#he is not in any of the panels of her bonding with the crew even in the background
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So, watched live action One Piece and now I'm watching/reading the OG stuff. No where close to done but my brain decided to fixate on Arlong so I can't help but talk about him a bit.
Something that I find kind of interesting about Arlong is that if you read his backstory then go back to the main Arc he was in you actually realize he's way more mellow then he was in the past. Now, he's still awful but given what we're shown of him in Jinbe's flashbacks I think it kind of shows that he did, in a weird way (and not in the way Fisher Tiger would have wanted) changed due to Fisher Tiger's words on not killing humans.
In the past Arlong was constantly advocating for killing humans and terrorizing them so they'd learn their place. He never warms up to Koala despite the rest of the crew--including his own friends coming to like her. Everyone is sad to see her go even Kurobi who is later one of the worst in Arlong's crew.
After Fisher Tiger's Death it's clear Arlong was going to kill everyone in Koala's village (and no doubt would have killed Koala). He was stopped and put in Impel Down--a notoriously hellish prison (run by humans). It's not clear how long he was there, but probably at least a few months, which is a long time in a place like that.
After his pardon he leaves Jinbe and the Grand Line. Presumably he started taking over villages pretty soon after.
Now, what I find interesting is that this is by far the most justified Arlong is in his hate of humans, yet it's also the nicest we ever see him being to them. Before Fisher Tiger's death and reveal of being a slave, or his time in Impel Down Arlong hated humans because of things that although affected him were not things he himself suffered.
Arlong was never a slave, and at least Hachi, Chew and Kurobi were also never slaves. They were all orphans and this might have been the fault of human pirates who attacked Fish-Men Island, but we don't know that for sure, and it's never brought up as a grievance of theirs. They know Fish-men and mermaids are taken as slaves and they surely get racist treatment from the visiting humans, but they don't have first hand experience with human cruelty--like slavery or murder.
Not until Fisher Tiger is killed for helping a human girl go home after being a slave do they experience real loss due to humans. From there, Arlong is captured and imprisoned in Impel Down where he was surely treated terrible by humans during his time there (given they treat everyone bad there). Yet, despite saying he's the anger of the fish-men he does not actually kill nearly as many humans as you'd think, given how he acts in the past.
In fact in a lot of ways he seems to try not to kill humans if he can get away with other methods of control instead.
This is when he takes over Nami's village. This is not long after Fisher Tiger's death which Arlong wanted to kill an entire village for. Yet, now, despite a huge uprising happening, with nearly the entire village of humans trying to attack them, he's not going for the kill.
This is him probably less then a year before the panel above. He's furious and saying he embodies the rage of all Fish-Men. Yet he arrives to the village and tells his crew not to kill anyone despite their open hostility.
Yes, he wants money because he (supposedly) wants to take over the East Blue(world?) but he's already got his money and killing a few villagers should be no big deal--he plans on taking over more anyway.
In the end though, he does only kill Bell-mere due to her lack of money. She makes a good example, of course, but he was more then willing to let her live, despite her shoving a gun in his mouth before she used the money for Nami and her sister.
This is a huge change in a short amount of time.
This is another time he and his crew don't kill for zero reason. They have been attacked all day by members of Luffy's crew. Zoro absolutely beat the shit out of his guys earlier that day. He was furious when Usopp dared to fire on him (to the point of flipping a damn house) but now they just leave two strangers (so not cash cows) alive? Usopp--was worth Arlong's anger, but suddenly two other random humans doing the same thing aren't worth killing?
This is how he responds to Zoro being what I would assume is racist given what Arlong says. He does not know who this guy is--Zoro was found tied to a boat and just brought to him and his first words are racist. Yet, Arlong lets it 'slide once'. Again this is the guy who hit a child for no reason except she was human way before he lost Fisher Tiger or went to the human torture prison. Yet now he's putting up with a stranger calling him racist names?
Going back to Usopp, this is how furious Arlong was when he was attacked:
He's so furious that for a moment he's willing to destroy one of his money making villages, right after losing one not to long ago, just to kill one human guy who didn't actually hurt him, nor are they a rebelling villager.
Yet this is how he acts once Usopp gets caught.
This is after he comes back to Arlong Park to find most of his crew beaten to a pulp by Zoro. He flipped a house he was so pissed off at Usopp, ready to destroy an entire village that he gets good money from (and which he needs to keep Nami around) but suddenly after his crew is hurt he's not in the mood for killing Usopp ASAP?!
Also, he was only in Nami's village because he saw Genzo had a weapon. He thought the village was going to rebel like the last one and he wanted to nip it in the bud and kill Genzo before it got to far. That was the only reason he was there and yet, after Usopp makes him absolutely furious he and Kurobi leave Genzo alive.
Flashback Arlong, who was barely held back by Fisher Tiger would never have left any of these humans alive. They were in his eyes disrespectful, not fearing him like he wants, and most did not give him money--the only benefit he sees to keeping humans around. Yet, he lets all of them live--maybe he has plans to kill them later, but again, past Arlong would kill them ASAP.
I know that the most likely reason for this is because Oda didn't have everything with Arlong and Jinbe's past in his brain at this point (there's ten years or more between these parts in the story). Not only that he can't have important people like Usopp and Zoro being killed off. He also seemed less willing to kill characters off in the start of the manga, which is why Genzo and Zoro's friends lived (killing Genzo would also have been way to mean to Nami).
But from an in character perspective you could see this as Arlong being affected by Fisher Tiger's words of not killing humans. No, he can't fully follow that rule, let alone Fisher Tiger's orders to not treat humans badly. Arlong has hated humans for far to long, and he was barely managing to restrain himself for Fisher Tiger despite respecting/caring for the man with his whole heart.
He can't not kill humans or treat them like crap--but he can come up with excuses that limit how many he kills. A 'well, if they pay me, they can live', or a 'they're to weak to kill so I won't', or 'I'll give this guy a warning for insulting me before I kill him'.
He lets his crew drag him away from Nami's village because he doesn't really want to destroy it (for monetary gain not kindness obviously). Kurobi doesn't kill Genzo because he wasn't told to so he lets him off, despite that being the only reason they came in the first place (despite defiantly knowing killing him wouldn't get him in trouble and is Arlong's intention). That gives Arlong time to calm down and by the time Usopp is caught he's more willing to take the time to ask him what he's doing there and then let Nami deal with him.
Part of it might also be Arlong knowing Jinbe will come kick his ass as soon as he finds out he's been killing/terrifying humans. He can bribe the Marines, but only to a point. If he was slaughtering every human that looked at him wrong or said something racist he'd be to much of a threat for higher-up the Marines to ignore. Eventually they'd tell Jinbe to deal with him and Jinbe would. Arlong would know that and given he was beaten easily by Jinbe he also knows he'd lose immediately (and either be killed or sent back to Impel Down).
Either way, he's showing some restraint even though he doesn't have someone like Fisher Tiger, or Jinbe directly telling him to. For whatever reason Arlong is way more willing to keep humans alive if he can come up with an excuse for it. Which I find kind of fascinating and adds some depth to his character that I don't think was necessarily intentional, but is the strength of the writing that Oda was able to add something years down the line that somehow didn't conflict with what's already established.
#one peice#arlong#Jinbe#i just find him neat#is this a meta?#i might also give my thoughts about why he liked Nami so much#yes he treats her like crap and he (supposedly) needs her maps#but he would not be seen with Koala at all#he is not in any of the panels of her bonding with the crew even in the background#yet he throws parties when Nami comes back?#after he outright says she's tried to off him multiple times#he even defends her loyalty to the crew--SHE TIRED TO KILL YOU MULTIPLE TIMES!#but he fucking trusts her?!#are you kidding me!#also he hates Koala pre-Tiger's death but accepts Nami and fights tooth and nail to keep her around#again maps are important but really? he can't find anyone else to make maps? can't have someone on the crew learn how to make maps?#also he has a shit ton--must have all of East Blue Mapped#which is kind of why I say he supposedly wanted to conquer East Blue (the world)#it's been 8 years and he only has 20 villages#sorry but dude isn't trying at all#plus he knows he can't beat Jinbe or the Grand Line Marines#so i think he's just saying shit to feel better#probably would have sit on his ass in Arlong Park until he died of old age#Ends up being a slightly more evil Walt Disney with his knock off amusement park for his 30+ year-old fish-men friends#fucking love this dude; he's pathetic
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lost and found - ezra bridger
Request: nope
Pairing: ezra bridger x jedi!reader
Summary: along with the remainder of the ghost crew and ahsoka, you're trying to find ezra
Warnings: HEAVY SPOILERS FOR AHSOKA S1!!! im warning u dont read this if u havent seen all of it yet
Word count: 1.1K
A/N: I survived the war (im posting fics again) but at what cost (brainrot has taken over)
your music is blaring through the speakers of your ship as you're working. though your ship isn't in need of any repairs, you're always finding new modifications and additions to upgrade it. at this rate, it's unrecognisable as the ship you once got from a sketchy dealer on an outer rim planet.
working on your ship is also a way to distract yourself. when you're focused on working with your hands, your mind doesn't wander off.
it doesn't wander off to hera and jacen aboard the ghost. it doesn't wander off to sabine and ahsoka on her T-6 shuttle. but mostly, it doesn't wander off to ezra.
you try not to think about the fact hera is on an unauthorised mission, that you haven't heard from sabine and ahsoka in a while which is unlike them, and that you feel like you're not even a little bit closer to finding ezra.
even though you haven't seen him for years, you refuse to believe he's gone. you tell yourself you would simply know if he didn't make it. before you lost him, the two of you shared a strong bond in the force. you figured if something had happened to him, you would have felt it.
but after all of these years, it's hard to hold on to hope. you really want to. but at some point logic has to take over.
though recently, hope has sparked in you yet again. with the map ahsoka found, the chances of finding ezra have increased. you are optimistic again.
but the search hasn't been without danger. even now, you're worried.
which is why you're working on your ship. otherwise you'd just pace around or stare off into the distance with your mind running around in circles getting lost in the "what ifs".
a faint beeping sounds pulls you out of your thoughts. you get up from your position underneath one of the main consoles and get your comm.
'general syndulla for commander y/l/n.' comes hera's voice.
'go for commander y/l/n.' you say.
'hey y/n, where are you right now?'
'just working on my ship in the main hangar back on base.'
'new modifications again?'
'yeah, yeah, I know. "a good ship doesn't need modifications." well, I like them. the ghost could use some upgrades as well, you know.'
'no thank you, my ship is perfectly fine.'
you chuckle as you wipe your hands on your pants.
'have you heard from sabine and ahsoka yet?' you say. 'and when are you coming home from this unauthorised mission?'
'sabine and ahsoka are alright, we're actually on our way now. and we have some news regarding ezra.' says hera.
'you have news on ezra?' you say, unable to hide the relief in your voice. 'do you know how to find him? or where he is? is he okay?'
'we'll talk about it in person. we should be arriving soon.' says hera.
'I'll wait for you.'
'see you soon.'
hera disconnects her comm, leaving you alone with the music again. your mind is racing. they have news on ezra. you knew it, he's still out there somewhere. you're sure of it.
you quickly put the panel of the main console back and tidy up your tools. just as you pause your music and exit your ship, you see the ghost and ahsoka's T-6 shuttle getting closer to the hangar.
you anxiously await them, watching as they carefully land. the shuttle door opens and sabine and ahsoka come out of it.
sabine smiles as you half walk, half run up to them and pull them both into a hug.
'I'm so glad you guys are safe.' you say. 'it scared the shit out of me when I couldn't contact you.'
'we're alright.' says ahsoka, patting you on the back.
you pull back to look at them. they both look tired, but other than that they seem fine. sabine has a twinkle in her eyes and smile on her face.
'what is it?' you say. 'do you know something about ezra?'
'yeah.' says sabine. 'but hera should tell you.'
she points to the ghost, where hera has just exited the ship. jacen follows her, but is looking over his shoulder and talking to someone. at first, you assume it's merely chopper.
but as they walk further down, you see it's not chopper at all. it's a young man. he's wearing colourful robes and has a beard and curly hair.
it doesn't matter he's older than he is in your memories. it doesn't matter he still has the same eyes and the same scar on his cheek. it doesn't matter something in the force tugs on you so strongly, as if it has found its home.
none of it matters, because you would know him anywhere, in any universe, no matter who you are.
ezra. your ezra. talking with jacen as if nothing had ever happened. he's here, he's alive.
a sob escapes your mouth as you take off.
'ezra!' you yell.
you don't even bother to hide the tears as they stream down your cheeks. after all this time, he's finally here.
for a brief second you see his smile before you crash into him. you wrap your arms around his neck and bury your face in his neck, holding him impossibly close. you're never going to let him go.
words fail you as you just cry into his shoulder.
you feel ezra's arms around your back and get lost in the feeling. it's all so painfully familiar, as if no time had passed at all. yet you know everything has happened since the last time you saw him.
you slightly pull away to look at him.
ezra is smiling at you just like he did all those years ago. though he's older, he's still the same. still the same kid you met on the streets of lothal.
you reach out and brush a finger over the scar on his cheek.
'you're here.' you say breathlessly.
'I am.' he says.
you'd heard his voice in your dreams and memories and the recording sabine still has. but this is different. it means everything and more to you.
'you're as beautiful as the day I lost you.' you whisper.
'I dreamed of this day.' says ezra. 'thought about all the things I would say to you. it all seemed so simple. but now? I have no idea. nothing seems like the right thing to say.'
'but it is simple.' you say. 'I love you.'
ezra smiles even brighter. 'I love you too.' he says. 'I always knew I would see you again. we have a lot of catching up to do.'
you smile as ezra leans in and kisses your forehead. you'd finally found each other again.
A/N:
If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rulesHere’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist.
Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading!
Much love,
Max/Marit
#did I shamelessly use a line from httyd? yes because it lives in my head rent free#also im YELLIIINGGG about this#like as a rebel fan im going insane#ahsoka#ahsoka series#ahsoka spoilers#ezra bridger#ezra bridger x reader#ezra bridger fanfiction#ezra bridger fanfic#ezra bridger fanfics#ezra bridger fic#ezra bridger fics#ezra bridger oneshot#ezra bridger oneshots#ezra bridger blurb#ezra bridger blurbs#star wars#Star Wars fanfiction#Star Wars fanfic#Star Wars fanfics#Star Wars fic#Star Wars fics#Star Wars oneshot#Star Wars oneshots#Star Wars blurb#Star Wars blurbs#rebels#rebels fanfiction#rebels fanfic
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You know, what's cool about Order of the Stick is that it dares to be a story where only half the major characters are in a romantic relationship. (Less, depending on who counts as 'major.' I'm counting just members of the Order here, not Team Evil or the various characters like the paladins, Hilgya, or Minrah they've picked up on the way.)
Haley and Elan are, like, the "token representation" characters. Roy gets tossed a girlfriend bc he's the hero ig? She's rarely around.
V had a spouse who was known about for a while offscreen, got three pages onscreen and promptly served divorce papers.
Durkon? Had an affair one (1) night which resulted in a kid 1000 strips and two irl decades later, the mom wants nothing to do with him. Otherwise probably completely celibate.
Belkar will sleep with anyone and romance nobody.
None of the paladins have relationships. Not even O-Chul and Lien, or Hinjo and Lien.
None of the long-lost parent figures are still in a relationship. Elan's parents are divorced and Tarquin had like nine wives (none onscreen, also he's Evil about it). Haley's mom and Durkon's pa are dead. Who KNOWS abt Belkars parents. Roy's are both dead and took 'till death do us part' with gusto.
None of the airship crew have any romances (except for the one throwaway gay couple who got one panel of screentime).
Team Evil does not do any of that. Not Xykon, not Redcloak, not the monster in the dark, not Jirix. Tsukiko was the only one with any relationship drive, and she got brutally murdered (unrelated reasons).
Straining to remember any other romantic relationships ever.
OH! Sabine and Nale! (But that also specifically parallels Haley and Elan, like they explicitly said 'evil opppsites.')
Therkla fell in love with Elan and it was not reciprocated (?) (he cared abt her but not like that. Not to cheat on Haley.)
The gods have their whole thing I suppose but that hardly counts.
Not even Julia, the high school hottie, is ever mentioned having a significant other.
There is one (1) actually married couple. Two soldiers who were nameless until they took offense to being called nameless soldiers and changed it. They got married and she's pregnant.
Order of the Scribble had one couple.
The cast is SO HUGE and there is SO LITTLE romance. Only half of the six-member main cast is in a relationship. Unheard-of. And of the huge cast of side characters, there are 3 only stable relationships. That's all! THATS ALL!
I love it.
Thats the real aspec rep: not just one character who doesn't care, but a whole world where that's Not The Focus.
Instead, OOTS focuses very strongly on familial relationships. Parent (singular) and child(ren). Siblings (twins). Aunts and uncles, even.
And in the midst of all that... the platonic bonds of deep friendship forged between the main cast.
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Woohoo time for some of my thoughts on Chainsaw Man 118!
SPOILERS AHEAD
I SURE HOPE SOMEONE PICKS UP THAT PHONE BECAUSE I CALLED IT!
It wouldn’t make sense because Denji didn’t fall in love with Asa! Him asking her on another date doesn’t equate to him falling in love. He just wants to try again. I love how slow he’s taking this. Very mature of Denji!
Honestly the one thing we all should’ve feared was how awkward this would’ve been if it failed. Luckily enough, Denji played along. I couldn’t stop laughing at it this. We really spent like 5 pages seeing this play out and I love it.
AND YORU’S FACE? PRICELESS
Asa showing genuine concern over the possibility that Denji could have turned and scolded Yoru for it is so good. She is definitely beginning to like Denji to the point where she doesn’t want him to get hurt. But the more guilty she feels, the more likely Yoru can turn him.
In addition, I like Asa’s facial expression here. It’s like a mix of anger, relief, nervousness, and embarrassment.
I KNEW ITTTTTT. But Asa seemed to be surprised too at first. She’s probably not used to a guy saying compliments like that and didn’t actually fall in love. I do believe her when she said she didn’t like Denji either, but in terms of “love”. She definitely likes Denji as a fellow classmate now whether she wants to or not. They bonded over eating starfish afterall!
Yea she’s definitely frustrated over it but it’s completely normal. Denji barely knows her, but he wants to now.
Okay but Denji’s shock when she said this. He wasn’t excited or anything but seems to be against the idea. Completely different from how he would’ve acted in part 1
Also I’m so happy cause Asa is finally going to meet Nayuta! AND WE GET TO SEE NAYUTA.
…we need to see Yoru’s reaction….ah I’m so excited!!!
Okay but can we talk about this final page? The genuine fear Denji has over her breaking any house rules has got me wondering something.
How many “accidents” did Denji have when raising Nayuta? I believe based on trial and error, Denji learnt that the best way to raise Nayuta is through house rules. It keeps a more equal ground for the both of them, it wouldn’t be too surprising if they both discussed what house rules to implement. I would really love to know more about the control devil’s powers since we didn’t get clear info on it through Makima.
More importantly, what’s Yoru’s reaction going to be? It turns out Yoru never lied when she said that Fami wasn’t her sister, she just didn’t recognise her at first. Will she recognise Nayuta?
_____________
This was such a good conclusion to the first date storyline and I cannot wait for her to visit Denji’s house and see Nayuta.
I believe Yoru and Asa are beginning to form some kind of understanding of one another. They don’t care for the other, but they tolerate each other. It’s such an interesting dynamic.
Despite how the date turned out, I hope Asa and Denji starts off as friends first. Asa doesn’t have much friends in the first place and the one friend she genuinely cared about is well….dead…
People are scared that the panel with her and denji running together mirroring her and her pal means that Denji will die. I’m sorry but I find that unlikely!
The manga is Chainsaw Man. Even when part 2 focuses on Asa as the protagonist, the main thing that drives the plot forward is the main existence of Chainsaw Man. I don’t see Denji dying unless the manga makes him the primary protagonist again. And there’s still a lot of growth that we could see from him.
Anyway, I like how the fake Chainsaw Man side-plot didn’t cause too much drama in this arc. This dude talked smack to Asa only to eventually admit that he isn’t hot stuff either. He could potentially be a good friend to the crew if he drops the act. I wouldn’t mind seeing that.
As for Yoshida, I’ll be honest, he really doesn’t leave much of an impression on me. He’s just there to keep things in check but as a character we don’t know much about him.
Looking forward to seeing Nayuta!
#my thoughts#chainsaw man manga spoilers#chainsaw man#csm 118#csm denji#csm asa mitaka#chainsaw man spoilers
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I was going to wait until the anime got to this chapter at the end of Wano to talk about it, though inspiration hit first.
First, a standing ovation for these mighty Samurai. They have all been through so much, together and apart, for the sake of bringing about Wano’s freedom. I’m so so happy for and am proud of them.
Also want to note that this panel is framed as an ideal image of the samurai for the people to be inspired by, meaning it’s non-diegetic, as we see the trio from Tokage Port returning to the Flower Capital immediately afterward.
Getting into specific thoughts and composition within the panel, there is the nice symmetry of Kawamatsu and Raizo standing at the out most positions. Moving inward there are Kin and Shinobu, Dog and Cat, Tama and Denjiro, then Yam and Momo line up in the center. It’s nice how balanced they... Hey hold the transponder snail! Kiku isn’t symmetrically paired with anyone. Why not?
I will say I love Kawamatsu standing next to Kiku in a position that helps obscure the missing arm, ever the gentlemanly kappa. Kawamatsu is the one of the group who I see as being the most similar to her and one who understands her the best. Kawamatsu spent a lot of time in the region Kiku is from, and the two have similar personalities, being very friendly and willing to help. Both were also very close in age growing up, before Kiku was sent to the future.
Kiku and Kawamatsu’s cute sibling bond aside, her breaking the symmetry is something I noticed from the first time I read the chapter. Kiku is standing kinda off to the side with an odd expression. Tama being the one with Kin, two who had not had any on page interactions before this point, surprised me a bit. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cute, but also adds to the feeling that something about Kiku feels out of place here. It’s too strange to not bring up.
Kiku helped rescue Tama early in the arc, stayed with her for much of Act Two as well, and was practically raised by Kin and Tsuru, yet it’s Kin and Tama who are paired up. I mostly chalk it up to Kin being his naturally oblivious self, he can’t help the fact that Tsuru/Denjiro have all of the brain cells, though Kiku’s placement still feels strange to me. Even the two who are new to being shown as a part of the group seem to fit in here more than Kiku does. Really lends to the feeling that, similar to Oden, Kiku perhaps feels that Wano is too cramped for her.
Something I’m sure Luffy picked up on during Act One, is that her being a samurai was always something of an act for Kiku. She followed the way of samurai because it was the only path that life offered her, though she is her own person now, if she wants to go to sea with Luffy, that can happen. Even if she has some reservations, maybe she just needs a push from her samurai family to go with the pirate crew she grew pretty close with since meeting Luffy. Is that what the timeout cage Luffy was in was originally for? Carrying a hesitant though willing Kiku to the Sunny? I sure hope so.
Seeing beyond the act to the genuine sides of people is one of Luffy’s strongest traits. He was around both Tama and Yamato when those two said they wanted to go to sea, though never really commented on their words. I’ve been wondering, how much was that goal truly theirs and how much was it something they wanted to do because Ace/Oden made it seem cool? Maybe freedom from being oppressed is what Tama and Yamato sought, though didn’t fully grasp the idea until it had happened. Maybe the freedom they now have within a liberated Wano turned out to be what they really wanted or is enough for them for now.
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Ne Cede Malis - REDUX - A Twist of Fate
Something I've been sitting on and then reworked it some more as the writing monster tries to bite me. Bite harder dang it.
Took the old version, but applied Find Your Light to it, including Asaru and Bradford being bonded, but keeping Jynn in a Proto-Chosen state. So consider this the new canon of this AU.
Now 13.9k.
Warnings for language, violence, references to alcoholism, and references to self-harm.
Can't say when I'll have the new versions posted on Ao3 and FF.net. May just append/add as a chapter to the old ones with the appropriate author notes.
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“Ho—how much longer… until we reach the outpost, Bradford?” Manson asked in-between gasps of air and grunts.
“Not much longer. Should see it when we reach the top of this hill.” Bradford replied.
“And then how far from there?” He sounded so exhausted.
“Oh, ease up.” Laney rolled her eyes. “Fresh ain’t killing you.”
“The humidity is.”
“Should install a fan into your Gremlin then. Just try to not get thrown out of Shen’s workshop.” She playfully teased, only to get a few curses slung at her. Yuri let out a boisterous laugh.
“You’re just asking for him to get thrown out of Shen’s workshop. Again.” Jody snickered.
“I didn’t know that was her workshop.” Manson said through gritted teeth.
“Go easy on the new guy.” Joshua shook his head. He grabbed Manson’s pack off his back and slung it onto his. Manson gave a quick thank you.
Bradford was leading a squad of about five, him included, through the backwoods of North Georgia. Partially into the Appalachian Mountains. Though it was a cool, spring day, a recent rain had saturated the air as Manson was not dealing with the humidity well.
There were some sound rumors there was a reputable Black Market dealer that made their home deep within the moments. In fact, they had turned an abandoned ADVENT outpost into their base of operations. A bold and dangerous play on their hand, but seemed like ADVENT didn’t care about this region. Barely any patrols ran through the mountain. Maybe the occasional dropship flew by, but not much happened. Hopefully, the trip was worth it. Heard the dealer may have been in possession of some sensitive equipment procured from an ADVENT facility. And they were always interested in getting their hands on sensitive equipment. No telling where it could lead them.
As they crested the hill, there it was. The outpost was off in the distance, just a few miles away. A white, grim covered building with several vines growing over it. The sun's rays glistened off one of those gaudy, golden statues of the Elders. A surprising sight. Those things were usually defaced or torn down when abandoned.
“This is a beautiful sight.” Asaru partially emerged from Bradford and peered around at the vast wilderness. Just so much greenery, bright greenery and colorful flowers blossoming all around. At least some of the Earth was untouched by what the Elders had done.
“It is.” Bradford nodded. One of the positives of running field missions. Getting away from the constant swarming hub of the Avenger and those metal interiors was always refreshing. Thinking of metal interiors, they needed to do some redesigning and decorating to make the place more lively. Maybe some black market contacts knew some carpenters? Could use some more wood paneling that wasn’t just the bar and crew’s quarters.
“I need… to catch my… breath.” Manson sat down as soon as they reached the top of the hill. He wiped the sweat from his brow before taking a swing of water from his canteen.
“Make it short.” Bradford glanced back at him and then at his watch. They still had a good amount of time before evening would hit. He wanted them to at least get halfway back to the Avenger before nightfall to set up camp. He rolled his eyes when Asaru chided him; yes he was being harsh, but they had a schedule to keep.“You’ve gotta toughen up, man.” Laney was still playfully picking on him. She found a log to step on to do some stretches to loosen up her legs. “Can’t have you on missions if you’re getting this tuckered out.
Manson furrowed his brows at her. “Not used to the humidity.” He was more used to drier climates. “Still getting used to carrying so much gear. I’m more of an engineer than a soldier.”
Manson was a new recruit to XCOM. A former ADVENT engineer fed up with the life and lies. He lived through the invasion as a teenager, and things never sat well with him. Of course, all the things the Elders did were wondrous, but it was all a lie. And then education They brought made his engineering interests flourish, but once he was older and found a job, he felt used. Eventually, catching wind of this XCOM made him want a way out of this false “golden” life. And there were a few others like him. It took some work, but they orchestrated a rescue from XCOM and delivered some equipment and valuable information into their hands. A few left to help with some havens, but most, including him, stuck with XCOM.
He flinched several times as Yuri patted his back.
“You’ll adapt in no time, kiddo.” He gave a reassuring smile in his slightly thick Russian accent. A jagged scar ran up the left side of his face, from lip to ear. His left eye was glassy, but there was a hint of life to it. “If you don’t, you’ll suffer Corvo’s wrath.” He wiggled his fingers and made an ominous “ooOooOoo” sound.
“Don’t remind me of him.” Manson huffed. He wished he never volunteered to join the more military part of XCOM. It was interesting, but he should have just stuck with the engineering crew, but there were hurting to have more people on the field. Corvo was a slave master when it came to training. He wondered how a man like him was married to Shay, who also helped with the training. She was miss peppy to mister cold… who had his own quirks. Annoying Bradford was one of them.
“Our blue friend sensing anything off?” Laney asked, as she went over to Bradford after stretching. She noticed their resident alien had partially emerged.
“No, just admiring the sights.” Asaru answered with a chuckle. “Earth’s natural beauty untouched by the Elders.”
“Ah, gotcha.” She nodded and smiled. “The Appalachian Mountains have always been -ahem- purdy.” She playfully jabbed Bradford’s arm.
He flinched, eyes twitching for a moment, before rolling them. “Laney…” A slight tinge of red appeared in his cheeks. Asaru laughed.
“Sorry, just remembering what slipped out during the briefing with Corvo and Shay. Channeling some of Commander Reeves and her brother.” She tried her best to stifle a snicker, but a snort slipped out. “Got stuck in that accent for a few minutes and Asaru didn’t help.”
