#you could have shot me and i'd come out better than after hearing that line

[nexadarling]

OKAY FINE VASHWOOD CAN HAVE MY WHOLE HEART I GUESS. FUCK

[arlemangel7]

Gambit x blackfem!Mutantreader x rogue

First meet: Love in the club

When he met you he had three thought southern loud and sexy. You were a bartender that knew her way around the bar and how to entertain large crowds from the door all he could hear was loud woos and "come down on the left", "what can I getcha boys?", "alright alright two beers and six shots haha, guess we have a big night tonight huh 😁". He was alittle star struck almost to the point of drooling and had it not been for rogue nudging him out of his trants he'd still be standing at door mouth agap watching you twirl and dazzle the room as you shake cocktails all from behind the bar.

Rogue thought you were a raging fire but knew what she wanted soon as she seen you. She sauntered up to the bar through the sea of men sat right now in the center and said "hey sugar how's about me and you take a shot of your choice when you get a minute,hm?". You standing in her perfect line of sight say "well I hope you can shoot something sweeter than you accent darlin?" Without missing a beat she replies with "tell ya what, I'll take as many shots as it takes to get you to come home with me?" You, muddling limes into the bottom of the tin say "well, lucky for you I don't have any plans tonight and I get off in an hour. Soooooo if you can down ten shots of my choosing without throwing up or keeling over I'll take you...and your friend there up on your offer. And?" You place the muddler down grab a bottle and turns around to face her with the bottle still out of view "I'll tell you the name of your poison just cause im so nice." She place the bottle on the counter between yall "100 proof jack, so, do ya really wanna take me home?"

Five minutes later

Yall are down to the last shots of whiskey. Rogue takes her ninth shot and then you follow both your tummies are churning proof that both of you have CLEARLY over estimated the integrity of your stomachs, gambit is in the middle of yall already guessing the outcome if this battle is finished as intended "Listen ladies, I'd suggest we fold this round." both you and rogue say in unison "hush it Cajun!" Realizing yall both made a jinx burst into laughter before you say "you sure you wanna finish this?" She doesn't say anything accept "to our night together." She raises her shot glass up awaiting for you to do the same you chuckle raising your shot glass and doing your best to maintain eye contact through fuzzy vision "night ha *hiccup* try life" *clink* yall slam the glasses on counter and down them hearing the crowd roar in drunken cheers was the last thing you heard before blacking out.

The next morning.

You wake up to bright Sunrays shining through the window next to your bed..... only you don't have a window next your bed. It takes a few seconds to feel an arm squeeze around your tummy and a "mmm" in a slightly familiar voice. You softly and slowly turn to get a glimpse of your bed mates face when you realize you are naked, this makes you spring to a Sitting position trying desperately to remember what happened. "Well good morning cher, helluva night you had huh?" Surprised by the southern male voice coming from the fuzzy figure coming from the doorway. Squinting to get a better view of this person he says "your specks are on the night stand on ya right" you smile silently in thanks and retrieve your second eyes. After a few seconds your pink irises start to focus and you see the man from the bar "names remi but you may know me as 'cajun' I believed you called me last night" you nod "y/n". "Awh, a beautiful name for a beautiful lady. Your bedmate is.." "rogue?" You cut him off, you remember her saying that was her name on the way out of the bar.

"The very same, may I?" He gesters to the spot on the end of the bed trying to be careful with his movement not to frighten you you nod and he sits down before you ask "we didn't do..???" "No cher nothing like that, you two kissed alittle on the couch got naked because it was two hot in here wondered through the house to this very bedroom and watched TV until you both passed out on top of the covers. From there all I did was place a blanket atop both of you, remove your glasses shut the door and went to go sleep on the couch." Seeing the slight skepticism written on your face he says " listen i understand how it sounds but scouts honor im not made that way and There are security cameras in the living room and the hall if you wanna check for ya self."

For your own sanity you decide to take him up on his offer and Lou and behold he is telling the truth you both stumbled in the house threw your keys on the table near the door splayed on the couch where rogue atop of you where a make out session followed as yall are preoccupied with each other remi is seen in the back chuckles shaking his head taking his coat off, locking the door and going down the hall to the room where we ended up. Going back to the living room camera yall break from. The kiss turn on the TV say something in audible to each other and proceed to ditch clothes left right and center until nothing but skin remains yall cuddle on the couch for a sec before saying another sentence to rogue and her reply makes you rise from your position of your head on her belly to walk/stumble through the hall opening doors left and right until you found the bathroom following your departure rogue meets you in the hallway and guides you to the bed room as you both enter remi leaves shutting the door behind him and going to lay down on the couch.

"See a perfect gentlemen." He says in a matter of fact tone "alright I, ahhhh" you say feeling a sharp pang ring through your head "so you want Tylenol, ibuprofen or advil?, and what would you like for breakfast I got waffles eggs and sausage." (Insert medicine and breakfast of choice here) "That'd be great, thank you" he gives you one of his shirts to put on before breakfast is ready and points you to the hall closet with all the spare rag,towels, toothbrushes and etc are he tells you food will be ready in a second and to take all the time you need. Between that time rogue wakes up and is in the dining room where the food and remi are.

After this your relationship would start off and the rest would be history.

As always stories mine characters belong to who they belong to

Let me know your thoughts and ideas

Signing off for now sleep well yall💋💋

[alj4890]

Searching

(Tobias Carrick x F!MC) in a Choices Open Heart One Shot

Rewriting Book 1's Chapter Four: Dolores

A/N Honestly, this chapter bothered me on so many levels. As someone who has gone through two high risk pregnancies and been to the emergency room more times than I'd like to think about, my obgyn (or one from the group) was the one to always treat me as soon as the E.R. doctors found out I was pregnant. So to have an intern and Ethan treat Dolores and allow HER, the patient, to make life threatening decisions on postponing the surgery just *hits head on wall repeatedly*. So, even if I hate to continue this line of treatment to a fictional pregnant woman (and since this is a rewrite I'm definitely changing the canon ending for my own sake!), here's how I would think this chapter would have gone with what we see from Tobias in Book 3. He was never one to hesitate in making decisions, which was shown in the chapter with the man having seizures. For the Ethan stans (which I love him too!) I never understood PB's reasoning to let him, this brilliant doctor, allow Dolores to talk him into postponing emergency treatment. I don't think with what we know of him that he would have waited either.

Masterlist

****************

It'd been hard to tell an old friend that she and her child were in danger. After Chris ran the tests, he saw immediately what the next necessary steps were. Tobias sent for the oncall obgyn to get their opinion. They next prepared Dr. Tanaka's surgical team for what needed to be done. Both NICU and the obstetrician were scrubbing up to assist in surgery.

"Tobias, no!" Dolores cried out as she was wheeled from the E.R. to surgery. "Please, give me more time."

"We don't have time." He squeezed her hand as he walked beside the gurney. "It isn't safe for you or the baby to wait another second."

Tears streamed down her cheeks. "What will happen to my baby?"

"He'll have the best care in NICU." He promised her. "And you'll be able to watch over him while he's there."

She sniffled as more tears fell. As much as she trusted him, hearing the news that her baby would be born so early scared her more than anything. Thoughts of if she did something wrong flooded through her mind. Those thoughts gave way to the plans she'd made to give her son the best of everything in life and that included the right beginning.

She still didn't have his nursery ready. Her sister was coming into town the following week to help her pick out a crib. She'd bought nothing, save for a little frog. Once she saw the soft blanketed stuffed animal, she knew it was perfect for her own little tadpole.

"I wish I had his little frog. He needs his first toy. I planned on giving it to him when he was born." She mumbled.

Dolores felt ridiculous. Here she was thinking of a stupid toy when her world was turned upside down. In that panic filled moment, she would give anything to not have lost it in the fire.

Tobias let go of her hand once they took her into surgery. He stood there outside the automatic doors with a heart heavy with worry. He knew the chances of their survival were slightly better for her than if the fire had never happened. He couldn't imagine her alone in her apartment when a seizure struck.

"Dr. Carrick?"

He turned towards Chris. He'd completely forgotten about basically taking her patient away and not giving her a chance to treat Dolores.

"Sorry about taking the decision from you, Valentine." He apologized. "But--"

"No, you did the right thing." Chris interrupted.

"It was the only decision that could be made." He added, hoping she really understood. "As much as Dolores fought against it, this was the only way to give them both a chance at survival."

"I know." She mumbled, arms folding across her torso as if chilled. "And I know how difficult it has to be to tell someone something like that, especially if you're close to them. Honestly, it's hard to stand there and tell a patient I don't know that it doesn't look good."

He nodded, his lips firming in a grim line. He knew it was difficult for some doctors to state the truth. He was one of the lucky ones who could separate his feelings in that moment and tell someone their illness was terminal or that their chances were not as great as one would hope.

No one doubted he cared as he treated his patients. People soon realized that the reason he could so easily tell someone they were dying was because he was the kind who would want a doctor to tell him the absolute, non-sugarcoated, truth if he had a terminal condition. He knew the only way a person could cope was if they had all the facts.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he slumped against the wall.

"I think this is worse than giving a patient bad news." He told her. "Waiting to see what happens with a necessary treatment makes the job, at least for me, harder."

Chris leaned beside him. She quietly studied his dejected demeanor and felt a longing to comfort him. It wasn't the usual feelings when she saw a friend or patient sad. Something about Tobias made her want to be the only one he would turn to in times like this.

Nudging him with her elbow, she tried to keep his spirits up.

"You did everything you could to give this a chance to work." She reminded him. "There's a great team in there fighting for both Dolores and her baby because of you and your quick diagnosis."

Tobias snorted softly. Her fervent words were spoken with such conviction that it made him wonder just what she felt for him. Was it simple admiration or possibly something more heartfelt?

"Careful, Rookie. That sounds dangerously close to hero worship."

Her laughter was a stark contrast to the eerily quiet hallway. It brought a smile to his face as he listened to the joyful sound. Something about the way Chris laughed made him want to join in. It didn't matter if he was able to cause it or if he happened to overhear it. He simply wanted to be near her and enjoy the infectious feelings that came over him whenever he knew she was happy.

With a smile lingering, she quipped back, "I admire you a great deal, Dr. Carrick, but hero worship might be pushing it."

"I'll get there one day." He teased.

Still smiling she shook her head. After a few moments of companionable silence, a yawn slipped out.

"What time does your shift end?" Tobias asked.

"About two hours ago." She replied.

"Go home." He ordered. "Me and everyone else here will need you well rested for whatever we have to face tomorrow."

"I want to stay and see how Dolores is." She argued. "I know you took over her case, but I--"

He reached out and gently squeezed her hand, cutting off her argument.

"You still need some sleep, Chris." He tugged her closer, making her heart skip about, then turned her towards an oncall room. "I'll wake you when we know something."

She hesitated. The last thing she wanted was to leave him alone to face whatever was to happen. She knew there was a chance, one too horrible to contemplate, that Dolores and her baby might not survive. The thought alone broke her heart. She couldn't let him deal with the outcome without someone there to comfort him.

She knew if it was reversed, she'd want him by her side.

"I don't think I could fall asleep." Chris checked the time. "Why don't we get out of here?"

His eyebrow lifted while a flirty smile popped up. "Me and you?"

"Easy there." She teased. "As fun as that would be, I thought we could go look for Dolores's frog."

He glanced once again at the surgical doors. She could see both his wanting to leave and his need to stick around until the end warring within him.

"I think it would make this a little easier on her if we could find it. If we can't, maybe there's a store nearby where we can find a replacement." Chris added.

Tobias studied her for a few seconds in silence. He'd suspected she had a tender heart from the first time he'd seen her with a patient. He was pleased, especially in this particular situation, to see that he was right.

"Let me get my car keys." He jogged off towards the locker room.

***************

"So?" Chris began once they left. "How long have you known Dolores?"

"Ten years." Tobias replied. "She was my first patient fresh out of medical school."

"Have you kept in touch?"

"We have, though not as much as we did when we first met." He grinned over the memories. "She and her sister had me and my old roommate over for dinner a lot that first year. Then we'd meet up occasionally. Now we mostly exchange Christmas cards and talk through texts."

"Did you two date?"

Chris couldn't believe her own nerve for asking that.

"No." He replied, chuckling at the notion. "Dolores and her sister have certain tastes in significant others and I didn't line up with what they were looking for."

"Why not?" Chris persisted.

Tobias cut his eyes at her. "Is that disbelief I hear in your voice that someone didn't find me attractive?"

She began to laugh while shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, partly. Mostly I'm curious as to why you didn't line up with their own desires."

"I don't exactly have a reputation for long term relationships." He admitted.

"So I've heard." Chris teased. "In fact, second dates seem to be a rarity in tales of your exploits."

He pulled over near Dolores's office, threw the gear shift into park, and turned towards the woman next to him.

"Does that bother you? Those tales you've heard?"

Chris met his curious gaze and slowly shook her head.

"Not at all."

A flirty smile flashed his way, making his own pop up.

"In fact," she opened her door, "your history reminds me a little of my own."

Tobias unbuckled and hurried after her.

"So you're a heartbreaker?" He asked.

"There might be a few men who would call me that." She glanced at him over her shoulder. "Nowhere near enough to give your reputation a run for its money."

He chuckled as they began to search around the recently burned building.

"Maybe I should be scared." He teased. "I never would have thought you were a love them and leave them kind of person."

"You shouldn't be scared." Chris abruptly stopped to make him bump into her.

The moment his hands landed on her waist to steady them both, she swiftly turned around to face him and draped her arms over his shoulders.

His breath caught when she moved closer to him, head tilting as if she was getting ready for a kiss.

"The ones I left never complained about the loving part." She whispered close to his mouth. "Just imagine how much better it is when I stick around."

Stepping away before he could make a move, she motioned him towards a storm drain.

"Looks like this is where most of the water is going. Maybe the toy got swept down there."

Tobias shook himself out of his shock of having her that close. Once her words registered, he found himself ready to put her to the test. They'd been dancing around the issue for weeks now. With how he felt and how often she flirted with him, he knew without a doubt they were going to happen.

She just had to go and remind him of why they were out here.

One day, he thought, I'll have that perfect moment alone with her and we'll finally begin.

Knowing that standing near a half burnt building wasn't the atmosphere he would want for that to happen, he flattened himself on the pavement.

"It's too dark to see anything down there." He grumbled.

Chris handed him her phone to use as a flashlight.

"I see it." He pushed up off the ground once he realized he couldn't easily get through the opening. "I think I might get stuck if I reach for it."

Chris eyed how his damp shirt molded over his muscles. Her hands ached to see just how they'd feel beneath her palms. She'd caught him a time or two changing in the locker room. It'd taken all of her self control not to ogle him.

He caught her staring. A flash of heat went through him over the way she was checking him out. He couldn't stop his smug smirk from forming.

"I need your mind in that gutter, Valentine."

Chris snorted on her laugh as she forced her eyes off of him to analyze the best way to rescue the toy.

"You think you could use all those muscles I see to not only hold me but also keep me from tumbling down that hole?"

"I can do a lot more than hold you." He winked at her.

"I intend on giving you a chance to prove that one day." She quipped back.

Without complaint, she got down on the wet pavement and scooted towards the drain. Tobias held onto one of her arms while she reached for the toy.

"I can't quite reach it." Chris looked up at him. "Hold my waist so I can scoot further in."

Tobias wrapped his arms around her, smirking when he felt her momentarily stiffen against his body pressed against her lower half.

"You okay?" He couldn't resist asking.

His voice, deeper than usual, made her want to sink against him and see what would happen next.

"More than okay." She looked back at him over her shoulder. "Don't let go."

"I always knew you'd say that to me."

Chris laughed as she reached for the toy.

"If you get stuck down there, Chris," Tobias joked, "I'm leaving you the moment a clown pops up."

"I'm pulling you in with me once I see he has a balloon." She giggled when he playfully pretended he was going to let her go.

She reached a little further and finally managed to snag the edge of the frog's blanket with the tips of her fingers.

"I've got it!"

Tobias pulled her out.

Chris grimaced over the dirty street water coating the front of her scrubs.

