#but it is a yell off a cliffside of no | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

queers-gambit · 11 months

Text

Blue Moon Wreckage

prompt: your husband can often lose his temper and resort to the man he was before you. you grow tired of lashing your tongue, and learn your husband responds better to silence.

pairing: Daemon Targaryen x female!wife!reader

fandom masterlist: House of the Dragon

word count: 4.3k+

note: another stand alone, no sequel

warnings: cursing, talk of child abandonment, vulgar dialogue, old-fashioned views on marriage (maybe idk), not edited. small angst, small comfort. author probably missed some warnings.

The entire city cleaned up in preparation for Princess Rhaenyra's nuptials to the heir of Driftmark, Lord Laenor Velaryon. It was refreshing to see citizens rejoicing in a common theme and going around to hang different decorations; chandeliers of strung florals, wreaths woven and hung, lanterns set all around to create an ambiance in the street.

Romance was in the air.

It put people in jolly spirits, brought them elation, and gave the ability to decompress from the woes of life. Wine tasted sweeter, the food saltier, and many merchants came into town for the week-long celebration of Rhaenyra and Laenor in the hopes of selling enough wares to pay for three of their month's expenses. Every room at the inn was filled, brothels hosting the leftover stragglers; money was simply made in an abundance after taking advantage of the citizens come to celebrate.

And yet, deep within the halls of the Red Keep, not all were so at peace with the state of things.

Maids and servants all skidded around the corridor that housed your bedchambers shared with your husband. The walls almost vibrated with the sheer force of the yelling that took place, and while the sun shone on the rest of the Kingdom, there was a dark shadow over the Red Keep.

Rarely, and it was the truth, rarely did you and Daemon ever fight. He was your best friend, he was the love of your life, you've known him for years, and had long since developed an effective way to communicate. Daemon wasn't easy to deal with, in fact, even to those who knew how to handle him, he sometimes pushed past boundaries and threw curveballs into the mix. You were not immune to his sharp tongue and wicked-fast wit, but in reality, Daemon never actively sought conflict with you, so fighting was incredibly rare - though, not totally unheard of.

Like a blue moon - not totally unheard of, but still considered rare. And in pale moonlight, the ship you and Daemon found yourselves sailing on seemed to crash into a set of cliffside jagged rocks, all but imploding the balance you had found yourselves in.

A shipwreck during a blue moon.

Before you, Daemon was violent and volatile. He was irresponsible, impulsive, stubborn, hotheaded, and blood thirty. Many Ladies all vied for the Prince's attention, but as he grew older, he became more and more reckless and more Ladies started keeping their distance. Expect you. You heard rumor his grandmother, the Queen Alysanne, meant to marry him off to Rhea Royce but your father was almost too smart for his own good. He devised a tantalizing offer that the Crown would've been foolish to refuse - thus binding you and Daemon to fate.

Before you, Daemon wasn't a man. He was just a second son trapped in a shell of his body, full of anger with nowhere to expel himself. A boy with a temper. A lad with attitude. He was knighted at 16, an impressive feat, and not a full moon cycle later, you and Daemon wed. He wasn't easy to love, but that was because he was so defensive in his life living in his older brother's shadow.

Before you, Daemon never believed in love or acceptance. Yet everyday he spent with you, he was reminded of his value and worth as a person - not just a Prince, or a Targaryen. You worked every day for his trust and confidence, and once you had it, it was an unshakeable foundation. Daemon was everything to you, and before him, you were shy and awkward and overwhelmed in the glaring eyes of court. Now, you were confident, humble, and weeping with power.

You kept Daemon balanced in his head and heart.

Before you, he was like a wild dog. Now, he was domesticated for you and you alone. He realized how much his recklessness hurt you and never wanted to be the cause of your pain, so, Daemon cleaned himself up. Most days, he was perfectly content in life, and others, he was still as stubborn as ever, but every so often, Daemon loses sight of himself and resorts back to who he was before you.

Fighting with Daemon was always difficult. He wasn't accustomed to losing, so, when you two went toe-to-toe, he was out for blood. He loses himself in his anger, fueled only by the need to cause the most harm with his sharpest words. Daemon jumped to conclusions faster than a grasshopper hops from blades of grass because he was vastly insecure, and it took most of your will to restrain your anger enough to soothe him of his worries.

Daemon hated fighting with you, and you hated fighting with him. There was never a true victor because you both hated it so much. Perhaps that was why your once-in-a-blue-moon fights turned so gruesome and emotional; you both hated fighting that it made you fight even harder.

How you came to this, you didn't remember. One moment, you were enjoying a morning feast with your husband, and the next, you were locked in your chambers, lashing at each other's throats with hateful words.

"I do not understand!" You sobbed. "You agreed to this - "

"No! No, I did not! You did not consult me on this matter, you just accepted responsibility. For the both of us!"

"He is my little brother, Daemon!"

"He is not our responsibility!"

"He is now!"

"Because you took action without a word to me!"

"I did not need to consult you; he is my blood."

"But not mine."

You scoffed, "For fuck's sake, Daemon, do you hear yourself? You are whinging over a child - you're bloody jealous of a child! Where is the man I married?"

"I have done all I am expected and required as a husband, it is you who refuses my seed. Who refuses to grow our family!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake! Now you want a baby!? Married ten years, we are, and NOW you want to whinge about babies!? I am busy in case you've not bothered to look around every once in a while," you snapped, "and I understand having a baby is not ideal right now!"

"So, you will not take my seed because you are busy raising another man's?"

"He was my father - oh, Gods be good, why're we fighting over this?"

"You need to understand, he is not mine," Daemon seethed. "He will never be mine and I do not wish to treat him as such. The life and luxury we live in are not meant for a child that is neither of ours."

"What would you have me do!?"

"Send him to your brother."

"Oh, spare me this notion, Daemon! I will not hear of it! No! We are not discussing this again and again!"

"You mean to disobey me then, wife?" He snapped, making your mouth snap shut. "Huh? Think you're immune to the duties you must uphold as a woman? Think that allows you free rein? You are luckier than most that I allow you to have a fucking opinion; do not abuse my generosity. You want the child to stay, fine, I hear you, but I say he goes. Guess who's want will triumph?"

You blinked several times, unable to find words.

"Nothing to say?" He taunted. "That is a first, wife, you surprise me. In your moment of silence, do well to listen to me now: the child goes, or I do. You either get rid of the child or I will remove myself from this sham of a marriage."

"I do not recognize you, you are not my husband," you finally sighed. "Do me a favor and figure you may speak to me again once you're ready to apologize. If not, I assume by week's end, we will be celebrating both Rhaenyra's wedding and our annulment."

"Too much time has passed for such - "

"I know a Septon that will forge documents. Now," you eyed him up and down, "once more, do not think to speak to me unless to grovel for my forgiveness."

"You will die before that happens."

You nodded slowly, then shrugged and dodged around him to exit the room. You could not bear to be around him any longer, storming away to where your small brother was being looked after by a Septa. You did not speak to Daemon the rest of the day, feeling yourself brimming with anger as you replayed his words.

How dare he find insult in your desire to do "the right thing" by caring for your brother after your parents met their untimely demise? How dare he cite "wifely duties" to you? Just how dare he!

The day was supposed to be merry. It was supposed to be lighthearted and fun and romantic and exciting and gossip worthy. Yet now, you were feeling annoyed, frustrated, weighed down, and plain stupid. You felt alone. You felt tired and worn thin. Your little brother, Jamie, always put a smile on your face, but now, you were simply ready to cry just by looking at him. This planted the seed of resentment towards Daemon, and through the day, only festered.

"My Lady?" You glanced in the mirror to see your hand maiden, who was doing your hair, humming in question. "Alyria has arrived, she will watch young Lord Jamie for the evening."

"Good, thank you," you sighed. "Has Daemon come around?"

"No, my Lady."

"Hmm."

Not 30 minutes later, you were walking towards the decorated throne room with your hair braided back, make-up laid perfectly, and your dress a dark grey, black, and Targaryen red.

However, before you could walk in, someone called your name. You paused, letting Daemon approach you, his eyes raking you in as he realized you dressed to match him. "You look beautiful," he complimented, but you just stared; then sighed through your nose and straightened up. "What? You're not speaking to me?"

"I told you the terms in which you should find it acceptable to speak to me again."

Daemon scoffed, "You're still on that?" You did not answer, just stared forward. "Fine, be that way. Come," he offered his arm, but you brushed past him to finally enter the throne room. Your names were announced, albeit begrudgingly because most in the castle harbored ill-will towards Daemon. They just felt bad for you, not knowing of the man you had grown to know and love unconditionally.

You took long strides to shorten your journey, but behind you, your husband just sauntered in as if the center of attention. However, no matter where he was, Daemon was always the main character, and he was quite the peacock in flaunting himself. You bowed to the King and his daughter, heir to the Iron Throne, Princess Rhaenyra. You took your seat beside the Hand of the King, Ser Strong, as Daemon climbed the stone stairs with a smug expression before taking the seat beside you at the very end.

Needless to say, Daemon was not accustomed to being ignored. You did not look at him, did not speak to him, ignored his direct questions, even went as far as to slapping his hand away when he reached for your thigh. When your hand rested on the table and he laid his over yours, you pulled it back.

It drove Daemon absolutely up the wall.

"And how fairs your brother, my Lady?" Ser Strong asked gently. "How does he like life in the Capital?"

"He adores it," you hummed with a nod. "He is learning so much and loves watching the boats in the harbor."

"How old is he now?"

"Just shy of 4, my Lord."

"Well, what would the little Prince like for his nameday?"

"Oh, uh, no, he's not a Prince," you spoke gently.

"No? Well, I suppose until Viserys recognizes him."

"Well, Daemon's made it clear that if I do not give custody of my brother up, this marriage is null and void, so," you clicked your tongue cheekily, sipping your wine, "no use in titles."

You knew others heard you and smirked to yourself. Another gulp of wine and you were standing, excusing yourself, and moving onto the dance floor. Rhaenyra giggled when you gave her a playful twirl before taking your place with a partner, falling into rhythm with those around you. The entire time, you felt Daemon's eyes burning into you.

You didn't care. You carried on as if there wasn't a ring on your wedding finger weighing like a full fish net, like you weren't burdened by your marriage.

You danced with a Tully, Stark, Frey, and Lannister boy, all who looked at you like a delectable treat but were being effectively ignored, just like your handsome, white-haired husband. It was a lively time, twisting and turning and leaping and being lifted in ture with the instruments playing. Rhaenyra caught your eye a few times, grinning and giggling as she, too, let herself destress in the glee of the festivities. However, when the Frey lad spun you around, you had thought of the devil so much, there he bloody was.

Your husband smirked down at you, "You look startled, little bird."

You scoffed and moved to go around him, but Daemon's hand was darting out to grab your upper arm. He pulled you further into the crowd to use them as a layer of protection, turning sharply to leer over you. He snapped in High Valyrian, "What're you playing at? Hmm? You mean to embarrass my entire family by being so cold and shrewish?"

You scoffed, glaring at him for a moment before he reached forward to grab your neck and cheek in a possessive hold. "I dare you to raise a sharp word at me," he sneered quietly, keeping you in place. "You have ignored me all fucking day, these games are at an end. I have always known your voice to be a sweet remedy, do not deprive me of it longer."

"Then apologize," You snapped.

"For what? Speaking the truth? That you refuse to sire my children because you are too occupied with your wee brother? For taking in a child without so much as asking me? Tell me, what am I apologizing for?"

You scoffed, rolling your eyes, and swatting his hand from you. However, just as you meant to walk away from him, someone gasped and yelped from the people around you. Daemon brought you into his chest as a sudden crowd thickened, two bodies hitting the floor in a gruesome fight. This encouraged others to get rowdy, and before you could comprehend his actions, Daemon was stooping low to hoist you over his shoulder and stride away.

When out of the fray, Daemon slowed himself enough to set you down at the base of the stairs leading to the Royal banquet table, both his hands going to your cheeks. He panted lightly, looking you over, "All right? You hurt? They touch you?"

"No, I'm okay," you sighed gently, reaching up to hold his wrists in a brief show of affection. However, the crowd only grew in size and aggression; the Royals all taking refuge on the elevated landing to take a headcount. Not a moment later, Ser Harwin Strong, the Hand's eldest son, was emerging from the crowd with Rhaenyra hoisted up his shoulder.

But your attention was drawn elsewhere. You parted Daemon's side to get under Viserys' arm, lifting him up slightly as he coughed into a handkerchief. You frowned when you saw the blood, his eyes meeting your wide ones. You asked the only question you could think of, "Does Daemon know?"

"No," he matched your tone in a whisper.

You nodded and assisted him into the closest chair. After the death of Ser Laenor Velayron's paramour (Ser Joffrey, was it?) the hall was cleared of everyone to only leave the immediate family. In hopes of avoiding future turmoil, it was decided that the Realm's Delight, Rhaenyra, was to wed the Sea Snake's son, Laenor, now instead of at week's end. Viserys asked his brother to stay but you were quick to bow out, promising it was a family affair and you should get ready for bed anyways.

Daemon looked close to protesting your departure but was unable to utter a single word, only watching you scamper out of the throne room as the High Septon finally arrived.

Rhaenyra and Laenor married in front of his mother and father, Rhaenys and Corlys, and his sister, Laena. King Viserys was there with his brother Daemon and wife Alicent, leaving only the Hand present to pose as "unbiased witness".

Further into the castle, you collected your brother, Jamie, and quickly got him ready for bed. Your heart felt heavy with guilt as you looked at him, understanding on a deeper level that if it came down to it, you'd do anything to keep Daemon in your life... And if he said your brother had to go or he did, well, you feared to find out if he was serious.

Jamie fell asleep on the long bench at the base of your bed with a fire crackling in front of his face. He had fallen asleep listening to you read, your emotions catching up to you to let you finally sob quietly while preparing for bed. You hated the idea of losing either Daemon or Jamie, and the fact that you had to choose? It felt impossible. So, once ready for bed, you tied on your dressing robe and bent at the waist to kiss Jamie's forehead. You then found yourself standing at the floor-to-ceiling window, wine in hand, staring out into nothing as you were wrecked emotionally from considering Daemon's ultimatum.

You were overwhelmed.

The door opened behind you and your eyes screwed shut. You took an even breath in, heard the door shut quietly, and then turned to spy your husband already staring at you. His face was neutral, passive, and you knew he was sizing you up just as you were him; both waiting for the other to make the first move.

Your resolve crumbled.

As if your minds were connected by a string, you surged forward as Daemon took a few steps toward you, meeting in the middle, and wrapping your arms around one another. Daemon held your waist tightly as yours tied around his neck in a vice grip, breathing in his scent that seemed to mingle permanently with the smell of dragon. He felt gentle trembling from contained sobs, soothing you with hushed cooing; hand petting the back of your head.

When you pulled back, it was only just enough to find his lips; drenching yourself in sheer relief at the familiar taste and feel of your husband. Just before you could whimper you were sorry, truly being unsure what you were actually apologizing for, when he beat you to it.

The space between your lips was filled with Daemon's rushed words, both his hands cradling your cheeks as he spoke, "I'm so sorry, my love. I am. I am truly so sorry. I hate fighting, I hate us fighting, it just feels so fucking wrong, I'm so sorry."

