#Just waiting for my other half a brain cell to return home from the war
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Finders Keepers
A/N: It’s been ages since I’ve written anything, so I figured it was about time I got back into it! Hope you enjoy, any feedback is appreciated :)
Warnings: None
Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader
Word Count: 2.7K
“What’s wrong with you, Pretty Boy?” Morgan questioned as Spencer rushed into the BAU Tuesday morning, fingers threading through his curls and a look of pure agitation gracing his features. As if he didn’t hear the question directed towards him, Spencer continued to storm through the room, nearly stumbling into Morgan in his quest to reach his desk.
Pupils dilating, Morgan looked towards JJ who had taken stock of the scene from her chair, brows already furrowed and legs moving to stand and head towards her fellow colleague.
Taking the lead, JJ swiftly headed to Spencer’s side, moving to place a hand on his shoulder before thinking better of it and placing both hands on the edge of his desk instead, Mama Bear instincts dialed all the way up. “Everything okay, Spence? You seem annoyed.”
Morgan scoffed before thinking better of it, “I’d say he’s a bit more than annoyed, JJ”. No sooner than the words had left his mouth he was given a swift elbow in his side from JJ and an eye roll from Spencer and all that was left for Morgan to do was raise his hands in defeat.
Sighing, Spencer turned back to his desk before mumbling a response back to them, “I’m fine, guys. I think I lost my copy of War and Peace on the Metro this morning. It was in my bag when I left my place, it must have fallen out when I was trying to grab my umbrella. I thought maybe I just forgot and left it here, but apparently not”.
“You and I both know you don’t forget anything, Pretty Boy,” Morgan chimed in, visibly less tense now that he knew there wasn’t any immediate danger.
“Actually Morgan that’s not entirely true. I have an eidetic memory which means-”
“There’s the Reid we all know and love,” JJ chuckled, heading back to her desk to get ready for the day ahead of them. Morgan followed, leaving the bullpen in search of Garcia and Spencer sighed, trying to move past the fact that one of his favorite books was no longer in his possession. Logically, he knew he could buy a replacement copy after work, but deep down he knew it wasn’t the same.
The words dancing across the page would be the same ones that brought him entertainment and the comfort found in familiarity throughout his life, but the book within his hands wouldn’t hold the same nostalgic memories. He wouldn’t look down at the tattered cover and reminisce on his first jet ride with the BAU, thinking back on how he brushed his fingers against the book’s familiar spine while trying to calm his stomach filled with nervous jitters at the prospect of working with unfamiliar people. He wouldn’t look at the dog-eared pages and remember how the words on those exact pages brought him comfort on nights he would escape to his bedroom and try to leave memories of aggressive classmates and whispering peers behind.
Any thought of potentially buying a new copy of the book after the workday was dispelled though as Garcia called everyone into the conference room to discuss a pending case in Phoenix, no sooner followed by a “wheels up in thirty” announcement from Hotch. Grabbing his go-bag and leaving the bullpen, Spencer filled his head with thoughts of the case, half of his brain racing ahead to connect victimology and significant locations while the other half was stuck repeating a never-ending mantra of “it’s just a book” in the back of his mind.
***
As Spencer was boarding a jet to head 468 miles north, Y/N was playing with a loose thread on her sweater, thinking about the long day of work ahead of her. Breaking her trance, she looked up and instead glanced up at the now empty row of seats in front of her. Her brows furrowed as she saw a book stuck in the crack between the far left seat cushion and the back of the chair, and before she knew it her curiosity overtook her. Y/N found herself standing from the seat, travel mug and bag in tow, before reaching for the dictionary-like book that was calling to her. The title War and Peace glared back at her, and a quick turn of the cover revealed faded words written in blue ink proclaiming that the book was the “Property of Spencer Reid”. With the announcement of her stop blaring over the loudspeaker and the weight of someone else’s book in their hand, Y/N made a split second decision to stuff the book into her bag, leaving the Metro with not only thoughts of the upcoming workday but visions of whom the mysterious Spencer Reid could be.
The workday passed by slowly, each passing second filled with the overwhelming desire to search for Spencer Reid on Google. By the time Y/N was on the Metro ride home, any and all motivation to search for the book’s rightful owner went out the door as her irritation grew with the rising heat of the increasingly packed subway car. Needing a distraction, her hand reached into her bag, initially moving for her cell phone but making a last second switch as her hand brushed the spine of the book. May as well spend my time doing something productive, she thought as she gently pulled the book out of it’s temporary home. With a final sigh, she turned to the first page and began to read.
As Y/N was tearing through the pages of War and Peace at an alarmingly quicker rate than she anticipated that night, Spencer was filling out a WMTA lost and found form in the hopes that someone had the decency to return his book. Knowing his luck, he assumed it was long gone and in the trash somewhere, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to make one last ditch effort at finding it. Groaning, Spencer called it a night and went to bed, silently vowing to find his book the second he stepped foot off the BAU jet again.
***
Six days later the BAU team landed in Quantico, making plans to head to a bar for a drink before a well deserved day off. As designated drivers were assigned and phone calls home were made Spencer gathered his things, making a beeline to the door in the hopes of reaching the WMTA’s designated lost and found area before it closed for the night. He was a foot away from the door before a soft hand grasped his wrist, immediately stopping him in his tracks.
“Skipping out on the bar tonight, Reid?” Emily questioned, head tilted as she noticed how frazzled her friend was.
“I’m just gonna go home and watch a bit of Dr.Who” Spencer began, desperately trying to think of something that would let him out the door without further questions. “Speaking of Dr. Who, did you know that it was originally created to be an educational show for kids? It’s actually really interesting-”
“Say no more, Dr. Reid,” Emily laughed, letting go of his wrist and heading back towards the others, “enjoy your night”. Spencer tightly smiled, leaving the bullpen and making his way to downtown DC in search of his book. An hour later and he wasn’t any closer to finding his book, ultimately giving up and heading to the bookstore to buy himself another copy.
It was at that same time JJ and Derek found themselves hysterically laughing at a corner booth in the bar, thinking about how Spencer probably missed out on meeting the love of his life that night- a woman sitting in the booth directly across from them, War and Peace open on the table in front of her and a pen and highlighter busy at work marking up post its that were being meticulously placed on the book’s pages.
***
A month and a half went by and Spencer had officially given up hope on finding his lost book. In the six weeks since he had last seen it he refrained from reading his new copy, not willing to give up the small amount of hope he had that he would be reunited with his original book. That evening though, as the Metro had yet another delay and the subway car continued to get hotter and hotter, he figured there was no better time than the present and pulled out his new copy of War and Peace. A few pages in, a sudden jolt of the car made him glance up and almost immediately he locked eyes with the woman across from him. In the span of ten seconds, his thoughts ranged from she’s beautiful to hold on- she’s holding my book and before his legs fully alerted his brain what was happening he found himself on his feet and sitting in the empty seat directly next to her.
As Spencer’s brain began to register just how bad of an idea it was to sit next to a stranger as abruptly as he just did, the woman next to him gripped her bag slightly tighter, tilting her head to the side as she peaked a look at the man next to her.
Her mouth opened to speak, but before she could do so Spencer interrupted her, desperately trying to save himself from any embarrassment her words could bring.
“That’s my book,” he bluntly stated, mentally hitting himself as he watched her adorably confused features morph into a look of defense.
“No.. that’s your book,” she pointed down to his lap, where his new copy of War and Peace was resting between his palms.
“No it’s not- well, it is but it isn’t really?” Spencer tried to explain, his face growing more and more red with each word that left his mouth.
“So it’s your book, but not your book?” She questioned, lips curling up into a slight smile as she witnessed the sweet agitation of the man in front of her.
“Yes! I lost my book on the metro almost two months ago. This is just my replacement copy, and I don’t know how I know, but I’m positive the book in your hands right now is the one that I lost.” Spencer finished his spiel, watching as the woman’s eyes widened in realization and her mouth formed an “o” shape.
“You’re Spencer Reid?” she asked, and now it was his turn to play the part of the confused companion.
“I- yes? But, how do you know my name?” As soon as the question left his mouth the image of the title page of his book filled his head and all too soon he was practically yelling with joy in the poor woman’s face. “Wait, that is my book then! Does it say Property of Spencer Reid on the cover page?”
The woman laughed, and Spencer watched as any traces of tension left her body. “I’m so sorry! I found it on the Metro on my way to work, and I meant to look you up- not in a creepy way,” she continued, growing more flustered with each passing second. “I was gonna try and find you to return it but then I started reading it and I liked it more than I thought I would and I just,” She stooped, taking a breath and giving him the most adorable set of puppy dog eyes he’s ever seen. “I’m just really sorry, I shouldn’t have held onto it as long as I did”. She finished, and held the book up, holding it out towards Spencer’s hands. “I think this belongs to you”.
“It’s not a problem at all, I promise,” Spencer reassured her with a warm smile on his face, “thanks for keeping it safe”. Something about her filled his stomach with joy, and as he looked at her he saw a similar smile mirrored back at him. It was at that moment he knew he would do anything to keep that look of happiness on her face, stranger or not. “You know what,” he continued, “you should keep it- finders keepers and all that”.
Y/N laughed in disbelief, immediately shaking her head and pushing the book closer to its rightful owner. “It’s bad enough I’ve had it this long,” she admitted. “It belongs with you”.
“At least take this one then?” Spencer’s brain continued to be a few steps ahead of him, and before he knew it he was taking the book in the stranger’s outstretched hands and placing his new copy in her grasp. “It looks like you still have a hundred pages or so left and I wouldn’t want to keep you from finishing it. Besides, I definitely don’t need two copies”.
The woman smiled and gave him an enthusiastic nod, and Spencer couldn’t help but think he just made the best decision of his life. The speaker above them announced the next stop, and with a sudden jump she left her seat, discarding the new book into her bag and turning towards Spencer on her way to the door. “Thanks, Spencer!” she exclaimed, “maybe I’ll see you around sometime”. Another smile was sent his way, and before he earned up the nerve to ask for her name she was gone, disappearing into a growing crowd of commuters desperate to get back to the comfort of their homes and begin the weekend ahead.
***
The following morning, Spencer found himself in his living room with a mug of coffee in his hand, completely lost in his thoughts. He was trying to calculate the chances of seeing the mystery woman again, considering it took six weeks after losing his book to see her for the first time at all.
He groaned, inwardly cursing himself for his lack of courage the day before and wishing he at least had a name to match to the face that wouldn’t leave his mind. As the coffee cooled, he found his gaze wandering to the coffee table where he had laid the book and his satchel the previous night. With a sigh, Spencer picked up the book only to notice a bright orange post-it sticking out of one of the pages.
“The strongest of all warriors are these two- time and patience” was written in loopy writing, highlighted in yellow with exactly twelve exclamation points in red ink under it. He was a man of science, but he couldn’t help but feel as though finding one of his favorite quotes from the novel staring up at him was a sign.
As he continued to skim the pages, he found note after note filled with quotes, reactions, and doodles and he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of admiration for the stranger who put them all there. It was a book that held countless memories for Spencer, but already he could tell that this was going to be his ultimate favorite.
Backtracking to the front page, Spencer saw his familiar scrawl had been slightly covered by a light blue post it note. “If this book gets lost a second time I don’t want to make the same mistake as the first guy… please call Y/N at-” Spencer laughed, immediately grabbing his phone to dial the number before he has time to talk himself out of it.
As the phone began to ring, he thought about how he couldn’t picture her name being anything else. It was as beautiful as she was, and he longed to properly meet the woman who managed to get his heart racing with just a few post-it notes.
“Hello?” the voice on the other end of his phone answered, and Spencer could immediately tell it was the same woman from the subway.
“Hi, is this Y/N?” he began, fingers nervously twiddling together. At her hum of acknowledgement he continues, “This is Spencer, the guy who’s book you had? I was just looking through the post-its you left behind and I love the perspective you have on the book. Plus, it was so nice of you to even hold onto it in the first place so I was wondering if you’d wanna get coffee, maybe? So I can say thank you for everything and talk about the book with you?”
The opposite end of the phone was silent and Spencer’s face grew red, his hands moving to his hair because how could he possibly think she wanted to meet him, she didn’t even know him and-
“I was hoping you’d find that post-it note,” she giggled, and with the sound all of Spencer’s worries completely washed away. “Absolutely”.
***
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#Spencer reid x reader#spencer reid#spencer reid x y/n#spencer reid x you#spencer reid self insert#criminal minds self insert#criminal minds fanfiction#spencer reid fanfiction#spencer reid imagine#criminal minds imagine#dr spencer reid#spencer reid fluff#ash writes
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I love your fic recs! Do you have any with Protective!Erik?
Protective! Erik is one of my favourite tropes so I have a TON of fics to share with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Protective! Erik fic recs
Erik Lehnsherr's Guide to Saving the Universe By Meeting Your Soul-Mate and Falling in Love in Less than 72 Hours – madneto, Pangea
Summary: Army Pilot Erik Lehnsherr is just trying to enjoy his day off when a mostly naked person crashes through the roof of his car. Even more alarming, the strange falling naked person—who goes by Charles Xavier when he's not speaking an ancient dead language—brings tidings of the apparent potential end of the world, and begs Erik to help him put a stop to it.
Well. His mother has been nagging at him to go out and meet new people.
In Sound and Silence – endingthemes
Summary: Erik is assigned to care for the special patient in room 301.
How Not To Meet Your Future Boyfriend – ikeracity
Summary: Erik punches Charles in the face the first time they meet. There isn't anywhere their relationship can go from there but up.
Forgotten – FuryRed
Summary: Charles is having a really bad day. Not only has he woken up in the middle of the afternoon with no idea where he is or how he got there, but when he returns home he’s confronted by a stranger with intense eyes, who insists that he knows Charles rather more intimately than Charles remembers…
Thou Shalt Not Eat Stones – valancysnaith
Summary: Two months after Washington, Raven found Erik in a skeevy motel off the Florida interstate.
“They have Charles, Erik,” she said.
The bedframe shrieked. In the bathroom, the showerhead snapped in half and clattered into the tub.
Demoted – JayPendragon
Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a detective-specialist with the NYPD Mutant Tactical Unit, ready to help out where his skills are needed. Or he would be, if he and his partner hadn’t been demoted. For the next four months, he is patrolling the Lenox Hill precinct with Azazel – if he doesn’t die of boredom first. One night they are called in to investigate a potential case of domestic violence, yet the tenant assures them he is both alone and unharmed. However, there is something about this Charles Xavier that compels Erik to follow up.
Warning: Sensitive material, domestic abuse and dubious consent
Watch Your Back – swoopswoop
Summary: Bodyguard AU where Erik is overly protective and things aren't as simple as they seem.
If We Met Differently – swoopswoop
Summary: Erik wasn't the only mutant 'taken in' by Shaw, Erik learns this the hard way when a new mutant is dropped into his cell. They manage to escape together, but things aren't all roses after that. Erik has a score to settle and needs to make sure Charles is safe.
The Color of Love (Character Swap Remix) – BadLuckBlueEyes
Summary: Nobody sees in color until they meet their soulmates. When your soulmate dies, your vision returns to black and white. What happens when your soulmate only dies for a few minutes?
Omega Online – miss_aphelion
Summary: Newly imprinted Charles is having trouble dealing with his overly protective alpha—so in desperation he seeks advice in an omega chat room. Emma Frost is more than happy to help, Raven isn't helping at all, and Erik can't stand to be out of touch with Charles for more than five minutes at a time.
Cannot be Contained in Words – wallhaditcoming (uvcatastrophe)
Summary: Crime syndicate head Erik Lehnsherr travels to London on business, where he meets oxford student Charles Xavier. Their liaison spawns into a years long transatlantic affair, kept apart by Erik's work and Charles' studies,which Erik chronicles in photographs. When distance ceases to be an issue after four long years, the overlap between Charles' past and Erik's work create a whole new set of complications.
A Pertinent Reminder – ikeracity, Pangea
Summary: Sometimes it's easy to forget that getting involved in Erik's mob business isn't all fine dining and sex on yachts. There's nothing like taking a couple of bullets to remind Charles of the reality.
Part 3 of the Associates series
A Dangerous Game – ikeracity, pangea
Summary: When a familiar enemy of Erik's returns to the city for some old-fashioned revenge, Charles is sucked deeper into the world of the mob than ever before.
Part 6 of the Associates series
You don’t choose the thug life (except when you do) – Anonymous
Summary: Charles is kidnapped and discovers that Erik, the Alpha he has been dating for the past few months and is head-over-heels for, is not just a wealthy businessman but actually the head of a syndicate.
He is rather unhappy about this discovery and Erik gets an earful for lying to him. Then Charles is kidnapped again and really, he hopes mating Erik won't result in weekly kidnapping because he has a thesis to finish and papers to grade.
Marrying a Mob – Ook
Summary: Charles is a teacher at a very exclusive school. When armed men burst in on the trail of two children, of course he stands up to them and gets hurt. The children are Erik Lehnsherr's children (of course); a "prominent businessman" or, less politely, "mobster".
Erik is grateful to Charles for saving his children's lives at the cost of his kneecap. So very grateful.
Naturally he tries to reward Charles for his actions. Equally naturally, Charles will be having none of that.
Azazel finds the whole thing unspeakably hilarious. Naturally.
Rumor Has It – blueink3
Summary: "Did I hear the doorbell earlier?"
"Yeah, but I'd steer clear if I were you. It seemed a little tense. I don't know what's going on, but there's a kid out there who looks freakily like the prof."
Nearly six months after Cuba, Charles' life is turned upside down for the second time. Though he's slowly learning to adapt to the first, he's not sure he can handle the second. Luckily for him, there are a few people out there more than willing to help.
Forward Momentum – AsYouWish
Summary: Six months after Cuba, Charles and Erik find themselves thrown fifty years into the future, where they meet their older selves, the Avengers, and a world that's very different from their own. Faced with the pieces of their broken relationship, an unparalleled adversary, and dealing with Tony Stark on a daily basis, Charles and Erik do their best to adapt while trying to find a way back home -- and to each other.
Runs in the Family – Anonysquirrel (chibirisuchan)
Summary: Alex knew his own reputation. Hell, he'd started some of his own reputation, because it kept some of the smarter thugs off his back. Everyone knew Alex's reputation. There was no way Hank didn't know his reputation, but he'd brought Alex into a house with some really expensive things and a lot of innocent little kids and his too-friendly, too-harmless dad.
But clearly Hank hadn't told his family anything about Alex, just like he hadn't told Alex anything about his family. At least, not about the brain-breaking parts of his family.
"I didn't know where to start," Hank said, for the dozenth time.
Featuring mpreg!Charles in a Kiss The Cook apron, overprotective!Erik in wet black leather, and baked goods. Lots and lots of baked goods.
Round the Corner Waiting – swoopswoop
Summary: When things go so spectacularly wrong during a relationship, Charles - now a single dad - almost makes a big mistake, only to be stopped by a mysterious man who just might turn his life back around.
Hide Your Fires – swoopswoop
Summary: As the sole heir, Prince Charles, had no problem with the roles and responsibility that would come with ruling a kingdom. Though he was the only one who did not see a problem. After years of being shuttled back and forth between kingdoms, his Regent hoping he would find a match more suitable to being King, he is finally sent to Genosha. Though the path has never been less clear than the one to a foreign kingdom with no ties to his native land.
Shaw’s Captive – swoopswoop
Summary: Magneto killed Shaw, it had to be done for the sake of mutant-kind but what he wasn't expecting to find hidden deep with Shaw's complex was a man held captive, obviously tortured, that somehow made Magneto turn into Erik.
Erik now has a potential human in his citadel as he continues the war with the human's.
Mind’s Eye Blind – Sperare
Summary: As far as Erik is concerned, if you want to scare a person into talking, you have to present him with something more compelling than what he stands to lose...
And there is nothing in the world more compelling than Charles.
Chipped – Rosawyn
Summary: Magneto's fledgling Brotherhood find Charles Xavier in a mutations research lab as an apparently willing subject for an experimental suppression device.
Okay, I Feel Better Now – Harleydoll
Summary: The AU in which Erik is sent to a mental health facility after being convicted for Shaw's murder and pleads insanity, and Charles is his paranoid schizophrenic of a roommate. Powers, Hellfire conspiracies, protective!Erik, and of course the inevitable angst.
Five Nights in Nuremberg – FuryRed
Summary: When Charles escapes from the mutant prison he has been held in for the last two years he knows that he’s going to need help to avoid being recaptured.
What he doesn’t expect is that help will come in the form of a mysterious German man who rescues Charles and takes him to his home; a handsome stranger who, frustratingly, doesn’t speak a single word of English…
Five Bullet Points – Sperare
Summary: It was supposed to be Erik locked away in a prison one hundred stories below the ground.
Charles was never supposed to be there with him.
Notes: Unfinished but an excellent read. Highly recommend it.
Stolen – ishipitsobad
Summary: Erik is a miserable, grumpy, cantankerous bastard, and he has every fucking right to be. He drew the short end of the stick when he got the Underworld as his domain, and there isn't very much fun to be had in judging and governing dead souls who would rather be anywhere else but with Erik in the depths of Hell.
So when he meets Charles, brilliant and lovely Charles who is more popularly known amongst the mortals as Persephone, and feels the promise of something wonderful that could make his eternally doomed existence infinitely more bearable... you can bet all your drachmas Erik's not going to let Charles go any fucking time soon.
My Barbaric Darling – baehj2915
Summary: Erik is revivified caveman. Charles is the anthropologist(?) taking care of him. This is as ridiculous as it sounds. Romcom misunderstandings and prehistoric wooing ensues.
Swimming with Sharks – Not_You
Summary: Erik used to be a shark. Now he's not, and has to figure out how to be a good human father to his twins. Charles is willing to help.
Eucalyptus leaf of my soul - kageillusionz, ourgirlfriday
Summary: Zookeeper Raven at Taronga Zoo keeps having ideas on how to capitalize on interest in the zoo mascots, Koala Charles and Drop Bear Erik (the only drop bear in captivity!), who have captured the hearts and minds of the public. First it was to introduce prospective mates (It’ll generate attention, Hank. People are perverts. They’d love to see koala porn.). This idea was not effective the first through fifth attempts, as Erik and Charles seemed to show at best polite interest in the newcomer before resuming whatever marsupial debate they had going. However, the resulting lesbian koala orgies did indeed generate interest. Then Raven unveiled the Hug-A-Koala program, which was successful, as the public showed great interest in hugging Charles, and Charles seemed to enjoy being hugged.
Then Raven unveiled the Hug-A-Drop Bear program, and Hank, not for the first time, wished he had a flask handy.
Notes: Yes, they’re Koalas, yes they’re adorable, and yes, Erik is super protective even as a Drop Bear.
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These are all dark fics, READ THE TAGS before reading the fics. It is your responsibility to check whether what you are about to read is something that you can stomach. While most of these fics are based around trauma, recovery etc many feature triggering scenes or flashbacks as well as darker themes. Please be safe and don’t read them if they can be triggering for you! Proceed with caution! Most of them are Hydra Trash, but still not just the ugly bits as I like there to be a plot. Hiding them below the cut:
between scylla and charybdis | 21590 words
Sam Wilson has been witness to a lot of things he wishes he could unsee. Civilian families shot dead in their cars because of miscommunications at checkpoints. Riley’s body spiralling to the ground in a smoke-plumed plummet. His own face in his bathroom mirror after waking up hung-over as hell at two in the afternoon, the day after the anniversary of Riley’s death, year after year after year.
And now, in an abandoned bunker on the outskirts of Boston, a seemingly unremarkable manila folder at the bottom of a filing cabinet.
Berceuse | 10730 words
There are strange, new things Bucky needs from Steve.
Dreamers Often Lie | 11040 words
As far as Bucky remembers, sex is something that is painful and terrifying if you wake up while it's happening. As the Asset, sleeping through sex was a rare treat. When Steve lets Bucky know he's interested in a sexual relationship, what Steve doesn't know is that they have fundamentally different ideas of what that entails.
despite the threatening sky and the shuddering earth (they remained) | 71532 words
“They really didn’t want the mask to come off.” Hill thumbed through the scans, and pulled out a film that she then handed over to Sam, face mostly expressionless but for the flat line of her pursed lips.
Sam accepted the film and held it up to the light, angling so both he and Steve could see it, squinting at the outline of the Winter Soldier’s skull, and the blips of unnatural white that showed up, God, in his brain, not to mention about half his teeth, plus the mask, with its thin protrusions—
“Those are pins,” Steve realized. He looked over at Hill. “The mask—it’s nailed to his face.”
Hill’s face was as unmoved as ever. “Like I said. They really didn’t want it coming off.”
Fire And Water For Your Love | 77084 words
When the Avengers investigate an abandoned HYDRA base on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D., they unexpectedly encounter a dark-haired man with a torn metal arm, who leads them to an even more shocking discovery deeper inside the base. The Avengers must reconcile what they have found with the lies S.H.I.E.L.D. has been telling for decades.
Give An Inch | 5070 words
The Captain has a warm smile and clear, open eyes. The Soldier knows these are tricks. He's fallen for them before and he won't do it again.
Humans As Gods | 4818 words
"HYDRA's scientists had been delighted to find their serum-reversal procedure had worked. Their jubilation was dampened by the discovery that Steve's smaller self might no longer be Captain America-sized but was still 100% Steve Rogers, and Steve Rogers was now mad enough to spit nails. A minor oversight in the design of the containment area meant that smaller-Steve had simply wriggled out of the now ridiculously-oversized restraints like an angry ferret escaping a paper bag, and punched the nearest technician in the nuts.
Chaos ensued."
HYDRA scientists successfully de-serum Captain America, only to discover that they are utterly unprepared for Steve Rogers. Meanwhile, the Winter Soldier follows his instructions to the letter. This works out just great.
The Only One That Needs To Know | 6571 words
Bucky can't control his body. He can only control what secrets he keeps.
I Was Wearing My Blue Coat | 11503 words
Following exposure of his past as the Winter Soldier, anonymous postings of explicit video footage, 63 charges of murder and the wrath of the Internet, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes finally steps into the limelight and tells his story to Zenat Patel of the New York Times.
Compliance Will Be Rewarded | 4767 words
Someone told him once: "Compliance will be rewarded," and he remembers pressing his head against a man’s leg in open supplication. He remembers hands in his hair, and a gentle grip on the back of his neck. He remembers a man telling him "so good, so good for me aren't you?" And he remembers nodding his head in a desperate attempt to be exactly as good as he was supposed to be.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bucky Barnes is physically free from Hydra, but the hold on his mind lingers still. All he wants is to go home, and he'll do anything he can to get there.
To Burn Your Kingdom Down | 12370 words
The Avengers go after a Hydra splinter cell with a nasty habit of brutalizing their prisoners. Steve has some ugly history with them, and when a rescue mission gone wrong leaves him and Sam in enemy hands, the situation gets uglier still.
Worth The Wound | 7709 words
The asset knows that maintenance is better than punishment. But with Steve, maintenance becomes more pleasant, soft and gentle and everything he could dream of. It was only natural that he decided to prolong that maintenance a little longer.
The Spaces In-Between | 6971 words | Part 1 of What We Tried So Hard To Hide Away
"Memories are like buckets of water: they weigh on the heart and the brain until the body fails. You're blessed to stay forgetful and young, Soldier."
Sometimes blessings feel like curses.
Illuminate The Scene | 7086 words | Part 2 of What We Tried So Hard To Hide Away
The doctors had wanted to keep the Soldier. Shock him and freeze him until he was fixed, or tear him to scrap if he couldn’t be repaired so that he wouldn’t be an entirely wasted investment. Steve is the only thing stopping them.
When the Soldier can't trust his own body, how can he trust anything?
All These Riots Of Broken Sound | 83790 words | Part 1 of Forever Is A Close And Honest Friend
When Steve and the team return to Avengers tower to find Bucky gone, they must venture into B.A.R.F. to figure out what triggered him to leave and hunt those who wronged him. Trapped in a simulation of Bucky's worst memories with rogue HYDRA agents waiting to strike, 100 years of secrets, lies, pain and love drive the team to their limit and push Steve towards a realisation that is a century in the making.
I Was Lost But Left A Trace | 3585 words | Part 2 of Forever Is A Close And Honest Friend
Disorientated, the Asset reached up to wipe at the moisture on its cheeks and was shocked to find it clear, instead of the crimson it has been expecting. It didn’t understand why this misidentification had caused uproarious laughter from the technicians.
“It is not blood,” the Asset told him, “but it is still a malfunction.”
This sobered the technician a little, and he nodded tightly.
“Yes. It is. But we will fix you.”
I’ll Always Be Blamed For The Sun Going Down | 9907 words | Part 3 of Forever Is A Close And Honest Friend
He knows he’s in the right place. He has heard the guys at the docks laugh and joke about the queers who come out after dark, looking to earn a little extra cash. He has seen the johns, when he’s been out late enough, skulking in the shadows like predators hunting for their next meal, looking for something in particular. Sometimes they look at him.
A small, rusty pen knife that his father had picked up in Europe during the Great War sits heavy in the breast pocket of his jacket.
Just in case.
Book Of The Moon | 16019 words | Part 4 of Forever Is A Close And Honest Friend
In 1929, Bucky Barnes falls in love for the first time and resigns himself to never telling a soul, let alone Steve, the object of his affections. In 1943, half a world away from the man he can never have and fighting for his life and his sanity, something new begins to bloom.
Habeas Corpus | 18054 words
An unexpected incident in the field leaves Steve Rogers facing the infiltration of a Hydra base and retrieval of important intelligence, all while pretending to be the Winter Soldier. Unfortunately, there are important aspects of the Soldier's past that Bucky hasn't disclosed, and Steve has no idea what he's really walking into.
Bullies | 14979 words
Written for the MCU trash meme prompt:
I wanna see Steve being messed with by his secretly-HYDRA coworker buddies. I want them generally fucking with him, "accidentally" doing terrible things to him or getting Steve into awful situations, telling jokes that aren't really jokes, gaslighting, performing sexual-assault hazing under the guise that "that's what people do now," pressuring him into other sex shit, anything, just fuck Steve up.
