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kenshi-vakarian7 · 5 years

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MERweek2019 - Day 5 - Extreme Emotions

Event hosted by @cactuarkitty with fanfic prompts by @vorchagirl

Prompt - Write about a moment when emotions between your characters became a little extreme. Did their relationship become stressed? Did things get hot? Did loves almost break up? Drama, angst, smut, fluff - everything is on the table!

I can’t believe it took me over two years to FINALLY write my version of the High Noon mission. After seeing this particular prompt, I figured now was the time to get it out there. Honestly, I don’t think it really holds a candle to all the other amazing versions I’ve read, but I do hope you enjoy it regardless!

Also, please note that I DO NOT hate Sloane... it’s just how the story is since it’s written in the perspective of my Pathfinder, Kira Ryder.

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“Untimely Grief”

“Ready, princess?”

Pathfinder Kira Ryder didn't usually let things get under her skin, especially things that would be considered petty and low. Sloane Kelly's condescending tone with those words should've been one of them... and yet the words struck her as though those she was stabbed with a knife right through the gut.

Kira knew exactly why. Had it been any other noun, it would've been so much easier to deal with. Hell, even being called a bitch would've sufficed.

But no... it just had to be 'Princess.' It had been years since called anyone ever called her that... more specifically, her late father.

The noun jogged old memories Kira hadn't thought about since before leaving the Milky Way for the Andromeda galaxy – memories of simpler times of her childhood where Alec Ryder was an attache on the Citadel; how she looked up to him as her hero, who was proud of even her smallest achievements, and who wasn't as distant as he would become the older she got. He was the reason she wanted to join the military.

She couldn't remember when he stopped calling her Princess, but she did remember realizing that he hadn't called her that for a long time at around thirteen-years-old. And somehow, at that moment, the realization hurt more than it should've. Between that, and the emotional distance he created, Kira eventually grew to resent her father. It was easy to deal with while she attended Arcturus Academy in her high school years and, later, as an Alliance soldier since it meant not being around him all that much. When she and the rest of the family were together, the most common companion at the dinner table was awkward silence.

It also didn't help when she and her brother Luke were discharged from the Alliance due to Alec's illegal AI research, nor the fact that neither of them could find a decent job in the aftermath.

After her mom died, it seemed to serve as a wake-up call of sorts for Alec. It was only then, despite everything, that she and her father began to slowly mend the wounds that were left behind, and close the distance that was between them. By the time they left for Andromeda, things still weren't perfect, but the mending process was still heading in the right direction.

They were barely in Andromeda when bad luck hit the family. Not only was Luke in a coma due to a malfunction in his cryo pod after they hit the scourge, but Alec sacrificed himself to save Kira's and, for whatever reason, entrusted her his role as Pathfinder. Since then, she had been constantly on the go with establishing outposts, dealing with the crummy half of Nexus leadership, maintaining morale for her crew, forming a trusting alliance with the angara, and trying everything possible to make sure that everyone who came to Andromeda didn't starve.

As she followed Sloane, the leader of the Outcasts, into one of the many hidden caves of Kadara, Kira realized that she never had the chance to mourn the loss of her father... and now she was forced to fight the floodgates that threatened to open and spill forth all the emotions she held in for months since his passing.

Of course this has to happen at the worst time, Kira thought as she struggled to get control of herself. The last thing she needed was to break down right then and there, especially in front of Sloane.

She did manage to finally get a grip as soon as they reached an open space within the cave. Kira focused on her surroundings... they were here because they were supposed to meet with the Charlatan, the leader of the Outcasts' rival gang, the Collective, to settle things once and for all.

Kira would be lying if she wasn't curious about who the Charlatan was. After all, whoever they were, they seemed to have an interest in the Pathfinder despite never approaching her directly. With the exception of her first day out in the Badlands, none of the Collective have tried to attack. She later found out that they had orders not to harm her or her crew from one member with no reason given other than they were under the Charlatan’s orders.

Five seconds later, she figured out why...

“You look like you're waiting for someone,” a voice – a very familiar voice – spoke within the cave's shadows.

Kira turned her head to where the voice came from just as Reyes Vidal – a man she was slowly growing attached to since they met, with him introducing himself with the very same words he uttered moments ago - stepped out of the shadows and into the light. Seeing him standing there, a subtle frown on his face as he stared back at her, everything she knew about the Charlatan, the Collective, all the missions she and Reyes went on together suddenly fell together and made much more sense.

“Reyes?” Kira whispered, unable to hide the shock in her voice.

Sloane spoke up with disinterest, “I'm here for the Charlatan, not some third-rate smuggler.”

Kira glared at Sloane, who had her back turned to her, with a raised eyebrow. She’s in denial. She can’t be that stupid... “They're one in the same,” Kira said.

“Surprise?” Reyes spoke up, his arms spread out at his sides as though he was emphasizing his reveal.

Between her whirlwind emotions from moments before, and now the shock of finding out who Reyes really was, Kira couldn't help but shake her head as, once more, she fought to get control of her emotions. “So, did you really lie to me this whole time?”

Reyes didn't hesitate to reply. “Not about everything. You know who I really am.”

“Do I?” Kira couldn't help but ask with some contempt.

Sloane decided to get down to business, clearly not interested in their exchange . “You said you wanted to settle things. How?”

Reyes jumped down from the rock he was standing up before he faced Sloane. “It's simple; a duel. You and me, right now. Winner takes Kadara Port.”

Kira's eyes widened in horror at his suggest. A duel?! She screamed in her head. Reyes, what the hell are you thinking?! Sloane's former Alliance military for crying out loud!

She wanted to shout these words to Reyes as panic began to set in. Once more, she was forced to clamp down her emotions before she managed to calmly say to him, “You want to avoid war by shooting each other?”

“Two people shooting each other is better than a lot of people shooting each other,” Reyes reasoned.

Kira drew a quiet breath at that... knowing he was right. This really was the best way to settle things between the two factions. The rival between them was bloody enough as it was; worse for the innocent people who were caught in the middle of this gang war they wanted no part of.

“I'll take those terms,” Sloane accepted.

And then, they began to slowly circle each other, their hands close to their pistols. Neither of them once took their eye off the other as they waited to see who would make the first move. Kira stood in her spot, only able to watch what was unfolding in front of her.

Don’t die, Kira suddenly thought as she stared at Reyes. Despite being mad about him keeping his secret from her, she knew he likely had his reasons. It was irrational, she knew, but she didn’t care at this point. All she cared about right now is that he survived the duel somehow. I lost my Dad, and my brother is in a coma, and now I might lose y-

Her running thoughts suddenly stopped as she caught a glint within the cave's darkness. Kira turned her attention to where it came from. Despite the shadows, she was able to spot someone lying on their stomach watching what was unfolding in front of her. She knew right away why they were there even before SAM mentioned it barely a second later.

Sniper, the AI alerted her through their private channel. His sights are set on Sloane.

There was a split moment of relief; he wasn't there to kill Reyes... but she then realized that it was Reyes who brought the sniper here without Sloane's knowledge. Instinctively, and for a couple of seconds, Kira thought about how wrong it was, how she can stop this duel right now. She nearly took a step forward...

But then she stopped herself. Looking at Sloane, Kira was reminded of all the horrible things she let happen here on Kadara. The innocents who suffered under her rule, forcing them to pay protection before kicking them off into the unforgiving Badlands, not considering the needs of the angara who were here long before they arrived, among other things.

The Charlatan was not much better, but at the end of the day, they, no – he - her own feelings for him aside, was the lesser of two evils.

Kira also realized why a sniper was there to begin with. Sloane was former military. Reyes was not. It was a smart backup strategy on his part, as sneaky as it was...

With all that in mind, Kira didn't make another move...

The shot rang out and echoed against the cave walls. Sloane leaned forward as blood began to seep from her chest – right where her heart was – and she let out a pained gasped as she collapsed onto her knees. Her eyes looked to Reyes, and then to the Pathfinder. Kira read the single question in her shocked eyes – Why?

Kira, with her face neutral as she stared at Sloane, couldn't help her next thoughts. I guess I'm not the 'princess' you thought I was...

And then, Sloane collapsed completely on her right side, her eyes closing as her life seeped from her. As this happened, Kira was, once more, flooded with memories of her father and how he died to save her; memories of her brother who was currently in a coma on the Nexus with no way of knowing when he would wake up... if ever...

...And how she came close to losing Reyes today.

Kira didn't pay any attention as Reyes spoke to his sniper, who began to carry Sloane's body out of the cave to who knows where. She didn't even realize that she fell to her knees and, suddenly, it was hard to breathe. Barely grasping for her throat, she struggled to fully get air in her lungs. She vaguely heard SAM say something, but she didn't catch what was said...

And then, someone pulled her to them and held her close...

Kira knew it was Reyes. She should've been angry with him. She should've been screaming and pushing him away, shouting to him about how he lied to her... but instead, she was tired. She was tired of the pressure that was on her shoulders, she was tired of fighting with the crummy side of Nexus leadership, she was tired of feeling alone in her struggle. She nearly lost Reyes today, she wanted Luke to wake up already, and Dad, why did you have to die?!

The tears finally began to pour down her cheeks as she collapsed into Reyes's arms and sobbed into his shoulder. Months of being on-the-go with no time to mourn her father, being worried about whether or not Luke would ever wake up, and now nearly losing the one person in Andromeda she come to deeply care for – it was too much to take, so much so that the vulnerability she dreaded to show to anyone was now out on the surface.

Kira wasn't sure how long she cried in Reyes's shoulder, venting out the mix of grief, pain, anger, and fear from her system. Eventually, the sobs subsided and she pulled back, though she didn't look at him right away. A part of her wanted to bolt up and run away simply because she didn't want him to see her like this...

But she was tired... so damn tired...

Kira soon managed to pull away slightly to look Reyes in the eyes, despite knowing hers likely didn't look so great. Looking at him, she was taken aback by what she saw – his lips were frowning, his eyes were dilated, and his eyebrows were furrowed. It was all subtle, but she was able to read loud and clear that, whatever was running through his mind right now, he was frightened.

“Why didn't you trust me?” she ended up asking, her voice sounding more pitiful than she meant to.

Reyes reached a hand out to her face to wipe away the tears that stained her cheeks. The features on his face seemed to turn less subtle and more clear. Momentarily, he looked at the space that laid between them before he drew in a breath and gazed back up at her.

“I... wasn't sure what you would think,” Reyes finally said. “I... liked the way you looked at me. I was afraid that would change.”

