was a deep red as Candon laughed without covering his mouth. “And then you ended up here!” His younger brother finished.

         ”It should have worked!”

         ”But....it didn’t, so next time you might want to use your head and not in that way,” Candon sniggered. Amos sighed.

        "Okay, can you stop?" Candon gave him a smirk.

        "No. I'm gonna hold this over you for the rest of your fucking life. It was funny and idiotic at the same time when Russell relayed it to me."

        ”Oh did he now?” - Amos raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, wincing slightly.

        ”Sure did,”

        ”Oh I’m so going to get him back,”

        As the house came into view Candon shook his brother back to consciousness, since he had fallen back asleep in the car. Their parents were sitting in the kitchen, an obvious look of distress on their faces; which bugged Amos, their parents never really checked on them until Savin started this whole incident. He pulled himself up sluggishly and got out of the car, wincing as he straightened out his body.

        Together the brothers opened up the front door and waddled inside, each sharing glances with the other. “Mama, papa,” Amos started, rubbing his injured arm. “We have something to confess, and you may not like the thought of it,”

        ”Yeah...,”

        ”What is it honey?”

        ”Well...,” The brothers exchanged nervous looks Amos sighed.

         "Austin is KIA.... and we have Rïchie to blame." The boys were silent as Francine and Brixton gasped in shock. Francine began to cry in her husband's arms, and Candon pulled Amos aside.

          "I was talking to Phillippa earlier."

          "And?"

          "That's not our only problem. Savin took advantage of Aussie's death and recruited Martin and Spencer's grandfather." Amos's eyes widened.

               "So now we have more of them now?" Candon nodded.

               Even in the events going on around them - Amos could still feel his body tremble. Why? Was the question that came aloud first, apparently flying out of his mouth too. Which he wasn’t able to stop or turn the conversation to something else. Brixtion folded his arms over his chest, in sort of an angry manner; truth be told he was relieved to see his boys (almost all of them) working better together.

                ”How did he even manage to find those old coons?”

               Candon could only sigh, rightfully so, since that was the only bit of intel he could gather from a former in their group. With a slight shake of his head - he headed up to his bedroom to lay down, maybe even sleep.

                A hand grasped to his wrist. “Please answer me,” Candon turned his head to see Amos. He sighed.

                "Are we even doing this right?" He asked quietly. Amos gave an unhelpful shrug.

                "Hell if I know. This leader gig is harder than it looks." Amos sat next to him on his bed. "I mean, all of this leading shit is always unknowing. I had no idea that Aussie was gonna die today." He frowned. Candon looked at him sadly. Amos even knew that look. 

                After all, this was a fucking tough position they were in now.

[dhampiravidi]

Ogygia was a welcome respite--at first. Calypso welcomed them with open arms, eager to have company after so many years spent alone. She was kind, but there was a sickness underneath that. Even though she had invisible servants, she frequently offered to pick fruit from her trees to give to the men, or to massage their sore, tired muscles. Achilles felt bad for her, but he was glad that Odysseus had brought him along. If he hadn't...well, Achilles could see the depression that his friend had sunk into. Odysseus might've stayed forever with the woman, just glad to be somewhere safe on dry land. Thankfully, after they'd had a few days to eat a decent amount and get some sleep, Hermes came to tell Calypso that it was time to send her visitors off on their journey. Achilles immediately grabbed a fork, thinking the goddess would turn violent. She surprised him by providing the means to build a raft, plus all kinds of supplies as well.

Of course, Poseidon fucked up everything the moment their raft got into the sea. As he and Odysseus were tossed around, occasionally scratched or bruised by some driftwood or other errant material, Achilles wondered if that was how Hector had felt while being driven along by a chariot. Then Achilles remembered that the prince had been dead already, so he hadn't actually suffered through that ordeal. Yes, all that thinking while he and Odysseus struggled to brave the divinely conjured waves. He didn't call on his mother or her sisters, but he had a feeling that she was the only reason he made it to shore. He sure didn't remember swimming all the way there.

