#There's learning your guardians caused a first war THEN THERE IS LEARNING THEY ARE AT IT AGAIN AND HAVEN'T LEARNT THE LESSON

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 3, Match 16: Satoru Gojo vs. Xie Lian

Submitted kids:

Saruto Gojo: Tsumiki Fushiguro, Megumi Fushiguro, Yuuji Itadori, Nobara Kugisaki, Yuuta Okkotsu, the other second year students to some extent

Xie Lian: Ban Yue, Pei Xiu, Lang Ying, Lian Quianqiu, Gu Zi, Lang Ying

Propaganda under the cut!

Satoru Gojo:

“became a single father of 2 at the age of 19. Helped Yuuji fake his death and hid him in his basement for months”

Xie Lian:

1. “a several centuries old disgraced god who keeps somehow getting mixed up in things that have nothing to do with him and taking in random kids in the process. Got dragged into being a soldier in a war between kingdoms he's not even from? suddenly single dad to these two random kids caught up in between. dealing with a malicious ghost who has been killing brides? boom, now he has a ghost son whose previous guardian was killed by the malicious ghost. psychotic ghost cousin posses the body of a man with a young son and continues being a piece of shit? well i guess your taking care of that kid too now (i know guzi is technically qi rong's kid since he's the one possessing his actual dad but if it weren't for xie lian intervening when he did the kid would be dead so he kinda counts too)”

2. “Xie Lian saves a young LQQ from being kidnapped, returns him home and end up becoming the/his grand tutor(which was NOT his original plan at all). He literally teaches the boy everything for years, raising him to become the best ruler he could ever be. The XL ends up accused for killing his family (because of a lot of different things) what is important is that he was not the perpetrator but he did kill LQQ’s father in an act to save the boy from making a horrible decision/outcome and also dealt with the actual perpetrators but kept it a secret cause he knew it would break LQQ’s heart to learn his dear friend planned to kill him and his entire family. LQQ took this betrayal by XL so hard he buried him after staking him through the heart when he was still alive. 300 years later when XL returns/is revealed LQQ is still not over it to the point he wants a FAIR duel to settle the score. FAIR with the man he still thinks killed his entire family!

Banyue and Pei Su are connected. XL took BY under his wing while he was a soldier in the army. He did his best to protect her and get her fed as she had pretty much no one. He also talked with her about his younger selfs dreams for the future which was so inspiring to her that not only did she remember it over a century later when they meet again in very different circumstances but she also apologized for essentially not being able to live up to the ideals he had accidentally passed on to her. While he didn’t have as much direct contact with Pei Su, the boy was BY’s only friend and so while XL was around he did also interact with the boy. However this all came to an end when in an attempt to save BY (which succeeded) he through himself in between two armies and was trampled when they began to fight. When they meet again (as I previously mentioned) XL takes BY under his safety until he is not safe and then sends her off to a safe place where she reunites with PS, who for all XL doesn’t give the same amount of attention to, XL does actually approve of some of him (not all his actions) and seems to find it cute that PS is courting BY.

XL meets Lang Ying first when he helps the boy burry his proxy sister, LY ends up running off after XL reacted with shock to LY’s uncovered face, but XL keeps a constant search for him. XL next saves him from getting beat up by ghosts and ends up taking him to live with him in the shrine he lives in. He does his best to take care of both LY and Gu Zi at the shrine and keeps his good treatment up even knowing LY’s a ghost it only ends when (spoilers for non book people, feel free to look up if you want to know).

XL takes in GZ mostly as his ghost cousin (whom he arrested) has taken over the body of the boy’s father. While I’m not sure how much this one counts, especially since by the end his cousin ends up caring for GZ, but he still does the best he can to feed and care for the boy as his entire life changes.”

#gojo satoru #xie lian #jjk gojo #tgcf #jjk #heaven official's blessing #jujutsu kaisen #satoru gojo #tian guan ci fu #serial adopters bracket #round 3 #tumblr polls #tumblr tournament

[captainjacklyn]

So this is part two of my first sagau post, I could turn this in a more detailed fic but knowing that it'll remain in my drafts to catch dust. I think I'll go against it and just give brief ideas for anyone who doesn't have my procrastination problem.

Now I was pretty vague about the other Primordials who watch over different realms as well as Teyvat. But I decided to give them their respective names and personalities (I suppose you can consider them OCs?) just so that we don't get too confused about the whole thing..

For a first born you have Barabath, at current times he's now an empty shell. He was the first realm to ever be created by you, born from an explosion of gas. And out of it poured a thousand dragons who all drank the fire of the first ever sun And yes I did steal that part from game of thrones, sue me. Each every one of them proceeded to descend upon their respective home, all seven of them forged from calamity. The world inhabited Erkanos (guardian of the earth), Belzo (guardian of the sky & stars), Lystéria (guardian of air & moisture), Akarnis (guardian of life), Erghyr (guardian of the mind), Steparyd (guardian of magic) and Valvers (guardian of decay). A war erupted between these gigantic yet majestic beast after your physical descent upon the lands. Their abilities were so great that it only doomed the realm after their final attack annihilated all that was left.

The second child did not end up passing like the former, you had managed to save him when disaster struck upon him. His name is Larbosa, and he is known as the god of wisdom, strength and honor. It was then that the first humans were created. So when you descended once more, they welcomed you with joy and love. But as centuries passed and wars for conquering broke out, people forgot about their creator to the point where all you became was a prize to win. You were sheltered in one of the old temples, its priestesses looked after you every passing millennium. Not as their creator, but as a simple individual who needed a place to stay. You were subsequently sold off to marry a warlord (do you see where this is going?), had three sons with him (whatever your gender is doesn't matter cause you are quite literally capable of anything), he passed, you took over, fell in love with a mortal who devoted him to you, he died, your mortal sons all perished in battle and once the people captured you, they dubbed you AN IMPOSTOR AND DISGRACE TO THE ALMIGHTY THEMSELF you were beheaded.

...

Yuh.

So what your children do when you die is that, your body will disintegrate and just turn into nothing. Then in order to in a sence 'reincarnate' you back into god hood, the realm needs to open itself and sacrifice its own part of you to rebuild you. You saved him because, you're the primordial why could you not, the first son is dead and you learn from your mistakes as a parent/jk. Larbosa is righteous and dutiful, as the second ever world to be created he takes great responsibility in aiding you. Most of the acolytes who follow him learn how to live a life of authority and perseverance through hard work. Like his second sister, he either speaks when spoken to or whenever something needs to be told. Dude is protective, will shove his arm so far up an enemy's ass it'll reach out of their mouth and wear them like a sleeve.

...Yarrhh I'm not cool today.

THIRD KID- THIS ONES A WOMAN! We have Alysia, goddess of love, beauty, and hatred. She's heavily based off of Hathor from Ennead, Aphrodite and Hera with a double personality. Because on one side she is the embodiment of what the 'ideal woman' was expected to be back in the olden days but on the other, her negative side goes against that entire facade of purity. One thing that she favors above anything else is lust, she loves toying with mortals and sees them as beings beneath her. Meanwhile you look after them like your own infants and it's something she uses to manipulate said mortals whenever they go against her judgement. Although she is is typically bright and cheery in public, she easily becomes flustered, particularly around strong beings, or when awkward situations occur. She does indeed become furious when people disrespect her or when she doesn't get her way. The only one who she holds the greatest respect for is her creator YOU, she is highly protective of YOU and will get frustrated when people use her love for YOU as a way to blackmail her. Alysia deeply cherishes her siblings though she has a tendency to call her younger sister a heartless little sh- they all get along, especially with Larbosa.

Second daughter I've mentioned in the past, holds the title of Cymbalia. Her people were known for their truthful justifications and judgment. They knew not of the creator as you were afraid that showing yourself to its collectives would cause yet another loss. Cymbalia, however, was fully aware of her birth-giver’s existence so she chose to be reborn in order to regain their godhood. Though she continued to watch over her people. This had been the first realm to survive complete wipe out but at the cost of being ignorant to your love for them. Cymbalia is mainly stern and focused, and she also often stands up to other powerful gods, like the former : Alysia or Larbosa. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind and utter her words of judgement at any given situation, this trait isn’t appreciated by her older sister who considers her a stickler for the rules. Cymbalia speaks in a assertive tone to display her power to those around her, whether it be a younger sibling or a simple acolyte. She can get especially irritating when commanding people, blackmailing them into obeying her orders. Strangely enough, she favors souls that go against the rules to reach new lengths, people like Il Dottore who quite literally break the laws of life. Goddess of Harmony, Truth and Justice.

Rhymar was the fourth attempt, once again unsuccessful. It only inhabited dry land with no life whatsoever, Rhymar felt insanely bored and began creating their own creatures which unfortunately resulted in a never ending time loop. You tried to help your child but Rhymar ended up insisting on their plans pushing its boundaries so far that the realm began to close in on itself (this was when the multiverse was created, Rhymar controlled the essence of time within himself and could rewind any event they deemed unfruitful). Leaving you no choice but to rebirth them and have their being ascend into godhood as well. Rhymar is quite sarcastic and unfazed, they are more sassy than straightforward. This was shown when you once tried to cheer up Alysia by telling her that she was doing a wonderful job but Rhymar had a change of heart and instead commented with : “I’d say no.” making their older sister feel terrible. Unafraid of defying the rules simply because they feel like doing so, Rhymar was baptized as the troublemaker in the family. When needing to apologize for anything they are stubborn enough to refuse unless their mother comes to them, requesting otherwise. They're the youngest kid, the most chaotic and the god of God of abundance, fertility and foresight.

so..

yeah.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAGHCHCGHCGCHCGHHCCCGEEEEUUUUUUUUGH-

#genshin impact sagau #sagau #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin impact x gender neutral reader #genshin impact cult au #cult au #genshin impact god reader

[sycamorelibrary754]

Guardian Angel

Chapter 6: Compound Living

Summary: Your recovery continues in the Avengers Compound. You open up to Wanda about your past and have a heart-to-heart that may lead to something more for the both of you. 

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: Sorry for the delay! The next chapter of Guardian Angel will most likely be posted after the holidays. I hope you enjoy!

Guardian Angel Masterlist

If you had to stare at another cup of jello, you might just scream. After being stuck in the Med Bay for two weeks, you were craving something sweet from the shop. You were surprised that the food wasn't better given that Stark could have brought up filet mignon if he wanted to. You were extremely grateful that you were finally leaving the Med Bay today, even though you weren't going far.

Wanda would be here shortly to help you move into her old room in the compound. The redhead had been coming to visit you almost every day when she wasn’t out on a mission or at home with the boys. It was the highlight of your day when she walked through your door and brought some much-needed color and personality to your plain old Med Bay room. 

Every moment spent with Wanda you learned something new. Her childhood and the happy memories she had of Pietro, despite the struggles they faced growing up in war-torn Sokovia. She waxed poetically about her parents. How her father would bring home American sitcoms that she fell in love with while simultaneously learning English. The Chicken Paprakish her mother lovingly prepared.

Despite all the information you had learned about her and everything she knew about you, you still felt like you were holding back. You couldn’t miss the look she gave you when Dr. Cho said she couldn’t reach your parents, but you were too scared to mention the kiss you had shared when you first woke up after the accident. You feared that Wanda would dismiss it as a mistake caused by your shared vulnerability. However, you knew you couldn't avoid it forever.

Dr. Cho and Banner entered your room, interrupting your thoughts. "You're all set," said Dr. Cho, handing you your discharge papers and aftercare instructions. "Remember, your first follow-up appointment is on Friday."

“Thank you both so much. I'm really grateful,” you said, choking up.

“Okay, who’s ready to bust out of this joint?” Wanda announced pushing in a wheelchair.

Oh great, my driver is here," you joked, wiping your eyes before Wanda could see. "Will you ever stop treating me like a baby? I've made significant progress in my recovery thanks to the cradle.”

“Not a chance,” helping you shift from the bed into the wheelchair. 

*^~^*

“Steve, Bucky, and Sam are at your apartment getting your stuff and Natasha should be back from the Candy Bar any minute with an update from Harper on the shop,” rolling you down the hall and into the elevator. “Because you can’t just rest and let yourself heal, you have to be a workaholic,” Wanda mumbled. 

"I have never missed a day of work, not even when I had a fever of 102," you proudly declared.

Wanda sighed and said, "I'm sorry Y/N, but I don't think that's the kind of flex you think it is.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Maximoff," said FRIDAY.

“Oh, my God!” You exclaimed. “Who is that person?” If you could stand up from the wheelchair, you would have.

"Relax, it's only FRIDAY," Wanda said as she laid a hand on your shoulder.

“What?”

“Tony's AI interface is integrated into every function in the compound and can provide assistance with any needs.”

“I notice that you have a guest, Ms. Maximoff.”

“Yes, FRIDAY. This is Y/F/N Y/L/N. She’s going to be staying with us for a bit in my old room.”

Welcome Ms. Y/L/N. Please let me know if you need assistance.

“Hi FRIDAY, it’s nice to meet you too.”

“She’ll be your new best friend,” Wanda joked. 

“Stark really can do anything,” you said.

The elevator stopped as FRIDAY announced your arrival in the living quarters. Doors opened to a stunning common area, leaving you speechless. Needless to say, it was much nicer than your apartment.

"Welcome to the common room and the kitchen," Wanda said, as she led you through the room. "We usually keep some late-night snacks in the fridge, and if you ever need something sweet, I can show you where Clint keeps his stash of chocolate," she giggled.

"This is amazing," you say, your eyes wandering around the room.

“What did you expect?”

“I don’t know. I mean, you hear rumors about the Avengers Compound, but you don’t know if it’s true. Oh my god! Look at that plasma screen TV! A Ps5!” Squealing like a little kid. 

“Yes, when they're not working, you'll find the boys and some of the younger ones gathered around that ridiculous thing.

“I want to play!” 

“Y/N, you only have one good arm.”

“So, I could still play! Call out moves,” you pleaded as Wanda rolled her eyes.

“Tony’s lab is down that corridor to the left. He’s usually in there tinkering away at all hours of the night until Pepper comes and gets him.” Wanda continues to roll you down a separate hallway, “Team bedrooms are down this way.” 

You passed a few doors before coming to a stop. “This is my room,” gently opening the door and pushing you inside. 

“Wow, Wanda, this is awesome.”

If you walked in a forest at first light, if you let the awakening green hues into your soul, that would be the sense that was her bedroom. There was a calmness, a serenity, a feeling of optimism. The same feelings you felt whenever she was in your presence. 

“Thank you. It’s not as fancy as some of my teammates' rooms, but I loved it,” helping you out of the wheelchair and onto the bed. “I did my best to make it my safe space. So no matter what was going on outside, no matter what happened out in the field, I could come home and find my peace of mind again.” 

“That’s beautiful, Wanda.”

As you looked up, Natasha called out "Knock knock" from the doorway.

“Reporting back from the Candy Bar, boss,” Nat said walking towards you.

“Oh God, I’m almost afraid to ask.”

“Relax, everything is fine,” Nat said as she sat down on the edge of the bed. “That Harper girl has the shop running like a well-oiled machine.”

Thank goodness, you exclaimed. "Do we need anything? I could place an order from here," you said, reaching for your phone.

"Y/N, you shouldn't be working. Your number one priority should be your recovery," Wanda interrupted.

You simply grumbled at her response before turning back to the Black Widow. 

“I called Harper and let her know you were coming. Is there any chance she didn’t fangirl over you when you arrived?”

“If you consider knocking over a jar of jelly beans and dropping some kid’s ice cream on the floor keeping her composure, then sure. She was very composed,” Natasha said. 

You ran a hand down your face, imagining your best friend's clumsiness. You said, "Thank you, Natasha. I owe you one. I have been going crazy not being there. It was a relief to have someone in there to keep an eye on the place.

“No problem, Y/N,” patting your leg. “Oh, and one more thing,” bringing her other hand out from behind your back. “I brought you back a little something.” Holding up a bag from your shop. “Harper told me what you liked. The first rule of compound living - guard your snacks or they will be eaten by one of the boys,” handing you the bag. 

“You’re the best! I’ve been craving some sweets from the shop,” taking the bag.

“I know,” Natasha smirked. “Second rule of compound living - I know everything.” 

“It’s true,” Wanda confirmed. 

“Delivery!” Sam called out as he walked into the room carrying a couple of boxes with Steve and Bucky trailing behind with boxes of their own. 

“Wow, did you pack up the entire apartment?” Nat teased.

“We wanted to be prepared for every eventuality,” Bucky said. “We weren’t sure what Y/N would need.”

“Wow, thank you so much, you guys,” you said. 

Steve said, "We'll be happy to help you unpack after our meeting with Hill," placing down the boxes.

I'll come with you guys," Nat said. "See you in a bit, Y/N.

“Bye,” you waved. 

Wanda fluffed the pillow behind your back before sitting down on the bed next to you.

“Comfortable?” 

“Yes, very much so.”

“Is there anything I can get you?” 

“No, I’m alright for now,” a small yawn escaping your lips.

“I should let you get some rest,” rising from the bed.

“Wanda, wait,” placing a hand on her arm. 

She turned back toward you, her face curious. 

There's something I need to share with you. It's the reason why I'm here, recovering away from my family," you say, your gaze fixated on the soft comforter. "You see, my parents and I are not on good terms. We're estranged.”

Wanda’s face softened at the admission. 

“My parents founded Onyx Petroleum in California in 1978. They're not exactly Tony Stark rich, but pretty close. Growing up, I always felt resentful towards them - they were never the kindest people in the world, and their wealth and status just made it worse. But once I started researching climate change and the impact of fossil fuels on our planet, everything changed. It was disgusting to see the sheer amount of pollution that Onyx Petroleum, one of the world's top five most polluting companies, was responsible for. And yet, despite all of this, they still don't seem to care even an iota. It's just not right.”

Wanda's calming hand on your thigh pulls you back into the present moment as you take a deep breath.

“Throughout my entire childhood, my parents never failed to remind me that one day I would inherit and run the family business. When I turned 18, they presented me with a legal document that would bind me to take over the company as the Chief Executive Officer after completing my college education. The mere thought of it was enough to make me feel physically ill,” you look down at your lap as you recount the painful memory. "I remember the day I told them that I would rather live on the street than work for their business," you said softly. "I had always dreamt of doing something that aligned with my values and passions, and I knew that working for them would compromise that. But they didn't take it well. The very next day, they cut me off and kicked me out of their lives. It was as if I had never existed to them." Your voice cracks a little as you finish your sentence, and you take a deep breath to steady yourself.

"Oh Y/N," she said, gently placing a hand under your chin and tilting your head up. Your eyes glistened with tears that threatened to spill over.

“I moved in with Harper,” wiping at your eyes. “I funded my college education using the savings I had accumulated over the years and pursued a degree in entrepreneurship. Upon graduation, I took a leap of faith and established the Candy Bar with Harper. It has been the saving grace of my life," you breathed out, feeling a sense of release from the burden that had been weighing you down.

Wanda didn't respond immediately. As you looked up, you saw tears shining in her eyes. "I am grateful that you trusted me enough to share all of this with me. I am so sorry that this was your reality."

“It was a long time ago. I’ve built a life and a business that I love, and I don’t think about it for the most part. But, when I heard Helen say that she couldn’t get a hold of my parents after the accident… I don’t know,” you trailed off.

“I understand that the accident must have brought up some painful memories for you. Trust me, I know firsthand how much courage it takes to face such buried trauma," she said, placing her hands gently on top of yours. "You're an incredible woman, and it's a shame that your parents aren't here to witness the amazing person you've become.

You nodded silently before meeting the gaze of the redhead. Those beautiful green eyes caught your attention once again.

“If you ever want to talk about this I’m always here, or I can talk to Bucky about introducing you to Dr. Raynor. She’s a terrific therapist.”

After thanking Wanda, you thought the conversation was over, but you could see her contemplating something. "What's wrong?" you asked her.

Oh, nothing. Nothing’s wrong. I just… I’ve felt so guilty about what happened between us after you woke up in the Med Bay,” struggling to get the words out. “I felt like I took advantage of you and how vulnerable we both were in that moment.”

"Oh, thank God you finally said something!" you exclaimed, relief washing over your voice.

“What do you mean?” A look of confusion on her face. 

"I felt the same way, but I was too scared to say anything. I've been wanting to bring it up for two weeks, but I was afraid you would dismiss it as a mistake in the heat of the moment," you rambled. "Then I thought maybe the reason you weren't bringing it up is because you did think it was a mistake, and I didn't know--" Wanda cut you off by placing a finger over your lips.

“Shhh…”

You didn’t realize that you were out of breath. 

"I like you, Y/N. It's the first time I've felt this way about anyone since Vision, and it scares me. From the moment I saw you in that cafe, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind, and then when I saw you in that car..." She started to choke up.

I know," you reassured her. "I haven't stopped thinking about you either. When I woke in the Med Bay and you were there," reaching up and stroking Wanda's cheek, "I knew I was going to be okay.

Wanda leaned into your palm as her eyes met yours.

“It wasn’t a mistake, Wanda.”

“No, it wasn’t.” 

As she leaned forward, you could feel your heart racing with anticipation. Suddenly, her lips met yours again for the second time. It was a soft and tender kiss at first, but then you felt Wanda's hands gently cup your face, pulling you closer to her. You could sense a deepening urgency in her touch as her lips moved against yours with a newfound passion. In that moment, you forgot about everything else - your worries, fears, past, and future. All that mattered was the intimate moment you were sharing with Wanda. When you finally broke the kiss, your eyes met and you both knew that you had found something special in each other.

*^~^*

After their meeting, Steve, Bucky, and Sam kept their promise and returned to help you unpack. When Steve knocked on your door, there was no answer. Upon slowly opening the door, he discovered that you were sound asleep on the bed. Your good arm was wrapped around Wanda, who was peacefully dozing while snuggling up against your chest.

“Should we wake them?” Sam asked. 

"No, let them sleep. We can start unpacking the boxes," suggested Steve.

You woke up a couple of hours later with the afternoon sun shining on your face. Wanda stirs slightly next to you.

"Hi," you muttered wearily.

"Hey," Wanda said while stretching and looking up at you.

“I guess we fell asleep.”

“It’s lunchtime. You should eat something. Let me grab you some food,” she said, looking at her watch.

“I'll come with you. I'm tired of being cooped up in rooms.”

As the two of you sat up in bed, your eyes widened in surprise as you took in the state of the room around you. You couldn't help but notice that all your belongings had been carefully unpacked and placed in their proper places, giving the space a neat and organized feel. The room was adorned with delicate fairy lights that cast a warm, inviting glow around the space, while a beautiful bouquet of flowers sat proudly on the coffee table, adding a touch of elegance and charm to the overall decor. It was evident that someone had taken great care and effort in decorating the room, and you couldn't help but feel grateful and touched by the thoughtful gesture.

“Um, can FRIDAY unpack boxes?” you asked

Wanda smirked and said, "I don't think she can." Then she added, "In case it isn't clear, I think the team likes you too, Y/N."

“Wow,” you were completely amazed.

#guardian angel #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maxmoff x y/n #wanda x reader #natasha romanoff #steve rogers #bucky barnes #sam wilson #avengers compound #avengers x reader #mcu #comfort

[penvisions]

of beskar and kyber {chapter 11}

Pairing: Din Djarin x Force Sensitive! Reader (The Mandalorain x Force Sensitive! Reader)

Summary: Traveling toward something Din scrounged up as a way to make credits, a pit stop is made and he realizes just how much he wants to learn more about you. Conversations flow to fill the time of travel, but when faced with people from a darker part of his past, a new facet of your personality is revealed.

Word Count: 10.5k (!!)

Warnings: canon typical violence, canon typical gore, canon typical language, star wars language and common knowledge, mando'a language (w/ translations), description of injuries, mentions of nausea, talk of menstruation, blood, symptoms of menstruation, female reproductive system talk, anxiety, ptsd symptoms, medical jargon, use of painkillers, character death (minor), death, parental death, guardian loss, loss of family, fighting, harsh language, threats, one hard slap (!!), teasing language, sexual language, sexual teasing, taunting, allusions to din's past sexual encounters, sexual touching, body image issues, feelings of inadequacy, female masturbation, exploration of sexual pleasure, first orgasm, sexual shame, pining, close quarters, unsavory individuals, uncomfortable situation, san shows anger

A/N: ah, here it is, the next installment! it's a doozy, we hop through so many emotions in this one, san's character developing as she opens up. happy thanksgiving, y'all! hope this feeds you all nicely for a while ♡

ao3 link || series masterlist || main masterlist || kofi

“I’ve set the course for the Mid Rim.”

“Okay, anything particular there?”

“Job with an old crew.”

“Okay.” You didn’t look up from the table, brow furrowed as you concentrated on connecting the rings of metal in a pattern that didn’t seam obvious to Din. You were weaving different sizes together, some in patches, some in pairs. He watched you for a moment, taking in the way you were so focused and intent with your motions as you weaved a garment of metal. You had been at the task for nearly the whole day, quiet as you did so, allowing Din to go about his own business since leaving Tatooine.

Now that he had a spare moment he stood by the table and watched your diligent work. He had been waiting for the ship to travel far enough through space while he tended to small tasks of cataloguing weapons, supplies, some light maintenance. As he walked around the space, he noticed you moving to mess with the vambrace you had removed in order to work on the armor. He was curious, once again, if it was something you had been taught and trained to do or simply a hobby you took up in order to support yourself as a younger woman. When you frowned at the information that displayed from the cuff, a small sigh escaped you.

“Mesh’la?”

“Hmm?” You looked up from where you were transcribing something into your vambrace. Uttered a quiet affirmation before going back to it. A startled yelp bubbled up, the coding you were trying to input on it not translating properly and the high-pitched sound of feedback echoes around the hold. Sounds of an upset child flowed from his personal quarters, prompting you to stand go toward the cracked open door.

When you emerged, you were snuggling ad’ika to your chest, his face buried in your neck. The sight of you comforting such a small bundle in your arms with a smooth expression and soft shushing sounds, moving about the space to retrieve a cannister from the small cooling supply unit caused Din’s heart to still for a moment. Faint memories of his mother holding him until he fell asleep rose to the surface of his mind. You were so kind, so willing to take care of others. As proven by your willingness to help the villagers back on Sorgan, with fighting or tending to the ponds they harvested from. Despite everything you had faced and experienced, you were still kind, still loving. He idly wonders if his own mother would have still retained her kindness, if she had survived the attack that left him an orphan.

He retreated to his room for a bit, leaving you to tend to the child in peace, suddenly overcome with melancholic thoughts. The soft sounds of you talking lowly to the child and his responding coos filling the hold and easing Din into a light slumber as he lay atop the cot.

The hot stream of water had steam wafting through the air of the small room, curling around your hunched frame. The stabbing pain in your abdomen had you gasping and struggling for breath. Not something from previous injuries but a new sensation that had begun a couple hours ago. It had been growing in severity since you first noticed it. Food had been hard to eat lately, the bone broth and fruit helping to get you through the stomach pains of withdrawal from your latest, heavy dose of sedative and muscle relaxing drugs at the hands of a man that was now dead.

You moved to reach for some shampoo and a sharp line of pain ran across the front of your stomach. A crushing weight as you felt a cramp knot the inside muscles below your belly button. Hands digging into your skin there, you felt the hard bulge of the implant you had been administered during your captivity and a yelp flew from your mouth as it panged harshly. The throbbing pain stole your breath when you tried to suck air into your seizing lungs.

“Maker!” You weakly cried out, knees giving out and hitting the tile of the stall hard. The shock of it crawling up your body, adding a new pain to the ones already plaguing you. The bottles of body cleansing soaps thudded around you. One of them nearly landing on the hand you had pushed out to catch yourself from collapsing completely.

A whimper echoed off of the walls of the small room, making you sound like a wounded animal. The implant was jutted out from the developing softness of your stomach, the sparse food you indulged in allowing you to put on some healthy weight in wake of being nearly starved for so long. The skin was tender, but no bruising had developed, thankfully, as of yet. 

The cramping continued, making you nauseas as you tried to get back up onto your feet. The water was loud in your ears, the steam from the heat of it making your head hurt and you blinked hard as you threw a hand out to turn off the stream of it. A stretching feeling deep in the muscles of your lower back clicked everything together and your chest lurched at the implication of your cycle making an appearance after so long.

The implant shifted slightly underneath your skin, making you gasp loudly, and you stumbled against the stall. The slick tiles did nothing to support you and your back slid down the length of them, bottom hitting the floor as you crumpled.

“Din!” You called, at a loss of what to do, not able to keep upright. Your legs were shaking, and your head was swimming, the pain too much to handle and that’s when you realized you had unintentionally reached out with the Force and the door was flying open to the fresher. Quick steps and the cry of the Child were all you heard before a figure appeared in the doorway, you could see it through the frosty pane of glass that separated you from him.

“Did you fall? What’s wrong?” There was a twinge of concern in his soft tone, words rushed as he appeared in the doorway. His shadow was large through the frosted glass, you were grateful he had been awake. But you had a feeling he would wake from a deep slumber should you call out for him, instincts to aid and protect taking over the pull of sleep he seldom sought.

“Din,” You panted, hands hovering over the swollen part of your stomach. Pain throbbing deep inside your muscles, making them twitch. “Din, we need to land. I need a medic.”

Words trailing off as you noticed the trail of blood that was coming from between your legs, the water that hadn’t gone down the drain diluting it to create an alarming swirl around you. The panel of glass creaked, and you didn’t bother covering yourself up as Din’s gloved hands curled over the door.

“I’m opening the stall.” He announced before you could see the silhouette of him appear through the steam that had collected in the small room. He didn’t have any armor on, down to the simple clothing he wore underneath. He must’ve been cleaning it if he hadn’t been asleep, you mused in the back of your mind as your eyes trained on the floor of the stall once again.