It was Kira's turn to look between them. She thought about the time they spent together ever since they met at Kralla's Song at the port. It started out as them being nothing more than business partners, but the more time they were around each other, the more Kira... liked him, more than she had ever expected. In fact, Reyes Vidal was the first person in Andromeda who made her feel normal and not just the Pathfinder.

“The thing about Reyes is that he always has a good reason.” That was what Reyes's friend, Keema Dohrgun, said to her when they attended Sloane's party just a few weeks ago. It was at the same party where they kissed for the first time – and where he let out a little of his own vulnerability over why he came to Andromeda in the first place. To be someone...

She hadn't forgotten how soft his eyes would get when he thought she wasn't looking. She hadn't forgotten the hopeful gaze he gave her after she kissed him in the storage room as a 'distraction.' And she certainly hadn't forgotten the way his voice growled in defense when his ex tried to involve her in their professional/personal dispute. Even now, as she cried in his shoulder, he gently caressed her back and whispered in her ear in comfort despite her not catching what he was saying due to her not paying attention.

Kira wasn't thrilled about Reyes lying about who he was she would’ve preferred being told the truth in the first place... but there was no denying that his actions, and the way he looked at her, told the truth about how he felt about her...

Thinking of all this, and with some caution about the future in mind, Kira made a decision... one that she knew she wouldn't hear the end of from her crew once they knew what happened here today. But truthfully, she didn't care, because for one thing, she deeply cared for Reyes even before all this, and, well...

“Nothing's changed,” she finally said as she gazed back up at him.

His reaction was something to see, and it was almost like watching his mind process what she declared to him; there was a momentary shock in his eyes before he began to smile, almost in relief. Then that same smile subtly transformed into something more... playful.

“You have bad taste in men,” he said, low and husky. He quickly closed the space between and pressed his lips to her, deep and yearning. She returned the kiss with equal fervor just as they both held each other close, neither of them moving from the ground they sat on.

The kiss lasted a while until they were forced to stop in order to catch their breathes. Kira moved to hug him closer, her face next to his. “The worst,” she teased, her words whispered in his ear.

In response, Reyes kissed her once more, and she welcomed it.

#merweek2019 #merweek #fanfic #mass effect andromeda #freyder #kira ryder #reyes vidal

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theolddarkmachine · 6 years

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Kingdom- Chapter Nine

Gajeel has had the dream about dying for the blue haired girl for as long as he can remember. Which is weird, since he’s never met anyone with blue hair in his life.

Levy has always loved myths and legends. So much so, in fact, that she was currently getting her master’s in mythological studies.

What neither of them realized was that they were living a legend all their own.

AKA the one with a knight, a princess, and a curse that keeps bringing them together just to pull them apart.

PREVIOUS CHAPTERS

AO3

WOW IT HAS BEEN A REALLY LONG TIME HUH! Thank you guys for waiting so long for the update on this. I def had bitten off more than I could chew when I thought I could do the 12 Days prompts, Secret Santa and still do consistent updates, so y’all the true MVPs for putting up with me when I cut back on the multichaps lol I’ll be the first to admit that this was a bit harder to get back into than I thought, but it didn’t help that this chapter is introducing a whole other character. So not only was I dealing with coming back after like a month and a half, but I was writing a character that wasn’t even someone that I’ve been dealing with in that time off. RIP. Anyway, hang in there with me, this seems like a lot, but without any real payoff. It’s there. I swear.

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The deep amethyst of her aunt’s eyes had Levy frozen in place as she looked up at the tall woman, confusion and something a bit more ominous buzzing under her skin. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her aunt, per se. In fact, the woman was the only family she had left, as Levy was the only family still left to her. That kind of circumstance comes with obligatory appreciation. No matter how contrived it may have been, it was still there, even if they were nothing more to the other than the occasional birthday and Christmas cards.

“Are you going to let me in?” She asked, her voice husky and smooth like sweet smoke. Darkness was curling around the edges of her words, as if there was a joke that Levy wasn’t aware of.

More specifically, that she wasn’t invited to be aware of.

Shaking her head free of of her thoughts, Levy stepped aside to open the door further.

“Yeah, sorry, come in.”

With a curt nod, her aunt crossed the threshold of her apartment, heels clicking loudly on the tile of her foyer before she reached the carpet.

“Did I catch you at a bad time, dear?” Kearia asked, not seeming particularly worried on if she had, in fact, come at a bad time. Sitting lightly on her large, plush couch, her aunt looked out of place amongst the tattered gray fabric. She had an almost regal air about her as she crossed her legs, her straight back better suited for a throne rather than the couch that was almost as old as Levy was.

“Not at all, just wasn’t expecting any company is all,” she offered quickly, brushing off the strange tug of a familiar ache in the pit of her stomach. The swirling nexus of what felt a lot like fear was tugging at her insides, turning her blood cold as she went to join her guest on the opposite end of the couch.

A small voice in the back of her mind beat itself against her skull as it tried to get her to recall a memory so distant, she wasn’t even entirely sure it was her own. It danced away from her mind’s grasp in a taunting manner, nothing but blacks and reds and frozen air.

“My apologies, Levy, I should have called first. But I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by to see my favorite niece,” her aunt offered her explanation before Levy could even ask for it, as if she could feel it pressing itself onto the tip of her tongue.

“I’m your only niece,” Levy tried to laugh, instead managing nothing more than a hollowed, brittle sound as her head pulsated with the distant memory and her incessant headache. The corner of Kearia’s mouth twitched upwards as she looked at her, purple gaze hardened into sharp amethysts that cut into her skin.

“Which only proves that it’s the truth,” she purred. Levy couldn’t help but draw comparison’s between herself and a predator’s dinner as she stared down her aunt’s smile. A frozen drop of panic rolled down her spine.

Run.

The single word was a hushed whisper against the back of her neck, raising the hair along her arms and her nape. This wasn’t the first time she had felt the bubbling fear coursing through her in her aunt’s presence. Ever since she was younger, she would swear she could feel something sinister looming under the surface of Kearia’s composed exterior. Something that made her body reel against the rest of her senses as it fought to get as far away as possible.

As time passed and she grew, Levy learned to swallow down the dread, chocking up her anxieties to her wild imagination. Too many stories and not enough reins tethering her thoughts to reality made it easy to lose herself to a made up world where her mostly absent aunt had a much darker purpose. The reasoning had helped her ignore the small voice that would warn her away from the sharp smile, and she hadn’t felt the electric sting of adrenaline caused by Kearia’s presence in quite some time.

But now, it was cascading over her with all the force of a waterfall, drowning her in an overflowing crest of expansive fear. It stole her breath, leaving a burning sensation in its place as her lungs fought for air.

“Tell me, Levy, how have you been?” She asked, eyeing her as if she could see straight through the muscle and bone to the organs beneath them. Then, it was gone. All the stinging pressure dissipated almost as quickly as it had appeared, cool air filling her as she sucked it in past the burnt inside of her lungs.

“I’ve been,” she started, rubbing at her sternum as her brows knit together before continuing, her voice flat as she spoke. “I’ve been okay.”

“Just okay?” Kearia dug, leaning forward to rest her elbow on her knee, propping her chin on her palm as she studied Levy closely. The purple of her eyes darkened into a stormy sky. “Levy, have you been holing yourself up again?”

Her interest was strange, mingling in the grey area between maternal and nosy.

Why do you care? The voice bit back, erring towards bitter before Levy pushed it further back.

“Aunt Kearia, you know I’m busy with my thesis,” she was a little more successful in her laugh this time as she waved a hand, brushing aside the question. “Didn’t you know grad school requires you to not have a life?”

“Mmhm,” Kearia hummed, her perfectly manicured black eyebrow shooting up towards her hairline. “So no young men in your life?”

Air stuck to the inside of her throat as she was hit with the vivid image of the knight from her dream bleeding out in her arms, tears dotting his cheeks from where they’d fallen from her own eyes.

“No,” she breathed, standing abruptly, the sudden motion startling her aunt as her eyes widened and she pushed back. “I forgot to ask if you’d like anything to drink.”

Tripping over her words, Levy made her way towards her kitchen before Kearia could respond. Heated pinpricks bore holes between her shoulder blades

“Is water okay?” She asked, not bothering to look back as she stumbled into the kitchen, hands grasping at the countertop to steady herself against the vertigo that had pitched the world forward. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes as she heard the distant cries again, her own voice screaming out to Gajeel in a vain attempt to keep him tethered to Earth. But it was too late.

I had been too late.

He died.

No, she refused to believe that the dream was real.

But it had to be.

Levy’s knuckles turned white as she clutched the counter’s edge, working to breathe through the vision as she recalled the dream.

“Yes, dear, water is fine,” Kearia answered, her voice sounding much further than just her living room. All of Levy’s instincts fought against her as she tried to pick apart the tangled visions and thoughts. Everything told her it was real. She had felt the warm liquid spilling over her hands. Had felt the stinging tears as they’d burnt tracks down her cheeks.

She’d watched as death had dulled Gajeel’s eyes.

Yet she could not believe it. Even though she had built her life around believing that the stories she’d dedicated herself to were founded in reality, she rebelled against the possibility. It was one thing to believe the stories were real.

It was another entirely to be a part of one.

Bending at the waist to lower her head between her arms, Levy drank in large gulps of air. Each cooled gasp pushed itself through the burning confusion as she pushed down the vision of Gajeel’s dusky eyes. Several moments passed as she counted her breaths, in for two counts and out for two until her heart rate slowed and it no longer hurt to breathe.

Straightening herself up, she reached for two glasses from her cabinet, ignoring the way her hands trembled as they held the cups in their grasp.

Get it together, she admonished herself as as her hand slipped slightly, sending rivulets of water rolling down the side of a glass and pooling onto the counter. You’re just very hungover.

Those words became her mantra as she repeated the lie over and over, their mental cadence carrying her back into the living room.

“I thought I would have to go in there and rescue you,” her aunt laughed as she took her offered glass, fingertips brushing over the back of Levy’s hand and sending a shot of electricity burning up the nerves of her arm. Biting down on a hiss, she pulled away and made her way back to the other side of the couch.

“I just spilled a bit of water and had to clean it up,” she said before taking a sip of the liquid, it’s cool edge smoothing over the bitter taste at the back of her throat.

Run.