It wasn't long before Athena, who initially took the form of an old woman, greeted them. She and Odysseus were, as Achilles saw it, like an aunt and nephew. The goddess had no problem complimenting or advising Odysseus, and he respected her the way one might a beloved general or an older friend. Athena kept her attention on her chosen until they were done with their verbal exchange. Then she turned to Achilles.

"Akhilleus of Phthia...it has been interesting to observe you off the battlefield. You have done well, giving counsel to Odysseus. Especially since I know you cared little for him when you all fought in Troy. Deidamia is the queen of Skyros, having married," she said, a faint smile on her face. But then her expression darkened. "For now, Neoptolemus resides in Phthia with your father, Andromache, and Helenus. But he plans to move to Epirus soon." Her distaste for Achilles's son was etched into her face, grey eyes narrowing as her jaw set. The warrior wanted to ask what his son was like, then realized she'd told him everything she thought he needed to know. It was clear that the boy--now a man--had enslaved his Trojans, doing the opposite of what Achilles had done with Briseis. Achilles had thought about her while he traveled with Odysseus, but he'd been too afraid to ask where she had ended up.

He continued to worry about her while he sat at Eumaeus the swineherd's table, as the two men discussed the state of Odysseus's palace and the suitors who lounged therein. Why hadn't his son taken her with him?

[sihakadan]

vander x enforcer reader if youll do it. tragic or tension pls!!

Oooooh . Time for sad.

SFW I guess? No sexy times but implied stuff. Probably full of mistakes because I am bad about proofreading.

No matter what you and Grayson came up with, everything worked against you. The kids had to be brought in, there was no way around it without a full on war between the enforcers and the people of the undercity.

But it hurt so much because you'd be betraying him. Vander, your sweet, sweet Vander.

It didn't matter to you that he had a past, that he had done some horrible things. You were an enforcer and served a corrupt system and somehow, he over looked it.

When you became an enforcer, it was to protect people, to serve your community but you very quickly learned how deep the corruption went and how much no one cared about it. Grayson was corrupt but in a way that kept the peace and you could respect that.

But now this greenhorn Marcus was going around causing problems, sticking his nose where it didn't belong and it was getting so out of hand-

Maybe you could convince Vander to offer up someone, anyone, to save his people from the impending march into Zaun.

It was the hope when you took off your uniform, put a breather mask on, pulled up a hood over your head and slipped down into the undercity, keeping to yourself as much as you could so you wouldn't draw attention.

The Last Drop was closed but you had a door key for 'visits' and it was the time of night that the kids would be sleeping, Vander would be cleaning up. You quickly unlocked the door and slipped in, pulling off the mask.

"We're closed." You could see him behind the bar, sweeping up broken glass, a rag over his shoulder.

"I hear the drinks are terrible anyway." You chuckled and pushed your hood back.

He turned, a bit surprised to see you but it turned into a smile as he leaned against the bar. "Total shit." He laughed back.

You made your way to the bar, sitting on the stool and just looked at him. He was tired and you could tell this was wearing him down. "Vander-"

"Don't, love. Just let me look at you for a bit longer." He took your hand in his large one. "I don't know when I'll see it again, you know?"

"People will die, Vander." You leaned closer, pleading. "I don't want to see you on the battlefield. Please." Your hand tightened.

"Y/N, you know I can't." He said gently, calloused thumb running over your knuckles. "They're my kids."

Yes and they weren't bad kids either, just dealt a shitty lot in life. Just trying to survive the Lanes. "I know." Tears pricked your eyes. "I know and we tried, Grayson and I but it is out of our hands now. The council is involved."

He reached up and gently wiped a tear away. "I know you did, love. I know you tried. You always do."

"I should have quit, come down here when you asked me to." You thought you could help him more as and enforcer, keep him safe and be a barrier between the two. "We could have..."

"Don't do that to yourself. You're a good person. You were doing what you thought was right." But you knew it broke his heart when you rejected him.

