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#‘Rank 1 is now Safe’ UH HUH. SURE.
qangelbluebird · 2 months
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Creation = The Thing (from the tubhole?)
Primary Protector (Creator (not used but could be)) = Tubbo
Rank 1 Shell = Sunny
Guardian = Philza
Shell (in general) = Eggs
Pancake Shell = Empanada
The Mother of Pancake Shell = Bagi
Duck Shell = Chayanne
Trauma Shell = Tallulah
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mysteryshoptls · 2 years
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SSR Jack Howl Dorm Uniform Personal Story: Part 2
"I want to be useful to you."
(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)
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[Sports Field]
Grim: Hey, [Yuu], let's hurry and get back to the dorm now that our boring classes're done!
There's some people out on the sports field.
I think I'd like to take the long way home.
Grim: Hm? Who's that standing out there on the field…? Ain't that Jack and Deuce?
Grim: Hey, you two. You're looking so grim, yanno. What's goin' on?
Jack: …
Deuce: Oh, hey, it's [Yuu] and Grim. I'm just listening to a problem Jack's having.
Jack: It's not really a problem. It's just…
Jack: Ruggie-senpai shooed me away again today, sayin' I was in his way, so I'm trying to think of what I can do now.
Deuce: He's been like this for a while now. Sounds like he really wants to be useful to Bucchi-senpai.
Grim: I'd think if you told Ruggie you wanted to do stuff for him, he'd be excited and all for it. Why's he shooing you away?
Jack: Yeah, I don't really get it.
Jack: I'm just tryin' to be on alert so that if someone decides to pick a fight with him, I can have his back...
Jack: And when he's heading somewhere, I head that way first and make sure it's safe…
Jack: Even today, when a ball came flyin' at him, I used my body as a shield and protected him from it…
Jack: So why's it still not enough?
Deuce: Don't you think that's a bit overprotective…?
Grim: If someone as huge as you was following me everywhere, that'd totally be annoying, yanno!
Jack: What'd you say!? It's absolutely the duty of the lower ranks to put their life on the line to protect their higher ups.
Deuce: What exactly do you think you need to protect Bucchi-senpai from on a campus as safe as this...?
Jack: You say somethin'?
Deuce: Uh, nope… But really, I'm actually a little surprised at how intense you are about your dorm hierarchy.
Yeah, it's kinda weird.
Yeah, seriously.
Grim: Feels like Jack'd be more, "I have training today. I don't have time to help other people!" instead, yanno.
Jack: I just want to be acknowledged by those people I respect.
Jack: I still can't forgive 'em for their cowardly actions during the inter-dorm magift tournament. But…
Jack: I was super impressed by how Ruggie-senpai did everything he could and stuck by the boss until the very end.
Jack: I wanna be a guy who can be super dedicated like that.
Jack: That's why, in order to push myself to even higher limits... I need to focus on the people I admire and the goals I want to pursue.
Deuce: Wow, it's like your eyes are sparkling… I can really see how much you respect Bucchi-senpai.
Jack: Wha- my eyes're not sparkling!
Grim: Nah, they totally are. You got this super dreamy look in your eyes, yanno.
Jack: Shut up, they're not!
You're like a kid looking up to his big brother.
Jack: Eh? Big brother…?
Deuce: Oh, is that it? I'm an only child so I wouldn't know.
Deuce: How about you, Jack? Do you have any siblings?
Jack: I have a younger sister and brother, but I'm the eldest. …I see, an older brother, huh…
Jack: I never thought about how it'd be like if I had an older brother…
Jack: But maybe it kinda feels like this…
Grim: Ah, speaking of, there's Ruggie.
Jack: Ruggie-senpai?
Ruggie: Shoot! This is bad, this is bad… Aaah!
Jack: You seem to be in a rush, what's wrong, Ruggie-senpai? If something's the matter, perhaps I can…
Ruggie: Sorry, but I don't got time to chat witcha right now, Jack-kun. Bye!
Deuce: …There he goes. He seemed to be in a big hurry.
Grim: Weird to see that easy-going Ruggie in such a huge rush, yanno. What gives?
Jack: …
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[Courtyard]
Ruggie: Haaah, I can't find it at all. What'll I do…?
Ruggie: I was just cleaning Leona-san's room after rushing back after classes to avoid running into Jack-kun…
Ruggie: Who'da thunk the force of ripping the sheets off his bed would send Leona-san's super expensive looking necklace flying out the window!?!
Ruggie: And then a crow snatched it out of the air and flew off with it. How unlucky can I get?
Ruggie: I chased it all the way back here to the school grounds, but there's too many crows. I can't figure out who's the one that took the necklace…
Ruggie: I gotta get it back somehow! I can't be losin' Leona-san's trust over something like this.
Ruggie: I can't think about how much that necklace could be worth, especially when it belongs to royalty like Leona-san… Scary!
Jack: …
Jack: I heard it all… Finally, I can be of use to Ruggie-senpai!
(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)
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sdr2lovemail · 3 years
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I just noticed that you are alive again! So um.. I've been thinking for QUITE a while of a relationship Ultimate Impostor x Ultimate Leader (in the killing game ig?), idk why. If the requests are closed feel free to ignore this. Thank you!
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You could say that I am a fan of Imposter's work. Even tho there is not a lot of content about them out there I still love them dearly.
And yes I died for a minute but have risen from the grave to continue my writing career. I hope you enjoy what I have written my friend because I absolutely love it.
⚔Mod Peko⚔
Spoilers for chapter 1
The Ultimate Imposter disguised as Byakuya Togami and the Ultimate Leader butt heads but also kinda wanna kiss each other
Teenagers and a killing game are bound to fall into chaos. Teenagers, a killing game, and no supervision will cause more chaos. That’s why they need a leader. Someone strong and brave to guide them. However two ultimates wanting to be that leader, teenagers, a killing game, and no supervision will cause even more chaos.
Breakfast was a usually calm time. Everyone just wanted to eat and get on with finding a way off this forced school trip. However there were some mornings where everyone seemed to be full of energy. Akane and Nekomaru were engaged in a fierce 1v1 training session. Chairs, tables, and food flying throughout the air from the power of their moves. The restaurant was in total disarray and with your talent of being a leader you must do something to calm the crowd. Standing up you set your arms behind your back and call out to your classmates.
“Everyone! This is-”
“Sit down, common folk. You will all cease this foolish behavior and stop wasting food.”
“Huh?”
At the mention of wasting food Akane quickly stops her fighting. She then pulls up a table and chair from the mess of the restaurant and begins to chow down. You look at where the voice came from and see Twogami sitting at a table with a plate. Just because this guy is loaded he thinks he can be a better leader than you? Oh you will just have a quick word with him to set the record straight. With quick strides you tap him on the shoulder giving him your best stern look. This look helped you strike the feeling of order into people. But Twogami doesn’t look impressed at all?! No you can’t let him see you falter. Standing up straighter than ever you begin to speak.
‘Hey what’s the big idea? I’m the Ultimate leader. I don’t need your help guiding our class.” You told him with a grim expression. Twogami gave you a look over before setting down his fork. He wipes his mouth off with a napkin before standing to face you. His intimidation factor was off the charts. Can money buy such a scary aura?! After adjusting his glasses he begins to speak with a sigh.
“Listen I, Byakuya Twogami, am much better suited to be in charge. You may have your impeccable wits and title but that is nothing compared to being next in the Togami line. Now are we done here? I would like to finish my food”
Not even giving you a chance to respond he goes right back to eating. Even with your ultimate status this guy intimidates you a lot. But you will not be backing down. He thinks he’s so high and mighty you’ll show him high and mighty.
The days feel like they’re getting heavier. Monokuma’s annoying voice rings in your ears. There’s no way you’d believe that memory loss garbage….And even if you did, you had to stay strong for everyone. Twogami’s party did nothing to calm the tense feeling in the air. You decided you were going to check this abandoned building from top to bottom before anyone steps foot inside.
You do not see Nagito when you first step in. Maybe he’s cleaning somewhere else. Teruteru was said to be in the kitchen. Entering the main room of the building you see Twogami rifling through what looks to be a metal case. Hearing the floors creak under your weight he looks over. Upon seeing you he sends a glare.
“And what are you doing here? I don’t remember you having to prepare anything.” There was a doubtful tone to his voice. Twogami was trying to let this party go off without a hitch. And he wasn’t going to let some commoner ruin his plans. Though behind the rich boy costume Imposter did feel kinda bad. They felt like they were trampling all over your pride with their Byakuya act. However this was their ultimate. And as Twogami….No. Just as themself, if that even existed, they will keep their classmates safe. Even if they have to hurt some feelings.
“As a leader it is my duty to keep everyone in order and assure maximum safety. I plan to do a total sweep of the place before the party.” And like he did to you, you did not give him a chance to answer. You quickly turn around and exit out into the hallway missing the look of awe on Twogami’s face. Walking past the fire door you come up to the kitchen. Before you can reach for the door it swings open revealing Nagito. Strange….If Teruteru was already in the kitchen there was no need for Nagito to be in there. The lucky student passed by with a smile yet spoke no words towards you. Also strange. Nagito usually said something when passing. He deemed it rude not to say hello to an ultimate.
Entering the kitchen you see Teruteru at the counter. He doesn’t seem to notice you coming in. The usual smile on his face is replaced with a look of fear and he’s shaking like a leaf. Stepping closer seems to have caught his attention as he jumps. The look of fear is swiftly changed into a smile yet he’s still shaking. Teruteru then grabs a knife and begins chopping at some vegetables. Seems as if he’s trying to make it seem like he was simply taking a break.
“W-Why hello there. Heh, what could I do for you?” He’s shaken up quite a bit. Not a single flirty remark in that sentence and Teruteru sure did like to tease about your strong authority. You stand tall and look down at the chef. He visibly shrinks back. Looking him dead in the eye you start to command him.
“You will tell me what you have discussed with Nagito Komaeda.”
This caused Teruteru to tense up. Setting down the knife he grabs a comb from his pocket and begins to bring it through his hair. Though there isn’t a hair out of place on his pompadour. Appears to be a nervous habit.
“I uh….I have no idea what you mean mon ami~. We were simply discussing plans for the upcoming party.” Teruteru had tried to come off as collected but you knew better. He wasn’t making eye contact and he was constantly fidgeting. Nagito told him something and you were going to find out what.
“Teruteru Hanamura! I command you to tell me what Nagito had told you. Simple party plans would not have such an impact on your demeanor.”
This seemed to have caused a reaction in him. He began to blubber as words poured out of his mouth like a dam cracking under pressure.
“He came in here and told me that he had plans to murder someone at the party with the knife he had hidden under one of the tables in the dining room. He planned to overload the breaker in here with irons in the storage room to cause a blackout so he could grab the knife and kill someone during the party. I-I begun to form my own plan of stopping him….by….killing him?” The last part of his word vomit stuck with Teruteru. He would’ve had someone’s blood on his hands and would send the rest of his class to their own demise. “Oh my god I was going to kill him!” Teruteru then sinks to his knees before you.
Your face softens as you see the mess of a chef on the ground. Nagito was planning a murder? Why would he share this information with Teruteru? Dropping down to his level you set a careful hand on Teruteru’s back. “Listen. I’m going to go grab Twogami and you’re going to tell him what happened. And we’ll come up with a solution.” You normally wouldn’t call for backup, but as this was his party you felt he had the right to know.
You cautiously leave the kitchen and begin to look for the blond. Not able to find him in the building you exit to the hotel grounds. Noticing the while suit and blonde hair you call out to him and ask for him to come back. Leading him to the kitchen where Teruteru still sits slumped on the ground he listens to what you already know.
A look of disgust crosses Twogami’s face before he sets off to the main room. After announcing your departure to Teruteru, you follow him. Nagito is there setting up tables and dusting the furniture. He was about to offer the two of you a cheerful greeting but is cut off by your demand for him to exit the grounds. Not wanting to upset an ultimate that is clearly in higher ranks than he is, Nagito does not question it. He leaves the abandoned building to rest in his cottage to wait for permission to be allowed back in.
Looking under the tables you find the knife that Teruteru had mentioned. Grabbing it proceeds to coat your hand in wet paint. So Nagito had just planted this. But what’s the paint for?
“Set the knife in the duralumin case I brought on the left. I am currently using it to store anything I deem unsafe.”
You let out a scoff before setting the knife in the case. He sure does love bossing people around even in dire situations. Well….I guess that’s your talent so you can’t really speak. After doing a check of the rest of the tables, Twogami walks up to you with something in his hand. It’s a handkerchief with the Togami family crest. Imposter spent many hours perfecting the stitching of the symbol. You give him a confused look about the offering. Seeing the expression he rolls his eyes.
“Close your mouth before flies start to swarm. This is to wipe your hand off. I don’t need paint smears ruining the image of my party.”
“What? I can’t wipe paint on something as expensive as that. That handkerchief probably cost more than my house. I’ll just go wash it in the bathroom.”
Upset by your stubborn nature, Twogami grabs your wrist and begins to wipe the paint off himself. After your hand is clean he drops the cloth into your hand. “I expect that to be washed before it’s returned to me. Now I have some important matters to discuss.”
Stuffing the handkerchief into your pocket you give Twogami your full attention.
“I have decided that after this little incident we need to up the security. I would ask Nekomaru but I wish to keep this between us. Letting the public know that two people were planning a murder would cause chaos. When it’s time for the party you will help me conduct body searches. I’d like for you to keep an eye on the party with me to make sure no suspicious activity is at play.”
While normally you would make a fuss about him bossing you around with people’s lives at stake it was simply not the time for that. Nodding once he finishes speaking, you and Twogami complete one last look of the place before the party starts.
It’s time for the party and the two of you are set up outside of the abandoned building. After checking everyone and confiscating anything deemed dangerous, the party is in full swing. Everything is going smoothly. 11:30 was nearing and at the corner of your eye you see Nagito inch closer to the table. Knowing you shut the irons off you pay this no mind. There’s no way he’d try to pull anything when everyone can see him. A quick look of confusion crosses his face as the lights are still on. The confused expression is swapped for one of despair. There’s a creepy smile on his face and his eyes are clouded. Even if the blackout did not occur Nagito can still pull through with his plan.
He suddenly flips the table cloth over and goes to reach for his knife. Everyone at the party has eyes on him. Before he can fully register that his knife is in fact missing Nagito is pushed to the ground. His arms are pressed against his back and his face is squished into the floor. Multiple confused cries echo throughout the dining hall. Nagito recognized this tactic. After hours upon hours of researching the ultimates he’s sharing a class with he could easily tell that this was your work.
Twogami with Nekomaru in tow walks over to you and the detained lucky student. An agitated expression is on the heir’s face. He looks down at Nagito.
“You dare to think that I would let your plan continue? [Name] and I knew about your scheme and were quick to put a stop to it. And the fact that you would try to pull through with it in broad light is despicable.”
Anger, disgust, and confusion are present in the crowd of your classmates. Trying to make sense of it all Akane speaks up.
“I’m so friggin’ confused. What plan did Nagito have? Need me to beat him up for ya?”
You were quick to diminish the violent thought. “No, that will not be necessary as he has already been disarmed.”
“Nagito had planned out a murder.”
Twogami’s words caused a commotion in the dining hall. After hearing the noise from the kitchen, Teruteru cautiously enters the room fearing the worst. Though a feeling of relief washed over him after seeing Nagito on the ground.
Nekomaru lets out a strangled noise. His teeth are clenched and his fists tightened.
“You were going to murder one of your classmates? THAT’S INEXCUSABLE! Please [Name] allow me to detain him somewhere away from everyone. SOMEONE LIKE HIM CANNOT WALK FREEEEE!”
Looking over to Twogami as if silently discussing what to do he sends you a nod. Removing Nagito from your grasp he is quickly put into Nekomaru’s. The coach is quick to remove him from the premises. With a sigh Twogami faces your classmates. Pushing his glasses up he begins to apologise.
“I am sorry you all had to see that. And I am sorry that my exquisite party must draw to a close here. Exit the building and head to your cottage for the night.”
Though shaken, everyone proceeds to leave in groups. No one wants to walk back alone fearing that someone will try something. With just you and Twogami left he turns to face you.
“That was quite impressive. What you did back there was helpful in getting Nagito detained. I believe that we should come to an agreement. Yes we are fine separately but together I feel that we could do an outstanding job at keeping everyone safe.”
Twogami extended a chubby hand out for you to shake. This handshake would seal the two of you into a partnership. One of which would keep your class safe. Looking from his hand to his face then back to his hand you sit there in thought. This could be a wonderful idea. With two people working together that’s like double the safety. With a smile you shake his hand giving it a tight squeeze.
“I think I’d like that Twogami! From here on out the two of us are now Jabberwock Island’s health and safety committee.”
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krreader · 3 years
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seven sins | chapter six.
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pairing: bts x reader ; kim taehyung x reader fandom: bts warnings: non idol!au ; historical!au ; princes!bts ; concubine!reader ; mentions of sex genre: fluff ; angst word count: 2.3k+ previous: 1 ; 2 ; 3 ; 4 ; 5
summary: even in times such as yours, you still led a privileged life with nothing to ask for. that is until first your father, then your mother died and you were left to care for your two younger sisters. the position for royal physician seemed to be open and with your father having been a general and your mother having been a maid for the queen, you thought you might be able to get it.. little did you know that your visit to the palace would put a completely different offer on the table.
a/n: WE’RE BACK TO POSTING REGULARLY BITCHACHOS! ♥ and this deserves a fucking update, still one of my fav originals to date
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“Stop it, this isn't funny!”
You smiled from ear to ear when you could hear your sisters bickering with each other, walking up the familiar stairs to your home that you haven’t walked in weeks now, before carefully sliding open the doors.
Your youngest sister was annoying the older one with a stick, acting as if it was a sword, while the older one just wanted to be left alone.
Funny how so many things had changed... yet others stayed exactly the same.
“You should treat your older sister with a little more respect, you know?”
“(Y/N)!” both of them ran into your arms the moment you had finished your sentence, you hugging them as hard as you could, breathing in their scent that you missed so much, "You’re finally back!”
“I'm sorry I wasn't able to come sooner,” you kissed both of their heads, then showed them the bag that you were holding with a grin, “But I brought you a lot of treats!”
Were you allowed to take them? Probably not. But the kitchen staff always prepared too much for you concubines anyways. It’d be a shame to throw it all away when you had two wonderful sisters sitting at home who’d devour such things.
And indeed, the fact that you were gone for a while seemed to have been forgotten while they stuffed their faces.
For a moment you were afraid that maybe they haven't had enough to eat, but they looked healthy.
“Hey! Why are you eating so much, you make it seem like I haven't fed you at all!” Jun entered with crossed arms, “I've been cooking every day for you brats!”
“Sorry, Auntie Jun, but it's really good,” the youngest said.
She scoffed, but then quickly pulled you into her arms to greet you properly. After all, you also hadn’t seen her in a while.
“I got you something as well,” you whispered, pulling out a bag full of coins and sliding it into the pockets of her dress.
“No, no, no, I don't want this.”
“They give this to us every once in a while to buy new clothes, but I don't need that. You've been clearly taking care of them, Jun, I want you to have this. If not for you, then for your parents.”
She didn't like to take, she usually only gave, but.. she sighed in defeat when she knew she had to take it this time. Like you said, if not for her sake, then for that of her family.
“Thank you,” she squeezed you in her arms once more, then looked at the children to make sure they were still busy with the treats, before pulling you further away from them to have a private conversation.
What she was about to talk to you about shouldn't be heard by them.
“How are you? How are.. things?”
“I'm alright. They haven't found out why I'm there yet, but I think the queen is getting suspicious.”
“Because you're not pregnant, yet? The herbs work?”
“As well as I thought they would, yes. I've slept with four princes so far, so I should be pregnant by now. The good news, though, I heard that because Prince Seokjin is the heir to the throne, he is the one who needs to get a child as soon as possible. So the king ordered that nobody but him is allowed to get me with child and.. he hasn't been one of the four yet.”
“So as long as you stay away from him..-”
“Yes. At least it gives me an excuse. Not a good one, the queen knows men too well, but it's better than nothing.”
“Why haven't you talked to the king yet? You've been up there for a while, haven't you had the chance yet?”
“He's very reserved. Just like I had expected. My father used to tell me that he only saw him so much because he was pretty much the only person he ever trusted. I need a chance to speak with him when he’s alone.”
“Why can't you just tell anyone else? What about one of the princes? Maybe they could help you?”
“I don't know them well enough, Jun. Yes, some of them seem to like me a lot, but I can't take that risk. If I'm wrong, they might give the order to kill me. But with the king, I at least still have the card of my father to play. He will listen to me when he finds out who I really am and then all of this will finally be over.”
“So.. none of the princes could be an ally?”
“Well.. Prince Seokjin might be. He's.. troubled, these days. The weight of becoming the leader and bringing an heir into this world is crushing him. I talked to him once and I feel like he might understand me the most.. of what it's like to trying to look out for your family.”
“Then why not try that?”
“I've only seen him twice. I don't know what he's doing, but he doesn't seem to be much interested in me, to be honest.”
“Well, you managed to sleep with four princes so far. That's more than half of them. If anyone can do it, you can,” she put her hand on your shoulder, “But you need to be careful. I told you that the whole thing about you not being pregnant would cause a problem.”
“I know. But that is why I need to be careful with Prince Seokjin. If I see him and I really do end up sleeping with him but not get pregnant, then people are going to seriously ask questions. That is why the king is still my first option and Prince Seokjin only the second.”
“Whatever you do, you need to hurry,” she turned her head and looked at the two girls sitting on the floor, still eating and chatting about which treat they like the most, “They've been alright, but they ask questions that I don't know how to answer. They know you're working at the palace now, but not what you do there. Neither does anybody else. Yet. But if people do find out, I'm worried that they might treat the two differently. You know how the town folk looks at concubines.”
“I know. Which is why I'm grateful that you haven't said anything to anyone.”
“You know I'd never do that.”
As much as you would have loved to stay the whole night and talk more with both Jun and your siblings, time wasn’t something you had much of these days.
Concubines, especially those with your rank, were only allowed a short period of time in the village. Nevertheless, you spent every second that you could with your family, had your sisters tell you about what's new, cuddled a bunch with them and assured them that you'd be back soon.
However, this time saying goodbye wasn't as hard as the last time, because now they knew that you’d indeed keep your promise of returning to them.
You were not like mother, you would not abandon them.
“Can you bring more treats next time?” the youngest asked with big eyes, making you chuckle and kiss her forehead, “The red ones with the pretty flowers on top?”
“I'll bring you as many treats as you want.”
“YES!” and with that, she ran back into Jun's arms who smiled as well.
And you took that opportunity to kneel down in front of the older one, “Tell me honestly. Are things alright?”
“Yes,” she nodded, “Jun takes good care of us, don't worry.”
“You haven't had any problems? Did anyone try to come in here?”
“No, people leave us alone,” she hugged you tightly, “We're alright, (Y/N). Really.”
God, she has grown up so much.. how long hadn't you seen her? What happened to your baby sister that always tried to get guidance from you? Now it was almost like you could ask her for guidance instead.
“I'm so proud of you..”
“Just come back to us safely.”
“I will,” you kissed the top of her head and then got up from the floor, “I will see you all soon, alright?”
And with that, you walked back to the palace, your heart not as heavy as the last time, thankfully..
..only to run into Eun and..-
“Prince.. Taehyung,” you bowed, but couldn't help the smile that spread on your face when you saw how Eun had her arm hooked with his.
So.. this was her secret Prince, huh? Definitely not a bad choice... but then again... none of them were a “bad choice”. 
“There you are! I thought I might see you at the market,” she smiled, “Where did you go?”
“I uh..- I was just.. taking a walk,” you lied with a nervous chuckle that you quickly covered up by switching topics, “Anyways.. did you enjoy your day?”
“Ah, it was so nice, we had a lovely time.”
As much as you liked seeing her this happy, something about this picture in front of you was making you furrow your eyebrows.
Eun had been the one to scold you for sleeping – genuinely sleeping – with Jimin. She had been the one to tell you that it 'wasn't your place', yet she had her arm hooked with Taehyung's and was looking at him like she loved him.
Whereas he seemed to be.. not nearly as interested in her. 
And why did she never tell you about her prince? Why had she kept it such a secret? You had told her about all of the ones you had slept with and now that you thought about it.. she seemed to have been relieved.. and now it all made sense. She had been relieved because Taehyung hadn't been one of them.
“My brothers told me quite a lot about you, (Y/N),” you three walked back to the castle, three guards in front, three guards behind you, “Good things only, of course.”
And see, you saw the way he looked at you, but Eun didn't. She just continued to look at him with those loving eyes and.. it hurt you. Because out of everyone at the palace, she was the only one that you truly cared about.
“Thank you, your majesty,” you said plainly, “I very much enjoyed my time with them.”
You needed to talk to her. 
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“Can I talk to you for a moment?” you pulled Eun aside at dinner later that night.
You thought about doing this some other time and giving her a bit more space, but you hadn’t been able to think about anything other than this. If she was truly in love with Prince Taehyung, then she needed someone to wash her head and tell her that this wasn’t a fairytale. 
“Of course,” she followed you into the gardens, a place where you thought it’d be best to have such a conversation. Most importantly, because of the privacy.
“If I ask you a question.. will you promise me to be honest about it?”
“Yes. We're friends, aren't we?”
Which was exactly why you needed to have that conversation with her. Because you might end up being the one breaking her heart in the end. Because if Taehyung wanted to have you, he would. 
“Eun.. why did you never tell me that Taehyung was your designated prince?”
“It.. just never came up.”