A small sound almost like a purr lifted itself from Kearia’s chest as her mauve gaze held her in place on the couch. Out of the corner of her eye, Levy could see her long nailed clutch tighten on her glass. For just a moment, the woman beside her didn’t even look like her aunt as her face contorted into a misshapen, rage filled mask. Lips pulling back over her teeth in a snarl and eyebrows pulling together, she looked like a monster as she leant forward.

Levy’s head snapped towards Kearia, eye widening as she saw her aunt still sitting there gracefully, taking a small sip from her water.

It’s okay, Levy, she thought as her heart hammered against the back of her sternum. You’re just very hungover.

“So tell me about your thesis. What’s it about?” Another polite question that hid poisoned barbs.

It’s okay.

Run.

Grinding her teeth against the warring emotions that pumped adrenaline through her, making her muscles twitch with anticipation, she chewed on her answer.

“I’m exploring the possibility of myths and stories being grounded in reality,” her words shook as she held Kearia’s hard gaze as if they were forced. Though, with the bitter taste of fear coating her tongue, she supposed they were.

“The one I’m working with a story about a dragon that befriends a prince, who later becomes a king. My argument though, is that the iron dragon may have actually been a real person, and that that was just a nickname.”

A spark of something almost like recognition flashed through the distant purple of her aunt’s eyes as she listened to her speak, only further burying the burning lump of fear in her gut. The way she was looking at her was almost like she knew something that Levy didn’t. Her lips twitched, their corners pulling up into a near smug smile as Levy continued to tell the story of the dragon and her theories.

“It sounds like you’ve done a lot of research, dear,” Kearia finally interjected, carefully setting her glass on the coffee table. “And it sounds like a very interesting story.”

Only, the way she said it made it sound like it wasn’t very interesting at all.

“I’m afraid though, that I need to cut this visit short,” she continued, standing abruptly from where she sat. Towering over Levy, she looked down at her over the bridge of her nose. The effect was a sharp pointed thing that looked and felt a lot like a glare.

“I suddenly don’t feel all too well. But we do so need to catch up, Levy dear.”

Following suit, Levy stood, putting her now empty glass next to her aunt’s as the woman opened her arms out to her for a hug.

Run.

Walking forward into the halo of her arms, Levy found herself pressed into her aunt in a warm embrace, her crown just barely meeting Kearia’s chin.

“Do try and get out a little more,” she said into Levy’s hair, voice twisting into almost overdone concern. “You deserve a break from time-to-time.”

Her nails pricked into the skin of Levy’s arms as she clutched at her biceps, using her hold to push her back so she could look down at her. A predatory smile cracked her red painted lips.

“I’m so proud of you.”

And then she was gone. Before Levy was even able to pick her way through the wreckage of the swirling vortex in her mind, Kearia had shown herself out, the door slamming shut behind her. The harsh snap of the door faded into the now empty room as she stood alone. Spikes of dulled pain rolled through the base of her skull as she attempted to make sense of what had just happened.

The static hum of panic was still tickling the inside of her skin as she rubbed a hand over the back of her neck in a vain attempt at easing the tension there.

Images from the dream began to roll through her mind, no longer held back by the distraction of her aunt as she caught flashes of what she refused to believed was a dream. The severity of it sent her world pitching forward again, catching her off balance and causing her stomach to roil within her. Bile rose quickly in her throat as her body finally succumbed to the continuous pitching between her emotions and the dread fueled adrenaline.

Clasping a hand over her mouth, she found herself running towards the bathroom for the second time that day.

As she made her way passed her desk, she didn’t notice that the book was gone.

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#gajevy #Gajeel Redfox #Levy McGarden #fairy tail #fairy tail fanfiction #kingdom #WOWZA I HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED ON THIS TAKING ME TWO DAYS SO THERE'S THAT #lol anyway now that im getting back into the swing of these it shouldn't take as long to crank out #but i may still work a little longer than weekly until im fully back in the headspace #anyway everyone side eye levy's aunt with me #this probably reads like a weird stream of conscience #that's kinda the point #levy is confused af therefore everyone else should be too #except me cuz i know what's happening lol

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kestrelsansjesses · 7 years

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Keep on Coming Home

[Summary: After dying for the second time on the Archon's flagship, Wren Ryder reunites with Kandros. Predictably, he's not very pleased. Comments very, very appreciated. Are you as trash for these two as I am? Continuing of my ‘New Galaxy, Same Old Thirst’ series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Pairing: Kandros x Ryder ]

As Wren Ryder exited the Tempest for rest and relaxation at the Nexus, Kandros was waiting for her. “I’m guessing I’m under arrest?” She kept her tone sardonic and light, but Ryder’s whole body ached; her activities on the Archon’s flagship had pushed her whole being to the absolute limit and then some.

Kandros shook his head, and there was no sign of amusement in any part of his movements. “Don’t tempt me, Ryder. Tann already wants your head for this.” This wasn’t the homecoming she had anticipated- not by any stretch of the imagination, and some of that hurt must have shown on her face. Kandros softened, held himself less stiff; she hadn’t anticipated PDA. He wasn’t the type, and to be honest, neither was she, but she hadn’t exactly foreseen this either. “My apartment. Let’s go,” he continued, turning abruptly and leading the way without once looking over his shoulder to see if she followed.

He wasn’t wrong in not waiting. Curiosity got the best of Ryder, as it did every time, and she followed with a sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. Somehow, she didn’t think they were in danger of falling in bed with each other, though it hadn’t stopped Lexi from warning her before she disembarked. “Nothing strenuous, Ryder. Nothing. Even if it’s fun.” It was almost like having Ellen back, if Ellen had been a medical doctor rather than a biochemist.

Though it wasn’t fair to Kandros’ little suite of rooms, people stopped Ryder every few feet to talk with and congratulate her. Word of the Archon’s flagship wasn’t common knowledge just yet. If it had been, she had little doubt that not everyone would be so happy to see her. Instead, she was offered drinks by most everyone, people excited just to speak with her. It was surreal, but she had no time to chat. Kandros wasn’t waiting for her.

Finally Ryder could find some safety behind closed doors, leaning against it for a moment. How was it possible to be this tired? But there wasn’t time to rest now- Kandros had turned around abruptly, rounding on her.

“What were you thinking?” He wasn’t yelling, but this wasn’t an improvement; his tone was cool, clipped, and utterly controlled, and somehow this was far worse.

“Kandros, I did what I had to.” She hated her words even as she said them. It sounded like something Alec would say, making any justification he could for his most drastic actions.

Pacing now, Kandros shook his head. “You endangered the whole of the Nexus. You royally pissed off the Archon- intelligence says that even now, the kett are planning retaliation. They could hit the colonies. They could hit here.” But even this wasn’t getting to the heart of Kandros’ issues. He left something hanging in the air still, bait for her to grab and pull out, trying to puzzle him out.

“That’s not what I meant to do, but if we don’t act now, the kett will do something worse.” Up until now, the kett had been one step ahead, but hopefully, with the information they had taken from the ship, the Initiative would finally have the upper hand. It all lay at Gil’s feet now. No pressure.

If Kandros had hair, he no doubt would have run his hand through it again and again until it frazzled. Instead, he tugged on his own fringe in an unconscious gesture, then pulling his crest. “You died,” he finally said, tone flat.

“I got better.” Humor was easier than admitting that dying for the second time had been even more terrifying. Easier than admitting that she didn’t necessarily like the control SAM had over her own body, and much easier than admitting that she needed time to recover.

“You could have stayed dead.” Finally Kandros collapsed onto his couch, the surface hard and unyielding. He folded his head into his hands, peering out through his fingers to look at her. “All I heard was that you died, Ryder, and then you came back to life. How do you think I felt? The minute I leave the Tempest, you pull this shit.”

She sat down next to him, space between their bodies. They weren’t touching just yet, but she wanted to. “I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t die, I couldn’t have saved Drack and Cora. The Archon was trying to… take something from me. From SAM. Believe me, Kandros. I didn’t want to die, but there were no other options.” Her last thoughts had been about him, as stupid as it sounded. If there had been a way to warn him, she would have taken it, but even thinking about saying it out loud felt stupid. Their relationship was too fresh and too new.

He groaned. “You’re impossible. I have a duty to all the people here to protect them.” He sounded wearier than he ever had. “I send my STRIKE teams out and I know they’re risking their lives. I’ve heard them die over comms. I shouldn’t have to worry that you’re going to kill yourself for something we don’t even understand. It might not even work.”

“It’s not your job to worry about me, Kandros, and I’ll figure those blueprints out.” Part of her felt angry, almost coddled. She wasn’t a kid- she was the Pathfinder, no matter what anyone said, and no one was going to hold her back. Every decision she made was difficult, and enough people questioned her without Kandros adding to the pile.

“It’s my job to worry about everyone, whether or not I like it.” And from his tone, it was clear there were days when Kandros didn’t like it. Ryder hadn’t stopped to consider what his own hardships would be like, so wrapped up in her own. At least her crew had managed not to die yet, but what if she lost one of them? People she had fought with, trained with. People she was in charge of. “Are you okay?” he finally asked, breaking the silence.

Her hand slid over to his knee, and then his fingers found her, intertwining quietly. “It fucking hurts, Kandros. That’s what they don’t say about dying. It hurts, and coming back hurts even more and it sucks in every way you can imagine.” No one said she was a poet. She stated things as they were, and there weren’t words enough to explain how cheating death twice felt. “My chest hurts. My head hurts. I’m not allowed to do anything for at least another twenty-four hours, according to Lexi, and all I wanted to do was see you. Kind of stupid.”

“Kind of,” he agreed, anger fading from his voice. “Can you try not to die again? Tann may want to kick you out of the Initiative entirely, and I can’t deal with worrying about you and trying to calm him down.” Though his fingers were not especially dextrous, he ran one over the palm of her hand in small circles, over and over again, the claw providing pleasant frisson.

A grin cracked Ryder’s face, feeling refreshing. Anything other than the frown that had been plastered there since the ship, better than the nightmares that had woken her up by squeezing her chest ever since. “I’ll do my best.” Finally she felt loose enough to lean against his shoulder, closing her eyes. “I’ve got to go to Kadara still. Sloane sent a message- she said it was urgent.” Kandros’ shoulder wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he was familiar, the smell of her him making muscles unknot, even those back muscles that had been constantly clenched since the flagship.

“I’ve got another week of owed downtime. I’m going with you. Sloane… I need to see her again. I need to ask her why.” He didn’t move, except to settle his body slightly, also leaning back, head resting on top of hers. His breaths made her hair flutter slightly, not unpleasantly.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Whatever had happened between them was in the past; he clearly still thought about Sloane’s perceived betrayal of the Nexus, and it was just something else to heap onto his plate.