“My- the implant, somethings wrong-“ You couldn’t look away from the blood curling around the drain, eyes drawn to the unnerving display. It had been so long since you had a cycle, and it was worrying that it had returned despite the presence of the implant. There was so much of it. Your attempt at an explanation was cut off by another yelp as the knot in your stomach jolted.

“This-this isn’t normal!” Your voice took on a panicked edge, higher than you’ve ever sounded before, through your clenched teeth as you held your hands to your aching middle. You didn’t care how scared you may have sounded, too encumbered by the pain and hectic thoughts flying around in your head on how to stave off the pain long enough to get medical attention.

“I’m going to help you up, is that okay?” Din stepped closer, boots splashing in the shallow water that had collected in the stall. His hands reached out to you as he crouched down to face you, visor dark as you looked up into it for a second. You didn’t want to fall to the floor again, too weak to hold yourself up even with his help.

“C-can’t stand. Hurts t-too much.” You keeled over, back hunching as you began to feel the cold of ship now that the steam was dissipating and the wet of your hair was exposed. Your skin prickled up into goosebumps at the cold air of the hold seeping into the room from the open door. A hand was under your chin, the chill of the leather making you shudder as your head was tilted up to face the rather close visor of Din’s helmet.

“I’m going to wrap you up, put you in my quarters and turn on the heat, is that all okay with you?”

You could only nod before you felt his hands carefully wrap a towel around your shaking body. The scent of him strong on it and it helped to ground you a bit. When he lifted you from the floor, you shouted out at the pull on your skin the action caused. Back and middle aching as cramps crashed in never ending waves. His gloved hands tensed where they supported you, your own still holding to your lower stomach.

A few moments later, you found yourself bundled up in the clothing he had first given you, fresh from whatever drying unit he had aboard the ship. The heat had been activated and you were underneath two blankets atop his cot. He had excused himself while you dressed, to go scout out a planet close enough that had a decent enough population to warrant a medical center. You felt the ship lurch slightly as it transitioned out from hyperspace and then back, a new path directing its direction of flight.

“Do you want me to go sleep in the other room?” His sudden question startled you, head shooting up to gaze at him as he stood in the doorway of his small quarters. The Child was fast asleep in the small hammock above you, one of his feet kicked out and visible in the low light from the hold. “I don’t want to make you comfortable.”

“I want you in here with me,” You couldn’t help the whine of your words, bottom lip trembling as a wave of emotion hit you at the thought of him being so far away. Of not being able to curl up beside him and feel the warmth of him just inches away. “If-if that’s okay?”

“It’s okay, mesh’la, I’m right here.” Pitched low, his voice curled around those frantic thoughts and soothed them.

“I’m…I’m sorry. The job-“

“Can wait, they need me.” He soothed you, trying to eradicate any worried you had, wanting to focus on getting you whatever you needed.

Once he was settled into the cot beside you, the heat of his close body helping to calm you down, you spoke into the darkness in a quiet voice. There were only a few inches of space between your bodies, if he took a deep enough breath his chest would be brushing your own as you faced each other atop the cot.

“I think the implant needs to be replaced or taken out. My…my cycle started, that’s what all that blood was.”

“Then we will get you to a medic and get it taken care of.”

“I have credits for it.”

“Not worried about that.”

“Din, I…I don’t want another implant.” The admittance was quiet, and you held your breath once it was out in the space between you both.

“…okay.”

“It wasn’t my choice to get one…I woke up with one after those bandits captured me.” You whispered into the darkness, in the general direction of his chest. He had laid down to face you, both your head and his helmet resting on a pair of pillows close together.

“It’s your body, your choice, mesh’la.”

You tried to piece together the shape of him beside you through the dark, aware that he was seeing you more clearly with the aid of his helmet. Reaching out, you found his arms crossed over his chest as he lay on his side facing you. He untangled them at the first hesitant touch of your fingers on the fabric of his long sleeves. He had his gloves on still, but he let you remove them, allowing you to free his hands from them to pull them toward you. He stiffened when he felt you slip them underneath the shirt you had changed into. Your skin was hot to the touch, but you shivered as if cold.

“Hands are warm, is it okay if-“

“It’s okay,” He breathed the words out, barely giving them life as he felt the soft skin of your stomach underneath his palms. He would give you the breath out of his lungs if you asked. His hands against your bare skin was something he was very okay with, especially if it would bring you the comfort you so obviously needed. The give of the flesh under the light pressure as you pushed them flush against you.

His fingers brushed over a hard spot beside your belly button, a small gasp sounding at the action, but you didn’t flinch or push him away.  Instead, you scooched closer to him, wiggling underneath the blankets to rest your head beside his. You pressed your forehead to the front of his helmet, breath washing over the skin of his neck as you mumbled a quiet thank you.

Of course the planet had been crowded, one of the few on the outer rim that had such a population, the buildings tall and foreboding. Signaling that any number of people could recognize either you or Din, the armor garnering more than a few lingering stares as he walked alongside you toward the clinic. He had done research to find a reputable one, not trusting just any medical center to treat you. He could do with whatever he had on hand aboard the ship, but he wasn’t taking any chances with you or your wellbeing.

The small whimpers you had made as you tossed and turned to try and get comfortable all throughout the two rotations’ worth of travel to get to the planet echoing in his head. With a lingering look and a reminder to contact him via comm link should you need anything, he dropped you off at the doors. He watched as you tried to keep up the appearance that you were okay, but the pinched expression that pulled your brows together gave him a hint at how badly you were still feeling.

The Child was peeking out from the bag he had slung around his shoulder, wide eyes taking in the commotion of the city as you walked through the streets. It had been an unspoken agreement that he would not be left aboard the ship in such a crowded space, Din opting to carry him around. The ever-present threat of a tracking fob pinging at the small being’s presence not lost on either of you. The potential of danger here was for all three of you.

Speaking in Mando’a around people was normal for you, a sign that you were wary of crowds and eyes that could lead to another capture, cautious. Ears that could overhear. That he held your trust now was not lost on him and he wondered once again how you came to know his language so intimately in order to converse with him as if you were Mandalorian yourself.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask you, so many things he wanted to know about you, but he refrained. Cautious himself, in bridging a gap too rashly in the face of the new dynamic you both found yourselves in. You were startled in ways he would never be able to fully anticipate, certain words, yes, certain actions, fast movements, sudden movements, you admitted to being put on edge by.

You looked up at him, the difference in height something he would be hesitant to admit that he was rather fond of. Your eyes were asking for something you didn’t voice and with a step forward, a hand reached out to steady yourself on his upper arm as you pushed yourself onto the tips of your toes and leaned your forehead briefly against the front of his helmet. The casual act of something that began to mean so much to the both of you, comforting in its simplicity. He closed his eyes behind the helmet, taking in the moment before you were pulling away from him and disappearing behind the automatic doors of the building with a last wiggle of your fingers toward the Child.

You looked back once, seeing how the neon lights of the cities nightlife reflected on his beautiful armor before you walked up to the counter and signed in with the aid of a nurse. As if sensing your nerves and how uncomfortable you were, she brought over a warm cup of tea the second you had settled down into a chair to wait for a room to be ready. You smiled at her, grateful for the touch of hospitality.

You had contacted him once back in the waiting room, after being cleared by a medic that you were free to go. They had asked…rather difficult questions, prompting you to admit you had no idea how long the implant had been in your body, what type it was, and that you hadn’t had a choice in its installation to begin with. The nurse explained in a hushed tone that your visit would be covered by the clinic due to the nature of your condition. You could see in red lettering the classification of ‘slaving victim’ on your paperwork laid out in front of her and your stomach soured at the description.

A simple conversation saying you would meet him back on the ship, you made your way back to the hanger slowly. You were able to walk comfortably now, your lower stomach and the internal organs there no longer cramping uncomfortably.

The implant had been removed, the offer for another one turned down with a shake of your head. The small incision that had been made was nearly invisible to the eye, but you knew where it was due to the phantom feeling of it lingering in your mind. They had given you a small collection of supplies that included suppression shots should you want them, absorption pads and inserts, painkillers, and a tin of tea that would help to soothe your symptoms.

The dose they had administered you while there had taken full effect by the time you were walking up the boarding ramp. You had expressed caution toward them, explaining that you had been given certain drugs against your will and that you were worried about experiencing withdrawal or addiction. They had assured you that the low dose would only ease the cramps, the medicine formulated to focus on the origin of pain and not an all-encompassing barrage on your nervous system.

You hovered outside the ship, reaching into the pouch strapped to your right thigh. The snick of a lighter was loud in the quiet of the late hour. You had no idea if it was closer to the middle of the night or the sunrise, the sky a dark velvet blue above you, sprinkled with glittering stars. You watched them absentmindedly as you smoked a cigarra, not wanting the smoke or smell of the tabac to collect inside the ship.

Feeling a little more like yourself, you opted for another attempt at a shower. You noticed the bag adi’ka had been cradled into atop the makeshift table. The ramp closed with the whine of mechanics behind you, and you assumed Din was up in the control room. Your hunch was proven right as the ship hummed to life and you heard the clearance for take-off from a speaker up above followed by a small gaggle of laughter from the small being as the ship lifted up into the air.

Smiling to yourself, you set your stuff beside the bag and made your way over to the refresher.

Exiting the refresher with a towel in your hand, you dried your hair as best you could, some sand from Tatooine still stubborn despite the wash of water and product. The motion jostled your chest, free underneath the plain, short sleeved shirt you wore. Planning on napping after the late-night excursion and the tense rotations that let up to it.

Sighing, you plopped down atop a crate around the makeshift table for a bite to eat. There was a cup of the tea you had placed atop the makeshift table waiting for you, the steam wafting from it telling you Din had timed it to finish just as your shower had. He had his own cup of caf in front of him, nearly empty. You took a sip of it, wincing at how the cut inside your mouth throbbed at the temperature. You must’ve bitten your cheek sometime recently as you battled against the pain that had taken over so fully.

Looking up, you found Din staring blatantly at you. His visor aimed directly at you though he hadn’t moved or spoken since you joined him. Not knowing the exact trace of his eyes, you figured they had swept over your form from top to bottom, suspecting that he clocked the absence of an undergarment. You were about to ask him if he was okay when you noticed the way bare hands were twitching atop the table where he cradled the mug.

He was in just his clothing once again, a habit you wouldn’t had thought of him, even aboard his own ship safely traveling through space. But you were kind of glad he was so comfortable around you now, to do so. He hadn’t before Sorgan, always keeping the full suit of armor and his weapons on. You crossed one leg over the other, and leaned your elbows atop the table as you cradled your own mug, aware of how it positioned you.

“See something you like?” The teasing lilt to your voice and the upturn of your lips in a smirk received a deep sigh from the man across from you. His fingers stilled on the ceramic, the rest of him motionless as if he were frozen in place. Energy thrummed between you, filling you up and making you bold. The hormones running high in your body winning out over your reason and logic as you shifted, the action pushing your chest together.

“Are…you okay, now?” He sounded a little winded, as if words were hard to come by. You wondered if he had been thinking back to all the times you had been injured before. Coalescing into a steady stream of memories he regretted collecting and recalling as new instances arose. You didn’t want him to only think of you as someone who he had to look out for, care for in such a way. Someone who was constantly facing illness and injury, but your recent track record couldn’t be argued because it was exactly that. A mark of time determined by what ailed you. But he revealed that exact internal struggle with his next words. “I would like to stop finding you on the floor of the fresher covered in blood.”

Not letting his concern deflate you too much, you took a sip from the tea before answering.

“I know that…must not be easy, I-“

“Do not apologize,” He cut you off softly, words beseeching as he leaned closer toward you. “I will look after you in any circumstance. You need to know that. But are you feeling any better, after?”

You grimaced slightly, not liking the way he worried so deeply, reassured you so strongly that he could handle it. You wanted to give him good memories too, not only sorrow and worry drenched ones so close together they blurred. But he needed to know what was written down on your chart should it arise in the future if you sought out official medical treatment again. You had given them your false name, the one you used while on the run, but if anyone where to input your birth date and description, your officially chain code would pop up. Dots could be connected and your cover blown.

“They marked me as a slaving victim. Covered the cost to remove the implant and gave me all these supplies. Gave me some pain killers to help manage.” You waved a hand toward the small bag they had gifted you on your departure. You stared into the dark of your cup. The pod of dehydrated herbs visible just beneath the surface, steeping. “But yes, I’m okay right now.”

“I didn’t look, when I helped you up, if that worries you.” He tapped a bare finger to the side of his helmet, letting you know that he had probably used another view setting to prevent such a thing, of crossing an unspoken line. Showing you respect even in dire situations if he could.

Taking your bottom lip between your teeth, you glanced over at him for a moment before your eyes fell back to the mug cradled in your hands.

“…I don’t think it would be such a bad thing if you had looked.” You felt heat creep up your neck and toward your face at the quiet confession. He remained silent, processing. The visor of his helmet was aimed at you across the makeshift table, his hands tapping against the ceramic of his own mug.

“You’re allowed to ask questions, Din.” You reached out and took one of his hands in your own, squeezing it in reassurance. A small smile aimed at him. “That’s part of the…courting process, no?”

He was quiet for a moment, but the visor of his helmet was tilted just a bit as he regarded you, letting you know he was thinking something over and not ignoring you. You waited on him, not pressuring him but giving him the time he needed to think over his next words. This…new dynamic was all foreign to you, having never sought out a connection with anyone in such a way. But Din…he was worth it.

The things you’ve both done for each other speaking volumes when words weren’t either of your strong suits. You saving him and risking your wellbeing while still under his transport, him allowing you space in his ship and giving you the opportunity to make your own life. The softness he’s let you glimpse at that makes up the man that he is, so unlike the other side of him that hunts and ensures his livelihood. The same side that inspired him to turn on the Guild to help save a child who had no one else, a good manat his core. Someone you wanted to get to know, to be with, to connect with.

He shifted, his helmet taking in the remnants of the drink in his hands. When he spoke, his voice was careful, as if he was worried he was asking for too much of you despite wanting to know as much about you as possible. The woman who he hadn’t expected you to turn out to be back when that tracking fob first burst to life on Arvala-7. The woman he wanted to connect with despite feeling as if he didn’t deserve it, couldn’t be worthy of such a good thing in his life for all the bad he’d done.

“Is that…what you would like? For me to officially court you?”

“Well, you did ask to make a commitment to me,” You teased lightly, but genuine in your words. Shy in the wake of saying so aloud, of bringing it to the dim light of the hold space as the ship traveled through hyperspace toward a job he didn’t have much information on other than he once worked with those orchestrating it. “I would like to get to know you too.”

“I do have questions, but this is new…to me.”

“And I understand that, it’s all new to me too, cyar'ika.”

He was quiet for another beat, the term of endearment sprouting warmth in his chest. The modulator crackled with a heavy exhale. “How is it that…you know so much about my culture?”

“Ah, that’s a…rather long story.” Sipping from the mug in your free hand, you didn’t take away your other one from atop his. Your fingers flexed over his own, tangling with them as you brought his hand closer to you. You wrapped both of your hands around his one, fingers idly playing with his as you collected your thoughts. Your heart was beating hard in your chest at the contact, his skin so soft against your own. His thick fingers and wide palm so much bigger than your own. And he was warm, Maker, was he hot to the touch. His pulse was fast in the wrist you brushed over in your tentative exploration.

“Tell me, mesh’la.” His comforting words washed over you and you took a deep breath before you shared a part of yourself no one knew about.

“We sold armor in a small shop front and offered repairs as well. We had a man come by one day, all his armor damaged and he was too injured to travel. My mother let him stay with us while he healed and we helped to fix his armor with his guidance. It was really advanced and so beautifully crafted, his helmet especially. He was such a kind man, he explained to me about how the armor was a part of him and that it was a great honor to have found people who respect the art of it when he couldn’t return to his home planet for repairs.”

He taught me small words and phrases in Mando’a, told me all about his studies as he grew up. I think he was trying to fill the time it took him to heal and was grateful for someone to interact with, he said he had been alone for a long while…. I often wondered if he had been my father, the way he paid attention to me and shared with me. But I don’t think he was, not biologically at least. I learned as much as I could from the Temple library and histories about Mandalorians once that became my life.

When he left, he had given me his chain code, I sought him out after I escaped from the attack, hoping he could help me. He made the trip to the city, it took him a few days but, he helped me get off world, even though it had been years since last seeing him. We travelled for... a long time, trying to keep Clones and Troopers off our trail. He trained me, made sure I wouldn’t be helpless should we be separated. He taught me about his culture more in depth, how he was raised, how to travel, how to fight, how to survive. He…he died protecting me.”

“San…” Din’s hand turned in your grip, his other joining it to hold your trembling hands. A few tears fell from your watering eyes, racing down the curve of your cheek.

“He was a good man, a better guardian than my mother.” Your words were slightly bitter, taking over the taste of the tea on your tongue. Disdain for the woman who claimed to love you, only to chain you to a wall and drug you for so long. The rich baritone of Din’s voice called you back to the present, with a question that made your chest warm.

“What was his name?”

“Akiz Noves.”

Silence fell over the table, your hands warm from his touch, from his comfort. You wanted to ask to lay down, to feel him beside you. But the conversation had been...harder than you thought and you wanted to be alone with your thoughts. You worried your bottom lip, unsure of admitting another thing aloud to him. But he felt safe.

“I have…I had the pendant he gave me, but it wasn’t in my stuff from the compound. I…I was going to show it to you once we were back on your ship after you collected me, but it was missing. To try and connect with you, but it was gone, and you were so…” You trailed off, not feeling like you needed to explain something he lived along with you. “It feels like losing him all over again.”

Din reached into the collar of his long-sleeved shirt and pulled on a cord you hadn’t noticed around his neck until now. The shiny metal pendant of a detailed skull hung from it as he brought it out from beneath the fabric of his shirt. In a swift move, he removed the cord from around his neck, the clasp easily detaching underneath his bare fingers. He held it out to you and your breath caught in your throat.

“I know it’s not the same, but I can offer you my own.”

You were suddenly out of your seat and settling over his lap, arms wrapping around him in a tight hug. A grunt sounded from the modulator at the sudden weight of you pushing against him, your chest pressed close to his own. His hands came around you slowly, as if he was hesitant to touch you, but when he did, he squeezed you tight. The bottom of his helmet hooked over your shoulder and closed his eyes at the sniffles that sounded into the air. He held you to him despite the feeling in his legs going numb. But for you, he would stay locked in the embrace, for you he would do just about anything.

“I’m sorry about your parents, Din.” The words were pressed into the side of his neck, lips brushing against his skin, and he shivered slightly at the feeling of them. You placed a closed lipped smile on the skin there, offering comfort in a new way as your heart tittered in your chest, the action completely new for you. To want to offer physical touch, comforting touch in such a way. His hands tightened around you, knuckles popping with the force he clung to your shirt.

“I will try to share things with you, but you might not like parts of me.” You whispered into his neck, worried about the parts of your life you didn’t think about, let be exposed by the light of day.

“You might not like parts of me, but if you ask, I will give them to you as well.”

Later that hour, you were settled into your own cot, blankets drown up around your shoulders as you lay on your side, the pendant of the necklace grasped in your hand as you turned it over and over, taking in the beauty of the beskar it was made from. Taking in the very real fact that Din had given it to you without hesitation, just as he had committed himself to you. You fell asleep with a smile on your face and a warmth in your chest you were beginning to like more and more.

You could descend down to the hold and seek him out. The errant thought sparked through your mind much like the remnants of the dream you had been having did. Dissipating phantom feelings of large hands exploring your body had your thighs pressed together and your bottom lip between your teeth as pleasure waned from your nerves. You turned to lay on your back, the pendant slipping from where you had cradled it in your hand while asleep.

Hands scrabbling for it, you pressed it into the give of your chest, the cool beskar like a soft breath against your skin through the fabric of your shirt. With a sigh, heat flared at the notion that Din had given you a part of himself. Before you could think better of it, hands were sneaking underneath your shirt, dragging the pendant over sensitive skin. The coolness of it lightly tracing over the peaks of your breasts stuttered your breath, heartbeat thumping between your thighs.

The painkillers had worked through the night, allowing you to feel the full force of the cravings your body was now calling out for, a result of your heightened hormones and the all-encompassing feeling of having connected with someone. Of wanting someone.

A trembling hand reached down and delved beneath the band of the sleep pants you had donned before bed. Fingers reached toward the sensitive bundle of nerves that was aching between your folds. Slick coated them as they sought it out, small tingles spreading across your skin and lighting you up in a way you had never felt before. When they brushed against it, your breath left you in a deep gasp, pleasure sparking sharp through your entire body. Your hand jerked away, overwhelmed at the sensation and you suck in heaving breaths as your eyes had flown open.

Body tingling, you moved your fingers back over the bundle in small, gentle circles. Panting as heat and pleasure consumed you from the inside out, you began to move them faster, fingers pressing harder. Hips bucking up as pleasure simmered deliciously in your abdomen, a far cry from the pain that had been cresting there just hours ago.

Tugging your bottom lip between your teeth to quiet the small whines that were bleeding from you, the muscles of your stomach tensed. There was no other warning before white heat crashed over you and you came undone, release hitting you hard enough for you to shout out.

Hand still pressed against your core as you tried to catch your breath, you could feel yourself flutter around nothing. Body calling out for something else, for something more. So quickly in the wake of experiencing something for the first time and suddenly it wasn’t enough.

Face warming at what you had just done, what had just washed over you, you turned to press it into the pillow beneath your head. Shame tried to rear its head, but you shoved it down, not wanting to experience it, not wanting to succumb to it in the wake of taking something back for yourself. Of finding good in something that had been bad for so long. A lazy smile pulled at your lips, and you fell back into the sleep that had never really waned from the edges of your mind. The beskar pendant held tight in your hand once again.

Gravity shifted as the ship descended from hyperspace, making your stomach jump up somewhere in your ribs, hand coming down to steady yourself on the makeshift table where your tools and metal castings were scattered.

The Child reached out for you at the shift, surely his tummy had done the same and it was foreign to him. His small hands clung to you as you moved him from beside your stuff to your lap, crossing your legs for him to lay in the divot it created. He looked up at you with his wide eyes, thoughts connecting with yours to speak to you in the only way he could. It was just a feeling of confusion that blossomed over your own thoughts, and you carefully blanketed it with comfort. He relaxed in your lap, reaching out for a tool and he waved it around.

“I’ll come with you,” You said without looking up as you hear the hush of him moving down the ladder.

A few moments later, you were following behind him, having settled ad’ika securely in Din’s quarters with a snack and soft reassurances that you would be back soon.

He paused at the top of the ramp, casting his gaze over you.

“I was younger when I worked with them, a different man than I am now.” He spoke evenly, but you could hear the hesitancy in his voice as he tried to be honest with you. “More boy than man, they may- will say things about me that don’t apply anymore. Please don’t pay them any mind.”

You stuttered out an agreement, wanting him to know that you heard him but unable to collect your thoughts enough to articulate them.

His shoulders are tense, though only noticeable because you had seen him so relaxed around the Crest during the rotations it took to travel. His steps measured and careful, as he descended the ramp ahead of you. The hangar was a bit of a mess, people gathered about, some working on parts of mechanics you couldn’t identify. As he walked through the space, people were blatant in their stares.

“Mando!” An older human with wild gray hair and a long beard approached. “Is that you under that bucket?”

A hand was held out in greeting, though something about the way he spoke set you on edge. Like there was something behind his words. Calculating.

“Ran.” Din greeted, extended his own hand to shake with the man’s offered one.

“I didn’t really know if I’d ever seen you in these parts again. Good to see ya.” The same hand that had been shaking Din’s reached up over his armored shoulders in a fleeting touch you were surprised he let happen. “I was a little surprised when you reached out to me.”

“Ya know, cause I…I hear things. Like maybe things between you and the Guild aren’t workin’ out.”

“I’ll be fine.” Ran leaned back a little, his hair shifting over his shoulders as he raised his hands in a placating manner, letting the man know he wasn’t about to push the subject.

“Okay. Well, you know the policy. No questions. And you, you’re welcome back here anytime. Now, be polite and introduce me to the little shadow you got following behind you.”

“This is-”

“Sarad.” You held out a hand, anticipating a handshake in greeting. But the man stepped close and held it between both of his own. His eyes bore into your own, flicking between them, and you felt seen in a way that put you on edge. Your clothing felt too tight all of a sudden, body lighting up with anxious energy that you tried to quell so it wasn’t noticeable.

“Such a quiet little shadow, where did he pick you up?”

“Tatooine,” The lie flowed easily, this man was a stranger to you, someone you had no qualms about being honest with despite his seemingly temperate disposition. But there was just something about him, about the way he held himself that you weren’t fond of. Wary of in the wake of working alongside Din or merely being around as Din worked with him.

“Well, pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sarad.” He released your hand, turning to lead you both through the open space of the crowded hanger, up a flight of stairs and across a heightened walkway.

“So what’s the job?”

Ran halted his steps, turning to survey the wall of armor Din made up beside him. He took a moment before he responded, as if he had been thinking over his words. Something that caught your attention all the same. He was hiding something, and not just in general but something that pertained to Din specifically.

“Yeah, one of our associates ran afoul of some competitors and got himself caught. So I’m puttin’ together a crew to spring him. It’s a five person job. I got four.” Ran paused, taking a moment to look out over the space below, mental tabs on the people working and milling about. “All I need is the ride, and you brought it.”

“The ship wasn’t part of the deal.”

“Well, the Crest is the only reason I let you back in here.” Ran’s voice shifted down an octave, displaying a glimpse of authority.

Din turned to him, helmet heavily tilted to the side, his distrust obvious.

“What’s the look?” Ran moved in close, getting right up in front of the visor, body almost pressed against the armor. He spoke directly into the side sensors of the helmet, not looking nervous in the slightest, if his next words were any indication. Voice pitched low and slightly taunting. “Is that gratitude?”

“Uh-huh. I think it is.” Din didn’t move a muscle, visor trained on the man as he stepped back and away, feeling righteous in his intimidation and lack of response from the armored man.

Din cast his gaze down at the floor, helmet not giving anything away, but you could read his movements as well as if you could see his face. The way he lifted the helmet to you in a silent apology, for getting involved in whatever was about to transpire. You gave a single, curt nod. Letting him know that it was okay, that the job was something you were willing to go along with if he was.

You both followed the man as he crossed the remaining suspension, down a flight of stairs at the other end. He called out as he approached a small gathering of storage cabinets and a long table, a figure busy between them.

“Hey, Mayfeld.”

“Yeah?” A man dressed in all black with a dark leather harness draped over his back turned from where he was retrieving something from within a set of the storage drawers. There were three heavy duty looking guns fastened into the harness, tight against his body. He had no hair, but the short beard that decorated his face was the color of candied ginger.

“This is Mando, the guy I was tellin’ you about. We used to do jobs way back when.”

“This is the guy?” Mayfeld approached the table, using it as a shield between himself and the imposing figure Din made by simply standing there.

“Yeah, we were all young, tryin’ to make a name for ourselves.” Ran mused, as if that explained it all away. The things were you suspecting Din had tried to warn you about before disembarking.

“Yeah, but runnin’ with a Mandalorian, that was… That brought us some reputation.”

“Oh yeah? What did he get out of it?”

“I asked him that one time. You remember what you said, Mando? Target practice.” Ran’s laughter was boisterous as it sprung into the air from deep in his chest, garnering the attention of a few passersby. “We did some crazy stuff, didn’t we?”

“That was a long time ago.”

“Well… I don’t go out anymore. You understand?” The same tone of pressured understanding hid underneath his words as he regarded Din, “So, uh, Mayfield, he’s gonna run point on this job. If he says it, it’s like it’s comin’ from me. You good with that?”

“You tell me.” Din faced Mayfeld over the expanse of the low table head on, visor aimed at the slightly disgruntled face of the man he would have to work with.

Ran’s laughter rang again, “You haven’t changed one bit.”

“Yeah, well, things have changed around here.” The intimidation didn’t quite hit the same coming from Mayfeld, his words thrown over his shoulder as he walked away. He didn’t impact his words with eye contact or head on communication.

“I think he’ll be able to play catch up, he’s got his little shadow here to help him along.” Ran nodded at you, you just stared as his eyes met your own. He was watching you, keeping tabs on how you moved a few steps behind and to the right of Din. Never straying too far from him but maintaining a respectful distance. “Yeah, well, Mayfeld, he’s…he’s one of the best triggermen I’ve ever seen. Former Imperial sharpshooter.”

You tried not to let the way your body stiffened show, blood chilling in your veins as your eyes roved over the man who had walked away. Static buzzed in your head, thoughts muddling together as your hand twitched over the where it rested atop the pouch strapped to your right thigh.

“That’s not saying much.” Din deadpanned; his voice flat but controlled as he could feel how you had tensed beside him. Sensed how you had taken the smallest step closer toward him.

“I wasn’t a storm tropper, wiseass.” Mayfeld shot the insult over his shoulder, it not landing as he looked away too quickly for it to have any heat.

“Don’t take long, does it?” Ran chuckled to himself as he looked between all three of you, smirk crawling over his lips in a worrying display.

“Razor Crest? I can’t believe that thing can fly. Looks like a Canto Bight slot machine. Alright, that good lookin’ fellow there with the horns, that’s Burg.” Mayfeld gave a perfunctory introduction as he led the way toward the ship, his back tense as he did so. The Devaronian that had been holding a large crate dropped it, the loud thud of it hitting the floor making the muscles in your thighs twitch. “This may surprise you, but he’s our muscle.”

Burg approached quickly, interest piqued at your arrival. He moved to stand right up in Din’s personal space and looked him up and down. Circling him to get a full look at the armor he donned. He sneered, distaste obvious. “So this is a Mandalorian. I thought they’d be bigger.”

“Driod’s name is Zero.” The droid was of a protocol model you faintly recognized, some version of a Q9 you may have run into while on your travels. He had been messing with a transmitter of some sort, along a bank of equipment that probably allowed for control of the hanger door and settings. He vaguely resembled an insect, the eye sensors bulging out like a member of the eusocial species.