Steve isn't failing to fully catch on because he's dumb or oblivious: it's just that he is Steve, so he wants to believe the best of everybody, and he doesn't want to believe that he could be working for/with bullies and that (as Natasha says) he essentially died for nothing.
Not Unwanted, Not Unloved | 50320 words
They'd resigned themselves to never becoming parents - until Bucky gets pregnant and drops off the grid without even a whisper to his mate about his condition.
Steve will still raze the earth to find him, but that doesn't mean he likes what he finds.
The Tones That Tremble Down Your Spine | 13889 words
Tony tells him they’re planning a party for Steve’s birthday. He knows how parties are supposed to go.
Lacuna | 62875 words
The Winter Soldier doesn't remember Steve Rogers, but he needs Rogers' help.
OR: The one where Bucky doesn't remember Steve, but falls in love with him anyway.
Not A Perfect Soldier | 93354 words
In a world where HYDRA was wiped out in the '40s, Steve is found by the Army rather than SHIELD. General Thaddeus Ross wants a perfectly obedient super-soldier at his command, and to that end, he sets out to break Steve to his will. As Steve struggles to come to terms with all he has lost, his life in captivity is only made bearable by the presence of another prisoner-- another super-soldier known only as "Soldat".
Then the Avengers strike a deal with Ross to "borrow" him for missions, and Steve is faced with a team who dislikes him, an organization he doesn't trust, and the question of what he's willing to do to escape Ross's clutches.
For Want Of Him | 103174 words
It's the twenty-first century, and Steve Rogers has never been more alone. Everything he knew, everyone he loved, is now gone, and a dark, bitter loneliness claws at him, raking bleeding gashes into his heart.
And then there's Brock Rumlow.
Rumlow is like salt in his wounds; vicious, and cruel. But his dark brown hair and teasing smirk reminds Steve of someone long dead, and his New York accent sounds like home...He's a soldier like him...he understands. And Steve makes the fatal mistake of trusting him.
The Same Measure | 4943 words
The Winter Soldier was never allowed to stop unless an injury was too grievous.
To Be Unmade | 5114 words | Part 1 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower
For the asset, things only ever get worse. The external scars fade quickly enough. The internal ones dig deeper and deeper.
But the internal scars are called love, and doesn't that make them worth the hurt?
Do Not Put In The Icebox | 7143 words | Part 2 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower
When the asset malfunctions on a mission, Rumlow and Rollins learn more than they ever wanted to know about Pierce's hobbies.
And then everyone has pancakes.
The Knowing Makes It Worse | 4130 words | Part 3 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower
No is a bad word and invites punishment.
Or, Alexander Pierce is a very bad man who delights in manipulating and degrading the asset.
Love Is For Children | 5303 words | Part 4 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower
Bucky understands how the game works. He can't understand why it makes Steve cry.
But Natasha and the other Avengers are there to help.
I Just Wanted To Be Sure Of You | 4461 words | Part 5 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower
Bucky has Bucky Bear; it's only fair for Natasha to have something of her own.
Visiting a toy store wasn't strictly necessary, but if Tony wants to throw money around, no one's going to complain.
“Till The End Of The Line | 6069 words | Part 6 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower
It's hard to take a friendship right back up when so much has changed over seventy years.
Particularly when HYDRA's conditioning resurfaces.
*if you feel that any of these fics shouldn’t be in this list please just send me a message! :) I have read them all but over the past 1+ years so some of them I might not remember all the details of :)
#HTP#hydra trash party#dark fics#recovery fics#but with A LOT of trigger warnings#puppy peter fic recs#don't like don't read#hydra angst#bucky angst#bucky whump#MIND THE TAGS!!!
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Pinky promise
Steve Masterlist - Full Masterlist
Summary: After the war, everyone returns home and tries to move on with life. Not you. You’re forced to go back to Brooklyn to take over your uncle’s bar with a constant reminder by your side that the man you loved didn’t come back to you. And her name is Sarah.
Pairing: Steve x Fem!Reader
Word count: 5.2k
Brooklyn. It has been a long time since you’ve been there. Last time you were there Sarah Rogers told you it was too dangerous for a pregnant woman to stay around. She had a point. With most of the good men taken by the war, only the shady types remained. Scum will always find a way to get out of order.
You took Sarah’s advice back then. You left town and moved in with your brother on his farm. He got out of serving under a law that prevented all children from one family to be taken away. Their two older brothers were already fighting in the war so you and your brother were left.
But that didn’t matter, after all, you were carrying a child out of wedlock and you know how that goes. The child’s a bastard and the mother’s a whore but there’s no name for the man that left you like this. Sure, you could call him an asshole or whatever else you could think of but you don’t think of him like that. You could never think of him like that.
He was just a good man with a savior complex and a heart too big for his body.
Besides, he didn’t know.
...
Either way, you promised yourself you’d never go back to Brooklyn in fear of bumping into him. What are you supposed to say when you see him? Hi, long time no see, this is your child, now go be a dad. That’d be mental.
But apparently you aren’t in faith’s favor. When your uncle died, you were told that you inherited his bar. The same bar you had spent endless nights at with your friends. The same bar you had gotten your first kiss in. The same bar where he told you he had to go. That thing is a scar and a half but you could never hate it.
You adored going there, working there, drinking there. It was a safe haven but now it’s old columns with bullet holes and blown out windows that need fixing. It ain’t all that bad. Some sanding and a new layer of paint oughta do it.
You feel a tug at your hand. As you look down, you meet the most beautiful blue eyes with golden locks of hair. She looks so much like him.
‘Mommy, I don’t like this place.’ Her eyes are wide like a deer in the headlights, scared by all the cars and people on the streets. She’s used to the peace of your brother’s farm and you understand that the pace of the city might scare her. You kneel down next to her and put your hands on her shoulders so that she puts all her attention on you.
‘It’s just the marching band coming to play,’ you tell her in a calming voice with a comforting smile on your lips, ‘it’s just tubas and drums and loud noises. You’ll get used to it. I promise.’ You watch your little girl raise her pinky up to your face.
‘Pinky promise?’ You smile brighter as you hook your own pinky onto hers.
‘Pinky promise.’ She nods proudly as you stand up to take your keys out of your pocket and unlock the door for the both of you.
‘Y/n, is that you?’
‘Bloody hell, it’s her!’ You turn your head towards the commotion and see two girls barreling your way, almost jumping into your arms. ‘Jesus Christ woman, I missed you,’ the blonde one cries out. The brunette lets go first and smiles down at the little girl.
‘Bonnie, watch your language around the kid,’ the brunette snaps at the blonde.
‘Sorry Connie,’ she lets go of you and looks down at the kid. You put your hand on your daughter's shoulder to comfort her in meeting new people. These girls are far from strangers to you but she’s never seen them before.
‘Sweetheart, these are mommy’s friends,’ you explain to her, ‘that’s Bonnie and that’s Connie. Bonnie, Connie, this is my daughter, Sarah.’ Connie squads down to shakre the little girl’s hand with a wide smile on her face.
‘Very nice to meet you Sarah.’ Bonnie follows Connie’s movements and shakes Sarah’s hand next.
‘Yes, nice to meet you Sarah.’
‘Nice to meet you too,’ Sarah says with a shy smile but she quickly hides behind you as soon as the women get back up.
‘Goss, you’ve got your mother’s looks,’ Connie tells her, ‘that’s a good thing.’ Bonnie nods in agreement.
‘You’ve got a point there,’ she says, ‘so who’s the daddy?’ You look down at the ground for a second, feeling your stomach drop. Sarah looks up at you with hopeful eyes but opts to answering herself.
‘Daddy’s fighting bad guys,’ she proudly tells them.
‘That’s right sweetheart,’ you assure her with a weakened smile. You quickly unlock the door to the bar for her and she runs inside, excited to see what it looks like from the inside. ‘We shouldn’t talk about this outside,’ you tell the girls ‘people talk.’ They don’t ask questions about your nervous stature, they just follow.
‘Sweetheart, why don’t you go have a look upstairs,’ you tell Sarah as you hand her the key to the apartment above the bar. The apartment that’s yours now. The girl nods excitedly and runs up the stairs, more than happy to escape the unknown faces of the women that suddenly embraced her mother. A breath of relief escapes your lips as you watch her go.
Connie and Bonnie follow you into the main area of the bar. For a second, just a second, it feels like it used to on those Saturday nights when the boys would take you out dancing but you’d always end up here when the night got colder. Your uncle would always give you the first drink on the house and you’d always cheer him on for doing so. It’s a shame he’s gone so soon.
Without really thinking about it, you venture to the table in the corner where you’d usually sit with Bonnie and Connie and whoever else wanted to join. When you look down at the wood, you can still see your initials carved into it. A faint smile thugs on your lips when you run your fingers over them. It’s been too long.
‘Spill,’ Connie demands when you’re all seated. She sounds rougher than she intended to. You can tell by the way she flinches ever so slightly. She always had a way of sounding a little too harsh at the wrong moments but you know it’s never meant that way. It’s just her tone of voice.
‘I wasn’t going to come back,’ you admit with a meek smile, ‘too many memories.’
‘But you did. Why? It can’t just be the bar.’ She’s right. It never was just the bar. Though coming back might bring shame to you and Sarah, the hope of running into Sarah’s father was still there. Maybe, just maybe, you wanted to see him again.
Bonnie leans her elbows on the table in anticipation, her head resting in her palms. She looks like she’s going to hear the greatest love story ever told. If only it were that way. You hesitate to tell them why. What would they think of you if they knew before? The three of you never really did talk about children or marriage. But the truth will out one way or another and you’d rather have it out on your terms.
‘You know, you’d think with the world changing so much, we would’ve gone past calling a child a bastard but we really haven’t,’ you say as you feel your voice starts to shake, ‘poor girl deserves a dad and the dad deserves to know he’s got a child.’
‘Who is it,’ Bonnie pushes. You look up from the table with teary eyes.
‘Steve.’ It’s like the world stops for a second as the two women give each other a confused look. It’s like they can’t comprehend it. Steve, your best friend, got you pregnant.
‘Wait, skinny Steve or buff Steve,’ Connie asks you. Now it’s your turn to be confused.
‘Wha-what does that even mean? I guess skinny Steve. Was there another Steve around,’ you ask them. They share another look that means nothing to you but there’s concern in their eyes and you don’t know why. It worries you.
‘Did you have a TV on your brother’s farm?’
‘No, just a radio.’ Bonnie runs her hands through her hair and leans back in her chair, astounded by what you just said but it doesn’t give you any clearity.
‘Oh, you have to be joking,’ Connie exclaims, ‘you don’t know?’
‘Don’t know what? What should I know?’
‘Do you know who Captain America is?’
‘Yeah, he’s everywhere. Posters, toys, everything,’ you say as you let out a nervous chuckle, ‘what’s that got to do with Steve?’
‘Steve is Captain America.’
‘Okay, now you’re just talking nonsense,’ you say as you get up from your chair and walk over to the bar, seeing if it’s alright. The two chase after you quickly.
‘We’re not,’ Bonnie claims, ‘the man had some sort of experiment done on him or something.’
‘Steve is Captain America? You mean the man that couldn’t even talk to women properly?’
‘Says the one who got knocked up by him,’ Bonnie comments, earning her a slap on the arm from Connie. ‘Ouch,’ she whines, ‘I was just saying.’
‘Just because you didn’t like him doesn’t mean she didn’t,’ Connie hisses quietly to Bonnie to make her shut up. You can’t help but chuckle at the banter between the two. They basically share one brain cell and it always struck you as adorable when they seemed to be opposite sides of the brain.
‘But why’d you let me go on the double date back then,’ Bonnie asks you, knowing full well that Connie had asked you first because she had already expected something going on between Steve and you.
‘I had nothing to worry about,’ you tell her as a nostalgic grin pulls onto your lips, ‘besides, I didn’t want to have to explain why I wasn’t drinking.’ Bonnie gasps.
‘You already knew back then?’
‘Of course I knew,’ you sigh, ‘but it wasn’t a stable pregnancy yet and I just didn’t know things would change the way they did.’ Connie grabs a barstool off the ground and puts it down, taking a seat on it.
‘So why’d you leave,’ she asks.
‘When Steve left, I was worried I’d have to be on my own raising a child,’ you explain to them, ‘then his mother suggested going to my brother’s farm for a while.’ You hear the stairs creak as Sarah runs downstairs calling out to you. You call back to her to let her know where you are. When she runs into the bar, you can’t help but stare at her adoringly. She’s just so damn stunning. She runs up to you and jumps into your arms.
‘How do you like it,’ you ask her.
‘It’s great,’ she says with glowing eyes, ‘but there’s too much space for the two of us.’ Sarah had only ever lived on your brother’s farm where she had to share a room with you. She had never lived anywhere where she had her own room.
‘We’ll make it work,’ you promise her.
‘Well, we should get going,’ Connie announces, hooking her arm onto Bonnie’s to stop her from protesting, ‘but we’ll come around tomorrow to help you clean this place.
‘That would be wonderful,’ you smile at them as they take their leave. When the door closes, Sarah takes your hand in hers and looks at you with seriousness in her eyes that you had only ever seen before when Steve talked about enlisting and how important it was to him.
‘Mommy, it looks like there’s someone else living upstairs,’ she tells you.
‘Well, that’s because my uncle left his stuff here for us,’ you explain to her as you put her down, ‘let’s go lock the door and then you can show me around. Yeah?’ The girl’s eyes light up again as she nods excitedly. You can barely lock the door with her pulling at your arm.
Before you follow her up the stairs, you take one last look at the bar. The memories you’ve made there are as thick as the layers of dust on the furniture. You don’t like to admit it but you’re glad you’re back and you know now, with your little girl already being so excited, that you two are going to be just fine.
...
‘Y/n! We’re here!’ You jump up from behind the bar, quickly patting down your pants to rid them of dust as you walk towards the front door to greet Bonnie and Connie. Bonnie flies around your neck as she did yesterday.
‘Hi love,’ you greet her with a grin that goes from ear to ear, ‘how are you doing?’
‘We’re alright,’ Bonnie says with a mischievous look on her face as she steps aside to allow Connie to greet you.
‘We found an old friend on the way here,’ Connie tells you as she steps aside to reveal a face you haven’t seen in ages. Gosh, if it were any longer you might’ve not recognized him anymore. He looks withered but the smirk on his face is ever present as well as the cocky look in his eyes and confident stature.
‘Are my eyes deceiving me? James Buchanan Barnes, how are you doing?’ You wrap your arms around his neck to pull him into a close embrace that he accepts gratefully. His arms snake around your waist as he pulls you as close as he possibly can.
‘It’s been too long, doll,’ he says and puts his hands on your hips to distance you from him. Just so he can have a good look at you. ‘Jeez, you haven’t changed since ‘42. You look stunning.’
‘You’ve got a bit more stubble on your chin,’ you tease, ‘and a haircut would do you wonders.’ He snickers as he briefly tickles your sides. You cry out a laugh and take a few steps away, lightly jogging towards the bar knowing he’ll follow.
‘So, I hear you’re the owner of this place now,’ he says as he follows with big strides, walking around like it’s still his go-to bar. You watch him as he has a look around.
‘I am,’ you say with a proud smile, ‘my uncle left it to me.’
‘He couldn’t have left it in better hands,’ he grins at you as he stalks over to the corner table, having a look at the carved initials on it. ‘Wow, they’re still here.’ You walk over to him, watching him drag his fingers over his own initials next to yours and Steve’s.
‘They are.’
‘Where’s the little one,’ Connie asks you. Your eyes shoot over at her right as she realizes what she’s just said. Bucky doesn’t know. Her hands move in front of her mouth.
‘Little one?’ As if on que, you hear the stairs creak under the weight of Sarah’s rushed footsteps. She told you yesterday that she was excited to see your friends again, even if she had been scared of them initially. You let yourself drop into a chair and hide your face in your hands as she steps into the room. You don’t have to see Bucky’s face to know that he looks shocked. Sarah looks exactly like Steve, how could he not be shocked?
‘Mommy, who’s that?’ You look up from your hands and gesture for Sarah to get closer but she looks nervous and stays where she is.
‘It’s okay sweetheart,’ you tell her as you reach out to her. She walks over and takes your hand, hiding behind it slightly at the sight of yet another stranger. ‘Sarah, this is Bucky. Bucky is a friend of mine,’ you explain to her, ‘Connie, Bonnie, Bucky, and I would come here a lot together.’ You look up at Bucky, trying to keep eyes from poking in your eyes and failing terribly. ‘Bucky, this is Sarah. My daughter.’ Bucky nods and makes himself a bit smaller, holding out his hand to shake Sarah’s hand.
‘Nice to meet you Sarah.’
‘Nice to meet you too mister Bucky.’
‘Just Bucky is fine,’ he tells her with a friendly smile.
‘Sweetheart, why don’t you go show Bonnie and Connie where we live now,’ you suggest to her, ‘I’m sure they’d love to see the drawings you put up.’ That’s all it takes for the little girl to grab Bonnie and Connie by their skirts and drag them upstairs, leaving you and Bucky alone for a few minutes.
‘That girl looks exactly like Steve,’ he exclaims. You shoot up from your chair and hurriedly walk over to the bar.
‘Really? I hadn’t noticed.’ You reach for a rag you had been cleaning with before your friends walked in, running it over the bar to take Bucky’s attention off you as your feel a lump form in your throat. However, Bucky doesn’t do well with being avoided. He grabs your wrist and takes the rag out of your hand, throwing it somewhere you can’t just reach.
‘I know you and Steve had a fling back in the day so I’m only going to ask this once. Is she Steve’s?’ He watches as your eyes fill with tears while you try to swallow away the lump in your throat. It’s as if all the hurt and hardships you’ve been through these past years while raising Sarah suddenly wash over you. You feel your shoulders start to shake as you take your bottom lip between your teeth to keep it from quivering. Bucky’s expression softens and he pulls you into a hug, gently rubbing your back until you calm down. ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’
‘His mother asked me not to,’ you softly stammer into his ear as a sob slips from your lips, ‘I thought he was going to stay.’
‘So did I doll, so did I.’ You push off him, holding both his shoulders to keep him away from you. There’s a pit in your stomach as you try to speak but the words don’t seem to be coming out quite right. It takes a few seconds before you manage to form a sentence.
‘You can’t tell him. Please don’t tell him,’ you hear yourself beg with a shaky voice. That’s not what you wanted to say. You want Steve to know but why can’t you do it?
‘I won’t, but there’s something you have to know,’ he tells you as he takes your hand and leads you back to the corner table. His hands take yours and his thumb gently drags over the back of your hand to keep you grounded. ‘Steve is seeing someone.’
He expected you to scream, or at least cry. But you just sit there, frozen, nodding ever so slightly to let him know you understand. Your feelings are on overdrive and at this point you’re not quite sure if you’re even feeling anything.
‘Mommy, are you okay?’ Your eyes dart over to Sarah’s. Your hands move to your eyes to wipe away your tears as you see Bonnie and Connie running into the room to grab the girl.
‘Mommy is fine,’ you tell her as she walks over to you. You pick her up and set her on your lap. ‘But sometimes even mommy has to cry.’
‘Please don’t.’ You push a smile onto your face to appease your little girl.
‘I’ll try not to,’ you tell her, ‘can you go upstairs with Bonnie and Connie a little longer? I have some boring adult things to discuss with Bucky.’ She nods and jumps off your lap, dragging Bonnie and Connie along like she had done mere minutes ago.
‘She is so much like Steve,’ you tell Bucky with a small smile on your face as your eyes linger on the empty staircase, ‘you know, on my brother’s farm she used to try to resolve fights between the animals.’
‘That does sound a lot like Steve,’ Bucky chuckles as he takes her hand again, ‘I hope she doesn’t fight as much as he does.’ You shake your head, a nostalgic look in your eyes. Oh how you remember all the times Bucky had to save Steve’s ass when he got into yet another fight. It got even worse when the two of you were fooling around and a man would look at you wrong. However, you did love him for it. Maybe you still do. You’re not sure.
‘I did want to tell him,’ you say, your voice surprisingly steady, ‘I was about to send him a letter when his mother told me it would be better if I left town.’
‘She told you to leave town?’ You nod.
‘Said it would be better for my safety and the baby and she was right,’ you admit, ‘but I’ve never been able to shake the feeling that I was keeping something from him.’
‘Do you want him to know?’ You nod again and look up at him with a smile.
‘You know, we didn’t have a TV so I didn’t know he was Captain America until Bonnie and Connie told me yesterday,’ you tell him, ‘but it makes sense.’
‘It does. He was always the best of us three.’ Bucky sounds proud as he says it, as he should be. Steve has always been a good man who doesn’t let his judgement be clouded by money and power.
‘She makes my life so much more meaningful,‘ you tell Bucky proudly, ‘I know I never wanted to be a mother but she changed everything. It’s like she’s got all Steve’s good parts but it hurts that she has to withstand name calling just because she doesn’t have a dad. She doesn’t deserve that.’ You look past Bucky onto the busy streets, watching as people walk by. Children are playing on the streets, women are going to the shops, men are reading the paper and smoking, and families... Happy, complete, families walk the sidewalks with smiles on their faces. They don’t have to worry about what others think of them. You wish it was like that for Sarah.
‘Do you want them to meet?’
‘I do but it isn’t fair to either of them to just put them in a room together,’ you tell Bucky, ‘I’d have to face Steve on my own first.’
‘That’s fair, do you want me to bring him around sometime?’ You continue to stare out the window as your eye suddenly fall on someone. You feel like all color is draining from your face. No, this can’t be real. Not right now. ‘Doll?’ You nod towards the window. Bucky turns around to see Steve standing right there, looking in with a grin on his face, happily waving at you. Of course, that would just be your luck. Bucky turns back to you.
‘I can send him away if you need more time.’
‘It doesn’t matter. I’ve got to face him sometime,’ you say with a meek smile. It wipes away when you flinch from the loud bang of the front door slamming against the wall. Steve runs into the room, still wearing a grin on his face.
‘Y/n?’ You get up from your chair to greet him.
‘Hi Steve, good to see you.’ In his excitement, he runs up to you and engulfs you in a hug like you’ve never shared before. He’s so much bigger than you now. It’s almost suffocating but that could also be the nerves. However, the feeling is familiar as is his smell. It’s comforting and warm. Your arms wrap around his waist to hold him close. You’re not sure if you ever want him to let you go but he steps back after a hug that lasts a little too long.
’Jeez, you’re still as beautiful as when I left,’ he smiles.
‘And I thought you were done growing when you left,’ you try to joke, pushing your anxiety aside.
‘I thought so too,’ he says and turns to Bucky to quickly shake his hand in greeting. ‘Did you know she was back?’
‘No, I ran into Bonnie and Connie today. They found out she was back yesterday,’ Bucky tells him. ‘They’re around here somewhere to help clean the bar.’ Steve nods at Bucky’s blatant lie but he doesn’t seem to notice.
‘So, you’re running your uncle’s bar now?’ You nod but Steve can tell that you’re nervous. Your eyes are still red and puffy and he saw you cry when he looked through the window. ‘Are you okay?’ You nod, averting your eyes from him.
‘Sit down, we have to talk,’ you say as you sit back down. He looks confused as he sits down next to Bucky in his usual place. It’s a strange sight. He doesn’t fit into the picture anymore. He’s gotten too big.
‘What is it?’ You take a deep breath.
‘Listen, I can keep running around this but that wouldn’t be fair to you-’
‘You’re making me nervous Y/n.’ His eyes shoot to Bucky but he isn’t giving him anything. In fact, he’s leaning back to show to Steve that this is something between the two of you. He’s just there for moral support.
‘You have a child.’ His jaw drops as he scrambles to find the words to say.
‘I’m sorry, I have a what now?’ Bucky leans forward and hits Steve’s arm.
‘You heard her,’ he snaps, ‘Jesus, don’t you see how much this is taking out of her?’
‘It’s fine Bucky,’ you assure him.
‘Did you know,’ Steve asks Bucky and you feel the situation slipping from your fingers.
‘No, I didn’t know but it isn’t my child.’
‘Stop it,’ you snap. The men look back at you and their faces drop as they watch tears slip onto your cheeks. You grab Steve’s hand from the table. ‘Yes, you have a child. Her name is Sarah Josephine Y/l/n. I couldn’t call her Rogers because we’re not married but I thought you’d like that name for her.’
‘I do, but why am I only hearing this now,’ he asks, obviously confused and stressed. Suddenly, there is the weight of being a runaway dad on his shoulders. Even if he didn’t know about the child’s existence up until now, he still doesn’t like it.
‘Your mother asked me to move away from the city for the safety of the child,’ you explain to him, ‘and I didn’t know how to reach you. I mean, damn, I didn’t even know you changed this much.’ Steve stays quiet for a while, looking at his hand in yours as your thumb gently strokes over his skin. Your hands had always been smaller than his and he always liked how they looked next to his but for some reason he feels strange because of your touch.
‘Can I see her?’ You look from Steve to Bucky, your eyes carry worry as you wipe away your tears.
‘I don’t know. She’s already met so many new people today, it might-’ Steve squeezes your hand gently and looks up at you with hopeful eyes. Eyes that she has never been able to say no to.
‘Please?’ You sigh, taking a second to collect yourself. Why did it have to be him?
‘I just need to know one thing,’ you state, not daring to look into his eyes, ‘I know you’re dating someone but if I let you meet her, will you stay in her life? Because I can’t introduce her to her dad and then tell her that she never gets to see him again. It would break her heart.’ His hand gently slips under her chin, pushing her head up slightly so she’s looking at him.
‘I promise.’ You take a deep breath and let go of his hand as you put your pinky up.
‘Pinky promise?’ A smile spreads on his face as he hooks his pinky onto hers like he had done a thousand times before. When he promised to pick her up from somewhere, when he promised he’d stay loyal to her when going out with Bucky, when he promised he’d come back to her after the war. That last one is the only one he hadn’t made true yet.
‘Pinky promise.’ You nod, a small smile on your lips as your pinky slips from his. He watches as you walk over to the staircase and disappear for a little. When you reappear, you’re carrying a little girl. Eyes as blue as his, golden locks draping over her shoulders, and a tiny stature.
‘Sarah, I want you to meet someone,’ you tell your daughter with a gentle smile, ‘this is Steve Rogers.’ You put her down in the middle of the bar, letting her choose what to do. You watch as her eyes widen at the sight of Steve. She knows of Steve Rogers. You told her about him.
As his eyes meet those of Sarah, he gets up from his chair so fast the thing falls onto the floor, scaring Sarah into hiding behind you. His eyes fill with hurt as he watches her hide and he gets on his knees to be more on eye level with Sarah.
‘But mommy, he isn’t scrawny at all.’ You let out a laugh and kneel down next to her, putting your hand on her shoulder.
‘Scrawny? Really?’ Steve bellows a soft laugh as you shrug.
‘He was really scrawny when he was younger,’ you reassure Sarah, ‘he just got bigger.’ She wraps her hands around your arm for security as she looks at him.
‘Are you so big from fighting bad guys?’ You nod vigorously at Steve in hopes that he gets the hints.
‘Yes,’ he says with a gentle smile. That seems to put Sarah’s nerves at ease a little. She takes a step away from her and a step closer to Steve.
‘Are you a soldier?’
‘I’m a captain,’ he tells her proudly. Sarah nods, pretending to understand him as she takes another step closer.
‘Are you going to stay? Because mommy told me you weren’t with us because you had to fight bad guys in the war.’
‘Well, the war is over,’ he tells her as he peeks past Sarah at you, ‘so I think I’ll stick around a while.’ Sarah takes the last few steps towards him and puts her pinky up to him.
‘Pinky promise?’ He smiles at her and hooks her pinky onto hers, marveling at the size difference of their hands. That’s his daughter. His little girl. And just behind her is her mother. You, the amazing woman that he admired from the second he laid eyes on you.
There’s nothing in this wide, wide world that could keep him away from the two of you. And as he looks back at you and watches a tear slip onto your cheek again, he knows you know too.
‘Pinky promise.’
#Steve Rogers#steve rogers fanfic#steve x reader#steve rogers x reader#steve rogers x female reader#steve rogers x fem reader#steve rogers x y/n#steve rogers x you#captain america x you#captain america#captain america fanfic#captain america x reader#cap x reader#captain america x female reader#captain america x y/n#marvel#marvel fanfic#marvel fanfiction#marvel x reader#marvel x y/n
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traitor. (sokka x f!reader) pt 3
A/N: Finally we get to see Azula’s true nature! Also, the first time we get to see Zuko!! To be clear, Azula is in this fic a lot, but this is far from a redemption fic.
part 1 | part 2 | part 4
Zuko caught Y/N’s eyes like he wanted to ask her a million questions. But she was too embarrassed about everything to hold his gaze. She looked away hoping she didn’t look too guilty or shameful. She joined Azula in staring out the window. The cherry blossom trees were in bloom. They covered every square inch of sky as she looked out. It filled the room with a sweet scent that Y/N knew was going to permeate their clothes when they left. If she let her eyes go unfocused it looked like there was a raging fire in front of her.
Y/N found herself outside in the palace gardens. She was running from something, but it wasn’t scary. She was laughing and she heard other girls laughing around her. She began to climb a tree, stifling her giggles the entire time. For some reason, she had to be quiet.
“You’re going to get in trouble for being up there,” Someone said from below.
Y/N looked down between the branches to see a boy her age. He was wearing a high ponytail held with a small fire pin.
“Why?” she asked. She jumped down to the lowest branch and sat there hanging her legs over the side. She didn’t want to get down just yet.
He arched one eyebrow. “Just ‘cause. If the palace gardener sees you climbing the trees, he’ll yell at you.”
“Well I’ll just tell him that my new friend is Princess Azula and that’ll shut him up.” Y/N laughed again and made a start to go back up the tree.
“Well, I’m her older brother Prince Zuko and I’m telling you, you’re gonna get in trouble.” He looked like he wanted to emphasize his sentence by sticking his tongue out at her.