The two of you just looked at one another like it was the last time and slowly your foreheads touched, your hand going to his lips and pressing a kiss to your knuckles. "It doesn't have to be them, Vander. It could be anyone-"

"You know the answer to that." He stopped you. "I can't sacrifice my people."

"Vander, please." One last plea, one last hope.

He inhaled deep, his eyes opening and meeting yours. "I'm sorry, love."

Quiet sobs shook your body and you almost jumped over the bar to wrap your arms around his neck. With his great strength, he pulled you across and into his arms, stroking your hair and pressing kisses to your temple.

Once you calmed down and got the worst of it out of your system, you pulled back just enough to cup his face in your hands, running your fingers over his jaw and cheeks. "Can we just have one more night? Like nothing is going to happen? Just us?"

A chuckle rumbled in his chest and he put a hand over one of yours, pressing a kiss into the palm. "You didn't even need to ask, love."

It would be the last time he ever held you.

[yoomiwritingstuff]

“the reason why i can totally read your moves is because we're soulmates, katsuki. i'm your soulmate.”

his soulmate. as if bakugo katsuki would ever believe in something like that.

he knows that realistically speaking, there'd be no way you would ever really know everything that was happening to him and vice versa. if you did, you wouldn't be so surprised every time he'd barge on your dorms to look for you as his face and body are littered with small injuries and scrapes, asking for you to come and fix it for him.

he'd listen attentively to you chide him about the wounds, as if it shocks you to know that a man like him could still get harmed while in combat — it's ridiculous really. how can someone get out of a physical fight unscathed? that's actually quite difficult to accomplish, even he knows that much. yet hearing you have this incredible faith in his abilities in the battlefield makes katsuki want to win in a way he wouldn't need to lift a single finger, just so that he could see you smile and be proud of him instead of those furrowed eyebrows and a frown on your face the moment you see him when he visits you.

still, he couldn't do that.

he has to go above and beyond his limits to defeat everyone and to prove that he's got what it takes to be the number one hero. however, katsuki would make sure that your unparalleled confidence in him serves as his motivation to surpass everyone else and to plus ultra the crap out of any villain he sees.

when he's supposed to be studying or training hard, katsuki finds himself getting distracted with thoughts of you and he'd laugh dumbly at the realization.

you're such a pain in the ass. truly, you are. he can't escape you no matter what he does, where he is, even if it's day or night. you just won't go away. it's seriously irritating him.

he himself is to blame for this problem in all honesty. he shouldn't have agreed to your insistent pleas to work on his costume and equipments. if he hadn't, he would've been free from your irresistible charms and focused on just being the greatest.

he told himself he'd have no need to interact with extras like you (a girl with non-flashy quirk from the support department no less) when he's too busy with far more important things. he has to curse your intellect and skills for unexpectedly convincing him to listen and agree with what you wanted.

it didn't even last a whole month before he's genuinely enjoying your company and pursuing to be with you longer than what was arranged just to do some casual talk. that casual talk eventually turned to awkward dates and soon enough, you and him started going out when you shyly admitted that yes, you like him a lot which is why you volunteered to improve his gears.

it's ironic for him and a little embarassing. to know that you fell first but he fell harder.

it's fair to say that you are katsuki's weakness. his sanctuary. his rest. his home.

you're the first thing that pops up in his mind when he wakes up. you're the last thing he thinks of when he goes to sleep. he constantly checks up on your progress (not wanting to be the only one moving forward), and is willing to help you even if you don't need it. he also begins to work on his personality issues because he didn't want you to think badly of him. he wants to be seen as someone worthy to be with you.

back then, bakugo katsuki had always put himself first. he was selfish and cruel to everyone and never valued the relationships he had with people. but now that you're in his life, katsuki is sure that you're his top priority more than anything. he's eager to protect what the two of you have. he's learned to treasure the connections he has with others and grow.

he could write a whole damn book about how much you mean to him, how much he appreciates you, and how much you make him someone so incredibly better, if he just had the time. he'd gladly pour out what he's really feeling if it will make you happy.

katsuki didn't think it was possible for him to long for someone so much to the point that it hurt especially when it hasn't even been long since you two have met. how could you ever just be friends when you put his emotions all over the place? maybe that's just how it is when two people are simply meant to be with each other.

katsuki had been lost within the darkness but he found you. his warm and bright light.