“It did.. a lot of times, actually. I kept asking you about it and you kept laughing it off. It was as if you wanted to keep it a secret.”
“Don't be silly,” she fidgeted with her hands, “Why would I keep that a secret?”
You stopped walking and gently grabbed her arm to make her stop too, “When you first met me, you said you wanted to be my friend because the other girls were all very competitive over their princes and that they had this mindset that they might change them and make them fall in love with them,” when she lowered her head, you knew you were right, “Eun.. did you fall in love with Prince Taehyung?”
It didn’t take more than ten seconds for her to burst into tears, confirming your suspicions.
You immediately pulled her close, rubbing your hands up and down her back, trying to comfort her as best as you could. You pitied her, really. 
“Everyone else has at least two girls.. but Taehyung only has me. I thought.. I thought I was special..”
“But you are special,” you immediately leaned back to look into her eyes, “Don't you ever let a man not make you feel special. No matter who he is. You are beautiful, you are kind, you are intelligent and every man out there would be a fool not to see that.”
“But Taehyung..-”
“Is.. a different case,” you shook your head, “You said it yourself, Eun. These princes aren't looking for love, they're looking for sex and someone to give them children.”
“Not with you.. you aren't like that.”
“Yes, Eun, I am exactly like that. I'm just like you, just like every other girl here.”
“No,” she wiped away her tears and took a step back, “I overheard Taehyung talk to one of his brothers..”
“So..?” you furrowed her eyebrows, not knowing what she was trying to tell you here.
Eun straightened her back, “I don’t know which brother it was, but one of them told Taehyung that they had fallen in love with you.”
240 notes · View notes
grace-likes-things · 3 years
Text
Beside Her
Peter Parker x Stark!Reader
A/N: uhh it’s been a while. Here’s this! And here’s to me posting a random one-shot every two years lmaoooooo. Disclaimer: alternate reality where no one died/left after endgame.
Summary: A mission Peter’s off the job for, and which goes terribly wrong.
Warnings: blood, major character death, this one is v angsty folks.
Word Count: almost 6k 
~~~~~~~
“So, am I alright to go with?”
“No way, Peter. Your sling may be off but your arm can't handle the kind of wear you put it through yet. Give it another day or so.”
Peter sighs, exasperated, “But the mission’s tonight!”
“Nuh, uh, Pete,” my dad cuts in across the room, “You’re staying here, doctor’s orders. I told you we’d check, and we did, and Helen says no.”
“Mr. Stark—!”
“Not me, Helen, you really gonna combat her decision?”
Dr. Cho gives Peter a stern look, having had experience with his impulsively-gained-injuries before. He turns away, ducking his eyes, knowing not to challenge her. 
“Peter it’s fine,” I say, hand on his good shoulder, “You’ll join us on the next one.”
“If—“ my dad buts in, “he doesn't go shatter half the bones in his arm again. And don't go assuming you’ll be on the next one, Y/N, I'm hardly supportive of you coming with tonight as it is.”
I sigh, turning stubbornly towards him as he waltzes out of the room, “I've been training for over 3 years, dad I—“ 
“Nope. Still my kid, don't push your luck. We’re t-minus 1 hour out, so go get ready,” and with that, he turns the corner and leaves. 
“Sorry Pete, better luck next time.” Helen picks up her clipboard and departs, leaving us alone in the room.
I turn to Peter, who’s looking rather defeated about the fact that he won't be allowed on the first mission in three months. I nudge his shoulder playfully, “Hey, think on the bright side, now you get to snoop around the lab uninterrupted for a couple hours.”
He gives me a halfhearted smile, “Yeah? I still wish I could be out there with you.”
His eyes change into an anxious look. I look at him, sympathetic, and grab his hand in mine. 
Since the snap, the fight with Thanos, and almost losing my dad, Peter’s had this protective, premature-guilt complex concerning the people close to him. We got lucky not losing anyone, but I think seeing my dad recover from mourning us and the near-death experience I had in the battle, he’s not really comfortable being separated from us in a fight.
“I know. But it’s relatively minor, from what I’ve heard. I mean — minor enough to convince my dad to let me tag along, so.“
“Yeah, I know. I just hate not being there to have your back.”
I lean into his side, shoving him playfully, “You suggesting I can’t handle myself?”
“Absolutely not,” and I see I’ve forced a grin onto his face, “Just think, ya know, maybe your dad’s had a few too many juice pops lately, and I gotta be concerned — I mean, a gain in weight could throw off his balance in the suit—“ 
“Oh! Throwing my dad under the bus here, are we?” I laugh, “That’s funny, maybe I’ll mention it to him later.”
“Kidding! Don't tell your dad I said he’s fat — he's not.” He hangs onto my hand as I stand from the med-bay bed, “He’s a very fit man, you know, for his age.”
I laugh, “This just gets better and better! I’ll make sure to tell him you think he’s old too after I get ready.” 
I move to walk away, but Peter stops me, tugging my hand gently.
“Hey, but seriously,” he murmurs, “be careful tonight. Come back in one piece for me. Okay?”
“Of course,” I say, and lean my forehead against his, “And you have a fantastically boring night, let your arm rest. Don't get into any trouble.”
He kisses me long and gentle, “I’ll try not to.”
——————
Tonight’s mission was a fairly routine one. One of the lingering branches of Hydra left, hiding in a bunker and planning nothing good. We’d all been briefed on the most recent information about their weapons and tactics, and the team had decided tonight was the time to shut the place down. 
I examine the repulsors in the palms of my suit, sleeker like Peter’s, but armed similarly to my dad’s. There’s about 15 minutes before we fly out, so I tuck my braids beside my neck — getting my hair caught in the helmet seriously blows — and make my way up to the launch pad. 
“Hey, offspring!” my dad plants his hand on my head and shakes it, “You still wanna come along on this one? Sure you don't wanna stay home? Absolutely? Because you know, you’re welcome to, in fact, DUM-E's been missing you down in the lab, i’m sure he’d appreciate your company—“
“Nuh uh, old man, I'm going with. You said so.”
“Oh, so I’m old now? You know, I did end up with an extra five years than you, so you can cut me a little slack.”
I laugh and walk onto the quinjet to meet the team, “Never.”
————————
“You all remember your assignments?” Steve asks, “Me and Sam, Tony and Wanda, Nat and Y/N.”
A chorus of yes’s and nods follow, as if this wasn’t the fourth time we’d answered that question. 
The ride to the bunker is relatively boring, other than my dad pestering me with Stay with nat, and don't get distracted, and be careful, and don’t do anything I would do, and definitely don't do anything Peter would do. Nat and Wanda chuckle at my situation from across the quinjet, and it was getting pretty old by the time we landed a bit outside the target. 
Once we’ve all gotten set with weapons and coms, we start out on the jog to the bunker. Upon arriving there, Nat and I are tasked with stealing a hard drive that contains targets and weapons data. From what we know, it’s in a room close to the center of the building, so we have a long way to go while trying to get noticed as little as possible. 
My dad tells me to stay safe and call for him if needed before we part ways, and Nat and I are alone in a dark hall.
“Alright,” Nat whispers, “We move toward the center of the bunker, 4 floors down, we’ll use the vents if we have to. They might cause a scene somewhere else, but our job is to keep hidden, all the way in and out if we’re lucky.”
“And when are we ever lucky?” I murmur back with a smirk.
“Don’t jinx it, kid, let’s go.”
For the most part, the beginnings of the mission are easy. We used Friday’s heat signatures for a full week to map out the guards’ schedules, so we knew what halls to stick to and when. Making our way to the less-monitored maintenance stairwell, we walk in silence, keeping an ear out for updates over the coms. Just as we reach the bottom of the third flight of stairs, a pair of guards walks through the doors.
“Hello, boys,” Nat says and quickly turns to me, “I’ll take the tall one.”
With that, we spring to action.
The pair raise their weapons toward us, but Nat quickly disarms the man across from her while I blast the gun from the shorter man’s hand and drag him through the doorway before he can reach the alarm on the outside wall. Slamming him into the stair railings, he tries to get rid of me by throwing a headbutt my way, but my suit takes the brunt of the impact. Pulling my arm back and releasing his wrist, I aim a punch square at his face and hear a crack when it lands on his nose. After a disdainful grunt, he shoves me back and tries to kick my legs out from under me, but I quickly grab hold of his ankle and yank up. The man lands harshly on the floor, and one kick is all it takes to knock him out. 
When I look up, Nat has already beat her opponent and is checking the outer hall for more guards. “It’s clear,” she says, and we both take the ankles of the two guards and drag them through the door into the nearest room, tying them up securely before jamming the door in place. 
“I hope they enjoy a nice nap, let’s keep moving,” Natasha says, and we make our way back to the stairwell.
Finally on the fourth lower level, we hold ourselves with a bit more caution. This is where they guard more heavily, and we still have quite a ways to travel before we’re near the center of the building. With light steps, we make our way down the dimly lit halls, occasionally ducking through doorways and turning corners to avoid passing agents, guards and other workers. It seems as if most of the work they do happens down here, as we constantly see high-ranking members and people in lab coats muttering to one another as they roam the halls. I’m only able to catch a few words of any given conversation, and of the ones that were spoken in English, none of them sound pleasant.
Nat and I travel fairly uninterrupted for the next few halls before she stops me and says, “Alright, we’re close to the center now. The hard drive we need is going to be in a lab somewhere around here, so we’re checking rooms. If there are any heat signatures, we clear it together. If Friday doesn’t pick any up, we split and multitask.”
I raise my eyebrows, “Oh? Going against my dad’s orders, huh?”
She gives me a wry smile, “You seem to be able to handle yourself, and it’ll get us out of here faster,” she points at me, “Just don't make me regret it.”
I laugh, “I won’t.”
And with that, we start scanning the upcoming rooms.
The first room we check has a few Hydra agents inside, so we clear it together, check the computers for the right information and come up empty handed, breaking the doorknob and continuing on. We go about this for a while, knocking out the occupied rooms together, splitting up to clear empty rooms, checking for the right hard drive, and moving on. It’s tedious, but no alarms have been activated so far, and we make a good team. 
Now very close to the center of the bunker, we come upon another few rooms free of heat signatures, so we once again divide and conquer. We have to be getting close now.
“I’ll take this one on the left, you’ve got the right?” I ask, walking carefully toward the door.
“Gotcha, call if you find anything.”
I open the large metal door and take a cautious step in, examining the room around me. There are no lights on, so I use a light on my suit to see my surroundings. 
It’s strange, the room is large with high ceilings, but is pretty much empty. A few scraps of metal and packaging are strewn about the floor. Concrete floors and dark walls line the place. I take a few steps further in to double check that I haven’t missed anything, but all I see is one door on the opposite side. I turn back to exit when the entrance I came through slams shut in front of me. Alarmed, I run forward and try to open it, but the handle won't budge.
“Nat!” I whisper hushed through the coms, “The door shut behind me, can you get it from the outside?”
I hear her footsteps approach from the other side and the sound of her trying to open the door, “I can't get it, and the lock must be electric, there’s nothing to pick. How’d this close on you?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t see it.”
I hear a new voice over the coms, “Wait, did you two get separated?” My dad’s voice resounds with a hint of anxiety, “What did we talk about, Y/N? I said to stay with—“ 
“I tried! Not my fault the door shut behind me.”
“Well you should’ve gone through the door with Nat in the first place!”
“Hey!” Natasha’s voice cuts in, “While I would love to listen to you two bicker, we’ve got a job to do. She’s fine, Tony, we’ll figure it out.”
“I could just blast the door handle—“
“No, Y/N, it’ll be too loud, we’ve gotten this far without being noticed.” I hear Nat huff through the door, “It’s in our best interest to keep it that way. Friday’s telling me there’s another door, leads out to a hall. I can go around and meet you there. It's further toward the center, so at least if you have to blast the thing down we’ll be closer to the target.”
“Sounds good, I’ll wait for you,” I say, and with that, Natasha stalks off through the halls. 
I turn to make my way across the room, walking leisurely. This place really is unusually huge for a seemingly-unused underground room, about the size of a school gymnasium. I’m wondering if it may have been used for storage or training when I hear a noise to my left.
Turning swiftly with my guard now up, I see a male guard walk through a side door. Another entrance? How did I miss that? I ready my fists in a fighting stance and call through the coms, “Hey Nat? This room was occupied, I’ve got it handled for now but you might wanna make it here quick.”
Strangely, I get no response, but I don't have time to dwell on that fact because the man is charging toward me.
He’s a good fighter, and we both land some hard hits as we combat to occupy the room. I flip over him and blast him into the wall, but he recovers abnormally quickly and rises up again for more. I land another punch to his stomach once he’s in range, but he quickly grabs my wrist after and squeezes with inhuman strength, crushing the thin-design gauntlet on my hand. The metal cuts into my palm before tear what remains off and launch him over my shoulder onto the floor. I move to kick his side but he grabs my leg and throws me off balance, and my back hits the floor in a harsh slam. Groaning, I try to sit up as the guard grabs a metal pole off the floor — oh shit — and slams it onto my other palm, crushing my second gauntlet. Two hands now bare, aching, and unarmed, I continue to fight at a slight disadvantage. But I’ve trained for years, I can handle this.
It turns out maybe I couldn’t handle it. 
The guard has to be one of Hydra’s human experiments, because he’s stronger than the average adult. I struggle to gain the upper hand for several minutes. He's had me pinned me to the ground, and just when I think his weight is lifting off me he brings down the pole on my side. Hard. 
I groan and curl away. Even through the thin — and now damaged — metal of my suit, the blow took the air out of me. I press my palms to the cold floor to push myself up, but another blow strikes my back and I collapse forward. Finally, the man grabs a fistful of my hair and slams my head into the ground, and a ringing suddenly starts in my ears. Dizzy, head aching, and barely able to think, the next thing I register is being dragged across the room to the opposite wall by my wrists, which are then cuffed in front of me.
And strangely, the guard who put all that effort into beating me walks out of the room.
“Hey!” I shout, “What’s going on, asshole!? Come back here!” But he doesn’t return, and shuts that same side door behind him. I groan in frustration, head still pounding in pain, and try to reach the team again, “Anyone hear me? I’m still in this room, my gauntlets are broken and I'm cuffed, anyone around?” No response, “Hello?”
I’m starting to think Hydra somehow interrupted our signal when another noise distracts me from across the room. 
The door opens once again, and this time five people exit. Four guards and…
Peter.
A chill surges down my spine.
They’re dragging Peter into the room.
“Peter?” I call out, panicked, “Hey! What are you doing with him?”
He’s dressed in plainclothes, so he didn’t come here as Spiderman. He doesn’t look like he’s in the best condition, slumped and hardly fighting the guards who are carrying him to the center of the room. My mind starts racing with all the things they could’ve done — what’s wrong with him? How could they have hurt him so badly he isn't able to fight back, especially with his strength? I need to get him away from them, but if these four guards are anywhere as strong as the last, I need a plan of attack. Or backup. Where is the team?
And how did they get to Peter? Peter Parker, not Spiderman, so not out on the streets — he was supposed to be in the lab tonight. Did they get into the compound? Is anyone else hurt? My mind keeps spiraling into more and more panicked thoughts, and then I hear him.
“Y/N?” He calls out, “Where are we?” His voice is raspy and slurred, and I think they must’ve given him something, some sort of drug. I’m about to call back to him when a guard lifts him up and punches him in the stomach.
“No!” I shout, raising up to my knees and then beginning to stand before one of the four guards points his gun at me. I stay there, kneeling before the scene, not knowing what to do to stop either of us from getting hurt. The three remaining guards begin to beat on him again, kicking and punching and Peter is too delirious to serve any resistance other than curling up and grasping weakly at the ankles of the men hurting him. I can hear his pained whimpers, and my heart squeezes in my chest, I feel tears building in my eyes.
“Stop! Stop hurting him, what do you want?!” I scream, wanting to get closer to him but still at a stand still with the fourth guard, “Come on, tell me what you want! You’re not getting anything by just beating him!”
The three guards pay me no regard, but the fourth, still pointing his gun at me, snickers as if I’ve said something funny.
Peter is still at their mercy, receiving hit after hit and a voice in my head tells me, they’re gonna kill him. You have to do something or they’ll kill him.
“What do you want? Come on, what is it?!” 
And with a heavy accent, the man says, “To cause you misery.”
The chill returns, and I decide — despite my terrible odds — that I have to get them away from Peter. 
I get my feet firmly under me.
I charge toward the guard with the gun, bracing myself.
And he does something I didn’t expect.
He turns the gun on Peter.
I hear three shots.
“NO!” I scream, my eyes go wide and I drop to my knees once again, facing Peter and crawling toward him, “No, no, no, no, no!”
The guards shuffle back into the shadows, laughing, seemingly done with their job, but all I can see is Peter.
I’m frozen for a second, staring, shaking, unable to process the scene before me. He lies on his back, staring up at the ceiling, hands grasping at his chest where blood has begun to pour from three wounds. I race toward him and drop to the ground at his side, placing my cuffed hands firmly over the holes in his chest.
“Peter?” I say, my voice tight and choked, “Hey, hey listen to me, you’re gonna be okay. The rest of the team is here, my dad is here, he's gonna get us out, okay?” A few of my tears leak down onto my hands, running into the blood that now stains them.
“Y/N?” He mumbles, hardly able to speak.
“Yeah, it’s me, I'm so sorry,” I sniff and try to keep my throat from closing up, “I’m so sorry I couldn’t stop them but you’re gonna be fine, Peter, we’re gonna get help.” 
His face is twisted in pain, and when he tries to speak next, only a cough comes out, and blood bubbles out over his lips.
I fail to hold back a sob and move my hands to his cheeks, “Shh,” I try to get out, but it comes out shaky, like a whimper, “Shh, don’t— don’t try to talk.”
His eyes look into mine, I can see the pain behind them as he lies there, struggling to breathe. I stroke his cheek, and only now come to notice the blood I’ve painted there. I sob again. I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do, I don't know how to help him.
Can I?
Is it too late?
I cradle his head across my thighs, take one of his hands in mine and leave the other on his cheek, trying to provide some sort of comfort.
“I’m sorry, Peter, I’m so sorry, I’m sorry,” and I just keep saying it, breathing it out and heaving air back into my lungs between sobs. Tears are constantly tracking down my face now, and i’m doing all I can to subdue them while he’s still conscious, still looking at me. 
My mantra of apologies keeps repeating, and my thumb keeps stroking along his cheek, and I don’t know how long I sit there, crying, mumbling, desperately hoping someone comes to help us before I notice him release a slow, defeated breath.
In, out.
“Peter?” I mumble. My blood freezes in my veins. My breath stills. I wait for his chest to rise again. I watch and pray for it to happen. Please, please, please.
It doesn’t move.
A long, whining sob erupts from deep in my chest as I drop my head and cry, and cry, and cry above him, “No, no, no, no. Please, no.”
I sob, loud and painful, unable to take a breath in anymore. I shut my eyes and don't look up because I can't look at his face — his eyes are still open his eyes are still open. 
I’m never gonna see him again,
I’m never gonna hear his voice again, 
I’m never gonna kiss him again.
The pain in my chest gets worse and I feel dizzy with the force of my sobs.
And then suddenly there are arms under mine, and I'm being dragged backwards.
Away from Peter.
“No, no, no, no, let me go! Let me go!” And what i’m saying is barely coherent between the sobs, “Let me stay with him, please, please!” But the arms hooked under me don't relent, no matter how hard I pry at them, no matter how hard I kick and scream. He’s getting farther and farther away from me, alone in that room, and I can't bear the thought of it.
“Please, let me go!”
And suddenly I hear my name, as if through a haze, but I can’t make out who’s saying it. I don't really care. I have to get back to him, I have to stay with him, I can’t leave him alone.
“Y/N— “
“Y/N it’s us! Come on!”
I pull and pull at the hands around me but I can’t remove them, I keep getting pulled backwards until— 
I’m yanked through a doorway, and the room where Peter lies is dark and blank in front of me.
My hearing isn’t fuzzy anymore.
I gasp in surprise but the sobs haven’t stopped, and my father’s unmasked face appears in front of me.
“Y/N? Hey! You’re okay, we’re here!” His hands are on my face but I swat them away.
“No! Peter’s in there! We can't leave him! We have to take him home, we have to get him home—”
“Y/N— “
“Dad they shot him, I couldn’t help him, I couldn’t help him—“ my words dissolve again into cries of grief.
“Y/N he's not in there.”
I turn to him in confusion.
“He is!” I point my hand frantically toward the doorway, “In the middle of the room! They k— they killed him in there!”
“Y/N…” my dad speaks.
And it’s then that I notice my outstretched hand, pointing toward the door.
There’s no blood on it.
I start to shake harder.
“I- I saw it, I saw it happen I— “
And I notice the thin fog rolling out through the doorway, lazily dispersing along the floor.
I look up. I breathe heavy and shakily. The whole team is staring down at my red, tearstained face. Cap’s face is twisted into concern, Natasha looks sad and sympathetic. Hydra agents lie dead or out cold on the ground, alarms blaring, but no one takes any steps to exit. The raid is over…
And I can't see any blood on my hands.
“Y/N, it was a hallucinogen,” my dad says firm, but gently, “Whatever you saw in there wasn’t real.”
I stare at him, trying to make sense of this. It looked so real. It felt so real.
“But— but I saw it— I felt it, I could feel what they did—“ 
He gently breaks the cuffs from my wrists, “I know, I know kiddo, but it wasn’t real. They know how to get in your head.” 
I shake my head in confusion, “But the cuffs? And my gauntlets are broken—?”
“Whoever did that was real.” Nat cut in, “They hurt you so you wouldn't fight the simulation and then the drugs were pumped into the room.”
I sit there on the floor in front of the Avengers. Disbelief, confusion, and grief all playing across my face. 
“Check the room,” I demand.
My dad points a light into it, and Steve walks through, “No one here, see?”
My mind still races, it felt so real.
“Friday?” My dad speaks up, a gentle hand in my hair, “Where’s Peter now?”
“At the compound, sir, working on his suit in your lab.”
I sniff and mumble out, “Vitals?”
“All normal levels.”
I sigh, squeeze my eyes shut, and drop my head into my hands. A sob of leftover panic and relief fights its way out of my chest.
“C’mere,” My dad says, and pulls me closer to him, a soothing arm around my back.
“I need to see him,” I choke out, “I need to know he’s not— “
“I know, I know, we got the job done here, we’re going home.”
——————
I don't remember the walk back out of the compound. It’s all vague reassurances and worrying eyes. I think my dad buckled the straps around me once we got to the quinjet. 
The flight back is somber, quiet, despite the fact that we succeeded. I feel the entire team’s eyes on me, but I don't look up. I’m too busy sitting curled on my seat, staring down at my hands.
There was so much blood. So much of his blood.
I spend the next few hours staring, not speaking, unable to stop the images from replaying in my head. My dad sits beside me, stroking my hair, muttering things I can’t hear.
I thought he was gone. All I can hear are the choked, wet sounds of the blood rising from his throat, all I can see is the stark image of dark red dripping down his pale cheek. Pain in his eyes. His chest refusing to move.
“Y/N,” I think it’s the fourth attempt someone makes to get my attention, and I look up to see my dad kneeling in front of me, “We’re almost back.”
“He’s at the landing pad?” I whisper, my voice hoarse.
My dad takes my hand and says, “Yeah, I had Friday call him up.”
The next thing I’m aware of is the quinjet touching down, and I unbuckle the straps and stand up. My dad rests a reassuring hand on my back, and when the ramp lowers, he walks me forward. He can tell I’m still doubtful. He can tell a part of me still believes what I saw back in that room. 
But then we reach the ground and I see him.
Peter is standing back from the landing pad, accompanied by Pepper. He’s healthy, he’s standing on his own, he’s not bleeding, he’s not hurt, he hasn’t been shot, he’s okay.
He’s not dead.
I pick up the pace, walking out of reach of my dad, and once I’m close enough to see his eyes a sob fights its way up my throat and I throw my arms around his shoulders.
“Hey, shh, it’s alright,” his arms wrap firmly around my back, one hand landing in my hair and one stroking up and down my spine. His hair tickles my cheek, his shirt collar is bent out of shape — he never folds them right. He’s warm and strong and breathing and alive. I bury my face in his neck as another sob wracks through my body.
“What happened?” I hear him ask, confused, and his voice rumbles so low and soothing and I can feel it against my chest, hear it in his throat where my ear is pressed. I can’t stop my cries long enough to answer him but I realize the question wasn’t directed toward me.
“She’s not hurt,” my dad’s voice reassures him, “They messed with her head. She thought — she saw them hurt you—“
“I thought you were dead,” I croak out. My grip on him tightens and I let my hand trail to the curls at the base of his neck, let them twist around my fingers. My voice has risen an octave when I say, “You died, I saw you die.”
We sway for a moment, his hands still running down my back and through my hair, I don't think he knows what to say. I wouldn’t know, either. 
We stay there for a minute, and the rest of the team has walked inside to give us some space, I assume. 
After a while, when my sobs have quelled and I'm just quietly sniffling against him, I feel his hand on my cheek, pulling me back.
“Hey,” He whispers gently, wiping his thumb under my eye to clear away the tears there, “Good thing that wasn’t me then, right? I’m right here. And I’ve got proof— I was talking Dr. Banner’s ear off in the lab the entire time, he can vouch for me,” I let out a watery giggle at his antics, “You wanna go inside? Get you warm, patch you up?”
“Yeah,” I sigh out, disentangling myself from him, but keeping an arm around his side as we walk into the building, “Sorry, I’d give you a hello kiss but I’m pretty sure there’s snot running down my face.”