“I thought you said you had four.”

“He does.” A feminine voice announced from behind you. You mirrored Din as he turned slowly to watch an approaching Twi’lek. Her skin was a soft, pastel purple, covered by simple clothing. Outfit punctuated by a loaded down belt and a leather harness about her head. There was the glint of a knife in her hand, settled at her side as she walked closer.

“Hello, Mando.” She greeted, though her words were simmering.

“Xi’an.” Your ears caught the slight surprise in his tone, setting alarms off in your head.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t cut you down where you stand?” She began to twirl the knife in her grip as she neared, suddenly lunging at him and raising the blade to rest just below his helmet. He didn’t flinch in the slightest, almost as if he had been expecting her, but again, even if he hadn’t, you doubted he would’ve shown any indication of alarm.

“Nice to see you too.”

Her shrill laugh squeaked into the air, grating on your ears in an unpleasant way. The surrounding people laughed along with her, finding humor in the deliverance of Din’s words.

Xi’an sighed a deep breath, knife still held up to Din’s neck, “I’ve missed you.”

Your eyes narrowed at her words, not liking the implication of them. To your right, Mayfeld must’ve picked up on the meaning of them as well, he looked over to Ran with raised eyebrows. Your own questioning thoughts mirrored in his expression.

“This is shiny.” Xi’an preened at the sight of Din’s new armor, tapping against it with the blade of her knife in echoing clangs. She clicked her tongue as he leaned impossibly further into his space, hovering so close to the front of his helmet. “You wear it well.” She purred, voice pitched low and sultry.

“Do we need to leave the room or something?” Mayfeld asked, showing his slight discomfort at the exchange. You were tense, however, entire body lined with muscles ready to snap. It was blatantly obvious that she and Din had…had relations. He had told you he had past experiences, but you never anticipated interacting with anyone he had been involved with. And yet, here you were, in a sketchy lone space station far from anything else with a group of unsavory people. About to work a job with one of them.  

“Well, Xi’an’s been a little heartbroken since Mando left our group.” Ran said by way of explanation, gaze aimed at you as your hands shifted from your sides to hook in between the leather of your belt and the fabric of your trousers. The corner of his mouth ticked up slightly, entertained by the unfolding display.

“Awe. You gonna be okay, sweetheart? Especially with his little shadow joining us.” Mayfeld teased, voice taking on a sarcastic, saccharine lilt. The man nodded over to you but she didn’t divert her attention from Din.

“Oh, I’m all business now.” She stepped back from Din, not giving you any attention as she turned to face him and jutted her entire arm out with the knife pointing at him. “Learned from the best.”

At the smallest tilt of Din’s helmet toward you, she turned and gave you her full attention. Knife twirling in her grip once again. She walked up close to you, smirk pulling at her dark lips, giving you a glimpse of the canines, she possessed.

“And what’s this little thing? Mando’s little shadow, you said?” She teased as she stepped into your personal space. Blocking you from seeing how Din took a single step forward or how Ran shook his head toward him. You simply took a few steps back, not caring if it made you look weak to do so and put space between you both. “So demure and quiet while the grown ups talk.”

“This little thing will shove that knife in your throat if you so much as look at me with it in your hand,” You slapped her hand away when she raised the aforementioned knife, preparing to brandish it at you just as she had done with Din. The blade caught an overhanging light and glinted at you as the sound of the slap echoed around the hangar. Her squeaking laugh grated on your ears once again, her mouth open wide as she closed the space between you both again in a bold move.

“Oooh, it’s feisty. I like ‘em like that. Mando does too, but you’d know that, hmm?” She tossed a taunting look over her shoulder at him, tongue peeking out between her teeth.

“Enough.” Din’s voice was even in volume, but his tone left no room for a follow up. There was an air about him you had yet to see, not even a few moments ago when he was interacting with Ran and Mayfeld. Though he had been on edge, he had remained businesslike, collected. But he now seemed to be barely holding in a manner of hostility you had only glimpsed at previously. It was as if he was alarmed by her presence, by the words in which she spat at you both, the implications that were spewing from her mouth. His demeanor hadn’t shifted until she made her presence known, approaching the group in the way that she had.

“Touchy, touchy. Hit a nerve did I?” She leaned into your space much like she had done with him, knife brandished at you now despite your threat. But she didn’t get the chance to step within inches of your front like she had done with Din. You raised a hand from where they had been hooked over your belt, mentally reaching out and pushing against her advancement toward you with the Force. You hid it well, hand making contact with her middle to look as if you pushed her. Her expression cleared for just a second at the pulse of energy, before her face contorted into an ugly one, and she snarled at you from the distance you had shoved her.

Unable to fight against the energy you were harnessing against her, she howled, teeth glinting in the lights of the hangar space. Her rage drew the attention of the scattered members of the organization, heads turning to witness you merely standing there with a hand raised almost lazily in front of you as you glared at her with a neutral expression and her frantic struggle against invisible restraints.

“Ni kelir not borarir ti kaysh.  Ti a etyc uram bal bid aru'ela.”

 I will not work with her. With such a dirty mouth and too much hostility.

“Complaining to Mando, are we?” She trilled, snickering laugh falling from the upturned corners of her mouth. “Need him to handle your fights for you, hmm?”

“Besom.” You hissed as you flicked your wrist, fingers splaying out with the action. No longer feeling the need to hide your motions of using the Force, too ticked off to think about it. She fell to the ground, the movement too fast for her to catch herself and she glared up at you with a threatening tint in her eyes. Blood dripped from her spit lip, face having connected hard with the ground. You turned away from her, keeping her in your eyesight, not trusting your back to her and you faced the ship, preparing to board and seek out the privacy of your room with the Child for the duration of the trip. She was rude.

Din took a few silent steps toward you, standing between the angry woman on the ground and your still standing figure. His modulator crackled as he opened his mouth, but Ran interrupted him with a tone of authority he had only hinted at having before.

“Alright, lovebirds. Break it up till you get on the ship. Then you all can figure out a new dynamic. Right now, we don’t have much time.”

You held her down for a moment more, feeling powerful in the way she struggled on the ground, despite the feeling of remorse in the back of your head for doing so. You refused to meet her eyes as you relaxed your hand, tucking it into your pocket at the front of your trousers. With another snarl aimed at you she stood with swift movements. For a second you felt like she was going to lunge at you again, but thought better of it at the last moment.

When she was a safe distance away, she turned back around and aimed a wink at Din.

Burg decided to size Din up once more, stepping right into his space like he had done before. Passing over judgement at the way he had idly stood by during the exchange between you and Xi’an. His laugh was deep in tone and rumbling.

“Tiny.” The smile he aimed down at the visor anything but friendly.

“Even tinier.” The voice like gravel aimed directly at you only gave a second’s notice before he was stepping toward you and reaching. Your axis tilted, as he lifted you effortlessly off the ground, causing your legs to dangle. Dangerous quiet fell over the group for a few beats. Those that had turned toward the ship looking back at the taunting Burg had decided to do.

“Put. Me. Down.” Voice pitched low, a threat hidden in the words. Over the entire lot of them, these people that Din once worked grating on your nerves in the worst way. Making you into something you didn’t want to be, openly hostile and on edge. So unlike the disposition you had adapted over the last few weeks.

Your hands looked small where they gripped the wrists of the Devaronian, him holding tight to the front of your cloak where he held you up to his face level. You met his eyes head on, not leaving the blue of them as he scrutinized you openly. aware that everyone was tense as they watched the scene play out. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see how Din’s dominant hand had fallen to hover over the handle of the blaster nestled into its holster at his side. “Now.”

“Heh, tough little one.” He rumbled before setting you back on your feet. His hands came down heavily on your shoulders where he patted you, before he turned to gather with the rest of the group off to the side of the ship.

The second you were alone in front of the ship, you turned to face Din with a slight frown, clearly upset but trying to remain as composed as possible. Your expression smoothed into something neutral, so much like it had been in your early days of interaction with the man. His helmet shifted to look over at you, away from where he had been staring after the group as they began to talk amongst themselves by a collection of errant machinery. He clocked the way the muscles in your neck were jumping, pulse racing.

“I thought you said they asked after you for a job.” You tried to keep the accusation from your low words, but it was obvious that Ran hadn’t been expecting him. It had been plain old luck that a job was being put together and he appeared just in time to be included, that much you could piece together. But the Din they were referring to, you didn’t know that version of him and you didn’t want to. Not right now when you were so riled up at being picked on, feeling the need to defend yourself when all you had done was simply stand beside the man.

“It was an open-ended offer, from some time ago.”

“You- you can’t lie to me. Even by omission and way of words. About jobs or about whatever the kriff went on between you and her.” The last word nearly hissed from between your lips, clear distaste for the woman stemming not just from her attitude but whatever history was apparent between her and the man standing silently beside you. You began to walk up the ramp, stepping silently on the metal that made it up. You didn’t look back at him as you always did, something you couldn’t bring yourself to do with the overwhelming feeling of jealousy and unease at the situation you were now in. Thrown into something with people you would rather avoid than spend time with in close quarters. “Otherwise, none of this is going to work.”

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taglist: @strawberri-blonde @js-favnanadoongi @moonknight-s-cumdump @bookloverkat @littlemisspascal

dividers by the lovely saradika

#dev writes #fic: of beskar and kyber #the mandalorian #the mandalorian fic #the mandalorian x reader #din djarin #din djarin fic #din djarin fanfic #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #din djarin x force sensitive! reader #star wars #star wars universe #mando #mando and grogu #din grogu #order 66 #order 66 survivor #din djarin fanfiction #new republic #new republic era #the mandalorian fanfiction #pedro pascal #pedro pascal characters #xi'an #migs mayfeld #bounty hunter din djarin #smut #angst #hurt and comfort

[humanbug]

I wanna see some more fics with Abby and lev, so could you write teacher!reader x Abby, where reader is a mentor/therapist/friend to all of the kids of the fireflies/kid's they've rescued and Abby and reader meet through Lev (cause Lev and reader are besties) thanks ☺️

Love ya! 💖

Truly Endearing

CAROLINEEEE this was literally SUCH a good request ٩(*•͈ ꇴ •͈*)و ̑̑ you are amazing ily (ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ)♡i hope you enjoy!!! also yall lmk if you want this to have a part two!!

warning(s): talks about religion, mention of past abuse (seraphites hurting Lev)

You press your palms against the mug you're holding and burrow your toes into the blanket wrapped around you as you listen diligently to Lev as he speaks. Letting out a quiet hum or nodding your head every few seconds. Your eyes focus on the scars on his cheeks and he talks. They had faded since he first got to the stadium, which was very troubling to him. 

This poor kid has been through the wringer and he’s only thirteen. The biggest cause of his anxiety is the ‘Prophet’ and his severe confusion regarding religion. It was a fair cause of anxiety and was one that even you struggled with sometimes and was the reason he confided in you so often. He was a sweet kid and you didn’t mind him seeking comfort in your character. 

Lev had been found collapsed about a mile from the stadium about a year and a half ago, his frail body battered and bruised. He had been dumped by the scars for shaving his head. An eleven-year-old boy…beaten and dumped, for shaving his head. He was rushed to the stadium and Isaac had permitted his stay. It had taken some slight convincing but the patrol that had found him was able to get Isaac on board with it, apparently it was someone who was high-ranking in his eyes. 

You had met Lev when he was finally healthy enough to begin attending classes. You taught a horticulture class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you would almost never take assignments that led to you leaving the stadium. You knew it was a useless moral to uphold given the world you lived in but you heavily frowned upon war and violence, an opinion often kept to yourself. You often wondered if the kids could sense that in you and in turn, sought comfort in you. Lev, however, had stuck around the longest. He had told you about his guardian but you had yet to meet her, she was often on assignment, sometimes for days on end. And so, any time not spent with her, he spent with you, either in your classroom, the canteen, the garden, but usually the library. The latter is where you currently found yourself. 

Taking a sip of the tea in your mug, you mull over how to reply to Lev’s ranting, “You know Lev, religion is a complicated thing, for a lot of people. My mother would often tell me that even before the outbreak, religion was a source of anxiety for a lot of people. Everyone wanted – no, they needed answers.” 

“It was?”, he folds his legs up to his chest, resting his chin on his knees, “How did…people learn how to deal with it?”, his voice is small when he speaks, you can tell he’s getting tired. How long had you two even been down here? It must be getting late…

Biting the inside of your cheek and pursing your lips you hum, “Well, they would do exactly what we’re doing. Talk about it, about their fears. They asked questions just like you’re doing. There wasn’t always an answer but that’s okay.”, you give a warm smile.

Lev sighs and his face twists as he thinks. You let out a small laugh in the form of a puff of air from your nose. His expressive eyes raise to meet yours and his brows furrow in confusion. 

“What? Did I say something funny?”, he asks.

You chuckle as you speak, “No, Lev. You didn’t say anything funny. You are just very expressive when you think and I find it endearing.”

Tilting his chin in confusion, “Endearing?”

“It means to look at someone with admiration or to find something – or someone – very likable. I find it very sweet how expressive your face is. It’s a very authentic trait that not a lot of people possess anymore.”, you take a sip of your tea and observe his reaction over the lip of your mug.

You bite back a smile as you can see the gears turning and he processes your words as the compliment they were intended to be. He opens his mouth to give you a response when his attention is snagged by someone calling his voice from behind you. 

“Lev! Jesus there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. What’re you doing down here so late?”, a smooth voice speaks from behind you, worry and relief intertwining as they speak. 

Not wanting Lev to be in any trouble, you tilt your body around and look up at the person the voice is attached to and speak before you can truly look at them, “Oh! It’s my fault! Please don’t be mad at Lev. I am usually better at paying attention to the time.”, you look up and see a pair of blue eyes. Oh…oh my god. Is this Lev’s guardian!? Ohh boy. 

“Abby, this is the horticulture teacher I have told you about.”, Lev introduces you to Abby and reminds her of your name.

You offer her a hand to shake, the angle only slightly awkward since you’re still sitting on the loveseat, “Hi! It’s so nice to meet you!”, your hand lingers and for a split second you fear she won’t shake it. However a beat later her hand clasps yours, her hands are rough and calloused from years of combat. They are also a very warm contrast to your freezing hands and it causes a small shiver to flow through you. 

“It’s nice to meet you too. I uh– I’m sorry for interrupting. I just– I stopped by Lev’s room and got nervous when he wasn’t there.”, a slight blush rises under her freckles and she shifts on her feet. God, she’s cute. 

“Oh, it’s okay! We’ve been chatting for a few hours and should probably head up anyway.”, you shift your attention to Lev, “You ready?”

Lev’s eyes are heavy with sleep as he nods his head. You chuckle and rise up with your now empty mug in hand and wrap your blanket around your shoulders. As the three of you walk out of the library you shoulder off your blanket and wrap it around Lev’s frame, the blanket practically swallowing him whole. Sensing Abby’s eyes, you look over Lev’s head at her and offer a warm smile. She offers an awkward smile in return. 

–

You wave ‘bye’ to Lev as he walks into his room and Abby shuts the door, bidding him a good night.

“I’m uh– the floor above so…”, you shift on your feet, suddenly feeling like a shy teenager, “It was nice to meet you Abby. Have a good night.”, you smile and take a step back. 

“I’ll walk you to your room!”, she rushes out and then clears her throat, “It’s late…you shouldn’t walk back alone.”, she runs a hand on the back of her neck and you can’t help but glance at the way her arm flexes. 

Biting back a smile you speak in a quiet voice, “Okay. Thank you.”

Turning on your heels you begin walking and she falls in stride with you. 

“Lev’s a good kid. He didn’t deserve what he had to go through.”, you say in an attempt at small talk. 

“Yeah…he– I wish I could do better by him. He deserves–”

“Hey now. You’re doing your best.”, you cut her off in a stern voice. Head turned to look at her with a serious expression, “I mean it, Abby. He– that kid loves you so much. You are doing just fine with the resources you’ve been given. Don’t discredit yourself.”

Her cheeks flush at the unexpected praise and she runs a hand along the back of her neck, “Yeah…I guess I never thought of it like that. I– thank you…that means a lot.”

Giving her a smile as she holds the door to the stairwell open for you. Your shoulder brushes against her on “accident”. You feel your face flush at the firmness of her body. Jesus christ what are you doing…you don’t even know this woman, take it easy.

As you climb the stairwell and walk down the long hall you make pleasant small talk with each other. You arrive at your door and your hands fiddle through your jeans in search of your keys. Doing your absolute best to hide the slight shake of your clammy hands you slide the key into the door. 

Your eyes drift over to Abby as she leans against the wall, watching you. A small wave of confidence washes over you and you let a hand gently run over Abby’s forearm as you speak, “It was really nice meeting you Abby. I hope I’ll be seeing you more?”, you tilt your head slightly. 

Your ego blooms at the vibrant shade of pink that blooms under her dusty freckles. She clears her throat before she speaks, “Y–yeah. It was really nice meeting you too. I’d– I’d like that.”

“Good night Abby”, you say quietly and step into your room. Body resting against the door once it’s closed. You grin at nothing in particular like a silly teenager. “Jesus Christ, do I have a crush!?”, you mumble to yourself as you slip your shoes off. You haven’t had a crush in…well…years? This’ll be interesting.

#ˏˋ°•*⁀➷humanbug fics #⋆·˚ ༘ *bugs asks #the last of us #the last of us fic #the last of us ellie #the last of us lev #tlou #tlou2 #tlou fanfiction #abby tlou #tlou abby #tlou x reader #tlou x y/n #tlou x you #tlou imagine #abby x reader #the last of us abby #abby anderson #abby the last of us #abby anderson x female reader #abby and lev #abby anderson fluff

[beestriker015]

Arcee x male Autobot s/o

Arcee and s/o were always close during the war on Cybertron, so imagine her surprise at seeing the male Autobot on Earth after what feels like a lifetime.

“S/o? H-how can you be here? Everyone thought you were taken offline.”

Her optics wide from shock as she says this while looking at him.

“My termination was greatly exaggerated. While I was severely injured during the last battle I took part in, my spark held on as I was fortunate to have been found by Ultra Magnus and taken to get repaired. When I caught word that you were here on this planet, I knew I had to come help you and the others fight against Megatron and the other Decepticons. I missed you a lot Arcee.”

After s/o finishes speaking, Arcee does something that shocks the other Autobots and their human companions.

She embraces him tightly.

“I’m glad you’re here s/o, and I missed you too.”

He is at first caught off guard by Arcee’s sudden hug, but then quickly returns her embrace with a warm smile present on his face.

Their heartfelt reunion is interrupted by Optimus Prime, who approaches s/o with a stoic expression.

“Welcome to Earth s/o, I’m pleased to see you alive and well. I believe I speak for your fellow Autobots when I say we’d love to have you join us.”

He offers s/o a hand, who turns to look at Arcee for a brief moment before accepting it with a smile.

“I would be honored Optimus.”

The Autobot leader smiles at this and shakes s/o’s hand.

“Glad to hear it. Once again s/o, welcome to planet Earth.”

With that, s/o has joined the ranks of Optimus’ Autobots.

Due to being out of the loop for so long, s/o had to be caught up on everything that has happened on Earth between the two Cybertronian factions, including the unfortunate demise of his close friend Cliffjumper.

“N-no, I refuse to believe it! Cliff can’t be gone!”

“I know how you feel s/o, it still hurts for me to think about.”

Arcee says as she tries comforting her heartbroken friend.

“Who? Who is responsible for Cliff’s death?”

S/o asks with anger in his voice.

Upon learning from her that it was Starscream, s/o vows to get revenge on him.

“The next time I see that piece of scrap, I will make him pay for what he did to Cliff! Screamer’s days are numbered!”

(Aboard the Nemesis, Starscream suddenly feels a cold chill run down his back and he doesn’t know why.)

On a lighter note, Arcee introduced s/o to her human partner Jack, with whom he quickly became friends with.

“I imagine being in this base for so long can get pretty boring sometimes, so how about I take you out for a quick joyride Jack?”

He asks, wanting to bond with the human his close friend is the guardian of.

“Really? That’d be awesome s/o!”

Unfortunately for them, Arcee shoots down s/o’s idea.

“No, you two are staying here as per Optimus’ orders!”

She tells the two in a stern almost motherly tone as they both sigh in disappointment, causing her to shake her head.

“Dear Primus, I swear you both are becoming way too like-minded.”

She says in mild amusement, secretly relieved that Jack and s/o get along so well.

Not much time has passed since s/o’s arrival and it’s pretty clear to everyone that he and Arcee have romantic feelings for each other, though neither of them would admit it.

Thanks to some encouragement from the others (specifically Miko and Smokescreen), the two bots decided to finally reveal their feelings for the other.

Surprisingly, Arcee is the first to confess.

“Hey s/o, there’s….something important I want to tell you.”

“What is it Arcee?”

Taking a moment of silence to figure out just what she’s gonna say, the blue fembot looks at s/o and begins speaking.

“When I thought you were offline, it was like a part of my spark perished with you, but it became whole again the moment I saw you here and still online. What I’m trying to say is….I love you s/o.”

If an Autobot were capable of blushing, then s/o would definitely be completely flustered after hearing this.

“Arcee, I love you too. The two of us have had a strong bond for as long as I can remember, and the thing that kept my spark from extinguishing was the terrifying thought of never seeing you again. You are my reason for living Arcee, and I love you more than Cybertron itself.”

The fembot responds to s/o’s own confession by pulling him into a kiss that he quickly melts into, both completely unaware that their friends and teammates are secretly watching them, all happy that the two are finally together.

As a couple, s/o and Arcee always have each other’s backs during missions, just like they did back on Cybertron.

“You know what this reminds me of Arcee? That one time we were surrounded by Vehicons during a recon mission.”

“I remember, but now really isn’t the time to be getting nostalgic s/o!”

She says while shooting down several Insecticons flying towards the two.

“Right, sorry.”

He chuckles before taking down a few as well.

If one of them were to get injured, the Decepticon responsible would face the wrath of the other and after that, they would stay right by their lover’s side the entire time Ratchet repairs them.

Due to their circumstances, neither has any reason to get jealous, but protectiveness is another story, especially with Arcee.

Having suffered the loss of both Tailgate and Cliffjumper, Arcee will not allow any harm to come to s/o, and will offline any Decepticon (mostly Vehicons) foolish enough to try.

As mentioned earlier, s/o will be ruthless in battle whenever Starscream is involved out of sheer hatred for the death of his friend.

“Starscream! I will tear out your spark with my bare hands!”

“K-keep away from me you deranged Autobot!”

The slim Decepticon manages to somehow escape justice every time, resulting in Arcee having to calm s/o down.

“Don’t worry s/o. There’s always next time. One way or another, he will pay for his crimes.”

“You’re right Arcee, but I still wanna rip that coward’s wings off!”

“I know you do s/o, I do too.”

Downtime is rare and never tends to last long, but Arcee and s/o spend it together in the base while taking part in what the humans refer to as “cuddling”.

“This is nice.”

“Yeah, I could get used to this…cuddling, especially when it’s with you Arcee.”

He says with his arms wrapped around her as she rests her head on his chest.

“I feel the same way s/o.”

She tells him with a content smile on her face.

Once Unicron has been defeated and Megatron ends the Decepticon cause, it is now time for the Autobots to return to their homeworld.

After sharing a heartfelt goodbye with Jack and the other humans, s/o and Arcee walk through the space bridge leading back to Cybertron.

“This is bittersweet isn’t it Arcee? I’m glad we finally ended the war, but I’m really gonna miss Earth.”

He looks down as Arcee puts a hand on his shoulder.

“I will too s/o, but who’s to say that this goodbye is forever?”

“Fair point I guess. So, what do we do now?”

“I don’t know, but as long as you’re by my side, I’m ready to face whatever the future holds. I love you s/o.

He kisses her softly while placing his hands on her hips.

“I love you too Arcee.”

With the complete restoration of Cybertron and the threat of Megatron gone, the pair of Autobot lovers look forward to what lies ahead for both them and their planet.

#arcee #tfp arcee #transformers prime #transformers arcee #arcee x reader #arcee x male reader #male reader #transformers #transformers x reader #transformers x male reader #autobots #transformers prime arcee #transformers prime x male reader

[themastaralex]

Your heart and soul is mine (and mine are yours) - Chap 2

Chap summary: The first thing to know about being a Jujutsu Sorcerer is how to control your CE, from there it's just basic manipulation. And also meeting your nephew/not really nephew Megumi Fushiguro.

notes: I'm probably not gonna upload for a solid month after this chapter, or maybe after the 3rd chapter's done idk. maki and the gang pull up in the next chapter, and GODDAMN, she is RUDE. but its funny

she's gonna be like that probably until before yuta pulls up once we get to the jjk0 storyline- another thing to note is that since jjh is a year round school, they likely start school in may because they have a summer uniform, winter uniform, blah blah, you get it

After that first very impressionable meeting with your long-lost half-brother, he wasted no time in gaining guardianship over you.

He gained it rather quickly actually.

Even you were surprised as to how fast he gained it, but he has both connections, proof of his relation to you, and money to make it faster.

So after a month or two and him coming back every week, he could finally say he became your legal guardian, and he talked to both your aunt and you about moving to Japan with him.

Sure, you have no idea as to how to speak Japanese, but you'll go to school, learn there as he helps you as well.

Over the course of the next few weeks, you packed up most of your things and moved to Japan with him.

Tokyo, Japan. 

You don't want to be one of those people who acts all weird with it, but for the first few months of living there, you definitely did. Not to mention that Satoru never once mentioned Megumi and Tsumiki while he was talking all about Japan.

Your first meeting with Megumi wasn't too bad. The boy stayed pretty quiet the whole time.

“So.. Do you like comics?”

You tentatively ask, as he raises his head slightly, looking as if he's thinking about this.

“..yeah. The new 52 Batman comics are my favorites.” You grin, seeing the corner of Megumi’s lips turn up. It seems he's glad enough to have someone new in the house who likes comics.

“Awesome. I personally like the Civil War book that came out a long ass while ago. Cap dies, but I think that's fine. We need more permanent deaths in comics anyways.”

He nods his head in agreement, as you continue to talk about the 2006 Civil War comic.

‘She seems pretty cool.’

He's not going to say that out loud though. Megumi already kind of is starting to like you, and that's saying something. Maybe it's because you're very close to his age, or because you're not hounding him with questions on basically one of your first meetings.

“Anything else you like? ‘Cause I have a lot more I could talk about.”

You smile, and now Megumi can definitely tell you're related to Satoru. Both your tendencies to talk seem similar, even when you're clearly asking him if he'd like to talk more.

And he's glad for that. He's glad you're a little like Satoru, but not enough like him that you're unbearable to talk to or be next to.

Even then, Megumi contemplates your question for another few moments, thinking of something else he actually enjoys. His voice comes out a little quieter than normal, as he scratches his chin for a moment. 

“Well, I also like Iron Man. The movies are pretty cool. The Avengers movie was awesome too.”

Common interests make this bonding with Megumi easier than he would make it normally. He's quiet, sometimes unusually so, but that's fine by you. It's nice to have someone to share opinions with- Even if they're very opinionated like Megumi’s.

You're sure you can get along with Megumi quite easily.

——

A few days later, after Satoru comes back from his business trip, he sits you down to talk to you, one on one. In a serious tone, he speaks, sitting down at a table across from you.

“We need to talk.”

His hands are interlocked in front of him, as his face forms into a serious look. He's really trying not to smile at all.

It doesn't make you nervous per say, but it does make you narrow your eyes at him as you start to suspect something. Satoru isn't very good at being serious in these types of situations, so this is killing him.

“So, I'm sure you have no idea what I do when I leave, right?” He's referring to his “business trips”, so you nod your head. He seems to understand, and keeps talking. “I would guess so. Anyways, you don't know what Jujutsu is, do you?”

At this point, you just stare at him with a ‘Are you fucking stupid?’ look. Of course you have no idea what that is.

“What the fuck is “Jujutsu"? Fightin’ style?”

You narrow your eyes at him, eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion. You've only ever heard of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and those pretty much sound the same. That's probably what he's referring to, right?

“No, no, it's something else. It's kind of like super powers.” He watches you for a moment, watching you burst out into laughter shortly after his words.

Satoru's serious gaze doesn't falter, even when he already probably would've burst into laughter himself as well, but he wants to introduce you to this, because he can definitely sense a huge amount of cursed energy from your body. Especially a few months ago, when you were still reeling back from your mother's death.

“I want you to take this seriously.”

His words coupled with his tone makes you stop laughing, and instead pay heavy attention to his next words.

He’s never done anything to lose your trust, and he's certainly never lied to you (so far). So when he asks you to take him seriously, no matter the topic.

So after that, he starts yapping all about jujutsu, curses, the Jujutsu society, and the fact that because you have blood of the Gojo Clan in your veins, you have the extreme potential to be one of the strongest Sorcerers of this generation.

In all seriousness, you don't believe him for a good while. Until you try touching him to slap him (as a joke) and you can't touch him.

You can't touch him because of his Infinity. He explains it to you, both Infinity and his cursed technique: Limitless. Not just Limitless, but his Six Eyes technique.

He first explained that the Six Eyes and the Limitless come together in one sorcerer every 400 years. He’s an extremely rare case of a sorcerer: possessing two techniques in one brain. Then he explains it all a bit more in depth, then moves onto you. He’s not sure if you’re like him- in the sense that your eyes sense cursed energy better than a regular sorcerer would. But then again, he has noticed your narrowed eyes around both him and Megumi quite a lot. Your squinting eyes can only lead him to the assumption that you see cursed energy better, like he does.

He didn’t want that for you, but it’s too late now. At least now, Satoru can teach you how to control and harness your cursed energy- not to mention, give you his old high school glasses to help you with the overload of cursed energy, and just overall your eyes being sensitive to many forms of different things. Like him. 

