#but he gives up shortly after nearly losing to titan !!
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to clarify bc even tho i tag him as such, tsubaki is not officially the wol in my head ...
#he does have the echo (the one that lets u see into the past at least !! i hc it manifests differently on icarus)#but he gives up shortly after nearly losing to titan !!#he becomes an accomplished swordsman by the end of enw and a proper scion but he is not suited for the wol life#and he also has a family business to inherit#ffxiv posting/#icarus takes over as the wol post titan (after saving tsubaki from certain death) and so he is the official wol#but despite that.. tehre is an au wherein tsubaki is the wol and icarus remains a scion#that au exists solely because i thought about how tempering is a result of desperation and of wanting someone else to take the reins#but icarus ... icarus has a hero complex and an ego the size of etheirys (not sundered) so i hc he's immune to tempering just bc he's so#full of himself in that au#and it is funny to me#i spoke too much i will go#just words#oc: tsubaki#oc: icarus
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The Legend of the Glowering White Grimmsnarl
Crow's Tickletober Days 3 (full moon), 9 (payback for a scare), 18 (camping), AND 28 (woods/forest)
Warning: Tickle fic! And mild cursing.
After a long day of adventuring, you and Arven settle in for the night. Rather than the comfort of your dorm room, however, he takes you camping and shares some interesting folklore.
“There! All set!” Arven stated proudly, having finished pitching the tent, your and his sleeping quarters for the evening.
“You know, we probably could have made it back to the dorms before dark,” you mentioned, “so we wouldn’t have had to camp out here all night.”
“Even so,” Arven replied, crossing his arms, as if he were disappointed in you saying such a thing, “now we can cook over an open flame, which will always make food taste better!”
“Did it have to be in Tagtree Thicket though? At dusk?” You looked around the forest and noted how dark it was getting already, the trees no help as their leaves and branches shielded much of the sunlight from the ground below them.
“Aw, you scared, little buddy?” Arven cooed, half-teasing, half-concerned, messing your hair. You never asked him to fill this big brother type role, he just kind of inserted himself there: always making sure your team was healed after Titan battles, feeding Miradon, looking out for you in general while never losing sight of his own mission.
“N-no!” You swatted his hand away, “I just know the Mimikyu and Impidimps come out more at night.” Arven released Mabosstiff, as he usually does when you two took time to rest.
“We’ve fought nearly all the Titan pokemon, we’ll be fine! And besides, it’s your first time camping out here, yeah? I plan on giving you the full experience!” You rolled your eyes, kneeling down to build and start a proper campfire… giving up shortly after rubbing sticks together and seeing no sparks. You ended up releasing your Armarouge and asking it to help light the fire.
“Thanks, Armarouge. Since you’re out already, do you want to enjoy the full experience of camping with us?” you asked, with air quotes. The pokemon nodded curtly and sat close to you. It was familiar with Arven from fighting alongside his team in Titan battles and enjoyed his and Mabosstiff’s company. Arven chuckled at your sass.
“Just wait. Now that there’s finally a fire going, I can start cooking!” You noted Arven pulling out his supplies, though it didn’t look like he was preparing sandwiches this time. You watched him retrieve a small pot and rice from his bag, along with several other ingredients and spices. He was too zoned-in on his craft to notice your confusion, so you merely watched him work. He didn’t use measuring utensils, but was still meticulous about which ingredients and how much he used, his concentration not faltering once.
“I wonder if his face will freeze like that,” you commented out loud, mostly to yourself, but your Armarouge heard and seemed to be amused.
“Aaaand, done!” Arven announced, presenting to you and Armarouge with a bowl of curry before sitting down across from you with his own and Mabosstiff’s serving.
“Not your usual, Arven,” you pointed out, blowing on a spoonful to cool it off.
“Yeah, I went outside the box for your first camping trip. You’re welcome, little buddy.” Arven mused, clearly proud of himself. “Curry is super popular in the Galar region. If they can do it, so can I.” And he did it well, as he usually did with all things cooking. You’d never tasted a meal of his that you didn’t enjoy.
“You REALLY outdid yourself this time, Arven. I might not be able to go back to sandwiches after this,” you teased, and Armarouge murmured in agreement.
“Don’t get too used to it, some of these ingredients are from Galar, and they weren’t cheap. But you’ve helped us out a lot so… I’m happy to.” Your teasing smirk turned to a genuine smile, looking at your friend and his companion pokemon. While Mabossiff was still in no shape to battle, he was leaps and bounds better than when you first met him.
Arven looked up toward the sky and grinned. “How fitting, the moon is full. You know what that means, don’t you?” You and Armarouge set your empty bowls down and looked at Arven quizzically.
“I guess not. Well, I promised the full experience, and no camping trip would be complete without telling you the Legend of the Glowering White Grimmsnarl.”
You couldn’t help yourself: you burst in cackles. “Thahat sounds ridiculous!”
“I’m serious!”
“Okhahay, okay, please enlighten us,” you settled, nudging your Armarouge that was making breathy sounds that could be interpreted as chuckles.
“With pleasure,” he began, his stoic demeanor on the subject only weakening your ability to keep a straight face.
“The legend tells of a Morgrem, shunned by its fellow Morgrem and Impidimps for having white hair instead of black. Its white hair was so bright, even at night, that it was always seen by both predator and prey, making hunting difficult and risking the safety of its herd. One day, it was chased out of its herd, forced to wander Tagtree Thicket all on its own.”
Your chortles and looks of amusement faded, letting yourself be immersed in the story. Armarouge placed a protective hand on your shoulder and scanned the forest around you.
“The Morgrem fended for itself pretty well, considering the odds against it. That is, until one night, there was a huge, bright, full moon, a lot like this one, actually.” You looked up, and even through the trees you could tell the moon was at its full glory, and seemed huge in the sky.
“The moonlight was so brilliant that night, that the Morgrem’s hair appeared to radiate with it. But it had no more food in its shelter, and had to go looking for more. That’s when a gang of Spidops ambushed it.” You felt yourself scoot closer to your Armarouge.
“It was no match for the horde of Spidops, not by itself. And just when it thought it couldn’t take anymore, a huge glow enveloped the entire thicket. The neighboring town’s residents at the time swore it was as bright as daylight in the middle of the night. Turns out, it was the Morgrem, evolving into the biggest, strongest, and nastiest snow-white Grimmsnarl ever known. Not only did it fight off the Spidops, it found its old herd and drove them completely out of the thicket in a terrifying rage, along with any other pokemon that got in its way. So from then on, the Grimmsnarl’s white hair was no longer a give-away, but a warning to the pokemon and trainers that wander in the forest. Especially when the moon is full, since it's said that’s where it draws its unfathomable strength. And, if somehow you miss its brilliant white hair in the moonlight, there is no mistaking its guttural, earth-shattering cry…”
“GRRROOOOAAAAARRR!”
You latched onto Armarouge and elicited a frightened, piercing scream, while Armarouge, holding you steady with one arm, readied the other one to defend against what it thought was going to be a gigantic white Grimmsnarl. However, after a beat you heard Arven breaking into hysterics, and opened your eyes to see not a gigantic white Grimmsnarl, but a Toedscruel. More specifically, Arven’s Toedscruel, walking back to his trainer, making a deep chuckling sound along the way.
“ARVEN! YOU SCARED THE HELL OUT OF US!” He almost didn’t hear your scolding over his own laughter.
“Ithihihit was sohohoho gohohohod! Youho should hahave seen your fahahace!” You huffed, feeling your face flush.
“Aww, come ohohon, little buddy,” he said, starting to calm down, returning Toedscruel to its pokeball, “Scary stories are camping staples! And the moon is full, I couldn’t waste a perfect opportunity!” You sighed as your heart rate returned to a normal pace.
“Okay, okay, you had your fun, I’ll take your apology now,” you spat, still in a pout. Arven, seeing this, chuckled again.
“I’m not apologizing, it was a story! That’s what you do when you go camping!” You glared at him, knowing he meant no harm, and was just having a laugh at your expense. Well, if it's a laugh he wanted…
“Don’t make me make you apologize, Arven!”
“Oooh, I’m soooo scared,” Arven mocked, “What are you gonna do, call the white Grimmsnarl on me?”
“I don’t need the white Grimmsnarl,” you stated, “I have Armarouge.” You looked past Arven, who was confused for a moment before your ever-loyal pokemon grabbed his arms and pinned them behind him. Arven jumped, obviously never noticing Armarouge creep over, and tried to stand and break its grip, but Armarouge wasn’t one of your strongest team members for nothing.
You stood and strode over menacingly, fingers taking the form of claws. Arven seemed to get it now, and struggled a bit more spastically.
“N-now little buddy, let’s not be hasty, it was all in fun, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, it certainly was, we liked your story for sure, right Armarouge?”
“Ar, mar,” it replied, tightening its grip on Arven. You reached Arven and placed your “claws” on Arven’s already shaking belly, an involuntary smile starting to form across his features.
“But if it was a laugh you wanted, you could have just asked.”
“Th-that’s nohohot what I said- hehehehe, nohohoho lihihittle buddy!” He giggled, as you wasted no time gently scribbling and skittering your fingers along the young chef’s midsection, a yelp escaping after you slipped a hand under his shirt to reach his bare belly.
“Wahahahait, nohohoho!” Arven gasped, still trying to free himself from Armarouge’s grip. You looked up to your companion pokemon, and could tell it was just as amused as you were.
“Should a cook’s stomach be so sensitive?” You teased, watching your friend’s reactions, and still futile attempts to keep his composure. “You’d think a cook would need a hardened stomach, since you eat all kinds of different food.” At that, you skittered in and around Arven’s belly button, to which his laughter positively boomed and kicked his legs out, almost kicking you.
“LIHIHIHITTLE BUDDEEEHEHEHE! NOHOHOHOT THEHEHEHEHERE!” He thrashed, but Armarouge held firm, even when Arven’s head was thrown back against its chest in ticklish agony.
“Not where, heeeere?” You dragged, wiggling a finger in his belly button while your other hand still scurried up and down his sides.
“NAHAHAHAHA, DOHOHOHON’T! BWAHAHAHA!” If there were smaller, curious pokemon close by, Arven’s boisterous laughter probably scared them off.
“Shhh! Arven! The Glowering White Grimmsnarl will hear you!” You continued to torment, backing off of his weakest point to instead test another spot against your ticklish grip, suddenly squeezing the tops of his knees. His booming laugher calmed to a bubbly cackle, which was honestly quite adorable.
Now that you thought about it, you had only just recently begun to see Arven smile, due to the hopefulness he had for his companion. Oh, Mabosstiff! You turned and realized he was watching the whole interaction, tail wagging in approval. Arven followed your gaze to his dear friend.
“Mahahahabosstiff! Dohohoho somethihihing!” And, at his trainer’s command, he did get up to do something. That something being nuzzling his snout in Arven’s ribs.
“NOHOHOT WHAT I MEANT! MAHAHAHABOSSTIFF, NOHOHO!”
“I think he likes seeing your smile! You don’t do it enough, you know,” you “scolded,” and Mabosstiff offered a “rrrruff” in Arven’s underarm as if to agree. This only deepened the blush on Arven’s face as his giggling somehow got more bubbly and boy-like, almost making you forget that he was actually your upperclassman.
“TRAHAHAHAITOR! BOHOHOTH OF YOU!” he sputtered, not trying too hard to escape Armarouge’s grip anymore, whether out of giving in or exhaustion, Armarouge couldn’t tell.
“Aaar, ma,” it said, in a tone you recognized as one of concern. You waved at Mabosstiff, getting his attention and ceasing his attack on his master’s ribs and underarms. Arven caught his breath as Armarouge continued to hold him for support.
“Are you good, Arven? I’ll take this over an apology any day,” you jested, Arven chuckling now of his own accord.
“You got me pretty good, little buddy, I’ll give you that. I’m okay, now, Armarouge. You can let go. I would thank you, except you’re also to blame.” Armarouge made that same breathy sound from earlier, recognized as a laugh, and walked back in your direction. Arven hunched over and rested one of his elbows on his knees, catching his breath. He had the other hand on Mabosstiff, patting the top of his head. He stood after a moment and looked at you, chuckling again and shaking his head.
“I’m going to bed. A monster worse than the white Grimmsnarl got to me. You’ll get yours, little buddy, you’ll see.”
“Sure, sure, whatever you say. I think I like this camping thing, but I’ll turn in, too. Maybe you can tell another story?”
“NO!”
#tickle#tickle community#tickle fic#tickle fanfic#ticklefic#lee!Arven#ler!reader#ticklish!arven#pokemon scarlet and violet#pokemon tickle#crow's tickletober 2023#crow's daily tickletober 2023#crow's weekly tickletober 2023
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Freak like Me
pairing: levi x fem!reader I nsfw
word count: 6230
summary: as soon as the reader enters levi's life, something changes in him. reader's madness spills over and he slowly changes
warnings: mention of blood (not yours), rough sex, dirtytalk, daddy kink, swearing, dom x dom, fight scene
authors note: although i wanted to write shorter stories again, this one somehow got longer again. i tried my hand at an action scene, but i still have to practice a lot. somehow i had strong harley x joker vibes and they had to come out, sorry.
all credits to the artist of this pic:
Lensar on DeviantArt
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Your gaze falls into the depths of the forest before you close your eyes. Bright rays of sunlight fall through the branches above you and warm your face. You hear birds chirping around you, the crackling of the wood beneath you, the rustling of leaves swirling in a gust of wind. You breathe deeply as your open hair blows back. You hear your heart beating quietly in your chest as the silence embraces you like an old friend. What does freedom mean? What does life mean? You are sure that this is pretty close to the source. The people behind the wall, who go about their lives every day hoping to see the next day, would never get to see this world. Especially not the people you left behind in the underground.
A grin plays around your lips as you hear the hissing far off in the distance. The trees groan behind you under the force with which the hooks bore into their bark. That took a long time, you think to yourself, as ropes speed past you. You hear the chatter and shouts of your comrades in fragments, shattering the silence around you. Blurred faces shoot past you one after the other.
You spread your arms and stretch them away from you. One last deep breath fills your lungs before you hold your breath. Slowly your body falls backwards before you lose your footing beneath you and plunge headlong into the depths. The air hisses loudly past your ears, your body spins around itself. You are weightless, the green blurs around you before your whole body is pressed full force into your harness and you are yanked back up. You hear the gas sweep around you as you fly through the air, trailing the others. Your hooks bore further away into the trunk of a thick, old tree. You take momentum, flying high into the treetops, letting the ropes come back to you. Unsecured, you fall through space. Your body does a backward roll, allowing you to observe the forest floor for a brief moment. The moss nestles around the roots of the trees, single brown leaves cover the forest path, bodies move forward beneath you, you can still see a squirrel quickly making its way to safety before your body returns to its normal position and you dig your hooks into a tree again. You zip between the trees, your cape flying behind you, your face brushing some branches that bore into your tender skin. You hear the pop of a cannon being fired and see red smoke in the sky northwest of you.
Immediately you change direction, sprinting forward, leaving behind other cadets who still haven't processed what is happening. Arriving in a clearing, you find your place on a thick branch high above. Further in the distance, you see the shaking of trees, the earth shaking slightly, making the grass dance on the ground. You hear heavy footsteps, still moving slowly.
The branch below you moves and you look to your right. Silver eyes stare at you from beneath tousled black hair, eyeing your small body.
"You really do have to keep pushing forward." You hear more bodies land on the trees behind you and the wood weighs down slightly. The rest of your squad waits for instruction from your captain.
"I guess this is why I'll never get my own Squad, sir."
You turn your gaze back to the direction the titan is coming at you from and grin.
"What do you think, fifteen seconds?"
"Mmm, more like ten," Levi guesses, and the tremor intensifies. A huge hand grips around a tree trunk, pulling out from between the trees, and big eyes stare at you. Nearly ten-metres high, abnormal.
"Let's see what you can do then, humanity's strongest soldier." He snorts and rolls his eyes before his whole body moves forward with a jerk. He pulls his swords from their holsters and places them close to his body. With an ease and without the titan even noticing him, he cuts a chunk out of his neck. Before Levi even gets back beside you, the giant falls to the ground and starts to steam.
That wasn't even seven. He crosses his arms in front of his chest, the blood on his face slowly disappears and he looks at you. A small smirk curls his lips, "Brat."
You snort and slam your fist against his shoulder.
Special.
That's the word everyone would use to describe your relationship.
Special.
The first time Levi laid his eyes on you, when he saw you among all the new, shitty cadets, his foot hit your stomach area shortly after. You lacked respect and you lacked punctuality and discipline too. Another pile of shit he had to deal with - or work on until it headed home in tears.
The day after that, he hit your face with his fist. Kneeling on the floor in front of him, panting, you looked up at him. Wiping blood from your lips, you grinned at him and looked at him with wide eyes, your pupils exploding. "That's all you got, sir." Just as he was about to grit his teeth and lunge with his foot to beat the living daylights out of you, Hange stopped him. He tore himself away from her and knelt down to you, looking at you with dead eyes, "I'm going to make your fucking life a living hell." Your tongue licked over your lower lip, wiping away the remaining blood and your grin widened, "Try me."
He kept his word, always picking you out, giving you more tasks, making you run round after round, cleaning the whole headquarters, beating up your little body several times, but to his displeasure you did it all flawlessly. Yes, you lacked respect and also punctuality and discipline, but your performance was amazing, almost close to his. And when he finally saw the potential in you that Erwin had been talking about all along, it suddenly stopped - he left you alone, saw you with different eyes. Something changed in him, as if a plug had been pulled. You watched each other across the field during training, in mess hall at dinner, every spare minute your eyes spent on each other and gradually butterflies crept into the pit of your stomach. And you had the feeling that behind the cold silver there was something deep and dark that you wanted to bring to the surface. Your exchanges were still kept to a minimum, however, until there was another bang.
"That's the stupidest plan I've heard in a long time," you snort, raising an eyebrow.
"Excuse me, brat?" You roll your eyes and stare at him just as coldly as it hits you. The temperature in the room drops noticeably and the others at the table hold their breath. No one dares to say anything. No one would dare say anything. The moonlight from outside shines in, the candles in the room flicker slightly and trace sharp edges on your faces.
"That's the stupidest plan I've heard in a long time," you repeat louder, "Better, sir?"
Levi's eyes blaze and he stares at you. His eyebrows draw together, the corners of his mouth drop. You see Armin open his mouth speechlessly to your right.
Your hairs stand up, the electricity rises and you bite your lower lip, grinning.
"You doubt my plan?" says Levi low and monotone. Jean's hand lands on your shoulder and he grips it, pressing you into your seat to save you from your own stupidity, but it wasn't you who was stupid, it was the whole plan Levi had just explained to you.
"Not only do I doubt it, but I also have a better one," your grin widens as Levi's liquid silver darkens. "Let me fight on the front lines. Mikasa is good, but I'm better".
"For that, you're an incorrigible little bitch who won't listen to my orders".
"Yes, because my plans usually make more sense".
"You're not ready for that. Your cluelessness only makes you run from one titan to another. That statement alone shows me how small your brain is if you're not even aware of it and now shut your mouth."
Jean's grip tightens, but you just push his hand away from you. After your next blink, your heart jumps a tiny bit as you see Levi's annoyed face. He is always good at holding back his anger and it never shows. In fact, he almost never shows any emotion, but you see right through him. He has it bubbling up inside him. Never contradicts him and if he does, the person suffers a thousand deaths afterwards. But between you it is somehow different, tingling. It gives you the greatest pleasure to see him like this and you know, deep inside him, a voice is telling him that he enjoys it too. Others would describe you as crazy and full of the courage to live, but that's what makes it all so appealing.
"Maybe we can find a compromise?" suggests Armin and you see the sweat on his brow as he almost shits himself at the words. You roll your eyes and look back at Levi.
"I thought you wanted to make my life hell. So that's a good start," you remind him of the first words he ever said to you.
"Your plans are bullshit. If I let you keep fighting up front, you'll probably get yourself killed by your insanity, " he growls, almost at his limit. But only almost.
You lean over slightly, look at him, smile slightly, grin, bite your lip again, breathe, "I have a feeling you like this madness, Levi."
He tenses slightly, draws his eyebrows together again as his name passes your lips. Connie coughs and tries to draw attention to himself, but everyone ignores him. It seems like everyone is in a state of shock because you simply addressed him by his first name. Everyone watches spellbound as you literally eye-fuck each other. Do they like the show? Almost at his limit.
"Tch, what did you just call me, brat?" his voice gets louder and his hands form into fists. You lean back in your chair again and look at him, bored.
"Oh, I didn't know you had such bad hearing. Don't you like Levi? That's your name, isn't it? Do you prefer Sir? Or Captain? Or maybe," your eyes looked up at him, burning into him, "Daddy?" At his limit. Pathetic.
A deep dark sound comes from his throat and the others hold their breath again. His whole posture grows stronger and wider. You see the muscles working under his clothes, see veins popping on his hand and you feel butterflies in your stomach. His eyes are black. You all sit like that for a few seconds. You watch his gestures and his face change emotions. Without warning, his right hand hits the table flat, "Fuck off."
The sound cuts through the silence and the weaklings among you flinch. Confused, no one moves, while your eyes do not leave each other's. Armin is about to open his mouth and Jean is about to put his hand on your shoulder again when Levi stands up with a jerk, his chair tipping backwards and hitting the wooden floor with a thud.
"I said fuck off," he roars, looking around with a death glare.
Chairs squeak, footsteps run across the wooden floor, making it creak.
"What have you done now?" whispers Jean in your ear and you give him a look before he walks behind the others and the door closes.
The scene stops again and you stare at Levi. Both hands flat on the table in front of him, leaning on his arms and looking down, he stands there. You can no longer see his eyes as his long black strands fall into his face, but you notice his tense jaw. Your heart leaps again. He was so handsome. Especially when he was angry. Finally, you break the silence.
"Great, now you've scared everyone," you sigh and roll your eyes.
"What are you doing?", Levi hisses back at you, spitting venom and bile, finally raising his head. His eyes blaze again and your core drips.
"I don't know what you mean."
"You know your place, so start acting like it, you piece of shit."
"I wish my place was naked in front of you." Before Levi has taken in what you've said, you stand up, pushing the chair back a little as you do so, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go to sleep too. The day was exhausting and I need to rest to be fit for the expedition. So, I can sit my ass off nicely in midfield."
You turn away from him and your heart slips slightly into your pants. Never turn your back on the enemy. "But of course, it makes much more sense for Mikasa to fight in front and me in the back. Makes sense."
You can take two steps as his hand wraps firmly around your wrist. He squeezes too tightly, hurting you, and you grin again.
"Repeat what you said." His voice is so low it sends a shiver down your spine. Your expression changes and, playfully annoyed, you turn to face him.
"Do you mean the part where I explained that I was going to sit my ass off." He growls and you almost groan. The tension was heavy and hot.
"Stop playing games. My patience is running out."
You lick your lower lip again, wetting it before biting down on it. "I know this isn't about the fucking mission," Levi looks at your mouth. You take a step closer to him, looking up at him from below. "I wish my place was naked in front of you, Daddy," you breathe.
In that split second, his lips land on yours. Two forces of nature collide and you almost topple backwards. His arm wraps tightly around your waist, pulling you against him, and you finally moan. He bites your lower lip hard and you open your mouth in pain. He takes the opportunity to dig his tongue deep between your lips. He presses himself against your body and you slam into the wall behind you. A pain runs through your head as your tongues circle each other, fighting to see who has the upper hand. Your hands go into his hair, reaching deep into his mane, and you pull his head closer to you. Big hands grip your waist and he lifts you up with ease so you can wrap your legs around him. His hands travel under your thighs, squeezing the flesh before he drills them into the fat of your ass. Your teeth collide as you drill your tongue deeper into his mouth, exploring his mouth cavity. He releases the kiss and a thread of spit connects you. You lay your head back and lick over your swollen, sore lips as he places his mouth on your vein, kissing your pulse before licking along it.
"Took you long enough to finally decide to fuck me."
"Shut your mouth, brat," he breathes against your neck before biting into it and sucking on it.
"I swear, if you leave hickeys ..." you groan.
"What then? Are you going to hit me with your little fists?"
"You mean like you did to me all those times? Nah, I'm not an asshole like you. But you probably secretly get off on it."
He bites your neck, just above your pulse, and your head slams back against the wall behind you, making you see stars. He smirks as his nails dig into you and you claw into his shirt. Your panties are completely wet and your juice leaks out of you incessantly. You moan loudly as his teeth dig deeper into your flesh. This was far too good to be true. Your left hand goes into his hair again, you pull at the strands and tear him away from you. He makes a face and you press your lips to his again, biting his lower lip until you taste blood. He gasps and pushes your head away from him, "You're crazy."
You grin broadly at him. "We've been over this," you lick his lower lip apologetically, "and I can see you like it." His gaze is on your face as you wrap your arms around him. "You like crazy, you will stick your dick in crazy." A dark sound escapes him and your nails run over his neck. "You can't even argue with me, you want to fuck this crazy bitch so badly."
His lips land on yours again and you grin against him before moaning into his mouth as he presses you tighter against the wall. His hands leave your ass, skimming up the sides of your waist before moving forward to your chest. Two of his fingers find their way along between the buttons, stroking the sensitive skin. Your belly grows warm with the butterflies inside him. You wrap your legs tighter around his waist and run your hand under the fabric of his shirt at the nape of his neck, running it over the muscles of his shoulders and it shakes you with pleasure.
His strong hands grip the fabric of your blouse and without warning, he rips the front apart, sending the buttons flying across the room. You bite your lip as his arms fall around your waist to hold you in place. "You shouldn't have taken your anger out on my blouse," you moan as he kisses the bulge above your right collarbone and licks along it.
"Would you rather I took it out on you?" he murmurs as he bites into that thin skin too, sucking on it and sure to leave a hickey.
"Yes, I don't know you any different."
He continues to lick forward, kissing the ridge at the end of your neck, licking over a mole at the beginning of the mound of your breast. His right hand comes away from your waist, grips your left breast and kneads it. You claw into his shoulders, leaving marks as he pushes the cup off it and you feel his hand skin on skin. Almost painfully, he rolls your nipple between his thumb and forefinger and you push your back through, coming to meet him.
"Mmm, you like that?" he murmurs and you can hear his grin.
"I never thought you'd be this good at it," you mock, before you make a grimace and groan. Pain runs through you as he bites down on your nipple and then his lips wrap around it and he sucks on it. The sensation extends to your fingertips and your toes, coursing through your whole body. You close your eyes, savouring and moaning his name as he bites into it again. He sucks harder on it, lifting his head slightly and releasing it with a plop. He circles your nipple with his tongue and licks it slowly and pleasurably. The knot in your stomach tightens and your head is fogged.
"More," you moan into the room. You tug at the piece of fabric covering him and press your core tighter against him.
"Don't be so impatient, idiot."
"I'm not impatient, you're just slow."
He pulls your whole body down a bit, pressing his bulge into your centre. You curse because the fabric between you is annoying and rub against him greedily.
"Slowly then?" he purrs against your ear and comes towards you, rubbing against you too, "I'll keep that in mind." He grips you again and lifts you away from the wall. You let yourself fall against him and moan against his neck, licking it as you continue to try and build pressure.
Shortly after, your bottom touches the table and he releases your weight. You seize the opportunity and do the same to him, yanking him out of his shirt.
"Tch, but I'm venting my anger," he leans over you, capturing your lips again. Immediately your tongues meet. Greedily your fingers touch his body, stroking his soft skin beneath your fingers, feeling individual scars over, which you let your thumb wander. You caress each and every muscle and gape at his well-built body. He surpasses every single one of your fantasies that you imagined while he was training or just cleaning. You follow his muscles down to the V of his pelvis and a deep moan comes over him as you undo the buckle of his belt. His hands also find their way to your trousers, undoing them, and he releases the kiss. He goes to the floor, kneels in front of the table where you are still sitting and looks up at you. Slowly he takes off your boots without taking his eyes off you. You watch him spellbound, a grin falling on your lips again. He pulls at your trouser legs and you lift your bottom, helping a little so that he can brush the fabric off your legs.
His hands run over your feet and you shake yourself slightly before he kisses them.
"Mmm," you moan, "I could see you like this more often, Captain." You bite your lower lip as his hands slide along your legs. Again, and again his lip or tongue hits your skin, caressing it and you are sure you would leave a stain on the neatly cleaned table. At the latest, when his lips lick the insides of your thighs, your hands clasp the edge of the table. You groan and your right hand goes into his hair, claws into it. His hands settle on your legs, pushing them apart, and his warm breath touches your core. He looks at the dark fabric separating his face from your lower lips and licks his lips. How will you taste? There is a distinct stain, your juice colours the fabric a shade blacker and his hard cock presses against his still closed trousers. He draws in the air around him and he groans. You smell so incredibly good, how much he'd like to taste you. How much he would like to fuck you.
When you notice his fingers gently stroking your pussy and he grips the fabric to pull it aside, you moan again and pull on his head.
Painfully he is pulled back and you close your legs.
"What are you doing, idiot?" he gasps in annoyance, his face contorting at the sting.
"I don't feel like playing this time," you murmur, grinning. "My patience is wearing thin," you repeat his words from earlier, "I don't feel like waiting anymore."
You press your toes against his chest and push him backwards. He is slightly off balance, staggers and falls into the chair behind him.
"Unzip your pants already", you stand up and your hands each rest on the back of the chair next to his head, your breasts dangling in his face, "Go ahead".
Completely caught off guard, he undoes the button and then the zip. You grin again and lean forward towards him. Your lips meet his jaw, kissing along it to his ear and you put your mouth to the shell of his ear, "And now you take out your big cock."
He growls slightly and does as you command. Your gaze falls briefly on his hard erection and a shiver comes over you, your butterflies dancing inside you.
"That's much better, isn't it, Daddy?" you see his Adam's apple dangle as he swallows hard and you look into his eyes. You place one leg on each side of his body. Your hands slide from the back of the chair to his shoulders and you claw into them. Still covered with a piece of cloth, you rub your cunt over his hard cock, which presses against it. You moan and he does the same, putting his hands on your waist and squeezing. His eyes close and he puts his head back in his neck, "Do it already."
"Anything my daddy wants," your hand grips the thin fabric and pulls it aside. Drops of your juice hit him, mixing with his precum and you rub it along your slit before gripping his shaft and sliding his thick tip inside you.