"Don't worry." Tobias reached up to wipe a muddy smudge off her cheek. "You're still cute."

"As long as you think so." She smiled over his hand lingering against her damp skin.

"I do." He grinned. "Now let's see what all the fuss was about."

The two examined the dirty little frog.

"Think he's salvageable?" Chris asked.

"We'll see once he's cleaned up." Tobias responded. "If not, I know where the spare key is to the gift shop. I'm sure there's some kind of frog thing in there."

As they walked back to his car, she nudged him with her elbow.

"We make a pretty good team."

Tobias opened the passenger door for her.

"You're just now realizing this?" He teased.

She paused in getting in, folding her arms along the top of the door so she could lean closer to him.

"I suspected we would." Her eyes drifted over his handsome face when he leaned even closer. "Now I'm certain of it."

"Good." He nodded towards her seat. "Let's get you, me, and this pitiful frog cleaned up."

***************

A few hours later, the pair wheeled an exhausted Dolores towards NICU. She was hugging the sterilized frog close to her chest while fighting back tears.

"One of the doctors told me that the first night is the most crucial." She mumbled. "I don't know what I'll do if he..."

Her words were cut off by a gut wrenching sob.

Chris reached down to hug the frightened woman.

"He's a fighter." She whispered. "And having you there will make him fight all the more."

Dolores squeezed her tight while trying to calm down. "Okay. I can do this."

Tobias pushed her wheelchair into the nursery.

"Oh!" Dolores exclaimed when she saw her baby for the first time.

With tears falling she reached out and gently touched her son's hand, laughing some when he gripped her finger.

"My little tadpole." She said while stroking his cheek with her other hand. "I'm so happy to finally meet you."

Tobias placed his hand on her shoulder. "We'll give you two a chance to talk."

Dolores nodded, never taking her eyes off her baby.

Chris wiped at her own tears once they stepped outside.

"Sorry." She sniffed while searching for a tissue. "I know I should be more stoic."

Without saying a word, Tobias draped his arm around her.

She turned towards him to press her face against his shoulder while her body shook with muffled sobs.

He gently rubbed her back.

"It's okay to feel things as a doctor, Chris." He reminded her.

"Not according to one of my professors." She blubbered. "I just know how much harder this could be if we'd lost one or even both of them."

"Yes, it could have ended badly." He hugged her close. "Tonight though, we got a win. We won't always, but for tonight we'll rest in knowing we beat the odds once more."

[bleue-flora]

and if i said c!dream had some form of empathy in c!tommy in exile, i'd get shot but that trident scene... look it may have been manipulation on c!Dreams part but since deep down c!Dream doesn't want to be lonely. I can see apart of him enjoying c!tommys company. and I have the hot take that if c!Discduo in exile ever had a moment of having a deep conversation and it wasn't just constant jokes and surface level friendship then I think it could have turned into a genuine friendship, it would take apologies, building trust. I'm an idiot for thinking this I know. wholesome c!discduo always seems to live rent free in my head.

What may surprise you is that I actually agree. I haven’t rewatched all of Exile in a while, though it is on my list. But having said that, I have always been under the impression that there is an underlying genuine friendship there. The best lies have a cornel of truth if you will and the same applies for manipulation. The more you believe it the more they believe it. And we know Dream uses this method because within his evil monologues and such there is a thread of truth weaved in there. So I do think Dream is in some ways genuine. Even further, I think perhaps he has convinced himself that Tommy is his friend by pure choice not circumstance. And I think he does want to be Tommy’s friend or at least did, and while he tried to do it in the normal manner perhaps he determined this was the only way for Tommy to see him as more than a villain. I don’t know…

But the line in the disc finale of “We were friends!” as Dream begs for his life stands out to me. Because I think a part of him saw Exile as real. The same part I think that didn’t fully expect Tommy to kill him all the way…

Exile, much like Daedalus is complex and with Daedalus we have a little more context to what Dream actually wants, which for Exile is perhaps a slightly nuanced. Was he manipulating Tommy - yes. But I am of the opinion that intentional or not, there was a form of genuine bond with him. I mean the thing is, if Dream is manipulating Tommy in Exile - isolating him and making himself Tommy’s only friend, then doesn’t that say something? Do we ever ask *why* he might be doing that?

He says to Tommy later in the disc confrontation, “everything I do is deliberate,” and although that’s true in general, I do think that Dream is also susceptible to emotions like the rest of us, but he uses those for a strategy and tells himself it was intentional the whole time. So, like Daedalus, I’m of the opinion that part of exile was Dream losing his temper and letting his emotions get the better of him, which he uses for his plan but may not have been really intended. When talking to Punz he says that after he blew up the chest that Tommy hid and was going to use to kill him, he ended up coming back to see if Tommy was ok [clip].

He lost everything because of Tommy, would that not make you angry enough to take it out on the source of your pain? Wouldn’t you want that person to feel lonely and abandoned just like you, wouldn’t you want that person to lose their items over and over just like he has done to you? Cuz I think overall he had a plan, but I’m not sure he meant to go as far as he did in some cases, I think emotion got the better of him, honestly understandably so. Isn’t that why Tommy murdered Dream in the disc confrontation? Revenge…

Unfortunately, I do think that reconciliation was probably never going to happen for them, I’m not sure at the moment, when they lost that chance, perhaps when he gave the tnt to Wilbur?… but I think their hate had grown a lot before Exile and they were both in very bad places emotionally speaking, which I find to be unhelpful when trying to make amends. A lot of times, it take a cleared head and not being raw from being hurt to be able to hear someone out, apologize, forgive, makeup or reach understanding. I mean maybe if Dream didn’t sabotage his beach party and take Ranboo’s letters and stuff then it’s possible… but then again the other people would likely relight the flame of hatred toward Dream. Quackity being an excellent example of someone who’s going for Dream’s head, ‘he’s a bad guy, he exiled you. He blew up L’manberg…’ etc probably undoing all the work. If he had let Tommy get items, Tommy would have probably tried to kill him, so sadly I’m not sure there was a world where Exile could have fixed their relationship. But it would have been nice, wouldn’t it? They make such a fun team…

[thevindicativevordan]

Thoughts on the new announcements on absolute comics

Anonymous��asked: Hello! How are you feeling? What do you think of the new creative teams DC announced for October?

Anonymous asked: So ! What are your thoughts on the All In initiative and the new creative teams for the existing books like Action ?

txtmasterblast asked: On a scale of 0 to 10, how much are you looking forward to the upcoming Absolute Universe line?

Thought I'd save this for SDCC since there are still some rumored books that are yet to be confirmed, but I can save my thoughts for when those are officially announced. Short version is that this is extremely exciting.

Dawn of DC was DC playing it safe, and they botched the initiative because of how they spammed low quality events like Knight Terrors. Now they're stepping up to the plate and trying to tap into the energy created by Marvel's Ultimate Universe and the Energon Universe. They're trying to take a big swing and hit a home run. After multiple attempts by Didio to create something like this, it's downright ironic that Snyder finally is the one to do it given the two of them clashed at the end of their tenures. Once again Snyder seems to be trying to infuse the DCU with the essence of Metal, and at least this version appears to revolve less around Batman. I won't lie, hearing Snyder name drop Doomsday Clock and talk about "Darkseid Energy" in the promo video made me cringe.

The success of Hickman's Ultimate Universe and the Energon Universe came because they broke free of the usual shared universe comic nonsense. The Maker is an evil Reed Richards who eliminated all the heroes who couldn't be turned in order to build his perfect world. Energon was a reboot with no prior knowledge required. Simple! If the Absolute Universe requires me to know about the "Metaverse", throw it the trash because it's doomed. If the first issues of these books are not able to be read standalone with zero prior knowledge required, it's going to fail. The All-In one shot should tell us why this universe exists, what the pitch is, but it needs to be free from the kind of esoteric meta commentary which has poisoned DC for the last decade or so. Darkseid meddles with an Earth in order to understand his foes better is an easy concept to grasp. Don't make it any more complicated than that.

Absolute Batman by Scott Snyder & Nick Dragotta - Least exciting of the bunch. Unless Snyder is going to radically change up his writing style, we know how his Bruce sounds. Even without the wealth Batman usually has, I expect this will feel very familiar. Since I've dropped all the other Bat books however, I plan on getting this and two others for my Bat fix. Snyder has teased that Scarecrow and Bane are the two Bat villains he wished he could've done more with during his first run. Scarecrow is my favorite Batman villain and the thugs in the ashcan look like thugs of his to me. I think this Batman will be juicing himself with Venom, explains why he's huge, which is a much better justification for why Bane seeks this Batman out than anything they've come up with elsewhere. That logo sucks but I assume it's because this Batman has to make use with whatever he can scavenge, maybe that is a literal bulletproof plate to guard his chest which he shaped to look like a Bat as best as he could.

Absolute Wonder Woman by Kelly Thompson & Hayden Sherman - Thompson was a fan of the Azz/Chiang New 52 Wondy up until the reveal about the Amazons being rapists. Between the reuse of the silver/red color combo for this Wondy's armor, and how she doesn't have access to Paradise Island or other Amazons, I'm getting very similar vibes. I was a fan of Azz's run even though I acknowledge he "broke" her in several ways, I'm up for a second stab at a Wondy like that with Thompson. Tattoos show Hecate's symbol from Historia, perhaps this Wondy got her powers from Hecate only? My theory is Hippolyta went with her Bana sisters to war, and was never Queen of Themyscira. When she had Diana then, it was in Man's World. If this is dark urban fantasy Wondy, that would make for a good contrast with King's current political thriller run.

Absolute Superman by Jason Aaron & Rafa Sandoval - Bizarro arc was great, Sandoval is one of the best artists in DC's roster, I'm all in (hehe). No Fortress is a shame but since Bats and Wondy don't have their bases either I accept it. No family and no home is particularly intriguing. Seen a lot of speculation about what that entails, from this Superman being raised in an orphanage like the Action #1 origin, to Kal being sent from Krypton when he was old enough to remember it. If it's the latter then Absolute Kara will likely be dead, since she would overlap too much with this Superman. I love the design, grey suit with Morrison's first All-Star shield that Quietly only drew for one panel is a peak look. Hairstyle reminds me of Corenswet's "Clark" hair only longer, also reminds me of Anakin/Luke Skywalker which might be exactly the intention. His "cape" appears to be made of solar energy, perhaps this Superman has trouble controlling his powers? His solar battery biology might work differently here, with him "leaking". Or perhaps he even has a different powerset entirely? Seems like he can channel power into his arms/fists, if we get heat/ice fists instead of vision/breath, that would be the kind of silliness I love. Don't think this Superman will be paired with Lois, which frankly is a good thing. All the other major Superman projects focus on the Clois romance, for this to stand out I believe Absolute Superman needs to be dating other people. Since he seems to be a drifter, Aaron might eventually have him travel to other planets, where we could get Maxima or someone entirely new.

Other books have leaked and are probably right considering Bleeding Cool accurately called the Trinity, but I'll wait until they get revealed officially - likely at SDCC - before giving my thoughts.

For the mainline universe:

Justice League - Superman is apparently building a new JL that will be going after Darkseid and reshaping the cosmic hierarchy of the DCU. If DC had any brains left in their collective heads they would give this book to PKJ, but he's denied being on JL. Ram V still has a book to announce, maybe it's him? I would've said Waid but without Mora I don't think he'd take the job. Aaron is a possibility albeit not one I'd want. Seen some people say Lemire, and he did write the JL crossover with his Black Hammer verse. Please let it not be Taylor.

Superman - Mora joining the book took me by surprise, that is sure to have generated major fuming from certain corners. Doomsday arc is going to be a joy to look at

Action Comics - Waid and Henry are finally announced. Action going weekly was unexpected however. Only question I have is, does this mean Waid is staying on past that one arc? Not clear but since he will have more issues that the previous three Superstars I would assume so. Bitter as I am over PKJ getting kicked off before he could tell the Aethyr story he was building up to, Waid bringing in Morrison's Phantom King does make me happy.

Detective Comics - Taylor taking over made me breathe a sigh of relief. For now he remains quarantined to the Batbooks and Elseworlds.

Nightwing - Watters and Soy are going to finally give us the epic run Nightwing deserves. Watters deserves to be a "big writer" and with any luck this will be what elevates him to that level.

Batman & Robin - Damnit PKJ, you really going to make me read a mainline Bat book? Fine but you better continue the Olgrun plotline through this somehow. In all seriousness with Zdarsky and Taylor being on the other books I expect this will be the best mainline Batman book on the stands. Every previous time PKJ has written Batman has been enjoyable, and I trust him of all writers to do something different with Batman. Let this be the book that gets the general DC audience to take notice of how good he's been elsewhere.

Titans - Nah.

Green Arrow - Wish Montos luck, he deserves to be one of DC's A-List artists, but not interested in Green Arrow.

Exciting shake-ups are on the way, going to have to start trimming my pull again. Anything that doesn't wow me is getting dropped because I need the cash for all those Absolute books, which appear to be stacked creatively.

[noya-noya-noya]

one of my favorite things about the whole buddie dynamics is the fact that while Buck is healing and beginning to choose himself (armchair scene) there's still a part of him that thinks he's only going to get love by risking his life, and that his life IS expendable. an "if I die, that's fine, but i sure would be sad if someone else dies" mentality.

it reminds me of that one line in inochi no kirawareteiru "Frankly, we don't care a bit if we, ourselves died but we'd be pretty said if the people around us died".

and Eddie... Eddie has been assuring him consistently that he is cherished, he is important, and he gets him out of his head when he's starting to spiral.

1...

Buck: I just, I wish I could- Eddie: Fix it? Buck: Yeah, yeah. I know I'm the guy who always wants to fix everything. Eddie: Hey! It comes in handy when you have a bunch of holes in your wall.

2...

Buck: They never wanted another kid. They just had me for parts. Defective parts, as it turned out.

Eddie: Hey, that's not on you.

3...

Eddie: I'd eat a couple extra slices. You look like you're wasting away to nothing.

Buck: Eddie--

Eddie:I will say, honestly, you being laid up is working out for me. I mean, you're no abuela, and you're half a Carla, but you'll do in a pinch.

Buck: You want me to watch Christopher?

Eddie: It's easy. He's not very fast.

Buck: After everything that happened?

Eddie: A natural disaster happened, Buck.

Buck: I lost him, Eddie.

Eddie: No, You saved him. That's how he remembers it. And now, it's his turn to do the same for you.

Buck: I was supposed to look out for him.

Eddie: And what, you think you failed? I failed that kid more times than I care to count, and I'm his father. But I love him enough to never stop trying, and I know you do too.

Eddie: Buck...there's nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you.

Eddie: Thank you for not giving up

4...

Eddie: Are you hurt? (shooting scene)

5...

Buck: Now, listen, I had an entire fire truck fall on my leg, and hey, look at me now.

Eddie: *shakes his head*

Carson: That sounds horrible.

Buck: No, horrible was the blood clots you get after. Mine was in my lung. I was coughing up blood. And they put you on these blood thinners and...

Eddie: Buck.

(I always saw this as Eddie shaking his head because Buck was making fun of what happened to him and not because Buck might scare Carson because Carson wasn't really that scared anymore at that time)

6...

Bobby and Buck arrives at the firehouse, Eddie is alone and opens his arms, waiting to hear the news.

Bobby: Clean bill of health from the docs.

Eddie: Glad to hear it.

Eddie: Show-off.

Buck: I had to do it.

Eddie: No, I know you did.

7...

Doctor: We'll do our best.

Eddie: Do more!

and of course 8...

Eddie: Because, Evan you came in here the other day and you said you thought it would have been better if it had been you who was shot. You act like you are expendable, but you’re wrong.

there's probably a lot more but these are the top ones that I can think of.

i think for someone who lived their whole life looking for purpose (and somehow putting themself in harm's way is something they are accustomed to do) and having someone who has their back, defending them not just from others but their own mind as well, consistently, is a match incomparable.

[multi-fandom-imagine]

Jujutsu Kaisen Characters + Sad song's.