“Why aren’t you playing hide-and-explode with us?” Y/N asked. She jumped down and landed lightly in front of Zuko. They were the same height, which made her feel oddly proud.
“I don’t like playing games with Azula,” Zuko said. “I’m ten–”
“–well I’m nine and a half and I can still have fun,” Y/N interrupted.
“You’re almost my age and you’re friends with Azula? What happened? Did you get held back?” Zuko taunted.
“No!” Y/N made a face. Suddenly she felt very self conscious. She didn’t know what ‘held back’ meant but it didn’t sound good, not when he was laughing at her. “This is the first time I’ve ever gone to real school. I just got put in her grade.”
Suddenly a fireball landed at Y/N’s feet; sparks flew up and singed her pants and burnt her legs. She squealed, a mix between surprise and pain.
“Azula!” Zuko snarled. He half stepped in front of Y/N, all hints of the earlier teasing gone. Zuko produced a similar fireball and threw it at Azula’s feet but she kicked it away, making it land in a nearby bush.
“You’re it, Y/N,” Azula ordered.
“It’s not fair, Azula. She’s not a bender,” Zuko argued.
“Neither are Mai and Ty Lee. And they don’t whine like babies.” The last part she directed at Y/N with a sneer.
“I’m not whining!” Y/N protested. She pushed Zuko out of the way and covered her eyes, beginning to count to twenty. She peeked at Zuko at fifteen. All the girls had already scattered but he just stood there watching her. “I’m faster than Azula anyways. I can catch her.”
She paused and looked at Zuko who stood there awkwardly. “Are you going to hide or what?” She asked. When she covered her eyes again she heard him run away, looking for a hiding place. She waited a beat before counting again, “–SIXTEEN, SEVENTEEN..”
Y/N woke to darkness. But it was always dark below deck. The only light came from candles and lanterns hung in the hallways. Her own candle was only an inch high and fading fast from the accumulation of wax. She could feel the familiar rock of the ship lulling her back to sleep… Y/N sat up quickly. She could tell that it was morning, possibly very early but she couldn’t risk going back to sleep. She tucked the covers under her neck and over her shoulders to snuggle down to ask the important questions. Why was she dreaming of Zuko?
The day they met was probably one of their most innocent and least notable moments. At least that’s what she thought. Or it was possible her brain was trying to make her feel guilty about what she and Azula were going to do today. That day wasn’t the last that Zuko had tried to protect her from his sister, it actually set the stage for years of him standing up to Azula in her place. Not that she needed it, she could hold her own plenty, but it felt nice to be protected.
Sometimes she wondered if they had more time together, if they’d have become better friends than her and Azula. Even though he was a fire-bender too, he spent a lot of training with his dual swords. Time that was spent with her on the training grounds. They sparred daily until his banishment; spirits, Y/N was sure they’d even sparred the day of the war meeting that started everything. Now she was going to find him, and lie to him, knowing that what awaited him at home was not a crown but a prison cell. Y/N shook her head to clear it and slid out of the bed and into her clothes. No use in thinking of the past when her future was all that was necessary. Honor and glory and all.
Y/N could hear Iroh and Zuko arguing a mile away. Azula and her had gotten there an hour before and broke inside the little cabin they were living in. They’d not so inconspicuously gone through all their stuff and upon not finding anything worth while, sat around just waiting.
“We don’t need any more useless things. You forget we have to carry everything for ourselves now!” Zuko lamented as Iroh dumped a bag of seashells on the table by the door, that looked suspiciously like the same seashells next to Azula on their dining table. Neither one had looked up to see them inside.
“Hello, brother,” Azula said. “Uncle.” Both of the men jumped.
“What are you doing here?” Zuko asked as he stepped his body in front of Iroh’s. He looked from Azula to where Y/N was sitting in the window sill behind Azula. Her stomach dropped. This was the first time she’d seen his scarred face. Pink and red scars circled his left eye and wrapped far back enough to cover his ear. His hair was no longer long, but shaved around his ponytail. He looked so much older even though it had only been three years. Y/N wasn’t sure what made him look so different, whether it was a scar that marred his face or the anger that seeped deep beneath his pores.
“In my country we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions.” Azula picked up a seashell and inspected it. She glided across the room to stand in front of him. She was so much shorter than Zuko and Y/N but she carried so much power. “Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?”
“Don’t call me that!”
“To what do we owe this honor?” Iroh spoke up, breaking up the fight between the siblings before it started. Y/N moved to stand behind Azula.
“Hmm, must be a family trait. Both of you are so quick to get to the point.” Azula was still playing with the men like they were rabbit-mice. She snapped the shell she was holding in her hands. “I’ve come with a message from home. Father has changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He’s heard rumors of plans to overthrow him–treacherous plots.” Y/N looked to Zuko to gauge his reaction. His face had softened at hearing the news from his Father.
“Family are the only ones you can really trust,” Azula told him earnestly. “Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home.” Azula paused to look out the window.
Zuko caught Y/N’s eyes like he wanted to ask her a million questions. But she was too embarrassed about everything to hold his gaze. She looked away hoping she didn’t look too guilty or shameful. She joined Azula in staring out the window. The cherry blossom trees were in bloom. They covered every square inch of sky as she looked out. It filled the room with a sweet scent that Y/N knew was going to permeate their clothes when they left. If she let her eyes go unfocused it looked like there was a raging fire in front of her.
When no one said anything, Azula whipped her head back around to stare at her brother. “Did you hear me? You should be happy, excited, grateful. I just gave you great news.”
“I’m sure your brother simply needs a moment–”
“Don’t interrupt, Uncle!” Her voice changed from sickeningly sweet as she plied Zuko with the words he wanted to hear to savage as she screamed at Iroh. Azula had never learned to be patient, and she wanted them on the ship now. “I still haven’t heard my thank you,” She growled at Zuko. “I’m not a messenger. I didn’t have to come all this way. I could have sent Y/N for this.”
Y/N tensed at her words. She bit her tongue so hard that she tasted blood. How dare Azula think she was her messenger hawk?
“Father regrets? He wants me back?” Zuko muttered. Y/N felt like this was a conversation with himself that they were all intruding on. Y/N had to admit that the words that Azula used to trick them were sweet as honey, but also not very believable.
Y/N touched the back of Azula’s arm. “I think that he needs time to take this in. It’s all very sudden for him.” She sent a smile in Zuko’s direction that he did not return.
“I’ll send Y/N to call on you tomorrow.” Azula concluded and she and Y/N took their leave.
“Why are you sending me tomorrow?” Y/N asked once they were out of range of the house.
“Zuko trusts you more than he does me,” Azula admitted. “I figure even if he decided he doesn’t want to come, you’ll be able to sweet talk him down the hill to our little ship.”
“Zuko and I were–”
“Oh shut up, Y/N. You two always had an eye for one another.”
Y/N felt her cheeks heat up. “I–”
“Besides that’s the reason my Father wanted you to come anyways.” They had reached the wooden dock that the ramp to their ship rested on.
Y/N stopped dead in her tracks. “What?”
Azula cocked her head. “Well, I figured you’d caught on to that already the way you were making moony eyes at my brother up there.”
“I wasn’t–How was I supposed to know I was only brought here to flirt Zuko’s ass all the way back to the Fire Nation?!”
“Just back to the ship. Once he gets here we’ll put him in a jail cell.”
“AZULA!”
“Look,” she snarled. “You’re good with a sword but what the hell is that going to do against a fire bender? It’s a fact that you being a non bender means you’re a liability in a fight.” Azula turned and marched up the ramp. That was the end of the discussion even if Y/N had more to say.
She looked down at her toes at the blue-green water between the slats. She could feel her eyes burning with unshed tears. She blinked them away and followed Azula onto the ship.
Y/N fisted her hands in her tunic and stalked to her room. Control your anger, control your anger she repeated over and over in her head. She wasn’t like Azula or Zuko, she couldn’t make something with the anger that grew and festered in her chest. She couldn’t throw a fireball at the nearest wall and hope that her anger dissipated like the sparks that fell to the floor. She shut her door and immediately balled up her fist and let it slam home against the wall. The thin metal crumpled easily under her hand. It stung, but that was good. Y/N let out a breath she thought she’d been holding since the dock. She collapsed onto her bed and pulled her knees to her chest.
It wasn’t a secret that she was a non-bender. But it’s not like it didn’t hurt to be reminded that she wasn’t as worthy because she was one.
Please like/reblog!!
#sokka x reader#avatar sokka#sokka#sokka x you#sokka x y/n#zuko#azula#aang#katara#toph beifong#iroh#atla#a:tla#avatar: the last airbender#avatar the last airbender#avatar#avatar resurgence
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Dark Crystal Tik-Tok challenge: My s/o doesn't love my anymore.
Deet to Rian:
Mitjan was preparing lunch when the holo-crystal rang. He pressed it up from its sheath with his elbow to accept the transmit.
“Hello”?
“F-Father”.
Mitja whipped his head at the sound of his daughter sniffling and on the brink of tears. Paternal instinct began to surge through him.
“What happened Deethra”? He asked, trying to keep the panic down in case it was nothing.
“R-Rian...He said”. Deet dramatically covered her mouth with a trembling fist “He said that he doesn't love me anymore”.
“I did NOT say that! Why are you lying to your father”?! Rian called off the screen. Mitjan couldn't tell if he sounded annoyed or was in jest.
“What did you say then”? Deet sniped at her right.
“I just said that I’m not buying you a fizzgig. You have a whole farm of slimy worms back home, those are your pets”.
“But they're not here, are they”?!
“I'm not having a fuzzball rolling over and shitting on my carpet”!
Deet rolled her, turning back to her father “So yeah this relationship might not last long”.
“Oh Deet”. Mitjan sighed, cutting off the call and going back to cooking lunch.
Rian to Deet:
Gurjin was shocked that Rian was calling him right now. Usually when he was on a date with Deet his phone would be on vibrate so he could focus on their activity.
Thinking the worst, Gurjin picked up after the first ring.
“What's wrong”?
“Deet doesn't love me anymore”.
“...huh”?
Gurjin could make out his friend’s monotone expression, imagining a look of deadpan on his face.
“My girlfriend of 2 years doesn't love me anymore”.
“I didn't say that”! Deet exclaimed, clearly sounded offended.
“What did you say then”? Rian challenged, leaving Gurjin to wonder if he should have even picked up the phone.
“I said I didn't want to go to the armory expo with you, I’ve been seven times I’ve had enough”.
“It's the same thing”!
“No, it is not! I'm tired of learning about the different wars and the glorification of bloodshed. Can't we go to the zoo or something ”?
“You liked it the first seven times”.
“I just started dating you, I was being nice”.
Gurjin hung up just as Rian let out a scandalous gasp. This sounded like a private matter.
Brea to Kylan:
“Darling, your sister is calling”.
Tavra turned off the treadmill, taking the towel Onica offered before her cell phone.
“Thanks, love” she grabbed the water bottle before answering the holo call “Hello”?
“T-Tavra”.
Said sister was greeted at the sight of her sister dramatically crying with glossy amber eyes.
“What's wrong this time”? Tavra chuckled, recognizing the famous crocodile tears her sister is known for in their household.
“T-T-Tavra” Blubbered Brea “Kylan told me...he doesn't love me anymore”.
A tanned hand gently landed on Brea’s head, giving her assuring head rubs. Tavra immediately recognized the affectionate gesture to come from Kylan.
“Brea, I just said I wouldn't marry you today”.
“It's the same thing”! Brea cried, burrowing her face into the couch arm.
“We’re still in university and I don't have enough money to get you a ring or-”.
“WELL GET ONE THEN! PLEASE”! Tavra winced at her sister’s harsh wailing through the speaker.
“I said soon...maybe”.
“Well it seems that two have that figured out. I'm gonna go mack on my girlfriend now, see ya”.
“TAVRA WAIT!! CONVINCE YOUR FUTURE BROTHER TO-”.
Tavra quickly cut off her sister’s pleas, hurrying to find Onica.
Kylan to Brea:
Naia sipped a bit of her smoothie before answering her phone after the first ring. As she always did when Kylan called.
“Yo”.
“Hey”. sighed Kylan, he sounded dejected which caused Naia some concern.
“Are you...Okay”?
“Yes, I mean as okay as one can be when their significant other tells them they don't love you anymore”.
Naia bit her lip when she heard a soft groan from Brea.
“I did not say that”!
“Oh no? Clarify what you said then”?
“I just said, respectfully and kindly, I'm not watching ‘Jara-Jen’ with you for the 50th time this week’”.
“Oh wow, seriously Klan”. Quipped Naia with a smirk.
“Hey! It's a good series and with amazing plot and dialogue”!
“I know because we’ve seen it 50 times this week”.
“It's a good show, Naia can you support me here please”.
Naia sucked her teeth “SSory Ky, gonna have to go with Brea on this one”.
“Fine, You're dead to me for the next five minutes”. With a humph, the click of the end of the call signaled Kylan hanging up.
Naia looked at her phone in confusion.
“Why specifically five minutes”?
Mothria to Gurjin:
A little while later after Kylan’s little call, Naia was surprised to get a call from Mothria who was often too busy on this day.
She set her bola crafting down to answer.
“Hi Mothy”.
“Your brother no longer loves me”.
“What! That is a lie. Why the fuck you lying”.,
Oh Thra, again?
“Awww, is he being a jerk again”? Naia cooed.
“Yeah he is”.
“All I said was I'm not going to ditch my friends at the movies so you can go to couples yoga”.
“I'm hearing ‘let's break up, I no longer love you Mothria”.
“For the love of Agura”.
“Who misses out on an opportunity to see their girlfriend in tight yoga pants”. Naia bit back a mocking giggle.
“A gelfling who wants to see guts and gore”.
“... Gurjin I feel I should apologize to you”.
“Why”?
“For taking most of your brain cells while we were in the womb together”.
Naia cackled as she hung up and tossed her phone next to her, returning to her crafting with a mischievous smile.
Gurjin to Mothria:
Rian groaned as he was rudely interrupted from his nap by the blaring of his phone.
His hand stumbled as he tried to find it on the coffee table, unintentionally knocking some of the knickknacks off.
“Hey” he responded with a groggy voice, arm over his eyes.
“Rian, my friend, comfort me in my time of need”. Gurjin’s begging didn't even stir the man from his half-sleep.
“What do you want”?
“Mothria, my beloved lovemoth of four years, has told me that she doesn't love me anymore”.
“That is not what you said you dinkleberry”!
Rian pulled the phone away from ear at Mothria’s booming voice.
“Well what did you say?! Explain yourself woman”!
“I said you can't grope my butt when we shop. We’ll get banned”.
“Don't worry about that we can ask my mom to lift the ban if we do”.
“How would we explain that? ‘Hey Maudra Laesid, your son likes to sexually grope me while we're shopping and that leads to us being banned. Could you lift it please so we can continue to do so without consequences”?
“...I probably would word it differently, but yeah something like that”.
“Oh my-”.
Rian cut the line off, leaving the sogling couple to their dispute and allowing him to return back to his nap.
#Dark Crystal#dark crystal age of resistance#deet x rian#brea x kylan#gurjinx oc#royalmelody#stonegrot#OCxCanon#naia#Gelfling#gelfling oc#mothria#gurjin#Rian#brea#kylan#deet
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The Final Bell - Chapter 1: Ringing Ears
Chapter warnings: Mild Language
Word count: 2216
Story is also available under Taffysamg on Quotev and Wattpad.
To see the full chapter list, go to the “Final Bell” Tab on my page.
-----
The pain was practically unbearable. Y/N had barely opened her eyes when it hit, sinking into every cell of her body and taking over her mind. There wasn't a bone in her that didn't feel broken. Her lungs struggled to pull in air and her skin stung. As her vision swam, she tried to pull herself up. The best she could do was barely make her way into a sitting position.
The air around her was arid, the sky a sickening shade of yellow. Everything was dusty and reeked of old meat, and the wind blew dirt into her eyes. Shielding her face, she swallowed a few times, disgusted as she tried to clear her throat. Once she could finally make out her surroundings, she started putting the pieces together.
She was lying on an asphalt bed- the center of the street. Every pane of glass in the windows of the buildings around her was shattered, bricks tumbling out of the foundations. There wasn't another person in sight, but there were occasional smoldering fires that indicated a recent presence. She almost laughed, thinking to herself how her family used to warn her against running into the road.
Wait... her family! They were probably worried sick- or worse, were they alive? Why had this happened? The last thing she remembered... Think... Think... At first, she recalled a few weeks ago. Tensions were high between practically every country on Earth. People were beginning to question if there would be a third world war in the near future. Of course, this wasn't necessarily uncommon, so she hadn't been too worried about it.
It kept coming back to her as she remembered a later news broadcast... more recent... China had just created a biological experiment. By tweaking a version of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, they believed they had created a perfect biological weapon that they were now threatening other countries with. It had worked, for a time at least. People began allying with them, convinced by the promise that the disease was perfectly controllable. That is, until the U.S. got involved.
America began to defend the idea that biological weapons were a war crime, and they were more than prepared to crack down on this rule. By using disease as a weapon, one was dragging civilians into the mix. A fight was closer than ever. Y/N racked her brain for the rest of the details. Obviously, based on her surroundings, something had happened, but... what? Finally, she decided to figure out where she was and try and make her way back home. She was bound to remember eventually, right?
As she stood up, she hissed through her teeth, bones cracking. Obviously she had been there for a while. Looking herself over, though, she was just bruised. She began to walk down the street, recognizing various buildings. Soon enough, she found herself in a familiar area. It was at least a 30 minute walk to her house, but she began without hesitation. The monotony of the journey gave her some more time to think, in which she recalled a bit more.
China had launched what they believed was their complete bioweapon. Obviously, they chose to use it on the United States, their main contender. It wasn't long before things got out of hand, and with some of the biggest airports in the world, the states quickly spread the disease. Some countries retaliated with bombs, others with full-on military attacks. This wasn't the worst of it, though. Eventually, practically the whole planet was infected.
The bio-weapon was meant to kill people, of course. Less people, less bodies in your fighting force, less money-makers, less of a chance of winning a war. The thing is, it didn't kill people. At first, this may seem alright. It most definitely was not.
See, this virus was originally derived from Creutzfeldt-Jakob, also known as Mad Cow Disease. To make it dangerous to humans, it was also spliced with some tendencies aligning with rabies. What resulted was a viral, blood-transmitted disease that caused deteriorating brain function, fear of water and sensitivity to bright lights, abnormal digestion and nutritional needs, and a rotting body. It turned people into zombies.
A zombie apocalypse- that's it, that's what she was missing. Now she had to watch out for these "zombies". Her gut twisted. Y/N couldn't even remember what they looked like, but the little pieces of information that she had retained were already scaring her half to death. Not only that, but she was terrified of what she might find should she return home. Still, there was little other option. She had to check on her family, and maybe get some clean clothes if she were lucky.
The walk was taking her South, closer to areas where people were living. So, too, she began to see people. Much to her dismay, not a single one of them was alive. Thankfully, she didn't know anyone who she laid eyes on, but it didn't stop her from feeling disgusted as she saw scattered limbs and tattered corpses. It was hard to tell what exactly had killed them, especially as she was trying to avoid looking at them. Twice on her way, she found herself throwing up in the street. The only reason she didn't after that was the lack of food in her stomach.
It wasn't long before she became thirsty. Every store in the area had smashed windows and splintered doors, so she didn't even bother checking inside. Even if there was anything inside, (which was doubtful), she'd feel bad stealing. Stupid, she knew, but it didn't change the fact that she wasn't going to go rotting around in abandon facilities.
About five minutes away from her house, she heard something in the distance. It sounded like... church bells? More specifically, one very large church bell. It was getting louder the longer it rang, echoing through the empty area. She tried to ignore it, but it was starting to annoy her. It wouldn't be long before she was home, so she continued tuning it out. That was, until she was knocked to the ground.
Sputtering as dirt flung into her mouth, she scrambled to get up.
"What the hell!" She shouted, looking around trying to figure out what had happened. Lying a few feet away, rubbing his head in pain, was a man. He was maybe just below six feet tall, limber, and covered head to toe in what looked like leather and camouflage. A various assortment of blades were seated in his belt. A black cloth bag had slid a short distance away from him, filled to the brim with some unknown articles.
"Don't yell at me, you're the one who walked out right in front of me." He grumbled, quickly jumping to his feet.
"Wait-" he continued. "Fuck! We need to get out of here!"
"I don't even know who-"
"Now!" He leaned down, grabbing her wrist and harshly jerking her to her feet. Before she could yell at him any further, he began running in the direction she had been coming from. Because of his height, he was much faster, so it wasn't long before she fell behind and wrenched her hand out of his grip.
"You can't just drag me wherever you're going! I don't know who you are, or what you're doing, or what's going on! I need to go see my family! Go to my house!"
"Look, I'll explain later, stop being difficult and come on-" She stamped her foot.
"Absolutely not."
"Did you not hear the bell, woman? What's wrong with you!"
"I don't even know what the bell is! You're going to answer me, or I'll be on my way!" Sighing angrily, he bent down to make direct eye contact with her.
"My name is Jaehyun. I am running. And the bell is an indication as to when an area has been overrun."
"Overrun? By what?" She asked. Before he could answer, though, she heard a growl behind her. Spinning around, her eyes widened. Coming out of alleys and tripping down the street were tens, if not hundreds, of people. They all moved in relative synchronization, making their way down the street. They weren't normal, though.
Their flesh was a strange, purpleish-red color, and their eyes were milky and glossed over. Zombies. Unlike the zombies in movies, though, these guys could move. Fast. In fact, they were quickly approaching, evidently targeting the two standing in the road.
"By those! Now let's go!" Evidently distressed, Jaehyun began to run, with or without his new acquaintance. Panicking, she followed, trying to keep up. The creatures were slowly but surely falling behind. She glanced back occasionally, watching their movements. They occasionally collapsed, whether from their rotting bodies or their lousy depth perception of the obstacles in front of them. If one of their own fell in front of them, they would quickly be trampled.
"Stop looking and keep running!" He reprimanded her. Looking forward, she saw that they were headed in the direction of a car- a black van. As they approached, she could tell there were more people inside, but the only face she could make out was the man in the driver's seat. The rest were concealed by the tinted windows. Slinging both the passenger and the back door open, Jaehyun pointed.
"Get in." She hesitated.
"I don't know if-" Aggravated he stepped up into the passenger seat.
"Or don't, run for all I care." That was the only convincing she needed. She jumped into the van, shutting the door behind her. Hey, if these guys didn't kill her, the zombies would.
"Drive-" He said to the man at the wheel, who quickly shifted into Drive and stepped on the gas. She glanced around the car, mostly keeping her eyes to the floor. There were two people in the seats behind her, plus Jaehyun and the driver. The man controlling the car was much shorter. He had blonde hair, but his roots were over an inch long, indicating that he hadn't dyed it in quite a long time. He turned to the only person she now knew.
"Who's your friend?" Jaehyun looked back to her, then to the man driving.
"I don't know, I found her on my way back."
"And you didn't even ask her what her name was?" He responded.
"What's your name?" She jumped as she felt someone directly behind her lean forward, asking the question. She turned quickly, coming face to face with one of the boys in the backseat. He was shorter than Jaehyun, but definitely taller than the man in the driver's seat. He hd a big smile across her face, which was strange considering the situation.
"I, uh... Y/N?" He laughed, sitting back again.
"You don't seem too sure, Y/N!"
"I..."
"Chill out, just messing with you. Stop being so jumpy! I'm Mark, that-" He pointed at the man driving. "Is Taeil. That's Jaehyun-" She already knew that one. And in the back is Jungwoo." She looked to the man that Mark had mentioned last. He seemed fairly passive, straight hair falling slightly into his face. He nodded, as if to acknowledge her stare, but said nothing.
"So, what brings you into our car, Y/N?" Mark asked. Evidently he was the most talkative out of all the boys.
"Jaehyun brought me." She muttered.
"Well, duh, we figured that out. I mean why are you out there by yourself? And why get so close to the zombies?"
"I just... woke up. I was passed out in the street, I don't actually remember much." She admitted. "I was trying to get home when I ran into him."
"Literally." Jaehyun groaned, examining his forehead in the cloudy car mirror.
"Sorry." She said.
"Don't worry about it, he probably deserved it." Mark consoled her. "Anyway, we have a camp set up about 15 miles from here, so it shouldn't be long before we get there. If Taeil would stop driving like a grandmother."
"The speed limit is 55." The blonde man shot back.
"It's the apocalypse. There aren't any police. What is wrong with you." He didn't respond, but didn't speed up, either. Mark just rolled his eyes. "If they keep up that pace, they'll reach the camp in, say... three hours? That should give us time to move out. Honestly, it's unlikely they make a direct beeline, but can't be too safe, right?"
"That would mean they have a 12 minute mile." Y/N looked at him, astounded.
"Yeah? So what?"
"I thought zombies were supposed to be slow." He looked at her blankly for a moment.
"You're kidding, right? It's a miracle you've made it this long."
"Yeah, she didn't even run at the bell." Jaehyun added.
"I didn't even know there was a bell!" She defended herself, slouching, annoyed.
"It's fine, we'll show you the ropes." Mark said, pointing through the windshield. "See? We're nearly there!" Peering through the windshield, she found that he was right. Just on the edge of the horizon, there were several cars and tents. She could even just barely make out the forms of a few people walking around. She took a deep breath as they approached, her situation beginning to dawn on her. She was still dirty and terrified, but maybe it would be okay. At least, she hoped so...
Go to Chapter 2
#nct#nct127#nct fanfic#nct x reader#nct127 x reader#jaehyun#johnny#yuta#taeyong#taeil#winwin#marklee#haechan#doyoung#jungwoo#kpop#Kpop fanfiction#zombieau#zombie apocalypse#nct zombie au
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Concentric [14]
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Words: 7.1k
Genres: fantasy!AU, angst, fluff, enemies to lovers, eventual smut (?)
Warnings: none (maybe just a brief violent description)
Summary: You had been ready for the end of the semester. You had been ready to spend time away from your best friend, Jimin, and finally move on from the feelings you harbored. Yet, after your friend was forced to reveal a secret, you found yourself in a new world that was chock full of magic, war, and wonder. So, here you were, basically thrown into your own fantasy novel, with your best friend on one side, and six male warriors on the other.
A/N: Reminder that I am moving to a biweekly posting schedule due to classes and work starting up again! Hope you all engoy the chapter! 💙
He remembered the cold landscape invading his body, starting at his fingertips and creeping over his skin until it enwrapped his heart. Turning him empty and barren.
He remembered the black smoke clogging his lungs. The scattered remains of his home burnt to the ground just like his soul. Turning him bitter and savage.
He remembered the glint of moonlight on metal. The yelps and cries of dying wolves. The lack of mercy. Turning him hateful and deadly.
The beginning of his descent into the harsh reality of the world.
His cruel awakening.
Amarok reminisced the euphoria he felt the first time he and his three wolves ransacked a lonely village in the night. The screams of pain and gushing of blood that embraced him and encouraged him to continue. The snapping of his wolves’ jaws. The tearing of flesh. The slicing of muscle and sinew. The squelch of his blade entering warm bodies. The destruction. The chaos.
All for Uzjuk.
He recalled gathering more to serve the cause appointed to him. Bringing in those who had felt the world’s suffering and had a desire to inflict it upon others. Those who knew of Illai’s unfairness. Those who hated the goddess just as he did.
Amarok leaned back in his chair, smiling to himself as he thought of the army he curated for his master. The people willing to expend their lives for the rise of anarchy. The people willing to kill and be killed without hesitation or remorse. The draikensu.
It was dark in his tent, save for two candles lit on a small table in the corner. The bare trace of flickering light being just enough to see the vague outline of the contents within the temporary room.
As he reclined in his seat, the male felt a claw rake against his mind as the darkness around him began to grow murky and curl toward him in wisps. A disturbing, chill-inducing feeling that crept to the very edges of his being. But he no longer shivered at it. Not anymore. It was now a familiar and welcomed sensation that signaled the arrival of his master.
Leaning his head back, Amarok closed his eyes and relished in the darkness coiling around and inside of him.
“What is taking so long?” The deep, guttural voice of his master croaked out.
Amarok sighed, knowing his master would not like his answer. “There have been… complications.”
A searing pain swiftly drilled into Amarok’s mind, causing him to groan and clutch his head. It felt like a heated knife was dragging through the contents of his brain, severing and cutting and cauterizing. His fingers dug into his skull, trying to add pressure to relieve the pain.
“I do not like complications.” His master hissed.
Gasping, Amarok apologized, telling his master that two large groups of draikensu had been sent after the key. The second being a reserve in case the first failed their mission.
The agony bestowed on Amarok’s mind lessened just a smidge as his master contemplated his words. Another minute of painful suffering went by, with the male gritting his teeth and containing his whimpers so as to not appear weak in front of his master. Then, finally, it gradually dissipated until Amarok’s mind was free from the burning, imaginary knife. Letting out a slightly shaky breath, he removed his hands from where they had been clawing at the arm rests of his chair.
“Prepare the rest of the subordinates anyway,” his master uttered throatily, his voice rough and frigid. “If those two little groups of yours do not succeed, then you will personally deal with the boy. The key within the bloodline must be killed. Understood?”
Amarok grinned, a sickening and unsettling thing as his eyes darkened with delight at the thought of being the one to carve out the key’s heart.
The male shut his eyes, envisioning himself thrusting his sword deep into the key’s chest so that he was speared to the earth. “The boy will die soon… I can assure you of that.”
“He better.”
The eldest of the kiela sat down on the ground next to the leader, sighing and leaning his head against a tree while they both observed the mess before them.
Jimin and Jiae were sitting so close their noses were basically touching. Both of them were squishing each other’s cheeks with adoring smiles plastered to their faces.
Mingi was on his back, rolling side to side like an overturned beetle while his eyes darted around frantically.
You were still wrapped in Jungkook’s arms, your back to his chest and his chin on your shoulder. He hummed softly in your ear as he rocked the two of you back and forth in a comforting manner.