——

And so, as soon as he got some time off and a safe spot to help you start to work on your jujutsu, he got right on it. Honestly, Megumi is slightly surprised that Satoru’s doing all of this, but he knows the man isn’t cold-hearted. Quite the opposite. Satoru took him in, so he knows firsthand how generous he can be, even if he’s a bit childish at times.

Right off the bat, he teaches you how to channel your cursed energy; how to not be wasteful with it, especially considering your overwhelming amount of it- from what he can tell, with his blindfold/glasses on or off. 

It’s not tough to learn it, but the hardest part is mastering it by repeating it over and over. All it is is using your negative emotions and channeling them into a layer of cursed energy over your body.

Over and over. Satoru had you practice channeling cursed energy into your fists, hitting him with his Infinity up, even if it did nothing. After all, it didn't do ‘nothing’. It helped you practice CE manipulation, and helped you control your emotions, especially your grief after your mother’s death.

“The body is the soul, and the soul is the body. If you don’t understand that, you don’t understand the basic principle of jujutsu.” He’s a good teacher when it comes to application and technique. After all, he’s been a jujutsu sorcerer ever since he could use his techniques. And you…

He didn’t even know what cursed technique you had until around a year after the initial start of your training. And when he found out what it was, he was absolutely thrilled. The technique itself was Special Grade 1, and with your mastery so far, how well you’ve exceeded on the minor missions Satoru sent you and Megumi on to test your skills, and the knowledge of jujutsu you have- even after only a year- you’re already definitely top tier Grade 1 material.

Not to mention your skills in martial arts; with boxing as your primary, Muay Thai for more power in the weaker areas, and karate for leg strikes.

As for your CT…

Cursed Technique: Time Dilation.

Your CT is one of the most powerful- but volatile- techniques. A user of Time Dilation hasn’t been heard of or seen since the Heian Era. Already, Satoru knows you’re a slight danger- or at least he knows that’s how the jujutsu higher-ups will see it.

With the power of your CT, you have the ability to slow time to almost a halt, and at your current mastery, only for around maybe 2-3 seconds per usage.

You have potential. Great potential. Just like him. 

Just like Satoru Gojo.

#maki zenin #maki x reader #maki zenin x reader #zenin maki #jjk x reader #jjk x you #maki x you #god i need her so bad #gojo satoru #jjk #megumi fushiguro

[absolutely-normal-about-x]

Axl and X

Okay so a bit of another idea since I revealed that Aero and Barrett are Axl’s apprentices that’s gonna leave me with Axl’s relationship with his apprentices and X himself since ...

He's the first person that X reunites who’s from his era after THOUSANDS of years after the elf wars, especially that HE died in the elf wars. It’s more emotional for him. Axl missed out so much, the aftermath of the war, creation of Neo Arcadia, the events of the zero series, etc… so he’s gonna have a hell of a recap of everything that went down before they became Biometals.

From Axl’s perspective it felt so short from his Death to waking up on Terra just as displaced as X, unlike him since he woke up earlier allowing him to adapt to this new era better. Axl has been wandering and learning so much of Terra to the point that he’s aware of a lot of stuff. Another thing is that he’s basically a dad now…kinda he didn’t expect it since taking in Barrett and Aero after saving them from a dangerous situation. It was supposed to be just him taking care of them and once they’re old enough he’ll part ways with them. But nope there are his kids now. His partners in crime, his students, they basically remind him of his younger years with their energy and ambition.

God is this how X and Zero (By extension Red) felt when they took him in all those years ago? Now he sorta understands them now…he’s not ready to be called dad yet if he was called then he’ll explode. Also of how much of a huge pain in the ass they can be at times but he’ll either drag them out of trouble or let them solve the problem (if the threat isn’t dangerous). He’s not the greatest dad but he’s sure as shit tries at least. If you hurt them I hope your ready for the fucking mercy of the shapeshifting gunslinger.

He hides his past from them of course because how the HELL can you explain to them that you're from ANCIENT HISTORY, bro he can’t be called old yet! plus he’s waiting for the best time to tell them…but he can tell them snippets of his past without revealing the truth. In forms of absolute batshit stories that no way in hell that happened. Barrett thinks that he’s bullshitting them while Aero thinks that it’s the coolest shit ever at the same time kinda curious of the context.

ALRIGHT GETTING BACK TO THE MAIN TOPIC

But then that all changed when he reunited with X and god that reunion was fucking emotional…X couldn’t never believe to Axl again and how much he’s GROWN. Look at him he isn’t the same happy go lucky kid with assassin skills that he picked up years ago. Compared to how Axl felt, X’s reaction was stronger since he had been through so much shit after the elf wars, enduring so much but also holding on to the guilt of the friends and family that didn’t survive, especially Axl. He crushed Axl with that hug; he was a sobbing mess. Axl also was an emotional wreck too since he apologized to X from dying in the war. It’s just nice to have someone familiar again after so long…

And then Axl finds out that X has 5 kids and one of them is Barrett’s Friend…actually looking back it was kinda obvious that kid was X’s kid since he suspiciously looks like him the most compared to the guardians. And now he not only has to catch up with what he missed from the Elf wars but also finally coming clean about his past to Barrett and Aero too.

X was confused at first only for Axl to explain that…He’s kinda a Dad, then explains that Barrett and Aero are his kiddos. Coming to the realization that…Oh…just like Axl, X should've also put the pieces together cause some of Barrett and Aero’s skills and mannerisms were suspiciously similar to Axl’s. It was so obvious that these kids picked up the traits of their respective parents. It was almost fate that their Kids meant to be close friends like their parents.

Axl definitely starts to visit the flutter to hang out with X. Catching up like old friends, the conversations last for whole hours. It was kinda a shock to see X this happy and healed after everything that he went through. But to be honest it’s for the best, X earned this anyways. Plus he can come towards him when it comes to parenting advice. The same goes for X seeing Axl mature and grown makes him proud of him. But deep down he’s still the same troublemaking kid from before. In both ways they changed for the better…however he still judges Axl for that little Incident involving Barrett calling Volnutt Nutsack.

Axl: In his defense, Volnutt is a pretty weird name that can be used for really creative nicknames.

X: Axl, please it was incredibly rude to say that to my son! Fefnir almost blasted him!

Axl: Okay! Okay! It was rude but at the same time it’s really funny.

X: ASIMOV AXL!!

There's moments that they banter like the old ways before everything went to shit. It’s a bit of a shock to see these old geezers acting like this to be honest it’s for the best….

It would have been completed if Zero was around but the question is…Where is he?

#megaman x #megaman legends #legends reborn #rockman x #Mmx Axl #Zero is out there but he’s doing stuff #Axl absolutely asks X to patch up his Poncho

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Love Across the Galaxy 🌌 | Helmut Zemo Imagine

Contains spoilers for GOTG Vol.3

Link to my Marvel masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Baron Helmut Zemo x Roman Goddess/Guardians!reader (romantic), The Thunderbolts—Baron Zemo, Bucky Barnes, Thaddeus Ross, Valentina Alegra De Fontaine, John Walker, Ghost, Justin Hammer, Taskmaster, Yelena, & Red Hulk (platonic), The Guardians of the Galaxy—Quill, Mantis, Nebula, Drax, Rocket, Groot, Kraglin, & Cosmo (platonic)

Content Warnings: profanity, light angst, fluff, mentions of death, fighting & violence, spoilers for GOTG Vol.3 (don’t read if you haven’t seen it!) | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 4.9k

Requested 📨 yes/no (rules for requests)

Premise: In which Baron Helmut Zemo, hater of the Avengers and desire to rid the planet of enhanced beings, becomes a member of the antihero team led by General Thaddeus Ross & CIA Director Valentina Fontaine where he meets the legendary group of misfits turned Guardians of the freakin Galaxy and loses his heart to a Goddess with a love for 80s music and talent for cutting of limbs.

Note: GOTG Vol 3 has permanently altered my brain chemistry and I cannot stop thinking about it. Truly the best film since Endgame & it’s inspired me cause I’m also back to loving Zemo again. I refuse to believe Marvel would give us a Thunderbolts film w/o Zemo so I will make sure he’s in this team.

After learning about all the Gods in Thor: Love & Thunder, picture you are Minerva, the Roman Goddess of Wisdom & War (Roman equivalent to the Greek’s Athena) and has cosmic powers similar to the Eternal’s Thena and has been with the Guardians since the events of the first GOTG film.

————————

Fall 2023

“I don’t see why we need these people to help us,” Zemo rolled his eyes, strolling beside General Ross with the rest of the team around them. Once outside the cool breeze hit him, ruffling the lapels of his coat as his eyes squinted from the bright light.

Ross lets out a tired sigh, “Because, Zemo, as much as it galls me to admit it this threat is far beyond what we can deal with. It’s not terrestrial and chances are these…” he had trouble coming up with the word, “let’s just say they’re more experienced for this situation.”

They all stop before the flight line. It’s clear all around them with no sign of an approaching vessel.

“Who are these guys again?” Justin Hammer popped some jelly beans in his mouth. John looks down at the file in his hands, making a face as he does.

“They call themselves…The Guardians of the Galaxy.”

“Oh God,” Bucky moans, immediately making mental notes to protect his mental arm knowing a certain talking animal was on the hunt for it. He was gonna have to sleep with one eye open.

Zemo raises his brow, “Friends of yours, James?” Bucky is not pleased by the assumption.

“I wouldn’t call them that.”

“Aren’t they part of the Avengers?” Ava’s tone is slightly disapproving. While Scott Lang and the Pym/Van Dyne’s helped her, she still got bad rep despite doing what she did to survive.

Zemo, not happy with the idea of working with Avengers, snatches the file from Walker.

“Not technically,” Ross replies while Zemo reads over the page. “They arrived with Thor in 2018 against the first battle with Thanos, remained an associate to the team while continuing whatever the hell it is they do in space, and returned in 2023 to defeat the purple bastard once and for all.”

“Did you fight with them, Bucky?” Yelena asks from beside the soldier.

“Yeah,” the memory appears in his mind. Specifically where he grabbed Rocket by the scruff and spun them in circles to cover more area as they fired off their guns. “Our interactions were brief…but memorable.”

The Baron had seen many things over the years, like the rest of humanity with the formation of the Avengers and reveal of intergalactic and enhanced beings, but to stay he wasn’t thinking, ‘what the fuck?’ by the picture in front of him would be a lie.

An earthling turned ravager, a blue mercenary, a woman with antennas, a genetically engineered raccoon, a living tree, a gray alien that could take down Thor, a man with a metal Mohawk, a telekinetic dog, and an exiled sword wielding Goddess. All misfits and outcasts, mostly space criminals turned superhero guardians of the cosmos.

Well….they were quite the bunch.

“They are not still with the Avengers, I take it?” Zemo wanders around, eyes lingering on the Goddess. White streaks adorned her natural hair color, eyes gold and lips painted with what appeared to be a permanent smirk. She wore a gold and white headpiece that had an owl extending its wings.

Name/Alias: Minerva, Goddess of War; Race: Deity; Planet of Origin: Caelum; Age: approx. 2500 yrs (39 Earth yrs); Occupation: Warrior/Mercenary/Defender of the Andromeda Galaxy; Allegiance: The High Council of Caelum (formerly), Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, God of Thunder, The Avengers (formerly); Abilities: Cosmic manipulation, enhanced strength, agility, speed, & durability, thermal detection & mental teleportation; Specialization: artillery and battle strategy.

Ross let out a sigh, “only when the planet is about to go to shit due to an intergalactic threat. Which we’ve now got on our hands, but considering the Avengers are all on sabbatical I’m sending you in,” he checks his watch, “but I need all the extra hands and like I said, they’re experienced.”

Zemo stares at the blank sky, “How will we know they've arrived?”

“Believe me,” Ross mutters under his breath. “You’ll know.”

A loud rumbling noise caught everyone’s attention, gazes turning upward as a hexagon shaped breech in the sky revealed a very large spaceship in its wake, followed by the distinct lyrics of AC/DC’s ‘Back to Black.’

“Back in black. I hit the sack. I’ve been too long, I’m glad to be back. Yes, I’m let loose. From the noose. That’s kept me hanging about.”

“Oh my,” Yelena breathed out, hair flying back from the gust of wind. Zemo lifted a hand to cover his face from the leaves, as did the others, many wide eyed.

“I’ve been looking at the sky. ‘Cause it’s gettin’ me high. Forget the hearse ‘cause I never die. I got nine lives. Cat’s eyes. Abusin’ every one of them running wild.”

“Great song,” Justin voiced, grinning from ear to ear. The ship made its descent, music getting louder.

“‘Cause I’m back. Yes, I’m back. Well, I’m back,” it approached the tarmac, “Yes, I’m back. Well, I’m back, back.” wheels hit the tarmac, engine powering down but music still blasting, “Well, I’m back in black,” the ship doors opened, revealing steps extending to the ground, “Yes, I’m back in black.”

It was almost like a scene from a movie. Slow-motion if one will by how the Guardians exited their ship and stepped foot on the tarmac with AC/DC on full volume. All dressed in their new suits of red and blue leather with the Ravager flames on the chest.

Arriving in style.

Quill led with the rest flanking his sides. Drax munching on snacks while Nebula looked menacing and Groot towered over everyone. Cosmo had her tongue out in excitement, Rocket carrying his gun strapped to his back. Mantis’s chin held high, like she was on top of the world and Kraglin trying not to appear lost. Lastly Minerva was drinking a caprisun, Ray Bans covering her gold eyes.

Zemo tilts his head in amusement at the sight. He expected the Goddess, of war nonetheless, to have a more menacing approach like Nebula considering her reputation. But she was just as relaxed and laid back as Drax.

The Guardians walked several paces until they were directly in front of the Thunderbolts. It was then the music stopped, Ross being the first to address them. “You sure know how to make an entrance.”

Quill gave a smug grin, “We know.” Hands go to his hips, “You’re wearing a suit so you must be the boss man. Although I believe there’s also a boss lady we’re here to do business with.”

“Director Fontaine is currently occupied. She’ll be arriving in the morning.”

“I assume we won’t be knowing a damn thing until that happens, huh?”

Ross tightens his lips, “You assume correctly.”

“I told you we should’ve handled it on our own,” Minerva’s glances to Quill annoyed. Surprised by her voice, Zemo's eyebrows raised at her sudden input. Her accent was slightly Italian given her mythological origin is Roman.

Quill clicked his tongue, “We don’t have authority here, Minnie.”

“Midgard is part of the Andromeda Galaxy. Technically we should.”

Now the man was giving her a pointed look after Ross’s body language turned defensive, “I’d rather not get our asses thrown in Earth’s prison system. We go by the rules—the ones we established.”

Minerva grumbles under her breath, finishing the last remnants of her juice pouch, “Would’ve finished the job faster. They wouldn’t even know we were here.”

“Okay well, we’re doing things this way. We’re here as a team to work with a team. Right, Mr. Secretary?”

Ross’ disapproving eyes linger on Minerva, who in return rolls her own, before turning his attention back to Quill, “Yes. Now let’s move on shall we?”

He lets out a breath of relief, “Agreed.” Bidding a warning look to each of his teammates, they all wait for what the man in the suit has to say. Ross extends a hand to the people on either side of him.

“This is my team. All with different levels of skill and experience. Justin Hammer is our tech and weapons specialist,” Justin gives a wave, “Yelena Belova,” Ross points to the blonde in a white tactical suit, “former Black Widow and master assassin.” At the mention of Black Widow Rocket, Nebula, and Minerva all tense, faces becoming solemn at the memory of Natasha. They were the three remaining Guardians during the blip, becoming close with the Avenger.

“Ava Starr, she can phase through anything,” they all look impressed, finding the talent cool. “Antonia Dreykov, who we like to call Taskmaster.”

“Why’s that?” Kraglin asked intrigued.

“She has photographic reflexes and can mimic your fighting powers. Basically use your own moves against you.”

“Niceeee,” all the Guardians echo. Ross points to the two individuals in between Zemo and Yelena.

“Our super soldiers, Captain John Walker and I believe you all know Sergeant Barnes.” Bucky tightens his mouth with a curt nod.

“You still got that arm on ya?” Rocket muses, earning a nudge—well more like a kick—from Minerva. The rest of the Thunderbolts besides Bucky all become wide-eyed at the talking Raccoon…even though it said on the file he could.

But how the fuck else were they suppose to react to a talking raccoon?

All Bucky does is glare, “Don’t even think about it.” Rocket shrugs, “Worth a shot.”

“Why is that one carrying a giant frisbee?” Drax’s mouth is filled with Zargnuts. Walker, the man in question, becomes visibly offended.

“It’s a shield not a frisbee.” Zemo bites back a smirk at the soldier's tone. Not to mention the Guardians' reactions were priceless.

“A shield?” Mantis repeats confused.

“It’s a frisbee,” Drax mumbles.

“Like that circular object Minerva conjures to deflect attacks,” Nebula tiredly explains. Mantis’s mouth forms the shape of an ‘o’.

“And lastly,” Ross sounds just as exhausted as the cyborg, “Baron Helmut Zemo, former intelligence operative.”

“I am Groot,” Zemo’s attention goes to the tree alien, confused by his words. Minerva, seeing his expression, addresses it, “He says he likes your fancy cape.”

‘Cape?’ He thinks, but doesn’t comment on it and his perplexed reaction makes Minerva smirk. Instead Zemo says, “Well, I appreciate the compliment. Thank you.” Groot’s pleased, grinning wide like a child.

It’s then Quill’s turn to formally introduce the Guardians. The Thunderbolts bite back their own amusement at the nicknames and surprise of hearing the dog, Cosmo, speak through her suit with a distinct Russian accent. Afterwards Ross leads them all into the hangar, Minerva removing her sunglasses now that she was inside, allowing her gold eyes to be visible.

From there they all interact, awkwardly for the most part as they have no idea what the hell to do as they wait for further instruction. It soon becomes bickering and even challenging someone in hand-to-hand combat.

Well, what can you expect when a team of heroes meet a team of villains/anti heroes? Rivalry at its finest.

“Any day now, Quill,” Minerva groans, relaxing her stance. Across from her several feet away was Walker, confused by why she was taking so long to attack. They were standing in the middle of the squared off area with the teams surrounding them, but giving enough space to avoid being in the crossfire. Quill was scrolling through his Walkmen.

“What’s he doing?” Zemo whispers to Kraglin, eyes flicking back and forth from the human Guardian and the Goddess.

“Trying to find a good fight song. You know, get the vibes going.” Out on the square Minerva lets out a loud huff signaling her annoyance was increasing.

“Just give me another second—.”

“Quill.”

“I almost got it.”

“Pick a goddamn song!”

“Fine!” Quill shouts, randomly selecting the first one his finger hits. A second later Duran Duran’s ‘Hungry Like the Wolf,’ blasts through all the speakers attached to the Guardians arms. The antiheroes become perplexed, while also noting the song choice. Justin and Yelena started to bop their heads.

“Darken the city, night is a wire. Steam in the subway, earth is afire. (Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do)”

Minerva smirked, retaking her stance. As she lifts her hands, cosmic energy around her consorts to physical matter, taking the shape of a spear and shield in either hand. Wide eyes take over the Thunderbolts.

“Woman, you want me, give me a sign. And catch my breathing even closer behind. (Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do)”

“Wow,” Justin exhales. “In touch with the ground. I’m on the hunt, I’m after you.”

“That’s so cool,” Yelena muses, others muttering in agreement. “Smell like the sound, I'm lost in the crowd. And I’m hungry like the wolf.” Keeping his admirations to himself, Zemo watches the scene unfold in silence.

“First one to step or get thrown out of the square loses,” Bucky shouts over the music, “Ready….” Walker clutches the strap of his shield, Minerva twirling her spear once, “Fight!”

“Stalked in the forest, too close to hide,” Walker lets out a cry, charging at the Goddess. “I’ll be upon you by the moonlight side (Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do,” Minerva blocks his attack, pushing back slightly only to crouch to swipe at his legs, “High blood drumming on your skin, it’s so tight,” Walker dodges her spear, but fails to avoid her kick to his chest, sending him backward. “You feel my heat, I’m just a moment behind.” He brings his shield up in time as her spear barrels down at him. “Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do.”

They continue their one-on-one for several minutes, both coming close to getting the other out of the square and the song changing to ‘Cherry Bomb’ by The Runaways—a favorite amongst the Guardians. The entire time Zemo was mesmerized to say the least. Every move she made was effortless, showcasing strengths and ability to predict Walker's moves.

He hadn’t felt such attraction to a woman in so long. And here he was experiencing a feeling that was almost unfamiliar.

Ultimately Minerva wins the battle in what one would call a divine move. At the peak of the song, Minerva’s golden eyes glow bright resulting in the eyes of the owl headpiece to also glow and become animated. It takes form, coming to life and soars straight at Walker, throwing him off by covering his face.

“What the—uuugh!!” He’s flying through the air, back meeting the harsh ground with an audible groan. The owl leaves him, returning to Minerva and consorting back into a headpiece. When it does her eyes dim back to their normal hue. Her team broke out into whistles and hollars, meanwhile Walker’s were unimpressed.

“Guardians for the win!” Rocket cheered.

“I am Groot!”

“Never underestimate the power of Duran Duran!”

Minerva helps Walker up, “Not bad, soldier.” As she turns to head off the pad, her eyes lock with Zemo’s and a wink is sent his way. Heat rises in the Baron, glancing away to hide his smirk.

Oh boy, trouble was on the horizon.

Next Yelena went against Nebula. Their fight was even more intense and nearly ended in a draw. Eventually Yelena overpowered the cyborg and got her to step out of the square. It was a tie. Groot and Rocket teamed up against Ross in the form of the Red Hulk—which took a lot of convincing—the two claiming the win after fooling the General. Taskmaster beat out Quill, handing his ass to him which had the Guardians in a heap of laughter.

“I enjoyed that more than I should have,” Minerva teases, crossing her arms as she takes a spot beside Zemo. He glances at her, mirroring her expression.

“Not a common occurrence for your friend to lose a fight?”

She scoffs, “You’d be surprised by his record.”

Lastly Bucky went toe-to-toe with Drax, and of course Rocket had to yell, “Take his arm and give it to me!” And well….it ended with them tackling each other out of the square.They didn’t know who won at that point, so the teams were tied 2-2 initiating a debate on who should be crowned the best.

“Okay, let’s call it a day,” Ross announces, ending the squabbling between the groups. “Night’s upon us and frankly I could use a drink. We’ll return here first thing in the morning—7am sharp to discuss the threat and where to go,” he turns to Quill, “we’ve got sleeping quarters arranged for you all if you please. Otherwise my guess is you’ll remain in your ship?”

About an hour later, after both teams settled for the night, Zemo decided to take a walk around the flight line. It became a habit of his since joining the Thunderbolts. A way to clear his mind after a long day of briefings and training. He basked in the peace that came with being alone, but there were times he felt lonely and longing for company to share the peace with.

Ten years since losing his family and the pain never strayed. Yet, he managed to live with it. He accomplished his goal in 2016 when he tore apart the Avengers. Likely is to blame for the loss against Thanos resulting in half of the universe’s population turning into dust for five years.

Did he feel remorse for the consequences of his actions? Possibly. Did he regret it? No. At this rate he’s accepted the reputation he painted himself to be.

“Zemo, correct?” The sudden intrusion spooked the Baron, jumping slightly by the glowing eyes in the darkness. A moment later Minerva stepped into the lighting, eyes dimming to normal. She was still in her suit, though her hair was pulled back, white streaks seeping through the natural color.

“Yes, but you may call me Helmut,” he replied, nodding in greeting to the Goddess.

“Helmut,” she tests the name, “like the headwear people use when they ride bikes or spacesuits?”

“That’s one way to look at it, but yes I suppose so.”

“Interesting. What brings you out this late in the evening?”

He shrugs, “wanted to get away from the constant complaining of my comrades,” eyes go to the sky, “and I like to admire the stars.” Minerva moves to his right, glancing up as well.

“They’re much more incredible up close.” He peers down at her, not bothering to question her judgment. She lives in space after all.

“I bet so. I’m sure the view from here is nothing compared to what you’ve witnessed.”

She shrugs, “These stars you don’t even know if they’re still alive. It took years—possibly millions—for the light to reach Earth.” Zemo looks back up, focusing on the North Star.

“For all we know they burnt out ages ago.”

Their eyes connect, Zemo feeling a weight on his chest by the intensity of her gaze. It’s followed by unease when she says, “Natasha told me about you.”

Instantly he looks away, feeling an unfamiliar wave of dread. “Ah.” Here was a discussion he was not expecting, nor willing, to have.

But Minerva didn’t show criticism. In fact, her gaze and tone resembled understanding. “How do you do it?” The question took him aback.

“Do what, exactly?”

“Align yourself with people who go against what you stand for?” Minerva’s tone wasn’t condescending at all, only curious. “Most of your team are enhanced individuals—two are super soldiers to be exact. You went to many lengths to disband the Avengers and put an end to superheroes,” there’s a slight tilt of her head, eyeing the Baron with intrigue, “but you join a group consisting of people who fall between the spectrum of hero and villain where most are the exact thing you wished to eradicate. Not to mention led by two people you wouldn’t say you share similar moral values with. Why join them?”

For the first time in his life, Zemo was at a loss for words. Not a single word uttered as he tried to comprehend what Minerva had just confronted him with. How could he explain? Hell, he didn’t even know the real truth other than wanting to stay out of his cell. A big price to pay in exchange for freedom.

Minerva spoke again before he could respond, “I once committed an act similar to you,” the surprise is evident on Zemo, “Vengeance against those who were responsible for the death of my loved ones. It’s why I was exiled,” a frown appears, her attention returning to the stars. “So I understand you, probably better than anyone here. Understand why you committed those acts to destroy the Avengers. I don’t fault you for what you did—if I did it would make me a hypocrite. You’re not the villain Ross and the Avengers made you out to be.”

“How so?” His voice is strained, “what have you lost?” He didn’t mean to come off as defensive, but the conversation was bringing up emotions Zemo didn’t want to face.

“As Goddess of War all I knew was bloodshed. How to prevent it and how to fight it. Battle strategy was my domain, and the High Council knew better than to question my judgment,” she releases an exhale, “but Mars, the God of War and my brother, was my ultimate rival. He hated how much our father doted on me and agreed with plans I coordinated. It made him feel inferior. He’d do anything to prove himself.” Her tone remains neutral despite the painful memory surfacing.

Zemo remained quiet, picturing the scene as Minerva relayed it. Though stoic the Baron could see the pain and sadness lurking behind her eyes. Managing it as best she could for the sake of her friends. Who knows how many years it’d been since she lost whoever it was close to her. But the hole would always remain.

“To put it short,” she started again, bidding a glance, “Our home was under attack and his rash decision to slow down the enemy led to the death of my family—my husband and children.” Sympathy arose in the Baron, understanding her anguish, “An intentional move on Mars’ part because he believed I wouldn’t be fit to remain on the High Council after stuffing such a loss, therefore he would take my place as Head Commander of our armies and my father’s second Command.”

“He wasn’t exiled?” The question left Zemo before he could stop it. Confused by how the God avoided persecution for his crime, Minvera was shunned. “Your family was targeted.”

Minerva’s smile was bitter, “because their deaths were a result of war, the High Council viewed it as collateral. They failed to see Mars’ responsibility, believing he didn’t intend to kill them. So, I took it upon myself to bring justice. Not only to Mars but also the High Council.” Her smile fell once more, “I made sure they would pay. And they did, but it was far from over after finishing the job. Those who survived didn’t hesitate to throw me out to the wolves once I was contained.”

Zemo nods his head, “where did you go afterward if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I was imprisoned on Xandar for some time,” well they certainly had some things in common, “Once I escaped I became what your people would call a bounty hunter. Where it led me to meeting those clowns I now call my family,” she pauses before adding, “and escaping prison for a second time. Only it was to save the Galaxy.”

The laugh that escapes Zemo surprises him, “I guess it all worked out then.” Once more they lock eyes, twinkling against the stars shining down above.

“I suppose it did.”

Three Years Later

Zemo raced out the door the moment he awoke to rumbling that shook the foundation of his home. After three years he’d recognize the sound in an instant, only this time it was without warning.

An action that rarely occurred.

Throwing on his coat and house slippers, the clock read 2:30 am, flooding the Baron with worry. ‘What is she doing here at this hour?”

Usually when Minerva drops in she gives Zemo a heads up. A day or two’s notice, but recently he couldn’t get a hold of her and passed it off as the Guardians on a job. With the unexpected visit, so late at night, Zemo instantly knew something was wrong.

Hurrying out to the front lawn right as her ship landed, Zemo jogged to where the stairs extended. When they did, the doors revealed his Goddess, still wearing her suit, standing before him. Zemo noted the exhaustion painting her demeanor. Dark circles beneath her eyes, which appeared dimmer than usual, and scars indicating recently healed wounds.

His arms are around her the moment she’s within distance, her own around his neck, “This is a surprise.”

“Sorry I didn’t call,” the exhaustion was evident in her voice. Barely above a whisper causing Zemo to tighten his hold.

“It’s alright, darling. I’m just glad to see you are okay,” his hand runs along her hair, “wanna tell me what happened?” He hears her sniff, increasing his dread, “Close call?”

“Too many,” her voice cracks and there’s a pause. “We almost lost Rocket. We saved him thankfully, but then we nearly lost Peter. And I almost—,” she stops short, not wanting to relive her near death experience. “This was…it was too much for all of us, Helmut.” A kiss is pressed to her head, offering comfort.

“Let’s get you inside, mein schatz.” Zemo leads Minerva into the home, sitting her in the living room while he goes to put a kettle on the stove. Filling two cups of cherry blossom tea, Minerva’s favorite, he joins her in the living room.

