#brother is cursed with getting the Bad side effects of any medication he takes

[romance-incubomp3]

like if therapy and meds help you that’s so cool but it drives me insane how people treat those as some magical cure all that EVERYONE needs to seek out even though the psych industry is fucked and biased and not affordable and if trying to find a good therapist or find the right meds is doing nothing but causing you even more stress and anxiety even after you’ve been trying to get help for years than maybe it’s not worth it at that point

#do people just like forget that every med has a shit load of potential side affects?? #that can make your mental health and even physical health WORSE?? #like no one in my family has actually had meds work for them #they just kind of. didn’t do anything for me and my #brother is cursed with getting the Bad side effects of any medication he takes #so like #and when you have mental health conditions that entail #having an incredibly difficult time opening up emotionally or even talking about vulnerable topics #what’s the fucking point #I’d go thousands of dollars into debt before a therapist would ever get me to open up #and that’s IF I was lucky enough to find one that worked for me #also no psych is gonna solve the housing and economy crisis lol #they can’t do anything for me being depressed cause I’m stuck living in a tiny apartment crammed with other people! #even therapists and psychs have straight up told me I don’t seem to benefit from their services #idk just like. if you see that a mentally ill person isn’t on therapy or on meds by choice #consider there’s a reason for that and mind your own fucking business lol

[s-creations]

The Younger Brother

Takes place right after 'Stare Them Down'.

The horrible night has ended and everyone can start to make a recovery. Until Wario's faced with his future and his past in a way he wasn't ready for.

Fandom: Super Mario & Related Fandoms Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Relationships: Luigi & Mario (Nintendo), Waluigi & Wario (Nintendo) Warnings/Additional Tags: First meetings, Violence is loose but there, there is cursing!, sequel, this takes place a few hours after the first one ends, we're growing as people!, Peach and Wario have a history!

Inspired by @weevmo's work.

Art Cover made by @weevmo

The regular hustle and bustle of the castle’s town was interrupted as a loud engine roar broke through the day-to-day activities. Multiple eyes from the civilians turned towards the entrance to their town. Fearfully still as a familiar motorbike slowed its speed and rolled down the main street towards the castle. 

Wario was fully focused on his towering destination. Pointedly ignoring the watchful eyes as he pushed his motorbike further down the paved road. His inner voice reminded him of his still recovering passenger and that he needed to get to Peach quickly. Recovery shouldn’t take place in a sidecar.

In a few minutes, Wario was rolling up to the front doors. The soldiers positioned outside with their rather sorry excuse for spears tensed as Wario stopped. The larger form quickly got off the bike, tossing his helmet into the back basket. 

“What business do you have-”

“You need to get your medical people and Princess Peach. Now!” Wario’s demanding voice cut the Toads off. Both looking a little fearful but darting off into the castle without another word. “Didn’t need both of you to go, but alright.”

Pushing that aside, Wario turned back to his motorbike. More so on the passenger side car. 

Mario could barely be seen. Hidden by a large purple helmet and an even larger leather jacket. Even with this, it was clear he was still fast asleep. Head leaning over to one side. The jacket moving in time with his steady breathing. Uncaring about what was happening in the world around him. Too bad Wario was there to ruin the moment. 

Removing the helmet and jacket were easy. Mario’s hat was still resting in his lap. Moving slowly, because it was unclear how the hero was going to react, Wario placed a hand on the other’s shoulder. When there were no sudden jolts or movements of being pulled back to reality, he gently shook Mario.

“Hey, come on mini me, we’re here. You need to wake up.”

It took longer than Wario was comfortable with. He knew the effects of Boo's venom were going to linger slightly. That didn’t make the waiting game any easier. 

A few seconds passed before dull blue eyes slowly opened. Confusion dawning on the hero’s face. “Where are we?”

“Back at the Mushroom Castle. Peach will be coming out soon and-”

“Peach?” Faster than what Wario was expecting, Mario was out of the sidecar. Only a few steps away before collapsing onto his knees.

“Hey, whoa, what do you think you’re doing!” Wario panicked as he rushed over,”You can’t push yourself like that, you’re still recovering.”

“I-I thought you said the venom was out?”

“Oh, and do you think you’re just passed this all, side-effect free, just like that? You seem to forget that your arm is absolutely shredded right now and I got the majority of that venom out. You’re not out of the woods yet. Give me a hand, let’s get you up.”

Just as Mario got back onto shaky legs, a flood of people came rushing out from the castle. At the front was a frantic looking Peach. 

“What happened?” While the princess didn’t shout, there was heavy desperation heard in her voice. Reaching out to carefully take Mario’s free hand. 

“I’ll explain in a second,” Wario stated before turning to the numerous Toads wearing little white coats. “Um…I’m going to assume doctors?”

They nodded.

“Good, you need to listen closely to me. Mario needs to rest, but you need to keep a very close eye on him. If there are any indications at any point that he’s having a nightmare, you wake him up. Fully. Make sure he knows where he is and can answer basic answers correctly before you let him sleep again. Got it?”

Another round of frantic nods. Having said what he needed to, Wario held out the human’s hand that he’d had a hold of. It was a quiet exchange. The hero numbly walking forward as the small group of medical Toads lead him into the castle proper. It was slightly worrying at how muted it all was. 

Eventually, Peach broke the heavy silence. Her voice shook slightly as she said, “Wario…please say you know what’s going on.”

Wario gave a silent nod, not looking forward to this conversation.

_____________________________

“Boos?”

Peach and Toadsworth questioned the given information simultaneously. Clearly confused as to what these creatures were. Which confirmed one major thing for Wario. This was the first documented case of a Boos infestation in the Mushroom Kingdom.

“Yeah, I’m not really sure what they are. I’m not a full blown expert on the guys. What I do know is that they’re drawn to extreme negative emotions. Like anger, sorrow…others. They also like abandoned places, probably for the same reason. Places are forgotten for a reason.”

“What about Mario? What happened to him?” Peach asked. 

“Boos have venom that causes their victims to hallucinate their worst fears.”

“Mario was attacked? Is he okay, what do we need to-”

“Peach, I need you to calm down.” Wario reached out to place his hands on the princess’ shoulders. Ignoring the look of indignation that crossed Toadsworth’s face as Wario was more worried about Peach. “Listen to me, okay? I was able to neutralize the majority of the venom before it became too severe. He’s going to be loopy and tired for a bit, but Mario’s past the worst of it, he’ll be okay.” 

“You know how he looked. Mario is not okay.”

“He’s better than he would have been.”

“...What do we do now?”

“Let him sleep. Mario will be better by tomorrow, in the afternoon at the latest.”

Peach let out a slow breath. Shoulders dropping as she nodded. “Okay…there’s nothing more we can do for him?”

“Medically, no.” Peach took notice of the clear pause in Wario’s words, but didn’t press. 

“I would like to turn this conversation back to the infestation,” Toadsworkth spoke up, “Do you know why these Boos would want to claim that city? It’s not abandoned and I’m doubtful our citizens would have such heavy emotions while working there.”

“You don’t think Toads would be fearful? Being so close to the Dark Kingdom? Really?” There was a moment of silent satisfaction watching the stuffy Toad’s face fall. “Look, the idea was sound on paper. But it’s not a comforting sight to wake to an enemy kingdom right outside your window.”

“So, the city is a lost cause.” Peach concluded.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Well…then we shall move from this with our heads high. In more ways than one” Peach turned to Toadwroth, who was clearly still muddling over Wario’s words. “Toadsworth, would you be so kind as to collect Wario’s payment for his help in this situation?”

“What?” Wario and Toadsworth choked out together. 

“It’s really the most we can do! Discovering what the issue was and helping our kingdom’s hero? I would deem that to be the worth of… Hmm, 30,000 gold sounds good. Could you gather that for me, Toadsworth? I would like to have a word with Wario before he departs.”

The elder Toad was clearly flabbergasted by this statement, but didn’t argue back. Casting a judgemental glance to Wario before leaving the two behind. There was no argument on Wario’s part either. Allowing himself to be pulled further into the castle. 

Peach didn’t seem interested in talking right away. Appearing casual as they traversed the highly decorated hallway. To their left were wide arching windows, showing the castle town nestled below. The sky a perfect blue with the sun bright and hanging over the small homes. It was all weirdly calm. Which was starting to freak Wario out.

“How have you been?” Peach asked suddenly. Wario not pleased to admit he jumped slightly by the interrupted quiet.

“Ah…fine? I mean, nothing to really complain about.”

Peach hummed softly, clearly not convinced. “It’s been so long since we’ve actually talked.”

“Well, you became the official ruler and had all that responsibility dumped onto you. Figured you could use some breathing room.”

“I’ll be honest. It’s hard to ‘breathe’ when the atmosphere is sucked up by hot heads.”

Wario cackled at that. Only remaining upright because of Peach’s hold on his arm. Her own giggles sounded in the grand hallway as well. “Oof, I can only imagine how painful that is.”

“Do you remember when you put a dirt bomb in the meeting room?”

“Grambi above, that was years ago. Some of my best work if I’m being honest. Who was that pompous ass that got the face full?”

“Churees, the neighboring prince.”

“Right! How did such chill parents create such a…a…”

“Pompous ass?”

Wario gave an over dramatic gasp as Peach giggled again. “Your highness!”

“Oh, shut up. If you can say it, so can I.”

“Ah, but you are royalty! It’s not becoming of you to say such horrid things.”

“Whatever.”

They shared a few more chuckles before silence fell over once more. Wario felt a bit more at ease as they stopped before one of the many wide windows. Spending a few seconds watching as the greenery swayed in the gentle breeze. 

“What do you think about Mario?”

Well, there goes that calm feeling. 

Before all of this, Wario would have claimed that Mario was a fake. Someone just playing a part to get attention that he didn’t deserve. Now, however, he wasn’t quite sure. Wario supposed he had been right, just for the wrong reason. So, what were his thoughts now? 

“Why are you asking?” Wario mumbled weakly.

“Because the last time you two were in the same room, you were acting…strange. I was worried about you. You seemed… You seemed angry. At him. Then you both show up here this morning, with Mario barely awake and you…”

“Yeah?”

There was a spike of panic when Peach faced him properly. Wario forced himself to remain staring out the window. Biting the inside of his cheek as he waited for a reply.

“The last time I’ve ever seen you that worried was when Waluigi left for New Donk City.”

That comment hit Wario like a punch to the gut. He recalled that day. How the quiet morning started with finding a note left by his brother on the kitchen table. Stating the younger brother was tired of their ‘shitty life’ in their home town in the slowly peeling home they’d been stuck in since childhood and how he was going to strike out on his own. 

Wario had been in full panic, re-reading the note to make sure he was seeing what he thought. Racing out the door to the Mushroom Kingdom before the sun fully entered the sky. Spilling all his worries, fears, and panic to a calm and understanding Peach.

“...So what?” Was all Wario could offer after the long pause. 

Peach merely smiled sympathetically, as if she knew this was poking at Wario’s walls. Forming little cracks in the shaky foundation. “So, considering you looked ready to kill Mario the first time you met and are now frantic over his well-being-”

“Not frantic, just concerned. There’s a difference.” Wario grumbled. 

“Is there? Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that something has happened. Your opinion of Mario has changed. What occurred out there?”

“We talked…and maybe I learned some things.” Wario crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. Eyes now pointed at the floor. “He’s not as…pompous as I thought.”

“Well, at least that’s something. What did you two talk about, if I may ask.”

“A lot but nothing really. Found out he has a brother. So, yeah.”

Peach’s eyes widened in surprise. “He told you about Luigi?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh,Wario, that’s wonderful! Mario’s usually reserved when it comes to his brother-”

“What’s this about Peach?” He knew he sounded harsh. But Wario was a little fed up with the weird back and forth, and the night's events were catching up.

Peach didn’t seem to mind, though, as her smile was still as relaxed. “I have a proposal. If you’d be willing to hear me out.”

“...Alright.”

“You have more knowledge about what lies beyond this kingdom's borders. Compared to anyone I know, even myself. Is there…a way for me to convince you to help Mario in his endeavors?”

Wario raised a brow at this. “You…want me to train him?”

“Kind of. Physical training, being able to fight and using the power ups, we’ve been able to handle just fine. But Mario’s unaware of what awaits him in this world. As am I, if I’m still learning about new creatures. With the face that Mario is a ‘hands on’ kind of person. I’m hoping you could…tag along with him? On occasion. Help him see the world for what it is, train him to observe, to understand better.”

“I’m not a cheerleader, Peach.”

“I’m asking for more of a mentor. Plus, I’ll be happy to pay-”

“I’m not a charity.”

“Will you please stop being so stubborn and let me help you, for once in your life!”

Wario’s cold exterior crumbled when Peach’s voice rose. Her temper echoing in the hallway, eye alight with fury directed towards the other. Wario still held his tongue, even as Peach’s features began to soften. 

“Wario, I’m asking you as a friend, please.”

Wario, on his part, frowned in thought. Sure, he’d made the offer to mentor Mario before. It was honestly just to get under the human’s skin. To tease the other into a familiar fighting mood to bring the atmosphere back to normal. But now that everything’s calmed down and the human was safe… Wario wasn’t sure if that was the best idea. 

“...I’m not the person you want around your precious hero, princess. I’m sure there are plenty of people in other kingdoms and worlds that would happily help. I don’t think a disgruntled scumbag would be the best person for the job.”

“I think…that you need to give yourself more credit,” Wario tensed slightly as Peach gently took his hands in her own, “You’re the only person I trust with this.”

“Dumb decision, really.”

“Wario, please.”

“You’re also assuming that Mario would want me around him.”

“If he’s lowered his defenses enough to talk about Luigi-”

“That was a moment of weakness. Trust me, if he was in his right mind he would have no intentions of telling me about his life.”

“Aren’t you tired of arguing?”

That was a strange question. “What?”

Peach huffed. “I’m not asking you to change your personality, or who you are. But I’m hurt every time you decide to prove everyone right in the wrong way. Yes, you’re not very clean. Yes, you have a brash personality.”

“Okay, didn’t know I was just going to be insulted…”

“But I also know you care deeply about others. That you’re more than willing to help in any way that you can. You’re a hard worker, you do right by a lot of people. And you’re not one to just leave people alone. Knowing what you know now, about Mario, do you think you could just…leave?”

Wario was called out on his bluff. He breathed through his nose slowly before answering with, “I’m still unsure…”

“...Alright, that’s fair. This is a lot to ask of you, but I would like you to think about it. I can have Toadsworth transfer the money to you, you don’t need to stay.”

Something heavy settled in Wario’s stomach at the idea of leaving it all like this. The worrying, nagging voice suddenly gained volume. Before he could stop himself, Wario quickly voiced, “I’ll stop by the medical wing before I go. Just…you know, to check up. To see that your so-called ‘professionals’ know what they’re doing.”

Peach smiled knowingly, but merely gave a nod, “Of course. I’m sure you know the way.”

As the princess started to walk back towards the entrance, Wario gained another wave of courage. Calling out to Peach before she could turn the corner.

“What marks this Mario as the kingdom’s ‘hero’?”

Peach’s smile wilted slightly. “That’s…a good question. A better question is…why is it both of them?”

And with that, she disappeared behind the wall.

_____________________________

Quick movements shifted to a halt when Wario walked into the medical room. The other looked up and tensed, finding numerous eyes staring him down. The awkwardness only fell away when one of the Toads stepped forward. 

“I-I’m assuming you want to check up on Mario?” The squeaky voice asked. 

“...Sure.” Wario didn’t have the energy to argue, considering the Toad was correct, and merely followed the other back. 

Mario was the only patient in the large room. Dressed now in plain white garments that matched the sterile white bed sheets. His right arm was better dressed in clean wrappings with no spots of red being seen. Fast asleep, seeming to not have a care in the world or to even be aware of it. 

“Mario has shown no negative signs that you warned us about. He pretty much fell asleep when we got him down.” The Toad offered as Wario took one of the nearby chairs. 

“Good…” Was the only comment given. 

The Toad, determining there was not much else needed from them, gave a nod and walked off. Joining the rest of his companions in their small office. The door left open so they could no doubt keep an eye on the overall room. Wario was left at the bedside. Feeling awkward and wishing he’d left when he’d been given his out. 

He shifted weakly in the uncomfortably small chair.

Wario hated to admit how close Peach had been to getting to the reason. He was in a weird situation, if he was going to be honest. Because he didn’t feel that a huge moment had been made with the human. Wario doubted that Mario would suddenly be open to help from someone he didn’t trust. Especially for so long. One weird event didn’t suddenly change an opinion. 

But for Wario, he was seeing the other in an uncomfortably familiar light. Even if the coloring was different.

Similar situations, but different outcomes. Wario was the villain and played the part because he didn’t have the energy to care anymore. Mario put into the hero role and was fearful of how it was all going to turn out. But at least the hero had a better chance of backing out of this position if he wanted it…right?

It was all a mess. One that Wario couldn’t just break from, apparently.. 

Was it a worry of knowing what situation Mario was in and being unable to leave him to possibly drown? 

Was it Wario hoping and working towards a possibly better outcome for the other? 

Was this all a stupid attempt to have Wario feel that he had some control over an aspect of his life? Of being able to keep someone else safe after failing his own brother? 

Was this a pity pull to help others not see him as a troublemaker anymore?

Wario’s thoughts were broken when there was a sudden surprised cry of ‘Luigi!’ coming from the numerous Toads. Drawing his eyes up, Wario found a frantic looking human standing in the doorway. Immediately noting the similar features between the human standing and the one currently sleeping. 

The human who was awake and moving completely ignored the crowd of Toads. Pushing past  them easily as he made his way towards Mario’s bed, stopping on the other side from where Wario sat. 

Now closer, Wario could clearly see the distress heavy over the other’s face. Hands shaking as they hung in midair. Clearly stuck on figuring out what he was supposed to do now that he was here.

“Would you lot shut up!” Wario’s voice quieted the insistent Toads, who had been speaking over each other in an ‘attempt’ to say what was wrong. Wide eyes landing on the larger form. Wario now standing up to glare at them. “You’re not helping this! Back off and give the poor guy a break, go!” 

The Toads immediately scampered off. Wario only sat back down when the smaller forms busied themselves. Worrying slightly to find that the other human hadn’t moved yet. 

“Hey… Hey, you okay?” Wario was quiet this time. Calmly reaching out to place a hand on the other’s wrist. 

The human twitched slightly, fearful blue eyes snapping up to Wario. Relaxing as if realizing where he was. “Yeah… Yeah, I’m okay.”

“You sure about that? Seem a little lost in thought.”

There was no reply this time. Hands instead were bright close to the other’s chest, clasping them together, a thumb rubbing the back of his other hand silently. 

Wario frowned. Nervous tics…anxiety? If this is who he thought it was, which the name was given by the Toads, this stance would make sense. Looking around to locate another chair, Wario grabbed his and the other free one. Joining the other on one side. Putting both chairs down, Wario sat and placed his hand on the other’s shoulder. 

“Hey, take a load off. He’s not going to be waking for a while.” Wario’s voice was low and even, hoping that it was calming towards the other. Hand still in place, he applied a little pressure in order to get the human to sit down. Smiling in triumph as the other lowered himself down. 

“Correct me if I’m wrong. But you’re Luigi, right?”

Luigi slowly nodded, eyes not leaving Mario. “Yeah…”

It was the first time he’d spoken and Wario frowned at how small Luigi sounded. That…wasn’t good. 

Pushing past the worry, he continued, “I’m Wario.”

That pulled Luigi’s attention away from his brother. Eye, blue eyes landing on Wario. 

“I’m…going to assume Mario has talked a bit about me to you before?”

“Oh…yeah, a few times. Has he…talked about me to you?”

“...Sure, in a way.”

Luigi wasn’t calmed by that answer. Seeming able to pick up on the underlying meaning behind the pause. “Do you…know what happened?”

Wario faulted at that. He didn’t want to tip-toe around this, like the other was made from glass. But Mario didn’t really explain how Luigi would handle situations or how much the younger brother was aware of things. “We just had a run in with a…new enemy. Mario’s a little roughed up, but he’ll be fine. Promise. He just needs to rest.”

This didn’t seem to offer any comfort. Luigi’s left leg now starting to bounce while his hands were rubbed together. “Mario didn’t mention anything about an enemy… H-He didn’t really tell me anything. J-Just said that Princess Peach had called f-for him before running off. T-Then I get a c-call saying Mario’s been hurt and it sounded back and-”

“Hey, hey, hey, you’re okay.” Wario immediately but cautiously reached out. One hand resting on Luigi’s back while offering the other out, a silent offer for the younger brother to hold onto it. Which Luigi instantly took. 

“You’re okay, it’s going to be fine. I need you to take slow, deep breaths for me, okay? Nice and slow. In…and out… In…and out… There you go, you’re doing great.”

Luigi’s shoulders drooped, seeming to be held up by Wario’s grasp alone, who didn’t really mind. “Feeling better?”

The younger silently shook his head. Eyes shut tight as tears started to fall.

Wario internally groaned, this was not going the way he wanted. He moved to wrap an arm around the smaller form, who didn’t argue this new position. Luigi reaches up to pull his cap over his eyes with one of his hands. 

“H-He won’t talk to me…”

That wasn’t the response Wario was expecting. He wasn’t ready to be acting as a therapist, especially after the night he’d just had. But it didn’t look like he had an option. Plus, what else was he going to do today? “What do you mean?”

Luigi swallowed weakly and shook his head. Frantically reaching up to wipe his eyes. “S-Sorry, I-I don’t even know y-you. I-I can’t… Thank you f-for bringing h-him h-home…””

Wario wasn’t taking that, giving the younger’s shoulder a gentle shake. “Nu huh, come on, out with it. What’s going on in that head of yours. And don’t try to worm your way out of this. I have a younger brother too, so I know how to get answers out.”

That somehow got a laugh out of Luigi, but Wario wasn’t going to complain. 

A few more beats of silence passed, Luigi exhaling slowly before saying, “Mario…is headstrong. But I’m sure you’re aware of that.”

Now was not the time to be sarcastic, so Wario offered, “More than a little.”

Another small laugh. “When he puts his mind and heart into something, Mario’s really hard to deter from that idea. Normally it’s just tackling a difficult plumbing job or with perfecting a new recipe… But now he’s a hero and…I’m worried he’s going to push himself too far.”

“I’ve tried talking to him, to make sure he isn’t about to do something stupid. That he’s not attempting to take on too much. I know I can’t stop him from this new role. Apparently it’s something we…we both have to carry now…”

Wario didn’t miss the shiver that traveled through Luigi. Recalling the ominous final comment Peach offered before departing. Of Mario’s words from the night before, this new life compared to what they left behind. 

“But he’s so focused on this…and I’m worried I’m going to lose him to it.”

“What did you mean when you said he doesn’t talk to you?” Wario gently pushed. 

“Because he keeps going on so many adventures and won’t tell me what happens on them. I…I know I’m not the strongest. I’m not a fighter, I’m not built for it. But with me not going, I rely on him to tell me what’s happening. I don’t think he’s aware of that.” 

“I-I’m worried he has in his mind that keeping me in the dark is keeping me safe in some way… It honestly just makes it so much worse…”

“Have you…tried talking to him?” Wario offered cautiously

“I don’t know what to say or how to bring it up,” Luigi sniffed, “I’m worried if I talk to him, I’ll just cause more stress. Which is the complete opposite of what I want.”

“But you remaining quiet doesn’t seem to be helping either. It’s clearly affecting your mental well-being. You’re not wrong for wanting to know. Also, I highly doubt you could make him mad.” Wario frowned softly when Luigi didn’t reply. The younger looking at his brother with a heavy frown and clear worry. “Hey…wanna hear a story?”

“Uh…s-sure?”

“I’m an older brother too. We’re not twins, my brother and I, we’re a few years apart. We’re very different compared to you two. My brother’s…a dreamer. Has always hated the way we lived. But I didn’t really know that until it was too late.”

“I thought his standoffish personality was just because he was a brat. He hated heavy manual labor, hated the jobs I found. I didn’t realize he was unhappy until we got into a huge argument. We said a few unkind things. He called me disgusting, I called him a brat, it went on all night.”

Wario bit his lip, feeling a familiar sting entering his heart. But pushed past it to continue. “I didn’t know how unhappy he was until he left. He was gone the next morning. Left only a note and took all his stuff with him. His car was gone and it was just…quiet. His note said that he was tired of being held back because I didn’t think big like him.”

“I realized, months later, that I never actually talked to him. Explaining why I did what I did. I just assumed everything was ‘okay’ in its own broken way. I thought he was a brat, he thought I was just lazy. We never talked about what we actually wanted. How he had dreams…how I just wanted to keep our home in tack and food on the table. Us not talking led to us not seeing each other…”

“...How long has it been since you’ve seen him?” Luigi quietly asked. 

“A few years…” Wario cleared his throat and shifted, gently shaking Luigi. “Look, the point of my soap opera life is to tell you to talk to your brother. You have a better relationship with Mario than I have with my own brother. But that can be broken if you let these worries of yours stay quiet.”

“...Suppose you’re right… Thank you, for helping Mario…and for this. I know you two don’t get along.” 

“That’s a bit of an understatement. But, it’s fine, I get it,” Wario flashed a wide smile, “Your bro’s just lucky to have someone as amazing as me around to keep an eye on him.” 

Luigi laughed softly. “I am as well. I should apologize, I didn’t mean to just…dump all of this on you. Especially with the night you just had…”

“Don’t worry. Just…talk to him, I’m serious. You two seem to have a good relationship. This place shouldn’t be what tears it apart.”

“...Thank you.”

Both turned hearing the door open once more. A blue capped Toad beamed upon finding Wario, waving him over. 

“Just I’ll be taking that as my cue to leave.” Wario stood, “You take it easy, alright?”

“Yeah, you too.” Luigi replied softly. Looking a lot calmer than when he first arrived. 

Wario chalk that up as a victory, walking over to the awaiting Toad.

“I’ve come to inform you that your funds have been successfully transferred.” The Toad happily squeaked out. 

Nodding slowly, Wario’s eyes turned back to the only occupied bed. Luigi had moved closer to comfortably hold Mario’s hand. Wario let out a heavy sigh, Peach’s words returning to the surface once more. Realizing he wouldn’t be able to let this rest as easily as he wanted. 

“Care to pass on a message for me?” Wario asked. 

“Of course!”

“...Tell Princess Peach that I will agree to her terms… Under one condition.”

_____________________________

Mario grumbled weakly, slowly waking from his heavy sleep. Somehow not feeling refreshed by the experience. His arms felt stiff as he reached up to rub his eyes. Opening them to find himself resting in the Mushroom castle’s medical wing. An uncomfortably familiar place. 

Letting out a small grunt, Mario slowly sat himself up. Attention immediately going to his injured arm. Surprised to find it already unwrapped with the skin healed. The only indication that he’d been previously injured were faint marks that only revealed at an appropriate angle. Mario concluded that he’d been given a few mushrooms while he was asleep.

“Mario?”

A quiet call of his name caused the hero to tense. Not because the call was unexpected. But because of how familiar the voice was.

Looking over, Mario found his brother lying on one of the nearby beds. Still dressed in yesterday's overalls. Green cap resting on the bedside table next to Mario’s red. Brown shoes resting at the foot of the same table. Luigi was clearly waking up as well. The younger slowly shifted to sit while rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. 

“H-Hey bro, what… When did you get here?” Mario asked, attempting to sound casual. Luigi had never seen Mario this soon after an adventure. The hero was either greeting him, healed, at the front of the castle. Or had made his way back home, already cooking breakfast to greet his younger brother that morning. 

This was tearing the curtains down and ripping them to shreds. Mario had never wanted the other to see him like this. 

Luigi didn’t seem to mind the situation though, mumbling weakly, “Yesterday afternoon-ish. Peach called me saying you would be staying the night and…I had a bad feeling.”

“A-A bad feeling? Did she s-say anything?”

“Just that you were hurt on your mission.” Now more awake with his eyes cleared, Luigi put his full focus on his now squirming older brother. “Also ran into that Wario fellow you told me about before.” 

That caused Mario’s worries to disappear quickly. A little shocked by this. “Wait, he was here? In the room?”

“Right by your bed, yep.”

“Did he hurt you?” Mario’s protective brother stance flared up suddenly. Worried that Wario had said something hurtful or dangerous to Luigi to make the younger brother act like this. “Was he rude? I swear if he-”

“I’m mad at you.”

Mario faulted, anger quickly turning back into fear. Eyes flitting backup to Luigi. Who was now staring at his gloves, his hands gripping each other tightly. 

“Why…are you mad?” Mario asked, voice quiet and fearful. 

“Were you going to tell me what happened?”

“...Of course-”

“Just like the other times you’ve told me?”

“Luigi-”

“Why don’t you talk to me anymore?”

Another stab to the heart. Mario let out a slow breath. He knew this talk needed to happen, just didn’t think it would be this soon. Or when he was recovering from a rather large scare. 

He shifted a bit until he was sitting on the edge of his bed, patting the area next to him. Luigi immediately claimed that spot. Brothers wrapping arms around each other the moment they were within reach. Mario practically melted into the touch, claiming the warmth he’s been missing for what felt like so long. Loving how perfectly Luigi connected to him. The younger tucking his head under Mario’s chin even though he was the taller of the two. 

“I didn’t mean to make you mad.” The hero mumbled softly. 

“I know…”

“I just didn’t want you to worry.”

Luigi shifted weakly, pressing his ear into Mario’s chest. Picking up the faint but steady heartbeats. “I’m always worried. You rush off to help whoever you can. I get it, you’re just like that, it’s a good quality. But…I’m worried you’re doing too much. I wish you would talk to me. Tell me things. You act like you’re keeping me safe by having me stay in a bubble.”

“...I know… But…”

“We’re somewhere new, no idea what’s going to happen next, and you staying quiet…”

“It’s not helping.”

“Yeah… I may not be a fighter. But I’m a great listener.” 

Mario laughed. “Yeah, you are.”

“So, are you ready to talk to me?”

“That sounds so threatening.”

“I’m trying to be serious Mario!”

“Aw, and my baby brother is doing so well.”

Luigi groaned weakly as Mario playfully tugged at one of his cheeks. “Mario. You’re only older by 20 minutes!”

“Still counts! 20 minutes, 20 days, 20 months, I’m older.”

“Why are you being so aggravating!” 

“Because it’s my civic duty as the older brother.”

Another groan sounded as Luigi pulled away and flopped onto his back. “So annoying.”

Mario smirked as he laid down as well. “But you love me.”

“Of course I do. I put up with you, that should say enough.”

The playful smile melted into a warm one. Mario reached a foot out to poke Luigi’s side, calling the younger’s attention away from the ceiling. The hero let out a sigh and said, “Peach told me about a new town that was having some trouble. I was supposed to just go and see what the issue was and report back.”

“I’m guessing that’s…not what happened.”

“I found these creatures called Boos.”

“...Boos?”

“Apparently ghosts or something similar to them? With venom that makes you hallucinate your worst fears if you’re bit.”

“Oh, joy, that sounds like fun. Is that what happened to your arm?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure what to do when I faced them. I let my guard down for too long. Little bugger got me good.” 

Luigi hummed softly, “Did…Did Wario help?”

“Yeah… I won’t lie, I’m not… I still don’t fully trust that guy. Still a bit too much for me. But…he was a life-saver.”

“He seems like a good guy.”

“He’s okay. Are you still mad at me?”

“No…but only if you stop hiding from me. We’re a team right?”

“Right.”

“So, let’s start acting like it.”

“Deal.”

“Good,” Luigi stood, slipping his shoes on and placing his cap in its rightful place. “Now, I should probably tell someone way more professionally qualified than I that you’re awake.”

“That sounds like a smart idea.” 

_____________________________

Wario nervously sat at the kitchen table. Leg bouncing as his eyes remained on the front door. He really shouldn’t feel this nervous. After all, he called people here with the intention of finally being able to fix up this house. His slowly falling apart childhood house. 

But it was still embarrassing to think strangers would be arriving to see the sorry state that he lived in. 

Even if Peach assured him she was sending over the best professionals to help.

The door being knocked on broke Wario from his nervous thoughts. Quietly cursing as he frantically righted his knocked over chair. Letting out a huff to try and calm his nerves, Wario straightened himself out now. Stomping forward and flinging open said door. 

Only to falter once more, finding Mario and Luigi standing on the other side. Luigi beamed while Mario offered a short nod. Behind them stood a small army of eager looking Toads, all either carrying tools or large boxes. 

“Good morning!” Luigi happily announced, “We’re the Mario Brothers and plumbing’s our game! We’ve been asked by Princess Peach, along with our small crew, to help refurbish your home.”

Wario, more than a little surprised by this, had his eyes travel to Mario. “Are you serious?”

Mario straightened his cap and offered his own smirk. “As a heart attack. Now, care to show us the issues you’ve been having?”

The list, apparently, was long. 

Rusted pipes that were breaking or were blocked with who even knows what. Water damaged walls and flooring. Old and broken appliances. The outside was overgrown with invasive flora. The roof was missing a number of shingles and the siding was starting to peel. 

“How…have you lived like this?” Mario asked, absolutely bewildered as Luigi continued to take notes. 

Wario merely shrugged. “Not really home a whole lot. More focused on getting the money over everything else.”

“Yeah…that’s fair.”

The good news was that the house was (somehow) still salvageable. The brothers focused on the plumbing aspects while the Toads worked on the main clean up, reconstruction of the house, and tending to the garden. Wario had been forced at the beginning to just watch this all from the corner of his own home. 

Until he decided he wasn’t going to be a wallflower in his own home. Therefore coming to the conclusion that following Mario around was going to be the most entertaining. Not the brothers collectively. Just Mario. But with how close the brothers were, it looked like he was following them both. 

There was a lot to gleam from their interactions with each other.

It was clear that Mario took the role of the stoic older brother seriously. Granted, his quiet stern position was due to more having Wario so close than anything else. Probably uncomfortable around the other still. Only offering a warm smile and quiet words when interacting with Luigi. The tension in his shoulders seemed to lift when the younger brother was his focus. 

Wario was slightly uncomfortable. Not because he found the clear affection ‘gross’. But because he was bitter in a way he shouldn’t be. 

Luigi seemed to be the complete opposite of his brother. Not in a bad way, mind you. Where Mario was quiet, Luigi was very vocal. Either by talking out loud about everything they were doing or by humming some random tune. On occasion pulling Wario into an unprompted conversation. The younger brother was bubbly. Eyes bright with a permanent smile on his face.

Luigi was also a bit…clumsy. Wario still had no idea what had caused the younger brother to trip. Luigi giving a sheepish grin to his clearly worried brother before cleaning up his own mess.

It was strange to see. A healthy family relationship. Wario felt a little weird with how easily they interacted with each other. Shifting nervously, worrying as if he was intruding in some way. Never mind the fact that Wario was supposed to be here. This was his house. 

That didn’t mean he felt comfortable as he watched something he wished he could have. 

“I think it’s in the van.” Luigi’s voice broke through Wario’s musings. The younger brother digging through his toolbox. 

“Go and grab it quick then.” Mario calmly replied, tightening some pipes. “It’s stable for now, we’ve got time.”

“Alright, I’ll be back soon!”

Wario, who had been leaning against the nearby wall, lazily watched as Luigi ran off. Waiting until he was out the door before turning to Mario. The other clearly kept his focus on the exposed wall. Checking things over, even though he just said everything was fine. Wario assumed he was just trying to keep the other away. Too bad for Mario, Wario didn’t care. 

“How are you feeling?”

Mario didn’t face Wario. Instead turning from the hold to the same toolbox Luigi had been going through moments before. “Fine.”

“You sure? Not being headstrong with your hero complex?”

“What are you, my dad?”

“More like your mentor. Stupid bleeding heart.” Wario internally grumbled before saying, “Sorry for caring.”

“...Luigi said…you stayed with me.” Mario’s voice sounded unsure, as if what he was saying was absolutely crazy.

“For a while, met your brother… Which you clearly knew because of your comment.” 

“Why were you there? I figured you’d want to dump me off and leave as soon as you could.”

“Aw, what, I can’t be worried about my little buddy?” Wario bent down to pull Mario into a tight headlock. 

The hero choked slightly by the sudden movement. “You- Would you stop doing that, you meathead! What if I had a tool in my hand?”

“Then you wouldn’t be very professional. Hurting a client and an innocent bystander.” 

“There is nothing innocent about you.”

“Such a flatterer you are.”

Mario grunted weakly as he forced himself free. Stumbling to a stop before giving a glare to Wario, straightening out his cap. “You didn’t answer my question.” 

“Yeah I did.”

“That wasn’t an answer.”

“Well, it’s what you’re going to get.”

“I thought you hated me.”

Well, there’s a gut puncher. Wario’s eyes fell away at that, arms crossing as he felt himself tense. “I told you, we had a heart to heart.”

“And that was enough?”

“It was a start.”

“What does that mean? Do I trust you now? Are we still enemies?”

“You’re an annoying little bug still.”

Mario gritted his teeth. “And you still get on my last nerves. I don’t know what you said to Luigi-”

“I told him you were being an ass for not talking to your own brother.”

“If you hurt him in any way, I will never forgive you.”

“Seems like you’re doing a fine enough job that you don’t need my help.” Wario bit the inside of his cheek, knowing he’d gone way too far with that comment. The hero had actually flinched. Now glaring at the ground. “Just…look, don’t you think there’s a reason as to why I’m saying these things?”

“Because you’re an ass and like to pick at sore wounds.” Mario grumbled. 

“Because I’m speaking from life experiences.” 

That sentence knocked something in the back of Mario’s memories. Eyes darting around the slowly healing house, as if realizing something was missing. “Where…is your brother?”

Wario wasn’t given a chance to reply. One of the numerous Toad workers came to a shortstop before them. Panting hard as they desperately gestured to the open front door. 

“Whoa, hold on little guy, take a few deep breaths. What’s wrong?” Mario spoke gently, leaning closer in case he needed to offer a hand. 

The Toad took a few more deep breaths before choking out, “P…Piranha P-Plant… S-Stranger… L-Luigi!”

That was all Mario needed to hear before he was rushing out. Wario close behind. 

_____________________________

Luigi only meant to be gone for a few minutes. Grab what was needed and go back inside. 

That plan quickly changed when he heard a number of Toads yelling in fear. Dropping what he had, Luigi rushed towards the side of the house where the noise was coming from. Heart racing upon finding a Toad trapped by three large Piranha Plants. Large mouths with sharp teeth were openly drooling sap onto the ground. A small group of Toads frantically rushed around, unsure of what to do to get their friend free. 

Legs moving faster before his mind to come up with an actual plan, Luigi quickly put himself before the Toad and the sharp toothed plants. 

“B-Back up!” Luigi choked out. Frantically wondering how this was supposed to help. He’s faced these plants before, he knew they couldn’t exactly be resonated with. What was he thinking rushing in like this? He should have gotten Mario!

Mind racing on figuring out his next move, Luigi was shocked when the three plants actually backed down. Letting out small chirps and curious noises. Casually swaying as they seemed to be watching Luigi.

“Ah…um, thank you?” Luigi whispered in absolute amazement. 

Making a break for it, the Toad who’d been hiding behind Luigi ran off. The plants take that as a sign of ‘play’. Eagerly nipping at the fleeing Toad.

“H-Hey, hey, none of that now.” Luigi reprimanded, which didn’t deter them.

Deeming the Toads, the group that was nervously watching nearby, were not worth their attention, the Piranha Plants turned back to Luigi. The younger brother lost whatever bravado he’d been able to build up. Inching back slightly as drooling mouths drew closer once more.

“T-That doesn’t mean you should focus on m-me.” Luigi winced as his back hit a wild growth of purple-leaved bushes. The dense foliage kept the human trapped as eager plants surrounded him. 

Shutting his eyes tightly, Luigi turned his head away. Quietly praying that someone would alert Mario about this before it got out of hand. Only to jump when the first ‘attack’ was a gentle bump to his leg. When this wasn’t followed by the sting of pain or the warm flow of lost blood, Luigi dared to peek. 

One of the plants, the one Luigi assumed had bumped his leg before, was sniffing around his pocket. The other two eagerly waited nearby. Another bump to his leg, Luigi felt something shift in his pocket. A familiar crinkling sound reached his ear. Realizing that the plant was interested in his partially finished breakfast, a granola bar. 

Moving slowly, Luigi grabbed said bar. The Piranha Plants started to chirp eagerly upon seeing the food. 

“Are…you just hungry?”

Another round of eager chirps responded.

“Well, suppose I could break this into three.” Luigi struggled slightly to get the pieces even. Eventually ending up with small piles instead of solid bars. “You guys can help me hide the evidence. Don’t think you’ll out me to Mario for not finishing this.” 

Each plant waited patiently as Luigi dumped the little mounds of granola into their open mouths. As soon as they finished, it really didn’t take too long, the human found himself trapped once more. The three plants pressed close as deep purrs sounded. Luigi offered a small laugh as he gently patted the plant pressing into his chest. 