Never would you have expected him to be so big. Your walls press tightly against him as he slides inch by inch into you. Your eyebrows draw together because it feels so good. Levi gasps slightly beneath you as you swallow him slowly.
"You're huge," you sigh contentedly as he's fully inside you, and you twitch your walls, his fingers buried deep in the flesh of your waist. His jaw seems tense, but his eyes look at you half-closed. His irises are no longer visible. "God, so fucking huge. We should have done this so much sooner. I think it's tearing me apart," you grin wide and happy as you feel a slight burn.
"If I had known how good you looked doing that, I would have fucked you sooner."
"Yeah, would you have?" you look deep into his eyes as you move upwards, his cock sliding completely out of you and you lower yourself back down onto him, "Do you like the way I ride your cock?" Your movements slowly quicken and you hear the smacking of your cunt as it swallows his cock again and again.
"Do you like the way your thick cock keeps digging deep into me?" He growls out and starts to come towards you. His hips thrust upwards, hitting you hard. As he does, you don't part your gaze for a second and it feels like you can glimpse his soul.
"Do you like the way my cunt milks you?" Levi digs one hand into the fat of your ass, pulling on it and baring his teeth. You dig your nails into his back as he changes the angle and bumps against your G-spot. The sounds of his balls hitting your ass and the mixing of your fluids grow louder. You become incredibly hot and start to sweat.
"Do you like the way I moan your name?" you add a long Levi at the last word and he stares at you like you're a goddess. His goddess.
"Fuck, you're so hot," he murmurs in a dry, heavy voice.
"That you ever thought otherwise hurts my heart." You ram your fingernails deeper into his back and pull at the skin, leaving deep marks.
"I'll never think anything else again," he groans up at you. By now you are no longer riding him. Instead, he holds you in place above him, your feet no longer even touching the ground, and he thrusts into you with a brutality that leaves you breathless. The knot in your stomach gets tighter and tighter and you bite his shoulder to stifle a scream. He fucks you like a madman, pressing his body hard against yours and enjoying the feel of your hard nipples against his chest. He tries to get even deeper, to push against your cervix, but the position is too shitty for that.
"That won't do," he groans, suddenly lifting you up. With his pants at his ankles and you in his arms, he walks back to the table, lays you down on it ungently and buries himself in you again. He grips your legs with his hands, rests them on his shoulders and increases his speed further. He fucks you into the hard wood of the table and puts his head back, moaning your name loudly. He comes so far inside you, you feel pain deep inside you. Such good pain.
"God, your cunt is so tight. I never want to feel anything else ever again." You open your mouth to say something but nothing comes out. Your breath has long left your lungs and your brain can't make anything up. Your little body is concentrating solely on how his fat cock is being pushed into you, how he is tearing your little hole in two and how incredible this feeling is. Because of this, you just mumble something to yourself, which makes him grin, "Suddenly I guess your mouth isn't so big anymore." Again, you try to say something, but it is in vain. Your head is full of fog and all you can think about is how he should thrust harder, even deeper, which is no longer possible, and how he should take you. You want him to ruin you, for everything and everyone. Every night he should do this to you so that you can never stand or sit again. You just want to be his little plaything.
"Good to know I can shut you up like this." His cock hits your G-spot hard and makes you see stars. You moan loudly and reach for something to claw into, but there's nothing. "Alright, I guess silent isn't quite the right word".
He's fucking you so well and you glare at him as he stares at you and you bite your lip, your breathing becoming more uncontrolled and you nod slightly at him to signal how close you are. He grins and you push your back through as he thrusts into you one last time and you explode, screaming his name and losing your grip on the earth.
That was probably the beginning of your death - and probably that of every other - but who knows for sure. The two of you were quite a force on your own, but as a duo you were invincible. Soon, word got out about what had happened. You could have tried to deny it, but it wasn't difficult to guess, since you were ever the only person allowed to disobey Levi and get away alive. Moreover, your loud moans could be heard throughout the building. Everyone should know that you now belong to each other. Your madness spilled over onto him. You had nothing left to lose - except each other and you swore you would only leave this hell together.
"Listen up, shitheads," Levi turns his attention to the people behind you and you follow his gaze, "we're going to do another round and secure the perimeter before we set up camp here for the night."
"Yes, sir," everyone but you shouts in unison and salutes. You roll your eyes.
Your gaze, on the other hand, averts and you direct it to the trees around you. The birdsong has died down and the wind has receded. The branch beneath you sways slightly again as Armin lands on it and turns to talk to Levi. You ignore them both and continue to look around. No wind, but the leaves sway back and forth. You close your eyes and concentrate. Far in the distance you can hear a river making its way through the ground. There is a faint smell of wet moss and it is all so peaceful. Far away you hear the tapping of a woodpecker looking for its food before it suddenly stops. You tear your eyes open and clutch the handles of your equipment. A moment later you see the bird fluttering overhead with a loud bird song. Your eyes fall on Levi and over Armin's shoulder he looks at you. He raises an eyebrow before your typical grin falls to your lips and his expression slips.
You shoot your hooks, which bore into a tree and you fly away. Behind you, you hear the shouting of others and more gas being consumed as you make your way through the forest. You build up speed and zoom past the many trees. You race in the direction from which you just heard the woodpecker. You hear a stomping sound that gets louder and louder the closer you get to it, before you see two huge figures running past you on your left. You didn't expect two, but that only means one more point on your kill scale. Your hands grip the handles of your 3DMG tighter and adrenaline rushes through your bloodstream. You draw in a deep breath through your nose as you suddenly change direction and race towards them. In the distance, you catch sight of your squad and see Levi racing ahead of them after you. He is stronger than you, but you are faster. He has left the squad behind with ease and does not look happy. His rage-filled face makes you feel like you're on fire and a shiver runs down your spine.
"Sorry," you shout loudly to them as you fly through the air and your hook bores into a titan's shoulder. You hear Levi yell your name, but you ignore him. Unfortunately, this distracts the two titans and they notice you. They stop and look around before spotting Levi.
The smaller titan is just under eight metres tall, the other about two metres taller, both of course abnormal. You whirl around the larger one and draw your swords, placing them against your small body, ready for battle. You hiss at his neck, but while he has not yet set his sights on you, the smaller one turns his attention to you and looks at you with wide eyes. He reaches out his hand to you. You curse loudly and drill your hook into a tree above you to get away from him quickly. It is just enough that when he closes his hand, you are not caught in it. Instead, your sole touches his huge finger and you push off against him in addition to putting more land between him and you. On the other side of the field, you see Levi whirling through the air, attracting the little titan's attention. He puts up his swords ready to fight, but you are quicker, get in his way and cut the titan's neck with a smooth slice. The first titan goes down, begins to steam and you are left with the larger one. As you fly through the air, you drill your hooks into his arm and pull yourself towards him. Just before you get on top of him you change direction and fly towards his shoulder. The titan looks around and tries to spot you again, but you are too fast. The next time your hooks hit a tree in the distance. You fly towards his neck, your swords just setting when your ropes suddenly loosen. The titan has lashed out, ripping them out of the tree. You tear open your eyes, more adrenaline finding its way into your bloodstream, your heart pounding against your chest. For the moment, your course is not altered, so your cut glides through him perfectly and he falls slowly to the ground. But you fall with him. You try to drill your hooks back into a tree, but apparently, he has damaged your equipment, so nothing happens. Panic shoots into your head as you get closer and closer to the ground. You close your eyes and brace yourself for impact before you hit the ground. Your air is ripped from your lungs, your body aches under the contact and the wind flies around your ears. You cling to the body against you and rest your head against its neck. Black tea and lemon. As soon as your feet touch ground, he sets you down and pushes you off him. You stagger back and see the faces of the rest of your comrades, who look at you in horror.
"What was that about, you retard?!" snarls Levi at you, and you see his tense jaw and the deep creases on his forehead, his lips pressed hatefully into a line, as he presses his eyebrows together.
"I don't know what you're upset about. I had the situation under control." You pat the dirt off your clothes, hoping he doesn't see your slightly wobbly legs. You take a deep breath and look up at him. That was more action than you planned. To be honest, the situation got out of hand, but you would never admit that - especially not in front of Levi.
"Under control?! You call that under control! You disobeyed my order!" he yells at the whole forest and you see Krista wince.
"I killed them, what more do you want? If you hadn't come, I would have finished faster."
"He almost killed you!"
"Right, almost," you grin at him and undo the straps of your equipment, letting it fall to the floor. It is no longer of any use and simply means more burden that you would have to carry around with you. You kick it lightly and it rattles. Everyone seems shocked, and Levi clenches his hands into fists. You bite your lower lip, "You were there, weren't you?"
"Yeah, but I'm not always, maron!"
"Yeah, and I'm good at taking care of myself in those moments," you stride towards him and place your hands on his tense chest, "Daddy."
You wink at him and the others almost skin it at your words. Eren is probably already thinking about running away before Levi takes his anger out on him. You stroke his shirt and he stares at you. His anger is immeasurable, but you can see something else mingling in his gaze and he relaxes slightly.
"You'll pay for that later," he murmurs and you lick your lips.
"I expected nothing less."
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Say Your Mine
Summary: Levi and you head out with a small group of Scouts out of the walls to clear out some titans and your taught a small lesson on why your hair should not be long and in the fear pint up emotions are brought out into the open.
Warnings: Swearing | Some Violence | Spoilers for No Regrets OVA
Pairings: Levi Ackerman x Reader (y/n)
Genre: 18+ | Fluff
Word Count: 2.8k
Author’s Note: So my dumb butt forgot Flagon is dead... so I fixed Confessions in the Snow switching it to Mike, nothing changed though. Anyway, let me know what you guys think! and if anyone wants to be tagged in future Levi fic’s just let me know and I’ll start a taglist 😊 💜
|| Masterlist | AOT Masterlist ||
Year 845 - Spring
You sat on your horse next to Levi, running your fingers through your horse’s mane with a soft smile, soaking up the little amount of peace you would have for the majority of the day. The morning sun just barely breaking over the top of the wall as you waited for the gates to open. A soft spring breeze blowing through you, sending a chill up your spine. The frost on the almost bloomed flowers that lined the streets and in window garden beds of the homes around you was a symbol of the cold night air still lingering around.
Your hair blew wildly around you and you quickly swiped it away from your face with a huff as you continued running your fingers through the mane, your horse letting out a snort in appreciation lifting its head for you to pet it more causing you to let out a small giggle scratching the underside of its chin. You heard Levi click his tongue and you looked over at him with a tilt of your head.
“What?” You asked not sure what could have pissed him off so early but then as you thought about it, there were a number of things that could have. For instance, you may have given him your cup of tea rather than his. But he would have said something you thought, your morning tea always having sugar added to it, which is something he hated, always commenting on how it ruined the taste of the tea.
“Didn’t you have time to do anything with your hair?” He questioned looking over at you with narrow eyes, another gust of wind sending your hair into a wild dance again. When the wind died down once again you quickly gathered it up and pulled it behind you taking the hair tie you did have, tying it sloppily back to appease the grumpy man beside you.
“Better?” You pointed at the messy bun with a cheeky grin unphased by his cold attitude and he scoffed once again with a roll of his eyes.
“It’ll do,” He sighed knowing he wouldn’t get a better result now as you were about to leave. Of all the days you could have overslept, it had to be the day you go out beyond the walls. Erwin, who was leading this mission, yelled out that the gates would be opening shortly. You felt your heart began to beat faster as the minutes tick.
There was always a sense of excitement and nerves each time you went outside the walls. Excitement to see the outside world once again, beyond the walls. Nerves because you could never predict what was going to happen, how many people would be lost this time? If you would be one of those, you glance at Levi from the corner of your eye, or if he would be among the dead. You let out a heavy sigh from your own thoughts and Levi eyed you curiously but still looking stoic as ever, the fear of what lay beyond the walls never seeming to faze him. You waved his unasked question off as the formation began to move forward, the sound of chains rattling signaling the gate was raising.
“Nothing,” you sighed heavily “Just lost in my own head,”
“Aren’t you always lost in your head,” Levi deadpanned your mouth dropped at his comment feeling your annoyance rise, the dark thoughts forgotten in an instant.
“Rude!” You shouted in offense shooting daggers at him with your glare, he smirked before you started to speed up making it outside of the walls into the open world beyond the walls. You closed your eyes for a moment letting yourself feel the sense of freedom beyond the wall provided before regaining your composure and becoming the skilled soldier you had become over the last few months.
The signal came to break off into your smaller parties, the mission was small so there weren’t many of you out in the field today. Reports of a few titans having been spotted too close for comfort, easy in and out misson.
You and Levi sped up veering off to the left of the formation following right behind Erwin and Mike, you would be closest to the trees that you would be looking for the Titans this time around. You kept your eyes open waiting to catch any movement.
You were quick to spot the 10-meter titan running at you, quickly shooting a red smoked signal flare into the air to signal the other parties. As soon as the Titan was close enough, Levi used the trees on the edge of the forest to take it out. You grabbed onto his horse so that he would be able to easily get back on and continue with the mission.
Levi got back onto his horse with ease giving you a nod grabbing ahold of its reins. Another 10-meter appeared that Mike was able to take out as you continued along the edge of the trees. That was the nice thing about your team now, you didn’t really need to speak to know what to do.
The mission was going smoothly for you each having killed a Titan. Erwin gave the order to retreat as it seemed you had got all the suspecting Titans. You were heading back to the gate with a small smile as it seemed for once, no one died. This seemed to be the case each time you went out with Erwin, he was growing quite a reputation of not losing people in his squad.
You turned to talk to Levi when a large leg of a 15-meter Titan shot out of the trees causing you to quickly turn your horse almost losing balance and falling off but you were able to quickly recover still moving as the Titan tried to swipe at you just barely missing as you swerved. You cursed yourself, getting into a stance on the back of your horse to use your gear.
You hooked your grappling hooks onto a tree just behind the titan using it to gain momentum with your gas to get high enough into the air to grapple onto the nap but just as you were about to do that, you felt your hair become loose flying wildly behind you. You made eye contact with the mindless creature, the world suddenly moving in slow motion as you watched its hand reach out grabbing onto your hair with a tight grip.
You let out a painful scream as you were yanked by the titan feeling the whiplash in your neck and then pain on your scalp from being held by your hair. You reached up dropping your blades, holding onto the base of your hair that you could grab to help relieve some of the pressure, trying to yank your hair out of its grip, legs swing wildly in the air. You felt the air leave your lungs as it brought you closer to its mouth your actions becoming more desperate, your eyes beginning to tear up as you thought your fate was now sealed. You tried to reach your dangling swords while still pulling on your hair another string of curses leaving your lips.
Just as the Titan was about to lower you to its mouth you heard the hiss of ODM gear and a scream of an angered soldier but not just any, Levi.
“Get your filthy hands off her!” He spat as he sliced at the neck, a more than large enough piece being cut from the nape nearly beheading the thing. The titan began to fall forward with you still in its grasp, but it was now loosening enough for the strands to slip through. Its body already beginning to disintegrate. Levi quickly grabbed hold of you in midair before landing on the ground whistling for your horses to come back before another titan can make a surprise appearance.
You collapsed to the ground once your feet hit the earth breathing heavily as you tried to calm your racing heart down, adrenaline still rushing through you your hands shaking as you collected your blades sheathing them. Your horse appeared next to you and you began to stand up using Levi’s arm to help pull you up.
“T-thank y-” You were cut off as Levi slammed his lips onto yours once you were fully standing, his hands on either side of your face pulling you closer to him. You stared at him in shock at his actions feeling his lips move against your still ones as your brain tried to process that this was real.
You felt his tongue brush against your bottom lip asking for entrance and you relaxed into his grip closing your eyes and kissing him back just as passionately gripping onto his jacket. You parted your lips with a soft sigh letting him in your tongues battling for dominance after years of pint up romantic tension was finally let go, poured all into this one kiss.
He broke the kiss resting his forehead on yours both of you taking deep breaths to catch your breath. You relaxed your grip on his jacket as rubbed your cheeks with his thumbs. He let out a sigh before helping you back onto your horse, you weren’t able to take your eyes off of him as he did, confusion filling your mind. Once he was sitting back on his horse you went to speak.
“Le-”
“We are cutting your hair the second we get back to HQ,” He interrupted before taking off towards the others. You blinked a few times as you stared at him riding away knowing that once you were back things would need to be discussed, you could no longer play this game and you weren’t sure he wanted to either. One of you needed to make the first move, looks like it needed to be you.
You were laying on Levi’s bed, legs dangling over the edge gently swing them as you were waiting for him to gather the things he needed for your inevitable haircut. You traced the groves of the bottom of the top bunk with the tip of your figure as you heard him walkabout, you replayed the conversation you had with Hange earlier while Levi was conversing with Erwin about the mission.
“So, he just kissed you, in front of everyone, and then rode off?” She questioned as she was taking notes from her most recent experiment, she looked up at you threw her glasses, “What are you going to do?”
You let out a frustrated sigh falling back into one of her chairs running a hand through your hair working out the knots as your fingers reached the ends. “I don’t know,” You whispered staring up at the ceiling and Hange let out an equally frustrated sigh making you look up at her.
“You two are so much alike it’s no wonder neither of you have admitted your feelings to the other,” She states almost as if you weren’t in the room and she was speaking to herself. “Are you happy? Are you happy with how things are between the two of you? Can you keep going like this y/n?”
Hange’s words echoed through your mind making your frown. Your mind wandered to the kiss once again your heart starting to race at just the memory of it. You thought about what it could mean, but you knew in the back of your mind exactly what it meant but your fear of assuming the wrong thing had you pushing that thought as far back as it could go.
You lifted your head to see he was getting the chair set up, you let out a frustrated sigh letting your head fall back onto the mattress. You felt a gentle kick on your boot making you lift your head again.
“Come on,” Levi motioned to the chair and you lifted yourself off the bed taking a seat. He had grabbed your brush from your room brushing the knots out of your hair. This was your favorite part of the whole process. Levi always took his time whenever he brushed your hair, it was calming especially on nights you couldn’t sleep and you two would just sit there talking and he would mindlessly brush your hair with his fingers.
After Levi is satisfied with your hair being knot-free, he begins working on cutting your hair to a more manageable length.
“Honestly, how did you not notice this mop?” He questions a hint of annoyance in his tone
“It’s not a mop!” You let out a small huff, “And besides I’m not the only one who seems to have forgotten about their hair, yours is a bit longer than usual as well,” You defended, you heard Levi let out a small snort and you went to turn your head to look at him with a smirk, but he gripped your head-turning it back forward.
“Hold still,” He instructed, you both fell into a comfortable silence the only sound in the room being that of the scissors. Your mind once again allowed to wander to things you didn’t want to think about especially in the presence of the man those thoughts were about.
“Levi?” You asked, he let out a hum telling you that he was listening. You kept your gaze at the ground as you tried to find the right words. You must have taken too long because the room became quiet.
“What is it?” Levi asks curiously wondering what had you so on edge. You debated making something up to avoid the conversation once again, but you knew it would only make the situation worse if it wasn’t addressed now. If the kiss wasn’t addressed. You took a breath to calm your nerves.
“You kissed me,” Your voice was soft when you finally spoke the air in the room changing, thickening as the veil you and Levi danced around shattered, “Y-you kissed me and- and I don’t know what it means,” Your voice was barely above a whisper but sounded so loud with each word, your heart feeling like it was going to beat right out of your chest.
The room remained quiet, the only thing giving away that he was still standing behind you was his breath. You began to heat up from nerves worried that this was a mistake, thoughts beginning to flood your mind of how you should have just kept your mouth shut and continued playing the game. You went to turn around in your seat to look at him, but he grabbed ahold of your shoulders pulling you tight to the back of the chair, holding you in place. You tensed at the sudden contact keeping your gaze on the ground, his fingers were trembling slightly giving away just how nervous he was.
“I’m sorry,” You panicked going to stand up and walk out “I s-s-shouldn’t have said anything” You rambled but before you could leave Levi grabbed a hold of your wrist.
“Will you just give me a second, dammit” His voice was quiet but still held a sternness to it that kept you from running out the door. His grip loosened slowly until his hand finally let go dropping to his side. You pulled your hand to your chest rubbing your wrist with your other hand as you cautiously turned to face him.
He was staring down at the ground his hair covering his face, hands dangling at his side. You took a step cautious step closer and then another until you were standing right in front of him. He slowly lifted his head so that he was looking at you and that’s when you could see the deep blush on his cheeks. Seeing him blush caused your cheeks to start heating up and you turned your head in embarrassment, but he gently gripped your chin turning it back to face him.
“It means that I love you, alright?” His voice gained more confidence as he went on, “It means that I’m yours and I would like- I would like i-if you would be mine,” He scratched the back of his head from the nerves and you stared at him in a bit of shock your mouth slightly opened as your processed his words a smile slowly spreading across your lips as it sunk in.
You threw your arms around his neck pulling him into you in a tight embrace as you snuggled into the side of his neck taking in his scent that always brought a sense of peace to you. He slowly relaxed, his shoulders dropping and his arms slowly wrapping around your waist holding you equally as tight to him.
“Of course I will,” You answered with a smile pulling back enough to look at him “Always have been,” He pulled you into a kiss just like before. He cupped your face rubbing soft circles into your cheeks. When you parted he pushed a few stray hairs out of your face.
"Now let's fix your mop,"
"It's not a damn mop!"
#levi ackerman x reader#levi x reader#levi x y/n#levi ackerman x you#levi ackerman#levi ackerman fanfiction#levi ackerman fic#levi ackerman fluff#attack on titan#attack on titan fanfiction#levi ackerman attack on titan#levi attack on titan#erwin smith#hange zoe#levi aot
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—shoutout to @avadescent for inspiring me to write offended-attention-deprived levi. because why not right? right.
Levi isn't an unreasonable man.
Rude, sure. Neurotic, well, maybe. He's aware of his flaws, thanks, but as far as he's concerned, unreasonable has never been one of those.
And yet—looking down at the hopeful expression of his subordinate, he feels the irrepressible urge to say something wholly unreasonable. Something like no.
"It'd be a really good opportunity," Petra says, as usual catching on to his thoughts far too quickly for his comfort. "The Military Police has never showed any interest in us before, this could be a real chance to rally some support—"
"Some extra coin, you mean," Levi interjects drily. Far too used to her captain's cynicism, Petra presses on, unperturbed.
"Besides," she adds, "it's just for a week. And the commander—"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Levi waves an irritated hand. "The Military Police is in town, they finally manage to get over their massive fucking egos long enough to realise how shit their fatality rates are against actual titans, as opposed to the scum—"
"Captain."
"Criminals," Levi amends, "that they waste their time chasing after, most of the time. And now they want a tour guide to show them around. Fine. But why you?"
Petra levels a glare at him—the only one of his soldiers who'd have the guts to do so—and he feels a stab of grudging respect. "Are you insinuating that I'm not qualified, sir?"
"Just asking why."
"In that case, sir, I'd wager that the commander," she enunciates the world pointedly, "nominated me because I'm nice and friendly and have the second-highest kill count in the Corps. And unfortunately, the soldier with the actual highest kill count has approximately the charm and charisma of a dead slug."
He narrows his eyes at the soldier, who immediately schools her expression back into one of wide-eyed innocence. "You're an insubordinate brat, Ral."
"I'm saving you from having to deal with the MP yourself, sir," Petra says patiently. "You know that if you don't give me permission, Commander Smith is going to go after you next."
They stare at each other for a few seconds, locked in stalemate. Finally, Levi sighs.
"Fine," he mutters. "You can be their tour guide, as long as you keep up with your training in your own time. And, Ral?"
"Sir?"
"For fuck's sake don't be too nice to them."
Petra's answering grin is wry and knowing, even as she lifts her fist to her chest in a flawless salute. "I'll try, sir."
==
The lounge is unnaturally quiet.
Apart from the sound of his pen scratching onto the seemingly endless pages, and the occasional murmured curse from Auruo whenever Gunther takes yet another one of his pawns, there's a strange, heavy silence permeating the ordinarily cheery room.
In his corner, where he's aimlessly folding bits of newspaper into a series of increasingly complicated figures, Eld exhales loudly. "I miss Pet," he declares, morosely tossing a miniature bird into the trash can across the room and missing by a clear metre.
At Levi's glare, he goes to collect it quickly enough.
Auruo snorts in a show of derision. "What for? The peace and quiet's a nice change." He steals a quick, hopeful glance at Levi, who obligingly pretends not to notice.
Privately, Levi agrees with Eld. The squad has been unusually quiet without its sole female member, and he's on more than one occasion during training found himself looking over his shoulder, expecting to see Petra's lithe form at his back, ready to sweep in for an assist.
And. even though he'd sooner stab himself with a blade than admit it, the tea he's been forced to make in her absence—as careful as he's been with his technique—just isn't the same. He takes a sip and wrinkles his nose with annoyance.
"It's only been two days," Gunther says absently, ignoring Auruo's sound of protest as he neatly plucks a knight off the chessboard. "And she seems to be enjoying it."
"Is she?" Levi goes. He flicks off a stray bug with the tip of his pen, and savagely crosses out a misspelling.
"Yeah. An old friend from the Cadet Corps is in the lot that came in with the MP, she mentioned she'd been catching up with him."
"An old boyfriend, more like." Auruo hisses in exasperation when Gunther swipes yet another piece. "Michael, right? I remember him. Smug little slimeball, he was."
Levi stiffens. "She didn't mention that," he says, as casually as he can. Gunther shoots him a curious glance, which he ignores.
"Yeah, well, why would she?" Eld yawns and gets to his feet, stretching. "This blows. I'm gonna get some sleep. Later."
Levi sips at his tea, feeling violently and inexplicably irritated despite the would-be comfort of the familiar brew. The feeling doesn't fade, not even when the chess game ends with Gunther's resounding victory and both men traipse out of the room, leaving him alone in the quiet.
He dots an i with more severity than strictly necessary and decides to call it a night, too.
==
Petra continues to spend the better part of the next week flitting off to attend to their unwanted guests. With every activity that she doesn't turn up at, Levi finds his mood turning a shade fouler. Training isn't as productive. The whole squad is off their game.
Also, he misses her.
That evening, the lounge is empty. The rest of the squad has gone off to town for a much-needed drink, leaving Levi alone behind to tackle yet another stack of paperwork.
He's worked himself into a monotonous rhythm when the door swings open and Petra steps in, looking exhausted but content. Against his will, Levi feels his mood lift a fraction, although he keeps his scowl firmly in place.
"Captain," Petra greets with her usual smile, flopping down on her favourite spot at the sofa, "where's everyone?"
"Town," Levi replies shortly.
"Oh?" Her smile turns into a yawn, and he notes with an odd feeling the shadows under her eyes. "I need a drink, too. The MP visitors have been a handful. Did you know that most of them have barely touched their 3DMG after graduating? They're so rusty, they make Hanji's gear look positively shiny."
Levi has to stop himself from snickering; the squad leader is notorious for failing to maintain her gear, much to her second-in-command's constant despair. He has to force his expression to remain icy. Petra looks at him curiously.
"Anything the matter, captain?" she goes. He shrugs.
"Not really."
"That's not the same as no," Petra observes. Levi casts her a dark glare.
"Insubordinate," he mutters. "Just...hasn't been the best week."
"Because of me?"
Levi stares down at his paperwork.
"Maybe," he finally replies. Still refusing to meet her gaze, he asks, casually, "So, did anything exciting happen?"
He's still not looking at her, but he can hear the frown in her voice as she shakes her head. "Not really."
"That's not the same as no," Levi echoes. His subordinate rolls her eyes good-naturedly.
"One of my old squadmates, back in the cadet corps, was being annoying throughout," she admits. Levi tries to keep his expression composed, even as something in his chest seems to lift, for whatever reason.
She clears her throat, seemingly eager to move on to the next topic. "Apart from that, the most exciting thing was probably seeing the captain of the MP almost lose his lunch after we showed him Hanji's lab."
Levi finally allows himself to snort. "Shitheads."
"Shitheads," Petra agrees. Her lips quirk into a tentative smile. "I missed the squad, though."
It's phrased like a sentence but sounds more like a question.
He makes the mistake of looking at her. Her cheeks are red, and there's a light in her eyes that seems nervous, almost shy. Yet she meets his gaze with a kind of determination. Questioning. Hopeful.
It's an unusual look for the girl who cuts down titans without batting an eyelid. Something in the back of mind tells him that her words are layered, but he forces himself to focus on the outside.
"The squad wasn't the same without you," Levi finally replies. It's not nearly enough, even he knows that.
Still, it's sufficient to make her whole countenance brighten and her smile shift into something different, whole. He realises belatedly that the dark, irritated cloud that has persisted in the back of his mind for the past week has dissipated almost entirely.
He shoves away the realisation quickly. Petra just smiles at him, seeming to know his thoughts before he can even begin to wonder at them. As usual.
"It's good to be back, captain," she says softly.
"Good to have you back, Ral."
#rivetra#levi x petra#levi ackerman#petra ral#attack on titan#aot fanfiction#shingeki no kyojin#candycity writes
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— 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡.
summary: you had so much control over levi it was almost pathetic.
warnings: nsfw. bondage. sub!levi. dacryphilia. gagging. choking.
word count: 1.1k
who would’ve thought that the infamous captain of a scout squad would love being controlled--by a subordinate no less. seriously, it was laughable and pathetic, at least that’s what he thinks. you were less talented than him when it comes to physical workouts and facing titans so why… why were you able to have him begging and sobbing over your merciless touches.
“come on, captain levi. if you really want it, you should ask for it,” you sang, feet rubbing against his hard cock.
well, he would be, but you had your underwear stuffed in his mouth. it was you giving into your sadistic pleasure after all. you wanted to see the tears run down his cheeks just like the drool that ran down his right cheek. and levi knew this too.
“right. you can’t speak.” you press harder down on his cock and chuckle at the sight of his swollen red tip that’s leaking with precum. “but i think i know what you want. i mean… just look at your little friend here.”
levi’s voice chokes when you move your feet away and you spread your legs, revealing your drenched pussy. what a sight it was for him. it was so inviting and taunting, begging to be licked clean of your arousal. levi’s throat nearly runs dry at the thought of eating you out. what a pathetic thirsty bitch he was for you.
you spread the folds of your pussy and snicker at the lust filled eyes levi adorned. “you want a taste don’t you? you want me to fuck you with my pussy?”
levi nods. he struggles against the restraint that binds his hands behind the chair. he needed you to release him already. he wanted nothing more but to devour you and fuck you long and deep with his aching cock. he needed you so bad that it was hurting.
you hum and get off his desk. you hover over his cock, your slick nearly brushing his hard cock. in instinct, levi bucks his hip, trying to feel some sort of contact. you grasp his chin and slowly pull out the gag. as soon as it’s off, he takes a deep breath and says, “please.”
you almost laugh at the desperation. “how cute. beg some more.”