“stop saying you love me more than i love you katsuki, that's not fair! you're such a stubborn prick sometimes.”

he's adamant that you know he'd literally die for you. he'll rescue you from any danger. he'll swoop you off of your feet and wrap you up in his arms, never letting you go until you're safe because that's what being a hero is for. katsuki will gladly be your hero. he finally learned how to love because of you. so it just makes complete sense his love for you should be tenfold than your love for him.

“soulmates would always know what each other is going through. they think and feel the same thing. which is why i know for a fact that you love me in the same way that i love you. just accept that, dummy.”

he badly wants to believe you two are soulmates. he sincerely does, from the bottom of his heart. but if that meant you'd have to experience the excruciating pain he was in at the moment, he hopes you'd forgive him for disagreeing wholeheartedly.

“call me if there's any trouble, i'll go wherever you are and help you in any way that i can. i'm serious katsuki, don't laugh at me. i'll practice hard with hand to hand combat.”

he wonders what you're doing right now. you said you were going somewhere in a rural area with your family to take a short break from school. you must be strolling around the neighborhood, taking in the place and enjoying your time. katsuki is sure you'll be able to come up with new ideas and get creative now that you're having your breath of fresh air and relaxation.

he imagines your taking tons of pictures on your phone just as you promised. excited to show him and talk his ears off about the trip you took. that big endearing smile plastered on your face as you cuddle with him on the bed, commanding all of his attention on you.

“please don't stupidly risk your life and just retreat if you're in danger. i'm pretty sure winning won't be fun if you're badly injured. can you do that for me, katsuki?”

he feels so numb. he can't see clearly nor even feel anything anymore. he's sure he's been coughing up a lot more blood than what was considered okay. he's gritting his teeth trying not to faint from the unbearable ache of his wounds. he wants to scream but he can't find his voice. he's desperate to win.

“what if i put some kind of chip that scans your health conditions? that way if you're in a critical state it'll alert me. that's not creepy. i'm just worried about your ass. you do tend to do things on your own. fine fine, i won't.”

deep down, bakugo katsuki is scared.

he feels as if this is the last time he'll ever see everything. he's afraid the second he closes his eyes he won't be able to open them again. he starts to tremble from just the mere thought of that. there's still so many things he wants to achieve. he wants to spend many more days with you. tell you how much he loves you. katsuki wants to say thank you and sorry to everyone who had to stay by his side even though he was an asshole.

he wants his parents to know that he's thankful they raised him despite everything. he wants to tell midoriya that he was a good friend. katsuki doubts he'll be able to keep up with his childhood friend this time around. he wants to say to kirishima and the others that he cherishes their friendship. if he had more courage, he'll bow in front of his classmates to tell them it was a good year to be with everyone and he's happy that he's part of the class.

he's glad he's done what he can to stop the villains. he's damn proud of himself for being able to take them head on. he hopes that the other heroes are okay. he's not a quitter no matter the odds are so he decides to might as well pull an all out attack on them to finish things off. make them doubt their stance.

“you're always complaining about being with me, well newsflash — you're stuck with me forever. as if i'll ever let you go, katsuki. let's stay together for a long time, okay?”

now in his ua uniform, bakugo katsuki registers the white space that he's in. he looks up to see what appears to be all might in a form of hazy smoke. staring down at his occupied hand, he chuckles and grins at his all might card. he really wanted to get his hero's autograph so bad. he regrets he couldn't ask of that due to his rude nature.