“It’s a better idea than dying.” Point taken. To Kadara they would go, but not until they had both taken a well-earned nap, the nightmare screams of people they’d failed for once not ringing in their ears.

#Tiran Kandros #Kandros #Ryder #RyderxKandros #KandrosxRyder #Turian #Mass Effect fanfiction #Kandros x Ryder #Ryder x Kandros #Mass Effect #Mass Effect: Andromeda #me:a #andromeda spoilers #andromeda #mass effect:andromeda #New Galaxy

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c9sneaksen-blog · 7 years

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Memory Lane

3773 words. AN : Was inspired to write this after today’s games. So I thought I’d send it over before I forgot.

Summary : Memory lane is but one road in a much bigger world, and when Jensen is feeling discouraged after losing a series, Sneaky must remind him just how important he is in making that world turn for him.

Well.

The weekend had been rough, to say the very least.

They were previously undefeated, but now, they had acquired 2 losses. Pretty hard ones as well.

And Sneaky was trying his best to look on the bright side of things. Find the silver lining. Losing was a necessary evil sometimes. It was important that teams continued to play like they were fighting for something, even if they were in first place. Perhaps they’d lost a little bit of that feeling. And it was time to take what they’d been handed.

The rest of the team was feeling pretty low about it too, but, they’d recover.

The one that was of his concern was the one smushed in between himself and Contractz, in the back seat of their car. He could feel it radiating off of him. The stress, the frustration, the discouragement.

He’d come to know Jensen like the back of his hand at this point. The loss to TSM, well, Jensen still seemed okay. And rightfully so, because the boy literally had been the one trying to carry the rest of them on his shoulders. He’d played his heart out. Even though yes, he had still felt that disappointment, he’d taken it much easier.

But today’s loss. Well.

That was just on a whole different level entirely.

And it’d been in his eyes, on his face, the minute the Nexus had exploded for the 2nd time. Jensen was looking like he used to. Looking so completely defeated and sad, and Sneaky almost couldn’t stand it.

Jensen hadn’t so much as uttered a single word to him, hadn’t even looked in his direction since the series had ended.

It was something that could make Sneaky come undone.

So, that’s why, the moment they arrived back home, Sneaky was immediately all over the mid laner. He knew exactly what was going to happen. Jensen was aiming to head straight for his room, lock himself inside, and not come out for who knew how long.

Sneaky wasn’t okay with that. He wasn’t okay with letting Jensen take all the blame for their loss, and even more so, he wasn’t okay with being shut out, and shut away from his favorite person for however long.

The rest of the team retreated to their separate rooms as usual, but, thank goodness, Jensen’s room was right next to Sneaky’s. And he was not going to get away from him.

“Fuck off.” Jensen immediately snapped, feeling Sneaky’s presence behind him.

The ADC was on his heels, that much was true.

“Jensen, don’t do this.” Sneaky spoke, following along behind him closely. If it were anymore close actually, he’d probably trample him. “Jensen…” he now said in a warning tone as the mid laner rounded the corner to his room.

As predicted, the mid laner turned swiftly, and flung his door to close, but Sneaky was there to catch it, and wedged a foot in just because Jensen had actually won this back and forth before. The boy had some strength when he was feeling this overwhelmed and adrenaline filled. Surprising, for someone with barely more meat on his bones than actual Fiddlesticks.

“Sneaky, go the fuck away.” Jensen spat with annoyance, as he then placed both hands on the back of his door and attempted to force it shut.

“Nope.” Sneaky replied simply, now putting his shoulder into it as well. “I’m not letting this happen this time you little shit.” he grunted, edging himself in to the point he was halfway through the crack of the doorway.

Jensen exhaled heatedly, as he flung his hands in the air and turned away from Sneaky once again.

Sneaky, having managed to win the first battle, the “door battle” as he’d come to call it, stood up straight now, as there was no longer resistance from Jensen’s end.

Now would have to come the “battle of attention”. Jensen hated, absolutely hated talking, dealing with it. He was the type to just internalize it, and deal with it his own way.

And Sneaky wasn’t about emotions period. But he was about Jensen’s emotions. Those actually mattered to him.

And he vowed the last time this happened, he was going to do everything he could to stop it the next time.

It wasn’t fair, or right, for Jensen to sit in his room and punish himself like this.

Sneaky blinked towards the Dane as he threw himself into a sitting position on the edge of his bed. He immediately pulled out his phone and earbuds.

As he prepared to put them in, however, Sneaky once more, was far too fast.

He reached out and snatched them too fast for Jensen to really even realize what was happening. Jensen glared towards him, now with “ultra tilt” eyes.

“Honestly, fuck you Sneaky.” Jensen remarked. His tone still held a lot of venom.

But it didn’t phase Sneaky, because he knew Jensen better than maybe he knew himself. And his words right now were coming from a place of very frustrated emotion and aggression. This is the part, that Sneaky didn’t get to witness very often. Usually, Jensen would have already shut him out.

Jensen flung himself upward again, “Why are you even in here?” he asked, in a tone that was neither nice, nor polite, “Get the fuck out and leave me alone okay?”

Sneaky slipped Jensen’s earbuds into his back pocket when the mid laner reached for them once more. “No, I won’t leave you alone.” he now switched his tone to the defensive so that he could at least rival the aggression enough to stand a chance here.

And inside, he was so mentally sad, so crushed, to be standing here, having to battle this out with the mid laner. He hated seeing Jensen this way so much.

Sneaky held up a hand to continue before Jensen could further his argument, “How fucking low of you to do this to us.” he added, brushing his hair to the side before folding his arms. His eyes narrowed slightly, “To do this to me.” he then pulled one arm towards his chest, before refolding it in his other, “What the fuck dude?”

“To you??” Jensen then questioned, his eyebrows raising into arcs as his eyes widened to stare towards Sneaky incredulously, before letting out a couple sarcastic huffs, “Sneaky aren’t you forgetting you have fucking Meteos’ side to cuddle up to?” Jensen spat, and immediately Sneaky’s face dropped all of the strength it’d had in it, as Jensen flung an arm out to the side, “In fact, if it will get you the fuck out of my room, I approve. Go.”

The mid laner exhaled, as if he was exaughsted now after that last sentence, and he collapsed once more into a sitting position on the side of his bed.

The sting. It had been delivered. And it was hurting.

It took Sneaky several moments actually, to recollect his thoughts as Jensen sat there on his phone. A body full of emotion mashing away on his keypad, swiping aggressively between sites and twitter feeds.

By the time Sneaky was managing to come around to say something once more, Jensen was back on the aggressive. “Well? Why are you still here?”

Sneaky tilted his head slightly, “Jensen, what the fuck?” he started, managing to force it out even though he still felt so winded over what Jensen had previously said to him.

This was like, a whole new experience for Sneaky. He and Jensen never fought like this, never argued like this. What was actually happening? How did he handle it? How was he supposed to respond?

Well, he didn’t know, but he had to try.

“Jensen.” he started, with a sigh following, “I just got done having to force my way through an interview with Meteos, that I didn’t even really want to be a part of.” he snapped, “Why the fuck would you say something like that to me?”

Sneaky then let his arms drop to his side again, watching, as Jensen just sat and stewed in silence as his attention had been averted back to his phone. Sneaky rolled his eyes and threw his arms up, “Alright, what? What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t want you to say anything. I want you to leave me alone.” Jensen scoffed, but his tone had lost a lot of it’s threat that’d it’d previously had. “I am tired Sneaky, and this has been an awful day for me personally.” he continued, finally now looking up at him, “And I don’t want to see you right now, I just need to think about what happened today. I need some time to myself to figure things out.”

“I mean, but it was the whole team’s loss, not just you Jensen.” Sneaky argued, also lowering his tone to something with less defensive aggression now to match his. “We’re all feeling bad about it, you just take it to so much more an intense level. I don’t want you to feel that way by yourself. It’s stupid.”

Jensen huffed a slight bit of laughter once more. “Yeah well, unfortunately I have more to worry about than just the team’s loss Sneaky, okay?” he now finally fell back onto his bed, and gazed at the ceiling before sighing once more. “So if you want to comfort someone, go bother one of the others.”

Sneaky, for a split second, was completely confused by this. But then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

Just like it had hit Sneaky himself like a ton of bricks earlier.

Meteos.

The nostalgia. The trip down memory lane. The fan service.

The revert back to years before Jensen had come along.

Sneaky’s eyes fell on the mid laner for a moment. How could he have not thought of that?

Jensen wasn’t exactly upfront about things like that. It was no mystery anymore to anyone that Meteos and Jensen didn’t like one another. It was partially the reason Meteos had stepped down from the team the first time. It was a bigger part of the reason the 2nd time.

Now Meteos had joined another team. For the first time ever, he was competing with someone other than Cloud 9. And today had been their face off.

And oh, how the fans had screamed, and carried on, and soaked in it. Their minds forgetting all about how far Sneaky had come, how much he had grown as a person without Meteos, because all of their fantasies of what had never become of “Sneakeos” in the past, had a heart beat for a day again.

Even the LCS casters had fallen victim to this face off between the old duo. Feeding into the fan’s desires, and Meteos had never shied away from doing it either. Not in the past, and he hadn’t tonight. Reverting back to the “old” was just too easy for him, and it was so easy for long time fans to get caught up in it.

Sneaky had given Meteos his picture to tweet to the world.

But after the game, he’d been corraled into an interview as well, and, well, the fan service continued.

And Sneaky had noticed immediately during the interview that no one had really cared about how he had felt about the whole issue. It had been miserable. He’d felt so awkward, he hadn’t even wanted to make eye contact with anyone during it. Screams would fill the air when Phreak and Meteos made their comments, and all he was left doing was standing there, laughing uncomfortably, looking like a dumbass.

Just like the old days.

But, also, just like the old days, he just let it happen. Even if he was uncomfortable. Even if he really didn’t want to do it. Even if he didn’t agree with what was being said.

He had introverted inward, like the old Sneaky always used to. Shy, embarrassed, and just going with the flow.

He was always going to be Meteos’ friend. Forever. It was just the way things were.

But he was a different person now. He was a different Sneaky.

And instead of showing that tonight, he’d allowed himself to be pulled right back to what he used to be.

