#and isla tries not to fall for t

[nataliasquote]

Double the trouble | a day out | n romanoff

Part of the ‘Double the trouble AU’

Summary: a day trip with 2 3-year-olds is a lot to handle…

Warnings: none

Pairings: WandaNat

wc: 2.9k

note: this was a request from anon (my first request!) so I hope I did it justice

- ⧗ -

Isla was always the loudest twin. She had all her firsts before her sister; word, steps, you name it, she beat Y/n to it. Which often left the younger girl feeling behind and unworthy, born to only follow in the shadows of her twin sister.

Natasha and Wanda tried their hardest to treat their girls equally, but with Y/n’s reluctance to try anything new and Isla’s strong temperament, they had a difficult situation on their hands.

Being three years old meant days were filled with trips to the park and fun days out for the whole family. Isla had been begging to go to the zoo, the colourful picture books she begged Wanda to read every night cementing her love for animals. Y/n nodded when asked if she wanted to go too. But what was she supposed to say? She did everything Isla did.

But the zoo wasn’t her thing. Whilst her older sister toddled around and pointed animatedly at all the different animals, Y/n stayed beside the stroller, her tiny hands fiddling with the fabric seat as she stared at the concrete pavement. Natasha tried her hardest to involve her, often picking her up so she could see over the fences and pointing to the monkeys who were chasing each other around the enclosure. But the little girl was having none of it, her fist wrapped around the strap of her mama’s tank top.

“What’s the matter maylshka?” Natasha asked, holding Y/n tight to her body as she lead them both over to a nearby bench. “I thought you loved the zoo?”

The small girl shook her head, flaming hair falling loose from its braids. “Isla like zoo. Not me.”

Natasha’s brow furrowed as she looked at her daughter. “But you said you wanted to go?”

Y/n gave her mother a glare. A very familiar one at that. “No. Isla said go. Not me.”

Natasha shifted so her daughter was now sat on her knee. She gently moved a stray piece of hair from her forehead and kissed it gently, rubbing the soft cotton of her t-shirt. “I’m sorry malyshka. I thought you wanted to go too.”

“It’s ok Mama,” Y/n said, placing her cool palms on her mother’s warm cheeks. Natasha smiled softly at the gesture and booped her on the nose, making the young girl giggle. “Can we get ice cream?”

Natasha pretended to think for a moment. “Ice cream? Hmmm, I don’t know.”

“I think yes!”

“Do you? And does Y/n make the rules now?”

The young girl nodded happily, her whole body moving with the force. “Ice cream!”

“Ok, big girl. Let’s get ice cream.” Natasha stood up from her seat and began to set Y/n down on the ground, but the three year old clung to her front like the monkeys behind her, tiny heels digging into Natasha’s waist. There were many things Nat loved about her youngest, but Y/n’s clingy nature was by far her favourite. It made her feel wanted, important.

With a stroller handle in one hand and a child balanced carefully in the other, Nat set off towards the jungle themed cafe she’d spotted on the map by the gate. Wanda had taken Isla off to god knows where, the young girl unable to sit still with so much happening around her.

The cafe itself was rather busy so Natasha expertly manoeuvred the stroller into a corner booth table and kicked the brake down so it wouldn’t roll into anyone’s way. She sank down onto the cushioned blue seat and allowed Y/n to straddle her lap, soft red hair tickling her nostrils as the young girl lay against her mother’s chest.

Natasha quickly scanned her surroundings before pulling out her phone and punching a quick update text to Wanda, who replied back with a video of Isla at the penguin enclosure.

“Look Y/n,” she turned her phone so the young girl could see but Y/n didn’t pay much attention. She watched for two seconds before her head went straight back to Natasha’s collarbone, finding more comfort there than anywhere else. “You’re really not bothered by the zoo, huh?”

Y/n shook her head lazily, her thumb coming up to brush against her lips, a telltale sign for Natasha who was well trained in motherhood.

“I think someone’s tired?” Another sleepy nod. “You wanna go for a nap, detka?” Talking was clearly too much for Y/n, who only replied with yet another nod. Natasha took her response and pulled the stroller close. However, she was met with some resistance as she tried to transfer a now squirmy three year old into her seat. “What’s wrong?”

“-na stay with you,” Y/n mumbled around her thumb before Nat gently prised it out of her mouth. Y/n’s big green eyes blinked up at her tiredly and Natasha couldn’t help but coo at the sight. Her girls were the most adorable things in her life and when they were tired they were so precious.

Nat moved her body back into the corner of the booth and allowed Y/n to swivel around so she was flat against her chest, cheek resting comfortably on the softness of Natasha’s chest. They may not be fed like that anymore, but the twins still found great comfort from their mamas’ chests.

It didn’t take long for Y/n’s breaths to even out and Natasha couldn’t help but take a quick selfie with her daughter, the moment too precious to capture. She stared at her screen with a blissful expression before posting it to her close friends’ instagram story. Only family and the occasional friend was allowed on there, and Yelena of course was the first to send a reply.

@ yelenabelova7

you better be bringing those munchkins to me soon. I want baby Y/n hugs too

Natasha rolled her eyes and laughed as she replied, flawlessly typing even with one hand.

@ natromanoff

i’m impressed you got the twin right. and i’m not putting them on a plane so you’ll have to come here. I know isla would love that.

@ yelenabelova7

I can’t believe you doubt me Natasha. I know my Y/n when I see her. Besides, she’s always clinging to you. You got the quiet one. Wanda has her hands full with the other monkey

@ natromanoff

They’re both our children, Lena. Wands is just happy to be dragged around a zoo. I’d rather sit

@ yelenabelova7

HA! You’re getting old sestra. You’re a mother, not a grandma. Not yet anyway.

Yelena’s comment made Natasha roll her eyes and place her phone down on the table. She cradled Y/n’s head to her chest and rocked her gently back and forth. A smile broke out across her face as she spotted her wife push through the large glass doors, Isla tugging on her arm impatiently.

Natasha held a finger up to her lips as her favourite girls approached, trying not to disturb her youngest. But her efforts were in vain as Y/n recognised the approaching voices and lifted her head to peer around. Wanda bent down and kissed her head softly, brushing her hair back as she pulled away.

“Hello sleepy head,” she cooed, taking a seat on the opposite bench and pulling Isla onto her lap. “Did the ice cream make you sleepy?”

“We didn’t even get that far, did we?” Natasha laughed, watching as Y/n’s head perked up at the mention of the sweet dessert.

“Can we get it now?”

Wanda looked down at Isla. “You wanna get some with me and we can bring it back for Y/n and Mama?”

“Sure!”

“Me go too!” Y/n squirmed off Natasha’s lap and ran over to Wanda, taking the hand on her other side. “Mama stay?” She asked, looking back at Natasha.

The redhead nodded. “I’ll hold down the fort.”

Wanda led the twins away like a mother duck and her ducklings, holding their hands tight until they reached the large glass cabinet. The young woman behind the counter smiled at the precious sight in front of her as the twins stretched up on their toes to peer in.

“Pink!” Y/n exclaimed, pointing to the candy floss ice cream that sounded disgusting in Wanda’s eyes. “Can I get pink?”

“Mommy I want chocolate!”

“What do we say when we want something?” Wanda asked, putting on her best ‘mom’ voice.

“Pleeeeeese?” The girls chorused, tiny toothy smiles dazzling up at their mommy. The worker chuckled and caught Y/n’s eye so she smiled widely at her too.

“That’s better. And yes, you can get whatever you would like. But you have to ask the nice lady politely.”

Isla being Isla spoke up first, puffing out her chest as she took a deep breath. “Please can I have chocolate please?” She pointed into the cabinet, just in case the server wasn’t sure which one was chocolate.

“Of course you can sweetheart. Is that in a cone or a cup?” Isla looked at her blankly and turned to Wanda, a clear cry for help.

“The smallest cone you do please. And just one scoop.” The girl nodded and began preparing her order. “They don’t need too much sugar.”

Once Isla’s order was complete the server turned to Y/n who was staring intently at all the colourful flavours. “Which one would you like sweetheart?”

“Pink?���

“Strawberry?” Y/n looked up at Wanda, tugging her sleeve for help. The mother shook her head and watched to see which one her daughter pointed too. Granted, Y/n could barely point in the right direction but her intention was enough to go off.

“I think she means the candyfloss. The one with the glitter on it.”

Y/n’s was scooped into a similar cone to Isla and then placed on the stand. Wanda quickly sorted herself and Natasha out; two scoops of honeycomb crunch in a cup for herself, and a double scoop of caramel coffee for Nat. Wanda always teased her wife for crunching on the coffee beans that topped her scoop. Natasha sure was a strange one when it came to her flavour preferences.

Ice creams clutched tightly in hands, Wanda ushered her little ducklings back to the safety of the booth where Natasha was waiting, a large grin plastered onto her face that mirrored that of her ice cream laden babies.

Sweet treats were consumed from the safety of the jungle themed cafe and Isla and Y/n swung their feet happily as they nibbled on their cones. Sticky hands and faces were just inevitable and Wanda was soon ready to attack both with baby wipes the second they were done.

“Did you two see everything you wanted to?” Natasha asked, scrolling through the pictures on Wanda’s phone of Isla at various exhibits.

“I saw lions!” Isla bared her teeth and roared, shaking her head like she’d seen the majestic creature do hours earlier. “And the ‘raffes!”

“Giraffes?”

“Yeah!”

Y/n tugged on Natasha’s sleeve and pointed to part of the mural covering the wall to her right. “They have those here?”

The colourful sea creatures were definitely oversaturated; pink sharks didn’t sit comfortably with Natasha. But she followed Y/n finger to a sparkly blue turtle and smiled, noticing how Isla and Wanda also did the same.

“I saw a sign for an aquarium around the corner,” Wanda said. “There could be turtles in there.”

“We go!”

“Now hold on a minute-“ Wanda started, but telling two sugared-up three years olds on a mission to slow down was a fruitless effort. Natasha grabbed both of their tiny wrists and gently tugged them back to the table, earning little angry glares from both girls.

“What did we say about running off?”

“But-“

“Not buts, Y/n. What did we say?”

“Don’t run off,” they said in unison, the floor now much more interesting than Natasha who wasn’t smiling. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok munchkin, just wait 2 minutes and we’ll be ready.”

Wanda and Natasha packed up quickly and headed towards the aquarium side of the zoo, eyes glued to the two little girls in front of them whose hands were tightly clasped together. They may have their favourite parent and stay glued to their side, but Y/n and Isla’s bond truly was unbreakable. Starkly different, yet inseparable.

#natasha romanoff #marvel #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x daughter!reader #wanda maximoff x reader #wandanat #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x daughter!reader #fanfic #double the trouble au

[jurassic-park-inthe-world]

Protect Me? (Zach Mitchell)

Summary: Zach Mitchell and the reader, Y/N, have been best friends since childhood. When Zach takes her to Jurassic World, it's a game of survival.

**********************************************************************

The day he met her, he fell in love. That's how Zach says he and Y/N met, but when Y/N herself is around, he says they met in the seventh grade, when she moved to Michigan from Alaska. She was used to the cold, it didn't bother her, and neither did the kids whispering how weird she was for still being obsessed with dinosaurs. She got along great with Gray, because they both knew things about Sauropods and long-necks and T-Rexes and Triceratops and this and that kind of dinosaur.

Over time, Zach started falling for her. At the time, he was still with Ashley, his now-ex, and he hated thinking that he was leading her on, even though he thought--no, knew--that he had no chance with Y/N. So, as friends, he invited her along to Jurassic World, their aunt's dinosaur theme park.

Time Skip

Zach, Gray, and Y/N got off of the boat docked at Isla Nublar. The hills and mountains spread around them like a green maze, and the wooden dock was warm from the sun. Y/N grinned, taking it in. She loved nature, it was her happy place. She liked to often sit near rivers or streams and draw them in motion, or listen to the rain and sleep, even if she got cold and a little wet. "It's so pretty here," She said, and Zach grinned, shaking his head. "You and nature, I swear." She giggled, and Zach blushed.

"Who's that?" Gray asked, pointing at a woman with black hair and dark shades covering her eyes. She was dressed in a power suit, a pale gray color that covered a white shirt. She had pale gold shoes on. In her slim hands, she held a sign: ZACH AND GRAY MITCHELL, Y/N L/N. "Let's find out," Y/N said softly.

Time Skip

"What the hell just happened?" Y/N choked on water as she swam to shore. Zach and her pulled Gray onto the mud, and Zach said, "We were almost eaten." He blew water from his nose in a short huff, and Gray said, "That's why Aunt Claire wanted us to come back. We should've gone back." He whimpered, and Y/N gently helped him up, shaking water from her hair. "Well, let's just get back to the park, okay?"

They wandered around for a long time and found a set of doors covered in vines and moss. "The old park!" Y/N cried happily, running up the steps slick with moss. "Careful, careful." Zach scolded as she ran inside. It was a disaster, but it was beautiful, like an old castle left in ruins. She could see the beauty where everything must've been. "They built over it," Gray frowned, touching a wall with painted Velociraptors on it. "Makes sense, they didn't exactly tell anyone this happened." Zach muttered, picking up a banner. He turned to Gray. "Still got those matches?" Gray opened his "dork pouch" and took them out, handing them to Zach, who lit the banner like a torch. "Come on." He said, and they followed.

They had just entered the old Visitor's Center when a large, scaly foot slammed down and crushed a leaf-covered statue. "Run!" Zach yelled, and they bolted. Y/N tried keeping up but didn't see a large vine and root entangled together on the floor and tripped, flying forwards. "Ow!" She yelped, and the dinosaur, the one that tried to eat them on the waterfall, snarled and started leaning down. She froze, but knew that this thing didn't see like the T-Rex; it went off thermal radiation, not sight. Suddenly, the thing howled, and she saw Gray jamming a huge stick in the dinosaur's leg, making it scream and roar in pain. "Come on!" Zach was yanking her to her feet, and as they passed, they grabbed Gray. Making it into a garage, they saw a gasoline Jeep. Pausing, they waited to hear the dinosaur's loud steps. After a moment, they heard them, stomping away. "He's leaving," Gray whispered. Zach adn Y/N weren't listening. He was holding her close, breathing deeply to calm himself. "Are you okay?" He asked, face inches from hers. She nodded, breathless. "Yes." For a moment, they stared at each other. "Jesus, just kiss her." Gray snapped, moving to the Jeep.

Zach grinned, kissing Y/N, and she kissed back, feeling safe. "I...I love you," She whispered, and he blushed, a small smile on his face. "I love you more."

#jurassic world #jurassic park #zach mitchell #zach mitchell imagine #zach mitchell x reader #gray mitchell #dinosaurs #prehistoric #tyranosaurusrex #indominus rex #velociraptor #love #romance #fiction #fanfic

[uniquevoidflowers]

Part two of this post:

The skyloftian has been given visions before, he knows all too well what they feel like. He’s in a vision right now. Not dreaming. 

He’s having a vision.

Sky shudders and looks around. He’s in an inn where they’re all asleep. It seems like Wild, Legend and Twilight share a room. The cook and the rancher sleep peacefully, the rancher snoring a lot. The veteran on the other hand…he shakes and silently cries in his sleep, face twisted in shock. A nightmare, Sky realizes sadly. 

Why is the vision showing me this?

Suddenly Legend jolts awake, tears overflowing from his violet eyes. The cook awakens right after. “Legend?” He whispers.

The veteran looks at Wild and rubs his eyes until they’re even more puffy and red, but most of the tears are dry now. “Did I wake you up?” He mumbles.

“No…is…are you okay, vet?” Wild asks gently.

Legend doesn’t respond, eyes still glistening with tears and Sky knows his answer. Sky wants to say something, comfort Legend, but he can’t do that. He’s in a vision. The veteran gets off his bed, stumbling but catching himself on the wall. “I need to get some fresh air.” Legend says, his voice almost inaudible.

“Okay…Don’t be too long, m’kay?” Wild says, concern in his sky blue eyes.

Legend nods walking out the door. Sky immediately follows, watching as the vet walks past the hallway of whatever inn they’re at. Legend hurries out the front door and glances back at the inn. Moonlight shines on the wildlife, it fills the chosen with melancholy. 

Suddenly the wings on Legend’s boots flutter and Legend bolts. Sky can see the veteran still weeping but he keeps running. Sky follows. The inn slowly disappears behind them, fading into the distance. Sky’s beyond concerned. Legend runs into the trees and stops, panting slightly. “I’m…sorry.” He says to no one in particular.

“I…had to leave…” As soon as Legend says that he freezes—like a deer when it sees Wild’s bow—and falls to the ground sobbing.

Sky’s heart breaks for the veteran hero. He tries to hug Legend, offer some kind of reassurance, but his hand passes through. Right. This is a vision. Sky’s visions are important, which means that this is very important. Legend’s eyes go a bit glassy like Wild’s does, and he clutches the ground like it’s the only thing that can save him. “‘Rulie…” The veteran whispered.

Oh no.

“Veteran…” Sky murmurs.

“I know…that’s why I left the isla-INN I MEAN INN!” Legend yells suddenly, eyes wide.

Sky furrows his eyebrows. Island? Was he about to say island?

Whoever I get attached to, either leaves me or dies. I don’t want that fate for you guys.” Legend mumbles, eyes still glassy and unseeing.

Sky stares at the veteran with shock. Does he really think…?

Suddenly the bushes rustle and monsters pop out of the bushes, snarling. Sky reaches for the hilt of his sword but realizes he can’t do anything. Legend curses and fends off the monsters. There’s too many of them though. While the veteran is powerful and wields tons of experience with ease, more monsters pop out of the bushes. Legend doesn’t notice them. “LEGEND!” Sky cries out.

A monster plunges its sword through Legend’s back and the veteran screams in agony.

Sky yelps. C’mon, where are the others? 

Then the vet searches his bag. There’s no potions or fairies. Legend tries weakly to fight the monsters around him, blinking rapidly and wincing every few seconds. Somehow, Legend defeats the group of monsters surrounding them. Sky’s impressed until Legend’s knees buckle and he crashes to the ground, a sickening noise echoing throughout the midnight. The sword still lies in Legend, but blood starts soaking the ground and trickling out of Legend’s mouth.

“Vet! VET!” Someone shouts and then Sky’s vision goes white.

————————————————————————

Sky jolts awake, eyes wide. “Hey, Sky? Everything okay?” Twilight asks.

No everything is not okay. Can he tell the rancher though? “No. I had a vision.” Sky whispers.

Twilight’s eyes widen. That probably wasn’t the answer he was expecting. “What was it about?”

“Legend. Legend’s in danger.” Sky pauses choosing his next words carefully. “Keep an eye on the vet. Don’t let him run off.” 

Twilight nods, expression serious. Sky sighs and looks at the sleeping veteran. Legend looks peaceful, for now. “How bad was it?” Twilight murmurs.

“He was dying…got impaled.” Sky admitted.

The rancher tries to hide his shock but the skyloftian can see it. Sky sighs, and Twight stands up and begins to wake the others. Wild hands everybody a quick breakfast and they set out again. 

They walk for what seems like ages before Wild announces cheerfully, "We're almost at Mabe Village." 

The veteran stops in his tracks, eyes going wide. Sky pauses and pales a little. “You okay, vet?” Twilight asks.

The veteran nods and they start walking again. Sky eyes Legend carefully, seeing the turmoil in his eyes and the slight tremor of his hands. “Oh, hi, Link!” A little girl says to Wild, grinning.

Sky sees Legend stumble. “Marin?” Legend whispers.

Oh no…That was the name he heard earlier…

When Legend looks at the little girl he slumps. “Who’s Marin?” Hyrule asks curiously.

Sky winces as Legend flinches. “No one.” The vet says instantly.

The traveller huffs, concerned. He doesn’t press any further though. Wild talks to the little girl, Saffie, and then leads the chain across the village. Sky can hear the villagers talking about…some old legend of an island? 

Legend stops, looking dumbfounded for a few seconds before turning pale. The chosen hurries over. “Legend? Hey, what’s wrong?” He asks, watching as the veteran’s chest doesn’t move like it should.

Twilight rushes over and takes Legend’s hands. “Link. Follow my breathing, okay?”

Sky watches as Legend’s eyes turn a bit glassy and he doesn’t respond to Twilight or Warriors who had come over to try and help. Warriors puts a hand on his shoulder and Legend finally looks at the captain. “Are you with me?” Warriors asks.

Sky waits with bated breath for a response. Legend nods and collective sighs of relief fill the clearing. “Thank the goddesses. Can you follow my breathing?”

Sky watches as Warriors helps Legend breathe properly, and then the veteran turns pink. “Let’s go to the inn.” Legend mumbles and shoves lightly past Warriors.

The cook starts walking, understanding in his eyes. 

Is there something Sky’s missing?

Hyrule and Warriors protest against this, likely wanting to help Legend. Wild doesn’t stop for them though. They get to an inn where the cook urges them to their rooms and lets Legend be alone. Sky sits in the room, trying to process everything. His stomach churns, remembering what Legend had said in the vision.

“Whoever I get attached to, either leaves me or dies. I don’t want that fate for you guys.” 

He should really talk to Legend. Legend shouldn’t be alone right now…but Sky trusts Wild. If Wild can help, the skyloftian will let him. “You okay Sky?” Wind asks.

The chosen smiles. “Mhm. Just thinking.”

Wind brightens and nods. “Do you wanna play a game with the rest of us?”

“Sure.” Sky says and stands up.

Wind cheers and brings Sky to the chain. They have cards in their hands. “Oh you’re on.” Sky says.

Sky’s exhausted. He really should be awake, watching Legend, making sure he doesn’t run. His eyelids droop and he nods off a couple of times. 

Stay awake, stay awake, stay awake.

Sky’s mantra is the only thing keeping him from sleeping. “‘Night Sky.” Wind whispers and curls up onto a bed.

The chosen tries to stay awake, he really does…but all of the sudden black fills his vision.

———————————————————————

“Hero of the Sky…”

“What?”

“Wake up.”

“Huh?”

“Wake up, Link. Your brother needs you.”

————————————————————————

Sky awakens and curses himself for falling asleep. He opens the door to see Wild still up fidgeting nervously and Twilight sleeping. Legend’s not there. Sky’s too late.

“The truth of it is you were late. You were late, and you failed to protect her.”

Sky will not fail his brother. “Sky?” Wild mumbles.

“Legend’s in danger. We have to go. Now.” Sky says almost tripping over his words.

Wild nods and the two head out. The skyloftian sprints as fast as he can to the forest, waiting to hear anything. He smells blood and pales. “I’m too late.”

“What?” Wild tilts his head slightly.

Sky rushes and finds Legend. “Fairy. Now.” Sky says.

Wild pales drastically and hands Sky a fairy. The chosen carefully and slowly pulls the sword out of Legend, wincing when he hears a small whimper. “Oh goddesses.” Wild says, horrified.

Sky ignores the champion and quickly lets the fairy loose. The fairy chimes and spots the wound. The fairy goes and sprinkles its magic on the wound, flying in circles. The wound closes on one side, but not in the other. The fairy chimes sheepishly and flies away. The skyloftian puts pressure on the side that's still open.

“Get help.” Sky demands, voice empty.

Wild nods and runs back to the inn.

“Don’t die on me, okay? You know better than that.” Sky says, keeping a hand on Legend’s wrist. 

There’s a pulse. It’s slow but it’s there. 

"M'sorry." Legend chokes out.

Sky wipes the tears from the vet's eyes. "Don't be sorry. You have nothing to apologize for."

The veteran isn't awake for much longer after that. Soon, the chain arrives and Hyrule's there with his healing magic. Sky can't help but feel guilt surging through him.

He was too late.

He didn't talk to Legend before.

He was too late.

_________________

@luna-lovegreat

#unique writes #lu sky #lu legend #lu twilight #lu wild #lu warriors #lu wind #tw blood #I fit some Sky angst in here too :)

[trulyinspiringmovies]

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

“The Lost World: Jurassic Park” loses all nuance and self-awareness to deliver a seriously unengaging movie.

Ian Malcolm is asked to travel to Isla Sorna to document the dinosaurs that were not part of the original theme park and have been living in isolation for four years. Malcolm refuses, stating John Hammond is just making another mistake, but is coaxed into returning after finding out that his girlfriend is there. When he gets there, he’s met with his new research team. What they find out is that they’re not the only humans on the island. Hammond’s old company is now trying to capture dinosaurs to open a new theme park. It quickly becomes apparent that everyone has bit off more than they can chew.