“see you later, katsuki! i'll bring you many souvenirs! i know you'll do great while i'm gone! plus ultra! i love you!”

katsuki wishes you won't ever be sad. he doesn't want to see you cry. he's satisfied that you're not soulmates. that way you wouldn't know until later on what had gone down. you wouldn't have to share his burdens. you wouldn't have to feel his pain. you wouldn't have to fix his wounds anymore. you wouldn't have to get scared.

you're not his soulmate. katsuki is content to know you'll be able to open up your heart to someone else someday because you're not bound to him. it sucks he won't be able to keep his promises to you. he wishes for you to be surrounded by kind and loving people. no more falling for bad boys like him.

“have fun out there, idiot. you don't have to bring back anything, just come home safe to me. i love you too.”

you might not be his soulmate. but katsuki knew you were his everything. and he could live with that.

with one final intake of breath, he smiles and thinks of you — his love.

[kim-poce]

Kingdom's Sword 2 - Unless Ordered To

Previous | Next

Masterlist

CW: restrains, injuries, war (just ended), death mention, conditioned whumpee (but not a broken/scared one).

=-=-=-=-=

Commander Harriet ordered her knights to force him up –he had no strength to do so on his own– and drag him to the carriage through the battlefield, where enemies and allies lay side by side, no more defending their country, no more soldiers, only humans, only corpses.

He let himself be dragged, well, he didn't have the power to resist, he wasn't ordered to do so; the last order had been "stop" and he obeyed, he let go of the knife and answered Harriet's questions.

His body hurt all the way to the carriage, but he managed to think about his situation through the pain. Commander Harriet owns me. It was a fact, it was the queen before, and when she died he was ready to accept his own death too, his duty was over, but to his surprise, there is yet another woman with power over him.

It doesn't matter. It truly doesn't, he will just obey as he always has, things won't change just because his owner did.

"Look at me," Commander Harriet ordered when the knights reached the cell-carriage and his body moved before he could think, which was okay, it was easier like this. Unless asked to he never needs to think, things are so much easy when you don't think.

Commander looked straight into his eyes and frowned, annoyed with something he didn't know what, her brown eyes burning with emotions he couldn't pick.

"Give me your hands," he said, taking heavy –bloody–iron cuffs that a soldier was handing to her.

He obeyed, raising his sore arms and looking at the cuffs with his peripheric vision only, the last order was to look at her, and she never said he could stop doing so.

Unnecessary. He thought as the iron restrains weighed over him, not only on his wrists but on his neck too. Completely unnecessary. Commender's orders can hold him better than any restrain and if the queen was still alive maybe those chains would be broken already.

"There are two things you got now," Commander said, putting the keys inside her pocket, on the opposite side to her sword.

There is truly something I need to know? I only obey, I don't need an explanation, Ma'am. But if she says he needs so be it, if she wants him to listen he will listen.

"First, you will regret deeply if you ever lie to me."

I'm unable to lie to you, Ma'am.

"And second, you will be locked inside this thing and you won't do anything unless told to," she said firmly, and his eyes widened for a second.

You don't know, he thought with dread, you don't know what you are asking, you... you don't know how much power you have. You will learn, of course you will but this... you don't know.

"Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he said emotionlessly, she didn't ask if there was a problem or if he had something to say. Her last question was if he understood. He did, even if she didn't.

"Lock him up."

The knights did, attaching chains over chains as if he could do something, he can't, he can't do anything.

Commander didn't say where he should look so he closed his eyes and looked at nothing, she didn't say he could drink so he ignored the water that a soldier placed near him. The last battle was fierce, his whole body screamed in agony. He was so tired, but there was no order to sleep so he didn't.

He just felt the carriage moving, bumping in rocks and dead bodies, but not even that lasted long; he turned himself out. He just needed to obey and he was ordered not to do anything.

So until Commander was back he didn't think.