Perhaps it was because he was put on the spot. Perhaps it was because Meteos and Phreak were standing right there. Perhaps it was the screams of the fans. Fans that he loved truly, and dearly, that he crumbled under it all.

But it was no excuse.

Especially when he knew he was capable of showing off that newer Sneaky to the world, like he had been doing.

Now, still feeling the pain of Jensen’s words, but now also knowing the misery the mid laner must have been feeling, he sighed once more, “Jensen I’m sorry.”

Jensen said nothing. He only simply turned on his side, to face the wall away from Sneaky.

“I really am.” Sneaky continued, now walking over and sitting down on the edge of Jensen’s bed. He contemplated putting a hand on his shoulder, but decided against it. He was going to have to take this slowly. “Please believe me.”

Jensen lay still, unmoving, and quiet. It made Sneaky so antsy. Antsy enough that he did reach up this time and put his hand on him.

“Jensen you have to believe me.” Sneaky prodded, lightly touching his shoulder, hoping for any reaction at all out of him, “You know how I feel about you.”

Finally, a deep exhale came out of the Dane. “I know.”

He reached up and pushed Sneaky’s hand off his shoulder without looking, keeping his face turned away, “But that doesn’t mean it didn’t bother me.” he told, before adding, “I wish it didn’t, but I don’t really know how to make it stop.”

Sneaky gazed down at the top of his comforter for a second. “It bothers me too.” he frowned slightly, huffing a bit as he did so, “It bothers me that I still fall back into that old mood. That I’m still not strong enough to just defy it. That I still just let myself get sucked in.”

The ADC began tracing lines down the top of the blanket. “I worry about the fans, you know. And how it would affect them if I killed that for them…” he inhaled, before he halted his line drawing and turned towards Jensen’s curled up form once more, “But it matters to me more that it upset you, and I just want you to know that I will get there.”

Sneaky then leaned down on Jensen gently, draping his arm around him as he rested his chin on his shoulder, “You’re what I want Jensen. You’re the one I want.” he murmured, “One night of memory lane with Meteos didn’t change that. And it never would, or will. Everything that we’ve done together, and what we have between us means so much more to me.”

Jensen this time, didn’t shake Sneaky off of him. Instead, he allowed the AD carry to stay there, draped over him. It felt calming.

“He knows that too. He didn’t forget.” Sneaky added, just for the additional reassurance, before smiling slightly, “And one day I look forward to standing on stage with you and answering questions about us.”

Jensen huffed slightly, “If that day ever comes.”

“It will.” Sneaky replied, now picking his head up slightly and peeking over the top of Jensen to see if there was any relief in his eyes yet. He’d thought he’d picked up on it in his voice, so he wanted to check visually.

There was. In fact, there wasn’t only relief in the mid laner’s eyes, but he was now smiling a tiny bit as well. He laughed very faintly, as he now turned his head to glance at Sneaky, “Do you think you’ll actually be able to talk though?” he now had a teasing tone, “Because I’ve seen you try to talk about me in all seriousness before, and it did not work out so well.”

“Wha-” Sneaky began defensively, before cutting himself off. “What are you talking about?”

Jensen now moved, pushing himself into a sitting position and gazing at Sneaky with a bright smile, “You think I didn’t get a text from Bjergsen after that stream you did with him?”

Upon Sneaky’s look of confusion, Jensen pulled his phone out, “I still have the text saved.” he told as he began scrolling through his messages. After finding what he was looking for, he faced it towards his still confused looking damage carry.

Sneaky snatched the phone away and glared towards it. It was opened on a text from Bjergsen. He’d received it the day he’d done the stream Q&A with him.

Uh, so…I don’t what you’ve done to make Sneaky this crazy about you, but, holy fuck dude.

Attached to the message was a video of Sneaky breaking into a giggling fit after referring to Jensen as a “handsome man”.

“That actual asshole…” Sneaky murmured to himself, turning to gaze sideways as he wore a glare on his face. Just he wait. There would be revenge to be had. He turned to Jensen once more, “Alright, I can explain. See, what happened was - “

“Or what about that time someone in your chat asked if we were in a relationship?” Jensen continued laughing, cutting Sneaky off, “And also when you found out about what I said about my feelings?”

Sneaky sighed, glaring towards Jensen slightly, “Are you done?”

“I mean, I could also bring up that time that - “

“Anyways.” Sneaky took his turn to stop Jensen while he could. Else he may never get the chance. He made a mental note of all the revenge that needed to be taken on various people, including his entire twitch chat, before turning to Jensen again. “The point I was trying to make is, if you take anything away from tonight, Jensen. Anything at all…” he paused again, making sure he still had Jensen’s full attention, “It’s that I never want to go back to that place again. I’m right where I want to be now. With no one else but you.” he then smirked playfully, “You’re stuck with me you little shit.”

Jensen gazed towards his bed spread for a second, rocking slightly back and forth as he smiled a bit, “Alright, you’ve convinced me…” he then trailed off slightly before frowning, “But you can leave now because I still have the game to be upset over.” he then rubbed his hands on his knees as he shook his head slightly, “If I’d have just waited to flank when - “

“What the fuck did I just say to you good sir?” Sneaky snapped loudly, and playfully, cutting Jensen off once more.

Jensen’s jaw dropped slightly, before narrowing his eyes towards his annoyingly persistent AD Carry, “I’m dropping the Meteos thing okay? But you gotta go before I get more tilted, because tonight’s games - “

“Shut the fuck up Yensen.” Sneaky interrupted, holding up a hand, “I don’t want to hear any of your bullshit. Stop trying to get me to leave.”

Jensen fell quiet once more, huffing and puffing, before folding his arms across his chest.

This caused Sneaky to laugh slightly, as he raised an eyebrow, “You know though…” he began, capturing his mid laner’s attention, “My Ryze is cleaner.”

“Fuck you Sneaky.” Jensen spat, “If your Ryze is so clean I expect him to be locked in at AD Carry next game, and we’ll see how many times your ass gets killed to fucking 4 man roams from the rest of the map.”

Jensen’s rambling only caused Sneaky to laugh more. It was never not entertaining when Jensen went off on a rant, or threw a fit about something. He held his hands up, “Fuck me I guess for being honest with you about my Ryze.”

“You know what? No. Go get on your fucking computer. It’s time for a 1v1.” Jensen demanded, as he began to shift off the side of the bed.

Sneaky blinked, his laughter dying down slightly, though it still came out in wisps as he spoke, “Wait, you want to 1v1 me right now?”

“I mean I said it, so.” Jensen replied, trodding over to his chair and sitting down in it.

“Alright fine…” Sneaky complied, as he also stood from the bed, “But I don’t want to hear any bullshit about me kicking you while you’re down when I destroy your dumbass.”

Jensen’s client popped up on his screen, and as he began to type in his user name and password, he huffed out a laugh, “Yeah I’m sure. Keep shit talking me all you want Sneaky, but just prepare to be bodied.”

Sneaky smirked, leaving Jensen’s room and heading around the corner into his own. After sitting down at his computer and listening to it whir to life from sleep mode, he couldn’t help but smile to himself.

He thought he’d done an ok job. Jensen was definitely not looking as doom and gloom as he had been, though he was sure the mid laner was still going to think about it some.

The point was, he wasn’t thinking about it right now. His mind was sure to be on exposing Sneaky’s Ryze play, 100%. That counted for something.

At the very least, it was going to be hilarious.

As his client popped open, he immediately had an invite waiting, and when the two of them loaded onto the rift, Sneaky reached out and knocked on the wall a couple times.

What the fuck? Why? For luck. Oh. Yeah you’re gonna need it. Are you ready to be bodied Sneaky? I’m always ready to be bodied by you, you aesthetic fuck. I know. I would want to be bodied by me too.

Sneaky let out some laughter.

This.

This is what his happiness was.

Trips down memory lane, sure, could be fun. But at the end of the day, the nostalgia would fade. And what mattered then, was who was at your side at that moment.

The one who’d changed your world, turned it completely upside down, and made you the stronger you.

The one who showed you just how vulnerable he could be, how scared he could be, all because every piece of his heart was invested in you, in the same way you had invested yours.

There was never going to be any need for the mid laner to worry.

Because memory lane was just one road out of Sneaky’s entire world. A world that spun, all because Jensen was in his life.

#submission #fan work #Sneaksen fic #stephluvvsyou #d'awww #it's so cute!!

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brooktrout96 · 3 years

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Do You Have The Courage to Protect Someone?

Chapter 7 of The Deeper The Darkness The More Dazzling The Light Shines!

AO3 is Here

Note: The song during the Izuku VS. Todoroki is Eiyu by Doa which is the opening to Ultraman Nexus

Todoroki stopped Izuku as he was on his way to the mess hall. “So, you wanted to tell me something, so what is it?” Izuku asked the boy. “Come on what do you want to tell me? If we dawdle the mess hall will probably get super crowded.”

“You blindsided me, so much so that I broke my own pledge.”

“He used his left side. It’s always his right side that he used, his ice. Neither Iida nor Kaminari nor Yaoyorozu nor Tokoyami nor Uraraka ever felt it. Only I felt it, that moment after all, it was only me who’d knows of what All Might or hell even Zero is capable of at their full power.” Izuku thought to himself as he looked at Todoroki

“So, what… what is it… that you want to say?”

“I’m saying what I felt was the same. Something too similar.” He looked Izuku straight in the eye. “Are you All Might’s illegitimate love child or what? I mean you’ve managed to get All Might’s eyes on you right?”

Zero was laughing hard as Izuku looked at Todoroki in shock as he thought to himself. “I… I see. So that’s what this is about.”

“You’ve got it all wrong! That’s not it! I’m.”

Todoroki cut him off. “Well of course, that’s exactly what a secret love child would say, so get it if you don’t believe me, but I swear that’s not it.” He paused, “Actually… I’m going to ask you something. Why are you… I mean why me…” He let out a sigh, “The way you said that ‘that’s not it.’ In other words, you do have some connection to All Might that you can’t talk about whatever that might be. You must know about my father Endeavor.”

Izuku was staring at him as he continued to speak. “He’s been the No. 2 hero forever now. If you’re connected to the No. 1 hero, then that means I need to win all the more.” He paused as he let out another sigh. “My father, he made a name for himself during his hero career firing on all cylinders but it was never enough to outpace a legend like All Might, who was an unremovable mite in his eyes and because he knew he could never hack it by his own power, he devised a plan.”

“What are you talking about, Todoroki? What is it you’re telling me, exactly?”