After taking her first sip of the brew, Minerva removes the headpiece from her hair and makes herself comfortable before giving Zemo a play-by-play of the past three days. He stays quiet, listening intently but visibly reacts with each awful detail Minvera relays to him. From the unexpected attack from Adam Warlock, to the disgusting abuse Rocket endured at the hands of the High Evolutionary, to Quill nearly imploading in space had it not been for Adam’s change of heart.

Zemo’s knuckles turned white when Minerva spoke of what happened to her. Anger consumed him and he wished he had been there to protect her. Seeing his distress Minerva placed her hand on his, gently squeezing, “I’m okay, Helmut. I’m here now and we all made it out. There were many close calls, but we’re all alive and that’s what matters.”

Taking her hand, Zemo brought it up to brush his lips against her fingers, softly kissing her knuckles. “I don’t know what I would've done if I lost you, Minnie. I—-,” he stops himself to exhale, squeezing his eyes shut, “I would’ve found a way to fly across the galaxy to avenge you.”

“I know you would,” she murmurs, removing her hand but positioning herself in his lap. Arms snake around his neck, pulling him so they were inches apart. “I’d expect nothing less. Also I’d be a hypocrite considering I would do the same for you.” A playful smirk formed, “I was already plotting when Ross let you get captured by those bastards last year. Had it ended any other way, Ross would cease to exist.”

Zemo snickered, “I see we haven’t really changed completely despite our friends believing the opposite. Neither of us hesitating to return to old ways if it comes down to such circumstances.”

She smirks, “No, I don’t suppose we haven’t.”

“What a pair we are,” leaning in, his lips meet hers in a soft caress. Warmth seeping through his veins. That effortless high he believed he’d never have again after the loss of his family.

But he found it with a Goddess in the stars. Where love swept across the galaxy.

When they pull away after a moment, Zemo keeps his forehead against hers. Gold meeting brown. “I’m not sure I can let you go now, liebling. At least not for a while.”

“You never have to anymore,” her words have him startled, the man pulling away slightly to get a better look at her.

“What are you saying?”

Minerva’s gaze turns soft, though there’s slight nervousness, “After everything we all realized something. We found the family we were searching for, but some of us needed to find ourselves. Peter’s here on Earth to find his grandfather. Mantis is off on her own adventure. Drax and Nebula are on Knowhere to help raise the children we saved from the High Evolutionary. Rocket and Groot are leading a new era of the Guardians. And me,” she stops, emitting a gaze full of love that takes Zemo’s breath away. “I’d like to be here. With you, Helmut. If you’ll have me.”

If his heart could explode from the happiness Zemo was feeling it would. Tears were threatening to prick his eyes, the Baron willing himself to remain composed. “Oh, Schatz,” he croaked, cupping the side of her jaw. “I should be the one asking you that. Of course I’ll have you. I love you more than every star in the galaxy.” With that he kisses her, putting all his love and passion it causes her own eyes to water.

“I love you too,” she kisses him again. They remain on the couch, falling asleep eventually curled up in each other’s embrace. Their last thoughts filled with joy as they awaited the new adventure on the horizon.

An adventure just between them. A reinstated Goddess and a fully pardoned Baron opening the next chapter of their lives. Together.

#Spotify #helmut zemo x reader #helmut zemo imagine #baron helmut zemo x reader #baron zemo x reader #baron zemo imagine #baron zemo #zemo imagines #guardians of the galaxy #guardians of the Galaxy imagine #gotg imagine #gotg x reader #marvel fanfiction #marvel imagine #marvel #zemo fluff #helmut zemo x y/n #zemo x reader #helmut zemo x enhanced!reader #goddess!reader #thunderbolts #thunderbolts imagine

[the-travelling-witch]

HOLLY HATES GRANDPAS (zhongli) CONFIRMED/j

I actually really like the thought of Xiao and his relationship being a bit darker I mean didn’t Xiao kill thousands of “people” and creatures for him? I’m not educated on his lore but I know Xiao was some type of warrior to Morax when he was a god? Archon?

Holly I would love to hear your thoughts on it

okay where do i start with this… no seriously where do i start

You said you don’t know much about Xiao, so let’s start there (coming from someone who might know a little too much about him jshsh).

Basically, yes, you are correct that Xiao was fighting for Morax alongside the other Yaksha and Adepti during the Archon War after Morax saved him from his enslavement to an ancient god and gave him the name “Xiao”. Because of his gratitude to Morax, Xiao took on the duty to protect Liyue, something he still does to this day.

Now, what I think is important to mention here is that Xiao is still referred to as a “young adeptus” even in present times, so during the Archon War approximately 2700 years ago, he was much younger still, meaning he was enslaved from a very very young age. (My personal headcanon is that he had golden wings originally and that they have been cut off/ clipped/ ripped out by the ancient god when he was first enslaved.)

But Xiao was not alone in protecting Liyue. He had four fellow guardian yaksha, who were all very dear to him, but who tragically passed after succumbing to what is known as “karmic debt”. Karmic debt is the residual wrath of slain gods, whose hatred and power remain after being defeated due to them being immortal. It causes a physical and mental toll on those who are subjected to it, especially continuously over long periods of time, like the yaksha.

(There were more than these five yaksha, of course, like Pervases, but I’m talking mostly about the five guardian yaksha.)

In the perilous trail quest line we learn more in depth about what happened to the four other yaksha; Indarias succumbed to madness and fear, Bonanus and Menogias killed each other in battle and Bosacius fought in the Chasm during the cataclysm after even forgetting his own name.

Xiao wasn’t unaffected either. Had he not heard Venti play the flute, he would have lost himself to his karmic debt too, which is not unsurprising considering he has been fighting the remnants of gods from the Archon War all this time.

(I feel we are now leaving hoyo’s plane of storytelling and entering my plane of angst, so everything from here on out is interpreted through the messenger that is me… but you guys love my angst right)

And Zhongli isn’t the harmless, senile grandpa who forgets his wallet all the time (which he totally does on purpose) as he makes himself out to be. When Xiao first met him he was the Warrior God, Morax.

Surely, during a war, for someone like him, the first thought on his mind wasn’t how the people around him felt but how he could best utilise the weapons at his disposal to ensure victory.

And Xiao happened to be one of those weapons.

If you look at what Xiao did during and after his enslavement, it’s not much different, is it? He still, as you said, slaughtered and slayed countlessly, just under a different leader.

And sure, the difference here is that Xiao accepted it willingly this time around, yet, as I explained earlier, I think that he was still very much within his formative years (decades? centuries?) back then, where he, for one, learnt that apparently killing is what he was good for. But also, of course, he would perceive Morax as this “good” person who freed him and who he wants to support; and at first glance, there’s nothing wrong with that.

We also see, however, that Xiao holds Zhongli in a higher regard than pretty much anyone else. Even nowadays he still refers to him as Rex Lapis and dares anyone to speak ill about him (or Morax for that matter) though Zhongli has retired both of those names already. Yet Xiao of all people clings to it.

Also what kind of (good) father would let his son literally work away to the brink of insanity?

Yes, I’m aware that Zhongli inquires about how Xiao is doing and that he has medicine made for him (which he doesn’t deliver himself), which is fine and all but also… too little too late huh? It also means that Zhongli is aware of the state Xiao is in and he never bothers to walk his old ass over to Wangshuu Inn and tell the guy to stop? We went over how loyal Xiao is to Zhongli; you’d think he’d listen if he earnestly told him to rest, the old geezer is the reason Xiao does all this protecting in the first place.

And don’t think I forgot about the chasm quest, oh no. I know Zhongli saved Xiao just in the nick of time and we all cried at the cutscene, and I cried so much but also… why does this retired grandpa have to show up so late? He couldn’t have stopped looking at silk flowers two minutes earlier, before Xiao took on the physical and mental toll of sacrificing himself? Sure… if you say so…

(Though probably not his intention, you could read it as another sign of “You are still here because of me” or Xiao could be encouraged in feeling like he once again owes his life to Morax.)

But, what is even more heartbreaking, is how Xiao had been ready to make the ultimate sacrifice this entire time (shown by how he asked Yanfei about what a will is and if anyone could make one). Where do you think that mindset came from?

(Okay, Holly, calm down. Don’t throw hands with the geo grandpa… leave some for Neuvillette.)

And I’m not saying that Zhongli would still make the same decisions today that he made back then or that he is proud of what he has done. Actually, I think he’d feel quite guilty now that peaceful times have been established and he is in the position to take a step back and reevaluate, which is probably where his attempts at healing come from. I’m not saying he is a fundamentally bad person.

(Zhongli: “We did not measure right and wrong during the days of the Archon War in the same manner as we do today.”)

I’m saying that the circumstances of their first meeting lastingly formed the base and nature of their relationship.

I don’t think Zhongli has bad intentions, yet he also doesn’t address their past dynamic either and after what we established, we can assume Xiao wouldn’t either, which is probably why Zhongli reckons it is okay to let the topic rest.

(comment by @watatsumiis: “i feel like xiao literally isnt equipped to bring up these sorts of conversations. he just thinks how hes living is totally normal. like if you were to really twist it, YEAH their relationship could be like a father and son dynamic but in the way that like.. zhongli is a more mature and well rounded person than xiao is and because of his emotional experience he should be the one taking the lead and helping to guide xiao in these situations, even if that means starting the hard conversations.” Thank you for putting into words what my 1am brain couldn’t <3)

When he tells Xiao to go and make and meet friends he probably has very good intentions and there is care there. But we also know making connections is something Xiao is very afraid of, no matter how much he craves having a connection to someone, because he is scared to taint them with his karmic debt.

I also want to reiterate that the god who helped Xiao most with fighting against his karmic debt was Venti, who Zhongli labels as a useless drunk… just saying.

You could say that Zhongli tries to move their relationship from master and weapon to something more familial but his attempts are a little clumsy, probably because their history just runs very deep and old roles are hard to let go of.

To me, Xiao is a character with childlike curiosity but also the resoluteness and stoicism of someone who was forced to grow up too fast. And in a happier ending, someone close and dear to him (me, it’s me) can help him reevaluate his purpose and bring more nuance into a pretty black and white view on things.

However, @/watataumiis and I have been moving into a completely different direction ofc and I won’t spoil what it is here but I’ve been thinking about it a lot since then (and naturally I immediately started self shipping shenanigans bc I can’t not insert myself when Xiao is involved :])

And with that I conclude my crazed ramblings <3

(Again, not saying Zhongli is a bad person or anything, and this also not necessarily the basis on which I write him in x reader fics; you know me, I just like exploring avenues like this. Also I feel like I’m forgetting half of what I wanted to say, but that’s kinda typical; just know that I feel like there are more angsty thoughts under the smooth surface of my late night brain.

And while it’s not my cup of tea, I’m not trying to put down anyone who does see them as a functional father/son dynamic; there is nothing wrong with wanting that fluffy found family comfort ^^)

#┊✩彡 divine correspondence ♡ #┊✩彡 unsigned letter ♡ #i have a draft somewhere where this is somewhat topical #but i scraped it lol / didn’t finish the other characters #anyway #an ask where i get to be angsty and a hater? sign me up #also didn’t really proofread this #don’t @ me #/lh #genshin impact #genshin xiao #genshin zhongli #zhongli #xiao

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 2, Match 25: Xie Lian vs. Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane

Submitted kids:

Xie Lian: Ban Yue, Pei Xiu, Lang Ying, Lian Quianqiu, Gu Zi, Lang Ying

Shiro: Pidge, Hunk, Keith, Lance

Propaganda under the cut!

Xie Lian:

1. “a several centuries old disgraced god who keeps somehow getting mixed up in things that have nothing to do with him and taking in random kids in the process. Got dragged into being a soldier in a war between kingdoms he's not even from? suddenly single dad to these two random kids caught up in between. dealing with a malicious ghost who has been killing brides? boom, now he has a ghost son whose previous guardian was killed by the malicious ghost. psychotic ghost cousin posses the body of a man with a young son and continues being a piece of shit? well i guess your taking care of that kid too now (i know guzi is technically qi rong's kid since he's the one possessing his actual dad but if it weren't for xie lian intervening when he did the kid would be dead so he kinda counts too)”

2. "Xie Lian saves a young LQQ from being kidnapped, returns him home and end up becoming the/his grand tutor(which was NOT his original plan at all). He literally teaches the boy everything for years, raising him to become the best ruler he could ever be. The XL ends up accused for killing his family (because of a lot of different things) what is important is that he was not the perpetrator but he did kill LQQ’s father in an act to save the boy from making a horrible decision/outcome and also dealt with the actual perpetrators but kept it a secret cause he knew it would break LQQ’s heart to learn his dear friend planned to kill him and his entire family. LQQ took this betrayal by XL so hard he buried him after staking him through the heart when he was still alive. 300 years later when XL returns/is revealed LQQ is still not over it to the point he wants a FAIR duel to settle the score. FAIR with the man he still thinks killed his entire family!

Banyue and Pei Su are connected. XL took BY under his wing while he was a soldier in the army. He did his best to protect her and get her fed as she had pretty much no one. He also talked with her about his younger selfs dreams for the future which was so inspiring to her that not only did she remember it over a century later when they meet again in very different circumstances but she also apologized for essentially not being able to live up to the ideals he had accidentally passed on to her. While he didn’t have as much direct contact with Pei Su, the boy was BY’s only friend and so while XL was around he did also interact with the boy. However this all came to an end when in an attempt to save BY (which succeeded) he through himself in between two armies and was trampled when they began to fight. When they meet again (as I previously mentioned) XL takes BY under his safety until he is not safe and then sends her off to a safe place where she reunites with PS, who for all XL doesn’t give the same amount of attention to, XL does actually approve of some of him (not all his actions) and seems to find it cute that PS is courting BY.

XL meets Lang Ying first when he helps the boy burry his proxy sister, LY ends up running off after XL reacted with shock to LY’s uncovered face, but XL keeps a constant search for him. XL next saves him from getting beat up by ghosts and ends up taking him to live with him in the shrine he lives in. He does his best to take care of both LY and Gu Zi at the shrine and keeps his good treatment up even knowing LY’s a ghost it only ends when (spoilers for non book people, feel free to look up if you want to know).

XL takes in GZ mostly as his ghost cousin (whom he arrested) has taken over the body of the boy’s father. While I’m not sure how much this one counts, especially since by the end his cousin ends up caring for GZ, but he still does the best he can to feed and care for the boy as his entire life changes."

No propaganda has been submitted for Shiro

#xie lian #heaven official's blessing #tgcf #tian guan ci fu #mxtx #voltron legendary defender #vld #takashi shirogane #shiro #vld shiro #serial adopters bracket #round 2 #tumblr polls #tumblr tournament #mod note: it wasn’t me honest

[water9826]

Cursed Guardians (A JJK Fic)

AO3 Link

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It is vital that you retrieve this, Ryomen.

I know. 

We cannot let any of those humans get in our way.

Of course not. I’ll kill them if they try to stop me.

Kill them? Heh. The sorcerers won’t like that.

Do you think I care? I can handle their ire. This is far too important.

I agree, but try not to burn the place to the ground. 

It’s tempting. All of these people are just worms desperate to consume whatever shit is available. I’d be doing them a favor.

Hm. And here I thought you were growing fond of humans.

Never. The four sorcerers we acquainted are the only decent ones. The rest can rot.

There are civilians in this place, Ryomen. We would draw attention to ourselves if there are casualties. It'll be a pain to deal with. 

Like I said earlier, I don’t care. If they try to challenge me, then they die. Simple.

I see.

And what of it?

Nothing. It’s just that…Well-

Spit it out. 

It just seems that I have severely underestimated your dedication to capitalism.

“Shut up, Sukuna.” Ryomen hissed to himself. He was currently in the supermarket looking for a very special item. It had been sold out for months, but Ryomen refused to go home empty handed today. He would fight tooth and nail for what he desired. 

The Limited Edition SPECIALZ DELIGHT: A Ginger and Brown Sugar Ice Cream Swirl With Crunchy Caramel Bits from Cyclop Cat Creamery. 

The mere thought of the frozen treat made Ryomen’s mouth water. He shopped almost exclusively online, using a false address so the delivery person would not discover the location of the shrine. For the last several years, Ryomen had everything delivered to a small house a few hours away from their true home. The house had been abandoned long ago, but Ryomen had chosen it due to it being remote, but reachable for regular humans. Due to the multiple barriers and seals Infinite and Sukuna had placed, no one could enter the shrine without permission. If they tried, they would be killed instantly by the powerful wards placed throughout. By using the house, deliveries could be made without the messenger being spontaneously combusted or sliced into a million pieces. Additionally, the house used to belong to a farmer. At first glance, the fact may seem irrelevant, but it wasn’t for Ryomen. He was nothing if not prepared. The house was small, but it was built upon the vast land of a ranch. The farmhouse gave Ryomen the opportunity to use the place as a way to stock up on emergency supplies. 

Though, the supplies did not only include food or water. The farm the house was built upon was used to grow crops in case of a sudden apocalypse or if Ryomen had to hide his family away for the next decade. On top of that, Ryomen used the ranch to house cattle, chickens, sheep, and horses. This way, Ryomen would not have to purchase goods like dairy, eggs, or meat, things that expire quickly. That meant fewer trips to the store. And fewer trips to the store meant less humans Ryomen had to interact with. And less humans that interacted with him meant less chance of his family being found and killed . 

It was the perfect plan!

Ryomen had grown up on the streets in a village that saw him as nothing but a bad omen. The sensation of his stomach writhing in agony from starvation was more familiar than the warm feeling of a full belly. He was not taking any chances when it came to his son’s life. Yuuji would always have food on his plate and warm clothes on his back. 

The man was also no stranger to war. He knew what it was like to have no form of transportation, no form of escaping, during a time of bloodshed and chaos. He had many memories of falling asleep next to the bodies of the fallen as a young boy, pretending to be among the dead so the enemy soldiers would not target him next. When he made the deal with Sukuna, he had finally learned what it was like to be on the other side, to be the one causing the terror and death. From what he had observed as a boy and as a man, being able to retreat was what determined if you lived or died. So. Horses . Ryomen was familiar with horses, often sleeping with the hooved beasts in their stables during the winter because he had no other place to go. The horses Ryomen had now were descended from the original horses Ryomen had ridden into the many battles he waged. They were strong, loyal, and, most importantly, fast. His mind could rest easy knowing that his son would be able to escape if anything were to happen to Ryomen or Japan itself. 

And this paranoia did not worsen from the fact that his son was going to be starting public school soon. Nope. Ryomen was completely fine with that. 

Liar.

I know. 

He was not a trusting person, and he could not afford to be one no matter how many allies he obtained. After the fateful meeting with the sorcerers, Ryomen had taken it upon himself to venture out in search of the peach seeds that held his son’s soul while training the young sorcerers while also raising his precious son while also also having to look after six powerful beasts and one grumpy curse. Needless to say, Ryomen was exhausted, but he did not trust Sukuna to handle things for him. Not anymore. There had been a strain on their relationship after Sukuna had revealed his many secrets at the meeting. For the sake of Yuuji, the boy who loved his father and uncle so much that he could not bear to be without either of them, they had worked things out. They had fought for centuries, so what was one more fight? That was the mindset Ryomen held in order to keep his temper under control. Yuuji should not have to see his loved ones fight. For the following weeks after the meeting, Ryomen and Sukuna tried their best to act civilly or ignore each other as much as they could. 

As time passed on, they had begun a ritual of sitting by the pond, neither speaking to the other. They would not talk, scream, or even whisper. They simply basked in the peaceful silence. One night, however, Sukuna looked at the man and broke the quiet they had become accustomed to. Instead of the expected insult or sneer, Sukuna had apologized to Ryomen for what he had done. His normally brash voice was soft and remorseful. 

‘I know how special Yuuji is to you, Ryomen. I should not have kept the information of his soul’s whereabouts from you, nor the existence of Kenjaku. I’m…I’m sorry. I should not have assumed it was alright to omit so many things about your son. I thought it would be easier to wait and focus on caring for Yuuji, but I was wrong.’

It had shocked Ryomen to his core when he had heard the curse’s apology. There were several facts about the world. The sky was blue. Ice was cold. Fire was hot. Infinite was annoying. And, the most important fact of all, Sukuna did not apologize . Ryomen had never heard the curse admit he was in the wrong before that night. He had wanted to hate Sukuna, but Ryomen could not bring himself to. Even when he knew that Sukuna was still hiding things from him, Ryomen did not hate him. His trust in him had diminished, that would never return, but he had accepted the apology. Sukuna and Ryomen shared the same body and soul. They could not leave the other even if they tried. Even if neither wanted to admit it, Sukuna and Ryomen were brothers. 

The next few years had been much easier than the first with the additional aid of the sorcerers. Even though Ryomen was doing far too much, he was happy to see his son thriving. He would be turning five in a few days, and Ryomen could not ignore that fact any longer. As much as he wanted to stay in the shrine, Ryomen knew he had to go out and purchase the gifts that Yuuji deserved. The boy had even written the shortest wishlist imaginable after Sukuna and Ryomen practically begged him to ask for something. However, most of the requested presents were for other people, but Ryomen knew it would break Yuuji’s heart if he did not respect his son’s wishes. There were only three things that Yuuji wanted for himself, and Ryomen would rather be burned alive again than not get Yuuji exactly what he wished for. 

Knowing that the trip to the city would take a while, Ryomen had reluctantly asked the sorcerers to come to the shrine earlier than expected. For the past three years, the sorcerers had developed a training regime that involved them coming to the shrine once a week or once a month if they had too many missions. Not all four could come at the same time due to their differing schedules. Their visitation was timed carefully as to not rouse suspicions from the sorcerer’s elders. Nanami, the supposedly strict and avid rule follower, was the most skilled at sneaking out and deceiving the higher-ups. He came up with an interchanging schedule that his group could use to make the sorcerers’ weekly outings seem innocent. Due to the unexpected timing for today, only one sorcerer could attend. It was surprisingly Gojo, the sorcerer who was the busiest of all, who could take care of Yuuji. However, Ryomen had a feeling that Gojo would have skipped out on any mission just to see Yuuji anyway. The white-haired man adored Yuuji, becoming another uncle that Yuuji loved. The two got along like two peas in a pod. 

There was one drawback. Gojo was able to visit, but he had to bring one of his children to the shrine. His adopted son, Fushiguro Megumi, had gotten suspended after a nasty fight in school (a fight he had won) and needed to stay with Gojo. Ryomen was about to refuse until Sukuna urged him to agree. It was strange that Sukuna was so passionate about allowing the older child to visit, but Ryomen had relented and agreed. In the end, the choice was the correct one as Yuuji had squealed and smiled brighter than the sun when he learned that he would be getting to meet a new person. 

There was still much to do for his son’s birthday preparations, so Ryomen shook himself out of his thoughts and wheeled his cart towards the frozen dessert section. Ryomen had a bit of a sweet tooth, though not nearly as severe as Gojo’s, and was delighted to see no one in the aisle. It was early after all. Too early for most people to buy ice cream. 

The Cyclop Cat Creamery was, in Ryomen’s opinion, the best ice cream manufacturer in the country. Many pints of their ice cream had helped Ryomen get through his worst nights. Nights that involved him watching shitty telenovelas or dramatic family comedies on the couch, bundled in a blanket, and crying with a spoon in his mouth. All to distract him from the constant worry and stress he felt. Sometimes, Boogie would join him on the dramas he watched, as long as it featured pop-idol Takada-chan. The man and dog tearing up at each rejection at a sakura tree, each confession at a sakura tree, each break-up in the rain or sakura tree, each desperate sprint through an airport, each admittance of moving away, and even each family member who randomly gets sick. Takada-chan’s movies always had at least one of those events. Though, it was more likely for her films to have all six. 

…So, yes. Ryomen consumed quite a lot of ice cream. 

At least, Yuuji adored the flavors they had as well. Even Sukuna, who ate meat almost exclusively, was fond of the frozen treats. 

Hurry up!

Be quiet! I’m the one who’s paying!

Sukuna grumbled within his mind. Due to the nature of their shared soul, Sukuna could not stay in the shrine when Ryomen left it. He had to stay with Ryomen whenever he went outside their home. It was another reason why Ryomen hated going out in public. The curse would never shut up within his mind, always finding something to complain about. Ryomen received many odd looks when he would respond to the entity in his head, and it took all his self-control to not snap at the humans. He was a single father with too much on his hands. He did not have the energy to deal with the fools who stared at him as if he was insane. Ryomen probably had several screws loose, but he did not enjoy other people thinking that!

The coolness of the freezer aisle helped soothe Ryomen’s nerves. He first picked out Yuuji’s favorite flavors: BLACK FLASH , a dark chocolate ice cream with strawberry and raspberry swirls and LEFT, RIGHT, GOODNIGHT, an ice cream with three separate flavors that included milk chocolate, vanilla bean, and honeycomb. The titles were…odd. But the ice cream was good enough for Ryomen to not care for once.

Buy more.

I plan on buying several pints already. 

Good. Make sure you have enough to feed an army.

…

…

I expect you to tell me why.

…

Sukuna.

Fine. The brat and I will be having a competition to see who can consume the most frozen confectionaries. 

You mean an ice cream eating contest?

…Yes. It was on his birthday wish list…

Ryomen had to bite his lip to stifle a laugh. To anyone else, including Ryomen himself, Sukuna was the biggest asshole imaginable. Granted, Ryomen was as well, but his usual exhaustion hid his poor temperament. Sukuna was the type of person to push an elderly woman into oncoming traffic just because she asked for help crossing the road. An extreme example, yes, but it was great at showing Sukuna’s violent tendencies and astounding levels of pettiness. However, he was a completely different person with Yuuji. He would deny it constantly, but the curse was incredibly soft when it came to the boy. Ryomen shook his head with a small smile as he grabbed a few more pints. Once Sukuna deemed the amount of ice cream sufficient, Ryomen finally went for the flavor he had been waiting for for months.

At last! 

Just as his hand reached for the frozen dessert, another came and snatched the last pint of SPECIALZ DELIGHT before he could blink. It had happened so quickly that Ryomen’s mind needed a few seconds to process what had happened. 

OH, THAT FUCKING BITCH! LET ME OUT, RYOMEN! LET ME BEAT HER ASS! I SWEAR TO GOD, I’LL CUT OFF THAT HAND RIGHT NOW! THE FUCKING AUDACITY! STUPID BITCH! GOOD FOR NOTHING PIECE OF SHIT CU-

With practiced ease, Ryomen ignored the unholy screeching within his head. He tried his best to have a pleasant smile on his face as he turned to the thief person. It was a middle-aged woman with streaky blond hair that was cut into a bob. Her makeup was slightly cakey from the excessive powder she likely used. She had several fake gemstones on her rings and bracelets. 

The woman looked at Ryomen with a disgusted scowl. “What.”

Sukuna’s creative swears and insults grew louder, causing Ryomen to suppress a grimace. He pointed at the pint the woman was holding. “I was about to grab that, miss. I know it’s the last one, but I’ve been waiting for the restock for months. You see, my son is having a-”

“I grabbed it first. Go find another pint for your son.” She pointed a gaudy pink nail at Ryomen. “I suggest looking at the clearance aisle, you people can’t afford this stuff anyway.”

Stay calm. Stay calm. STAY CALM . Ryomen breathed in deeply, his smile resembling a snarl more than anything else. “It’s for my son’s birthday. Surely, you can let go of the ‘finders keepers’ mentality since you are clearly not a child.”

“I don’t care about your damn spoiled brat of a son! This is mine! Go to some other store!”

“No.” Ryomen gave up on trying to be polite the second the crone insulted his son. The woman looked like she had just sucked on a lemon with how pinched her face got. 

“How dare you! Do you know who my husband is! I can have you arrested for this-”

“Do it.” Ryomen said coldly. The woman immediately froze. “I dare you.”

For a few moments, it seemed like the horrid lady was going to give up. However, she got over her brief lapse and scowled harder at Ryomen. “You people have no respect whatsoever! I’m going to call-”

“My people?” Ryomen asked with his fists clenched, already feeling them heat up. 

“Yes, you people! You damn activists that dye their hair and act like they're superior to everyone else!” The woman looked more like a tomato with how flushed her face became from anger. She stomped her foot like a child throwing a tantrum. “Leave us good people alone! I’m not giving you anything! Your stupid son can-”

It was as if the very air around them had gone still. The buzzing of the fluorescent lights could not be heard anymore nor the constant buzz of the refrigeration units. Finally, the woman realized the mistake she had just made. Her eyes grew wide with genuine terror as the man in front of her bore his piercing crimson eyes into her. For a second, it seemed like the tattoos beneath his eyes opened. She blinked hard, and the eyes disappeared along with the blood red gaze. Despite being in the freezer aisle, the atmosphere around them grew unbearably hot. This was the first time that anyone had ever scared her this much. Her hands began to shake as the towering figure came closer. 

Ryomen snatched the woman by the neck before she could utter a cry of help. He let his palms grow hot enough to burn. “The only reason that you’re still alive is because I have errands to do, so I can’t waste my time tossing your eviscerated corpse to the rats . Though, the rats don’t deserve such rotten meat. Perhaps the maggots would take you. They eat all worthless, putrid garbage after all.”

There was now blood streaming down the horrified woman’s neck as sharp claws pierced into her. She had dropped the pint, the reason for the argument, the second he grabbed her. Her hands pawed uselessly at the iron grip the pink-haired man seemed to have. 

“Your behavior is disgusting. If anyone behaves like they are above everyone else, it is you. You’re a rotten woman who no one will miss. I would say you have time to change your ways, but that would be a lie, wench. Now, get out of my sight.” Ryomen unceremoniously dropped the woman who collapsed onto the floor. Her neck was bleeding profusely and part of Ryomen wanted to let the old crone bleed out. However, his common sense kicked in. Leaving a dead body in a public supermarket would come back to bite him. Instead of slitting her through or turning her to ash, Ryomen begrudgingly healed her using his reverse cursed technique. His was not as refined as Sukuna’s, but it would do. After healing her, leaving no scrap of evidence behind, Ryomen picked up the tossed pint. He heard the hysterical sobs from the traumatized woman, but he did not acknowledge her whatsoever. 