=-=-=-=-=

Taglist (tell me if you want to be tagged/untagged): @wolfeyedwitch, @cupcakes-and-pain, @whumpcreations, @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump, @extemporary-usename, @whumpcreations, @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump, @clickerflight, @latenightcupsofcoffee, @rose-pinkie

[okay-j-hannah]

They Declare Their Love

Preference

Characters: Eomer, Bilbo Baggins, Merry Brandybuck

Warnings: Man, just... I can’t believe how much I love all these characters😭 it’s becoming a problem  

Request: “Hii ! ☀️ Can I ask you a Preference with Eomer; Bilbo and Merry: how do they declare their love to the reader?” @aranelp​

​~~~

Eomer

The sun was setting, painting the pale walls of Gondor in an orange light. It was far too beautiful for Eomer’s liking, something that (Y/N) should've experienced. It only brought a guilty pain in his chest to look upon the horizon of color.

They had scoured the battlefields, finding the remnants of their brave soldiers. Eowyn and young Merry were amongst the discovered, but not (Y/N). His (Y/N).

Eomer brooded against the bridge he stood guard at, trying to keep his mind on Eowyn and her swift recovery. If he dwelled on (Y/N)’s missing body too long he would end up breaking something. Or else riding his horse until he found the edge of the world.

“My Lord, Eomer.”

Not bothering to turn his shoulder, Eomer stated gruffly, “What is it?”

The voice of a squire appeared closer to him, “Someone has requested your presence in the infirmary.”

That got his attention. He turned swift on his heel and stared into the face of a young boy startled at the sudden movement.

“Who? Someone from the battlements? Who did they find?” When the squire hesitated in responding, he raised his voice and got into his face. “Who is it!”

“L-Lady (Y/N), My Lord.”

Eomer didn’t pause, didn’t utter another word, he just trudged into the castle and through the winding maze of white walls. He barely noticed how his steps became quicker and quicker until he was running.

He found himself outside the infirmary in no time, a pensive Faramir and Eowyn near the doors.

“Is it true?” he gasped, surprised to hear his voice quaking.

Faramir stood straight, emotion filling his chest, “Yes. They found her farther than they expected. They’ve had to cover much land in search of survivors.” Eowyn had a comforting smile on her face, urging her brother inside.

Eomer admitted that he’d faced many treacherous encounters in his lifetime, including a great war. But he discovered that this instant was more terrifying than anything he’d experienced.

In one of the last stretchers was (Y/N), bruised and bloody against the white sheets. She was covered in dirt and grime, fresh from the plains, and struggling to catch her breath.

His voice came out in a grieved whisper, “(Y/N).”

She opened her eyes at once, red and wild from the few days on the field, “Eomer?”

He was at her side at once, hands quickly finding her scraped and stained ones, “I don’t believe it.” His brow contorted, head bowed for a few seconds, he thanked whatever higher power was out there.

“(Y/N), I’ve got to tell you before anything else gets in the way.” He held her tighter, “I’ve done nothing but worry for you every second of every day. And I can’t deny it any longer. (Y/N), I love you.”

If it didn’t look so much like a pained grimace, he could’ve sworn she was smiling.

“And I never wish to be parted from you again.”

Bilbo

(Y/N) rested against the broken wall of Erebor, slowly pounding the back of her head into the stone. She watched a tired Bifur stumble down the stairs to rest after his long shift as watchman. (Y/N) hadn’t been able to sleep since they arrived at the ancient dwarven kingdom.  

She waited there for the next man to come up for his shift, thinking of all the horrible things that could be happening since Smaug flew off. It was what she was dwelling on when she felt the stones shuffle beside her.

Cracking open one eye, she saw Bilbo sitting down, holding something in each hand. “I thought you already had your shift.”

He swallowed hard, licking his lips, “I uh – I couldn’t sleep.”

“You too?” she smiled, eyeing him fully now. “So you volunteered again?”

“Does that bother you?”

She noticed the slight apprehension in his brow and smirked, “No, not at all.” And then she moved her gaze to what he was holding.

He followed it too, “Oh, I… I tried making some tea.” He offered an old mug her way, steam coming from the rim, “Herbs and things. I figured you might need something to warm you up.”

(Y/N) took it gratefully, “It is rather cold up here.” She blew on the drink and took a sip. She tried not to grimace too much.

