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klbwriting · 3 months

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Adventures in Atlantean-Sitting

Chapter 3

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Orm tries to escape, but YN is ready for that

Arthur was gone and it was just Orm and YN now. She was smiling as she led him back to the bedroom. He looked around, supposing it would do. He sat on the bed and winced a little. YN cocked her head to the side, eyebrows raising. Orm forced a smile.

“Someone is a grumpy gus today,” she said. Orm’s smile dropped. “O come on, I’m not going to hover over you 24/7, you’re a grown man, but you have to stay here. Someone wants to get you in trouble in Atlantis and I have a feeling Arthur wouldn’t like that. And since he is my friend, I’m going to keep you safe.” He rolled his eyes.

“I can just leave, disappear into the wilderness,” he offered. She pointed out the window where you could see nothing but trees.

“That’s what you just did honey, and guess what I have a roof and free food for you, so how about you stop bitching and settle in?” she said. He sat back a little in surprise. She was so smiley and overly kind just a second ago, what was this? “Now, I’m going to bake some cookies to celebrate your arrival, stay here. I’m sure Arthur doesn’t want to have come back right away.” She turned on her heel and left the room. After a few minutes Orm heard her in the kitchen and he sighed. He noticed her watching him through the doorway, making sure she circled the room as she mixed something in a bowl.

“Perfect,” he grumbled. He had to at least wait a day. Then he knew getting a message to Arthur would take more than a few minutes, he would be well into his duties again tomorrow. Too busy hopefully to come track Orm down right away. He would wait a day and then tomorrow he would turn on the charm, get her to settle down and stop watching him so closely. Then he would make his escape, find a bus station and head to the other side of the country as fast as he could.

The next day Orm sat at the table having yet another chocolate chip cookie from the batch that YN had made. He had to admit, him running would mean no more cookies and that was almost a reason to stay. YN was reading a book on the couch, but she hadn’t turned a page in about ten minutes, so he figured she was listening for him to move more than reading. He sat back, making a small noise in the chair and he saw her sit a little straighter, head tilting as she listened. He smirked.

“So you just live here all alone? Do you have visitors? Friends? Family?” he asked. She closed her book and turned to face him. She looked pained for a second before masking her face as neutral. He almost regretted asking.

“My family kicked me out when I was a teenager. I knew more than I should about what my parents were doing in their free time,” she said. “Rest of the town wasn’t too pleased what I knew about them either.” She looked at him. “I always know where someone I touch is. I didn’t have very good control over the power then. Friends get weird around me once they realize what I can do, and visitors? You were brought here for a reason. My house is completely off the map, not even the utility places that provide me basics knows I’m on the books, if anything goes wrong I contact Batman and he takes care of it. But don’t think I know who Batman actually is, I don’t pry either.” Orm stared at her. She had it rough it seemed, no real connections in her life other than the Justice League, who seemed to just use her for their own purposes. It was sad. She seemed sweet, was very kind, and from the little they talked she was tough and funny too. He sighed, he still needed to run.

“I’m the only person who has been here for more than a few minutes?” he asked. She huffed, clearly uncomfortable with this conversation. “I’ll take that as a yes. You know, if you’re lonely…”

“Are you about to try and seduce me?” she asked, eyeing him. Orm turned bright red, time to rethink his strategy.

“No, actually, that was not my intention. I was going to say if you were lonely, you could go out to the city, I’ll go with you, and we could go anywhere you want,” he said. She still was staring at him before shaking her head. He moved to walk over to her, leaning on the couch behind her, looking down at her face. “Ok, no city, how about just a hike? Something to get out of the house for a while? Please?” He put on the nicest, kindest smile he could. It took a long second, but she smiled back.

“Fine,” she said, getting up and putting on her shoes. Orm did the same. This was perfect. He was going to be faster than her and he could easily escape once they got far enough away. He had money in his wallet, and he didn’t need anything that was in his duffle. Maybe he would send for it later once he got settled somewhere and all this died down. He would apologize to YN then too, he didn’t want to do this, but he had to get away.

They started by leaving the cottage and heading behind the house where there were several different trails. She started down one, not asking which way he wanted to go. She seemed to have a destination in mind, and he would let her lead. She kept glancing back at him, making sure he was following. He slowed after they got several hundred feet from the house and when she seemed distracted, he took off. He heard a frustrated shout, but he was already off.

Several hours later and Orm was at a bus station in Coast City again, waiting for his bus to leave. His leg bounced nervously, not wanting to be caught here. But he had an eye on the main entrance and assumed he was safe. He had no idea how many connections YN had.

Darrell, one of the janitors, let YN in through an employee entrance that was no where near the main entrance. She took her time getting the tack ready, watching Orm sitting and staring at the door. He really thought his would work, what an idiot. She approached him, being quiet and slow, in case he sensed something was wrong. She could see him about to turn and look at her but lucky for her a fight started near the terminal gates, and his focus went to that. She took advantage, pushing the tack into the back of his neck before stepping over the back of the bench and sitting next to him, cuffing him with a special bracelet. Orm groaned, feeling like energy and strength was draining out of him.

“What did you do to me?” he asked, trying to touch the tack, but it shocked him when he got too close.

“Well, I work with a lot of superheroes but also supervillains. I have developed ways to make sure those with powers are disabled before I try and take them in. The tack has a low dose tranquilizer, not enough to make a superpowered person sleep, but enough to make them relatively docile for several minutes, leaving me time to snap this cuff on them. This is an inhibitor; it completely removes your abilities. I know, because I used it on Arthur before,” she said. “Let me know when you get feeling back into your legs, we can go back to my place then. And don’t try getting the cuff off, it knows my DNA, if you try to do it it’ll dose you with the tranq again and it’ll shock you for being cheeky.” Orm growled. “O don’t try to flirt with me now.” YN smirked at him. Orm just glowered.

“I think I can walk again,” he muttered, arms folded like a petulant toddler. YN simply nodded and stood, taking his arm like they were a couple having a quarrel. She walked him out of the station and to her car parked nearby. Once they were driving, she sighed.

“I don’t want you here anymore then you want to be here Orm, but I promised I would protect you, keep you from going back to prison or worse, getting executed, and that is what I’m going to do,” she said. Orm glared out the window. “Ok, you don’t have to talk to me, but I am sorry that you are in this situation. I’m sure this just feels like another prison, and from what Arthur has told me you’ve been imprisoned in one way or another your whole life. I hope you will let me show you that yes, you have to stay with me, but it is in no way a bad thing. I’m not going to hurt you, abuse you, use you, none of that.” Orm looked at her and saw her focusing on the road ahead, but he could see in her eyes that she understood something of his predicament. She was also being forced to deal with him, and she was in a prison of her own in some respects. He sighed.

“Thank you, for taking care of me. And for the cookies,” he said finally. She smiled.

“I made some more while I was waiting for you to stop moving, although your side trip into that adult store, what was that about?” she asked. Orm blushed, having had no idea what was meant by ‘adult’.

“Needed a bathroom,” he finally admitted. YN laughed out loud, and he found it was a sweet sound, something he would like to hear again.

#orm marius #king orm #ormmarius #orm marius x reader #king orm x reader #kingorm #ormmariusxreader #kingormxreader #ormseries5

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girlfriendsofthegalaxy · 8 days

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tuesday again 4/23/22

three months unemployed YAY. also wherein i get SUPER pressed about star wars lore

listening

funeral by tele novella. popped open tiktok to see something my best friend sent me and this was there, the first thing on the for you page. let's yoink a description of their previous album from an interview i'm going to quote at length in a bit: "The result was “exactly what we wanted it to be,” a perfumed mist of jingling, jangling, lilting, off-center pop—a strange little snowglobe gathering dust at the back of the shelf."

youtube

the lyrics did hit me like a train bc i often find myself mourning places and situations that were not necessarily good for me but were familiar.

Oh, you're not tied up Here comes the train The tracks feel safe because you know 'em

if you had told me this was made in about 2007-2009ish i would have believed you. very spare production in the way folksier songs of the time were spare. a bit raspy and direct in her delivery. there's a bandcamp interview wherein i found out this is the side project of a vintage/antiques dealer and she has a fascinating perspective on her own music:

Her passion for the craft is evident—in our conversation as much as in listening to the band—but music, for her, is a means to an end, a way to transmit stories. “As a musician, I’m mediocre at best,” Ribbons says matter-of-factly. “I think that my talent lies in my storytelling ability. I think that I’m a good storyteller.” It’s something instilled in her by her grandparents, “voracious readers” who were always buying her books and secretly wanted Ribbons to be a writer, she suspects.

i really adored this whole album as a cohesive work. "vampire cowgirl" is another standout for obvious reasons.

youtube

You came barrelin' down Rabid with some talk Of a gal who rides at night Picking off the stock

remarkably good at reproducing the general vibe of the midcentury cowboy western album, when tv cowboys were sweeping the nation

reading

T. Kingfisher's Nettle & Bone. enjoyed it, but not quite as much as her other stuff. whereas her other series are almost always comical and often stray into farce, this one was a bit grim. even with the addition of a demonic chicken. had to stop and really think about if my own experience with funerals and funerary rites (too many, too often) was coloring this for me but i think it is simply not as funny or interested in being funny as her other works. not a ding against it, but not what i was really expecting or in the mood for. image from tor, let's yoink the description from macmillan

This isn't the kind of fairy tale where the princess marries a prince. It's the one where she kills him. Marra — a shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter — is relieved not to be married off for the sake of her parents’ throne. Her older sister wasn’t so fortunate though, and her royal husband is as abusive as he is powerful. From the safety of the convent, Marra wonders who will come to her sister’s rescue and put a stop to this. But after years of watching their families and kingdoms pretend all is well, Marra realizes if any hero is coming, it will have to be Marra herself. If Marra can complete three impossible tasks, a witch will grant her the tools she needs. But, as is the way in stories of princes and the impossible, these tasks are only the beginning of Marra’s strange and enchanting journey to save her sister and topple a throne.

paywalled article, sorry, but i personally have a bone to pick with fanduel due to [REDACTED INCIDENTS] from [PREVIOUS JOB] so it does not surprise me in the slightest that they don't really seem to be doing a single fucking thing about money-laundering. allegedly.

watching

the bad batch, or the 13/16 episodes of the third and final season that are out. all these images are from comicbookreview bc i watched this on my actual television

one of the plots i hate most is the trying to get someone back plot. for example, i think finding nemo does this really well bc it's also a coming of age/parenting movie. i do not think the second finding nemo movie does this well bc as soon as one person is reunited with the group, through a wacky series of coincidences they lose another member. plus that movie is part of the downturn of modern pixar where they forgot how to tell interesting stories but that's neither here nor there. the bad batch falls into the finding nemo 2 category. it's simply frustrating to watch. it turns into a desperate floundering after whoever happens to be missing instead of using a The Searchers style plot to say something about the act of the search itself. i realize i am once again saying "what if star wars was good" but like. come on.

the bad batch s3 is surprisingly focused on retroactively filling in the backstory of how and why palpatine got cloned with his force powers intact, which is apparently a difficult technical problem. i would have cared about this if this show came out before the last movie and we had a cool breadcrumb style approach leading up to the movie. unfortunately that movie (and the sequel trilogy more broadly) killed a lot of my interest in modern star wars. anyway, this cloning problem leads to a lot of very technical conversations in a children's' show that are interesting to me, a grownup, bc no star wars media has ever successfully explained 1) what midichlorians actually are and 2) the biological processes by which they operate but refuse to be cloned? which is extremely funny to me bc midicholrians aren't supposed to be real. qui-gon has that whole little speech and blood test in the phantom menace but the series had So scrupulously stayed away from explaining how the force works before that. they still fail to explain it but they at least attempt to break two inches of new ground. side note this show gives us TWO canon trans girl clones and i really wish they were in a better show.

it's annoying that i'm annoyed about a children's show meant to sell toys. some fun things: the pyke syndicate shows up, a slew of my favorite bounty hunters show up, this show is much better at painterly backgrounds and has an overall more concept-art feel than the clone wars proper or rebels. i think it would be cool if they stopped whitewashing the clones. i'm going to finish out the season but i don't exactly have a lot going on in my life right now. i am not terribly sad that this is the final season but BOY do they have a lot of loose ends to wrap up in three episodes.

playing

new genshin update on uhhh thursday and it's kind of exciting bc i THINK it will finally fill in this hole on the map and the associated shorelines of three different countries!

i thought i had long since found all the chests in liyue (the second area released) but in the process of doing a recently released character quest set in liyue i found another chest. this game is very good at hidden objectives and little secrets but i wish it was better at letting you know when you have Actually cleared an area completely of all the little hidden stuff. anyway i have been holding back the last character hangout (ningguang, my best beloved ruthless girlboss business high femme) for a terrible day and that day came! unfortunately hanging out with the fake pretend video game lesbian did make me feel better!

also unfortunately i fucked up and cannot count so the gacha pity system (every 90 pulls you're guaranteed a 5-star character) gave me Neuvillette. who i don't hate but i wasn't really planning on pulling for. i do like his questline and his voice actor, he simply doesn't fit in super well with a mono-electro team bc i play this game like an insane woman.

the real bitch of the thing keeping me from upgrading him is going out in the overworld and collecting enough sea stars. why can't he need flowers or little gears or anything else i have a thousand of.

anyway this gal will be dropping sometime in the next six weeks and i AM extremely excited to pull for her. she has some cool abilities (GUN) and is part of a popular pair with the steampunk lolita character i love and leads my other main team. i hope their abilities play well off each other but she has such a cool storyline and design i don't super care if she fits in with my playstyle. i will adapt for her in a way i am not willing to do with neuvilette

making

i am once again obsessed with gallery walls, bc a friend has asked me to find the correct gigantic size frames to put some comics on his wall, and that has given me an excuse to go to thrift stores again.

unfortunately i have mostly found frames for me, and the projects i have been working on have kind of a long tail of when they will actually be on my walls. i picked up four 16x20 frames for $2.50 each (solid wood! remarkably detailed!) bc i eventually want to put up these fallout maps in the style of national parks maps up on the map wall in my office. i suppose this means i should join @ruffledringdove and actually play '76, bc that's the one modern game i haven't played. these are getting scuff sanded with 120 and painted with a eggshell paint sample in a bright white u all know the drill at this point. ive painted a lot of frames in the past few weeks.

left is one of the painted 16x20 map frames, right i have also finally sanded and painted both 12x16 deckle-edged wood frames i picked up off the side of the road in MA. and found glass + backs for them! eventually i will procure fancy mats and print + frame my grandmothers' portraits. they will eventually go on the living room wall, which is a neutrals and blue-greens wall of slightly disdainful women. this will help me swap the three maps in there to the office map wall.

i have also acquired this gigantic plaster-over-wood mirror for $15. i am using leftover rub n buff bc i don't have a great spot to spraypaint here without sheeting my entire front porch, and rub n buff is way less susceptible to 80% humidity than spray paint. also i would have to buy spray paint. i am looking up suspiciously bc i thought there was a bug. not sure what mackie was looking at.

