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ilovepedro · 6 months

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Space Cowboy | din djarin x f!reader

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Summary: Before Din became one of the most notorious bounty hunters in the galaxies, he was in love with you. The two of you shared a wonderful life together. However once he joined the Guild, things between you two shifted. Din became increasingly dedicated to hunting quarries, pushing you to the bottom of his priorities. Thus, leading you to make the hardest decision of your life. They say if you love something, set it free.

Rating: 18+ MDNI

Word count: ~4k

Warnings: kissing, probs inaccurate star wars lore, Din Djarin is referenced as Din in this and i’m not sorry, very little fluff, fools in love, no mention of hair type/skin color/body type, NO USE OF Y/N, desperate!Din, angst with no happy ending, flashbacks, POV switching, Din unintentionally shuts reader out, reader is neglected, this is just sad 🥲

A/N: This idea is loosely based off Space Cowboy by Kacey Musgraves. I was with my bff and we both agreed that whole album is extremely Din coded while we listened to it. She actually inspired the idea for this one shot! so full creds to my twizzy ily 👯‍♀️ i cranked this out in 2 hours before falling asleep, Din has been rotting my brain as of lately. let me know what you think! please feel free to send me asks or leave your thoughts in the comments 🫶🏼 not beta’d, all mistakes are my own.

Divider by the lovely @saradika 🩵

“Din, my love,” you stir from your slumber, calling out to him in the Razor Crest. No answer, as usual. He’s been on this bounty for a week now when he said it’d take no longer than 4 days. Your comm link had broken, not having time to grab another before you two set off on this journey. Sighing, you rise to your feet and make the bed. Wandering through the ship, you open the door and watch the ramp descend. You begin your usual, mundane walk around the forest in which the ship is parked.

Since joining a year ago, Din has grown increasingly distant as he establishes himself in the Guild, set in his dedication to them. While you’re happy your partner has found a burning passion, you do miss him. Never really around and when he is, his mind is somewhere else - not with you.

Lost in thought, you don’t hear the rustling in the bushes. “Cyar’ika!” Din’s voice pierces the air, startling you. “Oh! My love! You’re back,” sighing, relieved to see him. “I told you to stay on the ship. We don’t know what’s out here,” he says, short and curt as he lugs the quarry to the ship.

Stealing a glance at the quarry, mindful not to use his real name. “Mando, you can’t possibly expect me to stay confined to that ship for days while you’re off doing stars knows what!” Anger courses through your veins, his words sending you into a fit of fury. He shoves the quarry up the ramp, you following in tow. “He not treating you right, pretty lady?” Din tightens his hold onto him, the quarry yelping in pain. “What?! I can’t ask a question?!” “No. You can’t,” Din grits as he tosses him into the cargo hold, freezing him. Din closes the ship door, bringing the ramp up.

“Din! Do you really expect me to stay inside the ship for days at a time?!” You shriek. “Yes! I do! I already have enough to worry about, I don’t need to add you to the list too,” he spits. “Your list? So I’m one of your quarries now?!” He scoffs at your words, grumbling as he ascends the ladder. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Of course you don’t. You never do,” you mutter as he walks away. He freezes, climbing down the steps. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Your chest heaves, words forming on your lips before you even realize. “You never have time for me anymore! I never see you! You’re constantly away on these hunts, while you stick me in here like I’m some sort of doll! And even when you are here, you ignore me half the time! It’s been a year, how long do you expect to me go on like this?!”

“Go on like what?! You know I’m working my way up in the Guild, you knew this was going to be a big adjustment. I told you this when I joined.” You fight back tears that threaten to spill over, battling to keep your composure. “I know that, Din! I do! But I’m lonely, I miss you! Is that so hard to understand?” You plead. “I’m here with you when I’m not out on a hunt, how could you miss me?” He asks, oblivious to your pain, your needs.

“When you’re here, you stare out the window the majority of the time! Tracking your quarries, talking to Karga, finding who you need to pick up next, only ever acknowledging me when you return or before bed! You don’t even sit and have dinner with me anymore,” you explain exasperatedly. “So because I’m busy doing my job and not sharing a ration pack with you every night, you’re upset?”

It takes every fiber in your being to not let your tears fall. Blinking them back, you swallow them down. “That’s not what I mean, Din.” Your voice wobbled and hushed. “Then what do you mean, cyar’ika? I’m trying to provide a better life for you, for us. A life where you have all the things you deserve,” Din says. “I don’t care about any of that, Din. My life will always be better with you in it, no matter where we are or what we have, or lack.”

“You said you’d support me when I joined the Guild.” “And I do! It’s not that I don’t support you, Din, I-,”

“Then what is it?” “Please, stop twisting my words. We never argue like this. My love… please.” Despite not seeing his face, you know your words have gotten to him. He lets out a modulated sigh. The silence hangs heavy in the air until it’s interrupted by an incoming call from Karga on Din’s comm link. “I’ve gotta take this, cyar’ika.”

Fighting back tears is a losing battle. “Okay,” you whisper, pushing past him and into the refresher. Din sighs as you shut the door behind you. He doesn’t know what’s worse - the fact that you didn’t slam the door or that he wishes you did. As he ascends the ladder to take the call, he hears a sniffle from the refresher. Torn between you and the call, he continues his way up the ladder.

Silently sobbing into a towel on the floor, your body rattles as you attempt to control your breathing. It’s no use, he refuses to see why you’re upset. He used to be so empathetic with you, so open and tender. Now, it’s like you might as well be his colleague, one that he barely speaks to merely out of obligation. Your heart shatters at the thought, wondering if his love has also faded away along with the Din you once knew.

Picking yourself up, you splash water on your face - grateful for the icy chill to revive you. You open the door, tip toeing out into the ship. Peering around the corner, you check to see if Din has gone to bed. The bed is empty and made, seemingly untouched. A defeated sigh escapes your lips. You quietly ascend the ladder, peeking inside the cockpit. Din sits in the pilot seat, as the ship moves through hyperspace, the blue light reflecting off his armor.

Fighting an internal war, deciding if you should stay or give him space, you ultimately decide on the latter. You clear your throat before leaving. He whips around in his seat.

“Where are we going?” “Back to Nevarro. I’ve finished for now. Karga wants to meet with me for a special bounty.” Your chest aches. “Oh. Okay. How long until we get there?” “About 2 days.”

“Okay. I’m going to bed.” Thick, heavy silence ensues again. “Okay, cyar’ika. Good night.” You flash him a pained, small smile. “Good night, Din. I love you,” you say, voice unsteady. There’s a beat before he speaks. “I love you too.” It’s silly to even hope that he’ll join you, but hope is all you can hang onto to stay sane for the next 2 days.

You descend the ladder and climb into the small cot you two normally would’ve shared. It feels so big despite its size. Burying your face into his pillow, fat tears fall from your eyes again. Your chest on fire as your lungs burn from heaving. You tire yourself out from sobbing, falling into a deep sleep.

You wake after stars knows how long, eyes burning as you crack them open. Swollen and puffy, it hurts to keep them open. You stretch and climb out of bed, rubbing your head to soothe the intense ache. Climbing up the ladder, you see Din isn’t in the seat anymore and you’re no longer in hyperspace. Stepping down, you hear the refresher door hiss as it opens. Din steps out, adjusting his helmet. He smells clean, like his piney soap. He must’ve taken a shower. He freezes as he sees you standing in front of him.