Then, there was Tae. The grey-haired Saeni was continuously crawling around; whining that nobody would cuddle with him.
You would have smooshed him to your chest if you weren’t already snatched up in someone else’s arms. Shifting slightly on the ground, you exhaled and lifted your gaze to the swirling mass of treetops above you. You smiled at the whirlpool of stars and leaves and night. Shivered at the contact of Jungkook’s lips brushing against your neck. You kept looking up, you didn’t know exactly how long, but long enough for your head to start spinning with the sky. With a content sigh, you lowered your eyes back down and turned your attention to the two males that seemed different from the rest of the group. You wondered what they were so serious and why they looked so tired.
Maybe their neighbor was throwing a party all night long so they couldn’t sleep…
“Is there really nothing we can do except sit here and wait?” Jin asked the male beside him.
As the raven-haired male continued ogling at the pandemonium, he noticed your eyes on him and sent you a weird, questioning look. In return, you wiggled your fingers at him while your eyes went in and out of focus.
“Not really… unless you would like to pile everyone on your shoulders and carry them back,” Namjoon responded.
You suddenly perked up with a gasp, jolting Jungkook in the process. “You could do it Jin! You know why!? ‘Cuz you got the Better Ingredients. Better Shoulders. Papa Jin’s!”
You fell back into Jungkook as a fit of giggles overtook your body. Though Jin and Namjoon just stared at you in complete befuddlement.
“WAIT. IS THERE PIZZA!?” Jimin screamed at you in excitement, which caused everyone to fall quiet and gawk at the half-Saeni.
Well, everyone except for you. Instead, you pouted and shook your head; giggles fading into silent disappointment.
Jimin’s shoulders slumped with yours, but he still replied in a hopeful tone, “Can we order some, though?”
You went to nod, but your expression quickly morphed into a full frown as you realized that there was no way for you to order it. The Saeni didn’t have cell phones, so you couldn’t call in the order. And even if they did, you doubted they could deliver this far out into the forest. You sniffled at the thought of your delectable yet unattainable pizza pie.
I just want some greasy cheese.
Jungkook, hearing the tiny noise escape past your lips, nuzzled into your neck while murmuring that although he had no idea what you were talking about, he would get you one later. His promising words caused a new grin to appear on your face… but you weren’t sure if it was from Jungkook’s statement or just Jungkook himself. Regardless of the reason, you just leaned further into the male behind you and held onto the arms that protectively caged you in.
“Ugh, how much longer until the toxin is out of their bloodstreams?” You heard Jin ask.
“It should be soon… hopefully.”
Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Tae collapse on top of Mingi and order the guard to cuddle him. You tilted your head so it rested on Jungkook’s shoulder as you watched Mingi lay motionless underneath the male the clung to his long body. He stayed that way for several moments until he finally gave in and embraced the Saeni on top of him, causing Tae to squirm and cheer in joy.
“Oh my goddess, please let it be soon.” Jin released a deep, overworked sigh.
Smiling to yourself, you closed your eyes and adjusted so you could lean your head back onto Jungkook’s solid chest. The male resumed his soft humming and the low, pleasant sound vibrated from his body into yours. It felt soothing and comforting. It was so relaxing. Without meaning to, your breaths started to slow… slow… slow down until you slipped into an easy sleep.
You were jostled awake by someone gently shaking you. As your mind was forced to return to reality, you moaned lightly and tried to squeeze your eyes shut.
“I’m sorry…” You heard a voice you recognized whisper in your ear.
The voice said something else, but you were still too groggy to comprehend what it was.
Why does this seem familiar…?
The voice whispered another apology in your ear and gave you another shake.
Familiar. Why is this so familiar? And why do I feel so light like a balloon?
Lips that must be attached to the voice grazed your skin and you felt the ghost of a hand caress your face.
All of the sudden, you remembered, and your eyes snapped open. You remembered the lump forming in your throat, the smoke pulsating toward you, the earth swallowing you whole, his face breaking apart.
You shoved him off you while simultaneously turning around and bracing your hands on the dirt behind you. Jungkook stared at you with worried eyes and confused eyebrows drawn together. He reached a hand out to you, but you lurched backwards with sluggish limbs and a fuzzy mind. You wanted to get away from him before he cracked and became twisted and wrong… but you also wanted to hold him and ward off the smoky darkness. You didn’t know what to do. The world seemed to weave and spin around you, and you looked at the concerned burgundy head with panicking eyes.
You flinched as he tried reaching out to you again, but you didn’t move away. “Is your face gonna sh-shatter again?”
In the moonlight, you saw his green eyes narrow at you as he stopped his hand. You heard the wind blow through the leaves and the wildlife chirp around you. You heard him gently say you name, but all you could focus on was the black expanse behind Jungkook’s head. You just stared at it.
Waiting for it to start.
Terrified it would.
You began to rapidly suck in air as your eyes bore into the darkness. You felt a pain in your heart as all you felt you could do was wait for the black to begin growing and curling around his form. For it to ruin him and infiltrate you.
“Sweetheart…” Jungkook hesitantly said but continued when you didn’t shy away. “You’re okay… you’re just still feeling the effects of the lillaf toxin.”
You cocked your head to the side and brought your eyes back to the male’s face. Why isn’t he crumbling like a Nature Valley bar? And why is talking about leaf toxin? What he should be talking about is Toxic by Britney, bitch.
Before you knew it, he was by your side and was tenderly helping you to your feet. With a small smile, he tucked a stray piece of hair behind your ear and took your hand in his. The action made the corners of your mouth upturn ever so slightly. Then, he slowly began leading you toward a group of Saeni you hadn’t realized was there. Your unfocused eyes made it difficult to see where you were placing your feet and your body wavered side to side as you made your way forward. You let out a small laugh and other random noises with each slip of your feet, but thankfully, Jungkook’s grip helped keep yourself upright and somewhat stable.
“Why is she still like that?” You heard a voice you would know anywhere say.
Your eyes brightened as you took in his apricot head and then the rest of the group. You listened as Jungkook explained that it must be because you were human… whatever that meant. You giggled as their puzzled expressions almost instantaneously transformed into those of understanding while a gust of wind danced through the trees. The cool air caused you to shiver and shuffle closer to Jungkook and the warmth emitting from his strong body.
“Aw, is my little scorja cold? Come here, you!” Tae cooed and tried to gather you in his arms.
But he did not succeed because of one Jeon Jungkook.
The maknae tugged you closer to him, expelling a laugh that didn’t sound like his normal one before turning to Namjoon and JIn. “Time to go, right hyungs?”
The two Saeni just rolled their eyes and nodded; turning around and starting to walk away while muttering about how lucky Yoongi and Chungha were to not have to deal with this.
I wonder what issue they’re dealing with? Everything seems fine to me! It’s all gumdrops and rainbows and stars.
The others began to trail after them, albeit at a much slower pace as they groaned about headaches and queasy stomachs.
“Why do they look so poopy?” You asked the male beside you with a teeny tiny smile at your word choice, but it fell when you noticed him wince and wrap an arm around his torso. “A-Are you okay?”
He flashed you a smile with tired, green eyes and reassured you that he was fine. Then, he gave you a small nudge to signal it was time to start following everyone.
You walked, or more accurately stumbled, after the other Saeni for several minutes. Veering side to side, Jungkook kept having to tug you back to him when you would meander a little too far away and risk pulling your hand out of his. But it was just so hard to keep your path straight and your head up. You could barely keep your eyes open, and when you did, the world was a mass of blurred lines and swirls. Your legs felt heavy and you kept tripping over things since your feet basically dragged along the forest floor.
“You good there, sweetheart?”
“Mhmm. Just… really snoozy…” You whined back almost incoherently. “I want… cuddles.”
You were so drowsy you almost couldn’t move your lips to form words. Everything just felt too cumbersome.
Where’s my cuddle buddy? Where’s my TaeTae?
You practically tumbled over some sort of obstacle on the ground, but Jungkook was quick to catch you. You mumbled a thank you with a sleepy sigh and went to move again but he stopped you.
“Want to get on my back?”
You paused, body tilting and swaying with the trees, but ultimately, you stuck out your bottom lip a bit and slowly nodded. The green-eyed male smiled and asked if you would be able to jump up on his back on your own, which made you rear back and release a tiny scoff.
He doubts my abilities? Who does this cute, handsome, tall glass of water think he is!?
With his eyebrows raised skeptically, he turned around to present you his back and you thumped your hands down on his shoulders to steady yourself. You counted to three out loud before launching yourself at him. He grunted from the sheer, unrestrained force of your jump and scrambled to place his hands underneath your thighs. Once he had a safe and secure grip on you, he bounced you once, twice, and a third time to make sure you were fully hoisted.
“See?” You wrapped your arms around him and interlocked your hands over his chest. “I can do it.”
Jungkook just snorted and began hiking through the trees again.
You settled against him, careful not to bump into the swords strapped to his back as you pressed your cheek to his neck. “You’re warm and comfy. And you smell good.”
Like earth and iron and steel, but also fresh rain and flowers and sunshine.
He chuckled lightly, the sound singing in your ears. “Just go to sleep.”
“M’kay… thank you… Kookie…”
You felt your lids finally droop closed and your muscles completely relax.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” he whispered back.
That was the last thing you heard before you drifted off.
When you woke up later that morning, it wasn’t because of someone shaking you or a hand tracing against your skin or a body squishing you flat. It was actually because of a sharp, bright ray of morning light beaming straight down into your face. With your eyes still closed, you deeply inhaled and stretched your arms above your head, enjoying the warmth cascading around you. Once you finished your morning cat stretch, you went to open your eyes but immediately recoiled and brought the blanket over your head.
Fucking hell, that’s bright.
Bracing yourself, you gingerly lowered the blanket and let your eyes adjust to golden rays of late morning through squinted lids.
Hold up… it’s already light out which means… SHIT I’M LATE FOR TRAINING, COCO IS GONNA KILL ME.
You threw the blanket off and sat up quickly, but the abrupt movement caused a wave of nausea to erupt in your stomach. Clutching your tummy, you stumbled to your feet with a moan and began digging through your backpack. As you rifled through the contents for your daily petals, a pounding headache began to steadily build in your noggin.
Great. Just fucking fantastic. That’s exactly what I need right now.
You began muttering to yourself. “Why didn’t anybody wake me up!? Oh bloody hell, training is going to be an absolute bitch now. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Where are they!?”
You paused your search to look around you, finally noting through your panic and headache that you were completely alone. The other Saeni’s belongings were neatly packed and leaning against various trees and rocks, but the owners were nowhere to be found. The bonfire from last night was dead; the remnants still smoking but only in small, tiny wisps.
“Wait. Where is everyone?” You cocked your head to the side for a second before returning to your backpack. “Argh! Why can’t I find these damn motherfucking pe-Yes!”
You snatched up the objects and shoved them into your mouth to let them dissolve. Your body trembled from the magic and it made your headache pulsate even harder. Wincing, you located your bottle of aspirin and popped two pills into your mouth while the galaxies and comforting sense dimmed and disappeared. You swallowed the pills dry, wrinkling your nose a bit when you did so due to the bitter taste.
Not looking up, you swept the ground with your eyes until you spotted your bow a few feet away. You quickly shuffled over to it on your knees while talking to yourself about how you felt like utter crap and how you knew Jungkook wouldn’t show you a hint of mercy because you were late.
As you picked up the bow, you let out a pathetic wail. “I don’t even know where he is! What the heck am I supposed to do!?”
You suddenly heard a snicker from behind you and your entire body froze before slowly turning around. There was the entire kiela, plus Jiae and Mingi, all looking at you in amusement. Chungha, on the other hand, seemed completely disinterested as she picked at her nails. You blinked at them and opened your mouth, but no sound came out.
How did they…? Where did they come from?
Seeing your helplessly confused expression, Hobi laughed. “We’ve been here the whole time, little scorja.”
“It’s later than you usually get up, so yesterday’s petals were expired,” Tae added.
“So, you couldn’t see us because of the glamour,” Namjoon finished.
You crumpled to the ground in sheer embarrassment as your face grew hot. As you did so, another wave of nausea rippled through you and you released a groan.
Resting a hand on your abdomen in hopes the extra body heat would help alleviate some of the pain, you cried out. “Why do I feel like shit?”
Jin walked over to your folded body and offered you an apple with a sweet smile. “That would be your body dealing with the last bits of toxin still in your system.”
Brief memories from last night flashed across your mind. Walking. Screaming. Little red devils. More screaming. Swirling skies. Softness against your fingers. Tears. Humming. Warmth. Sleep.
You sat yourself back up and narrowed you eyes at the Saeni you were with last night. “Why am I the only one feeling, and I’m sure looking, like I was run over by a truck.”
Laboriously, you reached out and grabbed the apple before holding it against your mouth to try to muster the energy to bite into it.
Jungkook shrugged, his peridot eyes glittering in bemusement. “Maybe because you’re human? Chim hyung took longer to snap out of it too, but not as long as you.”
You massaged your temples, grumbling about dumb heightened sense and abilities which apparently included flushing out toxins.
Jungkook continued, his tone almost proud. “Which is why I didn’t wake you up for training. I knew you needed to rest as much as possible.”
Rolling your eyes, you bit into the crunchy apple, and spoke with your mouth full. “Wow, someone give him an award for being considerate.”
Mingi snorted, causing Jungkook to glare at the guard as everyone went back to doing whatever they had been before you roused from your slumber. Jimin came over and helped you to your feet. You munched on the fruit, enjoying the refreshing taste, but not being particularly pleased at how each chew made your head pound even more.
“You look even worse than after that Halloween party that one ye-”
You poked the apricot head in the chest. “We do not speak of that day.”
Your best friend laughed and held his hands up in surrender before running one of them through his hair. He proceeded to tell you that after he sobered up last night, he started feeling another pull toward a draeva. Jiae confirmed this morning that it wasn’t his own connection flaring up either… it was an entirely new feeling.
“It’s different this time. I think it’s my father’s.”
You nodded and took another bite of your fruity breakfast.
Back to GPS Slim Jim, I guess.
You and he talked for a few more minutes about what the pull felt like and how far away he thought it was coming from. Then, after giving your hair a ruffle, he left to go back to Jiae. Once he was gone, you sat down on the ground heavily, praying the aspirin would kick in soon. Moaning a bit at your hurting body, you began to roll your blanket up and gather your belongings to leave.
Hours later, you were strolling next to Yoongi and speaking in a hushed tone as you tried your best to coach him on fixing his flirting. Thankfully, you finally felt normal… no more headache or aching tummy. You were able to enjoy the cool, sunshiny day and give the mint-haired Saeni your full attention.
You skipped around a mass of broken tree limbs that littered the ground. “He said you’ve been acting weird so… I don’t know. Stop that.”
You still never referred to his crush by name, even though he most definitely knew that you knew who it was. But you didn’t want Yoongi to become embarrassed and cease coming to you for help, so you just continued using “him” so the male would feel more comfortable.
His pink eyes swiveled to you and he scowled before whisper-shouting back. “I have not been weird! I’ve been totally and fully calm and collected.”
You met his eyes and raised a single brow as you stepped up and over a half-rotten and moss-covered log.
The Saeni dropped his gaze and tapped his fingers together, causing tiny sparks of blue. “O-okay, so maybe I’ve been muttering a lot and, uh, sort of running away if he touches me.”
Your body slightly spasmed as you pursed your lips and resisted the urge to flick his forehead. “Yeah… you need to stop that. Like immediately.”
He let out a long puff of air, head slumping to look at the ground as he described how he couldn’t help it. He just got so flustered and overthought things every time he was near the other. He ultimately thought it was better to leave than make a fool of himself.
You touched his arm lightly with your fingertips. “But doing that might make him think you’re mad at him.”
His head darted up in panic. “But I’m not!”
You nodded understandingly, but told him that while you knew that, he didn’t.
As you jumped onto a large rock that was basking in the sun, a burst of shouts and giggles to your right caused you to peer through the maze of trees. Through the greenery, you saw Jungkook and Tae holding branches and using them as weapons in a mock sword fight. They rushed through the forest, chasing and attacking each other. You smiled warmly at the duo before hopping down and returning your eyes to the magic user..
You watched as the mint-haired Saeni moved his hands and made little tendrils of blue light grow and fade. He sighed and shook his head while ducking below a bundle of leaves, and you saw his bone earrings shake with the movement.
“This is too much for me to handle. Between you helping me with this and me helping Kook wi-” He suddenly cut off his words so fast you heard his teeth clack together.
You looked at him in confusion as he whipped his head to his youngest brother briefly before bringing his wide eyes to you.
“I-I mean with-nothing… I’m not helping anyone,” he stuttered.
Wait. But didn’t he…?
You pushed your lips forward and raised a palm in question. “I thought Jungkook said you helped him realize why we fight a lot?”
Yoongi sputtered, pressing his hands together. “Oh… oh! You mean that! Yeah, you’re right. I, uh, told him to explain shit to you. That’s it, though. Nothing else.”
“Right… okay…” You slowly nodded and regarded him with squinted eyes.
Brushing some leaves out of the way, Yoongi replied, “Ha ha. Yeah… so, anyways! Um, what should I do besides just ‘stop that?’”
Lifting the same leafy branch out of your way, you said, “Maybe try sitting close to him at dinner. Not like on top of him, you know, but closer than usual.”
The Saeni agreed and proceeded to ask you more questions and inquire what he should do about this and that. You continued trying to answer to the best of your abilities, keeping what you knew about both Yoongi and Hobi in mind as you did. Every once in a while, though, you couldn’t help but look over to the right. To where your dear sweet angel of a friend and your aggravating, but passionate and uplifting… friend… were still playing.
A little while later, Namjoon called for a short break when you broke through the trees and entered a small clearing. You slumped to the ground in a sunlight patch, rubbing your sore and tired legs before stretching them out. Most of the other Saeni were doing the same, although Jungkook and Tae yanked Hobi and Jimin to their feet and pulled them into a game of aggressive tackle tag. You chuckled and shook your head at them, in disbelief that they didn’t want to rest for even a second. As you swept your eyes over the relaxing Saeni, you stopped your gaze on the one person you have yet to hold a substantial conversation with.
Chungha.
Maybe since Mingi and I are cool now, she’ll want to be friends too…
Grunting from your protesting leg muscles, you stood and trekked over to the female guard. She had an expressionless face as she surveyed the area and surrounding environment. Turning to you as you approached, her face morphed into something that looked almost… unimpressed?
Oookay, not a good start.
“Um, hey, Chungha! How, uh, how are you today?”
Her eyes flickered to yours briefly before looking away. “Fine.”
Alright, so that’s strike one for you, Y/N.
“Oh, good! That’s… good.” You forced a laugh and tucked some hair behind your ears. “So, how long have you been a guard?”
The girl let out a bored exhale and flipped her dark green hair over her shoulder. “Longer than Mingi but not as long as Suho had been.”
You bit your lip and nodded. That’s probably strike two.
“Okay, cool! Cool cool cool cool cool. Um, so how-”
“Are we done?” She didn’t say it harshly, just extremely disinterested.
You snapped your jaw closed before rapidly nodding and walking away to leave her be.
Strike three, you’re out. No new friends for you.
You shrugged to yourself as you retreated, not really upset about it. You couldn’t be friends with everyone, so oh well. You did your part and tried at least.
“Don’t take it personally, she’s like that with basically everyone.”
You looked up to see Mingi standing in front of you. His arms were crossed over his chest and his hazel eyes were soft. You smiled and told him you didn’t, and that it was fine. Then, you began laughing uncontrollably as you recalled the events from the previous night. He gave you a questioning look as you tried to calm down.
“It’s just… you didn’t even want to go on a walk last night and then we all got bitten and… and…” You lost yourself in laughter, folding over and wrapping your arms around your middle.
The guard groaned while cracking a smile. “Just… let’s not ever mention that incident to the king. I don’t think he would be happy to hear I wasn’t doing a good job protecting his daughter.”
You sent him a wink. “My lips are sealed, but Tae though…” You tsked. “He tends to be a bit of a blabber mouth so…”
Mingi’s smile fell while his body froze, and you couldn’t contain your serious façade. Smiling again, you fake punched him on the shoulder and said you were just joking… maybe.
The male rolled his hazel eyes and went to say something else but stopped when a certain Saeni appeared out of nowhere and began tugging on your arm.
“Come play with us!” Jungkook pleaded.
You jumped at his sudden proximity before turning your eyes on him. The burgundy male was breathing heavily and repeatedly pulling on your arm, trying to get you to come with him. You heard another voice yelling out, coming closer with each passing second. Looking beyond Jungkook, you saw Hobi barreling toward you as he targeted the green-eyed male beside you. Following your gaze, Jungkook cursed when he saw the kiela’s spy charging after him and he renewed his efforts of persuading you.
“Come on, sweetheart. Please?” He sent you a smile that made you melt while stepping closer to you.
“Uh… okay, yeah, sure,” you said as you stared at the eager boy with the dashing face that was just so close to you.
With a satisfied grunt, Jungkook slid his hand down to yours and took off in the direction away from an arriving Hobi. Which meant you were dragged after him with a yelp.
As you tried to keep up with Jungkook’s strides, you screamed back, “Sorry Mingi! Talk to you later!”
The green-eyed Saeni looked behind him and smiled at you before sending a smirk over your head and gripping your hand tighter.
You, Jungkook, Hobi, and Tae continued your game of tag even after Namjoon told everyone it was time to start moving again. Jimin, unfortunately, was called back up to the front of the group to resume his job as the GPS.
The boys were being generous enough to not body slam you into trees or onto the ground like they would each other. And whenever they would tag you, it was usually just a big smack to your back that caused you to stumble forward, but not lose your footing entirely. Then, they were nice enough to run a bit slower when you were “it” so you would actually have a chance at tagging one of them.
Currently, you were hiding behind a large trunk that provided substantial cover for your entire body. The rest of the group was maybe a good seventy yards ahead of you, but you kept your eyes peeled and ears alert for Jungkook, who was “it.” You were breathing deeply, and your body screamed at you for the unnecessary exertion. But you sent a nice fat mental middle finger to the sore pain thrumming through you because you were really enjoying yourself and having fun.
Peeking around the trunk, you flinched as you heard Tae shriek in the nearby distance, but you didn’t see a single flash of burgundy against the greenery of the forest. Letting out a sigh in relief, you began jogging forward as quietly as you could. You made it about thirty yards when a blur ran past you screeching.
“RUN, LITTLE SCORJA!”
Tae.
You whipped your head in the direction he had come from and saw Jungkook sprinting after him.
Shit!
You pivoted on your feet, gearing to run after Tae and away from the extremely competitive maknae, but it was too late. He’d already noticed you. Smirking, Jungkook changed course, forgetting about his previous target. You watched, sort of like a deer in headlights and almost in awe, as his metal earrings glinted in the sunlight and his muscles flexed with each stride he took toward you.
Toward me? Oh fuck, run you dumb bitch!
You took off, pumping your legs and weaving around trees and vaulting over fallen timber. Obviously, you weren’t faster than he was, and it was only a matter of seconds before he caught you. A small part of you did hope that maybe Hobi or Tae would show up and save you, though.
You sucked air into your lungs and briefly peeked over your shoulder, expecting to see the boy right on your heels.
But he wasn’t there.
You put on the brakes, breathing heavily as you slowed to a stop. Turning your body in a circle numerous times, you tried to find where he went.
A twig snapping you made you still before letting out a defeated sigh. Hesitantly, you swiveled to see Jungkook step out from behind a tree and begin to jog to you with a shit eating grin on his face.
You closed your eyes tightly as you accepted your loss. Feeling his presence come closer and closer, you prepared yourself to be rammed into. You held your breath, waiting for impact.
Your body jolted when you felt something touch your waist, but a slamming force never came. Instead, the weight on your waist began to gently press into you, making you move backwards. Relaxing your face and opening your eyes, you saw Jungkook staring at you with smug, green eyes and a smirk dancing on his lips.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“H-Hi.”
He kept moving you backwards until your back softly connected with a tree, but he didn’t let you go. Rather, he pressed even further into you so that your chests were flush, and your faces were only centimeters apart. You looked at him with wide eyes as your hands gripped his forearms. He tilted his head to the side and leaned in so that his lips were teasing the shell of your ear. You suddenly had difficulty breathing normally as you waited for him to move or do something.
He let his hot breath fan over you for several heartbeats until he murmured, “You’re it.”
Leaning back, he displayed a cocky smile at your surprised face before letting go of your waist and taking several steps back. Then, he sent you a wink… a bloody wink!... before turning around and striding away. You shook your head and glued your eyes to his back.
Oh, you’re gonna get it!
Quickly, you called after him in the breathiest tone you could muster and moved your feet forward. The male’s steps faltered, and he looked over his shoulder just as you jumped on him and sent both of your bodies tumbling to the ground. As you descended, he twisted so that he landed on his back, not his face. He hit the forest floor with a thud, slightly grunting from the impact. He glared up at you as you sent him a smirk of your own, pleased with yourself. You were straddling his lean waist, one hand braced on the leaves and twigs beside his head and the other resting against his chest. Pushing against him and the dirt, you raised your top half and allowed your hands to move so they settled on his torso.
You raised an eyebrow as you laughed mockingly since you knew it would rile him up. “No, Coco. You’re still it.”
You gave his body a couple pats before going to stand up and run away. Though as you went to move, he narrowed his eyes at you and promptly sat up. Grabbing you, he flipped you down to the ground and rolled on top of you.
He held your wrists firmly above your head. “No. You’re it.”
You shivered involuntarily at the low tone of his voice and awkwardly laughed to hide the heat beginning to rise to your cheeks. The position you were in was not helping you succeed, though. You looked away from his serious eyes and focused on a nearby rock that now seemed extremely fascinating.
“O-Okay. Now please get off.”
He squeezed our wrists a little more. “Not until I hear you say it.”
You rolled your eyes at the rock. He was such a little shit sometimes.
“I’m it. Happy? Okay, now get off.”
You saw him smile in your peripherals before nodding once. “That’s a good girl.”
Oh. You sucked in a breath and fought with yourself to not release it unevenly.
“Alright, up we go.” You heard him say in a soft, yet teasing voice that made your body go limp and gooey.
Geez. What is he doing to me?
Suddenly, something clicked inside of you and it caused you to gasp quietly. Your eyes widened in incredulity as your heart swelled in realization.
Oh, fuck. This can’t be happening.
Then, you were pulled to your feet and you blinked at the male. He laughed, scrunching his nose in such an adorable way, and gave you a solid pat on the head before sprinting away, leaving you in an unmoving, flustered daze.
This can’t be happening.
The days following were a mess. You hadn’t run into any draikensu. Nobody had gotten hurt or sick. Nobody was brewing drama. No, it was none of those things.
It was because of a much more mundane matter. Something that plagued your mind and made you overthink every single detail during the days and nights. Something that both excited you and wrecked you. Something you still weren’t ready to face or accept… for many reasons.
Calm down, Y/N. It is not that. You’re just… sexually frustrated or something.
But as you glanced at a certain Saeni and a warm feeling bubbled up and spread throughout your body, you knew you were fucked. It had been like this since you played that stupid game of tag. You didn’t know why, but after that everything just felt… different. You had always thought he was insanely attractive and… even cute at times… but this was something else. Every time he looked in your direction you felt yourself automatically smiling. Every time he touched you in passing or even merely corrected your form during training, goosebumps raised along your skin and your breath hitched. You always found yourself looking his way and being drawn to his voice.
You chewed on your lip as you walked next to Tae, debating whether you should tell your friend about your recent revelation. You didn’t want him to freak out and start screaming. Not when you knew there wasn’t a chance for anything to happen between you and him. Not when you knew how he felt about you.
Why do I always put myself through this?
You sighed dejectedly and kicked a branch on the ground.
“You okay, little scorja?”
You looked up from the branch and into sharp blue eyes.
Forcing a tiny, half-assed smile, you replied, “Yeah, just thinking about some stuff.”
The grey-haired Saeni frowned and peered at your face. “No, you’re not, but whenever you’re ready to talk just come find me. You know I’m always here for you.”
You pulled the Saeni into an abrupt embrace, squeezing him tightly as he wrapped his arms around you and did the same. “I know. Thank you, TaeTae. I really don’t know what I’d do without you sometimes.”
Tae smacked a big kiss to your cheek and grabbed your hand to make you start walking again. You smiled at him before sweeping your eyes over your surroundings. Mingi and Hobi were joking with each other, though the spy kept sneaking glances to his left where Yoongi was. The mint-haired Saeni was strolling with Jin and Namjoon. The latter two were speaking loudly, but Yoongi ignored them in favor of watching the trees and occasionally letting his eyes linger to his right. Behind them, Chungha walked alone, enjoying her solitude. And behind her, Jungkook was animatedly talking to Jimin and Jiae. The burgundy head was using grand gestures to highlight whatever story he was telling, making the others laugh. Without realizing it, you found that the corners of your mouth had upturned as you watched him. You couldn’t help it. Hastily, you wiped the tiny grin off your face by reminding yourself that he had no feelings for you. The thought made you sigh once more and clutch Tae’s hand tigher.
Don’t think of him like that. Don’t think of him like that. Don’t think of him like that. He doesn’t like you. He doesn’t like you. HE DOESN’T LIKE YOU SO STOP THINKING OF HIM LIKE THAT.
You looked at the laughing boy, taking in the way his burgundy hair gleamed in the sunlight, showing off those pink highlights while his peridot eyes glittered with excitement. The way he radiated protection and power and happiness. The way he was so strong yet so caring and tender when he wanted to be.
Before you knew it, you were smiling once more.
Groaning to yourself, you banged the heel of your palm against your forehead. I am so utterly fucked.
previous [13] — next [15]
#concentric#bts#bts fic#bts fanfiction#bts fanfic#bts fluff#bts angst#bts slow burn#bts enemies to lovers#Jungkook fluff#bts jungkook x reader#bts jungkook x you#jungkook x y/n#bts jungkook#jungkook#jeon jungkook#jjk x reader#bts taehyung#bts jimin#bts yoongi#bts namjoon#bts hosoek#bts jin#bts ot7#ot7 x you#ot7 x reader
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Senkuu talks a good game - a war without bloodshed - and it’s good for morale, but when Ukyou’s condition for siding with them is winning the war without a single life lost, Senkuu cannot in good conscience promise that.