Finding out that Sam Neill wasn’t coming back for this movie as Alan Grant was disappointing, to say the least. I thought having Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm as the new main character was an interesting idea... until I realized how boring he is as a character. Don’t get me wrong. I like Jeff Goldblum. I just think that his character in this movie wasn’t all that interesting. In the original movie, Ian Malcolm was just that guy who warns everyone about the dangers of what they were doing. In this movie, he’s still doing that, but this time he does it constantly. He’s much less of a rock star in this movie too. He has a girlfriend and a daughter from a previous relationship. I get why the choice to give him this family was made. It’s so that he has something to potentially lose throughout the film, but it really went against his character in the first movie. Admittedly, I like how getting Ian Malcolm back on the island was handled. The movie does a good job at setting things up, but never really delivers further than that. The whole second act of this movie is just one long survival sequence. They get attacked by dinosaurs, the dinosaurs just leave, the crew rests, the dinosaurs come back to attack, and the cycle just continues. It’s seriously unengaging to just watch that happen over and over again, especially when the kills are tainted by weird or dumb choices. There’s a scene where Ian, his girlfriend, and Nick are hanging from a rope over a cliff. The person that’s supposed to save them is this bumbling idiot who makes all the wrong choices. I can’t tell you how many times I smacked the center of my forehead watching him try to tie cables around various objects. When he eventually gets ripped apart, I couldn’t help but feel glad that his stupid antics were finally over. There’s another scene with these baby Velociraptors that nibble a bit on the bad guy and then back off. They do this again and back off again. It’s only until he conveniently falls behind a log, obscured from the camera, that the tiny dinosaurs devour the man. I get it from a filmmaking standpoint. It’s to show a little taste of what the baby dinosaurs are capable of to then let the audience’s imagination do the rest of the work. It just doesn’t make a lot of narrative sense. At a certain point, the movie ditches the idea of the dinosaur attacks being thrilling and tries to opt for comedy. There’s a scene where Ian is double-backing between a door to avoid a Velociraptor. There’s also the infamous gymnastic scene that truly felt like a low point for this already frustrating movie. Finally, the movie rushes to get to something that thought would be cool without actually earning it. The Tyrannosaurus wreaking havoc in the city sounds cool, but if you don’t earn it, it doesn’t feel good. There’s a massive plot hole that allows for this to happen and it’s indicative of the mindset the filmmakers were in when coming up with the ending. Do anything to make sure the T-Rex is rampaging in the city by the end, even if it makes no sense. I’d be madder at this movie, but there are still good aspects sprinkled inside. The use of animatronics is still here, so it’s nice to still see impressive puppetry. The directing in this movie is still top-notch thanks to Steven Spielberg. I know that the next movie is commonly known as the worst movie in the franchise, so I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

★★★

Watched on June 7th, 2022

#The Lost World: Jurassic Park #May #1997 #Action #Science Fiction #Adventure #Thriller #Adaptation #PG-13 #Steven Spielberg #June 2022 #3 stars

[lowkis]

you put your hand in mine - chapter 37

summary: when loki falls from the bifrost he lands on earth. isla finds him while out walking her dog one night and takes him under her wing, nursing him back to health as best she can. it’s hard, trying to juggle work, life, and looking after a fallen asgardian prince. with nowhere else to go and limited access to his magic, loki must heal, wait patiently, and adapt while trying to wrap his head around life on earth after everything that happened on the bifrost

LINK TO READ ON AO3

rated: t

words: 3148

tags: post-thor (2011), eventual romance, slow burn, mutual pining, fluff, drama, romance, angst, comfort/angst, canon divergence, protective loki, good loki, confused loki, loki needs a hug, he’s trying his best to understand earth, he’s trying his best full stop

read from the beginning: tumblr | ao3 | fic tag

Isla couldn’t think.

Thoughts, worries, fears all invaded her mind and made her anxiety skyrocket but she still couldn’t think. Everything was too jumbled within her brain for her to begin thinking rationally.

She was currently pacing a hole in the carpet in her parent’s living room.

“Isla?”

She didn’t even hear her father’s soft call to her. How could she pay attention when Loki was gone? When Thor had told her Thanos had finally taken him, threatened to twist him to suit his own purpose, and had ripped him away from them all to take him God only knows where? To a place where Heimdall couldn’t even see him anymore?

Tears dripped down her cheeks as her chest tightened. Isla sucked in a breath and tried to push down the panic trying to rise within her to the surface.

Her frantic pacing was stopped when arms wrapped around her tightly. While they grounded her and stopped her thoughts from rung too amok, it brought reality crashing back down upon her.

Isla crumpled.

Her knees gave out beneath her, but she didn’t fall. Her father steadied Isla and held her upright, but as her quiet sobs permeated the tense silence of the room he gently followed her to the floor. He rocked her back and forth just like he had when she was a child.

“Lady Isla…”

“Give her a minute,” her father commanded urgently.

Isla couldn’t see Thor as her face was pressed into her father’s shoulder, but she heard him sigh and shift at the opposite side of the room.

“It’s all right, sweetheart,” her mother soothed from behind her. Her hand ran comfortingly up and down her back. “It will be all right.”

“Your Loki is a tough guy,” her father added. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’ll be back in no time, you’ll see.”

Thanos had been most insistent on Loki joining him. He’d hunted him down, had attacked him in an effort to do so. Now, he had his hands on him, what length would he go to, to get Loki to bend to his will?

Isla swallowed against the bile in her throat and squeezed her eyes tightly closed.

“Lady Isla, I must return to Asgard,” Thor interject quietly but earnestly.

She peeled her face away from her father’s shoulder to look up at him. His sorrow was as clear as day but he’d remained steadfast and urgent. He hadn’t broken down like her. Not yet anyway. Not while Loki was still out there and needed them.

 “I must inform father and begin our search. Will you return with me?”

It wasn’t even a question that needed to be asked. Isla nodded and stood from her place on the floor.

Her parents quickly rose after her and started to make their protests.

“I have to go,” Isla whispered, silencing them all.

“Isla…” Her parent’s faces were full of sympathy, but also concern. They were worried about her.

“I have to help find him.” Isla’s eyes lifted to face her parents. They were still wet and sore from her sorrow, but she felt the determination and resolve solidifying within her. “It’s what he’d do for me.”

Both looked pained but her father nodded and accepted her decision.

“Thor?”

“Yes, Lady Isla?” He stepped forward after she called.

Isla bit her lip, suddenly uncertain. “Would they be able to come with me?”

Thor blinked at her before he realised her meaning. Her parents had a similar reaction and both shared a glance.

“To Asgard?”

“Please. I... I don’t want to be alone.”

Thor looked torn.

“Lady Isla –” His tone was one of warning however he didn’t get to finish.

“Thor, please?”

The look on his face showed his displeasure at being the bearer of bad news for a second time. But Isla had felt the need to ask. She wanted them there both as a comfort, but also to ensure their safety.

“I will speak with my father,” he offered. “Only he can extend the invitation at this time due to the nature of the situation.” His eyes dropped for a second as he swallowed. “The capture of one of our own will be seen as an act of violence against Asgard and travel by the Bifrost will be limited, however, you will not be alone. I swear it. I will see to Father myself and fight to ensure they may visit you.”

It wasn’t great but it was something. Something to hold onto to keep her world together as it threatened to tear apart.

“Okay,” she relented.

“Be safe, honey.” Her father’s hug was tight and she clung onto him just as strongly. She didn’t see him cast a warning glance at Thor over her head, silently asking him to ensure her safety.

Her mother’s hug mirrored her father’s and Isla was loath to let them go.

But they had work to do. They had to find him.

The trip to the Bifrost site was silent. As was the journey back to Asgard.

After all the turmoil of the afternoon Isla threw up once they landed. Thor rubbed her back and told her to rest, to take her time, as Heimdall waved his hand and magicked away the contents of her stomach.

Fresh tears fell when she remembered Loki had used his magic to make her feel better after each time they’d travelled this way.

She couldn’t take her time hunched over in the observatory of the Bifrost. For all they knew, Loki didn’t have time.

*          *          *

There was something invading Loki’s mind. An energy, a whisper of it, so small it was almost imperceptible. A test, perhaps, to see if he’d succumb to it. It pushed and prodded at his mind gently and felt like a fly buzzing around his head. It was irritating.

Loki jerked against his bonds. He was furious. He was incised. The manacles surrounding his wrists were heavy but did not break the skin. A more fragile being’s skin may have been rubbed raw by the weight and the tightness of them, and by the way he’d been jerking against them to try and free himself, but he was of Asgard.

But was he really, though? That was the issue which has sparked this whole chain of events. That lie, that betrayal of who he really was and where he belonged, was the reason he was currently in this position.

Regardless, as he struggled to free himself, his Jotun physiology was barely impacted by it.

His magic had been restricted by the cuffs, hence his physical struggle. It felt like something was weighing heavily upon his chest. It felt wrong, and the familiar feeling of his magic lying within him was gone. Not forever, but for the moment. Loki tried not to panic at the sensation. It would only be temporary. He just had to free himself.

His body sagged against the wall he’d been chained to. He didn’t pay attention to how hard he was breathing or how silent and eerie the world beyond his cell was. The sheen of sweat covering his body was ignored and he did not think about or reflect on his earlier... conversation with the Titan and the Chitauri. Loki’s thoughts were focussed inwards, his mind racing.

Thor was free at least. He would return with assistance. Loki was sure of it. He’d seen the look of horror on his brother’s face as Thanos vanished them in a puff of smoke. It was similar to the one he’d worn after Loki had let go of Odin’s staff.

The thought comforted him as they’d tried to break him.

Isla…

Sorrow burned deep within his bones. It was likely she knew by now what had happened to him. He could picture her tears. Her anxiety. Her fretting. Oh, that was not what he wanted for his love. He wanted her to wear nothing but smiles, to have no worries at all in this world, for he would banish them all.

Not be the cause of them.

She’d been so tense and anxious over him the day he and Thor had left that it made Loki pause. Her level of love and care always astounded him. Most of the time he dared not to believe it, but she was always there to prove him wrong. To banish his insecurities and make him feel like the most adored person in the Cosmos. She looked at him as if he’d hung the moon and the stars within the night sky and it was… indescribable, after the life he'd lead before there's found each other.

Walking away from her that day and entering through that portal had been the hardest thing he’d ever done.

And now, it would be even worse for her.

He’d broken his promise to return to her.

He’d failed her.

Another one to add to your list, a voice in his mind hissed cruelly. It is all you are good for.

Disappointing and failing his loved ones.

No… He wasn’t. He was more than that. Isla had helped to show him that.

No, you are nothing more than a failure.

He wasn’t…

Was he?

Little did he know, much to his luck, small fractures were beginning to appear in the metal clamped around his wrists.

*          *          *

Isla watched from off to the side within Asgard’s Council Room as Odin’s court and advisors discussed what had transpired on earth. She clutched at her elbows and bit her lip as she listened in to the different people speak around the table.

Some were angry, crying for retribution and the return of their prince. Others were quiet. Too quiet, in Isla’s opinion. They did not fight for Loki. They remained silent and almost impassive, as if content to leave him to his fate. 

Frigga had not chosen a seat at the table, as was her right. Instead, she came over to Isla and stood with her. A gentle hand was placed upon her back and had rubbed soothingly when she heard Isla’s exhales turning shaky. 

Worry pulled at the Queen’s eyes and was accompanied by a deep sadness. She feared for her son and openly let it show. Isla didn’t want to dwell on why the Queen appeared so worried. She couldn’t. If she did, she’d break apart. 

When Thor had gravely announced to the court what had occurred, Odin had sighed, long and deep. A heavy weight appeared to press down upon his shoulders as there was an sudden and loud outcry of disbelief and anger around the table. His eyes fluttered closed, lingering there for a moment. But once his eyes opened he rose to his feet. His staff was called to his hand in a flash of gold magic and he thumped it on the ground once, silencing everyone instantly.

“Make no mistake,” he said in an even and calm voice. “We will be going after those who have taken my son.” He met the eyes of everyone in the room as he spoke, lingering on those who’s reaction had been too quiet. “Thor,” he beckoned, gesturing to him. “Tell us everything you know.” 

He remained a stoic ruler, a true King, as plans and efforts were made to rescue Loki. His voice remained even as he spoke, his words measured after careful consideration. 

Isla could barely make heads or tails of it all. Her mind was still reeling, her stomach too much of an anxious mess, to truly take anything in. 

“Lady Isla.” The Queen smiled at her in sympathy as she finally managed to capture her attention and break through her frantic thoughts. 

“Yes?”

“Lady Isla, would you like to accompany me to my gardens for a short while?” 

She opened her mouth to protest. She couldn’t leave while Loki’s safety hung in the balance. However, the Queen would not permit her to say no. 

“Thor will update us on any plans which have been made once they are finalised. You will not be kept in the dark, I promise, however I can see you are worrying yourself in circles.” She smiled at her kindly. “Let us get some fresh air. Allow it to clear the mind.” 

Isla nodded tiredly in agreement. 

“Loki is strong, my child.” The Queen gave Isla’s hand a squeeze as she led her to her own private gardens.   It was a beautiful place. Colourful blooms were a rainbow on a backdrop of thriving greenery. They were cheerful and bright, and given different circumstances, it would have brightened up Isla’s day, seeing such a stunning sight. 

“And he has you to return to,” Frigga reminded her. “He will not be beaten so easily.” 

She nodded and clung onto the woman’s words. She spoke with wisdom and grace. Her belief was so strong and while Isla refused to believe anything less, she still had her uncertainties. Not about Loki or his skill, but about this whole situation in general. 

The image of his body bowing under the illusion of fire which the Titan had used last time made her flinch. 

“What troubles you, my child?”

“I’m scared,” Isla admitted in a whisper. 

Frigga’s expression turned to one of sympathy. “Understandable. I too share in your fear, as does Thor and Odin. Remember, you are not alone in this, and Loki will return to us.” 

 “Are you scared for him?”

The Queen paused for a moment. “I am. Of course, I am,” she answered honestly. “I fear for my son as any mother would, on top of all he has suffered throughout his life.” Her face turned contemplative, and Isla didn’t interrupt the Queen’s thoughts. “I worry about what they are forcing him endure. But we will fight to return him to us and will oppose all who dare to stand against us.”

In a startling moment of clarity Isla could finally see the warring nation Asgard proclaimed itself to be. While the Queen embodied gentleness and care, she knew in that moment she meant every word. There would be no stopping them. And – although she didn’t want to entertain the thought – God help Thanos if anything happened to Loki.

Her talk with the Queen settled Isla somewhat and relaxed her shoulders a little bit. Some of the tension released from her body with the knowledge there was a whole realm willing to stand against the Titan menace and fight to find the man she loved.

She only hoped they would be quick about it. Isla didn’t know how much more of this uncertainty she could take.

*          *          *

“That’s enough for now.” 

Loki’s body sagged against the sharp stones jutting from the wall as the Chitauri stepped away from him. He barely felt the roughness against his back anymore. Patches of blue covered his skin as his glamour faded the longer their interrogation lasted. Loki had not been able to conjure up the ability to cover them, so left it. 

It was not out of vanity or displeasure he wished to cover the appearance of his Jotun form. It was a desire to hide how Thanos and his ilk were cracking him. Not mentally, but physically. 

Fire was not kind to those of Jotun heritage. 

The burns had been left untreated at first however were quickly healed so they could begin anew. There was no physical evidence of the injury, but the renewed efforts were sapping slowly at his strength and endurance.

“Leave us,” Thanos commanded quietly, yet holding absolute authority. 

His Chitauri minions scuttled from the room, chattering together, and left Loki alone with the Titan. 

His mind was as sluggish as his body. It struggled to realise he was alone with him until the silence became startlingly apparent. Looking across the room Loki saw Thanos had remained still to stare Loki down as he waited for him to recover and return to the room. 

“What do you want with me,” Loki asked. 

“I have told you my reasonings.” 

“And I expressed my feelings on the matter,” Loki snapped with more force he thought he’d be capable of. 

“It’s no matter. The Chitauri can be very persuasive, so can my children. We shall bring you over to our side. In time.” 

“Do not count on it,” Loki muttered and resisted the urge to snort in disgust.

“Oh, I shall count on it, Odinson.” Thanos’ smile made Loki pause. “With the correct… persuasion, whether that be continuing what we do here, or venturing to other methods involving those you care for,” he grinned, “I’m sure we can come to some kind of arrangement with one another.”

Growing up in Asgard Loki hadn’t had much to fear. There were the terrors of children, for sure, but after growing into adolescence there hadn’t been much. There hadn’t been a reason for him to fear anything. He was a god. He was a master of sorcery. But in that moment, looking into Thanos’ cold eyes and seeing the sinister smile growing, Loki felt pure fear. It rushed through his veins and caused sweat to break out over his already damp skin. It slammed into him and caused him to buck against the chains surrounding him with renewed strength. 

Unnoticeable to Loki – he was too angry to pay any attention to it – the glamour returned to his skin, covering the blue patches of skin.

Thanos would not touch Isla.

“You would not dare,” Loki hissed. 

“I would,” Thanos replied without missing a beat. 

Loki’s teeth grit together with a force so strong one would be afraid they’d shatter. Protectiveness surged through his veins and in a fit of desperation and fury he called his magic to him. Although supposed to be hampered, it did respond. It stirred and reacted to his call, as if it was recognising the threat made against his beloved. 

“You will not touch one hair upon her head otherwise you will not only answer to the might of Asgard, you will answer to me.” 

“None will find you. I can assure you of that.” Thanos straightened and uncrossed his arms. 

Something in the back of his mind tingled. It was barely there, so tiny he almost missed it. But it was familiar. It knew him as well as he knew himself. 

An explosion rocked the ground beneath his feet but all Loki did was grin at the way Thanos tipped to the side. 

Asgard was coming. 

“You will not win against them,” Loki warned. 

Something flashed within Thanos’ eyes and Loki knew he would pay for what had come for him. He would suffer for their incursion. But so long as it freed him from his bonds and returned him to his home, back to the arms of the woman he loved, he’d bear it. 

So long as it kept Isla safe in the long run, and kept the Titan away, that was all he was concerned about

Furious at the attack, Thanos strode towards Loki. He lifted his large purple fist but whatever was glowing with blue energy was hidden from view behind large fingers. Something hard and sharp was pressed against Loki’s temple and accompanying it was an enormous pressure pressing on his skull. Blue light filled his vision and distorted the colours and lights around him, turning the hues so bright and iridescent it was painful.

Loki wanted to close his eyes against it, but it was too much. It was too intense and all he could do was gasp in pain and let out a pained sound as he felt something slither into his mind. His magic fought it off as best it could, but it was so strong. It was compelling him to give in and let it take over. 

Loki fought it. He wouldn’t give into it. He wouldn’t. 

But the Titan pressed harder and the pressure on his skull increased. It was too much.

The blackness which enveloped him was tinged around the edges with icy blue light. It swirled over his vision and curled in the centre before fading, and his eyesight returned to him.

However it was as if he was viewing the world from a distance.

Loki shook his head to try and right his vision, but it remained the same.

The pressure on his skull had relented, but not entirely. His head throbbed once, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut. 

When Loki next opened his eyes and took his first step forward he was not entirely in control of his own body.

#loki fic #loki x original female character #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki #you put your hand in mine #my fic #likes and reblogs are much appreciated :)

[chubbybuckydumpling]

Christmas Biscuits

words: 2287

warnings: swear words, a tiny bit of angst, mentions of death (this sounds kinda bad, but it’s actually really fluffy)

A/n: this is my first ever fic and I’m really insecure about my writing. Please be kind 🥺💖 (gif is not mine)

Writing challenge by @mypoisonedvine

“This one, daddy, this one!” Bucky chuckles as he looks towards his toddler, who sits on the kitchen isle in front of a box full of  biscuit cutters. The three year old holds up a huge reindeer cutter and smiles toothily at her father.

“Dude, it's way too big. We won't even be able to fit four of those on one baking tray. Why do we even have one this large?” The teenager stands to the left of her sister and looks at Bucky with a questioning gaze. Her hair is lazily put into a low bun and an ugly Christmas jumper adorns her body.

“Eileen, don't call your sister 'dude'”, the teen rolls her eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh, “Whatever” He makes his way towards the toddler and gently takes the reindeer out of her hands, while sending his oldest a warning look. “You heard your sister, baby. Let's choose some smaller ones” he explains and pulls the box towards himself.

His eyes fall on a Mickey Mouse biscuit cutter and a smile takes over his face. He grabs the desired object and places it on the isle, “When your sister was in kindergarten she made this all by herself. We use these every year. They are very special to me”. The little girl holds up the cutter to inspect it and then looks to Bucky. “Special?”, she asks.

He nods and watches as his youngest daughter holds the cutter towards her big sister. “We use this one, yes Isla?” Eileen smiles, accepts the object and places it on the counter next to the dough. She shakes her head lightly and grins at her father, “I can't believe you've kept this all these years”

Bucky shrugs and continues searching the box for appropriate biscuit cutters. “You gifted this to me, of course I kept it. You looked so proud when you brought this home, I'll never forget. Also, I'm pretty sure your father would have beheaded me if I even thought about throwing this away”, he pauses, just for some seconds, “We were probably as proud as you, if not more”. Bucky fetches a star and a smaller reindeer biscuit cutter out of the box and hands them to the toddler.

Eileen hums before turning towards her little sister, “Do you like ones dad chose, Sarah?”. She nods and holds her arms up, silently demanding to be carried. The older girl obliges and puts the toddler on her hip, so that they can add the new cutters to the counter.

Bucky joins his children with another biscuit cutter and the dough in his hands. He places both items down and grabs the rolling pin to flatten out the dough. “I remember how much papa loved baking biscuits. He'd always let me decorate them, even though he was so much better at it”, Eileen says while putting Sarah on the counter and holding her waist, in case she'll fall down. She eyes Bucky hesitantly.

He stops for a moment to collect himself and then forces a smile on his face, “He always loved everything you did. You were his little superstar. There wasn't a thing you could have done wrong. You've always been his pride and joy”. Bucky continues rolling the dough, “He always felt bad about actually eating them. He couldn't bear to destroy your art”

“That's what I've got you for though!”, his oldest giggles and gently pinches Bucky's tummy, which makes him release a high pitched shriek. Sarah begins to laugh loudly at her father's silliness and tries to tickle him as well. The man however grabs her hand and pulls her little body towards his chest. He quickly presses a kiss to her forehead.

“Alright, I think we can start cutting. Sarah, baby, do you want daddy to help you?” The young girl nods and claps her hands in an excited manner, “Please, daddy!” Bucky grins and encourages his youngest daughter to choose a cutter. Eileen quickly fishes for her Mickey Mouse one, a smile upon her lips. Sarah takes her time to think, before she carefully picks out the star shape. “Good choice, bug!”

The family spends some time on cutting and baking multiple batches of biscuits, laughing and smiling. After a couple minutes, Eileen starts to play a Christmas playlist to which they sing to. Time was flying and soon they found themselves ready to decorate their goodies.

Bucky forces Sarah to put on an apron and ties her dirty blond hair back into a ponytail. Eileen mixes different coloured icings and opens some sprinkles and edible glitter. Her father eyes the glitter and sighs, “This is going to end in a mess, right?” The older girl smiles sheepishly and her father accepts his defeat.

“Alright then girls, let's get going”. Eileen takes on the job of delicately dipping the biscuits into the icing while Bucky desperately tries to stop his toddler from pouring a whole bag of sprinkles over one single biscuit. And like anticipated, once Sarah finds the glitter, it's over. There's glitter everywhere. In his hair, in his children's hair, on the counter, the floor and of course, on the baked goods.

Once they finished all the biscuits and stored them, Bucky leans against the counter, utterly exhausted. His eyes drift to the clock. It's already 6 pm and he still needs to cook dinner. Upon seeing his father so tired, Eileen slides next to him and places a hand on his, “How about we order some food? We can even choose something healthy, if you want to” He raises his eyebrows, “Healthy you say?”. She nods and Bucky narrows his eyes, “Who are you and what have you done to my teen?”

His dramatic reaction causes her to snort and shake her head. “Well, do you want me to order something or not?”

———

After devouring some nice Italian cuisine and doing a whole lot of dishes, everyone is laying on the couch, tired, yet satisfied. “I'm glad baking biscuits is an annual occurrence. This shit is way to exhausting”, Eileen yawns out and cuddles up to her father, who lifts up an arm to pull her towards him. Sarah is already fast asleep on his belly.  Bucky gives his oldest a warning nudge for using a swear word, but quickly presses a kiss to her temple afterwards.

“Papa hated when I swore. And he always heard it too! I could have been on the moon for all I care and he would have still known”, she complains with a light smile on her face. Bucky chuckles and begins to play with her hair, “You could always hear him yell 'Language!' whenever someone used a bad word”. He sighs, “Your father was a good man. He only wished for the best for you and your sister”. Eileen remains silent.