“Cyar’ika,” he nearly whispers. “Din.” He winces at the use of his name, not used to it tumbling from your lips as you typically call him your ‘love.’

“How’d you sleep?” “Good. How long did I sleep for?” “About a day.” You’re taken aback a bit. You’ve never slept that long before. “Oh.” “I didn’t want to wake you. You looked peaceful.”

I definitely didn’t feel that way, you silently think. “I wish you had joined me,” you can’t help but admit. “You also know sitting in that chair isn’t good for your back.” He sighs at your words. “I know, cyar’ika, but I didn’t know if you wanted me there.” Your brows scrunch, lips turning into a frown. “I always want you next to me, Din. Even if we have a disagreement beforehand, I’ll always want you by my side.”

“I’ll always want you by my side too, cyar’ika. Which is why I need your support as I advance in the Guild,” he says. “Din, I do support you, I can’t stress that enough. I just wish you’d hear what I’m saying - see where I’m coming from,” you sigh. “This job that Karga wants me to take pays very well. It’ll greatly assist us in buying a house somewhere one day. A house where we can raise a family.”

“Din, what part of ‘I don’t care where we are just as long as we’re together’ do you not understand? A house doesn’t mean anything to me if you’re never going to be home. That’s no life for a family. You are my home. All I’m asking for is more time with you, my love. You haven’t kissed me in over a week,” you ramble.

“I need you, cyar’ika. I always will… but right now, I need to take this job. To set up our future for success. I’ll give you everything you ask for very soon, cyar’ika, I promise,” he says, completely disregarding everything you’ve just said.

“How soon, Din?!” You ask, your throat burning. “I don’t know, but soon!” Fat tears cascade down your cheeks, taking in a deep breath.

“Aren’t I enough, Din?” You hiccup, your cheeks soaked in sorrow. “Of course you are enough, cyar’ika! More than enough, why would you ask such a question?” He asks offendedly. “Then why do you keep making me compete with the Guild? Why is this job so important? Why won’t you listen to me? Why won’t you talk to me anymore?” You shout, through your tears, voice crackling.

“I’m not making you compete with the Guild. I’ve told you why this is important. It’s for us, for our future children,” he says, growing impatient. “No. This is for you. You’re trying to prove yourself for whatever reason you won’t tell me,” you grit. “I am not trying to prove myself to anyone. I’m the one who is trying to provide for us, trying to make sure we stay afloat. Someone has to. I’m sorry I don’t have time to play house. We need to have one of those first in order to do that,” he spits, frustration boiling over as he raises his voice.

You’re frozen in place, feet glued to the floor. He’s never raised his voice at you. He’s never talked at you before. Your tears pause, body going into shock at his reaction. He’s gone. The Din you fell in love with is gone, floating around in the stardust somewhere in one of the many galaxies you two have traveled through.

“Cyar’ika, I-,” you hold a hand up to him. “No. It’s fine,” you whisper as you walk past him. “Cyar’ika, I’m sorry, that’s not what I-,” You turn around to look at him. “It’s okay, Din. Really,” you whisper, stepping into the tiny chamber that contains your cot, shutting the door. You’ve never shut the door before, but you need to get away from him somehow as you’re confined to this small ship.

Tears drip from your eyes until there are no more, unable to cry anymore. You know what you have to do when you reach Nevarro. With nowhere else to go, you curl into a ball and desperately try to sleep. You drift off, grateful for the painful headache which forces you into sleep.

A knock on the door wakes you from your slumber. “Cyar’ika, we’re landing,” Din says, modulated voice muffled from the outside the door. You wait until you hear his footsteps climb up the ladder and into the cockpit. Opening the door, you grab your single bag and quickly pack what little belongings you have on the ship and hide it under the blanket on the cot.

You hurriedly climb up into the cockpit and situate yourself in the passenger seat, acting as if last night didn’t happen. Painful silence clings to the air. The ship descends and the two of you sit in silence in the process. As soon as the ship lands, you swiftly unbuckle your seatbelt and scurry down the ladder, desperate to get off this ship.

Din follows suit and opens the door, waiting for the ramp to descend. He goes to the cargo hold of the ship. While his back is turned, you grab your bag from under the blanket and hurry out the door and onto land.

Making your way to the cantina, you search for Greef Karga. Spotting him, you wave him down. He greets you with a smile. “Ah! Mando’s girl! How have you been? Where is Mando?” He kindly asks, oblivious to your hastiness. “Uh, he’s still on the ship. Unloading the quarry. Do you think you could help me with something?” He grows concerned at your question. “I’ll do my best. Is everything alright, young lady? Are you hurt?”

You wave him off. “No, no. I’m fine. I just, um. I just need a place to stay while Mando continues working,” you explain. Karga raises a brow at your statement. “He’s not… hurting you is he?” Your eyes pop out of your head at the accusation. “Stars, no! He would never do that! I just need some space to myself rather than stay confined to the ship.” “Okay, okay. I just wanted to be sure. We can arrange something, perhaps you can bunk with Cara. In the meanwhile, I have a spare room you can use as we figure something out.” You smile, relieved that you get to stay here.

“Thank you. Thank you so so much, Karga,” you say, shaking his hand. “Does Mando know you’ll be staying here?” You avoid the question, letting go of his hand. “Are you leaving Mando?” You swallow the lump in your throat. “I can’t do it anymore, Karga. I’m so lonely. It’s for the best,” you whisper, not wanting to air out all the details of your relationship. He frowns, “If you’re lonely, imagine how lonely Mando will be after you leave,” he says. “Please don’t. Don’t do that. I have to choose myself. I’ll choose me first if no one else will,” you say through your crackling voice. Karga just sympathetically nods.

He takes out a ring of keys and removes one, placing it in your hand. “The key to my house. You know which one it is, right?” He asks. You furiously nod. “Go ahead and let yourself in. Don’t forget to lock it after. Take your time,” he says. “Thank you,” you sigh as you firmly shake his hand one more time.

You exit the cantina, heading in the direction of Karga’s house. “Cyar’ika!” You stop walking, whipping your head around at the sound of his modulated voice. Din is running up to you, weapons clanging against his worn armor.

“Where did you go? You rushed off the ship so fast, I couldn’t ask where you went. I was worried,” he huffs. “I came to see Karga,” you say flatly. “For what?” Confusion lacing his voice. “I needed help with something.” “Something I couldn’t help you with?” “Yes, actually,” you explain. “Cyar’ika, what did you need that I couldn’t have helped you with?”

You glance away, unable to bear the sight of him despite his face being covered. Biting back tears, the words begin to form on your lips. “I’m staying here, Din,” you whisper, careful not to say his name too loudly.

“What? Cyar’ika, wait,” Din says. “I’m staying here, Din. There’s nothing that could change my mind. I’m so sorry, my love,” you tell him quietly. “No, no, cyar’ika. Don’t do this,” he pleads, scrambling to grab your hands. “I have to Din,” you quietly rasp through your tears. “No you don’t. Please, cyar’ika. Don’t leave me, I need you,” his voice trembles from behind the helmet. “And I need you too, Din, but until you get what you want out of the Guild, I’ll never have you.” You shake your hands out of his.

