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xoxobuckybarnes · 3 months

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January 2024 Stucky Fics

Completed

The Things We Hide (Rated: E, Words: 109K) by ThePirateStorm / @fsbc-librarian

Summary: Bucky looked at Steve. Steve carefully did not look at Bucky. “You didn’t tell him?” Becca asked, pausing in the doorway. Steve shook his head. “He only just got here. Besides, I thought you would have told him over the phone,” Steve grumbled, now also carefully not looking at Becca. “He is also standing right the fuck here,” Bucky snapped. “In case you both forgot.” “Steve,” Bucky started, quietly, purposely not looking at either of them now. “Why is Becca your doctor?” Neither Steve nor Becca answered him. Bucky looked up. Becca was watching Steve, who was staring intently at a wrinkle in the sheet covering the bed he was sitting on. “Why is Becca your doctor right now?” He asked again, more forcefully, this time looking to his sister. “And why are we in the fucking family rooms?” ***** Steve’s a marathon runner. He’s still friends with his ex-alpha, his life revolves around training, work, and Bucky, his best friend. He’s also 6 months pregnant and he doesn’t know who the sire is. If he ignores his problems, they’ll go away, right?'

Wanna Be Your End Game (Rated: E, Words: 23K) by KirkApologist

Summary: "Brooklyn, baby!" Bucky types up an Instagram post. "It was so great to be home. Y’all were the best crowd I could’ve asked for on the last night of the US tour. I’m going to miss the hell out of all of you. Get ready, Italy! I’m coming for you next month. And @StevenGrantRogers - my DMs are open. Ball’s in your court - er, zone? 🏈" Before he can second-guess himself, Bucky attaches a few photos from the concert and hits post. Then promptly tosses his phone away as if burned by it. * The one where Bucky's a world-famous popstar, and Steve is the NFL player who sweeps him off his feet.

young hearts, out our minds (Rated: T, Words: 2K) by junko (orphan_account) / @ladydent

Summary: Bucky posts a selfie of the two of them in bed to his instagram. He hashtags it #goodmorningamerica. Sam Wilson and Pepper Potts retweet it to their twitter accounts.

a question of expertise (Rated: E, Words: 2K) by mwestbelle / @villainsexuale & Fancomic by piumpoetam / @pium-poetam

Summary: Steve has criteria for losing his virginity. Bucky knows somebody who meets them.

The Long Way: A Stucky Fancomic (Rated: T) by BeaArthurPendragon / @beaarthurpendragon & LittleWolf82

Summary: After Thanos is defeated, Steve doesn't stay in the past. This is the story of where he and Bucky go next. Seven pages. Posting complete.

A Trace of All That Was (Rated: M, Words: 36K) by leavinghope

Summary: Bucky Barnes has to deal with the pain of watching Steve Rogers leave and return as an old man. Sam Wilson has to learn how to become Captain America when he had not asked for the role. How could they both have been so wrong about Steve? How could the man they both thought they knew have let them down so completely?

Lost But Found (Rated: T, Words: 2K) by innerslumber / @innerslumber

Summary: Bucky shrugged Steve's hand off his shoulder and tried to get up but his legs wouldn’t co-operate. His whole body felt heavy with random bursts of pain shooting through his synapses. The interior lights were too bright and while the quinjet was quieter than almost anything except a Wakandan aircraft, it still emanated noises that his super soldier ears could pick up. It was all too much. Bucky curled his body toward the wall and tried to make himself as small as possible. “Bucky-” “No, Steve,” Bucky groaned, his voice barely a whisper. “I can’t do this right now.”

Joker in the Pack (Rated: G, Words: 9K) by Ginny_Potter / @hipsterdiva

Summary: “Shut up,” Bucky mumbles, closing his eyes and leaning the back of his head against the bricks. “You’re jinxin’ it. C’m on, deal. I’ll know if you cheat.” “I never cheat,” Steve says, a smile already creeping up, anticipating Bucky’s reaction. Bucky snorts. “Like hell, you don’t.” Or, Steve and Bucky team cheating at cards, 1922 to 1945.

Barnes & Rogers and the Goddamn Truth (Rated: NR, Words: 18K)

Summary: There are three well-known facts at Shield High: 1. The history teacher Mr. Barnes is a stone-cold terror, and it’s not even because he only has one arm. 2. The other history teacher, Mr. Rogers, is a mysterious enigma, and it’s something to do with the body of a Greek God and contradicting stories of his past. (They’re all rumours, anyway.) 3. Mr Barnes and Mr Rogers hate each other. Bucky wouldn’t have it any other way.

Crack My Back Like a Glowstick (Rated: T, Words: 1K) by moodymelanist / @moodymelanist

Summary: Actors Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes read thirst tweets to promote their latest film.

Everybody is Supposed to be Dead (Rated: M, Words: 22K) by pollutedstar

Summary: “…there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre. Everybody is supposed to be dead, to never say anything or want anything ever again. Everything is supposed to be very quiet after a massacre, and it always is, except for the birds.” In 1944, Bucky Barnes falls off a train into the Alps, missing and presumed dead. Months later, Steve Rogers nosedives a plane into the arctic. In 2010, the Winter Soldier project is uncovered by S.H.E.I.L.D., and Bucky Barnes is found alive. Three years later, Steve Rogers’ frozen body is found in the ocean.

look what you do to me (making me love you) (Rated: E, Words: 13K) by burning_brighter / @burnin-brighter & art by Reagy_Jay / @reagi-df

Summary: “Oh, you like this, don’t you?” Steve says, though it doesn’t really sound like a question at all. There’s an underlying threat in his voice, something almost dangerous, almost animalistic, and a smile spreads on his face when he sees Bucky shudder again. “Yeah you do.” Steve takes a step towards him, and he’s still so far away, but Bucky finds it hard to breathe anyway. The air around him feels heavy, tense, and he doesn’t know what to do. “Shut up,” Bucky mumbles, but he doesn’t deny it. He can’t really, because Steve is right, he is, and Bucky hates it. ———— After a failed mission, Steve and Bucky find themselves in a safehouse, where tensions run high and a lot of things come to light. When everything is said and done, it’s unclear where they stand and where their relationship – both personal and professional – is headed, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. Bucky has only one thing on his mind: to find out what happened on their mission.

put you on something new (Rated: E, Words: 13K) by howdoyousleep / @howdoyousleep3 & the1918 / @the1918

Summary: “What? Y’never suck a dick before, Rogers?” Steve can’t even stop the hysterical bubble of overcompensated laughter that escapes out his open mouth. It’s loud and such an extreme reaction that Steve can’t take back, makes his cheeks heat right back up. He shuffles on his feet, bounces on the balls of them a few times, has another round of giggles as he chugs the rest of his beer. “N-nah, I...fuck, yeah no I haven’t really—” --- Steve's fraternity throws a kegger. The star of the football team shows up.

Birthday Wishes (Rated: E, Words: 6K) by Graendoll

Summary: Steve Rogers has made the same birthday wish for almost a decade. The wish has gotten more explicit since he and Bucky started living together.

No One Wants Your Opinion (Rated: E, Words: 5K) by thepinupchemist

Summary: Wherein Bucky loves to cuddle Steve Rogers, Steve comes out on national television for the sole purpose of spiting conservative politicians, Tony sees things he wishes he hadn't, and Pepper doesn't know why she even bothers.

WIP

Lost Vocabularies that Might Express (The Memory of These Broken Impressions) (Rated: E, Current Words: 93K) by dorian_burberrycanary / @burberrycanary

Summary: The worst of times, like the best, are always passing away. How’s that for some consolation on the road? A post-The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Stucky fix-it as part of the all-American road trip, detours included.

twelve twenty-five (Rated: E, Current Words: 40K) by burning_brighter / @burnin-brighter

Summary: “I have to say,” Winifred says, a mug of cocoa in her hands. “When you say you were bringing someone home, I thought you meant you were bringing a boyfriend. But I’m glad you brought Steve.” “Who says I’m not?” Bucky teases, laughing when Steve lets out an exasperated groan. “You two finally got your respective head out of your respective ass?” asks George, looking at Steve and Bucky intently. “No,” Steve says pointedly, “Bucky just thinks he’s so funny.” - Ever since they met, everyone assumed it was just a matter of time before Steve and Bucky became a thing. Ten years later and it has yet to happen. But when Bucky invites Steve to spend the holidays with him and his family in upstate New York, things start to change.

Every Me and Every You (Rated: M, Current Words: 23K) by deadto27 / @deadto27

Summary: Bucky Barnes is doing his best. He’s getting by after the blip, after Sam became Captain America, after Steve…well, it’s best he doesn’t think about that. The point is, his life is different now, and he’s trying his best. He just wishes the hollow feeling in his chest would go away. —– Bucky gets blinded by a bright light as the tear seems to implode in on itself and there’s an odd little jolt as the pulling stops, and then Bucky’s blinking, trying to get his vision right again as he loosens his grip on America. “You okay?” he checks, still squinting. He’s probably not blind, he thinks. It just feels like it right now. “I’m okay,” America tells him and he sees her nod shakily as his vision starts to clear, and he carefully lets go of her, seeing that she can support herself, hands pressing onto the floor next to her. “Uh…I don’t think I am,” says another voice, and Bucky turns his head so fast he might give himself whiplash. Because he knows that voice. He knows that voice better than any other voice on the planet and he’s missed that voice, so, so much.

#Stucky #Steve and Bucky #Steve Rogers #Bucky Barnes #fanfic #XOXOBUCKYBARNES' Stucky Fic Reading List #january reading list

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dilemmaontwolegs · 2 years

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First Impressions || Dr Strange

Summary: You have a vision to combine sorcery with science to become an even greater surgeon, you just need to convince Dr Strange to teach you. Warnings: 18+ only, nsfw, foreplay, protected sex, fluff, medical terms/surgery scene WC: 2.8k

A/N: remember to head over to @dilemmaslibrary and hit 'Get Notifications' to hear about my new fics.

Ever since you graduated Medical School and had seen magic first hand, when Doctor Strange metaphysically broke through your operating room, you became obsessed with merging the two. You couldn’t believe your luck when you found a sling ring in an estate sale on Craigslist but you prepared yourself for disappointment when the package arrived.

“Come on, please be the real deal.” You whispered as you broke through the plastic bubble wrap and felt the cool metal fall into your palm. It wasn’t the greatest fit for your fingers but you managed to slip it on and held it up as you had seen in the many videos available on youtube of the sorcerers in action. “Take me to Dr Strange.”

A few sparks glittered in your living room but they quickly fizzled out and you huffed in annoyance. Taking a calming breath, you lifted your ring adorned hand and with the other repeated the circling motion, imagining the surgeon come sorcerer. “Show me Dr Strange.”

The sparks arced around the room, completing a dark circle as it grew and you squealed at the sight of the bare chested man reading a book in his bed.

“Excuse you.” He muttered as he frowned, looking over the top of the book at you.

“I’m so sorry.” You stammered as you looked around his room instead of being drawn into the smooth muscles that were revealed as he closed the book and placed it on his lap covered by his bedspread. “I, um, didn’t mean to intrude.”

“I hardly believe that.” He stated bluntly. “What do you want?”

“You.” His eyebrow curled up and you cringed with the need to slap yourself. “That came out wrong, not that you’re not a very attractive man, you are. Oh god, shut up…What I mean is…I need you to teach me sorcery.”

His lips twitched with a hint of amusement but then he opened his book again, his dark green eyes skimming the pages quickly. “While I am flattered, I am not in the business of training thieves.”

“I’m not a thief.” You said as you stepped through the portal, the need to defend your honour surging you into his private quarters.

“You have a sling ring that does not belong to you.”

“I paid good money for this.” You argued. “Do you know how many duds I brought before I found this one? Seven.”

“Congratulations. You have tenacity.” He drawled as he rolled his eyes.

“Damn right I do, and I’ll prove it if you let me.”

“Fine.”

“I will come back every night and change your alarm until you…wait what?”

“I said fine. I’ll see you here first thing Monday morning.” He said dismissively, holding his palm up to stop you from interrupting. “And use the front door next time.”

“I’m extremely grateful but Monday morning kind of clashes with my-”

“Do you want my help or not?”

“Yes, it’s just-”

“What?” He growled as he slammed the book shut. “What could be so important?”

“I have a paediatric craniotomy booked in.”

He sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face before pinching the bridge of his nose. “Well, I can’t ask you to change that now can I? That would really make me the asshole.”

“Kind of, yeah.” You shrugged with a smile, hoping to lessen the blow to his ego before you turned back to your portal. “Is that The Senses: A Comprehensive Reference?”

You walked around the portal to the bookshelf that took up the entirety of one of his bedroom walls and reached for the hardback you had wanted to get your hands on for a while. The spine didn’t have a single dent and you tutted to yourself as you realised the treasure hadn’t even been opened.

“Sure, just help yourself.” Stephen sighed as he went back to reading his book. “Not like you need an invitation, apparently.”

“Anyone ever told you that you’re very passive aggressive?” You asked as you took a seat in the dark red leather chair that matched his bedspread.

“They tend to leave out the passive part.” He muttered, but still flicked his finger at the lamp beside the chair and illuminated the page you had opened.

You chuckled to yourself as you tucked your legs up under you and got comfortable in the seat and circled your hand around the portal, erasing it from the room. “I’m starting to think you don’t want me to leave now.”

“Keep disturbing me and find out.”

You pressed your lips together in a tight smile as you ran your finger over them, pretending to zip them closed as you turned your attention back to the book on your lap. You should have felt uncomfortable sitting in a relative stranger's room while he was half naked but you didn’t get to be one of the best brain surgeons, since Stephen’s accident, by not taking risks. It was in your DNA, you couldn’t help that you didn’t have a healthy fear for the dangers around you - no risk, no reward.

A buzz at your hip was quickly followed by an irritating beep that stirred you from your slumber. The crick in your neck ached as you tried to straighten up and found you had fallen asleep in the leather chair, the book waiting on the side table with a bookmark between the pages. The lamp had been turned off at some point during the night and a woollen blanket had been laid across you, by Dr Strange you assumed.

Grabbing the pager on your hip you rubbed away the sleep in your eyes so you could focus on the message running across the little screen before jumping to your feet.

“God, I do not miss that sound.” Stephen complained as it woke him up too.

“Do you miss being a surgeon?” You asked as you folded his blanket and draped it over the chair.

“Sometimes.”

His voice was barely above a whisper and it felt more like a confession to himself than an answer to you. “Where’s your residency?”

“Metro-General Hospital.” You said as he opened a portal in the surgical wing of your workplace.

“What the hell?” Dr Palmer gasped as she rounded the corner and saw the portal leading to his room.

She looked between you and the still half naked Stephen before averting her eyes. “Dr Y/L/N, your patient is being prepped in OR 3. Nice to see you, Stephen.”

“Christine.” He nodded before pointing at you. “Next time, knock. Bye, bye.”

The portal surged towards you and closed an instant after it passed, leaving you in the sterile hallway with a curious Christine whose lips were just beginning to part.

“You don’t have to say anything, nothing is going on with Stephen.” You interjected as you made your way to the operating room.

“I was just gonna say he’s a good person.” She admitted, causing you to pause and turn back to her. “He’s just not so good with people. Be careful, I don’t want to see you hurt when he leaves you disappointed.”

“Wow.” You laughed and shook your head. “Thanks for looking out for me, Doc, but I’m a big girl.”

Your eyes burned from being completely focused on the bullet fragments in your patient's brain, each sliver of metal slowly extracted by your steady hand until you reached the very last one.

“It’s too risky, you could cause more damage by removing that one.”

You didn’t even look at the resident, Doctor Andrews, as you continued to extricate the piece. “I am the attending, thank you very much, and I am going to remove it.”

“Is your fragile ego really worth killing the kid?” He argued and you looked up at the live iMRI guiding you.

“You said it, he’s just a kid and this fragment was pressing on his pituitary gland. Can anyone explain what that means to Mr Know-It-All over here?” You asked and saw an eager medical student raise his hand. “Have at it.”

“The pressure on the pituitary gland would hinder its function limiting body growth, hormone release and cause lifeline blood pressure issues.”

“Gold star for you.” You muttered as the fragment came free without the need for cauterising any bleeds and you dropped it into the metal tray with the rest of the shrapnel. “You can close up.”

The medical student looked like he had won the lottery as he stepped forward and you stepped into the space beside Doctor Andrews, leaning in as you watched the student begin to textbook suture the wound closed. “Damn that fragile ego of mine.”

With the surgery finished and the boy on his way to recovery you tore your gloves and scrubs off, dumping them in the hazmat bin before stepping out of the room and straight through a portal in the floor. Your heart leapt out of your chest as you fell but as quickly as it started, you found yourself landing on the soft cushioning of a bed.

“That was rude.” You frowned as you finally stopped bouncing and found Stephen smirking from the chair you had slept in.

“Consider it payback.” He chuckled and pressed his fingers together as he leant back. “That was an impressive retrieval, but there was no way to know how much that fragment would have affected him if it had been left.”

You crossed your arms defensively and tipped your chin back. “Maybe, but there would have been more risk opening scar tissue and going in a second time when they found he never hit puberty, by then it's too late.”

“I’m not arguing, I would have done the exact same thing.” He admitted as he rose from the chair. “Like I said, I’m impressed.”

You were acutely aware that the roles had been reversed from last night and now you were the one sitting against his headboard as he crossed the room. A part of you was disappointed that he was wearing clothes this time and from the smirk playing on his lips, he knew it too.

“I get the feeling that doesn’t happen often.” You whispered as he reached the edge of the bed.

“No, it doesn’t.”

“You’re not feeling threatened are you?” You teased as he towered over you.

“That’s not exactly the word I would use.” He chuckled, his fingers rising to his cloak and shrugging it from his shoulders. “I must admit, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

Your breath caught in your chest as he leant closer and you were surrounded by his warm spiced cologne. “Any ideas on how to fix that?”

“I have one.”

His lips were surprisingly cold as they brushed over yours and you reached up to run your fingers through his hair and pull him closer, deepening the kiss as your tongue caressed his. Your head fell back with a decadent sigh as he made his way down your neck, his short shaped beard teasing your skin and sending goosebumps erupting across your body.

“This isn’t exactly how I imagined our first lesson would go.” You said breathlessly as he unbuttoned your work blouse and bared more of your skin to his touch. You were trying to return the favour but Stephen had more layers than you could understand. “Why are you wearing a hoodie and a jacket?”

“I just got back from Siberia.” He answered as if it were completely normal for him to cross the globe twice in a single morning, but for him it was.

“That explains your lips.” You murmured as you ran your thumb across them. “I didn’t want to go all Doctor on you.”

Your core clenched as he winked up at you. “There’s always role play, but maybe another time.”

“Hmmm, yes, sir.” You grinned back. “Now can you ‘poof’ your clothes off already?”

“Doesn’t quite work that way, sweetheart.” He said as he leant back and pulled the layers of shirts over his head.

“It will when I master it.” You promised, tugging his belt away so you could pull his trousers over his hips.

Whatever witty remark he had on his tongue was forgotten when you wrapped your hand around the silken skin of his cock and stroked him, his own hands making quick work of your bra. Your lips parted with a soft moan when he sucked your nipple into his mouth and rolled his tongue around it skillfully.

“Do you make a habit of spying on surgeries?” You asked curiously before his fingers dipped beneath your panties and you lost all ability to speak.