Pairing: Yuji, Sukuna, Megumi, Gojo, Nanami, Geto, Toji, Choso, Hiromi,Kusakabe

A/n: Spoilers

I was in your arms

Thinking I belonged there

I figured it made sense

Building me a fence

Building me a home

Thinking I'd be strong there

But I was a fool

Playing by the rules

•

But tell me, does she kiss

Like I used to kiss you?

Does it feel the same

When she calls your name?

Somewhere deep inside

You must know I miss you

But what can I say?

Rules must be obeyed

↳Kusakabe

《

《

I'd take another chance, take a fall

Take a shot for you

And I need you like a heart needs a beat

But it's nothing new, yeah yeah

I loved you with a fire red, now it's turning blue

And you say sorry like the angel

Heaven let me think it was you

But I'm afraid

It's too late to apologize, it's too late

I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late, whoa

↳Geto.

《

《

I miss you

Miss you so bad

I don't forget you

Oh, it's so sad

I hope you can hear me

I remember it clearly

The day you slipped away

Was the day I found it won't be the same, oh-oh

I didn't get around to kiss you

Goodbye on the hand

I wish that I could see you again

I know that I can't

↳Nanami

《

《

Until I hit the city limits, 'til I hit the state line

'Til I reach a coast, or a ghost town a thousand miles out

Keep this needle hittin' 90

'Til your memory can't find me anyhow

Keep the pedal down

'Til I see some taillights that don't make me think of you

'Til I'm pulled over on the shoulder by some flashin' blue lights

'Til this heart forgets to break

I don't care if it takes me all night

I'm gonna drive you outta my mind

↳Hiromi

《

《

I miss those blue eyes

How you kissed me at night

I miss the way we sleep

Like there's no sunrise

Like the taste of your smile

I miss the way we breathe

But I never told you

What I should have said

No, I never told you

I just held it in

And now I miss everything about you

I can't believe that I still want you

After all the things we've been through

I miss everything about you

Without you, whoa

I see your blue eyes

Every time I close mine

You make it hard to see

Where I belong to when I'm not around you

It's like I'm not with me

↳Gojo

《

《

I need a do-over, how did we end up this way?

I'm so confused, lover, did I mistake love and pain?

Ain't got no shine left, I couldn't hide it

I almost lost all my light, and

I didn't choose sober, but my eyes can't look away

I see our true colors, lately, we've been lookin' gray

I can't turn back now, 'cause you'd take me back down

That road that always seems to come right back around

Remember when

We had dreams to fly away?

But that was then

And now our story's just a page

Like a wave, you're always crashin' into me, crashin' into me

And these days are harder than they used to be, and they used to be

No shootin' stars can fix what we aren't, and

What good's a lighthouse when the light is burnin' out?

↳Megumi

《

《

I've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show

And I thought that bein' strong meant never losin' your self-control

But I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain

To hell with my pride, let it fall like rain

From my eyes

Tonight I want to cry

Would it help if I turned a sad song on

"All By Myself" would sure hit me hard now that you're gone

Or maybe unfold some old yellow lost love letters

It's gonna hurt bad before it gets better

But I'll never get over you by hidin' this way

↳Toji

《

《

But I don't care what they say

I'm in love with you

They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth

My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing

You cut me open and I

Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love

I keep bleeding, I keep, keep bleeding love

Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love

You cut me open

Oh yeah

Trying hard not to hear, but they talk so loud

Their piercing sounds fill my ears, try to fill me with doubt

Yet I know that their goal is to keep me from falling, hey, oh

But nothing's greater than the rush that comes with your embrace

And in this world of loneliness, I see your face

Yet everyone around me thinks that I'm going crazy

Maybe, maybe

↳Sukuna.

《

《

They took you away on a table

I pace back and forth as you lay still

They pull you in to feel your heartbeat

Can you hear me screaming? Please don't leave me

Hold on, I still want you

Come back, I still need you

Let me take your hand, I'll make it right

I swear to love you all my life

Hold on, I still need you

I don't wanna let go

I know I'm not that strong

I just wanna hear you

Saying, "Baby, let's go home"

Let's go home

Yeah, I just wanna take you home

↳Choso

《

《

This is the place where I sit

This is the part where I love you too much

This is as hard as it gets

'Cause I'm getting tired of pretending I'm tough

I'm here if you want me

I'm yours, you can hold me

I'm empty and achin'

And tumblin' and breakin'

'Cause you don't see me

And you don't need me

And you don't love me

The way I wish you would

The way I know you could

I dream a world where you understand

That I dream a million sleepless nights

Well I dream a fire when you're touching my hand

But it twists into smoke when I turn on the lights

I'm speechless and faded,It's too complicated

Is this how the book ends,Nothing but good friends?

↳Yuji

[shewasverynice]

Fandom: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga) WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

Rating: Explicit 

Major Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Non-Consensual Drug Use

Additional Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence, Blood and Injury, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Drug Use

Categories: F/M, Multi 

Relationships: Takami Keigo | Hawks/Original Female Character(s), Original Character/Other(s) 

Major Characters: Original Characters, Takami Keigo | Hawks, Hero Public Safety Commission, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead

. . . . . ╰──╮꒰ The Science of Greed - Part 1 ꒱ ╭──╯ . . . . .

After only a week into Halcyon's return to Nest, tensions had reached a boiling point between her and Hawks. As patient as he tried to be, it was like she insisted on being a pain in his ass. He and Halcyon were constantly at each other's throats on and off duty, and today was no different. Heron stood by the wall awkwardly, just outside of Hawks' office, trying to stay out of the line of fire as Halcyon riled Hawks up yet again.

"Seriously, Birdy, do you ever stop talking?" Halcyon sneered, leaning against his desk with her arms crossed. Her foot tapped impatiently on the floor and her eyes couldn't stay on him for long.

Hawks' wings flared out in exasperation, his head tipping back with his loud groan. He looked at her again and growled, "Oh, I don't know, Hal. Maybe if you actually listened, you'd hear something useful!"

Halcyon rolled her eyes and turned her head away from him, "Useful? From you? That's a joke. All you do is flap those wings and strut around like you own the place."

Hawks stepped closer to her, his wings twitching angrily, "At least I'm tryin' to keep things running smoothly in this agency! All you do is complain and pick fights with everyone! I'm just asking you to be a little nicer to people! It doesn't even have to be me too if you hate me so much, but it would be nice if you could at least pretend."

Halcyon smirked, stepping up to him this time, "Well maybe if you weren't so insufferably fucking cheerful all the time, I'd be able to pretend you weren't so goddamn fake!"

Hawks' feathers ruffled as he glared at her, a cruel smirk appearing on his face, "Fake, huh? Yeah? That's rich coming from you, Chickadee. Why don't you just be Phoenix all day. At least that fake personality is nice. Maybe you'd even get a few fans that way!"

"Oh, please," Halcyon shot back. "You think just because you have some fans now, you can act like you're better than everyone else? You think that changes things? Think it makes you better than me?"

Hawks' wings snapped shut, and he pointed a finger at her and gritted his teeth. "You know what your fuckin' problem is? You can't handle anyone being genuinely nice to you. It's like you're allergic to it!"

Halcyon's eyes narrowed. "And you know what your problem is? You're too afraid to admit that not everyone wants to be your friend."

Their argument escalated, voices rising as they hurled insults and taunts at each other. Hawks' wings flapped furiously, mirroring his frustration, while Halcyon's eyes flashed with anger and her fist slammed on his desk and knocked a cup of pens over.

Finally, Hawks threw his hands up, wings fanning out dramatically. "Fine! Be miserable and alone if that's what you want. But don't drag everyone else down with you!" He shouted.

Halcyon took a deep breath, glaring at him. "Fine! Maybe I will!" She shouted right back.

With that, she stormed off, leaving Hawks standing there, his wings slowly drooping as the adrenaline wore off. Slowly his fists relaxed at his sides and he shook his head. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he finally got himself back under control. "What a mess," he muttered to himself.

Heron meanwhile, took a step back as Halcyon stomped out the door. She whipped her head to glare at him and he only held his hands up sheepishly in surrender. Mercifully, he was excluded from her current war path and she turned away again to head down the hall.

"Oof, that was a rough one," Heron muttered as he walked into Hawks' office once the coast was clear, "You good?"

"Yeah," Hawks grumbled, plopping back into his chair and letting his arms dangle down by the arm rests, "Yeah, I'm good. What's up, Heron?"

"Ah, well I just wanted to talk to you about this weird case I've been working on," Heron said, pulling up a chair and sitting across from Hawks. He reached into his pocket, putting his phone on Hawks' desk with an app open showing his notes.

Hawks picked up the phone, his eyes skimming the words while Heron explained the situation. For weeks, Heron had been chasing shadows. Reports of strange gravitational anomalies kept surfacing, each incident more perplexing than the last. This wasn't a hero issue until recently when one of these gravitational anomalies just happened to be inside of a jewelry store and lots of their stock went "missing" in the chaos. This case was proving to be more than Heron could handle alone.

"So, these gravitational fields... What are you thinking?" Hawks asked, tilting his head in curiosity as he scrolled through Heron's notes.

Heron leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well at first, I thought it was a weird natural phenomenon. Maybe something to do with magnetic disturbances or seismic activity or even like a kid with a newly awakened quirk. But then I noticed a pattern. All these incidents are centered around scientific institutions before the jewelry store. That's clearly not a coincidence."

Hawks nodded, "Yeah, that's what I'm reading from this too. Someone’s doing this on purpose."

Heron nodded, "I recently discovered that it's an invention—a device that manipulates gravitational fields. It's sophisticated, way beyond what most people could pull off. That's why I called you. This isn't just some scientist playing around; someone is using this tech for something big."

Hawks' wings fluttered excitedly as he stood up and paced the room, "A device that can control gravity... The possibilities are terrifying. Who do you think is behind it?"

Heron remained still, his voice calm, "I have a name. Dr. Felicia Hawthorne. She's a physicist with a reputation for pushing boundaries. She disappeared from the academic scene a few years ago, right around the time these anomalies started."

Hawks stopped pacing, his eyes narrowing, "Sounds like we need to pay her a visit. But if she's as smart as you say, she won't be easy to catch."

Heron nodded, "That's why I need your help, Hawks. I don't think this is gonna be a one man job. Plus, we need someone who can handle the tech side of things so we should bring that new girl."

Hawks grinned. "Consider it done. I'll get Perplex and we'll head out."

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

The door to Perplex's room was slightly ajar, and Hawks could hear the faint hum of electrical outlets and the rhythmic clacking of a keyboard. He pushed the door open gently and stepped inside. The room was a stark contrast to the bright, open spaces of the rest of the agency. It was dark, illuminated only by the glow of multiple screens and laptops scattered across several desks. Wires snaked across the floor, connecting various devices in a chaotic but somehow organized manner.

Perplex sat in the center of this technological web, her face illuminated by the cold light of her screens. Her dark purple Gothic makeup contrasted sharply with the pale light, and her long black coat draped over the back of her chair like a shadow. She wore tall boots that added to her imposing presence, and her black lipstick and two lip rings on the left side of her mouth gave her an edge that was both intriguing and slightly intimidating.

Hawks took a moment to compose himself. Though he knew Perplex was a valuable asset, her dry, uninterested manner always left him feeling a bit off-balance. He reminded himself that beneath that exterior was someone who was not only brilliant but also kind-hearted in her own way.

"Perplex," Hawks called out, keeping his tone light and friendly.

Perplex looked up from her work, her red eyes reflecting the screen's glow. "Hawks," she acknowledged, her voice as flat as ever, "What's up?"

"We've got a situation," Hawks began, stepping further into the room, "Heron and I are investigating some strange gravitational anomalies, and we believe Dr. Felicia Hawthorne is behind them. We need your expertise to hack into her systems while we keep her distracted."

Perplex's expression remained unchanged, but there was a flicker of interest in her eyes. "Gravitational anomalies? Sounds intriguing," She paused for a moment, considering, "Let me get some of my gear."

Hawks couldn't help but admire her efficiency. Despite her detached demeanor, she was always ready to dive into a challenge. "Great," he said, feeling a bit more at ease, "We'll need to keep things low-key at first, so my plan is to approach her under the guise of seeking her scientific opinion."

Perplex nodded, already packing up some of her equipment into a large black duffle bag, "Understood. I'll work my way into her systems once we're inside and copy all her data. Should be straightforward."

As they left the dark room, the hum of electronics faded behind them, replaced by the bustling energy of Nest. Hawks walked alongside Perplex, still marveling at the contrast between her dry exterior and the dynamic intellect he knew lay beneath. She looked so bored and almost condescending, but he'd been pleasantly surprised at how kind she actually was.

Heron waited just outside the Nest, the sun beginning to rise high above the city, the shadows gradually disappearing under the late-autumn afternoon sun. Hawks and Perplex emerged from the building, her black coat billowing slightly in the breeze. As she approached, Heron noticed something he hadn't seen before—beneath her coat, a set of slender, spidery legs moved with mechanical precision.

"Perplex, meet Heron," Hawks said, trying to mask his grin, "Heron, this is our tech genius."

Heron extended a hand, his eyebrow slightly raised, "Nice to meet you, Perplex. Didn't know you had... extra limbs."

Perplex shook his hand, her grip firm, "Nice to meet you too, Heron. The legs are a recent addition. They help with multitasking." Her voice, as always, was dry and almost emotionless.

Hawks, trying to lighten the mood, chuckled with a silly little smile, "So, that's why you're at Nest, right? Because like... Spiders make nests?"

Heron groaned, shaking his head, "Really, Hawks?"

Perplex's lips curled into a small smile, and she let out a short, dry laugh. "That's actually pretty funny," she said, her tone so flat it was hard to tell if she was being serious. But the slight crinkle around her eyes suggested she genuinely appreciated the joke.

"Glad someone appreciates my humor," Hawks said with a grin, his wings giving a playful flap. "Alright, team. Let's get moving. We’ve got a villain to catch."

The trio made their way to Dr. Hawthorne's secluded estate, their steps synchronized despite their differing gaits. Perplex's spidery legs moved with a silent grace, adding an eerie yet fascinating element to their formation. Heron and Hawks had offered to fly her there, but quickly realized her bag of gear was a lot heavier than they expected.

As they arrived at the grand but foreboding mansion on the outskirts of town, Heron reminded them of the plan. "Remember, we're here to ask her about the anomalies. We need to keep her talking while Perplex hacks into her systems."

"This place looks like it should have lighting in the background," Perplex said, staring up at the sky behind the mansion.

"Honestly, I could see it," Hawks agreed.

The trio approached the door and rang the bell. After a few moments, Dr. Hawthorne herself opened the door, her eyes narrowing as she recognized heroes. She looked tired, her brown eyes rimmed with red and heavy dark circles. Her sweater was oversized on her thin body and any of her visible skin was dried and very pale.

She licked her chapped lips before she spoke. "Heroes again," she said, her voice laced with suspicion. "What do you want now?"

"Dr. Hawthorne," Hawks began smoothly, "We've encountered some unusual gravitational phenomena and wanted to get your expert opinion."

"There are other scientists," she huffed, "Why do you people keep bothering me about it?"

Hawks smiled, "Well, we heard you were one of the best. Why waste time elsewhere?"

Hawthorne's eyes flicked to each of them, lingering a moment on Perplex's extra legs before stepping aside. "Very well. Come in."

The study was a small and cozy room filled with antique furniture and scientific paraphernalia, an odd blend of the old and new. It was warm inside, the fire going strong in the fireplace near the back. The walls in between book shelves were decorated with awards and photos of her accomplishments. Hawks immediately engaged Dr. Hawthorne in conversation, using his charm to keep her attention.

"These anomalies are quite baffling," Hawks said, his wings fluttering slightly, "We've never seen anything like it."

Dr. Hawthorne, intrigued despite her suspicion, began to discuss possible scientific explanations. Clearly Hawks job of distraction would be easy because quickly the woman became engrossed in explaining her various studies. Heron's sharp eyes scanned the room, noting the various advanced pieces of equipment as he strode around the room with his hands behind his back. He glanced at the pictures casually, keeping himself slowly on the move.

Perplex, meanwhile, moved to a corner, her spidery legs helping her to silently navigate the room without drawing attention. She sat down, playing the part of a bored and disinterested sidekick. One of her spindly legs twisted and slipped itself into the light socket beside her and caused a momentary hum while she rerouted the electricity through her bloodstream.