He chuckles and presses a kiss to the hair at my temple, “That’s okay, let’s get you cleaned up.” 
——————
After a brief period of time, I’ve showered, changed into pajamas, and am now sitting at the bathroom sink where my dad is bandaging the shallow cuts on my hands from the broken gauntlets. We sit in relative silence, and there’s no doubt from the look on my dad’s face that I appear just about as shell shocked as I feel. 
“Kiddo, you gonna be okay tonight?” He asks in a hushed voice. 
I don't look him in the eye, instead watching him work on my hands as I mumble out, “Probably not.”
He huffs with a bit of amusement, “Well, thanks for the honesty, I guess.”
He finishes up on my left hand and raises my chin to look him in the eye. I don't know what to say, so I let him speak first.
“Seriously, Y/N, that was heavy, what you went through. Don’t be afraid to ask any one of us for help, okay?” He looks me pointedly in the eye, already doubting I’ll take him up on that. I am his daughter, after all. 
“Yeah,” I whisper, “Got it.”
He stands with a sigh and puts the first aid kit back under my sink.
“Goodnight, come get me if you need me.” He presses a kiss to my head and leaves.
——————
Tony looks at the clock. 7a.m., three hours after they returned from the mission. 
“Friday? Has Y/N gotten any sleep yet?”
“No, sir. She spent a few hours in the kitchen with Mister Parker, but it appears as if they are both headed to their respective rooms now.”
“Alright. Alert me if she needs help, Fri.”
“Will do, sir. Goodnight.”
——————
“Sir, it appears as if Y/N is in distress.”
Tony wakes up to the alert just forty minutes after he’d laid down to sleep. He's quickly alert and shuffling out of bed, down the hall to his eldest daughter’s room. Although, when he turns the corner he sees Peter already at the door.
The teen looks up at him, “Hey, Mr. Stark. I— Friday told me she needed help. I was just gonna check in.”
“Me too,” Tony sighs, “You go ahead, Pete. It’s you she needs to see right now. Goodnight.”
The man turns to leave, but stops short of turning the corner. He says, tired, but playfully, “Door open, Parker.”
“Gotcha, Mr. Stark,” And the boy walks in to comfort his daughter.
Several hours later, after Tony’s gotten his meager version of a full-night’s sleep, and after a night he’s sure has held several nightmares for his daughter, he walks back past her door to make sure she’s okay.
He smiles warmly at the scene. Wrapped in Peter’s Midtown sweatshirt, his daughter sleeps, restless but quiet, leaning an arm over the boy she loves. He holds her secure, both their legs strewn about the covers, and Tony can't help but notice Y/N’s hand. Resting softly at the side of Peter’s neck, fingers in the hair behind his ear, and her thumb rests just over the boy’s pulse point. Thrumming gently in sleep, reassuring her — even in her unconscious state — that what she saw was fake. Peter is alive and well, sleeping soundly right beside her.
—————
Alrighty that’s it! Let me know how you liked it and thanks for reading!
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osakaso5 · 3 years
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Yamato Nikaido RabbiTube Rabbit TV Part 1: Spending Time With Yamato
Part 2 | Part 3
Staff: …Now, on to the RabbiTube project.
Staff: Our plan is to introduce the videos by featuring clips on NEXT Re:vale!
Staff: We’d really appreciate it if you could show a side of yourselves that people don’t usually get to see on TV. It’s a pleasure to be working with you!
Momo: We’ve got high hopes for you guys!
Yuki: Feel free to fully expose yourselves to the public.
Mitsuki Izumi: Ahaha, please be gentle with us! Looks like I’m gonna have to do a RabbiTube study marathon..!
Gaku Yaotome: By the way, Tenn, I saw you watching RabbiTube videos the other day. Do you know any good ones?
Tenn Kujo: …I was just watching cat videos.
Gaku Yaotome: Cats, huh. That’s not gonna help us learn anything.
Ryunosuke Tsunashi: …I think they might help! You could learn ways to entertain and soothe people…
Gaku Yaotome: Ryu, not all of us are gonna be able to do that…
Yuki: …I’m liking the idea of Kitty Gaku.
Tenn Kujo: …Pfft…
Gaku Yaotome: Tenn, why’re you laughing!?
Riku Nanase: Kitties..! So could it be like a video of Iori going into a cat café?
Iori Izumi: Why do I have to go to a cat café!?
Yamato Nikaido: I’m not too excited about making videos like that, either…
Tamaki Yotsuba: I wanna do a pudding tasting!
Sogo Osaka: …Personally, I’d like to rank my top 100 spices from all around the world…
Nagi Rokuya: And I shall hold a Cocona watch party!
Mitsuki Izumi: You guys aren’t bringing anything new to the table!
Iori Izumi: …Actually, I suppose animal videos do have their appeal, despite how banal they are…
Riku Nanase: Did you say something, Iori?
Iori Izumi: No, nothing.
Momo: Ahaha! Great, you’re already brainstorming ideas!
Momo: You’ve all got the right idea! We wanna see you act natural for your RabbiTubes!
Yuki: Let’s have a fun year doing this.
IDOLiSH7 & TRIGGER: Yessir!
- - - -
Riku Nanase: We’re going to be RabbiTubers for our birthday project this year..!
Sogo Osaka: All the group chats up until now were fun, so it’s kind of a shame that we won’t be doing one this year.
Mitsuki Izumi: …Fair enough. It’ll be awesome to make videos for our fans, but I wish we could have our own celebrations too!
Yamato Nikaido: It’s become kind of a tradition by now.
Nagi Rokuya: …We do not work together as much as we used to. Though I understand that it is difficult to match all our schedules…
Tamaki Yotsuba: Do we not get to eat Mikki’s cakes this year?
Mitsuki Izumi: The cakes are the one thing we’re gonna make for sure! Right, Iori!?
Iori Izumi: Yes. I’ll help, too.
Riku Nanase: Hmm… Celebrations…
Riku Nanase: Ah! Why don’t we all go somewhere together for our birthdays?
Riku Nanase: I guess we probably can’t all go… But we can get our manager to arrange it so at least some of us can hang out!
Mitsuki Izumi: Going out, huh… That does sound like a nice change of pace from all the group RabbitChats!
Yamato Nikaido: It’s a shame that we won’t all be able to go, but getting to choose a spot does make it feel more special. …You should take me to a beer brewery, by the way.
Mitsuki Izumi: Sounds like you’ve already got one in mind!
Tamaki Yotsuba: Let’s take lots of pics and videos for the guys who can’t go. We can send them over RabbitChat.
Nagi Rokuya: OH! A wonderful idea. It will make us all feel as if we are there.
Iori Izumi: I’m sure uploading them to Rabitter would make many people happy, as well.
Sogo Osaka: That sounds fun..! Let’s ask our manager about it tomorrow.
Riku Nanase: Yep! …Looks like we’re going to have pretty fun birthdays again!
- - - -
Nagi Rokuya: Yamato, Sogo! This is my first time doing pottery!
Nagi Rokuya: Though I have witnessed a posture similar to that of someone doing pottery in interviews and such...
Sogo Osaka: Politicians and commentators often pose like that for articles about them.
Sogo Osaka: Sometimes, it's almost like they really were told to mimic sitting at a pottery wheel.
Nagi Rokuya: Indeed. Many anime producers also pose like that for interviews.
Sogo Osaka: Interesting... I didn't know that technique had spread to the anime industry, as well...
Yamato Nikaido: ...Uh... Do I get to participate in this conversation yet?
Nagi Rokuya: But of course, Yamato! We are here for pottery!
Sogo Osaka: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to babble like that.
Yamato Nikaido: ...I thought our work here in Kyoto was done, so why are we at a pottery studio, exactly..?
Tsumugi Takanashi: This was the only day before your birthday that was open in all of your schedules!
Tsumugi Takanashi: We've got plenty of time before our train home leaves, and Sogo-san and Nagi-san wanted to sculpt tea cups for all of IDOLiSH7!
Nagi Rokuya: Ceramics are the essence of Japan. Show me your national spirit!
Yamato Nikaido: My national spirit...
Sogo Osaka: I thought it'd be nice if we could eat and drink from cups some of us made ourselves, even when we can't all be gathered around the same table.
Yamato Nikaido: ...I guess you've got a point there. Let's do this, then.
Yamato Nikaido: We'll save the brewery visit I'd been hoping for for some other day.
Nagi Rokuya: OH, there you go again...
Sogo Osaka: Yamato-san, you'll make four cups and bowls, while Nagi-kun and I will make three and bowls cups each.
Yamato Nikaido: Oh, okay then. Roger that.
Tsumugi Takanashi: Wait... Isn't that three sets too many?
Yamato Nikaido: You didn't think we'd forget you, our president, or Banri-san, did you? We'll make some for you guys, too.
Tsumugi Takanashi: Huh..?
Nagi Rokuya: YES! That way, we can all have yet another celebration.
Sogo Osaka: I hope you'll come visit us often.
Tsumugi Takanashi: ...T-thank you..! I didn't mean to make you work so hard for your own birthday, Yamato-san...
Yamato Nikaido: It's fine. All I need in return is that you use the cup I made, and maybe also cook me a something special in return.
Nagi Rokuya: Yamato, you are spoiling the mood.
Yamato Nikaido: Hey, even I need a reward sometimes.
Sogo Osaka: Ahaha...
Tsumugi Takanashi: I-I'll just be over here with the camera! Well then... let's begin!
Nagi, Yamato, & Sogo: Yeah..! 
- - - -
Yamato Nikaido: This is actually pretty difficult...
Sogo Osaka: It's hard to get the thickness right. I feel like the strength of my fingers is off somehow...
Nagi Rokuya: Look, Yamato and Sogo! Gaze upon these gentle curves!
Yamato Nikaido: Wait, you're making Cocona, not a tea cup!
Sogo Osaka: Y-you're incredible, Nagi-kun! How did you make those hearts..?
Nagi Rokuya: OH, this is a very basic sculpting technique. Allow me to show you.
Yamato Nikaido: I thought you'd be better at this sort of thing since you're so into DIY, Sou.
Sogo Osaka: I think I'll do better if someone shows me how it's done...
Nagi Rokuya: Sogo, you do it like this.
Sogo Osaka: Whoa... It's taking shape so quickly...
Yamato Nikaido: ...That's King Pudding, not a cup.
Nagi Rokuya: I shall leave the finishing touches to you.
Tsumugi Takanashi: They're a far cry from anything you could drink out of, but still very impressive..!
Nagi Rokuya: Feel free to take pictures, Tsumugi.
Tsumugi Takanashi: I am!
Sogo Osaka: I need to do this properly. It's important!
Yamato Nikaido: Just don't show any pictures of Sou's work to Tama.  
Tsumugi Takanashi: I already sent one to him..!
Yamato Nikaido: Damn, I was too late... My bad, Tama.
Yamato Nikaido: ...So why am I the only one taking this seriously, again?
Nagi Rokuya: I will put my Cocona in the kiln with the cups!
Sogo Osaka: And I'll put in my King Pudding...
Yamato Nikaido: Ugh... Hurry it up, then.
Tsumugi Takanashi: ...Ah, Yamato-san, are you starting to get the hang of it? Your cups are all nice and even, with just the right thickness and depth..!
Yamato Nikaido: Haha. Thanks. I've always had kind of a knack for this stuff.
Yamato Nikaido: How long do we have to keep these in the kiln for?
Tsumugi Takanashi: After they're done in the kiln, they still need to air dry... Which should take about a month or so, all in all! They'll mail the finished cups to us once they're done.
Yamato Nikaido: Well, at least we won't have to come back for them.
Sogo Osaka: We should think of what we'll have from these when they arrive.
Nagi Rokuya: Let us discuss it in our group chat afterwards.
Yamato Nikaido: I'd go with ochazuke, it seems like a safe enough choice.
Sogo Osaka: I thought you might suggest that. Great idea.
Nagi Rokuya: OH! I would like to have a bowl of sushi rice!
Yamato Nikaido: Ah, that one does sound nice, too... I'm starting to get hungry.
Sogo Osaka: Ahaha, same here! Let's buy some quick souvenirs for the guys and go straight home after that.
Nagi Rokuya: I look forward to selecting my lunch box at the train station.
Yamato Nikaido: You sure do take your time with that stuff.
Nagi Rokuya: Eating on the train was not a part of my country's culture, so I was very excited to find out about Japan's train lunches!
Yamato Nikaido: Yeah, I can see why. A can of beer goes well with those.
Sogo Osaka: And it's fun to see which sorts of lunches are sold in different regions.
Yamato Nikaido: Sure is.
- - - -
Yamato Nikaido: ...Time flies by when you're talking about food.
Nagi Rokuya: Sogo and I have made three sets each!
Sogo Osaka: How did you like doing pottery, Yamato-san?
Yamato Nikaido: Haha... In all honesty, it was a ton of fun. You picked this place because you knew I'm not into big and fancy stuff, right? Thanks.
Yamato Nikaido: We should bring the rest of the guys here sometime.
Sogo Osaka: We should!
Nagi Rokuya: YES!
Tsumugi Takanashi: Thank you all for showing me your pottery skills..! Let me just take one more picture of you!
Tsumugi Takanashi: Say cheese..!
End of Part 1.
Translator’s notes..? 
Rabbit TVs courtesy of @rabbit-library​
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batarella · 4 years
Text
The Commander - Bucky’s Time (Arkham Knight x Reader x Winter Soldier)
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IT’S BUCKY BARNES MY DUUUUUUUDES. YES THE COMMANDER IS HOT STUFF AND THE BADDEST BITCH THERE IS WHICH ONLY MAKES SENSE THAT SHE GETS TO HAVE TWO OF THE HOTTEST MEN ALIVE. 
THIS IS SET IN THE TIME BETWEEN THE COMMANDER CHAPTER 1 AND CHAPTER 2. ALSO A VERY SINFUL FIC. PLS READ THE WARNINGS. (I’m not gonna mention about me going to hell cuz I’ve been running it the past few weeks lets be honest)
WORDS: 8124 (DID I HAVE TOO MUCH FUN WITH THIS? FUCK YEAH) WARNINGS: VIOLENCE. FIREARMS. COMBAT. INTOXICATION. THREESOOOOOOOOOME (ORAL SEX BOTH or should I say all three RECEIVING, VAGINAL SEX, FINGERING, DOUBLE PENETRATION)
MASTERLIST
THE COMMANDER - MASTERLIST
-----
“You’re gonna love him. He’s gold.”
“Then why am I only hearing about him just now?”
“He was based in Sokovia.”
“Sokovia?”
Slade enthusiastically pushed the double doors open. Deathstroke, the Arkham Knight, and the Commander stormed down the empty halls, all the way down to the combat grounds where Slade said this new recruit was waiting.
“How’d you get him to join the militia?” Commander Y/N asked. Slade didn’t turn. “He came to Venezuela for some other shit. Asked him if he wanted the extra cash.”
“The amount this guy is asking for definitely isn’t extra cash,” the Knight’s eerie voice filtered.
“He was Hydra’s best man. What do you expect?”
The Commander’s eyes shot up. “HYDRA???”
At the sight of their superiors the men’s muffled voices faded out, and there were salutes, whispers, and shushes. Slade led them into the crowded combat grounds where several of her men were in the middle of sparring sessions. The Commander nodded at them to carry on.
And when they went further into a flock of soldiers circling a rather familiar figure standing in the middle, Commander Y/N felt her whole bodily system stiffen in cold ice. The long, ruffled hair. The metal arm. The machine gun strapped to his shoulder. There was no denying it.
“Barnes.”
He turned around.
Slade placed his arm on his shoulder. “Knight. Our newest recruit. The Winter Sold-“
“BUCKY?!”
Everyone turned their heads at the Commander. Bucky Barnes, the said prized soldier, lost his calm, brooding façade the minute he locked into Y/N’s eyes and shot up with the same astounded gape on his face. Bucky removed the mask covering his mouth. “Y/N???”
One. Two. Three painfully long seconds.
Not one person in that room dared to move a muscle.
“Uh,” Slade stepped in between them. “You folks know each other?”
The Commander ran her teeth through her lips and coughed out the itch in her neck. She looked away from everyone’s prying eyes.
Bucky did the same. “We, uh-“
“I was called into Sokovia about a year ago,” the Commander started. “Bucky- The Winter Soldier here needed a sniper to cover him on a few melee assassinations.”
“So Hydra hired Y/N,” Bucky continued. “We worked together.”
The Knight turned his visor at the Commander, who was too occupied biting back a smile as she stared at Bucky. He looked just as irresistibly rugged as the last time she saw him.
Slade managed a laugh. “Whatever. Knight, give him everything he wants. We don’t know how long he can stay but let’s just hope it’s after we finish in Gotham. I’ll leave you to it.” Then Deathstroke left.
Bucky held his AK with his other hand and extended his impressive metal arm at the Arkham Knight. He stepped in, head held high, then took it.
“The Winter Soldier.”
“That’s what they call me.”
Y/N looked at Bucky, at the Knight, then bit both her lips.
“Nice arm.”
“Mmm,” Bucky growled.
“Decent profile as well,” the Knight said. “Experienced. Heavily trained. Been here for the last few decades. You a metahuman?”
“Super soldier.” Bucky held his gun tighter, looking straight at the Knight’s visor. “Hydra’s serum.”
The Commander didn’t know if the Knight’s groan that followed was from being impressed or repulsed at that.
“Sergeant Whitman will show you to your quarters. We have a few weeks left here before we head to Gotham. Tomorrow, you show us what you got. Then I decide where to put you and your terms.”
“Slade and I already settled my price.”
“I think your price is preposterous.”
“I was told your militia needed a guy like me badly.”
“I’ve never even heard of you until today,” the Knight said.
“Either I get what Wilson promised me or I go.”
“I get the final say.”
Bucky stepped forward. “I’m not here to negotiate.”
“Neither am I.”
“For fuck’s sake,” The Commander pushed on the Knight’s armored chest. “Beckett. End the sparring. We’re done for the day.”
The Sergeant saluted Commander Y/N and went over to the soldiers at the grounds.
“Knight,” her voice lowered. “Be nice.”
“So you worked with the Commander?” the Knight crossed his arms.
“Commander, huh?” Bucky smiled at Y/N. She smiled back with a bite in her lip.
“For how long?”
“A week. In the deserted high mountains just outside of Sokovia,” she said in a weirdly high-pitched tone, as if she were sighing, yearning for the times.
“Deserted?”
“It was just us two,” Y/N said.
Bucky was still eyeing the Commander up and down with a quirk up his brow. “You really leading this army, Y/N?”
“Were you expecting any less?” she smirked.
“My god, you haven’t lost your touch, kitten-“
“KITTEN?!” The Knight stammered. Y/N side eyed the Knight and rolled her eyes, before grinning back at Bucky.
By then, almost everyone in the grounds had left. The Knight, glaring at the both of them behind his visor, stepped back and scoffed. “Just get him to his quarters.”
“Oh, I will…” she breathed, her eyes locked into Bucky’s. He strapped his gun to his back and reached over to Y/N. By then, they heard the doors slam closed and they were alone.
The Commander joyously yelped as she wrapped her arms around Bucky’s neck, letting him carry her up in the air in a tight bear hug. His metal arm was careful around her waist, and with a smile just as bright as hers, he laughed. Even as he placed her back down on the ground, Y/N continued to hold him close.
“God, I missed you.”
“Never thought I’d see you again.”
“You’re the one who left, jackass.”
“Sorry,” he ran his metal finger down her neck. “You know how it is-“
“I know,” she whispered. “Are you coming with us to Gotham?”
“Hope so. What’s with the Batman mock up?”
“The Arkham Knight. He put this all together,” she said. “Some revenge plot against Batman he won't say.”
He snorted. “Figures.”
“How…” she raised her arms in astonishment. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to remember me.”
“I got out of Hydra just after our mission. They didn’t get to brainwash out that very memorable week-“
“Memorable, huh?” she smiled. “You have to stay, Buck. The Militia definitely could use a guy like you.”
“Well,” he cupped her jaw, then his long hair fell to his cheeks the way that made her head spin in circles. “Now that I know you're here, I just might.”
She leaned in, inhaled that musky, rugged scent that sent her guts flying and her eyes glancing down at his lips. “Wanna hang out in my room?”
“You sure that Knight fella’s not gonna mind?”
“Mind?” she laughed.
“Come on, don’t hide it, kitten. You’re sleeping together.”
She punched his good arm and he chuckled. “Lower your fucking voice.”
“Shit,” he smirked. “Seems like you have a type.”
“We did it once. And we promised not to do it again.”
“Ah. At least I had you for a whole week-“
“Have I ever told you how hard it was firing a mile away from my target with you breathing down my neck?” she said.
“Kitten, I definitely wasn’t just breathing.”
Bucky traced his thumb down her lip, but Y/N pulled away. “My room. Not here.”
She stopped herself from holding his hand on the way back up to the quarters, especially when there were men around who could have seen them. Bucky was just as gorgeous as he had been. His big blue eyes, incredibly muscled build, his long, scruffy hair she still fantasized running her fingers through. And Though he wasn’t as tall as the Knight, he looked just as equally terrifying, menacing, intimidating,
And painfully hot.
They reached the Commander’s quarters and locked the door. The minute it was safe, Y/N pushed Bucky against the wall and kissed him as violently as she were beating him up. “Fuck, I missed this…”
They tore off each other’s armor. His metal arm, snaking up her back to trace the line of her spine, she let him grab onto her ass, then the back of her thighs, before hoisting her up around his hips.
She cried as her ass hit the table, and Bucky cleared everything on the surface. She threw her head back, legs spread wide, and let the brewing hotness in the air take over her core.
Fuck, did she miss that metal arm.
-----
One hundred men. The first batch out of a few others. They were lined up just beneath a string of trees and shade at the edge of a wide-open field, a few minutes away from the barracks where they’d fixed a training ground out of crates, barrels, and sacks stacked on one another. The day was bright, not a cloud watching from above. It was large enough to be the size of a football field, and usually they came here for shooting ranges and obstacle courses.
The Arkham Knight stood in the middle, arms tucked behind his back. The Commander was at his side standing straight and tall.
“If you are here, it means you’re not as well-trained as the others,” the Knight continued with his speech that had been going on for the last few minutes. “All of you should know that the alpha target isn’t the only threat to worry about. There will be thugs around Gotham. The GCPD. And you’re all gonna have to fight each other. After our demonstration, it will be you against everyone else. In batches of ten, you will fight in this field-“ the Knight pointed. “And the last man standing gets to move up a rank.
“New guy. Get over here.”
Bucky clenched his jaw, walked over from his place leaning against one of the tree trunks, then stood right beside the Commander. She smirked.
“It’s me versus the Commander versus the Winter Soldier. You can use your guns. Just make sure you keep away from the head.”
The most dangerous type of training session there was. But only if it were with anybody else than the three.
The Commander pulled out her AK from her back, pulled on the barrel while cocking her hip. Bucky licked his lips while staring at her and did the same with his own gun.
The Knight, noticing it all, screamed. “Get to it!”
“Good luck,” Bucky whispered into her ear.
The air was a smoky, earthy musk, one that calmed her nerves the way she needed them to with her eye dead focused onto the scope. A few minutes had passed, and still there was silence. The Commander walked into a pile of sacks and waited patiently for any whip of a sound.
She heard gun shots. A few yards away. The Commander hopped onto the pile and caught sight of the Knight just narrowly missing Bucky’s metal fist aiming for his head. She pointed her gun at them and fired at their legs.
They noticed in time, fleeing to cover at the racket her bullets were making flying everywhere in the field. She reloaded her gun, eye on her scope, then fired at the wooden cover she saw the Knight roll into. But he wasn’t there.
She turned to her left, and just as she saw Bucky aiming right at her, she rolled down the heaps of sacks and landed on her back. Sparing no time to pull herself up, she hid behind the pile and stretched her neck. The Commander laid her head back, listened for any more gunshots, and once she heard more, no longer aiming at her, she crawled out.
She made sure her back was covered, then continued maneuvering through the field. Following the sounds of the Knight’s guns, she crouched over and held tightly onto her AK.
She was sure she’ll catch sight of the Knight at just a sharp turn to her right, where a barrel was covering her just barely.
The gun fire stopped. He was reloading. Commander Y/N stepped out and opened fire.
Bucky had gone away, and it was just the Knight, taking cover at one of the crates. Just a split second after the Knight held out his gun and fired back. So she hid, holding the gun with just her one hand and blindly fired at the crate.
Except, she wasn’t exactly blind. Not with her.
At the sound of the Knight’s faint hiss, the Commander smirked.
More gun shots. Coming from her far right. Bucky was on top of the barrels and was opening fire at both her and the Knight. She rolled over to a cement block and reloaded what was left of her gun. The Knight, no longer where she left him, had gone. But Bucky was firing at a pile of sacks near her. He must be there in hiding.
But she couldn’t go after him. Not with Bucky on watch.
The Commander crawled under covers where the Winter Soldier wouldn’t be able to see her, moving so quietly he must’ve thought she hadn’t left at all. She reached his right. Far enough to be out of his line of sight.
She whistled at him, then fired at his metal arm. The bullets bounced off him but it wasn’t without flinching at the impact. The Commander hid behind a crate just as Bucky turned his attention to her and rolled his shoulder. “You're gonna regret that!”
“Sure!”
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Bullet after bullet. Bucky kept on his heightened stance, with Commander Y/N barely being able to get away from her cover. She managed to land a bullet or two on his arm again, but it only delayed him by a few seconds before he’d start firing again.
She peered over, ever so slightly just to see where he was, then the Commander saw the Arkham Knight creep over from behind him, landing a good punch right at Bucky’s face to send him toppling over to the ground.