“No, you were the exception.” He whispered in your ear. “I wanted to see who I was getting involved with. I didn’t expect to find myself so enthralled, it’s quite frightening.”

“The infamous Stephen Strange fears me?” You teased, grazing your teeth over his racing pulse before he pushed you back on the bed and pulled your scrub pants off your body.

“I’m not afraid of you.” He growled as he knelt between your spread legs and trailed his darkened eyes over your body with a hunger burning in their depths. His fingers disappeared into a small portal before pulling out a condom that he rolled down his length before teasing your slit with them. “I’m afraid of what you’ll make me do.”

“Why is that?” You asked as you hooked your legs around his hips and drew him in closer so his hard length rested at your entrance.

“Because I won’t be able to say no to you.”

His fingers laced with yours before he pinned your hands above your head and your back arched as he rolled his hips, his tip easing through your wet folds too slow for your needs.

“Then don’t say no, Stephen, just fuck me already.” You begged as you looked up from your vulnerable position.

His eyes fluttered shut as he gave in and buried himself in your core, indulging himself in the sweet sound of your moan. “Shit.”

Your pussy clenched at the sight of Stephen losing the tight grip he had on his control and let himself fall completely into the moment, even his hair that was always combed back perfectly came free and tousled with every thrust into you. Your wrists fought against his hold, your nails looking for purchase across his back but he grunted as his grip tightened and he fucked you harder.

“Oh god, that feels so good.” You mewled as his angle changed and his pubic bone applied pressure to your clit when he bottomed out, waves of pleasure erupting from the epicentre.

The hold on your hands disappeared as he moved to hold your waist, pressing gently against your stomach with one hand but the pressure within your walls exploded from the touch. White hot lightning flashed across your eyes and your nails raked down Stephen’s back as your orgasm ripped through your body and your pussy gripped him like a vice. His head fell to your shoulder and his deep moan reverberated through you as he was overcome and he spilled his seed into the condom, your pussy massaging him through his release and milking every last drop.

Stephen collapsed to your side, rolling onto his back as his chest rose and fell quickly while he caught his breath. You turned to your side, propping your head on your hand as you took in every feature, including the extremely full condom he was reaching down to remove.

“Been a while huh?” You joked as he tied it off and dropped it through a portal to what you assumed was a rubbish bin.

“There’s not exactly a lot of down time between saving the world.” He shrugged. “I am particular about the person I want to share my bed with.”

“Colour me intrigued, I need to hear this.”

“Well, first, she has to be smart.” He said, his finger trailing lightly along your thigh and over your hip. “Secondly, sarcasm, that’s a must.”

“Of course.” You smirked, his finger continuing its path over your waist and between the valley of your breasts. “What else?”

“She would have spirit, others might call it pestilence, but it’s an unyielding eagerness.” He smiled, his finger tipping your chin back so he could lean in closer. “Does that sound like someone I might know?”

“24 hours ago I would have said no.” You giggled, the sound foreign to your own ears. “I don’t think I’m pestilent.”

His lips silenced any further remark as he pulled you against him and deepened the kiss to reignite the fire in your core. Pulling away breathless, he ran his thumb over your swollen lips and smirked. “I said spirited.”

#dr strange x reader #dr strange x poc!reader #dr strange imagine #dr strange smut #Stephen strange x reader #Stephen strange imagine #Stephen strange smut

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rileysghostt · 1 year

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The Siren’s Song

Chapter 3: The Dream

Siren is an ex Army soldier turned CIA operative who’s known for finding and bringing in terrorists alive. She usually works alone, until Laswell bring her in to brief for a mission with Task Force 141.

Simon “Ghost” RileyX F!reader

If you thought your commercial flight from DC to London was bad, this one absolutely took the cake. Ghost’s brute figure mammothed over yours in comparison. Since he chose the seat directly next to yours, his thick, muscular leg pushed into yours. His shoulder all but pushed into your neck, and with his leg crossed over the top of his thigh, the bottom of his worn boot brushed your thigh if you relaxed it just a little too much. He pulled out a tattered little paperback book. He turned to the first page and began reading almost instantly in silence. You weren’t going to waiver at this act of war.

This was some sort of test, you were sure of it. Why else would he do this, there’s no way he’s actually comfortable. Regardless, you shoved your noise cancelling headphones over your head and played some of your favorite music. These were a fantastic investment, the low hum of these planes gave you a headache after about 5 hours.

Somehow, you were able to drift off to sleep. Your dream was instantly so vivid, there were explosions going off around you. In nearby buildings, in the building you were camped out in, and your heart was beating into your throat. You look out the window and realize a tank is blowing down buildings, seemingly looking for someone? You? It didn’t matter as you started running, no reason in staying to find out. You had no gun, no knives, nothing to offer for your protection. Suddenly, the wall you were running past blew open, thr tank on the other side. The barrel of the massive vehicle followed you as you kept running toward a stairwell, leaping over the rails to the next set of stairs until you were on the ground level. You push through the heavy metal exit door to the blinding sunlight. The sun beaming into your pupils like a flash bang. All you could do was throw your arm up in front of your eyes to block out the intense beam of light.

Just as sudden as your burst through the exit door, you’re being grabbed tightly by the forearm. Whoever is grabbing you is leading you through an open air field. You’re both running for your lives, tank shells blowing up around you but not close enough to set the two of you off course, until you finally make it to a plane hanger. Running in, you both slam your back onto the sheet metal wall serving as a barrier between you and the massive tank that was hunting you.

“Thank you.. I don’t know where my gear is.. My knives.. My gun. Even my pist-“

You stopped speaking when you looked up at your savior. You made intense eye contact with the tall man before you, the mask covering all but his eyes that were rimmed with black coal. The skull sewn into the mask was brushed with a light dusting of dirt, maybe even gunpowder from the tank rounds.

“Ghost? What are you doing here?”

As you got out the last syllable of your question, his grip tightens on your forearm.

“We have to keep moving or we’ll die here.”

he said, his voice like gravel and his accent thick.

Before you could even nod in response, he’s pulling you again through the massive hanger. The sound of the tank’s tracks becomes louder and louder behind you as you keep running between hangers. You get to the last hanger, the both of you realizing you’ve hit a dead end. The tank is still moving at it’s slow pace towards the two of you. Ghost turns to you,

“This is it, we have nothing to give for a last stand. No exfil. Nothing. We’re going to die here.”

Surprisingly, you didn’t feel anxious, nervous, or scared. His presence actually felt.. comforting?

Ghost quickly pulled off his black gloves, throwing them to the ground. He grabbed your face in his hands, staring deeply into your eyes. This is the first time you really got a good look at his beautiful icey blue irises. If you could, you’d jump into them and swim in the frigid cold pools. His thumb caressed your cheek, swiping away some of the dirt that clung to your skin. His other hand moved to the bottom hem of his mask, pulling it up over his nose. His lips were nothing less than perfect, a small scar of a cut sat on the right side of his bottom lip. With his mask out of the way, you could feel his breath tickle your lips now. Your eyes flicked back up to his, only for a short moment before he pressed his lips onto yours. It felt so real, his soft lips pressing on yours felt so right. You could spend forever just like this. Something about it just felt like it’s exactly where you were supposed to be. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach, your heart beating erratically. Just as sudden as Ghost’s kiss you heard the tank loading a shell just behind the thin sheet metal. You heard the familiar click of the round ready to burst straight at you. You wrap your arms around his neck and press your body into his, the two of your bodies completely flush with one another. If this is how you were going to die, might as well be in his arms. It was like slow motion, you heard the click of the tank round being shot out of the huge barrel, knowing you only had a mere second of life left. You pull your face away from Ghost’s, wanting to see those icey blue eyes once more. He looked deeply into yours too, the only emotion you were able to read was..Apologetic. Then, just as quick as you heard that click.. BOOM.

You startled awake, jumping what felt like 5 feet into the air. Your heart was beating quickly as you looked around, remembering where you were. Shooting back to reality.

“Bad dream?”

Ghost looked down at you, his position hadn’t changed and his book was still open. The spine heavily creased as he was about half way through it now.

You could only imagine how stunned your expression was looking back up at him, heat rose to your cheeks looking into his eyes like you had in your dream.

“S-Something like that..”

You sighed, why would you dream of kissing GHOST??! The dude was annoying as all hell from what you gathered thus far, and it was painfully obvious he didn’t care for you.

You pinched the bridge of your nose with your index finger and thumb, trying to make some sense of it all.

“Nightmares are part of the job, it’s fine. I get it, trust me.”

He could tell you were embarrassed, but little did he know it was because you dreamt of him. Could that be considered a nightmare..?

“Y-Yeah...”

The plane began to descend, even though there weren’t any windows to see you could feel it.

“Listen up, we’re approaching the airfield. We’ll be there in about 20 minutes. When we get off the plane, go straight to the suv parked just by the plane. We can’t afford to be spotted for any reason. Clear?”

Price spoke loudly so we could all hear him clearly.

“Crystal.” Said Soap.

“Affirm.” nodded Ghost.

You gave a nod as well, this was pretty standard in your experience. Even though you were landing in a friendly area, the enemy could always be watching and it was best to act as such.

You felt the plane land as the tires touch the tarmac, and the plane jolts down. The whirling of the propellers slowed, and you could feel the rough rotation of the tires below you as the pilot taxi’d the plane. During all of this, all you could think about was your dream, Ghost, the kiss. You shook the memory from your mind, looking over at Ghost himself.

He was putting away his beaten paperback book he was reading throughout the flight. The front cover was ripped almost in half and the corners of the pages were folded and pressed in. You couldn’t make out the title of the book, but the torn picture looked like a picturesque scene of a grassy hill. Maybe the Sound of Music? You joked to yourself.

Ghost stood as the door was opening, walking toward the lowering ramp.

You watched his tall, built stature walk away from you, admiring the shape of his back. The hoodie was covering any definition but you could tell just how defined it was.

“Siren? Y’ready?” Soap stopped at your side, ready to walk with you toward the ramp.

“Yeah, ready as I’ll ever be.” You sighed with a chuckle, swinging your bag over your shoulder. You walked beside Soap toward the massive ramp down to the tarmac, the black suv was already in view. You also notice the plane was parked inside a hanger, just like the one from your dream. You sighed, cheeks burning red again. You had to get over this, and push that dream to the back of your brain. Lock it up in a lock box and throw away the key, you had to be on 100% for this mission, no distractions.

Tag List: @sashadiurnal l @shuttlelauncher81 @shadylilac @hypernovaxx @hornehlittleweeblet2 @babygirl-panda19 @sweetybuzz25 @euovennia @n1ghtlux @theking-arthur @comedinewithmeyeh

Author’s note:

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE!!! it was a stressful week or so, but tbh i’m glad the holiday is over haha. And happy holidays! i hope it was a great one :’)❤️

#call of duty #ghost cod #simon ghost riley #simon riley x reader #modern warfare #ghost mw2 #mw2 #modern warfare 2 #writerscorner

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nixie-writes · 10 months

Text

Here's something I wrote while high on pain pills

I pulled the plot for this out of my ass and it's a little wonky because I was feeling wonky and now I'm wearing a wrist brace lol. Under the cut because it's 8 pages long lmao

Willow belongs to @willowaudreykeyes , Nixie belongs to me

Willow’s POV

It was a long day. I had many patients today, most of them arriving hoping to get narcotics, which I rarely prescribe. A lot of Hell has drug abusers. I did, however, prescribe Xanax to a young trans girl who had panic attacks when she thought about her family abandoning her. I felt bad for the poor thing, alone in a world that doesn’t support trans people very well. Regardless it had been a long day and I was ready to retire for the night.

At least, that was the plan. I was taking off my bloody gloves when Alastor burst into my office, the body of a small child in his arms. The sinner child couldn’t have been older than 5. He was beaten, bruised and bloody. How did he end up in Hell? I motioned Alastor to put him on my operating table so I could get a better look at him.

I parted his black hair and found a healed bullet wound. That explained how he died; it must have been recently if he still had the scar. I looked down at his arms and saw several scrapes but nothing severe. He had a stab wound in his stomach, covered by his hand. He seemed reluctant to let me see it. I gently pulled his hand away and examined the stab wound. It was shallow and not bleeding heavily, likely caused by a kitchen knife. His kneecap was busted, he would never walk properly again. The bone was shattered, I could feel the pieces beneath his skin. When I touched his kneecap he cried out in pain, recoiling. I moved on to his other knee, which appeared fine. Aside from the shallow stab wound and his busted kneecap he was okay; I could get him bandaged in no time flat.

“Alastor, where did you find him?” I asked; Alastor looked away. “I caught a gang of demons hitting him. They’re past tense now but they were beating him badly. I found him like this,” Alastor explained in a hurried voice. “Can you help him?” Alastor begged. I knew he had a soft spot for children but he seemed especially concerned for this child. “I’ll need some supplies from the living world to patch up his stab wound, can you sit with him until I’m back? The bleeding has stopped but I imagine he doesn’t want to be left alone,” I requested. Alastor nodded his head in response. “I’ll take good care of him my dear,” he promised.

Nixie’s POV

I was busy with Niffty, folding up clothes. I tried my best to mimic the perfect way she folded towels but I was no good at it. “Don’t worry Miss Nixie, you’ll get it eventually!” She encouraged me. I appreciated that she believed in me. I slowly folded a towel, freezing when I heard a door fly open. It was probably Angel coming back to the hotel high off his ass on Xanax again, so I ignored it and continued folding.

I was almost done folding the clothes with Niffty when Willow appeared in the door frame. “Nixie, a word please?” She requested. I patted Niffty on the head and walked to the door frame, leaning on it. “What’s up?” I inquired, leaning on the door ledge. Willow told me about a young sinner child who came in severely beaten and she needed products from the living world to fully take care of him. I rose back to full height, surprised at what she told me.

“Can I come? You know Hellborns can enter the living world,” I persisted. Willow looked hesitant but sighed and gave in. “Yeah, you can come. More arms to carry more supplies,” she agreed. I dusted off my work uniform and followed Willow to her room, where she drew portals to visit the living world. This was my first time visiting the human world so I wanted to present my best.

Willow took a pen to her wall and drew a circle with odd symbols. “I assume the guy with a cane stuck up his ass taught you that?” Willow rolled her eyes. “No; I’m part angel, remember? I can transverse dimensions too. I learned this from Lucifer,” she explained as she finished the circle. The portal glowed and opened, revealing a blue sky, green grass and fresh air. It was a far cry from the stifling hot air of Hell. Willow stepped through the portal and I followed.

Taking in a deep breath I sighed happily. “I could get used to this place, I see why sinners miss it so much,” I commented. I glanced over at Willow, who had taken a human form. Her hair was still brown but her skin was almond colored and she only had two arms. “What happened to you??” I asked incredulously. Willow rolled her eyes. “In the human world you have to take up a disguise so no one suspects you’re a demon,” she explained as if she expected me to know that.

Lifting my head I imagined how I would look as a human - blue wavy hair, pale skin and with the same body type I had now. Taking a deep breath I concentrated as hard as I could and I felt magic swirling around me. When I opened my eyes I only saw out of one, the other blinded. It was weird not having depth perception.

“It gets easier with time,” Willow assured me as she took off at a brisk pace. I followed after her, glancing around. Insects with pretty wings fluttered around. One flew right in my face and I jumped back. “Nixie, it's a butterfly,” Willow sighed. “They’re harmless. It just wants to know if you’re a flower or not,” I stood still while the insect landed on my hand and examined me with its proboscis, tasting my skin. I shuddered at the sight, I did not like the insects in the living world. After a few moments the butterfly lifted back up into the sky. “They’re pretty from a distance but I don’t want one on me ever again,” I commented as we continued our journey.

As we briskly walked we came upon a garden. The flowers were many colors, more than the shades of red in Hell. I plucked a yellow flower with star-shaped petals and presented it to Willow. “What plant is this?” I inquired. Willow sighed, rubbing her temple. “It’s a daffodil Nixie. We need to keep going,” she insisted. I buried the flower so it could regrow and followed Willow, who was getting more irritated with me every time I stopped.

We left the park behind us and found ourselves in a small city. Willow looked around, presumably trying to find the building where her supplies would be. I noticed a sign on a small gas station that advertised cigarettes. “Willow you stay here, I gotta make a pit stop,” I told her, walking towards the gas station.

Upon entering the gas station I was met with a rainbow of lights, blinding me for a moment. Glancing around I found the employee and approached him. “Hey bud, a pack of Newport 100’s please,” I requested. He asked for my ID. Luckily I was smart enough to have a fake one made by a sinner. I presented it and he looked at it for a full 3 seconds before passing it back to me and grabbing my cigarettes. I handed him the cash I had in my pocket and left, opening the pack to smoke a cigarette real quick.

Willow’s POV

I watched as Nixie entered the gas station, my face dead panned. I thought she came to help but instead she’s on a tour of this city. I couldn’t go looking in supermarkets for my supplies until she came out, I needed her help carrying supplies. I watched as she exited the gas station, lighting a cigarette in the process. I stomped over to her.

“Nixie, the hell are you doing? We have an injured child and you’re worried about cigarettes??” Nixie shrugged. “They’re cheaper here than they are in Hell,” she reasoned. It was a good reason to take advantage of the cheap prices.

“Well, keep your cancer stick away from me and let’s get these supplies,” I told her, taking her free hand to make sure she didn’t wander off again, and made my way through the city looking for the medical store.

Alastor’s POV

With the two women gone I was left alone with a sobbing child. It was awkward. If this were an adult I would take immense pleasure in seeing them writhe in pain but this poor child was suffering and for once, I felt bad for him.

“Tell me kiddo, who sent those demons to beat you?” I asked him, trying to weasel out information about my next target. The child coughed, his body wracking with the effort. “My… my father,” he replied. “He thought I was a mistake and wanted me gone,” he explained between grunts of pain. I felt a fire light inside my chest. Every child deserves a loving parent, but not every parent deserves a child. “What’s your name sweetheart?” I cooed, trying to relax the child. He looked at me for a moment before staring back up at the ceiling. “My name is Andrew,” he stated. So, Andrew’s father put out a hit on him. I knew a certain demon who talked about his unwanted son Andrew. I’d pay him a less than savory visit later, but for now I was focused on Andrew, who had his hands covering his stomach wound as though he was protecting it.

“It hurts,” Andrew whined. I wasn’t sure what to do but I knew Willow had a stash of painkillers in her safe, and I knew the combination. Opening the safe I pulled out a bottle that read Tylenol. I knew it was a painkiller and emptied two pills into my hand. I put away the pill bottle and turned back to Andrew, filing a cup with water. “These pills will help with your pain. They’re not big, they're easy to swallow.” I soothed him as I approached. I held him down by his shoulders and dropped the two pills in his mouth, holding the glass of water to his lips. He drank fervently, swallowing the pills. “Can I have more? I’m so thirsty,” he sounded hoarse. I didn’t like it but I would have to use Nixie’s water to hydrate him. I reached into Willow’s fridge and pulled out a bottle of Nixie’s water. I held it to Andrew’s lips and he guzzled the water. When he finished he laid back down on the table, a little more light in his eyes.

“I miss my mother,” Andrew hummed. I cocked my head to one side. “Where is she?” I inquired. “She’s still alive as far as I know,” he replied. I placed my chin on one hand, the other on my leg. “So how did your father die?” I asked. Andrew shrugged. “I don’t know. He never liked to be around me,” he explained. I felt my anger towards Andrew’s father continue to grow.