“please,” he pleads. you love seeing him beg so pathetically. you were the only one who held such power over him and it makes your ego grow large. if anybody saw him like this, they’d be beyond surprised. “please, y/n.”
he’s practically sobbing. you nearly feel sorry for him. he was such a beggar for your pussy. he’d do anything he could just to feel the soft walls of your pussy hug his cock. with a heavy sigh, you slowly lower yourself down and levi’s mouth falls open and he cries out.
“f-fuck,” he stutters, head thrown back as he bucks his hips.
you take it as an opportunity to wrap your nimble fingers around his neck. “now, now, levi. if you move on your own, i’m only gonna let you watch me cum around my fingers. you wouldn’t want that, would you?”
levi’s hips fall and he shakes his head.
“good.”
you wait until he’s still. you can feel his cock throb inside your pussy, waiting for you to start moving. when you see levi’s eyes start filling with tears from trying his best to hold back, you finally start moving. the sudden drop of you rising and going back down on his cock has his wrist burning from pain as he struggles from the restraint.
“you love my pussy, don’t you, captain? you love feeling me around your cock,” you tease as you bounce on his cock at a slow pace.
he groans softly. “yes. yes, i love it so much.”
and you know he does. as you bounce on his cock, his moans become more and more strained. he needs to cum after being teased for so long, but without your permission, he has no choice but to try and hold back. it was so cute how he was so submissive and obedient to you. the power you had over him was like a flame being held against a candle. even a small flicker of light was enough for him to be melting.
every time levi unconsciously bucks his hips, your fingers squeeze around his neck which has him losing air for a moment. his mind is fogged with pleasure, he’s able to form any words. this is why you loved fucking him after teasing him for a long time. he was always easy to become dumb from the way your pussy clenches around his cock.
“i’m... cum…”
“you are, hm? without my permission?” you harshly grind down on his cock and he gasps. “little bitch. go ahead and cum since you’re so fucking dumb off my pussy.”
and he does, his cum spurting into your core like a fountain. it doesn’t stop your from fucking him. as your walls are painted white by his seeds, you continue to bounce relentlessly on his cock, chasing after your own orgasm. from under you, levi is trembling from sensitivity. he tries to tug you away because it hurts, but he’s restrained.
“p-please, fuck, fuck, it hurts,” he groans. his cheek is stained with tears as you continue to fuck him. not even shortly after, he can feel another orgasm approaching him.
you pant and smile down at levi whose face is glowing with a light shade of red and eyes sparkling with tears. it was a beautiful sight to you--it was enough for you to approach your orgasm.
“‘m... i’m c-cum--” levi can barely speak.
“again? so fast, how pathetic. well, it doesn’t matter because i am too,” you tell him, moaning.
and, finally, you both cum. levi groans and curses as his cock twitches inside of you, rapidly growing soft because of the massive amount of sperm you had milked him dry of. you rise from his cock and your cunt is drooling with the massive amount of cum levi had filled you with.
“what a mess.” you begin to untie levi from the restraint and he shakily tries to get up. you stop him. “where do you think you’re going?”
“i... i need to see if my squad is done cleaning up the kitchen,” levi says.
you smirk and situate yourself on top of his desk, your legs spread open. “you can’t do that until i’m cleaned, now can you? be a good toy and lick me clean.”
levi should refuse. he’s been gone long enough from supervision. if he spent any more time, people would surely grow suspicious. but the sight of your dripping pussy had him on his knees and his tongue out. after all, you had the utmost control over him.
𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚: 342540
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As an active member of the Kang fan club, I feel we're not being nearly weird enough about this. Can we ship this guy with everyone, please?
My very first thoughts were Killmonger, Okoye, or Nakia.
With Killmonger/Kang, we get the malevolent intensity of Killmonger plus the amoral(?) levity of Kang. Erik has severe emotional trauma that he has never dealt with in a healthy way; does Kang use his power and knowledge to help Erik heal, or is he just curious to let Erik run rampant with his resources? Or maybe a bit of both. Erik wants to watch an unjust world burn, and Kang has already watched many.
With Okoye/Kang, we get a dutiful, lawful good warrior with this powerful wild card. I think he would be interested in trying to tempt her with power, to see what she'd say and do. Enjoy her reactions to things. He falls in love with her, but of course she doesn't trust him, especially after learning from W'Kabi what it's like to lose someone you love over ideological differences. She's served Wakanda through some of the biggest crises in its history; power seized by a hateful king, rulers turned to dust by a titan, and she's been there all along, providing support and protection. And now this man from outside of time itself is acknowledging all that she's sacrificed, and telling her she deserves more.
With Nakia/Kang, we get a brilliant strategist with a heart of gold with a guy who literally knows everything that's going to happen in all of time (up to a point) and doesn't particularly care about individual lives along the way. Once she identifies that she can't match or evade his power, she might try to influence him. A battle of wits/wills might commence. He gives her options (like he did Loki and Sylvie), she negotiates around him, etc.
Ravonna/Kang is an obvious choice, but I don't find the dynamic interesting enough, so I'm skipping it. You have every right to enjoy the ship, though!
Similarly, I don't know where one would really go with Loki/Kang, but it's an option.
If we're still shipping Darcy with everyone, like we did pre-Thor: Ragnarok, then she could be shipped with Kang. The dialogue there could be fun. She's quippy, he's quippy, she's a mere human, he's several steps above that now. I'm assuming pre-Wandavision characterization for Darcy, since I didn't like the way Wandavision made her more rude/dismissive in her quips, where before she was generally nice to others, just snarky. But if you enjoyed Wandavision Darcy, that's your prerogative.
Speaking of Thor: Ragnarok, Valkyrie/Brunhilde could be shipped with Kang. She would be pretty unimpressed with him, which is kind of hilarious. Like, she would understand quickly that he's extremely powerful, but she would not be impressed. More exasperated. She would bring a very dry snark to the table. She might be tight with Miss Minutes, though.
(Pre-Wandavision Darcy would also be tight with Miss Minutes.)
Mantis/Kang could definitely be something. It could be a similar arrangement to what she had with Ego; the Conqueror has trouble sleeping. This would require some leg-work in treating Mantis as a person, though, since she was characterized in a pretty gimmicky and stereotypical way.
At this point in the MCU, Shuri is an adult, but I'm not sure exactly how old she is, and her youth might make the already-weird power dynamic weirder. I only bring her up because I feel like she could be the next scientist to discover the multiverse, and that might make Kang feel less lonely. Doesn't have to be romantic; he could just become platonically attached to her, and she could be curious to learn from him. Of course, shortly thereafter she'd be horrified by all the pruning of variants and stuff, but that could be a cool Broken Pedestal moment; her brilliant mentor who has delighted in showing her all these wonders is also casually a supervillain on the side.
#loki series spoilers#marvel#mcu#he who remains#kang the conqueror#okoye#nakia#erik killmonger#n'jadaka#darcy lewis#brunhilde#valkyrie#mantis#shuri udaku
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Hi! Can I request headcanons of levi (or if you don't write for aot then choose a random character) of how he would act if the woman he loves is already dating someone else? (Reader can be gn)
I definitely write for Attack on Titan. I love this Anime!
Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessiveness, obsessiveness, manipulation, sabotage, stalking, death
s/o is already dating someone else
⚔️Levi is without a doubt in my mind one of the most possessive ones in Attack on Titan. He would find this unpleasant turn of events fairly early on out since he already started his research about you and also asked people like your neighbors questions about you. But they just gave him a pitiful look and told him you were already dating someone else. Happily.
⚔️Levi hates very few things more than having his future partner ripped away from his arms before he even had the chance to court or kidnap them. A lot of things were going on in him at that moment, his feelings exploding inside of him. But he couldn’t risk losing it in front of your neighbors. So he just thanked them for the information and walked away. He needed to let off some steam so the option was either training with his cadets or destroying something. Hopefully he went with the latter because if not whoever he trained with was bruised and broken after the small training session.
⚔️Levi wanted to see for himself if you were so happy like he was told you were. He knew where you worked and came the very next day to that place, sitting somewhere near and waiting for your partner to arrive. And ugh, did he hate that smile that you gave your girlfriend/boyfriend the moment you saw them, embracing them in a warm hug and giving them a quick peck on the lips. It took Levi some self-control to not storm towards the two of you and rip you apart before punishing that bitch/bastard for daring to touch you like this. He felt like barfing when seeing how they touched you. The only thing he could do for now was heavily glaring. And if looks could have killed they would have already died over a hundred very agonizing deaths. His glare was so intense that other people had already started to give him weird looks.
⚔️Levi instantly started informing himself about that bitch/bastard, not wanting to miss a single thing about them that could help him to make the both of you break up. He also informed himself about your relationship. How long had the both of you known each other before you became a thing? How long had you been dating? Had there ever been a time where the both of you had a huge argument and if yes about what? He kept everything he found out in mind, everything the citizens or the documents told him. At the same time he started on forming for now a friendship with you, bumping often into you and starting some conversations with you. He knew after all what you were interested in.
⚔️Levi started to slowly slip here and there some comments in about your partner. He had seen them recently checking other women/men out, did you know that? Or that he had seen them recently hanging out with someone else. You had faith in your partner, but the person tellling you this was Captain Levi, humanity’s strongest soldier.
⚔️Levi had a plan and was following it. After he had raised those small suspicions he started keeping your boyfriend/girlfriend busy, especially on the days where he knew you had a date. He made sure that they wouldn’t be able to make it until hours later and guess who always popped up in the places where you were waiting for them to arrive? Levi! He played innocently, asking you confused what you were doing here all by yourself? And when you told him on the verge of tears that your so called “boyfriend/girlfriend” had let you wait for nearly an hour now and people had already started to give you pitiful looks Levi expressed his shock and confusion and offered to be your company for now. And in that moment you just needed someone to talk to. And this happened more than once.
⚔️Your trust was greatly damaged, you became tired of the same excuses from them everyday and every time they promised to make it up to you it ended with you sitting alone until Levi came in and saved you from the whispers of other people. Levi was there for you and whenever you were deeply upset he was your shoulder to cry on. Not only that, but your neighbors told you that he often asked them about your well-being, leaving small cheer up notes and presents to make you feel better. Your neighbors knew about all the recent events and being worried over you asked you if it wouldn’t be the best for the both of you to break up. It obviously didn’t work anymore between the two of you.
⚔️This thought had crossed your mind as well, but you still clawed onto the last shred of hope you had. Your neighbors gave you the advice that there were plenty of potential partners to choose from, people that would be better for you than that fool who didn’t know how to treat you properly, for example a special young man who always came over to make sure you were fine. It worked accordingly to Levi’s plan. All he needed to do now was crushing the last bit of trust you had in that jerk. Shortly after rumors started to pop up, people telling each other that your partner had been cheating on you and being involved with some less legal business. And that was enough to make you snap. All people in your district had known that they had more than often not been there on your dates and had just let you down. He had often said he had been sent somewhere else from some unknown person, but no one believed him. Instead there were rumors he had secretly met with other women/men. In the end they were looked down by everyone.
⚔️You were greatly upset, feeling hurt that the love you had given them had meant nothing to them. You cried for the first few days, too many emotions screaming inside of you. And that’s when your knight in shining armor appeared. Levi comforted you during that time, trying to cheer you up and taking you outside to get your mind off them. And people noticed that with a smile on their face. Levi had successfully charmed his way into the people’s hearts with which you lived in this district and after the recent events everyone wished for you to be happy again. And wouldn’t Levi be just a perfect boyfriend? Wherever you went people talked about how much Levi always cared and that you were truly blessed to have someone like him.
⚔️It honestly wouldn’t take long for Levi to successfully woo you in such a scenario. Not only has he built up your trust in him beforehand, he has also the people in your close surroundings wrapped around his fingers. Levi knows what you like and are interested in and will use all the information she has collected about you. If that person should ever come anywhere near you again he’ll threaten and blackmail them to better stay away. And no one would believe your ex if they would tell anyone about this.
⚔️The story might be different if your partner is a part of the scouts. Then there is a good chance that Levi will make sure that their next mission will be their last. He would still make sure that your trust would be already cracked beforehand so you won’t have a too hard time to move on. In either case Levi will win. He decided that you’ll be his so you’re going to be his.
#yandere attack on titan#yandere aot#yandere shingeki no kyojin#yandere snk#yandere levi#yandere levi ackerman
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Eda Clawthorne x Fem!Human Reader: Closets & Claim
Summary: Anon requested “I’ve greatly enjoyed your eda x fem reader stories. They are absolutely terrific! Do you mind making some more with eda being protective and assertive. And if u don’t do n*fw then maybe some slight n*fw”
A/N: Alright so, I broke my own rules here. This is smut. I won’t take any n*fw requests though because it’s not something I am typically comfortable with. Writing this was something I am only comfortable with sometimes. I was only okay with it this time because some people 👀 got my brain working yesterday and this was the result. You all know who you are.
Warning(s): Smut. Tasteful smut, but still smut. (I’ll leave asterisks before it in case you want to read everything except the saucy bits)
Putting a smile on for the party was easy, knowing it made Luz happy. If you were honest with yourself, Hexside’s student appreciation event wasn’t even that bad, if a little stuffy. You couldn’t help but think of ways you and Eda could throw a party way better than this. But you wouldn’t. Luz wasn’t really one for huge parties anyway.
As you scanned the room for Eda, you felt a presence at your side. You turned to see a charming looking man holding a drink out to you.
“Oh, no thank you, I’m fine.” You said kindly.
“Please, I insist,” He said in a sickly sweet voice, “Can’t leave a beautiful lady empty-handed.”
Paying no attention to your tense body language or displeased expression, he forcefully wrapped your fingers around the glass he was holding. You pulled your hand away quickly. It didn’t take much for you to recognize what type of witch he was; a cheating husband looking for an ‘exotic’ human to show him a good time.
“So, what brings a fine human like you to an event like this?”
“My kid.” You said shortly, focusing your gaze on said child.
It warmed your heart to see the open, carefree expression on her face. She was pointing excitedly at a plaque with her name on it. You’d already taken multiple pictures of said plaque, even though it was supposed to go home with you at the end of the night. They’d been more for Camila than anyone else.
The woman had wanted more than anything to be there, but an emergency shift at the hospital had stopped that from happening. That and she wasn’t very comfortable with spending long amounts of time in the Boiling Isles yet. You couldn’t blame her, you’d been the same way in the beginning. And you couldn’t help but admire how much of her own discomfort she’d pushed aside to make Luz happy. Camila was a great mom.
After getting lost in your thoughts, you remembered the man standing next to you. He’d taken the time to run his mouth. You hadn’t heard one word of it and you didn’t need to. It was likely full of innuendos and suggestive comments.
You only gave him your attention when you felt his hand grip your wrist. Against all of your better judgement, your body froze up. It was then that you heard what he was saying loud and clear.
“Why don’t you and I just.. slip out of here for a few moments. We’ll be back before anyone notices.” He said, giving you a smile that made you feel sick.
“No.” You said, vibrating with anger, and a small amount of fear.
“Oh come on, don’t be like that.”
“Get your greasy hands off of me before I make you.”
“I might like that.” He said suggestively.
“The lady said no.”
Your head turned, relief filling you upon seeing Eda standing there. Her eyes were filled with anger at the man. His hand was still clamped around your wrist, making you shift uncomfortably.
“And who are you? Mind your own business.” He snapped.
Eda inhaled angrily, while you tensed. That was the wrong thing to say. You could see that Eda’s anger was dangerously close to boiling over and that the Owl beast could potentially come into play, but part of you didn’t care. All you cared about was getting away from him.
“It became my business when you decided you could touch my mate. Now scram, before I decide to give your wife a play-by-play of what just happened here.” Eda growled, using her free hand to place it on the man’s chest, shoving him back. It made him release his grip, to your relief.
You moved away from him, tucking yourself safely into Eda’s side. Her shoulders relaxed slightly as she wrapped her arm around your waist.
“But-”
“If you want to walk away with all of your limbs, I wouldn’t.” You warned, glaring at him.
He stopped, looking between you and Eda, trying to determine if it was worth it. You felt Eda’s hand clench around your waist. Giving him your best glare, you tried to warn him off. The last thing Luz needed was for one of her guardians to lose control at an event like this. Luckily, the witch took the hint.
Relief, and a little bit of amusement, flooded you as he stomped away. Seeing a grown man throw a tantrum was a funny sight. Overall though, you were glad that you didn’t have to deal with Eda transforming. She was getting better at controlling it, but with how angry she was, it would have been impossible this time. You didn’t want to add homicide to her list of crimes.
Looking up at your girlfriend, you saw her chest was heaving. She was doing everything she could to calm herself down. So she didn’t cause a scene.
“Eda, hey, look at me,” You said softly, moving directly in front of her so she couldn’t move anywhere else, “I’m okay. You fixed it, okay? He’s gone and he won’t touch me ever again.”
She nodded, but there still seemed to be something there, some feeling she couldn’t shake. You had no idea what was going on inside of her mind. So when she grabbed you and started to pull you out of the room, you felt extremely confused.
“Eda? Eda, where are we going?” You asked in a hushed tone.
You knew that you could pull away at any time, but you had no reason to. Eda would never do anything to hurt you. It was best to go along with what she had in mind.
*** *** ***
The witch gave you no verbal answer. Instead, she found an empty hallway, her eyes searching frantically for something. You understood when she yanked open the door to a storage closet, shoving you in, and following you inside. Once the two of you were safely ensconced in it, she wasted no time in moving your clothing aside so she had free access to your body.
“Here? This is really irresponsible of us.” You said in a harsh whisper, trying not to pant against her hands roughly gripping your frame.
“I sealed it with the necessary spells, now just relax.” Eda said.
As her lips latched onto that sensitive part of your neck, you’d never been more grateful that Eda carried around pre-drawn runes. If not, you knew you’d be failing to hold back the noises you were making.
Her hands and the way she touched you was rougher than normal, more assertive. Normally, Eda took her time, making sure you felt loved while she left you thoroughly satiated. This was different. Animalistic. Her normal chuckles were replaced by snarls and growls as she left bite marks on your neck and down your chest. They almost drowned out the moans leaving your mouth as she rammed her fingers inside of you.
Your body jolted everytime she removed her digits, only to slam them back in. If you weren’t so used to her, you’d probably be hurting. But you were experienced enough to know that the hurt would come later. Walking was not going to be easy after this.
“Who do you belong to?” Eda asked in your ear.
Eda’s pace sped up after she asked the question. She could tell that you were nearly at the precipice, ready and eager to fall into the bliss she was building you up to. Your brain registered the question, but in-between all of your whining and moaning, you couldn’t form an answer. You were too caught up in the feeling of being thoroughly ravished.
“Who do you belong to, Y/N?” Eda asked again, growling this time.
Her pace had slowed, causing you to let out a desperate whine. You were almost there. She was keeping you from the one thing you wanted so much in this moment and it was killing you.
“Tell me who you belong to and I’ll let you finish.” She taunted, an animalistic grin on her features that made you clench.
“Y-You! I belong to you, Eda!” You whined out.
The noise turned into a choked shriek as she resumed her blistering pace from before, pounding into you at a rate that should have been impossible. You weren’t complaining though. The opposite, really. It was all you needed to fall over the edge, letting out an obscenely loud noise as the feelings overwhelmed you, making your body go stiff. The moment lasted for so long you feared you were going to black out, but eventually you went limp, held up by Eda’s strong arms.
Silence filled the room, marred only by your panting breaths against her neck. You felt sticky and sweaty, but thoroughly pleased with what had just occurred. Wordlessly, the two of you did your best to fix your clothing and hair.
“You’re such a good girl for me.” Eda said smugly, placing a kiss on your lips, before moving out of the closet. As the two of you moved back into the hallway and to a restroom to right yourselves, you were relieved to see that there were no people around.
Thank Titan those runes held up.
#😈#edalyn clawthorne#eda x reader#the owl house#eda clawthorne#the owl house x reader#eda the owl lady#eda clawthorne imagine#the owl house imagine#wlw#wlw imagine#eda clawthorne x fem reader#oct2020#multimilfswritings
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Welcome to the Family
Well, this is the last part of this part. I’ll be starting to work on the next one soon. I have so many different ideas. First though, today after this, I’ll be posting a mother’s day fic I wrote set in this. It’s set in the future (when Jason’s dead). It’s not really spoiler, just a cute little three-shot I wrote before writing this actual story. I’ll be posting the soonish after I pro-read it one more time :)
Never Wanted to be Here pt.7
Normally if you had told Jason Todd he was allowed to stay home from school for an entire month he would’ve been beyond excited but surprisingly this wasn’t the case. He was bed ridden practically the entire time and on top of it still had to keep up with his school work. And he still hadn’t been allowed back on patrol. His bullet wound was the least of his concerns as his boredom was the highest pain in his life at the moment. He was disgusted that he was actually looking forward to going back to school soon.
Alfred had finally allowed him to get out of bed, as long as he kept up with his work and out of the cave. It was an unfair compromise in Jason’s opinion but he took it anyway, desperate to stretch his legs a bit. He currently found himself sitting in the living room, watching a marathon of reruns from Impractical Jokers, one of his all-time favorite shows. He snacked on a bag of chips he sneaked from the kitchen, keeping an ear out for Alfred, who would surely kill him if he caught him eating junk right before dinner.
Just as Mur was about to get his eyebrows shaved off, he heard the front door open and Alfred greeting someone. He rolled up the bag and slipped it behind a pillow, craning his neck around to see if he could sneak a peek into the hallway. He raised an eyebrow when he heard Grayson’s voice. He and Alfred were talking one another, Alfred asking how their flight was. Their? It was then when he heard Halley’s soft voice answer him.
“Long, but not terrible.” She laughed, causing Jason’s hears to perk up in curiosity.
After the run in with Deathstroke, Dick had taken Halley back to Titan’s Tower. The girl was too overwhelmed to stay at the manor, Dick told Bruce the night before they left. She appreciated Bruce’s hospitably and understanding but the feeling of being a burden and the guilt of dragging them into her issues were ringing too loudly in her head.
Jason jumped out of his skin when he heard Dick say he was going to go talk to Bruce and then two sets off footsteps heading towards the room he sat in. His eyes widened, quickly checking that the bag of chips was securely hidden. Pretending to be fully invested in the show, he acted surprised when Alfred entered the room with the girl in question right behind him.
“Honestly, Master Jason, I don’t understand how you can watch this tomfoolery.” Alfred’s sharp voice made him jump again. Jason turned to look at him and Halley, rolling his eyes. The butler turned from the TV, looking at the girl. “Dinner will be ready shortly, young Master Jason will be a respectable host until it is ready.” Alfred said to the girl pleasantly before shooting Jason a warning look and heading back to the kitchen.
Jason rolled his eyes after the butler when his back was turned, along with sticking his tongue out. He wouldn’t dare to when he was looking. His face softened when he heard Halley giggle. He looked at her oddly, never hearing her laugh so lightheartedly before. Dork, he thought when she blushed when noticing his eyes on her. Clearing her throat she motioned her hand towards the TV, the strange antics happening on the screen catching her attention.
Jason outreached his hands to the empty spot next to him, silently ushering her to the couch. As she sat she crossed her arms against her chest, quirking her lip up as a man with his hair and eyebrows shaved off appeared on the screen, his group of friends gathering around him laughing as they held up a driver’s license up. The photo of the man in his current appearance was terrifying but everyone found it hilarious, including Jason, who was snickering in at the screen.
“What is this?” She questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“The greatest show ever, duh.” Jason said as if it was obvious.
“Debatable.” She shrugged.
Jason cocked up an eyebrow this time, turning his attention to her. She stared at the screen seriously, trying to find what was funny about torturing your friends with over the top pranks as the preview for the next episode began. He couldn’t help to take note in how good she looked. Not that he was checking her out. But no, good in the sense that the bruises from being beat to shit by her asshole father were now faded and it appeared that none of the cuts scared. She looked lighter. Even with the serious look on her face, she seemed not as stressed out and uptight as compared to when he first met her.
“What?” She asked, not having to look to feel Jason’s eyes on her.
Jason shrugged, trying to play it cool. He turned back to the TV, reaching underneath the pillow and pulling the chips back out. He munched on a couple offering the bag to Halley. She refused them politely, not wanting to spoil her dinner. She’d been craving Alfred’s cooking after the first few nights of Starfire’s and the endless amount of take-out the Titan’s ordered. She never much noticed it when she first moved in, just thankful to be taken care of. But once you tasted Alfred’s cooking there was no going back.
“So you just visiting or-,” Jason muttered, biting on his lip, pausing to wait for her answer.
“Dick wants me to try again. You know being normal, or as normal as one can be as Bruce Wayne’s ward.” She said with a sigh, looking at her lap.
Jason nodded, shoving another chip in his mouth awkwardly. He chewed loudly, swallowing before turning to look at her again, “And do you want to?”
Halley looked up at him, fidgeting with the hem of her oversized black and grey stripped sweater. She was nervous of coming back, not sure if it was the right thing to do. She’d caused them a lot of trouble and she wasn’t the happiest here. She felt miserable actually but she also wasn’t in the greatest head space. She was concerned for Dick, worried about her father, and paranoid Batman wasn’t trusting of her.
But being back at the tower, something felt off. She couldn’t quit tell at first. Of course she was missing Alfred and his cooking. She felt like she had bonded with the older man; he was kind and made her feel like a normal kid. But she knew that couldn’t have been the only thing throwing her off from being in the tower. The thought of school did cross her mind. She didn’t particularly missed it but she found herself googling more about the French Revolution, as she had just started learning about it in her History class and she wanted to know how it ended as if it was some story in a book. She also never got to properly thank Bruce for all he did for her. He took her in, adopted her, forging it but still, people knew he now had a daughter and she just left him to come up with an explanation as to why. She loved the Titans but it just didn’t feel right going back.
“I want to try again.” She nodded, giving him a short smile.
He nodded, ending the conversation there, turning back to the TV again. The pair watched the next episode in silence. Well, silence besides Jason laughing at every gag. Halley smirked here and there but it wasn’t until the very end when the guy she now knew as Sal was forced to go around kicking kids out of a pool. She didn’t know why it made her laugh so hard but it did. The look on his face when a mom question why he was kicking her son out just hit her in the gut and she found herself wiping a tear away from her eye as her and Jason laughed together.
“I see Master Jason has already corrupted her.” Alfred’s voice rang out, startling the two teens out from their fit of giggles. Jason cursed, earning a verbal slap on the wrist by the butler. Jason quickly tried to shove the bag of chips out of view but it was too late. He’d been too distracted by the show and it finally getting Halley to laugh out loud to have heard Alfred enter the room. Alfred eyed the bag, silently telling Jason he was disappointed but not surprised. He noticed the bag missing from the cabinet earlier when he was cooking. Looking less than impressed, Alfred spoke, “Master Bruce requests you show Miss Halley downstairs, he’d like to speak with the pair of you before dinner.”
“Like downstairs, downstairs?” Jason asked, thrown off. Bruce was inviting her down to the Batcave?
“I do believe that is what I said, Master Todd.” Alfred rolled his eyes, only ever calling the Robin’s last names when he was losing his patience with them.
Jason stood up, turning the TV off not wanting to hear it from Alfred. He jerked his head towards the door, urging the girl to follow him. She gulped, quickly catching on to what downstairs meant. She felt her hands sweat as she trailed behind Jason down the hallway past the grand staircase, vaguely remembering her way around the manor. She’d never been down the hallway he turned down though, leading her to a library. He held the door for her, shutting it once they both stepped in. Jason felt nervous too, seeing as he hadn’t been allowed downstairs in nearly over a month now. Walking over to the piano, he hit the right keys, noticing Halley’s raised eyebrow. When the secret doorway disguised as a bookcase slide open, she jumped back before smirking.
“That’s so cliché,” She looked at him before following him through the doorway. She looked back as it closed behind them. The sound of water running and the smell of stone entering her senses. Rocky walls surrounded them as she walked behind Jason down a metal spiral staircase.
“Yeah, well so is Bruce.” Jason chuckled, smiling at being greeted by the familiar Batcave he grew to worship so much.
“It’s literally a cave?” She almost questioned, not containing her smile as it came into full view. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the tall walls and high ceilings. Below the walkway stood a hanger that held the Batmobile, Batplane and a couple of other models of vehicles. After escaping the warehouse as it exploded, she had gotten to ride in the Batmobile, but her tiredness and injures had gotten to her and she had passed out in the back seat, waking up the next day in her room upstairs. She hadn’t gotten to see any of this than.
Her mouth hung open as her eyes continued to scan the large cave, her eyes stopping on a giant life size, statue of a t-rex and an a ridiculous oversized penny, along with other trophies of Batman’s adventures. Her eyes stopped on what she heard Dick called the Batcomputer, because of course that’s what it was called, as Jason grabbed her arm and began leading her down the walkway and towards where Bruce was standing next to Dick. Lining the wall along the walk had glass displays with different Batsuits and even some of Dick’s old Robin ones. She grinned when she saw the famous Robin leotard.
“Pretty cool huh?” Dick walked over to her, a proud smirk present on his face as he watched her eyes trail over the suits.
“Yeah,” she whispered. Looking at him teasingly, she jerked her thumb back to his old Robin costume. “You seriously wore that?”
“Hey, don’t hate,” Dick scoffed, placing an arm on her lower back and guiding her towards Bruce.
He sat in front of the large screens of the Batcomputer, overlooking different security videos displaying what appeared to be people loading and unloading boxes into trucks at the docks. Bruce had his chin resting on his hand before looking from the videos and towards the two teens he called down. Raising from his chair, Halley noticed how he was dressed in his costume minus the cowl. He made his way over to Jason and Halley as Dick led them to him.
“What’s that?” Jason looked at videos still playing before nodding towards Bruce.
“Our mission for tonight.” He nodded, giving his signature smirk when he saw Jason’s eyes widened in excitement. Alfred gave Bruce the okay on Jason’s injuries, the wound looking worse for wear at first and healed nicely. He’d still have to be careful but he knew Jason was getting antsy and was ready to get back in the field. He turned his head to look at Dick, then down to Halley. “I want you three to eat well, it may be a late night. Bane’s got a new shipment of Venom arriving tonight. I want to get to it all before he gets it out on the streets. Come down as soon as you’re so we can get ready to head out.”