"No, it is I who am sorry, husband."

"Nothing to apologize for," he rushed, forehead glued to yours as he moved you backwards to the bed. "You do not apologize to me; you have done no wrong. It's me, I am the one who should grovel. I do deserve your kindness; I am so sorry for what I've said." He took a long breath, just holding you carefully, "I was out of line."

"No, you were right. I did not consult you; I should have. It is not just you or I in this, but the two of us together. I shouldn't have acted without so much as a word."

"It is okay," he assured softly, "it is more than all right by me now. I just," he sighed, "I needed to think, process a little. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did, I should've listened to you and been a supportive husband, but instead, I just fought with you." He frowned, petting down your face with a dainty finger. "We fight because we care, but Gods do I hate it."

"I do, too," you whispered. "Can we just," you sighed, "go to bed or something? I'm exhausted."

He nodded, glancing at the foot of the bed before looking back at you, "One more thing."

"Hmm?"

"We will talk to Viserys in the morning about recognizing Jamie."

You frowned, "Well, hang on, I think I understand your point, too, Daemon. Listen, yes, I want us charged with Jamie's care, but I do not wish to replace his parents."

"He should still have a title, a place at court. Access to tutors and such."

You smiled fondly, whispering, "That is the man I married."

Daemon prepared for bed as you check Jamie, finding him fast asleep still. Your husband came to bed after blowing out all candles, leaving the fire simmering and you both under a single linen sheet. He laid on his back with you flush against his side, both hands holding your form and tracing idle patterns.

Every so often, he'd squeeze you tightly and kiss your forehead, but otherwise, you both just laid in peace. However, Daemon broke the silence, "I did not mean to cause you harm. I just felt panicked, I think, after the war."

You nodded with understanding, "Our time is on the horizon, Daemon, I promise, I just needed to find balance with Jamie. I've never been a mother before, 's very odd."

"Perhaps we can learn together, I've never been a father," Daemon offered softly. "I fear I have not been entirely welcoming."

"You've time to remedy it," you urged softly. "But you are not obligated."

"He will be our shared responsibility."

You smiled against his chest. "So, tell me of the wedding."

"Nothing special," he sighed. "Viserys fell ill. And I do mean literally fell."

"What? Is he all right?"

"Yes, he's being seen to... But I was thinking..."

"Of?"

"Us. Our family."

"Hm, and what of them, my love?"

Daemon sighed, reaching for your cheek in order to find your lips in the dark. "We will leave," he whispered, licking another kiss to your lips. "We'll go across the Narrow Sea together, raise a family away from the politics and chaos."

"You would miss your family."

"I would rue staying in this city. Away from here, we'd have liberties and freedoms Kings Landing does not offer us, nor our kids."

"I will think on it."

When morning broke through the window of consciousness, Daemon realized you were still sound and dead asleep, but there was something or someone poking his arm in an annoying repetition. When he blinked awake and looked to the culprit, he smiled slightly at Jamie. "What's wrong, little lad?" He asked quietly, voice heavy and hazy with sleep, seeing tears fill the kid's eyes.

"I-I didn't mean to."

"Mean to what?"

"I wet the bed," he frowned, looking at the lounge he slept on all night. "I didn't mean to. It was a scary dream."

"It's okay," he whispered, glancing at you before standing from bed. "C'mon, it's all right, we can clean it."

He nodded and let Daemon sit him at the bottom of the mattress, some two full feet from touching you. Jamie watched Daemon work, gathering any linens to set aside to be washed before plucking the child into his arms. He took his to the washroom and got him cleaned up before redressing him for the day, Daemon quickly doing the same, and then the two left for the day.

You slept while Daemon took Jaime to breakfast. You slept while the two ate and made merry; getting to know each other. You slept while Daemon answered little Jamie's questions. You slept while Daemon offered to introduce him to Caraxes, his dragon.

By the time you were awake, dressed, and approaching the mess hall, Daemon and Jamie were leaving to head for the Dragon Pit. When they saw you, Jamie grinned and squealed, "Sissy!"

You grinned when he rushed for your legs, greeting him with enthusiasm. You hoisted him onto your hip as Daemon approached you, pausing to lean in and kiss you. "Where are you two lads off to?"

"Dragons!"

You chuckled, "Yeah? Uncle's taking you to see the dragons? You're very lucky, not many people get to see them up close."

"Would you care to join us?" Daemon offered.

"No, no, that's quite all right. Thank you, my love, but perhaps this is best kept to a boy’s trip," you quipped, pecking Daemon's lips. "Bring him back in one piece, please."

"Of course," Daemon agreed, taking Jamie's hand when you set him on the ground. He stole one last kiss before leading Jamie away; where you watched them walk away and felt something stirring in your gut; suddenly come alive with tingling electricity. Instead of venturing into the mess hall, you instead continued your way to where you could meet the Grand Maester for a series of tests.

Learning you were pregnant was surreal, but incredibly elating. You were humored by the fact that, just hours ago, you and Daemon feuded for this very reason. However, after simply seeing your husband and little brother get along so effortlessly, you had no doubt in your mind you could handle this. Worrying about having Jamie and a newborn so close together was valid, of course - but it wasn't something you actually needed to worry about now.

Plenty of families had children with shorter age ranges, but none of that matters now - not when you were so explicably happy. All that was left to do now was tell Daemon and Jamie.

requesting rules and masterlist

HOTD masterlist

#daemon targaryen #daemon targaryen x reader #daemon targaryen imagine #daemon targaryen x y/n #daemon targaryen x fem!reader #daemon targaryen x female reader #daemon #daemon hotd #house of the dragon daemon #hotd #house of the dragon #hotd imagine #hotd x reader #hotd fanfic #hotd x you #daemon targaryen fanfic #daemon targaryen fanfiction #daemon x reader #daemon x you

3K notes · View notes

am-i-the-asshole-official · 9 months

Note

Am I the asshole for getting a restraining order against my anti-vax sister and her family?

I know that sounds bad but hear me out.

So I (27 M) and my wife (28 F) recently had our first child together six months ago and my parents and sister have started coming over to see our baby girl.

I didn't let them see the baby when she was born because unfortunately my wife and I were in a bad car accident. (Drunk driver ran us off the road and the car rolled down a small cliffside until it flipped over and crashed) we're both ok but my wife is now wheelchair bound and our daughter had to be delivered and put in an incubator for the rest of pregnancy because my wife was only 26 weeks pregnant at the time.

It was a miracle that our baby even survived.

But because my daughter was born so early she has a lot of health problems, including an incredibly weak immune system.

This is where the Am I The Asshole part comes in.

Obviously because of the horrible circumstances my family, particularly my sister, have been very patient on not being able to see the baby until everything settles down.

Well things have settled enough that we felt comfortable enough letting my parents come over to visit and meet their new granddaughter.

And that would've been fine if my sister (30 F) hadn't come too.

My sister is an anti-vaxxer. A hardcore anti-vaxxer.

Like full on believing in essential oils and healing crystals and literally ANYTHING other than traditional medicine. And considering the fact that she spent the entirety of my wife's pregnancy sending her guides for "vaccine detoxes", what essential oils to use and constantly pressuring her not to get our daughter vaccinated...yeah.

(Luckily my wife is way too smart to actually believe that bullshit and kept leaving my sister on read whenever she would start)

So my sister came over and brought her three children with her. None of her children are vaccinated.

She wanted to let her unvaccinated spawns near my heavily immunocompromised infant daughter.

Two of the three spawns were both sick with colds.

I cannot believe she would be that stupid.

So I yelled at her, telling her to take her children and leave because they sure as hell arent coming NEAR my daughter. She yelled at me saying that she wanted to see her niece and her essential oil covered gremlins would help give my daughter "natural immunity" and other anti vax crap. I argued back that if my daughter catches whatever PREVENTABLE diseases the kids are carrying she could very likely DIE.

And it turned into a whole big fight in the driveway. I ended up punching my brother in law (sister's equally anti-vax husband) in the face when he tried to push past me and let the children into my house. (He also punched me twice after that)

It was an entire mess.

Eventually my parents dragged my sister and her husband away and made them leave with their kids.

Once that whole ordeal ended I gave the entire driveway a deep clean and threw out the clothes I was wearing that day. (Call me paranoid but I do not want ANY risk of my baby girl getting sick and very possibly DYING because of my sister and her family)

My wife and I have my sister and her husband blocked on everything and I'm working on getting a restraining order against those people because there is no way in hell you could convince my sister to just vaccinate her children. So I do not want her, her husband or her children anywhere near my family ever again.

So Am I the asshole? My sister certainly thinks I am (my mother told me. she's been yapping away to her facebook group friends about how unfair and horrible I'm being when she did nothing wrong)

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

269 notes · View notes

scarlettaagni · 29 days

Text

Nocturnal Subroutines

Everyone was standing before him, far away. All the Autobots in a neat curved line, though unable to be distinguished, in a dusty pink desert with a black sky. A raised edge marks a divide.

Servos reached out from underneath the vision, with grasping digits. Starscream stumbled forward with desperation. An uneven and stilted gait as if he were learning to walk.

“Help—” he couldn't tell if he was thinking it or managing to say it aloud. “I thought you…”

A constricting sensation in his ventilation, and distant panting. He needed them. Someone, anyone. He needed someone else like he needed air.

As they allowed him to come closer, their cold gazes from equally cold blue eyes were visible. They even narrowed. There was judgment in them.

This made the jet stop in his tracks. The yearning for companionship became pleading and questioning.

“Why won’t you let me—? What did I do? What did I do?!”

Not a word was said, just sneers and cliquey looks. They stood as if about to turn around and leave him.

The un-earth roared from beneath them and the two halves parted. A yawning abyss grew to split the parties, Starscream’s half sinking as the Autobots’ rose. He stumbled, but they stood still as if he were overreacting.

Finally, they approached him, if only to peer over the edge of the growing cliffside. There was impartial curiosity, like how one watches a flying insect in the distance.

They were similarly disgusted.

“Stop looking at me like that! I didn’t do anything!” he cried. “Don’t look down on me… stop looking at me… I don’t know what I did, I—”

He collapsed to his knees and doubled over as if the pain were physical. Arms wrapped around him to protect from the cold. Some gazes seemed to hold concern, but it brought no comfort.

They never meant it. They would never do anything about it even if they did. He didn’t understand these feelings, but they were felt, and felt strongly.

He cupped his face in his hands, bowing.

“Stop pitying me. Don’t pity me. Don’t…”

He reached out once more, a wilting hand nowhere near what he craved. Another curled a fist atop his spark.

It felt like he was falling.

“Why are you all just standing there?!”

Some wry smiles, a familiar smirk. Even the placid stares.

Nobody came down for him.

Stop looking down on me… stop looking down on me… stop looking down on me… stop looking down on me…

A horrible creaking came from his limbs. How dare he try to reach out? He held his arms out before him and saw their sorry condition. They sloughed off at the elbow before he could say “cosmic rust”.

The pain was numb and far away, as if they had already died and merely broke off. Still, he gasped and choked.

His hands were sullied, so they must be destroyed. While Starscream nudged his cybernetic stubs at them, they writhed unnaturally and threw themselves into the deadly valley.

It was cold. So cold.

The jet struggled to right himself without his arms and turned to meet a brutal maelstrom. A haze of white and rolling dunes of snow lay before him.

Something in the distance, disappeared further along.

He chased it. He sought it.

A monstrous shadow, who seemed to drift in and out of view in the distance’s frosty barrier.

“What—who are you?!” he yelled, voice lost to the wind.

Starscream had to find it. Every electron in his spark pulled him forward. He knew he must find it, but could not conceive why.

It was always ahead of him, and he would lose sight.

“Come back to me! Please!” he hurled with a foreign desperation, voice fraying.

He teased Starscream. Always on the precipice of being caught up to, and vanishing without a trace. A whisper of a person, as uncertain as a promise.

Anachronistic arms reached from past the vision once more. Yes… this was when his hands were not sullied.

A name the Seeker didn’t know escaped his own lips. It, too, disappeared in the wind.

Wildly shuffling through the snow, his foot hooked onto something and he tripped. Starscream fell facedown and curled painfully. His right leg buckled in a wrong way. The lining of his ventilation pipe was stripped. Smears of energon stained the snow he laid in.

He threw himself onto his aft, dizzily looking up. He was standing there. No features other than his size to make out… but he appeared… displeased.

Nobody came down for him.

Starscream couldn’t go on. It felt like his mind was being pulled apart in different directions. His optics deliriously circled around as he idly thought to check what he tripped on.

He brushed the airy precipitation away, eventually hitting metal.

A massive dead face with cold blue eyes smiled at him.

“ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴍᴇ.”

The shriek emitted from the display traveled to the real Starscream, who shot upright as the mind circuit uncoupled itself.

#nerd stuff #my art #scarletta scribbles #transformers #maccadam #starscream #skyfire #redemption center #body horror #not graphic but hm. arms and legs don't do that

48 notes · View notes

mimi-cee-genshin · 11 months

Text

Denial is Futile: Wanderer x f!reader - Chapter 4

Read on AO3 | Series Masterlist | Taglist

« Chapter 1 | < Chapter 3

Summary:

What would you do if you were stuck with Wanderer indefinitely?

The cute and sweet guy from the bazaar was brought to your place while unconscious. But when he woke up, you were appalled by the amount of snark he had. Was he even the same person? And now you were stuck with him because he could literally die if he stopped holding your hand. You weren't sure if you could tolerate him any longer. Little did you know he was exactly the type of person you needed in your life.

Other info: Fluff, humor, sfw, enemies to lovers, some hurt/comfort and angst later, character growth, occurs after the version 3.3 Archon quest and Tighnari's story quest, female reader

Word count: 2.7k

*****

The roar of the waterfall grew louder as Wanderer dragged you by the hand along the bank of the ravine. You passed yet another sumeru rose before you tugged your arm back and planted your feet in the ground.

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?" you asked him.

Wanderer turned his head to look back at you, the tassels on his hat swayed. "Do you always jump to conclusions like this?" He pulled at your arm, urging you to keep walking. "Also, didn't someone mention Collei was returning soon? Maybe you should use your head and buy her a gift."

You raised your brow. Did he know her? And he suggested being nice to her?

The cliffs towered over you and the bridge to the city hung overhead. "There aren't any sunsettias here, you idiot." You pointed up the cliff. "There were plenty up there along the trail."

Wanderer blinked a couple times, staring blankly at you. He turned his head away, his hat facing you once more. "Whatever,” he said, playing off his mistake. “I was actually going to the Grand Bazaar."

"And how exactly did you expect us to climb like this?" you said, holding up your joined hands.

"So you know how to climb, huh?” A smirk grew on his face. “Well, don’t let me stop you. Just do what you normally do."

You narrowed your eyes at him, skeptical at the intentions behind his words. You shook off that feeling and instead analyzed the cliffside, planning the best route to make it to the top. With a sigh, you placed Wanderer's hand on your back before placing your grip on the rock above you.

"You'd better not weigh me down," you told him, carefully placing a foot on the ledge.

"Don't worry," he said with a chuckle. "I won't."

You planted your other foot on the bottom of the cliff. "If you fall unconscious because you let go, I won't pick you up," you nagged him.