Well done, Ryomen. Though, your outburst better not have melted our frozen confections!

“Shut up, Sukuna.”

-

If someone were to ask Satoru about wanting children as a teen, he would have laughed in the questioner’s face and mock the person for such a stupid question. ‘Hell no.’ He’d say. ‘Why would anyone want to take care of snot-nosed brats for the rest of their life?’ He’d jeer.

Well, his younger self could fuck off.

“Megumiiiiii-chaaaaan~” 

“I’m punching you next.” Megumi grouched from the backseat of the car. The eleven-year-old had gotten into a fight with several boys at recess. Based on his minimal injuries, Megumi had won the fight. The boys that had tried to gang-up on his boy were much worse for wear, bearing black eyes and broken noses and scratches that likely came from a protective demon dog. However, Megumi was cradling his right arm and would wince whenever the car went over a bump. There were little to no bruises or scuff marks on Megumi, but Satoru knew better than to ignore the risk of something internal occurring. 

After receiving a call from Megumi’s school, he had to ask Ijichi to drive him since it would be jarring if he warped there. The younger man agreed without fuss, sweating profusely as he readied the car. Despite his jittery nature, Ijichi’s skill behind the wheel was unmatched. It was the only time that Ijichi would appear calm and confident. Once they arrived, Satoru had to pretend that he cared for the feelings of the delinquents Megumi had injured and act like he was disappointed in Megumi. It could not be further from the truth, but Satoru needed to be a mature adult in front of the school’s principal. They had given no punishment to the group of boys that had initiated the fight, but had suspended Megumi for two weeks. The parents of the brats that had attacked Megumi tried to lecture Satoru on his parenting skills. He simply smiled at the morons, thanking them for the advice and assuring them that this wouldn’t happen again. If the school had not been the most secure place Satoru could find, he would have ripped those parents and the principal a new one. 

When Megumi and Satoru entered the car, the elder immediately burst into giggles. In his mind, Megumi was being punished for something minor. When Satoru was his age, he had done far worse things to others. Though, the fact that Satoru had been homeschooled meant that all his tutors were paid to deal with his preteen-self’s horrid attitude. He could get away with anything, but Megumi was not being taught by a private tutor. He went to a public school, and the school had rules. Perhaps suspension was warranted for the brutal beating Megumi had given the boys…Maybe. He needed the full story. Satoru had been trying to ask Megumi about what happened for the past ten minutes, but the boy refused to answer. 

As the scenery of office buildings and shopping districts changed to something far more rural, Megumi perked up considerably. His dark expression faded into one of curiosity. There were hundreds of questions brewing in the boy’s navy eyes. 

“Got something on your mind, Megs?” Satoru glanced at the boy.

Megumi huffed stubbornly, a trait he and the twins share. He tried to make his black hair cover his eyes, but it only made the boy look like he was pouting. Eventually, Megumi spoke. “Aren’t you gonna ground me?”

“I don’t think that was the question you wanted to ask.” Satoru teased.

“Just answer, Gojo.” Megumi demanded, though it lacked the normal fire the boy was known for. Despite how hard Megumi tried to appear apathetic or stoic, Gojo could read him like a book. The boy was nervous, likely believing that he was in deep trouble with his adoptive parent. He had a tension in his body that suggested that Megumi was expected to be struck or yelled at. It pained Satoru to see the boy struggle with the trauma his good-for-nothing father gave him. While Megumi never spoke of the first years of his life with Toji, Satoru could tell that it was anything but pretty. It left him with serious issues involving attachment, abandonment, and being more closed off than a clam. It made Satoru want to kill Toji for the second time. And a third. And a fourth-

He shook his head to rid himself of the murderous thoughts. Megumi was still awaiting a response, looking more uneasy than before. With a soft sigh, Satoru turned away, knowing that the boy hated prolonged eye contact. “I’m not mad at you, Megs. I would have done much worse in your shoes, but you showed restraint. You’re a smart kid, so I know that I don’t need to tell you not to do it again. Not because the bastards don’t deserve it, they did if you ask me. You know what you did wrong, and I know you like this school enough that you don’t want to be expelled. The principal is a jerk, sure, but I’ve seen how well the staff and teachers treat you.” 

“...You’re really not mad?” Megumi whispered, eyes wide. For once, he acted like the child he was supposed to be, which had become rarer and rarer over the years.  

“I’m not, Gumi. Promise.” The white-haired man only used the nickname when Megumi was in deep distress. It showed Megumi that Gojo was being sincere. As the road grew bumpier, made from dirt and not asphalt, Megumi’s curiosity returned. 

The preteen’s brow furrowed in the way that it always did when Megumi was thinking hard about something. “Where are we going?” 

“Remember the friends that Suguru and I visit every month?” 

“Yeah? What about them?”

“We’re going to visit them. They’re pretty reclusive, so that’s why you haven’t met them yet. They’re good people though. It’s thanks to them that Suguru doesn’t burn water when trying to boil it, heh. Anyways, an emergency popped up, and they had to leave immediately. Here’s the thing,” Satoru paused for dramatic effect, raising his index finger. The spiky-haired boy was listening with rapt attention and did not enjoy Satoru’s sudden stop. After several seconds of Megumi’s impatient glare, Satoru continued with a grin. “They have a son, and there was no one else available to take care of him. He’s four, but he’s as sweet as Tsumiki. Well behaved too. I know he is going to love having a new friend. The kid has no friends his age, so be nice to him. He also has… guard dogs that are really protective so do not summon your shikigami unless strictly necessary, ‘kay?” 

Silence followed as Megumi processed the information, analyzing every detail Satoru had provided. As the boy got lost in his thoughts, the road got even bumpier. Ijichi had driven this path several times, so he was able to smooth the ride enough for Megumi’s arm to not jostle. Satoru leaned back in the seat, taking out his phone and opening his favorite group chat. 

THE STRONGEST BITCHES🤞😎

infinity3435: @everyone

infinity3435: omw to see yujiiiii with megs o(≧∇≦o)

infinity3435: jealous @curse_gobbler ? 

curse_gobbler: not particularly.

infinity3435: ur such a liar

curse_gobbler: stfu

infinity3435: make me (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)

lesbianmalpractice: can y’all not be gay for once

infinity3435: nope  ｡◕‿◕｡

curse_gobbler: no.

curse_gobbler: are u homophobic shoko?

lesbianmalpractice: only when it comes to you two.

infinity3435: wow ಥ_ಥ

lesbianmalpractice: the more fucking emoticons you use the more homophobic i’m gonna get

infinity3435: (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

Nanami.Kento: I thought that we established that this group chat was for emergencies only.

infinity3435: it is

infinity3435: telling you guys that i get to hang out with yuuji today while you guys are stuck doing boring shit is an emergency

infinity3435: very important info

lesbianmalpractice: ur such a dick

infinity3435: u love me tho (◕‿◕✿)  

lesbianmalpractice: not at all

infinity3435: (◕╭╮◕✿)

curse_gobbler: lmao

infinity3435: SUGURU UR SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE 

curse_gobbler: says who?

infinity3435: says your loving partner of 84 yrs

curse_gobbler: satoru neither of us are even close to being that old. you need to stop watching titanic so much

Nanami.Kento: Well, Gojo-san does have the white hair most elderly are plagued with. It is possible that he has fooled us all with his age. Perhaps that is why he acts so childish, it’s to throw us off. 

infinity3435: NANAMI HOW COULD U? ┗( T﹏T )┛

lesbianmalpractice: HAH

lesbianmalpractice: NANAMI JUST CALLED U A FUCKING GEEZER 

infinity3435: u guys are so mean (இ﹏இ`｡)

lesbianmalpractice: ╭∩╮(╹◡╹)

infinity3435: SHOKO 

lesbianmalpractice: ─=≡Σᕕ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ᕗ

curse_gobbler: (•_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ (⌐■_■)

infinity3435: ALRIGHT QUIT IT 

Nanami.Kento: ୧༼ ºل͜º ༽ºل͜º ༽୨༼ ºل͜º ༽╭∩╮

infinity3435: WTF NANAMI

lesbianmalpractice: YES NANAMI

Nanami.Kento: Apologies if I used it incorrectly. I am not accustomed to this type of text.

curse_gobbler: u used it perfectly. couldn’t done it better myself

lesbianmalpractice: ^

lesbianmalpractice: @infinity3435 that’s what u get for shoving the fact that you get to see yuuji in our faces

curse_gobbler: ^

curse_gobbler: i’ve had to exorcize almost thirty curses and now im omw to excorcize more 

lesbianmalpractice: and i’ve been at the morgue all day 

infinity3435: sucks 4 u

Nanami.Kento: At least, the three of us do not have to spend extra time with Infinite. Even if Yuuji-kun and Megumi-kun are present, Infinite never misses an opportunity to train you. And, frankly, beating the shit out of you. 

infinity3435: HEY

Nanami.Kento: Now, please stop spamming this messaging forum. I have work to do. 

Nanami.Kento: Please tell Yuuji-kun that I said hello. 

lesbianmalpractice: goddamn i forgot how brutal nanami could be

cursed_gobbler: mhm

cursed_gobbler: well, i’ll follow nanami’s lead and log off. my train is almost at its stop anyway

lesbianmalpractice: yeah i gotta perform another autopsy soon

lesbianmalpractice: send pics of the little guys satoru

infinity3435: i will 

infinity3435: someway or another i’m gonna have megs and yuuji have a photoshoot 

curse_gobbler: good luck with that

curse_gobbler: you better send them 

infinity3435: you got it shnookums ( ˘ ³˘)♥

curse_gobbler: delete that this instant

infinity3435: no~

“I’m totally gonna start calling him that from now on.” Satoru giggled to himself. He put his phone in his pocket after turning it off. Now, the man could see that they had reached the expansive land of the ranch Ryomen… acquired . Using the rearview mirror, Satoru got to observe Megumi's smile as the boy pressed his face against the window like an excited child. The spiky-haired boy was none the wiser to Satoru’s stare, so he had dropped the indifferent front he tried so hard to keep. It warmed Satoru’s heart whenever Megumi acted like the eleven-year-old boy he was. 

Nothing made Megumi come out of his shell as effectively as animals. He watched the herds of cattle and sheep graze calmly on grass like it was the most intriguing thing in the world. The boy would also look at the many chickens across the lot with rapt attention, he had even unbuckled his seatbelt at this point to be as close to the window as possible. Both Ijichi and Satoru looked at Megumi with a fondness that anyone who knew the grumpy child would feel. After a few more minutes of driving, the house at the center of the ranch was visible. Several horses could be seen relaxing or grazing on the untrimmed yard. When the car made its way to the unmarked driveway, the horses made no move to run. The small herd had horses of various breeds and sizes with the largest towering over the car Ijichi was driving. In fact, it was the largest horse Satoru had ever seen. It was a deep, black color with white hair pooling around its hooves. Based on how it dwarfed the other horses, it was well over three meters tall. Based on the familiar crimson markings around its snout and eyes, Ryomen had likely given the horse considerable amounts of cursed energy to make it so large. Despite its imposing size, it did not appear to care about the presence of the newcomers whatsoever while the rest of the herd was watching them curiously. Satoru could not help but be reminded of Sukuna from the giant horse’s laziness. 

Whenever Satoru and the others were summoned for training, Infinite would appear before them and warp them to the shrine. He had no idea when or even how the damn bird knew where he, Suguru, Shoko, and Nanami lived. Infinite just did and would give whichever sorcerer he visited a heart attack. Wanting to delay Megumi’s meeting with Infinite as much as possible had led Satoru to request to go to the ranch Ryomen had spoken about. The pink-haired man had been ready to refuse before Sukuna convinced him otherwise, agreeing with Satoru that Megumi should not know what teleporting with Infinite felt like if he didn’t need to. Satoru was fine with warping himself and Megumi to the shrine. The ranch and shrine were over an hour apart, but Satoru could care less. He would deal with the migraine that came after warping a considerable distance easily. Ryomen had allowed Sukuna and Infinite to disable the many wards around the temple’s radius. It would be a temporary hold for Satoru to teleport to the shrine without issue, but the older man warned that the wards would reactivate soon and too not dawdle. 

“This is our stop.” Satoru said, unbuckling his seatbelt before stretching his lanky limbs. In the backseat, Megumi was still gaping at the horses in front of them. He gave Ijichi several hundred dollar bills as thanks, causing the younger to sputter and sweat. As an assistant director, Satoru knew that Ijichi was being overworked as much as the most talented sorcerers. There was so little staff that Ijichi had to do the work of at least ten people every day. He was treated with far less respect than sorcerers and expected to do much more work. Because of his younger age, the elders worked Ijichi harder than anyone else, like he was a dog. Yes, Ijichi did not put his life on the line to fight curses, but the higher-ups were giving their best shot at working assistants like Ijichi to death. It pissed off Satoru immensely. If it was not for Suguru, who was ninety-nine percent of his impulse control, he would have happily murdered those in charge of the assistant directors. Ijichi tried to give the money back, but Satoru remained firm. Eventually, he glared at the man. “Take the cash or else .”

It was an empty, vague threat, but it did its job. Ijichi yelped and bowed his head in thanks and accepted the money, blushing furiously. “Thank you, Gojo-san.”

“Don’t mention it. I know the geezers barely pay you a liveable wage. You need it.” Satoru allowed his cheerful front to drop for a moment. The assistant’s eyes were as wide as saucers from the sorcerer’s kind words. Not wanting to dwell on any thoughts involving the elders, Satoru gave his infamous shit-eating grin. “You better buy me something with that~”

Ijichi nodded frantically. As Satoru helped Megumi with his things, the tired assistant gave a small, grateful smile towards the older sorcerer before pulling out of the driveway and leaving. 

“Your friends are cursed users aren’t they?” Megumi said the second Ijichi’s car was out of sight. 

His abrupt words caused Satoru to choke on his own spit. “How did you- I mean- NO. They aren’t. Uh. They’re sorcerers. Good guys. Super duper nice. They’re harmless…” Satoru began to ramble as Megumi gazed at him with an unimpressed look. Dammit. The kid is too smart for his own good. He had planned to tell Megumi the truth in the safety of the shrine, but his cover was already blown. Ijichi had not been told the reasons as to why he had to drive to a random farm, so Satoru could not say anything in the car. It wasn’t that he distrusted Ijichi, he knew the man was loyal to Yaga and his friends far more than the higher-ups. Even so, the less people that knew about Sukuna and the cursed souls meant less chances of being caught. Ryomen would only allow so much information to be spread. Even Yaga was left in the dark as to where his previous students went. Deciding to bite the bullet, Gojo turned towards his son. He held out his hand, which Megumi begrudgingly took, and led him into the house. Two horses walked up to the pair, likely the youngest of the herd. It was a young filly and colt. The filly had a ginger coat, and she was clearly the more dominant of the two. On the other hand, the colt with strawberry blond fur tried to shove his snout into Megumi’s unoccupied hand. As if knowing the hand was injured, the young horse was incredibly gentle, sniffing at the boy’s fingers. The more prideful female did not get as close, but she was interested in whatever Megumi had in his backpack. 

Megumi had a small grin on his face as he went to pet the colt’s snout, much to the horse’s delight. “I don’t think a sorcerer would ever live this far out in the country. They’re needed in the city far too much. If a curse user wanted to stay hidden, they’d live in a place like this.” The boy’s deduction was correct. For a moment, Satoru basked in the pride of how intelligent his boy was. It made it impossible to hide things from Megumi, but Satoru could not help but be proud. 

“You hit the nail on the head, Megs.” Satoru watched carefully for any signs in Megumi’s posture that would indicate if the boy was fearful of meeting cursed users. When he found nothing, he huffed in amusement and ruffled Megumi’s hair. “You’re such a smart cookie!”

“Quit it!” Megumi snatched the hand in Satoru’s hold to swat at the much taller male. The ginger filly whinnied loudly at the two, almost like she was laughing. “See? Even the horses can see how annoying you are!”

“Oh, the pain! To be betrayed by my own flesh and blood! After all the hours I spent bringing you into the world!” He placed a hand on his forehead in fake agony. 

“We aren’t related! And you are not my mom!” Megumi growled with a fierce glare. However, it only made the boy look more like a hissing kitten in Satoru’s eyes.

“So mean!” 

They spent a few more moments with the horses until Satoru finally lead Megumi towards the inside of the house. The door hinges creaked loudly from lack of care. There was a scent of dust all around, but the house was relatively clean. The living room they were standing in was mostly barren, save for a ratty couch and worn chairs. Storage containers could be seen in every corner, organized in a system only Ryomen knew. Gojo knew better than to mess with any of the containers. 

Megumi had gone quiet again, observing the house. 

Eventually, he spoke up. “Your friends don’t live here, do they?”

“They don’t, but no one can disclose the location of their home. I made a binding vow along with the others to not reveal where their place is.” Gojo gestured towards the old home. “This is a middle ground of sorts. It’s safe if others know its location, that’s why Ijichi knew where to go.”

“But if we’re here, then how are we going to get to your friend’s house?” Megumi asked with a frown. The gears in his head were turning as he attempted to figure out the answer. Gojo could practically see the steam coming out of his nose. 

Satoru placed a hand on Megumi’s shoulder, kneeling to be at eye level with the boy. “I know you don’t like it, but we’ll be warping there. The place has countless wards and seals installed so no one can enter. It’s temporarily disabled, so we can travel there without issue. Warping is the only way.” At the idea of teleporting, Megumi shuddered. It was so disorientating, many had asked Satoru how he never experienced the effects of his teleportation. However, Satoru did feel the nauseating sensations that came with warping, he had just gotten used to it after years of practice. Besides teleporting, Satoru knew there was something more important to discuss with Megumi. “It won’t be too bad, Megs, I promise. But there is another thing-”

“Is it about the guard dogs you made up?”

“Damn, you're on a roll, kid.” Satoru muttered, mildly impressed. He pretended to not notice how Megumi’s little chest puffed up. With his knees beginning to hurt, Satoru decided to sit down, Megumi following suit. He pulled out his phone and opened a private album of photos that no one was allowed to see. There was even a passcode to the photo album. Satoru held out his arm in invitation, and Megumi climbed into his lap. Any embarrassment he would have felt was ignored for the boy’s need to learn more. Satoru pulled up a photo that he knew Megumi would enjoy. “You’re right, they aren’t guard dogs. Though, they still perform the same purpose of protecting my friend’s son. They’re called cursed souls. I’m sure you’ve heard of them, considering how much you like to sneak into Suguru’s study.”

“It’s his fault he didn’t invest in good locks.” Megumi defended. The preteen shifted his attention to the photo and immediately had to bite his lip to not burst out laughing. It was a picture of Nanami, but it depicted the man in a way Megumi had never seen before. To start, Nanami was not wearing his signature glasses and suit. He had on a loose, blue tank top and black joggers that were covered in sweat and mud. The normally stoic sorcerer had his eyes wide, looking behind him. He looked like he was shouting at someone with how his head turned and mouth opened. His well kempt hair was an utter mess. He was clearly being chased by something. It reminded Megumi of the many silly chase scenes he had seen in the cartoons he watched periodically with Mimiko. 

The ones responsible for chasing the blonde were three of the strangest creatures Megumi had ever seen. 

It was true that he had snuck into Getou’s study multiple times, but there was not as much information as Megumi hoped. It was mostly boring paperwork that Megumi did not care about. The treasures he did find were more interesting than any nature documentary. Getou had several drawings and notes describing beings called cursed souls. He had wanted to take the papers and read them in his room, but he knew that Getou was as observant as Gojo. He knew there were more details, they just were not in the study. Any items like textbooks or documents were likely hidden within Getou’s inventory curse. Megumi hated the ugly worm. Whenever he got his phone or remote to his television taken away, Getou would put it into the worm for safekeeping. Megumi knew he could not ask Getou about cursed souls without tattling on himself. From what little he managed to read on cursed souls, Megumi knew that they behaved differently from cursed spirits, they were powerful, they were unpredictable, and Getou hated the one that looked like a bird. 

He recognized the three cursed souls chasing Nanami from Getou’s sketches. Getou normally enjoyed drawing the many curses he encountered or consumed, so Megumi was not surprised that he would make sketches of these strange entities. One of them was a purple cat that had long, black spikes shooting from its back. It was the closest to catching Nanami, but the cat had a playful expression on its fluffy face. It had no intention of actually attacking Nanami. Behind the cat, there was a behemoth of a dog following with its tongue lolling out of its mouth. Concealing the canine’s face was a skull that could not belong to any animal on earth. To start, The top of the skull was jagged and uneven, as if there used to be horns that had been broken off, and seemingly fused into the dog’s face. It was wide enough to cover the canine’s wide features. Additionally, there were two tusks that curled upwards from the upper jaw. When Megumi saw the bottom jaw, he lost all hope of trying to identify the skull. It was bisected with jagged teeth throughout. It allowed the real mouth of the canine to move freely. Besides the haunting skull and strang fur pattern, it looked like an ordinary dog. A massive one, but still a dog. From the slobber on Nanami’s face, it seemed that the canine had given the blonde many kisses. Megumi’s demon dogs did not produce slobber, so their licks were exponentially less messy. The boy could not help but snicker at the image of Nanami being tackled by an overexcited puppy the size of a bear. 

The third creature had no animalistic features whatsoever, a stark contrast to the first two. Megumi turned to Gojo, a question on his lips. Before he could speak, Gojo answered for him. 

“The last one looks like Nanami, huh?” 

“Yeah. Did it copy Nanami or something?”

“Sort of.” Gojo pointed a finger at the last cursed soul. It had several spotted wrappings reaching towards Nanami. The left side of it looked like it was on fire while the rest of its body resembled a mummy. Its lower half reminded Megumi of a serpent. All the wrappings were identical to the ones Nanami used on his blunt sword. The cursed soul even had an altered version of Nanami’s glasses. When he looked closer, Megumi realized that the creature was wearing a second pair of glasses on top of its head. Likely Nanami’s. Gojo’s voice broke the boy out of his musings. “I’ll tell you everything when we get there, okay? If we wait any longer, the wards are going to reactivate.”

Megumi nodded, hundreds of questions swimming in his mind. He felt Gojo pick him up and instinctually wrapped his arms around the elder’s neck. The boy prepared himself for the unpleasantness that came with warping. Gojo gave the boy a squeeze, a nonverbal warning that he was about to teleport. He closed his eyes.

He felt the world around them shift and change. It felt like going on an elevator that was going too fast yet too slow at the same time. The elevator moved up and down, right and left, everywhere and nowhere. 

Then they were somewhere. 

“We’re here! You can open your eyes, kid.” Gojo said reassuringly. When the dizziness and nausea faded, Megumi was placed onto the ground. 

This wasn’t a house. 

It was a temple. 

Megumi was about to demand where the hell Gojo had taken him, but was stopped by a pink blur tackling him to the ground. As the boy’s mind processed what had happened, he went to yell at the jerk who slammed into him. However, any anger Megumi had vanished as he locked eyes with his assailant, who was giving him the biggest smile Megumi had ever seen. 

The younger pink boy wrapped like a koala around Megumi pulled away for a moment. “Hi! I’m Yuuji! I’m so happy to meet you!!!”

Somehow, Megumi just knew his suspension would not be as bad as he thought. 

-

If he was being honest with himself, Sukuna did not expect Megumi and Yuuji to be nearly as close as they used to be in this world. 

He had never been more wrong. 

Having Yuuji and Megumi meet was one of the best decisions Sukuna had ever made. Even Ryomen had begrudgingly admitted how grateful he was for Yuuji’s new friend. With a friend that was actually a child and not an adult or ancient curses, Yuuji blossomed. The amount of nightmares that Yuuji had had diminished greatly due to Megumi’s calming presence. 

Sukuna had not anticipated the bond between the two to be as strong as it was. Instead of being the same age, Megumi was roughly six years older than Yuuji now. It made sense back then for the two teenagers to befriend each other. Two teens had similar issues to relate to and were capable of having a balanced dynamic. Through Yuuji, Sukuna had seen how much the boys cared for each other. It had been something that Sukuna could take advantage of, and he did . He expected Megumi and Yuuji to be acquaintances at best in this time. Megumi was someone who was aloof and preferred to be alone. He did not seem like the type to be fond of children. He wasn’t.

But he was fond of Yuuji. 

Instead of ignoring the younger boy, Megumi had more or less decided that Yuuji was his little brother from now on. He was patient with Yuuji, helping him with preparing for kindergarten. Without any sign of the grouchiness Megumi was known for, he would explain the subject of Yuuji’s lesson in a way the boy could understand. It had been quite difficult for Ryomen when he was teaching Yuuji about reading, writing, and colors. Yuuji became distracted easily, often retreating into his own mind or daydreaming. Ryomen had never had the opportunity to teach Yuuji in things like literacy during their life in the Heian Era. The man had to prioritize on not having Yuuji starve or freeze to death every day. He enjoyed teaching Yuuji in the beginning, but soon realized he was out of his league. Ryomen himself had never been allowed to study in his previous life, learning how to survive instead of how to read. It was Sukuna who had taught Ryomen the basics. However, Sukuna’s teaching style was much less gentle. His tactics involved threatening Ryomen about ‘chopping off your dumbass head if you don’t memorize these damn kanji’. Among other threats of bodily harm or cannibalism. Megumi was the complete opposite. He tutored Yuuji without a hint of difficulty, no threats of eating his student alive whatsoever! Sukuna was slightly envious.

As a result of Megumi’s lessons, Yuuji felt more confident than ever about entering kindergarten. 

“Sukuna, are you sure-”

“Yes, Ryomen.”

“But-”

“No.”

“What if I-”

“ NO .”

“You’re a dick”

“Uh-huh.”

For Ryomen’s sake, they had agreed on having Yuuji start kindergarten at age six. The extra year had helped Yuuji be at the level he needed to be for school. If it wasn’t for Megumi’s tutelage, Yuuji would be incredibly behind academically. The many hours Megumi spent with Yuuji made the younger one stick to the preteen like glue. Whenever Megumi visited, Yuuji would follow him around their home like a duckling. Megumi did not seem to mind Yuuji’s clinginess, happily including Yuuji in whatever he was doing. He would talk about what he did at school and his older sisters the most. When he would speak about going to restaurants or shopping trips with his family, the longing in Yuuji’s eyes could be seen as clear as day. The boy had never gotten to know the pleasures childhood had to offer. However, Yuuji did not become angry like Ryomen or Sukuna anticipated. The child had every right to be upset, scream, or through a fit. Even so, Yuuji did not. Yuuji simply became…sad. He would ask a few questions about the outside world to Ryomen or Sukuna and would go quiet after they answered. Yuuji would nod his head before sitting on the backyard porch, Supernova usually settling in his lap. 

Sukuna could not stand the ‘kicked-puppy’ look in Yuuji’s eyes any longer. After many arguments that involved flames and blood, Sukuna had forced Ryomen to agree to letting Yuuji visit Megumi’s house for a few hours. Gojo and Getou had enthusiastically agreed, promising that nothing would happen to the boy. The guardians were not pleased at all. Only Supernova could accompany Yuuji due to his ability to shrink. It was impossible to hide away something as large as Infinite. The guardians’ forms were not discreet whatsoever. At least, Supernova could hide away in Yuuji’s backpack or hoodie. 

They had needed the boy to leave the temple for a reason. Yuuji’s first day of school was tomorrow, so Sukuna thought that a celebration was in order. It had been Gojo that had suggested a surprise party. The limitless user had bought gaudy decorations and entire boxes of Cyclop Cat Creamery desserts for the party. After seeing the competition Yuuji had had with Sukuna, Gojo demanded another contest. Yuuji had been too exhausted after his eventful birthday to have the ice cream eating competition he wished for. His fifth birthday ended with Sukuna and Yuuji eating their bowls sleepily. At the thought of a proper contest, Yuuji had perked up. Gojo and Yuuji talked endlessly about the competition and what they would do. Their energy was overwhelming to say the least. 

“Shit. I melted one again.” Ryomen grumbled. 

“Then let me handle the rest. You need to calm the hell down.” Sukuna responded without looking up from the table he was setting up. 

Even though Yuuji would be gone for less than a day, it was still the first time that Yuuji would be leaving the shrine. The boy could not contain his excitement when he was told the news. It was an important milestone for Yuuji. He would be leaving the safety of the shrine. Despite knowing that nothing will happen to Yuuji with the two strongest sorcerers by his side, Ryomen had never felt more terrified in his life. Sukuna had wanted to yell at Ryomen to shut up, but the trembling in Ryomen’s body stopped him. 

Their shared soul told Sukuna everything Ryomen was not willing to say. 

It wasn’t that Ryomen was a controlling parent and freaking out about his child being out of his grasp. Not at all. Ryomen encouraged Yuuji to make his own decisions and be his own person. He did not want to hold his son back. However, leaving the shrine was different. Ryomen now knew that Kenjaku and the disaster curses were out there. Sure, Kenjaku’s plan would not occur in another few years, but nothing was stopping the curses from harming Yuuji. Kenjaku did not need a plan to hurt his son. The fact that Kenjaku could disguise themselves as anyone in the country without detection made things worse. 

Sukuna saw the haunted look in Ryomen’s eyes. He was grasping a pint of ice cream so tightly that the carton had popped. The pain of flames and grief within their soul gave insight into where Ryomen’s mind was. It was the day the Ryomen had been burned alive with his deceased son in his grasp. The son that a healer had tried to take away and toss into a mass grave. The day that Ryomen left his humanity in the ashes of the village that he had once grown up in. 

The curse himself had seen the event firsthand. Sukuna had seen the soul-crushing agony Ryomen had felt when he realized that his son was not coming back. That type of pain could not be forgotten. Sukuna could still remember the scent of burning flesh and the sound of guttural howls from a man shattered by the cruelty of the world. Ryomen had never been the same, no one would remain unchanged after such an event. However, Sukuna had seen Ryomen’s normal concern for Yuuji begin to revert to the terror the man had felt centuries ago. 