“W-Well, you’re all d-definitely friendly.” The human remarked softly.

Distracted by the attention, Luigi wasn’t aware of the approaching footsteps. But the still curious Toads who had stuck around to watch turned towards the new sound. Letting out small yelps of fear as they quickly parted to allow the newcomer to continue on. Luigi was pulled away from the rather calm moment when a sharp whistle broke it. 

The human letting out a yelp as the Piranha Plants suddenly flew away. The sudden shift caused Luigi to fall hard onto the ground. Coughing at the cloud of dust that had entered his lungs, standing shakily back up on his legs. Only to stumble back once more in order to get away from the sharp angled face glaring at him.

Luigi didn’t get that far before a hand shot out. The grip on his arm tightening, causing the human to wince. Wide blue eyes pinned on the tall, rather lanky figure towering over him. 

The other individual wearing an outfit that Luigi could tell cost more coins than he would feel comfortable spending. But it was clear this had been worn a few times, small areas either showing fray or being patched up previously. Deep brown hair, almost black, eyes were glaring down at Luigi over a long crooked nose. Resting atop sleek brown hair was a deep purple cap with an upside down ‘L’ embroidered on it.

“Who are you?” The question was hissed out through gritted teeth.

Still recovering from the sudden shift of everything, Luigi’s response was a quiet, “...What?”

The grip tightened further. Luigi reaches up and attempts to pull the other off. “I asked who you are and, furthermore, what are you doing here.”

“Ow- Luigi! I-I’m Luigi and I’m here to f-fix the plumbing in the h-house!”

“If that’s the case, why are you out here in my garden?”

“Y-Your-”

“Luigi!

Relief came in the form of Mario rushing towards them. Easily breaking the grip and pushing Luigi behind him. Glaring at the newcomer with as much anger he could show. 

“Don’t you dare touch my brother.”

“More of you? Have humans become the new infestation? Trying to beat out the number of Toads, are you?”

“Who the heck even are you!”

“That’s my question to you and that sniveling coward behind you.”

“Keep talking like that and I’ll make you regret it.”

“Charming.”

Mario fell quiet as Wario positioned himself before the hero. Eyes narrowing on the towering stranger silently. The hero takes this moment to pull Luigi further away, checking him over. 

“Are you okay?” Mario whispered. Luigi merely offered a nod. 

Meanwhile, Wario was still holding a quiet stare down with the other. Who was now standing at full height, sneering down at Wario with a stiff smirk. 

“It’s not like you to have guests.”

Wario rolled his eyes. Deciding to ignore it and instead commented, “You didn’t tell me you were going to visit.”

“Call it a…curiosity visit. Wanting to see how well you’re getting on. Although, I have to say I’m upset that my pets need scraps from a stranger. Clearly you’re not feeding them well. Care to explain why you have so many vermin running around?” Sharp eyes narrowed towards Mario and Luigi. 

The older brother glaring back while the younger looked down at the ground, clearly nervous. 

“And I really want to know how you of all people know two humans. Especially ones who stick their bulbous noses into the care of others' gardens when they’re not wanted.” 

Luigi’s hand shifted from rubbing his sore arm to hiding his nose. 

Wario immediately reached up to pull at the other’s ear sharply. Hissing darkly as he says, “Good to know your pompous attitude has only gotten worse, Waluigi. Seems you haven’t learned anything while being in New Donk.”

“Let go of me you absolute bastard before I-”

“You know you won’t risk damaging your little outfit in a scuffle with me. Now come on. We’re talking inside.” 

Still having a tight grip on the other’s ear, Wario steered them both inside. Leaving two stunned brothers and a gaggle of Toads watching on in fear. The Piranha Plants have gone back to nuzzling against the still nervous Luigi.

“What was that all about?” Mario frowned. Shaking his head before turning back to Luigi. “Hey, you sure you’re okay? You’re not hurt?”

The younger shook his head again, eyes on where Wario had walked off. “I think they’re brothers.”

“What?”

“That guy, Waluigi, said that this was his garden.”

Well, this was going to be interesting. 

After pulling Luigi away from the clinging flowers, the brothers cautiously walked back in.There was a clear change in the air. Sure, Wario wasn’t super pleasant to be around. But it was at least relaxing before. Now it was almost suffocating. 

Wario and Waluigi now sitting around the tilted kitchen table. Toads shuffling past the doorway as if walking on broken glass. 

Luigi attempted not to flinch as Waluigi’s eyes landed on him once more. Picking up his pace, quickly getting back to their working area. 

Whatever conversation was happening was starting out low. Mario made the assumption it was just a casual catch up. By Wario’s look of surprise upon seeing his brother back, it was a good guess that Waluigi didn’t return home often. Or that this was the first time coming back period. If anything else, this was just one giant unannounced surprise.

The hero recalled a few words Wario had shared about his brother those few nights ago. About how Waluigi had more ambitious drives than what this life or what Wario could provide. But if Mario’s observations were anything to go off from, the dreams weren’t working into reality.

While Waluigi was wearing something created with some high cost materials, the outfit was well worn. Small patches and repairs were easily seen. Mario had worked with money makers before, they’re loose with their spending when it came to showing off. If Waluigi was doing so well, he wouldn’t waste his time repairing an outfit if he could just buy a new one. 

“I don’t think they like each other.” Luigi cautiously whispered. 

“I’m going to say it’s just miscommunication in the worst way and not seeing eye to eye. Not everyone’s going to get along like us.” Mario offered a warm smile. 

But could tell it didn’t help ease Luigi’s worries. 

“It’s just family drama, Weegie, leave them be.”

That request quickly fell away when voices started to rise. Conversation changing to a heated argument. Toads either cowering or outright leaving the house. Luigi’s shoulders rose as he tensed further. Mario’s eyes also on the doorway leading into the kitchen, hand reaching out to take hold of one of Luigi’s to comfort. 

“It’s fine. It’s going to be fine. Just leave them be bro.”

“Good to know you’re spending your money so well,” Waluigi’s voice was icy as he shouted, “This place looks like it’s going to collapse at any moment and my garden looks horrendous!” 

There was the sound of something heavy slammed onto the table. No doubt Wario caused the noise. “It would be great if I had some sort of support. You know money’s tight!”

“I thought you were supposed to be the ‘responsible one’. That’s what you kept touting before. Trying to keep everything together, or at least claiming you were.”

“Big talk coming from you. If you’re doing so well, surely you can help send support.” 

“The older sibling is supposed to take care of everything. Isn’t that what you kept saying?”

“You seem to just have an answer for everything, don’t you? You haven’t even told me why you’re here.”

“Oh, so now I need a reason to come home?”

“Considering you left in the middle of the night and haven’t talked to me in years, yeah. Yeah, I think I deserve a good reason for you to be here right now.” 

“Grambi, it’s always has to be some big ‘reason’ for you.” 

“Because you’ve never done this before! What do you want, Waluigi? Want to put your success on display, rub it in my face?”

“Truthfully, seeing the sad state that you live in, it wouldn’t take much.” 

Mario was about to suggest that they take an early lunch break when Luigi suddenly pulled away. Storming past his brother with his face scrunched up in anger. Making a direct line to the kitchen.

“Wait, Luigi, stop, we don’t-” Mario had just scrambled to his feet when Luigi turned into the kitchen. Heart beating furiously as he chased after his brother, Mario entered to find his brother staring Waluigi down. Who seemed very unimpressed.

“What do you want, manual labor?” Waluigi sneered out.

“Y-You can’t talk t-to him like that.” Luigi shot back in a tone that caused Mario to freeze. 

Waluigi even seemed surprised, but recovered quickly. Standing up to tower over the other. “You don’t get to tell me how to talk to my brother-”

“Apparently I d-do! Y-You’re such a stranger in his life, y-you don’t see him doing what he can to p-provide in some way.”

“Provide? You call this being provided for? A barely functioning house with a barely showered brother? This is truly the definition of luxury.” 

“A-And w-what have you done? Y-You’re so bent on bringing W-Wario down that y-you haven’t said what y-you’ve accomplished! I-If you’re such a b-big deal, s-surely you c-could help to pay to keep t-this place up. I-If money’s not a big w-worry, then you could make b-both of your lives e-easier.”

“Listen here, you low life leech. You have no room to make any ‘helpful’ comments about my life. I’m not going to listen to some lowly plumber-” 

“And what’s wrong with that!” Luigi stomped his foot, “I love what I do! And I love that I can work with my brother everyday! You may see it as low work, or that I’m not aiming big enough, or whatever your issue is with honest work. But I’m happy with where I am and it’s pretty clear that you’re not!”

“So, here’s what’s going to happen, if you’re willing to put your ego away for a few minutes. I’m going to make some tea and you two are going to talk. Not dance around everything and not belittle each other. Talk. Do I make myself clear?”

There were no arguments made. Even though Waluigi seemed he would like nothing more than to throttle the other.

Hearing no retorts, Luigi marched over to the numerous cabinets. Standing before them for a few moments before saying, “Um…Wario?”

“Yes?”

“Could you…tell me where everything is?”

Wario hid his laugh with a small sigh and stood. “Let me help.”

They were all soon situated around the table. Steaming cups of tea in hand. Mario had put himself between Luigi and Waluigi as the latter had not stopped glaring at the younger brother. Luigi, on his part, seemed to have calmed down slightly.

Taking a small sip from his cup before stating, “I think the best place to start is for you to share why you’re here, Waluigi.”

“You have not right to interject yourself-”

“I do when you’re an absolute ass to your own brother. Now talk.”

“It would be in your best interest to do so,” Mario muttered frantically, “Luigi doesn’t curse unless he’s really upset.”

Waluigi rolled his eyes but didn’t comment back. Instead focusing on his own cup. Clearly thinking through his options as to what he could do in this situation. Deciding he was at a loss, Waluigi let out a sigh and said, “I was fired.”

“You were what?” Wario sat up further at that, clearly upset, “When? When did this happen?”

“About a month ago.”

“And you waited this long-”

“Because I was hoping I could find another job! Plus, I didn’t want you to…know.”

“But I would have helped-”

“With what money? You’re just as strapped for cash as I am.”

Wario huffed, “Well, what was with your attitude if you’re struggling hard as I am?”

“Because I didn’t know you had guests.” Waluigi hissed as his eyes narrowed on the brothers. 

“What does that have to do with anything? They don’t know what’s going on in our lives.”

“Bulbous nose has enough information to apparently feel the need to defend you!”

“Uh, t-try not to bring appearances into this,” Luigi said weakly, “U-Us being here shouldn’t really have-”

“Stop. Talking.” Waluigi hissed. 

“That’s not a good reason.” Wario defended. 

“Yes it is!” Waluigi shouted in frustration, “Because I was already feeling like shit having to come back here with my tail between my legs. Because when I left I swore I wouldn’t be back until I could prove I was better than this shitty life! There was a bit of hope in thinking we could be miserable together in coming back here.”

“Instead I come back to our house being rebuilt and some tiny coward getting my precious Piranha Plant’s attention.”

Wario frowned softly. “...You’d rather us be miserable than safe?”

“Yes! Otherwise that means you were right and I hate it when you’re right!”

Mario held his breath at this. Half expecting for someone to launch themselves across the table at the other. When all remained in place, Mario let his shoulders relax as he mulled over the words that had been said. Eyes landing on Wario, who looked lost at this point, and Mario decided it was his time to step in. 

“I’m going to make some guesses here and offer some words of my own. If allowed.” Mario started cautiously. 

“Why not,” Waluigi muttered darkly, “Everyone else here is.”

“I can’t fully count for what’s been said between you two before. I wasn’t there and I don’t want to know. I’m gleaming enough from this thought and it’s clear that the last full conversation between you two didn’t end well. But that shouldn’t be how you should define your relationship. You’re both stupidly prideful and stubborn- and don’t try to deny it!” Mario held up a finger on both ends, effectively shushing them both. 

Wario and Waluigi crossed their arms in silent defeat. 

The hero continued, pointedly talking to Waluigi. “Having goals is not a bad thing, but you need to be realistic. You’re seeing why now. Just to go off without something of a plan can end badly. Even more so if you don’t have something to fall back on. You’re lucky that you still have your brother.”

Waluigi didn’t respond, but the grip on his arms did slack. 

Wario’s attention, which had been focused on the table, moved up to Luigi when the younger brother leaned forward. Who offered a warm smile. 

“I think you need to take your own advice next time. Distance shouldn’t be a worry if you want to make a connection. Talking can help, right?”

“...Right,” Wario huffed, glaring at Waluigi who was staring back unfazed, “You’re an idiot and an ass. But you’re also my brother, so you know I’m here to support you. I’m sorry your shity idea didn’t work. I warned you that you had too many things working at once. Just…come home and we’ll figure something out. Okay?”

“You were always loud…” Waluigi sighed but nodded, “Thank you…for letting me come home.” 

“A thank you? Wow, how much of your pride did you have to swallow there?”

“Too much. And it tasted like spoiled milk.” Standing from the table once more, Waluigi continued, “I’ll be moving back in by the end of the week. If that works.”

“Yeah, the house will be fixed by then.” Wario looked to Mario, who confirmed with a nod.

“Very well…and you!” 

All tensed at Waluigi’s sudden change in attitude. But Luigi was now put on display. The younger brother swallowed weakly before nervously spitting out, “M-Me?”

“I already didn’t like you when you won the favor from my dear Piranha Plants. They’re very picky with who they find acceptable. And for you to win them over so easily infuriates me.” 

“I-I just gave them some-”

“Then you have the absolute gall to shout at me, in my own home! I don’t care if it was for my betterment. No one has ever had the audacity to speak to me as such…besides my brother. But that’s not the point.”

With a grand post and a wide sneer, Waluigi announced, “You have made a powerful rival today, Greenie. I shall best you at whatever game you’re playing at!”

“I-I’m not-”

“We shall cross paths again. When we do, I shall have the upper hand!” 

With that, he was off. Waluigi departing out the front with, somehow, rose petals falling behind and leaving a trail. 

It was weirdly quiet following this proclamation. All a little stunned with Wario being able to recover first. Actually rolling out of his chair, boisterously laughing until he made his way to Mario. Pulling said hero into a familiarly uncomfortable headlock. 

“Gah!” Mario cried out, “What are you-”

“Did ya see that, mini me? Our brothers are becoming friends! Now why can’t we get along like that?”

“You are an absolute lunatic!” 

Mario was released for a second, only to be pulled back into a tight hug. Luigi is also being pulled in, letting out a surprised yelp of his own.  

“Don’t worry, we’ll all be getting along soon enough!” Wario laughed. 

Luigi offered a small smile to his brother’s unamused look. “I-It’s always good to have a number of people to rely on for m-moral support.” 

Mario could only let out a small groan in defeat. 

#mario #luigi #wario #waluigi #continuation of a story #stare them down #enjoy! #this is becoming a series #cover art by weevmo #s-creations #weevmo #yellow purple red green

[lilyofthesword-writes]

Insistence

Summary: Loki is being stubborn even when injured, not wanting help for fear of seeming weak. You ignore his protests and tend to him anyways.

Pairing: Loki x Field/Combat Medic!Reader

Word Count: 2,864

Warnings/Disclaimers: Mild violence. Injuries, burns. I don’t go into gory detail. Minor character death alluded to.

A/N: This one took longer than I anticipated. I wound up rewriting it midway through. The whole combat medic has been on my list of ideas for a while with only the most basic idea in my head. Once I start writing, it veered off in a different direction.

Masterlist

“I do not require your assistance, Mortal,” Loki spat, his voice lacking the venom it was usually laced with especially when you were trying to do your job.

You scoffed, gently dabbing at the tiny lacerations on his cheek. “Well, you’re getting it anyways. What kind of field medic would I be if I didn’t help everyone on the team?”

He scowled as you brushed a rogue ribbon of inky hair behind his ear so you could make sure you didn’t miss anything. In truth, this was the first time he didn’t continuously insist on pushing you away. There was always something about him not needing your treatments or someone else needing to be tended to first - Any excuse he could use to deny help. Then again, there was nowhere for him to run this time.

Either Fury’s intel had been wrong, your team’s plans had been leaked or both. The HYDRA base you all had been sent to had been overstocked in both operatives and ammunition. Even with the legacy team that accepted Loki almost half a year ago, you weren’t prepared.

Nat had been the worst, immediately being taken down when she attempted to infiltrate the base. That was when the HYDRA members started spilling out from within and around the base. With the rest of the team providing backup, Clint was able to help you lug her back to the Quinjet where you cleaned the deep gash in her side and stitched her together again. Of course, Clint wasn’t going to stand down. He stayed by the ramp, firing arrow after arrow to keep some of the heat off his companions. You wound up having to patch up his bleeding leg while he continued to fight.

Steve was the next to return. He collapsed in a seat as you reached him. Bruised and battered, he was mostly alright save for the possibility of some broken ribs. Tony crashed-landed onto the ramp, the metal of his suit screeching and scraping as he skidded inside. He was in the same boat as Steve along with his suit quickly losing power. There wasn’t much left he could do. Thor lumbered backwards into the Quinjet, Mjolnir still boomeranging out into the field to take down what enemies he could. With the God of Thunder standing guard, Clint disappeared to the cockpit.

The engines whirred to life. “Okay, guys! Jet’s primed and ready for take off. We got everyone?” Clint called out.

You took a look around, hearing the engines ready themselves. Thor cursed under his breath as he continued throwing his hammer. Where was… Oh… Oh no.

Shoving the cotton ball doused in antiseptic into Tony’s hand, you peeled away from his side and hovered near Thor. Against the bright white snow, a twister of black, green and gold ferociously danced. Loki was still out there.

“Do NOT take off yet!” you hollered back.

With a huff, you opened a hidden compartment and pulled out a sniper rifle along with its tripod. After piecing together the barrels, you attached the small tripod and settled on the floor, taking aim in Loki’s general direction. You popped off a couple rounds onto any of the HYDRA agents who dared try to catch the mischievous god off guard.

Tony shuffled to his feet, cursing when he realized just what was happening. By this time, he had removed himself from the drained Iron Man suit. “Trade places, Legolas! Reindeer Games is still out there!” He dashed to the cockpit.

You fired again, this operative having gotten too close for comfort. Loki had turned just in time to see opponent drop dead at his feet. With a near indiscernible nod that could only be seen through your scope, he carried on, slowly making his way to the Quinjet.

Despite his own injury, Clint was swiftly back at your side. With the extra backup, an exhausted Thor was able to make it off the ramp, farther into the fray and meet his brother halfway. Clint and you kept the path clear enough for them to rush back. It was stunning to see how well they could work together when they needed to.

The moment they were in reach of the ramp, you leapt to your feet and with Clint pulled the exhausted brothers on board. The ramp lifted as you tugged Loki into sitting, and the Quinjet took off. So, here you were, attempting to take care of the trickster’s wounds after having checked on Thor.

“I am a god,” he sneered half heartedly. “I will heal quickly. This is unnecessary.” He winced lightly as the antiseptic stung his cheek.

You sighed, “Any one can heal those cuts, but just because you can do so faster than the rest of us, doesn’t mean you are impervious to infections. Just less likely to get them.”

He went silent at that, either realizing you were right or just not desiring to argue further. Done with one side, you swapped to the seat on the other side of him. With a clean, freshly wetted cotton ball, you gingerly began cleaning his other cheek. All things considered, Loki didn’t look too bad. At least, not as bad as he could have. With your freehand, you coaxed him to lift his chin up so you could tend to the lacerations on his neck.

“Why?” His voice was soft, just loud enough for only you to hear him.

“Why, what?” You copied his volume level.

“Why do you insist on this?”

You stopped your ministrations, raising your gaze to look him in the eye. His face was uncharacteristically soft as he looked back at you. Though he tried to hide it, his aventurine eyes held an unfamiliar vulnerability.

“Well,” you started slowly, carefully choosing your words. “You are a member of this team, and you should be treated as such.” Fingers still ghosting his chin, you guided him to face you. “You deserve the same treatment I would give everyone else.”

His brow furrowed as he studied you cautiously. It took him a moment before he finally spoke again. “Should that be what you wish to believe, it is fine by me.” You could hear the sharpness returning to his voice.

The god turned away, leaning back in his seat with closed eyes, effectively ignoring you. Now, you could have chosen to change seats, to move away from the cold attitude clearly directed at you, but you stayed. One, you were tired like everyone else and didn’t feel like getting up. Two, you were going to be stubborn and bug him with your presence.

Eventually a calm quiet enveloped the Quinjet, seeping into your bones. Feeling your eyes droop, you settled in your seat for as much comfort as you could get before drifting off.

You imagined hours had passed by the time you woke. Your muscles ached from the position you had fallen into, your neck being the worst. Tentatively rolling your shoulder, you tried to sit up and stretch only to find you couldn’t. Your head was resting you thought was the side of your seat, but there was a light weight keeping on top keeping you from moving. You opened your eyes to a shocking sight.

No, your sleeping position was a bit different from what you thought. Your makeshift pillow happened to be Loki’s shoulder. He, in turn, had his head on yours, probably having fallen asleep shortly after you. It seemed like he was still asleep, his chest rhythmically rising and falling in a way that could be described as soft. You could only imagine the tranquil expression on his face. There was absolutely no way you were going to look. You would probably move too much and wake him, and that would be the end of this little moment.

The rest of the team was asleep, save for Thor. Even with exhaustion drenching his body, he was wide awake, grinning like a madman when he realized you had caught him watching. How long had he bared witness to the scene unfolding? With a scowl, you pressed your finger to your lips, signaling him to keep quiet. He merely nodded, that knowing smile still plastered on his face.

The call you received from Maria shocked the lingering sleep from your body. A small team had been formed to infiltrate a hostage situation - a team that included Nat, Loki, Steve and another field medic whose name you hadn’t even had the chance to remember yet. The mission had soured once they reached the hostages. Everyone was being brought back to the compound for treatment. It was all hands on deck.

Quickly shucking your pajamas, you threw on a pair of scrubs and sneakers and made a mad dash to the Med Bay. The place was pure chaos. Most of the doctors and nurses were tending to the hostages in the main rooms. The team was near the back in separate rooms.

Spotting Maria who was attempting to direct people and bring some semblance of order to the wing, you rushed over to her. “Where do you need me?”

She flipped through the files on her data pad, not even looking up to see who she was speaking to. “Everyone has a medic taking care of them except for Steve and Loki. Start there.”

“Understood,” you nodded, leaving Maria to do what else was needed.

Down the hall, you took note of the injuries you could see of the various patients. Burns… Lots of burns… What in the world happened?

Passing by Nat’s room, she seemed mostly alright. She gave you a minute bob of her head that you reciprocated before meeting up with Steve. He had burns along one side of his body. Thankfully, the treatment would be minimal compared to some of the others.

“Hey,” he greeted you with a grimace as you began your work.

“How’re you feeling?”

He huffed out a tiny laugh, “Honestly, not terrible.”

With the top half of his suit tugged down, you gingerly cleaned and added ointment to soothe the wounds. “What happened out there?”

“One of the hostages… Well… He had an explosive… Saddled up to Trevor…”

Oh… The field medic… Oh god…

Steve sucked in a breath like he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs. “Loki tried to contain it, but… We were all a little late in reacting.”

Your hands stilled. “How bad is he?”

The super soldier plucked the salve container from your fingers. “He’ll live, but if you’re really that worried about him, I can handle the rest of this.”

“You know him.” You tried to snag the container back. “He’ll come up with any excuse to not let us help him. If he knows I left you here, he’ll insist I leave him alone.”

Steve held it away from you with his good arm like a kid holding its younger sibling’s toy out of reach. “I doubt he will do that this time,” he smiled reassuringly, a glint of knowing shining in his eyes.

Leaning on the bed, you heaved a sigh. “You’re gonna drag me in there if I refuse, aren’t you?”

“Yup,” he ended with a pop. “Now get going!” He shooed you away.

“Fine,” you groaned, playfully dramatic. “But you can bet I will be back later to make sure you did everything right.”

He let loose a chuckle. “I’d expect nothing less.”

Leaving Steve to his own devices, you went to the next room down the hall. The door was shut and the privacy blinds were closed. Was Loki hurt that badly that the others had to be hidden away?

With a quick announcing knock, you steeled yourself and pushed the door open, sliding in before silently closing it again. When you turned to face Loki, you were met with something you hadn’t quite expected to see. What burns still littered his skin looked as though they were mostly healed over, but that wasn’t the problem. With his armor off, you were able to get a good look at his arms and upper torso.

Blue. His skin was blue. Ridges meticulously adorned his arms, up his chest and even his face. It was such a stark contrast to his Asgardian form, yet it still suited him well. From unmarred, alabaster skin to decorated, indigo skin. Perfection in both forms.

“Loki?” you announced your presence as softly as possible.

His face scrunched as he squinted his eyes open to find you standing beside him. “Aren’t there others that need tending to?” The hoarseness of his voice betrayed the harshness he attempted to convey.

“We’ve enough staff to manage everyone well enough,” you shook your head with a smile.

Now that you were closer, you could see he was sweating profusely. His breaths were so shallow. Brushing away a locket of hair matted to his forehead, you found his skin warm… Much warmer than it should be. Instead of recoiling immediately, you laid your palm flush with his forehead. “You are burning up!”

You pulled away to pop outside the door. Waving down a nurse, you asked him to bring in as many ice packs as he could. What was currently stored in the room would not be enough. Returning, you pulled out all of the packs. You wrapped them in some towels so they wouldn’t directly touch his skin. Then, you placed them around Loki, hoping this would be enough until the nurse got back with you.

The god rested silently while you worked. It was only when you pulled up a chair next to him to keep an eye on his vitals that he finally spoke. “Why are you still here?” A sort of vulnerability leaked out of his voice.

“Because you need help,” you deadpanned, really not wanting this argument again.

“No.” His brow furrowed with frustration, ruby eyes staring at the ceiling. “Why haven’t you run yet?”

You brushed a little more of his tresses away from his face. “And why would I do that?”

“Are you blind? Do you not see the monstrosity before you?” He scowled, still refusing to look at you.

“No, I don’t.”

He barked out a laugh that he immediately regretted. “Then what, pray tell, do you see?”

Reaching across for his cheek, you guided him to face you, receiving little resistance. His skin was still hot but not quite as much as before. “I see a person who risked his own safety to protect a bunch of civilians. There’s no way you could be a monster even with your jötun form.”

“So, you do know what I am…” A deep frown etched across his face.

“Yes… If it makes you feel any better, only a select few know. I have to know the medical histories of all the Avengers if I’m to treat them in the field.”

Silence…

“And for what it’s worth, this,” your thumb graced the apple of his cheek, “is not scary in the slightest.”

His eyes searched yours frantically for any hint of dishonesty. A trembling hand raised and settled on yours, pressing it further on his face. His lips parted to speak but was interrupted by a light knock on the door.

With an apologetic smile, you slid your hand from his grasp. The nurse from before had returned with the ice packs. A quick “thank you” and you brought the tray in the room, shutting the door behind you. Just as you had before, you surrounded him with the new packs. Loki’s chest rose and fell more deeply as he cooled down even further, skin morphing into a pale sky blue and eyes returning to the bluish-green you’ve come to know.

“Well, you’re at least responding quickly. How do you feel?” You hovered at his bedside.

He locked eyes with you again, a cocktail of emotions swirling about despite his attempts to keep a straight face. “I-” he cleared his throat. “Better…”

“Good, good…” Your hands fiddled with the sheets. “Is there anything you need?”

Loki’s lips pursed, and he swallowed thickly. His digits brushed against yours, halting your nervous tick. “Stay?”

“Of course,” you breathed.

The corners of your mouth tugged upwards as you glided your fingers into his palm like two puzzle pieces meant to fit together, giving his hand a light squeeze. You pulled your seat closer and sat back down.

Just as you made yourself comfortable, Loki raised your hand to his face. His lips grazed over your knuckles as he whispered, “Thank you…”

“Anytime.” And you meant it. “I’ll stay for as long as you’ll have me.”

He let your entwined hands float back down to the bed as he chuckled. “If that’s the case, I do hope you are well prepared.”

“Oh, yeah?” You smirked. “And just how long do you plan on keeping me around?”

“For as long as you will have me.”

Little did either of you know, Thor had come to the Med Bay to check on Loki after he heard the news and was listening to the conversation through the closed door. He decided to leave you be for now. The congratulations and light teasing could wait until tomorrow.

Tag List: @nahthanks​

#thor is a good bro #same for the rest of the team #loki x reader #loki laufeyson #loki marvel #loki mcu #loki odinson #loki x you #marvel #loki imagine #fanfiction #fanfic #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki friggason #thor marvel #Thor Odinson #natasha romanov #black widow #clint barton #hawkeye #Steve Rogers #captain america #tony stark #iron man #maria hill

[tofumedic]

Brothers + Diavolo w/ a selectively mute GN!MC

summary: how well the brothers would be able to deal with you being selectively mute and how they respond to you talking to them !

Lucifer

Other than Diavolo, he may be the only one to know beforehand as helping in the organization of the RAD program, however it may only be overlooked if it is not present in any kind of record like schooling or medical.

When you first come into Devildom, your D.D.D. may be used as a sort of translation object between you and those present.

He is a little peeved in the beginning before you are able to explain it, he would regain his calm but would see it as a small setback to how he expected orientation to go.

Other than that he quickly learns about you and how you work so that he can work with you while trying not to dote on you!

The one that would gift you small portable whiteboards and markers if you had a preference over it for typing, professional though only dark blue and black inked markers <//3

Your first words to him are probably about answering a question or a summons, he does a lot of both but don't call him out for being clingy okay

Anyways

If this man is standing or getting up to greet you expect him to stumble, just slightly catching himself on the edge of his office desk or resting a hand against the wall

When he meets your eyes you can see there's a pinch of panic of "you did not just see that please tell no one" that melts back into "oh my god???????"

He's quick to relax back into what he wanted to talk to you about, not wanting you too feel anxious or guilty for however long it took for you guys to have a mutual trust and safety net.

For the rest of the day his face remains in this pleasant smile and everyone except Asmo and Beel are suspicious, Mammon being especially on edge.

If they call him out on what has him so happy today he will brush them off for being nosy about what isn't their worries but the small blush that rises to his face as he crosses his arms does not help his case.

Mammon

He is all of your noise

He gets forgetful and will try to have conversations across the house by yelling at you only to barge into your room in his petty fake anger just to see your face either amused at him or completely deadpan and he just ....🧍‍♂️

He gets anxious about leaving anywhere without his D.D.D. now what if his human needs him while he's not "bothering" you

Takes extreme pride in helping you order food when you go out places whether with his brothers or just alone, he loves it. Not only does he get an excuse to sit by your side and lean into your shoulder to see what menu item you're pointing at but it means he also has less worry about, he likes being close by to help you just in general.

Your first words are probably involving some drama he was mourning over earlier that day, probably with Lucifer or being the butt of the joke with another brother.

If Lucifer would stumble, expect this man to fully fall. God forbid you two are walking down the stairs instead of him rolling off the edge of your bed or just plopping on the carpet.

He would be so excited, his cheeks are burning even though you may have not even complimented him those words are gonna be ingrained to his memory maybe even written down in his notes app.

But he will downplay how happy he is that out of all of them he was the first you talked to, because of course it would be him the great Mammon and your first man it just made sense.

He's over the moon he won't flex it unless you start being verbal with more of his brothers he doesn't want them to pressure you into speaking no matter how much the urge bubbles up while Asmo is talking about how you would rather match outfits with him that others

Leviathan

He doesn't mind that much, at the beginning of your relationship he is very shy and doesn't really start talking unless something reminded him of one of his shows or games

Will gain a habit of just texting you instead of asking you a question outloud, just because he thinks its more polite and understands as in sometimes it's too much energy to open his mouth to speak

Teaches you phrases from his games, basically call outs, as an extra layer of code to let you know if you're camping out in his room that he is gonna leave for a package (going to spawn camp) or food (healing) etc

He does get jealous saying it's unfair about Mammon helping you order stuff in the "irl" while absolutely being too nervous to do it for himself as well

You two have your own codes for entering each others room, knocking to the tune of a popular sound effect from a game you play together for the ease but he enjoys when you try to do the beginning of an ost or girl group song and he tries to guess it

Your first words for him are probably you entering his room with some snacks or having picked up a package for him from his door, his response to you entering would be asking you to hold on this match or episode was almost done

So when you give out hum and either let him know you're staying or you're signing off (leaving) it's an insta-death, his attention is caught so fast

His posture extremely straight from his hunched focus as he speedquits his match closing every tab back to desktop before standing up on his wobbly legs and giving you the most affection he can handle of having that without warning

He gives you a small headbutt, pushing his forehead into your shoulder as he controls his breathing. He can't handle it that's like finale love interest marrying the protag and you hit him with it so lightly.

He wouldn't change his preference of texting you questions as it's something he's still comfortable with and you speaking to him makes him feel like he's reached masters rank without losing any matches

Satan

He is your best bet for knowing sign language, he finds it interesting that there are so many regional variations has tucked his knowledge of them into his big ol head

His movements would be hesitant as he's mentally dusting off the memory of practice but he is very good at it, though he wouldn't be more than only a pinch disappointed if you didn't prefer that way.

He be more interested in you in the beginning before learning about your magical presence and the pact hunt, it's unusual to him and he likes the study

Picks up small things that are unnoticeable to everyone but you about small habits and things that barely make it easier, like remembering to rebuke Mammon when he goes to order but forgets you don't like a certain ingredient and asks for it to be removed himself.

Would ask if you would like to learn Devildom's concept of sign language, maybe just quick easy signs for going about RAD tasks and classes

Your first words are probably said to him in the safety of his study, surrounded by books or even your homework while he reads

MC i love you very much but i feel like it would be something really stupid or cursed along the lines of

"I'm tired of people making Frankenstein's creature ugly he's literally written to be sexy" or "Why are people so attracted to Dracula he's supposed to ugly af >:/"

He would be.. very nonchalant about the fact it was you speaking to him and acting like he was talking to one of his brothers and going against you in the argument until he picks up those books to prove his side to be like "oh."

He needs a moment after such a not so public embarrassment so it would be later while you're both laying in your respective rooms and he's going over it in his head and then it hits him. It also hits that it was perhaps the most unromantic way it could have gone but it makes him smile into his pillow.

He has it as a secret weapon against Lucifer but he likes knowing something his brother doesn't

He can't look at you for too long the next day but will use the two figures of your mock argument to lightly bully you being soft on you in the comfort he wanted you to know was returned

"In case of argument, you would make a very good creation made in such a pleasing image"

Asmodeus

He is willing to fill up space for conversations for you also, he has a lot to say but will still ask you questions and for your input so you're included

He thinks the whiteboard concept is very cute! He would be the one to get you little accessories like a bag just for that and your markers or a strap for it. He would also be the one to get you more marker colors, you having just black and dark blue is unforgivable

Enjoys asking you how you're feeling, in a way that's easier if you didn't want to write or type it all out is giving him a number between 1-10. 10 is for your absolute worst like if you are having a day that you can't get out of bed or 1 where you're feeling really good like nothing can hurt you.

Doesn't force you to go out and party with him in case it's bad for your nerves or there's a worry demons will rude about "their advances being ignored."

Likes being close to you, so you can write in a notes app or use some other alternative other than texting where he might not see it getting buried by other messages.

Asmo would enjoy either holding hands or wrapping his arm around yours of your non dominant side, he makes good by staying on that side when he's going for affection or just to be in your bubble.

You talking to him for the first time would probably being during an outfit review or ordering new face masks off of Akuzon.

And he would melt, pelting you with kisses smothering every empty inch of your forehead, your cheeks, the bridge of your nose he's so happy

Whatever you were doing or looking at becomes his favorite, a fit he wears when he feels down to keep him happy, or using a specific brand of nail polish or face mask specifically due to the memory

Would find any lisp or rasp overwhelmingly adorable, of course it fits his angel you sound undeniably perfect. Loves how conversations sound with your two voices mixing together.

Beelzebub

He wouldn't completely understand but he isn't rude about it, his actions remaining normal to how he usually acts

If you wanted to learn their version of sign language he would try with you no matter if it was a struggle to fit into his schedule between the gym and spending time with Belphie and RAD and anything else but wouldn't want you to do it alone

He would keep you safe from anyone who had a problem with it, he's used to Belphie not wanting to talk to people other than him so he would be able to handle it especially if you two had similar gestures you used

Beel is also quite quiet in his own other from rumblings or dislike about being yelled at, he's good at still talking and holding his ground in arguments too but affection with him would be extra quiet compared to extra brothers

Your silence other than shuffles or small laughs, it's comforting like a sense of calm. It makes him think of your human dream catchers always quiet yet supposedly helpful and healing

You may verbally ask for a treat or some of his snack he brought for you two instead of a small gesture if your arms are trapped in the cuddle position you've been stuck in and any food he was eating would pause. Giving him a second he would easily give you all that was left

"Not hungry anymore" he would say his eyes warm before closing with his warm smile, he melts more into you like a jacket to let you feel how warm his heart was.

You were always special even if as an agent of chaos with some of the phrases you would drop, and he would adopt into his vocabulary and even further speaking for you in situations you couldn't

Belphegor

Belphie when you first met would give you a different gaze, in a slight squint almost breaking his image of being a helpless human but he would override it, continuing on like normal

At the beginning he may have even less belief in you getting pacts with his brothers but you still prove you're capable and things are normal for how he would treat you, not really changing just like Beel.

For a man (demon) to say actions are stronger than words, he certainly strains his ears just in case you answer his question in that way not that you would know and i certainly did not let you know ok??? cool cool

Other than that he really doesn't mind!!! You and Beel are really his top two people he has interest in being with and you being mute wouldn't change anything ! He may seek you more for naps outside of his room or the attic you don't move as much as Beel does as long as he doesn't curl up over your arms

In the privacy of one of your rooms- whether Asmo and Mammon are out on the town or in his while Beel is at the gym or somewhere else- is your first words spoken as softly as you can to him

Him laying across you with his head resting with his mouth close to your collarbone and ear resting almost on your neck he can feel the vibration in your vocal cords, you were probably asking him to move

Which you probably thought he was doing but any movement was so he could be closer to that feeling of your words if you spoke again, his knees tucking up while his toes curl

You wouldn't be able to fully process just how important that action was to him, you trusted him and felt safe and could let words out to him, after everything that was real forgiveness.

Diavolo

Him just looking over and encouraging you being chosen by Lucifer, he probably would not know unless again it was strongly present in your transcripts

He would find it interesting, it was your first surprise to him and filled him with mirth at the concept of seeing Lucifer tense in confusion his feathers absolutely ruffled

Though while you were already human which meant your interactions were sure to be interesting to him, the way you interacted was also completely different from Solomon, he would love giving you his time no matter how Barbatos would sigh already seeing it before it went into motion

It may mean a little extra work for Lucifer but he wouldn't complain he did a good job picking you for Diavolo to enjoy your company so much even if he was slightly worried on your influence on him

For doting only predict help with fixing the RAD program and making your class experience more accessible, if he tries to help too much someone would certainly have a word with him

He's known being compassionate, he just wants it to be easy for you as it is probably hard enough on you between the brothers, school, and being selectively mute

He barely uses his D.D.D. but if you prefer using that it's no problem though do give him awhile to type out his long messaged questions instead of asking them on call

First words with him may be said on a trip out to explore or in his castle during a private moment in the retreat or in his office

No matter the context it would be a mood booster, he would compliment you you're voice is perfect to him it matches the image you've shown so far

It's a delight, you never fail to surprise him he may repeat your words in his own voice laugh resting on his breath. He'd ask you to stay a little longer if he can get away with it, and if he can't he surely will try

#obey me #obey me brothers #obey me imagines #obey me headcanons #obey me scenarios #time for tagging the brothers plus dia pain #obey me lucifer #om lucifer #obey me mammon #om mammon #obey me leviathan #om leviathan #obey me levi #om levi #obey me satan #om satan #obey me asmodeus #om asmodeus #obey me asmo #om asmo #obey me beelzebub #om beelzebub #obey me beel #om beel #obey me belphegor #om belphegor #om belphie #obey me diavolo #om diavolo #tofus blurbs!

[yootaesowlwrites]

Stableman - Kim Taehyung

Banner: Pictures & Gifs belong to their rightful owners, the banner was made by me.

Requested By: -

Request: -

A/N: This is the first time I’ve tried to write a slow burn fic/imagine, I’ll admit, it wasn’t the easiest things to do, it took me weeks/months to do, find the right balance, but I’m hoping I didn’t do too bad, but it’s trying that counts! I started working on this in January, researching about how to do a slow burn, in the end, I followed my gut, BUT I am also sorry it took so long for me to finish it, but It’s here. AND YES, the goat and doggies have names!

I once again tried my best here with 2nd POV, and hopefully it doesn’t look too bad.

