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bosspigeon · 3 years

Text

a permanent solution to a temporary insanity

Pairing: Mason/m!Detective, with a side of Adam/Nate (implied)

Words: 5257

Summary: Unit Bravo discover the detective has... a lot more tattoos than they would have guessed. Felix is delighted. Mason is intrigued. Nate and Adam are just worried this is going to cause issues with Rebecca, somehow. Tina and Verda become chaotic disasters when they’ve had some alcohol in them.

Takes place at the beginning of Book 2. Title taken from a quote my granddad likes to use whenever he wants me to know he disapproves of my tattoos.

AO3 Link | Ko-Fi <3

"Get your foot off the table, you fucking barbarian!"

Mason can hear the voice of the detective's coworkers from across the bar, but even if he couldn't, Chase's scent is easy enough to track. The muted bite of coffee, the sharpness of pine tempered with clary sage. The cooled sweat of a long day, and, just barely perceptible, the intoxicating undercurrent of his blood.

Mason's awareness narrows down to that stimulus, and he weaves his way through the meager crowd. He is only vaguely cognizant of his unit following behind him, so focused on finding--

He hears a laugh, low and husky, a bit of a scuffle, and he finds the detective sitting at a table with the pathologist, Verda, and the Bobblehe-- Officer Poname.

Chase's back is to him, and he’s sitting in a chair at the end of a table squished into a corner. Verda and Poname are opposite him in a booth against the wall, laughing, while Poname tries in vain to wrestle Chase's scuffed combat boot off the edge of the table. The smell of alcohol is strong between the three of them, but that is not what makes Mason stop dead.

Chase's leather jacket is draped over the back of his chair, and underneath, what Mason always thought was a full turtleneck sweater is actually completely sleeveless. The detective's arms are bare, save for intricate swirls and clusters of ink, mostly black, but with some pops of color here and there. Some of it is flowers, some words, a few bones and animal skulls. Abstract shapes and lines, a few sharp little designs, from shoulder to knuckles on both arms-- and Mason suddenly realizes Chase always seemed to be wearing supple leather palm gloves that matched his jacket, or, when it was colder, cozy wool fingerless gloves so he could still use his phone without trouble. Not tonight, though. Tonight his hands are bare, his arms are bare, and the ribbed shirt he’s wearing is clinging to him and really showing off the stout strength of his torso.

Mason grunts as Felix runs into his back, and time seems to pick back up to normal speed while his companion loudly complains.

Chase's head turns upon hearing the familiar voice, and Mason gathers his wits and offers a smirk and a carefully relaxed wave, sauntering up alongside the man, who raises a glass full of some dark mixed drink to him.

"There’s nothing we can do until we’ve got more information about our case, so I'm off tomorrow-- ask Rebecca," he informs Adam, who is looking disapprovingly between the detective's lax, sprawled posture and the half-empty glass held loosely in one hand, "so I don't want to hear you bitching about what I'm doing."

Adam's mouth pinches, Nate chuckles and tries to stifle it, and Mason coughs out a ragged laugh. But all that is lost to Felix shoving his way bodily around Mason to grab Chase's wrist (thankfully the one without the drink) and shout, "You've got so many tattoos!"

Chase gives Felix a lazy once-over, his brow quirked. "Yeah? And?" He looks a little bemused, as if he can’t quite figure out how this came as such as a surprise to any of them, much less a busybody like Felix. He obviously can’t say it in front of his coworkers, but Mason remembers Chase’s time with Murphy. The hospital gown and the needles and bandages. But even though they could all see in the dark just fine, there was a bit too much going on to really notice more than some smudges of dark ink on his neck and arms.

He thinks their minds might be going to the same place, for a moment, because Chase’s mouth twists from a lazy smile to a grim frown, dark, serious brows scrunching. It’s a slight gesture, barely noticeable, but he jerks his head once, as if to shake off the memories.

They’re both, thankfully, distracted by Felix whirling around to point accusingly at Mason. "Did you know he had this many?"

"If I did, would I tell you?" he sneers. Felix pouts mightily, but then pauses, and smiles. A slow, creeping smile, his eyes narrowed smugly.

"If you did know, you'd have been telling everyone you saw what the detective's got under his clothes any chance you got," he taunts. "So you must not have!"

Nate can't quite stifle his laugh this time, and Mason shoots him a dirty look.

Chase chuckles, low and smoky, and brings the glass to his lips again. “Yeah, I’ve got a lot of tattoos. Almost more than bare skin by this point, I think?” He looks to Verda and Poname as if to confirm, though with an odd little smirk that makes Poname giggle helplessly and Verda roll his eyes.

“Verda would know best,” Poname teases. “How much of Chase have you seen?”

“Enough to know that, yes, the un-inked real estate is scant at best.” He takes a demure sip of his drink while Poname cackles.

“My boss fucking hates it,” Chase snorts into his glass, gesturing vaguely with the free hand he’s rescued from Felix for Unit Bravo to sit. He finally removes his boot from the edge of the table (which makes Poname throw her hands in the air) and uses it to push the chair next to him out, dark eyes flickering up to meet Mason’s for a fraction of a second, stoking a low sort of heat in his belly. He takes the offered seat before Felix can (to some very vocal complaining) and lounges back, angling the chair so he’s able to watch the detective without making it too obvious.

Nate slides into the booth next to Poname, who immediately turns her gaze almost reverently to him, and Adam sits stiffly alongside him, giving the both of them an unreadable look. Felix posts up alongside Verda, smiling with annoying cheerfulness across the table at Chase and Mason.

“If your boss hates them so much, how’d you get the job?” he chirps, still marvelling at all the inked skin on shameless display. It makes Mason feel a bit twitchy, and he swallows down the urge to bare his teeth at his teammate with two very ignorant human witnesses in front of him. He distracts himself by subtly eyeing a splash of color on Chase’s solid shoulder in the form of a wrought-iron lantern with a single guttering candle inside, wreathed in wilted and dying flowers that trails shed petals and leaves down his bicep to mingle with other patterns.

“Mum’s got connections,” Chase drawls, swirling his glass and impressively feigning nonchalance. The ice cubes inside clink softly. “As you all know.”

The quiet that follows is damning, and Chase breaks it by tossing back another gulp of his drink. This close, with his senses full of the detective’s overwhelming… everything, Mason can tell it’s rum and Coke-- rather heavy on the rum.

Nate is the first to speak, offering a politely neutral, “You told us you were given a choice between the police academy or prison.” His tone lacks any judgement, but his brows are furrowed just a bit. Beside him, Adam’s expression is carefully blank. Good for both of them, because even clearly, comfortably tipsy and oddly candid, Chase’s gaze is sharp and analytical, his shoulders just this side of too tight.

“Yeah, well,” he goes on, staring past Nate more than at him, “Rebecca’s influence goes a long way, I learned. So after I graduated from uni-- top of my fuckin’ class, thank you-- I went off on a bit of a wild tear, you know, acquiring cars under mysterious circumstances,” Poname sputters into her drink and laughs, and Chase just gives her a dry look before she regains herself enough for him to continue, “and selling them for scrap, I miraculously didn’t wind up going to straight to prison, thanks to Rebecca pulling some strings and dragging me back here by my ear.” His lip curls faintly, and there’s a flash of something in his expression that seems to drop the temperature in the bar by a few degrees. Felix meets Mason’s eye and visibly shudders.

“That doesn’t really explain the tattoos,” Mason says, offering an easy segue to something… else.

“Sort of does,” Chase says with a shrug, eyes heavy-lidded. “I had a pretty wild childhood up to that point. Got my first stick-and-poke when I was, what? Thirteen? I think the kid who gave it to me is working at the bank now.” He snorts. “My point is, it was the one thing about my life I ever got to control. I had to be perfect, but so long as I did well in my academic pursuits and set myself on exactly the path my mother wanted for me, in my free time I could do whatever the fuck I wanted.” He rolls his shoulders again and knocks back the last of his drink, setting the glass down just a little too hard on the sticky tabletop.

“I drank, I partied, I fucked around. What else do you do when you’re a kid with no parental influence in your life save for a picture on the mantel of an empty house? You go off the fucking wall is what you fuckin’ do. Anything for even a shred of attention. And I still managed to graduate with honors, right? First in my class in secondary school, and in uni. Didn’t matter, did it?” His face goes hard, brows furrowing. “She didn’t bother to congratulate me in person. I got a card on her office stationery that I doubt she even wrote herself. My graduation from uni she didn’t even respond to the invite I sent, but I still stupidly hoped she’d show. She didn’t care until I snapped and she actually had to step in. Take a break from her job and come collect her errant brat.” He scoffs, and it sounds like a gunshot in the sudden silence that follows.

Nate looks like he wants to say something, mouth opening, but Adam touches his wrist and it snaps closed. Even Felix is stunned silent. Verda and Poname just exchange twin looks of familiar distress, but before anyone can say anything, Chase stands up so suddenly his chair shrieks across the floor. Mason, Nate, Adam, and Felix all wince at the sound.

“I’m going to get another drink,” the detective mutters, stalking off into the crowd. Mason looks over his companions, eyebrows raised, decides he doesn’t owe anyone an explanation, and gets up to follow.

Chase is leaning against the bar, asking the bartender for “something stronger than a rum and Coke, holy fuck,” and doesn’t even look up when Mason moves to stand beside him.

“I get moody when I get drunk,” he says by way of greeting.

“So you’re always drunk, then?" Mason drawls. "Not very professional of you, Detective."

Chase snorts and turns to look at him, but he doesn’t say anything-- just closes his eyes and rubs his hand over the rough fuzz of his shaved head. Mason’s gaze is drawn to his hand, and he spots a ouija planchette inked into one knuckle, a pentacle on the next, then an eye, and a crescent moon. They look old, faded and a bit blown out. When Chase opens his eyes again, the bartender has given him another drink, and from the smell, it’s a highball with a hefty pour of whiskey. He takes his first sip almost gratefully.

“Those the stick-and-pokes you mentioned?” Mason asks.

Chase holds up his hand. “Hm? Oh, yeah, a couple of ‘em. Not the first ones.” He turns his hand palm-up, and gestures with the glass. “There on the wrist.” Along the inside of his forearm is an intricate dagger with thorns twisted along the blade, but a few centimeters below the point, there is a tiny, blurry skull with a black forked tongue. “Toby Doherty, year 8. We put together a tattoo gun in his dad’s garage by pulling apart his little brother’s RC car. Think we got into more trouble for that than the tattoo.” He huffs out a rough little laugh. “I just think his mum was too nervous to actually shout at me, but I was never allowed back to their house afterwards because I was a bad influence.”

Mason reaches out and takes his hand, pulling it a bit closer so he can study the skull more closely. That’s what he tells himself, anyway, though he doesn’t think he’s fooled, and he doesn’t think the detective would be either. Especially when he rubs his thumb over the raised lines. He can feel Chase’s pulse through his thin skin, blood pumping hot and steady. This close, his pine-and-sage scent is stronger, and it fills Mason’s chest. "It's cute," he says, little more than a breath between them. He leans in, pulls the detective's wrist close to his mouth. He can feel the heat of his skin, almost taste the warmth just beneath, and Chase's breath is soft and quick and deafening in his ears.

“Chase!”

He drops the hand as if burned, and looks away from the detective before he can see how he reacts. Poname is toddling up to them, swaying a bit, and she wiggles her way between them to toss her arms around Chase's middle. He raises his highball in the air to keep her from spilling it, and she giggles.

"Chase, come back, you've got to show them!"

He groans. "Show them what?"

She only giggles louder and starts pulling him back towards the group, using the much steadier detective as a bit of a crutch to keep from stumbling through the milling crowd. When they arrive back at the table, things aren't really more comfortable than when they'd left, but they're not less so either, which Mason supposes is more than they could ask for. He takes up his seat again, but when Chase moves to do the same, Poname keeps hold of his arm.

"Wait, wait, you should be standing up for this," she giggles. Verda doesn't say anything, but he does snicker quietly into his tall glass of something that smells cloyingly of fruit syrup and sweetened vodka.

"Tina, what are you on about?" he sighs indulgently.

"You have to show them King Kitty!"

Mason’s interest is immediately piqued. Felix’s is too, clearly. He sits bolt upright and leans forward with that bright-eyed little imp grin he likes to give his teammates whenever he’s teasing them about… well, anything, really. “King Kitty?” he asks with eyes sparkling.

Chase groans, sets his drink on the table, and pushes Poname away, sending her stumbling into the table while she laughs brightly. “Don’t call it that, Tina. Christ.”

“You have to show them! He’s so good!” she insists, swaying towards him again. He dodges, and damn near skitters around the table to press into Verda’s space, which would have given Poname the means to corner him if she could figure out how to move around Chase’s abandoned chair as well as Mason (side-eyeing her cautiously) without getting tangled or falling over entirely. Verda continues to laugh at their antics, pushing Chase’s hip as it crowds into his space and threatens to make him spill his drink.

“Come on, now, what could it hurt?” he chides playfully, slipping his finger into the belt loop of the detective’s cargo pants and tugging playfully.

“Hey!” Chase barks, shifting away. All that manages to accomplish is tugging down his waistband the slightest bit, exposing the edge of his black underwear and a thin sliver of skin-- inked with designs Mason can’t properly parse, though he can’t help but lean forward a bit for a closer look. “I’ll have both of your asses for harassment, don’t test me!”

“Chase, our precinct is tiny,” Verda hiccups, finally making the decision (though it clearly pains him) to set his drink aside, since it seems Chase is perfectly willing to clamber over him to escape Poname’s grabbing hands, “I’m the HR department. You haven’t got a case here.”

“Show theeeeem,” Poname whines, putting one hand on Mason’s shoulder to steady herself. A low growl rumbles in his chest, but one sharp look from Nate (who is trying very hard not to smile at the scene, while Felix is outright giggling, and Adam simply looks confused and uncomfortable) quiets him. She smells strongly like some sort of bubblegum perfume that tickles the back of his tongue and leaves it feeling itchy and thick.

“I still have to work with them,” Chase protests, but his resolve is visibly wavering, especially with the lack of options to escape.

“We won’t tell anyone!” Felix blurts, leaning across the table. “Promise!”

Mason doesn’t chime in, but it’s a near thing. The last few weeks he’s tested the limits of both Adam and Nate’s patience with his innuendos about the detective, and he even thinks Agent Kingston might be one lewd joke from stabbing him with a fountain pen.

But Chase is weakening, he can tell. Mostly because he can’t seem to figure out how to climb over Verda, and Poname’s hands have found his belt. “Fine! Fuck, fine, you menace!” he exclaims, pushing her off with a surprising amount of gentleness, considering his tone. “Just get off me!”

Poname backs off obediently, but she’s still giggling up a storm, flushed with the effort, her hair a bit mussed. Verda looks entirely unbothered, and he takes up his drink again with a smug smile. Chase returns to his chair but doesn’t sit, and Poname returns to cozying up to Nate and being entirely oblivious to Adam trying very hard not to look annoyed.

Chase takes a deep, bolstering breath, snatches up his drink, and downs about half in one swig. “You’ve all got to swear you won’t breathe a word to Rebecca about this,” he says with grave, if faintly slurred, severity.