“You do know what a ‘Quirk marriage is,’ right? After Quirk came into the picture, people were marrying solely for enhance one’s own Quirk to be inherited down the line. My father as a man of means and merit… he easily integrated himself into my mother’s family and took possession of her Quirk. All he wanted was satiety his own thirst and raise a hero to rise above All Might. Fuck him! I’ll never, never be that piece of shit’s tool”

Izuku paled as Todoroki continued to speak. “In my memories, my mom is always crying. She told me that my left side is ugly and she dumped boiling water on me.” Izuku became white as a sheet as Todoroki continued to speak. “The reason I’m aiming to beat you is a personal triumph, I wont use my shitty old man’s Quirk or rather, I’ll become #1 without needing to. This is my total disavowal of him.”

Little did Izuku and Todoroki know that they had someone listening into their conversation. Todoroki turned to leave as he continued to speak to Izuku. “If you can’t tell me anything, that’s fine. You keep being All Might’s something-or-other and I’ll climb over you using only my right side. Sorry I took your time.”

All Might, I originally want to be like him but then I realized that I was my own person that I shouldn’t be like someone is, I should be myself. I can’t loose not only for myself but to pay back the people who’ve helped me along the way. So, I’ll take that declaration of war of yours and echo it. I’m going to beat you, too!” Todoroki left to the mess hall.

Zero frowned as he watch the child walk off. “Your mother a lawyer, right?”

“Yeah, what of it?”

“Do you think she could help him?”

“When this is over, let’s see if we could get Todoroki to talk to her and see if she can build a case on the #2 hero’s abuse.” Izuku left to the mess hall to get food as he pondered what else to do to help Todoroki.

~****~

Izuku was jumping from feet to feet in nervousness as Mic announced the break was over and what the final event is. “It’s time, the final event! From four teams, sixteen individuals have made it through! It’s a tournament! We’re pitting them against each other in one-on-one combat!”

Midnight walk up to the remaining students with a box in her hands. “All right, now I’ll determine who fights whom through this lottery. Once the matchups are decided, we’ll do a fun bit of recreation, and then we’ll commence. Whether or not the sixteen who will be competing want to join in on the recreational activities is up to you. Since I’m sure many will wanting to take a breather or preserve your strength. So, starting from the team that place first, let’s determine the order.”

Midnight was interrupted. “Umm, excuse me sorry! I’m sitting this one out!”

“Ojiro, why!?”

“This it the place to show yourself off to the Pros.”

Ojiro let out a sigh as he shook his head. “The truth is… I don’t remember anything that happened during the cavalry battle up until the very last second. Probably due to that damn kid’s Quirk. I know, I know it’s my big chance, and I know it’s stupid to throw it away but this the place everyone earned by clashing at their full power. I wouldn’t feel right standing among you without understanding how I got here. I just can’t do it.”

“Don’t worry about it, man! As long as you get results at this stage it’s fine.” Hagakure said to him as he shook his head as Mina chimed in

“Yeah, it’s not as though I didn’t put in the most stellar performance either.”

“You don’t understand, this is my pride we’re talking about here. I can’t stand the thought.” Izuku watched as the other member of the purple boy team also pulled out

“Well this is highly unusual, it all hangs on the referee’s judgment. What will Midnight decided on.”

“How callow, I’ll have you know that greenhorns like you, GET ALL MY LOVE. I hereby recognize that Shouda and Ojiro are pulling out. So, the team that placed fifth, team Kendou would go on up.”

Kendou shook her head as she looked at Midnight as she spoke. “If any team should be advancing it shouldn’t be us, who could barely move, but them….” She looked at her teammates with a smile on her face. “Right, girls? The team that fought to the bitter end and kept a high place all throughout, team Tetsutetsu deserves to advance, don’tcha think? This ain’t a favor, so I don’t expect to be paid back, got it? This is just how it oughta be.”

Midnight smiled, “So it’s now settled with Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki entering, we now have sixteen once again and the matchups are as follows. Izuku Midoriya vs. Ochaco Uraraka, Tenya Iida vs. Denki Kaminari, Shoto Todoroki vs. Katsuki Bakugo, Hanta Sero vs. Ibara Shiozaki, Hitoshi Shinso vs. Mei Hatsume, Yuga Aoyama vs. Momo Yaoyorozu, Fumikage Tokoyami vs. Mina Ashido, and last but not least Eijiro Kirishima vs. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu.”

~***~

Izuku let Zero take control for this first match as Uraraka knew how he work when it comes to fighting but she didn’t really know of Zero’s abilities and what she did know was from the Entrance Exam and things have changed for the two of them in their fighting style since then.

Now it’s time for our first match of the final event of freshmen part of the Yūei’s Sports Festival. It’s a battle between classmates, class 1-A Izuku Midoriya…” Izuku entered the ring with a grin on his face. “Vs. Class 1-A Ochaco Uraraka.” Uraraka had a nervous look on her face as she entered the ring

Zero knew how to help Uraraka with her nerves. “Uraraka focus on me and only me while we fight, just like we did when we work together.”

“Right.” She muttered as Midnight told them that they could begin.

Zeku made the first move as he ran towards Uraraka, knowing that the only way to win this match was to make her use her Quirk until she got sick or catch her off guard enough and close to the edge and throw her out of the ring.

Instead of punching her, he punched the ground using One For All sending debris flying into the air as he sent it flying towards her as it got close to her. Any debris that got closer to her, she caught and sent back toward him.

Zeku rolled out of the way as he punched some debris that came close to him as this back and forth went on for a while as those watching got a show that was more a dance then a fight. “Come on Uraraka, let show them what we can do!” He roared as this put a smile on her face as she ran towards him as he sent more debris her way and as before she sent it back towards him as she went to remove his gravity but Zeku sidestepped her attack as she fell near the edge of the arena.

“Sorry Uraraka, you’re just not cut out for one-vs-one battles.”

He picked her up and threw off the edge of the arena as Mic voice echoed threw the stadium. “Look like we have our first winner and it’s Midoriya of Class 1-A

~***~

Izuku and Zero watched the remaining matches as Iida tore threw Kaminari. Todoroki beat the prideful Bakugou. The class 1-B kid beat Sero. The purple haired boy, Shinso let Hatsume show off her support gear and she gave him the win. Yaoyorozu just outclassed Aoyama in every way and won. Tokoyami was both a long range and close-combat fighter, unlike Ashido and won without once getting hit by her acid

Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were equal matched in battle and in the end their battle ended in a draw. The rematch was arm wrestling and Kirishima won it, barely but he won it nonetheless

~***~

Nadia was always the one that ended up going or watch all of the Hero Schools that had Support class’ Sport Festival for SSP as Jet was not fond of crowds and this Sport Festival wasn’t just that, she was studying Izuku Midoriya while she was here.

She only need to watch the match against Shinso and Hatsume for the freshmen class and that’s it for them. She then would have to see if any second-years or third-years support students made their way to the finals of their respective events.

She was deep in thought as she ran into something that was seven foot and all muscle. She looked up and saw who it was

“Oh, sorry about that All Might, I was deep in thought.”

“No problem, Yumeno. I should’ve been paying more attention.”

“Nah, it was all on me. Say did you ever find some to succeeded you?” Nadia had helped All Might with his uniform back when he came back from America and his longtime Support designer stayed. So, she knew both people that make up the heroic Symbol of Peace, All Might and Yagi Toshinori

“Yeah.” All Might was beaming. “He was in the first match and boy did I chose well.”

“So, Midoriya then? I thought Sir had someone else in mind, though?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Yeah, you can tell me over a meal then.” She said with a smile as the two parted way

~***~

“Come on, Iida, you can win this!” Izuku cheered as Iida dodged Kirishima’s attack and he sped toward Kirishima for an attack as Kirishima rolled out of the way of Iida’s attack as he attempted to hit Iida. Little did Kirishima know that Iida was attacking the way he was to get him to roll off the stage.

Mic voice echoed threw the arena as the match ended with Iida the winner. “Winner Tenya Iida!”

~***~

Izuku was walking towards the arena for his next match as he almost ran into someone coming around the corner and that when he realized who it was

“Ende!”

He was then cut off by the fire base hero. “Oho, so you are here.”

“Endeavor. What are you doing here in a place like this?”

“You made a huge showing for me. What a wonderful Quirk.” He pointed at Izuku. “In terms of pure power, it’s a Quirk to rival All Might’s power.”

Izuku looked at the number two hero in confusion as he began to walk away. “what…. What are you getting at! I need to get going now.”

“Does he know?” Izuku thought as Zero chimed in trying to calm the boy

“Izuku calm yourself.”

“From what he said, it doesn’t seems like he knows. In any case, he’s the last person I want finding out about it.” Izuku thought to himself

Endeavor turn to look at Izuku as he spoke. “My Shouto has a duty to surpass All Might. His match against you will no doubt prove to be an excellent test bed. So, you’d better do your best not to give him a disgraceful match.” He began to walk away from Izuku. “That’s all I wanted to say. Now excuse me, I know it’s time.”

“Go Izuku, tell him what’s on our mind that neither your or Todoroki are All Might or him.” Zero cheered as Izuku began to speak back to Endeavor which was a feat in onto itself

“I- I- I’m not All Might.”

“That’s obviou…” Izuku cut Endeavor off

“It’s obvious right?” Izuku took a deep breath as Endeavor looked at him. “And Todoroki isn’t you!”

~***~

Kakko tsuke teru tsumori de tokui ni natte

Daijina koto wa zenbu okizari ni shi chatte

Jibun de jibun wo kurushimete iru shuujin

Son'na boku ni sayonara sa Transformation!

“You came!”

Todoroki looked at Izuku as they both had a stare down as Mic began the match. “And now for this match of the Sports Festival. Both of the competitors are at the top of their class nd the world ain’t big enough for the both of them and now it’s time for the second match of the quarter-final.”

“Todoroki!” Mic paused, “Versus!” He paused again, “Midoriya!”

The first thing he’ll try to do is try to freeze me and it’ll be bad new if I let him hit me with that powerful force. So, the second he starts.” Izuku thought as he saw a wave of ice flying towards him and he jumped with the power of his Quirk as he then did a frontal somersault to built up momentum and air pressure and then released it in a punch.

“Zero Smash!”

The crowd was hit by the frigid air from the ice that was turned to dust due to the air pressure. “Uwh! It’s cold.”

“Whoa-ah! He smashed it!”