“Are we going to visit papa tomorrow?”, she asks after a while. Bucky nods, “I was planning on doing so. Is that okay with you?”. The teenager mumbles a quiet 'yes' and yawns again. “Alright, my love. I think it's time for bed” She grumbles, but uses one of her hands to stroke some hair from her eyes. Sitting up, she yawns again and presses a kiss to her father's cheek, “Good night, dad. I love you”

“I love you too, dear. Sweet dreams”, he calls out to her retreating figure. The shine of the vanilla candles illuminates her form and Bucky can't help the warm feeling in his chest. Eileen grew up to be such a beautiful young woman and he realises again just how proud he is. Proud of her responsibility, her independence and her love for herself. It hasn't always been easy for her and she still pulled through to be her best self, which he can't help but admire.

Before he can get too emotional, Bucky gets up as well, careful to not disrupt his daughter's sleep. He blows out the candles, the smoke filling his nostrils with an overwhelming smell of vanilla. Steve always insisted on buying exactly these candles, for they calmed his mind enough to sketch a little, and really, how could Bucky ever deny his love? Now they are a reminder of him. His scent and laugh, the sound of his pencils scratching his paper, the feel of his lips on Bucky's own.

He shakes his head to rid himself of these thoughts and makes his way up the stairs into Sarah's room. He tucks her into the tiny bed and kisses her forehead, “Good night, baby. Sweet dreams. Daddy loves you”, he whispers.

On the wall across the door is the wall painting Steve made before their youngest daughter was born. He was so excited to meet her and made it his goal to create the most beautiful nursery for her. The underwater scene displays so much of Steve's character, from the way he carefully handled the brush to his determined, strong strokes. Bucky is happy that Sarah has this reminder of her papa, especially because she never had the chance to meet him.

He sneaks out of her room, switching on her night light on his way out. One of his hands rests on his soft belly and squeezes the fat that has collected there. A yawn ripples through him which makes him move to his own bedroom. There, the walls are shining in a light orange which creates an illusion of a  bigger room, or so Steve used to say.

Bucky unzips his jeans and throws them on the growing pile of dirty clothes on the floor. He'll have to do laundry soon. His soft jumper joins his trousers, leaving Bucky in some grey boxer briefs. Too tired to bother putting on pyjamas, Bucky lets himself fall into the king sized bed, which stretches under his weight. He turns to his night stand and reaches for the framed picture that rests upon it. His fingers run over the soft wood of the frame, a small smile on his lips.

“Oh, Steve”, he sighs. Suddenly, his strong exterior is quickly crumbling and Bucky's lips begin to tremble. He takes a deep breath. “I miss you so much”, his voice is shaky from his efforts to hold back the tears. “I wish you were still here: Oh god, Steve”. He begins to cry, sobs echoing off of the walls, tears rolling down his puffy cheeks. The picture slides out of his hands and falls onto the bed. Bucky covers his face and tries to muffle the sounds escaping.

It's been over three years since, but he can''t move on. He can't and he won't, wouldn't dare to. Bucky is exhausted, mentally and physically. He's trying to be strong, for Eileen, for Sarah, for Steve. These children are Steve's biggest treasure and Bucky is going to make sure they are happy and safe. It's what Steve would have wanted and he can't fail him.

He tries to wipe the tears away, but new ones follow immediately. “Fuck Steve, I'm so sorry. I wish I could have done more”, Bucky cries and pulls the framed photo to his chest, curling around it as if he were to protect it, “I wish it would have been me!”. Sobs continue to roll through his body. He tries to breathe through his nose, to be calm and controlled, but the piercing ache in his heart continues to make him cry out. His soft belly shakes with each agonized shudder and every heartbreaking sob.

Once he's finally calmed down, he dries his cheeks and presses his lips to Steve's picture. The cold glass a stark contrast to Bucky's warm lips. Immediately, it begins to fog up under the man's hot breath. His fingers find their wedding rings, which he is wearing on a chain around his neck, and play with them. The metallic sounds when they bump into each other fills the void room and aid Bucky into finally resting. Just before he falls asleep, the words “with you 'till the end of the line” fall from his lips.

———

The next day, the Rogers-Barnes family is bundled up in thick, fluffy coats, scarves and hats to fight against the biting cold. They are cuddled up on a picnic blanket and warm their hands with cups of hot chocolate. Their breath fogs up the icy air and the smell of biscuits is prominent. Bucky looks down to Eileen who is feeding Sarah a reindeer treat. He smiles.

“Do you like your biscuits, baby?”. The toddler nods enthusiastically and offers the rest of her half eaten goodie to her father, a big, toothy grin on her face. He grins mischievously  and eats the whole biscuit in one bite, which makes the younger girl gasps dramatically before bursting out in giggles, “Silly daddy!”

Eileen smirks and joins in, “Yes, silly daddy. He will never lose some pounds this way” Her hand pats his belly after she squeezes his admittedly pudgy cheeks, “but that's what we love you for, right Sarah?” The addressed girl nods, already on her next biscuit. Bucky smiles widely and throws an arm over his oldest and pulls her to his chest, “I know you're just jealous of my dad bod”, his hands stroke over his tummy in an appreciative manner. The teen hums an agreement and cuddles herself closer to her father.

“I guess your hugs have increased in efficiency”. The chubby man grins and kisses both of his daughters' heads. “Your papa loved it too. He'd always give me some nice belly rubs”, he tells her before looking over to the grave they are sitting next to,”isn't that right, Stevie?”

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[hasquetzorkukudoneanythingwrong]

Fiesta!!!

The date was May 30th, one of the days that fell into the month that celebrated Quetzalcoatl and some of her fellow gods. The human master of Chaldea, Rex, decided that it would be the perfect day to celebrate a birthday for her. Following that, he worked with many of the other servants to help make it a special day for her. Starting first thing in the morning.

Quetz, waking up and stretching: mmmm!

Rex, hugging her: feliz cumpleaños, mi corazon!

Quetz: ah mi amor! Muchos gracias!

Rex: are you ready for the greatest day ever! Or atleast here in chaldea anyways!

Quetz: si! I can't wait to see what you planned.

Quetzalcoatl, was a very smart goddess. Under normal circumstances, it'd be pretty much impossible to keep a secret from her. But for the sake of her celebration, she turned a blind eye to Rex's birthday plans.

Rex: well good! Cause they start now! *finger snap!*

And with a snap of his fingers, the robotic ninja, Kato Danzo appeared! With a tray of food.

Kato: hello, Quetzalcoatl! I bring freshly made breakfast in bed for you and your husband!

Quetz: oh my! Muchos gracias, Senorita Kato!

Kato: of course!

She placed the tray onto the bed and disappeared as quickly as she first appeared.

For Quetz, a traditional meal of huevos rancheros! And for Rex, a breakfast burrito. And a BIG stack of pancakes for the two to share. Along with a cup of coffee for the goddess, and orange juice for the master.

Quetz: rancheros! One of my favorites! Gracias mi amor!

Rex: of course mi corazon!

After they ate breakfast, the two got dressed for the day!

Quetz: what else do you have planned mi amor!

Rex: oh just wait and see!

Not long after

Quetz: WOOOH! This looks amazing!

Rex: of course mi corazon! Anything for you!

The two were flying on Quetz's pterosaur, right above a very unique environment. As per Rex's request, a special simulation was made. A patchwork of the various jungles from all throughout the world. You could see the jungles of the Lacandon, the Amazon, the Congo, the Backcountry, the cloud forest, the sinharaja, and so many more!

Quetz: wow mi amor! Flying through these jungles is amazing!

Rex: anything for you mi corazon!

Throughout the flight, they'd slow down and get lower to get a good look at the various plants and animals that called these forests home. In every patch, completely unique but very similar animals could be seen.

Quetz: so many animals... so different but also so... similar!

Rex: yeah! It's convergent evolution! Y'know about it?

Quetz: maybe... but explain anyways!

Rex: ok then, mi corazon! Convergent evolution, is when we see very different and unrelated animals evolve the same adaptations because they fill the same niche in similar environments. Like how in the jungles you would've called home, there's Jaguars, while in the Congo, there's Leopards!

Quetz: ooooh! How efficient!

Rex: yeah! You can even see it throughout various time periods! In place of animals like Grizzlies in North America, there was T-rex!

Quetz: you really like this stuff huh, mi amor? You seem almost as excited as when you talk about me!

Rex: yeah... animals are interesting to me...

After they ended the simulation, they returned to their room for the gift giving!

Many other servants had gifts for the goddess. Pretty much everyone manged to get her something. Some gave more simple gifts, such as clothes and accessories. Others gave more practical things, like appliances and the like. The more extravagant ones, like Ozymandias and Gilgamesh piled on a few riches. But a few did give more personal gifts.

Some of the stand out personal gifts included: a book of various fighting techniques from Murasaki, a portrait of the couple from Da Vinci, some beautiful jades from Ishtar, an amazing golden cage with flowers inside from Ereshkigal, some new training weights from Penth, a very big snake plush from Gorgon and so on.

Even other masters gave gifts. Vy and her servants baked a cake that resembled one from a very popular game. Val gave some good snake print socks. Julius and his servants gave the couple some gift cards. Quin gave Quetz a scrap book of her adventures, the last 5 pages of it was filled with just pics of the couple together. Quin also gave new training dummies for practice!

Then there was Quin's wife BB

BB: there should be a portal opening to somewhere full of danger and excitement soon! Along with those other "special" gifts for night-time.

Quetz: wait what?!

Rex: huh?!

A portal opens up behind the pair, and they fall in.

Both: aaaahhhh!

BB, from outside the portal: don't worry! I'll use my time powers so you'll still have plenty of time once you're back!

The couple ended up on a tropical island, filled with creatures that shouldn't be around any longer.

Rex: uh... do those fences look... familiar to you?

Quetz: si... from a... movie I think?

RAAAAAHHH!!!

Rex: what was that!?

Quetz: I'm not sure!

They were sent to the fictional island of Isla Nublar from the jurassic park series! They had interesting and wild adventures before coming back to Chaldea!

(That adventure deserves it's own story tho, so stay tuned for that!)

Quetz: wooh! BB was right! Very dangerous.

Rex: yeah... but now it's time for the Fiesta!

Quetz: yay!

They went to a huge room, reserved specifically for the party! Every chaldea servant was there! There was food, drinks, music and everything you need for a killer Fiesta!

Rex, on stage with a microphone: Hola everyone! We are here today to celebrate the birthday of the greatest goddess in chaldea, Quetzalcoatl!

The crowd cheered! Everyone was hyped for the party!

Quetz: yay! I love seeing everyone happy for mi Fiesta!

Rex: so let's get this party started!

Crowd: YEEEEEEEEAH!!!!

It was one of the biggest parties chaldea ever had! Everyone danced and drank and had a roaring good time! But of course, Quetzalcoatl had the best time! She spent the time with her husband, eating delicious food and getting absolutely wasted!

Rex: mi corazon, don't drink too much now. You'll need a clear head for later.

Quetz, blushy: I'll be fine mi amor! Where's the cake?! I want my cake!

Rex: wait just a bit for that!

Then one of the more recent servants, Kijyo Koyo, came with the piñata she made!

Kijyo: hey! It's piñata time!

Quetz: ohhhh! A piñata!

Of course, as the birthday girl Quetz got first swing at the piñata! As tradition, she was blindfolded and spun around a bit before she was let loose on the piñata!

Rex: that's an interesting choice for a piñata Kijyo, why that?

Kijyo: well I know Quetz hates her brother, so a piñata like that will let her anger loose!

Rex: how if she doesn't see it?

Kijyo: oh she doesn't know? I thought I told her already!

Rex: seems not.

Kijyo: ok then! Then I'll tell her now!

Rex: wait a se-

Kijyo: Quetz! The Piñata is a black jaguar! So you can let loose any anger!

Upon hearing this, Quetz dropped the sitck.

Rex: mi corazon? What are you doing?

She also removed the blindfold, and pulled out her sword.

Rex: n-no no! Quetz you don't have to do it like that!

She then swung at the paper mache cat with her macana! Knocking it on the ground, as she proceeded to continue on with that for some time. Once she finally finished there was no piñata left to speak of. Just the candy that came inside!

Quetz: gracias Kijyo! That did help!

Kijyo: ...right! Glad for that!

Rex: mi corazon... you seemed to have sobered up already.

Quetz: the rage I feel for my brother is more powerful then any alcohol.

Rex: ok then...

After the party was another event! Of course, as Quetz loves lucha libre, she loves sparring with her fellow fighters! So Rex set up a lucha tournament! Quetz was to face a gauntlet of other servants in hand to hand combat! After each match, she'd have as much time to rest as she needed before the next! BB needed to use her time powers a bit more to make sure there was plenty of time.

The order for her to face was Ishtar, Bradamante, Medusa, Musashi, Nyalter, Raikou, Lartoria, Scathach, Penth, Martha, and finally Astraea!

Every match was a spectacle! Every opponent Quetz faced was a forced to be reckoned with!

Some matches got pretty close but in the end, Quetzalcoatl came out victorious!

Rex: Quetzalcoatl takes the victory!

Quetz: yay!

She was awarded a wrestling belt for her win!

After that, the day started to wind down. It was night, and many servants were partied out!

Quetz: mi amor, I've loved all that you've done! But... what about your present for me?

Rex: oh that!? I'm saving that for last! Just the two of us, in private. You know I like doing things between us in a more intimate fashion...

Quetz: oh! Now I can't wait!

A/N: there's Quetz's birthday Fiesta! I've tried to make it the best day I possibly can for her! Soon I'll write the more personal and intimate one between just me and her!

(And no I don't mean intimate as in dirty ok!)

Tags

@hasereshdoneanythingwrong @hasishtardoneanythingwrong @haspaulbunyandoneanythingwrong @hasspartacusdoneanythingwrong @hasnightingaledoneanythingwrong @hasbbdoneanythingwrong @haskamadoneanythingwrong @renmeo @kazosaurus @exmeowstic @grievouslyxorvia @writer-and-artist27 @averaillisa

#fate grand order #quetzalcoatl #wife #rexcoatl #mastersona #rex #BB #kijyo koyo #quetz b day!

[kieranfm]

𝟏𝟏𝐏𝐌  ,  𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋𝐄  𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆  𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌  ,  𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍  ;  𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴  𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵  𝘣𝘦  𝘩𝘰𝘸  𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴  ››   𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐍  +  𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐍 

it  was  one  of  their  bigger  shows  of  the  tour ; 1,200  people  ,  19,589  off  of  selling  out  madison  square  garden  .  so  why  didn’t  it  feel  like  it  ?  usually  there  was  a  high  crackling  in  his  veins  ,  alighting  him  from  the  inside  out  ,  as  he  left  behind  the  screaming  of  a  crowd  that  wanted  more  .  but  kieran  had  felt  more  when  they’d  stepped  off  stage  after  playing  to  520   ,  or  even  200  ,  than  he  did  coming  off  stage  of  the  royale  tonight  .  he  couldn’t  put  his  finger  on  it  .  the  reason  WHY  it  felt  like  he  hadn’t  just  done  what  he  did  every  other  night  before  .  the  reason  WHY  the  high  wasn’t  quite  so  bright  .  the  reason  WHY  he’d  caught  the  same  look  from  mikey  ; as  he’d  wished  him  good  luck  ,  &  conan  ; as  they’d  caught  eyes  during  the  opening  notes  of  cheer  up  baby  .  the  same  look  he  knew  all  too  well ;  as  if  they  were  waiting  for  him  to  tip  over  an  edge  he  hadn’t  walked  the  line  of  in  MONTHS  .  .  .  everything  was  good  .  wasn’t  it  ?  a  smile  pushed  its  way  onto  his  lips  as  his  feet   hit  solid  ground  &  one  crowd  turned  into  another  smaller  one  ,  full  of  congratulations  for  surviving  ANOTHER  show  .  but  just  like  the  congratulations  was  like  clockwork  ,  kieran  still  found  himself  looking  for  the  one  person  that  had  been  missing  from  the  start  .  the  one  person  that  only  came  in  the  form  of  words  lit  up  on  his  screen  .  words  that  seemed  to  come  few  & far  between  —  or  at  all  more  recently  .  maybe  that  was  why  everything  felt  OFF  ;  there  had  been  no  ‘  knock  ‘em  dead  ,  baby ’  to  send  him  out  on  stage  with  &  he  couldn’t  remember  the  last  time  he’d  gone  on  without  it  .  hell  ,  he  couldn’t  even  remember  the  last  time  he’d  gone  this  long  without  a  WORD  from  her  .  but  with  ruairi’s  hands  falling  heavily  upon  his  shoulders  ,   &  an  airy  voice  that  put  him  on  edge  filled  the  air  ,  he  let  himself  be  pulled  along  in  the  tide  .  clinging  onto  the  quiet  embers  that  popped &  crackled  away  in  his  veins  as  the  high  fought  its  way  through  the  haze  of  worry  .  she  was  busy  .  that’s  all  it  was  .  

so  why  did  it  feel  like  something  was  wrong  ?

it  was  enviable  though  .  the  way  in  which  kieran  ALWAYS  found  his  way  back  to  evan  ,  because  even  when  a  whole  ocean  separated  them  he  always  found  her  way  back  to  her  .  the  only  thing  was  ,  it  seemed  as  if  evan  wasn’t  finding  her  way  back  to  him  .  because  as  the  noise  of  the  dressing  room  died  away  ,  people  going  their  seperate  ways  to  either  begin  the  pack  up  for  a  day  on  the  road  tomorrow  or  to  take  their  celebrations  elsewhere  ,   he’d  slipped  his  phone  from  the  pocket  of  his  jacket  .  the  cool  surface  settling  in  his  palm  as  the  glow  of  his  screen  reflected  back  the  same  thing  it  had  done  earlier  when  he’d  given  up  waiting  &  tucked  it  away  for  safe  keeping  ;  NOTHING  .  there  was  absolutely  nothing  . his  top  teeth  gnawed  at  his  bottom  lip  as  he  pulled  up  the  bottom  of  his  screen  in  hopes  that  it  would  reveal  anything  other  than  his  own  texts  :

         21/07/21  8:43pm          📲 i  can  only  assume  you  didn’t  pick  up  my  call  earlier  bc  you               were  too  busy  making  saint   valentine  fall  in  love  with  you          📲  but  it’s  nearly  2am  for  you  and  i   ,  personally  ,  think  it’s  rude  i                  haven’t  heard  ANYTHING  about  how  it  went  yet

         22/07/21  4:02am          📲  alright  you          📲  it’s  9am  there  and  i  woke  up  to  nothing          📲  i’m  calling  you  the  minute  i  finish  this  morning  radio  shit

         22/07/21  9:05am          📲  i’m  the  one  that’s  mean  to  be  the  gd  enigma  , evan

         22/07/21  10:00am            📲  well  ,  call  me  whenever  you’re  free  bc  i  would  like  to  know  if                   saint  valentine  swiped  our  best  photographer  from  us  

         23/07/21  3:02pm          📲  we  just  wrapped  soundcheck  for  the  day  and  we  go  on  at  9:15                 tonight          📲  so  i  can  talk  if  you’re  free

         23/07/21  3:43pm          📲  the  lads  said  they  haven’t  heard  anything  from  you  either            📲  is  everything  okay  ?          📲  has  something  happened  ?

what  the  HELL  was  going  on  ? surely  if  something  had  happened  to  her  eloise  ,  or  isla  ,  would  have  called  him  .  .  .  no  —  no  ,  she  was  busy  ; caught  up  in  editing  photos  for  saint  valentine  .  he’d  seen  how  focused  she  could  get  on  her  work  sometimes  &  with  him  not  there  to  pull  away  physically  the  time  could  EASILY  get  away  from  her  .  but  that  did  nothing  to  settle  the  cloud  that  dampened  the  glowing  embers  that  were  a  sad  excuse  from  his  post-show  high  . the  bottom  of  his  phone  tapped  against  his  palm  as  his  eyes  lifted  to  focus  upon  the  wall  above  the  wooden  clothes  rack  his  jacket  hung  on  .  it  didn’t  make  sense though  .  .  . she’d  been  shooting  for  saint  valentine  .  she  would  have  called  after  that  .  she  SHOULD  have  called  after  that  .  where  the  hell  was  she  ? “  you  okay  ?  ”  conan’s  voice  forced  his  eyes  to  refocus  ,  bringing  him  back  down  to  reality  ,  &  turn  his  attention  towards  him  .   silence  passed  between  them  for  a  split  second  as  kieran  tried  to  place  the  look  hidden  within  conan’s  features  .  they’d  been  friends  all  their  lives  .  he  wasn’t  imagining  the  smothered  worry  hidden  within  his  eyes  ,  “  what  do  you  know  ?  ” “  what  ?  ” he  lifted  his  phone  towards  conan  ,  “  evan  — ” &  there  it  was  ,  the  flicker  of  worry  break  through  the  cracks  .  it  was  all  he  needed  . “  i  asked  you  earlier  if  you’d  heard  from  her  .  ” “  i  haven’t  .  ” “  but  you  know  why  she’s  not  answering  me  ,  don’t  you  ?  ” “  guys  —  yo  ,  what  t’e  fuck’s  going on  —  ” but  kieran  ignored  ruairi  as  he  watched  conan’s  jaw  work  from  side  to side ,  “  what  the  fuck  aren’t  you  telling  me  ,  conan  ?  ”   but  it  was  mikey’s  voice  that  answered  him  & kieran’s  eyes  snapped  instantly  towards  him  ,  “  it’s  not  his  fault  ,  kid  .  i  told  him  not  to  say  anything  until  after  the  show  .  ”  kieran’s  gaze  flickered  towards  conan  for  a  moment  ,  noting  the  apologetic  look  in  his  eye  ,  before  he  looked  back  at  mikey  .  “  i  ,  we  ,  needed  you  out  there  with  a  clear  mind  .  ” “  why  wouldn’t  my  mind  be  clear  ?  ”   mikey’s  hand  lifted  to  rub  at  his  jaw  before  he  pointed  towards  the  couch  in  the  middle  of  the  room  ,   “  come  sit  down  .  i  have  something  to  show  you  .  ”