Happy Birthday @taeandpuppies​ !!! IF anyone wants to make the day unpleasant, let me know, I’ll use my big hammer on them.

Tropes: Strangers To Lovers, Boss/Employee, Stableman!Taehyung AU.

Warnings: Slow burn?, mutual pining?, fluff, smut, mention of medication, descriptive sex scenes, sex in a stable, nudism, protected sex (ALWAYS be protected), nudism, fingering, oral (male receiving), cum tasting, explicit language, size kink?, praising?, dirty talking, begging if you squint, slight aftercare, the tiniest bit of angst if you squint hard enough, soft sex in the meadow, unprotected sex, clit stimulation, Cowgirl position, Missionary position, Lotus position.

Age warnings: No one will listen to this, but it’s here, I will not take responsibility because you wanted to read this, but if you’re under the age of 18+, DO NOT INTERACT OR READ. Even though you will ignore this warning and still read it, so do not take this as educational, this is fiction!

W/C: 26.4K (THE LONGEST I HAVE EVER MADE AND I FEEL PROUD OF THIS NUMBER)

“I don’t need any help on my farm, I’m completely fine on my own.” You say to your brother over the phone, it was on speakerphone while you were moving between the closest and your suitcase, packing for a six-day business trip, you had asked him if he could keep an eye on your farm while you would be away, but you should have known that he would bring up the subject of getting some help on the farm again, something you were not keen about.

You had been managing without any help for years, well… maybe you did have some help, but it was mostly from willing family members or friends, not a full-time worker that would be living with you on the farm and help you take care of all of your beloved animals, you hadn’t even thought about getting one, but each time you had to leave for a business trip, you would mostly ask your brother for some help and each time you ask him, he would then bring it up.

“I don’t need anyone, I’ve been coping well on my own, and besides, it’s not like I’m away for weeks or each month.” You say while folding a shirt, you attended certain meetings every few months to learn and hear about new products on the market and if they could be useful on the farm, and during those trips, you would usually rely on your brother to keep an eye on things, and each time you asked, he would mention getting help, ‘doesn’t he want to be a helpful brother?’ You thought to yourself.

“But it would be easier if you did have a helping hand on the farm.” He says, you let out a sigh as you put the shirt you were folding into the suitcase.

“I am fine on my own.” You say. “Besides, where am I supposed to find the time to look for somebody that would be up for the task and would do a proper job instead of slacking off, oh and not to mention, someone trustworthy.” You pick your phone up from where it laid on the bed next to your suitcase. “Will you keep an eye on things here or should I ask someone else?” You were becoming impatient with him and his repeated question.

“No, no, I’ll keep an eye on things, don’t worry.” He quickly says. “You can count on me to keep an eye on things.”

“Thank you.” You say. “I’ll see you tonight when you come and pick me up.” You waited for him to argue, he would usually argue against it at first, but then agree to take you to the airport.

“See you then, bye.” He says, this surprised you, you had prepared yourself for the argument.

“Okay… bye.” You say as you end the call, you drop your phone back onto the bed before slowly continuing to pack. “What is he…” You trail off as you think for a moment. “He wouldn’t… I wonder if something’s wrong.” You shake your head. “No… he would say something.” You pause in your spot. “And who does he think he is suggesting getting help, he’s lost it if he thinks I’m going to get help!” You look at your dogs lying on your bed near the pillows. “What’s wrong with him?” They only responded with a wag of their tails.

That was seven days ago, you now stood next to your brother, [Y/b/n], staring at the man across from you, his dark brown eyes stared back at you, his dark hair was slightly damp and covered his forehead as the sunlight shone down on it, his honey toned skin was coated with a barely noticeable layer of sweat along with dirt from the stables, you were certain that you had told your brother that you didn’t need any help, yet, here stood a stranger in front of you, and he had clearly been working on your farm for a few days now, you slowly turn your head to look up at your brother’s taller form, several questions ran through your mind, your eyes displayed the number of questions you wanted to ask him, but you didn’t want to do it in front of the man your brother had obviously hired without your permission, and without consulting you first, not that you would have agreed if he did, you turn your gaze back to the man standing across from you.

“[Y/n], this is Kim Taehyung, he will be helping you around the farm.” Your brother says with a proud smile as if he had something to feel proud about after what he had done, your eyes flicker towards your brother momentarily before you turned your full focus to the man named Taehyung, a string of curse words ran through your mind, and you would definitely say them out loud later when you would be alone with your brother, ‘how could he do this to me?!’  You thought, your eyes slowly move over Taehyung, taking in his features, his length, divinity he seemed unreal, it was hard to explain how beautiful he looked. “Oh, and don’t worry, I looked at his qualifications, and he’s more than qualified for the job, and he adores horses also.” You wanted to grab your brother by his neck and strangle him right then and there, it took a lot of restrain for you not to do it, there would be a time and a place for that later, right now, you needed to focus on the stranger that would be working with you on your farm, Taehyung extends his arm and holds his hand out for you to shake.

“It will be a pleasure working for you and with you,” Taehyung says, your knees felt like they wanted to buckle underneath you, his voice was deep yet smooth when he spoke, you take hold of his hand, trying your best to hide the effects his voice had on you, your eyes move down to his hand as you take hold of it and notices how well they were built, or sculpted, they must have been sculpted by the Greek gods, he bows his head as you shake hands. “What should I call you?”

“Ah, you—“ Your brother begins to say only for you to quickly cut him off before he could finish his sentence, he had done enough, and you could speak for yourself from now on.

“You can call me by my name.” You say, your brother looks at you with his mouth still agape. “[Y/n].” Taehyung nods his head as a smile grows on his lips, ‘Dear goddesses… how do you want me to survive?’

“Well, [Y/n], you can call me Tae or Taehyung.” He says, you nod your head as your lips slightly part.

“Okay.” Your brother says loudly and claps his hands together making you and Taehyung look at him and release each other’s hands. “Then this is settled, I’ll see you when I see you.” He quickly flees towards his car, you look at him wide-eyed before running after him. “I’ll call you later!” He reaches for his car and opens the door.

“You absolute— How could you do this?!” You ask as you watch him quickly climb into his car. “I told you, over and over again!” He closes the door and rolls down the window after starting the engine.

“I know, I know, but you need help!” He says. “You have to admit that you need help, you can’t try and do this on your own, even if it’s just one other person that can help you.” You place your palms against the car door and look at him through the window. “This is a good thing, you can come and go as you please, you can trust him.” Your glare hardens at his words. “Trust me then, you know you need help, you’re just too stubborn to admit it right now.” You let out a sigh.

“One month, [Y/b/n].” You sigh out. “One month only and if I’m not satisfied with his work, you are going to come down here and tell him that it’s not working out, got it?” He nods his head as his smile widens.

“You’ll see, you won’t regret it, you only need one month to see how much easier things will be.” He says. “You’ll see how much easier it will be with help.” You take a step away from the car. “Oh, and he’s staying in that small cottage.” Your eyes slightly widen, the cottage hadn’t been used since Christmas, it was only used when your family came to visit for the holidays and sometimes the main house became too crowded, so you had built a cottage to escape to when things became too much in the house, and now Taehyung was staying in it, not that, that was the problem, the problem was that the cottage was located close to the main house, and you could look straight into the kitchen if the curtains were left open, you would have to be extra cautious from now on and make sure that they were closed, to prevent any kind of accidents. “I’ll call you later, bye.” Before you could say anything else, he drove off.

“I can’t believe him…” You mutter to yourself as you watch his car disappear into the distance, you bring your hand to your forehead and rub your temple as you take in a deep breath, you drop your hand to your side and shake your head as you turn around and make your way to the stable, you hadn’t seen your horses in almost seven days, and you needed to make sure that they were all still in good shape and doing well, as you enter the stables you spot Taehyung brushing one of the horses, your eyes immediately move to his arm muscles as they flex with each brush along the horse’s side.

“It seems like your brother didn’t tell you about hiring me.” He says once he spots you standing by the stable entrance, your eyes move away from his arm and settles on his face, ‘oh… his face…’ You thought. “You looked stunned when you saw me.” You harshly exhale through your nose before moving towards him and the horse he was tending to.

“I’ll admit, it was definitely a surprise when I saw you.” You say. “My brother has a tendency to ignore what I tell him.” He softly smiles at you, a smile that could melt anyone’s heart. “But it wasn’t a bad surprise entirely.” His smile slightly widens before he turns his head away from you, you stop in front of the horse and lifts your hand up to its forehead and begins stroking it.

“I hope I can provide some help to you.” He says as he turns to look at you again. “Help care for them.” You gently stroke along the horses face before moving your hand to its neck, your eyes meet Taehyung’s. “You have some beautiful horses, all of them— even the ponies— look so beautiful and strong.” You gently smile at him, at the compliments about your animals. “I look forward to helping you with them, they’re such magnificent creatures.”

“They really are magnificent.” You say with a big smile on your lips, just hearing how he thought and spoke about horses confirmed that he liked them and would at least help you care for them. “How long have you been working with horses?” You step away from the horse and move towards one of the stalls to greet another horse.

“A little over six years now.” He says. “But this is my first job since I decided to learn more about them.” You nod your head while listening to him intently. “I always loved and adored horses, so I always knew that I’d end up working with them in some kind of way.” You move towards another stall that had a pony inside. “How long have you been working with them?” You smile as you begin to rake through your brain, trying to remember when you had started working with them.

“It’s been years, I’ve lost track of how long it’s been, but it’s been over a decade.” You answer. “I’ve lived here since I was a child and took over about ten, eleven years ago, and then about five years ago I was the only one that stayed on the farm.” He nods his head as he stops brushing the horse. “We’ve always worked with horses, but two years ago I decided to get some ponies also.” His smile widens as the seconds pass, just hearing the passion in your voice, how passionate you are about your farm. “People bring their horses here if they can no longer care for them, or if they need help training them, or to buy one.” He puts the brush down and guides the horse back into its stall. “I don’t easily sell them, but if I do sell, I usually make sure that they will be going to a good and proper home, where they will be cared for.”


“Proper homes are hard to find.” He says. “So thank the gods for people like you that still care about the animal’s wellbeing.” You gently smile at him, at his words, before you could say or add anything else, your dogs along with a Pomeranian ran into the stables and towards you, you bend down and pat their heads as they wag their tails at you.

“Hey guys, I missed you too.” You say in a soft tone, you glance at the Pomeranian as he stood by Taehyung’s feet before running towards you, you reach out and allow him to sniff your hand before gently patting his head as well.

“Oh, that’s my boy, Yeontan, but I call him Tan.” He says, you nod your head and glance up at him.

“He’s really fluffy and soft.” You say before standing upright. “I see that they’re getting along also, so that’s good then.” You look between the dogs, watching them sniff each other’s butts. “And by that I mean, it’s good that they became friends so quickly.” He nods his head, smiling while looking at his dog.

“I was a little worried at first, but it seems like they don’t really mind being in each other’s company.” He says, you nod your head and watch them as they begin sniffing around the stables.

“As long as they’re getting along then I absolutely don’t mind the cute little guy.” You say before your mind trails to your sunshine probably waiting for you. “Speaking of cute.” You mutter to yourself. “I should go greet that sunshine.” You begin making your way out of the stables before stopping and turning around to look at Taehyung, he pulls the door of the stall close and locks it. “Have you met the life of the farm yet?” Taehyung’s brows furrow as he looks at you confused.

“That depends on who that would be.” He says, you nod your head to your side, signalling for him to follow you, he quickly follows you out of the stable. “Sunshine and life of the farm?”

“Yes.” You say. “His real name isn’t sunshine, it’s waffles, but I like calling him sunshine because he’s just a bundle of sunshine and joy.” The three dogs run out ahead of you, knowing where you were going. “Where are you from, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Daegu, but when I was a small child we moved to Geochang where I spent most of my life and time growing up and learning about those beautiful free-spirited animals.” He says. “The first thing I learned was how stubborn they can be.” You nod your head with a slight chuckle, it was true, they could be stubborn as hell when they wanted to be. “I don’t exactly remember how old I was, but horses seem to be my earliest memory from my childhood.” You couldn’t help but giggle a little.

“You don’t have to remember every detail.” You say. “I’m not trying to figure how you were born, but it’s nice to know that you were surrounded by them, it means you’re probably attached to them just like I am, it also means that you learned a lot more than any school could ever teach you because you had first-hand experience.” He nods his head as a boxy smile appears on his face, you could feel your heart melting at the sight of that smile, you could tell he felt a bit shy. “But if you remember anything that you want to share, I’d love to hear about it.” And you meant it, if you were going to get to allow him to work on your farm, you had to get to know each other and be comfortable with each other and in each other’s presence.

“I’ll gladly tell you more one day when we have more time.” He says, a pen with a small brick building came into sight, you had built it for waffles for the colder nights and the wet days, you always felt so bad if it rained or snowed, and he was outside in it while you along with Terry and Pizzie were in the comfort of your warm dry house. “Wait… is that a…?” He begins as he spots Waffles, you nod your head with a proud smile on your lips, the three dogs had run around the pen and had caught Waffles’s attention.

“Yes, that’s my other little baby boy.” You say, you bring your hands together clapping them together which caused Waffles to look towards the gate where you and Taehyung now stood and waited for him, Waffles runs towards the gate while letting out a loud ‘maaa’. “You miss me when I don’t come to visit you for a few days but ignore me when I’m here every day.” Taehyung watches you as you interact with the small energetic animal, rubbing his head and patting his back. “Do you want to pet him?”

“Can I?” He asks, unsure if he was allowed to touch Waffles or not, you nod your head causing some strands of hair to fall in front of your eyes.

“Of course, he loves attention.” You say, he smiles and reaches over the gate and gently slides his hand along Waffles’s fur, you watch as his hand gently pats down the hair while you stroke Waffles’s head. “I can see why you call him sunshine and Waffles, he looks like a bundle of brightness.” Waffles walks away from the gate and begin sniffing around before a burst of energy caused him to jump around. “Oh, definitely a bundle of sunshine right there.” You watch as he stares at Waffles with adoration in his eyes, you could practically see his eyes lighting up. “He’s got a nice spacious home also.”

“He has a lot of energy, so he needs tons of space to run, hop and play around, that’s why he has a playground also.” You say and point to the large play-set on the other side of the pen. “I should go check up on his food.”

“Ah, I should get back to the horses.” He says. “Thank you for introducing me to Waffles.”

“If you’re going to be working here, you should at least know everyone on this farm.” You say making him softly chuckle and smile, his lips once again forming that boxy smile from earlier, you practically feel your heart skipping a beat seeing it again. “I will see you either tomorrow or later.”

“Have a good day and night, [Y/n].” He says before turning around and making his way back to the stable, you open the gate and step inside and turns around to close it, you look up as you lock it to be sure Waffles doesn’t escape and saw a gentle breeze blowing Taehyung’s hair to the side, you watch as he lifts his hand and pushes them out of the way, dishevelling it as he runs his hand through them, you shake your head and turn away.

“No, no…” You mumble to yourself. “He works for you… you are his boss, it can’t…” You make your way to the tiny brick building and step inside you, you had the feeder inside the building to avoid needing to throw away food when it rained and snowed, you see that it was halfway and made a mental note to return tomorrow with food to fill it, you step out of the small building and made your way back to the gate to leave, your mind continued to wander back to Taehyung, the way his dark eyes would light up, how his muscles flexed underneath his button-up shirt when he would brush a horse or pet Waffles, his smile… the different types of smile you had already seen today, the gentle soft smile and then the cute box-like smile, and then his sweat-covered honey skin. “Snap out of it!” You exit the pen and lock the gate before making your way to your house, you had an entire list of things to write down that you had to do and get and have delivered to the farm, but as you sat in your home-office trying to focus on your work, keyword, trying, but your mind kept drifting off to the honeyed skin dark-eyed beauty inside your stable working with your horses, and now living with you on your farm.

“Dammit, why did he think I needed help!?” You suddenly say and kick a box filled with papers, you toss your pencil onto the table. “And why him?” You look out the window. “Him of all people?” Your eyes catch a glimpse of the man that was invading your thoughts and distracting you from your work. “He’s so good-looking…” You look away from the window and grab your phone. “That’s it, [Y/b/n] is gonna get a piece of my mind!”

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

You look at yourself in the mirror as you remember that you were no longer alone on your farm anymore, it would be the first morning that you would be greeting Taehyung, which made you wonder, was he already awake? Was he already in the stables? You move away from your bathroom mirror and exit the bathroom and pick up your jacket, you slip into it as you make your way to the front door, you open the door allowing Terry and Pizzie to run out ahead before you stepped outside and made your way to the stable, you stop in your tracks when you see Taehyung already there brushing one of the ponies, you clear your throat, mentally preparing yourself for the day.

“Good morning.” You greet him as you make your way to one of the stalls and opened the door, you step inside and lead the horse out of it.

“Good morning, [Y/n].” He greets you with a smile on his lips, you glance in his direction and return the smile, he had such a sweet smile, one that you could just stare at all day, it was one captivating smile, and you almost felt blessed just being able to see it in person.

“Did you manage to sleep well?” You ask as you guide the horse towards a wide space to brush him.

“Oh, yes, yes, I slept good, thank you for asking, how about you, did you sleep well?” He asks, you nod your head as you pick up a brush.

“I did, thank you for asking.” You say and glance at the pony he was brushing. “Have you ever rode a horse before?” You begin brushing along the horse’s hair while glancing between the horse and Taehyung, waiting for his answer.

“Only a few times, not a much, or at all in recent years.” He says, you nod your head and put the brush down, deciding that you wanted to see him ride.

“Do you want to go for a ride?” You ask, you would finish brushing the horse later if he agreed to go on a ride.

“Can we?” He asked as his face lights up like a kid’s on Christmas Eve that got the toy he wished for, you nod your head and walk towards a small shed that was inside the tables, you open the door and step inside.

“Come and get yourself a saddle and bridle!” You call out while picking up a saddle and placed a bridle on top of the saddle, he puts the brush down and walks towards the small shed, he enters it as you exit it and picks out a saddle and bridle to use, he exits the small shed carrying the needed equipment, you lead the pony back into its stall and open another stall. “Take him.” He puts the equipment down and went to the stall, he leads the horse out and towards him the equipment and begins preparing the horse, it took only a couple of minutes to prepare the two horses and lead them out of the stable, you watch as he climbed onto the horse. “Did you learn on your own or did someone teach you?” You had to ask after seeing how his feet were positioned.

“Someone taught me.” He says as he shifts his weight to the centre, you guide your horse to a tree and tie the reins around a branch. “Why, what's wrong?” He watched as you approached him with a frown on your face.

“Your feet are positioned wrong, you’re going to get injured like this.” You say as you place your hand around his ankle, you take your other hand and place it on underneath his shoe and lifts the front of his foot up. “Your heels need to be down to avoid injury.” You release his ankle and look up at him.

“Oh…” He quietly says before pushing his heel down on his other foot. “I uh, I didn’t know that they didn’t teach me that when I was learning.”

“Who taught you?” You ask, your face almost emotionless, but inside you were boiling, how could a trainer not teach this to anyone? How irresponsible were they? “Because it’s one of the most important things you have to know, along with keeping your shoulders back, and arms in a soft bent position when you hold the reins.”

“Uh, I can’t remember who taught me.” He says. “But I’m starting to think that I should have met you sooner, you would have taught me properly.” He gently smiles down at you. “Anything else I should be aware of?” You softly smile up at him.

“We’ll go now, slowly, I’ll evaluate you as we’re riding, and I’ll let you know if there’s something else.” You say. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt while working here.” He nods his head and watches you return to your horse, you untie the reigns and climbs onto the horse, making sure to push your heels down, you turn the reins and click your tongue, urging your horse to move which also caused the horse Taehyung was riding to move, you guide your horse out of the stable area and onto a road that would lead you to explore your farm. “I think we’ll just go on a stroll today, gallop another day, besides…” You look at him, picking up on how focused he was on keeping his hands and heels in the correct position. “There’s no rush.”

Throughout the ride you kept an eye on his heels, quick to remind him about pushing them down and keeping them down when you saw his heels were no longer pushed down, you didn’t blame him for forgetting, over the years something can become a habit, and it would take time to break that habit and learn to something another way, you also got to know more about each other, like how he had come to love horses, who had raised him and what he wanted to be if he wasn’t working with horses, by the time you were on your way back to the stables it was late in the afternoon and the sun was starting to go down, but your mind was set at ease, you got to know him a little more and your worries became less as you started to slowly trust him, you arrive back at the stables and dismount your horse and lead him into the stable with Taehyung not far behind with the other horse, you unstrap the saddle and remove the bridle and took it into the small shed, making a mental note to clean it later.

“I’ll clean them later, so you can just put them in there for now.” You say as you saw Taehyung remove the bridle. “Let me show you where I wash and cool them down after a long ride.” He quickly takes the equipment to the shed before exiting and following you to the other side of the stable.

“How often do you ride?” He asks, surely you must ride a lot, you took care of them and trained them, you probably enjoyed just saddling one up and going for a ride around your farm.

“As often as I can.” You say. “Which is not a lot these days, but when I have a moment to myself, I usually go for a ride.” He nods his head. “So uh, this is a nice open spot because the food is also close if they want to eat.” You show him the clear spot where a large bucket was that you usually filled with food to keep the horses busy while you washed them. “And fill this with water for them to drink.” He nods his head, listening closely to your instructions. “Some of them will become impatient and restless, it depends on their mood on that day, if that’s the case, take them back to their stall and let me know, I’ll go tire them out or if you want to learn or do it yourself, just let me know, and I’ll show you what to do.”

“Would you show me how to do it one day?” He asks with excitement in tone, eagerness clear in his body language.

“Sure, the pen is right outside that door over there.” You say and point to another door. “I usually take them there and tire them out, or to train them.” You could see his eyes lighting up as a smile forms on his lips, you could tell that he was curious.

“Thank you.” He says and slightly bows his head. “I’ll wash those two and brush the others tomorrow.” You brightly smile at him, showing some of your teeth as you smiled.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help, I’m not going to be one of those bosses that sit back and watch their employees.” You say. “I just need to go feed Waffles, and then I’ll be back to help you with them.” He nods his head as you both walk into the direction where you had left the horses, you exit the stables while he guides the horses to the watering hose to wash them, you make your way to the large storage building where you stored all the food and medication for your animals, you enter the building and grab the bag filled with Waffles’s food and made your way to the pen where he lived, you enter the pen, closing the gate behind you as he ran towards you with a loud ‘maaa’, you giggle as you make your way to the small building where you kept the food and where he slept or stayed during colder days, Waffles hops next to you as you approach his home.

“You’re so cheerful.” You say as you step into the small building, you open the bag and fills his food supply. “Here you go, sunshine.” You put the half-emptied bag on the ground and gently pats his head. “You know the man that you met yesterday… well, he doesn’t seem that bad.” You pick up the bag. “Well, I should go help him, I’ll stop by again later.”

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

“Good morning, Taehyung.” You greet him as you step into the stable, Taehyung was busy filing the water in each stall when you arrived. “There are some delivery trucks coming today.” He nods his head as he glances away from the water bowls he was filling. “I’ll be showing you where everything is stored and where they should unpack everything for the times I’m not here.” He moves towards the tap and closes it before removing the watering hose from the stall.

“Good morning, [Y/n].” He greets you as he neatly places the hose against the wall. “Are you planning on going anywhere anytime soon?” He looks at you while running his fingers through his hair, pushing them back only for them to fall back into place, with a few pieces of hair sticking up, your mind drifts for a moment, wondering how he would look with your hand running through it, you shook your head, he was your employee, you were his boss, you couldn’t have those thoughts about him, you barely even knew him.

“Not anytime soon, but I will in a few months once again go on another trip.” You say. “But maybe this time I don’t have to delay my deliveries if you’re here to help.” He had no idea about the one-month deal you had made with your brother, and you saw no reason to tell him about it, only a few days had passed, and you had felt the load being lifted from your shoulders in those few days. “They usually arrive just before eleven, so let me go show you the storage building, although, I’m positive you probably already saw it, right?”

“I have, but not the inside, and I assume that they’re also delivering some medicine and cleaning products, right?” He asks as he approaches you, he stops in front of you with a soft smile on his lips, you slowly nod your head as you glance at his lips before looking up into his brown eyes, those dark brown eyes that had a golden glow when the rays of the sun would hit them.

“Yes, you’re right.” You say. “You will have to know where they’re kept also in case I’m not home and there’s an emergency, I can only assume my brother showed you those kept in that little shed where the equipment is kept, right?” You nodded your head to the shed you were referring to.

“Yes.” He says, you nod your head and turn.

“Come, let me go show you.” You say as you exit the stable with him not far behind you, his long legs quickly caught up with you and walked next next to you. “A veterinarian and her team will also be coming next week to give a check-up on all the animals and make sure that they’re all still healthy and in good shape.” You glance at him and caught him already looking at you. “Again, I’m hoping the if there comes a time when I’m not here, that you could guide them around and help them when they need it.” He nods his head as you approach the storage building.

“That’s why I’m here.” He says. “To lift some of that weight from your shoulders, and make it easier for you.” You stop in front of the door and turn to look at him, giving him a warm smile. “And make your life easier for when you’re not here.”

“And I’m glad about that, I already feel that a lot has been lifted from my shoulders since you started.” You say as you pull the lock open of the storage door. “Thank you.” You walk inside and lead him to the back of the storage.

“I’m glad to hear that I’ve been able to do that.” He says, you lead him to the large walk-in fridge and opens the door.

“Don’t let this door shut on you, if it does, make sure you have your phone with you to call for help.” You say as you place two bricks in front of it to keep it from shutting. “Always put something in front of it to keep it open.” He nods his head and follows you inside. “This is where most of the medication is kept, you will see which one belongs here and which ones are outside, you saw the large closest-like thing just outside right?” He nods his head. “Okay, that is where the other medicine is kept, such as pills, eye drops or sprays.” You point to the back of the fridge. “Some cleaning products are also in here, which is kept over there.” You look at him. “I keep them away from all the medicine so I don’t end up accidentally grabbing the wrong thing if I’m in a hurry when it’s an emergency.” You place your hand on one of the shelves. “These are for when one of them is giving birth, and you see a problem or something that could cause or become a problem.” He nods his head before looking over all the products, as a child, he had seen most of the things and as he grew older he learned what most of them did and what they were used for. “If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask, all right?”

“I will.” He says as you step out of the fridge, you close the door once he was out of the fridge. “But you’ll be here if one of them is close to giving birth, right?” He had seen it before his teenage years, but he was too young to understand what he had to do during that time, even though he had learned about it, he would feel more comfortable if he had a helping hand for the first few times.

“Of course, don’t stress about that.” You say and turn towards him. “So, uh, we might not have a lot of time after the delivery trucks leave, but I would like to show you around the farm some more tomorrow if you’re up for another ride?” A wider smile appears on his lips as he nods his head, his hair bouncing as he did.

“Yes, I definitely want to see more of it, the parts I saw the other day looked so beautiful.” He says.

“Then we’ll go tomorrow morning early, then I can show you where the horses spend their time during the summer.” You say as you exit the storage building, you close and lock the door once Taehyung had stepped out of the building. “And where you can go search if one of them were to escape because that does sometimes happen.”

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The sun was already high in the sky beating down on earth when you and Taehyung exit the stables with two horses saddled up and ready to be taken out for a ride, you glance at Taehyung and saw that he had his heels pushed down as you guide the horses down the road.

“How did you sleep last night?” You ask as the horses walk side by side as the day slowly begins ticking by. “I know I always have trouble sleeping when I’m in a new place, and I realized last night that I never asked if you were comfortable in the cottage yet.”

“Oh, I slept good, and you don’t need to worry about that.” He says. “I’m not like that, I can fall asleep almost everywhere comfortably as long as I’m holding something in my arms, like a bunch of pillows.” You nod your head. “Is there a reason why you can’t fall asleep in a new place?”

“It’s usually the unfamiliarity and without Terry and Pizzie there to comfort me or lay with me on the bed, it just feels empty and lonely.” You say as you glance at him, you were moving at a slow pace enjoying the morning along with the soft gentle breeze blowing, the autumn morning making the day look even more beautiful, winter was drawing closer and closer it could be felt in the air as it got colder each day and night. “Terry and Pizzie keep me company at night, and it doesn’t feel the same without them.” He nods his head, understanding what you meant.

“It doesn’t feel like home without them, does it?” He asks, you nod your head. “I understand that, sometimes when Yeontan isn’t with me, which is rare, I don’t feel too comfortable, so I think that’s why I’m comfortable in the cottage, he’s here with me, but if he’s not with me, I still fall asleep easily because the faster I go to sleep, the faster I’ll be able to see him again.”

“That’s another way to see it.” You say as you guide your horse down a road that was next to a wide-open field with a fence surrounding it. “But sometimes the days are too long.” He nods his head, agreeing with you. “But, uh, anyway, uh, this is where I usually bring the horses and ponies to roam freely when it’s summer and when the stables become too hot for them to stay in.” Taehyung turns his head to look at the open field, it was usually covered with fresh green grass but since autumn had settled in it had died and become a brown colour.

“It looks so spacious.” He says as he turns his head to look at you. “I bet it looks unreal during the summer months.” The horses slowly walk past the area, the sound of their hooves clicking loudly on the ground.

“It’s absolutely unreal, it takes your breath away during the summer.” You say. “They’re so free when I bring them to this spot, you could just watch them roam, run and play around this area for hours and hours without getting bored or tired of watching it.” You gently smile as you thought about the past summer when they were running around. “You should experience it for yourself.” You pull on the reins as another road approaches. “Turn here.” The horses move down that road as you and Taehyung steer them in the direction.

“I can’t wait to experience it.” He says and looks around the road you were following. “This place is big, or it seems big.” He fixes his gaze on you.

“It is big, but also not as big as you think.” You say. “There are bigger farms in the area, compared to them, mine is much smaller.” The horses approach a lake that was located not too far from the open field where the horses and ponies roamed. “This lake is mostly for the ducks and birds, but you can take a dip in it if you feel like it.”

“It’s clean?” He asks as the horses immediately approach the water and begin drinking from it. “You’re telling me that I can relax in it without worrying that there’s something in it that isn’t supposed to be in there?”

“I wouldn’t say that, you should definitely make sure when you want to take a dip that there isn’t anything suspicious-looking.” You say. “Snakes could be inside it, or a duck could have laid her eggs nearby, and trust me when I say this, you do not want to be chased by an angry mama duck.” He chuckles and shakes his head.

“No, right, I definitely wouldn’t want that to happen.” He says. “They’re scary when they’re protective of their eggs.” Taehyung looks around the area, admiring the view from it.

“I have people that come out every year to inspect it, clean it also, just be sure that there isn’t anything inside it that shouldn’t be in there.” You say. “I wouldn’t want any animals to drink it if it’s not healthy or clean for them, because this water mostly comes from my water tank when it overflows when I fill it each weekend, I usually let it overflow for about thirty minutes to make sure the lake has enough water.” You point towards the pipe coming out from the ground. “Just to be sure that nobody is without water, even though there is a stream not far from here.”

“And during the winter?” He asks, surely the water would be less during the cold months.

“It freezes over a little until the sun comes out for a bit, but we both know that the sun isn’t as strong either, so some days it doesn’t melt the ice, but there’s barely anything aside from the birds drinking and bathing in this water, so it lasts a bit longer than it does during the summer.” You say, he nods his head, and you pull on the reins and begin guiding your horse away from the water, he does the same and steers his horse to follow yours as you guide your horse down another path. “You should see the meadow before it completely freezes over, I don’t want you to wait until summer to see it, not that it doesn’t look absolutely beautiful when it’s covered with snow, it’s just something you have to see before everything wither's away from the cold.” He nods his head as he chuckles.

“Wither's away.” He chuckles out. “I understand what you mean, it probably looks much different during the different seasons.” You nod your head. “Do you go there often then?”

“A lot during the summer.” You say. “When I want to think or be alone with my thoughts, Terry and Pizzie usually join me, but they seem to be enjoying Yeontan’s company today as you can see they’re not here with us today.” He looks around and notices unlike the last time, they weren’t accompanying them this time. “Most of the time I leave my phone at home just to have some peace and quiet, an hour of downtime.” He nods his head as he listens. “Don’t worry, it’s not just my spot, if you ever feel like you need a moment to yourself, the meadow is definitely the spot to go to.”

“I will remember that for when I ever feel like that.” He says. “And if that day ever does come, I’ll inform you of my absence.” A smile begins pulling at the corner of your lips.

“I would appreciate that, but you don’t have to.” You say, the trees surrounding you became thicker before it opened up to reveal a meadow, thick grass covered the ground with tiny flowers hanging as they begged for water to bloom again, a stream could be seen not far from the open field, the sound of water rushing through it to get to its destinations reached your ears, a few giant trees were near the sparkling stream, birds chirping underneath it as they bathed in the water.

“Do you have two lakes?” He asks in amazement, the view in front of him seemed like it was ripped right out of a fantasy movie.

“A lake and a stream.” You say. “This one is pure nature, I don’t touch it or let anyone else touch it.” The horses move close to the stream before stopping next to it, in the distance, a waterfall could barely be heard as the water loudly crashed down into the stream.

“Is the waterfall on your farm?” He asks as he heard it, he looks at you, and you nod your head before lifting your hand, pointing in the direction of the waterfall.

“If we keep following the stream along this way then we would find it.” You say, he nods his head, wanting to ask if they could go see it. “Come on, let me go show it to you.” You pull at the reins letting your horse turn to the side, you use your lower legs to squeeze behind the grith which caused your horse to start walking, Taehyung did the same movements as you and his horse follow next to yours. “You may get a tiny bit wet from the water spray.”

“That’s all right, today is kind of warm for an autumn day.” He says, you glance at him and saw a noticeable layer of sweat coating his honey skin, the button-up shirt he wore clung to his skin, morning had long passed since you and Taehyung started riding and exploring your farm, so you could understand why he would be covered with sweat, you could feel your own skin feeling a bit sticky from sweat.

You continue to guide your horse along the stream while still talking to each other, getting to know each other more and more, during the entire walk you started growing fonder of him and started to become more comfortable around him and the idea of him being on your farm, helping you around the farm, you slowly started trusting him, but that didn’t mean that you wouldn’t be cautious of him until you were certain that you could fully trust him, but you would definitely let your brother know that you didn’t want to get rid of him at the end of the month, you arrive at the waterfall, it wasn’t big, but the stream was strong enough to cause it to fall loudly down into the water below, which caused it to splash and spray everywhere, the surrounding area was constantly wet and sometimes frozen over in winter, but quickly became green during spring.

“Oh, this looks so beautiful.” He says. “Especially with that small rainbow inside the spray.” He glances at you. “It’s probably always there, right?” You nod your head as you move closer to it and into the splash of the water, the horses stop in their step, not wanting to move any closer to it. “That feels almost refreshing.” He could feel the spray hitting him, the cool water cooling down his hot sweat-covered skin, bumps forms on your skin from the cold water hitting you.

“It’s always nice to be here.” You say, you pull at the reins making your horse turn. “That tree over there.” Taehyung looks towards the direction your horse was facing. “That is the best spot to sit and watch, sometimes read, but most of the time I just sit there and watch and listen to everything, if you sit long enough you will see fawns approach to drink some water.”

“You can?” He asks as his face light up, you nod your head. “That just sounds like a dream.” You softly giggle. “It seems peaceful here, do you come to this spot often also?” He pulls on the reins and turns his horse to the spot you were facing. “Because it seems like a spot you could come to when you want to figure something's out.”

“Not as often, but I do come to this spot to think or just get away from everything when it feels like it’s getting too much.” You say. “In the summer it can be nice to walk through the spray to keep cool from the hot weather.” He nods his head as he continues to admire the spot. “Come on, let me go show you the final spot, the sun is getting low, and it’s the perfect time to go show it to you.” You pull at the reins slightly to turn your horse before squeezing your lower legs which caused your horse to start moving forward, Taehyung does the same, and you begin making your way back down the stream.

“I’ve noticed that some of your horses respond to just certain movements you make, but others respond to noise.” He points out, you nod your head.

“The two we rode the other day are young ones, they still need to learn the movements that you make when you want them to move, these two are older ones.” You explain. “They’ve been learned with just a little squeeze of your lower legs that it’s time to go.” He nods his head. “But these two were also specifically trained to feel the squeeze, in case I find myself in a situation with one of my horses being deaf.” His lips slightly part, he hadn’t thought of that before. “Every animal deserves a chance to live, no matter the situation unless it would cause them more suffering…”

“I understand…” He trails off knowing what you meant. “Hopefully you haven’t had to endure such a situation yet.” You faintly smile at him.

“Unfortunately I did.” You say. “But that was a long time ago.” You continue to talk as you take him to the final destination before you would be heading back to the stables, he asked about the incident, and you told him which result in him bursting into tears with you, you quickly brightened the mood by sharing another story which caused him to laugh, he shared a story with you as you approach a small path that leads to the cliff, the sun begins moving lower and lower as the minute's tick by, Taehyung quickly notices as you approach the cliff that it displayed the sunset perfectly.

“Whoa…” He breathes out as his jaw slacks, he watches the view as the sun slowly lowers down. “This is so beautiful.” He turns his head to look at you, his eyes sparkling with joy. “Have you stayed to watch the sunset?”

“A bunch of times.” You say. “It’s beautiful, it’s also a nice spot to have a picnic.” You had in the past watched the sunsets and brought yourself a picnic basket and a blanket to relax, you had even cleared a spot for yourself to just sit and relax and unwind from the day, usually, Terry and Pizzie would also join you for those evening, they would run around, sniff everything before laying down on the blanket with you, you would take out the food you had packed for them. “You should definitely come here one night to watch it with Yeontan.”

“Oh, I will, I definitely will.” He says as he stares at the view with amazement in his eyes. “Soon.” You smile before looking at him.

“Should we head back or do you want to stay a little longer?” You ask, he didn’t want to leave just yet, he wanted to watch the sunset. “Do you want to come over for dinner tonight also?” Those words quickly made him change his mind about staying there to watch the sunset, he would have plenty of opportunities in the future to watch it, but how many times would you invite him over for dinner? And he was starving after only having breakfast that morning.

“Yes.” He says. “Yes to both of your questions.” You saw this as another perfect opportunity to get to know more about him over dinner, to learn what he liked and disliked, you still had so many questions for him and he most likely still had tons to ask you. “Just so you know, I’m not an expert at making food.”

“That’s all right, as long as you can help only a little.” You say. “Like cutting vegetables or stir occasionally.”

“I can at least do that.” He says. “What do you have in mind?”

“Elk stew.” You say. “Hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh, no, no, it sounds interesting, I don’t think I’ve ever had it before.” He says. “I’m looking forward to tasting it.”

“It takes a long time to make, but it’s definitely worth it.” You say.

“I don’t mind waiting, especially if you say that it’s worth the wait.” He says, you pull on the reins and guide your horse back down the path you had come from, his horse follows alongside yours. “Besides, it has meat in, right?” You nod your head. “Then it’s worth the wait.”

After arriving back at the stables and unsaddling the horses Taehyung said that he would take care of everything while you can put the meat onto the stove for it to begin cooking, it didn’t take long after you had started cooking it for him to join you in the kitchen, he washes his hands before you had told him to chop some dill while you were gathering the spices and herbs you would use in the stew, he had noticed another pot on the stove with potatoes inside it, the delicious smell filled his nostrils and his stomach growled with hunger.

“It already smells so good.” He says. “I can already tell that it’s going to taste so good.” You smile as you add some spices to the boiling water. “That just made the smell stronger and better.” You softly giggle as you move towards him, you place your hands on the counter next to the chopping board.

“You’re hyping it up so much, I hope it lives up to that hype you’re giving it.” You say and glance down at the dill he was cutting. “Any troubles or problems?”

“No, no problems.” He says as he begins cutting again. “How much do you need?”

“Finish that one then it will be just enough.” You say, he nods his head, and you move away from him to check on the meat in the pot, after finishing the dill he was busy with he moves it closer to the pot for when you would add them.

“How long have you been making this stew?” He asks.

“It’s been in our family for generations, and I’ve been making it ever since I learned how to cook.” You say. “It’s one of my absolute favourite dishes to make.” He could hear the smile in your voice without needing to look up at you. “I remember as a kid that I waited for hours to taste this, the aroma filled the house and you just had to wait until it was finished and time to eat.” Fondness in your voice as you spoke, he looks at you and watches as a smile tugs on your lips as you think back to that time. “The first time I made it or tried to make it, it wasn’t as good, but things take time and practice.”

“It sounds like an interesting story.” He says. “Would you be willing to tell me that story one day?” You nod your head.

“I will, one day.” You say. “Maybe even over dinner tonight.” He watches as you stir the stew, the scent from it hitting him and enveloping him in almost a comforting embrace.