“Cyar’ika, please stay. I’ll do whatever you need me to do. I’ll change for you. Whatever it is. Don’t leave me please,” he begs, tears evident in his voice as he collapses to his knees and hugging your middle. A sob wracks your body as you look up to the dreary sky, searching for strength.

“I know you won’t decrease the amount of quarries you take. You’re too stubborn, and that’s part of why I love you. I never want to change you. I love you the way you are, even though we have our differences now. Din, we’ve simply outgrown each other’s needs. My place is no longer with you, at least for now it’s not,” you explain, shaking in the process.

“Your place will always be with me, cyar’ika. I love you, mesh’la,” Din sobs. “And I love you too, Din. I always will. But I need to let you go, let you finish what you need to do. I’ll be here on Nevarro so I’ll see you around whenever you drop by. My love for you will never fade. Who knows? Maybe one day, you’ll come back to me,” you choke. He embraces you even tighter, afraid you might disappear.

“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, my love. I’m so sorry,” you whisper as you lean down to press a kiss to his helmet. You struggle to unwrap yourself from his grasp. His hands fall to his sides as he looks up at you. “I love you,” you whisper before running off.

Din kneels there for what feels like eternity. “Mando?” Karga’s voice pulls him out of his trance, causing him to rise to his knees. “You knew,” Din says. “I only found out today,” Karga says, clapping a hand on Din’s armor. He shakes it off as if he’d been shot. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t work with traitors,” Din huffs. “I’d be careful of the next words you choose if I were you,” Karga threatens. Din grumbles under his breath.

“Come on. Let’s go talk about that special bounty. Don’t let her departure be for nothing,” he says, holding a hand out to Din. Begrudgingly shaking it, the two men walk off to the cantina to discuss the quarry at hand.

Back on the ship, Din inputs the coordinates for the most-wanted quarry in all the galaxies. His heart shattered into dust, chest feeling hollow in your absence. The ship roars to life as it ascends, Din navigating through the galaxies. Once on track to Arvala-7 and at a steady pace, Din puts the Razor Crest into hyperspace.

He descends the ladder. He’s never felt so empty before. Not since before he met you. Removing his helmet, he trudges into the refresher splashing ice cold water on his face. Stepping back into the ship, he rounds the corner and plops himself onto the cot. A deep sigh rumbles from deep within his soul. He attempts to get comfortable until he feels something hard underneath the pillow. Lifting his head, he reaches under the pillow and feels around for whatever is poking him. Grasping a hold of something, he yanks it from underneath.

His heart stops and his ears ring, deep silence pierces the ship. It’s a note with something enfolded inside. “My love” the front of the note reads. He opens it, a gasp shuddering from his lips. It’s the bracelet he gifted to you after capturing his very first quarry on your first hunt together, the one you wore daily since then. The two of you, younger and more spry. So in love, you looked like a pair of fools. He unfolds the note.

“I love you, Din. I always will. Please don’t ever forget that. This bracelet is a reminder of the moment I knew I loved you. The day we said it aloud. I love you forever. -Your cyar’ika.” He can’t contain the sob that rattles in his soul. Call him selfish, but he hopes he can come back to you one day - hopes he can make you his forever. He lost you once, he won’t lose you twice. Clutching the bracelet, he recalls the sweet memory.

“Cyar’ika?” Din called out to you, your sweet humming rings through the ship and out into the open air, penetrating the barren planet. You insisted on keeping the ramp open, the scorching heat of the planet you stayed on growing overwhelming in the sealed ship.

“In here, my love!” You call out to him from within the Razor Crest. Grunting catches your attention, making you drop the ration pack you were just about to open. Din lugs a quarry up the ramp and into the cargo hold, freezing it in carbonite.

A smile plasters your face as you praise him. “Your first quarry! I’m so proud of you, my love!” You cheer, applauding him. His modulated laugh is like music to your ears. “Thank you, mesh’la,” he says, wiping his gloves on his flight-suit before walking over to you.

He wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you flushed against his rusted armor. “I couldn’t have done it without you, my cyar’ika,” he says huskily in your ear. Your smile grows even wider. “I’ll always be here to cheer you on, my love,” you say, toothy smile adorning your face. He brushes a gloved hand against your cheek.

“Close your eyes,” he whispers. You quickly do so, excitedly puckering your lips for what typically comes next. You feel him shift around a bit, fiddling with his sides, making your brows and nose scrunch in confusion. “Open them, cyar’ika.”

You crack them open, confused as to why he didn’t kiss you until you see what he’s holding in his hand. A silver bracelet, a small single charm dangling from it. You gasp as you realize what the charm symbolizes, tears welling in your eyes. It’s Din’s signet - a mudhorn. “Where did you get this? How did you get this? This must’ve cost a fortune, Din,” you whisper through your tears as you gently caress the bracelet in your hand.

“I’ve had it for a while, cyar’ika. And don’t worry about the cost, I’d buy you every galaxy if I could. It’s what you deserve,” he tells you. “What did I ever do to deserve this, my love?” He caresses your cheek once more. “You put up with me.” Your lips pull into a frown. “I don’t put up with you, Din. I love you.” The words leave you before you realize you’re saying them.

Stunned silence punches the air. “Close your eyes,” Din says. “I-,” He cuts you off. “Close your eyes, cyar’ika,” he says more firmly. You do as he asks. The hissing of his helmet rings in your ears. Suddenly, you feel a familiar pressure on your lips, the one you’d waited for earlier.

Din crashes his lips onto yours, capturing them in a hungry, ferocious kiss. You gasp as this one feels different than the rest. His tongue slips inside your mouth, moaning into him. Your knees buckle, but Din catches you before you can fall. You wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him in closer, desperate to be consumed by him. His large, thick gloved hands roam your back, sending chills up your spine.

You pull back, chest heaving as you gasp for air as you keep your eyes closed. He presses his warm, sweaty forehead against yours. “I love you too,” he whispers. You can hear the smile in his voice, giggling at his words.

“Say it again,” you ask. “I love you,” he says, pressing a peck to your cheek. “Again,” you giggle. “I love you,” pecking your other cheek. “Again.” “I love you,” pecking your nose. “Again,” you laugh louder this time. He muffles it with a firm kiss to your lips.

“I love you, cyar’ika,” he says, pulling away and scooping you up, spinning you around in his arms. You squeal with laughter as you throw your head back, holding onto his head and eyes remaining closed. He laughs with you before setting you down.