“Oh, absolutely,” Mason agrees, quickly enough that Felix shoots him another infuriating smirk.

“Scout’s honor!” Felix blurts, nearly bouncing in his seat.

Nate smiles and nods, looking for all the world like he’s simply indulging the shenanigans, but he’s clearly curious himself. Chase isn’t terribly secretive about most things-- he’s actually pretty fucking blunt-- so this has to be… interesting, for him to put up such a fight. Adam looks like he’s bolstering himself to look away as quickly as possible so he can have some plausible deniability should Agent Kingston find out regardless.

Chase’s hands go to his belt, and Mason’s stomach clenches, heat rushing under his skin. The detective unbuckles with practiced ease, flicks the snap open, and tugs the edge of his cargo trousers and briefs (are they briefs? Mason would certainly like to find out) down just a bit. His other hand goes to his fitted shirt, tugging it up.

The hair beneath his navel is thick and dark, and the trail leading down into his trousers is very, very inviting, but Mason’s attention is drawn inexorably to the design inked into the soft, brown skin. He supposes he should have expected the name “King Kitty” to give it away, but he couldn’t have predicted what he was in for.

It’s a snarling black cat, cartoonishly stylized, wearing a jauntily cocked royal crown. Underneath, spanning from hipbone to hipbone, are the words “BOW DOWN” written in bold, jagged script.

“Everyone, meet King Kitty,” Poname proclaims with a sloppy, grand gesture to Chase’s pelvis.

“Yeah, yeah, are you happy now?” Chase groans, hiking his waistband back up and buckling his belt. He tugs his shirt down and flops into the chair, taking another slog of his drink. It’s almost gone already, and he’s sure to be feeling it soon.

“Absolutely tickled,” Verda says primly.

“Oh, completely,” Poname chimes in.

“Wouldn’t mind seeing him again,” Mason rumbles, and Chase’s eyes flick to him for a split second, dark and sparking, brows quirked. Nate sighs audibly.

“Well, are you going to tell the story too?” Verda presses. “Share with the class?”

Chase drops into his chair and kicks his feet up again, and Poname makes a vague sound of protest. This time, at least, a sharp glare shuts her up. “Might as fuckin’ well, right?” he snorts. “So, I had this ex in college--”

Both Verda and Poname make strange noises, and when Mason spares them a glance (still a bit caught up in eyeballing the detective’s lounging about like a lazy cat-- which is oddly appropriate, all things considered) they are both looking somewhere between annoyed and downright angry. Chase actually looks… guilty, for a split second, before he waves it away and continues.

“Anyway. He wasn’t, uh… Very good in bed. But I loved him or some nonsense,” he scoffs and gestures vaguely with his glass, “so I put up with it. Because I couldn’t tell him he hadn’t gotten me off to his face, right? He was a sex god, according to him, always hit the marks,” he takes a sip and snorts a bit into his drink. Verda barks out a sharp, sudden laugh that seems to startle even him.

“He did not say that! Chase, please tell me he didn’t say that to you!” he squeaks out between ragged, uncontrollable laughter.

Poname is collapsing against Nate’s side, consumed by a fit of wheezing giggles.

Chase rubs a hand down his face and huffs out a laugh of his own. “He fucking did and I have to live with the fact that I continued to sleep with him after that, every day for the rest of my life. Point is, after a lot of general university stress, I got tired of faking orgasms to save his ego, and I finally told him he hadn’t gotten me off once since we’d started dating. Crushed him, of course, and we did break up for a bit because of it. And in the interim, I thought it’d be a good idea, to, ah, ensure that the next one wouldn’t be so… lost. I had a bit of liquid courage, lied admirably to my favorite tattoo artist when she asked if I was sober, and King Kitty was born. Then when I inevitably made the bad decision to get back with my ex, the next time we tumbled into bed, I just pointed at the instructions and told him to get to work.”

He finishes off his drink, puts his foot back on the ground with a heavy clunk, and leans his elbows on the table. “Turns out, he worked best when I was a bit mean to him. Apparently it’s a thing he wasn’t aware of. Go figure.”

“Christ, no wonder he only bothers you more when you’re a prick to him,” Verda scoffs with a hearty roll of his eyes. “You’ve trained it into him!”

"That is… quite the tale," Nate offers magnanimously, eyebrows threatening to make a break for his hairline. He looks to Adam, who is looking away and trying very hard to pretend he wasn't listening at all. Mason gets the idea he knows well enough that if he opens his mouth, what comes out is likely to piss off their dear detective.

Felix about falls over cackling, which is a fine distraction for Mason to lean in close, snagging Chase's attention and murmuring, "Wouldn't mind you bossing me around a bit," with a sly little smirk.

The look Chase gives him is dry as a fucking desert, but his eyes are crinkled at the corners. "You have proved on multiple occasions that you absolutely do mind," he fires back.

And that's what delights him about the detective, he thinks. He's sharp-tongued, and he doesn't try to dull it. Prickly, but clever, unafraid to say what's on his mind. And he's never once rebuffed Mason's advances outright, just… Spiked them back with sly smirks and raised eyebrows. Challenging, a sort of unspoken, "Oh, so you think you can handle me?"

Mason would very, very much like to handle him.

"Well, I think I'd be a lot more willing to follow orders if less clothes were involved," he slyly remarks, and Chase's dark eyes brighten just a bit.

“You have to earn that privilege, pretty boy," he murmurs, lips curling on one side.

Mason is a breath away from leaning closer, when Verda's phone goes off and he stands up, startled, and bumps the table. Mason has to snap one hand out to grab Chase's empty glass before it goes careening to the floor. Poname looks a bit astounded by his (far too fast) reflexes, but she's also more than a bit foggy with liquor and likely to forget quickly.

"Shit, sorry," Verda offers sluggishly, blinking a bit behind his smart browline spectacles. "That's Eric," he explains, grabbing his coat. He's steadier than Poname, but not by much, and he leans heavily on Chase's chair when he bends to press a kiss to his bristly scalp. "Come on, you reprobate. Time to get you home." Chase grumbles and halfheartedly swats at him, a bit of red creeping up to his ears from beneath his high collar. “You too, Tina!” Verda calls, “Leave the poor man alone, would you?"

Poname, who was beginning to list against a somewhat bemused Nate's shoulder, sits bolt upright and blinks, then pouts a bit. "Hm? Oh… okay." She pushes unsteadily to her feet, helped in no small part by a few gentle nudges from Nate, and she turns to give him a giggle and a wiggly-fingered wave before Verda’s put-upon sigh spurs her to totter towards him. Adam watches her go, making a face he likely thinks is impassive, but Mason knows well enough the tense pucker between his eyebrows and the grim tightness around his mouth.

“Remember what I said,” Chase offers, heaving to his feet with a low groan that immediately drags Mason’s attention from Adam’s silent simmering, grabbing his jacket from the chair and slinging it over his shoulders. “Not a word to Rebecca about any of this.” He gives Adam a long look in particular. “My options are limited in terms of retaliation, but I can be pretty damned creative. Don’t test me.” His eyes flicker almost instinctively to Mason, and his lips twitch, but he says nothing more before he swaggers with surprising steadiness after his coworkers.

“Bye, Detective!” Felix hollers, waving enthusiastically. Mason winces, but comforts himself with staring unabashedly at the detective’s retreating backside. The second he’s out the door, Felix rounds on Adam with a bright laugh. “Look at you! You managed to be in the same room as the Detective and you didn’t get into a fight!”

“Because he kept his mouth shut the entire time,” Mason snickers. “Looked like it was killing you not to talk shit.”

“I don’t talk shit,” Adam snaps, and Nate helpfully slides out of the booth so he can escape as well. “I just point out when the Detective is being…”

Mason raises his eyebrows, waiting for him to come up with a word that’s not an insult.

“Difficult,” is what Adam settles on, giving Nate a sidelong look.

“Oh, yeah, you wouldn’t know anything about being difficult,” Felix chimes in helpfully. Adam scowls at him and adjusts his jacket. Nate is clearly trying not to laugh and make Adam even more annoyed.

“You’re the one who felt the need to hassle the detective on his off time,” Mason hums not-so-helpfully. “Can’t blame him for being annoyed.”

“And you can’t say anything either,” Felix chirps, “Since you just went right along with it.” He’s grinning, wide and wicked, and he sways into Mason's space and gets shoved for his trouble. He totters dramatically for a second, then pops back up and snickers. "You're not as smooth as you think," he taunts. "I saw your eyes almost pop out of your skull when you saw those tattoos!"

Mason shoves him again, and Nate chuckles. "There were a lot more than I would have guessed."

"And I bet there's a lot more where we couldn't see," Felix adds, sticking his tongue between his teeth and waggling his eyebrows. Mason glances around the bar, the crowd having thinned in the last half hour or so, and decides he can get away with putting the little brat in a headlock.

Nate sighs at them. Adam rolls his eyes skyward, but they let Felix flail and squawk for a bit before Adam barks out, “Enough!” and Mason obediently releases him so he can tug his fancy scarf forcefully back into place and adjust his beanie. “Let’s just go.”

“This was nice, wasn’t it?” Nate offers with a bit of genuine cheer as they file out the door and leave the bar behind. “Getting out? Talking to people?” He nudges Adam when he doesn’t respond, and gets a faint grunt for his trouble. “Seeing the sights?”

Mason lights up the second they’re outside, inhales, and exhales a long plume of smoke, and smirks a bit around the filter. “I enjoyed the sights, at least.”

“I had fun!” Felix chirps, having already moved on from Mason’s rough treatment. “We should spend more time with the detective outside work stuff. He’s cool when he’s not all--” He makes a face, stiff and frowning with a crinkled brow, that looks pretty damned similar to the face he makes when he’s mocking their illustrious leader. Mason almost bites down on the filter of his cigarette to stifle a laugh.

“It was nice to see him unwind a bit,” Nate chuckles. “His friends seem… fun,” his mouth quirks a bit, somewhat uncomfortably, “Friendly.”

Adam makes a disgruntled noise. “Too friendly,” he mutters. Mason is about to lose the fight with himself and start snickering.

Ah, hell, he can’t resist. “I dunno, I think Natey might have a chance with the Bobblehead.” The look Adam gives him could kill a lesser man, but he just gives a lopsided grin in return. Felix, however, loses it to the point he almost falls over in the street.

Nate, ever the diplomat, just chuckles a bit and says, “Officer Poname is lovely, but she’s a bit… young for me, I think.”

Yeah, about eight-hundred-something years too young, Mason thinks, rolling his eyes. But, unlike Felix, he’s made it a point not to get involved in the love lives of people he’s got to work with. He’s already got his hands full trying to figure out the detective. Though, he supposes, he’s got to work with the detective, too. On a more permanent basis, now, it seems. But Chase is a lot of things-- stubborn, headstrong, blunt and honest-- but he’s not the type to let a bit of fun get in the way of his job, and neither is Mason. The second they stop dancing around each other, Mason will lay it out plain for him, and if he’s not on board with a bit of fun between co-workers, then that’s it. No problems.

He takes another puff of his smoke and lets the others get ahead of him, Felix still chattering happily and Nate fielding it with his usual calm enthusiasm while Adam manages to both sulk and stalk admirably alongside them both. Their voices fade into the background, and he allows himself a private little smirk, thinking about those fierce dark eyes, that stout, compactly muscled body with its bold ink, and privately wonders how much more is hidden under the detective’s clothes, and the best way to see them all.

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sewellsheart · 3 years

Text

Merciless Haze - Part 1/3

Summary: In the back of her mind she thought she heard someone screaming, torturous and raw and distraught. It sounded animalistic, nothing short of an encapsulation of all of the pain a person could possibly feel, every nerve alive and striving to make its own body suffer. Sophie just barely registered that it was her own screams.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Warnings: Mentions of blood, death, wanting to die, detailed pain, vomit, and fatal injury.

Word Count: 1.9k

Pairing: Nate Sewell x f!Detective (Sophie MacNamara)

Note: So... turning, eh? This is my perception of how I think the process of turning will go and it’s not pleasant. Each part of this story will explore a stage in the process and the warnings will be adjusted as needed, so consider this Stage 1. Hope you enjoy :)

She didn’t know how many times she’d been hit, how many bullets had ripped through her flesh. The only thing she knew was that she was falling, and it felt like ages before she finally hit the ground. Her shoulder slammed against the earth with a sickening thud, her heart pounded in her ears, a warm wetness pooled below her, and she was suddenly reminded of how horribly human she was.

Human. Sophie had come to hate the word. It had become nothing more than a reminder of how fragile she was. How disposable she was, in the grand scheme of things.

“Sophie!”, she heard Farah scream from a distance, followed by a short “Fuck.” from Morgan.

The mission could not have gone worse, Adam and Nate were on standby at a facility over 30 kilometers away, not impossibly far for them to run in if backup were needed, but would arrive far too late to help Sophie in her current condition.

Adam had been less than keen to send the three of them alone, and Nate had looked like he was damn near ready to flip the table during the argument with the Combat Director. She had rarely seen him genuinely angry, the heat of the words he could say likely burning the tip of his tongue. He had instead chosen to keep his mouth shut, letting those fiery words sit silently in his eyes. She wished he had spoken. She wondered if he did too.

The Agency had insisted that it was only a few trappers that needed to be dealt with, maybe five in total, and they needed Adam and Nate’s advisement on another mission.

They had been wrong. Upon approaching the base, the trio had realized how terribly outnumbered they were. Worse yet, their comms had gone out due to an unexpected satellite disconnect, according to the robotic voice in their earpieces, leaving them with no way to call for backup, to call for Adam or Nate.

Nate. Sophie felt her stomach sink. Her fears were being realized, that she may never see him again, that he wasn’t by her side right now. That she was likely going to die here.

She felt soft hands hold the back of her head up to place in a lap. She looked up, army green eyes meeting a panicked amber, Farah. She tried to ground herself by speaking her name, knowing it came out as more of a hum, as she felt her reality begin to slip. The young vampire she had grown so close to, someone who had taught Sophie that perhaps being more sociable wasn’t the worst thing to be, and, for whatever reason, thought that she was a fun person to be around. Her dear friend, who was now on the verge of crying out of fear, wet eyes creating a deep contrast to the bubbly spirit Sophie adored.

She felt another pair of hands grab onto the neckline of her t-shirt to rip it open.

“Holy shit.” Morgan, again. Sophie tried to meet her eyes, but her vision was deteriorated, leaving her unable to make out anything more than two identical blurred shapes of the woman at her side.

“How many?” Farah’s typically cheerful, boisterous voice came out as more of a whimper.

“At least six.” From the tone of her voice, Sophie couldn’t tell if Morgan was angry or scared.

Six. An entire round, that fucker had hit every single shot. He had been one of the last too. They could have been walking back to the facility ready to raise hell when they got back. Ready to cuss out every person who approved this mission plan despite Adam and Nate’s protests, choosing to brush off their expertise. She could have ripped the Agency’s priorities to shreds, she could have forced them to acknowledge their own stupidity, but she would not be able to.

Even in her muddled state Sophie knew she was a goner. She would bleed out before backup arrived, especially if the searing pain in her left thigh was an indication of a possible artery hit. She had minutes, maybe even seconds.