But Bilbo laughed his honest laugh, “Tried was the key word there.” He took a sip of his own and coughed, “I miss honey. And sugar. And teacups.” He observed his cracked mug and marveled at how he made (Y/N) laugh.

He gazed at her probably longer than he should have. Probably more longingly than he should have. She gave him a sideways glance and leaned her head back against the stone wall.

“What are you thinking about?”

He snapped his gaze away, holding his tea with both hands to warm his fingers, “Nothing particularly interesting.”

But (Y/N) noticed the blush entering his face and felt a prick of hope swell in her chest. “Try me.”

Bilbo gave her a pondering glance before huffing an anxious sigh, “Um… well – I was just thinking about the Shire. About all my favorite places…” he sneaked another look towards her, “About showing you all my favorite places.”

She tried to hide her growing smile, “We’re still journeying together then? Make it all the way back to the Shire?”

“I sure hope so,” he muttered, “I hope that you’d stay with me always, (Y/N).”

She felt her breath catch in her lungs, “You do?”

“Why else do you think I couldn’t sleep?” he laughed, more confidence flowing through him as he rambled on, “It was because you weren’t near.”

She bit her lip, moving closer to him. “Could you sleep now?”

He stuttered, blinking hard at her close proximity. There was no way he could sleep now. “I love you, (Y/N).”

Merry

The two hobbits laid lazily across the Brandywine Bridge, feet dangling over the side and barely skimming the water.

(Y/N) threw an apple into the air, catching it and throwing it again. Merry was beside her, munching on his own apple.

“Say, (Y/N),” he mumbled, “What do you suppose life will be like when we come of age?”

She pondered, pausing her apple tossing, “Well, I hope a lot like this.” She gestured to the blue sky, “Fishing for supper with my best friend.”

She had a large smile on her face that faltered when she saw the slight disappointment on Merry’s.

“Right.”

It confused her, “I suppose we’ll be more adult. Hosting dinner parties and managing a cart at the marketplace.” She was trying to figure out what was making Merry upset.

He peered at his apple core, keeping his eyes anywhere but hers, “What else? Do… do you ever think about – about starting a family of your own.”

“Oh,” she mumbled, “Well, sure.” It was immediate how he turned his head to look at her. “I’ve given it some thought.”

“And?”

There was lightness back in his voice and (Y/N) became even more confused, scrunching her face in thought. “And… I’d like to be married one day. Find a nice hobbit hole, sell my famous blueberry muffins, and have a bunch of kids.”

Merry laughed, an airy sound as he stared at her with a faraway look. It stirred something within (Y/N), bringing sudden heat to her face. She blinked a few times, interpreting the intense feel of the air between them. She was suddenly very aware of how close they were laying next to one another.

“That sounds nice,” Merry finally muttered, “How much is a bunch of kids?”

She laughed, “Oh, and a pony. I want a pony and a puppy.” They continued to look at one another, (Y/N) letting her abandoned apple roll. “What about you?”

Merry reluctantly turned away, tossing his apple core into the river, “I’ve given it some thought.” The animation in his voice mimicking her words brought a smile to her face.

“And?” she giggled.

He smirked, taking a deep breath, “And… I’d like to be married one day. Find a nice hobbit hole, eat my wife’s famous blueberry muffins…”

“What?”

“… have a bunch of kids. I guess I’ll have to figure out how to take care of a pony.”

There was a bout of silence; that air of tension very real between them. Merry couldn’t take the quiet anymore and turned his gaze back to (Y/N). There was an edge of fear in his eyes as he spotted her blank look.

“(Y/N)?”

She blinked a few times, “What color should we paint the door?”

Disbelief replaced the fear, a stutter on his lips, “M-Maybe orange?”

“Orange?” she laughed, “I was thinking yellow. A happy color for the happy couple.”

Merry felt his lungs constrict, pure joy coursing his veins, “You know I love you, (Y/N)?”

She shoved him away playfully. “Yeah, I figured it out,” she laughed.

~~~

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