“I love you, Din Djarin. Forever, my love,” you sigh. “Forever, my cyar’ika.”

this was my first time writing angst with no happy ending and omg, as a hopeless romantic, it hurt! 😭 but i did enjoy writing this! i’m super proud of it 🥹

i do have a happy din djarin one shot in the works, i promise! it’s a slow burn full of fluff and mutual pining 🤭

should i write a part 2 for these two? perhaps a reunion and they live happily ever after… or another sad ending? 🫣 wondering how Cyar’ika would react when she sees Din has adopted a son… hmmm… 💭

thanks for reading! 🫶🏼

tag list: @gracieheartsspedro @undrthelights @jenispunk @nostalxgic @mandoisapunk @amanitacowboy @bastardmandennis @party-hearses @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @tinygarbage

#din djarin #the mandalorian #din djarin one shot #the mandalorian one shot #din djarin angst #din djarin fluff

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knullanon · 3 years

Note

Lex Luthor with 33?

before writing- oof vibes are only angst but i do have an idea (also yes im using Kit if u remember him then u deserve a veterans award for remembering my useless bitches i create while writing)

after writing- using my dads quotes that he told me at a young age is really making me cry but its for the plot. also poor kit. f in the chat everybody also got too invested in this so yes theres a bonus

ilomilo - billie eilish

the gala was the longest one you had been to yet. you were almost glad, however. it gave you more time to talk to kit.

kit was the nicest boy you’ve ever met. he was the one to give you a view on the outside world. he was the one to help you make new friends in your situations. he was the one to treat you like an actual human being.

and here he was, sitting with you and laughing on your phones about some meme you’ve seen. he was the one who you liked: like, really liked. had a crush on kind of liked.

it felt stupid. it even felt childish. you didn’t want to have these feelings. it made you feel like a child. you didn’t want to have these feelings so you wouldn’t be hurt. even if you knew most of his words weren’t true, lex had always warned you about boys at a young age. how did he put it?

“the only thing they will think about when they look at you is how they can improve their status or how they can manipulate you. do you understand me?”

he always made you promise that no, you weren’t going to get a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, for that matter. he said that the only thing that you would end up with is a broken heart and a messed up sense of trust. he said you would just be running from one person to another trying to gain love only to be dropped after they got what was needed out of you.

and even if you knew that his words were just to keep you with him, that doesn’t mean they just went out of your head. after you hear things for a while, they start to become real. you didn’t want to have lex tell you something along the lines of “i told you so”

however, whenever you were with kit, it felt like those worries weren’t even there. even if there was a nagging feeling about trusting him, you ignored it because of what kit gave you: freedom.

he wouldn’t only talk to you because you were _____ luthor, he wouldn’t only talk to you just because he wanted your money, or power, he wanted to talk to you because of you. he liked who you were as a person, not who you were as a child of a celebrity.

maybe that’s why you gained a crush on him. because he reminded you of before you met lex. maybe you just liked him as a person, like he did you.

“_____, did you see what happened last night?” kit had asked, still snickering from the news article he showed you. you laughed.

“oh, wow, what party did you attend to this time?”

“none, at all actually: the entire city was on lockdown.”

“really?” you asked, turning to him. “which villain caused a mass murder this time, then?”

kit shrugged. “not really a mass murder, more of a... robbery.”

you rolled your eyes. “really? a city lockdown because of a small robbery?”

“a small robbery from one of lexcorp’s own warehouses.”

that got your attention. “how much?”

“a small multi-million dollar heist-”

“oh, stop making fun of me, I didn’t know!”

“it was a small price to pay, apparently-”

“stop!” you playfully shoved him out of his seat, and he fell right on his ass. you gasped and when you saw that he wasn’t moving, you quickly got up and bent down to where he was sitting. “kit? goddamnit, kit-”

when he jumped up from the ground, his hands acting like they were going to grab you, you jumped back. stumbling, the back of you knee caught the seat you were sitting on, so instead of falling on your own ass, you fell into the seat.

as he laughed, you whispered, “kit, you ass!” he sat back into his chair, before saying (between laughs), “sorry, sorry. it was too much of a good opportunity to miss.” you huffed and went on the phone he had given you. you looked at the news, and sure enough, there was a robbery on one of the lexcorp warehouses, and yes, the things that were stolen were at least millions of dollars in profit.

“now that i’m looking at it, maybe that’s why my dad was all talking last night.”

“of course he would be, ______, there was millions of dollar worth of tech stolen-”

“oh, i know, kit, don’t be a bitch!”

it was silent for a little while, besides showing each other memes and laughing. it felt nice. it wasn’t awkward, in fact it was nice. just showing your friend funny photos that made you laugh was enough for you.

1:10. this was the latest you’ve ever been at a gala. it was supposed to last until 4, so you could understand why, but it still felt weird. it was like... going to school at night. you recognize the place, but it felt so weird.

“hey, _____.” you turned towards kit, who was now looking at a blank screen.

“yeah, what’s up?”

“you said that... you said that you’re never allowed to go anywhere, right? that you don’t even know where your real family is?”

you shifted uncomfortably. “well, yes, but why are you asking me this?”

his fingers turned white from the pressure on his phone. “well... you don’t seem happy whenever you’re with him, I guess. it feels like you don’t want to be there.

you could say that again.

“and... and you’ve been my friend for months, now... I don’t want to see you hurt because of someone else’s actions... so... I was wondering if... you wanted to live with me?”

the last bit came out rushed, and yet, it still made you wonder. what if you could leave? what if you could live with your friend, your only friend, instead of your over protective father?

“I know its stupid, I shouldn’t have asked that. it’s fine.” he continued.

“no, it’s... comforting.” you looked at him straight in the eyes. “I’m glad that you like me so much you would risk me being in your house. of course, I’m going to have to say no, but I still... I still appreciate that you would ask that.”

he gave you a small smile, and asked, “are you sure you’re going to be ok?”

you smiled at him. “maybe. I don’t know. if I don’t, then I could always take up your offer.”

you both sat in silence for a while, before his phone buzzed. looking at your phone, you saw it was at least 1:40. almost time to go. and you didn’t want mercy, or pray to god, lex to find you with him.

looking at kit, you asked, “you wanna head back?”