Hawks had been warned about the slight surge in power that would occur. As soon as it happened and the lights flickered, he purposely floated some of his feathers to show Dr. Hawthorne. "So, then I suppose it's worth asking if things that are controlled telekinetically are as affected by gravity as regular objects?" Hawks asked, his voice sounding genuinely curious.

"That is an interesting question," Dr. Hawthorne said, her eyes bright and curious, "Well, if I were to say..."

As their conversation continued, Perplex's eyes widened slightly as she gained access to the electronics in the home. Through the walls and around, from the outside it seemed as if nothing was happening. She quickly downloaded the data from the hard drives, her heart racing despite her composed exterior. When done, she cleared he throat softly but remained seated.

Meanwhile, Hawks was continuing his conversation with Dr. Hawthorne, keeping her distracted. His wings flicked with barely concealed impatience, but his tone remained courteous. He recognized Perplex's signal, and prepared to make a swift exit.

"Thank you for your time, Dr. Hawthorne. Your insights have been... illuminating," he said, flashing a charming smile.

Dr. Hawthorne eyed him suspiciously but nodded. "Just remember, you're wasting your time trying to stop progress."

Hawks gave a noncommittal shrug and joined Heron as they exited the room. Perplex emerged from the shadows, her face as impassive as ever. They left the mansion, stepping back out into the now late afternoon air.

"Got the data," she said simply, holding up a portable drive.

"Nicely done," Heron said, nudging her arm.

The three heroes made their way back to Nest. Hawks, ever the conversationalist, turned to Perplex with genuine curiosity.

"So, Perplex, I've been meaning to ask—how exactly does your quirk work? How'd you get the computer to do that? It’s pretty impressive," Hawks said, his wings fluttering in interest.

Perplex glanced at him, her expression flat. "It's simple. I can read electrical currents as they run through my bloodstream. When I connect to a power grid, I can essentially travel through it by reading it's current. Once I'm inside a computer, the electricity moves through the motherboard."

She paused, making sure they were following. "From there, I trick the computer into thinking I'm a SATA drive. I 'ask' it to copy its hard drive onto me, and then I transfer that data to my own portable drive. It's like being the computer's hard drive for a moment."

Hawks' eyes widened with appreciation. "That's incredible. So you can basically hack into any system just by touching it?"

Perplex nodded, "In simple terms, yes. As long as there's a power source, I can likely get in."

Heron, walking silently beside them, finally spoke up, "It's a useful skill. Especially for missions like these. Good work, Perplex."

Perplex gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, her expression still unreadable.

As they continued back to their base, Hawks couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of confidence. With Perplex's unique abilities, Heron's strategic mind, and his own speed and agility, they had a solid team capable of tackling even the most challenging missions.

"Next step is analyzing that data," Heron said, breaking the silence. "We need to figure out Dr. Hawthorne's next move before she can execute it."

Hawks agreed, his wings twitching with anticipation. "Let's get to it, then. We’ve got a villain to stop."

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

Hawks, with his signature red wings folded behind him, leaned against the sleek, modern conference table, his keen eyes scanning the holographic display in front of him. The display showcased a rotating 3D model of a device known as the Graviton Distorter, a dangerous invention created by Dr. Felicia Hawthorne.

Heron stood beside him, and eventually Hawks broke the silence. "So, Heron, what do you have on Dr. Hawthorne so far?" he asked.

Heron responded, "Perplex managed to get into her hard drive copy. It apparently had a hell of a password or something. We've got some data suggesting she’s been testing the Graviton Distorter, but nothing concrete linking her to any crimes. Yet. The issue is that the one incident we have—the gravitational anomaly in the jewelry store—can't be conclusively tied back to her without more evidence."

Hawks nodded, his expression growing serious, "We need to catch her red-handed before she can cause any real damage. If she perfects that device, the consequences could be catastrophic."

Just then, the door slid open, and Perplex entered the room. Her spidery legs clicked onto her floor as she approached, her expression looking deceptively disinterested as always. She carried a sleek tablet, which she handed to Hawks.

"Got something for you," she said in her dry tone, "Intercepted some encrypted messages. Looks like Dr. Hawthorne is planning something big. Maybe a demonstration of her device."

Hawks scanned the tablet's contents, his eyes narrowing, "This is good, but it's not enough to arrest her. We need irrefutable proof of her intentions and a direct link to the Graviton Distorter."

Heron stepped forward, "We could set a trap. If she's planning a demonstration, she'll need a location. We can plant surveillance and catch her in the act."

Hawks considered this, his mind racing. "We'll need to act fast. Perplex, continue monitoring her communications and see if you can narrow down the timing and place. Heron and I will do some surveillance in the areas outside of town. If we check the areas the original anomalies occurred we might find a location where they're setting up for this demonstration."

As they finalized their plan, Hawks extended one wing, the feathers glinting in the light, "Let's clip her wings before she can take flight."

Heron nodded, his determination mirroring his own, "We'll get her, Hawks. She won't know what hit her."

The next few days were a whirlwind of surveillance and investigation. Hawks and Heron tirelessly scouted out previous sites where gravitational anomalies had been detected. Each location, thoroughly checked and rechecked, yielded nothing—no clues, no suspicious activity, no sign of Dr. Felicia Hawthorne or her associates. The frustration was palpable.

"Nothing here either," Heron reported, his voice crackling over the comm. He stood atop a high-rise overlooking the city, his eyes scanning the skyline. "It’s like she’s vanished."

Hawks, flying low over another site, sighed, "Same here. It doesn't make sense. If she's planning a demonstration, there should be at least some activity. But it’s dead quiet."

Back at the Nest, Perplex was just as stumped. She sat at her workstation, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the keys. "I’m getting nothing. Her communications keep mentioning a demonstration, but there’s no date or time. It’s like she’s deliberately keeping it vague."

Later that evening, the three gathered in the conference room, the tension thick in the air. Perplex showed them the latest intercepts on the holographic display, but they offered no new insights. Just as Hawks was about to voice his frustrations, the door slid open and Halcyon lazily strolled in.

"What's up?" she greeted nonchalantly, slurping on a bowl of spicy ramen out of a black foam cup. The aroma hit the other three instantly, a potent mix of chili and spices that made their eyes water.

"Jeez, Hal," Hawks coughed, waving a hand in front of his face, "Could you have picked something less eye-watering?"

Halcyon ignored him, her eyes on the holographic display, "Still stuck on Hawthorne, huh?"

Heron nodded, wiping his eyes on his coat, "Yeah, we've got nothing. Every lead is a dead end, and Perplex can’t pinpoint a date or time for this so-called demonstration."

Halcyon paused mid-slurp, then set her bowl down on the table. She walked up and looked at the emails, her eyes scanning the words before she rolled her eyes. With her hand on her hip, she pointed at the screen, "You guys are overthinking it. She’s not planning anything yet. She’s just gauging interest."

The room fell silent. Hawks raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Halcyon shrugged, picking up her bowl again, "She’s throwing out feelers, seeing who bites. Once she knows she has an audience or buyers, then she’ll plan the actual demonstration. Until then, she's playing it safe and using really non-committal but hyped up words."

Perplex blinked, her expression shifting from disinterest to realization, "Of course. That’s why we can’t find anything concrete. She hasn’t committed to a date or location because she’s still in the negotiation phase."

Heron sighed in relief, "That makes sense. It explains why we’re not seeing any activity at the old sites."

Hawks grinned, his spirits lifting, "Good catch, Hal! Alright, new plan. We focus on her communications. If she’s looking for buyers, there’ll be a trail. We just need to follow the money."

Perplex nodded, already typing away, "I’ll dig deeper into her network, look for any financial transactions or new contacts. If we can identify potential buyers, we can anticipate her next move."

Heron added, "And I’ll keep an eye on any new potential sites that fit her needs. If she’s setting up a real demo, we’ll catch her in the act."

Hawks clapped his hands together, the fire back in his eyes, "Alright, team. Let's get to work. We’ll nail her before she even gets the chance to start."

Perplex and Heron got up, heading out of the room. Halcyon however took a seat on the edge of the table, continuing to eat her ramen. She didn't even look at Hawks as he closed the screens and stacked up their notes. He was in the same boat, not really sure if he should say anything to her. Eventually though, the silence became way too much for him to ignore.

"What's going on with you, huh?" He asked, moving to stand in her line of sight, "Can we talk about this? I really don't like leaving things unsaid and we haven't talked since our last fight."

"What do we even have to talk about?" She said, dryly. Her eyes met his and his wings fluttered on his back. She tilted her head as he stared at her, but said nothing else.

"Okay," he leaned on one leg, planting his hand on the table beside her, "I'll ask you this: Why do you keep picking fights with everyone?"

"I don't pick fights," she said after a particularly big slurp. Her mouth was still full as she shrugged and added, "Everyone just starts shit with me and I finish it."

Hawks narrowed his eyes, "A lot of the time when people say it's everyone else's fault, it's really theirs. Everyone isn't out to get you, you just react badly to any kind of perceived insult."

"Shut up," Halcyon grunted, pointing her chopsticks at him, "You don't know that."

Hawks pointed back at her, "That's exactly it right there. You're immediately being defensive."

"You got all up in my face and glared at me," Halcyon huffed, looking away from him with her nose up turned, "You don't get to act like I'm at fault here. People are nasty to me, it's that simple."

Hawks took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure, "That's not true. Most of us just want to help."

"Help? Yeah, right. You all think I'm some kind of ticking time bomb," Halcyon shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Maybe if you dropped the attitude, people would see you for who you really are," Hawks retorted, his patience wearing thin. "You're good at what you do, Hal, but you're pushing everyone away for no reason."

Halcyon narrowed her eyes. "And maybe if you weren't so damn perfect all the time, you'd understand why I'm angry. You have no idea what it’s like."

Hawks sighed and ran a hand through his hair, softening his tone. "Look, I'm not perfect. Far from it. But I'm trying here. Why don't we just talk it out? Maybe have a drink or something and figure out what's really bothering you?" He suggested.

Halcyon raised an eyebrow, a sly smile creeping onto her face. She set down her ramen again and sarcastically fluttered her eyelashes, "Oh, I see. Is that your way of flirting with me, Birdy?"

Hawks feathers fluffed up and his face flushed. He stammered, "Wh-what? No, that's not what I meant."

Halcyon chuckled, leaning in and flicking at his long hair by his ear. "Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that," She said softly with a coy sparkle in her eyes.

Before she could pull away, Hawks caught her wrist and swiftly pinned it behind her back, bringing her close. The sudden movement left them inches apart, eyes locked in a tension-filled moment. His eyes flicked down to her lips unintentionally and his breath caught for a moment. She didn't move, her gaze holding his. He could feel her heartbeat thundering through her wrist and realized his own was matching that tempo.

"Listen to me, Sera," Hawks said quietly, his voice steady and sincere, "No one hates you. Most people just want to get to know you, me included. But you need to give us a chance."

Halcyon stared back at him, her defiance faltering for a moment as she saw the earnestness in his eyes. She felt a strange mix of emotions—anger, vulnerability, and something else she couldn’t quite place. It felt like a good time to run away, but the look in his golden eyes froze her in place.

"Why do you even care?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Because I can see how lonely and hurt you are," Hawks replied, his grip gentle but firm on her wrist, "And I think, deep down, you want to be part of this team. You just need to let people in."

Halcyon looked away, biting her lip, "It's not that easy."

"I know," Hawks said softly, "But it's a start. So, what do you say? Truce? At least for a little while?"

She took a deep breath, finally meeting his gaze again, "Fine. Truce. But don’t expect me to be all warm and fuzzy."

Hawks smiled, releasing her wrist. "Wouldn’t dream of it."

Taking a step back he watched as she brushed a strand of her brown hair behind her ear and slid off the table. Picking up her ramen, she scraped at the bottom of the foam cup with her chopsticks and pressed the chunky remains of the goopy powder into her mouth. Hawks watched her curiously, but when her eyes flicked over to him again and she smirked his heart fluttered all over again.

"Did you know your eyes do that weird bird thing?" She asked playfully.

He blinked, then his brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

"Your eyes," she repeated, "Your pupils go all like BWOOSH when you get flustered or mad or something." She made a motion with her fingers like something expanding and the sound effect again.

Hawks eyes widened, "What?! Do they? Seriously?!"

Halcyon nodded with a snicker, "They do. Can't you feel it? It's really drastic!"

"No fuckin' way..." He mumbled, his face flushing red as he pulled out his phone and flipped the camera. He pulled down his eyelid, looking at his eye on the screen.

"How have you never noticed?" She asked with a laugh.

"I dunno," he answered while still looking at his eye through the camera, "It's not like something I could really see happening when it does right? Plus it's not like I've watched myself all that much in videos. Or well at least not my eyes."

Halcyon bit her lip as a sneaky little idea hit her. He was still distracted when she took a little step behind him. With one finger, she reached out and traced up the underside of a feather with a long swipe from quill to tip.

Hawks shuddered at the surprising touch, but gasped as he saw his pupil indeed expand significantly in the camera. He turned to her, his mouth hanging open and face flushed.

"Holy shit you're right!" He shouted, his wings flaring out.

"Told ya," she snickered, "It's wild!"

"Damn," he muttered, his feathers still fluffed up from her touch, "I thought my wings were the only thing that gave me away."

"Nah," Halcyon said as she purposely brushed past him and headed towards the door, "You're pretty obvious to me."

Hawks ran his hand down his face while he slipped his phone back into his pocket. With an exasperated sigh he followed after her, "... Coulda gone my whole life without needin' to know that."

⤶ Prev Main Next ↪

[charbies]

been having a tough time.. stuff about it under the cut

writing a stream of consciousness about the past few months. I've been really depressed. I kept getting burned out from my job almost monthly, but could bounce back when I took a little time off. Then midway through the summer, it's like I just got stuck and couldn't get.. unstuck. by fall I had a full blown depressive episode; in september I could admit I was depressed, in october I went on medication for it, and by the time november came around it felt like there was no end in sight. Fall is my favorite time of year, and I felt like I was in a fugue state and missed it because I barely existed.

the ways this showed up in my body are unlike anything I ever experienced in my life before and that was terrifying. my head and body ached like I was coming home from war every day. I was falling asleep at the wheel, and it was a recurring pattern; my body was shutting itself off when the thought of what I'd have to deal with at work was becoming too much. I burst into tears whenever I saw my friends post pics hanging out and wished I could live closer and see them more. I felt so overwhelmed and empty, I needed everything to stop and I wanted to disappear.

my job is fucking hard. I try not to talk about it on here, but I work with people who are hurting and traumatized. I regularly have to tell them when I believe the choices they're making are going to wind up killing them. I have to tell them the last things they want to hear and still hope they trust me. The average burnout rate at my job is 2 years, I've been there for 16 months. I'm 24 and the youngest one there by a long shot. I know I'm good at what I do, but still feel way in over my head, I feel like I don't get to be my age. I've thought about quitting but I don't think I have it in me to leave and start over somewhere new just yet, not now. I feel trapped because as hard as the work is, I get way better amenities there than at most other places; this place is basically as good as it gets where I live and it's still killing me.

even tho I know how severe things were getting, I feel so guilty for ways I fell off the face of the earth. I stopped talking to friends, family, coworkers, pretty much everyone. I bailed on linktober and a bunch of other art projects I lined up and thought I had the energy to pull off. In general I just feel like a failure even though I know that isn't true.

I broke down hard and took a leave of absence, I get a few weeks off from my job. I've been off for 10 days and as badly as I've wanted to draw the idea also makes me want to jump out of my skin. So I'm taking time and hoping it comes back while I pull myself together.

I could use some advice or wisdom from anyone who has been through this in any capacity. Even silly stuff in my inbox would make my day. Tumblr was my comfort place when I was a kid and I think it will do me good to be able to look back on this post after I've worked through this and I'm doing better. Thanks for reading all of this if you did, it means a lot <3

[luminouslywriting]

Chapter 4: Easy Company (The Prophecy)—A Band of Brothers Fanfic

A/N: And we're back with another chapter....and the introduction to some very good friends haha! I'd love to hear your thoughts and what you all think so far! The moodboard is so indicative of Winnie and Nix’s friendship moving forward!