She heard the tearing of fabric once again, in between distant words that she was probably meant to respond to, before feeling a tight pressure wrapped around her stomach and thigh. They were trying to stop the bleeding. Sophie knew they would fail, the cloth was probably already soaked through.

Even in her dying moments, she remained ever the pessimist.

“What do we do?” Panic had now overtaken Farah’s voice. There were a few beats of silence, then a breathy “Oh.”, trailed by another pause. Sophie felt Farah’s hands place themselves softly on her cheeks, and another, third hand firmly grip her arm. “You’re gonna be okay, yeah? You know you can trust us?” She almost sounded pleading. The most Sophie could muster was a single, weak nod.

She wasn’t sure what she was trusting them with.

“Keep your eyes open.” Morgan’s voice was stern and deadly serious, she was giving her an order. Sophie wasn’t sure if she would be able to follow through. She felt like she was being pulled down through an endless blackhole, and that inky darkness was beginning to surround her. Sophie squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again, willing them to refocus, to ground her in her body again. Her vision could not stay straight, she felt her eyes wanting to roll into the back of her head, and it took all of her strength just to look at the sky. The soft blue was beginning to blush orange, indicative of the setting sun, of the purple-tinted dark that would inevitably set in.

An autumn breeze brushed through the air, and she was suddenly aware of just how cold she was.

It was then that she felt four, stinging points enter her body. Farah’s hands had moved to her shoulders, gripping her tightly and almost apologetically, her coiled hair brushing against Sophie’s paler-growing face, her fangs settled in her left collarbone.

Morgan was at her thigh, one hand holding down her knee, the other gently grasping her right hand. Sophie couldn’t think of a time where Morgan had ever been gentle with her, her body always in a stance meant to stir intimidation and her tongue sharply candor. Sophie knew that despite the moody persona she carried, Morgan cared for her, they had an unspoken declaration of friendship and their own ways of showing a genuine concern for one another. But this was a physical form of comforting her, and Sophie wasn’t sure if there was anything more terrifying than the prospect that she was so deep in the shit that Morgan felt the need to let her know that she was there and she was trying to help.

Help came in the form of her own two fangs settled in the center of her right thigh.

It was indescribable, the pain that followed, part of it made her feel like she was on fire, like every inch of her body was being licked by the very flames of hell, trying to pull her even deeper into a void threatening to consume her. Yet there was another part of it, something far more pleasant and almost ethereal in how light it made her feel, and in the back of her mind Sophie wondered if this was it, if this is what dying felt like, that the flames that were nearly swallowing her whole were keeping her from reaching a final place of comfort where she would not hurt anymore, where there would not be anymore pain. She longed for that feeling so deeply, but as the fire continued to burn it took all sense of comfort with it, and that heavenly sensation she wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull close to her was burning away with it.

In the back of her mind she thought she heard someone screaming, torturous and raw and distraught. It sounded animalistic, nothing short of an encapsulation of all of the pain a person could possibly feel, every nerve alive and striving to make its own body suffer. Sophie just barely registered that it was her own screams, her own mouth pleading for it to stop, to God, please, make it stop. She would do anything.

Just let me die, she wanted to cry out, to grab Morgan by her hair and rip her fangs out of her thigh, to slam her hands against Farah’s head to get her to let go, to make the wildfire release her and let her slip away. In that moment she wanted nothing more than for death to embrace her, than to let that void cover her.

Then she thought of those soft deep brown eyes that always pulled her from the brink, even in the worst of situations.

Nate was a gift she never deserved, a man far more genuine and kind than any person Sophie had ever met before. Someone who had been through so much pain, perhaps the exact same pain she was experiencing now, and still held his head high and greeted everyone with a smile.

She couldn’t let go, she didn’t want to go anywhere without him, never again. She wanted to feel his warm hands on her waist, to feel those same hands run through her long ginger hair while he kissed her softly in his candle lit bedroom. She craved to hear him whisper sweet nothings in her ear in languages she hardly knew or had never heard at all.

He had always been so gentle with her, knowing that, despite her naturally intimidating appearance as a 6’1”, muscled Irishwoman, all tattoos and harsh lines, she craved the delicate intimacy he offered. As selfish as it was, she wanted to feel wanted and Nate never displayed or provided her with anything less. She had never loved a person so deeply before. She had never been held like he held her, never had love made to her in the way he did, never felt so desperately loved in return. There was no one like her Nathaniel. Her Nathaniel.

The pain was still racing through her, she couldn’t tell if it had been minutes or hours. What she could tell was that Morgan was now looking directly at her, hand still gripping hers, and somehow Sophie found herself able to focus through the fire and catch those grey eyes. She looked terrified and nigh feral, blood dripping from her teeth to her chin and down her neck. Sophie broke her gaze, looking up to see Farah, who appeared to be in a similar state, a sight that could have shattered her reality had she seen it out of the context of their current circumstance. She hadn’t felt them let go of her, and she still couldn’t feel anything but that same hellish pain that continued to overtake her as she began to convulse.

Somehow it had worsened, she felt like every bone in her body was breaking only to immediately repair itself and break again. She felt Farah push her onto her side as she began to vomit, the acid stinging her throat and bittering her mouth. It was too much, everything was too much, every little sound, touch, and taste was overwhelming in its proximity to her. Her world was spinning, her vision edging black once again, and this time she knew she would not be able to fight it.

Despite the pleas of her teammates, distilled to just echoes of voices that sounded distant and foreign as they bounced around her head, she let her eyes roll back, and as the dark brought her into a close embrace, she swore she could hear footsteps thundering through the forest that surrounded them.

She swore she could hear Nate calling her name.

#twc #the wayhaven chronicles #twc fic #my writing #my stuff #nate sewell #n sewell #adam du mortain #a du mortain #farah hauville #f hauville #twc morgan #twc m #n stuff #im terried <3 #i have not written fiction in 5 years <3 #a bitch is a history major i pretty much exclusively write non-fiction #please be gentle bvfebvjfbvfibs

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argentdandelion · 3 years

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How To Get Your Number Down to Zero (Part 3 of 3)

How to Achieve Emotional Growth

Emotional Vulnerability

In contrast, Simon and, initially, Amelia are limited in their emotional expressions around others, especially in their sadness. Amelia seems to disapprove of crying: she mockingly tells Tulip to not cry. When Simon cries in the “We won’t tell Simon” memory reveal scene, he cries silently while everyone is asleep. Though deeply upset in Le Chat Chalet, he doesn’t cry; his responses are largely anger and obvious frustration. The one time he cries when others might be able to see him is after he seemingly kills Grace. He laughs evilly, cries within seconds, and tries to laugh it off while pressing his hands over his ears, as if trying to block something out (a conscience, perhaps). Indeed, though Simon was baffled, frustrated, and angered at Grace’s sudden changes in behavior, he didn’t confront her about it with anything but bafflement, frustration, and anger, when he confronted her at all.

Later in “Vulnerability: The Key to Better Relationships”, Mark Manson states: “And it’s a shining example of vulnerability because you’re saying “I have a problem. I’m not perfect, but that’s okay. I can deal with it, and I will deal with it.” In a scene set seven months after she either enters or leaves the train, Tulip says she’s “ready for anything”, suggesting Mark Manson’s words characterize a successful passenger. In contrast, Mark Manson’s words certainly do not describe Simon; he rarely admitted he had a “problem”.

Discarding of Concepts, Desires, or Motives

It seems passengers can get their numbers to 0 by letting go, giving up, moving on, or otherwise no longer caring about or being badly affected by a particular issue the memory tapes suggest is highly important. Passengers who could do that eventually got their numbers to zero, while those who didn’t, Amelia and Simon, ended up, respectively, still trapped and maxed-out (and dead).

However, it’s hard to determine letting go, giving up, moving on, or otherwise no longer caring about an issue is the cause for all instances of numbers going down. Indeed, if one thinks of Jesse’s issue as “caring too much about what others think of him/trying to be friends with everyone”, he got his number to zero by caring: actions motivated by caring about Lake. When Jesse confidently, even aggressively, rejects Simon's attempt to soothe him and downplay what was happening, shows a spine in the face of peer pressure from the “cool kids”, and tells Lake “I got you. We’re getting out of here”, his number goes from 22 to 0, and it’s unclear which action did this or how much of an effect each action had.

Re-Evaluation

Successful passengers re-evaluate their beliefs, values, perspectives, perceptions, or behavior. Tulip had the self-awareness to realize she had distorted her own memories to show her life pre-divorce as entirely happy, Jesse re-evaluated the cool kids that put his brother in a dangerous man test, and Grace came to realize that denizens were people, causing much of her Apex beliefs to collapse.

Amelia apparently got her number so high by repeating the same maladaptive coping mechanism over and over for 33 years: she “ran away” from adapting to a life without Alrick. She says “there’s a hole in the universe where Alrick used to be”, but it seems that for 33 years, she didn’t try to patch over that hole with anything but a perfect recreation of her life before the train.

In contrast to Tulip, who realized she was wrong about how she thought about her parents’ divorce, Simon never admitted he was wrong. (Him telling Grace “You were right not to trust [Amelia]!” aside) He did not even quietly re-evaluate or discard his Apex beliefs and beliefs about numbers, despite repeatedly facing evidence it was wrong and seeing all the harm it had accomplished. In a way, he “ran away” from his problems and denied most of his problems even existed, with the notable exception of his relationship problems with Grace. Furthermore, the rarity of him confronting his trauma, turmoil or insecurities trapped Simon in a dogmatic and aggressive spiral until his number maxed out and he, briefly, became unhinged from the weight of his actions until he was killed.

Specific Actions

It’s hard to tell if there are any standardized actions of getting one’s number down by a certain value or percentage of the whole, even for the same passenger.

Although “kicking the toad” (in The Toad Car) clearly has a value of 5 for Jesse (29 changes to 34), his number seems to go up by 2 (29 to 31) when Alan Dracula strongly kicks the toad, and it seems to go up by only 1 when he halfheartedly kicks a cube in “The Mall Car”. It’s possible “letting the toad go free” brought Jesse’s number down by 17, or by more than half its original number. But the preceding sequence wasn’t just letting the toad go free: Jesse freed the toad to ensure he, M.T., and Alan Dracula could escape the Flecs, since The Toad Car required kicking the toad to leave the car. The real number-lowering reason could have been “stick with Lake and help her out, even knowing she broke Mirror Law and has been lying about her history”, letting the toad go free to ensure he and his friends could escape was just the particular way he carried that out.

Tulip’s journey also supports the idea the amount a number drops is context-specific or largely unpredictable. Tulip’s number goes down when she recalls a happy memory with her dad, but being in her tape, which was full of happy memories with her parents (both true and false ones) didn’t bring her number down until she confronted the false memories. Notably, she had tweaked the particulars of the happy memory of fixing go-karts with her dad to support her idea of "work first, play later", and her number only goes down when she acknowledges parts of her memories which don't fit that idea."

People's numbers might be dependent on other people, in the sense of close relationships with others. Certainly, passenger-denizen interaction can lower a number (see Grace with Hazel and Tuba), but so can passenger-passenger interaction. For example, in the “Hey Ho Whoa” car, when Amelia said she didn’t really want to ask for help, but really appreciated Grace’s cooperation, her number went down by at least three digits.

Complicating things, there are times when number responses seem to have a time delay. When the freed toad leaves Jesse in “The Toad Car”, Jesse’s number goes from 31 to 14 instantly. Jesse’s number goes from 22 to 0 after a sequence where he confidently (even aggressively) rejects Simon's attempt to soothe him and downplay what was happening, shows a spine in the face of peer pressure from the “cool kids”, and tells M.T. “I got you. We’re getting out of here.” It’s possible he did several number-lowering things that could have been counted separately, or a single very number-lowering thing with a time delay.

It’s possible a number only goes down if an action, thought or belief “sinks in” or if passengers are aware of what they’re doing. When Tulip tells Amelia she can still bring her number down, Amelia's number goes down before she even speaks, therefore suggesting even thinking in the right direction can get someone's number down.

#Infinity Train #Meta #Analysis #Amelia Hughes #Jesse Cosay #Grace Monroe #Simon Laurent #Tulip Olsen #How to Get Your Number Down to Zero

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suffering-and-happy-about-it · 5 years

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Mount Everest Ain't Got Shit On Us (Fezco x fem!reader, part 10.)

Description: You were always told that your life will be as you wish it to be if you’ll study enough. That it will pay off if you work hard. And some people were given you like a scary example of what will happen when you don’t obey. But sometimes it feels good to disobey.

A/N: x

Warnings: Fight Club! Wohoo, here we fucking gooo.

Word Count: 2.1 K

Read the rest here, babe: PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 PART 6 PART 7 PART 8 PART 9

Masterlist and declaration: H E R E

Tagging: @charmed-asylum, @jeyramarie, @pantherxrogers

Sometimes all you need in your life is some silence and calm time to think everything through. It’s not like you try to reach some nirvana or shit, but you need to think. Sometimes a thing happens that totally fucks up your perception of reality and you just cut yourself off from the outside world.

You want to just ride to the school on a bike, listening to some music or the birds singing, to feel the wind in your hair and to escape the reality for a slight moment. And when it’s all said and done, you reach the solution you were searching for and your life just continues. Sometimes when your friends try to help you, they just make everything much, much worse than it was before.

You couldn't just stand Rue's rambling about Fezco feeling terrible. She didn't shut up the whole time, so in the middle of the third paragraph and fourth sentence, you got up, pushed your tray to hers violently, rolling your eyes and taking the earbuds out of your bag, walking off the scene. You loved Rue and Jules like your sisters, but that shit was too much for you to handle at that moment.

Naturally, you did not expect to find a friend in Kat Fernandez at that given moment. It did not matter she is a plus size girl - she had so much confidence that even the most popular girls were friends with her.

She silently approached you when she took a notice that you're not talking with Rue for a week and when Ash told you that you’re not talking to Fezco either. You knew each other, but no as much to be called friends.

“Hey, bitch.” - She said loudly in front of your empty table at the cafeteria. You could hear her through the music playing in your earbuds - the entire cafeteria could hear her.

“Hi, Kat?” - You asked her/greeted her. You took the earbuds out of your ears as she and her boyfriend, a slim boy who looked even more tired than Fezco, sat down next to you. - “Do you need my notes from biology or what?”

“Oh, shut up. You're just looking down, bitch, I'm not going to let you sit alone. I’m not a bitch.” - Kat sighed dramatically and all of a sudden, Lexi sat beside you, then Cassie sat at your table as well and the last one to the freak show was Maddy, the mad queen herself.

Excuse you, since when were you friends with those popular girls? You didn't have a single fucking idea. But you were just scared at that moment to make a move against their invasion.

“We heard that shit went down between Fez and you, girl. I’m so sorry. You were as cute as me and Nate.” - Maddy took your hand to her palm, looking you in the eyes, swinging those fake lashes. One more swing and you were sure that they would fall fucking off. That day was too much for you. WHAT. THE. FUCK. - “How are you feeling, babe?” - She asked with too much affection in her voice. They were all fake as fuck.