#tuesday again #tuesday again no problem

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moonlight-sonata99 · 1 year

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My headcanons of The Bad Batch falling in love with a jedi

SO... i wrote a thing, I want to get better at writing so i'm hoping to write more of these!!please note that i've written before when i was 12- im 18 now XD so i hope to get better!!

For now, Please enjoy my headcanons for The Bad Batch!!!

My headcanons The Bad batch falling in love with a jedi reader

Sidenote

Takes place after order 66,Reader was a Jedi knight who was once mace windu’s padawan. And reader is based off a oc of a another fanfic in the works!

Hunter

Loml💖💖💖

Hmmm hunter I imagine a very VERY slow burn for him. Not to say that the rest of batch would be slow but I feel hunter would take extremely long at realizing his feelings

The man literally was a soldier then a dad-

So imagine his feelings when he and the reader actually start getting close. His heart would go doki doki and he would just be like.. wtf?

And obviously omega has to like you,how would she not like you?

Hunter will fall even harder when he sees the reader having a genuine interaction with omega.

Even though they're gone I still wanna add them so…

Cut lawquane and Suu already know what's up. Hunter can't hide it from them.

So does Rex, I'd like to think that Rex would be happy seeing his comrade falling in love after such events happened.

Hunter tried to ignore these feelings but..it doesn't work. They just grew.

As time passes he stars accepting that he MAY like(love) you

And recently with his heightened senses he has been feeling eyes on him…

Overall very confused at first and takes the time to think about his feelings.

Echo

Like hunter he would be slow but not that slow, considering reader is a Jedi and went through order 66 they would have trauma.

Enter trauma buddies

I vision the reader befriending echo first. Due to the fact that echo knows how scared you might be of clones at the moment.

Despite being a bit grumpy echo is very sweet. He's very considerate of your needs. And with time,He knows what triggers you. He also weirdly helps you to open up more but you remain very quiet.

Friends to lovers trope ftw-

It would begin when the batch and reader are on a mission for Sid when things go wrong, as usual. And reader gets lightly hurt and echo's freaking out

Then he hears a laugh

"Won't you calm down? I just sprained my foot. I can heal it" you chuckle with a gentle smile

And echo's face just goes red

Also to note, this man will ALWAYS be at your side. He's a puppy and it's adorable.

Also staying up late and planning for future missions are yours and echo's thing don't @ me.

Tech

ayo this GIF

OOHH I just love this man's to he reminds me of myself knowing a lot of useless info-

I think tech isn't very shy? Maybe to an extent!but i think he wouldn't really show much as the others.

in the beginning you and tech wouldn't be very close,but one day you ask him what he's working on out of boredom and he goes on to tell you the whole declaration of independence-

he's used to people zoning out while he's explaining (cough) wrecker (cough)

but no, to his surprise you're still actually interested!!

and you listened.

after this tech somewhat limits himself to talking to much but he always ends up getting lost in his words. Especially if what peaked his interest is in depth. But you never seem to mind.

Like echo he would be next to you always. His go to if you will when he needs help

And get ready from a lot of questions about jedis and the order i feel like he would be very curious about that topic.once you get comfortable talking about it of course.

a couple of months with being with the batch you go on a separate mission on a lead that your old master might be alive.

after you first told the batch of this tech was strangely quiet for the rest of your time there…

Wrecker

•Ngl I haven't really thought about this one, But I'll try my best!!!

•wrecker is a very fun loving man, and that's very admirable.

• I imagine wrecker would be the one to get readers out of their shell more faster than the other guys.

•What do you expect? He's so lovable.

•but this of course didn't come with its own trial and errors…

•in the early stages there were sometimes where he would try to help you out, however this meant grabbing you and throwing you up a high wall when you could've forced jumped-

•as you can imagine reader was caught of guard °_°

•But all was forgiven when the wrecker sought you out privately and awkwardly apologized.

•for falling in love. The feeling would come to him awkwardly and he somewhat embraces that!

•this would include giving you random trinkets that remind you of him

•inviting you out to his tradition with omega after missions

•being protective during missions

•compliments

•being very obvious.

•I mean…More obvious than hunter and echo combined.

Crosshair

Damn that gif STGG

•whoever told you this mf would be sweet to you if he ever did like you-

•idk what to tell you💀💀

•you know that thing children do when they have a crush on another kid and there just mean to them?

•that's crosshair.

•I knowW this man would be anything but nice to you.

•and that because he's most likely not used to liking someone.

•that being said, I read somewhere that crosshair would make you chase after him. I find that true imo, idk it just makes sense to me he would do that-

•BUT I do also think he would be the one who lowkey flirts with you the most but he would be very VERY subtle,And only do it when he gets comfortable with you. Examples being when you and him would be bickering and he would say something that would make you stay quiet and he uses that God daMn nice voice of his- or with subtle touches.

• I do like to think that as time passes by he gets a bit more bolder and somewhat overprotective-

•also the reader actually taking the time to know crosshair would be very appealing to him I think, I just feel crosshair needs someone to talk to in Canon, just don't let him know you're a Jedi🗿

Uhh idk how to end these,..but i do really hope to write more!! as for request im not sure about that just yet!!anyways if you read this far thank you!! please be kind as this is my first time writing this kind of stuff;; okay enjoy TBB and stay safe!!!!

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levihanskid · 8 days

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[Untitled] Bakugo Katsuki’s Twin AU chapter 1

i haven’t made a fic in years so idk how this is gonna go, but i’ve been cooking this one for a while now! i’m planning to make more in the future but idk

“Where the hell is that bastard?” the girl muttered to herself as she stares at her phone, pissed at her twin brother for not picking up her calls.

She and Katsuki were supposed to meet up at the grocery store and run some errands after school. Although it seems like the other twin had forgotten about it and decided to storm off somewhere.

The girl walked towards the nearby shopping district, with her long sand blonde hair swaying with the wind. As she approached the store, she fished her phone out of her pocket and attempted to call her brother one last time.

The phone rang for a second when a sudden explosion reached her ears. It seems to be in quite some distance since the sound was not as loud, but it still caught her attention. She saw people on the main street running in different directions, some ran towards the commotion, while others went the opposite way in a panic.

She heard the sounds of explosions again, this time a lot louder for her to hear properly and recognize. The awfully familiar noise made her stomach twist. Who wouldn’t recognize the sound of their own twin’s quirk?

The blonde girl marched into the crowd, which was a few blocks away from where she was at. Anxiety engulfs her as the explosions continued and smoke started rising. She knew right at that moment that it was something serious, because she knows for a fact that Katsuki wouldn’t carelessly use his quirk that much in public if he wanted a clean record before getting into high school. Her twin brother is in real trouble.

As she finally reached the commotion, she felt her heart drop to her stomach. From the other side of the road, she could see the street on fire. The scene made her stop on her tracks, her crimson eyes wide as she makes out the figure of a sludge looking thing enveloping a kid with the same hair and eyes identical to hers.

The sight made her stand on her spot frozen as questions ran through her mind. What the hell is happening? Why is that thing trying to kill her brother? Where are the pro heroes? Surely they will help him, right?

Another batch of explosions snapped her out of her brain and to her disappointment, her last question was answered. A giant hero stood on the side of a street just watching the boy struggle. With furrowed brows, she scanned the area and saw the other pro-heroes standing around and doing nothing to rescue her brother.

Her anxiety was immediately replaced with raging anger when she realized that no one was trying to help Katsuki. She began crossing the road as tears welled up her eyes.

“No you idiot! Stop! You’re gonna get yourself killed!”

She heard people gasp and pro-heroes yelling at another kid running to the villain. That unmistakably curly green hair… no way. Is Izuku trying to help Katsuki right now? Out of all people, a quirkless, scrawny boy is the one trying to rescue her brother?

Out of the corner of her eye, a skinny man seemed to have grown five times larger his size and jumped up. She didn’t pay much attention as she was too distracted to what was happening in front of her.

She was struggling to enter the scene because of the crowd when All Might appeared out of nowhere. Everything happened so fast, All Might quickly grabbed the two boys as he punched the villain, yelling his signature move. Everyone was stunned for a moment as they saw how the number one hero changed the weather because of his powerful move. But that’s none of her concern, she didn’t waste anymore time and quickly ran to her brother.

***

“WHAT KIND OF PRO-HEROES ARE YOU?!?” the girl’s voice thundered.

Moments after All Might’s victory over the sludge villain, media arrived to cover the incident. People praised Katsuki for his bravery, while they scolded Izuku for running into the scene like an idiot. Which riled her up even more.

“How could you just stand around knowing a villain is trying to kill someone!?” she continued yelling at the pros.

“Mitsuko, calm down. You’re too loud,” Katsuki said in a low, raspy voice.

“No, I will not calm down!” she regarded her twin before turning back to the pro-heroes. “You call yourselves heroes yet you can’t do anything against a single villain even when you have the numbers?!”

“Relax kid, none of us had the quirk to go against that slime villain so we had to wait for someone with the appropriate ability. We did everything we could, we kept the damage to a minimum and kept civilians safe,” the hero with a large build said. He’s wearing a yellow and black-striped headband that matches his wrist guards and the belt around his waist. Mitsuko recognized him as the Punching Hero: Death Arms.

“Besides, your brother is fine. He was able to hold off on his own. You should be glad he had such powerful quirk,” the woman who was a giant earlier added, which she didn’t recognize at all so she assumed that the hero was fairly new.

“And what if the victim was another person? What if it was someone who was not strong enough to fight the villain off? Would you be able to live up to that if someone died because you weren’t able to do anything to help?” Mitsuko said in a stern voice, eyeing every single pro-hero in front of her.

The heroes couldn’t think of a reply so she chuckled in disbelief. “I can’t believe a middle schooler beat you in having the courage to at least try to do something.”

She picked up her brother, who has been sitting on the floor, and started walking away. “Come on, Suki. Let’s go home.”

The twins walked home in silence. None of them dared to speak until Katsuki stopped before a corner of a street.

“You go ahead, I want to do something first,” he told his sister as he started walking to a different direction.

“Hell no. Do you think I’d let you go on your own after all that? Are you stupid?” Mitsuri raised an eyebrow.

“Just go! I can handle myself!” he yelled at her without stopping in his tracks.

Mitsuko could hear the exhaustion lingering in her brother’s usual rude tone. So she decided not to follow but to wait for him instead.

“Fine, I’ll just wait for you here. Just hurry up or mom’s gonna kill us.”

Several minutes passed before she saw her brother walking back with hands in his pockets and his back slouched. None of them spoke as they navigated their route home.

***

The twins were greeted with their father’s worried face the second they opened the door of the Bakugo residence.

“We saw the news. Are you guys okay? Were you hurt, son?”

Katsuki let out an audible scoff. “I’m fine, old man! I could’ve freed myself on my own if no one intervened!”

“STOP LYING!” their mom yelled before walking out the kitchen. “If you weren’t so stupid you wouldn’t be in that situation in the first place!”

“SHUT UP! It wasn’t my fault that some heroes were dumb enough to let that ugly slime loose! He was so weak I could beat the hell out of him!” the boy yelled back.

“Could you guys at least let us take our shoes off and walk in? Jeez,” Mitsuko said in a condescending tone.

“AND DIDN’T I TELL YOU TO GET GROCERIES BEFORE COMING HOME?!”

“Right. Well, you see my brother here got into a slimy situation so we forgot. Sorry about that,” she pointed her thumb at her brother, unbothered by the volume of their mom’s voice.

“It’s fine, I can get the groceries later,” their dad said, trying to calm everyone down. “Dinner is ready, let’s eat before the food gets cold.”

Katsuki and their mom’s banter continued to the dining table. Still talking about the incident and how much of an idiot Katsuki was for getting in trouble. Mitsuko didn’t mind, she focused on eating her food in hopes of not getting the same yelling her brother was having. After dinner, the twins automatically stood up to help cleaning up but was stopped by their mother.

“I’ll do the dishes. You guys go and wash up. Especially you, Katsuki!! You reek of sewer and trash!” unlike her tone before, she said that in a much friendlier way except that she didn’t miss the opportunity to scold one of her twins.

***

After washing up and changing into her pajamas, Mitsuko sat at her desk, facing her laptop. A video of her yelling at the pro-heroes earlier is playing on the screen. The news didn’t include her in the reports, but some citizen had taken a video of the scene and uploaded it to the internet, which garnered tons of views and attention. She only found out about it when some of her classmates notified her and sent her the link.

Mitsuko could clearly see her furious expression from the angle the video was taken, and she wondered what kind of impression that gave to other people, especially the heroes. Just as she was about to open the comment section to see what people think, a hand came from behind and closed her laptop shut. She looked up from her shoulder and saw her twin standing next to her, holding a mug of milk chocolate. She realized how unaware she was because she didn’t even hear him come in her room.

“Don’t even bother paying attention to that video. Most of the comments are full of morons,” Katsuki told her before setting the mug on her desk and plopping down her bed.

“You read the comments? What did it say?” Mitsuko asked, sipping her milk chocolate. It relaxed her a bit, and she silently thanked her brother for always remembering her comfort drink.

“Yeah, most of them are just dumb enough to not know the context before putting down a comment, calling you disrespectful and whatnot. While some of them agrees with what you said. Especially with the ‘what if the victim was someone weak’ statement,” Katsuki answered, taking one of her pillows and wrapping his arms around it. “You didn’t have to say that, you know.”

“What? And have you get all the spotlight?” she raised a teasing eyebrow to her brother. “There’s no way I’ll let you have all the fame.”

The boy sat up, and was about to hit his sister with the pillow before realizing that she is still holding the mug. “I’m just saying! I get what the heroes were trying to say. Even if they tried, none of them had the quirk to counter that sludge. It’s unfortunate, but they did everything they could.”