“Yeah… yeah… yeah.” There was a slight dejection in his voice. He had Asaru to blame for random accent slips due to influences from previous hosts. But there was just something about Jynn, his old friend, their old Commander that came out strong. He never really had a strong accent, whether it be “southern” or “midwestern”, but because of Asaru, one was slipping into them at random
Hearing the dejection, Laney put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a good squeeze. “Hey, we’ll find her. Found her blue friend.”
“We will find her.” Asaru agreed.
“Right, thanks. Trying to stay positive… just miss her a lot.”
“I know. And she was a pretty cool boss when not in work mode. Heck,” she snorted, “kinda miss how she would go off on the idiots. Dress them down. Especially the pranksters. Remember the Chryssalid puppet?”
“Oh, do NOT remind me of that day!” He never realized how mean of a hook the Commander had and then she nearly bit him when he had to restrain her from attacking the culprits.
A few minutes passed by as they all caught a break, discussed some things, and made quick checks on the local frequencies. No ADVENT activity for miles.
“Let’s get going.” Bradford was ready to go and Asaru had re-merged with him. He was already moving.
In about half an hour or so, they arrived at their destination. The outpost. It was quiet. Dead quiet. Just the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling.
“Hm.”
Bradford approached the door. He signaled for three of them to check the windows. The security lasers were down. Boards and tarps had replaced them, as there was no more power to keep them going. He gave another sign for Manson and Laney to have their Gremlins do some scanning. Better safe than sorry. Last thing they needed was them stumbling into a trap. Or a nest of Chryssalids. As they did that, he knocked on the door a few times in a pattern given to them by their sources.
“I have burned my tomorrows and my shadows.” And said the code phrase.
A few minutes passed… and no response.
“Hm.” He glanced over at Joshua and then Yuri.
“Lights out and the place looks empty on this side.” Joshua said.
“This side is dark too.” Yuri said.
“Backs empty.” Jody said, coming back from checking the rear.
“Hm…” He didn’t like that. He then looked back at their Specialists. Laney’s Gremlin had returned to her side.
“Reading no life signs but us.” Manson said. He was letting his Gremlin do more extensive scans. “Just cold on the inside. We’re the only hot spots.”
“Same here.”
“Hm.” Odd.
He looked at the door handle and gave it a tug. The door slide right open, with a bit of help. It stuck a few times and let out a grinding screech at one point. He winced. Somebody probably heard that.
Once fully opened… there was still no response. The place was empty. The lobby was set up like any other black market they had gone to. Several display cases containing various weapons, equipment, and resources. Dried meats handing off to one side. There were probably more items to be purchased in the side rooms.
“Hm.” He didn’t like this. His eyes glowed blue for a second. “Hm.” Still nothing. No other life signs. “Asaru?”
His eyes glowed again, this time lasting for over a minute.
“Nothing. No one else but us.” Asaru answered. “But something feels off.”
“Hm.” Always something. “Stay alert.” Cautiously, he entered. The others followed. He took in several whiffs and sneezed. Dusty. “Sea… salt?” But he was picking up a faint smell that was like the ocean in the room. Strange. Didn’t look like there were any candles burning.
His eyes glowed blue for a moment as he looked around. Still, they sensed nothing.
“Something is off…” Asaru repeated. “I can feel it.” Something was hanging loosely in the air, but he couldn’t put a tentacle on it.
“Picking that up too?” Yuri asked, nose wrinkling. Bradford nodded. “The air feels off.”
“Think it’s psionic activity?” He asked both Asaru and Yuri. Yuri was oddly sensitive to that. The doctors had done some tests. Said he had potential, and they were working on unlocking it with the help of their Templar Navla and then Asaru. Things were looking promising.
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Could be coming from an artifact lying around. Still, we should be careful.”
“I think so. But it’s strange… and familiar.” Asaru said.
“Familiar?” Bradford thought back, just in case anyone was around that could be listening in.
“I can’t put my finger on it. I’ll study it some more.”
“Okay.” He then nodded at Yuri. “Agreed. Careful, everyone.”
They all slowly spread out, weapons at the ready for anything, as they searched the outpost for any signs of life. But Bradford stayed in the main room. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. No black market dealer would leave their place unsecured like this. They usually had bodyguards besides booby traps.
“Don’t touch anything.” He noticed Joshua was about to touch one case by the left wall. The man quickly apologized and backed away. Bradford didn’t take another step further into the room. Something still didn’t feel right. “The dealer could have some nasty security set up.”
“Way ahead of you. Daedalus, do your thing.” Manson has his Gremlin carefully scanning the room to pick up any traps. That blue grid touched every inch of the room. “Clear. Next room, pal.”
As the team continued to investigate, Bradford finally moved. He went over to the counter to see what was on sale. Some elerium, elerium cores, alien alloys, and torn down magnetic weapons caught his eye. Especially that elerium. “Hm…” They rarely had such a thing on display, especially the cores. You usually had to ask for those.
“Hey! WHAT TH—AAH— MM! MM!”
“Who was that?” He asked loudly. The muffled yells of one of his squadmates caught his attention. His finger hovered over the trigger to his shotgun. Eyes glowed again as he looked around. He saw the life signs of everyone. Almost everyone. Someone was missing. “Sound off! Everyone!” He ordered. “Sense anything Asaru?” He sent to him.
“I heard that! Still here!” Yuri said.
“Nothing odd on the scanners!” Manson said.
“Investigating!” Jody said.
“Joining her!” Joshua added.
No response from Laney. Of course.
“Laney is gone… Her life sign just suddenly disappeared.” Asaru said. “Someone or something is here! There’s an odd disruption in the air.”
“Be careful.” Bradford was leery and what Asaru said didn’t help the feeling. Things were looking like a setup.
As Jody and Joshua entered the room, they last saw Laney head to, no one was there. Minus her Gremlin that was frantically flying around a hole in the ceiling. Dust and debris trickled from it and a broken light fixture swayed back and forth just a little too fast.
“Laney’s gone, but her Gremlin’s still here.” Joshua said, turning on his comms. “Light fixture is swinging. Think something pulled her through the ceiling.” He cautiously moved over to that hole, turning on his flashlight at the end of his shotgun to see what was up there.
Then something fell from that opening and made several metallic tinks on the ground.
“SHIT!” Jody’s eyes went wide.
“GRENADE!” Joshua yelled. “WE GOT TROUBLE!” He swiftly turned and headed back to the door. A second later, the grenade went off, letting off a loud bang and tossing up a lot of dust and debris. It was a flashbang.
A second later, there was a scuffle, several yells, and gunfire.
“Dammit…” Bradford cursed under his breath. He heard several wooden boards snapping from the left and right sides. Manson let out a blood-curdling yell and then Yuri spitting out several curses and gunfire before he was silenced. They were getting picked off quickly.
“There are psionics at use!” Asaru finally figured it out. “Whoever this is, they are actively hiding themselves with psionics and snuffing out our allies with it.”
“Great.” Bradford mumbled under his breath. He wondered who it was. ADVENT with some Sectoids or some raiders who had a psion? With the former, he wondered if the Sectoids had learned a new trick. “Get read—“
Before he could move to find his teammates, he noticed a black and white blur swinging down from the ceiling. Then something hard hit his chest.
“AGH!” The wind was knocked out of him as he hit the ground with a solid thud. His shotgun clattered from his hands.
The world spun as he quickly tried to get his bearings. There was something else in that kick. It hit like a truck and was fogging his mind. Felt like psionics. A jolt arced across his body and mind. Definitely psionics. Asaru was quick at work, clearing it away. As his vision cleared, he saw what kicked him, dropping from the ceiling and heading over to him.
Shit. ADVENT.
They had a helmet that reminded him of one of those Stun Lancers. He pulled himself over to his shotgun and quickly grabbed it. Before he could turn it on his attacker, they were on him, kicking the gun out of his hands and planting a knee on his chest. The next second, they had on his hand on his face and in an instant the world blurred again.
He felt that familiar electricity arc across his brain as his ears roared and drums went at work on his skull. He noticed a blue glow growing around them and streams of energy traveling from him and up their arm.
Fuck, they’re the psionic! He recognized the unpleasant feeling over taking his mind, but this was different. He felt like he was growing weak. As if his life was being drained from him with each passing second. Hell, he felt like his skin was wrinkling, drying out as the seconds passed. A feeling he was all too familiar with when he and Asaru accidentally over did it one day. Luckily, the squad got them back to Avenger in time for treatment. Recovery was rough.
“Asaru!” He yelled in his mind.
“Working on it.” Asaru replied with a pained voice. “They’re quite strong… Draining us like a vampire.”
Need to get them off! Need to cut this connection! Desperately, he tried pulling their hand from his face, but they had one hell of a death grip. He frantically reached for his knife, but they were blocking it. He could feel the both of them growing weaker by the second. This was not how he wanted to go out.
“Get… off… me…” He spat as his eyes began to glow. A quick burst of energy should do the trick and knock them off.
“Hm…” They muttered as they brought their face closer to his, cocking it to the side. That was interesting.
“>BOSS! STOP!<“ He heard the flanging voice of one Hybrid somewhere in the back. So the one pinning him down was the head of this group. “>These people are XCOM!<“
Bradford understood what they said and wondered if he was hearing things. Why the hell were they telling them to stop? But he noticed something… The draining… the draining suddenly stopped.
“>XCOM?<” The one on top of him asked, turning their head.
“>Yes! XCOM!<“
“XCOM.” This time they uttered in English. That surprised Bradford. And they sounded female.
She carefully shifted to the side, making sure she still had him pinned as she checked his shoulder. That familiar blue, polygonal patch was there. “Hm…” She brought her hand back to his face, undeterred by the death glare and snarl he had going on. He winced when he felt a connection again, but this time, it felt like probing. A quick search through his mind. A gasp left her mouth.
“Dammit.” She then cursed under her breath. “>EVERYONE! STAND DOWN! THEY’RE FRIENDLIES!<“ She switched back to the alien tongue.
“You seeing… hearing this, Asaru?” He sent a thought to him.
“Yes… this is a turn of events.” Asaru was just as surprised as him. “There’s something… interesting about them. Familiar too.”
Familiar. That again. He wondered what that was about.
Who the hell are these people? Bradford wondered just who this was. Were they Skirmishers? Had to be with their flanging voices and calling him and his people friendlies. He was curious what clan had gotten the jump on them.
He still struggled under his attacker, wishing to be free, but barely had the strength to lift his hand. Oh, great. He noticed her bringing her hand back to his face. He closed his eyes expecting the worse, but… but he felt his strength returning. A sharp gasp escaped from his lips. His life was coming back.
“This is… interesting.” Asaru noted, feeling the life returned to the both of them. “Also sensing the others again and more. Looks like this one was hiding everyone. They’re a strong psion.”
A minute or two passed before she took her hand off his face and got up. And he felt like himself again, minus the soreness to his chest and back.
“Sorry… sorry about that.” An out of breath apology came from her. And she was speaking in English again. But there was no more of the flanging in their voice like the others. Like she turned it off like a switch. Sounded completely human. And oddly familiar. He couldn’t put his finger on it. There was also a strain to her voice and a slight echo. She was slightly hunched over. Did that life transfer reserve take the life out of her? The skin on the lower part of her face… her brownish-red skin looked unnaturally pale and wrinkled. And then, from what he could tell, her neck was black. Like it was burned.
“You stumbled into our trap. We thought you were some of the local raiders that have been plaguing the locals.” She extended a hand to him.
“Geez…” He quietly muttered to himself.
He eyed her, especially that hand, finally having a chance to study her. She was about a head and a half taller than him, for starters. Never had seen a Hybrid so tall. She wore ADVENT armor; repurposed and repainted black and white. And that helmet was different. At a quick glance, it looked like a Stun Lancers helmet, but it was very different. It didn’t have that red ‘glass-like’ visor, instead an onyx curved piece took its place. Then he noticed this Hybrid had hair. White and brown hair. Hybrids didn’t have hair. This one had to be special as they also had psionics. Blue psionics. He thought he and Asaru were the only ones with that color. What were the Elders up to?
He finally noticed the symbol on the right side of her chest. Those wings and a star. Skirmishers. Ambushed by Skirmishers. His hunch was right. What were the chances? At least to was better than ADVENT.
“You guys set up one hell of an ambush.” He said gruffly. Just how troublesome were the local raiders for them to set this up? He finally took her hand and got up.
Just as he got up, the other Skirmishers were entering the main room, ushering in his people. They were all battered, highly confused, and ticked off. Manson was cursing out one Skirmisher in Persian. He had a dislocated right shoulder, and the Skirmisher was holding a very banged up Daedalus in their hands. Poor robot was letting out several pitiful beeps. No amount of “sorrys” was going to make the engineer calm down.
“>Sorry, boss,<” One Skirmisher in black armor came over to them, “>I missed their patches. I should have waited to give the signal.<”
“>It’s okay.<” She raised her hand to silence them. “>We already planned on taking any who entered alive for questioning. Thankfully, none were killed.<”
With that conversation over, she looked at each XCOM member. They were all pretty banged up. Cuts, bruises, and dislocated joints. At least none are dead. She then looked at Bradford.
“Come back to our camp. Our medics can patch up any damage.” She offered. “And we have some supplies and intel we can share. Information on vulnerabilities to several outposts and some facilities nearby.”
“I think we should accept.” Asaru eagerly sent to Bradford.
Bradford crossed his arms. An apology, of sorts. He wondered if he should accept it. They came out here for supplies and anything dealing with ADVENT. He would rather not leave empty-handed. And it would be best to keep the peace. Last thing Betos probably wanted to hear was some of her people attacking him. Hearing another curse from Manson as Yuri, with the help of one Skirmisher, popped his arm back into place had him leaning towards accepting it. A quick patch up would be a good idea. Probably would spend the night with them, depending on how long it took. And he and Asaru probably needed a rest after that draining to be on the safe side. They had their life back, but who knew what the lasting effects could be?
“Everyone needs to recover. We need to recover. And we have questions for this one. I feel like I know that.”
That familiarity Asaru was picking up, and Bradford felt like he was feeling it too. It would be best to investigate that. Hopefully, their Skirmisher host would be more than willing to chat.
“We accept.”
————————————
“What’s your clan?” Bradford asked.
As they were following the Skirmishers back to their camp, and were nearly there, he had been studying their armor, looking for identifying markers for one of the clans local from the area. So far, he was finding nothing.
“I know a few in this region that Betos has informed me of, but not seeing anything on you guys’ armor that says who you are.��
“We don’t exactly have a ‘clan’.” Bastion answered. He had come to know her as ‘boss’ or Bastion. She was still wearing her helmet even though her subordinates had removed theirs as a sign of friendship. Must have been secretive. He was half tempted to read her mind, but decided against it. Asaru also chided him, saying it would be a poor idea as this Hybrid was powerful. “We’re more nomadic.”
“She’s being truthful. I can sense that.” Asaru said in his mind.
“Huh.” That was interesting and odd. Even the more nomadic clans had a name. At least Asaru could pick up there were no lies.
“You can call us Twilight Drifters.“ Attis, the one in the black armor, butted in. Looked like she was Bastion’s right-hand woman. ”Boss is a bit hesitant about a clan name, but we all felt like having some sort of name was better than nothing!” She let out a hearty laugh as she smacked Bastion’s back several times. Bastion grunted with each hit. She turned her head. The corners of her lips were twitching as they slowly turned into a frown. That just got another laugh out of Attis and there others joined in.
“Here we are.” Bastion said as she moved some brush out of the way. The camp was active. It was a series of cabins deep in the woods they had taken over to be their base of operations for the time being. A mix of Hybrids, some humans, and aliens were moving about and working.
“Attis. Turel. Get them to the medics.” Bastion instructed. “And Hol’tul and Ermes get the intel from Varkner and his crew. And get some food scrounged up and sleeping quarters prepped for our guests, just in case. ”
“Yes, boss.” They nodded and went about their duties. Attis and Turel were already barking out orders to the others to alert the medics as they led Bradford’s crew away.
“You,” she pointed at Bradford, “follow me.” She started heading over to one cabin off to the right.
He raised a brow, but shrugged. Probably had something to tell him. His ears only.
“Keep tabs on the others and be prepared for anything.” He sent to Asaru.
“Being cautious?” Asaru replied with a slightly teasing tone. Bradford rolled his eyes.
“Have too. That familiarity comment from earlier has me both curious and worried. Kinda feeling it too, but concerned.”
“Yes… right. I still can’t shake the feeling I know them.”
He soon followed Bastion.
————————————
After they entered the cabin, Bastion locked the door. Didn’t need their conversation being disturbed.
“Hm.” Bradford looked around. Looked to be her quarters and the situation room all in one. A bed shoved into a corner and then several maps plastered on the walls, along with photographs and various weapon crates, spread about. Reminded him of rougher times before he found the surviving remnants of XCOM. He didn’t miss them.
“Again, I’m sorry for the injuries my people caused to your people.” She as said as she headed over to a table. She placed her rifle on the table and started taking off her armor. The gauntlets were the first things to come off.
“It’s fine.” Bradford said. Well, it was to a point. But he could ignore it. They were still alive. “Just one hell of an ambush. How the hell did you hide from our sensors?” He was curious about that.
“Psionics.” She raised her hand, forming that very energy into an orb. “I can deaden our life signatures. Makes us untraceable to most sensors. Usually takes a strong psionic to pick up something is wrong.” With that, she let the orb disappear. “Though, somehow, you and one of your men noticed.”
“Strong psion indeed.” Asaru noted.
“Huh.” He wondered if Sectoids could do that. That could be a potential headache. Something to note for the future. Especially if ADVENT started fielding Hybrids with psionics. “We just smelled salt. Sea salt. Like there was an ocean nearby.” He still found that strange. “And…” He paused for a moment to raise his hand. Should I?
“You sure about that?” Asaru was hesitant.
“Want to stay in her good graces and gauge her reaction.” He sent back. A second later, he formed a few orbs in his hand, shifting them between his fingers. Just as blue as hers. “I’m a bit of a psion myself, and my man, Yuri, is a budding one.”
Bastion gazed at him as he displayed his powers. Studying him with great intent. “Hm.”
How he wished he could see the face behind the mask. She was good at hiding her emotions.
Just as she pulled off her last bit of armor, she felt woozy. Body wobbling for a moment before her legs gave out. She barely caught herself with the table, hands slamming down to stabilize herself.
“Dammit.” She grumbled under her breath.
Bradford raised a brow. He dashed over to her and helped her back up. “You alright?”
“It’s… complicated.” She grunted. She was out of of breath. “Thanks.”
“You need a medic?” He noticed she still looked pale. She shook her head.
“They can’t really help me.” Another grunt slipped out as she leaned on the table. She looked around until her eyes fell on something. “Can you bring that capsule over to me, please?” She pointed at a cylindrical device.
He fetched the capsule and handed it to her. She thanked him again as fiddled with it. The thing lit up in hexagonal panels that suddenly spun out. A white mist poured out of it. And something glimmered inside of it. She pulled out what looked to be a black crystal about the size of his thumb and sealed the capsule. The crystal had a blue shimmer when the light passed through it.
She gripped the crystal tightly in her hand and channeled her psionics. There was the sound of cracking until a loud snap was heard. Black, blue, and red liquid seeped from her hand. She opened her hand. The crystal was shattered, revealing the liquid came from with in it and a few shards had pierced her skin. Before a single drop could fall, the liquid retreated into those cuts; discoloring her hand to a pitch black. She took in a sharp breath as her body shuddered as the discoloration traveled up her arm. Just as quick as it came, the discoloration disappeared back to a brownish-red. But she looked better. Her skin looked more lively, especially around her face. That paleness was fading.
“Okay…” Bradford wasn’t sure what he had just witnessed. More weird alien stuff. This Hybrid is special.
“Hm. Something’s wrong with her.” Asaru said.
“You think?” Bradford felt like that was obvious.
“Yes…” He responded in an annoyed tone. He knew it was obvious. “Reminds me of me and my damage. Just a familiarity I sense deep within her.” He continued. “And the energy from that crystal seems familiar… familiar from one of our dreams.”
That made Bradford curious and concerned. He didn’t want to think of the unpleasant ones the both of them had been having as of late. A bunch of irritating and cryptic bullshit.
“Just who are you? What type of Hybrid are you?” He asked, pointedly. The question had been nagging at him for some time, and he wanted to cut to the chase.
“Hm…” She grimaced, turning away from him. Looked to be a sensitive subject.
“Look, I don’t mean to—“
“No, it’s not that.” She interrupted him. “I don’t know how to put this…” She glanced over her shoulder. Looking at him for a few seconds before turning her head away. “I think I know you… and you know me.” As she said that, she began to remove her helmet.
“What?” That made no sense to him. He’d never met her or her group before. Nor did her name ring a bell from some operatives Betos had shared with them. And it was a long list. Just who were they?
“I wasn’t expecting this.” Asaru noted, growing more curious by the second. “Perhaps someone from our past, an operative turned Hybrid, but recovered their memories?”
“That is… possible.” That never even crossed his mind. He knew some Hybrids weren’t clone born, but most could never recall their past; just fragmented dreams. That was for the best.
They watched like a hawk, curious to see what she looked like underneath as that helmet came off. A Hybrid having hair was still a surprise to him. As she removed the helmet, he noticed a few oddities. She had ears. Hybrids didn’t have ears. Then there were no ports from what he could see or those surgical scar lines from them. And there should have been ports, as those helmets connected into them.
She set her helmet down on the table, took in a deep breath, and let out a sigh. Almost like she was hesitant to turn her face fully to him. But she finally turned.
“Long time no see, John.” There was a warmness to her voice as she said that. “Can’t believe you’re alive.”
John? He never told her his first name. Maybe from the probing earlier? “How the hell–“ But as she turned, he paused. Those features, she looked more human than the average Hybrid, but some genetic modification was evident. Eyes spaced further apart and a bit larger, a flared nose, and an odd gauntness to her face. Reminded him of one of the Chosen, but with a more human looking skin tone. But there was something about those features that looked too familiar to him. The freckles… Why was her voice familiar to him?
“Impossible…” Asaru gasped in his mind. “It’s her…”
“What the… no…” Looked like the gears were turning in Bradford’s mind at the same time. He gasped. He knew her. They knew her. “Commander Reeves? Jynn?”
“In the flesh.” She gestured to herself, then outward.
“No. You can’t be…” No. That was impossible. Had to be. No way she could be the Commander they were searching for. No way this person was his missing best friend. In those dreams…. No. Nightmares. In those nightmares, he saw what she looked like. She was in terrible shape, a walking corpse. And here she was, not in that terrible state, but still equally concerning.
“You can’t be her.” He shook his head. But he was moving closer to her.
“It is her… I believe… I can sense it.” Asaru said. He was just as shocked at he was. But he was hesitant in his analyses, carefully scanning her being. Hidden tentacles reaching out. “She’s so… changed and… damaged. She doesn’t seem to be a clone… but that can be hidden, and I’m hesitant to do a deeper scan.”
“I am Jynn Gresham Reeves, Central Officer John Bradford.” There was a slight annoyance in her voice as she looked at him with hooded eyes. Saying his title and full name just a certain way seemed to make him snap too. It was her. But a sigh slipped from her lips. She could understand his disbelief. “Though… changed.”
He reached out to her, raising a hand towards her face, but he stopped. He quickly retracted his hand and turned away, covering his mouth. He tried his best to stifle his disbelief, his weeping. This can’t be her. But all those nightmares of her damaged and partially transformed appearance were playing in his mind.
She let out another sigh and shook her head. “John.” She placed her hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away. He couldn’t acknowledge her. He was barely acknowledging Asaru, who was trying to ease his emotions.
It was a minute or two before he turned to face her again. His eyes were bloodshot. Tears stained his cheeks.
“What the hell did They do to you?”
Jynn sighed. Them. She crossed her arms and looked away.
“A lot of things.” She didn’t know where to start. “They nearly killed me several times with Their experiments as well as being the brains behind ADVENT. Tactical advisor running 24/7 nearly nonstop for several years. Really should be brain dead from all of that.”
“So that theory…” Asaru paused and sighed.
“So that theory is true…” Bradford voiced what Asaru said in his mind. He was thinking it too. He had been always a bit hesitant about that theory, but all the data they had been gathering, mind probing he and Asaru had been doing on captured Captains, and just how ADVENT worked leaned towards it being true. And he hated the idea of it being true, even if it meant she was still alive.
“Won’t be surprised if they have a clone of me running the system or some brain scan backup, but I see there has been some breakdown that’s been happening since I escaped.” She then tapped at her chin and looked off to the side. “Though Maker said that probably wouldn’t work due to several reasons.” Shaking her head, a dark chuckle slipped out. She could see the Elders frantically working to make the perfect replica of her, but falling terribly. But she soon sighed.
“A clone? Hm… that may explain those discrepancies we’ve been picking up in the network off and on over the years.” Asaru noted.
“Great. Something else to investigate and deal with.” Bradford mentally grumbled.
“Raal’Maker…” There was a warmness to her voice as she uttered that name. “I have him to thank that I’m even alive. A rather benevolent Elder.” She still couldn’t believe there was a benevolent one in that Collective, and supposedly his mentor had the same mindset as him. Perhaps there were more levelheaded ones under his mentor. “He tried fixing the damage several times before they ripped me away from him again. Really, my health is still terrible.”
“Benevolent?” Bradford wanted to scoff. He recognized the name, but strongly believed none of those things were benevolent with what they did to the Earth.
“Trust me, he’s a good one out of Their mad Collective. Pretty much the only one who was truly concerned about my damn health.”
Health… Does she know about her split from Asaru? He rubbed his chin, nails picking at the prickly hairs, as he eyed her changed form. That paleness to her face was nearly gone. But her features. Her face looked to gaunt. “What about your health?” He almost didn’t want to ask, but he had to.
“I can’t put this lightly….” She looked away from him. “I’m dying, John.”
“What?” He knew she was going to say that, but part of him was still in disbelief about the whole thing. She repeated herself, which made him look away. So that was happening, just like Asaru.
“Think she knows it’s because you two split?” He asked Asaru.
“She may… but you should ask. Pry a bit more.” He responded. He wanted to reach out to her, but was hesitant.Was she truly the Commander Reeves they were searching for?
“Right…” He mentally sighed. Needing more gauging. He looked back at her. “Do you know why?”
“What the Elders have done to me…” She touched her face, pushing at her sharp cheekbones and the strange plating-like growths that lined them. “They’re careless. Tried turning me into a Chosen when I was still broken, even after Maker’s warnings.”
“What.” Now that… He wasn’t expecting to hear that. A Chosen. To imagine her as one of those abominations was impossible. But that’s why she looked the way she did. She had some of those familiar features akin to those deathless pests.
“Those fools.” Asaru hissed. Angered welled inside of him.
“A funny thing, almost a twisted irony of sorts. I’m more like Them. Parasites feeding on ‘lesser’ creatures to survive.” She shook her head and laughed. “Maker was right. Something like this would have happened.” She looked back at him. A pang of guilt entered her heart as she bit her lip. She fed on him. Could have gone too far and nearly killed him. But something about his energy was so good. “Sorry about draining you earlier. I try to incapacitate the head of the group first and was just a bit hungry.”
Bradford was about to say something, but quickly snapped it shut. He didn’t know what to say. There was a lot to process.
“At least that draining wasn’t instantaneous.” He cracked a joke. Mainly trying to cheer himself up. She chuckled at that, but soon sighed. “And there’s something else.” What else? He didn’t want to hear it.
Jynn raised her hand and let her psionics flow freely from her hand. It took on the shape of a thin, four armed humanoid creature. Looked kind of like the Elders.
“I’m missing a part of me. Something happened that day they captured me at the base. I was connected to some being that was helping us. Guiding me.” She tried to explain. “When that Muton grabbed me… I disconnected to that being and haven’t been the same since.” She closed her hand and let the figure dissipate. “Even the Elders knew of whatever was connected to me. Called it the ‘Ascended One’ or something like that. Disappointed it was no longer connected with me when They started Their experiments and got me hooked up to their war machine. But They were still looking for it.”
“She knows.” Both he and Asaru thought at once. It was her.
He looked at the figure she made one last time before she let it disappear. Looked exactly like Asaru.
“I take it…” He paused, trying to find his words. Should Asaru reveal himself now? Both were conflicted about how they should do it. “I take it you’re looking for this thing?”
She nodded. “Been at it for a few years now. Why my group moves around a lot.”
He let out an exasperated sigh as he moved over to an open spot on the table and leaned onto it. He rocked back and forth. This can’t be happening. But it was. Somehow, all of this was happening.
“So, what have you been up to?” Jynn switched topics, hoping that would soothe his mood. She didn’t want to dwell on the subject for any longer. Hated thinking about her poor state of health. “I see XCOM’s still alive in some capacity.”
“We’ve been fighting back.” He nodded. “And we’ve been looking for you.”
“Just like every other fact on this pl—“ Her ears and eyes perked up. “You’re been… you’ve been looking for me?”
“I didn’t believe you were dead for a second.” He looked at her. He still couldn’t believe it. “They captured you for a reason that day. And the information we found reinforced that… and then some dreams… visions I had.”
“Huh. Really?” She was surprised to hear that. Even more surprised when he said yes. She was touched. He still believed she was alive in this mad world and probably a few others. But the dreams comment was… strange. “How many thought you were crazy? Wasting resources looking for a ghost from the past?” She knew there had to be a good amount of doubters irritated with him and whoever else was insistent that she was still alive.
“A good handful.” He chuckled, shaking his head.