“I think I’m... Fine. How do you know that? And I didn’t break up with him, I just wanted some alone time.” - You carefully took the hand off Maddy’s palm, ready to run off with all of your food back to Rue and Jules. They were both watching you - Rue’s expression was similar to vomiting and Jules had a brain freeze.

“Oh, you know, the people tell and everybody just adds something to the story. I heard that you’re preggy.” - Kat answered while she was peeling her orange.

“I heard that some of Fezco’s friends tried to cut your throat.” - Cassie added to the flame with a serious tone.

“And I heard that he cheated on you with that ginger from senior year. Is it real?” - Maddy asked with her eyes popped the fuck out, you had a strong tendency to tell her that she should calm those fucking eyeballs down.

“None of these is fucking true. Not a shitty bit. Jesus.” - You sighed with a sour voice and for everything just getting better, Nate fucking Jacobs was heading to your table. You felt sick at that moment and your day was ruined. You could handle bullshit of those primadonnas, but you knew before he came to your table that Nate is too much of an asshole for you to handle.

But you didn't know how much bullshit his manners will cause.

“And we meet again.” - Nate smiled at you while he leaned to kiss his girlfriend’s temple. Oh boy, you never got violent tendencies, but you would swear to fucking God that you are ready to punch him at any moment.

“How pleasurable.” - You gritted, watching him down with a disgusted look.

“So you finally realized what’s good for you?” - Nate sighed and leaned to you. Oh, you were aware of what he is doing. That fucker was trying to make you feel small, to intimidate you because he was that big, strong boy and you were just a small girl. Too bad for him it didn't work.

Also, was that fucker giving you proposals just in front of Maddy or not? You realized in the next minute - Maddy didn't know that you and Nate have already met. At Fezco’s shop. But Kat did. Aaand... She was talking to Ethan, so she did not hear anything that that piece of shit had said.

How could two people be so lonely in a full cafeteria, sitting surrounded by many people? Was it even possible?

“I told you that Fezco is a zero who makes himself look better than he is. There are particularly... Better boys.” - He licked his lips slowly and you felt ready to vomit all over the table. And thank God for Rue at that moment.

"Hey Y/N." - Rue appeared behind Nate's back. - "Can I talk to ya? We... Ugh... Need to talk about dat... Thingy..." - She stuttered. You nodded with grace, grasping the food off the table, immediately running back to your beloved table. - "Okay, ya glad that I saved ya? And holy fuck man, what was he tryin' to do?"

"He's suggesting things. This was for the second time this happened. Fezco would have killed him on the spot." - You looked behind your back, still seeing Nate with his grinning face. At least he was looking into Maddy's face and his eyes were a small inch before being craved out of the eyeballs.

"Well fuck me, fuck ya and fuck Nate then. He heard it. Got him on da phone, so he heard all of da shit." - Rue gave you her hand over your shoulder. You opened your mouth with a scared face. Nathan was dead. - "Now I know why was so pissed."

"You were standing behind Nate the whole time? Jesus fucking Christ, Rue, use your brain sometimes." - You put your tray on the table and sat next to Jules. Jules smiled at you with love and smoothed your shoulder.

"Man, I can't choose when ma bros call me. And he was just checkin' dat ya safe." - Rue muttered when she made the pills into small pieces, mixing it into her yogurt again.

"I should really speak to him, shouldn't I?" - You asked silently, looking Rue to her eyes. She raised her eyebrows and watched you as if you were a dumb fuck.

You didn't even have to go for Fezco to his shop - he was just casually standing outside the school, watching the entrance, smoking a cigarette. He looked even more tired than he did ever before, he was out of his mind completely.

But his face softened when he saw you in your hoodie, just standing there and watching him. Your eyes started to water as you walked to him to hug him. You missed him so much - you missed his smile, his tired baby blue eyes, his scent, and his raspy voice. By the moment he hummed into your ear, you were already crying into the crook of his neck. How could you miss someone so fucking much?

"Are ya alright, baby girl?" - Fezco whispered after a few seconds. You nodded between the sobs.

He was holding you like there was no tomorrow. He would never say that one person can make him feel as much as you did. Any drug has ever made him feel so alive as your presence did, the warmth in his heart basically every time you have touched him and the bliss when you kissed him. ANy drug was as addictive as you.

You haven’t seen each other in two weeks. If you weren't in front of the other people, even he would most probably cry. And Fezco knew that he will cry, he had so many things to be sorry for.

But then you felt him tense up. Nate has left the school, his hand hazily over Maddy’s shoulder. You could see Nathan’s face go a bit paler when he saw you with Fezco.

“No, no, no, baby boy, no.” - You begged quietly, but it was for nothing. Fezco already made his decision. And if Nate wasn't able to accept it the nice way, he needed to understand in the worse way. That was just Nate's decision.

"We are havin' this conversation for the last fuckin' time, amigo. I tell ya. One more gross word on ma girl, one more look at her and you're fuckin' dead. I had enough of ya bullshit, dawg." - Fezco almost run into Nate and caught the hem of Nate's shirt, tearing him away from Maddy who screamed and jumped few feet to the side with her hands over her mouth and watched both of them with tears in her eyes.

"Do you even realize that all of those people can just tell that you were threating me? Or you're too dumb for this, you ugly fuck?" - And that was that. Nate fell on the ground when Fezco gave him a good hit to the jaw. Everyone was watching their fight. Nate was obviously winning over Fezco with his tall American football body.

But Fezco wasn't willing to give up that easily. He was fighting for your dignity and honor at the moment. Fezco couldn't just lose. In the end, they both stood three feet away from each other. Fez's white polo shirt was bloody as hell, his knuckles were violet and he couldn't open one of his eyes. And Nate didn't look any better. But you and Maddy were quick to stand between them.

"I told you that you shouldn't do that. He's going to the police and you'll end up in jail." - You whispered and took his face to your palm gently.

"What the fuck was that? Are you kidding me, Fezco? What the hell?!" - Maddy yelled at you and you wanted to tell her that you're sorry, but Fez was faster.

"Try to tell yo boy that he shouldn't try to get another girl's panties when he has a girl. Go on. This happened twice." - Fezco answered and spit our blood on the pavement. Maddy stood straight for a second before she turned to Nate, she started to scream in Spanish at him - she was talking about some sex tape and releasing it. You and Rue took Fezco to the car before the teachers could see anything before any trouble could start.

"How could ya be angry at that angel?" - Rue laughed our loud and shove a few strands of her hair behind her ear while she drove the car. Jules sat next to her and you were in the backseat with Fezco's head on your lap. He was watching you and his left eye was crying. You couldn't tell about the other one clearly. - "He just fought with Nate fucking Jacobs. For ya. You're hella lucky."

"And he almost got himself knocked out. But he's my brave warrior." - You ran yours over the short hair on his head. Yeah. You loved him. No matter if he was a dealer or not, you loved him. And he had no problem with fighting other guys just because of you.

So you didn't have any talk. You just... Accepted the fact of what source of his money was. Because that's what people who are completely blind with love do.

#fezco #fezco x reader #fezco euphoria #fezco hbo #fez imagine #rue bennett #rue euphoria #kat euphoria #maddy euphoria #cassie euphoria #lexi euphoria #jules vaughn #jules euphoria #euphoria hbo #euphoria fanfic series #mount everest ain't got shit on us

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sebastianshaw · 4 years

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24. — opinion-changing dream

( As a note, I really hate Maddy’s bile towards Emma here, women blaming each other like this is one of my most hated tropes, but it unfortunately does seem in-character for her. It’s one of the things I’d really like to see her develop beyond one day, but she hasn’t yet, so in the meantime it’s a good enough excuse for this fic.)Sebastian Shaw leaned against the balcony railing. It was made of bone, from something far larger than a human but uncannily similiar in anatomy. A shin, he believed. The sky he looked out upon had all the brilliant scarlets and purples of a sunset, but they were hyper-saturated, far brighter than anything a natural sky ever saw, and framed not against a single setting sun, but two gleaming black stars blazing high in the sky like obsidian lozenges. Eyeless, legless creatures, something like Kate Pryde’s companion Lockheed in size and shape, flitted through the sky, making calls that sounded a bit akin to what television static underwater might.It was not all this that tipped him off that he was dreaming, however. After all, any number of oddities could occur in dreams, and one would still not realize one was dreaming. Indeed, it was really only when one was AWAKE that one thought one must be in a dream because something was so strange.No, it was because Sebastian was very, very familiar with the feeling of telepathic invasion. He knew that was what was happening, and he even recognized the mind-feel of who was behind it.”Hello, Madelyne,” he said, not turning around as she showed herself at last, stepping out on the balcony from the strange structure behind them, an alien architecture indescribable in terrestrial terms of any language. A dreamshape, able only to exist in the mind. ”Sebastian,” she said, and stood beside him, the both of them now looking at the sky instead of each other, “I would ask how you are, but I know. I’m aware of the resurgence of the Hellfire Club—and that you’re working for Krakoa now.””Indeed.””Everyone all working together now. Heroes, villains, those definitions don’t matter anymore. Everyone’s Krakoan and that’s what matters. That’s the theory, isn’t it?””That it is.””So, you’re saying there’s no power struggles whatsoever between you and the dear White Queen…and the new Red?” she said, her sweet knowing tone taunting him, her leaning her head against his upper arm doing the same thing.”Don’t beat around the bush, Madelyne. If you know what’s going on, and you went to the trouble of constructing this place for us and troubling my sleep, you have something you want out of it.””What I want is to tilt the scales in your favor. Like I could have done long ago.”“You have never had any interest in helping me with my plans. Indeed, quite the contrary. Which is why long ago, you walked away from me, despite everything I freely gave you. I never even asked you to help me, if you recall. That’s what I never understood about you leaving. I never asked you to be a part of it at all. So why did you take such offense to it? And why have you changed your mind now?”“I had no interest in standing by while you risked genocide by awakening the Harbinger for your greed. But this? This is different.”“You want a piece of it? To get in on the action, so to speak.”“I want nothing to do with the X-Men ever again, Sebastian, not even as their enemy. Nothing to do with any mutants. But I wouldn’t mind fucking over Emma Frost—-bad enough to be traded for that cow Jean Grey, but then he trades her for that—that—”Madelyne said something so misogynistic it almost made even Shaw blush. Recovering, he replied,“In other words, if he’s going to cast you aside, it’s insult enough. But then casting away the woman you were cast away for…and for one who doesn’t even have the decency to look like you.”“Exactly!”“Not that I’m interested one way or the other in your petty domestic drama, but does it not make more sense to resent Mr. Summers? Who, I believe, isn’t even involved with Emma any longer? I believe. It’s very hard to keep up and I hardly care to.”“I was ready to burn the whole world for my pain, Sebastian,” she looked away from the sky now, but also still away from him too, “You think I care about fair?”There was something in her tone that had not been there before.“I think that vengeance is a waste of energy and focus, and that you could be consolidating far greater power for yourself if you redirected your priorities. But, said priorities have always been overridden by your passions and very emotional perception of what you consider just, as I found out firsthand by your betrayal,” he said, his own tone still the same, still all business. Whatever bitterness might be in his words, they were not in his voice.“Oh please—I simply left you. It was hardly a betrayal, and you know that I know betrayal like no other.”“Let us not engage in a measuring contest, my dear. What is it you are recommending to me? Yourself as Red Queen?”“No. I told you, I want nothing to do with any of mutantkind anymore. I’m recommending your son—Shinobi Shaw.”Sebastian was stunned once again. Was she joking? Then he remembered something.“Oh. That’s right. You never met him. Thus, you have no idea what an absolutely ridiculous notion that is. Besides being dead—which is easy to remedy—the boy is hopelessly incompetent—which is not. Believe me, I only tried his entire life. When what I SHOULD have done from the start is take a coat hanger and–”“Sebastian!” Madelyne’s turn to be aghast at her former lover’s words. She was still a mother, after all, despite everything. A mother whose child had been taken from her, torn from her…and then returned to her, only for her to be turned on him. Something she could never undo. Something he would never forgive her for, even if he didn’t remember it. He’d said as much, when she’d tried to talk to him, the huge hulking man older than her that he had become. He saw Jean as his mother. Same for Nate, it was Jean he’d wanted. It was Jean everyone had wanted.Everyone except Sebastian Shaw. He’d seen past her outward appearance from the start. He’d seen the power of the Phoenix, and the power of Inferno, and he always knew which he was looking at. He’d never had any attraction to Jean besides the same passing glance at her backside he gave every woman who fit into the Hellfire Club corsets, yet he’d chosen Madelyne for a bedmate. They were completely different women to him, in a way they never had been to any other man who had known them both. Madelyne had never loved him, and she’d left him rather than be party to his evil, but she would always feel SOMETHING for him for this. Though what she’d said about wanting to stick it to Emma was equally true. She could have more than one reason for this; she was a woman who contained many faces, after all.One day, she’d know which one was real…if any of them were.“Listen, Sebastian. I have spent my entire existence pushing back against others who wanted me to be something I am not. Someone I can never, will never, be. Likewise, you can’t make Shinobi into something he’s not. So why not try making use of what he actually is?”“An incompetent idiot?”“Exactly,” she grinned, turning her face to him at last.And Sebastian understood. And he turned to her in kind, and smiled back.“Thank you, spitfire. I apologize for calling you a succubus after you left me.”Madelyne’s jaw dropped, “Wait, wh—”Sebastian Shaw very prudently woke up immediately.And went about making his plans for resurrecting the new Red King.

#fic #writing #Anonymous

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travllingbunny · 5 years

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The 100 rewatch: 4x03 Four Horsemen

Another strong episode, which introduces an important element of world-building – the Second Dawn cult, features the return of Luna and sets up several important plot points that are going to play a big role in the rest of the season (the bunker, the list, Nightblood as the solution to Praimfaya, and the fact that the end of the world is coming sooner than anyone thought). It also has many great character and.or relationship moments – especially for Murphy, Clarke and Bellamy, Jaha, and Indra and her two ‘daughters’.

Not only is Luna – one of the most interesting Grounder characters –back, but so is Nyko, one of my favorite minor characters, who’s always been one of the nicest and most reasonable people in the show. He brings the Boat people to get the advanced medicine that the Sky people have. They seem to have been the first ones to get seriously infected by radiation because of their diet – (irradiated) fish. It’s heartbreaking that Luna first had to kill her husband and several other of her people last season, and now she has to watch her daughter and every single one of her people die right in front of her. At one point, she even wonders if the sickness is somehow a punishment for refusing to take the Flame (and save the human race from ALIE), before Bellamy tells her that it can’t be true, no one deserves to suffer. In the end, while her daughter died in spite of being given the medicine, Luna was the only one who got better, even though she had been given no treatment – which makes Clarke realize that the Nightblood protects people from radiation. This sets up a major plot about our protagonists trying to use Nightblood as a solution to save everyone, as well as Clarke’s eventual fate, with repercussions up to the current season.

But before Clarke came to this realization, it seemed that it would only be possible to save 100 people inside Arkadia – so Raven gives Clarke the task to make the list of 100 people from Arkadia to be saved. (Kind of funny that they always come up with those round numbers? How likely is it that it’s exactly 100 people that can survive in Arkadia? Isn’t it more likely that it’s, say, 97 or 105 people, or something like that?) And I know that Raven is very stressed out, but she again displays her biggest character flaw – tendency to be judgmental, self-righteous and hypocritical, especially in her interactions with Clarke. She says she’s in charge of rationing, but then “deciding who lives or dies” is Clarke’s specialty. Ouch. So she tells her that they must decide who lives or dies and makes that Clarke’s responsibility instead of her own, but at the same time she is making Clarke feel like crap about it? WTF, Raven?