That man would burn the entire world if his son was harmed and not be satisfied even after everything was destroyed. 

That man could not return. 

“Ryomen, go back inside. Watch your shitty television shows with Boogie and cry out the shit in your head.” Sukuna did not phrase it as a suggestion, but as an order. 

The man jolted at the curse’s sharp words. “What about the-”

“I’ll handle it. Go.” Sukuna spoke tiredly. He pinched the bridge of his nose before rubbing his face with a groan. “Yuuji will be back in an hour. I doubt he wants his father on the verge of a meltdown at a celebration meant for him.”

No rebuttal came from Ryomen. He was hesitant to leave until Boogie gently tugged on Ryomen’s hand with his teeth. The dog whined pleadingly for the man to listen. Ryomen resisted for a few seconds before giving in. He glanced at Sukuna, the bags under his eyes more pronounced than they had been in years. “Thanks, Sukuna.”

“Don’t mention it. Ever .” 

“Wasn’t planning to.” The pink-haired man ruffled Boogie’s fluffy mane. Immediately, the dog’s large tail began wagging so quickly that it became a blur. Supernova and Boogie had always been the closest to Ryomen. The purple feline helped Ryomen immensely during Yuuji’s infancy and continued to give his father useful insight on Yuuji’s wellbeing. Whenever Ryomen was overwhelmed after a stressful day or was being haunted by the horrors of his past, Supernova would leave Yuuji’s side, as long as it was safe, to keep the man company. Normally, the breakdowns, anxiety attacks, and other episodes that Ryomen suffered from occurred in the dead of night. Sukuna had no idea how to help, but Supernova somehow did. He would place himself on Ryomen’s chest and begin to purr and knead his paws, allowing Ryomen to pet his silky fur as much as he wanted. Sukuna would always be nearby as silent support, but it was Supernova that did most of the work. Boogie was the one that made Ryomen let loose. The mastiff was the most energetic of the guardians and was one of the few things that can tire an energetic Yuuji out. Especially a Yuuji with a sugar rush . His jovial energy was contagious to Ryomen. When Boogie wasn’t making Ryomen chase him or wrestle, the dog was Ryomen’s movie partner in the shitty dramas he watched. Sukuna had caught the two sleeping on the couch after a binge countless times, a puffy eyed Ryomen using a snoring Boogie as a blanket and pillow. 

It seemed that the guardians helped more than just Yuuji. 

Sukuna knew he would never be the subject of their concern, and he had accepted that. The cursed souls would not attack Sukuna like they did when they had first met, Yuuji would burst into tears if he saw the way Sukuna and the guardians hurt each other. Over the years, the guardians were mostly indifferent towards Sukuna and kept their distance. Infinite would still find new ways to make Sukuna’s days worse, but the bird did not give Sukuna hallucinations anymore. He would take Infinite’s pettiness over his psychic torment any day. 

At least, they were useful today. Without Yuuji, the guardians were lost on what to do. They were restless. Even though they had the perfect opportunity to attack Sukuna, they decided to aid him with the party. It was only for Yuuji’s sake. Infinite made it his personal mission to remind Sukuna of their dislike. The draconic bird would peck Sukuna with his sharp beak and then pretend that he had done nothing. Currently, Infinite had his beak shoved into the pint of ice cream Ryomen had dropped. His lengthy body was tangled in part streamers, but the entity did not care enough to remove them. Overtime slapped Infinite, causing him to squawk in offense, before taking the pint. The mummy used his wrappings to clean up the mess Infinite had made of himself. With Overtime occupied with Infinite, the two remaining guardians had to take on his workload. Resonance had placed herself in charge of decorations and would raise a razor-sharp nail threateningly at anyone who tried to interfere. The roses she conjured were quite beautiful, so Sukuna didn’t mind. 

“Don’t even think about it.” Sukuna growled. 

Chimera had been assisting with the chairs and supplies needed for the competition. However, the inky entity had apparently finished due to the fact that the being was now trying to sick his wretched frogs on Sukuna. Chimera clicked harshly in response, green eyelights narrowing. When his eyelights went to shift into another shikigami, Sukuna growled again. While Infinite was obvious with his hatred, Chimera’s ire with Sukuna was much more subtle. He would summon his frog shikigami the second Sukuna’s back was turned and release the frog the second someone was watching. Chimera’s gama frogs were a pain to deal with. They were not as dangerous as Nue or his demon dogs, but they were annoying. If Chimera was lucky, he would have a frog shoot its tongue directly into Sukuna’s ear. He had been successful a handful of times, and Sukuna remembered each one very well. 

A distorted warble came from Chimera as he stared down Sukuna. Eventually, Chimera’s hatred was put aside, knowing that Yuuji would be upset if his uncle was hurt. Despite not having any facial features besides his eyelights, Chimera appeared to be scowling fiercely. He shrunk into his smaller form, a sea-urchin blob of malcontent, and went underneath a table. 

This was going to be the longest hour in Sukuna’s life. 

.

.

.

-

.

.

.

The crisp air provided by the spring breeze in combination with the warm sun made it the perfect time to eat something cold. Many people were likely partaking in eating their favorite frozen desserts on such a nice day. 

One such family was indulging in the need for an ice-cold treat. However, what should have been a relaxing time spent with others had turned into an all out war. 

“QUIT CHEATING, SUGURU!” A man with white hair and dark sunglasses barked. It was Gojo Satoru, the person known for his sweet tooth, and he was being beaten by his partner. 

Suguru Getou, a sorcerer with a technique that forced him to eat the most vile objects in existence, chuckled. He had just finished his third bowl while Satoru was still on his first. In a sickly sweet voice, Suguru crooned to his boyfriend. “I’m not cheating, darling. You’re just being a sore loser. Even Yuuji is miles ahead of you.”

The boy mentioned perked up from his name being called. His cheeks were full of ice cream, making the child resemble a hamster. Five bowls were stacked next to him and he was already halfway through his sixth. His honey eyes sparkled with glee as he nodded to Suguru, mouth still full. When the boy swallowed, the other adults at the table watched for signs of discomfort, but Yuuji did not even flinch. 

“WHAT?! YUUJI-KUN! ARE YOU JUST IMMUNE TO BRAIN FREEZE?!!” Gojo exclaimed with wide eyes. 

Instead of seeing who could eat the most ice cream at once, the competition centered around who will get the infamous ‘brain freeze’ that comes with consuming something cold. If the competition had been based on the former, then Gojo would win without question. However, the sorcerer had to take miniscule bites to prevent his head from aching. Gojo Satoru was notorious for many things. Being the strongest sorcerer in the modern era, being the first person in five hundred years to inherit the Six Eyes and Limitless, being the fastest person on the planet, being a skilled mathematician and physicist, among many other things. One of said things was the fact that Gojo Satoru had NO tolerance for frozen sweets. His mind was always running one hundred miles per hour, so his brain was vulnerable to experiencing a brain freeze. It was ridiculously easy to make Gojo have a brain freeze. Due to this, Gojo was trying to eat as slowly as possible to prevent it…But-

“AGH FUCK!”

“Language!”

It didn’t work. 

“Gojo! You’re out!” An older boy with black, spiky hair and a megaphone announced from his seat on a lounge chair. Beside him were the first contestants that had lost, Nanami and Shoko. Though, neither person wanted to participate in the contest, so they forfeited after one round. Now, the pair were relaxing on identical lounge chairs the boy was sitting on, a bowl of their preferred flavor in their hands. Each had sunglasses and a matching smirk. 

The man in his twenties pouted, but left the ‘podium’. “Fine, but I’m gonna be the announcer! You suck at it, Megs!”

“I do not!” Megumi shouted, holding the megaphone to his chest. 

“Yeah! Fushi is the best announcer!” Yuuji defended his friend without hesitation. He pointed his messy spoon at Gojo with a frown. “Don’t be a meanie!”

“See! Yuuji said I’m better, so go away!” Megumi made a shooing motion with his hands.

Gojo shook his head with a frown before disappearing. He reappeared behind Megumi’s chair with a microphone in hand, causing the preteen to seemingly jump out of his skin. Wrapping an arm around his son’s shoulder, Gojo smiled devilishly. “We’ll be a tag team then! I’ll do the cool stuff and you do the boring stuff.”

Knowing that Gojo would not take no as an answer, Megumi just rolled his eyes. “Ugh. Fine.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet, Megs!” Gojo cooed before kissing his son’s cheek with an obnoxious ‘MWAH!’ 

Megumi looked like he had been stabbed. When he touched his cheek, his pale skin adopted a twinge of green. “You got ice cream on me, you jerk!”

Instead of responding, Gojo just stuck out his tongue cheekily. As Gojo approached the podium that was really two tables stuck together with a cloth on top, he raised the microphone to his lips. When he spoke, he sounded identical to a sports announcer. “Welcome folks to the most intense competition you will ever see! We pitted several champions against each other to determine who has the Toughest Brain in Japan!” He turned to his son with a flourish. “My fellow commentator, Megumi, will inform us on the rules of the game!”

For a moment, Megumi stayed silent while glowering at Gojo. Eventually, he caved in with a sigh and began to speak in a monotone voice. “You have to eat ice cream until the timer runs out or we run out of pints. Whoever gets a brain freeze is out. The person who lasts the longest without getting one is the winner with the thickest head, I guess.” 

“Indeed! Let’s look at our leaderboard. Tied for dead last are Nanami and Shoko! Who quit after one round to laze around like old people!” Gojo pointed at the aforementioned forfeiters. Neither reacted to their friend’s overdramatics. However, Shoko flipped the taller one off without looking away from her bowl. After Gojo finished teasing the two, he approached the table. He leaned down to the man sitting next to Yuuji. “It seems that Ryomen is the closest to being out! How are you doing, champ?”

The only answer Gojo got from Ryomen was a groan. His head was pressed against the surface on the table. Beside his head was a bowl of melted ice cream. “Trying to drink it was a mistake.” Ryomen’s muffled voice slurred. His hands were wrapped around his stomach in pain. Groggily, he lifted his head to try eating more, but gave up. “Yeah, I’m done.”

Yuuji patted sticky hands around his father’s broad back. “Papa, you gotta keep going! You can do it!” 

“Honey, if Papa keeps going, Papa is going to hurl.” Ryomen said, face still planted on top of the table. However, his words did not placate his son. It had the opposite effect. With determination in his golden eyes, Yuuji shook Ryomen harder. The boy’s inhuman strength accidentally made the entire table shake. 

“You can do it, Papa! I believe in you! You’re super duper strong! Your fire powers can just go FWOO and then HYOI! BRAIN FREEZE HAS NOTHING ON THAT, PAPA!” Yuuji said encouragingly. And loudly. Very loudly. “DO FWOO HOI, DAD! FWOO, HYOI!”

From her seat, Shoko cackled. “Kid’s gotta a point! Fwoo, hyoi is the way to go!”  

Gojo and Getou sent her a withering glare. 

Shoko grinned.

Ryomen groaned. “Yuuji, honey, not so loud. Inside voice-”

“But we’re outside?” The pink-haired boy cocked his head, confused. 

“Then use your Don’t-Make-Papa’s-Ears-Bleed voice.” Ryomen pleaded. He willfully ignored the mocking laughter from the four armed curse next to him. 

Finally noticing how terrible his father looked, Yuuji quietened. “Okay, Papa.”

“Thank you, son.” 

“Does your tummy hurt?”

“Yes, Yuu.”

“Oh! Do you need the orange tea that you give me when my tummy hurts?”

“Not right now, hun.”

“What about hot cocoa? It makes me feel better because it’s so yummy!”

At the thought of consuming another sweet, Ryomen sprang out of his seat with a hand on his mouth. He breathed deeply for a few moments until his stomach settled. Looking like he had completed a marathon, Ryomen panted. “Papa is gonna join the loser’s spot. Beat your uncle for me, alright?” 

Fortunately, his request halted any further questions Yuuji had. Without Ryomen in between them, Yuuji and his uncle could see each other. They locked eyes.

The curse with four arms and similar pink hair bared his sharp teeth in a challenging grin. He had eaten the most out of the group with a tower of bowls wobbling precariously. “So you think you can beat me, brat?”

“Yeah! I’m going to beat you and make you give me piggyback rides every day!” Yuuji replied with the same glint in his eyes that his uncle had. Both were competitive to a fault. “I’m gonna win, Uncle Kuna!”

“That a challenge, brat?” Sukuna leaned towards the boy, his predatory smile growing wider. 

“Yeah!” 

“Good luck, brat. You’re really going to need it.” Sukuna ruffled Yuuji’s hair, his hand large enough to palm Yuuji’s head. 

“Hey! I’m gonna beat you even more ‘cause you did that!”

“You mean lose?”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Yeah-huh!”

“Nuh-uh!”

As the uncle and nephew playfully bickered, Gojo slunk to the opposite end of the table. His grip around his microphone tightened as he bore his piercing gaze into a smug curse manipulator. “With Ryomen out of the competition, it seems that we are down to our final three. I wonder who our next loser is.” 

Getou smiled like a snake that had just caught its prey. He batted his eyes innocently at Gojo. “May I ask why you’re staring at me in particular, announcer?” 

“Because dry ice is next!” Megumi answered before the taller sorcerer could. His bored expression turned malicious. It was a look Getou and Gojo knew well. It was the look their children had before turning into goblins of mischief and mayhem. All the confidence Getou had been feeling vanished as Megumi grinned like the evil miscreant he truly was. “We’re entering the Sudden Death Round!” 

The moment the words left Megumi’s mouth, a screech sounded from the leaves of the largest tree in the backyard. Twigs and leaves fell as the creature inside climbed down. Snow white fur, colorful feathers, and a hooked beak twisted in amusement. It was Infinite, the being who loved tricks more than anyone. Infinite’s talons dug into the bark of the tree as he descended vertically. When he reached the soft ground, the draconic bird trotted to Megumi with a pleased trill. The group of cursed souls that Infinite belonged to did not react to his antics. Similar to Shoko and Nanami, the other cursed souls were sound asleep across the land. Two of them, a demonic canine and feline, had smaller bowls of their own that had been licked clean. The larger of the two, Boogie, was laying belly-up with a full stomach and snores. Supernova, the feline, had hopped onto Ryomen’s lap before promptly falling asleep in the perfect imitation of a loaf of bread. Due to not having mouths, Resonance and Chimera watched underneath the shade of a tree. It was up to Infinite to stir up things!

With his beak, Infinite reached into the cooler that Megumi had hidden and procused three bowls of ice cream. Each bowl appeared to be steaming like a boiling pot. However, the vapor was caused by the chunks of dry ice inside the innocuous container. There was only a small scoop in the bowls, small enough that it could be eaten in one bite. Which was exactly what Megumi had intended. Seeing the surprise on his parents’ faces, Megumi revealed his plan. “I knew that Gojo would want to take over the announcer role. That’s why I accepted the role and did it as lifelessly as possible. It would ensure a 100% success rate of Gojo taking my role.” 

“We really shouldn’t get on his bad side.” Getou softly uttered to Gojo, who nodded solemnly. However, Megumi had heard him.

“Too late.” Megumi deadpanned. 

From his seat at the table, Yuuji raised his hand instinctively, the motion ingrained into him after the many lessons he had had with the preteen. “Fushiguro?”

“Yes, Yuuji?” The older boy replied without a hint of the vengefulness he had shown his parents. 

Yuuji spoke in a small voice, curling in on himself. “Am I on your bad side?”

The sharp features of the ravenette softened. Megumi shook his head. “No, you’re not. You can be dumb sometimes, but you’re not stupid.”

While the adults were confused and slightly insulted by his response, Yuuji nodded sagely with complete understanding. “Got it. They’re idiots, but not morons.”

“Exactly.” Megumi nodded in approval. His voice immediately hardened as he looked at the others. “Now. Here’s how Sudden Death works. You have to eat the scoop in one bite and hold it there for at least five seconds. Try to eat it if you can, though I wouldn’t recommend it. You’ll probably break your teeth. Anyways. The one who can hold the scoop for the longest wins. Infinite?”

The cursed soul chirped in agreement. Within his durable beak and talons, the ice cold desserts did not injure him. He would place a bowl, fan it with his tail, screech, and repeat. When Infinite reached Yuuji, he cooed instead of shrieking, preening the boy’s mussed hair. The remaining contestants each had differing expressions. Suguru looked at his bowl with apprehension. Sukuna looked at his bowl with mild intrigue. Yuuji looked at his bowl like it was a hero to be admired. The contestants that had lost looked on in anticipation with Gojo cackling at the sweat beading down Suguru’s neck.  

Infinite retreated to Megumi’s side and chirped three times. The boy patted the cursed soul on the beak, which Infinite leaned into. Once everyone was settled, Megumi raised his megaphone for the last time. “You will begin eating in…Three…Two…”

Megumi stopped.

The remaining three were as taught as the string on a bow. Copying the technique that Gojo often did to annoy others, Megumi let them stew in the heavy silence. He would have made them wait longer, but Yuuji was actually vibrating with how hard he was trying to stay still. Placing the megaphone down, Megumi cupped his hands over his mouth to yell the loudest anyone had ever heard him. “ONE!” 

Instantly, Getou, Sukuna and Yuuji snatched their spoons. They all had a moment of hesitation as they stared at the plain vanilla ball. Deciding to risk it, Getou took the first bite with Sukuna following suit. Yuuji enthusiastically popped the ball in his mouth like a squirrel snatching a nut. 

“OWOWOW! NO! THAT HURTS! THAT REALLY HURTS!” Getou spat out the chilled scoop after half a second. His mouth felt numb all over. He thought his gums and upper palate were frostbitten. Somehow, it was so cold that it burned. He could hear triumphant cheers of Satoru and the quiet snickers of his other friends. 

Sukuna tried to appear nonchalant with the ice scalding his mouth. He had handled much worse. A little cold could not beat him. He made it to four seconds. The cold became too much, and he spat it out with a painful cough. The curse began using his reverse cursed technique to return blood flow to his numb and tingling mouth. Sukuna had been so distracted by the relief he felt to after being rid of the deadly dessert that he barely heard Ryomen’s worried shouts.

“WAY TO GO YUUJI! NOW, SPIT IT OUT!” Ryomen did not know if he should feel proud or terrified for his son not succumbing to the impossibly cold ice cream. So cold that Yuuji could develop irreversible frostbite. Okay, he was definitely terrified. “YUUJI! SPIT IT OUT! YOU WON!”

Taking Ryomen’s pleas as another challenge, Yuuji shook his head. The little boy went to bite down on the ice cream. He wanted to brag about eating the ball to his uncle, so he did not think twice about the consequences. As his jaw clenched, there was a loud CRACK . 

The air went deathly still.

Yuuji finally spat out the ball of ice cream. However, there was a tinge of red to the vanilla. He turned the ball around in his hands and saw his front tooth lodged into it. The boy yanked his tooth out of the scoop, waving it around excitedly to his father. “PAPA! I LOST A TOOTH! CAN WE PUT IT UNDER MY PILLOW?!”

Ryomen gave a shaky thumbs up.

Then he fainted. 

-

“Pencils?”

“Check!”

“Paper?”

“Check!”

“Crayons?”

“Check!”

“Folder?”

“Check!” 

“Snacks?”

“Check!”

“Water?”

“Check!”

“Lunch?”

“Check!” 

“Supernova?”

“Check!” Yuuji giggled, holding his beloved cat in the air. His Papa was so silly! He carefully placed a shrunken Supernova into his backpack. He gave his father a salute that he had seen in one of the movies Gojo had shown him. “Onii-cat is secured!”

“Then it seems that my little cub is ready for class.” His father sounded happy but sad at the same time. He carded his hand in Yuuji’s hair with a happy-sad face. Saddy? Ha-ad? 

Everyone else had given Yuuji hugs and well-wishes yesterday, but not Ryomen. At first, Yuuji thought his Papa was mad at him, but Uncle Kuna told him to not worry. Uncle Kuna said that his Dad was just sad, comparing his feelings to his guardians because they couldn’t come to class with Yuuji. 

He loves you, brat. So do your guardians. Don’t you think they’d be bummed if their favorite person was somewhere they couldn’t follow?

His Uncle Kuna was really smart. Fushiguro was smart too, but his uncle just knew things that Yuuji could never understand. 

All of the other kids had said their goodbyes except for Yuuji and Ryomen. Yuuji really wanted to go to his class, but his Papa still looked sad-happy! An idea popped into his head, and Yuuji wanted to pump his fist in the air. He stood up on his tiptoes and pressed his forehead against his Papa’s. It was a good thing that his Papa was kneeling. He was too tall!

“I’ll be okay, Papa. I pinky promise!” Yuuji stuck out his pinky. 

His Dad blinked several times before the sad-happy just became happy. He linked his larger pinky with Yuuji, a smile on his face. It made Yuuji feel all warm and bubbly inside! He liked it when his Papa smiled.

“Alright, Yuu. It’s a promise.”

“A pinky promise!”

“Yes.” Ryomen kissed the top of Yuuji’s head. “It’s a pinky promise.”

When his father left, Yuuji turned to finally enter his class. It was so colorful! His classmates were running around with toys or drawing on construction paper. He was so excited! Mister Getou had been teaching him how to draw, and Yuuji knew he needed to draw something for each member of his family. 

“Hello, little one. I take it you’re my last student?” A sweet voice spoke from behind Yuuji. He turned around and saw his kindergarten teacher. She had dark hair tied back with a pretty yellow headband-scarf thing. It had flowers all over and it matched with her yellow shirt and blue skirt. She had her hand out, waiting for Yuuji to take it. Remembering what Nanami had taught him, Yuuji took her hand and shook it as hard as he could. Doing it harder meant more respect, right?

His teacher laughed. “It’s nice to meet you too, Itadori Yuuji. I’m Miss Kenko and I’ll be your teacher from now on.”

“I can’t wait!” Yuuji squealed. He already wanted to run around, his legs were screaming for it! 

“Neither can I.” Miss Kenko said. She smiled at him, and it made Yuuji feel warm again. And cold. The nice lady pointed towards the cubbies. “You can place your backpack over there, little one. There won’t be any need for notes. Today is all about introductions!”

“Okay!” Yuuji couldn’t help but squeal. His first day was going to be cool! Not boring! He ran to place his backpack on a hook and took off his shoes, placing it in the nearest empty cubby. He put on his school shoes and grabbed his crayons. He heard Supernova meow worriedly, so he kept the zipper open. “Miss Kenko said we aren’t doing anything today! You can explore if you want! I love you, Nova! Bye!”

He saw an empty desk and headed towards it. There were four pages from a coloring book, just waiting to be filled! The first page was a volcano with spots, the second page was a forest with lots of roots, the third page was a beach with a big squid, and the fourth page was of a funky-looking cube. Yuuji began coloring in the first page when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

“If you need extra coloring pages, let me know.” Miss Kenko smiled at him again. 

“I will! I’ll show you when I’m done!”

“That sounds great, Yuuji! I’m looking forward to seeing your skills.” With that, Miss Kenko left as fast as she came. It made sense. There were a lot of other students she had to keep an eye on. 

He got so absorbed in his drawing that he completely forgot about the question weighing heavily on his mind. 

The surname his father had given him was Ryomen. Ryomen Yuuji.

So…

Who was Itadori? 

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #sukuna #itadori yuuji #ryomen sukuna #gojo satoru #geto suguru #satosugu #megumi fushiguro #nobara kugisaki #jjk choso #nanami kento #todo aoi #shoko ieiri #jjk yuuji #kenjaku #yaga masamichi #Cursed Guardians Fic #CG fic #jjk fic #stsg

[cyber-streak-2]

Hi, would I be able to request a platonic human!Reader + tfp!Ratchet where the reader is very interested in Cybertronian history and physiology. Like maybe they want to help him in treating the other Autobots and are more than happy to listen to him speak at length about super obscure history trivia? Your work is stellar btw!

(TFP) Ratchet with a Human Reader who happens to be incredibly interested in Cybertronian History/anything about the Cybertronians:

{Ratchet, at first, had been a little annoyed to have yet another human—there were already a lot—but, you didn’t really cause any problems, and you tried to keep Miko from going through the groundbridge. That was nice.}

{He was made your guardian. At first, neither of you really knew what to say to the other. Although you certainly did have a lot of questions- this was something entirely new to you.}

{Eventually, you get the courage to approach him while he’s working on something. You simply ask him to tell you... anything, about pre-war Cybertron, and he seems happy to tell you.}

{This quickly becomes something the two of you usually do. You’ll ask him anything about Cybertron, or Cybertronians themselves, and he’ll explain- doesn’t matter what the two of you are doing. Though all of this obviously isn’t all you talk about it—pretty frequent, though.}

{After one of the Autobots gets hurt again, you start wondering more- specifically about Cybertronian bodies. So, of course, you go and ask Ratchet questions shortly after.}

{No matter what you ask him about- history about Cybertron, anything about Cybertronians themselves, etc, Ratchet will occasionally show you videos and/or photos, so that you don’t just have to imagine the stuff.}

{Optimus was surprised when you came to him and started listing off a bunch of stuff that Ratchet told you, but was also really happy at how well the two of you were getting along.}

{Even if you kind of want to, you can’t really help Ratchet with helping a wounded Autobot- you are much too small. But, that doesn’t stop you from taking note of everything that you can see him do while he works.}

{You, admittedly, also want to actually learn to speak Cybertronian, which you tell him. Ratchet isn’t sure if a human would be able to do that, but he’ll try to help teach you- either with actually speaking, or simply understanding.}

#Grumpy-red #Requests #Headcanons #X Reader #Platonic #Human reader #TFP #Ratchet #Asks #Answers #Anubis’s Chatter #Cyber’s Chatter #Styx’s Chatter #I’m glad you like my stuff :)

[cartoonrival]

Abridged Archie Sonic Reading List

For anyone interested in reading preboot archie sonic without Reading preboot archie sonic. i understand its ok.

Important but boring/bad issues are summarized in small text. If I’m missing any information/anything is incorrect please let me know!

NOTE: This list is my own opinion of what is interesting or important. I try to be objective, but nobody’s perfect. The purpose of this list is not to cut out all unsavory content; I do it where I can, but some unpleasant events are too important to summarize or take up like two panels in the middle of a good issue. It’s an old comic and sometimes things are handled poorly, so be aware of that as well; even Flynn’s run isn’t devoid of criticism. Inevitably, there will be characters and events referenced that you don’t know about if you don’t read the entire comic, but hopefully this should cover your bases well enough to enjoy the comic anyways.

KNUCKLES LORE EXPOSITION SPEEDRUN: Echidnas were the most developed society on Mobius. Their population was generally split into two groups; the citizens of Echidnaopolis on Angel Island, and those in Albion, near Mercia. Knuckles is under the impression that he is the last echidna; his father, Locke, isolated him from the rest of the population and trained him in the ways of the Guardian before “Answering the calling of [their] forebears!” and disappearing into a wall of energy in the Forbidden Zone, leading Knuckles to believe he had died.

Angel Island was raised into the air using the power of the Chaos Emeralds (and with the quiet help of the fire ants) in order to protect its inhabitants from an incoming comet. Centuries later, 400 years before the story takes place, two scientist brothers, named Dimitri and Edmund, built a Chaos Siphon that would absorb the power of the emeralds and return the island to Mobius.

However, after being rejected by the council, Dimitri attempted to use the siphon anyways, but it backfired, causing HIM to absorb the chaos energy and transforming him into Enerjak, a chaos demigod with the power to do anything the wielder can imagine.

After his defeat and (apparent) death, the echidnas swore off all technology, and Edmund appointed himself guardian of the last remaining emerald, starting the line of guardians that Knuckles is a part of, known as the Brotherhood of Haven. Dimitri’s son founded the Dark Legion, which opposed Echidnaopolis’s rejection of technology. Dimitri continued to lead the Dark Legion with heavy cybernetics, eventually being reduced to just a head.

Due to impending war with the Dingoes, Echnidaopolis was transported to its own pocket dimension, and the Dingoes to another. However, when both cities were suddenly brought back into the Prime Zone, they overlapped, causing the conflict to resurface. This return to the Prime Zone is how Knuckles learns he is not the last Echidna.

Colonists from Albion living in Downunda used Tasmanian Devils as test subjects in horrific experiments to create Tasmanian Devil dogs. The scientists responsible were arrested and imprisoned, but the Tasmanian Devil population never recovered.

Dr. Finitivus is a villainous mad scientist from Albion.

Julie-su is Knuckles’ fated soulmate (Echidnas have fated soulmates through a process called Soultouch). She is an orphan who was raised in the Dark Legion, but left to join Knuckles and the Chaotix.

Archimedes is a fire ant and a friend and mentor of Locke, who now fills that same role with Knuckles.

Sonic #001

Sonic #003: Rabbot-Deployment

Sonic #011: The Good, The Bad, and The Hedgehog

Sonic #013: This Island Hedgehog

Sonic #017: First Star I See Tonight

Sonic #018: In the Still of the Night

Sonic The Hedgehog In Your Face! Special: The Quest and Quest’s End

Sonic #020: Deadliest of the Species

Princess Sally Miniseries – Geoffrey joins Sally and her small team of new Freedom Fighters on a mission, acting as a double agent in order to stop Robotnik from replacing Sally with a robot replica.

Sonic #024-025

Sonic #028-029: Growing Pains and Tails Miniseries #1-3 – Frustrated at being underestimated and patronized by the older Freedom Fighters, Tails takes the Sea Fox out for a spin to prove his worth. He comes across Fiona the Fox and falls in love with her, but it turns out she’s a robotic replica of younger Fiona created by Robotnik in order to trick Tails. He narrowly escapes. Heartbroken and upset that he was duped on his first solo mission, he continues alone, coming across the Downunda Freedom Fighters. In the Downunda crater, he is introduced to the Ancient Walkers by Knuckles’ great-grandfather, Athair. The Ancient Walkers speak through Tails about the history of the Chaos Emeralds and of a “Chosen One” who will gather the emeralds and begin an era of great harmony. Tails misses his friends in Knothole and realizes that their overbearingness was just them trying to protect him, so the Forty Fathoms Freedom Fighters help him fix the Sea Fox and he returns to Knothole.