"Just go already."

With a huff, you began to scale up the cliff. Why were you even doing this? If he just took the trail, getting to the city would've been so much easier. But taking the long way around now would be more troublesome than climbing.

You grabbed onto another ledge and lifted yourself up. You continued to scale up the cliff but it was strange. You felt lighter than usual.

"Why did you stop?" Wanderer asked. "Or are you planning on staying here the whole day?"

"You know, sometimes I wish I could just tape your mouth shut–"

Your foot slipped.

A hand grabbed your forearm. A rock disappeared into the base of the cliff below. Your breath was stuck in your throat as you dangled mid-air beside the roaring waterfall.

That could’ve been bad.

You lifted your head and saw Wanderer hovering in the air. "You can fly?!" you exclaimed.

He shrugged.

"Did you enjoy watching me struggle?" you said, rolling your eyes.

"I don't take pleasure in other people's misery," he told you, but his smirk said otherwise.

"Just hurry and bring me up already –oof"

He slung you over like a sack of flour and launched into the air.

"AHHHHHHH!"

"Quit flailing around," he said. "I'm not even going very fast."

The sight of the potential drop below you wasn't exactly pleasant. You couldn't bear to watch anymore.

"If you keep this up I'm going to throw up on your back!" you yelled at him. Your hair dangled in the air as blood rushed to your brain.

His movements slowed to a stop and the rim of his hat hit your back. He lifted you up by the back of your shirt before placing you down.

"We're here," he dryly reported.

You shuffled your foot around on the solid ground under you and peeled your hands off your eyes.

You glared at him from the corner of your eye. "Why didn't you just fly up in the first place, huh?"

"Ha. You actually enjoyed that?" he said. "Could've fooled me."

"No, not that! If I knew you could fly, I wouldn't have bothered to try climbing up the cliffside."

"Do I look like I wanted to carry you?" he replied. "It's already enough that I'm stuck with you every single minute."

Why did you even bother trying to have a conversation with him? If only you weren't his portable battery pack.

"Oh!” A gentle and familiar voice came from behind. “It's Hat Guy and–" A stack of boxes crashed into each other and fell to the ground.

Jars of cosmetics laid beside one box and bright coloured clothing had come out of another. You quickly attempted to help but you forgot you were attached to a ball and chain. You looked at Wanderer, urging him to move, and when he did, he was as slow as a dead beetle. By the time you reached her, everything was already put away. Would it kill him to help out?

Nilou closed off the boxes and brushed the dust off of her skirt. She was happy to see you again but something else had caught her eyes: the pair of linked hands that would’ve been better off separated.

She narrowed her eyes as if she were attempting to interpret a script in a language she didn't know. "Oh!” she concluded. “Congratulations, you two!"

"Excuse me?" Wanderer said, raising a brow.

"I didn't even know you two knew each other," explained Nilou. "But now that I see the two of you together, I couldn't be happier for you."

You choked on air and began to cough. "Just hold on there a minute, Nilou. Don’t tell me you think we’re a couple," you told her.

"Huh?" she said. "So then why are you two…?" Her gaze fell back on your hands.

“Ugh, it’s… kind of complicated,” you told her, rubbing your temple. “Maybe it’d be easier if I just showed you what would happen.”

"Don't you dare let go,” Wanderer snapped at you.

"It would be funny after that stunt you pulled."

"Ha. Seems like it doesn't take much to provoke a reaction from you."

"Why you–"

"Umm… Y/n? Hat Guy?" Nilou said. You both turned to her and before you knew it, you each got a new bracelet on your wrists.

"These are a gift from me," she said. "For helping us during our last performance."

Huh?

You hadn't done much to help the theater the last time they held a performance. You had only directed them to the correct ingredients that would make their flowers last longer. But what did Wanderer ever do for them?

"There's no need to thank me," said Wanderer. "I was simply returning the favour." The softness in his tone brought back the memory of sunsettias in crates next to the large and now familiar blue hat.

"This is the least I could do," Nilou replied. "None of the others were available to help me at the time. Your needlework was perfect!"

What?

Wanderer sighed, "Alright, if you insist."

His lifted his hand to adjust the bracelet and the vision on his shoulder caught your eye. You had initially assumed his personality change was caused by his vision, but perhaps you were wrong.

"Umm… I'm still curious though," said Nilou, turning to you. "Why are you two holding hands in the first place?"

"Well…" you replied. "He goes unconscious every time we let go of each other."

"What?" Nilou exclaimed. "That's horrible!"

"Yeah," said Wanderer. "Being stuck with her isn't exactly the most pleasant thing in all of Teyvat."

"Wait!" Nilou said with a panicked expression at you. "That's not what I meant!"

"I know," you told her. "He's the one who twisted your words."

"There was no lie in my words."

"Anyway," you returned to the topic, "We're trying to find a solution to this. We don't know why I'm the only one who can help him."

"Hmm... I see," said Nilou. "So you two are stuck together until you find out why this is happening."

Her gaze shifted between the two of you before her eyes suddenly perked up.

"Hat Guy, you're also from Inazuma, are you not?" she asked.

"You are?" you asked, a bead of sweat formed on your neck.

"Why?" said Wanderer. "What of it?"

"N-nothing," you replied. "I just didn't expect it, that's all."

Wanderer turned back to Nilou. "I haven't been a residence of Inazuma for a long time," he said.

"I see," she said. "But perhaps you two have a connection somewhere there."

"Hmm… you're right," he said. "Perhaps this is a lead we could look into."

*****

"Huh? Where are we?" you asked.

"Just sit down," he replied while seated on the couch. "Did you think we were going to Inazuma?"

"No." You rolled your eyes. "I just thought–"

"Wanderer? Y/n?" Nahida asked, carrying a teapot and cup on a tray. "What are you doing here?"

"And here I thought you'd be happy to finally have a guest," he replied. If people weren't so hung up about Nahida being their Archon, this room would have frequent visitors. Not that he'd care. Being around many humans wasn't his style.

"I need you to show her my memories," he told her.

"Your memories?" you raised a brow.

"Ah. Interesting," Nahida said, putting down the tray on the coffee table in front of him. "But are you sure about sharing them with her?"

"It's fine," he replied. "It's not like she's the first to see them."

"Hmm… And you think this will help with your investigation?"

"That's right."

"Okay then," she said. "I assume you'd want to skip through your memories fairly quickly." Nahida took a glance at you. "And a less immersive method would be a good idea as well."

She pulled out a small white rectangular object from her pocket that was slightly larger than her hand. She pressed a button and a light emitted from it. "Here is some new technology I have. I think you'll find it useful."

Nahida pointed the light towards the empty wall in front of the two of you and placed the object on the table. She then took out that green, semi-transparent cube that held a copy of his memories. Holding it above the projector, she let it dissipate into the air and onto it.

"Here," Nahida said, handing a controller to Wanderer. "You can use this interface to rewind and fast forward through your memories."

"Is this really necessary?" you asked him. "I don't exactly care about your life story."

"You just need to tell me if anything look familiar," he explained. "Simple?"

"Yeah, yeah," you said, brushing him off.

"Based on how you're acting, it sounds like you want to be stuck with me forever."

You promptly straightened your back. "Alright. What do you need me to do?"

Wanderer rolled his eyes and took the controller from Nahida. If only you were this cooperative every time.

His first few memories were portrayed on the wall, when he woke up at Shakkei Pavilion.

"We can skip this part," Wanderer said.

"What?" you exclaimed. "Didn't you just say that I should check if I recognize anything?"

"It's not important, alright?" He fast-forwarded through more memories. Images of Katsuragi and of the rest of the guys from Tatarasuna flashed on the wall.

"How am I supposed to find any leads when you keep skipping everything?" you asked.

"What did you expect?" he said. "Were you really thinking of going through hundreds of years of memories?" He didn't want to live through them all again.

"You're that old?"

He rolled his eyes.

"With how immature you are, I thought you were younger than me," you added.

"Just pay attention, alright?" he replied. He sighed, thinking he should've had a better plan before starting this with you. "Where did you live in Inazuma anyway?"

You gave no answer.

"Well?" he said.

"W-Watatsumi Island."

That was barely considered a part of Inazuma at one point in history. He didn't even go there very often. Maybe this lead was a dead end.

"Why are your memories even stored here?" you asked. Strange. You changed the topic.

"You don't need to know," he said.

"Actually…" Nahida interjected.

"Are you really going to explain to her?" he asked.

"I think it would be good if she got a better understanding of you."

Wanderer slumped into the couch. "Whatever. Do what you want, but I don't need any sympathy."

He held down the fast forward button as Nahida recounted what happened at Irminsul and why she created the back up. "... So because of that, he tried to delete himself to change the past," she explained.

"Why are you even bothering to mention this to her?" Wanderer said. "It's of little use."

"You never know," she replied.

You became awfully quiet after what Nahida said. Yet, when he saw the light in your eyes, his stomach churned and dropped inside him.

"Don't get your hopes up," he told you. "It didn't change anything."

Your eyes widened in surprise, surprised he caught your thoughts, as if you had revealed something that he shouldn't have seen. It didn't matter to him. There was never a person who didn't have any regrets, recalling how he felt when he stood in front of Irminsul.

Wanderer continued going through his memories and skipped his Snezhnaya chapter altogether, searching for the part just before Scaramouche went after the Raiden Gokaden. Perhaps you were associated with the clans somehow. He unfortunately killed all of them, so he doubted you were related to any of them. Still, it was possible that you might have some other connection to them.

He paused the memory to show a clear view of their faces and the surrounding lands. "Do you recognize anything?"

"How old do you think I am?" you retorted, noting that the event occurred decades before you were born. "I don't know any of them."

"That's not what I meant," he grumbled. "Is there anything about them or items that they're wearing that you recognize?"

"No. I don't."

"Alright then," he said with a shrug. His finger held down the controller and began to skip past this memory. Watching him slaughter them was unnecessary. But a thud from behind caused him to flinch and jerk back his hand, letting go of the controller. A hand grabbed at someone's throat.

"Sorry," said Nahida. "I was just trying to get…"

You gripped his hand slightly and your eyes were fixed on the wall, not once lifting them from it as the scene continued in front of you. One after another, the Scaramouche of the past had killed each person in front of him.

Nahida glanced up and reached for the controls in a panic. Wanderer stopped her.

These memories... He had engrained them in his head to remember the weight of his sins. He wanted to see why you were watching them so intently.

Your empty look remained, almost as if you were in a trance. More blades confronted Scaramouche, but they were of no use. The slaughter continued and you were watching every moment of it.

With the flick of your wrist, you carefully took the controls from him. "Hmm... I was right," you muttered to yourself. "I don't recognize any of them."

Wanderer glanced at Nahida, but she had no answers either. It was as if something had switched inside you, as if you were pretending what had just unfolded never happened. He thought that maybe the Archon who visited dreams knew what you were thinking, but they were both in the dark.

"Also," you continued, "I don't see anything of significance on their clothing–"

Your hand dropped.

Your body leaned to the right and began to slump off of your chair.

Wanderer yanked your arm back, pulling you to his side so you wouldn't fall to the floor. He held your lifeless body in his arms, dumbstruck about what to do as Nahida rushed out the door to get help.

As always, if you want to be added to my taglist, you can fill out this Google form or just let me know in a reply or ask.

*****

Chapter 5 >

Let me know what you think of this fic so far. I can't promise to post frequent updates, but I'll do what I can. Thanks to everyone that's been leaving comments. I probably would have dropped this story by now if people weren't interested in it.

128 notes · View notes

sebluvi · 1 year

Text

Calm Before The Storm

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧

~Based on a request I received. Requests open!~

Sebastian Sallow x fem!reader

House neutral

Kinda spoilers for endgame, but I twisted it in my own way so its not exact!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧

Sebastian tries desperately to prevent y/n from charging into a deadly battle.

Word Count: 1.3K

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧

Brimstone and rubble spiraled through the air, and the force from the speed of the wind sent you and Sebastian’s hair flying in all directions at once.

Dark, tall towers of stone and rubble sat on all sides of you, and behind you was a steep cliff.

Flickers of bright red sparks crackled through the air like electricity forming a gigantic powerful cyclone.

You could faintly hear the sounds of your exasperated professors calling Sebastian’s name somewhere far away in the cave.

He shouldn’t be here.

Just HOW did he get here?

You had your feet planted firmly, battling the speeds of the winds against your body, balancing yourself so you wouldn’t topple over the edge. Your back faced the cliff, and your wand at the ready, while Sebastian faced you.

“Y/n, please.” He yelled over the howls of the wind, straining his voice.”-I’m begging you. Don’t do this!” He held his hands out towards you, inching towards you ever so slightly, trying to coax you off the edge.

You furrowed your brows at him, taking a step back. Your hair rippled wildly through the air with the wind. The longer you stood there, the more rubble that would whiz past your face, leaving the smallest cuts on your skin.

You winced, closing your eyes tight. It stung. You opened them again, glaring at Sebastian.

“Sebastian. This is what I’ve been working towards for months! This is my chance, I have to!”

A loud thunderous roar rumbled through the air. You quickly whipped your head around behind you, Ranrok’s ginormous dragon-form flew into sight, its large wings somehow managing to make the wind fly faster in the cave with each flap of its wings. He soared through the air, flying down and landing on the platform. It seems as if the distraction the professor’s made earlier only lasted for so long. His glowing red body seemed to creak and groan as it moved. The dragon stretched its neck into the sky and sent out a horrifying screech.

You looked back in front of you, and Sebastian stood there with a terrified, pleading expression on his face. Sebastian trusted you to be fine on your own in battle for the most part, but he had only seen you fight mere poachers and ranrok’s loyalists. This was a fucking unknown magic infused dragon!

“I’ve already lost Anne. I cannot lose you too. Please, let the professors handle this, y/n!” He took another step towards you reaching his hand out once more.

You took one more step back, feeling the stone cliffside crack beneath your feet ever so slightly, you glanced down quickly at the ground noticing you didn’t have much more space to move. You darted your vision back to him,

“This is my fight! Not yours, not the professor’s, not even Merlin’s! Sebastian you have to understand! I was born for this!”

Another screeching roar thundered through the air, signaling Ranrok was about to make his move. You looked at Sebastian. This was your last chance. You couldn’t let him get to the reserve. Sebastian was almost close enough to touch you, but he was being careful not to apply too much weight on the edge of the cliff. He was being extremely cautious and calculating about every move he made.

His hair flew wildly in all ways, and bits of rubble had started to accumulate in his hair. He had small thin streams of blood trickling down his face caused by the few minor scratches on his skin resulting from the flying fragments of stone soaring through the air. His robe aggressively fluttered behind him as if he was about to take flight. His eyes were willed with all sorts of negative emotions.

Sad and pleading.

Desperate even.

You wished you could drink in this sight of him, stand there all day and count his freckles.

You wished you could reach out and take his extended hand and just go back to the comfort of your common room, but you couldn’t afford to think like that right now.

Especially since this could possibly be the last time you ever saw him.

You lifted your hand up that wasn’t readying your wand, and used the sleeve of your robe to wipe the tears that were beginning to fall down your face, resulting in smearing the blood that was also on your face over your cheeks.