he smiled. “yeah. lets go back before we both fall on our asses.”

~~~~~

walking down the large corridor felt strange. it was like something was going to happen soon. you didn’t know what, but something.

“so then, I asked him why he was being such an asshole, and he told me-”

“______.”

turning around, you saw mercy standing just a few meters away from you both. you quickly set some distance in between the two of you, to make sure that you were following the rules, but she didn’t seemed focused on you. instead, she was focused on kit.

she gave a small nod of acknowledgement to him. “kit is your name, right?”

he gave a shaky nod. “where were you last night?”

“excuse me-”

“where were you. last night.” every word seemed to be gritted out of her teeth.

“well, I was in my home. with my father. why?”

“really? at home with your father? and not at my warehouse, stealing my technology?”

you almost didn’t want lex to be here, but you also wanted to know why mercy hadn’t shot out kit’s brains yet.

“wh- excuse me?”

lex rolled his eyes. “I don’t need to hear excuses from you, boy, what I want to know is why you were stealing my tech, and why you used my daughter as your way to get this tech.”

wait, what?

“you’ve been using me for what?”

kit seemed to be panicking. did he- was he really using you for that?

“oh, you think I wouldn’t have found out? giving my daughter a phone so you could get into my systems and find out the codes for the doors? that you’ve been using my money for months without my knowledge? that you’ve been using my daughter for you own gain? for your own families gain?”

turning to him, you saw him try to make up some excuse about whatever he had done, but it was too late.

“freeze! put your hands in the air!”

you didn’t even see the police in the hallway, only mercy dragging you out towards the exit of the gala.

when you turned back to kit, you felt like a child. did you really trust him? did you trust him this much for it to be that he was only using you? you didn’t want to think about it. the only thing you wanted was to go home.

________________

BONUS:

“did you really think you could take my daughter away from me?”

looking up from his seat, kit saw lex sitting across from him. currently, they were in a courthouse. waiting for his trial.

“... it’s not right to keep her inside like a pet.”

he knew he pissed off lex now, but he didn’t care. his life was ruined now. it shouldn’t matter.

lex got out of his chair and said, “you know, I was thinking of letting you off on a plea deal, but honestly, now, I’m thinking of giving you a worse fate than your father.”

a plea deal? kit froze. did he just throw out any chance to see you again?

“if you’re thinking you just threw out a chance to see my daughter again, you’re right, but lets be real here:”

lex put his hands on the table and got close to kits face, barely inches away.

“she will never look at you the same way after you go to prison for 58 years.”

and with that, lex left kit to rot in his own depression, happy to give the boy more pain than ever.

#yandere lex luthor #yandere dc #yandere dc comics #yandere young justice #songs fics

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darkestwolfx · 4 years

Text

Home on the Range - Re-Review #47

Just a quick note to say, I know I am super behind on replying to everyone! I will aim to go and do that now! Thank you all so so much though, I really do appreciate it. Hopefully work will slow down in a bit and I can be a little more active here.

Anyhow, let’s move onto how awesome this little house is!

Of course International Rescue have a training zone. The Gecko Gloves sound pretty useful as well. Gordon could have done with them in ‘Weather or Not’.

“Maybe I should take the lead for a change?”

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”

“Hey- What are you doing? That’s not what I had in mind!”

“Me next!”

Of course they’re the sort of brother’s that work together to throw each other around. That little look between Scott and Virgil was priceless. They really are a dream team.

“MAX, go and shake things up a little bit.”

Key word there MAX being “little”, not deathly. Seriously, you nearly took out three brothers!

“I can’t! He’s out of control!”

And that is the harbinger of doom for this episode.

Virgil saving Scott like a good brother.

And I love how Gordon somehow managed to make it all the way to the top!

Also, maneuver 17? We haven’t heard of it before, but they know what it means, and good for it too or we might have been spending a full twenty-two minutes looking at this wall of death.

“What a lovely place! I can see why you come here every year.”

“Nice hof your Father, to build this little ‘ome haway from ‘ome.”

A perfect sentence to give to Parker.

“Actually the Ranch belonged to the boys Mother. It’s been in her family for generations.”

A hint of Lucille! How lovely.

You know when you turn the TV on and you’re sorely disappointed? Yeah, Gordon was the epitome of that!

“Uhh, it’s her again! How many times do they have to play this thing?”

Her being Kat Cavanough - reporter from ‘Falling Skies’.

And more hints of Lucille!

“Do you remember when Mom used to take us all horseback riding?”

“Especially when Gordon was facing the wrong way. I think there’s a picture here somewhere.”

“I don’t really have much to add to the conversation.”

This is such a sweet moment! Of course Alan is younger and doesn’t have the same memories. Must be hard though, to be surrounded by brother’s who can have a conversation you can’t join in with.

Alan going out to watch Shadows take off was adorable! I mean, this episode really felt like they were trying to push Kayo and Alan, but then... I don’t really know what happened with TAG love interest story lines, save Penelope and Gordon.

“Sherbet, wait here and... guard FAB One.”

I love how the guarding idea was an afterthought, but Bertie takes it seriously! Parker and Lady Penelope having hard hats as well was genius.

“Seems hare hintruder ‘as vanished hinto thin hair.”

And sit on a rock Parker... anyone else getting flashbacks to ‘Tunnels of Time’? Just don’t touch anything, Parker. Although he did help them to find Kat! Really, what was she trying to achieve, silly woman.

A full family team up! Here we go.

“Thunderbirds are- Oh come on!”

Best launch ever. Just putting it out there.

P.S. Don’t look so down Scott.

“So, if all our ships are grounded, how are we going to get to the rescue site?”

“Fortunately, we still have some vehicles that are completely self-contained.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! We’re actually taking Dad’s old hoverbikes?”

“They’re like the oldest things in here.”

“If these get us where we need to go then they’re gonna be our new favourite rides.”

They took a bit of ‘Jeff Tracy Fixing’ but they did actually work!

“Thunderbirds are go.”

Sort of.

It’s the old hoverbikes! The original get-around vehicles of TOS, seen in a great many episodes! They look a bit worse for wear here though, but hey.

“Since EOS isn’t affected by the malfunctions, I’ve downloaded her to a local memory bank.”

John’s coding is superior! That is what this episode teaches us! He really could take over the world...

“Hello John. You’ll be pleased to know all systems on Thunderbird Five are operating normally.”

“That’s a relief. Now, I need you to do a full system sweep. Look for anything unusual in the Z-Band Network.”

“One anomaly detected.”

“Looks like one of the transmitter nodes has been modified.”

Brains telling John to stay put was one of the best calls anyone could have made. They could have really ended up with everything stuck.

Their jet packs work on tech? I thought they were self-contained, but okay, Virgil is the expert and I bow to his superior knowledge.

“You know who I am, don’t you?”

“Yeah I do. And we know what you’ve been saying about us.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t just leave me here to rot.”

“Right now, you’re someone in a tough spot who needs help. Who you are and what you’ve done doesn’t matter.”

Brilliant attitude Scott! Many people struggle to do that.

“The Mechanic! Wait, it could be a holographic drone.”

No such luck.

Parker actually taking apart FAB One! I never thought I’d see the day.

“You’re risking your life to save mine. All of you.”

“You know that’s what we do, right? It’s the Rescue part in International Rescue.”

“Even when I was out to ruin you?”

“I’ll try not to take that personally.”