“Wait,” Halley whispered, eyes raising to look at Dick. Did she hear Bruce right? “The three of us?”
“Surprise!” Dick exclaimed, giving her a wide smile.
Bruce shook his head at his eldest, opening his mouth to explain, “Your skills would be an asset to this team,” He said motioning between himself, Jason and Dick. “That is if you would like to join us. I understand if you’re not ready to go out into the field.”
Halley bit the inside of her cheek. No one’s ever complimented her abilities before and to have Batman be the first person to, she couldn’t help but feel thrown off. They must’ve thought she didn’t want to with the look on their faces due to her taking a few moments to process what Bruce just offered her. He offered her a spot on his team. She wanted to try at a normal life and by agreeing to this, all cards for that would be thrown off the table. But did she really want a normal life? She didn’t want to just go to school and come back to the manor and do nothing. What would she do with her life? She knew she’d get bored without some short of action. The handful of missions she went on with Dick and the Titans over the years made her think that maybe she could become a hero, like Nightwing and Batman.
“But I don’t have anything to wear.” She managed to say lamely. There was no way in hell she was she going out in her father’s suit.
“Got you covered,” Dick said breaking the silence, eager that she was saying yes. He crossed his arms against his broad chest, looking proudly at himself. He’d been working on this for the last week when she first came to him asking if she could go back to the manor. “I wanted to surprise you so I didn’t tell you I was making this. Kori helped with the sizing and stuff like that. I was going to make it look like a miniature Nightwing costume and you could’ve been like my sidekick, I thought it was a good idea, but the death glare Kori gave me when I suggested it told me it that was actually a bad idea.” He laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“You think,” Jason snickered, raising an eyebrow at the former Robin.
Halley laughed to at Dick. Thank God for Kori, she thought. Rubbing her arms with her hands nervously she watched as Jason then walked over to computer, smirking as he was mentally preparing for the mission. He turned his attention to his suit in its case, feeling the adrenaline already start to begin.
“Well, while you finish this up,” he started with a wave of his hand, “I’ve been coped up in this place for a month so I’m going to go stuff my face so we can head out.” He said walking past them. As he walked past Halley he stopped, patting her shoulder playfully, but she could sense he had some sort of sincerity to him, “Welcome to the family, dork.”
Halley blushed as her eyes followed him as he disappeared back up from where they came. Turning back to Dick who began leading her to show off the new costume real quick before they joined Jason upstairs. She couldn’t contain the smile from spreading across her face. Halley barely heard a word Dick said as he stopped them in front of a case that showed off the outfit. She took in its appearance, eyeing the clean Kevlar armor, staring down every detail.
“I take it, I did a good job.” Dick’s voice cut her out of her trance.
“Yeah, you did good.” She beamed, teasingly. Without warning she nearly tackled him into a hug, but he was strong enough so that she didn’t knock them over. Dick was only frozen for a minute before returning the hug. They’d been close but hugs from the girl where extremely rare so he enjoyed them when he got them. He only had been hugged by her two other times before. When they pulled away, she said thank you, looking up at him with big eyes.
“Your welcome,” He smiled back, before leading her away and up the stairs. “Like Jason said, your family now. I mean-I already considered you family but now you’re like officially apart of the Batfamily-,”
Halley rolled her eyes at him as she was brought upstairs and towards the dining room. Jason was already pigging out, being chastised by Alfred for his terrible table manners. Dick’s voice didn’t stop either, somehow managing to shout out different name ideas for her while still scoffing food down his throat.
“She is not calling herself Nightbird,” Jason exclaimed in disgust. “She’s not your sidekick! She can probably kick your ass,”
“What’s wrong with Nightbird? You like that name right?” Dick defended shooting Halley a look to back him up.
Halley pulled a face as Alfred set a plate down in front of her. Her face wasn’t at the food and Alfred knew that. The pair shared a grimace, both having the same opinion of Dick’s name choice without having to say it out loud. She dug into her food, trying to think of a way to put it nicely, “it’s okay,” She managed to say, avoiding eye contact with him.
“You don’t like it!” He sounded so betrayed.
“It’s not that I don’t like-,”
“You don’t have to baby him, Halley.” Jason cut in. “He’s a big boy,” He raised his fork to his chin, thinking. “No, you need a kick ass name. You’re basically a crazy deadly assassin, you need to sound terrifying.”
Digging into her food she couldn’t help but smile to herself as the boys argued over what her code name should be. Any doubt she had about coming back here was gone as she just let herself enjoy the family meal, chuckling as Dick insisted that his names where way better and more appropriate than Jason’s. Munching away she had begun tuning them out, not worried about her name for now. It wasn’t that important and it would eventually come to her. As she cut another bit of steak though, her ears perked up at as something Jason said caught her attention.
“That,” she pointed her knife at him with wide eyes,
“Nightshade?” Jason questioned, looking at her excitingly,
“Yeah,” She nodded, eagerly, but somewhat faltered, at the memory the name brought up. It wasn’t a terrible one, just not exactly a great one. When her father was teaching her about poisons, he said they were a woman’s weapon, for the incapable, But Halley didn’t agree. Poisons were strong and gave you a subtlety that guns and knives couldn’t. And she remembered admiring how beautiful certain poisonous plants had been, the shades of purples and blues in the Nightshade plant being her favorite.
“Well it still had night in it so I’m satisfied with it,” Dick shrugged, trying to hid how annoyed he was that she liked Jason’s idea better.
“Nightshade,” Jason repeated, getting used to the way it sounded. Teasingly, he leaned forward finishing the last bit off of his plate. “Eh, I don’t know, I think you’re too much of a dork for it. I don’t know if I’ll let you take my idea.”
“Too late, it’s mine.” She narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. “You can’t just take it back,”
He chuckled, pushing his seat out, so he could go down to the cave and get ready. He shot them both a look telling them to hurry up before leaving the room. Halley quickly stuffed her face with the rest of her steak pushing her own chair out and racing after Jason. She was now more than eager to get out and actually see the city. Dick watched after the pair of them, eyebrow cocking up as he saw her race to reach Jason in the hall in the doorway. She said something he couldn’t hear and couldn’t help but be curious due to Jason’s loud mock laugh, before he saw the new boy wonder playfully punching her shoulder.
“Am I the only one slightly concerned about the trouble they’re going to get into?” He nodded towards the doorway, looking up at Alfred who had come to collect the teen’s plates. Their bubbling friendship, if you could call it that, clueing in on Dick.
“No you are not, Master Dick,” Dick looked up as Alfred responding, finishing off his own food before now rushing to follow after the two teens.
#jason todd#jason todd x reader#jason todd imagine#jason todd fanfiction#jason todd x oc#red hood#red hood x oc#dick grayson#dick grayson x sister!reader#dick grayson x oc#nightwing#nightwing x reader#nightwing fanfic#bruce wayne#batman fanfiction#batfam x reader#batbros#deathstroke daughter
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I really liked that “savage quotes that are memes”! Could you please please please do the same for Vulgrim, Abaddon and maybe even Usiel if you have the time? Thank you!
Vulgrim: You would never go so far as to say you and Vulgrim had become close. There was still a very real possibility that he’d turn around and pull your soul out through your teeth if he thought it would bring him a profit.
That being said however, you had discovered over the course of your stay in Haven that the demon merchant had just the right amount of charisma to make you lower your guard. Which was quite possibly why he was still such a successful business ‘man.’ Vulgrim spoke to you and your fellow humans, and once you all learned that he wasn’t about to try anything - not with three, titanic guard dogs subtly watching his every move - you started speaking back.
It took a while, but eventually, you came to realise that you liked Vulgrim and by his own begrudging admission, he didn’t entirely dislike you humans either. You were the only species he’d encountered who didn’t talk to him as though he were leagues beneath you, and way down deep inside, there was a grizzled old part of the demon that appreciated the effort.
You weren’t friends though. Demons don’t have friends, as everyone - himself included - liked to remind you.
So at the end of it all, when the Destroyer and his army suddenly appeared outside Haven and declared their intention to eradicate the last of your species, the sadness you felt at having to leave him behind couldn’t have been because it felt like you were losing another friend. No, surely you were only sad to lose the late night conversations about all the different worlds he’d visited, the jokes - that you aren’t entirely sure were jokes - where he told you how valuable your soul would be and you should really consider giving it to him for safe keeping.
It was during one of your odd, little chats with Vulgrim that you first spotted the Destroyer on the horizon and not long after, you heard Ulthane barking gruffly for everyone to get inside the tree and into ‘the bridge’. Somehow, you knew this moment was a catalyst. You knew you’d be leaving Haven, never to return. And it seemed Vulgrim knew it as well.
“I…can’t believe I’m about to say this, to a human, of all things,” He gives a soft, incredulous laugh and shakes his head, causing the golden sigils dangling from his cowl to clink and sway with the motion. “But you may be the first customer I’ve ever had who’s company I shall miss more than their business.”
It’s perhaps the kindest thing he’s ever said. Which is why you’re doubly floored when, not a moment later, he sinks lower to the ground and casts a quick look out towards the encroaching horde before turning his narrow, green gaze back to you and murmurs, “I suppose this is goodbye then, huma-…Y/n, and the last we shall ever see of one another.”
In all the time you’ve known him, Vulgrim has never once given expression to anything anything other than a mischievous grin or a dramatic pout. Now though, his scaly brow hangs low over his eyes, vestigial wings drooped behind him in much the same way and suddenly, something compels you to step closer to the demon, offer him a wide, albeit bleak smile and say, “Listen, Vulgrim. Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. However, that parting need not last forever. Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short time, well..” You offer him a soft smile. “That’s really up to you.” And then, as an afterthought, you reach out to touch your fingers against the demon’s forearm.
The way Vulgrim’s eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets and stare warily at your hand lets you know that he probably hasn’t received a well-meaning touch in his entire life.
With a last, parting smile, fully aware that you’ve officially run out of time, you retract your hand and throw your demonic compadre a hasty wave before turning and dashing into the tree whilst Vulgrim stares after you, a bewildered frown tugging at his lips.
He doesn’t immediately retreat into his serpent holes, too caught up in trying to remember when - if ever - humans had been so dramatic.
—
Usiel: The hard-nosed, no nonsense angelic commander, Usiel, hadn’t quite known what to think when you fell out of that air duct and landed slap bang on top of his desk, scuppering books, scrolls and inkwells alike, and sending his soldiers into a mild panic, certain they were under attack.
An entire battalion of seasoned warriors surrounded the war table with their swords drawn and pointed at a groaning, human-shaped lump laying in the mess. Shortly afterwards, a shouting match had ensued between you and several of the angels, the latter of whom seemed adamant that they toss you into the river. You, of course, were quite outspoken in your objection to this idea.
After a lot of back and forth, Usiel had brought his fist down hard on the wooden table you still sat on, bringing the arguments to an abrupt end and nearly jolting you out of your seat. He’d then proceeded to pick you up and deposit you outside the warehouse with nothing but a gentle nudge in the direction of Haven and a grumbled, “Run along now, little one.”
You’d been making periodic trips back to the outpost ever since.
Eventually, Usiel grew tired of scolding and shooing you off his desk, so he resigned himself to his newfound role of being an unwilling recipient to all your curious questions.
That, oddly enough, was how you ended up becoming closer to the angelic commander - close enough, at least, that he no longer objected to your presence when he found himself standing alone on the roof, elbows leant heavily on the safety railing and gazing steadily out over the city.
One such night, after you’d snuck out of the safety of the maker tree and made your way up to North End and the shipping yard that sat on the river’s edge, you found yourself reclining in your usual spot next to your usual company, who you discovered was in grim sorts. Turns out, he was having something of an existential crisis. It almost made you glad to know that angels could be just as prone to those as humans.
“We have failed in our duty,” he snapped after you told him you were sure he and his men did everything they could to fight the demonic hordes. “We failed to drive the demon menace back, we failed to hold our ground and now, we are here!” He throws a heavy arm out to the side, only missing knocking you out by a few inches. “Squatting in this…this metal husk of an outpost! I cannot even provide my men with proper shelter. I have failed as a Commander, and as a soldier of Heaven!-” Suddenly, the gigantic angel pauses, his eyes shifting across to peer at you, apparently surprised that he’d just unloaded months’ worth of anguish on a human. He waits for you to ask why he’s telling you any of this, but you only tilt your head to one side and make a curious noise in your throat, wordlessly giving him permission to go on.
All at once, the wind goes out of his sails and he visibly deflates, the feathers on his wings flattening back to a more dignified volume. “And then,” he adds, “I almost threw away what little integrity I had left by aligning myself with…Lust.” He spits the sin’s name out as though it had gotten lodged between his teeth.
“Oh yeah, I heard about that,” you wince, leaning over to give his armoured shoulder a pat.
“Mmm. I can only thank Heaven that the horseman knocked some sense back into me.”
“Ha, quite literally from what I hear.”
“I thought I could save us,” he laments, unaffected by your attempt to lighten the dreary mood heaped upon you both, “I had hoped, at the very least, my Seventh Legion would be restored, and we could return to Heaven with our heads held -” Once again, Usiel cuts himself off with a sigh that matches his impressive age. “- Ah, but it does us no good to dwell on what we wish could have been. Fact remains, we shan’t be returning to the White City, and I cannot help but wonder,” he continues softly, “what will happen to us.”
There’s a shadow hovering over his brilliant, white eyes that hadn’t been there a few minutes ago. You watch him lift his head to gaze imploringly at the moon, as if he really hoped to find an answer in its luminous glow. He wouldn’t be the first to try.
After a moment, he drops his head again, this time staring at his own hands. “What will happen to me?” The night turns quiet after his last, muttered statement.
Just then, he’s startled by a small hand stretching over to pat him companionably on the back of his gauntlet and as he looks down at you once more, he sees a solemn smile pushing at your cheeks that makes you appear far older than usual. “You will stay who you are,” you urge him, giving his arm a gentle but insistent shove, “Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.”
It is a sentence the massive, battle-scarred angel has never heard. His hands slide briefly off the railing, shocked that a human had just flipped the script on him. All his life, he’d heard it the other way around.
It should have stung that you don’t consider him a perfect soldier, but it doesn’t. Because - and this hit him like a kick in the teeth - being called a good man somehow felt a whole lot better. He just didn’t know it, because he’d never heard it.
—
Abaddon, holding a sword to your chest: Tell me the location of War, you mortal piece of shit!
You, deadpan: Can you feel your heart burning? Can you feel the struggle within? The fear in me is beyond anything your soul can make. You cannot kill me in a way that matters.
Abaddon, hands shaking, pressing the sword against your heart: I’m not fucking scared of you!
#Vulgrim and Usiel's are so deep and then Abaddon's is just like LD#darksiders#darksiders 3#source: legend of zelda#source: captain america
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HI HOPE I LOVE YOU and I have a little thingy/question/headcanon that you can explore if you want: After the Snap, Peter hates sand/dirt/anything that slightly resembles ash so when his decathlon team takes a trip to the beach in the summer, Peter won't walk on the sand without his shoes on and will only sit on a towel
HI I LOVE YOU TOO!
man, I love it when people send me angsty prompts. here we go. I made it irondad because that’s the only thing I know how to write, woo.
-
“Can you believe Mr. Harrington is letting us do this?” Ned asks Peter excitedly as they get onto the fancy charter bus.
“Yes,” MJ says from behind them. “What was he supposed to say when Tony Stark told him, ‘Hey, I want to take the Decathlon team on a trip, because they deserve a break’ - no?”
“She’s got a point,” Tony says, smirking from where he’s already sitting in the front seat.
He looks different from the very put-together version of himself the world usually sees. He’s dressed casually in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, along with his trademark sunglasses, and Peter grins at him.
“Pepper says no to you all the time,” he points out as he and Ned take the pair of seats across from Tony. “Especially that time you told her you wanted to hire someone solely to make donuts for you.”
Tony gives him an incredulous look. “First of all, I told you that in confidence. Second of all, why do you call her by her first name but I’m still ‘Mr. Stark’?”
Peter grins mischievously. “Because she’s cooler.”
Tony shrugs. “I guess I can’t argue with that.”
Beside him, Ned is watching their interaction with wide eyes. Peter sits back in his seat and looks on as the rest of the team shuffles onto the bus, immediately talking in hushed voices as they catch sight of Tony.
For his part, Tony just smiles warmly and greets them all individually, and Peter laughs under his breath when Flash comes aboard. All the warmth leaves Tony’s face as he eyes Flash coldly, and the teen stumbles nervously, shooting Peter a quick look before making a beeline for the back.
Peter glances at Ned to see if he caught the exchange, but he’s still frozen in awe. Peter rolls his eyes and elbows him.
“Really, man? We’ve been over this. That right there?” he points to Tony, who’s eyes are sparkling with mirth behind his glasses. “That’s just a normal human. I mean, yeah, he’s a genius and a billionaire, and he saved the whole world from a mad Titan, but Pepper has to remind him to eat. And he always loses the TV remote.”
“Even better. We stan a relatable icon,” Ned says, and MJ huffs from her seat behind them.
“You’re insufferable.”
“I try my best. Anyway, what do you guys want to do? I brought snacks, cards, and a couple different movies - all Star Wars, of course,” Ned tells him.
“You’re so predictable. I have a better idea,” she tells them, standing up to address the rest of the bus. “Yo! I made a Kahoot on movies through the decades. Winner gets a free pass to skip a meeting without facing my eternal anger and resentment.”
“She’s talking to you, Parker!” Cindy calls, and Peter laughs good-naturedly. He’s notorious for skipping out on practice.
“Yeah, yeah,” Peter grumbles, taking out his phone. “Hope you guys are ready to lose.”
In the back, Mr. Harrington looks like he wants to say something, but as everyone starts bickering and challenging each other, he decides to just sit back and let it happen.
The game lasts the full hour it takes to get to the beach. Ned beats Peter by one question, and Peter is one hundred percent sure he will never live it down.
Tony raises an eyebrow. “A hacker and a movie buff, huh?”
Ned nearly chokes at being directly addressed. “Mr. Iron Man Tony Stark, I am so sorry about hacking into - “ he lowers his voice to a whisper, “ - the suit, but, well - Peter made me do it!”
Peter groans. “I hate you. I really do. I’m going to literally throw you under the bus,” he threatens as the bus backs into a parking space.
“That wouldn’t be very neighborly or friendly,” Ned says pointedly, and Tony snorts.
“You’re fine, kid. If anything, I was impressed,” Tony tells him, and Ned wheezes.
Mr. Harrington makes his way to the front as everyone talks excitedly.
“You know the drill. Don’t disappear, don’t drown, don’t get kidnapped, stay in pairs, don’t buy sketchy things from sketchy strangers, and just don’t do anything that will cause me or Mr. Stark a lot of paperwork,” he tells the group.
“Amen to that,” Tony mutters, and everyone laughs, already halfway out of their seats.
“Wait!” Mr. Harrington continues. “You guys need to be changed into dry clothes and back on the bus by 6:30. Snacks are in the cooler, and we’re getting dinner on the way back. Got it?”
“Yes, Mr. Harrington,” the students chant in unison. Appeased, he steps aside and lets the students file off the bus.
Peter, Ned, and MJ quickly gather their things and make their way to the boardwalk in their sandals and swimwear. MJ points out a little ghost crab scurrying across one of the dunes as they walk.
When they step onto the sand, Peter halts, blood freezing in his veins.
Little grains of sand have already gotten into his sandals, the gritty sensation horrifyingly familiar. It takes his breath away. Beside him, Ned pauses.
“What’s wrong?” his friend asks, missing the ashen look on Peter’s face.
Peter clears his throat, trying to quell the increasing panic. “I, uh - n-nothing. I just forgot something on the bus. You guys go on ahead. I’ll be right back.”
“You sure?” Ned asks, and Peter nods, swallowing down his nerves. MJ narrows her eyes at him, but he shakes his head subtly, and she nods, steering Ned to the water, where everyone else is already toeing at the waves.
As soon as they’re away, Peter steps back onto the boardwalk and kicks his shoes off, trying to get the sand away from him as he runs on bare feet back to the bus. He passes Mr. Harrington.
“Forgot something,” Peter mutters shortly, not even bothering to stop. He just needs to get away. He hates himself for not anticipating this.
The doors thankfully, are still open, and the bus driver is standing a few feet away as he talks on the phone. Peter runs onto the bus and runs smack into Tony.
Shit, Peter curses to himself. I thought he was already off.
“Peter?” Tony asks, hands coming up to Peter’s shoulders, steadying him. The kid is panting now, breaths coming in short little gasps.
All he can think of is how, not that long ago, he was in pieces, no bigger than grains of sand. Dust. Ash. He hates all of it, hates how it makes him feel, how it makes him remember.
“Peter - Pete, hey hey,” Tony soothes, gently lowering him onto a seat. “Breathe, buddy. Just breathe, everything’s okay.”
Peter nods, trying to steady himself as he twists his hand into Tony’s sleeve, grounding himself. Tony scans the kid, trying to figure out what could have set him off. That’s when he notices the bare feet, red and raw from the heat of the pavement.
Already forming an idea of what happened, Tony quietly talks Peter through the panic attack, gently easing him back into the here and now.
Eventually, Peter slumps forward, head coming to rest on Tony’s shoulder, and Tony brings a hand up to rest in the soft curls.
“You’re safe, kid, I promise,” Tony murmurs. “Want to tell me what happened?” he asks.
Peter shakes his head, but his mouth opens to speak anyway. “It was the sand,” he says hoarsely, and Tony nods to himself, cursing himself for thinking of this ahead of time. “It just - I know it’s stupid, but it makes me think of - of - “
Tony’s grip tightens around him. “It is not stupid, Peter. What you went through was traumatic. It’s not just going to go away.”
“Everyone else got dusted too, but they don’t - they don’t flinch at everything that so much as resembles it,” Peter counters, pulling away from him.
“Everyone else didn’t feel it like you did,” Tony says firmly. “And even if they did, it doesn’t matter. Everyone reacts to trauma differently.”
“I guess,” Peter mutters, looking down at his feet with a sigh.
“Do you want to go home?” Tony asks. “I can have Happy come pick us up.”
Peter shakes his head. “No, no. I, uh. Don’t want to ruin this for anyone.” Tony opens his mouth to protest, but Peter cuts him off. “I have a pair of tennis shoes for the ride back. I’m just going to change into those and maybe sit on a towel. I should be fine.”
“You sure?” Tony checks as Peter sifts through his bag and pulls out his old tennis shoes.
“Yeah,” Peter says, quickly pulling them on and standing up. They walk quietly across the boardwalk, Tony keeping an eye out for any signs of distress as they get closer to the sand.
Peter takes a deep breath and tenses as he steps onto the sand but relaxes when it doesn’t evoke the same sickening feeling as before.
Tony smiles proudly and briefly pulls him close before pointing to where MJ and Ned are sitting on their respective towels, just far enough out of reach from the waves.
“Looks like your friends are waiting for you,” he comments, and Peter grins, jogging over with his towel.
“Hey! You guys didn’t want to get in?” Peter asks, carefully spreading his towel out on the ground next to them.
“Too cold,” MJ answers shortly, even as everyone else splashes in the waves. There’s a knowing look in her eyes as she watches Tony lay out his towel next to them.
Peter nods, trying to convey his gratitude.
“Plus, it’s much more fun to watch Flash try to swim. He’s surprisingly awful at it,” Ned chimes in.
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll get caught in a rip current,” MJ jokes, and Peter gives her a chastising nudge while both Ned and Tony laugh.
“That’s not very nice,” Peter scolds, but MJ shrugs as if to say, Your point?
The four of them spend hours like that, just sitting and talking and exchanging jokes. By the time they’re back on the bus, both MJ and Ned have been offered paid internships, which Ned accepts through a happy squeal, and MJ politely says she needs some time to think about it.
All in all, it was a good trip.
#sorry!!#this accidentally became a whole ass fic#it kept getting deleted in the car#also i was so happy to get this prompt#also lowkey thought u didn't like me whoops#yay for angst#but also fluff#i hope this was to your liking!!#peter parker#tony stark#iron dad#spider son#avengers#mcu#ned leeds#michelle jones#mj#irondad and spiderson#my writing#fanfic#hope writes#tw panic attack#HOPE WRITES#god why wont my tagging system work tf
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Heist (Loki x Reader) Pt. VI
**ENDGAME SPOILERS**
Masterlist
Haven’t seen the beginning? Read the first part here!
Welcome back. This is the second to last part of the series. I apologize in advance for the stupid excuses for plots.
Taglist:
@angelofasgard16
@it-jinxed-us
@dark-night-sky-99
@pyrowolfgirl1408
@heartsxhoney
@twhgirl
@xavierwoodsxkofikingston
@panda-duuu
@nonsensicalobsessions
@marisayouass
One by one, portals opened up near you. You could see inside slightly. Some were lands you couldn't guess, but you could point out New York City and Wakanda. You could see T'Challa, Shuri, and Okoye step through. You didn't interact with them often, but they were always friendly.
Your smile grew as you saw Sam fly through the portal, circling back. The snap worked, no doubt about it. There was no way this wasn't real.
Your eyes flicked from portal to portal, seeing people you've never met before amongst the familiar faces. Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, Bucky, and everyone else stepped through. Along with Doctor Strange (who you heard about from Tony), tens of hundreds of people like him stepped through. Ships with more people walked in as well, and Valkyrie flew in on her Pegasus.
Just as the portals were starting to close, Scott climbed up from the rubble with Bruce, Rhodey, and Rocket in his hand. Rocket was on top of Rhodey who was in his iron suit. Scott leaned down to let them jump off of his hand.
You grinned at them brightly and stood next to Clint. The army that came through the portals matched Thanos' army. Only in size though. You had no doubt in your mind that you'd beat them.
"Avengers," Steve yelled, grabbing Mjölnir. That wasn't even the most shocking thing you've seen today. You were still amazed. "Assemble." It was quiet, but that didn't stop Thor from yelling out a war cry as everyone started running into the fight.
You ran along with them, holding the gauntlet in your hand. You can't do much while holding it except make sure that it doesn't fall into anyone else's hands. Your back stung with pain still, but it didn't matter. There was too much adrenaline running in your veins.
"Where do you want this damn thing?!" You asked as you ran through the battlefield. Dodging alien after alien was rough. You wanted to fight.
"Keep that thing as far away from Thanos as possible!" Tony yelled.
"No!" Bruce interrupted. "Get it to the time machine. We can send it back."
"Well, that's going to be a little hard considering it was probably destroyed!" You dodged another alien as Peter used his web to blind it. You gave him a thankful glance before turning towards an open area.
"Wait! We have one other time machine" Scott jumped in. A distant car horn could be heard playing La Cucaracha.
"Valkyrie, can you find an ugly, brown van?" Steve asked.
"I can see it, but you're not going to like where it's parked."
You could only assume it was buried under parts of the building and that it had plenty of enemies surrounding it. "If someone can take these stones off my hands I can get in there and clear a path." You said, stopping to see who was around.
"Y/N, give it to me," T'Challa called out from on top of a hill. You handed him the gauntlet before running into the battle.
You shoved some enemies across the ground. For others, you used their own weapons against them. You'd take their blades and slice their necks or stab them easily. Tony taught you a few self-defense moves in case anything happened.
One more hill. You had one more hill to run up to before you could spot the van. Looking off to your right, Tony and Peter were hugging. The sight warmed your heart. On the other side, Wanda was beating the shit out of Thanos. She destroyed his weapon with ease. You were proud of her and silently cheered her on.
You made it to the top of the hill and slid down. The van laid in a mess of metal only a few yards away. You sprinted towards it, lifting your hands up to lift the metal with your powers. It was heavy and taking a toll on you. Sam backed you up, flying over to use bombs. He was able to break it up until smaller pieces for you. He then fought off several aliens that were racing to you.
The pieces were off the van in no time after that. Scott and Hope were loading up the machine. Just as the gauntlet was making its way over to the van, Thanos threw the last piece of his sword into the machine. It caused a huge explosion, sending you back.
You groaned in pain from the blast. Burns were scattered on your body, you could feel them. You were covered in dust and dirt. Sam flew over to you immediately, going to shield you. "Sam? What are you doing?" You asked him. He was about to respond when a large beam of light struck near you both.
Hundreds of the same thing started flying across the battlefield. They were coming from the ship up in the sky. You could see people getting struck by them and collapsing. The ship suddenly started aiming for something in the sky.
"What the hell is that?" Sam asked as you watched Captain Marvel going through the ship, easily taking it down.
"Our only lifeline," You replied, "Come on, let's go find that gauntlet before someone else does!" You quickly got up.
~
Thanos pulled the gauntlet on. The energy surged through him quickly. It reminded you too much of what happened five years ago. There was no way you could let it happen again.
Carol ran in before you could. She used her powers to stop him from snapping. She was able to overpower him. Just as she was going to land a final blow on him, he pulled the power stone out and blasted her away.
Thanos placed the stone back into its slot carefully. He was able to wield the stones and scan the grounds. He watched as people were still fighting. He found it almost cute.
You took this as your chance to stop him. Tony was still trying to stand, and Strange knew you had to stall for time. Whatever it takes.
Using your powers you swept in and stopped him from being able to move his hand. "Ah," He began, "The guardian. You couldn't handle losing everyone you loved, could you?"
"You think this is vengeance for everyone I've loved? Oh, no. You're sorely mistaken," You almost laughed, "The snap was for them. This... This is for Loki."
Your attention turned towards Tony and Strange. Your power was draining quickly. Strange looked at you, slowly moving his finger across his neck to tell you to stop. You nodded, and let Thanos win.
Thanos quickly took the advantage and grabbed you by the neck with his good hand. He threw you across like a ragdoll, and you crashed into the ground. You could barely keep your eyes open as Tony made his way in.
Strange helped you up, allowing you to rest on his side. You watched as Tony took the stones out of the gauntlet, smiling slightly.
Thanos threw him off, unaware that the stones were gone. He had a triumphant glint in his eyes as he held his hand up, getting ready to snap. "I am inevitable," He said, as a small clink could be heard. He turned his hand to see that the stones were gone.
Tony sat up, holding his right arm up instead. The stones slowly connected into the suit. The suit took a brutal part of the energy, but it hit him quickly. You could see the bright lights of the stones crawling their way up and through his neck.
Strange carried you over, knowing exactly what you'd do next. Grabbing his left hand, you nearly screamed from the pain. It woke you up quickly, and it felt electrifying. Tony looked at you with worry. "You're not going to do this alone, Tony. We're all in. Whatever it takes," You barely choked it out.