“Don’t worry about it, try to get some rest,” I suggested as I placed a blanket over Andrew. He snuggled into the bed and shifted onto his side. His stomach was no longer bleeding and the scab looked good enough to hold. Exhausted, I sat in Willow’s chair and opened a book. How she did this every day was beyond me.

Willow’s POV

I held Nixie’s hand like she was a toddler and finally found a supermarket that sold the stuff I needed for my patient. I pulled her inside and released her hand. “You have a little money, spend it wisely,” I warned her as I walked off to the pharmacy. I noticed Nixie running to the candy like a child and rolled my eyes.

I approached the pharmacist. “Hello, I need bandaging, rubbing alcohol and self-adhesive sports wraps, please,” I requested. I knew I couldn’t make a cast for the kid’s knee but I could at least clean him up and wrap his knee so it doesn’t hurt as bad. The pharmacist looked like she really didn’t want to be there, but turned into the pharmacy to get what I requested. As I was waiting I noticed Nixie approaching me, eating peach rings. “Are you gonna be done with those before I need your help?” I inquired. She nodded, popping another one in her mouth. “I’m almost done, and it doesn’t look like anyone’s in a rush to get what you asked for,” she noted. I hated that she was right. Would they move faster if they knew it was for a kid?

While we were waiting a young man approached us, brushing his hair back with his hand. “What’s two pretty little things like you two doing alone? Don’t you want a man to protect you?” He asked, flexing his tricep while he brushed back his hair. Before I could respond Nixie snapped at him, “we both have men, we’re not interested,” she retorted. The man scoffed. “Clearly they weren’t interested in making sure you two were safe.” I could see Nixie’s one magenta eye narrowing, she looked ready to pounce on him. He turned his attention to me and approached me. “I’m sure I could show you things your boyfriend could never do for you,” he suggested. I didn’t understand the context, but before I could ask Nixie walked up behind him and kicked the back of his knees, making him fold to the ground. She grabbed him by a pressure point and pressed down hard enough to leave a mark. “I believe I said we both have men,” she growled. In her anger she was beginning to lose her human form, water dripping from her fingers.

“Nixie, I think he gets the message,” I insisted. She snorted contemptuously but let him go. He spun on us. “You’re both a pair of bitches, you know that? I could do so much better than almond milk and the feminist behind me,” he snarled as he stood up to leave. Nixie grabbed a box of batteries and threw them at the back of his head and they landed. He held the back of his head but didn’t turn around as he left. I looked at Nixie. “ What did he mean by showing me something Alastor can’t?” Nixie just sighed heavily. “He was trying to have sex with you,” she responded in a blunt tone. She noticed the water dripping from her fingers and hastily wiped the water onto her work shirt to hide the evidence.

“You almost lost your human disguise there,” I warned her. Nixie nodded slowly. “It’s harder than it looks to hold up a human disguise,” she retorted. “I have to focus on keeping this form and I just want to get back to Hell so I don’t have to wear a disguise for hours on end,” she muttered the last few words but I heard them.

The pharmacist, who I’m sure hid during Nixie’s little spur with the guy who approached us, handed me my supplies. “Rubbing alcohol, bandaging and sports wrap, right here for you ma’am,” she passed the supplies to me. Nixie ate her last peach ring and threw away her wrapper. “What do you want me to carry?” She offered. I passed her the sports wrap. “Don’t get it wet or it won’t stick,” I told her. She nodded, tucking it under her arm. “Let’s get out of this pisshole,” Nixie suggested as she made her way to the exit of the supermarket.

Nixie’s POV

I took the quickest path out of the supermarket, rushing for fresh air. I had the sports wrap tucked under my arm just in case I began to lose my physical form again. Willow paced after me at a brisk speed, finally catching up to me. “That guy really got under your skin huh?” She mused. I rolled my good eye. “What bothered me was that he was trying to get you in bed with him; it’s perverse and nasty to pick up random girls when they’re alone or in a small group,” I ranted on for a moment, Willow nodding her head in agreement.

“I wasn’t exactly comfortable with it either,” she agreed. “I was just wishing Alastor would form out of nowhere and handle him,” she admitted. I scoffed. “What, was I not your knight in shining armor? Am I not red enough?” I joked, giving her a snarky smile. Willow giggled; “no, you dispatched him just fine,” she replied.

I grabbed a piece of chalk and passed it to Willow. “Get us out of here, I want to go back to the correct Hell-hole,” I told her. She got on her knees and drew a crude circle with the same symbols from earlier. Willow pricked her finger and dropped the blood onto the drawing and it opened a portal to Hell. She hopped down first and I followed her, happy to drop my human disguise.

Alastor’s POV

I read a book while Andrew slept. His sleep was fitful, it sounded like he was having nightmares. I would have woken him up but I don’t know how to comfort a child after a nightmare. I am a nightmare. I looked up from my book here and there to make sure Andrew was comfortable. He occasionally mumbled incoherently, curling up under the blanket.

I stood up from my chair and gently patted Andrew on the head. “There there, the nightmare is just that - a nightmare. The real world isn’t as bad as you think it is,” I tried to comfort him as he slept. As though he could hear my voice he relaxed a little, settling down in the bed. I sat down again and went back to my book.

About two hours had passed when I heard the hotel door open. I didn’t hear Angel flaunting whoever he had sex with. I didn’t hear Charlie talking excitedly to Vaggie about hotel campaigns. In fact, I didn’t hear anything. Leaving the room and closing the door I walked to see who entered and froze in the spot. A demon, very similar to Andrew, stood in the foyer.

“I want my son,” he demanded in a growl. I forced myself to not look in the direction of the clinic. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied. I knew he wanted Andrew. The demon approached me and grabbed me by the wrist. “Give me the boy or I’ll make sure you’re in the same condition he’s in,” he threatened. I snarled, grasping him by the throat. “No one who threatens the Radio Demon makes it out alive,” I threatened in return. I knew I could kill him with no effort. But I knew that Andrew, a 5 year old, still loved his father regardless of what he did to him. I didn’t want to hurt the boy. I threw the demon to the ground. “Leave this hotel or I’ll drag your soul through every circle of Hell,” I warned him. I really didn’t want to crush Andrew by killing his father but it seemed like I didn’t have much of a choice.

The demon stared at me in uncertainty. Standing up he paced back a few feet. I already knew he was farcing an exit, and I was ready for him to rush at me. So when he did I summoned a tentacle, grabbing him by the arm. It pulled him down and he fought against it feebly. “The hell is this?!” The demon demanded. I snorted. “I warned you,” I taunted. Another tentacle grasped him by the throat, pulling him down to the ground. He writhed to get free but the tentacles only tightened. He was suffocating. For a split moment I worried about having to tell Andrew his father was dead but I couldn’t show this demon mercy. Not when he put out a hit on a child. The tentacle around his neck tightened until all he could make out were spitted nonsense. I watched with glee as he choked on his own vomit. His writhing had stopped, he had lost too much oxygen to move. He began twitching violently as his muscles restricted and begged for air. He jerked harshly for about 30 seconds before falling limp. I waited until I knew he was dead before I removed the tentacles. I approached his dead body and kicked him in the stomach. “Killing a child. No class,” I chastised him before turning around and entering the clinic.

Andrew was wide awake, laying down, eyeing me with fear. “I heard my father. What did you do to him?” I didn’t want to go into detail about how I slowly killed his father. “He won’t be around to hurt you anymore,” I promised him. “Now get some more rest, the ladies will be back soon with the supplies they need for your wounds.” Andrew closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, swiftly falling asleep again. I sat down in my chair and returned to my book.

Willow’s POV

Now that we were back in Hell I could carry all the supplies. Nixie gave me the sports wrap, surprisingly dry, and we headed back to the hotel. Nixie pulled out her phone and opened her GPS. “Alright, take two rights and a left and we’ll be there,” she instructed. I nodded my head in agreement. “I hope that kid’s okay, he’s been through so much,” I mused. Nixie hummed. “Alastor is watching over him. I don’t trust the guy with you but he would never hurt a child,” she assured me. I nodded my head in agreement. “Of course, he would never hurt a kid,” I reasoned with myself. It wasn’t him I was worried about. I was worried I couldn’t help the kid and I’d fail him, but I would never voice my insecurities to Nixie. She’d just go on a tangent about the patients I’ve helped and how capable I am of helping. Which is usually what I need to hear but right now, with a child’s life on the line, nothing could comfort me.

Nixie and I followed the GPS, eventually arriving at the hotel. I fished out my key and opened the door, and gasped in horror. Lying on the floor of the foyer was a demon who looked eerily similar to the child I was caring for, dead on the ground. I approached the body to examine how he died. He had constriction marks on his throat and left wrist. He was suffocated to death. He hadn’t even begun to smell, this murder was recent. I knew who was capable of this - Alastor. Had the child’s father come back for him? I would never give up the kid to his father after what he’d been through but murder seemed excessive. Carrying my supplies I stepped over the body and entered the clinic. The kid was asleep and Alastor was reading a book. I cleared my throat and he glanced up, dog-earing the page he was on. I sat down my supplies as quietly as I could so as to not wake my patient and I beckoned him outside of the clinic. “Mind explaining the body in the foyer?” I inquired suspiciously. Alastor smiled ever so sweetly at me. “My dear, that was Andrew’s - the boy’s - father. He put a hit on his kid because he never wanted kids. I simply gave him what he tried to give Andrew.”

I crossed one set of arms, propping my hand on my chin with the other set. “Well he’s certainly a piece of shit but how do you plan on explaining to Andrew that his father is dead?” I asked him. “Ho ho! I’ve already told him. He looked relieved.” Alastor never made a move to help someone in need unless it benefited him, but here he was killing a child’s father because his father simply never wanted kids.

Nixie peered around the corner of the clinic. “I hate to interrupt your makeout session but we have a patient to attend to and I have a meeting in an hour. Could we get this show on the road?” I rolled my eyes at her crassness. “Of course, let’s take care of Andrew,” I agreed.

I gently roused Andrew and told him to lay flat on the table on his back so I could see the stab wound. It had scabbed over by now but still needed to be cleaned. I split the skin open and Andrew whined. I motioned for Nixie to give me the rubbing alcohol and she passed it to me, looking away as I poured it into Andrew’s wound. He cried out in pain. “It burns!” He wailed. I waited for his sobbing to end. “It only burns because it’s cleaning the wound. It’ll be fully healed in about a week,” I told him. It still surprised me how fast sinners healed from their injuries.

Afterward I requested the bandaging and Nixie handed it over to me, willing herself to watch me at work. I gently wrapped his abdomen and back in the bandaging to stop any bleeding and prevent the scab from tearing again. I waved for the sports wrap and Nixie approached me with it. She examined Andrew. “He looks like he’s been through literal hell,” she commented. Andrew laughed wryly. “You could say that,” he hissed through clenched teeth as I wrapped his shattered kneecap. “No walking for two weeks, we’ll take care of you here,” I told Andrew. He nodded, eyes closed in pain.

Nixie’s POV

While Alastor and Willow were tending to Andrew I went back to the foyer, where the dead body lay. I knew Alastor was going to eat the corpse eventually but I didn't want him to get blood stains on the carpet again and drive Niffty into a flurry. Grabbing him under the arms I hauled him out of the hotel, kicking the door open behind me. I dragged the corpse to the back of the hotel, away from prying eyes. No one would see Alastor eat him. I knew his sense of smell was keen and he’d find the body with no issue.

Entering the hotel again I changed into more casual clothes - a pair of yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt. I sat down at my computer and opened Zoom, preparing for my meeting.

Thirty minutes passed and no one had joined the meeting so I clicked off. Clearly the meeting wasn’t being held today. I walked my way to the clinic to check on Andrew. He was fast asleep and Willow was tinkering with some bottles of mysterious fluid. When she noticed my arrival she gave me a hush signal. As quietly as I could, I slipped up behind her. “What are you doing?” I whispered. Willow hummed. “I’m trying to make fertilizer for more of Hell’s plants.” So essentially what she always did. I walked to the door, waving. “I’m gonna do my own thing, you have fun,” I whispered as I left.

I noticed Husk was actually attending the bar for once and approached the bar, planning to only have one drink. I sat down on an empty stool and requested a sex on the beach. He lifted an eyebrow in doubt but said nothing as he prepared my drink. When he passed it to me I chugged it like a shot of vodka, it was gone before it melted the ice. I was already tipsy but I had a stressful day and dammit I deserve to unwind. “Give me a shot of whiskey,” I slurred. Husk shook his head in disappointment and passed me a shot of whiskey. It burned my throat and chest going down but I wasn’t about to pussy out. I drank the entire shot in three gulps.

“I’m impressed. Not many demons can chug straight whiskey,” Husk complimented. I giggled, most definitely intoxicated. “Oh Husk, you’re so funny! You know my body waters down the alcohol so it isn’t as strong, silly.” I was hardly aware of myself when a hand patted me on the shoulder. I looked over to see Willow. “Nix, I think you’ve had enough. It’s time for you to go to bed,” she suggested, Alastor behind her nodding his head in agreement. I lifted a finger to her face; “you’re not my mom,” I slurred, but obeyed her, standing up to walk to my room. “Goodnight kitty!” I called out in a sloppy voice before retiring to my room. Alastor sighed.

Willow’s POV

“So, when’s the wedding?” I teased Husk. He snorted. “Ask that again and I’ll find a way to make you drink toilet water,” he threatened. I just shrugged him off. “I’m going to bed too, wanna join me? You can read a book while I sleep,” I offered. Alastor nodded his head; “I’d love to,” he agreed. We ascended the stairs to Alastor’s room for the night. Changing into my nightgown I asked him, “are you going to eat that body?” Alastor chuckled darkly. “Let’s just say they won’t find the remains”.

#hazbin hotel x reader #alastor x reader #alastor #angel dust x reader #angel dust #husk #husk x reader #nixie speaks

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itsdappleagain · 1 year

Text

being late for cs weekly is just gonna be my thing now, yeah? im just fashionably late always <3

anyways, its time for: the duke of vermeer caper!

aka the zack messes up and has to cover his ass caper lol. just kidding- he does a pretty damn good job. i also love seeing chase and julia acclimate to acme in this ep! ONTO THE NOTES!

going to talk about the intro being soo hot forever

pls they try so hard to pretend for a minute that the duchess isn't carmen. her first moment onscreen plays carmen's theme song

i like how it goes from our usual personal camera angles to the security cam footage!

it is carmen sandiego, actually

"we had no record of her existence until she showed up here. but we do know what she's called somehow"

fuck you devineaux i love learning about vermeer. good on chief for throwing chase under the bus

i always think of julia as veyr bookish, but she's extremely tech savvy. she's on a tablet or a phone pretty much the entire first episode, she nails acme tech immediately...

blue is totally ur color girl you can rock anything girl

love how they just have that painting out. no protection, bare fingies all over it. carmen "all history is a treasure" sandiego, yet again

it totally is ivy you could rock blonde i think

carmen "here's what we know but i'll explain it to everyone again for the audience's benefit" sandiego

love mime bomb breaking the 4th wall jhgdsajgsh he would

you can compare girl with a pearl earring here to the real one i used for my header. considering they had to animate the paintings, i'd say its a job well done translating them to cs style! maybe somewhat less vibrant, but again- style.

Fun fact: the Dogs Playing Poker wikipedia page mentioned CS

and also calls cleo a princess

player's so proud of his terrible light pun i love him

what a fucking crime that zack deprived us of a high-stakes undercover episode with one of the faculty and a hoarde of dangerous operatives all while carmen was dressed like THIS

quality is terrible sorry but you know. actually what a crime

i love the terror on everyone's faces when everything immediately goes to shit

the thought process zack went through to think that he called, they made and delivered the food within five fucking minutes,,

EVERYONE HIDING IS SO FUNNY TO ME poor ivy has to go back in the closet </3

dash haber is fucking stupid (affectionate)

CARMEN POPPING UP FROM BEHIND THE BAR AND JUST STARING AT HIM IS SO FUNNY SHE'S LIKE Z A C K i also like how zack immediately goes "UH GOTTA THINK OF A COVER UH WE'RE MARRIED" the thought process was just. good job

zack's facial expressions in this episode are so good honestly

i also love how zack went "yeah im from boston" and immediately covered up his boston accent he's so silly

poor carmen wheeze

she went "NO DONT LET HIM DO THAT" and zack threatened murder

imagine only have 33 of vermeer's paintings and not 34 what a loser

the tiny eye flutter dash does when he hangs up is so funny pls

HIS GRIN BEFORE IVY WHACKS HIM WITH THE WIG IS SO

carmen is so chill about what just happened khzghsdgh

idk thought it was interesting i never knew what that was

player what do you think the not so good news is. really and honestly what do you think

the grimace on carmen's face progressively getting deeper as zack fails to not be bostonian is so funny shes just like. eugh

also what did moving his chin possibly help to accomplish

they did zack so dirty with that monkey suit joke shdfjsagsh

carmen is REALLY calling on her cleo childhood for this one. also. poor zack actually

the obsession with making him eat fish please just let him tell them he's allergic

CARMEN IS SO FUCKING HARSH WITH HIM IM SORRY she's like "cleo's going to fucking feed you to her dogs" and then zack works overnight to make this happen and when he comes out all ready she's just like 👁️👄👁️ showtime

its literally 7am i feel so bad for him

"park the fork in my mouth" plays in my head constantly i dont even know why

LOOK AT HIM HE DID SUCH A GOOD JOB THE GRIN WITH THE EYEBROWS AND EVERYTHING. NICE JOB ZACK

they didnt go over zack not wearing a tracker before or

pls neither of the girls can drive

girl i know it is impossible to look behind you with the side mirrors in the passenger seat nuh uh no way in hell did she even see devineaux well enough to turn it. also you just took away one of ivy's mirrors nice job carmen

shes so

DIDNT I DO IT FOR YOU...

i wonder, considering carmen's other aliases, what carmen and the crew registered as. did julia see "rogue scarletina" and go hmm might be the duchess

poor julia this season wheeze

"old admirer" youve known about him for one singular week

a "klick" is apparently a kilometer. who knew. its also apparently a military term.