Mitsuko put the mug down and crossed her arms. “I just hate the idea of just watching someone struggle and nearly die. I hate to say this but even Deku had more balls than those heroes.”

“That damn nerd is an idiot! Don’t even remind me of him! You should have seen his face. The moron was obviously terrified. And he had the guts to dream about getting into U.A. Thinking about it makes me want to puke,” her brother exclaimed.

“Well, at least he tried to do something,” she said in a low voice, facing away from her twin. “I couldn’t even do anything. I was frozen in my spot, my mind was all over the place and I couldn’t think straight. I don’t know what I would do if something bad did happen to you with me there.” She doesn’t want to admit it, but she felt guilty that she didn’t react faster to help him, when she knew damn well that her brother would’ve done everything he could if it was her in that position.

“Don’t be stupid,” Katsuki sat up straight, whirling her chair around so they could face each other. “It’s over and I’m fine, stop overthinking things. Besides, that’s why we train right? So we can handle our own shit and not rely on each other every time,” her brother looked at her in the eyes with a serious expression. “Not that I need it, cause I’m stronger than you,” he added and his face grew into an annoying grin.

“Don’t kid yourself,” Mitsuko rolled her eyes before drinking her milk chocolate ‘till the bottom’s up. “The reason I train is so I can become a better hero than those ones earlier. Someone who is able to help in any situation,” she added. It has always been the twins’ dream to become the best heroes. As kids, they used to role play with one twin playing as the hero who rescues the other and vice versa.

“That reminds me, did you fill up those forms they gave to the classes earlier? The one where you put your school of choice for high school?” her brother asked.

“Yep. Obviously I only put U.A. and nothing else. I’m sure I’ll get in easily. Wouldn’t it be funny if I passed and you didn’t? That would be embarrassing,” she replied, teasing her twin again.

Knowing that she had finished her drink, Katsuki hit her with the pillow he’s been holding. “Like I’d fucking let that happen! And if you didn’t pass I would definitely not want to be seen with you, either!” he yelled and stood up to walk towards the door. “I’m going to bed. Don’t you dare stay up late! We have our morning run tomorrow! I swear I will literally throw you out of your bed if you’re not up!”

Mitsuko laughed, proud that she successfully annoyed her brother once again. “How the hell am I supposed to sleep now? You just gave me a chocolate drink!”

“That’s why I put milk in it you idiot!” Katsuki screamed before shutting the door.

***

Like her usual routine, Mitsuko woke up before the crack of dawn, but this time she had dark circles under her eyes making it evident that she stayed up later than normal. Despite her twin’s advice to not read the comments under the viral video, she was too stubborn and still decided to go through them. The public’s opinion was mixed up, there were some who criticized her for being ungrateful. While some applauded her for being able to speak up and call the heroes out, which started debates on whether or not heroes are competent enough to do their job.

Part of her felt guilty for what she did, maybe she was wrong for lashing out at the heroes before knowing their side of the story. After all, they were pros, they knew better than she does. Now those heroes are getting hate comments on the internet because of her.

However, another part of her has too much ego and refuses to admit she did anything wrong. If there’s one thing Mitsuko hates, it’s people not living up to what they said they would do. Those pro-heroes became heroes because they exerted efforts to have their licenses and work as professionals. If they can’t do anything about a simple incident, then maybe they should just find another job.

An impatient knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be right out,” she stood in front of her mirror to put her hair up, grabbed a face towel and walked out of her room.

She walked down the stairs to see Katsuki standing by the front door holding a piece of toast on his left hand, while he munches on another with his right hand. Mitsuko eyed him, and chuckled at the very similar outfit they were wearing.

“Wow, Suki. You really love idolizing me, huh?” she teased, taking the toast from her brother.

Both of them wore black tank tops, gray jogging pants, and the same pair of shoes that they got last Christmas. It’s not rare for them to have some twin telepathy moment, but it was still amusing.

“Shut the fuck up! I finished before you did so if anything it’s you that’s copying me!” Katsuki flicked her forehead before heading out, lowering his voice so he doesn’t wake their parents up.

The twins started jogging, and by the time they reached the beach, the sun could be seen in the horizon. The stopped by the shore and did some stretching. Mitsuko faced the sun rise, her head held high and arms stretching out on both sides. When the sun rays hit her skin, she took a deep breath and felt the energy fill her system like she’s a battery getting charged up. Her brother, continuing his stretches, watched her skin glow as bright as the morning sun.

Despite being twins, Katsuki and Mitsuko had different quirks. While Katsuki can produce nitroglycerin-like sweat and can make them explode on command, Mitsuko’s pores absorb sunlight and act like solar panels. She converts the sunlight into her own energy, which she then can create into solar barriers and blasts. Having sunlight to absorb is essential for her quirk, so doing a run before sunrise has become her routine. Since sweating opens up her pores and she gets the best amount of energy from sunrise.

The girl opened her eyes, and faced her twin, her body still glowing from the absorption. “We better come up with a new training plan if we want to get into U.A.” she told him, not feeling satisfied with her current physical condition.

“We have a few months. The written exam is a piece of cake, I doubt that we would have a hard time passing that one,” her brother replied. When it comes to academics, both of them can pass anything with no efforts. “It’s the practical exam you should worry about, because I’ll definitely beat you.”

“Stop being delusional, the only thing you’re good at is acting like a rabid chihuahua,” Mitsuko tried hiding her laugh but failed.

“THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN!?” before Katsuki could do anything, his sister had already sprinted away from him. “COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. He ran after her, small explosions coming out of his balled fists. “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”

#i also want to cross post this but i forgot i dont have an ao3 account #bnha x reader #mha x reader #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bakugou katsuki #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugo twins #bakugo twin sister #twins au #bakugo sister!au #mha #bnha

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mandos-mind-trick · 11 months

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Here's To The Future - Part 7: Bounty Lost

Summary: The war’s over. That should be cause for celebration, except the wrong side won. Things begin to change quickly, and it doesn’t take long for Midnight to realize something’s not right among the clone army. She should be glad the war is over, but the threat of her losing her boys is all too real. She did swear she would do everything she could to keep them from being separated when the war ended.

She’s not going to give up on that promise. Even if it kills her.

Pairing: The Bad Batch x reader (no clonecest)

Warnings: Angst, a bit of violence, injuries, angst, Hunter and Crosshair have some issues, brief discussion of torture, lots of cuteness and fluff though.

A/N: This one isn't really one of my favorites, it's more of a filler than anything as the story begins to shift away from canon and into my own little AU of how their stories play out.

The threesome is up next, though I'm busy this weekend and I want to work on other stuff, so it might not be up until Monday or later. We'll see.

< Previous | Next > | SERIES MASTERLIST | MAIN MASTERLIST

“I see things have been going well in my absence.”

Hunter sighs, hands balling into fists. He resists the urge to turn around and throw a punch. He deserves it, after everything, but the snarky remarks are starting to get on Hunter’s nerves.

He has bigger things to worry about.

“I get why Bane took Omega, but why Midnight too?” Echo asks.

“I think she knows him.” Hunter says. “She tried to warn me not to take the shot.”

“How would she have met someone like him?” Wrecker asks.

“It’s very likely she’s met all sorts of fugitives, pirates, and bounty hunters.” Tech says, stepping out of the cockpit. “She is from the Coruscant underground, where those types of unsavory characters flourish. I’m more surprised she hasn’t recognized more of them during our recent escapades. I’ve relayed a message to Cid. She will be in touch.” Tech pulls out his scanner, fiddling with it.

“There’s another possibility.” Crosshair says.

“What?” Hunter asks, turning around.

“We were sent to Bracca to terminate a group of deserter clones.” He says flippantly. “But we were given special orders to bring Midnight back alive.”

“Who gave those orders?” Echo asks.

“Admiral Tarkin is putting together a nat-born army to replace the clones. He tested his idea using a small group of volunteer nat-born soldiers.”

“We know that.” Hunter says.

“It worked, to a point. Some of the nat-borns were...less willing to comply with orders. Tarkin wants to develop a way to control nat-borns as efficiently as clones.”

“Mind control?” Echo asks, horrified.

Crosshair smirks. “And who better to test it on than a highly skilled nat-born with unwavering loyalty to a group of deserter clones.”

Hunter’s hands ball into fists. “That’s why you didn’t aim to kill on Kamino.”

“I was given explicit directions. You were to be terminated, but Midnight was to be brought in alive.”

“You think Tarkin would send bounty hunters after her?” Echo asks.

“News will have already reached him of my...compromised state.” Crosshair crosses his arms, leaning back in his seat. “He will only double down on retaking us both.”

“Would Bane risk landing on Kamino openly?” Echo asks.

“It is unlikely.” Tech answers. “Though he was wanted by the Republic, we cannot be certain if the Empire intends to prosecute those on the Republic’s list as well. Perhaps Cid will return us some valuable information regarding Bane. For now, it is in our best interest to ensure there is no present danger.”

They all turn to look at Crosshair, his eyes narrowing at them. “It’s a bit unbelievable for you, Hunter, having such little trust in your teammate.”

“After everything you’ve done, I have no trust in you at all.” Hunter says, meeting Crosshair’s glare unwaveringly.

“I’m not talking about me.”

Hunter deepens his glare, but Crosshair’s words slam into his chest as hard as Bane’s blaster shot. He does regret it now. The last thing he’d said to Midnight was that he couldn’t trust her and now she’s gone, in the hands of a brutal bounty hunter. The thought has been digging at him, ever since he’d come back to consciousness to find his worried squad mates asking where the girls are.

Midnight knows Bane. Would she have left willingly?

He doesn’t think she would have, not after risking everything to try and save Crosshair.

To successfully save Crosshair.

He won’t believe it. Not until he has proof. He hates it, that he has to distrust her. He had been so angry at her. Going off on her own like that, defying him so openly. It’s not the first time she’s done it, but those times had never been as high risk as what she had done to save Crosshair.

He does regret his words, though. If something happens to her, he doesn’t want his last words to be that he can’t trust her. He does love her, but he has to think about the safety of his whole squad above all else.

Tech calibrates the device, running the scan on Crosshair. They wait tensely, for the scan to be done, for Cid to get back to them, for any crumb they can find about where the girls are. Hunter needs to do something.

If he’s not careful, it’s going to be punching the glare right off Crosshair’s face.

“She was telling the truth.” Tech says. “His chip is gone.”

He shows them his datapad, the place where the chip had shown up on previous scans of their minds missing from Crosshair’s.

Guilt starts to chew away at Hunter. Of course she had been telling the truth. She wouldn’t have come back, risked leading Crosshair directly to them if she hadn’t been sure he was back to his normal, insufferable self. She wouldn’t have put them at risk like that. As much as she loves Crosshair, she’s not that careless.

He’s already beginning to feel worse.

But he can’t trust Crosshair. Not completely.

Just because his chip is gone, doesn’t mean he’s changed. The Empire could have done something else, something worse to him, and they wouldn’t know. For all Hunter knows, as soon as they turn their backs, he’ll strike.

***

“I have the girl.”

“What is her condition?”

“Alive, so I expect a premium.”

“See that she stays that way.”

“That depends on you. I’ll be at the rendezvous. Bring my unmarked credits.”

Midnight frowns as Bane ends the call. So it was the Kaminoans that had sent the bounty hunters after Omega. Midnight had a sneaking suspicion there was more to the girl than they thought. After all, she is a female clone. She’s not enhanced, even as much as the regs are.

This is going to complicate things.

Midnight groans quietly, shifting her arms. They’re cuffed above her head to a bar. She can feel the strain in her shoulders already. She straightens her legs out in front of her, trying to stretch as much as she can.

“You haven’t changed much.” Bane says, his back still turned to her.

“How would you know?” She snaps, tugging at the cuffs. They’re not going anywhere, but she has to try. “It’s been, what, ten years since my mom took pity on you?”

“Bad decision on her part.” Bane smirks. “Then again, she never was very smart, was she?”

“You don’t know anything.” Midnight snaps at him. She knows he’s not wrong, but she won’t tolerate anyone speaking ill about her mother, especially him.

Bane turns in his seat, glaring down at her. “I see it runs in the family.”

Midnight’s jaw clenches, her hands balling into fists. “Where’s Omega.”

“She’s fine.” Bane says, stepping down from his seat. “I get paid more if she’s alive.” He kneels in front of her, grabbing her chin.

“Why take me too?” She asks, partially out of genuine curiosity.

Bane smirks at her, running a thumb over her lips. “You’re nice to look at.”

He releases her, taking his seat once more.

***

Midnight braces her foot against the wall, tugging hard at the restraints. Her wrists are raw and sore, the metal biting into her skin. The bar groans as she pulls, but it won’t give.

Bane is gone, and likely so is Omega. She has to get to them before he can hand her off to the Kaminoans. She’s not going to give Omega up that easily, even if it means having to go up against Cad Bane again.

She tugs harder at the restraints, groaning in pain as her wrists strain against the metal.

“What are you doing?”

She pauses, turning her head to look at the service-droid. “I...” She looks down at her hands before looking back at the droid. “I have to use the fresher.”

“Nice try.” The droid says. “Under no circumstances am I allowed to set you free.”

“Please.” She puts as much desperation in her voice as she can. “I really have to go.”

“Mr. Bane said I must not let you out of the cockpit.” The droid says, staying firm on his stance.

Midnight looks down at the floor, thinking. She needs to get these cuffs off and find Omega. “You’d you prefer I go right here? Bane’s going to make you clean it up.”

The droid pauses before turning back to her. “Just to the fresher?”

Midnight nods. “I swear.”

The droid removes one of her cuffs, Midnight swinging as soon as the cuff is off. The droid slides across the floor, sparking a bit. She hadn’t planned on hitting it that hard. She didn’t know she could hit that hard.

She climbs down from the cockpit, glancing around the hull. Omega is nowhere to be seen, not that she had expected her to still be in the ship. Midnight looks through the opened closets, finding a spare blaster. She’s going to need that if she’s going to go up against Bane.

She takes off running before the droid can fully recover, heading into the building. They look just like the facilities on Kamino, but they’ve long been abandoned. Midnight hurries into the building, trying to wave away the dense fog inside.

The sound of blaster fire somewhere above draws her attention. Her heart is pounding in her chest. What’s happening? Did the Kaminoans trick Bane? That’s not really their style, she thinks. Is someone else here? Have the boys found them already? She hadn’t seen the Marauder, but then again, she hadn’t really looked.