No one would blame you if you did, Scott. Gordon (and probably Alan) would have if he was down there. And that rockfall must have hurt! It was a really good improvised rescue though considering they couldn’t get their proper equipment there.

“See that wasn’t too bad.”

“Easy for you to say little brother.”

“It’s a glitch in the security log.”

“Someone was covering their tracks!”

“And that someone is still here in the compound. Grandma went looking for Brains. They could both be walking into a trap. I have to warn them!”

“John, wait! Then you might get caught in it as well. Let me try something. There. I now have a subroutine nested in the transmitter room server.”

“Is Brains in the room?”

“Yes, but so is The Mechanic.”

“The Mechanic?”

We really should be worried by how easy that was for EOS (and John) to do.

“You’re trying to build a laser.”

“Not trying. I already have.

EOS’ message was a classic! That little Scooby-Do moment was hilarious.

“Short version, The Mechanic is here.”

Those faces! Well, I suppose that’s equal to or worse in a way than The Hood breaking into Tracy Island. It also means that both of their homes have been broken into. I thought Kayo was meant to be doing all the security stuff.

“Your former employer tried a similar tactic once. It didn’t work out very well for him either.”

This confrontation was one of the best scenes I’ve ever seen.

“You need to work on your intimidation techniques, Grandma.”

“First of all, only family get to call her that. And second, EOS we need to separate the machine from the man.”

“With pleasure.”

John going in with a super back-up plan was completely awesome. EOS is super dangerous. In ‘Earthbreaker’, The Mechanic got the better of her, but she’s definitely evolved in order to be able to put a stop to him in this episode. So, that begs the question, is there anything she cannot overcome? I really loved this episodes use of John and EOS tech, as well as Brains and MAX’s relationship, and the ever continuing Brains and Mechanic battle. Even Grandma got her moments!

“You’re not welcome here.”

“Oh MAX, you’re a hero!”

Question: how did they not realise The Mechanic’s ship was in there?

Moving on.

“If there’s anything you want to know about us, all you’ve got to do is ask.”

“Really? Anything?”

“Well there are somethings we have to keep secret. Otherwise people like The Hood and The Mechanic will use them in bad ways. There may be a lot of mystery around International Rescue, but really we’re just a regular family.”

“Hey, that’s my chair!”

“No it’s not! I was here first.”

Yeah, definitely just a regular family.

“You want to hear a real story? Let me tell you some of the things Gordon says in his sleep.”

“Oh no you don’t!”

“Watch the hair.”

“Come here!”

“Oh, you’re a lot stronger than you look, Fish-boy!”

And you know what, I agree that that’s as good as place to leave it as anything. This is an absolutely amazing episode, definitely the peak of Series 2.

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iron--spider · 5 years

Text

spider-baby was compromised (whumptober - shackled)

“Oh shit,” Peter breathes, rattling his wrists in the handcuffs. “Okay,” he breathes. “Okay, this is fine. It’s fine. Totally cool and fine and okay.” He glances up, and strains against them, his lip caught between his teeth.

Maybe not okay.

But it’s gotta be, so...it is. He can do this. He can totally do this.

He was able to break the other three pairs with like, no problem.

He strains again, putting all his strength into breaking them, getting himself free, but the handcuffs don’t budge at all, like they don’t know he’s a superhero that can totally get out of this stuff with no problems on the regular. Or they know, and they don’t care.

Peter sighs, his heart beating a little faster. It isn’t as if he’s languishing in some villain’s rotting basement. He’s in the new compound, in one of the weapon armories. And he...did this to himself.

He’s supposed to be able to get out. That was the whole point of this, the whole test, and now he’s...now he’s trapped.

“Dammit,” he breathes, hurting his wrists with how hard he’s shaking and pulling, trying to get himself out. He’d lashed himself to the wall, like he’d done with the three previous pairs of cuffs, and the broken remains of those are in a drawer a couple feet away. That shit was nothing, that shit was two seconds and out.

Peter wouldn’t exactly call himself paranoid, but his new friend Johnny got kidnapped last week, and he can set his whole damn body on fire. But the thing that kept him there, for a good four days until his team found him, was the pair of handcuffs the bad guys were holding him with. Peter, Tony and the rest of them looked over the case, and it—it made Peter a little nervous. It made Peter want to test his strength. But, since the whole end of the world and coming back to life thing, Peter has been really tentative about, well, stressing Tony out. So he decided to conduct this little experiment on his own. So Tony wouldn’t get stressed out. And so nobody else would judge him. Sam is always, always, always on the judgement train.

Peter felt pretty good about getting out of Avenger-level restraints. And these particular shackles didn’t look like anything too out of the ordinary, and they were gonna be the last ones he tried before he walked out of here a bit too egotistical and cocky, sure he could get out real fast if any kidnapper tried it with him like they did with Johnny.

But now he’s stuck.

He groans, planting both feet on the ground, and he stands up, arching his back. He can’t pull his arms out straight behind him without pulling them out of their sockets, so he’s just standing like an idiot with his arms raised painfully directly behind his head. He tugs and grits and groans, squeezing his eyes shut tight, and then he drops back down, the chain clamoring against the wall.

“Ugh, no, no, no,” Peter says, rolling his eyes. He sits there for a couple long seconds, simmering in new anger, and then he starts flailing around, slamming his arms and hands against the wall, knocking his legs into the ground, over and over in a tantrum he hasn’t felt the likes of since he was a kid.

But it isn’t good enough.

Tears cling to the corners of his eyes, and he can’t even wipe them away. He leans against the wall, angry at himself and what a dumbass he is, equally as interested in what the hell these cuffs are made of that he can’t get out of them. He purposefully arranged himself in an area the cameras can’t see, and people don’t come down here a whole lot, unless there’s some kind of big battle starting, which there hasn’t been, as of late.

He has no idea when someone is gonna find him. He keeps trying, pulling and straining until he can feel his skin burning, cuts forming, and Jesus, he’s such a moron. He got too cocky, too full of himself, but how the hell was he supposed to know Tony would store something Spider-Man can’t get out of?

Actually, it makes sense, considering the kind of shit Tony’s faced in the past. Like, actual evil aliens.

“Idiot, idiot, idiot,” Peter mutters, balling his hands into angry fists. He tries to decide what the hell he’s gonna do, and embarrassment blooms in his cheeks. This is definitely one of the stupider things he’s done, and Tony knows he’s here right now, in the compound. He’s gonna wonder where he is.

Peter’s phone sits, useless, in his pocket.

He sighs, his hands hurting already, and sucks in a big breath. “Help!” he yells. “Tony—somebody, help me! Help! I’m in here—I, uh—need help!”

He yells and yells until his throat hurts. A broken record. And, after what feels like a billion years, he hears the door chime, and then open.

“Help!” he yells. “Whoever it is—it’s, it’s—”

“Peter?” Tony’s voice asks.

“Oh my God,” Peter says, desperately relieved. “Tony. I’m over here!”

Tony turns the corner, and as soon he sets eyes on Peter, his face contorts in horror. “Who the hell did this to you?” he asks, rushing over to him.

And with that sentence, Peter’s brain misfires, and goes completely blank. All thoughts are replaced with the need to fix this, make it look better, because despite the fact that Tony is like a father to him, Peter still absolutely hates looking like an idiot in front of him. And this is a prime example of a perfect idiot.

“A bad guy,” Peter says, deadpan, without thinking. Like the dumbest possible sentence his brain could have spit out.

Tony kneels next to him, eyes darting from Peter’s face to the handcuffs. “A—a what? A bad guy? What bad guy? There’s a bad guy in the compound?”

Peter has a moment to change it, to turn it around, and he stares, in a complete state of panic.