LITERALLY POOR IVY carmen is not treating her crew well this time around

"ahh a drawbridge" WHAT. OTHER KIND OF BRIDGE CAN YOU HACK INTO you wouldn't download a bridge

ivy has some good expressions too actually

i laugh every time at how outraged chase gets between the second and third slo-mo shot of him turning around in the car

THEY LOOK SO SHOCKED HHAHAHA

ARE YOU?? UNDERWATER??

the direction you wish to eject is so funny to me. ejecting out the bottom <3

i love how theyre just standing there like "hmmmmm is devineaux drowning??"

oh my god ivy's driving stick i would be terrified too

i would kill someone to have heard haber say "the hostess with the mostest" pls also he looks so sad about being cut off

okay so.. zack actually can speak italian and i totally forgot about that. he says "good evening, my beautiful countess" which. everyone probably knew already

he's just vomiting back up what carmen said in the hotel jhdgsgsh

the dogs ARE so cute

DASH IN THE BG OFFENDEDLY LOOKING OVER ZACKS SHOULDER AS THEY WALK AWAY

i love dash he's such a rightfully petty bitch about everything

HI LADY DOKUSO AND COUNTERFEITER FROM S3

the cleaners do everything

PLS IVY KNEELING IN THE HALLWAY TO GET THAT VERY CARTOONY SHOT OF THEM POKING OUT FROM BEHIND THE WALL

not the three digit code for the room containing 34 vermeers

have i mentioned that they FLY through this dinner party because holy shit

OKAY NOW IVY WEARS GLOVES WHERE THE HELL WERE THOSE WHEN THEY WERE HANDLING THEM BEFORE

or i wonder if its because zack and ivy are registered citizens and if their fingerprints were found on the vermeers they would be put on wanted lists??

why ivy isn't three centimeters away from the stand with the replacement i will never understand

zack you're literally on the edge of the table you have the easiest water glass to remember

that naughty comment 😭

pls that very polite chuckling around the table

love that they switch from ivy putting the fakes down to carmen doing it. makes. more sense

YEAH OKAY IF THEYRE DOING ONE SWAP A MINUTE THE DINNER PARTY BLOWS THROUGH EVERY COURSE IN LIKE 20 MINUTES OR LESS

also the shape of the vermeer room changes??

cleo glares at her champagne thats so funny

JUST. I KNOW EVERYONE IN THE FANDOM HAS SAID IT BUT JUST SAY YOURE ALLERGIC

they were so wrong for that closeup of dash's lips

ooomg so suspiscious...someone has a different taste than urs??? what the fuck augh

dash is saying the word puke but im staring at his eye makeup its so good. look at that eyeliner and mascara

cleo the worst hostess ever doesn't tell her guest to stop when he looks like he's about to vomit

THE CRIMINAL IN YOUR MIDST LINE IS SO FUCKING FUNNY IM CRYING THE DEADPAN STARES

the meat cleaver contrasted with the rolling pin

ZACK AIMED RIGHT AT DASH'S FACE SJKFDSSGH

something about how silent that button was is so satisfying

acme has blue gas, vile has green gas, damn carmen needs something

also love how they had the masks at the ready. nice. i wonder what it would have done. knock out or more sinister?

WAIT I NEVER NOTICED DEVINEAUX SKIDDING ON THE ICE AS HE RUNS OUT HAHAHA

yes i believe the phrase is actually implying that two MUST dance that tango

duke of vermeer bad ending: chase gets mauled by dogs <3

love how chase went: hm yes. the woman who just stole 34 paintings is probably on that snowmobile, which has no cargo

lmaoo the calling card

scarlet ski demon

IVY IS SO FUCKING FUNNY IN THIS BIT IM SO IN LOVE WITH HER SHGJHSGHSGDK

RED BRINGS OUT MY EYES AND COATS ARE WARM

at least she sort of offhandedly told him he nailed the role but thats literally the only praise he gets this episode

THE SHOT JUMPING TO THE CHATEAU BEING BURNT TO THE GROUND IS SOOO FUCKING COOL

chief is so disappointed wheeze

i wonder if this case is especially aggravating to chief, considering the last time she watched a vile member's property go up in flames was dexter's house

carmen's already gotten around the world with those puppies

i thought the public wasn't supposed to know that vermeers were even gone hgdashgdsgh

i would have killed for a s4 moment where julia was like "ah your allies! a pleasure to meet you! is the duchess still among you" and everyone just kind of is like. whos gonna tell her

transition sentence <3

this is set up so much like a weekly release show its hard to believe its a netflix exclusive. that cliffhanger with grey is such a week-to-theorize thing

SHADES OF GREY. LIKE. GRAY. GRAY HAM CRACKER?

GET IT

anyways aur naur its crackle

okay yeah. solid episode, not my favorite, some shining moments just like i started with. sweet! sorry its so late anddddd see you next week for the opera in the crikeycore caper

#carmen sandiego #cs weekly #csweekly

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scientistservant · 5 months

Text

Oh yeah!! I completely forgot to mention this, but if any of you remember my posts last year on my old blog about a Long Live The Pumpkin Queen rewrite/fix-it-fic... that's still in the works! I just have a bunch of other projects I'm also working on but the prologue is almost done!!!!!

A small preview under the cut.

On a crisp autumn night in February, Dr. Finkelstein sat at a desk in his bedroom. Unintelligible notes were scattered about the table, the only noise he made was the tap-tap-tapping of his pen, along with a stray hum or two of thought.

The Doctor never liked to be too far from his work, but he greatly enjoyed his privacy — and so his room was tucked, inconspicuously, in a corner of his laboratory and away from prying eyes.

With another hum, Finkelstein opened the metal skull-cap that contained his brain and scratched at it; the Doctor did this whenever he really had to think hard about something — perhaps he was the one who started the phrase, “to rack one’s brain”.

With both hands Finkelstein shut his skull-cap in frustration, and got to his feet to search the desk’s drawers.

“Igor!” The ageing scientist shouted from his room and it carried through the hemispherical lab, the concave walls amplifying the volume and allowing Finkelstein’s hunchbacked assistant to hear, as clear as day, from the observatory’s cold, dark basement, “Bring me my tomes on apparitional properties!”

There was the sound of stumbling feet and panting, and after a moment Igor had entered the Doctor’s private room with a small tower of dusty books.

“I-I thought Master wanted to get rid of these,” said Igor as he tried to crane his head over the books.

“Nonsense,” Finkelstein stated matter-of-factly, “I never get rid of anything! Give them here.”

As the tomes were taken from Igor’s hands, a particularly dusty one slipped out from between two considerably less dusty books and fell, directly, onto the floor in front of the odd pair with a heavy ‘thump!’

The Doctor peered down at the book that now called the floor it's home from behind his small, black spectacles.

“Igor,” he said with a hint of both intrigue and irritation, “what is that?”

Through the dust, the book in question coloured a cool blue, adorned with a sparkling golden border on the covers both front and back. The book’s front bore no title, nor did the spine, yet in place of one was a dark blue silhouette of what appeared to be a lanky, bearded old man.

Not bothering to wait for his assistant’s answer, Finkelstein scooped the tome from off the cold, stone floor with a grunt. It was large in his small hands, and the dust collected upon his gloves, sparkling like tiny stars.

His right hand quivered as it reached for the cover, as though something dangerous would happen if the book were opened.

“Master?” Igor spoke up, seeing the Doctor’s apprehension.

Finkelstein clenched his hand tightly.

“Set the other books on the desk, Igor. I’ll look through them later.”

Right now, this tome was the only thing that held his attention.

The Doctor sat in a large reading chair that was nestled in a corner of his room, and opened the strange book to the first page.

He was greeted with wondrous penmanship, coloured a shimmering gold.

DREAMLAND: THE REALM OF DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES

the first page said. There was no author mentioned anywhere, as though the book had simply come into being one day.

Finkelstein continued to read,

The realm of dreams and nightmares is nestled in the deepest and darkest of wood. One can only find it if They have a strong dream They wish to fulfill. The souls of dreams will call to You.

The Doctor’s brow furrowed. He looked over, staring past the doorway of his private room, and into the laboratory.

On the operating table, covered in a white sheet, lay a body. It was nude, save for several layers of gauze completely surrounding the head and neck to the point of suffocation.

Tightly stitched seams of dark blue thread held the pale, grey-blue body together in sutures.

Finkelstein had been working for a long time on a creation he could spend time with, have conversations with. He felt he was far too old to start a meaningful relationship with anyone in town — that part of life was well past him now.

And so, instead of finding a relationship, he would make one.

But a creation made to converse with, to spend time with, needed a voice. A mind. The scientist of Halloween Town couldn’t simply ask a resident ghost to inhabit his dear creation, no — a ghost already had a life lived, its own memories and loved ones.

But a soul, made of dreams… his dreams — that seemed enticing.

Soon, Finkelstein made his way down to the observatory’s foyer, dressed in a moth-eaten cloak for warmth and an oil lantern in hand. Igor followed behind him.

“I’ll be alright, Igor. Don’t tell anyone where I’m going.”

“Master, is that wise? Going out into the Hinterlands alone? Igor should go with Master.“

“Don’t follow me. You need to stay here and look after the lab.”

“But…”

There was a tug on his sleeve — a useless attempt to have Finkelstein stay — and the Doctor whirled his head to face his assistant, a small hand clutching the door handle in fury.

“Igor, that is an ORDER from your MASTER!”

Silence seemed to fill the entire observatory and, not wanting to anger the scientist further, Igor backed away.

Finkelstein exhaled deeply from his nose, having opened the door. The cold night air greeted him, as did the silence of the town.

“I’ll return soon,” he told Igor, and the door shut behind him, slow and heavy.

The moon hung in the sky, bathing the town in its soft light. It had been a few days since the Doctor was last outside; the air in the observatory was old, dusty. The lab was no better. The strong scent of chemicals and strange liquids from pickled limbs kept in jars were things Finkelstein was perfectly used to — yet a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as the crisp, earthy scent of fallen leaves and cold, wet dirt mingled in the air.

#nightmare before christmas #tnbc #dr. finkelstein #long live the pumpkin queen #fanfic #fix it fic

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smurphyse · 2 years

Text

Mr. and Mrs. Teddy Martinez | S.R.

Chapter 8 of Operation: Sand Leopard

Warnings: canon typical stories, child brides, mentions of child abuse, death

Summary: Spencer finally meets his CHUmate. You give something personal to him.

Spencer rolled his neck, hoping beyond hope it would release some of the tension in his shoulders. It didn't, not that he really expected it to, which was probably why it didn't work.

Alijah's frustration with him yesterday made him nervous. The fact that she felt like she'd been lied to meant it would be that much harder to earn her trust, even if her previous case agent hadn't meant to.

You were so damned closed off you wouldn't even tell him the original agent's name. He'd learned that not even the unit had seen Alijah in the flesh, that they didn't even know who they were trying to protect, just who they were trying to catch.

What about this case made you so paranoid? Was it the fact that there was a child involved, or was there something you were keeping from the entire unit?

He just didn't know, and you likely wouldn't tell him.

Sighing, Spencer knocked on Alijah's cell door. He heard nothing on the other side, probably because nobody had ever knocked before, so he opened it slowly and stepped inside.

Alijah sat against the concrete wall with her knees held tightly to her chest, but when she saw him she relaxed.

"You came back," she said in relief, flashing him a small smile.

"Of course I did," Spencer replied as he made his way to his spot, sliding down to the floor. "I wanted to see you."

Alijah’s chin wobbled, and she adjusted on the little cot. Her eyes were wide and full of hesitance as she quietly said, “I’m very sorry I was angry. I miss Teddy, but he won’t come back.”

Spencer frowned, but before he could say anything she asked, “Do you know where he is?”

He shook his head, “I don’t know, but I can find out.”

Alijah smiled wide, and she brushed away some of the tears in her eyes. “I would really like that.”

“Can you tell me more about him?”

She relaxed into the wall and pulled a book out from under the blankets. It was the second book in the Redwall series; he recognized the name from the inside cover of the old copy you’d given him.

“He taught me to read English, I learned how to speak some of it as well, but I forgot,” she said quietly, holding the book and watching it with a small smile. Her thumbs brushed against the frayed pages, and something settled heavily in his chest. “When he left, they sent me back to Sayeed.”

“When was that?” Spencer asked, cocking his head at her.

“Two and a half years ago. I was eleven when I met Teddy. He took me from the house I lived in with my husband.”

Spencer tried not to groan at her casual use of that word, husband. He didn’t know enough Kurdish and it wasn’t really his place to tell her that her so called spouse was a sex offender where he came from and a murderer.

If she’d only been here two months this time, how long had she been here the last? Where did Teddy keep her that made you want to hide her away in a dark room so nobody could lay eyes on this child?

“Did you like being with Teddy?”

She nodded emphatically, “He wanted to take me to America, to his wife.”

Spencer blinked in surprise. “He wanted to… adopt you?”

“Yes. He said he and his wife wanted a baby, but they couldn’t have one. He said she would like me very much and was excited to meet me.”

Spencer sighed, and he moved closer until he could lean his elbow on the cot and look up at her. She handed him the book, and he took it easily. Opening the front cover of Mossflower, Spencer flipped to the front page and read the first words.

“Late autumn winds sighed fitfully around the open gatehouse door, rustling brown gold leaves in the fading afternoon.”

“It’s his wife’s favorite book series,” Alijah whispered, full of excitement and faded hope. She waved at a stack of books in the corner of her tiny room. “She sent them so I could read them.”

Spencer swallowed thickly as the realization hit him. Redwall was your favorite book series, as far as he could tell. You refused to tell him the name of the original case agent, Teddy, so private and closed in on yourself… and he wouldn’t expect you to.

How had you known Teddy? Had you served with him, and he rubbed off on you the way the unit had? Were you a friend of his wife? Either way, Teddy wasn’t here anymore to take Alijah home, and after the effort he seemed to go through, there was one real conclusion to come to.

Teddy was dead, and you were right. He lied, but he didn’t mean to.

“Would you like me to teach you English?” he asked quietly, deciding he should put off talking more about Teddy until he got some information from you.

Alijah perked up, and for the first time she reached out and touched him, clasping her hands over his. “Yes, please! Please teach me!”

“Okay,” Spencer chuckled softly, “Where do you want to start?”

She pointed excitedly to the first lines of the book, and Spencer nodded as he read it aloud in English, “Late autumn winds sighed fitfully around the open gatehouse door, rustling brown gold leaves in the fading afternoon.”

----------------------------

Spencer stopped by his CHU before going to speak with you. He was exhausted, wanting a nap since he knew he probably wouldn't sleep that night.

As he stepped into the hallway, the door to the latrine opened, and on instinct Spencer’s hand went to the gun on his hip.

A short middle aged man with thick dark hair stopped as he spotted Spencer in the hall, blinking in confusion. He had deep tanned skin and dark eyes, and he broke out in an awkward smile.

"Doctor Reid, I presume," he said, sticking out his hand. "I'm Agent Garber, Homeland Security."

Spencer relaxed with a sigh, chuckling softly as he took the man's hand and shook it. "Sorry, nobody ever seems to be here but me. You startled me."

Garber nodded as he let go, "I work nights mostly in the tech tent. I hear you getting up as I'm going to bed."

"Oh, I… I hope I'm not too loud," Spencer stammered apologetically, but the man just held his palms up and shook his head.

"I had another roomie a few years ago, this Army grunt. He stomped through this place like it was on fire and he was determined to snuff it out." The man shrugged and set his hands on his hips, "You're quiet as a mouse comparatively."

They looked at one another awkwardly before Garber decided he'd had enough and pointed at his door, "I'll…leave you to it. Just needed to use the bathroom. Getting old sucks, can't sleep without peeing fifteen times a night."

Spencer didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded uncomfortably. Garber opened his door and stepped inside, leaving Spencer to go over the encounter in his mind.

He couldn't have been much older than Spencer, and for some reason the thought that he might be nearing the age of prostate problems irritated him greatly. And…made him need to pee.

After doing his business, Spencer laid slowly on the cot, covering up with the quilt you'd given him and closed his eyes. His shoulders ached with the tension he was carrying, making him only feel older and angrier at the thought.

Wanting to think about anything else, he thought about Teddy and Alijah. She missed him, wanted him to come back, if he was dead like Spencer feared… How was he going to tell her that?

The man had taught her to read English from books his wife had sent them so they could bond even across an ocean. What an act of love… to trust your partner enough that without meeting a child you know she's yours?

It made the first lines of the Redwall book that much more powerful to him.

Who says that I am dead

Knows nought at all.

The part of him that still grieved all he'd lost, the possibility of a future with Maeve, found comfort in that. He hoped Teddy's wife was still going to adopt Alijah after all this, and wondered if she'd asked you to come here to bring the girl home.

The one thing that made all the trauma and pain of working with the BAU better was reuniting victims with their families again. It gave hope and an excitement for the future to him and the team each time they got to bring a child home to their parents.

Spencer knew he was going to do everything he could so Alijah had that same chance. He was going to bring her home.

---------------------------

You licked the inside of your lip, pushing it out as your exhausted eyes struggled to read the FRAGO in your hand. Your sleeping habits were only getting worse, unable to close your eyes in the darkness.

Knowing Spencer would surely be outside most nights didn't help. You looked forward to those private moments with him too much. With his stupid puppy dog eyes and the way he always seemed to be a babe lost in the woods… oh, it infuriated you how much you liked the look of him.

You wondered idly if he'd masturbated after talking with you, then quickly shook away the thought and the image that crossed your mind after. You found yourself licking your lips as the image popped up again, then let out a frustrated noise and rubbed your face to scrub it away.

This place was changing him, the way it changed you and every other miserable bastard here. He was growing more confident, getting used to the harsh realities of base life, getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable. You just hoped he didn't lose that softness that radiated from deep behind those steel backed hazels.

A knock on the door made you look up, and in the doorway stood the man himself, flashing you one of his awkward waves and sheepish smiles.

"What's up?" You asked sternly. No need to let him know you were thinking about him or the way his eyes crinkled at the edges when he smiled like that.

"I uh, well," he stammered. Spencer pulled his hand up to rub the back of his neck like he did when he was uncomfortable, his cheeks going a bit pink, and it just pissed you off how much you liked it.

"Spit it out, Doc," you snapped, and his eyes went wide.

Spencer pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and sat in the chair in front of your desk. He set his elbows on his knees and wrung his hands together.

"Who's Teddy?"

Your heart stopped beating in your chest, your jaw tightening automatically at the sound of your husband's name falling from his lips. Spencer just watched as sweat pooled under your arms, and you clicked your teeth and shrugged.

You closed the file on the FRAGO and set it aside, clasping your hands together protectively on top of it. Taking a deep breath, you shrugged again.

"The original case agent for the Sayeed case."

"Where is he?" Spencer asked immediately. He had a look in his eye, one you didn't like. You realized it was his interrogation face, focused and intent, and it set your teeth on edge.

"Captain Theodore Alejandro Martinez died in a plane explosion two and a half years ago."

Spencer grunted and swiped a hand down his face, "Fuck. I didn't want to be right."

You said nothing, simply watched him as you silently coaxed your heart to resume its steady thumping. The lump in your throat was thick and heady, and you prayed tears weren't rimming your eyes as he thought.

"Alijah wants to know what happened to him," he said, and you nodded.

"I didn't tell her for a reason. She was very attached to him."

Spencer cocked his head at you and frowned, "You'd rather her think she was abandoned?"

Your face fell, and you leaned forward, your voice hardly above a whisper, "Is that what she thinks happened?"

Spencer leaned forward too, setting his arms on the desk and watching you intently, "She said he was going to adopt her, and one day he just stopped coming to see her."

"He didn't mean to die, Spencer," you said quietly, almost as if you were saying it to yourself. You'd told yourself that over and over again… he didn't mean to leave you, you couldn't be angry at the man for dying, but you were.

Teddy's death left you reeling, broken and alone when you thought you'd finally gotten the family you wanted. You had so many plans… for him and Alijah and that house in Maryland that now sat empty and covered in dust. He left you alone without a daughter and that too big farmhouse in the country that loomed ominously in the night.

"I don't think you've ever said my name before," Spencer marveled softly.

Your gaze snapped to his, defensive and guilty as anything for having a crush on this agent you hardly knew. You were married… married to a dead man you couldn't let go, and that meant there was no way you could let Spencer in. You weren't sure you even wanted to.

You found yourself pulling your keys from your belt and opening a drawer in the desk. With shaky hands you reached inside and grabbed a few traveler's journal inserts from it. You slid them across the desk and quickly pulled your hands back to cross protectively over your chest.

"These were his. Luke says you're good with ciphers."

Spencer eyed the journals cautiously, slowly saying, "I am."

"Good," you grunted, "Teddy wrote everything in a code. He used to send these home to his wife when he finished them."