She presses onwards, following the sound of the blaster fire. Her stomach twists nervously. She needs to find Omega. She needs to make sure she’s safe. The thought of something happening to her...she’d never forgive herself.

Midnight peeks around a corner, blaster in hand. She can hear footsteps coming, her grip on her blaster tightening. She turns the corner, blaster ready.

Relief floods through her.

“Omega!”

“Midnight!” The young girl runs straight to Midnight, Midnight waiting with open arms.

Midnight wraps her arms around Omega, holding her tightly. “Are you alright?”

“Fennec Shand is here.” She says, pulling away from Midnight. “She killed Taun We.”

Both of them here? Midnight knows she won’t stand a chance against both of them together. “We need to get out of here.”

“I contacted the others but the signal wasn’t strong enough. Tech said we need to create a power surge.”

Midnight’s brow furrows. The chances of them finding something to do that, and having enough time to do it, are low. Not with two bounty hunters on their tail.

“I’ve got a better idea.” She says, removing Omega’s cuffs. “We’re going for Bane’s ship.” She takes Omega’s hand, heading back in the direction she’d come from. “Even if we can find a way to contact them, there’s no guarantee they’ll make it in time.”

“So we’re going to steal a ship?” Omega asks.

“We’re going to try.” Midnight says, determined.

It’s a bit of a crazy plan, but then again, rescuing Crosshair had been as well, and that had worked in the end. She only hopes her luck won’t run out. It’s not just her to worry about this time. It’s Omega as well.

If anything happens to her, Hunter will never forgive her.

She’ll never forgive herself.

“I wouldn’t bother trying.”

Midnight comes to a stop, pushing Omega behind her as she points her blaster at Shand. “Why are you here?”

“I took a job.” Shand says, removing her helmet. “And I hate leaving things unfinished.”

“I won’t let you take her.” Midnight says, backing up a couple steps. There’s a hallway within reach. All she has to do is distract Shand and Omega can run for it.

“You’re a good soldier, but you’re not going to win this one.”

“I’ve faced worse odds.” Midnight tightens her grip on her blaster.

“I’m trying to help.” Shand says, taking a step closer.

“You said the same thing on Pantora.” Omega says, tightening her grip on Midnight’s hand.

“There you are!” Bane’s droid appears down the hall behind Shand. “You are coming with-” The droid is cut off as Shand turns, tossing a knife at it.

Midnight and Omega are already halfway down the hall by the time she turns back around, racing towards the landing platform.

Midnight pushes as fast as she can, Omega keeping a hold of her hand as they weave through the hallways. She prays they don’t run into Bane or his droid on their way. It had been luck that had gotten them away from Shand, but she doesn’t trust that luck to hold much longer.

They reach the landing platform, Midnight breathing heavily as they board Bane’s ship. Her hands are shaking from the adrenaline as she climbs into the cockpit, Omega right behind her. She powers on the ship, praying to whatever deities she can think of that they can take off before Bane notices.

Or before Shand gets to her own ship.

The ship rocks as she lifts it off the ground, her grip on the controls unsteady. She’d learned the basics of flying during her training, and Tech had taught her a few times how to pilot the Marauder, but she was by no means an expert. This isn’t a starfighter or the Marauder.

“Hang on.” She says, pushing the ship as fast as she can towards the atmosphere.

It’s a rough flight, Midnight not relaxing her grip on the controls until the atmosphere is gone, replaced by the inky blackness of space. As unnerving as it can be sometimes, she’s never been happier to see it.

She puts the ship on autopilot, typing in the comm channel. “Echo? Tech?” She says, getting static. “Anyone?”

“Midnight?”

She’s never been more relieved to hear Hunter’s voice. She feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. So he had survived Bane’s shot. “We’re here. We’re alright.”

“Where are you? Send us coordinates.”

“We’re in the Lido system.” She says.

“Midnight stole a ship.” Omega says proudly.

“She did what?” Hunter asks in disbelief.

“I’ll tell you later.” Midnight says, flipping through the navigator. “I’m making the jump to the next system over. We can’t risk staying here much longer. I’ll send coordinates and meet you there.”

“Midnight,” Hunter says, his voice low and thick with emotion. “Be careful.”

A small smile tugs at her lips. “It’s a bit late for that.”

She sends the coordinates, jumping the ship into hyperspace. She doesn't relax until the familiar blue is flashing around them. She leans back in the seat, reaching over for Omega. She lifts the young clone into her lap, wrapping her arms around her.

“I’m so glad you’re alright.” She breathes, resting her cheek on top of Omega’s head.

“I’m glad you were there.” Omega says, leaning against her. “I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t.”

Midnight smiles. “I’m sure you would have figured something out. But I’m glad you weren’t alone. I promised I’d always be there.”

Midnight holds Omega as they fly through hyperspace, her eyes beginning to droop. It’s been a very long past few days and she’s ready for a break. She knows it’s not over, though. She’s going to have hell to pay once Hunter sees her. He’s had plenty of time to think over what he’s going to say.

She’s in for quite the reprimanding.

***

The ship beeping as they near their destination wakes her. She hadn’t realized she’d fallen asleep. Omega is asleep as well, still tucked against her chest. She drops the ship from hyperspace, heading towards the small desert planet. It’s mostly uninhabited, perfect to drop Bane’s ship and meet the others without risking being seen.

She lands in an empty spot, relaying the beacon so the guys can find her. Omega stirs as she relaxes in the seat again, Midnight wrapping an arm back around her. She’d let the girl sleep as long as possible. She’s had a rough few days too. She deserves it.

Not long after they’ve landed, the proximity alarm begins going off. Midnight doesn’t relax until the Marauder sits down next to Bane’s ship. Midnight shakes Omega awake, the young girl groaning and rubbing her eyes.

“They’re here.” Midnight says, lifting her back to her feet. “Let’s go.”

Omega seems to perk up a bit, excitedly climbing down the ladder. Midnight opens the hatch, stepping out into the bright sun. Hunter’s already halfway to their ship, Omega running to meet him. She slams into him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

He grimaces for a moment, his abdomen wrapped with bandages. So he hadn’t totally been protected against the shot, but at least it hadn’t been fatal.

He kneels down in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Are you okay, Omega? Are you hurt?”

“Why is this happening?” Omega cries. “Why are the Kaminoans after me?”

“Hunter, you have to tell her.” Echo says.

Hunter sighs. “Let’s get out of here. I’ll explain everything.”

Wrecker picks up Omega, holding her close. “Good to have you back, kid.”

Hunter stares at Midnight, her gaze lowered to her hands. She’s ready, prepared for the yelling, the reprimanding.

She’s shocked when arms wrap around her, pulling her against a warm chest. She leans into Hunter’s arms, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Thank you.” He says, leaning the side of his head against hers.

“For what? I was just keeping my promise.” Midnight shakes her head. “I meant it.”

He squeezes her tighter for just a moment. “Come on. Let’s get out of here, then we can all have a long talk.”

***

Hunter tucks the blanket closer around them, a small smile tugging at his lips. Midnight is going to be sore when she wakes up. She’s curled up on Omega’s sleeping pad, wrapped around the young clone. He’d heard every word of their quiet conversation, until both of them had dropped off into sleep. He had debated moving her, but he can’t bring himself to.

They’d had a long discussion over ration bars. They’d talked about Omega and why the Kaminoans were after her. They’d talked about Cad Bane and Midnight’s history with him. They’d briefly discussed what had happened while Crosshair was with the Empire and their current situation.

Above all, they were just happy the girls were back and safe.

Hunter pulls the curtain closed, making his way back towards the bunks. Crosshair is pulling the extra blanket from his bunk, the one Midnight had added.

“She slept there the whole time you were gone.” Hunter says. “She never gave up on you.”

“She seems to be the only one.” Crosshair says.

“I had to worry about my squad first.” Hunter tries to defend himself.

“I was part of that squad once. You left me behind.” He scathes, narrowing his eyes at Hunter.

“What did you expect me to do when you were ready to kill us any chance you could?” He takes a step closer to the sharpshooter, ready to defend himself if he needs to.

“That didn’t stop Midnight.” Crosshair seethes. “I was still in there, you know. I remember all of it. They tortured me, played with my mind, strengthened the chip’s control as much as they could. I was still under there, watching as someone else controlled me.”

Hunter deflates a bit at Crosshair’s words. He didn’t know what it was like. He’d been saved from having to experience that. Wrecker hadn’t spoken about it, not that he would ever ask him to. “You’re right. Maybe I did give up too quickly.”

“I don’t want your apologies.” Crosshair snaps. “You still don’t trust me.”

“I can’t. Not yet.” Hunter goes to move past him, but pauses as Crosshair responds.

“Trust me on this, then, Hunter. If I wanted to, I would have already.”

Taglist:

@amyroswell, @dangraccoon, @hunnythebee, @lokigirlszendaya, @kriffingmeshla, @storm-breaker7, @burningfieldof-clover,

#star wars #star wars fic #the bad batch #the bad batch fic #tbb x reader #the bad batch x reader #poly bad batch

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ay4kshalatus · 2 years

Text

you and me, against the world [a wanda!y/n x five fic]

spoilers tua s3!!

reader is pronounced you/she

edited!!!, important notice 📢

after a small trip with five and klaus, you all went straight back to the hotel to form a plan for another upcoming apocalypse with the other siblings and it looks like someone woke up on wrong side of the bed.

“a feeling? aren’t you retired?” allison commented. you know where this is going.

“you know, you and your wife can’t drag us through hell because you have an itch only an apocalypse can scratch and then expect us to deal with the fall out. you’re not the boss.” you scoffed.

you understand her loss but what you find unpleasant is she made it sound like five is the blame for not having the correct calculations of stopping the apocalypse.

you bite your lip, trying to not bark back. five decided to step in and do the talking before you go on berserk.

“fine, we’re the messenger, and we’re telling you something terrible is coming.” he said, silently begging her to not do anything reckless.

“then let’s go attack the sparrows, get the briefcase , and go home.”

she’s ridiculous. you know what she’s planning. you didn’t invade her mind but she’s easy to read. you gently push five out of your way and confront your outburst to her.

“you expect that to be easy? time travelling is like programming. one crucial mistake and the whole shit start to crumble. killing our doppelganger to fix everything can make another time paradox so don’t put your grief to this situation. ”

the others, especially viktor was shocked. you all agreed to not mention anything about allison’s troubles but you can’t take it. the siblings have its own business to deal with, you know that. trauma, grief, depression, et cetera. but they have to realize that they need to think carefully of this situation.

it is so unfair for them to give all the blame to five when he’s almost in verge of breaking down from the failures. he then quickly added, putting you behind him.

“this is our home allison. accept it.” he shoot daggers at her.

a batch of cue sticks fall off the ground, making a clattering noise and luckily broke the tension in the room.

“wait, where’s lila?”

“that’s it! i’m telling your mom.” diego tried to stop stanley from his shenanigans. when five seeing the kid, he got an idea.

“shower. i told her she could stay with us.” the kid answered.

without wasting any time, you and five head to the said location.

thankfully five remembered that he’s married to you and know the code so he lets you do the job. you enter the room cautiously, sighted lila taking her time to bathe.

“ahh… did your briefcase broke?” you teased the female.

“two of them. looks like it. now i can’t send that little gremlin back to merlin for a while.” lila slowly grabbing the dagger out from her bag.

“and looks like your guy is a gentleman to let his woman fight another woman that’s naked.”

when she’s about to throw the weapon at your way, you’re no longer there. you teleported behind her and went to grab her dagger but she copied your powers and launches you off the wall.

you’re quick to react when she appeared in front of you and about to stab you, stopped her by your force-field.

infusing another psionic energy into your other hand, you mirrored her actions of knocking her off.

her reflex didn’t save her when your runes are activated and keep her from using any spells on you. you use your telekinesis on her, holding her form on the air. lila seems impressed of your performance and scared at the same time.

"well, it's fun till it lasted... quite fast."

lila gritted her teeth. “you’re a monster.”

you just chuckled. “you can’t copy everything at once so deal with it.”

once she’s all covered, you take five in.

“looks like you’re no match for my wife after all.” he mocked the blonde.

“i know i know. i’d forgotten how much I hate you, you puny little turd.” she spat back.

“the feeling’s mutual, lila. as much as i’d love to bully you, we have bigger concerns than you.” five sits on the panel of the bath tub beside you.

“yeah? like what?”

“the grandfather paradox. it’s happening…”

you three got out of the bathroom and greeted by diego and stanley. as lila and diego are having a discussion, you and five gossips on their back.

“wanna bet 10$ that stanley is not their son?” you snicker.

"i think i already know what’s behind those curtains.”

after tries of teleporting to your old workhouse, you guys somehow landed on the blanket of white.

“oh, brilliant idea, lila. welcome to the ice age!” five complained.

but you can’t believe that you three landed on different place, looking behind you and seeing the familiar structure that is covered by thick snow.

“shit..” both of you and five chanted and head to the building.

“holy shit.” now the three of you said in chorus.

everything inside is a disaster. it’s quite impossible to believe the commission turned out like this.

“the paradox might have affected them and the run of time and boom. winter.”

lila looks at you, perplexed at your explanation.

“is that possible?”

five handed you his jacket, which you deny his offer since you’re wearing leather one.

“we stopped tracking what was possible a long time ago.”

then you add. “nothing’s impossible.”

taking another step, a debris of broken planks fall off from the ceiling. you quickly grab five back to his spot.

"we better get moving. i’ll check the infinite switchboard.” he eyes landed on yours, thanking you and heading up on stairs.

“i’ll follow” you catch up to him. lila taking a stroll on different way.

“and i’ll check herb’s office. little cockroach would survive anything.”

she stopped midway and take a glance on the couple’s way.

“bye.”

…

“see you.”

"later."

“miss you two.”

“ok?”

“that’s weird.”

you two entered the switchboard. the state is much the same. a freaking disaster. you inspect around, there’s nothing inside but there’s an operator that’s still functional. five check it, only to see herb recording the situation.

“there’s been a rip in the space-time continuum. it’s swallowing everything.”

you noticed his agitated form, looking at the screen intensely.

“…everyone, they all gone. i’ve tried everything! i don’t know what else to do. the timeline is collapsing.” herb looks around, the place slowly disintegrates as the lights from the celling starting to fall off.