You were sure you looked ridiculous, but he thought you looked amazing.

Sebastian winced at the feeling of the stone hitting his face, and raised an arm to shield his face from the ever-growing winds.

“Please. You still have time to turn around. Think about this, y/n”.

“No. You think about this Sebastian. If I don’t do this, we could both die. Good people will die, Sebastian. I’m sorry. I’m doing this to save the world. To save us.”

He took one step closer, finally close enough to touch you. He raised the hand he wasn’t using to shield his face and gently grazed his fingers against your flushed cheeks. The touch lightly stung from the small cuts on your skin, but you welcomed it. Small fragments of rubble grazed the top of his hand as he held it up. His hand moved slightly, cupping your cheek, and he took one step closer. He used his arm to shield both of your faces. He titled his head to lay his forehead against yours, looking into your eyes.

“You’re my world, y/n.”

You looked up at him, tears pooling in your eyes, desperately hoping this wouldn’t be how your last encounter played out.

Sebastian removed his forehead from yours and stared at you at eye-level, hand still cupping your face.

"I know you don't care if you get hurt but I do! I really fucking care if you get hurt! Or worse! I know you’re putting your life on the line to save everyone, but what about us?!”

You stuck your wand back in your waistband slowly, and raised your hands to lay them on his chest.

“Sebastian. You’re being extremely selfish right now. This is bigger than us. I’m sorry.”

You frowned, and glanced down at his lips.

You closed your eyes, and pushed him with both hands harshly, resulting in him being shoved backwards and the ground below you crumbling as you slipped off the edge of the cliff.

The wind rushed through your hair and robes as gravity claimed you. The site of Sebastian’s horrified face grew smaller and smaller each second your body flew through the air backwards.

It actually felt peaceful.

The calm before the storm.

You closed your eyes, and let your ancient magic consume you.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧

A/N: In case it was hard to gather from the way i left it, Y/n did not fall to her death. She used her ancient magic to land in an extremely badass graceful way (!) before the final fight.

Requests open, let me know how you felt about this oneshot in the replies! Every comment inspires me to write more.

And yes, pt 2 of love sick is coming

#sebastian x reader #sebastian #sebastian sallow x you #slytherin #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow #hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow x mc #sallow #sebastian sallow angst #house neutral #requests open

250 notes · View notes

that-foul-legacy-lover · 2 months

Note

What if… one day, us and Legacy/Childe have such rough days that we decide to go out to alleviate ourselves…

By going onto the most secluded hilltop and just yelling, letting out shrieks or battle cries to get all the pent up yuck out of us. The harbor will definitely be on high alert when they hear Legacy’s unholy roar, tho.

But on the plus side, we fall asleep on said hill after watching the sun set :3

god sometimes i wish that could be me

you both know from just a look that the other had an absolutely horrid day, you from your tense shoulders and rumpled clothes and Foul Legacy from the way his claws grip at the couch and how his usual chirps come out more like soft growls. on those days you simply glance at each other when you arrive home, before silently putting down your things and heading right back out the door. you don't even bother climbing the mountain, Legacy simply picks you up and spreads his wings, flying you to the highest cliffside he can find and settling down next to you. for a moment, everything is quite as the breeze ruffles your jacket and his hair and fluff

then you both scream as loudly as you can

well, Foul Legacy's is more of a guttural shriek, one that would terrify you to your bones if you didn't know it belonged to the same monster who likes burrowing under blankets and gets frightened by thunderstorms. your own shout is nothing to be sneered at either, letting out all your stress and anger and frustration from the past day until your vocal cords are spent and your voice is hoarse. only when you can't physically speak anymore do you flop down beside Foul Legacy, breathing hard. he lets out a quiet, whispering trill and rests his head on your lap, the only thing left in both of you being exhaustion and relief as you fall backwards onto the grass, staring up at the night sky. Legacy's claws knead sleepily at your legs, the motions gradually slowing as he drops off to sleep with an exhausted purr; you follow suit not even a few minutes later, your eyes fluttering shut for the first restful night you've had in a week

the next morning you wake up to a very concerned Zhongli standing over you before he launches into an hour-long lecture about the whole city heard your screams the night before and was panicking about being attacked by some beast

#genshin impact #childe #tartaglia #foul legacy #foul legacy childe #genshin tartagalia #genshin childe #genshin tartaglia #so worth it tho #you suggest going to the chasm to scream if needed but zhongli quickly rejects that #because who KNOWS what tall tales the people will make if they heard those sounds coming from the chasm #foul legacy's very chipper the next morning #(it's because he got screech stress relief and also scared people. he's a little sneaky like that)#short scenario #other's stuff #good evening #chit chat #anon

24 notes · View notes

wreckmetoji · 1 year

Note

What if during pre canon vash saves reader-chans life but he slips away before we could thank him and later down the line (couple months? Maybe years?) we run into him again and this time we save him instead 🧐 hmmm…

this is??? a really cute concept forreal like

It was a distant memory, a blond man in a red coat running through your city, being chased by townsfolk with guns and nets. Something you could hardly remember, really, being that you were in your single digits and so much has happened since then. You could remember his kind eyes, and his smile, but if you tried to recall his face you wouldn't be able to describe him. Lost to the passage of time in your mind, all you could remember was him shielding you from the crumbling cliffside, only to go down himself. You had assumed he must have died, given the fall itself was at least eighty feet, never mind the sharp rocks awaiting below. He was nothing if not lucky though, you thought, seeing that familiar red coat fluttering behind him as he escaped over a particularly steep sand dune on the edge of town.

Shaking your head, you brushed off what could be considered your earliest memory, flipping the open sign of your café. More often than not you found your mind wandering back to that place lately, what with the chatter and gossip of a nearing Humanoid Typhoon could be heard in passing around every corner. You wondered if it was the same man- considering he could be described as nothing less than a disaster- but the likelihood of him being young and spry enough to continue such a dangerous life nearly twenty years later is slim to none.

Setting up the bakery display, getting your poorly repaired machines ready for the day, you sighed, propping your chin up in your fist as you leaned over the counter, eyes fixed on the large bay window to the front of the shop. It was a Tuesday morning, of course it wasn't going to be stupid busy, but you couldn't help but wonder what all the ruckus was outside. Hoards of people, seemingly panicked, accompanied by a gaggle of July Military Police. What the hell were they doing all the way out here?

Letting your curiosity get the better of you, you pulled off your apron, your hand gliding across the counter as you walked around it and speed-walked out the door. The jingle fell on deaf ears, you far too accustom to the sound for it to register and far too invested in trying to listen to the half-had conversation an elderly woman was having with who you assumed to be the chief in command.

"Our city is already impoverished! What are we going to do if he comes in here and mucks up the place?! We can't afford such repairs!" She wailed, the officer doing his best to calm down the masses.

Furrowing your brows and ready to retreat back to the safety of your little shop, the door began to hesitantly close before you heard a sneeze from the alleyway beside you, immediately followed by a nearly inaudible curse. This seemed to catch the attention of a nearby officer as well, but you were quicker to the punch. Something in your heart squeezed, unsure why you were so compelled to peer around the corner when it was probably some innocent bystander on their smoke break. However, upon rounding the corner, you saw a poorly concealed mop of blond hair and a vaguely familiar red coat.

"Holy shit," Was all you could mutter, his wide eyes staring up at you with as much shock as you could assume your own expression held.

It was that same man, the exact same man, not a single wrinkle or blemish or scar on his face to show you that it had really been nearly two decades since he saved you.

The crunch of footsteps from behind you had you leaping into action, instantly crowding his space and stripping his jacket from him.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?" He whisper-yelled, squirming against you as you yanked the jacket off, turning it inside out and wrapping it up, and immediately throwing your apron over his head.

"Shut up, you work for me, okay?" You scowled, taking off his orange glasses and stuffing them into a crevice in the jacket you were holding. Staring incredulously at his metal arm, you paused, before stripping off your cardigan and throwing it over his shoulder. It looked... more than suspicious, but it would have to do.

"Everything alright over here?" A deep voice called out, and you only slightly turned your head to glance over your shoulder at the heaving gun strapped across his chest. Suddenly you were having second thoughts about helping a potential felon, now that you were an accomplice and staring into the face of what might be your last moments.

"Yes, sir! Just showing the new hire around the building. You know how it is, they can't even find a garbage can on their own," You laugh, but it sounds painfully forced, spinning your body around to face the man in a respectful manner. In your arms you still held the blonde's belongings, gripping them tighter when the officer took another step forwards. He said nothing, but squinted his eyes and scowled over your shoulder, eyeing up your "new employee".

Before he could get the chance to say anything, you leapt into action once again, reaching back and grabbing at the wrist of your fledgling hire. "Let's go! J...John...man...son." You mentally slapped yourself, stiffly walking past and tugging your Typhoon close behind. "Best of luck to you officer!"

Upon entering your café once again, you didn't let yourself relax until you rounded the counter and disappeared into the back room with the blonde in tow. Heaving a sigh, you slumped against a stack of boxes, slapping a palm over your face and dragging down. Muttering a quite Christ, you glanced up at the man in front of you. The expression he was giving you was one of vague familiarity, brows furrowed and lips parted.

"Thanks for helping me, but I gotta ask... Do I- Have we met?" He asked, handing you the cardigan that was draped over his shoulder. In exchange, you handed him the folded up jacket, eyes staring up into kind sky blue.

"I'm not sure," You fibbed, still in disbelief that this man hasn't aged a single day, the face you couldn't remember back in place in the forefront of your mind. "Must have been a really long time ago."

He seemed surprisingly perceptive, picking up on your inability to comprehend the situation at hand. So, instead he offered a smile, hands grabbing the neckline of the apron you had placed over his shoulders. "Well, thank you for helping me out. I'll get out of your hair-"

"Ah-ah," You tutted, grabbing onto his black sleeve to prevent him from leaving so soon. "I just saved your butt and you think you can just waltz out of here? Everything comes at a price, Mr. Typhoon," You smirked, hands on your hips and admiring the puzzled expression on his face. He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck as he nodded.

"Yeah, that's fair. What can I help you with?"

#trigun x reader #trigun stampede #vash x reader #anon anon #ede answers

116 notes · View notes

unexpectedstormy · 7 months

Text

Stew Pot Plot pt 4

Alternate Whumptober prompt #9: Drugging -- Time, Everyone

TW -- drugging, unconsciousness

733 words

Read it here or on AO3!

******

Time brought the ocarina to his lips and played the Sonata of Awakening.

“THAT ONE’S AWAKE!” One of the Yiga yelled shrilly. “STOP HIM!”

As Time let the ocarina fall away from his lips and come to rest on his chest, the magic of the song swirled around the camp repeating and echoing in the wind, rousing the sleeping heroes.

“Uh oh, what’s going on? What kind of magic is that?!” The other Yiga exclaimed as all around them, the heroes stirred and opened their eyes.

Time himself felt his strength return in a wave and his mind cleared. He pushed himself up as the last of the tiredness vanished. He swiftly lit a lantern and illuminated the sleepy camp and the red-clad invaders.

“What’s going on?” Hyrule asked stretching.

“Who are you?” Wind asked the stranger in red backing away from the camp.

“That’s a Yiga!” Wild exclaimed, suddenly very alert. “Asssassins!”

“Everyone up on your feet!” Time ordered. Legend was on his feet firing off an arrow before Time even finished his sentence. One of the Yiga grunted and clutched at the arrow protruding from their shoulder.

“Abort! Abort! Mission abort!” The Yiga yelled.

“I told you this wouldn’t work!” The other shouted in reply and fired an arrow back at Legend. Warriors lifted his shield just in time to save Legend from getting skewered and the arrow thudded embedded into it.

Thunder rumbled louder and louder and had the heroes and Yiga alike looking up into the sky above and the dark cliffsides searching for whatever storm or landslide or earthquake was the source of the noise.

A fierce and angry neighing and the pounding of hooves startled the heroes and Yiga and Epona charged into the camp leading a herd of wild horses, galloped straight at the Yiga with righteous fury.

“You haven’t seen the last of us! We’ll get you, Hero!” The Yiga screamed and vanished into the cloud of kicked-up dust and stampeding horses. The horses continued to circle and stamp and make angry horse noises for another minute as the rest of the heroes got to their feet, weapons in hand, searching for the enemy looking confused.

“What just happened?” Sky asked when the dust and the horses settled.

“I found a packet of sleeping herbs in the stew: we were unknowingly drugged and the Yiga tried to capture us,” Time explained and motioned to the herd of horses that now encircled the camp. “I told Epona to go get help, and she did.”

“If we were drugged unconscious, how are we awake now?” Warriors asked.

“I played the Sonata of Awakening” Time said holding up his ocarina. “You can stand down now, the danger has passed.”

“That explains why I fell asleep in the middle of cooking last night,” Wild said. “I kept tasting the stew as I went along to make sure everything was cooking alright.”

“You must have tasted a LOT of it to get knocked out like you did,” Hyrule said.

“Uhh maybe??” Wild grinned sheepishly. “What? I was hungry.”

“I don’t feel sleepy anymore, not even a little bit,” Wind said. “Which is weird because I was suuuuper tired earlier and it’s still the middle of the night.”

“That’s a side effect of the song; no one is going to get any more sleep tonight,” Time admitted.

“Strangely, I’m not even upset about it,” Sky said. “I’m completely wide awake… you should play that song more often.”

“What do you guys think about leaving and heading on to the stable now?” Four asked.

“Thanks to Epona, we now have enough horses for all of us to ride,” Twilight said rubbing Epona’s nose and slipping her a little treat from his pocket.

“We can make it to Gerudo Canyon Stable in no time at all on horseback,” Wild said. “As long as you guys can tame the wild horses.”

“Shouldn’t be any trouble at all,” Twilight said, already trying to pet and befriend the blue spotted horse, much to Epona’s annoyance.

“Breakfast at the stable?” Wind suggested. “A biiig breakfast? I’m hungry again.”

“Again? Already?” Legend said.

“Yep, growth spurt for sure,” Warriors laughed.

“I’m just glad we didn’t get captured and no one got hurt,” Sky said. “Thank you, Time.”

“Don’t thank me, thank Epona,” Time said. “Shall we get ready to go?”

“Breakfast! Breakfast! Breakfast!” Wind chanted and everyone laughed.

The End.

#linked universe #lu time #lu epona #lu everyone #lu yiga #whumptober 2023 #stew pot plot

44 notes · View notes

sofiafantasies · 5 months

Text

"Jim!"

She ran down the paths of Trollmarket, worried for the aftermath. "Jim stop!" All she knew is that she could not lose the one person who truly cared for her. "Were not gonna make it!" Toby yelled as he ran as well. Claire furrowed her eyebrows with a frown. "We are!" She yelled back. Blinky was also running.

They all ran towards the door where the Killahead bridge was stored. "Master Jim!" Blinky pleaded. On the other side the Trollhunter, Jim ran up to the switch, clicking it as the rest of his team had already caught up to him. The doors began to close, cutting Nevada, Claire, Toby, and Blinky off.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Toby asked as he stopped infront of the closing door. "Jim, don't!" Claire pleaded. "Jim, please. I need you!" Nevada cried as she banged her fist on the stone door. Tears in her eyes. Her curly hair moved due to the force. Getting in her face but she didn't care. She has more important things to attend to.