Spencer's brows furrowed, "She doesn't have the code?"

"Just… do what you can with them, Doc." You rubbed your face and sniffled hard, "If he wrote anything of significance down, it's in there. He told Angel everything."

Spencer took one and opened it, and it took everything you had not to dive over the desk and snatch it back. But… you trusted him, and a deep part of you knew Teddy probably would have too. With Spencer's mind and Teddy's experience, maybe you could finally get something out of Alijah worth knowing.

"It's a symbol cipher, probably one he made up on his own," he mused aloud, flipping through the pages. "He writes with confidence, so he's been using it for a long time. I see some repeat patterns…"

He glanced up at you, "I can't write this down, can I?"

You shook your head, "Nope."

Spencer blew a raspberry with his lips and nodded, "I can figure this out. I'll let you know what I come up with."

"Thanks, Doc."

Spencer stood and gathered the notebooks in his arms. When he walked out the door with them, it felt like he took the last piece of Teddy with him, and suddenly you were the size of a leaf in a forest too big to call you anything but prey.

He closed the door behind him, and as soon as he was gone you burst into tears.

Notes: Please let me know what you think! Feedback and comments are what fuel the fire for this story! <3

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kazekothestrange · 7 months

Text

"Oi!! Sorry to keep you waiting!" Running towards the other gathered ladies, Kazuno waved to catch their attention., Kazeko close behind. "Everybody ready?"

"Yo! Yeah, we're all ready!" Shanna waved, Rose letting out a little sigh under her breath and folding her arms. "Good, you're safe." The twins greeted in reply, Rose stepping forward and gesturing for Shanna to choose a dance partner as suggested.

"Haa, just in time. The next song is about to begin." The elven woman gently gestured towards the skull, to let everybody know there's something up with it, sending a telepathic message to the two other stand users. "That skull is trouble. Don't stare at it."

One by one, the girls settled in with another and started moving to the music, covering their information exchange.

"We found some pretty telling things on our end... and you, dear?" Kazeko murmured as quiet as she could without being drowned out.

"Us, too. But go ahead. What have you discovered, Kazeko?" Rose muttered back, glancing over her shoulder.

"Well, we found what is definitely an entry point, probably for what's responsible for this. Claw marks on the balcony railing, and shoe scuffs in the carpet. Kazuno used a torch to look at the ground below, and there was no sign that anybody had been jumping down."

"That lines up perfectly with one of the things we learned." Replied the noble, spinning around her dance partner. "There've been sightings of a winged humanoid creature around this mansion. It must have been using the balcony for takeoff."

"We got two solid witness accounts." Kazuno spoke up as she shuffled over to the other twin, stopping with a swing. "A friend of one of the missing people said he raved like he was out of his mind, about a beautiful woman he just had to ask out, as if he would die if he didn't. And another kept hearing what sounded like a person growling whenever she got too close to this place at night!"

"Hmhmhm... it's all coming together..." Shanna started to smile. "We found a long lock of curly pink hair, and that clock upstairs? It wasn't broken, because it was battery operated and just removed from the wall. But yet the batteries were taken out, to forcibly stop the clock, but it wasn't placed back on the wall, as if this was all done in a hurry. So whoever it was didn't know how to work a modern day clock, and tried to trick everyone into staying longer. Perhaps to get more victims, or by chance, to give this being more time with its CURRENT victim." She closed her eyes in thought as she did a twirl, flaring her skirt.

"So, something that looks like a person, and crafty too... but doesn't have all its marbles together, huh?" Kazuno mused, smirking as a similar idea started to form.

"Not to mention the blood spatters I found on a candelabra." Kikumi interjected, backing up towards the others.

"A-and I've got a bloodstained scrap of fabric in my bag... I found it on my way downstairs...!" Kazeko replied once more, eyebrows upturned with worry. How many people had fallen victim...?

"Plus, would you believe it? We found Sakura here at this party, so we were able to get a witch's opinion on this! She said we have three choices from all the information she knows. Dragon, Succubus or Incubus, or a Chimera. Now, I know Chimeras, and so do you, Kazeko, Kazuno. You met Kyle and Koryea. I can't possibly imagine the reason for Chimeras to kidnap many victims and keep coming back for more. Plus I highly doubt a human mixed chimera would go after this many humans as well. Dragons are also meant to be guardians, so unless we're a danger to the Earth, it shouldn't be a dragon either. So. You thinking what I'm thinking, Rose?" Shanna looked over at her sister.

"I guarantee I am." Rose answered with a firm nod.

"I'm thinking... succubus. Are we all on the same page, ladies?" Kazuno piped up, cartwheeling close to the converging group.

"Definitely..." "Without a doubt." "Yep, it's gotta be!" "Mmhm." One by one, everyone confirmed their suspicions are the same, slowing to a stop as the song came to a close.

"Alright, everyone, let's go meet up with Sakura!" Shanna pointed a finger up to catch everyone's attention, and the brunette led the charge out of the foyer, everyone under the watchful eye of the skull looming menacingly over them...

Kazeko and Kazuno: Me

Shanna, Rose, Spy: @strawberry-metal

Kikumi: @caffeinated-chaos-bean

Stage: はぎの

Skydome: MMDAnimatio357

Poses: Taken from various motions, I will track down all the credits later

Effects:

Autoluminous4 and SvSSAO: Sovoro

HgDiffusion: Harigane

Dream Shader: Ianami

#jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #mmd #mikumikudance #reblog #jojo #jojo no kimyō na bōken #jjba ocs #ocs #halloween event #event #shanna #rose #the twins #kazeko #kazuno #siblings #kikumi fujimori

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felassan · 1 year

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Thoughts/wonderings on the Dragon Age: The Missing issue 1 preview pages (Dragon Age: The Missing #1 spoilers at link), under a cut due to spoilers (please note post contains spoilers for front pages and synopses of subsequent issues beyond #1 as well):

I know it isn't new, as we saw her before in this piece of art, but I love Evka's design, like her hairstyle, her facial markings, etc.

Evka and Antoine is a pleasant surprise, I'm looking forwards to spending time with them and learning more about them, and I hope they both make it out of the issue alive.

going by the presence of two other characters (that resemble Teia and Viago) on the cover of #2, it seems Evka and Antoine are the companions for issue 1 only, but still, the composition for the adventuring party of issue 1 is such a treat. No humans, and dwarf-heavy!! I'd like to see more of that sort of thing in DA going forwards

about that. Evka and Antoine in #1. #2 has what looks like Teia and Viago on the front. #3's synopsis says Varric and Harding run into a pair of Veil Jumpers, and I wondered here if they could be Strife and Irelin. based on this I have wondered if each issue of Dragon Age: The Missing features a different cameo of 2 of the 'newer era', 'Tevinter Nights & similar' characters, perhaps even representing different factions? [Wardens, Crows, Veil Jumpers/The Triangle Guys, ?]. a) how fun, and a neat way to re-feature and expand on these characters before DA:D b) could we be seeing these folks in DA:D? c) who could it be in The Missing #4?

I like Varric's dialogue, I can hear 'his voice', u know? he seems so tired and on-edge in this. :[

So, if something has been dragging the people of Marnas Pell away / abducting them, the title could have a double meaning. It's not just Solas who is kinda 'missing', that Varric, Harding and the Inquisition remnants are looking for. these poor people are missing as well. if so and since that's the title of the whole series, not just one issue, that could be a plot thread that runs through all 4 issues

Varric and Harding's dialogue "Stop him, what else" / "But you were his friend, right? Maybe you could, you know, talk to him?" exchange nicely reflects the Solas choice Stop/Redeem at the end of Trespasser

"It fits, though. A refuge in the ass end of nowhere. He's really gone down in the world", Varric pls, the shade

"You were his friend, right?" reminded me of when the Inquisitor can ask Varric in Haven 'tell me about your friend Anders, the mage who blew up the Kirkwall Chantry'. poor varric, he must be so tired and feel so guilty feeling like his friends keep ending up doing stuff that isn't good for the world either with his involvement or under his nose without him knowing.

the light/dark shading on Varric's face feels quite intense compared to the others. it emphasizes for me how on-edge and stuff he's feeling/acting

Has Harding's hairstyle changed since DA:I? ^^ she wears it in a long braided ponytail now? reminds me of the Harding-esque dwarf in this DA:D concept art

interesting, they're in the Deep Roads with those familiar dwarven statues, but when Antoine is looking at the wall, that looks like a carving of a human-sized figure on a horse

"A tall, dark figure, emerging from the Deep Roads to drag the unwary to their doom" 👁️

"There could be a human or an elf down here, using the place as a base for whatever terrible scheme they've concocted" 👁️

the shadowy figure at the end 👁️

I guess if they told Evka and Antoine, they would probably become people Solas does know, not 'people he doesn't know', and the Inquisition remnants are trying to keep their operations secret and uninvolved people out of harm's way. I also wonder specifically what lead it is that the Inquisition remnants had that sent Varric and Harding down here after Solas in the first place. is it just Varric & Harding looking into these, or are there other groups of known faces investigating others?

about the kidnappings, and the possible it's darkspawn/maybe it's not darkspawn stuff. we know that darkspawn take female captives during raids and take them into the Deep Roads (the origin of Broodmothers). in the novel The Calling, the Architect's darkspawn captured and took captive Warden Bregan. ofc that doesn't mean it's darkspawn, especially since Evka and Antoine hadn't sensed any yet, just that it's not unknown that darkspawn kidnap people. is whatever/whoever's taken the people doing effed up experiments on them? is there any connection to the underground monsterpools from Horror of Hormak? how does it link into the plots of subsequent issues e.g. going by the Venatori presence in the synopsis for #2, maybe it is them who are the culprits?

could investigating the kidnappings be why Evka and Antoine had been recalled to Weisshaupt in TN?

also I'm just so excited! Obviously we knew that this comic was coming, and that it's stated to be a DA:D lead-in. but it's still just so exciting to finally see the DA:D storyline, or the prologue thereof, finally kicking off (things like TN & the short stories were great but more in the vein of bridging content between things, this feels more like 'Chapter One').

#dragon age: the missing #dragon age: the missing spoilers #dragon age: dreadwolf #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #dragon age #bioware #video games

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reyesbignaturals · 4 months

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Wrote my first fic in a HOT minute with an OC I made specifically for the COD-verse and I love her very much and would love to talk about her much more in detail than is revealed about her in this blurb but here is some writing, I tried my best!

It's a Velikan fic that I'm gonna work on slowly that is intended to be incredibly slow-burn with a lot of hurt/comfort elements. I don't have a lot of free time in my personal life, so I have been just kind of writing as I can and it's been a nice stress relief to add pictures to my Pinterest board cause I've got this story in my head but I don't always have time to write all the stuff down!

But I tried to get some of the story, and character set up done here so idk let me know what to fix, I would like to get better at writing but also this is mostly for fun haha

Fluorescent lights buzzed inside the ceiling beams of the room, joining the sounds of wheels that squealed against the laminate floor and the occasional intercoms that would page a doctor in the infirmary.

The Shadow Company had come back from an operation gone bad with many operatives covered in blood, with some even missing extremities when they'd finally been airlifted back to the base's hospital. Fortunately, there had been no casualties under the medical wing's care so far, and the staff intended to keep it that way.

“Hey, Doc, your next patient is ready to see you over in Room 2,” a nurse, Adrian, called over from the nurse's station, looking over at the doctor in question with a strange look as she exited the previous patient's room.

The doctor gave a tired smile to Adrian and nodded her thanks to the blonde, too exhausted to question her staff's weird expression. She could just be seeing things, having been on her feet for the last 14 hours, trying to keep blood on the inside of people's bodies rather than outside of it.

She readjusted her reading glasses to sit atop her head as she moved over to Room 2, grabbing the chart that had been placed on the wall next to its door. Skimming over its contents, she was relieved to see that her day seemed to have come over its peak and was finally coming down to a more manageable pace; this man was being seen for a follow-up on some stitches he had received some weeks ago.

Something unique in this man's file caught her attention, though; the diagnosis of selective mutism with no other context was listed in medical history. She was curious how he managed to pass selection into the military in general, let alone get into a PMC, but she wasn't paid enough to ask questions such as that. It was going to be more important for her to find out how she was going to communicate with him about his healing status and any questions he may have.

Alexander Manos (operator name: Velikan), the file read.

With two knocks on the metal door, she announced her arrival and opened the door with one hand, the other still holding onto the clipboard as she entered the room.

“Alexander?” She prompted, looking up at what she could only describe as a giant heap of muscle and terrifying armor, trying not to make her initial shock obvious by her facial expression. The man had just come back from a deployment if she was to judge from the faint odor of gunpowder, man stink, and blood alone. His layers upon layers of tactical armor pads made his shoulders appear impossibly wide, and his mask gave the impression of a fearsome red tiger with its painted sabers outreached and ready to bite at any given opportunity.

There was a moment of silence where the two simply stared at each other before Alexander nodded hesitantly in acknowledgment to her question. The fact Kaja was unable to see his face made her uncomfortable given she wanted to be able to interpret his expressions at least if she wasn't able to hear him speak, but she wasn't about to argue with 250+ pounds of pure muscle over it.

“My name is Dr.Magnusson, I'm the new doctor here at Shadow Company. They've put you under my care after Dr.Fort was stationed elsewhere,” Kaja began awkwardly. Having done several dozen introductions over the last week had not made her any better at them. Truthfully, she wished that she could just skip past them altogether.

Alexander made no indication that he was going to respond to her introduction, so Kaja continued without missing a beat, “It looks like you're being seen today to have your stitches in your arm checked on?”

He made no indication that he had heard anything she'd said, simply looking straight ahead at her. Or, she had to assume he was looking at her, since his mask was still on. If she didn't know better, Kaja would think he was ignoring her deliberately.

“Are you being seen for your stitches today?” Kaja repeated, enunciating her words a little clearer, curious if she had mumbled them earlier by any chance.

Alexander simply shifted in the hospital chair, moving his head up to look at the ceiling for a moment as he let out an audible sigh of clear annoyance.

"Not deaf," he finally grunted out in a raspy, baritone voice.

“Sorry,” Kaja was taken aback that she had received a verbal response from him at all, “I just want to know the best way I can talk with you. Would a pen and paper help? Would you like to type it on your phone?”

She was trying to think of solutions the best she could on the fly, knowing she still had other patients waiting to see her as well. Alexander’s head perked a bit once he heard her listing the options that she had listed, but he settled back into his chair quickly, crossing his arms.

A moment of silence fell between them before she continued, “I'll need to see your arm and make sure it's healing properly.”

She moved closer to him at a balanced pace, watching as his covered face came back down from eyeing the ceiling to stare at her again.

“Alexander, I want to help you. Can you help me do that?” Kaja asked softly, reaching her hand out to touch his arm where his stitches were.

He leaned away from her, angling his body off of the bed as if she had some contagious disease. He pulled the arm she was reaching for out of her range and straightened his posture in a clear attempt to intimidate her with his stature alone.

Now, she was starting to lose her patience. She gripped the pen tightly to her clipboard in an attempt to calm herself down as she took another step towards Alexander and lowered her voice, so no wandering passerby could overhear.

“Hey, I know maybe this situation is hard for you for your reasons, but you are putting me in a really difficult position at the moment for other reasons. If you don't want to be here, I'm not going to make you stay. But it is my job as your doctor to try to help you, and I have seen too many people almost die today from infections. So, if your name comes across my operating table, and it's from your arm wound getting infected, do you know how tempted I'm going to be to just amputate it?”

Was it a professional way to talk to her patient? Not in any capacity, and she definitely would have been fired if anyone had heard about it. Did it seem to resonate with her patient? Enough for him to start removing his gear slowly to display his healing scar.

First, came his helmet. When she saw his face, she almost regretted threatening him with amputation. She had seen he was a few years her senior from his records, but his face certainly reflected it. Loose black waves swept back from his face and greased down from his helmet in an almost mullet-like fashion. He had a haircut she was almost certain would be considered out of regulation, but that wasn't something she was going to fuss over at the moment when he was finally complying with her wishes.

Next, she noticed the years of exhaustion in his eyes that manifested as dark purple circles beneath his dark brown eyes, like freshly watered graveyard dirt, cold and secretive. His expression didn't seem to waver from a neutral stare, despite her attempt to placate him with another gentle smile as thanks.

The silence continued while he continued removing his gear, the display almost comical with just how much he had had on in the first place. She'd never seen someone with so much padding, yet he was still so broad underneath it all, built like a concrete wall. Kaja wondered what his daily regimen for the past ten years had been for him to have been in that kind of shape.

Once he had removed all of his padding, he was finally able to roll up his undershirt enough to reveal the scar Dr.Fort had previously sewn up along Alexander’s forearm.

“There’s nothing that can be done about it at this point," Kaja sighed with a tone of frustration as she looked up at the man with disapproval, "But, I can tell you didn’t let it heal completely before you went back to duty. It’s healed crooked in a few areas after you ripping back open. Do you see it, here and here?” Kaja attempted to point at the disfigured scar tissue on Alexander’s arms, but he seemed beyond disinterested in hearing about it as he turned away to stare at the wall.

With a sigh, Kaja removed her hands from his arm and backed away from the patient’s table, giving him some personal space she could tell he would appreciate.

“So when I see you in here when you get hurt, and I tell you to rest, you’re going to go right back to the field, is that it?” Kaja asked in a deadpan tone as she crossed her arms and leaned against the handwashing counter.

Alexander did not respond, instead rolling his sleeve back down to cover his arm and placing his gear into an orderly pile that he would be able to carry once he was dismissed.

“No wonder Dr.Fort had to go,” Kaja teased with a smirk, “He had to leave for his sanity, huh?”

That quip got a small snort out of Alexander.

Being able to make him laugh made Kaja feel a little better about threatening him with amputation earlier, at least.

“Alright, well, Alexander, if you have no other complaints about your health, then you are released from my care for now, and you are free to check out at the nursing station at the front.”

Alexander wordlessly gathered his armored plates and gear into his arms, picked it up, and left the patient room. In any other circumstance, Kaja would have felt incredibly insulted (okay, maybe she still did, just a bit.)

But, she did manage to get some kind of a reaction out of someone she could have been thoroughly convinced was an android up until the very end of the session, so she had to take her wins where she could get them.

When she exited the room, she was immediately pulled off to the side by Adrian, the nurse who had called her to the room in the first place. The blonde woman had a look of plain guilt on her face as she held Kaja’s arms.

“I’m so sorry, the other doctor was busy, and Alexander was next in the queue, and I-”

“Adrian,” Kaja interrupted the nurse firmly, “What in the sweet hell are you talking about?”

“We all know Alexander can be really… difficult to handle, and we didn’t want you to have to deal with any of those kinds of cases with you still being so new. I just didn’t have a choice, but I’m still really sorry. Are you okay?” She asked, looking Kaja over, seemingly checking for injuries, much to Kaja’s concern.

“I’m fine,” Kaja laughed, trying to brush off the idea that she might need to be worried about the fact that she could be injured on the job here, “Honestly, I think he kind of warmed up to me at the end there.”

Kaja stated the end with a smug grin, raising her eyebrows as Adrian’s jaw dropped in disbelief and Kaja simply shrugged.

Over at the nursing station, Alexander watched the display discreetly and rolled his eyes, snatching a single pink hard candy from the infirmary candy jar on his way out. As he walked out of the double doors, he unwrapped the sweet and popped the strawberry candy into his mouth with a satisfied hum.