“It feels like I’m about to start drooling because of that smell.” He says making you giggle. “I’m serious, I can feel my stomach begging me to taste it.”

“It’s almost finished then you can taste it.” You say as you add the dill to it. “Just a few more minutes.” You place the lid onto the pot.

“Okay… wait it’s almost ready?” He asks.

“Almost.” You say. “I can’t believe the time went by that quickly, usually it feels like it takes much longer than this.”

“My company is just that good.” He says in a joking tone.

“Must be that it.” You say. “Good company makes the time fly by faster and the wait shorter.” You turn your body to face him. “So yes, you are very good company, no joke.” You could see the surprise in his eyes at your words. “Why do you seem so surprised, did you not think that you were good company?”

“I uh… I just wasn’t expecting you to agree.” He says. “But it’s a good surprise I’m experiencing right now.” You softly smile before turning back to the pot, slowly, you were getting used to each other, slowly opening up and trusting each other a little more.

“Did someone tell you that you were bad company once?” You ask. “Because I can assure you that they were lying.” You lift the lid from the pot and places it on the counter, you stir the stew before scooping a little of the sauce onto the spoon and gently blows on it.

“I’ll tell you about it one day.” He says, you nod your head and slightly turns towards him.

“Taste.” You say as you move the spoon closer to him, he looks at the spoon before moving closer to it, he tastes it and moves the taste around his mouth before he starts nodding his head.

“Hm, wow, that tastes so good.” He says, you smile to yourself as you turn the burner off and made your way to one of the cabinets, you take out two plates and place them on the counter.

“Would you like anything to drink?” You ask right as you were about to reach for the cabinet that held the glasses and cups.

“Not right now maybe later.” He says, you nod your head and move to the cutlery drawer and takes out the utensils you would be using before pushing the plates closer to the stove, you pick up the spoon you stirred the stew with and hands it to Taehyung.

“You can scoop in first.” You say, he takes the spoon from you looking unsure.

“Are you sure?” He asks. “You made it, the chef should have some first.”

“And you are my guest, so go ahead.” You say as you remove the lid from the other pot that had the cooked potatoes in it. “Looks like these are also ready.” You glance at Taehyung as he slowly fills his plate with the stew. “Don’t be shy, if you’re hungry make sure you get a lot, I won’t judge.” A smile forms on his lips before he adds more to his plate.

“Thank you.” He says. “For inviting me to dinner and making dinner, and for also showing me around your farm today.” You gently smile at him as you bring your plate closer, you begin scooping in some potatoes.

“You’re going to be here for a long time, so you might as well see more of the farm, and this is the perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other and become more comfortable with each other.” You say, he hands you the spoon to the stew and you hand him the spoon for the potatoes before switching places with him. “I’m sure that you still have a lot to ask me just like I also still have a lot to ask you.”

“I’m glad to hear that you plan on keeping me around for a while.” He says as he scoops some potatoes in. “I was worried you wouldn’t want to since your brother didn’t tell you about hiring me.” A gentle smile forms on your lips.

“My brother does things… that he thinks will help me or be helpful.” You say. “Sometimes the things he does for me work out for the better, other times he’s apologising for something I told him not to do.” You move to the table in the kitchen after filling your plate with the stew, you place the plate down on the table. “But this time it seems like he doesn’t have to apologise for what he did.” Taehyung moves to the other side of the dining table and places his plate down on the table. “I’m impressed with how much you have helped me around here.” You sit down at the table and move your chair closer, he sits down across from you and moves closer to the table.

“I’m glad to hear that.” He says. “And you’re right, I still have a lot to ask you.”

“And I’ll answer with what I’m comfortable with.” You say. “Don’t worry, the more I learn to trust you and the more I get to know you, the more I’ll be comfortable around you, and share more with you.”

“Of course, I’m not expecting you to share with me immediately or everything.” He says, you nod your head giving him a warm smile before glancing down at your plate.

“I’m glad about that.” You say as you look up at him. “Well, dig in, I hope it lives up to the hype you’ve given it.” He slightly chuckles and takes his first bite of it, your head was looking down at your plate, but your eyes were carefully watching him, watching his reaction as you cut your potatoes, you were curious about his reaction when he would taste the meat, this is your favourite dish, and you were hoping that he would like it, it almost seemed like his chewing had shown down as he tasted it, the smoky taste from the meat covered the taste of the dill, the flavour awakening his taste buds, his eyes widen, and he looks up nodding this head in approval.

“Oh, wow.” He says after swallowing. “Wow, I knew it would taste good after tasting the sauce, but this is just…” He gathers more. “This is delicious, where has this been all my life?” You softly chuckle as you move your fork to your mouth and take a bite from the potatoes you just cut. “This is just… I’m not sure how to explain it, it’s really good.”

“I’m glad to hear that it lived up to the hype you gave it.” You say after swallowing, he nods his head and stuffs his mouth with more stew. “There’s enough if you want a second plate, or if you want some for tomorrow.” He nods his head.

“I definitely think I should take some with me.” He says.

“I’ll put some aside for you.” You say.

You continue eating and had small conversation here and there with each other, he continues to praise the taste of the stew every few bites, making you giggle each time he did, you hadn’t expected him to like it as much as you do, but with how he complimented it and made sure to remind you to scoop some out for him assured you that he loved it just as much as you did if not more.

“Here, let at least wash the plates.” He says as you put the plates into the kitchen sink.

“You don’t have to do it, I’ll do it later.” You say.

“I insist.” He says. “I enjoyed the meal that you cooked for us, I should at least help clean up.” He moves towards the sink.

“If you insist.” You say, you were surprised, never in your life had you met anyone willing to help with the dishes, usually, everyone enjoyed the meal and dropped their plate into the sink before disappearing from the kitchen, leaving the dishes to you. “The soap is underneath the sink along with the sponge.” He takes a step back and opens the cabinet doors underneath the sink, he takes out the soap and sponge and closes the doors.

“I always helped with the dishes in my home after we ate.” He says. “It’s something I think I’m good at, and I feel like I’m helping after my attempt at helping to make the food failed.”

“But you helped tonight, you cut the dill.” You say, he chuckles and shakes his head as he begins washing the first plate.

“It didn’t feel like enough, so let me be more helpful with the cleaning.” He says, you nod your head as your eyes move down to his hands, you couldn’t help but stare at them for a moment, admiring them, ‘I… how… his hands.’ You thought to yourself before looking away and grabbing a drying cloth, you take the plate from his hands after he washed it and dries it off, your mind begins to drift back to his hands for a moment.

“Ahem.” You clear your throat as you shake your head. “What would you like to drink?” You ask as you put the plate down on the counter.

“Just some tea if you have some.” He says, you nod your head and hangs the drying cloth over your shoulder as you move to the kettle, you check how much water it has in before going to the fridge and took out a bottle of water, you didn’t want to go near the sink and get distracted by his hands again, you pour the bottled water into the kettle and turns it on.

“Do you have a specific flavoured tea that you like?” You ask.

“No, not really, or none that I can think about right now.” He says, you nod your head and took out two cups and begins preparing them, he finishes washing the other plate and places it on the drying rack. “Can I use your bathroom?” You nod your head as you turn around to face him.

“Yes, it’s just down the hall, you will see it.” You instruct, he nods his head and exits the kitchen, you take in a deep breath before moving towards the plate to dry it, ‘It’s going to be an intense, fuck, I mean interesting few months.’

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

A year and six months quickly pass since your brother hired Taehyung, things had been going smoothly, for the most part, you grew closer and closer to him and learned more about him as the months passed, but then you started to pick up the little things, the smallest of things had become noticeable to you, you would pick up the littlest quirks, it didn’t take you long to realize that you had developed feelings for him, but instead of accepting them, you denied them, writing them off as nothing but a crush, a crush you would get over, but then you started to notice all his tiny flaws that weren’t visible when you met him, and you loved them, that… that was when you knew that you had fallen for him.

The mole on his nose was the cutest thing to you as well as the one on his lower eyelid, the two moles on his arms that he seems to like to most and showed off while giving it an elephant face was absolutely adorable to you, but the one that distracted you the most, the one you wanted to stare at all day, but couldn’t, was the one on his lips, you wanted to admire his soft plump lips all day, watch them stretch into a wide smile or into the boxy smile he made, all those things were burned into your mind, haunting your dreams, your thoughts were consumed with it when you were busy with work, making food, ordering medication and food for the animals, some days you would even catch yourself daydreaming about him, but you would quickly shake your head as you tried to erase the images from your mind, you are his boss, and he is your employee, it would never work, even if it does work… he doesn’t feel the same, he doesn’t think of you in the same way… Just thinking about it made you lean forward in your office chair and place your pencil down on the table.

“Or does he…?” You mutter to yourself as your brows furrow. “No, no he definitely doesn’t.” You lean back against the chair as you bring your hand to your head, gently rubbing your temples. “Ugh.” If it weren’t his lips distracting you, it was his hands, the way they held something, the way they appeared to be sculpted. “Dammit!” You push the chair away from the desk and stood. “I should let him know about the visitor tomorrow.” You had noticed the small changes in your feelings towards him, and they continued to grow, you kept them to yourself and only told Waffles, Terry and Pizzie about them, you were hoping those feelings would eventually go away… but they only became stronger.

Stepping into the stables with your eyes on the ground as you thought about what you were going to tell him, you knew he was there, you had heard him working with one of the horses, you look up from the ground and saw him guiding the horse into the stall before closing and locking the door, his skin was coated with a visible layer of sweat, you could see his muscles flexing as he pulled the stall door closed, his hair was wet from the sweat and stuck to his forehead.

“Shit.” You mumble at the sight, he turns towards you and smiles at you. “Uh, um, hi.” You clear your throat as you take a step towards him. “I uh, I need to tall— I mean to tell you something.” Your mind couldn’t focus on creating proper words, forming them properly, you could feel your cheeks heating up as blood rushed to them, ‘stop stumbling!’ you thought to yourself. “I’m here to… uh, tell you… something.” Your sentence was slow as you tried not to fall over your words, he nods his head as he walks towards his bag that was on the ground.

“I’m listening.” He says as he picks up the water bottle next to his bag, he unscrews the cap and takes a sip from it, his head tilts back as he does, your eyes move to his neck as you watch his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallows, sweat rolls down his neck before disappearing into the fabric of the button-up, he lowers the bottle and puts the cap back on and placed it down next to his bag. “Are you okay?” He walks towards you, his long legs carrying him towards you quickly, he stops in front of you, you slowly look up at him.

“I uh…” You begin saying, but your words get caught up in your throat. “We uh… someone will be… ahem.” You clear your throat as you avoided looking into his eyes, ‘the more I avoid them, maybe I’ll get out of here faster.’ You thought to yourself, your hands became clammy as your nerves spiked. “Someonewillbevisitingtomorrowtoseeiftheywanttobuyahorse.” Your words came out faster than you intended, he moves closer to you, knots in his eyes as he stared at you in confusion.

“I missed that entirely.” He says. “Could you repeat it?” You could feel your knees wanting to buckle beneath you, you needed to say it again, but slowly and then get out of there to go sit down, you nervously smile at him and nod your head.

“Yes, of course.” You say. “Uh, someone is coming to visit tomorrow, they’re going to see if there’s a horse that they want to buy.” He nods his head.

“All right, I’ll make sure everything is in order for tomorrow.” He says, you nod your head and turn to leave, he quickly grabs your hand stopping you from leaving, you could feel the warmth from his hand in yours as he held onto it, something seemed to run through your veins when he touched you, but you weren’t sure what it was, you just knew and felt your heart rate picking up. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” You slowly turn back to face him, a smile on your lips but on the inside, it felt like you were going to collapse.

“Yes?” You say. “Is something bothering you? Are you unhappy here?” The wheels in your mind started turning as you thought that he was starting to become unhappy on the farm with you, ‘Did he get another offer? A better offer?’

“It’s nothing like that.” He says. “I’m still happy here, but something is bothering me, and it has been for a few months now.” You nod your head and waited for him to continue. “I thought if I ignored it at first then it would sort itself out, but it doesn't seem like it has, so, is something bothering you?”

“I uh, wh— why do you think that?” You were caught off guard by his question.

“Did I do something wrong?” He asks. “You’ve been distant…” He trails off before shaking his head. “Okay, not distant but acting a little off when you’re around me.” You swallow, your mouth suddenly drying up. “I would like to know if I did something wrong or something that had upset you.”

“No, I… No, no you didn’t.” You say almost dumbfounded. “You didn’t do anything at all.” He nods his head and moves closer to you, he leans down, you could feel the heat from his skin.

“Then I’m glad.” He says. “And then also, I’d like to try something.” Your eyes meet his and caught him staring at your lips. “If you don’t mind.” You were about to answer him, but your words were swallowed by his lips brushing against yours, your eyes widen as you felt his cushiony lips against yours, it took a moment before you leaned into the kiss, your eyes slowly starting to shut only for him to pull away.

“I…” You begin before stopping, you weren’t sure what you were supposed to say, ‘That you liked it! That you wanted him to do it one more time! Or the more times…’

“I’d like to do that again.” He says. “You seemed to shock to respond.” You quickly pull your hand out from his and place both your hand on his shoulders, your eyes blown wide open as you stare into his. “Is this your way of saying you don’t feel the same way?”

“No.” You say. “I’d like for you to kiss me again.” He didn’t need to be invited twice to kiss you again, his lips slam against yours as his hands move to your hips, lightly gripping the clothed skin, you could feel his fingers slightly digging into the flesh, his tongue runs over your bottom lip for a moment, you took his tongue between your lips and sucks on it for a moment before pulling away. “If you inflict any type of pain on me, this ends, same goes for name-calling, especially degrading names.” Your lips were slightly swollen from the kiss. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.” He says knowing that this was about to become much more than just a heated kiss. “I understand completely.” You nod your head and use your strength to turn him around and back him into the stable walls, he was much taller than you were, you had to look up at him to look at his face because if you had looked at him straight ahead you would be staring at his chest.

“Good, I’m glad you do.” You say as your hands move down his arms, feeling the hot flesh beneath your touch as well as his muscles, damn were you glad it was summer, and he was wearing a short-sleeved button-up shirt. “Because I really don’t want to stop right now.”

“I don’t want you to stop.” He says, you lean closer as he leans downs and presses his lips against yours, his hand on your hips moving over your stomach before moving between your legs, cupping your clothed pussy, feeling the heat through your pants and panties, his fingers pressed against your pussy while his other hand moves up your side, brushing over the side of your tit as he moved it to cup your cheek. “Then what can I call you?” He sounded out of breath as he spoke, your lips still close to his, ready to collide again after you had pulled away from the kiss.

“My name.” You whisper. “Or any other nickname unless it’s a degrading one.” You move one of your hands away from his arm and down towards his cock and cups it through his jeans and felt that he was starting to grow hard, his eyes roll to the back of his head, something you quickly caught and couldn’t help but feel a boost in your confidence. “Do I have such an effect on you?” You rub your hand on his jeans, palming him through the rough fabric.

“Hm.” He moans, that would be the first of many moans you would pull from him, and just hearing it made you more excited to hear more noises coming from him.

“Let’s see what you have been hiding underneath all these layers.” You say as your other hand drops down his shirt, your fingers making quick work to unbutton his shirt, he tilts his head back, leaning it against the wall, both of your hands grip at the shirt and pulls it off his shoulders and down his arms before tossing it to the side, you lick your lips as your eyes move over his chest, he was even more perfect than you had imagined, your fingers trace over his chest moving them lower and lower, you lean closer and place a kiss on his chest.

“Is it what you imagined it to be?” He asks as if he knew that you had been imagining this for months now, you could feel his chest rumble as he spoke.

“It’s better, much better.” You say not even glancing up at his face, your lips continue to kiss his chest, leaving soft kisses everywhere until your lips reached his nipple, your lips halt above it before you slip your tongue out from your mouth and flick it over his nipple.

“Hm.” He hums at the sensation, a smirk forms on your lips before you do it again, you could feel his hand pressing harder between your legs pressing more against your pussy, you move to his other nipple and do the same before leaving kisses around the bud, your hands move down to his jeans and begin fumbling to unbutton the button on his jeans. “Struggling?” He rasps out.

“Shh.” You shush him just as you popped the button open. “I don’t need help undressing you.” Your hands move to the zipper and easily undoes it, your fingers curl around the fabric and pushes it down, he quickly moves his feet around as he removes his shoes and kicks them aside, his jeans pool around his ankles, he quickly manoeuvres them off his feet before kicking them aside. “Seems like you’re eager.” Your hand moves over his underwear and felt that he had hardened. “Hm, I can feel that you’re eager.” You move your hand to his that was between your legs, taking hold of it before moving it to the top of your pants. “Do you want to feel what you’re doing to me?”

“Yes.” He breathes out as he lifts his head away from the wall, he looks down between the two of you, at the position of his hand as you slip it into your pants, he quickly moves his hand over your panties and rubs your folds through the layer of your panties, feeling your wetness leaking from you and forming a wet patch on the fabric. “Oh my…” He sighs out, his cock twitches as blood rushes to it.

“Do you feel that?” You ask, he nods his head. “Good.” You pull his hand from your pants and lifts it to his mouth. “Have a taste.” His lips open and wrap around his fingers, tasting the clear liquid that was on his fingers, your release his hand and moves your hand to his underwear, your fingers curl around the band of it and carefully pushes it down, you release it when it reached his knees letting it pool around his feet, he steps out from it and moves it aside with his foot.

“Fuck, how did this happen?” He asks as he notices that he was the only one naked while you still had all your clothes on.

“Easily.” You say before moving down to your knees, his eyes follow you as you lower down in front of him, his eyes widen at the sight of you in front of him on your knees, inches away from his hardening cock, you glance up at him as you wrap your hands around his length. “Let me know if I do anything wrong here.”

“I’ll help you, I’ll tell you what I like and don’t.” He says, you nod your head and begin moving your hand along his length, your thumb circles around the head collecting the leaking liquid from the slit and spreads it over his length. “Gosh…” He closes his eyes as he felt your thumb teasing the slit, your other hand moves up and down his length feeling him becoming harder with each pump, you could feel the veins on his cock underneath your touch.

“You feel so good.” You say as you move your eyes to his cock. “Fuck, you’re so fucking big.” He opens his eyes to look at you as you stared at his enormous cock. “I’m starting to wonder if it will fit.”

“I… hem… uh.” He wasn’t sure how to respond, his cheeks heated up as blood rushed to them, was he supposed to feel proud of his size or embarrassed that you were questioning if it would fit or not. “I… I’m sure it will.” He manages to choke out, you look up at him with innocent eyes.

“You sound sure of it.” You say. “But I guess we’ll see.” You lean closer to his length and kiss the tip, silver strings of the clear liquid stuck to your lips as you pulled away before they snapped and rolled down your chin.

“Oh… go—“ His words get caught in his throats at the sight of his pre-cum on your chin, your lips wrap around his cock and begin moving your head up and down, wetting it and arousing him even more at the feeling of your warm mouth moving over his cock, it felt like he wanted to roll his eyes to the back of his head and shut them to enjoy the pleasure he was receiving, but he also wanted to watch you as you stared up at him, your eyes being the only thing that kept him from closing his, you unwrap one hand from his length and move it to his balls and gently took them in your hands. “Fuck… fuck, I thought you hadn’t done this before!” Your tongue darts in and out of his slit while your hand moves up and down his length that wasn’t in your mouth while your other hand gently massaged his balls, you take more of him into your mouth, using your tongue to slide more of his length into your mouth, you felt the tip hit the back of your throat and stop, you hallow your cheeks as you slowly slide him out of your mouth, making sure that your tongue was against his cock as you did, his length slips out from your mouth, and you begin peppering kisses down his length, he places one hand against the wall and moves the other hand— the one that was still near his lips after cleaning your juices from them— to your hair, his fingers entangle with your hair and softly holds onto them.

“Don’t you dare pull on my hair.” You warn him.

“Okay.” He breathes out. “But I don’t want to cum in your mouth or on you.” You move your head away, your eyes never leaving his. “Get up so I can undress you.” His eyes were clouded with lust, his brown eyes seemed darker than usual. “You’ve teased and warmed me up enough unless you want me to release in your mouth… or your clothes… or do you want it inside you?” You release his balls and his cock before standing up, you place your hands on his chest, a cocky smile on your lips.

“And who said you’re allowed to release inside me?” You ask. “If you don’t have any protection right here and now, then you’re going to have to pull out.” His hand slides through your hair. “Or we should end things here.” He plays the tips of your hair before pushing himself away from the wall and moves past you, he goes towards his bag and lifts it, pulling it open and searches through it, he had visited his parents only a few days ago and met up with his friend and ended up telling his friend about you which resulted in his friend buying him a box of condoms before he had returned to the farm, luckily he remembered his friend dropped the box into the bag he was searching through and thanked the universe that he had forgotten to take it out, you walk up behind him just as he finds the newly bought box. “Oh, look at that, it’s like you planned this, or the universe really wants this to happen.” You take the box from him. “Go get us a blanket.” He goes towards the shed that contained the horse equipment and searched through the blankets you had in there before finding one that looked the most comfortable. “Fuck.” You almost choke on your own spit as you saw the size on the box. “I knew it, how are you going to fit?” He throws the blanket open on the ground.

“Lay down.” He orders you, you toss him the box of condom before leaning over to unlace your shoes, you step out of them and made your way to the blanket and sits down on it. “I said lay, not sit.”

“Oh, ordering the boss around now, I see.” You say as you lay back on the blanket, he drops the box of condoms next to you on the blanket, he moves over you.

“And to answer your question.” He says as he leans down to your ear. “I’ll make sure that I will fit.” You could feel a shiver running through you at his words. “But I’ll also stop if you just say the word.” His hands move to the hem of your shirt and curl his fingers around the fabric, his knuckles brush up against your skin as he begins removing the shirt, you sit upright and allows him to easily remove the shirt, his hands instantly goes to your ribs after he dropped your shirt next to you, his hands flatten against your skin before he slides them to your back and towards the clasp of your bra, he moves to sit on his knees and leans closer to your chest, his lips wrap around your erect nipple through the fabric.

“Oh.” You gasp as you felt the fabric of your bra rub against your nipple and become wet from his saliva, your panties were already soaked from getting a taste of his cock, just imagining his cock sliding against your walls had caused you to become soaked which caused your panties to become wet, your bra suddenly felt loose around you which made you realized he had unclasped it and it was just clinging to your shoulders, his hands move to your shoulders and gently rubs them before his fingers curled around the straps, he pulls away from your nipple as he pulls the straps down your arms, he removes the piece of fabric and drops it where he had dropped your shirt, his lips connect with your collarbone and begins leaving a trail of kisses on it as he moves to your shoulder and back to your collarbone, he kisses down to your chest and down your sternum before moving to the nipple he hadn’t sucked, his lips wrap around the bud and gently begins sucking on it while his hands moved to your lower stomach and rests on your abdomen, you lay back on the blanket and he follows you, hovering over you, his lips almost releasing your nipple.

“Ohh.” You moan out as one of your hands move to his head, your fingers move through his hair while the other hand presses into the blanket, feeling the hard ground beneath it, his tongue circles the bud before he flattens his tongue against it. “Tae…” It almost sounded like a whine when you said his name, his lips release your nipple and gently blows on it causing it to harden from the cold air.

“The way you whine my name…” He breathes out before his lips brushed over your ribs, he moves lower as his lips move down your stomach, his fingers curl around the band of your pants and tugs at it, you bend your knees and press your heels into the ground and lifts your hips allowing him to remove your pants, the fabric slides along your legs before reaching your ankles, his eyes shift to between your legs and saw the damp spot on your panties. “So fucking wet.” You lower your hips and lift your feet, he removes your pants and pushes them aside. “Are you this wet because of me?” He licks his lips as he looks up at you. “Did sucking my cock make you this wet?”

“Mh, Tae…” You whine as you lift your head to look at him. “Touch me.” He places a hand on your thigh and slowly slides it upwards and between your thighs, his other hand grabs the back of your knee and pulls it to the side, spreading your legs apart and giving himself more access, he moves between your legs making sure that you wouldn’t be able to clamp them shut, he places a hand on your hip while his other hand reaches your moist pussy, his fingers trace along your clothed folds, feeling the wetness on it. “Oh.”

“Tell me what you want, what you like.” He says while stroking your clothed pussy lips, collecting the wetness that had seeped through the fabric of your panties, the feeling of his sculpted fingers touching your pussy felt so good already, you had to think properly for a minute before you could answer him, ‘Where did I want them the most? What did I want his fingers to do to me? Fuck he should remove those forsaken panties!’

“Get rid of my panties, touch me, stroke my pussy.” You breathe out, he smirks before pulling his hand away from your pussy and moves it to the elastic of your panties, his fingers curl around the fabric and pull them down, you lift your hips allowing him to remove the piece of fabric, you lower your hips to the ground and lift your feet to let him completely discard your panties, he places the fabric near his bag.

“What else do you want me to do, angel?” He asks in a deep husky tone, making you shiver, you couldn’t wait until he was whimpering and moaning, you desperately wanted to hear those noises come from him, ‘How would he looked fucked out?’ You thought before those thoughts were interrupted when his hand cupped your pussy.

“Clit, touch my clit.” You sigh, it only took a few seconds for you to feel his fingers move between your folds and stroke them, he could hear your wetness each time his fingers stroked along them. “Hm.” You whine out, you wanted those fingers of him on your clit, but he was teasing you, his fingers continue to stroke your fold, stopping every few seconds to massage them. “Tae…” Hearing his name already fall from your lips had him more excited which caused his cock to twitch against his stomach. “Tae… please…” His fingers move towards your clit, finally giving you what you want, his index finger circles around your clit. “Oh.” Your muscles stiffen at the foreign touch before you let out a sigh and allowed your muscles to relax, pleasure rushes through your veins.

“You’re responding to my touch so well.” He praises, watching your body twitch and react to his touch on your clit, he was vigorously rubbing circles around your clit, rubbing it back and forth and from side to side. “Look at you, so damn beautiful like this.” Two fingers were now circling your clit before he took the nub between his thumb and forefinger, slowly he rolled it between his fingers.

“Fu— ck!” You moan out as your back arches off the blanket, his fingers seemed to work magic on your clit, making you moan and whimper at the pleasure he’s causing, a tightening feeling was forming in your abdomen as it felt like the pleasure was going to boil over soon. “You… your fingers…” Your breathing was shallow as you tried to speak. “So good.” Your hands move to your head and run your fingers through your hair, gripping at it. “Aah.” His fingers disappear from your clit and slide down to your sopping hole, a finger slips inside you. “Go—“ your words get caught in your throat as you felt his finger twist and turn inside you, almost exploring your walls.

“Mhm… you feel so good around my finger.” He says. “I can’t wait to feel you when you’re wrapped around my cock.” Your walls clench around his finger at his words. “Oh, clenching around my cock as I’m buried deep inside your delicious pussy.” Your mind became clouded with pleasure as his words went towards your core causing your clit to twitch. “You like when I’m talking to you like this.”

“You… best— aah— uphold that promise— mhm— of being deep inside me.” You breathe out, moaning in between. “Ad— add anoth—OH!” You didn’t need to finish your sentence for him to know what you wanted to say, another finger slips inside you and stretches your walls.

“As you wish, angel.” He says, it almost sounded like he was out of breath from just fingering you as he spoke. “I can hear just how wet you are, listen to that.” You could hear it, the way his fingers caused your wetness to slosh around when he pumped them in and out of you, your toes curl at the sound. “Are you gonna cum for me?” You press your head into the ground, the hard and bumpiness from the ground going unnoticed as the pleasure coursed through your mind and body. “Should I add another finger?” You didn’t have any time to reply before you felt a third finger entering you, your walls stung as the stretch became more.

“Aah hm.” You whimper out, you couldn’t focus on anything around you, your eyes roll to the back of your head as you release your hair, one hand grips the blanket while the other hand fell onto the ground and gripped the straw and sand. “Taeh— yung!” His fingers stop pumping in and out of you before he suddenly curls them inside you. “GO— AAH!” The tips of his fingers coming in contact with your nerve endings inside you, your skin felt like it was set on fire from the pleasure, a tightening feeling pulled in your abdomen, you were close as the feeling became more noticeable. “I’m clo— CLOSE!” He presses his thumb against your clit and rubs the nub vigorously while he curls and extends his fingers inside you, hitting that sensitive spot over and over, your breathing became ragged as you edged closer to your high.

“Cum for me, release around my finger.” He says, it was like he was in control of your body, as soon as he said those words your orgasm hits you, your back arched from the ground as pleasure coursed through you, your mind flew into the clouds as pleasure took control of your body and actions, Taehyung watches as your jaw slacks and your lips part as a loud moan escape from your throat, he could see your entire body relax while your muscles twitched, you had no control over your body as you went through your high. “Look at you looking like an angel.” He slowly pumps his fingers in and out of you, easing you through your high, his movements stop once you lifted your head to look at him through half-lidded eyes, lust still in them.

“An angel, huh?” Your tone was low, just above a whisper, he slowly removes his fingers from your sopping hole causing your wetness to spill from your hole and leak onto the blanket.

“I think you’re ready for me, for my cock.” He says as he sits onto his knees, he grabs the box of condoms next to you and opens it.

“I have a question.” You say as you prop yourself up onto your elbows, his eyes move to your tits before slowly moving to your face. “Why do you have a box of condoms in your bag?” He could feel the heat rush up his neck to his cheeks. “Isn’t that the bag you have your lunch in?”

“I uh… um.” He stutters. “I uh… I went to visit my parents, and uh met up with a friend, and I, ahem, told him about you…” He clears his throat as he remembered the day he told his friend about you. “And he then bought me a box and placed it in this bag, I uh… ahem, just forgot to take it out.” You nod your head, a smirk forming on your lips.

“Thank goodness then, otherwise you wouldn’t have gotten this far right now.” You say, he nods his head as he removes a foil packet, he drops the box back onto the blanket and ripped the packet open, he places it at the tip of his cock, pinching the tip of the condom, you sit upright and reach for his cock only to notice that your hand was covered with straw and dusk, you quickly clean your hand using the blanket before reaching for his cock, you roll the piece of protection over his cock and looks up at him. “Lay down.” He moves away from the position between your legs and lays down on the blanket, he watches as you straddle his waist and felt the heat from your pussy near his hard cock, you could feel your wetness sliding down your thigh.

“You’re so fucking wet, I can see it sliding down your thighs.” He says as his gaze was fixed between your legs, he watches as your juices leak down onto his lower stomach. “Fucking hell, I’m gonna cum before you’re even wrapped around me.” You reach for his cock and firmly yet gently wrap your hand around it, his eyes fall shut at the touch. “Fuck.” You guide his length between your folds and lubes the piece of protection with your wetness. “I can feel how warm you are… fuck.”

“You sound so desperate to be inside me.” You say, you had to admit, you loved the sound of him being so desperate for you, the sound of him begging to be inside you. “Should I give you what you’re so desperate for?” He could feel your hand moving up and down his length. “Beg for it.”

“Please… Please put it in, I want to feel you, I want to feel you wrapped around me.” He whimpers out. “Please, please.” You guide his length to your sopping hole and pushes the tip inside it. “Oh, yes, yes, go— oh!” You release his length and lower yourself down onto him, you could feel your walls stretching and burning as you slowly take him inch by inch, until he was completely inside you, you gasp for air as you realize you had been holding it in as you had lowered down onto him, you place your hands on his ribs.

“Fucking hell…” You whisper, you could feel his length touching every part of your walls, you felt so full just sitting on his length, the head of his cock was touching your cervix. “Death by Taehyung Kim’s cock.” You breathe out causing him to chuckle which made his cock move inside you. “FUCK!” Your fingers dig into his skin.

“You’re over-exaggerating.” He says. “You feel so nice and tight around me.”

“It's because you’re so damn big!” You say, he places his hands on your hips, making sure not to hurt you. “Just… give me a minute to adjust, okay?” He nods his head and begins rubbing circling on your skin using his thumbs.

“Are you uncomfortable?” He asks as his eyes slowly lower from your face to your abdomen, he could see your chest rising up and down, he could see how stiff your stomach muscles were as you tried to adjust to him. “Relax your muscles, relax, I’ve got you, okay.”

“I’m… okay.” You softly say before taking in a deep breath, you exhale through your mouth and felt your muscles relax as you do. “Slowly.” His thumbs halt on your skin. “I’m going to start slowly.”

“Of course, you should be comfortable during this also.” He says. “I can’t be the only one receiving pleasure, you should and deserve to feel pleasure also.” You softly smile at him before lifting your hips, you could feel his cock brush along your walls as he slides out. “Good go—“ His words get caught in his throat as he felt your walls clench around him.

“Fuck, fuck.” You whisper, it felt like it took hours for him to only slip out halfway, you stop once you felt that it was only the head inside you.

“Are you all right?” He asks as he reaches up, he brushes some of your hair out of your face. “Do you want to stop?”

“No, no, hell no.” You quickly say, you had got this far, and he felt too good for you to stop now, even if It felt like he was tearing you apart. “I’m all right, I’m not stopping, not now.” You lower down onto his cock, faster than the first time, the burn you had felt before was barely noticeable now. “I’m not going to last long.” Your head hangs as you use all the strength in your legs to lift and lower yourself onto his cock, his hand drops from your cheek and goes down to your hip and held you, ready to assist you if he needed to. “I’m still so sensitive…” He could feel your walls clenching around him each time you lowered down on him, milking him for an orgasm, and he wasn’t going to last long either if you continued to clench around him.

“Just keep going, as slow as you want.” He breathes out, his breathing had become deeper from feeling your warm wet walls pulsing around him. “As fast as you want, I’m here to help you when you get tired.” You could feel the warmth from his calloused hands on your skin. “You’re doing so well, taking me so well.” Your pace speeds up, the sound of your wetness could be heard between your panting, moaning and talking.

“Fuck, I…” You pause to gasp. “I don’t know… how long— fuck— I can keep— oh, oh go— riding you.” Your legs felt shaky, like they would give out any second and that you would collapse on him without either of you reaching your high.

“I’ve to you, angel, I’ve got you.” He says, you could feel his grip slightly tightening on your hips before he used his strength to lift and lower you at a decent pace, pleasure moving between you and him, sweat forming on your skin as his became wetter from it, the heat from the summer air made everything around you feel extra hot, hotter than usual.

“Dear fucking gosh!” You tilt your head back as your eyes close with pleasure, you were close, the tightening feeling in your abdomen had returned, and it felt much stronger than before, your entire body felt like it was on the edge of being tipped over with pleasure.

“Keep… clenching around me— oh hm— like that and I won’t… last long.” He moans out, you slide your hand down his toned stomach, your fingers grazing over his skin. “You damn tease.” Just your touch left his skin feeling like it was on fire, you reach between your legs and placed a finger on your clit, the contact to the sensitive nub caused you to clench around his cock harder than before.

“FUCK!” You both moan out at the same time, his grip on your hips tighten and his movements falter for a moment.

“Are you trying to make me lose my mind?” He asks, his grip loosens on your hips before lifting you up and lowering you down onto his length again, he repeats the movement, the pace slowly picking up. “Are you close?” You nod your head, you lift your head and looked down at him, looking completely fucked out.

“Yes.” You breathe out, he could see and feel it, your muscles were twitching and contracting while your walls clenched around his cock as you rubbed your clit, he was close, and he wasn’t sure if he would last much longer, he thrusts upward. “FUCK, TAEHYUNG!” You didn’t even hear the horses moving around as they got startled by your scream, right now you didn’t care if you had heard, you just wanted to reach your high, his cock hits your cervix and brushed along the most sensitive spot inside you, you took your clit between your fingers.

“[Y/n], FUCK!” Your name fell from his lips loudly as his high suddenly hits him, a burst of energy runs through his cock as he fills the condom with his cum, his energy quickly drains from him, but he wasn’t giving up until you would cum as well, you could feel his hands loosening their grip on your hips and by the facial expression on his face, you knew he had reached his high.

“Do I feel that good?” You ask. “Fuck, it must feel that good if you couldn’t hold it back any longer.” Using your last bit of strength and energy, you lift and lower your hips, rolling them into his, you pinch your sensitive nub which caused the tension in your abdomen to snap, your toes curl in pleasure as your body begins shaking with it. “TAEHYUNG!” The moan was so loud he had barely heard it as he was coming down from his high, your mind fell blank and your hand falls away from your pussy, Taehyung moves one of his hand between your legs and took over, he rubs your clit to ease you through your high, your hair stuck to your forehead and neck from the sweat that had formed on your skin, you open your eyes to look down at him, your chest rising up and down.

“How is it possible that you can look so good while being fucked out?” He asks, you could only chuckle before you lifted yourself from his cock that was starting to grow limp, you climb off of him and sit down on the blanket next to him, he sits upright and removes the condom and ties it, he places a hand on your lower back and slowly rubbed soft circles on your skin. “Are you okay?” You nod your head. “Any discomfort?”

“I’ll probably feel it tomorrow if there is any discomfort.” You say as you turn your head to look at him, you would feel it in your legs the most tomorrow, you could already tell that they were going to be stiff. “How about you, are you okay?” He nods his head.

“Yes, I’m more than okay.” He says. “Are you feeling any discomfort right now?” He was concerned, you had told him several times how big he was, yet you took him so well, but he wanted to be sure, no, he needed to be sure.

“Nothing, no discomfort at all.” You say, you had grown accustomed to his size, but you knew that if this was going to happen again, he would have to stretch you again before you would be able to take him. “That was…” You had to think for a moment, you weren’t sure if the word existed that you wanted to use to describe it. “Wonderful, more than wonderful, I’m not sure how to describe it.”


“It was wonderful.” He says. “No words can explain what I’m feeling right now.” You nod your head agreeing with him, you take in a deep breath before reaching for your shirt.

“I should go take a shower.” You say while pulling your shirt on. “And you should do the same.” He softly chuckles and nods his head before standing up, you glance at your panties before looking up at him. “Keep my panties safe, if you dare show it to anyone…”

“Why would I want to show anyone?” He asks as he hands you your pants. “It’ll be our secret.” You slightly falter at the word secret, did he want to keep you a secret or what had been done in the barn a secret? You stood from the blanket and took your pans from him and pulled them on.

“Yeah.” You mumble, trying to keep your tone even and not give away that was something was wrong. “Our secret.” You pull at your shirt before looking around, you pick up your bra and looks at him as he pulled his jeans on. “I uh, I’ll see you later.” You quickly exit the stables and made your way back to your house, you step inside and goes to your bedroom, quickly discarding your clothes again and tossing them into the laundry basket as you enter the bathroom, your thoughts were moving a million miles an hour.

‘Did he not want it to happen again? Was he embarrassed it had happened? Maybe he doesn’t feel the same way… maybe he had something else in mind… not what I had in mind, why is liking someone so damn hard?’

You stood underneath the water watching it hit your skin before sliding down and hitting the tiled shower floor, you didn’t move, you felt too drained from your thoughts consuming you, but you willed yourself to do it, you had to clean yourself after what happened in the stables.

“Wait… in the stables!” You suddenly say as your eyes widen, you would be taking somebody to that same place tomorrow for them to examine your horses. “Oh no… no.” You bring your hands up to your face. “Shit, shit.” That thought had given you the energy you needed to wash yourself, you needed to get clean and go think about things clearly, ‘They’d never know what you and Taehyung did there… right?’ “Hmph.” You huff as you step out of the shower after washing away the sweat, dirt along with the reminder of what you had done just moments ago, however, the tingles on your skin remained, where he had touched you remained, it was almost like it was embedded into your skin. “Stop it, stop it, stop it right now, we need to focus… Tomorrow… Oh, gosh.”

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

You nervously guide the woman to the stables with a nervous smile on your lips, the only thing on your mind was Taehyung’s hands on your body, you enter the stables and your eyes immediately goes to the spot where it had happened only to find the spot empty, no blanket insight and his bag were hanging on a hook on the wall, he was on the other side of the stables, working with one of the ponies.

“These three are currently the only ones that I’m willing to sell, to a good home of course.” You say as you stop in front of the stalls. “They’re young and well-trained.” You explain to the woman, she carefully looks at the three horses. “If it’s for a child, then this one would be best. “ You say as you move towards the middle stall. “She’s a sweetheart and doesn’t seem to mind sudden outbursts if a child screams or becomes loud.” She nods her head, listening intently as you explained. “If you’re looking for a horse that you can ride in competition, then this one will be the best option.” You turn to the third stall. “But I can’t promise that he’s fast, but I do know that he’s good with his jumps.”

“And this one?” She asks, you move to the first stall and looks at the horse before turning to the woman.

“He's a little bit older and gets startled by any kind of screaming, I don’t recommend that he’s put near anyone that’s loud or screams often.” You explain. “But he’s a good runner and jumper.” She nods her head. “But I can’t confidently say that you can take him to a competition because of all the loud noises and things that could scare him, I recommend him for someone that just wants to go on a calm ride around their place.”