Tony nodded, turning his attention back to Thanos. Strange grabbed your hand. The next thing you knew, Steve held onto Tony's arm. Bucky did the same with Steve. Sam held you by the shoulder, and Peter Parker clung to Peter Quill, who was grabbing Nebula's wrist. One by one, everyone joined in, taking a chunk of the energy with them. It was evenly dispersing, lighting everyone up.
Rocket climbed onto Rhodey, completing the chain. "And we," Tony started, glaring at the Mad Titan, "Are the Avengers."
When Tony snapped, the bright light occurred once more. You opened your eyes when it was gone. Thanos' army was quickly vanishing, just like how your people were a few years ago.
Thanos sat down slowly on a rock. You watched as he slowly faded into dust as well. You couldn't fight the tears that threatened to escape. Your emotions were all over the place currently.
You and Tony took the most damage given that you were the closest to the stones. Tony collapsed shortly after you did. Pepper and Peter immediately went to him. Sam and Thor crouched down and helped you. You were fading quickly. It was getting to be too much.
You faded out when you heard the two words you needed.
"We won."
~
Staying in the hospital wing of the Avengers tower in New York City was probably the most frustrating thing you've experienced. It was dull, but at least you could watch TV. All across the networks, people were cheering as they reconnected with their loved ones. You didn't need to watch it though. You could hear it right outside. Cheers, celebrations, and parties were all across Manhattan. It was like modern V.E Day.
Tony wheeled in in a wheelchair while knocking on your door. You smiled at him and beckoned him to come in from your bed. You couldn't move your right arm and you were told there was no way you'd be walking for another week.
"What's up, Tony?" You greeted him.
"How are you feeling, kid?"
"Better than I was a few weeks ago, but it still hurts like a bitch sometimes."
"Yeah, well, tough luck. That's what you get for sharing the energy with me." You chuckled lightly.
"Right, I totally regret that move," You retorted.
"Oh, you should. I have to make sure Morgan's godmother outlives me to make sure Pepper has a backup."
"That's hysterical, Tony. It's cute."
"I'm being serious actually," He replied. His gaze was soft yet stern. "You are her godmother."
"I am?" You asked, surprised.
"You've been there for all five years she's been around. You've helped us raise her more than you realize. She gets excited when she knows you're coming over. I want you to be the godmother that Pepper and I despise because you spoil her rotten."
"That's a little hard to do considering her father's a billionaire."
"I threatened to sell all of her toys one night. She's not spoiled all the time." Tony grinned.
"Right, well, I'm honored, Tony. Really."
"Just promise me you won't die anytime soon."
"I promise."
~
"Stephen," You called Dr. Strange into your room one day. You were being discharged finally after a week of physical therapy.
He walked in nonchalantly, his head slightly tilted in response. Numerous bandages were scattered across his arms still.
"When I was holding Thanos back, he said that I was the guardian," Your mind drifted back to the memory. It felt like it was only yesterday. "I was wondering if you had any idea what he was talking about."
Stephen sighed before sitting down. "The infinity stones were destroyed. Truly. Thanos was able to rid the universe of them with the snap of his fingers. The stones have a sort of subconscious that you may have known due to the Tesseract." You nodded, and he continued, "They were aware that this could happen at some point. Every few centuries or whenever they felt like it, the stones would assign a guardian. Someone or something that could harness the power, and theoretically, create the stones again by exhausting the power."
"So you're saying the stones could be created again?"
"Yes, but only if you're willing to give up your power completely."
"Do we know anyone else who has it?"
"Wanda. Since her powers originate from the mind stone, she could bring the stone back. We could have both the space and mind stones back easily."
"The question is if it's a good idea."
~
The lakehouse was crowded with Avengers. Everyone who helped out in the battle against Thanos was there. Morgan was being held by her mom, who stood by Tony's side, a wide smile on her face as she introduced Happy to the child. Tears sprung in his eyes at finally getting to meet his best friend's daughter.
You caught up with T'Challa and Bucky in the meanwhile. You noticed Thor walking by with a bottle of beer and wasted no time to grab it out of his hands. He glared at you as you took a sip of it. It was absolutely disgusting, but you had to stop him from drinking.
After talking to most everybody, hugging them, and exchanging new phone numbers, you walked out by the lake to see Steve, Bruce, and Thor all grouped together in front of a new time machine. You and Bruce designed it and built it with ease. Rocket helped out every once in a while.
This time around, instead of making a simple time machine, you were able to create a more complex creation. This one could view the timelines. It had a screen that showed you the outcomes up until your present year. As you learned, there were thousands of different timelines, all differing slightly from each other. There could be one timeline where you beat Thanos in 2018, while another timeline includes Tony's death. Either way, each one was different.
The one you found to be the most shocking was one where Thanos won. That wouldn't be surprising if it didn't end up with the death of all of the Avengers. In this one, Loki witnessed every death firsthand, including your own. He had faked his death in that one, causing him to be able to watch it all unravel. Thor, Bucky, Tony, Nebula, everyone was dead. Thanos had to wipe everyone out in that timeline to complete his mission, and he did.
~
Steve had one job. He was going to take the stones and place them back where they were taken from. It wouldn't interrupt the timelines then, and life could be normal again. The thing that was eating you alive was the one timeline you could view. That one.
"Bruce, can I?" You asked him as Steve closed the case with the stones.
"Can you what?" He asked although he suspected what you were about to ask for. Your reaction to finding out about Loki was enough to make anyone pity you for a single moment.
"Can I take Loki from that timeline? He shares all of the same memories as we do up until 2018. He has nothing there, you saw it yourself. He's miserable. We could change that."
Bruce pondered the thought for a moment. He couldn't see what damage it could make. "You really love him, don't you?"
You said nothing and kept staring up at him. He nodded in understanding. "Alright, take one of the GPS watches. You can go with Steve. Be careful in that one. We only know what it's like now. We don't know if he's with Thanos at the moment or if something went wrong already."
You tried to calmly take the watch, but the excitement was still clear in your eyes. You walked up to Steve, who carried the stones and Mjolnir up. The two of you started setting up your GPS. One went to 2014 first, the other was going to 2018. The best point in time to go was the one where Loki was last seen in your main timeline. You don't know where he went after that, so it was best to go off of Thor's word.
While waiting for Bruce to program everything into place, you realized something. This opened up a whole new world for everybody. A way to go into alternate dimensions and universes. Your life was no longer in a single universe. You were present in a multiverse, filled with the same people, but different outcomes. It amazed you, and you almost wanted to just go around and explore everywhere. Sadly, you knew there was no way you could do it without messing something up. What you were doing now was messing something up in another timeline. But maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing.
"Alright, we're ready. We'll bring you back in five seconds, got it?" Bruce asked.
You and Steve nodded, but you knew he wasn't coming back. When you talked to him earlier, he was distracted. His eyes kept drifting to a picture of Peggy he had. He told you about how he saw her in 1970. It was only obvious what he wanted to do next.
"Steve," You called out.
"Yeah?" He looked over to you. He knew that you knew what he wanted to do. He hoped you wouldn't say anything though.
"I'm gonna miss you, buddy. I can't say I become close friends with every 90-year old super soldier I meet."
"Bucky and I are the only ones you know and you're friends with both of us." He grinned.
You laughed a little while turning towards Bruce. "Well, you're not wrong. Go for it, Bruce."
He pressed the final button, and you were sent flying through the quantum realm once more. It was time to bring everyone a little joy. You didn't tell Thor in case it didn't happen. Plus, it'd be nice to bring him a little surprise. Maybe it'll snap him out of it.
You were jerked back into place as you stood behind some rubble from a ship. When you looked out to the sides of it, you could see Thanos with an infinity stone. The Black Order was present with him, watching Loki's every move.
Loki was a different story. He was much older than when you had last seen him. It made sense, but it was certainly a change. Although something about this Loki made your blood boil slightly. This was the same Loki who lied about his death and became King of Asgard without letting you know. Well, not the same Loki, but another Loki who did the same thing to another you. Time travel and timelines are weird.
Your eyes drifted to behind Loki, seeing the Hulk nearby and off to the side. He was hurt, but not enough just yet. Your eyes widened when Loki opened his mouth.
"And for another, we have a Hulk."
#loki x reader#loki x you#avengers endgame#avengers#avengers 4#comics#marvel#iron man#tony stark#morgan stark#pepper potts#bruce banner#hulk#professor hulk#spiderman#peter parker#sam wilson#hawkeye#clint barton#nebula#gamora#thanos#falcon#stephen strange#doctor strange
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Super Bowl LIV for Otaku
Welcome to the wonderful world of football! While otaku and football don’t seem to align (we all have seen the jocks vs. geeks mentality that society tries to throw at us), the reality is much different. Like any other sport, football has a wide audience and can be enjoyable to watch. A few of our staff are football fans who have been watching all season, and as such, we’ve seen the ups and the downs of an interesting 2019 season.
The goal of any football game is for each team to score the most points by moving the football from one end of the field to the other. Getting the football on foot across the goal line gives a team 6 points (touchdown), allowing for an opportunity for one or two extra points. Getting it across the line in the air by kicking it through the uprights gives them 3 points (field goal). Each team gets 4 chances to move the ball forward when they are on offense. If they move the ball a total of 10 yards, those chances (downs) restart at 1 again. A more detailed listing of the rules of play can be found on the NFL’s official website here.
The season ends with the strongest team of the two conferences of the NFL (AFC and NFC) battling it out in an annual match called the Super Bowl.
Why it Matters
Now, you may be asking yourself—why does the Super Bowl matter? For someone who does not watch football much, it is understandable why you may not be interested in the big game, but consider this—the Super Bowl is an annual cultural touchstone.
Every year, the Super Bowl is by far the most watched program on television for the year. Having a passing understanding of what it is and what happens can be helpful as the world around you discusses the event. It is also one of the few remaining shared experiences in American culture—a single day, a single game that nearly all Americans watch.
Does that mean it will be a good game? Not necessarily. Does it mean it can be fun? Absolutely. Sharing this game with a group of friends can make the experience all the better.
Also, even if you do not love the sport, let’s not forget what a capitalism means in the case of a television event—advertising agencies step up their game. Lots of money and lots of eyes on the game means lots of clever, new advertisements. While a silly reason to watch, these ads can be a lot of fun as mini-distractions between the game itself.
The Schedule
As inferred above, the Super Bowl isn’t just about the game—there’s a full schedule of events on the calendar, some that might interest you more than others. Wanna check out the National Anthem? Be sure to get there on time. Not interested? Grab your guac and chips while the singer wails.
Here’s the basic info:
Location: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)
TV: Fox
Stream: Fox Sports App and fuboTV
Game day / time: February 2, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. (ET)
The National Anthem, to be sung by Demi Lovato, occurs shortly before kick-off. Even before that, Yolanda Adams will perform “America the Beautiful.” The halftime show lasts about 20-30 minutes and starts at varying times, depending on how quickly the game is being played, though somewhere around 8:00 p.m. is expected. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will be the performers.
The Season
AFC Breakdown
The AFC had a wild ride. Before the season began, everyone had the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, and Kansas City Chiefs on their radar screen. By the end of the season, the Baltimore Ravens were unexpectedly the number one seed with a 14-2, the best in the NFL. The New England Patriots, who won the 2019 Super Bowl, were overall in 3rd place in the playoffs and did not receive a by-week for the first time in nearly a decade. The Browns ended up the season with a losing record of 6-10. The Chiefs, however, were the AFC Champion and proceed to the Super Bowl
The biggest surprise of the playoffs was the fantastic run of the Tennessee Titans. The Titans entered the playoffs in 6th place with a 9-7 record. Their season ended hot and their shot at the playoffs required losses by other teams, wins by them, and their victory strength being high enough. There are a ton of tie-breaking rules that went into the Titans favor. Then, in back-to-back away games, the Titans defeated the #3 ranked New England Patriots and #1 ranked Baltimore Ravens on their way to the AFC Championship game. The Titans lost in the AFC Championship to the #2 ranked Chiefs in a 35 to 24 loss.
NFC Breakdown
It’s been quite a year in the NFC as well. Though they came off a lost in last year’s Super Bowl (the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams), the conference was widely considered the stronger one coming into the season, which bore that out.
Speaking of the Rams, last year’s NFC representative, they were among the disappointing teams this year. Despite as strong second half, they missed the playoffs, as did the Dallas Cowboys, another team many predicted to go the Super Bowl (they fired their head coach after the season; the Rams did not).
Three teams in the conference finished with 13-3 records this season and as the regular season ended, they were all considered strong possibilities to advance to the championship. New Orleans, on of the 13-3 teams, was upset early in the playoffs. The other two, the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers, met in the NFC Championship game, where the latter dismantled the earlier, 37-20.
The Matchup
The big game is going to be a match up between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Both are high scoring teams who have won a number of come from behind victories. Overall the two teams have scored nearly 150 more points than their opponents in regular season games. That…is a lot. Let’s break it down a little bit.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are led by an explosive young quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is on his third season in the NFL only his second as the full time starting quarterback. The 2018-2019 season MVP, Mahomes had a fantastic season throwing for 26 touchdowns and rushing for 2 of them. Mahomes is one of those players that is just fun to watch because you never know what he’s going to do.
The Chiefs are coached by an Elder Statesman in Andy Reid. Teams coached by Andy Reid have accumulated a total of 221 wins in his career, making him the 6th most winningist coach in NFL history. This will be his second time as head coach to go to the Super Bowl; however, the last time he was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in in 2005.
The Chiefs’ season has been generally high scoring with big wins the back of Mahomes. Apart from a short period where Mahomes was injured, the Chiefs season has seen victory after victory against strong opponents including the other two top seeds in the AFC (Ravens, Patriots). With the dangers both in the air and ground, the Chiefs are a tough team to beat.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has 2 Super Bowl rings…where he served as the backup quarterback for the New England Patriots. He never really got a chance as the Patriots have Tom Brady as their starter until 2016. In 2016, Brady was suspended for 4 games and Garoppolo started two of them before being injured. After being traded to the 49ers, Garoppolo did not get a chance to start until Week 12 when the starter and backup quarterbacks were both injured. With only one win prior to that, Garappolo led the 49ers to close out the season with 5 wins and 1 loss. In the 2018 season, Garappolo sarted out strong, but was injured early in the season. 2019 saw a healthy Garoppolo throwing for 3,978 passing yards. His strong arm and their solid run offense led the 49ers to one of their first winning seasons in a decade.
The 49ers are coached by Kyle Shanahan, son of 3 time Super Bowl winning Head Coach Mike Shanahan. With a healthy team in 2019, Shanahan’s coaching has seen a dominating season with the 49ers ending with a 13-3 record and the #1 overall NFC seed. The NFC West was a strong division with last year’s Super Bowl contenders (Los Angeles Rams) as well as the Seattle Seahawks (11-5 record).
While generally a high scoring team, the 49ers also have had a number of incredibly close games this season; half of their games were decided by a touchdown or less. Their strong defense have helped them in clutch situations, allowing their high flying offense to get back on the field and win.
The Buzz
As the game gets closer, the stories around the game take on a life of their own. Sometimes, they become the story. This year, though—and unfortunately—the biggest story in sports isn’t Super Bowl-related at all. You’ve almost certainly heard that Kobe Bryant, along with a 13-year-old daughter and a number of other individuals, died in a helicopter crash in California. Because Kobe was the best player in the league during the formative years for many current professional athletes, his death has impacted the community tremendously. Even football players have given their condolences, often very personal ones, about Bryant. It’s created an unusual atmosphere in Miami, as one of celebration is muted just a bit by the seriousness of the crash.
There are other stories that will be referenced throughout the broadcast as well:
The start of Free Agency, the period where most football players who have completed their contracts or have been released by teams may negotiate with other teams for new contracts, is in March, and the list of available players this year contains some very big names, especially at the sexiest position, quarterback. Tom Brady, considered by many to be the best quarterback in NFL history (the GOAT: Greatest of All Time), will be a free agent for the first time in his career, and has stated that he wants to explore the process, meaning he may not return the only team he’s played for during his 20-year career. Where he and others will impact next season, as well as the upcoming NFL Draft, which occurs in late April, and where at least three QB prospects may be selected in the first few picks.
The 2019 season was the 100th for the NFL, and the League has celebrated all year in a variety of ways, including the naming of a 100th Anniversary Team. A special group of “centennial” Hall of Fame inductees were also recently announced, while the remaining modern-era class will be named the day before the Super Bowl; they’ll be mentioned frequently during coverage of the big game.
Stories that have dominated all season long include the evolution of the quarterback position into one where a player who runs well and can pass has the ability to dominate the game, as evidenced by the likely season MVP, Lamar Jackson (player awards are announced at a ceremony the day before the Super Bowl), and an unwillingness by referees to overturn pass interference calls when officially challenged by coaches. The earlier won’t be on full display in the game, but the NFL is hoping the latter doesn’t play a part, as referees making or reversing calls that affect the outcome of the game are a bad look for the league.
Non-football entertainment will be important as well! The commercials are what many people tune in for, but to be honest, they’re not all great. They’re not even always generally great, but there will be some fun ones and occasionally some amazing ones. Also they cost $5.6 million per every 30 seconds, so it’s kind of like watching a very short blockbuster film, right?
Many, of course, are also interested in the music. The halftime show draws a ton of viewers. Sometimes the performance is great (Prince), sometimes bad (last year with Maroon 5), and sometimes weird (Katy Perry). This year,the aformentioned Shakira and Jennifer Lopez will share the stage and give a Latin feel to the proceedings. Even if you’re not interested, again, the halftime show is the thing of water cooler talk.
Sometimes, though, the best performance is actually before the game when the National Anthem is sung. Way back in 1991, Whitney Houston sealed her spot as one of the great vocalists by killing it, and right as we were at war with Iraq (never mind that it was lip synched). This year, Demi Lovato will perform. And guess what? Some gambling addicts will actually gamble on how long she’ll sing for! Yep, you can bet on lots of prop bets (novelty bets) and in other ways on the Super Bowl, where well over $100 million will be wagered. Gambling is a big reason as to why football has grown in prominence in the U.S., and you might even here some segments concerned betting.
Predictions
Finally, it’s time for our picks! We asked football fans on our staff to tell us their predictions, along with two guest pickers: New Orleans Saints superfan and aniblogger, Cajun Samurai, and writer/former aniblogger, Tommy, who is a huge fan of the Green Bay Packers. Here are our picks, with some thoughts below:
Cajun Samurai: I think this Super Bowl will be a prodigious and a high scoring shootout that may come down to a FG. I got a feeling that Mahomes will bring the Chiefs the “W” with a score of 48-45. I’m pulling for the Chiefs as the 49ers beat my Saints earlier. Yes, I’m still bitter…
Chiefs 48, 49ers 45
Tommy: Chiefs win 38-37. Both offenses march up and down the field, Chiefs passing and 49ers running. In the end, Patrick Mahomes wins MVP for a last-second drive to win the game. Highest-scoring Super Bowl ever.
Chiefs 38, 49ers 37
(Bambi 49ers 27-15, Cajun, MDRMN Chiefs 38-35, Peter Chiefs 35-31, Tommy, Twwk)
MDMRN: I see this as a close game with he Chiefs on top. The 49ers are a strong team, don’t get me wrong; however, against a quarterback that can bring so many different options like Mahomes, I feel their defense will have trouble. The Chiefs defense is also strong, but the 49ers offense is stronger. I foresee this being a high scoring game with the storyline being about the two offenses. I expect the 49ers to lead early with the Chiefs dominating the second half. My guess Chiefs over the 49ers with Patrick Mahomes as the Super Bowl MVP.
Chiefs 38, 49ers 35
Twwk: Like the others, I expect a very close Super Bowl. Rules changes have really helped create excitement in the game and bring many of them down to the last minute, including a number of recent Super Bowls. I feel that the 49ers have the offense to be able to keep up with Kansas City, especially a Chiefs team that could score under 30 against a talented and mighty Niners’ defense. I think the game will be back-and-forth, but in today’s NFL, a great offense often beats a great defense, and I foresee a scenario where the 49ers are leading 27-17 going into the 4th (or somewhere thereabouts), and Patrick Mahomes brings them back to score a couple of times, while Jimmy G won’t be able to do the same.
Chiefs 31, 49ers 27
Closing
And that’s it, folks! I hope you’ve enjoyed our preview and, if you’re on the fence, that you’ll give the big game a try. I can’t guarantee it’ll be a great game or even be a fun experience—but it’ll be an experience, and that, I guarantee, is worth your time.
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The 2020 Super Bowl will be airing on network television on Fox and can be streamed using the Fox Sports App. Featured illustration by DN (reprinted w/permission).
#Anime#Manga#Football#Super Bowl#Super Bowl LIV#Kansas City Chiefs#San Francisco 49ers#Articles#Author: TWWK
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Greenie: Sick Day(s)
And here you all thought I was dead. Nope! I just casually wrote 2 pieces both about 20k words because fuck it.
Pairing: Gavin/Reader/RK900 (platonic)
Word count: 19.6k
Summary: Greenie falls in a lake
~~~
December xx, 2042
You stood between Gavin and Nines a look of fear and pity in your eyes, but your brows were also furrowed in thought; then you whispered, “I’m the only one who can save her.”
Gavin and Nines looked out at the cracked ice that covered the lake before the three of you. It had frozen over two weeks ago and had been deemed safe for skating, but now there were deep, threatening cracks running through the ice and a little girl trapped in the middle. Officers surrounded the lake, keeping people off of the ice and radioing back and forth with ideas of how to get the girl to safety. You hadn’t been the first one to realize you were the smallest officer around. Nines was. He had tried to step in front of you, hide you from the view of other officers so they couldn’t get any ideas, but you had refused to let the android block your view. You needed to be able to examine everything to come up with a plan of action.
“The first responders will be here in ten minutes,” Gavin commanded, “Wait for them.”
“She doesn’t have ten minutes,” You breathed out.
“Absolutely not, Officer,” Nines growled, “There is a 68% chance that ice cracks under your weight, and if you fall in the water there’s and 82% chance of death. I won’t allow it.”
You looked at Nines, “Then don’t let me die.”
Quickly, you shed your jacket, and then the top of your uniform so you were just in your cami, shoving the clothing into Nines’ chest. You continued to pull off your pants so you were just in the black, fleece lined tights you wore to help keep you warm, then shoved those at Gavin. They understood that if you fell it was better not to have your heavy uniform, it would only make it harder to surface. The other officers watched in curiosity as you took your first tentative step onto the ice.
“Stay where you are. Let me come to you, alright?” You called out to the little girl, mustering the best smile you could for her.
The little girl nodded silently, hugging herself. You tested each of your steps before you dared put your weight on them, listening to where the ice was sturdy and where it was cracking further. The pedestrians and officers watching were dead silent, allowing you to focus. The process was agonizingly slow. Slowly, you slid your way across the ice and to the center of the lake where you were able to take the girl by the hand.
“Hi sweetheart. I’m going to get you off this lake and back to your mom, yeah? She’s real worried about you,” You nodded down at her with a comforting smile, “We’re going to go nice and slow to make sure nothing bad happens, okay?”
“Okay,” The girl whimpered quietly.
“I’m Officer (F/N),” You told her as you started to test your first step back to the bank.
The little girl shivered beside you, “I’m Isabelle.”
You cooed, “That’s a pretty name,” You were trying to keep her calm as you walked across the ice slowly, “When we get off this lake, I’ll make sure you get a nice cup of hot chocolate and if you want you can ride in one of the cop cars. How does that sound?”
Isabelle nodded enthusiastically as you pulled her with you, “That sounds really nice.”
You smiled, “Good. Good,” You huffed out as you took your next step. The ice directly below you groaned and a loud crack filled the empty air as the ice snapped apart. You froze and Isabelle suddenly clung to your leg. The ice behind you crackled threateningly, finally giving under your weight and the scores of lines from ice skates. The ice before you was clear, but behind you it was quickly splintering apart. You knelt down, “Alright Isabelle. I need you to be brave. See that big, tall android over there?” You tilted your head in Nines’ direction, “That’s one of my partners, his name is Nines. He looks scary but don’t be fooled, he’s a real big softy. I’m gonna slide you over there and he’s gonna take care of you, okay?” The little girl nodded and as soon as she did you gave her a shove in his direction, hard enough to send her to the edge of the lake and stumbling over the bank.
Nines scooped her up as you stood, “Officer!”
“(Y/N)!” Gavin shouted, looking as if he might run out onto the ice as well.
You nodded as you braced yourself, “If something happens,” You started shakily, “Tell my mom I love her, tell Eli he’s a dick, and know that both of you are the greatest things to ever happen in my life,” You told Gavin, “I can’t take another step. The ice is going to shatter.”
“It’s going to shatter beneath you if you wait. The closer the better, kid,” Gavin tried to reassure you as he shrugged off his jacket, “When you go down I’m coming in after you.”
“Gavin don’t. It’s not safe.”
“Well neither was going out onto the lake,” He countered, tearing off his work boots, “The closer you can get to me kid, the better.”
You nodded and took one step. The ice shattered beneath you, plunging you into icy cold water. You were still so far from the shore of the lake, a good fifty feet out. The shock from how fast it happened knocked the air out of your lungs, and on reflex you breathed in, taking in water. Icy water froze your muscles, making it harder for you to fight back to the surface, and when you did you found yourself trapped under a piece of ice. Quickly you were losing your battle. Black started to creep into your vision as everything became fuzzy and you were vaguely aware of something falling into the water. You panicked, trying to push the ice out of the way or find a way up only exhausting you further.
Something grabbed at your arm, but you lost consciousness.
___
Soft, yet irritating, beeping was the first thing you heard that started to pull you out of the darkness. Your mind felt foggy as you tossed your head back and forth slowly, trying to open your eyes. A hand rested against your cheek, stilling the movement and gently stroking. Slowly, your eyes fluttered open to be greeted by Gavin smiling down at you.
“There she is,” He breathed out happily, “Welcome back, kid.” He leaned back.
“I lived?” You asked, half sarcastically; obviously you knew the answer but you were still shocked.
Gavin chuckled, “Yeah kid, you lived,” He smirked, “I told you I’d jump in after you. Pulled you out as quick as I could and both of us were whisked away by an ambulance moments later.”
You squinted at him suspiciously, “Then how comes I’m still hooked up and you’re not?”
He snorted, “Kid, you’ve been out for a whole day now. I just needed to be dried off and kept warm. You, on the other hand, sank like the goddamn Titanic and had water in your lungs. Weren’t breathing when I pulled you out,” He looked down a bit somber when he said that last part, “You gave us a pretty good scare.”
You nodded slowly, relaxing back into your bed before a coughing fit tore through you, “Fucking Titanic,” You grumbled.
Gavin stood, shoving his hands in his pockets, “I’m gonna go tell the nurses you’re awake. Don’t move or do anything dumb.”
As you watched your partner leave you sighed sarcastically, “Oh no, I’m going to purposefully tear my IV out and jump through the window after nearly drowning. My life is a wreck.”
You could hear Gavin snort again as he walked down the hall. Another short coughing fit stirred you into sitting up, but once it finished you noticed a distinct lack of a certain android. Nines was nowhere to be found. It was fair to guess he was probably at work while Gavin waited for you to wake up, the android had always been the more productive of the two. Every muscle in your body seemed to ache as you laid back down. At least you had saved Isabelle.
“Officer (L/N), good to see you’re awake,” A man you assumed was your doctor entered the room, followed by your partner who didn’t look all too happy, “I hear you’ve been coughing since you woke up?”
You nodded, another weak cough ripping out of your throat, “Yeah.”
He nodded and made a note on his tablet, “Well there was quite a bit of fluid in your lungs when they brought you in so you may still be trying to clear some of that, which is fine. If it doesn’t go away in a few days though you may want to come back and let us check it out,” He explained, “And other than that you should be good to go. We’ve had you for a day, and no complications have presented. I’ll get a nurse in here to take out your IV and then you’re cleared to leave with your father.”
“Thanks, doc,” You replied shortly. As soon as the doctor left you shot a look to Gavin, “Father?”
He waved a hand at you dismissively, making a noise deep in his throat, “I might as well be at this point. Besides, it was the only way Nines and I were getting in here; apparently being your partners wasn’t enough. Nines told them we were your fathers.”
You squinted suspiciously, “Where exactly is Nines?”
Just then the android walked in, a small bouquet of flowers in his left hand and a cup of coffee in his other, “Has she woken?”
“No,” You snorted before coughing twice.
Nines rolled his eyes and handed Gavin the cup of coffee, “I already miss the peace and quiet.”
You laughed quietly, “Thanks Nines, I missed you too.”
The android walked over to your bedside and handed you the flowers, gently smoothing back your hair and kissing your forehead, “You had us scared. Never do that again,” He whispered, “Please.”
You looked up at your partner and saw his LED was yellow. Concern painted his face as he looked into your eyes. It felt like he was looking into your soul, pleading for you not to put your life on the line again. Slowly, you nodded, a silent promise to listen to him. He leaned back, LED shining blue with your confirmation, and guilt swimming in your chest.
“I’m sorry. I just…Nines she would have died,” You sighed, “I won’t do it again but I just had to. She was so young.”
He nodded, “I know. Isabelle told me she was six years old and that you told her not to be afraid of me because I’m a big softy. I bought her a hot chocolate as per your request and got her back to her mother,” He smiled softly.
“See, you are a big softy,” You joked lightly, “If I had to go back and make that choice again I would. No mother deserves to bury their child.”
Nines shook his head, “You have a heart of gold, Officer, but you’re dumb.”
“Just dumb enough,” You confirmed.
Gavin chuckled at your ability to make jokes even when everything feels somber. You coughed a couple more times, your chest aching slightly from the action as you laid back. A nurse came in not long after, an android who seemed more than happy to do his job. He checked your vitals one last time before detaching any remaining wires from your body and taking out your IV. With a nod and a quiet reminder that you were free to go, he left the room. Gavin helped you up from the bed and you noticed you were only in a hospital gown.
Nines held up a pile of clothing, “I suppose you want these?”
“Are they Gavin’s sweats?” You asked, somewhat excited.
“His pants but my hoodie actually,” The android confirmed with a smile, “We both know you like mine better.”
You nodded, “I do. Your hoodies are bigger and softer,” You took the clothes from Nines thankfully, slipping the sweatpants on under the gown and turning away from the men to pull off the thin material and trade it for the hoodie, “Much better,” You sighed.