Todoroki sent more ice, towards Izuku, and every time he smashed it with his Quirk. Izuku was waiting for the best moment when Todoroki least expect an attack. Izuku got a punch in and sent him flying into the air and then he glided across the ground as he tried to recover and regain his balance from the attack.

“Oh, and a bitter blow on a brittle body! Bet you all felt that one!”

Izuku looked at Todoroki as he dodged another one of his attacks. “You know, your father spoke to me before the battle and I said a few thing to him in return. I told him that I wasn’t All Might and you weren’t him. That we are our person but.” He paused as ice flew by his head. “Compared to what dives you, my reason might be a bit more trifling.”

He went running toward Todoroki. “I want to live up to my mentors’ expectations. I wanna to be able to answer with a smile on my face and I wanna become a super cool hero.” He then sent a punch with enough force that the wind pressure broke threw the ice that Todoroki set up as a shield. “That’s why I no everyone’s giving their all!”

Yami ga kowakute dō suru

Aitsu ga kowakute dō suru

Ashibumi shi teru dakeja

Susumanai

Izuku let out a sigh as he ran towards Todoroki. “I can’t even begin to understand your circumstances or you resolution or even the shitty hand that you were delt but the idea that you’ll become number one or hell even a hero without using your full strength and that you’re doing this to disavow someone is a joke, a fucking joke!”

“Shut up!” Todoroki growled as he threw ice toward Izuku as Izuku dodged the ice. “That’s why!” He roared as he threw more ice at Izuku as he dodged more of his attacks. “I’m gonna win!! I’m gonna surpass you without using my father’s.”

Izuku cut him off, “It’s yours!” Todoroki looked at him in shock. “It’s your power!” A burst of flames began to melt the ice surrounding the two.

“What this?!” Shock laced the voice hero’s voice

“I… I’m gonna be a hero!”

Izuku smiled as he spoke. “Then let’s see who the better hero-to-be is.”

The two charge each other as Todoroki’s flames surrounded him as the two punches connected and the flames were parted by the wind pressure of Izuku’s punch as Todoroki was sent flying back and out of the ring from the power of a One For All and Zero powered punch

Otokonara dareka no tame ni tsuyokunare

Ha wo kuishibatte omoikkiri mamorinuke

Korondemo ī yo mata tachiagareba ī

Tada soredake dekireba

Eiyū sa

#my hero academia #boku no academia #my hero academy fanfiction #ultraman #ultraman zero

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inexcon · 5 years

Text

RSI Comm-Link: Brothers In Arms: Part Three

Writer’s Note: Brothers In Arms: Part Three was published originally in Jump Point 3.7. Read Part One here and Part Two here.

Rhedd Alert got hit two more times over the next several escort missions between Min and Nexus. The first was an overzealous solo pirate who had camped himself just outside the jump gate from Min. The memory of the Hornet attack was still fresh and had Gavin and the team on edge.

The hapless pirate attacked as soon as the first Rhedd Alert ship entered Nexus. There wasn’t a thruster on the market that could turn him fast enough once the gate spat out six angry Rhedd Alert fighters and their transport.

They recovered the unconscious pirate in hopes of a bounty. There wasn’t much left of his ship to salvage.

The next incident occurred inside the Tyrol system near the rendezvous at Haven. As they neared Tyrol V, the trio of ramshackle Hornets struck again. Walt was the first to see them coming.

“Gav, we’ve got incoming from behind the planet.”

Gavin’s team was a cluster of green icons on his HUD. Snuggled protectively within their perimeter was UEE Cassiopeia carrying a fresh batch of researchers. He zoomed the display out and saw a trio of red marks hurtling around the planet toward their position.

“Is that . . .?”

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“How the hell did they find us?”

Gavin silenced his team with a curt word and considered a headlong race to Tyrol V. Haven was a reasonably large settlement for an otherwise underdeveloped system. Tyrol V didn’t have any planetary defenses, though. The entire system was subject to the inevitable and imminent nova caused by its binary stars. Haven warranted both UEE and private investment in support of the unique research possibilities provided by the impending disaster. However, since the entire system was ultimately waiting to evaporate, there wasn’t much sense in dumping money into defense systems.

Gavin started crossing options off their list. Tyrol offered them no protection. If they fled the system, they could lead the Hornets on a merry chase, but prolonging the risk to Cassiopeia and its staff seemed a poor gamble.

On the other hand, their first head-to-head confrontation hadn’t gone so well. After seeing the marauders’ teamwork in Nexus, Gavin was reluctant to take another tilt at them. Plus, he could already imagine Walt’s reaction to willfully engaging them head on.

Perhaps something a bit more diplomatic than fight or flight would yield better results.

Gavin tripped his comm link to broadcast on all local frequencies. “Hornet privateers above Tyrol V, this is Rhedd Alert One with a team of fighters and UEE transport vessel. We are moving little of value other than civilian lives. Please reconsider your approach.”

“Huh,” Walt made what sounded like an appreciative sniff into his mic, “you think that’ll work?”

“Can’t hurt to try.”

Moments passed with no response and no change to the marauders’ course. “Well maybe something more ominous will get their attention.” Gavin triggered the open broadcast again. “Hornet brigands above Tyrol V, this is Rhedd Alert One with a team of fighters and UEE transport vessel. We have little of value other than our ammunition, which we will happily deliver directly to your ships if you do not reconsider your approach.”

“Well that’s definitely not going to work.” Walt said. Gavin saw his brother’s weapon systems go live.

Gavin left Boomer and Mei to guard Cassiopeia and Rhedd Alert engaged four-on-three with neither side holding the advantage of surprise. This time, Walt and Jazza were both on the front line. The ensuing dogfight was far less one-sided than their first encounter with the Hornets.

Rhedd Alert gave a good accounting of themselves. Contrary to their ramshackle appearance, the marauders’ ships were surprisingly quick, their weapon systems in good repair. Despite the ferocity of the fight, Rhedd Alert kept the marauders’ away from Cassiopeia. Walt seemed content to drive them off. Jazza gave chase.

“Let ’em go, Jazz,” Walt said.

“Like hell,” she said. “I’m gonna swat me a Hornet.”

“No, you’re not,” Walt snapped the order. “They’re going to turn around just long enough to pound you into a fine red mist, and we’re going to have to sweep up whatever parts are left.”

“Guys,” Gavin said, “cool it. Rendezvous at the transport.”

Jazza broke off pursuit and moved to rally with Boomer and Cassiopeia. “I just don’t like him giving me orders.”

“Hmmm,” Walt’s temper was clearly under some strain, “let’s see. I’m part owner of the company. You might wanna start associating my voice with imperative statements.”

“Knock it off, both of you. Jazz, fall in. The Navy is paying us to escort staff, not fight a turf war with a hungry pack.”

“You should have figured that out in Nexus,” Walt said. “You made it a grudge match when we turned to fight.”

“Enough! If either of you have anything else to say, it can wait until we’re back on Vista Landing. Got it?”

Both squads limped away with damaged fighters. Rahul took a hit to his legs and would need to visit the med techs at Haven before leaving the system. The job and the injured were Gavin’s first priorities, but Walt’s deteriorating attitude had to be addressed. Before starting Rhedd Alert, they had always been opportunistic aggressors. This job was all about holding ground, and Walt’s reluctance was becoming a real problem.

Gavin was the first to arrive back at Vista Landing. Rahul was with him and woke when they touched down. Though the techs on Haven had done their work well, Dell insisted on taking him to get checked out at the station’s med center.

The rest of the squad arrived soon after. Gavin left Jazza to secure the ships and asked Walt to help him with the After Action Report in the upstairs office. Judging by the hushed demeanor of the crew, no one was under any illusion that the brothers were going to discuss the report.

Walt stalked into their small, shared office. He brushed past a pair of secondhand chairs and was standing at the window behind the scarred metal desk when Gavin closed the door behind them.

Walt spoke without turning to face him, “If you’re looking to fire off a lecture, I suggest aiming it at Jazza.”

Gavin joined him at the window. The steel was cold where he rested his hands on the frame, the edges sharp. “No lecture. What I need is some answers. What the hell is going on with you, man?”

Walt was cold and quiet.

“You’re fighting against me,” Gavin tried to keep months of frustration from his voice. He was wrung out and tired, but not all of that could be laid at Walt’s increasingly cold feet. “You’re picking fights with the rest of the crew. Hell, you’re fighting everyone but the bastards attacking our transport.”

“I fought just as hard as anyone out there,” Walt snapped.

“Like hell you did,” Gavin voice sounded loud and harsh against the glass. “You’re fighting just hard enough to save your ass.”

“Well you tell me, then. How the hell am I supposed to fight? You want me chasing after trophies like Jazz?”

“If that’s what gets the job done, yeah. We’re not the robbers any more, man. We’re the cops. We’re a deterrent. And when we’re out there, we need to make a statement.”

Walt squinted, the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes creasing as he shook his head in what looked like exasperation or disbelief. “Can you hear yourself? Do you even know what you’re saying?”

“Every time we bump into trouble out there, we need to jump on it with both feet. But I can’t push you to do that. You don’t like to be pushed.” Gavin felt his brother stiffen beside him, but he pressed on. He had to know if Walt was in this for the long haul. “You never did. You’re like Dad in that way. You’d rather cut and run than fight the tough fights.”

Walt turned his head sharply and yelled, “We had a damn good life doing that.”

The vehemence of it took Gavin by surprise, and he stepped away. After a quiet moment, he leaned against the window frame again. The metal was warmer now from where his hands had rested.

Walt and Gavin Rhedd stood shoulder to shoulder at the office window overlooking their small fleet of ships. They watched together for several minutes in silence until the last of the crew left the hangar. The lighting in the bay dimmed to a cool, cobalt blue, and Gavin’s arms felt leaden. His feet hurt and he wanted desperately to sit, kick off his boots and drink himself into a stupor. But he’d be damned if he sat while Walt still stood.

“We could leave.” The way Walt said it almost sounded like a question.

“You can’t possibly mean that,” Gavin pushed away from the window again.

“Seriously.” Walt finally turned to face him. He was hunched forward in earnest appeal. It put them at eye-level and Walt’s were round and imploring. “We could just go. This place is an anchor. Even if we turn a profit on this UEE job, what’s next? Find more work? Hire more pilots and techs?”

“If all goes right, absolutely. We’re creating something that we never had growing up, something bigger than just us. What exactly do you think we’re working toward here?”

“I don’t know, man.” Walt sounded equally drained. “I thought I did when we started, but it’s just been one thing after the next. We’ve got too many mouths to feed, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to stop.”