“You have some large stalls for them.” The woman states as she looks at the sizes of the stalls, each horse had a space large enough for them to walk around and lay down.

“How would you feel if you only had enough space to stand and turn around in?” You ask. “These beautiful animals deserve space, lots of it to move around and feel comfortable enough in it.” The woman nods her head.

“You seem to be the only person for miles that actually care about her animals.” She says. “I’ve been to five other places and each stall was just too small.” You frown hearing that, you knew people were cruel, but always hearing about it angered you. “I’m going to go think about it, but I think I’ll take this one.” The woman moves to the first stall. “This one would be perfect, I just want to go on peaceful rides and admire the scenery when the sun rises or sets.” You nod your head.

“Would you like a closer look?” You ask, the woman nods her head, you open the stall door and enter it. “Come on in.” The woman carefully enters the stall while looking around cautiously before relaxing and moving towards the chestnut coloured horse. “Did someone recommend my farm to you?”

“Yes.” She says. “Someone had bought a horse from you and told me how thorough you are.” You nod your head. “And I completely understand that you have to be thorough, you need to be sure that you’re selling your animals to the right person, into a good environment for them.”

“I’m glad you understand that.” You say. “So if you’re considering buying him, I will be making a trip to your home to be sure.” The woman nods her head.

“I understand.” She says. “I do think I will take him though, but I first need to build and set up a proper place for him to stay in.” You nod your head while rubbing along the horse’s neck, the woman carefully touches the horse before rubbing down his back. “I will let you know when it’s finished, but I need to go think carefully about buying him, it’s a big financial decision.”

“Of course.” You say. “It’s a big decision and a big responsibility as well, so take your time.” You glance towards Taehyung as he guides the pony back to its stall.

“Thank you.” The woman says as you exit the stall, you close the stall door and begin leading the woman out of the stables, you could feel eyes on you, you glance over your shoulder and saw Taehyung looking at you as he rubbed the pony’s head, you look away as you exit the stables and follow the woman to her car. “I will be in contact with you soon.”

“I look forward to hearing from you.” You say, the woman climbs into her car and starts the engine before rolling the window down.

“Thank you for taking the time to show them to me.” She says. “Have a wonderful day.”

“Have a wonderful day too.” You say and watch the woman drive off, leaving your farm, you turn around and look at the stables before going the opposite way to Waffles’s pen to go and talk to him and watch him play, you lean against the gate and watch him run around and jump up and down from the seesaw that was installed for him. “Maybe I should just go talk to him about it…” It had been eating away at your mind since you had left the stables yesterday, you had given yourself a headache from all the thinking and possible scenarios. “Dammit, I should just go talk to him… get it out and clear everything up.” The only response that you got was a loud ‘baaah’ from Waffles as he ran around, making you chuckle. “I’ll bring you some treats tomorrow when I come and visit you.”

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

A few more days passed before you finally decided it was time to talk to him about what he had said, you approach the stables and step inside the building and saw him using a pitchfork to gather all the hay and straw, sweat already coated his honey-toned skin from the heat inside the stables and the summer sun beating down on earth, you had to fight the urge to bite your bottom lip, you make your way up to him, nervously biting the inside of your cheek.

“Do you want to go for a ride?” You ask as you stop behind him, he turns around to face you. “We need to talk so it would be nice if you want to go for one.” He puts the pitchfork to the side.

“I think so also.” He says. “It feels like you’ve been avoiding me ever since we had sex over there.” He points to the spot where it had happened, you don’t bother turning to look at the spot. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Let’s go on a ride first then we’ll talk.” You say. “We’re going to the meadow, and then we’ll talk there.” He only nods his head as he goes and retrieves a horse for himself from one of the stalls, you do the same before going into the small shed inside the stables and retrieved the equipment you would need, you saddle up before returning to the shed and picking up a rolled-up blanket, you return to the horse and attach the blanket to the saddle, you lead the horse out of the stables and climbs on and wait for Taehyung to join you outside, it only took another minute before he leads the other horse outside and climbed on, you leave the stables and rode to the meadow, neither of you saying a word to each other.

You arrive at the meadow and climb off your horse and leads him to a large tree and ties the reins to a branch near the water underneath the shades, you take the blanket you had brought along and walk down the stream, Taehyung ties the other horse’s reins to another branch near your horse before following behind you, you stop underneath another large tree and throws the blanket open before taking a seat on it, he sits down next to you, and you look over at the stream, at the rippling water as it flows to its final destination.

“Are you going to tell me what I did wrong?” He asks while staring at you, you turn your body to face him. “I mean… I thought you felt the same way.” You meet his eyes, his searching yours for answers. “Or was I wrong?”

“What do…. You said after we finished…” You begin only to stop to take in a deep breath. “That it would be our secret.” You glance to the side to look at the water. “And that hurt me when you said that.” You look back at him. “This talk is long overdue, I should have spoken o you as soon as you said it, but…” You trail off.

“But?” He asks wanting to know what stopped you from talking to him about how you felt.

“I wasn’t sure what you meant by, that it will be our secret.” You say. “What we did in the stables or us…?” You think carefully about your next words. “What are we after that?” Taehyung turns his body to face you. “Because over the past year and months I’ve developed deep feelings for you, I like you, and I’m certain about that, but after what you said…” He leans closer and brings one of his hands to your cheek, carefully caressing it.

“Hey, Hey, I get it now.” He softly says. “When I said it would be our secret, I meant what had happened in the stables, what we did would stay between us, but us… I like you very much.” It felt like your heart fluttered and butterflies almost formed in the pit of your stomach, your body froze at his words. “So I became concerned when you started to avoid me, if I had known that, that was the cause…” He softly chuckles while shaking his head. “I would have approached you sooner, so we could have talked it out.” His fingers move into your hair, pushing them out of your face. “I could have done this sooner.” He leans closer,  your eyes fall shut as his lips touch yours, you lean into the kiss, tasting his lips, his forehead touches yours, and you begin smiling into the kiss as you feel the heat from him, you move one hand to his shirt and curl your fingers around the fabric, holding onto him as if he would disappear right in front of you, afraid that you were dreaming about his confession, but the way his lips felt against yours, you were certain that it wasn’t a dream.

You break the kiss, breathing hard as your eyes remain shut, taking a moment to appreciate each other’s presence, the surrounding sound was the leaves moving and the water stream following not far from you along with birds chirping in a nearby tree, the coolness from the wind blew against you, ensuring you that you were awake, and it wasn’t a dream.

“So will you keep coming to see me every day now?” He whispers, his lips almost touching yours, that was how close you were still to him. “I missed you in the stables.” You open your eyes and saw his dark brown eyes staring into yours. “Or are you going to make me wait longer before you drop by again?” You slightly lean away from him.

“I really thought that you didn’t feel the same way.” You say as you release his shirt, you press your hand flat against his chest.

“I feel the exact same way.” He says while leaning closer, he uses his other hand to guide you to lay back on the blanket, your eyes never leaving his as he leans over you. “I’ve felt like that for months now, and finally was able to act on it a week ago.” His hand on your cheek softly moves through your hair, his fingers brushing through the locks, he repeats the movement. “I want to keep confessing it over and over to be sure that you will show up at the stables every day without a worry.” His hand moves back to your cheek, his thumb gently brush over your cheek as he leans closer. “I want you.” His eyes flicker towards your lips before he looked back into your eyes. “In every single way, I want all of you, the vulnerable parts, the strong parts.” His eyes move back to your lips. “The flawless, the flawed, the perfections, the imperfections.”

“You’re becoming cheesy right now.” You mutter as you move your other hand to his shoulder, the one his chest slides up to his shoulder also. “It really sounds more like you want something else right now.” He softly chuckles and shakes his head.

“I’m just listing everything off that I want from you.” He says. “When I say that I want you, I mean that I want all of you.” He takes in a deep breath. “In every single way.” His hand that had been on your shoulder after he had guided you to lay down moves to your waist. “And I mean every single word right now.” He lowers his forehead to lean it against yours. “As long as you accept me in every single way with my flaws and my imperfections.” You nod your head as your lips part. “Do you?”

“I do.” You whisper, his lips brush over yours, the kiss feeling more intense than before, his hand on your waist rubbed soft circles on the fabric of your shirt, you start rubbing his shoulders as the kiss becomes deeper and more heated, his tongue swipes over your bottom lip before he took it between his lips and gently started sucking on it, his hand moves from your cheek to the blanket to support his weight, his other hand slider underneath your shirt and moves up along your skin leaving a burning trail behind, his hand stops on your ribcage and trace circles with his thumb, he releases your bottom lip and kiss along your jaw down your neck, stopping just above your collarbone.

“Can I?” His voice was husky as he spoke. “I need you to say it this time.” He lifts his head to look at you, you look at him with half-lidded eyes. “Am I allowed?”

“Yes, yes.” You say. “Please, yes.” Your tone almost begging him, it wasn’t that different from last time, but it felt slower and more passionate than the last time, he was making sure it was all right with you and that you were more comfortable with what he was doing, you were in control last time with some help from him when you rode him, but it seemed like he wanted to take the lead this time, his hand moves to cup your tit through your bra and squeezes it, those sculpted hands of his seemed to fit perfectly on your chest, it felt like he was giving you a massage, he could feel your breast swelling the more he massaged it, the more he played with it, he could feel the texture of the bra as he slides his hand up and down, the fabric rubs against your nipple causing it to harden and become erect, he leans down and moves his head to the side of yours.

“Do you want me to remove your shirt?” He softly asks making sure that his lips were brushing over your earlobe. “Do you want me to remove your bra and touch your tits in such a way that you might just reach your high from it?” His words made you shiver and caused your clit to twitch, he hadn’t had the chance to properly touch your chest yet, and you had no idea if he would be capable of doing that to you.

“Yes.” You breathe out, your breath hits his neck causing something to awaken inside him, you bend your leg as he moves over the other leg that was still laying extended on the blanket, his hand retreats from your shirt and moves to the hem of it, he sits on his knees, his leg between you forcing you to spread your legs wider, his other hand moves to the hem also and begins lifting it, you grip at his shoulders and pull yourself upright into a sitting position to make it easier for him to remove the fabric, your bent leg extends out into a more comfortable position, he drops the shirt next to you before his hand touched your skin and slides to your back and towards the clasp of the bra, his touch felt warm on your skin, the feathery touch of his fingers touched your skin as he fumbles with the clasp before it unhooked and sprung loose, he buries his face in the crook of your neck and place kisses along the skin as his hands rub your back. “They feel so warm…” You whisper into his ear, lips brushing over the lobe. “Your hands on my skin.” The touch felt more comforting as his hand slides up and down your back, he wanted to take his time with you.

“You deserve a comforting touch when we’re doing this, when things get heated.” He mutters into your skin just below your ear, you could feel your heart swell at his words. “To fully experience and feel everything.“ His hands move to your waist before slowly moving up your sides and under your arms before hooking his fingers around the bra straps, he slowly pulls them down your arms before moving away from your neck to completely remove the fabric, he drops it on top of your shirt next to you and leans back on his knees to get a better view you, his eyes slowly move from your eyes down to your lips down to your neck before stopping on your chest, you lean back placing your hands behind you on the blanket. “I can’t believe I didn’t get to appreciate you last time. “He leans closer before looking up at you, sweat was forming on his skin and some of his hair was starting to stick to his forehead. “But I’ll make sure to do that now.” His lips touch your collarbone before leaving a trail down to your sternum, his hands moving to the side of your chests, cupping your breast from the side. “We won’t be disturbed here right?” He suddenly stops, his lips hovering just above your left breast.

“No one knows about this place.” You say. “Except for us, we won’t be disturbed here and there’s no rush either.” That was all he needed to hear for him to part his lips and slip his tongue past them before pressing it flat against your skin, he licks a stride towards your nipple and circles his tongue around the bud causing it to harden and become erect like the right nipple, the feeling of his warm wet tongue on your skin caused bumps to form on your skin as the wind blew against it. “Shit.” His lips wrap around the bud and begin sucking on it, his tongue rubbed over it adding to the pleasure you were already feeling, you bring one hand to the back of his head and entangles your fingers into his hair, your fingers rub his scalp as he sucks on your nipple, your lips part as you heavily breathe out. “Gosh… how… how can you… it feels so good.” His fingers knead into the side of your breasts. “How is… is this…” You take in a deep breath. “Possible.” You breathe out. “How can it feel this good…” Your eyes fall shut and your senses take over.

Your fingers continue to rub his scalp while pushing his head closer to your chest, hoping for more pleasure, hoping to feel more, but he resisted it, his nose was already brushing over your skin and the sound of his breathing against your skin reached your ears, he releases your nipple and your grip on the back of his head loosens, he pulls away from the bud and your eyes fly open to watch him, you saw a silver string of saliva glint in the light as he moves away from you before it disappeared, his fingers keep kneading into the side of your chest, feeling the soft flesh underneath his touch, he looks at the swollen and erect bud before he leans closer again and kisses the sternum, you lay back and watch him as his head moves from your sternum to your ribs before moving over your stomach, his lips move over your exposed skin, kissing over some of your faded scars and the ones that were still noticeable.

“I hope I can catch you each time you fall.” He says as he looks up at you, your chest rose up and down from your breathing. “I don’t like seeing you hurt or too many of these.” His fingers trace over some of the faded scars, he had learned how clumsy you were over the past year he has worked for you, he had the shock of his life when it happened the first time, he had freaked out as soon as he saw you on the ground, but as the months passed he quickly learned to move everything out of the way that could be in the way, and if it did happen, he would immediately be by your side to offer help. “And if I can’t, I’m sorry.” You begin shaking as you laugh, both your hands move to cover your face.

“I’m— haha— I’m sorry— haha.” You manage to get out between laughter. “I don’t— haha— don’t know what to— haha— to say.” You move your hands away from your face. “Gosh, you don’t have to— haha.” He couldn’t help but laugh along, he lowers his head down against your stomach, the vibrations from his laughing tickling your stomach. “Oh my— haha.” He lifts his head to look at you, you move your hands to cup his face, your laughter slowly dying down. “You don’t have to catch me, at least not every time.” Your thumbs gently rub circles on his cheeks. “I need to see if you can help clean any wounds if I get some.”  His hands move to cover yours and gently moves them away from his face.

“I’ll try my best, but I can’t promise anything.” He says before kissing your knuckles on both hands, he releases your hands and moves his leg away from between yours and sits on his knees next to you, his hands goes down to your pants along with his gaze, he quickly unbuttons and unzips it before reaching for the band, his fingers curl around it. “Lift your hips a little for me.” You bend your knees and press your heels into the ground, you lift your hips high enough for him to remove your pants, you lower your hips once they reach your knees and extend your legs allowing him to remove your pants, he stops at your ankles and quickly removes your shoes and socks before discarding your pants, he places his hands on your ankle and slowly slides his hands upwards, making sure to move his hands over each part of your leg to feel all of you, his hands reach the back of your knee and stops. “Can I?” His thumbs circled the skin on the side of your knee with a feathery touch.

“Yes.” You say as you keep your eyes on him. “You keep asking me today, is there a reason?”

“I want to be sure that you want this.” He says. “Want me to do this.” One hand moves up the side of your thigh while the other one stayed in place behind your knee. “Last time felt almost rushed, I want to take my time today.” His hand moves to the top of your thigh before moving to the inside, his palm lifts from your skin and his fingers graze over your skin before reaching your panties, his fingers trace over the panties along your folds, excitement rushes through you at his touch, you could feel yourself growing wetter at the feathery touch tracing your pussy. “Your panties are already soaked.” You felt yourself becoming wet when he was sucking on your nipple, kneading the side of your chest, you only had sex once, and it already seemed like he had your body figured out, where to touch when to touch, and how to touch.

“Aah.” You breathe out at the sensation, you couldn’t describe the feeling that you were experiencing with his fingers tracing over your panties, you could feel the trace of his finger moving up and down and from side to side, purposely brushing over the inside of your thighs. “If I didn’t want this then I wouldn’t be here.” Your skin felt flushed with heat, he moves your panties to the side and slides his fingers up and down your folds. “Tae…”

“I like it when you say my name like that.” He says and slips the tips of his fingers between your folds, he strokes along your soaked folds coating his fingers with your wetness. “Let’s get rid of these, they’re just in the way now.” He moves his fingers away from your wetness and moves his hands to the band of your panties, his fingers curl around the elastic. “Lift.” You bend your knees once again and lift your hips slightly before lowering them down when he had pulled the panties down to your knees, you extend your legs as you felt his knuckles brush along your legs before he removed the piece of soaked fabric, he drops it on the pile of clothes forming next to you on the blanket, his hand immediately going to your mound and moves his fingers back to your folds.

“Hm.” You hum at the feeling forming in your abdomen, it felt like everything moved to the centre of your stomach and formed a knot of ecstasy, his fingers slip past your folds and move towards your sensitive nub that was begging to be touched and paid attention to, his fingers part as he nears the nub and slides them past the nub only rubbing the sides of it. “Oh.” He trails his fingers along your folds before moving them back to your clit, watching your reaction as he slides them over your nub. “Shit…” You could feel your breathing becoming heavier at his touch, his fingers seemed to reach every part of your folds as he strokes them, barely giving your clit attention.

“You’re going to be a sopping mess before I'm even inside you, angel.” He says while rubbing around your clit, only brushing the sides of it making it swell.

“Touch it, touch it, don’t tease me.” You say becoming frustrated, his fingers pressed against your clit. “OOH!” A loud gasp escapes from your lips and your back arches from the ground before lowering back down. “Fuck that felt good.” He rubs your clit, heat spreads through your body and a thin layer of sweat forms on your skin. “Don’t— oh— stop.” His other hand slides over your thigh and presses down on the skin, he takes your clit between his forefinger and thumb and gently rolls the nub between his fingers. “Fuck… Tae.” Pleasure courses through you, a tension slowly forms in your abdomen as he continues to roll the nub between the pads of his fingers.

“Keep moaning my name like that, angel.” He says. “You sound so beautiful when you moan my name.” He moves between your legs and leans down, he places a kiss on the inside of your thigh as he releases your clit, you let out a sigh before your body tensed when you felt a finger slip inside your sopping hole, he curls his finger and slightly twists it.

“Taehyung!” You loudly say his name as you felt his finger rub against your walls. “Shit.” He extends his finger and pulls it out halfway, the sound of your wetness reaches your ears before feeling the wind blow against your soaked pussy, you shiver with pleasure at the feeling, your toes curling for a second before uncurling, your hands move to the blanket and grip it between your fingers.

“Relax your muscles.” His voice was soft as he spoke. “It’ll feel better when you relax into it.” You take in a deep breath before releasing it, relaxing your muscles, you feel another finger slip into you. “That’s better, angel.” He turns his fingers inside you. “Tell me when I do something you’re not comfortable with.” He spreads his fingers inside you, using a scissoring motion to stretch your walls, he turns and twists his fingers inside you.

“TAE!” You scream as his fingers brush over the most sensitive spot inside you, your toes curl in pleasure as he continued twisting and turning them inside you. “Tae… Tae…” You could feel the tension become tighter and tighter, your legs starting to shake as your high approaches.

“You’re close, aren’t you?” He asks as he adds a third finger, he pumps them in and out of you, his other hand slides from your thigh to your mound and covers it before he slipped his thumb down to your clit, circling it before rubbing the sensitive nub.

“Oh… aah… Tae… Tae.” You whimper out, his fingers continuously brush against that spot inside you. “Tae… Tae.” You could feel the blanket starting to stick to your back from all the sweat as your body starts to shake with pleasure. “Close… I’m close.” You manage to whimper out, it felt like you were about to burst with pleasure. “Fuck… Taehyung.” He curls his fingers inside you and presses his thumb against your clit. “TAE!” Your mind becomes clouded with lust as your eyes fall shut,  stars appearing behind your eyelids as the tension exploded inside you and pleasure washes over you, your muscles twitching as you release around his finger.

“So damn beautiful.” He mutters to himself, you couldn’t hear a word from him during your high, his fingers slowly pumps in and out of you, his thumb circles around your clit easing you through your high, your eyes slowly open, still in a daze you stare up at the branches above you, his fingers slips out from you as he still watches you as your senses slowly return to you, his eyes move down to your soaked hole and saw your wetness leaking from it. “I can’t wait to fill you with my cock again, to feel you wrapped around me again.” He moves onto his knees and reaches for the buttons on his shirt, you quickly sit upright and reach for them.

“Let me…” You say as you look at him, he lifts his head and meets your eyes, they were darker than usual. “I want to undress you.” Your hands quickly undo the buttons on his button-up, your knuckles brushing against his skin every few seconds, you reach up and grip the fabric near the collar and pulls it down his shoulders revealing his tones chest and honeyed skin, you discard the shirt and drops it on top of your pile of clothes, you place your hands on his shoulders and slides them down his chest and stomach, Taehyung felt a shiver run up his spine from your touch, your hands stop at his jeans and begin fiddling with the button, you pop it open and move to the zipper, clearly seeing the tent that was forming, or trying to form in his jeans, he lifts his hips, and you pull his jeans down, your eyes watch as the bulge becomes larger after being freed from the jeans, he moves away from between your legs and sits down next to you, you watch as he quickly gets rid of his shoes and socks before removing his jeans and underwear.

“Fuck.” He mutters as he wraps a hand around himself. “Fuck, I didn’t bring any protection.” You move closer to him and wrap your hand around his cock below his hand, his lips parts, and he lets out a sigh of relief at your touch. “Shit.” His hand falls away from his cock, and you begin moving your hand up and down his length, remembering the feeling from the last time, the veins on his cock felt familiar underneath your touch.

“It’s okay.” You say as you stared at the head of his cock, clear liquid leaking from it and coating the tip, you swipe your thumb over the head.

“Aah.” He gasps from the sensation of your finger moving over the sensitive tip, you move your hand up and down collecting the clear liquid and spreading it over his length. “What do you…” He stops as he sucks in a deep breath. “Mean that it’s okay?” His mind was flooded with lust, but he needed to know what you meant, you lean closer to him, your lips reaching his earlobe.

“Cum inside me.” You whisper into his ear, your lips brushing over his lobe, his eyes widen, and he swallows. “And yes I’m sure.” You twist your hand around his length, his jaw slacks before he licks his bottom lip.

“Lay down.” He says in what sounded like a demanding tone, you release his cock and lays back, he moves to hover over you and reaches for his cock, his hand wraps around his member and guides himself to your soaking heat, he coats himself with your wetness, making sure to rub the head over your clit. “Fuck… so good.” He moves his cock to your entrance and inserts the tip inside you, you spread your legs wide before hooking your ankles together behind his back, your lips part and your eyes squeeze shut as you feel his cock stretch and fills you.

“Ooh— Aah.” You gasp and throw your arms around him, your hands rests on his shoulder blades, your fingers slightly digging into his skin, he leans down pressing his chest against yours and his lips brush over yours, capturing your soft moans and whimpers in his mouth, you squeeze your legs around him as you tried to close them from the pleasure, his hands were firmly pressed into the ground below your arms as he sinks into you as deep as the position would allow him, he comes to a halt when his pubic bone touches your mound, he breaks the kiss and lays his forehead against yours, you slowly open your eyes to look into his.

“This position isn’t working for me.” He mutters, you could feel that he wasn’t fully inside you like he was when you were riding him. “Hold on tight, unhook your ankles.” Your hands clasp behind his head as he shifts his weight to his knees, his hands move to your waist and firmly grips onto your hips as he moves his head away from yours, you unhook your ankles from around his waist and turns you over letting you be on top, his cock sinks deeper into you before he sits upright.

“HOLY FUCK!” You moan loudly as you feel his pubic bone rub against your clit and feel him slip in deeper. “Oh, my fucking… fuck.” His hands stay on your hips, his head moves to the crook of your neck as neither of you moves, he could feel your walls lightly pulsing around his cock.

“I’m going to be ruined before we even get started properly.” He says into your skin, you unclasp your hands and move one hand into his hair to hold the back of his head. “Are you… comfortable?” His mind was going completely crazy with you wrapped around him, you begin rocking your hips into his, causing his pubic bone to stimulate your clit.

“Oh… ah, ah, Hm…” You whimper into his ear with each rock of your hips, you could feel his breathing becoming heavier against your neck.

“Aah… Fuck, angel… aah... [Y/n].” He whimpers into your skin, the muscles in his thighs contracting underneath you. “Angel…” His moans sounded so beautiful to listen to as you rocked your hips into his, your grip tightens in his hair from the pleasure.

“Tae… Mhm.” You moan as you tilt your head slightly back, your eyes closing in bliss, one of his arms wrap around your waist and pulls you closer to him. “Tae… Tae.” Your moans became more breathy as you rolled your hips, your other hand presses against his back, your fingers digging into his skin, he lifts his head from your neck and brushes his lips over your earlobe.

“[Y/n]… oh… aah, hm.” He whimpers into your ear, you could feel your clit twitch at the sound of him whimpering your name, whimpering into your ear because of you. “You feel so good around me, taking me so well, angel.” He was whispering into your ear, grunt in between his words, he moves his head away from your ear, you lower your head and lays your forehead against his, you open your eyes to look into his, the intimacy growing between you.

“Shit… Tae… Taehyung.” You moan, tension building up in your abdomen, the sound of your wetness moving reached your ears, you could barely hear the sound of the water flowing, the wind blowing against your sweat-covered skin did nothing to cool it down, it felt like fire was coursing through your veins, your breathing was almost in-sync with his as you gazed into each other’s eyes.

“[Y/n]… fuck… I’m close.” He mutters, you could feel his cock twitch inside you. “I’m close… you feel so good.” Your walls clench around him at the thought of him releasing inside you, and at the sound of your name falling from his lips. “[Y/n]…”

“Taehyung... Tae, OH!” You moan as you feel him turning you over again, your back touches the blanket and your hand releases the back of his head as both your hands move to the blanket, he moves his away from your forehead and moves onto his knees, he hooks the back of your knees with his elbows and lifts your legs, almost pressing them into your torso, he snaps his hips into you. “TAE, OH FUCK, TAE!” He continues to roll his hips into yours, his arm moves around your leg as he moves his hand to your abdomen before moving it lower.

“You feel so good angel… are you close?” He asks, his cock twitches inside you as your walls squeeze around him, his hand reaches your clit and begins rubbing the sensitive nub.

“Tae… Tae… fuck… close.” You whimper out, he could feel your body shaking as he rolled his hips into you, your eyes shut as the tension suddenly snaps inside you, fireworks seem to go off behind your lids as pleasure washes over you. “TAEHYUNG!” He could feel you releasing around him, the feeling of your release surround him became too much, he thrust into you one more time and felt a burst of energy in his cock before he reaches his high and released inside you.

“[Y/N]!” His moan was loud as pleasure bursts through him, his mind was clouded with pleasure as he gently rocks his hips into you to ride out your orgasms, his fingers halt on your clit before lowering your legs and unhooks his arms from them, his cock slips out from you causing the mixtures of your orgasms to leak from you. “Fuck.” He moves away from between your legs and lays down on the blanket next to you, both of you breathing hard as your senses slowly return to you, as you slowly come down from the high you just experienced.

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Another year almost passes since that moment in the meadow happened, and you’ve only grown closer and closer to him, every other night he could be over for dinner and help out as much as he could with the preparation, but he had proved that he was better with horses than in the kitchen, which was not a problem, because he made up for his lack of cooking by making the best-tasting tea for you to drink, usually during or after dinner when you would be sitting on the couch enjoying each other’s company or watching television.

Just like right now, nightfall had covered the sky and twinkling stars covered the darkened night sky, the TV was playing some movie, but neither of you was paying attention to it, Terry and Yeontan were on the couch with you and Taehyung while Pizzie was laying on the floor next to the couch, fast asleep, they had played in the water all day and had tired themselves out from all the playing.

“I’m going to go make us some tea.” He says as he turns his head to look at you, he lifts your hand that he was holding and brings it to his lips and kisses your knuckles. “I love you.” The words fall from his lips, your body freezes at those three words, those words that were so endlessly tossed around by countless people, you had hoped that one day when someone did say those words to you that they would mean it and not just say it because they wanted to, or because they thought you wanted to hear them, but now hearing them come from him after almost three years of knowing and getting to know him more, your heart fluttered, and it felt like the air in your lungs disappeared, your lips part as you try to get your brain to work again to respond to him, ‘Had he meant it? Or did he just say it because he felt like he needed to?’ So many questions ran through your mind, you wanted him to mean those words, to be sure that he does love you, before you could even ask him anything, he answered you as if reading your mind.

“I mean it.” He says. “I’m not saying it because I feel like I should, or I feel like it’s time, I’m saying it because…” He leans closer to you. “I love you, and I don’t expect you to say it back right away, if you still need more time to say it, take all the time you need if you want to be sure, but I’m certain.” You slowly nod your head and suck in a deep breath, realizing you had been holding it. “The tea isn’t going to make itself.” He stood from the couch and makes his way to the kitchen Yeontan jumps off the couch to follow him.

“If you’re sure about your feelings.” You say while standing up from the couch, he stops in his step and turns to you, you walk up to him and take hold of his hands. “I promised myself that I would only say those words if I mean them… and if I’m sure that the other person feels the same.”

“I don’t expect you to say it back.” He says. “It should come natural, so when you’re ready to say it… I’ll wait no matter how long, I will wait for you forever, [Y/n].”

#imagine #imagines #taehyung imagines #taehyung imagine #taehyung smut #kim taehyung imagines #kim taehyung imagine #Taehyung #Smut #smut imagine #smut imagines #au

[eyayah-oya]

The Father You’ll Be

Boil/Waxer with a side of Cody/Rex

Rating: G

Warnings: there is brief mention of the cadets dying during the Battle of Kamino. Nothing graphic, but there are mentions.

for @clonehavensotm

Ao3 link

           Boil walked into the barracks and began stripping off his armor, desperately ready to go to sleep.  After a long day of fighting, the 212th and the 501st worked with Rancor to clear up the debris around Kamino, until they’d been awake for approximately two and a half day cycles.  Every step felt heavier than the last, until Boil felt like he was about to fall asleep where he was standing.

           At least, he felt that exhausted until he realized Waxer was no longer behind him.  Nor was he anywhere in the barracks.

           For several moments, Boil debated the merits of just falling into bed without Waxer, but the longer he stood there without knowing where he was, the more agitated he became.  With a heavy sigh and a silent curse, Boil put his armor back on and marched out into the hallways of Kamino.  Several other vod’e tried to reach out and stop him, to try and drag him to bed, but Boil just shrugged off their concerned hands and continued on to the mess hall.

           Boil sighed heavily when he couldn’t find Waxer in the mess hall, nor could he find him back in the area they had been cleaning up. He would not be able to settle down properly until he at least knew where Waxer was and what he was doing.

           There were many places on Kamino that Waxer could be hiding.  He tended to go for a run after a high-risk battle, just to help himself settle.  But he could also have gone to the training halls to work out his energy, as there were most likely plenty of brothers who he could spar against.  Boil really should have expected this kind of reaction from Waxer.  This battle was different from any other they’d fought in before.  There was more at stake, more at risk if they failed.  Worse casualties.  They’d lost far too many ikaade when the droids crashed through one of the domes, and several barracks were overrun by droids—

           Boil froze.

           He knew exactly where Waxer was.

           With a quick about-face, Boil marched towards the Littles’ barracks.  Waxer always had a bleeding heart for anyone who was in need of help, but especially animals and children.  Numa was a perfect example of that (Boil conveniently neglected to remember how enamored he had been by the sweet Twi’lek girl).  After the kind of loss all clones had experienced that day with the death of their vod’ikase and ikaade, Waxer would want to comfort the Littles.

           “Boil?  What are you still doing awake?”

           Commander Cody was leaning against the wall, guarding a doorway with Rex by his side.  They both looked exhausted, especially since they’d been working with Rancor command while Colt and Havoc were in the medbay getting patched up.  Boil did not envy their jobs.  The two of them were effectively coordinating three battalions in the cleanup efforts with the help of Commander Blitz and ARC Hammer.  They were also the ones dealing with the casualty reports.

           “Sir,” Boil snapped off a salute.  “Just going to find Waxer, sir.”

           Cody’s brow furrowed.  “He’s not with you?  I thought I assigned the two of you to the same work crews.”

           “You did, sir,” Boil answered.  “I got to the barracks and turned around and he wasn’t there.  I have a pretty good idea of where he disappeared to, though.”

           With a strained look in his eyes, Cody nodded.  It was likely that he, too, had guessed where Waxer was, and the Commander definitely wouldn’t get mad at either of them for being in the littlest cadet dorms.  “Make sure he gets some sleep tonight.  A pile of Littles will probably help more with that than anything else at this point. Hell, I might even join you later. We lost too many of them today, and it’ll be nice to see them and make sure they’re holding up well.”

           “I’m sure they’d love that,” Rex murmured.  “The Great Marshal Commander Cody coming to visit them and hug and hold them.  They’ll love you for that.”

           Cody sighed and thunked his head back against the wall. “You’re never gonna let me live the hero worship down, are you?”

           “Nope,” Rex huffed a weak attempt at a laugh.  He sounded exhausted, just as worn as the rest of them, and more since he was also dealing with a padawan commander who stumbled upon a bunch of cadets killed by Grievous.  Boil had heard the rumors, and he was so glad neither he nor Waxer had had to see any of the bodies of their little brothers.  That would have crushed them both.

           “Bring Commander Tano,” Boil said spontaneously.  He shifted back on his feet when both the Commander and the Captain looked at him in surprise.  “Well, I think it would do her good to see the cadets, too.  And I’m sure they’d like to meet a shiny Jedi. They probably have only ever seen General Ti from a distance.”

           “Ahsoka would like that, I think,” Cody answered, looking to Rex for confirmation.  Boil wasn’t sure why.  It was well-known among the 212th and the 501st that both Rex and Cody had adopted the young Jedi and loved her as fiercely as any nat-born loved their children.  Ahsoka looked up to Cody and probably spent just as much time with him as she did with Rex.

           “We have some a few tasks left to do before we can bunk down,” Rex said slowly.  “But then we should be free to come join you.  Ahsoka is debriefing with the Generals and checking on the injured in the medbay, but I’ll try to wrangle her into coming with us.”

           Boil nodded.  “I’ll go find Waxer and let you know which barracks he’s hid himself in. I’ll see you soon, sirs.”

           Cody and Rex waved him off, and Boil continued down the hallway, each step heavy with grief and exhaustion.  He counted off the doors until he reached the bunks for the youngest cadets decanted and poked his head into each one, looking for the tell-tale sign of a puppy-pile of vod’e flopped all over Waxer.

           It wasn’t until the fifth barracks he checked that Boil finally found him.  Waxer was telling a story about one of their many missions, watered down so that it was appropriate for little audio receptors.  He had a pair of Littles curled together under each arm, and two sitting on his lap while another dozen or so piled around his legs.  His armor was neatly stacked on a nearby pod, and it was clear that Waxer was planning on spending the rest of the night here with the little ones.

           “And then these great big, hungry monsters started chasing them through the streets of Nabat.  They were closing in on Commander Cody, and his blaster wasn’t working against their tough skins.  He was trapped, weaponless, and about to be eaten.  And do you know what happened?”

           One of the Littles on his lap perked up and grinned.  “He punched them?”

           “Or kicked them!”

           “Nah, he used his blaster to beat them up!”

           “You saved the day, Waxer!” a Little chirped from where he was practically buried underneath his brothers.

           “Thank you, 53, but no.  I was actually on my own adventure with Boil at the time.  I heard about all of this after it happened,” Waxer grinned.  He looked up, caught Boil’s eye, and shrugged apologetically.

           Boil found he couldn’t really be mad at Waxer.  Not when he was helping the little vod’ikase. With a heavy sigh, Boil stripped off his armor and set it next to Waxer’s while he distracted the little brothers.

           “I’ll tell you what happened,” Waxer continued his story with a wide grin.  “General Kenobi leaped in front of the charging monsters, without his lightsaber—“

           “No!” a Little cried.  He was curled up on his brother’s lap, tucked snugly under Waxer’s right arm, but when he shouted, he sat bolt upright, horror written on every tiny, adorable feature.

           That one is going to be Cody’s.  He’s going to adopt that Little next, Boil thought to himself. As he sat down, he and Waxer exchanged a knowing look, even as his lap was immediately overrun by Littles looking for a comfortable place to curl up.  If Cody managed to adopt this one, General Kenobi would stand no chance at ever running away from medical or losing his lightsaber in battle again.  The large, sad eyes pleading with him would be his downfall.  Boil made a note to tell Cody all about this one.

           “It’s alright, 2467,” Waxer soothed and kark, the kid even had Rex’s and Cody’s numbers combined into his.  “While it’s always a bad idea to go into a dangerous situation unarmed, the General had a few tricks up his sleeve.  So, there they were, cornered by starving beasts, when General Kenobi holds up his hand, just like this.”  Waxer demonstrates with arms raised in a decent imitation of the General when he was doing his Force magic stuff.

           “What happened then?  What happened to Commander Cody and General Kenobi?” a Little from the pile at Waxer’s knees piped up.

           “With the power of his mind,” Waxer said, “he spoke to the monsters and lured them away from Commander Cody and the rest of Ghost Company.  He led them deep into an alley, where there was only one exit.  And then he ordered Ghost to shoot at the walkways above him.”

           “NO!” 2467 shouted again.  “He can’t do that!  The General’s supposed to be safe!”

           Kriff it, Boil was going to help Cody sneak the whole squad onto the Negotiator, so he could adopt this one.  After all, they would never split up a batch.

           “Commander Cody was worried, but it all turned out okay. The General used the Force to leap high over the new blockade Ghost Company created, and he landed safely outside by Commander Cody, while the monsters were stuck.  And of course, Commander Cody handed the General his lightsaber and they went on to save Nabat.  The villagers were all safe and could move back into their homes without worrying about those awful clankers taking over their homes.”            “Wow!” one of the Littles in Boil’s lap whispered.

           “I’m gonna be just like Commander Cody when I grow big and strong!” another said, leaping up to demonstrate various kicks and punches. They weren’t very coordinated yet, and it was absolutely adorable to watch.

           “You better keep practicing, vod’ika,” Rex called from the doorway.  “Someday, you’ll be just as good as Cody.  I know it.”

           He slumped against the nearest pod and began taking off his armor.  Ahsoka slunk into the room behind him, and as soon as the top half of his armor was off, she attached herself to his back.  Her thin arms wrapped around his waist, and her face was pressed tightly in between his shoulder blades.  Boil would be willing to bet all the credits he never earned that she’d likely been crying as soon as she got away from the Generals.  But here among vod’e, she was safe to express all the awful emotions she had pent up in her heart.  Boil had learned over the course of the war that Jedi struggled with all the death far more than any vod.  They felt each death as if it were their own unless they shielded themselves so completely from the Force that it rendered them entirely useless.  To feel the lives of children slip away?  Boil couldn’t imagine.

           “Captain Rex, sir!” the Littles all shouted, and they tried to detangle themselves to salute, but Rex immediately waved them back down.

           “At ease, cadets.  Do you mind if we join you?  Commander Cody should also be coming soon.”

           “Really?”  The enormous eyes were filled with hope and disbelief that one of the greatest soldiers in the GAR would be coming to visit them.

           “Yes, really,” Boil answered.  “I invited him.  I hope you don’t mind?”

           Immediately, the little cadets were all wriggling around in excitement, talking loudly over one another about how cool and heroic Marshal Commander Cody was.  It was karking adorable.

           Boil slid into the newly freed space and wrapped an arm around Waxer.  Immediately, he felt him relax into his hold, some of the tension draining from his shoulders.  Rex plopped down against a wall, and immediately pulled Ahsoka into his lap, cradling her tightly against his chest.  She went almost desperately, needing the grounding contact of one of her adopted dads.  Boil knew that as soon as Cody arrived, she would somehow manage to wrap herself around both of them.  They’d probably end up buried beneath a pile of vod’ikase, but Boil sincerely doubted any of them would mind in the slightest.  He might not have the Force, but he could feel himself relaxing in the presence of such innocence and enthusiasm.  Waxer had made an excellent choice to come here.  Boil was glad that he had followed.

           He would always follow Waxer.  Whether it was on the battlefield or to a hoard of Littles that needed the comforting presence of their ori’vode, he would walk right beside him. Waxer was special.  Boil didn’t quite know the name of what he felt for Waxer, but he knew that it was enough to just be near him.  To press against each other tightly at night, and to shake apart together.  To be together for the rest of their lives.

           It was enough.

             (Cody nearly managed to sneak the entire squad onto the Negotiator undetected, but at the last minute, General Kenobi caught him. And then proceeded to help them set up a nursery perfect for the 212th’s newest squad of cadets.  No one could ever say their General didn’t have a bleeding heart, nor a soft spot for children.  And just as Boil had predicted, Cody adopted 2467 and helped pick out the name Dara.  They would be eternal, no matter what happened during the war.)