It had been a long few weeks for all of the women assigned to be under Sobel’s directions and rules.  But none of them could quite complain—all of the nurses and female attendants had been bunked up together in a section of the bunkhouses. That, of course, made for better company than the dreary group of men they were working with. 

Still, it wasn’t until every single one of the cabins was full with trainees that Winnie and her nurses felt like a routine could be established.  Easy Company was a large company and as per regulation, would only be getting one medic per platoon and then one senior medic per company.  From day one of all of the men being there, it was clear that Sink was trying to weed out who would actually fit as a medic and be able to handle that sort of stress. 

Combat stress was different from medical stress, after all.  Men could wield a gun and aim like no one’s business—and there would be more of them that could do that in comparison to men who could accurately assess the horrific bloody aftermath of such events. 

The first day of everyone being assigned to their respective Companies meant a lot of shots for Winnie and her nurses.  There were certain immunizations and things that were generally required.  And seeing as how these men had come from every portion of the country to become Paratroopers, it was a mixed bag of who had been immunized and who hadn’t. 

Winnie was no stranger to stabbing needles into men’s butts.  She was no stranger to the humor of men who thought it was in their best interest to flirt with herself and the nurses.  Dirty talk, after all, wasn’t something she was unfamiliar with. 

She had a particular quality to the way that she administered shots.  Her method was simple: don’t give a warning while they’re usually yapping or flirting and be swift—not a single smile graced her features that entire time.  If the men wanted smiles, they should have been in line for Reba or Eileen—both of whom had better bed-side manners than Winnie herself possessed. 

She had lost count of how many shots she had administered at this point—and the next person up in her line just looked utterly annoyed at the entire situation.  He glanced to the side, giving a cough in his friend’s direction.  “Well let’s just get this over with, huh, Dick?” 

“Shots don’t scare me, Nix.” 

“Well you got the nice lady.” 

Winnie gave a brow raise and a pointed cough, gesturing at the table. “Sign here and put the company you’re in,” Winnie stated, handing him a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it.  His name would spill over onto the second page as he signed, letting out a low whistle. 

Maybe the shots was just a new form of torture or something.  He promptly signed it and handed the thing back to Winnie.   She glanced at the form—Easy Company, that meant he fell under Sobel’s direction.  

This poor soul. 

“Pants?” 

“Normally that’s accompanied with a please.” 

“It’s the military, not primary school.” 

The man, referred to by Nix, just gave a huff of air and gave a nod. He was quick to bend over and pull his pants down ever so slightly.  “You gonna give us—OW!” 

“All done,” Winnie said dryly, flashing a dry smile in his direction.  She had pulled the needle back, letting out her own slight breath.  

“You rule this medical hut coldly, ma’am.” 

“But fairly.  So out, if you would.  I have other men to stab with my many needles.”

“I’m sure you’ll be just as nice to them as you were to me.” 

“Damn straight.” 

Nix gave a mock salute, earning himself an elbow from his friend who had rejoined him, and then he was gone.  Winnie gave a half-eye roll, then turned back to the line behind her—which was significantly shorter now that some of the other men had caught onto her tactics.  “Who’s next?” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winnie spent the next night pouring over files.  When men joined the Paratrooper division, they had to fill out a series of questions.  Some of those questions were combat oriented and some of them were medically oriented.  That being said, Winnie now had the task of taking her pick of the litter—that is, figuring out who would be best on the page and giving them the assignment of Medic. 

Whether or not they actually became medics was entirely up to them and whether or not they could perform under the pressure of what was coming.  So far she had highlighted two out of the potential candidates that could be trained as Medics. 

She wished this was as easy as helping her brothers figure out what branch they had wanted to volunteer themselves for. But she knew them—she had years of raising them and watching them develop into the men that they were now to know exactly where their talents would be of most use.  

Familiarity was not a luxury that Winnie had been afforded now.  She half-expected Sobel to scoff at the suggestions when she had dropped them off in the morning, but he had only given it a mere glance before giving a nod.  

Maybe he expected them to fail since she was the one who had suggested them. She wasn’t quite sure. 

“I’ll have these posted before the end of breakfast.  I hope they’re cut out for this,” Sobel said, narrowing his gaze at her. 

“Let’s hope our collective training does the trick,” Winnie replied coolly, gaze unflinching back at the man in front of her. 

So by the time that the list for medics and other personnel had been posted, the entirety of Toccoa seemed to be buzzing with the energy of assignments.  It was no small thing, being given a new position or call to action.  The men would have to learn quickly and adapt to whatever the brass deigned to throw at them.  

It was a small class of medics that later gathered in the medical hut—just six of them at the moment.  Three of them were assigned to D-Company and the others assigned to E-Company.  Edwin Pepping, Albert Mampre, Kenneth Moore, Eugene Roe, Ralph Spina, and Chet Brooks—it wasn’t a rather impressive group to look at, but they all shut up immediately and stood at attention when they noticed Winnie’s Doctor’s uniform. 

She’d take that as a win any day of the week. 

Reba blew the whistle to signal that the class was now starting and Winnie took her place up at the front—right in front a whole bowl of oranges.  You’d think with it being a war and all, it would be a delicacy.  But it just so happened that oranges were a great practice-dummy for shots. 

“I’m Doctor Allen and I’ve been assigned to ensure that you are all properly trained to be field medics.  To my left is Nurse Garrett and Nurse Gray.  I expect you’ll give them the proper respect—because their knowledge, and my knowledge, might just be the thing between life and death when you’re flopping around on a beach in the Pacific or freezing your ass off in Europe.”

Not a single word—just a resolute glance towards her nurses—and Winnie would take that as an open sign of respect to continue in her work. 

“Grab a syringe, grab an orange—and let’s get to practicing the first thing you’re going to need to know.  Morphine injections.” 

Winnie wished that she could say assigning random body weights and hoping that the medics would be able to do the math was going to go well.  Alas—she was not surprised by the outcome.  Nearly every single medic had been wildly off with the amount of water they were going to inject in the orange—which was a small way to prepare them for actual morphine injections.  

The only person who hadn’t wildly failed the first part of medic training was Roe—and he sat quietly, still staring at the orange in his hand.  At first, Winnie had half-expected for his math to be off too.  But staring at the amount, it wasn’t that far off.  

“Not half-bad,” Winnie stated.  “The rest of you start again.  Roe, keep up with the math and you might just pass this course.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that week, when lunch came around again, Winnie sat with her nurses, quietly working on her next set of exam questions she was planning on throwing at the medics.  The segregation based on gender here at Camp Toccoa was nothing new, especially in the medical field.  It just so happened that Winnie hadn’t been allowed to sit with the other doctors in the camp—they didn’t consider her an actual doctor. 

Aggravating as it was, it was something she was used to.  

Reba’s gaze lingered on the kitchens.  “They’re loading their plates up quite a bit.” 

“I bet that hard-ass is going to make them run Currahee right after,” Eileen stated, a slight tone of bitterness permeating the timbre.  Sobel had, in fact, had Eileen, Reba, and Winnie run Currahee a few weeks earlier—right after a full meal.  

“It’s what he does,” Winnie stated, without glancing up from her paperwork.  “I think I’ll add a section on sexually transmitted diseases.” 

“Foul play, Doctor,” Reba stated, shaking her head.  “These guys are bound to spread a few.  I heard one guy���s got a whole pack of rubbers in his locker.” 

Winnie just made a face of slight disgust.  “I’m not even surprised.” 

“I feel bad,” Eileen mumbled, glancing at the eager guys all chowing down on their hearty meals.  “They’re gonna be so sick.  And then we’re gonna have to deal with it.” 

At that, Winnie finally glanced up from her papers, gaze sweeping over the room.  “I suppose I could give a small heads up.” 

“Well it wouldn’t hurt for us to make friends outside of the medics,” Eileen pointed out further.  

Winnie gave a slight huff.  “Fine, alright.  I’ll do it.  Just—work on the STD section, alright?”

Both Eileen and Reba gave a mock-salute, grins on their faces.  Winnie rose from the table and made her way over to the garbage cans, where she dumped the rest of her food.  She had timed it just so that Winters—Sobel’s next-in-command, was also clearing his plate. 

“You guys probably shouldn’t eat so much,” Winnie said, glancing over at him. 

Winters’ gaze narrowed on her.  “Why’s that?”

“I don’t know how many of the men would like to run after eating this kind of food,” Winnie said pointedly. 

“Is this a trick?” Nixon’s voice cut in the conversation. 

Winnie just glanced between the two men wearily.  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She guessed that she shouldn’t have been surprised when dinner came around and the men of Easy Company looked like they had been through hell.  Running Currahee with full stomachs in the changing of the seasons while pollen was thick and the air was sickly wet was another sort of torture that she did not envy. 

Flipping to the next page in Modern Medical Counselor: A Practical Guide to Health, Winnie kept her gaze trained on the page.  She was only fifteen pages in—Eileen had picked it up on the last weekend trip she had taken.  Eileen was a fast reader and had finished it within the first two days of having it.  It was a rather new medical book that had come out with some of the best tips and practices for medical professionals. 

While she wasn’t sure it was all going to translate over to medics in the field of war, Winnie would take what she could get.  She was a slower reader than Eileen happened to be, but she didn’t mind burning the midnight candle to read now and then. 

Just as she was reaching the mid-point in the page, there was a slight clattering sound in front of her.  Winnie glanced up from her book, finding Winters and Nixon sitting in front of her and looking slightly uncomfortable about the entire thing.  “How was the run?” Winnie questioned, tone slightly biting at the words. 

“Okay, we should’ve listened to you,” Nixon started. 

“Obviously.” 

“Listen, we’re not here to make waves,” Winters said, leaning forward.  “We wanted to thank you for the heads up.” 

At that, Winnie actually set down the book and looked at the two of them.  Noting that most eyes in the room were set on their particular table, she just tapped her fingers on the table. “Yes, well—Garrett and Gray thought we should try to make friends with you all.” 

“The nice ones?” Nixon questioned. 

“That’d be them.” 

“But not you.” 

Winnie gave a simple shrug of her shoulders. “I see the benefit of making friends when it helps both parties.  And unfortunately for you, I’ve been dealing with Sobel for longer than you two.  And the nurses do want you to succeed in becoming Paratroopers.”

“And you?” Winters cut in. 

“I do as well.  That’s why I’m so by-the-book,” Winnie stated dryly.  

“Well you’re doing a fine job training our medics,” Winters replied in a genuinely warm tone. “Roe said you’re the best damn doctor in the place.” 

Winnie raised a brow—she wasn’t used to any sort of compliments.  Not from anyone.  Not ever.  “Well I don’t know about that, but your medic is competent at taking orders and picks up on things fast.  I’m Winnie,” she finally ended on that particular sentiment. 

A grin spread across Nixon’s face.  “I knew you’d warm up to us.  Lewis Nixon,” he said, extending a hand. 

She reluctantly shook the hand, giving an eye-roll as she did so.  “I wouldn’t call it warming up to you boys.  And you?” 

“Dick Winters.” 

“Well how about this, boys?” Winnie said, leaning forward.  “I can give you a few heads up here or there—and we can all try to ensure that you get where you need to be without any major injuries.” 

“That sounds suspiciously like being friends,” Nixon cut in. 

“That’s not what this is.” 

“Whatever you say!” 

[phantoms-lair]

A Wolf Among Thieves part 2

Okay, Vajlean wasn't going to be useful here, so the only ones he'd have left to ask was the kids. Something he had expressly NOT wanted to do.

He'd said more than once they were naïve. He'd come to realize it wasn't that they were ignorant of how the world worked, they knew better than most. It was that they refused to accept it so long as they were alive to change it. But in the end they were still kids and they could be naïve enough to not question certain things. Like what being a Persona User could mean.

Zenkichi vividly remembered the first half of his trip into the Kyoto Jail. It was terrifying, ducking around pillars and knowing being seen would mean death. And how he moved just like in the real world. Then when Valjean awakened it changed, he was jumping onto roofs and practically teleporting behind cover like it was second nature. None of the kids had taught him how to do that, just like swinging that giant sword it came naturally.

He had been changed, remade to adapt to the Metaverse. And he had been carefully not thinking about if that followed in the real world. That more than his outlook had changed, that he was now something not quite human. Something other. And the last thing he'd wanted was this hanging over the kids. But he had to know...

Kurusu picked up immediately. "Everything okay, Wolf?" His voice in full Joker mode.

"I was just wondering something. After you awoke to Arsène did anything...weird happen to you."

The other side of the line was quiet for a moment. "I started traveling into the depth of Tokyo's collective subconscious so I could chide some peoples repressed feelings and combat other ones using my rebellious spirit as a mystical weapon. I also went directly in the minds of some of the most evil people I've ever met in order to steal a part of their soul that was making them into twisted bastards in the first place, then selling it for cash at a pawn shop so we could further fund supplies for our exploits. I escaped jail by pulling a trick with reality so the assassin posing as my teammate shot the memory of me being in my cell instead of my actual self. I have killed at least three gods, the first one by taking the offered power of everyone I'd helped and turning it into a fallen angel with a gun. The personification of Hope lives in my room and for reasons unbeknownst to me or him is trapped in the form of a cat. He can also turn into a bus. My friends and I were brought into the Metaverse for a Dance Off that Lavenza thinks I don't remember, but I totally do."

"Okay, okay. Point taken. I should have specified. I didn't mean weird events. I meant like, weird with your body."

"Is this a puberty talk? Because I can assure you I know about the birds and the bees-"

"Not that!" Thank GOD Akane wasn't home. "Look, I got into a bar fight tonight. The fight itself wasn't important, but while I was fighting I started healing, like I do in the Metaverse when I'm not in a Fury. And it's not just the injuries I got during the fight. All the little everyday cuts and bruises are gone and I am doing my best not to freak out, but I am very much freaking out." He could hear Morgana's voice in his head telling him to get it together, just like his first foray into the Metaverse. It didn't help then and it wasn't helping now.

"I haven't noticed anything like that, but none of the rest of us have regenerative abilities like yours." Kuruso said gently and despite himself Zenkichi felt himself calming down ever so slightly. "I know some people who might be able to give us answers. Igor would definitely know, but he's more of a 'you don't call him, he calls you' guy, so he might take a while to find. Lavenza I can get to, she may not know all the answers, but she should know something. We'll find you answers."

"Thank you. And sorry, for falling apart on the phone." Zenkichi said sheepishly.

"It's not a problem, you're one of us now, and we look after our own." Because no one else would was unsaid.

~

Zenkichi was having dinner with Akane when his phone buzzed. He felt a bit guilty for the quick glance he took at it, but he did work a job where people's lives could depend on his response time.

Have some answers. Den tonight.

"Work?" Akane asked with a bit of disdain. "Just an informant updating me on his progress." He assured her. "Nothing worth interrupting dinner for." Not to mention said informant and his crew would rake him over the coals if he didn't spend enough time with his daughter. Those kids...

Still the Den though. Zenkichi had mixed feelings on the place. It was perfect for their purposes. He just hated how much the location shouldn't exist.

It had apparently manifested during the Yaldaboath incident. A small corner of the metaverse that had attuned to the Phantom Thieves, almost like a one room palace (even if it was a very big room). It had vanished with the rest of the metaverse after that incident had ended, but Sophie had gotten the idea if her 'sister' Emma had managed to have so much control of the metaverse, she could manage one location.

Because it worked like a Jail, all they had to do was enter the passcode and they'd be taken there, regardless from where in Japan they were, and be returned to the same spot. It helped with him in Kyoto, most of the kids in Tokyo, and Sophie who knew where. Incredible convenient, but it gave him the heebie jeebies.

Once Akane was asleep he took out his phone. "For one so desperate for answers, you certainly fear them." His golden eyed reflection said mockingly.

Zenkichi certainly regretted his desperate attempt to talk to his persona. Not only had it not gotten him anything, but Valjean seemingly took it as an invitation to chat with him whenever he saw his reflection which was...annoying (Even if his commentary during boring meetings was hilarious). Still, Zenkichi ignored him and pulled up the custom EMMA-like interface. "Name: Thieves' Den Passcode: I am Thou."