“It won’t,” Gavin said. “That’s the responsibility we accepted when we started this place.”

“But this isn’t our kind of fight, Gav. We’re not Advocacy agents. Hell, we’re not even starmen.”

“According to the company charter and the contract that you and I both signed, that’s exactly what we are. Soldiers for hire.”

“Come on. We’re thugs, man. We’ve been flying all our lives, but we don’t fight the fair fights. We pick on people who are either too dumb or too unfortunate to have professional protection. Maybe that ain’t noble or exciting, but that’s what we do, and we used to do it well. But this?” Walt turned back toward the darkened bay, waving his hand inclusively at the ships and machinery below.

Gavin saw it then. He realized what had been eating at Walt all along. His brother wasn’t worried about someone getting hurt in a fair fight. They’d been in dogfights for most of their lives. It was being responsible for the rest of the team that scared him.

“I know we can do this.”

“How much risk are you willing to take to prove that?”

“This ain’t about doing the easy thing, Walt. This game is all about trust. So you ask yourself . . . do you trust me?” He hated that his voice had a pleading quality to it. Couldn’t Walt see that they were already succeeding?

Gavin didn’t get an answer. His brother stared instead at the ships in the darkened bay.

“We need every pilot we’ve got,” Gavin said. “And, let’s face it, you’re our best.”

“This is going to blow up in your face, Gav. This will be just like when you tried to smuggle Osoians to the Xi’an.”

“That would have worked, if you’d backed me up.”

“They dumped you on an asteroid,” Walt’s voice rose in pitch and volume. “You lost Dad’s Gladius with that deal. What’s this one going to cost you?”

Gavin’s gut tightened, and he became uncomfortably warm in his flight suit. He realized that Walt had made his decision.

He swallowed once before trusting himself to speak. “So this is it, huh? We’re just starting to get our feet under us. We’re just learning to work together as a legit team.” He knew this was going to happen. It wasn’t a surprise, so there was no reason to be angry about it. “Gods! And to think I actually hoped you’d stick it out with me.”

“Don’t make it sound like that,” Walt said.

“Sound like what? You’re just doing what you always do.”

Walt didn’t say anything for a while.

Gavin stared out at their ships.

“Will you tell the others?” Walt asked.

“Tell them what? Everyone who matters is probably surprised you lasted this long.”

His lips drew tight into a hard line. His eyes burned a bit so he blinked them. He was tired and he needed a shower.

Gavin left Walt standing alone at the office window. When the rest of Rhedd Alert woke up the next morning, Walter Rhedd was gone.

The first few months without Walt went smoothly, without incident. Paychecks started to roll in, and Gavin chipped away at some of their outstanding bills. They scavenged parts where they could. Dell proved to be a wizard reviving damaged tech. What little money remained after the bill collectors were pacified went straight to reloads.

Losing Walt hurt. It showed Gavin just how much he had relied on his brother to keep the rest of the team sharp. The team’s performance was obviously important, but even that paled when compared to the painful fact that Walt had actually abandoned him.

No one forgot their grudge match with the trio of mismatched marauders, and Rhedd Alert was ready when they met again. The Hornets hit them as they passed through the Teclis Band. From a distance, the band appeared to be a rippling wave of slowly pulsing lights. Closer, the wave resolved into a wall of tumbling asteroids.

Veteran members of Gavin’s team were quite accustomed to clinging to the underside of an asteroid. It wasn’t that long ago that they’d used the tactic to ambush transports themselves. So they weren’t surprised to see attackers materialize from within the Teclis Band.

Gavin triggered his mic to address the squad. “All right, guys, we know these bastards fly like they’re joined at the hip. I think we have the advantage in the band, but we can’t let them pin Cassiopeia inside. Boomer, you’re babysitting. Get that transport through and clear. Everyone else, with me.”

The fighting inside Teclis was fierce. Gavin was in his element darting through tight seams, anticipating erratic rolling movements and using terrain to force the Hornets to break their punishing formations. His newer pilots were good, but they hadn’t spent hundreds of cockpit hours in crowded space like he and Jazza had. Still, they managed to keep the Hornets hemmed in while Boomer and Cassiopeia moved through the tumbling asteroids. Uncharacteristically, one pirate broke from the group and powered through the belt toward the fleeing transport.

“We’ve got a runner,” Jazza warned.

Gavin was already moving to pursue. “I see it. Hold the other two here. They’re easier to manage when they’re not grouped up.”

He darted around blind corners of tumbling stone and managed to gain a few clicks on the faster ship. The Hornet rolled right and strafed around a jagged, monolithic spike of rock. Gavin thrust over it, gaining a little more ground.

The two ships shot from the treacherous confines of the Teclis Band, and Gavin landed a couple hits before the Hornet rolled away. Then it was an all-out race for the fleeing transport.

“Cassiopeia,” Gavin called, “this is Red One, we have a hostile inbound to you.”

“Copy, Red One. Shields are up and we are ready for contact.”

“Boomer?”

“Got it, Gavin.”

“Careful, old man. This one can really fly.”

Gavin saw Boomer’s Avenger rise and turn to face the charging ship. The Hornet rolled again. Boomer matched the oncoming ship, move for move. Both began firing, and their shields lit up like incandescent bulbs. The Hornet yawed starboard and Gavin missed with an out-of-range shot. Boomer’s shield flickered and then fell.

“Boomer!”

Then a blinding shot from a neutron gun tore through Boomer’s Avenger. Bits of hull flew off at odd angles as the Hornet sped past the wrecked ship and continued to close on Cassiopeia.

The Avenger’s cockpit detonated. Gavin pulled up to avoid hitting Boomer and prayed that the older pilot had managed to eject. Cassiopeia loosed a barrage of missiles, but the Hornet had countermeasures.

The marauder’s first pass took out the missile launcher. Gavin met the Hornet head-to-head as it swept around and fired on the transport again. He struck clean hits as they passed, scarring the mismatched armor plating along one side. He turned hard and his ship shook with strain, pressing him forward in his harness, vision dimming at the edges.

He righted the Cutlass in time to see the fleeing Hornet pause, hesitating over a small drifting shape. Gavin’s targeting system identified the object. Boomer’s PRB flashed red.

“No!” He had one hand pressed against the canopy. With successive blasts from the neutron gun, the pirate deliberately tore apart Boomer’s drifting body. Then the Hornet pulled up and raced back toward the Teclis Band.

“My target just disengaged.”

“They’re running.”

Gavin barely registered the shouts and cheers from his team.

Overkill.

Pilots call it getting OK’d. He didn’t know for certain where the term was first coined, but OKing a pilot adrift was breaking one of the few unspoken and universal rules of engagement. Lose a fight, and you might lose your ship. Get beat badly, and you might come out of rehab missing a limb or with some sort of permanent scarring or nerve damage. But to fire on a pilot adrift with only the pressurized skin of a survival suit for protection? It was inhuman.

“Everyone,” worry wrenched Gavin’s gut and he couldn’t keep it from his voice, “form up on Cassiopeia. We have a pilot down.”

Something in his voice quieted the line. His ships emerged from the Teclis Band and rallied to the transport.

Gods.

What was he going to say to Dell? Gavin swallowed hard, blinking fast and trying to think. He should do something. The transport had been hit. He might have other injured pilots. Maybe Walt had been right.

“Hold position until we recover Boomer.” He switched channels to address the transport. “Cassiopeia, this is Red One. We’re scrubbing the mission. Prepare for return to Nexus.”

“Ah . . . Red One, damage is minimal and under control. We are able to proceed.” Gavin couldn’t. He had to get Boomer back to Vista Landing.

Jazza’s voice shook. “Gods. They OK’d him, didn’t they?”

He didn’t answer.

“Take him home, Gav. We’ll tag his ship and tow it on the return trip.”

He nodded, knowing she couldn’t see, but not trusting himself to speak. What was he going to tell Dell?

“Get him there fast,” Jazza said.

“I will.”

Gavin’s mobiGlas buzzed and he activated it. Anyone he actually cared to speak with knew to find him in the office if they needed to talk. Dell was in the med center. She’d made it abundantly clear that she did not want to see him. Jazza had returned with the team after the mission, but they were giving the family a wide berth. Anything getting past his message filters was probably important. And anything important was most likely bad news.

The incoming message was from Barry. Suspicion of bad news, confirmed. He connected the call.

“Gavin. Buddy. Listen, I’ve got some news. This is just a ’heads up’ call, okay? Not a big deal. Is your brother there with you?”

“Walt left,” even to his own ears, Gavin’s voice sounded flat. “You can give your message to me.”

“I got word from a buddy of mine in Contracting. They’re issuing an FTP on the Tyrol contract. It’ll probably go out in the next day or two. Sorry, Gavin.”

“Don’t be,” Gavin wasn’t angry with Barry. He really wasn’t. But his words were coming out sharper than he meant them to. “Just tell me what the hell an FTP is.”

“Sorry. FTP is a Failure To Perform notification.”

He knew it had to be bad. Barry wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t. Damn it! What was next? Vanduul attacks? He’d gone over and over every report from Brock’s files. Never — not in any file — was there evidence of such coordinated and vicious attacks.

Barry read his silence correctly. “Hey, these things get issued all the time, man. I’m just letting you know that it’s coming so you don’t freak out. A couple holes in a transport is nothing when you’re going through a lawless system like Min. They won’t pull your contract for that.”

“What will they pull it for?”

“Well,” Barry drew out the word, speaking slowly and choosing his words carefully. “You’d have to receive back-to-back FTPs. Or if you lost the transport or something, that’d obviously do it. But Major Greely is pulling for you guys. He’s big on the UEE’s plan to enfranchise local civilian contractors.”

Just what he needed. More pressure. “Thanks, Barry.”

“Keep your chin up, buddy. You guys are doing fine, okay? I mean, you should hear what goes on with other contracts. Seriously, this is nothing.”

“Thanks again.�� Gavin disconnected the line. It certainly didn’t feel like they were doing fine. The office door slid open, and Jazza stood silhouetted against the corridor lights.

“Jazz?” Gavin’s stomach sank. He tried to swallow but his throat was tight. “What is it? Where’s Dell?”

She took a step inside and the room’s lights reflected in the wet corners of her brimming eyes. She held herself together, but the effort to do so was visible.

“It’s Boomer,” she said, “It was too much damage this time. He’s . . . he’s really gone.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

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sad-ch1ld · 5 years

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