#clone/clone #clone shipping #boxer #boil/waxer #waxer/boil #clone trooper waxer #clone trooper boil #commander cody #captain rex #ahsoka tano #clone cadets #clone haven sotm

[i-am-the-letterman]

Hello! Can I request (platonic) Dante x Brother!Depressed!Reader x Vergil? (No incest, only platonic). Reader is third twin and not into siblings rivalship, he’s always trying to help his brothers and being kind to everyone. How would Vergil and Dante react that they find out that their brother using antidepressants for years and he’s standing on thin ice to have mental break down?

Yes, yes, of course! I did some research on both depression itself as well as what it is exactly the antidepressants do so I'm hoping I got this accurately. You also did not specify what kind of depression reader deals with so I tried to keep it ambiguous.

I typed it out as hcs but it can be read more like a small fic. Reader has blue eyes to match his brother's but the rest of the appearance is up to you! There will be some swearing so you have been warned!

I uh- Have no idea how to do the cut on mobile so if these topics make anyone uncomfortable please just scroll really fast away from it!

I couldn't find any artwork at the moment so instead I'm using the picture of a figurine

{⚠︎TW⚠︎}

How Dante and Vergil would react to finding their brother's antidepressants.

☯︎ So first thing first, you were the third born Sparda child and the twin brother of Vergil and Dante Sparda.

☯︎ You aren't one for the more rivalling side of your brothers and tended to stray away from that. Instead you would help both of them in any way you could.

☯︎ With that emotional neglect and whatever traumas that may have come with assisting your brothers

☯︎ But you had the habit of neglecting you own needs as a person. Your brothers were so caught up in their own rivalry that they tended to forget that you were a person too.

☯︎ When you finally went to see a doctor after a few visits they finally decided to put you on the standard antidepressants.

☯︎ You would keep them hidden from both of your brothers, either behind something or in a bag. Anywhere you knew where they wouldn't look was where you would keep them

☯︎ At first you felt some of the side effects of the medication. Nausea, fatigue, and irritability. None of it was too bad but it was very off putting at first.

☯︎ It has been a few years since you've started taking the antidepressants and now the only noticable side effects that you had were, insomnia and fatigue and irritability. Sometimes you would also get jittery or shaky but that wasn't very common.

☯︎ Dante was oblivious to the whole ordeal, thinking that maybe you were just stressed from everything. It wasn't until Vergil pointed anything out for him to realize.

☯︎ Vergil caught on after a while that you weren't the same person you were before, but it wasn't until he and Dante accidentally stumbled upon one of your pill bottles that they knew what was really going on.

☯︎ In all honesty Dante felt like an idiot, and even Vergil felt bad. They had been forcing their rivalry onto you for so long, not caring about how you felt.

☯︎ Vergil was the first to confront you about it. Maybe not in the best way though...

☯︎ You were panicking, looking for you antidepressants, swearing that you had them hidden behind the bandages in the bathroom cabinet.

☯︎ Vergil would knock on the door, asking what was taking you so long, even though he knee full well what it was. It wasn't until you opened up the door and tried to shove past him to continue your search when he grabbed onto your arm.

☯︎ "Are you looking for these?" He'd ask holding the pill bottle in front of you. When you went to reach for them he pulled his arm back so you couldn't reach. "Not so fast, brother. How come you've hidden these from us? It's unlike you to be so secretive," His tone was his typical void of any emotion aside from bitterness tone. Staring you down with the same blue eyes as your own.

☯︎ "It didn't matter, there was no need to worry about it so I just kept them away from you" You responded trying to reach for them once more, your hands were visibly trembling and your voice was shaking as well just a bit.

☯︎ "What do you mean 'It didn't matter'? you are our brother, y/n. And while I might despise Dante, I do not despise you. You should not have been hiding anything from either of us" He'd go on to say, Dante coming down the hallway casually before noticing what was going on.

☯︎ The other twin grabbed onto your other arm, pulling you away from Vergil. "Hey, hey, the hell are you doing?"

☯︎ Dante released the arm he was holding, leading you to reach once more. "I said it didn't matter, Vergil. It will never matter, just give them back! Thing won't get better if you just keep them from me!" You would yell, finally getting a hold on the bottle. You were now trembling more, clutching the antidepressants close to your chest.

☯︎ "Calm down," Dante said as he reached out to touch your shoulder, only for you to jerk back into the wall.

☯︎ The pain from hitting the wall and the overall stress from the situation caught up to you as you slid down, bringing your knees to your chest.

☯︎ "Shit" Dante cursed, kneeling down, Vergil following a moment after. "You don't have to explain if you aren't comfortable with it. Don't listen to the bullshit Vergil says,"

☯︎ Vergil scoffed, glaring at Dante. "As if you have any better advice or solutions. We can't help unless we know the problem," "Yes we can, Verg-" "No, we cannot-"

☯︎ "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You guys are the problem! " You shouted once more, glaring up at your two brothers. Tears were starting to form and you began to wipe them away.

☯︎ "All you guys have done over the years is fight...I understand having a rivalry, but you take into no consideration how you're actions effect other people! For so long I've been giving up my life for the both fo you! I'm a person too! I have emotional needs and I have so many weaknesses!" At this point you had stopped trying to wipe the tears away.

☯︎ "I feel so selfish saying it too..." Your brothers stared at you for a few moments, making you shrink further into yourself.

☯︎ "We fucked up..." Dante mumbled, reaching out once more in a less abrupt way. He rubbed your shoulder a little bit before moving his hand back.

☯︎ "Listen I-" Vergil started before getting nudged by Dante "We apologise, we should have put you into consideration instead of using you as a tool. I promise you we will be more aware of your emotions from now on," Vergil said, repeating the actions of Dante and patting your other shoulder.

☯︎ "As much as I hate to say, Verg is right, we were the ones being selfish here and we royally fucked up. If you don't forgive us right now that's alright, we won't force you to. But hey, we can still work through this"

☯︎ You nodded as they both spoke, looking up at them both as you trued to wipe your tears once more. "I don't forgive either of you now... It'll take a while for me to... But I am willing to try and work things out little by little,"

Oh goodness, this is so bad- They are so ooc- I'm so sorry if this isn't quite what you wanted. I'm not very educated on the topic and even after researching I was having some trouble.

#dmc #dmc x reader #Vergil dmc #Dante dmc #Dante Sparda #Vergil Sparda #x male reader

[the-silentium]

Bloodhound

Masterlist - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4

Fors is an Original planet. I do not give permission to people to use it for their own fics, the planet, the animals, the Nightmares, the lore or anything related to Fors. Thank you.

Pairing: Bad Batch x Reader

Words: 5172 words

Warnings: Blood, gore, curse, monsters, ANGST.

A/N: Yessss two chaps in two days!! Thanks to every single one of you who left comments and kuddos on the previous chap. You're all awesome 💜

**Also! Words in bold are words said in French, which means the clones can't understand it. I stopped writing the French in actual French for you guys, it'll be more useful in the future.**

Taglist:  @haloangel391​ / @lightning-wolffe​ / @cherrydemon5​ / @and-claudia​ / @clone-rambles​ / @mandaloriandin​ / @lackofhonor / @gaymasonjar

------------------------------------

//25 minutes earlier//

"That's not him! Guys!" You yelled in the comlink you fished in your pocket in a haste, almost making yourself trip when you pulled on the fabric of your pants at the same time.

The gap separating you from them was increasing more and more with each step they took. Damn their long legs and commando training, you weren't made to chase this kind of prey!

"I know his voice Y/N! That's him!" Wrecker was too damn sure of himself, his confidence affecting his brothers' judgment as well. 

It didn't take long for rule number one to be thrown overboard and surprisingly it wasn't by the one you expected, no offense Techie. 

"Stay under the trees!"

This couldn't be happening. They were all running headfirst to their deaths. According to the lore, Venustes didn't affect more than one person at a time. You couldn't know for sure if the lore was reliable or if the other three were following out of concern for the fake 99, but they had to snap out of their own mind trap soon or else they would all be dragged down. 

"H-" A clawed hand appeared inches from your face, cutting short your attempt to call out for your sergeant. 

Instinctively, you threw your body to the ground to avoid getting grabbed by the head and ultimately being crushed like a berry in its grasp and crawled to continue running. Alas, the Algax wasn't as dumb as you thought, his other hand swiftly reached forward to stab your right thigh with one of its fingers, preventing you from escaping. 

Your screams of pain were muffled by the hand pinning your face to the dirt, waiting before your lungs were empty of any air to lace its long sharp digits around your torso. The feeling barely registered through the thick fog of pain coming from your thigh. 

Your first instinct was to yell at the top of your lungs for help, maybe your distress would get them out of their haze, saving their lives as well as yours, but you quickly found out that your lungs were empty and unable to expand to receive more oxygen. 

The lack of air in your system mixed with the agonizing pain from the retreating talon in your thigh almost knocked you unconscious. You could feel your blood escaping your wound to drip down your legs and nourish the ground under your suspended form. 

It leaned closer, a low crackling sound escaped the slits on its temples. With considerable efforts, your good leg moved up to push against its torso to keep its horrifying face away from yours, the up-close view causing more tears to gather in your eyes. 

Fear and the lack of oxygen quickly took over your body in the form of violent shivers shooking your whole frame. The building pressure encompassing you once more was excruciating, your bow laid on the ground out of reach while your arms were pinned down along your sides, keeping you from stabbing your way out of the situation. 

All you could do was scream in your head out of pain and fear, waiting until your bones gave up under the tightening grasp to pierce your organs and kill you slowly. The boys seemed way too entranced to come to your aid, leaving you to feel as miserable as when you were hunting for the village, without back up and entirely alone. If you were lucky, you'd die alone without another beast feasting on your still alive-but-unable-to-move self. This would be a nice death, as horrible as it sounded. 

You hoped the boys would survive though. Even if they apparently totally forgot that you were there. Not that this came to you as a surprise. People who gravitate around you for some time always tend to go away on their own, leaving you behind just like the clones. But you couldn't hate them for it, your heart already knew it was coming and had prepared itself for this right moment. 

After all, they had to lie to their chain of command and train a primitive idiot how to fly a ship, they were trapped on this infernal planet once again because you nearly died and they hadn't seen the Shinehorn sneaking its way into their ship, being too busy fussing over your comatose self. Oh and let's not forget that you ended an innocent's life right in front of them without warning. It was only a matter of time before they left. 

Plus, if they were so desperate to meet this 99, it surely meant that he was highly special to them whereas you were the newbie, so no you weren't mad. You merely wished you had someone who could make you forget everything around like this 99. It seemed nice to have someone that important.  

And finally, if you died maybe you would find a way to come back to haunt them. This could be fun, you could mess with Crosshair's rifle, disturb Tech while he was tweaking with his prototypes, pushing Wrecker around to your liking because he couldn't possibly defend himself against you anymore and most important of all, you could mess with Hunter by constantly untying his goddamn bandana. It would drive them all mad, you knew it. 

After some thoughts, you knew they would make it off this planet alive. Together they had a good chance. Hunter's acute senses along with their brains and elite commando training gave them an advantage the natives never had. Hopefully, they would stay in these parts of the jungle until daylight, where they knew how to deal with the monsters living around. 

Yeah... Good luck guys. 

Eyes closed, you waited for the inevitable snaps of your bones. It resonated between the trees, sickening and disgusting you to the core, but you weren't flooded under any more pain than the one radiating from your thigh. Instead, you felt nauseous for a whole second when you were once again thrown away, landing on the ground harshly. 

Your body rolled on the dirt, bouncing a couple of times under the force of impact. For as far as you remembered there wasn't a single time in your life when you've been thrown around as much as tonight. This was getting tiring and it’s been dark for only a bit more than two hours. Lucky you. 

Still laying on your back, you breathed erratically to provide the much-needed oxygen to your organs, watching upside down the Algax receiving a second arrow to the head, effectively scaring it away. 

A hunter. You were saved. You were fine. 

Huffing, your body went limp at the lack of imminent danger and talons menacing your life. Maybe you could rest-

"Shit. She's really alive?" A hunter you recognized as Farlan walked out of the shadows to slowly approach your form like you were a trapped animal. 

"So it's true then. It's your fault they're back." Another Hunter spat, literally, missing your face by an inch. Kerth never liked you, obviously. 

You would have liked to say that those were the hunters you desperately wanted to come and rescue you, but then it would be a lie. None of them appreciated your presence even slightly so they all meant the same thing. This will be a drag. 

"Now, who's back? And why is it always my fault?" You pushed on your forearm to sit straight, grunting at the pain in your right leg. 

Shit. The hole left by the talon wasn't big, approximately two inches wide, but it was bleeding profusely. It was sickening to be able to see the ground through your flesh so you opted to keep pressure on the wound with your hands, camouflaging the hole like it wasn't even there. If only the pain could disappear as easily...

"The nightmares. They're back because you're still alive." Kerth pulled a piece of gauze from a pocket on his belt, the sight of the medical supply pulled a relieved sigh out of you. 

Wait what?

"So the council wants a word." He said with so much venom that your heart skipped a beat. This wasn't good. At. All. 

Before you could react, the gauze found its way in your mouth, quickly followed by an irritating rope that despite your weak thrashing around got attached behind your head. 

You were brutally pushed onto your belly, hands pulled behind your back to be attached tightly with skillful fingers. A muffled scream escaped your mouth when a knee pressed onto your wounded thigh, tears joining your blood on the dirt. 

"Because of you, I've lost friends tonight. I'll make sure to pay you a visit once the council is done with your stupid ass." He growled in your ear. 

Oh, you were so dead. Your bet was on the council, but if by some miracle they weren't the one to put an end to your life, then Kerth was the next bet. Maybe you shouldn't have sabotaged his weapons the day of the hunt competition. Or put some poison ivy in his hunting clothes. Or laugh whole-heartedly when he got shit on by a Furant during his ceremonial speech in front of the whole village. Or… one of the numerous pranks you pulled on him for payback of his daily shitty attitude towards you.

Farlan was the one to pull you up and push you forward, leaving the job to spot the monsters to Kerth. The thought of running or fighting was completely futile. You wouldn't run very far with your untreated leg, there was the possibility that they would shoot you down out of spite too. They seemed very fed up at you for some reason. How could you be the cause of the nightmares reappearing? Also, they were gone? Since when?!

This was getting weirder and weirder. 

_________________

//Present - 10:48 pm//

"I got her position. She's close” The corners of Wrecker’s lips lifted slightly. They could track you, everything would be fine from here. You weren’t lost. “and unmoving." The whispered last words rang loud and clear in all the clones' ears.

Wrecker's breath wasn't the only one to abruptly stop. 

The smile quickly left his face, as well as a majority of his blood. You couldn’t be dead. This couldn’t be happening. 

“Where?” Hunter’s hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly around his blaster,

“700 meters that way.” He pointed deeper into the jungle, where they all came from. 

A weight fell on his stomach and he had to force a deep breath in. You hadn’t made it out of the jungle with them. They had outrun you and left you behind on your own. 

Without a word Hunter took the lead, Tech following right behind with Crosshair on his heels. Wrecker took a single second to gulp down his guilt and shake his arms lightly to regain feeling in his body and not worsen his wounds. He followed silently behind the group, squinting attentively to discern the shadows with his half working equipment.

“300 meters.”

You were resourceful. You knew your planet like the back of your hand. There was no way you were dead. 

“100.”

Please 99. Don’t let her be dead.

Crosshair stumbled on Tech as the brown-haired clone abruptly stopped, looking around like he was searching for something. With a step forward, Tech crouched to grab a small object on the ground to show it to the rest of them. 

“Kriff!” Hunter punched a nearby tree, exhausted by this succession of ill-fated events. There in Tech’s hand was your comlink, their only way of locating you on this living prison that was this planet. 

Wrecker held onto the last hope he had. There wasn’t any blood, you could still be fine. Maybe you’d dropped your comlink while running away. 

“Hunter.” Crosshair’s voice was unsettling. His usual dry snarky self was replaced by a more small and scared tone that the soldier hadn’t heard in a while. “That’s a lot of blood.” 

And it was. The puddle was big enough and it looked like you'd struggled quite a bit in it too.

The world was spinning. He knew battalions lost men every time they went out on missions. It was a common occurrence for soldiers to die and the remaining ones had to suck it up ad continue the fight. But Wrecker wasn’t used to this. From the very beginning, they were the four of them, surviving each mission thrown their way to fight another day. He never got attached to anyone out of his Batch but you and losing his first comrade in the field hit him hard. 

Sure, the death of 99 left him in crumbles but with you it was different. He was supposed to have your back just like you had his. You saved his life and he didn’t save yours. 

As his eyes fell to the ground in shame, he noticed a small object at the tip of his boot. 

“Tech.” He called, as he raised back up with your earbud in hand.

“So we can’t contact her, she can’t contact us, she’s unarmed and wounded.” Crosshair resumed the situation, your bloody bow, and quiver in hand. "If she's not dead, she'll be soon." 

"There's no way she'd run deeper into the jungle wounded and without her bow. It's suicide." Hunter tore his gaze from the large puddle at his feet to follow sparse dark spots staining the grass to their right. "It could be a new critter that doesn't kill right away or she found someone or something else to protect her." 

So there was a possibility that you weren't dead. Wrecker felt relieved that his brother came to that conclusion, his own mind was working in slow motion, too distressed at his feelings to allow him to concentrate and think. 

"Whatever it is, we'll find her." 

Even if the words weren't meant to reassure him, Wrecker felt more at ease knowing that they had a way to track you and that you were possibly safe with someone or something. All he hoped now was that you were alive long enough for them to find you and that ultimately, you'd forgive him. 

Wrecker rushed behind his brothers who followed the trail, jogging at a steady rhythm, slow enough to be able to detect the monsters that might target them but fast enough that they would catch up to you at some point. 

It didn't take long for the first Algax to cut their road, the shy creature poking its terrifying head from behind a large trunk as soon as it heard them approach.

Wrecker tensed, already gripping the handle of his blaster with his left hand despite the knowledge that his weapon was useless against them. Having his blaster in hand, even if it wasn't the right one, gave him a sense of security. 

The dark blue creature didn't have time to lift its hand to reach for them that an arrow flew right into the trunk next to its head. The beast hissed, its long fingers hitting the arrow in anger before moving out of its hiding spot to engage the group. 

"Damn thing." Crosshair growled, at the bow in his hand or at the beast, Wrecker didn't know. All he knew was that he almost cheered when his brother managed to scare the beast away with two arrows piercing its chest. 

"Nice work." Tech approved, light sticks in hand instead of his blasters. 

"You were right. It is primitive." Crosshair growled, following Hunter who resumed the tracking of your blood on the ground. 

"I'm always right." He chirped, eyes scanning the shadows. 

"Debatable." His brother scoffed back. 

"Wrecker." Hunter called from the front, eyes quickly darting forward when he caught his brother's eyes. "Let your blaster. Take your blade." 

"Okay." Against his best instinct, the clone let go of his DC-17, letting it fall on the jungle floor to grab his vibroblade in a firm grip. The blade felt weird in his left hand but it would do. Knives worked on those things, he was still safe. 

The surroundings were calm for a while, and the more time they spent no crossing path with any monster, the more the tension built between them. Apprehension kept them on their toes, eating away at their nerves slowly. 

The next Algax they encountered stood tall in their way like he was challenging them to jump at it. Maybe they were used to being at the top of the food chain, just like the clones were used to being at the top of their game. Regrettably, the clones were in way over their head on this planet but they would make sure that they weren't the only ones.

Instead of slowing down, Hunter charged at the Algax, stopping only when the sharp metal of his vibroblade was deeply set into the monster's chest. 

Wrecker waited for a screech, for the creature to start thrashing around or flee like the one that fell down a tree with you. Seconds passed and the Algax lifted its arms like nothing happened, like there wasn't a long knife jabbed in its thorax and made a move to grab the sergeant who swiftly jumped away, blade still in hand. 

"What?!" Hunter exclaimed, facing the creature once again. 

An arrow in the head managed to get the desired effect, the tall beast running away in its signature hiss. 

"Why didn't it work? Her knife worked on them!" Hunter was getting more and more on edge. 

"Maybe it could be because our technology is too advanced or because our equipment is not native." Tech remarked. "It is logical in a sense. This planet created its own rules to protect itself from invaders, so it may have created a sort of protection against anything exterior to its own resources."

"It is possible?" Wrecker found it quite hard to believe. A planet controlling what could kill or not? Blasters could kill anything!

"The planet changes beliefs in the real thing. Yeah I think it's possible." He deadpanned with an eye roll.

Suddenly, the vibroblade in Wrecker's hand didn't provide the same sense of security as before. All their hope resided in Crosshair and Tech's hands. 7 arrows and 3 light sticks. Talk about limited resources. If only he had his backpack containing all his explosives, he could get something done. 

Too deep in thought, Wrecker didn't notice the wall of dirt right in front of them until he almost rammed into it. They were back to their landmark. 

"We missed each other." Hunter growled in frustration at the sight of the blood splatters leaving the safety of the trees to disappear under the waterfall. 

Wrecker understood immediately, his own frustration building in his chest. They entered the jungle and you got out of it. Maker knew Wrecker was used to bad timing but this was a new low. Fate was laughing right in their faces. 

Cautiously, they left the dense vegetation to venture into the open area where Wrecker almost became bird food. His eyes were fixed in the open sky, some stars were visible through the small clouds. The bright moon wasn't at its highest yet, Wrecker estimated that there was another hour before the satellite reached its peak. 

The provided light allowed him to relax the muscles around his eyes. He hasn't been squinting for long that the beginning of a headache started to form in his skull. 

As they neared the wet dirt, three sets of footprints were easily distinguishable in the wet dirt. The spacing told them that none of you were running. If nothing was chasing you, then why weren't you patched up?

"We have to find her quick." Crosshair spat what every brother thought quietly. 

If you were with people that didn't patch you up and had plenty of time to do so then they weren't on your side. Even without medical supplies, they should have been able to stop the bleeding one way or the other.

"Stay close." Hunter called, venturing closer to the waterfall where your blood disappeared. 

With each step forward, the sound of the waterfall hitting the river below became more and more deafening. The sound was assaulting his ears to a point where he almost ripped his helmet off to cover his ears. He managed to hold on, focussing instead on his leader who clearly had more problems than him. 

Hunter had removed his own helmet to pass it on to Tech in hope of covering some of the uproars with his hands. The relief must not have been enough for his arms began to shake, his hands pushing firmly against the sides of his head.  

If only he could reach for his brother and take some of his pain, Wrecker would do it in a heartbeat. 

"Let's make this quick." Crosshair took the front, his steps taking him behind the waterfall where a tin border of rocks formed a path to the other side.

Tech nodded his head towards Hunter, his hands already full with the sticks and the extra helmet. 

"Got him." Wrecker confirmed. His left hand reached for his brother's pauldron right after sheathing his blade. 

With practiced movements, Wrecker bent to carefully set his pain down, now wasn't the time to listen to his body. 

With slow steps the tank walked on the wet trail of rocks behind the roaring wall of water, his arm tightening slightly around the body on his shoulder. If Hunter reacted Wrecker couldn't hear it. 

The rocks were flat enough that he didn't slip once. The problem appeared on the other side, where the blood trail ended abruptly a couple of feet away from the bank.

"Where to now?" Wrecker asked, still supporting his limp brother. 

"No fucking idea." Crosshair grumbled, visor moving from right to left where the jungle extended as far as his eyes could see in both directions.

Hunter's feet returned to the ground when soft pats disturbed the tall clone carrying him, his hands were at his sides, fingers clenched into fists as he grounded himself through deep breaths. 

"Are you okay?" Wrecker dared to ask, his worry for his family finally escaping him. 

Hunter usually took more time to recover from an overwhelming episode like this one and it was apparent that he still needed time, but he opened his eyes nonetheless, ignoring Wrecker's question to grip onto Tech for support and deeply breathe in, brows furrowed in concentration. 

His head turned in a different direction as the three remaining clones scrutinized the line of trees for signs of a threat. 

"It's faint." Hunter whispered, still deep within himself. "Blood. That way." He pointed at their right before reaching for his helmet in the engineer's hands. 

"You're good to walk?" Tech questioned, watching his C.O. warily. His hands lifted slightly in apprehension that Hunter may faint under the pressure he was forcing on his body.

"Yes." It was weak but firm, leaving no place for discussion, not that either of them would have said anything. They knew what you meant to the sergeant so it was better for their sakes to not put themselves between you and him. 

Back in position, clone force 99 advanced through the trees, their pace building at each passing second. They were almost running when finally they stopped, their boots almost slipping under them in a sticky substance. 

"Karkin' fuck." Hunter cursed, his hands tightening around his vibroblade, eyes glued to the corpse lying at their feet. 

"That was you smelled?" Crosshair pushed the eviscerated loth wolf with the tip of his foot. 

"Ye-"

Screams resonated in the distance, cutting Hunter off. Wrecker's heartbeat loudly in his ears, almost covering the yells of pain under its incessant percussion against his ribcage.

Every single one of the soldiers breathed out in relief at the lack of a female scream. However, they tensed in apprehension as the screams faded and howls filled the air in their place. A new beast was around and they didn't have any idea of how to react to it. Run? Hide? Would the knife work this time? Or the bow? 

"There were two distinct voices. Males." Tech stopped his recon of the surroundings to catch his batch's eyes. "Maybe it's them." 

"Worth a shot." Hunter nodded, already moving in the direction of the screams, although this time he kept a slower pace, fully conscious that they were in unknown territory, charging at unknown beasts. 

The screams weren't too far, but they obviously came from the opposite direction Hunter initially pointed them to. Hopefully, they would find you there, wounded but alive, and he wouldn't beat himself too much for his mistake. 

Despite knowing that they were useless, Wrecker retrieved his vibroblade from its sheath. The need for a weapon in his hand was too great to ignore, every cell of his being felt the danger ahead and wanted to be prepared although he could never really be prepared for anything this planet threw at him. 

He cringed every time a twig broke under his boots, the soft sound resonating in his own ears like the grenades he liked to throw on the battlefield, resonating into the silent jungle to scream their position at anything that dared to listen. Maybe it was paranoïa slowly creeping its way into his brain, using the aftereffect of the corrupted hallucinations he suffered to play around with his senses. 

Just like right now, the more he concentrated to decipher the shadows with his half working helmet, the more strange the forms became. At first, it was spots from his constant squinting, then he saw small blue lights on the horizon, dancing haphazardly around. After a couple of blinks, the pale lights disappeared as fast as they arrived, leading the bald clone to shrug them off as his eyes playing tricks on him. The constant stress was definitely getting a toll on him, and let’s not talk about the two dives into a strong current. Once this night was over and they get back at the Marauder, he’ll sleep for two weeks straight. 

Softs whines could be heard over unnerving growls and occasional barks, quickly catching the group’s attention. 

“Blood.” Hunter informed them over comm, his whisper almost blending with the rustles of leaves in front of them. 

The group halted in their tracks as Hunter raised his fist, Crosshair already had the bow cranked, ready to shoot at whatever alerted their leader. Carefully peeking over Tech’s shoulder, Wrecker craned his neck to the side to see what was happening around the boulder they used as cover.

He could see the posterior of a large animal, jerking successively like it was pulling at something. Disturbing yelps filled the air and the animal fell backward with its prize tightly encased between its teeth. It rolled near their position but was too preoccupied with the bloody arm in its possession to detect the clones observing it. 

Wrecker knew Tech was recording, there was no way he wasn’t. Not when the monster before them had no skin whatsoever to cover its bones. The canine-like monstrosity easily reached Tech’s waist, had no external skin, leaving its bones to shine under the green tint of their night vision, muscles were observable between the ribs and along the joints, but that was it. No skin. 

"If only we could capture one." He muttered to which Hunter answered with a glare under his helmet. 

As it ate, Tech’s appreciative whispers filled the comm, muttering about the extra smaller ribs that circled the abdomen of the monster, keeping its intestines from falling all over the ground and marveling about the movement of each muscle, totally bare for his curious eyes to see and analyze at will. 

"Fine fine. We won't be getting one of those perfect study specimens." He grumbled, reporting his gaze to the organism that crunched the humerus with only moderate difficulty. "Fascinating." 

"No, it's not." Crosshair elbowed Hunter who redirected his gaze to a hollow tree where a figure was shivering, hidden in the darkness. 

"That's her." He confirmed, the sniper's impeccable sight was not to be doubted.

"Why aren't they attacking her?" Wrecker questioned, puzzled. 

Two other beasts were walking only steps away from your poor hiding spot, ignoring you totally despite acknowledging your presence with occasional glances towards you.

"I have some theories but they are all shots in the dark." Tech answered when he realized that they were all waiting for his highlights. 

"That's just perfect." Crosshair growled. 

The tall clone counted 4 of them, walking between two bodies to tear at the flesh and stain their white skulls with fresh blood. 

He wondered if his brute strength would be enough to smash their bones if needed when he noticed you slowly standing up, hands behind your body to steady yourself against the trunk. 

"Maybe she could come here instead of us going there." Wrecker pointed out. If only he could catch your attention without catching theirs. "Tech. Do you still have your laser?" 

The toy they kept around to annoy Crosshair whenever he was too relaxed on leave could be more useful than its original purpose.

Wrecker was amazed at how unafraid of the canines you were, standing next to one of them to pull at the bow on one of the beheaded corpses with your foot.

"Good idea." Tech walked to the other side of the rock where he could have a clear view of your limping form, slowly making your way toward one of the dead bodies. 

"She's tied up." Remarked Hunter, his voice merely above a whisper but frightening nonetheless. Your aggressors should be glad that the dogs got them first.

Crosshair had the creature in his aim, an arrow already pointed at its head if it dared to make a move in your direction. 

At one point the bow got stuck, the snapping mouth of the monster next to you was deeply buried into the open chest of what once was a man, blocking your progression toward the shoulders.

Wrecker's breath blocked in his throat and Crosshair cursed under his breath as they saw you tentatively poke the skull of the monster with a very shaky foot before almost falling on your ass with a muffled yelp at how quickly you moved it back when the big bony dog jerked its head up to look at you. 

Your wide eyes stared back at it until it lost interest and moved further down the body to nib at some abdominal organs. Quickly you pulled out the bow with your foot, head tilted down to your chest to look at your work.

Tech used this moment to point the red laser at your chest, immediately catching your attention by moving it from side to side. Wrecker grinned as your head lifted in their direction, eyes wide in surprise. You spotted them in seconds, maybe because Wrecker was waving. 

Words were muffled by the rope around your mouth, but the wild shaking of your head was clear. Even with only a half functioning helmet, Wrecker could read the fear in your gaze. 

Tech couldn't close the light fast enough. One skull turned at the source of the small brightness. As soon as it spotted them, earsplitting yaps covered the snarls of the feasting animals, catching the pack’s attention simultaneously. Soon 4 pairs of predatory red eyes stared at them, their maws chattering in anticipation.

#bad batch x reader #wrecker x reader #tech x reader #crosshair x reader #hunter x reader #sergeant hunter #clone force 99 #star wars #clone wars

[translations-by-aiimee]

Mistakenly Saving the Villain - Chapter 5

Original Title: 论救错反派的下场

Genres: Drama, Romance, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Chapter 5 - Wrong Answer

Readers who have read novels such as transmigration, quick transmigration, and system plotlines, know that if the fate of the character in the story must be changed, it should be prevented before the character's tragic fate has occurred. However, Song Qingshi interpreted this as the event having already occurred, and was meant to save the character who had already suffered a tragic fate. This train of thought meant that his decision was a thousand miles off.

In the original book, Yue Wuhuan only appeared three times:

The first time was when the shou protagonist had just been sold to Golden Phoenix Manor. When he saw the unbearable scene of Yue Wuhuan being played with by the guests, his three views shattered.

The second time was when the protagonist's naive illusion of the future was destroyed and he was forced to accept his identity because of the ridicule and humiliating remarks of Yue Wuhuan.

The third time, Yue Wuhuan was taken out by Jin FeiRen on the Langgan stage to treat the guests and was accidentally torn to pieces by the demon tiger. Jin FeiRen concealed the actual explanation of the demon tiger's madness and treated it as a deliberately arranged game for the banquet. With this extreme fear, he shattered the last trace of the protagonist's dignity, making him completely surrender and become a plaything.

In short, Yue Wuhuan was a small supporting role with little substance, leaving the plot early, using his degeneracy to offset the beauty of the protagonist. His beauty was only like that of a beautiful flower that was about to wither. How can it be compared with the pure and clean flower bud that had not yet bloomed in the dawn?

This was a super simple multiple-choice question that every reader could figure out!

If the system was a living thing and watching over the exam being taken, it would be so angry that it would have come out and beaten that foolish Song Qingshi to death.

Scholar-Tyrant Song didn't know that he had drifted so far from the original goal, but he was still eagerly confident, trying to do his best and vowing to get a perfect score!

On the way back to the Valley of the Medicine King, Song Qingshi had recalled all the memories of his original body and integrated it with its massive knowledge of medicine and alchemy. There were rare and exotic herbs and miraculous medicines in the cultivation world. However, similar to traditional Chinese medicine, even if the medicine worked wonders, the science behind the effects of these medicines was still a mystery.

Modern medicine conducts systematic research on traditional Chinese medicine to find out the monarch-minister-auxiliary relationship within its components, extracted the useful ingredients in each concoction, and then developed medicine that was easier to take and had even better results.

A female scientist won the Nobel Prize for this, benefiting the world. Song Qingshi focused on modern medicine, leaped away from the traditional path of immortality, and quickly found new ideas for solving problems for many areas that the original body had failed to properly study. He used the Tiangong Pavilion to make modern scientific instrument substitutes, and then analyze the effective ingredients in the immortal medicines, purify them, research them, and even artificially synthesize them. . .

In Song Qingshi's mind, there were countless experimental schemes in an endless stream, and there were tens of thousands of books and inexhaustible medicinal materials in the Medicine King's Valley, as well as abundant research funds.

He was overjoyed, like a mouse that fell into a vat of rice. He wanted to kiss the system if he could.

Song Qingshi fully understood why the original body lived here, staying in such a cultivation paradise. He could live here for the rest of his life!

He could immerse himself in the ocean of intense studying and research every day. He could dedicate his life and soul to his favourite medical god. No one could send him back!

Song Qingshi looked at Yue Wuhuan in his arms. The more he looked at him, the more he loved him.

This was the big treasure that had given him everything! He would do everything he could to save him, just like his parents used to treat him before; indulged, spoiled, loved, and giving him all the good things he needed so that he can live a happy life like a prince in a fairy tale!

Song 'a father's love is like a mountain' Qingshi was full of ambition. He suppressed his excitement and immediately placed Yue Wuhuan in the side hall of his bedroom. He did everything by himself. First, he poured the elixir carefully with the crane-mouthed pot to re-invigorate the breath of life. Then he changed into white clothes, put on a homemade mask, and found a pair of extremely thin animal leather gloves. After he finished disinfecting the wounds, gently cut off the blood-soaked gauze and feather skirt on Yue Wuhuan's body with scissors, rinsed the wounds, and then sutured them with very fine silkworm thread. Then, he cut off the shackles and treated his ankle wounds.

Song Qingshi's movements were extremely gentle and quick, barely touching any skin, but Yue Wuhuan's body was extremely sensitive. He twitched slightly and groaned a few times before falling asleep again. Song Qingshi took the opportunity to take some blood samples for analysis, and also performed a full-body scan of him with his mental probe. He was a good-tempered person, but after seeing the disastrously ruined dantian and meridians in Yue Wuhuan's body, he couldn't help but curse darkly at those beasts. He scolded them repeatedly, thinking about how he was going to explain this situation to him once he woke up.

Song Qingshi was not good at communicating with strangers. He was able to make do when discussing his interests, but his thoughts often went blank when forced into small talk. For example, when everyone watched the popular men's group selection variety show together and argued over who was the male god?

He answered sincerely that it was Asclepius, the god of medicine. . .

Song Qing hasn't understood why everyone said he killed the conversation.

He thought hard for a long time and remembered that when his Lou Gerhig's hadn't been as advanced, he worked in a hospital for an internship. His senior brother knew that Song Qinshi was afraid of social interaction and would end up a stuttering mess when he tried to have conversations with his patients. He taught Song Qingshi: "Push down all of your feelings and act like a medical machine. First write down their case in detail and their treatment plan, recite it with a smile, and then end with a comforting sentence." Song Qingshi took this secret technique, practiced many times in front of the teacher, and, finally, he could talk to patients without fear.

A hospital is a place for treatment, just like how the Medicine King's Valley is a place for treatment. What's the difference?

After Song Qingshi had this epiphany, he replaced Yue Wuhuan’s bed sheets and bedding with the white ones commonly used in hospitals. He ordered the valley servant to make several sets of patient clothes, put them on by himself, and then tied roots on his wrist to represent the hospital information band. With a red wristband and a sign on the bed with "Special Care" and the instructions for how to care for him, Song Qingshi instantly felt calm in this makeshift hospital environment.

He wasn't comfortable with the type of care that the valley servantswere giving and took on nursing himself. He was careful and not afraid of getting tired. He wiped down Yue Wuhuan's body and washed his face, fed him medicine and water, and even replaced the bedding to deal with all kinds of filth.

When Yue Wuhuan woke up three days later, he was confused. He didn't know where he was. He stared at the white veil on the top of the bed in a daze for a long time. He finally realized that he was still alive and he hadn't been this relaxed in a long time.

He closed his eyes, faintly recalling the slight fragrance of medicine lingering from his dream and the hands that had gently released all the restraints for him. He took a deep breath. He didn't want to wake up and face the never-ending nightmare.

After who know's how long, Yue Wuhuan threw his eyes open, remembering where he had smelled the fragrance of the medicine. He slowly turned his head and looked at the round table next to him, but saw that Medicine Master Xianzun was attentively making changes to the cursive writings on the table. He was frowning, his expression serious, as if thinking about something bad. There was also a familiar spirit bead in the silver plate next to him, and it became obvious that he had been given to another guest to be played with.

Yue Wuhuan’s phoenix eyes shrank. The rumors of the perverse and evil deeds of the Medicine Master Xianzun appeared in his mind, but he was not afraid. Whether he was willing or unwilling meant nothing under the control of the spirit bead. Besides, his broken body was no longer worthy of being cherished. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and struggled to get out of bed, but a sharp pain came from his shoulder, which made him dizzy and he fell right back down. Song Qingshi never had any distractions when he was researching. He heard the movement and found that the patient was awake. He was afraid that Yue Wuhuan might have moved his body and reopened the wound. He quickly reprimanded him with a stern tone: "You, go to bed right away! You are not allowed to get off for ten days!"

This stern technique was a secret taught by the head nurse of the hospital. It had a good effect on treating patients who didn't follow the doctor's advice.

"Ten days?" Yue Wuhuan was stunned. He couldn't help but look at Song Qingshi up and down. The more he looked, the more he felt that his appearance was deceiving. He had been with guests for many years, and he was used to seeing many lustful scenes, but he never would've guessed that this person had such prowess in the bed. . .

Seeing that he hadn't gotten back on the bed, Song Qingshi put down his pen, walked over and picked him up with his own hands.

Yue Wuhuan remained unmoved, stretched out his hand and gently hugged his neck. Hot fingertips touched his cool skin, as smooth as cool jade, and the clear and clean scent of medicine wrapped around him gently like if he was in a dream. Yue Wuhuan couldn't help but shake for a moment. He chasticized his heart for still not knowing how to behave, then resumed his usual posture, and breathed out ambiguously: "I hope that Xianxun will take pity. . ."

"Don't worry, I will." Song Qingshi put him back on the bed carefully, then pulled the blanket up. He wrapped him up tightly, and solemnly told him, "The valley is wet and cold. You have a mortal body so be careful of the cold and stay under the blanket. Keep your hands and feet tucked in and don’t kick off the sheets."

Yue Wuhuan had never seen this trick in bed before and was at a bit of a loss.

"You;re a patient now. Let me tell you about your situation." Song Qingshi turned back to the table, picked up a stack of paper covered with words. He nervously pushed the non-existent glasses on the bridge of his nose, and read with a smile, formulating his tone. "The patient is Yue Wuhuan. There are three lacerations from the right shoulder to the chest, which are 18 cm, 14 cm and 12 cm long. The right shoulder bone is fractured, and the suprascapular artery has been ruptured. The right elbow has a skin contusion. The left and right wrists have skin tissue bruises, the left and right knees are bruised along with the left and right ankle tissue. The buttocks skin has soft tissue lacerations. There are signs of drug abuse in the body and potentially drug addiction. Do you understand?"

Yue Wuhuan only felt that his stiff smile must look increasingly forced. The more he thought about it, the crazier everything seemed. All he could do was nod his head and pretendto understand.