She laughed at that. She could only imagine his irritation at all of those who probably called him and the others crazy.
“Also…” She slowly stifled her laugh, clearing her throat for a moment. She looked at him from head to toe, eyes flashing blue for a second. “How long have you been a psionic?”
“Huh?” A question he wasn’t quite expecting, even though he had showed that off earlier. He was just about to ask her a question. Looked like that had to wait.
“How long have your been a psionic?” She repeated. “You showed me a little earlier and then when I pounced on you, I picked up on it, too. You even resisted me. Don’t recall any tests back in the day from Vahlen showed anything, but then again, we were all busy and I wanted all tests to be allocated to the soldiers.” Couldn’t waste resources on testing just any personnel. Her eyes fell, narrowing into a glare as she thought of the doctor’s eagerness. “And she really wanted to test me… makes me wonder what things would have been like if she did.” She grumbled under her breath.
“This may be the way to tell her.” Asaru said. “Maybe she sensed me and is hesitant to ask?”
“We’ll see.” Bradford replied.
Bradford cleared his throat. Where to start? How to start?
“It’s something… I acquired a few years ago.” He said. “The whole affair was a surprise, really.” Surprise was an understatement. That day was a massive headache, but a great boon to the Resistance.
“A semi-stress or trauma based awakening?” She asked. She knew those could be a nasty way of learning one had psionics.
“Not exactly.” He shook his head. The day was stressful. “I’m actually bonded to… a being. That’s how I have psionic abilities.”
She raised a brow. Did she hear that right? “Repeat that?”
“It’s best if we showed you.” He took a step back. “Asaru.”
As he stepped back, Asaru emerged from him. That tall, slender Ethereal floated towards her. His bulbed tendrils drew close to her, but hovered just a few inches from her body. She gasped at the sight, backing away slightly.
“Hello, Commander Reeves.” He said to her.
“You.” Just the very being she had shown Bradford minutes earlier. She reached out to him, touching his chest. Soft, slightly gelatinous like a jellyfish and almost like he wasn’t there. Like it was just air there with a hint of mass. In turn, he gently touched her arm. He was there, really there. She wasn’t seeing things. She could feel him and that energy felt so familiar.
Trembling eyes jumped between Bradford and Asaru. “What? How?”
“It’s a long story, Jynn.” Bradford sighed. “Short story is my crew, I, and the Templars found him and the people that were protecting him a few years ago. I was the only viable host for him because of his damage. We’ve been bonded ever since.”
“Damage?” She had so many questions, but hearing that caught her attention.
“Our sudden separation damaged me.” Asaru said. “Damaged us both. Our bond ran deep.”
Jynn opened her mouth, ready to ask more questions, but closed it. She didn’t know what to ask first. Really, what could she ask first? She shook her head. The separation. She knew she was the reason behind for sudden separation that day. Those memories had become more clear overtime with her freedom. She recalled that she was growing more aware of Asaru as the War raged on. And the Ethereal didn’t stop that. No longer wanting to be a silent guide once the Elders were stepping up Their attacks. And then they captured one of Them.
Just so much happened those happened weeks, if not days, before the base fell. The Elder they had captured and what they said. Many cryptic warnings, threats, and expositions. Somehow They had also sensed Asaru inside of her and were adamant that she turn herself over to the rest of the Collective immediately. She thought nothing of it at first until the same Elder and the others started plaguing her mind with unsettling nightmares. If she only knew what would come next after that interrogation killed that Elder.
She shook her head again, sniffling. Tears already forming.
“Gosh…” Some of her old Cajun accent began to slip out. That made Bradford raise his brows. He hadn’t heard that in a long time. “Gosh darn, I’m… I’m so sorry.” She shook her head. “I did this to the both of us.”
“It’s okay.” Asaru reassured her. Touching her face with one of his tendrils, followed by a hand. “You did not know that would happen. I did not know.”
“I… I…”
“Your quick thinking gave this world more time.” He hushed her. “If They had the both of us… things would be so much worse for this world and so many others. They would have Their own Mosaic.”
“Mosaic.” She growled at the mention of that word. What a horrible machine. So many, if not all, Zudjari enslaved by one of their own. Feeling an anger well up inside of her, she took a step away from him. “They’re still actively working on trying to replicate and ‘improve’ upon it. Mildly thankful that the Fragmenta they’ve tasked with replicating and restoring the Zudjari technology they’ve found have been purposefully dragging their feet.”
“Really?” Asaru wasn’t surprised by what the Elders were doing, but to hear the aliens there were working with were purposefully stalling the development of that infernal machine was interesting.
“Fragmen- what?” Bradford asked. An alien name he was unfamiliar with.
“Hard to describe them. Sapient pieces of metal, interstellar gas, cosmic dust, and who knows what else.” She answered. “They have an extremely thin truce with the Elders, but make their displeasure towards the known with every meeting. Feels like they want to kill the Elders.” She wondered how that truce still existed. Perhaps they were waiting for the right moment to break it and strike against the Elders.
“That’s… interesting.” He rubbed his chin. Aliens that hated the Elders, and these sounded fairly powerful if they had a ‘truce’ going on with the Elders. He wondered how their war went with the Elders… if they even had one. “Can we consider them friendlies… to a point?”
“I’d consider them allies. The only Elder they seem to like working with is Raal’Maker.” She shook her head, but chuckled. It always came back to him. “Also his mentor and those under his mentor. Oh! And one more pleasant Elder, a part of the Earth occupation. Her name is A’Va’pur. Probably another reason why the Earth’s environment isn’t totally screwed over.”
“Another ‘benevolent’ Elder?” He questioned.
“‘Benevolent’ Elders?” Asaru added. Bradford still didn’t believe that was possible.
“Trust me. Despite everything the current sept occupying Earth has done, the ones I spoke of are quite nice.”
“That is interested.” Asaru tapped at his “chin”. “She speaks the truth. I sense it and so can you.” Asaru picked up no lie from her. Bradford sighed.
“If you say so.” He had to see it to truly believe it, though he could feel the same thing as Asaru.
“So what was that crystal?” Asaru asked. He hovered over to that canister that contained that strange crystal she used earlier. A tendril touched it.
She looked over at him. “Something Raal’Maker supplies me with.”
“You’re still in contact with that, Elder?” Bradford asked, surprised to hear that. She nodded.
“Raal’Maker and I have distant contact.” She said “He provides me that,” she pointed at the canister, “when he can. And some other gear. Lots of dead drops. His brethren as watching him like a hawk. They believe he may have a hand in my escape. He didn’t.”
“Exactly what is it?” Asaru was curious. It had a strange energy to it. Almost as it had a form of sentience to it. Benevolant… and malevolent.
“The crystalized blood of the Weavers is what he told me.” She said. “Something about it can sustain me for a while.”
“Another group of aliens?” Bradford asked. She nodded.
“A nickname given to them by other species they’ve interacted with. A benevolent bunch that helps others. Kind of like you and your species, Asaru.” She tapped her lip. “I think I remember Maker mentioning your kind and them have met before on good terms.”
“Really?” That was interesting. He longed to meet more of his kind. Now, he really wanted to meet this Maker. “But…” He looked back at the canister and then her. A few tendrils reached out to her. “I sense a… malevolence in this blood. That very malevolence courses through your veins.”
Her mouth pulled back into a grimace. She looked away. “That…”
Bradford raised a brow. He moved closer to the both of them.“What is it?”
“Let me show the both of you.”
She reached up to her collar of her under armor and pulled it down. From the chin down, her skin was black. An unnatural black. Like something had charred it black. And there was something else. Eyes. Sharp blue eyes that looked like tattoos were near the center of her neck. Four in total. But there were some others on her neck where more eyes could be, except they were closed.
“Goodness…” Asaru hesitantly reached out to her.
“What the hell…” Bradford moved closer to get a better look at it.
“A gift from my ‘benefactor’. A Weaver of questionable morality and methods.” She questioned if she could even call it that. “Something the Elders fear and it equally hates Them for some transgression They committed against it… him… I don’t know. And then several other species They’ve screwed with his ‘friends’ with.” She shook her head. “Feels pity for me for what They’ve and has helped stabilize my form to a point… against my permission.”
This Weaver hated the Elders? At first, Bradford thought they may have had another ally until she continued to describe this being. Sounded like she didn’t like it. Trusted them even less.
“How does this connect with the crystalized blood?” Asaru asked. A pair of his tendrils were touching the marks on her neck.
“Somehow, his blood is mixed in with the other Weavers. The Weavers as a whole are deeply connected to one another. Raal’Maker does his best to filter it out, but he can’t get rid of it all.”
“So this ‘benefactor’… this ‘benefactor’ helped you?” Bradford asked next.
She nodded. “He helped stabilize my health and reverse a good amount of damage that was done… with what he had to work it… And he’s made more offers to heal the damage, but I don’t trust him. I’ve refused them.” She really didn’t trust it, though its words were sweet and soothing. “The Elders fear it for a reason, though They’re not innocent from Their crimes.”
He picked at his lip as he listened. This being had the ability to heal her, but only so much. And was making offers to heal her, but with a catch with what she said. “I take it this being is still making offers?” She sadly nodded.
“He’s patient… Scarily patient… The offers haven’t stopped.” She shook her head again; arms tightly wrapping around herself. “Sometimes… Some days… I’m tempted to accept them just to be me again. Human once more.” It was such a dangerous temptation, and she had a feeling if she accepted, something terrible would befall her.
“Damn, Jynn…”
How long had she been suffering? Living such a tortured existence? A cosmic plaything from the sound of it. This is so much worse than his fears of finding her in some lab dissected like some animal and… hopefully dead.
He reached a hand out to her. Out to her neck to get a better look at himself, but retracted his hand. Instead, he stepped forward and hugged her. Hugged her tightly. He felt like it was the better idea. Felt like she needed a good hug. Jynn froze, arms open and drawn back. She was hesitant to touch him. She had been waiting for this, but not so suddenly. A sigh came out as she wrapped her arms around him. Nestling her chin against his head as tears streamed down her face.
Asaru drifted away from the two, wanting to give them some space. He could sense their shaky emotions. And a deep turmoil and conflicting within Bradford. That love he had for her. It would be interesting to see if he ever brought it up. He wondered how they would tackle that. For the time being, he looked around the room. Especially towards the map and intel she had pinned on the wall.
During the time, she looked at his features. How the years and stress had aged him. She wondered if the scar on his cheek came from the day the base was attacked. Probably wasn’t his only scar from that day and over the years. She ran his fingers through his hair a few times. Seemed like he didn’t mind. In fact, seemed like he welcomed it with the happy “hm” that slipped out. It surprised her to see him let his hair grow a bit, but he had an odd haircut going on. Partially shaved, starting just above his ears.
“About the hair…” She said, breaking the silence. Fingers toying with the little ‘tuft’ of hair. “Interesting cut.”
“Felt like letting it grow out.”
“But the partial shave?” She asked next, fingers feeling the border between the shaved and non-shaved side. He just shrugged. He didn’t really have an answer.
“Huh.” She just chuckled. “The little tuft is cute.” She flicked it.
“I have to ask…” Bradford said, pulling his face back to look at her. There was a question nagging at the back of his mind. Why hadn’t she reached out to XCOM? “Sounds like you’ve been free of the Elders for some time and been running with the Skirmishers for a while…” His voice trailed off, wondering how he should touch the subject. He shook his head. No scratch that. The answer is obvious. “Scratch that question…”
“What’s the question?”
“No, no, no…” He shook his head again. “The answer is obvious why you never contacted us. Never contacted XCOM. What’s happened to you. How you look.” He could barely imagine how that would have gone, especially if they didn’t have Asaru. Probably a hefty amount of disbelief. Part of him was still in that territory.
She sighed hearing that. He was perceptive. “That’s exactly why… and then I didn’t know if it was being run by survivors or just a bunch of bandits stealing the name. I’ve run into quite a few of the latter.”
“Ugh… tell me about it.” He hated those bandits the most. They already had to deal with the doubters who thought XCOM was a part of the Council and Earth’s leaders that sold out the Earth to the aliens when they were betrayed by them. That was a headache with the Reapers’ for the longest until Volk finally straightened things out. “Having to clear XCOM’s name in some regions is a pain in the ass.”
“I can only imagine the trouble.” She chuckled.
The two continued to stay in each other’s arms. Bradford eventually brought his hands went up to her face to examine her features. This new form twisted by the Elders. Like the Chosen, but a proto-form of sorts. But there were so many familiar features. Those freckles. It was her, but… she was so changed. And dying. He ran his fingers down her jawline, expecting to feel any remnants of pulled ports under the skin, something some Skirmishers did once they were freed. But there was nothing. It was smooth, besides that wrinkled skin that reminded him too much of Dhay-Vol’s, the Warlock, face. Why did she have to look like them?
She seemed unfazed by him doing that. Almost expecting him to do that. She welcomed it. The touch of an old friend. His hands felt nice. A bit rough from calluses, but nice.
“At least they let me keep my freckles.” A little joke to lighten the mood. He chuckled for a moment before the sadness returned.
“Hmph.” He let out a snort, shaking his head. At least she could make a joke out of such a terrible thing. “How kind of Them.”
A question nagged at the back of his mind. Something she said earlier. They’re careless. Tried turning me into a Chosen when I was still broken, even after Maker’s warnings. Just why did the Elders risk doing such a thing?
“Why did the Elders do this?” He asked. She let out an annoyed snort.
“They wanted an asset and weapon in more ways than one.” She explained. “XCOM was coming back. What better way than to have the leader of said group be the one to crush it?” The Elders enjoyed doing that. The Hunter was a fine example of that. A Reaper turned against his own kind. “Kon-Ris…” She shook her head. There was sadness in her voice. She pitied him. “They don’t care if they have to break you to remake you. Even when one of their brightest advises against it.”
“…Why.”
Hearing that just hurt him deeply. To imagine, if she was still in Their clutches, she would be one of those Chosen. Having to fight an old friend for Earth’s freedom. How would have that gone? What would they have done if they had learned of her identity? What would he have done?
As he continued studied her features, he felt another pang in his heart. The woman he loved had been tormented by those Elders. And despite seeing her like this, he still loved her. He dropped his hands down to her shoulders. Head lowering, gaze fixed on the ground, as he dug his fingers into her shoulders. She sigh and patted his back. She hadn’t let go.
“I never got to tell you…” He paused, hesitant to continue speaking.
Should he tell her? This could be my only chance. She is dying. How long will she live if this can’t be fixed?
Asaru turned his attention towards him, sensing what was about to do. “Careful now. Steady yourself.”
“Tell me what? John?” She noticed something glisten, falling to the floor. Tears again. They must have been flowing.
He tightened his grip again as he took in several shaky breaths. He raised his head. Those tears were flowing, just streaming down his face.
“That I love you.” He finally said it. Fighting off any hesitation that wanted to come through. Felt like an enormous weight was taken off his chest.
She blinked once. Then twice. Eyes darted around, landing on Asaru, who quickly turned away, before focusing back on him. He looked serious. Did she hear that correctly?
“W-w-what?”
“I love you, Jynn.” He repeated himself. More confidence in his voice. “I’ve had these feelings since we were teenagers.” Sometimes he wondered how she never noticed it back then, but she was rather oblivious to guys flirting at her kin high school. “Just kept it under wraps when we met again because of the Invasion. Couldn’t have them getting in the way. Kept it strictly business.”
“Uh…” Her mouth hung open. She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. This was a revelation to her. Her lack of response did not surprise him. Probably not the best time to tell her, but he needed to get it off his chest.
“I am such an idiot…” She let out an exasperated sigh.
“Huh?” Not the response he was expecting.
She shook her head and smacked her forehead with her palm. “My mother was always the one to point out guys that had a crush on me and I’d just ignore her. She did the same with you!”
“Really?” He asked, holding back a snort in-between sniffles. She nodded.
“Hell!” She smacked herself again. “Explains why my dad was fine with me hanging out with you so much and inviting you on trips.”
“Really?” Another surprising detail. He and Mr. Reeves had a friendly relationship, but he found her father to be a rather intimidating person when he was younger. “He did scare me.”
“Seriously?” She held back a snort.
“To a teenager, a military man like him was very intimidating.”
She thought for a moment. A snort slipped out. “You’ve got a point there.”
Eventually, after the declaration, Bradford pulled away from her. Almost having to pry himself from her grasp. He didn’t want to move away, but he needed to breathe. Just so many thoughts and emotions were going through his head. He paced around the cabin as he rubbed his face.
At least she didn’t negatively react to me sharing my feelings. He was happy that didn’t sour the mood.
As he paced, he looked around the room. Eyes falling onto the maps, photos, and blueprints that Asaru was looking at. One photo had a big red circle around it and a quick note scribbled next to it that said “SEND TO BETOS”.
Betos.
“So how long have you been with the Skirmishers.” He asked. He had stopped in front of the photo that had the note. He noticed another photo circled and an arrow pointing to a location. And another note saying, “SCOPE OUT MORE. HIGH SECURITY. HIGH PRIEST IS HEAD OF SECURITY. MAY BE THE PLACE. WILL NEED BACKUP. KEEP IT STEALTHY.”
“About five years or so.” She said. “Still not fully one of them, to be honest.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, how I’m more nomadic for staters and I’ve never told Betos my identity.” She explained. “She never pressed me again once I told her it was for my safety and hers if she never knew it. Last thing I need is the Chosen knowing who I’m with. Especially Jax-Rai.”
She and her group had far too many close calls with the Assassin. She was thankful Jax-Rai never used her psionics like Dhay-Vol. Would have figured out who she was ages ago, but thankfully her identity was still hidden from them. But she piqued their collective interest. A psionically capable ‘hybrid’ was running around with the Skirmishers. That caused a new set of problems for her.
“Those things.” He grimaced. He had received some intel from the other factions that those three were hunting something for the Elders, but they didn’t know what. The information was always classified on another Network they had no clue of how to reach. Now he knew it was her.
“It’s amazing you’ve managed to avoid them for so long.” Asaru said.
“They’ve been annoying.” Which was an understatement. “I avoid Dhay-Vol the best I can. Trying to hide my psionic signature when he’s on his hunt is nerve-wracking.” She hated him the most. Had to fry his brain on a few occasions just to escape. Somehow, he was still oblivious to her identity. Should have picked up her psionic signature from her attacks. But maybe her benefactor, that Voice, was hiding it? That thought crossed her mind many times. He could have altered her signature ever so slightly to aid her.
“Jax-Rai is a pain and I think I’ve pissed her off with how much my people and I have escaped. And we’ve bested her a few times… .” She shook her head, but chuckled. “Though I think she enjoys the chase. Exhilarating is how she’s described it.” Such an odd comment to receive after besting her. “Kind of like her brother, Kon-Ris. Though not as mad…” She bit her lip. “Hunter… I feel like he’s figured out who I am… but is keeping it secret for some reason.”
Bradford couldn’t imagine the amount of stress she was under, having to hide from those three. But her comment about the Hunter interested him. The wildcard of the siblings.“He’s figured you out?”
“Think so. Said a few things he shouldn’t know about me. Enjoys calling me Gresham and brings up XCOM a lot.”
“That’s interesting…” Asaru noted.
“And he hasn’t told the others or the Elders?”
“Hates his siblings and hates the Elders even more… Probably some part of his brain blocks the info from the Elders.” She was curious how They hadn’t picked that detail up yet. “He’s always been a wildcard for the Elders after an incident with the Reapers happened that made him more flippant. Why he hunts ADVENT and aliens too.”
“We’ve noticed that a few times.” Asaru said. “He is an interesting one. Almost as if he has a split personality.”
“I believe he does, literally.” Jynn said. “I’ve heard several voices in his head. Mostly the Elders, but there’s this small voice. Crying for help. Trying to remember who he was. I believe that may be the old him.”
“Huh.” Both Asaru and Bradford responded. Something to look into later. Questions from Volk.
“So what’s this? Noticed Asaru staring at this intently.” Bradford pointed at the photo with the note of wanting to scope out some facility with high security. And the photo showed that. There were standard Troopers and MECS all over the place.
“The possible clone.” Asaru said as he shifted his attention back to the photo and intel.”
“Hm?” She went over to see what he was pointing at. “Oh that. Yes, I have a feeling that’s where they may have my clone or ‘backup brain’ running. Want to take it out. Disrupt their tactical information Network again.”
“Ah.” Bradford simply nodded. He would have to ask about that in greater detail another time. Still couldn’t believe that theory was true. Explained how ADVENT worked like a well-oiled machine since they were founded.
“So, when’s the raid happening?” He asked.
“Still in the works. Have to scope it out more and request backup from the local Skirmisher clans.” She shook her head. “Though I want to keep it stealthy as possible. Don’t want them teleporting the asset and any other backups out of the place before we get to it.”
“Hm.” Smart. He knew he had some facilities he had people scouting. Get as more information as you can before striking. But there was always a risk. He thought for a moment as he rubbed his chin. “Well, you could… join us. Join XCOM.” He suggested. “We’d be glad to back you up. Glad to have you back.”
Asaru looked at him when he said that. He was thinking of them making the offer, but was unsure, sensing a deep unease within Jynn about her current form.
She blinked a few times as her eyes went wide. Both brows raised high. He has to be kidding. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“XCOM is your home.”
“John…” She wasn’t sure of that anymore.
“Our medical team may be able to help you.” He almost sounded desperate as he said that. “Hell, the Templars may be able to help you! You and Asaru need to re-bond!”
It was a tempting offer, and the latter was true. She could sense they both needed that, but she wasn’t so sure.
“What will your people think of me?” She asked. “Is there anyone there besides you that knows me?”
“Corvo Samaras.” He quickly responded. As if he was prepared for that question. “He was one of the training officers that moved between the bases fairly frequently. Got nicknamed the ‘slave master monk’ by most of the recruits.”
After naming him, he started naming more. Soldiers, doctors, engineers, and other staff that had survived the downfall of all the bases. She covered her mouth as she listened to him. But from her trembling eyes betrayed her. She recognized several of the names.
“So many of you… so many of you guys survived.”
“And we’re still finding more as the years pass by.” He smiled. “Most haven’t given up the fight. They’ve been eager to join up with us.” He chuckled. “And you’ll be surprised with who’s running the Templars.” Mentioning that made his smile grow into a grin. That was still a surprise that day. He still wanted to get Geist for being cryptic for all those years.
“Yes, that was quite the surprise. He hasn’t changed much.” Asaru agreed.
She looked away, bitting her lip. Join them? It was such a tempting offer. XCOM was her home. But so much had change. She had changed. “But what will they think of me?” That was something he didn’t want to think about, but knew it would be a problem.
“I know some back on the ship will be hesitant. Some won’t agree…” He knew several were still quite anti-alien; including Hybrids. And some still questioned his bond with Asaru. They were barely tolerant of the Skirmishers and any aliens that had defected. Given the opportunity, they would kill them. It was rough keeping that from happening with some meetings and joint missions.
Sensing his mind drift off to the darker parts, Asaru placed a hand on his shoulder. Bradford glanced at him and nodded. He needed that. Needed to stay positive.
“But you…” He gestured to her. “You’re alive.“ He felt like that was the only thing that mattered. “I don’t think I can let this chance meeting be a secret… Can’t just suddenly drop the search for you. Some will question that.”
He had a point there.
“I don’t know.” But she was unsure. She turned away, taking a few steps away from the both of them. “I have to think about it.”
He reached out to her, but stopped himself. “Just think about it.”
“But I must ask… which part of you is asking this?” She glanced over her shoulder. “That military side of you? Or the part that loves me?” That declaration was still on her mind.
He looked away, closing his eyes. He placed on his chest and clutched it. “Both.” He couldn’t lie. He didn’t want to lose her again.
“Hm.” She looked at Asaru, who only nodded, confirming what he said. That’s… concerning. But made sense. It just made her leery. And something else bothered her. More personal.
She paced around the room as she mulled over his offer. It was so tempting, but she had her worries. But she also knew she and Asaru needed to re-bond at some point. She could sense he was doing fine with Bradford, hovering in some sort of stable condition, but there was still that lingering damage to him. It made her heart hurt.
And then what would her people think? She couldn’t just leave them behind. She shook her head. Like they would let that happen. They would follow her to the ends of the Earth, no matter what. They told her that on several occasions. Swearing their loyalty to her despite her protests. They were beyond grateful that they were free of the Elders’ enslavement.
She looked back over at them. Both had busied themselves with looking at the intel and discussed some things.
“Maybe…” She muttered as she went back over to him. “Maybe I can join… rejoin XCOM. My people and I can join you all.”
“Hm?” Both glanced over their shoulders. Looked like they were deep in thought. It took both a moment to process what she said. “Would they be fine with that?”
She nodded. “My people are flexible. Practically have sworn their loyalty to me. They listen to me first before listening to Betos.” That was a headache, but somehow they worked around it.
“That is interesting, but XCOM can always use more people.” Asaru chuckled.
“Huh.” Bradford nodded. Looked like she never lost her commanding skills. That made him smile. “Have to figure out the logistics, but we can always use more people. Though integrating more Hybrids is going to be interesting.”
“And there’s always that…” Asaru shook his head. That was a constant headache, no matter what.
“Guess we’ll just have to see what happens when you introduce us to everyone.”
“Right.” He said, then sighed. “Think I need to send a warning first so a few of the levelheaded staff can help me. Got a radio I can borrow?”
“That sounds smart. And yes, we do.”
Bradford looked at his watch, then over to the window. Through the slits of the curtain, he could see the sun disappearing behind the trees as the sky darkened. He let out a yawn before rubbing his temples. Looks like the effects from the ambush were finally kicking in.
“Think we may be staying for the night.” Was probably for the best. Never fun trekking through a forest in the night. Anything could happen.
“It would be wise to do so. We need to recover.” Asaru said.
“Sleeping quarters should be prepared for you all by now.” Jynn said. “And we should have plenty of food to go around.”
“Thanks for the generosity.” And he meant it.
“It’s what we do.” She smiled.
“Back to joining… rejoining XCOM… I would like to snuff out the local raiders before leaving. A bunch of psychopaths.” She said. A hiss slipped out as she wrinkled her nose. The world was already hard to live in with ADVENT running things, and some people just had to make it worse. No ounce of empathy. No sense of remorse. Everyone was fair game as they pillaged any camp, haven, or ‘authorize’ settlement they came across. Especially the weak. “Also, I’m waiting for some of my people to return from supply runs. Should only be a few more days.”
“I think we can help with that and we won’t be leaving this region for a while, so we can wait on those supply runs.”
“Sounds likes a plan.”
She then gently patted his back a few times before heading to the door.
“And Asaru.” She turned to him. In a way, she couldn’t believe he was there. She was so happy she no longer had to search for him.
“Yes?”
“I know we need to re-bond, but I don’t think we can do that anytime soon.” She sighed. “I feel like we’ll only hurt each other further. A downward spiral of draining will occur.”
“I also sense that.” He nodded. “I believe we’ll need a medium to facilitate the bond… but also your body needs to be healed.” A few tendrils touched her body. “Your conversion, barely at the halfway mark… I question if this can be undone or should it be allowed to finish…” And he didn’t like the idea of it being finished. A new form forced onto her by the Elders.
“Maker believes he may be able to reverse this…” And she prayed he could. “If not,” she tried to hold back a sigh, but one slipped out, “he has selected a few species that would best suit me to complete this transformation and purge the Elder DNA from my system. Right now, he’s trying his best to get the heat off of him so we can properly meet.” She wondered how long that would take. “Though he has his worries about how the process may go.”
Bradford closed his eyes tightly, hearing what she said. The chance of her condition being unreversible tore at him and hoped it could be done. “Is he worried about lasting damage affecting the process?” Bradford asked.
“That’s one thing, and then one of the methods he’ll be using.”
“What would that be?” Asaru asked, curious.
“He’s been cagey about it, but I think it deals with the blood of the Weavers and their DNA. And I understand why… But I’m willing to take the risk.”
“Really?” Bradford questioned, with a hint of worry in his voice. “Are you sure?”
“I just want to be me again. Not some abomination of a weapon of the Elders.” She shook her head. “Hell… hell… I’ll take another Hybrid form that doesn’t have Their touch and broken DNA.”
“Hm…” He was worried, but it would be a discussion for another day.
“Now,” she clasped her hands tightly and forced a smile, really wanting to change the subject, “let’s get your current crew updated on who I am and what’s going on.” She then unlocked the door. “And then go from there.”
He nodded and followed. Asaru merged back with him. “It’s going to be interesting telling them. Laney may remember you. She’s another soldier that spent most of her time in the main HQ.”
“Laney?” The name didn’t ring a bell.
“Laney Stavros. She was a medic. Still is a medic.”
“Still doesn’t ring a bell.”
“Maybe seeing her face should jog some memories.”
“Maybe.” Hopefully it would do the trick. There was a glimmer in her eye. She was somewhat excited to meet a survivor from the old base.
“Also…” She paused as she opened the door. “We’re going to have to talk about this… love… thing.” He was waiting for that.
He nodded, a small sigh slipped out. “I know.”
“It could become quite troublesome when I rejoin and th—“
“I know.” He cut her off. He knew the risks. “I’ll try to push it to the side, but…” He paused, sighing as he looked away for a second. He turned back and looked her in the eyes. “I don’t want to lose you again. Okay?”