“Let’s go, kid. Sunshine misses you and so does tin can’s desk,” Gavin chuckled, throwing his arm around your shoulders and leading you out of the hospital.
You groaned, “I have to go back to work? But I nearly drowned in ice water to save a kid, doesn’t that count for anything? Like a single day off?”
He laughed, “It counts for brownie points. There’ll be a news story about you and you’ll have to do a press release for like, twenty minutes.”
“Do I really have to do a press release?” You asked and rolled your eyes, “I don’t need a bunch of reporters all shouting questions at me.”
“It’s scheduled for tomorrow morning,” Nines informed you, “You’ll have to wear your uniform and answer questions for about half an hour.”
You scoffed and leaned into Gavin’s warmth, “The entire city already knows who I am and what I did probably. The news is all over shit like this, why do I still have to do a press release if everyone knows what happened?”
Nines placed his hand on your shoulder, “It’s only for forty minutes. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
___
You woke up feeling like trash. Your head pounded and your entire body ached as you coughed periodically. Nines had delivered two slices of buttered toast to you, and asked how you were feeling. His scans didn’t indicate anything wrong besides a low grade fever so he promised to bring you back some ibuprofen, but you’d still need to get dressed and ready for work. You did so sluggishly, pulling on your blues and tying your hair back in your signature French braid. Makeup was minimal because feeling like trash means letting your skin breathe in hopes of not feeling like trash. You didn’t even notice the bags forming under your eyes.
After eating your toast and taking the plate back to the kitchen Nines handed you the ibuprofen like promised. As soon as you downed the two small pills with a swig of water Gavin was ushering you out the door, scolding you about being late to your own press release. Nines lagged behind a bit, grabbing a few things to throw in the trunk before joining you and Gavin in the car. He drove quickly, most likely breaking the speed limit by twenty miles per hour or so, so you wouldn’t be late. All you know was that everything felt hazy and you were having problems focusing. You continued to cough, complaining that your chest hurt. It didn’t seem to Gavin or Nines that you were very responsive, so when they parked at the precinct the android took the liberty of pulling you out of the car and tossing you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He grabbed the bag he had thrown in the trunk earlier and walked into the precinct.
“You guys are late!” Tina scolded loudly as she scurried up to the partners, “The reporters are getting restless. Coffee and donuts can only placate journalists for so long!”
You groaned quietly and coughed as Nines set you down in his chair, “Yes well, we had a slight delay,” He stated pointedly, obviously annoyed.
Tina looked at you and scowled, “She looks like shit. She can’t talk to the reporters like that.”
“I know,” Nines replied flatly, setting the duffle bag on the ground and rifling through it. He took out two small bags and handed them to Tina, “Fix it.”
Tina looked at the makeup bags in her hand, one of brushes, one of your regular makeup, then down at you, “You owe me coffee, and the good stuff not the office stuff.”
“Deal, just make her look presentable,” The android growled.
Gavin stood back and watched as Tina found your foundation and concealer and got to work. You were groaning and trying to push her away weakly. Obviously you didn’t feel good, and that didn’t sit well with the detective. You looked pale aside from the flush that was covering your cheeks, however Tina was currently covering it up. Deep purple bags had set under your eyes and you generally looked miserable. Coughs tore from your throat frequently, sounding wetter than before, and you had to spit into a trashcan more than once in the process. No amount of cheap concealer was covering the bags though, and Tina stood shaking her head.
“That’s the best I can get it,” She surrendered.
Nines nodded, “She looks…presentable. It will have to do for now. Officer are you with us?” He knelt down before you and snapped in front of your eyes.
You shoved his hand away weakly, “Fuck off, Robocop,” You grumbled, a short coughing fit forcing you to hunch.
The android didn’t look amused as he hauled you out of the seat, “Just get through this press release and don’t say anything you’ll regret.”
Nines dragged you across the precinct and to the press release room where Fowler was stalling for time. When the android walked in his face lit up, but Nines shot Jeffrey a grim look. Gavin followed behind you, nudging you every now and again to follow the taller android. For you, everything was still hazy, a fog settling over your mind but also your vision. When Fowler announced you and called you forward you stumbled up to the podium, gripping onto it like a lifeline. Your head swam and you felt weak; you shouldn’t be up there. Something was wrong.
“Officer (L/N), how does it feel to know you saved that little girl’s life?” One reported asked.
“Fantastic,” You tried to muster all your energy into the response but it only came out a mumble, “She’s such a sweet little girl and I’m glad she’s okay.”
“Would you do it again?”
“In a heartbeat,” You responded to the question, swaying slightly. You spent the next couple of minutes answering the onslaught of never ending questions. Half an hour, you reminded yourself as you kept going, or did Nines say forty minutes? You couldn’t remember. Every now and again you would cough, turning away from your mic only to excuse yourself and apologize afterwards. It seemed like a lifetime until someone asked a peculiar question.
“Are you feeling alright, Officer?”
“Hm?” You hummed in confusion, “Could you-?” Your grip slipped from the podium and you stumbled backwards, your back slamming into the wall before you fell to the ground. The audience gasped. You clutched your sides as a long coughing fit wracked your body, and in an instant it seemed like Gavin was by your side.
“Hey, kid, I need you to concentrate, okay?” He asked, panic in his voice. You didn’t respond, your eyes unfocused as you looked past him. The detective shoved his hand up against your forehead, then slowly slid it over the temple, “Shit,” He muttered, “Nines, she’s gotta go back to the hospital, something’s not right. She’s burning up,” Gavin hurriedly pulled you into his arms and turned to address the audience of reporters, “Uh…Officer (L/N) was released from the hospital yesterday however it seems she’s having some uh…unexpected complications. I’m sorry but we’ll have to cut this short.”
The detective rushes down off of the lifted platform that held the podium, careful not jostle you too much. Nines opened the door out of the room, allowing Gavin to pass before following after him. You were complaining in his arms, burying your head into his chest and begging him to make it stop. You sounded pitiful and Gavin didn’t know what to do, he’d never taken care of a kid before let alone one desperately ill. It was almost enough to make him stop and sit down on the floor to coddle you and whisper false promises until you felt better. The falter in his step caused Nines to place his hand on the detective’s lower back, urging him to keep moving.
“She’ll be alright, Detective. She just needs to see a doctor,” Nines reassured softly, “Stay in the back with her.”
Gavin nodded and continued on to his car. He gently laid you out in the backseat before climbing in after you, pulling you back into his arms to comfort you. Nines got in the front and stuck the key in the ignition, turning it and immediately pulling out of the parking lot. You tossed and turned in Gavin’s arms, your eyes screwed shut from the discomfort.
“I feel like I’m dying,” You groaned, coughing again.
“You’re not dying, you’re just sick,” Gavin cautioned, feeling uncomfortable at the mention of death.
You shook, “Never been this sick before,” A violent coughing fit wracked your body, jostling you in Gavin’s lap before you settled down again with a groan, “My chest hurts,” You whined, a pained whimper escaping you.
“I know, kid,” He leaned down and gently kissed your head, “I know. It’s gonna be okay. We just gotta get you to the hospital and they’ll take care of you.”
A few pained tears slipped out of your closed eyes as you coughed again, weakly, “I just wanna go home. Take me home,” You cried.
Gavin shook his head, “You have to go to the hospital, greenie. Something’s wrong and we gotta know what.”
“Please.”
He sighed, “We’re almost there. You’re going to be fine, just hang in there. Nines how much longer?”
“Five minutes,” The android responded, “There’s bound to be a wait once we get there though.”
Gavin froze, “I forgot about wait time. Can we abuse our badges?”
“Highly unlikely,” Nines shook his head, “It’s not enough of an emergency to push her to the top of the list, badge or not.”
You were still shifting uncomfortably in Gavin’s lap, causing him to look down and help readjust you, “You’re fine, kid. Settle down.” You were crying, hands pressing on your chest as you continued to cough, “C’mon you’ve been through worse, you’re being a wimp.” He took your hands to pull them away from your chest.
“It hurts to breathe,” You whimpered, “I don’t know what’s going on. I just want to go home.”
Gavin spent the rest of the ride trying to hush you and calm you down. Each time you coughed it felt like fire in your chest, and breathing was nearly just as bad. You kept telling your partners that you wanted to go home and they promised you they’d take you home after you saw a doctor, but that wasn’t soon enough for you. As soon as Nines had engaged the parking break Gavin was out of the car and pulling you into his arms. He held you like a koala, wrapping your legs around his waist and your arms around his shoulders so you could just hide your face in his neck if you wanted. To him, you were just a kid, someone who missed out on a lot without having a father around, but now he was here to protect you and he was going to do everything in his power to make you feel safe.
“Nines, go ahead and get her signed in. Try and see if your badge will get you anywhere and let them know what happened,” Gavin ordered the android.
Nines nodded and took long strides ahead of Gavin to get you signed in to start the wait. Gavin readjusted you in his arms, causing you to whimper and cough weakly. He hushed you softly, walking slowly as to not jostle you too much. You were very warm in his arms and he could feel the small tremors running through you as you were half asleep in his arms. He walked in through the emergency room entrance and sat down in one of chairs, readjusting you so you were comfortably on his lap. There were plenty of people waiting with kids and by themselves, but too many for Gavin’s liking.
Nines sat down beside his partner, “I was able to convince them to move her up in the order but some of these people have been waiting for hours. I was told to expect an hour wait or more before they were able to take her.”
“You’re kidding?” Gavin gawped, “An hour? We’re police officers!”
“I’m aware,” grumbled Nines, “But we are also part of the general public and will have to wait. Why don’t you let me hold her for a bit? I might be able to help her fever.”
Gavin allowed Nines to take you from him and settle you into his lap. At this point you were barely coherent, practically asleep in your miserable state. Immediately, Nines cooled his internal temperature as much as he could, pressing his cold hands to the bottom of your spine and the back of your neck. You leaned into his touch happily, the cool feeling nice against your feverish skin. Nines cooed softly in your ear when you whimpered and coughed, trying to keep you as calm as possible. The situation was already odd enough; three officers in their uniforms, one desperately sick and sitting on her coworker’s lap. The others in the waiting room were shooting them odd looks, except for one mother who sat in the corner with her toddler; she gave them a sympathetic look, one parent to another.
Eventually the triage nurse got through the long line of waiting patients and called your name. Nines stood immediately, and gave Gavin a look so he would stay put. It was only triage after all and that didn’t necessarily mean you were going back for treatment yet. You just needed to have a short examination to determine your condition. Nines followed the nurse to a small room and when he goes to set you onto the examination table you refused to let go.
“My apologies, but it seems she doesn’t want to be set down,” Nines sat down on the table himself, “I promise she’ll be compliant and I’ll make this as easy as possible for the both of us.”
The nurse smiled kindly, “It’s no worry. We go through this with a lot of children, I’m sure it’s not different with a young adult.”
The nurse was kind and patient as she took your vitals. Nines had to answer all the questions for you, seeing as you refused to move your head from where it was buried against his chest. He told her about your fever and the pain in your chest and an estimate of how much pain you were most likely in, which he approximated to be an eight with how you had been crying and whimpering on and off for the past hour or so. Nines also included the incident at the precinct and how you had fallen. This seemed to concern the nurse as well as how out of it you were.
“Is there anything that may have caused this that you know of?” The nurse asked.
“Two days ago she had fallen into a frozen lake and nearly drowned. She was brought to the hospital and once she woke up she was cleared and discharged. That was yesterday,” Nines informed her, his LED going yellow as he realized the doctors had probably missed something.
The nurse’s eyes widened, “Oh dear, I didn’t realize she’s the officer that saved the little girl.”
“Yes, she is,” Nines nodded, “But right now she’s not an officer. She’s the daughter of two very concerned fathers who just want her to stop hurting.”
The nurses nodded as she marked something on her tablet, “She’s marked as critical and high importance. She’ll be going back for a further examination as soon as a bed frees up. For now I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask you to head back to the waiting room.”
Nines stood, “Thank you, nurse.” With a nod, Nines left the room, carrying you back out to the waiting room and reclaiming his seat, “She’s been declared critical, she’ll be the first to go back when a bed opens up,” He informed his detective.
Gavin nodded, “How’s she doing?” Concern dripped into his voice.
Nines sighed, “She’s been asleep for the past fifteen minutes but it’s been uneasy. She stirs but falls back to sleep almost immediately. It seems to have quelled the pain a bit but she’s still running a fever of 102 degrees.” He pressed his hand back to your neck, “I’m worried,” He admitted softly.
“I am too, big guy,” Gavin agreed, “I’m glad she fell asleep though.”
Nines held onto you for another ten minutes before passing you back to Gavin, saying he needed to call the captain and explain the situation. Gavin told him to ask for tomorrow off, on the off chance Fowler would be generous, but they were flooded with work right now and the chances of a day off were low. You were sound asleep against his chest. He was just thankful you weren’t coughing anymore. Nines returned after twenty minutes, just in time for them to call your name. The android lifted you out of Gavin’s arms and followed the nurse back to a bay, Gavin following behind him. An emergency physician was waiting in the room when Nines laid you out of the bed and gently shook your shoulder to rouse you out of your slumber.
“Nines? Where are we? Did we go home?” You asked, reaching out for him again, “My chest hurts,” You coughed.
The physician smiled and wheeled over in his chair, “Officer (L/N), I hear you’ve got a fever and have been coughing, and apparently also some chest pain, is that right?” You nodded, turning your head to looks at the doctor, “Our triage nurse suspects it may be pneumonia, and seeing as you were just with us for nearly drowning the other day I agree. We’re going to run some blood tests and take a chest x-ray to get to the bottom of this. How does that sound?”
You just nodded weakly, “Anything to make this stop.”
___
The next few hour were excruciating as you waited for results on the tests and x-rays, but more so on Gavin and Nines. You had fallen asleep in between your bloodwork and the x-ray, and then once again as soon as they returned you to the room. They had placed an IV drip in your arm and pushed some anti-nausea medicine after you had thrown up twice as well as a painkiller for your chest. Nines had somehow managed to remove the makeup Tina had caked on your face earlier, revealing the bright flush across your cheeks as well as the purple coloring beneath your eyes.
The android sighed as he brushed the hair back out of your face, “How did they miss this yesterday? Pneumonia can be very serious.”
Gavin shrugged, “All the tests they had taken had come back clear yesterday. Nothing they could have done at the time,” He moved to sit on the edge of the bed beside Nines, “She looks like shit.”
“She’s sick, Gavin.”
He huffed, “Yeah, and I don’t like it. We don’t have off work and that means we aren’t going to be able to take care of her. She’s going to have to take care of herself for most of the day.”
“Not necessarily. We could always-”
“Don’t even say that. I’m not even considering it. I’d rather leave her at home alone than leave her there,” Gavin grumbled.
Nines raised his eyebrows, “Well you don’t have to consider it because I am. We can’t leave her home alone if she has pneumonia.”
You weakly slapped Nines’ thigh, “You two are loud,” You complained with a cough then groaned.
“Morning sleeping beauty,” Gavin laughed, “How are you feeling?”
You opened your eyes and turned to face him, your eyes not quite focused, “Tired and kinda like there’s an elephant sitting on my chest. Can we go home yet?”
He shook his head, “The doctor still hasn’t returned with the results. I don’t get what takes these places so long but we’re just going to have to wait it out,” He sighed, resting his hand on your knee, “I’m sure Sunshine will be excited to have you home for a few days though.”
“A few days?”
“Yes,” Nines confirmed, “This isn’t something you’re going to recover from quickly. Average recovery takes about a week of antibiotics and another week or two of coughing, but the fatigued feelings can linger for up to a month.”
You groaned unhappily and threw your head back against the small pillow on the bed. The doctor walked in, a small smile forming on his face when he noticed you were awake. Gavin and Nines stood from where they were sat on your bed and nodded to him respectfully. He had a large manila envelope in his hands, and moved to a light board hung on the wall and began to put up your chest x-rays.
“So our nurse was right, it’s definitely pneumonia,” The doctor started then flicked the switch to the board, lighting up the images, “If you look here,” He pointed at your lungs, “You can actually see the infection and how wide spread it is as well as the small amount of fluid in the bottom of your lungs. I was surprised when I saw them because the ones that were taken yesterday are completely clean, and it’s unusual for infection to spread so quickly. Thankfully, we were able to determine it is bacterial pneumonia so you’ll be able to take some antibiotics to fight it off, and you aren’t all that contagious, if at all.”
You nodded weakly, “How long?”
“Seeing as how aggressively it came on and how wide spread it is, I’m guessing about ten days until it’s gone, and at least four until your symptoms really start to subside,” The doctor looked at you with sympathy, “We’ll send you home with the antibiotics and a high dosage ibuprofen to help with the fever and pain, sadly you won’t be able to take a cough suppressant while taking the ibuprofen to avoid an accidental overdose.”
“How soon can I go back to work?” You asked, hoping it wouldn’t be too long.
“Ten days, once you’ve taken all the antibiotics. And you’ll have to come check in with us after those ten days also just so we can make sure the infection is gone and won’t return.”
You sighed in disappointment, ten days sick leave was more than you had left. Although you had tried your best to maintain your health you had still ended up taking eight of your fourteen available days. After that you tuned the doctor out, a glazed over look on your face. You were sure whatever the man was saying Gavin and Nines were listening and could relay it to you later. Ten days. You didn’t have ten days. Hell, there were barely ten days left in the year. What were you going to do? Surely Fowler would understand? But then again the man was also constantly on your ass about you not working hard enough and needing to get more done as a young officer. The next few days were going to be hell.
“You hear all that, kid?” Gavin raised his brow at you, gently knocking his hand against your shoulder to gain your attention.
You snapped out if it, “Huh? Yeah.”
He looked at you skeptically but nodded. When the doctor left the room Gavin sat on the bed again, “Okay, what’s going through your mind, kid? I can practically see your LED flashing red,” He joked lightheartedly.
“I don’t have ten sick days to give. I only have six left,” You frowned and then coughed, “I’m so behind on work already that I don’t want to take those six days. Fowler’s been on my ass for the past three months about being more productive-”
Nines cut you off, “Captain Fowler is hard on all of the new recruits. He sees promise in you and doesn’t want Gavin’s lack of effort to influence you.”
“Nines, it’s been a year and I haven’t slowed down once,” A short coughing fit cut you off and you groaned as you sat up, “I’m pretty sure he’s been trying to find a reason to fire me since January.”
“Nah, Fowler likes you kid,” Gavin reassured you with a smile, “You’re the most promising young officer he’s seen since I was a rookie.” His hand gently shook your leg, “We’re gonna get you home and nice and cozy and you’re going to recover comfortably without worrying about Jeffrey.”
“You’re lucky I have a fever and can’t think clear enough to argue with you,” You squinted your eyes at him and coughed.
He laughed, “Hell yeah I am.”
A nurse came in and took the IV from your arm and handed Nines the prescription, telling him he could get it filled in the hospital or their local pharmacy. With a nod, Nine’s LED went yellow as he sent the prescription information to the pharmacy that filled your Buspar. As soon as you were unhooked and clear to leave he lifted you into his arms again. You rested your head against the side of the android’s neck as your legs wrapped around his waist and you let out a single miserable cough. Nines was grateful that you weren’t fighting him and that it seemed your anxiety was at the lowest he’d ever witnessed.
“Go to sleep, Officer, we’ll be home before you know it,” He whispered in your ear as he carried you out of the hospital.
You nodded and did as told, the feverish haze returning now that you no longer had a cold drip running directly into your blood to help cool you down. Nines was warm but he was very comfortable and you snuggled into him. A soft chuckle left the android as he felt you nuzzling into him. When he tried to set you down in the car you clung to him, once again refusing to let go. Gavin reassured him that it was fine to sit in the back with you, and fished the car keys out of his boyfriend’s pocket. Gavin had barely started the car when you had fully fallen asleep against your partner.
___
Gavin and Nines had woken up and gotten dressed for work in silence. You wouldn’t be going to work today, or any of the next couple of days for that matter. They were still at ends with each other on what to do with you. Gavin was adamant that it would be fine to leave you at home with the animals, while Nines was sure you needed someone to watch over you, especially after your very clingy display yesterday. You hadn’t wanted to let go of either of your partners once you had your arms around them, whining every time they set you down. They had only managed to get you to bed by offering up one of your larger stuffed animals and one of Gavin’s old body pillows. You had curled around the pillow quickly and Nines had to practically shove your pills down your throat to get you to take them before he would allow you to sleep.
Now, they stood at the foot of your bed watching your sleep. They had to make a decision soon on what they were doing with you. Time was running out. Nines was running a full scan on you. Your fever, while not gone, had gone down two degrees to rest evenly on 100, but you were still suffering with the fluid in your lungs. A flush had colored your cheeks pink, across the bridge of your nose and touching the tips of your ears. Gavin watched you intently, how your grip periodically tightened around the plushy in your arms and how you had cocooned yourself in as many blankets as possible. Sunshine was pressed up against your back, snuggling into you.
“We’re taking her,” Nines decided with finality, “She will not take care of herself in this state and until her symptoms start to subside she will need to be looked after.”
“Fine,” Gavin growled, “But you’re calling the bastard, and try not to wake her up.”
“I contacted him last night,” Nines informed his human with a self-satisfied smirk, watching him storm from the room, “Please grab her medications.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll pack a go-bag of sorts for her,” The detective huffed as he moved to the kitchen to grab some essentials.
Nines was careful as he lifted you into his arms, blanket cocoon and all. A gentle smile crossed his face as you turned and rested your head against his chest. If it weren’t for the slight furrow of your bow you would look completely at peace. He walked carefully through the house, his smooth steps effortless, never jostling you and allowing you to remain unaware of the fact you were no longer in bed. Gavin was tossing your medicine and other small essentials in a duffle bag for you when Nines walked into the living room. The man walked back into your bedroom for a moment before emerging again.
“Alright, that should be everything. Let’s go before we’re late,” Gavin grumbled, holding the front door open.
Nines stepped out of the house, watching as you face scrunched in distaste as the cool air hit you. You tried to hide your face more in your blanket and Nines was quick to maneuver you into the backseat of the car, out of the cold. Gavin locked the front door and got into the passenger seat while Nines started up the engine and began to drive. They were quiet, partly due to trying not to wake you and partially because Gavin was still mad he lost the argument.
“This is for the best, Gavin,”
“Shut up, tincan.”
The rest of the ride was spent in tense silence until they arrived at their destination. The large house in the middle of nowhere probably wasn’t the most ideal place for you to spend time recovering, but it was really the only option they had. Nines shut off the engine and before he could get out to get you out of the car, Gavin had already gotten you bundled into his arms. The visage warmed Nines’ heart, he really did enjoy Gavin showing her fatherly side. It wasn’t a secret he thought of you as a daughter nowadays. The way he coddled you close and looked down to check if you were comfortable was endearing. Nines retrieved the duffle from the trunk and motioned for Gavin to follow him as he went up to knock on the door.
The door opened quickly, as if the man had been waiting for them, “How’s my duckling?” Elijah asked as Gavin walked passed his brother and into the house.
“She’s better than she was yesterday but I fear her fever may go back up when she wakes,” Nines explained, stepping in so the door could be closed, “We packed the essentials you’ll need. When she wakes she’ll need both of her medications, most importantly the antibiotic. Her favorite stuffed animal, one of my hoodies, and a change of clothing or pajamas if she wants to shower are all in the bag.”
Elijah nodded along with the android, “What else? I know there’s more, pneumonia isn’t a joke.”
“She was nauseous yesterday, so I would give her something soft on her stomach, boiled chicken and steamed rice, or chicken noodle soup are always good staples,” The android continued, “We aren’t doing any cough suppressants, please let her cough as we’re hoping she’ll be able to expel some of the fluid from her lungs that way. And I wouldn’t recommend picking her up or cuddling with her. Once she has a hold of you she won’t let go.” Nines held out a printed list to the man, “I wrote everything down just in case.”
Elijah took the paper and looked it over, “I think I get the gist of it,” He smiled, “After all it can’t be too different from taking care of Gavin when we were young. Speaking of, he barged in here and took off. We should go find him.”
Nines nodded and allowed Elijah to lead the way. They were both sure Gavin knew the way to the guest room. They walked the house quickly and quietly until the came to the guest room. Gavin had laid you down on the bed and rearranged your blankets so you would be comfortable. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, whispering to you as he felt your temple to check your temperature. Elijah and Nines took a moment to take in the sweet scene before them, then Nines gently rapped his knuckles against the doorframe. Gavin startled and stood up abruptly, turning to face his brother and husband, both of whom sported small smiles.
“It’s time to go, Gavin. She’ll be fine,” Nines reassured him.
Gavin sighed, “I just don’t feel comfortable leaving her here. What’s going to happen when she wakes up and doesn’t know where she is?” He huffed and crossed his arms, a concerned look on his face as he glanced sidelong at your sleeping form.
Nines hadn’t taken that into consideration. Waking up in an unfamiliar environment may be frightening not only because you would most likely be uncomfortable here, but also because you were sick and weakened, your mind clouded by fever. His LED turned red for a moment at the thought of you scared and upset because of this decision. The light simmered to yellow and then slowly back to blue as he worked out solutions.
“She has her uncle, as well as the Chloe’s, as long as one is here when she awakes she won’t be afraid. We can also leave a voice message on her phone or she can call us for an explanation if she doesn’t understand. She’ll be alright, Gavin. You have to trust her. She’s an adult.” Nines stepped into the room and rested his hand on his husband’s bicep, “She’s going to be okay.” Gavin nodded.
Nines led Gavin from the room quietly, nodding his thanks to Elijah as they left. It was obvious that Gavin was hesitant to leave, and Elijah could understand why. You had endeared yourself to all of them. It was no secret that Gavin sees you as the kid he missed out on having and now to see you sick for the first time, and horribly sick at that, is probably terrifying to him; like a new parent with an infant. Elijah sat in the reading chair in the guest room, figuring he’d be there when you awoke, but for now, he pulled out a tablet and began working on some things.
___
Gavin drove when they left the house, claiming he needed a distraction from the fact that they had just abandoned you with his older brother. Nines sat quietly beside him, glancing out at the side mirror every now and again, but never to the other man in the car. It was obvious that both of them were uncomfortable with having left you behind with Elijah but it wasn’t like they had much choice. When the silence was broken, it was by Gavin.
“What happened yesterday Nines?” Gavin sighed, momentarily shifting his gaze to the android beside him and then back to the road.
“The girl we both consider to be our daughter developed aggressive pneumonia over night and passed out during her press release then we had to take her to the hospital,” Nines mumbled factually, staring out the window.
“I know that but…” Gavin hesitated for a moment before pressing, “I know you’re constantly monitoring my vitals and I know you can see hers too. Wasn’t there anything telling you something was wrong?”
Nines stiffened, “I…I…my HUD was filled with notifications. I knew she was sick and that her fever was worsening but I…I panicked. I let her go up on that stage and could see her deteriorating. I could see her getting worse and the inevitability of what was going to happen and the warnings cluttering my vision but I panicked and let her go.” He was shaking, just ever so slightly, and his LED was red.
Gavin had to double take to make sure he was seeing things right, “Hey, Nines, babe. It’s okay.” He reached over and put his hand on Nines’ thigh, “I should’ve stopped her in the morning. I could’ve called off that press release as soon as we had gotten there. I saw how bad she was doing and I didn’t do anything either. We aren’t perfect.”
“She relies on us, Gavin.”
“You’re right, she does. But neither of us have ever done this pseudo-parenting thing we’re doing. There wasn’t a kid before her, Nines. We never had to develop those parental instincts that just tell you that something is wrong and you need to protect the kid,” Gavin explained, “We’re doing our best and that’s all she asks for. Hell, she doesn’t even ask for it, sometimes she’s annoyed with it because we get overprotective.” He shook his head to clear his to thoughts, “What I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to screw up, as long as we help clean up the mess afterwards.”
Nines relaxed a bit, looking over to Gavin who was shooting him sympathetic looks, and nodded his head, “You would think it’d be easier because she’s a young adult and we’ve been doing this for a year.”
Gavin chuckled as he placed his hand back on the wheel and turned into the DPD parking lot, “Young and dumb. Kids her age think they’re invincible, they push their limits and insist they’re okay even when they aren’t.” He parked the car and took Nines’ hand in his, “I remember being her age. I was just like her. Hell, she’s a lot like ‘Lij too, the more I think about it. We were reckless in our twenties, always insisting on doing more than we could handle.” He kissed Nines’ hand, “She’s gonna be just fine, big guy.”
A small smile crossed Nines’ lips, “She’s strong,” He agreed, “She’s going to be fine.”
They locked eyes for a quiet moment, finding love and comfort in each other before silently agreeing it was time to go to work. In perfect sync they exited the car, and joined each other by the trunk. Nines wrapped his arm around Gavin’s waist, pulling him close to his side, as they walked into the precinct. Gavin leaned into his husband’s touch, looking up to see his LED was a calm blue after their discussion. He reached up and kissed the android’s cheek, enjoying the momentary blue blush that colored his cheeks before fading again seconds later.
As soon as they got through the entrance, Nines and Gavin were attacked by reporters, asking for updates in Detroit’s latest hero and where she was. Nines effortlessly informed them that you had contracted pneumonia and were staying with family as you recovered, which wasn’t wrong. While it wasn’t quite the whole truth, it was enough to placate most of the reporters. A few strays asked questions aimed towards their relationship with each other and with you, to which Nines shot down and asked them to leave the precinct. Once the reporters left and they made it to their desks, Nines was once again subject to questioning.
“How is she?” Connor asked quickly as he approached Nines’ desk. His hands were clasped against his chest and his LED was yellow, not that they needed it to know how worried that android was.
Nines sighed, “She’ll recover. Officer (L/Name) developed a rather severe case of pneumonia and won’t be back for at least ten days,” He told his brother.
Connor relaxed, his shoulders sagging a bit as he let out a relieved sigh, “I was so worried when I saw what happened but I didn’t want to contact you in case I distracted you,” He smiled slightly, “If there’s any way I can help please let me know.”
“Of course, Connor. You will be the first one we contact,” Nines reassured him.
“Where is she now? Not alone I hope.”
Nines shook his head, “Of course not. She’s with family,” He answered vaguely, knowing better than to tell anyone who she was with, “They’ll take care of her until we can pick her up in the evening and take her home.
Connor nodded, “As long as she isn’t alone. If I know her half as well as I think I do then I know she wouldn’t be taking care of herself.”