What a weird fucking doctor, he thought to himself. At least she's kind of entertaining. I guess I'll keep seeing her for now.

#modern warfare 2 #cod #mw3 #cod velikan #my writing #velikan #cod mw2 #call of duty #cod modern warfare

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thedeathlysallows · 1 year

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memento mori

prologue

The rain pounds against the asphalt and thunder rumbles above me as I walk into the abandoned building, the door creaking on its hinges. The building isn’t actually abandoned, but the average person would assume so and not give it a second look. That ignorance it what helps The Society operate. I’ve been working for them ever since they found me in Seattle, a college dropout terrified of going home and facing the music. Not that my dad would’ve actually done anything. I just couldn’t handle his disappointment.

Once inside, I shed my coat and hang it on one of the pegs sticking out from the wall. The entryway is small, homey. Photos of past Society members cover the walls and the sconces give a soft, warm glow. I can hear the crackling of a fireplace in the main room off to the left. There’s someone in there judging from the delicate sound of pages turning in a book. Probably another member returning from or waiting on a mission.

I wish that’s why I was here.

My reason is much, much worse.

“You’re compromised, dear.” Titania had said. “I’m afraid this matter goes beyond me now. We must consult with the Camarilla.”

It isn’t fair. I’m only “compromised” because of their inability to make decisions in the first place, and now they want to punish me because of it. They can pretend at a fair hearing all they want to, but I know my fate. I know what they decided before I even left my apartment.

Gritting my teeth, I throw my shoulders back and walk down the hallway. It opens up into what was likely once a grand ballroom. The Society changed it once they sunk their claws into it, though. That’s what they do. They take broken, helpless things and claim to give it new life. In reality, all they do is smother whatever life was left and transform it into something they can control.

I’ve grown jaded.

Whatever they’re about to do to me is probably for the best.

As I step further into the room I immediately spot Titania. She sits with the rest of the Camarilla at a long table, looking down her nose at me. She was the one who found me, who introduced me the The Society, who trained me. I know without a doubt she takes what’s happened personally.

But it’s not my fault.

Sitting in front of her on the table is a sprig of poison ivy and I feel my blood turn to ice in my veins. I hadn’t noticed anything when I walked in. There was no sign he had even been here. Titania pushes the plant towards me with her pen.

“You’ve gone pale,” she notes in a bored tone. “Care to explain why?”

“You know why.”

Titania smiles, baring sharp teeth. “Yes, but the Camarilla would like to hear directly from you, Agent.”

“I’m-” But the words won’t come out. I can’t bring myself to say it. Still, I try again. “I’m… compromised.”

She hums and looks to the man on her left. I don’t recognize him. I don’t recognize anyone besides Titania. All of them are founding members of The Society, but they might as well be myths as often as they’re seen by anyone.

“Tell us what happened,” he says. “The mission we gave you was simple and straightforward, but you became compromised. How?”

My bottom lip quivers and I have to actively fight the fear that creeps up my spine. “I went to Forks like I was told.”

“And?”

The memory surges to the front of my mind, but I feel like a third party to my own thoughts and feelings.

I should have never came back.

The thought echoed around and around in Roseanna’s head while she ran. Her breathing came in ragged short pants that only bounced off the trees around her. She couldn’t see him anymore but she knew he was there. The hairs on the back of her neck stood straight in fear, rain pelted down and soaked her to the core. He was still there. Still hunting.

She should have stayed in Charleston and ignored her dad’s plea to come back to Forks. The hell with The Society and their missions too. Maybe then she wouldn’t have been running for her life through a once familiar but now forgotten forest, death hot on her heels.

“Fuck,” she screamed. Her clumsy feet finally stumbled over a tree root and she toppled to the ground, her knees scraped and bleeding from impact. Her blood turned cold as she realized she wouldn’t be getting up any time soon. Her ankle snapped during the fall.

Fuck.

No.

Get up, get up, get up.

But it was useless.

His eyes, those terrifying red eyes, peered at her in amusement when he took in her splayed body on the ground. Her chest heaved with each laborious breath. He smiled. Reached out a hand. Roseanna scooted backwards, palms bruised and cracked against the rough forest floor. She watched his smile grow ever larger, more predatory.

“Hello, darling.”

It was the first time he actually spoke instead of looming menacingly.

I’m pulled out of the memory to find my body convulsing and thin sheen of sweat covering my skin. I hate when Titania does that, when she pulls the memory from my mind and watches it like a movie. It hurts. I’m always left feeling sick and violated.

But that’s how The Society is. It takes what it wants and spits out the rest.

Titania clicks her tongue in disappointment. “You were trained better than this, Roseanna. If I didn’t know any better, well, I would assume you wanted him to catch you.”

“Why the fuck would I want that?” I feel enraged that she would even suggest it. I’ve been nothing but good and loyal and now I’m about to be thrown away like I’m nothing.

All because of one fucking vampire.

If Titania doesn’t notice my anger, the man by her side does. He gives me a pitying look. “Roseanna, you’ve been the pride of The Society for years. Please understand this is not an easy situation for us. We value you as an Agent, but the fact remains that you’ve been compromised, and we can’t allow you to bring such danger to our doorstep.”

My eyes fall to the poison ivy once again.

I’ve already brought the danger.

“The threat is clear.” Titania takes over the conversation. “As of today, you are no longer an Agent of The Society. The Camarilla hereby strips you of all rank and power. Let the vampire do with you as he will.”

“No!” I lunge forward, but the pain stops me from actually doing anything besides dropping to the floor. I want to scream. I want to fight. All I can do is scream as the burning pain washes over me.

I don’t remember passing out, but when I wake up I actually am in an abandoned building. There’s nothing. No one. I’m all alone.

There’s a searing pain in my left arm that feels like it goes straight to the bone. I don’t want to look because I know what’s there, but I can’t help the morbid curiosity that creeps in. On my forearm is an hourglass with ‘MEMENTO MORI’ written below. If anyone were to look they would only see a tattoo, but I know the truth.

My name is Roseanna Swan. I used to be an Agent of The Society. I used to be a lot of things. Now, I’m nothing. Now, I will kill the one vampire who took it all from me. No matter what. I will kill the Volturi executioner. I will kill Felix.

#felix volturi #felix volturi imagine #felix volturi x oc #volturi fanfiction

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seriouslyblacklikemysoul · 2 years

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Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land - Bucky Barnes x Reader

MASTERLIST

Part VIII - Furnace

Hot like hellfire; the sensation spreading through your head. You weren’t sure what had happened. You knew that it was more than a month – maybe two. Or maybe a year in this… captivity. Injecting you with serums in all colors and shades, was your interpretation of fun these days. Trying to make you comply was not so fun. You had no idea if their methods were successful or not. You did have blackouts and a lot of blank spots in your memory, but you couldn’t be sure it was that or it was because they had just knocked you out. You hoped for the latter. You were gasping for air but all you could inhale was fire. You opened your eyes just to witness a pool full of what seemed to be boiling water. It couldn’t be. He needed it you alive. He needed you alive. You kept repeating it like a mantra, but you knew that if his patience run thin, you were disposable. “I see you are getting familiar with our heating system. It is remarkable, working like a finely tuned clock, all those years” Faustus told you and you forgot all the pain and the torment. This was the first time you had any hint of where you were. If this was used as a heating system, and it was old enough for him to choose those words, you had to be somewhere in Central Europe. And this had to be a big ass building if it needed an Olympic-sized pool to heat it up. Slowly, you took in the room you were in. Big limestone plates and other sedimentary rocks were covering the wall and huge plates of limestone were covering the dirt of the floor, worn out by all this time… If you were in Europe, the only type of building that would this big with such architecture would be a castle. Your mind was spinning. You had to have your eyes and ears open all the time. Anything, even a crumble of information could prove enough to find a way out. You didn’t know Faustus, but you had guessed of German origin. Germany had castles but there was something almost too easy for that hypothesis to be true. From what you could understand, and the three rooms you had seen – this castle had gone through many phases. You had to find out more. “A boiling pool. What, are you going to skin me alive?” you sassed because you knew he wanted your co-operation, as much as he could get it out of you. He chuckled which was unexpected. Then again, engaging in any sort of conversation with him was a risk, because he had a way to make you believe his words, a manipulating ability better than anyone. “Sie würden kunst nicht verstehen” he told you in German with a hint of a baroque accent. You pretended you had no idea what he said. You wouldn’t understand art. So, wherever you were was considered art or at least… an attraction? Ideas spinning around your brain; were people actually visiting this place? An upper level maybe, but still. If visitors came here, you had a big chance to escape. Faustus thought for a moment; you guessed about all the ways he could manipulate you into obeying him. He looked over a couple of files, while you tried to figure out a way out. There were two doors – one leading back to your captivity and one leading to your freedom. If you made a run for it, your guess had to be the correct one. You weren’t sure if you could count on your gut feeling. You turned your attention to him again. He seemed pleased. You didn’t like the look he was now giving you. He walked closer, his ginger hair falling like a credits curtain. Ending. “You should be proud little shadow devil. You were magnificent” he complimented you and you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. What? His face became smug and arrogant. He was about to deliver some big news. News you weren’t going to like. He took two pages from the file he was examining. “Your work is impeccable. Just take a look. Yesterday’s mission was an absolute success” he commented and handed you the pages. You didn’t really understand what those pages were showing. They were photographs, that much you got. But other than that, your eyes didn’t really catch what your mind was trying to shield you from. Maybe it was the only protection it could offer you. A body was covered in blood. A face, rather familiar, was white. Silverish blue eyes were looking at you, open and lifeless. A metal arm was dislocated, and torn into pieces. You were there too. Covered in black from head to toe. A mask had been ripped from your face. Your eyes were dead. No. No. You looked at him with all the hatred in the world but without having been convinced. You would never hurt him. You could never. No. “You should be proud. You single-handedly took out that failure, Barnes. You are flawless” he let you on. All you could think were the three words. Took out Barnes. No, that man wasn’t Bucky and you weren’t his little pawn. No, you weren’t a soldier for him. No, he couldn’t have. “Now, we do have a little more work. You do have to give us the formula, willingly or not. Your choice, of course” he deadpanned, and you tried to catch your breath. You threw the photographs away and screamed at top of your lungs as you launched forward to attack him, kill him, turn him to dust. Had he really made you kill the only person in your life that… With a calm and calculated swift, he moved away and laughed. “You may not want to believe it but take comfort in the fact that you didn’t kill him. The Shadow Devil did” he informed you, unruffled. You broke down. You looked at your hands, red was still there, on your fingers and nails. You crushed to the floor, and stayed there, like a broken doll. His tone was offering you pity and pride. “He was looking for you, but you didn’t find him. Our work did. The perfect soldier. Absolute excellence” he went on and you were growing number by the second. “I don’t believe you. Not until I see the body” you offered between pained tears and a black feeling, as cold as ice, spreading where your heart used to be. He seemed more patronizing than ever but he offered exactly what you asked. “Of course, I will take you to the lab. We’ve been running some tests to see where he failed. We do learn from our mistakes” his frozen tone made you turn it off. You never expected him to agree, trying desperately to believe that this was one of his acts.

You just nodded and one guard, out of nowhere, placed a cloth on your mouth and nose.

You don’t remember how you got there but your eyes could not lie this time. It was him. He was laying there, right there. The only thing that was separating you from him was a thin protective glass. For gruesome scientists had hooked him up with wires, running serums in and out. Watching it happening in front of you, you could no longer deny it; you had killed the man you loved. It was him and it was not an elaborate prank. There was no trick this time; Faustus had really gotten into your head, had really found a way to make you one of his soldiers, had really made you forget who you were, had really made you pull the trigger. He had really made you kill him. Your mind was no longer your own, your will was no longer free, your actions were no longer your own choices, you were no longer you. You became an empty vessel for his commands, another Winter Soldier, a shadow devil as he called you. You were not. And it was this moment you stopped fighting. You let go. There was nothing to fight for anymore. There was no hope, escaping had no meaning, finding a way out was pointless, trying to keep him out of your head had failed. Returning home was no longer an option. You no longer had one. You had killed it.

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valiantwarriorsquadroncomic · 1 year

Text

MISSION 4

Within the living quarters of the German diplomats that would visit, Large banners with a double headed black eagle hung over the windows. The wooden floored remained polished and unwarped, its beige walls holding several portraits of German leaders. A large, sturdy table lay in the middle of the study, with several large books labeled HISTORIA DE LA FPU and THE PROSPERAN MIRACLE; FROM ASHES TO INVESTMENT and laptop opened up to multiple scholarly articles. Fritz had begun to summarize the situation in Prospera. “Despite prospera modeling its own modern architecture , much has been done to preserve Indigenous prosperan cultural buildings and the old churches and business buildings built by European immigrants from the 19th to 20th century.” Joseph was listening attentively, Laleh had just finished filling up 10 pages of extensive notes, and Veronica had promptly fallen asleep.

“I never really knew about prospera before joining the VWS, this is all really interesting” Said joseph, scrolling to A photo of armed propseran civilian and anti Gustavo army operatives celebrating atop a captured tank. “I didn’t know a lot about prospera except one of my friend’s dad, who was super interested in its history. He laughed to himself. “You couldn’t stop Corporal Crawford from going on about military history once you got him started.”

“It appears the American education system doesn’t really cover anything outside its borders unless its world war 2.” Fritz replied, preparing his final part of the lecture. Veronica woke up and groaned

“I can’t believe Nathan assigned YOU to have ME educated about prospera for the sake of “cultural sensitivity and education training.” She grumbled as her head fell face down onto the oaken table, startling laleh who was in a trance whilst absorbing the glut of data Fritz dispensed.

“I think it’s very important to understand the culture and history of the people we’re protecting.” Laleh said with a smile as she gently lifted veronica by her shirt collar back in an upright position.

“NOW.” Said fritz, in a grave sudden tone that caught everyone’s attention. “I have been given the go ahead by Captain Nathan and Mr.Norman beforehand to inform you of the people we’re working with outside of Prospera.” Fritz said with pride.

“Yeah, its because you’re a nerd who care about dumb, obscure history. Fritz became very irritated in despondent.

“You’re kinda quick to call someone a nerd for someone who’s memorized the inside of fighter jets and takes them apart for fun. Remarked Joseph. Veronica turned back to joseph in disbelief.

“My friend, there is DIFFERENCE in being a genius…” She said pointing at her self, and proceeding to gesture towards Fritz. “…and being a NERD.” Fritz’s six eyes peered back in forth as he looked behind him, and observing several small visual feeds on his laptop. “You remembered when I told you how prospera was liberated by CNGS intervention and rebelling army forces?” Joseph and Laleh nodded as Veronica simply slumped in her chair, twirling her ear tip as if it was a lock of hair. “Thats what the COALITION stated publicly.” He hissed quietly, leaning near the rest of his comrades. “Sgt. Gustavo’s downfall wasn’t mainly due to poor economic conditions from years of prosperan dictators flying through revolving doors.” He said bringing out a small book. “Only a fraction of his defeat was caused by betraying the public by selling off local land to be devoured by aggressive foreign investors.”Laleh began to become nervous by Fritz’s behavior, Joseph was merely attentive as always, and Veronica was once again terribly bored by her brother’s theatrics. “The real reason Sgt.Gustavo was ousted was due to those masked communists!” Fritz concluded, showing off his tiny little book to his friends. The book had several photos of varying quality, showing the same Khaki donning soldiers fighting ALA soldiers as well as the south American chapter of the ALA, MUERTE BLANCO. Another series of images showed a giant, muscular woman with scarred skin, a fleshy crest within the concave of her skull and a deformed nose pick up a heavy ALA abomination and proceeding to throw it at a a group of terrified looking white mercenaries. Veronica smiled at the image of the giant woman.

“Maxy always likes to tell me when she did that!” She said cheerfully. Fritz continued,

“even after ousting the Gustavists, they had basically control over the entirety of the country, and seek to not only hunt down the remaining ALA forces, but the human trafficking ring that had sprung up amongst the political chaos in the closing of the Prosperan civil war.” He flipped through his book until he held up two separate CSTF operatives, a Tongan man and a Canadian man both in their early thirties. Another photo on the page showed them in white t-shirts, tan tactical vests and camouflage pants with baseball caps that had the logo PUMA SECURITY sewed onto them. “Approximately 6 months ago, two ex CSTF operatives had joined a private security firm after resigning.” Fritz explained, showing more pictures. “They were allegedly killed in prospera after their convoy and client were murdered by the ALA.” Fritz proceeded to flip towards a ghastly picture of a PUMA SECURITY truck coated in blood and several bodies of murdered PUMA SECURITY operatives whose faces were censored. “Those two soldiers?” Fritz inquired flipping one last time to a recent photo. Joseph got closer as he saw the streets of a prosperan city, bustling with activity and people going on their daily lives. A digital billboard advertised A rubble clearing services with subtitles in Spanish, Italian, French, and German. The two men were in the back of the crowd wearing trench coats and sunglasses while escorting a woman in a beret.

“They’re still alive!” Exclaimed joseph as Fritz snapped the book shut, waking veronica once again from her slumber.

“It’s estimated they have 113 ex Coalition armed forces members and 33 Ex CSTF operatives in their ranks, training their private armies, as well as bolstering their forces with escaped ALA human experiments they’ve liberated and rehabilitated.” Joseph was pretty stunned that this group appeared to be more of a force to be reckoned with. “If you’re confused on the point of my lesson, its to watch your back when it comes to QM and their gaggle of Marxists.” Fritz concluded, quickly returning the book into a protected lock box that he stuffed back into his book bag. A timer proceeded to go off. “It appears that the mandatory lesson is finished.”

Veronica shot up from the books and laptops. “FINALLY!” she yelled, quickly grabbing the small cloth bag she had filled with boredom fueled doodles. “I thought the monthly quality meetings set up by our foreman was bad!” Laleh gingerly waved to joseph as she gingerly squeezed through the exit.

“I shouldn’t keep mom waiting, she’s expecting a medical report from me today!” Fritz once again began to pick up where he left off, skipping to the chapter “PROSPERA’S UNEASY BUT BRIGHT FUTURE”. Joseph recognized the man’s face which was displayed near the chapter title.

“Oh, it’s that guy I saw during our briefing for ARTIFEX.” Fritz’s ears pricked up upon Joseph’s interest.

“This is President Juan Hidalgo Ramirez, the first democratically elected leader in propsera in 20 years.” Joseph proceeded scoot up a chair next to fritz, who was flustered, and secretly pleased with Joseph’s proximity.

“Damn, sounds like this guy is turning things around.” Joseph said after skimming several paragraphs.

Fritz cleared his throat, and somehow fought the urge to be condescending when people made generalizations on a politician. “He DID bulldoze the golf courses for farmland to produce crops to aid his starving homeland.” He said, gesturing to the book. “He is revitalizing the nationalized healthcare system while putting price caps on insulin and several medicines in the interim. Joseph looked at him oddly

“are you saying these are bad things?” Fritz was caught off guard by Joseph’s sincerity.

“This is the first time someone’s questioned my knowledge in good faith.” Said fritz, who then prepared to gather his closing statement. “The man Is still a puppet to the Marxist group QM.” Fritz brought up another photo of President Juan shaking hands with the Tongan QM operative. “A small organization yet it has an entire country with a budding tech industry and rapidly militarization at its mercy.” Fritz leaned dramatically into Joseph’s face as he prepared for him to be overcome by shock.