Jaha proposes another solution: finding the bunker that was built by a doomsday cult, Second Dawn, which could sustain many more people. This is something that Jaha has obviously done a lot of research on. The bunker they do find is a huge disappointment – it was never sealed and didn’t save anyone. However, this is just a setup for what happens later in the season, when Jaha finds another Second Dawn bunker.

We find out a lot about Second Dawn and especially their leader, Bill Cadogan. The actor cast in the role, John Pyper-Ferguson is a rather well known actor with lots of recurring guest starring roles in various shows – so it’s really unlikely that he was cast just for a 5 seconds speech. We’re probably going to see him again, but I don’t know if that will happen in flashbacks on The 100, or in a spinoff prequel. Two season 4 episodes are named after Second Dawn slogans – this one is named after the SD hashtag #fourhorsemen (of course the cult had an apocalyptic theme), and 4x06 is “We Will Rise”, after their motto “From the ashes, we will rise”.

The mission to find the bunker is an opportunity to Jaha to have some interactions with Bellamy and Clarke. He is very perceptive about the relationship between those two, pointing out to Bellamy: “Leadership is a lonely pursuit. She’s lucky to have you. You center her”. Bellamy thinks he got it backwards, but Jaha is right, as the rest of season 4 and subsequent seasons show. Yes, Clarke also centers Bellamy, but what Bellamy doesn’t realize is that it’s a two-way street: they bring out the best in each other when they are working together and moving in the same direction. But both Bellamy and Clarke tend to see each other in worse light and look up to the other.

Jaha’s line about leadership being a lonely pursuit probably reflects like he felt as a Chancellor – even though he had friends such as Abby or Kane and even Jake, he didn’t have someone he considered a partner the way Bellamy and Clarke are to each other. His advice to Bellamy about his guilt is very different from the advice Kane gave to Bellamy in 4x01. Both of them were trying to help Bellamy come to terms with his feelings of guilt over his actions in season 3, but they do it in very different ways, which reflect their different mindsets and approaches to their own guilt: Kane has accepted Abby’s view about needing to “deserve to survive”, and his advice to Bellamy was to try to do better every day, until he “deserves” to survive – which is obviously what Kane had been trying to do since the culling, back in season 1. Jaha, on the other hand, points out to Bellamy that everything he did, he did for “pure” reasons, trying to protect his people. He has always justified his own actions that way. However, Bellamy is not so easily forgiving of himself or others – he had previously told Raven and Clarke he wouldn’t be in the bunker, and now he says “if there is Hell, I’ll see you there”. He may be on good terms with Jaha now and have had an almost father/son relationship with Kane, but (as seen here and later in S4 when he makes a similar remark to Kane), that doesn’t mean he has forgotten that they were the oppressive regime on the Ark and that they executed his mother and many other people. Forgiveness is a complicated thing when it comes to Bellamy. Maybe he has forgiven, but he doesn’t forget.

Since the bunker solution seems to have failed, Clarke makes the list – and that scene is one of the famous moments that demonstrates the strength of feelings and devotion between her and Bellamy. She is doing something that is very “Head over Heart” – trying to be cold and rational and focus on the survival of the group, rather than any of the individual people (something she tries to do throughout season 4), so she doesn’t even put some of her closest friends on the list. I don’t think season 2 Clarke would have been able to leave Monty or Harper or any of the Delinquents from such a list. (Now, leaving Monty actually doesn’t make sense, but more about that later in 4x04.) But she can’t ever make herself not listen to her heart when it comes to Bellamy. And I think this is one of the ways that he centers her – because it is a good thing for a person to not ignore their heart completely, even when they think they must. Bellamy feels the same: “If I’m on that list, you’re on that list”. Clarke is unhappy about what she has to do, essentially condemning 400 people to death, so she really can’t make herself put her own name on the list – it would seem wrong, but Bellamy writes it instead of her. Those two don’t have that many interactions in season 4 – there’s a stretch of episodes (like almost every season) when they are physically separated (from 4x07 to the end of 4x10), but scenes like this are some of the most intimate between them, from the way Clarke watches Bellamy sleep, to the way he gives her comfort and support – and while the way he puts his hand on her back is something he was already doing in 1x07, before they were even exactly friends, the way she responds to it is much more intimate.

Murphy has a lot of focus and character development in this episode. For starters, I’m happy that there’s a serious conversation between him and Emori about Ontari, where Ontari gets jealous, but Murphy points out that he didn’t have a choice. I was less than impressed with how that plotline was treated in season 3, so it’s good to see the show somewhat rectifying that by treating the subject seriously and making sure the audience understands what was going on (even if they don’t use the word rape).

Murphy and Emori have been surviving as hunters, but he realizes he’s a better thief than hunter and goes back to Arkadia to steal food. He has some typical snark he has with Nate Miller, who’s guarding the entrance with his father, but when Murphy makes a joke about Bryan, thinking he and Nate are still together, Nate looks awkward, because Bryan left him in 4x02.

While stealing food, Murphy overhears Raven and Abby talk about Praimfaya and finds out the truth. Abby is asking for medicine to treat Luna’s daughter, Raven is trying to be rational and cold, a Big Picture thinker who uses Head over Heart, because it seems necessary, and insists that they can’t waste medicine on the Boat people without knowing it will even work. When Abby retorts that she should be aware that her she will be the one killing Luna’s daughter, Raven ends up in tears, even though she only shows them after Abby leaves.

But Murphy steals medicine for Luna’s daughter and brings it to Abby. As Jackson reminds Abby, the situation must have made Murphy think of his own history, the fact that his father stole medicine to cure him, and got executed for it. Abby says she always knew Murphy had it in him. Which surprises me a bit, because don’t remember those two having many interactions previously, except, to be fair, when Murphy saved her life in 3x15. But later, after Luna’s daughter has unfortunately died anyway, Murphy goes back and tells Emori they need a shelter because of the upcoming disaster, and he’s ‘working” Abby already to prove how useful he is. This storyline is played ambiguously at this point – we are left to conclude on our own if Murphy was sincerely moved by the plight of Luna and her daughter, which reminded him of his own family, or if he was just being opportunistic. I think it was a combination of both, but this time more the former than the latter – but he is still not ready to admit to himself that he is anything but a ruthless survivor and that he actually has deeper feelings and wants respect, care and belonging.

The storyline in Polis revolves around the fact that Gaia has stolen the Flame, because she thinks it is a blasphemy that a secular ruler has it. Roan thinks that Flamekeepers are religious fanatics, and wants Gaia dead. Octavia has quickly become Roan’s right-hand person for dirty deeds (it’s interesting that he is not using Echo for that – probably because he doesn’t trust her to not be against Sky people). This is where we get the revelation that Gaia is Indra’s daughter, resulting in some family drama. As we learn from their conversation, Indra and Gaia are estranged because Indra wanted Gaia to be a warrior and leader, while Gaia was fully into their religious worship of the Flame and went around looking for Nightbloods. (She doesn’t seem to have find any – Madi’s people were determined to hide her from Flamekeepers.) There’s some pseudo-sibling rivalry between Gaia and Octavia, because Gaia realizes that Indra found the “daughter” she wanted in Octavia – which explains a lot. Indra being so quick to accept a complete novice and make her a favorite among other warriors and warriors in training, starts making more sense now.

At this point, Octavia and Gaia work together and their relationship is still not antagonistic, as Octavia comes up with the plan how to save both Gaia and the Flame: by tricking Ilian and the other looters, who are destroying every type of technology, into smashing the fake Flame, actually Gaia’s necklace. (Ilian really took Kane’s words from 4x02 way too literally – if it’s not Sky people who are to blame, but the chip, then he must “avenge” his mother by destroying technology.) But the show loves shocking moments, fake-outs and twists, so it fools the audience into thinking for a moment that the real Flame is really destroyed, before it’s revealed what the ruse was.

Octavia lies to Roan and uses one of the looters as a scapegoat to blame him for stealing and destroying the Flame. Roan’s response is to hire her as his assassin. He may not be a bad guy, but he’s a pretty ruthless and morally grey character: “One death to prevent thousands, that’s good politics”. Octavia has already become known for her sudden murders, and has a brand new nickname, “Skairipa” – death from above. Does any other character have as many nicknames as Octavia gets throughout the show?

Timeline: This probably takes place not long after 4x02, so it’s probably been about 10 days since Clarke shut down the City of Light. Raven realizes that they have only about two months of survivability, so the initial calculations were off by about 3 and a half months.

Body count:

Luna’s clan, the Boat people, had already lost 40 people before they came to Arkadia, and 6 more of their people die in this episode, including Luna’s daughter Adria, from acute radiation syndrome

Terro, one of the looters, killed by Octavia, who delivers his head to Roan to makes him a scapegoat.

Rating: 8.5/10

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astreetsussserenade · 6 years

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Gen Kill Bingo - BradNate + Roommates

“Well, it looks like we’re roommates now!” Ray said expansively, swinging his arms out wide to encompass Brad and Nate, and the weird kid from down the hall who had bitched about the tornado sirens all the way down to the basement, and was now curled up in the corner with his hoodie over his face, presumably asleep.

“Choose your roles now, so we can get everything straight right off the bat. James here has clearly already chosen his role as the weird, scary one, so that leaves the loveable goofball, the neurotic one and the responsible one.”

“Ray,” Brad snapped, ready to cut him off at the pass, when Nate interrupted,

“The average tornado warning is only thirty to sixty minutes long, so I doubt we need to move out of our dorm rooms just yet.”

Brad goggled at him, and before he could think the better of it asked, “Aren’t you from Virginia? How do you know about tornados?”

“Maryland, actually. And I looked it up before I came out to college here. I wanted to be prepared.”

Ray’s face lit up! “You two know each other already, excellent! This is an excellent start to our forced imprisonment and subsequent bonding. Because some people might think they know everything there is to know about everything after a little research, but some of us are Missouri-trailer-park born and bred, and have a leetle bit more experience in this particular subject, thank you very much. But seriously, how do you know each other? Brad hates everyone who isn’t a soccer player, and most of the guys who are.”

They’d hooked up last Fall, as part of a series of post-breakup bad decisions that Brad had been making, and continuing the streak of bad decision making, Brad had never called and had ignored Nate when Nate called.

“We have mutual friends,” Nate said quickly, “we ended up at some of the same parties last year. My roommate was one of the second stringers - did you know Dave McGraw?”

“McGraw? Yo, that dude sucked.”

“I am well aware,” Nate said, grinning.

“Nate and I have Russian lit together,” Ray said to Brad, not that he’d asked.

This was just great. Stuck in a basement supply closet with his irritating yet perceptive best friend and the one person out of the string of hook-ups who had seemed like he might actually be interesting. Definitely what Brad needed on a Thursday night. The econ paper he’d left behind was looking better and better by the minute.

When Brad looked up, Nate was watching him with a quiet, self-assured gaze. When he saw Brad notice him, he didn’t look away. Brad had always liked that about Nate, when he’d known him only as that guy who showed up at Soccer House parties sometimes. Nate said what he thought, and he didn’t back down. He seemed to know who he was, when the rest of them were flailing around in a sea of newfound responsibility and freedom and hormones and booze, just trying to stumble their way into an identity.

“Hey, Colbert! Silent and fucking creepy was not on the list of possible identities. Pipe the fuck up!”

Something flashed quickly across Nate’s face.

“Your last name is Colbert?”

Brad frowned. “Yeah?”

“I never knew it. It seems like you and I are going to be roommates after all. You’re my room draw partner for the semester after I return from studying abroad.”

Shit. Brad hadn’t even open the email assigning him a random roommate for second semester next year. Whoever it was probably going to suck, and he planned to spend most of the time in the lab or the library anyway. Besides it was months away.

A brilliant smile spread across Ray’s face

“Homes! Did I tell you or did I tell you? Who knows everything? Your pal Ray-Ray, that’s who!”

Fuck.

#genkill bingo #genkillbingo #bradnate #generation kill #gkficthoughts

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cienie-isengardu · 6 years

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Anakin and Clone Troopers in Legends sources [2002 - 2005], part I

For some time I was thinking about writting more stuff about Anakin and clones and the relationship between them, but kinda lacked energy to do so. But since @nutsgunray mentioned to me about fandom trend to ignore positive relationship between Anakin and clone troopers - especially in favor of Obi-Wan Kenobi - I feel motivated to write my personal opinion (that no one asked for, I know, hush!) on the subject.

Quick disclaim: this is by no means attempt to change anyone mind on the subject, personal opinion is personal and that’s all. This rant is more like my take on why Anakin’s respect and dedication to clones may be overlooked in regards to Legends sources, and in the process, not acknowledged by some people.

Putting aside TCW / new canon that give us a lot examples how Anakin deeply cares for his men (to mention few), I want focus primaly on the oldest sources, from Attack of the Clones to Revenge of the Sith and tie-in books [Jedi Trial, The Cestus Deception, Labyrinth of Evil] and Republic comics series that were published around 2002 - 2005. In first part of my analysis, I’m gonna talk about books presenting Anakin and Obi-Wan working together with clones, for a better comparison.

But firstly, some little background info:

Back in 2002 - 2005, clones usually weren’t the main focus of star wars stories. With exeption of Republic Commando game and book series and few comics issues, clone troopers usually played secondary roles. ARC A-17, better known as Alpha, and commander Cody were the most important exceptions (Bly too, but he isn’t related to this meta right now). Both have connection to Anakin and Obi-Wan, but the relationship with Kenobi is usually more “visible” than their relationship with Skywalker.

I think it comes down to the storyline itself. Cody is Kenobi’s second in command, so it makes sense for him to have closer bond with older Jedi, especially since in 2002-2005 time period, Anakin was pretty much isolated from active military service / hierarchy, quite often by Kenobi himself. For example, during Battle of Jabiim (that happened one year and 2-4 months after Battlle of Geonosis), Anakin asked about his status / rank now that Jedi became the generals of Great Army of Republic. Kenobi’s response?

My padawan. Because of that, Anakin’s contact with clones was limited. He fought alongside them, he led them to attack when Kenobi allowed it (until Skywalker get knighted) and the time between battles and missions, Anakin usually spent with Padme in Jedi Temple, working hard on strategy or sharpening his skills. So, in oldest Legends sources, the narrative made Anakin quite often isolated / cut off from clones. Because of that, there is less “direct evidences” in the text.

Cody, as Kenobi’s second-in-command was one of troopers that Anakin had more personal relationship (due to serving / fighting alongside Kenobi by almost all war). The same is with Alpha, who met both Jedi (and Shaak Ti) during Battle of Kamino and fought with them on various missions after that. Yet since ARC was captured and tortured by Asajj Ventress along with Kenobi, the storyline about their interaction is much more direct since the characters were forced to work together. So even though there is also plenty interesting (and heartwarming) moments between Anakin and Alpha, those are usually less remembered than main plot/events of story.