His house dissolved around him and he found himself in the bright red room. But at the same time his heart sank. He'd expected to find Kurusu. And the leader of the Phantom Thieves was there - along with every other member.

So much for not worrying them.

"Hey Gramps," Sakamoto gave him a tiny salute. He was in his Phantom Thief attire with him mask up around his forehead. Most of them were, save Takamaki who was wearing a school uniform.

It seemed strange to him how she didn't actually like her outfit. She'd grown used to it, but didn't think it was cool, the way the others Including him felt about their attire. Had she just gotten so used to being seen as a sex object between her modeling work and Kamoshida's advances that that's how she saw herself even if she hated it.

He'd suggest therapy, but apparently the last time one of these kids tried therapy the therapist had turned himself into a god and tried to rewrite reality into his own Utopia, so that was probably out.

What even was his life?

"So answers?"

"Well, Igor continues his streak of not being there when I need him." There was no mistaking the frustration in his tone. "But Lavenza told me what she could, and we've been running some experiments."

"I could not participate in the experiments as I have no body outside the metaverse, so I helped compile the data." Sophie said brightly.

The kids had been experimenting on themselves?

"So according to Lavenza, awakening to a Persona sort of grants you a dual citizenship in the Metaverse. That's why it's easier for us to navigate after an awakening. We count as a local for all intents and purposes. Also our Personas being a part of us mean we're intrinsically connected."

"It's harder to tell for the mot part with we who have only one persona," Niijima stated. "But Akira's wildcard ability showed that what we do and how we train our bodies does effect our Personas, so it made sense for the reverse to be true."

"We also learned that being a Persona user doesn't automatically make you heal faster, though wounds healed in the metaverse would stay healed in our reality." Sakura continued. "So in an emergency we could use magic in the metaverse to heal a serious injury without the need for a hospital."

"Passive healing isn't common, but I do have some Persona's with a Regenerate ability. When I equipped them, I noticed the fast healing you mentioned did seem to effect me. So it's likely that you do have a variant for ValJean's ability and can heal yourself through fighting. You also probably have the reverse, but I'd prefer you didn't use it as we don't have access to healing magics outside the cognitive world."

"Don't worry, I have no plans to test out if I can tear myself apart in the real world." Because at this point he was honestly just going to assume he could and avoid it.

"Other than emotionally" He reflection snarked back.

You know what? "Also do you guys know how to keep you persona from snarking at you? ValJean's gotten kind of mouthy."

He got several blank looks in return.

"ValJean talks to you? Regularly?" Okumura ventured.

"Is that...? I'm guessing from your looks that's not normal?"

"My Persona only spoke to me when it first awakened." Takamaki looked around, as if confirming this with everyone else.

"The same with mine." Kitagawa nodded.

"Johana was a bit..." Niijima winced . "'I see you've found you're justice, pray do not loose sight of it again.'" She quoted. "I felt like I'd disappointed my mom. I have a hard time imagining just being able to chat with her."

"For real?" Sakamoto looked surprised. "Cap was cool. Told be since my name was already mud, I might as well let loose and wreck havoc. I'd love to have the chance to actually talk with him."

"Zenkichi, under what circumstance did ValJean start talking to you?" Morgana inquired thoughtfully.

"I wanted to ask him about the healing thing. But since it turns out Personas only know what the human they come from knows, he had zilch. And then he never shut up." Zenkichi rolled his eyes.

"Really?" Kurusu of all people looked surprised. "I always got the impression Ars��ne knew a lot he wasn't telling me. Maybe it's another wildcard thing?"

Sakamoto snorted. "Dude I think it's a you thing. When you're on you give this aura like you have all the answers and hold all the cards. And Arséne's a part of you so...yeah. I think you just played yourself, man."

While the rest of the Phantom Thieves laughed at the bewildered look on their leader, Morgana looked thoughtful. "It makes a certain amount of sense." Morgana allowed, tail twitching. "Personas are part of one's cognition and as such can be shaped by our perceptions. None of us had a persona talk to us outside an awakening, so we assumed just talking to a persona wasn't a thing that could happen. After all, we had accepted that part of us into ourselves. Zenkichi, you to at least some degree saw ValJean as a separate entity, at least enough to assume he'd know something you didn't. You expected him to be able to respond and because of that he was."

"Of course once he did respond that was it. Talking to him became part of your cognition of him. No putting that genie back in the bottle."

"Great." Zenkichi glared at his golden eyes reflection.

"It is not my fault you are ever the agent of your own undoing." ValJean grinned back.

"Having to listen to you forever is a hell of a price tag for admission into the Phantom Thieves." Zenkichi groused.

"Don't be silly, Valjean's not why you got in." Sakura snorted.

"He isn't?" Zenkichi was at least slightly satisfied to see his persona just as poleaxed. "I asked if it was that simple and you said yes."

"Oh, is that what you meant? Then the answer is no, becoming a Phantom thief is NOT as simple as awakening a Persona." Takamaki clarified.

"Yeah Gramps, thought you knew. You were a Phantom Thief before you entered that dungeon." Sakamoto laughed.

"I was?" If anything Zenkichi was even more confused.

"Get out of there. Run." Kurusu said the words calmly, unlike how he had yelled them the night Akane had been taken. "Those words. That moment."

"Please understand, we wanted to trust you before then." Niijima apologized. "But you're not the first member of 'law enforcement' to demand a deal. And they've never intended to keep their end not even....not even Sis." She clenched her fists, remember a Christmas morning she'd thought be filled with hope instead be replaced with anger and betrayal. "The intention was always for us to end up caged, dead or both."

"So by the time you showed up to blackmail us, we knew anyone working with the authorities was absolutely not to be trusted." Okumura further explained, which really made her 'We hate cops' attitude all the more understandable.

"But that moment was a line in the sand. You could sacrifice us for your career, All you had to do was nothing and you'd be set for life. A false hero for the country to praise." Kurusu continued to explain. "But instead you sacrificed your career for us. You gave warning, ruining your career and taking our place in interrogation." He locked eyes with Zenkichi who was suddenly and forcefully reminded that Joker knew what being on the wrong side of that table was like. Knew more than the others exactly the treatment Zenkichi would expect. "In that moment you had to choose if you were with us or them. And that is when you became a Phantom Thief."

Zenkichi felt a lump in his throat. "I just did was right."

"Exactly." said Sakura. "Exactly."

ValJean laughed. "Did the children not just tell you they have little to no experience with adults doing 'what was right' by them. You have their trust and you have earned it fairly."

He'd earned it. And to be honest that felt a little better than getting his place on the team because he had a Persona.

"So you've been keeping u with your cooking, right? What did you make for Akane for dinner tonight." Okumura's words were friendly, but her eyes were sharp with challenge. Kurursu had also sat up straighter, waiting for his response.

Those damn kids. His damn kids.

His?