Her AK was out of bullets. She had to throw it out. The Commander pulled out her two pistols, loaded them, then stepped out into the open.
She rolled on the ground just narrowly avoiding the Knight’s shots at her, firing a few of her own when she could. The Commander hid behind barrels. They were so close to each other. And it was impossible to run away now. The Knight started firing at Bucky, who was firing at her. She had one chance.
The Commander waited for that one moment where Bucky had to reload before running up the tallest pile of sacks standing between the two, vertically until she was up in the air, then she flipped over so fast, not a single bullet came close to her body. Her arms outstretched, her eyes making the quickest glances, she fired both guns.
Two shots. It was all it took. She managed to hit Bucky’s metal shoulder and the Knight’s ankle. They both hissed and stopped for the one split second she needed, then she fired at their hands. Both guns dropped to the grass.
When she got to the ground, she grabbed one of the sacks, threw it at Bucky, then used her leg to swipe at the Knight’s discarded gun and fling it across the field. Bucky was on the ground, and just as he stood up, his gun had been thrown away as well.
The Commander, the only one left armed, held her guns at both of them. The Arkham Knight on her left, the Winter Soldier on her right.
“I win,” she panted.
But, instead of holding their arms up to surrender, the Knight and Bucky looked at her, then at each other. She would have moved if she was expecting them to conspire.
Bucky was first to charge, but his metal hand blocked her incoming bullets at almost every direction she fired. The Knight took it as a chance to grab her wrist, hold it up in the air before she could fire. Then the Commander elbowed her way out of his grip. He squeezed on her hand, painfully so until she lost her hold on the gun, then the Knight threw it out of the way.
With just one gun left, she aimed it at the Knight, arms up to surrender.
Then Bucky grabbed her in a headlock and kneed her down until she could no longer stand. She grunted, but his fucking metal arm was like trying to move a cement wall off the ground. The Knight charged after her.
Then she used his brick-wall like body to hoist her legs up, pushing her feet against his armor so her boots eventually made their way up to the Knight’s visor. Locking her knees on his head, she head-butted Bucky until he released her from his grip. Her hands landed on the ground, then she flipped over to fling the Knight to the grass, landing on his head.
She won't last so long. Not without her guns. These men will beat her at combat into a bloody fucking pulp.
She dodged, rolled, and backed away before either of them could land a hit. She saw Bucky grab a sack with his one metal arm, then he flung it over to her, sending her flying until her back met a crate. “Fuck!”
“How’d that feel, kitten?!”
The Knight, his words angering him even more, charged after Bucky and pinned his arm down his throat, all the way until his back hit the pile of sacks. It burst beneath him and a cloud of dust started flying across the air.
Thankfully, Bucky had his mask on and the Knight had his visor.
The Knight continued to push down on his neck. Bucky choked, struggled for some air, then his leg came flying up until he kneed his stomach. He grabbed the Knight by the jaw, flipped them over until he was the one pinned to the wall, then threw his arm back.
The Knight barely dodged it, and his metal fist tore a hole through the sacks.
Fuck.
He kicked him off, then the two started throwing punches and kicks and everything they could at each other, Bucky barely being able to block almost every throw the Knight hit and the latter holding onto the last of his armor to endure his stronger punches.
Bucky grabbed him by the throat, but the Knight flipped over and kicked him in the face. Bucky’s body was thrown into the barrels and broke everything in its path.
He got up, cracking his neck, then stared the Knight down.
“You sure you're enhanced?” the Knight’s filtered voice growled.
“Oh, we’re just getting started.”
The Arkham Knight and the Winter Soldier charged after the other, dust parting as they epically ran, their arms thrown back.
Then they were both flying in the air as a barrel of gun powder exploded in between them.
Commander Y/N, smirking her face off as she stood at the highest point above the piles of crates, blew on the muzzle of an AK she found.
The Knight skidded across the ground, and Bucky spat a ball of dirt from his mouth. They crawled and hoisted themselves up with the crates.
She slid off to the floor, running before they could run up to her, then she threw her ammo-less gun to the grass and frantically searched for a place to hide.
Bucky. He ran to her front. The Commander stopped and swallowed. And when she turned around, the Knight was there, cracking his knuckles.
“This should be fun,” she said.
She threw her elbow at the Knight’s visor, lightly cracking it but not enough to have any sort of impact beneath, then Commander Y/N ducked just as Bucky threw his fist at her torso. She slid her leg at his knees, slightly toppling him over. Her back shot up, then she stepped onto a sack to give her the leverage she needed to fly up in the air, spin with her leg out and kick both their heads in one swift move.
Bucky, with his immense superhuman strength, grabbed her leg and flung her all the way to the sacks further dispersing the dust all around the air. She groaned as she hit the floor, rolled over before the Knight could land a kick, then her leg flew to his visor once again, gaining another crack. She felt Bucky come up behind her, so she ducked, grabbed the Knight by his back, then used him as a shield against the metal arm coming right for his chest.
Both the Knight and the Commander flew across the floor.
Before she could stand, throwing the Knight off her body, she saw her pistols on the ground not far from her.
“That fucking arm,” the Knight growled. He stood up, his fist going after Bucky’s head, only to be stopped stiff cold by his hand. The Knight groaned, arm shaking at his reluctance to pull away. Bucky kept holding his fist and eyed the Knight down, now being able to look at him in the eye with the visor’s cover faltering.
The Commander grabbed both their heads, slammed them against each other, then unlatched their fists on each other before either of them could move.
On and on, they waltzed. The Commander could only dodge and duck under Bucky’s arm knowing she couldn’t in any way match his strength, and in doing so, maneuvered those punches so they’d land on the Knight instead. In turn, she did the same to the Knight’s punches at Bucky. The Knight kept at her, trying to get hold of her, and managing to grab her into a headlock once or twice and pinning her to the ground.
Bucky grabbed the Knight by the neck, held him up in the air, then threw his whole body right at the Commander, who locked her legs around the Knight’s neck trying to dismantle his visor. The Knight purposely fell to the ground, further injuring Y/N, then in a swift move, she stood up, grabbed her guns from her holsters, and aimed at them both.
The Knight stood on his knees.
And Bucky on his feet, ready to swing his arm at the first one who moves. They paused.
For seconds, none of them moved.
The Commander smiled.
They heard cheers from the men outside the field, chanting their names like they would to an athlete in a game.
The Commander lowered her guns, wiped the sweat off her forehead and smugly spun the firearms around her fingers.
“Next time,” the Knight stood on his feet, then walked over to Y/N. “No more guns.”
“I do just fine without them.”
“Keep telling that to yourself, kitten-“
The Knight stepped in between her and Bucky. “She is your commander. Stop calling her that.”
“I call her whatever she wants me to call her.”
“You want another hit to the gut, jackass?”
“You can try-“
“I can shoot both of you in the head right now if you don’t stop.” The Commander held out both her guns again.
The two men kept their silence, backed away, then walked back out of the field with their heads down without failing to give each other that side glare.
The Knight went over to walk beside the Commander.
“Y/N-“
“Don’t even go there, you ass,” she snarled.
“He’s overstepping his fucking boundaries.”
She faked a laugh. “That’s the Winter Soldier. He’s just like me. He’s just like Deathstroke. And you have no idea just how much he’s exactly like you. And he has tons of experience over any of us in this fucking country. So if you want your militia to have better chances at actually taking over an entire goddamn city, I suggest you suck up your childish jealousy and get over it.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Shut up. We slept together. So what?”
“You talking about me or the hundred-year-old man?”
“Both,” the Commander glared at him, then turned over to walk by Bucky’s side. The Knight looked like he wanted to strangle everything, even a damn puppy.
“Alright,” she said to her men. “Who wants to go next?”
-----
Booze. She found a stash in the Knight’s room days ago and had brought over few into her quarters. Once or twice she sneaks a sip, especially on days like these. She laid on the foot of her bed, leaning against the mattress, and Bucky was right by her side with his own bottle stuck to his mouth like a baby’s pacifier.
“Do super soldiers even get drunk?” the Commander asked.
“The Hydra serum was a rip-off so it doesn’t give me the full effects. I get drunk. But only after four or five times any human person can possibly take,” he laughed. “But until now I barely remember anything other than my name anyway so everyday feels like I’m having a fucking hangover.”
“Being brainwashed must suck.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
She took a swig from her bottle, and her mind started to create that familiar buzzing fog that took off the pain in her joints greater than any painkiller she could take.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she touched the tip of her bottle onto Bucky’s nose. “I was starting to get bored.”
“And stressed out. I remember how much you asked me to-“
The Commander bit on his ear, and Bucky laughed before pecking her lips.
“You drunk now?”
“Well,” he looked at the clock. “We’ve been at this for five hours now. So yeah, I think I am-HIC.”
Y/N grabbed his hair, pulled him to her side and started heavily making out with his booze-scented lips. He held her neck, her shoulders, then he trailed down her hips and squeezed as lightly as he could with his steel fingers pushing into her skin. She moaned, and now that she was out of her suit and in her bed clothes, Bucky teased under her waistband.
“Mmm,” she moaned against his lips. “Please-“
“Shh…”
The metal arm. The one thing she still dreamed about every night she could the past year. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head when Bucky reached under her panties, cupped her pussy like it was so delicately breakable, and started hovering the steel over her clit and folds. “Fuck…”
“Fucking miss this, kitten?”
“Yes…” she grabbed the mattress behind her, grinded onto the steel like it was a vibrator and felt the ripples into her core. Bucky, eyes red and obviously drunk, kissed her neck and collarbone and shifted so he was sitting in front of her. Y/N spread her legs wide and bit off a scream when Bucky teased her hole.
He started removing her shorts, taking her panties along with it. With the cold air fanning out her cunt, she got even wetter when Bucky leaned in raised her shirt to kiss all over her chest, then crouched over on the ground to kiss down her stomach and pelvis.
Bucky kept his metal hand on her wetness, lathering them all over, then his lips kissed down to her clit. He encircled his mouth around it, gently sucking as his hardened tongue flicked all over it. She screamed out his name, then Bucky inserted two fingers inside her. “Fuck!”
He kept going, mouth on her clit, fingers inside her pussy. The sweet, warm metal contrasting greatly against her flesh. She saw the same stars she always did every time she remembered how Bucky Barnes had given her the best cunninglingus in all of history. She shielded her mouth with her arm, biting into her skin.
BAM!
The door. Only one knock served as a warning, then a strong hand pried it open despite the lock. Bucky shot up and Y/N shielded her bottom with her arms.
The Arkham Knight, in nothing else but a red hoodie and jeans, leaned against the doorway with his own bottle of booze in hand. He didn’t flinch nor look even the slightest bit bothered at the sight before him, and instead rolled his eyes as the two scrambled to cover. He drank from his bottle.
“What the fuck!?”
“You took my booze.”
“Get out.”
“Give me my booze back.”
“Bucky drank it all up.”
Bucky leaned against the bed beside Y/N and snarled at the Knight, who glared back. Y/N pulled her shorts back up. “Don’t have to do that, kitten.”
“Stop fucking calling her kitten.”
“You wanna know why I call her that, asshole?”
“Enlighten me,” the Knight growled.
“’Cuz of the way she just mewls when I use this hand right here-“
“Trust me, I know what she fucking sounds like.”
“You did it with her once, jackass. You don’t know the half of it.”
“Just as I said,” Y/N groaned, pinching between her eyes. “I have an entire armory’s worth of guns stashed in that closet right there and I’m not fucking afraid to use them on either of you morons.”
They both scoffed.
The Knight looked just as drunk as the both of them. And despite Y/N telling him to go out, the Knight walked in, shut the door behind him, then made his way to her bed like he owned the place. He sat down and finished up his bottle, placing it on the ground, then collapsed on the mattress.
Y/N, incredibly horny and her head boiling beyond reason, turned her head over to Bucky.
“I really wanna fuck but this guy’s like a fucking boulder.”
“We can continue. Right here. Fuck that guy.”
“I can fucking hear you,” the Knight groaned, hand over his eyes.
“GOOD!” Bucky called out. “Come on…”
He started kissing Y/N’s neck, but she pushed him away. She’s seen the Knight like this a few times. And only her. Not many got to see his face at all. And when he was like this, hoodie over his head smelling like stale rainwater, she knew something went on. Y/N stood up, ruffling Bucky’s hair as he leaned against the mattress with his eyes closed, then walked over to stand in front of the Knight.
He took his arm off his head, eyed her with his eyes tightly squinted like she was too bright a light in the midst of complete darkness, then propped himself up his elbows. The Commander crossed her arms and took him in.
So hot…
The Knight, slowly, and with his head looking like it was about to topple away from his body, leaned over to Y/N and placed his arms over his knees so he could duck down. Y/N, without thinking much, took hold of his head and craned it up.
His eyes weren’t blank, but they weren’t so expressive either. She couldn’t tell what it was he was thinking, or feeling. But his skin felt burning hot under her touch. She took a step forward, still holding his head.
Then she kissed him.
It wasn’t like kissing Bucky. It never had been. He was rougher, so eager to take her and all of her for himself with the movements of his tongue. Bucky was softer and kinder, but all the more wanting.
And in so many ways, they were different, yet eerily the same. They were both, in the worst way possible, taken away from any sort of their humanity, twisted, hurt, bent, until they were no longer in that sane, human demeanor with so much antagonism to show for the world. Nothing but anger. Borderline villains. Brooding bad boys. Dark hair. Blue eyes.
Okay. Maybe she did have a type.
She breathed in, heavy deep breaths, then started to deepen the kiss into something so much more longing. The Knight had his hands on her waist, pulling her to the bed. And on her knees, she went with him, never leaving his lips. The Knight started to lean back, wanting to pull her with him.
But she broke the kiss and gasped as Bucky grabbed her from behind, metal arm around her torso. He kissed her neck, biting, sucking. Y/N leaned against his shoulder and grabbed onto his hair, pulling him to her lips.
And if she weren’t wrong, she swore she felt the Knight growl beneath his breath. He ended up taking his shirt off. They were probably eyeing each other down for all she cared. She kissed Bucky, moaning too hard when his good hand snaked up her shirt, pulling it up. She happily obliged.
When her shirt left her skin, and without a bra in sight, the Knight swooped in and took her lips in his before Bucky could do anything. Y/N started to inch forward, moving the Knight with her, then Bucky took his shirt off and moved over to the bed with them, on his knees, pressing his chest against Y/N’s back just as the Knight as pushing his chest against Y/N’s front.
Holy fuck.
The two hottest men in the fucking universe. And she was sandwiched between them.
Hooooly fuck.
She threw her head back, breathing, moaning inaudible cries. Bucky started for her shoulder licking all the way up her neck, and the Knight pulled on her waist to have at it with her chest, her tits, her nipples sticking out at the burning touches happening all around her. She turned her head back, kissed Bucky while moaning when the Knight slightly bit on her nipples.
She pulled away, grabbed the Knight so she could kiss him on the lips, then Bucky started reaching over her cunt with his metal hand, making her jolt and bite onto the Knight’s lip at the sting of the steel rubbing over her clit like a goddamn vibrator. He kissed her neck, and the Knight bit on her ear. She was on fire. She never felt so alive. Everything was hot. Sweaty. Deep, heavy breaths filing the otherwise silent air.
She pulled away from both of them. She was in control. She could tell with the look on their eyes glaring at the other and worshipping her, determined to make her feel better than the other one ever could. Y/N traced her finger on Bucky’s cheek. “Eat me out, Buck.”
“My pleasure.”
“And you,” she pulled on the Knight’s chest, smirking as he went with it. “I want your cock.”
The Knight grabbed the back of her neck, kissed her so hard she would have fallen over, but she pulled away so she could lie down, Bucky already kneeling in front of her, breath ghosting over her thighs. The Knight pulled down his pants, pulled out his incredible hard on, then positioned himself right beside Y/N’s head.
Bucky lapped at her achingly wet cunt, the tip of his firm tongue drawing hard circles around her clit and letting his drool add up to her wetness. His metal arm, she could feel resting on her stomach. Y/N looked up at the Knight, looking so desirably at her she could feel her skin burn. Her hand wrapped around his cock, pumping ever so slowly and letting her fingers brush against the tip.
Her other hand was on Bucky’s hair, pulling, then the metal arm now snaked down between her legs and she could feel the cold metal deliciously tickle at the throbbing wetness. She moaned, and to conceal them, she hallowed her mouth out and started sucking on the Knight’s dick. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
She was the only one fully naked. And yet, she felt so much power, surging through her veins at every stroke of Bucky’s fingers curl up inside her, at every suck on her clit, and at the Knight’s cock lodged in her throat, with half of it being held with her shivering palms. She pulled away to scream when Bucky switched over to let his tongue swirl inside her and his metal fingers rubbing her clit, while her hand still pumping the Knight’s cock. The latter ran a hand through her hair, his soft, human hand so hot against her flesh, and she kept his eyes on him as she moaned and filled her mouth up with his cock.
Faster. Faster. She was about to cum. So hard. She closed her eyes shut and made sure the Knight’s cock was still in her throat as the overpowering gushes of a pleasurable waterfall rained down every hot inch of her flesh. Over and over, like the incoming waves of the ocean continuously flowing. Her moans were concealed, but both men kept their eyes on her as she shook hard and gripped the sheets like her life depended on it.
The Knight didn’t even cum yet. She looked up at him, then at Bucky. She was far from being tired. It only made her want more. Fuck, why hasn’t she done this sooner.
Bucky reached over to kiss her, and she sat up, arms around his neck. He pulled her up until she was leaning into him, on her knees, then he unzipped his pants to let his cock spring free.
Then the Knight was against her back, hands on her ass. She started arching her back so much that her ass felt the Knight’s dick rubbing all across her skin while her tits were rubbing so nicely against Bucky’s chest.
She got on her hands and knees, the Knight pumping his cock with her slick while Bucky pulled her hair out of the way so she was facing directly at his cock. The Knight entered inside her first, the long, painfully delicious drag of his cock drawing the sweetest moans out her lips. Bucky leaned in and kissed her, hard, feeling her moans out with the violent swirling of her tongue. She grabbed onto the sheets, feeling her wetness drip down her thighs. And after a few good thrusts, letting her adjust to his size, Bucky pulled away to replace his lips with his twitching cock.
In. Out. In. Out. In either opening. In a sweet, sultry rhythm. Bucky licked his lips and thrusted into her mouth just as the Knight held onto her hips so harshly she knew she was about to bruise when the night ends. His hips snapped into her ass, in a set momentum that only he had the stamina to maintain (other than a super soldier, of course). It felt so good to be so filled up in either ends. With every pull from the Knight, her mouth dragged along Bucky’s cock with it, drawing moans and hisses from the both of them. This was all too overwhelming. The sight of them both. The water seeping through her eyes. How his fucking magical cock did wonders inside her in so many ways she’s never felt before. It was all so… so…
“Fuck!” she screamed, and already, she came. And unlike last time it came to her like one, giant blow to her body that almost whipped her out of her physicality. Everything went white, and all the clouded thoughts in whatever part of her mind they were hiding, it was all washed away for the instant. Every nerve ending made her shiver, and she stiffed. And the boys didn’t seem to notice, as they kept thrusting inside her still.
Y/N held her hand out, stopping them both. The Knight stopped thrusting and Bucky pulled his cock from her mouth. “Fuck, kitten, did you cum already?”
She fell face down onto the sheets, trying to remember her name.
“See,” the Knight said. “I did that.”
“Fuck you, no you didn’t.”
“Am I right, kitten?” the Knight stressed.
“Only ‘cuz I warmed her up, you ass.”
“You two,” she panted. “Shut up. I want you both inside me.”
“Fuck…” Bucky said.
“Holy shit,” the Knight breathed.
Y/N threw herself onto the mattress, on her side. Bucky laid facing her front and wasted no time to have her lips all to himself. The Knight crept up behind her and started sucking onto her neck. Y/N pulled away from Bucky, letting him bite onto her collarbone, then kissed the Knight with every last ounce of strength she had.
She held his jaw, biting his lip, then pulled away so she could look deeply into his eyes.
Bucky inserted his cock into her pussy, and she hissed at that while the Knight kissed her neck.
Then the Knight, his cock wet from her own juices, ever so slowly slipped into her asshole.
The screams she tried so hard to conceal, and failed to do so. Her leg hooked around Bucky, while her arm was around the Knight’s head. He gained his pace, at her pussy that had adjusted yet still fit him inside her so tightly that Bucky groaned with his lips on hers. The Knight, taking his sweet time at the new, foreign feeling of her ass, both for him and her, slowly started to thrust.
The two cocks, moving inside her in amazingly complimenting rhythms, she took turns in kissing either of them and moved her hips to match their movements. She could feel their cocks dragging against each other through the thin wall between them, at the spot that was so overly stimulated, at the feeling of being so filled up, she couldn’t possibly think of anything there was. She could only feel. The fullness. The overwhelming high that seemed to go on and on.
They must have been awfully hard and so at the edge by then, that it no longer took them as long to cum. Bucky came first, filling her up with so much of his cum that she could just feel it drip down along with her own juices. Then when he kept going, she felt the coil. The fast-burning whicker of a bomb already blown out so many times. The Knight came next, her ass practically leaking with his cum even with him still inside her, and for the third time that night, she came.
And fuck, just as she did, everything went white.
She passed out. For a good five minutes, she laid on her bed, panting without another word. The Knight was just as tired as she was, but with Bucky being a super soldier and all, he didn’t seem too bothered.
When she came back to her senses she sent both men out of her room before any of the militia army’s hundreds of men woke up before them.
-----
The Commander never felt so high up in the clouds and so down beneath the cold hard ground at the same time. Other than the horrible hangover that sent her mind practically elsewhere than the barracks, she wanted to hide at all the thoughts surging through her mind at the memories from the night that she somehow remembered almost every detail as if she weren’t drunk at all. If not, the hangover worsened and her face bubbled up into a deeply flushed red.
It was probably going to be the one thing she’ll think of the most the next time she needs something to get off too. But with the fucking Winter Soldier and the fucking Arkham Knight?
The Winter Soldier. And the Arkham Knight.
Well, she was one hell of a woman for having both of them, that was for sure.
Okay. So she didn’t have a single speck of regret.
But it didn’t make the hangover any better.
The Knight was with her at the meeting room, and the whole time Slade talked, neither of them seemed to listen. The Knight, even when he took this militia as seriously as his own life, when it occupied nothing else throughout his whole day and not another thought could overpower, had drunkenly engaged in a threesome last night and was now too stupidly ashamed and hungover to properly think.
“You two. Get some coffee. I’ll be out.” Deathstroke said as he left the room.
The Commander buried her face into her arms and the Knight took off his visor so he could rub his face with his palms.
Her head was burning, and for so long none of them talked nor moved a muscle. The Commander was the first to get up from her chair. “Where’s Bucky?”
“Your boyfriend wasn’t in his quarters this morning.”
She glared at the Knight, then went out the meeting room. Just as she did, Beckett opened the door and caught her just about to leave.
“Commander-“
“Where’s Bucky? The Winter Soldier? I want to talk to him.”
“That’s uh. That’s the thing, Commander.” Beckett licked his lips. “He got a call this morning and had to leave. Said he’ll only be taking forty thousand dollars for his five days here.”
“FORTY FUCKING WHAT-“ the Knight stammered. And the Commander glared back at him for making her headache even worse. She turned to Beckett. “When is he coming back?”
“He’s uh… He isn’t.”
The Commander shot up.
“He just… left?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Did he leave a letter? Or a call? Anything?”
“No, sir. He just told me to tell you and the Knight. Deathstroke as well.”
Of course. Exactly like last time.
Bucky disappeared without so much as a call. This is all for fun, he once told her. A pastime. Release. Don’t think too much about it.
She knew he was a busy man with his own set of friends and enemies to work with.
But dammit, he could have at least called.
“Thank you, sergeant.”
Beckett left them, and the Commander was stuck standing near the door with her eyes locked onto the empty wall.
The Knight, unknown to her, watched her the whole time. Not a smirk. Not a smug little grin to go with it. He was as silent as her.
Nights after, the Commander laid on her bed, alone as she had been the past few days. She got under her covers and tried what she could to close her eyes and get the sleep she’s been needing for so long. But nothing.
Three knocks on her door.
She opened her eyes, then sat up against the headboard. “It’s unlocked.”
The Knight came in, with just a shirt and jeans on. He leaned against the doorway and the Commander rolled her eyes at him. “You come here to gloat?”
“About what?”
“Bucky,” she sighed.
“What do I have to gloat about?”
“Shut up, Knight.”
She looked away, arms in front of her, but the Knight kept looking at her and coughed. “May I come in?”
Y/N closed her eyes, not wanting to argue, and just nodded her head. He closed the door behind him and sat at the edge of her bed.
“You seem to be attached to him.”
“I was fond of him,” she chuckled. “Fond enough to believe something could possibly happen.”
“Really?”
“He’s a good guy. You don’t have to hate him.”
“I do. He’s practically me with chin-length hair and a metal arm.”
She laughed and laid her head against the wall. “He is.”
The Knight kicked his shoes off and laid on the bed next to her. He chose to stare at the same things she was staring. She noticed. Probably to get a glimpse of what went on in her head.
“I’m not in love with him, if that’s what you're thinking.”
He rolled his eyes. “Wouldn’t dream of thinking of that.”
“Good,” she sighed.
She wasn’t exactly heartbroken. At least, she didn’t think so. She always thought that the moment she was so hurt to the point of that organ tear into pieces, she’ll know it. This. This was practically an equivalent to a teenage crush, except it’s with a really hot guy she slept with a few times, who’s incredibly handsome, has a fucking metal arm, a super soldier. Fuck, he’s dreamy.