“Okay kid, I got you,” Tony says, patting Peter on the shoulder with his good hand, not the iron one he’s had since everything happened with the infinity stones. “Jesus, must be someone nasty if they got the upper hand on you.”

He gets up, walks over to where Peter got the handcuffs from, and Peter’s heart falls directly into his stomach when he sees him going for the drawer where all the broken handcuffs are. But he opens the one above it instead, fishing around. “Those things are vibranium,” Tony says, looking over his shoulder at Peter. “Bet you’d be out of ‘em already if they weren’t.”

“Oh,” Peter says, stupidly. He can still save this. He can pull the lie back. He totally can. He’s gonna do it. He’s gonna tell him the truth.

“Yeah, I didn’t—I didn’t want him to know I was Spider-Man.”

No. No, that’s not what he wanted to say at all.

“Good call, buddy,” Tony says, and he pulls a key out and approaches Peter. “I need an all call code 49 complete shutdown,” Tony says, pressing something in his ear.

Oh no. Oh no.

“Spider-baby was compromised, assisting now,” Tony says. He walks back over, connects the key to the middle of the cuffs, and they snap off. Peter’s arms drop as Tony tosses the cuffs away, and he kneels down again, tilting his head at him. “You okay, kid? For real.”

Peter nods, his tongue like sand. He needs to tell him. He needs to.

Tony presses the com in his ear again. “Yeah, all exits. Deploy drones, and—get Rhodey suited up.”

Peter swallows hard, rubbing his wrists. “Uh, Tony—”

“Here, c’mon,” Tony says, taking his hands and gently pulling him to his feet. He tugs him into a hug as soon as he’s standing, ruffling his hair. “Can’t believe some dickhead got past security—handcuffed one of my damn kids—”

Peter hugs him back weakly, watching as his exit window quickly gets smaller and smaller. “Um, uh, Tony, I need—”

Tony pulls back, holding him by the shoulders and looking at him intently. The iron arm glints shiny and red under the lights in here. “I’m gonna go grab your suit, make sure May, Pep and Mo are secure, and then I’ll come back and get you, okay Pete?”

Peter is the biggest moron from moronville. The most massive idiot in New York. Or the entire world. Probably the whole universe.

Tony gives him a very particular look, and Peter gapes at him like a fish. “Yeah, keep everyone where they are,” Tony says, eyes glancing away as he talks into the com again. He looks back at Peter. “Stay here, kid, stay ready, don’t let ‘em get you again, alright?” He claps Peter’s shoulder, squeezing it, and before Peter can croak out another word, Tony turns and rushes for the door, quickly heading out.

Peter stands there, and he covers his face with his hands. “Oh my God,” he groans. He has to follow him, he’s gotta tell him. “But that’ll make me look ten times worse!” Peter says out loud, turning in a circle. “Ten times! Twenty!” He growls to himself, taking two steps towards the door with the intent to go after Tony, but then he comes to a quick halt, rolling his eyes so hard his brain hurts. “Stupid. So stupid.”

He’s an idiot. He’s an idiot.

Tony ducks into the room where Pepper and May are once he gets off the elevator, and they’ve still got the menagerie of camera screens projecting on the wall.

“He still standing there?” Tony asks, looking at the two of them.

“Yup,” Pepper says. “Well—”

“I think he’s considering hiding the other pairs of broken handcuffs somewhere else,” May says, clicking her tongue. “He really said it was a bad guy?” she asks, sounding pained.

“He really said it was a bad guy,” Tony says.

May shakes her head. “I was hoping I imagined the whole thing.”

“You guys got my com calls right?” Tony asks.

“Loud and clear,” Pepper says.

“Good, I was a little worried I was actually broadcasting,” Tony says, narrowing his eyes at the images on the screen. “Was priming myself for Rhodey to come busting through the wall.”

“Code 49 isn’t even a real code,” May says. “Peter had me study them all a month ago.”

“That’s why I think his brain is broken right now,” Tony says. “Because he totally knows all the codes. We had a quiz on it. He beat Sam out by twenty points and danced in his face.”

“This is one million percent about the Johnny Storm thing,” Pepper says, looking at Tony as he sits back down.

“Yeah,” Tony says, crossing his arms over his chest, running his hand over the metal. “But still. That’s what—training is for, he doesn’t need to be strapping himself to the damn wall in the armory. And he knows I fixed that camera angle. I told him that.”

“He was clearly distracted, by God knows what,” May says.

Tony watches as Peter picks up the handcuffs and drops them back down, kicking them away from him in anger. He winces, reaching down and rubbing his foot. Tony’s heart swells with fondness and sympathy. The kid is so damn much sometimes, but Tony just revels in it. He’s so glad to have him back. No matter what weird shit he’s doing.

“Good lord,” Pepper says.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” May says.

Tony sighs. “I should start with the sirens,” he says. “But I feel bad.”

“You do that, he’ll come running out and tell you it was all a lie,” May says. “He usually doesn’t let things go this far.”

“He’s embarrassed,” Pepper says, turning around and pouting at Tony. “Poor thing.”

Tony raises his eyebrows. “You know I love him, but he should know better by now. I’ve done all kinds of shit that could be considered weird and nobody even cares anymore. It just is what it is. Anything goes here, we’ve all been through hell and back. It’s fine. I caught Happy eating a head of lettuce the other day. We’re still pals.”

He watches Peter rake his hands through his hair, and okay, yeah, Tony’s feeling really bad now. They’ve been getting back into the groove of playing the occasional trick on each other, but he didn’t expect the kid to actually let it get this far. Usually he fesses up pretty fast. “I mean, if we really look at this—he got out of all of them but the vibranium. Some of the strongest metals in the world, that we’d use for like—other worldly threats and shit. So. We should be proud. He’s never gonna encounter vibranium handcuffs around here. So—we’re good, on the kidnapping front. He’ll be fine. That’s a win.”

May blows out a breath. “There’s that,” she says.

Tony watches Peter debate with himself, walking back and forth, and Tony decides not to torture the kid anymore. He braces his hands on the chair and gets back up, making for the door. “Okay, I’m gonna go get him, bring him in here, and show him that we were watching his antics. Then we’re gonna talk about practicing this kind of shit with other people so we don’t get stuck.”

“Never thought we’d have to ward Peter against handcuffing himself to things,” May says. “Sorry, Tony.”

“No, it’s a journey, May,” Tony says, turning around and smiling at her. “I can’t wait to see what kind of hijinks he gets himself into next.”

As long as he never disappears again. That’s all that matters.

#tony stark #peter parker #iron man #spider-man #whumptober 2019 #whumptober #my fics #i posted this early sue me #me: i'm writing to cope with the fact that i finished a large piece of writing #iron dad

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wrathofthewind · 3 years

Text

vii. Curse

Arnalt came in and out of consciousness, and every time he came to, the world was upside down. It was only after several days of being steadily administered with a continuous flow of spiritual energy and heavy dosages of anesthetic tea that he finally had the strength to peel his eyes open. His arm was bandaged and splinted, but it hurt like a bitch when he tried to move.

Ithana hadn’t just injured his shoulder, she’d also fractured a line in his spiritual power, causing a momentary break in his spiritual flow that made him hallucinate or faint with vertigo.

He must’ve tried standing in his haze several times because his arms were now held down by ropes.

As soon as he looked conscious and stable, and after answering a few questions to the attending medic to confirm his state, the ropes were released and the attendant sighed with relief.

Bael was there, a drink in his hand, and behind him Pallax was giving instructions to that servant girl Pagytha. Something, something, he likes them with a sprinkle of cinnamon, oh, they were probably talking about his breakfast. It was hard to feel starved though when you were so nauseous.

“Ugh.” Arnalt grumbled and an attendant quickly came to help him sit up. “What’s the status?”