"Jim, stop!" Claire cried, Jim disappearing behind the doors. "Jim, no! You promised we'd go together!" Nevada said angrily, her other fist pounded against the door as Jim leaned on the other side, voice breaking. "The amulet chose me." He looked down at the other amulet in his hand. "I can't lose any more of you." He pushed himself away from the door, running to the bridge.

Nevada pounded and kicked against the door as Blinky inspected it. Soon Toby and Claire joined in the pounding. "Maybe I can manually override the lock." As Blinky attempted, Jim raised the amulet, the device floating and twisting until it locked itself into the bridge. It shot out a blue stream of light, the bridge magically builds itself as blue lightning shoots from the amulet, causing Jim to shield his face.

He groans and looks up from behind his arms. "Whoa." Jim breathed out, now standing in front of a complete bridge, the portal finally open. "Come on, Jimbo! We're a team! Don't do this!" Toby cried through the door. "I'm sorry! I have to finish the fight. Alone." He began to step to the portal, Kanjigar's words clouding his mind.

"But the amulet chose me." He looked down, readying himself right as the doors began to open. Nevada, Blinky, Claire, and Toby came charging in, hoping to stop him. "Jim!" Claire yelled. "Im sorry." Jim added before he let his body fall through the portal, Claire's voice still reaching him.

"No! Jim!" Nevada ran to the portal but got stopped by Blinky. He held her in fear that she would jump and tried to get him back. "Jim." She whispered in dread. "Jim!" Toby yelled. "Master Jim, what have you done?" Blinky asked, holding a horrified Nevada.

In the Darklands, Jim stepped to a cliffside, peering down at the vast world in front of him, a vortex formed farthest away. He donned the Eclipse blade, letting it circle in his hand. Jim slid the sword against his back and clenched his teeth. "Get ready, Gunmar." From Jim's determined face, it changed to Nevada's horrified face.

She had Just watched her step-brother fall into his death. From her horrified face, it changed into the amulet which its arms were spinning rapidly.

#tales of arcadia x reader #tales of arcadia #trollhunters x reader #jim lake jr #claire nuñez #toby domzalski #blinky galadrigal #OC but you can replace it as you!#x reader #x you

38 notes · View notes

thelemonsnek · 9 months

Text

The two legendary dragons, despite how long they've been alive and how much they've been through, have never been apart in any meaningful way. Zekrom!Ingo is not having a good time (neither is Reshiram!Emmet, but that's neither here nor there :) ) More on this under the cut!

[image id: a two page comic featuring Ingo and Melli from Pokemon Legends Arceus. The entire comic is a sketch, with guidelines still visible, and is done in black and white, aside from cyan lightning. The entire comic is set on a mountaintop cliffside, in the middle of a huge thunderstorm. Everything is very dark, and rain is visible throughout.

Ingo stands at the edge of a cliff, facing away from the viewer and looking into an intense storm. Lightning strikes off in the distance, and harsh winds are ripping at his clothes. The second panel is a closeup profile view of his face. He is leaning into the wind, eyes shut, seeming to be either looking for something within himself or trying to lose himself in the storm. The third panel is a closeup of Melli's face, shadowed.

Melli comes up behind Ingo, and asks him, "Why are you chasing storms, Ingo?" Then, gaining momentum, he seems to yell louder above the storm, "you have a life, so live it. the time before now is long gone." Ingo, still facing away from Melli and staring out at the storm, says nothing for a beat, then without turning around, asks, "Do you think that I do not know that, Warden Melli?"

The next panel looks out over the stormswept mountain. Multiple lightning strikes are visible as Ingo says, "I am well aware that my tracks are without destination. But I cannot switch over to new tracks, lest I risk derailment."

The next panel switches back to showing Ingo and Melli. Ingo has turned around now to face Melli. He has placed a hand to his chest, teeth bared as he shouts, "I know that this could be my home station, if I let it." His eyes now have lightning branching off from them, and his teeth are sharper. Black scales are visible, creeping up his hand. Melli is braced against both the storm and Ingo's sudden anger.

In the final panel, Ingo has somewhat collapsed in on himself, and half turns away. His hands are now twisted into claws, with more obvious scaling, and his teeth are sharper. "But I cannot," he says quietly, visibly defeated. Melli seems less ready for a fight now, and has drawn back, possibly out of sympathy or fear (and maybe both). End id]

Ingo and Emmet are Zekrom and Reshiram!

the gods are real and they're autistic about trains

they can "shift" in and out of their draconic forms, and have several stages in between (human, partial, mid, etc) basically it's a sliding scale of traits! Here we can see Ingo's "partial" state, where he has fangs, claws, and scales but not much else

the two of them have never really been apart. Oh sure they've been on differing sides of the continent, and sometimes one of them will work a differing shift than the other, but not in any meaningful way

not til Ingo gets eebied :)

separated for the first time with no way to reunite, they find themselves completely unable to shift fully, only barely able to get to a partial form. For Ingo this is pretty convenient! Not as much to try and hide/explain away :) for Emmet this is terrifying

there's another side effect to them being apart, and it's that their roles...don't switch, but Emmet finds himself endlessly driven by the ideal to find his brother, while Ingo is constantly seeking the truth of who he was and what he left behind. We get to see a little bit of the conflict this causes within Ingo here!

they do eventually reunite and it's cool as hell, I'd love to draw it out someday

#art #my art #digital art #lemon yemon #pokemon #pokemon art #subway boss ingo #pla melli #legendary dragon au #highlandshipping #sort of? technically #not yet but later on in this au. this is like the prelude for that #anyways i have sooooo many thoughts about this au #many thoughts about all my aus but right now especially this one #in the months before this comic ingo and melli had never really interacted #ofc they have interacted before bc they live in the same general area so ofc their paths would overlap (like we see in game!)#but theyre definitely not friends #friendly yes! or at least ingo tries to be friendly. melli is melli. but not /friends/#melli has noticed a pattern though and hes not about to let some self destructive warden drag him down too #melli voice no dont die! thatd be so much paperwork!#not that they have to do paperwork for deaths #i mean maybe idk diamond clan procedures for deaths #but probably not im guessing #but those 'no! paperwork!' vibes are whats driving melli here #(after this though ;) after this that changes a bit ;) )#submas

71 notes · View notes

lovelyney · 1 year

Text

⎯⎯ PROLOGUE, HABROMANIA❞

DESC. habromania: a form of delusional insanity in which the imaginings assume a cheerful or joyous character.

WARNINGS. suicide attempt, mentions of family abuse (physical and mental), mentions of self harm, intrusive thoughts.

SONG. Again ― Crusher-P

PREV. 《 MASTERLIST 》 NEXT

IT was around midnight when (NAME) finally reached the top of the peek overviewing Qingce Village. her arms and legs felt numb from the exertion, yet she never paused to recover — hell, she didn’t even think about it.

normally, she would not have dared take such a risk, never mind in the middle of the night — especially when she despised heights. regardless, she couldn’t stand to live another day suffocated by her own parents and intrusive thoughts, if you could even call it ‘living,’ she felt she more ‘existed’ than anything.

her lungs burned as she sucked in a breath and propelled herself up, legs threatening to buckle as she overlooked the stars enveloping her hometown. “how pretty...” she uttered in a hushed tone, balling her hands into a fist as she reflected on all the painful memories that she once strived to forget. she hiccupped, “i—i hope i’ll at least become one of these stars when i pass — to have people wish on me and look at me with fondness instead of hatred...”

her hands, scarred and bruised from all the bottles thrown, cupped her arms tightly. it was a miracle that (NAME) turned out so saintly, considering her guardians were the contrary — abusive and burdensome. whenever things didn’t go according to their plans, they used her as an emotional punching bag, yelling and hitting her. they locked her inside Qingce Village, threatening to hit harder if she ever thought of leaving; they feared she would tell someone and ruin their perfect ‘reputation.’

(NAME)'s fingernails dug into her soft skin, opening old scars and creating new ones — scars intentionally carved by her own hands. she didn’t have a healthy way to cope, having no friends in the village because her parents simply didn’t allow it. as a result, she started lashing out at herself; scars, bruises, burns, scrapes, her body was covered in them all — anything that distracted her from the dull pain she felt in her chest. she blamed herself for everything, despite nothing being her fault. she wondered if any of it mattered now that she was going to take her own life. would her parents be relieved or angry? she didn’t care anymore; she just wanted it to be over.

(NAME) squeezed her eyes shut as her feet touched the end of the edge. while everything was screaming for her to back away, her thoughts, as always, empowered her. “stars, here i come.” she thought as she stepped off and descended down the cliffside — the wind harshly hitting her face being the last thing she felt.

Xiao let out a low growl as he finished off the hilachurls near Qingce Village. “that should be the last of them...” he grumbled and removed his mask. he lifted his head up, honey eyes dilating when he saw a figure falling from one of the tallest cliffs in Liyue.

quickly teleporting to there, he caught them before they could hit the ground. “what in gods name were they doing so high up...” questioned the adeptus as he landed on the grass, although he had an inkling of what the answer was. his eyes landed on her arms — bloodied from the deep scratches she had etched into them. “i—i need to get her patched up who knows how long she’s been bleeding.” he said and left for the entrance of Wangshu Inn.

when he walked inside, a warm pair of amber eyes peeked up from a pamphlet — saddening when they regarded the injured girl in Xiao’s arms. “archons, what happened?” he asked as he rushed up to him.

Xiao’s eyes narrowed at the boy, holding (NAME)'s head closer against his chest protectively. he wasn’t certain why he felt so defensive over a mortal he had just saved, but something in him yelled to protect her.

“why does it concern you? do you know her?” he barked, his grip on her getting slightly tighter.

“ah — apologies, no, i don’t. i just noticed that her cheeks are wet, her arms are bleeding, and her hair’s all over the place... it looks like she’s gone through quite a lot.” he informed and carefully brushed a few pieces of hair out of the girl’s face. “would you mind if i assisted you with treating her injuries? i mean no ill intent when i say this, but you look like you could use some help.”

Xiao huffed stubbornly, slightly humiliated that he made such an observation. it’s not like he was wrong; Xiao’s medical knowledge was limited, and Verr Goldet was asleep.

“fine. do as you wish, but i won’t hesitate to rid you if you even dare try anything,” he threatened and ambled towards the inn’s spare room, kicking open the door with his foot.

Kazuha stayed silent, paying little to no attention to his threat as he followed him inside the bedroom. he cautiously lifted (NAME)'s sleeves — bandaged thumbs gently caressing the various scars that littered her arms. “these—these scratches are relatively deep and are in a particular pattern. . . did—did she do this to herself?” murmured the blonde.

Xiao suppressed a sigh and sat on the floor next to (NAME). “that is what i’m led to believe. for what reason, i’m—i’m not sure. you mortals are so fragile; why go through such great lengths to harm yourselves?” he answered as he cleaned off the blood on her arm.

the latter’s eyes flooded with sorrow while he bandaged her arm in gauze. he whispered, “is it correct to assume she tried to take her own life?”

he fell silent for a short moment, a sad feeling stirring in his chest at the question. “yes, given the fact she was falling from the peak near Qingce Village,” he lamented — his hands dropping to his sides.

Kazuha nodded, a soft sigh falling from his lips. “Xiao, i—i don’t think it’s safe to leave her by herself. if she truly feels this is the only way to escape, she may very well try again.” he acknowledged. “perhaps we should look after her for a few days? she must feel so alone...”

Xiao winced, the thought of spending actual time with someone plaguing his mind. “and why must i be included?” he inquired.

“you’re an adeptus, correct? you could probably teach her a lot. and forgive me if i’m wrong, but isn’t letting her go while she’s a danger to herself against your policy?”

Xiao blinked as he stared down at (NAME), watching as her chest rose steadily up and down. something in him — a dull pain — stabbed him in his chest as he recounted the times he wished to disappear. with a solemn sigh, he looked up at Kazuha with crossed arms.

“alright, fine. i’ll watch over her with you, but you’re going to have to keep an eye on her when i’m out conquering demons.”

CUSTOMERS. @eimuros ― @miaoxi ― @oceanbluesixeyes

#⟡ — fawn’s flowers #⟡ — make a wish #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact x you #genshin impact x y/n #lantern rite #xiao #xiao x reader #xiao x you #xiao x y/n #kaedehara kazuha #kazuha x reader #kazuha x you #kazuha x y/n

151 notes · View notes

freesia-writes · 8 months

Text

Chapter 14: Incitation

During the Clone Wars, the Bad Batch is tasked with a variety of missions across the galaxy. An unexpected addition to their team throws a wrench in the mix, particularly for Tech, who finds a particular connection with this disillusioned Padawan-turned-mechanic named Vel throughout the events in this action-adventure romance.

COVER ART BY @zaana!! And this was my first fanfic ever, y'all! :D

Master List of Chapters

Author's Note: Another scene I noticed has similarities to TBB Season 2!! LOL. This was before the ipsium cave episode too, so the waterfall and goggle-adjusting was another happy coincidence, believe it or not. LOL

Days faded into weeks and weeks faded into months as Vel grew increasingly fonder of the Marauder crew. The next mission ended up being one of those "adaptation situations" that Hunter seemed to use as a rather all-encompassing phrase, and she found herself sprinting along the edge of a cliff behind Tech. He was simultaneously running and sending coordinates to the rest of the team, who had been split up and tasked with retrieving the ship for a quick pickup.

They heard branches cracking behind them; they were still being pursued. Vel glanced over her shoulder, missing the fact that Tech had skidded to a halt in front of her, and she ran straight into him. They both tumbled to the ground, his datapad flying off the cliff into the water below. He scrabbled to grab hold of something as he continued to slip downward.

Vel, who had landed on her backside, felt time grind to a halt as he disappeared over the edge of the cliff. "Tech!" she screamed, scrambling to her hands and knees and crawling to where the ground gave way to nothing. She peered down, letting out an audible "Oh!" of relief as she saw him clinging to a thick tree root for dear life. She looked around frantically, searching for a vine or branch or anything she could throw to him.

"It's too slippery!" Tech yelled, fighting to regain his grip, and Vel felt her panic build to a crescendo, then pause. She had an idea. She returned to the edge, forcing herself to focus, fighting with all her might to center herself on the Force within.

She could feel her heart beating, feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She stretched a hand toward him, willing with all her might that she might connect. She gasped as she felt an awareness of him and focused on pulling it upward with every fiber of her being. He suddenly found it easier to grasp the root, nearly getting an elbow over the top, and then...

He fell.

A long way down. And he landed with a loud splash into the water below.

"No!" Vel shrieked, and without thinking, jumped off the precipice after him.

They resurfaced after what felt like an eternity, coughing and spluttering in a sparkling pool below. The entire cliffside, now rising high into the air above them, was made up of a roaring waterfall that created shimmering rainbows of mist that disappeared as quickly as they appeared. They made the relatively short swim to shore, dragging themselves up onto the sand and coughing explosively.

Tech flung his helmet off next to him and tilted his goggles up at the bottom to let some water out before collapsing onto his stomach, chest heaving. Vel was experiencing a similar recovery nearby, although once she had regained her breath, it was gone again as she let out a frustrated yell from the core of her being. She punched the sand, angrily flipping her sopping wet hair out of her face and curling onto her side, dissolving into hefty sobs.