Her brows scrunched together, part of her lips turned into a grimace. “Hm.” Her eyes flashed blue for a second. She was picking up a lot of strong emotions from him. And a lot of conflicting ones. “Yes… And you still feel this way, especially after seeing how I am now?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation in his voice.
She closed her eyes and huffed. What to say? She didn’t know what to say. Now she was feeling conflicted. She felt something deep inside of her. Almost as if she felt the same way towards him, but wasn’t so sure. That part of her was a mess already. And then her current state of health wasn’t helping. She couldn’t reciprocate those feelings… for several reasons.
She sighed deeply, closing her eyes tightly. “I want to drink, but can’t.” Damn Hybrid makeup.
“Jynn, no.” He put a hand on her back. “I know the feeling, and that leads nowhere good. Trust me.” That was a hard habit to break, and he still needed to be careful. “And then your Hybrid make up. Alcohol oxidizing into formic acid. Go blind and die. Give or take some steps.” He shook his head, remembering that being explained to them. Just how much of it was a side effect of how the Elders built the Hybrids or did They do it on purpose as a control method. He was leaning towards the latter. “Thooooough”, he extended that for as long as he could as he leaned closer, “some of our resident chemistry majors may have figured out something Hybrids can imbibe in. It has become a rather lucrative bargaining item.” What some would do in their spare time… and for love.A snort slipped out from her. “Well… we’ll discuss this later. All of it.” Her voice trailed off as she continued out the door.
“Understood.” He nodded and followed. “I’ll hold you to it.”
“Don’t make me regret it. All of this.” Though she didn’t feel like she was going to. This all felt like a new start, that light shining, burning through the depths of an ensuring darkness.
He chuckled. “I can’t promise anything. Just don't count your chickens before they hatch.” A yelp slipped out. Eyes flashing a quick blue, she gave him a slight shock of energy.
“Jerk.” She was grinning.
“Missed you.”
“Missed you too.”
#writings#Xcom#Xcom 2#Xcom wotc#Fic: Ne Cede Malis#Proto-Chosen Commander#Ship: Breaking Protocol#Ship: Surface Tension#John Central Bradford#XCOM Bradford#XCOM Asaru#Asaru#*Jynn Gresham Reeves#OC: Jynn Gresham Reeves
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What's a Knife Between Onscreen Family // Charlie Gillespie
Summary: Filming an emotionally wrought scene on the set of your current role as a regular goes very wrong very fast. Expecting the scene to be the most taxing of the day you find yourself in the ER getting a transfusion. It’s all fun and games until someone’s holding a sharp knife incorrectly, guess it’s just something in common with co-star Jared Padalecki.
Warnings: Swearing, blood, fear, injuries, hospital, needles, angst, and fluff
Words: 3.5k (including lyrics)
A/N: I watched a part of a panel from a Supernatural con and found it hilarious that Jensen accidently stabbed Jared. So I had to write that for a Charlie Gillespie fic. Link to the video talking about the stabbing is right below this message.
Jensen Ackles Accidentally Stabbed Jared Padalecki during filming From 1:00-6:00
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Masterlist
It had to be one of the most emotionally taxing scenes in your entire career as an actress on a physically demanding show. The scene had been incredibly mentally draining the daughter of a Winchester. It had been once season recurring, one series regular and now filming the third season. As the teenage Winchester, it threw a wrench in all the plans and the reckless character gave no shits.
“Okay, this is our last scene for the day!” Robert Singer, the director of his episode, called out from off stage. Standing at the top of the stairs in the Bunker, you jumped in close with a scrunched nose at the squishy sound.
Over the railing, both Jared and Jensen nodded their support from the ground level with concerned expressions. Ever since you joined the cast in season 13, they had become fathers to you. The sight of you drenched in stage blood was enough to churn their stomachs.
“I gave you the barebones of the scene so work with it. Briar’s traumatized after fighting for her life and has been gone for a while.” Robert explained, “Cas couldn’t find her. I want this to be a tribute like Dean in season 10 episode 14: The Executioner’s Song.”
Taking a deep breath in your emotions channelled into a hurricane in your chest, clenching your fingers on the knife.
“Action!”
Pacing the floor plan of the Bunker is two brothers bonded by sorrow, pain, sacrifice and love. Each throwing out locations on where Briar could be, Jack and Cas had been little help. Sam’s heart clenched tight bypassing images straight to torture. The kind of torture he had endured over the years.
Dean’s mouth opened to suggest another place when the Bunker door creaked open. The red converse appeared before the soggy jeans as the teen slowly made her way down the steps. Briar Winchester shook like a leaf staring off in the distance as the blood congealed on her face and hands.
“Briar.” Dean slowly spoke, moving towards the girl. His green eyes lit up in fury as the seventeen-year-old flinched back. Dean’s hand gently took the stained knife from the young girl.
“I-I didn’t mean to do it.” The meek voice appeared so unlike the usual confidence Briar talked with. In exhaustion, Briar’s knees collapsed, sending the teen right into Dean’s arms.
The stoic man gripped the youngest Winchester as his waist bearing her weight against his while Sam circled to be behind Dean. The choked sob echoed by another escaped the family huddle; one from Briar and the other from Dean.
“Dad.” Briar choked clenching her arms around the green-eyed adult’s shoulders, craving the safety of her father.
Ever since Dean could remember he had had a strict rule of always practising safe sex, he didn’t want a kid. Not in a world that had it out for Winchesters and not one where he might hold his child’s dead body in his arms. That all changed when Cas delivered Dean to a county jail where Briar was held just for a minor assault charge on a wealthy bully.
Dean never let himself want a future with the picket fence and the dog in the backyard but when Briar changed that. Dean would do anything for his family no matter the cost. Example: Selling his soul for Sam.
“Sh.” Dean spoke kissing the crown of her hair he savoured having his child safe in his arms, “I’ll help you to the bathroom to get cleaned up. We’ll heat some soup and toast.”
On autopilot, Dean helped Briar down the hall to the bathroom where she would freshen up and later burn the unsalvageable clothing. As Dean returned to Sam’s side, Castiel came with a sombre expression and an explanation.
“Dean. Sam.” Cas greeted them, flicking his blue gaze between the two brothers. The faint sound of the shower only picked up by the trained heightened sense of hearing from years of watching over their backs.
“Cas what the hell happened?” Dean demanded, “Why the hell is my little girl bruised and coated in blood?”
END FILMING SCENE
“Cut!” Robert called out to the large room with a big smile on his face, “I’ll watch it back. See if we need more takes.”
Jared and Jensen wiped the tears that fell from their cheeks just thinking on how wrought that scene felt. As fathers seeing a young adult in such a state severely agonized them. The duo jogged to see your back against the cold wall—a pinched expression marring your young face.
“How are you feeling after that?” Jensen asked, coming closer to squeeze your shoulders unfazed by the sticky fake blood. It was already all over his clothes from hugging you in character.
“You shouldn’t be allowed to have sharp objects.” You spoke glancing down at your knee that had been punctured by the knife. The dark jeans soaked in stage blood now concealed the real blood.
“Jensen, did you really stab another person.” Jared deadpanned his best friend referencing back a few years. Jared shoved one hand through his hair, receiving a nasty glare from the hairstylist on call.
The glare on Jensen’s face blistered the taller actor, “I didn’t stab you. You walked into the knife.”
The two bickered as they guided you back to the main stage where Robert had reached a final verdict. He had watched the replay twice along with his crew finding the raw emotion to be perfect. The little detail the three had added was well played. Dean unexpectedly consoling his daughter in tears; no threats to kill or push her to tell him what happened. The first time Briar referring to Dean as her father. Lastly, Sam’s unsure actions in consoling a young girl sucked into life like he was in his youth.
“We got a one-take winner!” Robert called out sending the entire crowd into loud applause and cheers. Jared taking most of your weight as you hobbled to the costume trailer.
The lovely costume designers helped remove the sticky shirt, jewellery and the red converse that had once been white. Only the jeans remained on your body to not mess with the wound. As much as you’d love to shower the blood off, it was near impossible, moving your knee stung and it was best to avoid aggravating it.
“Someone needs to ban Jensen from knives. Just wait till his wife finds out about this, she adores Y/N.” Martha chuckled from her sketches she designed on her breaks for a future in fashion design. Often in your free time, you would be her guinea pig with her designs using refurbished material.
Normally the banter would continue but not when your leg was bleeding, and Jared was taking you to the ER. To make time faster, Jared had scooped you into his arms to the black car their driver waited in.
“Towels are in place. Sorry, you got hurt, Kid.” Clif spoke, opening the door to the backseat where Jensen sat patiently. Unlike usual, he had seated himself in the front so you could stretch in the back.
A weak chuckle met air in the packed car from the blood loss that wasn’t overly bad but enough that Jared took the towel. His pressure on the wound caused a yelp that had Jensen flinching in guilt.
“The knife must have been sharp to cut a mouse in half,” Clif muttered turning towards the hospital close to set. Coincidently the drive took you passed the set your boyfriend currently filmed at.
“Might as well call me butter.” You retorted wincing at the throbbing pain, “You aren’t allowed any more sharp objects, Mr. Ackles.”
“Danneel already threatened to hide all the knives in the house.” The on-screen father laughed as the tension decreased in the small car. Despite the dizziness, it didn’t hide the guilt in Jensen’s green eyes.
Time flew by as you found yourself in a bed for observation and pictures for the knee. It came as a shock when the doctor requested one blood transfusion for the blood loss. The hope of being in and out had evaporated like water beads on a blistering summer day.
Julie and the Phantoms Set
Charlie adored his life as an actor where he was free to visit places, he might not have had the opportunity to do. He made friends with everyone he spoke to and even met the love of his life as an actor as well.
That being said today had been the longest one with a full schedule and barely time for lunch or snacks. Even a nap was unachievable, and he desperately wanted one for being awake for hours by now.
“Charlie! Did you know you’ve got missed calls?” Jeremy inquired, staring at the phone that went black once more. Charlie’s eyebrows came together at the mention. His family had the rough outline of times he would be unavailable to talk.
Stepping back from the craft table’s supper options, he lifted the phone from the table, bringing it to life. His lock screen showing multiple missed calls and voicemails from you, his family and two unknown numbers.
His jaw dropped further when Meghan called for the first time out of the group, “Megs?”
“Finally! Where have you been?” Meghan demanded pacing in the studio she had been using when she got the call. The pretty and successful young woman had gotten terrified at learning about Y/N.
“Filming? It’s the longest day of filming the show. It’s on the family schedule.” Charlie spoke, settling into one of the empty tables. His eyes watching the people entering and exiting the tent set up for food.
“Jesus. Mom called me when you didn’t pick up. Y/N’s in the hospital.” Meghan revealed sending the Canadian actor into a stiff posture. His hazel eyes blow wide and panic flooding his entire system.
“What?!” Charlie didn’t mean to shout nor turn paler than a piece of white paper, but it happened. The volume contracting looks from everyone in the vicinity. Owen even dropped the donut back in the box by the volume.
“She got stabbed with a knife. I sent the address earlier, and I haven’t gotten a lot of info.” Meghan told her older brother, “I know she’s getting a blood transfusion, but nothing else was released.”
Charlie couldn’t tell you what happened between Meghan telling him and reaching the hospital frantically. Nor could he figure out how Owen was in the back of the Uber with him guiding him through exercises; all thanks to Owen’s therapist for his anxiety.
His sneakers squeaked on the polished white floor in his mission to the receptionist transferring information from a chart to digital. Charlie’s painting brought him attention from the kind nurse acknowledging his presence.
“Just let me finish this one sentence.” The nurse hummed saving the information before turning their full attention to the frazzled male, “How can I help you?”
“What room is Y/N Y/L/N in? She was stabbed and needed a transfusion.” Charlie demanded deflating as Owen placed a hand on his shoulder. The Canadian’s eyes bright with panic and a deep fear
The nurse’s eyes softened, “I can’t give out information on patients unless your immediate family members.”
“I’m here-“
“Husband! He’s her husband, they eloped so she hasn’t changed her last name or updated her information.” Owen blurted out, rubbing the pad of his index finger on the black jeans he had worn for his role. The two hadn’t even bothered changing into their street clothing.
The nurse nodded their head-turning back to the computer to enter the name for the patient for the information. It took seconds before the nurse wrote on the miscellaneous sticky note of the ward and room number.
“My name is Riley. If you need any help, you can come back here, and I’ll do my best to give you answers.” Nurse Riley informed the duo with a kind smile nodding in the direction of your hospital room.
Owen’s long legs ate up the distance Charlie made in his sprint to the stairwell, “Shouldn’t we take the elevator?”
“My girlfriend is in a hospital bed. I can’t wait for an elevator.” Charlie rebuked the suggestion on the second flight. Owen’s sigh was the last sound made as the duo slammed into the door to the floor level.
Charlie and Owen appeared in the doorway of your hospital room panting from the exertion meeting the gaze of two actors. Charlie’s heart stuttered at the sight of the high volume of blood in your clothing and your hair.
The sharp gasp brought your attention to the shaking Canadian actor solely focused on scanning for wounds. His eyes barely staying on the two adult males you had been starring with for a few years. Schedule conflicts often led to no introduction to each other’s co-stars.
“What the hell?” Charlie choked stumbling to the chair beside your hospital bed next to the pole holding a blood bag, “Did you get mugged? Are you okay?”
“Char, take a breath, man.” Owen’s blue eyes shadowed with the worry as Charlie’s breathing shuddered. Owen could barely look at you covered in blood.
“Whoa! Charlie. I’m fine. This is stage blood. We had an intense scene, and there was a minor accident.” Your voice soothed the man gently taking Charlie’s hand to comfort him, “I lost a bit of blood. The doctor decided to give me a blood transfusion to bring my levels back up a bit before stitching it up.”
“How do you get stabbed accidently?” Owen questioned glancing at the two men standing silently in the corner. Due to contracts on the Supernatural set details of scenes and storylines was off-limits.
“Well, during filming, I took a knife from her, and she walked into the blade?” Jensen trailed off, shoving his elbow into Jared’s side at the scoff. It happened every time it was brought up.
“I-“Charlie blinked, shaking his head as he took a deep sigh in pushing that to the back burner to focus solely on you. His hand rubbed his face while he settled on squeezing your one hand in both of his.
The touch of your skin grounding him back to earth with the shattering visions of walking into the world without you. It would be both ways, the second his calloused warm skin brushed your hands; it was like the pain faded. Only a sense of content settled in your weary bones.
“Okay Miss Y/L/N.” Dr. Clancy walked into the room only halting to grab a pair of medical gloves, “I see your entourage grew. I’m Doctor Jim Clancy, and you must be Miss Y/L/N’s husband.”
Three pairs of eyes widened at the doctor’s words aimed towards the brunette actor turning a blushing mess. The words mouthed by Charlie to go with it gave barely any insight, but you did it. The moment you had a free minute with Charlie, you would interrogate him in the new title you had.
“Yeah, my husband.” You spoke flicking an expression to Jensen and Jared that caught on from the years together. They had taken you under their wing on your first day on set, and then you became family with their immediate family.
“I can confirm that my initial observation is that the wound doesn’t have anything that shouldn’t be in there. We stopped the bleeding, the x-ray came clean, we’ll set you up with IV fluid, and tetanus shot to be safe.”
“Nurse Gellar here will cut the rest of the jeans off, get you in a gown for a few hours of observation. Just a precaution for blood transfusions. We’ll have some scrubs you can wear when you can leave.” Dr. Clancy motioned to the tall redhead with a quiet demeanour.
Charlie’s lips lingered on your temple at the fear that flared in your expressive eyes, he would give anything to take your place. He softly sang your couple song as a whimper fell from your lips as the jean tugged the dried blood from the wound. The painful pressure felt as you guessed it had started to bleed again, the feel of liquid rolling down your skin, confirming it.
“I’ll sing anything.” Charlie whispered going through his mental catalogue of songs on your shared playlist, “Oh!”
I’m booking myself a one-way flight
I gotta see the color in your eyes
And telling myself I’m gonna be alright
Without you baby is a waste of time
The tears falling no longer came from the pain but the sheer amount of love you had for the man there. Eyes glittering with pure adoration as his voice came off absolutely heart-melting. So, lost in each other neither of you noticed Owen had been filming from the moment Charlie had said ‘oh’.
Yeah, our first date, girl, the seasons changed
It got washed away in a summer rain
You can’t undo a fall like this
’Cause love don’t know what distance is
Yeah, I know it’s crazy
Charlie’s hand slowly slid up your arms to cup your tear-streaked tacky cheeks in his warm grip. The hospital faded as it became just you and Charlie. Completely oblivious at the audience in the room.
“He loves her,” Jensen whispered to Jared out of the camera frame that the blonde-haired kid’s phone. It was such a pure moment it felt disrespectful to see this exchange but also honoured to see it firsthand.
“I’ve only seen the look in your eyes for Danneel,” Jared replied, cupping his hands over his face listening to the near inaudible wet chuckle you gave.
“As I have between you and Gen. They have the real kind of love.”
But I don’t want “good”, and I don’t want “good enough.”
I want “can’t sleep, can’t breathe without your love”
Front porch and one more kiss, it doesn’t make sense to anybody else
“Charlie.” You sobbed at the best part of your life serenading you in such a romantic moment at the odd setting—his hazel gaze greener in what would come to be a very dear memory to reminisce about.
The calloused thumb caressing your cheek wiping a teardrop away he continued to see as the doctor finished suturing the wound.
Nothing mattered other than the couple currently in a bubble.
Who cares if you’re all I think about,
I’ve searched the world and I know now,
It ain’t right if you ain’t lost your mind.
Yeah, I don’t want easy, I want crazy
Are you with me baby? Let’s be crazy
Charlie’s voice faded with the rest of the song bringing you back to reality with the nurse cleaning up around the wound. That’s how the rest of the day went on waiting for the blood transfusion and IV fluids to finish. You stuffed the tetanus shot while Charlie sang between different genres.
“Thank you.” You softly spoke with Charlie being the only one left in the room with you.
Owen had headed back to their set to finish a scene while giving the updates on you while Jared and Jensen grabbed food. J2 had been very clear they would get Martha to grab some clothing for when they came back. Jensen was determined to deliver you to your home as the first action to make it up to you.
“For what?” Charlie questioned as your index and thumb picked at the cuticles of the opposite hand. Your eyes were hidden from your boyfriend’s gaze.
“For dropping everything to be here.” The words were quiet in the room only filled with breathing and the heart machine you had to be hooked up to.
“My girl-“
“Don’t you mean wife?” You teased brushing a lock of his hair from his forehead taking in the man you had the honor of loving. Of waking up next to in the apartment, you’d been renting ever since you landed the role on Supernatural; overtime Charlie’s things had just accumulated there.
“It was the only way they’d let me in.” Charlie spoke sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, “It’s a little early to call you, but I’m excited to make you my last girlfriend and then my only wife.”
The chuckle fell from your lips, “So, you want to marry me?”
“In front of all our family and friends. Tucked away from the media to celebrate the love we have for each other.” Charlie spoke, “There’s no one else I’d like by my side for the rest of my life.”
A new flood of tears welled at the sincerity in his voice and the warmth laden in his eyes of kaleidoscope colours. Sometimes, depending on his emotion or his clothing, his eyes would be greener, or when he was happy, they had a blue tinge in the green in sadness or your favourite; brown with the swirls of green.
“How did I get so lucky to have the absolute honour to fall in love with you?” Your words created a swell of emotion in the Canadian’s heart.
“The same way whatever deities there are took pity on a boy from Dieppe by bringing him an angel.” Charlie words preceded the kiss on your lips with a grin as you chased his lips after. With one last peck, he leaned back with a fond expression.
“Seriously how do you get stabbed accidently?” Charlie chortled with that gorgeous smile lighting up the room more than the white lights.
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Uncalled they come to me, and told, they still won’t leave me (Din Djarin/Soulmate!Reader)
Spoilers for Chapter 9 (S2E1) of the Mandalorian
Summary: After the ambitious Toro Calican turns on you, his hired mechanic, in hopes of winning favour with the Guild, the mysterious Mandalorian saves your life. Now that you owe him a life debt, he’s stuck with you until you can save him back. It’s not so bad, having a free mechanic and babysitter for the kid, but things take a turn for the worse when both of you realise you might be catching feelings. For someone that might not even be your Soulmate.
Requested by Anon: Hello! How’re you doing? May I please request a Din x reader soulmate au? The one where you don’t see color until you touch your soulmate? It would be very difficult for Din to find his soulmate and I’ve always wanted to see how it played out. If not that’s ok! Thank you and have a wonderful day ❤️
Key: (Y/N) - your name, (h/c) - hair colour, (e/c) - eye colour
Translations: vode - siblings, Ret’urcye mhi - goodbye (literally: may we meet again), mirshmure’cya - brain-kiss (Basic term, is Keldabe kiss. This is the soft one as opposed to the literal headbutt term)
Asked to be tagged in this disaster: @pearlll09
Word Count: remember when i said this would be 4k? Yeah. It’s 6,478 words. What. The. Fuck.
Author’s Note: this is way longer than I intended it to be but I think u deserve it since u were the only one who saw my post begging for mando requests and actually sent one hksjlfdkj tysm!! I’m so happy I got to write a Soulmate AU for him tbh. Btw, I have it in my head that Yodito would’ve given him the ability to see green, as a familial Soulmate bond, but it wouldn’t work for this if your eyes are green so I just left it out. (Also wtf is up with the Cobb/Din shit, Cobb is clearly in a dedicated relationship with the bartender Weequay. I named them Sala :D) The title is from The Teller of Tales by Gabriela Mistral.
Read On AO3
*
“Do you wear those gloves all the time?”
The Mando gives you a look—one that you can’t read, obviously, but you get the idea that it’s drier than the desert you’re in.
Calican snorts, but you shoot him a glare and he shuts up. You’re only here because he’s paying well for your mechanical skills, enough that his request of an extra hand on his first bounty seemed reasonable. Finding out that he’s hunting Fennec Shand was...less than pleasing, but now that the Mando is onboard, you’re not quite so worried about the outcome. They’re supposed to be fearsome warriors, after all. And he was smart enough to figure out how to wait out Shand, which is what the three of you have been doing for hours.
“I’m just saying,” you continue, “between the armour and the gloves, it must be damn near impossible to find your Soulmate.”
He shrugs. Sort of. It’s kind of hard to tell, to be honest.
“Haven’t you heard the stories?” Calican asks, flopping back onto the sand. “Mandalorians don’t have Soulmates. They start seeing colour after their first battle; war is their only destiny.”
You roll your eyes. They’re folk tales, really, and ridiculous ones at that. Every sentient has at least one Soulmate, romantic, platonic, familial, or otherwise, and there’s no reason for Mandalorians to be any different. Still, the stories make their rounds. There are specific ones, too, like the one about the Mandalorian Jedi who made the Darksaber; he was said to see colour when he lit his weapon for the first time. Fett, too, was said to have seen a new colour with every clone that was decanted—which is mildly ridiculous.
“Maybe the Mandalorians of old,” Mando comments with a scoff. “Not many of us see battle these days.”
“Well, if you’re looking for it, I know a krayt dragon a few hundred klicks away,” you suggest lightly.
He snorts. “No thanks. I’ll take the assassin.”
“Speaking of,” you said, “you guys know I’m just a mechanic, right?”
There’s a pause. Calican nods, but the Mando is still.
“What?” he asks, displeasure in his voice.
“I mean, I’m pretty good with a blaster, but I’m gonna be useless against Fennec Shand.”
Mando whirls on Calican. “You paid a mechanic to be your back-up? Are you insane?”
He shrugs. “(Y/N) has a mean right hook.”
“That’s not reassuring,” Mando huffs. He looks over at you and you can almost feel him glaring through the visor. “Are you crazy?”
“I’m broke,” you scoff. “Same thing. Oh, hey, do you need repairs on that hunk of junk you pilot? I’ll be more thorough than that lady at the hangar.”
He hesitates. “We’ll see.”
You grin. That’s not a no.
*
“You’re a prick, did I mention that?” you hiss over your shoulder.
Calican shoves the blaster into your side. “Shut up and keep walking.”
The Mandalorian stands on the other side of the hangar, waiting for Calican to make his move. Seriously, this day could not be going any worse. After killing Shand, Toro Calican, certified dumbass, decided that kidnapping you and the Mandalorian’s—pet? Child?—passenger was the best way to go. Whatever the little weird thing that’s in your arms is, it’s pretty cute, and you’d rather he shoot you than the baby holding tightly onto your shirt. In fact, he probably will, because the kid is his ticket into the Guild—you’re just dead weight.
“Looks like I’m calling the shots now. Huh, partner?” Calican asks the Mando. “Drop your blaster and raise ‘em.”
The Mandalorian puts his hands behind his head. Next to you, Calican pushes Peli forward and instructs her to cuff him. With a huff, she moves behind the Mandalorian with the intent to follow orders.
“You’re a Guild traitor, Mando,” Calican begins. You consider sighing. This sounds like the start of a villain monologue. “And I’m willing to bet that this here is the target you helped escape. Fennec was right. Bringing you in won’t just make me a member of the Guild, it’ll make me legendary.”
In a burst of light, the Mandalorian sets off a flash grenade.
You yelp and tuck the little thing into your arms before tucking yourself over into a roll down the ramp of the ship. You fall into the sand just in front of the Mandalorian, who’s moved to fire a shot at Calican, sending him flying off the other side, smouldering.
Breathing heavily, you sit up, the child still in your arms.
“Are you okay? Is the child?”
You look up. The Mandalorian has his gloved hand held out, offering to help you up. Hesitantly, you take it and pull yourself off the ground.
“We’re both okay—I think,” you say hesitantly, holding the baby out to him. “Is he—?”
“Dead,” the Mando confirms, taking the child from you.
You frown. “Good riddance. Thank you,” you tell him hesitantly, though your tone is genuine.
“It’s nothing,” he murmurs.
He distracts himself by checking on the child, who coos up at him contentedly. You smile a little at the interaction, but put yourself back into focus.
“It’s not nothing,” you say firmly. “I owe you a life debt.”
He freezes. “What?”
“Where I come from, if someone saves your life, you owe it to them. Until I can save your life, I owe you,” you explain.
“That’s—you don’t need to do that,” he says quickly.
You cross your arms. “It’s like your Way. It’s my culture, my honour on the line. You’re stuck with me, Mando.”
“What? No. Can’t you...pay me, or something?”
“I’m broke, remember?”
“You saved the child’s life, doesn’t that count?”
Your eyebrows shoot up. “I rolled with him. You did the work, so, no, it doesn’t count, even though he’s your…” You hesitate, remembering the word. “...foundling.”
“You know, you’re kind of getting the better end of the deal here,” Peli pipes up, directing the thought at the Mandalorian. “A free mechanic, babysitter, and an extra blaster? That’s a bargain.”
“Uh...pre-warning, I don’t know much about child care,” you warn immediately.
He snorts. “Neither do I.” After a moment, he sighs deeply. “Fine. But we’re going to work on those blaster skills before you become a liability.”
“Fair enough.”
*
Sticking with the Mandalorian is probably the worst decision of your life.
Almost immediately after Tatooine, in need of more funds, he drags you into trouble with another group of bounty hunters and the New Republic, of all groups.
“Who is this?” someone asks, her voice sing-song as she enters the Mandalorian’s ship.
You don’t bother turning around, continuing your repairs on a hull panel. “The mechanic. Don’t touch anything.”
“You have a personal mechanic?”
A few people enter the ship, making you finally turn around. The first speaker is a Twi’lek woman and the second a Human, who squints disdainfully. From behind him, Mando pushes past their little crew—including a protocol droid and a massive Devaronian—to approach you, deciding to stand next to you rather than them, which brings you immense pleasure for some reason.
“No. (Y/N) owes me a life debt and, apparently, credits don’t cut it,” he explains shortly, sounding frustrated and exhausted.
You nudge him companionably—it’s an argument you’ve had a few times, the paying of your debt. He doesn’t want to be free of you, per se, but he doesn’t want you to be in his debt. Having that kind of power or hold over you makes him uncomfortable, you can tell, as every time it comes up he gets twitchy.
“Kinky,” the Twi’lek snickers.
You grimace. That would explain why Mando sounds like he wants to die. “Fun group. What’s the job?”
“One of theirs got caught. We’re getting him out,” he says. “And we’re using our ship.”
Our ship. Maybe it’s a slip of the tongue or maybe he’s making it clear that you’re with him, but either way, it brings a smirk to your face. The Twi’lek looks disgusted.
“Well, at least my hard work won’t be going to waste,” you huff.
“Mando,” the Twi’lek interrupts, “you haven’t introduced us.”
You can feel him rolling his eyes. “(Y/N), meet Mayfeld, Burg, Xi’an. Mayfeld is running point, the droid is flying, and the target is a New Republic transport ship.”
“Ugh. You guys better be good; I’m not getting arrested.”
“Mayfeld’s former Imperial,” Mando says before any of them can answer.
You scoff. “A stormtrooper? My shitty blaster skills would be better than his.”
“I wasn’t a stormtrooper,” Mayfeld spits, annoyed enough that he must’ve said it once already. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
All but the droid stay, scattered around the hull. Mando follows soon after the jump to hyperspace, having hovered over the droid while it set their course. He stops Burg from getting into the weapons cache right after he hops down the ladder and the two look like they want to kill each other.