“this is… the end.” and with that, he’s gone.

you look at your husband, worried that he might blame himself for this. the whole time travel is not easy to do but you all going to make it. both of you know that. but five needs to be reminded sometimes.

“this is just like a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit. there’s no clear directives in here about crisis management.”

“the commission doesn’t have solid ones because all they do is to run away this kind of problem.”

“fair point.”

lila looks at the two of you, amused. do you guys really hate the handler this much?

the three climbs on the stairs, looking for the operations bunker. “you know, lila. we shouldn’t even be here. i was… we’re… we’re out. we’re done with this bullshits, and yet here we are, swept back into the chaos.” five ranted and scratching his neck a little bit hard.

“why can’t we just escape this hellhole?”

“because you two love it.” lila nonchalantly replied and she didn’t expected to receive different reactions.

“excuse me?”

“my bad.”

the couple said at the same time. staring to each other confused but shrug it off. “come on face it, the apocalypse problems are the only things that gets your heart pumping.”

five is annoyed and scratches his neck even more. “i don’t know why people keep saying that. we don’t actually like chaos. we don’t want them. we don’t want disorder. we…”

he stares at you as you minding your business, looking around to this messed up place. “we want retirement.” he continued.

lila laughs. “yeah, right. what? a normal life with y/n, creating a family, groceries and taxes. you would die of boredom.”

the next reply makes u stupefy. “to be honest, i've been planning about it before if only we lived on a normal life. having my own family isn’t that bad and you’re not exactly cut out for domestic bliss either.” your husband said while looking at you with a soft expression then head in the hallway.

you're surprised that five was thinking about marriage concerns and other lovely shits. looks like you hit something on his head. you froze on your spot, face in deep red unlike lila with different expression.

“’course i’m bloody not. thank god!” she exclaimed.

*beeeeppp* “unauthorized access.”

“oh shit..” five keeps scratching his neck and sweating badly. you can guess the identity of the person you all been looking for and you’re not ready for it. you gently push lila away and try to open the bunker.

“don’t worry, no one’s gonna come and get us.” then there’s a small light coming out of the device, scanning your eye. the result is still the same.

“unauthoritized access.”

“hey! did my essential rights got taken?” you complained. you’ve went into this room before but it’s empty at first. five goes beside you and takes his turn.

“let me try.”

…

“access granted.”

‘oh dear.’ you thought. entering the room once more, you spot a familiar old man with body is inside of the iron lungs. your hypothesis appears to be correct after all.

“i was expecting more man and less… can.”

“five… look.” you called him out to see the discovery.

he understand the situation, slowly approaching the man and try to recognize the appearance. “it can be..” his eyes widen in surprise.

“what’s wrong?” lila stares at you two. by the looks you two have, you may be familiar to this elderly male.

“it’s me.” five said. you don’t know what to react. amused, worried, astonished. it all written on your face.

“the irony..” you mumbled. your statement can’t help lila and laughs harder.

five’s old self explained bit information about the apocalypse since you three already know the kugelblitz. “so? how do we fix it?” he asked while you’re busy trying to read his mind. old five’s aging brain have no use and only receiving the same amount of information.

he wheezes, trying to breath properly. “you don’t.”

you're baffled at his reply. is this the five you know? since when did he gave up on saving the world.. saving his family? well, this five before you is 100+ year older and from the future. the future is unpredictable.

five also have the same thoughts but his patience starting to run thin. “if you created all of this, then you must have created a solution.” he tries his best not to lash out on his 100 year old doppelganger.

“he didn’t created all of this but must be preparing for this cause.” you theorized. he didn't mean to give up all of our hard work on saving everyone, right? maybe there's something that you guys need to know? you hoped.

“ahh… i almost forgot about you. your end is one of the reason why i’m still alive until now.” end? what end? what is he talking about?

the old five starts coughing again. “all that will be left is… oblivion.”

the more information he provide, the more you realized there’s something behind his words. oblivion. hotel oblivion? is the hotel connected to all of this? you know for sure reginald isn’t a type of man to build a random hotel as what you know about that man.

before you dive in to your deep spiral of thoughts, you noticed five’s fast breathing when the old him is dead afterward. this is your cue, gesturing lila to leave you two alone and the blonde understood the sign.

your heart clutched of seeing him so devastated. he’s been holding it for almost a month and only asked for a small break and deal with the apocalypse later. this is why you thought of doing this whole shit yourself just this once. but of course, he always have a way to find out.

you slowly approach him as he’s in deep thought, putting his head on your shoulder and hug him close. no words needed to be shared. just the presence of each other is enough.

“i’m so tired…” five mumbles on your embrace. you kissed on the crown of his head while messing with his hair. maybe taking a minute or two isn't that bad when the apocalypse is only few days away.

“i can see that.”

ahhhhskvxgjhvjsjjs five really needs a break and reward him with kisses and cuddles. mans been working straight 20+ days. •́ ‿ ,•̀

reblogs and comments are highly appreciated!! -pamcake

#repost #five hargreeves x reader #five x reader #the umbrella academy x reader #umbrella academy x reader #tua x reader #wanda reader #wanda yn #pamcake's writings 🥞

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margowritesthings · 1 year

Note

your favorite pairing rn baking holiday treats. them realizing theyre both in love and having a kiss covered in flour 😭❤️❤️❤️

a/n: oh bloody hell this... this was supposed to be a little fluffy piece and it got SAD. sorry not sorry (but kinda a little bit sorry). thank you for the request my love, it was a lovely challenge for me!! (also 3 posts this week who AM I)

═══════☆═══════

A Bit of a Mess

pairing: Arthur Morgan x fem!reader

word count: 785 words

warnings: Big Sad

Two failed batches of biscuits lay discarded on the countertop as you try your absolute hardest to get the new set evenly placed on the tray. Arthur is keeping his distance this time, watching your dainty digits with an almost timid air about him. You glance over your shoulder to see him practically at the other side of the room, which makes you laugh softly.

“They don’t have the plague, y’know. You can still help, just don’t… well, maybe just watch.” You struggle to push the amused tones out of your voice, another laughing fit waiting in the wings of the conversation as Arthur feigns an offended air.

“Look, I said I’m real sorry, but how was I supposed to know-” “-That biscuits don’t have 3 cups of salt in them?” Your eyebrow twitches and your hands find their way to your hips as you begin to lose the battle with laughter.

“Well sorry that I spent my childhood on the streets, robbin’ for scraps instead of this Baking School for Ladies you seem ta’ have been raised in, missy.” He folds his arms, but the ever growing smile tightening those wonderful, kissable lips of his gives his amusement well away.

“Oh hush your mouth, Arthur Morgan, it don’t take a genius to tell sugar from salt.”

“Well, apparently it does…” His voice turns low, almost seductive, as he begins to approach you slowly. He looks like a predator, stalking his unassuming, doe-eyed prey. You know this look all too well: you’re either about to get catapulted into ecstasy or tickled to oblivion. You hold your hands up, part in surrender, part to remind him of the masses of flour stuck to your skin. Neither option phases him and he steals a loud squeal from your throat, grabbing you by the waist and pulling you closer. You giggle uncontrollably as he pinches at anywhere he can get his hands on, not caring a jot about the stark white powder coating his shirt, pants and face.

“Arthur! Sto-op!” You shriek, your giggle evolved into full-blown laughter. Somehow, you manage to reach over to the bowl of flour sitting next to the uncooked treats, grasping a handful and throwing it over the pair of you. A little goes on your dress, but it’s a necessary damage to stop the tickling enough to catch your breath. Arthur stands, slack jawed in shock, absolutely covered. It is a sight to behold, to say the least.

“Oh, you’re done for, sweetheart.” He threatens, leaving you only a single second to register before breaking out into a run. You attempt to bolt off, around into the living room or even yours and Arthur’s bedroom, but his strong arms barricade you in, pulling you up against his hard, large frame. He engulfs you, and while you expect another overload of touch, he stays still, biding his time.

You look up at him, watching specks of flour fall from his eyelashes every time he blinks. He smirks down at you, enjoying the rise and fall of your chest as apprehension takes over. Instead of tickling, however, Arthur pulls you even closer into him so your cheek is flush with his chest. It coats you in flour, a final act of revenge, you’re sure, but it’s worth it. So so worth it.

You stay there for a while, wrapped in the strong arms of your cowboy, feeling the safest you’d ever felt. Everything is falling into place. Everything is going to be okay.

A kiss is pressed to the top of your head as Arthur runs his fingers through your hair soothingly. “I love you, y’little minx.” He whispers, placing two fingers under your chin to lift your gaze to him, “C’mere.”

You have to reach onto your tiptoes, but when Arthur’s lips tenderly meet yours, it is perfect. Standing here in your kitchen, safe, protected by your cowboy, everything is as it should be.

Until it isn’t.

The flour falling from the top of Arthur’s head, splattering your nose like white freckles turns wet and cold. The heat from the oven against your backs disappears, replaced by an awful draught through decaying wood. Arthur melts away, slipping through your panicked, grasping hands like liquid smoke.

Your eyes snap open, the breath dragged out of your lungs in a strangled cry. The noise echoes out into the empty, abandoned cabin.

You’re awake, clutching onto a dusty jacket, your only proof that it was ever real in the first place, as reality hits you like a tonne of bricks falling from the sky.

He’s gone. You’re all alone. It never fell into place at all, never was going to be okay.

Oh, your sentimental mind…

#arthur morgan fluff #arthur morgan #arthur morgan imagine #arthur morgan drabble #arthur morgan rdr2 #arthur morgan x reader #arthur morgan x y/n #arthur morgan x you #rdr2 #red dead redemption #arthur morgan angst #red dead redeption 2 #rdr2 fanfic #rdr2 fanfiction #MargoFiore

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kaminocasey · 1 year

Note

Congratulations on your 700 followers!! That's amazing and you deserve all of them! Thank you for being you and for being an amazing friend 💜

I'm sure this will come as no surprise...but can I get prompts 2, 3 and 7 with Hunter, please? 😊🥰

Love you, Casey!! 💜

THANK YOU MORGAN, SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!!!! 💜 Back at you, love!

WC: 1.2k

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI; Violence, Bar fights, A creep putting his hand on you, badass!reader, drinking

“Excuse me, miss?” A man comes up behind you, placing his hand on your back. “Could I buy you another drink?”

Your skin immediately crawls as you shrug away from him.

“No thank you.” You don’t smile. You don’t acknowledge him with even a glance.

You know this type. This never ends well for them. It’s been a long month on the Marauder with the guys and all you wanted was a kriffing drink. Apparently that’s too much to ask.

“What, you don’t let men buy you drinks?” He asks, his words already slightly slurring together.

“Nope. Sure don’t.” You just look at the holovision in front of you up on the wall. “Go away.”

The guy sits next to you and you know the guys will be back any minute. They wanted to drop off the package to Cid before getting their own drink on.

“Why’s that?” He presses, ignoring your request. “I’ll buy you any drink you want.”

You let out an annoyed sigh before looking at the man next to you. “Because quite frankly, you’re ugly, you smell like you haven’t showered in a year, and I’m tired of men.” You down your drink and start to walk away but he grabs your wrist.

You look down at his hand around your wrist. “I promise you don’t wanna do that.”

He laughs in your face. “Or what? No one here is gonna help you.”

“Good thing I don’t need their help.” You shrug, giving him a mocking smile before swiping the glass off the bar and slamming it against the guy’s head, causing him to drop to the ground, gripping his head.

“I mean, what did I tell you?” You roll your eyes, prepared to step over his body.

Except you see a few of his buddies start to approach you, looking like they’re about to try something. You lean back toward the bartender, sliding her a few credits as an apology for the broken glass, knowing you’re not going to get the chance again.

The guys’ buddies rush up on you, trying to grab you, but you duck out of the way, kicking one of them in the groin, making him go down maybe a little too easily. You can’t help but let out a chuckle.

The second one grabs your shirt and punches you in the cheek at the same time that the Batch strides in. Hunter’s eyes immediately go to you and you nod at him, letting him know you’re fine, as you turn and punch the guy in the nose, making him turn away in pain.

Hunter immediately goes for the third one at the same time that you jump on the second guys’ back, choking him. He runs your back into the bar, causing you to drop. Hunter stops to see you drop, causing the third guy to get the slight upper hand as he punches him in the jaw.

You jump up, knowing Hunter can handle himself, and run at the guy who’s attacking you, running him straight into the table behind him, making him flip over it. You walk around, kicking him in the side and he groans in pain.

“I told your friend to leave me the fuck alone.” You warn him as you grab him by his shirt collar and punch him, knocking him out.

You look over in time to see Hunter land the final blow, knocking the third guy out and you both stare at each other, panting, your chests heaving. He looks too good with blood slightly dripping down his face and you shake the thought, knowing he’ll never have feelings for you like that.

“You good?” Echo asks as you approach them, handing you a glass of something.

You nod, downing it. “Thanks.”

Hunter comes over to you, pulling your face toward him so he can inspect your injuries.

“Hunter, I’m fine.” You laugh, then wince in pain, because you realize that you may have a couple cracked ribs.

“Mmhm…” Hunter shakes his head.

Hunter flags down the bartender for a bag of ice and she brings it over. He starts to lead you out of the bar, leaving the others behind to fend for themselves, gently putting an arm around you to hold you up as you walk while simultaneously keeping the bag of ice to your cheek.

“Thanks for your help back there…” You lean against him, letting him help you. “Of course.” He murmurs. “You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt worse…”

“Ugh. I don’t wanna hear it.” You groan. “I was getting harassed and I took care of it.”

Hunter stops so he can look at you, inspecting you further, glancing down your body. You know that he’s just doing it because he’d be able to pick up on if someone did something worse to you. But the way he looks at you still sets your skin on fire.

“Those guys are lucky I don’t go back and rip out their throats…” He grits between his teeth, looking back at the bar.

“Why?” You ask, softly.

“Why?” He repeats.

“Yeah… why?” You shrug.

Hunter rubs the back of his neck and then looks back at you. “Well… I think… I might be in love with you… and the thought of any man touching you…”

“You what?” You swallow.

He nods. “I didn’t mean to tell you like this…”

You can’t help but laugh. He looks at you like you’re crazy and you just shrug. “I love you too.”

He immediately grins, stepping closer to you to put his hands on your hips, looking down at you softly. You reach up, running your fingers through his hair and he leans into your touch.