As readers, we had a chance to see Kenobi talking or thinking about clones and how important their life were through various (earliest) sources. That doesn’t mean Anakin never shared such sentiment, but as far as I can say, narrative-wise, Anakin showed his respect, care and sympathy for clones more by gestures and actions than words, in contrast to Kenobi. What is one of reasons why people may ignore Skywalker’s positive attitude towards clones - those gestures aren’t always presented in straight way or explained (by POV narrative, for example) and it pretty much comes down to perception of individual person. Some things are to be speculated or analyzed and could be read both way, depending how we feel about character.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Kenobi’s attitude toward clones is just all talk, because he did care and try to protect clones from harm (like during Battle of Jabiim, he went into destroyed walker to evacuate injured / shocked by impact troopers before the vehicle would blown up). What I’m trying to say, the clone relationship with Kenobi is usually framed in more direct way, than with Anakin.

For a better presentation of the problem, let’s look at specific sources:

In 2005 came out Labyrinth of Evil (in which Cody debiuted as named clone according to wookiepedia):

Over the years Obi-Wan had formed battlefield partnerships with several Advanced Recon Commandos - - Alpha, with whom he had been imprisoned on Rattatak, and Jangotat, on Ord Cestus. Early-generation ARCs had received training by the Mandalorian clone template, Jango Fett. While the Kaminoans had managed to breed some of Fett out of the regulars, they had been more selective in the case of the ARCs. As a consequence, ARCs displayed more individual initiative and leadership abilities. In short, they were more like the late bounty hunter himself, which was to say, more human. While Cody wasn't genetically an Advanced Recon Commando, he had ARC training and shared many ARC attributes. In the initial stages of the war, clone troopers were treated no differently from the war machines they piloted or the weapons they fired. To many they had more in common with battle droids poured by the tens of thousands from Baktoid Armor Workshops on a host of Separatist-held worlds.

But attitudes began to shift as more and more troopers died. The clones' unfaltering dedication to the Republic, and to the Jedi, showed them to be true comrades in arms, and deserving of all the respect and compassion they were now afforded. It was the Jedi themselves, in addition to other progressive thinking officials in the Republic, who had urged that second - and third-generation troopers be given names rather than numbers, to foster a growing fellowship.

The narrative is focused at Obi-Wan; text tells us in direct way that Kenobi:

befriended two ARC troopers (Alpha & Jangotat/Nate)

is aware of prejudices toward clones, how they were treated no better than equipment at first

sees the change in how clones are treated now, what is contributed to Jedi and progressive thinking officials in the Republic (and since point 1 & 2 already puts Kenobi in positive light, it’s easy to assume he belongs to the group of “good” Jedi & progressive thinking people)

describes clones in posivite tone (unfaltering dedication for Republic and Jedi, that they deserve all the respect and compassion that was denied to them)

After such description / narrative, next paragraphs focuses at the course of the mission. Kenobi already was presented as someone unbiased against clones, yet when comes to saving them, Anakin is the first to act:

Obi-Wan felt a ripple in the Force an instant before the harvester's right foreleg tripped a land mine. A potent explosion fountained from the rocky ground, blowing away half the creature's foreleg. The commando threw himself to one side, rolling out from under a trio now of pounding legs, only to have to bob and weave as the harvester began to run in frantic circles, seemingly determined to trample the commando underfoot.

A glancing blow from the beetle's left rear leg tipped the commando off his feet. Confused, the harvester lowered its head and butted at the hard white object in its path, again and again, until there wasn't a smooth area left in the commando's armor. The harvester's distress was having an impact on the rest of the beetles, as well. While most were pressed tightly together, others were suddenly scurrying away from the main column, sending the soldier beetles to high alert. Tripping two mines in succession, a second harvester was lifted off the ground by the ensuing explosions. With that, the column dissolved into disorder, with harvesters and soldiers running every which way, and commandos and Jedi alike doing their best to protect themselves.

"Stay close to the ones who are still headed for the nest!" Anakin shouted.

Obi-Wan was doing just that when he noticed that the trampled commando was back on his feet and staggering toward him, tapping the side of his helmet with the palm of his gloved hand, and obviously indifferent to where he placed his booted feet. Barreling straight for the maw of the mound, a harvester bore down on the commando, clamping its pincers around his waist, then lifting him high into the air. Summoning the last of his reserves, the commando twisted his body back and forth, but was unable to break free.

All at once Anakin was out from under his protective harvester. Lightsaber tight in his gloved hand, he bounded across the denuded landscape toward the captive commando, the Force guiding him to safe landings among the mines. The harvesters might have taken him for a demented turfjumper were they not so fixed on safeguarding their loads and reaching the security of the nest. Anakin's final leap dropped him directly in front of the harvester that had seized the commando. With one upward stroke of his lightsaber he rid the beetle of its pincers, freeing the commando, but also sending the soldier beetles into a frenzy.

Obi-Wan could almost smell the pheromone release, and decipher the information being exchanged: The area is rife with predators! From the brood rose a shriek so high-pitched as to be barely audible, and a stampede was under way. Mines began to detonate to all sides, and out from billowing smoke above the orchard canopy swarmed more than a hundred STAPs.

The unluckly commando didn’t get the help immediately because too much things happened at once; the moment one of harvesters walked into mine, chaos erupted - all clone troopers and Jedi were doing their best to protect themselves, which means no one could help him. From the description, the clone get hurt pretty badly.

Anakin gave an order to “stay close to the ones who are still headed for the nest” because it was A) where they must go to finish mission and B) the safest place. (Also: “Obi-Wan was doing just that“ when Skywalker’s orders were given, which means both were thinking about / doing the same thing)

Still Skywalker alone left his safe spot to save the unluckly clone troopers from painful death (I kind of wonder if harvester’s pincers could cut the man in half throughout the armor, but for sure it was hazardous situation that could kill the trooper),

Anakin’s action saved the injured man but also actually pushed soldier beetles into a frenzy. Not good for the mission, which maybe was a reason why no one rushed out to save clone; for clone troopers it was normal that mission comes first, even at the cost of their own life - or life of brothers. Which is pretty the same for a Jedi, the greater good is above one life. Anakin was willing to risk mission to save trooper in need. Then again, the scene is not from Skywalker or clone troopers POV; we don’t know if anyone of them planned to save injured clone after harvesters would calm down, or if soldiers were ready to abandon their brother / comrade. It’s hard to tell for sure.

Supporting the commando trooper with his left arm, Anakin warded off blaster bolts on the run. The rest of Squad Seven supplied cover, blowing STAPs out the sky with uninterrupted fire. Cody motioned everyone into a shallow irrigation trench just short of the mound. By the time Obi-Wan arrived, the troopers were deployed in a circle, and continuing to pour fire into the sky. Anakin slid into the trench a moment later, lowering the commando gently to the muddy slope. Squad Seven's medical specialist crawled over, removing the commando's ravaged utility belt and deeply dented helmet. Obi-Wan gazed at the face of the injured clone.

A face he would never forget; now a face he couldn't forget. All these years later, he could still recall his brief conversation with Jango Fett, on Kamino. He glanced at Cody and the rest. An army of one man... But the right man for the job.

The clones' rallying cry. The injured commando had already prompted his armor to inject him with painkillers, so he remained pliant while his chest plastron was removed and the black bodyglove undergarment knifed open.

The harvester's pincers had crushed the armor into the commando's abdomen. His skin was intact, but the bruising was severe. With only half the original army of 1.2 million in fighting shape, the life of every clone was vital. Blood and replacement organs - - what the regular troopers referred to as "spare parts" - - were readily available - - "easily requisitioned" - - but with the war reaching a crescendo, battlefield casualties were on the rise and treated as high priority.

"Not much I can do for him here," the medspec told Anakin. "Maybe if we can get an FX-Seven air-dropped - - "

"We don't need a droid," Anakin interrupted. Kneeling, he placed his hands on the injured commando's abdomen and used a Jedi healing technique to keep the clone from going into deep shock.

Once again, situation is told from Obi-Wan’s POV. We see Anakin’s action (supporting injured commando, bringing him into safety of secured trench, Force-healing him), but can’t say anything about his own feeling or thought on that matter.

Even though Anakin’s person here is almost “mute” his role is active; he “slid into the trench a moment later, lowering the commando gently to the muddy slope”, stayed with him when squad’s medical specialist stripped the man from armor and investigated the damage and used Force to keep the clone from going into deep shock, when it turned out that medic is powerless to do anything without specialist equipment.

Obi-Wan on other hand is passive. He doesn’t interact here with anyone. From his POV we know that Anakin is busy with injured clone, troopers are busy shoting down enemy, while Kenobi - senior commanding officer - is occupied with A) memories of Jango Fett and B) how “battlefield casualties were on the rise and treated as high priority.” Those two things give an interesting contrast to Anakin. Kenobi can’t look at clones without remembering Jango Fett but similar like Mace Windu and Dooku, he seems to think about dead bounty hunter only through the experience of a short meeting while Anakin wondered about Jango’s human side, and thus how much clones could be similar to him. Then, despite thinking how life of every clone was vital and how battlefield casualties were on the rise and treated as high priority, Kenobi did nothing. He didn’t showed any interest or desire to help. Here, Kenobi’s role is absolutely passive. His POV feed us with vital informations about clone situations in war, but it’s Anakin who in active way keep an injured clone alive.

Soon after that, Jedi and clone troopers were going to face one of the most feared of the Separatists' infantry arsenal: Droidekas.

Known also by the fearsome title destroyer droids, droidekas were rapid-deployment killing machines produced by an alien species that encouraged mayhem at every opportunity. A combination of sheer momentum and sequenced microrepulsors allowed the bronzium-armored droids to roll like balls then unfurl in a blink as tripoded gunfighters, shielded by individual deflectors and armed with paired, twin-barreled, high-output blasters. Since the shields were powerful enough to resist lightsabers, blasters, even light artillery bolts, the proven strategy for dealing with droidekas was simply to run from them. More so, because surrender was never an option.

But Anakin had another idea.

"Comm fire support for an artillery strike," he ordered Cody, loud enough to be heard above STAP and DC-15 fire. "Do it now."

Cody was more than willing to comply. After all, the order had come directly from "the Hero with no Fear," as Anakin was sometimes known. "The Warrior of the Infinite." There was, though, a chain of command to maintain, so Cody looked to Obi-Wan for confirmation.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Do as he says."

The commando called for his comm specialist, who splashed through the shallow water and flattened himself alongside Cody. When the spec had provided needed coordinates, Cody opened a frequency to the fire support base and spoke in a rush.

"To FSB from Squad Seven. We're taking continuous fire from STAPs in sector Jenth-Bacta-Ion, and are about to be buried under destroyer droids deployed from the redoubt. Request immediate artillery support at coordinates accompanying transmission. Recommend tactical electromagnetic pulse airburst, followed by SPHA-T barrage."

"Pulse weapons don't discriminate, Commander," Obi-Wan thought to point out.

Cody shrugged. "It's the only way, sir."

"Tell them we've got a wounded trooper for the Rimsoo," Anakin said. The term stood for "Republic Mobile Surgical Unit."

Cody relayed the message. "Warn the evac pilot that he'll be setting down in a hot area. We'll mark a safe landing zone with smoke, and leave two behind to assist."

Hero without Fear is one of Anakin’s titles. The other, a Warrior of the Infinite is a title given only to 29 people in the 6.000-year history of the Virujansi royal court. Cody for sure has a lot respect for Anakin, if not for a person per se, then for his battle skills / warrior (soldier)’s nature.

"Cody was more than willing to comply”, yet since clones were taught to respect chain of command, he looked to Obi-Wan, the senior commanding officer, for confirmation.

Obi-Wan once again is more active; he points out the side effects of use pulse weapon (what would shut down droids AND clone troopers electrical equipment). Once again, Anakin is the one that keep in mind an injured trooper ("Tell them we've got a wounded trooper for the Rimsoo”).

When Jedi and clone troopers get inside enemy nest/citadel, they separated to do their own parts of mission. Anakin took 4 commandos to capture Viceroy Gunray while Obi-Wan, Cody and rest of team were supposed to cause needed distraction.

During Obi-Wan’s mission:

"How do you want to handle this, sir?"

"You're the master of warcraft, Commander. I'll follow your lead."

Cody nodded, perhaps grinning beneath his helmet. "Well, sir, our mandate is a simple one: Kill as many of the enemy as possible."

Obi-Wan recalled a conversation he had had on Ord Cestus with a clone trooper named Nate, regarding analogies between the Jedi and the clones: the former ushered by midi-chlorians to serve the Force; the latter, grown and programmed to serve the Republic. But the analogies ended there, because the troopers never paused to consider possible repercussions of their actions. Tasked, they executed their orders to the best of their abilities, whereas lately, even the most forceful Jedi knew moments of doubt.

Obi-Wan mentions clone trooper Nate (later, renamed as Jangotat, but apparently, Obi-Wan stucks for the clone’s first nickname rather using a name given to him by friend/lover. That, or it’s just oversight in editing the book). He is respectful toward Cody, and allows clone commander to lead the action, recognizing that Cody has more war experiences than him.

Despite that, there is still Jedi-arrogance / snobbery. The service of Jedi and clone troopers is similar; both path are decided by someone’s else, either Force or those who bought the clone army for their own use. Still, clone troopers “never paused to consider possible repercussions of their actions” while Jedi “knew moments of doubt”. Which for me comes down to this: clones do not think much about their action, they do not worry about morality (not completely true) while Jedi are much more aware, even doubtful (and still most of them do nothing much about their doubts)

"Looks like they've taken the bait, General!" Cody said while he, Obi-Wan, and two commandos fought their way into a side room. "Another successful action! Now we just have to survive it!" Cody pointed to the entrance to a second room, opposite their present position. "Through there," he said. "A second bank of turbolifts on the far side."

He tapped Obi-Wan on the shoulder. "You first. We'll provide cover. Go!" Obi-Wan shot for the room, deflecting bolts and mangling two super battle droids that stood in his way.

Cody takes care of Obi-Wan; he sends him first while he and other clones are going provide needed cover.

Unfortunately, Kenobi get separated from his team and needed to fight on his own in unfavorable conditions; the air wasn’t the best for human beings but he lost his breathmask during entering the nest.

For the first time (chapter 4), Anakin’s POV is presented. Thought a bit part of it is focused at Anakin’s anger for what happened in the last years (from Invasion of Naboo, to Geonosis and beyond) and how Senate is corrupted (what hinders ending the war), so there is little focus at clone troopers. In a way, Anakin’s POV is much more focused at the task to do & on what's going on around, than Obi-Wan’s which more often than not was about general situation of war. Still, we may see how Anakin is working with clone troopers.

Upward: until they reached the citadel's semicircular projection of launching bays, which overlooked the surrounding lake and a ridge of forested mountains. Anakin brought his team to a halt. One of the commandos held up his hand, palm outward, then tapped the side of his helmet to indicate an incoming transmission. The commando listened, then spoke to Anakin with hand signals. Gunray's party is nearby.

"They're testing escape vectors for the shuttle by lowering the defensive shield and launching decoys," the commando said quietly. "Turbolaser fire has allowed several of the decoys to get past our blockade and reach orbiting core ships."