Nines nodded, “I hate to cut this conversation short, brother, but I have yesterday’s work to catch up on since we were unable to return after the incident.”
“Of course, I’ll leave you to it.”
Connor turned and left, leaving Nines and Gavin to sort through the stack of work they had left behind. They had a lot to catch up on after spending the past few days with you in the hospital, most of the paperwork had to do with you falling into the lake, but the newer stuff concerned the press release. Apparently, the news had gone berserk after you had fallen on stage, undeniably sick as a dog. Some reporters were claiming the police department was abusing their officers, not allowing them sick leave and forcing you to come in. They would need to provide a counter statement, along with Fowler and a few other officers from the precinct to debunk the rumor. Of course, they’d most likely want a statement from you once you were well again but that would have to wait. For now, Gavin and Nines needed to get back to work.
___
You stirred slightly, the light streaming in through the window dancing across your skin as you turned and settled atop your eyes. A low groan rumbled in your chest as you were pulled out of your slumber and back into the waking world. There was still an ache in your chest and a distinct urge to cough, as well as the heaviness that came with a fever. Slowly, your eyes fluttered open, taking their sweet time to adjust to the golden ray of light shining right into them. Eventually, you were able to see and look around the unfamiliar room, a bolt of panic shooting through you as you realized you didn’t know where you were.
“You’re awake. And here I was thinking I would need to wake you up so you could take your medicine,” Elijah smiled down at you, setting the tablet he had been playing with aside. You made a small confused noise in the back of your throat, which was followed by three harsh coughs, “Gavin and Nines brought you to me for the day so they could make sure you were being taken care of while they are at work,” He picked up the two pill bottles off of the table, getting out a single pill from each bottle before trying to hand them to you.
You looked at his proffered hand dumbly, like you had never seen pills in your life, then rolled over, intending to fall back asleep. Everything hurt, especially your head and you wanted nothing to do with consciousness right now. Pulling the covers up to your chin, you grumbled quietly and shut your eyes, burying yourself back into the warmth of the bed. You still weren’t quite sure where you were, but Elijah was here so you must’ve been safe.
There was a slight tap on your shoulder, “Duckling, you have to take your medicine or you won’t get better.” You didn’t respond only burying yourself further into the covers, “(Y/N), I am not Nines. I’m not going to stick my fingers in your mouth to shove your pills down your throat. You can go back to sleep as soon as you take the pills.”
“No,” You whined, pulling the comforter over your head to block him our further.
“You are an adult,” Elijah warned, “I’m not playing games with you. Take your pills and then you can sleep, I won’t bother you again.” When you didn’t respond again he growled in frustration, “This isn’t funny.” He crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently, “If you’re going to behave like a child then I will treat you like a child.”
You groaned and rolled over, “Go away, ‘Lijah.”
“One.” You grumbled a bit at what you thought was a fake threat, “Two.” He sounded mad, his tone firm and warning. Maybe it wasn’t a fake threat. “Three.”
Suddenly, Elijah was on top of you, wrestling the covers away from your face. You thrashed, albeit weakly, trying to shove the larger man off you. At the time though, you were no fight for him as you coughed violently and felt like any strength you had was gone. Elijah had torn the covers off the bed and pinned your hands with his, sitting on your thighs. He looked angry.
“Chloe!” He shouted for one of his androids.
When one of her entered the room she seemed to have read Elijah’s mind and gently took your wrists from him, continuing to hold you in place with a gentle smile on her lips. With the pills in one hand Elijah grabbed your cheeks with the other to pry your jaw open and jam the pills into the back of your throat. Once he got his fingers safely from your mouth, he held your mouth shut staring down at you. Chloe released your wrists.
“Swallow them and don’t you dare even think of spitting them out,” He threatened with a dark glare.
You swallowed the pills dry, tears welling up in your eyes as they scratched at your already sore throat. Elijah slowly climbed off of the bed, releasing you from his grip, and turning to leave the room. Free, you sat up and let the tears fall, sniffling singularly before crossing your legs. All you wanted was to go home, for Gavin or Nines to pull you into their side as you snuggled into them; they always made you feel better.
Elijah froze halfway to the door when he heard you sniffle, “Oh duckling,” He turned to face you, “I’m sorry.”
“I just want Gavin and Nines,” You brought your fist up to your face, wiping at the tears hopelessly, “They’re not mean to me.”
He withered a bit, he had made a mistake, “I know, but they’re at work duckling,” He walked back to the edge of the bed, “They’re coming back for you tonight though.”
You whimpered and held your arms out to Elijah. Whether you wanted a hug or to be picked up he didn’t know, but he remembered Nines warning him that you may not let go of him. He debated what he was going to do for a moment, looking up to the Chloe who remained in the room. She seemed to urge him to pick you up, like a father would his child, to comfort you. Relenting to your soft whimpers, Elijah lifted you up into his arms, allowing you to cling to him.
“Are you still tired or should we get you something to eat?” He hummed quietly in your ear.
You didn’t respond but that was okay, Elijah had already decided you needed to eat before going back to sleep. He motioned for Chloe to follow him, softly asking her to start making some soup for you. In the meantime he would take you to the entertainment room and put on a movie or something that would keep you occupied and your thoughts off of your dads. He knew you were just as serious about your work as both Connor and Nines, and surely it wouldn’t be good if you would dwell on the fact that you were here and not there. When he tried to set you down you wouldn’t let go, much like Nines had warned him, so instead he sat on the couch with you. You’d be fine with him.
___
Elijah answered the door himself for once, knowing who was going to be on the other side. The knocks on the door had been hard, rapid, and anxious and he couldn’t help but smile; of course his brother would be antsy to have you back. With you well supported on his hip, Elijah opened the door with a soft smile, enjoying the rare sight of Gavin and Nines on his front porch. Gavin barged into the foyer without a greeting while Nines politely apologized for the detective’s behavior and stepped into the foyer.
“How was she? Good I hope?” Nines asked.
Elijah shut the door and readjusted you in his arms, “As you can see I fell victim to picking her up. The morning was eventful, but after that she just drifted in and out of sleep and was quiet. She had chicken noodle soup for lunch but I haven’t managed to get her to agree to dinner tonight.” He smiled down at you, half asleep against his shoulder and not aware of who he was talking to, “She missed you both dearly, asked for you more than once.”
Gavin held out his arms so Elijah could pass you to him, which he did gratefully, “Thanks for watching over her ‘Lij, we appreciate it.” You immediately clung to him, humming appreciatively.
“It’s not a problem; you know she’s welcome here anytime. I’m assuming I’ll have her for the next few days until she’s able to take care of herself?”
Nines nodded in confirmation, “We don’t have anyone else to watch her. Connor has offered but he doesn’t have off in the next few days,” He leaned over to gently tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear, “You mentioned this morning had been eventful?”
Elijah frowned, “She refused to take her medicine,” He explained hesitantly, “I had to force them into her mouth. The experience was unpleasant for both of us.”
The android frowned as well, “Yes, well, I had to do that the other night and will probably have to do it again tonight. Hopefully she’ll be more cooperative in the morning.”
“I would hope so. She’s far more stubborn than Gavin was as a child.”
“I wasn’t that bad,” Gavin scoffed, “You just won’t let go of the one time I bit you when I was like four years old.”
“I still have a scar.”
“Scar my ass. Let’s go Nines. Thanks again Eli; we’ll see you in the morning,” Gavin waved and turned to leave the house, readjusting you as he went.
Nines rolled his eyes, “Good night, Mr. Kamski.”
Nines held the door open for his human so he wouldn’t accidently drop you. Gavin was talking to you softly, eliciting quiet hums and squeaks from you in response. As suspected, when he tried to set you down in the car, you wouldn’t let go of him, forcing him to sit with you in the back. He just smiled and enjoyed your clinginess for now, knowing he wouldn’t get this opportunity later. Nines got in the driver’s seat, smiling into the rearview mirror at his two favorite humans. You were in Gavin’s lap, your head resting on his shoulder while he rested his head against yours, rubbing mindless shapes into your back. No doubt he would also be asleep by time they arrived home.
He was right. By time they arrived home Nines was carrying both you and Gavin into the house. Though that wasn’t an issue for him seeing as he was an android. The only thing he dreaded was waking you up so you could take your medicine. Last night had been a battle, albeit short lived due to his strength but a battle nonetheless, and if this morning had also been a fight tonight was bound to be the same. Gavin woke when Nines had set you and him down on your bed, sitting up and yawning. The android motioned for him to be quiet, seeing as you had let go of him. As soon as Gavin was out of bed, Nines took the pill bottles on your nightstand and popped the lid off, taking out a single pill from each before recapping the orange bottles.
“(Y/N), you have to take you medicine,” He cooed softly, sitting down on the bed, causing the mattress to sink under his weight, “Wake up.” He used his free hand to jostle your shoulder a bit.
You groaned quietly, muttering a nearly inaudible, “Huh?”
“Can you sit up for me?” He asked, already moving to help you up. You complied easily with the android supporting your weight. He motioned for Gavin to grab the water bottle on the side table and when he did, Nines continued, “Could you open your mouth?” With your eyes shut, you opened your mouth, leaning heavily into the android. He took the opportunity to place the pills on the center of your tongue, taking the water bottle from Gavin and holding it to your lips, “Sip.” You did as told obediently, swallowing the pills far easier than he had expected you to. “Good girl. Now go to sleep, we have to wake up early in the morning.” Nines kissed your temple and laid you back against your pillows. As soon as you were down, you were asleep once again.
___
The next couple of days went off without a hitch. Elijah watched over you and you were slowly coming back to yourself, much more tired, but yourself. The other night you had been making dumb jokes with Gavin, but now you were stretched out beneath Nines’ desk, coughing every now and again but otherwise sleeping. He had laid out a thick blanket, a small pillow and another thinner blanket for you to cover yourself with. Elijah had called last night, telling them there was an emergency, something had come up with Cyberlife and he wouldn’t be able to watch you today. So Gavin and Nines took you with them but now had to hide you from Fowler and the others so they wouldn’t think you were fine to work. Not that you looked fine to work, you still looked half dead and sounded it too, but you were in the precinct.
“How’s (Y/N) doing?” Connor asked, approaching Nines, “It’s been a few days. Are the antibiotics working?”
“She’s doing just fine,” Nines responded a happy tone, “It seems with every day she gets a little stronger and is a little more herself.” You coughed weakly and Nines scooted his chair a little closer to his desk.
Connor squinted suspiciously, “Nines, what was that?” Seeing no point in lying to his brother, Nines rolled just far enough away from his desk for Connor to see you asleep at his feet, “What is she doing here?”
Gavin looked up with a death glare, “You can’t fucking tell anyone she’s here or they’ll expect her to work,” He hissed, “Eli couldn’t take her today so we brought her with us.”
“I won’t tell, but isn’t there anywhere better than the floor?” He asked as Nines moved to block you from view again, obviously concerned.
“I’m afraid she’ll have to stay there for now if we don’t want the others seeing her,” Nines informed his brother. He looked down with a soft smile, “Although she seems quite content to hug my feet.” You had been hugging his feet as he kept them warm to act as a space heater for you.
“Connor?” You murmured, sitting up and peering past Nines. Your timing for waking up was all too convenient.
The android smiled, “Yes it’s me, now go back to sleep kitten. You need your rest.”
“I’m fine,” You waved a hand at him dismissively, coughing into your other fist, “They could’ve left me at home today.”
�� Nines scoffed, “Leaving you at home was not an option and we all know it. You would never take care of yourself properly not to mention that you wouldn’t let go of me this morning and were begging us not to leave you.”
A blush colored your cheeks as you looked away from the androids, “I was still tired and emotionally compromised.”
“And you’re not tired now?” He smirked, already knowing the answer.
You deflated a bit, sighing, “I’m exhausted and I fucking hate it. I just want to be better already.”
Nines carefully ran his hand through your hair, “Five more days of antibiotics and then you’ll see the doctor again.”
“And a month more of fatigue,” You complained.
He frowned because he knew you were right, “Yes, well, there’s no way around that one so you might as well sleep while you can. No use in wasting energy now when you’ll need it for when you come back to work.” You nodded and laid back down, turning to face Gavin’s desk and fall back asleep, “She’s still very cooperative, but it’ll be interesting to see how unwilling she’ll become in the next few days.”
“I’m gonna kick her ass if she decides she doesn’t want to listen,” Gavin huffed, “She’s going to rest and get better whether she wants to or not.”
“I see,” Connor nodded, “I’ll leave you two to work then.”
The morning passed slowly. Nines kept you quiet and by quiet it meant every time you woke he carefully lulled you back to sleep. You were compliant, but mostly because Nines was warm and you hadn’t slept well last night. Gavin had managed to slip you a mug of hot chocolate from the break room at one point which helped keep you from complaining. While you didn’t cough as frequently now, it seemed the fits became worse as they became spread out and infrequent. You wouldn’t cough once for an hour but then you’d cough violently for a few minutes as if you were choking. It was increasingly difficult for Nines and Gavin to casually cover the noise and make sure you went unfound. When lunch rolled around you were completely out of it, asleep with your hand covering your eyes, a slight blush dusting your cheeks, and mouth wide open. Nines sighed as he looked down at you; you didn’t seem to be faring well.
“Nines,” Connor called as he came up behind his brother, placing his hands on the back of the chair, “The Lieutenant and I are taking a half day today and heading home. If I may, we could take (Y/N) with us and you could come pick her up after work,” He offered.
Gavin looked up and jumped on the offer, “Please. I think Fowler is about to slap us with an investigation and we can’t leave her here.”
Nines nodded, “Gavin is right. If you could take her for now we’d be very thankful.”
Connor beamed, “Of course! It’s not a problem at all.”
Hank meandered up and placed his hand on Connor’s shoulder heavily, shaking the android slightly, “So are we taking the kid or is she confined to the precinct floor?” He joked lightly.
Nines scooted his chair back and knelt down to rouse you, giving Hank his answer. The android carefully shook your shoulder with practiced intensity, knowing exactly how to wake you. However, you just grumbled and tried to roll over. Once he knew you were surely awake, Nines pulled you out from under his desk and lifted you so you stood. You leaned against him, wrapping your arms around him to hug him close as you mumbled something unhappily. You never did like having your naps disturbed.
Nines pet your hair gently, “Officer, Connor and Lieutenant Anderson have offered to take you home with them for the rest of the day, so you’re going to go with them. Behave, alright?”
“You say that as if I have a death wish,” You joked quietly, still half asleep as he passed you to Hank.
“Yes, well, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you did,” Nines shot back with a half-smile.
Gavin stood and ruffled your hair as Hank started to lead you to the doors, “Be good, kid. Take a nap with Sumo or something. We’ll see you later.”
Hank kept his hands firmly planted on your shoulders, using them to guide you through the precinct doors and out to his car. Connor trailed behind Hank, smiling happily at the fact that he’d have the chance to take care of you and help out. You were slowly waking up now that you weren’t stuck laying beneath Nines’ desk, becoming more aware that he and Gavin had passed you off to Hank and Connor. While you appreciated the change of view you weren’t quite sure this was something you wanted; you just knew Connor was going to try and baby you. You were sat in the back while Hank drove and Connor sat in the passenger seat.
“So how are you feeling, kid?” Hank asked.
You shrugged, “Good I guess, tired, but I’m always tired pneumonia or not,” You answered honestly.
“Not gonna die while you’re in my house, are ya?”
You laughed lightly, “I sure hope not.”
“Good because I think Nines and Gavin would actually try to kill me if anything happened while you were with us. They love you, y’know that, right?” Hank asked.
You scoffed, “Trust me, I know. They practically smother me.” You rolled your eyes, “But I love them back. They’ve pretty much adopted me and in a way I’ve adopted them as well. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”
The rest of the car ride passed in amicable silence. You stared out the window watching familiar neighborhoods pass by. Slowly, the city streets became more residential and you began to take in the new sites of where the Anderson’s lived. Hank pulled into the driveway of a nice enough ranch house with a small porch and a brown door. You decided it fit Hank’s personality well as you followed him and Connor through the doorway. Sumo came barreling towards you and you kneeled down, allowing the Saint Bernard to barrel you over onto the ground. He stood over you, licking slobbery puppy kisses all across your neck and face as you giggled happily, burying your hands in his fur.
“Sumo! Long time no see big boy,” You laughed, pushing him away from you to sit up.
“Damn dog likes you better than he likes me,” Hank grumbled, as Connor helped you up, “You know the layout, kid. I’ll be in my room. Connor look after her.”
“Yes, Hank,” Connor nodded shortly.
You rolled your eyes as you went to flop on the couch, “It’s not like I’m about to keel over any second. I’m barely even coughing anymore, I’m just waiting to get cleared at this point.”
Connor moved into the kitchen, “Just because you are healing does not mean you are no longer ill. You still have excess fluid in your lungs, so please, do not operate under the illusion that you are well, because you’re not.”
“Wow, Connor. One more time for the people in the back,” You joked light heartedly, turning to see what he was doing.
He smiled and chuckled, “You’re still sick,” He repeated in simpler terms, “Happy now?”
Connor came back to the couch, pressing a mug of tea into your hands and kissing your forehead, “Oh c’mon, don’t you start smothering me too.” You smiled and leaned against him, “I’ve already got one overly protective robo-detective on my ass.” A yawn escaped you.
“Drink your tea and take a nap,” Connor instructed as he stood, running his hand through your hair tenderly, “I’ve got something I need to discuss with Hank. I expect you to be asleep by time I return.”
You really rolled your eyes this time, a frown settling across your features, “You’ve gotta be kidding me, Con. A nap is the last thing I want right now. I’ve been sleeping for the past five days.”
“I’m aware,” He sighed, “But as your best friend I still care about your wellbeing. You are fatigued and sick and the best way to recover is to sleep.” Connor walked away, turning his back towards you as he went to go talk to Hank.
The reminder was unwelcome and you huffed, setting your untouched tea on the coffee table, “Fine. You’re just as bad as Gavin and Nines.”
Although your voice was quiet Connor heard it. He paused in the doorway, hand on the frame as he turned to look at you again. You had already laid down and rolled to face the back of the couch. Sumo was pawing at your back and whining, but ended up just climbing on top of you to lay awkwardly, half on you and half on the couch. The android sighed. It wasn’t his intention to upset you. Not knowing what to do, he turned back and continued on his way to Hank’s room.
You clung to Sumo, his weight comforting as tears slipped down your cheeks, “They just don’t get it Sumo,” You whispered to the Saint Bernard, “Each day eats at me a little more. I can’t just keep laying here; I’m going to lose it.”
The large bear of a dog calmly licked away your tears, trying to soothe your aching heart with kisses and cuddles. What did we ever do to deserve dogs? You buried your hands in his fur, rubbing small circles into his shoulders with your fingertips. It was slow and soothing, everything you needed to rid yourself of any anxiety that had found its way into your chest since you left the precinct. Thinking about it, you almost wished you were still there, asleep at Nines’ feet under his desk. At least then you’d be with Gavin and Nines. It seemed Sumo was taking Connor’s somewhat indirect order and fell asleep against you. As much as you wanted to be awake, to do something other than sleep, the weight of the dog on top of you along with his warmth and steady breathing seemed to create a lullaby, lulling you into yet another light sleep.
___
It was dark and shadowy here. But you weren’t quite sure where “here” was, only that you were chained to something. Ebony figures moved around you, their footsteps making muffled sounds as they walked, circling you like sharks. You fought against your restraints, tugging and kicking but nothing worked. The rattle of heavy metal chains was drowned out by laughter, loud and raucous. Men. The figures were men.
“Be a pretty little whore now and sit still, daddy has a lot of friends with him and he expects you to behave.”
Joe.
The light flicked on, momentarily blinding you. When your eyes adjusted and you blinked them open once more, you found yourself chained to the desk in the evidence room. They had found you. They had tracked you all the way to Detroit and come after you and now you were helpless. You tried to scream for someone, anyone, but there was a gag in your mouth. You cried, trying to sob but all that came out was muffled noises.
Joe grabbed your face roughly, “Oh yes princess, we found you. Our favorite little spy that got us in a whole lot of trouble. And now, we’re here to get payback.” He brought out a pocket knife and flicked it open, bringing it close to your face.
___
You shot up with a start, practically throwing Sumo to the ground with the force. Tears spilled from your eyes as you gasped and sobbed. It was just a nightmare. He’s gone. It was just a nightmare, you tried to tell yourself to no avail. You gasped harshly, clutching at your chest with one hand and your cheek with the other. There was no blood; there was not cut. You were fine. But your mind didn’t want to believe that. You were spiraling and you were spiraling quickly. Each gasp for breath was short and painful, tearing a ragged cough from your throat. You lurched off the couch, throwing yourself to your hands and knees on the ground as you tried to breathe, but the coughing and hyperventilating were making it impossible.
“(Y/N)!” Connor shouted from somewhere nearby. You were suddenly on your back and the android was hovering above you, “You need to calm down.” You shook your head, only coughing more with each movement, only getting tiny breaths in. You felt like you were dying. “Hank!”
“What?” The Lieutenant emerged from his room and peered over the couch, “Holy shit, what’s going on?! She’s turning blue.”
“Start the car, we need to go. Now!” Connor ordered as Hank ran off to go get his keys and get in the car. Connor leaned back over you, taking your face in his hands so you’d stop tossing, “I’m going to pick you up, okay? We’re going to take you to the hospital.”
You nodded in understanding and felt Connor slip his arms under you and lift you from the ground. He rushed out to the car where Hank was already waiting, deftly sliding you into the back seat before jumping into the front. As soon as the door shut Hank was peeling out of the driveway and speeding to the hospital. To imagine you’d be back for a third time in the matter of a week. This turn of events did nothing to calm the anxiety attack and you were cold, horribly cold as you continued gasping for air and coughing. This it is, you lamented internally, this is how I die. I’m going to suffocate. You shut your eyes, bracing against the agony in your chest.
___
Soft voices filled the room, waking you slowly. A soft groan left your throat as you became aware of the ache in your entire upper body. A nasal cannula was draped over your ears and providing a steady flow of oxygen. You blinked your eyes open slowly, recognizing the pristine ceiling of a hospital room. You turned your head to face a few of the voices, finding Hank and Connor who smiled down at you, then turned the other way to find Nines and Gavin.
“Feeling better kid? You scared the shit out of me and Connor,” Hank asked gruffly.
You could barely remember what had occurred though, “My chest hurts now. What exactly happened?” You reached up to scratch your cheek, feeling the phantom feeling of cool steel drawing across it.
“I think you had a nightmare,” Connor answered, “I was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a few reports and checking on you. You had been asleep peacefully last I had checked but then I heard Sumo yelp so I came to check again and you were on the ground.” He paused, looking down as he fiddled with his coin, “It didn’t look like you were really breathing between how hard you were coughing and hyperventilating. Your lips were turning blue from the lack of oxygen so we brought you to the hospital.”
You nodded as parts of the nightmare came back to you, “It was a nightmare,” You said softly, “A bad one.”
“Must’ve been,” Gavin sighed, reaching out to rest his hand on top of yours, “You gotta stop doing this to us, kid. I swear, next time I hear you’ve been hospitalized I’m gonna have a heart attack.”
You sighed, “It’s not like I want to be here. At this rate they’re going to think I’m a frequent flyer.”
“Hate to break it to you kid but you’ve been here three times in seven days or so. You are a frequent flyer, especially since this most likely won’t be the last seeing as you’re a cop,” Hank laughed, “Don’t worry, when Gavin and I were your age we were both considered frequent flyers too.”
“Yeah, but three times in a single week?”
“Not my fault you decided to take a dip in a frozen lake,” Hank teased and you just scoffed.
Nines stood, gently patting your knee, “Luckily, they don’t feel the need to keep you for observations seeing as that as soon as your anxiety attack stopped you were able to breath normally again. They’re letting you come home tonight. I’ll go let them know you’re awake.”
“Thank you, Nines,” You yawned, shifting in the uncomfortable hospital bed.
As Nines left, Connor helped you adjust the bed so you were sitting up. You talked quietly with the three men in your room. Gavin tried asking about the nightmare but you immediately shot him down with a shake of your head and a quiet “I don’t want to talk about it,” which only made him sigh. Nines returned shortly with the doctor who had diagnosed you five days prior. He jokingly expressed his amusement at seeing you again so soon but then gave you a rundown of your condition. While you were doing better than before and the antibiotics were working, he had decided to take you off the pain medicine and put you on a cough suppressant instead. He reminded you that you weren’t supposed to strain yourself, no work, and to avoid anything that may trigger another anxiety attack, to which you had to resist rolling your eyes seeing as nightmares aren’t exactly avoidable. When he was done he told you that you were free to go, and left the room.
You practically tore the cannula off of your face and stood, though your legs immediately felt like jelly. Nines caught you before you could collapse, scooping you up into his arms, “Thank Nines,” You sighed, letting your head thump against his chest.
Nine craned his neck a bit to kiss the top of your head, “Let’s get you home.”
You grumbled quietly as Nines once again carried you from the hospital. Connor and Hank followed Nines and Gavin out, bidding you and them good night before heading to their own car. Nines set you down to let you get into the car yourself, to which you easily slid into the back. The entire drive home was quiet. Nines and Gavin tried to talk to you, but you, being moody and upset, elected to stare out the window and pretend you didn’t hear them. Needless to say, Gavin was getting angry.
Gavin slammed both of his hands against the dashboard startling you, “We’re in the same damn car, greenie. I know you can fucking hear us. Stop acting like a brat and talk to us like the goddamn adult you claim to be!” You looked away from the window and into the rearview mirror, meeting Gavin’s eyes, “Why are you being so fucking difficult?”
You shrugged petulantly, and mumbled, “I don’t know.”
“Bullshit you don’t know! What is going on with you?” He barked.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You never want to talk about it. Well guess what. That option went out the window when you decided to ignore us!”
You turned back to the window, right hand grabbing at your left wrist as you avoided eye contact, “I feel so fucking useless right now,” You grit out, “I feel so goddamn useless and I’m tired of it. All I’ve been doing for five days is sleeping and watching the days pass in a fucking haze and I hate it. And of course as soon as I’m out of my practically drug induced coma my anxiety rears its head and goes fucking haywire!” You growled out, nearly shouting. “I’m falling apart at the fucking seams right now!” You were shaking uncontrollably.
“That’s no reason to lash out at us!” Gavin snapped.
“Both of you stop this instant. Yelling will not get us anywhere,” Nines interjected calmly, “I think it may be best if we talk about this when we get home.”
That shut you and Gavin up, allowing Nines to properly concentrate on the road for the rest of the ride. When he pulled into the driveway and parked, Gavin was the first one out, slamming the car door behind him. Nines was slower, going as far as to open your door and help you up to make sure you weren’t going to fall again. His hand took up its usual spot at the small of your back, the slight pressure and warmth reassuring. As soon as you walked into the house you were greeted by Sunshine who whimpered at your feet. Gavin had probably yelled at her. Bending down, you scooped the golden retriever up in your arms, flipping her onto her back like a baby with some effort.
“Hi Sun-bun,” You whispered to her, smiling when she craned her neck to kiss your cheek, “Yeah, I know. I missed you too.”
Nines let his hand drag up your back until it rested on your shoulder, “Couch,” He commanded softly, “I’ll go get Gavin,” He paused, “And also tell him not to yell at Sunshine again.”
You nodded and walked further into the house with the android, though he went towards his shared bedroom and you went to sit on the couch with Sunshine in your lap. She cried quietly, kissing your face plenty as you rubbed her chest and belly, cooing to her. There was the quiet sounds of what Gavin had once called a “marital scuffle” in their bedroom. Now they were fighting. Great. You just fucked everything up tonight hadn’t you? Nines came back and scooted you into the middle of the couch, causing Sunshine to jump out of your lap as he and Gavin sat to either side of you.
“You’re upset,” Nines started carefully, “Without getting frustrated, why?”
You looked up at Nines before sighing, “Being sick has screwed up my entire life. I’m not happy with just sleeping through the day and not knowing what’s going on around me.”
“How,” Gavin paused and took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, “How can we help?”
You shook your head, “I just want to go home. And not here home. Home home. Back with my mom, back in New York city, back to where I wasn’t a fuck up even if they just used me.” Tears welled up in your eyes.
“I’m sorry, but you have to stay here,” Nines apologized, taking your hand in his, “It’s not the worst place to be. We’ll get through this together.”
The tears spilled down your cheeks, “I hate this,” You whispered weakly, your voice cracking, “I want to go home.”
Before Gavin could even begin to reach for you like he’d normally do when you were crying, you had crawled into Nines’ lap and buried your face against his neck. The android’s LED turned yellow as he wrapped his arms around you and began to quietly comfort you. Gavin froze, hands halfway to you before he dropped them into his lap as he remembered he had yelled at you. He had yelled and swore all because you were upset, and now you turned to Nines instead of him. Deep down that hurt, and it showed in the heartbroken expression on his face. Sunshine was whining again, nosing at your back and pawing at Nines’ legs. Your tears didn’t last long but they had left you hiccupping against the android’s chest miserably.
“Is today over yet?” You asked quietly.
“It’s over if you want it to be,” He answered, leaning down to kiss your head, “I can take you to your room if you want?”
“Please.”
Nines nodded and stood, holding you in his arms. He was slow as he walked to your bedroom and laid you down on the bed, watching as you rolled onto your side to face away from him. Sunshine came trotting into the room and jumped straight onto the bed to snuggle up against your chest. With a sigh, Nines began to gently run his hand through your hair, smoothing a few unruly strands. It seemed like you curled in on yourself, trying to avoid the contact in favor a being alone.
“Will you at least take your medicine before I leave?” Your partner asked, already gather the pill bottles in his free hand, “You can’t get better without them.” You rolled to face Nines and unburied a hand from your blankets to accept the pills. When he placed them in your hands you threw the pills back and dry swallowed them, “Thank you. You know you can talk to us, right?” You nodded, “This entire ordeal has been taxing on all of us in different ways. We’re just worried about you and it’s not because you’re being reckless but because this illness has been tough on you.”
You reached out and took his hand, “I just want to be okay again.”
“Five days,” He reminded you, “Five days and you can return to work and we can pretend everything is back to normal until it truly is. Now go to sleep, Gavin and I will be leaving you home alone tomorrow.”
“Can you take me to Uncle Eli? I don’t want to be alone,” You asked quietly.
“I’ll call him tonight and see if he can have you over. Good night, (Y/N).” His hand slipped from yours.