Okay, he could deal with this revelation later. Right now he had to defend himself in the court of cooking

~~~~

Honestly the original idea for this fic came from the P5 manga where the theives are playing cards and Joker keeps winning until one of the team accuses him of having a high-luck Persona equipped.

And if that carried over, why not other things? Like Zenkichi healing while he's fighting as long as he isn't using Fury

[offworldlamb-writes]

Day 18 of #fictober24 and this one was shockingly easy to write 🤔

Lilla hears about a friend in need, and she starts to plan a rescue heist with Steluta, Keet and Calista (set in my 3Kingdoms WIP)

xxx

The better days were becoming more frequent after the first week, but Lilla still couldn't quite believe how close she'd been to dying up at the mountain too. Her name was stricken from the soldiers' 'Wanted' list so Harel genuinely believed she'd done the deed before leaving, and for the brief respite they were getting now Lilla wasn't exactly eager to correct her.

Calista, Steluta and Keet kept tabs on what they could from here, keeping an open line of communication with who they could back in Haulwen to stay up to date on soldier movements, but the more days that went by without word from Derrin the more concerned they became. Any major announcements and adjustments back at their headquarters and he'd send off a message, but Lilla's apparent death didn't stir up a peep from him.

When she could finally walk for more than ten minutes unaided Lilla went to the message office herself to find out what she could, her suspicions about Derrin's situation keeping her up at night more often than the stab wound, but just like when Steluta went to check for her there was nothing waiting. Nothing from Derrin, anyway: a message arrived for her late last night from someone called Marie, frantic and worried that Derrin's 'last hope' was really dead, and spoke at length about a cluster of arrests done within the Wawr Soldiers' ranks. Derrin was among them under suspicions of 'aiding fugitives' and a brutal investigation was underway that pinned a lot of crimes in and outside of Hailwen on him and the others who'd been arrested. Thanking the message clerk Lilla dumped all the change in her pocket before hurrying as best she could back to the flat, where Steluta and Calista were waiting patiently.

Waiting a little for Calista to fetch Keet they were all gathered around her work bench within ten minutes, and Lilla read the message out in full. "'Derrin is all I have left and he fully believed you were his salvation. Please save him'-- he mentioned his dad was an officer, but we never really talked about family other than that," she admitted a little shamefully, passing the letter to Calista to read herself.

"Who is he?" asked Keet, looking from Lilla to Steluta, and between them they explained how Derrin helped them with their Decay research early on back in Hailwen.

"I thought we were careful," Lilla grumbled soon enough, muttering a dismal swear under her breath. "We're going back to Hailwen to find out what in Shura's grace is going on with the Wawr soldiers, right? Derrin's right in the middle of this!"

"What do you mean 'we'?" Steluta quickly sputtered in response, and Lilla was ready for a repeat of the argument they'd had before she left when he gave her the most heart-rending look she'd ever seen. "Lilla, you nearly died! And they still think you're dead: why do you want to throw that away?"

Righteous anger flared behind the scar in her abdomen and burnes through her chest. "Because he's my friend, and we both owe him for the help he gave us to help you. You're alive right now because of what he told us about the Decay!"

Steluta quickly acquiesced with a solmen nod, and Lilla looked to Keet instead. He stopped her before she could say a word, chuckling a little. "You nearly died because I couldn't stop you before, and I'm pretty sure I can't stop you this time either, but hopefully i can stop anyone else from stabbing you," he said, before turning to Calista for confirmation. "If you don't mind me coming along. I'm kind of attached to her now."

Lilla's grumbled complaint of feeling like a pet went ignored as Calista smirked. "It's not like I can stop you either," she shot at Keet, who accepted the hit with another grin, before folding the letter and passing it back to Lilla with a nod of confirmation. "I'd rather not put you back in danger so soon-- the longer the Wawr think your dead, the safer it is for you-- but you're right. We wouldn't know all that we do about the Decay without him, and they would've caught us a long time ago without his warnings. Whether this 'Marie' is genuine or not doesn't matter. We can find out everything we need when we get back to Hailwen."

"A week on the boat should be plenty of time for you to recover properly anyway," Keet assured her with a firm pat to the back, causing Lilla to bite back a low groan despite her best efforts before swatting him back across the arm. "So what's the plan? You can't just bust in and break him out: it sounds like they're pretty intent on taking him down."

But Calista was undeterred, her features set stern. "As you say, we have a week on the boat, and a few people back in the capital who can help us."

"So no plan."

Calista's jaw tightened, but she admitted he was right with a heavy sigh before Steluta shook his head with a scowl. "No-- this is a plan! It's a start: we have a goal, we have a destination, and we have a week. That should be enough time to work out the rest, right?"

"Yeah; c'mon Calista, you always have a plan," Lilla added, flashing her a confident smile. "We're already started and we know what we need to do, so let's go. Derrin doesn't have the luxury of waiting."

[this-is-krikkit]

Heyy Krikkit! How's everything? I'd like to request number 24 “Well, that’s embarrassing", please and thank you 🙃

hey Alice! everything's alright, i hope you're well too! 🥰

this was initially going to be light and fun, but i got a different idea so i changed it up a bit. hope you like it, thank you so much for sending a prompt!! ♥️♥️

send me a number and a ship/character, and i'll write you a drabble!

Relief (ao3 link because now it's a multichap canon divergent fic woot woot)

Characters: Levi, Hange, The 104th kids, Onyankopokon

Tags: snk 132, canon divergent, fix it fic sort of, hange is alive and well, i mean... yeah hange's alive, angst, just imagine those mechanics were better at their jobs than in canon ok? ok thx

.

The honest shock in the gasp that escaped Hange's lips when Levi's fist hit their chest, louder than the sound of countless Colossals approaching, burned its way into his ears and engraved itself into his memory with so much force he almost backed away then. He stopped thinking as a Captain and a soldier for a second, stopped putting the entire world's value above what their life meant to his, and almost disregarded their last order to let them go and look as cool as possible to everyone else while he alone would be stuck remembering their shaking hands and voice as they prepared themself to fly off to their death –if he even made it out alive himself.

Except Hange had been his closest friend for a decade and outstanding leader for almost half that time; Hange had been steering the wheel of this sorry army of theirs with the last bit of strength in their formidable spirit and visionary mind in those direst of circumstances, and Hange wouldn't request this of him if they hadn't thought every other possibility through and weren't past ready to cross that line.

Hange had always dedicated their heart to the cause they rightfully supported, and now wasn't the time for Levi to challenge their last command. Now was the time for him to dedicate his own, and let them go –no matter if he shattered it in the process.

"Shinzou wo sasageyo,” he recited solemnly, looking ahead, thankful for once for their mirrored injuries, and their current position that prevented either of them from seeing the other's face.

He still heard and felt the sharp intake of breath they drew in after the words had tumbled from his mouth, and for a second there when he could feel their heart starting to beat harder and faster under his fingers, could feel the cruel scorch of unrealistic hope –that those words might have made a difference, that Hange might have perceived the corrosive sting that declaration inflicted on his tongue and the meaning under it and somehow changed their mind– flowing from the veins of his left hand directly into his heart.

Their posture straightened soon after anyway, their sternum pushing back against his hand that he let fall in defeat as their feet carried them away from him and a chuckle made its way through their lips.

"Ha, ha! It's the first time I've ever heard you-

The sound of quick, human-light steps drowned the rest of their sentence and Levi's head shot up to watch Mikasa nearing their spot, her mouth opening as she closed in on them.

"Hange-san, wait! Onyankopon just said the plane's ready to go!"

Levi felt more than he saw Hange turn around again to face the kid as he took in the words she'd just spoken, praying Gods he never believed in that his ears and eye weren't playing tricks on him under the loud sound of the advancing Rumbling and the dust that was starting to saturate the air all around them.

“Are you shitting us right now?” he asked, not recognizing his own voice, not sure it even carried far enough that she'd hear him.

“Come on, hurry up!” Mikasa shouted again, before sprinting away back where she'd come from.

The faked glee faded from Hange's face and they stared at Levi like they had that day they'd reached the Jeager basement and found out about the world outside the Walls, like they needed him to confirm his relative's words.

He could be of little help to them right now, when his own brain was having trouble understanding the situation, when his mind hadn't nearly recovered from this most recent whiplash. But he still nodded their way and started moving.

The two veterans walked towards the others and the plane, and Levi couldn't help but wonder if Hange, only a few meters ahead of him, was matching his pace out of kindness to not leave him behind, or if their legs too felt like they had to move through thick, ton-weighing mud with each step.

“Guess I'm not dying today after all,” they said suddenly.

Their humorless tone made a shiver run down Levi's spine and he looked at them sharply, his hand wrapping around their wrist.

“Hange,” he called when the contact didn't prove enough to make them turn around and face him.

But they only laughed a strangled, wet chuckle that sounded so unlike them, and refused to look back at him. Instead, they shook his hold off and picked up their pace, quickly reaching the others and helping them push the repaired floating plane into the water.

He didn't hear them speak again until they were all safe sitting inside the aircraft and they turned to face Armin, still panting from the effort they'd all just put into getting out of the hangar that had now been crushed by rubble the Colossals had shot its way while advancing.

"Well, that's embarrassing after that goodbye speech but... Armin, would you mind if I back-pedalled on that Commander promotion? At least for the time being?" they asked, a familiar, playful grin splitting their face as they looked at everyone but Levi.

"Of course not!” Armin replied, blushing at the direct address. “I'm only relieved you didn't have to sacrifice yourself for us.”

Agreeing noises could be heard from the other Scouts.

"Right, me too,” they said, their smile faltering ever so slightly. “Me too.”

“Everyone, hang on tight! We're taking off,” Onyankopon warned from the cockpit.

The cabin shook and thundered, but the deafening noise and trembling floor weren't distraction enough for Levi to detach his stare from the surreal vision of Hange, still alive and breathing, settling in the seat directly across from his own.

They readjusted their cape around their slumped frame, their still shaking hands lingering against the spot his fist had touched minutes ago. He let his eye wander to their face, spotted the tensed jaw, the downward edges of their mouth now, and the tears welling up under their one iris, and he knew for sure then.

Hange wasn't relieved one bit.

[beas-whump-blog]

@chrumblr-whumblr day 4! The prompt was "watching while loved one is hurt".

Fandom: Hardy Boys (Franklin W. Dixon book series)

-

Joe awoke with his head pounding, and a digging pain in his wrists. His hands were tied behind his back, and by the stiffness in his shoulders, probably had been for a while.

He was sitting up in the corner of a dimly lit storeroom, metal shelves full of tools lining the walls. He winced at the crick in his neck and shifted uncomfortably.

“Joe,” came a familiar voice from the other back corner. “You okay?”

“Frank,” he sighed in relief. “Yeah, I think I'm alright. How about you?”

“My head hurts. I think they hit us with something.”

Joe winced, feeling the splitting pain in the back of his own head.

“Sounds about right,” he agreed. “What is this place?”

“I don't know, but I'd be willing to guess it's one of Mr. Mahoney's stores,” Frank said. “What he brought us here for, I couldn't tell you.”

The meaning of his words was obvious. By all rights, they should be dead by now. Criminals as dangerous as Rick Mahoney didn't just let amateur sleuths like them stick around after being caught.

“You think he wants something from us?” Joe asked, understanding.

“I'd bet my life on it. The only question is what.”

Joe nodded.

“Well, hopefully we won't be sticking around long enough to find out. Dad knows we went to see Mr. Mahoney, right? When he finds we haven't returned, he'll be able to figure out the rest pretty quickly. He knows Mahoney's no idiot—our cover was never going to last long.”

Frank smiled wryly.

“It just didn't last as long as we'd hoped.”

The heavy-looking door opened, and both boys shut up.

“Frank and Joe Hardy!” Mahoney exclaimed pleasantly, testing out their real names instead of using the aliases they had been going by as he stepped into the room. “Glad to see you two awake.” His tone was good-natured, but the door swung shut behind him with a deafening finality. “If I had known I was working with the sons of the famous Fenton Hardy this past week, I would have shaken your hands!”

“I'm sure,” Joe said dryly, and Frank shot him a look that clearly warned against antagonizing the man currently holding them captive.

Mahoney just laughed.

“You’re a lot like your father, you know that?”

“He taught us everything he knows,” Joe said carefully, avoiding Frank's disapproving gaze.

“I can see that—you managed to infiltrate my operation, after all. That takes skill. Unfortunately, there's only so far your father's lessons can carry you. Even he isn't invincible.”

“What do you want?” Frank asked, probably trying to get a confession before Joe could make the situation worse for them with another smart comment. “Information on him? You really think we'd turn on our own dad?”

“Oh, no, of course not,” Mahoney chuckled. “I'd never expect that of a couple of honourable Hardy’s. No, you're going to help me another way.”

Joe didn't like the sound of that. Not at all. And a quick glance at Frank told him he felt the same.

“I assume you know how many times your father has investigated me?” Mahoney asked.

Joe looked to Frank to answer, deciding it was probably best to let him take the lead from here on out. Frank nodded at Mahoney.

“Not an exact number, but he’s mentioned your name more than a few times.”

Mahoney seemed satisfied with that.

“Well then, you should know that despite the fact that he's never found anything actionable, he's been a terrible thorn in my side for years. So I'd like to hurt him back, and what better way than through his sons?”

“If you hurt us, he's only going to come after you harder. You'll never escape. He won't let you,” Frank said, seemingly unshaken.

“He's right,” Joe agreed, trying to copy his brother's cool-headed facade. “Right now you're just another criminal. Touch us, and it's personal.”

Mahoney's smile widened.

“I’m glad to hear you say that, because personal is exactly what I'm going for. He's hurt my operation. So now I'm going to hurt him, through you.”

He stepped forward and grabbed Frank by the front of his shirt, pulling him to his feet and slamming him against the wall.

“Hey!” Joe yelled. “Leave him alone!”

Mahoney glanced at Joe, uninterested, before returning his attention to Frank.

“Really, I'm doing you a favour here,” he said reasonably. “I know you'd rather I hurt you than your younger brother. You can thank me later.” He drove his fist into Frank's stomach, and he tried to double over, gasping, but Mahoney kept him pinned to the wall. He punched him once more in the stomach, and Frank grunted, red in the face and unable to breathe.

“Stop it!” Joe protested, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. “Stop, leave him alone! Frank!”

“Joe,” Frank coughed. “It's fine. I'll be fine, it's okay.”

Mahoney's fist connected with Frank's mouth next, and Frank yelped, blood dribbling down his chin as he panted.

Mahoney finally released him and allowed him to hunch over, then put a forceful hand on his back and drove a knee into the boy's stomach. Frank’s legs gave out, and he fell to the floor with his arms wrapped around his stomach as he wheezed.

“Frank!” Joe exclaimed, holding back tears. “Frank, just hold on, okay? You'll be alright. You'll be alright.”

Almost ten minutes later, Joe wasn't sure his words were true anymore. Frank lay unmoving on the hard floor, groaning softly, and he himself was hoarse from screaming.

“You know, I meant what I said about doing him a favour,” Mahoney said, turning toward Joe. “I think he'd much rather not have to watch his little brother suffer.”

Joe's eyes widened as the man stepped forward and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him off the ground and cutting off his air supply. He was slammed against the wall, and his head exploded with pain. The last of his precious air left his lungs, leaving him gasping like a fish.

He knew he had to stay calm, but all his training had gone out the window. He could hear Frank's low moan of protest as his shoulders ached, and his knuckles complained about how they were sandwiched painfully between the wall and his back. He kicked wildly, but he was losing energy, and the edges of his vision were going dark.

He couldn't keep this up for long. His kicking slowed, then stopped, and eventually he couldn't do anything but hang there, limp, mouth open in desperation as his line of sight grew narrower and narrower.

Then there was a loud bang and lots of shouting, along with yells of “Bayport Police!”, and suddenly the grip around Joe's neck was released. He hit the ground hard, kneecaps feeling like they might shatter as they met the concrete. He collapsed to his side, curling into a ball as he choked and gasped.

There wasn't enough air. He needed more. He took deep, desperate breaths that burned his lungs, not stopping despite the pain they caused. He needed air, he needed to breathe, he needed-

“Joe! Joe, it's alright. Just breathe. Come on, you can do it, son.”

Dad.

There was a gentle hand running through his hair as he gasped, vision beginning to clear, and he wanted to tell him not to worry, to go help Frank, Frank was hurt, but couldn't stop his panicked breaths long enough to get the words out.

“You're alright, son, you're alright,” came that calming voice once more, and Joe selfishly couldn't help but be grateful for it, despite knowing Frank needed it more than he did. He reached out and clung to his father's arm like a lifeline, and his father held him back, pulling him up and cradling him gently as his panting gradually subsided.

Dad, he tried to say, but instead coughed horribly and painfully, his raw throat feeling like murder.

“It's alright son, don't speak. I've got you.”

Frank, he tried this time, but the result was the same.

“It's okay, Joe. It's okay,” came a hoarse whisper, and he could have cried in relief. Frank was leaning on their father's shoulder, he could see now, looking down at him with concern.

Joe couldn't decide if he wanted to say you look terrible or something more genuine, but when it came down to it, he still couldn't speak. So instead he smiled weakly at his brother and reached out a hand, fumbling until he had a firm grip, and Frank squeezed his hand back.

Fenton helped Joe sit up and wrapped his arms around his sons, sighing with relief as they both leaned into him.

“I'm so glad you two are alright. Your mother and I have been worried sick,” he told them. “And your Aunt Gertrude was practically in hysterics. You know she didn't like the sound of this case from the beginning.”

“She never does,” Frank smiled, and Joe almost laughed, but restrained himself, knowing his throat couldn't take it. But his father felt him shake with the effort, and held him a little tighter with a slight grin.

After a moment, Joe turned back to Frank, allowing guilt to overwrite his features.

I'm sorry, he mouthed, and Frank's face fell.

“Joe, this isn't your fault,” he told him.

“He's right, Joe,” their father agreed. “If anything, it's mine, for letting you take this case. I knew how dangerous Mahoney was, and still-”

“Dad, stop,” Frank said firmly. “It's not your fault either. Joe and I both agreed to take this case. You warned us about Mahoney, and we underestimated him. It's nobody's fault, we'll just have to learn from it.”

Fenton stared at his eldest son for a moment before smiling, tracing a gentle thumb across the discoloured bruises that mottled his face.

“How did you get so smart, huh?”

Must've been mom's side, Joe tried to joke, but all that came out was a pained wheeze.

“Easy there, Joe. Come on, we need to get you two to the hospital. There's an ambulance waiting outside.

Joe stood shakily first, so that their father could help Frank. Frank leaned on him heavily, obviously in pain, but didn't complain.

“I'm proud of you boys,” Fenton said as an officer held the door open for them. Normally Joe would have smiled at his father's words, but at the moment he was too distracted, scanning the room behind them before it was out of sight.

“The police already took Mahoney away,” Frank told him, as if reading his mind. “You were still pretty out of it.” Joe nodded, satisfied. He'd hate to think that after all that trouble, he'd somehow managed to slip away.

“There's no way he's getting out of this one,” Fenton confirmed, walking them outside. “You two did good work, I hope you know that. But that doesn't mean that these kinds of risks are always going to be worth it. Hell, I’m not even sure this one was worth it.” He hesitate before continuing. “I don't know what I'd do if I lost either of you. So just… remember to be careful, okay?”

“If we needed a reminder, this was it,” Frank said wryly. “And you know that goes for you too, right? We need you. The police probably wouldn't have figured out where we were without you.”

Fenton smiled at that.

“And how do you know they didn't?”

“How did you get here so fast?”

“Maybe Chief Collig called me.”

Frank and Joe exchanged a knowing smile.

“Maybe. But?” Frank prompted for both of them.

“… But he didn't,” their father admitted with a grin, and Joe bumped him with his shoulder as if to say, that's what I thought. Fenton wrapped his other arm around him, and the three walked out to the ambulance together, shaky, exhausted, and two of them in pain, but even so, content now that they were safely together again.

[lunapwrites]

So my partner and I finally watched Oppenheimer and I have... comments.

First: I did enjoy the movie, in the sense that I found it entertaining and beautiful to look at. However, it's the first 3+ hour movie I've ever sat through where I actually FELT it.

Oppenheimer, in my view, suffered dearly from several glaring flaws:

- pacing issues

- narrative confusion

- sound mixing issues

- the presence of Florence Pugh's breasts entire character (sorry Flo)

Again, I liked the film overall. I thought it was beautifully shot, the acting was superb, Görranson was throwing his whole pussy into the score - no complaints there. But despite that, I'm still kinda shocked at the acclaim this movie is getting: the writing is fucking awful. (Not like Twilight bad but the kind of bad where I'm sitting here like "this is pretty but also why am I watching it?") And that's the bottom line: I'm legitimately confused as to what the story is here. ("It's a biopic about Oppenheimer." This was not a biopic. This was Christopher Nolan jerking off for three hours over how he could do A Beautiful Mind better - and failing miserably.)