The muscles in Anakin's jaw bunched. "Then we have to act quickly."

No one contested when Anakin held point position. The commandos accepted without question that body armor and imaging systems were primitive compared to the power of the Force. They moved vigilantly through a maze of elegant corridors, abandoned in a rush, strewn with belongings dropped during flight. Approaching an intersection, Anakin made a halting gesture with his left hand. He listened for a moment; heard from around the corner the telltale heavy footfalls of super battle droids. The commando to Anakin's left nodded in confirmation, then extended a finger-thin holocam around the corner and activated his gauntlet holoprojector. Noisy images of Nute Gunray and his entourage of elite officers formed in midair. Hurrying down the corridor, tall headpieces bobbing, rich robes aswirl, safeguarded front and rear by burly battle droids.

Anakin motioned for silence, and was just about to step into the intersecting corridor when a banged-up silver protocol droid appeared from across the hall, raising its hands in delighted surprise. "Welcome, sirs!" it said loudly. "I can't tell you how good it is to find guests in the palace! I am TeeCee-Sixteen and I am at your service. Nearly everyone has left - - because of the invasion, of course - - but I'm sure that we can make you comfortable, and that Viceroy Gunray will be most pleased - - "

One hand clamped over TC-16's small rectangle of vocabulator, a commando yanked the droid to one side, but it was too late. Anakin leapt around the corner in time to see the Neimoidians set off at a run, red-eyed, flat-nosed Gunray casting a nervous glance over his shoulder. As for the super battle droids, they had about-faced and were marching stiff-legged in Anakin's direction. Catching sight of him, their right arms elevated, twisted downward, locked into firing position. And the corridor began to fill with blaster bolts.

Anakin has experience in working with clone troopers, including the more independent commandos. He learned and is using their “hand signal” language.

No commandos protested when Anakin took “point position“, all believed that Force is a great ally for Jedi. Still, before Skywalker threw himself into action, he did confirm with his trooper that in fact Nute Gunray is coming with droid bodyguards. Which in itself seems contrary to the usual image of hot-headed Anakin who get into fight blindly.

The mission was unexpectedly interrupted by protocol droid, TC-16 and in result, alarmed the enemy who run away.

"Sirs, this a terrible mistake!" TC-16 inserted into a brief pause in the firefight.

"Keep him quiet," Anakin snapped at the commando closest to the droid.

"But, sirs - - " A second commando glanced at Anakin and motioned down the corridor behind them. "Six infantry droids advancing. We're going to be caught in a crossfire."

Anakin gave his head a quick shake. "Wrong. Follow me - - and bring the droid."

A muffled sound of dismay escaped TC-16's vocabulator. Fury clouded Anakin's eyes. Lightsaber held high in his crooked right arm, he whirled into the intersecting corridor. No need to use the Force, as many Jedi said, for he was never anywhere but fully in the Force. He called instead on his anger, bringing images to mind to fuel his rage. It wasn't difficult, with so many to choose from: images of a Tusken Raider camp on Tatooine, Yavin 4, the defeat at Jabiim, Praesitlyn... Blue blade flashing, he cut a swath through the super battle droids, opening their burnished carapaces with diagonal slashes, cutting off blaster arms, hobbling the droids by deflecting bolts into their hermetically sealed knees. Scarcely letting a shot get past him, so that the commandos following in his wake could concentrate their fire on the ones Anakin only wounded.

Nute Gunray’s escape didn’t help to calm already angry Skywalker; he even snapped at commando to keep the droid quiet. Anakin really hoped that capturing Gunray will bring the war closer to the end. Through the battle (and in general, the whole war) Skywalker was using memories of traumatic events and past failures - including brutal campaigns in which he fought arm-to-arm with clone troopers - to fuel his rage, to rely on its strength. Not really a healthly way to cope with what’s going around him.

Anakin, like always, is first to fight while clones follow him (I’m the only one who sees contrast between Cody’s “ You first. We'll provide cover. Go!“ to Obi-Wan...?)

Anakin may be in warrior rage here, but still his fighting style is all about destroying droids while Scarcely letting a shot get past him, so that the commandos following in his wake could concentrate their fire on the ones Anakin only wounded. Which means, Anakin is keeping enemy’s focus at himself, while commando are fighting from relative safety and shot to finish already wounded machines.

Their enemies fell aside, almost as if surrendering. Focused on the route Gunray and his lackeys had taken, Anakin raced through corridors, rounding corners without slowing down, sprinting for the launching bay at the far end of the final corridor. Confronted with an iris-hatch blast door, he thrust his glowing blade into the metal as if it were living flesh. Lips drawn back over his teeth, he tried to force the lightsaber to burn a fast circle in the door. He brought his will to bear on the task, but the lightsaber could accomplish only so much, even in the hands of a powerful Jedi. Withdrawing the blade, he stepped back from the door and moved his hands through a Force pass, willing the iris portal to open. The door shuddered but remained sealed. Screaming through gnashed teeth, he tried again. When the commandos finally caught up with him, he spun to them.

"Blow the door!" A commando hurried forward to place magnetic charges against the alloy. Anakin paced behind him, waiting. Another commando had to tug him to a safe distance. The charges blew, and the portal yielded. Anakin charged through the irising seal even before it had opened fully. The launching bay was littered with containers, articles of clothing, objects the Neimoidians hadn't had time or space to take with them. The shuttle was gone. Wisps of vapor swirled about, and the air smelled faintly of fuel. Anakin ran to the platform's forward-curving edge, eyes scanning Cato Neimoidia's light-riddled night sky for some sign of the fleeing ship. The palace's defensive shield had been deactivated. Thick packets of crimson light lanced from laser cannon batteries on the slopes below.

The previous scene with fight and now, when Anakin wanted to “open” blast doors with lightsaber are the moments I think we all can agree how hot-headed he was. Thrown himself into action and try to do everything on your own, that’s the usual image of Anakin. He didn’t wait for clones, he run away after Gunray to catch him as fast as possible. The failure gets the worst out of him.

Anakin paced behind working clone and another commando had to tug him into safety. Anger, anxiety or annoyance (or mix of all) makes Anakin reckless. Good that commandos kept their commander’s safety in mind.

They were too late to catch Gunray.

Anakin's teammates joined him at the brink, one with a hand vised on TC-16's upper left arm.

"What type of ship is it?" Anakin demanded of the droid.

TC-16 tipped his head to one side. "Ship, sir?"

"The shuttle - - Gunray's shuttle. What model?"

"Why, I believe it was a Sheathipede-class, sir."

"Haor Chall Engineering Sheathipede-class transport shuttle," one of the commandos explained. "Design is based on the soldier beetles. Upraised stern, bow ramp, clawfoot landing gear. Gunray's named it the Lapiz Cutter."

A second commando spoke up, signaling that he was receiving commo. "General. From Commander Dodonna's flagship: more than sixty shuttles and landing craft launched from the redoubt. Thirteen destroyed, eighteen seized. An unknown quantity have managed to dock aboard Trade Federation core ships and open-ring Lucrehulk carriers. Additional shuttles are still in the envelope."

Anakin turned through a circle, gloved hand gripped on the lightsaber pommel, the other balled into a fist. A conduit nearby took the brunt of his anger. Cleaved by the blade, it fell in pieces to the landing platform's seamless floor. Anakin began to pace again, then stopped, yanking a commando around by his shoulder. "Comm forward command. I want my ship and astromech droid flown here immediately. One of the ARC-one-seventy pilots can fly it."

The commando nodded, relayed the message, then said: "FCC will comply, sir. You'll have your starfighter soonest."

Anakin returned to the lip of the platform, blowing his breath into the night. The battle appeared to be winding down, except within him. Not until he had Gunray in his grip...

Mission failed, what for sure didn’t calm down Anakin. He even allowed himself to vent his anger at the nearby conduit. I keep mentioning Skywalker’s anger because LotE takes place in third year of Clone Wars and Anakin was really affected by war. Still, he is mainly angry at himself, because capturing Gunray was both important mission and very personal thing. He didn’t blame his troopers (and later will even show some sympathy for the droid that accidentally thwarted the mission).

Still, he was ready to continue alone the pursuit after Gunray, that’s why he ordered to comm forward command to sent his personal ship & astromech droid. For all potential pilots to fly his modified (precious!) ship, Anakin chose a clone, one of ARC-one-seventy pilots.

There is little to none Anakin’s thoughts on clone troopers (none of them is even named by narrative!) or clone situation and Skywalker’s not-so-calm-mood is hard to miss.

"General Skywalker," a commando said from behind him. "Urgent from Commander Cody. He and General Kenobi are pinned down on level one."

Anakin shot him a questioning look. "By droids?"

"A lot of them, apparently."

Anakin glanced into the glowing sky, then back at the commando who had delivered Cody's message. "General, forward command reports that your starfighter is on the way," another commando updated. Again, Anakin glanced at the sky, only to turn back to the commando. "Where did you say Obi-Wan and Cody are?"

"Level one, sir. In the shipping area."

Anakin compressed his lips. "All right. Let's go rescue them."

Anakin was faced with a choice: to contuine the mission as he wanted or give up the pursuit to help the rest ot team in need. Despite his angry mood and how personal was mission for him, Skywalker chose well-being of Obi-Wan and clones.

Anakin does not use Cody’s commander rank at all. He refers clone officer first and foremost as Cody.

Alerted by the commandos that the air was saturated with spores, Anakin had his rebreather in his mouth as he approached the room in which Obi-Wan had held his own against better than fifty droids, all of which lay scattered about the room. A weaving, shuffling, staggering Obi-Wan was dealing with the last of them when Anakin entered. When the final droid collapsed, Obi-Wan aimed the blade of his lightsaber casually toward the floor and stood swaying in place, breathing hard but almost grinning.

"Anakin," he said happily. "How are you?" When Anakin went to him, Obi-Wan promptly collapsed in his arms. Anakin deactivated Obi-Wan's blade and inserted a rebreather into his mouth - - the same one that had ended up on the floor of the grotto. Then he carried him from the room to where Cody and several commandos were waiting, some with their helmets removed.

"Exactly what lightsaber form were you using back there, Master?" Anakin asked when Obi-Wan had come around and the rebreathers were no longer necessary.

"Form?"

"More the absence of it." Anakin laughed shortly. "If only Mace, Kit, or Shaak Ti could have seen you."

Obi-Wan blinked in confusion and glanced around at the carnage of droids in the shipping area. "We did this?" he said to Cody.

"You did most of it, General."

Obi-Wan regarded Anakin in confusion.

"I'll explain later," Anakin said.

Obi-Wan ran his hand through his hair, then, as if just remembering, said: "Gunray! Did you get him?"

Anakin's shoulders dropped. "The entire entourage escaped the palace."

Obi-Wan mulled it over for a moment. "You could have gone after them."

Anakin shrugged. "And leave you?" He paused, then added: "Of course, if I'd known you'd become master of a new lightsaber form..."

Obi-Wan's eyes brightened. "They'll be taken in orbit."

"Maybe."

"If not, there'll be other times, Anakin. We'll see to it."

Anakin nodded. "I know that, Master."

Obi-Wan was about to add something when a helmeted commando stepped from a nearby turbolift and hurried over to them. "General Kenobi, General Skywalker, we've found something of interest among the equipment the Neimoidians left behind."

Turned out that Obi-Wan, despite all the intoxicant stuff in the air, survived on his own. He even told Anakin he could have gone after enemy, which seems like thing Obi-Wan would do / wish Anakin did.

Cody calls Kenobi by title (general) while Anakin’s POV keeps describing the clone commander simply as Cody (I’m gonna talk about that detail a bit later, just keep that in mind, please).

Despite the whole situation, Anakin is making jokes at Kenobi's expense. I think it’s interesting that he doesn’t mind company of clones to witness that. After all, both are generals in GAR, and not every officer would do such thing. I think Anakin feels enough “safe” in company of clones to allow himself such humorous moment.

For me, in LotE, Anakin’s interaction with clone commandos is much different than scenes with Obi-Wan & Cody. Partially, I think comes down to this: for Skywalker, capturing Gunray is personal matter. He believes that capturing viceroy will help to end the war, something that he so badly wants to happen. There is a lot anger in Anakin; a rage he uses as fuel to keep going no matter what. At times it makes him sound and act harsh. Still, Anakin adapted to working with clone commandos. He is used to hand gestures, to military procedures. He is always first to lead and attack, to eliminate as much of enemies he can, taking the most dangerous part on himself, acting like shield between danger and clone troopers.

And the same time, he is willing to give up on mission (capturing the enemy), when commando reported that Obi-Wan’s team is in danger. What is important to note, Anakin is concerned not only about his former master: "Where did you say Obi-Wan and Cody are?", Let's go rescue them."

In the book, Obi-Wan’s POV provides some insight about prejudice toward clones and which still ongoing war, how important is their life yet the narrative makes him quite passive when it comes to saving troopers. Kenobi did take part in fight(s) and destroyed enemy droids, sure, but he didn’t face a choice to contuine mission or come back to save the team, nor did anything significant for injured trooper. In contrast, Anakin’s POV is pretty much related to anger he rely on during mission/war and makes him sometimes reckless and even harsh for commandos, yet he is willing to risk / cease the mission to save his mentor AND troopers, he is adapted to military operations and is considered by clones / Cody as great warrior.

Later, the story doesn’t focus anymore at clones. Obi-Wan and Anakin are sent on solo mission that leads into Revenge of the Sith events. So, let’s talk about RotS novel (2005)!

Once again, clone troopers aren’t main characters and frankly, their presence is the most visible during three moments: Battle of Coruscant, Battle of Utapau and when executing Order 66.

The Battle of Coruscant is mainly see from Anakin & Obi-Wan’s POVs; since they took part in space battle with a delay, thus their interaction with clones were minimal.

"Have your droid tight-beam a report to the Temple. And send out a call for any Jedi in starfighters. We'll come at it from all sides."

"Way ahead of you." But when he checked his comm readout, he shook his head. "There's still too much ECM. Artoo can't raise the Temple. I think the only reason we can even talk to each other is that we're practically side by side."

"And Jedi beacons?"

"No joy, Master." Anakin's stomach clenched, but he fought the tension out of his voice. "We may be the only two Jedi out here."

"Then we will have to be enough. Switching to clone fighter channel."

Anakin spun his comm dial to the new frequency in time to hear Obi-Wan say, "Oddball, do you copy? We need help."

The clone captain's helmet speaker flattened the humanity out of his voice. "Copy, Red Leader."

"Mark my position and form your squad behind me. We're going in."

“On our way."

The droid fighters had lost themselves against the background of the battle, but R2-D2 was tracking them on scan. Anakin shifted his grip on his starfighter's control yoke. "Ten vultures inbound, high and left to my orientation. More on the way."

"I have them. Anakin, wait-the cruiser's bay shields have dropped! I'm reading four, no, six ships incoming." Obi-Wan's voice rose. "Tri-fighters! Coming in fast!"

Anakin's smile tightened. This was about to get interesting.

"Tri-fighters first, Master. The vultures can wait."

"Agreed. Slip back and right, swing behind me. We'll take them on the slant."