the  nausea  had  set  in  the  minute  he’d  taken  a  step  towards  the  couch  .  but the  minute  mikey  had  handed  him  the  article  brought  up  on  his  ipad   &  begun  to  explain ,  kieran  felt  SICK  .  his  fingers  curled  around  the  edges  of  the  ipad  tight  enough  to  press  harshly  into  his  flesh  .  no  —  NO  .  this  wasn’t  happening  .  it  made  NO  fucking  sense  .  Bex  &  The  Found’s  Kieran  Walsh  Confirm  Rumors  are  True  .  .  .  speculated  to  be  growing  intimately  closer  .  .  .  make  it  known  outside  of  their  inner  circle  .  he  couldn’t  stop  reading  it  .  he  couldn’t  stop  starring  at  the  photos  .  hoping  that  any  moment  one  of  them  would  yell  gotcha  or  the  article  would  simply  vanished  .  but  no  matter  how  hard  he  tried  or  how  long  he  waited  ,  nothing  changed  .  the  words  were  still  there  ,  plain  as  day  &  painting  him  as  a  liar  .  the  photos  were  still  there  ,  plain  as  day  & painting  him  as  an  ASSHOLE  .  this  couldn’t  be  happening  .   “  why  didn’t  you  tell  me  .  ”  his  voice  was  low  ,  dangerously  so  . “  we  needed  you  to  have  a  —  ” “  a  clear  fucking  head  ,  i  know  .  but  T’IS  —  ”  he  tossed  the  ipad  onto  the  table  between  them  as  dark  eyed  focused  on  mikey  ,  “  you  should  have  fucking  told  me  as  soon  as  you  found  out  .  ” “  jani  only  called  me  this  morning  .” “  it’s  been  out  for  T’REE  fucking  days  ,  mikey  .  ”  his  hands  jutted  out  towards  the  discarded  ipad  ,  “  what  t’e  FUCK  has  she  been  doing  for  t’ree  days  t’en  ?  she’s  our  fucking  pr  manager  isn’t  she  ? isn’t  it  her  job  to  look  out  for  shit  like  t’is  ? ” “  kieran  —  ”  conan’s  voice  broke  through  the  haze  &  his  fingers  curled  into  a  fist  as  he  turned  towards  him  , “  what  ?  ”   “  take  a  breath  .  ” kieran’s  gaze  darted  frantically  over  conan’s  features  .  but  as  conan  held  his  gaze  ,  the  anger  within  him  teetered  &  his  breath  hitched  in  his  chest  .  evan  had  to  know  this  was  all  bullshit  .  she  HAD  to  .  .  .  but  the  timing  of  it  all  was  too  much  to  gloss  over  .  the  photo  had  come  out  on  the  21st  &  he  hadn’t  heard  a  SINGLE  thing  from  her  since  .  she  wasn’t  just  busy  .  she  believed  it  . his  voice  cracked  as  he  spoke  ,  “  this  is  evan  .  ” “  we  know  .  ” it  was  then  he  took  a  look  around  at  the  four  that  sat  along  side  him  .  features  sharpened  by  anger  softening  as  he  dragged  in  a  deep  ,  shaky  breath  ,  “  t’is  is  all  bullshit  .  ”   but  as  ruairi’s  features  broke  from  a  second  kieran’s  brow  arched  ,  “  is  it  ?  ”   “  i’m  sorry  ?  ” “  well  —  i  just  mean  ,  DID  somet’ing  happen  between  you  two ?  ” he  froze  for  a  moment  .  processing  ruairi’s  words  &  trying  to  figure  out  if  he’d  heard  them  right  .  but  before  he  could  even  form  a  reply  ,  a  pillow  was  thrown  directly  into  ruairi’s  face  with  a  heavy  thump from  conan’s  direction  . “  what  kind  of  fucking  question  is  t’a  ,  mate  ?  ”   “  okay  ,  okay  —  stupid  question  . ”  ruairi  fumbled  with  the  pillow  down  as  he  brought  it  down  his  lap  ,  kieran  rolling  his  eyes  as  he  let  out  a  breath  &  bring  a  hand  to  rub  at  his  forehead  .  if  it  was  ANYONE  else  ,  it  would  have  be  the  last  straw  .  but  as  ruairi’s  gaze  darting  between  four  faces  that  looked  at  him  expectantly  ,  kieran  couldn’t  be  mad  as  he  explained   “  but  look  .  i  told  you  i  t’ought  she  seemed  t’  be  weaselling  in  a  lot  of  places  that  are  usually  made  for  evan  &  she  seemed  to  cling  onto  you  so  —  i  t’ought  since  no  one  seemed  to  WANT  to  ask  it  ,  i'd  ask  it .  just  t’  be  sure  . ”kieran’s  hand  dropped  to  his  lap  as  he  shook  his  head  ,  exhaling  a  breath  ,   “  i’m  not  cheating  on  evan  wit’  bex  .  ”  he  paused  for  a  moment  as  his  fingers  linked  together  ,  eyes  darting  towards  the  screen  of  mikey’s  ipad  ,  “  you  all  were  t’ere  .  we  were  taking  her  back  t’  t’e  bloody  hotel  because  she  was  DRUNK  .  ” his  gaze  were  frantic  once  more  as  they  darted  between  conan  ,  ruairi  &  ,  adam  ,  before  settling  on  mikey  ,  “  we  know  ,  kid  .  but  we’re  not  the  ones  you  need  to  be  telling  that  to  right  now  .  ”  he  was  right  .  it  had  been  THREE  days  since  this  had  dropped  &  all  he’d  said  to  evan  was  things  about  her  god  damn  saint  valentine  job  .  he’d  kept  the  whole  walking  out  of  the  interview  from  her  to  stop  her  from  freaking  out  over  rumours  of  him  being  with  bex  .  but  now  here  it  was  plastered  across  a  website  for  all  to  see  .  he  didn’t  want  to  think  what  was  going  on  in  her  head  .  “  yeah  ,  yeah  ,  you’re  right  . ”  his  hands  were  shaky  as  he  reached  for  his  phone  jean  pockets  ,  so  much  so  that  it  took  a  few  attempts  to  be  able  to  press  her  name  on  his  list  of  recent  calls  before  he  brought  it  to  her  ear  .  one  ring  ,  two  rings  ,  three  rings  ,  four  rings .  .  .  voice  message  .  he  pulled  the  phone  from  his  ear  &  hung  up  .  “  fuck  .  ” “  it’s  early  in  the  morning  t’ere  ,  right  ?  she’s  probably  asleep  .  ”  adam  ,  always  the  voice  of  reason  . “  fuck  t’at  .  she  can  wake  up  .  ”  ruairi  ,  an  idiot  but  the  most  inline  with  the  thoughts  in  his  own  mind  .  she  did  make  him  promise  to  call  no  matter  the  time  .  “  try  again  .  ”&  he  did  as  took  in  a  breath  as  he  pressed  her  contact  again  ,  lighting  his  phone  up  before  he  brought  it  to  his  ear  . &  he  tried  again &  again  &  again  .  he  tried  until  finally  ,  the  line  on  the  other  end  broke  .  he  sat  up  straighter  ,  forcing  everyone  around  him  to  tense  .  nothing  .  no  voice  message  .  he  took  the  phone  away  from  his  ear  for  a  moment  to  see  the  time  ticking  over  .   “  what’s  going  —  ”  but  kieran  waved  ruairi  away  as  he  brought  the  phone  back  to  his  ear  .  hesitating  for  one  more  second  before  he  finally  spoke  ,  “  evan  ?  ”  another  pause  ,  “  don’t  hang  up  .  please  .  ”  he  shifted  to  the  edge  of  the  couch  ,  “  i  can  explain  everyt’ing  .  ”

#𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 / kieran + evan .

[resilientdolan]

Drown (G.D) - part 1

A/N: GAHHH IT’S MY VERY FIRST WRITING AND I’M FEELING NERVOUS TO SHARE THIS WITH Y’ALL (but excited too, of course). Please don’t hesitate to leave me comments or message me for suggestions! Another note, I’m lowkey inspired by the song Drown by Boy in Space. I highly recommend y’all to listen to the song as well to get the FEELS kdjdjhsh

Word- count: 1.1k

Summary: Bianca Reine has been crushing on her childhood friend, Grayson Dolan. He’s literally her everything, the one who her soul craves the most. She’d do anything for him, though she knows that to Grayson, she’s nothing more than his childhood friend; not really that important to him that he decided to break her.

T/W: angst (what’cha expect? it’s douche!gray)

———————————————————————

“Earth to Bianca!,” Bianca blinks her eyes several times, shifting her gaze to meet the other girl’s who is sitting in front of her. Hannah. Her best friend.

“Yeah?,” it was the only word coming out of her mouth as a response. She brings her hand up to give her eye a gentle rub with the back of her hand as she shifts her gaze back to the meal in front of her. Just a plain cheese burger and fries, but she’s a sucker for it. Typical school cafeteria meal, what does she expect?

“Bianca, you’ve been so quiet. What’s wrong?,” this time, the other girl places her hand on her shoulder to bring Bianca closer to her. Her another best friend, Tiffany.

“No, nothing, really. Just… thinking about the test tomorrow. I’m nervous,” Bianca quickly give her best friends a quick nod, hoping that her action will convince them that there’s literally nothing to worry about. 

“Jesus, Bi, try to chill. You’ll nail it,” A soft sigh comes out of Hannah’s lips as she runs her fingers through her hair. She takes another sip of her drink, her favorite iced lemon tea, with her eyes remain locked on Bianca’s to watch her closely. “You sure?,” Tiffany adds. Biance just give her a thumb up, running out of words to convince her that there’s no other thing running inside her mind, unless the upcoming test.

“Hold up, Reine. Was it really the reason or that one?,” Hannah brings her index finger up, pointing at the direction of the other table behind Bianca. She gives her a slight frown, feeling lost. Completely don’t understand what she meant with her last question. 

“Take. A. Look, Miss Reine,” God. She gives her one playful glare as she replies, “Stop calling me by my surname, Jesus,”. Hannah can’t help but rolls her eyes, in a playful manner, of course. A light giggle escapes through Bianca’s lips as she watches her reaction before she finally turn around to see something that she actually has been avoiding.

Him.

It’s him. Grayson Bailey Dolan.

Her childhood friend. Her neighbor. Her favorite guy alive. Most importantly? Her all time crush.

Bianca has been friends with Grayson for over 10 years. It all started when her family moved to New Jersey.  Bianca’s mom’s originally from Jersey, and she’s been friends with Grayson’s mom, Lisa, since high school. They’re pretty close that they often spend time together; shopping, having ladies’ day at Lisa’s hair salon, or even just chilling at one’s place. So, yeah, she technically grew up with Grayson, and his older twin brother, Ethan, and their older sister, Cameron.

She went to the same school with the twins. Friends forever, that’s what they all used to say. But things never tend to stay the same, right? Slowly, she’s drifting apart. They grew up becoming those popular athletic guys. Girls be all over them, wishing they’re lucky enough to date one of them. Bianca? Being popular? Hell no. She grew up becoming… herself. Just the simple Bianca. Straight-A student. Teachers’ favorite. It’s not like she’s no longer friends with the twins, she just barely talk to them. 

She was only 12 the moment she noticed that she has a thing for Grayson. He’s just super chill. And funny. God, she’s so weak for a guy with sense of humor. And Grayson has it. Also, the fact that he grew up becoming one fine man? He’s not even 20 yet, but he be looking like a complete Greek god. Bianca was just a kid, thinking it’s only one dumb crush. Little did she know, she’s wrong. Her crush towards Grayson only grows bigger and bigger day by day, until now. Both Hannah and Tiffany know that she’s simping for him. Like, she’d literally do anything for him, though she knows he only consider her as his platonic childhood friend. Nothing else. No matter what happen.

It’s not like Grayson have said that, it’s because of her. The girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, who’s clinging onto his muscular arm. Isla Peters. Biggest drama queen she has ever met on earth. Worst part? Her cousin.

Isla’s father is Bianca’s mom’s cousin, which make them two cousins as well. These two don’t get along really well ever since they’re little. If Isla’s the sky, then Bianca’s the earth; complete opposite. In Bianca’s eyes, Isla is one annoying super- spoiled drama queen. She grew up with people paying attention to everything she does. Understandable, to be honest. She’s blessed with superior genes, looking like a living Barbie doll. No wonder why she grew up being the center of attention. And yes, completely spoiled. Oh, and yes. She’s like the Regina George of the school. Apparently she’s too cool that she acts like she’s not related with Bianca. Ouch. 

She hands him a can of diet root beer before she quickly plants a soft kiss onto Grayson’s cheek. Grayson’s favorite drink. In return, Grayson wraps his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer to him, only to plant a soft kiss onto her lips, like he’s trying to show the world how proud he is to have a living mean ass Barbie doll as his girlfriend. Bianca huffs, and shift her focus back to her unfinished meal. Suddenly she loses her appetite.

Thanks, lovey dovey couple. 

She gathers up her books from the table, with her free hand grabbing her bottle of water, taking another sip before she gets up. Tiffany arches her brow, “Are you okay?,” she asks, getting confused by her sudden action.

“I’m good,” Bianca replies briefly as she shoves her bottle into her backpack. She lazily put her backpack on as her shoulders rise and fall into a shrug as she adds,

“… Just… losing my appetite. This lovey dovey couple sitting behind us makes me sick,” she whispers, giving her best friends a wink which followed by a slight chuckle. Hannah can’t help but wheezes. Tiffany shakes her head as she tries her best to hold herself back from laughing. 

“I’ll go somewhere more private. I need to study. I’ll see you two later?,” she tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear as she waves her hand at her two best-friends. Tiffany gives her a quick nod. “See you after school, bub,” she replies.

She’s only about to leave the moment she hears it. Her favorite voice. 

Grayson’s voice.

“Hey, Bianca—“

#tgabs'write #grayson dolan #grayson dolan fic #grayson blurb #highschool!gray #douche!gray

[evansfm]

𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 –– 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 .

every  morning  evan  woke  up  to  a  london  sky  that  refused  to  let  the  sun  in  ;  summer  was  drier  than  spring  ,  but  the  clouds  seemed  to  linger  year  round  .  .  .  not  that  she  minded  .  she  had  ,  after  all  ,  grown  up  in  county  dublin  ,  where  things  were  always  a  bit  damp  .  still  ,  the  lack  of  COLOR  could  be  draining  .  .  .  so  she  searched  for  it  in  unexpected  places  ,  creating  little  pockets  of  color  for  herself  in  a  rather  grayscale  world  .  golden  lights  strung  on  her  balcony  ,  isla’s  bright  red  hair  and  matching  smile  ,  an  array  of  bright  letters  boasting  NME  lining  a  wall  ––  covers  from  past  decades  ,  a  rainbow  rubik’s  cube  next  to  her  keyboard  ,  two  framed  photographs  perched  on  her  desk  .  the  first  seemed  like  forever  ago  ,  a  beaming  eloise  with  a  twin  on  either  side  ;  beck  on  the  left  ,  evan  on  the  right  ,  both  planting  kisses  on  her  cheek  one  valentine’s  day  years  and  years  ago  .  the  second  was  more  recent  ,  backstage  at  a  show  in  galway  ;  kieran  sat  in  his  chair  with  his  fingers  intertwined  with  evan’s  as  she  draped  her  arms  over  his  shoulders  from  behind  ,  chin  resting  on  top  of  his  curls  and  a  smile  that  looked  SOFT  compared  to  the  goofy  one  ruairi  wore  ,  looming  behind  her  with  his  chin  on  her  head  .  she  felt  warmth  every  t​​ime  she  looked  at  them  ,  but  there  was  always  a  tug  in  her  stomach  .  .  .  the  undeniable  feeling  of  something  missing  .  she  found  her  little  pockets  of  color  ,  but  they  still  seemed  muted  w​​ithout  the  people  she  loved  ––  the  PERSON  she  loved  .

their  schedules  had  begun  to  clash  ––  and  evan  hated  the  way  she  was  beginning  to  get  used  to  the  dull  ache  of  his  absence  .  distance  had  been  a  part  of  their  relationship  for  months  ,  but  the  time  zones  were  killing  her  .  they  couldn’t  always  make  time  for  hours  wasted  away  on  facetime  ;  she  couldn’t  always  fall  asleep  to  the  sound  of  his  voice  on  the  other  end  of  the  line  .  they  were  both  where  they  were  supposed  to  be  ,  chasing  their  dreams  together  ,  separately  .  .  .  but  evan  was  beginning  to  wonder  if  the  path  she  was  on  ––  the  desk  ,  the  deadlines  ,  the  distance  ––  was  actually  what  she  WANTED  .  there  was  a  lack  of  creative  control  at  nme  ;  she  was  a  part  of  a  greater  whole  ,  confined  to  a  desk  when  she  wasn’t  out  in  the  field  .  she  felt  restless  .  .  .  bored  ,  almost  .  and  with  her  most  recent  deadline  met  and  a  job  of  her  own  ––  evan  connely  ,  sans  nme  ––  waiting  at  the  end  of  the  week  ,  she  was  distracted  .  

“  WHAT  are  you  doing  ?  ”  isla  popped  up  behind  her  ,  coming  out  of  nowhere  to  look  over  her  shoulder  .

“  jesus  ,  ”  evan  startled  ,  nearly  dropping  the  plastic  puzzle  in  her  hand  ,  “  where  t’e  fuck  did  you  come  from  ?  ”

“  charlotte’s  office  .  answer  my  question  .  ”

“  playing  wit’  a  toy  ,  ”  she  held  up  the  half  solved  rubik’s  cube  ,  then  let  out  an  audible  sigh  as  isla  looked  unimpressed  ,  then  jutted  her  chin  towards  the  computer  screen  ,  “  trying  to  put  together  a  mood  board  for  t’is  gig  i’ve  got  wit’  saint  valentine  on  friday  .  ”

perfectly  shaped  auburn  brows  raised  ,  “  we  got  saint  valentine  ?  ”

“  no  ,  ”  evan’s  lips  lifted  into  the  faintest  smirk  ,  “  i  got  saint  valentine  .  ”

“  you’re  bloody  joking  .  shut  UP  ,  ”  isla  gasped  ,  rounding  to  her  side  of  the  table  desk  ,  just  to  roll  her  chair  around  ,  “  and  you  didn’t  fucking  tell  me  ?  ”

“  no  ,  because  you  couldn’t  keep  a  secret  if  you  tried  .”

“  well  that’s  because  it  shouldn’t  be  a  fucking  secret  ,  ev  .  this  is  fantastic  ,  ”  hazel  eyes  widened  with  excitement  ,  “  so  you’re  shooting  them  for  ––  .  .  .  ”

“  t’ey  weren’t  too  explicit  about  it  .  i  know  for  certain  i’m  covering  bot’  shows  at  t’e  o2  ,  documenting  t’e  whole  thing  from  t’e  moment  they  get  there  ,  ”  evan  huffed  a  curl  away  from  her  face  ,  nodding  to  the  screen  ,  “  and  t’en  a  shoot  on  site  at  t’e  venue  .  so  i’ve  got  to  work  wit’  what  i’ve  got  .  i’ve  got  ONE  chance  here  ,  and  nicky  haven  scares  t’e  absolute  fuck  out’a  me  ,  so  i  can’t  blow  it  .  ”

“  nicky  haven  scares  EVERYONE  .  it’s  part  of  h​​is  charm  ,  ”  isla  leaned  in  ,  ma​​king  herself  perfectly  comfortable  in  evan’s  space  as  she  took  the  mouse  and  began  clicking  through  different  ideas  opened  on  photoshop  ,  “  let’s  see  what  you’ve  got  so  far  ––  .  .  .  ”

“  isla  ,  it’s  not  a  big  deal  .  really  i  shouldn’t  even  be  working  on  t’is  HERE  ,  right  now  .  it’s  not  exactly  nme  related  stuff  ,  you  kn––  ”

“  i  TOLD  you  she  was  here  today  ,  ”  a  girl  called  sophie  ,  who  manned  nme’s  front  desk  in  the  mornings  ,  materialized  on  the  other  side  of  evan’s  desk  .  a  junior  writer  ,  andrew  ,  was  hot  on  her  heels  .

“  soph  ,  now  really  probably  isn’t  the  best  time  and  it  really  isn’t  your  busi––  ”

“  someone’s  got  to  show  her  ,  ”  sophie  was  ,  admittedly  ,  obnoxious  .  and  coming  from  EVAN  ,  that  was  a  feat  .

“  show  WHAT  to  WHO  ?  ”  isla’s  voice  changed  in  tone  ,  taking  on  a  hint  of  authority  as  she  looked  at  andrew  ,  “  aren’t  you  meant  to  be  doing  some  social  media  research  right  now  ?  ”

“  i  WAS  ,  but  ––  ”

“  but  we’ve  found  something  that  evan  HAS  to  see  ,  ”  sophie  .  again  .

“  we  ?  ”

“  ME  ?  ”  evan  said  in  tandem  with  isla  ,  brows  lifting  as  she  clicked  the  final  piece  into  place  on  the  cube  .  she  glanced  over  at  isla  and  felt  a  strange  twist  in  her  stomach  when  she  saw  the  redhead  had  gone  rigid  .

“  is  this  about  ––  ”

“  rebecca  stringer  ,  ”  andrew  nodded  solemnly  ,  as  though  evan  was  supposed  to  know  who  the  hell  THAT  was  .

“  better  known  as  BEX  ,  ”  sophie  added  .

it  was  evan’s  turn  to  go  rigid  .  her  back  straightened  ,  and  it  felt  like  ice  had  just  been  shot  through  her  veins  .  truth  be  told  ,  she  was  more  worried  about  conflicting  schedules  lately  .  .  .  not  the  way  bex  sing-songed  a  shortened  version  of  kieran’s  name  .  .  .  or  the  way  she  answered  his  phone  and  simply  couldn’t  remember  who  evan  was  .  .  .  or  the  way  she’d  made  sure  evan  could  hear  her  promise  to  personally  deliver  kieran  to  his  hotel  room  that  first  night  in  los  angeles  .  it  wasn’t  exactly  PLEASANT  being  reminded  of  the  instinct  that  she’d  shut  down  ,  intuition  telling  her  something  wasn’t  quite  right  there  .  her  brows  pinched  together  as  the  rubik’s  cube  slid  from  one  hand  to  the  other  and  back  .  she  glanced  over  at  isla  with  a  prompting  look  .

“  we’re  .  .  .  doing  a  piece  about  nepotism  babies  in  the  industry  ,  and  she’s  a  PERFECT  example  of  one  so  i  was  having  andrew  look  into  the  way  she  interacts  with  fans  and  her  socials  and  what  not  .  she’s  one  of  like  TEN  people  we’re  look​​ing  into  ,  ”  she  explained  with  an  apologetic  look  .  it  was  then  that  she  turned  a  sharp  eye  to  andrew  and  sophie  ,  “  don’t  know  what  THAT  has  to  do  with  evan  ,  though  .  ”

“  see  for  yourself  .  ”

“  SOPHIE  .  ”

“  what  ?  it  probably  isn’t  even  new  information  for  her  ,  ”  she  shrugged  ,  reaching  over  two  monitors  to  hand  evan  a  phone  .  twitter  was  opened  to  a  profile  with  bex’s  beaming  face  in  the  icon  ,  but  the  handle  wasn’t  hers  .  she  gave  the  pair  of  them  a  skeptical  look  before  glancing  over  at  isla  who  only  offered  a  half  -  hearted  shrug  .  it  didn’t  take  long  to  see  what  ,  exactly  ,  sophie  had  been  talking  about  ,  a  slew  of  tweets  and  retweets  .

bexupdates  :  bex  &  kieran  pulled  up  to  the  venue  together  .  .  .  and  then  left  at  the  same  time  .  why  are  they  lowkey  so  cute  annathefound  :  not  bex  wearing  a  baby  tee  version  of  the  found’s  merch  .  .  .  stanning  her  boyfriend  just  like  the  rest  of  us  

ruairidailyposts  :  ok  wait  are  evan  &  kieran  even  dating  anymore  bc  i  could  be  down  with  a  bex  &  kieran  moment  cheerupbailey  :  @ruairidailyposts  you  know  two  people  can  have  a  relationship  without  posting  about  it  right  ???  they’re  in  separate  countries  rn  lol

babybexxx  :  i  just  think  that  bex  &  kieran  walsh  as  a  power  couple  .

bxhq  :  no  offense  but  bex  is  simply  so  much  better  for  him  than  some  rando  from  ireland  like  what thefoundupdates  :  @bxhq  babes  they  LITERALLY  grew  up  together  ????

totallyconan  :  be  honest  do  u  guys  think  the  reason  evan  isn’t  on  tour  with  them  is  bc  they’re  not  together  anymore  like  she  literally  never  misses  shows

adamfitzupdates :  why  are  y’all  so  obsessed  with  a  relationship  that  doesn’t  concern  you  ???  chill bexlevitates  :  @adamfitzupdates  bc  it’s  weird  that  evan  knew  him  for  so  long  and  only  started  dating  him  AFTER  the  found  started  to  get  big  like  that’s  shady

bexupdates  :  find  someone  who  looks  at  u  the  way  bex  looks  at  kieran  on  stage  wtf  did  y’all  see  that

newruleshq  :  no  waaaay  this  man  has  a  gf  when  he  and  bex  look  so  good  next  to  each  other  LMAO  

thefoundupdates  :  according  to  the  girl  who  wrote  the  article  kieran  literally  WALKED  OUT  on  the  interview  ???  rockstar  behavior  but  also  hope  he’s  ok

evan  could’ve  kept  scrolling  for  hours  as  her  heart  rate  began  to  rise  and  rise  .  the  crease  between  her  brows  deepened  ,  and  she  reminded  herself  of  everything  she  knew  to  be  true  .  kieran  LOVED  her  .  twitter  was  a  BRUTAL  place  .  it  was  as  though  the  worst  parts  of  her  subconscious  had  come  to  life  in  280  characters  or  less  .  her  head  began  to  swim  as  her  heart  sank  into  her  stomach  .

“  what  does  t’is  ––  .  .  .  ”  her  voice  cracked  ,  and  she  cleared  her  throat  ,  finally  looking  up  from  the  phone  screen  ,  “  why  ,  exactly  ,  are  you  showing  me  this  ?  ”  

sophie  looked  as  though  she  was  shocked  by  evan’s  question  ,  “  because  i’ve  dated  musicians  .  .  .  and  like  HALF  of  those  are  in  bex’s  likes  .  which  are  public  ,  by  the  way  .  just  doesn’t  seem  subtle  to  me  .  ”

“  are  you  trying  to  insinuate  something  here  ,  sophie  ?  ”  her  tone  shifted  ,  irritated  as  she  handed  the  phone  back  .