War never ends without death. Tsukasa alone has already killed hundreds, if not thousands, and he and Hyouga combined are practically two armies on their own. To think the Kingdom of Science can confront them while holding back in any way is idealistic at best and suicidal at worst.
Besides, Senkuu cannot dismiss the possibility that it might come down to killing an enemy in order to save one of his. He doesn’t want it to, of course not, but the possibility is there, and a lifetime ago, Senkuu electrocuted the bullies who beat Taiju up when that big oaf charged in to try and protect him. Senkuu was nine at the time.
Now he’s twice that some days and four hundred times that on worse days, but that part of him has never changed - nobody touches what’s his and walks away from it without paying tenfold.
(Besides, Tsukasa literally killed him, and that alone wouldn’t be so bad, but he’d also scared Yuzu, threatened her, most likely would’ve killed her and Taiju if they hadn’t managed to get away, and surely that’s enough grounds for taking off the kid gloves.)
So when Ukyou asks, when he gives them an ultimatum that could very well be their death sentence, Senkuu looks him in the eye and says no.
“I can promise that my first option won’t ever be to march in and kill everyone who opposes us,” Senkuu says bluntly, ignoring the sudden hush around him as he stares unblinkingly at the visibly startled archer in front of him. “And I can promise that we’ll try our best to keep casualties to a minimum.”
His jaw clenches, and his spine stiffens. He thinks of all the people who’ve helped him get this far, who believed in him and his science on little more than faith. And he thinks of Yuzu and Taiju, deep in the enemy’s camp, and when it comes down to it, this was never up for debate.
“But I will also promise that nothing is more important than my people coming out on the other side of this war alive and in one piece, and if that means assholes like Hyouga and Tsukasa have to die, then I would cut their heads off myself.”
He glares hard at Ukyou, and the man twitches like he wants to take a step back. Senkuu isn’t surprised. He doesn’t get angry often, but a part of him seethes now at the very idea of someone thinking he should place the lives of those aiming to slaughter most of them and subjugate the rest on equal footing with the lives of those under Senkuu’s protection.
He doesn’t believe that all adults of the modern era should be wiped out for past sins, real or imagined, nor does he believe that the weak or foolish or whoever else doesn’t meet Hyouga’s standards should be eliminated. But he also doesn’t believe in equality for all. He is not that kind.
Outsiders who attempt to harm any of the people in Senkuu’s kingdom - the people he now has a duty to to place first - will never be equal to those who are.
“We could definitely use someone with your skills,” Senkuu admits, forcibly curbing his rage and tucking it behind something more laidback. “But even if we couldn’t, I don’t think you should go back to Tsukasa, and not just because having you as an enemy too would suck.”
He can still feel Tsukasa’s hands on his neck, even now. At the end of the day, no matter what aspirations he believes he’s working towards, the truth of it is - anyone Tsukasa can’t control must be killed, whether or not they fit his pure-hearted youth criteria.
“You’re free to stay,” He continues steadily. “And if you don’t want to help, nobody here will force you. But I won’t promise you what you want, and if that’s not something you can live with, then we’re going to have to go our separate ways here.”
Ukyou stares back for a long, disquieting moment. Senkuu can feel Kohaku at his back though, ready to strike, as reassuring a presence as always.
“You’d let me leave though?” Ukyou says at last, and there’s an odd note in his voice, some emotion Senkuu can’t name right away. “Go back to Tsukasa if I wanted to? Just like that?”
Senkuu shrugs, inwardly swearing. He doesn’t know Ukyou well enough to bribe him with some kind of science, and the only thing he’s asked for so far isn’t something Senkuu can grant. Losing a talent like Ukyou here wouldn’t be a devastating loss, but it’ll probably come back to bite them in the ass one day.
Still.
“You haven’t done anything yet,” Senkuu tells him. “Well I mean you kidnapped Chrome, but you returned him too, so we’ll call us even on that front. I don’t go after people for not doing anything, even if I think they’re making shitty life choices.” He narrows his eyes. “But if you go, and then you come back on Tsukasa’s orders or Hyouga’s orders or anyone else’s orders and try to shoot someone here-”
“-then I will slit your throat myself,” Kohaku finishes, finally shouldering forward to stand beside Senkuu. Her glare is much more intimidating than anything Senkuu could probably manage.
He smirks and jerks his chin at her. “So she says. I wouldn’t test her; she usually follows up.”
Kohaku grins, all teeth and no humour. She still hasn’t drawn her blade, but her hand is very obviously resting on the hilt, and nobody with half a brain cell would doubt her conviction in that moment.
Surprisingly, Ukyou only glances briefly at her before looking back at Senkuu again. It doesn’t seem like he’s dismissing her, but somehow, the tense line of his shoulders actually relaxes.
Senkuu cocks an eyebrow. He exchanges a fleeting glance with Kohaku, who’s obviously seen the same thing, and neither of them lets their guard down, until-
“I can live with that,” Ukyou concedes with only a brief grimace. “I don’t want anymore people to die, but I... I wouldn’t want you to lose any of your friends just because of that either. That’s more important. So long as you really try, that’s good enough for me.” He straightens, one hand coming up to touch the bow slung over his shoulder. “And of course I’ll help, if I can. Just tell me where you want me.”
Senkuu’s other eyebrow joins his first. He rakes a critical eye over Ukyou but he can’t sense a lie. “...Quick change of heart, huh?”
It’s Ukyou’s turn to shrug. His gaze slides briefly to the side, in the general direction of Tsukasa’ empires miles away, and when he meets Senkuu’s eyes again, there’s something defiant in the tilt of his chin and the resolute set of his expression.
“You’d let me leave,” He says simply. “So I’m staying, and I want to help.”
Senkuu studies him for a few seconds more and even glances over his shoulder at Gen - who nods ever-so-slightly - just to make sure, before finally letting the tension drain out of his body.
Well, it looks like he hasn’t lost this battle after all.
He looks over at Kohaku, who frowns a little but slowly eases her hand from her katana.
Senkuu turns back to Ukyou with a more genuine smirk this time. “Alright, welcome then. If you’re serious about that help, best be prepared to work your ass off.”
“He’s a total slave-driver,” Kohaku agrees with a sigh, twisting easily out of the way of the elbow Senkuu half-heartedly throws at her, and as if their banter was the cue everyone else was waiting for, they surge forward, Chrome beaming as he sidles up beside the archer - does that count as Stockholm syndrome? Senkuu wonders - Ginrou bouncing forward to poke nosily at Ukyou’s bow and arrows, Kinrou behind him, more suspicious but willing enough to give the newcomer a chance, and even Suika ventures forward curiously.
Senkuu falls back, snorting a little at the surprised, slightly overwhelmed look on Ukyou’s face as he’s more or less mobbed. Kohaku joins him, their shoulders bumping as they wander back to the lab, and Gen falls into step on his left a moment later.
“I’m still keeping an eye on him,” Kohaku grumbles. “He kidnapped Chrome.”
“He was telling the truth,” Gen tacks on lightly. “But it wouldn’t hurt to make sure.”
Senkuu hums his agreement. He’s pretty sure Ukyou won’t betray them, but precautions exist for a reason.
“I didn’t expect you to say all that,” Kohaku says abruptly, and both Senkuu and Gen glance over at her. She has her head tipped back, staring up at the sky.
“Do you disapprove?” Senkuu asks, though he’s pretty sure she doesn’t.
“Of course not,” Kohaku scoffs. “They threatened Ruri-nee and my home. I would kill them for that alone.”
“Oh?” Gen smirks, looking entertained. “Are there additional reasons you would kill them?”
Kohaku shoots him an arch look. “Obviously, that long-haired man can’t be allowed to destroy Senkuu’s Kingdom of Science either. We’ve put too much work into it, you know.”
“That’s true,” Gen agrees, voice gone excessively mournful. “I almost died making electricity the first time.”
Senkuu rolls his eyes at both of them. “Don’t be so dramatic. I feed you, don’t I?”
“Your ramen leaves a lot to be desired,” Gen huffs. “And your cola isn’t that great either.”
They reach the lab, and Senkuu pushes the curtain aside before waving them through. “I could stop, if you hate it so much?”
Gen pouts as he ducks inside. “...I suppose the cola’s not so bad.”
“And I love the ramen,” Kohaku adds as she ducks past him as well. “So you can’t stop, Senkuu.”
There’s a deeper meaning there, a weight in each word despite the lightness of her voice, and when Senkuu looks from Kohaku to Gen, their faces carry something equally determined.
Senkuu rocks back on his heels a little as he takes in the glass vials and beakers all around him, then smirks as his gaze returns to Gen and Kohaku. “Of course not. Our Kingdom of Science doesn’t fall that easily. Not with all of us here to keep it going.”
Kohaku grins, fierce and unwavering, and Gen smiles, less brazen but no less devoted.
Senkuu has always considered luck a fickle mistress. But even he can’t deny his good fortune when it comes to all the people who stand by him now.
“Okay then,” He rolls out the plans of their current military campaign. “Time to get the next phase rolling.” His hands slap against the surface of the table as he looks once more at Kohaku, at Gen. “We’re going to win, and we’ll ten billion percent bring everyone home alive.”
-0-
Later, at night, when he’s in the observatory because he can’t sleep, Gen’s dozed off beside him but Kohaku’s still awake, knees pulled up with her arms wrapped around them, leaning against Senkuu’s shoulder as they stare up at the stars.
“I didn’t expect you to say all that,” Kohaku repeats. “Earlier, with Ukyou.”
Senkuu hums noncommittally and watches her out of the corner of his eye. She has her hair down for once, and the spill of gold flutters against his arm whenever a new gust of wind rolls by.
“Problem?”
“You know it’s not that,” Kohaku huffs. “...I thought you were more like Ruri-nee. You have her self-sacrifice streak at least. I thought you would say something like ‘I’ll even let Tsukasa kill me if it’ll end the war peacefully’.”
Senkuu rolls his eyes. “First of all, that wouldn’t even work. Tsukasa would never leave people like Chrome or Gen or old man Kaseki alive. You too, you’re too much of a threat, can’t be controlled. And everyone else would have to acknowledge him as their king or whatever or they’d be killed too. And second of all, I don’t do self-sacrifice, I do logic. Is this about the sulfuric acid again?”
Kohaku’s head rolls back a little so that she doesn’t have to get off him to give him a pointed stare.
Senkuu sighs. “That was different. It was science, and sometimes, science demands a price. Evolution and progress usually do. Besides, it turned out fine in the end.”
His fingers twitch, bumping into Kohaku’s, and after a moment, he stretches a little to curl them around hers. Kohaku responds by simply flipping her hand and sliding their palms together.
“War is different,” He continues. “War is bloody and stressful and just ten kinds of fucked up. But war can also be predicted down to the smallest detail, and if we play it right, if we out-maneuver the enemy on every level possible, then at least we won’t have to pay for that.” He meets her gaze steadily. “I don’t plan on paying anything in this war. Tsukasa and Hyouga can shoulder that debt.”
Kohaku doesn’t immediately say anything after that. But after a few seconds of watching him with thoughtful eyes, she smiles at him the way she did the day they met, after she’d watched him build his pulley system to free her - a soft curve of her lips, quieter than her usual expressions but full of something warm and pleased.
“I agree,” She says, breaking eye-contact but only to settle more comfortably against him. Her hand tightens around his own. “Not coming home... is not an option. No matter what.”
Gen’s sleepy voice cuts in then. “I thought we cleared that up this afternoon, Kohaku-chan, Senkuu-chan. So can we please get some rest? I hear war is exhausting enough without sleep-deprivation too.”
Kohaku snorts with laughter, and Senkuu sighs, but he obliges and nudges Kohaku onto her back before lying down himself and pulling their blankets up around their shoulders.
“Finally,” Gen mutters, wriggling around to cuddle into Senkuu, and then he’s out like a light again.
Kohaku yawns from Senkuu’s right before also curling into him. “I suppose Gen is right. Goodnight, Senkuu.”
She dozes off pretty quickly as well, and then Senkuu is the only one still awake. But he’s warm and comfortable between Gen and Kohaku, and for once, his head is quiet and not quite so cluttered.
His eyes slip shut before he knows it, and he doesn’t wake until morning calls.
#dr stone#ishigami senkuu#saionji ukyou#kohaku#asagiri gen#oneshot#cross writes#kohasen#sengen#kohasengen#maybe?#i get more v-relationship vibes than a triangle for this one
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Femslash February 2020, Day 1
Fandom: Revue Starlight Relive
Pairing: Tomoe Tamao/Akikaze Rui
Prompt: Meet Cute
approx. 1,800 words, rated T
also available on AO3
Summary: Thirteen year-old Akikaze Rui finds a way to change her shy demeanor in her middle school's drama club. More importantly, she wants to perform on the same stage as that gorgeous senpai. All she needs to do is work up the courage to apply...
Tags: Meet Cute, Comedy, Puppy Love, middle school!Rui, middle school!Tamao
Akikaze Rui, thirteen years-old, didn't know what to expect from her school play. It was the day of her middle school's cultural festival, and she had been wandering from attraction to attraction until her curiosity led her to the auditorium. Little did she know that her life was about to be turned upside-down.
The actors were average at best. It was a middle school play, after all. But there was one standout performer, a shining star against a night sky of amateurs: a girl with long, dark hair.
She played the role of a princess, her character beginning the play as a regal and refined woman who is pushed into taking up the sword and becoming a fierce and formidable warrior. The actress's transformation was incredible. Rui wouldn't have believed such a dainty girl capable of such ferocious yells and impassioned speeches. It was inspiring, to say the least.
Up until now, Rui had been a leading member of the Going Home Club. She was too shy to join any social group she didn't have to, and her only extracurricular interest was kendo, but she was already enrolled at a dojo and had surpassed what most middle school students were capable of. After seeing this play—more importantly, its starring actress—Rui was inspired to try acting. She wanted to change herself, and she might be able to do so through the medium of acting. She had to join the drama club.
Rui knew she had to strike while the iron was hot. There was a chance that if she waited, the fire burning in her chest might die down and she would give into her shy nature. It had to be now.
As the other students filed out of the auditorium, Rui snuck backstage. It wasn't until she was hiding behind a prop tree that she realized she didn't have a plan. She peeked out behind the tree periodically in search of her new idol, her determination waning with every passing second. Maybe she should just leave and go to the drama club sometime later...
She stepped out from around the prop tree just in time for another girl to come out from behind the stage. Rui recognized her immediately as the actress who had turned her world upside down. The girl was still wearing the princess costume that she had on during the play. It hadn't been apparent at a distance, but now that Rui was up close she could see that this girl was astonishingly pretty. Like, "melt your brain" pretty.
"Oh, I thought everyone left," the girl said. "Are you one of the girls who volunteered to help put away the props?"
"Um, I, uh..." Rui had trouble getting words out of her mouth at the best of times, and talking to a beautiful girl she admired hardly counted as ideal circumstances. The phrase "I want to join the drama club," had seemed so easy to say when she decided to sneak backstage.
The other girl seemed unperturbed by Rui's verbal fumbling. "Could you help me with this zipper?" She turned around, showing Rui the zipper on the back of her dress. "I think it's stuck, and everyone else in the drama club has left already."
"O-okay!" It was easier for Rui to think now that she wasn't looking the gorgeous girl straight in the face. She pulled down on the zipper slowly, careful not to tear the fabric around it; indeed the zipper was stuck, and Rui had to use both hands to try to free it. Her fingers grazed the bare skin of the other girl's back, and she felt the strongest urge to apologize, though she didn't know why. What's going on with me? Rui asked herself. Why am I getting so flustered? We're both girls...
At a later date Rui would recognize this moment as her gay awakening.
The zipper jam finally gave way and the metal teeth parted. Rui pulled the zipper down just far enough to make sure it was fixed, then jumped away. "Um, it's not stuck anymore."
The girl turned around and flashed Rui a smile that turned her insides out. "You're a life-saver," she said. "We haven't met before, have we?" She looked to Rui's uniform. "You must be a first year. I'm Tomoe Tamao. Hopefully in the future I can be a more reliable senpai to you."
Rui struggled to introduce herself, as if she had forgotten her own name. She was rescued by the unlikely appearance of a third year student.
"Ooh, looks like Tamao-chan has a fan!"
Rui's idol, Tamao, frowned. "Senpai, you left me all alone. I had to ask this nice first-year to help me with this faulty zipper."
"Don't complain. Plenty of girls at this school would jump at the chance for a little private attention from her."
"What do you mean?" Tamao asked. "Is she someone famous?"
"You don't know her? That tall glass of water is Akikaze Rui-chan. She's the talk of all the athletic clubs."
Rui blushed.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Akikaze-san," Tamao said. "What club are you a member of?"
The third-year chuckled. "Akikaze-chan hasn't joined any clubs. That's why they're crazy about her. She's the tallest first year in the school, and she looks like she's only going to get taller. All the sports teams tried to recruit her at the start of the year, but she turned down all of them."
"Recruit" was a delicate way of putting it. The athletics clubs had practically waged a war over which of them would get to claim Rui. The poor girl had been forced to sneak around the school, dodging her athletic upperclassmen at every turn. For someone with social anxiety, the experience had been terrifying. It was all she could do to stutter out a polite rejection every time one of them found her. Eventually they got the message and left her alone.
"Um, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Rui said to Tamao. "N-not about the sports clubs! I want to join the drama club. Your performance this afternoon really inspired me!" In fact, it was the most moving performance she had seen, but she was afraid of coming on too strong by saying so.
Rui was afraid that her sudden declaration would weird her out, but Tamao's eyes glittered with joy. "That's wonderful!" She took Rui's hands in her own, oblivious to the way her kouhai stilled at the contact. "You can't imagine how glad I am to hear that our play touched somebody that way."
"Jeez, you can't be a respectable senpai if you melt over a little praise," the third year said with a laugh. "Tamao-chan takes her acting seriously. A little too seriously, if you ask me."
Tamao pouted (a sight that nearly knocked Rui off her feet). "You don't take acting seriously enough, senpai."
"Don't let the busybody scare you off, Akikaze-chan. Make sure you fill out an application form." The third year cackled as she walked off. "I can't wait to brag to the other clubs that we snagged their dream member right from under their noses."
"Honestly." Tamao sighed. "I know that she's busy preparing for entrance exams, but she could at least pretend to be diligent about acting. I promise the other members of the drama club aren't like her."
The other members of the drama club could be juvenile yakuza for all Rui cared. She only had eyes for Tamao. "I promise I'll give acting my all," she said, and she meant it. If she could act half as confidently as Tamao, she'd be satisfied. If she could perform alongside Tamao—that would be a dream come true.
"I look forward to taking the stage with you, Akikaze-san. Hopefully you'll have my back in the future as you did today," Tamao added with a chuckle.
Rui's heart skipped a beat at the reminder that she'd undone her senpai's zipper. "Uh, anyway, that senpai said you're really serious about acting. Do you want to be an actress?" For some reason she felt the need to know this near-stranger's life plans.
"Ideally, yes. "I'm going to enrol at Rinmeikan School for Girls, like my mother and grandmother before me. The school has a performance department with a century of tradition."
"I'm going to enrol too!" Rui, in fact, had never given a moment's thought to what high school she would attend.
Tamao didn't question Rui's declaration, nor her transparent motivation. "I'm glad to hear it. Not enough people these days respect traditional arts." She smiled. "Maybe it was fate that we met today, Akikaze-san."
"Y-you don't need to speak so formally to me, Tomoe-senpai," Rui stuttered. Being referred to so stiffly made her feel odd for some reason. She wanted the two of them to become... closer. "You can call me by my first name. If you want to, I mean."
"Of course, Rui-chan. But if we're going to be friends, you'll have to return the favour." The corner of her mouth turned up into a sly smirk.
Rui blushed. Friends. Yes. That was good. Great. Fantastic. "If you say so, T-Tamao-senpai."
Three Years Later...
"Awwww! Baby Rui was so cute!" Ichie squealed. "She was still taller than her senpai even back then."
During a lunchtime picnic out on the school grounds, Fumi had idly expressed curiosity as to how Rui and Tamao had become friends in middle school. Tamao related her side of the story, embellishing Rui's "gallant rescue" of her from the gnashing teeth of a stuck zipper. She pulled out her cell phone and showed the group a picture of herself and the drama club's newest member, visibly flustered by her senpai's hand on her arm.
"Rui-chan has grown a lot," Tamao said with a smile. "She's changed so much in three years, but she's always been a talented, beautiful young woman."
"Three years, huh?" Fumi looked to Rui with pity.
"Let's see more," Yuyuko said with a devilish grin, no doubt hoping for something she could tease Rui with. She scrolled through Tamao's photos, revealing a seemingly limitless supply of pictures featuring Rui.
"...that's a lot of pictures of Rui," Fumi noted.
"We made a lot of memories together," Tamao said with a smile.
"I don't remember that!" Rui yelped, blushing up a storm. Displayed on Tamao's phone was a selfie that she had taken with Rui's head resting on her shoulder. She appeared to be asleep, and Tamao held a finger to her own lips in a shushing gesture.
"That's pretty shady, Tamao-senpai," Yuyuko cackled.
"Is it a crime for me to keep pictures of my number one fan?" Tamao's subtle, sly smirk had lost none of its power of Rui.
#shoujo kageki revue starlight#revue starlight#revue starlight relive#starira#tamarui#tomoe tamao#akikaze rui#fanfiction#my fanfiction#yuri#girls love#femslash#femslash february#FauxGhostsFSF
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let’s talk: the clone wars rewatch!
This week is dedicated to the first half of season 2. This season also has 22 episodes; we shall be focusing on rewatching episodes 1 through 11. Each episode is about 24 minutes long which equals up to about 4 and a half hours worth of clone wars. This actually has my favorite story arc (Second Battle of Geonosis) so I’m excited to watch it again lol.
If you cannot rewatch the show or simply don’t want to rewatch but still want to talk about the episode, bellow the cut will be detailed summaries of each episode (courtesy of Wookieepedia and my brain’s recollection):
Holocron Heist (s02 e01)
Cad Bane infiltrates the Jedi Temple and attempts to steal an ancient Jedi Holocron. The Council sends Ahsoka to the Jedi Archives for guard duty, under Madame Jocasta Nu's eye. Jocasta tells Ahsoka that she has a specific duty to defend the Holocron Vault, where the Order keeps their collection of holocrons. During a briefing, Yoda senses a shift in the Force and determines that thieves will arrive at the Temple. Anakin and Obi-Wan inaccurately deduce that their enemies are after their transmission codes and go to secure their location. Meanwhile, Cato infiltrates the Temple as Ord. However, they are barred by Ahsoka, who asks if they need help; Cato tries waving her off but the Padawan's pestering results in them snapping at her. Cato then gains access to the Temple's schematics, telling Bane and Todo where to get in. They get through the shielding and the fans, before coming up upon a laser grid. Anakin and Obi-Wan quickly catch on when the sensors begins a blackout. Meanwhile, Jocasta approaches Cato/Ord at their console, asking why they are working when the Temple is on high alert; Cato/Ord responds by knocking her out and taking her appearance. She then returns to her work, telling Bane on how to disable the lasers, while Todo drew a hole into the ventilation system. Ahsoka soon notices and engages Cato/Jocasta in a lightsaber duel. Because of her preoccupation, Bane detonates a small charge by the grid, as the Jedi follow Todo's trail. The droid soon arrives in the communication center, at which time a beeping is heard from him. Mace Windu quickly realizes that there is a bomb inside him and Force-pushes him into the vent as he explodes; Anakin and Obi-Wan get away just in time. Ahsoka then contacts them, having learned from Cato that Bane is after the Vault. However, Bane had completed his objective and sneaked out of the Temple with a holocron, disguising himself with a Jedi robe. After Cato gives one more clue: Bolla Ropal, Windu realizes that Bane is after the missing Jedi who is the keeper of the Kyber crystal, that with the holocron could crack the data on the crystal, which contains information, listing the all Force-sensitive children in the galaxy. Obi-Wan stays on Coruscant to search for Bane while Anakin and Ahsoka track down Ropal in the Devaron system.
Cargo of Doom (s02 e02)
Anakin and Ahsoka intercept Cad Bane's warship, hoping to recover the stolen Jedi Holocron, but the Jedi underestimate the bounty hunter's cunning tactics. Taken hostage on one Munificent-class star frigate frigate, Ropal is held in energy bond. Bane tortures Ropal, and forces him to open the stolen holocron; however, Ropal defiantly refuses. Bane tells the droids to increase power of the energy bond, which electrocutes Ropal to his death. In need of another Jedi to open his stolen holocron, Bane returns to the bridge and notices Skywalker, Ahsoka, and their clones preparing to board his frigate through a viewscreen. Bane orders the droids to wipe navigation charts, trigger self-destruct and transfer ship functions to his wrist gauntlet. The group then make their way to the frigate's detention block, and Ahsoka finds Roppal dead inside his cell. The squad sees Bane running, and they follow him in pursuit to the frigate's gunnery room. Bane orders his battle droid forces to eliminate the Jedi, and turns off the artificial gravity. Ahsoka orders Artoo to reactivate the gravity. Attacking the bounty hunter, Skywalker kicks the holocron out of Bane's hands, but before he can grab it, Artoo reactivates the gravity, and Bane reclaims the holocron on the ground. In retaliation, Ahsoka chases after the fleeing Bane, despite her Master's warnings. While Ahsoka defeats Bane in hand-to-hand combat, the Padawan tries to telekinetically retrieve her lightsaber, although Bane tricks her. The bounty hunter grabs her ankle and sends a paralyzing electric shock through her, which renders her unconscious. Placing her in stuncuffs, and pulling her silka bead Padawan braid, Bane mocks Ahsoka and electrocutes her with his wrist comm, while he waits for Skywalker to "rescue her". Immediately, Skywalker enters the room, and Bane threatens to void Ahsoka out an airlock if he does not unlock the stolen holocron. Skywalker is forced to concede to save Ahsoka. Once the holocron is unlocked, Bane inserts the crystal. Enraged, Skywalker then spontaneously summons his and Ahsoka's lightsabers. Bane responds by opening the airlock and escaping. Desperate to save his Padawan, Skywalker throws a fragment of a B2 super battle droid, and closes the airlock door. On the top level of the hangar bay, troopers Denal and Koho engage Bane in a duel; however, the bounty hunter defeats the two clones and dresses himself in Denal's armor. Upon noticing that Bane might be dead, Ahsoka wishes to retrieve the holocron, although Skywalker claims that there wasn't any time to do so. Bane, who is wearing Denal's armor, enters Skywalker's ship. After leaving the frigate, Skywalker states that though they saw Bane fall to his death, he still feels Bane through the Force.
Children of the Force (s02 e03)
Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, returning from their failed mission to recapture the holocron captured by Cad Bane, whom they believe to be dead, land on the Resolute orbiting the Devaron System. Tano follows the clone trooper Denal, who supposedly killed Cad Bane and is injured, constantly asking questions with no answer from the clone. Skywalker, in the meantime, investigates a drop of green Duros blood on the floor of the shuttle they returned on and is alerted to the danger. He warns Tano, but it is too late. She is kneed in the chest by Cad Bane, disguised as the clone trooper, and he runs to the fighters to get away. Skywalker attempts to stop him by jumping onto the fighter, but Bane swerves the ship into the vacuum of space and he is forced to jump off. Skywalker then helplessly contacts Admiral Yularen and tells him to deactivate the hyperspace transport rings, but Yularen, too, is not in time, and Cad Bane escapes. Elsewhere, Bane is instructed by Sidious to capture a few Force-sensitive children and bring them to Mustafar. Yoda, Kenobi, Windu and Skywalker meditate, trying to detect any children through the Force, as many are being overshadowed by the dark side. Skywalker then heads to Naboo to secure a Gungan child, and Kenobi to Rodia. On Rodia, Bane poses as a Jedi, claiming that he is to take the child Wee Dunn to Coruscant; his mother protests that Master Bolla Ropal insisted that he is too young to do so. Kenobi then arrives on Rodia, hurrying to the Dunn home. However, Wee's mother threatens Kenobi with a blaster, but he pulls it out of her hands, demanding to know where Bane is. Bane then appears in the door, before flying off to his fighter and escaping. On Naboo, Skywalker and Tano arrive to secure the Gungan child Roo-Roo Page. Later that night, Bane arrives, sneaking onto the Gungan city. He then sneaks into Roo-Roo's room, only to find Tano waiting for him. They engage in a small fight before he is captured; Tano takes back her Padawan braid. Bane refuses to talk about where the other children he captured are, and his ship's navigation logs had been wiped. So Skywalker, Windu and Kenobi try simultaneously to force Bane to divulge their location, with the risk of destroying his mind. The experience is hard on Bane and he cooperates. With Bane as their guide, Kenobi and Windu prepare to go find the children. The Jedi shuttle arrives at the station Bane specified, but the masters don't sense the children. Bane says that the children are safe; he only brought them to the holocron. He offers to get it, Windu refuses to be tricked, but accidentally trips the bridge's sensors, activating a number of turrets. The Jedi defend themselves as Bane leaves the station in an escape pod. Luckily, they grab the holocron and escape the station before it self-destructs. Back on the Resolute, Skywalker and Tano check Bane's fighter for any clues. Tano finds volcanic ash on its hull, while Skywalker looks through its fueling log, determining that Bane had dropped his hostages on Mustafar. They then head out in the Twilight. However, their approach is detected and Sidious orders the children to be moved elsewhere and the facility destroyed. The Master-Padawan duo then enter the facility, drawn by Wee's cries. However, the droids use the children as shields while fighting the Jedi, as the facility tears itself apart. However, the Jedi managed to snatch the children away from the droids and escape before the entire facility falls into the dangerous lava.