Leaning into him and reaching on your tiptoes, you brush your lips against his. Hunter’s arms snake around you carefully and you stay like that for a moment, just kissing each other gently. It’s even better than how you imagined it would be.

When he pulls away, he smiles down at you. “You make me feel alive. You know that?”

Warmth courses through your veins at his confession. “I feel the same way.”

Later, as you sit on the steps of the Marauder, Hunter holds an ice pack to your cheek and you lean against him.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you sooner.” He murmurs. “It’ll never happen again.”

You believe him.

“It’s alright. I could mostly hold my own.” You shrug, still trying to keep on a brave face.

You know he sees right through it, but he just humors you instead of saying something.

“I imagine that first guy probably thought he stood a chance with you.” Hunter muses.

“Yeah, well… once most guys realize I can hold my own, I become less adoring, you know?” You laugh.

“Well, for what it’s worth… I know you can kick my ass but I can’t imagine a galaxy in which I don’t adore you.” He looks you in the eyes when he says it and you believe him.

You realize right then that he’s only ever going to see you as an equal. Unable to keep it in anymore, you push the ice pack away and crush your lips against his again, ignoring the slight pain. When you pull away, he leans his forehead against yours and holds your hands.

TAGS: @twistedstitcher27 @rebel-finn @grievouus @madameminor @dumfanting @rain-on-kamino @corona-one @tecker @ladykatakuri @brynhildrmimi @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @zoeykallus @maulslittlemeowmeow @littlemousedroid @arctrooper69 @rexxdjarin @agenteliix @padawancat97 @hated-by-me @sleepingsun501 @quigonswife8 @idlenesses @redheadgirl @dnxgma @themcuwriter @ashotofspotchka @sunshinesdaydream @crosshairsimp73 @ariadnes-red-thread @rosmariner @heyitsaloy @starstofillmydream @high-ct5555 @echos-girlfriend @sleepywych @nekotaetae @justanothersadperson93 @brownstalebread @aconstructofamind @book-of-baba-fett @chopper-base @palliateclaws @501st-rexster @dead-poolz @nahoney22 @where-is-my-mind-tho @jediknightjana @erishimoon

#kc700 #tbb hunter x reader

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kitkaaz · 9 months

Text

*~ Lavender Honey ~*

*~ Chapter 2 ~*

Y/N POV

No. no no no. This can’t be happening of all people who found my hiding spot, my safe place, it was her. I couldn’t even muster words but I’m sure my face damn near showed her how I felt! She had closed the door and leaned on the tall vacant shelves, her arms crossed and giggling at me. I’m not laughing. I’m furious.

“Sheesh toots! You look pissed!” She snickered at her own words, like my anger amused her. It wasn’t amusing though, but I doubt someone like Jinx knows anything about empathy. “I am pissed! You can’t be here no one is supposed to be. This was my place to escape, MINE! And now you ruined it.” I stomped my foot down on the old sturdy wood and collected my stuff. Once again she laughed but it was quieter, more awkward. “Gosh, didn’t realize you were so possessive toots!” She smiled and leaned her head to the side against the steel rod of the shelving. I couldn’t even talk. I was too angry. I don’t even know if angry is the word. I felt like I lost something safe to me. I did.

I grabbed my bag holding it against my chest crossing my arms and gave her a meaningful push and caused her to hit her head against the shelf. She almost seemed shocked that I was actually mad. Like something sparked in her that people get upset when she does something hurtful. She didn’t speak she just watched me walk off and just stood in the door frame. I hope she enjoyed the laugh, I hope she got joy out of me being hurt. Of course she did, she’s Jinx.

Jinx’s POV.

Y/N stamped down the hallway. She was upset and I felt bad. Why do I feel bad? She’s a dork! Of everyone to feel bad why me? But I do feel bad. She liked this place and I took that away from her for my own joy. I walked into the room, it was small but yet somehow spacious. Tall shelves almost touching the ceiling and a large old glass window with a heater and windowsill large enough to sit on. Nothing on the shelves of any value but some notes with drawings and affirmations scattered the walls. I’m guessing Y/N made these, she thought no one would find this place. But I did, I hope I didn’t ruin it for her.

On the bottom shelf was a satchel. It had old velvet look with the symbol of a bee embroidered into it. I wonder if this is Y/N. Inside the bag was a letter, a book, and a jar of lavender honey.

The note read; Dear Y/N,

Enjoy high school! It is truly a memorable time. Make sure to make friends and join activities! Stand out and be social and never let anyone pick on you! No matter what there will always be someone who cares for you, like me. Don’t give up and I can’t wait to see you soon!

xoxo Wrenfri

P.S. The bees worked hard to make this delicious batch of honey and the lavender grew great I hope it tastes delicious!

I stared at the jar. It had a homemade label and was sealed covered with a purple and white cloth. I wonder if she ever opened it. Should I open it? I’m sure it has value to her. I should give it to her, to apologize. I feel bad, she seems so lonely and I made it worse for her by calling it out that she is a loner.

All I could do is sit against the heater with the honey jar and sink in the guilt. “I’ve probably made so many other people feel shitty like this. What is wrong with me! Why do I do that..” I was forced out my pity party by the sharp loud ringing of the bell. I stuffed the satchel into my bag and went to class. A class me and Y/N shared. How convenient is that, I can give it to her then.

Y/N POV

Algebra 2, another class I love. Thankfully stupid Jinx doesn’t sit next to me. She ruined everything. The one place I could feel safe in the whole world is now ruined. I was just so angry I couldn’t even pay attention. The teacher even called my name and I couldn’t hear her. Of course, Jinx has just fucked everything up in class too. “Ms. [insert last name], do you need to take a walk? You seem distracted.” The teacher asked she seemed genuine and any opportunity to get my head straight would held. “Yes ma’am.”

She dismissed me and I got up and left. I didn’t know where to go now. I didn’t want to go back to the supply closet, it wasn’t safe. So I just sat in the bathroom stall and did the worst thing you can do in school, cry. I sobbed so loudly I’m thankful no one was there. It would sound stupid to cry over a room but that is my only place to go to feel safe and now the one person I didn’t want to find me found me.

Jinx’s POV

I watched Y/N leave the room. Her arms in the pockets of her skirt and she looked almost like she would cry at any moment. Now I can go apologize. I waited a few minutes to ask to use the bathroom and she let me. Thank god I need to apologize. First place I checked was the supply closet, she wasn’t there, figures.. Second guess the bathroom, everyone goes to the bathroom to be in their feelings. I entered it quietly and could hear sobbing. I peaked under the stall and saw her shoes and the black tights she wore. Do I approach her? Wait for her to leave. No that’s weird. She’s sobbing so loudly I don’t know what to do. I did that, why is that room so special? It’s a room! But she is so upset and I did that. Impulsively I knocked on the door.

“Y/N?”

Thanks again for reading :) I hope ur enjoying!! 💜💛

#jinx x reader #jinx x y/n #jinx x you #arcane x reader #arcane fanfic #arcane #fanfic #jinx x fem reader #gay gay and more gay

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petertingle-yipyip · 5 months

Text

WORLD CLASS SINNER - FRANK CASTLE

six - so what now?

tags: n/a // five // seven // masterlist

Pairing: Billy x Reader , Frank x Reader

Word Count: 7,682

Summary: Limits are pushed and more secrets pile up as she continues to pretend on both sides. When they creep closer to one another, can she maintain all of her lies and save face or will she be forced to pick what relationship matters most?

You and Lieberman got Frank onto a table in the small kitchen area before you shooed him away. You stressed that if he didn’t come back with Curtis, then he didn’t need to come back at all. You dug through your own bag seven times to try and find something to help, anything that might give you an idea to fix it, but you had nothing. Instead, all you could do was track the vitals you could feel with the small batch of equipment Lieberman had pulled, which luckily included a forehead thermometer and a stethoscope.

“Do I even wanna know what you’re doing here?” Curtis asked when he got there. Suddenly, you were hyperaware of the blood splatters still on your skin from earlier but at least you had changed out of the suit.

“BP hovering around 90/60 and temperature’s 104 and climbing.” You explained instead. “He’s been on fluids and antibiotics the entire ride back but it’s not helping.”

“Does he need blood? I’m a universal donor.” Lieberman offered and you rolled your eyes.

“So am I but I don’t think the blood’s the problem. I tried to pack his wounds in the field so he wouldn’t have that as a problem.”

“No, it’s not the blood.” Curtis confirmed, opening Frank’s lids to check his pupils. “I think he’s septic. That arrow’s a foreign body and his system’s trynna fight it off. Antibiotics are fighting a losing battle.”

“Okay, so we take it out.” You agreed.

“So you’re gonna just pull it out?” Lieberman asked.

“Pulling it out’s gonna do more damage than when it went in. All this swelling and inflammation means the arrow’s crowded now. You try to pull it out, you don’t know what you’re gonna tear up in the process.” Curtis countered. “You alright?”

“Yeah. Mhmm, yeah.” Lieberman nodded.

“He doesn’t do this often.” You explained and moved to stand at the head of the table.

“Well, you’re gonna have to help me hold him still so Y/N can get it out.” Curtis explained and you rubbed your sleeves against your forehead to try and push them up.

“Right now?” Lieberman’s eyes went wide.

“Yes, now.”

The men shifted Frank to his side and you looked between the front and back, realizing the arrow didn’t fully penetrate. You made a face to yourself and gently pushed the arrow from the front, only to find tension and resistance. You came back to the other side and pressed your fingers firmly until you felt the protrusion of the arrowhead. You looked at your waist habitually for a knife but you were in your regular pants. Instead, Curtis passed you the scalpel.

Using one hand as a guide, you began to slice through Frank’s back. As the cut got bigger, the smell of blood began to permeate the small area and Lieberman looked like he would pass out.

“I swear to God if you don’t get it together.” You muttered without looking away from the task at hand.

“No, I’m good.” He sniffled from the other side of the table. “I’m good. I got this.”

“Do not lose your shit.” Curtis said firmly from your side. “Say it.”

“I won’t lose my shit.” Lieberman repeated and you laughed to yourself.

“Can you-” You began but Curtis was already reaching a hand to help move some of the muscle out of the way. He handed you a set of forceps.

“Put some pressure on the arrow.” You told Lieberman, watching for the movement on your end. “I see it.”

“Good.” Curtis said, peering over your shoulder. “Can you get it?”

You made a small noise as you tried to position the forceps. “It keeps slipping.” You grumbled and shifted your angle, trying to hook the forceps between the points of the arrowhead. “Wait, I think I- Yeah, I got it. It’s coming.”

You pulled gently and the arrow slid out the open wound. You dropped it on the plate behind you and dropped the forceps with it. You grabbed a small handful of gauze and wiped the excess stream of blood away. You looked over and repositioned Lieberman’s hands to put pressure from the front. Curtis moved you away so he could pour alcohol over the open wound before he stapled the wound shut. Lieberman backed away and made small exclamations of stress while Curtis cauterized the entry wound.

“What about you?” Curtis looked to you while Lieberman took the bottle. “You good?”

“Uh, yeah.” You nodded. “I saw most of them coming so I’m good.”

“Most of them.” He repeated with a small nod. “I’m guessing the blood across your chest was the one you didn’t.”

You hummed a small noise of question before you glanced down and realized you bled through your shirt. You closed your eyes and sighed slightly. When you opened them, you saw Curtis giving you an expectant look. He gestured for you to remove your shirt and you shook your head, to which he lifted a pair of scissors. You flipped him off quickly before carefully pulling your shirt over your head.

“Jesus, Y/N.” He sighed and changed his gloves before he came closer to examine your wound.

“Don’t tell him you got me to take my shirt off that easily.” You tried to joke, pulling a face when he pressed on the tender area.

“I don’t think Frank’s gonna care that much.” He answered with a small laugh.

“I didn’t mean him. I meant our other mutual friend that I haven’t told Frank I know…”

“You haven’t…” He looked at you with wide eyes and you shrugged innocently. “What do you think is gonna happen when he finds out?”

“Honestly?” You blew out an exaggerated sigh. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. I’m just going day to day at this point.”

“Y/N.” He groaned before placing a gauze square over the missing chunk in your shoulder. “It sounds like you’re trying to be someone different with every person you meet.”

“That’s what I was taught to do.” You shrugged your other shoulder while he taped the gauze into place. “Don’t worry about this. It’ll heal quicker than you think.”

“Do I wanna know how?” He sighed while you replaced your shirt.

“I don’t think you should.” You said honestly. “Every time someone finds out, they end up like him-” You nodded to Frank. “-or worse.”

“You say that like I wouldn’t get it.” He said simply as he turned to dress Frank’s wound.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Go ahead and look in the bag.” You gestured to your duffel while you moved to the sink to gather a wet towel to clean up some of the blood. “Seems to be the one thing people recognize.”

Curtis was quiet but you heard the shuffle of the material. You kept your eyes on your task, gently wiping away the excess blood, when you heard the heavy sigh.

“Y’know that explains a lot.” He said and you dared to look up at him. “Not everything, but a lot.”

“Explains how I keep up with him, why I can’t tell anyone how I can, and why I don’t talk about a good chunk of my life. Everyone looks at me differently afterward, like I’m suddenly not a person anymore. All they see is the blood.”

“I don’t.”

You offered a small, thankful smile. Leave it to Curtis to actually get through to you. He offered a small pat to your shoulder before turning towards Lieberman.

“Why’d you have to go after him?” Curtis asked plainly. It was a fair question, given the only real explanation you had was that the same people who came after Frank came after him - allegedly - for distributing the video of Ahmed Zubair.

Really, when you sat back and thought about it, Lieberman brought his so-called death on himself. You and Frank owed him nothing. You two had no reason to help him get back to his family. But if Lieberman was right and Agent Orange tried to orchestrate both of their murders, then Agent Orange killed Frank’s family. And that was the answer you were willing to chase down. Not for Lieberman, you hardly knew or cared for the man. Not for Sarah and her kids, mourning their dad who was mere miles away. But for Lisa Castle, Maria Castle, and Frank Castle Jr. For the family stripped away from one of your closest friends due to no fault of their own. For the innocent kids gunned down in Central Park. Kids you didn’t even know…

You didn’t know Frank’s family…

Why did their closure matter to you?

Then a new possibility hit you.

Closure.

You couldn’t get closure for Matt’s death so you wanted to help Frank get closure for his family. After everything, maybe you owed him that much.

The tension in the room had grown exponentially by the time you focused back on the conversation. The men seemingly had nothing left to say to each so Curtis offered you a small smile and nod before he left.