Taking a moment to assess the situation, Tech pushed himself up to his hands and knees, crawling to her side and sitting on the sand. He was unsure of how to best approach this, not having a positive reason for her current emotional state. He reached out a tentative hand, touching her shoulder gently, bracing himself for an angry outburst or indignant rejection.

But Vel rolled over, sitting up suddenly and melting into his chest. Tech lifted a leg to brace himself, putting an arm around her shoulders to hold her steady, and simply waited as she cried, considering possible responses. There weren't any opportunities to test them out, however, as Vel launched into mourning. She confessed a lifelong sense of failure, of unworthiness, of never being enough to be worth keeping around. She lamented her lack of specialness, her constant shortcoming, her futile pursuit of purpose, and Tech listened to it all, formulating counterpoints but reserving them for a better time.

She exhausted herself of all the feelings and beliefs that had been rankling within for ages, then she fell silent, the crashing waterfall and her own shaky breaths the only sounds remaining. "I just want to be enough," she finished, after a quiet moment.

"What if you are sufficient simply by being who you are?" Tech asked plainly, honey eyes observing her through thick glass. "I am not sure that being particularly unusual is always desirable. In fact, it has been my experience that quite the opposite is often true."

Vel sat up and steadied herself with a deep breath, eyes downcast. "I guess that's my best bet," she replied dejectedly.

Feeling uncharacteristically bold in his need to be understood and propelled by the previous positive experience of physical touch, Tech lifted a hand to her face, raising her chin with two gentle fingers to make eye contact to emphasize his words. Her eyes met his, intense and oversized in his adjusted goggles, and she found herself holding her breath unconsciously as she was enraptured by his earnestness.

"I would posit instead that your 'best bet' is to fully realize your complete and total sufficiency. You are a fantastic mechanic, a quick learner, and a curious observer of life." Vel's mind was racing at his words, but his honey brown eyes enraptured her completely as he continued. "I do not find you to be lacking in any way," he stated matter-of-factly, desiring to convey a simple truth. He was entirely unaware of the tumultuous storm it was causing within her.

Overcome with affirmation of a deep longing that had been undermining her life for years, Vel let out a breath held far too long. Her hands reached up to either side of Tech's face, cupping his cheeks and leaning in. Her heart was pounding as waves of euphoria cascaded over her at his scent, his presence, just... him. His lips parted and he sucked in a short breath, questions and statements brimming yet, for once, inexplicably held at bay. Swimming with inexpressible gratitude and undeniable affection for him, she brought her lips to his in a tender kiss.

He stiffened for a moment, calculations and questions fighting for priority in his mind, but the novel sense of both delight and contentment kept him from pulling away to further analyze the situation. Vel pulled his face closer, gently yet with just enough strength to convey the deep sense of gratitude and need. His lips were so soft, his sharp features pressed against her own, and she felt herself melt in a way that she knew to be irreparable. Tech found himself still unable to move, simultaneously confused and relaxed, intrigued and alarmed. But as quickly as it began, it was over. Vel pulled back, hand moving toward her mouth as if in slow motion, as if her brain had just caught up with her body.

"I'm so sorry," she spluttered. "I just... that was... I didn't mean..." She dropped her hands to the ground, scooting away from him and turning her face away. "I'm sorry, Tech," she repeated. His eyes fell, darting back and forth in an attempt to wrangle a coherent thought before he raised his head to return his gaze to her.

"An apology is... unnecessary," he replied, adjusting his goggles with a hand that, she noted, had a bit of a tremor to it. "We have narrowly escaped a harrowing fate and it is completely natural to act in illogical ways following such an event."

"That's not it," Vel muttered, rising to her feet. She paused for a moment, closing her eyes and rubbing them with a single hand. How could she even begin to put words to it all?

"Then what precisely—" Tech began, but was interrupted by a voice from his wrist.

"Tech, come in", Hunter demanded, sounding strained, "We made it back to the ship. Where are you?"

"We took a slight unintentional detour," Tech replied, tapping quickly onto his wrist keypad, "But we are alright. Sending our coordinates now. There is a grassy knoll that should be sufficient for landing."

"Copy that," Hunter said. "Be right there."

Vel was pacing restlessly, then stopped to face the waterfall. She felt the incredible weight of the moment, wanting to determine the perfect words or actions before the team arrived on the Marauder. Coming up empty, she shook her head, as if resolving to shake the entire ordeal off, and picked up Tech's helmet. Returning to where he stood, still manipulating his wrist pad, she held it closely in front of her. "I'm sorry, again. And... I would appreciate it if you didn't share this with the others," she said slowly, hating the feeling of vulnerability.

Tech stopped typing and observed her. His gaze felt heavy, laced with a million attempts to understand and connect. But his words were simple, "I would agree that discretion is the best course of action, all things considered."

Vel nodded, extending his helmet out to him. He took it gently, fitting it over his head in a swift movement of muscle memory. She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a need to say more, to explain somehow or find some kind of resolution. As she was searching for the right words, however, Tech spoke again. "However, I do find it difficult to reconcile the way you can be so proficient in nearly every mechanical wonder and full of appreciation for the way each part contributes to another, and yet you do not see your unique part in the world and the way you contribute to it."

As he finished, the steady hum of the ship grew closer, and the breeze began to grow as the large shape loomed above them. Vel stared at him wordlessly, and he met her gaze evenly. The landing gear met the grass with a less-than-graceful thud, and the stairs folded out to welcome them.

Tech turned and trotted toward the ship, as though he had simply imparted some universal wisdom, and Vel stared after him for a moment before following slowly behind.

———————————

Ayyyy we’ve got fanart for this chapter, courtesy of the illustrious @acruelerdonut!! 💕

Tag List: @merkitty49 @vimse @arctrooper69 @dystopicjumpsuit @starrylothcat @ghostperson69 @dreamie411 @savebytheodoresnonjosestuff @523rdrebel @clonemedickix @sinfulsalutations @ughhhhfoff @coraex @amorfista @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @followthepurrgil @littlefeatherr @sunshinesdaydream @thew0nderer2342 @dangraccoon @iceskategirl18

(If you're on my regular tag list, let me know if you want to be tagged in this; I didn't want to spam ya!)

Click here to join or leave the tag list. <3

#the bad batch #tbb #star wars fanfiction #bad batch #star wars the bad batch #the bad batch fanfiction #tech fanfic #tech x oc #tech fanfiction #tech fic #tbb tech #slow burn romance #slow burn

51 notes · View notes

aita-alternia · 7 months

Note

AITA for holding a SHITTY BASTARD FUCKWAD DIPSHIT captive in my hive until he FUCKING grows a bulge and explains himself?

I (9, M, blood color none of your business) once knew this useless fucking wet purrbeast of a troll (also 9, M, violet) since we were just out of wigglerhood. He remained a pathetic wiggler even in adolescence, but I guess I kinda liked him anyway. In some ways. He was fun to hang out with sometimes, and he always seemed happier around me, I guess. And he was always miserable and annoying but I thought that was just, y’know, fine?? I thought that was normal for him. He always said he was fine, and like, I guess maybe I kinda knew he wasn’t, but what the FUCK could I do about it if he didn’t want help? Then one day I got news from this FLARP friend of his that he’d gone and FUCKING DIED on me! Like a WEAK LITTLE DIRT NOODLE! Like a FUCKING SPONGEDEAD IDIOT! He was like, my best friend, I guess. Maybe more?? I’m not gonna elaborate on that for you fucking drama-hungry fuckmaggots. Feast on some other troll’s dysfunctions relationship-wise, that’s all you’ll get on that subject from me.

Anyway, I dealt with it, because that’s what you do when life deals you yet another crummy hand in this rigged game we’re all playing. It’s not like I haven’t had people I care about die before. So I pushed forward.

AND THEN 2 SWEEPS LATER, WHO DO I SPOT STARING AT ME FROM BEHIND A FUCKING TUBEFLORA WITH THOSE FUCKING ANNOYINGLY PATHETIC MOOBEAST EYES? THAT’S RIGHT! THIS FUCKING COWARDLY GRUBSHITTING CROTCHSTAIN ON THE FACE OF TROLLKIND FAKED HIS FUCKING DEATH! WHO FUCKING DOES THAT??

So I yelled at him for a few hours (I could’ve gone longer honestly, because really, again, WHO FUCKING DOES THAT??) and at one point he interrupted me to whine at me like the feculent shitbag scum he is about how I had been yelling for “so long that [his] auricular sponge clots [were] malfunctioning” which is UTTER HOOFBEAST SHIT! So yeah, I bit him on the face. And then I smacked him in his fucking insufferable worthless nookshitting face until I felt a bit better. Then I towed him into my hive, sat him down on the couch and told him he wasn’t leaving until I’d heard what I needed to hear.

It’s been like 2 hours now and still whenever he opens his flap all that comes out is a pile of steaming shit about how he “needed to fake [his] death so [he] could be happy,” which like, yeah, okay, I guess I see it! He does look… better. Healthier, I suppose. Maybe happier. Less like he’s about to send himself careening off the nearest cliffside, maybe. So I’ve decided to forgive him for that, even if I’m not telling him that. What I’m looking for from him is a FUCKING APOLOGY for making me think he was DEAD and not telling me he FUCKING WASN’T for 2 WHOLE FUCKSHITTING SWEEPS! He’s a worthless whining idiotic bitch and the words “I’m sorry” still haven’t left his douchebag lips.

Also before I get any comments about how I’ve “wigglernapped” him or some stupid shit like that, I’m being fucking hyperbolic when I say I’m holding him captive; the door is fucking unlocked and he knows it. I don’t even have my lusus guarding the door or anything. Yeah he probably couldn’t beat me in a fight, but I’m not gonna fucking sit on him or anything; if he doesn’t want to talk to me, then I’m not gonna fucking chase him! But instead of saying anything worth saying, now he’s just fucking around on his palmhusk like braindead shitspewing dunderfuck. I’m starting to think I should’ve just told him to fuck off, it’s like he doesn’t even care about me at all. Which is fine! I’ll live. It’s just… disappointing, I guess. I thought we were closer than all of this. But AITA?

#OH SHIT ^ GOOD FUCKING UPD^TE #THE DR^M^TICS! THE PLOT TWIST TH^T THE ^NON W^S NEVER HELD C^PTIVE TO BEGIN WITH!#THE WILD PITCH/P^LE V^CILL^TION THROUGHOUT!#I ^M C^PTIV^TED #am i the asshole #unreality

36 notes · View notes

scarlet-traveler · 9 months

Text

“Come on, Ei, hurry up!” Katsuki’s voice yelled from somewhere above his head. “Fucking sun’s gonna be long set before you get your ass up here!”

“I’m going as fast as I can, man!” Eijirou jammed hardened fingers into a gap in the cliffside, getting a decent grip before hauling himself up a couple more feet. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been at this so far, maybe half an hour, but his fingers, having been hardened the entire time to help with today’s unexpected rock climbing, were starting to cramp up, and his limbs felt like jelly from the effort of holding up his body for so long. “How are you not tired yet?” he gasped out. Another foot higher. He didn’t dare look up to see how much farther he had left, not wanting to be disappointed. “I’m still wiped after training yesterday!”

“What happened to being my unwavering horse?” Eijirou could hear the smirk in Katsuki’s voice. “What happened to going ‘plus ultra’, hah?”

Damnit. That was a challenge if he’d ever heard one. And Eijirou was never one to back down from one. “Who said I wasn’t going plus ultra?!” Hardened claws dug deeper into the rockface, and he hoisted himself even higher. He climbed even faster, the rhythmic crunch of rock meeting rock filling his ears until his hand met open air, and he could’ve cried from relief. Finally at the top.

Eijirou hauled himself the rest of the way onto the top of the cliff, shucking off his backpack before collapsing on his back onto the hard ground, closing his eyes as he focused on catching his breath. He wouldn’t mind staying here for a while.

Unfortunately, the impatient nudge of a boot into his side had other plans. “C’mon, don’t pass out on me now. We’re not done yet.”

Eijirou whined, barely cracking his eyes open. Katsuki was standing over him, an amused smirk on his face as he looked down at him. Somehow, he didn’t look tired in the slightest. Eijirou was over here dying, limbs numb from exertion and his shirt was most likely plastered to his body from sweat under his jacket; meanwhile, Katsuki’s face barely looked flushed. He just looked satisfied, his smirk settling into an easy smile and the sun casting his hair in a halo of gold.

He was unfairly pretty. Emphasis on the unfair, Katsuki was supposed to be the sweaty one, not him!

“Kats, babe, I love you, but I literally don’t think I could move if I wanted to. Can’t you pitch the tent by yourself? I’ll still help with dinner!”

“Such a dramatic bastard,” Katsuki grumbled under his breath, but there was no heat. Louder, “First of all, you’re still helping with the tent. I’ll let you rest but you’re not slacking off that much. Second of all you don’t have to move yet, I just want you to look at something.”

“Oh.” Eijirou could handle that. “What is it?”

“You gotta sit up first.” Katsuki held a hand down to him, and Eijirou raised a leadened arm to grasp it. Katsuki tugged him up into a sitting position, his legs dangling over the edge of the cliff from how he’d collapsed earlier. He was temporarily blinded by the sun shining in his face, and he quickly blinked it away, only to inhale sharply.

They’d been hiking through the forest in the national park for most of the day, and up here on this cliff, it stretched out for miles below them. The mid-autumn weather had already turned much of the trees various shades of orange, red, and yellow, making it look like the entire valley was on fire, the effect only enhanced by the sun as it sank toward the horizon, highlighting the lights and deepening the shadows. Eijirou couldn’t even make out where the entrance to the park was. Were they even still in it?

He was startled out of his staring by Katsuki sitting on the cliff edge next to him. “My folks used to come up here when they were dating, and they brought me up here once when I was younger,” he explained, voice soft like it got when he was relaxed. “Didn’t make the climb myself, obviously. I was only three at the time so I was strapped to my dad’s back. But it’s one of my favorite spots to go if I want a challenge. After we started hiking together I wanted to bring you up here.”

“You’re not kidding about the challenge part,” Eijirou huffed. “But it really is beautiful up here.”

“Yeah…” Katsuki trailed off as he took in the view himself, and Eijirou couldn’t pull his eyes back to it himself, not when his boyfriend was an even more captivating sight. The sun made him glow like the leaves below, the red of his eyes on fire. His usual scowl was wiped from his face, even softer than he normally looked when he was around Eijirou, a serene smile on his lips. Totally happy.

Eijirou was reaching out before he could realize he was, a hand cupping Katsuki’s cheek, his thumb brushing across the smooth surface. Katsuki’s gaze drifted over, meeting Eijirou’s own soft smile and lovesick expression, and the blond’s smile turned crooked as he cocked a brow despite the blush growing on his cheeks. “What?”

Eijirou hummed, because he didn’t really know either. But his mouth was moving on its own. “I kinda wanna kiss you right now.”

Katsuki’s eyes widened, his face darkening so fast Eijirou could feel the rush of heat under his fingers. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and Eijirou didn’t get why Katsuki looked so nervous until his brain finally caught up to his actions and oh. They had never kissed before.