But love? Nah. She’d know. She wasn’t in love. Not with a super soldier. Not with a robotic limb. Which meant she wasn’t heartbroken.
And that day will come. Sooner or later. Probably with someone more human, someone she can imagine eating at a small diner with. She turned her head over to the Knight.
“What are you doing here?”
He bit his lips, head against the wall like hers, then smirked.
“I’m here so you wouldn’t drink yourself to sleep and forget you’re here on a job.”
She nudged his shoulder and rolled her eyes, and the Knight grunted a very faint, yet audible laugh. He caught her eyes.
She smiled at him ever so lightly, and even when he didn’t exactly smile back, she thought he was beautiful.
The Knight leaned in, kissed her so softly that it was far too different from any other kiss she’s shared with him. His scent. The one she’d long noticed and wanted to have a closer glimpse at. She pulled herself closer to him.
Laughing as the Knight moved her over on her back, she forgot about everything else there was.
----
and. well. You know what happens next ;) Also I’d like to give credit to the the thirsty hoes in the taglist below who helped me with this fic (most especially @offendedfishnoises, @idkmanicantenglish and @knightfall05x) ((knightfall suggested the intoxication part which was a huge help))
everyartistwas-firstanamateur  @sarcasmismyfirstlove @damned-queen-of-gotham @idkmanicantenglish @wunderstell @birdy-bat-riya @get-loki@everyday-imfangirling @comic-nerd-dc @multifandoms916 @icequeen208@offendedfishnoises @egdolan @xemiefx @arkhamtoddler @elsenthal@mythicbitchx @supremehaunter burning-alive  @lucy-roo  roseangel013bf @ loxbbg  reclusive-chicken-nuggethttp-cherries shadowsndaisiesriver9noble zphilophobiazannoylinglyaries @knightfall05x @l-horizon11 flowersgirl02 
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lessinkmoregraphite · 3 years
Text
Artificial AU prologue part 1
I have no patience and want to share stuff I do, so. Have the first segment of my most recent post-Forces au, aka Artificial AU. It’ll probably be on ao3 eventually, maybe with some small edits, but for now have this mess.
The first clear thought Infinite had was surprise that he was able to have a thought. The (nope) experience he'd had before the world went dark should have killed him, he shouldn't be able to think anything.
But here he is. Thinking. Huh.
He tried to pry his eyes open, found them sticky with sleep and heavy with fatigue, and gave up. Instead he ran a physical assessment of his body - overall aches, especially bad at his wrists, ankles, and chest, but none of that was shocking (nono not a pun this time). What was more confusing was the slight resistance when he managed to shift one of his arms - bandages, he guessed, based on the feeling when he bent his wrist. Most of the way up to his elbow, too - not a sh- surprise. The others were probably just as bad.
Consciousness was already slipping through his grasp, but he had just enough time to wonder who would bother to bandage him up before he slipped back into cool darkness.
 The next time, he was a little less foggy; enough to be alarmed and try to sit up. Which did not go well, as his chest screamed in protest and he froze halfway up with his mouth hanging open in a silent scream.
Hands pressed to his shoulder and back, gently but efficiently pulling him to lay back down. For the first time, he noticed how soft the pillow was. It probably wasn't really that soft, but somehow it was the most heavenly thing ever in that moment.
He shoved the thought away and forced his eyes open, muzzle wrinkling in distaste at the gummy feel of them. He could just make out a blurry red and yellow blob in front of him, but no features past that.
Dry lips opened, his voice emerging in a creak rather than words. Immediately, a straw was pressed to his lips, and he slurped greedily at the liquid offered to him until it was pulled away. He frowned, but didn't protest, instead croaking out something like a question - the words were slurred, but still words.
"Don't worry," came the response, quiet but much clearer than his own voice. "You're safe. Rest."
And while a part of him immediately balked at the idea of listening to someone telling him what to do, he was helpless to resist the darkness returning to him.
 The time after that, he woke up feeling almost lucid. His body still ached, and his thoughts were a little too fuzzy to be considered normal, but he could think enough to pry his eyes open and look around.
It looked like a random bedroom, except too clean. Like it hadn't been used until now. Plain white walls and off-white carpet, a few shelves on one wall, a dresser and desk on another. The bed he was on looked like it had been dragged out from the corner to the middle of the room, so there was space on all sides. It made his fur prickle slightly but there wasn't much he could do about it.
His gaze finally fell to the floor, on the one bright spot in the room - a figure that appeared to be doing a plank. He could make out green boots and red fur, but the rest was covered by a frankly hideous mustard-colored jacket.
He spent a good few minutes just staring, trying to process why anyone would willingly wear that color (especially when it basically made them look like an off color stoplight). His pause to gape lasted long enough that the figure finished the plank and rolled over, brightening and jumping up upon seeing him.
The wolf scurried over to the bedside, pausing a beat too long before speaking. "Do you need anything?"
"To stop looking at that horrible thing masquerading as clothing."
"It's warm," he said, not looking offended in the least. "And big. Are you hungry?"
...Yes. But he wasn't eager to acknowledge that, even if it was pretty obvious that this person had been looking after him already. Especially since at a second glance, he had a vague recollection of where he'd seen him before.
Not that it seemed to matter much, since the wolf had already headed toward a box of something set against the wall, rummaging around inside until he came up with a pouch of squeeze applesauce.
"Here," he said, coming over to set the pouch on the edge of the bed. "Let me know if you need help."
Infinite scowled at him, then reached for the pouch and began fiddling with the screw top. Much to his chagrin, it turned out to be less of an absurd suggestion than he'd first thought; he could barely get the top open even with the ridiculous wings on it lending leverage. He slurped the food up angrily while glaring at nothing in particular.
The wolf stared at him in silence while he ate, expression oddly blank. Infinite finished the pouch quickly and pulled it away to scowl. "What?"
"Want another?"
"...Sure."
They repeated the process, up to and including the weird staring. This time, when Infinite finished, the wolf had a different question. "Should I still call you Infinite?"
He stiffened, suddenly on guard. Some part of him had wondered if this idiot just didn't realize who he was, and that's why he offered some sort of care, but if he knew...
"Call me whatever you want," he finally said. There was a beat of silence before he added, "Why the hell are you helping me?"
The wolf blinked. "Aren't you supposed to help people when they get hurt?"
Infinite's scowl deepened. What kind of answer - whatever. It's not like he was in any shape to refuse freely given help, much as it galled him to admit it.
"I'm Gadget," the wolf said, before Infinite could reply.
"That's a weird name." The response came on autopilot, not really the truth but the first thing that came to mind.
Gadget shrugged. "Probably. I picked it."
"So... it's a nickname?"
"Uh... don't think so?"
Infinite groaned and stared at the ceiling. What the actual hell. "Whatever. When should I expect the resistance to come throw me in a cell?"
There was a long silence. Infinite blinked and glanced over, finding Gadget rubbing at the back of his neck with a guarded look. "...Oi."
"They won't be," Gadget mumbled, his voice suddenly... distant, for lack of a better word. "I'm not with the resistance anymore."
There was another paused as that processed. Infinite scoffed and rolled his eyes. "What, did they kick their star rookie out after defeating the big bad?"
"No. I left before they could."
Yet another pause as Infinite failed to find words. He'd been being sarcastic, because really why should he believe this (apparently former) Resistance member had left their ranks and then just happened to end up taking care of him? It was a little too convenient. But from what little he'd seen, Gadget didn't seem like the sort to fake his emotions - he could see every thought running through the idiot's head in glorious technicolor - yet here he was, apparently on the verge of tears over... something. Something about leaving the Resistance.
Before he could pry more information out of him, Gadget perked up with a seemingly genuine smile. "Not important though. Are you still hungry? Thirsty? It's been a while since you woke up last time."
Infinite shut his questions back, accepting the offer of more food and water instead. He'd get his answers eventually; it's not like he hadn't worked to subtly get information from people before. Whatever Gadget was hiding, he'd find it.
For now, he'd work to regain his strength. The rest could wait just a little longer.
Gadget sat on the dresser, staring out the little window. The idyllic forest scene felt weird, considering that he knew they were still in Eggman's base, but it was certainly a better view than broken machinery.
Today had been the most lucid Infinite had been in the dozen or so times he'd woken so far, but he still hadn't pushed for more information. Not that Gadget was complaining. It was just... strange.
Still, the chance to sort things out a bit more was welcome. He'd barely had a chance to figure out how to respond to everything himself, much less how to bring it up with someone else.
There was a reason he'd run from the Resistance before they could find out. He didn't know how to talk about these things.
Gadget caught himself rubbing at the back of his neck again and pulled his hand away, stuffing both hands in the opposite jacket sleeves. That was becoming a habit. His first Resistance team had warned him about that kind of habit, and he didn't want to deal with breaking one.
He also didn't want to deal with leaving the Resistance at all, but... he doubted they'd react well when they learned what he was. He sure hadn't. It was easier to just... vanish, completely avoiding the consequences.
Finding Infinite had been an accident. He'd come here to find answers (to look at that lab that felt so dreadfully familiar); instead he'd found the jackal passed out in a room that he didn't want to think about too much, burns on his limbs and chest and vitals shaky. He'd jumped to help on instinct; after all, he hadn't been lying about helping people.
Well. Lying by omission, perhaps. He'd heard about that sort of lying. Because yes, he'd saved Infinite because he was once told that helping people was the right thing to do. But he also did it because if anyone could relate to him, could make him feel a little less alone, it might be Infinite.
After all. Even if Gadget was just a prototype, they'd been made for the same purpose.
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littlespaceporgs · 3 years
Text
The Clone Wars Reacts - Part 5
Or Leah loses her shit at Jar Jar, thirsts for Aayla Secura for an episode and a half, and then swoons for Riyo Chuchi.
Welcome once more to the Reacts series! I’m a busy woman for now but I am setting up a schedule for this series which will be
Today we’re covering episodes 12, 13, 14 and BONUS! 15. This is because I got super bored during episode 14 and basically didnt write anything so, here you go! As per usual, major spoiler alert for season 1 of the clone wars! If you haven’t read the previous parts to this series, I suggest you do so that you can follow along! 
Part 1 - Episodes 1 and 2 Part 2 - Episodes 3, 4 and 5 Part 3 - Episodes 6, 7 and 8 Part 4 - Episodes 9, 10 and 11
Tags (if you want to join, my taglist can be found on my page!): @likeshootingstarsinthenightsky @girlvader @simping-for-fives @littlevodika @hounding-around @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life @onabouteverything @acciokenobi @catsnkooks @captainrexstan @roseofalderaan @fractiouskat
We’re well past the half-way point, so there is 2 parts left of season 1, and then onto season 2! So lets get into it!
Episode 12: The Gungan General
> heheheheheheheh jar jar I am KEEN
> I get hondo and jar jar in one episode
>> this’ll be funny
>>> actually no scratch that, this is gonna be hilarious
> oh and they woke up in a cell this will be fun
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> HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA AND THEYRE BOUND TO DOOKU
> DISASTER I TELL YOU
> “if I keep my mouth shut you’ll devise a plan so get off the god forsaken planet?” “YES”
> this dude seems traitorous as fuck (im referring to one of the pirates, not dooku shockingly)
> I wish Ahsoka and Yoda were in this too, I want more disaster lineage
> ah he is indeed a traitor
> “HEIDY HO CHANCELLOR”
> JAR JAR WHOO
> “stop messing around, we’re landing. Secure yourself” “MESA TRYING ITS STUCK”
> promptly followed by jar jar falling everywhere
> oh and now he’s in the cockpit
> oh shit that senator guy is definitely dead right?
> “do control tour protégées insolence” “anakin, control your insolence, the count is concentrating”
> “do we know where we’re going?” “Ssh anakin” “DO we know where we’re going?”
> is it safe? Of course it i- riiiiiight
>> I forgot this was the clone wars for a second, this is gold
> FRIENDS DONT DRUG FRIENDS HONDO
> y’know, dooku’s quite amusing when he’s not trying to kill my favourite characters
> “are you now in command” “uh no, binks is the highest ranking” ooooohhhh boy
> ooooooohhhh and some mind tricks too, nice
> I hate to say this, but jar jar is actually smart
> holy shit
> beasties are nearby too, we’ll be fine. they run, we run
>> Dayum jar jar actually making good decisions?
> I present a real and accurate image of my reaction to this statement
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> Mesa be having an idea oooohhh booooyyy
> obi wan that is no way to speak to your grandmaster
> be patient master the count is elderly and doesn’t move like he used to
> I would kill you both now if I didn’t have to drag your bodies
>> HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH this is the only reaction I’ll accept
> then falling all over each other is the only thing I’ve ever needed to see
> “ this is not going well” no shit
> my question is why did obi wan not drop Dooku?? Does he actually still care about this man?
> you’re right, I don’t think youre going to be friends 🤦‍♀️😂
> sneaky lying snake
> bruh they don’t even know you’ve got the Jedi captive??????????
>> so how does that work you dumbass
> no shit, you will look like fools obi wan
> “there be some bombad clankers” 😂😂
>> “huh YOURE right, bombad clankers” I love the shock
> YOURE RIGHT HE IS SMARTER THAN HE LOOKS, GIVE JARJAR SOME CREDIT
> oh boy anakin, just keep your mouth shut genius
> man electrocution doesn’t look like fun
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> HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAH
> The next few lines of confused joy are me reacting to jar jar somehow single handedly taking out 3 tanks
> what the fuck
> JarJar I I’m what-
> JUST DID A GOOD THING, I DONT REGERT THIS THING AT ALLLLLLLL
> fuckin JarJar was great
> “KILL HIM HES NOT A REPRESENTATIVE, HES A PLAGUE” I’m ded 💀😢💀
> serves you right you snake, now dooku gonna choke your ass
> oooohhhhh that’s how these two twits (hondo and obi-wan) became friends
> “and... he knows where you live” Oof the subtle threat is real
> hem I love obi wan very much and his sarcasm
 Episode 13: Jedi crash
> I JUST SAW AAYLA I AM EXCITED I AM ALSO ATTRACTED TO HER VERY MUCH
> SHES HOT
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> I LOVE HER
> AND HER VOICE JUST MAKES ME ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️
> I wish I was bly, not gonna lie
> I have a quick question - the 501st colour is blue right? Then why do they have a gold squad, doesn’t the extra colours just confuse things?
> I love seeing anakin and Ahsoka in action coolest thing to watch
> And anakin
>> I am also quite attracted to him
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>>> imagine dragging your hands through that hair as he- wait no I have minors in my followers not gonna finish that
> Uh oh
>> Oh anakin you twit
>>> HE LOCKED HOMSELF IN WITH AN EXPLOSION JDGKJDJFKFKFKFKFF
> HES INSANE
> Are all Jedi so reckless? Just the good ones - love this by the way
> Oooohh shit for a STAR
> I mean like? I know anakin doesn’t die, but this shit is concerning
> Perfected the art of destroying ships and getting master almost killed? Sounds familiar
> I hate it when they just call them “padawan “ it just feels very impersonal like bleh
> Like I love aayla but god the Jedi preach some bullshit
>> God forbid someone raises a child and gets attached to it
>>> Like for fucks sake
>>>> Can you tell this is something I’m passionate about?
> Anyway, moving on
> Oh hi anakin! You’re alive!
> That bird lookin thing is tryna eat my boy 😤
> Oop - well that dudes dead
> Aawwwwwww aayla looks so sad, this makes me sad too
> Can we just appreciate this?
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> Well these little critters are cute
> Ooooohhh I think I agree with this little dude
> You can skip the paragraph if you like, its just me going off about ‘peacekeeping’
> Alright gonna get mildly into it for a second, the clone wars really gets into it with episodes like this, displaying how the entire galaxy was starting to lose faith in the Jedi and their peacekeeping ways, in the movies we just got that people just started hating the Jedi because they became part of the war, but this really fleshes it out and shows just how slowly and gradually the loss of faith is. Because he’s right, the Jedi aren’t peacekeepers anymore, they bring as much destruction with them that the separatists do and have become symbols of war. They’re fighting for a good reason yes, but they can no longer claim that they are peacekeepers or that they played no role in this war.
> ANYWAY BACK TO REACTS
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> AH MY TWO FAVOURITE WOMEN AND A PRETTY BACKGROUND AGAIN!! They really do be doing me a great service
Part 14: Defenders of Peace
> I’m really not into this episode, just saying it now
> Anakins just as bad as obi wan, like honestly just chill bro, fucking REST
>> MY BOYS DESERVE SOME GODDAMN REST AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL OK-
> Okay but is it taking a life if it’s a droid?
> Ugh this dudes ugly as fuck
> What did you think was gonna happen?? Of course your village was going to be ransacked
> I could go on forever about the pointlessness of this war like it just makes me mad palpatine you slimy git-
> My reacts this episode are really boring huh, I’m not into it 😭
*fully I didn’t write anything for about 10 minutes here because it’s just a little boring*
> HOLY SHIT NOW THATS A FUCKING WEAPON
> Yep sorry that’s it for this ep, I’m so bored 😂
>> Anyway, bonus episode because that one was short!
Part 15: Trespass
> YES OBIWAN WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO
> AND IS THAT RIYO CHUCHI I SPY?????
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> Hahahahahahahhahahaha it’s not tatooine, you got that right
> Oh god this dude already sounds like a dick (its the chancellor dude but not palpatine)
> Why’s he so defensive over it?
> Oh yikes, that does not look good
> Seppies don’t do that though - this is... odd
> Ah and the same thing has been done to the droids
> Off topic, but I think I’m going to make a clone wars drinking game that I can do while I do my reacts, so I’m going to make that this week, send me your ideas in the comments or dm me!
> Back to ep - pfffffffttt obi wans little taps and then anakin really goes WHACK
> Anyway I’m going to do this in the next couple days and then every Friday night I’ll watch a few eps and drink away
> Alright back to the episode once more
> Abominable snowman????
>> Definitely
> This is gonna go well isn’t it?
> “Well? Say something”
>> “Just shut up” *visible eye roll*
> What the fuck is their mouth
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> Okay really obi wan, I think it’s pretty clear they don’t speak basic
> YEEEEEEAAAHHH THATS MY BOI ANAKIN
> Awwwwwwww that shits cute, fucking bear huugggg I want to be hugged like that
> I’m not fussed if it’s anakin, obi wan or kit fisto but please someone love me
>> Preferably kit fisto
> Anyway this dudes a dick (again, its the chancellor dude)
> They obviously have intelligence, and this dude has issues
>> I’m thinking he’s trying to compensate for something 👀
> Oof you really gonna tell a Jedi what to do?
> HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA the other people’s were there already
> Ugh he reminds me of my very racist grandparents oh boy
> You’ve been told like 4 times that it is not your jurisdiction anymore and you still can’t take it?
>> BRUH
> She’s so tiny and adorable and her voice is just 🥰🥰🥰🥰
>> Oh no
>>> I’m simping for another character
> Surely this guy dies
> HAHAHAHAHAH HE JUST GOT SPEARED SERVES YOU RIGHT MOTHERFUCKER
> What a dick, he shall not be missed
> She’s just, so pretty??? And smart????
>> FUCK MY BISEXUAL ASS CANT HANDLE THIS
> he’s seriously not dead yet?
> AAAHH RIYO YOU SMART GIRL YEEEEESSSS NEGOTIATE THAT PEEEEAAACCEEEE
> THATS MY GIRL SENATOR CHUCHI YEEEESSS
Welp that’s it for today folks, it was lovely, see y’all at some point this week where I say the drinking game rules and then next drunken Friday (even though these are gonna be released on saturdays but I write them on fridays?)
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infini-tree · 3 years
Text
FANFIC: return
Summary: To make a long story short, they made it back to Piqua with nothing but half-empty satchels and the word of an explorer who had risen the ranks at a supernatural pace that they were not at fault. 
Let’s skip forward by just a bit, though. (Piqua Mystery Dungeon)
A/N: While technically I do have a drabble in the works set before this, chronology is my enemy, so you get this first. This is also related to against all odds (1 + 2)-- you can see the related links on those fics for additional context to this one.
Did you know serperior had arms, because I sure didn’t.
______________________________
“So, what now?”
“What do you mean, what now?” The abomasnow’s needles flattened, grimacing at the damage to an outer wall of the guild-slash-school. “You can go home.”
Between coming back, finding out that there was another one of his students had come from the future, and a near-death experience, he was ready to root himself into his house and never come out. 
“Home?” Harold mumbled, before looking at George. It was like the idea never crossed either of their minds. After what seemed like an eternity of running, it must have seemed stranger than any of their comics.
Then again, he thought wryly, they should have known it would have happened.
Between the clamor of older guildmembers trying to do damage control with limited success, teachers panicking, and students whispering, the gasp from a few paces away was near inaudible.
George was the first to notice, and he nudged the mareep insistently.
Just across the street was a serperior, lucario, and ampharos, the latter of which was holding onto a mareep that was more fluff than creature. 
He looked over to Harold. Spitting family resemblance.
None of the adults made a move. It was like they were afraid that if they acknowledged what was happening, then the illusion would break and their children would disappear. Or run away if they pushed too hard.
But the mareep from across the street had no such qualms and wriggled out of her mother’s arms and bolted straight for them. Her breath hitched, eyes teary. “H-- Harold!”
“Heidi!”
And for the first time in a long while, the boys run towards home-- their home, their family. That was enough to spur on a chain reaction of the remaining three to run to their children as well, scooping them up with watery eyes and making sure they were alright and alive and safe and well, and oh, we were so worried--
Krupp couldn’t help but look down to his feet. He shouldn’t be... here. Looking. Even if it was happening in the middle of Piqua in broad daylight, he felt like an intruder. Besides, his job was done. The abomasnow took a few steps back and to the side in an attempt to escape.
But the lucario’s aura sensors flicked up. “Don’t think you can escape that easily!” he joked, making his way over. He winced as the serperior shot a glance at him. “Uh, poor choice of words.”
“What Moby meant to say is, thank you.” The serperior made her way forward, and her next words were tremulous. “Thank you, for bringing them back.”
The most the abomasnow could muster up was a nod and a strangled noise that hopefully sounded agreeable.
“I knew all those times the boys were complaining about you was just a bit of tall tales on their part!” The ampharos let out a high laugh. “There was one they were really up in arms about-- Barbara, do you remember?”
The serperior-- Barbara-- shook her head.
Krupp couldn’t help but grind his teeth and glance at the boys. “Really now?”
George only shrugged playfully. Harold raised a brow in faux-smugness. 
Ugh, things were a lot simpler before the whole fugitive business, and their parents were still looking at him like that. So he stuffed down the literal pages of complaints he had about them he had always wanted to field to them, just this once. 
“Oh, they’ve been...” Nuisances. Aggravating. On my last nerves. “Something. I know they’re, uh... trying their best.”
“Mind saying that a little louder?” Harold said.
“And are pushing their luck.” He let his gaze turn sharp for a moment.
______________________________
Between the commotion and the whirlwind conversation between the others, it was clear that Krupp was at his tipping point and was close to being overwhelmed.
“Would you like to have dinner with us, then?” the ampharos-- Grace, Harold’s mother, asked.
“Um, no, thanks but... no.” He floundered around for a moment, breaking off from the group, perhaps a bit too eager. “I’m-- I’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, don’t worry, mom,” Harold said hurriedly, somehow more fearful at the prospect of having his principal-slash-guildmaster home for dinner than being hunted down. “He said that he doesn’t really eat?”
The ampharos stared at her son, then to the abomasnow, and back to him. “Really now?”
“Something about how technically he’s one degree of separation from an actual tree, so he doesn’t need to eat as often,” George explained. “It was pretty sunny out, so yeah!”
“I see, I see,” Moby’s tone was curious, but he shot a quick glance towards his wife, clearly unsure. “I suppose that makes sense.”
The serperior’s pace had slowed down by a tick, causing her to lag behind. 
George, of course-- her perceptive, clever boy-- was the first to notice. His brow knitted together in worry. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
“I had nearly forgotten-- it’s been a long day for all of us, even moreso for you boys,” she said with an even smile. “I’ll need to buy an extra special surprise for dinner, we can eat all together and make it a whole event-- if that’s alright with you, Grace.”
The ampharos lit up, quite literally, as the orb on her tail let out a quick flash. “Oh, that would be lovely! Maybe an evening picnic, perhaps?”
Barbara shot a glance at Moby, who gave a nod. 
“Well, since we’re all in agreement.”
“What’ll the surprise be?” George asked.
The serperior patted him on the head. “I can’t tell you, it’s a surprise!”
“I think I’m nearly at my limit for surprises, mom,” he joked.
“Can you at least make room for a few more? For me?”
The snivy laughed before nodding.
“You can go ahead-- you still need to get yourselves readjusted to both being home, and your treehouse.”
And at the latter, the boys jumped to action. “Oh man, you’re right!” George gasped. “How long’s it been?”
The snivy didn’t receive an answer, since Harold was already running.
“Hey, wait a minute--”
Just like that, the rest of the group was off. All of them, except for Barbara. The serperior made her way over to the abomasnow, tilting her head. 
Krupp couldn’t help but cross his arms defensively on instinct as he braced for whatever she was going to say.
Was she going to call him out on his little quip about them pushing their luck? Has she connected the dots? He vaguely wondered if George got his general whip-smart and clever demeanor from her side or the lucario’s. 
“Photosynthesis, huh?” Barbara said after a moment, quirking a brow. “You must have been under a lot of strain if you were just relying on that for energy.”
Scratch that, it might have been better if she were calling him out on whatever slight the boys vented towards her. He looked away as the needles at his hackles flattened. “On some days supplies were low. It was... better than the alternative.”