Pallax immediately reported. “Compound fracture on your scapula, swelling and trauma to the glenohumeral joint, and some ugly bruising but nothing your highness hasn’t healed from before.”

He lowered his head.

“It’s not your fault I’m so behind on my training.”

“I am your teacher. This is my responsibility.”

“You can’t hope to compete with the Lioness of—“

Crack.

“CAN YOU NOT— ugh, I’m too nauseous for this shit.”

Pallax had easily dislocated his shoulder with a single chop from his hand, and just as quickly…

Click crack.

He adjusted it back in place. His face clenching and unclenching as he did so.

“In penance for my oversights.” He kneeled down and lowered his head, ashamed.

Arnalt had barely woken up, he rolled his eyes. “That was unnecessary,” he winced again, “but fine, fine.” He waved his left hand a bit to dismiss it. “Stand.”

“Ok if I had a Pallax in my state I would not be this fat.” Bael said this just as he reached for a plate of biscuits and scarfed them down. “You know?” He had his mouth full but kept talking a bit. “Or moobee I coulth conk urr sum villages or sumthin…” he wiped his mouth and took a large drink from a half-full glass that was laying by his side. He seemed to think for a minute then look at Arnalt’s shoulder seriously. “Good thing it’s not a permanent injury.”

Arnalt nodded, and smirked, even though he was deathly pale, nauseous and still a bit damp from the pain sweats. “Hmf, how could it be?”

“Ithana really has a soft spot for you, I once saw her crush Gildegad’s whole hand. Before she smashed his nose in.”

And Gildegad never got that hand back. It was eventually cut off and replaced with a metal one.

Tyssen came into the room and Arnalt quickly felt his surroundings shrink. “Bael, could you leave us for a minute?”

“Alright, I just wanted to check if you’d be ok. I’ll leave you to your business.” He gathered his things and finished his goblet. “Try not to start unnecessary duels again?” Once more, Bael’s face felt momentarily serious before that wide smile and mirth rippled through it once again and he hopped off to go. “Have a good one! Don’t get more bones broken while I’m gone! I can’t always have my Chef on hand to make your recovery meals gourmet you know? And…” his voice trailed off in the hall and Tyssen quickly shut the door.

The attendant had already left.

Arnalt immediately looked at him with a satisfied smile about to form, but his face quickly fell. Tyssen didn’t look happy.

“They caught him.”

Well, he hadn’t counted on that!

“Didn’t he memorize the map last night?”

“He did, but, he was a little overzealous and I believe he didn’t actually sleep, I woke up to find him in the same position, still reading the thing. I don’t think he slept.”

Arnalt wanted to scream for very different reasons now.

“An exhausted brain leads a fool to his grave. Where are they keeping him? And how… where did he get caught?”

“He somehow ended up close to Ithana’s stables, they found him on his way to steal a horse.”

If Arnalt could use both his hands he would’ve cradled his whole head. As It was, he just cradled his forehead with the one.

“As for where they’re keeping him… They’re not.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“The Prison Wagon departed to the Winterlands that very same day.”

A failure. All for naught.

Arnalt extended his arm and Pallax handed him a bowl of soup. He took one look at it and sneered. Pallax chose another plate, one of the many Bael had left behind, and this one was a bruleed toast with with fresh ham and melted cheese, a dab of marmalade peeping through the crust.

Arnalt shook his head again.

Finally he settled on the plate of sautéed sliced potatoes with chives, warm grains with fried bacon slices and a vegetable concasse.

Arnalt ate silently until the plate was clean.

An hour passed. Tyssen and Pallax didn’t move a muscle.

“I should let him rot up there. He deserves it.”

…

“I don’t care if he’s a stupid teenager.”

…

“I’m not that far from his age I wouldn’t have let myself get caught like that.”

…

“He’s so bloody dumb, he really is only muscle and no brain.”

…

“Your Highness your injured.” Tyssen simply mumbled.

“Your Highness I can’t recommend this.” Pallax quickly trailed.

“Pass me the toast, and we depart in a week.” Arnalt finished.

“Why do you bother keeping it alive? He’s already lived an enchanted life for any Kurian!” Tyssen finally spoke his mind.

“He is my ward!” Arnalt said simply. “I’m responsible for him. They said he wouldn’t grow more than a few inches and look how tall he’s gotten, they said his brain would be addled by the curse yet look what he’s become, DUMB SURE, but smart enough, they said he was weak and he would die and if anything he eats like TEN men combined, weak is NOT what he is. He’s not cursed, he’s like any other boy with potential for greatness. And I, Arnalt Azuria, am the first in the history of Aegeria to successfully raise a Kurian. Isn’t that something!”

Pallax rolled his eyes but Arnalt didn’t catch him, thankfully.

“Your Highness, he is 15 now, fast approaching maturity and his curse is catching up with him, with us! You saw what happened! He decimated that hall. The mission was perfectly under control and his impulsiveness nearly killed us all! He may not be getting weaker, or smaller, but it’s worse because he’s becoming stronger, and even more dangerous! That magic…”

Pallax interceded. “I must agree with Lord Tyssen your highness. Sometimes the best mercy with a ferocious animal is to eliminate it, prevent the destruction of many with the sacrifice of one. I had often heard that children cursed by the Kur especially would naturally die before age 16 and their death was marked by a burst of malicious energy. It could very well be that he’ll unleash the poisons at Tahr and perhaps that’s why—“

“…”

“Go on, say it. Speak your mind Pallax.” Arnalt spoke sharply.

“Perhaps this is the real reason he’s being sent to the Glaes, and, this might’ve always been the fate that was planned for him, even if you granted him your Mercy.”

Silence enveloped the room.

“And what of it?” Arnalt insisted. “If this was my family just waiting for an excuse—“

“They didn’t need to wait!” Tyssen cut in, finally losing his patience. “He gave them one! And he’s been giving several the more we approach his 16 suns! This is what the Opal spoke of, and you—“

“I KNOW WHAT THE OPAL SPOKE OF.”

…

Arnalt felt that pain and numbness again in his arm, and took a deep breath to both control the pain and control himself. He’d long put the plate down. “I heard the Opal. It was my coronation of course I heard the Opal. But a prophecy is just that, a prophecy, predictions, possibilities, and not all of them come true, or if they do, not the way anyone ever thinks. In the end we can only guide ourselves by our own code and our own nature and let Fate fall where it may. You were both there, and all you heard the Opal saw was that among us had risen a blight. That this blight would cause a devastation, that the heavens would split… You know what I heard?”

Neither Tyssen nor Pallax answered.

“I heard him say I—“ he slammed his fist on the night table next to him, “ARNALT THE EAGLE AZURIA, HAVE THE POWER TO PREVENT THIS.”

He swallowed the bile in his stomach, as any extertion made him want to hurl. But he kept his back straight and bore through it.

“So trust me. Because this is what I see right now. I see a 15 year old boy, with enormous potential, who is mostly scared and vulnerable and needs guidance. That boy could very well become the destruction of our realm if we keep treating him this way. It will be our fault, not his if he destroys us in the future!”

Tyssen and Pallax glanced at each other and nodded. Whether they agreed or not, there was nothing else to say.

“In a week then.” Tyssen echoed.

“We’ll need a good reason to take his highness away from the palace. And the healing facilities.” Pallax finished.

“I think it’s time to pay a visit to my dear Lady Olandra.”

Understanding reached the two knight’s faces. Pallax rubbed his chin. “This, this might work.”

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a young woman was shoved inside with a yelp! Just as quickly the door slammed shut and when Pallax jumped to push it open he found it impossible, someone was holding it in place from the outside.

A bolt slid across and locked all them all inside abruptly! A few steps were heard and then faded. They couldn’t get out.

“YOU!” Arnalt stared at the young woman.

The young woman lifted her face and it was covered in black dust!

“Sire!” She cried. “Help!”

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