His own face quickly flamed, and he almost felt lightheaded from how fast the blood rushed up to it. “W-We don’t have to! You probably don’t even want to, I know you’re not comfortable with this kinda stuff sometimes, I shouldn’t have even said anything-” He started to rip his hand away from Katsuki’s face, but the blond caught his wrist before he could.

His face was still red, but he was staring resolutely back at Eijirou, a determined frown on his face, even if it was still tinged with nerves. “We can, if you want,” he spoke softly, his voice almost being swept away in the light breeze that blew around them. It ruffled Katsuki’s hair, the fading rays of the sun making the blond strands shimmer.

“You’re sure?” Eijirou asked just as quietly, his thumb stroking across his cheek once, twice.

Katsuki nodded. “Yeah.” The grip on his wrist squeezed. “If it’s you, yeah.”

Eijirou’s heart swelled at the sheer amount of trust in that simple statement, and it made a wide smile grow on his face. Katsuki huffed, rolling his eyes even as his own smile threatened to break across his lips. “No need to get so fuckin’ happy about that, idiot.”

“I can’t help it,” Eijirou said, giggling, before scooting closer to Katsuki along the cliff edge. “But if you’re sure…” His free hand cupped the other side of Katsuki’s face, the blond’s almost-smile disappearing a second later. His eyes immediately screwed shut, and Eijirou almost found the act adorable if he didn’t know that Katsuki was still nervous. The tightening grip on his wrist was proof of that.

His thumbs painted streaks of comfort across those pale cheeks as he leaned in, mere centimeters between their lips, and he nudged his nose against Katsuki’s. “You can still back out babe, I won’t judge.”

Katsuki huffed, his breath warm across Eijirou’s face. “You worry too damn much, Red.” And then he closed the distance himself, smashing their lips together in a hard kiss. Eijirou could feel his teeth pressing against his own behind both of their lips he was pushing so hard, and their noses kept bumping together, but then Eijirou guided him back a bit with the hands on his face and tilted his own head, and they slotted together like two puzzle pieces, a perfect match. He sighed through his nose, his eyes falling shut as he kissed back.

It was a simple kiss, chaste, yet Eijirou felt like Katsuki had activated his quirk in his chest as his heart exploded with warmth. The kiss was simple, yet as he pressed closer to Katsuki, as Katsuki wound his fingers through loose red strands in return, the setting sun their only witness on this faraway mountain, he could easily say that he had never loved this boy more.

They pulled apart slowly, and Eijirou’s eyes fluttered open. Katsuki was already looking back at him, and the sunlight peeking between their faces highlighted the wet shine of his lips, the flush on his cheeks, the mirth in his eyes. It made Eijirou grin, hard enough to make him squint. “Love you, man.”

“Love you too, Ei.” He leaned forward to press one last quick peck onto his lips before pulling back and moving to stand. “Now c’mon, we still gotta pitch that tent.” Eijirou whined, making Katsuki roll his eyes. “Shut up, we gotta hurry before it gets dark.” He then turned away, but Eijirou didn’t miss the way his cheeks and ears darkened as he mumbled, “We can kiss more later, or whatever.”

Eijirou immediately perked up. “Oh, okay!” He hurried to stand up and follow after Katsuki, who was speedwalking toward the tree line with hunched shoulders in a (failed) effort to hide his burning ears.

More kisses was great motivation to start moving again.

Fic written for @krbkevents KRBK Month 2023 Day 14: First Kiss! With bits of days 7 and 11, Sunshine and Long Distance, as well. Also on AO3, let me know what you think!

#mha #bakugou katsuki #kirishima eijirou #kiribaku #krbk #mha fanfiction #fanfic #krbk month 2023 #krbk events #first kiss #sunshine #long distance #traveler writes

36 notes · View notes

clumsiestgiantess · 5 months

Text

Chapter 15 of the Other-world Universe; uhhh.. where’s Erica? Wasn’t she just here a chapter ago?

all chapters linked here

[Throw Caution to the Wind]

That night I slept so soundly I didn’t hear the quiet scuffle of figures on the cliffside, nor did I notice the sun rising over the ruined city. I even slept through the early morning bird calls that broke up the otherwise silent terrain. When I finally woke from my well rested sleep, the sun hung far higher in the sky than I expected. “Oh! I woke up late! Erica, why didn’t you wake me?” I turned to the cliffside and stopped short. Her sleeping bag was empty, thrown haphazardly to the side. Ok, don’t panic. She probably couldn’t wake you and left to go do something… Though there is a perfectly good way to wake me, I realized, eyeing the metal scraps that Erica used to get me up. In fact, one of the pieces had been dragged off a ways, like someone tried to pick it up but dropped it.

“Erica!” I called, “Where are you?” I waited anxiously as the noises of late morning dwindled into unsettling silence. After a few minutes, I began scouring the cliffside for any signs of where Erica could've gone. Though my search came up empty-handed, and it became even more obvious that she wasn't there, I refused to believe she'd left. Unless Erica was taken. I felt guilty at the mere thought of her being kidnaped by looters like the ones in the city. Or worse, those scientists from the future. I was supposed to be keeping her safe, after all. Had I already failed to do that?

Eventually, thankfully, my strange internal compass steered me in a direction beyond the cliff. It was the same feeling I'd had in the city shortly before finding Erica. She’s.. Why is she getting further away from me? Why is she so far away?!

I took off at a run, hoping that I wasn't too late to find her safe. With the world in such a catastrophic state, I was never really sure what might happen. As I jogged to some unknown destination, I noticed I'd been inadvertently following a set of small tire tracks; they were still slightly fresh. Her captors can't be too far off. If they really were driving this small car, I can catch up to them in no time at my size. Thank god they aren’t from the portals. I picked up speed, passing the end of the subdivisions. Wide patches of grass and rock spread out beyond them. Though I’d been jogging for a while, I wouldn’t give up my quick pace even as my side began to burn. Erica was out there, ahead of me somewhere. I had to hurry.

Please, please let her be alright! She just confessed how she wanted me there to protect her! Why is she gone the very next day? Who would take her? Who would dare take her? Anger forced me to go faster, and I broke out into a run. I’m such an awful friend! How could I have let this happen? She’s going to lose trust in me again! That can’t happen; it can’t! What if I lose her? “ERICA!” I yelled as loudly as I could, despair quickly engulfing my thoughts and my voice. “I’M COMING! Just wait for me!”

Another mountain range, taller and more diverse than the one by the city, soon appeared before me. I slowed at its edge. My sixth sense had pointed here. Scouring the large rock faces, I soon came upon an interesting wooden structure hidden in the foothills of a mountain.

The structure didn’t seem very polished, yet it looked recently built. Haphazard boards of wood stuck out in odd places, most likely scavenged from other wrecked buildings. I touched the structure’s side with one of my fingers, studying it curiously. Before I could investigate further, someone inside stuffed a shotgun through a hole in the wall and opened fire. I stumbled backwards in shock. Had I known there were people inside, I wouldn’t have hovered so close. Quickly, I ran on, dodging into a ravine between two mountains to gain some cover. However, I realized shortly afterwards that this was a very bad decision. There were more wooden structures there, all of which began shooting at me. Sure, the bullets wouldn't kill me, but they still hurt like hell.

I was forced to turn around when even more buildings appeared further down the ravine, barraging me from every side — so much so that I feared I might get lead poisoning. However, as I began to retreat back out of it, my unnatural sense went haywire. Apparently, I needed to go down there. Sucking in a shaky breath of air, I took a moment to find some confidence before charging through the mountains. I got much further than I thought. With every bound my sense became stronger until I was certain Erica was being held down the ravine somewhere, just beyond my reach.

As the wooden structures dispersed, I tripped over some tripwire trap of sorts and became ensnared in a large chunk of netting. The coarse fibers dug painfully into my skin, cutting it in some places. By then, I was pissed off and fed up. Everything hurt and I was in no mood to be dragged to the ground by some flimsy trap. You're gonna regret stealing Erica from me, just you watch. Do you really think THIS can hold me!? I glowered as people slid out from crevasses in the mountainside to watch my fighting struggles. All I could think of was how scared Erica seemed when I'd left her the day before. That was only for a moment. Imagine her now.. taken, again.

Adrenaline pumping furiously through my veins, I tore right through the netting and furiously kicked the sides of the mountain where I saw people emerge a moment ago. The wooden structures opened fire again, but I angrily tore them down with a swipe of my arm. "WHERE IS SHE!?" I roared, furiously battering the mountainside. I'd grabbed a large metal beam from one of the bigger structures; it was probably a support of some kind, but it made an excellent crowbar. I tore into the rocky slope where my sixth sense was the strongest. Having found a tunnel leading deeper inside, I pressed down harder on the beam and gouged out chunks of rock from the opening.

Leaning heavily against the sheer face, I wedged my makeshift weapon into the small tunnel and pushed. At last, the mountainside gave way. As the rubble and dust settled, a camp, no, a town took shape inside a now open chasem. Before I could wreak my vengeance on that as well, I heard a shout from somewhere inside. "WAIT! STOP! CALM DOWN; I'M FINE, I'M RIGHT HERE!" Through the heavy dusting of rock that still wafted in the air, I spotted Erica herself racing through the town to the chasm opening, clambering desperately over rubble.

Relief flooded through me, and my adrenaline rush faded away, leaving me suddenly exhausted. I dropped the metal beam and reached into the mountain without a second thought. Quickly, I scooped Erica up, her little body flinching harshly against my palm. Turning to leave, I readied a kick that would send the open chasem collapsing in on itself — a nice example of my power to show anyone else stupid enough to steal Erica away. Just as I was about to demolish the place, Erica must have realized what I intended to do.

"NO! DON'T!" I froze, foot half raised, and stepped back. With shaking hands I brought her up to my face so I could more clearly see her. “These people,” she explained, panting as she caught her breath, “They’re survivors of the wreckage out there. They only took me because some of their scouts saw us fighting. They thought you captured me.”

I shook my head, confused, “But I didn’t capture you.” Erica nodded, “They didn’t know that, though,” she said, pointing to the chasm I created. “Late last night a few scouts showed up to sneak me away. I- I thought they were going to hurt me, so I ran to the alarm system to wake you, but a few of them stopped me. There, like, leader explained who they were and where they came from. What she described — it sounded like a safehaven. But I.. couldn’t bring you with me.” She turned her head down, avoiding my gaze for a moment. “I swear I was coming right back! I just wanted to go see it — to know if it was even true. I promised myself that I would be back before you even woke up! It was a lot further away than I thought and.. I guess I kinda lost track of time… You can’t really tell what time of day it is when you’re under a mountain.”

I glanced guilty at the gaping hole in the mountainside. “There’s a whole town down there, hidden from all the giants.” “…And I just revealed it,” I finished numbly. Erica shifted in my hand to look at the damage I’d done — more destruction I’d caused. “Yeah.. Alexis, I appreciate what you were trying to do, but you can’t just go around destroying everything whenever something happens to me. It’s great that you care so much about me, but… you need to chill.”

“Ok, alright, I just- You were gone when I woke up, and then I panicked because I really have no idea what might happen to you. You know, with the state of your world and all?” She nodded slowly and I realized my explanation didn't really justify the amount of damage I did. I didn’t even want to think of the people I potentially killed. “I should probably clear things up with the refugees down there,” Erica noted, glancing meaningfully up at me. Stepping back to the opened mountain, I placed Erica back into the town in a daze.

"Ok, I'll.. I'll just leave." "Mmhm," Erica mumbled absentmindedly once she returned to the ground. Already, she was focused on negotiating what to do about the terrifying destruction I'd created — reassuring everyone that I was not going to capture them. I watched with an awful sting in my chest as the people there rushed over to her, trying to pull her safely away from me, deeper into the mountains.

She’s with her own people now, I realized, she’ll probably be happier with them. And, I noted with a hint of jealousy, she won’t need me for protection anymore. "Goodbye, then," I added awkwardly. Erica barely seemed to notice me backing away as I walked solemnly down the crevasse. Surely she was just too preoccupied to answer, right? Was she relieved to trade my company for her own kind? Even from my height, it was clear that these people were much more caring and welcoming to Erica than I'd first been to her. The first 'help' I gave her turned out to be literal torture.

My pace slowed to a halt at the opening of the valley. I felt as though I were sinking through muck, unable to move. The oppressive force of realization weighed me down further. She doesn’t need me… but I can’t be so selfish as to try and get her to stay. Erica once said she felt stuck with me, trapped even. Here’s her chance at independence; why would I stop her from taking it? Because I want her to stay with me, to choose me over her own people? Of course not.

Hours later, the sun had drifted from one side of the horizon to the other and Erica hadn’t returned yet. I’d checked on the town twice since I left her there that morning. The first time, I began getting gunned down again, and the second time I was told with growing annoyance that Erica would come for me when she was good and ready. If she wanted to see me at all, that is.

I glanced back at the empty mountainsides and the wooden structures that were still standing guard at the entrance, then turned and headed to the ruined mansion. I would collect my things and go home. Maybe I could try to explain to my family why I'd taken fifty things from the kitchen. Ok, more like fifteen things, but still. I would come back in a day or two to check on Erica after I fixed up the stinging holes in my skin, and ate a couple meals worth of food.

Hey, this is a good thing, I tried to assure myself, Erica is safe; you did your job. You can go home now! As much as I longed for a place that fit me, I was devastated to leave so suddenly. I wanted to ask her so many things; I wanted to say so many things. Maybe she’ll be willing to talk to you in a few days. Clearly now isn’t a good time. God, why do I have to tear down every single structure I see!? I can’t prove myself to be anything but a monster in this place. It’s what I’ve always been.

Dusty dirt kicked up in clouds that swirled smoothly around me as I trudged back the way I came. Hopefully, I could remember where the cliffside was. I’d already been walking for a while along the tire track trail, but that ended before anything familiar. My strange inner sense only worked one way, and I'd basically just followed it blindly. Thinking of it only worsened my mood. The sense was still pulling me back the way I'd come.

In fact, it's going a bit nuts all of a sudden, what the heck? Then I heard a vehicle speeding towards me from behind. I turned to see one of the trucks that had been parked in the mountainside town racing towards me at top speed. At first I thought the people living there were coming for revenge. After all, I did destroy their clever hiding place. As the truck rapidly gained ground towards me, I saw that it was really useless for me to run from it. Even though I was much faster, my height made it all too easy for them to spot me from miles away and hunt me down. I slowed and waited as the truck lurched to a stop beside me.

When Erica herself threw open the door and scrambled out, I was so genuinely surprised my heart did a little flip of excitement in my chest. Shortly afterwards, I realized that this might just be a proper goodbye and sighed, disappointed. I was kinda hoping to avoid this drama. Now I'm going to cry for sure, then Erica will feel guilty and want to stay, and then I'LL feel guilty for guilt tripping Erica into staying, and then-

"Get down here." Erica said it so sternly I thought she might have been turned against me by the survivors. I sat down warily in front of the truck. Erica then climbed up the truckbed and stood on the roof. This way she could yell at me without having to crane her neck directly up to look me in the eye. However, now that she was closer to my face, I could see the confliction scattered across her face.