“I see.” Another pause. Her gaze lingered on the needles on his arms. It was subtle, but there were brown needles nestled among the usual green. In some areas, bark-like skin that was never meant to be seen peeked through the clusters. “In any case, thank you, again. That must have been a difficult decision.”
“It really wasn’t.” In terms of practicality, whatever powered his counterpart made him more durable as well. Besides, it was the only decision he-- both of him-- would accept, and they were exceedingly stubborn in that regard.
Barbara tilted her head again, but let the subject lie. “Well, the offer’s still open, if you ever change your mind.”
“I have, um--” his gaze flickered over to a blue-eyed octillery near the school. “Prior engagements. I’ll be fine.”
“Oh,” she mumbled before seeing the general direction his eyes travelled to. “Oh...” The serperior shot a smile at him, making her way past him and towards the direction of the marketplace. “Well, in that case, I shouldn’t keep my family waiting, and I suppose you shouldn’t keep her waiting either.”
The abomasnow let out a little huff. And there was the family resemblance, right there in the remark and smile.
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infinite-xerath · 3 years
Text
Runeterra Retcons: Ruination Episode (Ionia)
Ionia Part I
After discussing it heavily with your comrades, you all agree that your next destination should be Ionia. The light of the Wayfinder encompasses you all as it carries you across the sea to the Ionian Sentinel outpost, where you are surprised to find that nothing seems amiss on the shores.
“Looks like the Black Mist hasn’t gotten here yet.”
“Wow, so this is Ionia? It’s beautiful!”
Riven response 1: “I can’t say I’m surprised. Ionia’s always been resistant to invaders…”
Riven response 2: “Yeah… But it wasn’t always like this…”
Gwen: “Oh what an absolutely splendid place! I’ve never been anywhere this majestic before!”
Senna: “They call Ionia the First Lands, and some say it’s the birthplace of magic itself. I guess it’s no surprise that this place is a sort of safe haven against the Harrowing.”
Olaf: “Wait! Look there!”
Olaf points further inland, where you see a great cloud of Black Mist descending onto a vibrant forest.
Vayne: “So much for a safe haven…”
Senna: “No time to stand around and gawk! Let’s move, Sentinels!”
Senna takes the lead as you all charge ahead, ascending the winding mountain path. All around you, wild animals scatter and flee as the Black Mist pours through the forest. The once-vibrant flora withers and distorts around you while the very air seems to linger with malice.
Suddenly, you feel a gnarled tree root spring to life and wrap around your leg, pulling you down. A shrill scream fills the air as you hit the ground and feel yourself being dragged back down the path. Before you vanish completely into the brush, however, Lucian frees your leg with a well-timed shot.
Lucian: “You alright, rookie? That was, uh, quite a scream just now.”
“Thanks, I owe you.”
“That, uh, wasn’t me.”
Lucian response 1: “Don’t mention it. Now let’s keep moving.”
Lucian response 2: “Heh, sure it wasn’t...”
Before you can say anything more, another identical scream cuts through the air. You all turn to see a peculiar figure bounding through the forest. Her upper half resembles that of a young woman, but her lower body is that of a fawn. She holds in her possession a branch with a peculiar bloom attached to it.
???: “Oh dear, oh dear!”
“Is that a person?”
“Is that an animal?”
Vayne: “Whatever it is, it’s heading right for us.”
Sure enough, the strange figure is bounding toward you at an alarming rate, looking back over her shoulder. She turns her head just in time to see the Sentinels and comes skidding to a stop.
???: “Eep!”
“Eep!”
“Woah, that was close!”
“She… Is… Adorable!”
Lillia: “W-Who are you!? Ah, wait, no! Just… Pretend you can’t see them, Lillia! If you can’t see them, they can’t see you.”
Vayne: “Sorry to lay this on you, but that’s not how it works.”
Riven: “Hang on, something else is coming!”
You look up to see the Black Mist descending toward you, carrying with it a swarm of wraiths.
Lillia: “Oh no! They’ve followed me!”
Gwen: “Please, stand behind us, funny fawn person! We will make short work of these fiends!”
Ionia Part II
The Sentinels charge into the fray, cutting and blasting their way through the swarm of wraiths. As they fight, however, you notice more of the local wildlife succumbing to the Black Mist, warping the surrounding forests beyond recognition.
Lillia: “No… Stop! Please stop!”
“Are you OK?”
“Hey, everything’s going to be alright.”
Lillia: “No… Can’t you feel it? The dreams of the trees, the animals… It’s like… One very bad dream is blocking out all the others!”
Lucian: “Rookie, what’s she talking about?”
Senna: “Nevermind, just stay focused! We need push deeper into this forest and find that fetter!”
The Sentinels quickly resume their fight, though Lillia’s ears perk up when she hears Senna’s words.
Lillia: “What? You’re… Going DEEPER into the forest? B-But it’s dangerous!”
Vayne: “Exactly! Where monsters go, so do we!”
Riven: “If the Black Mist is here, that must mean another one of these fetters is too, right? Then we have to find it and get it out of here, or all of Ionia will be in danger! That’s… Not something I want to see again!”
Gwen: “Quite right! Fear not, funny fawn girl! We shan’t let a few wraiths impede us!”
Lillia: “But… Why?”
“We’re Sentinels. Fighting ghosts is what we do!”
“We’re here to save Ionia, and the world, from the Black Mist!”
Lillia: “You… You aren’t afraid?”
“Not in the slightest!”
“Quite a bit, actually, but I can’t turn back now!”
Lillia: “That’s… That’s quite brave of you. …Alright. Everyone, please follow me! I think I know what the ghouls are after!”
Lillia suddenly darts off into the forest, waving her branch to clean a path through the Mist.
Riven: “Should we follow her?”
Senna: “Well… If she can lead us to the fetter, it’s a risk I’m willing to take! Move out, Sentinels!”
Ionia Part III
Lillia guides you through the forest, using the branch in her hands to keep the hostile wildlife at bay. You follow her into a cave, where your only source of light comes from Lillia’s bloom. Though it’s dark and damp, you’re surprised to find that the Black Mist seems to linger about the entrance, refusing to step inside.
Vayne: “Are we sure about this isn’t a trap?”
“We’ve already come all this way…”
“Hey, she’s cute! How can you say no to those big eyes?”
Olaf: “Hmph. If this is a trap, there had better be a worth foe at this tunnel’s end!”
Lillia: “...”
Lucian: “Hey, fawn girl!”
Lillia: “Eep! O-Oh, you mean me?”
Lucian: “Yeah. Are you sure there’s a fetter in here?”
Lillia: “Uh, well… I’m not sure what sort of ‘fetter’ you mean, but I think… I know that the ghouls want what’s up ahead.”
Vayne: “And just how do you know that?”
“Come on guys, have some faith in her.”
“The Mist didn’t want to come in here, so there’s gotta be something special about this place.”
Riven: “Wait, do you see that?”
Up ahead, the path widens out into a grotto illuminated by giant crystals in the cave wall.
“What is this place?”
“It’s breathtaking…”
Riven: “Yeah, Ionia really is beautiful. It’s a shame that some people would destroy that beauty just to take it for themselves…”
Up ahead, you see that the cave floor turns from stone to grass. Somehow, a small meadow has bloomed in the heart of the mountain, illuminated by the glow of the crystals.
Gwen: “Goodness, these gems would make for a marvelous addition to a dress! Oh, but I suppose that would ruin their natural beauty. A shame.”
Lucian: “It’s pretty, alright, but where’s the fetter?”
As if on cue, the light in Senna’s chest starts to glow, as does Gwen’s. Nearby, you see a single flower near the heart of the grotto begin to glow with the same calming light.
Senna: “There it is! That’s the fetter!”
“A rose? How can a rose be a fetter?”
“So Isolde’s soul has been hiding in a flower for centuries?”
Lillia: “This flower is very old. It was brought here long ago from a far-away land. I can see its dreams too, you know. Dreams so pure, full of love and light… Happy memories. It dreams of man and woman who cherished each other more than anything. Isn’t that… Such… A lovely dream?”
You watch in horror as a ghastly crown forms around Lillia’s head. Suddenly, Black Mist fills the cave, engulfing Lillia and transforming her in an instant.
Lillia: “Such a lovely dream, and you all are trying to ruin it! How… How could you!?”
“Lillia, wait! Let’s talk this out!”
“Aw man! Why is it always the cute ones!?”
Vayne: “I knew we couldn’t trust her!”
Vayne takes aim with her crossbow, but before she can fire a single shot, Lillia waves her branch in a wide arc. A mysterious, glittering dust washes over you and the other Sentinels, as does a strange sense of drowsiness.
Olaf: “Argh! What… Is this…?”
Gwen: “Oh my. Suddenly… So… Tired…”
“So… Sleepy.”
“Can’t… Stay… Awake.”
Despite your best efforts, you soon succumb to the effects of Lillia’s dream dust. Soon, you and the other Sentinels fall onto the floor of the cave and descend into a deep slumber…
Ionia Part IV
You find yourself wandering the streets of your hometown, alone. Wherever you go, the people have locked their doors and refuse to open up. You are cold and scared, and those feelings only grow as you notice the ominous Black Mist coursing toward you.
You try to run, but the Mist is faster. You hear inhuman screams behind you, and look back to see vaguely humanoid figures emerging from the haze. You force your legs into overdrive, only to wind up tripping and following on a loose stone. Your cry out in pain as you hit the ground, but your scream is drowned out by the wails of the undead behind you.
Dread hangs over you a like a pall. Death seems inevitable, though you know that death is not the end if these creatures take you. You will become one of them, hunting other poor souls to join the ranks of the undead. You close your eyes and wait, only for the sound of gunfire to fill your ears.
You open your eyes and look up. The wraiths cry out in pain as bolts of light pierce them, driving them back. You find yourself surrounded by figures in strange uniforms, carrying weapons unlike any you’ve every seen.
“W-Who are you?”
“Where did you come from?”
Though their face is hazy, you see one of the figures turn to look at you.
???: “We’re the Sentinels of Light. Don’t worry, we’ll handle the undead. You just find a safe place to hide and wake up.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean?”
???: “Wake up. Come on, Rookie, nap time is over!”
Your eyes slowly open as you regain consciousness. You see Lucian and Senna standing over you.
Senna: “Good to see you’re still with us.”
“How long was I out?”
“What happened?”
Lucian response 1: “Too damn long. That deer girl made off with fetter while we are all dozin’ off.”
Lucian response 2: “That deer girl put us all to sleep then nabbed the fetter, that’s what.”
Gwen: “And she seemed so nice! What an awful turn things have taken.”
???: “Indeed. The future of the realms hangs in the balance.”
“Uh, who is this?”
“Is that a freaking ninja!?”
Shen: “Apologies if I have startled you, child. I am the Eye of Twilight, but you may call me Shen.”
Vayne: “After Deer Girl put us all to sleep, this ninja’s the one who came to wake us up. I don’t like being in debt, but I guess we owe you now.”
Shen: “You owe me nothing. I acted as needed to maintain balance, nothing more.”
Riven: “Apparently, he’s part of the Kinkou. I’ve heard of them. They’re a group devoted to maintaining order in Ionia, though from what I understand, they didn’t do much when Noxus invaded these shores.”
Shen: “The Kinkou protect the balance between the material and immaterial realms. Mortal wars are not our concern… But this Harrowing threatens to consume Ionia itself.”
Shen gestures outside and, to your horror, you see that the Black Mist has nearly complete covered the forest. The once-vibrant colors of the trees are now faded and lifeless and the sounds of nature are replaced by the cries of wraiths.
“It’s awful…”
“How did this happen so fast?”
Shen: “The spirit of Ionia is tainted, and the land is a reflection of that spirit. What’s more, azakana will feed on the negativity brought forth by this, granting demons more power than ever.”
Senna: “This is what’ll happen to the entire world if we don’t stop Viego. That’s why we need to find that fetter, and quickly!”
Gwen: “But… That Not-so-Funny Faun took it! How are we supposed to find her amidst all of that?”
Vayne: “Hate to say it, but she’s right. If we have to fight through all of that, then Deer Girl will be long-gone by the time we catch her trail.”
Shen: “Fear not, for the Eye of Twilight sees all, even through the darkest shadows. The Dream Faun makes for the coast, though I sense an even greater darkness approaching. You, who are sword to defend the light, will you accompany me to confront this darkness?”
Gwen: “A greater darkness? You couldn’t possibly mean...”
Lucian: “Viego! We gotta get the beach, now!”
Riven: “But how are we going to get there through all this Mist?”
Shen: “Fret not, for I walk the space between world. Gather close to me.”
Though uncertain of his meaning, you and the other Sentinels do as asked, stepping close to Shen as he makes unusual gestures with his hands. Suddenly, you are all engulfed in violet light as Shen whisks you through the spirit realm.
Ionia Part V
You feel formless. Weightless. All around you are sights and colors your mind can scarcely comprehend. Some set your mind at ease, while others terrify you. This sensation lasts for only a moment before you reemerge in the physical realm, surrounded once more by your comrades.
“Hey, long-distance teleporting is my thing!”
“That… Was awesome!”
“That was… Bizarre!”
Riven: “Ugh… I think I’ll stick to the Wayfinder from now on, thanks.”
Shen: “Gather yourselves! The Dream Fawn is just ahead!”
Sure enough, you see Lillia standing on the beach, staring out at the ocean. She clutches the fetter tightly in one hand and her branch in the other.
Lucian: “She doesn’t know we’re here. I say we take her by surprise and-”
Olaf: “RETRIBUTION AWAITS!”
Suddenly, Olaf rushes ahead, screaming at the top of his lungs. Lillia leaps in surprise and turns around to see the berserker rushing at her. Instinctively, she launches a seed from her branch that rolls along the sand, growing large in size as it travels.
“Olaf, look out!”
“Don’t let it hit you!”
Olaf utterly ignores your warning and runs into the seed head-on. To your amazement, he just keeps running even as the seed explodes into dream dust.
Lillia: “W-What!? T-That’s not possible!”
Lucian: “That’s a berserker for ya. Once they get riled up, nobody can stop them.”
Olaf is just about to reach Lillia when, suddenly, the tide behind her swells to life and comes ashore. Olaf is swept back in a massive wave of darkened away, though Lillia somehow remains completely dry.
Lucian: “The ocean, on the other hand…”
Shen: “The Spirit of Ionia is tainted. The trees, the air, the waters… They now bend to HIS will.”
You look ahead to see a familiar figure emerging from the Black Mist, the sea itself parting to make way for him.
“Viego!”
“The Ruined King!”
Olaf: “Pfft! Pah! So, he’s the one who bested the Barbarian King? I thought he would be… Bigger.”
Viego: “Ah, what a pleasant surprise! I travel all this way to find that my prize is already waiting for me.”
Lillia: “Y-Yes, sir. I am here to help your dream bloom.”
Shen: “Stop! You have desecrated the balance, and now you shall pay for your transgressions!”
Viego: “Balance? Fool. Without her, there is no balance. She is the light to my darkness, the joy to my anguish. If you would stand against me, then YOU are the one who shall pay the price!”
Shen and Viego dash across the beach toward each other, their blades ringing out as they clash.
Senna: “Let’s back him up, Sentinels!”
You and the other Sentinels quickly rush to aid Shen, but find yourself impeded by the corrupted Spirit of Ionia. Fierce bursts of wind repeatedly knock you off your feat while rocks along the beach form together into twisted constructs.
Riven: “Ngh…”
“Are you alright?”
“Riven, what’s wrong?”
Riven: “Fighting on the beaches of Ionia, pushing back against the will of the land itself… This whole scenario is bringing back a lot of unhappy memories.”
Senna: “Shake it off, Riven! We need to push past this!”
The Sentinels continue to struggle against the will of the land, but only Shen seems undeterred by it. The Eye of Twlight engages the Ruined King in a fierce battle, both of them vanishing and reappearing all over the beach.
“I can barely keep track of them!”
“This isn’t working!”
Viego: “See how your homeland bends to my will, Ionian! Your allies can lend you no aid. Mine, on the other hand…”
Lillia leaps into the air behind Shen, slamming her branch down on the beach. Shen staggers as Lillia’s dream dust washes over him, falling to one knee as he struggles to stay awake. Meanwhile, Viego turns his attention to your group, his gaze fixing itself upon Senna and Gwen. They fail to notice, too busy fending off the endlessly-regenerating stone constructs on the beach.
“Gwen, look out!”
“Senna, look out!”
Option 1: Viego rushes toward Gwen, but thanks to your warning, she manages to parry the blow and push Viego back her Hallowed Mist.
Option 2: Viego rushes toward Senna, but thanks to your warning, she manages to evade his strike and fire a back in retaliation.
Viego grunts in annoyance and vanishes into the Black Mist once more. To your surprise, he reappears before you, lifting you up by the throat.
Viego: “Such a peculiar child. Your little band is strange enough, but you… You do not even carry a weapon. Still, you seek to defy me, all the same.”
Vayne: “Put the kid down, creep!”
The Sentinels all rush to your aid, but soon find themselves impeded by a wall of sand rising up around you.
Viego: “Many choose to stand against me and my noble quest. Some do it to ‘save’ this cruel world. Others merely resent me, though their hearts are as dark as my own. So tell me, child: why do you oppose me? Justice? Righteousness? Contempt?”
“…”
“What you’re doing is wrong!”
Viego: “Hmph. A predictable response. No matter. Whatever your reasons, you will serve as an example!”
Viego raises his sword to impale you, but another blade suddenly manifests above your head: an ephemeral weapon that lingers in the air. A pulse of spirit magic frees you from Viego’s grasp and destroys the sand barrier. Viego vanishes into the Mist once more, and in his place stands Shen, grasping the shimmering blade.
Shen: “Stand up. Your role is far from over.”
The other Sentinels quickly reconvene around you as you climb to your feet.
Gwen: “Rookie! Goodness, are you alright?”
“I’m alright, thanks to Shen.”
“Still shaking, but otherwise fine.”
Viego: “You think you are safe? None of you shall escape my grasp!”
Suddenly, you notice several giant crabs erupting the sand around you, their eyes flickering with the ghastly light of Ruination.
Senna: “This isn’t working! Sentinels, I’m calling a tactical retreat! We can’t fight Viego AND the damn beach at the same time! Rookie, get us out of here!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, you raise the Wayfinder and let its light wash over you just as the crabs begin to close in. In an instant, you and your allies vanish, leaving Viego alone with Lillia on the harrowed beach.
Lillia: “Oh dear. They got away, sir…”
Viego takes the flower from her grasp and sniffs it longingly.
Viego: “No matter. I am one step closer to realizing my dream, little fawn. Come, let us resume our search elsewhere.”
Viego turns and walks away into the Black Mist with Lillia behind him, leaving a Ruined Ionia in his wake.
Back as Sentinel headquarters, you breath a sigh of relief to have narrowly escaped the Ruined King.
Senna and Olaf: “DAMN IT!”
Senna: “We almost had him!”
Olaf: “I almost had my glorious death!”
Riven: So that was the Ruined King… I can’t believe he has that much power.”
Vayne: “He didn’t the last time we faced him. Somehow, that monster’s gotten even stronger.”
Gwen: “Goodness, are you alright, Rookie? That was quite fright!”
“Honestly, I’m still shaking a little.”
“Y-yeah, I’m t-totally fine!”
Shen: “Overcoming fear is the first step to attaining inner balance.”
Everyone: “…”
Senna: “Hang on, how do you get here?”
Shen: “The same way you all did, naturally.”
Shen gestures to the Wayfinder.
“Oh, guess he got caught in the light too. My bad.”
“Huh. I, uh, totally meant to bring you back with us too.”
Shen: “I am here because Balance wills it.”
Riven: “Hang on, are you saying that…”
Shen: “I… Was not strong enough to defeat this imbalance on my own. Ionia has been consumed by darkness, but its spirit has not yet been wholly subsumed. I will do all that I must to preserve it, even allying with your order.”
Vayne: “You want to be a Sentinel? I guess we could do worse, though I don’t know if one ninja will make that much of a difference.”
Gwen: “Oh, another new addition to the team! How wonderful! Please, come with me, and we’ll get you fitted right away!”
You all watch as Shen departs with Gwen, emerging moments later with his new Sentinel attire.
Gwen: “Tadaa! I present to you: Sentinel Shen!”
You can’t help but note that her display lacks the same level of enthusiasm as usual, but opt not to comment on it.
Shen: “It is an honor to fight alongside you.”
Lucian: “Right… Well, let’s get you sworn in, I guess.” (But after that, we’re all gonna need to rethink our plan.)
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maximum118 · 3 years
Text
Ashes of the Phoenix
Zen: Huh I though RTS would be pubished
Me: Not this month this is AOP and The Sitcom only.
Yin: O...K?
Me: Plus with the sequel still in planning for RTS I need to forcus on the two that are newer.
?: Aww sweet!
? 2: Behind her* She does care!
Me: GET THE FUCK OUT.
Chapter 2- Them...
Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 
           Knocked out on the ground was Hato. Around him was his father, Satori, Heisu, and Haruki. Satori looks at her father. 
           "Will he be alright??" she asks. Her father pats her back. "Have faith, you three. Your siblings don't die or give in easily…" he says. 
           He walks over, kneels to Hato, and pets his white hair. "We'll have to leave you soon…please watch your sister…". 
           Hato unconsciously grabs a familiar haori snapping his eyes; he sees his father's haori with Zen with a bamboo muzzle on her mouth wrapped in it. 
           "Your awake." Says a familiar voice. Hato instantly sits up and hugs Zen to his chest. In front of him is Eita standing with his arms crossed. 
           "Head down the mountain and find a mountain called Fenikkusu Mountain. Then look for a black-haired man wearing a crow mask. He may help you with your quest. Keep your twin out of the sun. She can die from the sunlight.  She should be fine as it is cloudly Safe travels." Says Eita as he zooms away. 
           Hato looks at his sleeping twin with a smile. 
           ~Later~
           Hato says his prayers mentally at the burials of his four deceased family members. Zen stares at the tombs sadly. Hato pulls out the flower crown Haruki gave him just yesterday and places it on the grave of Haruki. Hato says his goodbyes, grabbing his twin's hand, and begins to run to an area where she would be safe. 
           After running down the mountain, Hato guides Zen to a cave and puts her there. "Alright, Zen, stay here. I'm going to find something, alright?" asks Hato. 
           Zen looks at him and nods. Hato gets up and goes to look for something to carry her in. After walking around, he sees a basket and bamboo, and a cloth. He runs up the duo gardening.
           "Excuse me, sir! Can I have the bamboo, basket, and cloth?" asks Hato, a curious glint in his eyes. 
           The man turns to Hato. "Sure for what good it'll do you. It's covered with small holes." He says. 
           Hato smiles. "It'll work. How much do you want for it?" 
           "It's free. Go on ahead and grab it."
           Hato pulls his wallet out and grabs a few coins. "Let me pay for it."
           The guy sweatdrops, "No need to jeez calm down." 
           Hato pulls his hand and slaps coins in his hand. "Shut up and take my money." He says. 
           Hato grabs the stuff while the guy holds his hand in pain. Running to the cave, he looks around him. Many trees and flowers surround him, his eyes land on a red flower, and his mind thinks of Riku, and his eyes soften Riku…I hope your OK…We can't go back… We'll run into each other soon…hopefully…thinks Hato.
           Making it to the cave where Zen was digging a hole. Hato stares at his twin, uh…what? Is my demon sister becoming a mole now? He thinks.
           "Zen?" asks Hato. Zen turns to her older twin tilting her head. Hato smiles at her. "Hey. Are you that afraid of the sun?" 
           Zen nods, looking at her brother. "Alright, I'm going to do something…" says Hato.
           Hato fixes up the basket he got. Entering the cave, he placed the basket down. "Hey Z? Can you go into the basket?" He asks.
           Zen looks at him, blinking confusedly. Hato points to the basket "Bas-ket," he sounds out. Zen crawls out from the hole and slides in the basket.
           Hato sweatdrops she's too big…He thinks. Then Zen moves more in, then flips the basket and shrinks. Hato panics. "Ah! Zen!" he goes to the basket.
           Zen looks up to her twin with her gold eyes. In front of Hato was Zen as a Child with her big yellow eyes. A sense of nostalgia goes straight through him. Zen looks at her brother, blinking. He pats her head. "Sorry Zen…Good girl…" he says. 
           Looking at his sisters' longer, messier hair Hato gets an idea. He picks Zen out and begins to try and braid her pale blonde hair. As he tries to braid, he notices that her ashen blonde hair had white ends. Blinking, he grabs his little sister's child-hands and sees that they're sharper, fading to red. "Hm…Weird…hey Zen?" asks Hato. 
           Zen looks at him, making small noises. "Are these all aspects of a demon??" asks Hato. Zen shrugs, Hato finishes the first-time braid and uses a ribbon to tie extra hair. Hato then picks Zen up and places her in the basket. 
           "Sorry if it isn't good. I think it'll be easier to tame, though." He says. Zen nods in agreement.
           Putting the cloth over the basket, then slipping the basket on. Hato begins walking to the mountain he was told to go to.
           ~Meanwhile~
           Riku trails behind Meiro and Yang as they enter a wisteria family crest house. Meiro would look over his shoulders to watch Riku and make sure he didn't do anything. Yang glances at him. "I said to put a gag on him. Why haven't you done that yet?" Asks Yang. 
           Meiro glares at his older half-brother. "He hasn't hurt anyone yet, Yang…".
           Yang sighs. "Meiro. Father may have allowed it, but he too asked for a gag…" He moves his hand to his snake-hilted sword.
           "I won't do it!" 