“  like  i  said  ,  i’ve  dated  guys  in  bands  ,  too  ,  and  ––  ”

“  enough  ,  ”  isla  snapped  ,  “  you’re  sticking  your  nose  where  it  doesn’t  belong  .  BOTH  of  you  should  be  off  doing  your  jobs  right  now  ,  so  ,  run  along  .  ”

both  of  them  scurried  off  without  a  word  .  

evan  was  still  for  a  moment  ,  but  her  fingertips  were  itching  for  the  keyboard  .  she  was  no  stranger  to  things  like  this  ,  unkind  words  from  strangers  who  didn’t  LOVE  the  idea  of  her  ––  despite  not  knowing  her  .  the  good  outweighed  the  bad  on  the  internet  ,  but  the  voices  who  didn’t  like  her  were  always  the  loudest  .  even  BEFORE  she  and  kieran  had  gone  public  with  their  relationship  .  .  .  even  before  they  were  ever  in  a  relationship  at  all  .  over  time  ,  she’d  learned  to  tune  it  out  and  focus  on  the  kindness  that  flooded  her  comment  sections  and  mentions  .  .  .  but  every  now  and  again  something  slipped  through  the  cracks  .  .  .  and  when  they  did  ,  she  absorbed  them  like  a  blow  to  the  abdomen  .  they  settled  into  her  memory  and  cemented  themselves  there  ,  tucked  away  until  they  found  the  perfect  moment  to  make  her  self  conscious  .  like  the  fan  who  had  commented  on  the  shape  of  her  body  before  and  after  going  to  uni  .  .  .  and  another  from  galway  who  made  it  their  business  to  let  everyone  know  she’d  slept  around  while  living  there  .  .  .  and  every  time  someone  said  she  wasn’t  good  enough  for  kieran  or  any  of  them  .  that  she  had  bad  intentions  ,  leeching  onto  the  boys  for  fame  .  that  her  career  was  based  SOLELY  on  the  four  of  them  .  

if  she  caved  and  kept  scrolling  ,  she’d  commit  it  all  to  memory  .  .  .  everything  that  made  her  intuition  about  bex  STRONGER  .  

instead  ,  she  launched  forward  and  snatched  the  rubik’s  cube  back  up  ,  immediately  distorting  its  perfect  faces  and  mixing  it  up  again  .  it  was  good  to  keep  your  hands  busy  ,  she  knew  ,  when  your  mind  began  to  run  away  .  

the  worst  of  it  wasn’t  even  TRULY  comments  about  their  relationship  .  .  .  those  hurt  ,  but  they  didn’t  sting  quite  as  bad  as  real  -  time  updates  about  kieran  and  bex  showing  up  or  leaving  venues  together  .  she  dulled  the  pain  by  reminding  herself  that  THREE  other  boys  were  never  too  far  behind  .  that  kieran  would  never  .  .  .  COULD  never  .  .  .  

but  then  again  ,  there  was  the  tweet  that  weighed  heaviest  in  her  mind  .  kieran  walked  out  in  the  middle  of  an  interview  ,  and  he  hadn’t  told  her  .  something  rattled  him  to  the  point  of  his  version  of  an  outburst  ,  and  he  hadn’t  told  her  .  that  seemed  like  something  he  would  have  told  her  .  .  .  it  seemed  important  enough  ,  she  thought  to  herself  ,  right  ?  RIGHT  ?

her  throat  felt  tight  ,  and  she  kept  running  the  tweets  she’d  read  over  in  her  mind  .  there  was  a  deep  furrow  in  her  brow  as  she  looked  down  at  her  hands  ,  still  vehemently  mixing  up  the  toy  .  something  felt  off  kilter  .  .  .  but  she  couldn’t  pin  down  which  hurt  more  :  the  slew  of  tweets  from  people  pretending  to  know  what  went  on  in  her  relationship  .  .  .  or  the  thought  of  kieran  doing  something  as  rash  as  storming  out  of  an  interview  ––  and  then  not  telling  her  .  

“  i  didn’t  know  about  t’e  interv​​iew  bit  ,  ”  she  said  quietly  ,  eyes  still  trained  on  the  colorful  cube  .  she  was  certain  her  face  was  the  opposite  ,  color  drained  .  

“  evan  ––  .  .  .  ”

“  it’s  fine  ,  ”  she  said  firmly  ,  “  it’s  probably  not  true  .  just  like  t’e  rest  of  it  isn’t  true  .  ”

her  voice  sounded  distant  .  .  .  and  she  wasn’t  sure  if  she  was  trying  to  convince  isla  or  HERSELF  .  clearing  her  throat  again  ,  she  set  the  toy  back  down  on  her  desk  and  scooted  towards  the  computer  .  

“  i’ve  got  work  to  do  ,  ”  she  said  quietly  ,  getting  back  to  the  monitor  .  though  all  she  wanted  to  do  was  go  home  .  how  many  more  people  thought  that  she  wasn’t  GOOD  ENOUGH  for  kieran  ?  how  many  people  thought  someone  like  bex  was  a  better  fit  ?  how  long  would  it  take  for  the  suggestion  to  become  potent  enough  to  make  the  people  who  KNEW  them  question  it  as  well  ?  and  if  kieran  had  walked  out  of  an  interv​​iew  ,  WHY  hadn’t  he  told  her  ?  

she  glanced  down  at  her  own  phone  screen  ,  hoping  that  maybe  she’d  missed  a  text  or  a  call  .  .  .  but  all  she  got  was  nothing  .  nothing  but  the  words  she’d  seen  written  down  ,  now  cemented  in  her  mind  :  bex  is  simply  so  much  better  for  him  .  .  .  because  SHE  was  there  ,  wrapped  up  in  the  same  world  he  was  in  .  she  was  accessible  .  immediate  .  beautiful  .  

and  evan  was  stuck  in  london  with  nothing  but  time  to  wonder  .

#idk what to taaaag it

[rye-views]

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) dir. J. A. Bayona. 7/10 Updated 1 year later. (8.25.20.) 7.4/10

The actual extinction of dinosaurs must’ve been so tragic.

How can we support grandpa when he was a sick fuck in AHS?

Maisie a smart fucking girl.

How did they make the dinosaur so quickly?

Why does Mills give me a Ryan Reynolds vibe?

Updated Commentary:

This team gives me Kong: Skull Island vibes.

Ken Wheatley wanting prizes is like serial killer status. Similar to when humans interfered in creating Indominus Rex and it killed for sport. Humans are what’s wrong.

Blue is so smart. Wife her up.

I like seeing the scale difference with the Indoraptor and Blue.

These dinosaurs are seriously so strong.

Omg the Indoraptor death looks like the Pietà.

Miles is more of a Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws look rather than Ryan Reynolds now.

My order from favorite to least favorite of the Jurassic Park/World series: 2, (1,4), and (5,3).

Spoiler: [About Isla Nublar being raided by a team to gather the DNA of the dead Indominus Rex at the bottom of the waters. They manage to retrieve a bone. As they leave, one man falls behind and is almost killed by a T-Rex. He manages to latch onto the ladder of the fleeing helicopter, but the escaped Mosasaurus eats him. Three years after Jurassic World’s fall, the volcano on Isla Nublar becomes active again. Ian Malcolm talks at the US Senate hearing to explain that the dinosaurs should be killed off through this impending natural disaster. Claire Dearing now works for her Dinosaur Protection Group advocating and working towards saving the dinosaurs. Her friend Zia Rodriguez, a paleo vet, transfers her call with Congresswoman Delgado to Claire to have a more fruitful conversation. At this time, the news reveals that the Senate ruled on not helping the dinosaurs. Claire gets a call from Sir Benjamin Lockwood to come to his estate in Norcal. He used to be Hammond’s partner. She goes and meets Lockwood’s aide, Eli Mills. He and Lockwood explain their plan to personally evacuate the dinosaurs and get them to sanctuary. Claire agrees to help with her knowledge of the tracking system. She notices Lockwood’s grandchild in the home. Mills explains that 11 dinosaurs can be saved successfully, but they need the most help getting to Blue. They want Owen Grady to come help. Claire goes to Owen as he’s building a cabin and they talk it over at a bar. They both believe they broke up with the other and talk about that too. Iris, the caretaker, finds Maisie as she hides around the mansion. They talk with Lockwood and Maisie wonders about her deceased mother, who Lockwood says would’ve wanted to save all the dinosaurs. Owen watches videos of himself with the raptors that night and departs on a plane with Claire, Zia, and a fearful Franklin Webb, the systems analyst. They get to the island and meet Ken Wheatley, who says he’s the expedition facilitator. Zia sees a Brachiosaurus for the first time. Franklin gets them into the system and uses Claire’s hand to access the tracking system. Owen gets to Blue and talks to her as she rediscovers who Owen is. As he’s about to touch her, Ken’s men tranquilizes her. They surround her and when one man aims his gun at her, she attacks him. The guy shoots her and she goes unconscious. When Owen gets upset at Ken, Ken tranquilizes him. Zia aims a gun at Ken and is allowed to stay with them since she’s needed to tend to the raptor’s wound. Ken’s men cut the cords to the building that Franklin and Claire are in, so they can’t get out. Mills gets upset at Maisie for interrupting him as he is on a call with Ken about him being late by a day. Ken and his men head to go depart with the dinosaurs. Owen starts to gain consciousness as a Sinoceratops licks him. Lava starts approaching him and he tries to make his limbs move to escape it. Franklin and Claire figure out how to exit the building as lava starts dripping from the ceiling. They are also trapped between the lava and a baryonyx. They manage to barely escape through an exit in the ceiling. Dinosaurs start stampeding towards the outer rim of the island. Franklin and Claire see Owen and they escape in a gyrosphere as Owen doesn’t make it in due to a T-Rex nearby. They all fall off a cliff and water fills the gyrosphere as Franklin and Claire can’t get out. Owen shoots the sphere, but gets hit by a lava drop and loses his gun. He manages to come back and open the door, allowing them to get to the surface. They watch from afar as Ken’s men start boarding the ship. Ken extracts a tooth from a Stegosaurus for his collection. Owen tends to Franklin as they run towards a truck that Claire is driving to hurry to the boat. They sneak their way around as they watch the remaining dinosaurs on the island be consumed by the lava. An auctioneer named Eversoll isn’t impressed by Mills since he doesn’t see the dinosaurs and makes a lot of money anyway. He goes to leave, but Mills convinces him that money will be made. He takes him to his underground lab and reveals

the Indominus Rex bone being used to create the Indoraptor. Maisie overhears their conversation prior to entering the lab and goes to tell Lockwood about it. Lockwood makes her leave as he says he’ll figure it out tomorrow. Franklin, Claire, and Owen find Zia tending to Blue. She needs the proper instruments to save her. The bullet needs to be taken out with the right blood tranfusion provided. Owen and Claire enter the truck cage of a sedated T-Rex. They manage to take its blood, but some workers end up locking the truck doors. The T-Rex wakes up, but the two manage to escape through the ceiling bars. Maisie sneaks her way into the lab and watches a video of Owen talking about the intelligence and empathy in Blue. Zia gets the bullet out of Blue. Maisie hides as Henry and Mills argue. Henry says that the prototype for the Indoraptor has many things missing and they need Blue’s blood. Maisie ends up hiding near a dinosaur and screams when she notices it. Mills finds her and locks her in her bedroom. Claire, Owen, and Franklin go to hide as the others go to move forward. Franklin gets separated as they believe he’s deck crew. Owen and Claire drive the truck and follow the other trucks into Lockwood’s estate. One worker notices them. Lockwood confronts Mills on what he’s doing and Mills kills him with a pillow. Ken surrounds Claire and Owen with his men and locks them up in a cell. Mills talks to them and mentions that what he does is the same thing as what they’ve done at Jurassic World. Maisie manages to get herself out of her room by walking along the mansion’s outer wall ledges. At this time, many powerful people come to the dinosaur auction happening. Maisie goes to Lockwood and finds him dead. She takes the scrapbook on him as Mills comes looking for her. She hides in the dumbwaiter as she overhears Iris being fired even though she says she was there to raise both Maisie and her mother. Maisie looks in the scrapbook to see a photo of her mother, who happens to look exactly like her. Owen sees the neighboring cell containing a Stygimoloch waking up. He gets it to butt its head through the wall into their cell. He then has it headbutt to open up their cell door. The dinosaurs are shown at the auction individually and quickly gets sold for millions. Owen and Claire find Maisie and console her and talk about Blue. They look through a vent and see the reveal of the Indoraptor. A laser is used to guide the Indoraptor while an acoustic signal is used to make it attack whatever the laser is pointing at. It’s a prototype that isn’t being sold, but everyone keeps increasing the price they are willing to pay for it. Henry is against it being sold, but it does get sold. Owen gets the Stygimoloch up on an elevator into the auction room, where chaos ensues. Owen fights with men trying to kill the dinosaur. Everyone runs away until Ken comes in and sees only the trapped Indoraptor. He tranquilizes it with multiple darts and enters the cage to take a tooth. As he struggles to get the tooth out, the Indoraptor kills him after having pretended to be unconscious. It gets out of the cage as Mills and his men surround Claire, Owen, and Maisie. They argue for him to stop, but Mills argues that he can’t go back in time and stop what Hammond did by creating the dinosaurs. He tries to get Maisie back, but they are protective of her. He reveals that Lockwood’s dead daughter was recreated through cloning and that’s what Maisie is. At this time, a dinosaur kills Mill’s men and he runs away. Henry gets Franklin to get him materials as he goes to get Blue’s blood. Zia reveals that the blood is contaminated since she did a transfusion. Franklin injects Henry to make him unconscious and he unhandcuffs Zia. They are confronted by men and the two open Blue’s cage. Blue attacks the men as the two escape. A hydrogen cyanide tank ends up leaking during the attack. A fire begins as the gas keeps spreading. Blue runs away. Claire, Owen, and Maisie are being pursued by the Indoraptor around the mansion. Franklin and Zia try to help the trapped dinosaurs

since the gas will kill them. He tries rebooting the system since the ventilation system is down. Maisie, Owen, and Claire hide in a museum display and the Indoraptor finds and attacks them. Its claw pierces Claire’s leg while Maisie runs away to her room. The Indoraptor finds her as Owen goes to save her after Claire kisses him. Owen shoots the Indoraptor with no success. Blue comes and fights it. Owen and Maisie escape through the outside ledges. The Indoraptor chases them again as they stand on top of a glass ceiling. As Maisie and Owen struggle to hold on as they slip down the glass, Claire distracts the Indoraptor and uses the laser gun to make it go forward on the glass. It falls through the glass, but gets itself back up. Blue attacks it and they fall through again. The Indoraptor is pierced by the fossil display of a ceratopsian and killed while Blue lands on top safely. Zia and Franklin regroup with them and brings up the problem of the dying dinosaurs. They have the choice to open the gates to the outside world to save them. Claire needs to save them, but she chooses against it after understanding that she can’t take this action back. Maisie ends up pressing the button and the dinosaurs are released. She says they’re alive like her. Mills goes to his car with the Indominus Rex bone. He crawls underneath his car with it when he notices the dinosaurs stampeding out. When they all pass, he comes out. The T-Rex notices and eats him. It also steps on and destroys the bone. Owen comes out and talks to Blue. He mentions bringing her with him and pets her. She runs towards the world. The dinosaurs are now out in the world as Ian Malcolm talks to the US Senate about a new world being created.]

#jurassic world #fallen kingdom #jurassic park #jurassic world: fallen kingdom #2018 #j. a. bayona #ja bayona #j.a. bayona #7.4 #movie #fiml #review #commentary #rye-views

[aquaquadrant]

nature’s productions - chapter five

Rated T for: Animal death, strong language, blood/injury, medical/surgery scene

Summary: Three years after the disaster at Jurassic World, Claire Dearing and Owen Grady are contracted for a mission to save as many dinosaurs as possible from the impending eruption on Isla Nublar. But when they arrive, they experience an unexpected complication; six teenagers who were left stranded on the island when the park closed.

Surviving has left the campers scarred in more ways than one, and they’re pretty sure that their would-be rescuers have less than good intentions. But with a volcanic eruption at their heels, they’ll do whatever it takes to get a ride home- and save the dinosaurs while they’re at it, because that’s kind of their thing.

A/N: So, who’s excited about the Season 5 trailer? I’m not super on board with the direction the show took, but hey, I’m gonna trust that the writers can do a decent job of wrapping it up (plus, I’ve already got my own plans for how I want these kids’ stories to end, so I’m less invested in canon). Hope you enjoy, please reblog/comment if you do! - Aqua

(Read on A03 for full tags and previous chapters)

~*~

chapter five - difficulties of the theory

~*~

The Sinoceratops falls over the edge, and Claire can’t even scream.

Wind roars in her ears, her stomach lurching at the sudden drop. Only when Yaz and Kenji move, shifting their feet beneath themselves to perch on the dinosaur’s back, does she remember they’re supposed to be jumping off. Following their lead, she coils her legs under herself and leaps. It’s a clumsy maneuver, nothing like Yaz’s perfectly executed dive, but she manages not to hit any of the other Sinoceratopses on the way down, crashing into the ocean below.

The water is a shock- it’s colder than she’s expecting for the pacific, the water churning around her in a froth as the Sinoceratops herd struggles to stay afloat. Claire surfaces with a gasp, her eyes stinging with saltwater. The air is filled with splashing, dinosaur roars, and the volcano’s violent rumbling. It’s all she can do to steer clear of the Sinceratopses and their erratic thrashing as panic threatens to overwhelm her.

Ben’s voice breaks through the chaos. “Head’s up!”

Blinking water out of her eyes, Claire finally spots him. He’s treading water a few yards away from her, one hand pointing back up at the cliffs.

Claire follows his gaze and sees the wall of dark fog approaching the edge.

“Dive!” Brooklynn shouts from somewhere ahead of her.

Claire dives. She tries to swim in the direction of the campers, but she’s not used to seeing underwater and her vision is blurry. The movement of the water around her gives her some indication; if there’s a strong current, it’s probably from a dinosaur, and she makes sure to cut around it. She stays under as long as she can, but soon enough her lungs start burning and she has to hope she’s managed to put enough distance between herself and whatever that volcanic cloud is.

Her head breaks the surface, and she doesn’t have time to wonder if the air she’s desperately sucking into her lungs is deadly or not. Fortunately, the cloud seems to have dissipated. The surface of the water is stained a murky brownish-gray color, indicating it was probably made of ash. That’s one less thing to worry about, at least.

Another voice, Yaz’s, catches Claire’s attention. “Shore’s this way!”

The campers have already regrouped, Yaz leading the pack with an expert forward stroke. Owen is on his way to join them, with Franklin floundering behind him. The Sinoceratops herd is still lingering near the bottom of the cliff, bellowing panic and confusion as more dinosaurs splash down around them.

No one got gored by a Sinoceratops horn or crushed by a wayward kick, so Claire chalks that up as a victory.

It’s a thankfully brief swim to shore, the narrow, rocky beach located just around the bend of the cliffs, but Claire wouldn’t know it from how exhausted she is. Her legs are like jelly when she finally feels ground beneath her feet, almost falling as soon as she rises out of the water. Her wet clothes weigh on her like they’re made of lead, and she only takes a few steps into more shallow water before crumbling to her knees.

While Claire catches her breath, she glances around to check on the rest of the group. Owen is right behind her, likely weighed down by his bulky disguise, with Franklin slowly but surely doggy-paddling his way to shore. The campers are all out of the water, looking barely winded by their frantic and spontaneous triathlon (running, swimming, and dinosaur riding- that’s one for the books.)

Yaz didn’t go far, crouched on the shore right where the water meets the sand. She’s busy fiddling with her makeshift ankle brace, retying soggy vines that must’ve come loose during the swim. Sammy splashes through the water with a breathless laugh, swooping over to wrap Yaz in a hug. “I love it when everyone’s alive!” she cheers, peppering Yaz’s face with little kisses that make her grin.

Brooklynn has taken up the role of sentry, looking out over the beach as she absentmindedly wrings her hair out. This frees Ben up to go embrace Kenji, approaching him with quick, purposeful strides. Nearly crashing into him, Ben grabs the back of Kenji’s head to press their foreheads together, eyes closed as he mutters something Claire can’t hear. The gesture has so much intensity, it almost seems more meaningful than a kiss. Claire quickly averts her gaze, recalling how Ben dislikes being stared at.

Beside her, Owen has pulled off his helmet to better catch his breath. He glances over to meet her eyes, his mouth quirking up into a grin. “Been a while since basic training,” he concedes, pulling a face.

Maybe it’s the adrenaline high, maybe it’s sheer relief. Or maybe it’s the absurdity of the situation, to think that she cares to judge Owen for being so winded. Either way, Claire finds herself laughing- which is a bad idea, because she still hasn’t caught her breath and her abs are on fire.

But it feels good. There’s damp, salty hair in her mouth and gritty sand digging into her palms and her clothes are uncomfortably soggy, but it feels good to be alive.

Franklin has finally crawled out of the water, chest heaving for breath as he flops onto the sand. He splays out face-down, his clothes clinging to his frame and giving off the impression of a curiously modern scarecrow, washed ashore like driftwood.

“Franklin?” Claire calls. “You okay?”

Without lifting his head, Franklin gives a weak thumbs-up. Claire supposes that’s about as well as he could be expected to manage, considering his aversion to any kind of cardio. That week the elevator was out at the DPG almost made him quit.

Claire turns to Owen. “Did you know Wheatley was going to do this?”

“Nope.” Owen shakes his head, looking nonplussed. “I’m just following their lead.”

That makes Claire feel a little better, at least.

“Okay, everyone,” Brooklynn announces, turning to face them. The tension in her expression and tone of voice serves as an abrupt reminder that they’re not safe yet. “We need to get moving. It’s a five minute walk to the eastern dock, and I’d like to cut that in half. Boat could leave any minute.” Her gaze falls on Franklin’s prone form, one eyebrow quirking up before she gives Claire a questioning look. “You guys ready?”

Claire takes a deep breath and rises to her feet. “Yeah,” she says, ignoring Franklin’s groan of protest. She’ll drag him if she has to.

“Good.” Brooklynn nods. “Let’s go.”

Owen sighs good-naturedly, putting his helmet back on. “Are aye, captain.”

‘Captain, indeed,’ Claire thinks to herself, as she helps pull Franklin to his feet. The teens seem to work well as a group, but the more time Claire spends with them, the more certain she is that Brooklynn’s the one mainly calling the shots.

Though, come to think of it, she’d taken a lot of silent cues from Darius, hadn’t she? Maybe co-leaders, then. Which is interesting, considering they look like they might be the youngest of the bunch. When this is all over, Claire will have to get the whole story about their stranding, and how their little ‘herd’ (as they seem to refer to themselves) came to be.

But for now, Claire’s primary concern is that they all survive this eruption. “Come on, Franklin,” she says, pulling on his arm as the campers start running. “It’s just a little jogging, you can make it.”

Franklin makes an incredulous noise. “Clearly, you’ve never flunked gym class before,” he protests, but he starts running anyway.

~*~

Brooklynn’s not keeping count, but she’s pretty sure they don’t make it to the dock in half the time.

It can’t be helped, though. Yaz can only go so fast with her ankle as it is, and their escape was more taxing on Kenji than he’s letting on. Carrying her would end up making them both slower, so Yaz decides to tough it out, and Brooklynn lets her set the pace. They end up doing what Yaz disdainfully refers to as ‘Mom jogging’, which is only marginally faster than speed walking.

Even so, Franklin lags at the back of the group. All things considered, it’s a miracle he’s even on his feet. Claire is faring slightly better, and Owen seems to have recovered from the swim- Brooklynn can’t imagine how difficult it was with that clunky helmet and thick combat vest on.

There are more than a few ways to reach the eastern dock and Ben knows them all, leading them down the fastest route. Over the years, the entire herd has developed a fairly good sense of direction on the island, and have a general understanding of where the major landmarks are in relation to each other. But when it comes to specific paths, no one can beat Ben, who used to memorize evacuation plans for fun.

They don’t speak as they run, save for an occasional warning about a well-hidden hole in the ground or fallen branch in their path. The air is otherwise filled with nothing but their heavy breathing and the thundering of the volcano, which is starting to spew rocks and magma. It’s a short journey, but it feels like hours to Brooklynn, whose worries grow stronger with every passing second.

If they reach the dock and the boat is gone, they’re ruined. There isn’t an access hatch to the underground tunnels close enough for them to reach before the volcano fully erupts. They’ll be toast, and Darius will be on his own. He can take care of himself, Brooklynn knows, but his position on that ship is so precarious- Wheatley doesn’t intend to spare him, she knew it the moment that lie left his mouth.

And even if Darius does miraculously survive, their loss will destroy him. He’ll blame himself, Brooklynn’s certain of it, because he’s a noble-hearted dummy who would lay his life down for any of them in a heartbeat, which is one of those stupidly loveable traits of his that she really hates in moments like these. And if she dies before she gets to tell him that, she’ll haunt Wheatley until he dies, and then haunt his ghost. 

… somehow.

In any case, they make it to the eastern dock without issue and in decent- even if not ideal- time. The good news is that the boat is still there. The bad news is that the docks are completely deserted, and the boat is pulling up anchor. To top it all off, the volcano choses this specific moment to start shooting flaming rocks into the air, transforming the beach into a war zone.