Senate Spy (s02 e04)
Anakin discreetly returns to Coruscant to Padmé's apartment. They prepare for a romantic evening, when Anakin gets signaled by the Council to return to the Jedi Temple, forcing him to cut his evening short. Before the Council, he is told that they need a spy in the Senate to spy on Senator Rush Clovis, who is suspected of being a Separatist supporter. However, they can't afford to have Jedi taking official action in this, thus they need to convince Padmé to join their cause, as she is close to Clovis. Though Anakin doesn't believe that she would be right for the job, the Masters insist on him appointing her, because she trusts him. The next day, at the Senate, Anakin locates his wife and asks her about Clovis. She says she already told Yoda she doesn't want to spy on him, as he is a colleague and an old friend. However, when she learns that Clovis is collaborating with the Separatists, she immediately agrees to do it. She meets with Clovis at a bar, where he explains that he's planning on going to Cato Neimoidia to negotiate with the Trade Federation; he offers her to come along, for political and personal reasons. As soon as they arrive on Cato Neimoidia, they are greeted by Neimoidian Senator Lott Dod. Padmé is shown to her quarters while Dod and Clovis discuss "business"—which involves the amount of credits needed to build the new droid foundry—with Poggle the Lesser. At dinner, Dod tricks her into sharing his drink after smearing the rim with poison. Once dinner is finished, Clovis takes Padmé on a tour of the palace, both unaware of the symptoms of the poison, including thirst and head throbbing. While Clovis goes to fetch a drink, Padmé attempts to access the palace's files, but is barred by the computer's demand for a passcode. She soon figures out that it is her name, and sees the diagram from Dooku's new droid foundry. She signals Anakin, who sneaks into her quarters. As soon as she takes the hologram disc with the plans, she hides it from Clovis, who enters the room. When he asks to hold her hand, she spontaneously embraces him to hide the disc. She notices Anakin in the shadows, his face bursting with anger and jealousy, but she calms him down by brandishing the disc. She discreetly gives it to him, but as he slips away, Padmé passes out. Clovis realizes that he loves Padmé enough to save her, so he offers to get the antidote in exchange for the disc. As they carry Padmé back to the ship, they run into Dod and his aides. Clovis attempts to bluff his way out, but Dod refuses to let them leave, so Clovis pulls out a blaster. Dod is forced to give up the antidote, and the three run away. However, Anakin purposely leaves Clovis on the planet, who is forced to "talk" with Dod, as he himself injects Padmé with the antidote.
Landing at Point Rain (s02 e05)
Anakin, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan and Ki-Adi-Mundi lead a landing party to destroy a droid factory on Geonosis. Early in the mission, Anakin's gunship is shot down. But he, Ahsoka, and his troops survive and push forward, despite losing his tanks. Elsewhere, Cody receives an order from Ki-Adi-Mundi to land the AT-TEs. Once Cody lands, he warns Obi-Wan not to land, for it is too dangerous. However, that is not an option for the Jedi, as his gunship is shot down. General Mundi's gunship is hit and Mundi is wounded. With all three groups far from the attack zone, they are forced to press through. Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex move to take out a Geonosian defense line. Meanwhile, Cody dispatches Waxer and Boil to retrieve Obi-Wan, who, with another trooper called Trapper, had managed to survive. Elsewhere, as Mundi searches for Anakin, Commander Jet calls Admiral Yularen for reinforcements or air support. However, the admiral is unable to provide them air support without risking other areas of their campaign; the only thing he can do is help him find General Skywalker. As Mundi leads his troops into a cave, following his instincts, they are attacked by Geonosian flyers. Mundi, who had fought his way through the Geonosians and cleared his way with clone flametroopers, is reunited with Anakin, Ahsoka, and their clones. Anakin then calls on Admiral Yularen for air support, and the admiral gives one squadron. For Obi-Wan, the droid forces whittle his troops. Luckily, a squadron of Y-Wing bombers managed to even the odds, as Anakin, Ahsoka and Mundi arrive. They then improvise on their plan, involving Anakin taking a squad to blind the droids' scanners at their gun emplacements, to the approach of their AT-TE's attacking the shield generator, allowing the rest of their force to take the factory.Anakin and Ahsoka lead the charge, throwing EMP grenades that disable the enemy cannons, enabling the AT-TEs to destroy the shield generator. Gunships then come in and Geonosians in the area surrender. As they recuperate, Anakin and Ahsoka tally their kills: Anakin 55, Ahsoka 60. The former goes to see Mundi and Obi-Wan off, who are leaving for medical treatment. Mundi joins his game, stating that he had 65 kills, earning Anakin's respect.
Weapons Factory (s02 e06)
Luminara and Anakin act as decoys to divert new enemy super-tanks, while Padawans Barriss Offee and Ahsoka attempt to destroy a Separatist droid factory. Down below, the Padawans have successfully infiltrated the catacombs. They sneak past a wall filled with sleeping Geonosians, and proceed carefully, but are unable to avoid awakening one Geonosian, who follows them through the catacombs from that point onward. Eventually, the Padawans make it to the factory's main reactor and start placing explosives around it. However, the Geonosian they woke up has alerted Poggle and his tactical droid, who arrive with one super tank and many Geonosian warriors in the reactor room. The warriors begin picking their bombs off the reactor while the tank starts firing at the Padawans. Ahsoka attempts to stop the Geonosians by grabbing on to two winged warriors, but they cause her to slam against the reactor, knocking her unconscious. As the Geonosians escape into the catacombs, Offee is left with a choice: the bombs or Ahsoka's life. Outside, the super tanks' mortar cannons make short work of the clone forces and their cannons. Skywalker orders a retreat as he and Unduli plant bombs on the underside of the bridge the tanks are on, before detonating them. They then have to face the second wave of battle droids without any heavy artillery, infantry support or escape. Inside the factory, Offee attacks the super tank, destroys the droid drivers and successfully takes control of the tank when Ahsoka wakes up. They decide to use the tank to destroy the reactor, knowing that they won't survive. The explosion destroys the factory, causing the spire it was built in to collapse on the droids attacking the Masters and the clone army, but the tank's heavy armor protects the Padawans from the massive explosion. After failing to contact the Padawans on their comlink, Unduli believes they are dead, but Skywalker determinedly orders that the rubble be moved. Deep below the surface, in the cockpit of the super tank, Tano and Offee struggle to stay conscious. Worried that they will die from lack of air, Tano fashions a communicator out of a power cell from the tank in an attempt to contact her master. Receiving the signal, Skywalker rushes over to a pile of debris, and the two masters telekinetically lift the debris off the tank, freeing their Padawans.
Legacy of Terror (s02 e07)
When Luminara goes missing, Obi-Wan and Anakin lead a platoon of clones in search of her. When the search leads to a mysterious lair, the Jedi are faced with a horde of undead warriors. Obi-Wan mentions that there are legends of Geonosian queens, but no proof has been found of their existence. Elsewhere, the Geonosians drag the unconscious body of Luminara. She wakes up and tries fighting them off, but notices that the Geonosians aren't feeling pain—almost undead-like. She contacts Obi-Wan, telling them not to enter the temple, before she is subdued. Then, Obi-Wan and Anakin are attacked by the undead Geonosians, who are able to move even if shot or hacked; there is also something worm-like moving through their face openings. Because they are too deep underground to contact Mundi, Obi-Wan sends two clones to head back to the surface and call for help. Unfortunately, they are killed by the zombies before they can do so. Obi-Wan thus suggests that the rest of them should stick together. They eventually find Luminara, held in energy bonds before the Geonosian Queen, Karina The Great. Anakin prepares to charge in, but Obi-Wan has a different strategy. He tells Cody to have his men surround the place, before blinding the zombies and burying them. The Jedi approach the queen, her thralls letting them pass. Obi-Wan diplomatically tells her to surrender, but the queen refuses, intending on controlling the Jedi with her brain worms, catching Obi Wan's interest about the way the queen's mind control works. Poggle the Lesser approaches Luminara with a worm, but before it can snake its way up her nose, Obi-Wan gives the signal, and Cody and his men surprise the Geonosians, projecting light on the zombies and confusing them. They save Luminara and take Poggle prisoner. The undead tried to pursue the Jedi and the clones, but the clones blasted the cave supports, causing the ceiling of the cave to collapse. Obi-Wan intends to study the worm that was going to be used on Luminara, but Anakin squishes it with his boot, saying they should get out. They attempt to escape the collapsing temple, with the zombies after them. As they make their way up the hole that leads to the surface, a few zombies follow. Then, a rush of dust, and air pushes them up. They escape before the entire temple caves in, probably burying the queen.
Brain Invaders (s02 e08)
Padawans Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee are selected to transport medical supplies to Mace Windu on Dantooine from a station near Ord Cestus, while Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Luminara Unduli and Ki-Adi-Mundi prepare to deliver Poggle the Lesser to Coruscant. At the same time, a group of Clone troopers are resting outside the Progate Temple, where a brain worm hatches from its egg and enters into the nose of one of the troopers, Scythe. Moments later, the company is awakened and informed of their new errand mission to Ord Cestus. They follow the Padawans aboard the medical frigate, with Scythe at the rear carrying more brain worm eggs in his backpack. After the frigate jump into hyperspace, Ahsoka and Barriss lie in their beds, but Ahsoka can't sleep. She thus suggests to Barriss that they should go eat, and they head off to the mess hall. Meanwhile, Scythe enters the troopers' sleeping quarters and releases some of the yellow eggs; the worms hatch and find their way into the noses of the sleeping clones. Scythe leads two infected clones to kill the ship's pilots, taking control of the bridge. Two other possessed clones, Ox and Edge, enter the mess hall and attack the Padawans, who eventually manage to knock the troopers unconscious. An instant later, two more clones, Trap and Havoc, come through the door. The Jedi question them with lightsabers drawn, but the troopers say they don't know what is going on, and put their guns on the floor. After Barriss fails to contact the bridge via comlink, the two Padawans and Trap set off to go there, while Havoc stays to watch the unconscious clones. The Padawans decide to contact Master Fisto and quarantine the ship, but on their way they come across the cargo hold, where the infected troopers are releasing a brain worm into another trooper. They are spotted and realize they are outnumbered, so they escape through the ventilation system. From there, Barriss goes to disable the thrusters, and Ahsoka heads to the communication room to send a warning to Kit Fisto. Ahsoka tells Fisto about the worms, but he insists that the frigate dock anyway in order for a sanitation team to take out the worms. Ahsoka also contacts Anakin, updating him on the situation. On her way to the reactor, Barriss gets temporarily incapacitated by an electric trap and is exposed to a newly hatched brain worm by the troopers. After finishing her transmission, Ahsoka is surprised to see Barriss standing beside her. The possessed Barriss attacks her, and after a brief fight, Ahsoka manages to escape into the ventilation system.In the meantime, Anakin angrily goes to interrogate Poggle, using the Force to try to make him talk, but this doesn't work; he thus hits Poggle and proceeds to Force choke him. After getting the information he needs, Anakin informs the other Jedi about the brain worms, contacts Ahsoka on her comlink and tells her that the worms are affected by cold temperature, and that she should rupture the coolant system. She does this, releasing freezing air into the ship, just as it comes out of hyperspace. While the clones get weakened by the cold, Barriss finds Ahsoka's trail again and confronts her inside the bridge. They fight, but Barriss and her worm are eventually taken out by the cold. Regaining her own will for a moment, Barriss begs Ahsoka to kill her, but Ahsoka can't bring herself to do so. Barriss attacks again, but Ahsoka manages to kill the worm as it protrudes from Barriss's mouth.The frigate docks at the station, and Kit Fisto boards it with two clone troopers. They find the two frozen Padawans lying on the ground, still breathing, and bring them to the infirmary. When Ahsoka wakes up, Anakin is waiting at the end of her bed, and assures her that everything is all right, and that Barriss and the troopers were saved.
Grievous Intrigue (s02 e09)
A Jedi Master is taken hostage and tortured by General Grievous. Anakin, Obi-Wan and Adi Gallia devise a daring rescue plan, but they soon realize the General has a plan of his own. Grievous warns his crew that where there is Kenobi, there is also Skywalker. The Republic engages Grievous' fleet, and a space battle ensues. Kenobi hails Grievous, leaving Grievous surmising that Kenobi is here to bring him to justice as always. Grievous pulls Kenobi's cruiser in with a tractor beam, while Anakin, having received updated coordinates, comes out of hyperspace right alongside Grievous' destroyer, and he, Adi Gallia, Captain Rex and a clone trooper squad break into the ship. Grievous tells Obi-Wan that he is aware of Skywalker's concurrent rescue mission, and finally Grievous and his droids overpower Kenobi. Anakin and Adi locate Koth captured in a containment field, but Grievous's tactical droid, TV-94, was expecting them and summons commando droids. The tactical droid then sends electric waves through Koth, but the Jedi ultimately destroy the all the droids present and release Koth. Meanwhile, the fight between Kenobi and Grievous continues, Obi-Wan asks what he intends to gain from being general of an army with no loyalty or spirit. Grievous answers that he hopes to gain a future...a future where there are no more Jedi. Obi-Wan Force-pushes Grievous into the window and gives him a chance to surrender, but Grievous escapes.Obi-Wan informs Anakin and Adi, the latter of whom goes to intercept him while Anakin carries Koth to his shuttle. Grievous arrives at his destroyer, but there, Adi Gallia engages him in a brief duel, before the docking tube is torn open, creating a powerful suction. Grievous climbs aboard his ship using his metallic claws, and Gallia extends a cable to Cody and Kenobi, allowing them to get to safety. Anakin then picks up Obi-Wan, Adi and Cody in his shuttle from the destroyer's hangar. Grievous and his ship's infantry droids board a landing ship set for Saleucami, and the Republic light cruiser eventually explodes. Unfortunately, a collision with shrapnel causes the landing ship to lose control and to fall fast towards Saleucami. Obi-Wan then plans to descend onto Saleucami with Rex and Cody to look for Grievous while Anakin cleans up the space battle.
The Deserter (s02 e10)
Hot on the trail of General Grievous, Obi-Wan Kenobi lands with his troops, Commander Cody and Captain Rex on Saleucami. Upon finding the crashed landing ship empty, Kenobi divides a squad of his men into search parties on speeder bikes. Rex is to lead troopers Jesse, Hardcase and Kix into the local wetlands to the coordinates of a crashed pod, while Kenobi, Cody and Crys will continue looking at the crash site. Unfortunately on their way they are ambushed by droid commando snipers, and Rex becomes severely injured. Upon finding out that they are standing on farmland, the troopers ferry Rex to a farm inhabited by a single female Twi'lek named Suu Lawquane and her two children Shaeeah and Jek. Suu's husband is momentarily absent, but she provides them with a shelter in their barn and some food. Too badly injured to continue the search for Grievous, Rex reluctantly remains behind while his team continues the search, putting Jesse in charge. In the middle of the night, Rex is visited by the owner of the farm—a clone trooper who introduces himself as Cut Lawquane. Disgusted with his pre-purposed profession, namely to kill for a living, Lawquane had deserted the army and now leads a happy life with his wife and children stating this is where his main duty is bound than to the Republic. While they have dinner together, Lawquane and Rex engage in an argument, in which Rex attempts to remind Lawquane that, as clone soldiers, their duty lies with the Republic, while Lawquane stresses that even as clones, they are individuals and thus have the freedom of choice. Slowly and reluctantly, Rex begins to sympathize with Cut and his family. While playing outside, however, Shaeeah and Jek stumble upon a crashed Separatist escape pod in one of their fields and accidentally activate a platoon of damaged, but still-functional commando droids inside. The droids promptly attack the farm, and Lawquane prepares to defend his family. Rex offers his help, and although the droids manage to invade the farmhouse, the two clones put up a brave fight and destroy them all, with Lawquane saving Rex's life. The next morning, Rex prepares to leave on an eopie. Although it would be his duty to report Lawquane as a deserter, he respects his clone brother's wish for a peaceful life greatly enough to conveniently forget about the whole incident. He refuses Lawquane's invitation to stay, parting with the words: "This is your home, Cut. My family is elsewhere."
Lightsaber Lost (s02 e11)
When a wily pickpocket steals Ahsoka's lightsaber, she enlists the help of an ancient Jedi to track down her weapon and reclaim her honor. Tera Sinube, a Jedi Master with specialized knowledge about Coruscant's criminal underworld, finds Ahsoka's thief in the database, a Patrolian named Bannamu, and they set off together to apprehend him. Back in the slum district, they are directed to Bannamu's hideout—the Spider Arms Hostel. Ahsoka eventually locates Bannamu, and learns that he has sold her lightsaber to an assassin called Nack Movers. Thus, she and Sinube hurry to the apartment owned by Movers' girlfriend, only to find that the lock has been cut open, and Movers has been killed. The two Jedi soon see a frightened female called Ione Marcy hiding in the apartment, who asks if the men who killed Movers have gone. Ahsoka goes to search the bedroom, where she gets attacked by Cassie Cryar, wielding Ahsoka's lightsaber. Upon learning that Ahsoka is a Jedi, Cassie jumps through the window and runs away along the city's rooftops. Ahsoka chases after her and contacts Sinube, informing him about the development. Due to the fact that Ahsoka's attacker was a female was inconsistent with Ione's info that men had broken into the apartment, and coupled with sensing something more than just shock in her, Sinube deduces that Ione was involved in the crime. He subtly attaches a tracking device to her and summons Guardian police droids, but Ione escapes in an airspeeder. Meanwhile, Ahsoka is closing on Cassie on the top of a high building, when Cassie jumps and lands in Ione's passing speeder. Sinube picks up Ahsoka in another speeder, and they follow the tracking device to a train station. Police droids apprehend Ione, but Cassie manages to dash off onto the top of a departing train. Ahsoka runs after her and they ultimately enter a wagon, where Cassie takes a Twi'lek mother and child as hostages, still with Ahsoka's lightsaber in hand. When the train arrives at the next station, Cassie attempts to run away again, but Sinube, having gotten to the station first, intercepts her and disarms her. Later, as Sinube suggests that Ahsoka should share the lesson she has learned, she heads to the Jedi Temple, and tells younglings how they should never lose their lightsabers.
#lets talk#the clone wars#season 2#s02e01#s02e02#s02e03#s02e04#s02e05#s02e06#s02e07#s02e08#s02e09#s02e10#s02e11#season 2 rewatch
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Traveler’s Dilemma
Words: 1,960
Genres: science fiction, time travel, dark comedy
Content Warning: murder, blood, hitler
Synopsis: Thomas travels back in time on a very important secret mission, killing Adolf Hitler before he grows up to be a genocidal dictator. But something unusual happens just as he’s about to complete it.
"T-minus 2 minutes." the automatic voice read aloud. The entire room was dark except for the various instruments which blinked and blared around them.
Thomas strapped the cuffs of the special suit into his wrists, his gloves tightening and repressurizing. Lindsey stepped behind him and hooked the rest of the suit up his back. He turned around to look at her. Behind her he saw the countdown clock.
"You know they'll kill you when you come back." she said, her blue eyes seeming purple in the red light of the room.
"Hopefully when I come back, it'll be a better world." his voice was gruff and sexy, his face unshaven. He leaned and put his gloved hand on her cheek.
"A world without us in it."
"We talked about it, Lin. We're doing this for the world."
Lindsey nodded and her eyes went serious. "For the world."
"T-minus 1 minute." the voice read.
"Time for you to go." Lindsey said and handed Thomas his helmet.
He put it on his head and clicked it into place. He turned around and started walking into the chamber, but not before looking back at Lindsey from up close one last time.
He entered the chamber and looked up at his wife. She was fiddling with the controls, making sure everything was in order.
"T-minus 30 seconds."
He looked down at his wrist, where his personal control panel was located.
"Passau, Germany, 24-08-1893" it read.
Lindsey gave him the thumbs up, and he returned with a gloved thumbs up of his own.
"T-minus 10 seconds... 9... 8... 7..."
Thomas closed his eyes. He knew that after his mission is complete, he'll be in a new world. A better world.
"6... 5... 4..."
"I love you." he whispered to Lindsey, though he knew she couldn't hear him.
"3... 2... 1."
Lightning zapped around him, the flashes filling the room with light. Lindsey narrowed her eyes, and for a fraction of a second, she saw her husband disappearing into dust. The room then grew dark again, and nothing in the central chamber remained.
A flash of light signalled Thomas' arrival in his destination. Like his origin point, it was the middle of the night, but he knew he was half a world and more than a century away from the Temporal Studies lab of the CIA.
The architecture was very familiar for houses in this period, but it looked so new and shiny. Thomas wasn't used to seeing such style in such good conditions.
He got his head straight and focused on his mission. We went up the stairs and into the bedroom of the youngest child in the house.
"Adolphus." it read on the door.
He went inside, stepping in as quietly as he could in the clunky suit. As expected, in the sole bed in the corner of the room slept a four-year-old boy with black hair, fast asleep.
He pressed on a container on the side of his shin, which opened automatically and pulled out an electric syringe. Synthetic blood poison. Would temporarily neutralize all red blood cells and deprive the brain of oxygen. Dead within 1 minute, gone within 14 hours. Undetectable to the medicinal technology of this era. They'd think the boy died from sudden system failure. It wasn't uncommon. All of his older siblings died young as well.
"Goodbye, Hitler." Thomas' hand was shaking as he was about to stab the needle into the sleeping boy's neck. He clenched his fist. He couldn't hesitate. He had to remember what this boy would grow up to be. What he'll grow up to do.
He raised his arm up high, and just as he was about to lower it, a familiar flash of lightning filled the room.
A bit of smoke was wofting through the air before going out the window, and in the smoke stood a man wearing a large top hat with goggles on top of it, and a three piece suit with large lappels.
"Oh, hello." the man spoke quite loudly.
"Sshh!" Thomas shut him up with a gloved finger on the man's lips. Young Hitler shifted in his bed, but stayed asleep. "Who are you?"
"I'm Menckill. I came here to kill the boy." Menckill bowed in front of Thomas, his left hand gesturing forward. He was holding a jagged knife.
"You can't kill him with that!" Thomas whispered-yelled at him before snatching up the knife. "That's barbaric."
"Well obviously, it's child murder." Menckill explained. "Is that not considered taboo where you're from?"
"No, I mean. Yes... I mean, not this child, I was here to kill him too. But not like this! This is brutal and unnecessary. What do you think the parents will think when they find him bleeding out in the morning?"
"Well, how were you going to kill him?"
"Humanely, with a single injection to the bloodstream that will kill his brain within 60 seconds."
"You think a lifeless body without blood stains will be any more acceptable for the parents?"
"I mean, yeah. At least they could bury him with dignity. They didn't do anything wrong. Besides, he's not gonna suffer." Thomas explained. "And neither will the millions he killed."
"Millions he killed? What are you talking about?" Menckill asked, he held his knife in a peculiar way, and Thomas was startled to find it's no longer in his hand.
"I am from the future. This kid will grow up to start a major war and end the lives of dozens of millions."
"Wow, weird. I'm also from the future, and where I come from he's just an overrated artist."
Thomas paused for a second, his head was spinning. After a couple of long moments he got back to his sense. "You were gonna kill a kid for growing up to be an artist?!"
"I mean, his art is really bad. And he's so beloved. It's like, awful. I blame the Post-Wiemerists and their shitty communist art."
"Where you're from Hitler is a communist?"
"Well he took his husband's name and became Adolphus Braun, but yes."
"Where you're from Hitler is a gay communist???" Thomas had to take a step back.
"What, is it not common where you're from? Still taboo?" Menckill leaned and jabbed Thomas side with the hilt of his knife.
Thomas was hyperventilating, his mask was getting fogged up.
"Listen, you seem a bit tensed up. Is this your first time journeying? Your first changing of history?" Menckill tapped the sides of Thomas' suit, accidentally opening a few compartments.
"I mean, yes." Thomas took off his helmet, revealing his pale sweaty face.
"Oh, you're a ginger." Menckill commented. "Your kind was wiped out where I'm from."
"First of all, don't call me that. Second of all... What?!"
"Sshh..."
"Don't shoosh me!" Thomas almost screamed. The young boy in the bed was turning in his sleep.
"Okay... okay..." Thomas was using the drapes to wipe the sweat off his face.
"Tell me exactly who you are, where and when you're from, and how you got here."
"Well well well, somebody is intrigued."
"You're damn right I am."
"Okay then, my name is Menckill Dilafrigos. I am from New Rodham in the far-off year of 1999. I came here like this..." Menckill snapped his fingers, a small flash of lightning burst from his hand, and a fraction of a second later he was holding an apple. "Why, where you're from?"
Thomas stared at the apple for a couple of seconds before answering. "I'm from New York City, in 2064. And this is absolutely insane... you're from like... a different timeline. A different course of history. Does that mean I succeeded?"
"Well, clearly not, since the kid is still alive in my 'timeline', whatever that is." Menckill seemed relax, he was scratching his butt.
"Maybe it's a sort of grandfather paradox. Like, killing my own grandfather breaks the universe and makes a new one, and you're like, from that one?" Thomas looked puzzled at the other time traveler, though he wasn't really expecting an answer.
"I doubt this kid is your grandpa, man."
"Fucking hell, I meant metaphorically, like.... if I kill Hitler, he doesn't kill millions when he's a grown up, and I have no reason to come back and kill Hitler."
"So then I come in and kill him instead. Makes sense to me."
"No! Because he still grows up in your timeline to become a shitty artist. Which means if he died at age 4 you wouldn't have a reason to go back either."
"Listen, bud, you're overcomplicating this whole thing. What I do is this: I see something I don't like, I go back, I change it. I come back home, it's gone. I have sex with my wives." Menckill gestured with his hands like it was all a simple matter to him.
"And your world isn't changed? Your friends are still there? Wait, how many people did you kill just because you didn't like them?"
"A few here and there." Menckill tossed his knife about.
"Maybe you have like... special paradox preserving powers. Maybe you isolate things in your timeline and deliver them to someplace else. Maybe you're the key! The source of time travel in my universe. Maybe all universes!" Thomas put both hands on his head, his mind spinning.
"Maybe... All I know is, you wanna kill the kid, I wanna kill the kid. So let's just do it!"
"But you, you want to kill him for bad reasons. I'm trying to save the world!"
"Fine, whatever, let's just do it together. We'll do it your way. As long as neither his paintings nor his mass murders happen, right?"
"I guess..." Thomas' hand was trembling again, he gripped the needle tightly. Menckill held his hand to stabilize it.
"3... 2... 1..." Thomas whispered and raised his arm once again.
Before he could thrust down, he was interrupted once again, this time by a woman bursting through the door.
"What?" he turned around to see a flint pistol flash in the darkness. A second later, Meckill was fallen over on the bed, his blood spilled all over it.
The young boy woke up and screamed.
"Wait! Wait! I can go, I'll leave, don't shoot!" Thomas started fiddling with his wrist control panel, setting it to travel back to 2064.
He didn't make it before a second shot fired and his lifeless body was sprawled on the floor.
"Mother?" young Adolphus asked in German, his voice shaking. "Were the bad men here to hurt me again?"
"Yes, dearie." Klara Hitler answered him with a sweet motherly voice as she blew the smoke off the barrel of the gun. "But don't worry, mommy took care of it."
She leaned in and wiped the blood off of his face with a handkerchief. "Now why don't you go get clean and then come sleep in the big bed with me and papa. The maid will clean your room in the morning."
"Okay, mama." the boy got up and went to the washing room.
Meanwhile, Klara picked up the two bodies, wrapped them around in the drapes, and dragged them down to the basement.
"Mother, are you coming?" she heard Adolphus calling up to her from upstairs.
"Just a minute!" she shouted back to him. She dumped the blood drapes in the basement. They slouched next to the pile of bodies from all of the other strange men, women, and machines who came barging into her son's bedroom ever since he was born and even before then.
"We never had two of them at the same night." she said to nobody in particular. "We'll have to move again if this continues."
"Oh well." she closed the basement's door, leaving the two fresh corpses in the dark.
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the doctor is in ill
kyle/alex
also on ao3
.
Alex Manes tried not to think about a lot of things lately, repressing more and more confusion and emotions than he probably should. Having a father hospitalized in coma due to him attempting murder (after actually having murdered his victim’s father) was hard enough. On top of that he had a friend who had been magically brought back to life by an alien, a best friend who was trying to stop her grief over her alien boyfriend dying for her sister, and then, most of all, he had an ex-something alien cowboy who had left him for his best friend.
All in all, Alex was ready to leave Roswell and never look back. There were multiple Air Force bases he could leave for, but he had stalled. Maybe for Michael. Maybe for helping Liz and Rosa. Mainly to destroy his father’s attempt at a legacy of torture, murder, and fanatacism.
And Kyle Valenti had helped him through all of it over the past few months.
At first things had been prickly, then slowly better and better, and after the catastrophe of Kyle being shot and the intense scrambling to create a cover story they had all but fallen back into their original dynamic. A team.
Which meant that Alex, who tried very hard not to notice things about people anymore, still noticed the way that Kyle’s eyes had bags under them the past few weeks and had seemed to lose the very little weight he had that wasn’t muscle. Now, while they poured over seventy years of studies on aliens, Kyle was also coughing and looking pale. He could pretend he didn’t notice, of course. Let the doctor handle himself.
Unfortunately his worry got the best of him. “Are you sick, Valenti?”
Kyle startled a little at the break of silence, looking a little slow to the take before he put on a fake smirk and confidently replied, “Doctor’s don’t get sick.”
Of course. “…As a doctor you should know that’s incorrect.”
All he got in return to that was Kyle shaking his head. “I’ve been exposed to everything under the sun. My immune system is iron.”
The bravado that was being put forth made Alex want to roll his eyes, but instead he replied. “Your immune system is compromised. You sleep what, three hours a night lately?”
Now his face turned serious, bordering on threatening. “I’m fine.”
“You need some rest.”
“And what, be a resting target? I’m fine.”