“Someone tell me why we even need a Mandalorian,” the Devaronian grunts.
Mayfeld huffs. “Well, apparently, they’re the greatest warriors in the galaxy. So they say.”
“Then why are they all dead?”
They all laugh at that—Xi’an with a particularly nasal one, which is irritating beyond belief. You frown deeply, but try not to show how pissed their laughter makes you. That sort of shit isn’t to be made fun of; a dying race. It’s all too familiar these days, what with the death of Alderaan and the crater on Scarif.
When you come back into focus, Xi’an is talking in low tones.
“See, I know who you really are,” she says to the Mando.
You roll your eyes. Unlikely.
(Something in your brain goes: I do, which is stupid. You don’t know who he is, under that helmet, sure, but you’ve seen a lot of him through his actions. He’s reckless, terrifying, and a badass, but he’s also patient and...kind, in his own way. The way he treats the child is like nothing you’ve seen in another bounty hunter. It’s gentle, caring. The kid has really grown on him, you think. And the way he treats you is just straight up polite, even though you’re practically his servant in terms of a life debt. Still, he treats you like a person and doesn’t ask you to do unreasonable favours just because he saved your life. He doesn’t hold it over your head.)
And then they start goading him about the helmet.
Burg actually goes for it, which Mando beats him back for. You jump forward, but just as you do, the door to the sleeping cot flies open, revealing the child.
Instead, you rush to the child, pulling him into your arms.
“What is that?” Mayfeld asks, approaching.
“Back off,” you hiss.
He looks between you and Mando. “Wait, did you two make that?” When you scoff, he frowns. “What is it, like a pet or somethin’?”
“Yeah. Something like that,” Mando says quickly.
Xi’an frowns. “Didn’t take you for the type. Maybe that code of yours has made you soft.”
You snort. Soft. That isn’t a word you’d use to describe him, ever. You haven’t seen very much action since Tatooine, but you saw enough there.
Mayfeld reaches for the child and, without hesitation, you lift your blaster. The way he’s looking at the little guy makes you uneasy.
“Fuck off,” you warn instantly.
“Aw, c’mon, I just wanna hold him,” he teases.
Over the comms, the droid’s voice echoes. “Dropping out of hyperspace. Now.”
The entire ship shudders and shakes, sending everyone flying off their feet. You happen to ram into beskar, your face slamming into the metal, which makes you yelp. The baby wails in your arms as gravity makes to tug you away again. Before it can, Mando grabs your arms and holds you in place against him until the ship is steady once more.
“You okay?” he asks, helping you to your feet���again, you think miserably.
“Ugh, no,” you groan, putting a hand on the left side of your face. “That’s gonna bruise.”
Mando takes the child from you. “Sorry. We’ll deal with it after.”
You wave him off. “I’ve had worse. You worry about the job, I’ll watch the kid,” you say, taking the child back. You can’t help but smile when he coos happily.
“Right,” Mando mutters. For a moment, he watches you both, considering.
“Mando!” calls Mayfeld. “Let’s go!”
Before he goes, he puts a hand on your shoulder. “Be careful. I have a bad feeling about this.” You nod, which seems to appease him, and watch him leave.
Petting the child’s floppy ears, you wonder if he meant that to be as comforting as it was.
*
I should’ve known, Din thinks when Qin walks out of that cell.
I definitely should’ve known, he decides, returning to the Razor Crest to find a sparking droid corpse and a shaking child in your arms.
He tosses the cuffed Twi’lek to the side and rushes to yours, stepping over Zero’s limp form. You look relatively unfazed, for someone who’s just ripped a droid’s head off with their bare hands, but the child is rather distressed. The kid squeaks at the sight of Din and, much to his surprise, lifts your hand to show him.
It’s bleeding.
“What did you do?” Din questions, crossing the hull for his medical kit.
“I...may have tried to punch the droid,” you admit hesitantly. “It didn’t work.”
He scoffs, returning to kneel in front of you with bacta patches in his hands. “No karking shit.”
Your face falls as he reaches for your hand, pulling it toward him so he can patch it up. “It was gonna hurt the kid.”
“You did good,” he murmurs. “Stupid, but good.”
It never occurred to him that you might save the child again. You’re here out of necessity, after all, because you owe him, because your honour depends on paying that debt. The child is just another being in the vicinity, but you still saved him. Again. You’re either very stupid or very kind and he can’t decide which one is more concerning.
“Maybe you should teach me a bit of hand to hand, too,” you suggest warmly, wincing at the bacta’s sting.
Din makes a noise that’s sort of a laugh. “I’ll add it to the list.”
He moves to put bacta on the bruise his beskar gave you—He feels ridiculously guilty for that; here you are, paying off a life debt to him, and he still manages to hurt you—but with a hand, you stop him.
“Don’t waste it,” you say immediately. “I’ve had worse bruises, seriously.”
He frowns. “It’s not a waste.” Before you can protest, he puts the patch on top of the bruise.
You huff. “You’re a worrier, aren’t you, Mando?”
“Apparently,” he replies dryly. He hadn’t realised it, either.
“Will you stop flirting and get us out of here!?” Qin shouts from the other side of the hull. “The New Republic will be on our asses!”
You roll your eyes. “I hate to say it, but he has a point. Where are the others?”
“Dealt with,” he says simply. “It was a double-cross.”
“Well, I figured,” you shoot back with a knowing look. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
The drop is easy enough, especially since Din knows that New Republic signal is beeping steadily from Qin’s pocket. He escapes quickly, dipping back into the Razor Crest, where you wait at the top of the ramp, the child hanging onto your boot.
“Let’s go,” he declares, the ramp shutting behind him as he enters.
“Already?” you question with a raised eyebrow. “There are a few repairs I could make out of hyperspace that might be useful.”
He waves you toward the cockpit. “Later. We need to leave.”
“Oookay.” You frown but do as he says, plucking the child from off your foot. “C’mon, little guy,” you mutter to him.
Din waves away all your questions as he starts the take-off. Finally, when the Razor Crest is a safe distance away from the space station and X-Wings appear out of hyperspace, he glances back at you.
“Holy shit!” you cry as they open fire. You look back at him with a slack jaw, which makes him smile underneath the helmet. “That was you, wasn’t it?”
He shrugs half-heartedly, but it’s enough of an answer.
“You’re a maniac, Mando,” you laugh, watching the scene through the transparisteel.
Din thinks over it, staring at you for a long moment. There’s light in your eyes—maybe it’s the reflection of the explosion, but it’s captivating.
“Din,” he says.
You look over. “Hm?”
He clears his throat, trying to shove aside nerves. “My name. It’s Din.”
“Oh. Oh,” you repeat, eyes wide. Then, you smile, more genuine than he’s ever seen from you, he thinks. “You’re crazy, Din. You know that, right?”
He laughs—and that’s the first time you’ve heard a proper one from him. “Yeah. Yeah, I know.”
*
When Din drops a pair of gloves in front of you, you laugh.
“You’re telling me the gloves are out of convenience?” you ask him disbelievingly.
“The more skin you cover, the less likely you are to get cut up by a vibroblade,” he replies dryly. “Put them on.”
You raise your hands in surrender and take them, slipping them over your fingers. “Surprisingly comfy.”
It occurs to you that this is...sort of a big deal. You’ve kept your hands bare for as long as you can remember, mostly because you’re a romantic and finding your Soulmate has been at the forefront of your mind for a long time. But now, you think, it’s not such a big deal. You have a debt to pay and, besides that, you’re pretty happy with how things are now.
Life isn’t exactly nice with Din and the kid, so to say, but you’re content. You love the child and he adores you. The Razor Crest feels more like home than any planet ever has. And Din is...well, he’s something. Being around him is mildly addicting and whenever he’s gone, something feels incomplete.
“Better?” you ask, lifting your gloved hands.
“Much,” he says. Then, he holds out his own hand. “C’mon, up.”
You take the hand without thought, but before you know it, he’s swinging you around and shoving you to the ground.
“Ow!” you cry. “What the hell, Din?”
He huffs. “Lesson 1: Never take anything for granted.”
“Rude.” You hit his arm meaningfully, but he just rolls his eyes; just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean you can’t tell it’s happening.
“You’ll thank me someday.”
“But not today.”
“Nope. Today, you’re gonna hate my guts.”
*
He’s dying.
It feels unreal, what with everything you’ve watched him survive so far. A newbie bounty hunter, a group of pissed off bounty hunters, lots of bounty hunters, and the New Republic but a group of stormtroopers is what gets him?
Moff Gideon is what really gets him, though. The bastard that helped destroy his people is going to destroy Din Djarin. Hearing him speak Din’s name makes you nauseous, furious, even. He gave you that name in confidence, trusted it to you, the only one of his handful of friends to even use it, and Gideon decides to declare it to Nevaroo in its entirety. It makes your blood boil, enough that you get out of the initial firefight mostly unscathed.
But Din doesn’t. And now he’s dying in your arms and you feel like you failed.
“Go with them,” he tells you, all croaky and half-assed.
“No. No, I’m not leaving you here,” you declare, carefully leaning him against the rubble.
Flames flicker all around the room and the child is crying. It’s not loud or consistent, but it’s enough to break your heart.
“You have to go,” Din says again. “You’ll die.”
You laugh ruefully. “That’s kind of the point. A life debt means I save your life or I die trying.”
A pause.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” he hisses through the pain.
“Afraid not, dumbass. You’re stuck with me, remember?”
He grasps your arm, his hands still gloved. If you’re going to die here, maybe you should ask him to take off the gloves. A part of you has wondered…
“C’mon, tell me it’s transferable—some ‘dying wish’ shit like that.”
You nod, though the action sinks uncomfortably into your chest. Leaving him here...that doesn’t sit well with you. But if he asks, then you’ll do it. “Yeah, you name it, but it’d better be a big one, something equivalent.”
The breath he lets out is one of relief. “Take care of the kid. Go find his people and return him to them. Protect him.”
“With my dying breath,” you swear, the words holding an air of ceremony.
Din grasps your arm tighter and pulls you down, your forehead meeting his helmet. You’re not sure what it means, but it must mean something because he mutters words in his own language, which you’ve never heard him do before.
“Ret’urcye mhi.”
May we meet again.
Din does what little he can in saying goodbye to you, as deeply as that cuts. You’ve grown on him, a little too much maybe, and it kills him to think that you’ll be without him now. You still can’t hit a headshot, he realises, suddenly worried for how you’ll fare.
And so he gives you what he can: a Keldabe kiss and a goodbye, instead of the action he wants to take. He wants to take off his gloves and see if he can figure out the colour of your eyes. On the other hand, though, he doesn’t want to leave you with that, of all things, to leave you seeing the red of his blood and the blue-tinged orange of the flames before any other colours.
You take the child in your arms and, with one last glance at Din, leave the room for the covert’s tunnels underground.
The child whimpers up at you.
You look down, sniffling, and pet his ears gently. “I know, little one. I’m so sorry.” You place a gentle kiss to his forehead.
Cara appears, tugging on your wrist. “C’mon,” she says gently. “We need to get out of here.”
It occurs to you, as the three of you and Greef move on, that Cara might help you with the child. For Din, obviously. She’s a good person and, frankly, she and Din seem pretty friendly. The second she saw you, she’d offered her bare hand and bemoaned the fact that her vision was still black and white, much to your amusement. It was all in good fun, but Din had looked a little uncomfortable, for reasons you didn’t know.
“(Y/N),” Cara says quietly, calling your attention back.
You shake yourself from your thoughts. “Sorry.”
She smiles sadly. “It’s okay. Just keep up.”
The small group turns a few corners before footsteps sound from behind. You immediately place the child in the bag hanging from Cara’s shoulder and draw your blaster, watching her and Greef do the same.
From the distant hall, two figures approach: IG-11 and—
“Din!” you half-cry, half-breathe out. Holstering your blaster, you meet them halfway to take more of Din’s weight from IG. “How—?”
“No living thing can see me without my helmet. IG isn’t alive,” Din says dryly.
You laugh, a partly manic sound. “Thank kark. You’re not getting out of this that easy.”
The noise he makes is both amused and resigned. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Where’s the—?”
“He’s with Cara,” you say, finishing the thought before even he can, in his groggy state.
It’s safe to say that when the Armourer gives him his sigil, Din almost considers correcting the Clan of two to a Clan of three. He doesn’t, reminding himself that you’re here because of a debt and nothing else, but the thought is there.
*
The months after Nevarro are more peaceful than the first week of your time with Din.
You finally get to pull a proper sleeping space together for yourself. Well, it’s a hammock in the hull, but it’s better than the seats in the cockpit. The child gets his own hammock, too, though it’s in the cot space with Din. He loves it, so much so that he squeals when he sees it. That’s your proudest moment, for sure.
Most days, you tend to forget that you still owe a life debt. To be honest, it just feels like the three of you are normal. Din takes bounties, you take short mechanic jobs on different planets, and the two of you trade off on child-duty. It’s pretty regular, more than what your life used to be, anyway.
Din is still training you in hand-to-hand and blasters, of course. You’re getting better with the latter, but the first is difficult. On the way to Tatooine, where there’s supposedly another Mandalorian, he decides to have another training session.
“Fists higher, do it again.”
Huffing, you wipe your wrist across your sweaty forehead. It’s easy enough to obey the order—the first part, anyway. Getting into his guard is difficult, though.
One hit, two blocks—there. You slip under his guard and make an abrupt drop to the ground, sweeping his legs out under him with a fierce movement. He goes down in a tumble of beskar, joining you on the floor. As soon as he’s down, you flip over and straddle his hips, an arm over his neck in false threat.
He barks out a laugh. “Much better.”
“I’m not entirely hopeless!” you declare joyfully before bursting into snickers.
Leaning down, you thunk your forehead against his helmet. The gesture is fond, you’ve learned, something shared between close companions—or at least you think. Din told you that it’s called a mirshmure’cya in Mando’a, that it doesn’t have an equivalent word in Basic.
(Which is technically true. Literally, it means brain-kiss, but the outsider term for it is Keldabe kiss. It can be used for close companions—vode in arms, family—but it’s also used for romantic partners, so he’s mildly horrified at the idea of explaining its cultural significance to you and having to face his feelings for someone that may or may not be his Soulmate. He hasn’t gotten up the courage to ask if he can check. Or try to do it discreetly.)
A distant beeping starts up, coming from the cockpit. It’s the approach warning, which means the training session is over.
“I’ll get the kid,” you say, climbing off Din and offering a hand.
He takes it without hesitation, dragging himself up and making a beeline for the cockpit.
Tatooine is about what you remember. That is, it’s dry, sandy, and the worst planet you’ve ever been on. Stepping out of the ship and into the hangar makes you smile, though, at the not-so-distant memory of Din saving your life. It hasn’t been that long, but it feels like it’s been years.
“Oh, hey!” says Peli, after greeting the child—which is fair, he’s adorable. “You’re still with him! Haven’t repaid that debt yet, huh?”
Your face falls. “Uh, no, not really.”
On the way to Mos Pelgo, your thoughts linger on the life debt. One of these days, you’re going to save Din’s life—then where will you be? Will he want you to leave? What will you do if you have to leave? Your old life was nowhere near as interesting as this, nor did you have anyone close to what Din and the child are to you.
The dreary grey slopes of sand only make it easier to think of the worst possible outcomes. Now you remember why you hated Tatooine so much.
You don’t even realise the speeder is approaching the small town until Din taps your arm, which is wrapped around his waist. Jumping at the touch, you loosen your grip sheepishly and glance at the child, who looks like he’s enjoying himself immensely.
After the speeder comes to a stop, you take the kid while Din enters the cantina.
When you enter yourself, you find that he’s about to shoot someone, while the Weequay behind the bar looks rather distressed.
“Perfect timing, as always,” Din remarks without a glance.
You raise your free hand. “You’re the bad luck charm, I’m just here for the ride,” you retort teasingly.
“You brought a kid to a gunfight?” his opponent asks, raising an eyebrow.
Finally, you glance over at him and see why Din looks ready to kill him. He’s in Mandalorian armour but his helmet is off—clearly, he’s not Mandalorian. “You’re wearing beskar and you’re not a Mandalorian, buddy. I think you’re in more trouble than the kid is.”
“He is,” Din gets out, a twinge of viciousness in his voice.
Before they can even reach for their blasters, though, the ground starts to shake.
You grab onto the doorway for support, eyes wide as you grip the child. Din and the Mandalorian poser move toward the door, joining you and staring out at the street outside.
The entire planet feels like it rumbles and chaos reigns outside.
Something is moving the sand—coming toward the town.
“Holy fuck,” you whisper as it goes by, shifting the sand like it’s an ocean rather than earth. It flies out of the ground, sharp teeth the only thing you see as it consumes a bantha whole.
When it’s gone, the poser huffs. “Maybe we can work something out.” He turns to you, offering a hand, which is covered by fingerless gloves. “Cobb Vanth. I’m the Marshal here.”
You take it hesitantly, glad that things are still black and white when you make contact. “(Y/N).”
He notices your hesitation and chuckles. “The Weequay in there is Sala, my Soulmate. I’ll see if they can’t whip up something for the kid; I’m sure he’s starving.”
“Very,” you say, just before he goes to leave.
When it’s just you and Din, you look over at your companion. “Krayt dragon, huh?”
“Yep,” he sighs, already sounding tired.
You laugh. “I know I said I could bring you to one when we met, but I was totally kidding.”
He looks over at you and you can feel the low-level glare behind the visor, but it only makes you snicker. “I hate you.”
“You’re so full of shit,” you retort immediately.
*
You finally get to repay your debt.
It’s not what you’re thinking about when you shove Din out of the way of the krayt’s projectile venom, but it’s repaid nonetheless.
Din doesn’t think of it immediately, either, as he’s rather more concerned with the fact that you’re sent flying across the desert into a pile of debris and sharp rocks.
“(Y/N)!”
Before he can run to you, Cobb grabs his arm. “The dragon!”
To be honest, killing the dragon feels like a bonus when he pulls himself together and figures out a plan. When the great beast explodes, the Tuskens and the villagers cheer, but Din races back to the place he saw you last. He pushes aside the remains of one of those massive weapons they built to find you, laying on the ground. For a moment, panic clutches his heart, but then you groan.
“Am I dead?” you ask.
Din lets out a breath, hardly managing it, as he kneels next to you. “Dumbass.”
“Because it feels like I’m dead.”
“Dumbass,” he repeats, ripping your shirt away to find a deep cut in your side, just above your hip. “Of all the ways to pay your debt—”
You sit up, wincing. “Oh,” you say, as if you hadn’t realised it, “I guess I did that, too.”
Din’s heart is still beating a million klicks a second at how close you were to being dead, but for a second, it flips, realising that you hadn’t saved him just to pay the debt. And then, as he’s helping you off the ground and bringing you toward the others, who have bacta patches ready, his heart sinks.
Your debt is paid. You don’t have any reason to stay with him and the kid. As soon as you get back to the city, he’s going to have to watch you leave.
Shit. He didn’t think this through.
Meanwhile, you’re on the same train of thought. Does he really think you saved him for the debt? Does he want you gone that bad? It makes sense. You’re a pain in the ass, with all the training you need. But...well, you thought he might’ve—
“I’ve changed my mind,” you declare.
Din, terrified, attempts to sound neutral. “About?”
“The worst job we’ve ever taken. This is definitely it,” you huff as he helps you down onto a smoother boulder, taking patches from a Tusken.
He goes to use them, but you raise a hand.
“If you even think about getting near my wound with those nasty gloves, I’m going to skin you,” you threaten.
Frankly, Din is too shaken to even laugh. The silence lays there, stilted, as he removes his gloves and sits somewhat behind you, on another close stone. You’ve taken yours off, too, seeing as one is ripped all the way through.
He’s careful with the bacta patch and his bare hands, making sure not to touch your skin.
Now, of all moments, would be the worst time to find out that you really don’t have a reason to stay.
While he works, he thinks, briefly, that he should say something. “(Y/N),” he starts to say. “I—”
But that happens to be the moment he’s putting the bacta patch on. You suck in a sharp breath through your teeth, wincing. Your hand flies out, reaching for something to ground you. Of course, because something out there has it out for you, you grab his hand, forgetting that his gloves are, for once in his life, not there.
You realise, ridiculously, that his hand is warm.
And then the world around you explodes into colour.
The faded yellow of the surrounding desert is overwhelming with how it burns into your eyes alongside the brilliant blue of the sky. The surrounding Tuskens are in browns and greys, simple things, but so, so beautiful to your new sight. You breathe out, a shaky action.
Behind you, Din comes to see the same, but his gaze is stuck on the back of your head—the (h/c) of your hair and how the light catches in it, despite it being a complete mess.
You barely have the breath to gasp, but you do, whirling around to face him.
His beskar is beyond what you’d pictured: a shining, sparkling silver that could stand out on a star. No wonder rooms fall silent at the sight of him.
Din has the same thought about your eyes. On death’s door, all he’d wanted was to know what colour they are and now he knows, but it feels so useless now. He doesn’t even know what to call them. Sure, (e/c) would work, however weakly. You are...something else. You always have been, but now it’s like he can see it, the beauty of who you are so plainly painted into your features.
Din doesn’t even have the time to be afraid of your reaction before the words are slipping out. “I don’t want you to go.”
You just stare at him for a long moment, words processing.
It...kind of freaks him out.
He jumps when you fling yourself at him, arms wrapped around his shoulders in the tightest hug he’s ever gotten. Immediately, he responds, clutching the back of your shirt like it’ll save his life.
“Thank the Force,” you breathe out, just beside where his ear is under the helmet. “I don’t wanna leave.”
Din lets out a breath of relief and tugs you closer so you’re practically sitting on his lap. It can’t be comfortable, but you don’t seem to mind. When you do finally pull away, it’s to press your forehead against his helmet. It sends a swell of affection through him again, your constant Keldabe kisses. He taught you something important to his culture, to him, and here you are, using it without thought.
“Is it too late to tell you that this is the Mandalorian equivalent of a kiss?” he murmurs, more than a little embarrassed.
You laugh softly, arms reaching to rest around his neck. “And I thought you were so cool.”
“I just blew up a krayt dragon,” he argues.
“Oh, you’re plenty badass, Din,” you tease back, “just...not smooth.”
He huffs. “I’m gonna kick your ass next training session.”
A grin comes over your face and, for a second, he can’t comprehend why that would make you smile—until he realises that he just promised a next time. You’d genuinely believed he wanted you gone and Din thought you wanted to leave, but neither of you were right.
A whine from below catches both your attention.
The child reaches up from the ground, making grabby hands.
You laugh, a noise Din echoes quietly, and pluck him from the ground, holding him in your careful hands. “Hey, buddy. Feeling left out?”
He squeaks a confirmation, his little hands—green hands, you realise, deeply amused—reaching for Din’s helmet. Once he has a comfortable hand, he bashes his head against the helmet.
Din yelps, not out of pain, but concern, grabbing for the kid, who wobbles dizzily.
“Oh, shit—” Din says.
“Woah, woah,” you get out between wheezing laughs. “Don’t do that! His head is much harder than yours.”
The kid makes a weak huff and curls against Din’s chest stubbornly.
“I think that was an attempted kiss,” you suggest to Din.
Underneath his helmet, he grins. Petting the child’s head with a gentle finger, he looks back up at you. “It was cute.”
��Very,” you agree.
Without prompting, Din reaches for your hand again, a little hesitant. You take his gladly, running your thumb across his knuckles, which makes him shiver.
“Clan of three,” he whispers.
You lift your gaze. “Hm?”
“The Armourer, she said, ‘Clan of two’ when she gave me my sigil,” he explains. “I wanted to correct her then.”
The smile on your face is beyond words. “Clan of three has a ring to it. You’re stuck with me for good now, Din Djarin.”
He snorts and raises your hand to his helmet, touching it briefly to the metal in lieu of kissing it.
Tatooine might be the worst place in the universe, Din thinks that it doesn’t matter so much where he is. Sitting here, with you and the kid, he thinks that this might be home.
*
River’s Tags: @hahaboop & @mystoragehatesme
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#din djarin x reader#din djarin x you#din djarin imagine#din djarin oneshot#sw x reader#sw imagine#sw oneshot#star wars x reader#star wars imagine#star wars oneshot#star wars fanfic#sw fanfic#din djarin fanfic#the mandalorian#the mandalorian x reader#the mandalorian imagine#the mandalorian oneshot#the mandalorian fanfic#that's the most tags ive used in a while#uncalled they come to me#rivika#river#generallynerdy#request#anon request#din djarin#star wars#sw
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Open My Eyes
Apocalyptic AU.
Dean gets increasingly jealous of your bond with Gadreel and things come to a head after a misunderstanding on a run
Dean had known you for years. Long before the dead started to rise and the world as it was previously known came crashing down. He knew you inside and out, you were one of his best friends. Maybe that was why it was bothering him so deeply to see you get closer with someone who was fairly new to your group. Gadreel had come in with the Banes twins. They’d gone through Bobby’s usual line of questions without missing a beat and had fit in smoothly enough with everyone else. That had been nearly six months ago which was a lifetime nowadays.
He tried to get you out of his head as he walked across the field that stretched between the outer fence and inner fence of the compound all of you now called home. It’d started life as a high school but with some hard work and a lot of blood, sweat and tears it was now a suitable place to survive the new world. Unfortunately before he could reach the sanctuary of the building where Bobby, Sam and Jody were waiting to talk about the new run that needed to happen he heard the all too familiar sound of your laugh.
He turned and found a small smile working its way onto his face when he saw you walking with Alicia and Max. You had your arm around Alicia’s shoulder and was laughing at something Max had said. He started to call your name but before he could he heard it called from a different direction and felt his mood immediately sour when you pulled your arm from Alicia to greet Gadreel as he made it to the three of you. He watched you pull the other man down to whisper something in his ear and felt anger flick at his mind. Especially when Gadreel laughed then whispered something back to you. Dean spun on his heel, he didn’t need to see any more.
------
The door to the meeting room slammed open but luckily for the three people sitting around the table it took a lot more than that to rattle their nerves. Bobby barely glanced up from the map “Nice of you to join us Dean now how about leaving the damn door on the hinges?”
Sam watched his brother drag a chair out and flop down into it. He wanted to ask what was wrong but knew that they needed to get this meeting through and that Dean was prone to shut down if asked directly what was wrong. He always did better with letting it slip through cursing whatever had soured his mood.
“From what we can figure there’s a couple veterinarian clinics along the route as well and considering the fact that people medicine isn’t actually any different than animal medicine they may have supplies there and it wouldn’t hurt to check” Jody spoke tapping a few different places on the map. Bobby nodded then cut his eyes at Dean “You and Sam up to taking a team and checking it out? We need the supplies to winterize this place once and for all, not to mention having extra medical supplies on hand wouldn’t hurt”
“Yeah we can handle it Bobby” Dean promised although it was apparent his mind was still not focused on the meeting. “All in all it’ll probably take about a week or so considering the ground you’ll have to cover so I’d pick a good team. Take Y/N with you too she hangs out with Alex and Kaia enough she can spot anything that has medicinal usage from a mile away” Jody added with a wink to Bobby before pushing away from the table to head out. She’d be gathering supplies for whatever team was picked and wanted to get it together.
Bobby watched her leave then turned back to his surrogate sons. “So I was thinking Y/N, Alicia, Max, Gadreel and Charlie would be a decent team to take. Ain’t like any of those girls can’t handle their own in a fight. Max can get through any tight spot and Gadreel is strong as a horse” Dean scoffed at that which earned him a look from Bobby “You got an issue with any of that son?”
Dean shook his head “Nope” then pushed his chair back “I’m going to gather my gear, you two can make sure everyone is up to the run” with that he walked out leaving Bobby to throw a questioning look at Sam who simply shrugged “I don’t really know what that’s about either” “Make sure he keeps a clear head. There’s a lot of dangers out there and not just the biters got it?” Sam nodded “Yes sir”
------
You were helping Jody to gather supplies for the upcoming run after she’d come out of the meeting with Bobby, Dean and Sam. “Do you know anything that could be bothering Dean?” She asked, holding out a pack of dried meat. You took it and shook your head “Not that I know of but I could always just ask him?”
She shrugged “No he’ll tell you or Sam if whatever it is gets to bothering him too much” You would hope so anyways. You always went to Dean if anything was bothering you. He’d offer advice if that’s what you were after or simply offer comfort or a place to vent. “I’m gonna grab my jacket and go bag from my room then I’ll meet everyone by the front gate” she nodded to let you know she’d heard you so you turned to head towards the living quarters.
The halls that had been transformed to be mini dorm rooms were actually quite comfortable considering. You considered yourself lucky that you’d been close with a lot of your group before that fateful day that a widespread virus was alerted in the news. You could still remember Sam’s phone call to you “Pack just what you need. Dean will be pulling up at your place any time”
You’d hastily thrown clothes and the contents of your medicine cabinet in a bag. Before you were through grabbing what you deemed necessary you heard a heavy knock on your door followed by Dean’s voice “Come on sweetheart! We gotta go!” When you opened the door your eyes widened when Dean shoved a gun into your hand. “Dean, what’s going on?” you asked and he took a deep breath “Long story short? The dead are rising. True,blue zombies. We gotta go cause shit is hitting the fan fast”
You gripped the gun noticing the one in his own hand and nodded “Lead the way Winchester. You know I trust you”
------
You shook yourself out of thoughts of the past. You needed to focus on this run completely. You grabbed your go bag from the floor checking what ammo you had and slipping a machete at your side. You glanced at your bat leaned next to the bed but decided against it. It was better the few times you’d go out solo or with just one other person. From what Jody had said there was a full team going after the winterizing supplies.