           "Do you want to be eaten, Meiro?" 
           "He won't! Now can we clean his kimono?! It's covered in blood! Along with his mouth!" 
           Yang sighs and turns to Riku. "OK, demon, take your kimono off. We have extra." He says, turning away. Riku begins to take his black kimono with blue feathers and flame. The kimono was off his shoulders when Yang turns and freezes "Woah, Woah! In a separate room!!" he says.
           Meiro blinks. "I wouldn't-"
           "Meiro Chisaki, you finish that sentence, you will be back with father in HQ as a bloodied pulp and broken bones." 
           Meiro shuts up completely. Yang then pushes Riku into a room with an extra kimono. He looks to Meiro. "Go dampen a cloth. To clean Riku's mouth." He says. 
           Meiro nods and goes to get a cloth. Yang places his sword on the wall letting it rest on the wall. Removing his dark haori with the yin and yang symbol and snakes, he puts it on his sword's hilt. Going into another room, changing into the kimono given to him by the old lady. 
           "My…what a nice view I saw," says a voice. Yang freezes and looks at the window.
           There sat a black-haired individual with purple eyes in the window. A smile was on his face, Yang glares at him. "Hiroshi. I see that you're still a stalker." He says. The man known as Hiroshi smiles and enters the room. Looming over the much shorter man, eyes clearly showing the kanji for "Lower Rank one." 
           Yang glares at him. "What do you want," he says with bitterness in his words. Hiroshi chuckled at the attempt to scare him. 
           Hiroshi moves closer to Yang and gently grabs his chin. "Why else? For you, my little snake harshira. I want you to join the demon's side." He says. 
           Yang pulls the demon's hand away from his chin. "It will never happen, Hiroshi. I don't even believe that's your real name." 
           Hiroshi glares. "You will be a demon and be by my side. I won't let you leave like the one before you." 
           Yang turns from him. "You slept with me more than once. Find someone else." 
           Hiroshi's purple eyes glared at him and about to leave. "You will be mine, harshira. I'll become an upper rank and physically take you if I have too" he says, disappearing. Yang leaves the room to see Riku with a gag and Meiro holding his forearm. 
           Yang runs over. "Meiro! What happened?!". Hiroshi must've put something over the room they were in. Whatever happened must've been loud. He would've come out right away if that was the case. 
           Meiro looks at Riku, who seems shocked or disgusted with himself. Yang pulls Meiro's hand off his forearm and sees bite marks and claw marks. Looking to the side, he saw Meiro's Wisteria Flower pouch on the ground. 
           "I won't ask again. What happened?" 
           " He bit me…So I had to get him off. I pulled out wisteria flowers, and he backed off…He put the gag on himself… He's disgusted by himself…" explains Meiro. (Diizaren, You gave me the idea. Meiro did look like food to the insecure demon boi)
           Yang walks over to the demon who's cowering in a corner. Riku looks up in fear at the older auburn male. Tears were desperately appearing in his pale teal eyes, looking away from Yang. Yang feels his eyes soften. He may be a demon, but he's still young… He's obviously sorry for what he did…thinks Yang as he pets Riku's red hair. 
           "You…must be disgusted by what you did…so you wanted a gag. You did the right thing…I just remembered…We never asked your name…What is it…."
         Riku grabs a piece of paper and a paintbrush and then writes."
         "Riku. Todoroki Riku."
         "Riku? That's a nice name…
          My name is Chisaki Yang..
          My brother is Chisaki Meiro…."
           ~Meanwhile~
           As nightfall lands on the land of Japan, Hato lets his sister out of the basket, and the twins walk side by side. The lady Hato stopped to talk to said this was the way to the mountain they were getting sent to. Though she did tell, people have gone missing up in the mountain. So best to have his demon twin with him in case he goes missing. 
           The twins begin to walk past a temple when Hato freezes. His eyesight was 10 times better in the night, and he saw blood and a demon eating a human arm. The demon senses them and leaves the temple jumping on top of Hato. Zen meanwhile had drool dripping from her mouth onto the ground, her pupils becoming slits as the scent of blood and meat filled her nostrils. Craving a feast, she stares at the bodies. 
           Hato struggles against the demon. Pushing the demon off, Hato realizes the demon looks strangely familiar to him. Then the moonlight shone on the demon, revealing deep-red hair in a similar style to Hato's mother, who passed away many years ago after Haruki's birth. The shadow on the demon's eyes lifted, showing pale teal eyes with slits and blood dripping down from his mouth, where a scar from the right corner of his mouth to his ear. The black kimono the demon wore was awfully recognizable with red flames on the end and sleeves. 
           N-No...it couldn't be…thinks Hato, gold eyes shrinking. As if Hato's world wasn't broken enough…it was shattered completely. In front of him was Kouten, his elder brother the one that went missing three years ago. 
           "K-Kouten…It can't be…you… can't be…a demon," says Hato, heartbroken. Kouten growls in response. Kouten then dashes over to Hato and pins him to the ground, fangs bared with blood on the pearly whites. Hato tries his best to hold off his elder brother from biting down on his neck or collarbone.
           His eyes were filled with shock, horror, and tears. "Kouten! Stop!" sobs Hato. Kouten doesn't hear him and gets closer to Hato's neck. When Zen hears her twin's sobs, she automatically turns her attention from the dead bodies to Kouten and Hato. Zen's eyes clearly show anger as she dashes over and kicks Kouten off of Hato. 
           Kouten growls and zips to Zen, grabbing her and throwing her into the nearby forest. Hato panics and tries to follow after his two siblings. With Zen, she regains her footing and gets a clear view of Kouten. Zen's eyes shrink K-Kouten…No…she thinks tears gather in her pale-yellow eyes. 
           She and Kouten were close. She followed him everywhere in the house when she was younger. Kouten was an ideal older brother. He worked day and night for money to give his siblings and dad something for their birthdays. When their father needed rest Kouten would do the cooking, cleaning, and watch his younger siblings. When Saisho was out, Kouten would, to the blunt of getting more stuff. He was highly charismatic as well, and to go with it, he had good looks. Every girl wanted him, but he always turned them down since he chose his family over a relationship. He adored his mother, father, older brother, and his younger siblings. 
           So seeing her elder brother like this was…traumatizing. Zen could hardly fight him, but she has to. The two demons enter a battle where one will die, and one will live. The demon in front of her, who was Kouten wasn't the kind-hearted and devoted big brother she knew. This demon has no more mental state. The only thought is…I must fight him. He isn't himself anymore…thinks Zen. 
           Hato finally catches up to his two demon siblings fighting. Hato glances around, hoping to figure out a way to separate the two. Then he could possibly talk some sense into his older brother. Unknown to Hato, a wolf stalked around him. When Hato is distracted, the wolf lunges at him. 
           Kouten looks to the side, seeing the wolf lunging at Hato. For some strange reason, Kouten forgets the battle with Zen and dashes to Hato. Getting close enough, he kills the wolf before it attacks Hato. The twins watch in slow-motion. Kouten throws the wolf corpse deeper into the woods. Turning to Hato, he stares at the familiar white-haired golden-eyed male. He unconsciously pats Hato's head then disappears. 
           The twins look at each other and quickly return to the temple. Unknown to them, a man in a crow mask watches them. He shakes his head. Are they Hawks-Sensei's kids? The white-haired one is too scared, kind, and slow…thinks the man as he looks at the sun peeking out from the horizon. 
           Eita, I am sorry…I do not think 
          The white-haired one will be
          Cut out for the corps…
           Meanwhile~
           Kouten takes refuge in a cave as the sun slowly rises in Japan. He rubs his head, wondering where he saw the two people before and why he saved one of them. 
           One of his eyes begins to shift into the kanji for "five" he thinks back to this familiar ginger as well. Why did these people feel familiar to him? The white-haired one knew his name, yet he didn't know his.
           His only "family" he had was the family he created in the mountain of Norkoribi. Kouten looks to the mouth of the cave. He decides to wait until sun-down to return to the "family" on Norkoribi. 
           Resting his head on the cave wall, he closes his eyes. Suddenly he was on a mountain full of flowers. He then notices a white-hair full-grown male with black tips wearing a black haori with blue flame on the sleeves and around the bottom on his shoulders watching two kids play. 
           The two kids, one teal-eyed, blonde with red and blue specs wearing light-yellow kimono with blue and red dots was running from the other golden-eyed with white hair and wearing a white kimono but with purple feathers was chasing him. He feels something behind him, and he turns to see a redhead with a shadow over his eyes with a black kimono with blue feathers turning into flame as they reach the end. Kouten subconsciously pets his head to encourage him to play with his older and younger brothers. 
           The redhead smiles and joins the two boys playing tag. Looking to the side, two females. One with a multicolored-eyes, short blonde hair wearing a red kimono with black feathered detail on the left arm sleeve and white feather detail on the right arm sleeve holding baskets veggies. The other had loose pale blonde hair with a shadow over her eyes, wearing a similar white kimono with black feathers was carrying a basket of tea leaves and flowers.
           The pale blonde runs to him and hugs him with a smile on her face. Kouten hugs back with an unknowing smile. He then sees two males walk over to him. One was white-haired with a shadow over his eyes, wearing a black haori with white feathers. The other one seemed older than Kouten with deep purple hair wearing a dark purple haori with lighter purple flames around his neck was a necklace of a silver feather and a shadow covering his eyes. The pale blonde girl returns the short blonde girl. The two new males look at him and walk past him smiling. 
           He feels warmth in his hand as he looks to his left was a lightly tanned ginger wearing a haori in a very dark blue with yellow stars with constellations on it. Kouten feels warmth in his heart and squeezes the ginger's hand. The ginger smiles and lightly squeezes back, then Kouten moves his hand up and caresses the cheek where a dark moon and yellowed stars on the cheek sat tattooed there. The ginger blushes, and Kouten assumes he looks away. Remembering that they weren't alone, Kouten pouts and stops caressing the ginger's cheek. The man with white hair with black tips stares at him and smiles. Kouten turns to him. 
           The man gets up and walks over to Kouten. Kouten looks to the man who pets his hair gently.
           "It's time for you to wake up…
           Kouten…"
           Kouten snaps his eyes open and immediately looks around. Empty. It was just him in the cave. In a dream that felt real, he feels no warmth in his hand where the ginger held. No boys playing or girls bringing veggies and tea. Nor the man was white hair with black tips. Kouten feels something break in his heart, something that didn't happen with the "family" he created.
           He missed that dream…he wants that dream. He wants a real family, a family where everything felt so natural. 
           Just who…
            Am I?
           Thinks Kouten as tears fall down his cheeks 
           Who are those 
           People?
Saisho/Sai belongs to  @ulti-mal
Kouten belongs to @hairuko
Hato belongs to @juniperarts
Satori belongs to @fioresacros
Haruki belongs to @/_falyy on twitter
Riku, Meiro & Hotaru to @diizaren
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authorbarbie · 4 years
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Dancing With Our Hands Tied (1/?)
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Summary: When you first joined The Resistance, you came into contact with several things: brand new equipment to mess around with, your very own work station, and even General Organa herself. But somehow, a charismatic pilot turns out to be the best of them all.
“THERE he is!”
A round of raucous cheers and applause erupted around the cantina, the sound bouncing off the surrounding walls, as Poe Dameron, freshly promoted to the role of Commander, entered the room. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, holding out his hands bashfully as a sign for his friends to stop, though the grin on his face remained.
“Have a busy night, Commander?” Temmin “Snap” Wexley joked as Poe joined the small group at their table.
“Yeah, we saw you leave with that cute technician last night,” Jessika Pava took a sip of her Batuu Brew with a quirk of her brow. “You guys have your own little celebration?”
Yolo Ziff snorted into his glass, Snap teasingly knocking his shoulder into Poe’s.
“You’re all hilarious, really,” said Poe, unaffected.
“C’mon, Poe,” Jessika continued. “We’re all on the edge of our seats here.”
“Nothing happened,” Poe shrugged, eyes rolling at how the group’s excitement visibly faded.
“Oh,” Karé Kun pouted. “Well, that was disappointing.”
“Why are you all so interested anyway?” Poe swiped Snap’s drink from his hand, ignoring the pilot’s disgruntled ‘hey!’ and took a sip himself. He grimaced as the liquid burned down his throat. “She wasn’t exactly sober so I helped her to her quarters and left. Plus, she wasn’t really my type.”
“What? Hot and single isn’t your type?”
“Hm, let’s see,” Ziff began. “You also said that about that guy back on Tiisheraan, that handsy Twi’lek on Bespin, the—”
“We’re rooting for you, that’s all,” Karé told him, effectively shutting down Ziff’s tangent. “Even a hotshot Commander deserves a little love every now and then.”
“I don’t have time for romance, guys,” argued Poe, jaw set. He was no stranger to flirting — enjoyed it more than the average person, actually — but with the growing threat of the First Order on the horizon, he found no point in going further and growing attached to someone. “I’ve gotta focus on my work, on helping the galaxy. We all do.”
“We’re not saying you have to marry someone, Poe,” said Jessika. “But going out on a date wouldn’t hurt, right? Plus, I don’t remember you ever being so adverse to one-night stands.”
Poe continued to down his drink instead of answering, resulting in a disapproving gaze from every member that sat around the small table.
“I’m telling you, Dameron,” Snap added, matter-of-factly. “One day, you’re gonna meet someone that sweeps you off those damn stubborn feet of yours and you won’t know what hit you.”
“Uh-huh,” Poe agreed, a feeble attempt to end the conversation rather than genuine agreement. “That’ll be the day.”
“Well,” Jessika began to stand from the table with her drink in hand, eyes set on the figure of Kaydel Ko Connix sitting at the bar. “Just because you’ve sworn off cute girls, doesn’t mean I have.”
Watching Jess walk away, Snap wolf-whistled loudly in support, earning a swift kick to the leg from Karé that made the table howl with laughter. More drinks were later shared and the conversation quickly shifted, much to Poe’s relief.
●  ●  ●
It’s safe to say that you were pretty damn nervous.
Your heart was racing, your palms were sweaty and you felt like you might lose the breakfast you had eaten that morning at any given second. Kriff, you prayed you wouldn't. Throwing up all over your first patient’s shoes probably wasn’t the best way to make an impression.
“Hey, calm down,” said the figure next to you, a comforting hand resting on your arm as if she could sense the anxiety rolling off of you in waves. “There’s nothing to be nervous about.”
“I know,” you nodded, adjusting your dark tunic for the fifth time since you’d put it on. The white medical services armband stood out against the brown material of your uniform. “Just first day jitters, I guess.”
“Because graduating top of our class wasn’t enough to fill you with confidence?” the same girl, Zella, asked jokingly. The two of you had been close since the Academy; you had lived in the same quarters and studied for every class together. You were more than thrilled when she agreed to join the Resistance with you. Having someone you were already close to nearby helped put you at ease.
“Yeah, pretty much,” you nodded, teeth chewing on the skin of your bottom lip; a nervous habit.
Zella’s retort didn’t get the chance to leave her lips, the words dying on her tongue as two figures entered the room— Hermit Farwell AKA the head of the medical station AKA your new boss.
And General Leia Organa… AKA your boss’s boss and overall galactic legend.
The General's hair was wrapped up in a neat crown braid and under the dim lights, the younger girl could see the shines of grey showing through her usual brown colour, a sign of how long she had been fighting for freedom in the galaxy. She wore a brown vest over her light green coveralls that were tucked into a pair of brown boots, and her face was attentive as she took in the new faces in the room. Despite being the leader of the entire organisation, you noticed that while others had their own badge indicating their commanding roles in the whole affair, her rank wasn't shown anywhere.
"Good morning," the woman smiled and though it was directed at everyone, you felt strangely as though she was speaking directly to you. "I thought I'd stop by to wish our new recruits good luck— not that you'll need it. You're in the perfectly capable hands of Colonel Farwell and you wouldn't be here if you didn't have the ability to handle yourselves. If anyone has any trouble or worries, feel free to find me later. But for now… Enjoy your first shift. The Resistance is very lucky to have you.”
She took her leave shortly after and Colonel Farwell clapped his hands together to gain the attention of the room which had started to buzz with excited chatter.
“You heard the General,” he said. “Grab yourself a datapad and let’s get to work.”
The station jumped into action immediately, pressing their keycards to the screens of their datapads and waiting for their patient files to load. You searched through your own itinerary for the day and steeled yourself with a slow breath.
Your first day as a nurse was about to begin.
●  ●  ●
Poe’s head was pounding.
A couple of days had passed since his little visit to the base’s cantina but he swore he was still feeling the effects of downing one more ice-twist than he likely should have; something that he was currently cursing Snap for coaxing him into. After complaining to BB-8 about the pain yet again, the droid had argued with him back and forth until he finally agreed to visit the med station for some form of relief. The smug astromech currently sat at his feet as he waited to be called in, as if to make sure the pilot followed through on his promise.
Others sat scattered around the waiting area (which was essentially just a few rows of chairs pushed together), each finding their own ways to pass the time. A technician was speaking on his holopad, supposedly unable to stop working even when awaiting medical attention, while a strategist sat with her hand on her stomach, clearly in an uncomfortable amount of pain. Poe himself found his fingers drumming against his knee, voice humming a tune under his breath that he couldn't remember the name of.
"Dameron, Poe?"
Poe continued his melody, about to go into the second verse when BB-8 knocked into his leg to catch his attention and an unfamiliar voice rang out.
"Dameron, Poe!" the voice called again, frustration beginning to seep through.
Poe lifted his head and searched for the source, a charming grin lighting up his face at the sight of you, your eyes squinting as you searched the room for the man who must have been deaf not to hear you. He had been right about you being unfamiliar, he noted as he all but swaggered over to you, lifting a hand into a wave. You said nothing in return, gesturing for him to follow you into your private work area. Poe's eyes scanned your form quickly from top to bottom.
“Take a seat, Commander,” you said, ensuring you used the proper title you had gotten from his patient files. ‘Commander Poe Dameron, top pilot of the Resistance, peak physical condition’ were just a few phrases you remembered.
“Nurse,” Poe grinned, confidence and charm practically exuding from his every pore.
You fought back the urge to roll your eyes, having spent the whole morning dealing with quite a few patients just like him. While some had been kind and quiet, even nervous, others had piled on the compliments until you were ready to push them back out the door. That, coupled with the growing ache in your back from standing so long, had you on the verge of collapsing from tiredness.
“That’s what they call me,” you agreed with a professional tone. “What brings you here today?”
“You mean I needed a reason other than meeting you?” Poe’s eyes lit up with mischief and your skin prickled with irritation. BB-8, who had stuck by his side the whole time, beeped loudly.
“Ah,” you nodded, typing the information into your notes. “So you’ve been doing a little drinking, huh?”
“In my defense, I was celebrating… But I will admit that yes, my head feels like it might explode,” Poe confessed, casting an offended look in his droid’s direction before turning back to you and scratching the back of his neck. His confidence clearly knocked down a peg (by his own best friend, no less), he let out a humble chuckle. “So you speak Binary, huh?”
“That I do. What’s your name, little guy?” you smiled kindly in BB-8’s direction (Poe was only slightly bitter that BB-8 had gotten a smile from you before he had), listening to his reply. “Well, Beebee-Ate, I think my own little Cipher would love you.”
“Cipher?” Poe repeated.
“My droid,” you explained, your hands moving to wrap the blood pressure cuff around his arm and jotting down his results afterwards. “He’s back in my quarters. Figured if he were here on my first day, I’d spend the whole time worrying about him instead of doing my actual job.”
Poe smiled, knowing the feeling of being attached to a droid all too well. “You’re new here, right?”
“I am.”
Poe studied your face as you put the tips of your stethoscope in your ears and pressed the bell against his chest. A small crease formed between your brows, entirely focused as you listened to the steady thump of his heart. Once you were satisfied, you turned back to your datapad. “Yeah, I’d definitely remember someone like you.”
You huffed out a breath, heat creeping up your neck and into your cheeks at his words. Luckily, your back was still facing towards him, face hidden, and you intentionally took longer in busying yourself with his typing up his results.
Even back at the Academy, you had made yourself a promise: no fraternising allowed. You weren’t against the idea of love by any means, but you were well aware of the ominous, growing threat that was gathering out there in the galaxy. You were well aware that war — and casualties because of said war — were inevitable. Hell, it was entirely possible that some of the people you had examined today wouldn’t survive what was coming, and you weren’t about to put your heart on the line just for it to be torn in two. Not when you had the chance to prevent that from happening.
The room fell silent then and Poe allowed it to, being a model patient as you shone a light in his eyes to check his pupils contraction and muttered your final decision to yourself under your breath. He watched as you turned to search through one of the cabinets behind you, eventually finding the bottle you were looking for and quickly reading the label.
“It’s my first day,” you finally said, Poe blinking in surprise at your return to the conversation. “Hold out your hand.”
Poe did so without question and watched as you set two pills in his palm. Filling a glass with water, you held it out for him to take in the other.
“Swallow those now and take two more later tonight if it still hurts. Like your chart says, you really are in peak physical condition,” you waited for him to follow your instructions before passing him the small bottle of remaining pills, pointedly ignoring the smirk on his lips at your comment. “Your hangover should pass soon.”
“Well, thank you for your thorough work…” Poe trailed off and you knew what he was indicating.
“Nurse is fine,” you told him simply.
“Come on, I make it a habit to learn everyone’s name here,” Poe told you, almost pleadingly and he wasn't lying. He really did know the name of every single person in the base, no matter their rank or job. For his own squadron, he had memorised their birthdays, too, and ensured they always received something special when the day came, be it something simple like a small cake or something a little grander, like an upgrade to their ship. “The cleaners, the line cooks, whoever.”
“That’s… very nice of you,” you said genuinely, meeting his eyes over your datapad. He really was quite handsome and clearly, he was aware of it. A square chin with a jawline you were pretty sure could chisel fiberplast, soft chocolate brown eyes that had a warmth to them that reminded you of a fire crackling, full lips with the bottom looking just a little bigger than the top and a tall build that you noticed made him appear confident even when seemingly at ease. It was a shame, really. If you had met him in some other way, at some other time, you probably would’ve fallen for his charm already.
But unfortunately, you hadn’t.
“If you need any more help, feel free to visit again.” Clearing your throat and reluctantly breaking the eye contact, you held out your free hand which he took firmly, giving it a shake. “And congratulations on your promotion.”
“Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you… Nurse,” Poe told you, releasing your hand and turning to leave as BB-8 beeped his goodbyes. Before he had fully stepped out the door, he turned back, the right side of his mouth quirking into the beginnings of a smirk. “I hope we see each other again soon.”
Your gaze softened, brows furrowed together as you gestured around the room which held various medical supplies. “For your sake, I hope we don’t.”
A warm laugh escaped his throat but he said nothing more. And with a wink, he left.
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saibh29 · 4 years
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Minor Head Trauma (Part 1)
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Pairing: Will Halstead x Reader 
Warnings: Swearing, a little bit of medical jargon
AN: I’m not a doctor by any stretch and although a did a brief bit of googling on head trauma I’m sure i’ve made horrible mistakes so excuse me for that. 
When an old friend of Ethan Choi’s ends up in Chicago Med’s ED she’s about to make life very difficult for Will Halstead. 
********
“I do not need to be here” you grouched, folding your arms across your chest and glaring at Nolan who was stood smirking at you from the far corner of the ED cubicle. The junior Officer and your long term friend was finding far too much enjoyment in your misery.  “I slipped. I hit my head; my skull is fairly fucking thick I’ve been told this numerous times. I’ll be fine”
That made Nolan snort in laughter. The doctor who unfortunately for him had gotten landed with you as a patient simply looked confused. He’d introduced himself earlier as Dr Halstead, when this farce of a medical drama had begun.
“British huh Miss Y/L/N?”
“Last time I checked Dr Halstead. What about you, red head, so…Irish? A while back considering the accent is fairly standard American and boring?”
“Miss Y/L/N, if you could follow the light please” apparently, he’d simply chosen to ignore your sarcasm. He held up the tiny pen torch in front of your eyes moving it back and forth. Despite your sarcastic words you did as you were told and followed the light.
“This is ridiculous and a waste of time” you muttered still doing as he asked.
The fact you were finally being a good patient was why you happened to be looking through the small gap in the curtains at exactly the moment a ghost appeared before them.
“Holy Fuck!”
“Boss?”
Nolan knew that tone and his whole body had gone on high alert, pushing off the wall he stood upright searching for whatever it was that had put that sound in your voice. You however, had gone somewhere else, entirely transported back to memories of years ago. You pushed away Dr Halstead jumping off the bed and going straight for the curtains.
“Miss Y/L/N? Miss Y/L/N…?”
You pushed the curtains entirely away and found a broad back walking away from you towards another set of curtains, staring at a chart in his right hand.
“CHOI”
He stopped as if he’d been stunned and slowly spun looking for whoever it was who had called his name in a voice he’d equally thought to never hear again. His eyes found you and he jerked like he’d been shot.
“Miss Y/L/N…” Dr Halstead had followed you out of the cubicle and almost run into your back when you’d abruptly stopped for seemingly no reason.
“Miss?” Ethan had walked over as well “You left?”
“No. I didn’t leave”
“You two know each other?” Halstead flicked his eyes between the two of you.
“I know her… Y/N what are you doing here?”
“I hit my head; Nolan dragged me here” you summarised.
Ethan went back to focusing on Dr Halstead “what are her symptoms?”
“Minor head wound, no visible sign of further trauma”
“Hah!” you looked around Halstead and back towards where Nolan was still stood “See you idiot. I told you I was fine and did not need to be in the ED. Next time fucking listen to your commanding officer”
“Commanding officer?” now poor Dr Halstead really did look completely lost.