"Very good." Song Qingshi felt that what he said was both detailed and easy to understand, and began to recite the preliminary treatment plan. "Your dantian and meridians have been destroyed, and your body is seriously damaged. Your body is too fragile right now to use stronger medicine, so you cannot take Rejuvenation Pill, Gather Breathe and Disperse Pill, All Creation Pill or the Bone Growth Pill. You need to be treated with mortal medicine first, and then treated with the Six Meridian Rejuvanation medicated bath. Then you'll take the Rising Dragon Pill and Nine Revolution Blood Lotus Pill."

Yue Wuhuan finally understood what he was saying. These pills were common immortal medicines, and he had also taken it when he was seriously injured.

The All Creation Pill and Rising Dragon Pill were worth thousands, and he had heard that the poster of Jape Pearl Tower's Lord had used it for his own treasure.

He didn't know what the Six Meridian Rejuvanation medicated bath was, but the Nine Revolution Blood Lotus Pill was the treasure of the immortal world. It is made of ten thousand year-old blood lotuses. There were only nine in the world and only few know where their locations. He only knew that the master of Xuanji Palace had used it and ascended to Fen Shen; the lord of Fluttering Snow Fortress turned against his Daoist companion and killed him and his wife to win the treasure; one appeared in the Qizhen Pavilion auction, and it was won by the owner of the East Sea Langya Pavilion with hundreds of thousands of high-grade spirit stones. For some reason, Jin FeiRen wasn't able to participate in the auction. He always brought it up as one of the greatest regrets in his life.

If it were described in mortal terms, it would be like saving a beggar on the side of the road and saying that you would give him precious delicacies, golden houses, jade horses, and billions in wealth. FInally, you tell him you'll give him the fade seal of the country and all lands under the heavens. Only an idiot would believe these claims.

Yue Wuhuan laughed but his heart was cold. He basically confirmed that Song Qingshi was just toying with him.

He had also encountered many such sweet talkers, pretending to show compassion for some and pity for others. All he wanted, though, was to coax his slaves to play this game with him. He only lusted after his dirty body, in the end.

Song Qingshi finished off with some final closing words: "Don't worry, as long as you follow the doctor's advice and cooperate with the treatment, you'll be cured."

"Okay," Yue Wuhuan's phoenix eyes showed a bit of flattery, and he replied in a sultry voice: "This slave depend on Xianzun for everything. . ."

"I almost forgot." Song Qingshi looked into his eyes and suddenly remembered something. He put on the animal skin gloves again, picked up a luminous bead the size of a goose egg and placed it in a strange, long, tube-shape lampshade. Then he sat on the side of the bed, leaned over and looked at Yue Wuhuan. He gave him a serious warning: "This may be a little uncomfortable, please bear with me."

Yue Wuhuan smiled self-deprecatingly. He let the phoenix eyes show waves of desire, and he relaxed his body, waiting to be played with.

Song Qingshi stretched out his hand and opened his eyes, illuminating the inside of the eyes with the luminous bead. He carefully observed for a while, then whispered: "The problem of the lacrimal secretion system is not visible on the outside, so I still have to do a colored dye inspection..."

Yue Wuhuan: "???"

#mistakenly saving the villain #mistakenly saving the villain translation #chinese bl #chinese novel #english translation #yaoi novel #song qinshi #yue wuhuan

[wanderinginksplot]

Nobody Listens to Kix

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Case 01338: Kix

They always say that medics make the worst patients, and it was doubly true in Kix's case. If he wasn't working in the medbay, all medical care was left to the droids, and their programming left a lot to be desired. At least the men had Kix to treat them. Kix had no organic to treat him if he was the one sick.

At the moment, he was fairly certain he wasn't sick. Sure, his head ached so badly that his stomach threatened to rebel and it hurt to move any part of his body, but that could be explained by any number of ailments. Maybe it had always hurt to swallow, breathe, and blink, and he just hadn't noticed.

On the off chance that he wasn't as well as he thought, Kix had been working to stave off any illness floating around the Resolute. He took in extra liquids and got as much sleep as possible. Since he practically lived in the medbay, sleep was a challenge, but he was trying.

Kix pulled his head up from the surface of his desk, groaning as he did so. The shift in position made his head throb worse than before, but that wasn't why he was cursing. When had he fallen asleep? He was less than halfway through the ever-present stack of medical forms taking up half of his desk, and with no troopers in the medbay, he needed to do as much work as possible before the next crisis hit.

"That didn't sound very rested," a voice remarked from closer than Kix was comfortable with.

He turned quickly, took a moment to huff out a breath and clutch at his head, and stared into Rex's amused eyes. "Captain. When did you get here?"

"About ten minutes ago. I watched you fall asleep on your forms."

"Did you need something, sir?" Kix asked, wincing. Why were the medbay lights so bright? "Is everything all right?"

"Actually, no," Rex told him. "I have a sick trooper who won't accept medical treatment."

"I'll set him straight," Kix promised grimly. "Who is it?"

"You, obviously," Rex said, the amusement on his face now tinged with concern. "Kix, you're dead on your feet."

"I'm fine, sir."

"Then you won't mind if we power up one of the medical droids to double-check that?"

Kix grimaced. "You want to use one of those shu-shuk machines? They have a success rate of-"

"-55%" Rex finished with him. "I know, Kix, you've told us all. But you're the only medic we've got, and you're clearly not going to treat yourself. The medical droids are the only option. Consider it an order."

"Sorry, sir," Kix reminded. "I have authority on all matters of health. Yours, the men's, and mine. I outrank you in this."

"In this," Rex echoed, frowning forebodingly. "Fifteen push-ups, soldier. That's an order that has nothing to do with medicine."

"Captain-"

"I'm serious, Kix. Fifteen push-ups and I'll drop the medical droid stuff."

"Get ready to lose, Captain," Kix said with a grin. Rex returned the expression, but there was worry on his face.

Five down. This is gonna be so easy…

Eight in and I feel fine. I knew I wasn't sick.

Okay, Kix. You need to spend a little more time in the gym. You shouldn't be this winded after eleven push-ups.

...Why is my face so cold?

"Welcome back," Rex said blandly as Kix tried to raise himself from where he had collapsed on the floor. His arms wouldn't support the weight and he rolled onto his back instead.

"How many did I get to?"

"Thirteen," Rex told him. "Not bad. I thought you would pass out by six or seven."

"I didn't pass out," Kix argued.

"Of course not. I know how much you love lying down with your face pressed against the medbay floor," Rex agreed dryly. "I took the opportunity to power up a med droid. Pick a bed."

Kix glared, but Rex unsympathetically propelled him toward a bed as soon as he was standing. Before he could voice any further complaints, Kix found himself on a bed being scanned by a med droid.

"CT-6116 is showing symptoms of an acute infection in both the sinuses and the upper respiratory tract. This has resulted in secondary symptoms as headache, difficulty breathing, dehydration, fatigue, dizziness, and muscle aches."

Kix glared at the medical droid, mostly to avoid the way Captain Rex was glaring at him. "So, with the typical droid success rate, we can safely rule out those two diagnoses."

"Karking hell, Kix!" Rex hissed in irritation. He took the scanner from the droid and rescanned Kix, passing over his body about four times too many. When he was finally done, he glanced at the screen. "Sinus infection and upper respiratory tract infection. Treat him."

The last bit was directed at the droid, who rummaged around in the med cabinet. Kix gritted his teeth as its rough-jointed metal hands knocked around, systematically destroying all of the organization he had managed in that small space.

"Why did you wait this long, Kix?" Rex asked sharply. "You're a medic. Surely, you've known for a while that you needed treatment."

"If a medic is currently undergoing treatment, he cannot continue to treat others," Kix explained reluctantly. "The risks of accidental malpractice are too high with the side effects of many medications."

Rex stared at him, dark brows furrowed. "The side effects are too much of a risk, but operating with a temperature that is well over standard isn't considered dangerous?"

"It is… or it probably should be," Kix admitted. "But it isn't written that way in the regs, so it isn't an explicit requirement."

Rex frowned even harder. "So… it's a loophole."

"Yes, exactly."

With a sigh, Rex scrubbed his hand over his close-cropped blond hair and collapsed onto Kix's well-worn chair, obviously pulled over from behind the medic's desk. "Do you realize the consequences of the choices you're making?"

Acutely uncomfortable with the knowledge that he had experienced this conversation from the other side far too many times to count - including with the captain himself - Kix shrugged. His answer didn't seem to be enough for the captain, who sat watching him for the (frankly ridiculous) length of time it took for the med droid to give him a dose of antibiotics and a cup of water.

"I know it may come as a surprise to you, but I do monitor the medbay logs," Rex finally said when the droid puttered off to fetch an antibiotic spray for Kix to inhale. "Do you know how much time you spend here?"

"I'm here every day, sir," Kix answered honestly, giving into the realization that Rex wasn't going to let it go.

"Yes, for three-quarters of the day. That gives you a collective five or six hours to shower, eat, and sleep. Judging from those push-ups, you don't spend any of that time training." Kix felt his face flush before he could stop it, but Rex wasn't done. "To put it another way, you've logged almost six-hundred hours in the medbay over the last standard month. That's a little over twenty-three full days out of thirty."

"When I'm not here, sir… men die. Brothers." Kix's voice cracked a little at the admission, but he kept his gaze firmly fixed on Rex, refusing to look away. Caring for his brothers was not a weakness and he wasn't ashamed of it.

The harsh expression on Rex's face softened into something like understanding, but his famously steely resolve didn't fade. "I'm tired, Kix. I'm so tired of watching my men - my brothers - die. I'll be damned if I watch you work yourself to death trying to keep others alive. You have to take care of yourself so that you can keep everyone else safe as long as possible."

He sat back in the chair, running a hand over his jaw as he thought. "Your medic's proficiencies can be pulled. You know as well as I do that the regs say I'm supposed to pull them for the first infraction. I don't want to do that, but I will if I don't see you taking better care of yourself. I won't have another one of these conversations, Kix. Is that understood?"

"Understood, sir," Kix agreed quickly, heart in his throat. So much of his identity was tied up in being a medic… he wasn't sure what he would do if his status was pulled from him.

Rex nodded at that and moved to leave the medbay, but Kix had one more thing to say: "I'm sorry, Captain."

"You will be," Rex said solemnly, the effect made more chilling by the bright smile that flashed across his face in the next moment. "I'm not going to stop any of the men from coming to visit you. That's the worst punishment I can think of."

Kix laughed uncertainly at the threat, but didn't understand it until an hour or so later, when the medbay doors opened to admit a mass of grinning troopers.

"Hey, Kix!" Hardcase greeted, far too loudly.

Commander Tano's grin was nothing short of evil. "We heard you weren't feeling well."

"Not only that," Jesse added with a smirk. "We heard you didn't accept treatment until you collapsed in front of Captain Rex!"

Tup schooled his face into a mock-serious expression. "It's dangerous to take risks with your health like that."

Kix took a deep breath and let it out slowly, staring at the medbay ceiling and cursing Rex internally. The captain was a cruel, cruel man…

---

A/N - Kix truly is the worst possible patient, but he needed a bit of his own medicine (ba-dum tss)! Sorry for the bit of Rex angst here, but in my mind, this is toward the end of the war, and everyone is getting mentally and emotionally tired. They made a point of mentioning it in the last season of the Clone Wars: sometimes, it's hard to be the one who survives. Also, on a lighter note, how long do you think Rex was working on that medical outranking work-around? My guess is since the time Kix made him stay in the medbay overnight!

Thank you for reading! I would be honored if you would consider reblogging so that my work can spread. There are only a few chapters left in this story, but it’s not too late! To those who have liked or reblogged my work in the past:

Okay, thank you, byeeeee!

#Nobody Listens to Kix #star wars #star wars the clone wars #star wars fanfiction #clone trooper kix #clone captain rex #captain rex #clone trooper hardcase #commander ahsoka tano #ahsoka tano #clone trooper jesse #clone trooper tup #clone troopers deserve better #more to come #please reblog

[hopelessromanticvirgo]

Sincerely, Always Yours

Chapter 27 Part 1

Chapter 26

“Don’t cry.”

“Don’t cry.”

“Don’t cry.”

Robbe keeps repeating it in his head but his body betrays him.

He feels his eyes getting blurry and he curses himself.

He curses himself for being this week.

He lights up the cigarette and takes a big inhale out of it.

It’s past midnight, already year 2021.

He was doing quite alright when he got back to Milan’s even if she was there, circling around Sander like he was her toy and only entertainment.

Robbe also didn’t leave his side so in the end Sander was stuck between Robbe and Britt every damn second.

One time he had to go to the bathroom and Robbe almost followed him inside.

So pathetic and embarrassing.

And Sander was trying his best to be with Robbe, for a second he even thought that he was trying to get rid of Britt and be with him instead but of course it wasn’t true at all.

Robbe was alright until just 30min ago when the countdown for new year started.

And that bitch had the audacity to kiss his Sander right in front of his face, make him bend his head a little bit by pulling his sweater down, crashing their lips together as the others screamed “one” and Robbe wanted to say that Sander didn’t kiss back but unfortunately, that would be a total lie.

Jens tried to make him feel better by whispering “don’t worry, you will be kissing him at midnight next year” in his ear but it didn’t help Robbe at all.

And here he was, on the balcony, sitting down on the old piece of stars Milan kept there for sitting and Robbe has no idea why, smoking a cigarette, fresh tears getting ready to fall down on his cheeks.

“Fuck.” He whispered and closed his eyes, which automatically made his tears fall.

“Don’t cry.” He keeps whispering over and over again, putting out the cigarette, hugging his knees, putting his head down between them.

He wants to go home so desperately, he doesn’t care if he will be alone or not in there, at least he won’t worry about anybody seeing him cry on the new year’s party which is filled with his friends.

His friends and her.

His friends, his Sander and her.

Robbe knows that he tries to be with him, so he can’t really blame Sander at all.

In fact, Jens was right. Sander just found out that she was also going to come.

And that means that Robbe has nobody to blame.

Nobody but Jana and the fucking universe which was hardcore laughing at him right now.

He knew it would be like this the moment Jens told him that she was there with Sander.

He’s so tired of seeing her hands going up and down on his body, touching him every time she wants to, with no problem, like it’s normal and Robbe desperately wants to be her. A person who can just hug Sander whenever they want to, kiss him, snuggle into his touch and nobody will look at him weirdly.

He really wants to.

But like some cruel person or world or anybody already decided, Robbe doesn’t deserve good things in life, and he especially doesn’t deserve someone like Sander, but in his defense, Britt doesn’t deserve him too.

“Robbe?” And like he felt that the boy was thinking about him, Sander walked on the balcony.

“There you are. I have been looking for you.” Before he managed to get close to the weeping loner, Robbe quickly wiped his tears away and no matter how much his heart warmed up because Sander came here to look for him, he really preferred to be alone right now.

He sat down next to him, Robbe nodded his head, acknowledging his presence but didn’t say anything else.

“Hey. Look at me.” Sander said and it took everything for Robbe not to burst out in tears right there and then again.

Sander put his hand on his shoulder and made him turn around towards him and that’s when Robbe looked up and thought “fuck, he’s so pretty” in his head like every time he does when they are together.

It was dark out, only street lights lighting up the balcony and of course there was some light coming from the room, from at the apartment but they were sitting a little away from the balcony door so they couldn’t see each other that well but even if Sander’s figure and face wasn’t as clear as they would be in the daylight, he still was the most beautiful man in the world that Robbe’s ever seen.

“Talk to me.” He said with his usual soft voice and that’s when Robbe realized how close they were sitting next to each other.

But Robbe couldn’t say a word, he knew he’d break immediately. And also, what was he suppose to say?

“Are those tears I see?” He heard the boy whispered now with pain in his voice and Robbe sniffed, couldn’t control his self and his emotions anymore.

And that’s what it took for Sander to realize that he was indeed in pain and seeing him sitting in the dark, with tears running down his cheeks was killing him.

“Come here, you silly goose.” He whispered and opened his arms, immediately Robbe was glued to his side, with Sander’s arm on his shoulder, keeping him close to his chest, Robbe being able to smell his perfume, which was coming from his neck.

That’s all it took for Robbe to completely break down, he was glad that the sounds coming from him was muffled in Sander’s sweater, he could hear the older boy whispering “shh, tell me what’s wrong” and other sweet things in his hair but he couldn’t answer, he could hardly breathe from the way he couldn’t stop crying.

He’s been holding everything inside for so long already and now it finally burst open.

“Don’t want to talk to me?” Sander tried again and sadly chuckled when he felt Robbe violently shaking his head.

“Seeing you hurt makes me sad Robin.” He whispered in his hair, his fingers running through his brown locks and the feeling made Robbe cry even harder.

“Fuck.”

“Control yourself.”

He tried to calm down his breathing but whenever he felt Sander’s fingers on his scalp, his crying was getting worse.

“Come on, Robbe. You’re alright now. I’m here. You can talk to me. But please stop crying now, I’m worried. It’s been long enough now. I was waiting for you to let it all out but please, you’re hurting me.”

And the last sentence was probably all it took since the moment the words left Sander’s mouth, Robbe looked up from his place on Sander’s chest and he gulped, only now noticing how close they were to each other and couldn’t help but blushed.

“There’s my pretty boy.” Sander smiled at him and Robbe felt like a toddler, like an older brother was taking care of him after his parents got mad at him from failing a math test, and he hated this feeling, and wanted to push away from Sander but couldn’t bring himself to. He doesn’t get this close to his body every day and now he couldn’t pull away until Sander would tell him to.

Can I stay here forever?

“You know that I won’t let you go until you tell me what’s wrong, right?”

Never let me go.

I’ve been holding so many secrets in my heart which are harder to hide than I thought, so please, don’t ever let me go. Keep me close to your body and I will stay right here silently, adoring you as long as you will want me.

Robbe had to lie. And he had to lie quickly, because he knew Sander, and he knew that the boy would never let this topic go.

“Hey. Look at me. Look at me.” Sander said when Robbe looked down at his knees, away from Sander’s face. And when Robbe didn’t move a muscle, he put both of his palms on his cheeks and made him look up.

“It’s - it’s a - uh - it’s -“ Robbe was looking anywhere but at his eyes, he felt so weak under his gaze, felt like all his feeling were on display for everyone and specifically Sander to see.

“Eyes up here, Robin.” He was still holding his face but unfortunately, couldn’t make his eyes stay still.

Robbe felt like he couldn’t breathe and for the first time ever, he didn’t know if it was a bad thing or a good thing.

Robbe looked up and pierced his eyes into Sander’s own.

Have I told you how petty your eyes are before?

It was dark but Robbe didn’t need any light to see, he knew each of Sander’s features by heart.

They were so close and without even realizing it, Robbe started to lean in, lost in his eyes, buried in his burning feelings.

Either Sander didn’t notice Robbe getting closer than usual to his face or he didn’t make a comment about it, which made Robbe want to try to go even further.

He was mesmerized and without even rethinking his actions, he got so close that their noses were touching and if Sander didn’t notice it before, now he had to since he literally looked down at Robbe before staring at his eyes again and that was the exact moment when Robbe, who was pulling his body closer and closer before, slipped on his shoe, lost his body control and balance and literally fell on Sander’s shoulder, pulling the boy backwards with him too, crashing into him more than he did before.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry. I’m tipsy.” He added quickly, wishing the ground would swallow him.

“It’s alright.” Sander smiled at him which warmed his heart and made him sure that everything was totally still okay between them.

He breathed out.

“I’m still waiting.”

Robbe knew that.

“It’s just my mom. I’m worried about her. She changed her medication and it’s not been that long since she started regularly taking them and now I’m worried and I’m not sure if her sister will keep up with her meds like I do and I - what if something bad happens because I’m not there with her and it will be my fault and I’m here, supposed to be having fun and -“ Robbe was talking fast, it was leaving the effect of being nervous, which he honestly was but in reality, he was talking fast because he didn’t know what to say.

He hates this.

He hates lying to Sander. (His mom was doing perfectly with her new medication and he was so happy because of that.)

He’s always hated it.

And he specifically hates it now because of how softly Sander is looking at him.

“You’re so precious.” Sander started and it made Robbe hate himself even more. “I’m sure she will be fine, Robbe. Nothing will happen, okay? And don’t even think about blaming yourself. Don’t even dare to blame yourself. You’re the most perfect son anybody could ask for. And I’m not just saying that, okay? You are. How can you not be?”

And Robbe feels like crying again.

“Thank you.” He means everything in those two words.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for existing.

“Is my puppy feeling better now?” He smirked at him and raised his eyebrow and Robbe didn’t know if he wanted to punch him for making him feel this embarrassed and effected or to hug him from making him feel so soft and loved.

He nodded his head and was about to make a comment about how Sander needs to stop calling him by every living creature on this earth, teasingly, obviously loving the nicknames deep down in his heart, when somebody walked on the balcony and Robbe was sure, he’d fight that person and he almost shrieked when he saw a blonde hair but in the end, it was just Amber.

“Are you two having your own party out there? Come inside.” She quickly said and left as soon as she came out.

“Want to go back? We can stay here or go home if you want to.” Sander said calmly but Robbe shook his head, he wanted to go home but he still felt like he had to be here for at least a little bit more so they stood up and went inside.

This time Robbe was a little bit charged for the ‘’event’’ and lasted longer than he did, before he had to get alone to control himself again and hold his arms down so they wouldn’t rip any or Britt’s hair off.

* * *

It started as soon as they got back inside, with Britt hanging on his shoulders but Sander didn’t leave Robbe’s side, so in the end he was third wheeling those two together again while wishing he was dead, deep into the ground.

But when Sander was making sure that he was feeling alright from time to time, his heart couldn’t help but start beating faster every time he’d feel Sander’s fingers on his back, touching him quickly and disappearing again but it was enough for Robbe.

It was actually more than enough.

But this time the devil was here, and she wasn’t wearing Prada, instead she was wearing Sander’s body, literally.

Not even a second went when she’d let him go and get away from her sight.

Only exception was when Robbe and Sander were on the balcony together, apparently because Jana was showing her new clothes she got so the bitch was busy.

Not only Robbe was completely furious with Jana, she also didn’t help him at all.

“Get her out of my sight.” How can Robbe tell Jana this without actually saying these words.

Then things got bad again and he locked himself up in the bathroom, washing his face over and over again.

It was already getting pretty late and this time he really couldn’t wait to go home.

He didn’t know how long he was stuck in there, in the room, in his own head.

His mood was already at the edge and it dropped down the hell when he walked out and realized that something was off.

Something was awfully wrong.

And that something was Sander’s absence from the room.

“Where’s Sander?” He rushed to Jens’s side and before the boy even had any time to answer, Robbe looked around and saw that Britt wasn’t there as well.

Fuck.

Fuck.

“Where is he? Jens answer me right now.” He demanded when his friend wasn’t telling him what he wanted to hear.

“Hey. Calm down now. He will be right back. She -“ He started calmly but Robbe interrupted him.

“What do you mean he will be right back? Where is he? Where did he go?” He panicked and felt something got stuck in his throat.

Robbe knew the answer.

Robbe knew where he was.

“Oh, Robbe, I know he’s your friend but sometimes you got to let him be alone with his girlfriend.” Jana walked up to them and heard their conversation.

“It’s late already. Britt’s parents were calling her so Sander left to drop her off.” She said and walked away again, like she didn’t casually just drop the biggest exploding bomb on Robbe’s head.

“He left?” Robbe gritted through his teeth, his blood starting to boil.

He left me here.

He left me and went with her.

He left me.

“Hey, hey. Listen to me.” Jens started, already sensing that his mind was starting to spin, put both of his palms on his shoulders so the panicked and angry boy would focus on him and what he was saying.

“It’s almost 3am. You don’t think Sander would let any girl walk alone at this time of the day right? His girlfriend or not.” Jens tried to let him see his reasons and Robbe’s brain finally started to overcome the thought of Sander leaving him alone and started to think clearly.

Jens was right.

“He was waiting for you to come out of the bathroom so he could let you know but you were there for a long time. And I told him that I’d give you the information. Relax now, okay?” He was talking slowly, letting Robbe adjust to what he was telling him.

Breath in.

Breath out.

“You hear me?”

“Yes, yes. You’re right. Sorry. Sorry. You’re right.” 

“I know I am. Your boyfriend’s a gentleman, don’t you remember? He will be right back.”

And Robbe could only nod his head, breathing heavily.

He calmed down a bit, hearing Jens telling him this made him loosen up. 

And he was desperately waiting for Sander to come back to him.

Every time he’d hear the footsteps, his eyes would lock on the door.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Hoping.

He didn’t lose hope and didn’t stop eyeing the door either.

He didn’t stop for a very long time.

Then his mind started playing tricks on him, imagines of why Sander was late and what they must be doing at this exact moment playing though his head. Robbe was yelling at them to go away but new and new scenes were tormenting his poor brain, breathing getting harder and harder for him.

Not even the cold water was helping him.

Milan’s “drink up” echoing in his brain.

He looked at the door for the last time before he took another shot.

The door didn’t open.

Chapter 27.2

#wtfock #wtfam #sobbe #robbe ijzermans #sander driesen #robbe x sander #social media au #sincerely always yours

[centrally-unplanned]

(Spoilers ahead) Partner and I finished Season 2 of the Fruits Basket modern remake this weekend. I had only seen the, uh, 2001 original anime (2001? It was 20 years ago? Fuck), with no exposure to the manga, so a lot of the plot elements were new to me. I liked a lot of the show, but I have some big complaints about it handles its villain, Akito:

1: Akito occupies a very awkward place in this story. He (don’t worry, ill get to that) is the head of the main crew’s family and constantly inflicts abuse on all of its members, and is therefore the source of conflict for the plot, both in past trauma and present attempts as control and gaslighting.

Okay, so stories often have to walk a tightrope with abusive characters like this. Stories are normally pushed along and resolved internally - the main cast is going to experience the pain and drama, and fix it themselves, because that is the arc. For many plots that is easy, but if the story revolves around an abusive sibling/parent figure like Fruits Basket does, you will always be asking yourself the question “uh, why doesn’t anyone call the cops? or why don’t they just leave?” There is a tension between realism in the setting and the needs of the plot.

You can in fact resolve this tension in a lot of ways. If the abuse is primarily mental, slowly building, inflicted out of sight of responsible parties, etc, you can make this work. Lots of people don’t report abuse to authorities, or just move out of their house, but instead deal with it due to it being normalized. Other ways include making the characters teenagers - they don’t think of the world as having authorities outside of family (or school) and its much harder for them to reach outside of that bubble - the classic highschool bully problem. So Akito can work if he is subtle, slowly ramps, and controls his surroundings to hide his abuse from relevant authorities.

Anyway here is Akito pushing a 17 year old girl out of a two story window shattering her back and hospitalizing her for months:

And here he is threatening a 17 year old boy with life confinement in a literal cage unless he, uh, wins a duel with his cousin?

These are the worst moments but they are far from alone. This person is a raving lunatic, which fair enough that the 17 year olds don’t know how to handle that, but Akito himself is no older than 20. And the cast of characters who know everything that is going on includes:

-27 year old *published author* Shigure, who directly cares for both Akito and two of his abuse victims

-27 year old completely-independent business owner, Ayame, who is the *brother* of one of the abuse victims

-27 year old licensed medical doctor Hatori, who lives with and is the physician of Akito.

Hatori is violating every ethical obligation of his profession on the daily, dude is stone cold! This again could work if these characters were bad guys, but they aren’t - they are sympathetic protagonists or in Aya’s case even comic relief! The show wants you to think they are doing their best, Shigure even has a secret “plan” to deal with Akito that he has been planning for *years* and they all have "reasons” why they feel stuck due to the Zodiac curse yadda yadda. But you have to memory hole the fact that they are functioning adults in 21st century Japan, because otherwise Shigure and Hatori in particular reach levels of negligence to the children they care for that it tips right on over into being evil itself. 

These kids go to public school, guys!

Now I know what any defender would say - “its the curse!” The whole cast carries the curse of the Zodiac where God invited them in long-ago times to a dinner, Akito is the current manifestation of that God in some form, and so they are bound to him to enact that “dinner” metaphorically in some way by staying by his side (also they transform into their respective Zodiac animals when chest-on-chest contact occur from the opposite sex, because Anime). Again, you can make this work! Show Akito exerting a magical force on characters who stray too far from him, or a compulsion locking them to being forever near the Sohma estate where he lives. Something showing that yeah, the relevant authorities could not handle this and dragging Akito away in chains won’t work. But sadly the show just...doesn’t bother. There is a “curse” but we are two seasons in and any negative consequences of the curse beyond Akito Being An Asshole are Footage Not Found (Kyo is an exception, but not a relevant one), despite everyone pretending like there is. Everyone wants to break the curse? Fine, kill Akito. Then you all get to live in peace and transform into adorable animals when you’d like, curse broken. Just throw “doesn’t cuddle or do missionary position” on your OkCupid profile to make your love life work, no one is gonna bat an eye, and some people will be, lets say, readily down with your particular transformation fetish.

None of this is fatal to the show per se, you can suspend disbelief. But the show takes itself so seriously that you can’t help but think these thoughts, and it colors in particular how the older characters act. And it would be so easy to fix! They just didn’t bother.

2: Can someone explain to me, in the year of our Zodiac Lord 2021, how a character secretly being a girl is a “surprise reveal” worth ending a season on? The final shot of Season 2 is that our resident asshole Akito has some female-presenting nipples, which is apparently a Big Deal? (maybe the show takes place on Tumblr, *zing*) Its the villain, they are an abusive maniac and also metaphorically/actually a divine being. Why does doubling their X chromosome count affect or change anything? I can envision plots where that is relevant, but this was not one! Maybe the next season will build that into the arc, but they haven’t done that yet, so the moment itself falls incredibly flat.

Yet people obviously feel differently from me - as is my habit I checked the reddit threads for the final episode and they are replete with people commenting on how shocking a twist it was, how they looked forward to it as manga readers, etc. Its a classic suspense trick I think, of how you can just have an event be surprising without it being thematically relevant, and it will work as long as you add the right drama bells around it. This was just a pretty egregious example of it. 

-----

Between these problems, Fruits Basket has this aura of laziness around its none-core characters that does drag it down. Which is sad since I do actually like how it treats its core cast, even if it is stretched out over twice as many episodes as it needs. I am just guessing here, but beyond just “not caring” and doing it for the drama, I think it stems out of adapting the manga “faithfully”.

So Fruits Basket got an anime adaption in 2001, and the author (Natsuki Tayaka) haaaaated it. It was only twenty six episodes, a ~third of which got consumed just introducing the zodiac cast, so its plot had to be mixed around and truncated, and it was much more comedic and zany in tone. It was still very popular, so demand for a “better” adaptation of the full manga was high, which eventually happened in 2019. This time around Tayaka insisted on a high degree of control and faithfulness - I would bet it was essentially a “shot for shot” adaptation, and I have seen manga/anime comparison compilations to that effect.

The problem lies in how manga are made - they are almost never planned out start to finish. You pitch like a chapter, it gets picked up, and then its being published in tandem to its own production. That means that its pretty rare for the ending to be thought out, and the story figures itself out as it goes. Early manga Fruits Basket is pretty zany! Which means it plays fast and loose with its worldbuilding and its adult characters act silly most of the time. Once the high drama kicks in you realize that doesn’t work anymore, but you have already published it all months ago, no way to revise it now, so you just have to bite the bullet.

An anime adaptation would be a good time to clean that up! Its what Kare Kano did - a manga that starts as a cute highschool romcom and ends in sexual assault, for the anime they tried to create tonal consistency right from the start and change plot details around accordingly. But when the author, burned by a past studio, insists on Complete Accuracy...well then the anime has to bite the same bullets the manga did. And so you get Fruits Basket (2019), a show destined to never rise above its source material.

But hey, if Season 3 ends with Tohru just whipping out a gun, shooting Akito right between the eyes, and walking off into the sunset with a harem of zodiac hotties, then all will be forgiven.

#fruits basket #Fruits basket spoilers #Does a 2001 anime qualify as '90's anime discourse'?

[twitchstoleyourbagel]

So I’m posting my fic here until my AO3 account gets approved :) this is my first fic, please enjoy!

EC - 8538

Gender - Female

Chapter 1

85 walked down the blinding white, lifeless halls of the Kaminoan cloning facility. Most if not all of the cadets who had passed her raised a brow or stared at her as they passed, and she didn’t blame them. A human female living in the same facility as a bunch of boys who had probably never seen a girl before would be an odd sight. 85 was an experimental clone, she had been told there was another experimental female but she never had the chance of meeting her.

There had been a few batches that the Kaminoans took creative liberty with but none survived. All but one anyways. Though she didn’t know if the squad had a name or not (she wasn’t told much) like most batches such as the Domino squad, or Hurricane squad, she did know that they had enhanced senses or something like that. One had good eyesight, the other was really big and apparently strong, one was smart and the other could feel things. She didn’t even know if those were the actual enhancements of the squad, she had only heard it from other cadets talking about them.

Finally she reached the training facility, apparently she was going to train with the Spirit squad today, hopefully she stays with this one. After so long of jumping around, training with different squads trying to see if she got along with any of them, this better be the last one. She quickly changed into her training gear and ran out to meet the clones. They turned to meet her and their eyes grew wide.

As expected. She internally sighed to herself.

“Hey guys, I’m EC - 8538, or you can just call me 85.” The girl with fluffy purple hair stuck her hand out for them to shake which instead they just stood there, glancing at one another. That was until one of the clones with longer, curly hair, stepped forward and shook it firmly.

“Pleasure to meet you, 85. I’m Hopper, that’s Quill, 77, and 24.” He gestured to himself and then pointed to the men behind him. They had to be 7th or 8th year cadets, Hopper was extremely professional and cut to the chase. 77 gave her an awkward wave and a lopsided smile, his messy hair fell down into his eyes and he reached up to fix it, not looking as happy as he did a second ago. And 24 nodded but kept quiet

Huh. He looks a little shy? Or just reserved?

She brought her hand back to her side and it twitched, soon her neck followed suit and she cursed under her breath. Damn Kaminoans and all their testing. Hopper raised a brow when her face scrunched up while her neck twitched.

“Hey she twitches!” 77 called out like they couldn’t all see. He received a smack in the arm by the brother standing next to him. “Ow.”

85 cleared her throat and rolled her neck, trying to shake it off. Hopper still looked at her as if waiting for an explanation and Quill had a concerned look on his face.

“It happens all the time, don’t worry it doesn’t affect my fighting if that’s what you guys are worried about.”

Quill glanced at Hopper and then back at the girl.

“Are you an experimental clone? Are you even a clone at all?”

She barked a Hah! At his question. It wasn’t a bad question, in fact his curiosity was to be expected. However she made a bet with herself on the way to the facility. The bet was if someone was gonna ask something along the lines of that question.

“Yeah, I am. I know there’s been a few batches before me but none made it. I know of one that is out on the field, I think there’s also another female clone who’s been dispatched with a squad but I never met her.” She frowned at the thought, staring at the ground thoughtfully.

The doors hissed and the trainer walked in. Joy. A tall, red, Togrutan male walked through the doors with his hands folded behind his back. Reese glared at them and they immediately snapped to attention, staring straight at the wall. 85 tried to hide the shudder that the trainer had sent down her spine as he walked by. She felt a twitch coming on from nervousness but tried her best to keep it down, however her hands did begin twitching.

“You are going to be doing a level 8 difficulty training exercise today. With a new.. addition to the team,” He flicked his eyes to 85. “I want to see how you 5 will work together as a team dynamic. EC - 8538 is an experimental clone, her particular… difference and skill I want to see today is her enhanced reflexes,”

Quill shot a quick glance at Hopper while the trainer wasn’t looking.

Kriff kriff kriff-

Her neck jerked to the left and her arms were brought up to her chest. Rule number one when a trainer is addressing you (especially one as strict as Reese) do not break attention. And that’s exactly what she did.

“Is there a problem, EC - 8538?” Reese snapped in her face. She tried her best not to flinch and get back to attention.

“No, Sir.” She stood straight, chin up, chest out, shoulders back, stomach in.

“Stay at attention when I address you. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Now, as I was saying, you will be running a level 8 training course today, and if you do not pass, you will restart.”

Tension arose in the room after 85 was yelled at by Reese, it only escalated when he threatened to restart the simulation if they failed to complete it.

“Grab your guns. The test will begin momentarily.” With that, he turned on his heel and made his way to the top of the room where he could oversee the course.

Hopper glanced at her before picking up one of the training blasters provided and handed another one to Quill. She sighed and found one for herself. 77 came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded to her. What kind of nod it was supposed to be was unknown, but she liked to think it was a ‘you got this’ notion. She smiled at him before taking her place on the floor, waiting patiently for the rest to join her. Hopper stood next to her and the rest followed after him.

“Alright everyone, take your positions. 85, I want you with me.” He glanced around at the squad and then to her.

“Yes, Sirrrr.” She raced after him behind cover and the simulation began. The ultimate goal was to take the ‘capital’ preferably without losing a team member. Granted they would only be stunned but it still didn’t help much. Hopper peeked over the cover they were standing behind and landed a few shots on a B1 training battle droid, taking it down. Across the left to them, Quill yanked 77 down just in time for a blaster bolt to skim over his head. With wide eyes he nodded his thanks to his vod before peeking over again.

The girl stayed by Hopper through most of the simulation. After 30 minutes they had finally advanced to the capital, all they had to do was to take out the droids inside. Rushing into the building, a battle droid aimed and shot for her. A bolt skimmed right by her nose but due to her enhanced reflexes she had dodged it just in time, right after it had passed she raised her blaster and killed the droid.

“Nice work, 85!” Hopper praised through comms. Across the room she could see him take down two droids

“Yeah! Twitchy here is doing pretty good!” 77 chirped in her ear as he pushed 24 out of the way of what was going to be a direct hit.

Twitchy… I like it.

“Why thank you, gentlemen. Not so bad yourself.” If there was one thing she was certain about in life it was that she liked this squad. When she was first told she was training with the Spirit squad she had low hopes. Like the rest of the squads she had trained with, they had seen her differently, not as a sister but a freak.

“Man, they really weren’t joking when they said level 8!” Quill yelled while running from three droids, all firing at him. 85 whipped around and downed two of them, Hopper finishing the third one. He bent down to help his brother up from his hiding spot from the floor. “Thanks, vod.” With a nod, he ran off with Quill following close behind.

“Almost there, boys!” She ran down the hall and began to vault herself over the wall to reach the mark that ended the simulation. Sudden searing pain in her abdomen sent her crashing into the ground, her gun falling out of her hands. When she looked up to see what had hit her, a training commando droid was rushing towards her.

“Commandos!” She was able to choke out through the pain. It wasn’t as painful as a real blaster wound but man did it still hurt. Her neck jerked to the side and her legs seized up.

Not good, not good, not good-

77 came crashing through the course, shooting the commando droid with Hopper to his left, taking out any threats. Once the droid fell he rushed over to 85s side and tried to help her, but he wasn’t Quill. He didn’t know what to do in a medical situation! Nervously, he tried to hold her legs still and calm her down, which seemed to work a little. “C’mon, twitch. We’re almost there.”

She groaned and slowly sat up, after a few seconds she braced herself on 77 arms and stood up. He bent over and handed her the gun she dropped, giving her an encouraging smile. “Alright, let’s go! I don't wanna do this again!” They ran side by side, shooting droids and climbing over the obstacles. After a few more minutes of running and vaulting, the pole was in sight. All they had to do was show Reese that they had the pole and he would end the simulation. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she and 77 booked it for the finish, soon enough she could hear the rest of them following.

77 was the first to reach the pole and yanked it out of its place cheering in excitement, Hopper, Quill, 24, and 85 all gave each other pats on the back.

“Great job everybody!” Hopper praised everyone and playfully punched Quill's shoulder. He looked back with a smile but his focus remained on the girl, she had taken a blow from one of the blasters and it seemed to have a decent effect on her. The training simulation shut down and the squad was released to their barracks to change and head to the mess hall.

_______________________

85 slipped on her boots and hurried to catch up with her new squad. “Heeeyyyyy!” She raised her hand for a high five at 77 once she saw him in the hall, instead he just stood there. “... you’re supposed to hit my hand. It’s a high five?” If these boys didn’t know what a high five was, there might be a slight problem. He hesitantly tapped her hand with his and she smiled.

“Nice job back there! You got some good reflexes.” He began walking down the hall that led to the cafeteria.

“Thanks. That’s my ‘enhancement’ or whatever you wanna call it. I got freaky fast moves.” She wiggled her fingers. Before 77 could reply, the rest of Spirit Squad came up behind them. They walked through the doors to the cafeteria and got in line with their trays. 85 could practically feel the others' eyes on her but she tried her best to just ignore them and get her food. Once she filled her tray, she followed Hopper to an empty table and sat across from him. The rest followed, 77 sitting next to her while Quill and 24 sat on Hopper's side.

“Welcome to the squad, 85.” Hopper smiled at her, happy to have a new addition.

“Twitch.”