By unspoken agreement, the group turns their ‘Mom jogging’ into ‘Olympic sprinting.’ 

As they get closer, Brooklynn realizes that the docks aren’t, in fact, completely deserted; there’s a lone truck still parked. It strikes her as incredibly odd that someone would abandon it - unless, of course, it was done on purpose. And with that thought, everything clicks into place.

“Head for that truck!” she shouts, hoping everyone can hear her above the noise.

They make a mad dash for the truck. The ground shudders beneath their feet, giant rocks screaming through the air and crashing down around them. One rock lands dangerously close to them- close enough that Brooklynn can feel the rush of wind from it- and someone screams.

Glancing over her shoulder, Brooklynn sees that Franklin’s been thrown to the ground. Kenji’s already doubled back to help him up, waving Claire off when she tries to help them.

“Keep going!” he shouts, pulling a dazed, but still conscious, Franklin to his feet.

Trusting that Kenji can get Franklin to the truck in time, Brooklynn turns away. “Owen!” she shouts, falling into step beside him. “You drive, everyone else get in the back!” Owen’s wearing a disguise, so he’s less likely to be recognized than Claire. And there are no windows in the back of the truck, so the rest of them should be perfectly hidden. Darius really thought of everything- not that Brooklynn’s surprised.

Owen doesn’t reply, but it’s clear he understood her as he veers off towards the front of the truck. Ben has already reached it, pulling aside the canvas flaps that make up the back doors, waving the rest of them in. Brooklynn hardly breaks stride as she hops into the truck, immediately peering through the windshield to check on the boat.

Her heart jolts; the boat is starting to pull away from the dock.

“I see it,” Owen says before she can warn him, climbing into the driver’s seat. The key is sitting in the ignition- Darius’s doing, no doubt. High-pitched revving rings out as Owen turns the ignition on, calling over his shoulder, “Tell them to hurry!”

Brooklynn turns back around just as Sammy jumps into the truck. She immediately goes to help Yaz climb up, who’s definitely favoring her ankle a bit, her expression pinched. Claire follows a few seconds later, out of breath but looking none the worse for wear. Kenji and Franklin are moving again, but the delay cost them quite a bit of ground. Brooklynn eyes the distance they have left to run and the distance between the truck and the boat, making a decision.

“Start driving!” Brooklynn tells Owen. A truck this big needs time to accelerate, and she’s confident Kenji can catch up.

Owen slams on the gas, and the truck jerks forward.

Brooklynn pushes through to the back of the truck, poking her head through the flaps. Ben’s perched on the bumper, holding on with one hand while the other is extended out. Kenji is gaining on them- and probably could have reached them by now, if he didn’t have one hand around Franklin’s arm.

“Come on!” Brooklynn shouts, grabbing Ben’s other arm to provide him extra stability.

Kenji and Franklin gradually draw closer. The volcano is roaring now, fire raining down around them, and somewhere in the chaos Brooklynn hears the ship’s horn blare. Kenji stretches his hand forward to grab Ben’s- together, he and Brooklynn pull Kenji into the truck. Franklin’s right behind him, struggling to keep pace as the truck starts to gain speed.

Kenji reaches out with his slightly longer arms and snags Franklin’s hand, pulling him forward enough for Ben to grab the other. Together, they haul him bodily into the truck-

Just in time for it to fly off the dock.

They land with a heavy thud on a hard surface- Brooklynn quickly glances up front to see they’re on a ramp that’s attached to the back of the ship- and the tires spin in the shallow layer of water, scrambling for traction. The rear tires are hanging off the ramp, in the water, and Brooklynn is confronted by the very real possibility of them sliding backwards into the ocean. Her legs tense beneath her, preparing to jump.

The engine is screaming, and Owen changes gears before slamming onto the gas. It’s just enough of a boost to jump them forward, back tires finally passing over the ramp and shooting them into the ship’s hold. A piercing screech fills the air as Owen just as quickly slams on the breaks, stopping them before they can crash into another parked truck.

Then there’s silence.

For a moment, Brooklynn doesn’t dare move, huddled next to Ben as they all catch their breath. She glances around to make sure their cover is intact- the canvas flaps have fallen shut, hiding them from view, but there are still the front windows to worry about. She quickly signs for the others to ‘lay low’, which is hopefully an obvious enough gesture for Claire and Franklin to pick up on, as she takes stock of the situation.

Everyone’s here. They made it on the boat- and just in the nick of time, because the ramp is starting to retract, hydraulics groaning over the sounds of the boat’s churning engine. Beneath it all is the sound of waves, and it finally sinks in.

They’re leaving the island. They’re really, truly leaving the island.

Brooklynn exhales slowly, trying to gather herself. They aren’t safe yet. Rolling onto her hands and knees, she carefully crawls towards the front of the truck, peeking her head up over Owen’s shoulder, just enough to see out the windows.

The hold is enormous, and filled with other assorted trucks, trailers, and giant shipping containers. There are a few people around- ship crew and mercenaries alike, if she had to guess based on their outfits- but no one’s looking their way. They’re all staring out the back of the ship, standing still and silent. It’s an unnerving kind of silence, one that makes Brooklynn want to investigate.

Quietly, she slinks back and crawls to the other end of the truck, parting one of the flaps just enough for her to peek her eye through. After finding no one in their line of sight, she draws the flap back a little more, so she can get a clearer image.

The ship’s hold is still wide open, giving them a full view of the island. At the highest point of the mountains is the volcano, breathing thick smoke that flashes with light as flames roar out of its depths. It’s immediately obvious to Brooklynn that what they witnessed before was just a preview. This is the eruption proper; deafening and violent and terrible, ripping apart the mountains themselves and cloaking the island in ash and magma.

Brooklynn’s gaze drifts away from the volcano, and her breath catches.

There’s a dinosaur running down the dock; a juvenile Brachiosaurus. She can hear its cries from here, a faint call that can’t quite be considered a roar- not yet, not at this size. It runs to the edge of the dock and stops, its whip-like tail lashing about as it cranes its head back to wail.

She’s instantly reminded of a baby Brachiosaurus that they once helped reunite with its herd, what seems like a lifetime ago. A helpless little thing no taller than they were, lost and alone. Brooklynn doesn’t know how fast the Brachiosauruses age. She doesn’t know if this could be the same one. It shouldn’t matter either way, and yet-

Darius would know how old it is, she thinks absently, even as her eyes sting.

The eruption rolls over the island like a blanket. The Brachiosaurus cries out and rises onto its hind legs, slender neck arching up, straining towards the sky as it’s engulfed. Through the smoke she sees its silhouette for a brief moment, backlit by firelight, before the entire dock is overtaken by ash, and the cries stop.

With a mechanical groan, the doors to the ship’s hold start to roll shut like a set of massive jaws. The sunlight pouring into the hold begins to splinter as the island shrinks from view. Brooklynn doesn’t look away, taking in as much detail as she can with her one functional eye until the doors finally close.

Then she lets the curtain fall shut.

~*~

“Alright, I’m just about ready.”

Zia’s voice is brisk as she moves around the trailer, rummaging through her backpack and the other supplies as she fills a metal tray with the appropriate materials. Darius gives a brief nod of acknowledgement, but truthfully, he’s not paying that much attention. The majority of his focus is on Blue.

So far, the raptor hasn’t made any attempt to break free of her restraints. Her sides rise and fall with rapid breaths, a constant pulse beneath Darius’s blood-stained hands, and her eyes are closed. Darius can’t help but feel guilty over her condition. Maybe Wheatley would’ve captured her without their help, maybe he wouldn’t have. Maybe she would’ve died in the eruption if they hadn’t, or maybe she would’ve been fine. He has no way of knowing how things would’ve turned out, but right now he knows that Blue is in pain, and it’s at least partially his fault.

“Good thing I brought my own instruments,” Zia huffs, “because their first aid kit is a joke.” She sets the tray onto the table, filled with shiny instruments, a pair of latex gloves, a water bottle, a stack of gauze, and a roll of duct tape. “They don’t even have pins for disembowelment. And they came to an island full of dinosaurs.”

Darius cracks a grin; it’s gratifying that someone else is offended by this poorly planned out mission. Whoever’s in charge of this operation obviously has access to insane resources, so surely they could’ve come a little more prepared.

Zia pulls on the gloves with a snap. “Okay, let me see,” she says, sliding next to Darius.

He steps aside, wiping his hands off on his pants. Carefully, Zia peels back the blood-soaked fabric; as soon as she does, a spurt of blood shoots into the air. She quickly covers the wound back up, her other hand reaching for a hemostat.

“Gonna have to clamp it for now,” she mutters, maneuvering the hemostat open and slipping it under the fabric.

There’s a click as the hemostat closes, and Blue lets out a pained cry, her amber eyes flying open.

Darius jolts. “Sh- she can- she can feel th- that?” he asks, brows creasing with concern.

“She’s only partially sedated,” Zia explains, lifting all the fabric off the wound and casting it aside. “Didn’t let them give her another dose. I don’t have any anesthesia equipment here, I can’t monitor her breathing and oxygen levels.” She grabs another instrument and a small foil package, tearing it open to deposit a scalpel blade onto the tray. “Putting her under would risk her never waking up. And at least this way, I’ll know right away if she’s tanking.”

Darius clicks his tongue sympathetically, moving to the other side of the table to pet Blue’s neck. He understands Zia’s reasoning, but he’d hate to be conscious through a surgery like this.

Blue must be too preoccupied to care about his presence, because she doesn’t react to his touch aside from a slight twitch of the muscles beneath his hand, her gaze flicking over to watch him. It’s a little surreal, to be so close. Blue’s fully restrained and wearing a muzzle, but part of Darius is still anticipating getting his fingers bitten off.

“I’m gonna have to open this wound up a little bit,” Zia warns, clicking the scalpel blade onto its handle. “Can you distract her, tap on her head?”

Darius obliges, patting firmly on the top of Blue’s skull. The raptor squints her eyes shut, warbling a protest through her closed jaws. It must be pretty effective, because when Zia presses the scalpel against Blue’s skin, her shriek is almost an after-thought.

Zia only cuts along an inch of skin on either side of the wound before setting the scalpel down. “There we go, good girl…” She picks up an instrument that reminds Darius of his mom’s eyelash curler, except it’s got strange, teeth-like prongs on either end. Its use quickly becomes apparent, though, as she places it into the incision and spreads it open, pushing the skin further apart.

Blue hisses, straining against her bonds, but grows still again as Darius pats her head with renewed force. He’s watching her out of the corner of his eye, but most of his focus is on Zia, watching intently. With a probe in one hand and forceps in the other, she starts examining the wound.

“I know, I know, girl,” Zia murmurs, as Blue protests again. “Okay, I can see the bullet. It didn’t go very deep- must’ve lost a lot of momentum getting through this thick skin of hers. Lots of muscle and fascia layers in this area, too.” She moves the probe a little deeper. “Didn’t penetrate her abdominal cavity, thank god.”

Zia goes silent as she maneuvers the forceps into the wound, her gaze sharp with concentration. Curling her wrist, she closes the forceps and carefully withdraws them, revealing a bullet pinched between its teeth. She drops the bullet onto the tray with a metallic clink.

Darius exhales slowly, relief sweeping through him. ‘Good job,’ he signs by habit. Then he remembers she doesn’t know what that means. “Uh, good j- j- job,” he tells her.

The corner of Zia’s mouth pulls up in a wry smile. “Don’t thank me yet,” she warns him, setting the instruments down and picking up a pack of thread. “I’ve still got to tie off this artery and bandage it, and then we’ll be done.”

Darius gives her a confused look. “Are y- y- you gonna um, you kn- know…” Unable to get the word out, he settles for miming a sewing motion, his shaky fingers pinched around an imaginary needle.

Luckily, Zia understands his meaning. “No, any wound caused by a projectile is considered contaminated, and we generally don’t suture contaminated wounds,” she explains as she opens the suture pack. “Especially since she got a lot of dirt in it, and nothing here is sterile. Sealing it up makes a greenhouse for bacteria.” Grabbing another hemostat, she clips the end of the thread between its teeth. “At this point, she’s almost guaranteed to get an infection anyways, but lots of the nasty ones need a strictly anaerobic environment to grow, so at least we can prevent those.”

Darius hums with interest. Idly, he wonders if Brooklynn knows about that, too. Back when Kenji was hurt, they didn’t have anything resembling a needle and thread, so suturing his wounds hadn’t even been an option. But maybe that was a blessing in disguise. Maybe if they’d had the ability, they would’ve tried to sew Kenji’s wounds up and inadvertently made things worse.

Zia starts looping the thread around the artery, just above where the other hemostat is clamping it shut. “There’s really only two major arteries that run over the ventral midline here, the epigastrics. And of course the bullet tore through one of them. But it could always be worse. Almost anywhere on the head would’ve been fatal, there’s not nearly as much protection there.”

She ties off the knot, grabbing a pair of scissors and snipping the rest of the thread away. “This’ll have to be sutured back together once I’ve got the right material for it,” she sighs, unclamping the hemostat. “Hopefully they’re taking us somewhere with a proper medical facility.” She puts the instruments aside and grabs the water bottle from the tray. “This is what we call a poor man’s irrigation,” she says, unscrewing the cap and slowly pouring the water over the wound.

Blue is not a fan of that. She lets out a high-pitched wine from behind her muzzle, her eyes tearing up. Darius’s heart pangs with sympathy, and he gently strokes her neck, trying to soothe her.

“Alright girl, I know, I’m sorry.” After emptying the bottle, Zia sets it aside and lifts a square of gauze from the pile, dabbing lightly at the wound to dry the excess bloody water. “We’re almost done.” With fresh gauze, she starts to bandage the wound, using thin strips of the duct tape to hold it all in place.

By the time she’s finished, Blue’s calmed down a bit, her breathing more level- though it still seems faster than it ought to be. Zia peels her gloves off and listens to Blue’s chest with her stethoscope. She doesn’t say anything, but Darius can see by her expression it’s not an ideal heart rate. Using the clean end of her probe, Zia slips it through the muzzle and pushes Blue’s lip up. Even to Darius’s untrained eye, Blue’s gums are far paler than any living animal’s should be.

“Damn,” Zia mutters, letting Blue’s lip fall back down. “She lost a lot of blood, but I don’t have any fluids to give her. She seems otherwise healthy, so hopefully she can recover fast enough. We’ll have to wait and see.”

She gathers up all the materials and clears them off the table, piling them in the corner of the trailer. And then she turns to Darius, a sudden change in demeanor coming over her as she crosses her arms.

“Now, you need to explain what’s going on,” she tells him firmly.

Darius isn’t surprised. He knew she’d want answers as soon as Blue was taken care of. “The others a- are coming. I left a t- tr- truck for them, on uh… o- on the d- dock, to s- sneak onboard.”

“What?” Zia blinks, taken aback. “When did you come up with that plan?”

Darius makes a noncommittal noise. “Ten m- minutes ago? But they’ll- um, they’ll kn- know what to d- do.”

Zia knits her brows; he can almost see her putting it all together in her head. “So, when your friends took off into the jungle…?”

“T- tactical retreat,” Darius explains. “Stayed to- to help Owen, th- then meet up with… C- Claire and the uh, the others.”

“Shit.” Zia’s eyebrows shoot up, her arms falling by her sides. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you guys knew Wheatley was going to backstab us.”

Darius gives her a sheepish smile, shoulders jerking up in a shrug. “Had a uh, a- a feeling. Not the… f- f- first time.”

Zia studies him for a moment, as if reassessing. “You guys could’ve just stuck with Wheatley, and he might’ve taken you home. You risked your own safety to help us.”

“Don’t uh, d- don’t th- thank me yet,” Darius says with a grin. They’re still far from being out of the woods.

Zia has more questions, he can see it in her eyes, but she hesitates. Her expression is contemplative, and the question she asks isn’t one he expected. “How’d you know who to trust?” she asks quietly.

Darius blinks. “Lucky guess?”

Zia huffs a small laugh at that, shaking her head incredulously. “There are a lot of words I’d use to describe you and your friends, Darius,” she says, “but lucky isn’t one of them.”

Before Darius can reply, the ship’s horn suddenly blares through the air. Darius braces himself against the table as the ground lurches beneath them, and when he looks up to meet Zia’s gaze, she’s had the same realization as him, her eyes wide.

“We’re moving,” she murmurs, her voice tight with urgency.

Darius’s heart is racing. This is it- they’re finally leaving the island. And he has no idea if his herd made it onboard or not. He trusts their capabilities, more than anyone in the world, but their plan had so many unknowns. What if Darius made the wrong call by splitting them up? What if deciding to help out Claire’s group resulted in none of them making it? What if-

“I’ll stay with Blue,” Zia says, jerking her head at the doors. “Go get our friends.”

Darius gives her an appreciative look. ‘Go get them,’ she’d said. Not ‘Go see if they made it.’ He likes that; it’s a good reminder to have faith in his herd. To let himself hope that, after three years of devastating struggle and sorrow, everything might actually be okay. He supposes he can try.

With a final pat on Blue’s head, Darius slips out of the trailer.

~*~

“Okay, I think we’re clear.”

Owen breathes a sigh of relief. After several minutes of dedicated listening, Brooklynn has determined they’re finally safe to discuss their next move. He’d offered to keep watch, but she’d insisted it’d be suspicious for him to be seen just sitting in the front of a parked truck. The disguise had only ensured that no one who saw him drive into the hold would have a reason to be suspicious. If someone approaches him and starts asking questions, his cover could quickly be blown.

So, as soon as the coast was clear, he’d ducked into the back, and they’d waited in silence until no further chatter could be heard in their immediate vicinity. The truck’s a little more cramped now, with all eight of them packed in, and Owen’s pulled off his helmet so he can see everyone’s faces better in the dim lighting.

They all seem to have made it out relatively unscathed. Franklin has a few scapes from nearly getting blown up, but fortunately, no injuries. He’s sitting on the bench with his knees tucked to his chest, probably in shock. Somehow, through all this, he didn’t lose his glasses- though there’s a crack in the right lens that wasn’t there before.

The rest of the kids seem fine. They’re tense, of course, but also focused. Alert. Owen might’ve detected something like sorrow in their expressions, as they watched the ship sail away from the island, but it was covered up quickly. If they have any conflicting feelings about leaving, they’re keeping it to themselves.

Claire’s anxious. She’s re-tied her ponytail no less than three times since they’ve been on the ship, trying in vain to tame curls that are stiff with dried sweat and sea water. She looks exhausted in a way Owen hasn’t seen since those first few weeks after Jurassic World.

He can hardly blame her. They might’ve escaped the eruption, but they’re far from being out of the woods. This is a ship filled with dinosaurs and mercenaries, traveling to an unknown destination for an unknown length of time. If they’re discovered, they’ll probably be killed. It’s not an ideal situation, to say the least.

“So what do we do now?” Claire asks, still keeping her voice soft out of caution. “Should we try to find Zia and Darius?”

Brooklynn shakes her head. “No, he’ll find us. We should stay put, he’ll know what to look for.”

“How can you be sure?” Owen asks, trying to imagine how one kid will be able to find them on this massive ship.

Brooklynn gives him a funny look. “Because he left the truck for us in the first place?”

“Oh.” Owen blinks. Well, that certainly makes a lot of sense.

Kenji, who’s moved to sit beside Ben, huffs a quiet laugh. “C’mon, you didn’t think we’d be lucky enough for an unattended yet perfectly usable truck to just be waiting for us, did you?”

Owen gives a rueful grin. “To be honest, I didn’t think to question it at the time. You know, with the volcano erupting and all.”

Kenji seems amused by that. But before he can reply, Brooklynn suddenly holds a finger to her lips in a simple gesture that Owen understands to mean ‘quiet.’ He strains to listen for whatever she’s heard, but aside from the constant low rumble of the ship’s engines and the occasional shriek from a caged dinosaur, he can’t make anything out-

Darius pokes his head through the flaps.

The other teens are on him in a heartbeat, pulling him into the truck- and into a massive group hug, all tangled limbs and soft laughs. Franklin’s clutching his chest as if he’s had a mini heart attack, while Claire’s clapped her hands over her mouth to muffle her surprise. After a few moments, the teens ease back, leaving only Brooklynn still fiercely clinging to Darius. It takes her a couple seconds to realize this, and she quickly pulls away, an unmistakable flush to her cheeks.

Darius is blushing too, but he’s also beaming as his gaze sweeps over their faces, taking them all in. “You all m- m- made it,” he says, his relief evident.

“Thanks to you guys,” Owen replies, clapping him on the shoulder. “That was some quick thinking, kid.”

“Thank god,” Claire breathes, leaning forward to wrap Darius in another hug- he seems taken aback, but he tolerates it well enough. “Where’s Zia? Is Blue alright?”

Darius nods. “Safe,” he says in response to both questions. “I’ll- I’ll uh, I’ll take y- you to th- them.”

Owen exhales slowly, a huge weight dropping off his shoulders. It’d been easy to forget about Blue’s condition, in all the chaos, but it’s good to hear she’s okay. Especially because he’s just now noticing the dried blood stains on Darius’s clothes, which he can only assume came from Blue. Everything happened so fast, he wasn’t sure how serious her injury was.

Darius peeks out through the flaps to make sure they’re alone before he slips out of the truck, and the other teens follow. Owen puts his helmet back on, nudging Franklin and Claire in front of him so he’s the last one out. It’s probably best for him to bring up the rear, in case anyone happens to spot them from behind. His disguise might throw off any suspicions, or at least buy them some time.

Between Ben’s scouting and Brooklynn’s intense listening, Darius carefully leads them through the ship, darting from cover to cover. It’s unnerving, passing by containers that are filled with dinosaurs. Their roaring and bellowing echoes strangely against the metal walls, and Owen prays that the cages will hold. The last thing they need is a dinosaur loose on a boat in the middle of the ocean.

Most of the crew seems to be elsewhere, perhaps in the upper levels of the ship, because there are only a couple patrols they have to avoid. It’s an easy enough task, since the mercenaries aren’t bothering to be quiet. They’re likely just doing security sweeps of the containers. After all, they have no reason to suspect there are enemies aboard.

Finally, Darius brings them to a stop in front of a large trailer, motioning them to enter. Owen stands guard as everyone slips inside, but fortunately, there’s no one nearby to bother them. Once everyone’s in, he takes a final look around before following.

This trailer is bigger than the truck, at least, with enough room for them all to comfortably stand. The teens have fanned back out into their usual formation, while Franklin’s retreated to a corner. A makeshift table sits in the center of the trailer, and lying on top is Blue. The raptor is fully restrained and muzzled, and there’s a bandage on her side, which implies Zia’s already treated her. But she’s breathing faster than she should be, and Zia’s expression is tense as she talks with Claire in hushed tones.

“-glad you all made it,” Zia finishes, before her gaze cuts over to Owen.

“Hey,” Owen greets her, rushing over to the table. Up close, he can see Blue is still conscious, which is a relief and yet makes him wince; he can tell she’s in pain. He gently strokes her head, shushing her when she startles- before he thinks to pull his helmet off, setting it on the table. Blue recognizes him then, stilling beneath his hand and making a low crooning sound.

Owen’s heart tightens. “How’s she doing?” he asks.

Zia makes a noncommittal noise. “I took the bullet out and patched her up, but she lost a lot of blood. I was hoping she’d have a regenerative response by now, but her body must be too stressed out. Don’t have any IV fluids to give her, she needs a blood transfusion. Ideally it’d be from another raptor, but you know.” She folds her arms, shrugging. “Another carnivore should be close enough, with two or three fingers- no more than three.”

Darius, who’s been watching silently, steps forward and puts a hand up. “I s- s- saw them f- fly- ing the uh- the T-Rex in, b- by um…” He frowns, before twirling his finger around in a spinning motion, which Brooklynn interprets as, “Helicopter.”

“Also,” Kenji chimes in, “we’re pretty sure they have a Baryonyx somewhere, too.” At Darius’s questioning look, he adds, “We ran into Chaos, Limbo wasn’t with her.”

Darius raises his eyebrows, clearly understanding something Owen hasn’t. Then he rubs his chin, brows creased together in thought, before seeming to come to a decision.

“T-Rex,” he tells Zia solemnly.

Before anyone can question this, Sammy nods. “These transports are pretty small, and the T-Rex will have less room to move ‘round than a Baryonyx,” she explains, seeming to have picked up Darius’s train of thought. “Y’know, if she happens to not be fully sedated.”

“Right. Okay.” Zia nods slowly. “We’ll… go with the T-Rex.”

“You should stay with Blue,” Owen interjects. “Just in case she starts going downhill.” He looks over at Claire, slightly imploring. “We can get the blood.”