“You um.. You need anything?” Lieberman asked awkwardly, now just you and him in the small kitchen.

“Help me move him?” You asked simply. “I was planning on staying with him, at least for a little while.”

“Sure, yeah.” He nodded before managing to help you get Frank to the cot in the next room.

Lieberman brought you a chair first, then a sleeping bag and pillow. He apologized for the lack of comfort but you shrugged it off. For a while after he left, you sat in the chair holding Frank’s hand. The sound of the IV drip was all the noise in the room and it dripped steadily, like a metronome for your thoughts.

“Lieberman?” You called out after some silence. There was no verbal answer, just the sound of the desk chair’s wheels skirting across the floor. “We promised Gunner that we’d bury him… Think you can help us out?”

“Yeah, I’ll take care of it.” He answered.

“Thanks, ‘ppreciate it.”

He went back to his typing and you leaned your forehead against your forearm, your free hand thumbing across your screen to flip through your phone. Your mind was finally slowing and you felt everything from the past few hours settling in. You seemed to finally realize Gunner had died in those woods. Whoever went after him had to have gone because you and Frank were going, but that conversation never left that hideout. You thought about that team a bit more.

You had assumed it was an Anvil team since Billy offered you the lead, but given their performance, that didn’t make sense. Billy may not have a completely elite roster at his company but they would’ve been smarter than those men were. But Billy knew, which could’ve meant that whoever sent that team told him. Either because of his relation to Gunner, having served together as well, or due to his relation to you. The first seemed more likely, given the assumption that whoever the alleged friend was was going to be Agent Orange, and that man would’ve known nothing about you or Exodus.

You were yanked from your thoughts when Frank shot up on the cot suddenly. You jolted upright and tried to calm him, but the words seemed to go in one ear and out the other. His eyes were wide but not seeing, muttering about him still being out there and that he had to go back.

“You’re alright, Frankie, okay? It’s just me.” You put your hands on either side of his face and turned him to look at you, the contact sending a shock to your palms. You shuddered at the sensation but gave no other indication of anything and after a few seconds, Frank’s eyes focused and he realized where he was.

“We’ve gotta go back.” He said quietly and you sighed softly.

“It’s okay.” Lieberman said from the small doorway and you leaned back in your seat when the tension in Frank began to melt away. “She took care of it.” He nodded towards you.

Your head turned quickly and you shot him a quizzical expression. Lieberman gave you a quick nod and waved his hand, signaling for you to not say anything. Your brows furrowed and you slowly turned back, though your eyes lingered on him for a bit longer. When you finally looked back to Frank, his expression was soft with appreciation. You offered a gentle smile and he laid back down, adjusting on the stiff material before closing his eyes again.

You gave it a few minutes before you got up and went out to where Lieberman was still typing and his eyes darted across the monitors.

“Why’d you lie to him?” You asked simply, though you made sure to keep your voice low.

“Didn’t.” He answered plainly. “You handled it.”

“No, I told you to handle it.”

“What difference does it make? He knows you. He trusts you. I tell him you took care of it, he’s gonna trust it more than if I said I did… Besides, if it was that big a deal, why didn’t you tell him?”

You sighed slightly and turned away, knowing he was partially right. You could’ve told Frank the truth, too. But with the state he was in, maybe it was easier to let the little white lie go. You were going to head back to the room when you saw the light reflecting off the blue lenses of the mask in your bag.

“Hey.” You began and looked over your shoulder. “The body cams they were wearing. Is there any way you could find out where they were streaming to?”

“If I had one of them, sure.” He shrugged. “Why? You have a lead?”

“Maybe. What if I had something that could mimic the signal?”

“Mimic? I don’t know, I’ve never tried that.”

You hurried to grab your mask and held it to your eyes, tapping the side to try and find the signal it captured earlier. Your mask had been able to get a vague direction, but it was too far for even your technology to do anything. You gestured between Lieberman’s computer and your mask and he allowed for it to be detected by bluetooth devices. You found the connection and transferred the data from your mask before sliding it into your pocket.

“This is…” He breathed out as his skimmed the newly shared information. “Wow. This is a good start, yeah. I mean I probably can’t get an exact location but I can get within a few mile radius, hopefully.”

“Great.” You nodded. “Work on that but don’t tell him when he wakes up. If this is what I think, it might do more harm than good.”

“Why?”

“Need to know basis, Lieberman.” You shrugged. “I’m actually gonna head out. He’s stable and now that he’s woken up, I’m pretty sure he’ll be fine in a day or two.”

“Yeah, okay.. If he asks, when should I tell him you’ll be back?”

“I’m pretty sure there’s a leak somewhere. I’ve gotta see what I can find. Could be a couple days, could be sooner. But call me if something comes up on your end.”

He nodded quietly and you grabbed your things before you headed home. When you got into your apartment, you kicked off your shoes and pants almost immediately. You threw your bag behind the locked doors and threw on a loose shirt and sweats to sleep in. Once you hit the bed, you fell asleep almost instantly as.

—-------------------------

You drew your staff and stuck it out in front of Matt, causing Nobu’s weapon to clatter against it. He switched grips and slammed his elbow into your nose which made you stagger back. When he turned to slam the weapon into your stomach, you saw Elektra coming closer from the corner of your eye. She moved to step in front of your but you reacted quickly.

You grabbed the back of her collar and hooked a foot around her leg. You yanked her back quickly and threw her to the floor, just before the weapon pierced your abdomen.

A small whine left your mouth before you fired a sharp jolt from your Bites. As the electricity hit its mark, your knees gave out and you landed in Matt’s arms. His hands were as careful as ever to avoid the weapon still lodged in your side as he lowered you to the ground.

“You’re okay.” He said in a quiet panic. “You’re okay, I got you. I got you, you’re gonna be- Gonna be okay.”

“Matt..” You said quietly, but the simple syllable came out as a gurgled sound. “You should know…”

The night hadn’t been cold just minutes before. But as you laid on the rooftop, uneven breaths shaking your chest, you felt the cold creeping across your body. It started at the point where the weapon protruded and radiated out, soaking up every degree of warmth your body had. It was an illusion, your body’s way of telling you something was wrong. Realistically, your body wouldn’t go cold for a few hours, but in your head you were turning to ice at that moment.

“You can tell me later, okay? Stay with me.”

You reached for one of his hands and pushed your mask up. His fingers were shaky as he traced your features and you watched the tears gather in his eyes. His mouth opened and closed, trying to give shape to the words tumbling around his brain but unable to do it. He couldn’t say anything as you were dying in his arms and he recognized who you were.

“Y/N?” He said, hardly above a whisper. “Please.”

“I love you, Matty.” You managed before roughly coughing blood down your suit front.

“Don’t leave me.” He breathed and shook his head quickly. His arms pulling you closer. “You can’t. I- I need you.”

“You’re safe now.” You tried but there was no sound in your throat.

There was no air in your lungs.

There was no life in your eyes.

Rightfully so, you were dead.

————————————

The sharp bangs on your door woke you quickly. You pushed yourself up, noting a faint red line across your sheets. Glancing at your chest, you saw the red line seeping through your shirt and you groaned when you realized you had slept the later portion of your night away face down. You tried adjusting the shirt but the material was stuck to the scab beneath so it only tugged the skin. You gently rubbed at the line on your shirt with one hand and ran the other down your face as you shuffled across your apartment to answer the repeated banging.

You opened the door without checking and turned away quickly, looking down at your shirt and gently pulling at it again. You winced slightly and headed into the bathroom, hardly registering Billy’s voice in your living room.

You turned on your tap and wet your palm before pressing the water against the cut. You watched from the mirror as you dampened the material, in turn softening the scab beneath it. You sucked in a sharp breath between gritted teeth as you were able to peel the fabric off the injury, which allowed you to rid yourself of the bloodied shirt.

You stared at the newly exposed cut in the mirror, an angry red and irritated length of exposed muscle bubbling with droplets of fresh blood mingling with crusted patches of scab. You pursed your lips in a slight pout before gingerly prodding at the surrounding redness. There was no pain in the palpating so you took that as a good sign. You shrugged slightly before heading back into your living room, only to be met by Billy staring at you expectantly.

“Sorry, I wasn’t listening.” You confessed. “Start over?”

“What the hell is that?” He asked instead, gesturing to your chest. “What’d you do this time, Y/N/N?”

“Some guy tried to get tough, I fought back, he pulled out a blade. I’m fine. What has you riled up?”

“Agent Madani.” He answered with a sigh. You gestured to the couch and he took a seat while you went back into your bedroom for a shirt.

“Little early for that, don’t you think?” You called out as you grabbed the first shirt out of the drawer, which seemed to be Matt’s. Again.

“Unless…” You popped your head out instead of thinking too much on the shirt. “You woke up with her, didn’t you?”

“Jealous?” He quirked a brow and you pulled a face before ducking behind your door again. “Anyways. You know she has a file on Frankie? And I can’t help but think she’s been using me to fill in the gaps, y’know?”

Frankie.

You paused for a moment when you realized you picked that up from Billy. And you said it out loud to Frank when he woke up in a panic. If he was lucid, he probably would’ve connected the dots. You forced yourself to shake the thought quickly and padded back into the living room to sit beside Billy on the couch.

“Yeah, I figured there was a file. She called me in to talk about how I knew him and the court case.” You explained as you folded your legs under you. “I didn’t tell her much.”

“She asked me about you, too.” He offered a small smirk. “I didn’t tell her much either.”

“Hmm. Makes me one of your better kept secrets then… What’d she say?”

“She asked about your past, where you came from and what you know how to do. I told her you could clear a battlefield on your own without breaking a sweat but the hell if I knew where you learned it.”

“I could’ve told her that.”

“Well she also said you seemed like a maneater.”

“A maneater?” Your eyes went wide. “I’ve never been called that before.”

“Really?” His brows raised teasingly.

“Not that I know of. And here I thought we really hit it off.” You pouted, which made Billy laugh. “Unless she just wanted to keep you all to herself. If that’s the case, I don’t blame her.”

“You want me for yourself too?” He kept the teasing tone and you shook your head with a small smile of your own. “Just gotta say it, y’know.”

You sighed loudly and patted his chest before you got back to your feet. He groaned slightly and dropped his head as you wandered to your kitchen.

“Hey, maybe she’s into you.” He called out and you snorted a laugh.

“Yeah, cause that’s how you talk about someone you wanna sleep with, huh?”

“Why didn’t you tell me Dinah called you in?” Billy asked and you glanced over to see him still looking at you with his head hanging over the back of the couch.

“I figured it would go away on it’s own.” You shrugged. “Most things regarding Frank Castle do. Why did you tell me what Dinah said about me?”

“Figured you deserved to know.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I know.”

“Why’d you come to me about this whole thing anyway?”

“I…” He trailed off and shifted to face you. “You were the first person I thought of.”

You smiled slightly and suddenly the crater in your heart didn’t feel so deep.

The rest of your day was relatively normal. You felt your chest wound mending itself as the hours passed and you found yourself constantly checking your phone for a message from Frank or Lieberman. But there never was one. Billy didn’t stay long, blaming some investor meeting. You even tried checking in with Dex, but there was still deliberation on your official office given your training scores caught every SAC’s attention.

You made time to go to Curtis’ meeting, which you regretted by the end of it. The same man, O’Connor, was ranting about how weak recent veterans were.

“How real Americans are put at the back of every goddamn line!” He shouted and you made a noise of complaint. “Life’s tough, Princess. Learn your place and get over it.”

He spat the name sarcastically and it reignited an old fury within you. It was similar - but not quite the same - as when Fisk would refer to Exodus as his friend. Your hands made tight fists that were hidden since you had your arms folded. Your jaw clenched and your brows raised in a quiet challenge.

“Real Americans.” You repeated with a slow nod.

“Y/N.” Curtis tried but you ignored him.

“See, I know my place.” You continued, shifting your legs so you could lean forward. Coincidentally, the movement made O’Connor lean back. “I’m your perfect, all-american bitch. And I’m grateful -so grateful - all the time, for men like you. For men who think they have a say in anyone else’s business.”

“There you go, with that feminist bullshit.” The man scoffed. “You wanna go print pamphlets and sing the Beatles? Huh? Tough shit, Princess. Words aren’t gonna win this fight.”

“Call me princess one more time and I’ll give you a goddamn fight you won’t win.” You warned firmly, but before anything else could be said, Curtis stepped in.

You weren’t even completely sure why you were angry. Maybe it was what the man was saying, maybe it was something else. Maybe it was everything. All you knew was that you were wearing yourself dangerously thin and you would break at any minute. You were too hollow, too breakable to keep going the way you were.

“You go through all this shit just to get patched up and so it all over again.” Curtis said with a slight edge in his voice. You didn’t need to look up to know he was looking at you, only a glance but you knew it was a pointed one.

You knew he was thinking of Frank. So were you. Maybe he was even talking about you.

Either way, you just had to keep going until you became like Curtis’ goat. Until you died from just too much.

The next morning, Billy was outside your building when you were on your way out. Initially, you were going to try and get in with Dinah to talk about Kentucky and what she knew of Gunner Henderson but he caught you before you had a chance. Conversation was casual as he drove you to a more secluded portion of a shipyard. There was a certain uneasiness from him that you couldn’t quite place but it stemmed from you, from what you may or may not know about Frank. And admittedly, you liked it. It made it easier to keep him from getting too close. Ensuring he couldn’t fully trust you meant he could never be with you because there would always be that uncertainty. The sideways glance at something you said, the hesitation due to something you brushed off.

Billy came around and opened your door, his hand landing on your lower back to guide you towards the secondary car. As you drew closer, you saw none other than Dinah Madani standing in front of you. She glanced between you and Billy and there a hint of green around her, which made you smile slightly.

“Hello, Dinah.” You said kindly, leaning into Billy for show. “Nice to see you.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Y/N.” She nodded to you before looking at Billy. “Thank you for coming.”

“Great place for a romantic apology. Or mob hit, whichever.” Billy shrugged, though there was humor in his tone despite his annoyance.

Clearly, he was still bothered by Dinah’s confidentiality regarding her Kandahar and Castle investigation. You tuned out Billy’s short rant but came back into focus when you heard Dinah’s demand dressed as a request, as a favor.

“I want you to tell me about Frank Castle, both of you.” She said curtly, looking between you two. Despite the firmness of her tone, you felt her waver.