"I- When you left," she started, anger rapidly fading from her voice, "I thought you meant you were moving away so you wouldn't scare those people.” Her eyes darted between both of mine, confusion and concern flickering in their gaze. “Alexis, why did you say goodbye?" Erica stepped closer to me, only to nearly slip down the windshield of the truck. She glanced around quickly, searching for a way to get closer to me and still maintain the height she had. Finding nothing, she turned back to me. "I came back as quickly as I could! I wanted to talk with you the moment you put me down, but things got messy… You were going to leave me there?"

I wasn't sure what to say. "You didn’t come back, and I just- I couldn't ask you to stay with me,” I explained, “Not after last night." Erica looked even more confused, so I continued. "You said you only needed me to survive, but now that you have that whole town to keep you safe.. I mean, of course you want to be with people of your own kind, I get it. It’s alright, Erica. Don't worry about me. You'll be safer with them."

Erica gave me a pitying glance. "Look," she began, "In the short amount of time I've spent in that town, I've learned a bunch of things, and yeah, it is nice to be around others my own height. And it's super safe, probably safer than I would be with you, out in the open. Plus, I know a few people there. Turns out they weren't taken after all," she shrugged. "It’s basically the safehaven I’ve been wanting ever since I was first trapped in the city.”

Erica studied my expression closely before continuing. “But when I had the chance to stay with them.. I stole a truck, drove out to the middle of nowhere, and found you. Because honestly, who cares if you're ten feet taller than an office building? I think that’s really fucking cool. I'd choose your protection over theirs in a heartbeat, and I’d rather travel around fighting hazmat giants tooth and claw with you than hide under a rock with everyone else. I finally figured it out, Alexis," she stated with unwavering confidence. "It’s- It’s been a long time coming, but I know for sure now. If you’re really leaving, I want you to know. What you do afterwards is entirely up to you."

Erica stepped off the roof of the truck, across the hood, and onto my knee while I sat there, cross-legged. I'd been leaning over with my head propped on my arm, and my arm propped on my leg. This way, we were at least somewhat eye level. Once she was balanced nicely, Erica strode up, lifted my chin off my hand, and brought my face to herself. She looked at me head-on for a heartstopping moment. Determination lit her eyes with such a fiery passion I was struck still. Then Erica pulled me closer and planted a small kiss on my lips, binding us together for an immortal moment before shying away a few steps backward, her face flushed a rosey red.

"I don't know if you- I mean- I-I love you.. have loved you. You don’t have to-” she stuttered, "I'msosorryIdidn'tmeantodothat." Erica stepped backwards a bit more, her head tilted away from me in an attempt to hide her blushing expression. “You don’t h-have to do anything in return, it’s.. I.. just wanted to…” She cleared her throat, trying to back away, nearly falling headlong off my leg.

Dumbstruck, my thoughts only came in snippets of their usual size. Holy shit. This can't be real. I love her. She loves me too! Why? How? Before Erica could back off completely, I swiftly scooped her up and kissed her in return, my lips accidentally covering her entire face. I held Erica back a moment later, worried that I was suffocating her. Scrutinizing her little expression, I found she seemed at once both shocked and ecstatically delighted. Her jaw-dropped expression slowly melted into a radiating smile as she reached for my face again, so I kissed her over and over until she was breathless in my hands. I peppered her entire body with kisses instead, afraid of accidentally hurting her in my excitement if I kissed her on her face.

The unspoken words between us suddenly had no meaning. Their weight lifted from me like bonds finally broken — a constrained creature no longer burdened by its chains.

Once the euphoria died off, I carefully set Erica down beside me and lay back in the dirt in blissful disbelief. Erica immediately lay down herself, chest heaving. She laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all, and I chuckled along with her. "Wow!" Erica exclaimed after my laughter faded to a delighted sigh, "I didn't think that would work! I mean, I knew you'd come around to me wanting to stay with you, but I didn't think you would react so… well to.. the other part." All I could do was nod, too choked up to say anything. A few minutes ago, I thought we were saying goodbye. "Now what?" I asked once I found my voice, turning my head to look over at her.

Erica sat up, "We do whatever we want," she answered happily. "But first, let's go home." "If that's what you call the few feet of mansion still standing,” I sneered, "then we better get started. I don't even know how to get back." I stood up and scanned the horizon; the sun was setting already. "I think I know. Let me show you the way." Erica gestured for me to put my hand out for her, and I eagerly obliged. She hoisted herself effortlessly over the side of my palm, falling happily onto it. I grinned down at her, cupping my fingers slightly closer around her. However, when I lifted her up and started walking, she stopped me.

"Wait, wait, I've been wanting to try this for a while now, but I've never been able to ask you." Erica slowly stood in my hand, using one of my fingers to balance herself as she got up. "Can I sit up there?" she asked, pointing to my shoulder. "That's not really safe," I noted, glancing at the small space beside me. Erica grumbled, "Oh, come on. I'll hold on to your shirt so I don't fall off. I'll be fine." After a few more pleas, I gave in and brought the edge of my hand up to my shoulder. "Just don't hurt yourself," I sighed.

Erica eagerly planted herself onto the middle of my shoulder, grabbing the fabric of my shirt like reins. “Alright, that way home! Let’s go!” She pointed somewhere to my left, so I walked off in that direction. However, it wasn’t long before Erica’s grip slipped from my collar. At the last moment, she managed to grab the back of my shirt as she nearly fell over backwards with a little yelp. “I told you this was a bad idea,” I said in a warning tone, straining to look backwards at her. Reaching around my back, I picked her off my shirt and held her out in front of me. Erica only crossed her arms in defiance and turned away. "I'll get the hang of it eventually," she grumbled, "but I guess I can sit like this for now."

In the end, Erica rode in my hand yet again. This time, she was comfortable enough to kneel right on my fingertips. I had them slightly cupped, trying to ensure at least some safety, but Erica giddily leaned right over them, watching the scenery. Annoyingly, she somehow evaded every bit of security I tried to give her — rather enthusiastically, too. I was slightly convinced she put herself in danger just to give me something to save her from. With one hand pointing out the directions home, and the other gripping my finger for balance, Erica and I headed home together.

Now that she’d confessed how she felt about me, Erica’s whole demeanor had changed. She was no longer cautious with her actions around me, as if she’d been holding back just as much as I had. Knowing that I had loved her secretly while she had secretly loved me brought out a new side of her I’d yet to witness. Her fear of getting too close to me was completely unnecessary now as she threw caution to the wind and confessed what she wanted to tell me. If only I had been that brave.

With Erica's surprisingly reliable navigation, I managed to make it back before nightfall like I'd hoped we would. If it had gotten dark while we were still a ways out, I doubted we'd have found our way there. With Erica safely set on the cliffside, I could finally eat. My stomach had been growling the last stretch of the trip. We'd joked about it for a bit before I realized my hunger was slightly more serious than I thought. Once or twice I had to stop and close my eyes for a moment because my vision kept spinning. Only then did I realize I hadn't eaten or drank anything all day. No breakfast; I'd panicked over Erica's disappearance. No lunch; I was busy waiting at the ravine. And so far, no dinner either. I quickly gathered up enough provisions for a decent meal and chowed down. Erica could only watch me, baffled, as I proceeded to eat more food in that one meal than she could eat in a month.

"Shit," she laughed uneasily, "Why are you always starving? It's kinda unsettling, really." "I'm not always starving," I corrected her, "I literally haven't eaten all day. And yesterday I didn't have lunch, either. I have to ration this food somehow, or I won't have anything my size left to eat. My house only has so much food that I can steal." Erica thought for a moment while I finished scarfing down my buffet for one. "How did you get my food? Before we stole stuff from the houses?" Erica asked once I'd finished eating. "I put mine the shrinking box like I used to do, why?" "What if," Erica reasoned, "you just make a box that can grow my food to your size? Or create a box that'll just make food."

I stared at her blankly, "Do you think that'll work?" "I don't see why it wouldn't work." "I'd have to go to my world to make one, though. Do you think you can hold out alright up there while I disappear for a bit?" Erica nodded slowly, "Sure, just don't be gone too long, you know?" I agreed and vanished to my world for a while, again surprising myself with how bright it was before remembering the time difference.

I worked quickly, knowing my father could come back down at any moment. All I had to do was make a box big enough to fit food my size. With the table completely barren, I had to search the basement for a bin of building blocks I could use to make it. Eventually, I found a massive bin of miscellaneous bricks I could use. It was smooth sailing from there. Building a large rectangle was easy enough. Most of the objects I made were box-shaped simply because it was the easiest shape to build.

I brought my mismatched box into the zone of the weird energy, and concentrated on it; this was how I'd made the previous few objects. When I put my hand on this box and ask it to produce any type of food, or drink, I added quickly, the item or items will appear instantly within this box. There, that should do it. It still looked like the same flimsy, mis-matched creation in my world, so I couldn’t immediately tell if it worked or not, but I would soon find out. Just before I left, I grabbed two pillows and a blanket off the couch. I was tired of sleeping on the ground with nothing but my clothes for warmth.

Back in the other-world, I appeared before the cliffside again, box in hand. It was now a plastic gray rectangle, much more even and sturdy than what I made in my world, and one side was hollow and open to take food from. "Well, here it is," I held it up for Erica to see after putting down my other belongings. "Now let's see if it actually works." I cleared my throat and placed the box on the ground with my hand still on its side. "Box, make me a banana." Nothing happened. I sat on the ground, perplexed. "What the hell," I heard Erica complain from the ledge above me, "I really thought that would work."

Quickly, I ran through what I'd created it to do in my head. I've noticed that when making these things, you have to get the wording as precise as you can or there will be a loophole of some kind. Sure enough: When I put my hand on this box and ask it to produce any type of food… I hadn't been specific enough. I'd told the box to do something instead of asking it like I'd said when I created it. See what I mean? The universe always finds a loophole. I grabbed the box again and asked, "Can you make me a banana?" Just as I uttered the last syllable, a banana materialized in the box. "Hey! You got it to work!" "Yeah, sometimes these things can be a bit finicky," I replied.

I wasn't really hungry after eating my other stolen goods, but I ate the fruit anyway, simply out of the satisfaction that my box worked. Then, I settled down on the cliffside, placing my pillows onto the rocks before laying back. It was blissfully cushy now. The cliffside really was becoming more and more of a chair to me. It was the same height, and now it had a similar softness too. I was sure an actual chair would still be comfier, but I’d take what I could get.

I sighed happily and watched the night sky. It was slightly cloudy that night, and what might've been a pretty view was obscured by deep grey clouds that melted into black. Something suddenly whacked my shoulder and I flinched in fright, but it was only Erica. "Could you at least give me a warning next time you do that?" I gave her a peeved look. "I nearly flung you off." "That would've been funny." "No, that would've been stupid." "Well it's a good thing you have such nerves of steel then, huh?" Erica snuggled down into the same spot as the night before. Her feet stretched lazily out down my shoulder, and her head rested halfway up my neck. I tried to look at her through the corner of my vision, not daring to turn my head. She seemed so damn comfortable. Meanwhile, I was stuck with the bare minimum.

We sat together for a while, the two of us surviving out in the destruction of the old city. I never even bothered to learn its name. “Hey Erica?” I felt her shift beneath my jaw, “Hmm?” “What.. made you decide to come back for me? How did you know you- you liked me?” There was a light silence, but after such a heavy question, I couldn’t stand it. “I’m just asking because… Well, the whole reason I didn’t say anything was because I thought.. We’re from two different worlds, literally, and-” “Stop, stop,” Erica told me, placing a hand lightly at my throat, which was right beside her. “I don’t care where you come from. I don’t think like that. Us being friends was one of the best things that happened to me, so when you ran off, I slid back into my old habits.. then the hazmat giants came.. and then.. John. In short, everything was kind of a melancholy downward spiral from the day you left. And- And the more awfully I was treated, the more I wanted you back.”

Erica shuddered and I gently placed my hand on my shoulder beside her, assuring her that I was with her. She gripped one of my fingers tightly to herself, then continued. “That’s why I said all that stuff about how I wasn’t sure I wanted to be with you, because I wasn’t sure if I genuinely loved you all this time or if I was just desperate for someone to treat me decently for once.”

“And?” I replied nervously. “And,” she repeated, dropping my finger and scooting closer to my neck. “I found that it was a bit of both. But when I was settled into the refugee camp in that mountain with everything I needed, yet still wanted you there, I realized that it was more than just trauma or survival. I wanted you.” A large grin stretched across my face and Erica laughed softly. “Ok, so what’s your story? I wasn’t going to confess anything because I thought there was no way in hell that you would think of me that way. I mean.. last time we were together you didn’t exactly think of my kind as worth very much to you.”

I sighed tiredly and my grin fell. “There was a time and place where I didn’t think much of you, either,” I confessed, “Just like there was a time and a place where you thought I was a horrible human being, I’m sure.” Erica nodded slowly. “But that was.. five-ish years ago, I think. I’ve learned since then that your kind is basically a smaller copy of mine. Or, if you prefer, mine can be a larger copy of yours.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but I was thinking it.” I chuckled, “I don’t really know what started it, actually. From the very first time I saw you, I’d been attracted to you in some way. Why else do you think I was so persistent in trying to help you out? I was thrilled that you let me befriend you. I think it must’ve been sometime around the day we stayed in and watched movies together when I started to feel.. different about you. Anyways, it just kinda.. hit me.. a few weeks ago that I felt a bit more strongly towards you than I’d realized. I’ve been keeping it to myself ever since.”

“Aww, I was wondering why you chose to mess with me and not literally anyone else. If your methods weren’t a few steps away from psychotic, I’d have found it endearing.” The frown returned to my face; Erica could feel it from the side. “I was being sarcastic; don’t get too upset,” Erica assured me. “I understand what you were trying to do for me, even if I don’t quite understand why you did it in that way. Besides, that’s all in the past. Like you said, it’s been five whole years; things have changed. A lot of things have changed,” she reiterated, gesturing to the ruined landscape in front of us. “So, we’ll start again again, with the truth this time?” Erica nodded eagerly, burying her face in the side of my neck, “Yes, please. I’ve only been daydreaming about that for the last four years.” “Hey, me too.”

Twice I nearly drifted off right there, but I still refused to sleep with Erica so close. It was too dangerous — even she had to realize that. Eventually, I could hear light snoring to my left, signifying that Erica was down for the count. I don't know how she can fall asleep there. If it were me, I'd be terrified I'll roll off the shoulder's edge unconsciously.

Sliding Erica into my hand, I sat up and searched for her sleeping bag again. Just as I'd found it, slight movement brushed against my palm. Looking down, I saw her staring up at me with wide eyes. Then she yawned, and smiled at me sleepily. I smiled softly back, setting her down gently by her things. "Nooo," Erica grumbled as I released her. "Just five, no, fifteen more minutes? Please?" I sighed, "Get some sleep, Erica. I'll let you ride on my shoulder tomorrow, but I need rest." She nodded tiredly and slid into bed. "Goodnight." I shook my head slightly in amusement and spread out the blanket and pillows I'd borrowed off the couch. Today has to be my favorite day in the other-world so far. Except for the kidnaping, but everything worked out in the end. I think…

#confessions confessions confessions!#they are in loveeee!#g/t #giant tiny #other-world universe

29 notes · View notes