Alex froze, unsure what to do with the implication that Kyle no longer felt safe alone. Of course any logical person wouldn’t in Roswell, especially someone who had attacked the father of three very angry war hero sons. Afraid to think further about how this was his fault for dragging Kyle further into things, Alex didn’t push further.
Kyle started throwing up two hours later.
“Come on.” Alex told him firmly, shutting off every computer monitor in one combination stroke of keys so Kyle can’t fight him. “I’m taking you home.”
“Alex.” he grumbled angrily, trying to be stubborn. He had stopped the habit of referring to him as “Manes” after everything had gone down, and Alex had tried to ignore the twinge of intimacy that brought back.
“I’ll be your bodyguard for the night.” Alex told him, not condescendingly. “But I want our bunker to be sterile and not the breeding ground for your flu.”
Of course he got a rather severe glare in return, but Kyle did resentfully follow. Alex grabbed a trash bin, that proved useful during the twenty minute ride back into town and Kyle’s house.
“Hey, least i don’t have to hold your hair back like Liz or Maria,” he teased, trying to make sure that the doctor was still coherent.
Kyle moaned into the bin.
When they finally get to his apartment it took a minute for Kyle to unlock things, including the security system that seems new, but when they finally got in Alex was left to shut the door while Kyle made a beeline for the bathroom. He came back out a good fifteen minutes later looking just as bad but chugging a good four ounces out of a bottle of Nyquil.
“Whoa, okay there,” Alex said, slightly worried that he should take the bottle away even if Kyle would know what he was doing way more than Alex would. “Don’t think it will cure you if you chug.”
“Of course not,” Kyle responded after dropping the bottle. “10% alcohol though.”
Alex couldn’t help but smile a bit at that, shaking his head. “I’ll grab a beer from your fridge then, make it even.”
Kyle gestured vaguely toward the kitchen, instead going down the hallway to what Alex assumed was his room. It was weird, being in the space of adult Kyle. Part of him wished that Kyle lived with his mother so he wouldn’t have to be doing this, but also so that the awkward feeling of seeing a new side to an already new Kyle wouldn’t be knocking down on him.
The overall western feeling to the tone in wood flooring and stone countertops of the kitchen doesn’t make Alex miss the fact that everything is very, very clean for a bachelor. Opening the fridge, all he found were fresh vegetables, fruit, and nothing pre-packaged or left over. More to himself, he still couldn’t help but say, “God, you’re weird now, Valenti. You live like some instagram model.”
There wasn’t a response, so Alex grabbed the one beer in the fridge door, and came back out and into Kyle’s bedroom with cold wet towel as well. Still completely clothed and not having removed one blanket, Kyle was lying face up on the bed. Alex would rather not admit it, but he was almost getting worried, at least until he proffered the towel and Kyle grabbed it.
Alex leaned against the night stand, still standing a foot away, and sipped on his beer.
Kyle groaned, moving the towel not more than two minutes later, and Alex touched it to see it was now hot. “You sure you don’t want to go see a coworker?”
“Fever is good,” Kyle argued weakly. “Fever means fighting off sickness.”
Or burning brain cells, he sighs, but left to replace the towel. This time on the way back he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge as well. After he opened it and gave it to Kyle, replacing the towel, he sat on the end of the bed.
“Why are you being nice to me?”
Since there wasn’t guarded hostility in his voice, like there had been months ago, Alex decided to give a vague answer. “My family has been putting you through the ringer.”
“Still.”
Kyle wasn’t moving very much, other than to groan. The water bottle was only half touched after it seemed to have threatened another stomach turn out of the man. Alex gave in to a kind statement. “You’ve been there for me the past few months.”
“Not enough.” he replied, sitting up for a tiny second only to decide on lying back down against his pillow, his eyes mostly closed. Groggily, but with emotion still, he went on. “I’m sorry, Alex. For everything. For high school and your dad and Guerin and loving you–,”
“What?” Alex interrupted, all too quickly standing up from the bed and moving toward Kyle’s dresser behind him.
Kyle only repeated himself, clearly not noticing. “Sorry for everything.”
It really wasn’t ethical to continue the conversation when his former best friend wasn’t coherent and instead clearly all but dying of the flu. What was ethical in Roswell anymore, Alex wasn’t sure. Guiltily, he prodded. “Including loving me how exactly?”
He doesn’t like how his own voice cracks with insecurity, but Kyle doesn’t notice. “Selfishly. I know I don’t get to, but–” Coughing, the all too pretty words stop before Alex tells him to.
Not expecting to be heard, he weakly said, “Maybe I should call Liz if you’re sick enough to say you love me.”
“I’m just a coward, Manes.” Kyle said. His eyes were definitely closed now, instead of the fluttering they’d been doing, and this is starting to be a worse idea than Alex had expected. “Always been in love with you. Always been a selfish coward.”
Swallowing the nervous lump in his throat, he barely replied “I’m gonna replace this. Drink more.”
Alex wished there was some deniability here. Surely there was, right? But Kyle had mentioned Guerin, he had said “Manes”, he clearly was talking at Alex even if he was far too sick to realize exactly what he was saying.
Which was infuriating, because how the hell was he supposed to yell at Kyle when the man was drunk off of Nyquil, head deep in a trash bin vomiting, and sweating through a fever?
He debated yelling anyway.
Instead he went back with a towel to see that Kyle is sleeping now. Alex groaned, swore a few times at his sense of responsibility, and took Kyle’s shoes and socks off. Despite what is clearly sleep, Kyle started undressing further, reminding Alex of how used to being tired the man must be. Sixteen hour shifts with blood all over him at the end sounded all too familiar to Alex, even if one experienced it in a hospital and him on the streets of Baghdad.
With the brief memory of war, Alex took the good excuse to be away from a stripping doctor and stepped out and did perimeter walk. Idly, he checked the security system for its efficiency, observed all windows and exit points. While his brothers hadn’t made a strike yet, it wouldn’t be unlike them to wait until they were less suspect before they went after Kyle. He went back to the bedroom hesitantly at the thought, glad that Kyle still had boxers on (as well as a shirt that was caught hanging off one bicep), splayed out on the bed and now snoring loudly.
Everything in him told him to just leave. Kyle had a security system. Alex had an out.
He stole a pillow after a moment’s debate and rolled it against his neck to sleep against the wall for old time’s sake. He had promised to guard.
.
Alex woke up to the smell of breakfast food and the view of an empty bed. Getting up took a lot longer than he wanted; having slept against the wall with his prosthetic still on had been a mistake. Pain weighed more currently on his mind until he walked into Kyle’s kitchen to see him fully dressed and almost cheery as he cooked.
“You’re back to normal?” he asked, an undercurrent of anger clear in his voice. “Just like that?”
“Immune system of iron,” Kyle said, looking unable to help himself. Turning serious, he turned off his stove burner and apologized. “Hey sorry, man, you didn’t have to watch over me like that.”
“I understand the fear.” Alex said shortly. With Kyle’s wary look, he realized he hadn’t been clear enough. Maybe Kyle had remembered everything said last night, or maybe he hadn’t. “The aftermath of being shot at.”
Kyle stayed quiet, standing over the skillet, and wordlessly offered the egg scramble.
Honestly, Alex should go. He knew this. If he wanted them to stay friends, he would. But hesitantly he agreed to breakfast instead.
The cooking wasn’t that great, which does relieve him a little in a vindictive way. With how much Kyle had changed, he would have been pissed if ‘chef’ was added to his overall now perfect image.
Clearly, Kyle hadn’t even made breakfast for himself anyway from the looks of his untouched plate. Uncomfortably, the man looked up. “I promise I’m not going to revert back to sickness if you blink.”
“That’s not it.” Alex said.
“Ah,” Kyle replied, looking a little pale again. “So it wasn’t a weird fever dream.”
Alex found himself tensing. Was it anger coming back up? “Confessing your feelings? No.”
“On second thought, I’m definitely still sick. Please go and leave me to die this time.”
“Kyle.”
The doctor’s hands went up to stop the conversation, necessary since he wouldn’t come close to meeting Alex’s eyes, instead staring at cold eggs with a tight jaw. “I would never have put that on you if i was coherent.”
“Put that on me?” Alex couldn’t help but ask, both offended and caught off guard.
Still not meeting eyes, Kyle continued in a rant like fashion as if Alex hadn’t even spoke. “It’s not your responsibility to deal with my feelings, it’s mine.”
Alex’s eyebrows rose. “Responsibility?”
“Telling you puts you in a shitty position you don’t deserve and–,”
“Valenti.” Alex cut through. Kyle startled finally and stopped, brows furrowed and dark eyes definitively troubled. “So you were just going to keep that bottled up until you died?”
Kyle coughed. “Pretty much.”
They sat in silence for a second, but only that, because before Kyle could continue his nervous backtracking, Alex stumbled into realization. Surprising himself a little, he admitted, “You were my first crush.”
Kyle shook his head, looking away again. “Don’t, you don’t have to. I know Guerin–”
“This conversation isn’t about him.” Alex cut across again. Kyle paused. “You were my first crush. I felt so crazy thinking there was something, and then high school happened on top of it. And I know why you didn’t tell me, I grew up in this town too. But I wish you had.”
“Back then,” Kyle said with dejection, having listened to him aptly only to give up.
“I didn’t say that.”
For the first time since they’ve become friendly again, they stare at each other over something that isn’t alien related. Before it can sink in how maybe that barrier had led to this, Alex kisses him and Kyle kisses back, fervent, before pulling back. “It hasn’t been a full 24 hours for contagion–”
“If I get sick you’re a doctor,” Alex huffed and shut him up again. The strangeness to kissing Kyle of all people didn’t get past him, in fact halfway through the part where the dining table and chairs were starting to become a cumbersome barrier stopping them from doing more than kissing, Alex pulled back. Kyle all but froze, as if he was terrified that Alex might take everything back. He wasn’t about to, but he can’t help but say, "Not how I imagined this going.”
Kyle raised an eyebrow. “What did you picture?”
“Well I would have had two legs, for starters.” Alex deadpanned. Nerves brought out his sarcasm every time.
Kyle pursed his lips, looking away with a cocktail of frustration and insecurity, and Alex huffed. “Honestly, Valenti, I meant I thought I would have said something first. Cue first time in a treehouse story.”
A pleasant laugh escaped him, the kind that reminded Alex how much Kyle had styled into himself with grace.
Well, grace mixed with, “You know, doctors used to prescribe orgasms as a cure all before modern medicine.”
There it was, the same flirty deflection as always. Alex surprised himself with his own laugh. The general bizarrity of having Kyle Valenti ask him for sex was too much. “A shame you have an iron immune system.”
“Do I? I think I’m feeling a fever come on again.”
#kylex#kyle x alex#kylex fic#kyle valenti#alex manes#roswell new mexico#roswell nm fic#roswell new mexico fic#my work#mine
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Second Chance at Forever - Chapter 14
Chapter 14 of this year’s entry for the @dwsecretsanta, my present to @wordsintimeandspace! Beta’d by the always-kind @stupidsatsuma. Thank you!
@doctorroseprompts and @timepetalscollective as an AU fic
General warnings for: alcohol use, cursing, discussions of sexual activities and mature situations. No explicit love scenes.
Masterlist
AO3
Summary
Once upon a time, a boy and girl met at a bar and fell in love - until he ghosted her.
Five years later Rose Tyler’s best friend Mickey is getting married, and arranges a dinner for her to meet the groomsman she’ll be walking with - unaware that the two already know each other.
John Noble’s not sure how his friend and mentee managed to connive with the Universe to bring the One Who Got Away back into his life; all he knows it carefully built and maintained walls are crashing to the ground with no warning.
At first, John’s few functioning brain cells assumed the noise was his pulse beating in his ears. He and Rose were tangled on the couch, her hand in his pants while his were occupied at her chest. They were kissing frantically, sloppily, too focused on the pleasure they were bringing their partner to concentrate properly.
Then he heard his name. Not just the sexy way Rose was whispering it, but his sister’s obnoxious loudmouth calling for him.
Reluctantly tearing his mouth away from hers, he propped himself up slightly and strained to listen.
“No, shh, John,” Rose pleaded, and the way she said it meant he wasn’t imagining things.
“Please tell me my sister’s not outside our door.”
She pulled him back to her by his half-undone tie, mouth latching onto his adam’s apple. “She’ll go away. Don’t stop.”
The choice was taken away from him by the door slamming open, and they both moaned in regret. With no time to hide what they’d been up to, John just shifted higher to cover Rose’s bare chest as Donna stalked in.
“Oh, you have got to be shitting me,” the redhead fumed as she came around the couch and found them lying together. “I’ve been calling for an hour!”
“Go away,” John said firmly, knowing if she had gone to the effort of showing up something was seriously wrong but wanting to hold onto denial a few moments longer. “We’re busy.”
“You have the rest of your lives to shag,” Donna was unsympathetically blunt. “But I need Rose, now.”
“So do I,” he muttered before her words processed. “Wait, what?”
Rose wriggled beneath him, achieving nothing more than torturing him. “Donna, can you give us a minute? Maybe wait in the kitchen?”
Standing above them with her arms crossed, lit by the moonlight coming from the floor-to-ceiling windows, Donna cut an imposing figure. “I’ll be at the window. Don’t you dare do anything but stand up and put yourself back together.” She spun on her heel, walking the few yards to stare out at the city.
Glancing down at Rose, he held her eye for a moment before she pinched his side. Sighing heavily he stood, offering Rose a hand up. It didn’t take them long to make themselves presentable, though John winced as his zipper made a loud noise in the otherwise quiet room.
Once they were ready Rose turned on the light on the end table, bathing the room in a soft glow. “Sorry, Donna. What’s going on?”
Donna returned to them, and the two women sat gingerly. Not quite ready to meet his sister’s eye and needing time to get himself under control, John busied himself in the kitchen preparing tea. He couldn’t hear much of what was being said, but didn’t need to; he knew his sister, and it would have to be an absolute crisis at work to show up at Rose’s door unannounced at midnight.
Fetching Rose’s purse from where it had dropped by the door, he fished out her phone and plugged it into the charger on the counter. Sure enough the screen showed more than a dozen missed texts and calls from Donna. Fixing each a cuppa to taste, he brought them back to the sitting area just as Rose buried her head in her hands.
“Here, love.” He would be lying to say he wasn’t irritated at the interruption, but made a conscious effort to clear his expression before she looked up. Whatever was wrong wasn’t her fault, or at least not deliberately with the intention of ruining their night. She had been plenty understanding the few times he’d been called away for a medical emergency, not least of which being his month-long trip to Haiti; now it was his turn.
A relationship, a marriage, like the one they were building would only succeed with equality. Support went both ways, and he would be damned before he gave her any reason to hesitate about his commitment.
“What’s going on?” he asked quietly, settling one palm on Rose’s back as she sank into his side, blowing gently on her tea.
“This morning Rose presented a new spread to our- her biggest client, and the meeting went well, they loved it,” Donna sighed, watching Rose with sympathy. “But… the meeting was with the number two guy. Apparently when he presented it to his boss, at ten o’clock tonight no less, she flipped her shit. We’ll lose the account if it’s not redone to new specs by eight Friday morning. It took more than an hour to negotiate them down to that, if you can believe. The owner wanted it Monday morning, but Harriet – the owner of our firm convinced her that was unreasonable. If they like what we come up with by Friday, they’ll pay for both sets of designs and stay clients; if Yvonne doesn’t, she won’t pay a penny and will pull her business.”
“And she’s an important client?” John gathered.
Rose moaned. “Millions of pounds a year. We’ve been working on this for months, it was perfect. Witch.”
“What can I do to help?”
His girlfriend straightened up with a pout. “Not much, I’m afraid. I’m going to have to work pretty much straight through to get this done in time, even with the extra help Harriet’s promised me.”
“Then you’ll do that,” he said brusquely, already formulating and discarding half a dozen plans. “I’ll handle everything else. Take a shower, wash your face. I’ll have some war supplies ready for you by the time you’re done. Go, go.”
Rose stood, taking the time to lean down and kiss him. “We really will have to wait for after the wedding now,” she whispered, but he just shook his head, pressing his lips to hers.
“Don’t worry about that. Do what you need to.” As soon as she disappeared down the hall he went into crisis mode, heading for the kitchen and pulling out canvas bags, his sister trailing behind.
“So, sorry for interrupting what I walked in on,” Donna mentioned, leaning against the countertop.
“Me too,” was all he said, focusing on his plan. Grabbing down every insulated travel mug they had, he started filling them with tea before refilling the kettle for more. Opening the snack cabinet, he pulled out everything relatively healthy and started throwing it in a bag. “Can you...” Gesturing towards the whistling kettle he didn’t wait for a response, heading for the bedroom.
Locating her overnight bag in the back of her closet, he efficiently packed two changes of clothes and comfortable shoes. A quick raid of her gym bag produced on-the-go toiletries, which got tossed in as well. Returning to the kitchen with a detour to drop the bag by the door, he took over the tea-making, tightly closing the lid of the last travel mug by the time Rose reappeared in yoga pants and a tee, one it took him a moment to realize came from his own drawer unless she’d gone to Cambridge Med School without telling him.
“Right, I’ll head in and get started, Donna, go home and get some rest. I’ll need you first thing,” she started, before stopping to stare at the now-cluttered counter. “What’s all this?”
“Supplies,” John shrugged, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the counter. Donna’s gaze was burning a hole in the side of his head, making him flush, but he refused to feel ashamed of showing how much he loved Rose.
She slowly shook her head, expression softening. “I know you said… thank you, John.”
“Anything for you. There’s also a bag by the door.”
Padding up to him, she tugged him down for a firm kiss, momentarily sucking at his bottom lip before releasing him. “I love you.”
“Love you too. You’re taking a cab, yeah?”
Rose nodded. “I’ll text you, but probably won’t be home before tomorrow night. Er, tonight, I guess,” she corrected herself, seeing the time. “Don’t forget to feed the cat.”
“I won’t. Now, shoo. The sooner you go the sooner you can come back.”
With one last kiss for her and a wave to his sister, the girls were gone in a whirlwind, leaving him alone in the kitchen.
Tardis came barreling in then, jumping up onto the counter and nosing around some of the food he’d left out. John sighed, pushing her away and starting to restore the room to normalcy.
“Guess it’s you and me now, girl.”
The next day was Saturday, and he puttered around the flat for part of the morning before deciding to unpack some of the boxes sitting around. Most of them were books, cds, and knickknacks, and he took his time arranging them just so. Rose had cleared some space for his things, and he killed some time reorganizing for fun.
He spent the afternoon polishing the finals for his various classes, drawing up study guides and planning the last week of lessons. By teatime he was bored and lonely, unable to remember how he’d survived on his own for so many years. The cat was somewhat of a comfort, having a living creature there to talk to instead of thin air.
Rose appeared around nine, taking a shower and scarfing down a salad before collapsing into bed. Despite the early hour he went with her at her request, holding her close in the dark as she slept. When he woke at dawn she was already gone, and he trudged through most of the day in a grumpy mood.
When five rolled around and he didn’t hear from her he texted her himself.
How’s it going?
She responded almost instantly. Ugh. Ok, I guess, but UGH, with an angry person emoji attached for good measure.
Dinner?
Probably takeaway in a few hours. Too busy. Sorry. This time, the tiny face was pouting.
Tapping the phone against his thigh as he debated, he ran his idea past Tardis. “What do you think, girl?”
He took the meowing for a yes.
“Ugh, that’s not going to work,” Rose groaned, throwing her pen on the table in front of her and closing her eyes in frustration. The office was empty on a Sunday evening except for them, so they’d taken over the main conference room to make use of the large whiteboards. She was incredibly grateful to the ragtag team Harriet had scrambled together for her, but so far all they had to show was a lot of terrible ideas and a few with potential. The idea was out there, just waiting to be had, but they were running on fumes at this point. “Let’s… let’s take a break for a few minutes, order some dinner. Yeah?”
There were five of them; Rose and Donna of course, and to her surprise Harriet as well. Her boss and mentor had roped in one of the more junior girls, a lovely if too-perky woman named Mel, and an intern named Bill, who had lots of brilliant out-of-the-box ideas that would work for any other client, but not Yvonne.
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Donna commented, staring behind her. “Look.”
Rose looked over her shoulder, gasping when she realized her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. Jumping from her chair, she hurried to the door and threw it open to let John and two other men in. She didn’t know who they were, but one carried pizza boxes and the other a bag of chips and pop, so she didn’t care.
“What’re you doing here?” she asked in delight, throwing her arms around John. He hugged her back, the bags he carried thumping against her spine but she didn’t care, too happy to see him.
“I brought reinforcements and some temporary help, hope that’s all right.”
Mindful of the glass walls of the conference room she didn’t snog the daylights out of him like she wanted to, merely squeezed tighter. “Thank you.”
Taking one of the bags from him they walked in together to find one of the two men already regaling the women with a lively story.
“Jack,” John said in a warning tone, and the man turned with a smile. He was handsome, tall and broad shoulders, and if she didn’t have John he would’ve been just her type.
“What? Trying to lighten the mood!”
“That’s what the food is for.” The other man was dressed in a three-piece suit, and said it with such a resigned, fond air that said maybe Rose wasn’t Jack’s type after all. “You all look like you need a break, come eat.”
“Thanks, Yan.” Donna was first to the food, the other three exchanging bewildered looks as they followed her.
“Yes, thank you…” Harriet trailed off expectantly, raising an eyebrow at Rose as she put some salad on a paper plate.
“Oh! Of course. Um, Harriet, this is my boyfriend John, and… I honestly have no idea.”
Donna snorted. “Pretty boy is Jack, he’s a friend of ours, and this is Ianto. Hopefully here to be our barista?” she smiled sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes up at Ianto and making him laugh.
“Certainly.”
Everyone filled a plate, relaxing at the conference table to eat and chat. Settling down with John next to her, Rose grinned to see her team come alive again. Using her left hand to eat, she laid her right on his thigh under the table, squeezing in thanks. Glancing at her he grinned, taking her hand with his as they ate.
After an hour Jack cleared his throat, smiling as the laughter from his last story died down. “Now, I believe we’ve taken up enough of your time and recharged your batteries. We can go if you’d like to get back to work.”
Donna bolted upright, eyes going wide. “Jack!”
“Donna!���
“I’m an idiot!” she gushed. “You used to work for Yvonne Hartman, didn’t you?”
Jack and Ianto exchanged glances. “We both did, why?”
Rose followed Donna’s train of thought. “Oh, perfect! We can’t confirm or deny if she’s a client of ours, but would you mind if we bounced some ideas off you that she might like?”
Jack’s eyebrow raised, but he nodded. “Absolutely. What’s going on?”
The week passed slowly, Rose spending the majority of her time at the office and coming home only to sleep. John took the opportunity to greatly extend his office hours, and was pleased that most of his students stopped by at least once.
When he would finally pack up he’d call for takeaway, stopping by Rose’s office so she could take a break and they could eat together. The team had been good for brainstorming, but Rose was handling most of the work to keep consistency. He would fill their dinner hour with teaching anecdotes and stories from his travels, doing his best to keep Rose laughing and at ease.
Once she’d get back to work he would pull out his laptop, sometimes taking up her couch or working at Donna’s desk if she needed the room to herself. He had plenty of his own work to keep busy with, and the hours would pass quickly until she was ready to call it a night.
When her alarm went off at five on Friday morning, he wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her against him.
“Jo-ohn, I’ve gotta go,” she whined, nonetheless happily rolling into his chest and burrowing down.
“In a minute,” he promised, “just need a morning cuddle. And to talk to you.”
“Mhmm?”
“Can you come home after your presentation?”
Rose tensed in his arms for a minute, before sighing. “Depends on what Yvonne decides.”
“You’ve had a long week, and you need a break,” he said firmly. “The rehearsal’s tonight, the wedding tomorrow, and you should decompress first. Even if it’s to come home and nap.”
“Is that your suggestion as a doctor?” she teased, pressing a kiss to his bare chest.
“Yep.” He patted her bum before releasing her. “Think about it, I’ll be here all day unless a crisis comes up.”
Rose rolled out of bed, stretching her arms above her head before moving towards the shower. “I’ll text you one way or another.”
Watching her bum sway as she moved, he wished the wedding would be over soon so he could finally follow her in.
Two more days.
John looked up from the textbook he was reading, brow furrowed. Music was coming from the hall, but before he could go see what it was, the song coalesced into We Are the Champions, and he stood grinning as Rose burst into the flat.
“-keep on fighting, til the end!” Kicking off her heels and dropping her purse at the door, she sprinted towards him and leapt into his arms, laughing.
“I take it the presentation went well?” he rumbled, holding her tighter as she sprinkled kisses over his face.
“It went perfectly,” she gushed, wrapping her legs around his waist. “She loved it! She’s still a bitch for making us redo it all at the last minute, but honestly this was even better than the original and she’s going to keep us and I got a raise and I love you so much!”
John laughed, returning to the couch and settling down with her in his lap. “That’s amazing, love. Congratulations.”
“Mhmm.” She kissed him leisurely. “And I know I’ve already got next week off but Harriet’s going to give it to me without using my time, so I am all. yours.”
“You weren’t already?”
“Oh, shut up.” Rose was smiling too hard for him to take her seriously though. “All we need to do is get through tonight and tomorrow, then we are off to Bermuda for a week.”
John hummed. “Sand, sun…”
“Sex,” she corrected sternly. “Play your cards right, and I’ll let you out of bed to eat. Maybe.”
“Sounds perfect.”
They snogged, hands roaming and clutching long enough to be breathing hard when they finally pulled away. “What do you say we head to the hotel early?”
John smiled and pointed at the bags waiting by the door. “Say the word, my love.”
They were able to check in when they got there, and Rose threw herself onto the bed with a laugh, pleased when she bounced. “We’ve got four hours before we’re supposed to meet, whatever shall we do?” she teased, giving him her best ‘come hither’ look.
John joined her on the bed, stretching out next to her with an amused smile. “You were asleep in the taxi, love,” he said gently, putting his hand on her hip. “I think a nap’s in order.”
She pouted, sticking out her lower lip. “Haven’t we waited long enough?”
He groaned, leaning forward to capture it between his own. “Temptress. A little longer won’t kill us. Let’s get through the rehearsal dinner, yeah? Then see what happens tonight.”
“Mhkay.” Cradling the back of his head with her hand, she pulled him with her as she lay down. “Kiss me to sleep?”
The last thing she remembered was his tongue in her mouth and hand on her bum.
They walked into the ballroom arm in arm, stopping just inside the doors as Rose gasped. “This is beautiful!” Nearly all the decorations were up except the flowers, which were due for delivery the following morning.
The wide aisle was marked with three sets of three-foot high pillars, waiting for vases of white roses. Candles lined the space between the pillars; for safety reasons they were battery-operated candles, but Rose suspected the visual would be no less stunning because of that. At the end of the aisle stood a dais with a frame, sheer white drapes drawn back and secured with ribbons.
They were still early despite being the last ones there, and her brother was the first to notice them.
“Rosie!” he shrieked from the front row, racing down the aisle to fling himself at her. “You’re here!”
“Of course I’m here, silly, I’m in the wedding too,” she teased, swinging him up into her arms as they moved towards the rest of the group. “You remember John.”
“Hi.” Tony waved with a grin.
John smiled. “How’s it going?”
“Good! My Rosie’s here now.” The boy nodded seriously, and Rose coughed to hide a laugh as John winked at her.
“I know exactly how you feel, mate.”
The rehearsal seemed to take forever, though Rose didn’t know if that was because of the wait for dinner or the expectation of what might happen with John when they were finally alone again.
They spent most of the practice sharing smiles, making it difficult to concentrate on anything else. Being the lowest ranking members of the wedding party worked in their favor; they walked first, stood at the end of their respective lines, and had zero responsibilities during the ceremony itself. A few times Rose caught glares from her mother, but she ignored them in favor of making faces at John in a bid to get him to laugh.
When the rehearsal was finally over and it was time for the dinner, they held tightly to each other as they followed the group to the hotel’s restaurant. They were in a private room, still a rather intimate group at fourteen around a single, long table.
Once they ordered came the toasts. As the hosts of the dinner, Rose’s father stood and said a few kind words about Mickey, and by some miracle managed to keep her mother from speaking as well.
Mickey’s toast was funny and poignant, and Rose leaned into John’s side as she blotted away tears while they raised their glasses.
“All right?” he murmured, wrapping an arm around her back and pulling her closer.
She nodded, smiling up at him. “I’m just so damn happy for him. He deserves the world, and I think Martha’s the answer to that.”
“Agreed.”
The dinner went quickly, jokes and personal stories flying from every corner. Rose spoke about when she and Mickey were children, while John shared stories from trips he and Martha had taken with Doctors Overseas, highlighting her bravery and calmness under pressure.
Due to the early morning the group split not long after dessert, though by mutual agreement John and Rose headed for the hotel bar instead. Settling together at a table near the edge of the dance floor, they ordered wine.
“To the happy couple,” John toasted, holding up his glass.
“May they have a long and happy life together,” she added, clinking their glasses before sipping. “I still find it a little hard to believe, Mickey getting married. I think I half expected him to be a perennial bachelor.”
“That’s what Donna’s always said about me,” he snorted, leaning closer. “Look at us.”
“Mhmm.” Rose slid her chair a little closer, tangling her legs with his under the table. “Not planning on permanent bachelor-hood, then?”
“I think I found an acceptable alternative.” His palm was warm on her knee, thumb rubbing back and forth at the inner crease of the joint and making warmth pool low in her gut that had nothing to do with the alcohol.
“Is that so?” she murmured, and they met in the middle for a chaste kiss. When they pulled apart a band was setting up on the small stage, a singer dressed in forties garb talking to the bartender. “Looks like there’s about to be music.”
John merely took her hand, waiting until the singer introduced herself and the first strands of music began to play to say, “May I have this dance?”
“Of course.” Rose let him pull her to her feet, stepping into his arms just as she recognized the song, smiling. “At last,” she sang softly in his ear as they swayed, “my love has come along.”
“My lonely days are over,” he took it up, “and life is like a song.”