You slipped your jacket on then slid the strap of your bag across your chest. You walked back towards the doors that led outside. The electricity that the compound ran off of came from a mixture of solar panels and generators. The good part? Bobby knew enough to be able to brew enough corn liquor that the generators had fuel for years.
The only downside was that meant the few vehicles you had could only be used in moderation. Short runs horses were used for but considering this one would take about a week and would be gathering supplies for all the black panel van that was used for such runs was parked by the front gate awaiting those going.
You walked towards the gate and smiled when you spotted Dean standing with Bobby and Sam at the front of the van. They were clearly going over the mapped out areas one more time but you knew neither of them would mind you inserting yourself into the conversation. Since Dean’s back was to you and Sam noticed you first so you raised one finger to your lips. He quickly turned his attention back to the conversation so you wouldn’t be noticed.
You quietly took a few steps forward and slid your arms around Dean’s waist and leaned your head on his shoulder even if that meant you had to stand on your tip toes and still barely reach “So where are we going?” you could see the corners of his mouth tick up and knew he was fighting a smile “We’re going to a few different places sweetheart. You wanna hang off me like a spider monkey or you want to actually look at the map?” you feigned a pout “Why can’t I hang off you like a spider monkey and look at the map?” he rolled his eyes with a laugh “Get down”
You pulled your head down from his shoulder and moved your arms from around his waist to step slightly in front of him and look at the map Bobby had laid across the hood. Sam went over the stops with you, highlighting the couple where you’d be taking the lead since you knew more about what was needed for medicinal purposes. “Sounds good to me. Who’s the rest of the crew?” you could’ve sworn you saw a look be passed among the three of them before Bobby said “Alicia, Charlie, Max and Gadreel” you nodded approvingly at the choices “All good picks”
You heard a sharp whistle and turned to see Charlie walking towards the four of you trailed by the rest of the crew. “What’s up bitches? We ready to ride?” “Of course dear” You replied meeting her halfway.
------
Dean watched as you greeted the rest of the crew going on the run. Charlie was like a sister to him, Alicia and Max were cool but spending the next week in close quarters with you and Gadreel? Yeah he may look for some biters just to have an excuse to kill something.
“Alright! Everyone load up!” he barked out and you cut your eyes up at him “Depends, can I have shotgun for the first few miles at least?” He barely glanced at Gadreel before saying “Of course sweetheart” . You shot him a wink then walked around to the passenger side of the van along with everyone else who was climbing into the back.
Sam didn’t miss the look Dean threw at Gadreel or the way his brother had bristled anytime over the last few weeks when he’d see you with the other man. Was that what the attitude was about before the meeting? Was Dean jealous? He chose not to say anything for now and instead simply walked around to sit next to Gadreel on the middle seat since Charlie had taken up the backseat along with the twins.
------
Your destination was two states over. It was a contraction warehouse that had fallen early. Bobby kept an eye on the amount of biters in it versus the prospects of anyone actually getting inside.
Considering the zombies had lightened up in that area and everything needed to finish winterizing the compound and green houses could be found there it was worth the risk to go. That way you'd have running water and fresh food no matter how severe the coming winter got.
You were curled up with your feet under you watching the road whip by as Dean drove. You had a shoebox full of cassette tapes in your lap looking over them to see if any peaked your interest. You plucked one out of the box and stuck it into the player simply to see Dean's reaction when it started playing.
When the first few notes of It's My Life started playing he cut his eyes at you "Bon Jovi really?" You grinned "Hey Bon Jovi rocks...on occasion" then started singing along and couldn't help but laugh when Sam, Charlie and Max joined in.
No matter the music or the company Dean couldn't fight the smile that worked its way onto his face. You had shifted to have your legs out in front of you and were now drumming on the dash along with the music and had everyone in the van either singing or laughing along. Why had he never realized how amazing you were before? Why had it literally taken an apocalypse to open his eyes?
He watched you turn in your seat and bump Gadreel's leg as You Give Love a Bad Name started and felt that same flicker of anger. Maybe he'd waited too long to see what had been in front of him for years, maybe Gadreel had realized it a lot sooner.
The first day on the road was pretty uneventful. There were no stops to be made marked on the map so it was filled with just driving besides stopping for everyone to find a tree.
Considering the route was figured to be about three days there and three back (giving plenty of leadway for any issues that might arise) you asked Dean once the sun started going down if he was ready to pull over somewhere for the night or if he wanted you or Sam to take over driving.
He glanced in the mirror at Sam "What do you say Sammy? Wanna take the wheel for a while?" "Sure" Sam agreed so Dean stopped dead in the center of the road..not like there was a lot of traffic.
"Well I'm gonna climb in the back and get a little sleep" you announced after realizing Charlie, Max and Alicia were all knocked out. "Yeah Gadreel you wanna hop up here man? I'm pretty wiped too" Dean suggested and Gadreel replied "Sure. I already caught my few hours"
Gadreel held the side door open so you slid under his arm with a smile "Thanks '' he smiled in return. When Dean walked around he grabbed the door "I got it. Thanks" Gadreel simply nodded and climbed into the passenger seat.
You were already slid in next to the window when Dean climbed in next to you. You waited until Sam had started driving to turn so you could curl up next to Dean. He looked down at you with a raised eyebrow "What are you doing?" You grinned "Sleeping. Now hush and be a good pillow" instead of pulling away like you half expected he raised his arm slightly to pull you closer to him "I'll be a good pillow if you be a good pillow" you smiled when you felt him lean his head over on you and whispered "Deal"
"Look alive. This is the first of two vet clinics we gotta hit on this trip" Dean spoke as he pulled the van to a stop and glanced around. "Seven people so I'm thinking three teams of two and leave one person behind the wheel in case we need a fast exit?" You suggested and he winked at you "Just what I was thinking"
You slid your gun into the holster on your thigh but grabbed the machete from your floorboard as first line of defense. Guns were loud and the last thing you wanted was a herd of amped up zombies descending on the group before you could even go through the clinic. You turned and looked at everyone then nodded to yourself “Ok so Charlie you up for setting this one out?” She shrugged “Sure but I get to help clear the next one”
You shot her a smile then said “Ok Max and Alicia, Dean and Sam then Gadreel you’re with me..everyone good with that?” Everyone nodded but Dean who just walked to the back of the van to grab the canvas bags out without so much as a look in your direction. You raised an eyebrow to Sam who shrugged so you followed behind Dean keeping an eye out to make sure all of the commotion hadn’t attracted any undue attention.
You stood slightly behind him hearing him mumble to himself before he turned around and realized you were standing there “Son of a bitch Y/N. Make some noise sweetheart, the point is to not blend in with the dead” you grinned playfully “Is that your way of asking me to bite you?” he rolled his eyes but you could see just the barest hint of a smirk trying to work its way onto his face “Just be careful in there. Sure you trust him to have your back?”
You cut your eyes over to your group where they were all watching the woods line that bordered the back parking lot of the clinic “Yeah, I’ll be ok. Not gonna lie I don’t think I’ll ever trust anyone to have my back the way I trust you or well Sam but Gadreel has proved he’s good in a tight spot”
He nodded and for a second you thought he was going to say something else but he simply held out one of the bags “Remember get in, get out” you took the bag with a small smile “Aye aye” then walked back over to the group.
Dean watched you walk over to Gadreel. You said you’d never trust anyone the way you trusted him..that meant a lot didn’t it? He shook his head then walked over himself to pass Max then Sam a bag before nodding at Charlie “We’ll be out in five”
------
The clinic had three entrances. One to the side of the building, one to the back and one to the front. You and Gadreel took the back entrance, the twins took the side leaving the front to Sam and Dean.
You touched the handle of the door then looked at Gadreel “You want me to pull and you be ready or vice versa?” “Ladies choice” he replied with a laugh. You nodded then motioned to the door “In that case you pull and I’ll be ready”
He got into position but waited until you gave him a nod to open the door. You hoisted your machete but no noise came. You leaned inside and stomped your foot a few times “Hello? Anyone home?” You cut your eyes at him and he shrugged. “Maybe no one ended up here?” “We can only hope” you replied before walking further inside.
You could hear the rest of your crew checking but it appeared the clinic was well and truly empty. You picked a room and waved to Gadreel to follow you. The moment you stepped into the room you pulled your flashlight out of the pocket of your jacket and saw that from the looks of it you’d picked the operating room.
You motioned to the wall of shelves in front of you “I hate to ask but do you think you can give me a lift to the top one so I can see what’s up there?” He laughed lightly and you could feel the short jokes coming but instead he simply pointed to the machete in your hand “Lay that down so I don’t accidentally get stabbed and I’d be glad to” you laid the machete down on the silver table that was in the middle of the room then turned back to Gadreel “Better?” he nodded “Turn around so I can give you a boost then I’ll keep one hand on your back to steady you” you turned towards the shelves like he said and felt his hands around your waist a second before he lifted you into the air.
You climbed onto the highest shelf that normally would take a step ladder to reach then smiled over your shoulder at him “Thank you.Now get ready so if I find something good”
------
Dean and Sam had cleared three different cabinets. They’d found a good amount of first aid supplies ranging from suture kits to wound cleansers. “I’m gonna check on Alicia and Max” Sam said so Dean replied “I’ll check on Y/N and Gadreel”
Sam headed towards the back of the clinic where the twins were so Dean headed towards the operating room where you and Gadreel had gone into. He could hear you laughing right before he opened the door to see Gadreel putting you back down on your feet, his hands were still on your hips and you were smiling up at him with your hands against his chest.
Dean felt that same flicker of anger but this time it was mixed with more emotions than just that. He almost felt sick with just how angry he felt, not to mention the hurt. You weren’t even kissing Gadreel but he felt as if he’d walked in on a lot more intimate moment than he had. Luckily he was able to reel it in and sounded emotionless when he waved a hand towards the two of you “Didn’t know I was interrupting something. Times up, we gotta go so whatever you two are doing, stick a damn pin in it or something” then turned and walked out without saying a word.
------
Gadreel watched Dean walk out then looked back at you “What was that about? I was just helping you down..he doesn’t think we..?” you weren’t sure what to say. To anyone else Dean would’ve sounded almost bored but you knew him well enough to know when he was blocking emotions. You weren’t sure what was going on but when Dean sounded emotionless were the times that his mind was being his worst enemy “I have no clue honestly Gadreel. Don’t worry about it though, I’ll handle it” “I’d never disrespect you or any woman for that matter. I mean well don’t get me wrong you’re a beautiful woman but I thought..” he trailed off and looked again at the door when Dean had disappeared out of then shook his head “Just know if I did anything wrong I apologize” “You didn’t Gadreel. Don’t worry Dean just gets a little antsy on runs” you explained with a strained smile.
By the time you and Gadreel made it to the parking lot everyone had loaded their bags and only Sam stood outside the van. He took the bag from Gadreel then glanced at you, You followed him to the back of the van and watched as he added your bag to the bunch. After he shut the door he turned around and leaned close to you. “What happened in there?” You groaned slightly “He didn’t make a scene did he?” he shook his head “No but I know him like you know him. Now what happened?” You took a breath running your hand down your face “I think he got the wrong idea when he saw Gadreel with his hands on me. He was helping me down off a tall shelf that was it Sam I swear! You know me I wouldn’t do anything on a run and honestly? Yeah Gadreel is a good looking guy I have eyes but that doesn’t mean I’d screw him on a run for fuck’s sake we both have sleeping quarters back at the compound..I don’t know why Dean acted like that! Nice to know one of my closest friends thinks so highly of me that he thinks I’d risk anyone's life to fool around on a run”
You were starting to move past confused onto anger the more you spoke and Sam knew that so he reached out and squeezed your shoulder “Breathe, ride in the backseat with Charlie and Alicia. I’m gonna ride up front with him and Max is riding in the middle seat. I’ll try to talk to him ok?” you nodded, not trusting your voice at the moment because you were highly conflicted.
Finally you managed “Ok” then walked back around the van to climb into the backseat with Alicia and Charlie. Charlie raised an eyebrow at you not riding upfront with Dean but welcomed you into the conversation she and Alicia were having.
The third day on the road meant clearing the second vet clinic. You were going through a list of top things to look for with Alicia. All of you had stopped a few miles from the clinic to clear the road of an overturned tree. You and her were keeping an eye out for any dead that may be attracted to the noises. So far you both had killed one a piece.
“All clear ladies!” Charlie called out so you both headed back to the van. You wanted nothing more than to ask Dean why he’d acted like he had but refused to start an argument in the middle of a run. You’d push it down until all of you got safely back to the compound then you’d confront him about it.
You climbed into the backseat silently sliding between Alicia and Max. You didn’t really want to spare a word for anyone but since Bobby had been clear the clinics were more your wheelhouse everyone was looking at you as to what to grab for human use and what could be left behind.
You finally spoke as Dean was pulling into the overgrown parking lot of the clinic “I’ve went over the list with Alicia and Sam so they both know what to look for” Dean knew you were talking to him in particular and barely cut his eyes at you in the mirror before saying “I’m staying behind the wheel this time. Charlie can go in with Sam” you nodded more to yourself than in response to him. Why was he being so damn infuriating? If he’d just talk to you then...well what exactly would you say?
You climbed out and once your feet hit the dirt you turned to Gadreel “Ready?” he nodded so you looked around to everyone for their acknowledgement that they were all set.You shot one final look at Dean before falling Gadreel across the lot.
------
“Son of a bitch that damn thing came out of nowhere” you cursed kicking the now permanently dead zombie at your feet. Gadreel pulled a bandana from his pocket and held it out “You’ve got some blood smeared across your cheek” you wiped at it and gave him a small albeit appreciative smile “Thanks and again I’m sorry about how Dean acted” he shrugged “It’s ok really. It’s understandable”
You laughed harshly “Accusing us of screwing around literally on a run? That’s understandable? You’re a little too zen” he looked at you for a moment as if there was a second meaning to what he’d said but if there was you couldn’t quite grasp it. He shook his head after a moment then held a hand out “I’ll carry the bag”
------
Dean was watching the door of the clinic closely. Max and Alicia were the first duo out followed by Sam and Charlie. You and Gadreel bought up the rear.
He tried to bite his tongue but when you started to climb in considering you were the first one in the van he couldn’t stop the words before they came out “You and Gadreel didn’t get into anymore tight spots did you?” He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth but it was too late to pull them back then. He could see the shock in your eyes when you froze halfway into the back seat and slowly turned to look at him the shock quickly turning to anger “Believe me Dean if I was to fuck Gadreel I’d wait until I had longer than a few minutes to try him out” before either of you could say anything else Sam opened the front door and Charlie stepped up to climb in behind you.
Dean was still staring at you in the mirror when he heard Alicia ask if you were ok since you were balling up what looked like a bandana in your hands. “Yeah just took out a biter so Gadreel gave it to me to clean the blood off”
------
You purposely turned to stare out the window and cursed the moment you’d agreed to come on this run. You wouldn’t cry. Hell you couldn’t afford the luxury of hurt feelings these days but knowing that didn’t exactly take the sting out of Dean’s words. You looked down at your hands as you tied Gadreel’s bandana into a loose knot then untied it and repeated the process. You just had to get this run over then you could distance yourself from Dean. You’d said the first thing that had came to mind that would hopefully hurt him the same way his words had hurt you..what had exactly become of yours and Dean’s friendship over the last few months?
Day four meant the last leg of the run before the turn around to head home to the compound. You hadn’t spoken a word to Dean and hadn’t really spoken to anyone without them saying something to you first. Dean hated that his jealousy because whether he liked it not he was jealous he hated that he’d let it put a wedge between you and him,
He had no idea what he could do to even slightly make it up to you. He spotted the turn off for the construction warehouse so he cleared his throat “Charlie you wanna be a wheelman again?” she glanced up from her spot next to you and nodded “Sure!” “Then we’ll do two teams of three that good with everyone?” he was hoping you’d say something but instead of what he wanted you to say you looked up “I’ll be on the team with Alicia and Max. I have the list you said we needed. I’ll tear it in half and hand Gadreel the other half. You, him and Sam can find that stuff”
Dean didn’t attempt to argue with you and only nodded instead “Sounds like a plan” Sam cut his eyes at his brother not really being used to him being ok with someone else calling the shots but it was you after all. “You good?” he asked quietly and Dean replied “Yeah” then pulled into the parking lot of the construction warehouse.
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You were out of the van the moment it stopped rolling. There were two zombies shambling around the lot and you took them out in tandem. You turned to look at everyone as they climbed out of the van and managed to crack a smile when Charlie teased “My oh my someone woke up on the wrong side of the apocalypse” you shrugged “Hey beats any other stress release there was pre-z”
A small chorus of laughter went through everyone and you were glad for that. You didn’t want whatever was happening between you and Dean to affect everyone else. You winked at Alicia “Grab your brother and lets go shopping” she laughed and grabbed Max by the arm then motioned to you “Lead the way”
------
Sam could practically feel the tension in the air between Dean and Gadreel. He had thought for a while Dean’s feelings for you went deeper than friendship but it hadn’t been as blaringly apparent until Gadreel came into the picture. He was a good guy, he got along well with everyone in the compound. He respected that the women helped keep everything going and always managed to pull a smile to your face over some small joke. Dean was threatened by him because up to this point there hadn’t been any other guy that garnered any of your attention away from Dean not one anyone that you would be a possible match with.
The three of them were working in silence quickly gathering what was on their half of the list. Sam was personally just hoping no fight broke out that he’d had to break up. He noticed that Dean kept cutting his eyes at Gadreel and said a prayer under his breath that just for once Dean would let it go.
He had no such luck because although Dean didn’t say anything Gadreel cleared his throat “Dean” Dean raised his eyebrows in response to the other man “Yeah?” “Just so you know nothing happened between me and Y/N. She’s a beautiful, amazing woman but...”
Dean cut Gadreel off before he could finish speaking with a shake of his head “I was in the wrong man...to snap at either of you. You’re both grown, what you do is your business and I trust the fact that neither of you would do anything on a run to risk your lives or anyone else's”
Sam watched the both of them for a moment trying to decipher if they were actually trying to get along or mutually waving the white flag for your benefit but the moment was broken by Alicia’s scream of your name. No words had to be passed amongst the three men; they all started running towards the sound.
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You were following behind Alicia and Max trying to keep an eye out for the last couple items on your half of the list. You glanced up at a shelf that ran nearly up to the high ceiling of the warehouse and decided to check it out. Max stopped when he saw you looking and offered “Want a hand getting up there?” you shook your head with a slight smirk “Naw I think I can handle it but stay close just in case”
You made it to the halfway point and had even grabbed a few things you knew were needed when you went to step on a board and felt it crack under you. One minute you were standing the next you felt yourself falling and only barely managed to hold onto the backpack you had been storing supplies in.
You hit hard behind the shelf and heard a low growl.You pushed yourself to sit up and saw three biters shuffling towards you “Son of a bitch” you groaned trying to get to your feet. You went to push yourself up but felt a gush of blood from your left arm so you used your right to get to your feet just barely avoiding the chomping teeth of the zombie that was bearing down on you. You could hear Alicia scream your name but couldn’t spare a response. You had to show attention to the threat in front of you. You slammed your machete into the skull of the first one in front of you and cursed again when you realized that while you’d killed it your blade was stuck. You reached for the knife at your side knowing it was your only chance. You kicked the second one square in the stomach knocking it back long enough you could stab the last one in the eye.
You pulled your knife free and felt the one you’d kicked grab your jacket. You struggled to get out of it before the zombie sank it’s rotting teeth into the material. You slammed your knife into it’s skull then leaned heavily against the wall. The shelf slid away to show you an exit route. You ran towards the sunlight now streaming in and saw that Dean, Sam, Gadreel, Max and Alicia had all worked to get the shelf pulled out.
The moment Alicia saw you she looked at the guys “Turn around let me help her check herself out” the men all quickly obliged so you let her pull your shirt up and check across your back,stomach and both arms to assure you hadn’t been bit. “Didn’t you find a few suture kits at the last clinic?” She asked and you nodded then spoke loud enough the guys could hear “All clear boys. You can look now”
Dean’s eyes were glued to your left arm where the sleeve of your grey shirt was soaked with blood “Please tell me that’s a cut sweetheart” you smiled slightly “Bastard tried to bite me but only got my jacket” “Thank god” he breathed. You simply nodded and looked around “Did we get everything we need cause I’d really like to go home to the compound now. It’s been a long week” Sam laughed lightly and nodded “Yeah we got it all but first someone has to help stitch you up before we roll out”
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Charlie had been nominated to help you stitch up your arm so you were sitting in the back of the van while she worked. Everyone else was keeping an eye out to ensure no more biters made their presence known. “So are we gonna talk about some of the weirdness?” You raised an eyebrow which made her nod in response whether at you or at herself “Ok then guess not” she tied off the last stitch and snipped it “I don’t have to tell you to keep it clean” you slid your shirt back on fully and gave her a small smile “I know aftercare instructions ma’am”
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Dean watched you in the rearview mirror as he drove. You’d fallen asleep in the jacket Gadreel had given you to wear considering yours had been turned into a zombie chew toy. He couldn’t find it in himself to be angry that you were leaning against Gadreel asleep. He’d nearly lost you. Nothing else mattered. Why had he acted like he had towards you? Why couldn’t he just tell you he had feelings for you? Why hadn’t he realized it before Gadreel joined the compound? He let out a breath which made Sam look his way. “You good?” He nodded “Yeah be even better when we get home”
A few days had passed since all of you had made it back to the compound. You had barely spoken to Dean since getting back. You were still conflicted about the way he’d acted on the run.You were walking through one of the greenhouses checking the medicinal plants. You could hear someone walking behind you but didn’t have to look to know who it was. You’d know Dean’s footsteps anywhere.
“What’s this one?” He asked stopping at the plant furthest away from you “Echinacea, it helps for colds and flu” you replied barely looking in his direction. He walked a little closer to you and touched another plant. “What about this one?” You sighed loudly before answering “Ginger, it has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial,antiviral property and helps with nausea”
You finally turned to look fully at him “Can we not act like you actually give a damn about any of these plants? Why are you here Dean? You’ve avoided me for days, hell I’ve avoided you too so why are we talking now?” he took a few steps towards you stopping only a mere foot away “I miss you, you’re my best friend and I acted like an idiot..” “And practically accused me of being a whore that couldn’t even wait to get back to safety to fuck someone” you added and he chuckled lightly “That too”
“Why Dean? Why have you been pulling away from me for months and why did this run just cement the fact that our friendship is apparently broken beyond repair” you felt your voice break but didn’t try to hide it. You cared about Dean even if you’d resigned yourself to only being a friend to him because he’d never see you as more. Now you’d even lost that.
“Please, don’t say that Y/N. I was an asshole I’ll admit. I never should’ve acted like that towards you or Gadreel..it’s just..” he trailed off and you were too tired of beating around the bush by that point so this time you were the one to snap “Just what Dean?”
“I saw you getting close with him. I saw the way you two looked at each other then seeing his hands on you and the way you were smiling..I knew I’d lost any chance with you. It took me seeing you with him to open my eyes to just how much you mean to me” you were stunned into silence at his words. After a moment without you replying he laughed bitterly “Yeah and now I look like an idiot to add to it. Look I just wanted to say sorry and I hope you’ll forgive me”
He turned to walk out and only then did you find your voice “You are an idiot” he turned around to face you “Excuse me?” You crossed the space to stand in front of him “You’re an idiot Dean Winchester. I've had feelings for you for a long time. Yeah Gadreel is a good looking guy and a sweetheart. We’re good friends and I like spending time with him but as far as who I want? It’s been you, it’s always been you”
A smile slipped onto his face “Well does that mean we’re gonna give this a try?” you shrugged nonchalantly “I don’t know. Are you gonna be a jealous ass if I have male friends and hang out with them?” he laughed “No, I promise you my days of being a jealous asshole are over. If you’re sure you want me I know you only say what you mean” you tapped your chin in mock thought for a moment before saying “In that case why don’t we seal it with a kiss?” “Thought you’d never ask,” he replied, pulling you into his arms.
#spn fanfiction#supernatural fanfiction#dean winchester x reader#dean winchester fanfiction#dean winchester x female!reader
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Two beautiful people sent me an ask about my rivetra actors au, and boyyyy let me tell you, it was so fun making them again 😍 thank you to the pretty souls who asked this! 💘
The first actors au were from season 1 and 2, this one will focus on the filming of season 3 until the last season :) here you go!
more rivetra actors!au headcanon (some are nsfw-ish)
- Let me get straight to the point: lots of sex. Car sex. On-set sex. Dressing room sex. Name it.
- Both of them are aware that it was unprofessional, but there was a time when they did not see each other for more than a month because of their (especially Levi’s) busy and conflicting schedule, so when Petra surprised him on set, the frustration and longing just piled up and they had sex.
- Then it became a habit.
- And this habit, of course, didn’t go unnoticed by the other casts and even crews of the show. Armin heard them once, and the poor boy made a mental note to never ever come close to Levi’s room again.
- The older casts are fine with it since, you know, normal adult stuff. But for the love of the three Walls, can you lovebirds tone the moaning down? People are trying to get some sleep wtf.
- Levi’s make-up artist had to deal with the pain of covering his hickeys (courtesy of Ms. Petra Ral) every shoot. The ones on his neck, especially those near his adam’s apple were the most visible. And since Captain Levi rarely wore a cravat in season three, part one, it made the work harder for the make-up artist.
- As compensation, Petra always bought a special souvenir for Levi’s make-up artist whenever she flies overseas for her theater shows.
- For the premiere of season 3, Levi took Petra as his date on the red carpet. It was the first event they attended publicly as a couple.
- It was a big milestone for their relationship because they are both public figures. And we all know what happens when celebrities publicize their relationships, it is prone to issues and controversies.
- And you can very well guess that Levi Ackerman showing off his beautiful girlfriend to the press was big news. As big as the AoT premiere even.
- During the air of season three, Levi became more famous and he attracted many overseas fans as well as international actresses because of his brilliant scenes with Kenny.
- Although Petra is not the jealous type, she admitted that somehow it affected her when other international actresses expressed their admiration towards Levi. Some even said that Levi is their type and they are looking forward to working with him in the future.
- When Levi sensed this, he immediately headed to his IG and posted a picture of Petra with a very cheesy caption lmao. Forgive him, he's new to this kind of relationship.
- Did I mention he also posted a picture of them kissing in front of the Eiffel tower?
- Only a few know this, but the real Levi is one clingy boyfriend.
- He is very touchy when it comes to Petra. He just really loves holding her. Sometimes he just randomly hugs her, caresses her, nuzzles her. He just loves having skin-to-skin contact with her.
- His love language is actions and gestures.
- His favorite gesture to do to Petra is a back hug with his arms under her boobs. It was a soft gesture and it wasn't sexual in any way...until it did.
- More than half of their sex started with Levi touching Petra’s underboobs tbh.
- Sometimes Levi thinks that he's neglecting Petra and more than once he considered quitting the show business for her. But then he’ll see her smiling at him, and she tells him that she's very proud of what he’s doing and that she's happy that she gets to support him with doing the things he is really passionate about and just… all he could think of that time is that he wants to marry this amazing woman.
- He is also supportive of Petra’s theater actress career, of course. And he hates the fact that he needs to hide whenever he watches one of her shows since people eventually gather around him asking for an autograph and he feels that it’s rude for Petra. This is her moment and he doesn’t want to ruin it for her.
- Hence, his all-black and mysterious get-up whenever he watches her show.
- AoT season three was a huge success and plans for season four are already on the move. Casts were given a long break before the shooting began again and both Petra and Levi took this as a chance to bond together.
-Petra's favorite thing to do with Levi is playing with animals. She has a soft spot for animals, and she wanted for them to adopt a pet but she knew that the poor animal will only be given less attention because both of them are always busy.
-When Petra's theater world tour ended, she and Levi started living together. They didn't have the chance to do it before since they were both busy.
-Them living together is probably the height of their relationship. They fought, they had sex, they laughed, they played, they bathe together. They did everything together and it was a beautiful experience.
- For their third anniversary, Levi booked a vacation on a private island for a week. It was also their last bonding because Levi is going to start filming again for season four in less than a month.
- They did not communicate with anyone during that one week. It was just them, and they made the most of it.
- Mornings were spent for morning sex and breakfast in bed. Afternoons were for swimming, sleeping, cuddling, hugging, kissing, and every activity they could think of doing. They explored the island, they petted stray animals, they dived into the ocean, they build sandcastles, they ate different dishes, they had sex in caves and while swimming on the beach, they climbed trees, they bought souvenirs, and most importantly, they took many pictures together.
- Evenings were the most romantic of all. They had sex in the darkness of their own room while they hear the ocean waves crashed to the shore outside and as the sea breeze cooled their sweat-slicked skin. They took the time to explore each other’s body like it’s their last (because it will be in a matter of days).
- On their last night, Pet cried while they’re having sex. Levi’s face was buried on the crook of her neck and she was moaning one moment, and then the next she’s sobbing like a poor little baby.