“Oh yeah, I knew I was forgetting something, head wound and all, it’s not miss, Dr Halstead”
“It’s not Miss? So, what is it?”
“It’s Captain” Ethan answered for you. “It’s Captain Y/L/N”
That made them all look over at you once more, you shrugged. Your military rank was something you were familiar enough with to not pay attention to anymore. What you were paying attention to though was the fact that the edges of your vision had suddenly begun to blur. That was not a good sign at all, nor was the spinning that was accompanying the blurriness.
“Uh… Dr Halstead” you reached over, not really sure what you were reaching for but hoping to find something to steady yourself with. “I, um, I don’t think…”
Your hand hadn’t found anything to hold onto and you couldn’t stay up right any longer, swaying sideways you started to go over. Halstead being the closest to you grabbed you before you hit the ground and ended up with one more head wound. “Y/L/N... Y/L/N?” he was hovering over the top of you. “Captain Y/L/N? Can you hear me?”
“Y/N?”
“Boss?”
There was a lot of people all calling your name, a lot of people all wanting your attention to be on them. You however were struggling to focus on anyone or anything, the blurriness that had previously simply been around the edges was now filming over your entire eyes.
You truly did want to answer the constant questions but your body wasn’t responding in a way you wanted it to. In fact, it wasn’t responding at all and with a final random thought of just how red Halstead’s hair was you slipped into complete blackness.  
 ***********
When you finally came too once more you were laying down in a bed, there were wires attached to your chest and a rather annoying constant beeping sound from just above the right side of your head.
Your eyes flickered open and you found Nolan sat beside you scrolling down his phone.
“Nolan?”
He jerked, head shooting up to stare at you. “Boss? You’re awake! You feel alright?”
“What happened Nolan?”
He smirked “you just went over Boss, fainted away into the good doctor’s arms”
Fuck, that was going to come back to haunt you, there was no way Nolan was going to keep that quiet and whether you were ill or not the story would be spun in such a way that had you falling into Dr Halstead’s arms like some sort of 19th century damsel.
“Great” trying to navigate the abundant wires attached to you, you got your knees pulled further up to your chest. “Any word on why I fainted?”
“Fuck if I know, I ain’t a doctor”
“Nolan, seriously…” if you hadn’t already had a headache Nolan would be giving you one right now. “Will you please be helpful for once in your life, go and find me a Doctor who does know something and do it right now” Nolan’s mouth opened and you cut him off. “Any jokes on Doctors and fainting that come out of your mouth right now will get you serious one on one time with me and a certain assault course”
Nolan flinched at that and closed his mouth, “sure thing Boss” he left to go and find a doctor.
Your head was still pounding but the blurriness had thank god started to dissipate. Your vision was back and the nausea felt more like you’d drank a whole bottle of red wine on your own rather than you were stuck in a washing machine without an exit.
“Captain Y/L/N, nice to see you awake once more” Dr Halstead was back.
“I fainted”
It was a statement not a question but Dr Halstead nodded anyway. “You did”
“Why did I faint?”
“That minor trauma to your ‘thick skulled’ head. Not so minor”
“Trying to be sarcastic Doctor?”
Halstead smiled at you coming over to stand beside your bed. “Not at all Captain Y/L/N”
You didn’t believe him for a second but were willing to let it go considering the fact that you were a little concerned about the point that he had said your ‘minor’ head trauma wasn’t exactly so minor. “So, not so minor?”
“The point of impact on your skull, here” he gently pushed your hair to one side so he could look at the small cut on the side of your head where you’d landed. “you hit it harder than anyone thought, the CT scan came back, it shows you have a subdural hematoma. A bleed on your brain”
“My brain is bleeding?” that did not sound in anyway good. “How do we stop it bleeding?”
“Most hematoma’s stop on their own, your bleed is small, localised. We’ll admit you overnight to monitor you but it should be that taking a few weeks rest will be enough for it to heal up on it’s own”
“A few weeks?”
“Maybe more”
“No” shaking your head turned out to be the wrong decision as it made your vision swim in a most unhelpful way, bringing a hand up to your head you tried to stop the spinning. “I can’t be in this bed for longer than today. I need to be back…”
“That’s not happening Captain”
“You don’t understand”
“I understand that if I let you leave here and the bleed gets worse then you’ll be looking at a lot more than a few weeks in bed. How does major Neurosurgery sound?”
“Anyone ever tell you that you have a shitty bedside manner Dr Halstead”
“It’s been mentioned”
The fact that he was keeping up with your acerbic tongue actually defused quite a lot of your frustration and actually made you smile instead. You put your hand down from your head and instead wrapped them around your still drawn up knees. You wondered how Dr Halstead was going to cope with the coming storm he’d create by keeping you in this hospital.
“I’ll need to make some calls”
“You don’t have a phone?”
“Oh, I do…” reaching over you got your hand tangled in the multitude of wires, something started beeping incessantly and you cursed in frustration.
Dr Halstead grabbed your hand to stop you pulling anymore wires out, then trying to mask his own smile at your clumsiness he carefully untangled you putting your hand safely back down on the bed.
“here” he picked up your bag and handed it over to you.
“Thanks” you rooted out your phone which was flashing angrily with what was no doubt hundreds of missed calls and messages. “What did you call this thing in my head again Doc?”
“A subdural hematoma”
“Subdural hematoma. Got it” you grinned in what you hoped was a friendly manner at the good doctor. “So, who do I say it is that’s ordering this bed rest?”
“Will Halstead”
“Will… William?”
“William”
“Good to know” you unlocked your phone as Dr Halstead continued to watch you carefully. “Dr William Halstead” the poor doctor was seriously going to regret his luck in being assigned your case this morning.
“Captain Y/L/N?”
“Y/N”
“Excuse me?”
“Its Y/N, you don’t have to keep calling me Captain Y/L/N, and before you get chance to finish that question, I'm on a short-term deployment with the rest of my unit to the Great Lakes training area. I know Ethan Choi from well before that, a previous deployment and Nolan who has vanished somewhere that I'm not to curious about right now is my junior officer. Anything I missed?”  
“I think that was quite comprehensive, you did miss off one quite important point though”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“How’s your head feeling?”
You guessed that probably was quite an important question for the doctor to be asking. “Better than before. I can only see one of you again which is semi-disappointing but probably healthier”
“Oh I don’t know, even one of me can be quite interesting Captain” there was a knowing smile on his face that told you he knew exactly what he was insinuating and he’d done it on purpose.
“I don’t doubt it Doctor Halstead. I don’t doubt it at all” in your hand your phone started buzzing angrily at you once more, the name on the screen simply said General and was one you really shouldn’t ignore anymore. It was only going to make this whole situation ten times worse. “I should answer”
“I’ll be back to check on you later”
“I hope you will”
With a final smile Dr Halstead left you alone once more as you took another glance at your phone screen. You could almost feel anger and irritation coming through the small device.
Sighing you slide the button across to connect the call and held the phone to your ear.
“Captain Y/L/N where the hell are you and where is my information?”
“Nice to hear from you too Dad”
TBC.....
@clementines-x​ @the-chosen-one-time-lord​ @no-other-names-availible-blog​ @angelaiswriting​ @selldraug​ @angryares​ @thenovarose​ @georgiagrl1990​ @punk-rock-5-sos @mindofthescattered​  @dontstopxx​ @iamabeautifulperson18​ @madelinecraig03​ @ka-x-in​ @im-hurric4ne @mesmericbell​ @something--awesome @weirdpotato-14​ @putinontheritzz​ @soulslaststand​ @fuckthatfeeling​  @ember1201​ @morganlb23​ @kitkatbadass @tomhopperarms​  @fakingintrest​ @artprincessbree​  @dreamer-lover-laughter​ @artprincessbree​ @rime-warrior​ @captainvaneswife​ @jaib2-blog @kapolisradomthoughts​ @thingsandstuffienjoy​ @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked​ @aya-fay​  @itsbubbaog​ @hp-hogwartsexpress​ @emmykinzs​ @thatbadassunicorn​ @sassywingednightmare​ @weirdnewbie​ @goyawriter​ @shipperfangirling​ @nathaliabakes​ @stillreadingfantasy​
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Text
Frank’s hints about season 3 part 2
Time for more season 3 hints and hype!
sleaveheralone asked: How would you describe Scrooge's relationship with his sisters?
Frank’s answer: Spoilers. (I’m excited!)
sazxofone asked: Will we ever see Fergus and Downy again?
Frank’s answer: Yep (technically they were in a flashback in Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks but could still appear considering the above)
drummergirl231 asked: Has DT17 Donald ever had to balance family relationships and a romantic relationship before?
Frank’s answer: Not yet. And his kids’ reactions aren’t the people he has to worry about the most. (Lookin forward to Della’s reaction)
cinnabun asked: ooc daisy quote please i’m begging
Frank’s answer: “You do not need to fall for another man that needs saving.”
aprilcruelsday asked: Could you spare an out of context Penumbra spoiler?
Frank’s answer: Doesn’t trust cars.
pilyarquitect asked: OCC Bradford please?
Frank’s answer: “We are not villains. We are FOWL. ACT LIKE IT.” (partially said in Double O Duck! You Only Crash Twice)
maximumlightcolor asked: Ooc steelbeak quote??
Frank’s answer: “Prepare to be OUTSMARTGUYED!” (Double O Duck! You Only Crash Twice)
moonstoneflowers asked: Are we going to find out anything about Webby in the upcoming season?
Frank’s answer: Sure seems like a good time for it.
lynxuwu asked: OoC Darkwing Duck spoiler?
Frank’s answer: Has never fought an actual supervillain…yet. (Looks like we’re referring to Tarus Bulba or NegaDuck)
rumblewithwendy-moved asked: ooc taurus bulba quote.
Frank’s answer: “Reminder: order more dramatic tarps.”
shizu-twg asked: Would you be willing to share an OOC spoiler/hint/line for the first episode of Season 3?
Frank’s answer: Lots of young adventurers look up to Scrooge. Who did Scrooge look up to? (It’s Isabella Finch from Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks)
doritoarts asked: Are we gonna see more of Jim Starling?
Frank’s answer: We have a long-term plan for Negaduck/Jim Starling, if Disney lets us do it. I love that character something fierce.
catboooks asked: spare an ooc kit cloudkicker quote? please mr angones im begging you
Frank’s answer: “SPIN IT!”
toospicy-peppermint asked: Are we gonna cry this season??
Frank’s answer: I have.
egonspenglers asked:Do you think Dr. Bushroot will ever make an appearance?
Frank’s answer: I think he might. Sort of.
pyrot0xin asked: Please I am B E G G I N G you Are Heron and Steelbeak gonna interact I N e e d to know
Frank’s answer: Oh yes very much so. (Double O Duck! You Only Crash Twice)
raheyyy asked: out of context donald?
Frank’s answer: “Namaste.” (The Lost Harp of Mervana)
maximumlightcolor asked: Launchpad ooc spoler maybe 🤘😪
Frank’s answer: Is bad at video games. (Double O Duck! You Only Crash Twice) 
trixielulamay asked: OOC Goofy spoiler
Frank’s answer: Still a photographer. (Quack Pack)
prettysureimbatman asked: OOC Violet spoiler?
Frank’s answer: Is the best there is at what she does. (is a Senior Woodchuck in Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks)
trixielulamay asked: OOC GYRO QUOTE
Frank’s answer: “I swore I’d never go back there again…” (Astro BOYD)
prettysureimbatman asked: Are we gonna see Violet and Lena act more like sisters as time goes on?
Frank’s answer: Yep. (Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks being first of them)
get-em-wright-back asked: ooc fenton spoiler?
Frank’s answer: Has two secrets that aren’t his secret identity.
pixiesphere asked: Will we see Selene again?
Frank’s answer: Uh-huh
i-am-marcus-pines asked: out of context darkwing duck quote plz
Frank’s answer: “Can’t…let her…down…” (probably referring to Gosalyn in an intense moment)
undertelevisionskiess asked: Ooc Gladstone quote?
Frank’s answer: “NOT THIS! ANYTHING BUT THIS!!!”
saturngears asked: ooc boyd quote or spoiler?
Frank’s answer: “This was the best day!” (Astro BOYD)
lynxuwu asked: are we going to see more of the caballeros in the next season?
Frank’s answer: Si. (Louie’s Eleven)
cosmicdelta asked: How worried should we be for Huey in season 3?
Frank’s answer: Nobody worries about Huey better than Huey.
spectrum270 asked: So do you have any sort of story in mind for how Steelbeak got his namesake attachment? It never got explained in the 90s.
Frank’s answer: Yep.
aria-daize asked: Is the shadow blot tied to any epic mickey lore in this series?
Frank’s answer: Our version of the Blot is a new character that takes bits from the original Mickey nemesis, Shadow Blot from Epic Mickey, and Blot from the original DuckTales. He has a new context, and a new obsession with vengeance against one of our long-standing characters. (I wonder who that character is between Donald, Scrooge, Beakley, Della or even Duckworth)
rumblewithwendy-moved asked: ooc lp quote!!
Frank’s answer: “I just want to be good enough!” (Double O Duck! You Only Crash Twice)
heroanalysis asked: Which one the kids will Gosalyn meets first?
Frank’s answer: Dewey!
moonstoneflowers asked: What are some of the major characteristics you've always liked about Goofy and have incorporated into DT17?
Frank’s answer:Goofy is best dad. (Quack Pack)
meeobug asked: Will we get any more shadow magic related things in s3?
Frank’s answer: Yep
backtothefuturefan88 asked: Will F.O.W.L. Eggmen be in the series?
Frank’s answer: We call them Eggheads, as there are both men and women in the ranks. (Double O Duck! You Only Crash Twice)
animator320-deactivated20200207 asked: Will Mark Beaks try to come back for B.O.Y.D.? What will happen to him now that he lives with Doofus? Is B.O.Y.D. safe at all?
Frank’s answer: I cannot stress this enough: BOYD is not safe. Avoid him at all costs. (Astro BOYD)
jillybean2011 asked: Ooc three caballeros quote? Please?
Frank’s answer: “WHY WILL NO ONE TELL US?!” (Louie’s Eleven)
alongdwdfan asked: Will Morgana Macawber appearing this season?
Frank’s answer: Not this season.
rumblewithwendy-moved asked: what has drake seen while stalking the rooftops
Frank’s answer: Spoilers.
swirlmist asked: Anything you can tell us about Drake/Darkwing or Gosalyn?
Frank’s answer: Darkwing and Gosalyn both try to come off as bigger, more fearless, more competent, and more epic than they actually are because deep down they fear they may not be very good at all. They may never be those perfect versions of themselves, but they’ll never stop trying to be and that’s what makes them heroes.
beaglelover62 asked: We've seen Lena have a pretty great moment against Magica last time, and her wicked aunt didn't have any powers. How bad can the conflict between the two of them be in S3?
Frank’s answer: Not all conflict is physical.
cartoons4ever77 asked: Which Woodchuck badges has Huey not earned yet?
Frank’s answer: Spoilers. (isn’t a Senior Woodchuck in Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks)
animator320-deactivated20200207 asked: Which kid will B.O.Y.D. interact with the most?
Frank’s answer: Huey. (Astro BOYD)
animator320-deactivated20200207 asked: When will Rockerduck be thawed out?
Frank’s answer: Mostly immediately.
hdisndihduxujsidjjxj asked: What kid character will Louie interact with most?
Frank’s answer: Dewey. (Louie’s Eleven)
sleaveheralone asked: What will be the biggest challange that Scrooge will have to face this season?
Frank’s answer: That he’s not as unstoppable as he thought he was.
empro-8 asked: Please don’t tell us Boyd will be an enemy. Boyd is a good boy
Frank’s answer: Boyd is a very good and definitely real boy. (Astro BOYD)
sleaveheralone asked: Is the character Scrooge looked up to,one of his relatives or someone else?
Frank’s answer: Someone else. (Isabella Finch)
lophiii asked: Frank you’re scaring me please give us some calm info
Frank’s answer: Dewey gets a sidekick. (Maybe Gosalyn)
moonstoneflowers asked: Will Doofus ever come around to having a little brother?
Frank’s answer: No
yulinfantasy asked: Will Drake and Gosalyn interact with Huey?
Frank’s answer: Yes. (looks like Gosalyn is looking to be the eighth addition to the kid group (currently with HDL, Team Magic, and now BOYD))
beaufonvilleranger1 asked: Who will give Drake Superhero Advice in Season 3 *first*, Huey or Dewey?
Frank’s answer: Launchpad.
prettysureimbatman asked: Will Gosalyn appear in multiple episodes?
Frank’s answer: Yep
lophiii asked: will gos ever meet boyd??
Frank’s answer: Yerp.
kingoflizardss-deactivated20200 asked: Will there be more Falcon Graves?
Frank’s answer: Perhaps (Louie’s Eleven)
saturngears asked: which adult other than the drakes will boyd interact with the most?
Frank’s answer: Spoilers. (Gyro and Fenton in Astro BOYD)
bulletrat asked: does gos interact with Team Magic at all?
Frank’s answer: Yerp
sleaveheralone asked: An out of context spoilers about Branford?
Frank’s answer: Has been plotting for a long time.
pure-heart-muses asked: Is Branford a better strategist than Lunaris was?
Frank’s answer: Oh yes. But in the most business way possible.
shadeslime asked: Will anyone be having their first crush this season?
Frank’s answer: Donald? (Louie’s Eleven and other upcoming ones)
15sok-deactivated20200303 asked: Whose the most dangerous FOWL agent
Frank’s answer: Different answers for different characters.
thealmightykingprawn asked: Describe Steelbeak in one word.
Frank’s answer: Steelbeaked.
dontkillbugs asked: Would it be accurate to say, in terms of screen time and development, Boyd is to season 3 as Lena was to season 1?
Frank’s answer: No probably not.
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osakaso5 · 3 years
Text
La Danse Macabre
Episode 31
Chapter Index
31-1: At Rebellion's Base (1)
Libel: .......
Libel: ...Rebellion's base. It feels like I haven't been here in ages. 
- - - -
Libel: Who are you people!? How do you know all this!?
Kuon: .......
Kuon: Actually...
Kuon: I was once a Celestial myself, a very long time ago. 
- - - -
Libel: .......
Libel: I'll save you, Arme...
[Door opens]
- - - -
Arme: Ah, welcome home, Libel.
Libel: Yeah, I'm ba--
Libel: Aack!?
Libel: Arme!?
Arme: Yes! It's me!
Qual: You're late. I can't believe you made us wait, after we made it all the way over here.
Libel: ......!?
Libel: Q-Qual!?
Qual: Hmph, you look as foolish as I remember.
Arme: Why are you acting so hostile towards him, Qual!?
Libel: W-what's going on..? Why are you with Rebellion..!
Cura: Pfft..!
Cura: Gyahahahaha!
Libel: Cura...
Cura: Wheeze... It's been so long since the last time I saw you make that face. Holy crap, it's funny.
Libel: .......
Cura: Phew... my bad. In any case, I'm glad you made it here safe.
Libel: ...T-tell me what's going on already...
Cura: Ah, I don't actually know either. The kid's the one who contacted us...
Cura: We went to get him, and lo and behold, Qual was with him.
Qual: ...Thank you for the reception. 
Cura: We all decided they'd explain everything once you return, so I haven't heard anything from them yet.  
Libel: ...I see.
Qual: Let's get to it. Cura, may we borrow a council room of yours?
Cura: I dunno if you could call it that, but follow me.
Arme: Then, I'll...
Libel: No--
Qual: No, you should wait out here, Arme. There's something I need to discuss with these two only.
Libel: ......!
Arme: Hmm... Is that so?
Arme: I'll feel a bit lonely by myself, but I presume this discussion is not for my ears, yes?
Qual: ...Yes. Just trust me. I won't do anything that might harm our friendship in any way.
Arme: ...Very well! I'll wait!
Libel: ....... 
- - - -
Cura: That's horrible...
Cura: The Celestial was a magic weapon all along... Made for mass slaughter...
Qual: Yes. Have you witnessed anything strange while with him?
Cura: .......! 
- - - -
Cura: I wonder if they managed to get away...
Cura: ......! Coff... coff...
Cura: Huh? Blood..? What's going on here..? 
- - - -
Cura: So that's what that was...
- - - -
Fuga: I don't get it. I don't get what you're trying to say...
Fuga: I can't be like you, Libel...
Fuga: .......! Coff... coff...
Cura: Hey, what's wrong!? ...You're coughing up blood! Get some sleep, Fuga...
Fuga: ........ 
----
Cura: ...And Fuga, too...
Cura: H-hey, Libel! Are you feeling okay? You've been hanging closer to the boy than the rest of us.
Libel: Yeah, I'm completely fine.
Cura: Huh? That's weird. Maybe it depends on the person?
Libel: It could have something to do with genetics.
Qual: .......
Qual: ...You don't seem very shocked by all this, Libel.
Libel: Yeah... Someone else told me before you did. I was hoping they were lying...
Libel: But I guess not.
Qual: ......? There's someone else who knows the truth..?
Cura: This is bloodcurdling stuff. I had no idea every moment we spent with the kid could've been our last...
Qual: Master Misericorde said that Arme's negative emotions affect the intensity of the curse.
Qual: The fact that you've spent such long amounts of time with him and not suffered greater consequences...
Qual: ...Most likely means that having you around puts him at ease. ...As much as that annoys me.
Libel: ....... 
31-2: At Rebellion's Base (2)
Cura: Well, what do we do, Libel? If Qual here is telling the truth, that  means we're in danger around the boy.
Cura: Plus, the Celestial isn't someone  we can use for negotiations. If anything,  having him in their enemy's territory is just  what they want. Our original plan has gone  completely out the window.
Libel: ...I have an even clearer idea of what we need to do now.
Libel: I'll free Arme of the Celestial's curse.
Qual: ........
Libel: It'll destroy the system he was borne out of entirely. We need the Ark to lose access to their biggest weapon.
Libel: That way, none of this can happen ever again.
Cura: ...Uh, yeah, I suppose... You've got a point.
Cura: As long as the Ark's got weapons like this, we can't fight or negotiate jack...
Cura: Only the highest ranking members of the church know about the Celestial, right? I guess that means  we need to do something about them...
Libel: We'll bring about a world without the curse. ...A completely new world.
Cura: A new world, eh. It's got a nice ring to it...
Cura: Still... It's pretty damn convenient that your desire to free the world and the kid would go hand- in-hand...
Libel: It's not just a desire. I believe that the new world will need someone like Arme.
Qual: ...I'll help.
Libel: ...Qual.
Qual: I fight for Arme. As a friend would.
Qual: In order to secure him the freedom he wants, removing his curse is a necessity.
Qual: That, and there shouldn't be any more children like him. ...This is a personal wish of mine.
Qual: We have a common goal.
Cura: You feel kinda different from before...
Qual: Perhaps I do.
Qual: The one we should go after is Master Eternea. He's the ruler of Nerve. If anyone knows how to remove the curse, it's him.
Qual: Let's persuade him. Peacefully or otherwise.
Cura: ...You sure about this? Since you're part of the church, won't defying them land you in hot water?
Qual: I don't care. I've decided to fight for Arme. My position couldn't matter less to me.
Cura: You sure did flip from one extreme to the other...
Libel: Do you have a plan?
Qual: We march our way in.
Libel: Sounds fun.
Cura: Hold on, are you serious? I thought you'd take a more delicate approach than that, Qual.
Qual: When we escaped from the Ark, I destroyed their security systems. I had planned to return there eventually.
Qual: Right now is the ideal moment for invasion, as long as our numbers are kept small.
Cura: Sounds reckless to me...
Cura: I'm starting to think you and Qual might have a lot in common, Libel...
Libel: ...Qual.
Qual: What do you expect me to do with that hand?
Libel: Shake it. Or are handshakes  not a thing on the Ark?
Libel: Let's fight together.
Qual: Hmph.
Qual: Don't get the wrong idea... I don't give a damn about the people down here. I'm only doing this for Ar--
Libel: .......
Libel: You hear that, Cura?
Cura: Yep, I sure did. Almost couldn't believe my ears.
Qual: What?
Libel: I didn't know some people actually say stuff like "don't get the wrong idea" in situations like these.
Cura: Yeah, that was super lame...
Libel: Say it one more time, Qual. That's not a phrase we get to hear a lot down here.
Qual: You scum... I'll kill you... 
- - - -
Cura: ...What about the kid?
Libel: Qual is explaining everything to him.
Cura: He's not gonna talk about the curse though, is he?
Libel: No. We shouldn't put undue stress on Arme. Qual and I could both agree on that.
Cura: ...Got it.
Libel: ........
Libel: Cura. About Fuga...
Cura: Ah... Don't bother, I heard  what happened when you called.
Libel: I can't let that be the only time we talk about him.
Libel: His death was my fault.
Cura: ...Yeah, it was. Your strength is probably the biggest thing that  drove him to the edge.
Libel: ........
Cura: I'm not telling you to let it go. You shouldn't.
Cura: His death should bother you for the rest of your life.
Cura: And don't you dare break down. Staying strong is the only way you'll ever make it up to him.
Libel: Yeah... I'll do that.
Cura: Good. Also...
Cura: I won't be coming to the Ark with you. Being around the kid would put my life in danger.
Libel: That's fine.
Cura: I can't go dying right now. Not for Fuga, or any of the other comrades we've lost.
Cura: My job is to live and continue what they couldn't finish.
Libel: If anything happens to me, I'm leaving you in charge.
Cura: Stupid. ...Nobody could  ever replace you.
Cura: Don't you dare die, Libel.
Libel: ........ 
To be continued...
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