“I think you need to get your nose out of those books more often.” Inquired Joseph. “Hey, I’m headed for the shooting range, you should come with me!” Fritz now was flabbergasted at not only doing something social, but also INVITED to do something social.

“I mean, uncle would want me to study and understand the delicate language of propsera’s socio-economic conditions, bu-” Fritz soon paused as his spine let out a loud pop from being hunched over in his chair for too long. “Perhaps I should consider calling it a day.” Joseph helped fritz put up the study’s laptops and even organized his notes before leaving. The enormous automated door slamming shut behind them gave Fritz a small fright.

“SYSTEM IS NOW ARMED, UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ARE BARRED FROM THESE QUARTERS.” Barked the computerized voice, its scolding tone seeming to echo down the hallway. Later in the evening, joseph had finished target practice once again. This time, he began competing with Fritz. The two tallied their scores for bragging rights. “17 out of 22 targets hit!” Boasted fritz, holding up the printed score sheet.

“That says error 2321 contact maintenance.” Remarked joseph. Fritz’s ears shot up on concern as his scores were printed over by a red error message. “I got like…14 out of 22 targets hit, each in the head.” Said joseph with a grin. “Not too bad, if I do say so myself.” Fritz grumbled over his scores improperly being printed, crossing his arms and looking into a corner.

“This I why I detest modern technology, as if the modern world needed to be a bigger nightmare than it already is.” Fritz’s ears began to pick up something from down the Hallway. “Is that laleh?” He pondered. Joseph’s eyes widened with concern. “It sounds like someone’s yelling at her.” Joseph grabbed fritz, his scars flaring to Laleh’s location. Within the dim lights of the nearly abandoned medical wing, Captain Ackerman was giving laleh a very hard time. She was frozen in sheer terror as she had accidentally bumped into him as he made his way back to his quarters, and spilling his alcohol from the dinky little bar aboard the ship. Joseph made it just in time to see him viciously jab at laleh’s large stomach amidst his outburst. What little staff was there continued to not notice the berating going on out of fear.

“That’s Ackerman of the Erasure unit!” Said fritz, holding joseph back. “He outranks us and has connections with Mr.Norman!” Joseph turned back to fritz, gingerly taking his clawed hand off his arm.

“I don’t care.” Said Joseph as proceeded to march right to Ackerman as Laleh continued to apologize, pushing him away from laleh and getting in Ackerman’s face. “Is there are a problem?” Said joseph in a cold manner.

“This doesn’t concern you.” Retorted Ackerman, pushing joseph aside.

“You’re terrorizing a woman who busts her ass making sure me and my friends don’t die, so YEAH.” Stated joseph in a stone-faced manner. “That IS my concern.” Ackerman had becoming increasingly angry being scolded by the new meat. Laleh could see him grow red in the face per another outburst. She leaned in, her face pale and covered in sweat.

“Joseph, its my fault, I bumped into him and spilled his beer.” Joseph continued to keep laleh behind him, not breaking eye contact with Ackerman.

“Then he can get a new one instead of taking it out on you.” He explained. Ackerman’s face was bright red, his pupils shrank in rage.

“What the FUCK gives you the right to-” he growled about to put his hands on joseph. Before he had a change, something awakened in laleh.

“Poor joseph is a kind, gentle young man who still believes in the goodness of other people”. She thought, remembering how he tried to express restraint even when facing the ALA, a group of morally bankrupt terrorists who saw him as subhuman for his skin color. Not wanting revenge, but justice, concerned with becoming too joyful in his duty Despite seeing him as an object to compensate for failure in northern Iran . Another voice seemed to whisper to her. Harsh, deep, and viciously furious. “ARE YOU JUST GOING TO LET THAT BRAINDEAD IDIOT MANHANDLE THE FEW PEOPLE IN THIS DISGUSTING PLACE THAT SHOWS YOU GENUINE RESPECT?” She was terrified of this part of her inching closer to the surface, but her concern for Joseph was stronger. Laleh proceeded to get in front of her friend, and took off her helmet. She stared directly into Ackerman’s eyes. His own rage dissipated seeing Laleh tower over him, her dagger-like teeth bared. “Once again, I said I was sorry for bumping into you.” She dug out a 10 dollar bill from one of her pouches. “Get your self another drink, but do not yell at me or anyone else like that ever again, Thank you.” Joseph stood in silence as he had forgotten how foreboding laleh’s presence was. “It’s a bit late isn’t it?” Laleh asked joseph cheerily. “We should get back to our quarters.” Joseph said nothing as he followed laleh, Ackerman appeared to be as still as a statue, ten dollar bill fluttering from the incoming breeze of the dinged up, internal A/c unit. Fritz quickly peaced out from the site of the confrontation. After 12 seconds, Ackerman seemed to break from his fear induced trance as he could hear another pair of footsteps behind him. A hand gripped his shoulder.

“Capitan Ackerman, I have some concerns about your behavior.” Said a woman’s voice. The hand was cold, freezing, as it was made from hardened, tempered steel. A drop of sweat made its way down his face as the hand begin to click and whirr. Someone, a woman, whom was closer to Norman than he was, a woman who outranked even HIM, knew what about his interactions with Laleh. The situation finally dawned on him that he was in deep, deep trouble.

The next morning, Laleh and Joseph were awakened from their sleep with a loud alarm, the words CODE RED, THIS IS NOT A DRILL, rang over the poorly maintained intercom system. A voice boomed over the intercom, trying to diffuse the situation. “EVERYONE REMAIN CALM!” Said the woman’s voice, desperately trying to maintain order. “THE RED ALERT HAS ONLY BEEN ISSUED, NOT CONFIRMED!” Laleh rubbed her temples at the blaring sound and the complete breakdown in order outside the door. Just then, barely audible whispering from a man’s voice could be heard over the intercom. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE’S BEEN CAPTURED?!” Yelled the woman before not only her but the apparent red alert as well were cut off immediately. Joseph and Laleh sat in silence as the HARRIS shifted and clicked in response to the wind. The humming machines, that were always drowned out by outside noise hummed uninterrupted by day to day life. The two quickly dressed in their combat BDUS and tactical equipment. THE VWS had once again made it to the decrepit war room unprompted, only to be met by Nathan, who was just unlocking the door. Everyone new the situation was dire if Nathan was actually early to a war meeting. As everyone got seated, Fritz was flipping through a copy of GERMAN FOLKLORE, OLD AND NEW. REVISED AND UNABRIDGED. Only fritz seemed to notice that his sister was sitting upright. Paying attention, and not dozing off or doing anything seriously disruptive. It seemed her mentor and friend’s negative energy began to continually effect her with each day. Nathan fixed the busted projector with tape, and took stand at the podium.

“These assholes will drop five grand for a new salad bar on this glorified, flying deathtrap but NOT for OUR UTILITIES.” Nathan hissed, furiously clicking the remote to get the projector to work. Several clicks later, garbled footage began to play. It appeared to be a giant man wearing an intimidating gas mask whose radio antennae mimicked horns or a laurel wreath. “This is GHOSTFANG, part of the VWS senior operatives.” He explained while desperately patching up the projector with more tape as the chaise began to split apart again. “About 15 hours ago, GHOSTFANG had acquired important information about the location of ex dictator of propsera, Sgt. Gustavo Jesus Rodriguez.” Everyone listened intently, even veronica, Nathan was unusually formal and attentive to small details. “He’s also apparently in the same area of another high value CNGS target, the man responsible for the Fort NFELHEIM Subterranean bio-weapons lab incident in northern Iran. Joseph became dead still. Nathan flipped to a photo of a man wearing the same dull red vests and black bdus as some of the ALA abomination heavy soldiers. He had seen this hooded man before with ARTIFEX.in the photo, he was pointing to a young man strapped to hospital beds as he took a blood sample. What set this hooded figure from the rest was a large badge labeled “ALPHA KOMMANDO”. The badge was bright yellow with a skull wearing a german steel helmet and two potato masher grenades criss crossed. The face of the young man he was wrapped in bandages. “His real name is George Smith goes by the code name “APOTHECARY.” Nathan continued, his manic disposition replaced by sadness as he saw joseph grow angrier. “Allegedly, he joined the ALA while working in a pharmaceutical company his home country of England.“According to our spies, the laboratory staff was trying to reverse engineer and process a biological weapon stolen from the CNGS archives.” A small portrait appeared, revealing George Smith’s real face, a middle aged white man in a suit and tie in a casually happy demeanor. Joseph’s rage grew as he saw the disparity of his crimes as opposed to his picture, a serene middle aged man smiling gently at the camera, like posing for a family photo. “The ALA’s high command gave their head medical officer and ALPHA KOMMANDO operative the green light to start the project and act as head science authority in several projects.”

He clicked to a heavily censored picture depicting young American soldiers laying dead, face covered in nightmarish scar tissue like Joseph’s. “APOTHECARY had miscalculated the quantity of some chemical resulting in the lab staff causing an explosion, which subsequently allowed the bio weapon he was tweaking in a nearby laboratory room to leak into the surface in aerosol form.” “It killed 15 out of the 16 C-USA army operatives, and well…” He gestured to joseph. “Long story short, GHOSTFANG found out where these two are, but got blinded sided by ALPHA KOMMANDO.”Joseph sat there in silence as laleh leaned in to comfort him. “I’m okay.” He told her in a passive tone.Nathan clicked to a cleared patch of wilderness near an ALA base. “He’s been able to escape to the plains of Northern propsera, but there’s not much time, we MUST rescue GHOSTFANG.” As everyone got up, he signaled everyone to stop. “There’s also and UNKNOWN THIRD PARTY COMBATANT in the area wearing skull like helmets.” “If you see anyone that doesn’t appeared to be affiliated with our allies or the ALA, avoid them at all costs.” A little while later, the RISENFLEDERMAUS descended towards the ALA base where GHOSTFANG was last seen. Joseph observed photos of GHOSTFANG both with and without his mask. He seemed to resemble a bat like Fritz and veronica, but much more ghoulish with a longer snout. Nathan soon took a call from his radio.

“NATHAN, DO YOU READ ME?!” Yelled the voice of a middle aged man. Nathan proceeded to turn down the volume.

“Never could get the hang of modern technology, could ya, MacMillan?” The voice snapped back. “And YOU could never get the HANG of respecting your SUPERIORS!” Nathan looked over to his young comrades. “Everyone, our new CO is Corporal MacMillan, he used to boss me around back in the day, and how he gets to do it again!” He smugly turned back to his mouthpiece. “This must be a dream come true for you, huh, mac?” MacMillan’s frustration was palpable enough to wash over everyone in the passenger area of Veronica’s aircraft.

“This isn’t the time or place for your sass.” MacMillan's voice crackled with defeat. “GHOSTFANG is dangerously closed that ALA base, so you need to watch your asses the SECOND you touch down.” As the RISENFLEDERMAUS landed, several QM soldiers leapt from the trees, and proceeded to surround the VWS. “Relax.” Said MacMillan. “They’re just there to guard that…THING…your second lieutenant made.” The VWS followed joseph as his scars began to flare. The QM soldiers silently watched the group trundle their way toward their objective. Nervously, joseph would peer at them through the corner of his eye. Many of them seemed to have elongated fingers, like talons. Some had vertical pupils like a cat’s eyes. A few soldiers had horizontal pupils like a goat, allowing them to observe the quintet as they long disappeared from view.Fritz took out his binoculars to observe the factories and cranes by the ALA base.

“THE GHOST RESIDES IN A BLUE PASTURE” explained joseph, ominously. Sure enough, there was a blue, ramshackle building to the south.

“Everyone, keep your heads down.” Said Nathan as the VWS advanced ever closer. “We’re probably in for a desperate fight, so watch for any-” He stopped in his tracks, as did the rest of his group. Ahead was indeed an ALA base, but it appeared to not be abandoned, but empty. Nathan held out his arm as he scanned the area with his special field glasses. He winced at the sight of blood that had seemed to spatter the area.

“Geeze, it’s like something out of a horror flick.” Said veronica, her ear flicking in tension. Nathan shook off his feelings of dread to command his greenhorns. “MacMillan’s given me the green light, we’re going to approach on foot to avoid being spotted.” Nathan declared, observing how non of the ALA vehicles were damaged in the slightest.

“Fritz, scout out the area surrounding the base.” Fritz saluted, but was stopped momentarily as Nathan grabbed him by the arm. “If you see ANYONE wearing a skull mask or a hooded jacket, get right back here and find us.” Fritz felt Nathan’s grip tighten. “If you can’t find us, then HIDE.” “Do you understand me?” Fritz saluted again. “Jawol, kommandant.” Fritz dashed off, adjusting his telecom to ensure he could properly contact his friends, especially his channel to joseph. Something was terribly wrong with the captain. The VWS began to slink through the base.Things inside the base were little better. Incomplete walls were slaked in blood, the slumped body of AlA soldiers leaned dead against the buildings they once guarded. Laleh’s hands began to shake, feeling that the dead eyes of the ALA operatives were still somehow watching. Observing. Their unblinking gaze still burning through her as she left the area. The rest of the area were composed of temporary, rectangular housing structures and large tents with white canvases, and plenty of more bodies.

“I could be nuts,” Said joseph, “but I’m seeing a lot of slashing and stabbing wounds on these guys.” Nathan continued to lead the group, making sure joseph was in the middle of the formation. Veronica and laleh in the back, with him in the front. He tried ignore the mass of bodies, and the report of THOSE TWO that were in the area. The gang traipsed carefully around the bodies which clogged up walkways.

“It’s like some maniac charged in here only armed with a blade.” Veronica whispered. “What kind of lunatic would actually try to use bladed weapons against fully armed soldiers?” Her ears pricked up as she suddenly heard rustling from behind her, causing her to swing around behind her to find no one. For some reason, a great feeling of dread crept over here brave and mischievous demeanor. A part of her knew she and her friends were being watched. Joseph suddenly clutched his head in pain. Nathan swiveled towards him as his young ward muttered an ominous phrase.

“THE BEAST IS HERE.” The dead silence of the slaughtered camp came to an end as a figure from the far side of the base came closer to the VWS. Its boots crushed the dying grassland, footsteps echoing and growing louder. Joseph recognized the skull faced man immediately. “It’s that guy from area 110!” he exclaimed, pointing at the ghoulish looking man.

Nathan pushed everyone back, holding his gun up at the mysterious man. “FREEZE!” Nathan barked, struggling to maintain trigger discipline on his devastating handgun. The skull faced soldier obliged him. Nathan took another heavy step forward. “MATTHIAS GREY!” he said, seeming to be on the verge of a breakdown, “YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR THE UNLAWFUL MURDER OF COALITION ALIGNED POLITICIANS AND HIGH TREASON!” the figure stood, unmoving. His red lenses continuing to flicker like embers. He looked off into the distance, seeming to reminisce.

“Mathias, Jesus Christ, does that name take me back.” He pointed at nathan accusingly. You call me by RENNASIANCE MAN 2 now, little boy.” The gang were bewildered to see their captain be treated like some sort of misbehaving child “To get back on topic, YOU seem to be the one who’s plenty used to abandoning people.” Veronica hissed as everyone readied their weapons. Matthias pulled out his handgun, the same type as Nathan’s. An engraving on the side was carved into the gun slide. “FORCE IS GREATEST TOOL TO ENSURE GLOBAL SECURITY.” Mathias read out loud in a mocking tone. “Such an apt description.” “The coalition seems to be good at hiring weak, limp wristed, and SENTIMENTAL tools like you.” He pointed the gun straight at Nathan, who was about to completely lose his composure. The atmosphere was as calm and lax as being strapped to a ticking bomb. Joseph struggled to dowse a weakpoint, but to no avail as if this man’s presence was disrupting his psychic resonance. Without taking his gun off nathan, Mathias turned towards veronica. “Does he still cry about that gender ambiguous tart that rejected his affections?” Mathias proceeded to make a mad dash for the blue building. Nathan regained his composure and clicked his head set.

“FRITZ, RETURN TO FORMATION!” He bellowed as everyone dashed to GHOSTFANG. Joseph could sense a large clutch of well hidden anti tank land mines that lay just in front of Matthias path.

“Okay, maybe he’s a dumbass and he’ll blow himself up.” Thought joseph hopefully. His hope evaporated as Matthias began side swiping the clutch of mines. He dowsed a group of poltergeist commandos waiting for Matthias behind cover, but he put killed them with his powerful handgun as they hid behind cover, like he could sense they were there. A final one seem to drop from the trees, but soon met its violent end. RM II grabbed a knife from his vest and put up his handgun with immense agility. In a single swipe, he slashed the poltergeist commando’s throat, leaving it for dead as it choked on its own blood. “fuck.” Wheezed joseph, realizing that this masked lunatic was also capable of life-saving super human agility. Without a moment to lose, he signaled to everyone to stop and carefully navigate the minefield they were seconds from approaching.

“VWS, OPEN FIRE!” Barked nathan, as he began firing hurriedly at the skull faced ghoul. Fritz hurried towards GHOSTFANG, slyly using Matthias’ foot prints to bypass the traps. Matthias quickly dove into the building, and clicked a small button on the side of his mask.

“Where the FUCK are you?!” Matthias hissed as he drew closer to GHOSTFANG. “I’m busting my ass trying NOT to blow those coalition circus freaks to kingdom come, and I can’t sense you ANYWHERE.” He continued complaining as he drew a large combat knife. “The boss would have my balls on a plate if I did otherwise, says we need those freaks alive and intact.” He fired at Fritz with his less powerful handgun. “Which means get your STUPID ASS over here and ASSIST ME.” A youthful voice responded to Matthias with the exacerbation of an annoyed teenager.

“Whatever.” It replied.

“Show me some respect, you ungrateful little SHIT.” Hissed Matthias. “If it weren’t for ME, you’d still be on that god forsaken boat getting your ass beaten and drugged.” The VWS halted in its tracks as a hooded figure descended from the surrounding woodland behind him. Its face covered in a skull like mask, but made with an minimalist, modern design. He casually flicked the blood off his stained gloves, the stench of copper permeating Veronica’s nostrils.

“Yeah, now I get my ass beaten by you, what an upgrade.” The hooded figure leapt straight at nathan with a flying kick. He barely had time to react as the hooded figure’s knee made contact with his ribcage, knocking the wind out of him. After being knocked to the ground, Veronica drew her combat knife to engage the hooded figure, as his close proximity to her comrades would be too risky for her usual spray and pray from her machine gun. As she went for a slash, the figure dodged her swipes, and proceeded to bring out a carbine fitted with a bayonet. The hooded punk charged her, parrying her knife, sending it flying before He struck her in the head with the butt of his rifle, Veronica’s cheap helmet cracked as the impact caused her to drop to the ground. The hooded figure proceeded to nonchalantly stroll up to joseph, his rifle drawn at the masked solider. Laleh immediately legged to get in front of joseph, aiming her grenade launcher at the cruel young man, her arm outstretched in protection. Within the blue building, A shootout between Matthias and Fritz illuminated its interior. Windows were being shot out as gunfire flickered like lightening. A small part of the building collapsed as Matthias used a separate handgun in an attempt to kill Fritz. Fritz used his speed to conduct hit and run tactics, using debris or dashing up to the rafters as covered. The masked, hooded soldier was nonplussed as he grew closer to joseph.

“Sounds like your pet freak is giving that old fart some trouble.” He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He seemed to know EXACTLY where fritz’s position was in the building, pointing at fritz’s position as he dodged and weaved. “He’s smart, he seems to know if he pauses for a second, he’ll get reduced to a smear on the wall.” Within the building, RM II began to get increasingly annoyed.