Sonic #030

Sonic #031: Tundra Road Pt 1

Sonic #032: Blast from the Past – Uncle Chuck restores the consciousness of Sonic’s roboticized dog, Muttski. The Freedom Fighters free an ancient Mobian (like the mobian equivalent of a neanderthal), dubbed Mobie, from ice.

Sonic #032: Tundra Road Pt 2

Sonic #034: To ‘Bot or Not To ‘Bot! – Uncle Chuck is now pretending to be mind controlled by Robotnik so he can act as a spy.

Sonic #036: Heart of Darkness

Sonic #037: Bunnie’s Worst Nightmare

Sonic #037: The Day Robotropolis Fell – After Robotnik leaves Robotropolis to escape an earthquake, Chuck, Sally, Nicole, and Sonic sneak in to deroboticize as many robians as they can. Chuck remains a robot so he can continue serving as a spy.

Sonic #040

Sonic #041

Sonic Quest #1: Death Egg Saga: Scrambled Pt 1

Sonic Quest #1-3 – Robotnik reveals his Death Egg, a ship built to roboticize all of Mobius in one go, as well as attempt to sink Angel Island and steal its Chaos Emeralds. Sonic and Tails fight the newly revealed Silver Sonic. They successfully destroy both Silver Sonic and the Death Egg, though Robotnik escapes. They retrieve several Power Rings for King Acorn.

Sonic #042: In Every Kingdom There Must Exist a Little Chaos Pt 3

Sonic #043

Sonic #046: Countdown to Armageddon

Sonic vs Knuckles Battle Royale – Knuckles delivers the Sword of Acorns to Sally, but their meeting is intercepted by Mammoth Mogul and his Fearsome Foursome. Mogul swaps the sword for a fake without Knuckles or Sally realizing.

Sonic #047-049 and Sonic Super Special #6 – Drago, a member of Lupe’s wolfpack, Hershey the Cat’s abusive boyfriend, and now-revealed traitor, tricked Hershey into killing Sally while wearing a Sonic disguise that made everyone, including Sally, look like Snively Robotnik. So she thought she was killing Snively Robotnik. Geoffrey is very excited to put Sonic in the slammer. Sonic, Antoine, and Bunnie kill Robotnik by interrupting his Ultimate Annihilator, creating many new zones and sending Prime Zone Knothole 3 hours into the future. New zones are popping up in brief pockets around the planet. Sonic’s name is cleared.

Sonic Super Special #2

Sonic #053

Sonic #054 – Sonic is angry at Chuck for keeping his parents’ status a secret from him, and feeling restless without enemies to fight. Chuck feels guilty, but explains that he was worried the knowledge his parents were alive but roboticized would stunt Sonic’s ability to think clearly about the war and Robotnik would use his love for his parents against him. Sonic forgives him. Chuck requests to make Knothole a temporary city just for Robians (newly freed roboticized Mobians), who are being harassed by the Mobians of Mobotropolis, but King Acorn denies him.

Sonic #055

Sonic #056 – Mammoth Mogul attacks Echidnaopolis. Knuckles retrieves the real Sword of Acorns and returns it to Sally. Mogul’s defeat resulted in the destruction of Angel Island’s Chaos Emeralds and the formation of the Master Emerald, with the power of the Chaos Emeralds and Mammoth Mogul’s lifeforce at its center, keeping the island afloat. Turbo Tails debut.

Sonic Super Special #4: Return of the King

Sonic #057: Page 22-end (If your scans don’t show page numbers than start reading once Sonic takes off the headgear)

Sonic #058: Friendly Rogues & Foul Villains – In their search for Naugus, Sonic and Tails have been captured by General D’Coolette, Antoine’s roboticized father. They decide not to tell Antoine they found him. Introduction of Rob o’ the Hedge, Amy’s cousin and budget Robin Hood.

Sonic #058: The Living Crown

Sonic #060 – Debut of the Iron King and Queen. The Iron Queen is an evil sorceress who’s dark magic can only be countered by the enchanted fan of Fen Xing. Monkey Khan is revealed to be referred to in a prophecy as the Monkey King. King Acorn pesters Sally about the Source of All and suggests that she should be wed to Antoine. She storms off, angry that he is trying to control her life beyond political duties.

Sonic #061-063 – King Acorn tells Geoffery to assemble a small team for the secret service; Geoffrey recruits Hershey the Cat, Wombat Stu, Bomb and Heavy, and Valdez the Chameleon. Sonic and Tails crash into Sandblast City, whose roboticized civilians have not yet reobtained their free will and continue to attack the city. The Sandblaster Freedom Fighters, led by Jack Rabbitt, hold Sonic in very high regard and, thrilled to have his protection, refuse to let him leave. He and Tails have to fight their way out. Snively, Drago, Nack, and Mogul’s Fearsome Foursome break out of prison.

Sonic #064: Geoffrey St. John on His Majesty’s Secret Service Pt 4

Sonic #064-067: In Search Of… and The Fellowship Of The Rings – Sonic and Tails catch up with Naugus in the Southern Tundra and discover that he actually after Nate Morgan, an old Overlander (human) who was a part of the Acorn Royal Court and discovered the use of Rings as a power source and as a 5th natural element. Naugus tricked King Max into believing that Nate had betrayed the Mobians in the Great War, leading to his exile. Naugus had feared that Nate’s science would replace Naugus’ use to the Crown as the Royal Wizard. Nate has the ability to create Power Rings. They send Naugus back to the Zone of Silence and Nate directs Sonic to the Temple of Shazamazon to retrieve the Ring of Acorns.

Sonic #066: And Then There Was One

Sonic #068: Surprise!

Sonic #069: A Day in the Life

Sonic #070: Saving Nate Morgan

Sonic #071 – Sonic redirects a time beam so Knothole is no longer 3 hours in the future. King Acorn scolds Sonic for disobeying direct orders and going to rescue Nate, and he scolds Elias for going on a dangerous mission as the crown prince, though he is appreciative of Nate’s return.

Sonic #072: I, Robotnik!

Sonic #073: The Truth is Out There

Sonic #074: Don’t Call it a Comeback!

Sonic #075

Sonic #076: Business as Usual Ch 2

Sonic #077: Sonic and Sally return to Knothole with a handful of survivors. King Acorn thanks Sonic for his disobedience because of the lives he saved as a result.

Sonic Super Special #11 – Because Elias has confessed that he does not want to inherit the crown, Sally is left as the future queen. So, she begins bonding with the Source of All, which would mean that she was aware of the consequences of every action she takes. However, she decides this path isn’t right for her, and she would rather form her own path. Hershey discovers that Valdez has been roboticized. Lupe is roboticized.

Sonic Super Special #11: Upgrade

Sonic #078: Changes

Sonic #079-080 – Sonic and Nate receive word that Robotnik has discovered the Hidden City of the Ancients (an industrialized Overlander society only heard of in stories), so the Freedom Fighters set out to intercept him. Frustrated that they won’t let her come along because she lacks experience, Amy uses the wish granted by the Ring of Acorns to wish herself older. Elias was planning on using the Ring’s wish to cure Queen Alicia, but Amy (unknowingly) beat him to it. Amy now has her modern appearance.

NOTE: Starting here, every issue has a Knuckles story at the end (excluding #081-084) until further notice. These stories are not recommended reading.

Sonic #081-082, Sonic Super Special #13, Sonic #083-084 – Loose retelling of Sonic Adventure. The Hidden City of the Ancients is the city Sonic Adventure takes place in.

Sonic #085: Home & Back – After Robotnik’s initial defeat, the walruses of the North Sea were freed from mind control, allowing Rotor to happily live with his family again. However, upon Robotnik’s return, the walruses were seized by mind control once more, hellbent on killing Rotor. He barely escapes, but nearly drowns. He is rescued by the Arctic Freedom Fighters.

Sonic #086 & 087: Heart of the Hedgehog

Sonic #086 & 087: Against the Haunted Past – Monkey Khan’s backstory where he was kidnapped from his village by Robotnik and made into a cyborg. In modern times, Khan is kidnapped again as Robotnik attempts to remove his free will. Khan escapes, but not before Robotnik roboticizes all the villagers and burns the village down.

Sonic #088: Family Matters

Sonic #088: Picking up the Pieces – Antoine, Bunnie, and Amy meet up with Knuckles and Rob o’ the Hedge in their search for Antoine’s father. Knuckles directs them to Albion, an advanced Echidna civilization outside of Angel Island that had long hid itself from the eyes of the outside world.

Sonic #089-090

Sonic #090: Between a Rock and a Hard Place – The roboticized General D’Coolette attacks Albion while Antoine, Bunnie, Amy, Rob, and Knuckles are there. Using a neutralizer given to him by Rotor on a refueling stop in the tundra, Antoine puts General D’Coolette in stasis so he can be transported.

Sonic #091-092 – Rotor returns to Knothole. Robotnik attempts to test the newly acquired Sword of Acorns on Uncle Chuck and Muttski to see if it really can restore Robians’ free will. However, because Chuck and Muttski already had their free will restored during the fight to rescue Elias, it appears to have no effect as Chuck and Muttski continue pretending to be under his control. Robotnik throws the sword to the ground in frustration, and it is stolen by Arachnis. Elias and Geoffrey discover that the sword is missing from Knothole, and Mina reluctantly tells them that Sonic took it. Overlander ships from space land outside of Robotropolis; after noticing that one of the families is the Kintobors, Robotnik’s own brother (who he hates) and his wife and child, he tricks them into coming into Mobotropolis so that he can roboticize them.

Sonic #093

Sonic #094 – Robotnik continues his ruse with the Kintobors. They explain that after the Great War, the Overlanders wanted a fresh start away from the Mobians, but failed to find anywhere suitable. Robotnik catches Snively breaking curfew and imprisons him. Sonic and the Freedom Fighters have their first day of school, but Sally is receiving private lessons at the castle so Sonic doesn’t see her. He’s worried she hates him. Athair meets Tails in the hallway and sweeps him away under “Chosen One” pretenses. Until further notice, Tails is missing from the main story and is appearing in the Knuckles story.

Sonic #096 – Kodos is found unconscious with radiation poisoning for unknown reasons, and Geoffrey is tasked with determining what happened. At school, Mina asks Sonic to tutor her in speed. A robot breaks into the school and delivers a message to Sonic from Uncle Chuck, confirming to him that the Sword of Acorn returned Chuck’s free will. Chuck says that Arachnis has stolen the sword.

Sonic #098 – Intro to Sonic Adventure 2. The raid on the ARK. Sonic is captured by GUN after Shadow steals an emerald. It is implied that the rest of the events of SA2 took place between #098 and #099.

Sonic #099 – Tails returns home. While Sonic is trying to help Mina control her speed, she becomes frustrated when it doesn’t come as easily to her as it does to Sonic. She kisses him, and Sally sees this and becomes jealous (though Sonic reacts poorly). Kodos escapes and attacks Arachnis to learn the location of the sword. Sally finds Arachnis and races to beat Kodos to the sword.

Sonic #100 – Sally retrieves the sword before Kodos and throws him into a ravine using its power. Nate goes to Robotropolis to warn the Overlanders of the deadly toxins in the city’s air, and the Freedom Fighters and Mina go after him. Chuck and Muttski reveal their soundness of mind to Robotnik in order to save Nate from being roboticized. Sally uses the Sword of Acorns to free every Robian in Robotropolis, but Nate is unable to escape Robotropolis.

Sonic #102 [Last Knuckles story until #106]

Sonic #105: You Say You Want a Revelation?

Sonic #106-107 – Sonic and Sally negotiate with the Overlanders of the Hidden City (Station Square)  in order to find a place for the Overlanders of Robotropolis to stay. They agree, on the condition that the Freedom Fighters help defeat a dragon that’s been terrorizing Station Square. Knuckles stories resume.

Sonic #108: A Girl Named Hope!

Sonic #109 – The Freedom Fighters use the Sword of Acorns to free Rotor’s herd from Robotnik’s control. Sally talks to Mina and realizes that Sonic does not return Mina’s feelings.

Sonic #110-112

Sonic #114

Sonic #117

Sonic #118 – Aliens called the Bem make Robotnik and Snively human again. Geoffrey and Hershey’s nanite infection is cured by Rotor. Geoffrey feels that he failed Elias, the kingdom, and his father’s memory because of his need to prove himself as capable as Sonic. He believes his ego and overconfidence led, however indirectly, to his team falling victim to the nanites and Elias self-exile. Hershey tells him that he’s a hero despite losing his way, and they kiss. Hershey and Geoffrey announce to the Acorns that they will be leaving to search for Elias.

Sonic #119: Dust Bunnie and Time Code

Sonic #120-122

Sonic #123: Heart Held Hostage Pt 2 – Mina and Sonic rescue Sally from Nack and his gang. When Sally and Sonic reunite, Sally says she loves him and they kiss, shattering Mina’s hopes of being with Sonic. She jumps in front of one of Nack’s bullets to save Sally. She survives.

Sonic #123: The Last Robian

Sonic #124 – Shadow survived the events of SA2 because an alien race called the Bem took him in and healed him. He crash lands in Knothole just as the kingdom is learning of an incoming threat: an attack from an alien race called the Xorda, who claim to have come to “Earth” 3000 years ago with goals of peace, but were captured and studied by humans. As revenge, they set bombs to wipe out all of “Earth”’s life. Now, having realized that life on “Earth” survived anyways, they’ve returned to correct this mistake. Sally and Nicole discover that Earth and Mobius are the same planet. Sally asks her parents to accept Sonic as her royal consort so they can get married in the future, and they agree happily.

Sonic #125

Sonic #126-128 – Sonic wakes up on an alien planet, billions of lightyears away from Mobius. He battles and/or receives help from various alien races in his struggle to return home.

Sonic #129-137 [First story of Mobius 25 Years Later is at the end of #131. Mostly tied to Knuckles. Not recommended reading.]

Sonic #141 – Eggman captures all the citizens of Echidnaopolis in his egg grapes: chambers that drain the life force of living creatures in order to power the city of New Megaopolis.

Sonic #142: I Wanna Be a Freedom Fighter!

Sonic #144: Love and Loss

Sonic #145: Harbinger

Sonic #146-147

Sonic #148: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown Pt 3 and Playing Around

Sonic #149: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown Pt 4

Sonic #150 – After a quarrel with Evil Antoine (Patch), Evil Sonic trapped Patch on Mobius Prime, kidnapping Antoine Prime and threatening him that if Antoine doesn’t play the part of Patch, he’ll never see home again. Evil Sonic is frustrated to see that Patch has been making the best of his situation, rising in the ranks under Antoine Prime’s name, which inspires Evil Sonic to try and do the same on Mobius Prime. He flirts with Mina, Fiona, Bunnie, and Amy, all four girls under the impression that he is Sonic. On Angel Island, Rouge attempts to charm Locke so she can try and get to the Master Emerald. She is interrupted when Archimedes teleports her to Knothole.

Sonic #151-159

Sonic #160 (Start of Ian Flynn and Tracey Yardley’s runs. Clap and cheer!! From here on out read the entire issue unless specified otherwise, even if it’s about Knuckles.)

Sonic #161-165

Sonic #168-170

Sonic #171: I Am

Sonic #172

Sonic Free Comic Book Day Special 2007

Sonic #173-197

Sonic Universe #1

Sonic #198

Sonic Universe #2-4

Sonic #199-206

Sonic Universe #9-12

Sonic #207-209

Sonic Universe #13-16

Sonic #210-211

Sonic Free Comic Book Day Special 2010

Sonic #212-214

Sonic Universe #17-20

Sonic #215-218

Sonic Universe #21-24

Sonic #219-222

Sonic Universe #25-28 (Note: Lara-su is Knuckles’ and Julie-su’s daughter, featured in Mobius 25 Years Later.)

Sonic #223-229

Sonic Universe #29-32

Sonic #230

Sonic Free Comic Book Day Special 2012: Sonic: Genesis Awakenings

Sonic #231-232

Sonic Universe #33-36

Sonic #233-235

Sonic Universe #37-40

Sonic #236-240

Sonic Universe #41-44

Sonic #241-242

Sonic Universe #46-49

Sonic #243-246

Sonic Universe #50

Mega Man #24, Sonic Universe #51, Sonic #248, MM #25, SU #52, Sonic #249, MM #26, SU #53, Sonic #250, MM #27, SU #54, Sonic #251 (in this order) – Robotnik’s second attempt at a Genesis Wave results in the merging of the Sonic and Mega Man universes. Alongside Dr. Wily (main villain of the Mega Man universe), Robotnik continues his work to rewrite reality to fit only himself, using a Super Genesis Wave. Sonic is able to go Super at the last moment in order to reverse Eggman’s damage, but after seeing that Sonic is succeeding, Robotnik decides that if he can’t have the reality he wants, then no one can. He attacks Sonic while Sonic is in the midst of rewriting reality to its original state, causing the Wave to progress in a manner that is not quite what either of them had intended. Mega Man returns to his own universe.

Sonic Universe #55-58 (Rebooted continuity begins here.)

Sonic #252-256

Sonic Universe #59-62

Sonic #257-259

Sonic Free Comic Book Day Special 2014

Sonic #260-263

Sonic Super Digest #8 - “Little Lost Soldier”

Sonic Universe #63-66

Sonic #264-267

Sonic Super Digest #9 - “The Belle in the Machine”

Sonic Universe #67-70

Sonic #268-271

Sonic Super Digest #11 - “Nicole”

Sonic Universe #71-74

Sonic Super Digest #12 - “The Traitor”

Sonic #272

Sonic Universe #75

Sonic Universe #76

Sonic Super Digest #15 - “Castaway”

Sonic Universe #79-82

Sonic #276-279

Sonic Universe #83-86

Sonic #280-287

Sonic Universe #87-90

Sonic #288-290

Sonic Mega Drive special

Sonic Mega Drive: The Next Level special

Sonic Universe #91-94

#sth #sonic the hedgehog #archie sonic #save157 #archieposting #txt157

[marzley]

condolences and death; a sunshipduo fan au

created by @kawabeloved @marzley and @gardentoms

s!guqqie is the eldest daughter of seven to the king and queen of merfolk. she loves all her sisters dearly and often lets herself be pushed into their shadow. on her 18th birthday guqqie, as the royal firstborn, must complete a historic tradition to prove she is worthy to inherit the throne. the oldest sibling must kill the youngest. but she refuses and is banished to a frozen ocean where time moves differently.

s!aimsey is the youngest child of a wealthy and successful family. each of their siblings names are known around the world for a variety of different accomplishments. aimsey isnt like them even if he wants to be. his parents and siblings didn’t think he had what it takes. she wants to sail the world and adventure alongside her best friend and first mate s!michela. so he does. one morning the two pack what he can, buy a boat, and set sail.

guqqie makes a home for herself in the ruins of an abandoned sea temple. she’s completely alone for 4 years.

aimsey and michela travel for 4 years. they make friends, faced enemies, camped on beaches beneath the stars, drank, and even placed bets on who would perish from the adventures first. or at least they did until a sudden storm in the middle of frozen waters crashed their ship.

after michela gained consciousness she searched for her friend day after day after day. it had been a month until michela and the mysteriously undamaged ship return home to ask aimseys family for assistance in finding xem.

guqqie didn’t know if it was curiosity, stupidity, or loneliness that caused her to investigate the crash. but after pulling a mysterious two tailed(?) creature ashore she realized it was a mix of all three.

when aimsey woke she immediately started searching for michela. she was no where to be found and their ship had lodged itself halfway into an iceberg.

guqqie hesitantly introduces themself to aimsey and asks him “what are you?”

“uh,” he stutters out, “a human? what the hell are you?!”

then it clicks for her. “a human. i-i’ve never seen a human before. merfolk prefer the deep ocean anyway but occasionally travelers would return with stories about the ones with nets. because of the whole war with the guardians we decided to just leave them alone, this is amazing!”

“wait, mermaids?“ he steps closer to the water and guqqie splashes her tail. it reflects a multitude of silver, purple, and blue hues.

“holy shit. you’re a mermaid.”

the two continue talking and their conversations flow in such a natural way. aimsey talks about michela and his shipwreck. he needs to rebuild his ship and find her but they don’t mind spending a little time with the pink haired mermaid. the pit stop would give him plenty to write about in their adventure log. guqqie doesn’t really understand why aimsey is so desperate to find their friend but she doesn’t question it at first.

on day two guqqie helps search for supplies to fix aimseys boat with. while at work aimsey takes the opportunity to learn more about merfolk.

“so the other day you mentioned a war.”

“mhm. merfolk and the guardians have been at war since I was a child. it’s been so long I think both sides don’t even remember what their fighting about anymore. the temple-“

“hold on, did you say guardians? man I haven’t heard that name in forever.”

“what do you mean?”

“those things are fucking ancient. went extinct like 30 thousand years ago.”

guqqie went silent. she had been here four years. it wasn’t possible for guardians to be extinct before she even arrived. unless time moved slower here…

she wasn’t a fool. over the next couple of days guqqie began asking aimsey just as many, if not more, questions about his home. specifically the past.

after a full week they share the first kiss. aimsey continues to write in her adventure log and work on the ship.

"what's your greatest wish?" s!guqqie asks one night as s!aimsey works on fixing his boat, s!guqqie keeping him company into the late hours.

s!aimsey laughs. "i'm a sailor, darling. i've told you this already."

"that's not what i meant," s!guqqie frowns, tail fluttering in the low tide. "i didn't ask what you Are, i asked what you wish. what's the one thing you've always wanted?"

s!aimsey's teasing grin falls away as he pauses, his brow furrowed in thought. "i guess what i want most of all-" he finally says. "- is to be remembered. to feel like my time here meant something, yknow?"

s!guqqie frowns. "i remember you. isn't that enough?"

s!aimsey laughs again and presses a kiss to s!guqqie's temple. "of course, darling. what else could i need?" (italics above written by kawa @kawabeloved)

—

“i bet michela’s lookin’ for me,” s!aimsey remarks, “i should find a way out of here so i can tell her i’m alright.”

it’s been a few weeks since he’d become stranded in s!guqqie’s temple - for the two of them, at least. but time passes differently here, and the siren knows it.

“i- i don’t know if that’s a good idea,” s!guqqie replies, warily.

s!aimsey’s brows furrow. “the ship seems to be in much better state, guq. people are probably wond’rin where i am.”

“i just…” the siren begins, “i don’t know if you’ll like what you find.”

“what?” the sailor asks, a pit growing in her stomach. “what do you mean?”

“time is strange here,” guqqie explains. “a short time in here, in my temple, is much longer out there.”

“what?!” aimsey splutters, “why didn’t you tell me that before?”

“i- i didn’t think it mattered!” guqqie exclaims

“things like that don’t matter to me, to my people. so i- i thought it would be okay, at first. sirens live forever. time isn’t of any concern to us. but you’ve told me so much about humans…” the girl trails off, unable to meet the sailor’s eyes.

silence weighs heavy on them.

aimsey grits his teeth, shaking with sadness and anger and grief and regret. “you thought it would be okay?” he all but snarls accusatorially, “you didn’t care to ask? didn’t care to tell me? did you do it on purpose, because you didn’t want me to leave?!”

“i-”

“no,” aimsey interrupts, tone dark and biting. “no, no. you did it on purpose. you couldn’t stand bein’ lonely in your little temple anymore with no one to care about you and nowhere to belong. you wanted me to be trapped here with you forever, didn’t you?”

guqqie trembles.

“no,” she breathes, “no, aimsey, i never meant to hurt you i promi—”

“well it’s a little late for that!” aimsey snaps. “what are you going to do now, force me to stay?”

a part of guqqie breaks when they hear those words.

“no,” she croaks. “i would never do that to you.”

all aimsey does is laugh, bitterly. “might as well,” he replies, “you’ve already done enough.”

“aimsey, i-” guqqie calls, but aimsey has already walked away. (italics above written by lua @gardentoms)

the sailor returns home. the first grave he finds is his mothers. next to her in the rest of his family including generations he would never know. he also found michela’s grave. deep down he knew she spent the remainder of her life looking for him.

the mermaid waits on the very iceberg her lover crashed. she was so terrified of aimsey leaving so she erased that option. and now he's left her forever. maybe her real punishment wasn’t being alone but rather being without him.

after learning everyone he loved, expect for guqqie, had died aimsey didn’t know what to do. he couldn’t stay but he couldn’t go back to guqqie. he wouldn’t be able to face her. he writes his final journal entry, grabs a bottle of whiskey, finds a cave, and waits as he withers away.

guqqie i’m still on the iceberg. she’d be there the rest of her immoral life staring west as the horizon. the direction she last saw his boat. west, where day after eternal day she watches their sun settle over the water.

sirens and sailors were a cautionary tale that everyone knew.

their song lures you in, so beautiful that you are unable to turn away. so beautiful it’s deadly. but if you listened close enough you’d realize the melancholy medley wasn’t actually singing…it was sobbing.

it’s not a song that lures you in, it’s the story behind each wail. the sound fills sailors ears with unbearable sadness that they all end up jumping overboard.

[triscribe]

WIP Tag Game

Tagged by @crystalshard, which may prove to be a miscalculation, 'cause boy-howdy do I have a lot of works in progress...

Rules: In a new post, list the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

/cracks knuckles

Star Wars: -Fulcrum & Family, the new Tano & Twins re-write -Dreamwalkers Luke and Leia -History Reversed with sequel trilogy Ahsoka, Luke, Ezra and students dropped back in the Clone Wars -Birds Fly sequel Can We Start Over, Bly's pov -Something Big is Happening (Misc/Understudies crossover) -Clone Wars Cass (DC/Batman crossover)

Marvel -The Big One (5+1 Spidey saves Morgan, Pepper meets Doc Strange, Another Chance conclusion with Wanda) -Kids Club, post-Civil War kidnapping fixit -MCU Miles Morales, title tbd -Spider Assassins AU, multi-continuity-combination -X-Fire, Laura/Wolverine, Gabby/Honeybadger, and Rachel/Phoenix -Heroes of Tomorrow re-write with way more kids from different superhero groups/families

DC -Pantheon AU -the revised Alf-verse (22 Bat-grandkids and counting) -Rotten Luck re-vamp (Young Justice season one Team in the Justice League Unlimited universe) -Continuations: The Batman "seasons six and seven" if I ever get around to re-writing the early stuff (my very first fan fic ever, I've improved a lot since those high school days) -Teen Titans meet Robin's horde of younger siblings (original cartoon) -Battorian AU (Diana is human, Clark's a demigod, Bruce came from another planet) -Mandalorian/Star Wars AU (Mando Alfred adopts orphaned Bruce. This is the Way.)

HP -Pair of Potters sequel, year two for Heather, official year one for Harry, the beginning of a long headache for Dumbledore -Founder Foundlings, reincarnation fic -Cheers to the Wish, more Guardian Ghosts Lily and James -Philosopher's Mirror, canon-divergence of the unintended resurrection variety -the third effing chapter of Muggle is as Muggle Does -Thief!Harry AU, my all-out middle finger to the Author Who Shall Not Be Named

Transformers -Terratron AU (Bee meets Dragonfly, Elita makes Artemis, Bee and Fly stumble across Megatron and Rion, Prowl and Beats, Beats finds Jazz, accidental babysitter Serrate, Hornet and her big race, etc etc) -Hard Facts and Simple Truths, humanformers AU -TFAnimated swapped 'verse, with Elita Prime and her team of spacebridge technicians: Arcee, Ironhide, Wasp, and Jazz -G1 sparkling-Starlane AU -TFPrime crossover with Hot Wheels: Battle Force Five

Atla -follow-up to A Small Condition, aka the "Monk Gyatso goes into the iceberg with Aang and Zuko assumes *he* is the Avatar" AU -continuation of Ursa leaving royal life and stumbling across a dying dragon who entrusts her with a baby and two unhatched eggs -Avatar!Yue learns airbending from Aang's grandkids and that whole big mess of world-altering changes

My Hero Academia -Doubles AU (finishing Brand New Day and getting a move on with Double Take as a canon re-write with Pro Hero Shimura Tenko) -continuation for Great Beasts of the Mountain -third chapter of Instinct, my first A/B/O attempt -more next generation fluff, the Archive and Guardian saga

Misc -Sea Beast fic where Crow gets injured, suffers total amnesia, the doctor who patches him up sends for Jacob, and there's a very awkward dance between them and Maisie and Blue as the old man slowly gets his memories back -The Faceless Wolf, a mildly (make that incredibly) ambitious Game of Thrones canon-divergence attempt -Jamie Reagan and the Terrible Horrible No-Good Very Bad Day, a Blue Bloods whump idea I've had rattling around for a while -Milo and Claggor Survived AU from LoL Arcane -Grandboss Gibbs, a bittersweet NCIS fic that would, in my opinion, have been a better end to the series than trying to go on without the main character of the show -Storm Hawks past-and-present-collide idea with some previous generation OCs -Edge Chronicles TWIG GETS TO MEET HIS MOTHER DAGNABIT -may as well throw in what will be my second self-published book, Trials of Youth, because the current draft is definitely a work in progress

Aaand we'll call that good. Now to see if I get any nibbles...

(I know the game says tag a person for each WIP but I don't think I've got that many writing acquaintances on here, so instead I've got one person per fandom grouping)

@wafflesrisa @eirianerisdar @jinxquickfoot @theredscreech @resamille @tarisilmarwen @icarussmicarus @gallusrostromegalus

#tag game #wip game #ask game #all the fandoms #but NOT all the wips in my files #the full list would've needed a Read More #...honestly this probably needs a Read More... but ah well