It’ll probably be at least a two-person job, and Owen won’t have these kids in any more danger if he can help it. Luckily, Claire seems to have realized where his mind is at, and shares the same opinion, because she gives Zia a reassuring nod.

Zia eyes them uncertainly. “Do either of you know how to find a vein?”

“I do!” Claire says quickly. “I did a blood drive for the Red Cross.”

Zia blinks in surprise. “Oh, great. Uh, you’ll want to go for the external jugular though. It’s a really big, obvious vein on the neck,” she explains, pointing it out on her own neck. “On an animal that size, you can’t miss it.”

“Okay,” Owen says, “I’ll go with Claire to get the blood. The rest of you stay here with Zia.”

Franklin has no objections to that, looking greatly relieved. But as Owen glances over at the teens, he realizes they’ve been having their own silent conversation in that sign language of theirs. They almost seem surprised that Owen’s addressing them, exchanging glances with each other until Brooklynn clears her throat.

“We’re going back to the truck,” Brooklynn tells him briskly. “Too risky hanging around here in a big group. Someone might come check on Blue, and we’re obviously not part of the crew.” She gestures to her outfit as an example, in case their young age wouldn’t be enough of a tip-off.

It’s a solid point, though, one that Owen hadn’t considered. “Good call,” he praises them. “Lay low, and we’ll come find you after we get the transfusion done, okay?”

“Actually,” Darius speaks up, giving an apologetic smile. “I- I’ve got a- a uh, a p- plan.”

Owen pauses, taken aback. “What kind of plan?” he asks, knitting his brows together.

“We can’t let this ship reach land,” Brooklynn says, subtly taking over for Darius. “Because when something goes wrong- and something always goes wrong- the dinosaurs will escape. But this time, they’ll be running loose on the mainland, and there’s no telling how many people could get hurt.”

Owen gives a hesitant nod; he hasn’t thought about the long-term plan yet, but they’re not wrong about that being a possibility. “What are you going to do?” he asks, trying not to let his confusion be taken as condescension.

He might not be successful, because Brooklynn lifts her chin defiantly. “We’re taking this ship.”

For a moment, Owen isn’t sure he’s understood her correctly. “Wh- are you crazy?” he demands, having to whisper to keep his voice down. “There must be at least a hundred mercenaries on this ship. We should stay hidden and sneak away when the ship docks, contact the authorities.”

The teens don’t seem deterred in the slightest. “You’re more than welcome to do that,” Brooklynn says evenly. “But we can’t take that chance. We have to stop them right here, right now.”

Owen shakes his head. “No, you guys, this is way too dangerous.” He steps forward, reaching to put a hand on Darius’s shoulder. “C’mon, you can’t just-”

Ben steps in front of him. “Are you going to stop us?” he asks, his voice dangerously calm.

Owen stops short, sensing the abrupt change in the room. Ben stares up at him, without a single hint of fear or hesitation in his expression. And all of a sudden, Owen sees the kid who pushed a Carnotaurus off a cliff.

The other teens are watching silently, every muscle in their bodies tense. There’s no friendliness or childlike innocence in those steely-eyed gazes, not anymore. They look every bit like the kids who have fought against dinosaurs, tooth and claw, to survive on a deserted island for three years. And right now. they’re looking at Owen like he’s a threat. He doesn’t doubt for one second that they’d deal with him accordingly, if he gives them a reason to.

“… no,” Owen finally says, taking a deliberate step back. He talks quietly, his hands held up in a placating gesture as he attempts to diffuse the situation. “I won’t try to stop you. Just please, think this through.”

“We already have,” Brooklynn says coldly, putting a hand on Ben’s shoulder as if to call him off. “We can take care of ourselves, you know. And we’re not going to just sit by and let Wheatley put a whole continent at risk.”

“I understand,” Owen tries to insist, “but if you’d just wait, we could help you. We’ll figure something out-”

“No,” Darius says, his voice suddenly the firmest Owen’s ever heard.

The way Darius is regarding Owen now isn’t hostile, not exactly. But somehow, it’s worse than that. It’s like Darius has completely written him off. Like there’s some test he’s failed, and now Darius wants nothing more to do with him. It’s an odd expression to see on the face of a teenager.

Brooklynn glances over at him, and understanding passes between them. “Stay here and help Zia with Blue,” she tells Owen, in a tone that leaves no room for argument. “Look out for each other, and don’t get caught. We’ll take care of the rest.”

Without another word, the teens file out of the trailer, their footsteps swift and silent. For a brief moment, no one speaks, the air filled only with Blue’s heavy panting and the creaking of the ship around them as it sways in the ocean.

“What was that about?” Zia breathes, voicing Owen’s thoughts exactly.

Claire winces. “They’ve had… bad experiences before, with people who were supposed to be rescuing them,” she explains.

Owen’s eyebrows shoot up. “You mean we aren’t the first ones?” he asks incredulously.

“Yeah,” Claire says, frowning. “I guess there were some trophy hunters? And Dr. Wu came back, too, six months after the park closed.” She wraps her arms around herself, chewing her lip. “Both times, they thought they’d be rescued. And both times, they ended up being betrayed. Their ability to trust has been… damaged, and I think we might’ve crossed a line.”

Owen exhales slowly, running a hand through his hair. “Now I get how they caught onto Wheatley so fast. But they can’t seriously think they can take over this whole ship on their own-”

“Hey,” Zia cuts in, her voice short as she rummages through her backpack. “Trust them. They survived for three years on that island, they aren’t going to do anything to get themselves killed. And right now, Blue needs you.” She straightens up and presses something into his hands- a plastic fluid bag, with a line that’s capped by a thick needle. “We can figure out how to help the kids once she’s stable, alright?”

“Right, you’re right,” Owen relents, taking the bag from her. “Sorry.”

One problem at a time. He can’t control what those kids do, they’ve made that abundantly clear. But he can make a difference for Blue. Giving the raptor a final pat, he turns and passes the fluid bag to Claire, who takes it with no small amount of trepidation- as if it’s only just now sunk in that she agreed to go draw blood from a giant, man-eating dinosaur. Sedated or not, it’s a daunting prospect. He grins at her in what he hopes is an encouraging way before putting his helmet back on.

“C’mon, let’s go find that T-Rex.”

~*~

#jurassic world camp cretaceous #jurassic world fallen kingdom #jwcc #camp cretaceous #my writing

[lins-fandom-hub]

HPMA Profile - Annika Xue

A lot of people are doing this, and I don’t even know when the game is gonna release worldwide. But anyway, I’ll hop on the bandwagon. 

Template by @hogwartsmysterystory​

IDENTITY

Name: Annika Zhuo-Yin Xue

Gender: Female

Birth Date: January 21, year TBD

Species: Human

Blood Status: Muggleborn

Sexuality: Hetero

Alignment: Neutral Good

Ethnicity: Chinese

Nationality: Chinese

Residence: Changchun, China

Myer Briggs Personality Type: ISFP

THE MAGE

Wand: Maple with phoenix feather core, 10.5 inches, pliant

I have often found that those chosen by maple wands are by nature travellers and explorers; they are not stay-at-home wands, and prefer ambition in their witch or wizard, otherwise their magic grows heavy and lacklustre. Fresh challenges and regular changes of scene cause this wand to literally shine, burnishing itself as it grows, with its partner, in ability and status. This is a beautiful and desirable wood, and wand quality maple has been among the most costly for centuries. Possession of a maple wand has long been a mark of status, because of its reputation as the wand of high achievers.

Animagus: N/A

Misc Magical Abilities: N/A as of now

Boggart Form: Annika’s Boggart is almost completely impossible to see, but it bubbles on the ground to the point where she could sink forever into the depths. She’s scared of sinking into quicksand in the midst of rainy weather, losing her footing until the earth swallows her whole.

Riddikulus Form: In the Riddikulus form, the Boggart would turn into a bunch of confetti on the floor, with more confetti raining down on her. 

Amortentia: Annika would smell like raspberries, mint, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, and...popcorn?

Amortentia: What does she smell? Currently unknown.

Patronus: If Annika were to produce a Patronus, her form would be a field mouse.

Patronus Memory: Her Patronus memory would be of the day she took the flying motorbike ride with Hagrid. It was the first real taste of freedom she had, after all--and the first time she realized how much she loved to fly.

Mirror of Erised: In the Mirror of Erised, Annika would see herself as a successful inventor, with goggles on and her tools at the ready. Whatever it was she was inventing in her reflection, she would never know, but the image held so much use to her. Magical engineering has always been her dream.

Specialized/Favourite Spells: Wingardium Leviosa is her favourite. She loved to see things fly. She also likes to use Stupefy in a duel, Reparo on her books, Aguamenti just because, and Ascendio to feel that rush of flight without a broom. 

APPEARANCE

Faceclaim: Zheng Shuang

Voiceclaim: Stephanie Hsu

Height: 5’4”

Weight: She errs on the lighter side of the average weight of girls her age, but she’s not completely frail.

Physique: Slender and willowy

Eye Colour: dark brown

Hair Colour: black

Skin Tone: pale

Body Modifications: Pierced ears--Annika wears studded earrings (her favourite ones are the snowflake ones, by the way).

Scarring: N/A

Inventory: Annika always carries a few things from home and more if she needs them in a pinch. Some of the things she’d bring because of obvious reasons are three quills, two ink pots, several rolls of empty parchment, a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, a locket with a picture of her family on their farm, a calligraphy brush, her Ravenclaw scarf, and a small wrench. 

Fashion: Annika’s actually very prim and proper when it comes to clothing, but she knows casual just as well. She loves wearing colourful pull-over sweaters in the fall, paired with jeans and black and white sneakers; in the winter it’s a sheep wool coat of a brown colour made from her family’s farm, with jeans and a pair of warm black boots; in the spring and summer it’s a t-shirt with a skirt and sandals. No, there’s no need to name colours here. After she made the Quidditch team, she could also be seen wearing her sports sweater once in a while.

ALLEGIANCES 

Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw

Affiliations/Organizations: Ravenclaw House, Hogwarts; Ravenclaw Quidditch team; TBD

Professions: Self-employed Inventor. She eventually founded a company of her own that geared toward incorporating magic in everyday Muggle items--safely, of course--and it flourished through the years.

HOGWARTS INFORMATION

Class Proficiencies:

Astronomy: O

Charms: O

DADA: E

Flying: O

Herbology: E

History of Magic: E

Potions: E

Transfiguration: O

Electives: Muggle Studies (O), Arithmancy (E), Ancient Runes (A), Care of Magical Creatures (E)

Quidditch: Ravenclaw Seeker (2nd year to the end of Hogwarts)

Extra Curricular: TBD

Favourite Professors: Professor Flitwick, Professor Slughorn

Least Favourite Professors: Professor Binns

RELATIONSHIPS

Father: Frank Xue

Frank is an accomplished farmer who worked the land with his own parents throughout his life. Of course he got a fair education himself--he was homeschooled by his father until age 12, when he eventually went to public school. After he got his degree in agriculture and economics, he settled down on his own plot of land and continued to work on his crops.

Mother: Isla Xue (nee Zheng)

Isla was born a city girl, but eventually went with Frank to the country after she finished her degree in fine arts. She was raised with several siblings and so knew how to handle a family when the time came for it. She was kind but usually stern whenever someone stepped a toe out of line.

Love Interest: TBD

Best Friends: TBD

Rival: TBD

Enemy: TBD

Dormmates: TBD

Pets: Annika brought a rat named Cici--a small white rat who likes to sleep a lot.

Closest Canon Friends: TBD

Closest MC Friends: 

Henrietta “H.G.” Gray (@ljthebard1​)

Robin Llewelyn Isherwood (@cursebreakerfarrier​)

BACKGROUND/HISTORY

Pre Hogwarts: 

Annika was born and raised in Changchun on her family’s farm. A Muggleborn with big dreams, she would often be found chasing butterflies and dragonflies around on the farm at a younger age.

When she grew older she began to help around with minor fixes to make the family’s life much easier--repairing leaks, sewing tears in blankets, screwing on loose bolts, those kinds of things.

She didn’t realize she had magical powers until she was 9 years old, when she made things float on her own will. This scared her.

It wasn’t until Mahoutokoro first sent her a letter that she knew she was a born witch. Hogwarts’ letter followed swiftly after, however, and she was torn between which to go to until Hagrid actually burst into her home telling her all about Hogwarts.

1st Year: 

Annika was Sorted into Ravenclaw in her first year.

Annika actually was considered to be Seeker for the team but she declined the offer.

2nd Year: 

Annika makes the Ravenclaw team as Seeker after a fair tryout.

3rd Year: TBD

4th Year: TBD

5th Year: TBD

6th Year: TBD

7th Year: TBD

Post-Hogwarts: 

Following her graduation, she began to work on inventing things at home, and two years later began to open her own magical engineering company.

PERSONALITY

Annika is flighty and high spirited. Enthusiastic around friends, she is actually quite shy when one first meets her, though.

She has a big compassionate heart and is always willing to lend a helping hand to those in need.

She doesn’t flaunt her intelligence as much as everyone expected her to. In fact, she keeps them to herself and only performs when needed.

Whenever trouble arises, she tries not to get involved. If it involves her friends, though, don’t be surprised to see her with a trick up her sleeve.

MISC

TBD

#all may subject to change #this is not finalized #my head hurts from this someone save mehhh #hpma annika xue #annika xue

[lowkis]

you put your hand in mine - chapter 35

summary: when loki falls from the bifrost he lands on earth. isla finds him while out walking her dog one night and takes him under her wing, nursing him back to health as best she can. it’s hard, trying to juggle work, life, and looking after a fallen asgardian prince. with nowhere else to go and limited access to his magic, loki must heal, wait patiently, and adapt while trying to wrap his head around life on earth after everything that happened on the bifrost

LINK TO READ ON AO3

rated: t

words: 3675

tags: post-thor (2011), eventual romance, slow burn, mutual pining, fluff, drama, romance, angst, comfort/angst, canon divergence, protective loki, good loki, confused loki, loki needs a hug, he’s trying his best to understand earth, he’s trying his best full stop

read from the beginning: tumblr | ao3 | fic tag

The news Thor had imparted was troubling, but not urgent.

Still, it tugged at his mind as he walked the halls of the palace, as he made his way to the gardens. From there, he would open a portal and return to his grove. To Isla.

He dared not risk open one up within the palace. His sanctuary was a secret for a reason and did not wish anyone to interfere with it. Plus, it was an added protection for Isla should the court members become too invasive in their investigating. No one would know where she was being housed if they decided to start snooping.

Loki would have showed her to his childhood rooms within the palace, but she’d been charmed by his secluded cabin, and couldn’t quite bring himself to take her away from it just yet. He wanted her to enjoy it as he had for centuries. He wanted her to love it as he did, and his wish had come true.

It meant the world to him to know she happy there, for that was all Loki ever wanted. It warmed his cold heart, thought long since dead.

That she could do so, so easily, elated him. With a simple smile she could easily capture all his attention. The world fell away, leaving only her.

She was everything.

So, when Midgard had called upon Thor’s assistance should the threat of Thanos return, Loki sobered from his brother’s banter and paid attention. Isla had friends and family in the realm. He’d met them, and they were delightful, so he’d do everything in his power to ensure their safety.

They were to journey to Midgard in a few days to give them what intel they had to help them prepare. Loki’s last bout with the Titan had caught the attention of SHIELD and they were anxious to get a report.

Chatting with Agent Coulson again was a grand old time, of course. Loki tried not to bristle at his thinly veiled accusation – that he was the reason the Titan and his armies were now targeting them – but after a word of warning from Thor the Agent backed off.

It irritated Loki that he could profess his innocence so openly and honestly for their sake, yet they didn’t believe him. And after one word from Thor, they relented.

His sentence of assisting Midgard with Thor really would be a punishment, it seemed.

They were already setting his teeth on edge and flaring up his temper and he had barely spoken to the mortals for five minutes. Old memories came flooding back with it, of not being seen as good enough to listen to. Of being shunned or sneered at for his nature or what he’d brought about, being blamed always for every single thing that went wrong. It made his anger flare and he tried not to bite back at the SHIELD agents, but he was pleasantly surprised by Thor’s efforts. Where previously he would have let out a quip, almost sounding like he was siding with those commenting against him, his defence of Loki was fierce. Even Agent Coulson looked slightly contrite as he apologised to Loki.

He cared not what the Agent thought, but he would not stand to be made into the villain when he’d done nothing wrong.

Loki dismissed thoughts of the exasperating organisation and pushed the irritation from his mind. He turned his mind elsewhere. To Isla. Loki would give her the choice to either remain here on Asgard or to return home to spend time with her family. Taking her with him to SHIELD was out of the question. He would not willingly place her in harm’s way again.

He knew where he’d prefer her to remain. Asgard was fortified and well protected. Her home or her parent’s home was not. And Thanos had already come for her at her home once before. However, it was not his choice to make. Whatever his lady desired, Loki would see to it.

The evening sky opened up before Loki as he stepped outside the golden palace walls and into the fresh, fragrant air of the palace gardens. The sun was barely above the horizon, clutching on to the chance to provide one last moment of daylight before it set. It cast great, wide strokes of orange and pale pink across Asgard’s sky and for a moment, Loki paused.

Despite everything this place had wrought, all the painful memories it held, he had to admit, it was beautiful.

Loki opened a portal and stepped through it without another thought. His grove was further afield than the palace but upon his arrival he could see the colours still in the sky. A spark of joy ignited in his chest and the warmth spread across it. He turned and lengthened his stride, lithely taking the stairs up onto his porch two at a time with his excitement. Loki had to be quick if he wanted to show the beautiful sky to Isla.

“Isla?”

The cabin was silent when Loki entered. There were no sounds of habitation or movement from either Isla or Maya. The fire burned low having not been maintained or provided with fresh kindling for some time.

“Maya?”

Still, no answer, and Loki’s heart started to pound.

A wave of magic pulsing through his home and showed no signs of life whatsoever. Another extending outward, outside, to the edge of his wards, and told him the same thing.

Loki’s heart lifted into his throat as panic prickled his skin and started to course through his veins.

Where was she?

“Isla!”

*          *          *

Walking Maya in Asgard was a whole other experience compared to home. Out in the wilderness of Loki’s grove there were no paths through the long grasses of the meadows, no way markers to point out a direction to walk in. Free space was everywhere and was hers for the taking to roam through. For Maya to sniff around and explore, which she did so with much gusto. She was like a young puppy as she ran around, far to excited to focus on one thing, her attention bouncing from place to place as she took in new sights and scents.

Isla was not silly though. She knew not to wander far. She remained inside the protections of Loki’s magic, so she’d be safe, and kept a watchful eye on Maya to ensure she didn’t eagerly run off. The last thing she needed was for Maya to get distracted by something and bound off to who knows where.

It was a beautiful evening though, and Isla lost herself in it. Birds sang jovially in the trees as the day came to an end, slowly growing quieter, and quieter. They retired to their nests in the branches above Isla, tweeting to their small families, and Isla smiled as she listened in to their sweet-sounding conversations. Deer – or at least, animals that looked like deer – grazed lazily in the distance. Isla was thrilled to see them and admired their antlers, awed by the display. Males of twelve and fourteen tines were grouped together, and there was even one with sixteen. Isla didn’t think they ever grew so many back home, so thought maybe it was an Asgardian thing. Still, seeing something familiar was brilliant. She giggled and skipped along as Maya frolicked – there was no other word for it, really – joyfully by her side.

She wished Loki was with her. She had so many questions about the animals she’d seen and about the lights she spied in the distance, twinkling on the mountainside. Was that a village? Was the city the only civilisation on Asgard, or were there more out there?

Isla felt like she was lost in a fairy tale. Overwhelmed, but delighted and very taken with everything she’d seen so far on her short adventure.

And her prince would be waiting for her upon her return, which broadened Isla’s smile even more.

“Maya! Come on, Maya!”

The husky parted the long grass as she raced through it. All that was visible was her ears which poked above the grasses and bounced along as she did. It was a comical sight and caused a laugh to bubble out of Isla. Maya nearly bowled her over when she arrived and only managed to skid to a stop at the last second. She barked and playfully hopped around, tongue lolling and a smile on her canine face as she happily pranced by her side.

Isla tried to catch her, turning it into a game. Something sparked in Maya’s eyes, and she lowered her head to her paws while lifting her butt playfully into the air. It wiggled before she lightly pounced towards Isla, then turned and bounded away, out of reach from Isla’s searching hands.

“Maya!” Isla giggled. “Come on, time to go home. Time to go get Loki!”

Maya froze and her ears pricked up. She straightened immediately.

“Yeah, come on. Time to go find Loki.”

Maya barked and turned to run back the way they’d come. Of course, she didn’t leave Isla behind. She was simply showing her excitement. After a few feet she turned and ran back, letting out a whine at Isla, which she took to mean a very canine “hurry up!”.

“I’m coming,” Isla huffed. “My legs aren’t as long as yours.”

Maya snorted and sneezed, bounding off again before running back to her side. She continued to whine and paw at the ground impatiently.

“Well it’s nice to know you love Loki more than me,” Isla muttered, narrowing her eyes at Maya. She tried to keep her expression stern but couldn’t resist the amusement which tugged her lips up into a smile. Isla stuck her tongue out, making Maya bark.

“This is the thanks I get,” she muttered, “after raising you and looking after you for years… Oh.” Isla trailed off as she looked ahead.

The area before her was… not familiar. It was not the beauty of the grove she’d come to know and love. It looked wild and rugged. Free and untamed. It was not what Isla recognised. She froze and spread her awareness out. She searched, but did not find what she was looking for, and it made her blood chill.

While within Loki’s grove there was always a warmth surrounding her and caressing her skin. Even in the evenings when the temperature dropped, it remained. It wasn’t oppressive against her bare skin. It didn’t feel like a pressure, it felt like a comfort, and held a distinct impression of Loki. She likened it to the same feeling she got whenever he hugged her. She felt wrapped up in it. Safe. Protected. Isla had become so accustomed to it that it was easy to forget it was there, and no longer notice it. Now, Isla could feel nothing. The essence of Loki which surrounded her while there was gone, and the darkness was beginning to close in.

The shadows started to lengthen as the sun dipped even lower, then disappeared, all within a few brief moments.

They only had a short time of daylight left.

How were they going to make it back to the cabin in time?

She’d made a mistake. A big one. Isla didn’t know how it had happened. She hadn’t intended it to happen. When the thought occurred to her to take Maya for a walk she didn’t set out wanting to get lost in the wilderness of a land she didn’t know.

She’d fucked up.

Loki… He would be furious, she knew, because he’d be worried about her. She could picture the strain on his face, the disappointment and fear in his eyes –

Before horror and adrenaline could take over completely a thought occurred to Isla. The skin of her neck tingled with the memory.

“While I am gone remember, I am but a call away if you need me.”

Isla scrambled to clutch at the necklace Loki had given her just as a flash of light filled her vision. Terror spiked her heart rate and Isla let out a yelp of surprise. She cowered and stumbled back as Maya started to bark incessantly at whatever was appearing before them –

“Isla?”

Her spine straightened and she felt her fear fade away as she heard the rather strained call of her name.

It was Loki.

“Oh, Loki!” Relief overcame her and made her limbs shake. “You scared me!”

Her giddy amusement quickly turned to dust when she noticed the hard look on his face which was illuminated by the green light of his magic. His eyes were like flints as he nearly glared down at her. Dread prickled up her spine at the anger she could see and when she realised it was directed towards her. Or rather, towards her actions.

Isla had never felt smaller in that moment.

“Loki?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“You left my protections.”

Even his voice… It held none of the love or comfort she was used to. It didn’t wrap around her like a caress. It sliced through her painfully and made Isla flinch. Hearing him speak to her that way made her chest ache.

You caused this.

“I was taking Maya for a walk –” Isla paused, taking in his defensive stance. He even wielded a knife in one hand, but it was mostly hidden out of the view. The blade was positioned behind his back. He looked like a war god, ready to take on anything, and it made Isla pause.

She’d caused him to worry. She’d disappeared and he’d panicked. He didn’t know what he’d find when he arrived by her side so had come armed, and that thought alone was a sobering one.

When her eyes flicked down to the blade again he vanished it and Loki sighed. His eyes fluttered closed briefly before he opened them again. Then, his hardness fell away. “Forgive me. I was worried about you. Are you all right?”

Isla hurried forwards and was instantly wrapped within his arms. She brushed her fingers over his cheek and along his jaw, trying to wipe away the lines of worry she could see on his skin. “Loki, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t mean to wander far either. I lost track of where we were.”

Another sigh left him, and his entire being finally softened. He tried to offer her a wry smile, but it looked entirely too forced. His fear from earlier still hadn’t left him completely, but he was trying to relax. For her sake.

“Is this your way of telling me you have a penchant of exploring?”