“You think you’re hot shit, don’t you, little kaiser?” He sneered as fritz’s ears twitched in concern. “I hear you and some others want to help reform your backwards country.” RM II said as Fritz dodged another shot and layed down suppressing fire. “You make me just as sick as the CNGS and those braindead Marxists, thinking this cesspit we call the modern world can be saved.”

“You’re such a vicious, and sad old man!” Fritz retorted, almost hitting RM II. Independent Germany will embrace the FREDERICH DOCTRINE, and all subjects in its walls shall be cared for”! Matthias snorted at Fritz’s declaration of tolerance.

“At least I’m HONEST about who I really am, you and your little band of freaks only aid others out of the brainwashing of your limp-wristed superiors.” Fritz dodged another wave of dangerously accurate handgun fire. “Once I get YOU, and the other CNGS freaks, I can finally kick this shitty job and ride out the rest of my days in comfort,away from everyone else on this miserable planet.” Fritz was able to graze RM II, sending him backwards and out a broken window. Joseph quietly noted the hooded soldier’s sadism as he broke into laughter as Matthias fell out the second floor window. After his gruesome fall and impact, Matthias proceeded to snap his arm back into his socket with a sickening pop and dashed back into the building. Joseph took no time taking advantage of this and opened fire after clearing some distance, laleh still in front of him. He was taken back at the burst of speed the hooded soldier, stunned as the masked soldier charged them down down. Nathan and Veronica desperately dashed after the sadist.

“RELAX, I’M JUST GONNA SLIT YOUR ACHILLES TENDON!” He playfully said as he slashed at joseph and Laleh.

“ENACTING COMBAT MEDIC SELF DEFENSE ADDENDUM!” Cried out laleh. The hooded soldier was soon overcome with blinding light. He was shocked, not just by the flash, but that his mask wasn’t able to fully protect him from the violent sound and light completely. He was soon sideswiped by a powerful punch to the face by Nathan. After flying two feet, stumbling to regain his senses, he felt the ground rumbling as Laleh grabbed him in a panic, hoisting him above her shoulders. “I AM NOW AUTHORIZED TO ENACT DEFENSIVE, RETALIATORY FORCE.” Cried laleh as She proceeded to throw the masked soldier into the wall of the remains of a rotted wooden building. Fritz was caught in a balancing act of dodging Matthias bullets and trying to get to GHOSTFANG, trying to listen to his ragged breathing. Suddenly, Matthias had ceased firing upon him, and turned towards the great crashing sound.

“Oh no.” He said an a sudden instance of great fear. He leapt from the second floor and dashed where his masked protege was thrown through a flimsy wall of rotted wood. Breathing a sigh of relief as his submachine gun nearly ate through 95 percent of his ammo, fritz located GHOSTFANG and gingerly picked up him up for extraction. The rest of the VWS had the hooded figure pinned down, veronica having big machine gun out and clearly intended to use lethal force. Laleh stuck her arm out in front of joseph protectively.

“MacMillan, we’ve apprehended RM III, beginning containment procedures.” Nathan explained. The irritable corporal answered in a fearful voice.

“You’re fucking kidding me…is RM II with him?” Everyone but Nathan had a baffled look on their face.

“I know you guys are confused as shit, and I’ll explain the RM situation to you another day.” Joseph’s eye caught something as the hooded one, RM III, whatever new abbreviation he had to remember. The mask appeared to be dented, and slipping, partly exposing RM III’s face and neck. He was met with the sight of a large, vertical scar along his neck, being obscured by the mask and bdu. Its pulsation matching the same rate as Joseph’s scar pulsation.

“Both he and that Matthias must have been hit by that same bioweapon I was exposed to.” Joseph said as he observed its pulsation.

“HA!” RM III scoffed. “Bioweapon, how fucking rich.” He turned towards Nathan, still on his knees. “What else are you and those coalition dogs lying to them about?”

Veronica looked fearfully at Nathan. “He…he’s just trying to fuck with right?” She shot Nathan a very despondent look. “You would never lie to us, would you?” A metallic canister was tossed at high velocity at Nathan’s feet. Before anyone could react, blinding light flashed and deafening sound thundered, leaving everyone in a state of shock. By the time they could recover, Matthias and RM III were gone, and fritz reunited with everyone as he assisted GHOSTFANG in walking towards the RISENFLEDERMAUS.Some time later after the VWS escaped and their QM allies disappeared into the Prosperan wilderness yet again. They attended GHOSTFANG’s debriefing and sanitation. The papers, hard drives and USB sticks were slightly dinged up but none worse for wear. Laleh tended to his wounds with the other medical staff members.

“I’m amazed you’re still conscious despite the several gunshot wounds and dehydration.” She noted in a tone that sounded more fascinated than concerned. She carefully handed a small tray consisting of seven bloodied assault rifle bullets her friend and Harris surgeon Ashley. “OoOOH! LOOK AT THIS ONE!” Laleh said gleefully as she pulled out the final bullet from GHOSTFANG’s shoulder. It was a 6 inch long sniper rifle round, stained crimson, yet LALEH marveled at it like a collector would marvel at a rare stamp or figurine. The younger VWS members were then shooed away from the surgery observation area for further medical examination and rest before their new mission. Before leaving, Nathan met up with them to try to explain himself.

“All I can tell you is that RM II, or Matthias…” He awkwardly explained, scratching at his face. “Is a defector from the CSTF, and now makes a living as a terrorist for an unknown benefactor.” He gathered everyone toward the exit. “I wish I could tell you more about him and that bioweapon, I really wish I could.” As Laleh’s humming became less faint, the intelligence team dashed the evidence for further anti virus and spy-ware analysis.Deep within a bunker in old prospera, the crumpled N.1685 logo fluttered as cold air blew down from a rigged ac unit. APOTHECARY had finished up the last of N.1685’s recovery procedures as he slowly rose from the table. just in time to view the footage of Joseph stabbing apothecary and RM III’s killing spree from earlier that day from a television screen. He fist clenched in primal rage at the brief sight of Laleh behind joseph as APOTHECARY fit him with a new transparent hood and protective lightweight material.

“I know you want to get back at the VWS, but we need you to support our artillery and rocket battery near RIO VERDE” “that’s a direct order from ALA high command.” APOTHECARY said as N.1685 paused in anger and indignity. “Please understand, our mercenary squadrons have been decimated by the combined efforts of the CNGS and those damned Marxists from QM.” He flew off the table and made his way out of the base to receive further orders and be sent on the battlefield. APOTHECARY nervously watched footage of RM III kill several abominations by stabbing their weak-points with his bayoneted carbine. “It appears the younger the subject is given the RENAISSANCE MAN serum, the deadlier they eventually develop.” He noted at RM III’s unfettered, mean-spirited glee. “If VELVET is correct and the scarred one is exhibiting symptoms, I’m wholeheartedly terrified of what he’ll be capable of.” He looked back at footage of joseph looking despondent. “ RM IV…” Apothecary spoke, gently stroking the image of Joseph’s face like caressing a sleeping cat. “My final chance at reclaiming my spot for the coming Aryan paradise.” He turned towards footage of a soldier in headgear, the name LOGAN CRAWFORD, was printed on the side of his bed. “I told them to move him away from coalition territory…if they don’t act soon…well…at least they can’t blame me for this one”. APOTHECARY sighed as he was brought another abomination soldier to patch up. “We just seem to be running out of places to shove prisoners since QM and the CNGS started cooperating, haven’t we?.” The cameras atop the metal surveillance pillars swung to observe his every move. His bunker felt more an more like a prison as the cameras reminded him of his upcoming trial regarding his mistake in Iran.

Meanwhile, Nathan was called into an emergency meeting with MacMillan alongside intelligence and the VWS’s senior officer corps. “What the hell do you MEAN he DEFECTED?!” nathan blurted in the midst of the presentation. Andrew would be usually furious at being interrupted, but he seemed to be in a depressive state. “I’m afraid so.” He replied. “It appears that a CNGS-AMERICAN officer, Corporal Issac Crawford had disappeared with his wife to defect to the ALA.” He turned towards the projector. “It unfortunately has plenty of eyes in ears in the CNGS-AMERICAN military.” He stated as he clicked towards the photo of joseph and another young man his age, both were smiling and sitting next to each other by a lake. “This is Issac’s son, Logan, and several weeks ago he went AWOL from his post in Corsica.” The rest of the VWS senior corps. remained stoic while nathan become more concerned.

“I know for a fact people just don’t vanish of American military bases.” Nathan said. Andrew looked at him again with another sad expression.

“Logan was the apparent cost for gaining a high ranking position within ALA high command, he is in a prison hospital with our next person of interest we must rescue.” Nathan was floored.

“Those poor kids…” he murmured, wiping sweat off of his brow. “They had no idea an older guy in their life was some radicalized nutcase…” His face became twisted in anger. “Selling your only fucking son like this…when I get my hands on that son of a bitch, I’ll-”

“I’m afraid it gets worse.” Said Andrew, switching to disturbing photos of Logan strapped to a bed, scar tissue forming over one side of his face. The footage displayed a name tag on the bed itself; RM V. A large screen popped up filling the monitor with the title of “KNOWN RENAISSANCE MEN.” Aside from telling its readers that it was a classified file and that unauthorized reproduction was forbidden, it also showed the most recent information about 5 “RENAISSANCES MEN”. RM I’s profile read; “NAME: CLASSIFIED. ALIASES: RM I ALLEGIANCES: UNKNOWN. WANTED FOR DESERTION AND SABOTAGE OF CNGS INTEL, MATERIALS AND OPERATIONS.” RM II’s profile read; “NAME: MATTHIAS GREY. ALIASES: RM II ALLEGIANCES: CLASSIFIED WANTED FOR DESERTION AND MURDER OF CNGS PERSONNEL.” RM III’s profile had the following descriptions. “NAME: UNKNOWN ALIASES: RM III. ALLEGIANCES: CLASSIFIED. WANTED FOR MURDER OF CNGS PERSONNEL.” RM IV had Joseph’s picture with the caption: “NAME: JOSEPH BAKER. ALIASES: RM IV. ALLEGIANCES: CNGS. SHOWING SIGNS OF BEING A PROPER RM II REPLACEMENT.” RM V showed Logan in a helmet: “NAME: LOGAN CRAWFORD ALIASES: RM V HIGH PRIORITY TARGET. TO BE RESCUED IMMEDIATELY.” Nathan had no idea how he would break this to joseph…

To be continued in vol 5.

#valiantwarriorsquadron #monster man #monster girl #military #short stories

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dxkk1104 · 1 year

Text

part two:

The ceiling shimmered with a million colors from the headache. Sasuke had been lying down and listening to Itachi cough for two hours. He had no way to help his brother when the attacks were coming.

Shisui and Mikoto watched over him, but Sasuke couldn't look into his face and see the blood and paleness signifying lurking death.

"Shisui will take him to the hospital, Sasuke." Mikoto appeared in his room.

He saw fear and tears in his mother's eyes.

"I'll go with him."

Getting out of bed, he felt all his muscles tense. Two months ago, after Sakura's birthday, Itachi's condition worsened day by day. Since then, Sasuke was like a walking ghost. He even distanced himself from friends.

"Fuck... fuck, fuck, fuck..." Sasuke and Mikoto froze "Sasuke! Sasuke!!!"

He rushed out of the room, and when he appeared at Itachi's door, he noticed Shisui shaking his shoulders and trying to wake him up. His brother's face was covered in blood and sweat.

And his brain shut down. Sasuke acted like an automaton. He reached the hospital, handed Itachi over to Sakura and her team and sat down in the waiting room.

His family was hanging around somewhere, but he paid them no attention. He felt anxiety, fear, pain, sadness, anger at everything and everyone. He wanted to scream, hit a wall or someone, cry or laugh at the meanness of life.

But Sasuke was just sitting with a face expressing no emotion and staring at the wall.

He spent three, damn long, hours in this position. When Sakura finally emerged from the operating room she did not have a cheerful face.

"We tried our best. He's in a coma for now."

"You said you would take care of him. You promised that nothing would happen to him."

"Sasuke-kun, we are only human. We kept him alive."

She squeezed his shoulder and wanted to stroke his cheek with her other hand. Sasuke pulled away abruptly, not wanting to be comforted. He wanted nothing, from no one. No words. Sakura put her hand over his heart.

"Don't touch me." he hissed through clenched teeth. The girl made a puzzled and hurt face. In her head, she was probably replaying her birthday and what happened on it, and what they never talked about "Just because I fucked you out of pity doesn't mean it meant anything."

She hit him.

Sakura didn't even put a quarter of her strength into it. She just wanted to let Sasuke know that he had hurt her and waited for some words of apology. He, however, stood in silence.

"I'd say it was me who fucked you, Sasuke. You didn't even make me come," she flashed past him.

She never indulged in provoking and hurting others the way they did, but she was annoyed by the impassive expression on Sasuke's face. He looked as if he didn't even understand how much he had hurt her.

With tears under her eyelids, she allowed Mikoto, Fugaku and Shisui to enter Itachi.

Sakura tried to push Sasuke's words out of her head, but they kept replaying. What if he was telling the truth? But then it was real to her, as if he wanted to sleep with her because of some feeling, not to just fuck her.

The door opened in front of Sakura. Shizune was just coming out of a meeting with Tsunade. Sakura greeted the woman and went inside.

"And how is he, Sakura?"

"Here is the entire report, Lady Tsunade." she placed the pages on her desk.

"Hmmm.", she read silently. Sakura noticed someone off to the side. The gray-haired man she ran into not so long ago, "Good. You'll still have Itachi in your care, with extra help. We have a new student."

The boy approached, extending his hand toward Sakura.

"Isao.", he smiled.

"Sakura.""I hope you will work well together." Tsunade handed Sakura the report.

"We will certainly work well together." Isao put his hands in the pockets.

…

The fifteenth of July was the hottest day since the beginning of the year. Naruto was sweating under his thin blouse and dreaming only of a cold shower. However, there was still lunch at Uchiha's.

He got an invitation from Shisui yesterday and couldn't refuse, as the boy pestered him for two hours.

Naruto mused, in his mind cursing Shisui for dragging him out to dinner, and ran into Sakura.

He hadn't seen her in a long time, he thought to himself.

All this time she had been busy taking care of Itachi, who still hadn't left the hospital.

"Sakura-chan! How good to see you. I see you've already finished your work, that's great! Shall we go together?"

"Where?" she pondered a moment "Ah, dinner, well, yes. Sorry Naruto, but I said no."

His jaw dropped. Sakura had refused to meet where Sasuke would be. She, who had a crush on him for so many years and never missed any opportunity to see him.

"Why and how? I had to agree,"

"Sometimes you have to be able to object."

"A-" he was interrupted by a loud male voice calling out to Sakura.

A gray-haired man ran up to her and, smiling, began to ask if she was doing anything else today and if she wanted to go with him to the restaurant. And, to his dismay, she agreed. Naruto stood in shock listening to this, feeling that he was not at all a step away from them.

"I'll see you some other time, Naruto!" she said goodbye, walking away with the boy.

…

Sasuke knew that Naruto was waiting for this meal to end. His curiosity and shock emanated a mile away. The blond boy wriggled in his chair and looked at him the whole time.

And when they finally found themselves alone in the kitchen, washing dishes, Naruto couldn't stand it.

"Sakura went to a restaurant with some boy. Do you understand that?! Teme, we have to do something about this."

Sasuke felt his heart pounding and blood humming in his ears. He clenched his jaw.

Don't do anything stupid, said one voice in his head, it's because of you.

"Sakura can do whatever she wants,"

"I don't deny that, but you know.... Well, everyone can see it at first glance." Sasuke looked at him with a grimace. He had no idea what his friend was insinuating: "That you like, like Sakura."

"I don't." he denied quickly.

"Don't lie to yourself. That intensity of your gazes and the gentle touch that..."

"Stop it."

"...you both exchange. God, sometimes it seems to me that with your eyes alone you are fuc..."

"Shut up!"

He was heartily sick of it. He didn't want to hear any more about Sakura

and what 'was' between them.

"I doubt we'll see her here anytime soon, Naruto." Shisui looked at Sasuke as if he knew.

He had to know.

"What did you say to her, Sasuke?"

Desperation, he sensed it from his friend.

"We had a little exchange of words."

No one said anything else. Sasuke's tone testified to his reluctance to talk further.

You let it happen yourself, the other voice repeated, you screwed up yourself.

…

The beeping sound of the machine testified that Itachi's heart was still working. He had been in a coma for six months and Sakura was slowly losing hope that he would wake up.

Isao was preparing another report while she was changing the drip.

"I've been wanting to ask you about this for a long time." he began, tapping the pen against a piece of paper, "That boy who often comes here and whom you are clearly avoiding, who is he?"

Sakura froze. Who is Sasuke to her? At one time she would have said one of the most important people, but now the only answer that came to her mind was - he already belongs to the past.

She waited so long for him to apologize or talk or whatever, but he did nothing.

He didn't even try. And Sakura couldn't look at him.

"My former friend."

"A former friend? What happened between you two?" Isao approached her with the report already written. Sakura looked away "You don't have to talk if you don't want to. It's probably difficult for you." he tucked her hair behind the ear.

"It's a little hard for me. We were friends for quite a long time."

"I understand."

She looked at him and didn't know what; what factor made her kiss him.

Perhaps she wanted to forget what had happened? Or maybe she wanted to replace the feeling of sadness with another, much nicer one, finding it in a person so different from Sasuke?

…

It only took one visit to the hospital for Sasuke to learn that Sakura had someone.

At the time, he walked past her office, whose door was gently ajar. Sakura stood on tiptoe and kissed the boy. And Sasuke then felt a sting in his heart.

Although he shouldn't; he brought it on himself, Sasuke repeated all the time.

Itachi looked at him with tired eyes. He woke up two weeks ago, but his condition was still unstable. Doctors had him under observation.

"I can see that something is bothering you, Sasuke."

"Everything is fine, Itachi." he tried to avoid his brother's gaze, which was drilling a hole in his head. He might not have broached the subject with most, but he could never lie to Itachi "I said something very stupid to Sakura."

He fell silent.

"And you're sorry and you'd like to fix it, but you don't know how."finished Itachi for him, "Talking is the key."

"She will not want to listen to me" Sasuke didn't even try to consider another solution "This has already happened several months ago."

Itachi shook his head, and Sasuke remembered that his father did this whenever he was disappointed in him. Anger, sadness and a sense of worthlessness sat in his stomach, accumulating and riding up to his throat.

"Sasuke?”

Sakura

He took three deep breaths before speaking up.

"Can we talk, alone?" he looked meaningfully at the boy.

"Isao, check Itachi's health results." Sakura sent a gentle smile.

Sasuke and Sakura left the room. She stared at him, waiting for Sasuke to start.

"Those words were a mistake,"

"Apparently the words weren't the only mistake," she snorted.

Sasuke knew it would be difficult, but she didn't make it easy at all.

"Sakura..."

"...sorry."

"I wish I could fix it." he didn't even look into her eyes, "If you let me." he didn't know if he would be able to bear what he could see in them.

"First I want to hear one word. Then we can think about fixing the friendship."

Friendship... he didn't think he'd have to rebuild a bond that, arguably, wasn't quite what he wanted.

"I'm sorry."

#sasusaku #sakura uchiha #sasuke x sakura #sakura haruno #uchihasasuke

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