- She said that she’d gotten used to life with Levi always by her side and she didn’t want it to ever change. Levi comforted her. He petted her hair, and he said that it’s going to be okay. He kissed her head, then her hair, her face, and her body. Then they had the most emotional and meaningful sex of their entire life.
- Levi started shooting again for season four. Petra, like the past seasons, visits him as much as she can. It was hard adjusting to this type of life again, but she’s a strong woman. And besides, she’s going to start rehearsing for another theater show again.
- They need to undergo medical check-ups before the casting and she found out then that she is pregnant with Levi’s baby.
- It freaked her out. She and Levi never talked about babies before since they’re busy with their careers, and their relationship has always been just the two of them.
- Levi was out of town for the shoot, and she didn’t want to tell him the good news on the phone so she patiently waited until he got home.
- He was greeted with a fancy dinner, and a “Welcome home, Daddy” by Petra. Levi thought that it was her being cheeky and naughty at first, but when dinner ended and she ran for her life to the sink, that’s when he started getting worried. And when Petra showed him the positive result in her medical check-up, well, let’s just say that on that day, Levi Ackerman received a good reminder of what he did to her on their vacation months ago.
- But seriously, he was seconds away from calling his manager and dropping his AoT contract just so he can take care of Petra and their baby. Petra said that it was fine, and she doesn’t want him to quit.
- Levi apologized to Petra many times because he wasn’t there when she discovered it, but she assured him that it was alright and it wasn’t his fault. God, he’s with the perfect woman.
- Since Levi is a big shot in the industry, he demanded control over his schedules. Honestly, he wanted to be at her side 24/7. He wanted to see her belly swell as months went by. He wanted to be the one to satisfy her midnight pregnancy cravings. He wanted to kiss her face and her belly first thing in the morning.
- He convinced Petra to move temporarily to the Ackerman family house where Levi’s parents are staying. Kenny and Mikasa also lived in the same affluent neighborhood. He had doctors, and helpers, and bodyguards hired for Petra. But she said that she’s too uncomfortable with many people around her.
- Petra and Levi’s mom build a bond of their own. She’d gotten to know more of Levi through his mother’s perspective. The older woman showed her Levi’s teenage room, his past awards, his photos, his audition tapes that weren’t out for the public, and she fell in love with him more.
- They had a super private wedding with their relatives and closest friends. Petra was six months pregnant by that time and season four is planned to air three months from now.
- So, you know about that one holy Rivetra panel where Petra is looking back to Levi? The reason why the scene was not in the actual show was that she is pregnant. That’s why the directors are forced to use old scenes from season one instead.
- Despite all the efforts of being private, paparazzi and the media still caught wind of the secret wedding, and rumors about Petra being pregnant started circulating over the internet. Levi shut down these rumors every time someone attempted to question him in his interviews.
- When the shooting ended, Petra was already eight months into pregnancy. As per tradition, the cast and staff held an after-party, but Petra was surprised when it became a baby shower for her instead.
- The baby was supposedly due in the third week of December, but Petra’s water broke around the first week instead and she started her labor. She ended up having the same birthday as their healthy baby boy.
- The baby was named River Ackerman. He was named after Levi’s role where he won the Best Actor Award when he was seventeen. It was also a tribute to Levi’s role in AoT since his name was sometimes spelled as ‘Rivaille’ on many occasions.
#this was so long oh boy#i love this au so much tooooo#y'all can send me more ask about this au if u want :)#rivetra#levi x petra#rivapeto#rivetra headcanon#rivetra actors au
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The Voyage So Far: Water Seven
east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)
i’ve mentioned several times before that the davy back fight is one of my least favorite arcs, mostly because i found it very dragging and tedious when i was reading it, but there are a couple things i really like in it, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, most of them have to do with zoro. i really like his moment here with chopper, and it also showcases his ability to act as more of an authority figure to the crew, which is something that makes a substantial return after enies lobby with the matter of usopp’s return.
zoro and sanji’s match in the davy back fight is far and away my favorite part of the entire arc. it’s just really fun.
like i said, this arc isn’t a favorite of mine, but i do definitely understand why it’s important to the saga and greater story in a couple different ways. one of them is that it’s just an easy, lighthearted detour that both gives the audience a chance to breathe and the strawhats a chance to showcase just how much they love each other and work well together- which turns into a fucking sledgehammer to the skull in the next arc when that unity is directly threatened. and the other reason this arc is important...
...is because of aokiji.
aokiji’s introductory scene is a brutal showcase of absolute power, and a very clear reminder that the strawhats are still very much little fish in a very, very big pond. all of the strawhats are impacted by this to some degree- it’s how badly they get curb-stomped here that leads luffy to come up with his gears as a way of closing the huge power gap he’s just learned about.
most important, though, are robin and usopp. for robin, this is a stark reminder of the fact that the government will never stop hunting her down; for usopp, who’s less obvious, it’s the seeds of the full-blown inferiority crisis that will later explode with the news about merry. both of their arcs throughout water 7 and enies lobby, essentially the twin emotional backbones of the saga, start right here.
i really like that the other strawhats all fell asleep waiting for robin and luffy to wake up. it calls back to them doing the same when nami was sick before drum, and also it’s just so fucking sweet.
water seven is my favorite island, full stop. if i was going to live anywhere in one piece’s world, i’d want to live on water seven. it’s just so creatively designed and visually great, with the canals and the tiered city and the massive fountain in the middle. the supporting cast are still one of my favorites, and the culture feels very real and authentic. i just love water seven a lot.
i just said it but it bears repeating- the water seven supporting cast is really good. iceburg, the galley-la shipwrights, franky and his family, kokoro and chimney are all really memorable, and most of them are really likable, too- and cp9, with all their eccentricities, fit in perfectly. water seven’s cast is very interconnected, as well, and their relationships all feel very believable.
all of which, of course, only makes the later treachery hurt all the more.
the atmosphere of water seven is really, really well done. the bad starts slow, with the news that merry is unfixable, and then continues into an accelerating downwards spiral of hopelessness: usopp and luffy’s fight and usopp leaving the crew, robin’s seeming betrayal, the assassination attempt on iceburg, the city and galley-la turning on them as a result, and the agua laguna- it just gets worse and worse and worse.
and then, after they’ve been stomped down about as far as they can go and come out alive anyways, they pick themselves back up again and go to save their friend, because that’s what the strawhat pirates do.
i just really like getting to see these four going feral on the franky family, it’s one of my favorite scenes in this whole arc. in general, i tend to love the moments where luffy specifically gets properly angry, and we get a lot of them in this arc.
even though the fight between luffy and usopp is genuinely very tense and fast-paced and would probably be exciting if it were any other two characters fighting, it never really feels anything other than melancholy. i think that’s a testament to just how good oda is at setting the mood of the scene. it’s made very clear, especially through the reactions of the other characters- merry ‘crying’ is fucking heartbreaking- that this is nothing less than a tragedy.
:(
i think it’s kind of interesting we aren’t shown franky’s face until about halfway into water seven. prior to this, we’re given pretty much only reasons to hate him, with his theft of the strawhats’ money and the franky family beating usopp to shit. but just after this point is when we start getting our first humanizing and sympathetic moments for him, starting when he gets worried and a little frantic when he hears about the attempt on iceburg’s life.
i just really, really like the way some of these water seven action sequences are depicted. they feel very tense and desperate, which matches the general mood of this part of the arc perfectly.
this panel of usopp working on merry always reminds me of the shots of the klabautermann doing the same during skypiea. i’m not sure if it’s even intentional, honestly, but it’s an extra little bit of heartbreak either way.
one piece has a lot of amazing spreads, but this might be one of my favorites for sheer impact. cp9, watching as the city they’ve lived and worked in for years burns down in a fire they set, satisfied by a job well done. it’s almost all in black and white with very little grey, which creates some fantastic contrast, and their pitch-black silhouettes against the nighttime inferno are just striking.
this entire scene between usopp and franky, as usopp works on the merry and franky gives him advice and tries to make him see its hopeless and they kind of awkwardly, accidentally bond, is probably my favorite in the whole of water seven. it was also the scene that singlehandedly made me love franky as a character.
they have a really good, really enjoyable dynamic, and at the same time the conflict between them is real and understandable, and brought about because they’re both trying to do the right thing.
tom’s workers are one of my favorite little groups of characters in the whole of one piece’s story, and they deserve more appreciation. they’re family!! a little family of broken pieces who worked together to build something really, really amazing. and they still care about each other in the present, even though they got shattered apart so badly and none of them ever really recovered.
this is a tremendously under-appreciated chopper moment. not only did he carry two full-grown men out of a fire, he even managed to get zoro’s sword and iceburg’s hamster. extremely cool of him.
this is also the exact moment the strawhats’ collective luck begins to turn: chopper saves the day, and nami learns that robin did what she did to protect them, and sanji gets aboard the sea train, and from there it’s a no-brakes train from their very lowest low straight to the triumph at enies lobby.
i love all the shenanigans sanji gets up to with the sea train, i think the whole sequence is absolutely one of his shining moments. it’s always a delight to see sanji get up to Sneaky Bastard Bullshit, and the whole thing is just so fun, which is a dearly needed breath of fresh air after how relentless this arc has been until this point.
robin’s little smile when thinking of luffy and when she joined the strawhats... :( i’ve noticed it’s a recurring trend for strawhats who try to leave the crew to flash back to when they joined as they do. usopp has it earlier this same arc just before leaving, and sanji does it in whole cake island in the sanji vs. luffy chapter.
i really like how much everyone comes together at the end of water seven leading into enies lobby. after how fractured and fraught things have been throughout the arc, both within and without the strawhat crew, it’s great to see them not only all united again for a common goal, but with a huge group of allies at their backs.
these three are SUCH a hilarious team, and i would love to see them work together again like this sometime. they’re literally just clowning on the marines all the way up the train, it’s fantastic.
factually i understand sanji’s aversion to fighting with his hands and his fighting style is very unique and cool and also meaningful to him because he learned from zeff, and also if i remember right it’s implied he learned how to swordfight from the vinsmokes which makes it very reasonable he would want absolutely nothing to do with that skillset
but speaking purely in terms of stupid idiot lizard brain i think sanji should fight with knives more
this is another of my absolute favorite spreads, and i think what makes it for me is the casual confidence- luffy tells zoro to cut the train, and zoro does, both of them with no doubts at all about zoro’s ability to do so. it really goes to show how far they’ve come from back in east blue when zoro couldn’t even cut luffy out of a metal cage.
there’s something very impactful about the fact that of all the strawhats, robin gets this speech from usopp. usopp, who’s had the worst falling-out with luffy in the series to date, is the one who tells robin: you haven’t left the crew yet, you can’t leave the crew yet, luffy is coming to get you. believe in him.
franky’s “existing is not a crime” line is one of the most memorable and iconic lines from this entire saga, and for good reason. it sums up one of the main themes of not just this arc but also the series as a whole- the very same idea will come up again for ace during marineford, and in law’s backstory as well. it’s never a crime to just exist, and people should not never be persecuted for their blood or heritage. one piece doesn’t fuck around with its theming, it really doesn’t.
to be continued next time, with enies lobby!
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Three Years
Jensen Ackles x Sister!Reader
Summary: As a soldier, you haven’t seen your family in three years. This year for Christmas, you finally get to see them.
Warnings: soldier arrival, little bit of angst but not not much, fluff
Word Count: 1061
A/N: I apologize if any of my talk was wrong. I’m not in the military and I don’t know anyone personally in the military.
@spnchristmasbingo
MASTERLIST
SPN Christmas Bingo
Jensen was your big brother but he was also your best friend. You were the accident of the family. Jensen was 17 when you were born. Even though he left when you were barely one year, he was still able to create a bond no one else could match. And being around Jared helped create a brother/sister bond as well.
When you were 18, you joined the military. Jensen wasn’t the happiest about it because he was afraid to lose you, but he knew if it made you happy, he would be happy. You hadn’t seen him or your family in three years due to deployment. You had the chance to go home during your deployment, but gave up your spot to people on your team with kids.
You found out in September that you were being sent home. You tried to give up your spot once again, but your commander told you, you were going home until your next deployment. You decided to call your parents and let them know. She told you that they were spending Christmas in Austin since Jensen had a convention the weekend before Christmas. You asked her to keep your return a secret. Wanting to surprise your siblings, you spent the rest of the phone call planning your arrival.
The next few months felt like they dragged on because you were so excited to see your family. When the day finally came, you couldn’t sit still. Your plane landed in Austin in the middle of the afternoon. Your mom wasn’t able to pick you up from the airport due to the J2 panel being at the same time and Jensen would be suspicious if your mom wasn’t there.
You ordered an Uber as you walked to baggage claim. When you saw your bag, you grabbed it and made your way out to the pick up area. When your Uber arrived you hopped in. Grateful that your driver wasn’t very talkative.
When you arrived at Jensen’s house, you stared at its beauty. Jensen had just moved into the house the year before. With your mom giving you the code, you walked in with ease.
You carried your bag with you as you explored the house. Your mom had told you which room you were going to stay in and it was easy to find. You laid it on the floor by the dresser. Figured you would wait to unpack until you asked Jensen if you could crash at his place for a while.
A few hours later, you received a text from your mom letting you know the whole family plus Jared and his crew were on their way home. Your mom lied and said the gifts you sent had arrived and you would be able to video call while they opened.
You knew your mom and dad would film the surprise but you set your phone up to capture it as well. You were perched in a chair so relaxed you could fall asleep when you heard the garage door open.
“JJ slow down. Aunt Y/N’s presents aren’t going anywhere.” You heard Jensen say. You saw the little girl stop and look her dad. “I know that Dad, but I want to see if I can guess it before I open it.” Jensen walked just into view laughing. He looked up and made direct eye contact with you.
He froze, “Oh my God.” He slowly started to walk towards you. “Y/N? Is it… is it really you?” He asked with his voice breaking and tears falling. You nodded at him knowing if you spoke all the emotion he and you were feeling would spill out. “Oh my God.”
Jensen put his hands on your cheeks looking over your face. “Oh my god.” He repeated once again before he pulled you into a tight hug. That’s when the dam broke for both of you as you cried into each other’s necks.
You don’t know how long you had been standing there holding your older brother but finally you pulled away to see everyone else. Jensen was reluctant to let go, but when he saw how excited his daughter was, he took a step back to enjoy the moment.
“AUNT Y/N!” She yelled as she jumped into your arms. “I missed you!” JJ pulled back from the hug to look at you. She started to wipe your tears, “Don't cry Aunt Y/N. It’s Christmas. We are supposed to be happy.”
You smiled at her, “These are happy tears JJ.” You looked over at your brother. “I’m just really happy.”
You continued to hug your family before Jared pulled you into a big bear hug. “Gah I missed you y/n/n. Jay missed you. He brings you up in almost every conversation.”
“It’s because I’m the best.” You said with a smirk before you winked at him. You started to tear up again. “I missed you Jare. I’ve missed you and Jense like crazy.”
“We know. We are just glad your home and you are safe.” He smiled at you before he looked up to see Jensen making his way over.
“Come on y/n/n. Family movie night. You're sitting by me.” Jensen led you to the big chair you had been sitting in earlier. You both fell into the oversized chair with a laugh. “I’m so glad you’re home. This is a Christmas miracle.”
“No this is your Christmas present.” You said with a laugh. He pouted before he pulled you into another hug.
“Having you home is the best present I could ever ask for.” He kissed your temple before he turned to see the twins coming over to the both of you.
“Aunt Y/N?” Zeppelin asked. “Daddy?”
“Can we sit with you?” Arrow finished. You smiled at her as Jensen pulled her onto his lap and you pulled up Zeppelin. The four of you cuddling together to enjoy the time you had together. Midway through the movie JJ had joined you too. One of Jensen’s arms was wrapped around you and the other around his youngest daughter. Your head on his shoulder just enjoying the small things you didn’t know you missed so bad. You were grateful you were able to come home for Christmas. And by the end of the movie, all five of you were asleep with everyone taking a picture to remember the moment.
#spn christmas bingo#spn christmas bingo 2020#supernatural christmas bingo#supernatural christmas bingo 2020#jensen ackles#jensen x reader#jensen ackles x sister#jensen ackles x sister!reader#jensen x sister#jensen x sister!reader#jensen ackles rpf#jensen ackles one shot#jensen ackles imagines#jensen ackles fanfic#jensen ackles fanfiction#supernatural#spn#jensen ackles x reader#solider!reader#jensen x soldier#jensen ackles x soldier#supernatural rpf#spn rpf
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Since the exchange reveal was today, I can finally cross-post this here.
“A Working Relationship”
Sci-Fi AU, Artificial Intelligence, Secret Histories, Intrigue, Finding Your Place (and getting a crush on your android boss)
__________
“I don’t care how smart he is, you’re not putting a Jin on this ship!”
His first reaction is a flush of anger. The second is a barely-smothered explosion of laughter.
In all the insults he’d borne over his parentage in his lifetime, this had to be the first time in… well… ever that it was his father’s side being disparaged.
But when he peeks around the corner and sees who’s arguing with the Admiral, he immediately understands why.
The speaker is a perso-core droid.
Meng Yao has no illusions about the treatment of the droids custom-ordered by the ports his father owns. He’s even met some of them, when they came to drop off another meagre payment to his mother. Delicate, beautiful dolls designed for little more than to be stared at… or played with.
Easily broken, and just as easily replaced.
His still healing ribs give a throb. He can relate to the feeling.
He can use it, too, he realizes, a plan coming together in the back of his mind as he watches the pair bicker.
“Excuse me.”
They both turn at the sound of his voice, and the droid’s eyes narrow, photoreceptors and the light patterns decorating his body briefly shading closer to red than their usual pale green. He’s reasonably sure that if that long dark hair and silver skin weren’t synthetic, he’d be bristling like an offended Firenian Raptor Cat.
It’s an uncomfortably attractive look.
He immediately squashes that thought, then bows, carefully emphasizing the stiff discomfort of the motion. “I apologize for causing any discord. It’s true that my father is Jin Guangshan, but I have no association with the company, nor the ports that it owns.”
“You approached him for work two stationary cycles ago,” the droid says, voice tinged with suspicion.
He had been made aware his background had been searched from the moment he’d been identified as a Jin, however, so he is ready for that. “My late mother desperately wished for me to join the family business. His, of course, not hers. But visiting him has proven to be a mistake. It’s clear now that my father has a very similar opinion of his illegitimate children as he does his droids.”
He opens one of the side panels of his flight suit to show off the bruises that still prominently mottle his skin despite two visits to a medical ward he could afford.
It’s the briefest flicker-flash, a barest twitch of synthetic musculature that most people wouldn’t notice on a human, much less a droid. But the reaction is there, and he can feel the emotional shift in the air as the droid and the Admiral look at each other, the argument between them now silent instead of snapped.
After a few moments that surely feel longer than they actually are, the droid makes a noise that would have been a huff from anyone with lungs and turns away. “One full planetary rotation,” he grumbles, then stalks away down the hall.
If the droid means the planet they’re currently in orbit over, that’s thirty days by the timers in the ports. “Is that to be my entire billet?” he asks cautiously, not wanting to let it sound like a complaint.
Admiral Nie shakes his head. “Probationary period. If Sang-er declares you a fit for Baxia’s crew by then, we’ll re-draw your contract for a more formal position.”
“You value his opinion very highly,” Meng Yao says, careful to keep his tone neutral, lest the Admiral think he’s probing.
Which he is, but-
“As well I should. He's been serving with our ships since before I was born, after all; he knows the fleets inside and out down to the last fastening and half-byte of data."
Something about the way the Admiral says that lingers in the back of his mind even as he’s herded down to the ship’s infirmary to have his ribs properly treated. It’s hardly uncommon for the owners of a particularly well-made droid to brag about them, but to his ear it sounds… odd.
Less like an owner pleased with his possession and more like a younger brother proud of his elder.
He’s finished settling into his cabin, what few things he owns unpacked and stowed away, when something twigs in his brain.
Sang-er.
It couldn’t possibly be what he’s thinking… could it?
---
The first week of Meng Yao’s temporary new job starts with a surprise and ends with a realization.
Given his prior experiences with employers and Sang-er’s clear dislike of him, he braces himself for the bottom of the heap and jobs like cleaning over-boiled acid out of engine cells. Instead, Sang-er puts him through a mentally grueling -and yet actually somewhat satisfying- examination of his skills, then unceremoniously shoves him straight into financial work.
Tracking numbers and allocating data has always been something he could do in his sleep if he so wished; though he doesn’t exactly let his mind wander, the tasks are easy enough that they allow him space to observe.
He wasn’t wrong, he decides, in pegging the relationship between his human boss and his mechanical one as being something akin to siblings.
Which really only lends further credence to the theory his other observations are steadily building.
Observations like how Sang-er is simply too advanced for a perso-core droid. He sifts and sorts information, skimming star maps and calculating alterations via hard-light illusions generated from his own body, and does it all with a speed and ease that should have overtaxed him a hundred times over. Small-droid cores simply aren’t designed to hold or process that much information that fast.
But a ship’s core, on the other hand…
When he’d been small, a friend of his mother’s had dreamed of one day leaving and joining the Qinghe fleets, drawn by the near legendary status of Nie Zhuyun and her ship Huaisang. A captain so sharp and daring and a ship so clever and nimble that people claimed she had somehow bonded her mind to the core to make them a perfect symbiosis.
How many of the tales his mother’s friend told were true were arguable, but what had been true was that when the Wen Chancellor had finally succeeded in his near singleminded obsession to have the ship destroyed, its core had never been found in the wreckage.
Nie Mingjue had said that Sang-er had been serving the fleet since before his birth, but that didn’t mean it had always been in the same body.
And then there is the second most important observation: Sang-er never leaves Baxia.
He’d been unsure about that one at first. Even though they are docked, most of the crew remain onboard a good portion of the time. But after a few days of watching, it has become clear that while even the Admiral occasionally goes out into the port for one bit of business or another, Sang-er stays on board at all times, sometimes with some gentle but pointed reminding on the Admiral’s part.
As if the droid is being purposely kept hidden.
And he can guess from whom. His father has a very good business relationship with Wen Ruohan; even though the ship is docked in a port that isn’t directly owned by the Jin family, there’s a fairly large presence of both Jin and Wen contingents. If he’s right, and Sang-er really is a reconstruction of Huaisang’s core-
He stiffens, then reaches out to stop the flow of numbers he’d been monitoring.
When he had gone to that first medical ward… there had been…
He closes his eyes and sucks in a sharp breath, then lets it out slowly.
"There a problem?" a nearby officer asks.
"No, sir. Just needed a moment for the eyes," Meng Yao says, and then gets back to work.
---
His thoughts nag at him for the rest of the designated day hours and follow him into his bed that night. They’re still plucking at his nerves the next morning, annoying him enough that he barely touches the breakfast he would have gladly stolen -maybe even committed violence to get- from a rich man’s table not too long ago.
If he's right, then he has inadvertently picked up some information that would be extremely valuable to the Admiral and Sang-er.
But to use that information, he will have to do something he absolutely despises.
Tell everything.
There is no safety in full disclosure. Keeping things close to his chest had been the only way he’d survived the arduous journey between the port he’d grown up in and the central hub where his father resides.
But Sang-er has already proven very capable when it comes to checking up on those he does not trust. If he withholds anything that he overheard, and Sang-er finds out he’d done so, then being ousted from the ship is probably the best thing he could expect.
And… he... likes it here.
It’s hard to admit that, even just in his own mind. He’s only been employed on Baxia for a week.
And yet something in his heart just settles at the idea of staying here in a way he can’t remember feeling in years. The Admiral checks up on his wellbeing. His other crewmates treat him as his station befits. He’s comfortable in the jobs he’s been assigned. Even Sang-er -for all the droid’s aversion to him- judges his work fairly and takes his opinions into genuine consideration. Comparing the crew he’s found himself with to the tittering sycophants who’d taken such glee in watching his father reject him-
He bites his tongue to stop the flow of bitterness before it becomes overwhelming and clouds his thoughts.
The point is that, for the first time in a very long time, he has found himself a place he does not want to give up.
If that means having to lay all his cards on the table, then… then fine.
He reaches a point in his tasks that he can safely pause for lunch, but instead of going down to the dining hall, he goes looking for Sang-er.
---
After more than a little unsure wandering and some eventual directions from a couple of helpful crewmates, Meng Yao finds the droid in question in one of the small-ship hangars, surrounded by a star map and several of their scout pilots.
For a moment, his breath catches in his throat.
In the dim lighting of the hangar, Sang-er's eyes and the geometric designs decorating his form glow brighter, mingling with the reflective light of the illusory stars against silvery skin. With one fingertip, he draws flight paths and points of interest, directing models of their ships less like he is ordering soldiers and more as if he is conducting dancers.
It’s hard not to stare, and in that moment he understands better some of the particulars of the information he’s about to relay.
Drawing up his nerve, he straightens his back and approaches the knot of people just in time for the lights to come back up and the star map to vanish into the palm of Sang-er’s hand. A couple of the younger scouts wave to him, drawing the droid’s attention in his direction.
“Please excuse me if I’m interrupting anything, but may we speak in private?” he asks quickly, before any potential judgements can be made.
Sang-er regards him silently, expression completely neutral, then tilts his head in acquiescence. “You’ve all got your assignments,” he says to the scouts. “See you in fourteen days.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Follow me,” Sang-er says as he turns on his heel, and Meng Yao obeys.
Their destination turns out to be the hangar manager’s office, or what would have been the hangar manager’s office if they didn’t have Sang-er. The doors close behind them with a swish and click, but Meng Yao barely hears it over his own heartbeat.
He swallows hard as he watches the droid lean against the desk.
Okay.
All cards on the table.
"Wen Ruohan knows that you're Huaisang."
Sang-er doesn’t flinch or stiffen or show any other reaction that would give away a human but, like their first meeting, Meng Yao feels the subtle shift around them. "Interesting. And you've come to this conclusion because…?"
It’s not an outright denial. No automatic accusations of wild imaginations or delusions or… anything like that. Just a quiet demand to show his work, like the evaluations before. Meng Yao can’t help but find it oddly soothing for this to be treated as nothing more than a basic report despite the severity of what he’s revealing.
“There’s a specific medical ward in the district of Koi Port that most of the residents pretend doesn’t exist. At the time I was… dismissed, it was the only one I could afford to visit. One of the other patients there was complaining that a job for the Wens had been taken from him and handed over to shifters employed by the Jins.”
That gets a visible reaction as Sang-er’s hands clench on the edge of the desk he’s leaning on.
It’s an entirely understandable response. Shifters are the worst of the worst when it comes to orchestrating and carrying out the theft of high-end droids, and their services don’t come cheap at all. For someone like Wen Ruohan, who already has so much power of his own, to enlist them from another company…
Well, the implication is clear.
“Go on,” Sang-er says, and Meng Yao doesn’t fail to notice the tension that’s entered his voice.
“He didn’t specifically describe the target, but he did mention it was aboard the flagship of the Qinghe fleet, and that the backer had ordered it to be captured fully intact, or else. No offense to any of the other droids here, but there’s no one other than you who could possibly garner that kind of demand. And no other reason why Wen Ruohan would make it.”
“I see.” Sang-er’s expression still hasn’t changed, but the words are decidedly even more clipped. “And what price would a Jin expect for information like this?”
There’s the suspicion that he’s been waiting for.
All cards on the table, Meng Yao reminds himself for what may be the tenth time. Or the twentieth, he admittedly has lost track. If he doesn’t remain honest now, he stands to lose everything.
He allows himself one more nervous swallow before answering. “I don’t know… probably something obscene, honestly. I want to be extended to a full contract.”
“And?”
“That’s it.”
Sang-er blinks at him, unable to catch the surprise from flickering across his face quickly enough, though it’s quickly schooled away. “That’s it,” he repeats, arching one eyebrow disbelievingly.
“You’ve already given me nearly everything I was looking for when I originally went to meet my father. I want to keep that,” Meng Yao says. “The rest… I will come to terms with eventually.”
There’s no immediate response, and the silence stretches uncomfortably between them as Sang-er appraises his words and everything else. It’s hard not to squirm under the stare.
Then Sang-er’s expression visibly softens, and the sight nearly knocks the wind out of him, it catches him so off guard .
Oh, that’s just not fair.
He quickly recovers, standing straight as Sang-er pushes himself away from the desk and walks past him.
“Well, come on, then,” the droid says, and he absolutely does not shiver at the new warmth in his voice.
“Where are we going now?”
“To give my recommendation to Mingjue and have you moved to more permanent quarters. And then we will start planning to deal with this new development.”
We will start planning, he says.
Meng Yao finds he very much likes the sound of that.
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Rebel Spy - Chapter 15: The Goodbye
Masterlist
warning: mandalorian spoilers
One of the imperial pilots holds a blaster to the doctor that we saw on the hologram head. We need him alive because of what he knows. Seeing this I join Din in their cockpit.
“Stay back rebel scum,” says the one holding the blaster. Din and I both hold up our blasters higher.
“Easy, pal. Okay?” says the other imp. “I’m not with him. We can work something out-” before he can even finish his thought he’s getting shot in the head by the other guy.
“Alright drop the blaster,” I say
“No, no you listen to me. This is a top-tier target of the New Republic. This is a clone engineer. And if they find out that he’s dead because of you, you’re gonna wish you never left Alderaan.”