“What?”

“Twitch, my name is Twitch.”

It was at that moment she saw 77 grow the biggest smile she had ever seen on a person, he was pretty much grinning from ear to ear.

“Well, Twitch,” Hopper's cup rose in the air. “Welcome to the Spirit Squad.” They all raised their cups and clinked them together before taking a sip. Everyone was smiling, even the more shy, 24.

“It’s good to be her-“

“Well well well, if it isn’t the freak. How did a lab rat end up in a squad like this?” Another clone squad passed their table, taunting Twitch. They laughed at the clone's harsh words but were cut off when Twitch replied.

“You lookin’ for a smack in the face, shabuir?” She had turned around to fully face the clone and stare him directly in the eyes. No bullying today, she would not let these idiots ruin her good day. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the rest of her squad stiffen, they seemed shocked like this wasn’t a regular occurrence.

“Oh it talks!”

It? Oh you’re dead.

Anger bubbled up inside of her and she reached up and grabbed his wrist, twisting it backwards causing him to drop his tray and food. He broke free from her grip and if looks could kill, she would most definitely be dead right now. The squad behind him puffed up their chests, ready for a fight. While she really didn’t want to fight, she was having a nice lunch with her new squad, it was their fault they picked on her. She couldn’t help the way that she was. Her neck twitched to the left and she sighed when they started snickering,

Hopper stood up from the bench he was sitting on to speak. “Listen, Fellas. We don’t want any trouble, just go your own way please.” The clones looked at Twitch once more before walking over to their own table, still side eyeing them occasionally.

“Sorry guys, I didn’t mean to start trouble-”

“Why are you apologizing? They should be the ones asking for forgiveness, you don’t deserve that. No one does.” 77 placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to get his point across.

“Yeah, Twitch it’s okay. We’re not mad at you, but… does that happen often?” Hopper scooted back into his seat.

“Uhm…” She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, it did happen a lot. So often she just accepted that it was normal. “Yeah… yeah pretty often, but I shouldn’t have grabbed him, I don’t know.”

“Well he deserved it.” 24 piped up. That was the first time Twitch had heard him speak, and it was defending her. “Next time anyone does that to you, you have every right to fight back.”

“Thanks guys.” She took a bite of the food that was on her plate, casting a glance at the table that the clone who mocked her moved to. One locked eyes with her for a second but quickly looked away, snickering to the table.

Yeah, you guys are real comedians.

77 slid his hand off her shoulder and continued to eat. Quill had that look on his face, one he had seen too many times, the one where he wanted to ask a question but was unsure of how to approach it. He very slightly motioned to Twitch, who was very focused on her food, all her spark had fizzled out. Oh if he could beat up those clones right then and there he would’ve, but he didn’t want to start a mess hall fight, those happened too often and he didn’t wanna get written up for misbehavior.

“So… if you don’t mind me asking,” Quill finally voiced his curiosity. “Why do you twitch? And wouldn’t it throw out your neck if you did it enough?”

“No, I don’t mind at all. You actually have a really good question there. I personally have no idea why I twitch, it could be the result of testing or just that I’m an experimental clone. It could just be a defect,” She shrugged. “My neck takes the brunt of it and it’s sore sometimes, some days worse than others. Apparently,” Twitch rested her elbow on the table, holding her fork. “I twitch a lot when I’m experiencing ‘extreme emotions’ at least that’s what the Kaminoans say, I’m not told much.”

“Oh…” He wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that. “W-Well if you have a sore neck sometime I might be able to help.”

“Quill here has a dream of being a CMO so he takes whatever chance he gets to practice medical.. things.” 77 explained.

“Hey, that's not the right term!”

“Oh who cares.”

“Uh- I do??”

“Guys, guys. No bickering.” Twitch raised her hands to shush them before anything else could be said. “Quill, that would be awesome if you could help my neck sometime, it’s been giving me some problems lately.” His eyes lit up and he nodded.

Hopper sent a kind smile her way before he continued to eat his food.

Once they finished in the mess hall, Twitch was summoned to the medical bay. With a very heavy sigh, she waved bye to her squad and trudged down the cold halls reluctantly.

If you got this far, thank you! ♥️

#the bad batch #star wars #clone wars #oc story #star wars fanfiction #this is gonna be a bad batch fic #just wait #bad batch fic #Twitch_oc #clone ocs #bad batch oc #clone cadets

[wr1t3-my-wr0ngs]

Reaching Out

Codywan 4+1, Angst edition 

Four times Cody felt Obi-Wan reach out to the Clones mind with the force, and one time Obi-Wan felt it slip away. (Order 66)

Alright here is the thing I was working on last night. It has been spell checked and my grammar shouldn’t be too bad. In hindsight this isn’t as good as I thought it was at midnight, but ain’t that just the way writing works? Anyway, I hope y’all enjoy it just the same!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1- In battle

The first time it happened, Cody had more pressing things to worry about, such as staying alive. He was, after all, in the middle of a firefight.

He had lost sight of the General some time ago, the Jedi disappearing in the mess and confusion of battle. The droids were numerous, far more then what they had expected for this campaign and much harder to get rid of then usual.

He’s taking cover behind a pile of debris, most likely a piece of a ceiling if the decorative patterns, half covered by dust, are any indication when it happens.

It feels unlike anything he has experienced before, and it's only looking back after the event that he's able to put any words to it at all. Like the setting sun, all golden and warm, if it were made into a blanket brushing over something deep inside of him. As quickly as the feeling comes, it vanishes, leaving him feeling odd. It's as if on some fundamental level the inherent shape of him has changed, both bigger and smaller.

A blaster bolt slamming into the concrete of his makeshift cover mere inches from his head draws Cody back into the fight and soon enough the strange occurrence pushed aside in favor of returning fire. Whatever it was, it doesn't happen again, and by the time he once again gets eyes on his Jedi, Cody has forgotten all about it.

2- In the mess hall

The next time it happens, Cody is in the mess hall eating the morning meal. It's nothing special, but its also not ration bars, and is therefore an improvement on any number of meals he has had to choke down in his admittedly short life. All around him his men and brothers are starting their day as well, some shuffle in a half-awake state, desperate for the morning cup of caff, others chat amongst themselves.

Cody nearly chokes on his food when the strange warm feeling brushes up against and invades his mind. His eyes water and his breathing goes a bit funny as he tries to clear his airway, and Cody would be damned if the sunny feeling doesn't seem to change in response. It becomes sharper, more focused, and the feeling of being enveloped become more intense. Whatever it is, it almost feels... concerned?

Someone thumps him on the back, and Cody's airway clears. The concerned edge to the intrusion in his mind lingers for a moment until seeming to sigh in relief and relaxing, making one last pass around the edge of his consciousness, all golden and comforting, before pulling away.

"You alright, Vod?" Rex asks as he takes a seat next to the other clone.

"Yeah," the darker haired clone responds after a moment’s hesitation. "Yeah, I'm good."

3- On the bridge

The third time it happens, Cody curses. Loudly.

The ship is under attack yet again, and just once Cody would like it if they could get through a battle without any major damage. Luck, unfortunately, does not appear to be on his side as yet another blow strikes against their forward shields. The whole ship rocks, and Cody grabs onto the holo table for stability, his eyes never once leaving the projected display of the battle that rages around them.

The feeling slams into his mind with all the finesse of a rancor and the curse that comes out of his mouth turns several heads. Where before the feeling had always been one of a calm soothing nature, this time it rages like a burning frost. It screams warning and caution and to move, force help him, move.

His mind comes to a conclusion in an instant, trusting this strange sensation for reasons he can't fully articulate except that it feels safe and familiar.

"GET DOWN!"

Without his helmet he must rely on his own voice to reach the men around him, and the command bellows out with as much authority as Cody can muster. The men scramble to comply just as another, more powerful, blast slams into their deflector shields. This time the shields fail, and Cody's head collides with the edge of the table before him. It's funny, but as his vision slowly goes dark, Cody would swear he could hear General Kenobi calling his name.

4 - In Medical

Consiousness returns slowly. It takes a few seconds before the events of the battle catch up with him, and when they do, Codys eyes fly open as he tries to push himself into a sitting position.

Mistake, that was a mistake.

Pain assaults his head at both the movement and the harsh white lighting of the med bay. He closes his eyes with a groan and lowers himself back down onto his pillows, mentally telling himself that if someone needs him, they know where to find him.

"Cody?"

A warm hand on one of his own draws the clones attention away from the pounding in his skull and Cody opens his eyes, more cautiously this time, and although his eyes are slits, Cody easily makes out the familiar face of his General.

"How do you feel?"

The pain medication he is on has left his mouth painfully dry so takes a second before Cody can get his mouth to cooperate with him, and when he does his voice is raspy from disuse.

"M fine, sir. Head hurts a bit thats s'all"

His words slur slightly in a way that Cody knows means he both has a concussion. This time when the sunny feeling comes, it's gentle. Like a cool washcloth being placed on his forehead. The pain behind his eye’s eases, and the light doesn't feel as harsh as it did a second ago. Cody sighs in relief turning his head slightly as if that will allow him greater contact with the non-existent sensation.

The presence seems to laugh, and Cody is aware of Obi-Wan beside him huffing quietly with amusement.

Suddenly, things click into place.

"Oh,"

Beside him, Obi-Wan lifts an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you're alright Commander."

Between the head trauma and the painkillers, thinking is hard, and words are even harder, but for Obi-Wan, Cody tries. With his free hand, the clone points to his head, squinting against the bright light and doing his best to make eye contact with the Jedi beside him.

"That's you. I wondered."

And because his mouth is no longer obeying him, he whispers "Feels nice."

Cody could be imagining the slight blush that dusts the Jedi's cheeks at the admission, but he's too tired to truly care.

Now that he knows the strange sensation is actually his Jedi and not some side effect from brain trauma, Cody takes the time to properly assesses the force presence. There is something quintessentially Obi-Wan about the way it feels, something in the cool brightness that reminds him of the breeze on a summer day.

He is almost asleep when something occurs to him.

"You've been checking in on me."

That time on the battlefield when they had lost contact with each other, on the bridge in the last battle when Obi-Wan had practically screamed warning in his ear. Even, Cody realizes, that time in the mess hall. In all cases the Jedi was checking in, either to see how he was doing or to make sure he was still alive.

The blush that now decorates the Jedi's face is unmistakable. For the life of him Cody can't figure out if the embarrassment is from being found out, or if the act itself is what the Jedi finds cringeworthy.

"Ah, yes, well... I should actually apologize for that."

"It's alright, sir. It was startling at first but now that I know it's you..." Cody shrugs as best he can given his circumstances, "Just warn a guy first, yeah?"

+1 (ANGST) As a stranger (order 66)

Astride Boga, Obi-Wan feels something shift in the force. It's a familiar, if nauseating feeling, one that he associates with danger and trouble. While the battle had been going well, with Grievous dead and a good chunk of the firing out of the way, Obi-Wan had been hoping that taking the rest of the planet would be simple. What's worse is where the force is telling him trouble is coming from. Not further ahead in the canyon where scores of droids wait, but from behind him.

Without hesitation, the Jedi reaches out in the force, searching for the ever-steady signature of his Commander. It's difficult at this distance to pinpoint the clone he wants, but Obi-Wan pushes through until at last he finds the man he is looking for.

His bond with Cody is a as strong as any force bond can be when only one half of the pair is force sensitive. Its tenuous, chaotic at the best of times, but a constant in the Jedi’s mind. It should be easy enough to reach out and check in on his commander, but something is resisting Obi-wan.

When he does find him, Obi-wan examines the force signature for any signs of distress and finds nothing. The clone feels like the warmth of sun baked earth with a touch of the sea, free from the sour tinge of injury. His relief at finding Cody alive and unharmed is short lived, as the clones force presence is violently shut away behind a durasteel mental shield. It’s as if everything that makes Cody unique is drained away by a strong vortex. What is left behind is hardly recognizable as the Commander.

He has just enough time for dread to fill him before the first canon blast slams into the stone next to him. Boga startles, and that more than anything spurs him into action. He spares one backward glance at where his men stand, flanking the canons. As he fly's away, the tattered mental bond echoes back a single phrase.

Execute Order Sixty-Six, six, six...

#star wars fanfiction #fanfiction #star wars #4+1 fanfic #4+1 #codywan #commander cody #Obi-Wan Kenobi #angst #or at least my attempt at angst #My writing

[ace-oreos]

Could we have alpha-17 getting beaten the shit out of by priest, and first piecing him back together

Considering how much I hate Dred Priest, I’m surprised I almost forgot about him until now lmao

I wasn’t totally sure what you meant by the second part, so I borrowed Mij Gilamar for the medic-y stuff that I am totally, 100% qualified to write about. 

I was imagining this taking place shortly after the Battle of Kamino, when the Alpha ARCs have just been taken out of stasis and are only just now finding out about Jango’s death.

(If anyone needs me to tag anything, please let me know.)

The hallways of Tipoca City are untouched as ever, but the silence that fills the endless white corridors is palpably wrong.

It took an awful lot of nerve, Alpha-17 thinks, for Fett to leave them like this. Because he couldn’t just let old injustices pass unchallenged. Because he’d been foolish enough to think his luck would hold. 

Because Fett is dead, and the sons he rejected time and again are left to pick up the pieces of a legacy they don’t want to bear.

It’s just stupid, 17 decides with a spike of savage anger. Stupid of Fett to let himself be killed like that, stupid of the Jedi to brand him irrevocably other and take it upon themselves to right the balance of the galaxy, or whatever their latest tagline is. Stupid of him to think Fett might have begun to care, somewhere along the line. 

Osik, things are complicated now. 

It’s bound to settle eventually. Fett was the linchpin, but his clones were meant to take his place from the very beginning.

We’re not you, 17 thinks, but maybe we’re what you wanted us to be. 

Regardless, Fett left a whole host of problems behind. Some are complex, too muddled for 17’s liking, the sort that keep him awake at night. But some are tangible, things 17 can work out himself, so he sets out to solve the first of these. The Cuy’val Dar don’t have any contingency orders, unlike 17 and his brothers. It’s not his place to start issuing them now, but the least he can do is make sure they don’t undo Fett’s legacy. 

It doesn’t take long to come across one of Fett’s more questionable choices. Mando’ade are a cryptic, self-contained lot, but 17 knows where to find them. Encountering Dred Priest first is nothing more than a stroke of bad luck - the man is a hut’uun and doesn’t deserve to call himself a Mando’ad. 

All the more reason to keep an eye on him, 17 tells himself, and keeps his face carefully blank when he greets the man. “Seems like you’re keeping busy, Priest.” 

Priest flashes a cold smile that makes 17’s skin crawl. “Careful, verd’ika. Fett didn’t think you were ready for the big wide world, and I have to agree with him on that one.”

“I’m not looking to play games,” 17 says flatly. It’s in his best interest to tread carefully around Priest, but the man knows how to get under his skin. 

“Is that it, then? You get to play at being Mand’alor? The armor doesn’t make the man, verd’ika.”

As if you weren’t enough proof, 17 thinks, but what comes out of his mouth is, “We have our orders. I don’t need you getting in the way.”

“So you’ll follow Fett’s orders even though he’s dead,” Priest remarks slyly.

17 won’t take the bait. “All the better for him.”

A look of surprise flashes across Priest’s face, and he inclines his head. “Not what I’d expect from you, Seventeen.” 

“Are you hoping I’ll grovel like the poor shabuire you terrorize? Get over yourself.” 

 “I’ll keep that in mind.” Priest’s tone is mocking. “Mand’alor.”

It takes all of 17’s discipline to keep from smacking the look off Priest’s face. He’s sure the man can tell; he looks almost amused, like 17 is a frightened cadet in over his head. It would almost be worth it, 17 thinks, but Priest isn’t worth his time. 

He doesn’t know what sets Priest off. He wouldn’t put any thought into it, either, if it weren’t for the sudden flare of pain in his right leg. He can’t see what Priest did - an honorable opponent would never attack from behind - but 17 stumbles. Priest delivers another strike that sends him to the floor before he can right himself.

17 rolls with the impact. Too slow, and the considerable weight of Priest’s armor will keep him pinned. 17’s lack of armor is a distinct disadvantage, but it allows him greater range of movement. 

Priest recognizes his advantage and presses forward. 17 resorts to avoiding his attacks as much as he can - absorbing the impact from beskar isn’t the same when he’s only in fatigues. He would rather be on the offensive, armor or no, so he looks for openings that might give him a chance to catch Priest wrong-footed. 

Maybe Priest knows Jango’s fighting style too well. Maybe 17 is a touch slower than usual. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t take Priest long to knock him down. 17 twists, trying to wrap his leg’s around Priest’s abdomen to unbalance him, but the man breaks free and slams 17 down again.

The base of 17’s skull collides with the floor hard enough to leave his ears ringing. By the time his vision clears, Priest has already hauled him up by the front of his tunic. 17 gets a grip on the man’s arm, but without stable footing he’s unable to wrench Priest over his shoulder. 

17 curses when Priest uses the very same maneuver to send him crashing into the wall. There’s an audible crack on impact and a sharp line of pain sears through his chest. 17 lands hard, head still spinning and lungs burning when he tries to draw breath. He fights a wave of nausea as he struggles to his feet, years of training making him wary of staying down too long. 

“You’re tenacious, I’ll give you that,” Priest says thickly through what 17 guesses is a broken nose.

“Slana’pir,” 17 snarls in return, but it doesn’t have the effect he wanted when he breaks off in a gasp. A number of mishaps over the years leads him to think he might’ve cracked a rib or two. Normally it wouldn’t take long to steady his breathing, but he’s left gasping now when each inhale results in a stab of pain. 

There’s a mad light in Priest’s eyes. 17 knows the man won’t leave him alone until one of them is dead or too badly injured to stand. There’s always an off chance he could break away and lose Priest in the lower levels - his batch know Tipoca better than anyone, besides the Nulls. 

But something holds him in place. Fett never ran from a fight, even at the end. And maybe it was senseless for him to think he’d never meet his match, but it hadn’t been too late for him to instill the same sense of pride and defiance in his recruits. 

17 holds his ground.

___________________________

If Mij Gilamar is surprised, he hides it well. Only the tightening of his jaw suggests a displeased reaction when he looks 17 up and down with a studiously blank expression.

“I fell,” 17 says by way of explanation. 

“Osik, ad’ika, can’t you come up with a better excuse?” 

17 shrugs, ignoring the fresh ache that runs through his body at the movement. “You wouldn’t believe me no matter what I say, and I know you won’t believe me, so this spares us both a lot of thinking we’re not in a position to handle. Sergeant.” 

“Ka’ra, boy,” Gilamar sighs, shaking his head. “Come on in, lad.” 

17 follows obediently. He hasn’t set foot in Gilamar’s quarters in years - not since he got on Fett’s bad side and had been too willful to back down even though he was too young for it to be a fair fight. He hadn’t been hurt badly - nothing he couldn’t handle by himself - but Gilamar had somehow found him anyway and insisted on looking him over. 

The man had called him verd’ika then. He looks faintly disapproving now. 

“Want to tell me what happened?” 

17 pretends like he doesn’t know what Gilamar is really saying and replies, “Feels like something might be broken,” while gesturing vaguely to his midsection. 

And he can hardly get his vision to focus, and he’s pretty sure he felt something snap in his wrist somewhere along the way, and his shoulder aches something fierce when he tries to cross his arms, but that’s none of Gilamar’s business. His hairline is sticky with blood, too, but there’s no hiding that even in the dim light. 

“You’re right about the ribs,” Gilamar announces after listening to 17’s uneven breathing. “It’ll be a few weeks, but so long as you go easy it should heal on its own. I can give you something for the pain if you’d like.”

17 shakes his head. At this point all he wants is to collapse on his bunk. 

Gilamar matches his indifferent attitude. “Whatever you say. Now are you going to let me look at that arm?”

“If it’s all the same to you, Sergeant, I’d rather just get some rest.”

“No, it isn’t,” Gilamar says sharply. “Sit down.”

17 sits. 

Gilamar stitches the jagged gash on his head with the ease of long practice, and sets 17’s shoulder before he has time to object. 17 has given up protesting by the time the man is done wrapping his wrist, and he keeps his mouth shut when Gilamar runs a rapid battery of tests to ensure what’s bound to be a nasty concussion isn’t anything more. 

“Bad luck, ad’ika,” the man says, rocking bad on his heels when he’s finished. “But you’ll pull through.” He pauses as if chewing something over, then adds quietly, “Priest got a hold of you, didn’t he.”

It’s not phrased as a question. 17 doesn’t take it as one. 

“Nothing I can’t deal with,” he says at last. 

Gilamar doesn’t look convinced. “There’s no shame in it, verd’ika. The man’s a hut’uun. Even Fett wouldn’t - ”

17 stands. The sudden motion makes his stomach roll. “Vor’e, Sergeant.”

“Ba’gedet’ye,” Gilamar answers softly. 17 turns away before he can see the man’s expression approach something like pity. He’s hardly through the door when he hears the sergeant call, “I can’t speak for Fett, but for what it’s worth, Seventeen - I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” 17 says flatly, even though he knows perfectly well Gilamar isn’t referring to his run-in with Priest at all. If Fett were sorry, he’d still be here. 

Alpha-17 suspects it will be a long time before things begin to settle.

#alpha-17 #alpha 17 #mij gilamar #dred priest #jango fett #republic commando #the clone wars #star wars #fic prompt #thanks for the prompt! #my askbox is open #tw blood mention

[laur-rants]

Fic Update: Blood Wolf

Chapter 3

Fandom: Dishonored Ship: Daud/The Outsider. yes, I made that executive decision.

Rated: Mature to Explicit, Strong Violence and  Gore Ahead!!

Synopsis: Daud-Centric Prequel to Wolfbann. The story centers on how Daud turned, and his subsequent marking by the outsider and his formulation of the Whalers. Notes: There probably won’t be nsfw content in this fic, but it WILL be… violent. I want to play with my own boundaries of written violence and also Daud’s start wasn’t nearly as clean as Corvo’s. Their contrast on dealing with the werewolf transformation is one of the things I want to really explore, and Daud gets very close to falling off the wagon.

CHAPTER TAGS: Daud transforms. It’s horrible and wonderful all at the same time. There is a mild description of consuming a person, but I wouldn’t consider it cannibalism. Necessarily. Werewolves sometimes... eat people. AO3 link First :: Previous :: Next

----------------------------------------------------

Dunwall, Gristol

Month of Clans -- 1820

Daud set up a meeting with the contract creator the next night. It gave him time to prepare, to consider his options and perhaps, to look a little less frightful for the person he wished to work with. The address given on the contract was nondescript; a small general practitioner's office, tucked away in Draper's Ward and identified by the universal dual-snake staff on the window. Daud chose to drop by after hours, of course; no need for others to see the owner conversing with an assassin. He had planted an earlier note to say he would be visiting unconventionally but the individual inside the office room still jumped when suddenly a whaler mask was knocking gently at the upstairs office window.

It was a small man with a round face and large eyebrows that greeted Daud, glasses getting pushed up as he quickly came over, unlatching the terrace doors and allowing the assassin entry. Daud slipped in, silent and stealthy despite the tremble in his hands and shoulders. He hadn't expected his client to be a doctor and quietly hoped the man wouldn't pay close enough attention to ask questions.

"Thank you for finally getting back to me on this contract," the man -- Misha Romanov, if Daud remembered the contract properly -- nervously said, looking over Daud. His eyes trailed from the mask and hood to the black clothes to the whaler blade at his side. He swallowed, clearly intimidated, walking around the office to physically put distance between the two of them. Daud tilted his head, clicking his tongue.

"You've never hired a hitman before," Daud remarked, posing it more as an annoyed observation than a question. It was clear; from the man's unease to the amount of coin offered, he was a novice when it came to dealing with and understanding the job he was asking for. Perhaps this was a bad idea after all; but Daud was here, and it would be ludicrous to turn around now. Might as well make the best of it.

"This is my first time, yes," Misha replied, choosing to busy himself with one of his displayed medical instruments instead of looking Daud in the glassy eye. "I have never had a need before. I try more to save lives, rather than take them, you see." He wrung his hands, then offered a small smile. "But now... my brothers are dead and I have no idea what happened to them, or their dogs. They were the only family I had left… I didn't know where else to turn."

"Misha Romanov then, right?" The doctor nodded, confirming what he knew. "What happened to your brothers-- before they disappeared?" Daud asked, his voice muffled behind the thick mask. Misha, emboldened by the question, answered as clinically as possible, recounting how his brothers had gotten into a dog fighting business over the last few years, completely sucked in, throwing money into dogs and gambling over Fink's wagers. It had been an obsession -- one that ultimately, they didn't return from. Naturally, Misha feared the worst and blamed Eustace and Howard Fink for their disappearance.

"I saw the one brother, Eustace, sulking near the cafe one morning soon after Adrian and Mikhail didn't return at their usual time," Misha supplied, "and that's when I knew I'd be powerless to get justice unless I hired an assassin. So I posted my contract and waited. And waited. I had almost given up on anyone taking the job, until you contacted me. Your interest in this hit is greatly appreciated."

Daud held up a frustrated hand. "Please do not offer appreciation, not until my work is done. I'm not doing this out of the kindness of my heart. I'm doing it because it's personal, and the pay is so low only someone like me would take the contract anyway. If anyone is the lucky party in this deal, trust me, it's you."

Misha blinked. "Oh? You… you know Fink?" He then blanched, his face going terrified. "You didn't work for him in the past, did you?"

"No, nothing like that," Daud said, taking a too-ragged breath. He could feel the sweat trickling down his neck, across his wounds-- even that simple contact burned. "I actually was contracted to kill Eustace's brother, Howard. The same day your brothers most likely perished, I almost died, too. Lady Luck herself is the only reason I'm still alive; the Fink brothers were into some deep, disgusting shit."

Misha blinked, adjusting his glasses before giving Daud a more thorough look-over. Daud stiffened under the gaze, suddenly self-consciousness, and he tried to still the tremor of his limbs.

"Are you well now? You appear in pain, or feverish."

Of course this guy could tell. Daud cursed him for being such an astute doctor.

"You're not being paid enough as a doctor if you can tell that just from looking me over," Daud sneered, hiding the rasp of his voice. This only furrowed the man's brow further, his tone growing serious.

"If you need me to offer medical assistance before the mission, I'd be more than willing to--"

"I'm here for a job, doctor. Not a diagnosis."

"Right, of course, of course… But, if you're still in a state when the job is over, consider it part of the payment. I can easily add it to the contract between us, mister…?"

Void-- "Daud. Just Daud." He said, annoyed. "No Lord, no mister, no honorifics at all. I'm an assassin, not a noble."

"Sorry, just trying to be polite. And you know my name, of course, but I can supply a business card if needed--"

"No. All I need is half payment up front, and as many details on Fink that you can provide." Misha nodded; he went to a dusty safe in the corner, opened it, and pulled out a small purse of 100 silver. Daud noticed very few valuables in the safe and wondered just how lucrative being a general practitioner was in the Draper's Ward. Or, perhaps, his gambling brothers had preyed on his meager earnings too, an addiction that drained the doctor and ultimately tore apart their family. He felt the urge to ask, to reach out and inquire, but he managed to keep his curiosity to himself. It wasn't important to the job, and it wasn't Daud's business to know how wealthy his clients were, or where they got the coin they paid him with.

Misha returned with the coin and Daud carefully pocketed it. Misha also handed over papers: they contained a few addresses, including one not too far from here. Daud frowned under the mask, his breath hissing out of the respirator.

"That's his home and work addresses," Misha explained. "I tend to see him at this cafe, Swinney's, down off Cashmere Ave in the mornings. I pass it on my way to the clinic in the mornings."

"That's quite a ways from here," Daud muttered, before he could stop himself. Misha just shrugged.

"The commute is long on foot, but it's what I can afford. Most nights I just stay here. Cheaper that way."

Daud said nothing. Just crumpled the paper in his hand before folding it up and tucking it away, next to his contract.

"Do not be surprised if this takes some time. Assassination is not easy, nor is it quick in the way you expect it is. I will seek you out once the hit is complete, understood?"

Misha nodded, and if he had any further questions, he didn't ask them. "Whatever you need to do, I suppose."

"That's why they call it 'wet work,' Romanov," Daud told him, a hint of dark humor coloring his words. Daud then took his departure, leaving Misha and the office as silently as he had entered.

------

It should be simple. An easy set up: an easy take down. Silent, efficient, no trace to let anyone ask after. Eustace Fink was not well guarded, not spatially aware, and he was incredibly routine. Textbook, really.

Instead, it was shaping up to be one of the hardest stake outs of Daud's career.

He had spent a few days setting up the kill, pulling himself through the motions. He cached any necessary food, plenty of coin, and a few changes of clothes. He knew where he needed to be and when. He had all of his equipment restocked from the black market right outside of the Distillery District, where nobody asked twice about his mask or his stance. It was all ready to go.

But of course it couldn't be that simple. Nothing of importance ever was.

It was the fourth night of his stakeout when it happened. As soon as he settled in to make the hit finally happen, his fever rolled him over like a riptide.

It came on quickly, the nausea. He hadn't expected it; for the last week his fever had been low-grade, barely noticeable. He had, effectively, learned to ignore it. But it came roaring back up as if it was the day he spent crawling out of the sewer. One second, he was relaxing, waiting for Fink to be alone in his own home; the next he was lurching, tossing the whaler mask up and over his head just in time to empty the contents of his stomach over the side of the roof.

It stank so bad he reeled, dry heaving again. He managed to keep the rest of it down, the sweat drenching his forehead as he wiped his mouth with the back of a clammy glove. He growled in frustration, his arms barely holding his weight, but he spent the extra moments to breathe, evening out his heartbeat and emotions. He looked over to the estate; Fink was alone. Daud felt his stomach flip again, making itself known. He swallowed back the sensation; it was now or never.

Sickness be damned, he needed to get this hit off.

He stood and his feet were surprisingly steady for the vertigo he was experiencing. Not that he was worried; Daud had stalked and successfully killed someone drunk before. It was a dare, one that Rulfio didn't think he would go through with, but he was even younger and cockier back then. A little head sickness was nothing compared to that job, but the thought of Rulfio sobered him enough to keep focused on the task at hand. He lithely jumped from the roof, heading to the Draper's Ward residence, as silent as a street cat.

He kept a bead on Fink even as he felt the sweat gather on his forehead again; something in his chest felt like it wanted to burst, and Daud vaguely hoped it wasn't his heart. He slipped on a roof tile, steadied himself, then listened intently, hearing Eustace's voice float up.

"I should be fine, but I can't help but think that I should be more worried about what happened that night. I mean-- I woke up and Howard was dead and so was that huge black magic brute. There was another person, dead in the corner, and so many unlucky bodies that didn't make it out alive… there will be questions soon. So many questions. How do they not smell it there under the Pub? Maybe the rats ate the bodies… how convenient if so. Nothing to investigate, nothing to convict. If the City Watch ever got wind of this..."

It took Daud a bit of processing to suss out if Eustace was speaking to someone else in the room, but no; the beat and cadence was reminiscent of someone recording an audiograph. If he listened closely enough, nearing the balcony door, he could hear the whirr of the machine, the click of the hole punch. His breathing hitched and his pulse thundered in his ear.

His prey was so, deliciously, tantalizingly, close. Daud stayed his hand, listening closely.

The machine stopped, pushing the card out and finishing the audiograph. There were footsteps, and Eustace walked out onto his balcony, his hands tight as he tucked the audiograph away in his vest, where he clearly thought it safe. His back was to Daud and the balcony door, lighting a cigar, the smoke curling up into the warm summer night air.

The wind roared in Daud's ears. It would be so easy to drop down, slit his throat, watch the blood spill over his gloves-- and suddenly he was aching for it, longing for the crunch of bones, the heat of crimson rivers running from a burst vein, the thrill of a new kill…

The thoughts were intrusive and revolting, nearly causing him to heave again. He still managed to hold himself together, not wanting to drown in his mask, even ignoring the persistent itch on his face. The rising threat of bile burned at the back of his throat but he swallowed it down, his grip growing tight on the roof's edge. He held his position and waited, patience baked into him from years of careful practice. Fink eventually finished enjoying his cigar, extinguishing the butt before turning back to his room.

Daud waited for Fink to pass under him. He then slipped down, his boots silent against the stone. He crouched, righted himself, and pulled his blade from his side. His thumb found the notch in the metal.

When Eustace Fink turned around to close the balcony doors, Daud was there, glassy eyes and muzzled mask glaring down at the second noble that had caused this nightmare of his to happen.

Fink opened his mouth to scream. Daud rushed him, faster than he's ever moved. A powerful hand gripped Eustace by the throat, silencing him and guiding him over to a wall far from any escape route. He felt like nothing in Daud's grasp, like he was a weighted bag that Daud had the displeasure of carrying for a friend. The man was larger than him, heftier, and yet Daud could take him and lift him with a single arm, his right hand still holding the blade he'd drawn. It was heady and unbelievable, Daud didn't know where this power was coming from but it surged through him like a rising storm. He tapped further into that tempest, slamming Eustace into the wall next to his desk.

The man whimpered. Daud snarled. Fink flinched and gasped and Daud almost laughed. He can't believe someone so weak-hearted tried to command a literal monster.

Or perhaps, a nasty little voice in his head supplied, the monster was the weak one... Show him that you are different. Show him what your Power is.

"You and your brother sure made a lot of enemies, didn't you, Eustace…" Daud growled out, his teeth feeling oddly heavy, morphing his words as he spoke them. They came out graveled and sharp and he suppressed the urge to lick his lips as he continued. "If I'm here, you have a bigger problem than the City Watch finding bloated bodies under a riverside bar."

Fink said nothing. Instead, he started crying. Of all things, the man wept in front of his soon-to-be killer. Daud almost recoiled in disgust; this man wasn't even worth the coin. He slammed Fink against the wall again, eliciting a startled yelp from him.

"Do you even know why I'm here, Eustace Fink?" Daud spat the name out like it was undercooked blood ox. "Do you know who killed your brother? It was the assassin who you thought was dead in the sewers when you woke up. Your brother's monster ruined me but I survived and if you value your life, you're going to give me the answers I deserve."

His voice grew in power despite the low whisper he spoke with. His words filled his own ears, reaching the room around them, and Fink gulped visibly. He looked Daud over, rasping against the hold that kept him in place.

"Did it mark you?" He asked, finally. "The Outsider's monster?"

"And if it did?" Daud threatened, mask dangerously close to Fink's face. "What does it matter?" He brought the blade up, his head tilting. "What do you know, Eustace Fink?"

"Ah, I-I don't know as much as Howard did! He found the original beast, not me! But it… they always changed. The curse was always passed down. There isn't a cure for it. They all went mad and eventually--" Eustace gasped and his words died as Daud's grip dangerously tightened. He recalled what Brimsley had said to him, the words burning in his ears.

"You're one now too, aren't you?"

Daud's body lurched. His grip loosened, freeing Fink as that nausea filled him again, along with a different sensation, one where his head, his chest, his limbs wanted to burst, his skin scorching him all over.

"No," Daud rasped out, his eyes far away. "I am not--" He stared at his gloves; his vision blurring dangerously. When Fink tried to crawl away, however, his sight caught the movement, head turning sharply. In a flurry, the blade was singing through Eustace's heels; the tendons sliced like butter and Fink collapsed, crying out. The blood pooled around his ankles, the smell of it sharp in Daud's nose. Eustace stayed prone on the floor, whimpering, his face rapidly losing color as shock set in.

Pathetic.

Daud hunched over Fink's form, his breath ragged and heavy. Eustace stared at him, eyes wet and terrified, and Daud felt his seams unravel, his body falling apart.

"It's happening? Here, now? Oh Void, oh Outsider's eyes…" Fink continued to babble, crying out for the fabled god of the Void, as if such an entity existed, could even save him from what was happening. Daud opened his mouth to refute Eustace; it came out as a splintered roar, words failing him.

"Where is your god, Eustace?" His voice boomed, but he did not know where the words came from, not when his mouth was making such unearthly noise. "You were the one who played god, killing assassins for your games, your bloody gambling coin. Did you think yourself honorable, setting such a trap? How many men died to serve you and your fucked up brother?"

Eustace paled and he looked so small, so tiny, so weak. To think this man and his brother succeeded as much as they had, enslaving unknowing participants for entertainment…

His head reeled in anger and rage. He pulled the man close, his hands curling into smoking, burning claws that dig deep into Eustace's clothes, ripping at skin.

"Stop praying to a god who won't listen! This is your reality! Now face your judgement!"

Daud ripped the whaler mask off and underneath was no longer the face of a man. A true muzzle burst from his face, black and filled with glistening, razored fangs. His wounds burned and steamed as his eyes bulged and he screamed, the pain of the last month consuming him entirely. Ribs cracked and bones shifted and he grew, his body doubling, tripling. His skin was tearing off and it felt so good, like he had been waiting his whole life, his whole existence, for this singular moment of unbridled ecstasy.

He roared and it was like the land, the sea, like the Void itself, shook under the sound of his cry. He laughed, eyes watering, filled with relief and pain and it was all so much, too much. He screeched, the sounding reminiscent of a dying whale, before his teeth slammed together like a crashing wave. Fink was still in his vicinity; he could smell the fear, hear the pleading, but all it did was anger him further. He didn't need this sniveling worm of a human.

A clawed hand grabbed Eustace and in the next second his body was in ribbons. Guts spilled and a head rolled and Daud felt his mind flee, the smell of iron and heat overwhelming his senses in a way he'd never known after a kill. Suddenly he was ravenous, he needed that blood on his tongue. He obliged his primal desire, ripping the man's arm off with ease, letting bone and fat and muscle fill his mouth with the heat of a fleeing life.

There was a scream. Daud's ears caught it and he turned, lip curling. He had nothing to say to the woman standing in the door, hair tied back and clutching her dress. The sound of her distress continued, unwavering. Daud stepped towards her, snarling.

She ran.

He was moving faster than he could ever have imagined, his legs possessing a strength that was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. His body moved on its own accord, spurred on by the thrill of the hunt, of the pursuit of prey and he was giddy, drunk off it. The house was a maze but his nose cut through the turns, following the fear and nausea, the horror of his unhinged rampage left in his wake. Walls and doors meant nothing; his body either forced its way through or smoked through openings, dissolving and coalescing in ways he didn't understand and spent no time dwelling on. He was consumed instead with the goal of reaching for and pouncing on his next victim, then the next. He caught sounds over the rush of his own blood; a tiny shrill voice here, a male voice there, the howl of hounds released upon him. All of them meant nothing; their teeth could not hurt him now. Their attacks were just pin pricks of lucidity within his fever dream, all dying or cowering before his unbridled wrath. Two dogs were bodily thrown, another bitten in half, still another tossed at a human handler, throwing both dog and man through a wall. He pursued, determined to not let anyone in the house escape. Not this time. Not after this hell month, not after everything--

A drop of water rippled through the chaos of his mind. The scent of the sea filled his nostrils, the sound of whales keened in his ears. Daud stilled, suddenly entranced, and turned his head.

A rune chittered and vibrated and sang on an ensconced shrine. The room was small, perhaps a hidden pantry; it had been revealed when Daud had thrown the body through the wall. Purple cloth fluttered from the disturbance of the crash and used candles scattered about the floor and table.

Someone was sitting on that table, cross-legged: someone lithe, dark, and still holding the ageless beauty of youth. Despite the slim, ethereal frame the person presented, Daud could sense the incredible shadow lurking just out of sight, the leviathan crying from the deep.

The figure smiled, his black, endless eyes glittering. He beckoned, and Daud obeyed. Like a leashed hound, he was irrevocably pulled under the waves, his huge body buckling before the sight of something greater, something far more ancient than he could ever fathom to be. He bowed his giant furred head and cold hands ran over his wounds, calming the persistent itch and smoothing away his month-long fever. Daud whined, giving himself over entirely as the figure held him close, arms embracing him like a long lost lover. The voice in his ears calmed his storm and soothed his pain and called him Home.

"Oh, Daud, beautiful Daud," the man cooed and Daud was enraptured, a whale's cry leaving him like a warbled gasp. The grip tightened on him and suddenly his body was melting away, the fur turning to ash to reveal his human skin underneath. He breathed, his left hand itching pleasantly where the figure held it, the other hand running smooth circles across his shoulders and down his back. Daud looked up into that ancient face and when it smiled, there was no warmth, no stars in those endlessly black eyes.

"I knew you would come back to me, Daud. After all..." the god's smile spread, breaking his face.

"...It was just a matter of time."

#daud #dishonored #werewolf au #werewolves #the outsider #misha #blood wolf #wolfssegner #dishonored au #fic #my fic #fanfic #my fanfic #tw: blood and gore #tw: violence #tw: body horror #long post #this was going to be a longer chapter #but when the end comes the end comes #the rest will be for chapter 4 #anyway #thank you for reading #experimental writing