The smile was a guilty one. “I do enjoy a good adventure.”

He pressed a kiss to her lips. It was hard, as if he were affirming she was really there, as he tightened his grip on her body. “Then we shall have to better equip you for the next one.”

Isla had half expected him to forbid it.

“You’re not going to tell me to stop?”

“You may shave a few centuries off my life but I would never prevent you from doing something you enjoy.”

At the mention of “centuries” Isla’s smile faltered and she felt her stomach tense. A reminder of her morality, her lifespan compared to Loki’s, and how unequipped she was for wandering throughout their world, unaided and unaware.

“I would simply prefer it if you were to let me know beforehand. Asgard is not your earth. There are a whole host of creatures out here which you are not aware of. Some are safe, some are not, and some of the ones who are more active in the darkness of night are not to be trifled with.”

Isla paled and Loki placed his hands on her shoulders to give them a squeeze of comfort.

“I say this not to scare you, only to make you aware. I do not want you to be out here on your own at any time as you are not used to my world. But I do wish to accompany you on your adventures, to show you the wonders Asgard holds, and to see you safe.”

When she looked up at him, Loki’s eyes were soft.

He did say previously that he wanted to show her his world. Isla wouldn’t take that away from him.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, Loki.”

He squeezed her hand. “All is forgiven. Come, it’s getting cold.”

Now he’d pointed out the temperature, Isla noticed it. She shivered for two reasons. One, the temperature, and two, she dreaded to think what would have happened to her if she’d been caught out here for any longer.

He’d saved her once again, this time from her own foolishness.

Isla’s heart melted when he produced a forest green cloak with a roll of his wrist and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders.

With a wave of his hand a portal opened, and they stepped through into the grass before his cabin. Maya trotted through first and once inside it felt like coming home. Warmth enveloped Isla completely, welcoming and drawing her back in.

Once inside the comfort of the cabin Loki directed her to take a seat on the couch before the fire. He crouched before it, Maya curling up beside him, as Isla made herself comfortable.

“What did Thor want to talk to you about?”

Loki’s jaws tightened as he stoked the fire. “About Midgard. About Thanos.”

Isla shivered but not from the cold.

Loki stood and pulled her into his side as he joined her on his couch.

“Is he back there?” Suddenly, she sat upright and pulled away from Loki. “Oh, God. Has there been another attack? What about my parents? My friends –?”

Loki shushed her. “There have been no more attacks, my love. None. I promise. All is well in your realm. They are curious about what happened during the last attack, though. They wish to prepare.”

“You can’t face him again.” Isla turned and gripped the lapels of his armour tightly. She shook her head as panic started to build. Images of Loki being tortured flashed through her mind and made her breath hitch. “You can’t –”

“Isla.” Her name was a command from his lips. He was trying to divert her attention as her breathing increased in its frequency. “Isla, relax. Be at ease. Breathe.”

She tried but fear streaked through her.

“My love, breathe,” Loki encouraged. His worried voice broke through the fog threatening to overwhelm her. One of his hands clasped the back of her neck. The pressure from his fingers was not intense but it was enough to keep her grounded. “If you cannot I will calm you with my magic, but I do not want to if I don’t have to.”

“I’ll be okay,” she panted as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. “I’m – I’m sorry. I need a minute –”

Isla was dragged into Loki’s lap where he cradled her close. He drew her hands in close, clutching one of them within his tightly, which Isla latched onto. Her face found its way into the crook of his neck which she pressed in close. She inhaled the scent of him and already felt her tense limbs starting to loosen. His free hand rubbed up and down her back as he continued to gently urge her to “just breathe”.

After a few minutes Isla finally got a hold on her breathing.

“I don’t want you to face him again,” Isla whispered against the skin of his neck. She clutched his hand even tighter. “I don’t like it.”

Loki sighed quietly. “It is my duty, now.”

“If I’d known, I would have kept my big mouth shut,” she muttered petulantly.

Loki chuckled and the sound rumbled pleasantly beneath her ear. A kiss was pressed to the top of her head. “You are adorable, my love.”

“When do you leave?”

“A few days yet.” He carded a hand soothingly through her hair. “We have time,” he murmured.

“Time for me to lock you away somewhere and never let you out?”

Loki barked out a laugh and the sound elated her heart a little. She loved hearing him laugh. Such a rarity, but a moment she always cherished. His reaction even managed to elicit a quiet giggle from Isla.

“Obviously you will be welcome to remain here on Asgard but if you wish to return home while I am gone I will make it so.”

Isla glanced up at him. “You’ll come and get me when you come back?”

“Isla…” His adoration was written all over his face. One thumb brushed over her cheekbone so tenderly it felt like his touch wasn’t even there. “Nothing could keep me away from you.”

Her breath hitched and Loki lowered his head to kiss her so sweetly she felt like she’d melted into a puddle within his arms.

“Be careful,” she breathed against his lips. “Don’t get hurt,” she begged. “Come back to me.”

“I promise you I shall,” Loki murmured. He quickly captured her lips once more, his kisses becoming more insistent.

Isla tried not to break their kiss when she moved. She swung her leg over his hips to straddle him. With both her hands cradling his face Isla finally pulled away to catch her breath.

For a moment both of them simply stared into each other’s eyes. Nothing was said. Nothing needed to be said. They simply needed to cherish this moment together, bask in the intimacy, and reaffirm the other was all right. Isla was safe after her impromptu trek through Asgard’s plains and Loki was okay after Thanos’ attack. He would be safe as he travelled to Midgard with Thor. Isla would accept nothing less.

He would return to her. He always had, so she clung onto that and his promise to do so as he made sweet love to her in the bed they’d easily and eagerly come to claim as theirs.

feel free to leave a comment and kudos on ao3 :)

like and reblogs are much appreciated <3

#loki fic #loki x original female character #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki #my fic #you put your hand in mine #likes and reblogs are much appreciated :)

[fallenfurther]

Phantom - Part 1

I’ve had this one in the works for a while. This little Scott Whump came to me after a few bad days. Many thanks to @photowizard17 for proofreading this for me. 

*****

Scott left the debrief tired and disheartened. It should have been a simple rescue. It shouldn't have been so tough on him. But it had and he was tired. There had been so many challenging rescues in the past few weeks. Sure, there had been a few good ones, where everything had gone to plan, but there had been so many more with fatalities. It was building up in his head and the body count was growing. Scott headed to his room, changed for bed before flopping down on the soft mattress. He didn't fall asleep straight away, his mind still wide awake, a stark comparison to his exhausted body. Eventually he had drifted off, but it was anything but a peaceful night's sleep. He woke up on multiple occasions. His nightmares would be over and forgotten, but the feelings of fear and grief they left behind haunted his mind. When his alarm went off Scott got up. His body felt sluggish and his brain wasn't rested, but he ploughed forward anyway. Nothing could change what happened, but more rescues would soon come in. He had to continue. 

*****

The gala was the last place Scott wanted to be. It had been four days and two rescues since the nightmares had started. He knew he was struggling, and he really didn't want to plaster a fake smile on his face, but he was still Scott Tracy and Scott Tracy had to do these things. Scott shook the right hands and spoke the right words. People were pleased to see him, and many tried to entice him with their current projects. They would have to try again later. Scott wasn't playing ball. 

Then he saw her. Jet black hair, green eyes, and a mischievous smile. She was familiar but Scott couldn't place her. He excused himself and headed in her direction. She locked eyes on him before she started towards the exit. He followed, slightly baffled by her directness. She led him to the balcony where they were alone. Her smile warmed his heart and lifted his spirits in a way he hadn't felt for a while. She was a breath of fresh air in his current stagnant state of mind.

"I'm Isla. Isla Howardson." 

"Scott Tracy." 

He couldn't help looking her up and down. She had on a splendid navy ball gown, one he recognised from a magazine an ex-girlfriend had once shoved in his face. It suited her. 

"It's a beautiful night." 

Scott couldn't fault it. It was warm and the stars were out. They were bathed in the light of an almost full moon. 

"It is. So, what brings you to this gala?"

"Work, I'm a researcher looking for funding."

"What's the project? Maybe I could help?" Scott grinned at her. He knew his dimples would be on full display, and that the moonlight enhanced them. Women just loved his dimples. 

"I'm researching the immune systems of bats in the hope of finding new ways to fight diseases. Have you heard of immunotherapy?"

Scott nodded. He'd touched the basics in his biology classes, though how much he remembered he couldn't say.  

"Basically, I'm looking for ways to improve it, make it work better against solid tumours amongst other things."

"Sounds interesting, do you enjoy your work?"

"I do. I feel like I'm on the forefront. I want to make a difference and if we could just crack immunotherapy, I feel it could help so many people. How about you? What do you do? Do you enjoy it?"

"I'm a businessman and pilot, but I prefer being a pilot. I love flying fast, there's a rush to it." 

"Do you get to fly a lot if you're a businessman?"

"I make the most of what time I can get. Even if it's just a quick flight to another state."

She smiled at him, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She slipped out her phone. 

"I'd better go. It's getting late."

Isla was heading for the door and Scott jumped into action. He closed the gap between them with two long strides. 

"Wait! Can I get your number? I might like to fund your project." 

Isla smiled at him and he held out his phone. She hovered hers above his and shared her contact details. Scott watched her walk away. Something about her was familiar. He didn't know her well, but she had brightened up his night. 

*****

The first message he sent her was about her project. He asked for the details of her project, though he did a little research of his own while he waited for a response. Isla Howardson was the lead researcher on the Blumenbach Immunotherapy project at Crifton Group. It was a fantastic and clean company; one Tracy Industries had a good working relationship with. Scott made a personal donation from his funds and added the project to the approval list for the Lucille Research Grant. 

Scott slipped in a few questions about how she was doing and soon they were corresponding regularly. Isla understood his long hours, and never expected anything from him. As the months passed by Scott became comfortable with the relationship they had. He trusted Isla so much that he started to confide in her. He would let slip a concern or worry he had, and she was always the voice of reason he needed.

One evening, after a tough morning rescue, Scott had been working on some files for Tracy Industries, while his Dad took over the command duties for International Rescue. It was coming up to 1900 hours and Scott would normally work until at least 2200 hours if not later. However, tonight he was wound up and needed to talk, he needed someone to confide in. Scott packed up and saved what he had been doing before heading to his room. Locking the door, he located Isla's number on his comm and dialled it. They had only occasionally spoken face to face, but he felt the tension fall from his shoulders when she answered. 

"Hello Scott!"

Her smile worked its way through his walls, pulling down his barriers and washing away the stress of the day. Isla was in her jeans and old rock T-Shirt.  It was the kind of t-shirt Alan would wear, and she wore it well. 

"Hey Isla, how was your day? 

"Brilliant, I think we're making progress. Same back?"

Scott sighed. He looked at the hologram knowing he couldn't hide his sadness from her anymore. 

"It's been tough. So many things went wrong. People were seriously hurt, and some died. Sometimes I just can't take seeing so many people die. I know I've been trained for this. The Air Force sure as hell prepared me for so much, but I just can't take any more bodies. I can't watch anyone else die."

Isla floated before him. He'd already told her about International Rescue. He could see her face thinking, its features frowning slightly as she thought of the right words to say. He knew she'd say the right words. She always did. 

"You don't have to watch them die, Scott. You could just be a businessman, and a pilot on the side."

Scott's heart raced at the thought and he wanted to fight back. She was suggesting that he give up International Rescue, that he stops doing his job. He couldn't do that. He was born for this. This is what felt right to him. It was the best piloting gig in the world. 

"I can't give up International Rescue."

"I know." Isla looked at him, her caring gaze held his. "But you've always had to face the fact that not everyone can be rescued. People will always die. You need to think of how many you've saved."

Scott sat back, his fingers running through his hair. The thought of giving up International Rescue was still harder than the difficulty he faced when he went into a rescue. The dread of the next death count. Each one adding up. Another mark on his conscience. He pulled his knees to his chest, closed his eyes to the world and fought the tears. The nightmares would come tonight. He knew it. 

"It's going to be okay, Scott. You'll get through this."

Scott focused on his breathing. His fingers gripping his hair. How could this get better? How could he face another rescue? The tears seeped through his eyelids and soaked into his jeans. He couldn't be strong anymore. He couldn't face another death. 

"You don't have to be strong, Scott. It's not a weakness."

Scott finally raised his head and looked at his friend. Isla was his best friend. He needed her. She was always there, always ready to help. She never complained about her life or work or the difficulties she faced. She took them head on. His breath was steady now. The panic passed and his thoughts straighter. He even managed a small smile. 

"Thanks Isla. I needed that."

"I know you did, Scott. I'm always here for you."

"I'd better get to bed."

"That sounds like a good idea. Goodnight Scott."

"Goodnight Isla."

Scott changed and climbed into bed. He fell asleep quickly, emotionally exhausted, but the nightmares came. 

#thunderbirds are go #Scott Tracy #whump #pain #hurt #phantom #rescue gone wrong

[fakeyellow]

Forget Me Not

Based on an angsty anon prompt that @poor-bi-choices​ first wrote a story for over here (Bloodkeeper MC seeing Kamilah’s bloody memories). Set some time in Book 2. 

Part 2 here.

“Just give me a little time and I’ll come back to you. I promise.”

It didn’t take long for Kamilah to notice that something was wrong.

Nightmares weren’t an uncommon occurrence for Isla; after their encounter with Vega, it had taken weeks before Isla had stopped waking up in a cold sweat, her mind still trapped in those final moments of terror.

And yet these were different.

When Isla’s heartrate spiked for the fourth night in a row, Kamilah turned to hold her in their bed, nuzzling the back of her neck.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, her voice husky with sleep.

There was a long silence during which Kamilah would have thought Isla asleep if not for the fact that she could hear the woman’s shuddering breaths.

“Nothing,” Isla finally breathed out, “Just another nightmare. That’s all.”

The younger woman tightened Kamilah’s arms around her, even as goosebumps covered her flesh. It was several long minutes before she fell asleep but it was even longer before Kamilah fell asleep with an unsettled look of concern on her face.

—

It was the weekend when Kamilah noticed another sign.

“Chinese food night, Chinese food night, Chinese food night!” Lily chanted as she walked through the hall, her arms overflowing with various red boxes.

“I don’t see how you can call that Chinese food. It’s as authentic as ‘Dracula’ is about Vlad,” Kamilah said with a distasteful crinkle of her nose at both the overwhelmingly greasy smell of the food and the thought of her rather... flamboyant acquaintance.

Lily stopped in her tracks, a thunderous expression of shock on her face.

“So what you’re saying is Count Dracula is real,” she spoke slowly, as if she was struggling to catch up to the mind-blowing  revelation.

Kamilah smirked, silently walking ahead of Lily.

“This is not over,” Lily swore before entering the apartment, her stupor over Dracula replaced by her enthusiasm for the food in her arms.

“Isla, I got your favourite Moo Shu pork!” Lily sang, shaking one of the cartons in a tantalising manner.

Isla looked up from the sofa with a smile before a sudden pallor came over her.

“Sorry, I-“ Isla managed to get out before clapping a hand over her mouth and running to the bathroom.

Setting the food down, Lily and Kamilah quickly followed Isla to the bathroom, where they found her retching up the contents of her stomach.

Lily ran to get a glass of water as Kamilah knelt by Isla’s side, pulling her hair back and stroking her back in soothing motions.

When at last the vomiting had ceased, Isla gratefully accepted the cup from Lily and drank, closing her eyes with fatigue.

“I saw one of those really graphic documentaries on the meat industry yesterday and I don’t think I can forget it,” Isla said before weakly smiling, “I’m thinking of going vegan.”

“Aw yeah,” Lily exclaimed, holding her hand out for a high five, “Good for your body and the environment! I’m proud of you bestie! I’d join you but the best I can do is drink humanely sourced blood.”

Kamilah watched as Isla and Lily quickly fell into their usual easy banter, and although it didn’t feel like Isla was telling the whole truth, she let it pass for now.

—

When Isla woke up in the middle of the day and ran to the bathroom to puke up the meager contents of her stomach, Kamilah had had enough.

As she knelt to hand Isla a glass of water, Isla instinctively flinched away from her, fear visible in her widened eyes.

Immediately, Kamilah withdrew as if stung, and Isla seemed to realise what she had done, remorse washing over her face.

There was no denying that there was something wrong now and they returned to the bedroom together, a heavy tension hanging around them.

“I didn’t mean to-“ Isla began to say before falling quiet.

“What’s wrong?” Kamilah asked gently and yet Isla’s fear-filled eyes was still branded onto Kamilah’s mind despite her best efforts to push it back. She’d seen a myriad of expressions grace Isla’s face, from the mischievous smirk she made when doing something she was explicitly told not to do, to the sheer annoyance that rolled off her in waves when Lester made a pass at her, to the cute face she made whenever she was determined.

But Kamilah had never, not in all the time she’d known Isla, expected to see Isla’s face full of fear of her.

Isla gripped the glass of water in her hands, veins straining against the taut, pale skin of her hands.

“I’ve been seeing memories of your past,” she admittedly, her eyes downcast.

And Kamilah knew immediately what she meant. Her eyes closed, and she took a deep breath.

“Before Gaius Turned me, I was consumed with anger. My brother had been taken from me, and I craved vengeance,” Kamilah confessed, “Gaius granted me the power to claim it. Together, we brought a swarm of death onto my enemies the likes of which the world had never seen.”

“I fell in love with him then. On that battlefield, soaked in blood, back to back. And it was so easy to just… keep going from there.”

“From one massacre to another. From one war to another. So much blood.”

“I did terrible things and at the time, I enjoyed them,” Kamilah said, her voice filled with such pain and regret.

“It was only in America, after centuries, that I tried to reinvent myself. To bury those things so far down I’d never remember them… For so long, I tried to close myself off, refuse to feel, to care, to grant myself even a moment of joy. It was a small price to pay for all the lives I’d taken and the suffering I’d inflicted.”

Kamilah paused, her voice turning impossibly tender, “And then I met you. I let myself feel again.”

“But now the past is coming back to haunt us… This is my fault,” Kamilah admitted heavily.

Her fingers twitched as if to hold Kamilah’s hands in hers, but Isla kept her hands to herself. She spoke carefully,

“I know you Kamilah. You’ve done so much for all of us. What you do now is more important than what you did back then.”

“And yet,” Isla began with a tormented expression, “It’s just so difficult to have actually experienced them.”

“It’s not just the sight of blood everywhere, it’s the sound of screaming, it’s the smell of iron, of burning, decaying flesh...” Isla squeezed her eyes short as if trying to force the memories away.

She finally opened her eyes, “I think… I think I should go back to my apartment.”

“Just for a while,” Isla quickly added, “Maybe the nightmares will stop once I have a change in scenery.”

Instinctively, Kamilah felt her face close off, all of her emotions pushed back into a cold, dark recess of her mind after having so openly bared her heart. She couldn’t blame Isla for her reactions (she’d taken it very calmly) but there was still a large part of Kamilah that felt hurt after having been so vulnerable.

“I understand,” Kamilah said stiffly, and she made to get up when Isla suddenly grabbed her hand.

“I love you,” Isla said sincerely, staring directly into Kamilah’s eyes.

“I really do love you,” Isla repeated with an almost wistful smile, “Just give me a little time and I’ll come back to you. I promise.”

And Kamilah’s stiffness melted away as she pulled Isla into a tight embrace, too overcome with emotion to respond.

—

At first, everything seemed to be going well.

Isla regained her energy, the bags underneath her eyes disappearing. She was even more attentive at work, more energetic in all that she did.

And even though Kamilah and Isla went to their respective apartments at the end of the night, they seemed to be going strong.

They went on dates and Isla was more affectionate than normal. She initiated touches and kisses, the first to entwine her hand in Kamilah’s and the first to wrap her arms around Kamilah’s waist as they walked somewhere.

Things were going back to normal.

—

“Moving onto the next topic-“ Kamilah addressed the Council when a resounding crash suddenly sounded throughout the room.

All heads turned towards where Isla had been sitting, dutifully taking notes, and found her collapsed on the ground, her overturned chair next to her.

Isla looked drowsily around her, as if she wasn’t sure herself what had happened.

There was a series of concerned cries but Kamilah was the fastest to reach Isla, cradling her body in her arms and easily lifting her.

Kamilah and Adrian shared a glance, and Adrian began to redirect the Council back to the matters at hand, even as Priya cackled delightedly at the sheer ridiculousness of Isla’s fall and the Baron chuckled uproariously.

Without another word, Kamilah walked out of the meeting with Isla in her arms.

—

Upon being set down on the couch, Isla clutched her knees to her chin, as if trying to escape Kamilah’s discerning eyes.

It was futile though. Even if Kamilah hadn’t been graced with the keen vision of a vampire, they were far too close for Isla to hide anything.

Thoroughly scanning over Isla, Kamilah felt her heart sink.

The whites of Isla’s eyes were shot through with burst, spidery blood vessels and dark, sunken bags lied underneath, having deepened rather than disappeared. There was a thick layer of foundation on her face and yet the unnaturally pale pallor of her face could still be seen.

And although Isla had been wearing looser clothing as of late, Kamilah had felt her undernourished frame in her arms. Isla’s collarbones protruded noticeably from her skin, and she seemed to be all angles.

“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” Isla laughed but her laughter sounded forced and Kamilah remained serious.

“Don’t lie to me,” Kamilah said, “Have you been getting any sleep?”

“I…” Isla began before trailing off. Her shoulders slumped down, revealing the weight of all the exhaustion she’d tried to hide.

“No,” she said.

“The nightmares haven’t stopped.” Kamilah stated.

Isla hesitated before eventually confirming, “No.”

“I tried Kamilah,” Isla uttered, clutching her knees even more tightly to her chest.

“I thought that if I could just focus on how much I loved you, I’d be okay with it. Because I know that you’ve changed, Kamilah, so much. I’ve seen firsthand how much good you’ve done. It’s unfair to judge you solely by your past.”

A note of despair entered Isla’s voice and although she shut her eyes, a tear managed to escape.

“But every. night. I’m forced to relive one of your memories. Every night is a new nightmare, a new slaughter, a new massacre. I just… I can’t stop seeing you murdering all of those innocent people. I can’t stop hearing their cries of terror and pain. I can’t stop seeing the blood dripping off of you as you smile and glow with pleasure like some cruel goddess of death. It’s just so much.”

“I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” Isla finally said in a small voice, her eyes downcast. There was no energy in her left to cry.

Every part of her drooped down as if she were a wilting flower and Kamilah felt her heart clench with pain at seeing the woman she loved so utterly defeated.

Even in their darkest times fighting Ferals and Vega, Isla had been a fortress of relentless optimism. She’d never once given up on them.

And here she was now, a shell of a person, after having been plagued with Kamilah’s own bloody memories.

A deep sense of guilt and shame overcame Kamilah and she let out a heavy breath before enveloping Isla’s slight figure in an embrace.

“It’s my fault. I’ll fix this. I promise, I’ll fix this.”

—

Isla hadn’t put up much of a fight when Kamilah had taken her home. After all, the nightmares had come regardless of her location.

Now, Kamilah sat on their bed, watching Isla sleep. The woman’s brow was furrowed even now as she turned fitfully in her sleep and Kamilah could only imagine which of her memories Isla was living through.

She reached out a tentative hand to tuck an errant curl behind Isla’s ear before tenderly stroking the smooth skin of her cheek.

When Isla suddenly moved, Kamilah froze, but the woman just turned toward her touch with a sigh, her face smoothing over.

And with this single action, Kamilah felt such an overwhelming swell of affection overcome her, even as she already felt filled with an infinite sadness.

Taking in a deep breath of Isla’s scent for the last time, Kamilah finally tore away from her, feeling her heart fracture into smaller pieces with each mm. of space that grew between them.

“Do it,” she ordered, her lips drawn into a thin line.

“Are you sure?” Serafine asked worriedly, seeing through her friend’s composed demeanor to the sheer devastation that lay beneath.

“I don’t know if I can ever return her memories back to her.”

Unable to speak, Kamilah nodded.

—

A/N: Long italicised quotes are taken from Bloodbound Book 2 Chapter 12.

I saw the prompt on @poor-bi-choices‘ blod and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it! I haven’t read hers yet because I don’t want to be influenced by it / unconsciously copy it.

I have 3 different endings that I’ve semi-written/outlined and I’m probably going to post them all as a single second part to this because they each have different aspects to them I like, although I am leaning towards a specific ending. Are they all angsty or have I included some happy endings? You’ll have to wait to find out lol

Also Isla is from an anon who sent the name in so thanks! (I got caught up on trying to find a name with a meaning but Isla like “eye-la” sounds pretty 🤗)

#bloodbound #kamilah sayeed #kamilah x mc #playchoices #lily spencer #serafine dupont #playchoices fanfic #My writing