Rose let herself sink deeper in his arms until they were pressed tightly together, barely moving to the music. The song felt like the sign she hadn’t known she’d been waiting for, but nothing had ever felt more right than this moment.
She loved this man with all her heart, trusted him without hesitation. He’d long since proved himself to her, shown the true depth of character she’d seen hints of the first time they were together. Her doubts were gone, having evaporated months ago, and any last stubborn spots were wiped clean by how he’d handled the previous week. Never pressuring her in any way, never suggesting she do anything other than what she needed with the exception of getting more sleep, he took care of her, being there when she needed him and waiting patiently in the wings if she didn’t.
This was it; this was their moment.
At last.
As the final strains of the song faded out, she went up on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. “John?”
“Yes love?”
“Take me to bed.”
#bbatcfic#doctorroseprompts#timepetalscollective#ficandchips#dwsecretsanta#doctor who#Human!NinexRose#human!nine#rose tyler#au#second chance at forever#oohlala
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Riptide 7/13 CSBB
@captainswanbigbang & @captxinswans present:
RIPTIDE by @courtorderedcake
Beta’d by the wonderful @ultraluckycatnd
An Enchanted Forest AU where the dark one was never released into the world in a vessel, thus causing a massive shift in timelines. The ogre wars have ravaged kingdoms, untold destruction spanning continents, rulers displaced. Even as the wars sputter to ash, the safest place to be is at sea, and that’s not very safe at all - as Emma and Killian find out, fates intertwined against all odds.
Rated: E/X - heavy content : warnings of assault, rape, noncon, just everything, I feel like the rating says enough. It’s something.
WARNING:
READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Read on Ao3 HERE .
Chapter IX : Shell & Bone
I can be quick and then I'm deadly,
I am a rock, shell and bone medley.
If I was made into a man, I'd make people dream,
I gather in my millions by ocean, sea and stream.
What am I? Sand of course, dear one
- Unknown
Emma woke next to a sudden jostle, Killian tensing above her and words, laughing words that weren’t his. The fuzzy bits of sleep fading, she could hear Killian’s voice now loud above her. “Don’t you dare touch her. I’ll kill every one of you if you touch her -”
Emma’s eyes shot open as Killian’s body was pulled away from her and the warmth of his embrace was gone. Two men were pulling him away, his hand reaching for hers across the floor.
“No!” Emma reached for him, pulling his hand into hers, fighting and kicking the other man who stepped into the space to grab her. “Killian, Killian! Let me go, let me go!” Wailing and reaching for him, his body was pulled behind hers to keep him moving.
“Ain’t it sweet? Keep struggling and I’ll give you a chance to hold your baby.” The man holding her pulled her hair, and she yelped, his other hand squeezing her windpipe.
“Emma, you have to stop struggling love, you’re going to hurt yourself. It’s going to be alright.”
They were both pulled on the wet deck with rain still falling heavily, chilling her again. James stood looking over the docks in front of them as Emma was thrown down, Killian over her protectively a moment later.
“I’ve made two decisions, for the sake of my dear little sister and her unborn.” James smirked down at them as Killian gathered her shaking body close to his. “The first is that you get to say goodbye to your beloved before he hangs. I do follow Navy protocol, after all, so you can say goodbye here and as he hangs.” Emma sobbed into Killian’s chest, both of them holding each other tightly. “And I’ve arranged for you to be delivered to a beautiful holding cell to wait for your bastard to be born. Then off you go to whatever fate I decide, and your bastard goes to a nice home.”
“You will not take my child -”
“See, the thing is dear sister, you’re not exactly in the position to make demands. Or to be a mother,” James sneered. “Now say your goodbyes.”
“Emma, I love you. Look at me love,” Killian kissed her, wiping tears away from her face in earnest. “You have to keep our child, beg them, do whatever you can. Do you understand? Don’t you dare give up, Emma -”
“I won’t but you have to fight them too, please, I know you can figure a way out of this. We have survived everything, everything, Killian. You have to see your child. He can’t grow up without you.”
Killian opened his mouth to say something more, but was stopped by James waving a hand to pull Emma from him, his fingers holding hers until the last second. “I love you, Emma.” She continued reaching for him, and he pulled against the two men holding him, continuing to try and touch her fingers.
James laughed, his continued laughter eventually drowning out Emma’s pleading.
The day he was led out to be hung was exactly ten days after his capture. He’d counted, scratching long groves into the wall of his cell with a spoon, sharpening it to carve Emma’s name and his into the wooden door frame along with a small picture of a swan. Tracing it kept him sane when he imagined he heard her cries or a phantom squall of a baby somewhere in the evenings, his body unwilling to rest.
Off of the coast of King George’s miserable land, Korumpiran, lay the island he sat in now. It was unnamed, just referred to by people who knew what lay on its rocky face as ‘Prisoner’s Keep’. Emma was somewhere in the compound, it was where people the Navy wanted to parade out with pomp to a gaggle of noble watchers were held.
Hanging was a sport, and it needed spectators.
James was in high spirits when they came to fetch him, dressed in his full regalia and grinning. As they climbed the stairs to the deck of the gallows, he whispered gleefully, “Today’s the day!”
Killian grunted.
James’s boots were a shining dark black in the noon sun, in stark contrast with the washed-out boards. As his death necklace was hung around his neck, Killian whispered goodbyes to those who would never hear them. His crew, his few friends, his child, saving the last for Emma.
James stood next to him, no executioner’s cowl to mask his glee. “Do you know what the best part of this is going to be?” James’s eyes glittered with excitement as he whispered, “My deal with you ends when you expire. You’ll have your whore and child with you in hell soon enough!” James laughed, pointing out into the crowd where several naval officers flanked Emma’s body.
Killian struggled in his bonds, trying to get off the stage to her in blind panic. Their audience whispered in confusion as she cried hysterically. James tried to redraw the crowd’s attention, not to be outdone. “I hereby judge the pirate known as Captain Hook as guilty of crimes against the crown...” A wail went up in the crowd, pained as a naval officer started yelling, “...desertion of the Navy, Piracy...” A low moan soon followed, and one of the naval officers ran back into the base, eyes wide. The crowd began to turn and soon, the original crowd was turning towards low keening cries.
The hair on Killian’s neck stood.
Navy officers yelled, and James became angry. “...and stealing a ship from HIs Majesty’s fleet. The punishment shall be death, by hanging. Any last words?” James removed the rag he had stuffed in Killian’s mouth.
“Emma, my wife, please tell me she’s alright. She’s pregnant and I can’t see -” Shouting at the crowd, he struggled, and several women covered their mouths in horror.
It was taboo for any wife to be present for a hanging, as the gentry were prone to swooning. A pregnant woman being forced to stand privy to an act of such violence was beyond cruel, practically sacrilege, and put both her and child at risk. A scream tore through the crowd, and he could see Emma on her back, naval officers holding her as one came back with a cloth. Her mouth was a tight lined grimace. The crowd was booing the hanging now in favor of the poor woman who seemed to be having stress complications. Killian was barely aware of anything else except trying to see what was happening. Officers ran on the platform to help James hold Killian as he fought to get to Emma with every fiber of his being.
Fists landed blows on his face and a boot connected with his ribs until he knelt, bleeding on the platform’s drop door, the first real prayers to any God who’d listen running through his mind. He heard James pull the lever, and closed his eyes, unable to stand the nightmare any longer. The door below him gave way and he fell, time slowing as he heard James yell in fury. Killian’s knees connected with packed ground. The rope had snapped, cut through almost completely.
Killian’s body registered its living state before his brain, scrambling to move as James shouted orders. His blood beat in his ears to the sound of her name, every part of him trying to protect both his child and his wife. A guard caught his arm half way and shoved him, a strange movement that was neither defensive or offensive. Sprawling forward, he noticed a heavy weight in his coat pocket. Reaching in and touching cold metal, he looked up to watch the guards surround Emma and understood.
James shouted more commands as Killian pulled his hook out of his pocket, taking it in his good hand awkwardly without his brace. A few paces ahead of him, he saw Ruby adjust her stolen Naval uniform, sending a signal to however many others had infiltrated, and he realized that the ever clever crew of The Gilded Wing had each put a swan patch under their shoulder stripe.
Killian slashed through an officer with slight difficulty, continuing towards Emma as he watched the infiltrators from The Gilded Wing shed their disguises. Two guards with a swan patch held Emma's hands, kneeling as the crowd surrounding them began to realize that they were caught in the beginning of a blood bath. Men started to scream as Merida, Ruby, Rory, Phillip, Graham, Fa, Regina, Robin, Z, and others he didn’t know began to carve through them.
Finally reaching Emma, he felt life return in full color. Wearing a ridiculous full satin gown, even in labor on dusty cobblestone she took his breath away. He rubbed blood from his face and ignored what was most likely a broken rib. Snow looked at his dumbstruck face with a small knowing smile, as Emma and Belle beamed up at him. He knelt by her side, or more truthfully, dropped to his knees.
“Emma are you? Please tell me you're alright. Seven Hells and the damned -” His wheezing questions were answered with a soft kiss as her hand threaded through the hair at the nape of his neck. She pulled away, motioning a hand to the bodice of her dress and bringing him back to the peril of their situation.
“We're fine. Help me get out of this damned thing before we all wind up dead, because that would be depriving a nice end to my dashing rescue of you. Oh, and take off your shirt.” Emma reached below her skirts and pulled out his extra brace, a cutlass, and her preferred scimitar. He pulled off his coat and shirt as she and Snow struggled to get her out of the gown. Belle stood guard, easily dropping men with a crossbow.
“You know, there's a thousand other ways to get us both naked love,” he grinned. He put on his brace with ease, relishing in the feel of the soft leather and the plush embrace of the fitting for his hook. Snapping buckles tight, he clicked in his hook. With a flourish he ripped the gown, revealing her breeches and tunic below. “When we get back, I'll show you a few of the ways I thought of on the gallows.”
“Gallows humor. That's appropriate,” Snow smirked, as he shrugged his shirt and coat back on. Helping Emma stand, he embraced her tightly.
“I love you, Emma. We'll talk about how mad I am that you are here later,” he whispered into her hair. “If I told you to stay out of trouble you'd never listen, but please be careful.”
Emma smirked, looking up at him. “I'll do my best, Killian.”
Another round of shouts began as another James appeared from the nearby doorway, screaming that the man on the gallows stand was an imposter, a wizard from the Far East.
Anyone from The Gilded Wing would recognize the slightly darker tanned skin, or the top of his ring finger missing on his right hand. But dressed in a captain’s uniform, the Navy became more confused. James sputtered on the gallows stand about his twin brother, while David shouted back towards the crowd. The Gilded Wing members took advantage of the chaos, attacking without mercy.
“Welcome to the party, Hook,” Belle said as she stood, joining the fray with Snow just behind, pulling a bow with quiver from her pant legs.
Killian kissed Emma one more time as they began making their way towards James.
Emma slashed through men easily, avoiding attacks as Killian moved faster, slicing with both hook and sword. Gunpowder filled the air as blood spilt; dying shouts heard over the smell of fire shot from Regina's hands. Robin, Belle, and Snow had taken high perches, shooting targets with keen accuracy. Men ran to get to safety.
Killian reached the platform first, and James backed away as he approached. Parrying back and forth, Killian was surprised that such a coward was actually an adept swordsman. A well aimed kick from James landed squarely in his broken ribs, the crunch and pain throwing him back on his elbows letting out a strangled cry. James raised his weapon high, the sword shining in its cruel metallic glory. Killian turned to Emma and watched her, unwilling to spend his last moments watching James’s sadistic snarl.
A shot rang out, James stepping back and looking at his stomach in surprise. Killian took no chances, digging his hook deep into James’s neck, ripping his face apart in a clean motion. Killian heard the bastard gurgle but threw him down, unwilling to give him any more attention. Looking up, Charming nodded to him over the smoking barrel of a pistol, a calm ripple of understanding coming between the two.
It was done. Men ran in all directions, fires started in several places along the keep, and cannons sounding from what sounded like several ships. Glancing at the smoke drifting off of the towers, he would swear he was hallucinating. Two dragons circled, one dark, massive, and sleek, the other a soft pearl color with somehow more delicate features. They were stunning in their fierceness.
The island was in ruins as nobles cowered, fleeing to ships that sped away from the rubble.
“Killian?” Emma called through the smoke, and he stumbled off of the deck into her embrace. She smiled and let him lean into her body, face pressed against her neck as he took a breath. “You’re heavy. As much as I -”
Rough hands pulled him aside, helping him stand fully. Charming stood next to him, propping him up. He grunted, growling out lowly, “You have legs, lean on someone who isn’t pregnant.”
Killian could feel his ribs throb as they walked along the cobbled path, Charming under his arm letting him lean and Emma by his side trying to keep him talking. His lungs burned, and he was painfully aware that breathing was becoming harder. “How did you manage this?” he coughed, and Emma looked at her brother, then away quickly.
“Will is alive. Belle took him back to The Gilded Wing, and they caught the Jolly on its way here to save us. Regina popped into my cell, letting me know the plan and helped me smuggle the things we needed. Hey, hey. I need you to stay awake.”
“And you tamed dragons in your cell?” Blinking groggily, he shook himself further awake, not realizing his drooping eyelids as his lungs tightened.
“That’s… That’s actually Z, and his, um… Friend? or Lover, I guess?” Emma said unsurely, glancing at David.
“Mal, the blonde woman, new to The Gilded Wing’s crew. Old friend of Regina’s, and a powerful sorceress. Transformed Zorro, your Z, into a dragon for revenge and the spell accidentally hit them both. They can change forms when they’re around each other,” David grumbled.
“You know I think you’re magnificent, Emma. Did you manage a Kraken too?” Emma laughed, moving closer into his side. “Don’t laugh, love. I’m trying to share a moment with you while staving off choking. And you, my dear brother-in-law racing to save me. Now that I wouldn’t have bet on.”
“Never call me that again. Could you focus?” Charming gritted out. “If you died, I’d never hear the end of it from Emma or Snow. And,” he mumbled under his breath, “I cannot be left alone with Scarlet or Robin, who would join you in hell. I can’t be killing crew. That’s, what do you say? Ah, yes. Bad form.”
“Dave, you truly do care,” Killian groaned when Emma gently prodded him gently in the ribs, shooting him a look, but Charming actually gave a forced smile.
“Don’t make me stab you when you have cheated death thrice today, to my sister’s delight.” As they approached the Jolly in full glory next to The Gilded Wing, they were met by a crowd of crew members, Graham taking over for Charming. Before he was completely pulled away, Charming slid an elbow right into where he ached, hard enough to bruise but not to cause any more actual damage. Killian sucked in as much air as he could get through his teeth, trying not to vomit. “And never call me Dave ever again either.”
Emma helped him settle into their bed, helping to ease him down and help make something comfortable for both of them. She’d washed his face, and taken off his bloody clothing, soft touches that reminded him her finger was painfully bare of his ring. Before he could say anything, Regina had come by for more healing and a round of her truly noxious potions made to induce bones to knit together with the added bonus of making a grown man fall back into the mindset of a whiny child.
His lucidity began to fray, and Emma lay next to him quietly, looking over their handiwork on his battered body. “You’re starting to get a little bit magic sloshed. I can see it in your eyes,” Emma giggled. “You always look so intense before you let go and get lost in things.” She reached for his hand, surprised when he moved to kiss her, searching her eyes as they broke away,
“You shouldn’t have been there. If you had been hurt, Emma, I can’t... I couldn’t even watch you pretend to suffer because I thought...” His voice caught, and she held his hand tighter. “No more. Stay off your feet. I know you’ve been hiding how exhausted you are, and I’m worried for you love. I’m worried for our child.”
“I’m ok, I promise,” she lied, and adjusted herself. Wincing, she did not sell her lie.
“No. You’re not.”
“Killian, I -”
“When was the last time you ate and really rested? You were in a cell, probably not much nicer than my own. And your wound? See to it you actually get it cleaned, love,” he sighed, gathering her into his arms. “Of course.” He nuzzled into her neck, his words slurring softly as the potion helped mend his broken bones. “You could just rest with me. Help me get better. Stop me from worrying about the dragon we unintentionally signed on as crew.”
“Of course,” she whispered against his chest, as close as she dared with his broken ribs snug under bandages. “Captain's orders, hm?”
“Quite right.” he sighed.
The sky was a sickly green as rain drizzled over the Jolly, the clouds casting strange shadows through the windows in the Captain’s quarters. Emma still felt uncomfortable on her ship, rather spending her time watching Killian heal and helping out on the Jolly. Her main tasks were easy to fall into, and she enjoyed laying in his arms as his wife.
Married life suited her, although Killian’s boredom did not. He entertained himself by wrapping yarn around his hook as Maggie had taught him as lumpy blankets as soft as clouds littered their bed. He also read, and occasionally sketched her changing form with rapt fascination. She'd begun to truly show, her body suddenly ballooning everywhere as her sickness was replaced by unending hunger.
Killian still not only assured her that she was beautiful, but made it very clear that he enjoyed every bit of what he saw. Every time she left him in the mornings he’d groan, sleepily begging her to stay; either trying to ply her with his words… or other things. “You could lie here with me all day,” his voice said with a low, husky rumble. He stretched his arms around her as she sat on the edge of their bed, and she heard the hiss of pain, even as he tried to hide it. “I’d show you how well I’m healing by licking every inch of you -”
“Killian!” she laughed, as he kissed her neck. “While that’s tempting, and it is oh so very tempting, the ledgers need to be balanced to account for repairs, stock needs to be counted, and you need to rest -” “Do the ledgers here, and I promise I’ll rest,” he nibbled her earlobe and she let out a gasp. “After I taste you. You don’t understand how beautiful you look, Emma.” She pulled away from him, and his face fell.
“Mmmhm, well, we can discuss this more when I bring you lunch.” His face brightened and he licked his lips. “With Mal, for another bout of healing.” He flopped back, with a wheeze, groaning. Emma stood, bending to kiss him, and made her way to the door. “I will do the ledgers here though, to ease your suffering.”
She heard his hum of approval as she walked to the deck. He was healing nicely luckily, and would be better in a matter of days. Emma was grateful to have Regina and this newcomer, Mal, around to work healing magic, even if it wasn’t as powerful as her own. His ribs had set which was a great comfort to Emma. She had been worried with them sleeping together that she’d hurt him somehow. Regina had even suggested he could be on deck but not working as early as the next day, but Emma hadn’t told him in case they were wrong.
It was cool, the rain picking up as Emma stepped on the deck and took in a deep breath. Walking to the railing, she looked over the waves, peering behind them where the Gilded Wing followed. A hand automatically rested on top of her stomach. The child was quiet today to boot, and would be until after breakfast. Although her sickness was blessedly gone, she’d noticed how easily she got winded or tired while working. She’d learned some ways around it; eating a good breakfast, snacking, breaks to sit down, drinking water, and other small tricks. The fresh air was another trick, the sea breeze felt good in her lungs.
Will stepped over to her, handing her a bowl of sweet rice and dried fruit. “Good morning. How’s Jones?”
“A few more days. Unless he does something stupid.” Tipping her bowl, she swallowed greedily. Every meal felt like she hadn’t eaten in days. “What still needs to be done this morning?”
“Jefferson says there’s a storm about to roll in, so we need to tie off some barrels, and move some crates.” He ticked off his fingers, while she continued eating. “There’s some damage to the sails that need to be tied off, and a little damage to the rigging. I think we should be storm ready after that.”
Emma nodded, finishing her meal. “Let’s start.”
They worked tirelessly as a unit as lightning crackled close by and a boom of thunder echoed only slightly to the west. The rain began to pummel them, and Emma started to shiver; her fingers going numb as she tied things off. A tickle ran across her back, and she looked up to see a loose rope dangling. She pulled gently to tie it off on a stable weight. It wouldn’t give so she pulled harder, letting her muscles strain as the wind whipped. She let go, dizzy and winded, her body protesting even standing.
Internally, she began to panic. She hadn’t been working that long, but she was exhausted already? This couldn’t be, and she wouldn’t accept it. She’d push through.
Smee looked at her in concern. “Miss Emma, are you alright?” She nodded and reached for the rope again, numb fingers gripping to pull even harder. This time it gave and she tied it off triumphantly, panting to catch her breath.
She realized something was wrong before she saw black creeping towards the edge of her vision. Turning to stumble towards Smee, she heard his surprised question before darkness took her.
When she blinked her eyes open again, she was laying bundled under far too many blankets by candle light, a cloudless night sky laid outside the open windows wherever they were harbored. Killian sat beside her, gently stroking her hair as he read. She went to ask him what happened, but could only rasp out a questioning noise before coughing.
“Well, my darling, you’ve gotten yourself sick and pushed yourself to fainting, per Regina. She sends her regards, with strict instructions for both of us,” he whispered. Killian smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Emma groaned. “If that’s your apology for scaring us all half to death, it needs some work.”
She coughed, trying to clear her voice. “Sorry.”
“Emma…” A look of concern and tired frustration crossed over his face. “Regina and I talked, and you shouldn’t be doing anything but light labor, if that. We’re concerned for you.”
Emma scoffed, her eyes narrowing. “No, I need to work. I’m not weak -” “No one thinks you’re weak. You’re building life, the farthest thing from it - but this was a close call.”
“I just fainted. It’s not -” Killian’s hand balled into a fist, and he interrupted her, his voice quiet, but filled with worry and anger.
“You were bleeding.” His jaw ticked, and Emma immediately felt her heart sink as she rubbed where she could feel the baby resting, stretched along her entire frame.
“I was���?” Emma saw him soften, and he took her hand. “The baby is alright though, right? Killian, I didn’t mean to -”
“Z carried you in, and somehow got Mal and Regina over here almost immediately. He’d noticed you were bleeding after he picked you up.” He sighed. “Regina said you just strained yourself, and you needed to rest. You need to rest. She thinks… She thinks something might be wrong, and we should get a midwife.”
Emma’s heart froze, panic rising in her tone. “Why would she think that? There’s nothing wrong with him, the baby. You’ve read everything, we’re fine. We’d know if something wasn’t right, wouldn’t we?”
He rubbed her hand, kissing the knuckles he'd just traced. “It’s alright. She just said she was worried. The baby is rather big and your symptoms and swelling have been really severe, that’s all. A midwife is not a bad idea. We should find one just to be safe. There’s one she recommends that is available a few months from now, and another available in a month or so. How about we try the one available sooner and see what she thinks?”
Emma nodded, tracing where she could feel the slightest movements. “Better safe than sorry. I’ll stay on light duty.”
“Good. Never a dull moment around here.” He smiled at her adoringly. “One of us is always down, it seems.”
“Oh, how are you? Did they -”
“I have been told I’m fine besides light bruising.” He laid next to her, putting his book aside. “Which is truly too bad, I had planned to keep you totally and completely enthralled during our bed stay together.”
She laughed, which turned into coughing. “Ugh. I really did get sick.”
“Aye. You were ice cold. I wrapped you in every blanket in here. I thought…” She stopped him with a kiss, pulling him close.
“I’m not going to leave you, I promise. I learned my lesson this time, and I’ll take it slow.” Burying herself in his chest, she could hear his heart race. Emma closed her eyes, letting her entire body relax into his, feeling his warmth through her blankets.
“I love you, even when you’re a stubborn woman intent on shortening my life with fear.”
She yawned, feeling another round of exhaustion settle over her. “You love it.”
“Indeed, Emma, I do.”
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Wonder Woman in the MCU
In an effort to jump start my muse, I pulled out an old writing meme from the LJ days in which you take a playlist and write for as long as each song plays. I was hoping to get something started on one of my OUaT fics so of course my brain said “Hey, you remember that time ages ago when some internet idiot asked who would win in a fight - Okoye or Wonder Woman - and you rolled your eyes because of course they wouldn’t fight each other they would meet and respect each other immensely and fight side by side and also they would be actually be a really badass ship and OMG wouldn’t Diana in Wakanda and the MCU be fricking amazing? Remember that? You should totally let that idea take over your brain right now.” And it did and here we are. And it wouldn’t have seen the light of day except I was talking about it with @holdouttrout last night and now I’m thinking about it again also yes I saw the posters for Endgame and fuck them I am ignoring them Shuri is FINE so I’m posting it in the hope that it will either purge it from my head or help it become something more than random snippets.
So...have some Diana of Themyscira hanging out in Wakanda post-Infinity War. Other than finishing the final sentence and correcting grammar/spelling issues, these were written entirely within the time the songs were playing (which are listed after each snippet.)
1. “You are free.”
Okoye unlocked the door to his cell, her face impassive, her eyes fixed on the wall behind him.
W’Kabi stood, slowly making his way to the threshold. He knew it was coming – after the culling, there were too few to defend Wakanda. Queen Shuri had no choice but to trust his word that those of the border tribe that had been imprisoned for their treason would stand once more in protection of their country.
He knew she was coming. She would allow no else to complete this task. He half expected some sort of threat, a promise of retribution if he betrayed the Queen’s trust. But there was nothing, nothing behind those hooded eyes.
(Burden Down, Jennifer Hudson)
2. Diana stood to the side as the remaining Dora moved through the ritual moves that began all training. The training was more for comfort than necessity at this point, a chance to strengthen and maintain the bond between the remaining warriors standing between Wakanda and the chaos that was the rest of the world.
Okoye was there as always, nudging elbows, praising those who corrected their stances without prompting. Always standing. Always leading. Always the General.
Until the day ended. Until she returned to her quarters. Stripped herself of her armor and trudged quietly over to the bed. The first days, she lay on her side with her arms wrapped tightly around herself, her body rigid until it finally succumbed to the exhaustion. And even in her sleep, the lines on her face did not completely fade.
But as the days passed and the burdens grew, she found she could no longer maintain her shield in this private space. This sanctuary that Diana tried so hard to make for her. Now, she shed her armor completely and moved with surer if no less weary steps to where Diana lay waiting. Draped herself across the other woman, her head resting on Diana’s breast, letting Diana stroke the lines and the stress and the grief away with gentle fingers and silent understanding. Helping her find some measure of peace in the night so she could wake up in the morning and don her armor once more.
(Hold on, Sarah MacLachlan)
3. Diana spent her last day in Wakanda walking through the streets, absorbing as much as she could of its beauty and strength and love. She wore the traditional robes that her status as daughter of the Queen of the Amazons had demanded and she had always shirked. But here, in this place that was so different from Themyscira but not so different at all, she could finally admit who she was. Diana, princess of Themyscira, warrior and leader. And she could finally accept her purpose. Not to simply fight for justice, but to lead others to fight for it as well.
(Ol’ 55, Sarah MacLachlan)
4. Through the haze that surrounded her constantly these days, she could hear the buzzing sounds of Nakia and Diana arguing. It was the same argument every day – Nakia urging Diana to return to the outside world, to take her place on the world stage. And Diana insisting that she could not leave Wakanda. Okoye was too busy leading the warriors in protecting their home. M’Baku was working to integrate what was left of the Jabari people into the lives of what was left of the rest of Wakanda. Not to mention keeping a watchful and distrusting eye on the newly freed members of the border tribe. And Nakia was trying to negotiate a peace with the chaotic outside world. Only Diana was left to protect her.
Protect the Queen.
The Queen. Leader of Wakanda. But not Black Panther. No, there was no Black Panther now that her brother was gone. Brother, please come back. I can’t do this. I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS.
But there was no one else. Her brother gone, ashes on the wind. Just like her mother. Like so many of their people. There was only her. Shuri. The unwilling queen trying to keep her people safe. Trying to salvage what was left of their way of life. Without T’Challa. Without mother and Baba and Ayo. Without half her team. Without half her people.
She was trying. She was trying to do what was best, what was right. And she knew Nakia was right. The world needed Diana. But Shuri needed her as well. That constant reassuring strength at her back as she maneuvered her way through the ever-shifting landscape of this new world. Rarely speaking, but always ready with a bracing hand or gentle embrace when it all became too much and the weight of duty and grief threatened to crush her. Okoye was the Queen’s left hand. Nakia her right. M’Baku her armor. As such, they were often away, carrying out their duties. But Diana was here. Diana was her shield.
You cannot hide forever behind a shield, little sister.
You are Queen now, my daughter. You cannot think of yourself. You must think of your people.
They are all your people now Shuri.
The haze was lifting. Or perhaps she was finally pushing it away. Pushing away Shuri. Embracing the Queen.
“Nakia is right, Diana.” Don’t slouch Shuri. A queen must always stand tall and proud. She straightened her spine, and if her hands clenched a bit too tightly to the arms of the her throne, no one was cruel enough to notice. Her voice echoed in the vastness of the room. “Wakanda is strong. We stand. We will continue to stand. But the rest of the world is falling into darkness and despair. They need your light.”
Diana said nothing, just stood for long moments with her eyes fixed on the Queen and on Shuri underneath. She was so like T’Challa that way, T’Challa. My brother, seeing all the parts of her whether she showed them or not. But Shuri did not flinch. She was young. She was scared. But she was Queen of Wakanda. She would not think of herself. She would think of her people.
All her people.
Diana still did not speak. But she finally moved, slipping first one then the other gauntlet from her wrists and passing them to Nakia before crossing her arms and lowering her head.
“It shall be as you wish, your Majesty.”
(I grieve, Peter Gabriel)
5.
The world was on fire.
Three and a half billion people gone, but three and a half billion remained. And they were lost and frightened and full of rage.
Thor was on fire. As lost and afraid and angry as the rest of this world. The rest of the universe. A king without a kingdom. A leader without a people. A man without a purpose.
Oh, he had the Avengers. But they were as fractured as the galaxy itself. Full of grief and frustration, they spent more time arguing than planning. He rarely lasted more than an hour in their presence before he could take no more. Eyes flashing, electric fire coursing through him and sparking around him, he would stalk through the halls of the palace and make his way outside, bringing lightning from the sky.
And this was where Diana found him.
(An Angry Blade, Iron & Wine)
#annie writes#seriously guys#if my muse would cooperate#and just stick with ONE idea#my life would be so much easier#on the other hand#I really really really really love the idea of Diana/Okoye#so maybe my muse is onto something
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