“You first.” You spoke simply, chin tilting up slightly as you stepped away from Billy. “Tell me what you know.”

“Castle’s alive.”

“Says who?”

“You didn’t know?” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Maybe you did, maybe not. I’m telling you that I know it.” “How?” “You think I’m lying?”

“No, I don’t think you are.” Billy spoke but Dinah’s eyes didn’t leave yours, alowing you to see the challenge within them.

“You didn’t know?” She asked again but Billy only answered with silence. “You strike me as a pair that would’ve protected him even if you did.”

“That’s the beauty of lawyer-client privilege.” You taunted with a small smirk. “Without a warrant, I’m no use to you.”

“You and I both know I can get one.” She returned your challenge.

“On what grounds?” You nearly laughed. “You go pulling skeletons out of closest, someone’s bound to have a probem with it.”

“Someone like you?”

You simply lifted a brow with a small head tilt, only egging her frustration on.

“Why are you telling us this now?” Billy asked from behind you and you wondered why he hadn’t tried to move you back.

“I need to bring Castle in.” Dinah continued and you had to refrain from rolling your eyes. “If you already knew where he was, I was going to ask for your help. As it is, if there’s anyone who can find him, it’s probably one of you. Can you?”

“Can I, yes. Should I, well… You tell me.”

“Why should we?” Billy asked and there was a controlled anger from within him. Not directed at you or Dinah. Not at Frank for his secret survival. But at something beyond his control, something that was coming.

“I think he knows everything about my Kandahar case.” She explained and at that, you couldn’t contain the scoff.

“You’re still on that?” You laughed mockingly and her own anger spiked for a moment, like a flash in a pan before retreating.

“How does that help him?” Billy urged.

“It doesn’t.” You said flatly, earning another glare from Dinah that made you smile. “You’re so easy.” You taunted with a condescending smile. “It’s adorable.”

“Because I think he went after it himself.” Dinah spoke through you to Billy. “And somebody left him half dead on a mountain. I think he’s hurt and he needs help. The people he’s up against… He’s gonna get himself killed, Billy.”

“What do you know about these people?” You asked, sidestepping to block her path when she tried to move around you. “Frank’s just intel for you. You’ve already admitted it. Even if we find him, you’re gonna need to offer one hell of a deal to get us to hand him over.”

“Find him and I will.”

“Should’ve gotten that on record.” You mumbled and turned to the side, allowing her clearance to go to Billy.

“I’ll shake the tree and see what falls out.” Billy agreed and motioned for you to head to the car first.

You hummed in agreement and turned, giving one more look to Dinah. She didn’t like you and you didn’t like her, which you were fine with. You didn’t need more friends. You didn’t need more people to look out for. So let the conversations be tense. Let them be filled with undertones and condescension and disdain. Let there be rage and distrust and a lack of pleasantries.

“So what now?” You asked Billy as he opened the door for you.

“Got a few options.” He said with a small shrug. “You got any ideas?”

“Boat explosion was last news I heard.” You answered, which technically was true. There was no news stories on Frank Castle since.

“I’m gonna try something and we’ll see what happens, I guess.”

“You sure we should? What if she just tried to send him to prison after she gets what she wants?”

“He’s gonna need a pretty good lawyer then, huh? I think I know a lady.”

You clicked your tongue in fake disappointment before smiling slightly. “I don’t know, I heard her retainer fee is pretty steep. And her hourly’s up there with the best of them.”

He laughed slightly and pushed down on your head so you would drop into your seat.

You went back to Liebernan’s that afternoon. Being in your apartment still felt strange from the dream you had the night before. Lieberman didn’t bring up the signal and neither did you. Instead, you cleaned and dressed Frank’s side, chatting about nothing when you heard it.

In your head first, so you thought you hallucinated it, but then Frank acknowledged it.

It was Billy’s voice, calling out to someone.

“Blackbird to Raven, come in. Raven! Blackbird, come in!”

“What the..” You trailed off, shutting down your implant and still hearing it. “Is that a recording?”

“I’ve been monitoring radio chatter.” Lieberman explained as he toyed with the dials. “Just in case I hear something about us or one of our targets. Mostly it’s just been random shit, you know, dead air.”

“You know what this is?” You looked to Frank.

“Yeah. I’m Raven.”

You out there, Frankie?

“I figured that much but why is Billy Russo calling for you?” You asked, pointing firmly to the radio to punctuate your faux ignorance.

“Who’s Billy Russo?” Lieberman asked while Frank challenged you with “How the hell do you know Russo?”

“Does he know you’re alive?” Lieberman came around you to stand in front of Frank.

“No, I don’t think so.” Frank answered.

“See, that sounds to me like he does.” He said instantly, pointing at the radio before turning to you.

“I haven’t said anything but all the interest in you as of late may be allowing speculation.” You explained. “He knows about Madani’s file on you and Kandahar so maybe she’s convinced him to try.”

“Yeah and you-“ Frank groaned as he tried to get to his feet, but decided against it. “-didn’t answer my question, Princess.”

“I don’t have to.”

“Frank, Y/-“ Lieberman began to say your name but the glare you shot his way made him backtrack. “Exodus. Do we need to worry about this?”

“I can handle Billy.” You waved him off as Frank argued “He’s my friend.”

“What kind of friend?”

“The life or death kind.”

“That’s all I get?” Lieberman scoffed. “C’mon, Frank. This is a serious development here, alright? Some guy - I never heard of him - all of a sudden he’s broadcasting your name all over the radio.”

“What did I just say to you?” Frank said firmly and you quirked a brow as the tension rose.

“Why do you think he’s calling?” You tapped Frank's shoulder to gauge his response to the situation.

“I dunno.” Frank shrugged. He longed for that familiarity, for the comfort of that close knit relationship, but he was also keeping himself from acknowledging it. Because acknowledging that desire made it real, made it dangerous. It gave power to those feelings and that was a risk no one could take.

“Okay.” You nodded slightly. “I’ll see what I can find.”

“Jesus Christ, Y/N/N… Please tell me Russo isn’t one of your boyfriends.” Frank sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

“He’s not.” You shrugged. “Neither of them are. We worked together for a little while.”

“Neither, wow.” Lieberman muttered as he walked away.

You had half a mind to start an argument with the hermit but decided it wasn’t worth it. Instead, you pulled your phone out and tried to dial Billy. You had to wander around the compound to find somewhere with decent service, but ultimately decided to take the call outside.

“Morning chat and a phone call? Sounds like someone wants me after all.” Billy joked when he answered.

“Real funny, Blackbird.” You rolled your eyes. “What are you doing, Billy?”

“You heard..”

“You’re feeding a loop on every open radio channel. Of course I heard you putting his name out there. That was your great idea?”

“Everything with Dinah, it just got me thinking, yknow… He’s out there somewhere.”

“He’s not. He can’t be. The boat explosion was massive. There’s no way he survived. I don’t know what she’s on about but-“

“They never found his body, Y/N. I just- Alright, look, you’re probably gonna be pissed at this one but what if there was even a chance your Matt was still alive? I mean, wouldn’t you wanna find him?”

“No.” You said flatly and the word was bitter in your mouth. You had to give up that thought quickly because while it was the same in the sense that his body was never recovered, you knew that not even you would’ve been able to cheat that death, let alone Matt. “Because if he was alive and he hadn’t come to see me, then he didn’t just didn’t want to.”

“You think I should cut it?”

“I think you need to be careful. If the people he’s up against are as bad as Dinah says they are, we’re all gonna be in dee shit before we know it.” You warned, though the tone you used made it sound like genuine concern. “Someone else may just hear this and think the Punisher is on his way back, which brings problems to your doorstep, in turn bringing them to my doorstep.”

“What would you say to him? If we manage to find him.”

“Billy..”

“C’mon, just humor me.”

You sighed slightly, but took a minute to formulate a response nonetheless.

“I’d ask what was worth throwing away the case.” You said honestly. If memory served, that was what you had first asked. “I’d ask if he got the bastard that took his family. I’d ask where he’s been. And I’d probably knock him on his ass for tanking my career… It’s a dangerous game you’re playing here, Bill. We don’t know every player in the game yet.”

“Yeah, I know.” He said carefully and you knew calling him Bill sparked something in his head. “Sounds like you’re worried about me.”

“I’m allowed to do that every so often.”

“I like it.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

You chuckled slightly before ending the call and making your way back inside. As far as you could tell, Billy was running solely on Dinah’s information. But in the back of your mind, you couldn’t help but wonder if Orange had gotten to him , given that you didn’t feel any surprise from him when Dinah spoke. Only annoyance, maybe at the fact that she knew before he did or because of something with Orange.

You wanted to warn Frank to take Billy’s outreach with a grain of salt, but how do you convince someone that their best friend may be setting them up? You decided to keep it yourself for the time being but remain vigilant in the meantime. The second you had proof that Billy was connected to Agent Orange - willingly connected or not - you would bring it to Frank, whether he wanted to see it or not.

When you got back to the guys, they were talking about Thanksgiving. Lieberman offered to make one of the frozen meals from his stockpile but you refused it, saying you’d pick something up on your way home.

“What about you, hmm?” Lieberman gestured to you with his fork and your brows raised in question. “What were your Thanksgivings like?” “I never had a real one.” You shrugged, though the admission stung your heart a bit. “I do remember when I was a kid, we took these pictures. It was me, my cousins Nat and Yel, my aunt Mel and Uncle Alex. There was one of me and Nat putting mashed potatoes on Yel’s cheeks and one where me and my aunt were breaking the wishbone… I wished for a real family, to protect me and care for me.”

You found yourself smiling at the memory, despite the fact that it was all for show and you had done a Christmas, Easter, and birthday photoshoot that same day.

“It wasn’t real, obviously.” You continued to ensure that the quaint reminiscing was cut short before the tears could embarrass you. “And I never really stayed anywhere with anyone long enough so that’s the best I got.”

“Well, uh, you can be a part of ours.” Lieberman gestured to the countertop before holding out a lazily closed fist.

“Thanks.” You nodded and gave him the fist bump he was waiting for.

“So uh..” He began before an awkward sniffle to buy time. “What do you know about this Russo guy?”

You blew out a long sigh, though you were thankful for the conversation shift.

“He’s a private military contractor.” You began simply, knowing there were both worse and better ways to describe Billy, but neither would’ve been what Lieberman wanted to hear. “Company called Anvil… He’s relatively well-connected. I think some of his contracts go overseas, too.”

“So my impression is that he’s not a man that’s gonna reach out to him-“ He gestured to Frank. “-unless he knows that he’s alive.”

“He doesn’t know.” You insisted on your earlier lie. “Suspect it, sure. I mean who wouldn’t when the body was never recovered, but he doesn’t know.”

“You’re not gonna call him?” Lieberman asked Frank, who finally looked up from his microwaved meal.

“We’re Marines.” He shrugged and you chuckled to yourself. “We can handle disappointment.”

“Maybe someone else knows you’re alive and they’re using Billy to-“ Lieberman had turned to you and you knew it was about the signal. He had found a source, and it wasn’t a good one.

“There’s something you need to understand, okay?” Frank cut in firmly. There was no edge or venom in his tone but there was no room for debate either. “I had two families, all right? I had Maria, I had my kids, and I had my unit. I was a father and I was a husband, but I was also a Marine. And I loved being a Marine. I loved that shit. There were times where I would’ve rather been neck deep in bullets and blood than be with my own kids. And that’s something I gotta make peace with, alright?”

“Yeah, you’re not the only one.” You muttered to yourself and were relieved there was a way to put words to the lurking feeling in your mind. “Some of us are wired differently. What’d you tell Red on that rooftop, that we don’t pick what fixes us?”

He looked at you for a moment with an expression that showed not only did he understand that idea, but also that he knew how much you missed him.

“Billy and I did eight years. He’s got my back, I got his.”

“It’s a hell of a coincidence. Don’t you think?”

“Billy Russo is my family, same as her.” He nodded to you.

“As your friend, I want to say Billy reaching out isn’t a problem.” You said carefully, keeping your eyes on the countertop while you spoke to ensure that any eye contact couldn’t derail your thoughts. “But I know Billy, too. Differently than you, but I do. If Orange knows, then he could’ve reached out to Billy and be fueling his speculation.”

“You think Bill’s the kinda guy to let someone else tell him what to do?”

“I think Agent Orange is the kind of man to ensure leverage and manipulate people to think his idea was theirs.” You corrected and faced your friend. “All I’m saying is take this with a grain of salt, alright?”

“You don’t trust him?”

“Not enough.” You said truthfully and the response was almost automatic. You made a face to yourself but kept focus. “This whole situation is getting more convoluted each day, Frank. Everyone involved is connected to each other. Him-“ You gestured to Lieberman. “-you, Page, me, Madani, Billy, Curtis, Gunner, Orange. With this twisted fucking web we’re wrapped in, Billy and Orange are bound to overlap at some point. If it’s now, before he knows anything, I might be able to get close enough for a real name or a location or motives. Something that can help end this.”

Frank scoffed and took his plastic tray of food to another room. You made a face behind his back as he left, despite your button pushing being purposeful to get him to leave. When he was definitely out of earshot, you turned to Lieberman.

“You got something, didn’t you?” You asked quietly.

“Nothing exact but close enough.” He answered in the same hushed tone.

“Government?”

“Langley.”

“CIA.” Your brows went up in interest. “Any name on the device?”

“No, if I touched those firewalls, they would’ve had everything.” He shook his head. “But I did figure out it was probably a personal device. It’s gotta be Orange, right?”

“Mhmm… And that makes everything else more suspicious.” You nodded before you clapped your hands together and took a few steps back.

“Okay.” You announced loudly for Frank to hear. “There’s a leak somewhere. I’m gonna find it and plug it. Whoever has something new, find the other.”

You went home that night and collapsed from exhaustion. You hadn’t even done much that day but the mental power it took to ignore the deep rumbles that reverberated with every step, the haunting screens that echoed in every voice, the wet feeling of blood across your clean hands, the sick knots in your stomach while in your apartment. To remain heartless, to remain in the headspace of a Widow, it was harder than you thought. It had been easy before, more natural and subconscious. Now, you had to remind yourself every morning, every time your mind wandered, you had to yank your humanity back into the shadows. Push her into that chasm and step on the fingers she used to cling to the ledge.

But somehow, some godforsaken way, she hung on and clawed her way to the forefront of your thoughts whenever she could.

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