“How do you know that?”
“I see who you are, you’re Aurora Janren. Rebel Spy. Rebel Commander. Everyone in the galaxy knows who you are. You wanna know what else I saw? I saw your planet destroyed. I was on the death star.”
“What a coincidence so was I.” Din looks at me for a moment before turning his attention back to the imp.
He laughs, “Oh that’s right I remember. You and your friend were. We should have killed you both when we had the chance but destroying your plant was a small price to pay to rid the galaxy of terrorism.” Hearing enough of him calling my family and friends terrorist I aim my blaster and shoot him in the head.
The doctor holds the side of his head. His ear probably hurts from being too close to the blast. I turn to walk out but Din grabs my arm. “Why didn’t you tell me? You said you were on a rebel base when it happened.”
“I didn’t know how to explain at the time that Darth Vader and captured me and my friend and decided to blow up our home planet to get us to talk. It's not something I like to remember.” I pull my arm out of his grip and I go back to Bobas ship.
-
We pick up Bo and Koska from a cantina. Bo tells us that the person she lost the darksaber to is Moff Gideon which is probably the reason she agreed to help us in the first place.
We make a plan to get onto the cruiser using the imperial ship we stole from the imps that the doctor was on. Bo, Koska, and Fennec will go in first taking out the stormtroopers and make they’re way to the cockpit while Din and I go find Grogu.
-
Din and I walk down the ramp of the ship. Both of us have our blasters out. Din also brought the spear that he got just in case we need it. We walk through the empty imperial cruiser. Well, it's not actually empty, it just feels like this is. The feeling is eerie.
We turn down a hallway. Hearing two stormtroopers make their way towards us Din grabs my wrist pulling us into a little corridor. The troopers run-pass without seeing us. Din squeezes my wrist before letting go and checking to see if the coast is clear. Once he’s sure it is we continue on our way to find the kid.
We turn down a hallway for what feels like the millionth time. But this time we see doors open.
“No, no!” Din yells as he puts the splicer into the control panel to close it. The doors start to close but then it stops as two hands grab the doors stopping them. These two hands belong to the same things that took the kid.
It pries the door opens and we are bet with its red eyes. It punches both Din. With him having the beskar protecting him he slides across the room and hits the wall without getting knocked out. Me having none of that when the thing tosses me off to the side and I hit the wall I almost instantly get knocked out.
I’m not sure how long I’m out for but it can’t be for long because Din is still fighting the thing and is very much losing. I feel my head throbbing and warmblood coming down the side of my face.
Din is on his knees tries backing away from the thing throwing charges at it. The more he backs away the closer he gets to me. Using everything I have, which is mostly adrenaline, I stand up grabbing the spear from Dins back and driving it into the thing’s neck. Sparks fly and I push it farther causing it to fall to the ground.
Din runs back to the control panel opening the hull door so the rest get sucked into space. He runs back to me taking the spear out of my hand. He wipes the blood still dripping down my face then gently holds the back of my head, “Are you okay cyar'ika?” he says almost frantic.
I take a deep breath, “I’ve been worse trust me. Let’s just find Grogu and get the hell out of here.” This he agrees and once again we run throw these halls.
-
Using the spear Din takes out the stormtrooper guarding the cell with ease. Using the splicer Din opens the door to the cell. Inside is Grogu sitting on the bench with little binders to prevent him from using the force and Gideon with the darksaber pointed right at the kid.
The kid coos when he sees us and raises his hands a little.
“Drop the blaster,” Gideon says, “Slowly.” He moves the saber closer to Grogu. Doing as he says we slowly put our blasters on the ground. I ignore the throbbing in my head as I do it. “Now kick them over to me.” Again we do as we are told. “Very nice.”
“Give me the kid.”
“The kid is just fine where he is.” Gideon waves the saber above his head, “Memorizing isn’t it? Used to belong to Bo-Katan. Yes, I know you’re traveling with Bo-Katan. A friendly piece of advice, assume that I know everything. Like the fact that your wrist launcher has fired its one and only salvo, and you,” he looks at me, “Seem to be suffering from a concussion.”
“Where is this going?” I ask annoyed.
“This is where it's going. I’m guessing that Bo-Katan and her boarding party have arrived at the bridge, seeking me or, more accurately, this. But I’m not there and I imagine that they’ve killed everyone on the bridge, being the murderous savages that they are. And know they’re being to panic because she wants this. Do you know why? Because it brings power. Whoever wields this sword has the right to lay claim to the Mandalorian throne.”
“You keep it,” Din says, “I just want the kid.”
“Very well,” Gideon retracts the saber, “I’ve already got what I want from him. His blood. All I wanted to study was his blood. This child is gifted and has properties that have the potential to bring order back to the galaxy. I see you two have a bond with him. Take him but you will leave my ship immediately and we will go our separate ways.
Din and I carefully walk to the kid as Gideon moves out of our way. Before Din can pick him up I hear the darksaber ignite. I duck knowing that that weapon will cut me in half with ease. The saber hits Din’s jetpack. Din starts to back out the door blocking all the hits Gideon gives him. They take their fight out into the hallway,
Already bent down I start to undo the binders on the kid’s cuffs, “Hey Grogu.” he coos and for a second I smile knowing he’s back with us. Once the binders are off I hold him close to me.
Once I get back out into the hallway Din has the spear to Gideon's neck who is now on the ground. “Put him in binders lets go.
-
When we get to the bridge everyone is there. Din tries to give the saber to Bo but she refuses. Since she lost it and didn’t win it back in a battle she can’t rightfully take it.
Din tries to argue with her about it but before she can Fennec detects something entering the ship but it doesn’t show any lifeforms.
“You’re about to face off with the dark troopers,” Gideon says, “You had your hands full with one. Let’s see how you do against a platoon.”
We’ve gone through too much today to just give up now. I put the kid in the safest place possible we seal the blast doors and we get into position.
The dark troopers starting punching at the door. Each punch makes a bigger dent. I start to get nervous not having any idea how we are going to face them all. With every punch, I lose a little bit of hope that we will make it out of here alive. But when all hope is lost, I hear a ship jump out of hyperspace.
“An X-wing?” I say.
Bo tries to get the ship to identify itself. The pilot doesn’t say anything as it lands on the cruiser. But I do notice that the kid's ears perk up and something tells me that whoever is this is going to save our asses.
The punching stops and the air gets tense again.
“Why did they stop?” Fennec asks.
“A Jedi’s on board,” I say walking over to where Din is looking at the cameras I don’t bother explaining myself and I watch to see what happens.
Bo is also looking at the cameras on the other control panel, “She’s right. It’s a Jedi.” There’s only so many Jedi left and I met a few in my day so something tells me this one will be a friend. On the screens, we watch as the Jedi goes cut through the dark troopers with ease. The kid climbs up on the chair and watches with me and Din.
The Jedi makes its way through all of them and gets to our door. The kid whines and Din picks up him. Din and I walk to the front “Open the doors.” No one moves, “I said open the doors.”
“Are you crazy?” Fennec says.
Din sets the kid in the chair and opens the doors.
Everyone’s eyes are on the door as the Jedi walks into the room. I see his green lightsaber and his gloved hand and I know exactly who this is.
He takes off the dark hood revealing a face I feel as if I just saw him yesterday but also a lifetime ago.
“Luke?” I say almost in disbelief.
“Aurora,” he nods, “It’s good to see you again.”
I walk towards him giving him and hug and pulling away to say, “I haven’t seen you since Endor. Leia, how is she?”
Leia was my best friend on Alderaan. She grew up in the palace and I basically did with her. Her father was a huge part of the Rebellion making us become apart of it once we got old enough. We went on missions he sent us on together. Then when the ghost crew helped out me and Leia, I stayed with them feeling like I could do more but after everything on Lothal and the Battle of Scarif I got separated from them. Leia and I ended up getting the plans for the death star then we got captured by Vader. I met Luke when he helped to rescue us, we fought alongside each other all the way up until Endor. And now I’m here.
“She’s good. Really good.”
“I miss her.”
Luke nods before motioning towards Grogu, “I take it this is the one?” I go back to stand next to Din
“Yes, everywhere I go there seem to be Jedi.” No literally Din never even heard of the Jedi before meeting the kid but somehow I befriend three? What are the chances?
The kid looks up at Din and me.
“He doesn’t want to go with you.”
“He wants your permission,” Luke says, “He is strong with the force but talent without training is nothing. I will give my life to protect the child but he will not be safe until he masters his abilities.
Din picks up Grogu and walks back over to me, “Hey go on. That's who you belong with. He’s one of your kind. Aurora knows him you’ll be safe. We’ll see you again. I promise”
I hold on to Din’s arm trying my best to hold back my tears. Grogu holds his hand up to Din’s helmet wanting to see his dad’s face before we don’t see him for who knows how long.
Dins lifts his hand up to his helmet is he gonna take it off?
The helmet is gone and in front of me is the beautiful face of the man I love. The tears fall freely down my face not being able to hold any more emotions in.
My eyes start at his brown hair. The curly, fluffy, brown hair. I've run my hands through it in the dark but stars this is better.
His brown eyes met mine. There’s a little wrinkle in the corner of his eyes I had a feeling he had. I spot the nose I love and kissed so much. And the soft lips I see form a smile for the first time.
I hold my hand to his cheek. Touching it in the dark is one thing but seeing myself touch it is a whole different feeling.
I place a kiss on his lips then one on his nose, “So handsome,” I smile a teary smile.
Both of us turn our attention back on Grogu who is staring at us. I lean my head on Din’s shoulder as I watch as Din also reaches a hand to his chin like he’s checking to see if he’s real.
“Alright pal, it’s time to go.”
I brush the kid’s ear, “It’s okay he’s a good man, don’t be afraid.”
Din places Grogu on the floor but the kid holds on tight to Din's leg. Hearing beeps I look to see the blue and white astromech droid R2-D2. This droid and I have been through a lot together first meeting on Alderaan. Lots of stories I don’t need to get into right now.
The droid looks at me and beeps excitedly, I smile, “Hey Artoo.”
The kid being curious walks up to Artoo the charismatic droid beeps excitedly too and starts to move around. It's a cute sight to see. But the happiness I feel seeing old friends again comes to a stop when Luke picks up Grogu and I realize it's actually happening the kid is going away. Din and I completed the mission we found his people. Luckily it's someone I trust with my life considering the number of times he saves it but its hurts knowing I might never see the closest thing I’ll have to a son again.
“May the force be with you.”
I nod back at Luke. They turn around back into the elevator and with that, they’re gone.
END OF SEASON 2
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Blu-ray Review: King Kong (1976)
The recent release of Godzilla vs. Kong revived the age-old debate about which giant monster is superior, but it's not exactly a fair fight when you consider their respective quantity of output. By the mid-1970s, Godzilla had already appeared in 15 films, while King Kong only had a mere four to his name: the 1933 original, its same-year sequel Son of Kong, the 1962 crossover King Kong vs. Godzilla, and its 1967 followup King Kong Escapes.
The first remake of King Kong arrived in 1976 at the behest of Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis (Dune, Flash Gordon, Army of Darkness). Lorenzo Semple Jr. (Flash Gordon) was hired to pen the script, based on James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose's original screenplay, and John Guillermin (The Towering Inferno, Death on the Nile) assumed the director's chair. Richard H. Kline (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Soylent Green) served as cinematographer, while John Barry (Dances with Wolves, Goldfinger) composed the score. The plot largely follows the same beats as the 1933 version, although some alterations and expansions were made along the way.
Hoping to sail into the history books with the biggest oil strike in history, oil magnate Fred Wilson (Charles Grodin, Midnight Run) leads an expedition to an undiscovered island in the Indian Ocean hidden by a perpetual fog. Paleontologist Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges, The Big Lebowski) sneaks aboard the vessel, as he believes an animal occupies the island. In the middle of the ocean, the ship happens upon a life raft with struggling actress Dwan (Jessica Lange, American Horror Story), who quickly hits it off with Jack. Upon arriving at its destination, the crew discovers that the island is not uninhabited when they interrupt the native's ritual. The tribesmen proceed to kidnap Dwan and offer her as a sacrifice to the giant primate known as Kong.
The big reveal is impressive considering the limitations of the time. Per the closing title card, Kong was designed and engineered by Carlo Rambaldi (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Alien), who also constructed it with Glen Robinson (Logan's Run, Flash Gordon), with “special contributions” by Rick Baker (An American Werewolf in London, Men in Black). Since Rambaldi's attempt at a full-scale electronic Kong failed, however, the majority of creature work is accomplished with Baker in a costume with mechanized masks. It's fairly convincing as such, although the seams of the composite shots are clearly visible in high definition. Perhaps more than any other kaiju, it's important for Kong to be expressive, and this iteration successfully conveys pathos.
Semple's script drops the filmmaking angle from the original plot yet retains that the female lead is an aspiring actress and the human antagonist wants to exploit Kong on stage - which, smartly, becomes a corporate-branded event here. Kong only fights one monster on the island - a bloody battle with a giant snake - but his path of destruction in New York is much grander, rivaling and often upstaging the Godzilla films of the time. Instead of the Empire State Building, Kong is drawn to the then-new World Trade Center this time around, as the Twin Towers parallel his habitat, leading to his tragic downfall and a brilliant final image.
After Barbra Streisand passed on the role of Dwan, De Laurentiis sought to pluck an unknown actress from obscurity and make her a star. He did just that with Lange, who receives an "introducing" credit. It's easy to see why she won out over innumerable other aspiring actresses, as she radiates on camera, and her naivety works to the advantage of her character. Bridges is serviceable as the leading man and has good chemistry with Lange - but the film's focus is, rightly, on Kong and Dwan. Their bond is palpable, although the sexualization of their relationship is an odd choice.
While the supporting roles are largely one-dimensional, they're filled by a number of keen character actors: John Randolph (Christmas Vacation) as the ship's captain, Ed Lauter (Family Plot) as the first mate, Rene Auberjonois (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) as a geologist, Jack O'Halloran (Superman) and Julius Harris (Live and Let Die) as oil drillers, Dennis Fimple (House of 1000 Corpses) as a crew member, John Lone (The Last Emperor) as the cook, John Agar (Revenge of the Creature) as a city official, Walt Gorney (Friday the 13th) as a subway driver, and a young Corbin Bernsen (Psych) and Joe Piscopo (Saturday Night Live) as uncredited reporters.
King Kong has been released on Collector's Edition Blu-ray by Scream Factory with reversible artwork featuring a new design by Hugh Fleming and John Berkey's classic poster. The two-disc set includes the 134-minute theatrical version and the 182-minute TV cut, with its additional footage newly scanned in 2K from the internegative. (NBC paid De Laurentiis $19.5 million for two showings; the highest amount a network ever paid for a film at the time.) It features DTS-HD 5.1 and newly restored theatrical DTS-HD 2.0 stereo audio options.
This version of King Kong lacks the awe-inspiring spectacle of the three other major iterations (the 1933 original, Peter Jackson's 2005 remake, and 2017's Kong: Skull Island reboot), but it has moments of greatness that shine in high definition. De Laurentiis successfully spearheaded a sincere remake that shows reverence for the cinematic icon, and the theatrical cut is smoothly paced despite the lengthy runtime. The TV version doesn't fare as well, as it's padded by nearly an hour of additional footage (along with trims to the more crude sequences). They do little to add plot points, character depth, or anything else of potential value; instead they serve only to fill a programming block at the expense of the pacing. Still, it's nice to finally have a restored version for diehard fans.
King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon author Ray Morton provides a new audio commentary on the theatrical cut. It's very dry but full of information, especially when it comes to the drama between Rambaldi and Baker over the creature design. Having "outgrown the boundaries of a featurette," per disc producer Justin Beahm, an interview with Baker was turned into a second commentary. It's not as long as the whole film, which is fine, but it frustratingly forces the viewer to sit through gaps of the film's audio while awaiting the next soundbite rather than presenting it all in succession. It's unfortunate but worthwhile, as there's a lot of firsthand insight.
Beyond that, there are over 45 minutes of new video interviews with O’Halloran, assistant director David McGiffert, production manager Brian Frankish, sculptor Jack Varner, second unit director William Kronick, photographic effects assistant Barry Nolan, and production assistants Jeffrey Chernov and Scott Thaler. Most are conducted over video chat with mostly fine results (O’Halloran's picture quality is particularly bad), although a few are traditional on-camera pieces, and some subjects are paired together. They all seem proud of their contributions and happily share anecdotes about working on the massive production, even if the experiences weren't always positive.
Other special features on the first disc include the theatrical trailer, seven TV spots, three radio spots, and four still galleries (stills, posters and lobby cards, newspaper ads, and behind-the-scenes photos). The TV cut disc, meanwhile, sports an hour-long panel with Baker, O’Halloran, Kline, Dino De Laurentiis' widow Martha, and Barry's agent Richard Kraft, from a 2016 event at Santa Monica, CA's Aero Theater. Hosted by Morton, it's an entertaining and informative discussion.
King Kong is available on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray now via Scream Factory.
#king kong#kong#jeff bridges#jessica lange#rick baker#carlo rambaldi#scream factory#dvd#gift#review#article#john guillermin#dino de laurentiis#kaiju#king kong 1976
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Your death is a number but I cannot count that high (11/16)
In which Death Watch enter the enemy ship, and Asajj gets her shot at freedom.
Zombie Savage AU | 2.5k | warning for body horror
For the first time in weeks, Asajj feels light. It’s almost offensive, how quickly she slipped from world-devouring grief and heartburn and eternal nightmares into mission planning and execution mode, but then again: she enjoys bounty hunting. Pursuit and infiltration are basically her comfort zone, and even the present company cannot spoil her thrill.
She finally has solid ground under her feet again. The swamp that broils and laps at her with every dream and with every wriggling fleshworm that fucking Savage Opress sends her way is receding, and soon enough, when she gets her chance, she’ll kill it off—kill him—for good.
Asajj’s sisters and Mother Talzin may have accidentally landed her in a malignant trap when they tried to help her fight Dooku, but Asajj will chew her way free.
That’s why she volunteered to be ground troop today. She needs to rescue herself. She needs to cut off this bond, cut off the mate, cut off the drowning boulder. She’d been prepared to argue and fight for the opportunity, since it’s not like anybody trusts her here, but it was surprisingly easy. Not even a doubtful look—no, the only response she’d received was appreciation for her fearlessness in the face of certain death. Well, maybe it is. Maul keeps insisting that Savage’s torture is a trap laid by Sidious, his past shadowy Sith Master, and that setting a foot on Entralla means getting fried and disappeared and tortured. He himself is going down still, obviously—by now it doesn’t even appear to be bravado or tending to his image before his following but genuine mushy affection for that dumb creature, and if Asajj wasn’t busy she might almost be curious—Maul is coming down with her, as are Kast and Saxon and three dozen other supercommandos. That’s what they’d settled on, once their advance droid surveillance footage yesterday had revealed their target to be a small spaceship surrounded by a hundred medium-sized tents.
Maul, Kast and Saxon at once, who as far as she’s observed are the three highest-ranking members of Death Watch, and on what all of them believe is a suicide mission—Asajj would call them brain-dead, but actually, she doesn’t care. Either Maul is every inch the scared wretch of a cast-off Sith plaything he appears and is making mountains out of skrant-hills, or she’ll, most likely, be dead too. Looks like that gamorrean sow Kast likes to suck face with will soon inherit the whole sorry rest of their terrorist crew.
Most of Death Watch, though, is inside three hundred small Kom’rk-class fighters or the two stolen Separatist dreadnaughts, standing by to intercept any fleeing ship with gravity wells or sheer violence. Well. That’s one of the reasons. Every ground Mando is in periodic radio contact with one of their motherships, and should they go silent when Sidious gets them… if the mission goes sour, dead man’s switch. Asajj doesn’t know about the exact logistics of how many have to miss check-in before the omnicidal aerial bombardment begins… but she’s starting to understand Maul’s paranoia regarding this ‘Sidious’ well enough to know they’re going to risk killing their Mand’alor sooner rather than later. It’s reassuring, almost. They’ll kill Sidious no matter what.
Well. And her, too.
But Asajj knew when she allowed that Mando to think she’d captured her that this wasn’t going to be easy. Up until know she’s always found a way to make it out alive. She’ll manage. And Sidious killed her sisters. Killed Talzin. Killed Dathomir.
Sidious will die, and so will Opress. Anything else is secondary.
She’s wearing a set of scavenged armor over her clothes and a jetpack and a gas mask, nothing more. Most of the ground team have massive tanks mounted on their back, too, full of some quick heavyweight airborne soporific Death Watch managed to procure on short notice.
(“If it’s taking this long to cook something up, we could just use poison,” Asajj had suggested, entirely not for selfless reasons. “We’re using the weedkiller tanks you Mandos use for farming, after all. We could just keep the weedkiller.”
“This is still a rescue mission,” Kast had replied severely. Unfortunately, despite being a fanatic terrorist and obeying Maul of all people and a habit of throwing tantrums about the horrible plight of Savage Opress, she wasn’t entirely braindead. “Damage is acceptable, but we won’t kill our brother.”
Maul had looked on, silent.)
Maul and Asajj are going to enter the ship first. That makes sense—both of them are assassins more than soldiers, they’re better than the Mandos at keeping quiet—and even if Maul will be a hindrance when they find Savage, she can use him as a distraction before that.
It feels weird, somehow, touching ground in front of the enemy’s ship. The unconscious guards on the ground are wearing clone trooper armor, which means that—yes, it means Death Watch got the drop on them and it means the soporific gas is effective, which is great, but Asajj didn’t expect this mission against Sidious to include a Grand Army of the Republic protection detail, and neither did Maul, though he appears far less perturbed by this information than Asajj is. Nothing before has linked Sidious to the Republic. She trusts the magicks she used to find this location, though. This is where the bondmate is being held.
Maul opens a control panel next to the ship’s door and plays around with a couple of screwdrivers, while Mando supercommandos direct their sedative gas into the ship’s pried-open air vents.
And… they’re in.
Too easy.
This was far too easy for a secret prison of the illusive Sith Lord, and Maul, apparently, thinks so too. He keeps glancing sideways at her while the supercommandos tie up the sedated soldiers outside and while they enter the ship’s galley, and he insists they shouldn’t split up.
“This location does not appear my Master’s—my former Master’s style,” he whispers in his clipped accent. “It’s neither desolate, nor are there plush red carpets. It’s not a torture dungeon.” Maul looks at Asajj, and his eyes gleam with suspicion. “If you have lied to me, you are dead. If this hurts my brother, you’ll wish you were.”
“This is the place. My sisters’ magicks are never wrong,” Asajj replies haughtily. It won’t do any good if both of them admit to their unease.
(Maul’s been vibrating faintly ever since Asajj broke into his brain to find Opress. It’s probably fear and anticipation, and most of all the superfluous awareness of him that she’s gained ever since exploiting both their bonds. Maybe he was always this high-strung.
“Someone’s attacking him,” he’d whispered to her just minutes before they reached Entralla, as if by joining their minds she had proven she cared. His eyes had been dark, agonized. In a movement that appeared entirely involuntary, he’d gripped at his neck as if looking for a pendant, and then he’d hugged himself, holding onto his torso and stomach as if his slippery entrails were ready to leak out.
Asajj had looked down and realized she was mirroring him.
When she slid her eyes half-shut, she could see the shadows of undulating metal cables.)
The ship, on the inside, just appears a standard Republic cruiser. It has a single long hallway that Asajj is pulled down by the worms in her gut, and Maul, frowning and broadcasting dread, follows.
They pass unconscious Republic clones at uneven intervals.
It’s so—ordinary. Asajj knows these ships. And there are no traps at all, just that pulsing connection drawing her forwards, shading and twisting, the memory of desolation and grief and that orange boy getting chocked (Kast’s eyes were so hard when she said, “He tried to give me his lightsaber, too, so I would have an easy time of killing him, if—when, he said, when he was used again to hurt his little brother,” that Asajj almost felt guilty) and everyone on Dathomir is dead and—
There.
She stops, and Maul comes to a halt behind her, ‘saber raised.
An open doorway, half-blocked by an armored redhead that seems vaguely familiar, and the beckoning hand of her sisters, and if Sidious doesn’t have the heart to provide a distraction for Maul then Asajj will just improvise.
“Back there, I think,” Asajj whispers, pointing at a random closed door to her left. “I can feel your brother in there.”
Maul’s eyes are wide. “I do not feel—are you sure?” he whispers, and he looks so young and hopeful bathed in the green glow he doesn’t understand and never had a right to wear that Asajj almost dares to believe her plan will work.
“I know these magicks,” Asajj drawls. “I don’t mind double-checking, but I thought you wanted him as alive as possible. He’s not doing well. Might get deep-fried at any moment, that’s not healthy for such a weak brain.”
It works. Maul bites back whatever kind of response he might have had, and he starts frantically working on slicing the door that was—her sisters are smiling upon Asajj—thankfully locked.
Asajj, meanwhile, tiptoes hurriedly forward and past the redhead—almost a decent glimpse of his head, why does she feel she knows him and—and inside the room she looks at a monster. The scene is arranged as if to mock her, a single bare cot in the middle of the room approximating a stone slab and the dimmed red electric lights a stand-in for the fire on the day she was tied to the boulder that tries to drown her. On the cot, as he was supine on the slab back then, lies unconscious Savage Opress.
Well. The used dog toy formerly known as Opress.
He’s always made her uncomfortable, even when they met. First, it was his silent bruised obsequiousness and the glances he’d shoot her after that arena fight, like he expected her to ravish him then and there just because she’d beaten him up. The sense that she’d stumbled into a world she didn’t understand drawn in silent rules and violence and sex—and Asajj has never liked that anxiety born of ignorance though she can and will tough it out and persevere, and only with the bond strangling her did she realize her stupid mistake—the sense that there was something hiding below her feet ready to devour her. He only got more obsequious and annoying after the ritual that tied Asajj to him, with his empty brainless eyes that somehow simultaneously said do whatever you want with me and I’ll kill you. She was happy to use him, if it got her traitorous ex-Master Dooku off her back, but she was at least as happy that the plan included Opress staying at Dooku’s side, not hers. Well, in the end, he was as useless as he was stupid and creepy, and Asajj had to fight Dooku on her own while Opress escaped his leash and used the power gifted to him by Talzin to harass innocent villagers and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
He doesn’t have the body that Mother Talzin gave him anymore. Not that he ever deserved it.
Savage Opress, who is bound by ancient magicks to Asajj, looks like someone took his corpse and stuffed it full of a crashed spaceship debris in a desperately poor attempt at covering up an accident. The body Mother Talzin’s Dathomiri magicks gave him was stout, forceful, architected and executed with a keen eye and deep control, while whoever did this was a careless butcher. Asajj has seen carnage and pain, she’s fought and killed and maimed, and yet she has never seen anything as bestial as the body before her.
Savage Opress, who is making her share his torture through a telepathic bond, looks like a gutted carcass. This is what became of one of the three last survivors of Dathomir: worms writhe in and out of him, the things she’s been feeling like phantom maggots burrowing into her heart made real and she can see them feasting and seaming up his raw mottled shoulders and lap at the empty spots where someone tore out his hearts. He’s still conscious, though, just asleep. She can feel him feeling the worms. She can see him breathing, though he doesn’t need to, not without an intact torso. Not without hearts. She feels sick. So this is what has been calling out to her. What has been sliding into her mind, unstoppable and unwanted. This has violated her dreams.
Savage Opress, the bondmate Asajj came here to covertly murder, looks like death would be a mercy.
“Ventress, what are you playing at? The room was empty and Kenobi is here,” Maul hisses from somewhere behind her. “I told you. You’ll die for your betrayal—Savage…”
Asajj turns, expecting a fight, but Maul looks like the air was punched out of him, and he’s rooted to the doorway. The air around him tastes of abhorrence and dawning dread. He could have reached Savage before her, in her stupor—he could have jammed his ‘saber into her back—but now she’s jolted loose and ready to take her one chance at freedom.
To take mercy on Savage, for once in her life.
She drives her lightsaber into his right eye socket.
Maul’s scream behind her is vile, deeply inhuman and guttural and echoing over and over and over in the small room. It’s so loud her eye starts to hurt. His howl is the storm and the cave and the first drink in a lifetime. It’s green. It’s gentleness and sympathy he thought his Master had long driven out of the apprentice, but in teaching Savage he can’t help but refrain from using the techniques he once had endured himself. He doesn’t understand the reason—he is Sith and if he does not teach his apprentice to draw power from pain, he will have failed him. He doesn’t understand, but he feels something quake when he is called brother and when he notices he turned his back to Savage and never even expected to get hurt—he doesn’t understand, but somehow, he does. He loves Savage. Savage loves him. Maul was never meant for love, was made a weapon to be used and abused and discarded by a Master wielding power he’ll never attain, but somehow, Maul found this one person who loves him. Maul lost the person who loves him. Maul just lost him again. Maul won’t lose the person who loves him. He won’t. He can’t. He refuses. He loves—
And desperate love paints the room acid green. Greedy love tears the cot to tiny metal shreds. Unconditional love presses hot and painful into Asajj’s right eye, and she’s taking tiny measured steps toward Savage, in rhythmic unison with Maul and unstoppable no matter how hard she tries to take back her body.
Love, no matter what it takes, and both their green-bathed hands touch Savage.
All goes black.
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