Nines turned off your lights and shut the door as he left your room. Gavin had migrated from the couch to sitting petulantly in the kitchen counter, taking small swigs from a bottle of whiskey. Oxy was resting on his lap as he let his legs swing slightly. The cat meowed, reminding his owners that he and Iggy had yet to be fed and Nines was quick to dole out 1/4th cup of dry cat food to each of them. Gavin hadn’t moved when Oxy jumped from his lap, still staring off into space and taking another shot from the bottle.
“Gavin-”
“I yelled at her Nines. She was upset and I yelled at her and now she hates me.”
“I doubt she hates you,” The android sighed, moving in between his partner’s legs and taking the bottle from his hands, “Tonight has just been an emotionally charged night.”
Gavin looked up at his husband before slumping forward to rest his head against the android’s chest, “She always lets me hold her when she cries. She went to you instead and…god dammit I fucked up.” He winced at his own words.
“Just because she looked for comfort in me this once rather than you doesn’t mean she hates you, love,” Nines reassured him, “I’m sure by tomorrow morning she’ll barely even remember what happened tonight.” Gavin grunted in response, “Now come, do I need to carry you to bed too?” The man simply raised his arms in response and Nines chuckled, lifting him off the counter as if he weighed nothing. “Both of my humans are just large children. She asked if she could stay with Uncle Eli tomorrow.”
“Uncle?” Gavin looked up with a slightly disgusted face, “How did he manage that one?”
“Who even knows,” Hummed the android, pressing a kiss to Gavin’s lips, “But that’s unimportant right now,” Hi nipped at Gavin’s jaw.
Gavin chuckled as he leaned into Nines, “It always comes back to this huh?”
“Well considering we do this nearly nightly I don’t see why you’re so surprised,” Nines quipped as he tossed his husband onto the bed and shut the lights off, “You’re going to love what I have in mind tonight.”
___
You spent the last of your sick days being dropped off at Elijah’s house in the mornings and picked up again in the evenings. You had to argue with your new found uncle about what you could and couldn’t be doing and after enough begging he brought you into his private lab. There, he began to teach you the beginnings of robotics and how he managed to practically create life. Enamored, you spent hours down there with him, only occasionally falling asleep where you sat due to fatigue. Often times you’d wake up slumped against a table, screwdriver in hand and a blanket tossed over your shoulders. It would take you a couple minutes of wandering the house before you’d find Elijah again and he’d take you back to the lab and continue to help you tinker away. The project took the last of your time with you uncle but you didn’t mind. He was keeping you occupied which was exactly what you wanted, and he only encouraging you to sleep when it seemed you really needed it. You appreciated it.
“Gavin and Nines are pulling up the driveway now,” Elijah told you from the steps of the lab, “I suppose I won’t be seeing you for a while, now will I?”
You turned to look at him, finding him standing on the last step before the lab, “I guess you’re right,” You sighed, a bit melancholy, “No more wasting time with you.”
He nodded, “Come on duckling, before Gavin kicks my door in.”
You set your screwdriver aside and looked down at your little creation, “You think he’s ready?”
Elijah laughed lightly, “He’s been ready since yesterday morning. You just haven’t stopped messing with him. I’m sure everyone will find him delightful, and if all goes well maybe I’ll find some funding for them and we’ll sell them. We could use the money for your wedding.”
You couldn’t help but laugh loudly, “Yeah, like my dumb ass is getting married anytime soon,” You scooped your little creation up and set him in your pocket. You stood and strode over to Elijah, pulling him into a hug, “Thanks for taking care of me Uncle Eli.”
“Anytime, duckling. I’ll miss you,” He wrapped his arms around you and kissed the top of your head, “Next thing we’ll do is get you a good pair of heels so you aren’t so short.”
You pulled back and slapped his arm, “I’m not that short.” You started up the steps.
Elijah followed after you, “You’re just barely 5’2”, you’re short.”
You shook your head and began to rush to the front door, causing Elijah to have to chase after you. You seemed to be in an oddly good mood today, but that probably had something to do with your appointment tomorrow and the promise of returning to work. By time the two of you had made it to the living room Gavin and Nines had already been led in by a Chloe who was coming to retrieve you. She smiled and motioned with her head to the two detectives standing behind her. You must’ve caught her off guard though because you swept her up in a hug and she let out a small, startled noise. A laugh escaped you as you set her down again and rushed up to your partners.
“Someone’s happy,” Gavin smirked, reaching out to ruffle your hair, “How was your day kiddo?”
You smiled and breathed out, “It was good. It was really good.”
Nines returned your smile softly, “It seems you were incredibly active today. You must be exhausted. Let’s get you home. We have an early morning tomorrow and then if you’re cleared you’ll return to the precinct with us.”
The instant Nines had said the word “exhausted” it struck you that you hadn’t slept all day, your jittery, excited energy keeping you going, but now it was catching up to you. There was a visible slump in your shoulders as you nodded. Home sounded nice. You gratefully accepted your jacket from a Chloe and thanked her quietly as you pulled it on. Nines wrapped his arm around your shoulders and began leading you out of the house, bidding Elijah a good night. Gavin shook his brother’s hand and kissed Chloe’s cheek before following after you and Nines.
Once you had gotten settled into the car you almost instantly fell asleep to the rumble of the engine. Gavin laughed softly at your sudden tiredness, but let you nap for the time being. He and Nines talked quietly to pass the time on the road, even if it was only about twenty minutes. Everything felt very comfortable, warm, and familiar. Together they had built a family; they had found each other, chose to enjoy one another’s company, and searched for comfort in each other. It was a feeling that warmed each of your hearts.
Gavin was the one to wake you when you arrived home, reminding you that you still had to at least eat dinner before you could go back to sleep. You sighed and moved to get up but Gavin stopped you, scooping you up in his arms instead to carry you inside. Quiet, half-asleep complaints left you but you didn’t try to escape from him. The heavy feeling of fatigue weighed on your shoulders after having such a long day when you were still technically recovering. Nines immediately moved to the kitchen to prepare dinner while Gavin sat down on the couch, turning on a movie to preoccupy you both with, though you didn’t watch so much as just try to steal all of Gavin’s warmth.
Nines gently pried you away from Gavin so you sat on the couch beside him. He then placed bowls of chili in either of your laps and encouraged you both to eat while he cleaned up. Sometimes it felt like Nines did everything around the house, but then you remembered that he was an android and you and Gavin were pretty much useless meat-sacks. When Nines came back to clear your bowls you climbed back into Gavin’s lap and rested your head against his chest. His arms came around you to hold you close.
“Tired?” He asked with a quiet chuckle. You nodded, blinking slowly. “I’m gonna miss our sick little greenie. You’re affectionate like this.”
You looked up at him and rolled your eyes, “Shut up.”
Nines came around the couch, leaning down to kiss you head before sitting beside Gavin, “He’s right, you know. These past ten days you’ve snuggled up to us quite willingly and I doubt you will do so when you’re healthy again.”
You grumbled something quietly but were slowly losing the battle to keep your eyes open. The siren song of sleep was attractive and you were more than willing to let it pull you under. You felt Gavin’s hand come up to comb through your hair, aiding in putting you to sleep soundly. It had been three days since you had coughed, whether it be from recovery or the cough suppressant no one could be sure, but they would find out tomorrow morning. With that final thought you fell asleep against Gavin’s chest, listening to his heartbeat and even breaths, and the low grumble of his voice as he whispered to Nines.
___
Nines woke you up early. Stupidly early. Five in the morning early. But your appointment was at six in the hopes of being able to get to work on time. Your doctor had been kind enough to come in early to try and return Detroit’s most recent hero back to the police force. You’d have to get x-rays of your chest again this morning to prove they’re clear and get approval to return to work. Sluggishly, you pulled on your uniform, not feeling like trying to formulate an outfit, and reveled in the feeling of the scratchy material against your skin.
Gavin had laughed when he saw you in your uniform, teasing you about not wanting to dress like a proper detective. You just reminded him that you weren’t technically a detective and he was wearing a t-shirt. Effectively shut down, he grabbed a toaster strudel Nines had set on the counter for him and shoved it in his mouth. Nines prompted both of you to finish breakfast and get in the car, not wanting to be late for your appointment that was before office hours even began. You practically fell off the kitchen stool you were so tired. You pleaded quietly for a cup of coffee, possibly an energy drink, anything to wake you up, but Nines denied your requests and instead led you by the shoulder out to the car.
You slept in the car on the way to the hospital to see your doctor. When you woke up you were sitting in a room, waiting for the doctor to come in. You shot a weak glare at your partners for once again carrying you around like a kid instead of just waking you up, to which they both waved you off. After that, the doctor came in and began your check-up. There were a lot of deep breaths and blood taken before you were led away to get the x-rays done to make sure your lungs were clear. After they were done you just had to wait for them to be developed.
You sat on the bed, leaning against Gavin who sat beside you, “I hate hospitals.”
“Get used to them, kid. Wait until you get shot for the first time,” He chuckled, “They fuck you up with the good stuff and you won’t feel your limbs for days.”
“You say that like I’m gonna get shot. Believe it or not, I’m not as dumb as you,” You scoffed.
Gavin shook his head and huffed, “You don’t know shit, greenie. Officers always get shot when they least expect it.”
“If we do our job properly, Gavin, she won’t get shot,” Nines informed his partner as if it was obvious.
“Hey, Gav?”
“Yeah kid?”
“Don’t move.”
You shifted to lay on the bed, laying with your feet by the pillow and your head in Gavin’s lap. X-rays were only supposed to take a few minutes to process but the blood work was going to take at least an hour if not longer. In the meantime, you were going to sleep, your fatigue still eating at you. A pressed giggle left you as you felt the bed depress further and turned to find Nines now laying on the bed the same way as you and Gavin laying with his head on Nines’ chest. This was dumb. Your partners were dumb. You couldn’t be more thankful for this awkward trio; after a week or so at the precinct you just knew this was the best possible partnership for you. You couldn’t wait to go back to work.
About two hours later, your doctor returned to the room with the results. Gavin practically shoved you off the bed to wake you up and you shot him a glare before greeting the doctor. He seemed to find your antics amusing enough and motioned for you to sit down again so he could cover everything. Nines slapped Gavin upside the head while they settled back into their seats near the wall.
“Everything came back clean,” He announced happily before continuing, “However that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook just yet. While the bacteria is dead you still have a long road to full recovery. I’m taking you off the cough suppressant, so you’ll go back to coughing but you need to so your body can expel what’s left of the mucus in your lungs.” You nodded along, “The fatigue is also going to follow you for a while, along with some chest pain and possibly shortness of breath. I know it’s up to your captain but I highly suggest sticking to desk duty for a while if it’s possible.”
“Oh, it’s possible,” You rolled your eyes, “Especially with those two behind you. They’ll gladly confine me to my desk.”
He chuckled a bit and handed you a new prescription, “I’m also prescribing you an inhaler, just in case something comes up. If anything feels too uncomfortable or painful don’t hesitate to come in and talk to me or one of the nurses. We want to make sure there are no complications, even during recovery.”
You nodded, “I won’t. Quite frankly if Nines even suspects something is off he’s likely to drag me here against my will.”
Your doctor nodded and stood, “A good man, he’s just looking out for you. You’re free to return to work and go about your day. Just make sure to get that inhaler.”
“Will do, and thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good day,” He ducked out of the room after that.
You turned to Nines and Gavin with a bright smile, “I get to go back to work!”
“For desk duty only,” Nines reminded you, but you just waved your hand dismissively, “Don’t think for a moment that I’ll be letting you out of my sight any time soon.”
You shrugged and stood, “Any work is better than none. I was going insane back home.”
“We know,” Gavin nodded, “And now you’re going to go insane at the precinct. And I hate to break it to you but I told Fowler you were cleared and he called a press release to clear the air.”
You groaned as Gavin and Nines led you back out to the car. A press release was the absolute last thing you wanted to do when you got back to the precinct. Deep down, you knew it was because no information had come out about the incident at the last one other than you had pneumonia and were staying with family in the meantime. The way back to the precinct from the hospital was eerily familiar and you shifted in your seat. You could only vaguely remember what had happened after the original press release. You knew you had fallen over and Gavin had swept you into his arms, you’ve seen the video after all, but after that things got blurry. You remembered clinging to him, crying and begging to go home, and him sitting in the back of the car with you, but after that it was all gone until you woke up in a bed. Nines had told you that you had fallen asleep, but he hadn’t felt like filling you in on the details of what happened while you were out or how concerned they had been.
When Nines parked, you hesitated to get out of the car. Apparently, you hesitated long enough for Nines to open your door for you and prompt you to get out. You couldn’t help but just stare at the front doors to the precinct. A few news vans were dispersed across the lot, along with plenty of cars with visitor passes that you were sure belonged to the press. An uncomfortable noise rose from your throat and you began to fidget. Gavin had to practically shove you into the precinct; he put his hands on your shoulders to steer you into the press release room where you met with Fowler for the first time in days.
“You’re not going to pass out this time right? You feel fine?” He asked seriously.
You had to hold back the sarcastic comment on the tip of your tongue as you said, “I’m fine now. I may be a bit slow for the next couple of weeks but I’m not about to collapse.”
Fowler nodded, “Good, good.” He pat your arms lightly, “Welcome back, Officer.”
“Thanks, Captain.”
You watched as Fowler took the podium and immediately the room went silent. Camera men could be seen turning on their cameras and mics while reporters opened their notebooks to take notes. With little fanfare, Fowler called the press release to order, laying down ground rules of what this meeting was for and what types of questions may be answered. You listened intently to make sure you didn’t miss anything; the last thing you needed to do was give the reporters information they weren’t supposed to know. He took a few questions before calling you up to the podium and setting a timer for you.
“Officer (L/Name), were you forced to come to work when you were sick?” A reporter shouted above the others.
You shook your head, “No, of course not. I had six sick days left, which I took alongside a few personal days while I recovered.”
“Then why did you come to work?”
You leaned forward to speak slowly and clearly into the mic, trying not to laugh, “Because I am young and dumb.”
That got a good laugh out of everyone in the room before the questions started again, this time with something a little more jarring, “Do you live with Detectives Reed and Nines.”
Your eyes widened and you looked back to when Gavin, Nines, and Fowler stood, all motioning for you not to answer, “That’s not what this press release is about, sorry. I don’t feel comfortable answering that seeing as it is about my private life rather than work related.”
A few suspicious hums rang in the air before someone else asked, “Are you fully recovered?”
“I’m cleared to do desk work,” You answered, “Pneumonia is a persistent illness and while I’m no longer considered sick, I will still have symptoms for a few weeks, mainly fatigue.”
The back and forth went on for twenty minutes before the timer went off. You looked back at Fowler who was motioning for you to turn the mic over to your partners. You did so easily, stepping away from the mic as Gavin took your place while Nines stood lightly off to the side behind him. You went to stand beside Fowler, who nodded his approval. Many reporters tried to pry into the lives of the two detectives, asking about their relationship together and with you as well as living arrangements and android/human relationships. Nines and Gavin deflected all the off-topic questions with practiced ease, only answering questions about the sick policies at the precinct and your general wellbeing as their partner. After the time was up for them, they turned the mic over to Tina and left the room with you in tow.
You were happy to settle yourself on Nines’ desk and he handed you a tablet. He gave you a general rundown of what he wanted you to work on. You didn’t know enough about the most recent cases to help write the reports, but there was plenty of leftover paperwork to do from the incident at the lake that you were more than familiar with. You plunged into the work immediately, typing away happily and quietly. Gavin and Nines discussed the case they were working on, where they would have to go and the warrants they would have to obtain. Hopefully none of their leads were bad. Everything was back to normal, or about as normal as it could get with you coughing.
As per usual, after a few hours of sitting and working you began to fidget, the stillness causing an unsettled feeling in your chest. Nothing you were unfamiliar with, but not a pleasant sensation. You shifted, shoving your hand into your pocket and pulling out your creation. You touched a small power button, then set the small, metal buck on the desk. He roamed calmly, bowing his head as if he was grazing, then looking back up in the direction of any loud sounds. You watched the deer, the anxiety that had been forming in your chest settling away to nothingness.
“Officer, what is that?” Nines asked once he noticed the creature.
“That’s Angus,” You supplied, “Uncle Eli helped me make him. He’s to help calm my anxiety when everything is too still. If he proves affective, we may release a line of small desk creatures for officers and veterans suffering from PTSD to help them.”
“So it’s a robot?” Gavin asked.
You nodded, “Yeah. It’s got an AI in it so it acts like a deer, and if we were to put another buck on the desk, they would knock antlers. He took me three days to program and two days to build, with Elijah’s help of course. But I know a lot more about robotics and androids now than I did a week ago.”
“That’s…very impressive. And he helps your anxiety?”
“He’s a source of calm movement, which really helps when I have to sit still for long amounts of time, because even if I’m working my mind tends to wander to places it shouldn’t.”
Nines and Gavin nodded at your explanation. You went into a little spiel about how you wanted to create a rabbit, a doe, a frog, and a squirrel to go along with Angus, each catering to different types of anxiety. They seemed pretty proud of your little creation, but eventually they had to leave to go to a crime scene. You promised to call Gavin if anything went wrong, and if there was a true emergency to get Connor who was just across the room. When they left you slid off the desk and onto Nines chair, taking your time to review the case they were working on and watching Angus prance around the desk. It was calm. Nice. Everything was back the way it should have been, and you couldn’t have been happier.
End~
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Lore Episode 21: Adrift (Transcript) - 16th November 2015
tw: death, drowning, ghosts
Disclaimer: This transcript is entirely non-profit and fan-made. All credit for this content goes to Aaron Mahnke, creator of Lore podcast. It is by a fan, for fans, and meant to make the content of the podcast more accessible to all. Also, there may be mistakes, despite rigorous re-reading on my part. Feel free to point them out, but please be nice!
I have a confession to make. Keep in mind, I write about frightening things for a living. I haven’t read a horror novel yet that’s managed to freak me out, and yet, I’m deathly afraid of open water. There, I said it – I hate being on boats. I’m not even sure why, to be honest, I just… am. Perhaps it’s the idea that thousands of feet of cold darkness wait right beneath my feet. Maybe it’s the mystery of it all, of what creatures (both known and unknown) might be waiting for me, just beyond the reach of what little sunlight passes through the surface of the waves. Now, I live near the coast, and I’ve been on boats before, so my fear comes from experience, but it’s not the cold, deep darkness beneath the ship that worries me the most. No, what really makes my skin crawl is the thought that, at any moment, the ship could sink. Maybe we can blame movies like Titanic or The Poseidon Adventure for showing us how horrific a shipwreck can be, but there are far more true stories of tragedy at sea than there are fictional ones, and it’s in these real life experiences, these maritime disasters that dot the map of history like an ocean full of macabre buoys, that we come face to face with the real dangers that await us in open water. The ocean takes much from us, but in rare moments, scattered across the pages of history, we’ve heard darker stories: stories of ships that come back, of sailors returned from the dead, and of loved ones who never stop searching the land. Sometimes our greatest fears refuse to stay beneath the waves. I’m Aaron Mahnke, and this is Lore.
Shipwrecks aren’t a modern notion – as far back as we can go, there are records of ships lost at sea. In The Odyssey by Homer, one of the oldest and most widely read stories ever told, we meet Odysseus shortly before he experiences a shipwreck at the hands of Poseidon, God of the Sea. Even further back in time, we have the Egyptian tale of the shipwrecked sailor, dating to at least the 18th century BC. The truth is, though, for as long as humans have been building sea-faring vessels and setting sail into unknown waters, there have been shipwrecks. It’s a universal motif in the literatures of the world, and that’s most likely because of the raw, basic risk that a shipwreck poses to the sailors on the ships, but it’s not just the personal risk. Shipwrecks have been a threat to culture itself for thousands of years. The loss of a sailing vessel could mean the end to an expedition to discover new territory or turn the tide of a naval battle. Imagine the result if Admiral Nelson had failed in his mission off the coast of Spain in 1805, or how differently Russia’s history might have played out had Tsar Nicholas II’s fleet actually defeated the Japanese in the Battle of Tsushima. The advancement of cultures has hinged for thousands of years, in part, on whether or not their ships could return to port safely, but in those instances where ancient cultures have faded into the background of history, it is often through their shipwrecks that we get information about who they were. Just last year, an ancient Phoenician shipwreck was discovered in the Mediterranean Sea near the island of Malta. It’s thought to be at least 2700 years old and contains some of the oldest Phoenician artefacts ever uncovered. For archaeologists and historians who study these ancient people, the shipwreck has offered new information and ideas. The ocean takes much from us, and upon occasion, it also gives back. Sometimes, though, what it gives us is something less inspiring. Sometimes, it literally gives us back our dead.
One such example comes from 1775. The legend speaks of a whaling vessel, discovered off the western coast of Greenland in October of that year. Now, this is a story with tricky provenance, so the details will vary depending on where you read about it. The ship’s name might have been the Octavius, or possibly the Gloriana, and from what I can tell, the earliest telling of this tale can be traced back to a newspaper article in 1828. The story tells of how one Captain Warren discovered the whaler drifting through a narrow passage in the ice off the coast of Greenland. After hailing the vessel and receiving no reply, their own ship was brought near, and the crew boarded the mysterious vessel. Inside, though, they discovered a horrible sight. Throughout the ship, the entire crew was frozen to death where they sat. When they explored further and found the captain’s quarters, the scene inside was even more eerie. There in the cabin were more bodies: a frozen woman, holding a dead infant in her arms; a sailor holding a tinder box, as if trying to manufacture some source of warmth; and there, at the desk, sat the ship’s captain. One account tells of how his face and eyes were covered in a green, wet mould. In one hand, the man held a fountain pen, and the ship’s log was open in front of him. Captain Warren leaned over and read the final entry, dated November 11th, 1762, 13 years prior to the ship’s discovery. “We have been enclosed in the ice 70 days”, it said. “The fire went out yesterday and our master has been trying ever since to kindle it again, but without success. His wife died this morning. There is no relief”. Captain Warren and his crew were so frightened by the encounter that they grabbed the ship’s log and retreated as fast as they could back to their own ship. The Octavius, if indeed that was the ship’s name, was never seen again.
The mid-1800s saw the rise of the steel industry in America. It was the beginning of an empire that would rule the economy for over a century, and like all empires, there were capitals: St. Louis, Baltimore, Buffalo, Philadelphia. All of these cities played host to some of the largest steel works in the country, and for those that were close to the ocean, this created the opportunity for the perfect partnership – the shipyard. Steel could be manufactured and delivered locally and then used to construct the ocean-going steamers that were the lifeblood of late-19th century life. The flood of immigration through Ellis Island, for example, wouldn’t have been possible without these steamers. My own family made that journey. One such steamer to roll out of Philadelphia in 1885 was the S. S. Valencia. She was 252ft long and weighed in at nearly 1600 tonnes. The Valencia was built before complex bulkheads and hull compartments, and she wasn’t the fastest ship on the water, but she was dependable. She spent the first decade and a half running passengers between New York City and Karakas, Venezuela. In 1897, while in the waters near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Valencia was attacked by a Spanish cruiser. The next year, she was sold and moved to the west coast, where she served in the Spanish-American war as a troop ship between the US and the Philippines. After the war, the Valencia was sold to a company that used the ship to sail between California and Alaska, but in 1906, she filled in for another ship that was under repair, and her new route became San Francisco to Seattle. They gave the ship a check-up in January of that year, and everything checked out good. For a 24-year-old vessel, the Valencia was in perfect working order.
She set sail on the 20th of January 1906, leaving sunny California and heading north. The ship was crewed by nine officers, 56 crew members and played host to over 100 passengers. Somewhere near Cape Mendocino off the coast of northern California, though, the weather turned sour. Visibility dropped, and the winds kicked up. When you’re on a ship at night, even a slow one, losing the ability to see is a very bad thing. Typically, without visual navigation a captain might fall back on the celestial method, using the stars in the same way sailors did centuries ago, but even that option was off the table for Captain Oscar Johnson, and so he used the only tool he had left: dead reckoning. The name alone should hint at the efficacy of the method. Using last known navigational points as a reference, Captain Johnson essentially guessed at the Valencia’s current location. But guessing can be deadly, and so instead of pointing the ship at the Strait of Juan de Fuca, between Vancouver Island and Washington State, he unknowingly aimed it at the island itself. Blinded by the weather and faulty guesswork, the Valencia struck a reef just 50ft from the shore near Pachena Point on the south-west side of Vancouver Island. They say the sound of the metal ripping apart on the rocks sounded like the screams of dozens of people. It came without warning, and the crew did what they could to react by immediately reversing the engines, backing off the rocks. Damage control reported the hull had been torn wide open, water was pouring in at a rapid pace, and there was no hope of repairing the ship. It lacked the hull compartments that later ships would include for just such occasions, and the captain knew that all hope was lost, so he reversed the engines again and drove the ship back onto the rocks. He wasn’t trying to destroy the Valencia completely, but to ground her, hoping that would keep her from sinking as rapidly as she might at sea. That’s when all hell broke loose. Before Captain Johnson could organise an evacuation, six of the seven life boats were lowered over the side. Three of those flipped over on the way down, dumping out the people inside. Two more capsized after hitting the water, and the sixth boat simply vanished. In the end, only one boat made it safely away.
Frank Lehn was one of the few survivors of the shipwreck. He later described the scene in all its horrific detail: “Screams of women and children mingled in an awful chorus with the shrieking of the wind, the dash of rain, and the roar of the breakers. As the passengers rushed on deck they were carried away in bunches by the huge waves that seemed as high as the ship's mastheads. The ship began to break up almost at once and the women and children were lashed to the rigging above the reach of the sea. It was a pitiful sight to see frail women, wearing only night dresses, with bare feet on the freezing ratlines, trying to shield children in their arms from the icy wind and rain”. About that same time, the last life boat made it safely away under the control of the ship’s boatswain, Officer Timothy McCarthy. According to him, the last thing he saw after leaving the ship was, and I quote, “the brave faces looking at us over the broken rail of a wreck, and of the echo of a great hymn sung by the women through the fog and mist and flying spray”. The situation was desperate. Attempts were made by the ship’s remaining crew to fire a rescue line from the lyle gun into the trees at the top of the nearby cliff. If someone could simply reach the line and anchor it, the rest of the passengers would be saved. The first line they fired became tangled and snapped clean, but the second successfully reached the cliff above. A small group of men even managed to make it to shore. There were nine of them, led by a school teacher named Frank Bunker, but when they reached the top of the cliff, they discovered the path forked to the left and the right; Bunker picked the left. Had he instead turned right, the men would have come across the second lyle line within minutes and possibly saved all the remaining passengers. Instead, he led the men along a telegraph line path for over two hours before finally managing to get a message out to authorities about the accident, making a desperate plea for help - and help was sent, but even though the three separate ships that raced to the site of the wreck tried to offer assistance, the rough weather and choppy seas prevented them from getting close enough to do any good. Even still, the sight of the ships nearby gave a false sense of hope to those remaining on the wreckage, so when the few survivors onshore offered help, they declined. There were no more lifeboats, no more lifelines to throw, and no ships brave enough to get closer. The women and children stranded on the ship clung to the riggings and rails against the cold Pacific waters, but when a large wave washed the wounded ship off the rocks and into deep water, everyone was lost. All told, 137 of the 165 lives aboard the ship were lost that cold, early January morning. If that area of the coastline had yet to earn its modern nickname of “the graveyard of the Pacific”, this was the moment that cemented it.
The wreck of the Valencia was clearly the result of a series of unfortunate accidents, but officials still went looking for someone to blame. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Canadian government took steps to ensure lifesaving measures along the coast that could help with future shipwrecks. A lighthouse was constructed near Pachena Point and a coastal trail was laid out that would eventually become known as the West Coast Trail, but the story of Valencia was far from over. Keep in mind there have been scores of shipwrecks, tragedies that span centuries, in that very same region of water, and like most areas with a concentrated number of tragic deaths, unusual activity has been reported by those who visit. Just five months after the Valencia sank, a local fisherman reported an amazing discovery. While exploring seaside caves on the south-western coast of Vancouver Island, he described how he stumbled upon one of the lifeboats within the cave. In the boat, he claimed, were eight human skeletons. The cave was said to be blocked by a large rock, and the interior was at least 200ft deep. Experts found it hard to explain how the boat could have made it from the water outside into the space within, but theories speculated that an unusually high tide could possibly have lifted the boat up and over. A search party was sent out to investigate the rumour, but it was found that the boat was unrecoverable, due to the depth of the cave and the rocks blocking the entrance. In 1910, the Seattle Times ran a story with reports of unusual sightings in the area of the wreck. According to a number of sailors, a ship resembling the Valencia had been witnessed off the coast. The mystery ship could have been any local steamer, except for one small detail: the ship was already floundering on the rocks, half submerged. Clinging to the wreckage, they say, were human figures, holding on against the wind and the waves.
Humans have had a love affair with the ocean for thousands of years. Across those dark and mysterious waters lay all manner of possibility: new lands, new riches, new cultures to meet and trade with. Setting sail has always been something akin to the start of an adventure, whether that destination was the northern passage or just up the coast, but an adventure at sea always comes with great risk; we understand this in our core. It makes us cautious, it turns our stomachs, it fills us with equal parts dread and hope, because there on the waves of the ocean, everything can go according to plan, or it can all fail tragically. Maybe this is why the ocean is so often used as a metaphor for the fleeting, temporary nature of life. Time, like waves, eventually wear us all down. Our lives can be washed away in an instant, no matter how strong or high we build them. Time takes much from us, just like the ocean. Waters off the coast of Vancouver Island are a perfect example of that cruelty and risk. They can be harsh, even brutal, toward vessels that pass through them. The cold winters and sharp rocks leave ships with little chance of survival, and with over 70 shipwrecks to date, the graveyard of the Pacific certainly lives up to its reputation. For years after the tragedy of 1906, fishermen and locals on the island told stories of a ghostly ship that patrolled the waters just off the coast. It’s said it was crewed by skeletons of the Valencia sailors who lost their lives there. It would float into view and then disappear, like a spirit, before anyone could reach it. In 1933, in the waters just north of the 27-year-old wreck of the Valencia, a shape floated out of the fog. When a local approached it, the shape became recognisable; it was a lifeboat. It looked as if it had just been launched moments before and yet there, on the side of the boat, were pale letters that spelled out a single word: Valencia.
[Closing statements]
#lore podcast#podcasts#aaron mahnke#shipwrecks#the odyssey#the octavius#s. s. valencia#at sea#greenland#canada#phildelphia#hauntings#transcripts#21
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