Let Obi-Wan go first? With a blown left control surface and a half-crippled R-unit? With Palpatine's life at stake?

Not likely.

"Negative," Anakin said. "I'm going head-to-head. See you on the far side."

"Take it easy. Wait for Oddball and Squad Seven. Anakin-"

He could hear the frustration in Obi-Wan's voice as he kicked his starfighter's sublights and surged past; his former Master still hadn't gotten used to not being able to order Anakin around.

Not that Anakin had ever been much for following orders. Obi-Wan's, or anyone else's.

"Sorry we're late." The digitized voice of the clone whose call sign was Oddball sounded as calm as if he were ordering dinner. "We're on your right, Red Leader. Where's Red Five?"

"Anakin, form up!"

But Anakin was already streaking to meet the Trade Federation fighters. "Incoming!"

Anakin and Obi-Wan joined the battle with delay, so it makes sense they didn’t work with clone pilots from the beginning. They contacted the OddBall’s squad when A) they found out on which ship the kidnapped Chancellor was held by Grevious and B) it seemed they are the only Jedi close enough to save Palpatine and thus needed the support of clone pilots to get to the enemy ship.

Obi-Wan, probably due to seniority, was marked as Red Ledear while Anakin was supposed to act as his wingman / subordinate.

Once again, Skywalker is charging into battle on his own, without waiting for Oddball’s squad to support him. This is not recklessness in itself; this is Anakin's way to protect his former master, since Obi-Wan’s ship is already pretty damaged (not to mention Palpatine’s life was at stake, and two Jedi have better chance to save Chancellor than one).

As they left the cruiser behind, their sensors showed Squad Seven dead ahead. The clone pilots were fully engaged, looping through a dogfight so tight that their ion trails looked like a glowing ball of string.

"Oddball's in trouble. I'm going to help him out."

"Don't. He's doing his job. We need to do ours."

"Master, they're getting eaten alive over-"

"Every one of them would gladly trade his life for Palpatine's. Will you trade Palpatine's life for theirs?"

"No-no, of course not, but-"

"Anakin, I understand: you want to save everyone. You always do. But you can't.''

Anakin's voice went tight. "Don't remind me."

"Head for the command ship." Without waiting for a reply, Obi-Wan targeted the command cruiser and shot away at maximum thrust.

The cross of burn-scar beside Anakin's eye went pale as he turned his starfighter in pursuit. Obi-Wan was right. He almost always was.

You can't save everyone.

Saving Chancellor was important, because Palpatine was a symbol for Republic. His death or captivity would be a blow to morale of citizens and soldiers. But for Anakin it was really personal matter. Through Skywalker’s POV, we know how much Palpatine means to him - he is a friend, a family that showed him support and kindness and accepted him as he was. Something that Jedi Council never did. Despite that, Anakin wanted to help Oddball who was in trouble. And Skywalker would - again! - jeopardize the success of the mission for clone troopers, if not for Obi-Wan.

Kenobi tried to persuade Anakin using the “duty” argument - it’s clone troopers job to keep enemy busy, so the Jedi [he and Skywalker] could carry on rescue mission. Still, Anakin argue to save clone troopers who were “getting eaten alive“.

And because the first attempt failed, Kenobi - like always(!) - went with emotional manipulation: Every one of [clones] would gladly trade his life for Palpatine's. Will you trade Palpatine's life for theirs? It’s harsh and unfair, and in general so fucked up way to keep Anakin in check. The first sentence I can understand - this is battle and clone troopers are soldiers ready to sacrifice their life for Republic (even though they never had a real choice in that matter; either they grew up loyal to Republic or not grew up at all). Clones know the risk and are willing to die for Republic (Chancellor)’s safety. What is similar to Jedi’s idea of selfless duty; greater good above everything else, even at your own - or someone’s close to you - expense. At the same time, if Jedi didn’t save Chancellor, it would meant that clones sacrifice was in vain. Kenobi, as the senior office reminds Anakin of the soldier's/Jedi duty during a battle fever, and that alone is fine.

But of course, since "duty” alone never woks with Anakin, Kenobi had to add the awful line: Will you trade Palpatine's life for theirs? You know how attachments are wrong and bad for Jedi, right? But apparently as long as it can be used to force Anakin into following orders, it’s okay to have them. Because thanks to them, Obi-Wan can taunt Skywalker. Will you trade Palpatine’s life for clones? A life of closest friend, the family you so badly wanted? Will you betray Palpatine’s trust, hopes for rescue just for a clone(s)? Even if Obi-Wan’s line didn’t mean it that way, I hate when he uses Skywalker’s attachment (and good nature) against him like that.

Despite tha Anakin still wanted to argue to save Oddball: “N-no, of course not, but-”

Also: I’m not blaming Anakin for admitting that he wouldn’t trade Palpatine’s life for someone else (who isn’t Padme). I mean, who wouldn’t want to save their family/close friend or would dare to risk their life for less familiar people, who also happens to be soldiers and thus are trained to fight for survival? I know I don’t have an idea what I would do in similar situation.

Anakin wanted to save everyone and being reminded he can’t hurt as hell. I understand why Obi-Wan so badly wanted Anakin to focus at mission and why it’s foolish for Anakin to think he must save everyone around him, but for Force’s sake, isn’t that emotional abuse? Way to go, Kenobi, way to go...

In the end, to force Anakin to do as he is told, without waiting for a reply, Obi-Wan targeted the command cruiser and shot away at maximum thrust.

I would be much more irritated by Obi-Wan’s remark and behaviour, but after all he is Jedi first and foremost. Jedi Order’s focus never was about the good of people, only about the good of institution (Order itself and Republic) or abstract concept (greater good, Force’s Will). And frankly, when Obi-Wan ship get hit/damaged, he told Anakin “Get out of here, Anakin. There's nothing you can do."[...]"Anakin, the mission! Get to the command ship! Get the Chancellor!." Of course, Anakin didn’t leave his mentor - he saved Kenobi and get them both on enemy ship.

"I know: the Sith." The word left a bitter taste in Anakin's mouth. The Council's manipulation had a rank stench of politics on it. "I just-" Anakin shrugged helplessly, looking away. "I don't like you going off without me like this. It's a bad idea to split up the team. I mean, look what happened last time."

"Don't remind me."

"You want to go spend another few months with somebody like Ventress? Or worse?"

"Anakin." Anakin could hear a gentle smile in Obi-Wan's voice. "Don't worry. I have enough clones to take three systems the size of Utapau's. I believe I should be able to handle the situation, even without your help."

Anakin’s situation after Battle of Coruscant was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. The conflict between Jedi Council and Palpatine along with dreams/Force visions about Padme’s death were things that slowly yet inevitably lead Skywalker to breaking point. It makes sense why his POV is rarely focused on clone troopers then, especially since he was not allowed to actively serve on the front line. In RotS, once again Anakin is isolated from military / clones (in regards to TCW/new canon, being cut away from 501st Legion for sure must hurt).

When Anakin was watching clone troopers (and soon, Obi-Wan) leaving for Utapau, he wished he either could go with them or Kenobi stayed on Coruscant, to lessen the burden of conflicting duties. Overall, there is little about his relationship with clone troopers. What I guess, makes sense story-wise.

On other hand, I’m always bothered when Kenobi says things like “ I have enough clones to take three systems the size of Utapau's”. It’s really that hard to call them men or just troopers?

During Battle of Utapau:

He was going in alone; Commander Cody and three batallions of troopers waited in rapid-deployment vehicles-LAAT/i's and Jadthu-class landers-just over the horizon. Obi-Wan's plan was to pinpoint Grievous's location, then keep the bio-droid general busy until the clones could attack; he would be a one-man diversionary force, holding the attention of what was sure to be thousands or tens of thousands of combat droids directed inward toward him and Grievous, to cover the approach of the clones. Two battalions would strike full-force, with the third in reserve, both to provide reinforcements and to cover possible escape routes.

"I can keep them distracted for quite some time," Obi-Wan had told Cody on the flight deck of Vigilance. "Just don't take too long."

"Come on, boss," Cody had said, smiling out of Jango Fett's face, "have I ever let you down?"

"Well-" Obi-Wan had said with a slim answering smile, "Cato Neimoidia, for starters ..."

"That was Anakin's fault; he was the one who was late ..."

"Oh? And who will you blame it on this time?" Obi-Wan had chuckled as he climbed into his starfighter's cockpit and strapped himself in. "Very well, then. I'll try not to destroy all the droids before you get there."

"I'm counting on you, boss. Don't let me down."

"Have I ever?"

"Well," Cody had said with a broad grin, "there was Cato Neimoidia . . ."

So, remember when I say to keep in mind how in previous book Anakin is usually refering/speaking to commander Cody using just his name? Apparently, Cody does something similar. He calls Kenobi the “general” and “sir” and even friendly calls his superior officer the “boss”, but he seems (at least for me) to be on first name terms with Anakin. I guess, Cody may be too professional to be on first name terms with Obi-Wan since the elder Jedi is his direct superior (and clones do respect chain of command, after all) but to be fair, Anakin is general too at this point. Still, both men have friendly relationship (and Kenobi’s narrative drops the rank in description more often than not, unless there is an official stuff/procedures going on, that’s it)

Also, Cody for sure feels comfortable with Kenobi (and Anakin) to jokes before mission like “blaming” Kenobi’s former padawan / friend for Cato Neimoidia or “pointing out Kenobi’s failure”.

Once again, narrative goes with “Jango Fett’s face”. Hard to miss the similarity of appearance between Fett and his clones, thanks Kenobi

Cody looked up at the dragonmount, and at its rider. "General Kenobi," he said. "Glad you could join us."

"Commander Cody," the Jedi Master said with a nod. He was still scanning the battle around them. "Did you contact Coruscant with the news of the general's death?"

The clone commander snapped to attention and delivered a crisp salute. "As ordered, sir. Erm, sir?" Kenobi looked down at him. "Are you all right, sir? You're a bit of a mess." The Jedi Master wiped away some of the dust and gore that smeared his face with the sleeve of his robe-which was charred, and only left a blacker smear across his cheek. "Ah. Well, yes. It has been a ... stressful day." He waved out at Pau City. "But we still have a battle to win."

"Then I suppose you'll be wanting this," Cody said, holding up the lightsaber his men had recovered from a traffic tunnel. "I believe you dropped it, sir."

"Ah. Ah, yes."

The weapon floated gently up to Kenobi's hand, and when he smiled down at the clone commander again, Cody could swear the Jedi Master was blushing, just a bit. "No, ah, need to mention this to, erm, Anakin, is there, Cody?" Cody grinned. "Is that an order, sir?"

Kenobi shook his head, chuckling tiredly. "Let's go. You'll have noticed I did manage to leave a few droids for you ..."

"Yes, sir." A silent buzzing vibration came from a compartment concealed within his armor. Cody frowned. "Go on ahead, General. We'll be right behind you."

Cody and Kenobi act friendly toward each other, but both stick more to proper military procedures, like using ranks, saluting ("clone commander snapped to attention and delivered a crisp salute”).

Cody once again makes sure Kenobi is alright. Also, gives back Obi-Wan’s lost lightsaber. Kenobi’s awkwardness is beautiful call back to the all times he criticized Anakin for losing the Jedi weapon. The “ah, need to mention this to, erm, Anakin, is there, Cody?" gives me feeling that A) Cody is perfectly aware why Kenobi doesn’t want Anakin to know about lost lightsaber B) Cody was going to tell Anakin about that before Kenobi told (ask) him not to (”is that an order, sir?”) and who knows, C) Skywalker and commander Cody may talk to each other at ease between missions.

And here comes Order 66.

Legends material do not have any stupid “chips in brain” excuses, for that alone I’m very glad. Cody, like almost all clones, followed the order 66 and that ends for good already established positive relationship between clones and Jedi. Obi-Wan didn’t have luxury of time (and peace) to dwell much about clone troopers “betrayal”, Anakin fell to Dark Side, the Sith took control of Republic and transformed it into Empire. Narrative for sure had a lot things to focus on, but clones one again weren’t part of main interest.

I went with those two books, to show how narrative differed in showing Anakin’s and Obi-Wan’s relationship with clones. Kenobi is usually presented as the aware one about racism & prejudice toward clones and I dare to say, has positive & friendly contact with his troopers (especially Cody in that case). It’s his POV that gave us, the readers, background details about clone troopers and acknowledge their battle skills and dedication to Republic and Jedi. At the same time, I always feel like his character is pretty passive when it comes to saving clones - beyond the common kindness and civilized conversation, Obi-Wan can be apathic, or worse: ready to sacrifice people (including himself) for greater good. And here I want to say this: Obi-Wan is not a bad person nor a villian. First and foremost KENOBI IS A JEDI. His arrogance and lack of empathy and mindset & values comes from Jedi Order. Thanks the Force for how he changed because of Anakin for better, because TPM!Kenobi would probably see clones more like “pathetic (yet useful) forms of life” than the brave man who deserves all respect and care that was denied to them once.

Obi-Wan’s POV gives us understanding of world around heroes, while Anakin’s POV is focused usually on Skywalker himself and his (angry) state of mind and how he rely on rage and traumatic memories to keep going. In the last phase of the war, during mission(s) he rarely jokes with anyone than Kenobi and usually is first to jump alone into fight. Anakin’s burning desire to save everyone is a source of his determination/strenght but also for emotional and moral conflicts (duty vs loyalty).

At the same time, books narrative in direct way tell us that Kenobi befriended clones (Alpha and Nate/Jangotat) while Anakin’s relationship with clones is less definied. For sure there is something positive, but it seems like a lot important things that happened between clones and Skywalker takes place “outside the frame” and we may only wonder how they really feel about each other, beside the general respect and teamwork. Still, in both books, Anakin either saved injured trooper or wanted / argued to help clones in need, while the same stories made Kenobi the passive character or even willing to sacrifice clones for greater good.

I personally feel that Anakin and clone troopers had good dynamic and positive relationship, but that does not means Kenobi's relationship with clones didn’t matter or was outright abusive. And vice-versa. Both men care for clones in their own ways. I dare to say, the real difference is that, Kenobi first and foremost is Jedi (and thus his relationship are definied by Jedi Code & Council’s politics) while Skywalker takes everything more personally. Like Kenobi once said: “For Anakin, there is nothing more important than friendship. He is the most loyal man I have ever met-loyal beyond reason, in fact. Despite all I have tried to teach him about the sacrifices that are the heart of being a Jedi he-he will never, I think, truly understand.” What also includes clone troopers, as far as I’m concerned.

Since I talked about two stories set in the last phase of the Clone Wars - a war that affected both Anakin and Obi-Wan, the next part(s) of analysis will be focused on the beginnings of Anakin & clones interaction and how their relation developed with time.

#star wars #anakin skywalker #obi wan kenobi #clone troopers #anakin and clones #star wars legends #my analysis #my rants #i really believe that anakin and clones befriended each other really quickly #i dare to say they were true comrades in arm #i don't have anything against obi wan per se #but he can be a total asshole and snob at times #but i always blame jedi order (yoda's teaching) for that #also i'm so sorry it takes so long to write the first part #i know i said i started write this like 3 or 4 weeks ago #work keep me busy & tired #but also mortal kombat phase caught me without any warning #sorry for a long text

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