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that the scattered nature of the narrative was supposed to mirror Opp's relative cluelessness about what was going on around him, his sense of self importance, his insistence on hiding his own feelings and motivations - the truth about himself. When he opines about "is anyone going to tell the truth about what's happening here?" the viewer is meant to include him. And there were moments in the film where I thought this tone was nailed, and it did a fantastic job with illustrating the conflict between what he was saying and what he was thinking or feeling - the speech after the bombs were dropped immediately comes to mind here. But there were other moments where Nolan obfuscates so much that the point of the scenes - and the emotional impact - is completely lost. In others, he relies on telling rather than showing, which there is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE FOR IN A FILM SETTING, CHRISTOPHER, YOU ARE LITERALLY USING THE SHOWING MEDIUM.

For example, we're told by Matt Damon's character whose name escapes me that Oppenheimer has a reputation as a womanizer - but up until that point, you really only see him involved with two women, and only one of those (Kitty) was sus - the other was him just kinda pathetically chasing a woman who just kinda seemed to use him for D appointments but had no real interest in him, which didn't give that claim a lot of credibility imo. Now, later in the film, when he talks about his affair with... Lawrence's wife? IDK there's so many names lmao. Anyway, he's called on the carpet about it by one of his friends and easily admits he was having the affair but her husband never found out, ergo, no problem. That, in my view, did WAY more legwork in showing he was an arrogant piece of shit than the entire storyline with Florence Pugh's character, which I felt either needed to be fleshed out more so her only purpose in the film wasn't just to be naked (as I think the implication was that she was important to Opp and her death hit him hard) or else removed entirely. (I also think the scene in the hearing where she was making AGGRESSIVE EYE CONTACT with Kitty while riding her husband, while a powerful visual, was an unnecessary POV switch from Opp to Kitty - head hopping, in other words. In the bad sense. Would have worked better if the story was entirely from Kitty's POV, if other such switches between them were present in the film, or if it was reworked to show it from Opp's POV. But I digress.)

Another example, which I have less to say about overall, is when Opp tells the commissioners (and the viewers) that he was homesick. The scene cuts to him crying or having an anxiety attack or something in bed while visualizing lots of shiny things on the ceiling. There was a lot of opportunity for some impactful character building that was utterly squandered with that single line, particularly because the scene moved on without addressing it again. I feel like there were clearer ways to show homesickness, and more interesting ways to play the scene off of Opp telling us he was homesick - particularly if the goal is to show him as someone who understates or misrepresents his own thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

The movie focuses on three separate key elements: Opp's personal life, his work on the Manhattan Project, and the one-sided duel with Strauss. However, it doesn't do a great job of threading these elements together, or of telling them individually. All three plot lines are half-finished/told and jumbled together in no particular order, and Nolan might think that's a bit of narrative genius, but I've got ADHD and even I don't jump around in a story that badly.

Time jumps and flashbacks are a fantastic tool to use, if used wisely, but Nolan's got a flashback jumping right into a time jump into another flashback into a POV swap and so on and so forth, and between that and the 3 million names that get dropped in the film, it's very easy to get lost. And there's so many characters, there's no time to really get any kind of emotional investment in any of them. The flashbacks and time jump have no impact: there's nothing grounding them, so there's nothing for them to "hit."

Anyway I have a lot more thoughts on this, but I'm legitimately falling asleep every 3 words despite being this heated about it, so I'm just going to leave it at that for now lol.

[marierg]

Of Light and Darkness: Ch. 28

Pairing: Obi Wan Kenobi X Reader

WARNINGS!: +18 and DO NOT ENGAGE IF THE FOLLOWING WILL CAUSE YOU PAIN OR TRIGGERING! Violence, Anxiety, Language, Angst, death/ near death, anger, delayed stress responses.

A/N: This has been an absolute whirlwind and I'd just like to thanks everyone for sticking with me. As with anything I work on I sincerely hope that these chapters did not cause anyone distress. This should be the last of the angst for a bit and I promise that the chapter after this will be a good fun one to make up.

Song Credit: The Foggy Dew by the Chieftains- Yes I tweaked the lyrics, but this was the song I listened to while writing this chapter.

Picture Credit: Pinterest and Lucas Film

If in Italic communication is mental not verbal

Words: 3600

Masterlist Next

It was hours after daybreak, two hours since the last ship had taken all but eight of you to the awaiting cruisers. Comms were intermittent, but last transmission was that there would be a ship to come get you all, it was just going to take a bit to patch her back together. You looked at the others and shook your head, “I'm sorry for all of this.”

Obi Wan could feel the dread mounting within you, “Y/n you have nothing to be sorry for. The ship will come.”

“Yeah! What Kaboomie said.” Glitch called out while soothing a hand on the babe clutched to Anakin's chest. The Droid who had carried the small one hadn't fared as well, batteries only lasting long enough to relay the child's name and where family could be reached. Somehow in the shuffle this baby had been left at the check point.

“I suppose that I'm stuck with that name now.” Obi Wan and Glitch had since made up, the victory of blowing up a few attacking speeders providing a bonding experience.

“And thou shall be known as Kaboomie, great Jedi and RIC worthy!” Glitch snickered.

The baby was still fussing softly. Anakin wasn't really much for younglings but for some reason this one liked him, screaming at anyone else who tried to take it. “Hey Glitch can you sing something, maybe it'll help.”

“Don't know many songs for babies Speedster... Don't have much heart for singing right now anyway.”

“As I recall your people are known for their voices,” Master Windu glanced over from where he kept watch by the door. “What about the foggy dew?”

“I don't believe I've heard that one.” Obi Wan quirked a brow at the older Jedi.

“Most wouldn't...” Glitch replied flatly, “It's a memorial song.”

“We stand outnumbered yet strong.” Mace looked out sadly from his position. “it can be quite inspiring in dark times.”

The young woman took a deep breath, still keeping a keen eye on her field of fire. Softly the words began to float on the air.

“As down the glen one early morn, to a city fair rode I

There armed lines of marching men, in squadrons passed me by.

No pipe did hum, no battle drum did sound it's loud tattoo

but the temple bell o're the valley's swell rang out through the foggy dew.”

You turned to watch the girl, singing from her very soul it seemed. Eyes traveled across the shot pocked building. Vessia, the Senator's daughter, had indeed come to respect the law of the blaster. Her once beautiful and intricate hair now hung in a short pony tail after she cut it down, her eyes no longer naïve. Anakin was holding the small child a little tighter, murmuring that all would be well. Master Windu, while still observing his sector, had turned ever so slightly to better hear, a set to his jaw that you could only guess at. It was as if his signature flickered in the Force, seeming older and more tired than the one you knew.

“Oh the bravest fell and the requiem bell rang mournfully and clear

For those who died in the early light, at the springing of the year.

While the stars did gaze in deep amaze, those fearless men but few

Who bore the fight that freedom's light might shine through the foggy dew.”

Marru was positioned next to Obi Wan, the Bothan had survived an overhead barrage the night before at the fence line. Dark mud still covered his fur, ears turned down. The poor kid hadn't stopped trembling since, jumping at any loud noise, but fought fiercely none the less. Obi Wan had wrapped his signature around your own like a blanket, even if you had to remain inconspicuous in front of the others. It was one of the only comforts you had as the dread coursed within you. You noticed Glitch pause a moment then continue to the end of the song.

“Back through the glen I rode again, my heart with grief was sore

for I parted with those valiant men, that I'll never see more.

But to and fro in my dreams I go, and I kneel and pray for you

for slavery fled, O' glorious dead, who fell in the foggy dew...”

Obi Wan had a tear in his eye, such a pure voice he thought. “That was beautiful young one.”

“Nice song Glitch.” Anakin had felt the infant's breathing even out halfway through, lulled by the sorrowful tune. “Baby thinks so too.”

You came to stand by Glitch. Both of you were realists, knowing your odds and the likelihood of your fate, but still trying to hold onto hope. Giving her a nudge you tried to keep an up beat, “You should have gone into show biz.”

Glitch shook her head, “The Gods chose my path long ago Boss. I'm right where I should be.”

The peace was disturbed by crackling on the comms. “Angel 12... Angel 12... this is Orion 4. Inbound your 20... prepare for dust off!”

“Copy Orion 4!” you practically shouted into the mic, “Good to hear you!”

“Copy that Angel 12, just be ready.” You could tell it was JC on the comm from the clear syllables.

“Alright you heard the man, grab your packs. Obi Boy and Anakin get the kids on board, Master Windu you take point.”

“You're just placing me there because I'm older.” Mace smirked at his own joke.

You smirked right back at him, “Yeah and harder to kill. Glitch and I will take rear guard.”

“Just be sure you get aboard too Wee One.”

“Always Obi.”

You could hear the little bird approaching, the engines must have been shot to hell and back to be that loud. Anakin handed the baby to Vessia, drawing his lightsaber. As the craft peaked the ridge it did a sharp run along the deck, firing the cannons to clear the way down. The whole group started to run for the tarmac, legs desperately attempting to outrun the blaster bolts being rained down. JC was waiving at you from the cockpit window, “Y/n hurry!”

The Jedi formed an arc around the door while the others jumped on, you counted the heads. Vessia and the baby, Marru, Glitch who was firing from the door, then Anakin. The Hutt mercs started to fire more mortars then, rocking the very air around the craft.

You felt it.... that same eerie feeling from long ago.

Looking at the men you cared for most in this Galaxy your decision was made. With one great push of the Force you sent them into the bird screaming at JC. “TAKE OFF! TAKE OFF!!!!!”

“Y/N!!” Obi Wan looked out the departing craft horrified.

Master Windu was faster in response, getting on the comm. “Y/n get to the roof, we'll pick you up.”

“Read my mind.” Your legs moved on instinct, dodging and zig zagging across the tarmac to the control tower. Just as you dove through the door it came, searing horrible pain in your back and shoulders. You wanted to scream but there was no time. Getting up you forced your body to take the stairs to the roof, blood gushed with every few steps. Repeating the mantra Master Windu taught you over and over, “Not today, not today...”

Using the Force to relock the door you looked all around, where was the bird? Your vision was becoming bleary, limbs heavy. You tried to raise JC, “I'm here...I'm here.”

“Just hang in there a little longer Master, almost there.”

“ANAKIN?”

“Be ready for a cable lift 'kay!” Anakin was flying the wings off the craft with how fast it was going. He had to make it, Master Y/n was counting on him. “Glitch get it ready!”

“ROCK AND ROLL KID!!!” Glitch near had a panic attack when she saw the men flung into the craft and then heard you yelling. Gods help them all. “Kaboomie get ready to catch and patch. Hey Master Windy can ya help Speedster hold it steady?”

As they approached the tower Anakin could see you on the roof deflecting blaster shots that came your way. Master Windu had hopped into the co pilot seat, giving him a nod to keep going. Anakin knew that there would only be one shot at this, “DROP THE LINE!”

Watching as the bird approached you ran with whatever was left in you, jumping and clipping into the line just as the mercenaries breached the door to the roof. You were a sitting duck.

“Hold on sweetling, you're almost here. Just hold on!”

“Obi!” You tried to reach a hand up only to be hit by another blast. Maker it hurt so bad you screamed, only just holding onto the hoist cable.

Obi Wan was done waiting, turning to Glitch he yelled over the din, “Hold my belt!”

The young woman did so without hesitation. Obi Wan leaned out the craft door, focusing all of his will to raise you up into his arms. Your body fell heavily, blood all over your robes. Glitch was calling for them to get the hell outta there while stripping and bandaging. Obi Wan stroked your hair, not trusting himself to speak at that moment. “Please Wee One don't leave me too.”

“I could never leave you dear man.” As hurt as you were you still reached for him. His warmth radiated and comforted, dulling the pain if only a little.

Feeling your fingers intertwine fully with his own caused a weak grin, “There's the wee warrior I know.”

“Headcount?” Pain filled eyes gazed around as Obi Wans other hand continued smoothing your hair. “What's the count?”

Glitch paused her movements over your body as blue gray eyes gazed at yours. There were tears streaming down her cheeks, “Eight.”

“W-who?” you had no strength to look around, but felt with the Force. Your team was all present so then... “Where's JC?”

Glitch gritted her teeth, you forced yourself to follow her gaze as it fell to the small space between the cockpit and the hold. A pair of black flight boots peeked out from a wool blanket. Cold consumed you, as surely as being thrown into a frozen lake. No, not JC! Not your friend! You started to shake wanting to scream, to cry, to throw up. Your mouth fell open in quiet agony, as if all breath had suddenly left your body, but refused to sound your dispair.. Shivering from anger and probably shock you bit the question out. “How?”

“Sniper just as we reached the ridge.” Glitch sniffled. “Speedster saved us from crashing, got us outta the tail spin. Command kept telling us to leave, but he just circled right back... said we don't leave anyone behind.”

Obi Wan looked at the two forlorn women, what he wouldn't give to be able to take their sorrow away. He dug into his robe and offered a handkerchief to Glitch. It was old fashioned, something that you only lightheartedly teased him for. Today though as he took the small cloth back and used it to dry your eyes he was glad that Qui Gon had always insisted he carry one. Glitch finished the bandaging then backed off, giving you space. Obi Wan couldn't bear it any longer, pressing his forehead to yours and cradling you close.

“Don't ever do that to me again Sweetling. Where you go I go, we are sticking together.”

Whimpers escaped from you, worsening as he lovingly stroked your hair and face. “I'm sorry Obi... forgive me please? I won't do it again I promise.”

“I forgave you the minute it happened... I love you.” He could sense they were approaching the main transport ship. Glitch and Marru placed you on a stretcher to go to the med bay. Obi Wan returned to his exterior façade, “Y/n is there anything that needs to be done?”

“Have them call home, their families will be worried.” You were starting to dip in and out, but held on just a little longer, “JC and the others...don't leave them alone.”

Obi Wan nodded, “I promise they will be cared for, Y/n. Now rest.”

“I love you too Obi Boy.”

Anakin and Glitch had finally finished. They had washed, redressed and had laid JC in his casket. It was nothing fancy, none were, but with the Republic Flag laid on it the task was complete. The first of the honor watch came in, taking their positions, finally re leaving the two exhausted responders. Glitch nodded for Anakin to follow to the mess, handing him a Kaf and sandwich. They sat in silence finally allowing the day to catch them.

Anakin could feel the swirl of his emotions, trying to hold them in check as a Jedi should. “I miss them.”

“Me too,” Glitch kept her eyes down.

“Do you think your Gods would welcome JC too, Like Mik-lee and Tau?”

“Yes.” Glitch finally raised her face, heaving a great sigh. She reached into a pocket and produced a flask, raising it. “And so we shall celebrate their lives and brave deeds.”

Anakin watched as she took a deep drink, then offered it to him. After a bit of back and forth he finally took a sip, throat burning from the strong liquor. “What is that?”

“Whiskey.” She raised the flask again solemnly. “May the Gods and my kin guide your steps to the halls of victory. You were brave people, good and strong, fear not how your voice may sound when you sing your tale. For the All Father and Mother know your soul. I shall miss you my friends until my time comes to join you.”

Others came to join the table, cards dealt out and an impromptu debriefing session began among the group, everyone needing to let off steam. Master Windu had wandered down bringing news that you had made it out of surgery and were stable. Anakin felt a great sense of relief at the news. He had asked if Anakin wanted to go see you, but the young man had shaken his head stating that his place was to watch everyone since you couldn't.

Mace had nodded his approval, a rarity in the case of this Padawan. He thought better than to leave, sensing that the young people here could use a steady presence in your absence. It took a few hands of Sabac and a drink from a passed flask for the group to start to relax around him. They were used to your casual tone and manner, while he kept himself as he always did. Stories started to fly around the table, he shared a few from his early years as a knight.

Deek brought him another cup of Kaf. “First mission in a while I can recall having to build a crib outta storage crates. Jay always had a soft spot for kids.”

It occurred to him that if not for Anakin's stubbornness there may well have been a fourth casket setting in the hangar. The boy was headstrong, willful, spoke out of turn... and was most assuredly yours. Melri would have loved him. Mace saw the shadows pass in front of Deek's face. “I am sorry about JC, he was a good man.”

Sniffing then taking a sip of his own mug Deek nodded. “He was, gonna miss that Nerf Herder.”

“He has become one with the Force. In a way they never really leave us,” Mace took a deep drink of the bitter liquid.

Deek knew of course whom the other man referred too. “Yeah, still miss her too.”

You blinked your eyes awake, monitors and droids whirring about outside the door. Someone had managed to snag you a private room, you strongly suspected it was the being whose head lay on the cot next to you. Your dear man looked as though he had aged five years, creases etching the corners of his eyes. You briefly remembered your Master sitting with you earlier, they must have traded off. Raising your hand you threaded your fingers into his now clean hair, stoking gently. It was a peaceful moment after all the terror of the days prior, days that you weren't likely to ever forget. Softly you started to hum a soft tune.

Obi Wan started to sing the words, accompanying your acapella. With the slightest pull you persuaded him to lay with you. Both of you finally crashed down from the mission, holding onto the other and crying. Not great sobs just steady mournful streams. He placed soft kisses upon your head, stroking your hair. Looking up you returned those kisses with some of your own. You held him tighter, trying to reassure your Obi Boy that you would not let him go so easily. Neither of you spoke for a long time nor was there a need to. The two of you were just happy to be alive and in the others arms. For this fraction of time you were both together, alive and whole. It was enough.

There was a large delegation that came to welcome the RRC crew home. Beyond the families there were Brass and Political Delegates. It was a solemn procession off the ship, team mates and crew taking flanking positions on the caskets. Mik-Lee and Tau were escorted by their classmates, each having taken their graduation pin and pounded it onto the lid. Tradition and ceremony were ways to both grieve and honor. The Jedi and crew escorted JC and it was one of the hardest walks of your life.

The Brass approached you giving their customary platitudes. It felt hollow to you, cold and without meaning. JC had practically helped to raise you, a world without him in it was unimaginable. You were so lost it took a moment for you to realize that the Chancellor of all people had come over to offer his condolences. “I'm...I'm sorry sir, forgive me I didn't hear you.”

“No need to apologize Master L/n.” Palpatine stated softly as he studied your face, and more so the uncharacteristic emotions that crossed it. How very interesting, something to note for a later time. Exuding his usual charm he again began to speak. “I was merely saying how sorry I am for the loss of your people and that you should be proud of how your team handled themselves.”

“I am always proud of them sir. I do have a question though, if I may be so bold.” You saw the man nod, if not quirk his lips in amusement at your audacity. “Who was it that ordered the mission cut short?”

“Y/n this may not be the time.” Master Windu placed a hand on your shoulder.

“No, it's quite alright. If I were in your position I would want to know the same,” Palpatine did find this Jedi fascinating, if not somewhat disconcerting. “It was my decision. We received intelligence that reinforcements were being sent by the Hutts, large enough to possibly take out the fleet. As harsh a decision as it was, I could not in good conscience allow the operation to continue. As a Rescue Lieutenant I can only hope that you would understand my position.”

Keeping a steady gaze at the politician you studied his eyes. They didn't flinch, but were still offsetting. There had always been an uneasy acquaintance with this man. Anakin thought highly of and occasionally would visit with him. Outwardly there was nothing that appeared out of place, just a feeling. Sighing, and much too tired to push further, you extended a hand of peace. “I may not agree with the decision, but I do understand. I would like to file a request for Pilot JC Aldrich to be awarded the Nova medal. It's little consolation to his family....”

“It has already been approved.” Palpatine took your hand in both of his, attempting to be empathetic and comforting. “I have also taken the liberty of setting up Funds and scholarships for the families. I hope you do not mind?”

Slightly taken aback you unconsciously gave his hand a squeeze. You still had a feeling about the man, but he offered something no one before had, action. Maybe Anakin did know something you didn't. “Thank you Sir. I...Thank you.”

Palpatine watched as the Jedi departed for their glorious Temple. Initially when he had found out young Skywalker would have two knights training him, it had vexed Palpatine. Even with Kenobi and the Healers' interference the boy's pain lived deep within, just needing the right catalyst As with everything this border dispute had turned into an opportunity. Sending the Hutts to Norte had proved all too easy, but the ensuing pain and chaos that Skywalker encountered added fuel to the fire. His emotions were evident the minute the ship landed. Pain, anger, despair, all engulfing the boy and drawing him closer into the dark side. Oh Yes, this had gone better than even Palpatine could have predicted.

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